All the World’s a Stage

14th World Chess Champion Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, one of the greatest players of all times, announced on Tuesday his retirement from professional chess, at only 43 years of age and in spite of being still ranked among the first ten players of the world. Kramnik also revealed that he made his decision a couple of months ago, but only now he decided to announce it publicly, after spending the last year rebuilding himself amid the ups and downs of his frail health — he long suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.
Most Russian chess VIPs, including 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, Russian Chess Federation President Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, and 7th FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov, expressed their regret at Kramnik’s farewell, and passionately wished him to reconsider his decision.
13th World Chess Champion Garry Kimovich Kasparov, too, had special words for his long-time rival: “Only the player knows when it is time to leave the stage. I welcome Kramnik to the World Champion retirees club, and I wish him every success in finding a new passion in his life as I have”, he tweeted.

Thoughts Behind the Thoughts

Jacek Tomczak – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
43rd Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 27, 2018
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4 Qe6 9. g3 Nb4. The alternative 9. ... d6 10. c4 Nb6 also gives Black a satisfactory game, Nepomniachtchi – Kramnik, 3rd Grand Chess Tour, 2nd stage (“Your Next Move” Blitz), Leuven 2017. 10. c4!? This is an understandable attempt to improve on 10. a3 Qd5 11. Rg1 Ba6 which gives Black a very comfortable game, Díaz – Arencibia Rodríguez, 58th Cuban Chess Championship, Las Tunas 1996. 10. ... Ba6 11. Bf4. 11. b3 Qg6! is not too exciting either, but the text is probably even worse. 11. ... d5! 12. a3!? (12. exd6 Nd3+) 12. ... Bxc4 13. Qd1 Bxf1. 13. ... Qf5 (or also 13. ... Qg6!?) 14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. 0-0 Nd3∓ is regarded by most engines as a very appealing destination for Black. 14. Kxf1 Na6 15. Nc3 Nc5 16. b4 d4 17. bxc5 dxc3 18. Qd4 Rd8? It’s quite amazing that Kramnik did not go now for 18. ... Qd5! forcing the exchange of Queens and a very favourable ending a Pawn up. 19. Qxc3 Qd5 20. Kg1 Bxc5 21. Rc1 Bb6 22. h5!? 0-0 23. h6 Rfe8 24. hxg7 Re6! 25. Bg5 Qa2? Apparently overestimating his attacking chances. Best seems 25. ... Bd4! 26. Qc2 Rg6! 27. Qf5 Re8 which leaves Black with the upper hand. 26. Rh2 Rd5? Consistently oblivious to the disaster. A much lesser evil was 26. ... Rd4! in order to reply 27. Qf3 with 27. ... Qd5 28. Qh5 Qe4 29. Bf6 Rd5 eventually followed by an Exchange sacrifice on e5.

27. Qb4! It’s strange — but of course possible — that Kramnik may have overlooked this strabic move which threatens both Qb4-f8 mate and Qb4-h4. Instead, after 27. Bf6 Qd2 Black would have avoided the worst. 27. ... c5. Of course, both 27. ... Re8 and 27. ... Kxg7 are met by 28. Qh4 with mate coming soon. 28. Qh4. The End. Kramnik chivalrously allows his opponent to deliver mate: 28. ... h6 29. Bxh6 Qb3 30. Bd2! Kxg7 31. Qh8+ Kg6 32. Qh7 mate.

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin wanted to personally meet the Russian national chess teams at their training camp in Sochi, Russia on September 21, 2018 so as to wish them good luck at the forthcoming 43rd Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia. Pictured from left, first row, are: Olga Alexandrovna Girya, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, and Alexander Vladimirovich Riazantsev; second row: Nikita Kirillovich Vitiugov, Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev, Sergei Vladimirovich Rublevsky, Natalia Andreevna Pogonina, and Vladimir Alekseevich Potkin. Photo: Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk’s archive/Russian Chess Federation.

