London Chess Classic Round 6

A lot of excitement after the free day in London! Once more three decisive games, and the draws were very interesting too.

Wesley So keeps the lead with a sharp win over Veselin Topalov with the black pieces.

Vachier-Lagrave got into fifty percent after winning against Levon Aronian.

Last, but not least we had a very important game for the lead, overall Grand Chess Tour standing and the (second) top rating position. That was a game:

USA Championships

The USA championships finished yesterday in Saint Louis. There was no need of tie-breaks in both the events. In the men's part Fabiano Caruana proved superior to the field, scoring 8.5/11, a clear point ahead of his closest rivals Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura.
One of the important games of the event was played in round three:

[Event "U.S. Championship 2016"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.16"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "184"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:06:48"]
[BlackClock "0:07:21"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4
Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. cxd5 exd5 {[%csl Yd5] Diagram [#] A typical picture for the
Semi-Tarrasch. The isolated pawn on d5 might be both strenght and weakness.}
11. Be2 Be6 12. O-O Qe7 {Intending both Ra8-c8 and Rf8-d8. And something more.}
({Another way to play it is the immediate} 12... Rc8 {which gives an
additional option of Bd6-b8 followed by battery on the h2-b8 diagonal. This
however also leaves more options to White.} 13. Rc1 Qe7 14. Qd3 (14. Na4 {
is the other idea.}) 14... Rfd8 15. Rfd1 b5 {Le,Q (2703)-Pelletier,Y (2587)
Belfort 2012}) 13. Rc1 {Intending Nc3-a4-c5. But now Black reveals the other
ideabehind his Qd8-e7 maneuver.} a5 {[%csl Ya3][%cal Ga1c1] Diagram [#] The
pawn on a3 was left loose and Caruana makes use of it.} (13... Rfd8 14. Na4 Ne4
15. Nd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 $14 {led to a typical slightly better position for White
in Guimard,C (2410)-Agdamus,J (2200) Santos Lugares 1977}) 14. Nb5 $146 {
So sacrifices a pawn for initiative. A predecessor saw} (14. b5 Ne5 (14... Nb8
$5 {is another route to d7.}) 15. Qa4 Ned7 {and White had problems with his
queenside, Lee,F-Sergeant,E Scarborough 1909}) 14... axb4 (14... Bb8 15. bxa5
Nxa5 16. Nbd4 {is good for White.}) 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. axb4 Qxb4 17. Bxf6 gxf6
18. Rb1 Qe7 19. Rb5 {[%csl Yb7,Yd5,Yf6,Yf7,Yh7] Diagram [#] As a result White
managed to destroy all the black pawns and he may try to profit from this in
two ways- attack the weaken kingside or patiently try to harvest all the crop.
The problem with the latter is that if he even wins both "b" and "d" pawns
(for free) he will have to trade some pieces and there is a very good chance
that Black reaches an endgame four versus three on the same flank which is an
easy draw. In fact, the presence of double "f" pawns makes the draw easier!}
Rfd8 20. Nd4 {Nothing gives:} (20. Qb1 d4 21. Rxb7 Qa3 22. Nxd4 Nxd4 23. exd4
Rxd4 $11) 20... Kg7 21. Re1 {In the light of the above-mentioned I have the
feeling that White should have tried to play for more with} (21. Bd3 Nxd4 22.
exd4 {although I do not really see a way for White to capture both "b" and "d"
pawns for free.}) 21... Nxd4 22. Qxd4 Bf5 $1 {[%csl Gg7][%cal Gf5g6,Rb7b5,
Rb5b4,Rb4b3,Rb3b2,Rb2b1] Diagram [#] Now Caruana practically takes away the
loss as a possible result from the board. The only one who can play for the
win in the endgame is black.} 23. Rxd5 Rxd5 24. Qxd5 Be4 25. Qd1 Qb4 26. Rf1
Ra2 27. Qd7 {There are still problems for White in the line:} (27. Bf3 b5 28.
Bxe4 Qxe4 29. Qb3 Qa4 30. Qd5 Ra1 $15) 27... Bg6 {The position of the black
king is secured and the "b" pawn is quite fearsome thanks to the support of
all the black pieces.} 28. Bf3 b5 29. h4 $1 {[%csl Yg7][%cal Gh4h5] Diagram [#]
So tries to open the king again to saveguard a draw.} (29. Bc6 Rb2 {followed
by Rb2-b1 seems bad for White.}) 29... Rd2 (29... Qxh4 30. Qxb5 $11) 30. Qh3 h5
31. Qg3 ({Black still pushing after} 31. g4 hxg4 32. Bxg4 Qc5 (32... Be4) (
32... Kh6)) 31... Qd6 {In the coming time trouble Caruana decided to
completely secure himself. In the line} (31... Qc5 32. Ra1 b4 33. Qb8 b3 $4 34.
Ra8 {Black gets under mating attack all of a sudden.}) 32. Qxd6 Rxd6 33. Rd1
Rb6 {Black's active pieces are his main advantage.} (33... Rxd1+ 34. Bxd1 {
is a draw.}) 34. e4 {Since the bishop cannot be blocked, it made sense to
bring the white one out first with} (34. Bd5 $5 b4 35. Bb3 Rc6 36. Rd4 Rc1+ 37.
Kh2 Rb1 38. Bd5 ({Not} 38. Rxb4 Bc2) 38... Rb2 ({And not} 38... b3 $2 39. Rb4
b2 40. Ba2) 39. Kg3 Bf5 $11) 34... b4 35. Rd2 f5 36. exf5 Bxf5 37. Bxh5 b3 38.
Rb2 Bc2 {[%csl Yb2][%cal Rb6a6,Ra6a2,Ra2b2] Diagram [#] The white rook is
trapped and Black intends Rb6-a6-a2 trapping it.} 39. Bf3 (39. Kf1 $2 {loses to
} Ra6) (39. Be2 Rb4 {will win the pawn easier.}) 39... Rb5 $1 {A clever way to
win the "h" pawn.} (39... Ra6 40. Bd5 {gves nothing to Black here.}) 40. Be2
Rb4 41. Bf3 Rxh4 42. Bd5 Rb4 {Caruana won the pawn back and managed to keep
the rook on b2 locked, but the reduced material allows a chance to So to
defend.} 43. Kf1 f5 44. Ke2 Kf6 45. f4 $1 {[%csl Yf5][%cal Gg2g4] Diagram [#]
Stops the black king and fixes the pawn on f5 in order to swap it off.} Ke7 (
45... Rxf4 46. Bxb3 $11) 46. Bg8 Kf8 47. Bd5 Kg7 48. Ke3 (48. g3 {is also
possible.}) 48... Kg6 49. Bf3 Kf6 50. Bd5 {So is patient and this is good. The
hasty} (50. g4 $6 {leads to trouble after} fxg4 51. Bxg4 Re4+ 52. Kf3 $2 Ra4 $1
$19) 50... Kg6 51. Bf3 Rc4 52. g4 {Diagram [#] Now it is good. Although White
can also hold after} (52. Bd5 Rc3+ 53. Kd4 Rd3+ 54. Ke5) 52... Rc3+ 53. Kf2 Bd3
54. Bd1 Bc4 55. Ke1 Rg3 (55... fxg4 56. Bxg4 Rg3 57. Bd1 {would be similar to
the game.}) 56. Kf2 Rh3 57. Ke1 Be6 58. Re2 (58. gxf5+ Kxf5 59. Kd2 {should be
OK too.}) 58... Bc4 59. Rb2 Kf6 60. Kd2 Rd3+ 61. Kc1 Rc3+ 62. Kd2 Rg3 63. gxf5
Kxf5 64. Kc1 Kxf4 65. Rh2 Ke3 66. Kb2 {Now that the king made it to the "b"
pawn the draw is unavoidable.} Kd4 67. Rh4+ Kc5 68. Ka3 Bd5 69. Rh5 Kd4 70.
Rxd5+ {Diagram [#] Stirring the game into theoretical draw. The white king is
where it is needed-in the correct corner.} Kxd5 71. Bxb3+ Kd4 72. Kb2 Rg2+ 73.
Ka1 Kc3 74. Ba2 Rg7 75. Bb1 Rb7 76. Ba2 Kc2 77. Bd5 {The only danger for the
defender in this endgame is to keep his bishop too close to the enemy king.} (
77. Bc4 $4 Rb1+ 78. Ka2 Rb4 {[%csl Rc2,Yc4,Rd3][%cal Rc4d3] Diagram [#] loses
only because the white bishop cannot give a check to the black king.}) 77...
Re7 (77... Rb1+ 78. Ka2 Rb5 79. Be4+ $11 {is the crucial difference in
comparison to the previous line.}) 78. Bg8 Re1+ 79. Ka2 Rh1 80. Bd5 Rh4 81.
Bb3+ Kc3 82. Be6 Rf4 83. Bg8 Rf2+ 84. Kb1 Rb2+ 85. Ka1 Kc2 86. Bh7+ Kc1 87. Bg8
Rb1+ 88. Ka2 Rb8 89. Bf7 Rb2+ 90. Ka1 Rb7 91. Bd5 Ra7+ 92. Ba2 Kc2 {Diagram [#]
} 1/2-1/2

