Say It Ain’t So

One Plus One Equals Three

Magnus Carlsen and Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi, the two finalists of the 12th World Blitz Chess Championship, being still tied after three tie-breakers, gave rise to an unprecedented outcome as they asked and obtained — on Carlsen’s suggestion — that the title should be shared. FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich welcomed the request and proclaimed them both World Champions! The whole story sounds like a terrifying display of strength — not only in chess — by Carlsen, who succeeded in imposing his authority upon FIDE, which was not appreciated by many of his colleagues. But he didn’t care about it. “It feels very good to share gold with Nepo. We reached a point where it had been a long day. We played many games, we had three draws and I felt that I could keep playing. But it was a nice solution to share the win, it was a good way to end it”, Carlsen told to the Norwegian media NRK. For the second time in less than a week, President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin took pen and paper and wrote a congratulatory telegram to a Russian World Champion, who “deservedly became World Champion, sharing this honourable title with the virtuoso Magnus Carlsen. Well done!”.
As for the other half of the sky, in the 10th Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), the queen of 上海 (Shànghǎi), did not indulge in such magnanimity with 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié). Once again she defeated her long-time friend (frenemy) in a final, if not classical, to win her first world title in the blitz specialty.
One final consideration concerns the fact or detail that this time, with the exception of Carlsen, all the World Rapid and Blitz Champions belong to countries which are members of the Asian Chess Federation. If anything, it should be something for Western supremacists to think about.

Alone in a Crowd

Russian Grandmaster Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi stopped in emotion, midstairs, after his compelling and dramatic drawn game against Fabiano Caruana — a result that didn’t help either of them. (Thank you, Ulises, for reporting it to me). Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova/chess.com.

The Day Not Seized

Trading Places

Fabiano Caruana – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
8th Grand Chess Tour; 1st stage; 4th Superbet Chess Classic; Bucharest, May 9, 2023
Tarrasch Defence D32

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bb5 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 9. 0-0 Bd6 10. Nf3 Be6 11. b3 a6 12. Bd3 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Rc1 0-0 16. f4 Bc7 17. Ne2 Bb6 18. Bd4 Bxd4 19. Nxd4 Qa5 20. Qe2 Rfe8 21. h3 Bd7 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Qb2 Qc5 24. a4 a5 25. Qd2 b6 26. Rb1 Qa3 27. Kh2 h6 28. Rb2 Qe7 29. Rc2 Rc5 30. Nf3 Rxc2 31. Bxc2 Qc5 32. Bd3 Kf8 33. Nd4 Kg8 34. Kg1 Kf8 35. Kf2 Ke7 36. Qb2 Kf8 37. Nc2 Ne4+ 38. Bxe4 dxe4 39. Nd4 Bc6 40. Qe2 Qc3 41. Qa6 Qd2+ 42. Ne2 Qb4 43. Qc8+ Be8 44. Qc2 Bd7 45. Nd4. White stands better, but Black should be able somehow to hold his own.

Instead, now Nepomniachtchi blitzed out: 45. ... f5? That turned out to be a fatal mistake. He ought to have continued with 45. ... Kg8 46. Qxe4 Be6! with sufficient play for Black.
46. Qc7! Qd2+ 47. Ne2 Be6 48. Qxb6 Kf7 49. Qd4 Qa2 50. Qa7+ Kg8. 50. ... Kf6 may be a little better, but then after 51. Qxa5 Bxb3 52. Qa6+ Be6 53. a5+− the ending is not tenable anyway.
51. Qa8+ Kh7 52. Qxa5 Kh8 53. Qd8+ Kh7 54. Qa5 Kh8 55. b4 Bc4 56. Qd8+ Kh7 57. Qd1

57. ... Bb3. Comparatively better was 57. ... Qb2! 58. b5 Bd3 which, if nothing else, would have required White to give back a Pawn in order to free his Knight: 59. b6! Qxb6 60. Nd4+− with a winning game.
58. Qd7 Be6 59. Qb5 Kh8 60. Qc5 g6 61. Ke1 Kg8 62. Qd6 Kf7 63. Qd2!? 63. Nd4 Bc4 65. b5 was definitely simpler, but White can even afford to give up one of his two formidable passers.
63. ... Qxa4 64. Nd4 Bc4 65. Kf2 h5 66. Kg3 Qa3 67. b5 Qd3

68. Qc1! Bxb5. Self-immolating to the White Queen. However, 68. ... Qf1 69. Qxf1 Bxf1 70. b6 Ba6 71. Kh4+− is hopeless as well.
69. Qc7+ Kf8 70. Qc5+ 1 : 0.

The “Battle of the Challengers” ended with a victory for Caruana. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Engendering China

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)

World Chess Championship 2023; tie-break game 4; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Astana, April 30, 2023

Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 0-0 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Nc3 Rb8 13. Bb1 Qe8 14. b3 c5 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 a5 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Nc4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 Bd8 23. Bd2 Bc7 24. c3 f5 25. Re1 Rd8 26. Ra2 Qg6 27. Qe2 Qd6 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 e4 30. dxe4 Ne5 31. Qg2 Nd3 32. Bxd3 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4 35. Ra1 Rxf5 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 Rf7 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be3 Be5 40. Qe8 Bxc3 41. Rc1 Rf6 42. Qd7 Qe2 43. Qd5 Bb4 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ Kh7 46. Qe4+

46. ... Rg6! The only comment worth quoting is one by the newly former World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen: “Self-pinning for immortality. Congrats 丁 (Dīng)!!”.
47. Qf5?! Objectively, White’s best seems to be 47. h4, to which Black would probably reply 47. ... h5 with a volatile balance between good and bad thoughts.
47. ... c4! 48. h4? Just too late. White ought to play 48. Qf4 c3 (after 48. ... Bd6!? 49. Qxc4 Rxg3+ 50. fxg3 Qxe3+ Black cannot expect more than a draw) 49. Qf5 which should hold owing to the pin on Black’s Rook.
48. ... Qd3! 49. Qf3 Rf6 50. Qg4 c3 51. Rd1 Qg6 52. Qc8 Rc6 53. Qa8

53. ... Rd6? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), caught in his emotions, now misses an easy win with 53. ... c2! 54. Rc1 (54. Rd8 c1=Q+! 55. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 56. Kh2 Qc6−+) 54. ... Rd6−+ — an omission that might have costed him the title.
54. Rxd6 Qxd6 55. Qe4+ Qg6 56. Qc4 Qb1+ 57. Kh2 a4 58. Bd4 a3

59. Qc7? So this is the end! Nepomniachtchi misses his last chance to save the match — at least for a while — by 59. Bxg7! Kxg7 60. Qc7+ with a draw by perpetual check.
59. ... Qg6 60. Qc4 c2 61. Be3 Bd6 62. Kg2 h5 63. Kf1 Be5 64. g4 hxg4 65. h5 Qf5 66. Qd5 g3 67. f4 a2 68. Qxa2 Bxf4 0 : 1.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is the first Chinese to ever win the absolute (i.e., all-gender) title of World Chess Champion. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

After all, tomorrow is another day

Coincidentally, even today, the long-awaited last classical game of the World Chess Championship 2023 ended in a draw, so a tie-breaker is needed to make the final decision. The day of judgment will be tomorrow (Sunday), for the sake of the lovers of fast time controls. Some noted the paradox of having plenty of rest days in between the fourteen classical games and no rest day before the tie-breaker, but maybe it is an intentional paradox. Perhaps today was the day (off). As for tomorrow, it doesn’t make much sense to make predictions based on statistics alone. The match has came down to its last few minutes, and it will be about nerves now. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Looking for Other Worlds

The still-reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen was quoted by Dagbladet as saying in the NRK podcast that he does not buy that this year’s World Championship shows that classical chess is alive and well: “It’s great we’ve got a match now where the players are so little destructive, but the way I see it, that does not mean that the existing structural problems are solved accordingly. What we see here is that people don’t try to be destructive”.

