Random Chance

Fabiano Caruana – Levon Grigori Aronian

Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge; Semifinal match game 2; time control: 90 minutes per 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game plus 30 seconds per move starting on move 41; Wangels, February 14, 2024

rkrqnbbn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RKRQNBBN w CAca - 0 1

Position #926

1. d4 d5 2. f3 g6 3. Nd3 Nd6 4. g3 f5 5. Nhf2 Bh6 6. f4 Nhf7 7. Ne5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Qe1 Nxe5 10. dxe5 c5 11. Rd1 Qe8 12. a4 Rc7. Black could (and maybe should) play 12. ... a5 13. b3 Bf8 with a quasi-symmetrical position.
13. Qa5

13. ... Be6?? A fatal miscalculation. It seems that 13. ... b6 14. Qa6 Be6 15. a5 Qc6 should hold for Black, and even 13. ... Qc8 was probably playable.
14. Bxc5! Qc6. Maybe Aronian thought 14. Bxc5 was impossible in view of 14. ... b6? for suddenly realising that by 15. Bxb6! White would win right off.
15. Rd8+ Bc8 16. Be3 Qxc2+ 17. Ka2 b6 18. Qa6. Now 18. Bxb6? doesn’t work due to 18. ... Rc4! (but not 18. ... axb6? 19. Rxc8+! Kxc8 20. Qxa8+ Kf7 21. e3! with irresistible attack).

18. ... Qc6. Black has probably nothing better than to exchange Queens by 18. ... Qc4+ 19. Qxc4 Rxc4, even though after 20. b3 Rc2+ 21. Kb1 Rc7 22. a5! White still dominates the board.
19. Rad1 Qe6+ 20. Ka3 Rc6 21. a5 g5 22. Re8 gxf4 23. gxf4 Rc4! It’s too late now to exchange Queens, as after 23. ... Qc4? 24. Qxc4 Rxc4 25. a6! Black is hopelessly zugzwanged. The text move hides an astute threat to snatch a draw by 24. ... Ra4+! 25. Kxa4 Qa2+ with perpetual check, but of course Caruana doesn’t fall in it.
24. Qb5 Kc7

25. Rd6!! A delightful finishing touch: White plays for mate!
25. ... exd6 26. Bxb6+ axb6 27. Qxb6+ Kd7 28. Qd8+ Kc6 29. Rxe6 Bf8. Aronian eventually concedes checkmate.
30. Rxd6+ Bxd6+ 31. Qxd6+ 1 : 0. For mate follows after 31. ... Kb7 (idem to say 31. Kb5) 32. Qb6#.

Finally, Caruana relishes a dream final with his lifetime rival, Magnus Carlsen. Photo: Amruta Mokal and Sagar Shah/ChessBase India.

Elites and Masses

Contemporary Classic

Levon Grigori Aronian – Fabiano Caruana

Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge; Semifinal match game 1; time control: 90 minutes per 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game plus 30 seconds per move starting on move 41; Wangels, February 13, 2024

rbnkqrbn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RBNKQRBN w FAfa - 0 1

Position #636

1. e4 e5 2. Ng3 f6 3. f3 c6 4. d4 Bc4 5. Nce2 Ng6 6. b3 Bxe2+ 7. Nxe2 Qf7 8. c4 0-0 9. d5 cxd5 10. cxd5 Bd6 11. Be3 Nf4 12. Qf2 Ne7 13. 0-0 Rfc8 14. Kh1 a6 15. g3 Nxe2 16. Qxe2 Bc5 17. Bd3 d6. Perhaps Black should now have exchanged Bishops, but Caruana was probably far from believing that he might have regretted it later.
18. Bd2! Bd4 19. Rad1 Qh5 20. Qg2 Kh8 21. f4

21. ... h6? That might be a mistake, for it makes it easier for White to gradually impose a choking stranglehold on Black’s position. After 21. ... Qe8! 22. f5 Bc3 23. Bc1 Ng8 24. g4 Bd4 25. h4⩲ Black is a little cramped, but his position has no serious weaknesses and it is hard for White to break through.
22. g4 Qg6 23. Qh3 Qh7 24. f5 Bc3 25. Be3 Bd4 26. Bxd4 exd4 27. Qg3 Rd8 28. Rc1 Rd7 29. h4 Rc8 30. Rxc8+ Nxc8 31. Rc1 Ne7 32. Rc2 Qg8 33. Qf2 Qb8

34. g5! White is in no hurry to take the Pawn, and mercilessly proceeds to carry out his pythonisation.
34. ... Ng8 35. g6 Rc7 36. Rc4 Rxc4 37. bxc4 Qa7 38. Qb2 Qc5 39. Qxb7 Qa5 40. Qb2 Qe1+ 41. Kg2 Qxh4 42. Qxd4 Qg5+ 43. Kf3 Qh5+ 44. Kf2 Qh2+ 45. Ke1 Qxa2

Black has restored material equality, but White is winning due to the possibility to make a passed d-Pawn.
46. Qb6! Qa3. Or 46. ... Qh2 47. c5! rushing to queen.
47. Kd2 Qa2+ 48. Bc2 Qxc4 49. Qxd6 Qd4+ 50. Ke2 h5 51. Qa3 Qg1 52. d6 Qg2+ 53. Kd1 Qf1+ 54. Kd2 Qf2+ 55. Kc1 h4 56. Qd3 Qg1+ 57. Kb2 Qb6+ 58. Bb3 Qf2+ 59. Kb1 Qe1+ 60. Kc2 Qf2+ 61. Qd2 Qc5+ 62. Kb2 1 : 0.

Deeplight

Levon Grigori Aronian – Vincent Keymer

Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge; Quarterfinal match game 2; time control: 90 minutes per 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game plus 30 seconds per move starting on move 41; Wangels, February 12, 2024

rqnkrnbb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RQNKRNBB w EAea - 0 1

Position #607

1. d4 f5 2. c3 g6 3. Nd2 Nd6 4. g3 e5 5. dxe5 Bxe5 6. f4 Bg7 7. Qd3 a5? A sensibe move, but made at the wrong time. 7. ... c6 8. Ncb3 (8. Bc5 Nf7 9. Ncb3 Qc7 10. e4 fxe4 11. Nxe4 d5) 8. ... b6 9. Kc2 Kc7 10. a4 a5 is a much better version of Black’s intended plan.
8. a4! Ne6 9. Ncb3 g5

10. 0-0-0! gxf4 11. Nc5 Bh6 12. Kb1 fxg3 13. Qxg3 Bxd2. Seeking relief through simplifications, but in vain.
14. Rxd2 Nxc5 15. Bxc5 Ra6

16. e4! fxe4 17. Bxe4 Nxe4? Keymer is heading straight into a tactical catastrophe, but 17. ... Be6 18. Bd5 is also very bad for Black.
18. Rxe4! Rae6. Black cannot play 18. ... Rxe4 as then 19. Qg5+! with mate in three moves.
19. Qg7 d6

20. Rxd6+! 1 : 0. A delightful finish. 20. ... cxd6 21. Bb6+ Kc8 22. Rc4+ is followed by mate in one, while 20. ... Rxd6 21. Rxe8+ Kxe8 22. Qxg8+ would cost Black the Queen.

Lest we forget, Aronian is a two-time unofficial World Fischerandom Chess Champion (2006 and 2007). Photo: Amruta Mokal and Sagar Shah/ChessBase India.

Counting Sheep

Levon Grigori Aronian – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)

Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge Prelims Tournament; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Wangels, February 10, 2024

bbnrkqrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BBNRKQRN w GDgd - 0 1

Position #336

1. c4 Ng6 2. f4 c5 3. e3 b6 4. b3 f6 5. Qf2 Qf7 6. g4 d5 7. cxd5 Qxd5 8. h4

8. ... 0-0!? Castling into it. To be sure, a reckless decision considering 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s state of shape.
9. h5 Nh8 10. Ne2 Nf7 11. Nhg3 Ncd6 12. Nf5 Rd7?? Oblivious to the danger, Black parries only one of the two major threats. He had, of course, to take the Knight: 12. ... Nxf5 on which White would probably have continued 13. e4 Qb7 14. gxf5 Kh8 15. 0-0-0⩲ with an edge.

13. Nxg7! Kxg7? 13. ... Ne4 14. Qg2 Kxg7 15. g5 is a little better, but not much: White’s attack hits and hurts.
14. g5 e5 15. gxf6++ Kh8 16. Qg3 Nd8 17. Bxe5. It should be noted, at least in passing, that 16. Qxg7+! at once was also possible.
17. ... Rdf7

18. Qg7+! 1 : 0. 18. ... Rxg7 19. fxg7+ Kg8 20. Bxh7+ Kf7 (or 20. ... Kxh7 21. gxf8=Q with mate in two) 21. g8=Q+! is a disaster for Black.

