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Six Characters in Search of an Author

Georg Meier – Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
4th Gideon Japhet Cup; Jerusalem, July 6, 2018
Queen’s Pawn Opening D02

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi has deservedly won the 4th Gideon Japhet Cup, showing “class and cool” in his crucial ninth round game with Georg Meier. 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 c6 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. c3 0-0 7. Re1 Nbd7 8. Bf4 Nh5 9. Be3 Re8 10. Nbd2 e5(!). Why not? 10. ... Nhf6 may transpose into 11. Qb3 Ng4 12. Bf4 e5 that is also quite satisfactory for Black, U. Andersson - Unzicker, 47th Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 1971/1972. 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Qb3 Qc7 14. c4 d4 15. Bh6 Bh8 16. c5 Be6 17. Qa3 Qd7. 17. ... Ng7 (in order to reply 18. Ne4 with 18. ... Nf5) was also worth considering. 18. Ne4 Bd5 19. Nd6 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Re5 21. e4 dxe3 22. Rxe3 Rxe3 23. Qxe3. Meier is desperately trying to get something out from under Nepomniachtchi’s seat. Here, however, recapturing with the Bishop looked a little more natural. 23. ... Nf6 (23. ... Bxb2?? 24. Rb1+−) 24. Qf3 Nd5 25. Rd1 b6(!)

26. Rxd5!? Meier tries to force things by an Exchange sacrifice “on call”, but, however correct it is, it is not enough to win. 26. ... cxd5 27. Qxd5 Rd8 28. b4? It must be a sign of demoralisation. White ought to have contented himself with 28. Bg5(!) Rc8 29. f3!? (threatening Nd6xc8) 29. ... Rxc5 (or 29. ... Rc6 30. Be7!=) 30. Qa8+ Kg7 31. Ne8+ Kf8 32. Nd6+ Kg7 33. Ne8+ drawing by perpetual check. 28. ... bxc5 29. bxc5 Qe6(!) 30. Qxe6. By now White had no longer any good move, but the exchange of Queens is tantamount to surrender as the ending is easily winning for Black. 30. ... fxe6 31. Bf4 Bd4 32. Nb7 Rc8 33. Bd6 Kf7 34. f4 Ke8 35. Kf3 Kd7 36. Ke4 Bg1 37. h3 Rc6 38. Ke5 Ra6 39. Bf8 (39. a3 Kc8−+) 39. ... Rxa2 40. Kf6 Rb2 41. c6+ Kxc6 42. Nd8+ Kd7 0 : 1.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi (left) and Georg Meier (right) playing their last round game. Photo: Vladimir Barsky.

The Summer Man

Georg Meier – Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
4th Gideon Japhet Cup; Jerusalem, July 4, 2018
Réti Opening A07

German Grandmaster Georg Meier, not a full-time professional, often gives his best during summer. Last year in the United States, and now in Israel. Today he neatly beat Anna Olehivna Muzychuk for 2–0, and moreover after defeating Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk too in their fifth round game. 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bf5 4. c4 e6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. 0-0 Nf6 7. d3 Bc5 8. Qb3 Bb6 9. Nc3 0-0 10. Na4 Re8 11. Re1. Meier is very familiar with this system and knows very well what to do (and what not to do). Instead, Ivanchuk seems to take the thing lightly.

11. ... Ba5? This will prove to be a very unfortunate novelty. Previously, both 11. ... Nbd7 12. Bd2 h6 13. Nxb6 Qxb6 14. Qc3 a5 15. h3 c5 (Meier – Dreev, World Blitz Chess Championship, Dubai 2014) and 11. ... h6 12. Bd2 c5 13. Qa3 Na6 14. Rac1 Rc8 (Meier – Korneev, Scandic Ariadne Masters, Stockholm 2016) had given Black quite reasonable prospects. 12. Qxb7! Sic et simpliciter. 12. ... Bxe1. Black consistently goes on. On the other hand, if 12. ... Nbd7 then 13. Bd2 with a clear advantage – both material and positional – to White. 13. Qxa8 Bxf2+? Definitely a hallucination. However, Black’s cause was already compromised anyway; for instance: 13. ... Qa5 14. Be3 with a Pawn ahead and the better game. 14. Kxf2 Qd7. That was Ivanchuk’s pointe: Black threatens to trap the Queen by ... Nb8-a6, but... 15. Nd4. After this Black finally realises that 15. ... Na6 would be simply met by 16. Qxc6, so he sadly goes home. 15. ... Bh3 16. Bf4 1 : 0.

Sufganiyot

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
4th Gideon Japhet Cup (25+10); Jerusalem, July 4, 2018
English Opening A11

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk took another hit today, by drawing both her games with Russian Grandmaster Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi. Especially the six round game was a tremendously hard fought battle, which perhaps she ought to have won. 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. b3 Bd6 6. Bb2 0-0 7. Be2 Nbd7 8. Qc2 b6 9. Rg1 Bb7 10. g4 Qe7 11. g5 Ne8 12. h4 Rc8 13. h5 Ba3 14. Bxa3 Qxa3 15. cxd5. This is a very strange move on Nepomniachtchi’s part. If 15. Nh4 then 15. ... f5! with very unclear play, but maybe 15. Bd3(!) g6 16. Nh2(!) would have offered better chances for White to enhance his initiative. 15. ... cxd5 16. Bb5 Qe7 17. Qb2 Nd6. Muzychuk does not feel sure enough to venture 17. ... f6!?, but her choice, too, leads to wild complications. 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. h6!? Nf5. Here 19. ... d4!? 20. Nxd4 e5 was very interesting, with excellent compensation for the Pawn. 20. Ne2 g6 21. Ng3. Why not Nf3-e5-g4? 21. ... f6 22. gxf6 Qf7. After 22. ... Nxh6 23. Qd4 Qd8 24. Nh5 Nf5 the game would have been less controversially balanced. 23. Nh5!? Stockfish’s 23. Nxf5 exf5 24. Ke2! seems to offer White more chances. 23. ... d4 24. Nxd4? 24. Ne5 Qc7 25. f4∞ was almost a must-do for Nepomniachtchi. 24. ... Nxh6 25. f4

25. ... Rc5! 26. Rg5? (26. Ng7 Qxf6 27. Ngxe6 Rfc8∓/−+) 26. ... Nf5? (26. ... Rxg5 27. fxg5 gxh5 28. gxh6 e5−+) 27. Nxf5 exf5 28. Rc1 Rfc8. 28. ... Bf3! seems a little more tough. 29. Rxc5 Rxc5 30. b4 Rc8 31. Ng3 Qd5 (31. ... h6?? 32. Nxf5!+−) 32. Ne2 Kf7 33. Rg1 Qd6 34. Nd4 Bd5 35. Nxf5 Qxf6 36. Nh6+ Kg7 37. Qxf6+ Kxf6 38. Ng4+ Kf5 39. Ke2 Bxa2 40. Ne5 Bd5 41. Rg5+ Ke6 (41. ... Ke4?? 42. d3 mate) 42. Ng4 Rc2 43. e4 Bc4+ 44. Ke3 Rb2 45. Kd4. If nothing else, 45. d3 offered better reasons to keep playing (for if 45. ... Rb3 then 46. Ne5). 45. ... Rxb4 46. Kc3 Ra4 47. d4 Be2 48. Ne5 a5 49. f5+ gxf5 50. Rxf5 b5 51. d5+ Kd6 52. Nf7+ Ke7 53. d6+ Kd7 54. Re5 Bg4 55. Re7+ Kc6 56. e5 Rc4+ 57. Kb2 Kd5 58. d7 Bxd7 59. Rxd7+ Ke6 60. Rb7 Rf4 61. Ng5+ Kxe5 62. Rxb5+ Kf6 63. Nxh7+ Kg6 ½ : ½. What a fight!

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo: Vladimir Barsky.

From left: Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi and Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler. Photo: Vladimir Barsky.

Tahini cookies

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
4th Gideon Japhet Cup (25+10); Jerusalem, July 3, 2018
Spanish Game C77

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk just kept having a good time in the 4th Gideon Japhet Cup. After yesterday’s two draws with Svidler, today she confidently drew even both her games with her countryman Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nbd2 Bd6 8. Nc4 Qe7 9. Qe2. Another way is 8. Bd2 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Ne3 Nd7 11. Nf5 Qf8 12. Ng3 Bg6 13. Nh4 0-0-0 14. 0-0 f6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Qg4 g5 17. Rfb1 Rh4 18. Qf3 g6 19. b4 Qe7 20. a4 Rdh8 with a very double-edged game, E. Torre – Mitkov, 33rd Chess Olympiad, Elista 1998. 9. ... Nd7!?TN 10. g4!? Nf8 11. Rg1 Ng6 12. Bg5!? f6 13. Be3 Be6 14. h4 Bxc4! 15. dxc4 0-0-0 16. h5 Nf4 17. Bxf4 exf4 18. 0-0-0 Rhe8. Black has comfortably equalised, and Muzychuk does not make many efforts to bring home the half point. 19. Rge1 Be5. Intending ... Be5xb2+ followed by ... Qe7-b4+ with perpetual check. 20. c3 Qc5 21. Nd2 Qe7 22. f3 a5! 23. a4

23. ... Bxc3! A neat way to force a draw by perpetual check. 24. bxc3 Qa3+ 25. Kc2 Qa2+ 26. Kc1 Qa3+ 27. Kc2 ½ : ½.

From left: Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk and Anna Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo: Vladimir Barsky.