Outdoor cinema

Norwegian Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer, who will have to eventually qualify for the 3rd Chess.com’s Speed Chess Championship through two qualifiers, told Chess.com’s journalist Mike Klein that he would like “to play 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – it’s one of the easier matchups, and we always have interesting, fighting games”. The schedule is still in progress, but coverage is already ensured, as all matches will be broadcast live on Chess.com/TV and Twitch.tv/Chess.

To castle or not to castle, that is the question

Magnus Carlsen – Wesley So

2nd Speed Chess Championship; match game 15 (5’+2” per move); Chess.com, November 18, 2017

brnnqkrb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BRNNQKRB w KQkq - 0 1
Position 435

1. c4. De gustibus non est disputandum: 1. e4 g6 2. g3 b6 3. Nc3 c5 4. 0-0 0-0 5. Nd5 e6 6. Nc7 Qe7 7. Nxa8 Rxa8 8. c3 Nc6 9. b3 b5 10. Qe3 b4 11. Nd3 bxc3 12. dxc3 c4 13. bxc4 Nb6 14. c5 Nc4 15. Qe2 N4e5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. f4 Qc5+ 18. Qf2 Qxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Nc4 20. e5 d5 21. Ke2 Rfc8 22. Kd3 Rc5 23. Bf3 Ra5 24. Rf2 Bg7 25. Bd1 Rc8 26. Re2 Ra6 27. Bb3 Rb6 28. Bb2 Bf8 29. Bc1 Ba3 30. Bd2 Nxd2 31. Rxd2 a5 32. Rf1 h5 33. Rc2 Rb7 34. h3 Kg7 35. Rh1 Ra7 36. Ba4 h4 37. gxh4 Rc4 38. Bb5 Rxf4 39. h5 Rb7 40. c4 dxc4+ 41. Rxc4 Rxc4 42. Bxc4 Rd7 43. Kc2 gxh5 44. Rg1+ Kh6 45. Rg8 Bb4 46. a3 Rc7 47. Kb3 Bxa3 48. Rh8+ Kg7 49. Rxh5 Be7 50. Bd3 Rc5 51. h4 Rd5 52. Be4 Rd4 53. Rh7+ Kg8 54. Bg6 Rf4 ½ : ½ Nakamura – Aronian, 2nd Sinqfield Fischerandom Chess Cup, Saint Louis 2014, match game 5. 1. ... g6 2. g3 b6 3. Bxa8 Rxa8 4. b3 Bxa1 5. Rxa1 c5 6. Nc3 e6 7. e3 Nc6 8. N1e2 N8e7 9. Rd1 0-0. Given the starting position, it was possible to castle on the h-side already from the first move! 10. d4 cxd4. Who knows, maybe 10. ... d5 should have been considered, as after the text Black’s backward d-Pawn will be subjected to White’s pressure. 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. Rxd4. Not 12. exd4? d5 and Black would be suddenly free. 12. ... Nc6 13. Rd2 Qe7 14. 0-0 a6. If 14. ... Qb4 then 15. Qa1! with crushing threats. 15. Qe2 Rfd8 16. Rfd1 f5? It does not seem a good idea to allow White’s next move. Whether bad or good, 16. ... d6 was better. 17. Rd6. The inexorable pythonisation begins. 17. ... Rab8 18. e4 Rb7 19. Kg2 Qf6? Now the end comes upon Black immediately. In any event, after 19. ... fxe4 20. Nxe4 Rf8 21. Qd2 White also dominates the board. 20. exf5 gxf5. Unpleasantly forced, as 20. ... Qxf5 loses to 21. Rxc6. 21. Nd5 Qe5 22. Qxe5 Nxe5 23. Nxb6 f4 24. gxf4 Ng6 25. Nxd7 1 : 0.

Three in One

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Fabiano Caruana

2nd Speed Chess Championship; match game 8; time control: 5 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 24, 2017

nrbkrbqn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRBKRBQN w EBeb - 0 1

Position #358

1. Nb3 f5 2. f4 Nb6 3. g3 Ng6 4. Bg2 e5 5. fxe5 Nxe5 6. Nf2 d5 7. d3 Bd7 8. Bg5+ Be7 9. Bxe7+ Rxe7 10. Kc1!? A very subtle concept: White does not castle on the a-side, judging that her Rook on the b-file is optimally placed already. 10. ... 0-0-0. Black adopts a more classic approach, apparently not being afraid of her opponent’s aggressive intentions on the a-side. 11. Nc5 Kb8 12. Nd1 Bc8 13. a4 Qe8 14. a5 Na4 15. Ra1 Nxc5 16. Qxc5 Ng4. Black consolidated very well and has now an excellent position. 17. Nc3. If 17. Bxd5 there might follow 17. ... Re5! (or, more minimally, 17. ... Rxe2 18. Rxe2 Qxe2 19. a6 b6 20. Qc6 Rxd5! 21. Qxd5 Qxd1+! 22. Kxd1 Ne3+ leaving White the task of defending a very unpleasant endgame) 18. c4 c6 19. Nc3 Rd7 (not 19. ... cxd5?? 20. Nb5 and it is White who wins!) 20. d4 Qe7! with clear advantage to Black. 17. ... Rxe2?? Here Caruana, with no more time to move, just blunders a Rook. With 17. ... Ne3 Black would have retained his good chances. 18. Rxe2 Qxe2 19. Nxe2 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd Speed Chess Championship; match game 17; time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 24, 2017

nbbrnkrq/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NBBRNKRQ w GDgd - 0 1

Position #180

1. c4 c5 2. Nb3. An older (and very qualified) try is 2. d4 cxd4 3. Rxd4 Be5 4. Rd1 0-0 5. Nf3 Bf6 6. Bc2 g6 7. b3 Nac7 8. Ne3 Bb2 9. 0-0 Bxc1 10. Rxc1 Nf6 11. h3 b6 12. Qh2 d6 13. Qg3 Qg7 14. Qh4 Bb7 15. Rfd1 Rc8 16. Nd4 Rfd8 17. Rc3 e6 18. Nef5 exf5 19. Nxf5 g5 20. Qg3 Nh5 21. Qe3 Qf6 22. Ne7+ Kf8 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 24. Qd2 Nf4 25. Rg3 Rd8 26. Bxh7 Nce6 27. e3 Nh5 28. Rg4 Qh6 29. Bf5 Neg7 30. Qc2 Qf6 31. Be4 Bc8 32. Bf3 Qe5 33. Re4 Bf5 34. Rxe5 Bxc2 35. Rd2 Bg6 36. Bxh5 Nxh5 37. Rxg5 Nf6 38. f3 Ke7 39. e4 Nh7 40. Rgd5 f6 41. f4 1 : 0 Aronian – Svidler, 5th Clerical Medical World Chess960 Championship, Mainz 2006, match game 1. 2. ... b6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bb7 5. Nef3 Nac7 6. h4 Nd6 7. b3 0-0-0!? The most committal castle, trusting in her two Bishops’s command of long diagonals. 8. Bf4 Ne6 9. Nxe6 dxe6 10. 0-0 h6!? Given the time control (and the overall partial match score) 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is interestingly playing for a win, even at the cost of compromising her position. 11. Qh3? Caruana, too, is playing to win, but in his hurry he overlooks something important. 11. ... Bc7? Black misses 11. ... g5! 12. hxg5 hxg5 13. Qxh8 Rxh8 14. Nxg5 (or 14. Bxg5 Rdg8! 15. Bf4 Rh5! with a terrific attack) 14. ... Rdg8 which would have given her an excellent attacking position for the sacrificed Pawn. 12. Ne5! Now Black looks doomed. 12. ... Kb8!? A clever way of trying her luck. Now 12. ... g5 would have been met by 13. Nxf7 gxf4 14. Nxh8 Rxg2+ 15. Qxg2 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rxh8 17. Rc1 with a decisive advantage to White. If, instead, 12. ... Rgf8 there might follow 17. h5! which seems to leave Black in a kind of zugzwang. On the other hand, the impending threat by White of Rxd1xd6 does not seem to be satisfactorily parable. 13. Nxf7? Caruana apparently mis-shuffles his winning moves and takes the wrong way. After 13. Rxd6! Bxd6 14. Nxf7 (Her Majesty is trapped) 14. ... Bxf4 15. Nxh8 Rxh8 16. Qxe6 Black has no compensation for the lost crown. 13. ... Nxf7 14. Bxc7+ Kxc7 15. Qxe6 Nd6? But it is Black who makes the last mistake. The right way was 15. ... Rxd1 16. Rxd1 Rd8! 17. Qxe7+ Kb8 and certainly Black should not lose. 16. c5! This little tactics makes all the difference, and now Black can no longer defend herself. 16. ... bxc5 17. Qxe7+ Rd7 18. Qe5 Rgd8 19. Bf5 Qe8 20. Qxc5+ Kb8 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Rd4 Qe6 23. Rfd1 Qg6 24. f3 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd Speed Chess Championship; match game 27; time control: 1 minute plus 1 second per move; chess.com, August 24, 2017

qnrknrbb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/QNRKNRBB w FCfc - 0 1

Position #207

1. g4 Nc6 2. f4 g6 3. c4 0-0-0 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nf3 f5 6. g5 d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nb5 Nd6? This is a bad positional mistake due to the inhuman time control. 9. Nxd6+ Rxd6. Since 9. ... cxd6 10. Bd4 would be horrible for Black, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) decides to reconvert her previous blunder into an Exchange sacrifice, which, quite incredibly, might even offer some compensation (especially if White doesn’t play at his best). 10. Bc5 Rfd8 11. Bxd6 Rxd6 12. Qb1 a5 13. Qc2 Qa6 14. Ne5 Qb6 15. Qc3? White should have been content with something like 15. Nxc6 Rxc6 16. Qb3 retaining his edge. 15. ... d4? And 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), on her part, throws away her last chance of saving the game: after 15. ... Nxe5 16. fxe5 Rc6 17. Qa3 Rxc1+ 18. Kxc1 Bxe5 Black seems to have full dynamic compensation for the Exchange. 16. Qc5 Qxb2? This quickly runs into mate, but being positionally doomed Black must play for his opponent to commit some error. 17. Nxc6 bxc6 18. Bxc6 Qxa2 19. Rf3. White could have already played his mating Bishop sacrifice here as well on his 21st move. 19. ... Bb3+ 20. Ke1 Qb2 21. Kf2 d3 22. Bb7+! Kxb7 23. Qxc7+ Ka8 24. Qc8+ Ka7 25. Rc7+ 1 : 0. Fischerandom chess would need more classic time control games rather than super-syncopated blitz’n’bullet jokes, but what offered by the online circuit of chess.com is at least better than nothing.

Lost in the Shuffle

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Levon Grigori Aronian

2nd Speed Chess Championship; match game 27 (1’+1” per move); Chess.com, August 23, 2017

rnbkqrnb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBKQRNB w KQkq - 0 1
Position 631

1. b3 g6 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb2 f5 4. g3 d6 5. f4 Bd7 6. 0-0-0. It could be White’s decisive mistake! 6. ... a5! Black prepares for a straight Pawn sacrifice in order to punish his opponent for having castled on the a-side. 7. Kb1 a4 8. Nxa4 Bxb2 9. Nxb2 Nf6 10. c3 e5 11. d3 e4 12. Qd2 b5 13. Nh3 h6 14. e3 Qf7 15. Nf2 0-0 16. h3? And this is surely White’s crucial mistake, even if it is not clear whether and how he could have avoided the worst of what is about to happen. Stockfish gives 16. dxe4! Rxa2! 17. e5! (17. Kxa2? Ra8+ 18. Kb1 Qxb3 19. Nd3 fxe4 20. Nc1 Qa3 21. Kc2 Be6 also seems to offer Black an overwhelming attack) 17. ... Qxb3 18. exf6 Be6 19. Bd5 Rfa8 20. Bxb3 Bxb3 21. Nbd3 Ra1+ 22. Kb2 R1a2+ with perpetual check.

16. ... Rxa2!! Aronian sacrifices a whole Rook for a mating attack. 17. Kxa2 Ra8+ 18. Kb1 Qxb3. White is harmless against the double threat of ... Bd7-e6 and ... Nc6-b4. 19. dxe4. Desperation, for after 19. Qc2 Ra1+ Black would win very heavy material. 19. ... b4?? A terrible and very strange mistake by Aronian, when by now everything seemed so easy for Black. After 19. ... Be6! White had no (economic) way of parrying the threat of ... Ra8-a1+. 20. Rc1?? And here Nepomniachtchi misses his only (good) chance to claim the point: 20. Qd3! (in order to exchange Queens by Qd3-c4+); Aronian should have probably continued 20. ... bxc3 21. Qc4+ Qxc4 22. Nxc4 Ra4 aimimg for an ending the Exchange down, with all his hopes laid in his (mystical) Knight pair. 20. ... Ra3. Now it is all finished: Black wins. 21. c4 Na5 22. Nd3 Qa2+ 23. Kc2 Ba4 mate.

Ghost in the Machines

Anish Giri – Wesley So
2nd Speed Chess Championship; match game 30; Chess.com, May 25, 2017
nbrkbrnq/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NBRKBRNQ w KQkq - 1 1
Position 376

1. c4 g6 2. d3 c6 3. Bc3 Be5 4. Nf3 Bxc3 5. Rxc3 Nc7 6. h4 Nf6 7. Nb3 d6 8. 0-0 Bd7 9. Qh2? Strategically, White was not able to handle the odd position of his Queen on h1, and it seems to me that the whole plan of castling on the h-side (at least after playing 6. h4) diminished his chances to give Her Majesty a better role to play on stage. Black is probably slightly better even after 9. d4 0-0-0(!), but White’s situation would have been far less compromised. 9. ... Ng4 10. Qg3? Peter Doggers recommends 10. Qf4 after which there might follow 10. ... f5 11. d4 0-0-0 with Black apparently keeping the upper hand. 10. ... f5 11. e3. Giri keep pursuing his slow (and very wrong) course... 11. ... e5 12. d4? f4! White’s Queen suddenly finds herself buried alive, and Giri, just for not giving up hope too quickly, accepts to suffer heavy losses. 13. exf4 exf4 14. Qh3 Ne3 15. Qxd7+. Absolute desperation. However, after 15. Qh2 Nxf1 16. Kxf1 0-0-0 White’s cause would be doomed anyway. 15. ... Kxd7 16. fxe3 fxe3 17. Rxe3 Rce8 18. Rxe8 Rxe8 19. Bd3 Ne6 20. d5 Nf4 21. dxc6+ bxc6 22. Bb1 Qxb2 23. Nfd2 Rf8 24. Kh2 Ne6 25. Re1 Rf2 0 : 1. “The final game was one of the most expensive Chess960 games ever played. So got $1516.67 for the match win (and is assured of more money in round two) whereas Giri received $483.33”, Doggers wrote in his report on Chess.com.

2017 Speed Chess Championship schedule, results and information