Behind and Ahead

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Hikaru Nakamura
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, July 4, 2022
Tarrasch Defence D40

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. Bd3 b5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. b4 Be7 11. 0-0 Bb7 12. Bb2 0-0 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 f5. A vintage reference is 14. ... Rc8 15. Rc1 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 Rfd8 17. Kf1 f5 18. Bb1 Bf6 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Ba2 Kf7 21. Ke2 Ke7= 22. g3? (⌓ 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Ne1) 22. ... Rxd1 23. Kxd1 Nxb4! 24. Rxc8 Bxf3+ 25. Kc1 Nxa2+ 26. Kb2 Bd5 27. Rh8? (⌓ 27. Rc7+ Kf8 28. f3) 27. ... b4! 28. Rxh7+ Kf8 29. Ra7? (⌓ 29. axb4 Nxb4 30. Kc3) 29. ... bxa3+ 30. Kxa3 Nc3 31. Rxa6 Nd1 32. f4 Nxe3 33. h3 Kf7 34. Kb4 Bg2 35. h4 Bd5 36. Kc5 Nf1 37. Ra3 Kg6 38. Kd6 Nd2 39. Rd3 Ne4+ 40. Ke7 Kh5 41. Re3 Kg4 42. Rd3 Bc4 43. Re3 Bd5 44. Rd3 Ba2 45. Ra3 Bc4 46. Kf7 e5+ 47. Kg6 Nxg3 48. Rxg3+ Kxg3 49. fxe5 fxe5?? (49. ... f4−+) 50. Kxf5 ½ : ½ A. K. Rubinstein – Salwe, Łódź 1908, match game 7. 15. Bb1!? (15. Bc2 Bf6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Bb3 Rfd8 18. Qc2 Kh8 19. Rfd1 e5 20. Qb2 Qe7 21. Rac1 e4 22. Nd4 Ne5 23. Qa1 Qf6 24. Rc5 f4 25. Rc7 Bd5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. exf4 Ng4 28. g3 e3 29. fxe3 Nxe3 30. Rd3 Nf5 31. Rc6 Qf7 32. Qa2 Qg8 33. Nxf5 Rxd3 34. Qxg8+ Rxg8 35. Rxa6 Rd2 36. Nd6 h6 37. Rc6 Kh7 38. Nc4 Rc2 39. Ne5 Ra2 40. Rc3 Ra8 41. Rf3 ½ : ½ Nozdrachev – Sidorov, 6th Polugaevsky Memorial, Samara 2016) 15. ... Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Rfd8 17. Ba2 Kf7 18. h4 h6 19. Rdc1 Bd6 20. Rc2 Ne7 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Rac1 Rd7 24. Nb3 Be7 25. h5 Bf6 26. Bd4 e5 27. Bc5 Bd8 28. Rd2 Nf6 29. Rxd7+ Nxd7 30. Rd1 Nf6 31. Bd6 Ng4 32. Bc5 Bh4 33. Rd7+ Kg8 34. g3 Bg5. In his YouTube commentary, Nakamura noted that Black could play at once 34. ... Rd8 as after 35. Rd6 Rxd6 36. Bxd6 Bd8 37. Nc5 a5 38. Nb7 axb4 39. Bxb4 Bc7 40. Bd6 Bb6 a draw is very likely. 35. Kf1

35. ... Bd8? This is a strange and serious mistake. Black was still in time for 35. ... Rd8! 36. Rd6 Rxd6 37. Bxd6 Kf7 38. Nc5 Be7! 39. Bxe7 Kxe7 40. Nxa6 Kd6 41. Nc5 Nf6 with a draw in prospect. 36. Rb7! f4! 37. gxf4 exf4 38. e4?! (38. exf4!? Nf6 39. Ke2 Nxh5 40. Kf3±)

38. ... Bf6? (38. ... f3! 39. Nd4 Ne5⇄) 39. Nd4 Re8 40. Kg2 Ne5 41. Nf5

41. ... f3+. Nakamura gives 41. ... Nc4 42. Be7 Bxe7 43. Ne7+ Kf7 44. Ng6+ Kg8 45. Kf3 Nd2+ 46. Kxf4 Rxe4+ 47. Kf5 Re8 48. Ra7 as quasi-winning for White, but still not so easy to win as it may appear. 42. Kg3 Nc4 43. Be7 Bb2. After 43. ... Bxe7 44. Nxe7+ Kf8 45. Ng6+ Kg8 46. Kxf3 Nd2+ 47. Ke3 Nxe4 48. Ne7+ Kf7 49. Kxe4 Rxe7+ 50. Rxe7+ Kxe7 51. Kf5 Kf7 52. f3+− (52. f4+−) the King and Pawn ending is an elementary win for White (Nakamura’s analysis). 44. Kxf3 Bxa3 45. Kg3 Ne5. A little better was perhaps 45. ... a5, although 46. Bc5! Rxe4 47. Rxg7+ Kh8 48. Rb7! should win for White. 46. Bc5 Nf7 47. f3 Bc1 48. Ra7 Bd2 49. Rxa6 Be1+ 50. Kg2 Bc3 51. Ra7 Ng5 52. Ne7+ Kh8 53. Ng6+ Kg8 54. Ne7+ Kh8 55. Nd5 Bb2 56. Ra2 Bc1 57. Rc2 Ba3 58. Be3 1 : 0.