Vlad the Impaler

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik – Levon Grigori Aronian
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 22, 2018
4r1k1/3b1pp1/1q3n1p/rp2p3/4p2N/1B1PP2P/2P2RP1/4QRK1 w - - 0 25

Position after 24. ... Ra8xa5

And today, Kramnik finally came back to win the “audience award”, once again against Aronian, who seems to inspire him the most. 25. Ng6 Be6 26. Nxe5 exd3 27. Rxf6! “Bravo to Kramnik for having the stomach to keep on fighting after so many painful losses. It takes extraordinary self-posession and creative energy to tend to one’s wounds and re-enter the battlefield with such bold and fearless play”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson tweeted. 27. ... gxf6 28. Rxf6 d2! 29. Qg3+ Kf8. 29. ... Kh7?? loses on the spot to 30. c4! followed by the Bishop check on c2. 30. Rf1! Threatening Ne5-d7+. 30. ... Ra7! 31. Ng6+ Kg7 32. Nf4+ Kh8 33. Nh5 f6 34. Nxf6 Rf8 35. Qf4 Rh7 36. Qe5 Qc7?? Aronian falls down at last before the promised land. Instead, 36. ... Rg7(!) 37. Bxe6 Rg5 would have saved Black’s day, for after 38. Nh5+ Rxe5 39. Rxf8+ Kh7 40. Rf7+ White has no more than a draw by perpetual check. 37. Ne8+! 1 : 0. For if 37. ... Qxe5 then 38. Rxf8+ and mate next move, whilst if 37. ... Kg8 then 38. Qxe6+ Rff7 39. Nf6+ Kg7 40. Qg4+ Kf8 41. Qg8+ Ke7 42. Qe8+ Kd6 43. Ne4 mate.

Short Cuts

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 14, 2018
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Nc3 Nxc3 7. dxc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 10. 0-0-0 0-0 11. Rhe1 Bf6 12. Nd2 Re8 13. Bf3 Ne5 14. Bf4 Kf8 15. Bd5 c6 16. Bb3 Bf5 17. h3 g5 18. Bh2 Kg7 19. c4 g4 20. Ne4 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 Bg5+ 22. Kb1 gxh3 23. c5? f5! “As they say, today’s success is enemy of future success... After his beautiful victory over Aronian, my friend Vladimir Borisovich has chosen a horrible strategy today against Caruana. You can choose whether to force a draw or play for a win, but doubt is fatal. Things are now looking bad for White...”, Spanish Grandmaster Miguel Illescas Córdoba tweeted. 24. Rb4 hxg2 25. Rxb7+ Kh8 26. cxd6 Nf3 27. Ba4 Nxh2 28. Bxc6 Rad8 29. d7 Re2 30. Bxg2 Rxf2 31. Bc6 Ng4 32. Rxa7 Ne3 33. Rg1 h6? Caruana misses the goal one step from victory! After 33. ... Rxc2 White could do almost nothing but wait for the end. 34. Rc7 Kg7 35. a4 Kf7 36. Bb5 Ke7 37. a5 Rf4 38. c3 Kd6? A mistake in terrible time pressure. 38. ... Nd5 39. Rb7(!) was not pleasant either. 39. Rb7? Kramnik can’t believe, after being in the abyss so long, that now he is about to win: 39. Rc6+! Ke7 40. a6 Rxd7 41. Rc8 and White regains the piece with decisive interest. 39. ... Rg4 40. Re1 f4 41. a6. The first move after time control. The more one looks at the position, the more one realizes that Black is in trouble. 41. ... h5 42. a7 Ra8 43. b4 h4 44. c4? Kramnik lets slip his luck. 44. d8=Q+! Bxd8 45. Rd7+ Ke5 46. Bc6 seems to offer much more chances to play for the win. 44. ... h3 45. c5+ Ke5 46. Rb8!? White is now desperately pushing for solution. 46. Bc6 h2∞ doesn’t seem enough as well. 46. ... Rxa7 47. Rg8 Bf6! 48. d8=Q! 48. Kxg4?? would have unveiled the pointe of Black’s clever defence: 48. ... Kf5! threatening both ... Ra7-a1 mate and ... Kf5xg4. 48. ... Bxd8 49. Rxg4 Bf6 50. Rg6 Rb7 51. Be2 Rxb4+ 52. Ka2 Nc2 53. Rc1 Nd4 54. Bd3 Ra4+ 55. Kb1 Nb3 56. Re1+ Kd5 57. Kc2 Nd4+ 58. Kb1 Nf3

59. Rd1?? Kramnik, now totally exhausted, collapses. Correct was 59. Rxf6 Nxe1 60. Bf1 followed by Rf6-h6 with a draw in sight. 59. ... Ra1+ 60. Kc2 Rxd1 61. Ba6. Probably Kramnik overlooked that after 61. Kxd1 h2 62. Rh6 Black has 62. ... Bh4 followed by the Pawn’s promotion. 61. ... Rd2+ 62. Kc1 Bb2+ 63. Kb1 Kxc5 64. Bb7 Ne5 65. Rf6 f3 66. Rf5 f2 0 : 1. So, as they should say, you can play to win instead of playing not to lose.

Artwork © Willum Morsch (@WillumTM)

The Berlin Ending

Levon Grigori Aronian – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 12, 2018
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Qe7!? 7. h3? A silly move. Theory gives 7. Nbd2, which brought White good luck in the following (strange) game: 7. ... Bg4 8. Nc4 0-0-0!? 9. Qe2 Nd7 10. Be3 f6 11. a3!? Nf8! 12. b4 Bd4! 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. Rfb1 Ng6 15. h3!? Nf4! 16. Qd2(?) Nxh3+? (Muminova misses 16. ... g5! 17. hxg4? h5! which would have given Black an irresistible attack) 17. gxh3 Bxh3 (17. ... Bxf3 also loses to 18. Qf4!) 18. a4 Qf7 19. Qf4! g5 20. Qh2! Be6 21. Nfd2 f5 22. b5 c5 23. b6! axb6 24. a5 f4 25. axb6 cxb6 26. Nd6+ Rxd6 27. Ra8+ Kc7 28. Rxh8 Rd7 29. Qh6 Qe7 30. Nc4 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Muminova, Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014, fifth stage, Lopota 2014.

7. ... Rg8! Fashion in nineteenth century style, even though it’s the first dress Stockfish puts on sale! As someone would say, the times they are a– changed. 8. Kh1. 8. a3!? a5!? 9. Nbd2 g5! 10. d4!? might even not result in anything better, but from an instinctive standpoint it sounds at least less complacent. 8. ... Nh5 9. c3. Afterwards, Aronian suggested 9. Nc3 as a possible improvement, since the text – that is vainly aimed at exchanging Queens on d4 – leaves White dramatically behind in development. 9. ... g5! Black has developed a powerful attack already. 10. Nxe5 g4! 11. d4 Bd6 12. g3 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 14. Qd4 Qe7! 15. h4 c5 16. Qc4 Be6 17. Qb5+ c6 18. Qa4. White’s come-and-go Queen has no peace. However, also after 18. Qd3 Rd8 19. Qe3 Bc4 20. Rg1 Rg6(!) Black dominates the board. 18. ... f5! Kramnik delivers his merciless coup de grâce. 19. Bg5. If 19. exf5 then 19. ... Nxg3+! 20. fxg3 Bd5+ 21. Kg1 Qe2 finis. The text is no better at all, allowing Kramnik to finish in grand style. 19. ... Rxg5! 20. hxg5 f4! 21. Qd1 Rd8 22. Qc1 fxg3 23. Na3 Rd3! 24. Rd1 Bd5! 25. f3. The Rook is taboo (25. Rxd3 Qxe4+ 26. f3 gxf3 27. Re3 f2+ 28. Rxe4+ Bxe4 mate) as well as the Bishop (25. exd5 Qe4+ 26. Kg1 gxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Rg3 and mate in three moves). The text, too, leads to mate. 25. ... gxf3 26. exd5 Qe2 27. Re1 g2+ 0 : 1. Mate in four follows.

Yeah, Edna, I too think that there should also have been a prize for you!

12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov handing the winner’s prize of the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament to Magnus Carlsen, with Anish Giri (first from right) and Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (second from right) standing in the background. Photo: Tata Steel Chess (@tatasteelchess).

Jeremy, tell Magnus to be careful at not falling into a Knight fork

The fourteen participants in the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament posing for a group picture in the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Beeld en Geluid) in Hilversum, Netherlands which was the venue for today’s fifth round. Photo: Tata Steel Chess‏ (@tatasteelchess).

It Happened in Bugojno

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik – Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler
80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 16, 2018
Neo-Grünfeld Defence D78

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 g6 4. 0-0 Bg7 5. d4 0-0 6. c4 c6 7. Ne5 Be6 8. cxd5 Bxd5 9. Nc3. If 9. Bh3 then 9. ... c5 10. dxc5 Ne4 11. Nd3 Na6 12. Be3 Bc6 13. Qc2 Bd4 14. Bxd4 Qxd4 15. Bg2 Rac8 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Qf6 ½ : ½ Speelman – Kasparov, World Cup, 3rd stage, Reykjavík 1988. 9. ... Bxg2 10. Kxg2 Nbd7. 10. ... Na6 11. Nf3 c5 12. d5 b5 seems quite more interesting, 温阳 (Wēn Yáng) – 徐铭辉 (Xú Mínghuī), 12th Chinese Team Chess Championship, 无锡 (Wúxī) 2016. 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Rd1 Qxb3 13. axb3 Rfc8 14. f4 c5 15. Be3 cxd4 16. Rxd4 Nxe5 17. fxe5 Ne8 18. Rd7 Rc7? 18. ... Kf8 19. Rxb7 Bxe5 is the computer’s suggestion, and probably a best way to strive for survival.

19. Rxa7! Rb8. 19. ... Rxa7 is met by the zwischenzug 20. Rd8. 20. Rd5! b6. 20. ... e6 21. Rb5 b6 22. Rxb6! cannot be too better. 21. Nb5! Rxa7 22. Nxa7 Kf8 23. Rd7 Ra8 24. Bd4 1 : 0. Black can do nothing but wait for further damage.

The Other Half

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 15, 2018
English Opening A18

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. d3!? Nxc3 8. bxc3 Be7!? 9. d4 0-0 10. Bd3 Qd7 11. 0-0 Nc6 12. Re1 b6!? Deviating from 12. ... Nd8 13. Ng5 Bg6 14. e6 Nxe6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. Qg4 Bd6 18. Qxe6+ Qxe6 19. Re6 Rae8 with equality, 周健超 (Zhōu Jiànchāo) – Sasikiran, India–China Chess Summit, Hyderabad 2015. 13. Bb5 Qe6 14. Ng5 Bxg5. Not 14. ... Qg6? because of 15. Nxh7! winning material. 15. Bxg5 Qg6!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) plays quite provocatively, perhaps as a consequence of the two defeats she suffered in the first two rounds. 15. ... Na5 16. f4 c6 would have perhaps implied a less syncopated lifestyle. 16. h4!? Kramnik might have won the Exchange by the interference move 16. e6(!), but apparently he felt not sure about his opponent’s compensation. 16. ... a6 17. Be2 h6 18. Bf4 Qe6. The Queen’s dance on tiles seems intended to make White expose himself to the curse of the g-Pawn (g2-g4). 19. h5. So Kramnik takes a turn around it! On the other hand, after 19. c4 Ne7! Black would hold everything together. 19. ... Be4 20. Bg4 Bf5 21. Bf3 Rad8 22. Qe2!? Kramnik still manages to find a way not to play g2-g4. 22. ... Na5 23. g4. But now it’s now or never. 23. ... Be4! (23. ... Bh7 24. Bg2 c5 25. Bg3± Δ f2-f4) 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Bg3 c5 26. dxc5. More critical is 26. Qxe4, which, if nothing else, would have compelled Black to show her compensation for the Pawn (a likely hypothesis may be 26. ... cxd4 27. cxd4 Nc6 28. Rad1 Nb4 followed by ... Nb4-d5).

26. ... Nc4! (26. ... bxc5 27. Qxe4⩲) 27. Qxe4. If 27. cxb6 then 27. ... Nd2 28. b7 Nf3+ 29. Kg2 Rd2 30. Qxe4 Ng5 31. Qb4 Qd5+ 32. Kh2 Nf3+ and draw by perpetual check. 27. Rad1 bxc5 28. Qxe4 Nd2 29. Qe2 Qd5!= also results in equality. 27. ... Nd2 28. Qf4 bxc5 29. Re3 Nc4 30. Re4 Nd2 31. Re3 Nc4 32. Re4 Nd2 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s equipment for her today’s game. Photo: Tata Steel Chess (@tatasteelchess).

Billie Jean King

• Leonard Barden, Chess: Magnus Carlsen aims for strong showing at illustrious Wijk aan Zee, The Guardian, January 12, 2018

From the Dawn of Civilization to the Dark Ages

Magnus Carlsen will be back to the board from Saturday, January 13, at the 80th Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, where he will finally play for his honour only, and not, as happened recently both in London and ar-Riyāḍ (Riyadh), to fund and legitimize Agon’s and FIDE’s marketing campaigns with regard to his next World Chess Championship match. There he will meet with most of his potential challengers, but not with everyone. The coverage and information services, as usual in the Netherlands, will be free and available to the wider World Wide Web, which, both for the audience and the potential challengers, might be the last (or the last but one) breath they’ll be breathing before sinking into Agon’s dark scenographies in Berlin. What will they invent to bring freedom and liberty? Well, we’ll find out only living, of course.

Photo © mehrmeer

Weaveworld

Current European Champion Maxim Sergeevich Matlakov has been finally named (because of his ranking in the ACP circuit) as the fourteenth and last contender in the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament which will take place in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands from 12 to 28 January 2018, with one day’s round stop at Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Beeld en Geluid) in Hilversum (January 17), and at Academiegebouw of Groningen University (January 24). Therefore the final line up is as follows (in alphabetical order): Baskaran Adhiban, Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Gawain Christopher B. Jones, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Maxim Sergeevich Matlakov, Wesley So, Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler, and 韦奕 (Wéi Yì). All show days, including the ones in Hilversum and Groningen, are open to the public free of charge. For further details, visit https://www.tatasteelchess.com/.

Outdoor façade of Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Beeld en Geluid) in Hilversum, Netherlands. Credit: Joost den Draaierrotonde.

The Steel Workers

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler has been named by the organizational committee as the thirteenth contender in the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament which will take place in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands from 12 to 28 January 2018. Therefore the line up is as follows (in alphabetical order): Baskaran Adhiban, Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Gawain Christopher B. Jones, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Wesley So, Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler, and 韦奕 (Wéi Yì). The fourteenth and last name (rating criteria based) will be made known on December 1.

Photo © PriscillaLibelle

Уайлд-кард (Wild card)

14th World Chess Champion Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik has been nominated by Agon Limited/FIDE as the “wild card” to enter the Candidates Tournament scheduled in Berlin, Germany from 10 to 28 March 2018. The decision came in advance of the 4th and last stage of Grand Prix 2017 that will take place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from 16 to 27 November 2017, upon which outcome the names of the last two candidates still depend.

Magnum Magnum

The first twelve Grandmasters of the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament – to be held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, from 12 to 28 January 2018 – were announced. They are in alphabetical order: Baskaran Adhiban, Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Gawain Christopher B. Jones, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Wesley So, and 韦奕 (Wéi Yì). The thirteenth Grandmaster will be announced in November and the fourteenth in December, both on rating criteria.

Photo © karp

New South Far West

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik – Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
7th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Tbilisi, September 10, 2017
Caro-Kann Defence B13

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Nd2 e6 9. Ngf3 Be7 10. 0-0 Bh5 11. Rae1 Bg6 12. Bxg6 hxg6 13. h4!? This seems like a doubtful attempt to search for something more than what the position is actually offering. For 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 Nd7 see Gazik – J. P. Santos, 8th European Junior Chess Championship, Groningen 1978/1979. 13. ... a6 14. c4!? a5 15. a3 a4 16. Qd3 0-0 17. c5 b6! It seems like they are following the screenplay of the 1886 World Chess Championship match between Steinitz and Zukertort, with Kramnik playing like Zukertort. 18. cxb6 Qb7 19. Bc7 Nd7 20. Rc1 Rfc8 21. b4? This is probably the critical juncture as Kramnik’s super-ambitious move will ultimately lead him to lose a Pawn without any certainty of a compensation. Ivanchuk afterwards suggested 21. Rc3 Nxb6 22. Bxb6 Qxb6 23. Rfc1 Na7 with approximate equality. 21. ... axb3 22. Qxb3 Bxa3 23. Rc3 Be7 24. Rfc1 Nb4 25. Ne5 Nxe5 26. Bxe5 Rxc3 27. Qxc3 Qxb6. Thus, now Black is a Pawn ahead which Ivanchuk will convert into a win with flawless technique: 28. Nf3 Qd8 29. Qb3 Rc8 30. Ra1 Rc4 31. g3 Qc8 32. Kg2 Nc6 33. Qb5 Bf8 34. Ra4 Rxa4 35. Qxa4 Nb4 36. Qb5 Qc2 37. Qf1 Qe4 38. Qe1 f6 39. Bc7 Nc2 40. Qxe4 dxe4 41. Nd2 f5 42. Nb3 Ne1+ 43. Kf1 Nf3 44. Ke2 Kf7 45. Bb6 Bb4 46. Ke3 Ke8 47. Bc5 Bc3 48. Ba3 Kf7 49. Bd6 Kf6 50. Bc7 Ke7 51. Bb8 Bb2 52. Bf4 Kd8 53. Bd6 Kd7! Black gives back the extra Pawn for decisively infiltrating with the King. 54. Bf8 Kc6 55. Bxg7 Kd5 56. Bf6 Bc3 57. Ke2 Kc4 58. Nc5

58. ... e5! 59. Nd7 exd4 60. Bd8 d3+ 61. Kd1 Bd4 62. Bb6 Bxb6 63. Nxb6+ Kd4 64. Nc8 Ne5 65. Ne7 Ng4 66. Ke1 Kc3 67. Nd5+ Kb3 68. Kd2 Nxf2 69. h5 gxh5 70. Ne3 h4 71. Nxf5 h3 0 : 1.

Three Days of Magic

From today till the end of tournament, the 5th Altibox Norway Chess changes its venue from the Clarion Hotel Energy to the magnificent Stavanger Konserthus, and since life is not only sports betting, everyone hopes that the magic of a sacred world will inspire King Arthur and give him the strength he needs to send Morgan le Fay back into the arms of King Urien, with whom she is unhappily married.

The Stavanger Konserthus’s hall has a typical shoe-box form and can hold an audience of 1500 in the stalls, the 3 balconies and the choir area. Photo: kahle.be.

Война и мир (War and Peace)

So the 4th Gashimov Memorial in Şəmkir, Azerbaijan ended also this year with a win of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (seated, second from right), but the big news came from the backstage, with Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (seated, first from left) and Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (seated, first from right) – both former World Chess Champions – finally making peace after eleven year of small chess wars. Photo: Chess-News.ru.

Keeping the Wild

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik – Pentala Harikrishna
4th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 24, 2017
Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 0-0 9. Nc3 Nb8 10. Ne2 Nbd7 11. c3 Bb7. For 11. ... Nb6 12. Ng3 c5 13. d4 Qc7 see Kobalia – Kovalev, 17th European Individual Chess Championship, Gjakova 2016. 12. Ng3 c5 13. Re1 Rc8 14. Nf5!?? White impatiently opens hostilities. 14. ... c4! 15. dxc4 Bxe4 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. cxb5 axb5 18. Bg5 Nc5 19. Ba2!?? ’Tis not the safer place, but apparently White’s Bishop didn’t want to surrender the death diagonal. 19. ... h6 20. Bh4??!! This is an incredible decision by Kramnik, who voluntarily entombs his own Bishop. 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 was certainly more pleasant for Black, but yet defendable from White’s viewpoint, so the 14th World Chess Champion must have ineffably felt something wild. 20. ... g5 21. Bg3 Bh7 22. Qe2 Kg7 23. Rad1 Nfe4 24. Rd5!? Another wild intuition leads Kramnik on more and more romantic tracks. 24. ... f5. Manifestly threatening ... f5-f4.

25. Rxe5!! A fantastic sacrifice! White gives up the Rook for three Pawns, dramatically upsetting his opponent’s inner balance. 25. ... dxe5 26. Bxe5+ Nf6? As pointed out by all chess engines, after 26. ... Kg6! 27. Bd4 Bg8! Black would have successfully defended. But humans are not machines. If not, we would not look at their games. 27. Qxb5! Yet another remarkable intuition by Kramnik. 27. ... Ne4 28. Bd4 Rfd8 29. h3! A devilish waiting move. “Isn’t it amazing that with a Rook down Kramnik played h2-h3 against Harikrishna and wins this game with White?”, Grandmaster Judit Polgár wonders. 29. ... Rb8 30. Qe2 Bg8 31. Bb1 Qb7 32. b4 Re8 33. c4 Qc6? Harikrishna ends up losing the thread under the heavy burden of defence duty. Stockfish gives 33. ... Qa6 34. b5 Qd6 35. Qb2 Bxc4 36. a4 Ra8 which is quite unclear and not so easy to draw for White. 34. Qb2 Rbd8 35. c5 Qe6 36. b5 Kf8? Here apparently Black misses his last chance for survival. Grandmaster Tiger Christopher Robin Hillarp-Persson, who commented the game for ChessBase.com’s website, recommends 36. ... Qb3! 37. Qa1 Kg6! with mid-long lines leading to roughly balanced outcomes. 37. c6 g4? White’s Pawns are unstoppable, so Black tries to distract them from their march. What a pity, however, that the text loses a clear piece... 38. hxg4 fxg4 39. Bxe4 gxf3. Not 39. ... Nxe4? 40. Rxe4 Qxe4?? 41. Bg7+ Ke7 42. Qf6 mate. 40. Bxf6 Rd6. Or 40. ... Qg4 41. Be7+! Rxe7 42. Qf6+ Bf7 43. Qxe7+ Kxe7 44. Bf5+ and wins. 41. Bg7+ Kf7 42. Be5 1 : 0.