The Stars Look Down

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Alexander Sergeyevich Morozevich

Tournament of Stars; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Moscow, July 18, 2022

Modern Defence A40

1. Nf3 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. g3 c5 4. c3 Qa5 5. d5 d6 6. Bg2 Nf6 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Re1 b5 (9. ... Re8 9. Na3 Nbd7 10. h3 b5 11. e4 a6 12. Nc2 Bb7 13. Bf4 h6 14. h4 e5 15. Bd2 c4 16. b4 cxb3 17. axb3 Qc7 18. Nh2 Nc5 19. Rb1 a5 20. b4 axb4 21. cxb4 Ncxe4 22. Rxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 f5 24. Bg2 Qf7 25. Bc1 e4 26. Bb2 Bxb2 27. Rxb2 Qxd5 28. Qxd5+ Bxd5 29. Nf1 h5 30. Nfe3 Bc4 31. Bf1 d5 32. Kg2 Reb8 33. Nd4 Rb6 34. Rd2 Kf7 35. Ndc2 Ra2 36. Bxc4 dxc4 37. Rd5 Rb2 38. Kf1 Ra6 39. Rxb5 Raa2 40. Rb7+ Kg8 41. Rc7 Rxc2 42. Nxc2 Rxc2 43. b5 Rb2 44. Rxc4 Rxb5 45. Rc8+ ½ : ½ Karpov – Topalov, 27th Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 1999) 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. e4 Nbd7 11. a4 a6 12. c4 (12. h3 Qc7 13. Bf1⩲ Loncar – Chatalbashev, 6th International Chess Festival, Salsomaggiore Terme 2000) 12. ... Ng4 13. Ra3 Qb6 14. Qc2 e6 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. cxb5 axb5 17. axb5 d5 18. Rxa8 Bxa8 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Ne4 Qxb5

21. h3 Nh6. Better seems 21. ... Nge5 22. Nxe5 Nxe5! 23. Qxc5 Qb3 and Black’s two Bishops well compensate for White’s extra Pawn. 22. g4. And here 22. Nc3! would have won the Bishop pair. 22. ... Qc6 23. Qe2 c4 24. Bd2 Nf7 25. Bc3 Bxc3 26. bxc3

26. ... Nd6? This loses a Pawn at least. 26. ... Qc7! would have held the game. 27. Nd4 Qb6 28. Nxe6. 28. Ng5! Bxg2 29. Qxe6+ Nf7 30. Qxd7 Nxg5 31. Kxg2 is mutatis mutandis the same ending as that of the game, which can be assessed as almost won for White.

28. ... Re8? If nothing else, 28. .. Bxe6 29. Nxd6 Qxd6 30. Qxe6+ Qxe6 31. Rxe6 Nc5 32. Rc6 Nd3 33. Rxc4 Nxf2 34. Rd4! Nxh3+! 35. Bxh3 Rf3 36. Bg2 Rxc3 37. Kf2 would have presented White with many more technical difficulties than in the game. 29. Nxd6 (29. N4c5+−) 29. ... Qxd6 30. Qd2 (30. Rd1+−) 30. ... Nf6 31. Nd4. Karjakin plays it safe, and the final outcome will prove him right. 31. ... Rxe1+ 32. Qxe1 Bxg2 33. Kxg2 Kf7 34. Qe2 Qd5+ 35. f3 Nd7 36. Qe3 Ne5 37. Qf4+ Kg7 38. h4 Nf7 39. Qc7. With the obvious threat of Qc7-e7, but Black is strangely oblivious of it. 39. ... Kf8 was the only move to keep suffering for a little longer. 39. ... h6? 40. Qe7 Qd6 41. Ne6+ 1 : 0.

After the first two days, Karjakin is in the lead with 3 out of 4. Photo: Chess Federation of Russia.