The Suicide Club

Musunuri Lalith Babu – Kantholi Rathnakaran
1st Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship; Sharjah, March 24, 2017
4r2k/1p4bp/p2p2p1/3P4/P4p2/1P3Q1P/3qNPP1/2R3K1 w - - 3 28

Position after 27. ... Rf8-e8

White’s position is just a little uncomfortable, as his pieces appear quite clumsy, and you would expect something like 28. Kf1 Kg8 with Black keeping the initiative himself. But no! 28. Rc4?? It is really an awful oversight. White thought he had time for a Rook lift along the 4th rank (thus attacking the f4-Pawn), without fearing for his Knight, as after 28. ... Qxe2? 29. Qxe2 Rxe2 30. Rc8+ Bf8 31. Rxf8+ Kg7 32. Rxf4 White would regain the piece with a Pawm ahead, while 28. ... Rxe2?? 29. Rc8+ Bf8 30. Rxf8+ Kg7 31. Rxf4 would expose Black to the worst and foreseeable consequences. It seemed everything alright, but Lalith has just overlooked something trivial: 28. ... Qe1+! 29. Kh2 Rxe2 0 : 1. For now Black can answer 30. Rc8+ by 30. ... Re8 remaining with a clear piece ahead.

Musunuri Lalith Babu
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova

阿克赛钦 (Aksai Chin)

Babu M.R. Lalith – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
India China Summit; Hyderabad, March 3, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D43

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. g3 Nbd7 6. Bg2 dxc4 7. 0-0 b5 8. e4 Bb7 9. e5 Nd5 10. Ng5 h6

11. Nxe6. A bold sacrifice! If, instead, 11. Qh5 then 11. ... g6 12. Qh3 Be7 13. Nge4 Qb6 as in the game Harikrishna – Gelfand, 4th SportAccord World Mind Games; Rapid Event; 北京 (Beijīng) 2014. 11. ... fxe6 12. Qh5+ Ke7 13. Ne4 Qe8 14. Bg5+ hxg5 15. Qxh8 Kd8 16. Qg8. A questionable novelty. It appears to me far more natural 16. Nxg5 Qe7 17. f4 as played in the game 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) – Galkin, Olympic Capital Young Masters, Lausanne 2000. 16. ... Qg6 17. Nc5 Kc7 18. Qxe6 Qe8 19. Bxd5 Nxc5 20. Qxe8 Rxe8 21. Bf7 Re7 22. Bg8. It is obviously not the best move in this position. Now 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) spreads his wings and fly. 22. ... Nd3 23. b3 c5 24. bxc4 cxd4 25. f4 gxf4 26. gxf4 g6 27. Rad1 Rg7 28. Bd5 bxc4 29. Bxc4 Nb2 30. Rc1 Kd8 31. Rf2 Nxc4 32. Rxc4 d3. The passed Pawn, supported by the Bishop-pair, proves decisive. 33. Rd2 Rd7 34. Kf2 Bd5 35. Rc1 Ba3 0 : 1.

豆漿

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Babu M.R. Lalith
Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 30, 2015
Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Kb1 0-0 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Qd5 17. Be3. For 17. Ne5 Rfd8 18. Rhe1 c5 19. c4 Qd6 20. g4 cxd4 [better 20. ... Nd7 21. Ba5 b6 22. Qf3 Bf6! with equality, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Gunina, 3th SportAccord World Mind Games; Women’s Rapid Event; 北京 (Beijīng) 2013] 21. g5 hxg5 22. Bxg5 Nd7 23. Nxf7! Kxf7 24. Rxd4! Qb6 25. Bxe7 Kxe7 26. Qg4 Rg8 27. Rde4 e5 28. Rxe5+! see 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Gunina, 3th SportAccord World Mind Games; Women’s Blitz Event; 北京 (Beijīng) 2013. 17. ... Rad8. For 17. ... Ng4 18. Bc1 Rfd8 19. Ne5 see Negi – Lalith, 48th Indian Chess Championship, New Delhi 2010. 18. Ne5 Nd7 19. Nd3 Qb5 20. f4. The alternative was 20. Bc1 Bf6 21. Qg4 Kh8 22. Nf4 Rfe8 ½ : ½ So – Bruzón Batista, Montreal 2012. 20. ... c5. A novelty, one may suspect. For 20. ... Nb6 21. c3 c5 22. dxc5 Na4 see Nasuta – Powierski, Iași 2014. 21. g4 Nb6. A strong rejoinder. 22. dxc5 Na4

23. c4. Luckily enough, the text move is both near-forced and good. 23. ... Qxc4 24. Qc2 Qxc2+ 25. Kxc2 Nxc5 26. Nxc5 Bxc5 27. Bxc5 Rc8 28. b4 b6 29. Rd7 a6 30. a4 bxc5 31. b5 axb5 32. axb5 Rb8 33. Rb1 f5 34. gxf5 Rxf5 35. Kc3 Rxf4 36. Rg1 Rxb5 37. Rgxg7+ Kf8 38. Rh7 Kg8 39. Rxh6 Rbb4 40. Rg6+ Kh8 41. Rh6+ Kg8 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) vs. Babu M.R. Lalith
Photo: Sophie Triay