They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 5 (Blitz 5+3); Baku, October 5, 2015
Spanish C89

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d3 Bd6 13. Re1 Bf5 14. Qf3 Re8 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8 16. Nd2 Qe1+ 17. Nf1 Bg6 18. Bc2?? An awful... novelty!

18. ... b4? Svidler misses his (first) chance: after 18. ... Nxc3! 19. bxc3 Qxc3 Black must win. 19. c4 b3 20. Bd1 Nb4 21. Bd2 Qe5 22. Bc3 Qc5 23. Bxb4 Qxb4 24. Bxb3 Qb6 25. Re1 Bc5 26. Ba4 Rd8 27. Rd1 Qxb2 28. Bxc6 Bh5? Too many mistakes by Svidler! After 28. ... Rxd3 29. Rxd3 Bxd3 30. Bd5 Bg6 31. a4 Qc2 the game seems to be roughly balanced. 29. Rb1? Karjakin also makes mistakes. After 29. g4! Black is in trouble, e.g. 29. ... Bxg4 30. Qxg4 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Rxd3 32. Rb1 g6 33. Qg2 with a huge advantage. 29. ... Qxb1. 29. ... Bxf3 30. Rxb2 Bxc6 makes it even easier for Black. 30. Qxh5 Bxf2+ 31. Kxf2 Qb6+ 32. Ne3 Qxc6 33. Nd5 Qd6 34. g3 h6 35. Qe2 Rb8 36. Kg2 Kh8 37. h4 Qa3 38. Kh3 Qc1 39. Nf4 Qb2 40. Qe7 Qb7 41. Qe5 Qd7+ 42. Kh2 Kg8??? An atrocious blunder! Svidler moves his own King in Karjakin’s time trouble, completely forgetting that his Rook is en prise. 43. Qxb8+ 1 : 0.

Svidler overwhelmed with desperation
Photo: ChessVibes (@ChessVibes)

Ian Aleksandrovitch Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq)

The Longest Yard

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 2 (25+10); Baku, October 5, 2015
King’s Indian Attack A08

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. 0-0 Be7 5. d3 0-0 6. Nbd2 c5 7. e4 Nc6 8. Re1 b5 9. e5. The classical approach. In the first classical game Svidler had preferred 9. exd5. 9. ... Nd7 10. Nf1 b4 11. h4 a5 12. N1h2 Re8 13. h5 h6 14. Ng4 Bf8 15. Bf4 a4 16. a3 bxa3 17. bxa3 Rb8 18. Ne3 Bb7 19. c4 dxc4 20. Nxc4 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Qxb6 22. Qxa4. White has won a Pawn, but it’s not easy to convert it into a win. 22. ... Ra8 23. Qc2 Ra6 24. Reb1 Qa7 25. Be3 Ba8 26. Qc3 Rd8 27. Nd2 Nd4 28. Bxd4 cxd4 29. Qc2 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 Rxa3 31. Rxa3 Qxa3 32. Ne4 Qa6 33. Rb3. “No more extra Pawn, but I’m really liking Peter’s position now. I have faith in more tie-breaks!”, Grandmaster David Smerdon said. 33. ... Qa5 34. f4 Ra8 35. Qb1. Grandmaster Evgeny Miroshnichenko on Svidler’s position: “It’s an ideal position to play if a draw is fine...”. 35. ... Qd5 36. Rb5 Qc6 37. Kf3 Ra3? Karjakin should have held on with 37. ... Qc7 38. Rb7 Qc8. 38. Rb8 Ra8 39. Qb7! Qxb7 40. Rxb7 Ra3

41. Rb8! Come on, Peter Veniaminovich! You can win! 41. ... Rxd3+ 42. Kf2. The threat is Ne4-c5-d7. 42. ... g6 43. Nc5. Nevertheless, 43. Nf6+ Kg7 44. hxg6 h5 (44. ... fxg6 loses to 45. Rb7+) 45. f5! is also probably winning. 43. ... Rd2+ 44. Ke1 Rb2 45. Rxb2 Bxc5 46. hxg6 fxg6 47. Ke2. “If this is not winning you can’t win a game of chess!”, Miroshnichenko said. 47. ... d3+ 48. Kxd3 h5 49. Kc4 Be3 50. Rb3 Bf2 51. Rf3 Bg1 52. Kb5 Kf7 53. Kc6 Ke7 54. Rb3 Bh2 55. Rb7+ Kf8 56. Kd6 Bxg3 57. Kxe6 Bxf4 58. Rf7+ 1 : 0.

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

The Gifted

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: chess24.com (@chess24com)

“To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep... No more, and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: ’tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil Must give us pause. There’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life, For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th’oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despis’d love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th’unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action”. “Hamlet”, Act III, Scene I

Cupio dissolvi

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; match game 3; Baku, October 3, 2015
Sicilian Defence B53

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4. The so-called Chekhover Variation – a sound choice. 4. ... a6 5. c4 Nc6 6. Qe3 Nf6 7. h3 g6 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Be2 Nd7 10. Rb1 Nde5 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Rd1 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 f5!? Another continuation is 13. ... Bd7 14. Be2 f5 15. f3 f4 16. Qf2 Be5 17. Nd5 Rb8 18. Nb6 Be6 19. b3 Qe8 20. Bb2 Rd8 21. c5 Qf7 22. cxd6 Bxd6 23. Bc4 Bxc4 24. Nxc4 Bb8 25. Kh2 g5 26. Qc5 Qg6 27. Na5 ½ : ½ Vydeslaver – Duda, 14th Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2014. 14. exf5 Bxf5 15. Be4 Qd7 16. Nd5 Qe6 17. Bxf5 Qxf5 18. Bd2 Rae8 19. Bc3 e6 20. Nb6 d5 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qc5 Rf6 23. b4 Ne5. Karjakin feels that he must undertake something. 24. cxd5 Nd3 25. Qe3

25. ... Nxf2? Karjakin is desperately playing to win! The right way (for surviving), however, was 25. ... Qxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Nxf2 27. Re1 Nd3 28. Re3 Nf4 with roughly equal chances. 26. Rf1! Qe4 27. Rbe1. Apparently 27. Rfe1 was still stronger. 27. ... exd5. As bad as any other move. 28. Rxf2? Svidler’s first blackout! Here 28. Qc3 leads to an easy win for White. 28. ... Qh4 29. Qd2?? Catastrophe for Svidler! 29. Qxe8 was compulsory, since after 29. ... Qxf2+ 30. Kh2 Qxb6 Black’s extra Pawn is not significant at all. 29. ... Rxf2 30. Qc3+ d4. A trivial move which appears to have been overlooked by Peter Veniaminovich! 30. ... 0 : 1. It looks like a badly prearranged game – would say Bobby Fischer :(.