In the Prelims of Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, an interlocutory rapid round-robin format, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) showed himself as him who descended into the hell, thus unveiling the darkest side of his Mr. Hyde to the onlookers. Who knows, however, that when the going will get tough, the tough will get going, suddenly and mysteriously, taking his adversaries by surprise. Photo: Amruta Mokal and Sagar Shah/ChessBase India.

Simplicity Behind Complexity

Magnus Carlsen – Levon Grigori Aronian

Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge Prelims Tournament; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Wangels, February 9, 2024

rqbknrnb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RQBKNRNB w FAfa - 0 1

Position #791

1. c3 g6 2. d4 b5?! Aronian’s unstrategic aptitude will soon cause him trouble. Black had to play something like 2. ... d6 followed at the proper time by ... c7-c5.
3. Nd3! Nd6 4. Nc5 f5?! Apparently to prevent e2-e4, but Black has hardly time for this.

5. g3 c6 6. Nf3 Nf7 7. Ng5! Nxg5 8. Bxg5 Bg7 9. Bf4 d6?! This seems to be a miscalculation, but there was no easy life for Black anyway.
10. Bxc6 g5 11. Bxg5 dxc5

12. Qd3!? It’s arduous to question and even more arduous to citicise any of Carlsen’s moves, especially when, like now, he snubs the science of the engines (12. Bf4) to make humans alive again.
12. ... Kc7 13. d5!? Be5! 14. a4!? Bb7! 15. 0-0

15. ... bxa4?? A suicidal mistake, which allows White to break throuh on the a-side with catastrophic consequences for the Black King. 15. ... h6! 16. Bd2 c4! might have proven a hard nut for Carlsen to crack.
16. Rxa4 Bd6 17. b4! Bxc6 18. dxc6 cxb4 19. Rxb4 1 : 0.

Carlsen succeeded in outplaying Aronian in the opening and in the ensuing complications as well. Photo: Amruta Mokal and Sagar Shah/ChessBase India.

Worst by Test

Rafael Artemovich Vaganian – Levon Grigori Aronian

2nd FiNet Chess960 Open; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Mainz, August, 2003

nnbrkbqr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NNBRKBQR w HDhd - 0 1

Position #70

1. e4? Just forget about classical chess and Bobby Fischer’s definition of 1. e2-e4 as “best by test”. He didn’t want to be remembered for that, but rather for his last great invention: Fischerandom chess. An infinite set of worlds, a multi-dimensional board where things can happen that could never happen in standard chess. And, indeed, what happens here now, happens because of the presence of undefended Pawns in the starting array (in the classical one all Pawns are defended!). So Vaganian’s Pavlovian “best” turns out to be a blatant mistake! 1. f3 is one of the possible good first moves, after which there may follow: 1. ... Nb6 2. d4 f5 3. Nc3⩲ with a preference for White.
1. ... f5! That’s simple — and true: Black wins a Pawn by force.
2. Nc3 fxe4 3. d3. 3. Nxe4?? Qe6 would cost even more.
3. ... exd3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. Be3 e5. Black is a sound Pawn ahead, which, theoretically speaking, is sufficient to terminate debate. The rest of the game is given just for duty of chronicle:
6. 0-0-0?! (6. Bg5!? Be7 7. Bxe7 Nxe7 8. f4 Qe6)

6. ... Bb4?! 6. ... d5! seems to be much stronger: if 7. Bg5 then 7. ... d4 8. Bxd8 dxc3 with great advantage to Black.
7. Nd5 Qf7 8. Kb1?! (8. Nb3!? 0-0 9. Bc4 Kh8)
8. ... d6 9. Bg5

9. ... Be6! Black picks up a second Pawn, though at the cost of the Exchange.
10. Nxb4 Nxb4 11. Bxd8 Bxa2+ 12. Kc1 Qf4+ 13. Rd2 Kxd8 14. g3 Nxd3+ 15. cxd3 Qa4 16. Qd1 Qxd1+?! 16. ... Qc6+! 17. Rc2 Qb5 would have kept up the initiative.
17. Rhxd1 Bd5 18. d4?! (⌓ 18. f4!)
18. ... e4 19. Nc2 Rf8 20. Ne3 Bb3 21. Rf1 Nb6 22. d5? Probably best was 22. f3! Nc4 23. Re2 Nxe3 24. Rxe3 Bd5 25. f4 h5 with a dynamically balanced ending.
22. ... Nd7 23. Re2 Ne5 24. Kd2

24. ... Ba4? 24. ... Nc4+ 25. Kc3 Nxe3 26. Rxe3 Bxd5 would have ensured Black a much better endgame.
25. Ra1 Bb5 26. Rxa7 Bxe2. 26. ... Nf3+! 27. Kd1 Bxe2+ 28. Kxe2 Nd4+ 29. Kf1 b5 is a slightly better version of the game’s ending.
27. Kxe2 b5 28. Ra8+ Ke7 29. Rxf8 Kxf8 30. Nd1 Ng4 31. b4 Ke7 (31. ... Nxh2 32. Nc3=)
32. h3 Nf6 33. Nc3 Kd7 34. Ke3 c6 35. Kd4 h5 36. h4 g6

37. Nxe4?? A blunder due to lack of time. White could draw in more ways than one; for example: 37. dxc6+ Kxc6 38. Ne2 Nd5 39. Nf4 Nxb4= (but not 39. ... Nxf4?? 40. gxf4 d5 because of 41. Ke5+−).
37. ... Nxd5 0 : 1.

Waiting for the Next

Last but not least, Armenian Grandmaster Levon Grigori Aronian justly noted that the poor start — and the insecurity — of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) must have to do with the side effects of China’s so-called “zero-COVID” policy — which in fact precluded him from travelling at home and abroad — literally to leave the house — for two years or so. But hopefully, as the days go by, he will reacclimatise his senses to the world and life.

An Escape in Time

Levon Grigori Aronian – Alireza Firouzja
7th Grand Chess Tour; 1st stage; Superbet Chess Classic; Bucharest, May 7, 2022
Slav Defence D17

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 g5 12. Ne3 gxf4 13. Nxf5 0-0-0 14. Qc2 Kb8 15. gxf4 (15. a5 Nc5!) 15. ... Nc4 16. e3 Nc5 17. Rd1 Rxd1+ 18. Nxd1 Qa5+. This is all theory so far. 19. Ke2? A gross mistake, which loses a Pawn by force. Usual is 19. Nc3 Qb6∞ 20. 0-0 Qxb2 21. Qxb2 Nxb2 22. Rb1 Ncd3 23. Be4 Kc7 24. Kf1 a5 25. Bxd3 Nxd3 26. Ke2 Nc5 27. h4 Ne6 28. Ne4 Nc5 29. Nc3 Ne6 30. Rc1 Bb4 31. Ne4 h6 32. h5 b6 33. Rg1 b5 34. Ra1 bxa4 35. Rxa4 Nf8 36. Nf6 Nd7 37. Nxd7 Kxd7 38. Kd3 c5 39. Kc4 Ke6 40. e4 Rd8 41. f3 Rd1 42. Nxh6 Rd4+ 43. Kb5 Rd3 44. Nf5 Rxf3 45. h6 Bd2 46. Kxc5 Rh3 47. Nd4+ Kd7 48. f5 Rxh6 49. e5 Rh4 50. e6+ ½ : ½ 王皓 (Wáng Hào) – Nakamura, 40th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2012.

19. ... Qa6! 20. Kf3 Qxa4 21. Qxa4. It took an hour for Aronian to resign himself to the inevitable. 21. ... Nxa4 22. Ke2. Unfortunately for White, the Pawn fork on b3 would be refuted by the Knight check at d2. 22. ... Ncxb2 23. Nxb2 Nxb2 24. Rb1 Na4. Once again a little tactics: White cannot recover the Pawn with 25. Bxc6?? on account of the Knight check at c3 forking King and Rook. 25. Kd2 Nb6. Black has one extra Pawn and three united passed Pawns. All in all, it should be enough for Firouzja to do whatever he wishes. 26. Bf3 Bc5 27. Nh6 Bc5 27. Nh6 f6 28. Rg1 a5 29. Rg8+ Rxg8 30. Nxg8 f5 31. Kc2 a4 32. Nh6 Nc4 33. Be2 Nd6 34. Bd3 Ne4 35. Bxe4 fxe4 36. Ng8 b5 37. Nf6 Kc7 38. Nxh7 b4 39. Ng5 b3+ 40. Kb2 Bb4. Time control is reached. The e-Pawn falls, leaving White with four passed Pawns, but Black’s better King gives his Pawn triad irresistible strength. 41. Nxe4

41. ... c5? Firouzja will no doubt be told by his coach that his technique still needs a lot of work. The correct method is 41. ... Kb6! 42. f5 Ka5 43. f6 Bf8!−+ blocking White’s Pawns. On the other hand, Aronian must be credited for achieving a study-like draw: 42. Nc3! Bxc3+ 43. Kxc3 c4 44. Kb2 Kd6 45. f5! Ke5

46. f3! And not 46. e4?? because of 46. ... Kd4! 47. f6 c3+ 48. Kc1 Kd3 49. f7 a3 50. f8=Q b2+ 51. Kb1 c2+ 52. Ka2 b1=Q+ 53. Kxa3 c1=Q+ 54. Ka4 Qc4+ followed by mate. 46. ... Kxf5 47. h4! As FIDE Master Yosha Iglesias first noted via Twitter, a position of reciprocal zugzwang appeared on the board: “Black to play, White draws. White to play, Black wins. Unfortunately for Alireza, it’s his move”. 47. ... Ke5 48. h5 Kf5 49. f4! Ke4 50. h6 Kd3 51. h7 c3+ 52. Ka3 c2 53. h8=Q c1=Q+ 54. Kxa4! b2

55. Qh7+! Kxe3 56. Qh3+ Kxf4 57. Qh4+ Kf5 58. Qh3+ Ke5 59. Qh5+ Kd6 60. Qg6+ Kc7 61. Qg7+ Kb6 62. Qxb2+! Forcing a stalemate. 62. ... Qxb2 ½ : ½.

“Not every day one gets a reciprocal zugzwang in a game! Can’t say I am happy with my play, but definitely a memorable moment!”, Aronian eventually said. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

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.

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.

Tip Top

Levon Grigori Aronian – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

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. 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

Aronian sacrifices a second Pawn in an attempt to fuel his initiative: 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. Black has wisely returned the material and an even ending was reached. 27. Kd2 Rb8 28. Bd3 b4 29. Kc2 b3+ 30. Kb2 Re8 31. Rd7 Kf8 32. Bxh7 Re2+ 33. Kc3 Rxh2 34. Bf5 Rg2

Rather than agreeing to a draw, Aronian falls into a perfidious Fata Morgana: 35. Rxd5? cxd5 36. c6. So who can stop it from queening?

36. ... d4+! That’s the answer, and it’s the only answer! 37. Kxb3. If 37. Kxd4 then 37. ... Rc2!−+ (the elegant pointe). 37. ... Rxg3+ 38. Kc4 Rc3+ 39. Kxd4 Rxc6. The ending is a technical win and Kasparov, of course, does not fail the examination: 40. Be4 Ra6 41. Ke5 Ke7 42. Kf5 Ra4 43. Bc6 Rc4 44. Bb7 Rd4 45. Bf3 Rd6 46. Kg5 Rd3 47. Bh5 Rg3+ 48. Kf5 Kd6 49. Bf7 Kc5 50. Ke4 Rg1 51. Bh5 Kd6 52. Bf7 Ke7 53. Bc4 Kf6 54. Kf3 Ra1 55. Bd3 Ra3 56. Ke4 Kg6 57. Be2 Ra4+ 58. Ke5 Ra2 59. Bf3 Ra1 60. Bg4 Re1+ 61. Kd4 Rg1 62. Bc8 Kh5 63. Ke4 Re1+ 64. Kf5 Re8 65. Bb7 Rf8+ 66. Ke5 Kg4 67. Kd4 0 : 1.

Window on the Seine

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Levon Grigori Aronian

6th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Paris Rapid; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Paris, June 19, 2021

English Opening A13

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. b3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. Bb2 Be7 11. 0-0 Rc8 12. Rd1 0-0 13. Nc3 a6!?TN (13. ... Rfd8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 b6 16. Rac1 Bg5 17. h4 Bh6 18. Bc3 g6 19. e3 Bg7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. d4 Ne7 22. Bf3 cxd4 23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. Qxd4+ Kg8 26. h5 Qc7 27. Qf6 Nf5 28. Kg2 Ng7 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Be4 Ne8 31. Qd4 Nd6 32. Bf3 Nf5 33. Qd2 Qe5 34. a4 Kg7 35. Qd3 Qc5 36. Qd2 a5 37. Qb2+ Kf8 38. Qf6 Ke8 39. Qh8+ Ke7 40. Qb8 Qd6 41. Qc8 Qb4 42. Qc7+ Kf6 43. Qd8+ Kg7 44. Qd3 Qc5 45. Qd2 Nd6 46. Qd3 Kf6 47. Qd2 Ke7 48. Qd3 Ne8 49. Qe4 Nf6 50. Qb7+ Kf8 51. Qb8+ Kg7 52. Qd8 Qb4 53. Qd3 Ne8 54. Kf1 Kf8 55. Qc2 Nf6 56. Kg2 Qd6 57. Qc8+ Kg7 58. Qc3 Qd8 59. b4 axb4 60. Qxb4 Kg8 61. Qc3 Nd7 62. Kg1 Nc5 63. a5 Qc7 64. axb6 Qxb6 ½ : ½ Harika – L. van Foreest, 80th Tata Steel Challengers Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2018) 14. Rac1 b5 15. Qf4 h6 16. d3 Rfd8 17. Qd2 Qa7 18. e3 Qb6 19. Qe2 Nb4 20. a3 Nbd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. d4 Nf6 23. dxc5 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Bxc5 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Qh5

