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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface
Key to symbols
Introduction
Authors’ Preface

GAME 1 R. Rapport (2730) – T. Radjabov (2696)


GAME 2 T. Radjabov (2710) – O. Bortnyk (2581)
GAME 3 M. Rodshtein (2678) – A. Donchenko (2588)
GAME 4 M. Vachier-Lagrave (2804) – J. Krassowizkij (2446)
GAME 5 D. Andreikin (2733) – F. Ashiku (2306)
GAME 6 H. Nakamura (2790) – V. Anand (2762)
GAME 7 D. Howell (2685) – R. Jumabayev (2607)
GAME 8 W. So (2773) – G. Kasparov (2812)
GAME 9 B. Jobava (2665) – R. Ponomariov (2709)
GAME 10 V. Kramnik (2808) – D. Vocaturo (2583)
GAME 11 C. Lupulescu (2609) – G. Papp (2587)
GAME 12 M. Cornette (2581) – C. Bauer (2620)
GAME 13 I. Saric (2660) – R. Kempinski (2612)
GAME 14 Hou Yifan (2673) – D. Navara (2730)
GAME 15 Wen Yang (2609) – V. Artemiev (2674)
GAME 16 M. Carlsen (2851) – N. Grandelius (2649)
GAME 17 F. Caruana (2804) – T. Radjabov (2726)
GAME 18 L. Nisipeanu-D (2669) – Z. Kozul (2591)
GAME 19 A. Salem (2617) – M. Siva (2352)
GAME 20 F. Caruana (2823) – H. Nakamura (2779)
GAME 21 A. Giri (2790) – Vachier M. Lagrave (2788)
GAME 22 V. Kramnik (2808) – B. Gelfand (2743)
GAME 23 H. Nakamura (2779) – M. Vachier-Lagrave (2804)
GAME 24 V. Kramnik (2808) – G. Meier (2654)
GAME 25 E. Safarli (2678) – C. Vernay (2507)
GAME 26 S. Ganguly (2660) – P. Tregubov (2582)
GAME 27 B. Socko (2604) – E. Bacrot (2692)
GAME 28 V. Anand (2784) – L. Aronian (2792)
GAME 29 E. Najer (2681) – D. Jakovenko (2731)
GAME 30 F. Caruana (2804) – V. Kramnik (2812)
GAME 31 Dominguez L. Perez (2720) – B. Adhiban (2671)
GAME 32 V. Anand (2762) – P. Svidler (2757)
GAME 33 E. Inarkiev (2732) – P. Svidler (2745)
GAME 34 G. Kamsky (2673) – A. Goganov (2575)
GAME 35 M. Carlsen (2857) – E. Ghaem Maghami (2566)
GAME 36 N. Sedlak (2537) – W. So (2782)
GAME 37 T. Gelashvili (2557) – V. Akobian (2612)
GAME 38 L. Aronian (2795) – R. Rapport (2730)
GAME 39 D. Dubov (2644) – A. Brkic (2584)
GAME 40 A. Ipatov (2648) – A. Brkic (2584)
GAME 41 M. Ragger (2688) – H. Poetsch (2514)
GAME 42 V. Topalov (2760) – V. Anand (2779)
GAME 43 S. Mamedyarov (2747) – L. Fressinet (2700)
GAME 44 A. Giri (2790) – P. Harikrishna (2763)
GAME 45 H. Nakamura (2791) – Ding Liren (2755)
GAME 46 H. Nakamura (2787) – M. Muzychuk (2554)
GAME 47 A. Beliavsky (2603) – J. Borisek (2576)
GAME 48 B. Gelfand (2734) – E. Inarkiev (2730)
GAME 49 H. Nakamura (2787) – B. Bok (2594)
GAME 50 Z. Almasi (2682) – S. Maze (2617)
Arkadij Naiditsch
Csaba Balogh
Sebastien Maze

Most stunning victories of 2016

Cover designer
Piotr Pielach

Typesetting
Piotr Pielach ‹www.i-press.pl›

First edition 2017 by Chess Evolution

Most stunning victories of 2016


Copyright © 2017 Chess Evolution

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior
permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-83-945362-8-2

All sales or enquiries should be directed to Chess Evolution


2040 Budaors, Nyar utca 16, Magyarorszag

e-mail: info@chess-evolution.com
website: www.chess-evolution.com

Printed in Hungary
KEY TO SYMBOLS

= Equality or equal chances


² White has a slight advantage
³ Black has a slight advantage
± White is better
µ Black is better
+- White has a decisive advantage
-+ Black has a decisive advantage
∞ unclear
© with compensation
„ with counterplay
ƒ with initiative
‚ with an attack
… with the idea
™ only move

N novelty
! a good move
!! an excellent move
? a weak move
?? a blunder
!? an interesing move
?! a dubious move
+ check
# mate
INTRODUCTION

Useful information for our valued readers.

››› This book is the continuation of last years’s successful “Best Games” series
››› The book contains 50 of the stunning victories of 2016
››› As in the previous books, the games have been selected and analysed by GM Arkadij Naiditsch, GM Csaba and this
time round GM Sebastien Maze also joins our team of experts.
››› Most of the games are taken from the highest-level tournaments, such as the Baku Chess Olympiad, London Classic
Super tournament, World Chess Championship, etc.
››› The selected games includes illustrious names such as: Carlsen, Caruana, Karjakin, Nakamura and many more of the
world`s best chess players.
››› The games are sorted according to their ECO code.
PREFACE

We are proud to present the continuation of the succesful ’Best Games’ series, with the new release: ’Most stunning
victories of 2016’.
It was once again interesting and exciting work trying to select and analyse the 50 “best games” from the last year. Of
course the choice was wide, with most of the best players in the world being very active on the chess board. Our aim
was to find the most interesting, spectacular and, of course, useful attacking ideas -those which might also occur in our
own practical games.
The main idea behind this book remains clear: We try to reduce the importance of opening theory and rather get inside
the workngs of the best chess-playing brains on the planet, in an attempt to explain the most complex attacking ideas in
a way that is simple and understandable to any chess lover.
Another very important point of the book which we are proud of is, we have not used much “engine” assistance duing
our commentary on the games. We try to see the game the way we would in our own practical games, which makes the
commentaries very special-and which in practice puts the reader fully in the shoes of the world-class players; this is
exactly the best way to improve our own chess skills and level.
Sadly, nowadays, we have more-and-more computer analyses and we can hear chess amateurs judging the play of even
Carlsen. Yes, you can find tactical mistakes with an engine at home-but the question is, can you do the same during
your practical game over the board?! Chess is a game where everyone makes mistakes-and this is what it is all about in
the current book!
We would advise all our readers to take out a real chessboard and enjoy these beautiful masterpieces. This is how we
learned to play chess and this is why we still enjoy every wonderful game, even after almost 20 years of being
professional chess players!
Yours,
Arkadij Naiditsch, Csaba Balogh & Sebastien Maze
GAME 1
R. Rapport (2730)
T. Radjabov (2696)
European Club Cup
Novi Sad SRB
12.11.2016 [A01]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
Let’s have a look at this funny game between Rapport and Radjabov. A really weird opening from the Hungarian player
and a great attack by Radjabov are on the menu!

1.b3

Rapport chooses his pet line! It’s very rare to see this kind of first move at the highest level.

1...b6

Not a typical reply from Black. Normally, the system with Nf6 and g6 is more popular.

2.Bb2 Bb7 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4?

I don’t like this move at all as he blocks in his own bishop.

4...e6

After only 4 moves, this position has never been reached before! It’s not a huge surprise with this super-creative
player, Rapport, involved.

5.f3

Preparing to push e4.


5...d5

There is no other choice for Radjabov to stop this idea.

6.Qd2?!

It’s really difficult to understand what the Hungarian prodigy’s plan is? He is mixing many ideas and this strategy —
against a very strong player such as Radjabov — could be very dangerous.

6...Be7 7.0-0-0

Rapport is in attacking mood today. An easy bet is that there will be no draw: one of the 2 kings will be checkmated!

7...0-0 8.e3 c5

A logical move from the Azeri player, developing his knight behind the pawn and then thinking of how to prepare the
offensive.

9.Kb1 Nc6 10.Nge2 Rc8

Placing the rook on a good file.

11.g4 c4

And Radjabov starts!

12.g5

12.bxc4 Na5µ and the knight will cause a lot of damage.

12...Ne8 13.h4

Both sides push their pawns to weaken the opposing kings.

13...Ba6

Radjabov prepares his attack. His plan is very simple, ...b5 then ...Qa5 and ...Bb4.

14.Nf4 b5 15.Qg2 Qa5 16.h5

Rapport also attacks, but it’s too slow.

16...Bb4
17.Ncxd5?

The position is too boring and too passive for the Hungarian! He decides to go for a sacrifice. 17.Qd2 is clearly
passive, but still solid and the best way to play for White. 17...Ne7 18.a3 Bxa3 19.Ncxd5 Qxd2 20.Rxd2 Bd6
21.Nxe7+ Bxe7 leads to a complicated position, but one which is close to equality.

17...exd5 18.Nxd5

18.h6 g6 19.Nxd5 Rd8 20.c3 Ba3 21.e4 Bxb2 22.Kxb2 b4 Black is piece up and has a big attack! No chance for White
here.

18...Rd8µ

A move with a great idea behind it...

19.f4

19.e4 Rxd5! 20.exd5 Ne7 21.f4 Bb7 22.bxc4 bxc4 23.Bxc4 Nxd5–+ with a killing attack.

19...Ba3

Trying to exchange the last of White’s defenders.

20.Ba1
20...Bb7–+

And the bishop is now on this beautiful diagonal with the queen on g2 as a target.

21.Be2 Rxd5!

A nice sacrifice to eliminate a good defender.

22.Qxd5 Nd8!

Chasing the queen. However, 22...Nd6 was more accurate. 23.Qf3 Nxd4 24.Qf2 (24.Bxd4 Bxf3 25.Bxf3 Nf5–+
winning easily.) 24...Ne4–+

23.Qd7 Be4

And the bishop is on a fantastic spot, staring at his target, the c2-pawn.

24.Rhf1

It’s terrible for Rapport; there is nothing to do, not even a single trick.

24...Nd6 25.f5 Nc6

White’s position is now completely hopeless. All the black pieces are looking at the white king, and the attack is
terrifying!

26.g6

Trying something... 26.Bf3 Bxf3 27.Rxf3 Ne4–+

26...Nb4
And here comes the knight.

27.Bc3

27...cxb3

27...Bxc2+ checkmates nicely in 7 moves! 28.Ka1 Bb2+ 29.Kxb2 Qxa2+ 30.Kc1 Qb1+ 31.Kd2 Ne4+ 32.Ke1 Nd3+
33.Bxd3 Qxd1#

28.gxf7+ Rxf7 0–1

and Rapport will be checkmated soon. The dubious plan of the Hungarian didn’t work and Radjabov created a
beautiful attack against the long castled position. With accurate moves, Black won this game with gusto! 28...Rxf7
29.Qxd6 bxc2+ 30.Ka1
30...c1=Q+! 31.Rxc1 Bb2+ 32.Kxb2 Qxa2#

GAME 2
T. Radjabov (2710)
O. Bortnyk (2581)
World Rapid
27.12.2016 [A04]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
This game was played in the WCC rapid event that is played as an Open tournament with players over 2500 ELO. Even
though the game had a short time-control, we are going to see one of the most beautiful mates I have ever seen! After
the opening, White, with a great positional exchange sacrifice, starts a very strong mating attack and finishes the game
with a queen sacrifice — where a rook and a bishop pair mate the black king despite Black being a full queen up! A
very spectacular game with an amazing mating web!

1.Nf3 d6

In rapidplay we see more often openings such as 1.Nf3 d6, lines which are rare in classical chess.

2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7

But we are quickly back into the KID with g3.

5.b3

The line with 5.b3 is not so stupid at all. White plays against the ...e5-move of Black, but of course the main move is
5.0-0.

5...0-0 6.Bb2 Bf5

Quite a rare move, as usually Black tries to get in ...e5 anyway. The idea of the move in the game is simple; to play
...Qc8 next and if possible ...Bh3 afterwards, with a bishop exchange which is good for Black.
7.c4 Qc8

8.h3

Not allowing ...Bh3

8...c5

And of course Black has to start his play using the moment that White can’t castle short.

9.Nc3

The most solid in my opinion. If White was to wait with moves such as 9.g4 Bd7 it does not really cause any damage
to Black, and now in short castling Black will always have the unpleasant ...h5 move: 10.Nc3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nc6 with
a unclear play.

9...Nc6

Questioning if White can push the d5-move or not?

10.Rc1?!

Of course, a solid move, but I think White could have pushed d5 here. Very powerful-looking is 10.d5 Nb4 11.Rc1!
White offers the exchange with similar ideas to what we will see in the game. 11...Ne4 12.a3 Bxc3+ 13.Bxc3 Na2
14.Ba1! This is the key move. 14...Nxc1 15.Qxc1 and despite being an exchange down, I think White’s position has
great prospects. Black can’t really do much against the upcoming attack on the king-side!

10...Bh6?

Not feeling the danger. Radjabov shows great understanding of the position and his exchange sacrifice will give White
a massive attack, which is especially dangerous in rapid chess. I think Black should continue with 10...Ne4 11.Nd5 Re8
with a very complex position, and I believe Black should be perfectly OK here, the move Rc1 being a bit loss of a
tempo.
Not working is: 10...cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Ne4? It seems as though Black is able to exchange all the pieces,
but here comes the blow!

13.Nd5!! and White is simply winning, e.g. 13...Bxd4 14.Nxe7+ Kg7 15.Bxd4+ f6 16.Nxc8
11.d5! Bxc1 12.Qxc1 Nd4 13.g4

Of course White doesn’t on d4 or make any other moves to open the position; the goal is the attack on the king-side,
and the key to that is the rook on h1.

13...Bd7 14.Qh6

The threat is Ng5 next.

14...Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3

The threat now is to play Ne4 next. Actually, Black’s position can already be considered lost!

15...Ne8

With the idea of playing ...f6 to hold things together-what else to do?!

16.Ne4

A good move, but White had an even better one. 16.h4! seems to end the game immediately 16...f6 17.h5 g5 and after
Black is forced to play ...g5 to close the h-file, there comes the knight 18.Ne4 and Black has no defense against the
upcoming Nxg5. 18...Rf7 19.Nxg5 fxg5 20.Qxg5+ Ng7 21.h6 with an easily winning position for White.

16...f6 17.h4 Bxg4!

The best and only move. Black gives back everything to avoid getting immediately mated.

18.h5 gxh5

The h5-pawn also has to be taken.

19.Ng5!
A great attacking move, not giving Black even a second to breathe.

19...fxg5?!

This makes the beautiful mate possible. Black should continue instead with 19...Rf7 20.Nxf7 Kxf7 but of course
White is still better after 21.Be4, but this is already not much better and Black has survived the most dangerous part of
the game: 21...Bf5 and the game goes on.

20.Qxg5+ Kf7

And here comes the beginning of one of the most beautiful mates I have ever seen!

21.Qxh5+!!

Just 2 bishops and rook will mate the black king by force! There is no escape nor even the slightest chance, it is a
forced mate in 13 moves!

21...Bxh5 22.Bxh5+ Kg8 23.Rg1+

The moves are all forced now.

23...Ng7 24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Rxe7+ Rf6

If 25...Kg8 then 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Rg5+ Rf6 28.Bxf6#

26.Bxf6+ Kg8 27.Rg7+ Kf8 28.Rxh7

and there is no escape against Rh8 next. What a beauty! Showing a good sense of humor, Bortnyk allows Radjabov to
show the mate on the board.

28...Qf5
29.Rh8# 1–0

We have just seen a game with a very nice and somewhat typical exchange sacrifice, one which is useful to remember
and can be used in a practical game Here special attention should be paid to the moment when White still had not
castled and had his rook on h1! And, of course, the amazingly beautiful queen sacrifice leading to a forced mate!

GAME 3
M. Rodshtein (2678)
A. Donchenko (2588)
Rilton Cup
04.01.2016 [A05]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are now going to see a short, but very nice victory from Maxim, who became the tournament winner with one of the
best results of his chess career, scoring 8/9!

1.Nf3

Most of the Israeli players start with 1.d4, 1. c4 or 1.Nf3 because of their work with Gelfand, who almost never starts
his games with 1.e4.

1...Nf6 2.g3 c5

It is hard to say what both players are trying to avoid. Anyhow we will see a rare and tricky move order over the
following moves.

3.Bg2 Nc6 4.0-0

White still waits with the development of the central pawns by not playing c4 or d4.

4...e5
Maybe Black is trying to avoid the 4...d5 5.d4 line, which could end up in a Catalan after 5...e6 6.c4, or a Grünfeld
with colors reversed in case of 5...cxd4 6.Nxd4 and now ...e5.

5.e4!?

A rarely-played move, but an interesting option for White.

5...Nxe4

A very principled reply, but probably not the best. A simple move like 5...d6 followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7 looks like a
very solid setup for Black.

6.Re1

White might also try 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.Bxe4 d5 8.Bg2 with probably some small advantage because of his better
development.

6...d5?

Once again very direct play, but this time it is a clear mistake. The simple 6...Nf6 leads to just a slightly worse
position after 7.Nxe5 Be7 and of course Black is very safe here.
7.c4!

This is the point of White’s play! Black’s center falls apart, but in a very beautiful way, which is hard to calculate
during a practical game.

7...Be6

This is probably the only move. Now White has quite a few options:

8.Qa4

White had another interesting option in 8.cxd5 Bxd5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 and here comes the key move of the line: 10.d4!
(10.Bxe4 Be7 and Black is perfectly OK.) 10...cxd4 11.Bxe4 It seems like Black should be fine somehow, but things
are far from simple: 11...Be7 12.Qxd4 Bxe4 13.Qxe4 Nc6 14.Bg5 f6 15.Bf4 0-0 16.Nc3 and the current position is
clearly a bit better for White.

8...Bd6?

This is already a clear miscalculation. Much better was 8...Qd7 9.cxd5 Bxd5 Now White once again has two choices:
10.Rxe4 (10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Rxe5+ Be6 13.Nc3 Qxa4 14.Nxa4 Ng4 15.Re1 0-0-0 and maybe the position
is still better for White, but only minimally so.) 10...Bxe4 11.Qxe4 f5 Black tries to get some play for the material
deficit. 12.Qc4 e4 13.Ne1 Nd4 and White is better, but the position is not that easy to play.

9.cxd5 Bxd5 10.Rxe4

Now White easily keeps the two pieces for a rook and pawn, but with an open position where it is especially easy to
see the advantage of the two pieces.

10...b5

and here comes what Black has blundered:


10...Bxe4 11.Qxe4 0-0 12.Nc3 leads to a position where White should actually be able to win the game without too
much trouble.

11.Qxb5!

A very beautiful tactical blow! Leading to a totally unclear position is 11.Qc2 Nb4 12.Rxb4 cxb4

11...Bxe4

It seems as though Black is an exchange up, but here comes the winning move...

12.Qa4!!

Beautiful! Of course not 12.Nc3? Rb8 13.Qa4 Rb4 and it is already Black who is better.

12...Bxf3

Nothing helps any longer... 12...Bd5 13.Nc3; 12...f5 was also losing: 13.d3 Bd5 14.Nc3

13.Bxf3 0-0 14.Bxc6

The complications are over and White has two pieces for a rook, which basically gives him a winning position. All
that’s needed now is to develop the pieces from the queenside.

14...Rc8 15.d3

The bishop from c1 gets into the game now.

15...Be7 16.Bb5

A very safe and strong move. White defends the d3-pawn, after which the bishop will take up an excellent position on
c4.
16...c4

Black tries to create something...

17.Bxc4 e4

But of course this playing for small tricks doesn’t often work at such a high level...

18.Nc3

White keeps his cool and continues developing his pieces. Very strong play!

18...exd3 19.Be3

White needs one more move to end Black’s suffering, and that is to play Rd1.

19...Bc5 20.Bxc5 Rxc5 21.Rd1

Donchenko has tried his best to create some complications, but there is just nothing left for Black to hope for any
longer. The d-pawn is falling, and with it the game...

21...d2 22.Ne4 Re5 23.Rxd2

The d-pawn is gone...

23...Qa8 24.Rd4 Rd8 25.Rxd8+ Qxd8 26.Qc6 1–0


It is clear that Black’s position is hopeless here, as Nd6 is coming next. An interesting and beautiful game with a very
tricky opening and move-orders already by move 5, which is useful to remember!

GAME 4
M. Vachier-Lagrave (2804)
J. Krassowizkij (2446)
Bundesliga
04.12.2016 [A05]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
This game was played between the number 3 in the world, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and the Polish IM, Jaroslaw
Krassowizkij, in the strongest league in the world. The fight looks unbalanced, and MVL will show his strategic skills.
Let’s see how it goes....