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler vs. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Crash Crush

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, October 2, 2015
Spanish C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd3 c6 15. Qc2. The most straightforward. After 15. b3 Qc7 16. Qc2 Rac8 17. Bb2 Nh5 18. Bf1 Nf4 19. b4 Nb6 20. axb5 cxb5 Black is already slightly better, Karjakin – Carlsen, World Blitz Championship, Moscow 2010. 15. ... Rc8 16. axb5 axb5. Not 16. ... cxb5?! 17. d5! and White stands better. 17. b4 c5!? This looks like an improvement on 17. ... Qc7 18. Bb2 Ra8 19. Rad1 Nb6 20. c4! bxc4 21. Nxc4 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 h6 23. dxe5 dxe5 24. Bc3 Ba6 25. Bb3! when White has the upper hand, Karjakin – Carlsen, 1st Norway Chess, Sandnes 2013. 18. bxc5 exd4 19. c6 dxc3 20. cxb7 cxd2 21. Qxd2 Rb8 22. Bxb5 Qb6 23. Rb1 Qxb7 24. Bd3

25. ... Qa8 25. Rxb8 Rxb8 26. Bb2 Qa2 27. Re2 h6 28. Qc1 Qb3 29. Bc4 Qb7 30. Qd1 Re8 31. Bxf6 Nxf6 32. e5 dxe5 33. Nxe5 Re7 34. Qd4 Nd7! Peter Veniaminovich has little time on the clock, but plenty of ingenious resources to counter Karjakin’s plans. 35. Nxf7 Rxf7 36. Rb2 Qc6 37. Rb5?? White still has enough time, but no more inspiration. The text is a colossal mistake which blunders the piece and the game. “When you try to be clever in the opponent’s time trouble, don’t forget that the opponent can be better then you anyway!“, then Karjakin bitterly said. After 37. Qd5 Qxd5 38. Bxd5 the most likely result is a draw, as afterwards argued by Svidler. 37. ... Kh8! Sic et simpliciter. Black’s Rook is taboo as 38. Bxf7 Qxb5 leaves White down a piece for a Pawn. 38. Rd5? From worst to worst! But Black’s game was lost in any case. 38. ... Nb6 0 : 1. “I defended fairly well & probably deserved to draw it but I definitely didn’t deserve to win it!”, Svidler finally said.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin vs. Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Ursus arctos

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Baku, October 1, 2015
King’s Indian Attack A08

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. 0-0 Be7 5. d3 0-0 6. Nbd2 c5 7. e4 Nc6 8. Re1 b5 9. exd5. The alternative was 9. e5 Nd7 10. Nf1 b4 (10. ... Bb7 11. h4 Qc7 12. Bf4 Rfc8 13. Ne3 Qd8 14. Ng4 Bf8 15. c4 Ne7 16. b3 Bc6 17. h5 h6 18. Ne3 Nb6 19. Qe2 bxc4 20. dxc4 dxc4 21. bxc4 Na4 22. Qc2 Rab8 23. Reb1 Qa5 24. Rb3 Nb6 25. Qe2 Nd7 26. Rab1 Qc7 27. g4 Be4 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. Rxb8 Qxb8 30. Nf1 Bc6 ½ : ½ Karjakin – Domínguez Pérez, FIDE Grand Prix, Khanty-Mansiysk 2015) 11. h4 a5 12. Bf4 a4 13. a3 bxa3 14. bxa3 Ba6 15. Ne3 Rb8 16. c4 dxc4 17. Nxc4 Nb6 18. Nd6 Nd5 19. Qxa4 Rb6 20. Rac1 Nxf4 21. Qxf4 Nxe5 22. Nxe5 Bxd6 23. Qe3 Rb3 24. a4 Qc7 25. Nc4 Be7 26. Ne5 Bd6 27. Nc4 Be7 28. Ne5 ½ : ½ Svidler – Karjakin, Russian Team Championship, Loo 2014. 9. ... Nxd5. Another modus vivendi is 9. ... exd5, e.g. 10. a4 (10. d4 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Nb3 Bb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Rxa4 Re8 16. Bg5 Rxe1+ 17. Qxe1 h6 18. Be3 Bg6 19. c3 Bc2 20. Ra3 Rb8 21. Nfd4 Bxd4 22. Nxd4 Nxd4 23. Bxd4 Rxb2 24. Kh2 Be4 25. Rxa7 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Ne4 27. Qa1 Rb8 28. Qa5 Qxa5 29. Rxa5 Rc8 30. Rxd5 Nxc3 31. Bxc3 Rxc3 ½ : ½ Topalov – Caruana, 2nd Norway Blitz, Flor & Fjære 2014) 10. ... Rb8 11. axb5 Rxb5 12. b3 Be6 13. Bb2 Qd7 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Ng4 16. Bc3 Bf6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Ra6 Rc8 19. Qa1 Rc7 20. Nf3 Rb6 21. Ra5 Rb5 22. Ra4 h6 23. Ne5 Qe7 24. h3 Rb6 25. Kh2 Bc8 26. Ng4 Nxg4+ 27. Rxg4 Qf6 28. Rf4 Qxa1 29. Rxa1 Rd6 30. Ra5 a6 31. Rfa4 Kf8 32. h4 Ke7 33. Kg1 g5 34. Kf1 Bd7 35. Ra1 gxh4 36. gxh4 Bc8 37. Re1+ Kf6 38. Re8 Be6 39. Ke1 c4 40. bxc4 ½ : ½ Movsesian – Sergey Karjakin, FIDE World Team Chess Championship, Antalya 2013. 10. Ne4. For 10. a4 b4 11. Nb3 Bb7 12. Nfd2 Rc8 13. Qg4 Nd4 see C. D’Amore – P. H. Nielsen, 15th European Chess Team Championship, Gothenburg 2005. 10. ... Bb7 11. c3 a6 12. a4 b4 13. Bg5 f6. In order to control the critical g5 square, but at the cost of a serious weakening of the Kingside. 14. Bd2 e5 15. Rc1 Rf7? Svidler said afterwards that Black should not have played such a convoluted move. It’s hard to disagree.

