Twitch and Shout

Grigoriy Alekseyevich Oparin – Hikaru Nakamura
FIDE Grand Prix 2022; 3rd stage; Pool A; Berlin, March 24, 2022
King’s Indian Defence E73

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0 6. h4 c5 7. d5 e6 8. h5 exd5 9. exd5 Re8 10. h6. Dernier cri. 10. ... Bh8 11. Bg5 Qb6 12. b3 Ne4 13. Nxe4 Rxe4 14. Kf1! Na6?!TN (14. ... Re8 15. Rc1 Nd7 16. Bd2 Qd8 17. Nf3 Nf6 18. Ng5 Ne4 19. Nxe4 Rxe4 20. g3 Bd4 21. Bf3 Qf6 22. Bg5 Qxg5 23. Bxe4 Bg4 24. f4 Qe7 25. Qd3 Re8 26. Bf3 Qe3 27. Qxe3 Bxe3 28. Bxg4 Bxc1 29. Rh2 f5 30. Re2 Rxe2 31. Bxe2 g5 32. fxg5 Bxg5 33. Bd3 f4 34. gxf4 Bxf4 35. Kf2 Bxh6 36. Kf3 Kg7 37. Bf5 Bc1 38. Bc8 b6 39. a4 Kf6 40. Ke4 a5 ½ : ½ Bacrot – G. C. B. Jones, 26th TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament, Malmö 2021) 15. Bd3

15. ... Bg4?! Black seeks rescue in tactical play, since 15. ... Re8 16. a3!⩲/± would leave White with a comfortable edge. 16. f3 Rd4 17. Qe2! If 17. fxg4? then 17. ... Nb4 regaining the Bishop with good play. 17. ... Bd7. 17. ... Nb4 18. Re1! is likely to transpose to the game. 18. Re1 Nb4

19. Bxg6! Nxd5!? A desperate bet, for both 19. ... hxg6 20. h7+ Kg7 21. Qe7 and 19. ... fxg6 20. Qe7 would end in catastrophe for Black.

20. Bxh7+? Too hasty. Much stronger was 20. Bf5! first, to deflect the Bishop from e8: 20. ... Bxf5?? (or 20. ... Bc6 21. Bxh7+! Kxh7 22. Qc2+ winning at once, as Black cannot parry the check by interposing the f-Pawn) 21. Qe8+ followed by mate. 20. ... Kxh7 21. Qc2+ f5. Clearly not 21. ... Kg8?? on account of 22. h7+ Kg7 23. Bh6+ Kf6 24. Qc1! with irresistible attack. 22. cxd5 Be5 23. Ne2. 23. Nh3! may be an easier way of pursuing the same objectives. 23. ... Qa6 24. Kf2 Qd3 25. Qxd3. 25. Qc1! was probably White’s last opportunity of playing for a win. 25. ... Rxd3 26. Rd1 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 a5! 28. Rd3 a4 29. Re3 axb3 30. axb3 Ra2 31. Kg1 Ra1+ 32. Kf2 Ra2 33. Kg1 ½ : ½.

In spite of having somewhat misplayed the opening against Oparin, Nakamura managed to save the day eventually and secure a draw. Photo © Niki Riga.

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.

秀贵甘蔗 (Saccharum officinarum)

Grigoriy Alekseyevich Oparin – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
13th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 31, 2015
Nimzo-Indian Defence E46

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Ne2 d5 6. a3 Be7 7. cxd5 exd5 8. g3 Nbd7 9. Bg2 Nb6 10. 0-0 a5 11. b3. Another continuation is 11. a4 Re8 12. f3 c5 13. g4! h6 14. b3 Bd7 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Qd3 Rc8 17. Bd2 Bc6 18. Nd4 Nbd7 19. Rad1 Ba7 20. Nce2! Ne5 21. Qb1 Ng6 22. Nf5! Qc7 23. Qb2 Kh7 24. Kh1 Bb8 25. Neg3 Ne5? (25. ... Ne7!) 26. f4! Nd3 (26. ... Nexg4 27. h3!) 27. Qd4 Nb4 28. g5!+− Spassky – Gurgenidze, 24th Soviet Chess Championship, Moscow 1957. 11. ... Re8 12. Qd3 Bf8 13. Bd2 g6 14. f3 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Nd4 Nbd7 17. Na4 b6 18. Nxc5 bxc5 19. Nb5 Ba6 20. a4 Qb6 21. Rfc1 Ne5 22. Qc3 Bxb5 23. axb5 Qxb5 24. Re1. The safer course 24. Qxc5 Qxb3 25. Qd4 Re6 would keep the game equal; for example: 26. Bc3 Rc8 27. Rab1 Qa3 28. Ra1 Qb3 with a draw by repetition. 24. ... a4 25. bxa4 Rxa4 26. Rxa4 Qxa4 27. g4 h6 28. h3

28. ... Qc4. The exchange of Queens appears to dissipate Black’s light-square bind. A much stronger move would seem 28. ... Qa6! with a clear advantage to Black; it should be noted that White cannot free himself by 29. Bf1?? because of 29. ... Nxf3+! 30. Kg2 Qd6! 31. Kxf3 Ne4 with an irresistible attack. 29. f4 Nd3 30. Qxc4 dxc4 31. Rb1 Kf8 32. Bc6 Re6 33. Rb8+ Ke7 34. Bb5 Rd6 35. Bc3 g5 36. Rb7+ Nd7 37. fxg5 hxg5 38. Bxc4 f6 39. Kg2 Ne5 40. Bxe5 fxe5 41. Kf3 Rb6 42. Ra7 Rb4 43. Bd3 Kd6 44. Bf5 e4+ 45. Kg3 Ne5 46. Ra6+ Nc6 47. h4 gxh4+ 48. Kxh4 Kd5 49. g5 Ne7 50. Be6+ Ke5 51. Bg4 Nf5+ 52. Bxf5 Kxf5 53. Rc6 Rb3 54. Rxc5+ Kg6 55. Rc6+ Kg7 56. Rc7+ ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Sophie Triay.