Overboard

Fabiano Caruana – Laurent Fressinet
SchachBundesliga Championship Tournament; Karlsruhe, September 19, 2020
Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 Be7 7. Re1 b5 8. Rxe4 d5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. Rxe5 bxa4 11. Qf3!?TN (11. Nc3 0-0 12. Re1 Bd6 13. Qh5 a3 14. Nxd5 axb2 15. Bxb2 Rb8 16. Rab1 Re8 17. Ne3 Bf4 18. d5 Rb4 19. c4 Bxe3 20. Rxe3 Rxe3 21. fxe3 Rxc4 22. Bd4 c5 23. Ba1 f6 24. h3 Qe7 25. Qf3 h6 26. Re1 Re4 27. Kf2 Bd7= Caruana – Carlsen, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 2nd stage, Zagreb 2019) 11. ... Be6 12. Nc3 Bf6 13. Bg5 Bxg5

14. Qh5. The corollary of 11. Qf3: thanks to the threat of Re5xe6+ White regains the Bishop with a slightly more comfortable game. 14. ... 0-0 (14. ... Be7? 15. Rxe6 g6 16. Qe5+−) 15. Rxg5 a3 16. b3 g6 17. Rg3 Qd6 18. Qe2. 18. Qf3 Kg7 (otherwise Qf3-f6 would be very unpleasant) 19. Re1 Rae8 20. Qd1 Bd7 would lead to similar play. 18. ... Rfe8 19. Qd2 Bd7 20. h3 Re6 21. Re1 Rxe1+ 22. Qxe1 Re8 23. Re3 Rxe3 24. Qxe3 Bf5

25. g4!? If 25. Qd2 Black can reply 25. ... c5 with equality. 25. ... Bxc2 26. Kg2! Now the Bishop is endangered of entrapment, but Black escapes by means of tactics: 26. ... h5! 27. Qd2 Be4+ 28. f3 h4! 29. Qf2 Bd3 30. Qxh4 c6 31. Qf2 Qf4 32. Nd1 Bb1 33. b4?! (33. Nc3 Bd3 34. Na4=) 33. ... Qc1?! 33. ... Bxa2 34. Qxa2 Qxd4 35. Qxa3 Qxd1 is more or less the same as in the game, but 33. ... g5! would have put White in serious difficulty. 34. Qe2! Bxa2 35. Qxa2 Qxd1. In the end, what remains is a very drawish Queen ending. 36. Qxa3 Qd2 37. Kg3 Qxd4 38. Qxa6 Qg1+ 39. Kf4 Qd4+ 40. Kg3 g5 41. Kg2 Qd2+ 42. Kf1 Qc1+ 43. Ke2 Qc2+ 44. Ke3 Qc3+ 45. Ke2 Qc2+ 46. Ke3 Qc3+ 47. Ke2 Kg7 48. Qc8 Qc2+ 49. Ke3 Qc3+ 50. Ke2 Qc2+ 51. Ke3 Qb3+ 52. Ke2 Qc4+ 53. Kf2 Qxb4 54. Qxc6 Qd2+ 55. Kf1 Qd1+ ½ : ½.

G Code

Erwin l’Ami – Fabiano Caruana
SchachBundesliga Championship Tournament; Karlsruhe, September 18, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

In today’s round, Caruana suffered an unexpected defeat at the hand of Erwin l’Ami. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 h6 5. Bf4 Bb4!? Quite a rare move, but a very interesting one. 6. cxd5. 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. e3 0-0 8. Qc2 transposes into the game Gadaliński – Ziembiński, 11th Polish Chess Championship, Kraków 1953. 6. ... Nxd5 7. Bd2 0-0 8. g3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba5

10. g4! c5! 11. Rg1 Nc6 12. dxc5 e5 13. Qc2 Re8? The sacrifice of the second Pawn by 13. ... e4! 14. Qxe4 Re8 — quite in Morphy’s style — seems to give Black powerful compensation. 14. g5 g6? 14. ... hxg5 15. Nxg5 e4 16. 0-0-0 would leave White a Pawn up, but Black may reasonably cultivate hopes of recovery or of compensation. 15. gxh6. With the brutal threat of Rg1xg6+. Black can avoid immediate disaster, but no longer save the game. 16. ... e4 16. Ng5 Bf5 17. 0-0-0 Qf6 18. Bh3 e3 19. Bxf5 exd2+ 20. Rxd2 Re5. After this, Black’s position disintegrates under heavy blows, but it would be difficult to suggest any improvements; for instance, after 20. ... Rad8 21. Bxg6!+− Black couldn’t defend himself anyway.

21. Nxf7! Qxf7 22. Bxg6 Qxf2 23. Bf7+! Kh8. If 23. ... Kf8 then 24. Rg8+ Kxf7 25. Qg6+ Ke7 26. Rd7+! Kxd7 27. Qd6#. 24. Qg6 Rg5 25. Rxg5 Bxc3 26. Kc2 Ne7 27. Qe4 Bf6 28. Re5! Rf8. The Rook is taboo because of mate in three. 29. e3 Qf1 30. Bc4 Qa1 31. Rxe7 Qc3+ 32. Kd1 Qa1+ 33. Kc2 Qc3+ 34. Kd1 Qa1+ 35. Ke2 Bxe7 36. Qd4+ Qxd4 37. exd4. Of course, White’s three extra Pawns will win despite Bishops of opposite colour. 37. ... Rf4 38. Bd5 Bf6 39. Ke3 Rh4 40. Rd3 Rh3+ 41. Kd2 Rxh2+ 42. Kc3 Kh7 43. Bxb7 Rxa2 44. Kb3 Ra1 45. c6 Bd8 46. d5 Ba5 47. d6 Rc1 48. Rd5 Bd8 49. Rd4 1 : 0.

If nothing else, Caruana can console himself that his defeat did not affect at all his team’s final score. Photo: Christian Bossert.

BACH motif

Fabiano Caruana – Szymon Gumularz
SchachBundesliga Championship Tournament; Karlsruhe, September 17, 2020
Modern Defence B06

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. g4 b5 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. h4 h5?! Not a lucky number. 8. gxh5 Rxh5 9. Bf3 Rh8 10. h5 e5!? Here’s the novelty, but nothing too new. Likewise after 10. ... gxh5 11. e5 Nc6 12. Rxh5 dxe5 13. Rxh8 Bxh8 14. Bxc6+ Bxc6 15. Qh5 Bg7 16. dxe5 White has a crushing advantage, Miśta – Stryjecki, 71st Sygnity Ekstraliga Polish Team Chess Championship, Katowice 2015. 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. hxg6 fxg6 13. Rxh8 Bxh8

14. e5! Nc6 15. Be4 Nge7 (15. ... Bxe5 16. Bxg6+ Kf8 17. Nd5+−) 16. Qg4 Bxe5 (16. ... Nxe5 17. Qh4+−) 17. Bxg6+ Nxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kd7 19. Qg4+ Ke8

20. 0-0-0 Qf6 21. Nd5 Qf7 22. Nf3 Bc8 23. Qe4 Rb8 24. Ng5 Bf5 25. Nxc7+ Kd7 26. Nxf7 Bxe4 27. Nxa6 1 : 0.

Caruana castled Queenside at move 20 to win a brilliant attacking game. Screenshot from the GRENKE Chess YouTube Channel.

Messe Karlsruhe

Gataulla Rustemovich Kamsky – Fabiano Caruana
SchachBundesliga Championship Tournament; Karlsruhe, September 16, 2020
Torre Attack A48

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. Bg5 0-0 5. Nbd2 h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. e4 c5 8. d5. Kamsky has more often played 8. dxc5, though now 8. ... dxc5 9. Bc4 Nc6 10. 0-0 Nh5(!) seems fine for Black, Kamsky – Fedorov, 7th World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 8. ... Nbd7. The alternative was 8. ... e6 9. dxe6 Bxe6, but quite rightly Caruana thinks that Kamsky might have prepared something better than the insipid 10. Bb5 a6 11. Ba4 b5 12. Bb3 Re8 (which is certainly satisfactory for Black), Kamsky – Jovanović, 16th ORDIX Open, Mainz 2009. 9. Bd3 Nh5 10. 0-0 Nf4 11. Bc2 b5 12. Rb1 Nf6 13. Re1 Qc7 14. Nf1 e5 15. dxe6 Bxe6 16. Bg3 N6h5 17. Qd2 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Nh5 19. Bb3 c4 20. Bc2 Rfe8 21. Rbd1 Rad8 22. Nd4 Bg4 23. Ra1 Qc5 24. Ne3 Nf6 25. a4 a6 26. axb5 axb5 27. Nxg4 Nxg4 28. Bd1 Nf6 29. Bf3 Nd7 30. Nc2 Qg5 31. Qxg5 hxg5 32. Ra5 Rb8 33. Rd1 Nf6

34. Rxd6? The losing mistake. White should have played 34. g4 Nd7 (34. ... Nxe4 35. Ra7 Nc5 35. Bd5 Rf8 36. Nb4 gives a very similar assessment, though with colours reversed) 35. Rxd6 Nc5 with dynamic equilibrium and a likely draw. 34. ... g4! 35. e5 Rxe5 36. Bc6 Re2 37. Nd4 Re1+ 38. Kh2 Kh7! (Δ ... Rb8-h8) 39. Ra8 Rxa8 40. Bxa8 Rb1 41. Nxb5 Rxb2 42. Bc6 Rxf2 43. Kg1. If 43. Rd4 then 43. ... Nh5 44. Rxg4 Be5 (Δ ... f7-f5) with similar consequences as in the game. 43. ... Rc2 44. Rd4 Bh6 45. Rxc4 Be3+ 46. Kf1 Nh5 47. Rxg4 f5 48. Rh4 Kg7 49. Rh3 (Δ g3-g4)

49. ... Bf2. Forcing liquidation into a virtually won ending, which Caruana converts with virtuoso technique: 50. Rxh5 gxh5 51. Nd6 Bc5 52. Nxf5+ Kf6 53. Nh4 Rxc3 54. Be8 Kg5 55. Nf3+ Kh6 56. Bd7 Rc1+ 57. Ke2 Rc2+ 58. Kf1 Rf2+ 59. Ke1 Rxg2 60. Nh4 Rb2 61. Kf1 Rf2+ 62. Ke1 Kg5 63. Bh3 Kf6 64. Bd7 Ra2 65. Kf1 Bd6 66. g4 hxg4 67. Bxg4 Kg5 68. Nf5 Bc5 69. Bh3 Rf2+ 70. Ke1 Rh2 0 : 1.

Though they usually meet overseas, today they met in Germany. Screenshot from the GRENKE Chess YouTube Channel.

Ice Sculpting

Anish Giri – Fabiano Caruana
45th SchachBundesliga, Baden-Baden, May 24, 2018
Russian Defence C42

Apparently, before going to Stavanger, Fabiano Caruana wanted to express his esteem for Anish Giri, who was not invited to participate in the 6th Altibox Norway Chess for reasons that could be termed unconventional. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c4 c6 9. Nc3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Bf5 12. Bg5 Qa5. If 12. ... Qc7 then 13. Re1 h6 14. Nh4! Bh7 15. Bxh6! Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 and White stands better, Nepomniachtchi – 李超 (Li Chāo), Grand Prix 2017, 1st stage, Sharjah 2017. 13. Nh4 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxg5 15. Nf3 Qd8. 15. ... Qa5 16. Qb3 Qb6!? was also worth considering. 16. Bb3 Nd7 17. Re1⩲ g6 18. g3 Kg7 19. Qd3 Nf6 20. Rad1 Rc8 21. h4 Rc7 22. Kg2 Re7 23. Rxe7 Qxe7 24. Re1 Qd7 25. Ne5 Bxe5 26. Rxe5 Re8. Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão also considers 26. ... Ng4 aiming to repeat moves (27. Re2 Nf6). 27. Qe2 h5 28. f3 Kf8 29. Rxe8+ Nxe8. “Noteworthy game. In the gradual shift from nibble to edge to pull to yank to slightly better to clearly better to winning, it reminded me of an old Kasparov – Karpov game. Black looks OK but lacks constructive moves. 27. ... h5 and 29. ... Nxe8 both questionable, but very difficult to play”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson tweeted. 30. Qe5 Nd6 31. Kf2 Kg8? As it was noted by most commentators, better to sit and wait with 31. ... b6 in order to answer 32. g4 by 32. ... hxg4 33. fxg4 Nb5 with a holdable game.

32. g4! hxg4 33. fxg4 Qd8. As a sad consequence of 31. ... Kg8, now 33. ... Nb5 would be met by 34. Qf6! (Δ Qf6xg6+) 34. ... Kf8 35. h5 with great trouble for Black. 34. Kf3 Kh7?! Leitão suggests 34. ... a5, most likely to reply 35. h5 with the Pawn sacrifice on a4. Such an advice – which may be regarded as an extreme countermeasure – demonstrates that Black stands very badly already. 35. h5± f6 36. Qe6. White appears to have penetrated into the heart of Black’s defence. 36... Kg7 37. Kf4 a5 38. a3 gxh5 39. gxh5 Kh6 40. Bc2 Qf8 41. Kf3!+− Ne8 42. Kg2 Nd6 43. Kf2 b6 (43. ... Ne8 44.Qe3++−) 44. Kf3 Ne8 45. Qxc6 Nd6 46. Qxb6 Qe7 47. Qb8 Nf7 48. Qg8 Ng5+ 49. Kf4 Nh3+ 50. Kf5 Qd7+ 51. Kxf6 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana (left) vs. Anish Giri (right). Photo: Guido Giotta.

Time, and Time Again

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov – 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
38th Schachbundesliga; Schwäbisch Hall, November 11, 2017
Grünfeld Defence D85

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Nd7 8. Nf3 0-0 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Qa5!? A novelty. For 10. Qa3 Bg4 11. 0-0 e5 see Bluebaum – Bok, 54th World Junior Chess Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2015. 10. ... Bd7 11. Rb1 Bc6 12. e5 Be4 13. Rb2 c5 14. 0-0 cxd4 15. cxd4 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Qxd4 17. Bxb7 Nc4 18. Qa4 Rab8 19. Ba6 Rxb2 20. Bxc4 Bxe5 21. Bxb2 Qxb2 22. Qxa7 Rc8. After all the exchanges the game is materially even, but Black enjoys a fizzy initiative, which – due to the Bishops of opposite colour – might become even more dangerous 23. Bb3 Bd4 24. Qa6. Not 24. Qxe7?? because of 24. ... Qxf2+!! and mate in three moves. 24. ... Rc5 25. Qd3 Kg7 26. g3 h5 27. Kg2 e6 28. Qb1 Qc3 29. Qe1 Qd3 30. Qb1 Qe2 31. Qd1 Qe5 32. h4 Rc3 33. Re1 Qc5 34. Qe2 e5

35. Kf1?? Karpov had succeeded so far in consolidating his position, but now he does self-destruct, maybe due to lack of time. Best was 35. f3(!) still holding everything together. 35. ... Qc6! Threatening ... Qc6-h1 mate. 36. Qe4. His Majesty cannot come back, for if 36. Kg1?? there follows 36. ... Rxg3+ and mate next move. 36. ... Qf6! 37. Qg2. Or 37. Qe2 Rf3 and the f2-Pawn falls anyway. 37. ... Bxf2! 38. Qxf2 Rf3 39. Re2 Rxf2+ 40. Rxf2 Qa6+ 41. Kg2 f5 42. Rd2 Kf6 0 : 1.

Something for the Weekend

Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Hamburger SK) – Radosław Wojtaszek (OSG Baden-Baden)
43rd Schachbundesliga; Hamburg, March 19, 2017
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 0-0 10. 0-0-0 Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 b4 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 a4 16. fxe6 axb3 17. exf7+ Rxf7 18. Kb1 bxc2+ 19. Qxc2. The alternative – which might be regarded as a kind of theoretical tabiya – is 19. Kxc2 Nb6 20. Nc1 d5 21. exd5 Nd6 22. Kb1 Rf3 23. h4 Na4 24. Qe2 Rg3? 25. Bf2 Rc3 26. Qxe5 Nxb2 27. Bd4 Bf8 28. Kxb2 Rf3 29. Bd3 Kh8 30. Qe2 Rf4 31. Qh5 Nf5 32. g6 1 : 0 Topalov – Vallejo Pons, 22nd Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares, Linares 2005. 19. ... Bxg5 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21. Ng3 Kh8 22. Bc4 Rf8 23. Nf5 Ndf6. In his commentary to the game, Brazilian Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão recommends 23. ... Rc8! which indeed seems to guarantee a more dynamic balance. 24. h4 Qh5 25. Be6 Ra7 26. Qf2 Rc7 27. Ng3 Qh6 28. Rdf1 g6?! Punctuation by Leitão. What does he not like about this? It is probably the fact that Black invites White to do what he wants. 29. h5 Ng7 30. hxg6 Qxg6 31. Bb3 Rcc8 32. Ka1 Qg5 33. Qe1 Ng4 34. Nf5 Nxf5 35. exf5 Rc5? The decisive mistake in time trouble. Correct was 35. ... Ne3! 36. Rfg1 (after 36. Rhg1 Qh6 White probably has nothing better than repeating moves) 36. ... Qf4 with a very unclear (but probably dynamically balanced) game. 36. Qxb4 Rfc8 37. a3 Ne3 38. Rfg1 Qxf5 39. Qb7 Ng4

40. Be6! 1 : 0.

Jan-Krzysztof Duda
Photo: Georgios Souleidis

What a Wonderful World

Gilles Andruet – Boris Vasilievich Spassky
14th SchachBundesliga; Koblenz, 1988
Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. Nc3 0-0 7. e3 Qe7 8. Rc1 Rd8 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Nf8 12. Ne2 c6 13. 0-0 Ng6 14. Ng3 Re8 15. Qc5 Qd8 16. Nd2? Nh4! 17. b4 a6 18. a4 Bd7 19. Rb1 Ng4 20. Qc2 g6 21. b5 axb5 22. axb5 h5! 23. bxc6 bxc6 24. Rfe1 Qf6 25. Ndf1?! (25. Nb3) 25. ... Ra3! 26. Re2 c5! (Δ ... c5-c4) 27. dxc5 Ne5! 28. Bb5

28. ... Qf3!! 0 : 1. For after 29. gxf3 Nexf3+ 20. Kh1 Bh3 Black mates in two moves.

Spassky in his prime. Photo: Kingpin Chess Magazine.