Report.

Almost Like Last Year

Yu Yangyi plays successfully in Qatar, this is a fact. Last year he won against the heavy-lifted V. Kramnik in the last round to take the trophy in China. This year he had to face another top player- Wesley So:

[Event "Qatar Masters Open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.12.29"]
[Round "9.2"]
[White "Yu, Yangyi"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:09"]
[BlackClock "0:03:59"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 {The Nimtzo-Indian remains a reliable weapon for
Black.} 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 {The aggressive Romanishin line.} cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7.
Bg2 d5 8. Nc2 {Diagram [#] A relativey rare line. Yu forces the swap of the
black bishop.} ({A famous tabia arises after} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Qa5 10. Bd2
Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. O-O Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rfd1 Qc5 15. c4 {Bukavshin,I
(2655)-Jakovenko,D (2759) Chita 2015}) ({Both} 8. O-O) ({And} 8. Qb3 {are more
common too.}) 8... Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nb4 $1 $146 {[%csl Yb4,
Yc3][%cal Gg2a8] Diagram [#] A novelty! White gets rid of the isolated pawn.
The indifferent development does not promise anything to White:} ({Predecessor
(4):} 11. Bb2 Rd8 12. Qc1 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. Rd1 Nd7 $11 {Cebalo,M (2520)
-Hulak,K (2543) Stari Mikanovci 2008}) 11... Nxb4 {So decided to avoid Yu's
home preparation. He could have accepted the sacrificed pawn} (11... Qxc3+ 12.
Bd2 Qf6 {Diagram [#] to which White can play in two different ways. The more
dangerous one seems to be the pawn sacrifice after} 13. Rc1 $5 ({Not} 13. Nxd5
exd5 14. Bxd5 $6 Rd8 {with pressure along the d file.}) ({But White can aslo
regain the pawn with} 13. Bxd5 exd5 14. Nxd5) 13... Nxb4 14. Bxb4 Rd8 15. Qb3 {
White's pieces are dominating, but a pawn is a pawn. Which one is better will
be revealed by the future practice.}) 12. cxb4 Rd8 13. Qb3 Nc6 14. O-O ({
The black knight can be deprived of the d4 square for a while but} 14. e3 e5
15. O-O Be6 16. Qc3 Rac8 $11 {is just equal.}) 14... Nd4 {[%csl Gd4][%cal
Gc8e6,Ge6f5,Ye6e5] Diagram [#] This is why So rejected the sacrifice. The
centralized knight seems good enough to compensate for the bishop pair.} 15.
Qb2 e5 {The more active approach was also good. The line} (15... Qc4 16. Be3
Nxe2+ 17. Kh1 {seems dangerous for the black knight on e2, but there is a way
out-} Bd7 18. Rfe1 Nc3 19. Rac1 Rac8 {with unclear play.}) 16. Be3 {White
finished the development and wants to make good use of the bishops.} Bg4 $1 {
[%csl Ye2,Rg2][%cal Yf2f3] Diagram [#] Provokes the f2-f3 advance in order to
block the fianchettoe one.} 17. Rac1 Qd7 (17... Nxe2+ $4 18. Qxe2) 18. f3 Bh3 {
Since this bishop is stronger than the one on g2 (at least for the moment)
Black could have also gone for} (18... Be6 19. Rfd1 a5 $11 {when the bishop is
eyeing the a2 pawn.}) 19. Rfd1 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qe6 {An excellent square for the
queen.} 21. Rc7 $1 {Diagram [#] Yu squeezed a lot from his novelty. His active
rooks put a lot of pressure on Black's position and his bishop looks better
than the knight. However, Wesley So's creativity should not be underestimated.}
(21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 exd4 $11) 21... b6 22. a4 Nf5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Bf2 ({
Perhaps} 24. Bg1 {was a bit more subtle when the Black pawn is not reahcing e3
with a tempo at least.} e4 25. Rxa7 h5 {although Black is still creating
dangerous threats.}) 24... e4 {[%csl Yg2][%cal Ge4f3] Diagram [#] Black is
losing the battle for the queenside but makes good use of the absence of the
white rook to create threats of his own on the opposite wing.} 25. Qc2 (25.
Rxa7 h5 (25... e3 26. Be1 h5) 26. Qc2 e3 27. Be1 {might transpose to the game.}
) 25... e3 26. Be1 h5 27. Rxa7 {With this move order Yu could have gone for} (
27. Bc3 $1 h4 28. Qe4 Qg6 29. Qg4 $1 {anytime he trades the queens he should
be close to winning.}) 27... Nd4 28. Qe4 Qc4 {[%csl Yg2][%cal Rc4e2] Diagram
[#] So is threatening mate!} 29. Qxe3 $5 {White sacrifices a piece. The exclam
is for the desire to win, the question- for the objective value of the move.
Although as we shall see Yu did not cross the boarder line yet.} ({Objectively
the game should ended in a draw after} 29. Qd3 Qxd3 30. exd3 Rc8 31. Re7 Rc2+
32. Kf1 Nxf3 33. Rxe3 Nxh2+ 34. Kg1 g5 35. a5 bxa5 36. bxa5 g4 37. d4 Nf3+ 38.
Kf1 Nh2+ $11) 29... Nc2 30. Qe7 Nxe1+ 31. Kf2 Qd4+ $6 {In time trouble So errs.
Correct was} (31... Rd1 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. Qe4+ Qxe4 34. fxe4 Nc2 {Diagram [#]}
35. a5 ({Or} 35. Rxf7 Nxb4 36. Rf5) 35... Nxb4 36. axb6 Rd6 37. Rxf7 Rxb6 {
Is this a win for Black is another question, but at least he had taken away
the 1-0 result from the board.}) 32. Kf1 Nc2 $2 {And this is proper mistake.
He should have forced the draw with} (32... Rf8 33. Kxe1 Qg1+ 34. Kd2 Qd4+ 35.
Kc2 Qc4+ $11) 33. Qxf7+ Kh8 34. Qxh5+ Kg8 35. Qf7+ Kh8 36. Qh5+ Kg8 37. Qf7+
Kh8 38. Kg2 Ne3+ 39. Kh3 Kh7 40. Qh5+ Kg8 {Time trouble is over, Yu has four
pawns for the knight and great winning chances.} 41. Re7 $1 {[%csl Ye3,Ge7,Yg8]
[%cal Re7e8,Re7e3,Gh5f7,Ge7e4,Ge4h4] Diagram [#] A nice move that prepares
various threats like Qh5-f7+ followed by Re7-e4 or the advance of the e pawn.}
Rf8 $1 {The only defense. Everything else loses fast, say} (41... Nc2 $2 42.
Qf7+ Kh7 43. e4 (43. Re4 Qd7+)) (41... Qxb4 $4 42. Qf7+ Kh8 43. Qxg7#) 42. a5
bxa5 43. bxa5 Nd5 44. Qe5 Qxe5 45. Rxe5 Nb4 {[%csl Ga5,Ge2,Gf3,Gg3,Gh2]
Diagram [#] Black survived to the endgame but the value of the pawns grew now.
Yu is still close to winning.} 46. Re4 (46. Rc5 $5) 46... Nd5 47. Rc4 Rf6 48.
Rc5 Rf5 (48... Ne3 49. g4) 49. Rc8+ Kf7 50. a6 Ne3 51. g4 Ra5 52. Rc7+ Kf6 53.
Rc6+ {Perhaps White simply had to push the pawn further} (53. a7 Ra2 54. Kg3 g5
55. h4 gxh4+ 56. Kxh4 Nd5 57. Rb7 Ne3 58. Kg3 {and once that the white pawns
start rolling it should be soon over.}) 53... Kf7 54. Kg3 g5 55. h4 gxh4+ 56.
Kxh4 {Diagram [#] Now the pawns come into motion.} Nd5 57. e4 Ne7 58. Rb6 Ng6+
59. Kg3 Ra3 60. g5 Ne5 61. Rf6+ Ke7 62. Kg2 Nd3 63. Rh6 {In the second
time-trouble Yu misses what seems to me is a win-} (63. f4 $1 Nc5 64. e5 Nxa6
65. g6 $1) 63... Ra5 {So gets one of the pawns back.} 64. a7 Rxg5+ 65. Kf1 Rg8
(65... Ra5 $2 {loses to the typical trick} 66. Rh8 Rxa7 67. Rh7+) 66. Ke2 Ne5
$2 {It is time for Black to go wrong. He should have held after} (66... Nc5 $1
{Diagram [#]} 67. Ke3 Ne6 68. e5 Kf7 69. f4 Rg3+ 70. Ke4 Ra3) 67. f4 Nd7 68.
Ra6 {White's pieces are optimally placed and have room for improvement. The
game is practically over.} Ra8 69. Ke3 Nc5 70. Ra1 Nb7 71. e5 Nd8 72. Ra6 Kd7 (
72... Ne6 73. f5 Nc7 74. Ra5 {followed by a king march to b7 is hopeless.}) 73.
f5 Nc6 74. e6+ Kc7 75. f6 Nb4 76. f7 Kb7 {Diagram [#]} (76... Nxa6 77. e7) 77.
Rd6 (77. Rd6 Kxa7 78. e7) 1-0

