A Summer Up North

Fabiano Caruana – Aryan Tari
11th Norway Chess; Stavanger, June 1, 2023
Queen’s Gambit Declined D36

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 c6 6. Qc2 g6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. e3 Bf5 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 0-0 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. h4 Na6. If 12. ... h5 then 13. 0-0-0 Nd7 14. Rdg1 Bg7 15. g4 Nf6 16. Ne5 with the initiative, Seirawan – 徐俊 (Xú Jùn), 8th Tan Chin Nam Cup, 青岛 (Qīngdǎo) 2002.

13. h5! Much stronger than 13. 0-0-0 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Qxd5 Qb6 16. Nd4 Ne6 leaving Black with compensation for the Pawn, Brunner – Korneev, 19th Open, Le Touquet 2004.
13. ... c5 14. Rd1 Nb4 15. Qe2 Re8 16. Kf1! Rc8 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. g3 Kg7 19. Kg2 cxd4 20. Nxd4 Nc6 21. Qf3 Re5 22. Nde2 Rf5 23. Nf4 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Qg5 25. Qe2 Qe7

26. Nxd5! Qe6 27. e4 Re8 28. Rhe1. Simply threatening Nd5-c7.
28. ... Qc8

29. exf5! Rxe2 30. f6+! The pointe.
30. ... Kf8 31. Rxe2 Qf5 32. c4 Ne5 33. Rde1 Qf3+ 34. Kg1 1 : 0.

Mode One

Aryan Tari – Andrey Evgenyevich Esipenko
83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 29, 2021
Spanish Game C79

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. Re1 Bd7 7. c3 g6 8. d4 Bg7 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Bc2 Nh5 11. dxe5!? New by simple means. Data base theory gave 11. Nf1 Bg4 12. d5 Ne7 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 f5 15. Qd1 f4 16. Nh2 Nf6 17. c4 g5 18. Rb1 Qe8 19. b4 Qg6 20. c5 h5 21. f3 Bh6 22. Rb3 Kh8 with chances for both colours, Makropoulou – Öztürk, 3rd Women’s World Team Chess Championship, Mardin 2011. 11. ... dxe5 12. Nf1 Nf4 13. Ne3 Kh8 14. Nd5 Ne6 15. h4

15. ... h5? Thus Black denies himself any possibility for Kingside counterattack, instead leaving White with a free hand on the Queenside. 15. ... f5!? was much more to the point. 16. Be3 f6 17. b4 Ne7 18. Qe2 Nc8 19. c4 Qe8 20. c5 a5 21. a3 Na7 22. Bb3 Nb5 23. Bc4 axb4 24. axb4 Rxa1 25. Rxa1 f5?! One cannot but say that this came too late, even though now Black had indeed fallen into disgrace — as neither 25. ... c6 (26. Nb6) nor 25. ... Bc6 (26. Ra5) might have changed the story. 26. exf5 gxf5 27. Ng5 Nxg5 28. hxg5 f4

29. Ra8! A bolt from the blue, winning decisive material or mating. 29. ... Qg6. Of course the Rook is taboo: 29. ... Qxa8 30. Qxh5+ followed by mate in two. 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8 31. Bd2 Na3 32. Bd3 Qxg5 33. Qe4 1 : 0.

Tari scored today his first win in his “youth showdown” with Esipenko. Photo © Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021.

Chaos and Beyond

Aryan Tari – Alireza Firouzja
83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 19, 2021
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 Ng6 7. 0-0 Nd7 8. Ne1 h5 9. Be3 Qb6 10. b3 f6!? A sharp novelty, implying an Exchange sacrifice. A previous game went 10. ... h4 11. Nd3 c5 12. dxc5 Qc7 13. b4 Ngxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Bd4 Qc7 16. c4 dxc4 17. Bxc4 h3 18. g3 Qc6 19. f3 ½ : ½ Khairullin – Grigoriants, 59th Russian Chess Championship Superfinal, Moscow 2006.

11. Bxh5 fxe5 12. g4 Rxh5 13. gxh5 Nf4 14. dxe5 Nh3+ 15. Kg2 c5. 15. ... Bc5!? was also worth considering. 16. f4 Qc6 17. Nf3 0-0-0. Heterogeneous castling further confirms the highly double-edged status of the game. 18. Nbd2 Nb6

19. Qe1. As humans go crazy, engines give its best as kibitzers: here, for instance, both 19. Kg3!? (Δ Nf3-h4) and 19. Nd4!? were strong — and probably stronger than the text. 19. ... Be7. 19. ... d4! 20. cxd4 Nd5 at once was probably better and saved time. 20. Rc1 d4 21. cxd4 Nd5 22. Nc4. 22. Kh1! at once saves a tempo — probably vital — on the game continuation, but they both, although short of time, take a walk on the wild side. 22. ... Ndxf4+ 23. Bxf4. Now 23. Kh1 Nd3 wasn’t appealing either. 23. ... Nxf4+ 24. Kg1 Bg4. The pseudo-sacrifice of the second Exchange with 24. ... Rxd4! suggests itself, as White cannot take the Rook due to mate on g2. 25. Rc3 Rxd4 26. Nd6+ Kb8 27. Qe3 Bg5? (27. ... Bxh5)

28. Rxc5? 28. Kh1!! is the engines’ refutation of Firouzja’s gamble, but Tari is caught by a cruel Fata Morgana. 28. ... Qxc5! 29. Nxg5 (29. Nxd4 Ne2+−+) 29. ... Ne2+? Luckily for Tari, Firouzja — he too without time — did not notice a thing: 29. ... Be2! 30. Rxf4 (or 30. Re1 Rd1!−+) 30. ... Rd1+ 31. Kf2 Rf1+ 32. Kxe2 Re1+! winning easily. 30. Kg2 ½ : ½. All’s well that ends well.

