The Edge of the Horizon

Fabiano Caruana – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Candidates Tournament 2020–21; Yekaterinburg, April 19, 2021
Sicilian Defence B97

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 h6 11. Bh4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Nfd7. The alternative is 12. ... Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. e6 Bxe6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be2 [16. Bd3 Be7 17. Bg6+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Nd7! 20. Rf7 Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rf8 22. Rxg7 Rf6! 23. Bd3 Kc7 24. c4 d4 25. Qe2 Raf8 26. Qe4 b6 27. Qh7 Rd8 28. a4 Qe5 29. h3 Qc5 30. Ra1 Kd6 31. Rb1 Kc7 32. Kg1 Qe5 33. Kh1 ½ : ½ T. A. Kosintseva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–14, 1st stage, Geneva 2013] 16. ... Be7 17. Bh5+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Nd7 20. Rxb7 [20. Rf7 Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rf8 22. Rxg7 Rc8 23. h3 Rc6 24. Qxh6 Kc8 25. Bg4 Qxc2 26. Re1 Qc3 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 28. Bxe6 Rf1+ 29. Kh2 Qe5+ 30. Rg3 Qe1 31. Qh8+ Kc7 32. Qc3+ Qxc3 33. Rxc3+ Kd6 34. Bxd7 Kxd7 35. h4 Ke6 36. h5 Kf6 37. Rc7 Kg5 38. Rxb7 Kxh5 39. Rb6 d4 40. Rxa6 d3 41. Rd6 Ra1 42. Kg3 Rxa2 43. Rd5+ Kg6 44. Rxd3 Ra6 45. Rd4 Rb6 46. Kf4 Ra6 47. Kg3 Rb6 48. Rg4+ Kh6 49. Kh4 Ra6 50. Rg8 Kh7 51. Rg5 Kh6 52. g4 Rb6 53. Rc5 Kg6 54. Rg5+ Kh6 55. Rh5+ Kg6 56. Rg5+ Kh6 ½ : ½ N. A. Kosintseva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12, Rostov-on-Don 2011] 20. ... Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rb8 22. Rxb8+ Nxb8 23. Qe2 Qb5 24. Qxb5 axb5 25. Rf7 Nc6 26. Rxg7 Rf8 27. Kg1 Nb4 28. Rb7 Nxc2 29. Rxb5 Ke7 30. a4 Ra8 31. Rb2 Ne3 32. Kf2 Nc4 33. Rb7+ Kd6 34. Bd1 e5 35. Rh7 Nb2 36. Rxh6+ Kc5 37. Bc2 Nxa4 38. h4 Nc3 39. Bf5 Ra2+ 40. Kf1 Ra1+ 41. Kf2 Ra2+ 42. Kf1 Nd1 43. g4 Ne3+ 44. Ke1 Kd4 45. Bc8 Ng2+ 46. Kd1 e4 47. h5 e3 48. Ba6 Nf4 49. Rb6 Nd3 50. Bxd3 Kxd3 51. Rb3+ Ke4 52. h6 d4 53. h7 Rh2 0 : 1 Shirov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 10th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2012. 13. Ne4 Qxa2 14. Rd1 Qd5 15. Qe3 Qxe5. The “tabiya” of a line which has been theorised to death, and that Caruana apparently digged even further: 16. c3 Bc5 17. Bg3 Qd5

18. Bc4! A bold novelty, which surely has been computer-tested by Caruana. Whatever its speculative merits may be, it is certainly an improvement over the previous theory: 18. Bd6 Bxd6 19. Nb5 Qxd1+ 20. Kxd1 Be5 (but after 20. ... axb5 21. Nxd6+ Ke7 22. Nf5+ Kf8 White may have nothing better than a draw by repetition) 21. Nbd6+ Ke7 22. Nc4 Rd8 23. Kc2 Bc7 24. Be2 Nc6 25. Rd1 b5 26. Ncd6 f6 27. c4 b4 28. Bh5 Nce5 29. c5 a5 30. Nxf6 Kxf6 31. c6 Bxd6 32. Rxd6 Ke7 33. Rd1 Nxc6 34. Qg3 b3+ 35. Kb2 Kf8 36. Qc7 Kg8 37. Qxc6 1 : 0 Beveridge – Milde, WS/H/369, by e-mail, 2013. In fact, White’s win had nothing to do with the opening. 18. ... Qxc4. At last, after long thought, Vachier-Lagrave takes the challenge. Indeed he could do nothing else. 19. Bd6! Nf6! 19. ... Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Qb3 21. Qg3! is of course very unclear, but also quite uncomfortable for Black, at least from an emotional perspective; for instance: 21. ... Qb1+ 22. Kf2 Qxh1?? 23. Qxg7 Rf8 24. Nf6+! Nxf6 25. Qxf8+ Kd7 26. Qxf7+ Kc6 27. Qc7+ Kb5 28. Rb4#. 20. Nxc5 Nd5 21. Qe5! Rg8! 21. ... Qxc3+ 22. Kf2↑ is another headache, mostly affecting Black.

22. Ndxe6! fxe6 23. Nxe6 Qxc3+ 24. Qxc3 Nxc3 25. Nc7+ Kf7 26. Rd3 Ne4. Most engines prefer 26. ... Ra7, but after 27. 0-0+ Kg6 28. Rxc3 Black, in spite of being two Pawns up, is completely tied up. 27. 0-0+ Kg6 28. Nxa8. White came out with the Exchange ahead against two Pawns minus. Hence the fight continues: 28. ... Nc6

29. Nb6 Rd8 30. Nxc8 Rxc8 31. Ba3 Rc7 32. Rf4 Nf6 33. Bb2 Ne7 34. Bxf6 gxf6 35. h4 h5 36. Rg3+ Kf7 37. Rg5 Rc1+ 38. Kh2 Ng6 39. Rf2 Nxh4 40. Rxh5 Ng6 41. Rh7+ Ke6 42. Rxb7 Ne5 43. Rb6+ Rc6 44. Rxc6+. Technically speaking, after the exchange of Rooks the endgame is only a tablebase draw, but that doesn’t mean at all that it will eventually end as a draw. 44. ... Nxc6 45. Kg3 Kf7 46. Rc2 Nb4 47. Rd2 Nc6 48. Kf4 Kg6 49. Rd6 Ne5 50. Rxa6 Nf7 50. Rxa6 Nf7 51. Ke4 Nh6 52. Ra5 Nf7 53. Ra3 Nd6+ 54. Kf4 Nf5 55. Rd3

55. ... Nh6? Exhausted by the demand for perfection in order to defend a borderline book draw, Vachier-Lagrave lets salvation slip, as that was ensured only by 55. ... Ne7! and 55. ... Ng7! (tablebase analysis). 56. Rg3+ Kf7 57. Ke4 Ng8 58. Kf5 Ne7+ 59. Kf4 Nd5+ 60. Kg4? (60. Kf5+−) 60. ... Kg6 61. Kf3+ Kf7 62. Ke4

62. ... Ne7? Of course things go this way when one has too many losing moves and only one saving move: 62. ... Nc7! (tablebase analysis). 63. Kf4 Nd5+ 64. Kf5! Finally on the right track. 64. ... Ne7+ 65. Ke4 Ng8 66. Rh3 Kg6 67. Ra3 Kf7 68. Kf4. Now the King penetrates decisively. 68. ... Nh6 69. Rg3 Ng8 70. Kg4 Ne7 71. Kh5 Nd5 72. Rf3 Ke6 73. g4 Ke5 74. Kg6 1 : 0.

Caruana might think it was worth waiting a year for such a game. Photo © Lennart Ootes.