16. d4! A very timely break-up of the centre, after which Black’s position quickly disintegrates. 16. ... bxc3. Objectively speaking, the opening of the b-file only helps White’s cause. 17. bxc3 cxd4 18. cxd4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Qb3. Black is in serious trouble. 20. ... Qd7 21. Rec1! Evidently after 21. Nc5?? Bxc5 22. Bxd5?? Bxd5! 23. Qxb8+ Rf8 White wins the Exchange but loses on the spot! 21. ... Qe6? A bad mistake, of course, in an already very compromised position: Her Majesty self-pins herself! 23. Nc5. Black is busted. 23. ... Bxc5 24. Rxc5 Rd8 25. Ba5 Rd6 26. Qc4! Nc3. Black could well resign here. 27. Rxb7 Qe1+ 28. Bf1 Ne2+ 29. Qxe2 1 : 0.

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler vs. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Фейр-плей (Fair Play)

Pavel Eljanov (@Eljanov)

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin (@SergeyKaryakin)

Подбрасывание монеты (Coin flipping)

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Pavel Eljanov
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 4 (Blitz 10+10); Baku, September 29, 2015
Queen’s Pawn Game A40

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 f5. Peter Veniaminovich Svidler on Eljanov needing to win with Black: “I think mostly in the opening he should forget about the opening” :)”. 7. g3 Nf6 8. Bg2 Qa5 9. Qb3 Nbd7 10. Nd2 Nb6 11. 0-0 Bd7 12. Re1 Qa4 13. Bf1 Ne4 14. e3 0-0-0 15. Bd3 Nxd2 16. Bxd2 e5 17. f4 e4 18. Be2 h6 19. Kf2 g5 20. h4 Rdg8 21. Rh1 gxf4 22. exf4 Rg7. As a result of a very poor opening strategy by Karjakin Black has got a splendid position. 23. h5 Rhg8 24. Rhg1 Qa6 25. a4 Be8 26. Be1 Nd7 27. Ke3 Nf6 28. Rh1 Qa5 29. Bf2 b6 30. Rh3 Kd8 31. Be1 Ke7 32. Bf2 Kf8 33. Be1 Re7 34. Rh1 Rgg7 35. Ra3 Kg8 36. Bf2 Kh8 37. Be1 Rg8 38. Bf2 Reg7 39. Rh3 Qa6 40. Qd1? An amazingly bad move for White to make in his very inconvenient position, losing two Pawns. It is hard, however, to suggest any good move; maybe 40. Be1, although after 40. ... Ng4+ 41. Kd2 Re7 Black stands much better. 40. ... Ng4+ 41. Bxg4 fxg4 42. Rh1 Qxc4 43. Qe2 Qxd5 44. Rd1 Qe6 45. c4 Rd7 46. Rd5 Bf7 47. Be1 Qe8 48. Rf5 Kh7 49. Bc3 Be6 50. Rf6 Rf7 51. Rg6. In desperation, White sacrifices a third Pawn! 51. ... Rxg6 52. hxg6+ Kxg6 53. Ra1 h5 54. Rd1 Rd7 55. Qh2. White offers a fourth Pawn! 55. ... Qd8 56. Ba1 d5. Why not 56. ... Bxc4? 57. cxd5 Rxd5 58. Qb2 Rd3+ 59. Ke2 Qd4 60. Qxd4 cxd4 61. Rxd3 Bc4 62. Bxd4 exd3+ 63. Ke3. Karjakin managed to slip out into an ending with Bishops of opposite colours – even if two Pawns down. Both objectively and psychologically, it will turn out to be his saving clause!

63. ... Kf5 64. Bc3 a5 65. Be1 Ke6 66. Bc3 Kf5 67. Be1 Kf6 68. Bd2 Kg6 69. Bc3 Kf5. Here the drama of Eljanov: he fell into a threefold repetition that Karjakin claimed immediately! ½ : ½.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin vs. Pavel Eljanov
chess24.com (@chess24com)

Lars Bo Hansen (@GMLars)

Jonathan David Tisdall (@GMjtis)

Upside Down

Pavel Eljanov – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 3 (Blitz 10+10); Baku, September 29, 2015
Réti Opening A05

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. 0-0 e5 5. e4 Be7 6. Nc3 d6 7. d3 0-0 8. a4 Nb4 9. h3. Departing from the first tie-break game when he played 9. Nd2. 9. ... Re8 10. Re1 Bd7 11. Nd2 Bc6 12. Nc4 Bf8 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Na5 Bd7 16. Nb5 Qd8 17. Nc4 Be6 18. c3 Nc6 19. Ne3 a6 20. Na3 Rb8 21. Nd5 Ne7 22. Nc4 b5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Nce3 Nxd5 25. Nxd5 g6 26. Ra7 Bxd5 27. exd5 Qb6 28. Qa1 c4 29. dxc4 bxc4 30. Re2 Rb7 31. Ra6 Qb3 32. g4. Peter Veniaminovich Svidler calls it “very, very brave”. 32. ... Rb6 33. Ra5 Rb7 34. Be4 Qb6 35. Ra6 Qd8 36. Qa4 Qb8 37. Kg2 Rd8 38. Qxc4 Rxb2 39. Rxb2 Qxb2 40. Ra7 Qb6 41. Rc7 Bg7

42. h4? Eljanov gets the wrong idea. He could have consolidated his manifest advantage by 42. Qc6. 42. ... Bf6! It’s cool to be clever! 43. h5?? And now Eljanov blunders away the game. There was still time for 43. Qc6. 43. ... Bh4! “Poor Elanjov just went red – he missed 43. ... Bh4!”, Grandmaster Daniel W. Gormally said. Game over. 44. Kh3 Qxf2 45. Qd3 gxh5 46. gxh5 Bg5 47. Qg3 Qf1+ 48. Qg2 Qf4 49. Qg4 Qe3+ 50. Kg2 Rb8 51. Rc8+ Rxc8 52. Qxc8+ Kg7 53. Qc4 Qd2+ 54. Kh3 Qd1 55. Qd3 Qxh5+ 56. Kg2 Qg4+ 57. Kh1 Bh4 58. Bf5 Qg5 59. Qf3 Be1 60. Bc2 Bd2 61. c4 Qh4+ 62. Kg2 Qxc4 63. Qf5 Qxd5+ 64. Be4 Qe6 65. Qh7+ Kf8 0 : 1.

Pavel Eljanov vs. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: chess24.com (@chess24com)

Sum of squares

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Pavel Eljanov
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 2; Baku, September 29, 2015
English Opening A11

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 e6 5. cxd5 Bxf3 6. Bxf3 cxd5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. d4 Nf6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. e3 0-0 11. Bd2 Rc8 12. Rc1 Nd7 13. Ne2. For 13. Qe2 a6 14. Bg2 Nb6 15. Rfd1 Qd7 16. Be1 Na7 17. b3 Nb5 see Efimenko – Solak, International Chess Festival, Baku 2013. 13. ... Nb6 14. Nf4 Nc4 15. Bc3 Bb4 16. b3 Nb6. Not 16. ... Bxc3? on account of 17. bxc4 Bb4 18. cxd5 exd5 19. Qb3 and Black loses material. 17. Bb2 Qe7 18. Nd3 Ba3 19. Bxa3 Qxa3 20. Nc5 Rc7 21. Nxb7 Rxb7 22. Rxc6 Qxa2 23. Qd3 Nd7 24. Rb1 a5 25. Bd1 Nf6 26. Bc2 g6 27. f3 Qa3 28. Qc3 Qb4 29. Qxb4 axb4 30. Ra1 h5 31. h4 Re8 32. Kf2 Ree7 33. Ke2 Rec7 34. Rxc7 Rxc7 35. Kd2 Rb7 36. Ra8+ Kg7 37. Bd3 Nd7. Eljanov is struggling to defend a most instructive endgame Rook and Knight vs. Rook and Bishop, “with possibly a nightmare structure f5, g6, h5 vs. f4, g3, h4 on K-side”, says International Master Malcom Pein. Karjakin afterwards suggested a possible improvement with 37. ... Ng8, eventually followed by ... Ng8-e7-c6. 38. e4 dxe4 39. Bxe4 Rb6 40. Ra4 e5 41. Ke3 Kf6 42. dxe5+ Kxe5 43. Ra5+ Kd6 44. Kd4 Rb8

45. Bd5! f6 46. Ra6+ Ke7 47. f4 Nb6 48. Ra7+ Kd6 49. Bf7 Rc8 50. Ra6 Kc6 51. Bxg6 Kb7 52. Ra5 Rc3 53. Be4+ Kb8 54. Rb5 Ka7 55. Rxh5 1 : 0.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin vs. Pavel Eljanov
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Blitzkrieg

Pavel Eljanov – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 1; Baku, September 29, 2015
Réti Opening A05

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. 0-0 e5 5. e4 Be7 6. Nc3 d6 7. d3 0-0 8. a4 Nb4 9. Nd2 h6 10. Nc4 Bg4 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. Nd1 Re8 13. Nde3 Bf8 14. c3 Nc6 15. f4 exf4 16. gxf4 Be6 17. Qf2 Bxc4 18. Nxc4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 Nf6 21. Qf3 Na5 22. Ne5 Qb6 23. Rab1 Rad8 24. Kh1 Qb3 25. Be1! Eljanov offers a Pawn sacrifice for mounting a sudden Kingside attack. 25. ... Qxa4. It seems unwise to accept the gift. 26. Bh4! Rd6. Also after 26. ... Be7 27. Ra1 Qb5 28. Qg3 White’s attack appears to be overwhelming. 27. Ra1 Qb5 28. c4! Qa6

29. d4! A very pretty pointe. 29. ... Rxd4. Naturally, after 29. ... cxd4 White wins trivially with 30. b4. 30. Qc3! The Black Knight is doomed anyway. 30. ... Ne4. Black cannot save the Knight: if 31. ... b6 there follows 32. Bxf6 gxf6 33. Qg3+ Bg7 (on 33. ... Kh7 34. Rg1 forces mate) 34. Rg1! fxe5 35. Bd5 and mate in a few moves. 31. Qxa5 Qxa5 32. Rxa5 Nd2 33. Rd1 Bd6 34. Bf2 Bxe5 35. fxe5 Nxc4 36. Bxd4 Nxa5 37. Bc3 Nc4 38. e6 Rxe6 39. Rd8+ Kh7 40. Bd5! 1 : 0.

Pavel Eljanov vs. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Holding Back the Years

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Anish Giri
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 28, 2015
Caro-Kann Defence B18

1. e4 c6. Something is very strange here. Giri has to win at all costs. Maybe we overlooked something? 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nh3 Nf6 7. Nf4 e5 8. dxe5 Qa5+ 9. c3 Qxe5+ 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. Bf4 Qxe2+ 13. Bxe2 Bc5. The position looks already very drawish now. The alternative was 13. ... 0-0-0 14. Rd1 Nd5 15. Bc1 N7f6 16. Bf3 Bd6 17. Ne2 Nb6 18. g3 Nc4 19. 0-0 Bc5 20. Bg2 Ng4 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Bh3 f5 23. Kg2 Nxf2 24. Rxf2 Bxf2 25. Kxf2 Ne5 26. Be3 Nd3+ 27. Kf3 Ne1+ 28. Kf2 Nd3+ 29. Kf1 Rh8 30. Bg2 Nxb2 31. h4 Rd8 32. Bd4 c5 33. Bxg7 Rd2 34. Nf4 Nc4 35. Ke1 Rxa2 36. Bd5 b5 37. Nxg6 Rh2 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Ne5 Kc7 40. Nxc4 Kc6 41. Ne5+ Kd5 42. Kf1 f4 43. c4+ Ke4 44. Ng4 Rc2 45. gxf4 Kxf4 46. Ne5 Rh2 47. Ke1 Rg2 48. Bh8 Rh2 ½ : ½ Duda – Yuffa, 54th World Junior Chess Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2015.

