Messe Karlsruhe

Gataulla Rustemovich Kamsky – Fabiano Caruana
SchachBundesliga Championship Tournament; Karlsruhe, September 16, 2020
Torre Attack A48

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. Bg5 0-0 5. Nbd2 h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. e4 c5 8. d5. Kamsky has more often played 8. dxc5, though now 8. ... dxc5 9. Bc4 Nc6 10. 0-0 Nh5(!) seems fine for Black, Kamsky – Fedorov, 7th World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 8. ... Nbd7. The alternative was 8. ... e6 9. dxe6 Bxe6, but quite rightly Caruana thinks that Kamsky might have prepared something better than the insipid 10. Bb5 a6 11. Ba4 b5 12. Bb3 Re8 (which is certainly satisfactory for Black), Kamsky – Jovanović, 16th ORDIX Open, Mainz 2009. 9. Bd3 Nh5 10. 0-0 Nf4 11. Bc2 b5 12. Rb1 Nf6 13. Re1 Qc7 14. Nf1 e5 15. dxe6 Bxe6 16. Bg3 N6h5 17. Qd2 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Nh5 19. Bb3 c4 20. Bc2 Rfe8 21. Rbd1 Rad8 22. Nd4 Bg4 23. Ra1 Qc5 24. Ne3 Nf6 25. a4 a6 26. axb5 axb5 27. Nxg4 Nxg4 28. Bd1 Nf6 29. Bf3 Nd7 30. Nc2 Qg5 31. Qxg5 hxg5 32. Ra5 Rb8 33. Rd1 Nf6

34. Rxd6? The losing mistake. White should have played 34. g4 Nd7 (34. ... Nxe4 35. Ra7 Nc5 35. Bd5 Rf8 36. Nb4 gives a very similar assessment, though with colours reversed) 35. Rxd6 Nc5 with dynamic equilibrium and a likely draw. 34. ... g4! 35. e5 Rxe5 36. Bc6 Re2 37. Nd4 Re1+ 38. Kh2 Kh7! (Δ ... Rb8-h8) 39. Ra8 Rxa8 40. Bxa8 Rb1 41. Nxb5 Rxb2 42. Bc6 Rxf2 43. Kg1. If 43. Rd4 then 43. ... Nh5 44. Rxg4 Be5 (Δ ... f7-f5) with similar consequences as in the game. 43. ... Rc2 44. Rd4 Bh6 45. Rxc4 Be3+ 46. Kf1 Nh5 47. Rxg4 f5 48. Rh4 Kg7 49. Rh3 (Δ g3-g4)

49. ... Bf2. Forcing liquidation into a virtually won ending, which Caruana converts with virtuoso technique: 50. Rxh5 gxh5 51. Nd6 Bc5 52. Nxf5+ Kf6 53. Nh4 Rxc3 54. Be8 Kg5 55. Nf3+ Kh6 56. Bd7 Rc1+ 57. Ke2 Rc2+ 58. Kf1 Rf2+ 59. Ke1 Rxg2 60. Nh4 Rb2 61. Kf1 Rf2+ 62. Ke1 Kg5 63. Bh3 Kf6 64. Bd7 Ra2 65. Kf1 Bd6 66. g4 hxg4 67. Bxg4 Kg5 68. Nf5 Bc5 69. Bh3 Rf2+ 70. Ke1 Rh2 0 : 1.

Though they usually meet overseas, today they met in Germany. Screenshot from the GRENKE Chess YouTube Channel.