The Motorcycle Diaries

United Nations Photo (@UN_Photo)

Treasure hunt

Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)

Magnum opus

• Jonathan Wong, Chess legacy is a Magnus opus, The Straits Times, October 8, 2017

“World titles are great but most of all I want to leave behind the quality of my games, my ideas. That’s what I want to be my legacy”. [Read more].

Three-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen at the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence in Singapore last Friday, where he played against 16 opponents simultaneously winning all games. Photo: Lim Yaohui/The Straits Times.

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

London, England will apparently host on November 2018 (except for afterthoughts) the World Chess Championship match between 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and the winner of the Candidates’ Tournament.

Photo © RockNRoll-Suicide

Zwischenzug

I read that 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen was today in Singapore where, as honoured guest of NBAS and Simonsen Vogt Wiig law firm, has given a simultaneous exhibition at the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence. Carlsen’s tournée had been scheduled quite long ago, so nothing will be left to chance.

Photo © josgoh

Randomly Ever After

John Saunders (@johnchess)

End-on-end

And thus ended also the 4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, which will be remembered as a triumphant solo of 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, finally alone with his fiancée Synne Christin Larsen, and finally in the mood to enjoy playing. And luckily for us, no one could do anything to eclipse his happy heart! It was said that he and his girlfriend might visit the Manx Museum and I do not despair that, among paintings and sculptures, they may succeed in finding what I haven’t yet found – Edna Mode’s double! Among other good news is the final Grandmaster norm of Nino Batsiashvili from Georgia, who fulfilled her aim despite a series of pairings that could seem prohibitive. And, finally, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion won the first women’s prize after a little controversy occurred between her and the organisers, with respect to the randomness of Swiss pairings. In the end, fate stepped in and brought her back to the “women’s door”. “All’s well that ends well, still the fine’s the crown, / Whate’er the course, the end is the renown”.

The Manx Museum Exploratorium gallery in Douglas, Isle of Man features items and themes associated with entertainment and amusement during the peak tourism period of the early 20th century. Photo: gov.im.

Thunderman

Fabiano Caruana – Magnus Carlsen
4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, September 30, 2017
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. a4 Rb8 9. d4 Bb6 10. a5 Ba7 11. h3 0-0 12. Be3 Ra8 13. Re1 h6 14. Nbd2 Re8. Just yesterday, Caruana had ridiculed Jones after 14. ... exd4 15. cxd4 Nb4 16. e5! Nfd5 17. Ne4 with an overwhelming initiative, Caruana – Jones, 4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, Douglas 2017. Magnus’s reply, however, shows he is not afraid of anything. 15. g4!? Strangely, this seems to be a novelty. Carlsen’s clan appeared quite shaken, but not too clear why. It is not the same story, but Caruana’s 15. g4!? only reminds me of how easily Tigran Vartanovich Petrossiàn neutralised Garry Kimovich Kasparov’s 15. g4 at Banja Luka’s International Grandmaster Tournament in 1979.

15. ... Qe7 16. Nf1 Nd8! 17. Ng3 c5 18. Qd2 c4 19. Bc2 Nh7 20. b4 cxb3 21. Bxb3 Be6 22. Bc2? Caruana apparently didn’t achieve what he hoped for, and, almost panicked, calls his troops back to the Queenside. He would probably have done better to consistently play for the initiative on the other flank by 22. Nf5, and even if the attack is not what he aimed at, it would yet have been a hard fight. 22. ... Rc8 23. Bd3 Nb7 24. Rec1 Qd8 25. Qb2 Nxa5. “It’s fair to say Caruana didn’t get the most out of his opening: the attack is gone, his Kingside weakened and Magnus just took a Pawn on a5”, Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer tweeted. 26. Nd2 d5! Carlsen’s demolition of his opponent’s camp is impressive. 27. Re1 Bb8 28. exd5 Bxd5 29. Bf5 Rc6 30. Qa3 Nb7 31. Rad1 exd4 32. Bxd4 Ng5 33. c4 Rxe1+ 34. Rxe1 Be6 35. Qe3? Bf4! 0 : 1. “If you ever want to write an article about what ‘coordination’ means in chess, Magnus just gave the masterclass”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson said.

