Black Out

Wesley So – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
7th Grand Chess Tour; 1st stage; Superbet Chess Classic; Bucharest, May 8, 2022
Catalan Opening E06

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4 Bb7 9. axb5 a6 10. bxa6 Nxa6 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc3 c5 13. Be3 Ne4 14. Qe1 Nb4 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Nc2 18. Qd2 Nxe3 19. Qxe3 cxd4 (19. ... h6 20. Rd1 cxd4 21. cxd4 Rd8 22. Qf4 Qa4 23. Qd2 Bf6 24. e3 g6 25. h4 h5 26. Qe2 Qb3 27. Rc1 Ra8 28. Nd2 Qb2 29. Qe1 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 Ra2 31. Nf3 Kg7 32. Rd1 Qb3 33. Rd2 Ra3 34. Qc1 Qa4 35. Rb2 Ra1 36. Rb1 Rxb1 37. Qxb1 Qc4 38. Qb7 Kf8 39. Nd2 Qc2 40. Ne4 Be7 41. Qb8+ Kg7 42. Qe5+ Kg8 43. Nc5 Qc4 44. Qb8+ Kg7 45. Qc7 Bxc5 46. Qe5+ Kg8 47. dxc5 Qc2 48. Qd4 Kf8 49. e4 Ke8 50. Kf3 Qc1 51. Qb4 Qc2 52. Qb8+ Ke7 53. Qd6+ Kf6 54. c6 Qc3+ 55. Kg2 Qc2 56. c7 Qxe4+ 57. Kh2 Qc2 58. Qd4+ e5 59. Qd6+ Kf5 60. Kh3 Qc4 61. Qd7+ Kf6 62. Qd6+ Kf5 63. Qb6 g5 64. Kh2 Qc2 65. Kg2 Qe4+ 66. Kg1 Qe1+ 67. Kh2 1 : 0 Martirosyan – Gavrilescu, 22nd European Individual Chess Championship, Terme Čatež 2022) 20. cxd4 Rd8 21. Qf4 h6 22. e3!? White’s pseudo-novelty is a telling token of how heavily classical theory is overstressed. The stem reference was 22. h4 Bf6 23. e3 Rc8 24. Ne1 Bxg2 25. Nxg2 Rc4 26. Qg4 e5 27. Qe2 Qc6 28. dxe5 Bxe5 29. Qh5 Rc5 30. Qg4 h5 31. Qd1 g6 32. Nf4 Bxf4 33. exf4 Qd5 34. Qe2 Qc6 35. Re1 Kg7 36. Qe3 Rd5 37. Rc1 Qd6 38. Qc3+ Qf6 39. Qf3 Qd6 40. Kg2 Rd3 41. Qe4 Qd5 42. Qxd5 Rxd5 43. Re1 f5 ½ : ½ Giri – Nepomniachtchi, 9th World Blitz Chess Championship, Warsaw 2021 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). 22. ... Bd6. 22. ... Bf6 23. h4 transposes to the aforementioned Giri – Nepomniachtchi game. 23. Qh4 Bb4 24. Qg4

24. ... Bxf3. It took half an hour for Nepomniachtchi to capture the Knight, perhaps speculating that if the heavy pieces are exchanged, the opposite-coloured Bishops would inevitably nullify the effect of White’s extra Pawn. 25. Bxf3 Qa5 26. Rb1 Bd6 27. h4 Rb8 28. Rxb8+ Bxb8 29. d5 Qa1+ 30. Kg2 Qe5 31. Qc4 Bd6 32. dxe6 Qxe6 33. Bd5 Qd7 34. h5 Qf5 35. Qc6 Bf8 36. Bf3 Qe6 37. Qa8 Qe5 38. Bg4 Qf6 39. Bd1 Qf5 40. Qb7 Qe5 41. Be2 Qf5 42. Bf3 Qe5 43. Bg4 Qg5 44. Qf3

44. ... g6 45. hxg6 Qxg6 46. Bf5 Qf6 47. Qd5 Qd6 48. Qc4 Qb4 49. Qe2 Qb7+ 50. Kh2 Bg7 51. Bd3 Qd5 52. Bc4 Qe4 53. Bb3 Qf5 54. e4 Qf6 55. Kg2. 55. f4!? Qb2 56. Bc2 Bd4 57. e5 is also quite unpleasant for Black, whose problem is not so much the minus Pawn but rather the insistent initiative of his opponent. 55. ... Qb6 56. Bd5

56. ... Bd4? Perhaps feeling exhausted, Nepomniachtchi finally loses his patience. Black had to play 56. ... Qg6 57. e5 Bf8 stubbornly defending his somewhat uncomfortable situation. 57. e5! Overwhelming light-square threats loom on the horizon for Black now. 57. ... Qg6? The second error in a row loses the game at once, but also after 57. ... Kf8 58. Qe4 Black wouldn’t stop White’s breakthrough.

58. Bxf7+! 1 : 0.

It took only one move for Nepomniachtchi to throw away hours of patient and painstaking defence. Photo: Bryan Adams/Grand Chess Tour.