War and Peace

Vladislav Mikhailovich Artemiev – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
30th Russian Team Chess Championship Premier League; Sochi, May 7, 2023
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 Nd4. Black may also play 5. ... 0-0 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nc4 Re8 8. Bg5 b5 9. Ne3 Qd6 10. Nd2 Bd4 11. Rb1 h6 12. Bh4 Bxe3 13. fxe3 Bg4 14. Nf3 Nd7 15. b3 c5 16. h3 Be6 17. c4 a6 18. 0-0 f6 19. Bg3 Qc6 20. Qc2 Bf7 21. Kh2 ½ : ½ Vallejo Pons – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Grand Prix 2017, 1st stage, Sharjah 2017.
6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. d4 c6 9. dxe5 cxb5 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. 0-0 0-0 12. a4 bxa4 13. Nc4 d5 14. exd5 Bd7 15. Be3 Rfe8. The alternative is 15. ... Bxe3 16. fxe3 Qe7 17. Qd4 Rfe8 18. e4 f6 19. Rfe1 b5 20. Nd2 a5 21. Nf3 Bg4 22. d6 Qd7 23. e5 Bxf3 24. gxf3 fxe5 25. Rxe5 Rxe5 26. Qxe5 Re8? (after 26. ... Qf7! 27. Qxb5 Qg6+ 28. Kh1 Qxd6 29. Qxa4 Rf8! 30. Qxa5 Qc6! Black, in spite of being temporarily two Pawns down, should equalise) 27. Qd5+ Kh8 28. Rd1 h6 29. Rd4 Re6 30. Kf2 Rf6 31. h4 b4 32. c4 a3 33. bxa3 bxa3 34. c5 a2 35. Qxa2 Qh3 36. Qe2? (36. Qd5!! Qh2+ 37. Ke3 Qg1+ 38. Kd2 Qf2+ 39. Kd1! Qf1+ 40. Kc2 Qe2+ 41. Rd2+−) 36. ... Qh2+! 37. Ke3 Qg1+ 38. Kd3 Qb1+ 39. Ke3 Qg1+ 40. Kd3 Qb1+ 41. Kd2 Qb2+ 42. Kd3 ½ : ½ Nepomniachtchi – So, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 2nd stage, Zagreb 2019.
16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Qd2. The position seems more or less balanced or, if anything, a little bit easier for Black. Another continuation is 17. Bd4 Qg6 18. Qf3 b5 19. Rfe1 Bf5 20. d6 Re4 21. Rxe4 Bxe4 22. Qg3 Rd8 23. Re1 Bc6 24. Qxg6 hxg6 25. Bc5 Re8 26. Re7 f6 27. f3 Rxe7 28. dxe7 g5 29. Kf2 Kf7= with a draw soon, Efimenko – Eljanov, Battle of the Gladiators May 18–22, chess.com, May 20, 2020 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move).
17. ... b5 18. Rfe1 h6 19. h3 Qg6 20. Kh2 Re5

21. Bf4?? A gross oversight (or should it be considered a generous mistake?), which loses a Pawn and ultimately the game as well. Much better was 21. f4 Re4 22. Bf2 Rae8 23. Rxe4 Rxe4 24. Re1 Kh7 with at least equality.
21. ... Rxd5! 22. Qe3. Of course after 22. Qxd5 Bc6 the threat of mate costs White his Queen.
22. ... Rd3 23. Qe4 Qxe4 24. Rxe4 Bc6 25. Re2 f6 26. Kg1 Rad8 27. Rae1 b4 28. cxb4 R8d4 29. b5 Bxb5 30. Re4 Rxe4 31. Rxe4 Rd1+ 32. Kh2 Rb1 33. Rb4 Bc6 34. h4 Kf7 35. Be3 b5 36. Kg3 Ke6 37. f3 Bd7 38. Kf2 Kf7 39. Bd4 Rc1 40. Be3 Rc2+ 41. Kg1 Ke6 42. Kf1 Ke7 43. Kg1 Kd6 44. Rd4+ Kc6

45. Rd2. In sheer desperation White places his last bet on the Bishops of opposite colours, only to be disillusioned by Karjakin’s irreproachable technique. However, if 45. Rb4 then 45. ... Be6 threatening to bottle up White’s Rook with ... Be6-c4, to be followed by a gradual breakthrough into the adverse camp.
45. ... Rxd2 46. Bxd2 Kc5 47. Kf2 Kc4 48. Ke3 b4 49. Ke2 a3 50. bxa3 bxa3 51. Bc1 Kb3 52. Be3 Kc3 53. Bd2+ Kc2 54. Be3 a2 55. Bd4 h5 56. Ke3 Kb1 57. Ke4 Be6 58. Bc3 a1=Q 59. Bxa1 Kxa1 60. Kd4 Kb2 61. Kc5 Kc3 62. Kd6

62. ... Bh3! Elegant to the very end.
63. gxh3 Kd4 64. Ke6 Ke3 65. Kf7 Kxf3 66. Kg6 Kg3 67. Kxh5 Kxh3 0 : 1.

“Today, I remembered what it’s like to play classical chess”, Karjakin then said. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Chess Federation of Russia.