Simplicity in Complexity

Wesley So – Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Group A; match game 2; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 25, 2022

rnbbkqrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBBKQRN w GAga - 0 1

Position #629

1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 c6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bb6? (⌓ 4. ... f5 5. Nc5 Bb6)
5. c3. 5. Qe2 Nd7 6. c3 Bc7 transposes into the game.
5. ... Nd7 6. Qe2 Bc7 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Nhg3

8. ... h5? This seems a velleitary Pawn sacrifice, but Black’s situation was very difficult in any case. Perhaps he could try 8. ... Bg4 9. f3 Bd7 followed by ... 0-0-0 (a-side castling).
9. Nxf6+ gxf6 10. Nxh5. With the incidental threat of Nh5xf6+.
10. ... Kd8 11. Bf4 Ng6 12. Bxc7+ Kxc7 13. Qe3 Be6

14. Bb3! Bxb3 15. axb3 Rh8 16. Qg3+ Kb6? The Black King goes for a journey with no return, but after 16. ... Kd7 17. Ra5! White still holds a powerful grip on the game.
17. c4! a6 (17. ... Rxh5 18. c5++−)
18. c5+ Ka7

19. Rxa6+! 1 : 0. Mate follows after 19. ... Kxa6 (19. ... bxa6 20. Qc7#) 20. Ra1+ Kb5 21. Qd3+ Kb4 22. Qc4#.

Völsunga saga

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson
International Chess Open; Reykjavík, March 13, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 Qa5 9. Nd2 cxd4 10. exd4 dxc4 11. Nxc4 Qd8 12. Bd3 Nb6 13. 0-0 Nxc4? A careless move. Correct was 13. ... Bd7! 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. d5! Rfd8 (or 15. ... Kh8 16. Qe2 Rae8 17. d6 ½ : ½ Svidler – Giri, 18th European Team Chess Championship 2011, Porto Carras 2011) 16. Qe2 Rac8 as in the game Nepomniachtchi – Aronian, Tal Memorial, Moscow 2011. 14. Bxc4 Qb6. If 14. ... Bd7 then 15. d5! is strong. 15. Rfe1 Re8. Again after 15. ... Bd7 the powerful 16. d5! brings matters to a crisis.

16. Nb5! That’s why it was necessary to play 13. ... Bd7. Now Black’s fate is sealed. 16. ... Nd5 17. Bxd5 Qxb5 18. Be4. Black’s King is under fire and Grétarsson can do nothing about it. 18. ... g6 19. Re3 a5 20. Be5 a4 21. Rg3 f5 22. Bd3 Qd7 23. Qe2 Bh4 24. Bb5 Qe7 25. Rc3 Bd7 26. Bxd7 1 : 0. For after 26. ... Qxd7 27. Rc7 Qd8 28. Rg7+ Kf8 29. Rxh7 Black is busted. A pretty game by Mamedyarov.