Kryptonite

Jan-Krzysztof Duda – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

2nd Champions Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Charity Cup; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 21, 2022

2q3rk/6rp/pR2b3/P2pP2B/2pP1p1Q/2P5/7P/1R5K w - - 8 43

Position after 42. ... Rg6-f7

Three-time Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), the heroine of today’s Charity Cup, has defeated, not in a row but nearly so, two men: Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Eric Hansen. One might object that in both cases the result was beneficial to the cause, and hence, as Machiavelli says, “It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious”. The diagram gives the critical position of her game with Duda where White is to move: 43. Qf6?? A grave oversight, which loses instantly. The h1–a8 diagonal was calling for rescue: after 42. Bf3□ Bf5! White can still hold on, although of course Black’s moves come easier. 42. ... Bf5! Black threatens both ... Bf5-e4+ followed by mate and ... Bf5xb1. White cannot parry both. 44. Bf3 (44. Re1 Be4+ 45. Rxe4 dxe4 46. Rb1 f3 47. Rg1 Qf8!−+) 44. ... Bxb1 45. Rxb1 Rf8 46. Qh4 Qf5 47. Re1 Qd3 48. Qf2 Qxc3 49. e6 Qb4 50. Bxd5 c3 51. Be4

51. ... f3! 52. Bc2 (52. Bxf3 c2!−+) 52. ... Qd6 53. Re5 Rfg8 54. Re1 Qf4 55. Re4 Qd2 56. Qxf3 Rg1# 0 : 1.

Digiplomacy

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Magnus Carlsen

2nd Champions Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Charity Cup; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 19, 2022

Modern Benoni A65

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 e6 4. e4 c5 5. d5 d6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 Bg7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Be3 a6 10. a4 0-0 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Bc4!? A half move. 12. ... Nbd7 13. Be2. Now, the second half. If, instead, 13. Bxh6? then 13. ... Nxe4! 14. Nxe4 Qh4+ 15. g3 Rxe4+ 16. Kd1 Bxh6! with very powerful effect. 13. ... Ne5!? It is Black who first goes off the beaten tracks: 13. ... Nh7 14. Nh3 Ne5 15. Nf2 h5 16. 0-0 f5 17. a5 Nf6 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Na4 Qe7 20. Ra3 Qf7 21. Nb6 Rab8 22. Rd1 Nfd7 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. b4 c4 25. f4 ½ : ½ C. Ionescu – Marin, 12th Victor Ciocâltea Memorial, Bucharest 1995. 14. Bxh6

14. ... Nxe4? Carlsen goes for a tactical adventurism which will not produce the desired effect. 14. ... Bd7 aiming for ... b7-b5 was at least worth a try. 15. Nxe4 Qh4+ 16. g3 Qxh6 17. Qxh6 Bxh6 18. Nf6+ Kf8 19. Nxe8 Kxe8 20. h4 Bd7 21. h5 g5 22. Nh3.

Black doesn’t seem to have any compensation for the Exchange, so Carlsen goes all out to make a mess of it: 22. ... g4!? 23. fxg4. 23. f4! followed by the disappearance of both Knights from the board is also very strong. 23. ... Nxg4 24. Bxg4 Bxg4 25. Nf4 Kd7 26. Kf2 Bg7 27. Kg2 Bf5 28. Kf3 Bxb2

29. Rab1! Well done. It’s the right time to return the Exchange and force an easily won ending. 29. ... Bxb1 30. Rxb1 Be5 31. Rxb7+ Ke8

32. g4?! Much simpler and stronger was 32. Nd3! B∼ 33. Nb2! Bxb2 (or else after Nb2-c4 Black ends up in zugzwang) 34. Rxb2 winning very easily, as the White Rook will go to c6. 32. ... Rc8 33. g5? Strangely this natural move appears to throw away the win. Best is 33. Rb6 Kd7 (otherwise follows Rb6-c6) 34. h6 c4 35. Rxa6 c3 36. Nd3 and White’s two distant passed Pawns should win. 33. ... c4 34. g6 fxg6 35. hxg6 Kf8 36. Ne6+ Kg8 37. Ke2 c3 38. Kd1

38. ... a5? But this immediately turns out to be a dramatic miscalculation. Black ought first play 38. ... c2+! 39. Kc1 and then 39. ... a5 for after 40. Rb6 Kh8! 41. Rc6 Rg8 42. Kxc2 Rxg6 43. Rc8+ Rg8 44. Rxg8+ Kxg8 45. Kb3 Kf7 the gain of the a-Pawn with 46. Nd8+ Ke8 47. Nc6 Kd7 48. Nxa5 only results in a tablebase draw. 39. Kc2+− Ra8 40. Rb5 Bf6 41. Rb6 Be5 42. Rb7 Bf6 43. Rc7 Be5 44. Kd3! “The King is a strong piece”, Wlhelm Steinitz used to say, and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) makes the concept his own: His Majesty begins its long march to checkmate! 44. ... Bf6 45. Ke4 Be5 46. Kf5 Rb8 47. Kg5 Ra8 48. Kh6 Re8 49. g7 1 : 0. Black cannot stop Kh6-g6 followed by Rc7-f7-f8+.

A Teacher’s Tale

雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) – Christopher Woojin Yoo

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; Quarterfinal tie-break game 2; time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move; chess24.com, October 12, 2021

Pirc Defence B09

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Bd3 0-0 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. 0-0 e5 8. d5 Nd4 9. f5 c6 10. Bg5 h6. The only known reference about 9. f5 went 10. ... gxf5 11. exf5 (but 11. Nxd4! exd4 13. Ne2 seems much stronger) 11. ... Nxf5 12. Bxf5 Bxf5 13. Kh1 Qd7 14. dxc6 bxc6 15. Nxe5 dxe5 16. Qxd7 Nxd7 17. Rxf5⩲ van Wissen – de Graaf, 35th European Club Chess Cup, Ulcinj 2019. 11. Bh4 Qb6? The b2-Pawn hunt will soon betray its fallacy.

12. Kh1! Qxb2? If you said A you must say B, but... 13. Qd2! gxf5 (13. ... g5 14. Nxg5!→) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Qxh6 Bg7 16. Qh5 Nxf3. 16. ... Qxc3?? 17. Ng5 falls into mate. 17. gxf3 f6. After all, the g-file opened is the last thing Black needed! Here again 17. ... Qxc3?? was unplayable because of 18. Rg1 with mating attack. 18. Rg1 Rf7 19. Ne2 fxe4 20. fxe4 cxd5 21. Ng3 f5 22. Raf1 (22. Qg6+−) 22. ... f4 23. exd5 Qd4 24. Ne4 Bf5

25. Rxg7+! White is going to finish her opponent off in grand style. 25. ... Rxg7 26. Qxf5 Qxd5 27. c4. 27. Rxf4!+− is strong and even stronger for White, threatening Bd3-c4. 27. ... Qf7 28. Nf6+ Kf8 29. c5! Rd8 30. Be4 d5 31. Bc2 d4 32. Bb3 Qg6 33. Nh7+ Ke7 34. Qxe5+ Kd7 35. Nf6+ Kc6

36. Ba4+?? The drama explodes! 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) was too much excited to pick her lucky number: 36. Bd5+! Rxd5 (or 36. ... Kb5 37. a4+! with mate in a few moves) 37. Qxd5+ Kc7 38. Qd6+ Kc8 39. Qf8+ Kc7 40. Qxg7+! winning. 36. ... b5! 37. cxb6+ Kb7! (37. ... Kxb6?? 38. Qb5+ Kc7 39. Rc1++−) 38. Bc6+?? And the drama ends in tragedy. After 38. Qe4+ Qxe4 39. Nxe4 Kxb6 40. Rb1+ Kc7 a draw was in sight, which would have meant that the Armageddon was just there. 38. ... Kxc6 39. Rc1+ Kb7 40. Rc7+ Ka6 (40. ... Ka8?? 41. b7+ Kb8 42. Rd7#) 41. Rxg7 Qxg7 42. bxa7 Qb7+ 43. Ne4 Qxa7 44. Nc5+ Kb6 45. Qf6+ Kxc5 46. Qxd8 Qb7+ 47. Kg1 Qb1+ 48. Kf2 Qxa2+ 49. Kf3 Qd5+ 50. Qxd5+ Kxd5 51. Kxf4 Kc4 52. Kf3 d3 0 : 1.

As a mentor and a teacher, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) may well feel glad that two of her three students got to the knockout finals of the inaugural Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour, and even more importantly that 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) was the only woman to have qualified for the quarterfinals. Screenshot courtesy of chess24.com.

Queen Move

Magnus Carlsen – Wesley So

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 3; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, October 4, 2021

Larsen’s Opening A01

1. b3 b6 2. e4 Bb7 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bb2 Nf6 (4. ... c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Bd3 d6 10. Qe2 Be7 11. 0-0-0 Nd7 12. f4 0-0 13. Rhe1 Re8 14. g4 Bf8 15. h4 Nc5 16. g5 ½ : ½ (Mariotti – Wirthensohn, 15th Biel International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 1982) 5. e5 Nd5 (5. ... Ne4 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. h4 c5 8. Qg4 Bb7 9. h5 Nc6 10. 0-0-0 a6 11. Nf3 h6 12. Kb1 b5 13. d4 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Qg5 15. Qe4 Qxe5 16. Qxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe6 dxe6 18. Bxe5 f6 19. Bb2 Bc5 20. f3 Ke7 21. c4 b4 22. Bd3 Rad8 23. Bg6 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Rd8 25. Rxd8 Kxd8 26. Kc2 Ke7 27. Kd3 Bc6 28. Bd4 Kd6 29. Bxc5+ Kxc5 30. Ke3 a5 31. g4 a4 32. Be4 Be8 33. Bg6 Bd7 34. Bd3 a3 35. Bc2 f5 36. Bb1 f4+ 37. Ke4 Bc6+ 38. Kxf4 Kd4 39. Be4 Bd7 40. c5 e5+ 41. Kg3 Kxc5 0 : 1 Sarin – Andreikin, 9th Chess World Cup, Krasnaya Polyana 2021, match game 1) 6. Nxd5 (6. Qg4 Nb4 7. 0-0-0 h5 8. Qg3 Rh6 9. a3 h4 10. Qh3 Nd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Be2 Bb7 13. Bf3 Nc6 14. Ne2 Qg5 15. Nd4 0-0-0 16. Nxc6 dxc6 17. Rhe1 Bc5 18. Qg4 Qxg4 19. Bxg4 Rd7 20. f4 Bd4 21. c3 Bc5 22. f5 Be7 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Rf1 c5 25. Bh3 Rg6 26. Rf2 b5 27. Rdf1 Kd8 28. Kc2 c4 29. b4 Be4+ 30. Kd1 Bd3 31. Re1 Rd5 32. Rf7 Kd7 33. Rf4 Ke8 34. Rg4 Kd7 35. Rxg6 Bxg6 36. Bg4 Bg5 37. Bc1 Ke7 38. d4 Bxc1 39. Kxc1 Rd8 40. Rf1 Be4 41. Rf2 Rh8 42. Kd2 Rh6 43. Ke3 Bd5 44. Kf4 Rg6 45. Bh5 Rxg2 46. Rxg2 Bxg2 47. Kg5 h3 48. Kg6 Kf8 49. Bg4 Be4+ 50. Kg5 Bd5 51. Bxh3 Kf7 52. Bg4 Kf8 53. Bd1 Bc6 54. Bc2 Bd5 55. a4 a6 56. axb5 axb5 57. h4 Kg8 58. Kf4 Kf7 59. h5 Ke7 60. Kg5 Bc6 61. Bd1 Be4 62. Bg4 Kf7 63. Bh3 Ke7 64. Kf4 Bd5 65. Kg5 Be4 66. Kf4 ½ : ½ Rygg – I. L. Hansen, 2nd Xtracon Chess Open, Helsingør 2017) 6. ... Bxd5 7. Qg4 (7. Nf3 h6 8. Be2 Be7 9. 0-0 c5 10. c4 Be4 ½ : ½ Aden – Kohls, 82nd German Women’s Chess Championship, Bonn 2011) 7. ... h5 8. Qf4 g5 9. Qe3 a5 10. a3 Bb7 11. Nf3 g4 12. Nd4 Nc6 13. Nb5 Bh6. It also makes sense to propose the exchange of Knights with 13. ... Na7 which if accepted would ease the defender’s burden. 14. Qc3

14. ... Bg7? This is probably So’s crucial mistake as it enables White to unleash his full power and break the defence. 14. ... Rc8! was called for so as to free both the Knight and Queen. 15. d4 d6 16. exd6 cxd6 17. h3! White’s attack develops very easily as the Black King has no safe place. 17. ... f5 18. hxg4 hxg4 19. Rxh8+ Bxh8. Carlsen now forces the win by a beautiful series of Queen moves: 20. Qg3! e5. 20. ... Ke7 21. 0-0-0 it’s a target practice.

21. Qh2! Kd7. If 21. ... Qf6 then 22. Nxd6+! and the curtain falls. 22. Qh7+ Ne7 23. dxe5 Qg8 24. Qh6! Qg6 25. Qd2! 1 : 0.

Closing Credits

Magnus Carlsen – Levon Grigori Aronian

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 4; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, October 3, 2021

Nimzo-Indian Defence E24

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 b6 6. f3 Nc6 7. e4 d6 8. Nh3 Na5 9. Bd3 Ba6 10. Rb1. Just for the record it should be noted that 10. Qe2 e5 11. Be3 Qd7 12. a4 Qc6 13. d5 Qd7 14. 0-0 Qe7 15. Nf2 Nd7 16. Rab1 0-0 gave Black a comfortable equality in Carlsen – Aronian, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 4th stage, Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Saint Louis 2019 (time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move). 10. ... Qd7 11. Qe2 c5 12. 0-0 Qa4

13. Bf4. Here (maybe) there may be room for improvement with 13. e5!? dxe5 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. Qe4⩲↑ keeping an eye on both wings. 13. ... Rd8. A new move instead of the previously played 13. ... Nxc4 that also brought Black good luck after all: 14. d5 e5 15. Bg5 Nd7 16. Nf2 f6 17. Bc1 b5 18. f4 0-0-0 19. Bc2 Qa5 20. a4 exf4 21. axb5 Bxb5 22. Bd3 Nde5 23. Bxf4 Nxd3 24. Nxd3 Rhe8 25. Qf2 Na3 26. Bxd6?? (26. Nxc5!∞) 26. ... Rxd6 27. Qxc5+ Qc7 28. Rxb5 Nxb5 29. Qxb5 Rxe4 30. Nc5 Rb6 31. Qa5 Re2 32. Ne6 Rxg2+! 0 : 1 Belous – Fedoseev, 10th Russian Junior Chess Championship U-20, Saint Petersburg 2011) 14. Bxd6? Now with nothing more to win or lose, Carlsen is in a hurry going nowhere. Better, probably, was 17. e5 at once. 14. ... Rxd6 15. e5 Rd8 16. exf6 gxf6

17. d5? White goes from bad to worse as his attack has no chance of succeeding, while instead his Queenside is doomed to collapse. ⌓ 17. dxc5 Bxc4 was not appealing either, but at least gave some hope to hold onto. 17. ... Bxc4 18. Qe4 Rxd5 19. Nf4 f5 20. Qe3 Rd7 21. Qe5. 21. Bxf5 Bxf1 is similar to the game. 21. ... Rf8 22. Bxf5 Bxf1 23. Bxe6. 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Bxe6 Kd8! 25. Bxd7 Qf4! leaves Black at least a piece up. 23. ... fxe6 24. Nxe6

24. ... Nc6! 25. Qh5+ Rff7 26. Re1 Re7 0 : 1.

Lose to Win

Magnus Carlsen – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 3; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, October 2, 2021

Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Nd7 7. c3 h6 8. d4 Bd6 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Nc4 exd4 11. Nxd6. If 11. Nxd4 then 11. ... Nc5 12. e5 Be7 13. f4 f5∞ Fier – Salgado López, 1st Iberoamericano Online, chess24.com, July 6, 2020, match game 3 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). 11. ... cxd6 12. Nxd4. 12. Qxd4 does not promise much either: 12. ... Qf6 13. Rd1 Ne5 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Qd6 Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Be6 17. Be3 Rfd8 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Bxa7 Bxa2!= Fier – Salgado López, 1st Iberoamericano Online, chess24.com, July 6, 2020, match game 1 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). 12. ... Nf6 13. f3 Re8 14. c4 Qb6 15. Re1

15. ... d5! 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Kh1 Ne7 (17. ... Nb4 18. a3 c5=) 18. Nb3 Qc7 19. Be3 b6 20. Nd4 c5 21. Nb5 Qc6 22. a4 a6 23. Nc3 Be6 24. Qe2 f5 25. Qf2 Rac8 26. h3 Ng6 27. Qf1 (27. Qg3 Kh7 28. h4⩲) 27. ... f4 28. Bd2 Rcd8 29. Nd5 Bxd5 30. exd5 Qxd5 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32. Bc3 Nh4 33. Rd1 Qg5 34. Rd7 Nf5 35. Qc4+ Kh7 36. Qf7 (36. Qd3 Re3 37. Rxg7+ Qxg7 38. Qxf5+ Qg6 39. Qc8 Re8 40. Qb7+ Kg8 41. Qxa6∞) 36. ... Re7. Obviously not 36. ... Re2?? on account of 37. Qxf5+! Qxf5 38. Rxg7+ Kh8 39. Rg5+ Kh7 40. Rxf5 remaining a clear piece ahead.

37. Qxf5+!? Carlsen apparently specialised himself in sacrificing Queens, which also in this case was anything but ordinary, since after 37. Rxe7 Nxe7 38. Qc4 Nf5 39. Qe4 White would win back the Pawn with approximate equality. But with the results of the other games being instrumental in ensuring him the victory of the Champions Chess Tour 2021 — regardless of how this game turns out — Carlsen must have felt compelled to leave something for the others. 37. ... Qxf5 38. Rxe7 Qg5 39. Ra7? Allowing Black to mobilise his majority. 39. Rb7! Qg6 40. Rc7! was still a tough fight. 39. ... b5! 40. axb5. The trouble is that White cannot play 40. Rxa6?? on account of 40. ... b4 winning easily. 40. ... axb5 41. Ra5 c4 42. Ra7 Kg8 43. Rb7 g6 44. Kh2 Kf8 45. Kh1 Ke8 46. Bb4 Qf6 47. Bc3 Qf5 48. Kh2 g5 49. Rb6 h5 50. Rh6 g4 51. hxg4 hxg4 52. fxg4 Qxg4 53. Rh3 Kd7 54. Rf3 Ke6 55. Kg1 Qf5 56. Kf1 Kd5 57. Kg1 Kc5 58. Kh2 b4 59. Bh8 Kd5 60. Rh3 Ke4 61. Rf3 Qh7+ 62. Rh3 Qc7 63. Kg1 Qb6+ 64. Kh2 Qb8 65. Kg1

65. ... c3! 66. Bxc3 (66. bxc3 b3−+) 66. ... bxc3 67. bxc3 Qb6+ 68. Kh2 Qf2 69. Rf3 Qe3! 70. Rh3 Kd3 71. Rf3 Kxc3 72. Kh3 Kd4 73. Kh4 Ke4 74. Kg4 Qe2 0 : 1.

“Today was really poor, but right now I don’t really care. I am just happy to have won overall”, Carlsen said after being confirmed that he had won the Champions Chess Tour 2021 with two rounds still to go. Photo: Meltwater Champions Chess Tour (@ChampChessTour).

The Weight of a Crown

Anish Giri – Magnus Carlsen

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; tie-break game 1; time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, October 1, 2021

Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. 0-0 Nge7 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Qb6 7. Be3 Nxd4 8. a4 Nxb5!!?? A stunning, though possibly unsound, Queen sacrifice which throws Giri into anguish. Any human theory gave only 8. ... e5 9. c3 a6= Campora – Khatanbaatar, 34th Olympiad, Istanbul 2000. 9. Bxb6 axb6. Black has obtained three pieces for the Queen, but as long as his underdevelopment persists, any claim for compensation is to be deemed more virtual than real.

10. Nd2? This natural developing move may very well be the only mistake Giri made in the opening, and in any event it proves enough to justify Carlsen’s dashing sacrifice. The best seems to be 10. Qd3! Nc7 (10. ... Na7 11. Na3) 11. Qg3 keeping Black in bondage. 10. ... Nd6! Suddenly Black’s minor pieces spring to life as the lonely White Queen will have to deal with all them. 11. e5 Ndf5 12. Ne4 Nc6 13. g4 Nh4 14. f4 h5 15. h3. The alternative is 15. g5 on which Black can reply 15. ... Nf5 16. c3 Nce7! with a truly Nimzowitschian trademark. 15. ... hxg4 16. hxg4

16. ... d5! 17. exd6 Ra5 18. c4 f5! 19. b4! Nxb4 20. d7+ Bxd7 21. Nd6+ Bxd6 22. Qxd6 Nc6

23. Rad1? It will be immediately clear why White ought to have first played 23. Qc7 with an unsteady balance. 23. ... Bc8! 24. g5. Now 24. Qc7 is answered by 24. ... 0-0! 25. g5 Ng6−+ winning similarly as in the game. 24. ... Ng6 25. Rf2 Kf7 26. Qc7+ Nce7 27. Rd8 Rxd8 28. Qxd8 Rxa4 29. Qc7 e5 30. fxe5 Be6 31. Qxb7 Rxc4 32. Qxb6 Nxe5 33. Re2 Rc6 34. Qe3 N5g6 35. Kh2 Bc4 36. Rb2 Re6 37. Qf3 Re4 38. Rb7 Be6 39. Kg1 Rg4+ 40. Kh2 Rxg5 41. Rb6 Bd5 42. Qe3 Rg2+ 43. Kh3 Rg4 44. Kh2 f4 45. Qd4 Rg5 46. Rd6 f3 47. Rd7 Rf5 48. Qg4 Be6 49. Rd1 Ne5 50. Qh4 f2 51. Kg2 Bd5+ 52. Kf1 Bc4+ 53. Kg2 f1=Q+ 0 : 1.

Little by Little

Magnus Carlsen – Hikaru Nakamura

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 3; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, September 29, 2021

Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bg5. Varying from 7. Nbd2 Be6 8. b3 0-0 9. Bb2 Nd7 10. d4 f6 11. dxe5 fxe5 12. Qe2 Qe7 13. a4 Rf7 14. h3 Raf8 15. Rad1 h6 16. Nh2 c5 17. Nc4 Rf6 18. Qd3 Qf7 19. f3 h5? (⌓ 19. ... Bxc4 20. bxc4 h5 21. a5 b6=) 20. Nxd6 cxd6 21. Qe3 Qe7 22. Qg5 Re8 23. Rf2 Bf7 24. Nf1 Nf8 25. Qd2 Ng6 26. Ne3 Nh4 27. Kh2 Kh7 28. Rdf1 Ng6 29. Nf5 Qf8 30. f4! Nxf4 31. Rxf4 exf4 32. Bxf6 gxf6 33. Qxd6 Qxd6 34. Nxd6 Re7 35. Rxf4 Kg6 36. Kg3 Be6 37. Rf3 b6 38. Kf4 h4 39. g4 hxg3 40. Rxg3+ Kh7 41. h4 Rd7 42. e5 fxe5+ 43. Kxe5 Bg8 44. Nf5 Kh8 45. c4 Rd1 46. Ne7 Bh7 47. Nd5 Rh1 48. Nf6! (the corollary to a masterly endgame demonstration) 48. ... Rxh4 49. Nxh7 Kxh7 50. Kd6 Rh6+ 51. Kc7 Rf6 52. Kb7 Rf7+ 53. Ka6 Rc7 54. Rd3 Kg6 55. Rd8 Re7 56. Rb8 Kf5 57. Rb7 Re3 58. Kxa7 Rxb3 59. a5 Rb4 60. a6 (60. axb6 and 60. Rxb6 win as well) 60. ... Ke5 61. Rxb6 Rxc4 62. Kb7! Ra4 63. a7 Rxa7+ 64. Kxa7 c4 65. Rc6 1 : 0 Carlsen – Nakamura, ibidem, match game 1. 7. ... h6 8. Bh4 Qe7 9. Nbd2 Bg4 10. h3. Or 10. Nc4 0-0-0 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qe2 g5∞ Firouzja – Nakamura, 4th Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Tournament, lichess.org, September 19, 2020 (time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move). 10. ... Bh5 11. d4 0-0-0 12. Re1

12. ... Qe6?! 12. ... g5 13. Bg3 Nd7 was probably more congruent with the theoretical input requirements. 13. c4! A Pawn to be offered in sacrifice, with the aim of opening up attacking lines against the Black King. 13. ... Bxf3 14. Nxf3. However, 14. Qxf3 was also strong: 14. ... g5 (14. ... exd4 15. e5! Bxe5 16. Qa3! is nevertheless discouraging) 15. d5 and White stands much better. 14. ... Qxc4 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Nxe5 Qb5

17. Nxc6! Making a tactic of technique. 17. ... Qxc6 18. Qb3 Rd7 19. Rac1 Qe6. There is nothing better for Black than to offer the exchange of Queens, leaving White with much the better endgame. 20. Qxe6 fxe6 21. Bg3 b6 22. Rc6 Re8 23. Be5 Kb7 24. Rec1 Ree7 25. f3 Ne8 26. h4 h5 27. Kh2 g6 28. Kg3 Rd2 29. R6c2 Rxc2 30. Rxc2 Rf7 31. b4 a6 32. a4 Rf8 33. b5 axb5 34. axb5 Kc8 35. Ra2 Kd7 36. Ra8 Rf7 37. Ra1 Rf8

38. Kf2?! This seems a strange inaccuracy. Simply 38. Rd1+! followed by Rd1-c1-c6 would have kept Black irremediably tied up to his weaknesses. 38. ... Nd6! 39. Bxd6. Now after 39. Rd1 Ra8! Black would successfully escape the bind. 39. ... Kxd6 40. Rd1+ Ke7? The King’s passivity in the endgame may never be in the best interest of the defendant. Both 40. ... Kc5 41. Rc1+ Kxb5 42. Rxc7 e5 and 40. ... Ke5 41. Ra1 Rc8 42. Rc1 Ra8 43. Rxc7 Ra5 offered excellent chances for a draw. 41. Ke3 Ra8 42. Rc1? An inversion of moves by which White risked throwing away the win. The right way was 42. Kf4! Ra2 43. Rc1 Kd7 44. g4+− transposing to the game. 42. ... Kd7? Black’s luck slips away. 42. ... Ra5! 43. Rxc7+ Kf6 would put up a strong fight. Now Carlsen executes his performance with perfect technique: 43. Kf4 Ra2 44. g4 Ra3 45. Rf1 Ke7 46. Kg5 Kf7 47. Kh6 Rc3 48. g5 Rd3 49. Rc1 Rd7 50. Rc6 Re7 51. f4 Rd7 52. f5 gxf5 53. exf5 exf5 54. Rf6+ Kg8 55. Rxf5 Rd6+ 56. Kxh5 c6 57. bxc6 Rxc6 58. g6 Rc8 59. Kg5 Rb8 60. h5 b5 1 : 0.

Nothing But Net

Magnus Carlsen – Vladislav Mikhailovich Artemiev

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, September 28, 2021

Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. b3. A sideline variation named after Finnish Grandmaster Heikki Westerinen. 3. ... a6 4. Bb2 Nc6 5. d4. Usually White first plays 5. c4 aiming at a Maroczy Bind with a subsequent d2-d4. 5. ... cxd4 6. Nxd4 Qf6 7. Be2 Bc5 8. c3 e5 9. Nf3. Or 9. b4 Ba7 10. Nf5? (better is 10. Nf3 Nge7 similarly to the game) 10. ... d5!∓ Böhnisch – L. Portisch, 15th Berliner Sommer, Berlin 1997. 9. ... Nge7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. b4TN (11. c4 ½ : ½ Pérez García – Borges Mateos, 71st Cuban Chess Championship, Santa Clara 2008) 11. ... Ba7 12. a4 Ng6 13. Bc1 h6 14. Na3 Rd8 15. Be3 d5 16. exd5 e4 17. Nd2 Rxd5

18. b5. Here (maybe) White misses his best chance for a better future: 18. Bxa7! Nxa7 19. Nxe4 Qe5 20. Qb3 Be6 (20. ... Qxe4?? 21. Bf3+−) 21. f3 b5 22. Rfe1⩲ with a small edge. 18. ... Bxe3 19. fxe3 Qxc3. And now a strange thing happens or maybe it is not so strange — Artemiev has only a few seconds left, but it is Carlsen who begins to get nervous! 20. Nac4 Nce5 21. Nxe4. Or 21. Rc1 Qb4 22. Rb1 Qc5 23. Nxe4 Rxd1 24. Nxc5 Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Nxc4 26. Bxc4 axb5 27. Rxb5 Ne7 with near equality. 21. ... Rxd1 22. Nxc3 Rxa1 23. Rxa1 Nxc4 24. Bxc4 Ne5 25. Bd5 axb5 26. Nxb5 Ra6 27. Rc1 Bd7 28. Bb3 Be6

29. Nc7?? An inexplicable act of harakiri which must mean something too important to be asked. White had to play 29. Bxe6 first and now if 29. ... fxe6 then 30. Nc7 is good enough for a draw — which is also the most probable outcome after 29. ... Rxe6 30. Rc8+ Kh7 31. Rc7. 29. ... Bxb3 30. Nxa6 bxa6 31. Rc8+ Kh7 32. a5. For what it is worth, 32. Ra8 might make things more difficult for Black in case of 32. ... Bxa4 33. Rxa6 — but of course 32. ... Bc4 is always possible. 32. ... Bc4 33. Kf2 Bb5 34. Rc2 Nc4 35. Ra2 Kg6 36. Kf3 Kf5 37. g4+ Ke5 38. h3 g5 39. Kf2 f5 40. gxf5 Kxf5 41. Ra1 Ke5 42. h4 g4 43. Rc1 h5 44. Rd1 Nd6 45. Rc1 Bc4 46. Rb1 Nf5 47. Rb7 g3+ 48. Kg1 Nxh4 49. Rh7 Be2 50. Rg7 0 : 1. And Carlsen gives up without waiting for 50. ... Nf5.

Simple But Not Easy

Magnus Carlsen – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 1; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, September 27, 2021

Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 e6. Another good continuation is 7. ... g6 8. 0-0 Bg7 9. Be3 Nf6 10. f3 0-0 11. Qd2 Rac8 12. Rad1 Rfd8= Redolfi – R. J. Fischer, 22nd Mar del Plata International Chess Tournament, Mar del Plata 1959. 8. b3 Be7 9. Bb2 Nf6 10. Qd2. In conjunction with the next move (long castling) a novelty. With 10. 0-0 White could still revert by transposition to beaten tracks — 10. ... 0-0 11. Qd2 Rac8 12. Rad1 Rfd8 13. Rfe1 a6 14. Na4 Qc7 15. c4 Nxd4 ½ : ½ Gormally – Petrov, 94th Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 2019. 10. ... 0-0-0 11. 0-0-0

11. ... d5 12. Qe2 Bc5. If 12. ... Nxd4 there might follow 13. Rxd4 e5 14. Rxd5! with a promising Exchange sacrifice. 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Rxd5 16. f3 f6 17. Rxd5 Qxd5 18. Rd1 Qc6 19. a4 Kb8 20. Kb1 e5 21. Qd3 Be7? Here the Bishop is very badly placed. Much better was 21. ... Bb6 in order to answer 22. Qf5 by 22. ... a6 23. Rd7 g6 24. Qd3 Bc7 and Black can still hope to defend.

22. Qf5! Black is now in a kind of zugzwang as most of his possible moves would imply losses of material (22. ... g6? 23. Bxe5+!). 22. ... a6 23. h4 h5 24. Rd7 Re8 (24. ... g6 25. Bxe5+!+−)

25. Bxe5+! Ka8. No good are either 25. ... fxe5 26. Qxe5+ Ka7 27. Rxe7 or 25. ... Ka7 26. Bg3! Bc5 27. Rc7 Re1+! 28. Ka2 Bd4 29. Rxb7+! Kxb7 30. Bxe1 since in both cases White remains with two Pawns ahead in what must be a relatively easily won ending. 26. Rc7 1 : 0. Because if 26. ... Qd5 then 27. Rc8+ and White forces checkmate.

Wildly

Magnus Carlsen – Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, September 26, 2021

Spanish Game C82

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 0-0 11. Bc2 Nxf2. The Dilworth Variation. 12. Rxf2 f6 13. Nf1. The most usual continuation 13. exf6 also gives rise to a critical tabiya of the variation. 13. ... Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 fxe5 15. Kg1 Bg4. Perhaps 15. ... Qd6 should be regarded as a theoretical mainstream: 16. Ng3 h6 17. Qe1 Bg4 18. Nh4 e4 19. h3 Bd7 20. Be3 Qf6 21. Nh5 Qe5 22. Nf4 Rxf4 23. Ng6 Rf1+ 24. Kxf1 Qf5+ 25. Nf4 g5 26. Qg3 Kh7 27. Ke2 gxf4 28. Qxf4 Qxf4 29. Bxf4 Rg8 30. Kf2 Rf8 31. Ke3 Ne7 32. Bxc7 Nf5+ 33. Ke2 b4 34. Bf4 bxc3 35. bxc3 Nh4 36. g3 Ng2 37. c4 Nxf4+ 38. gxf4 Rc8 39. Rd1 Rxc4 40. Bb3 Ba4 41. Rxd5 Bxb3 42. axb3 Rc3 ½ : ½ Vachier-Lagrave – Mamedyarov, 51st International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 2018. 16. Ne3 Be6. Not 16. ... Bxf3? on account of 17. gxf3 Ne7 18. Qd3 g6 19. Ng4!→ with powerful attack, Janošević – Honfi, Hungary – Yugoslavia Match, Budapest 1964. 17. b3 Kh8 18. Ba3 Rf4 19. Bc5. 19. Nxe5 Nxe5 20. Qh5 Qh4 gets nowhere for White.

19. ... d4? A sensible idea, but too hasty. In any case Black would have done well to first play 19. ... Qf6! with reasonable chances for defence. 20. cxd4 exd4 21. Qd3 Bg8 22. Nf5 Qd5 23. Ba3 Re8 24. Rd1 Rfe4 25. Ng3 Re3 26. Qd2 R3e6? ⌓ 26. ... h6 27. Bb2 Bh7 was the way Black should go, but luckily for him his inaccuracy will not have irreparable consequences. 27. Bb2 Rd8 28. Nxd4 Qc5

29. Ne4. Carlsen has not only a pair of peerless Bishops but also a pair of close-knit Knights! Nevertheless it’s just the case to say that the engines do inexorably solve the “spot the winning move” test: 29. Qf2!+− — the detail, however, is of relatively little importance, at least from a practical standpoint. 29. ... Qe7 30. Qe3 Nxd4 31. Rxd4 Rxd4 32. Qxd4 c5 33. Qc3 c4!? Mamedyarov cannot be blamed for overlooking a very subtle resource — that took a few seconds for the engines to spot: 33. ... h5!! (Δ ... Bg8-h7). 34. bxc4 bxc4 35. h3 h6 36. Qxc4 Rb6 37. Qc3 Bxa2? Even at first glance, one cannot but doubt that Black may afford such a luxury. With 37. ... Rb7! Black would put up a tough fight. 38. Ng3 Bg8 39. Nf5 Qf6 40. Qxf6 gxf6 41. Bd4 Rc6 42. Be4 Re6 43. Bd5 Re8. 43. ... Re1+ 44. Kf2 Bxd5 45. Kxe1 Bxg2 46. h4 leaves White with only a Pawn but also with the Bishop of the right colour — Mamedyarov does not bet on it. 44. Bc6 Re6. 44. ... Rf8 would probably make it less easy for White to demonstrate a win, but it would not prevent Carlsen from tormenting his opponent until the “inevitable” breakdown (starting with 45. Nd6 or also 45. Nxh6).

45. Bd7! Re1+ 46. Kf2 Rd1 47. Ke2 Bb3 48. Bxf6+ Kh7 49. Nd4 Kg6 50. Be5 Kf7 51. Be6+! 1 : 0.

Beyond the Looking-Glass

Magnus Carlsen – Jan-Krzysztof Duda

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 1; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, September 25, 2021

Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 c5 6. e3 cxd4 7. exd4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Qc7 9. Rb1. Dernier cri. 9. ... Nd7

10. Bd3! An inspired Pawn sacrifice in search of the Graal as 10. c4 b6 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. 0-0 Be7 13. Re1 0-0 gave Black no worries in Mendonca – Keymer, 1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour, 2nd stage, Gelfand Challenge, chess24.com, June 11, 2021 (time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). 10. ... Qxc3+ 11. Kf1 Be7 12. h4! 0-0 13. Rh3

13. ... Nf6? One mistake is enough to lose a game. The Black Queen ought to hurry in order to get back before it’s too late: ⌓ 13. ... Qc7! 14. Bg5!⩲↑ (14. Ng5 Nf6 gets nowhere for White). 14. Ne5! With the crude threat of Bd3xh7+. 14. ... Qa5 15. Rg3 Kh8. 15. ... Ne8 is no better as after 16. Bh6 f5 17. Bb5! there are too many threats for Black to meet. 16. Bg5. Threatening Bg5xf6 followed by Qd1-h5. 16. ... h6 17. Bxh6! gxh6 18. Qf3! 1 : 0. Black is helpless against Qf3-f4 (with mate threat).

Any appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, all games in the Champions Chess Tour’s Grand Finale are played online via the Internet. The same went for both Carlsen and Duda, in spite of the fact that they were seated — one in front of the other — in the same broadcasting studio at Oslo, Norway. Screenshot courtesy of Leon Watson.

Suddenly There

Rameshbabu Vaishali – Vincent Keymer

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 21, 2021

4k3/1N2b3/4p3/PR3p1p/5Pn1/4B3/r4P2/5K2 w - h6 0 39

Position after 38. ... h7-h5

Black's passed Pawn has a wide open way to its queening-square, but Vaishali, the sibling of Praggnanandhaa, could still prevent a great deal of sorrow for her brother: 39. Rb6? But not this way! The right move was 39. Bd4, and if 39. ... h4 then 40. Rb3 keeping everything in control. 39. ... h4 40. Rxe6. 40. Kg1 h3 41. Rb1 Kf7 makes little or no difference. 40. ... Kf7 41. Rc6 h3 42. Kg1 Bh4! Threatening ... Bh4xf2+. 43. Rc7+ Kg6 44. Rc1 Bxf2+ 45. Bxf2 Rxf2 46. Ra1 Rg2+ 0 : 1.

Just not to forget that the Challenge is named for herself, on the fourth and last day, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) graced the audience with her ethereal and mystical presence. Screenshot courtesy of chess24.com.

Lesson Study

Vincent Keymer – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié)

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 21, 2021

Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. 0-0 b6 13. a4 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8. Another way is 14. ... Nf6 15. Bd3 h6 16. a5 bxa5 17. Rxa5 Qc7 18. Ne5 Rfc8 19. f3 Qd8 20. Bf1 Nd7 21. Nc4 Nb6 22. Ne3 Rc7 23. Rea1 Rd7 24. Nc2 Nc8 25. Bb5 Rd6 26. Qb4 Rb8 27. Bd3 Ne7 28. Rb5 a6 29. e5 Rc6 30. Rxb7 Rxb7 31. Qxb7 Rxc2 32. Qe4 Rc8 33. Rxa6 Nf5 34. Kf2 Qxd4+ 35. Qxd4 Nxd4 36. Be4 g6 ½ : ½ Salem – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Grand Prix 2017, 2nd stage, Moscow 2017. 15. Bd3 Nb8

16. d5! The exclamation mark is to emphasize that four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s lesson of all lessons, “Fight for the d5-breaks”, must have been a great inspiration not only to 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) — indeed a pupil of hers — but also to Keymer! 16. ... exd5 17. e5 Qe7. Theoretically speaking, only one game is known to feature the topic in question: 17. ... Ba6 18. Bf5 Rc7 19. Ra3 Qe7 20. Rae3 g6 21. Bb1 Nc6 22. e6 d4 23. exf7+ Qxf7 24. Re6 Bc4 25. Rxc6 Rxc6 26. Ne5 Qc7 27. Nxc6 Qxc6 28. Rc1 b5 29. axb5 Qxb5 30. Qxd4 Be6 31. Qxa7 Qb2 32. Qe3 Kg7 33. Re1 Bf5 34. Bxf5 Rxf5 35. h4 h5 36. Rd1 Rf7 37. Rd4 Qb1+ 38. Kh2 Qb8+ 39. g3 Qb2 40. Rf4 Rxf4 41. gxf4 Qc2 42. Kg3 Kf7 43. Qa7+ Kf6 44. Qd4+ Kf7 45. Qd5+ Kf6 46. Qe5+ Kf7 47. f5 gxf5 48. f3 Qd3 49. Kf4 Qd2+ 50. Kxf5 Qc2+ 51. Qe4 Qc5+ 52. Qe5 Qc2+ 53. Qe4 Qc5+ 54. Kf4 Kf6 55. Qe3 Qd6+ 56. Ke4 Qe6+ 57. Kf4 Qd6+ 58. Ke4 Qe6+ 59. Kf4 Qd6+ 60. Ke4 ½ : ½ Sarin – 徐英伦 (Xú Yīnglún), 2nd Northern Lights Open, Reykjavík 2017. 18. Qf4 Na6? The wrong piece in the right place. Correct is 18. ... Ba6!∞ 19. Bf5 Rc4 20. Qg3 Bc8 21. e6! fxe6 22. Ne5 Rh4! with an unclear but probably balanced play. 19. Ng5 h6. Not 19. ... g6 on account of 20. Qh4 h5 21. e6 and Black’s castle is only more weakened. 20. Nh7 Nb4? Black’s aim is susceptible to a clear refutation. 20. ... Rfd8 21. Nf6+! Kf8 22. Qf5! g6 23. Qf4 Kg7 24. Ng4 gives White more than enough compensation for the Pawn, but Black had nothing better.

21. Nxf8. All good and well though, but the mighty engines show that 21. Nf6+! Kh8 (21. ... gxf6 22. Bf5!+−) 22. Re3! Nxd3 23. Qf5! gxf6 (23. ... g6 24. Qg5! Kg7 25. Nh5++−) 24. Rh3+− was an even stronger argument. 21. ... Qxf8. 21. ... Nxd3 22. Qf5 also leaves White with material advantage. 22. Bf5 Rc4 23. Qg3 Bc8 24. e6 fxe6 25. Bxe6+ Bxe6 26. Rxe6 Qf7 27. Rxh6 Qc7 28. Qxc7 Rxc7 29. Rd6. Keymer is now in his element. 29. ... Kf7 30. h4 Ke7 31. Rg6 Kf7 32. Rg4 a5 33. Re1 Rd7 34. Rd4 Rd6 35. h5 Kf6 36. Rg4 Kf7 37. Rf4+ Kg8 38. g4 Rd8 39. Re7 Nc6 40. Re6 Nb4

The German wunderkind finishes in style: 41. g5! d4 42. g6 d3 43. Rd4! 1 : 0.

The One Before

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa – Aditya Mittal

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 21, 2021

Sicilian Defence B96

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Nbd7 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. 0-0-0 b5. 9. ... Nb6? is incongruent with the line as it leaves White with a free hand to carry on his attack as he likes: 10. g4 Be7 11. Bg2 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. fxg5 Nh7 14. Bg3 Bxg5+ 15. Kb1 e5 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 0-0-0 18. h4 Be7 19. Bf2 Rhe8 20. Bxb6 Qxb6 21. Nd5 Qa7 22. Qc4+ Qc5 23. Qb3 Bf8 24. Nf6 1 : 0 Tatai – Avgousti, Zone 11 Tournament, Bečići 1981. 10. a3. The alternative is 10. g4!? on which there can follow 10. ... Bb7 11. a3 Be7 12. Rg1 Nb6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. f5 e5 15. Nb3 Rc8 16. Rg3 Rg8 17. Kb1 Nc4 18. Nd2 Nb6 19. Rc1 Nd7 20. Na2 Nc5 21. c4 bxc4 22. Qxc4 Qd7 23. Qe2 Rb8 24. Ka1 a5 25. b4 axb4 26. axb4 Ba6 27. Nc4 Qb7 28. Qc2 Bxc4 29. Bxc4 Nd7 30. Qb3 Rg7 31. Bd5 Qa7 32. Bc6 Kf8 33. Kb2 Nc5 34. Qa3 Qb6 35. Bd5 Qb5 36. Ka1 Nb7 37. Nc3 Qb6 38. Na4 Qd4+ 39. Qc3 Qa7 40. Qa3 Qd4+ 41. Nb2 Nd8 42. Rc4 Qf2 43. h3 h5 44. Ka2 hxg4 45. hxg4 Rh7 46. g5 fxg5 47. Rf3 Qh4 48. f6 Bxf6 49. Rxf6 g4 50. Rf1 g3 51. Qa7 Rb5 52. Rc8 1 : 0 Micheli – Tatai, 2nd International Tournament, Madonna di Campiglio 1974. 10. ... Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6!? 11. ... Nxf6 is probably safer, although White still has the initiative after 12. g4 Nd7 13. g5 Rb8 14. Qe1!⩲↑ Garrido Outón – Valenzuela Gómez, 1st Masters Sevilla-B, chess24.com, July 9, 2021.

12. Ndxb5! axb5 13. Nxb5 Qb8 14. Nxd6+ Kf8 15. e5 Be7 16. h4!? Only time and theory will say whether the new is better than the old: 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6+ Kg8 18. h4 Bf8 19. Qg5 h5 20. Rh3 Bh6 21. Qe7 Nxe5 22. Rb3 Qa7 23. Qxa7 Rxa7 24. Nxc8 Bxf4+ 25. Kb1 Rc7 26. Nd6 Kh7 27. Ne4 Ng4 28. g3 Bh6 29. Bb5 Ne3 30. Rd7 Rxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Rb7 Kg8 33. a4 Nc4 34. b4 Be3 35. a5 Ra8 36. Be8 Ne5 37. Nd6 f5 38. Bb5 1 : 0 Pons – Eilering, RE-2011-0-00077, by e-mail via the Lechenicher SchachServer (LSS), October 22, 2011. Or maybe there is not much difference. 16. ... Nc5 17. Rh3 Ba6 18. Qh5 g6 19. Qh6+ Kg8 20. Bxa6 Rxa6 21. b4

21. ... Bxd6?? A tragicomic mistake which reduces Black to complete paralysis. After the best defence, 21. ... Qa8! 22. bxc5 Rxa3∞ nothing is clear yet. 22. exd6 Nd7 23. Rc3 Rxd6. This precipitates the end, but Black could do little or nothing to avoid the inevitable. 24. Rxd6 Qxd6 25. Rc8+ Nf8 26. c4 f6 27. c5 Qe7 28. b5 Kf7 29. b6 Nd7 30. b7 e5 31. f5 gxf5 32. Qe3 Rd8 33. c6 f4 34. Qb3+ Kg7 35. cxd7 Qxd7 36. Rxd8 Qc7+ 37. Kb1 Qxd8 38. b8=Q Qd2 39. Qc2 Qe1+ 40. Ka2 e4 41. Qxf4 1 : 0.

Square in a Square

Vincent Keymer – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 20, 2021

Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. a4 Be7 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. b3. Although somewhat dated, the following game between two virtuosos of positional play may still be regarded as a model of defence: 11. Nd2 0-0 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Be7 14. Bd2 Rd8 15. Bc3 Bd7 16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Be8 18. Rad1 Rxd6 19. Rxd6 Rb8 20. a5 Kf8 21. Rd1 Rc8 22. Bb3 Rc7 23. f3 Bd7 24. Kf2 f6 25. g4 e5 26. Kg3 Ke7 27. f4 Be6 28. Ba4 exf4+ 29. exf4 Rd7 30. f5 Rxd1 31. Bxd1 Bd7 32. Kf4 h6 33. h4 Kf8 34. Bf3 Ke7 35. Bd5 Bc8 36. g5 hxg5+ 37. hxg5 Bd7 38. g6 Bc8 39. b3 Nd8 40. Bb4+ Ke8 41. Bc3 Ke7 42. Bb4+ Ke8 43. Bd6 Bd7 44. b4 Bc8 45. Bc5 Bd7 46. Be4 Bc8 47. Bb6 Nc6 48. b5 Ne7 49. bxa6 bxa6 50. Bc5 Kd8 51. Bd3 Nd5+ 52. Ke4 Ne7 53. Kf4 Nd5+ 54. Kg4 Ne7 55. Kf4 Nd5+ 56. Ke4 Ne7 57. Bxe7+ Kxe7 58. Kd5 Kd7 59. Kc5 Kc7 ½ : ½ Flohr – A. K. Rubinstein, 3rd Chess Olympiad, Hamburg 1930. 11. ... 0-0 12. Nd2 Rd8 13. Bb2 Bd7 14. Nce4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Be7 16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Be8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Bc3 Kf8 20. Kf1 Rc8 21. f4 h5 22. Ke2 Ke7. Probably simpler is 22. ... Ne7 28. Rc1 (otherwise ... b7-b5 follows) 28. ... Bc6 with a balanced game. 23. Bd3 f6 24. b4

24. ... Ne5!? Praggnanandhaa offers a Pawn for an active defence — and indeed it is hard to say whether such a decision deserves an exclamation mark or two. 25. Bxe5 fxe5 26. fxe5 Rc3 27. a5 Bc6 28. g3 Rb3 29. Rb1 Ra3 30. Rb2 Ra1 31. Kd2 g5 32. Kc3 h4 33. gxh4 gxh4 34. Bb1 Bd5 35. Kd4 Kd7 36. e4 Bc6 37. Ke3 Ra3+ 38. Kf4 h3! 39. Rd2+ Ke7 40. Rd3 Ra1 41. Rb3 Ba4 42. Rb2

42. ... Ra3?? An awful mistake which loses the game suddenly and melodramatically. After the correct 42. ... Bb5! White has hardly anything better than 43. Rb3 Ba4 with a likely draw by repetition. 43. Ra2+− Rxa2 44. Bxa2 Bc2 45. Bc4 Kf7 46. Bf1 Bb3 47. Bxh3 Kg6 48. Bg4 Bc4 49. h4 Bb3 50. Ke3 Kf7 51. Kd4 Ke7 52. Kc5 Bc2 53. Bf3 1 : 0.

The Unending Game

Volodar Arturovich Murzin – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 19, 2021

Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. Qe2 e5 6. 0-0. One cannot but quote at this juncture the following game for theoretical reference: 6. d3 Be7 7. 0-0 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. a4 Re8 10. Na3 h6 11. Nc4 Bf8 12. Re1 Be6 13. Bd2 Rc8 14. Ne3 Na5 15. c4 g6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Bd7 18. Qd1 c4 19. Bf1 Nb3 20. Ra3 Nxd2 21. Qxd2 cxd3 22. Bxd3 h5 23. h4 a6 24. a5 Qf6 25. Be2 Bg4 26. Rc1 Qe7 27. Rac3 Qd7 28. Kg2 Be7 29. Ng1 Rxc3 30. Qxc3 Rc8 31. Qxc8+ Qxc8 32. Rxc8+ Bxc8 33. Nf3 Kf8 34. Nd2 Bd7 35. Nc4 Bb5 36. Kf1 Ke8 37. Nb6 g5 38. Bxb5+ axb5 39. Nc8 gxh4 40. Nxe7 Kxe7 41. gxh4 Kd7 42. Ke2 Kc7 43. Kd3 Kb8 44. b4 Kc7 ½ : ½ 林晨 (Lín Chén) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 45th Chinese Chess Championship, 兴化 (Xīnghuà) 2014. 6. ... Be7 7. Nc3. Both the opponents had their good reasons for coming here. First of all Praggnanandhaa who was savoring the still-fresh memory of 7. c3 0-0 8. Na3 Re8 9. d3 d6 10. Nc4 h6 11. h3 Be6 12. Kh2 Bf8 13. Bd2 g6 14. a4 Bg7 15. b4 cxb4 16. cxb4 d5 17. Na5 Nxa5 18. bxa5 Bd7 19. Bc3 Qc7 20. Rfc1 Bc6 21. Nd2 a6 22. Qd1 Rad8 23. Qb3 h5 24. Bb4 Qd7 25. Ra2 Bh6 26. Re1 h4 27. exd5 Bxd5 28. Bxd5 Qxd5 29. Qxd5 Nxd5 30. Rb1 hxg3+ 31. fxg3 Nxb4 32. Rxb4 Rxd3 33. Ne4 Re7 34. Nc5 Rd5 35. Rxb7 Rxb7 36. Nxb7 Be3 37. Re2 Ba7 38. Rc2 e4 39. Kg2 Rd7 40. Rc8+ Kh7 41. Nd8 Kg7 42. Nc6 Rd2+ 43. Kf1 Bf2 44. Re8 f5 45. g4 Bg3 46. g5 f4 47. Rxe4 f3 48. Rd4 Rh2 0 : 1 Bersamina – Praggnanandhaa, 9th Chess World Cup, Krasnaya Polyana 2021, match game 1. 7. ... d6 8. Nd5 Be6!? The same goes for Murzin, he too must have felt fine as well: 8 ... 0-0 9. c3 Nxd5 10. exd5 Nb8 11. d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Bf6 14. Be3 Re8 15. Qd2 Bd7 16. b4 Na6 17. Rfc1 h5 18. Rab1 h4 19. Rc4 h3 20. Bf3 Nc7 21. b5 Rc8 22. a4 Nxb5 23. Rxc8 Nxd4 24. Rxd8 Nxf3+ 25. Kh1 Rxd8 26. Qd1 Ne5 27. Bd4 Bg4 28. Qb3 Rc8 29. Qxb7 Rc2 30. Bxe5 Bxe5 31. Qxa7 Bf3+ 32. Kg1 Bxd5 33. Qa5 Bg2 34. Qd8+ Kh7 35. Qh4+ Kg6 36. Re1 f5 37. Qb4 Rb2 38. Qc4 d5 39. Qc6+ Bf6 40. Qe8+ Kh6 41. Qc8 Kg5 42. Qc1+ Kg6 43. Qf4 Bg5 44. Re6+ Bf6 45. f3 Rb3 46. Kf2 d4 47. g4 fxg4 48. fxg4 Kf7 49. Rxf6+ gxf6 50. Qxd4 Kg6 51. Qf4 Rb6 52. Qc4 Rc6 53. Qg8+ Kh6 54. Ke3 Ra6 55. Qc4 Ra5 56. Kf4 Re5 57. Qf7 Re1 1 : 0 Murzin – Potkin, 28th Russian Team Chess Championship Premiere League, Sochi 2021. 9. Nxf6+ Bxf6 10. d3 0-0 11. c3 d5!

12. Ng5. It is just a little tactic. 12. exd5 was probably preferable. 12. ... Bxg5 13. Bxg5 f6. After 13. ... Qxg5 14. exd5 and White will regain the piece with equality. 14. Be3? It’s amazing how little it takes for White to be inexorably crushed. 14. Bd2 at once was much better.

14. ... d4! 15. Bd2 b5 16. Rfc1 Qd6 17. Bf1 Rac8 18. Qe1 a5 19. a4 dxc3 20. bxc3 b4 21. Be3 Rfd8 22. Rc2 f5 23. f3?! ⌓ 23. f4 seems to make a little more sense, even though Black would play 23. ... fxe4 24. dxe4 c4 anyway, with great superiority. 23. ... fxe4 24. dxe4 c4 25. cxb4? A ruinous error, which loses immediately, but by now White had very little hope of stopping the avalanche — for instance: 25. f4 b3 26. Rf2 Nb4! and there’s a roller coming.

25. ... Nd4!−+ 26. Rf2 axb4 27. f4 c3 28. Rc1 Bg4 29. Kg2 Qc6 30. Bd3 Nb3 0 : 1.

Shuffleboard

Gunay Vugar qizi Mammadzada – Abhimanyu Mishra

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 18, 2021

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Rg1. Mammadzada’s speciality. 8. ... h5 9. h3. 9. Qd2 (Mammadzada – Hejazipour, 6th Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship, Moscow 2019) 9. ... Ng4 should not worry Black too much. 9. ... Be6 10. Qf3!? Just few weeks ago, Mammadzada won a game by immediately pushing on her g-Pawn, but the result had nothing to do with the opening: 10. g4 hxg4 11. hxg4 d5! 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Qe2 Bc6 15. Bd2 Nd7 16. 0-0-0 a5 17. Re1 Kf8 18. Bc3 Bg5+ 19. Kb1 Bf4 20. Bg2 Bxg2 21. Rxg2 a4 22. Nd2 Rc8 23. Nc4 Qc7 24. Bb4+ Kg8 25. Nd6 Rd8 26. a3 b6 27. Ne4 Nf6 28. g5 Nxe4 29. Qxe4 g6 30. Bc3 b5 31. Rg4 Qd7? (⌓ 31. ... Rh3!) 32. Rxf4! exf4 33. Bxh8 Kxh8 34. Qe5+ Kg8 35. Rh1 1 : 0 Mammadzada – Bulmaga, 21st European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Iași 2021. 10. ... h4 11. 0-0-0 Nbd7 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5

13. ... e4?! “To get squares, ya gotta give squares”, as Bobby Fischer used to say. But the impression is that the text move gives more than what it takes away. 13. ... Nh5 was probably the most consistent with 10. ... h4, so as to reply to 14. g4 with 14. ... hxg3 15. fxg3 Bg5 temporarily keeping the g-file closed. 14. Qf4 Ne5 15. Bd4 Qc7 16. Qd2 Rd8. A mysterious move, deploying the Rook on a closed file, but actually threatens to take the d5-Pawn with the Knight. 17. Bc3 Rc8 18. Kb1 0-0 19. Be2 Nfd7 20. g3! Finally opening the g-file. It’s quite evident that White’s attack is already on its way. 20. ... hxg3 21. Rxg3 Bf6 22. Rdg1 g6 23. Qf4 Bg7 24. h4. 24. Qxe4 Nf6 25. Qg2 was also very strong. 24. ... Nf6 25. Rd1

25. ... Rce8? 25. ... Nf3! was probably Black’s best, sacrificing a Pawn in order to get rid of White’s light-squared Bishop, so as to render the push h4-h5 at least a little less terrifying than as in the game. 26. h5 Qe7 27. Qd2 Nfd7 28. Nd4! Black is now faced with countless threats. 28. ... Nb6 29. hxg6. By now it makes no real difference which way White goes: it is simply a matter of taste. 29. ... fxg6 30. Ne6 Nxd5. Black has nothing better than sacrificing the Exchange only to delay the catastrophe, because if 30. ... Rf6 there would follow 31. Bxe5 dxe5 32. Rdg1 with overwhelming effect. 31. Nxf8 Nxc3+ 32. Qxc3 Kxf8 33. Qe3 Qf6 34. c3 Kg8 35. Qxe4 Qxf2 36. Qd5+ Nf7 37. Bc4. It was too easy for White to content herself with 37. Rf3 winning the Queen and the game. 37. ... Re5

38. Qxf7+! And now again it is time for White to demonstrate a virtuoso display of endgame technique. 38. ... Qxf7 39. Bxf7+ Kxf7 40. Rxd6 Re1+ 41. Kc2 Be5 42. Rf3+ Kg7 43. Rd7+ Kh6 44. Rxb7 g5 45. Re7 Kg6 46. Re6+ Kh5 47. Rh3+ Kg4 48. Rh7 Kf5. Even after the better 48. ... Bxc3 49. Rxa6 Be5 50. b4 the endgame is theoretically won for White. 49. Rxa6 g4 50. Ra8 g3 51. Rf8+ Ke4 52. Re7 Re2+ 53. Kb3 g2 54. Rg8 Kf3 55. Rf7+ Bf4 56. Rfg7 Bc1 57. a4. In principle it is more accurate to interpolate 57. Rf7+! so as not to give up even the b-Pawn. 57. ... Rxb2+ 58. Kc4 Ra2 59. Kb5 Rb2+ 60. Kc6 Rc2 61. Rxg2! Rxg2. 61. ... Rxc3+ 62. Kb5 is a book win as well. 62. Rxg2 Kxg2 63. c4 Kf3 64. a5 Be3 65. c5 Ke4 66. a6 Bxc5 67. Kxc5 Ke5 68. a7 1 : 0.