What happene din the additional match for the first place between Yu and Carlsen, you can check in this report.

Perfect Play

Wesley So's slow start in Dortmund prevented him to play for the highest spot in the event. Despite the fact that he was the only player to defeat the future winner Fabiano Caruana he struggled to find his optimal play, but towards the end of the event he showed what he is capable of. His game against Vladimir Kramnik was one of the jewels in the event.

[Event "Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.07.05"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2778"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "151"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:26:58"]
[BlackClock "0:02:17"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Diagram [#] Some years ago when Vladimir
Kramnik prepared the Berlin for his historical match with Garry Kasparov there
was a popular story in the chess circles. Kramnik's second and guiding light
in the line was GM Aleksej Aleksandrov of Belarus. His friends would regularly
ask him "Aleksej, what will happen after Garry tears your Berlin into small
pieces? You will be left with no Black opening?" To which he will reply "I am
not even sure that the move 1.e4 will exist after the match."} 4. O-O Nxe4 5.
d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Ne7 10. Nc3 Bd7 ({A recent
example goes} 10... h6 11. Ne4 b6 12. b3 Bd7 13. Bb2 Kc8 14. Rad1 a5 {Caruana,
F (2772)-Carlsen,M (2843) Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012}) ({While Kramnik previously
preferred} 10... Ng6) 11. Ng5 $146 {Diagram [#] Wesley So tries to prove that
it still exists.} ({In comparison, one of Aleksandrov's games saw} 11. Ne4 Ng6
12. Nfg5 Ke8 13. f4 Nh4 14. Kf2 Be7 15. Be3 h6 16. Nf3 Bf5 {Zhigalko,A (2600)
-Aleksandrov,A (2617) Minsk 2010}) 11... Ke8 12. e6 {The point behind White's
play. The typical pawn sacrifice opens the road for the white rooks.} Bxe6 ({
Better than} 12... fxe6 13. Re1 {when White regains the pawn at once.}) 13.
Nxe6 fxe6 14. Re1 Kf7 {[%csl Yc6,Yc7,Ye6][%cal Ge1e8,Gd1d8] Diagram [#] For
the pawn White has obvious compensation, but it is much more difficult to
regain it than it seems at a glance.} 15. Ne4 h6 16. Rd1 e5 {Black develops in
an active way.} (16... Ke8 $2 {drops the pawn after} 17. Nc5) ({There was
another possibility} 16... Nd5 {when} 17. c4 Nf6 18. Nxf6 Kxf6 19. Bd2 {is
compensation for a pawn without much risk for White.} (19. Rd7 Bd6)) 17. Rd7
Rc8 18. Bd2 b6 ({Once more} 18... Ke6 $2 19. Nc5+ {is bad for Black.}) ({And}
18... Ke8 19. Rd3 Rd8 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 {was possible with approximate equality
after both} 21. Bc3 ({Or} 21. Nc5 Kc8 22. Re1 Ng6 23. Nd3 Bd6 24. Bc3 Re8)
21... Ng6 22. Rd1+ Kc8) 19. Re1 {In the following stage of the game both
players find optimal moves. White develops naturally and puts pressure in the
center, Black carefully finishes the development of his troops.} Ke6 20. Rd3 c5
21. f4 Nc6 22. Rg3 Re8 {[%csl Ge8][%cal Ge8e6,Ge6e5] Diagram [#] An excellent
defensive move.} 23. fxe5 ({The point of Black's maneuver is revealed in the
line} 23. Rg6+ Kd7 24. Rd1 Re6) 23... g5 $5 {Kramnik sacrifices the pawn back
and takes the initiative. This is better than} (23... Nxe5 24. Bc3 ({Similar is
} 24. Nf2 Kd7 25. Bc3 Nc6 26. Rxe8 Kxe8 27. Bxg7 Bxg7 28. Rxg7) 24... Kd7 25.
Nd2 Nc6 26. Rxe8 Kxe8 27. Bxg7 Bxg7 (27... Rg8 28. Re3+) 28. Rxg7 Kd8 {and
White is better in the arising endgame.}) 24. h4 Bg7 25. hxg5 Bxe5 26. Rf3 hxg5
27. Bxg5 ({Simlar to the game is} 27. Nxg5+ Kd7) ({While the computer suggest
the curious} 27. Nf6 $5 {to take away the d7 and d5 squares of the black king,
and thus win time to stop Be5-d4 check. The game is about even after} Re7 28.
c3) 27... Bd4+ 28. Nf2+ Kd5 {[%csl Yg1][%cal Ge8e1,Gh8h1,Rd4g1] Diagram [#]
Now Black enjoys some pressure although there is nothing concrete yet.} 29. Rd1
Rhg8 {If Black wants, he can force a draw with} (29... Ne5 30. Rf5 Rhf8 31.
Rxf8 Rxf8 32. c3 Rxf2 33. cxd4 Ng4 34. dxc5+ Kxc5 35. Rd2 $11) 30. Bf4 Re2 {
Kramnik sacrifices a piece. Instead:} (30... Kc4 31. c3 Bxf2+ 32. Kxf2 Ne5 33.
Bxe5 Rxe5 $11 {was a draw.}) 31. c3 Rxb2 32. cxd4 Nxd4 33. Be3 Rxa2 34. Rf4 Ra4
{For the piece Black has three pawns and this is usually more valuable in the
endgames. Any of the three can become a queen, something that the knight is
obviously not capable of. On the other hand White's forces are very active
and the pawns too far from the promotional squares.} 35. Ne4 {[%csl Yd5][%cal
Rd1d5,Rf4d4,Rf4a4] Diagram [#] The pin is annoying, which means that Black may
part with one of his pawns.} Kc6 36. Nc3 Ra3 37. Bxd4 cxd4 38. Ne2 d3 {This
one went too far from the supporting team and will be soon off-board.} 39. Rf3
Ra2 40. Nf4 d2 41. Kf2 b5 42. Rc3+ Kb7 43. Nd5 Rg7 44. Rb3 a6 45. Nb4 Ra4 46.
Rxd2 {[%csl Ga6,Gb5,Gc7] Diagram [#] White won one of the pawns but the
remaining started moving.} c5 47. Nd5 Rd7 ({Also good is} 47... Rag4 48. Ne3
Rf7+ 49. Ke2 (49. Kg1 Re4) 49... Re4 $11) 48. Rf3 {So finds a very nice way to
activate his pieces.} Re4 ({In the line} 48... Rd4 49. Rxd4 cxd4 50. Rf5 {the
d pawn gets separated fro the remaining pawns. We already know what happens in
similar situations.}) 49. Rf6 $1 {Creates a strong hidden threat.} Ka7 $1 {
Which Kramnik avoids.} ({For example, the natural} 49... c4 50. Rb6+ Ka7 51.
Ra2 $1 {[%csl Ra7] Diagram [#] will lead to mate.}) 50. Rd3 $1 {One more great
maneuver to improve the second rook and saev it from the pin.} c4 ({The rook
is defended in the line} 50... Re5 51. Nb4 Rxd3 52. Nxd3 Rd5 53. Nf4) 51. Rh3
$1 Rd4 ({Thanks to the active rook, the knight is untouchable} 51... Rxd5 $4
52. Rh7+ Kb8 53. Rf8+ {Diagram [#]}) 52. Nb4 R4d6 53. Rhh6 Rxf6+ 54. Rxf6 {
White did great and forced his opponent into defense.} Rd2+ 55. Kf3 {Diagram
[#] So's play in the endgame is perfect and his opponent starts to experience
problems. But Black's resources are not over yet.} a5 ({One way to defend the
position was} 55... Kb7 $5 {with the idea} 56. Nxa6 (56. Rxa6 $6 {will still
lead to a draw but it will be White who has to find it after} Rb2 57. Nd3 cxd3
58. Rd6 d2 59. Ke2 $11) 56... c3 57. Nc5+ Kc7 58. Nb3 c2 $11) 56. Ra6+ Kb7 57.
Rxa5 {A second pawn disappears from the pawn and nevertheless, Black is still
not losing.} Kb6 58. Ra2 Rd7 59. Ra8 Kc5 {It is only after this move that we
can say definitely that Black is in trouble. Instead Kramnik should have opted
for} (59... Rf7+ $1 {[%csl Gb5,Gc4,Yf3,Rg2][%cal Gf3e3,Gf3g3,Gc4c3,Gb5b4]
Diagram [#] In order to force the white king to make a decision. Since it is
needed for both kingside support and to help in the fight against the passers
the game should stay undecided. For example} 60. Ke3 Rg7 $1 61. Nd5+ ({Or} 61.
Kf2 Rf7+ 62. Kg1 Kc5 {and in comparison to the game the white king is far away.
}) 61... Kc5 62. Nf4 Re7+ 63. Kd2 Rd7+ 64. Kc2 b4 {Now the white king does not
help the g pawn and Black should be able to capture it in return for his two
pawns at some moment.}) 60. Nc2 $1 {White achieved the perfect queenside
set-up.} Rc7 61. Rf8 c3 (61... b4 62. Rf5+ {drops the pawn at once.}) 62. Rf5+
Kb6 ({Or} 62... Kc4 63. Ne3+ Kb3 (63... Kb4 $2 64. Nd5+) 64. Rxb5+) 63. g4 {
Diagram [#] The black pawns are stopped and the white one is faster.} Ka5 64.
g5 Ka4 65. Ke3 Rd7 {Nothing changes} (65... Re7+ 66. Kd3 Rd7+ 67. Nd4 c2 68.
Rf1) ({Nor} 65... Kb3 66. Kd3) 66. g6 b4 67. Rf4 Kb3 68. Nxb4 Re7+ 69. Re4 Rg7
{The pawn endgame is lost for one tempo} (69... Rxe4+ 70. Kxe4 Kxb4 71. Kd3 Kb3
72. g7 c2 73. g8=Q+ {check!}) 70. Rg4 Re7+ 71. Kf3 Rg7 72. Nc6 Rg8 73. g7 c2
74. Nd4+ Kc4 75. Nxc2+ Kd5 76. Rg6 {Diagram [#] A great achievement for Wesley
So who managed to outplay Vladimir Kramnik on his own territory!} 1-0

Report.

Wesley and the Kingside

It is always a great day for chess when two creative players meet over the board. In Dortmund this happened at round five and the game in question was between Wesley So and Ian Nepomniachtchi:

[Event "43rd GM 2015"]
[Site "Dortmund GER"]
[Date "2015.07.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "So, W."]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, I."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "2778"]
[BlackElo "2720"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2015.06.26"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 {This Anti-Gruenfeld line is extremely popular
nowadays.} e6 {Diagram [#] A very interesting way to get into another opening.}
4. e4 c5 ({Another Gruenfeld specialists has passion for the original} 4... d5
$5 {One recent example of his saw} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nc3 dxe4 7. fxe4 Bb4 8. Bd3
Nxe4 $1 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Bxe4 Re8 {with wild complications in Giri,A (2750)
-Vachier Lagrave,M (2766) Biel 2014}) 5. d5 d6 6. Nc3 {Now the game transposes
into the Benoni.} ({Bogdanovich played instead} 6. Ne2 {against Nepomniachtchi
but failed to impress with opening advantage} Bg7 7. Nec3 Nh5 8. Be3 exd5 9.
cxd5 f5 10. Bb5+ Nd7 11. exf5 gxf5 12. f4 Nhf6 $1 13. O-O Ng4 {and Black was
happy in Bogdanovich,S (2581)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2714) Moscow 2015}) 6... Bg7 7.
Nge2 exd5 8. cxd5 O-O 9. Ng3 a6 {Diagram [#]} ({I have the feeling that the
immediate} 9... h5 {is more accurate. But that is a matter of taste.}) 10. a4
h5 11. Be2 {Most commonly White prefers the move 11.Bg5 in this situation.} ({
One more recent example in this line goes} 11. Bg5 {seems unpleasant for Black,
but he can easily get rid of the bishop, with a tempo} Qc7 12. Be2 Nh7 13. Be3
h4 14. Nf1 f5 15. exf5 gxf5 16. f4 Nf6 17. Bf2 Re8 18. Bxh4 Ne4 19. Ra3 Qa5 {
1/2-1/2 (19) Aronian,L (2770)-Ding,L (2755) Tsaghkadzor 2015}) 11... Qe8 $146 {
Diagram [#] Nepomniachtchi played this novelty in a flash. The queen moves
away from the possible pin on g5.} ({Practically all previous games continued}
11... h4 {Right now, before the knight gets the h1 square! The knight on f1 is
somewhat misplaced while from h1 it easily gets to f2 to overprotect the e4
pawn. One example} 12. Nf1 Nbd7 13. Bg5 h3 14. gxh3 Rb8 15. Ng3 Qb6 {with
counterplay for Black in Ivanchuk,V (2733)-Bacrot,E (2730) Cap d'Agde 2013})
12. Bf4 $1 {So wants to prove that the queen sortie was premature.} ({A
natural reply would be} 12. O-O h4 13. Nh1 Nh5 14. Nf2 {with somewhat better
position for White.}) ({Black's idea is revealed in the line} 12. Bg5 Nh7 13.
Bf4 (13. Be3 f5) 13... h4 14. Nf1 Qe7 {followed by f7-f5 and possibly g6-g5.})
12... Qe7 13. Bg5 Qe8 {Black lost a couple of tempoes, but he intends to take
back one of them with the mauver Nf6-h7. Creativeness is a good thing, but
tempoes are tempoes.} (13... Nbd7 14. Qd2 {is not what Black was hoping for.})
14. Qd2 Nbd7 15. Bh6 $6 {Possibly a bit premature. White had good alternatives
in his disposal. Both} (15. a5 $5) ({and} 15. O-O $5 {lead to slight advantage
to White.}) 15... Qe5 $1 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Bd3 $6 {So frees the e2 square for
the g3 knight and prevents the unpleasant check on d4. Still, this looks
rather slow.} ({In case of} 17. O-O Qd4+ $1 {[%csl Yc3] Diagram [#]} 18. Qxd4
cxd4 19. Na2 h4 {Black has no problems whatsoever.}) ({Thus} 17. Nf1 {although
as said before the knight is not extremely happy on f2.}) 17... Rb8 {Prepares
the standard b7-b5 break.} (17... h4 18. Nge2 {is also OK for Black.}) 18. Rd1
({Once again White cannot castle due to} 18. O-O Qd4+ 19. Rf2 Ne5 $17) 18...
Re8 19. Be2 {White admits his mistake.} (19. O-O $6 {[%csl Yd3][%cal Re5d4]
Diagram [#] leads to Black's advantage after} Qd4+ 20. Rf2 Ne5 21. Bc2 Qxd2 22.
Rfxd2 Nc4 (22... b5 $1 {might be even better.})) 19... h4 20. Nf1 h3 {
Nepomniachtchi can be happy with his opening idea. He had equalized at least.}
({Safer was} 20... Nh5 21. Ne3 Nf4 $11 {not pushing the "h" pawn too far.}) 21.
g4 b5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Ng3 b4 ({Another way to play the position is} 23... c4
$5 24. b4 ({Or} 24. f4 Qe7 25. g5 Nh7 26. O-O Nc5 27. e5 dxe5 28. d6 Qb7 {with
huge complications.}) 24... cxb3 {with counterplay.}) 24. Na4 {If anything,
White will get some time to finish his development.} Ra8 25. b3 Ba6 {And Black
is also happy to trade his light-squared bishop. All in all the position
remains balanced.} 26. Bxa6 Rxa6 27. O-O {[%cal Ge1g1] Diagram [#] White
catsles on move 27! His plan is to attack on the kingside, while Black should
look for a way to get counter-play on the other wing.} Rea8 28. f4 Qe7 $6 {The
first inaccuracy by Black in this game.} ({Strong was to get into an endgame
and to kill any kingside attack before it had even started} 28... Qd4+ $1 {
However in the line} 29. Qxd4 cxd4 30. g5 (30. Rxd4 Nxg4 $17) 30... Ng4 31.
Rxd4 Nc5 32. Nxc5 ({Safer is} 32. Rxb4 Nxb3 33. Rxb3 Rxa4 34. Rb2 Ra2 {
although here too Black has more than enough for the pawn and does not risk to
lose.}) {Black had to foresee the fantastic resource} 32... Ra2 $3 {[%csl Ra2,
Yg1][%cal Ra2g2,Rg2h2] Diagram [#] after which White has no salvation!} 33. Na4
Rg2+ 34. Kh1 Rxh2+ 35. Kg1 Rg2+ 36. Kh1 Rxg3 {with winning position for Black.}
) 29. Qe2 Nh7 30. Rf3 {So nicely regroups his forces and is ready to pick up
the h3 pawn.} (30. g5 $5 {not to allow the queen on h4 was perhaps better.})
30... Qh4 31. Kh1 $3 {[%csl Yg7,Yh4][%cal Rg1g7] Diagram [#] A crafty move
which White should have foreseen in advance. Black is in trouble and the lack
of time on his clock does not help him find the best moves.} c4 $2 {Not the
most optimal decision. So is happy to see the "g" file opened for his rooks.} (
{The pawn on g4 is poisoned} 31... Qxg4 32. Nf5+ $1 gxf5 33. Rg3 {as the queen
will be lost.}) ({If Black moves the king out of the check} 31... Kg8 {White
will simply continue with his attack} 32. Rg1 $1 {as} Qxg4 33. Nf5 $1 {is once
more crushing for him} Qh5 34. Qf1 $1 {and White wins.}) (31... Nb6 $1 {[%csl
Yd1][%cal Ra8a1] Diagram [#] was mandatory to open the "a" file asap and to
find counterplay along it. For example} 32. Nxb6 Rxb6 33. Rg1 Rba6 34. g5 Ra2
35. Qf1 Ra1 (35... Rc2) 36. Qxa1+ Rxa1 37. Rxa1 Qg4 {with counterplay.}) 32.
Qxc4 Qxg4 33. Qd3 Kf8 ({It is already late to open the file} 33... Nc5 34. Nxc5
({But not} 34. Qd4+ $2 Nf6 35. Nxc5 $4 Qxf3+ 36. Kg1 Qg2#) 34... dxc5 35. Rg1
Ra1 36. Nf1 $1 Qh4 37. e5 {is huge advantage for White.}) 34. Rg1 Rxa4 {
Desperation. Or else White will mount further pressure with} (34... Nhf6 35.
Qf1) 35. bxa4 Nc5 36. Qe3 Rxa4 37. Nf5 $1 {[%csl Yg4] Diagram [#] White wins
the queen and the game.} gxf5 ({The black queen is trapped after} 37... Qh5 38.
Rxh3) ({White the tricky} 37... Ra1 {is met by} 38. Rfg3 $1 (38. Rxa1 $4 Qg2#)
38... Rxg1+ 39. Rxg1 Qh5 40. Nxd6 {with a win.}) 38. Rxg4 fxg4 39. Rf1 Nf6 40.
e5 Nfe4 41. f5 $1 {Diagram [#] The time control is over and So energetically
wrpas up the game.} Ra2 (41... dxe5 42. Qh6+ Ke7 43. f6+ Kd6 44. Qf8+ Kxd5 45.
Qxf7+ $18) 42. e6 g3 43. hxg3 Ke8 44. g4 h2 45. Qh3 f6 46. g5 Nxg5 47. Qh8+ Ke7
48. Qg7+ Ke8 49. Qxf6 {Diagram [#]} 1-0

Report.

Trouble in the Najdorf

The traditional tournament in Dortmund gathered together some of the leading world players and the best German players. In the second round two of the rating favorites had an interesting clash.

[Event "Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.06.28"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2778"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:01:43"]
[BlackClock "0:30:15"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {This line has
similarities with the Fianchettoe line, but White wants to be trickier than
there and win a tempo by advancing his pawn directly to g4.} e5 7. Nde2 b5 8.
g4 {Diagram [#] This is the what the line is all about. Another idea is} (8.
Ng3 Bb7 9. Bg5 Nbd7 10. a4 b4 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Be7 13. a5 {as in
Harikrishna,P (2729)-Shankland,S (2661) Tsaghkadzor. Normally, if the d5
square is occupied by a white pawn Black feels OK. In this particular position
though White can play for the advantage as the b4 pawn got separated from the
remaining pawns.}) 8... b4 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 h5 $5 $146 {[%csl Rh1][%cal
Gh5g4] Diagram [#] Good preparation for So. Although this move is a novelty it
should not have come as surprise for Caruana. The h7-h5 advance is a very
common theme in the Najdorf. Check the recent match Short-Kasparov where the
former world champion used it successfully.} ({Two other games saw} 10... Be7 {
for example} 11. Bg2 (11. Ng3 {might be more subtle.}) 11... O-O 12. Ng3 a5 13.
O-O Na6 14. f4 {with double edged play, Yankelevich,L (2340)-Kvetny,M (2295)
Magdeburg 2014}) 11. gxh5 {Practically forced as} (11. Ng3 $2 hxg4 12. hxg4
Rxh1 13. Nxh1 Qh4 {looks grim for White.}) ({And} 11. g5 Be7 12. h4 Bg4 {is
anything but inspiring for the first player.}) 11... Rxh5 12. a3 {Diagram [#]
Caruana destroys the queenside in return and sharpens further the game.} bxa3
13. Rxa3 Nd7 14. Bg2 Nf6 15. O-O {Probably White should have delayed the
castling for one more move to see what is his opponent doing first. After all}
(15. f4 {is a mandatory move for him. Then in case of} Rb8 {like in the game,
he can chose} ({And} 15... Be7 $2 {will be simply wrong due to} 16. Ng3 Rh8 17.
fxe5 dxe5 18. d6 $1 {with material gain.}) 16. Ng3 Rh7 17. Qe2 {and castle
later.}) 15... Rb8 {Moves away the rook from the long diagonal.} 16. f4 Be7 17.
c4 Qb6+ {Black underlines the fact that the white king is not particularly
safe.} 18. Rf2 {[%cal Gf2a2,Rb6g1] Diagram [#] White not only covers the king
but prepares the future regroupment Ne2-g3, Bc1-e3 and possibly c4-c5. In this
line the rook defends the b2 pawn.} ({Or else White has to reckon with the
possible Nf6-g4 jump.} 18. Kh1 Ng4 $5 (18... Kf8 {to castle by hand makes
perfect sense too.})) 18... Rh4 {Moves the rook away from the tempo and
pressurizes on f4 and c4.} (18... Kf8 {was possible as well though} 19. Ng3 Rh4
20. Be3 Qb4 {with unclear play.}) 19. Rc3 {Caruana wants to support his c4
pawn, but the rook is vulnerable here.} (19. Qc2 {was a safer option.}) 19...
Bd7 $2 {Misses a tactical blow.} (19... Bxh3 $5 {was already possible and good
as in the lines} 20. Bxh3 (20. Rxh3 Ng4 21. Qf1 (21. Rhf3 e4) 21... Rxh3 22.
Bxh3 Nxf2 23. Qxf2 Qxf2+ 24. Kxf2 exf4) 20... Ne4 21. Qf1 Nxf2 22. Qxf2 Qxf2+
23. Kxf2 exf4 24. Nxf4 Bf6 25. Re3+ Kd8 {Black wins a second pawn in addition
to the RP he already has for the two light pieces.}) 20. b3 $2 {Caruana
returns the favour.} (20. c5 $1 {[%cal Rd5d6] Diagram [#] was very strong
instead} dxc5 {Or else the pawn will advance further to c6.} 21. fxe5 {The
white central duo is huge. For example} Ne4 22. Bxe4 Rxe4 23. d6 Bh4 24. Ng3
Rb4 (24... Rd4 25. Qh5) 25. Qh5 Be6 26. Rd3 {with serious threats against the
black king.}) 20... Bxh3 $1 {Now this is even stronger than in a move ago as
the b3 pawn drops at once.} 21. Bxh3 {The only move.} (21. Rxh3 Rxh3 22. Bxh3
Ne4 23. Qf1 Bh4 {loses material.}) 21... Ne4 22. Qe1 (22. Rcf3 Nxf2 23. Rxf2
Rxh3) 22... Nxc3 23. Qxc3 Qxb3 24. Qxb3 Rxb3 $17 {Diagram [#] As a result of
the small combination So won material. Rook and two pawns are usually much
better than two light pieces in the endgame. The reasons- more room for the
rooks to operate and the higher value of the pawns.} 25. Bc8 e4 ({White was
hoping for the same pawn duo after} 25... a5 26. c5 $1 dxc5 27. fxe5) ({
Another reasonable way to play it was} 25... exf4 $5 26. Bxf4 Ra3 {with
advantage for Black.} (26... a5 27. Nd4 $1)) 26. Bxa6 ({White could have gone
for the more dangerous pawn on e4, but the position after} 26. Bf5 Bd8 (26...
e3 27. Rf3) 27. Kg2 Bb6 28. Rf1 g6 29. Bxe4 Rbh3 {looked too dangerous for him.
Perhaps he can survive it after} 30. f5 Rh2+ 31. Kf3 Rxe2 32. Kxe2 Rxe4+ 33.
Kd3 {Perhaps no.}) 26... Bd8 $1 {The last black piece gets activated to the
maximum.} 27. c5 $1 {The best defense. White cannot allow the black bishop an
access to the a7-g1 diagonal.} ({For example} 27. Kg2 Bb6 28. Rf1 Rg4+ 29. Kh2
f5 {with decisive attack along the "h" and "g" files.}) 27... dxc5 28. Rg2 g6 (
{If} 28... c4 {to open the diagonal again then} 29. Rg3 $1 {is strong.}) 29.
Rg3 {Diagram [#] As a rule, the trades favour the side with the rook, but
White needed to saveguard his king.} Rxg3+ 30. Nxg3 Rg4 31. Kh2 f5 32. Ne2 (32.
Bb5+ $5 {deserved attention, to advance the pawn a bit further} Kf7 (32... Ke7
33. Kh3 {intends to trap the rook with Bb5-e2.}) 33. d6 {with good chances for
survival.}) 32... Rh4+ 33. Kg2 Bc7 34. Bc8 $6 {Time-trouble inaccuracy. White
had to activate the other bishop instead} (34. Bb2 $1 {[%cal Gb2e5,Gd5d6]
Diagram [#] and then put it on e5 after} Ke7 35. Be5 Bd6 {when Black options
are more limitted in comparison to the game. In particular, the black rook
lacks the h8 square and cannot easily swing to the queenside.}) 34... Kd8 35.
Be6 Ke7 36. Be3 (36. Bb2 Bxf4) 36... Bd6 {Now Black has more freedom in
comparison to the position with white bishop on e5.} 37. Bf2 Rh8 38. Be1 c4 39.
Bc3 Ra8 40. Be5 {We know the saying: "better late then never". But stragely
enough, this is not optimal here. White should have opted for passive defense
with} (40. Kf2 Ra3 (40... Ra2 41. Ke1) 41. Ke1 {and Ke1-d2.}) 40... Ra2 41. Kf1
(41. Kf2 {loses to} Bxe5 42. fxe5 c3 43. Ke3 Rd2 {followed by Rd2-d1 and
c3-c2-c1.}) 41... Rd2 $1 {[%cal Gd2d3,Re4e3,Rc4c3] Diagram [#] The rook
manages to get to the optimal d3 square.} 42. Bc3 ({The white king cannot
approach} 42. Ke1 Bb4 $1) ({Black's idea is revealed in the line} 42. Bg8 Rd3
$1 43. Be6 Bxe5 44. fxe5 c3 {and pawns are unstoppable.}) 42... Rd3 43. Ba5 (
43. Be5 Bxe5 44. fxe5 c3 {transposes to the line above.}) 43... Ba3 (43... Ra3
$5 {with the idea} 44. Bc3 Rb3 {and Bd6-b4 to break the blockade made sense.})
44. Bg8 Bd6 45. Be6 Bc5 46. Ke1 {Finally, the white king made it to the center
but at a very high price.} Rb3 47. Kd2 Rb2+ 48. Kd1 Bb4 $1 {Diagram [#]} 49.
Bxb4+ Rxb4 {The trade of the bishop made White's defense much harder. Now the
white K+N have to stope the black R and pawns. Should be mission impossible.}
50. Kc2 Rb3 51. Nc3 e3 52. Bg8 Rb6 53. Ne2 Ra6 54. d6+ (54. Nc3 g5 {would be
similar to the game.} ({But Black has an additional choice} 54... Kd6 $5))
54... Rxd6 55. Bxc4 Kf6 {[%cal Gg6g5] Diagram [#] Next g6-g5 is coming.} 56.
Bd3 {Now the game is essentially over.} (56. Nc3 $1 {was White's last chance
to get the king in the defense as fast as possible} Rd2+ (56... g5 57. Nd5+ Kg7
58. Nxe3 $11) 57. Kc1 Rd4 58. Nd5+ Kg7 59. Nxe3 Rxf4 60. Kd2 {is this position
defendable is another story.}) 56... g5 57. fxg5+ Kxg5 58. Ng3 Rc6+ 59. Kd1 f4
60. Nf1 Rb6 61. Nh2 (61. Ke2 Rb2+ 62. Ke1 Kg4 {leads to a position similar to
the game.}) 61... Kh4 62. Ke1 Kg3 63. Nf1+ Kf3 64. Nh2+ Kg2 65. Nf1 Re6 {With
the threat f4-f3.} 66. Bc4 Re5 67. Ba6 Ra5 68. Bb7+ Kg1 69. Nxe3 Re5 {Diagram
[#] Fabiano Caruana still experience great difficulties against the Najdorf.}
0-1

Report.

Magnus Grabs the Lead

Round five of the Gashimov Memorial was crucial for the leaders. Wesley So suffered his first loss to the former world champion Vishy Anand who showed his best chess so far in Azerbaijan. In the meanwhile the reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway produced a real masterpiece to take the sole lead. His opponent in this game Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France also appreciated the greatness of the game and did not look too disappointed at the end of it. Instead the two players spend a lot of time analyzing the game at a press-conference full of benevolence and positivness.

[Event "Shamkir Chess"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.04.21"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:15:45"]
[BlackClock "0:41:19"]

1. Nf3 {Magnus Carlsen managed to get his opponent away from his beloved
Gruenfeld early in the opening.} Nf6 2. g3 b5 3. Bg2 ({The two players spent a
lot of time analyzing some interesting possibilities after} 3. c3 e6 4. Qb3 {
an idea typical for the Sokolsky opening with colors reversed} a6 5. a4 Bb7 6.
axb5 Bd5 {an old trick, said Carlsen} 7. Qc2 (7. c4 $2 Bxc4 $1 {this is the
point} 8. Qxc4 axb5 $17) 7... axb5 8. Rxa8 Bxa8 9. Qb3 Bxf3 10. exf3 c6 {with
about equal position.}) 3... Bb7 4. Na3 {Diagram [#] A fresh position arose on
move number four!} a6 ({The immediate} 4... b4 {was also possible when after}
5. Nc4 a5 6. d3 {[%cal Ge2e4] "I liked my knight on c4" (Carlsen)}) 5. c4 b4 {
"I decided to play b5-b4 as in the QID the knight is not very well placed on
c2"(Vachier-Lagrave), "Yeah, but then you have to waste a lot of moves"
(Carlsen)} (5... e5 {was teh othe rmove that the two players analyzed. They
had a lot of fun in the arising original lines with Carlsen appologizing at
the end that they are wasting the time of the journalists.} 6. O-O e4 7. Nd4 (
7. Nh4 d5 8. cxd5 Qxd5 9. d3 g5 {Diagram [#]} 10. Nf3 $5) 7... d5 8. d3 (8.
cxb5) 8... c5 9. Nf5 g6 10. Ne3 d4 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Bxe4 Bg7 {with equality.})
6. Nc2 e6 ({It is somewhat surpring but this has already been seen before in a
total of 26 games. Here is a recent one} 6... c5 7. O-O e6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Ncxd4
$14 {Efimenko,Z (2648)-Moiseenko,A (2707) Dubai 2014}) 7. d4 a5 {The players
agreed that White is somewhat better after} (7... Be7 8. a3 bxa3 9. b3 $14) 8.
O-O Be7 9. d5 Na6 10. Nfd4 Nc5 11. Re1 $146 {[%cal Ge2e4] Diagram [#] Only
this is a novelty. White prepares e2-e4.} ({Another recent game saw} 11. dxe6
fxe6 12. Bxb7 Nxb7 13. Bf4 O-O 14. Nb5 Ne8 15. e4 {with slight edge for White,
Neiksans,A (2559)-Kulaots,K (2563) Wroclaw 2014}) 11... O-O {Carlsen was
surprised that his opponent allowed the move e2-e4 that easily and suggested
instead} (11... Nfe4 12. f3 (12. Nb3 Nxb3 13. axb3 Nc5 14. e4 e5) 12... Nd6 13.
e4 O-O (13... Nxc4) 14. b3 e5 {with a better version to what had happened in
the game later.}) 12. e4 e5 ({Maybe} 12... d6 13. dxe6 Nfxe4 {but this is what
I was unhappy about (Vachier)} 14. Qg4 Nf6 15. Qe2 $16) 13. Nf5 d6 14. Bg5 $1 {
[%csl Yg5][%cal Rf6d5] Diagram [#] A wonderful positional sacrifice of a pawn.}
({The immediate} 14. f4 {is also possible but less appealing to the world
champion} Nfd7 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. f5 c6 {"too many loose ends, should be OK
for Black" (Carlsen)}) 14... Nxd5 {Vachier decided to bite the bullet. "So
Magnus, you were considering this move?" asked the jounalist and WGM Elmira
Mirzoeva. "I am capable of missing it, but not today..."(Carlsen)} (14... Bc8
15. Nce3 h6 16. Bh4 {looks terrible for Black (Carlsen)}) 15. Bh6 $1 {The
point of White's sacrifice. In return for the pawn he will ruin the black
castle and cement the knight on the wonderful outpost on f5. He will also
dominate on the light squares.} gxh6 16. Qg4+ (16. cxd5 Kh8 17. Qh5 {also
looks fun for White.}) 16... Bg5 17. cxd5 Kh8 18. h4 $1 {[%csl Yg5][%cal Gg2h3,
Yg4f3,Gh3g4,Gg4h5,Gc2e3] Diagram [#] The beginning of a nice regroupment on
the light squares that clearifies the situation.} Bf6 19. Nce3 Bc8 20. Qf3 Bg7
21. Bh3 $1 Rg8 22. Bg4 Qf6 23. Bh5 {With the bishop coming out all the white
pieces stand nicely. Now he can think of including the rooks into the battle.}
Bxf5 24. Nxf5 c6 {"If you do not play this then you will lose at some moment
because of the rook coming on f3" (Carlsen). "Even rook on the g file and
g3-g4 I thought. And g4-g5 at some moment" (Vachier).} 25. dxc6 Rac8 26. Qd1
Rxc6 (26... Nxe4 {does not work due to} 27. Bg4 $1) 27. Qd5 Rgc8 28. Rad1 Bf8
29. Qxf7 (29. Bxf7 Na4 {did not appeal to the Norwegian although this also
looks close to winning for White.}) 29... Qxf7 30. Bxf7 {White won the pawn
back and kept the dominant position of his pieces. He owes everything- the
bread, the butter and the knife.} Na4 31. Re2 Rc1 32. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 33. Kg2 Nc5
34. b3 {[%csl Gb3] Diagram [#] "I was very happy to play this move and to stop
any counterplay" (Carlsen). "I am playing a bishop and a king down" (Vachier).}
Rc3 35. Kh3 Nd7 36. Be6 Nc5 37. Bd5 Nd7 38. Ne3 Nf6 39. Be6 Rc5 40. Nc4 Kg7 ({
Vachier was always looking for counter-play but it never worked. Here for
instance} 40... a4 {fails to} 41. bxa4 d5 42. Ne3 (42. Nxe5 {should do as well}
)) 41. f3 $1 {Even in such a great position the world champion does not lose
focus! He rejected his original plan} (41. Kg2 {after seeing the tactical
continuation} Nxe4 $1 42. Rxe4 Kf6 43. Bg8 d5 {Diagram [#] which would have
complicated matters.}) 41... Ne8 42. Rd2 Nc7 43. Bg4 {It is over, Black's
position falls appart.} a4 (43... Nb5 44. Nxa5 {drops a pawn.}) 44. Nxd6 Bxd6
45. Rxd6 a3 46. Bd7 ({Vachier Lagrave suggested an alternative win after} 46.
Rd7+ Kf8 47. Rxh7 Rc2 48. f4 exf4 49. gxf4 Nb5 50. e5 Rxa2 51. e6) 46... Rc2 {
The last chance for Black is connected with the sacrifice of the knight.} 47.
Bc6 Rxa2 48. Rd7+ Kf6 49. Rxc7 Rc2 50. Rxh7 Kg6 (50... Rxc6 51. Rxh6+) 51. Rc7
{Now White is waiting for the pawn to come on a2 to play Rc7-a7.} Kf6 52. h5 $1
{Finishes the game in style with checkmate.} Rc1 53. Rh7 a2 54. Bd5 {[%csl Rf6]
[%cal Gh7f7] Diagram [#] Vachier resigned due to the checkmate.} (54. Bd5 a1=Q
55. Rf7+ Kg5 56. Rf5# {What a game by the world champion!}) 1-0

