Puliyogare

Viswanathan Anand – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
2nd Vugar Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, April 25, 2015
Four Knights C49

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. 0-0 0-0 6. d3 d6 7. Ne2. “My second [Grzegorz Gajewski – Ed. Note] showed me this line and I thought why not give it a try? It is nice, quite an unusual system. And just a few days ago, 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) played it in Armenia”, then Vishy said. 7. ... Ne7 8. c3 Ba5 9. Ng3 Ng6 10. d4 Bb6 11. Re1 c6 12. Bd3 Re8 13. h3 h6 14. Be3 Be6 15. Qc2 Qc7 16. a3 a5 17. c4 a4 18. Red1 exd4. Black should have refused to cede ground in the centre. Sounder was 18. ... c5 (Anand). 19. Bxd4 Ne5 20. Be2 Bc5. A little slow. Probably more to the point would have been 20. ... Nfd7 immediately. 21. Rd2 Nfd7 22. Rad1 Red8 23. Nh4! Threatening both f2-f4 and Nh4-f5. 24. ... Bxd4 24. Rxd4 c5. Mamedyarov ventures a Pawn sacrifice to enhance his control over the dark squares. 25. Rxd6! The ordinary 25. R4d2 Nc6 25. Nhf5 (Anand’s analysis) would have retained the upper hand, but the “Tiger of Madras” was attracted by a pretty counter-sacrifice. 25. ... Nc6 26. Nhf5 Nd4 27. Qd2 Ne5

28. Rd5!! A superb Exchange sacrifice, far from obvious. 28. ... Bxd5 29. cxd5 Qb6 30. f4!? “Possible was 30. Nxd4 cxd4 31. Qxd4 Qxd4 32. Rxd4 with a large advantage on the endgame, but Anand banks on the attack”, Grandmaster Andrey Deviatkin said. 30. ... Ng6 31. Bc4 Qa5 32. Qf2 b5! 33. Nxd4 cxd4 34. Ba2!? “Again the most ambitious continuation. The alternative was 34. Bd3, but Anand thought this was too slow”, Deviatkin said. 34. ... b4 35. Nf5 bxa3 36. bxa3 Qc3 37. e5 Rab8 38. Rd2. Suddenly Vishy realized 38. Qxd4?? would have lost to 38. ... Qc2. 38. ... Qxa3? Deviatkin recommends the brilliant 38. ... d3! 39. d6 Rb3! with sufficient counter-play. 39. Nxd4 Qc1+ 40. Kh2 Rbc8? Another false step, but Mamedyarov was in tremendous time trouble. “This kills all chance of counterplay with things like ... Rb8-b2. My reply took me some time, but eventually I realized that after 41. d6 Black can do absolutely nothing – I just play Nd4-f5 and Qf2-d4”, then Anand said. 41. d6 a3 42. Nf5 Rf8 43. d7! 1 : 0.

Viswanathan Anand vs. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Photo: Shamkir Chess 2015

Hikaru Nakamura (‏@GMHikaru)

Völsunga saga

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson
International Chess Open; Reykjavík, March 13, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 Qa5 9. Nd2 cxd4 10. exd4 dxc4 11. Nxc4 Qd8 12. Bd3 Nb6 13. 0-0 Nxc4? A careless move. Correct was 13. ... Bd7! 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. d5! Rfd8 (or 15. ... Kh8 16. Qe2 Rae8 17. d6 ½ : ½ Svidler – Giri, 18th European Team Chess Championship 2011, Porto Carras 2011) 16. Qe2 Rac8 as in the game Nepomniachtchi – Aronian, Tal Memorial, Moscow 2011. 14. Bxc4 Qb6. If 14. ... Bd7 then 15. d5! is strong. 15. Rfe1 Re8. Again after 15. ... Bd7 the powerful 16. d5! brings matters to a crisis.

16. Nb5! That’s why it was necessary to play 13. ... Bd7. Now Black’s fate is sealed. 16. ... Nd5 17. Bxd5 Qxb5 18. Be4. Black’s King is under fire and Grétarsson can do nothing about it. 18. ... g6 19. Re3 a5 20. Be5 a4 21. Rg3 f5 22. Bd3 Qd7 23. Qe2 Bh4 24. Bb5 Qe7 25. Rc3 Bd7 26. Bxd7 1 : 0. For after 26. ... Qxd7 27. Rc7 Qd8 28. Rg7+ Kf8 29. Rxh7 Black is busted. A pretty game by Mamedyarov.

The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov – Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
4th Vladimir Petrov Memorial; Jūrmala, March 8, 2015
Nimzo-Indian Defence E39

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 0-0 6. Nf3 Na6 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Qxc3 Nxc5 9. e3 d6 10. Be2 e5 11. b4 Nce4 12. Qc2 Bg4 13. Bd3 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Ng5 15. Ke2 Rc8 16. Rd1 Qe7 17. h4 “Vladimir Petrov Mem Jūrmala 2015.03.08. Actually, a rapid tournament. Position after White’s 17th move (17. h4) attacking the Knight on g5. White is hoping that the Knight will retreat, when he can follow up with a timely Rd1-g1 and Bc1-b2 with Kingside chances. However, the tournament winner (Ivanchuk) was in great form and found some clever tactical themes that allowed him to take the offensive...”, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett writes.

17. ... Nxf3! 18. Kxf3 e4+ 19. Bxe4. “There is little better. After 19. Ke2 Black simply takes the Bishop and follows up with ... Nf6-e4”, Spraggett writes. 19. ... Nxe4 20. Bb2. Sad but true, after 20. Qxe4 Qf6+ Black grabs the Rook on a1. The rest is quite easy. 20. ... f5 21. Rg1 Rf7 22. Ke2 Qe6 23. Rac1 f4 24. Qd3 fxe3 25. f3 Nd2 26. Qd4 Rcc7 27. Qxa7 Qh3 28. Qxe3 Rce7 0 : 1.

美國運通

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Notes by Grandmasters Mikhail Golubev and Andrei Deviatkin

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Fabiano Caruana – Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mammadyarov
FIDE Grand Prix; Baku, October 5, 2014
Slav Defence D12

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5. Nc3 e6 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. Nh4 Bh5 8. h3 g5!? This sharp and fashionable variation had already taken place in the game between the same opponents in Vugar Gashimov Memorial (April 2014). 9. Nf3 h6 10. c5. The aforementioned game went into a sharp endgame after 10. Ne5 Nfd7 11. Nd3 Bg6 12. h4 Rg8 13. hxg5 hxg5 14. Bd2 dxc4 15. Qxc4 Qa6 16. Nc1 Qxc4 17. Bxc4 Nb6 18. Be2, which Caruana managed to win in 56 moves (Caruana – Mamedyarov, Shamkir 2014). 10. ... Qc7 11. Bd3. Creating a positional threat of g2-g4. 11. ... Rg8?! The crucial line seems to be 11. ... Bxf3! 12. gxf3 followed by 12. ... b6 or 12. ... Nbd7. 12. Qc2 Nbd7 13. b4! White has better prospects. 13. ... Be7. The games Ftacnik – Ruck (Germany 2009) and Eljanov – Sandipan (Plovidv 2010) saw 13. ... Bg6. Ed. Note: Viz. 13. ... Bg6 14. Bxg6 Rxg6 15. Bb2 h5 16. Ne2 g4 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd7 19. hxg4 Rxg4 20. Nf4 Nxe5 21. Rxh5 ½ : ½ Eljanov – Sandipan, European Club Cup, Plovdiv 2010. 14. Bb2 g4?! 14. ... Bg6 was preferrable. 15. hxg4 Rxg4

16. Kf1! Now White is seriously better because Black’s activity at the King side doesn’t provide sufficient compensation for his weaknesses. 16. ... 0-0-0 17. Ne2. More reliable than 17. b5 Rdg8 where White would have to play 18. Ne1. 17. ... Rdg8 18. Nf4! The Exchange sacrifice is more or less forced. 18. ... Rxf4 19. exf4 Bxf3 (19. ... Qxf4 20. Rh4) 20. gxf3 Qxf4 21. Ke2! Rg2?! 21. ... h5!? was more persistent. 22. Qc1! Qg3 23. Qf1! The seemingly active Black's heavy pieces are suddenly trapped. The point is that, for example, 23. ... Qg8 can be met by 24. Qxg2! Qxg2 25. Rag1 with decisive advantage for White in the endgame. 23. ... Ng4!? 24. fxg4 Qxg4+ 25. Kd2 Qf4+ 26. Ke2 Qg4+ 27. Ke1 Ne5 28. Be2! Caruana has to be precise. 28. dxe5? Qxb4+ could have spoiled everything. 28. ... Qe4 29. Kd1 (the alternative is 29. Rh3) 29. ... Bg5 30. dxe5 Qxb4. White still has to be very accurate in spite of his huge material advantage. 31. Kc2 (the only suitable defence from the mate on d2) 31. ... Qxc5+ 32. Kb1! Rxf2 33. Qd1! Not 33. Qe1? Qe3! with sudden complications. 33. ... Qe3 34. Re1. Killing the opponent’s hope for a blunder like 34. Bd3?? Rd2. Mamedyarov resigned. Caruana played the game with maximum precision. 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana
Baku, October 5, 2014
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova