Presence and Absence

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, July 1, 2022
Nimzo-Indian Defence E48

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. a3 Bd6 8. Qc2 Na6 9. Nge2 c5! Good old moves: Black will be compensated for the isolated Queen’s Pawn by a dynamic piece-play.

10. Bxa6!? This sounds like just another case of contemporary, computer-inspired theory, which is not exactly what it pretends to be — an improvement over human judgment. That is, 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. b4 Nxd3+ 12. Qxd3 Be6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5? (⌓ 14. Nb5) 14. ... Ng4 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. Qe2 Rc8 17. h3 Nc4 18. 0-0 Qf6 19. Nd1 Qg6 20. Kh1 Bd7 21. a4 Rfe8 22. Bc3 Re4 23. Nf3 Rce8 24. Ra2 Bb8 25. Ba1 Qd6 26. Nc3 Rh4! with irresistible attack, P. F. Johner – Bogoljubov, International Chess Tournament, Bern 1932. 10. ... bxa6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Bd6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 a6 15. h3 Bd7

16. bxa6?! It was better to keep the b-file closed with 16. a4. 16. ... Rxa6 17. Rd1 Rb6 18. Rd2?! Taking the Pawn would be inadvisable: 18. Nxd5? Nxd5 19. Rxd5 Qb8! with an overwhelming advantage for Black. Perhaps it was better for White to give up a Pawn by 18. Ba1 (18. ... Bxa3), but it’s not easy for one who aims high to accept such a relative failure. 18. ... Qc8 19. f3?! Indeed, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) has good reason not to castle (19. 0-0 Bxh3!), but his convoluted, artificial arrangement proves to be pernicious. Giving up a Pawn by 19. Ba1 Bxa3 was probably still his best bet for survival. 19. ... Re8 20. Kf2?! (20. Nd1 Rc6) 20. ... Qb8. Breakthrough threats, also involving a Rook sacrifice, are hanging over White’s encampment. But 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is apparently oblivious to the danger: 21. Qc1?! 21. Bc1 Rc8 is also very bad for Black, but at least it avoids the next devastating blow.

21. ... Rxe3! 22. Nd1 (22. Kxe3 Bc5+ 23. Nd4 Qe5+−+) 22. ... Re8 23. Ne3 Rb3 24. Ng4 Bxg4 25. hxg4 Rc8 26. Qa1 Bf4 0 : 1.

At last Radjabov took his satisfactions. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Dizzy with Success

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov – Hikaru Nakamura
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 27, 2022
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 0-0 6. 0-0 d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3

12. ... Ba7? In his YouTube commentary on the game, Nakamura called this a big mistake, saying he should have played 12. ... Bb6 so as to be able to reply to 13. Bb5 with 13. ... Nd8. 13. Bb5 Bg4!? Now 13. ... Nd8 14. Nxa5 Bxf2+ 15. Rxf2 Rxa5 16. b4 Ra8 17. a5 leaves White “much better with the two Bishops”, says Nakamura. Hence Black decides to give up a Pawn hoping for a Kingside attack which, however, will not come to nothing. 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3. And not 15. Bxb7? by reason of 15. ... Ng4 16. gxf3 Qh4 17. fxg4 Qxg4+ with perpetual check. 15. ... bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 17. Qe2

17. ... Nh5. Because Black’s attack does not work, it might have been better to recover the Pawn by 17. ... Bxf2+ 18. Rxf2 Rxa5 19. b4 Raa8 20. Be3 leaving White with a pure positional advantage. 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 21. Rg2 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6

41. Nb6 1 : 0.

And yet the show goes on. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

King of Hearts

Fabiano Caruana – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 25, 2022
Sicilian Defence B28

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c4 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nf5 d5. A rare sharp line by which perhaps Radjabov hoped to catch his opponent by surprise, 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 9. Bd3 Qxd5 10. Nc3 Qd7. White saves one move with respect to 10. ... Bb4 11. 0-0 Qd7, but then after 12. Re1 0-0-0 13. Rxe5 one can hardly appreciate significant differences with the actual game, Sherzer – Polovodin, 19th World Open, Philadelphia 1991. 11. 0-0 Nf6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1

13. ... 0-0-0. Some commentators argued that Black castled on the wrong side, but in any case the leitmotif would remain grossly the same. In the end, an extra Pawn can be enough for White to win, even though it may take all Caruana’s mastery to do it. Alternatively, after 13. ... h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Be4 the control of the key d5-square would also give White a definite advantage. 14. Rxe5 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 Kb8 18. Qd3 Qb4 19. Bb3 Nd4 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nc6 23. Be4 Rhe8 24. f3 Re7 25. Rad1 h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 27. R5d2 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 f6

30. Kg3! The White King begins its triumphant march to the Kingside. 30. ... Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4 Rec7 33. Kh5 b5 34. f4 Nd7 35. Rcd1 Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 37. Kg6 Nxc3 38. Bf3 Nxa2

39. Rd7! Caruana exhibits an incredible combination of calculation and technique. 39. ... Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 41. Kxf6 b3 42. Rd2 a5 43. Ke6 Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q Qg6+ 48. Qf6 Qe8+ 49. Kd6 Rc4 50. Rc7 Kb5 (50. ... Rd4+ 51. Kc5!+−) 51. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 Rxc7 53. Kxc7 Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 1 : 0.

And yet Caruana just followed out Steinitz’s theory that the King is a strong piece. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

After all, yesterday is another day

Hikaru Nakamura – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 18, 2022
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. d4 c6 9. dxe5 cxb5 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Qh5 Qc6 13. Re1. It’s no one’s fault if the only theory worth mentioning is an extemporaneous one: 13. Nf3 d6 14. Re1 f6?! 15. Be3 a6? 16. Bxb6 Qxb6 17. Qd5+ Rf7 18. Rad1 Bg4 19. Qxd6 Qa5 20. Qd5 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Re8 22. f4 g6 23. e5 Qb6 24. Rd4 fxe5 25. Rxe5 Rf8 26. Re7 Kg7 27. Qe5+ Qf6 28. Rdd7 Rxe7 29. Rxe7+ Kh6 30. Qc7 Rh8 31. h3 Qf5 32. Kh2 Qc2 33. Qc5 1 : 0 Nepomniachtchi – Aronian, 5th Speed Chess Championship, chess.com, November 11, 2020, round of 16 match game 7 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move). 13. ... Re8 14. Nf3 d5 (14. ... Rxe4? 15. Bd2! d5 16. Ng5 Qg6 17. Nxe4! Qxh5 18. Ng3+−) 15. exd5 Rxe1+ 16. Nxe1 Qc4 17. h3 Bd7 18. Qf3 Re8 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Re5 21. d6

21. ... Qd5. Also interesting is 21. ... Bc6! 22. d7! Bxd7 23. Qxb7 Bc6 24. Rd1 Re8 leaving Black with enough compensation for the Pawn and a dynamically balanced game. 22. Rd1 Qxf3 23. Nxf3 Rxe3 24. Rd5 f6 25. Rc5 Re6 26. Rc7 Rxd6 27. Rxb7 a6 28. Nd4 h5 29. h4 g5 30. g3 Kf7 31. Kf2 Kg6 32. Ke3 Rd5 33. Ra7 Rd6 34. b3 Be6 35. Rc7

35. ... Rd5? It seems that this is Black’s crucial mistake, albeit not his losing move in a strict sense. Correct was 35. ... Bh3! 36. Ra7 Bf1 with a hard nut to crack. 36. Rc6! Clearly not 36. Nxe6? on account of 36. ... Re5+ simplifying into a drawish Rook endgame. 36. ... Re5+ 37. Kf2 Bd7 38. Rxa6 gxh4 39. gxh4 Re4 40. Rd6 Bc8 41. Rd8 Bg4 42. Rd5

42. ... Bc8. 42. ... f5 43. Rd6+ Kf7 44. Nxb5 f4 45. Rd2 is another nightmare for Black, but still yet not his worst nightmare. 43. Rc5 Bd7 44. Rc7 Be8 45. Nf3 Re6 46. Ra7 Re4 47. Ra8 Kf7 48. Rd8 Re7 49. Rd2 Re4 50. Rd5 Kg6 51. a3 Re7 52. Nd4 Re4 53. Nxb5 Rxh4 54. Nd4 Rh2+ 55. Kg3 Rd2 56. c4 Rd3+ 57. Kh4

57. ... Bf7? 57. ... Rc3! was Black’s best chance of salvation, e.g. if 58. a4 then 58. ... Bxa4! 59. bxa4 Rxc4 with good drawing prospects. 58. Rd8 Rd1 59. a4 Rh1+ 60. Kg3 h4+ 61. Kg2 Rc1 62. a5 Kh5 63. Kf2 Kg4 64. Rf8 h3 65. Rxf7 h2 66. Rg7+ Kf4 67. Ne2+ Ke5 68. Ng3 Rc2+ 69. Kf3 Rc3+ 70. Kg2 Rxb3 71. a6 Ra3 72. a7 Kd4 73. Nf5+ Kxc4 74. Rb7 Kc5 75. Ne7 1 : 0.

The day after a defeat, Nakamura gave proof of his character. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Lose to Win

Magnus Carlsen – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 3; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, October 2, 2021

Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Nd7 7. c3 h6 8. d4 Bd6 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Nc4 exd4 11. Nxd6. If 11. Nxd4 then 11. ... Nc5 12. e5 Be7 13. f4 f5∞ Fier – Salgado López, 1st Iberoamericano Online, chess24.com, July 6, 2020, match game 3 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). 11. ... cxd6 12. Nxd4. 12. Qxd4 does not promise much either: 12. ... Qf6 13. Rd1 Ne5 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Qd6 Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Be6 17. Be3 Rfd8 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Bxa7 Bxa2!= Fier – Salgado López, 1st Iberoamericano Online, chess24.com, July 6, 2020, match game 1 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). 12. ... Nf6 13. f3 Re8 14. c4 Qb6 15. Re1

15. ... d5! 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Kh1 Ne7 (17. ... Nb4 18. a3 c5=) 18. Nb3 Qc7 19. Be3 b6 20. Nd4 c5 21. Nb5 Qc6 22. a4 a6 23. Nc3 Be6 24. Qe2 f5 25. Qf2 Rac8 26. h3 Ng6 27. Qf1 (27. Qg3 Kh7 28. h4⩲) 27. ... f4 28. Bd2 Rcd8 29. Nd5 Bxd5 30. exd5 Qxd5 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32. Bc3 Nh4 33. Rd1 Qg5 34. Rd7 Nf5 35. Qc4+ Kh7 36. Qf7 (36. Qd3 Re3 37. Rxg7+ Qxg7 38. Qxf5+ Qg6 39. Qc8 Re8 40. Qb7+ Kg8 41. Qxa6∞) 36. ... Re7. Obviously not 36. ... Re2?? on account of 37. Qxf5+! Qxf5 38. Rxg7+ Kh8 39. Rg5+ Kh7 40. Rxf5 remaining a clear piece ahead.

37. Qxf5+!? Carlsen apparently specialised himself in sacrificing Queens, which also in this case was anything but ordinary, since after 37. Rxe7 Nxe7 38. Qc4 Nf5 39. Qe4 White would win back the Pawn with approximate equality. But with the results of the other games being instrumental in ensuring him the victory of the Champions Chess Tour 2021 — regardless of how this game turns out — Carlsen must have felt compelled to leave something for the others. 37. ... Qxf5 38. Rxe7 Qg5 39. Ra7? Allowing Black to mobilise his majority. 39. Rb7! Qg6 40. Rc7! was still a tough fight. 39. ... b5! 40. axb5. The trouble is that White cannot play 40. Rxa6?? on account of 40. ... b4 winning easily. 40. ... axb5 41. Ra5 c4 42. Ra7 Kg8 43. Rb7 g6 44. Kh2 Kf8 45. Kh1 Ke8 46. Bb4 Qf6 47. Bc3 Qf5 48. Kh2 g5 49. Rb6 h5 50. Rh6 g4 51. hxg4 hxg4 52. fxg4 Qxg4 53. Rh3 Kd7 54. Rf3 Ke6 55. Kg1 Qf5 56. Kf1 Kd5 57. Kg1 Kc5 58. Kh2 b4 59. Bh8 Kd5 60. Rh3 Ke4 61. Rf3 Qh7+ 62. Rh3 Qc7 63. Kg1 Qb6+ 64. Kh2 Qb8 65. Kg1

65. ... c3! 66. Bxc3 (66. bxc3 b3−+) 66. ... bxc3 67. bxc3 Qb6+ 68. Kh2 Qf2 69. Rf3 Qe3! 70. Rh3 Kd3 71. Rf3 Kxc3 72. Kh3 Kd4 73. Kh4 Ke4 74. Kg4 Qe2 0 : 1.

“Today was really poor, but right now I don’t really care. I am just happy to have won overall”, Carlsen said after being confirmed that he had won the Champions Chess Tour 2021 with two rounds still to go. Photo: Meltwater Champions Chess Tour (@ChampChessTour).

Odds and Ends

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov – Richárd Rapport
FIDE Grand Prix 2017; 4th stage; Palma de Mallorca, November 25, 2017
Queen’s Gambit Declined D30

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov left the stage without so much as a restless farewell. He seemed not to have the strength to try for more. 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxe7 Qxe7 6. Nbd2 Nf6. Rapport is not so generous to give a copyleft licence to his opponent for free: 6. ... f5 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 Nh6?! (better was 8. ... Nf6 followed by ... Nf6-e4) 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Qc2 g6 11. Rab1 Nf6 12. Ne5 Nf7 13. f4 Bd7 14. Ndf3 Rfd8 15. b4 Be8 16. Rfc1 a6 17. Qf2 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Nd7 19. Nf3! Rdc8 20. c5 and Black got dramatically pythonised, Capablanca – Treybal, International Chess Masters Tournament, Karlsbad 1929. 7. g3 0-0 8. Bg2 b6 9. 0-0 Bb7 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nxd7 Nxd7 12. Rc1 Rfd8 13. Qb3 Rab8 14. Rfd1 Nf6 15. Qa4 Ba8 16. b3 a5 17. c5 Nd7

18. cxb6 Qb4 19. Qxb4 axb4 20. e3 Rxb6 21. Nf3 Bb7 22. Rc2 Ra8 23. Bf1 Kf8 24. Rdc1 Ke7 25. Ne1 Ra5 26. Kg2 Kd6 27. Nd3 Ba6 28. Nc5 Bxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Kc7 30. Nd3 Ra8 31. f4 Kd6 32. g4 Rc8 33. h4 Nf6 34. Ne5 Rc7 35. Kg2 Ne4 36. Kf3 ½ : ½. “I don’t fully understand Radjabov’s decision, given that he had to play for a win to fight for the only thing worth fighting for in the Grand Prix. These things are always difficult, but in this case it was really all or nothing”, Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana tweeted. However, after 36. ... f6 37. Nd3 Rb5 eventually followed by ... c6-c5 there’s no reason for which White shouldn’t agree a draw.

Thin Ice

Hikaru Nakamura – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
FIDE Grand Prix 2017; 4th stage; Palma de Mallorca, November 19, 2017
Sicilian Defence B30

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. 0-0 Nge7 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Ng6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Be2 0-0 9. Nc3. 9. c4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Bf6 seems to be fine for Black, Caruana – Radjabov, 7th Kings Tournament, Bucharest 2013. 9. ... Qc7 10. f4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 b6 12. Qd2 Bb7 13. Rad1 Bc6 14. a3 Bf6 15. g3 Rac8 16. e5 Be7 17. h4 Rfd8 18. h5 Nf8 19. Ba6 Rb8

20. Qd6! Well, don’t get too impressed. It’s just a funny way to exchange Queens. 20. ... Bxd6 21. exd6 Qc8 22. Bxc8 Rbxc8 23. a4 h6 24. Ra1 Ba8 25. a5 Rc6 26. Rfd1 b5? This seems Radjabov’s decisive mistake. Simply 26. ... bxa5 27. Rxa5 a6 (Stockfish) appeared to be tenable. 27. a6!! White temporarily sacrifices a Pawn, but puts a deadly mortgage on Black’s Queenside. 27. ... b4 28. Nb5 Rxc2 29. Rd2 Rdc8 30. Nc7 Rxd2 31. Bxd2 Bc6 32. Be3 Nh7 33. Bxa7 Nf6 34. Bc5 Ne4. 34. ... Nxh5 makes no difference at all because of 35. a7! Nxg3 36. Ra6! Be4 37. Rb6!+− similarly to the game. 35. Bxb4 Nxg3 36. a7 Ne2+ 37. Kh2 Nxf4. And now Nakamura arrives at a very elegant conclusion: 38. Ra6! (Δ Ra6xc6) 38. ... Be4 39. Rb6! Nxh5 40. Rb8 Rf8 41. Bd2 Nf6 42. b4 1 : 0.

The Way Back

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 24, 2015
Catalan Opening E06

“Radjabov seems to really enjoy positions with symmetrical structure in which he holds the tiniest of pressures. This is what happened today in his Catalan against Hóu Yìfán, but his initiative quickly dissolved into nothing in a rook endgame that was promptly drawn”, Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez writes.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Ne5 c5 8. dxc5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 Bxc5 10. Nxc4 Rd8. For 10. ... Nc6 11. Be3 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Nxd2 Bd7 see Kortschnoi – Petrossiàn, Castelvecchio Pascoli 1977, match game 9. 11. Be3 Bb4+ 12. Nc3 Nc6 13. Rc1 Nd5 14. Bd2 Bxc3 15. Bxc3 Nxc3 16. Rxc3 Bd7 17. f4 Kf8 18. Kf2 Ke7 19. Rhc1 f6 20. a3. “ White’s position is very pleasant, but he has yet to create a weakness in Hóu’s camp”, Dennis Monokroussos writes. 20. ... Rab8 21. Nd2 Nd4

22. Nb3 Nxb3 23. Rxb3 Rdc8 24. Rxc8 Bxc8. “White still has more space, but there isn’t enough material left for it to matter, since Black has no weaknesses. She’ll finish her development one step at a time, and the draw will be agreed”, Monokroussos writes. 25. g4 h6 26. h4 b6 27. Rc3 Kd6 28. Rd3+ Kc7 29. g5 hxg5 30. hxg5 Bb7 31. Bxb7 Rxb7 32. e4 fxg5 33. fxg5 Kc6 34. Ke3 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Photo: Alina l’Ami