A Second Time

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Samuel L. Shankland
9th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, July 29, 2021
King’s Indian Attack A08

1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Be7 5. g3 a5 6. Bg2 a4 7. a3 c5 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. Re1 0-0 10. e5 (10. h4?! dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Rxe4 b5 13. Ng5 Ra6 14. Qh5 h6 15. Nf3 f5 16. Re1 Bd7 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 Bd6 19. Re1 Qf6 20. Rb1 f4?! 21. Bxf4 Bxf4 22. gxf4 Qxf4 23. Qxc5 Rf5 24. Qe3 Qxh4 25. Qg3 Qh5 26. Qc7 Qf7 27. Qb7 Rd6 28. Qb8+ Qf8 29. Qxf8+ Kxf8 30. Re3 Bc6 31. Rbe1 ½ : ½ Karjakin – Aronian, Candidates Tournament 2016, Moscow 2016) 10. ... Nd7 11. Nf1 b5 12. h4 Bb7 (12. ... b4 13. N1h2 bxa3 14. bxa3 Rb8 15. Ng4 Re8 16. h5 h6 17. Bf4 Nb6 18. Qd2 Nd7 19. c4 dxc4 20. dxc4 Nb6 21. Qc1 Qd3 22. Bxh6 Qxc4 23. Qxc4 Nxc4 24. Bg5 N6a5 25. h6 Nb3 26. Ra2 Bb7 27. Bxe7 Rxe7 28. Ng5 gxh6 29. Nxh6+ Kg7 30. Ng4 Kh8 31. Rd1 Bxg2 32. Kxg2 Nb6 33. Rd6 Nd5 34. Rc2 Rc7 35. Rc4 Nd2 36. Rc2 Nb3 37. Rc4 Nd2 38. Rc2 ½ : ½ Ciocâltea – Šahović, International Tournament, Timișoara 1977) 13. h5 h6 14. Bf4 Qb6 15. Qd2 Rfc8 16. g4 Qd8 17. N1h2 Ra6 18. Kh1 b4. A typical King’s Indian Attack position, in which White attacks on the Kingside and Black on the Queenside, and only one question really matters: who comes first? 19. Rg1 Nf8 20. axb4 cxb4 21. d4 Na5? After this loss of time, White gets the upper hand and keeps it to the end. 21. ... a3!∞ was called for.

22. g5!→ Nc4 23. Qc1 hxg5 24. Bxg5 b3. In order to push ... a4-a3 without allowing b2-b3. If, instead, 24. ... Bxg5 then 25. Nxg5 f6 26. exf6 Qxf6 27. Ng4! Qxd4 28. Bh3 e5 29. Rxa4! (Δ 29. ... Rxa4? 30. Nh6+!+−).25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Bf1! a3? Black’s only threat in the whole game, but just too late!

27. Rxg7+! Kxg7 28. Ng4 f5 29. exf6+ Qxf6 30. Nxf6 axb2 31. Qg5+ Kf7 32. h6 Ng6 33. Nh4! bxa1=Q. Shankland chivalrously allows his opponent to give checkmate on the board: 34. Qxg6+ Ke7 35. Qg7+ Kd6 36. Qd7# 1 : 0.

Karjakin won a brilliant game, culminating in checkmate, eventually pushing the match to a tie-breaker. Photo © Eric Rosen.