It’s a pity that the tournament is over, because 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was getting better and better with every day. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

On Second Thought

Hikaru Nakamura – Jan-Krzysztof Duda
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, July 3, 2022
4r1k1/2qn2p1/4p1Np/pp1Pp1bP/8/BP1R4/P1r1QPP1/3R2K1 w - - 1 35

Position after 34. ... Rc6-c2

One can hardly imagine that White may pull a win out of the position in the diagram. And yet... 35. Bd6! Otherwise there follows ... b5-b4. 35. ... Rxe2 36. Bxc7 Nc5 37. d6!?

37. ... Nd7? In his YouTube commentary, Nakamura recommended 37. ... Nxd3! 38. d7 Ra8! 39. Rxd3 Rxa2 40. d8=Q+ Bxd8 41. Bxd8 a4 42. bxa4 bxa4 43. Rd7 a3 44. Ne7+ (44. Bc7?? Ra1+ 45. Kh2 Re1−+) 44. ... Kh7 45. Ng6 Ra1+ 46. Kh2 a2 47. Bf6! Rh1+ 48. Kg3! (48. Kxh1?? a1=Q+ 49. Kh2 Ra7−+) 48. ... Rg8 49. Nf8+ Rxf8 50. Rxg7+ with a draw by perpetual check. 38. Bxa5 Rxa2 39. Bb4 Bd8 40. Rc3 Bb6

41. Kh2! Kh7 (41. ... Rxf2 42. Rc7! Rf7 43. Rb7+−) 42. f3 Ra7 43. Rc6 Be3 44. Bd2 Bd4 45. Bc3 Be3 46. Rc7 Rea8 47. Kh3 b4 48. Bxb4 Rb8 49. Bc3 Rxb3 50. Rc8 Rb8 51. Rxb8 Nxb8 52. d7 1 : 0.

The grand race for second place has begun. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Twice Upon a Time

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Richárd Rapport
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, July 3, 2022
Sicilian Defence B66

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. 0-0-0 Bd7 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. f3 h6 11. Bf4 d5 12. Qe1 Bb4 13. a3 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 0-0 15. Be5 (15. Rd2 Qe7 16. Be5 Rfd8 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Qxf6 gxf6 19. exd5 Rxd5 20. Rxd5 Bxd5 21. Bd3 f5 22. Kd2 Kf8 23. Ke3 Ke7 24. Rd1 Bc6 25. c4 a5 26. Bc2 a4 27. Rd4 e5 28. Rh4 f4+ 29. Ke2 Rg8 30. Kf2 Rd8 31. Ke2 Ra8 32. Kf2 Rd8 33. Ke2 ½ : ½ Mikenas – T. V. Petrosian, 24th USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1957)

15. ... Rc8. Back in the USSR: 15. ... Nd7 16. Bd6 Re8 17. e5 Rc8 18. Qe3 Bb5 19. Bxb5 axb5 20. Rd4 Qb6 21. Rd3 Qa6 22. Rhd1 Rc6 23. Rc3 Rec8 24. Rxc6 Qxc6 25. Rd2 b6 26. b3 f5 27. Kb2 Nc5 28. h3 Nb7 29. Bb4 Nc5 30. Qd4 Qe8 31. Re2 Qh5 32. Re3 Qg5 33. Re2? (⌓ 33. Qd2 Ra8 34. Bc3) 33. ... Qg3? (33. ... Qc1+! 34. Ka2 Na6! 35. Bc3 b4! 36. Bb2 Rxc2=) 34. Be1 Qg5 35. Bd2 Qg3? 36. Qb4 Qh2 37. Qxb5 Qg1 38. Be3 Qd1 39. Rd2 Qe1 40. Qe2 Qg3 41. Bd4 g5 42. a4 Kf7 43. Rd1 h5 44. a5 g4 45. hxg4 fxg4 46. axb6 gxf3 47. Rf1 Ke7 48. Rxf3 Qg4 49. Bxc5+ Rxc5 50. Qf2 Rb5 51. Rf7+ Ke8 52. Rf8+ 1 : 0 Keres – Aronin, 18th USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1950. 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 gxf6 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Rd4

19. ... f5. Now, finally, something new — though not too exciting. Moons ago, Black ended up just ceding all ground after 19. ... Rc5 20. b4 Rc3 21. Kb2 Rfc8 22. Bd3 Kg7 23. Rd1 R8c7 24. Rd2 Rc8 25. a4 Kf8 26. a5 R8c7 27. Be2 Kg7 28. R4d3 R3c6 29. Bd1 f5 30. c3 Rc8 31. Bb3 Bxb3 32. Kxb3 Kf6 33. Rc2 e5 34. c4 Ke6 35. c5 e4 36. Re2 Ke5 37. Rde3 Rd8 38. fxe4 f4 39. Rh3 Rg6 40. Rh5+ Rg5 41. Rxh6 Rdg8 42. h4 Rxg2 43. Rh5+ Ke6 44. Rxg2 Rxg2 45. Rf5 Rg4 46. h5 Rh4 47. Kc3 f6 48. Kd4 f3 49. Rxf3 Rxh5 50. Rf5 Rh1 51. Rd5 Ke7 52. Kc3 Rc1+ 53. Kb3 Rb1+ 54. Ka3 Re1 55. Rd6 Re3+ 56. Ka4 Rxe4 57. Rb6 f5 58. Rxb7+ Ke6 59. Rb6+ Ke5 60. Rxa6 f4 61. Ra8 1 : 0 Kholmov – Mukhametov, Moscow4, Moscow 1991. 20. Bd3 Bc6. Black has no difficulty in defending White’s one and only threat (Bd3xf5). 21. Rd1 Kg7 22. Be2 Kf6 23. Rh4 Kg5 24. g3 Rfd8 25. Rhd4 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. f4+ exf4 28. Rxf4 Be4 29. c3 Rd8 30. Bd1 Rd7 31. Bc2 Re7 32. Bd1 Rd7 33. Bc2 Re7 34. Bd1 ½ : ½.

And Nepomniachtchi did it again — thus going for the rematch against Magnus Carlsen. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Presence and Absence

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, July 1, 2022
Nimzo-Indian Defence E48

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. a3 Bd6 8. Qc2 Na6 9. Nge2 c5! Good old moves: Black will be compensated for the isolated Queen’s Pawn by a dynamic piece-play.

10. Bxa6!? This sounds like just another case of contemporary, computer-inspired theory, which is not exactly what it pretends to be — an improvement over human judgment. That is, 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. b4 Nxd3+ 12. Qxd3 Be6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5? (⌓ 14. Nb5) 14. ... Ng4 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. Qe2 Rc8 17. h3 Nc4 18. 0-0 Qf6 19. Nd1 Qg6 20. Kh1 Bd7 21. a4 Rfe8 22. Bc3 Re4 23. Nf3 Rce8 24. Ra2 Bb8 25. Ba1 Qd6 26. Nc3 Rh4! with irresistible attack, P. F. Johner – Bogoljubov, International Chess Tournament, Bern 1932. 10. ... bxa6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Bd6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 a6 15. h3 Bd7

16. bxa6?! It was better to keep the b-file closed with 16. a4. 16. ... Rxa6 17. Rd1 Rb6 18. Rd2?! Taking the Pawn would be inadvisable: 18. Nxd5? Nxd5 19. Rxd5 Qb8! with an overwhelming advantage for Black. Perhaps it was better for White to give up a Pawn by 18. Ba1 (18. ... Bxa3), but it’s not easy for one who aims high to accept such a relative failure. 18. ... Qc8 19. f3?! Indeed, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) has good reason not to castle (19. 0-0 Bxh3!), but his convoluted, artificial arrangement proves to be pernicious. Giving up a Pawn by 19. Ba1 Bxa3 was probably still his best bet for survival. 19. ... Re8 20. Kf2?! (20. Nd1 Rc6) 20. ... Qb8. Breakthrough threats, also involving a Rook sacrifice, are hanging over White’s encampment. But 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is apparently oblivious to the danger: 21. Qc1?! 21. Bc1 Rc8 is also very bad for Black, but at least it avoids the next devastating blow.

21. ... Rxe3! 22. Nd1 (22. Kxe3 Bc5+ 23. Nd4 Qe5+−+) 22. ... Re8 23. Ne3 Rb3 24. Ng4 Bxg4 25. hxg4 Rc8 26. Qa1 Bf4 0 : 1.

At last Radjabov took his satisfactions. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Roadrunner

Fabiano Caruana – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 30, 2022
Spanish Game C88

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. a4 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Bd2 Qd7 11. Nc3 Na5 12. Ba2 b4 13. Ne2 c5 14. Ng3 Rab8 15. Nh4 g6 16. Bh6 Rfe8 17. Nhf5 Bd8 (17. ... gxf5? 18. Nxf5 b3 19. Qf3!+−) 18. Ng7 Rf8 19. h3. Caruana courageously refuses the draw by repetition and instead goes all out for a win. 19. ... b3! 20. Bxb3 (20. cxb3 Nc6!) 20. ... Nxb3 21. cxb3 Bc6 22. Rc1 Kh8. Black threatens both ... Rf8-g8 and ... Nf6-g8.

23. Ne6 Qxe6 24. Bxf8 Ba5 25. Bh6 Bxe1 26. Qxe1 Rxb3 (26. ... Qxb3!? 27. Qxa5 Qb6) 27. Qa5 Ng8 28. Be3 Bb7 29. Qd2 f6 30. f4 exf4 31. Bxf4 g5 (31. ... Rb4 32. a5⩲) 32. Be3 Qe5

33. Nf5! Ne7 (33. ... Rxb2? 34. Nxd6!+−) 34. Nxe7 Qxe7 35. Qc2 Rb6 36. Rf1 Kg7 37. a5 Rc6 38. Bd2 Rc8 39. Bc3 Rf8 40. Qf2 h6 41. h4 Bc8 42. b4 Bd7 43. bxc5 dxc5 44. Rb1 Bb5 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Qf5 Kg8 47. d4 Bd3 48. Re1 cxd4 49. Bxd4 Qh7 50. Qf3 Bb5 51. e5. If 51. Bxf6 then 51. ... Qa7+ drawing by perpetual check. 51. ... Qd7 52. Bc5 Rc8 53. Qb3+ Qf7 54. e6 Qc7 55. e7+ Kg7 56. Bd4 Qf4

57. Be3?! Caruana is running short of time and yet insists on disdaining the eventuality of a draw: 57. Bb2 Rh8 58. Qe6 Qh2+ 59. Kf2 Qf4+ with perpetual check. 57. ... Qg3 58. Qb4 Rh8 59. e8=Q Qh2+ 60. Kf2 Rxe8

61. Qg4. 61. Bxg5! was good enough for at least a draw, but once again Caruana says no. What follows is drama, too. 61. ... Qe5 62. Qd4 Qf5+ 63. Kg1 Kg6 64. Qd2 Bc6 65. Bf2 Qg4 66. Qd3+ Be4 67. Qg3 Qxg3 68. Bxg3 f5 69. Bc7 Kh5 70. Kf2 Kg4 71. Rc1 Re7 72. Rc3? (72. Rc5!) 72. ... Rd7? (72. ... Bd3!−+) 73. g3 Bd3 74. Bb8 Bb5 75. Bc7? (75. Ke1) 75. ... Re7!−+ 76. Bd8 Re2+ 77. Kg1 Rd2 78. Be7 Bd3 0 : 1. For after 79. Bd6 Kh3 80. Rc8 Rg2+ 81. Kh1 Be4 it’s all over for White.

After three wins in a row, nothing seems impossible for 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) to achieve. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Reloaded

Alireza Firouzja – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 30, 2022
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Nc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. d4 Be7 8. d5. Through a different order of moves (1. c4 e5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. exd4 d5), the position after 8. Nc3 d5 arose in Paulsen – Englisch, Anderssen Jubilee, Leipzig 1877. 8. ... Ne5 9. Nd4. The other half of the sky says 9. Be2 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 h5 11. h3 Bf5 12. Nc3 Qd7 13. Be3 a6 14. a4 c5 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. a5 Rb8 17. 0-0 0-0 18. Na4 and White stands better, Kosteniuk – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 1st Women’s Chess World Cup, Krasnaya Polyana 2021, match game 2. 9. ... 0-0 10. Nc3 Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 12. Be2 c6 13. 0-0 cxd5 14. cxd5 Qb6 15. Kh1 Rac8

16. g4?! Evidently White got nothing out of the opening, but maybe he might still hope to hold the balance (16. f4 Nc4 17. b3 Ne3 is roughly even). Instead, Firouzja decides to launch an unsubstantiated Pawn attack on the Kingside — something that resembles much — with reversed colours — of yesterday’s game between Duda and Caruana. 16. ... h6 17. h4?! White’s last two moves took up about an hour, but not everyone was impressed. “Is this the ‘How can I help Nepo qualify’ Candidates?”, Swiss Grandmaster Noël Studer caustically asks. “16.g4? 17.h4? are two of the most absurd moves I’ve ever seen in top-level chess”. 17. ... Rfe8 18. g5. If you have said A and B, you must also say C. 18. ... hxg5 19. hxg5 Nh5 20. Kg2

20. ... Ng6! 21. f4 Nhxf4+! 22. Bxf4 Qxb2 23. Ne4 Rc4 24. Be3 Bxg5! 25. Rb1 Qxa2 26. Ra1

26. ... Rxd4! 27. Rxa2 (18. Bxd4 Qxd5−+) 27. ... Rxd1 28. Bxd1 Bxe3 29. Nxd6 Re7 30. Bb3 Bc5 31. Nxb7 Bb6 32. Bc4 Re3 33. Kh1 Bh3 34. Rc1 Bf5 35. Bf1 Be4+ 0 : 1.

Nepomniachtchi is doing it again. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Through the Desert

Richárd Rapport – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 29, 2022
Spanish Game C77

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. c3 Ba7 10. 0-0 Na5 11. Bc2 c5. A reference worth mentioning here is 11. ... g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. a4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Nc6 15. axb5 axb5 16. Na3 Ba6? (16. ... Bb6! 17. Nxb5 Rxa1 18. Qxa1 0-0) 17. Bb3 Ne7 18. d4! exd4 19. Nxd4 (19. Nc2!) 19. ... b4 (19. ... Bxd4!) 20. Nc4 Bxc4 21. Bxc4 0-0 22. cxb4 d5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Nb5 Qxb4 25. b3 Qc5 26. Qf3 Kg7 27. Ra6 f6 (27. ... Bb6 28. Rxa8 Rxa8 29. d6!+−) 28. Rfa1 Nc8 29. Kh2 1 : 0 Caruana – Burke, 65th U.S. Chess Championship, Saint Louis 2021. 12. Nbd2 g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. a3 Rb8 15. Kh1 Rb7 16. b4 Nc6 17. Bb3 Rc7. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) then explained the meaning of his Rook’s route (... Ra8-b8-b7-c7): it was just a matter of delaying castling.

18. Bd5 g4 19. Bh4 Ne7 20. Ng1 cxb4 21. axb4 Rxc3 22. Ne2 Rc7 23. f4 f6 24. fxe5 dxe5 25. Ng3 Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 Rf8 27. Rxf6 Rxf6 28. Bxf6 Qd6 29. Qf1 Bd4 30. Bf7+ Kd7 (30. ... Kxf7?? 31. Bxe5++−) 31. Rd1 Rc2 32. Bb3 Rc7

Faithful to himself, Rapport throws fuel on the fire: 33. Nc4!? bxc4 34. dxc4 (Δ c4-c5) 34. ... Rc6 35. Ba4 Kc7 36. Bxc6 Nxc6 37. b5 Nb4 38. c5 Qe6 39. Bh4 Bxc5 40. Rc1 Qd6 41. Qc4 Nd3!

42. Rc3? White’s best chance for a draw was 42. Be7! — now 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) may perch himself on the driver’s seat. 42. ... axb5 43. Qxd3 Qxd3 44. Rxd3 Bd4 45. Bf6 Kb6 46. Rxd4. Betting on the Bishops of opposite colour, but in vain. 46. ... exd4 47. Bxd4+ Ka5 48. Kg1 b4 49. Kf2 Ka4 50. Ke3 Kb3 51. Kf4 Kc2 52. Ke5 b3 53. Kd6 Kd3 54. Ba1 Kxe4 55. Kc5 Kd3 0 : 1.

With each passing day, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) comes closer to the top. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

A Day to Forget

Jan-Krzysztof Duda – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 29, 2022
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. 0-0 a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 0-0 9. h3 Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. b4 Nh5 12. Nbd2. Most usual is 12. Ra2 Qe8 13. Na3 Nf4 14. Bxf4 Rxf4 15. Nc4 Qg6 16. b5 Raf8! 17. Ncd2 Ne7 18. d4 Qf6! 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. bxa6 bxa6 21. Qe2 a5 22. Rf1 g5 23. Nc4 Ng6 24. Nh2 Qg7 25. Qd3 Nh4 26. Ng4 h5 27. Ngxe5 g4 28. hxg4 hxg4 29. Qg3 Qg5 30. Re2 Kg7 31. Nd3 R4f6 32. Qxc7+ R8f7 33. Qe5? (33. Qg3!) 33. ... Qh6! 34. Qg3 Kh8! 35. Rb2 Nf3+! 36. gxf3 gxf3 37. Rfb1 Rg7 38. Qxg7+ Qxg7+ 39. Kf1 Rh6 40. Ke1 Qxc3+ 0 : 1 Caruana – Grischuk, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 3rd stage, Paris Rapid, Paris 2019 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 12. ... Nf4 13. Nf1 Qf6 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qb3 Rf6 16. b5 Na5. As the old saying goes, “Knight on the rim is dim”. 17. Qa2

17. ... g5 18. N1h2 Rg6 19. d4 h5. Caruana, in his urge to attack, is inevitably going to end up crossing the point of no return. 20. g3 Qf6 21. Rad1 Rg7 22. Kh1 Rf8 23. dxe5 dxe5

24. h4! gxh4 25. gxh4 Bc5 26. Rg1 Bd6 27. Ng5 Kh8 28. Qe2 Qg6 29. Rd3 axb5 30. Rdg3 Qe8 31. axb5 Rf6 32. Qf1 b6 33. Qg2 Qf8 34. Qh3 Qg8 35. R1g2 Nb7 36. Nh7 Rfg6 37. Rxg6 Rxg6 38. Ng5 Rf6

39. f4! Nc5 (39. ... exf4 40. e5! Bxe5 41. Qf3+−) 40. fxe5 Bxe5 41. Ngf3 Qa8 42. Nxe5 Nxe4 43. Nhf3 Qa1+ 44. Kh2 Qc1 45. Nd3 Qxc3 46. Ra2 Nf2 47. Rxf2 Qxd3 48. Qg3 Qd6 49. Qxd6 cxd6 50. Kg3 Rf5 51. Rd2 Rxb5 52. Rxd6 Kg7 53. Rxe6 Rb4 54. Re5 Kh6 55. Rd5 Rb1 56. Nd4 Rg1+ 57. Kf4 1 : 0.

Caruana’s nerves betrayed him. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

As Life Goes By

Hikaru Nakamura – Alireza Firouzja
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 29, 2022
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd5 Rc8 10. Nxf6+ gxf6?!

