Lost & Found

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Candidates Tournament 2020–21; Yekaterinburg, April 27, 2021
King’s Indian Defence E60

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 e6 4. e4 c5 5. d5 d6 6. Bd3. Veni, vidi, but no vici: 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Nge2 exd5 8. cxd5 a6 9. a4 0-0 10. Ng3 Nbd7 11. Be2 Ne8 12. Bf4 Rb8 13. 0-0 c4 14. Bxc4 Qb6+ 15. Rf2 Bd4 16. Qd2 Ne5 17. Bf1 Bxf2+ 18. Qxf2 Qxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Bd7 20. Be3 f5 21. exf5 gxf5 22. Bd4 Nf6 23. Kg1 Rbc8 24. Ra3 Nc4 25. Rb3 b5 26. axb5 Nd2 27. Rb4 Nxf1 28. bxa6 Nxg3 29. hxg3 Rb8 30. Rxb8 Rxb8 31. Bxf6 Ra8 32. Nd1 ½ : ½ Carlsen – Nepomniachtchi, 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2019. 6. ... Bg7 7. Ne2 exd5 8. cxd5 Nbd7 9. Nec3!? This is somewhat of a novelty. The more orthodox 9. Nbc3 0-0 10. Be3 Ne5 by inversion of moves transposes into the Sämisch Variation of the King’s Indian Defence: 11. 0-0 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 Nd7 13. Qd2 Ne5 14. b3 Re8 15. h3 f5 16. Rad1 Nf7 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. Ng3 Qa5 19. Nce4 Qxd2 20. Bxd2 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 b5 22. Rfe1 b4 23. Bf4 Rad8 24. Kf1 Be5 25. Bg5 Nxg5 26. Nxg5 a5 27. Ne4 a4 28. Re2 Ra8 29. Nd2 Bg3 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. Ne4 Be5 32. Ke2 Ra8 33. Kd3 h6 34. h4 Rf8 35. Rf1 Kf7 36. f4 Ke7 37. bxa4 Bh8 38. Kc4 Kd7 39. Nd2 Re8 40. Kd3 Bf6 41. g3 Ra8 42. Nc4 Bd8 43. Re1 Rxa4 44. Re6 1 : 0 Vyzmanavin – Kuzmin, 64th Moscow City Chess Championship, Moscow 1986. 9. ... a6 10. a4 Nh5 11. 0-0 Bd4+ 12. Kh1 Ne5 13. Ne2 Qh4

14. Nxd4 Nxd3? Nepomniachtchi is charmed (and caught) by a Fata Morgana. Much better was 14. ... cxd4! 15. Kg1 g5! with good play for Black. 15. Qxd3 Ng3+ 16. Kg1 Nxf1

17. Nc2! Black must have overlooked this move, when he played 14. ... Nxd3. 17. ... Nxh2. Alas for Nepomniachtchi, the “revenge of matter” ensuing from 17. ... Qxh2+? 18. Kxf1 Qh1+ 19. Kf2 Qxc1?? is refuted by 20. Qc3 0-0 21. Nd2 trapping the Queen. 18. Qe3 0-0?! Allowing White to simplify into a won ending. If, however, 18. ... g5!? (hoping for 19. Qxg5?? Nxf3+! 20. gxf3 Qxg5+ 21. Bxg5 Rg8 with material gain) then White would play 19. e5! still strongly maintaining the upper hand.

19. Qg5! Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 Qh3 21. Bf4! Qxf3 22. Nd2 f6. Reluctantly, but the Queen had no good squares. 23. Qxg6+ hxg6 24. Nxf3 Bg4 25. Nd2. White dominates the board, and what follows is quite predictable, as well as 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s clockwork technique.

25. ... Be2. 25. ... Rad8 26. Ne3 makes little difference, since Black has hardly anything better than 26. ... Be2 whereupon would follow 27. Kf2 Bd3 28. Rg1 Kf7 29. Nec4 with overwhelming advantage for White. 26. Kf2 Bd3 27. Ne1 c4 28. Bxd6 Rfe8 29. Nxd3 cxd3 30. Bc7! Kf7 31. Ra3 Rac8 32. d6 Ke6 33. Rxd3 Kd7 34. Nc4 Rxc7 35. Nb6+! 1 : 0.

Against most odds, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), if only in extremis, showed up to play at his best. Photo © Lennart Ootes.