Saturday, September 11, 2021

Scenes of a Lifetime

Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Saint Louis, September 9, 2021
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Position #137

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Ne3 Nb6 4. Bb3?! Probably better is 4. Nb3 Ng6 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nc4 b5 7. Ne5!? Nxe5 8. dxe5 Qf5 9. Nc5 Qxe5 10. e4 Nf4 11. b4 Bb6 12. Bc3 Qg5 13. g3 Bxc5 14. bxc5 Ne6 15. Qxg5 Nxg5 16. Bc2 f6 17. f4 Ne6 18. e5! fxe5 19. 0-0-0 Nd4! 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. Rhe1 Rb7 22. Rxd4 0-0 23. Rde4 Bf7 24. Rxe7 Rxe7 25. Rxe7 Bxa2 26. Rxa7 Bd5= Aronian – Kasparov, ibidem. 4. ... Ne6 5. Nac2?! 5. Qd2 dxc4 6. Nxc4 Nxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bxe6 Qxe6 9. Nb3 a5⩱ is quite comfortable for Black, but probably also rather sounder for White. 5. ... Nf4! Threatening a royal fork. 6. Qd2 dxc4 7. Nxc4?! A little better seems 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Nxc4 since, if Black continues as in the game with 8. ... Qg4, White would avoid at least instant disgrace with 9. g3 Nxe2+ 10. Kg2 b5! 11. Ne5 Qe6 12. Qxe2 f6⩱ — but in that case probably Domínguez Pérez would have played 8. ... Bc7! firmly holding the upper hand. 7. ... Qg4!


8. g3? After 8. N4e3 Qxe2 9. g3 Qxd2 10. Bxd2 Nfd5 it may be hard for White to claim any compensation for the Pawn, but that was the best he had! 8. ... Nxe2+ 9. Kg2 (9. Kf1 Qe4−+) 9. ... Nd5! 10. f3 Nef4+ 11. Kf2 Nh3+ 12. Ke2


12. ... Ndf4+! 13. gxf4 Qg2+ 14. Kd3 Qxh1 15. N2e3 Qxf3 16. Bg3 Nxf4+ 17. Bxf4 Qxf4 18. Rf1 Qg5 19. Ne5 e6 20. Qf2 0-0! 21. Bxe6. White’s only attacking move in the whole game. 21. ... Bf6 22. Rg1 Qh4 23. Rxg7+ Kh8! 0 : 1.

Thus Domínguez Pérez won first prize in the 4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX, scoring perhaps the most spectacular success of his career. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

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