“I think it was a completely crazy game. It was just psychological torture from the beginning to the end, with so much to calculate and so many tactical possibilities”, Tari afterwards told TV2. “I thought I was going to lose, but then he overlooked something and went out of control. I offered a draw, but maybe I should have kept playing. We both were in time trouble, but I felt so happy at being able to slip away”. Photo © Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021.

Matter and Form

Magnus Carlsen – Aryan Tari
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 13, 2020
Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. c3 Na5 10. Ba2 c5 11. Bg5 0-0 12. Nbd2!?TN (12. axb5 axb5 13. Na3 Qb8 14. Nc2 h6 15. Bh4 c4 16. Nb4 Be6 17. Re1 Qb7 18. d4 Bg4 19. Bb1 Nb3 20. Rxa8 Rxa8 21. Ba2 Nxe4 22. Bxe7 Ned2 23. Bxb3 Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Bxf3 25. Bxd6 Bxd1 26. Bxd1 exd4 27. cxd4 Qd7 28. Bg3 Qxd4 29. Bf3 Qd2 30. Rd1 Qxd1+ 31. Bxd1 Ra1 32. Kg2 Rxd1 33. Be5 f6 34. Bc3 Kf7 35. Nc2 g5 36. h3 Kg6 37. Na3 Rd5 38. Kf3 f5 39. Kg3 f4+ 40. Kg2 Kf5 41. f3 h5 ½ : ½ Caruana – Topalov, 5th Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis 2016) 12. ... Rb8 13. axb5 axb5 14. Re1 b4?! (14. ... Nc6 15. Nf1⩲) 15. Nc4 Nxc4 16. Bxc4 bxc3 17. bxc3 Qc7 18. Qc2 Bb5 19. Bxb5 Rxb5 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nd2 Qc6 22. Qa4 Rfb8 23. Nc4 Be7 24. g3 Qc8 25. Qd1 g6 26. Kg2 Bf8 27. Qf3 Rb3 28. Rec1 Qe6 29. Ra7 R8b7 30. Rxb7 Rxb7 31. Ra1 h5 32. Ra8 Kg7 33. Ne3. White enjoys a typical Ruy López bind, which, after Black’s next move — in fact a mistake — becomes simply overwhelming. 33. ... Rc7? If nothing else, after 33. ... Qd7 Black could still hope to defend by offering to exchange Rooks with ... Rb7-a7.

34. Nd5+− Rc8. Or 34. ... Rb7 35. h3 followed by the advance of the g-pawn, as in the game. 35. Ra7 Rb8 36. h3 Rd8 37. g4 hxg4 38. hxg4 Rd7 39. Ra8 f6 40. g5 f5 41. Qh3 Rf7

42. Re8! A most spectacular finish. 42. ... Qxe8 43. Qh6+ Kg8 44. Qxg6+ Kh8 45. Nf6 1 : 0.

Carlsen served his countryman Tari with a crystal clear display of strategic and tactical dominance. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Family Matters

Aryan Tari – Magnus Carlsen
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 7, 2020
Sicilian Defence B69

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 Bd7 7. Qd2 a6 8. 0-0-0 e6 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Kb1 Qb6 13. f5 0-0-0 14. Bd3 Kb8 15. Ne2 Bc8 16. Nf4 Ne5 17. Be2 d5 18. exd5 exf5!? Carlsen’s novelty has an almost insignificant impact on the assessment of the position. 18. ... Nxf3 was played in a previous game, in which Black saved a draw only after considerable difficulties: 19. Bxf3 e5 20. Ne2 Bxf5 21. Ng3 Bg6 22. Qe2 Rc8 23. Be4 Rc4 24. Nf5 Qc5 25. Bd3 Bxf5 26. Bxf5 Rd8 27. Bxh7 Rxd5 28. Rxd5 Qxd5 29. Rd1 Rd4 30. Rxd4 Qxd4 31. a3 Qg1+ 32. Ka2 Qxh2 33. Bg8 Qf4 34. Bxf7 e4 35. c4 Qe5 36. cxb5 axb5 37. Be8 Bxa3 38. Qxb5+ ½ : ½ Šolak – Ashwin, 36th International Chess Open, Albena 2012. 19. Nd4 Bc5 20. Rhf1 Rhe8 21. a3 Ka8 22. h3 Bd7

23. Nh5? A grossly naïve and simplistic move by Tari. On the other hand, Carlsen would never have allowed such a move, if it had been a strong one. White should have played 23. d6 or 23. Qc3 with a solid advantage in both cases. 23. ... Nc4 24. Bxc4 bxc4 25. Qc3? 25. Ka1 is a little better, although 25. ... Rb8 26. c3 Bxd4 27. cxd4 Re3! (Δ ... c4-c3) 28. Qb4 (28. Nxf6? Ba4 29. Rb1 Rb3−+) 28. ... Qc7 29. Qc5 Qb7 30. Qb4 Qxd5 31. Nf4 Qc6 leaves Black a Pawn up with great advantage. 25. ... Rb8−+ (Δ ... Re8-e3) 26. Rf3

26. ... Re1!! 27. Rxe1 Bxd4 28. Qb4 Qc7 29. d6 Qc6 30. Qa5 Bxb2 31. Ka2 Be5 32. Rb1 Rxb1 33. Kxb1 Qxd6 34. Kc1 Qd4 35. Qxa6+ Kb8 36. c3 Qg1+ 37. Kd2 Qxg2+ 38. Ke3 f4+ 39. Nxf4 Bxf4+ 40. Rxf4 Qg3+ 41. Rf3 Qe1+ 42. Kd4 Qe5+ 43. Kxc4 Qe4+ 44. Kc5 Qxf3 45. Kd6 Bc8 0 : 1.

Not surprisingly, in today’s derby, Norwegian chess family’s hierarchies were respected. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Living in the Arctic

Aryan Tari – Fabiano Caruana
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 5, 2020
Sicilian Defence B47

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 a6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. 0-0 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Bf4 d6 11. Qd2 h6 12. Rad1 e5 13. Be3 Bxe3!? Caruana goes for an unclear Pawn sacrifice rather than challenging his greatest predecessor with 13. ... Bg4 14. Bxc5 dxc5 15. f3 Be6 16. f4 Rd8 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 e4 19. Rfe1 Rxd5 20. Rxe4+ Kd8 21. Qe2 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1+ Qd7 23. Qxd7+ Kxd7 24. Re5⩲ R. J. Fischer – Taimanov, Vancouver 1971, Candidates Quarterfinal match game 4. On the other hand, the sacrificial idea is not new at all — as Caruana claimed afterwards — it having been originally introduced by Croatian Grandmaster Mato Damjanović fifty years ago! 14. fxe3 Be6 15. Qxd6 Rc8!? A novelty and also an improvement on 15. ... Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Ke7 17. Rb6 Rab8 18. Nd5+ Bxd5 19. exd5 Rhd8 20. c4 Rd6 21. Rb3± which left Black with no compensation for the Pawn in Szmetan – M. Damjanović, 3rd Open Chess Tournament, Mar del Plata 1970. 16. a4 h5 17. h3 Qxd6 18. Rxd6 Nd7

19. h4 Ke7 20. Rd2 Nb6 21. Nd5+ Bxd5 22. exd5 Nc4 23. Re2 Nd6 24. e4 a5 25. Ra1 Rc4 26. c3 f6 27. Re3 Rhc8 28. Kf2 g5 29. Bf3 g4 30. Bg2 R4c5 31. Bf1 f5! 32. exf5 Rxd5 33. Rd3. Black has more than enough for the Pawn. Now the game might have continued 33. Rae1 Kf6= with equality. 33. ... Rcc5 34. Rad1 Rxd3 35. Bxd3 e4 36. Be2? 36. Bb1 Rxf5+ 37. Kg2 b5 seems to keep things much more balanced, if a little easier for Black. Now instead Caruana gets optimal coordination of Knight and Rook: 36. ... Nxf5 37. Bb5

37. ... Nd6! 37. ... e3+? 38. Ke2 Nxg3+ 39. Kxe3 Nf5+ 40. Kf4 Nxh4 41. Rd7+ Ke6 42. Rxb7 would lead to an uncertain but quite drawish ending. 38. Be2 Ke6! 39. Rc1. Now the endgame is quite hopeless for White, whatever he does: if, for instance, 39. Rd4 there may follow 39. ... e3+! 40. Ke1 Nf5 forcing matters. 39. ... Ke5 40. Rd1 Rc7 41. Kg2 b6 42. Ba6 Rf7 43. Be2 Rf8 44. Rb1 Nf5 45. b4 Ne3+ 46. Kg1 Nd5 47. Rb3 Rc8 48. bxa5 bxa5 49. c4 Nb4 50. Rb1 Kd4 51. Bf1 Nd3 52. Rb5 Rc5 53. Bxd3 exd3 54. Kf2 Kxc4 55. Rb1 Re5 0 : 1.

Being flesh and blood, Caruana got the chance to be shooted by a professional photographer. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Solo

Jorden van Foreest – Aryan Tari
56th World Junior Chess Championship; Tarvisio, November 25, 2017
8/2prn1pk/1p5p/p2q4/P2N2Q1/2P5/1P4PP/5RK1 w - - 5 29

Position after 28. ... Kg8-h7

Norway celebrated today his second World Chess Champion as Aryan Tari convincingly won the 56th edition of the World Junior Chess Championship held in Tarvisio, Italy. It’s a good news for the World “senior” Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen too, as he finally has a worthy rival even in chess matters! Today Tari needed only a draw to win solo, but his opponent, Jorden van Foreest from Netherlands, was not in the mood of gift giving: 29. Rf7! Qxf7 30. Qxd7 c5 31. Nc6 Qd5! 32. Qxd5 Nxd5 33. Ne5 Kg8 34. Kf2 Kf8 35. Kf3 Ke7 36. Nc4 Ke6 37. Ke4 Nf6+ 38. Kd3 Nd7 39. Ne3 Ne5+ 40. Ke4 g6 41. Nd5 Nc4 42. Nf4+ Kd6 43. b3 Nd2+ 44. Kd3 g5 45. Kxd2 gxf4 46. g3 fxg3 47. hxg3 h5 48. c4 Ke5 49. Ke3 Kf5 50. Kf3 Kg5 51. Kf2 Kg4 52. Kg2 Kf5 53. Kf3 Kg5 54. Kf2 ½ : ½.

One Day at a Time

Aryan Tari – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
56th World Junior Chess Championship; Tarvisio, November 22, 2017
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. a4 Rb8 10. a5!? Ba7. Not 10. ... Nxa5? because of 11. Rxa5! Bxa5 12. dxe5 Ng4 13. Bg5 f6 14. exf6 gxf6 15. Bh4 with crushing consequences, Dolmatov – Sivokho, 8th Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2000. 11. h3 0-0 12. Be3 exd4. The alternative is 12. ... Ra8 13. Nbd2 (for 13. Re1 h6 14. Nbd2 Re8 15. g4!? Qe7 16. Nf1 Nd8(!) 17. Ng3 c5 see Caruana – Carlsen, 4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, Douglas 2017) 13. ... Bb7 14. Re1 h6 15. Nf1 Re8 (15. ... exd4 seems much more to the point) 16. d5 (and here 16. Ng3 appears to be decidedly better) 16. ... Ne7 17. Bc2 c6 with quite a balanced game, Tari – Ochsner, 3rd Visma Chess Tournament, Växjö 2015. 13. cxd4 Nxe4 14. Qc2 Qe8 15. Nc3 Nf6 16. Rfe1 Qd7 17. Qd1!? A new move which, however, does not seem as good as 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Ne7 (but the Pawn sacrifice by 18. ... d5!? was well worth considering) 19. Ng5 Ng6 20. Bd5 c5 21. Bf4 with great play for White, Timofeev – Halkias, 8th Individual European Chess Championship, Dresden 2007. 17. ... Nb4 18. Bg5 Qf5 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. Ne4 Qf4 21. Rc1

21. ... d5!? Weakening both the c5 and e5 squares. It would seem a very uncomfortable position for Black to sustain, instead he will demonstrate the contrary, in spite of his dramatic shortage of time. 22. Nc5 Qd6 23. Qd2 Nc6 24. Ne5 Ne7 25. Ned3 Nc6 26. Nf4 Nxa5! What a courage! Taking such a Pawn with only one minute left! 27. Bxd5 c6 28. Qxa5 Qxf4 29. Bxc6 Bb6 30. Qc3 Qd6 31. Bf3 Rd8 32. b4 h6 33. d5. The only regret Tari might have is that he was blitzing his moves very speedily in order to exploit Praggnanandhaa’s lack of time. That was possibly the last opportunity he had for planting his Rook at e5, which, at least from an emotional perspective, might have impressed his very young opponent (only 12 years old!) just a little more. 33. ... Bb7 34. Qd3 a5 35. Nxb7 Rxb7 36. bxa5 Bxa5 37. Red1 Bc7! 38. g3 Bb6! Praggnanandhaa can even afford himself the luxury of counterattacking! 39. Kg2 ½ : ½. A hard-fought draw.

Snow in the Desert

Grigoriy Alekseyevich Oparin – Aryan Tari
56th World Junior Chess Championship; Tarvisio, November 21, 2017
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. g4 Bg6 5. e6!? It’s not a novelty, but certainly a rebrand of a minor line. 5. ... Qd6. The alternative was 5. ... fxe6 6. Nf3 Qd6 7. Ne5 Nd7 8. f4 Be4 9. Rg1 g5 10. Nc3 Bg7 with quite an unclear game (but certainly not unfavourable to Black), 丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) – 宁春红 (Níng Chūnhóng), 7th “天津弈诚杯” (“Tiānjīn Yìchéng Cup”) Chinese Chess League, 成都 (Chéngdū) 2011. It’s likely, however, that Oparin were ready to try something different. 6. exf7+ Bxf7 7. f4!? Here is Oparin’s new move, aimed to improve on 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. Bd3 0-0-0 9. Qe2 Bg6 with approximate equality, Ryzhov – Solovjova, 17th Czech Open, Pardubice 2006. 7. ... Nf6 8. Nc3 Nbd7 9. Bh3 g5!? A very interesting positional Pawn sacrifice which, in fact, seems to dismantle White’s opening preparation. 10. fxg5 Ne4 11. Nge2 Bg7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Be3. After the immediate 13. Bf4 there may follow both 13. ... e5!? and 13. ... Nxc3 14. bxc3 e5 with satisfactory play for Black in any event. 13. ... Nb6 14. Bf4? After this Black will get the upper hand immediately: 14. ... Nxc3 15. bxc3 e5! 16. Bg3 Nc4∓ 17. Rf5!? By now, White barely cares of what he might lose. 17. ... Bg6. Not 17. ... Ne3? 18. dxe5 Qe7 19. Qd3 Nxf5? 20. gxf5 which was probably what White was hoping for. 18. Qd3?! White insists in sacrificing the Exchange. Nothing good can come from that, but it’s hard to blame him as he stands badly anyway. 18. ... Qe7! 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Qe3 Bxf5 21. gxf5

21. ... Qxg5! Elegant and easy. The end is crude: 22. Nf4 Rae8 23. Qe2 Ng6 24. Ne6 Nf4 25. Qg4 Nxh3+ 26. Qxh3 Qxf5 0 : 1.

Round Table

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler – Aryan Tari
11th World Team Chess Championship; Khanty-Mansiysk, June 21, 2017
English Opening A22

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 4. Bg2 0-0 5. Nf3 Bxc3 6. bxc3 d6 7. 0-0 Re8 8. Ne1 Nbd7!? For 8. ... c6 9. d3 h6 10. Rb1 d5 11. Qb3 b6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Nc2 Nc6 14. h3 Bb7 15. Nb4 Na5 16. Qb2 d4 17. c4 Rc8 see Nakamura – Ivanchuk, 54th Torneo di Capodanno, Reggio Emilia 2011. Instead, after 8. ... Nc6 9. e4 the game would transpose into an English Four Knights line (A29) certainly more pleasant for White; for instance: 9. ... Nd7 10. f4 exf4 11. Rxf4 a6 12. d4 b5 13. e5 Ndb8 14. Qh5 dxe5 15. Rh4 h6 16. Bxh6 g6 17. Qg5 Bb7 18. Nd3 Nd7 19. Rf1 Na5 20. Qxd8 Raxd8 21. Bxb7 Nxb7 22. Bg5 f6 23. Bxf6 Nxf6 24. Rxf6 Rd6 25. Rxd6 Nxd6 26. c5 Nc4 27. Re4 a5 28. Nxe5 b4 29. cxb4 axb4 30. Kf2 Nxe5 31. Rxe5 Ra8 32. Re2 Ra3 33. Rb2 Kf7 34. Rxb4 Rxa2+ 35. Kf3 Ke6 36. h4 Kd5 37. Kf4 1 : 0 Dubov – Mchedlishvili, World Rapid Chess Championship, Doha 2016. 9. Nc2 h6 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. d3 Nc5 12. h3 a6 13. Nb4 Bd7 14. Be3

18. ... e4! The most difficult move of the game. 15. Bd4 c6 16. Qd2 Bf5 17. Qf4 Bg6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. d4 Na4 21. Rb3 Nb6. So far Tary has played very well, with a grace and elegance which may recall some games of 7th World Chess Champion Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov. However paradoxical it may appear, Black played much better, even though the game is roughly equal. 22. Rfb1. Svidler thought for eight minutes before resolving for the (somewhat committal) move in the text. Stockfish’s line 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. cxd5 cxd5 24. Rfb1 (or 24. Rb6 Rec8=) 24. ... b5 25. a4 Rb6! 26. axb5 Reb8 appears to be quite even. 22. ... e3! White might have overlooked – or underestimated – Black’s keen rejoinder. If, instead, 22. ... Nxc4? then 23. Nxa6! with complications very much in White’s favour. 23. Nd3. White decides to sacrifice the Exchange for almost no material compensation, in contrast with the science of the machine which advised him to seek salvation in a most unbalanced way: 23. Nxa6 (idem to say 23. Nxc6) 23. ... bxa6 24. R1b2 Nd7 25. Bxc6 with a very complex ending in which the Pawn mass in the centre might compensate White for the piece deficit. Svidler, however, is a very practical player and so I am inclined to think that he has chosen his own “pseudo-escape” not without good reasons. 23. ... Nxc4 24. Bxc6 Re7 25. fxe3 b5. Threatening both ... Nc4-d2 and ... Nc4-a5. 26. Re1 Na5 27. Bd5 Nxb3 28. axb3 Rxe3 29. Kf2 Rbe8. Beyond the fact that 29. ... Re7 (Stockfish) would have actually been stronger (30. Nb4 Rc8!), Tari’s “lack of will” looks quite strange, unless it was dictated by team policy and/or team decisions. ½ : ½. Tari’s last move was euphemistically accompanied by a draw offer (in fact, after 30. Ne5 White regains the Exchange and should be able to draw the endgame a Pawn down without too much difficulty), which Svidler – of course! – did not refuse to accept.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi throwing an enigmatic glance at Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler. Photo: Anastasiya Balakhontseva/Ugra Chess Academy.

Due to the absence of Magnus Carlsen (who’s playing the Paris Grand Chess Tour 2017) and Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer, Norway’s first board was delivered to Aryan Tari. Photo: Anastasiya Balakhontseva/Ugra Chess Academy.

A Persian Tale

Aryan Tari – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
79th Tata Steel Challengers Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 28, 2017
Russian Defence C42

Aryan Tari (آریـن طاری) is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and the 2015 Norwegian Chess Champion. He is from Lierskogen near Drammen and is the child of Iranian immigrants. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) is a U.S. chess Grandmaster. He is an American-born person of Chinese parents. His Chinese name is 熊奕韬 (Xióng Yìtāo). 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c4 Nf6 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Re1 Nb4 11. cxd5 Nbxd5 12. Qb3 c6 13. Bg5 Nc7!? A novelty, but hardly an improvement on 13. ... h6 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bh4 Rb8 16. Ne5 Qb6 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Ng6 fxg6 19. Rxe7 Bf5 20. Bxf5 gxf5 21. Bg3 Rfe8 22. Kf1 Rxe7 23. Bxb8 Re8 24. Bc7 Rc8 25. Rc1 Ne8 26. Bf4 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Nc7 28. Bf4 Ne6 29. Be5 Kf7 30. a4 Ke7 31. b4 b5 32. axb5 h5 33. Ke2 g6 34. Kd3 Kd7 35. Kc3 Nc7 36. Kb3 Nxb5 37. Ka4 Kc6 38. f3 Nc3+ 39. Kb3 Nb5 40. Ka4 Nc3+ 41. Kb3 Nb5 42. h3 Na7 43. Ka4 ½ : ½ Kupreichik – T. Balogh, Prešov 2001. Even there, however, one feels that White could have played better. 14. Rad1 Rb8 15. Bc4 Bg4 16. d5! Tari avoids the tempting (but rather unclear) 16. Ne5!? in favour of the text, which ensures him a definite positional edge. 16. ... b5 17. dxc6 bxc4 18. Qxc4 Rb4 19. Qe2 Bd6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Ne4 Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qxf3 24. gxf3 Rd8 25. Kf1 Kf8. Black would desperately need to stop the advance of the White Pawns on the Queenside, but there ain’t no use in 25. ... a5 as after 26. Re5 the Pawn is doomed. 26. b4 Ne6 27. b5 Bxh2 28. Rxd8+ Nxd8 29. Rd1 Bc7. 29. ... Ne6 30. a4 Bc7 31. Rd7 Ke8 32. a5! transposes into the game. 30. Rd7 Ne6 31. a4 Ke8

32. a5! Bxa5 33. Rxa7 Bd8 34. Rb7 Nd4 35. f4 g6 36. f3 h5 37. Kf2 Ba5 38. Ke3 Nf5+. 38. ... Ne6 39. b6 h4 appears to offer more scope for resistance; for instance: 40. Kf2 Kd8 41. Rb8+ Ke7 42. c7? (well, okay, just a bit of cooperation!) 42. ... Bxb6+! 43. Rxb6 Nxc7 with a draw in sight. 39. Kd3 h4 40. Ra7 Bb6 41. Ra6 Bd8. Or 41. ... Bc7 42. b6 Bxb6 43. Rxb6 Ke7 44. Rb7+ Kd6 45. Rxf7 Kxc6 46. Rf6+ with a relatively easy win. 42. Ra8 1 : 0.

Aryan Tari (right) vs. 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) (left). Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen/Matt & Patt.

Spettekaka

Nils Axel Grandelius – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; time control: 25 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Fagernes, March 26, 2016

Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bd6 12. e4 Rb8 13. e5 Be7 14. Be3 b6 15. Rc1 Kd8!? Possibly improving on 15. ... Bb7 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. Rc8+ Bd8 18. Ke2 Kd7 19. Rhc1⩲ van Wely – Anand, 15th Amber Rapid Chess Tournament, Monte Carlo 2006. 16. f4 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Ke2 Kd7 19. Kd3 (19. Rhd1 Rc8 20. Rxc8 Kxc8 21. d5 exd5 22. Rxd5 Rd7=) 19. ... Rc8 20. Rxc8 Kxc8 21. Rc1+ Kd8 (21. ... Rc7 22. Ke4 Rxc1 23. Bxc1⩲) 22. g4 Rd7 23. f5 Rd5 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Rf1 Ke8 26. Rc1 h6 (26. ... Kd7=) 27. Rc8+ Bd8 28. Bd2 (28. g5 Kd7 29. gxh6 gxh6 30. Rc2 h5 31. Rg2 Ra5=) 28. ... Kd7 29. Ra8 a5 30. a4 Kc6 31. Rc8+ Kb7 32. Rc1 b5 33. axb5 Rxb5 34. Rf1 Kc6 35. Rf7 Rb7 36. Rf8 Rd7 37. Ke4. Again an impressive exhibition of “volitional” endgame technique by Grandelius! 37. ... a4 38. Bb4 Be7?! (38. ... Rb7 39. Bc5 Bb6=) 39. Bxe7 Rxe7 40. Ra8 Kb5 41. d5 exd5+ 42. Kxd5 Rd7+ 43. Ke6? [43. Ke4! Rd2 44. e6 Kc6 (44. ... Rxh2? 45. Kf3+−) 45. h4! Re2+ 46. Kf5 Kb5 (46. ... Kd6 47. Rxa4+−) 47. Ra7+−] 43. ... Rd2 44. Kf7 (44. h4 g5 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Kf6 Rf2+ 47. Kxg5 Re2 48. Kf6 Rf2+ 49. Ke6 Rg2=) 44. ... Rxh2 45. e6

45. ... Re2? Under severe time pressure 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) fails to find the (easy) exit way: 45. ... Rf2+! 46. Kxg7 (46. Kg8 Re2=) 46. ... Rg2! 47. e7 Rxg4+ 48. Kxh6 Re4 49. e8=Q+ Rxe8 50. Rxe8 a3 with a draw. 46. e7 g6 47. e8=Q+ Rxe8 48. Rxe8 h5 49. g5 h4 50. Kxg6 h3 51. Re1 a3 52. Kf5 1 : 0. “This will actually be the first time Sweden has a player in a super tournament since Ulf Andersson in early 90’s”, Tarjei J. Svensen said.

Nils Grandelius vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen.

Óðrerir

• Tarjei J. Svensen, Nils Grandelius (22) klar for Norway Chess (22 year-old Nils Grandelius wins the Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier), Matt & Patt, March 26, 2016

Nils Axel Grandelius
Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen

Jonathan David Tisdall (@GMjtis)

Jackhammer

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; Fagernes, March 25, 2016
Modern Benoni A77

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5. Black’s Modern Benoni came not as a surprise to Hammer. 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Nd2 Bg7 8. e4 0-0 9. Be2 Re8 10. 0-0 Nbd7 11. h3 a6 12. a4 Rb8 13. a5 b5 14. axb6 Nxb6 15. Bd3. “Hammer is play[ing] faster than ever today against Hóu at the Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier so her choice of the Benoni seems to be no surprise”, Grandmaster Jonathan David Tisdall said. 15. ... g5 16. f4 gxf4. Here 16. ... g4!? 17. f5!? c4!? is a critical line, possibly offering more chances for counter-play. 17. Rxf4. Hammer said that he analysed this position with computer during his preparation. “Computer prefers White after 17. Rxf4”, he told Tarjei J. Svensen. “But for a human being it’s all very unclear, because Black has some strong points, particularly the e5-square and the long diagonal h8-a1. So I felt it wasn’t clear at all”. 17. ... Nbd7? It appears that 17. ... Nfd7(!) would have allowed Black to reculer pour mieux sauter in a more harmonious and comfortable position. 18. Nc4 Ne5 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Rf3 Nd7 21. Rg3 Nf8 22. Bxa6 Ng6 23. Bxc8 Qxc8 24. Ra7 Rb7 25. Rxb7 Qxb7 26. Rf3. White is up a Pawn and has plenty of play on the light squares – it’s enough to draw the conclusion that Black is in trouble. 26. ... Re8 27. Rf1 Ne5 28. Qh5 Ng6 29. Qf5 Re5 30. Qf3 h6. Don’t trust your chess engine: Black simply lacks good moves. 31. Ne2! Intending Ne2-g3-f5. Black cannot do anything about it. 31. ... Qd7 32. Ng3 Nh4 33. Qd3 Qb7 34. Qe2 Qd7 35. Bf4 Re8 36. Qh5 Ng6 37. Bxh6 Bxb2 38. Bg5. White is ready to launch the decisive assault by Ng3-f5-h6+-g4. 38. ... Bd4+ 39. Kh1 Qb5

40. Rxf7! Hammer concludes brilliantly with a classic Rook sacrifice. 40. ... Kxf7 41. Qh7+ Bg7. Or 41. ... Kf8 42. Bh6+ and mate next move. 42. Nf5 Qf1+ 43. Kh2 1 : 0. “Hammer time”, Tisdall said.

Hammer vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen.

Fårikål

Aryan Tari – Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer
Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; Fagernes, March 24, 2016
Torre Attack D03

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 d5 5. e3 c5 6. c3 cxd4 7. exd4 Nh5!? A lively novelty. For 7. ... Nc6 8. Bd3 0-0 9. h3 Qc7 10. 0-0 Bf5 see Seirawan – Anand, 10th Max Euwe Memorial, Amsterdam 1996. 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Bxd7+. Here the modest 9. Be2(!) deserved consideration. 9. ... Qxd7 10. 0-0 Nc6 11. Re1 f6. “I was ambitious to play 11. ... f6 with a Knight on h5, but one must be ambitious when he has lost in round one”, Hammer afterwards told Tarjei J. Svensen. 12. Bh4 0-0 13. b4. “I’m not sure, but I think 13. b4 was a bad idea. Instead, 13. Nb3 followed by a2-a4-a5 was not so clear and could be an interesting plan”, then Hammer told Svensen. 13. ... g5 14. Bg3 g4 15. Nh4 f5 16. b5 Nd8 17. Be5

17. ... Bh6! Hammer has clearly got the upper hand. Now Black is ready to increase the pressure by playing ... Bh6-g5 followed by ... Nd8-f7. 18. Nf1 Bg5 19. g3 Nf7 20. Qd3 e6 21. Ng2 Nxe5 22. Rxe5 Nf6 23. Nf4 Rae8 24. Nd2 Bxf4 25. gxf4 Nh5. Her Majesty is overloaded and Tari must give up a Pawn for no compensation at all. 26. Qe3 Qxb5 27. Re1. Maybe 27. c4 Qc6 28. Re1 was worth a deeper look. 27. ... Qd7 28. Nf1. If White’s intention was to play f2-f3, it would have been better to play it now. 28. ... Ng7 29. f3 Qf7 30. Re2 Kh8. Preparing to move the Rook to the g-file. 31. Ng3 gxf3 32. Qxf3 Rc8 33. Rg2 Rc6 34. h4 Rfc8 35. Re3 Rg8 36. Nh1. A move which may be viewed as a sign of the coming defeat. 36. ... Nh5 37. Re2 Rcc8 38. Qe3 Qf6 39. Rf2 Qxh4 40. Qxe6. Tantamount to resignation, but Black was lost anyway. 40. ... Rce8 0 : 1.