The Five-Minute Tale

The 5th Altibox Norway Chess started today in Stavanger, Norway with a Blitz tournament aimed to determine the pairings for tomorrow’s official “grand beginning”. Guess who won today? Of course, Magnus Carlsen, world’s number one as well as the reigning World Chess Champion. This year’s format, indeed, doesn’t leave room for surprise and novelty. It’s a super élite tournament in which participate only and exclusively the world Top Ten with no wild card for any “Children of a Lesser God”. The organisers have thought about any details: there is TV, Anglo-Saxon commentators, and the contracted broadcast of chess24.com. There are all the ingredients for the auto-celebration of the Magnificent Ten, and we hope for them it will be a success, of course.

Here’s the venue of today’s Blitz tournament at Clarion Hotel Air, just five-minute walk from Stavanger Airport. Photo: Altibox Norway Chess (Instagram).

Honour Knows No Borders

Europe Échecs (@EuropeEchecs)

Not Exactly

And finally the King of Chess Magnus Carlsen – just a bit thoughtful as pictured above – speaked out against Mr. Andrey Vasilievich Filatov’s provocative proposal to sell the King’s Crown at the best offer when there are too many sellers and very few buyers. “I am not exactly a big fan of that”, he told Tarjei J. Svensen in an interview for Matt & Patt (August 31, 2016), of which we recommend a careful reading. Photo: Chess-News.ru.

In Search of the Missing

The Norwegian has brought designer clothes and interactive apps to chess and in six months time he puts his reputation as the world’s best player on the line Wednesday marks the start of a six-month countdown to the World Chess Championship in New York, where Russia’s Sergey Karjakin will try to snatch the title from the champion, Magnus Carlsen from Norway, who has been hogging (sorry, holding) it since 2013. Still, how exciting is it really? You never see defeated chess players dropping to their knees and rending their garments. Chess isn’t like football – not least because it doesn’t have anything like the level of money, glitz or fanbase. [Read more].

• Erica Buist, Magnus Carlsen: the cool grandmaster who cries when he loses to himself, The Guardian, May 11, 2016

Magnus Carlsen takes on Russia’s Sergey Karjakin in six months. Photo: Daniel Sannum Lauten/AFP/Getty Images.

Numbers in Presence and Absence

• 国象5月男子等级分：卡尔森仍榜首 丁立人第9 (FIDE published May 2016 Rating List: nine Chinese players ranked among the world’s top 100), sports.sina.com.cn, May 1, 2016

FIDE has published May 2016 Rating List. Norwegian World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen still tops the list, ahead of the newly crowned U.S. Chess Champion Fabiano Caruana and former World Chess Champion Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik. Nine Chinese players are ranked among the world’s top 100. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), who is ranked ninth, keeps intact his status of “China’s big boss”, while current Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is always the only one female player ranked among the world’s top 100. [Read more].

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
Photo: sports.sina.com.cn

Pleasure Before Duty

李超 (Lǐ Chāo) (@lichaochess)

A Sleeping Giant

李超 (Lǐ Chāo) – Anish Giri
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 29, 2016
Grünfeld Defence D84

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 0-0 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. Bxc7 Na6 9. Bxa6 Qxg2 10. Qf3 Qxf3 11. Nxf3 bxa6 12. Rc1 f6 13. Rg1 Rf7 14. b3. The alternative is 14. Ke2, e.g. 14. ... Bd7 15. Nd2 e5 16. d5 Bb5+ 17. Kf3 f5 18. b3 e4+ 19. Kg2 Bb2 20. Rc2 Bd3 21. Rc6 Bb5 22. Rc2 Bd3 23. Rc6 ½ : ½ Radjabov – Ivanchuk, 23rd SuperGrandMasters Chess Tournament, Morelia/Linares 2006. 14. ... Bb7 15. Ke2 Bf8 16. Ba5 e6 17. Nd2 Re8 18. h4 e5 19. h5 exd4 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Rxg6+ Kh7 22. Rg3 Bh6 23. Nc4 Re6 24. Rd1 dxe3 25. Rd6 Re4 26. fxe3 Rh4 27. Rd8 Bf8 28. Nd2 Bc6 29. Kd3 Rh5 30. Bc3 Be7 31. Rc8 Bb5+ 32. Kc2 Bf8 33. a4 Bd7 34. Rd8 Bf5+ 35. Kb2 Rh2 36. Rf3 Be7 37. Rd4 Bg6 38. Rdf4 Bc5 39. b4 Rb7 40. Ka3 Be7 41. Nb3. 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) does his best to give Giri some vague chances, but, indeed, not enough for risking to lose. 41. ... Rc7 42. Bxf6 Rcc2 43. Rh4+ Rxh4 44. Bxh4 Bxh4 45. Rh3 Bf7 46. Rxh4+ Kg7 47. Rh1 Rc3 48. Rb1 Rxe3 49. a5 Bc4

50. b5. The right way. It should be noted that, even in the worst case, Black is left with the wrong Bishop for the a-Pawn. 50. ... axb5 51. a6 Kf6 52. Kb4 Bd3 53. Rc1 Re4+ 54. Kc3 Be2 55. Kb2 Rb4 56. Rc6+ Ke5 57. Kc3 Rh4 58. Rc7 b4+ 59. Kb2 Bxa6 60. Na5 Kd5 61. Rxa7 Bb5 62. Rg7 Ba4 63. Rg2 Rh3 64. Rg5+ Ke6 65. Rg6+ Kf5 66. Rb6 Rh2+ 67. Ka1 Rh4 68. Nc6 b3 69. Na5 Rh1+ 70. Kb2 Rh2+ 71. Kb1 Rh1+ 72. Kb2 Rh2+ 73. Kb1 Ke5 ½ : ½.

李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
Photo: Joachim Steinbru/4th Altibox Norway Chess

Empire State Building Cometh

Magnus Carlsen – Pavel Eljanov
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 29, 2016
Dutch Defence A90

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 0-0 7. 0-0 c6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. a4 a5 10. Rc1 Ne4. Eljanov decides to transpose his anti-Catalan into a Stonewall Dutch – very questionable opening strategy against a superb positional player such as Carlsen. For 10. ... h6 11. Be1 b6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. Nb5 Rc8 see Sandipan – G. Meier, ZMDI Open, Dresden 2012. 11. Be1 f5 12. Nbd2 Bd6 13. e3 Ra7 14. Qd1 b6 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Nb1! “Magnus says game plan was to get into mutually unknown territory and just (out)play”, Grandmaster Jonathan David Tisdall said. 16. ... Ba6 17. Na3 Qa8. Very involute, very compressed. It will be easy for Magnus making his dream come true. 18. Nb5 Bxb5 19. axb5. Eljanov has got rid of his “bad” Bishop, but at the cost of leaving SuperMagnus the Bishop pair and a much freer game. 19. ... Rc8 20. Bf1! Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Rc7 22. Rxc7 Bxc7 23. Qa4! Qb8 24. b4 axb4 25. Bxb4 h6 26. Qc2! Bd6 27. Qc6? The paralyzing irruption, but too hasty. First he should have played 27. Bxd6. 27. ... Ndf6? Eljanov crashes off. Even worse was 27. ... Qc7? 28. Nd2! winning on the spot. However, Black could defend by 27. ... Qa7! 28. Bd3 (both 28. Bxd6? Qa2! and 28. Qc8+ Nf8 29. Bxd6 Qa2! would lead only to a draw) 28. ... Bxb4 29. Qxe6+ Kh8 30. Qxd5 Qa3 31. Bxe4 fxe4 32. Qxe4 when White has three Pawns for the Bishop, but no win in sight. 28. Bxd6 Qxd6. After 28. ... Nxd6 29. Ne5 White stands much better anyway.

29. Qc8+ Kh7 30. Ne5. That’s (almost) all. 30. ... Qe7 31. Qc6 Ng4 32. Nxg4 fxg4 33. Bd3! g6 34. Bxe4 dxe4 35. Qxb6 1 : 0. “I’m incredibly delighted to be able to win here”, then Magnus said.