14. Bf3. Or 14. 0-0 0-0 15. Rad1 Rfe8 16. Rfe1 a5 17. Kf1 Ne5 18. h3 Nd5 19. Bc1 f5 20. Bb5 Nb6 ½ : ½ Tiviakov – Popov, European Individual Chess Championship, Budva 2009. 14. ... 0-0-0 15. 0-0 Nd5 16. Bxd5. Peter Veniaminovich plays safe. 16. ... cxd5. “Svidler – Giri drifting towards a draw. Means Svidler qualifies for final & Candidates 2016. Giri too on rating, Kramnik out FIDE World Cup”, Grandmaster Lars Bo Hansen tweeted. 17. Rad1 Nf8 18. Rfe1 Ne6 19. Be3 b6 20. Rd3 Kb7 21. Red1 Kc6 22. Ne2 Rh4 23. Nd4+ Bxd4 24. Bxd4 b5 25. g3 Rh5 26. Bxa7 Ra8 27. Be3 Rxa2 28. R1d2 Re5 29. h4 Ra4 30. Kg2 f6 31. Bd4 Rh5 32. Re3 Kd7 33. Red3 Kd6 34. Be3 Kc6 35. Rd1 Ra2 36. R1d2 Ra8 37. Rd1 Ra4 38. R1d2 Ra2 39. Kf1 Ra1+ 40. Rd1 Ra2 41. R1d2 Re5 42. Bd4 Rh5 43. Be3 Ra8 44. Rd1 Ra4 45. R3d2 Ra2 46. b3 Rxd2. It is not hard to foresee that pretty soon Svidler will manage to claim a draw by insufficient (mating) material. 47. Rxd2 b4 48. cxb4 Kb5 49. Bc5 Nxc5 50. bxc5 Kxc5 51. Ke2 g5 ½ : ½. “In a normal game I would never in a million years go for this position, because I’d be bored”, Svidler finally said.

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

The Last Tycoon

Pavel Eljanov – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Baku, September 27, 2015
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Bc3 d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 0-0 12. 0-0 Rc8 13. Re1 c5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Rc1 cxd4 16. Bxd4 Nc5 17. Bb2 d4? This is a surprising slip by Karjakin. 18. Nf3! d3!? Mater artium necessitas. 19. exd3 Nxd3 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Rxe7. “I have fond memories of 13. Re1, beat GM Sax for my 1st GM norm with it in 1989. Eljanov on course to win with it too”, Grandmaster Lars Bo Hansen tweeted. 21. ... Nxb2

22. Qd7? Pavel is possibly relying too much on his virtuoso technique. After 22. Qd2! Nd3 23. h4! White’s position looks already imposing. 22. ... Qc1+! Of course Karjakin seizes his best practical chance! 23. Re1 Qc8 24. Qxc8. Again 24. Qd2 Nd3 25. Re7 is still comparatively best, giving White the somewhat better position. 24. ... Rxc8 25. Bh3 Rd8 26. Ne5 g6 27. Bf1 Bxf1 28. Kxf1 a5 29. Re3 f6 30. Ng4 Kf7 31. Rc3 h5 32. Ne3 Nd3. The Knight finally comes back into play. 33. Rc7+ Ke6 34. Rb7 Nc1 35. Rxb6+. Pavel has finally won a Pawn, though whether it is enough to win is not clear. 35. ... Kf7 36. Rb7+ Ke6 37. Rb6+ Kf7 38. a4 Rd3 39. b4 axb4 40. Rxb4 Ra3 41. Nc4 Ra1 42. Kg2 Nd3 43. Rb7+ Ke6 44. Rb6+ Ke7 45. a5 Ra4 46. Rc6 Ne1+ 47. Kf1 Nf3. The game is most likely a draw. 48. Rc7+ Ke6 49. Ke2!? Pavel does not surrender to the inevitable and makes one last-ditch attempt to win. 49. ... Nxh2 50. Kd3. “Eljanov’s outside passed Pawn doesn’t look to be going anywhere fast”, says the editor-in-chief of chess24.com. 50. ... Nf3 51. Rc6+ Kf5 52. Kc3 g5! 53. Rc5+. If, instead, 53. Kb3 then 53. ... Rxa5 54. Nxa5 Nd4+ 55. Kc3 Nxc6 56. Nxc6 h4 57. Nd4+ Kg4 58. gxh4 gxh4 59. Kd2 h3 60. Ne2 h2 61. Ng3 Kf3 62. Nh1 Kg2 63. Ke1 Kxh1 64. Kf1 f5 65. f4 stalemate – a pretty variation! 53. ... Ke6 54. Kb3 Ra1 55. Kb2 Ra4 56. Kb3 Ra1 57. Kb2 Ra4 58. Nb6! Rb4+! 59. Ka3 Rb1 60. Ka2 Rb4 61. Rc6+ Kf5! 62. a6 Ne5 63. Rxf6+ Kxf6 64. Nd5+. After 64. a7 Rxb6 65. a8=Q White promotes his Pawn to a Queen, but it’s not enough because Black is able to build up an unassailable fortress. 64. ... Ke6 65. Nxb4 Nd7 66. Nd3 Kd6 67. a7 Nb6 68. Kb3 Kc7 69. Kc3 Kb7 70. Kd4 Kxa7 71. Ke4 Nc4 72. Ne5 Nb2 73. Nf7 h4. Black’s defensive task is now very easy: sacrifice his Knight for the last enemy Pawn! 74. Nxg5 hxg3 75. fxg3 Kb7 76. g4 Kc8 77. Kf5 Nd1! ½ : ½.

Pavel Eljanov (R.) vs. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin (L.)
Photo Eteri Kublashvili

Old East Slavic

Anish Giri – Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
6th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Baku, September 27, 2015
Spanish C92

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 exd4 12. cxd4 Nd7 13. Nf1 Na5 14. Bc2 Bf6 15. Rb1. Curiously enough, 15. N1h2 occurred in a game where Svidler played White: 15. ... c5 16. Ng4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 Rc8 19. Qd1 h5 20. Nh2 Qc7 21. Bb1 Nf6 22. Bg5 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Qxh5 Bg6 25. Qh4 Qc4 26. Ng4 f5 27. b3 Qf7 28. Ne3 Re4 29. Bf4 d5 30. f3 Ree8 31. Rad1 Rcd8 32. Rc1 d4 33. Nf1 Rd7 34. Bd2 Nb7 35. Rxe8+ Qxe8 36. Rc6 a5 37. Qg5 Rd6 38. Rxd6 Nxd6 39. Bxa5 Qe6 40. Qd8+ Be8 41. Bb4 Nf7 42. Qxd4 Qe5 43. Qd2 f4 44. Bc3 Qc5+ 45. Bd4 Qf5 46. Qc3 Qg6 47. Nd2 Bc6 48. Kh1 Nh6 49. Bf2 Nf5 50. Qe5 Ng3+ 51. Kh2 Nh5 52. Ne4 Qe8 53. Qxe8+ Bxe8 54. Nc5 Nf6 55. a4 bxa4 56. bxa4 Kf7 57. a5 Nd5 58. h4 Bb5 59. a6 Kg6 60. a7 Bc6 61. Bd4 Kh5 62. Bxg7 Kxh4 63. Ne6 1 : 0 Svidler – Kjartansson, 13th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2015. Instead, after 15. Bf4 Svidler usually answers 15. ... Nf8 16. Ng3 g6 (or 16. ... Ne6 17. Bd2 Nc4 18. Bc3 c5 19. e5 dxe5 20. dxe5 Be7 21. b3 b4 22. bxc4 Qxd1 23. Raxd1 Bxf3 24. gxf3 bxc3 25. Ne2 Rab8 26. Nxc3 Nd4 27. Be4 Rb4 28. Bd5 Rb2 29. Rb1 Rc2 30. Rbc1 Rb2 31. Rb1 Rc2 32. Rbc1 Rb2 ½ : ½ Motylev – Svidler, 68th Russian Chess Championship, Chita 2015) 17. Rb1 c5 18. d5 Nc4 19. Qc1 Nd7 20. Nf1 Rc8 21. N1h2 Nce5 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. Ng4 Nxg4 24. hxg4 c4 25. g5 Bg7 26. Bd2 a5 27. Bc3 b4 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Qe3 Qe7 30. f4 Qc7 31. Qd4+ Kg8 32. Re3 Qc5 33. Qxc5 Rxc5 34. Kf2 Bc8 35. Ba4 Re7 36. Rh1 Rec7 37. Bc6 Bb7 38. Bxb7 Rxb7 39. Reh3 h5 40. gxh6 c3 41. Rb1 cxb2 42. Rxb2 Rc4 43. Re2 Re7 44. Kf3 Rc3+ 45. Re3 f5 46. Rxc3 bxc3 47. exf5 gxf5 48. Rh1 c2 49. Rc1 Rc7 50. Ke3 Rc5 51. Kd3 Rxd5+ 52. Kxc2 Rc5+ 53. Kd2 Rxc1 54. Kxc1 Kh7 55. Kc2 Kxh6 56. Kb3 d5 57. Kc3 Kh5 58. Kd4 Kg4 59. Kxd5 Kxf4 60. a4 Kg3 61. Ke5 Kxg2 62. Kxf5 ½ : ½ 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) – Svidler, China – Russia Match, 宁波市 (Níngbō) 2015. 15. ... c5 16. d5 Nc4 17. b3 Nce5 18. N3h2 Ng6 19. Ng3. Giri managed to find a new move. For 19. Bd2 Bg5 20. Ne3 Nf6 21. Nf5 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Nh5 23. g3 Bc8 24. Kg2 Ra7 see Bauer – Svetushkin, Spanish Team Chess Championship, León 2012. 19. ... Bc8 20. Rf1. “It’s funny to witness that Giri is following my own preparation for the first game against Svidler so far :)”, Grandmaster Teimour Radjabov said. 20. ... Nb6 21. Ng4 Bxg4 22. hxg4 h6 23. Nf5 Ne7 24. Ne3 b4 25. g3. Intending Kg1-g2 followed by Rf1-h1, as well as Ne3-g2-f4-h5. 25. ... a5 26. Kg2. Svidler afterwards suggested 26. a4 (26. ... bxa3 27. Bxa3), but Giri prefers not to lose time. 26. ... a4 27. bxa4 Qd7

28. Qd3. Giri starts to go astray. After 28. a3! Nxa4 29. Rb3 Reb8 30. f4 White could still hope for a certain initiative. 28. ... Ng6 29. Nf5. A sounder continuation appears to be 29. a3 as 29. ... c4 30. Nxc4 Nxc4 31. Qxc4 Qxg4 32. Bd1 Nh4+ 33. Kh2 (but not 33. Kg1? because of 33. ... Qh3! 34. gxh4 Be5 with an overwhelming attack) 33. ... Nf3+ leads to a draw by perpetual check. 29. ... Nxa4 30. Bxa4? Here Giri offered a draw that Svidler understandably refused. It is not easy to suggest a way to add fuel to White’s attack, but (of course) the text cannot be good. 30. ... Rxa4 31. Rh1. “Giri goes ‘all-in’ with 31. Rh1”, says Grandmaster Evgenij Miroshnichenko. 31. ... Ne7! 32. g5? To make things worse, Giri keeps attacking. 32. ... hxg5 33. Ne3 Rxa2 34. Bd2 Ng6 35. Nf5 Ne5 36. Qe2 g6 37. Nh6+ Kg7 38. Nf5+. Giri tried a last-ditch bluff. 38. ... Kg8. Just to gain time on the clock. 39. Nh6+ Kg7 40. Nf5+ gxf5. Time control is reached and White can resign without regret. 41. Qh5 Ng6 0 : 1. “Looks like Anish Giri is having his off day and getting punished. More reason it would be insane to consider this as a World Championship”, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura said.

Anish Giri vs. Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

To be continued...

韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) tried too hard to win and surrendered the fourth tie-break game (Blitz 10+10) to Svidler, thus putting an end to his splendid tournament. But surely we will hear of him again very soon! Peter Veniaminovich Svidler jumps to the semifinals.

The Next Three Days

Anish Giri – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 24, 2015
King’s Indian Defence E60

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 0-0 5. Be2 b6 6. 0-0 Bb7 7. Nc3 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bd2 c5. 9. ... Nd7 10. Qb3 e6 11. Rfd1 c5 transposes into the game Dubov – Vachier-Lagrave, Qatar Masters, Doha 2014. 10. dxc5 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nd7 13. cxb6 axb6 14. Qd4. From now on, Vachier-Lagrave will have to play a Pawn down. 14. ... Qc7 15. Rfb1 Ra5 16. Qb4 e6 17. Qe7 Qd8 18. Qxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 Bc6 20. Nd4 Ba4 21. Rdb1 e5 22. Nb3 Ra7 23. Nd2 Rc8 24. c4 Bc6 25. Rb2 Kg7 26. f3 Re8 27. Kf2 e4 28. Nb3 exf3 29. gxf3 Ba4 30. Rd1 Re5 31. Rd5 Rxd5 32. cxd5 Bxb3 33. axb3 Kf6 34. f4 g5 35. Rc2. 35. Kf3 gxf4 36. Kxf4 would seem to make more sense. 35. ... gxf4 36. exf4 Ke7 37. Rc6 Nf6 38. Bf3 Rd7 39. Rxb6 Nxd5 40. Bxd5 Rxd5 41. Kg3 h5 42. Kh4 Rf5 43. Rb4 Rd5 44. Rc4 Kf6 45. b4 Kg6 46. Rc6+ f6 47. Rc2 Rb5 48. Rb2 Kf5

49. Kg3. Instead 49. Kxh5? Kxf4+ 50. Kg6 f5 51. Rf2+ Kg4 leads to a draw. 49. ... Ke4 50. Rb1 Kd3. “After the game Giri told Chess.com that 50. ... Ke3! draws, e.g. 51. Re1+ Kd4 52. Re6 (instead 52. Kf3! seemingly wins 52. ... f5 53. Kg3 Rxb4 54. Kh4 Rb2 55. Kxh5 Rxh2+ 56. Kg5 Rh8) 52. ... Rxb4 53. Kh4 Rb5 54. Rxf6 Ke4”, writes Grandmaster Dejan Bojkov. 51. Kf3 Kc2 52. Ra1 Rxb4 53. Ra5 Rb3+ 54. Ke4 h4 55. Kf5 Kd3 56. Kxf6 Ke4 57. f5 h3 58. Ra4+ Kf3 59. Kg5! Rb5 60. Ra2 Rb4 61. f6 Rg4+ 62. Kf5 Rf4+ 63. Ke6. If, instead, 63. Kg6? then Black saves the day with 63. ... Rg4+ followed by ... Rg4-g2. 63. ... Re4+ 64. Kd6 Rd4+ 65. Ke7 Re4+ 66. Kf8 Rb4 67. f7 Rf4 68. Rb2 Ra4 69. Rb6 1 : 0. For if 69. ... Kg2 then 70. Kg7 Rg4+ 71. Rg6 Rxg6+ 72. Kxg6 Kxh2 73. f8=Q and White wins by merit of one tempo: 73. ... Kg2 74. Qa8+ Kh2 75. Qf3 finis. “MVL off form today. Volunteered for slight disadvantage, sacrificed Pawn for no reason. Almost like he had decided he’d lose”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson said

Anish Giri
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Jonathan David Tisdall (@GMjtis )

In Dubious Battle

Hikaru Nakamura – Pavel Eljanov
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 24, 2015
English Opening A13

“Alas it has all come to an end in round 5 of the Fide World Cup! Simply put, my opponent Pavel Eljanov played better than I did, especially yesterday when he found a nice sacrificial idea to which I responded very poorly”, then Nakamura posted on his Facebook account.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Qa4 Rc8 12. d3 0-0 13. Be3. For 13. Bd2 Rfd8 14. Rfd1 b6 15. Rab1 Qb7 16. a3 a6 see Ki. Georgiev – Khairullin, 30th European Chess Club Cup, Bilbao 2014. 13. ... Rfd8 14. Rac1 b6 15. Rfd1 h6 16. h3 Ne8 17. Nb5 Bf6 18. b3 Nd6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Bxc6 Qxc6

21. Qg4 Kf8 22. Rc4 Qd5 23. Rdc1 h5 24. Qf4 Bb2 25. R1c2 Be5 26. Qe4 Qxe4 27. Rxe4 Bd6 28. Rh4 g6 29. Rhc4 g6 29. Rhc4 Rb8 30. d4 cxd4 31. Rxd4 Ke8 32. Kg2 Rb7 33. Rdc4 Ke7 34. Bg5+ f6 35. Be3 Rdd7 36. Rc8 Rd8 37. R8c4 Rdd7 38. Ra4 Rbc7 39. Rxc7 Rxc7 40. h4 e5 41. f4 Ke6 42. fxe5 Bxe5 43. Bf4 ½ : ½. Thus Eljanov jumps to the semifinals!

Hikaru Nakamura vs. Pavel Eljanov
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Tomorrow Is a Long Time

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 24, 2015
Giuoco Piano C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. h3 d6 6. c3 0-0 7. Bg5 h6. Adolf Anderssen once said that “It is impossible to play chess better than Mr. Morphy”. You must know he’s right! Thus, let’s consider 7. ... Bb6 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. 0-0 h6 10. Bh4 Kh8 11. Nh2 g5 12. Bg3 h5 13. Nhf3 h4 14. Nxh4 gxh4 15. Bxh4 Kg7 16. Qf3 Rh8 17. Qg3+ Kf8 18. Qg5 Nd7 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Qxd8+ Nxd8 21. Nf3 Kg7 22. g4 Nf8 23. Kg2 Ng6 24. Bg5 Nf7 25. h4 Nxg5 26. hxg5 Nf4+ 27. Kg3 Rh3 mate, Stanley – P. C. Morphy, New York 1857. 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Nh5 10. Bh2 Qf6 11. Nbd2 Nf4 12. Bxf4 gxf4 13. Qe2 Kh8 14. 0-0-0 Rg8 15. Rdg1 Bd7 16. g4 fxg3 17. Rxg3 Ne7 18. d4 Bb6 19. Qd3 Rad8 20. Rxg8+ Kxg8 21. Qe3 Nc6. “Have a feeling Wéi’s ambitions and clock are conspiring against him today”, Grandmaster Jonathan David Tisdall said. 22. Rg1+ Kh7. But not 22. ... Kh8? on account of 23. Bxf7! and White’s attack will flare up suddenly. However, 22. ... Kf8(!) was probably best. 23. Qd3. 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) is in very serious time trouble indeed.

23. ... Rg8. Svidler rightly prefers to play safe. After 23. ... exd4? 24. e5+ Qf5 25. Qe2! White has too many threats. 24. Rxg8 Kxg8 25. dxe5 Nxe5 26. Nxe5 Qxe5 27. Qf3 Qe7 28. h4 Kg7 ½ : ½.

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) vs. Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

chess24.com (chess24com)

Steel and Blood

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 3 (Blitz 10+10); Baku, September 22, 2015
Bishop’s Opening C24

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 dxe4 8. Nxe5 0-0 9. dxe4 Qe7 10. Qf4 Nh5 11. Bxf7+ Kh8

12. Qg3! Rxf7. Her Majesty is taboo: 12. ... Nxg3?? 13. Ng6+! hxg6 14. hxg3+ and mate in two moves. 13. Nxf7+ Qxf7 14. Qd6 Be6 15. Nc3. More to the point than 15. Nd2 (obstructing the d-file) 15. ... Nd7 16. 0-0-0 Re8 and Black stands well, Hendriks – Kerigan, 17th Unive Open, Hoogeveen 2013. “I think Yì Wéi should have exchanged Queens earlier – surely the ending was much better for White”, Grandmaster Daniel W. Gormally asserted. What was he thinking? Maybe 15. Qd8+ Qg8 16. Qxg8+ Kxg8 17. Nc3 with a very slight plus for White. 15. ... Nd7 16. 0-0-0 Re8 17. Rhf1 Bc4 18. Rfe1 Ne5 19. b3 Ba6 20. Kb1 h6 21. f3 Nf4 22. Rd2 Kh7 23. Red1 Re6 24. Qb8 Qf6 25. Na4 Be2 26. Rc1 b6 27. Nc3 Ba6 28. Rcd1 Nc4 29. bxc4 Qxc3 30. Qxf4 Qb4+ 31. Ka1 Qc3+ ½ : ½.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – 韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 4 (Blitz 10+10); Baku, September 22, 2015
6k1/3b1p2/p2P1q1p/1pQ5/1P2B2P/5P2/5K2/8 w - - 3 49

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) obtained a very good game out of the opening, but he was not able to capitalize on it. It’s not so important that the position is roughly balanced now, as both players hit time trouble. 49. h5?! Qf4 50. Qd4 Qh2+ 51. Ke1 Qxh5 52. Qf6? Qg5 53. Qe7?? The 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) disaster: he unreasonably liquidates into a completely lost ending. 53. ... Qxe7 54. dxe7 Kg7 55. Bf5 Bc6 56. Be4 Be8 57. Bb7 Kf6 58. Bxa6 Kxe7 59. Bb7 Kd6 60. Kf2 Bc6 61. Bc8 Kd5 62. f4 Kc4 63. f5 Kxb4 64. f6 Bd5 0 : 1.

韦奕 (Wéi Yì). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.

The King of Kong

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 21, 2015
8/4r1k1/3R4/1p1P1P2/1P6/6pK/8/8 b - - 0 57

The endgame looks very drawish. 57. ... Re4. Also 57. ... Re5 58. f6+ Kf7 59. Kxg3 Re4 is alright. 58. Rg6+ Kf7 59. Rxg3 Rxb4. 59. ... Rd4! was simpler way to draw. 60. Rd3 Rc4. Grandmaster Dejan Bojkov recommends 60. ... Rf4! 61. d6 Ke8 62. Rd5 Kd7 63. Kg3 Rc4 leading to an easy draw. 61. d6 Rc8? 61. ... Ke8! was the correct way to draw. 62. Kg4 Kf6 63. Kf4 b4 64. Ke4 Rb8 65. Kd5? Here 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) misses the winning line: 65. Rb3! Rb5 66. d7 Ke7 67. Rd3 Kd8 68. f6 Rh5 69. f7 Rh8 70. Ke5 b3 71. Rxb3 Kxd7 72. Kf6+- (Bojkov’s analysis). 65. ... b3 66. d7! b2 67. Rb3 Rxb3 68. d8=Q+ Kxf5. Notwithstanding any appearance to the contrary, it’s only a draw according to tablebases. 69. Qd7+ Kg5 70. Qe7+ Kg4 71. Qe4+ Kg3 72. Qg6+ Kh4? The crisis. Correct was 72. ... Kf3! bringing the King closer to its Rook, e.g. 73. Qb1 Kf4 74. Kc4 Rb7 75. Qf1+ Ke5 76. Qe2+ Kd6 with a draw in sight (Bojkov’s analysis). 73. Qb1 Kg5 74. Kc4! Now the Rook is doomed. 74. ... Rb8 75. Qg1+ Kf5 76. Qc5+ Kg4 77. Qd4+ Kf3 78. Qf6+ Ke4 79. Qe6+ Kf3 80. Qf5+ 1 : 0.

韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili