In the City

Luke James McShane – Fabiano Caruana
1st FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019; Santon, October 14, 2019
Four Knights Game C48

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6 5. d3 0-0 6. 0-0 h6 7. Kh1. A recent game continued: 7. a3 Re8 8. Be3 Bf8 9. Bc4 d6 10. h3 Be6 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 (11. ... fxe6!? is probably sounder) 12. Nd5 Ne7 13. c4 c6 14. Nxf6+ Rxf6 15. d4!⩲ Nepomniachtchi – Tomashevsky, 8th Chess World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2019, tie-break game 5 (time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move). 7. ... Re8 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Ng1 Bf8 10. f4 exf4 11. Bxf4 d5 12. e5 Bg4 13. Qd2 Nh5 14. Rae1 Rb8 15. h3 Nxf4 16. Qxf4 Bh5 17. Nd1 Rb4 18. Qf2 c5 19. b3 Rb6 20. Nf3 Rbe6 21. Ne3 Qd7 22. g4 Bg6 23. Ng2 c4 24. Nf4 cxd3 25. cxd3 Bb4 26. Rd1 R6e7? Caruana sacrifices a Pawn for the sake of nothing. 26. ... Ra6 27. e6!? Rexe6! was a creative defence — much in Petrosian’s style. 27. Qxa7 Bh7 28. Qd4 c5 29. Qxd5 Qa7 30. Qc4 Qxa2 31. g5 hxg5 32. Nxg5 Qa8+ 33. Kg1 Qc6 34. d4 Bf5 35. Nd5 Rd7 36. Ne3. Such an overwhelming position of McShane was hardly imaginable prior to the game. 36. ... Bg6 37. d5 Qc7 38. Ng4 Qd8 39. e6? (39. h4+−) 39. ... fxe6? On the verge of time control both missed their way, and now it is Caruana’s turn to let his chance slip by, as 39. ... Qxg5! 40. exd7 Re4! here would lead to a pyrotechnic draw. 40. Nxe6 Qb8 41. d6! Rxd6 42. Nc7+ Rde6 43. Rd7 Kh8 44. Qf4 Qb6 45. Nxe6 Qxe6 46. Rd6 Qe4 47. Qg5 Kh7 48. Qh4+ Kg8 49. Qg3 Kh7 50. Nf2 Qc2 51. Nd3! Be4 52. Qg5 Qe2 53. Nxb4 cxb4 54. Rd2 Qa6 55. Qh5+ Qh6 56. Qxh6+ Kxh6 57. Re1 Re5

58. Kh2? Probably there are other ways to win, but 58. Rg2!! Bxg2 (otherwise Rg2-g4 would follow) 59. Rxe5 Bxh3 60. Rb5+− must be an exemplary one! 58. ... Rd5! That is a bad surprise to McShane. Not sure if there still exists a way to win. 59. Rxd5 Bxd5 60. Re3 g5 61. Kg3 Kg6 62. Kf2 Kf5 63. Rg3 Be6 64. Ke2 Bd5 65. Kd2 Be6 66. Rf3+ Ke5 67. Re3+ Kf6 68. Kc2 Bf5+ 69. Kc1 Be6 70. Kd2 Bd5 71. Kc2 Be6 72. Kb2 Bf5 73. Rg3 Be6 74. Rd3 Ke5 75. Re3+ Kf6 76. Re4 Bxh3 77. Rxb4 g4 78. Re4 g3 79. Kc3 Kf5 80. Re1 Kf4 81. b4 Kf3 82. b5 Kf2 83. Kd2 g2 84. b6 Bc8 85. Re2+ ½ : ½.

Certain things can only happen when a challenger to the World Chess Championship meets a chess amateur. Photo credit: John Saunders.

理查三世

---

Just two lines by King Lear

---

Fabiano Caruana – Luke James McShane
London Chess Classic Rapidplay; London, December 6, 2014
Spanish C67

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. g4 Ne7 12. Ng5 Be8 13. f4 f5. Another try is 13. ... h5 14. Kf2 (14. f5 hxg4 15. hxg4 Rh4 16. Kf2! Rxg4 17. Rh1 Nxf5! 18. Rh8 Bc5+ 19. Kf3 Rg1! 20. Rxe8+ Kd7 21. Rxa8 Nd4+ 22. Ke4 Rxc1 23. b4 Bb6 24. c4 c5 25. a3 Re1+! 26. Kd3 Rd1+ 27. Kc3 Rc1+ 28. Kd3 Rd1+ 29. Kc3 Rc1+ 30. Kd3 ½ : ½ Caruana – Kramnik, Moscow 2013) 14. ... b6 15. f5 Kb7 16. Nc3 hxg4 17. hxg4 Rh2+ 18. Kg3 Rxc2 19. Nh7 c5 20. Nxf8 Bc6 21. f6 Rg2+ 22. Kf4 gxf6 23. exf6 Rf2+ 24. Ke3 Rxf6 25. Nh7 Rf3+ 26. Kd2 Rd8+ 27. Kc2 Rxc3+ 28. bxc3 Ba4+ 29. Kb2 Rxd1 30. Bg5 Nc6 31. Rxd1 Bxd1 32. Bf4 Bxg4 33. Nf6 Bf3 34. Ne8 Na5 35. Nxc7 Bc6 36. Kc2 Kc8 37. Kd3 Kd7 38. Kc2 Nc4 39. Na6 Bb7 40. Nb8+ Kc8 41. Kd3 b5 0 : 1 Caruana – M. Adams, Dortmund 2013. For 13. ... b6 14. f5 c5 see Caruana – Nakamura, 29th European Club Cup, Rhodes 2013. 14. exf6 gxf6 15. Ne6 Bd7 16. Nxf8 Rxf8 17. f5 h5 18. Kf2 Rg8. The alternative is 18. ... c5 19. Nc3 Bc6 20. Re1 Rf7 21. Ne4 hxg4 22. hxg4 b6 23. b3 Kb7 24. Bb2 Ng8 25. Kg3 Raf8 26. Rad1 Rg7 27. Kf4 Rh7 28. Rd2 Rh3 29. Rde2 Rf7 30. Re3 Rh4 31. Kg3 Rhh7 32. Nf2 a5 33. Re6 Bd7 34. R6e2 Bc6 35. Nd3 Rfg7 36. Nf4 Ne7 37. Rxe7 Rxe7 38. Rxe7 Rxe7 39. Bxf6 Re3+ 40. Kh4 Rf3 41. Be5 Kc8 42. g5 Be4 43. f6 Kd7 44. Kh5 Rxf4 45. Bxf4 Ke6 46. c4 c6 47. Bc7 b5 48. Bxa5 Kf7 49. a4 bxa4 50. bxa4 Bc2 51. Bc3 Bxa4 52. g6+ Kf8 53. Be5 1 : 0 Caruana – Howell, London Chess Classic Rapidplay; London, December 6, 2014. 19. Rg1 b6 20. Nd2 Kb7 21. Ne4 Raf8 22. Bd2 c5 23. Rae1 Nc6 24. Bc3 Nd4 25. Bxd4 cxd4 26. Kf3 c5 27. Kf4 hxg4 28. hxg4 Kc7 29. Rh1 Rf7 30. Rh6 Re8 31. Rf1 Ref8 32. Ng3 Bc6 33. Nh5 Bd5 34. Re1

34. ... Bxa2? A walk on the wild side! The natural – and safer – 34. ... a5 35. b3 leaves Black with a somewhat inferior but tenable position. 35. Ra1! The silly 35. b3? is refuted by 35. ... d3! turning the tables. 35. ... Bd5 36. Rxa7+ Bb7 37. Rxf6! A brilliant solution! White sacrifices the Knight for two united passed Pawns. 37. ... Rxf6 38. Nxf6 Rxf6 39. g5. Now White’s Rollerball is decisive. 39. ... Rf8 40. g6 c4. Desperation. On 40. ... Kb8 41. g7 Rd8 42. Rxb7+ Kxb7 43. f6 wins outright. 41. g7 Rd8 42. f6 d3 43. cxd3 cxd3 44. f7 d2 45. Ra1 d1=Q 46. Rxd1 Rxd1 47. f8=Q Bd5 48. Ke5 Ba2 49. g8=Q Bxg8 50. Qxg8 Re1+ 51. Kd5 Rd1+ 52. Ke4 Re1+ 53. Kd5 Rd1+ 54. Kc4 Rc1+ 55. Kb4 Rc5 56. Qa8 Re5 57. Ka4 Re1 58. Qa7+ Kc6 59. Qb8 Re4+ 60. b4 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana vs. Luke James McShane
Photo: Ray Morris-Hill