Magnus finally propheta in patria!
Photo © Jose Huwaidi 2016

From Earth to Sky

Pavel Eljanov – 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 28, 2016
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

And, finally, our hero 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) has the honour to be challenged to duel by Pavel Eljanov. 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Ne4 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. Bxe4 dxe4 8. Ne5 f6 9. g4 fxe5 10. dxe5 Be7 11. gxf5 exf5 12. Rg1 g6 13. Qe2 Qd5 14. 0-0-0 Nc6 15. Nb3 Qe6 16. Qb5 0-0 17. Kb1 a5 18. Nd4 Nxd4 19. exd4 c6 20. Qb6 Rfd8 21. a4 Rd7 22. d5 Rxd5 23. Rxd5 Qxd5 24. Qxb7 Re8 25. b3 Ba3 26. h4 Qd4 27. Bc1 Bxc1 28. Rxc1 f4 29. h5 g5 30. h6 Qxe5 31. Rd1 Re7 32. Qxc6

Forget about computers as now 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)’s technique in the conduct of the ending is worth a study composer! 32. ... e3!! 33. fxe3 fxe3 34. Rd5. It is very natural, from a human point of view. After a whole night’s struggling and deep computer questioning, “they” say 34. Qc4+ would have won for White... Their main analysis runs: 34. Qc4+ Re6 35. Rd5 Qf6 36. Qc7 Re7 37. Qc8+ Kf7 38. Rf5 e2 39. Rxf6+ Kxf6 40. Qc3+ Kf5 (on 40. ... Kf7 41. Qe1 wins) 41. Qxa5+ Kf4 42. Qe1 g4± “is an engine-proposal to improve White’s play in the game”, writes André Schulz, but 41. ... Re5! (instead than 41. ... Kf4) 42. Qe1 g4 is an improvement that suggests itself, after which Black certainly cannot lose. Maybe he could not win, since unlike the actual game there is no Black Pawn at a5, but surely he won’t lose. It is quite evident, however paradoxical it may appear, that only Black can win this game – from a human point of view, of course. 34. ... e2!! The pointe. 35. Rxe5 Rxe5 36. Qa8+ Kf7 37. Qa7+ Re7 38. Qf2+ Ke8 39. Qe1 g4 40. Kc1 g3 41. Kd2 g2 42. c3 Re6!! Fantastic! A waiting move, and the only move which wins. 43. b4 Kd7 44. b5 Rd6+ 45. Kc2 Rg6 46. Qd2+ Kc8 47. Qxe2 g1=Q 48. Qe8+ Kb7 49. Qe7+ Kb6 50. Qd8+ Kc5 51. Qf8+ Kd5 52. Qf5+ Kd6 53. Qf4+ Ke7 54. Qe4+ Re6 55. Qxh7+ Ke8 56. Qh8+ Kd7 57. Qh7+ Kc8 0 : 1. 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) painted his own masterpiece, the same day when Garry Kimovich Kasparov came back to chessboard!

Jonathan David Tisdall (‏@GMjtis)

Pavel Eljanov vs. 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
Photo: Fiona Steil-Antoni

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)

聘礼

李超 (Lǐ Chāo) – Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 25, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D43

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. g3 Nd7 8. Bg2 dxc4 9. 0-0 Be7 10. Ne4 Qf5 11. Ned2 e5 12. e4 Qe6 13. Rc1 b5. For 13. ... exd4 14. Nxd4 Qf6 15. Nxc4 0-0 16. Nf5 Nb6 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Qd6 Qd8 19. Rfd1 Bg4 see Kramnik – Anand, 5th Classic KO, London 2013. 14. b3 c3 15. Rxc3 Bb7

