Tick Tack

Fabiano Caruana – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
1st American Cup — Champions Bracket; match game 1; Saint Louis, April 24, 2022
English Opening A33

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 9. e3 a6 10. h3 axb5 11. hxg4 Nxc4 12. g5!? A powerful novelty by Caruana, who is clearly fighting for something more than 12. Qb3 d5= Giri – Vachier-Lagrave, 6th Grand Chess Tour, 3rd stage, Blitz Tournament, Zagreb 2021 (time control: 5 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). 12. ... d5 13. a4 bxa4 14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. Rxa4 Rxa4 16. Qxa4+ Qc6 17. Qxc6+ bxc6 18. Be5 Ke7 19. Ne4 Bb7

20. Rh4 (20. Nf6!?) 20. .. Ke8 21. Nd2 h6 22. Nxc4 Ba6 23. Nd6+ Bxd6 24. Bxd6 Bb5 25. Be5 Kf8 26. f3 Kg8

27. g6! fxg6 (27. ... f6?? 28. Rd4+−) 28. Rd4 g5 29. Rd8+ Kh7 30. Rd7 Rg8 31. Kf2 h5 32. e4 Kh6 33. Ke3 Kg6 34. b3 h4 35. g4 Kh7 36. Kf2 Kg6 37. Bc3 Kh7 38. Re7 Ra8 39. Rxg7+ Kh6 40. Bf6 Ra2+ 41. Ke3 e5! 42. Bxe5 h3 43. Rg8 c5 44. f4 gxf4+ 45. Kxf4 Rf2+ 46. Kg3 Re2 47. Kf3

47. ... Rd2? Domínguez Pérez had defended tooth and nail so far, but with almost no time on the clock he inevitably ends up slipping. Both 47. ... Rg2! 48. Rh8+ Kg6 49. Rxh3 Rg1 and 47. ... Re1! 48. g5+ Kh5 49. g6 h2! 50. Bxh2 Rb1 should draw. 48. g5+! And, of course, Caruana does not let slip his chance. 48. ... Kh5 49. Rh8+ Kg6 50. Rh6+! Kf7 51. g6+ Ke7 52. g7 Rg2 53. Rxh3 1 : 0.

Once again Caruana showed his deep theoretical preparation and his determination in pursuing his goals. Photo: Bryan Adams/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Blazing Saddles

Levon Grigori Aronian – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
1st American Cup — Champions Bracket; match game 1; Saint Louis, April 22, 2022
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. Bd3. 10. h3 c5 11. Bf4 Be6 12. a3 d5 13. Ng5 Bd7 14. g4 Bc6 15. Bg2 Re8 looks fine for Black, Caruana – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 5th GRENKE Chess Classic, Baden-Baden 2018. 10. ... Re8 11. h4 d5 12. Ng5. The alternative is 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qf4 Be6 15. g4 Qd6 16. Qxd6 cxd6 17. Rdg1 Kf8 18. Nd4 Bd7 19. g5 Bxd4 20. cxd4 h5 21. Kd2 g6 22. Re1 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Re8 24. Rxe8+ Kxe8 25. f4 Bf5 26. Bxf5 gxf5 27. Kc3 Kd7 28. Kb4 Kc6 29. Ka5 Kc7 30. Kb5 Kd7 31. Ka5 Kc7 32. Kb5 Kd7 33. a3 Kc7 34. Ka5 Kc6 35. a4 Kd7 36. Kb4 Kc6 37. Ka5 Kd7 38. Kb5 Kc7 39. b3 Kd7 40. a5 Kc8 41. a6 Kc7 42. Ka4 b6 43. Kb5 Kd7 44. c3 Kc7 45. c4 dxc4 46. bxc4 Kd7 47. c5 bxc5 48. dxc5 d5 49. c6+ Kd6 50. c7 Kxc7 51. Kc5 d4 52. Kxd4 Kd6 53. Kc4 Kc6 54. Kd4 Kd6 55. Kc4 Kc6 56. Kd4 ½ : ½ 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī), 10th 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2019. 12. ... h6 13. f3 c5. Not 13. ... hxg5? on account of 14. hxg5 Nd7 15. g4! with deadly threats. 14. Bb5!? The first new move of the game whereas theory gave 14. g4 Qa5 15. Kb1 c4 16. Be2 Bc5 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. Nh3 Qe3 19. Nf4 Qxd2 20. Rxd2 Re5 21. g5 Rf5 22. Rd4 hxg5 23. hxg5 Rxg5 24. Bxc4 Be6 25. Nxd5?? (the losing blunder) 25. ... Rxd5 26. Bxd5 Bxd5 27. Rdh4 Kf8 28. Rf1 Re8 29. c4 Bxf3 0 : 1 Borišek – Bogner, 43rd Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2018. 14. ... Bd7 15. Bxd7 Qxd7 16. Nh3 Rad8 17. Nf4 Bd6 18. Kb1 Qb5

