Laskerian rings

Vincent Keymer – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
FIDE Grand Prix 2022; 3rd stage; Pool B; Berlin, March 28, 2022
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 a6 6. 0-0 c5 7. Be2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 9. Nd2 Nc6 10. N4f3 Be7 11. b3 0-0 12. Bb2 b5 13. Qb1 h6. Another continuation is 13. ... Nb4 14. Ne5 Rc8 15. Rc1 Bc6 16. Nxc6 Rxc6 17. Nf3 Rxc1+ 18. Bxc1 Nfd5 19. Bb2 Bf6 with approximate equality, Tunik – Dokutchaev, 2nd Open Tournament, Novgorod 1995 — it is not unlikely, however, that White might play better somewhere. 14. Rd1 Qb6. Domínguez Pérez has spent almost an hour of his valuable time getting to this point, which may well indicate that he was not feeling at ease at all — even though, objectively, on the whole Black’s game sounds defensible. 15. Ne4 Nd5 16. Ng3 Rfd8

17. Nh5! Keymer makes his bid for initiative. If, instead, 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Nh5+ Black replies 18. ... Kg8 19. Qb2 f6 20. e4 Ne3! holding everything together. 17. ... Bf8. After 17. ... g6 18. Ng3 White can think about pricking Black’s bubble by h2-h4-h5. 18. Qe4 Nce7?! The Knight comes to the rescue on the Kingside, but the resulting clumsy arrangement actually allows White to push his initiative. The best seems to be 18. ... f5 19. Qh4 Be8 20. Ne1⩲ followed by the transfer of the Bishop to f3 with an edge for White. 19. Qg4 Ng6

20. Ne5 Nxe5? A second grave error which loses the Exchange and the game. Black had apparently nothing better than 20. ... Be8 21. Bd4 Bc5 22. Bf3⩲/± leaving White with a definite superiority, but still nothing decisive. 21. Bxe5 Nxe3 (21. ... g6 22. e4+−) 22. Bd4 Nxg4 23. Bxb6 Ne5 24. Bxd8 Rxd8 25. Rac1. The rest is a cat and mouse game. 25. ... Rc8 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. f4 Nc6 28. Kf1 Nb4 29. Bf3 e5 30. Rd8 Be6 31. fxe5 Nxa2 32. Nf4 Bxb3 33. Bd5 Bxd5 34. Nxd5 g6 35. Nc7 Nb4

36. e6 Nc6 37. Rc8 Ne7 38. Ra8 h5 39. Ke2 Nf5 40. Kd3 b4 41. h3 Kg7 42. Ne8+ Kg8 43. g4 hxg4 44. hxg4 Nh6 45. g5 Nf5 46. e7! 1 : 0. For after 46. ... Nxe7 47. Nf6+ Kg7 48. Nd7 the Bishop falls.

“Leinier did not play his best chess today”, German prodigy Keymer said afterwards, with a touch of modesty. Photo © Niki Riga.