The hug of the bear

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Alireza Firouzja
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 21, 2022
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 0-0 10. 0-0-0 Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 b4 13. Ne2. 13. gxf6 bxc3 14. Qxc3 Nxf6 would cause Black little or no problem: 15. Na5 Qd7 16. Qc6 Rfc8 17. Qxd7 Nxd7 18. b3 f5 19. Bc4 Bxc4 20. Nxc4 Rc6 21. exf5 Rf8 22. f4 Rxf5 23. fxe5 Nxe5 24. Nxe5 Rxe5 25. Rhe1 Bh4 26. Re2 d5 27. Kd2 Rce6 28. Kd3? (28. c3 Rxe3 29. Rxe3 Bg5 30. Rde1 Rh6 31. Re2 Rh3!∓) 28. ... d4 29. Bf2 (if 29. Kxd4 then 29. ... Rxe3 30. Rxe3 Rd6+!−+) 29. ... Rxe2 30. Bxh4 Rxh2 31. Be1 Rh3+ 32. Kd2 h5 33. Bf2 Rh2 34. Rf1 Rf6 35. Ke2 g5 0 : 1 Shankland – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 22nd Hawaii International Chess Festival “Grandmaster Challenge”, Blitz Tournament, Waikīkī Beach, Honolulu 2015 (time control: 5 minutes with no increment). 13. ... Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5

15. ... Bc4!? Firouzja walks the sidelines. The usual continuation is 15. ... a4 16. fxe6 axb3 17. cxb3 fxe6 18. Bh3 Rxa2 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Ng3 Nc7 21. Bc4 Qa8 22. Rhf1 Rxf1 23. Rxf1 Ra1+ 24. Kc2 Rxf1 25. Bxf1 d5 26. Qf2 g6 27. h4 Qf8 28. Qxf8+ Nxf8 29. Ba7 dxe4 30. Bb8 Nfe6 31. Nxe4 h6 32. Bc4 hxg5 33. hxg5 Kg7 34. Kd3 Kf8 35. Ke3 Bd8 36. Bxe6 Nxe6 37. Bxe5 Nxg5 38. Bd6+ Ke8 39. Bxb4 Nxe4 40. Kxe4 Kd7 41. Kd5 ½ : ½ Radjabov – Vachier-Lagrave, FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15, 2nd stage, Tashkent 2014. 16. Kb1 a4 17. Nbc1 d5 18. f6 gxf6 19. gxf6. Strict epistolary theory says 19. Ng3 Nd6 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bh6 Kh8! 22. Qg5 Rg8 23. Qxe5 Ra5 24. Bf4 Re8 25. Bg5 a3 26. b3 d4 27. Qxd4 Rxg5 28. Bxc4 Qa5 29. Rhe1 Rd8 30. Qa1 Qb6 with a dynamic balance, Vornanen – Salonen, 43th Finnish Veteran’s Championship, by e-mail, 2011–12. 19. ... Ndxf6 20. Ng3

20. ... Bxf1?! Maybe this will be subject of debate by Firouzja and his seconds. 20. ... Kh8!?∞ seems here more appropriate and useful. 21. Rhxf1 a3. After an eternity of thought. 22. b3 Kh8 23. exd5 Nd6? Good or bad, Black just ought to play 23. ... Qc7, though after 24. Rxf6! Bxf6 25. d6 Qc6 26. Qxb4 White has more than enough compensation for the Exchange. 24. Qxb4 Rc8. Not 24. ... Nde4? on account of 25. d6! winning at once, while if 24. ... Nd7 then 25. c4 f5 26. c5 Rb8 27. Qe1 with a crushing advantage. 25. Bb6 Qd7 (25. ... Qe8 26. Rxf6+−)

White is winning now, and Nepomniachtchi concludes energetically: 26. Qe1! Rb8 27. Ba5 Nc4 28. d6! Bd8 (28. ... Nxd6 29. Qxe5+−) 29. Bc3 Qe6 30. Nd3 Nd5 31. Nf4 Nxf4 32. Rxf4 f6 33. Qe2 Nb2 (33. ... Nxd6 34. Bxe5+−) 34. Rdf1 Re8 35. Rh4 f5

36. Rxh7+! Kxh7 37. Qh5+ Kg8 38. Nxf5 Bf6 39. Rg1+ 1 : 0. Because of 39. ... Kf8 40. Qh6+ Kf7 41. Rg7+ followed by mate in two.

Today Nepomniachtchi taught his young opponent much, if not all, about the Najdorf. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova/chess.com.