Square in a Square

Vincent Keymer – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 20, 2021

Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. a4 Be7 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. b3. Although somewhat dated, the following game between two virtuosos of positional play may still be regarded as a model of defence: 11. Nd2 0-0 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Be7 14. Bd2 Rd8 15. Bc3 Bd7 16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Be8 18. Rad1 Rxd6 19. Rxd6 Rb8 20. a5 Kf8 21. Rd1 Rc8 22. Bb3 Rc7 23. f3 Bd7 24. Kf2 f6 25. g4 e5 26. Kg3 Ke7 27. f4 Be6 28. Ba4 exf4+ 29. exf4 Rd7 30. f5 Rxd1 31. Bxd1 Bd7 32. Kf4 h6 33. h4 Kf8 34. Bf3 Ke7 35. Bd5 Bc8 36. g5 hxg5+ 37. hxg5 Bd7 38. g6 Bc8 39. b3 Nd8 40. Bb4+ Ke8 41. Bc3 Ke7 42. Bb4+ Ke8 43. Bd6 Bd7 44. b4 Bc8 45. Bc5 Bd7 46. Be4 Bc8 47. Bb6 Nc6 48. b5 Ne7 49. bxa6 bxa6 50. Bc5 Kd8 51. Bd3 Nd5+ 52. Ke4 Ne7 53. Kf4 Nd5+ 54. Kg4 Ne7 55. Kf4 Nd5+ 56. Ke4 Ne7 57. Bxe7+ Kxe7 58. Kd5 Kd7 59. Kc5 Kc7 ½ : ½ Flohr – A. K. Rubinstein, 3rd Chess Olympiad, Hamburg 1930. 11. ... 0-0 12. Nd2 Rd8 13. Bb2 Bd7 14. Nce4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Be7 16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Be8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Bc3 Kf8 20. Kf1 Rc8 21. f4 h5 22. Ke2 Ke7. Probably simpler is 22. ... Ne7 28. Rc1 (otherwise ... b7-b5 follows) 28. ... Bc6 with a balanced game. 23. Bd3 f6 24. b4

24. ... Ne5!? Praggnanandhaa offers a Pawn for an active defence — and indeed it is hard to say whether such a decision deserves an exclamation mark or two. 25. Bxe5 fxe5 26. fxe5 Rc3 27. a5 Bc6 28. g3 Rb3 29. Rb1 Ra3 30. Rb2 Ra1 31. Kd2 g5 32. Kc3 h4 33. gxh4 gxh4 34. Bb1 Bd5 35. Kd4 Kd7 36. e4 Bc6 37. Ke3 Ra3+ 38. Kf4 h3! 39. Rd2+ Ke7 40. Rd3 Ra1 41. Rb3 Ba4 42. Rb2

42. ... Ra3?? An awful mistake which loses the game suddenly and melodramatically. After the correct 42. ... Bb5! White has hardly anything better than 43. Rb3 Ba4 with a likely draw by repetition. 43. Ra2+− Rxa2 44. Bxa2 Bc2 45. Bc4 Kf7 46. Bf1 Bb3 47. Bxh3 Kg6 48. Bg4 Bc4 49. h4 Bb3 50. Ke3 Kf7 51. Kd4 Ke7 52. Kc5 Bc2 53. Bf3 1 : 0.