Tip Top

Levon Grigori Aronian – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Saint Louis, September 9, 2021

nrqbbnkr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRQBBNKR w HBhb - 0 1

Position #137

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Ne3 Nb6 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

Aronian sacrifices a second Pawn in an attempt to fuel his initiative: 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. Black has wisely returned the material and an even ending was reached. 27. Kd2 Rb8 28. Bd3 b4 29. Kc2 b3+ 30. Kb2 Re8 31. Rd7 Kf8 32. Bxh7 Re2+ 33. Kc3 Rxh2 34. Bf5 Rg2

Rather than agreeing to a draw, Aronian falls into a perfidious Fata Morgana: 35. Rxd5? cxd5 36. c6. So who can stop it from queening?

36. ... d4+! That’s the answer, and it’s the only answer! 37. Kxb3. If 37. Kxd4 then 37. ... Rc2!−+ (the elegant pointe). 37. ... Rxg3+ 38. Kc4 Rc3+ 39. Kxd4 Rxc6. The ending is a technical win and Kasparov, of course, does not fail the examination: 40. Be4 Ra6 41. Ke5 Ke7 42. Kf5 Ra4 43. Bc6 Rc4 44. Bb7 Rd4 45. Bf3 Rd6 46. Kg5 Rd3 47. Bh5 Rg3+ 48. Kf5 Kd6 49. Bf7 Kc5 50. Ke4 Rg1 51. Bh5 Kd6 52. Bf7 Ke7 53. Bc4 Kf6 54. Kf3 Ra1 55. Bd3 Ra3 56. Ke4 Kg6 57. Be2 Ra4+ 58. Ke5 Ra2 59. Bf3 Ra1 60. Bg4 Re1+ 61. Kd4 Rg1 62. Bc8 Kh5 63. Ke4 Re1+ 64. Kf5 Re8 65. Bb7 Rf8+ 66. Ke5 Kg4 67. Kd4 0 : 1.