An ugly move which can be reminiscent of Bobby Fischer’s 11. ... g7xf6 against Gligorić at the Candidates Tournament 1959 — a move so ugly that made two Soviet giants raise their eyebrows. As Fischer himself wrote in “My 60 Memorable Games” (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1969, p. 80), “Petrosian and Tal both happened to stroll by the board at this instant. Petrosian made a wry face which looked to me like ‘Can Black do this and live?’”. Back to Firouzja, it was better for him to follow the beaten track: 10. ... Qxf6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 (11. ... Qxe6 12. 0-0 Be7 13. Nd2 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qg4 0-0 16. Bh6 Bf6 17. Ne4 Qe6 18. Qxe6 fxe6 19. Be3 Nb4 20. c3 Nd5 21. Rfe1 Rc6 22. a4 Rfc8 23. g3 Be7 24. Kg2 Nf6 25. Ng5 Rd8 26. Nf3 Rd5 27. Rac1 e4 28. Nd4 Rcd6 29. h3 Kf7 30. Nb3 Rc6 31. Nd2 h6 32. Re2 b5 33. axb5 axb5 34. Nb3 e5 35. Ra1 b4 36. cxb4 Bxb4 37. Ra7+ Rd7 38. Rxd7+ Nxd7 39. Nc1 Nf6 40. Na2 Bd6 41. Nc3 ½ : ½ Vachier-Lagrave – Morozevich, 42nd Biel International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 2009) 12. 0-0 Qg6 13. Nd2 Be7 14. c4 0-0 15. Rc1 Rc7 16. f3 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Rc3 a5 19. Rf2 Rfc8 20. g3 Nd4 21. Kg2 Qd8 22. f4 exf4 23. Rxf4 Nc6 24. a4 Ne5 25. Qe2 Qe8 26. b3 g5 27. Rf2 g4 28. Qe3 Qh5 29. Rc1 Ng6 30. Rcf1 Qe5 31. Qh6 Rg7 32. h3 gxh3+ 33. Qxh3 Rf8 34. Rxf8+ Nxf8 35. Qh4 Ng6 36. Qh3 Nf8 37. Qh4 Rf7 38. Rxf7 Kxf7 39. Nf3 Qb2+ ½ : ½ M. Adams – Bologan, 18th Turkish Chess League, Konya 2012. 11. Bb3 Ne7?! In his YouTube commentary, Nakamura suggested 11. ... Na5 as an improvement for Black, though even then after 12. Bd5 Nc4 13. 0-0 Nxb2 14. Qb1 Nc4 15. exd5 Nc4 16. Qxb7 f5 17. Qxa6 with ideas such as Ra1-b1 and Be3-g5 “White should be better”. 12. 0-0 Bxb3 13. axb3 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qe2. The modest 15. c3 has also its merits, aiming for a favourable endgame. 15. ... Nf5 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. c4 Bg7 18. Rd5 0-0 19. Rad1 Rfe8

20. h3 b5 21. c5 (⌓ 21. Bc5!) 21. ... Bf8 (⌓ 21. ... a5!) 22. b4

22. ... Nd4. Black goes in for the gain of the Exchange, which, however, will leave White a free hand in carrying out his Kingside attack. 23. Nxd4 Qxd5 24. Nf5 Qe4 25. Qh5. Threatens Rd1-d7. 25. ... Red8 26. Ra1! Rc6 27. Bh6 Kh8 28. Ra3 Qxb4 29. Bxf8 Rxf8 30. Qh6 Rg8 31. Rg3 Rxg3 32. fxg3 1 : 0.

Once again Nakamura bounced back, looking for a second act in his American life. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Dizzy with Success

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov – Hikaru Nakamura
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 27, 2022
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 0-0 6. 0-0 d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3

12. ... Ba7? In his YouTube commentary on the game, Nakamura called this a big mistake, saying he should have played 12. ... Bb6 so as to be able to reply to 13. Bb5 with 13. ... Nd8. 13. Bb5 Bg4!? Now 13. ... Nd8 14. Nxa5 Bxf2+ 15. Rxf2 Rxa5 16. b4 Ra8 17. a5 leaves White “much better with the two Bishops”, says Nakamura. Hence Black decides to give up a Pawn hoping for a Kingside attack which, however, will not come to nothing. 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3. And not 15. Bxb7? by reason of 15. ... Ng4 16. gxf3 Qh4 17. fxg4 Qxg4+ with perpetual check. 15. ... bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 17. Qe2

17. ... Nh5. Because Black’s attack does not work, it might have been better to recover the Pawn by 17. ... Bxf2+ 18. Rxf2 Rxa5 19. b4 Raa8 20. Be3 leaving White with a pure positional advantage. 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 21. Rg2 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6

41. Nb6 1 : 0.

And yet the show goes on. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

The Half of a Circle

Fabiano Caruana – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 27, 2022
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3. Another line of play is 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 dxc4 13. Qxc4 b5 14. Qd3 Nd7 15. Bg5 Qc7 16. Be7 Bxe7 17. Rxe7 Qd6 18. Rae1 Nf6 19. c4 bxc4 (⌓ 19. ... Qb4) 20. Qxc4 Nd5 21. Rb7 Rfb8 22. Qb3 Rxb7 (⌓ 22. ... Qc7!!) 23. Qxb7 Nb6 24. Qxa8+! Nxa8 25. Re8+ Qf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Ne5 with a much better ending for White, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Čmilytė, 12th European Women’s Chess Club Cup, Kemer 2007. 10. ... Qd7