16. d5! A very powerful Pawn sacrifice by 李超 (Lǐ Chāo), who suddenly feels the strength coming back to him. On the other hand, if 16. dxe5 then 16. ... c5 with equality. 16. ... cxd5 17. Rc7 Rb8 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Re1 Rd8 20. Nd4 Qb6 21. Bxd5 Qxc7 22. Ne6 Qb6 23. Nxd8 Qxd8 24. Nf3 0-0 25. Bc6 Nf6 26. Qxd8 Bxd8 27. Nxe5. Peace after the storm. Topalov defended very well, even though he was a bit lucky because his moves were pretty forced. 27. ... Ba5 28. Re2 Rb8. The draw may well have been agreed within a few moves, but a warrior cannot indulge in lazy sweetness. 29. Kg2 Kf8 30. f4 Bc3 31. g4 Rb6 32. Bf3 Rd6 33. Nc6 a6 34. Nb8 Rb6 35. Nc6 Nxg4 36. Bxg4 Rxc6 37. Bd7 Rg6+ 38. Kf3 f5 39. Re8+ Kf7 40. Re3 Rd6 41. Be8+ Kf8 42. Bh5 g6 43. Bxg6 Rxg6 44. Rxc3 Rd6 45. Ke3 Kf7 46. a4 Re6+ 47. Kf3 bxa4 48. bxa4 Rb6 49. Ke3 Rb4 50. a5 Rb5 51. Rc7+ Kg8 52. Rc8+ Kg7 53. Rc7+ Kg8 54. Rc8+ Kg7 ½ : ½.

Former FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov, ever more committed to his role of justitiarius errans, likes to show off his skill as a swordsman. Photo: Fiona Steil-Antoni.

李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
Photo: Rolf Haug/Matt & Patt

Nothing else matters but love

Pentala Harikrishna – 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 24, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E60

Yesterday 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) forgot all about his secret love’s dilemmas and enjoyed practising at target archery, so today he should feel like Superman. Well, almost officially :). 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Ne2 0-0 7. Nec3 e5 8. g4!? Much more common is 8. Bg5; the text could well be a novelty. 8. ... h5 9. h3 Nh7 10. Be3 h4 11. Qd2 Bf6. Black’s position looks like an hybrid between King’s Indian Defence and the Old Benoni. 12. Rg1 Bg5 13. Bxg5 Qxg5 14. Nb5 Qe7 15. g5! Black must make up something quickly for avoiding a positional crush. 15. ... a6 16. N5c3 Nd7 17. Qg2 Kg7. Most chess engines urge for the very unclear line 17. ... f6 18. gxf6 Rxf6 19. Qf2 g5 20. Qxh4 Rxf3 21. Nd2 Kh8 followed by ... Rf3-f4, but 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) is understandably reluctant to bid farewell to the human race. 18. Nd2 f6 19. gxf6+ Qxf6 20. Nd1! Harikrishna demonstrates superb positional understanding. If 20. 0-0-0 there might follow 20. ... g5! with unclear consequences. 20. ... Rf7! 21. Nf2 Ndf8. After long thought. 22. Nd3 b5! Alternating defence and offense. 23. 0-0-0 g5?? That’s the hero’s “tragic flaw”. Correct was 23. ... Kh8!∞ in order to answer 24. f4!? by 24. ... exf4 25. e5 dxe5 26. Ne4 Qg7 and Black looks fine.

24. f4! Now this is devastating. 24. ... exf4 25. e5! Qf5. Also after 25. ... dxe5 26. Ne4 Qh6 27. Nxe5 Black’s position falls apart. 26. e6 f3 27. Qh2 Bxe6. What else? 28. dxe6 Qxe6 29. Nf2 Qe3 30. Ng4 Qf4 31. Qxf4 Rxf4 32. Nxf3! bxc4. On 32. ... Rxf3 33. Bg2 skewers two Rooks. 33. Ngh2 Ne6 34. Rxd6 Nd4 35. Rd7+ Kh8 36. Ne5 Nf8 37. Rf7 Re4 38. Rxg5 Rd8 39. Rxf8+ Rxf8 40. Ng6+ Kg7 41. Nxf8+ Kxf8 42. Rxc5 1 : 0.

Pentala Harikrishna and 李超 (Lǐ Chāo)
Photo © Jose Huwaidi 2016