Too Many Thoughts, Not Enough Ink

Leinier Domínguez Pérez – Garry Kimovich Kasparov
3rd Fischerandom Chess (Online) Showdown; Lichess, September 12, 2020
nnrkrqbb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NNRKRQBB w ECec - 0 1

Position #95

1. g3 c6 2. f4 g6 3. Nc3 Nb6 4. Nb3 f5 5. 0-0-0 d5! 6. Bf2 N8d7 7. Qg1 e5! 8. fxe5 Bxe5 9. Nc5 Rc7! It’s interesting to note that Kasparov carefully omitted, from move 5 onwards, to make the symmetrical a-side castling (0-0-0), instead developing out of any standardisation. 10. Nxd7 (10. Nd3 Bd6 11. g4 f4!?∞) 10. ... Kxd7 11. Bd4 Nc4 12. Bxe5 Rxe5 13. Qd4. The immediate 13. Nb1 (Δ b2-b3) was decidedly called for.

13. ... Qb4 14. Nb1 c5. Black seized the upper hand, but strangely he will not be able to turn it into something more tangible. 15. Qc3 d4 16. Qb3

16. ... Kd6. “The King is a strong piece”, as Steinitz used to say. 17. e4 Rce7 18. Qxb4 cxb4 19. b3 Na3 20. Nxa3 bxa3 21. d3 Bd5 (21. ... a5!? 22. Rf1 Rc7∓) 22. Rf1 Bc6 23. Rf4 fxe4 24. Bxe4 Bxe4 25. dxe4 Kc5 26. Re1 g5 27. Rf8 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Rxe4 29. Kd2 Re5 30. Rf7 Kc6 31. Rxh7 Rf5 32. Ke2 Rc5 33. Kd2 Rf5 34. Ke2 Rc5 35. Kd2 Rf5 ½ : ½.

A non-absolute advantage sometimes can be not enough, no matter whether classical or contemporary chess. Screenshot from the live stream.