19. Qc1? Presumably, here is the beginning of White’s calvary. Instead after 19. Rhe1! was still anyone’s game. 19. ... d4! 20. cxd4 c4! 21. g3. 21. g4 makes little or no difference, as Black continues as in the game: 21. ... c3! 22. b3 Qa5 23. Rde1 Ba3 24. Qd1 Rd6! 25. Bc1 Ra6 with powerful attack.

21. ... c3! Threat: ... Re8xe3. 22. b3 Qa5 23. Rde1 Ba3 24. Qd1

24. ... Rd6! 25. Bf2? This loses at once. Comparatively best was 25. Bc1 Ra6 leaving Black with his attack in hand, but not yet a forced mate. 25. ... Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Bb2! Threatening ... Qa5xa2+ followed by ... Rd6-a6+ and ... Ra6-a1#. 27. Qd3!? Naïvely hoping for 27. ... Qxa2+?? 28. Kxa2 Ra6+ 29. Qxa6! turning the tables. But no: 27. ... b5! Renewing the threat. 28. a4 Qb4! 0 : 1.

Domínguez Pérez finally defeated Aronian in a game which rushed straight from the opening to a mating attack. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Laskerian rings

Vincent Keymer – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
FIDE Grand Prix 2022; 3rd stage; Pool B; Berlin, March 28, 2022
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 a6 6. 0-0 c5 7. Be2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 9. Nd2 Nc6 10. N4f3 Be7 11. b3 0-0 12. Bb2 b5 13. Qb1 h6. Another continuation is 13. ... Nb4 14. Ne5 Rc8 15. Rc1 Bc6 16. Nxc6 Rxc6 17. Nf3 Rxc1+ 18. Bxc1 Nfd5 19. Bb2 Bf6 with approximate equality, Tunik – Dokutchaev, 2nd Open Tournament, Novgorod 1995 — it is not unlikely, however, that White might play better somewhere. 14. Rd1 Qb6. Domínguez Pérez has spent almost an hour of his valuable time getting to this point, which may well indicate that he was not feeling at ease at all — even though, objectively, on the whole Black’s game sounds defensible. 15. Ne4 Nd5 16. Ng3 Rfd8

17. Nh5! Keymer makes his bid for initiative. If, instead, 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Nh5+ Black replies 18. ... Kg8 19. Qb2 f6 20. e4 Ne3! holding everything together. 17. ... Bf8. After 17. ... g6 18. Ng3 White can think about pricking Black’s bubble by h2-h4-h5. 18. Qe4 Nce7?! The Knight comes to the rescue on the Kingside, but the resulting clumsy arrangement actually allows White to push his initiative. The best seems to be 18. ... f5 19. Qh4 Be8 20. Ne1⩲ followed by the transfer of the Bishop to f3 with an edge for White. 19. Qg4 Ng6

20. Ne5 Nxe5? A second grave error which loses the Exchange and the game. Black had apparently nothing better than 20. ... Be8 21. Bd4 Bc5 22. Bf3⩲/± leaving White with a definite superiority, but still nothing decisive. 21. Bxe5 Nxe3 (21. ... g6 22. e4+−) 22. Bd4 Nxg4 23. Bxb6 Ne5 24. Bxd8 Rxd8 25. Rac1. The rest is a cat and mouse game. 25. ... Rc8 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. f4 Nc6 28. Kf1 Nb4 29. Bf3 e5 30. Rd8 Be6 31. fxe5 Nxa2 32. Nf4 Bxb3 33. Bd5 Bxd5 34. Nxd5 g6 35. Nc7 Nb4

36. e6 Nc6 37. Rc8 Ne7 38. Ra8 h5 39. Ke2 Nf5 40. Kd3 b4 41. h3 Kg7 42. Ne8+ Kg8 43. g4 hxg4 44. hxg4 Nh6 45. g5 Nf5 46. e7! 1 : 0. For after 46. ... Nxe7 47. Nf6+ Kg7 48. Nd7 the Bishop falls.

“Leinier did not play his best chess today”, German prodigy Keymer said afterwards, with a touch of modesty. Photo © Niki Riga.

Scenes of a Lifetime

Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov – Leinier Domínguez Pérez

4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Saint Louis, September 9, 2021

nrqbbnkr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRQBBNKR w HBhb - 0 1

Position #137

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Ne3 Nb6 4. Bb3?! Probably better is 4. Nb3 Ng6 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nc4 b5 7. Ne5!? Nxe5 8. dxe5 Qf5 9. Nc5 Qxe5 10. e4 Nf4 11. b4 Bb6 12. Bc3 Qg5 13. g3 Bxc5 14. bxc5 Ne6 15. Qxg5 Nxg5 16. Bc2 f6 17. f4 Ne6 18. e5! fxe5 19. 0-0-0 Nd4! 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. Rhe1 Rb7 22. Rxd4 0-0 23. Rde4 Bf7 24. Rxe7 Rxe7 25. Rxe7 Bxa2 26. Rxa7 Bd5= Aronian – Kasparov, ibidem. 4. ... Ne6 5. Nac2?! 5. Qd2 dxc4 6. Nxc4 Nxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bxe6 Qxe6 9. Nb3 a5⩱ is quite comfortable for Black, but probably also rather sounder for White. 5. ... Nf4! Threatening a royal fork. 6. Qd2 dxc4 7. Nxc4?! A little better seems 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Nxc4 since, if Black continues as in the game with 8. ... Qg4, White would avoid at least instant disgrace with 9. g3 Nxe2+ 10. Kg2 b5! 11. Ne5 Qe6 12. Qxe2 f6⩱ — but in that case probably Domínguez Pérez would have played 8. ... Bc7! firmly holding the upper hand. 7. ... Qg4!

8. g3? After 8. N4e3 Qxe2 9. g3 Qxd2 10. Bxd2 Nfd5 it may be hard for White to claim any compensation for the Pawn, but that was the best he had! 8. ... Nxe2+ 9. Kg2 (9. Kf1 Qe4−+) 9. ... Nd5! 10. f3 Nef4+ 11. Kf2 Nh3+ 12. Ke2

12. ... Ndf4+! 13. gxf4 Qg2+ 14. Kd3 Qxh1 15. N2e3 Qxf3 16. Bg3 Nxf4+ 17. Bxf4 Qxf4 18. Rf1 Qg5 19. Ne5 e6 20. Qf2 0-0! 21. Bxe6. White’s only attacking move in the whole game. 21. ... Bf6 22. Rg1 Qh4 23. Rxg7+ Kh8! 0 : 1.

Thus Domínguez Pérez won first prize in the 4th Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX, scoring perhaps the most spectacular success of his career. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Nibble

Leinier Domínguez Pérez – Magnus Carlsen

Champions Chess Tour 2021; 3rd stage; Opera Euro Rapid; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, February 6, 2021

Sicilian Defence B75

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 a6 8. Qd2 h5 9. Bc4 Nbd7 10. 0-0-0 b5 11. Bb3 Nc5 12. Kb1 Bb7

13. Rhe1. It may be interesting to note that after 13. Nd5 a draw was agreed upon in Korneev – Antón Guijarro, 21st Torneo Magistral Internacional de Elgóibar, Elgóibar 2011. An exemplary game, instead, is mentioned by many pre-computer theoreticians, viz., 13. Qf2 Qb8 14. h3 Nxb3 15. Nxb3 b4 16. Na4 a5 17. g4 Nd7 18. Bd4 e5 19. Be3 Qc7 20. Nb6 Nxb6 21. Bxb6 Qd7 22. Nc5 Qc6 23. Nxb7 Qxb7 24. gxh5+− Honfi – Bilek, 21st Hungarian Chess Championship, Budapest 1965 — but Black’s move 19 is a grave error (he ought to have played 19. ... Bc6). Maybe International Master Thomas Rendle is right in assuming that “Kc1-b1 is often a key move in the Sicilian, unfortunately here White missed the strong follow-up 13. Nf5! (now ... Nc5xb3 isn’t check) with the idea of Be3xc5 and Qd2-g5”. 13. ... Rc8. Yet an extra nibble (half a byte) of theory: 13. ... Nxb3 ½ : ½ Narayanan – Jones, 82th Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 2006. 14. Bg5 0-0 15. Nd5 e6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. h4 Bxg5 18. hxg5 Kg7 19. Qe3 Qc7 20. Rd2 b4 21. Red1 Rfd8 22. Qf4 Qe7 23. Ne2 a5 24. e5 d5 25. g4 hxg4 26. Qf6+ Qxf6 27. gxf6+ Kh6? Suddenly switching to the climax. It will be immediately clear why it was necessary for Black to play 27. ... Kf8.

28. Rh1+? Domínguez Pérez apparently misses an unrepeatable opportunity here, viz., 28. Rd4!! (Δ 29. Rh1+ Kg5 30. f4+ Kf5 31. Ng3#) 28. ... gxf3 29. Rg4! Kh5 30. Rg3 g5 31. Nf4+! Kh4 32. Rdg1! gxf4 33. Rg7 followed by mate. 28. ... Kg5 29. f4+ Kf5 30. Rf1 g5 31. Nd4+? 31. Ng3+! Kg6 would likely transpose to the game, since now with 31. ... Ke4! 32. fxg5 Kxe5−+ Black might have written another story. 31. ... Kg6? 32. f5+ exf5 33. Nxf5 g3 34. Rg2. 34. Nxg3 Ne4 can very well transpose to the game. 34. ... Ne4 35. Nxg3 Re8 36. Nxe4 dxe4

37. e6 fxe6. 37. ... e3 38. exf7 Re5 was probably better. 38. f7 Rf8 39. Bxe6 Rc5 40. Rg3? 40. Kc1! would have saved a vital tempo, making Black’s task much harder. Now Carlsen, thanks to back rank “ghostmates”, succeeds without any difficulty in liquidating to a winning ending, even though, as they say, there’s nothing more difficult than winning a won game. 40. ... Re5 41. Bg4 e3 42. Kc1 Rxf7 43. Rxf7 Kxf7 44. Kd1 Kf6 45. Ke1 Bd5 46. a3 bxa3 47. bxa3 Be4 48. Rxe3 Bxc2 49. Kd2 Rxe3 50. Kxe3 Ke5 51. Bf3 Bf5 52. Bc6 Kd6 53. Bf3 Kc5 54. Be2 Bg6 55. Bf1 Bh5 56. Ke4 Bd1 57. Ke3 g4 58. Ba6 Bf3 59. Bf1 Bc6 60. Kf4

60. ... Kd4? 60. ... Bd7, 60. ... Bb5, and 60. ... Bf3 are tablebase wins. 61. Kxg4 Kc3 62. Kf5 Kb2

63. Ke5? 63. Be2 and 63. Kf4 are tablebase draws. 63. ... Kxa3 64. Kd6 (64. Be2 Kb4 65. Bd1 Ba4 66. Bf3 Bb5 67. Bd1 Bc4 68. Bc2 Bb3−+) 64. ... Be8 65. Kc5 a4 66. Bc4 Kb2 67. Kb4 a3 68. Bd5 Bg6 69. Be6 Bb1 70. Bd5 Ba2 71. Be4 Bf7 72. Bb1 Bb3 0 : 1.

Too Many Thoughts, Not Enough Ink

Leinier Domínguez Pérez – Garry Kimovich Kasparov
3rd Fischerandom Chess (Online) Showdown; Lichess, September 12, 2020
nnrkrqbb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NNRKRQBB w ECec - 0 1

Position #95

1. g3 c6 2. f4 g6 3. Nc3 Nb6 4. Nb3 f5 5. 0-0-0 d5! 6. Bf2 N8d7 7. Qg1 e5! 8. fxe5 Bxe5 9. Nc5 Rc7! It’s interesting to note that Kasparov carefully omitted, from move 5 onwards, to make the symmetrical a-side castling (0-0-0), instead developing out of any standardisation. 10. Nxd7 (10. Nd3 Bd6 11. g4 f4!?∞) 10. ... Kxd7 11. Bd4 Nc4 12. Bxe5 Rxe5 13. Qd4. The immediate 13. Nb1 (Δ b2-b3) was decidedly called for.

13. ... Qb4 14. Nb1 c5. Black seized the upper hand, but strangely he will not be able to turn it into something more tangible. 15. Qc3 d4 16. Qb3

16. ... Kd6. “The King is a strong piece”, as Steinitz used to say. 17. e4 Rce7 18. Qxb4 cxb4 19. b3 Na3 20. Nxa3 bxa3 21. d3 Bd5 (21. ... a5!? 22. Rf1 Rc7∓) 22. Rf1 Bc6 23. Rf4 fxe4 24. Bxe4 Bxe4 25. dxe4 Kc5 26. Re1 g5 27. Rf8 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Rxe4 29. Kd2 Re5 30. Rf7 Kc6 31. Rxh7 Rf5 32. Ke2 Rc5 33. Kd2 Rf5 34. Ke2 Rc5 35. Kd2 Rf5 ½ : ½.

A non-absolute advantage sometimes can be not enough, no matter whether classical or contemporary chess. Screenshot from the live stream.

The Last Next Time

Leinier Domínguez Pérez – Garry Kimovich Kasparov
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Grand Chess Tour 2017; Saint Louis, August 18, 2017
Sicilian Defence B81

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6! “I remembered in the last game with Domínguez that it might be my last Najdorf”, Kasparov said afterwards. 6. h3!? e6 7. g4 h6 8. Bg2 g5 9. Be3 Nbd7 10. Qe2 Ne5 11. 0-0-0 Nfd7 12. h4. Forget her not: 12. f4 gxf4 13. Bxf4 b5 14. Rhf1 Bb7 15. Qf2 Rc8 16. Nce2 Bg7 17. Ng3 Rh7 18. Nh5 Bh8 19. Kb1 Nc5 20. Bg3 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22. Bh4 Qc7 23. Bf6 Bg6 24. Bxh8 Rxh8 25. Nf6+ Kd8 26. h4 Qc5 27. h5 Bh7 28. Qh4 Bxc2+ 29. Nxc2 Qxc2+ 30. Ka1 Rc4 31. Ne4+ Kc7 32. Nxd6 Rf4 33. Qe7+ Kb6 34. Qb7+ Ka5 35. Qa7 b4 36. Rfe1 Nf3 37. Rc1 Nxe1 38. Rxc2 Nxc2+ 39. Kb1 1 : 0 J. Polgár – Topalov, 10th Essent Chess Tournament, Hoogeveen 2006. 12. ... Rg8 13. hxg5 hxg5 14. Kb1 b5 15. a3. White’s plan appears a little too slow. Deserving consideration was 15. f4 gxf4 16. Bxf4 Bb7 17. g5 Qa5 18. Rh7 0-0-0 19. a3 Kb8 20. Qf2 Rc8 21. Na2 Ka8 ½ : ½ Kasimdzhanov – Sasikiran, French Team Championships Top 16, Évry 2000. 15. ... Bb7 16. Bc1 Rc8 17. Rh3. White was justly worried about the possibility of Black’s Exchange sacrifice on c3. 17. ... Ng6 18. Bh1 Nde5 19. Rg3? White’s position was none too comfortable anyway, but probably after 19. Nf3 it was tenable enough still. 19. ... Be7 20. Na2 Rh8 21. Rc3 Rxc3 22. Nxc3 Qc7. Now and on the next move Kasparov disdains the gain of the Pawn by 22. ... Nf4, judging his positional initiative to be worth more. 23. Bg2 Qc4 24. Qxc4. It was perhaps better not to exchange Queens (by 24. Qe3), because now Black’s initiative will slip on velvet. 24. ... bxc4 25. f3 Rh2 26. Bf1 Nf4 27. Be3 Bd8. Black stands much better, but White’s next move is one of the worst possible: 28. Rd2? Rxd2 29. Bxd2 Bb6 30. Bxf4 gxf4 31. Nce2

31. ... d5! And finally the Sicilian triumph! The rest is easy. 32. exd5 Bxd5 33. Bg2 Nxg4 34. Nxf4 Ne3 35. Nde2. 35. c3 Bb7 36. Nc2 Nxg2 37. Nxg2 Bxf3 was also totally hopeless. 35. ... Nxg2 36. Nxg2 Bxf3 37. Nef4 Ke7 38. Kc1 e5 39. Nh4 Be3+ 40. Kb1 Bxf4 41. Nxf3 Ke6 42. b3 e4 43. Nd4+ Kd5 44. c3 Be5 45. bxc4+ Kxc4 46. Nf5 Kxc3 47. Kc1 Kd3 48. Kd1 e3 0 : 1. So Kasparov closes at 8th place of the Rapid & Blitz combined score, just half a point behind the tie for 5th place, and eight and half points behind the sole winner Levon Grigori Aronian. I hope such comebacks will continue, if only to give a little life to the self-referential and elitist Grand Chess Tour’s circuit.

Take Five Minutes

Garry Kimovich Kasparov – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Grand Chess Tour 2017; Saint Louis, August 17, 2017
8/1p6/p1p1Nk2/P2p1Pp1/1P1Kn1P1/2P5/8/8 w - - 23 54

Position after 53. ... Nd6-e4

The first day of the blitz challenge in Saint Louis was everything but easy for Kasparov who, although his romanticized opening repertoire, left on the field several half points, which was always due to his emotional time management. His only day’s win came from a Four Knight ending (but with only two Knights left on the board), which, after ups and downs on the edge of time, he finally managed to convert into victory. 54. Nd8!? Nd6? Domínguez Pérez plays by inertia for a draw, thus falling in big trouble. It would seem that after 54. ... Nf2! 55. Nxb7 Nxg4 56. Nc5 Nh6 Black may actually draw without too much difficulty. 55. Kc5! Ne4+ 56. Kb6! Nxc3 57. Nxb7? Side effects of blitz! Stockfish gives 57. Ne6 Na2 58. Kxb7 Nxb4 59. Kb6 Ke5 60. Nxg5 d4 61. Nf3+ Ke4 62. Nd2+! (I like very much 62. f6? Nd5+ 63. Kxa6 Kxf6 64. Nxd4!! Kxd4 65. Kb7, but after 65. ... Nd7 66. Kc7 Nc5 67. Kd6! Nb7+ 68. Ke6 Nxa5 69. g5 c5 70. g6 c4 71. g7 c3 72 g8=Q c2 White gets only a book draw!) 62. ... Kd3 63. Kc5! Kxd2 64. Kxd4! Nd3 65. g5 and apparently the Black Knight cannot stop all White’s Pawns. 57. ... Na2? Black immediately returns the courtesy. Correct was 57. ... Ne4! as after 58. Nc5 Nxc5 59. Kxc5 Kf7! 60. Kxc6 d4 61. b5 d3 the ensuing Queen ending is very drawish. 58. Kxa6 Nxb4+. Or 58. ... d4 59. Kb6 d3 60. Nc5 Nxb4 61. Nxd3! transposing into the game. 59. Kb6 d4 60. Nc5 d3 61. Nxd3! Nxd3 62. a6 1 : 0.

The Genius of the Crowd

Leinier Domínguez Pérez – Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
51th Capablanca Memorial; Varadero, June 13, 2016
Spanish Game C72

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Na5 7. d4 Nxb3 8. axb3 f6 9. Nc3 Bb7 10. Nh4 Ne7 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Qf3 Qd7 13. Rd1 Qe6 14. Be3 g6. Not 14. ... g5? because of 15. Nxb5! axb5 16. Qh5+ Qf7 17. Rxa8+ Bxa8 18. Rd8+! winning, Spassky – Taimanov, 22nd USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1955. 15. Bc5 Kf7. After 15. ... Rc8 16. h3 Nc6 17. Nd5 Bxc5 18. Nxf6+ Ke7 19. Rd7+ Qxd7 20. Nxd7 Kxd7 21. Qf7+ Ne7 22. Rd1+ Bd6 23. Nf3 Black is in trouble, Paschall – Nikčević, Belgrade 2001. 16. Qe3 Bg7 17. Bxe7?! Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão rightly recommends 17. Nf3. 17. ... Qxe7 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rhd8 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Nf3 Bf8. Black has to be content with a very slight plus. 22. h3 Qe6 23. Ne1 Rd4 24. f3? A decidedly bad move. Correct was 24. c3 (Leitão) 24. ... Rd6 with a symbolic plus for Black. 24. ... Qd6? Chucky misses 24. ... Bc5 25. Kh2 Rd1 26. Qxc5 Rxa1 27. Qxc7+ Qe7 when White is left with insufficient compensation for the Exchange. 25. Nd3 c5 26. Kf1 Bg7 27. Qe2 Bh6 28. Rd1 c4 29. bxc4 bxc4 30. Nf2 Ke7 31. Rxd4 Qxd4 32. Nd1 Bc1 33. b3?! On the wrong track. Best was 33. Nc3 Bxb2 34. Nd5+ Kf7 35. Qe1! (Leitão’s analysis). 33. ... a5 34. c3?

34. ... Qd2! 35. Qxd2 Bxd2 36. Ke2 Bc1 37. bxc4. On 37. b4 a4 it is just the same price. 37. ... a4 0 : 1. In fact, the Black a-Pawn promotes.

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
Photo © Fred Lucas

Un poco con la cabeza y un poco con la mano de Dios

Michael Adams
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

The Spider Mickey Adams goes through to Round Four after another very intense, exhausting series of wargames against Cuban Grandmaster Leinier Domínguez Pérez. He will face Hikaru Nakamura, who beated Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi in a melodramatic Armageddon – in which American Grandmaster castled with both hands! Naturally, Nepomniachtchi appealed, but his complaint was rejected.

chess24.com (@chess24com)

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq)

Fight for Santa Clara

Baadur Jobava – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
FIDE Grand Prix; Khanty-Mansiysk, May 26, 2015
Italian Game C53

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. h3 0-0 10. 0-0 f6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Be3 fxe5 13. Nxe5 Bb7. Departing from 13. ... Ba6 14. Re1 Ba5!? 15. Nxc6 Qh4 16. Nxa5 Rxf2! 17. Nc3! Rxg2+! 18. Kxg2 Qg3+ 19. Kh1 Qxh3+ 20. Kg1 Qg3+ 21. Kh1 Qh3+ 22. Kg1 Qg3+ 23. Kh1 Qh3+ ½ : ½ Jobava – Grischuk, FIDE Grand Prix, Khanty-Mansiysk, May 17, 2015. 14. Nd2 c5 15. Nxe4 cxd4 16. Bxd4 dxe4 17. Qb3+ Bd5 18. Qc3 Qg5 19. Be3 Qh5. According to Jobava, here the Queen is out of play. 20. Rad1 Be6 21. Rde1 Bd5 22. a4

22. ... Ba5? A bad speculation. 23. Qxa5 Qxe5 24. Rc1! A very strong move, by which Baadur establishes a deadly tightening grip on Black’s position 24. ... Rac8. Obviously, 24. ... c6? is refuted by 25. Rxc6! and Black’s position falls apart. Equally after 24. ... Rfc8 25. Rc6! Black must lose material. 25. Rfd1! Jobava is in no hurry to capture the Pawn (25. Qxa7 Qxb2 26. Rxc7) and prefers to strengthen the position still further. 25. ... c6 26. b4 Qe6 27. b5 Bb3 28. Rd2 cxb5 29. Rxc8 Qxc8 30. axb5. After all, the a7-Pawn is doomed anyway. 30. ... Bc4 31. Rc2 Qe6 32. Qxa7 Qd5. Black cannot regain his Pawn with 32. ... Bxb5? because of 33. Rc7! with an irresistible attack. 33. Bd4 Rf7 34. Qb8+ Rf8 35. Qc7! Jobava elegantly liquidates into a winning endgame. The rest is a masterly display of technique. 35. ... Qxd4 36. Qxc4+ Qxc4 37. Rxc4 Rb8 38. Rb4 Kf7 39. Kf1 Ke6 40. Rxe4+ Kd6 41. Rd4+ Ke6 42. Rb4 Kd5 43. Rh4 h6 44. Rg4 g5 45. Rb4 Kc5 46. Rb1 Kb6 47. Re1 Kc5 48. Re6 Kd5 1 : 0.

