Terrestrial Time

Wesley So – Nils Axel Grandelius

Champions Chess Tour 2021; 4th stage; Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2021; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 15, 2021

Grünfeld Defence D85

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Rb1 0-0 9. Be2 b6 10. 0-0 Qc7 11. Re1. A rare line. 11. ... Nc6 12. d5!? Theoretically speaking, this is a novelty, in place of the previously played 12. Be3, which after 12. ... Bg4 13. Qc1 Na5 14. Bf4 Qc8 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 e5 17. dxe5 Qe8 18. Rd1 Bxe5 19. Bh6 Bg7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. e5 gave White an excellent attacking position in Rodrigues – Barbosa, 2nd Chess Open, Altinópolis 2013 — to be sure, however, Black could play better. 12. ... Ne5 13. c4 f5?! Who knows, maybe Black should look for something better here.

14. exf5! Bxf5 15. Rb3 Rad8 16. Bb2

16. ... e6? After 16. ... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Bxb2 18. Rxb2 White stands much better, but certainly it is a lesser evil compared with losing a piece. 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Bf3 Qf6. 19. ... Qd4 20. g4 doesn’t change things at all. 20. g4. The Bishop is gone. 20. ... b5 (20. ... Bxg4 21. Bxg4 Qxf2+ 22. Kh1 exd5 23. Be6+ Kg7 24. cxd5 Rf4 25. Rd3+−) 21. gxf5 bxc4 22. Rbe3 Qxf5 23. d6 Qf4 24. d7 Rf7 25. Bc6 Qxf2+ 26. Kh1 c3 27. Rxe6 c2 28. Re8+ Kg7 29. Qa1+ 1 : 0.

“Hello, World!” program

Daniil Dmitrievich Dubov – Nils Axel Grandelius

Champions Chess Tour 2021; 4th stage; Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2021; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 13, 2021

English Opening A37

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nf3 e5 6. d3 Nge7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Nd2 d6 9. a3 a6!? 9. ... a5 has also its own good merits. A game Lein – Tukmakov, 39th USSR Chess Championship, Leningrad 1971 continued (by transposition): 10. Nd5 Rb8 11. Ne4 Nxd5 12. cxd5 Ne7 13. Nd2 h5 14. e4 Bg4 15. Qc2 a4 16. Qxa4 Be2 17. Re1 Bxd3 18. Qb3 Ba6 19. a4 Bh6 20. Qc3 Qd7 21. b4 cxb4 22. Qxb4 Rbc8 23. Bf1 Bxf1 24. Rxf1 Bxd2 25. Bxd2 Rc7 26. Bc1 Ra8 27. f4 Rc2 28. f5 (should be the losing move) 28. ... gxf5 29. Qb3 Rac8 30. Qf3 R8c4 31. exf5 Qxf5 32. Qxf5 Nxf5 33. Bg5 Nd4 34. Rab1 Rxa4 35. Rxb7 Raa2 36. Rfxf7 Ra1+ 37. Rf1 Nf3+ 0 : 1. 10. Nd5 Rb8 11. Ne4 h6 12. b4 cxb4 13. Nxe7+ Nxe7 14. axb4 d5 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Qb3 Nc7 17. Qb1 Nb5 18. Bb2 Be6 19. Rc1 Bd5 20. Rc5 Kh8 21. Qf1 Re8 22. Rac1 Bc6 23. Nd2 Bxg2 24. Qxg2

24. ... Nd4? (24. ... Qe7 25. h4⩲↑) 25. Bxd4 exd4 26. Qf3 Re7 27. h4!→ Qe8 28. h5 g5 (28. ... Rxe2? 29. Ne4+−) 29. Ne4 Qd7 30. Kg2 Rf8 31. g4 (Δ Ne4-g3-f5) 31. ... Qa4. Sheer desperation, but by now there was no saving. Now Dubov energetically concludes his attack: 32. Rc8. Mutatis mutandis, 32. Nf6 Re6 33. Rc8+− would lead to a similar finale. 32. ... Qd7 33. Qf5! Qe6

34. Nf6! Qxf5 35. gxf5 Rxe2 36. Nd7 Rxc8 37. Rxc8+ Kh7 38. f6 Rb2. If 38. ... Bh8 then 39. Nf8+ Kg8 40. Ng6+ followed by mate in two moves. 39. fxg7 Kxg7 40. Rc4 1 : 0.

Trading Places

Jorden van Foreest – Nils Axel Grandelius
83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 31, 2021
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3!? Dernier cri. 6. ... Nbd7 7. Be2 b5 8. a4 Nc5!? This might be a novelty. In a game Ibadov – Afanasiev, 26th Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2018 play continued 8. ... b4 9. Nd5 Bb7 10. Nxf6+ (10. Qc4!? may be an improvement) 10. ... Nxf6 11. Bf3 Nd7 12. a5 e6 13. Bd2 d5 with good prospects for Black. 9. Qe3 b4 10. Nd5 Ncxe4 11. a5 Nxd5 12. Qxe4 e6 13. 0-0 Bd7 14. Bd2 Be7 15. Bf3 0-0 16. Qd3 Qb8 17. c4 bxc3 18. bxc3 Ra7. 18. ... Bf6!? 19. c4 Nb4 20. Bxb4 Qxb4 21. Bxa8 Rxa8 it’s like the game (but with reversed colours): Black gave up the Exchange for a Pawn and a powerful Bishop pair. 19. Rfb1 Qc8 20. c4 Nf6

21. Nb5! A Knight sacrifice which eventually leaves White with a Pawn ahead and a powerful advantage. 21. ... axb5 22. cxb5 Bxb5 23. Qxb5 Nd7 24. Bb7 Qd8 25. a6 Bf6 26. Ba5 Qe8

27. Bc7!? A tempting but perhaps unnecessary Exchange sacrifice. 27. ... Bxa1 28. Rxa1

28. ... d5? An understandable desire, but the wrong way to pursue it, as White will never renounce his mighty Bishop pair for a mere Exchange. Best was 28. ... Nc5! 29. Qb6 Qd7 30. Qxa7 (30. Bxd6?! Qxb7!) 30. ... Qxc7 with unclear but likely balanced play. 29. Bd6+− Qd8 30. Rc1 g6 31. h3 Re8 32. Rc7 Nf6 33. Be5 Ne4 34. Qc6 Rf8 35. Bd4 Qb8 36. f3 Rxa6 37. Bxa6 Qb4 38. Be5 Qe1+ 39. Kh2 Nf2 40. Qc3 Qh1+ 41. Kg3 Qg1 42. Rc8 Nh1+ 43. Kh4 Qf2+ 44. g3 g5+ 45. Kxg5 f6+ 46. Kh6. Black’s checks are finally over. 46. ... fxe5 47. Qxe5 1 : 0.

In the end, Anish Giri got tied for first place with his fellow countryman Jorden van Foreest, thus requiring an all-Dutch tie-breaker, and it’s just the case to say that it was much ado about nothing. Such a tie-breaking format (two blitz games and an Armageddon game in case of draw), indeed, may be very ugly, and even uglier when it ends up in its worst outcome. Luckily enough, van Foreest, who played the best classical game of the last round, won the Armageddon at last and, for the first time, the Tata Steel title; he, too, being the second Dutchman to do so, following Jan Timman in 1985. Photo © Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021.

Day to Day

Nils Axel Grandelius – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 21, 2021
Sicilian Defence B97

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Be7 11. fxe6 Bxe6 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Bc4 Nbd7 14. Bxe6 Nc5 15. Bb3. The French Grandmaster is a specialist of the Poisoned Pawn Variation of the Sicilian Najdorf, which gave him both satisfaction — and sorrow. For instance: 15. Bc4 Ncxe4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bf7+! Kxf7 18. Qd5+ Ke8 19. Qxe4 Qa5+ 20. Kd1! Qxg5 21. Rxb7 Rf8 22. Re1 Rf7 23. Rxe7+ Rxe7 24. Qxa8+ Kf7 25. Rf1+ Kg6 26. Qxa6 led to White being a (non-easy) Pawn up in a Rook and Queen endgame, Caruana – Vachier-Lagrave, 7th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2019. Another critical line is 15. Bf5 g6 16. Bh3 Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qd4 Qc3+ 19. Qxc3 Nxc3 in which he proved the soundness of Black’s defence: 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 21. Rxb7+ Kf6 22. 0-0+ Kg5 23. g3 Rab8 24. Rc7 Nd5 25. Ra7 Ne3 26. Rc1 Rb6 27. Re7 Nd5 28. Ra7 h5 29. Be6 Nc3 30. h4+ Kh6 31. Rf1 d5 32. Re7 Rh7 33. Re8 Rb2 34. Bg8 Rg7 35. Rd8 Ne4 36. Bxd5 Nxg3 37. Rh8+ Rh7 38. Rxh7+ Kxh7 39. Rf7+ Kh6 40. Bb3 Nf5 41. Ra7 Nxh4 42. Rxa6 Nf3+ 43. Kf2 Nd4 44. Kg3 Nxb3 45. cxb3 Kg5 46. Ra5+ Kf6 ½ : ½ 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Vachier-Lagrave, 4th Speed Chess Championship, chess.com, September 3, 2019, match game 20 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move. 15. ... Rc8 16. 0-0 Nxb3 17. Rxb3 Qc5+ 18. Be3 Qc4 19. Rf4

19. ... Qe6? There must have been something tremendously wrong in Vachier-Lagrave’s opening preparation. 19. ... Nh5! 20. Rf3 Nf6= is well-known patchwork theory. “After the game Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and I talked about that”, Grandelius then said. “Instead, he went for 19. ... Qe6, and after 20. Rxb7 I simply found myself a Pawn up”. 20. Rxb7 0-0 21. h3 Rb8 22. Ra7 Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Nd5 Rb8 25. c4 Bd8?! 25. ... Nxd5 is probably a lesser evil, although 26. exd5 Qg6 27. Qf2 leaves White a Pawn ahead and the better game. 26. Qf2 Nd7 27. Bd4 Bg5 (27. ... h6 28. Qg3 Bg5? 29. h4!+−) 28. Rf5 Bh6 29. Kh2 Rc8 30. Qg3 g6 31. Qh4! Bf8 (31. ... Bg7 32. Qe7!+−)

32. Rf6! Qe8 (32. ... Nxf6 33. Nxf6+ Kf7 34. Qxh7+ Bg7 35. Ng4+−) 33. Rxf8+! Qxf8 34. Ne7+ Kf7 35. Nxc8 1 : 0.

Of the fourteen, Swedish Grandmaster Grandelius was today the only one to win, taking also the sole lead of the tournament. Photo © Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021.

Into the Open

Nils Axel Grandelius – Pentala Harikrishna
83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 18, 2021
French Defence C02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bb5. No doubt one of Black’s strategic goals is to exchange off his “bad” Bishop. 8. 0-0 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Nc6 10. Nc3 Nge7 11. Qd3 Rc8!? Harikrishna’s move may be a novelty, though a very natural one. 12. Rd1 h6 13. Bd2 Ng6. 13. ... Qxb2?? 14. Na4 would cost Black the Queen. 14. h4 Bb4. The b-Pawn is still poisoned: 14. ... Qxb2?? 15. h5 winning at least a piece, because if 15. ... Nge7 then 16. Na4 trapping the Queen. 15. Na4 Qc7 16. h5 Nge7 17. Bf4?! Harikrishna said afterwards that this might be Grandelius’ critical mistake, leaving Black with a straight Queenside initiative. On one hand, that may sound a bit exaggerated, but on the other 17. Bxb4 Nxb4 18. Qd2 is probably more suited for equality purposes. 17. ... Qa5 18. b3 b5 19. Nb2 Ba3 20. Qe2 0-0 21. Rab1 Rc7 22. Nd3 Qb6 23. b4 a5. Otherwise Rb1-b3 follows. 24. bxa5 Nxa5

25. Bc1? Grandelius makes a wrong move after which Black gets an overwhelming preponderance on the Queenside. Probably best was 25. Nde1! Nc4 26. g4 Nc6!? with unclear equality (even though the play is easier for Black). 25. ... Bxc1 26. Rdxc1 Rxc1+ 27. Nxc1 Nc4 28. Nb3 Ra8 29. Rc1 Nc6 30. g3 Ra3 31. Kg2 Qa7 32. Rc2. As bad as any other move. 32. ... Nb4 33. Rc3 Nxa2 34. Rd3

34. ... Rxb3! 35. Rxb3 Nc1! 36. Qc2 Nxb3 37. Qxb3 Qa4 38. Qb1 b4 0 : 1.

Harikrishna, by virtue of his exemplary French Defence, shattered Grandelius’ dreams of glory... at least, for now. Photo © Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021.

Hard Luck

Nils Axel Grandelius – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 30, 2019
English Opening A21

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 a5 4. Nf3 d6 5. a3 c6 6. axb4 cxd5 7. cxd5 Nf6 8. d3 Nxd5 9. Bd2 Nc6 10. bxa5 0-0 11. g3 h6!? No doubt 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s novelty is also an improvement on 11. ... b6? (an essentially incorrect and unsound second Pawn sacrifice) 12. axb6 Rxa1 13. Qxa1 Ndb4 14. Bxb4 Nxb4 15. Qa5 Nc6 16. Qb5 Bb7 17. Bh3! Nd4 18. Nxd4 Bxh1 19. Nc6 Bxc6 20. Qxc6 f5 (Hillarp Persson – Hector, 86th Swedish Chess Championship, Ronneby 2018) and now 21. b7! would have given White an overwhelming advantage. 12. Bg2 Be6 13. 0-0 Nxa5 14. e4 Nf6 15. Bc3 Qb6 16. Qa4 Nb3 17. Qxa8 Rxa8 18. Rxa8+ Kh7 19. h3 Nc5. Another good option seems to be ... Nf6-d7-c5. 20. Rd1

20. ... Ncxe4? A clear miscalculation by 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), who seems to have greatly overestimated her Kingside attack. Simply 20. ... Bb3 21. Rd2 Na4 granted Black a very comfortable equality. 21. dxe4 Nxe4 22. Be1 Nxg3 23. Nd4! Black must have overlooked this interference move, which leaves White with formidable Bishop and Rook pairs against Queen, Bishop and three Pawns. 23. ... Nf5. 23. ... exd4 24. fxg3 Qxb2 25. Bf2 is hardly better, as White will soon consolidate. 24. Nxf5 Bxf5 25. Bc3 Qc7 26. Ra7 Qc8 27. Kh2 Qc4 28. Rxb7 Qf4+ 29. Kg1 Qg5. Who knows, maybe 29. ... Bxh3! 30. Bxh3 Qf3 was a little more unclear. 30. Kf1 Qh5 31. Rxd6 Bxh3 32. Rb4 e4! 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) does her best to make her opponent think her Queen and Bishop battery can still be dangerous, but Grandelius cooly defends with a powerful deployment of both Rooks on the fourth rank: 33. Rdd4! (33. Rxe4?? Qf3!−+) 33. ... e3! Threatening ... Qh5-f3. 34. Bxh3 (34. fxe3?? Qf3+−+) 34. ... Qxh3+ 35. Ke2 exf2 36. Kxf2 Qh2+ 37. Ke1 f6 38. Kd1 h5 39. Kc1 Qg1+ 40. Kc2 Qg2+ 41. Kb1. Now Black has nothing to hope for, as everything only depends upon her opponent’s technique. 41. ... Qc6 42. Rf4 Kg6 43. Rfc4 Qd6 44. Ka2 Qe6 45. b3! Qe2+ 46. Bb2 Kh6 47. Rc7 Qe1 48. Rcc4 Qf2 49. Ra4 Qb6 50. Rcb4 Qc7 51. Rb5 Kg6 52. Rd5 Qb7 53. Rd2 Qc7 54. Rdd4 Qb7 55. Rd8 Kh7 56. Ra5 Qf3 57. Rdd5 g5 58. Rf5 1 : 0.

Nils Grandelius vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo © John Saunders.

A Joy of Less

Michael Adams – Nils Axel Grandelius
16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, February 1, 2018
Sicilian Defence B52

Armenian Grandmaster Levon Grigori Aronian won the 16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival after tie-break against French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, replicating the outcome of the 7th Chess World Cup’s semifinal, so that he will likely face the next Candidates Tournament in the best possible mood! Among the non-winners, English Grandmaster Michael Adams was remarkable as usual, if nothing because he made the same score as the winner (7½ points out of 10)! 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Nxd7 5. 0-0 Ngf6 6. Re1 e6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Be7 9. c4 0-0 10. b3 Re8 11. Bb2 Nc5!? 11. ... a6 after 12. Nc3 Bf8 13. Qd2 Rc8 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. Nf3 Qb8 16. h3 b5 may transpose into Hammer – Nakamura, 3rd Norway Blitz Chess Tournament 2015. 12. Nc3 d5?? This is really an awful mistake that makes Black’s position disintegrate in a few moves. Among other moves, 12. ... Qb6!? 13. Qd2 Ng4 deserved consideration here. 13. exd5 exd5 14. Nf5 Bf8. Not 14. ... dxc4?? 15. Rxe7! winning on the spot. 15. Rxe8 Qxe8 16. Nxd5 Nxd5

17. Nh6+! Giving the last nail one last tap, but even without this pretty “intermezzo” White shouldn’t have to be worried about the final result. 17. ... Kh8. Not 17. ... gxh6?? because of 18. Qg4+ followed by mate. 18. Qxd5 Qe6 19. Nxf7+ Kg8 20. Qxe6 Nxe6 21. Ne5. With two Pawns minus (one on each wing), Black could well resign here. 21. ... Rd8 22. Bc3 Bc5 23. Kf1 Bd4 24. Bxd4 Rxd4 25. Re1 Nc5 26. Nf3 Rd6 27. Ng5 Rd8 28. g3 h6 29. Ne6 Nxe6 30. Rxe6 Kf7 31. Re5 Rd2 32. a4 Rb2 33. Rb5 b6 34. h4 Ke6 35. h5 Kd6 36. a5 Kc6 37. axb6 axb6 38. Kg2 1 : 0.

Michael Adams vs. Nils Grandelius. Photo © John Saunders.

Rocket Man

Hikaru Nakamura – Nils Axel Grandelius
16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 26, 2018
Sicilian Defence B80

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2 b4 9. Na4 Nbd7 10. 0-0-0 Qa5 11. b3 Bb7 12. a3 Qc7 13. axb4 d5 14. Bf2(!) Bd6!? 14. ... dxe4 15. Bg3 Qc8 (but 15. ... e5!? 16. Bc4!? g6!? should be taken into consideration) 16. Bc4 yielded White a powerful edge in Yoo – Preotu, 10th Calgary International Chess Classic, Calgary 2017. 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Bg3! Rc8 17. c4! Bxb4 18. Qg5! Qa5 19. Qxg7 Rf8 20. Nc2! Bc6. 20. ... Nc3? 21. Nxb4! Nxd1 22. Nc2! wins material for White.

21. Qa1! The climax of Nakamura’s theoretical prep. Grandelius was probably hoping for 21. cxd5? Bxa4 22. dxe6 Rxc2+! 23. Kxc2 Bxb3+! 24. Kxb3 Nc5+ and Black has at least perpetual check. 21. ... Nc5. In the tournament bulletin, John Saunders also considers 21. ... N7b6 22. Nxb6 Qxa1+ 23. Nxa1 Nxb6 24. Nc2 and Black has no worthy compensation for his Pawn deficit. 22. Nxc5 Qxa1+ 23. Nxa1. Game over. 23. ... Ba3+ 24. Kd2 Bb4+ 25. Kd3 Nc3 26. Nxa6! Rd8+ 27. Kc2 Rxd1 28. Nxb4 Rxa1 29. Kxc3 Kd7 30. Nc2 Rb1 31. Ne1 Ra8 32. Bd3 Rc1+ 33. Kd2 Raa1 34. Be5 Rd1+ 35. Ke2 Rac1 36. Bb2 1 : 0. Not an everyday picture: both Black’s Rooks ended up trapped on White’s first rank!

Hikaru Nakamura (right) vs. Nils Grandelius (left). Photo © Sophie Triay.

Peace at the Last

Nils Axel Grandelius – Dronavalli Harika
23rd TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament; Malmö, May 11, 2017
Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. e5 e6 7. Be4? A silly (new) move which is not only useless, but even deleterious. For 7. 0-0 d5 8. exd6 Bxd6 9. Ne4 Be7 10. b3 f5 11. Ng3 Bf6 12. Rb1 g6 see Grischuk – Vachier-Lagrave, 3rd Norway Blitz 2015, Stavanger 2015. 7. ... d5 8. exd6 Qxd6 9. Bxc6+. One should not make such a concession, but White didn’t know where to put the Bishop after an eventual ... Ng8-f6. 9. ... Qxc6 10. 0-0 Nf6 11. d4 cxd4 12. Qxd4 b5! Black stands already well, despite her slight delay in development – both her Bishops are eager to plant themselves on important diagonals. 13. Ne5 Qc5. This modest move surprised me a bit, but maybe even Morphy would have done so – and, in any event, it denotes Harika’s great confidence in her own judgment. 14. Rd1?! Here’s another cryptic loss of something ineffable. Since White stands worse, I think he would have done better to play 14. Qxc5 Bxc5 15. Be3 trying to keep his discomfort to the (best) minimum (possible). 14. ... Qxd4 15. Rxd4 Bc5 16. Rd3 Bb7 17. Bg5 Be7! 18. Rad1 Rc8! 19. R1d2 h6! Harika is playing with timely dynamism, and by simple means she totally overwhelmed – even in a strategic sense – her opponent. 20. Bh4. Of course, Grandelius is not in the mood to expose himself voluntarily to an unnecessary danger such as 20. Bxf6 gxf6 soonly followed by ... Rh8-g8. 20. ... g5! 21. Bg3 Nd5. 21. ... Ne4 might have been even stronger, but Black would have to withstand some complications, which Harika usually tries to avoid. Alas, it’s not always possible! 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Ng4 h5 24. Ne3 Be4 25. Rd4 Bc6 26. Be5 f6 27. Bd6

27. ... Bd8! Harika’s synchronization in the background is really in the style of Wilhelm Steinitz. 28. Bc5 Kf7! 29. c4 Bc7? A strange circumlocution. 29. ... f5! followed by ... Bd8-f6 appears to be much stronger and hugely advantageous. 30. Bd6! The tenacious Swedish Grandmaster finds the way to climb up to the surface. 30. ... e5 31. R4d3 bxc4 32. Nxc4 Bb5 33. Bxc7 Bxc4 34. Rd7+ Kg6 35. R2d6?? A comical blunder made under time pressure, when by now White was safe. After 35. b3 Bb5 36. Re7 Rhe8 (or 36. ... Rh7) the game was pretty balanced. 35. ... Rhe8? Harika was also short of time and, very unluckily for women’s cause, missed 35. ... Bb5! 36. Re7 Rhe8! (37. Rxe8 Bxe8) with decisive material gains due to White’s back rank abyss. 36. g4! hxg4 37. Rd8? Zeitnot! The immediate 37. a4 was a “must”. 37. ... Rcxd8? The drama of Zeitnot. 37. ... Rexd8 38. Bxd8 Be2! would have retained much greater winning chances. 38. Bxd8 Re6 39. Rxe6 Bxe6. Now the endgame is probably a draw (however not yet so easy to draw for White), thanks to the opposite-colour Bishops. 40. a4 Bb3 41. a5 f5 42. Bc7 e4 43. Bd8 f4 44. Be7 Bc4 45. Bd8 Kf5 46. Be7 e3 47. fxe3 fxe3 48. Kg2 Kf4 49. Bf6 Bd5+ 50. Kf1 Bc4+ 51. Ke1 Bb5 ½ : ½.

长城 (The Great Wall)

Nils Axel Grandelius – 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 27, 2016
Caro-Kann B16

Nobody ever says a word about how 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) used to spend his free days in Stavanger. Did you notice that? 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6!? The Bronstein-Larsen Variation. My friend Doriano Tocchioni should be very happy that his ancient sword is not yet hung on the wall. 6. c3 Bf5 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. g3 Qc7 9. Bg2 e6 10. Nh4 Bg6 11. Bf4. An anthologic miniature is 11. 0-0 0-0-0 12. Qe2 Bd6 13. Be3 f5 14. Bg5 Rde8 15. c4 c5 16. b4 cxd4 17. c5 Bf8 18. Rac1 Nb8 19. b5 Bg7 20. b6 1 : 0 Chiburdanidze – Borner, 24th Masters Tournament Open, Biel/Bienne 1991. 11. ... Bd6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. 0-0 f5 14. b4 Nf6 15. a4 a6 16. Re1 0-0 17. a5 Rad8 18. Qc1. Black has no counterplay worth the opening variation, while White has got a very comfortable position, with much more space. That doesn’t mean, however, that the game is already won as Black’s position is fundamentally sound. 18. ... Kg7 19. Nf3 Nd7 20. Nd2 Qc7 21. Nc4 Rfe8 24. Re3 Nf6 25. Ne5 Ng4 26. Nxg4 Bxg4 27. Re5 Bh5 28. Bf1 Rd5 29. R5e3. Faithful to the rule to avoid exchanges with a space advantage. 29. ... Qe7 30. Bc4 Rdd8 31. Re5 Qg5 32. R1e3 Bg6 33. Bb3 Rd6 34. h4 Qf6 35. Re1 Red8 36. Qf4 Bh5 37. Kh2 Bg6 38. R1e3 h5 39. Re1 Bh7 40. Kg2 Qh6 41. Qg5+ Bg6 42. R5e3 R8d7 43. Kf1 Rd8 44. Ke2 R6d7 45. Kd2 Rd6 46. Kc1 R6d7 47. Kb2 Rd6. Black cannot but wait his opponent’s breakthrough; on the other hand, White must find a way to break in. 48. Bc4 Re8 49. Kb3 Rd7 50. Bf1 Qxg5 51. hxg5 Rh8 52. Bg2 Rdd8 53. Rh1 f6 54. gxf6+ Kxf6 55. Kc4 Ke7 56. Kc5 Bf7 57. Rh4 Kd7 58. Kb6 Kc8 59. Bf3 Kb8 60. Re1 Rh6 61. Re5 Rd6 62. Kc5 Kc7 63. Re1 Rd8 64. c4 Rh7 65. Reh1 Rdh8 66. Rb1 Be8 67. Re1 Bd7 68. Re5 Rh6

69. d5. Swedish Grandmaster pushes hard to win – maybe a bit impatiently. 69. ... exd5 70. cxd5 cxd5 71. Bxd5 b6+ 72. Kd4 bxa5 73. bxa5 Rb8 74. Bc4 Rb2 75. Rc5+ Kd6 76. Rd5+ Kc7 77. Rf4 Rc6 78. Rc5 Rd2+ 79. Kc3 Rxc5 80. Kxd2 Rxa5 81. Bf7 Kd6 82. Rd4+ Ke7 83. Bxh5 Re5 84. g4 fxg4 85. Bxg4 Bxg4 86. Rxg4 a5 87. Kc3 Rf5 88. Ra4 Rxf2 89. Rxa5 Rf3+ 90. Kb4 Rf4+ 91. Kb5 Rf5+ 92. Ka4 Rxa5+ 93. Kxa5 ½ : ½. A hard-fought draw! Bravo to both the outsiders for their combativity.

Nils Grandelius vs. 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
Photo: 4th Altibox Norway Chess (‏@NorwayChess)

Before the Dawn

Magnus Carlsen – Nils Axel Grandelius
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 21, 2016
Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Qb6!? “6. ... Qb6!? by Grandelius is one of those annoying little moves to impede White’s plan of effortless development”, Grandmaster Nigel David Short tweeted. 7. Qc1 f6!? With the understandable aim of improving on 7. ... h6 8. Bd3 d5 9. exd6 exd6 10. Qe3+ Be6 11. Bc4 Nd8 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Rhe1 0-0 14. Bxh6 d5 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 dxc4 17. Qe4 g6 18. Qh4 Kg7 19. Qh7+ Kf6 20. Ne4+ Ke7 21. Qg7 Re8 22. Nf6 Qb5 23. a4 Qc6 24. Nd5+ 1 : 0 Bok – Reinderman, Dutch Chess Championship Qualifying Tournament, Amsterdam 2015. 8. Bc4 g5!? 9. Bg3 g4 10. exf6!! It’s a very difficult sacrifice, half positional and half tactical. 10. ... gxf3 11. Qf4 fxg2 12. Rg1 Na5 13. f7+! Kd8 14. Bd5

14. ... Bh6? Grandmaster Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler called it “A weird bit of miscalculation”. And really it is so! The critical line appears to be 14. ... d6 15. 0-0-0! when White’s enormous advantage in development and mobility more than compensate for the sacrificed Knight. 15. Qe5. You cannot give Magnus such a look as to not send him an invitation to 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)’s wedding! 15. ... Rf8 16. Bh4 Rxf7. Sadly forced. 17. Bxf7 Nc6 18. Qg3 Qxb2 19. Rd1. “I love the way Carlsen keeps his pieces coordinated even in very messy positions”, Short said. 19. ... Qxc2 20. Bd5 Qf5 21. Rxg2 Bf4 22. Qf3 Kc7 23. Rg5 Qf8 24. Bg3 e5 25. Rh5 a5 26. Rxh7 Ra6 27. Rf7 Qe8 28. Kf1 Bxg3 29. hxg3 Qh8 30. Kg2 Nd8 31. Rf8 Qg7 32. Rh1 Rh6 33. Rxh6 Qxh6 34. Qf6 Qxf6 35. Rxf6 d6 36. Kf3 b5 37. g4 Kd7 38. Rh6 1 : 0. Black’s light-square Bishop never saw the light of sun. “Magnus played better than the computers today”, Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer said. No doubt Mr. Carlsen very often plays better than computers!

Magnus Carlsen vs. Nils Grandelius
Photo: 4th Altibox Norway Chess (@NorwayChess)

Spettekaka

Nils Axel Grandelius – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; time control: 25 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Fagernes, March 26, 2016

Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bd6 12. e4 Rb8 13. e5 Be7 14. Be3 b6 15. Rc1 Kd8!? Possibly improving on 15. ... Bb7 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. Rc8+ Bd8 18. Ke2 Kd7 19. Rhc1⩲ van Wely – Anand, 15th Amber Rapid Chess Tournament, Monte Carlo 2006. 16. f4 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Ke2 Kd7 19. Kd3 (19. Rhd1 Rc8 20. Rxc8 Kxc8 21. d5 exd5 22. Rxd5 Rd7=) 19. ... Rc8 20. Rxc8 Kxc8 21. Rc1+ Kd8 (21. ... Rc7 22. Ke4 Rxc1 23. Bxc1⩲) 22. g4 Rd7 23. f5 Rd5 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Rf1 Ke8 26. Rc1 h6 (26. ... Kd7=) 27. Rc8+ Bd8 28. Bd2 (28. g5 Kd7 29. gxh6 gxh6 30. Rc2 h5 31. Rg2 Ra5=) 28. ... Kd7 29. Ra8 a5 30. a4 Kc6 31. Rc8+ Kb7 32. Rc1 b5 33. axb5 Rxb5 34. Rf1 Kc6 35. Rf7 Rb7 36. Rf8 Rd7 37. Ke4. Again an impressive exhibition of “volitional” endgame technique by Grandelius! 37. ... a4 38. Bb4 Be7?! (38. ... Rb7 39. Bc5 Bb6=) 39. Bxe7 Rxe7 40. Ra8 Kb5 41. d5 exd5+ 42. Kxd5 Rd7+ 43. Ke6? [43. Ke4! Rd2 44. e6 Kc6 (44. ... Rxh2? 45. Kf3+−) 45. h4! Re2+ 46. Kf5 Kb5 (46. ... Kd6 47. Rxa4+−) 47. Ra7+−] 43. ... Rd2 44. Kf7 (44. h4 g5 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Kf6 Rf2+ 47. Kxg5 Re2 48. Kf6 Rf2+ 49. Ke6 Rg2=) 44. ... Rxh2 45. e6

45. ... Re2? Under severe time pressure 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) fails to find the (easy) exit way: 45. ... Rf2+! 46. Kxg7 (46. Kg8 Re2=) 46. ... Rg2! 47. e7 Rxg4+ 48. Kxh6 Re4 49. e8=Q+ Rxe8 50. Rxe8 a3 with a draw. 46. e7 g6 47. e8=Q+ Rxe8 48. Rxe8 h5 49. g5 h4 50. Kxg6 h3 51. Re1 a3 52. Kf5 1 : 0. “This will actually be the first time Sweden has a player in a super tournament since Ulf Andersson in early 90’s”, Tarjei J. Svensen said.

Nils Grandelius vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen.

Óðrerir

• Tarjei J. Svensen, Nils Grandelius (22) klar for Norway Chess (22 year-old Nils Grandelius wins the Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier), Matt & Patt, March 26, 2016

Nils Axel Grandelius
Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen

Jonathan David Tisdall (@GMjtis)

Jackhammer

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; Fagernes, March 25, 2016
Modern Benoni A77

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5. Black’s Modern Benoni came not as a surprise to Hammer. 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Nd2 Bg7 8. e4 0-0 9. Be2 Re8 10. 0-0 Nbd7 11. h3 a6 12. a4 Rb8 13. a5 b5 14. axb6 Nxb6 15. Bd3. “Hammer is play[ing] faster than ever today against Hóu at the Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier so her choice of the Benoni seems to be no surprise”, Grandmaster Jonathan David Tisdall said. 15. ... g5 16. f4 gxf4. Here 16. ... g4!? 17. f5!? c4!? is a critical line, possibly offering more chances for counter-play. 17. Rxf4. Hammer said that he analysed this position with computer during his preparation. “Computer prefers White after 17. Rxf4”, he told Tarjei J. Svensen. “But for a human being it’s all very unclear, because Black has some strong points, particularly the e5-square and the long diagonal h8-a1. So I felt it wasn’t clear at all”. 17. ... Nbd7? It appears that 17. ... Nfd7(!) would have allowed Black to reculer pour mieux sauter in a more harmonious and comfortable position. 18. Nc4 Ne5 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Rf3 Nd7 21. Rg3 Nf8 22. Bxa6 Ng6 23. Bxc8 Qxc8 24. Ra7 Rb7 25. Rxb7 Qxb7 26. Rf3. White is up a Pawn and has plenty of play on the light squares – it’s enough to draw the conclusion that Black is in trouble. 26. ... Re8 27. Rf1 Ne5 28. Qh5 Ng6 29. Qf5 Re5 30. Qf3 h6. Don’t trust your chess engine: Black simply lacks good moves. 31. Ne2! Intending Ne2-g3-f5. Black cannot do anything about it. 31. ... Qd7 32. Ng3 Nh4 33. Qd3 Qb7 34. Qe2 Qd7 35. Bf4 Re8 36. Qh5 Ng6 37. Bxh6 Bxb2 38. Bg5. White is ready to launch the decisive assault by Ng3-f5-h6+-g4. 38. ... Bd4+ 39. Kh1 Qb5

40. Rxf7! Hammer concludes brilliantly with a classic Rook sacrifice. 40. ... Kxf7 41. Qh7+ Bg7. Or 41. ... Kf8 42. Bh6+ and mate next move. 42. Nf5 Qf1+ 43. Kh2 1 : 0. “Hammer time”, Tisdall said.

Hammer vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen.

Kladdkaka

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer – Nils Axel Grandelius
Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier; Fagernes, March 23, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Bb4 7. Nd2 c6 8. e3 Nf8 9. Bd3 Ng6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. f4. Aronian’s move. 11. ... h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. f5

13. ... Nh4!? Not 13. ... Ne7?? on account of 14. Nde4! dxe4 15. Nxe4 Qh4 16. g3 Qh3 17. Nf2 (Her Majesty is trapped) 17.. ... Qxf1+ 18. Kxf1 Nxf5 19. Qf3 Nd6 20. e4 with overwhelming advantage for White, Aronian – Mamedyarov, Candidates Tournament, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. Another bad idea is 13. ... Nh8 14. Qc2 and if 14. ... Qd6 then 15. f6! getting Black into serious trouble. Probably best is 13. ... Qg5 in order to answer 14. Qe2 by 14. ... Nh4 with chances for both sides. 14. Qh5. Consistently committal. On the other hand, to give up the whole centre by 14. g3 Nxf5 15. Bxf5 Bxf5 16. g4 Qg5 17. Rxf5 Qxe3+ 18. Kg2 Qxd4 appears to be a very unsound decision. 14. ... Bxf5 15. Rxf5. This is a must, since 15. Bxf5 g6 16. Bxg6 fxg6 17. Rxf6 gxh5 18. Rxh6 Nf5 gives White no significant advantage. 15. ... Nxf5 16. Qxf5 Qxf5 17. Bxf5. Everything ended up in an unbalanced position in which White’s chances are infinitesimally better, but indeed nothing more. 17. ... Rae8 18. Kf2 g6 19. Bd3 Re6 20. g4 Rfe8 21. Re1 Be7 22. Nf3 Bg5 23. Nd1 Rf6 24. Kg2 Rfe6 25. Kf2 Rf6 26. Ke2 Rfe6 27. Kd2 Rf6 28. Ke2 Rfe6 29. Kd2 Rf6 30. Be2. Hammer doesn’t want to resign himself to a draw, but Black’s position appears impregnable, and in forcing matters hastily White can only hurts himself. 30. ... Rfe6 31. Bf1 Kg7 32. a3 Bd8 33. Bd3 Bc7 34. h4. “[Hammer] was in too much of a hurry to play h2-h4 and g4-g5. He had waited for it, he most likely would have kept the upper hand. Instead, after h2-h4 and g4-g5 it’s fairly easy to defend”, then Grandelius told Tarjei J. Svensen. 34. ... Rf6 35. Rf1 Ba5+ 36. Ke2 Bb6 37. g5 hxg5 38. hxg5 Rfe6 39. Ne5 R6e7 40. b4 Rxe5! Grandelius decides to play sharply and gives back the Exchange for emerging with three extra Pawn as a compensation for the minus Knight. 41. dxe5 Rxe5 42. Rg1 Bd8. The third Pawn is doomed. 43. Kf3 Bxg5 44. e4 Bc1! I’m quite sure that Bobby Fischer would handily win such an endgame, and so... c’mon Nils! 45. a4 Ba3 46. exd5 Rxd5 47. Bc4 Rf5+ 48. Ke4 Bxb4. Black has now four Pawns for the piece! 49. Rf1 b5 50. axb5 cxb5 51. Ne3 Rxf1 52. Bxf1 a6 53. Nd5 Bd6 54. Ne3 Kh6 55. Kd5 Bf4 56. Nc2 Bd2 57. Nd4 f5 58. Nxb5. A desperate attempt to seek salvation in an opposite coloured Bishop endgame with two Pawns less. I’m just not sure it’s the best thing for White. 58. ... axb5 59. Bxb5 Kg5 60. Ke6 f4 61. Kf7 f3 62. Bc6 f2 63. Bb5 Bc3 64. Bf1 Kh6 65. Be2 g5 66. Ke6 Kg6 67. Bd3+ Kh5 68. Kf5 Kh4 69. Be2 Bd2 70. Bf1 Kg3 71. Ke4 Kh2 72. Kd3 Kg1 73. Ke2 g4 0 : 1.

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer vs. Nils Grandelius
Photo: Ingemar Falk

Sled dog racing

Tarjei J. Svensen (@TarjeiJS)

北京 (Běijīng), China: A girl rides a scooter under decorations for a temple fair before the Chinese lunar new year at 地坛 (Dìtán Park). Photo: 王身敦 (Andy Wong)/AP.

美学 (Estetica)

Simone De Filomeno – Nils Axel Grandelius

lii Campionato del Mondo Juniores; Kocaeli, 19 settembre 2013

Grünfeld D94

1. d4 Cf6 2. Cf3 g6 3. c4 Ag7 4. e3 0-0 5. Ae2 c5 6. Cc3 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. 0-0 Cc6 9. Ae3. Se 9. h3 allora 9. ... dxc4 10. Axc4 b6 11. a3 e6 12. Ag5 h6 13. Af4 Ab7= Burger – P. C. Benkö, New York 1969. 9. ... Ag4. Più convincente di 9. ... b6?! 10. Ce5 Ab7 11. Af3 Ca5 12. cxd5! Cxd5 13. Cxd5 Axd5 14. Tc1! con preferenza per il Bianco, Keres – Tal, Parnü 1971. 10. c5. Lungi dalla scolorita alternativa 10. Ce5 Axe2 11. Dxe2 dxc4 12. Cxc6 bxc6= (analisi di Keres). 10. ... Ce4 11. Tc1 Cxc3 12. bxc3 e6 (12. ... b6 13. Da4) 13. Af4 Dd7 14. Tb1 Tfd8 15. Te1 Af8 16. Ab5 Axf3 17. Dxf3 b6 18. Dd1 Db7 19. Da4 Ca5 20. c6 De7 21. c7 Tdc8? Addio alle armi! La strada maestra era invece 21. ... Td6! con pervicace resistenza. 22. Ad7 Da3 23. Db5 Ad6 24. Axc8 Axf4 25. Dd7 Dd6

26. Txe6! Sacrificio elegantissimo. 26. ... Axh2+ 27. Rf1 Dxc7 28. Te8+ Rg7 29. Dxc7 Axc7 30. Tbe1 Af4 31. Aa6 Txe8 32. Txe8 Rf6 33. Re2 Cc6 34. Ta8 Re6 35. Ab5 Ca5 36. Txa7 Ab8 37. Ta8 Ad6 38. Te8+ Ae7 39. Tb8 1 : 0.

Simone De Filomeno
Foto: Scacchierando.it

Breaking Point

[Event "52nd World Junior Chess Championship"]
[Site "Kocaeli"]
[Date "2013.09.19"]
[Round "7.17"]
[White "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Black "Grandelius, Nils Axel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "2392"]
[BlackElo "2576"]
[PlyCount "77"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 c5 6. Nc3 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. O-O Nc6 9. Be3 Bg4 10. c5 Ne4 11. Rc1 Nxc3 12. bxc3 e6 13. Bf4 Qd7 14. Rb1 Rfd8 15. Re1 Bf8 16. Bb5 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 b6 18. Qd1 Qb7 19. Qa4 Na5 20. c6 Qe7 21. c7 Rdc8 22. Bd7 Qa3 23. Qb5 Bd6 24. Bxc8 Bxf4 25. Qd7 Qd6 26. Rxe6 Bxh2+ 27. Kf1 Qxc7 28. Re8+ Kg7 29. Qxc7 Bxc7 30. Rbe1 Bf4 31. Ba6 Rxe8 32. Rxe8 Kf6 33. Ke2 Nc6 34. Ra8 Ke6 35. Bb5 Na5 36. Rxa7 Bb8 37. Ra8 Bd6 38. Re8+ Be7 39. Rb8 1-0