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An Excellent Technique

Just like Magnus Carlsen in the second round Wesley So demonstrated great technique against Rauf Mamedov. Round four saw the Philippine-born American Grandmaster take the lead in Shamkir with remarkable start- 3.5/4!

[Event "Shamkir Chess"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.04.20"]
[Round "4.4"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Mamedov, Rauf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2788"]
[BlackElo "2651"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "1:04:30"]
[BlackClock "1:00:27"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 {The Accelerated Dragon has a
reputation of a solid but passive opening. The main reason for this is White's
next move.} 5. c4 {Which leads to the Maroczy bind.} Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 ({A
game of Mamedov's coach recently went} 7. Be2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10.
Qd2 a5 11. O-O a4 12. f3 Qa5 {and transposed into one of the main lines, Van
Wely,L (2665)-Khalifman,A (2613) Jurmala 2015}) 7... Bg7 8. Be3 O-O 9. Be2 Nh5
{Mamedov decided to weaken the kingside before trading the knights.} ({It
makes sense to trade a pair of knights at once with} 9... Nxd4 {Then after} 10.
Bxd4 Be6 11. Rc1 Qa5 12. Qd2 Rfc8 13. b3 a6 14. Be3 b5 15. Nd5 {The things
have developed more or less normally with White enjoying his usual slight
space advantage until Black came up with the spectacular} Nxd5 $1 16. Qxa5 Nxe3
17. Kf2 Bd4 {and White could not prove advantage in Negi,P (2633)-Istratescu,A
(2671) Graz 2014}) 10. g3 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 {Diagram [#]} Be6 $146 {I suspect an
over-the-board novelty and a very logical move.} ({Previously only the
immediate} 11... Qa5 12. O-O Bh3 {has been tried in an email game. After} 13.
Re1 (13. Rf2 $5 $14) 13... Qg5 {Black did well in Huzita,S (1865)-Hassim,U
(2308) ICCF email 2011}) ({The move} 11... Bh3 {looks suspicious as the bishop
can easily can get trapped there, say} 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Qd4+ Nf6 14. g4) 12.
f4 Nf6 13. O-O Rc8 14. b3 Qa5 $6 {[%csl Ra5,Ye6][%cal Gf4f5] Diagram [#] The
beginning of Black's problems. The next move should not have been allowed.} ({
Instead} 14... Bh3 15. Rf2 {and only then} Qa5 {is somewhat better for White,
but playble for the second player.}) ({Normally Black wants to trade the
dark-squared bishop but here the straightforward attempt simply loses} 14...
Nd7 $4 15. f5) 15. f5 $1 {Now White grabs a lot of space and slowly squeezes
his opponent.} Bd7 ({The pawn is poisoned} 15... gxf5 $2 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. b4
Qxb4 18. Rxf5 {wins a piece for White.}) 16. a3 e6 {Black has to defend
passively as any pawn push creates weaknesses in his camp.} ({For example}
16... e5 17. b4 Qc7 18. Be3 {with a huge hole on d5.}) ({And if} 16... b5 17.
b4 Qc7 (17... Qd8 18. Nxb5) 18. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 19. Nd5 Qd8 20. Nxf6+ exf6 21.
cxb5 {will clear edge for White.}) 17. b4 Qd8 ({In case of} 17... Qc7 {White
can continue in a similar way as in the game} 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. e5 dxe5 20. Bc5
Rf7 21. Bd6 {with advantage.}) 18. fxg6 fxg6 ({White is also much better after
} 18... hxg6 19. e5 dxe5 20. Bxe5) 19. e5 $1 {[%csl Ga3,Ya7,Gb4,Yb7,Gc4,Ye6]
Diagram [#] Wesley So modifies the pawn structure into his favour with the
last two moves. Now he will have a queenside majority, which is always useful
whenever the game approaches the endgame. Mamedov on his turn will have a weak
pawn on e6.} dxe5 20. Bxe5 {White wants to further improve his position with
Qd1-b3, Ra1-d1(e1), c4-c5. His play is very simple and obvious and Black
decided to try his luck in the edngame.} Bc6 21. b5 Ne4 22. Qxd8 Rcxd8 {"I
think this was a mistake" said So at the press-conference. meaning that this
was the mistake in the game. He suggested instead} (22... Rfxd8 {as best. But
as we shall see from the analyzes, White has a strong continuation which both
the players missed.} {White indeed has nothing in case of} 23. Bxg7 ({But after
} 23. bxc6 Nxc3 {[%csl Yb7,Yc3,Yg7][%cal Rc6b7,Re5g7,Re5c3] Diagram [#] White
is not obliged to take the pawn on b7 as they both thought} 24. Bxc3 {as this
indeed leads White nowhere after} ({White has however a clear road to the
advantage with} 24. cxb7 $1 Nxe2+ 25. Kg2 Rb8 ({Or else Black loses one of the
light pieces with} 25... Bxe5 26. bxc8=Q Rxc8 27. Rae1) 26. Bxb8 Rxb8 27. Rad1
{This is more precise than} (27. Rab1 Nc3 28. Rb3 Na4 {with chances for a draw.
}) 27... Nd4 ({The back rank is weak after} 27... Rxb7 $2 28. Rd8+) 28. Rb1 {
A rook and a pawn are usually much better than the two light pieces in the
endgame. Especially when the rook is assisted by a pawn on the seventh rank!})
24... Bxc3 25. cxb7 Bxa1 26. Rxa1 (26. bxc8=Q Bd4+ 27. Kg2 Rxc8 {is equal
instead.}) 26... Rc7 27. Rb1 Rb8 28. Bf3 Rxc4 {when only Black can be better.})
23... Kxg7 24. Nxe4 ({Or} 24. Na4 Be8 25. Rad1) 24... Bxe4 25. Rad1 {(So)}) 23.
Rxf8+ Rxf8 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Rc1 Nxc3 26. Rxc3 Bd7 {[%csl Ga3,Ya7,Gb5,Yb7,Gc4]
Diagram [#]} ({The bishop cannot stay active on the long diagonal due to the
pawn loss after} 26... Be4 27. Re3 Bf5 28. g4) 27. c5 {White achieved his
dream endgame with well advanced queenside pawn majority and active pieces. As
his king is easily entering the play the game is practically decided.} Rc8 28.
a4 Kf6 29. Kf2 Ke5 30. Ke3 Be8 31. Bf3 Rc7 32. Kd3 $1 {[%cal Gd3c4] Diagram [#]
Excellent technique! Before advancing the pawns So activates his pieces to the
maximum.} g5 33. Kc4 h5 34. a5 g4 35. b6 axb6 36. axb6 Rd7 37. Re3+ Kf6 38. c6
bxc6 39. Bxc6 Rd8 40. Bxe8 Rxe8 41. b7 {Diagram [#] Next Re3-b3 will follow
and march of the white king to c7. Just like in the second round Magnus
Carlsen needed only one mistake to defeat his opponent, Wesley So won a nice
positional game to grab the sole lead!} 1-0

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