The Canterbury Puzzles

• Leonard Barden, Chess: White checkmates in three moves in this ancient Chinese puzzle, Financial Times, April 30, 2019

Magnus Carlsen, the world champion, has just won his third elite tournament in a row in zestful style and is close to breaking his own all-time records for exceptional performance. The Norwegian, 28, took first prize at this week’s Germany’s Grenke Classic with an unbeaten 7.5/9, following on from his victories at Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, in January and at Shamkir, Azerbaijan, last month. Carlsen’s performance rating has surged to [2875], only seven points below his official monthly peak set in 2014 and 14 below his unofficial daily high. His next classical tournament will be Altibox Norway on home ground in Stavanger in June, and with a calculated target of 6.5/9 to break the record there he has excellent chances. [Read more].

Ancient Chinese Puzzle
Henry Ernest Dudeney, 1907
1k6/8/RKR5/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 1 1

White to play and mate in 3, moving each of his three pieces once, and once only. Click here for solution.

One Way or Another

Chess-News.ru (@Chess__News)

Sometimes one way, sometimes the other | 5th Gashimov Memorial in Şəmkir, Azerbaijan: Magnus Carlsen is first, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) second, and both are satisfied. For further details, visit: http://chess-news.ru/node/24620.

Alpha Beta

Anish Giri – Magnus Carlsen
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 27, 2018
English Opening A29

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. a3 a5 9. d3 0-0 10. Be3 Be6 11. Rc1 a4 12. Nd2 f5 13. Bxb6 cxb6 14. Nxa4 Bg5 15. Nc3. After a long thought, Giri has found nothing better than to follow in the footsteps of Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi. 15. ... e4 16. Kh1. This novelty adds nothing to 16. Rb1 Ne5!? 17. Nb3 Ng4 18. Qc2 Be3! which should have been quite annoying for White (even though somehow wasn’t), Nepomniachtchi – Aronian, FIDE Grand Prix 2017, third stage, Geneva 2017. 16. ... Qd7 17. Rb1 Rad8 18. Nc4 Qf7 19. b3 exd3 20. exd3 f4! Black quickly seized a powerful initiative already, and Carlsen will give his opponent no chance to cope with it. Black will get methodically chopped by an inexorable crescendo. 21. Ne4 Be7 22. gxf4 Qxf4 23. a4 Nb4 24. Qe2 Qh6 25. Rbd1 Nd5 26. Rg1 Kh8 27. Bf1 Rf4 28. Ne5 Rdf8 29. f3 Rh4 30. d4 Nf4! 31. Qd2 Bxb3 32. Rb1 Bxa4 33. Bb5 Bxb5 34. Rxb5 Qe6 35. Qb2 Bd8

36. Ng5. In order to untie Her Majesty from the defence of the second rank, not allowing Black to play 36. ... Rxh2+ 37 Kxh2 Qh3 mate. 36. ... Qe8 37. Rb3 Bxg5. 37. ... Rf5 38. Ne4 Rxh2+ is the computer’s mode of finishing the game, by capturing the White Queen. Carlsen plays it another way. 38. Rxg5 Ne6 39. Rg4 Rxg4 40. fxg4 Qd8 41. Rh3. White was harmless, however it might appear. If 41. Rd3 then 41. ... Qd5+ 42. Kg1 Rf1+! winning handily, whilst after 41. Rf3 Rxf3 42. Nxf3 Qd5 43. Kg2 Ng5 White couldn’t prevent Black from forcing a won King and Pawn ending. 41. ... Qd5+ 42. Kg1 Qe4! 43. Qb4 Rf6 0 : 1.

Anish Giri (left) vs. Magnus Carlsen (right). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.

俯卧撑 (Push-up)

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Rauf Mamedov
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 27, 2018
4R3/5rk1/p5p1/R4p2/3Pp3/4P2P/1r3PK1/8 w - - 3 35

Position after 34. ... Rb3-b2

Today 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was gifted by his opponent with an extra half point, in spite of Black’s exemplary play until that point. 35. Rxa6. White has finally won a Pawn, but Black’s dynamic counter initiative at least compensates for it. 35. ... f4! 36. exf4 Rxf4 37. Ra7+ Kh6?? With still enough time on the clock, Mamedov inexplicably blunders for self-mate. 37. ... Kf6 38. Rf8+ (or 38. Kg3 Rf3+ 39. Kg4 Rfxf2) 38. ... Kg5 would have brought Black nearer to a draw. 38. Kg3! Rf6. Both 38. ... Rfxf2 39. Rh8+ Kg5 40. h4+ Kf6 41. Rf8+ and 38. ... Rbxf2 39. Rh8+ Kg5 40. h4+ Rxh4 41. Ra5+ lose a whole Rook. 39. h4! g5 40. Rh8+ Kg6 41. Rg8+ Kf5 42. Rxg5+ 1 : 0. For after 42. ... Ke6 43. Re5+ Kd6 44. Ra6+ White wins a Rook.

增四度 (Augmented fourth)

David Navara – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 26, 2018
8/2r2pk1/1q1p2pb/1pnPp2p/2p1P2P/2P3P1/RPB2PK1/4QN2 b - - 10 33

Position after 33. Kf3-g2

David Navara’s Anti-Marshall went wrong from the beginning, starting with his 12th move, which was soon followed by the exchange of White’s dark-squared Bishop for a Knight, thus allowing Black to mount a King’s Indian-like position on the Kingside. Seeking out new horizons, Navara soon ended up ceding ground on the Queenside too. Finally, a sequence of erratic moves precipitated White into the bleak position shown in the diagram. Black to move and win. 33. ... b4! 34. cxb4 Nd3! 35. Bxd3 cxd3 36. Ra1 Rc2 (Δ ... Rc2-e2) 0 : 1.

David Navara (right) vs. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) (left). Photo: Shamkir Chess (@ShamkirChess).

The Breakthrough

Magnus Carlsen – Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 26, 2018
English Opening A28

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. bxc3 d6 7. e4 0-0 8. g3 Ne8 9. Nh4 Ne7 10. d3!? Certainly no one could seriously expect Carlsen to follow Mihai Șubă’s footsteps: 10. Qb3 Rb8 11. d4? c5! 12. dxc5? dxc5 13. Qa3 b6 14. Qxa7 Bb7 15. f3 Bxe4! 16. Qa4 Bd3 17. Bg5 Bxf1 18. Rd1 Bd3 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Rxd3 Nd6 21. 0-0 Ra8 22. Qb3 b5! with great advantage to Black, Șubă – Komarov, 43rd Romanian Team Chess Championship, Sovata 1998. 10. ... f5 11. exf5 Nxf5 12. Nxf5 Bxf5 13. Bg2 c6 14. h3 Nc7 15. 0-0 Ne6 16. Be3 Nc5 17. Rad1 Qd7 18. Kh2 Bg6 19. Rd2 Rae8 20. Qd1 b6 21. Re1 h6 22. Bxc5 dxc5. 22. ... bxc5!? might have been sounder. 23. Re3 Re6 24. Kg1 Rd6 25. h4 Rd8 26. Rxe5 Bxd3 27. Be4

27. ... Bxc4? This is a strange decision on Topalov’s part, who seems to have believed that Black could somehow establish a fortress. Stockfish’s 27. ... Kf8 28. Qf3+ Kg8 29. Bxc6 Qxc6 30. Qxc6 Rxc6 31. Rd5 Rxd5 32. cxd5 Rd6 33. Rxd3 b5 appears to lead to a drawish 3 vs. 2 Pawns on the same side Rook endgame. 28. Rxd6 Qxd6 29. Re8+ Rxe8 30. Qxd6 Rxe4 31. Qxc6 Re1+ 32. Kh2 Bxa2 33. g4. Carlsen denies Black any possible Rook + Pawn fortress set-ups, and finishes the game with great elegance. If, instead, 33. Qa8+ Kh7 34. Qxa7 there might follow 34. ... Re2 35. Qxb6 Rxf2+ and Black could still hope for survival. 33. ... Kh7 34. f4 h5 35. f5 hxg4 36. h5 Bf7 37. Qb7 Kg8 38. Qxa7 Bxh5 39. Qxb6 c4 40. Qd8+ Be8 41. Kg3 Kh7 42. Qc7 Kg8 43. Qxc4+ Bf7 44. Qd4 Re8 45. c4 Rf8 46. c5 Be8 47. Qd5+ Kh7 48. Qe6 Bb5 49. c6 Bxc6 50. Qg6+ Kg8 51. Qxc6 Rf6 52. Qe8+ Kh7 53. Kxg4 Rh6 54. Kf4 Rf6 55. Ke5 Rh6 56. Qe6! 1 : 0.

