The Unending Game

Volodar Arturovich Murzin – 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 19, 2021

Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. Qe2 e5 6. 0-0. One cannot but quote at this juncture the following game for theoretical reference: 6. d3 Be7 7. 0-0 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. a4 Re8 10. Na3 h6 11. Nc4 Bf8 12. Re1 Be6 13. Bd2 Rc8 14. Ne3 Na5 15. c4 g6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Bd7 18. Qd1 c4 19. Bf1 Nb3 20. Ra3 Nxd2 21. Qxd2 cxd3 22. Bxd3 h5 23. h4 a6 24. a5 Qf6 25. Be2 Bg4 26. Rc1 Qe7 27. Rac3 Qd7 28. Kg2 Be7 29. Ng1 Rxc3 30. Qxc3 Rc8 31. Qxc8+ Qxc8 32. Rxc8+ Bxc8 33. Nf3 Kf8 34. Nd2 Bd7 35. Nc4 Bb5 36. Kf1 Ke8 37. Nb6 g5 38. Bxb5+ axb5 39. Nc8 gxh4 40. Nxe7 Kxe7 41. gxh4 Kd7 42. Ke2 Kc7 43. Kd3 Kb8 44. b4 Kc7 ½ : ½ 林晨 (Lín Chén) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 45th Chinese Chess Championship, 兴化 (Xīnghuà) 2014. 6. ... Be7 7. Nc3. Both the opponents had their good reasons for coming here. First of all Praggnanandhaa who was savoring the still-fresh memory of 7. c3 0-0 8. Na3 Re8 9. d3 d6 10. Nc4 h6 11. h3 Be6 12. Kh2 Bf8 13. Bd2 g6 14. a4 Bg7 15. b4 cxb4 16. cxb4 d5 17. Na5 Nxa5 18. bxa5 Bd7 19. Bc3 Qc7 20. Rfc1 Bc6 21. Nd2 a6 22. Qd1 Rad8 23. Qb3 h5 24. Bb4 Qd7 25. Ra2 Bh6 26. Re1 h4 27. exd5 Bxd5 28. Bxd5 Qxd5 29. Qxd5 Nxd5 30. Rb1 hxg3+ 31. fxg3 Nxb4 32. Rxb4 Rxd3 33. Ne4 Re7 34. Nc5 Rd5 35. Rxb7 Rxb7 36. Nxb7 Be3 37. Re2 Ba7 38. Rc2 e4 39. Kg2 Rd7 40. Rc8+ Kh7 41. Nd8 Kg7 42. Nc6 Rd2+ 43. Kf1 Bf2 44. Re8 f5 45. g4 Bg3 46. g5 f4 47. Rxe4 f3 48. Rd4 Rh2 0 : 1 Bersamina – Praggnanandhaa, 9th Chess World Cup, Krasnaya Polyana 2021, match game 1. 7. ... d6 8. Nd5 Be6!? The same goes for Murzin, he too must have felt fine as well: 8 ... 0-0 9. c3 Nxd5 10. exd5 Nb8 11. d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Bf6 14. Be3 Re8 15. Qd2 Bd7 16. b4 Na6 17. Rfc1 h5 18. Rab1 h4 19. Rc4 h3 20. Bf3 Nc7 21. b5 Rc8 22. a4 Nxb5 23. Rxc8 Nxd4 24. Rxd8 Nxf3+ 25. Kh1 Rxd8 26. Qd1 Ne5 27. Bd4 Bg4 28. Qb3 Rc8 29. Qxb7 Rc2 30. Bxe5 Bxe5 31. Qxa7 Bf3+ 32. Kg1 Bxd5 33. Qa5 Bg2 34. Qd8+ Kh7 35. Qh4+ Kg6 36. Re1 f5 37. Qb4 Rb2 38. Qc4 d5 39. Qc6+ Bf6 40. Qe8+ Kh6 41. Qc8 Kg5 42. Qc1+ Kg6 43. Qf4 Bg5 44. Re6+ Bf6 45. f3 Rb3 46. Kf2 d4 47. g4 fxg4 48. fxg4 Kf7 49. Rxf6+ gxf6 50. Qxd4 Kg6 51. Qf4 Rb6 52. Qc4 Rc6 53. Qg8+ Kh6 54. Ke3 Ra6 55. Qc4 Ra5 56. Kf4 Re5 57. Qf7 Re1 1 : 0 Murzin – Potkin, 28th Russian Team Chess Championship Premiere League, Sochi 2021. 9. Nxf6+ Bxf6 10. d3 0-0 11. c3 d5!

12. Ng5. It is just a little tactic. 12. exd5 was probably preferable. 12. ... Bxg5 13. Bxg5 f6. After 13. ... Qxg5 14. exd5 and White will regain the piece with equality. 14. Be3? It’s amazing how little it takes for White to be inexorably crushed. 14. Bd2 at once was much better.

14. ... d4! 15. Bd2 b5 16. Rfc1 Qd6 17. Bf1 Rac8 18. Qe1 a5 19. a4 dxc3 20. bxc3 b4 21. Be3 Rfd8 22. Rc2 f5 23. f3?! ⌓ 23. f4 seems to make a little more sense, even though Black would play 23. ... fxe4 24. dxe4 c4 anyway, with great superiority. 23. ... fxe4 24. dxe4 c4 25. cxb4? A ruinous error, which loses immediately, but by now White had very little hope of stopping the avalanche — for instance: 25. f4 b3 26. Rf2 Nb4! and there’s a roller coming.

25. ... Nd4!−+ 26. Rf2 axb4 27. f4 c3 28. Rc1 Bg4 29. Kg2 Qc6 30. Bd3 Nb3 0 : 1.