As Time Flies

Fabiano Caruana – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

6th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Saint Louis, September 9, 2023

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Position #45

1. d4 f6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5! In Benkö’s style.
4. cxb5 Bxd5 5. Nc3 Bf7 6. e4 a6 7. a4 axb5 8. axb5 d6 9. f4 Ba5 10. Bf2 Bc4+ 11. Kg1 Nc7

12. b6 Na8. Clearly not 12. ... Bxb6? because of 13. Na4 winning material.
13. Nb3 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Nxb6 15. Na5 Bf7 16. b4 Na6 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. h3 0-0 19. Kh2 Nbd7 20. Bg4 Qa6 21. Bf3 Rc8 22. Qd2 Rc7 23. Re3 Rb8 24. Ra1 Qb5 25. Rc3 Qb4 26. Qc2 Qb2 27. Qxb2 Rxb2 28. Be3 g6 29. e5 fxe5 30. Nc6

30. ... e4! 31. Bxe4 Nxe4? (31. ... Nf6! 32. Bf3 Nce4∓)
32. Nxe7+ Kf8 33. Nxg6+ hxg6 34. Rxc7 Be6 35. Ra4 Nec5 36. Rd4 Re2 37. Bc1 Ke7 38. Ba3 Kd8 39. Rc6 Ne4 40. Bxd6 Nxd6 41. Rcxd6 Ke7 42. Ra6 Bf5 43. Kg3 Nf6

44. Ra7+ Bd7 45. Kf3 Rb2 46. g4 Rb3+ 47. Kf2 Ke6 48. g5 Rb2+ 49. Ke1 Nd5 50. Rxd7 Nxf4 51. Ra7 Nxh3 52. Ra5 Rg2 53. Rb4 Nxg5 54. Kf1 Rg3 55. Rb6+ Kd7 56. Ra7+ Kc8 57. Rxg6 Ne4 58. Re6 Kb8 59. Rf7 1 : 0.

As was well summed up by International Master Konstantin Kavutskiy in his daily recap, “Caruana manag[ed] to flip the tables in the endgame after getting a much worse position against Kasparov”. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.