Magnus Carlsen (standing) and Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (seated) shaking hands. Photo: Jeroen van den Berg (@Jvdbergchess).

Mirage

Anish Giri – David Navara
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 25, 2018
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3 Qb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. Na4 Qa5+ 9. c3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Ne7 12. 0-0. If 12. Nc5 then 12. ... Qc7 13. g4 Bg6 14. f4 Nc6 15. 0-0 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Bxc5 17. Rc1 0-0 18. Rxc5 Qd7 19. Qb3 Be4 20. Rfc1 Rac8= Vachier-Lagrave – So, 2nd Gashimov Memorial, Şəmkir 2016. 12. ... Nc6 13. b4 Qc7 14. Rc1 Be7 15. g4!? Theory changes continuously. A recent game ran as follows: 15. b5 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Qa5 17. Nc5 0-0!? 18. Nxb7 Qxa2 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Rfc8? (better was 20. ... Rab8 in order to reply 21. Rc7 with 21. ... Bb4 22. Rfc1 Ba5) 21. Rc6!± Bok – Saltaev, 37th SchachBundesliga, Bremen 2018. 15. ... Be4 16. f3 Bg6 17. f4 Be4 18. Nc5 a5!? 19. Be3! axb4? The opening of the c-file will soon prove to be much more dangerous for Black than the a-file for White. 20. cxb4 Ra3 21. Bf2 Bxc5 22. Bxc5 Rxa2

23. b5? 23. Ra1 Rxa1 24. Qxa1 Kd7 25. Qa4 seems a more straightforward way of putting Black in a terrible bind. 23. ... Bc2?? Really a mysterious mirage. 23. ... Na5 was called for, even though after 24. b6 (24. Bd6 Qb6+) 24. ... Qc6 25. Rf2 Black should have had to find 25. ... Rxe2! 26. Qxe2 Nb3 27. Rc3 Nxc5 28. Qe3 0-0 29. Qxc5 Qa4 with full compensation for the Exchange. 24. b6. Sic et simpliciter. It looks like Navara was hoping for 24. Rxc2 Rxc2 25. Qxc2? Nd4!, but even in that case 25. b6 (instead of 25. Qxc2) would be a trivial win for White. 24. ... Bxd1 25. bxc7 Kd7 26. Bxd1 Kxc7 27. Bd6+ Kd7 28. Rb1 1 : 0.

Anish Giri (right) vs. David Navara (left). Photo: Shamkir Chess (@ShamkirChess).

Roll of Thunder

Magnus Carlsen – Radosław Wojtaszek
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 23, 2018
Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd2!? Carlsen avoids to eventually transpose into the Chekhover Variation by 5. Bb5, preferring instead a more creative and personal approach as usual. 5. ... Nf6 6. b3 e6 7. Bb2 a6 8. 0-0-0 b5!? Theoretical novelty? The Alhambra’s book mentions a brief reference: 8. ... Qa5 9. Kb1 Be7 10. f4 ½ : ½ J. Fernández de Bobadilla – G. Fernández de Bobadilla, 2nd Nazarí Chess Festival “Hotel Corona”, Granada 2015. 9. f3! h5? Wojtaszek’s whole idea to... open the h-file seems totally unsound, and the main cause of his impending trouble. He should have played 9. ... Be7 at once. 10. Nh3 Be7 11. Ng5 h4? 12. f4! Bb7 13. Kb1 Rc8 14. Be2 Qc7 15. Rhe1. Black’s King does not look at home in the centre. 15. ... Nh7? 15. ... Nd7? 16. Nd5! is an even more didactic representation of Black’s nightmares. On the other hand, if Black were compelled to move his King to f8, then anyone could draw his own conclusions on the opening’s outcome. 16. Nxh7 Rxh7

17. g4!? Not only intuition, but also his chess culture should have moved Carlsen to dare the thematic pseudo-sac 17. Nd5! which secured White a crushing advantage; for instance: 17. ... exd5 18. exd5 Kf8 19. dxc6 Bxc6 20. Bg4 Re8 21. Qc3 and Black is tied like a knot. That said, however, I should say that the text is also good, because, as Aron Nimzowitsch wrote, “A position that is healthy has at least two ‘only’ moves”. 17. ... hxg3 18. hxg3 Bf6 19. Bd3 Rh8 20. g4 Nd4 21. Re3 Kf8 22. Ne2. 22. g5? Nxb3! would have made Black’s dreams come true. 22. ... Nxe2 23. Rxe2 Bc3 24. Bxc3 Qxc3 25. Qe3 Rc5. After a long and vain struggle, and with shortage of time dominating the finale, Wojtaszek ended up precipitating his defeat, which, however, even after 25. ... e5 26. fxe5 dxe5 27. Rf2 would have been almost inevitable. 26. e5! dxe5 27. fxe5 Rh1? This loses almost immediately, but, objectively speaking, 27. ... Rc7 28. g5 (Δ g5-g6) cannot last much longer either. 28. Rxh1 Bxh1 29. Rh2. Threatening both Rh2-h8+ and Rh2xh1. 29. ... Rxe5 30. Rh8+ Ke7 31. Qa7+ 1 : 0.

Magnus Carlsen (right) vs. Radosław Wojtaszek (left). Photo: Shamkir Chess (@ShamkirChess).

The Far Game

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov – Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov
5th Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, April 22, 2018
Spanish Game C83

1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Be3 Be7 10. c3 0-0 11. Nbd2 Nxd2 12. Qxd2 Na5 13. Bc2 Nc4. “A very dangerous manœuvre, as White can evade the exchange of his Bishop and the Black Kt does not get back in time for the defence of the K side, where White’s attack becomes virulent. He should have played 13. ... c5 followed by ... Na5-c6”, Edward Lasker wrote in his book “Chess Strategy”, New York, Dover Publications, 1959, p. 178. It’s an emotional assessment, but well illustrates how a human feels when he has to play without computer assistance. 14. Qd3 g6 15. Bh6 Nxb2 16. Qe2 Re8 17. Nd4 Bd7. Topalov must have deeply studied – probably when he was still a boy – an old classic: 17. ... Nc4 18. f4 Bd7 19. Rae1 c5 20. e6 Bf6 21. Qg4 cxd4 22. f5 d3 23. Bxd3 Bxe6 24. fxe6 Qb6+ 25. Kh1 1 : 0 Yates – Gunsberg, Chester 1914. It’s interesting to note how quickly Gunsberg destroyed his still defensible position after 20. e6, so one could argue that an easier way to neutralise White’s aggressive purposes may be 17. ... Bf8 18. Bxf8 Rxf8 19. f4 c5 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. Qxb2 Rb8 23. Rad1 Qb6 24. Qc2 Kg7 25. Rf3 c4+ 26. Kh1 b4 27. Rg3 Rf5 28. Rxg6+ Kxg6 29. g4 Qe3 30. gxf5+ Kh6 31. Qg2 Rg8 32. Qxg8 Qf3+ 33. Kg1 Qxd1+ ½ : ½ Romanovsky – Tolush, 11th USSR Chess Championship Semifinal, Leningrad 1938. 18. f4 c5 19. Nf3 Qb6 20. Qf2 d4 21. Bg5. Topalov sacrifices a second Pawn in order to fuel his initiative on the Kingside. 21. ... dxc3 22. Qh4 c4+ 23. Kh1 Bf8 24. f5 Nd3 25. e6! Bxe6! Not 25. ... fxe6?? on account of 26. fxg6 hxg6 27. Bf6 Bg7 28. Ng5 forcing mate in short order. 26. fxe6 Rxe6 27. Rad1 Rae8 28. Bxd3 cxd3 29. Rxd3. White is up a Bishop for three Pawns, but has no clear way to compensate for Black’s Pawn preponderance on the Queenside. 29. ... Re4!? 29. ... b4(!)∓ was probably stronger, as the text allows White to redeploy his forces on the Kingside in a more effective way. 30. Bf4! Be7 31. Qg3 b4 32. Ng5 Bxg5 33. Bxg5 Qe6 34. h3 Qe5 35. Kh2 Qxg3+ 36. Kxg3 h6!? This may appear superfluous, but indeed it is quite necessary to avoid trouble on the back rank. 37. Bxh6 Re1

38. Rf6! Topalov grabbed the initiative, but it’s still unclear to what extent he can exploit it. 38. ... R1e6 39. Rf2 Re2. 39. ... a5 40. h4 f5 was still quite tough. 40. Rd5 Rxf2? It often happens that the 40th move is also the losing move! 41. Kxf2 f6 42. Be3 1 : 0. White’s Queenside Pawns are doomed.

Topalov vs. Mamedyarov. Photo: Chess-News.ru.

The Great Mysteries of Cajón

Chess-News.ru (@Chess__News)

“The great mysteries of cajón” | A photo-reportage by Evgeny Anatolyevich Surov from Şəmkir, Azerbaijan: http://chess-news.ru/node/24570.

• Evgeny Anatolyevich Surov, Великие тайны кахона | The great mysteries of cajón, Chess-News.ru, April 19, 2018

Time dilation

On April 18, the opening ceremony of the 5th Gashimov Memorial was held in Shamkir, Azerbaijan at the presence of FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov, and of the representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Republic. Here are the participants (in alphabetical order): Magnus Carlsen, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), Anish Giri, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Rauf Mamedov, Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov, David Navara, Teimour Radjabov, Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov, and Radosław Wojtaszek. The tournament starts today with all eyes pointed at Magnus Carlsen.

The 5th Gashimov Memorial was opened in Shamkir, Azerbaijan on April 18, 2018. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

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.

Short Stories from the Nineteenth Century

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov
4th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 25, 2017
Caro-Kann B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. a3 Bxc5 6. Nf3 Ne7 7. Bd3 Ng6 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. b4 Bb6 10. Bb2 Nf4 11. c4 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 dxc4 13. Qxc4 Ne7!? For 13. ... 0-0 14. Nc3 Ne7 see Istratescu – Grachev, 15th Hilton Chess Festival, Basel 2013. 14. Nc3 Bd7 15. Qg4 Bc6. Black’s strategy of not castling will turn out to be disastrous. 16. Rad1 Qc7 17. Ng5! Qxe5? This cannot be good, but I think by now Topalov no longer liked his game. 18. b5 h5 19. Qh4 Bxb5 20. Rfe1 Qf5 21. Nxb5 Qxb5. As Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine said, it takes two persons to create a chess artwork. 22. Bxg7 Nf5

23. Nxe6!! In Morphy’s style. 23. ... fxe6. Not 23. ... Nxh4?? 24. Nc7 mate. 24. Rxe6+ Kf7 25. Qf6+ Kg8 26. Bxh8 Bxf2+ 27. Kh1 Qa4 28. Red6 Rf8 29. Qg6+ Kxh8 30. Rd7 1 : 0. No one, seeing the final position, would ever suspect that Black did not castle!

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin (@SergeyKaryakin)

Bibingka

Wesley So vs. Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
4th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 25, 2017
Catalan Opening E05

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. Qd3 Bb4 13. Rfe1 Re8 14. Qc2 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Red1! It seems more to the point than 16. Rad1 Qe7 17. Bg2 Rad8 18. h3 h6 19. Bc1 e5 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21. e4 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Kh2 Rxd1 24. Qxd1 Qd7 ½ : ½ King – Ryan, 25th Telecom Eireann Irish Open, Easter 1992. 16. ... Qe7 17. Na2 Bd6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Nc1 Nd5 20. e4 Nb4 21. Qc3 e5 22. Nb3 Qe7 23. Bg2 exd4 24. Rxd4 Nf8 25. Rad1 Red8 26. R1d2 Ne6 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Nxa5 Ra8 29. Nc4 Rxa4 30. Nd6 Ra1+. After the game, Kramnik said he had played quite well before the Rook check on a1, which only helps White to better deploy his pieces – particularly the light-squared Bishop – and mount an overwhelming initiative. It was therefore worth considering 30. ... c5 (Stockfish) 31. Bf1 Na6 32. Kg2 Nac7 33. Nf5 Qe8 34. Bc4 Ra8 35. Rd6 Qf8 36. Rd7 Re8 37. Qe5 b5 38. Ba2 g6

39. Ne3. So contents himself with a prosaic if elegant endgame win instead of the flashy Romantische Straße: 39. Rxf7! Kxf7 (39. ... Qxf7?? 40. Nh6++−) 40. Qxc7+ Kf6 41. Qxc6 gxf5 42. exf5 b4 (42. ... Kxf5? 43. Bxe6+ Rxe6 44. Qf3++−) 43. fxe6+− (Europe Échecs’s analysis). 39. ... Re7 40. Rxe7 Qxe7 41. Ng4 Qg5 42. Nf6+ Kh8 43. Nd7+ Qxe5 44. Nxe5 Nd4 45. Bxf7. And this will prove to be decisive. 45. ... c5 46. f4 c4 47. Kf2 Kg7 48. Ke3 Nb3 49. g4 Nc5 50. h4 Na4 51. b3 cxb3 52. Bxb3 Nc5 53. Bd1 h6 54. Nc6 N7a6 55. Kd4 Ne6+ 56. Ke5 Nec5 57. Bc2 b4 58. Nd4 g5 59. hxg5 hxg5 60. f5 Nd7+ 61. Kd6 Nf6 62. e5 Nxg4 63. Ne6+ Kh6 64. f6 Nb8 65. Ba4! Kramnik was hoping for 65. f7 Nd7!, even though after 66. Kxd7 Nxe5+ 67. Ke8 Nxf7 68. Kxf7 Black is doomed anyway; for instance: 68. ... g4? 69. Bg6! g3 70. Kf6 g2 71. Nd4 g1=Q 72. Nf5 mate. 65. ... Kg6 1 : 0. For after 66. Be8+ the f-Pawn promotes.

Wesley So (R.) vs. Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/shamkirchess.az

It should not happen to a boy

The 4th Gashimov Memorial starts today in Şəmkir, Azerbaijan. The participants are (in alphabetical order): Michael Adams, Pavel Eljanov, Pentala Harikrishna, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Teimour Radjabov, Wesley So, Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov, and Radosław Wojtaszek. Photo: Şəmkir Chess Tournament in the memory of Vugar Gashimov (Facebook).

Fatal Attraction (Роковое влечение)

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Kramnik and Topalov will meet in Şəmkir, Azerbaijan. The participants’ lists for the 4th Gashimov Memorial has been finally announced. For further details, see http://chess-news.ru/node/22837.

Hands Clean

Fabiano Caruana – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, May 30, 2016
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 0-0 8. Bf4 b6. For 8. ... Nh5 9. Be3 b6 10. g4 Nf6 11. Qd2 e5 12. Bh6 see Grischuk – Radjabov, World Blitz Chess Championship, Astana 2012. 9. Qd2 Re8 10. 0-0-0 a5 11. Ne5 b5 12. Qe3. On 12. Nxc6 Qb6 would give Black obvious compensation for the Pawn. 12. ... Qb6? “Actually today, 12. ... Qb6 was a real mistake somehow, after that move position is worse for Black, despite comp’s evaluation. 12. ... Nd7!! 13. Nxd7 Bd4! would equalize after 14. Qg3 Qxd7! and it seems that Black is doing fine”, then Radjabov said. 13. Bh6 Bh8 14. f4 a4 15. Rhf1 e6 16. g4 a3? Black deprives himself of any counterplay on the Queenside. Deserving consideration was 16. ... b4. 17. b4! Nd7 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. e5. Fabi fixes the centre before launching into the Kingside attack. 19. ... f5 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. Bxg7 Kxg7

22. h4! fxg4 23. h5! gxh5 24. Ng3 Kh8 25. Nxh5 Re7 26. Nf6 Be8 27. f5! White’s attack is overwhelming. 27. ... exf5 28. Rxf5 Qc7 29. Rg5 Rg7. 29. ... Bg6 30. Rxg6 hxg6 31. Qh6+ Rh7 32. Rh1!! would have inspired a very pretty finish. 30. Rh1 Bg6 31. Rxg4 Qf7 32. Kb1 cxb4. Also after 32. ... c4 33. d4 White must win. 33. Qd4 Bf5 34. e6! It is not so hard to find, but composes an artwork. 34. ... Rxg4 35. exf7 Rxd4 36. Ne8! 1 : 0. “Anyway an interesting game, not boring at all :)”, Radjabov finally said.

Fabiano Caruana vs. Teimour Radjabov
Photo: shamkirchess.az

Out from the barrio

Pavel Eljanov – Fabiano Caruana
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, May 27, 2016
Grünfeld Defence D91

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Bf4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. e3 0-0 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nd7 11. 0-0 Nb6 12. Bb3 c4 13. Bc2 Nd5 14. Qd2 Nxf4. Another try was 14. ... Qa5 15. Be4 Nf6 16. Bb1 Bg4 17. Ne5 Be6 18. Rc1 Rfd8 19. Qe1 Rac8 20. h3 Qa3 21. Nf3 Nd5 ½ : ½ Sikorsky – Yamaliev, correspondence game, 2012. 15. exf4 Be6 16. a4 Bd5 17. Ne5 e6 18. Rfb1 Rb8 19. Qe3 a6 20. a5 b5 21. axb6 Rxb6 22. g3 Rxb1+ 23. Rxb1 Bxe5 24. Qxe5 Qa8 25. h4 Bh1 26. Kf1 h5 27. Ke1 a5 28. Ra1 Qg2 29. Rxa5 Qg1+ 30. Ke2 Bg2 31. Qe3 Rb8 32. Ra2 Bh3 33. Kd2 Bf5 34. Qe1 Qg2 35. Bxf5 exf5 36. Kc2?? Black’s position is easier to play, especially in a time scramble, but it is likely that after 36. Rc2 White may hold everything together.

36. ... Qb7?? Fabi, too, finds himself in terrible time pressure and misses the killer 36. ... Qf3!-+ 37. Kc1 (or 37. Rb2 Qd3+ 38. Kc1 Ra8-+) 37. ... Rb3 winning immediately. 37. Kd2 Qg2 38. Kc1?? Repetita non semper iuvant. Eljanov was still in time to play 38. Rc2. 38. ... Qf3! Caruana doesn’t give him a second chance! The rest is almost smooth :). 39. Rc2 Ra8 40. Qe2. On 40. Kb1 Ra3! (Δ ... Qf3-a8) 41. Kb2 Qb7+! wins. 40. ... Qh1+ 41. Kd2 Ra1. White is virtually in Zugzwang. 42. Qe8+ Kg7 43. Qe5+ Kh7 44. Qe2 Rb1 45. f3. Or 45. Qxc4 Rd1+ 46. Ke2 Qe1+ 47. Kf3 Qe4 mate. 45. ... Rg1 0 : 1.

Fabiano Caruana
Photo: shamkirchess.az

White elephant

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Today in Şəmkir, Azerbaijan. Here is the Excelsior Hotel, that will welcome the participants to the 3rd Gashimov Memorial.