Mode One

Aryan Tari – Andrey Evgenyevich Esipenko
83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 29, 2021
Spanish Game C79

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. Re1 Bd7 7. c3 g6 8. d4 Bg7 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Bc2 Nh5 11. dxe5!? New by simple means. Data base theory gave 11. Nf1 Bg4 12. d5 Ne7 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 f5 15. Qd1 f4 16. Nh2 Nf6 17. c4 g5 18. Rb1 Qe8 19. b4 Qg6 20. c5 h5 21. f3 Bh6 22. Rb3 Kh8 with chances for both colours, Makropoulou – Öztürk, 3rd Women’s World Team Chess Championship, Mardin 2011. 11. ... dxe5 12. Nf1 Nf4 13. Ne3 Kh8 14. Nd5 Ne6 15. h4

15. ... h5? Thus Black denies himself any possibility for Kingside counterattack, instead leaving White with a free hand on the Queenside. 15. ... f5!? was much more to the point. 16. Be3 f6 17. b4 Ne7 18. Qe2 Nc8 19. c4 Qe8 20. c5 a5 21. a3 Na7 22. Bb3 Nb5 23. Bc4 axb4 24. axb4 Rxa1 25. Rxa1 f5?! One cannot but say that this came too late, even though now Black had indeed fallen into disgrace — as neither 25. ... c6 (26. Nb6) nor 25. ... Bc6 (26. Ra5) might have changed the story. 26. exf5 gxf5 27. Ng5 Nxg5 28. hxg5 f4

29. Ra8! A bolt from the blue, winning decisive material or mating. 29. ... Qg6. Of course the Rook is taboo: 29. ... Qxa8 30. Qxh5+ followed by mate in two. 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8 31. Bd2 Na3 32. Bd3 Qxg5 33. Qe4 1 : 0.

Tari scored today his first win in his “youth showdown” with Esipenko. Photo © Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021.