26. ... Bxa3? It’s hard to say what Aronian may have been thinking as he captured such a poisoned Pawn. Instead he should give up a Pawn by 26. ... Be7 27. Qxh6 (now Black can reply to 27. Rd7 with 27. ... Rc7) 27. ... Rd8 with good chances for defence. 27. Rd7! Rf8 28. Be4! f5 29. Qxh6 fxe4. Or 29. ... Qc5 30. Qg5+ Kh7 (if 30. ... Kh8 then 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Bf3 and the threat of Qf6-g5+ followed by Rd7-d4 costs Black a heavy price) 31. Rd5! Qc6 (not 31. ... exd5 on account of 32. Bxf5+ followed by mate in two) 32. Qh4+ Kg7 33. Rxf5! winning handily.

30. Rd5! The Rook joins the mating attack, thanks to the pin on the 6th rank. After that there is nothing for Black to do but leave the stage: 30. ... Qxe3 31. Qxe3 exd5 32. Qg5+ Kh8 33. Qxd5 f5 34. Qd4+ Kg8 35. b4 Bc1 36. Qb6 Rf7 37. Qxa6 e3 38. Qc8+ 1 : 0.

Of course, there is at least one obvious reason why Nepomniachtchi is interested in showing that he is in pretty good form. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

It Ain’t As Easy As It Looks

Levon Grigori Aronian – Magnus Carlsen

Champions Chess Tour 2021; 4th stage; Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2021; Quarterfinal match game 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 16, 2021

Spanish Game C77

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. c3 d6 7. Bg5 Ba7 8. 0-0 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 h5 11. h4 Nh7 12. Kh1!? A novelty by Aronian which adds little or nothing to the “book”: 12. Nbd2 g4 13. Ne1 Nf8 14. d4 exd4 15. Bxc6+ bxc6 16. cxd4 Ng6 17. Qa4 Bd7 18. e5 d5 19. f3 c5 20. Qa3 c4 21. Nc2 Bf5 22. Nb4 Bxd4+ 23. Kh2 Qd7 24. Nxa6 Ra7 25. Rad1 Qc8 26. Qa4+ Bd7 27. Qa5 Be6 28. Nxc4 Qxa6 29. Rxd4 Qxa5 30. Nxa5 Rxa5 0 : 1 Shirov – Antón Guijarro, 1st Prague International Chess Festival, Challengers Tournament, Prague 2019. 12. ... g4 13. Nh2 Nf8 14. d4 Ng6 15. Bxc6+ bxc6 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Nd2 Be6

18. Nb3? The exchange of Queens is now not in White’s best interest as the ending proves to be much better for Black. 18. ... Qxd1 19. Rfxd1 Bb6 20. Nf1 Ke7 21. Ne3 a5! 22. Kg1 a4 23. Nc1 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Rhb8 25. Nd3 f6 26. Rd2 Nh8. Eventually heading for d6 via f7. 27. Nb4 Rb6 28. Rf1 c5 29. Nd3? If 29. Nd5+ then follows 29. ... Bxd5 30. exd5 c4! with a great advantage for Black. 29. ... Rd8 30. Rfd1 Rbd6 31. Be1

31. ... g3! 32. Nxc5. Of course 32. Bxg3 Bg4 wins outright for Black. With 32. Nc1 White could defend his weaknesses for a time, but after 32. ... Nf7! he would finally end up in zugzwang. 32. ... Bg4 33. Rxd6 cxd6 0 : 1.

Carlsen ate his snack dinner with skilled theatrical flair as he was crushing Aronian in the 2nd game of their quartefinal match. Photo: TV2 Sport.