11. Nh4!? Caruana is just trying for something, for in the last World Championship White got nothing with 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 13. bxc3 b6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qb5 Qd7 16. a4 Qxb5 17. axb5 a5 18. Nh4 g6 19. g4 Nd7 20. Ng2 Rfc8 21. Bf4 Bxf4 22. Nxf4 Rxc3 23. Nxd5 Rd3 24. Re7 Nf8 25. Nf6+ Kg7 26. Ne8+ Kg8 27. d5 a4 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. g5 a3 30. Ne8+ Kg8 31. Nf6+ Kg7 32. Ne8+ Kg8 33. Nf6+ ½ : ½ Carlsen – Nepomniachtchi, Dubai 2021, World Chess Championship match game 4. 11. ... Be6 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 f5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 16. f3 Be7 17. g3 Nd6. 17. ... Bf6!? 18. fxe4 fxe4∞ gives rise to a wild roller coaster which Nepomniachtchi apparently did not need. 18. Qa4 Bf6 (18. ... Rc6 19. Bxa6 Bxh4 20. gxh4 Rxa6 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. Bf4 Nb5 23. Nxb5 Bxb5 24. Rac1 Rc6 25. h5⩲) 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 Rce8 22. Bf4 Nc5 23. Ne7+ Kf7

24. Bxf5. The mighty engines prefer White following 24. Bf1! Nc8! 25. Bc4+ Be6 26. Rxe6! Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 Kf6 28. Nd5+ Kg6 (28. ... Kxf5?? 29. Bd3#) 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Rd1 — instead Caruana stuck to the (temporary) gain of a Pawn, but Black’s dynamic compensation made it a Pyrrhic victory at last. 24. ... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1

27. ... Nd3! 28. Re4. 28. Re7+ Kf6! 29. Bd6 Rd8! 30. Re4 Kxf5 31. Rxd4 Nxb2 is also very drawish. 28. ... Bxb2 29. Be3 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ ½ : ½.

After all, half a point is better than none. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Three Guys in a Post-Apocalyptic Kingdom

Hikaru Nakamura – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 26, 2022
Spanish Game C82

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. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 0-0 11. Bc2 Nxf2. The unbalanced Dilworth Variation, a favourite of Caruana. “The funny thing is I thought Fabiano might play this, so I spent like two hours last night looking at all these crazy variations in this Open Spanish”, Nakamura said afterwards. 12. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 13. Kxf2 f6 14. Nf1 fxe5 15. Kg1 Qd6. 15. ... Qd7 is also good, but all that is good does not always end well: 16. Bg5 Rae8 17. Qd2 d4 18. Ng3 h6 19. Bh4 dxc3! 20. Qxc3 Rxf3? (20. ... b4 21. Qc5 Nd4∓↑) 21. gxf3 Nd4 22. Bd1 Rf8 23. Ne4 Bc4 24. Kg2 Rf4 25. Be1 Qf5 26. Nd2 e4 27. Bg3 exf3+ 28. Kf2! (28. Nxf3?? Qh3+!!−+) 28. ... Rg4 29. Nxc4 bxc4 30. Bxf3 Nxf3 31. Qxf3 Qc2+ 32. Qe2 Qf5+ 33. Kg1 h5 34. Rf1 Qg6 35. Kh1 h4 36. Bxc7 h3 37. Qf3 Qd3 38. Be5 Rg2 39. Bc3 1 : 0 Vachier-Lagrave – Caruana, 7th Grand Chess Tour, 1st stage, Superbet Chess Classic, Bucharest 2022. 16. Be3 Bf5 (16. ... Rad8 17. Qe1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Rxf5 19. Rd1 h6 20. Bf2 Rf7 21. Bg3 Qc5+ 22. Bf2 Qd6 23. Qe2 Rdf8 24. Bg3 Qc5+ 25. Bf2 Qd6 26. Bg3 Qc5+ 27. Bf2 ½ : ½ Caruana – J. van Foreest, 84th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2022) 17. Bb3 Rad8 18. Qe1 Na5 19. Qf2 Nb7. Less convincing is 19. ... Nxb3 20. axb3 Rf7 21. Bc5 Qf6 22. Qg3 Re8 23. Re1 Bd3 24. N1d2 e4 25. Ng5 Qc6 26. b4 Rf5 27. Nh3 Rf7 28. Nf2 a5 29. Qe3 Ra8 30. Nxd3 exd3 31. bxa5 h6 32. b4 Qg6 33. Nf3 Qf5 34. Rd1 Ra6 35. Qe8+ Kh7 36. Qxb5 Rg6 37. Qxd3 Qg4 38. Ne1 Kh8 39. h3 Qh5 40. b5 Rgf6 41. Nc2 Rf3 42. Qe2 Rf1+ 43. Qxf1 Rxf1+ 44. Rxf1 Qe2 45. b6 Qb5 46. Nd4 Qxc5 47. b7 Qxc3 48. b8=Q+ Kh7 49. Qb1+ g6 50. Rf7+ Kh8 51. Qb8# 1 : 0 Malicka – 梅奥斯汀 (Austin Méi), Inaugural Mission 360 Bay Area GM/IM Invitational Norm Chess Tournament, San José 2022. 20. Re1 c5 21. Ng3. 21. Bg5!? c4 (21. ... Rde8? 22. Rxe5! Rxe5 23. Bf4+−) 22. Bxd8 cxb3 23. Bh4 bxa2 (Δ ... Bf5-b1) 24. Ra1 Bb1 25. Qa7! (25. Bg3!?) 25. ... Qg6 26. Nxe5 Qe6 27. Bg3 Na5 28. Nd2 Nc4 29. Qd4 Nxd2 30. Qxd2⩲ is a little better for White, but still not clear enough. 21. ... Bd3 22. Qd2 c4?! (22. ... e4!? 23. Ng5 Qc6∞) 23. Bd1 Rd7 24. Bf2. Pursuing a hyper-modern plan of consolidation. 24. ... Rdf7

