Nick of Time

Michael Adams – Pentala Harikrishna

"读特杯" (“Dú Tè Cup”) 龙岗 (Lónggǎng) Chess Masters; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), March 24, 2017

6k1/3q1p2/1p6/p1p1P1p1/P1Qn4/4K1P1/BP5P/8 w - - 0 36

Position after 35. ... h6xg5

The White e-Pawn is isolated and weak, but nevertheless White should somehow be able to hold his own after, let’s say, 36. Qd5 Qf5 37. Bc4 (Stockfish). 36. Qf1?? I cannot but guess Adams was in terrific time trouble for explaining such a miscalculation. He was perhaps envisioning something like Qf1-f6, but Black’s rejoinder strucks him down: 36. ... Nc6! 37. Qd3. Since after 37. e6 Qd4+ 38. Kf3 Qxa4! Black seems to be able to victoriously handle all turbulences, Adams decides to try his luck by giving up his Bishop, in the vain hope that his a-Pawn may have a future (as Queen) – but it will never happen. 37. ... Qxd3+ 38. Kxd3 Nb4+ 39. Kc4 Nxa2 40. Kb5 Nb4 41. Kxb6 Nd3. Black’s task appears to be quite easy. 42. Kxa5. Equally hopeless is 42. b3 Nxe5 followed by ... f7-f5-f4. 42. ... Nxb2 43. h4 gxh4 44. gxh4 Kg7 45. h5 Kh6 46. Kb5 c4 47. Kb4 c3 48. Kxc3 Nxa4+ 49. Kd4 Kxh5 50. Kd5 Nb6+ 51. Kc6 Kg5 0 : 1. For after 52. Kd6 Nc4+ 53. Kd5 Nxe5 54. Kxe5 f5 Black’s f-Pawn will queen.

Pentala Harikrishna
Photo: cca.imsa.cn

Too Little, Too Much, Just Right

余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)

"读特杯" (“Dú Tè Cup”) 龙岗 (Lónggǎng) Chess Masters; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), March 23, 2017

4k3/1p2ppbp/p5p1/2n5/5P2/P3PN2/1P3P1P/3N1K2 w - - 0 31

Position after 30. ... Ne6xc5

余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) played a bit too passively, and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) took his chance to question his own volatile initiative: 31. Ke2 Kd7! 32. Ng5 f6 33. Nf3. Of course, after 33. Nxh7 Ke6 the White Knight would end up being trapped in its corner grave. Curiously enough, within a few moves, the Black Knight will be faced by the same dilemma – but under more favourable conditions. 33. ... f5 34. b4 Ne4 35. Kd3 Bf6 36. a4 Kd6 37. Nd4 Bxd4 38. Kxd4 Nd2 39. Kd3! On the verge of serious trouble, 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) defends with inspired precision. 39. ... Nf3 40. Ke2 Nxh2! The only practical try for a win. Black sacrifices his Knight for a (temporary) couple of Pawns, hoping for a speedy march of the a-Pawn. 41. f3! Kd5 42. Nb2 b6 43. Kf2 a5 44. bxa5 bxa5 45. Kg2 Kc5 46. Nd3+ Kc4 47. Ne5+ Kb4 48. Kxh2 Kxa4 49. Nc6 Kb5 50. Nxe7 a4 51. Nd5 a3 52. Nc3+ Kc4 53. Na2 Kb3. Most likely 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was now expecting something like 54. Nc1+? Kb2 55. Nd3+ Kc3 56. Nc1 Kd2 57. Na2 Kxe3 with quite an easy win, instead... 54. e4! This extreme countermeasure actually transforms the endgame in the most radical way. The e-Pawn also aims at a crown, as the ensuing Queen ending will not be winnable – even though 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) took quite a little time for persuading himself. It should be noted that 54. e4! would have worked even if Black had played 53. ... Kd3 (instead of 53. ... Kb3). 56. ... Kxa2 55. e5 Kb1 56. e6 a2 57. e7 a1=Q 58. e8=Q Qd4 59. Kg3 h5 60. Qe1+ Kc2 61. Qe2+ Qd2 62. Qc4+ Kd1 63. Qb3+ Ke1 64. Qb1+ Qd1 65. Qb6 h4+ 66. Kxh4 Qxf3 67. Qg1+ Ke2 68. Kg5 Qh5+ 69. Kf6 Kf3 70. Qf1+ Kg3 71. Qc1 Qg4 72. Ke5 Qf3 73. Qg1+ Qg2 74. Qe1+ Qf2 75. Qc1 Kg4 76. Qd1+ Kh3 77. Qh1+ Kg3 78. Qc1 Qb6 79. Qe1+ Kg2 80. Qc1 Kh2 81. Qd2+ Kh3 82. Qc1 Qb5+ 83. Kf6 Kg4 84. Kxg6 Qb6+ 85. Kf7 Qd4 86. Ke6 Qxf4 87. Qg1+ Kh4 88. Qg6 ½ : ½.

余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) (R.) vs. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
Photo: cca.imsa.cn

The March of the Six

Anish Giri – Michael Adams

"读特杯" (“Dú Tè Cup”) 龙岗 (Lónggǎng) Chess Masters; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), March 23, 2017

Spanish Game C83

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Be7 10. c3 0-0 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 Qd7 13. Nbd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 c5 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. f3 Ng5 17. a4 Rad8 18. axb5 axb5 19. Bxg5 Bxg5 20. f4 Be7 21. Kh1 d4. The alternative is 21. ... Qb6 22. Qd3!? c4 23. Qh3 g6 24. g4 d4 25. gxf5 Qc6+ (very probably Black shouldn’t have exchanged Queens; Stockfish’s 25. ... d3! seems, indeed, more to the point) 26. Qg2 Qxg2+ 27. Kxg2 d3 28. Bd1 Rxf5 29. Bg4 Rff8 30. Ra5 h5 31. Bd1 b4 32. Ra6 bxc3 33. bxc3 Kh7 34. Ra7 Rf7 35. Rc7 with a very favourable endgame for White, Karjakin – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 3rd Gashimov Memorial, Şəmkir 2016. 22. cxd4 c4 23. b3 Bc5 24. bxc4 Rxd4

25. Qf3!? Giri’s new idea, which may be well regarded as tantamount to a draw offer in a drawish position. The usual course was here 25. Qb1 bxc4 26. Ra5 Qc6 [for 26. ... Qb6 27. Rb5 Qc6 28. Bd1 g6 29. Bf3 Qc8 30. Rb7 see Sebag – A. Muzychuk, 4th SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Rapid Event, 北京 (Beijīng) 2014] 27. Bd1 Qc7 28. Qb5 Bb6 29. Ra6 Rb8 30. Bf3 c3 31. Rc1 Kh8 32. Ra8?? (32. g3) 32. ... Rxa8 33. Bxa8 Rd8!−+ Sebag – M. Muzychuk, 11th Women’s European Team Chess Championship, Reykjavík 2015. 25. ... bxc4 26. Rfd1 g6 27. Rxd4 Bxd4 28. Ra8 Rxa8 29. Qxa8+ Kg7 30. Qb7+ Qf7 31. Qxf7+ ½ : ½.

Standing from left are the six participants to the "读特杯" (“Dú Tè Cup”) 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) 龙岗 (Lónggǎng) Chess Masters: Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler, Michael Adams, Pentala Harikrishna, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī), and Anish Giri. Photo: cca.imsa.cn.