Aryan Tari vs. Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer
Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen

Kladdkaka

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer – Nils Axel Grandelius
Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; Fagernes, March 23, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Bb4 7. Nd2 c6 8. e3 Nf8 9. Bd3 Ng6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. f4. Aronian’s move. 11. ... h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. f5

13. ... Nh4!? Not 13. ... Ne7?? on account of 14. Nde4! dxe4 15. Nxe4 Qh4 16. g3 Qh3 17. Nf2 (Her Majesty is trapped) 17.. ... Qxf1+ 18. Kxf1 Nxf5 19. Qf3 Nd6 20. e4 with overwhelming advantage for White, Aronian – Mamedyarov, Candidates Tournament, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. Another bad idea is 13. ... Nh8 14. Qc2 and if 14. ... Qd6 then 15. f6! getting Black into serious trouble. Probably best is 13. ... Qg5 in order to answer 14. Qe2 by 14. ... Nh4 with chances for both sides. 14. Qh5. Consistently committal. On the other hand, to give up the whole centre by 14. g3 Nxf5 15. Bxf5 Bxf5 16. g4 Qg5 17. Rxf5 Qxe3+ 18. Kg2 Qxd4 appears to be a very unsound decision. 14. ... Bxf5 15. Rxf5. This is a must, since 15. Bxf5 g6 16. Bxg6 fxg6 17. Rxf6 gxh5 18. Rxh6 Nf5 gives White no significant advantage. 15. ... Nxf5 16. Qxf5 Qxf5 17. Bxf5. Everything ended up in an unbalanced position in which White’s chances are infinitesimally better, but indeed nothing more. 17. ... Rae8 18. Kf2 g6 19. Bd3 Re6 20. g4 Rfe8 21. Re1 Be7 22. Nf3 Bg5 23. Nd1 Rf6 24. Kg2 Rfe6 25. Kf2 Rf6 26. Ke2 Rfe6 27. Kd2 Rf6 28. Ke2 Rfe6 29. Kd2 Rf6 30. Be2. Hammer doesn’t want to resign himself to a draw, but Black’s position appears impregnable, and in forcing matters hastily White can only hurts himself. 30. ... Rfe6 31. Bf1 Kg7 32. a3 Bd8 33. Bd3 Bc7 34. h4. “[Hammer] was in too much of a hurry to play h2-h4 and g4-g5. He had waited for it, he most likely would have kept the upper hand. Instead, after h2-h4 and g4-g5 it’s fairly easy to defend”, then Grandelius told Tarjei J. Svensen. 34. ... Rf6 35. Rf1 Ba5+ 36. Ke2 Bb6 37. g5 hxg5 38. hxg5 Rfe6 39. Ne5 R6e7 40. b4 Rxe5! Grandelius decides to play sharply and gives back the Exchange for emerging with three extra Pawn as a compensation for the minus Knight. 41. dxe5 Rxe5 42. Rg1 Bd8. The third Pawn is doomed. 43. Kf3 Bxg5 44. e4 Bc1! I’m quite sure that Bobby Fischer would handily win such an endgame, and so... c’mon Nils! 45. a4 Ba3 46. exd5 Rxd5 47. Bc4 Rf5+ 48. Ke4 Bxb4. Black has now four Pawns for the piece! 49. Rf1 b5 50. axb5 cxb5 51. Ne3 Rxf1 52. Bxf1 a6 53. Nd5 Bd6 54. Ne3 Kh6 55. Kd5 Bf4 56. Nc2 Bd2 57. Nd4 f5 58. Nxb5. A desperate attempt to seek salvation in an opposite coloured Bishop endgame with two Pawns less. I’m just not sure it’s the best thing for White. 58. ... axb5 59. Bxb5 Kg5 60. Ke6 f4 61. Kf7 f3 62. Bc6 f2 63. Bb5 Bc3 64. Bf1 Kh6 65. Be2 g5 66. Ke6 Kg6 67. Bd3+ Kh5 68. Kf5 Kh4 69. Be2 Bd2 70. Bf1 Kg3 71. Ke4 Kh2 72. Kd3 Kg1 73. Ke2 g4 0 : 1.

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer vs. Nils Grandelius
Photo: Ingemar Falk

Sled dog racing

Tarjei J. Svensen (@TarjeiJS)

北京 (Běijīng), China: A girl rides a scooter under decorations for a temple fair before the Chinese lunar new year at 地坛 (Dìtán Park). Photo: 王身敦 (Andy Wong)/AP.

萬歲衝鋒

Richárd Rapport – Aryan Tari
13th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 28, 2015
Torre Attack D03

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. e3 Nbd7 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3 e6 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. Bd3 0-0 8. a4 b6 9. Qb1 Bb7 10. h4!? h6 11. Bf4 Ng4 12. Ng5!? Ngf6 13. Rh3 Qc8 14. Ndf3 hxg5? A very bad idea. Black might have tried 14. ... cxd4 15. exd4 Bd8 (Saunders’ analysis). 15. hxg5 Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4. If 16. ... f5 then 17. Bc2! (Saunders).

17. Kd2! “An unusual winning move courtesy of Richard Rapport!”, the guys of chess24.com joked. 17. ... g6 18. Qh1 f6 19. Rh7! 1 : 0. “Terrifyingly straightforward play by Rapport though, must be said. Very unpleasant”, Grandmaster Jonathan Tisdall sadly said.

Jonathan Tisdall (@GMjtis)

Richárd Rapport vs. Aryan Tari
Photo: John Saunders