25. Nh1! As once Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan said, “Nimzowitsch has ruined generations of people by playing Ng3-h1...”. 25. ... e4 26. Nd4 Qg6 (26. ... Nc5!? 27. Bh5 Rf4)

27. h4! Nc5? 27. ... h5 was probably Black’s best reply, after which there could follow 28. Qg5 Qxg5 29. hxg5 g6 30. Nc6 with a slightly favourable ending for White. 28. h5 Qd6 29. Bg4 h6 30. Qe3

30. ... Qf4. In the end, Caruana finds nothing better than to enter a very bad ending, as an admission that something has gone wrong with his opening preparation. 31. Qxf4. 31. Bf5! was also very strong. 31. ... Rxf4 32. Ne6 Nxe6 33. Bxe6+ Kh7 34. Bxd5 R8f5 35. Bc6 Rxh5 36. Bd4 Rhf5 37. Nf2 Rf7 38. b4 h5 39. a4 bxa4 40. Bxa4 h4. Time control is reached, but Black has nothing to be happy about. 41. Be3 R4f5

42. Ra1! Nothing is more implacable than a counter-intuitive technique. 42. ... h3! 43. Ra2! (43. Bd1? h2+ 44. Kxh2 Rxf2!=) 43. ... hxg2 44. Bd1! R7f6. If nothing else, 44. ... Bb1 would still set a trap for Nakamura: 45. Rxa6? Rxf2! 46. Bxf2 e3! with a draw coming soon. But, of course, 45. Rb2 Bd3 46. Kxg2 would maintain White’s advantage. 45. Bg4 Rd5 46. Kxg2 Rg6 47. Kg3 Bf1 48. Bd4 Bd3 49. Kf4 Kg8 50. Bf5 Rh6 51. Ng4 Rhd6 52. Ne3 Rb5 53. Bc5 Rf6 54. Ke5 Kf7 55. Nd5 Rxf5+ 56. Kxf5 e3+ 57. Ke5 e2 58. Bf2 Rb8 59. Be1 Re8+ 60. Kf4 g5+! Caruana defends stubbornly, although vainly. 61. Kg3 Re6 62. Kf2 Rh6 63. Ke3 Re6+ 64. Kf2 Rh6 65. Ne3 Rf6+ 66. Kg3 Rf1 67. Ng2 Rf6 68. Bf2 Kg6 69. Ra5 Re6 70. Ne1 Bf5 71. Nf3 Rd6 72. Nd4 Bd3 73. Re5 Kf6 74. Nf3 1 : 0.

After playing a not-marginal role as an inside streamer, Nakamura also vindicated his right to the nomination of the kings. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

King of Hearts

Fabiano Caruana – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 25, 2022
Sicilian Defence B28

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c4 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nf5 d5. A rare sharp line by which perhaps Radjabov hoped to catch his opponent by surprise, 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 9. Bd3 Qxd5 10. Nc3 Qd7. White saves one move with respect to 10. ... Bb4 11. 0-0 Qd7, but then after 12. Re1 0-0-0 13. Rxe5 one can hardly appreciate significant differences with the actual game, Sherzer – Polovodin, 19th World Open, Philadelphia 1991. 11. 0-0 Nf6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1

13. ... 0-0-0. Some commentators argued that Black castled on the wrong side, but in any case the leitmotif would remain grossly the same. In the end, an extra Pawn can be enough for White to win, even though it may take all Caruana’s mastery to do it. Alternatively, after 13. ... h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Be4 the control of the key d5-square would also give White a definite advantage. 14. Rxe5 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 Kb8 18. Qd3 Qb4 19. Bb3 Nd4 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nc6 23. Be4 Rhe8 24. f3 Re7 25. Rad1 h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 27. R5d2 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 f6

30. Kg3! The White King begins its triumphant march to the Kingside. 30. ... Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4 Rec7 33. Kh5 b5 34. f4 Nd7 35. Rcd1 Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 37. Kg6 Nxc3 38. Bf3 Nxa2

39. Rd7! Caruana exhibits an incredible combination of calculation and technique. 39. ... Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 41. Kxf6 b3 42. Rd2 a5 43. Ke6 Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q Qg6+ 48. Qf6 Qe8+ 49. Kd6 Rc4 50. Rc7 Kb5 (50. ... Rd4+ 51. Kc5!+−) 51. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 Rxc7 53. Kxc7 Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 1 : 0.

And yet Caruana just followed out Steinitz’s theory that the King is a strong piece. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.