Black and White

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 13; Astana, April 27, 2023
2r2bk1/1b2qpp1/p6p/3nr3/P1p1B3/5P1P/1P2NBP1/2RQ1RK1 w - - 6 24

Position after 23. ... Qd8-e7

Still reeling from yesterday’s débâcle, Nepomniachtchi had to struggle a lot to hold his own today, and probably at some point, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) might have given him serious trouble. With only one game left, if nothing else, Chinese Grandmaster will rely on White, which, in his own words, may be an advantage and a disadvantage depending on Caïssa’s mood.
On his part, speaking with TASS, President of Chess Federation of Russia, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, seemed to want to abandon all prudence: “Ian Alexandrovich decided to rest before the decisive game. We believe in his victory the day after tomorrow. I think the advantage is on our side. White is nothing compared to the psychological pressure and responsibility that will hang over 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)”.
24. Qd4! f5 25. Bg3 Rxe4 26. fxe4 Qxe4 27. Qxe4 fxe4 28. Rfd1 Nb4 29. Rd7 Bc5+ 30. Kh2 Bc6 31. Rc7 Rxc7 32. Bxc7 Bd5 33. Nc3 Nd3 34. Rc2 Bc6 35. a5 Kf7 36. Re2 Nc1 37. Re1 Nd3 38. Re2 Nc1 39. Re1 Nd3 ½ : ½.

Yet, in the end, happiness may be all about how well one spends a day off. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.

No Farewell, Yet Goodbye

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 12; Astana, April 26, 2023
1b3r1k/p4p1p/4p1nr/7N/P2P1pPq/2Q4P/1P2RPB1/6RK b - - 6 34

Position after 34. Re1-e2

After a slew of twists and turnarounds, Nepomniachtchi broke down completely, allowing 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) to win the game and level the match. For most commentators, the timing of Nepomniachtchi’s nervous crisis suggests a shocked response to a shocking declaration by the President of Chess Federation of Russia, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, who, bothered by the unpredictability of his fellow countryman, called him “a monkey with a grenade”. In a statement published on Nepomniachtchi’s website, his manager, Zoya Viktorovna Arnatskaya, argued with irony: “We are not hinting at anything. But since we’re talking about comparisons with wildlife, the chameleon-position is a most convenient one. Praises to Ian Alexandrovich in one interview and mocking criticism in another sounds like informational cheating. Whether the match ends in a win or a loss, one can say, anyway, ‘As I said!’”.
34. ... f5?? 35. Rxe6 Rxh5 36. gxh5 Qxh5 37. d5+ 1 : 0.

Much is happened. And yet everything can still happen — or not. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Four to Score

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 10; Astana, April 21, 2023
English Opening A28

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qf3 Nxc3 9. bxc3

9. ... Bc5. “The ... Bf8-c5 idea is quite a rare move. I think that, on a high level, no one has played it yet. But I believe it is an interesting move that can solve a lot of problems there and force the game”, Nepomniachtchi then said.
10. Qg3 Kf8 11. Be2 d6 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Rd1 h5 14. 0-0. Varying from 14. h4!? dxe5! 15. Bxe5 Bg4!⇄ Nepomniachtchi – Cardoso Cardoso, Titled Tuesday intern op 5th May, chess.com, May 5, 2020 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move).
14. ... h4 15. Qd3

15. ... g5! A correct Pawn sacrifice to force a general liquidation into a drawish ending. Therefore, it is highly likely that Nepomniachtchi has simply been following a “cooked” line.
16. exd6 cxd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qxd6+ Bxd6 19. Rxd6 Be6 20. f4 Ke7 21. Rd4 gxf4 22. Rfxf4 h3 23. g4 Rac8 24. Kf2 Rc5 25. a4 Ra5 26. Bd1 b6 27. Kg3 Rh6 28. Rfe4 Kf8 29. Rd8+ Kg7 30. Ra8 Rc5 31. Rxa7 Bxc4 32. Rae7 Rhc6 33. R7e5 Rxe5 34. Rxe5

34. ... Bb3! 35. Bxb3 Rxc3+ 36. Kh4 Rxb3 37. Rb5 Ra3 38. Rxb6 Rxa4 39. Kxh3 f5 40. gxf5 Rf4 41. Rb5 Kf6 42. Kg3 Rxf5 43. Rxf5+ Kxf5 44. h4 Kg6 45. h5+ Kxh5 ½ : ½. “He defended quite well”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said. “So, I didn’t have many chances in this game”.

A relatively easy draw today by Nepomniachtchi, but there are four games left and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) still has a chance to write history. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Baccarat

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 9; Astana, April 21, 2023
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. a4 Qe7 10. Qc2 Nb8 11. Re1 Rd8 12. h3 h6 13. Nf1 c6 14. Bc4 Na6 15. Ng3 Qc7 16. Ba2 b5 17. Qe2

17. ... Rb8 18. Nh4 Bf8 19. Qf3 bxa4 20. Bxh6 Nc5 21. Ng6 Rxb2 22. Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Bg5 Nh7 24. Bc1 Rb5 25. Ba3 Re8 26. Bc4 Be6

27. Bxe6 Nxe6 28. Nf5 c5 29. Qe2 Rb3 30. Qc4 Qc6 31. Bc1 Nf6 32. Qxa4 Qxa4 33. Rxa4 Rxc3 34. Bb2 Rb3 35. Bxe5 Rb4 36. Rxa5 Rxe4 37. Rxe4 Nxe4 38. Ra4 Nd4 39. Bxd4 cxd4 40. Rxd4 g6 41. Ne3 Kg7 42. Rb4 Ng3 43. Rb7 Nf5 44. Ng4 Re7 45. Rb5 Re1+ 46. Kh2 Re2 47. Rb7 Nd6 48. Ra7 Kf8 49. Kg3 f5 50. Kf3 Re7 51. Ra8+ Re8 52. Rxe8+ Kxe8 53. Ne5 g5 54. h4 gxh4 55. Kf4

55. ... h3! “I thought it was an easy draw but then I realised it was not so simple. I could easily get a lost position. So, I thought that maybe ... h4-h3 is the only move to save the game”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said eventually.
56. gxh3 Ke7 57. Nc6+ Kf6 58. Nd4 Ne4 59. f3 Nf2 60. h4 Nd3+ 61. Kg3 Kg6 62. Ne6 Kf6 63. Nf4 Nb4 64. Kf2 Ke5 65. Ke3 Nc2+ 66. Kd2 Nd4 67. Nd3+ Kf6 68. Ke3 Nc2+ 69. Kf4 Nd4 70. Kg3 Ne2+ 71. Kf2 Nd4 72. Nf4 Ke5 73. Ne2 Ne6 74. Kg3 Kf6 75. Kg2 Kg7 76. Kf2 f4 77. Kg1 Kg6 78. Kg2 Kh6 79. Nc1 Kh5 80. Kh3 Nd4 81. Nd3 Nxf3 82. Nxf4+ ½ : ½.

And so is two draws in a row! Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Tell Tale

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 8; Astana, April 20, 2023
Nimzo-Indian Defence E28

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 d6 7. Ne2 c5 8. Ng3 Nc6 9. Ra2!? “Can’t express how happy I am to see this variation played today”, Fabiano Caruana commented.
9. ... b6 10. e4 Ba6 11. Bg5 h6 12. h4!? “The line that occurred in the game is a very topical line in the Nimzo-Indian nowadays. As artificial as it looks, somehow it’s a popular choice. So, I was more or less aware of this piece sacrifice”, Nepomniachtchi then said.
12. ... hxg5 13. hxg5 g6 14. gxf6 Qxf6 15. e5 dxe5 16. d5 Ne7 17. d6 Nf5 18. Ne4 Qd8 19. Qd3 Kg7 20. g4 Bb7 21. Rh3 Nh4 22. g5

22. ... Bxe4? “I don’t know why, but suddenly I felt overambitious and made some awful moves that almost cost me the game, or at least half a point. And then I was lucky and had some nice chances to escape”, said Nepomniachtchi.
23. Qxe4 Nf5 24. Rd2 Rh8 25. Rxh8 Qxh8 26. d7 Rd8 27. Qxe5+ Kh7 28. Qh2+ Kg7 29. Qe5+ Kh7 30. Qh2+ Kg7 31. Qc7 Qh4? Just a bluff, but it worked.

32. Kd1? After 32. Qxd8 Qe4+ 33. Re2 Qb1+ 34. Kd2 Qb2+ 35. Kd3 Qb1+ 36. Rc2 Qd1+ 37. Ke4! there’s no perpetual.
32. ... Qxg5 33. Kc2 Qe7 34. Bg2 e5 35. Be4 Nh6 36. Qxa7 Ng4 37. Bf3? 37. Bc6 was almost so obvious as to be missed.

37. ... Nxf2! 38. Rxf2 e4 39. Re2 f5 40. Qxb6 Rxd7 41. Qb8 Qd6 42. Qxd6 Rxd6 43. Bxe4 fxe4 44. Rxe4 Kf6 45. Re8 ½ : ½.

Even today, the life of a gladiator is no enviable one. Photo: David Llada/FIDE.

The Clock and the Arrow

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 7; Astana, April 18, 2023
French Defence C07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. N2f3 Be7 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Qe2 Bb7 12. Bd3. Here is the innovation. 12. Ne5 Qc7 13. Bd2 Bd6 14. f4 c5 is fine for Black, Kruppa – Dokhoian, 21st USSR Young Masters Championship, Uzhgorod 1987.
12. ... Qc7 13. Qe4 Nf6 14. Qh4 c5 15. Bf4 Qb6 16. Ne5 Rad8 17. Rae1 g6

“This game is turning very interesting, looks very double edged as Black could remain under a lot of pressure or if White’s initiative evaporates could take over long term”, Fabiano Caruana noted.
18. Bg5 Rd4 19. Qh3 Qc7 20. b3. “20. c3 Rd5 21. f4 and it looks like 21. ... c4 is important there but this looks really difficult to sort through. Quite remarkably complex positions”, says Caruana.
20. ... Nh5 21. f4 Bd6 22. c3 Nxf4 23. Bxf4 Rxf4 24. Rxf4 Bxe5 25. Rh4 Rd8 26. Be4 Bxe4 27. Rhxe4 Rd5 28. Rh4 Qd6 29. Qe3 h5 30. g3 Bf6 31. Rc4 h4 32. gxh4 Rd2. All comments are superfluous as the doomsday clock is ticking for 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) who has 45 seconds left to play the next 8 moves.
33. Re2

33. ... Rd3?? Time, drama, and theatre: 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) blunders away alone. 33. ... Rd5 would have held on.
34. Qxc5 Rd1+ 35. Kg2 Qd3 36. Rf2 Kg7 37. Rcf4 Qxc3 1 : 0. “I think I played not so bad, but just at the end I messed things up”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said afterwards.

Looking both ahead and behind. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Even and Odd

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 6; Astana, April 16, 2023
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 cxd4 6. exd4 Bf5 7. c3 e6. The same position can be reached by transposition after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. Nd2 Bf5 7. Ngf3 e6 (Caro-Kann Defence B13).
8. Bb5. Or by transposition: 8. Qb3 Qc8 9. Be2 Be7 10. 0-0 Ne4= B. Larsen – Spassky, International Tournament, San Juan 1969.
8. ... Bd6 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Re1 h6 12. Ne5 Ne7 13. a4 a6 14. Bf1 Nd7? Better first 14. ... a5, preventing White’s 16th move.
15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. a5 Qc7 17. Qf3 Rfc8 18. Ra3 Bg6 19. Nb3 Nc6 20. Qg3

20. ... Qe7. Because of his uneasiness with the eventuality of an endgame, Black avoids the exchange of Queens — a classic case in which the cure might be worse than the disease.
21. h4 Re8. Preparing for the next advance.
22. Nc5 e5 23. Rb3 Nxa5 24. Rxe5 Qf6 25. Ra3! Nc4 26. Bxc4 dxc4 27. h5? White is pursuing a Fata Morgana. 27. Nxb7 was obvious and good.
27. ... Bc2? But apparently they both overlooked 27. ... Rxe5! 28. dxe5 Qd8! 29. hxg6 Qd1+ 30. Kh2 Qh5+ with a draw by perpetual check.
28. Nxb7 Qb6

29. Nd6! Rxe5. Of course not 29. ... Qxd6?? because of 30. Rxe8+ winning the Queen.
30. Qxe5 Qxb2 31. Ra5! 31. Nxc4? Qc1+ 32. Kh2 Bd3 would be very unclear.
31. ... Kh7 (31. ... Qxc3?? 32. Ne8!+−)
32. Rc5? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is still giving his opponent an opportunity to avert the worst. Best was 32. Qe1! Bd3 33. Nxc4! winning a Pawn with great advantage (33. ... Bxc4? 34. Qe4++−).
32. ... Qc1+? Black misses his last chance: 32. ... Qxc3!⇄ 33. Nxf7 (or 33. Rc7 Qd2 34. Rxf7 Qc1+! 35. Kh2 Qg5 with good saving chances) 33. ... Bd3! 34. Rc7 Qc1+ 35. Rh2 Re8!! 36. Qxe8 Qf4+ drawing by perpetual check.
33. Kh2 f6 34. Qg3 a5 35. Nxc4 a4 36. Ne3 Bb1. 36. ... a3 37. Rc7 Rg8 38. Nd5 Kh8 39. Ne7 Rf8 40. Ra7 Bb1 transposes to the game.
37. Rc7 Rg8 38. Nd5 Kh8 39. Ra7 a3 40. Ne7 Rf8

41. d5! Setting up a mating net. A straightforward “dual” is 41. Rb7! a2 42. Rb8 forcing mate in a few moves.
41. ... a2 42. Qc7 Kh7 43. Ng6 Rg8 44. Qf7 1 : 0. Mate follows after 44. ... Bxg6 45. hxg6+ Kh8 46. Qxg8+ Kxg8 47. Ra8# or 44. ... Qg5 45. Qxg8+ Kxg8 46. Ra8+ Kf7 (46. ... Kh7 47. Rh8#) 47. Rf8#.

“Today I was struggling to find which opening to play just before the start of the game. I had many choices”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) finally said. “At the end, I decided to play something that I was more familiar with and I tried to stay calm after yesterday’s loss”. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Counting Sheep

Speaking in a conversation with Матч ТВ (Match TV), three-time Russian Women’s Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina expressed hope that her fellow countryman Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi was able to find his balance: “It is important not to go wrong, but to play steadily and probably sleep well. Your head won’t turn off — it’s a global problem”, she said. “As for myself, I never solved it, because in less important competitions, where the results are not so vital, that’s not a problem. But here, with such an unrelievable tension... Don’t even know. I hope Ian Alexandrovich somehow solved this problem, and that he then shares his solution”. Screenshot from Матч ТВ (Match TV).

Cut and Thrust

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 5; Astana, April 15, 2023
Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Bb7 10. a4 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Bg5!? Walking in his own shoes. In the “stem game”, things went slightly different: 12. Na3 Qd7 13. Bg5 bxa4 14. Nh4 Rab8? (14. ... h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nf5 Kh7 is nothing special for White) 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. f4! with a powerful initiative, Firouzja – Giri, Champions Chess Tour 2022, 6th stage, FTX Crypto Cup, chess24.com, August 17, 2022, Armageddon game (time control: 5 minutes for White, 4 minutes for Black).
12. ... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. axb5 axb5 15. Nbd2 Nc6 16. Bd5 Rxa1 17. Qxa1 Qd7 18. Re1. Nepomniachtchi blitzed out all his moves so far, just to send a signal that nothing is improvised.
18. ... Ra8 19. Qd1 Bd8 20. Nf1 Ne7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Ne3 Bb6

23. h4 Qc6 24. h5 c4 25. d4 exd4. Not 25. ... Qxe4?? because of 26. Nxc4 winning at least a Pawn with much the better game.
26. Nxd4 Qc5 27. Qg4 Qe5 28. Nf3 Qe6 29. Nf5 Nxf5. This was not necessary (though not wrong either). Yet 29. ... Qf6 at once seems simpler.
30. exf5 Qf6. Possibly more accurate was 30. ... Qd7! 31. Qf4 (30. Qe4 d5) 31. ... Bd8 with a solid defence.
31. Qe4 Rb8 32. Re2 Bc5

33. g4! Qd8. “I feel 丁 (Dīng) lost the thread with ... Qf6-d8. The position still looked tenable if he sacrificed a Pawn with ... b5-b4, even if he had to recapture sub-optimally with the Bishop to avoid back rank problems. But he simply had to activate his Rook”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson tweeted.
34. Qd5 Kf8 35. Kf1 Rc8? But this, and only this, seems to be the losing move! Right was 35. ... Qc8! in order to reply to 36. f6!? with 36. ... gxf6! (36. ... Qb7?? 37. Qxb7 Rxb7 38. Re8+! Kxe8 39. fxg7+−) 37. Qe4 Kg8 38. Nh4 Qb7 forcing the exchange of Queens and getting rid of White’s attack.
36. Re4! Preparing for the breakthrough.
36. ... Rb8

37. g5! hxg5? Straight into the shark’s mouth, but 37. ... Qd7 is only apparently more stubborn, because after 38. gxh6 gxh6 39. f6! Qh3+ (39. ... Qb7 40. Qf5+−) 40. Ke2 Qg2 41. Re7 Qxf2+ 42. Kd1 Qf1+ 43. Kc2 Qd3+ 44. Qxd3 cxd3+ 45. Kxd3 the ending is easily won for White (despite material equality).
38. Rg4 Ra8. Alas for Black 38. ... f6 would be refuted by 39. Nh4! (Δ Nh4-g6+) 39. ... gxh4? 40. h6! with mating attack.
39. Nxg5 Ra1+ 40. Ke2 Qe7+ 41. Ne4 Qe8 42. Kf3 Qa8 43. Qxa8+ Rxa8 44. f6 g6 45. hxg6 fxg6 46. Rxg6 Ra2 47. Kg4! Such can be the strength of the King!
47. ... Rxb2 48. Rh6 1 : 0.

“Probably there was a better way to defend for Black, but I felt like White was pressing”, Nepomniachtchi eventually said. “At the edge of time trouble he blundered my idea, and at this point White was almost winning”. Photo: David Llada/FIDE.

Waking Up in Heaven

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 4; Astana, April 13, 2023
English Opening A28

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. bxc3 d6 7. e4 0-0 8. Be2 Nh5 9. d4 Nf4 10. Bxf4 exf4 11. 0-0. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s valiant squire, Richárd Rapport, must be credited for today’s theoretical approach. Chinese Grandmaster now deviates from 11. h4!? Re8 12. Bd3 Bg4 13. Ng1 f5 14. Kf1 fxe4 15. Bxe4 h6 16. Nf3 Bxf3?! (⌓ 16. ... Qf6) 17. gxf3! Kh8 18. Qd2 which gave White the initiative in Rapport – Zaragatski, 33rd German Schach Bundesliga, Bremen 2013.
11. ... Qf6 12. Rfe1 Re8 13. Bd3 Bg4 14. Nd2 Na5!? A somewhat ambitious move. Less committal was 14. ... Rad8 15. h3 Bc8= with equality.

15. c5!? A fine positional Pawn sacrifice, which enables White to form a powerful Pawn centre.
15. ... dxc5 16. e5 Qh6 17. d5 Rad8 18. c4 b6 19. h3 Bh5

20. Be4! “20. Be4! looks like one of those classy moves that strong players like and play long before they can explain why it’s good. I think 丁 (Dīng) plans Be4-f3. White has control here, and more than enough compensation, but Black is solid. In old money I’d say it’s ‘plus equals’”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson tweeted.
20. ... Re7 21. Qc3 Rde8 22. Bf3 Nb7 23. Re2 f6. “To get squares, you gotta give squares”, as Bobby Fischer put it. After the White Pawn advances to e6, the Black Knight jumps to the blockade square d6.
24. e6 Nd6 25. Rae1 Nf5. 25. ... Bg6= might be the best way towards equality.
26. Bxh5 Qxh5 27. Re4 Qh6 28. Qf3

“It was a very intense game. I think I misjudged the position and thought it was quite nice for Black. Still, it was more or less playable, until I just lost my focus”, Nepomniachtchi then said.
28. ... Nd4?? A melodramatic blunder, which loses at once. Best was 28. ... g5! 29. g4! Nd6! with a hard nut to crack.
29. Rxd4! To quote Reuben Fine, “In such positions, combinations are as natural as a baby’s smile”.
29. ... cxd4

30. Nb3! Speaking frankly, the White Knight is worth two Rooks. What follows does not require much engine time.
30. ... g5 31. Nxd4 Qg6 32. g4! fxg3 33. fxg3 h5 34. Nf5 Rh7 35. Qe4 Kh8 36. e7 Qf7 37. d6 cxd6 38. Nxd6 Qg8 39. Nxe8 Qxe8 40. Qe6 Kg7 41. Rf1 Rh6 42. Rd1 f5 43. Qe5+ Kf7 44. Qxf5+ Rf6 45. Qh7+ Ke6 46. Qg7 Rg6 47. Qf8 1 : 0.

“Suddenly, I felt like winning... And it was a little bit hard to believe it”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said afterwards, speaking of his opponent’s fatal 28th move. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.

Alone in the Crowd

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 3; Astana, April 12, 2023
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. Bd3 0-0 9. Qc2 Re8 10. Nge2 Nbd7 11. 0-0 a5 12. a3 Nh5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Rae1 Nf8 15. Nc1 Nf6 16. f3 Ne6

17. N1e2!? So far, Nepomniachtchi had followed an online game by Anish Giri v. his very opponent, which now continued 17. Qf2 c5! 18. Bb5 Rd8 19. dxc5 Qxc5 20. Nb3 Qb6 21. Rd1 Bd7 22. Bxd7 Rxd7 23. Nd4 Re8 24. Ncb5 Rde7 25. Rfe1 g6 26. Nxe6 Rxe6 27. Nd4 R6e7 28. Qd2 Nd7 29. Re2 Ne5 30. b3 Nc6 31. Qc3 h5 32. Kf2 Re5 33. Nxc6 bxc6 34. b4 axb4 35. axb4 R5e6 36. Qd4 Rb8 37. Qxb6 Rxb6 38. Rd4 Re8 39. e4 Reb8 40. exd5 cxd5 ½ : ½ Giri – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), Champions Chess Tour 2021, 4th stage, Chessable Masters, Prelims Tournament, chess24.com, May 20, 2022 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). What sounds quite astonishing is that he deliberately followed it, as he himself said afterwards: “I thought that there is such a game, and I checked it today. The Queen’s Gambit Declined is a very solid opening, so you’re not going to achieve much. The most common case is when both sides play reasonably. It is hard to disrupt the equality”.
17. ... c5 18. Bb5 Rd8 19. dxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Bd7. 20. ... d4 21. exd4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 23. Qxd4 Rxd4 24. Rd1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Be6 26. Rd6 Rc8 is probably also sufficient to draw, but not quite so easily as in the game.

21. Bxd7. 21. Nd4 Rac8= seems a steadier continuation.
21. ... Nxd7! Heading for c4 via b6.
22. Nd4. Of course not 22. Nxd5?? in view of 22. ... Nb6 gaining a piece, while 22. Qxd5?! Qxe3+ 23. Kh1 Ndc5 24. Ng3 Qf4 25. Qf5 Rd2 would give Black the upper hand.
22. ... Nb6 23. Rd1. After about 12 minutes or so, Nepomniachtchi realises that he should and must play for a draw.
23. ... Nc4 24. Qf2

24. ... Rac8. Also playable is 24. ... Nxa3 25. e4! Nc4 26. Nxd5 Nc7! 27. Nf5 Qxf2+ 28. Rxf2 a4! 29. Rc2 b5 with a comfortable equality.
25. Na4 Qe7 26. Rfe1 Qf6 27. Nb5 Nc7. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is content with a draw, which feels like a panacea for his psychological well-being. On the other hand, 27. ... d4!? 28. exd4 Nf4 would perhaps give Black some compensation for the Pawn, but hardly any possibility of success.
28. Nd4 Ne6 29. Nb5 Nc7 30. Nd4 Ne6 ½ : ½.

“I am getting better”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) eventually told reporters. “As you can see, I spent more time on the stage than hiding in the resting room”. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

A Holiday Match

Among the VIP spectators at the World Chess Championship Match in Astana, Kazakhstan, was three-time Russian Women’s Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, who is taking a holiday after her very recent victory in the third stage of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23 in New Delhi, India. She got here in a flash, from Delhi to Astana via Moscow. But will she stay till the end of the match? “I’ll see how it goes”, she told Матч ТВ (Match TV). “Now, I planned for a week. If I like it, I’ll stay longer. If I get bored, I’ll fly back to Moscow”.
As for the match, Goryachkina noticed something at once from day one: “I’d say that 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was a little nervous from the first game”, Goryachkina told TASS correspondents. “I can tell by his running around from the stage to his lounge he was nervous — he did not sit at the board at all. Ian Alexandrovich [Nepomniachtchi] behaved in much the same way in his match against Magnus Carlsen in Dubai”.
Goryachkina herself, indeed, knows how does it feel to sit on such a hard chair as 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and Nepomniachtchi are sitting on. But this time she can enjoy it. “I’m delighted”, she said. “It’s the first time I’m in it as a tourist. I feel so much relaxed: I must not play, nor must I think. I visited the auditorium — I never saw such an organisation in all my life. You sit literally three meters from the stage. It’s grandiose”.