Baadur Jobava vs. Leinier Domínguez Pérez
Photo: Kirill Merkurev

Olimpiu G. Urcan (@OlimpiuUrcan)

Easy as it seems

Baadur Jobava – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
FIDE Grand Prix; Tbilisi, February 22, 2015
Inverted Hanham Opening C44

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Be2 Nf6 4. d3 d5 5. Nbd2 Bc5 6. c3 a5 7. a4 0-0 8. 0-0 Re8 9. h3 h6 10. Re1. Another brick in the wall: 10. Qc2 b6 11. Re1 Bb7 12. Nf1 Bd6 13. Ng3 Ne7 14. Nh4 c5 15. Bg4 c4 16. dxc4 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 dxe4 18. Bxh6 Bc5 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. Qc1 e3 21. Bxe3 Bxe3 22. Qxe3 Qxc4 23. Nh5 Qe4 24. Qg5 Ng6 25. Kh2 Bc8 26. f3 Qc2 27. Rd6 Bxg4 28. hxg4 Kh7 29. Nxg6 fxg6 30. Nf6+ gxf6 31. Rd7+ Kg8 32. Qxf6 1 : 0 Jobava – Bok, 76th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2014. 10. ... Be6 11. Nh2. For 11. Qc2 Nd7 see Dimitrijevic – Malaniuk, Tseshkovsky Memorial, Sochi 2014. 11. ... Ne7 12. Bf1 Ng6 13. Nhf3 dxe4. In the press conference Domínguez Pérez said that, before surrounding the centre, 13. ... c6 was better since he could have replied 14. Qc2 by 14. ... Qb6. 14. dxe4 c6 15. Qc2 Qc7. Now, after 15. ... Qb6 then simply follows 16. Nc4 (Pawn no longer on d5). 16. Nc4 Red8 17. Be3 Bxe3 18. Nxe3 Rdb8 19. Rad1 Rd8 20. g3 Qb6 21. Nd2 Qc7 22. Kg2 Nf8 23. Nf3 N8d7 24. b4 axb4 25. cxb4 Qb6 26. Rb1 Qa7 27. Ra1 Qb6 28. Reb1 Qc7 29. a5 Rdc8 30. Bc4 Qd6 31. Nd2 b6 32. Bxe6 Qxe6 33. Nb3 Rcb8 34. Nc4 bxa5 35. bxa5 Rb5 36. a6 Ne8 37. Rd1 Nc5 38. Nxc5 Rxc5 39. Ra4

39. ... Nc7? A mistake in grave time trouble. Correct was 39. ... Nd6! 40. Qb3 Nxc4 41. a7 (the tempting 41. Qb7? is refuted by 41. ... Ne3+!) 41. ... Rb5 42. Qxc4 Qxc4 43. Rxc4 Rxa7 44. Rxc6 Rb4 with a drawish-looking position. 40. a7! Nb5 41. Qd3! Rxa7 42. Rxa7 Rxc4. If 42. ... Nxa7 then 43. Qd8+ Kh7 44. Ne3 with overwhelming threats. 43. Qd8+ Kh7 44. Re7 Qf6 45. Qd7 Rd4 46. Rxd4 Nxd4 47. Rxf7 Qg6 48. f3 c5 49. h4 h5 50. Kh3 Qh6 51. g4 hxg4+ 52. Qxg4 Kg8 53. Rc7 Ne6 54. Rc8+ Kf7 55. Qf5+ Ke7 56. Qxe5 Kd7 57. Ra8 Nf4+ 58. Kg4 Qxh4+ 59. Kxh4 Ng6+ 60. Kg3 Nxe5 61. Kf4 Kd6 62. Rd8+ Nd7 63. Rg8 c4 64. Rxg7 Ne5 65. Ke3 c3 66. f4 1 : 0.

Baadur Jobava
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova