L’homme qui plantait des arbres

Baadur Jobava – Ivan Šarić
20th European Team Chess Championship; Reykjavík, November 16, 2015
Ponziani Opening C44

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Ne7 6. Nxe5 Ng6 7. Qe2 Qe7 8. Qxe4 Qxe5 9. Qxe5+ Nxe5 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bg3 f5 12. Nd2 0-0

13. f4! Baadur’s inimitable style is under the lights: who would ever have played such a move? For 13. f3 f4 14. Bf2 Be7 see Velimirović – P. E. Littlewood, Borovo 1980. 13. ... Ng6 14. 0-0-0 Bxf4 15. d6! cxd6 16. Bxf4 Nxf4 17. g3 Nh5 18. Nc4 d5 19. Nd6. Although Jobava is momentarily two Pawns down, he has the better prospects, for now the c8-Bishop is buried alive. 19. ... Nf6 20. Bg2 Ne4 21. Rxd5 Nxd6 22. Rxd6 Re8 23. Rf1 g6 24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. Kd2 a5 26. Rf4 Re5 27. Rc4 Rb8 28. Rc7 b6 29. c4 Kg7 30. a4 Kf8 31. Rf6+ Ke8 32. Ra7 Re7 33. h4 Rg7 34. Ke3 Ke7 35. Re6+ Kd8 36. Re5 h6. Šarić is not able to put up serious resistance, but also 36. ... Bb7 37. Kf4! looks quite hopeless. 37. Kd4 Rh7 38. h5 Rg7 39. hxg6 Rxg6 40. Re3 Rg7 41. Rf3 Rg6 42. Rxf5 Rxg3 43. Rf8+ Ke7 44. Rf7+ Kd6 45. Rf6+ Ke7 46. Rxh6 Rg4+ 47. Ke5 Rg5+ 48. Kf4 Rg1 49. Be4 Re1 50. b3 Re2 51. Ke5 Kf7 52. Kd6 Rxe4 53. Kc7 Rb7+ 54. Rxb7 Bxb7. The very short life of a Bishop: “My first breath is my last breath”. 55. Kxb7 Re6 56. Rxe6 dxe6 57. Kxb6 e5 58. Kxa5 1 : 0.

Baadur Jobava at the 11th Poikovsky Karpov Chess Tournament in 2010
Photo: Evgeny Surov

Shadowing

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Just two lines by King Lear

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Ivan Šarić – Anish Giri
77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; The Hague, January 21, 2015
Sicilian Defence B48

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 Ne5 8. Qg3 h5 9. f4. For 9. f3 b5 10. 0-0-0 see Karjakin – Giri, FIDE Grand Prix, Tashkent 2014. 9. ... h4 10. Qh3 Nc4 11. Bxc4 Qxc4 12. 0-0-0 b5 13. f5 Bb7 14. Rhf1 e5!? An important theoretical novelty. Five days earlier Anish preferred 14. ... Rc8? 15. fxe6? (but 15. Nf3! would have ensured White excellent prospects) 15. ... dxe6 16. Rxf7 Kxf7 17. b3 Ba3+ 18. Kb1 Qxc3 19. Qxe6+ Kf8 20. Rf1+ Nf6 21. Rxf6+ gxf6 22. Qxf6+ Kg8 23. Qg6+ Kf8 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Qg6+ Kf8 26. Qf6+ ½ : ½ Radjabov – Giri, 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2015. 15. Nb3 Qc7 16. Bg5 Rc8 17. Rf2 Be7 18. Bxe7

18. ... Kxe7!! Just like jumping over his own shadow – Fischer’s style (it reminds us of 13. ... Kxe7 as in the game Matulović – R. J. Fischer, Vinkovci 1968). After 18. ... Nxe7 19. Rfd2 White’s position would be imposing. 19. Rfd2 Nf6 20. a3 Rh6 21. Qe3 Kf8 22. Kb1 Kg8 23. Rg1 Ng4 24. Qf3 Qb6 25. Re1 Nf6 26. g4 hxg3 27. Qxg3 d6 28. Rg2 Rh7 29. Qg5 Kf8 30. Qd2 Rxc3! Lively play by Giri! 31. Qxc3 Nxe4 32. Qd3? Maybe White’s only mistake in the game! After 32. Qb4 Nc3+ 33. bxc3 Bxg2 34. Rxe5 Rxh2 35. Re2! (Ramírez Álvarez) 35. ... Rh1+ 36. Kb2 Bd5 Black keeps the upper hand, but White has survived the worst. 32. ... Nc3+! 33. Qxc3 Bxg2 34. Qc8+ Ke7 35. Qg8 Qf2! 36. Rd1 Be4! 37. Rd2 Qg1+ 38. Ka2 Bxf5. Black is two Pawns ahead and his King is safe enough. Giri concludes the game elegantly and efficiently. 39. Qb8 Rh6 40. Rd5 Bd7 41. Qb7 Qg4 42. Na5 Kf6 43. b3 Rxh2 44. Rxd6+ Be6 45. Kb2 Qf4 46. Nc6 Rh1 47. Qe7+ Kf5! 0 : 1.

Ivan Šarić vs. Anish Giri
Photo: Alina l’Ami

公益

Ivan Šarić – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 12, 2015
Sicilian Defence B27

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. e5 Nc6 6. Qa4 Nd5 7. Qe4 Nb6 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Bf4 d5 10. exd6 Bf5 11. Qe2 0-0 12. 0-0-0 exd6 13. Rxd6 Qc8 14. Qb5 Re8. For 14. ... Bg4 15. Bd3 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nd4 see Esserman – Perelshteyn, Philadelphia 2008. 15. h4 h5 16. a4? This move looks extremely committal. 16. ... Bxc3! 17. bxc3 Re4! The pointe. 18. Be3. White thought about 30 minutes.

18. ... Qf8!?? More natural and, in fact, much more straightforward would have been 18. ... Rxa4 19. Qb2 Qc7 with an almost won game. 19. Bc5 Qh6+ 20. Be3 Qf8 21. Bc5 Qh6+ 22. Be3 Rxe3 23. fxe3 Qxe3+ 24. Rd2 a6. “Aquiescing in a draw. 24. ... Qxc3 25. Qb2 Qxb2+ 26. Kxb2 Nxa4+ (26. ... Rc8!?) 27. Ka3 Nb6 would have been more ambitious”, Dennis Monokroussos wrote. 25. Qb3 Na5 26. Qb4 Nc6 27. Qa3 Na5 28. Qb4 Nc6 29. Qa3 Na5 30. Qb4 Nc6 ½ : ½.

theclosetgm (@theclosetgm)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Photo: Alina l’Ami