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3

Maxime likes to play this system, as it avoids long theoretical lines. Lately, Carlsen and Kramnik have also used it a
lot.

2...b5

An interesting system for Black, played by many strong players. The idea is to fight on the diagonal h1–a8 and also
control the c4-square.

3.Bg2 Bb7 4.0-0 e6 5.d3 d5?!

I think it’s too early to play this move. Better to play 5...Be7 and see what White’s plan is.
5...Be7 6.e4 d6 and ...c5-...Nbd7.

6.c4

A typical move to break Black’s center.

6...a6

6...bxc4 7.dxc4 Be7 (7...c6 8.Nc3 Be7 9.e4!² The bishop on b7 looks stupid and White has a space advantage.)
8.cxd5 exd5 9.Nd4 0-0 (9...g6 10.Bh6²) 10.Nf5²

7.cxd5 Nxd5

Black decides to take with the knight to keep the h1–a8 diagonal open. 7...exd5 is also possible but White will take
advantage of the central position of the black king. 8.e4! dxe4 9.dxe4 Qxd1 10.Rxd1 Nxe4 11.Nbd2 Nxd2 12.Bxd2
Bd6 13.Re1+© with a lot of compensation for the pawn.

8.a4 Nb6

Definitely not a good square for the knight. Sooner or later it will come under pressure. 8...Be7 was played recently in
the game Short-Hou: 9.Nc3 0-0 10.axb5 Nxc3 11.bxc3 axb5 12.Rxa8 Bxa8 13.Qb3² giving White a comfortable
advantage.

9.Nc3

Putting pressure on the b5-pawn.

9...b4 10.Ne4

The knight is on a very good square, preparing his jump to c5.

10...Be7
10...f5? 11.Neg5 Qf6 12.e4 and Black’s position is lost...

11.Qc2 0-0 12.d4

I already think that White has a dream position. The knight will jump soon into c5 and cause a lot of damage.

12...Ra7?

A really weird decision by the Polish player. This idea to put the Rook on a7 is well-known in the Catalan opening, but
here it is just bad. 12...f5 13.Nc5 Bd5 14.Bf4² Black has too many weaknesses on the dark squares.

13.b3 N8d7

14.Nc5

Everything is in order to introduce the knight into Black’s camp!

14...Bxf3

14...Ba8? 15.e4 It’s funny, but Black’s position is solid — but strategically it’s completely lost!

15.Bxf3 Nxc5

Black exchanges the maximum of pieces in order to find some space for the remaining ones.

16.dxc5 Nd5 17.Rd1

With the idea of playing e2-e4.

17...Bf6 18.Rb1 Qa8

18...Bc3 19.Bd2 Qe7 20.Bxd5 exd5 21.Bxc3 Qxc5 22.Rd3 Rb7 23.Rc1 bxc3 24.Rxc3 and White gets a very good
endgame a pawn up.

19.Bxd5

The French player gives up his strong bishop for a good reason; he wants to paralyze the black queen-side.

19...exd5 20.c6±

A great positional idea by MVL. The rook on a7 is completely dominated by the c6-pawn!!

20...Rd8

20...a5 21.Rxd5 Ra6 22.Rc5±

21.e4 d4

Black has to close the position, otherwise the bishop comes to e3 and wins the rook on a7...

22.Bf4 g5

The Polish player has to do something, so he tries to create some complications... 22...Re8 23.e5 Bxe5 24.Bxe5 Rxe5
25.Rxd4+– No material advantage, but this poor rook on a7 gives White a winning position.

23.e5

A nice move, attacking the black bishop and also offering a magical square on f5 to the queen.

23...Be7 24.Bc1

White transfers the bishop to the a1–h8 diagonal.

24...Rd5 25.Bb2 Rc5


26.Qf5

And the queen finally arrives on f5, and now big problems are heading Black’s way...

26...Rxc6

26...Qxc6 27.Bxd4+–

27.Bxd4 Rb7

As we can see, the queen on a8 is blocked by his rooks on b7 and c8! A funny situation.
28.h4!+–

It’s time to attack... by opening the g-file.

28...gxh4

28...Rg6 29.h5 Re6 30.Be3 h6 31.f4 Qf8 32.Qe4+– attacking the rook on b7 and threatening f5.

29.e6!

A double pawn sacrifice, opening all the lines around Black’s king!

29...Rxe6 30.Re1!

and here comes the key move to eliminate the best defensive black piece.

30...c5 31.Rxe6 fxe6

31...cxd4 32.Rh6 wins immediately.

32.Qg4+

The black king has no more defenders, and Maxime lands a killing check with his queen.

32...Kf8 33.Qg7+ Ke8 34.Qg8+ Bf8

34...Kd7 35.Qxa8+–

35.Bxc5 1–0

and the black position collapses. A brilliant strategical game by Vachier-Lagrave with the domination of the black
rook on a7! The final attack against the black king is also beautiful with those pawn sacrifices. 35.Bxc5 Rf7 36.Bxf8
Rxf8 37.Qxe6+ Kd8 38.Rd1++–
GAME 5
D. Andreikin (2733)
F. Ashiku (2306)
Macedonian League, Ohrid
09.08.2016 [A16]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We will now present a model game for fans of the bishop pair.

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c6 3.Nf3 d5 4.e3

Black would like to play the Slav or the Meran defense, but by delaying the d2-d4 move, White has some extra options
to play for an advantage.

4...e6 5.b3 Nbd7

Black develops his pieces in the same way as in the Meran and waits for the transposition at some point by White
playing d4.

6.Bb2 Bd6 7.Qc2 Qe7 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0

This solid setup is probably the best. White has an alternative to play aggressively with 9.Rg1 followed by g4-g5, but
Black can trade the potentially dangerous dark-squared bishop with ...Ba3 after which the attack should not break
through.

9...b6

Continuing to follow the Meran development, but now comes the difference and the reason why White refused to play
d4...

A logical idea to gain some benefits from White not having played d4 was 9...e5 trying to occupy the center, however
it allow 10.cxd5! and Black needs to recapture with the knight — which clearly was not his intention before, since after
10...cxd5 11.Nb5! and Black cannot save his bishop with ...Bb8 because of Ba3.

10.cxd5!

This is the point of White’s setup. He keeps the d4-square free in order to occupy it with the knight and Black cannot
avoid losing one of his bishops...

10...cxd5

On 10...exd5 then 11.Nd4! with the threat of taking on c6 as well as playing Nf5 with a clear advantage after taking
the bishop. 11...Bb7 12.Nf5²

11.Nb5!

Black again loses one of his bishops. Another benefit of not playing d2-d4 is the opened long diagonal for the dark-
squared bishop. The opening stage of the game has clearly finished in White’s favor.

11...Ba6

12.Nfd4!

A great positional move to maintain the advantage of the two bishops. The subtle tactical point can be seen in the
12...Rfc8 line. After the logical 12.Rfc1 Black can play 12...Rfc8 13.Qd1 Bxb5 14.Bxb5 Ba3! getting rid of the two
bishops.

12...Bxb5

If 12...Rfc8 13.Nc6! is the plan! It looks scary to enter into such a pin, but the concrete lines justify the decision:
13...Qf8 14.Nxd6 Qxd6 (14...Bxe2 15.Nxc8+–) 15.Bxa6 Rxc6 16.Qd1² White enjoys the long-term advantage of the
two bishops. In the game, Black ends up in a similar position.

13.Nxb5 Rfc8 14.Qd1 a6


A sad move, but Black has no good options with his d6-bishop. At least he takes the a6-square under control, so as to
fight for the c-file without being afraid of Ba6.

15.Nxd6 Qxd6 16.Rc1

16...a5?!

A positional mistake, giving up control over the a6-b5 squares and White makes use of it perfectly. 16...b5 was a better
try, but of course White’s advantage is indisputable. 17.Rxc8+ Rxc8 18.Qa1 followed by Rc1 again with a long-term
advantage. Black cannot create counterplay with 18...Rc2 19.Rc1 Rxd2 because the rook gets trapped after 20.Bf3±

17.Bb5!

White immediately occupies the holes in the Black camp.

17...Qf8 18.h3

A useful move to open the back rank. There was nothing wrong with 18.Qe2 Rxc1 19.Rxc1 Rc8 20.Qf1² to keep on
fighting for the c-file.

18...Qd8
Black can reach a better version of the game with 18...Rxc1 19.Qxc1 Rc8 but of course, the long-term suffering would
have been guaranteed here as well: 20.Qa1 and Rc1 next.

19.Qf3!

White connects his rooks and intends to activate his queen along the g3-d6 avenue!

19...Rxc1 20.Rxc1 Rc8 21.Rxc8 Qxc8 22.Qg3!

Black’s position worsens with every move. If he allows Qd6, the loss of the first pawn becomes just a question of time
as he does not really have a good way to fight against it.

22...Qb8

Black could not aim for counterplay with 22...Qc2 because of 23.Bxf6+– with a back rank mate on b8.

23.Qxb8+ Nxb8 24.Be5!

Activating the other bishop as well.

24...Nbd7 25.Bc7! Kf8


The last hope for Black is to kick out the bishop with ...Ke7 and ...Ne8, but the next move paralyzes all of Black’s
pieces.

26.Bd8!

Perfectly played! All the black pieces are tied up. He only has pawn moves left, but the end is near...

26...g5

26...Ke8 27.Bxb6!+– is the point.


26...h5 27.g4!+– wins like in the game.

27.g4!
Black is helpless against the decisive threat of attacking the f6-knight with g5 when the other one falls on d7. The
moves f4 or h4 are coming in any case.

27...e5

Trying to fight against f4, but it does not really do the job. 27...Kg7 28.f4+–

28.f4! exf4 29.exf4 h6

29...gxf4 30.g5+– wins the piece.

30.fxg5 hxg5
31.h4! 1–0

The final pretty move! Black loses one of his knights after White gets his pawn to g5.
GAME 6
H. Nakamura (2790)
V. Anand (2762)
FIDE Candidates
25.03.2016 [A29]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Anand had a great tournament and was co-leader with Caruana before this round, but his opponents seem to have found
some holes in his English Opening repertoire with Black, because after Caruana two days before, Nakamura also beats
him basically from the opening with the white pieces.

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4

It’s interesting that many games were played in the Candidates tournament with this sideline of the English opening,
instead of the main 4...d5.

5.Nd5

The aforementioned Caruana-Anand game went with 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 e4 7.Ng5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8 9.f3 and has been
analyzed by Arkadij elsewhere.

5...e4

Despite Anand not having a game from this position yet, Nakamura could expect this reaction because Anand’s
second, Gajewski recently employed this move. Sometimes revealing our helpers makes the preparation of our
opponents easier. The main line is 5...Bc5.

6.Nh4

The knight temporarily gets placed out of the game, but Black must take care of the e4-pawn. The alternative is
6.Nxb4 Nxb4 7.Nd4 but theory considers Black to be fine after 7...0-0 8.Bg2 d5.

6...0-0 7.Bg2 d6
8.a3

This is the prepared novelty by Nakamura. Earlier in this tournament, Topalov lost to Aronian after playing 8.Nxb4
Nxb4 9.a3 Nc6 Black is already threatening ...5, trapping the knight, therefore White has to play 10.d3 d5! 11.0-0
(11.cxd5 Qxd5 g5 is the threat again 12.dxe4 Qxd1+ 13.Kxd1 Rd8+ and Nd4 comes next with huge compensation
14.Bd2 Nd4) 11...exd3 12.Qxd3 Ne5 13.Qd4 Nxc4 Black was better in Topalov-Aronian, Moscow 2016;
8.Nxf6+? is premature 8...Qxf6 9.Bxe4 Re8 10.Bg2 (10.f3 Bh3µ) 10...Bg4 11.f3 Be6 White always has problems with
his h4-knight.

8...Bc5 9.0-0

The e4-pawn is already hanging, because after Nxf6 Qxf6 Bxe4 there is no mate on f2.

9...Re8

Now on 9...g5 10.d4! works! This is one of the points why White played 8.a3. Now the bishop stands in the way of
this tactical motif and of course if ...g5 does not win a piece then it turns out to be a huge weakening.

10.e3!

White wants to develop his bishop to the long diagonal with b4-Bb2, but first he prevents ...Bd4. It is very logical of
course, but what happens after ...g5?! The natural 10.d3 is the direct way to prevent ...g5, but Black is completely fine
after 10...exd3 11.Qxd3 Ne5 12.Qc2 c6 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 and Black has the initiative.

10...g5

Anand accepts the challenge and decides to test Nakamura’s home preparation.
The positional move is 10...Ne5 trying to use of the light squares on c4-d3-f3. Black wants to play ...Bg4, but it does
not work in view of 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Bxe4 Nxc4 13.Qc2± winning the pawn on h7.
11.b4!

White cannot save his knight, but he always counterattacks another piece.

11...Bb6

The most natural move, but it seems like a mistake. It is not obvious how Nakamura expected to get an advantage after
11...gxh4 12.bxc5 (12.Bb2 is also possible, but Black can play 12...Nxd5 13.cxd5 Ne5 14.bxc5 Bg4 and ...Bf3 or
...Nf3 next move with mutual chances. 15.Qa4 Bf3) 12...Ne5 and the most natural move is Bb2, which transposes to
the 12.Bb2 line. (12...dxc5 13.f3 is very unclear. I believe this was Nakamura’s preparation. Over the board it is very
easy to go wrong with Black.)

12.Bb2!

Another intermediate move. Black has a wide choice again. It is very unpleasant to make such difficult decisions while
your opponent is still following his preparation.

12...Nxd5

12...Ng4 is bad because of 13.f3!+– saving the piece and Black collapses on the f6-square;
12...Ne5 is strongly met by
13.f4! which saves the piece again and the black king is too weak.

13.cxd5 Nd4!?

A very spectacular move! Black would like to create tripled d-pawns, but White has a brilliant response which refutes
the entire idea.
13...Ne5 has a tactical refutation as well...

14.f4! always some kind of counterattack. 14...Nc4 (14...Nd3 15.fxg5 Qxg5 16.Bf6 Qxd5
17.Nf5! closing the 5th rank to enable Qh5 on the next move. 17...Bxf5 18.Qh5+– Rxf5 or Qh6 wins.) 15.fxg5! Nxb2
16.Qh5! The attack breaks through in any case. For instance 16...Qe7 17.Bxe4! Qxe4 18.Qxf7+ Kh8 19.g6!+–;
13...Ne7 loses to 14.Qh5 gxh4 15.Bf6!+– and Black gets mated.

14.d3!!

A brilliant move! White wins the d4-knight and does not ruin his own pawn structure. Black cannot save his knight,
dxe4 and Bxd4 are coming in any case. 14.exd4 gxh4 is unclear.

14...gxh4

14...exd3 15.Qxd3 Qf6 is an attempt to leave White with doubled d-pawns, however White can still increase the
pressure with (15...gxh4 16.Bxd4 Bxd4 17.Qxd4±) 16.Rfd1! gxh4 17.Bxd4± Bxd4 18.Qxd4 Qxd4 19.Rxd4± with a
clear positional edge because of the superior structure — mainly because of the backward c7-pawn, but also on the
kingside Black has more pawn islands, which could later become a factor.

15.dxe4!

The knight is trapped on d4.

15...Ne6

15...Nb5 16.a4+–

16.dxe6 Rxe6

The problem with the natural recapture 16...Bxe6 is 17.Qh5! and Qh6 comes next, when Black loses material.

17.e5!

The material situation is balanced, but White is positionally close to winning. Both of his bishops stand extremely well
on the long diagonals, while Black is still undeveloped and his king is exposed because of the disappearance of the g-
pawn.

17...hxg3 18.hxg3 Qg5 19.exd6 Rxd6 20.Qb3

Black must lose another important tempo because of the b7-pawn.

20...h5

A desperate attempt to create some counterplay. 20...c6 21.Rfd1+– After the trade of the rooks, the queen gets to the
long diagonal with Qc3.
Black cannot create any serious threats with 20...Rh6 21.Rfd1 c6 controlling the d8-square in order to play Qh5
22.Qc3 f6 23.Rd6 and there is only one check on h2 after 23...Qh5 24.Rxf6+–
21.Rad1

White threatens Qc3 since after ...f6, Rxd6 cxd6, Qxf6 wins a pawn.

21...Rh6

This is equivalent to resignation, but the game was objectively lost anyway. Now all White’s pieces become even
more active with tempo.

22.Rd5! Qe7

23.Qc4!

A nice regrouping! White goes Qf4 next and it is not easy to prevent Rg5 since after ...Rg6 the h5-pawn hangs.

23...Bg4

23...Be6 24.Qf4+–

24.Qf4 Rg6 25.Re5 Qd6 26.Be4

Black resigned in view of 26.Be4 Rg7 when White has many winning moves, one of them being 27.Bxb7 Rb8
28.Bd5+– with an extra pawn and a mating attack.

GAME 7
D. Howell (2685)
R. Jumabayev (2607)
Keres Memorial, Tallinn EST
09.01.2016 [A33]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
After an interesting opening idea, David Howell wins a very nice attacking game using some spectacular tactical blows.

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.g3

The 6.g3 system of the Symmetrical English. This was supposed to be quite exhausted by the computers, but humans
still find new ideas to try.

6...Qb6 7.Ndb5 Ne5 8.Bg2 a6

We are at the beginning of some very long lines which the most recent theory considers to be playable for Black. They
go with 9.Qa4 or 9.Na4, but now Howell turns to a slightly forgotten option...

9.Na3

This move involves a pawn sacrifice, but Black will to miss his dark-squared bishop afterwards. 9.Qa4; 9.Na4

9...Bxa3 10.bxa3 Nxc4 11.0-0

Black is a healthy pawn up, but he is slightly behind in development and the main compensation lies the c8-bishop,
which Black’s going to have his problems to develop.

11...0-0

Probably this most natural move is a mistake.


Black should have started with 11...d5, the idea being to free the d7-square against 12.Bg5 Nd7!

12.Bg5!

Here we can see the drawback of the previous move. It is always unpleasant to allow Bxf6, damaging the pawn
structure in front of the king. But Black has no good way to prevent it, as ...Qd8 moves into the pin and White makes
use of it with Ne4, and the knight has no good square to leave. For instance ...Ne8 allows Be7.

12...d5

Trying to solve the development of the d7-bishop.

13.Rc1!

White correctly realizes that the knight is still not threatening to go away, therefore he does not hurry with taking on
f6, but instead activates his rook first. 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.e4 is a natural attempt to explode the center and open the
queen’s diagonal towards the kingside, but Black can answer it properly with 14...d4 and here we can see that the Rc1
move is very useful, because then the c4-knight might find itself in some trouble.

13...Nxa3

Black goes for a second pawn, but now the compensation grows even stronger. A beautiful line starts after 13...Nd7
14.Bxd5! exd5 15.Nxd5 Here we can see again the point of 13.Rc1; Black has problems with the c4-knight. 15...Qc5
Qc6 or ...Qg6 walks into Ne7 check. (15...Qb5 16.a4 and the queen has no good square.) 16.Be7! Qc6 17.Bxf8 Kxf8

18.Rxc4!! Before Black can consolidate with ...b5-...Bb7, White wins material with 18...Qxc4 19.Nb6! and the rook is
lost because of the mate: 19...Nxb6 20.Qd8#

14.e4!

Exploding the center!

14...d4

The principled reaction again, but now the idea of not taking on f6 starts to be clear. 14...Nxe4 loses material after
15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Be7! double-attack.
After 14...dxe4 the position opens, which makes the vulnerability of the black king much more obvious. The white
pieces can enter the attack via the e4-square 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Qg4+ Kh8 17.Qh4 Black faces serious difficulties as
17...f5 refuted nicely by 18.Qf6+ Kg8 19.Nd5!+– and White wins the queen because of the Ne7 threat.

15.e5!

An excellent intermediate move, which frees the important e4-square for the knight.

15...Nd7

Black can hardly contemplate 15...dxc3 because after 16.exf6 the f6-pawn destroys the kingside, and in comparison to
the lines where White caused similar effects with Bxf6 gxf6, the dark-squared bishop remains on board which creates
serious problems for Black.

16.Ne4 Nxe5

Black has a cramped position, so he tries to grab some more material.

17.Nf6+!!

This tactical strike followed by the upcoming blows finish Black off. White can also grab an exchange with 17.Be7
Nb5 18.Bxf8 Kxf8 which must be better for White because the black pieces are still undeveloped and unco-ordinated,
but the text move is much stronger.

17...gxf6

17...Kh8 18.Qh5+– wins.

18.Bxf6

Black simply misses his dark-squared bishop and he is helpless against the queen’s arrival into the attack.
18...Ng6

18...Qd6 is also met by 19.Qh5+– Black gets mated very soon after Qh6 or if ...Nd7, then Qg5 mates.

19.Qh5!

Creating the threat of Qh6. Black has only one move available...

19...e5

Attacking the f6-bishop.

20.Rc6!!

White closes the 6th rank with another great sacrifice. Material does not matter, because after Qh6 the mate on g7 is
unavoidable.

20...Qd8

Black must give up his queen to prevent mate, but now the game is just lost because of the huge material disadvantage.
20...bxc6 21.Qh6+–

21.Qh6

Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking the queen right away.

21...Qxf6 22.Rxf6

Black has two minor pieces and two pawns for the queen, but his king remains very weak. White finishes the game in
style.

22...Bg4 23.Bd5!
Bringing up another attacker.

23...Be2

24.Rxg6+! hxg6 25.Qxg6+ Kh8 26.Qh6+ Kg8 27.Be4 1–0

Black resigned! 27.Be4 f5 (27...Rfe8 28.Bh7+ Kh8 29.Bg6+ Kg8 30.Qh7+ Kf8 31.Qxf7#) 28.Bd5++–

GAME 8
W. So (2773)
G. Kasparov (2812)
Ultimate Blitz Challenge
Saint Louis USA
29.04.2016 [A41]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Kasparov played fantastic blitz chess against his young challengers. He managed to beat Nakamura and Caruana in their
mini-matches, but against Wesley So he blundered badly in promising positions, while in the current game he was
brilliantly defeated.

1.Nf3 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.d4 d6

We have transposed into the Pirc Defense.

4.c4

Now after ...Nf6-Nc3 we are in the King’s Indian Defense, which was Kasparov’s favorite opening in the past, but he
was probably afraid, that the young top GM’s know the long lines of theory better, and therefore heads for a sideline.

4...Bg4 5.Be2 Nc6


With his last couple of moves, Black puts pressure on the d4-pawn. He would like to provoke the d5-move, after
which the g7-bishop becomes very strong.

6.Nbd2!

A very strong response, showing So was well-prepared even for such sidelines. The d4-pawn is indirectly protected as
after ...Nxd4 Nxd4 the g4-bishop is hanging, or ...Bxe2 Nxe2 leaves White with an extra piece. On Bxf3 Nxf3 and the
d4-pawn is safe again. The main move is 6.Be3 but it can be countered by 6...e5! 7.d5 Bxf3 8.Bxf3 Nd4 with some
long lines, playable for both sides.

6...e5 7.d5 Nce7 8.h3 Bd7!

Black has to preserve his bishop for the future. The knight on d2 might be misplaced in the future as normally it
belongs to c3. However White finds a great — although typical — break to achieve ideal coordination between his
pieces.

9.c5!

White works out the c4-outpost for his knight. Black has to accept the sacrifice, at least to be ahead materially.

9...dxc5 10.Nc4 f6

The only way to preserve the material advantage, but of course it feels now that the compensation should be enough. It
takes 3 more tempi for Black to consolidate with ...Nh6-Nf7 and ...0-0. White has no time to waste with some slow
moves, like 0-0, and must act immediately to get enough compensation. 10...Nf6 is met by 11.Qc2 and e5 falls.

11.d6?!

Logical, but not the most precise way to create compensation. White explodes the center with the idea of keeping the
e8-king in the center. 11.Be3! should have been played, developing with tempo: 11...b6

12.b4!! Just as in the game! White goes all-in, opening all the lines and diagonals in front of the king. 12...cxb4
(Another defensive attempt for Black is 12...b5 13.Na5 c4 but White gets more than enough compensation here as well
after 14.a4 a6 Black must try to hold his structure and extra pawn, as this is his only trump 15.Nb7 Qc8 16.Nc5 Nh6
17.Nxd7 Qxd7 18.axb5 and Black cannot recapture with the pawn. 18...Qxb5 19.Bc5± winning back the pawn with
Nd2 and the game is over from a strategical point of view.) 13.d6! Nc6 (13...Nc8 14.dxc7 Qxc7 15.Rc1± Here we can
see the point of the b4-sacrifice! Black faces serious problems on the opened c-file.) 14.Qd5± dxc7 followed by Nd6 is
coming next.

11...Nc8

Black controls the d6-square. 11...Nc6 12.dxc7 Qxc7 13.Nd6+! Ke7 14.Nb5 with a strong attack.

12.Be3 b6?

The mistake after which the attack breaks through. Black could have attacked the knight with 12...b5! forcing the
action in his favor. 13.dxc7 otherwise Black takes ...cxd6, grabbing another pawn. 13...Qxc7 14.Na3 Nd6 and Black is
ready to finish the development with ...Ne7, and Rc1 can be met by ...c4. Black is fine.

13.0-0 Bc6

13...cxd6 is more critical, but White is doing well here as well 14.Nxd6+ Nxd6 15.Qxd6 Ne7 (15...Qe7 16.Qd2
Black has problems developing the g8-knight.)

16.b4! Bc6 (16...cxb4 17.Rac1+–) 17.Qe6 Qd7 18.Qc4 keeping the queens on board. Black has problems as his king
is stuck in the center;
13...Nh6? meets a pretty refutation

14.Ncxe5! fxe5 15.Bg5 trapping the queen, and White wins back the sacrificed piece: 15...Bf6 16.dxc7 Qe7
17.Bxh6+–

14.dxc7 Qxc7

15.b4!!

Really dynamic play from White! We can be quite sure that Kasparov would also have made these moves on the
White side, but this time he is sitting on the suffering side. White opens the c-file to penetrate with his rook.

15...cxb4

This is too greedy and just helps White. 15...Bxe4 is strongly met by 16.bxc5 bxc5 17.Rc1 Nge7
Black is just about to finish the development, but here comes a blow again: 18.Bxc5!! Qxc5 19.Ncxe5 Black must
control the Qd7 check 19...Qd6 20.Qa4+ Kf8 21.Nd7+ Kf7 22.Qxe4+– and a8 is hanging.
The best try is 15...b5 attempting to close the queenside 16.Na5 c4 White has full compensation here as well after
17.Nxc6 Qxc6 18.a4 a6 19.Qd2 Nge7 20.Rfd1 0-0 21.Bc5 but of course, as long as Black is a pawn up, he can hope,
although all his pieces are very passive and White breaks in with Qd7.

16.Rc1 Nge7 17.Qb3!

Preventing 0-0 and developing with tempo.

17...h6

At first sight, another waste of tempo, but Black had to prevent a decisive threat. After some other move, such as
17...a5, White wins by 18.Ncxe5!! fxe5 19.Ng5+– and Black has no proper defense against Qf7 and Ne6.

18.Rfd1

All the pieces are in play now. A terrible position from Black’s point of view, as he has no chance to find a shelter for
his king.

18...b5

Other moves are also hopeless. For example 18...a5 19.Nxb6! White can already sacrifice. It is easy to feel that all
circumstances are in place for a final, fatal blow. 19...Nxb6 20.Bb5! Just too many pins for Black to handle. 20...Qb7
21.Rxc6! Nxc6 22.Qe6++–

19.Ncxe5!

Wesley So feels that the time has come for a crushing blow! All his pieces stand perfectly, while the black ones are
tied up and undeveloped. He does not waste time and finishes the game in great style!

19...fxe5 20.Bxb5 Rb8


If Black leaves the pin with 20...Qb7

White has many winning moves, but the most beautiful one is 21.Bxh6!! Bxh6 (21...Rxh6 22.Ng5+–; 21...Qxb5
22.Bxg7 Rg8 23.Ng5 Rxg7 24.Ne6+– and Nc7 or Ng7 wins.) 22.Nxe5+– with problems on the f7- and c6-squares.

21.Ba4

Keeping the tension! A cold-blooded attacking move!

21...Qb7

22.Rxc6!
It is a great joy to play a game such as this, especially if our opponent is Garry Kasparov! Wesley So was really
delighted with this game.

22...Nxc6 23.Qe6+ N8e7

23...Kf8 leads to mate in two: 24.Rd8+! Nxd8 25.Qe8#

24.Bc5!

Black is a full rook up, but all his pieces are hog-tied. The game is over.

24...Rc8

On 24...Kf8 the most brutal is 25.Bb3!+– with an inevitable mate on f7.

25.Bxe7 1–0

Black resigned in view of 25.Bxe7 Qxe7 26.Qxc8+ Kf7 27.Bb3+ Kf6 28.Qxc6++– What an amazing crush!

GAME 9
B. Jobava (2665)
R. Ponomariov (2709)
Olympiad
10.09.2016 [A45]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We have ahead of us an amazing game! Ponomariov was well-prepared against Jobava’s dubious opening and he
obtained a comfortable position right from the opening with the black pieces. However one careless move allowed
Jobava’s talent to shine and crush him with a brilliant attack.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4

The pet line of Jobava nowadays. He employs it with a lot of success. In the Olympiad he also defeated Topalov with
it.

3...c5 4.e3 cxd4

Ponomariov was, as stated, well-prepared... 4...e6 is logical, but it allows 5.Nb5! forcing the 5...Na6 and now after
6.c3 the knight is very annoying from Black’s point of view on b5 as it pins the rook to a8 and it cannot be sent away
with ...a6.

5.exd4
5...a6!

Black takes some prophylactic measures against Nb5 and as we will see, it will be useful in the future for his ...b5
plans. The positional point is that the knight stands poorly on c3 in front of his own pawn, and if he cannot play Nb5
then this entire setup loses its point. For example, it would be much healthier if White had a development with Nd2 and
c3 instead.

6.Bd3

Jobava’s new idea is to develop the knight to e2. It looks more natural to me to play 6.Nf3 to occupy the e5-square.
although Black easily equalized in the Rapport-Bu, Armenia 2015 game after 6...Nc6 7.Ne5 e6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Na4
Otherwise Black pushes ...c5 and takes over the initiative 9...Bd6 10.Bxd6 Qxd6 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 e5=

6...Nc6 7.Nge2

The point of having the knight on e2 is to restrict the movement of the c8-bishop.

7...e6

This is Ponomariov’s new plan: Black uses the misplacement of the white knights. Both knights are struggling to find
their outposts. He does not allow any counterplay as was planned in the 7...Bg4 line, he simply wants to complete the
development. Previous games continued with 7...Bg4 allowing a kingside attack with 8.f3 Bh5 9.h4 e6 10.g4 Bg6 11.h5
Bxd3 12.Qxd3 with mutual chances.

8.Qd2 b5

Black decides to play ambitiously and keeps all the pieces on board. He also scares his opponent from castling
queenside. 8...Bd6 9.0-0 0-0 was also good if Black just wants equality. In all these positions, White should jump to e5
with the knight, but here it is hard to suggest a useful plan.

9.0-0 Be7 10.a3


Well, I am not sure why Jobava played this move. Black was not about to push ...b4 after White has castled kingside.

10...Bd7 11.h3

White cannot find a plan, so he just tries to make some useful moves.

11...0-0 12.Rfe1

12...Na5!

Black’s play seems to be much easier. He will play ...Nc4, when giving up the d3-bishop would be terrible news for
White, but otherwise he has problems with the b2-pawn. Black can consider afterwards ideas like ...a5-...b4. On the
other hand, he is completely safe on the kingside.

13.Rad1

White wants to protect the b2-pawn with Qc1 — and it is already a bad sign if one needs to use his most valuable
piece for protecting pawns — but at least his rooks remain connected.

13...Qb6

This is the first inaccuracy by Black. 13...Nc4 14.Qc1 Rc8 was good, followed by ...a5-...b4 with an advantage.
Perhaps best was 13...Nh5 trying to get one of the bishops 14.Be5
(14.Be3 Nc4³; 14.Bh2 Bg5 forces a huge weakening with f4 — unless White wants to enter into a deadly pin with
Nf4 — after which the bishop on h2 will become another poor minor piece.) 14...Bg5! with the same idea as before,
provoking a big weakening. 15.f4 Be7 and the bishop looks nice on e5, but actually it has some problems as Black is
threatening ...f6.

14.Ng3 Rfc8?

This careless move is the turning point of the game... Black should have played 14...Rfe8 when he is doing fine.

15.Nf5!

The move suggests itself, but it requires a lot of intuition and calculation.
15...exf5

I am quite sure that initially Black intended to play 15...Bf8 and he thought the knight must retreat, and therefore
15.Nf5 has just no point. However White has a great tactical blow with 16.Nh6+!! gxh6 17.Bxh6 Black is a piece up,
but somehow he does not have adequate defense against Qg5. 17...Qd8 (17...Nh5 18.Bxf8 Kxf8 (18...Rxf8 19.Qh6+–
with a decisive double-attack.) 19.Qh6+ Ng7 20.Nxd5! as we will see, this move is often the key. White makes use of
the pin along the 6th rank.) 18.Qg5+ Kh8 19.Bxf8+– wins back the piece.

16.Rxe7 Be6

Possibly Ponomariov was expecting this 15.Nf5 blow and he thought that either 15...Bf8 or this 16...Be6 move will
work, as the rook seems to be trapped now on e7. However another brilliant blow is coming...
Objectively the best defense was 16...Qd8 although White has already seized the initiative after 17.Re5! Ne4
(17...Nc6
18.Rxf5! Bxf5 19.Bxf5 traps the rook on c8 or after 19...Nd7 20.Nxd5 White already has 2 pawns for the exchange
and all his pieces stand wonderfully; 17...Nc4 18.Bxc4 dxc4 19.Bg5 seems like a very unpleasant pin. Nd5 is coming.)
18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Rc5 Nc4 20.Qc1² when after the simplifications and the change of structure, White has gained a clear
advantage due to his much-more active bishop and the supported passed pawn on d4, which will advance soon.

17.Bh6!!

Well, we have to admit, it is very easy to miss such moves! The threat is to take on g7 followed by winning the knight
with Qg5 check. Black has many options, but all of them seem to lose in very spectacular lines:

17...gxh6

If 17...Kf8
18.Bxg7+!! Kxe7 19.Bxf6+! Simple and strong 19...Kd7 Black survives the mating attack, but he ends up in a
cramped position (19...Kxf6 loses again because of the misplacement of the black queen. 20.Nxd5+! Bxd5 21.Qh6+
Ke7 22.Qxb6+–) 20.Re1 Re8 21.Qf4 More pawns are going to fall and if we compare the activity of the pieces, we can
easily understand that Black is in big trouble;
17...Nc6 is also met by

18.Bxg7! Kxg7 (18...Nxe7 19.Bxf6 Kf8 Otherwise Qh6 is coming with mate, but now the usual problem arrives with
the queen on b6 20.Qh6+ Ke8 21.Bxe7! Kxe7 22.Nxd5+!+–) 19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.Rxe6! (20.Qxf6 does not work now
because it is not mate after 20...Nxe7 21.Qh8+ Ng8) 20...fxe6 21.Qxf6+ Kg8 22.Qxe6+ Kg7 23.Qxf5+– with a
mating attack.
17...Qd8 again loses to 18.Bxg7! (18.Qg5 Qf8 is unclear.) 18...Qxe7 (18...Nh5
19.Bf6!! Another fantastic blow. Simply everything works for White after 15.Nf5! 19...Nxf6 20.Qg5+ Kf8 21.Qxf6
Qxe7 22.Qh8#; 18...Kxg7 19.Qg5+ Kf8 In comparison to the 17...Nc6 line the knight is protected after ...Rxe6, but
now 20.Qxf6! Qxe7 21.Qh8#) 19.Qg5+– and Black has no defense. He either gets mated or he loses his queen;
17...Qxd4 18.Qg5 Ne8 19.Bxf5+– is also game over.

18.Qxh6

Black again has some defensive resources, but all of them lose.

18...Rxc3

18...Nd7 19.Rxd7+– and again the deadly pin along the 6th rank;
18...Bd7 is refuted by the calm 19.Rde1! White simply wants to lift his rook to the 3rd rank. Black is helpless against
it. 19...Re8 20.R1e3 Rxe7 21.Rg3+ Ng4 22.Qxb6+–;
18...Nc6 19.Qg5+! Kf8 20.Rxe6+– transposes to the 17...Nc6 line.

19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.Qxf6 Rxd3

On 20...Rc6 21.Bxf5! White wants to remove the defender of the f7-pawn and after 21...Qd8 22.Bxe6 still works
because of the mate 22...Qxe7 23.Qh8#

21.cxd3 1–0

Black resigned. Just amazing, that a good position can be spoiled by two natural-looking, but careless moves (...Qb6
and ...Rfc8) and suddenly out of the blue everything falls apart.

GAME 10
V. Kramnik (2808)
D. Vocaturo (2583)
Olympiad
13.09.2016 [A49]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We are in the last round of the Olympiad and the outcome of this match actually decides the bronze medal. Kramnik
scores a brilliant victory on the first board to give Russia the lead.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.0-0 d6 6.b3!?

Kramnik aims to surprise his opponent with a tricky sideline. 6.c4 transposes to the main positions of the King’s
Indian g3 system.

6...e5

Black tries to exploit the fact that the long diagonal has temporarily weakened as the bishop is not fianchettoed yet.
The alternative is 6...c5 when theory continues with 7.c4

7.dxe5 dxe5

8.Ba3!

Kramnik knows all the subtleties of this opening. As we will see, there are some very concrete lines which will give
Black real challenges to deal with. White should not grab the pawn with 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Nxe5 because of 9...Ng4. The
less dangerous option is 8.Bb2 according to theory.

8...Qxd1

If 8...Re8 it is very important to play 9.Nc3! with the idea of 9...e4 The opening of the long diagonal looks scary
without having the bishop on b2, but White plays 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.Rad1! This is the tactical justification of this entire
variation as White leaves the diagonal with his rook. The piece cannot be taken because of the back-rank problems.

9.Rxd1 Re8
Kramnik introduces a very important novelty.

10.c4!

A principled positional move. White would like to develop his knight to c3 and in general it is better if a knight stands
behind his pawn. In the current case White also takes ground on the queenside, brings the d5-square under control. It is
very logical, but chess is a concrete game and of course delaying the development to gain positional benefits and
further weaken the a1–h8 diagonal looks very scary at first sight. However, Kramnik’s analyses prove that Black can’t
make use of it. Kramnik himself has played 10.Nc3 before.

10...e4

Black goes for the most direct continuation. The other option is to start with 10...Nc6 to prevent the Nd4 move after
...e4. In this case White should play 11.Nc3 e4 12.Ne1 followed by consolidating with Rac1, after which Nd5, Nb5 or
just improving the pieces with Nc2-e3 should give White the advantage.

11.Nd4 c6

Black decides to avoid the complications, but in this case White finishes his development and gets a pleasant edge.
The critical move was 11...Ng4 but of course, to go for such complications without any knowledge, while on the other
side of the board Kramnik is sitting with huge analysis is probably not the cleverest practical idea. 12.Nc3! (12.h3 is
met by 12...Nc6! 13.Nxc6 bxc6) 12...e3 13.Nd5 exf2+ 14.Kf1 This seems to be the starting position with extreme
complications. It would require a lot of computer analysis to draw a final conclusion.

12.Nc3 Na6

This move I don’t like too much as it is unclear where this knight is going. There is a similar same problem ...Nbd7,
because Black cannot go to ...Ne5 next move because the e4-pawn needs to be protected. However, just as with the
10.c4 move, Black should have followed the same principle that knights stand better behind their pawns. So, he should
have played 12...a5! followed by ...Na6 and in this case ...Nb4 could afford a nice outpost for the knight. In general,
Black should play on the dark squares, therefore the move is very logical. He is going to exchange the dark-squared
bishops with ...Bf8 and start to regroup his knights to the b4-c5 squares. The drawback of this move seems to be the
weakening of the b6-square, but after 13.Na4 Black can play 13...Nfd7! followed by continuing the original plan with
...Na6 and ...Bf8.

13.e3!

Kramnik intends to double his rooks on the only opened file, but for this he had to prevent ...e3 (after Rd2) to retain his
healthy pawn structure.

13...Bg4

Black can at least connect his rooks by using this tempo.

14.Rd2 Rad8 15.h3 Bc8 16.Rad1

It would have been excellent for White to push g4, which would have finally isolated the e4 pawn. Black has to
prevent g5 with ...h6 and then then regrouping of the d4-knight via Nde2-g3 would win the weakness. However, White
has to protect his d2-rook first because of the ...c5-threat.

16...h5

Black prevents the above-mentioned plan with g4, Nde2-g3.

17.Be7!!

This beautiful tactical shot changes the character of the position. Kramnik evaluates correctly that after the
complications the material remains more-or-less balanced, but the difference in the activity of the pieces clearly gives
White the upper hand. The positional continuation is 17.b4 Bf8 18.c5 Nc7 19.b5² grabbing more space and creating
weaknesses on the queenside.

17...Rxd4!
The only move to stay in the game! 17...Rd7 simply drops a pawn to 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nxe4±;
while 17...Rxe7 loses to 18.Nxc6! Rxd2 19.Nxe7+ Kf8 20.Nxc8± and d1 is protected.

18.Rxd4 Rxe7 19.Rd8+ Ne8

Black does not lose a piece, because suddenly the c3-knight is attacked as well. 19...Re8 is even worse in view of
20.Rxe8+ Nxe8 21.Rd8 Kf8 when Black does not lose a piece, but his pawns start fall 22.Nxe4 Be6 23.Nd6 Ke7
24.Nxb7± It is already two pawns and c6 is also hanging, besides the threat of Ra8.

20.Nxe4

The situation has clarified. White has a rook and pawn for the bishop and knight, which can be counted as even, but
the very strong rook on the 8th rank and the threat of Nd6 creates real problems for Black.

20...Be6

20...Bxh3 just temporarily wins a pawn, as White takes a more important one after 21.Nd6! Bd7 22.Nxb7± After the
fall of the b7-pawn, access towards the other two queenside pawn is easier.

21.Ra8

White is ready to invade with his other rook as well.

21...Be5 22.Rdd8

The most natural move, but actually the only inaccuracy by White in this game. White should take the pair of bishops
with 22.Ng5! Kf8 (22...Kg7 isn’t better 23.Nxe6+ Rxe6 24.Rxa7±) 23.Nxe6+ Rxe6 24.Rxa7 Re7 25.Bxc6! and taking
the third pawn is already too much for Black. 25...bxc6 26.Rxa6+–

22...Kf8 23.Rxa7 Bc7

The most natural human move. Black would like to chase the annoying rooks from his camp with ...Bb6, but Kramnik
has a fantastic idea in mind to counter this plan.
The idea of ...Bc7-b6 is good, it’s just that Black needs to begin with 23...Bf5! when the same plan does not work for
White and the game is suddenly unclear.

24.Rda8!!

White obviously wants to keep his rooks in their most active positions, but what happens after ...Bb6?

24...Bb6 25.Rxa6! bxa6 26.Nf6!

This is the point, and Black cannot escape from the pin on the 8th rank. Bxc6 is the decisive threat against which there
is no proper defense. Now we can also understand why Black should have played 23...Bf5! when after the knight
moves from e4, he can already get into this position and there is no Nf6 move at the end.
26...Bd7 27.b4!

The most precise way to seize the advantage. The threat is c5 which must be prevented. 27.Nxd7+ is also possible, but
this releases the tension and the queenside pawns are not far advanced yet, and Black might hope for survival after
27...Rxd7 28.Bxc6 Rd8 29.Rxa6±

27...c5

28.Nd5!

Black’s last move has created a hole on d5, and suddenly the bishop on b6 finds himself trapped. Quite an unusual
motif.

28...Bc6

The best practical chance, but it is also hopeless. If 28...Re6 White wins the bishop with 29.Rb8! Ba7 30.Rb7+–

29.Rxa6 Bxd5 30.Bxd5 Bd8 31.b5!


White has three pawns for the piece, but his pieces stand perfectly in support of the advance of the connected passed
pawns. Black has no chance to somehow get between the a- and b-pawns and create a blockade.

31...Rd7

31...Nc7 32.Rd6+– and in case of ...Ke8 or ...Re8, Bc6 wins.

32.b6!

Usually we must be careful when we advance the passed pawns, because after some careless move they might find
themselves stopped, but here Black cannot fight against the most direct plan of promoting the pawns.

32...Ke7 33.b7 Bc7 34.Ra8 Nf6

34...Rd8 doesn’t help, the backward passer joining its colleague 35.a4! Nd6 36.a5 Nxb7
Black tries to escape into an opposite-colored bishop endgame, but unfortunately for him White grabs too many pawns
after 37.Ra7! Bxa5 38.Rxb7+ Rd7 39.Rxd7+ Kxd7 40.Bxf7+– and one more pawn falls which is just too much.

35.Rc8!

With the threat of taking on c7 followed by promotion. Black must move the bishop.

35...Bd6

There is no other square for the bishop, but now the path of the a-pawn is cleared. First White needs to save his strong
bishop and then the pawn can be advanced. 35...Nxd5 36.Rxc7!+–

36.Bc6 Rd8 37.a4!

Black is paralyzed.

37...Nd7 38.a5 Bb8

38...Nb8 39.Bb5+– is also over.

39.a6

White already wants to take on d7 and then on b8 followed by a7 and promotion.

39...Ne5
40.Rxb8!

Not the only winning move, but Kramnik finishes the game in style.

40...Rxb8

40...Nxc6 41.Rxd8 Kxd8 42.a7+–

41.Bd5! 1–0

White even has time to save the bishop before promotion. Black resigned.
GAME 11
C. Lupulescu (2609)
G. Papp (2587)
European Club Cup
Novi Sad SRB
12.11.2016 [A61]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
The Romanian number 1, Lupulescu, played a dubious move in the Benoni Defense. The Hungarian Grandmaster Papp
reacted perfectly and punished his opponent with a beautiful game.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5

Immediately questioning White. Keep the pawn on d4 or push him on d5? In the second case, White has to be ready
for the Benoni or the Benko, two aggressive lines, which is why many players prefer to answer with 3.Nf3.

3.d5 e6

The Hungarian heads for the Benoni, a very sharp opening!

4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6

The classical Benoni structure. White will have a majority on the kingside, trying to play for e5 and Black will counter
on the queen side, trying to play for ...b5.

6.Nf3

6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+ In my opinion, this is the best way to play for White, taking over the center and putting big
pressure on the queenside.

6...g6

As usual, Black’s bishop shines on g7 and this long diagonal.

7.Bf4

An interesting move. White’s idea is to quickly place big pressure on the d6-pawn.

7...Bg7
8.Qa4+

The idea of this check is to destabilize the black queenside.

8...Bd7

This is the only option.

9.Qb3 b5

In the Benoni ‘spirit!!

10.Bxd6

10.Nxb5 Bxb5 11.Qxb5+ Nbd7 12.Bxd6 Ne4 13.Be5 0-0© gives Black a lot of compensation.

10...Qb6

Chasing the bishop and protecting both pawns on c5 and b5.

11.Be5 0-0

Black’s king is now protected, and now it’s time to put the rooks in the center and open the position.

12.e3 c4
13.Qc2??

What a weird move from Lupulescu... It’s almost mpossible to understand the idea, giving Black an extra tempo.
13.Qd1 is the best chance to play for an advantage. 13...b4 14.Nb1 Rc8∞ was played in 2016 in the game Nakamura-
Caruana which ended in a draw.

13...Bf5

Black doesn’t miss his chance.

14.Qd1 Nbd7 15.Bd4 Qb7

As we can see, all Black’s pieces are in the center, the rooks will arrive sooner or later and White’s position will
become difficult to hold.

16.Nh4

Trying to exchange a lot of pieces and to castle quickly.

16...Be4

Attacking the d5-pawn. White has no other choice than to take the bishop.

17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Bxg7

18.Be2 Rfe8 19.Nf3 Rac8 and Black has a nice initiative.

18...Kxg7 19.Qd4+?

The queen is now on a weak square and will be easily attacked. 19.Be2 Rfe8 20.0-0 Ndf6 21.a4 Rad8 leads to a
pleasant position for Black.
19...Ndf6 20.f3 Rfe8!µ

Time for the rooks to join the party!

21.g3

21...Rad8

A beautiful piece sacrifice from Papp.

22.fxe4

White can’t decline the sacrifice, and now can only hope for a miracle! 22.Be2 Rxd5–+

22...Rxe4–+ 23.Qc3 b4

Putting tremendous pressure on the queenside and chasing the queen from the a1-h8 diagonal.

24.Qc1 Nxd5

Such a lovely position -all Black’s pieces are so well-placed.

25.Bg2
25...Nxe3!

And yet another sacrifice!!

26.Bxe4 Qxe4

Black is a rook down, but the shite king stands alone against the black army!

27.Kf2 Rd3

With the idea of activating the rook on the 7th rank after a check with the queen on d4. 27...Ng4+ 28.Kg1 Qd4+
29.Kg2 Ne3+ is also winning on the spot.

28.Re1 Ng4+

Even in a winning position, Black needs to be accurate to collect the full point.

29.Kg1 Qd4+

A kicking check to introduce the queen on f2...

30.Kh1 Qf2 31.Ng2 Rd2

Putting great pressure on the g2-knight.

32.Rg1

32.Qxd2 is the best way to survive for a few more moves. 32...Qxd2 33.h3 Nf2+ 34.Kh2 Qxb2 and black is
completely winning with many dangerous pawns.

32...Qe2
Here comes the beginning of a beautiful tactical combination.

33.h4

Avoiding ...Nf2 checkmate.

33...Nf2+ 34.Kh2 Qg4!

Threatening checkmate on h3 now.

35.Nf4

35...Qh3+!! 0–1

35...Qh3+ 36.Nxh3 Ng4+ giving a double check!! 37.Kh1 Rh2# What a beautiful finish! Papp punished the Romanian
player for his bad opening and played a wonderful attacking game.

GAME 12
M. Cornette (2581)
C. Bauer (2620)
French Championship, Agen
21.08.2016 [B03]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are in the ultimate round of the French Individual Championship, where three players are fighting for the title and
one of them is Matthieu Cornette. He needs a win against a higher-rated opponent and with great play and a precise
finish he manages to secure his first title!

1.e4 Nf6

Bauer is famous for his extraordinary openings like 1...e6 followed by 2...b6 or 1...d5 with a lot of strange and rare
lines. It makes preparation very difficult, but on the other hand, if you catch your opponent playing a “not very correct”
opening then there is a chance of getting a great position right from the start.

2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4

Another very popular line is 4.Nf3.

4...Nb6 5.exd6

I have played this line in many games as well and I think it clearly deserves attention even if it is not played so often.

5...exd6

The most solid answer, another one is 5...cxd6.

6.Nc3 Be7 7.Bd3

The main idea of the line is to keep the pawns c4 and d4 under protection, which gives White a nice space advantage.

7...Nc6 8.Nge2

The knight is placed on e2 and not on f3 because of the ...Bg4 move, which is now much less dangerous.

8...0-0

After 8...Nb4 9.Bb1 is the best answer and Black cannot take the c4-pawn because of Qa4+.

9.0-0 Bf6

Preparing to play ...Ne7-Ng6 somewhere and also placing the d4-pawn under attack.

Once again 9...Nb4 doesn’t work because of 10.Bb1 Nxc4 11.a3 Nc6 12.Qd3 with a double-attack on c4 and h7.

10.b3
In my opinion this is the best move and I played it in my own games as well. The d4-pawn can’t be taken and White
just defends against the nasty ...Nb4 move, as now the pawn on c4 won’t be hanging.

10...Re8

I am not sure if this move is really required? I believe 10...Bg4 immediately is a better option. White is clearly better
after 10...Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.Qxd4 and the opposite colored bishops as well as the unlucky
position of the black knight on b6 give White a big plus.

11.Be3

Now White is in time for Qd2 next and by now we can say that his position is very safe and a bit better for him.

11...Bg4 12.Qd2

Black has no more ways of playing against the white center and needs to search for another idea.

12...Bh5?

This move is already a very serious mistake. Black had to go for 12...d5!? This move has to be played sooner or later
anyway, as it is impossible for Black to continue without a center! 13.c5 Nc8 14.h3 and White’s position is better but
nothing too dramatic has happened.

13.Nf4

Exactly! White not only gains the bishop pair, but will also control the center even more.

13...Bg6 14.Nxg6 hxg6

and here comes the next great move by Cornette...

15.Be4!

Excellent play! Of course White has a lot of different options but the move in the game is just great. Black no longer
has the ...d5 idea and White will improve his position with simple moves.

15...Rb8

Black plans ...Ne7 but I am not sure if this really helps...

16.Rfe1

Simple and strong.

16...Ne7
17.Bg5?

What a horrible move! Why does White want to get rid of his bishop pair when every exchange only simplifies the
situation for Black?! 17.g4! almost seems to kill Black’s hopes as the g5-threat is really hard to stop.

17...Nd7?!

Black doesn’t exchange the bishops on the spot. 17...Bxg5 18.Qxg5 c6 would give Black almost equal chances.

18.h4

A nice move. Now White plans to play hxg5 which will cover the f6-square and Black might also find himself in
trouble on the h-file.

18...c6 19.Re2

White wants to double on the e-file, which is a good idea.

19...Nf8?

A very unlucky decision! Black has to play 19...Nf5 here, e.g. 20.Bxf5 It seems like White has nothing better.
20...Rxe2 21.Nxe2 gxf5 22.Re1 and White is better, but not much better.

20.Bxf6

Of course! Things around the black king are getting very dangerous.

20...gxf6 21.Rae1

The e-file is also under fire...

21...Kg7 22.d5
White is on a rush and the black pieces just cannot move.

22...c5 23.Qf4

The new French Champion correctly brings his queen closer to the black king.

23...Ng8

The black knights are great defenders, but chess is a game of space and Black simply doesn’t have any moves.

24.Qg3

The threat of Bxg6 is in the air now and h5, which will weaken Black’s position even more, is also unpleasant.
Objectively Black’s position is already close to lost.

24...Re5

A funny defensive maneuver. The black rook gets to the h-file...

25.f4

25...Rh5

The bad news for Black is it doesn’t really help.

26.Bf3 Rh7

White controls the entire board and it is time to end Black’s suffering!
27.f5!

Nicely played. Now Nb5 is another dangerous threat.

27...Nh6 28.fxg6

28.Be4 also looks very powerful.

28...Nf5 29.Qf4 fxg6 30.h5

Black’s position is falling apart.

30...Qd7

Tougher is 30...Nd4 and of course White is winning, but at least Black would keep some practical chances.

31.g4!

It is done! The knight from f5 cannot move because of Re7 and Black loses his queen.

31...Kh8 32.gxf5

White is a full piece up and it would normally be time to resign, but the game goes on because of some small time-
trouble.

32...gxf5 33.Rg2

The rest of the game doesn’t really need any comments.

33...Rd8 34.Qg3 Qf7


35.Re7 1–0

A nice win by Cornette, who with this game reaches the biggest achievement of his chess career so far and is the new
French Champion! Congratulations!

GAME 13
I. Saric (2660)
R. Kempinski (2612)
Greek League
08.07.2016 [B07]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are going to see a beautiful attacking game now from the Croatian number one. Straight out of the opening Black
gets into big trouble by playing a very risky opening. Saric seems to be very well prepared and starts a mating attack.
After just a few complications, Black has to admit defeat and gets mated.

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 a6

Lately we have seen a lot of games in the Pirc with ...a6, but to me it just seems like a very dangerous line for Black.
White has the center, while Black is hoping for ...b5-...Bb7 which doesn’t really equalize either.

5.Be2!?

A very tricky move. White stops Black from playing ...b5 (because of Bf3!? or even e5!) and secures the-g4 square, at
the same time not developing the knight on f3 to keep the idea of playing f4 as an option.

5...Bg7

The most usual move.

6.f4
Taking the center. In almost all lines with f4 Black usually answers with a quick ...c5-push, but is it possible now?!

6...0-0

Kempinski doesn’t risk it. But I think 6...c5 7.dxc5 Nc6 clearly has to be checked, as Black has some play for the
pawn;
6...d5 doesn’t look so good, since after 7.e5 Ne4 8.Nxe4 dxe4 9.h4 h5 10.Nh3 White should be better.

7.e5

Saric wastes no time.

7...Nfd7

7...dxe5 8.dxe5 is very nice for White.

8.h4!

White goes for the black king!

8...c5

Black has to play ...c5. Now it is a question of who is faster: is White going to mate or is Black going to crush the
white center?

9.e6!

A very smart decision and I believe that Saric knew exactly what he was doing, as he is usually extremely well-
prepared. White sacrifices a pawn to open the black king even more.

9...fxe6 10.h5 Qb6


I think what Black is doing is just too risky. 10...Nc6 looks better in my opinion. 11.d5 (11.hxg6 cxd4 looks crazily
unclear.) 11...Nd4 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.dxe6 Nf6 14.Nf3 and of course Black’s position is dangerous, but again things are
far from clear. 14...Nf5 with the idea of playing ...b5-Bb7 next, with a very dynamic position.

11.hxg6 cxd4

I think Black underestimated White’s next move.

Black should play 11...hxg6 and now White has a lot of options, starting with the crazy line 12.Qd3 (Black seems to
get good play after 12.Bd3 cxd4 13.Bxg6 Rf5! It is time to give some material back. 14.Bxf5 exf5 with a very unclear
position; 12.Bc4 fails to 12...d5 13.dxc5 Qxb2 14.Nxd5 Qxa1 and Black is better.) 12...cxd4 13.Qxg6 Nf6 Black’s
position looks close to mate, but where is the actual mate?! 14.Bd3 dxe3 15.Ne4 Nbd7 16.0-0-0 with a big attack
against the black king, but still things are far from clear.(16.Ng5 leads to a forced draw: 16...Qb4+ 17.c3 Qxf4
18.Qh7+ Nxh7 19.Bxh7+ Kh8 20.Bd3+ Bh6 21.Rxh6+ Kg7 22.Rg6+ Kh8 23.Rh6+)

12.Bc4!!

Excellent play! The white queen will get to h5 now.

12...Ne5

Maybe the only move. After 12...d5 13.Rxh7! seems to win the game on the spot. Rxg7 Kxg7 and Bxd4 is a deadly
threat. 13...dxe3 and now White wins with the beautiful 14.Nxd5 Qd6 15.Qh5! exd5 16.Rh8+ Bxh8 17.Qh7#

13.Bxd4

A good choice! Now White will have a mating attack with equal material on the board. Also possible is 13.fxe5 dxe3
14.Qg4 but this is not so easy after 14...d5 White should be better, but these complications are not really required.

13...Nd3+

Once again Black has no choice.


14.Bxd3 Qxd4

White still needs to continue playing well.

15.Nge2

Again Saric plays the best move. Developing the knight with tempo and keeping both options of gxh7 and Rxh7 open.

15...Qb6

15...Qe3 16.Rh3 Qb6 17.Rxh7 and we are back to the position in the game.

16.Rxh7

White continues the attack.

16...Nd7

Black tries to keep things together by getting his knight to f6.

17.Kd2!

A beautiful move! The white queen joins the game via h1 with deadly effect.

17...Rf6

17...Nf6 18.Qh1 with the idea of tripling on the h-file decides the game.

18.Qh1

Now White has the threat of playing Rh8 next.

18...Nf8
There is already nothing better.

19.Rxg7+!

A perfect game is a perfect game!

19...Kxg7 20.Qh4

Black has no good defense against the upcoming Rh1.

20...Nxg6 21.Bxg6

The black king is almost alone...

21...Kxg6 22.Rh1 Kf7 23.Qh8

Not allowing the black king to escape to e8.

23...e5

24.Rh7+ 1–0

A wonderful game by Saric from start to finish, with the spectacular Kd2!! idea and tripling on the h-file.

GAME 14
Hou Yifan (2673)
D. Navara (2730)
78th Tata Steel GpA
Wijk aan Zee, NED
19.01.2016 [B12]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
For a long time Judit Polgar was the only female player competing with men at the highest level in chess, but since she
retired we have found another candidate, and this is clearly Hou Yifan. The talented Chinese player is slowly but surely
improving her rating and showing better and better results in top events. In Wijk aan Zee, Hou Yifan started with 4
draws and in the current game we are going to see her merciless punishment of David Navara for not playing carefully
in the opening. A very nice game to watch, with an exchange sacrifice and lovely mating ideas!

1.e4 c6

Navara plays a lot of different openings, which makes it hard to prepare against him.

2.d4 d5 3.e5

This is clearly the most critical line.

3...Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Nd7

In this position Black has a lot of different move-orders and set-ups. Some are connected to the move...c5, while others
are just development moves.

6.0-0 Bg6

This is not the most popular line. 6...Ne7 is the most-played move.

7.Nbd2

Very logical. White places her knight on b3 to try and stop Black from playing ...c5.

7...Nh6

This is also a standard move. The black knight is headed to f5.

8.Nb3 Nf5 9.Bd2!?

A strong and tricky move by Hou Yifan! White does not hurry with her actions and first asks Black “what’s next?”
White keeps the idea of playing g4 in mind, as well as the typical a4-a5 with some squeeze on the queenside.

9...Be7

Black enters a very dangerous line.


9...h6 looks safer to me.

10.g4!

Now that Black will have to take with the bishop on h4, I think g4 is clearly the best move!

10...Nh4

If 10...Nh6 11.h3 and White’s position should be a bit better because of the space advantage. She also has the idea of
playing Ne1–Ng2 and f4.

11.Nxh4 Bxh4 12.f4

Simple and strong! f5 is a dangerous threat.

12...f5

The usual reaction.

13.c4!

Another very strong decision! White also launches some play on the queenside, which will be very useful for the
future — especially when having the move g5 in mind, which will close things on the kingside.

13...a5?

To me this move just looks bad. It is hard to understand why Navara wants to put his pawn on a5? Maybe to stop
White from playing Bb4, but I don’t think this is really the main idea of White’s play. 13...0-0 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.g5 h6
16.gxh6 gxh6 17.Kh1

14.a4

There is no reason to allow Black to play ...a4.


14...0-0

Now that Black has castled kingside, White can think about g5.

15.g5

Hou Yifan plays strong and logical chess. White is going to have play on both the queenside and the kingside, which
perfectly suits her big space advantage.

15...h6

Black probably has to play this move because of White’s threat of playing Rf3 and Rh3.

16.gxh6 gxh6 17.Kh1

Both players get ready for play on the g-file.

17...Kh7 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.Rc1

White aims to dominate the c-file and Black needs to be extremely careful to not allow Rg1 followed by Bh5 with
some trouble on the kingside. This is already a very difficult position to play for Black.

19...b6

What a risky move! Of course the a5-pawn has to be protected in some way, but to let the white rook enter the c6-
square just looks like a bad decision. I think Black should have continued with 19...Rg8, with a worse but solid position.

20.Rc6

20...Rc8
Navara continues his risky play by giving away the e6-pawn, but winning the exchange. After the safer 20...Bf7
21.Rf3 Rc8 22.Rxc8 Qxc8 23.Rc3 White’s position looks clearly better because of the domination on the c-file.

21.Rxe6 Bf7 22.Rd6 Be7

So the white rook is lost, but in return White gets two pawns and a very dangerous attack.

23.Bd3

This is the move that most of us would have played, but there was another very interesting, more hidden, option:
23.Nxa5!? Giving away the knight but freeing the rook from d6! 23...bxa5 24.Ra6 with a lot of different threats, like
playing e6 as well as Bxa5 or just Bd3. White’s position is clearly better.

23...Bxd6 24.Bxf5+ Kh8 25.Qg4!

This is the key move which Navara might have underestimated when he went for this sharp position. White is a full
rook down but two black pieces are hanging and things around the black king are far from safe. Things are much less
clear after 25.exd6 Rc6! and Black wins the d6-pawn next move.

25...Rc7?!

Giving White just enough time to develop a deadly attack... Black could continue instead with 25...Rg8 26.Qh3 Bf8
and more or less everything is protected now. 27.e6 (27.Bxd7?! is premature, since after 27...Bg6 28.Bf5 Bxf5
29.Qxf5 Qc7 it is White who is in danger of becoming worse. Black will be very active with the idea of playing ...Qg7
and ...Qc4.) 27...Bg6 28.Bxg6 Rxg6 29.exd7 Rc7 30.f5 Qxd7

31.Bf4 and although White’s position is better because of the upcoming Be5, Black is still in the game.

26.Qh3 h5 27.exd6 Ra7

After the forced exchanges, we can take a fresh look at the position. White has two pawns for the exchange, which
gives her some material advantage. Black’s king’s position is also open, which is also a clear plus for White. Hou Yifan
should only be careful not to let the black knight from d7 go to e4.
28.Be6

Not a bad move, but I think White has a better one: 28.Bd3 Nf6 29.f5 Qxd6 30.Bf4 Qe7 31.Be5 With a similar
position as in the game, but White’s bishop on d3 looks much better to me. Black is practically paralyzed here.

28...Nf6 29.f5

White’s main idea remains the same, to get the bishop to e5.

29...Qxd6 30.Bf4

Another unfortunate move...

30...Qd8

Black’s only chance is to continue with 30...Qe7 31.Be5 Kh7! with the idea of playing ...Ng4. 32.Nd2 Ng4 But
anyhow White is much better after 33.Nf3 and the problems around the black king are serious.

31.Be5 Bg8

Navara wants to bring the rook from a7 into the game, but it is just too slow...

31...Kh7 32.Rg1 and Black can no longer fight the threats: 32...Rg8 33.Rxg8 Kxg8 34.Qh4 just wins.

32.Qxh5+

This is a bit too greedy. I think I couldn’t resist playing 32.Nc1 with the idea of Nd3-Nf4 and Ng6, with a win.

32...Rh7 33.Qg5

White’s position is objectively winning. The idea of Nc1–Nd3-Nf4-Ng6 can be postponed, but not stopped...

33...Qe7 34.Nc1
The knight is coming!

34...Qg7 35.Qxg7+

White doesn’tt have to enter the endgame, but it doesn’t make a big difference...

35...Rxg7 36.Nd3 Rg4 37.Nf4 Kh7

Black escapes from the pin, but it only solves half of the problems.

38.h3

Asking the black rook where it’s going next.

38...Rg3

38...Rg7 39.Kh2 leads to a zugzwang position and White is totally winning.

39.Ng6 Rxh3+ 40.Kg2 1–0

and Black loses one of his rooks. A very nice and clean win by the strongest woman player on the planet!

GAME 15
Wen Yang (2609)
V. Artemiev (2674)
Aeroflot Open
Moscow RUS
02.03.2016 [B23]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Now for a fantastic attacking game with a brilliant mate at the end, delivered by the Chinese GM to the young Russian
prodigy.
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.g3

The Closed Sicilian. White decides to play a sideline against Artemiev’s favorite Paulsen Defense.

3...b5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.d3 e6

6.Nh3!?

The most aggressive setup, in which White wants to build up his position with f4! Against the direct 6.f4 Black can
successfully break in the center with 6...d5! 7.exd5 Nf6! capturing on d5 with the knight with comfortable equality.

6...d6

Black must choose a normal development. He cannot simplify the opening now with d5 as 6...d5?! 7.exd5 Nf6 does
not work now because of 8.Nf4 b4 9.Ne4 Nxd5 10.Qh5 and suddenly White becomes too active! Nxe6 is threatened
and 10...g6 is met by 11.Qe5.

7.0-0 Nf6 8.f4

Black must be careful with his development, because there are some tricks on the long diagonal between the g2- and
b7-bishops.

8...Nc6!

Black chooses the correct development. He still stands in the pin after e5, but it does not work yet for concrete reasons.
The natural 8...Be7?! allows the break with 9.e5! Bxg2 10.Kxg2 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nd5 Otherwise Qf3 double-attacks the
f7-pawn and a8-rook 12.Qg4! and Black must make a huge weakening with ...g6 as 12...0-0 drops an exchange after
13.Bh6!

9.Be3
White prepares for the e5-break and also continues developing. Another strategy is 9.f5 followed by Nf4, putting
pressure on the e6-pawn. 9.e5? does not work immediately in view of 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 Qd4+! winning the pawn and
White can’t get enough compensation against the queen’s adventures, e.g. 11.Kh1 Qxe5 12.Bf4 Qh5

9...Be7?

This turns out to be a big mistake, but of course it is very difficult to foresee the following brilliant combination...

Black should play 9...Qc7! protecting b7 and White can’t execute the e5-break now.

10.e5!

A committal move as it makes the e5-pawn very weak, so there must be a very aggressive follow-up to justify it.

10...dxe5 11.fxe5 Nd7 12.Qg4! g6

Objectively it is better to sacrifice an exchange with 12...0-0 13.Bh6 g6 14.Bxf8 Qxf8 when Black wins the e5-pawn
and he has some compensation. Black, though, was probably happy at this point, because the e5-pawn is hanging and
everything seems to be under control. However, the shock is just about to hit...
13.Rxf7!!

An amazing tactical blow, but one which cannot be calculated to the very end: one can only have the intuition that the
attack will break through. The rook comes to f1, the queen to e6, the knights to f4 and d5, the g2-bishop is extremely
strong, but of course a rook is a rook. :) The game and the analysis, however, prove that White is winning.

13...Kxf7

Black has two other options as well as to win the rook. 13...Ndxe5 is the worst, because it only wins an exchange.
White has an easy task after 14.Qxe6 Nxf7 15.Bxc6+ Bxc6 16.Qxc6+ Kf8 (16...Qd7? 17.Qxa8+) 17.Nf4! and the
attack is crushing. White is even doing fine materially.
There are spectacular lines after 13...Ncxe5 14.Qxe6! Bxg2 (There is no point in giving up the bishop for free
14...Nxf7 15.Bxb7 Ra7 The most direct win is 16.Ng5! Nxg5 17.Bxg5 Rxb7 18.Nd5! Black is a rook up, but after
taking on e7 the game is over. 18...Nf8 19.Nf6#) 15.Kxg2 Nxf7
One of the critical positions. White has only one pawn for the rook and seemingly there is no concrete threat. Indeed,
there is nothing concrete, but after the simple 16.Nd5! Black cannot move: Rf1 or Ng5 comes next. 16...0-0 (16...Nf8
is always met by the pretty mate 17.Nf6#!; 16...Nde5 loses to 17.Bxc5!+– and again the only saving move against
Bxe7 is ...Qd7, but it loses to Nf6.) 17.Nxe7+ Kg7 18.Nf4! White calmly brings his pieces into the attack. Rf1 appears
next and Black is helpless against the active white pieces, as there is no harmony between his own pieces. 18...Nf6
(18...Re8 19.Nfd5+– and Rf1 next.) 19.Rf1+–

14.Rf1+ Ke8

14...Kg7 is another nice line, where White just continues the attack with cold-blooded moves 15.Nf4! the only move
to prevent Nxe6 is 15...Nf8 16.Nh5+! Kg8 17.Qf4! Threatening mate on f7, and Black has only move again 17...Qe8
18.Nf6+! Bxf6 19.exf6
Black is again a rook up, but f7 check is a decisive threat. Black has two ways to block the pawn, but both lose to
19...Qf7 (19...Kf7 20.Ne4+– Nd6 or Ng5 wins next move.) 20.Ne4+– and again Nd6 or Ng5 wins.
14...Kg8 15.Qxe6++–

15.Qxe6 Ndxe5

15...Rf8 also prevents the mate on f7, but loses after 16.Ne4! Rxf1+ 17.Kxf1+– and Nd6 Kf8 Bh6 mate is the threat
against which there is no adequate defense.

16.Ne4!

Creating the threat of Nf6! The computer says 16.Bxc6+! is even stronger 16...Bxc6 (16...Nxc6 17.Ne4 and now
Black does not even have a defense as happened in the game, because 17...Qc7 loses to 18.Bf4 and the queen has no
good square. 18...Qc8 (18...Qb6 19.Nf6+ Kd8 20.Qd7#) 19.Nd6++–) 17.Qxe5 Kd7 Black is close to salvation, this
time trying to hide his king artificially on the queenside, but he again fails to complete the journey because of 18.Nd5!
Bxd5 19.Qxd5+ Kc7 20.Bf4+ Kb6 21.Qe6+ Kb7

And here comes the key attacking move... 22.Bg5!! allowing the rook to enter the 7th rank 22...Bxg5 23.Rf7+ Kb8
24.Qe5+ Kc8 25.Qxc5+ Kb8 26.Nxg5+–

16...Qc7

Freeing the d8-square for the king. 16...Qd7 17.Nf6++–

17.Nf4

It is still amazing how calmly White just brings his pieces to the attack, despite being a full rook down. He wants to
install his knight on d5! But 17.Nhg5+– is actually stronger! Nf7 comes next move and Black has no defense
according to the engine.

17...Bc8?
The losing mistake, but the refutation is fantastic! It is understandable that Black wanted to kick the queen from e6,
but the only move is 17...Kd8 which can be met by 18.Nxc5 Bxc5 19.Bxc5 and now Qf6 is threatened, or Nd5 appears
next. Black should collapse quickly, although the computer continues resisting with 19...Nd7.

18.Nf6+ Kd8

The shortest mate after 18...Kf8 is

19.Nxg6+! hxg6 20.Bh6+! Rxh6 21.Qg8# Yet another spectacular mate.

19.Qd5+! Qd6

19...Bd6 20.Ne4+–

20.Bxc5!! 1–0

The final blow! Black resigned in view of 20.Bxc5 Qxd5 21.Bb6# Mate! What a mate and what a game!!!
GAME 16
M. Carlsen (2851)
N. Grandelius (2649)
Norway Chess, Stavanger
21.04.2016 [B29]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Magnus Carlsen won a really entertaining game, atypically of his style. Grandelius, who had the opportunity to fight
against the world’s top players for first time in his life, tried to play exciting games in every round.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6

Such openings we rarely see on the highest level, but Carlsen was still familiar with the critical line of this dubious
variation.

3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 Nxc3

The other line starts with 4...e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 also given as better for White by theory.

5.dxc3 Nc6 6.Bf4

The advanced e5-pawn squeezes Black and it is not so easy for him to complete development. With his last move
White strengthened his e5-pawn and started to fight against ...d6, which can now be met by exd6 exd6, Bc4 with a
superior structure if Black cannot push ...d5. He intends to castle queenside after 0-0-0.

6...Qb6

Another prepared surprise by Grandelius. Most of the games reaching this position continue with 6...e6 or 6...Qc7.
Black would like to provoke the b3-move. To be honest, it is a bit unclear to me what the main benefit for Black is if he
succeeds in provoking this “weakening”. White can still play Qd2 and 0-0-0 afterwards.

7.Qc1

Carlsen does not want to lose the right to castle queenside by defending the pawn with Rb1. He counts on the current
misplacement of the b6-queen and if Black removes her, then Qd2 and 0-0-0 is already possible. Otherwise he just
intends to continue development with Bc4 and 0-0.
7...f6!?

The critical move. Black undermines the center and tries to build himself a very strong one in the event of exf6 gxf6.
The drawback of the plan is, of course, the delaying of his development: the game opens in the center, and the black
king will stuck there for a while.

8.Bc4

Natural development. After some random move, Black can take twice on e5, followed by pinning the minor piece on
e5 with ...Qe6. Bc4 also prevents this idea, but allows Black to win material.

8...g5!
Black has already said A, now he must say B. He must go for the pawn, otherwise his entire idea makes no sense.

9.Bg3 g4 10.exf6!

Otherwise Black captures ...Nxe5 with tempo and gets the central pawn for free. White must sacrifice material, but is
it worth a piece?!

10...gxf3 11.Qf4!

White intends to bring both of his rooks to the central files with 0-0-0 and Rhe1.

11...fxg2

Black cannot prevent 0-0-0 with 11...Qxb2? because of 12.f7+ Kd8 13.Qc7#

12.Rg1 Na5!

Forcing concrete lines, by attacking the bishop and the f6-pawn. Slowly trying to finish development does not work:
12...d6 13.fxe7 Bxe7 14.Qf7+ Kd8 15.0-0-0± and d6 is under attack.
An attempt to lock the center with 12...e5 loses to 13.f7+ Ke7
White has other winning moves as well, but a beautiful mate can be seen after 14.0-0-0! exf4 15.Bh4#! Wow! What a
mate!

13.f7+!

Carlsen makes the correct decision in a very difficult situation. By principle, he can open the center on the black king
with fxe7, or create a passed pawn on f7. Both are very tempting, but in a game we can only choose one of them! So
13.fxe7 is also possible, but the text seems to be stronger because after 13...Bxe7 14.Bf7+ Black should probably move
into the pin with 14...Kf8! thanks to the defensive option of ...Qf6, White does not have a concrete win.(14...Kd8 15.0-
0-0 looks very dangerous.)

13...Kd8 14.Bd5!

Calmly preserving the bishop, using the fact that the b2-pawn is never hanging while there is a mate on c7.

14...Bh6?!

A blunder in a difficult position. The natural move is 14...d6 trying to finish development artificially with ...Kc7. It has
a drawback as well, though, in that the move closes the 6th rank and White can already play 15.0-0-0 as ...Bh6 no
longer works 15...Kc7 (15...Bh3 16.Qh4 followed by Rxg2.) 16.Rxg2 Bh3 17.Rgg1 White has only one pawn for the
piece, but the pawn on f7 is extremely strong. Black has also problems with finishing the development. The plan is
simply Bh4 followed by Rg8. It looks very unpleasant in a practical game, and even then computer gives an edge for
White.
14...Bg7 15.Rxg2 Rf8 delays the salvation of the king on d8. White just brings his heavy pieces into the game with
16.Rd1! (Not 0-0-0 because of ...Bh6!) 16...d6 17.Bh4 Black should collapse soon.

15.Qe5! Rf8
16.Bh4!

Black suddenly cannot protect the e7-pawn. The reason is clearly his underdevelopment and the unco-ordination of his
pieces. Grandelius finds the only way to avoid immediate resignation.

16...Rxf7! 17.Bxf7 Nc6 18.Qg3

Carlsen prefers to tie the king to d8. Black can never play ...d6 (in order to play ...Kc7) as it can be taken because of
the pin. It is quite difficult to finish development under such circumstances. White can also choose to save his b2-pawn
with 18.Qh8+ Kc7 19.Rb1 d6 20.Qxh7 which should also win.

18...Qxb2 19.Rd1 Qxc2


20.Bd5!

Preventing ...Qe4, which was actually a mating threat. White simply wants to play Rxg2, while Black still suffers
serious problems in finishing his development.

20...Qf5 21.Rxg2 Bf4

Finally Black is ready to play ...Kc7 and ...d6, but it still takes a lot of tempi to bring the c8-bishop and the a8-rook
into the game.

22.Qf3

White also has a pretty simplification at his disposal: 22.Qxf4!? Qxf4 23.Rg8+ Kc7 24.Bg3 Qxg3 25.hxg3+– with a
winning endgame.

22...Kc7

22...Ne5 23.Rg8+ Kc7 24.Qe4+–;


22...d6 23.Bxc6 bxc6 24.Qxc6+–
23.Rg5!

Carlsen finds a clever way to increase his advantage using the pin on the f-file. Before playing Bg3, he prevents the
check on e5.

23...Qf8

23...Qf6 24.Rh5+–

24.Bg3! e5

More bad news for Black. The powerful bishop on d5 now has a strong outpost.

25.Rh5 a5

A final attempt to bring the a8-rook into the game artificially via the 6th rank, but it takes forever and the c8-bishop is
also stuck. Meanwhile White collects some more material.

26.Rxh7 Ra6 27.Rf7! Qe8 28.Kf1

28.Bxf4 exf4+ 29.Kf1+– wins another pawn.

28...Bxg3 29.hxg3+–

White is winning materially and positionally as well. The rest is just a matter of technique.

29...Qh8 30.Kg2 Nd8 31.Rf8 Qg7 32.Rh1 Rh6 33.Rxh6 Qxh6 34.Qf6

Carlsen decides to simplify into a winning endgame and promote his passed g-pawn.

34...Qxf6 35.Rxf6 d6 36.Kf3 b5 37.g4 Kd7 38.Rh6 1–0


As we can see, we should not fear for Carlsen if the game becomes imbalanced! His intuition for sacrifices is also
outstanding.

GAME 17
F. Caruana (2804)
T. Radjabov (2726)
Gashimov Memorial
Shamkir AZE
30.05.2016 [B31]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are now going to see a very beautiful game with a fantastic finish — one where a pawn and a knight are the main
heroes. After an opening from which we could usually expect calm play, Caruana showed fantastic skills to calculate
things very exactly and also kept strong nerves. A great game to watch and learn from!

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6

Radjabov has been a fan of the Sveshnikov for almost all of his life and usually starts the game with 1...c5 2...Nc6.

3.Bb5

Currently the most modish move.

3...g6

Radjabov also likes to continue with 3...e6.

4.Bxc6 dxc6

Lately we have seen a lot of games go 4...bxc6 5.0-0 Bg7 6.Re1 Nh6 7.c3 0-0 8.h3 f5!? with a very wild and unclear
fight.

5.d3 Bg7 6.h3

This is basically the main position and now Black has to choose from a variety of move orders.

6...Nf6

This is probably one of the main moves. In general, Black’s long-term idea is to play ...Nd7-Nf8-Ne6.

7.Nc3 0-0

More popular is 7...Nd7.

8.Bf4

White’s idea is simple: to play Qd2 followed by Bh6 and maybe castle queenside.

8...b6

Radjabov was probably expecting 8.Be3 after which the ...b6 move would be very logical to protect the ...c5 pawn.
Now I personally think Black should perhaps play 8...Re8 first, to be able to play ...b5 in one move in case White goes
for 0-0-0.

9.Qd2 Re8 10.0-0-0

The position becomes very sharp now!

10...a5

A good choice! The ...a5-a4 idea is very useful for Black in many ways, and in case White reacts with a3 then ...b5-b4
becomes very strong.

11.Ne5

I think Caruana missed Black’s next move. In my opinion White should first play 11.Qe3! avoiding ...b5 pushes in the
future and maybe wanting to continue with d4 somewhere himself.

11...b5!

A great move! Black does not care about the c6-pawn and focuses on the attack!

12.Qe3

I would not like to be White after 12.Nxc6 Qb6 13.Ne5 a4 followed by ...b4-b3 or maybe just ...Be6 and all the black
pieces are in the attack!

12...Qb6

Quite logical, but I think Black has a better option: 12...Nd7! looks very strong. 13.Nxd7 Now Black has the small
trick 13...Bd4 and he only takes on d7 next move. I think Black is at least equal here. but personally I like his position
even more.

13.Bh6 Bh8
Of course Black keeps the bishop alive, which is why ...Re8 was played.

14.f4 a4

Both sides are ready to launch attacks on the opponent’s king.

15.Rhf1

A tricky move. White prepares the f5 push.

15...e6?!

Black defends against f5, but this move is clearly not in the spirit of the position! After 15...b4 16.Ne2 b3 17.cxb3
axb3 18.a3 White seems to be able to hold Black’s activity on the queenside.
But I still think the idea of playing 15...Nd7! looks very strong. 16.Nxd7 Bxd7 17.e5 White tries to shut out the bishop
on h8, but now Black has the beautiful 17...f5! A very unusual but strong reply. White cannot play exf6 because it
would free the bishop and Black just wants to continue with ...b4 now. The position is of course quite unclear and the
main fight would still be in front of us.

16.g4

Now Black is already in some trouble.

16...a3?!

Another unfortunate move. I think in any case Black should continue with 16...b4 White will of course now get the
nice c4-square for his knight, but there is just no more time to wait. 17.Ne2 b3 18.cxb3 axb3 19.a3 Ba6 and White is
probably better here, but Black can still hope to create unclear play.

17.b4!

Here comes the punishment: Black is going to lose the c5-pawn!


17...Nd7

There was no way to save the pawn.

18.Nxd7 Bxd7 19.e5

White’s strategy seems to work out perfectly. The bishop on h8 is dead and the c5-pawn is falling.

19...f5

Probably the best move as Black cannot allow White to play Ne4.

20.Ne2

Caruana prepares for the mating attack on the kingside!

20...Bg7 21.Bxg7 Kxg7

22.h4!

Wow! Not many players would dare playing such a move! 22.Rg1 looks very safe and would also give White a huge
advantage.

22...fxg4

Black’s best hope! Who cares any longer if the black king is getting mated? Anything is better than to just wait!

23.h5

White storms up the board!

23...gxh5
Should Black decline to take on h5, White can continue with Rh1–Ng3 and the f5 idea is also strong. It is impossible
to imagine the black king surviving this.

24.Ng3 Kh8 25.Nxh5 Re7 26.Nf6

The white knight takes up a premium position on f6.

26...Be8

Black hopes to play ...Bg6.

27.f5!

Caruana takes no prisoners! White is very consistent in going for the black king!

27...exf5 28.Rxf5

Not the most precise. 28.Qg5 leads to a beautiful win: 28...Bg6 29.Rh1 Rg7 30.Qxg6! Rxg6 31.Rxh7#

28...Qc7 29.Rg5

White’s attack continues!

29...Rg7 30.Rh1

Black’s position is just lost as there can be no survival against all the white pieces, but Radjabov is trying to make
White’s job as hard as possible.

30...Bg6 31.Rxg4 Qf7

Somehow Black has managed to survive the direct mate.


32.Kb1

32.bxc5 Qxa2 33.Qh6 also seems to give White the win because of the deadly threat of playing Rxg6, but in a
practical game giving Black a passed a-pawn and allowing ...Qb2+ is a really difficult thing to do.

32...cxb4 33.Qd4

Of course White is still winning, but the game goes on and actually it is Black who is now a pawn up.

33...Bf5?!

Giving White the chance to finish the game in a beautiful way.

Black can continue the fight with 33...Qc7, with the idea of playing ...c5 next, looking for practical chances.

34.e6!

A typical but beautiful move!

34...Rxg4

34...Qxe6 35.Nxh7 wins on the spot as well.

35.exf7 Rxd4

Black is a rook up, but...


36.Ne8! 1–0

and there is no way to stop f8=Q. This game is clearly a beauty!

GAME 18
L. Nisipeanu-D (2669)
Z. Kozul (2591)
European Championship
Gjakova, KOS
19.05.2016 [B67]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are going to see a great attacking game by Nisipeanu with very beautiful sacrifices! It is anything but easy to win a
game against Kozul in his favorite Classical Sicilian, which has been his pet opening for many, many years and on
which he wrote an interesting book.

1.e4

When you play 1.e4 against Kozul you can be sure of his answer!

1...c5

Of course!

2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6

and as expected we are in the Classical Variation, where Kozul has played already countless games with the black
pieces.

6.Bg5
Clearly the most critical move, entering the Rauzer attack.

6...e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 Bd7

Now White has to choose between the modern 9.f4 and the slightly old-fashioned 9.f3.

9.f3

I remember that as a young boy I was working with my trainer quite seriously on the Rauzer with 9.f3, which often
leads to tricky positions which are hard to evaluate. Of course the main ideas are simple; White will play g4-g5 and
push the h-pawn and Black is clearly ready to play ...b5.

9...b5

The most logical.

10.Kb1

A typical prophylactic move.

10...Be7

It is too early for 10...b4?! because of 11.Nxc6! Bxc6 12.Ne2 and White will play Nd4 with tempo next.

11.Be3

This looks like a loss of tempo, but in fact it is a normal move. Maybe 11.h4!? is a possibility too and only if Black
continues with 11...h6 go back to e3 with the bishop.

11...Rb8

I am not convinced this move is really needed. Leading to an interesting position is 11...b4 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.Ne2 and
Black uses the moment to play 13...d5!? 14.e5 Nd7 15.Nd4 Bb7 16.f4 0-0 and we are in a position which arises from
time to time from the French Defense;
11...Rc8 to my point of view deserves attention, as does 11...h5!?

12.g4

White starts his play.

12...h6

Black cannot allow g5.

13.Nxc6

Logical, but White has another option: I think 13.h4 with the idea of paying Bd3 or Qg2 next followed by g5 is also
interesting.

13...Bxc6 14.Ne2

The white knight heads to d4.

14...Nd7

Very typical play by Black. On the one hand he defends against h4-g5 and on the other hand he prepares to play ...d5
or ...Ne5-Nc4.

15.Nd4 Ba8 16.h4

Now g5 is on its way.

16...Ne5

Probably the best move. 16...d5 doesn’t work: 17.exd5 Bxd5 18.Nf5! Bxf3 19.Nxg7+ Kf8 20.Nxe6+ fxe6 21.Qf2 and
White is just winning;
16...Bxh4 doesn’t work either because after 17.g5! White wins an exchange with 17...hxg5 18.Bxg5

17.b3

An interesting approach. White just decides to stop ...Nc4 forever, but the c3-square is weakened. I think 17.Qg2 with
the idea of playing g5 next also deserves attention. 17...Nc4 18.Bc1 and White is very solid on the queenside.

17...0-0?

This logical move looks like a mistake to me as Black allows White direct play against the king.
I think it is smarter to play 17...Rc8 followed by ...Qc7 first, and only then think about castling.

18.Rg1!

A great move! 18.g5 is premature here. 18...h5! 19.Bh3 This is possible as well, but the position is not so clear.
19...g6!? Black has stopped White’s play and will now come into the game along the c-file.

18...Bxh4

What else to do?! White wants to play g5-g6 or maybe even think about Bxh6.

19.g5

White starts a deadly attack!

19...hxg5

The exchanges are forced.

20.Bxg5 Bxg5 21.Rxg5

What to do next for Black? The bishop on a8 is totally out of the game and White just wants to play f4 next and later
on bring the rook from d1 into the attack.

21...Qf6

Kozul attempts to consolidate the defensive lines but the position is already very dangerous.

22.Bh3

White brings all his pieces into the attack, but he also has a more direct approach: White could continue instead with
22.f4!? Nc4 Maybe this is why Nisipeanu decided against it, but I believe White should be clearly better here.
(22...Ng6 23.f5! looks too scary for Black. 23...Ne5 24.fxe6 fxe6 25.Bh3 and Black’s position seems to be falling
apart.) 23.bxc4 bxc4+ 24.Ka1 Bxe4 25.Bg2 and a piece is a piece.

22...Rfe8

Black frees the f8-square for his king and at the same time prepares to defend the e6-pawn. 22...Ng6 23.Rdg1 Rbe8
gives White a lot of options but maybe the simplest one is to prepare a mate on the h-file with 24.Rh1! and Black’s
position looks very bad.

23.Rdg1 Ng6

24.Bf5!

A beautiful move!

24...exf5 25.exf5 Ne7

Black tries to save himself but blunders into a very beautiful tactical blow. In the event of 25...Re5 26.fxg6 Rxg5
27.gxf7+ Kxf7 28.Rxg5 material is equal and White’s attack still rolls on when Black is in big trouble.
Maybe the best move is 25...Ne5 26.f4 Chasing the knight. (26.Rxg7+ is not as effective here: 26...Qxg7 27.Rxg7+
Kxg7 28.Qg5+ Kf8 and there is no more mate. 29.f6 Red8 30.Qg7+ Ke8 But of course White’s attack is still very
strong with 31.f4!) 26...Nf3 27.Nxf3 Bxf3 28.Rxg7+ Qxg7 29.Rxg7+ Kxg7 30.Qc3+ Kf8 31.Qxf3 and in the long-
term White’s position should be winning here.

26.Rxg7+ Kf8

26...Qxg7 loses to 27.Rxg7+ Kxg7 28.Qg5+ followed by f6 next with mate.

27.Qh2

A good move, but White misses a beautiful finish...


27.Ne6+! fxe6 and now the calm 28.fxe6!! It’s amazing, but Black loses on the spot! 28...Qxg7 29.Qf4+ Kg8
30.Qf7+ Chess can be beautiful!

27...Nd5

White still has close to a winning position after 27...Qxg7 28.Rxg7 Kxg7 29.Qg3+ Kf8 30.f6 and the black king is in
big trouble.

28.Rxf7+!!

A fantastic blow!

28...Qxf7
28...Kxf7 29.Qh7+ leads to a direct mate.

29.Qxd6+

Black has a lot of extra material but his position is just hopeless...

29...Re7

After any other intervention, e7 White would continue with Qh6.

30.Qxb8+ Qe8 31.Qd6 1–0

The threats of Qh6 and Ne6 are deadly, so Black resigned. A great game by Nisipeanu, who had the right strategy: a
nice pawn sacrifice on h4 and a very beautiful finish with 28.Rxf7!!

GAME 19
A. Salem (2617)
M. Siva (2352)
Abu Dhabi Masters
21.08.2016 [B95]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
A very nice attacking game was won by the highly creative GM from the United Arab Emirates, so let’s take a look at it.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5

The most aggressive system against the Sicilian Najdorf.

6...e6 7.Qf3

A rare move with the main intention being to avoid the Poisoned Pawn variation, which is considered to be fine for
Black according to the latest developments in theory. 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 This is the Poisoneed Pawn
variation and the beginning of lines with huge complications. Many lines finish at move 25-30, and good memory is
required, but at the end Black is doing well.

7...Nbd7 8.0-0-0 Qc7!


The usual development. Black wants to play ...b5-...Bb7, which is not possible right away because of e5.

9.Bd3

This is a typical setup in many lines of the Bg5 Najdorf, with the only difference that White plays first f4 before
developing the queen to f3. Of course, that would be a much better version, but White hopes to get something very
similar after playing Qg3-f4 in the next few moves.

9...b5! 10.a3

The point of 8...Qc7 is that after 10.e5? Black can play 10...Bb7

10...Bb7 11.Rhe1 Be7 12.Qg3 Rc8?!

A slightly careless move, which allows an unexpected tactical blow. Black should play instead 12...0-0! King safety
first before starting other actions. 13.f4 White is threatening e5, but Black can successfully parry it by (13.Bh6 is
harmless in view of 13...Nh5 or 13...Ne8 is also good.) 13...Rfd8! Counterattacking the d4-knight is a typical trick in
the Sicilian. Black is doing well in the concrete lines: 14.e5 (After the preparation with 14.Kb1 Nc5 and the d4 will be
hanging after e5.) 14...dxe5 15.fxe5
15...Nxe5! This is the point! Many pieces are hanging but Black always takes one more. The main problem is the
unfortunate placement of the white king, as if it was on b1 he could choose between different wins... 16.Rxe5 (For
example after 16.Bf4 Nxd3+ is hanging with check!) 16...Rxd4 17.Bxh7+ (If 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Bxh7+ with the idea of
winning the queen with Rh5, but Black can ignore the sacrifice and win the game 18...Kf8!–+) 17...Nxh7! The right
recapture and g5 is hanging. 18.Rxd4 Nxg5 19.Rxg5

19...Bxg5+! and again, this capture appears with check! 20.Qxg5 Qxh2µ Black ends up with an extra pawn.

13.Bxf6!

White already foresees the following sacrifice...

13...Nxf6
14.Ncxb5!!

It is impossible to foresee all the consequences, but White knows that he gets 3 pawns for the sacrificed peace, the
black king is stuck in the center and the lines and diagonals are opening in front of him.

14...axb5

Black accepts the sacrifice, which seems to be a mistake. He should be the one who sacrifices a pawn and simply
ignoring the piece with 14...Qb6 15.Nc3 The b-file is opened in front of the king, but the most important factor is the
gain of the dark-squared bishop. Black has adequate compensation for the pawn 15...0-0! Having in mind to sacrifice
the exchange on c3 to destroy the pawn structure in front of the king. Comparing the two positions, this one and the one
which arose in the game, Black is a pawn down now, but in a practical game it is much easier to lead his pieces in the
attack. In the game, White is slightly behind materially, but his attack is so enormous that in practical game, Black’s
task is much harder. Therefore, Black should have chosen this continuation.

15.Qxg7 Rf8

Black protects the f7-pawn. If 15...Rg8 16.Bxb5+ Bc6 The only move, but it is also bad. (16...Kd8 17.Qxf7+–)
17.Bxc6+ Qxc6 18.Qxg8+! Nxg8 19.Nxc6 Rxc6 20.c3± Three pawns and a rook are clearly worth more than the two
pieces. White slowly makes progress with Kc2 and a4-b4.

16.e5!

After opening the d- and e-files, the white rooks can join the game with full power.

16...dxe5

The alternative is even worse: 16...Nd5 17.Bxb5+ Kd8 18.c4! White simply wants to play Kb1 after which the d5-
knight which closes the d-file has to leave and Black collapses. He has a free move, but he can do nothing satisfactory
against it. 18...dxe5 19.Rxe5 Qb6 20.Kb1+–
17.Bxb5+ Nd7 18.Rxe5!

The situation has temporarily simplified. White has 3 pawns for the sacrificed knight, which is already enough
materially and the king on e8 is potentially in big danger. White must solve the problem around the c2-square, after
which he creates different decisive threats on the d7-square with knight jumps.

18...Bd5

The only move; Black tries to close the d-file.

19.Kb1

A cold-blooded follow-up. On the other hand, White is not forced into any drastic measures as he is doing fine
materially. He can think about playing c4 at some point, opening the d-file.

19...Rb8

Black feels that the main enemy is the bishop on b5. If Black tries to get rid of the bishop with 19...Bc4 20.Ba4! White
saves the bishop and maintains the pressure on the d7-square. 20...Ra8
21.Nb5! Qb7 (21...Qxe5 22.Qxe5 Nxe5 23.Nc7# is some kind of ‘double-check-mate’! :)) 22.Nc7+! Qxc7
23.Bxd7+ Qxd7 24.Rxd7 Kxd7 25.Rh5± White is already ahead materially and he is threatening Qd4 check, plus he
can take another pawn on h7 whenever he wants.
19...Qb7 is suggested by the computer, but the attack is strong enough after 20.a4! freeing the d4-knight to jump to f5
or e6 by overprotecting the b5-bishop. 20...Kd8 (White does not have Ba4 now, but he wins after 20...Bc4 21.Nf5!
exf5 22.Rxd7 Qxd7 23.Bxd7+ Kxd7 24.Rxf5± It is soon going to be 6 vs 1 pawns.) 21.Re2 Rc7 (An attempt to hide the
king artificially on the queenside loses to

21...Kc7 22.Nxe6+! Bxe6 (22...fxe6 23.Qxe7+–) 23.Rxe6!+–) 22.f4!± Quite a difficult move to find for a human, but
the strength of f5 is just too much. Black can hardly survive such a position.

20.Re3
20.Rxd5!? exd5 21.Re1! is a very strong alternative. Black is a rook up, but his pieces are totally pinned and Nc6 or
Nf5 are decisive threats. 21...Rxb5 22.Nxb5±

20...Kd8 21.Bxd7!?

White has other tempting moves as well, but Salem foresees another very nice sacrifice and he goes for it...

21...Kxd7

The only move is 21...Qxd7 although the position remains more than suspicious after 22.c4! Qa4

(22...Bxc4 23.Nc6++–) 23.Qg4! Protecting the d1-rook in order to keep the important d-file under control. Black
loses material because of the pin. 23...Bxa3 (23...f5 24.Qe2+–; 23...Qxc4 24.Nxe6+! fxe6 25.Qxc4+–) 24.Rxa3!
Qxa3 25.Nc6+ The king has no good square to leave to, so has to move into another motif... 25...Kc7 26.Nxb8 Rxb8
27.Qf4+! Kc8 28.Qxb8+ Kxb8 29.bxa3+– is the end.

22.Nxe6!!

The decisive sacrifice, soon to be followed by the total destruction of the Black camp with the heavy pieces.

22...fxe6 23.Rxd5+! Ke8

23...Kc8 24.Rc3+–;
23...exd5 24.Rxe7++–

24.Rxe6+–

White already has 5 pawns for the piece and the attack keeps on rolling.

24...Rf7 25.Qg8+ Rf8 26.Qxh7

Well, this is already the 6th pawn for the piece!

26...Rxf2 27.Qg8+ Rf8 28.Qg6+ Rf7 29.Rf5 1–0

Black resigned! A model game for the Bg5 system in the Najdorf.

GAME 20
F. Caruana (2823)
H. Nakamura (2779)
London Classic
15.12.2016 [B96]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
We find ourselves at a critical moment in the London Chess Classic, Nakamura needs to win if he wants to come back
closer to the leaders. He plays an interesting novelty, but Caruana finds a splendid idea and wins the game with brio.
Let’s looks at this beautiful game...

1.e4 c5

No Berlin Defense today! Nakamura takes a risk as he wants a real fight on the board.

2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6

The starting position of the Sicilian Najdorf, where White has to decide which system to play.

6.Bg5

The first surprise! Caruana goes for the Rauzer attack, a very tactical line... In the database, he had never previously
used this line.

6...e6 7.f4

Caruana immediately shows his intentions — it will be a very tactical game!


7...h6 8.Bh4 Qb6 9.a3

I like this plan for White, avoiding all the lines with ...Qxb2 and with the idea of putting his bishop on f2.

9...Be7

9...Qxb2?? 10.Na4! wins the queen with this beautiful trick.

10.Bf2 Qc7 11.Qf3

White plays classically, the queen moving to a good square behind the pawns, preparing the long castle and then
attacking on the kingside.

11...Nbd7 12.0-0-0 b5 13.g4

Caruana begins his attack!

13.e5? Bb7µ

13...g5

A thematic reaction from Black, stopping the advance of White’s pawns.

14.h4 gxf4 15.Be2 b4N

Played instantly by Hikaru. It is very interesting to understand why Black has to play b5-b4 and we will see the reason
a few moves later. 15...Ne5 If Black goes for the same variation with the pawn on b5, it just loses... 16.Qxf4 Nexg4
17.Bxg4 e5 18.Nd5! The key move. 18...Nxd5 19.Qf3 Bxg4 20.Qxg4 Nf6 21.Qf3 exd4 22.Bxd4 and White will take
back the knight on f6 with a crushing position.

16.axb4

Caruana has no choice, so he accepts the sacrifice.


16...Ne5

Nakamura continues to show his preparation.

17.Qxf4 Nexg4

And Nakamura begins the tactical complications.

18.Bxg4 e5

The queen and the bishop are under attack and. Black expects to take back the piece on g4.

19.Qxf6!

Fantastic!! Caruana goes for a magical queen sacrifice. 19.Nd5?? Nxd5 20.Qf3 Nxb4 And here is the whole idea
behind ...b5-b4: now the knight on d5 can just take the pawn and obtain a winning position.

19...Bxf6 20.Nd5

And the knight jumps into this beautiful spot.

20...Qd8

Black has to protect his bishop on f6.

21.Nf5!!

A terrible surprise for Nakamura...after this move, he thought for 40 minutes! 21.Nc6 Bxg4 22.Nxd8 Bxd8∞ Without
doubt, this was Nakamura’s preparation leading to an interesting endgame where Black has some chances.

21...Rb8?

A passive move. It was more important to eliminate this strong knight on f5, so 21...Bxf5 was better. 22.Bxf5 Be7
23.Bb6 Qb8 24.Nc7+ Kf8 25.Nxa8 Qxa8 26.Be3 leads to an excellent position for White.

22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Rxd6

Caruana takes back some material bit-by-bit.

23...Be6

24.Rhd1

The queen on d6 is completely dominated by White’s minor pieces.

24...0-0 25.h5±

An excellent move to fix the black pawn on h6 and White’s position is fantastic. The compensation for the queen
deficit is already huge.

25...Qg5+

Nakamura hates his position: he just doesn’t know what to do... 25...Rxb4 26.Bh4 Bxf5 27.Bxf6 Bxg4 28.Re1 Kh7
29.Rxa6 giving White a very good endgame with a monster bishop on f6.

26.Be3

Placing the bishop on a perfect spot attacking the h6- target.

26...Qf6 27.Nxh6+

Collecting the pawn.

27...Kh8 28.Bf5
A precise move to open the g-file.

28...Qe7?

Losing on the spot, but the position is so difficult to play with no plan for Black and so many threats for White.
28...Rfe8 29.Rg1 Rxb4 30.Rxa6 leads to a crushing position.

29.b5?!

29.Nxf7+! wins immediately: 29...Qxf7 30.Rxe6 Qxh5 31.Rh6++–

29...Qe8 30.Nxf7+!

but Caruana doesn’t miss it again. Black’s position now completely falls apart.

30...Rxf7 31.Rxe6 Qxb5


32.Rh6+ 1–0

and the black king is now without protection. What a game by Caruana!! This queen sacrifice is just beautiful. As we
saw, White’s minor pieces were just too strong for the black queen. Maybe the game of the year 2016! 32.Rh6+ Kg8
33.Rg1+ Kf8 34.Rh8+ Ke7 35.Rxb8 Qxb8 36.Bc5+ Kd8 37.Rg8+ winning the queen.
GAME 21
A. Giri (2790)
Vachier M. Lagrave (2788)
Norway Chess, Stavanger
20.04.2016 [B96]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
After making 14 draws out of 14 games at the Candidates, Giri started the Norway super-event with a rather easy win
against Eljanov with the white pieces. Now in the second round he has to face a very tough opponent from France.
Maxime had a fantastic last year, rising to World number 5. He is also known for playing very sharp chess, being a
great blitz player and feeling comfortable in complications. In the current game it seems like Giri managed to catch the
Frenchman in a very important line in the Najdorf, which is Maxime’s favorite opening. But by playing 15...Rg8, which
I think is a bad move, he managed to take Giri out of book and White continued with the very unfortunate 16.Rdg1,
after which Black crushed White in just 12 moves! A very interesting game lies ahead of us...

1.e4

Giri also likes to start his games with 1.c4 and 1.d4, which makes preparation against him extremely difficult.

1...c5

And as expected we see the Sicilian.

2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5

This is clearly the sharpest line of the Najdorf.

6...e6 7.f4

Here Black has two options: to firstly play ...h6 and then ...Qb6, or ...Qb6 immediately. The differences are small but
important.

7...h6

Maxime follows his usual line. After 7...Qb6 White doesn’t have the same reply available as in the game, but now
there are three main moves: 8.Qd2, 8.Qd3 and 8.Nb3, all with very complicated positions and long theoretical lines.

8.Bh4 Qb6 9.a3

This is of course not a novelty, but is a rather rarely-played move.

9...Be7

Of course the pawn on b2 cannot be taken because of Na4 and the black queen is caught.

10.Bf2 Qc7 11.Qf3

The most aggressive approach.


11...Nbd7

Maxime doesn’t repeat his game against Grischuk from London 2015. Five years ago I also had the current position on
the board against Maxime, where he continued with 11...Nc6, which is also a possible development for the black
knight. 11...b5 12.g4 Nc6 13.0-0-0 Bb7 14.h4 d5 15.e5 Ne4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qc3 with very unclear play. Grischuk-
Vachier Lagrave, London 2015

12.0-0-0 b5 13.g4

Black plays on the queenside, while White does his thing on the kingside.

13...g5

An interesting move! Black immediately starts the fight for the dark squares. 13...Bb7 14.Bg2 would lead to a more
standard development. The position is very sharp.

14.h4!

Giri had prepared this very strong reply, as he played it almost instantly. Impressive preparation from the Dutch
player!

14...gxf4

Black has no choice.


15.Be2!!

The key move of the entire line! White threatens g5 next and it is unclear how Black can stop it. White should not
hurry with 15.g5?! Ne5! (15...hxg5? 16.hxg5 Rxh1 17.Qxh1 Ng4 and White has the beautiful tactical shot 18.Nxe6!
fxe6 19.Qh5+ Kd8 20.Qxg4 with a winning position.) 16.Qxf4 (16.Qg2 Nfg4 and Black is perfectly fine.) 16...Nfg4!
Attacking the bishop on f2 — Black’s main enemy, who is holding things together on the kingside. Black is fine here.
(16...hxg5 would be a mistake. 17.hxg5! Rxh1 18.gxf6 Black is an exchange up, but the bishop on e7 is under attack and
White also wants to play Bxb5+ and win back the exchange. 18...Ng6 19.Qg5 Rxf1 20.Rxf1 Bf8 21.Rh1 with a clear
edge for White.)

15...Rg8?!

In a very complicated position Maxime takes the human decision to try and stop White from playing g5, but does it
really work? He was also lucky that Giri was out of book, as he had clearly not expected 15...Rg8. I think the main
move to calculate is 15...d5 but still in this complex position White seems to be better. 16.exd5 Ne5 17.Qh3!? A smart
choice. (17.Ncxb5? axb5 18.Nxb5 Qb8 19.Qc3 and Black wins with the beautiful
19...Ne4! 20.Nc7+ Kf8 21.Qxe5 Bf6 followed by ...Qxb2; 17.d6 leads to a crazy line: 17...Nxf3 18.dxc7 Ne5
19.Ndxb5 axb5 20.Bd4 Nc6 21.Bxb5 Bb7 and it is impossible to evaluate such a position.) 17...exd5 18.Nf5 (18.Rhe1
also leads to unclear play.) 18...Bxf5 19.gxf5 0-0-0 White continues with dynamic play. 20.Nxd5 Nxd5 (20...Rxd5
21.Rxd5 Nxd5 22.f6+ Kb8 23.fxe7 looks dangerous for Black.) 21.f6+ Kb8 22.fxe7 Nxe7 and

23.a4! Opening the position of the black king even more. I think White should be better here.
15...Ne5 doesn’t work because after 16.Qxf4 Nexg4 17.Bxg4 e5 White has a counterblow: 18.Nd5! Nxd5 19.Qf3 and
the domination on the light squares plus the bad position of the black king in the center give White a very strong attack.

16.Rdg1?

Played after almost 40 minutes of thinking. White should have continued with 16.g5 hxg5
17.hxg5 and now Black has two choices, but neither leads to anything pleasant. 17...Rxg5 (17...Ne5 18.Qxf4 Nfd7
19.Rh5 and White is clearly better.) 18.Rh8+ Rg8 19.Rxg8+ Nxg8 Now White has to find a beautiful win with

20.Qg2! It is important to have the queen on g2 before playing e5. 20...Ngf6 21.e5! dxe5 (21...Bb7 22.Nxe6 fxe6
23.Qg6+ with a deadly attack.) 22.Nxe6! fxe6 23.Ne4 and the black king has no escape from White’s mating attack.

16...d5!

Black has to act quickly against the g5-threat and this is what Maxime is doing.

17.exd5 Ne5

The black pieces are getting out.


18.Qh3 exd5

19.Re1

Another unfortunate move as the rook has nothing to do on e1. It was already too late for 19.Nf5 like in the variations
above, because the white rook is now on g1 and not on d1. 19...Bxf5 20.gxf5 Rxg1+ 21.Rxg1 0-0-0 and Black is simply
better;
19.Bf3 would still lead to a complex position but it is clear that White has already gone very wrong.

19...Kf8!

An excellent decision! Before starting action with ...h5 or maybe ...b4, Black puts the king out of danger.

20.Nf5

It is hard to give White any advice as Black’s position is just much better.

20...Bxf5 21.gxf5 Bc5!

Black continues playing very powerful moves. By exchanging the dark-squared bishop he wants to get a much better
endgame in the worst case, and in the best case to mate the white king by playing ...d4 next or ...Rg3 at some point.

22.Qf1

Of course this is losing, but what else to do?!

22...d4 23.Nb1

The game is over now. Maybe White should have tried 23.Rh3 although of course the position is close to lost, for
example after 23...Rc8, but at least many pieces are still on the board, which gives some practical chances.
23...Ne4

All the black pieces join the mating attack.

24.Bf3 Nxf2 25.Bxa8

and here comes the beautiful final blow:

25...Ned3+! 26.Kd2

26.cxd3 leads to a nice mate: 26...Bxa3+ 27.Kd2 Bb4+ 28.Ke2 f3+! 29.Kxf3 Qg3+ 30.Ke2 Qe3#

26...Nxe1

Material is even and Black still has a mating attack.

27.Qxf2 d3 28.Qxe1 Be3+ 0–1

White’s suffering is over. A very difficult loss for Giri, especially since his preparation was great and he just
misplayed it with 16.Rdg1 — but of course huge credit goes to Maxime for using his chances and playing a great game.

GAME 22
V. Kramnik (2808)
B. Gelfand (2743)
Tal Memorial
Moscow RUS
02.10.2016 [B96]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Kramnik has frequently started to play 1.e4 nowadays. Here we are going to see his exceptional theoretical knowledge
and his fantastic endgame technique.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6

A few days previously, Gelfand was caught in the opening by Anand when he employed the Sveshnikov Defense. This
time he turns to his other pet weapon, the Sicilian Najdorf, but as we will see, he gets out-prepared again!

3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5

The sharpest system against the Najdorf.

6...e6 7.f4

Black has several options here. The most critical according to current opening theory is the “Poisoned Pawn” variation
with 7...Qb6. However Gelfand goes for his old pet system.

7...Nbd7 8.Qe2

The new direction. White supports the e5-break and the f1-bishop is going to develop later to the long diagonal after
White has launched his attack with g4. 8.Qf3 is the old main line.

8...Qc7 9.0-0-0 b5

10.a3

This move is always a question in the Sicilian Defence. To allow ...b4 or to prevent it?! At this moment White is not
willing to put his knight to the edge of the board because Na4 can be met by ...Bb7, when first of all it is not easy to
deal with the e4-pawn and ...Nc5 could come at any moment. The other typical option is the sacrifice on d5 to open the
e-file on the king, but here White does not get enough compensation. Therefore in this line, White has to play a3,
usually the only drawback is if Black can execute the ...b4 break, when the b-file opens almost immediately for the
heavy pieces.

10...Bb7 11.g4 Rc8


11...Be7 is the main move according to theory, but White’s chances seems to be preferable here as well.

12.Bxf6!

Black does not have a good recapture. He either damages his pawn structure or, after taking with the knight, White
gains some very important tempi in the attack.

12...gxf6

12...Nxf6 looks even worse 13.g5 Nd7 14.f5 Black cannot hold the e6-square (White can put further pressure on it
with Bh3) and after ...e5, he makes a big hole on d5 and cannot really finish his development on the kingside, because
the f5-g5 pawns are already there. (14.h4!? the standard h5-g6 plan also arrives very quickly.) 14...e5 15.Nb3

13.h4!

A great multi-purpose move. White also supports his future attack with g5, but the main idea is to bring an extremely
useful defender to the game along the third rank. The rook on h3 can be dropped at any moment to the queenside, and it
also prevents the typical exchange sacrifices on c3.

13...Qb6

Apart from the destructive exchange sacrifice idea on c3, Black wants to open the b-file. The predecessor of this game
continued with 13...h6 Grischuk when already showed all the main ideas for White: 14.Rh3! Rg8 15.Kb1 Qb6 16.f5! e5
17.Nb3 with a clear plus due to his the space advantage, the poor dark-squared bishop and the d5-square, Grischuk-
Wang Hao, Beijing 2013.

14.Rh3! h5!

A clever idea: Black wants to activate his dark-squared bishop. If White takes on h5, ...Bh6 can be played, while g5 is
met by ...fxg5 followed by ...Bg7.
14...b4? does not work thanks to the excellent position of the h3-rook: 15.axb4 Qxb4
16.Nd5! A typical Sicilian sacrifice. This time not only with the idea of opening the e-file but also swinging the rook
to the queenside. 16...exd5 (On 16...Qa5 17.Ra3! is strong.) 17.exd5+ Kd8 18.Rb3! wins back the sacrificed piece
18...Qa5 19.Rxb7 Qa1+ 20.Kd2+–

15.f5!

Another typical Sicilian motif. By forcing ...e5, White creates a hole on d5, which will be a long-term positional
weakness.

15...e5

15...Bh6+ 16.Kb1 and Black does not have time to transfer his bishop via f4-e5 as the fall of the e6-pawn is decisive.
Without this, the bishop on f6 does not do too much and after Rhd3 it should return to its initial position;
15...hxg4 16.Qxg4 e5 transposes to the game.

16.Nb3 hxg4 17.Qxg4 b4

Black must search for counterplay on the queenside.

18.axb4 Qxb4 19.Kb1!

The standard Sicilian prophylactic move to ensure the safety of the king. White also departs from any ...Bh6 check,
just in case.

19...Nb6

Black creates the threat of ...d5-d4, trying to make use of the pin on the 4th rank and he also wants to trade knights
sometimes on a4, to make the e4-pawn more vulnerable. 19...a5 in connection with ...a4-a3 is a consequent follow-up to
the entire Black’s strategy, however it can be perfectly countered by 20.Nc1! when all White’s previous defensive
moves play an important role. The rook protects the c3-knight and the king secured a regrouping spot for the knight to
neutralize the attack. 20...a4 21.N1a2 Qa5 22.Bb5± and Black is in trouble. White has full control over the queenside.

20.Qe2!

Kramnik was still blitzing out the moves! Amazing! White escapes from the ...d5-threat and transfers his queen to f2,
from where it always annoys Black on the b6- and a7-squares.

20...Bh6

If 20...Na4 21.Nd5! Bxd5 22.Rxd5 suddenly the a6-pawn becomes a real target. Black cannot continue his attack:
22...Rc6 23.Ra5±;
20...Nc4 21.Qf2 The sacrifices do not work on b2 thanks again to the rook on h3.

21.Qf2 Rc6?

Black wants to secure the position of his b6-knight, although Na2 was not yet a threat because of ...Qxe4 and the c2-
pawn hangs. The position was bad anyway, but now it becomes lost after some strong moves... If Black tries 21...Na4
22.Nxa4 Qxa4 23.Rxd6! at first sight the trade of the e4-pawn for d6 helps Black, however a closer look shows us that
after the opening of the position, the black king on e8 becomes vulnerable. 23...Bxe4 24.Bd3‚;
21...Ke7 is another logical move to connect the rooks, but it allows the tactical blow...
22.Bxa6! Bxa6 23.Qxb6! Qxb6 24.Nd5++– winning a pawn.

22.Na2! Qa4

On 22...Qxe4 the easiest is 23.Na5 (although 23.Bg2 is also good). After 23...Rc7 24.Rc3! Rxc3 25.Nxc3+– we can
see the misplacement of the black minor pieces.

23.Rc3!

After trading the defender of the b6-knight, the black pieces lose their coordination.

23...Ke7
Black tries to drop his h8-rook to the queenside, but after the simplifications he finds himself in a lost endgame.
23...Nd7 24.Qa7+– is also bad.

24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Na5 Qc7 26.Nxb7 Qxb7 27.Nb4

White could also win by playing 27.Bxa6!? Qxa6 28.Nb4 Qb7 29.Qxb6! Qxb6 30.Nd5++–

27...Rb8

28.Qxb6!

Kramnik simplifies the game into a technically-winning position. The computer shows that 28.Bxa6! leads to a
concrete win in all the lines, but of course from a practical point of view it is easy to miscalculate something in this
kind of line and suddenly the evaluation of the position might change, while in the game the position is just winning in
the long-term... 28...Qxe4 29.Nd5+! Kf8 (29...Nxd5 30.Qa7++– is the point.) 30.Nxf6! (Not 30.Nxb6 Be3 and Black
is back in the game.) 30...Qc6 (30...Qa4 31.Rxd6! Qxa6 32.Nd7++–) 31.Rg1+– Rg8 is coming or after ...Ke7-Ng8
wins.

28...Qxb6 29.Nd5+ Kf8

29...Kd7 keeping the king on the queenside to secure the a6-pawn leaves the f7-pawn undefended, as well as a rook
possibly penetrating on the g-file. 30.Nxb6+ Rxb6 31.c3+– followed by Bc4 will be similar to the game.

30.Nxb6 Rxb6
31.c3!

The material is balanced and there are opposite-colored bishops on the board, however Black is lost. How is it
possible? First of all, because the f7-f6 pawns can hardly be calculated as full pawns, we can calmly say that White is a
pawn up. Secondly, he already has a passed pawn on the h-file and, last but not the least, Black is helpless against the
Kc2-Ra1 plan — after which Black wins another pawn and obtains a second passer. The black bishop has no chance to
join to the game and play an important role. It is also important to mention that there are also a pair of rooks on the
board and White decides whether he wants to trade or not, but while they are there, salvation in an opposite-colored
bishop endgame is not an option for Black.

31...Be3

31...a5 is met by 32.Rd5! a4 33.Ra5+–

32.Kc2 Kg7 33.b4

There is nothing wrong with 33.Ra1+–

33...Kh6

Here is another instructive illustrative winning line: If Black goes 33...Bf2 34.Bc4 Bxh4 35.Kd3 Kf8 (35...Bf2 36.Rf1
chases the bishop from the diagonal.) 36.Rh1 Bf2 37.Rh2 Bg3 (37...Bg1 38.Rg2+– the bishop is trapped.) 38.Rh8+
Ke7 39.Ra8+– Now Ra7 is coming and the black pawns start to fall. All Black’s pieces and pawns are just horrible,
while White has total domination.

34.Bc4 Bf2 35.Rh1

White now does not even give up his h-pawn.

35...Rc6 36.Kb3 Rb6 37.Kc2


To avoid some ...a5 after which Black could hope for some blockade on the dark squares.

37...Rc6 38.Kd3

Bxf7 or Ra1 may appear next.

38...Rc7 39.Bxa6 Kh5 40.Bc4 Ra7

If 40...Bxh4 41.Bd5 White is ready to advance his pawn to b7. 41...Kg4

Trying to get the bishop to the game through f2, but White plays the preventative 42.Rf1! Kg3 43.b5 Kg2 Black tries
to get his bishop to f2 at any cost, but he is too late 44.b6+–

41.Bd5 Kh6 42.h5

The rest is just a matter of technique: White has all the time in the world to improve his position.

42...Bb6 43.Kc4 Be3 44.Kb3 Bb6 45.Rh2 Be3 46.Re2 Bb6


Kramnik calculates the most direct way to win the game:

47.Ra2!

Trading rooks followed by promoting the b-pawn with the support of the king.

47...Rxa2 48.Kxa2 Kxh5 49.Kb3!

Taking on f7 just costs White two tempi and that pawn is completely useless, it is as if it is not even there...

49...Bf2 50.Ka4 Kh6 51.Kb5 Kg7 52.Kc6 Kf8

Black must try to stop the pawn, but he is just too slow.

53.b5 Ke7 54.Kc7! 1–0

Preventing ...Kd8 and the pawn promotes, so Black resigned.

GAME 23
H. Nakamura (2779)
M. Vachier-Lagrave (2804)
London Classic
16.12.2016 [B96]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
After his terrible loss the previous day against Caruana, Nakamura wanted to show his fighting spirit — again playing a
Najdorf, but this time with White. The task was difficult because his opponent — ‘MVL’ — is a specialist in this
opening. As expected, the game was a crazy one -but the American played a beautiful and crushing idea with 18.Nf5!!
Let’s see it...

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6
The French player heads for his pet line, the Najdorf.

3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5

Interesting! Nakamura plays the same line as Caruana did the day before against him...the Rauzer Attack.

6...e6 7.f4

Taking the center and controlling a maximum of squares.

7...h6 8.Bh4

It’s almost self-evident, but exchanging the bishop against the knight is not an option at all.

8...Qb6

A typical move in the Rauzer; Black leaves from the pin and activates his queen looking at the b2-pawn.

9.a3

Avoiding the capture on b2.

9...Be7

9...Qxb2?? 10.Na4+–

10.Bf2

A nice maneuver to put the bishop on f2 attacking the queen.

10...Qc7 11.Qf3

Developing the queen to a good spot and preparing to long castle.

11...Nbd7 12.0-0-0

Black’s attack on the queenside is far from dangerous, so Caruana logically opts for the ‘long castle’.

12...b5 13.g4

Here we go! A third soldier joins the e-and f- pawns!

13...Bb7

Both sides finish their development. 13...g5 was the move tried by Nakamura the day before against Caruana...but
without success!

14.Bg2

Fighting for the long diagonal h1–a8.

14...Rc8 15.Kb1

Always an important move in many Sicilians. The main reason is to avoid any checkmate on c2.
15...g5

A typical move in the Najdorf, Black fights for the dark squares on the kingside.

16.Qh3

An excellent move to avoid problems on the diagonal with the bishop on b7 and also taking advantage of the h8-rook
being without protection.

16...Nc5?

A big mistake from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. He told me after the game he simply forgot his preparation. 16...Nh7
17.e5!? (17.f5 e5 18.Nb3 Nhf6∞ and Black’s position looks very solid.) 17...Bxg2 18.Qxg2 gxf4 19.exd6 Bxd6
20.Rhe1 leads to a very sharp position.

17.Rhe1

And the rook takes up position on the file of the black king. All the pieces are now ready for the attack.

17...h5

Trying to find some play for the rook on h8.

17...gxf4 18.g5 Nfd7 19.g6± destroying the protection around the King.
18.Nf5!!

What a move!! A typical Najdorf sacrifice.

18...Ncxe4

‘MVL’ tries to complicate the position. 18...exf5 19.exf5 Nfe4 20.Bxc5 Nxc3+ 21.bxc3 Qxc5 22.f6+– and White gets
a winning attack.

19.Bxe4 Nxe4 20.Bd4

Attacking the rook on h8 and protecting his own knight on c3. A very accurate move, giving White a super position.

20...Rg8 21.Nxe7 Kxe7

It’s important to keep the queen on the c-file exerting pressure on the c2-pawn. 21...Nxc3+ 22.Bxc3 Qxe7 23.gxh5+–
and White obtains a lovely position with the poor black king in the center.

22.gxh5

This h-pawn, supported by the queen and the bishop, will be a major asset for Nakamura. 22.Nxe4 is not an option
because of 22...Bxe4 23.Bc3 (23.Rxe4?? Qxc2+–+) 23...hxg4 24.Qxg4 Qc4 and Black manages to stabilise the
situation.

22...gxf4 23.Qh4+

A tricky check, asking the question as to how Black wants to protect his king?

23...Kf8

23...f6 is surely the best way to defend, e.g. 24.Qxf4 Nxc3+ 25.Bxc3 e5 26.Qf5+– Qd7 27.Qh7+ Ke6 28.Qd3 when
White is clearly better, but Black has a solid center and the king is for the moment safe on e6!!

24.Ka1

A beautiful move to avoid any checks on c3 and c2. 24.h6 e5 25.h7 Rh8 26.Ka1 also wins.

24...b4

The French player offers his knight on e4 to open the position and find some counterplay.

25.Nxe4

Finally, Nakamura takes the piece on e4! 25.h6 bxc3 26.h7 e5 27.hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 28.Qh6 f6 29.Rg1+ Ng3 30.hxg3 f3
31.Bxc3+–

25...Bxe4 26.Rxe4 Qxc2 27.Ree1

White is now a piece up but his king is without protection. Accurate play is needed to win the game.

27...bxa3 28.Qxf4

An excellent move, controlling the a4-square. 28.bxa3?? Rg2–+


28...axb2+ 29.Bxb2

29...Rg5!

A very nice idea from ‘MVL’, threatening some dangerous checks on the a-file.

30.Qxd6+

30.Qxg5?? Qa4+ 31.Kb1 Qc2+ 32.Ka1 Qa4+=

30...Kg8
31.Rg1!

An important move to stop the big threat of ...Ra5.

31...Qa4+ 32.Ba3

Beautiful defense by Nakamura. He manages to stop all the checks with his bishop and queen.

32...Rxg1 33.Rxg1+ Kh7 34.Qd3+ Kh6

34...f5 35.Qd6 also winning.


34...Kh8 35.Qg3+–

35.Rg6+!

Forcing the king to take the h-pawn.

35...Kxh5 36.Rg1

And now the American brings back his rook, the h-file is now open, and Black can no longer escape.

36...f5 37.Qf3+ 1–0

What a high level game by the players. Nakamura found the beautiful Nf5, the French player found his best chances to
complicate the position, but then the American played perfectly and won an important victory.

GAME 24
V. Kramnik (2808)
G. Meier (2654)
Baku Olympiad
08.09.2016 [C11]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are now going to view a really spectacular game with a lot of sacrifices and beautiful tactical ideas with unbalanced
material on the board. Afterwards, the game calms down and Kramnik shows us fine technique in a better endgame. All
things considered, clearly one of the most fighting games of 2016!

1.e4

Kramnik is clearly a 1.d4/1.Nf3 player, but from time-to-time he also likes to try 1.e4. Maybe it all connected to
probably the worst loss of the entire career — and it was to Georg Meier and also in Dortmund, where Georg managed
to get almost a winning position as Black around move 20!

1...e6

Meier is famous for playing only the French. And believe me, he knows it maybe best in the whole world!

2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6

When Kramnik opens with 1.e4 we can be sure he has prepared something and especially when the preparation is
directed to only one opening. 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 Georg likes to play this line too, but it seems as though White is a
bit better here.

4.e5

The most critical move. The other main line is 4.Bg5 but now comes 4...dxe4 and it is not so easy to prove that White
has any opening advantage.

4...Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3

We are in the very main line, one in which Meier has played a lot of games.

7...a6

Currently the move 7...Qb6!? tends to lead unclear play with a lot of forced lines here.

8.Qd2 Be7
9.a3!?

White begins a quite tricky concept. The main move is 9.0-0-0

9...0-0 10.dxc5

This move is often a very normal idea for white. The whole concept of White’s play is based on conquering the d4-
square, and play against the bad bishop on c8. Theoretically the dream position for White is an endgame with a knight
vs the c8-bishop, which strategically is close to winning.

10...Nxc5 11.Qf2

White still doesn’t castle long but rather keeps the option of short castling.

11...b6

The most logical reply. Black protects the c5-knight and at the same time the bishop from c8 can be developed to b7
— after which somewhere ...Ne4 may be an option. In the event of 11...Qa5, very strong seems to be 12.Bd3! with the
idea of castling short, when b4 will be a threat.

12.b4

Making sense of the a3-move and pushing the knight back to d7, but on the other hand the white pawn structure is
weak now weakened. If instead 12.0-0-0 Qc7 and Black is doing fine because the move a3 seems to be useless.

12...Nd7 13.Bd3

White prepares to castle short, after which his space advantage will play a role. Also a typical idea for White is Ne2
with Ned4 next.

13...f6!
It is now or never! Black can’t afford to lose time and has to attack Whites center as quickly as possible.

14.Qg3

Solid. White protects the e5-pawn but I think White has another very interesting option: 14.Qh4! provoking Black into
closing the complications on the king-side 14...f5 (leading to a clearly worse position for Black is 14...h6 15.Qg4 f5
16.Qg6 and the e6-pawn is under attack) 15.Qf2 Qc7 (Black is not in time with the push 15...a5 16.b5 Na7 17.Na4
and Black can’t make use of the c5-square) 16.Na4! It is very important for White not to let Black play ...a5 (16.Ne2
a5 17.b5 Nd8 followed by ...Nc5 next with a very unclear position) 16...b5 17.Nb6 and because White has nice control
over the dark squares as well as the bishop on c8 remaining very passive, I think White should hold a solid plus here.

14...d4!?

Going into a fight! White now has ‘thousands’ of options!

In case of the more shy 14...Qc7, White is in time to stabilize matters with 15.Nd4! (15.Qh3 f5 leads to nothing clear
yet) 15...Nxd4 (not working is 15...Ncxe5 16.Qxg7+!! A sweet winning blow 16...Kxg7 17.Nxe6+ Kg8 18.Nxc7)
16.Bxd4 and White seems to keep his center alive — which means a clear space advantage and a better position.

15.0-0-0!

A very interesting, intuitive sacrifice by Kramnik — or maybe better to call it very deep and exact calculation?! In any
case, great play! Perhaps White could also try the simpler 15.Bxd4 Nxd4 (15...fxe5 16.Bxe5 seems to be good for
white) 16.Nxd4 Nxe5 and now White has a couple of moves, but the most logical one is 17.0-0-0 (in case of 17.Be4
f5! leads to very unclear complications because of the ...Bh4 threat next) 17...Nxd3+ 18.Rxd3 Qc7 Black seems to be
fine, but White is just in time with 19.f5! and still the position remains complex, but White should have some
advantage here;
15.Qh3 f5 16.Nxd4 Ndxe5 leads to nothing clear and the fight continues.

15...dxe3

The most logical — and probably the correct choice — in case of 15...dxc3 16.Bxh7+! still seems to be very strong,
e.g. 16...Kxh7 17.Qh3+ Kg6

(17...Kg8 18.Qxe6+ Kh7 19.Qxc6 Ra7 20.e6 and there is no doubt that White is much better) 18.f5+! Another
beautiful attacking move 18...Kf7 (18...exf5 19.Nh4+ Kh7 20.Nxf5+ Kg8 21.Qg4 and White’s attack is deadly)
19.fxe6+ Kg8 20.exd7 White is winning back the material and even remains with something extra which gives him
clearly better play.

16.Bxh7+

The second piece sacrifice is already forced.

16...Kxh7 17.Qh3+ Kg8

Maybe not the best. Leading to a very unclear position is


17...Kg6! A very scary move to play in a practical game 18.f5+ Kf7 (18...exf5? looks bad: 19.Nh4+ Kh7 (19...Kf7
20.e6+) 20.Nxf5+ Kg8 21.Qg4 with a mating attack for White) 19.fxe6+ Kg8 20.exd7 Bb7 Black is a piece up, but the
position looks super-dangerous 21.Qe6+ Rf7 22.exf6 Bxf6 23.Nd5 Black will lose the e-pawn soon and White will
have 3 pawns for a piece, plus a very strong d7-pawn. The position is highly unclear but probably Black is risking more
than White.

18.Qxe6+ Kh8

The king on h8 is better placed than on h7 because it runs into fewer checks.

19.Qxc6

White is ‘just’ a piece down and the attack continues.

19...Ra7

Correct. Rc7 is a serious threat


20.Nh4!

What an excellent quality game! Both players are playing great. Now the white knight joins the attack by threatening
Ng6 next.

20...Qe8

There is no better way to defend the g6-square.

21.Nd5

And the other knight joins the action, but I think best for White is the simpler 21.e6 Nb8 (also after 21...Nc5 22.Qxe8
Rxe8 23.bxc5 Bxc5 24.f5 I clearly prefer White’s position.) 22.Qxe8 Rxe8 23.f5 and White has more than enough
compensation for his piece deficit.

21...Kh7!?

Not bad at all! Black runs away from all the checks and is very solidly placed. He can try something very crazy with
21...e2 22.Rd2 g5! but I think the move in the game fits the play of the solid German GM much better.

22.Nxe7

Leading to very unclear play is the line 22.e6 e2 23.Rd2 Nb8

22...Qxe7 23.Nf5

The position remains very tense.


23...Nxe5?

Why Georg, why? Black heads into a worse endgame a clear pawn down. Black should continue instead with 23...Qe8
24.Nd6 (already not so good is 24.e6 Nb8 25.Qxb6 Bxe6 and I don’t think Black has anything to worry about — if
somebody is better here, then it is Black) 24...Qe6 25.Rhe1 fxe5 26.Rxe3 Bb7 with extremely complicated play, but
already the chances look equal to me.

24.Nxe7

I guess Kramnik was extremely happy to finally clarify things in his favor.

24...Nxc6 25.Nxc6 Rc7 26.Nd4

So, after all the craziness, we are in an endgame which is clearly better for White: a pawn up is a pawn up. Still, Black
has some compensation and the bishop on c8 could offer some extra chances for a draw in some deep endgame.

26...Re8

Not the best. Clearly trickier is 26...Rd8! 27.Kb2 (27.Rd3? Bf5! and it is already Black who is winning) 27...Re7 with
better chances for a draw, basically winning a full tempo compared to the game.

27.Rd3 Bb7 28.Re1 Bxg2 29.Rdxe3 Rxe3 30.Rxe3

So the pawns have been exchange, but it doesn’t really help Black much. The bishop is a nice piece, but the knight on
d4 is placed like a god!

30...Bd5
30...Rd7 would perhaps prolong the fight.

31.Nf5!

With the idea of playing Ne7 followed by Rh3 mate, or maybe even Re7 next.

31...g5

It is hard to give Black good advice — his position is just very bad.

32.fxg5 fxg5 33.Re5

Now White combines threats on the king-side with an attack on the queenside pawns.

33...Bf7

Georg tries to keep the things together as well as he can.

34.Kb2!

Cool and strong. White further improves his position.

34...b5 35.Nd4

Now White also dominates on the dark squares, plus attacks the g5-pawn.

35...Kg6?!

Losing the second pawn on the spot. Better is 35...Kh6 and now of course White can continue with some ‘silent’
moves and have good winning chances, but there is a way to finish the suffering of Black immediately... 36.a4! bxa4
37.Ra5 Bc4 38.Rc5! A beautiful line, which is of course hard to calculate close to move 40 with not much time on the
clock.
36.Nf3

and the g5-pawn falls.

36...g4 37.Rg5+ Kf6

38.Rxg4 1–0

Being 2 pawns down and seeing no real chances, Georg gives up the fight. All-in-all a beautiful game with a lot of
nice ideas, and good play on both sides finding difficult moves in very complex positions. Finally, a deserved win for
Kramnik who took a lot of brave decisions directly out of the opening, placing huge pressure on his opponent who
finally went wrong with 23...Ne5?

GAME 25
E. Safarli (2678)
C. Vernay (2507)
Biel Master Open
27.07.2016 [C11]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We will now witness a crushing defeat after Black misplays the opening.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5

The old main line, however it went out of fashion as after dxe4 we transpose into a considered-to-be equal line of the
Rubinstein French variation. Most games have recently continued with 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4

4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 6.Nf3 Be7

It is unclear from the theoretical point of view if the text move or 6...h6 is better? Both seem to be playable.
7.Nxf6+

7...gxf6?

Black has really mixed up something! This pawn recapture damaging his own structure makes no sense at all. There is
a line where White takes with the bishop on f6, when ...gxf6 followed by ...f5 tempo has its point as Black has the two
bishops. 7...Bxf6 is the main move. If Black wants to take back with 7...Nxf6, then it is more logical to start with 6...h6.

8.Be3 Nb6!

Black must try to finish his development, therefore he makes some artificial move. 8...c5 is well met by 9.Qd2!
followed by 0-0-0 and White is better developed. The king in the center becomes vulnerable after the opening of lines,
while castling kingside is not advisable after having taken with ...gxf6. (9.d5? also looks promising at first sight, but it
allows 9...Nb6! which forces simplifications and Black is alright.) ;
8...b6 is already met by 9.d5! crucially weakening the e6-square with dxe6, Bc4 and Nd4. Black cannot play ...Nb6 as
in the 8...c5 line; 8...f5 is natural to work out the squares on e4 and d5 for the knight, but in comparison to the game
White also gets an outpost on e5, which can be occupied by the knight. 9.Qd2 Nf6 10.0-0-0²

9.Bd3!

Correctly judging the circumstances and intending to castle on the kingside. 9.Qd2 is less accurate because after
9...Bd7 10.0-0-0 Bc6 with the idea of playing Qd5 and 0-0-0 and White cannot shut out the black pieces from the game
with 11.c4 Be4! followed by ...Qd7 and ...0-0-0, Black is fine.

9...Qd5

Black intends to castle queenside and decides to develop his queen before his bishop. Now after 9...Bd7 White can
play 10.0-0 Bc6 11.c4! and without the ...Be4 resource as in the 9.Qd2 line, the black pieces get confused. For example
after 11...Qd7 White executes the same positional sacrifice as in the game 12.d5! exd5 13.c5 Nc4 14.Bd4± followed by
Re1. The huge difference between the pieces give more than enough compensation for the small material deficit;
9...Nd5 just temporarily sends back the bishops, but White saves both with 10.Bd2 Nb4 11.Be2 and the knight will be
pushed back.

10.0-0 Bd7

The next 4 pawn moves by White completely paralyze and destroy the harmony between the black pieces.

11.b3!

The first step of the positional plan is to gain control over the c4-d5 squares to neutralize the b6-knight.

11...Bc6 12.c4 Qh5


13.d5!

A routine sacrifice at Grandmaster level. White gives up a pawn, but destroys the strong–looking bishop on c6, ruins
the pawn formation and shuts the knight out of the game.

13...exd5 14.c5 Nd7 15.b4

Pushing b5 is the direct threat, but the positional idea of Be2 and Nd4 also leads to the total domination of the black
pieces.

15...Ne5 16.Be2 Qg6

17.Bd4!

Keeping the tension, allowing Black to suffer in his cramped position. White could have restored the material balance
with 17.Nxe5 fxe5 18.b5 Bd7 19.Qxd5 However it affords Black relief after 19...0-0-0 when ...Bc6 is threatened and
...f5-f4 is a dangerous attacking plan. It is easy to spoil huge advantages if someone becomes too materialistic.

17...Qg7

Black has nothing on the g-file, as anytime he goes 17...Rg8 White simply neutralizes the target with 18.g3± retaining
all the advantages of his position.

18.a4!?

Another subtle idea by White: he intends to lift his rook to the 3rd rank. The most natural move 18.Re1 occupying the
open file and putting pressure on the e5-knight is also perfectly fine.

18...Bd7 19.Re1 c6
20.Ra3!

Consequently following the plan. The rook is headed to e3, but in some lines it might also arrive at g3, just to take
away the mood of Black to castle kingside. Obviously castling queenside is also suicide, entering into such an
enormous attack with b5. Black is in big trouble because of his king.

20...Rg8 21.g3 Be6

21...0-0-0 22.b5+– with a crushing attack.


If 21...Kf8 White can even try the spectacular move of 22.Qa1!? to kick out the last good piece from e5.

22.b5!

Opening another file where White is going to penetrate very soon.

22...Nc4 23.Rb3 Qf8

Going for the c5-pawn. Ugly, but the position is losing anyway. 23...Kf8 24.bxc6 bxc6 25.Rb7+– is also pretty
hopeless.

24.bxc6 bxc6
25.Qb1!

Black still preserves his extra pawn, but his position gets worse and worse with each move. White invades with the
heavy pieces along the b-file and decides the outcome.

25...Rc8 26.Rb8 1–0


GAME 26
S. Ganguly (2660)
P. Tregubov (2582)
Keres Memorial
Tallinn EST
10.01.2016 [C19]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
Although this is a rapid game, we are going to see a total mess, which occurred after a very creative opening where
Black sacrificed a few pawns for the attack. In the tactical complications Ganguly seemed to feel very comfortable,
finding good replies in very complex positions — which finally led to resignation by Black. A great game to watch and
enjoy the beauty of chess!

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4

We are in one of the sharpest openings current theory has to offer, the Winawer Variation of the French Defense.

7...Qc7

For a long time 7...0-0 was the main move, but it seems that White is currently better in the main line with 8.Bd3.

8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4

In this very sharp variation Black plays for a development advantage and of course White’s joker is clear: the h-pawn.

10.Ne2

The main move, defending against ...Qxc3 and ...Qxe5+.

10...Nbc6 11.f4 dxc3

We are in the pure main-line position. Now White has several choices.
12.h4!?

This is one of the modern lines. White doesn’t waste time on moves like 12.Qd3 and starts his own direct play, which
is connected with pushing the h-pawn to h7 and keeping the king on e1.

12...b6 13.h5 Bb7 14.h6

Not removing the queen from h7 has the advantage that Black cannot castle queenside so easily because of the f7-
pawn.

14...Rg6

A smart move! Black shuts the white queen in on h7 and doesn’t hurry with castling.

15.a4

15.Rh3 is also very interesting, with the double idea of playing Rxc3 and Rg3. The position is very complex.

15...Nf5

Black has the very critical alternative 15...Nb4 16.Nd4 Nf5 and now things become very forced and hard to judge! Let
us take a look at some of the possible variations:

17.Nxe6 (In case of 17.Bb5+ Ke7 18.Ba3 Qc5 19.Nxf5+ exf5 20.Kf1 we once again end up in a very unclear
position, but it seems that Black is better after 20...Qd4!?) 17...Nxc2+ 18.Kf2 (18.Kd1 Nfe3+ 19.Bxe3 Nxe3+
20.Kc1 Rxe6) 18...Qc8 (18...Rxe6 19.Bb5+ Kf8 20.Qxf5 Qc5+ 21.Kf1 Nxa1 22.h7 seems to give White dangerous
play, although things remain very unclear.) 19.Ra3!! What a beautiful move! 19...Nxa3 (19...Qxe6 20.Rxc3) 20.Ng7+
Nxg7 21.hxg7 Qg4 22.Qh8+ Ke7 23.Bxa3+ Ke6 24.Rh4 and the position is just crazy! It is very hard to tell who is
actually better here!

16.g4!
An extremely strong move! White sacrifices the pawn but wins a very important tempo.

16...Rxg4

The pawn has to be taken.

17.Bh3 Rg6 18.Bxf5

This was the idea behind g4. White gets rid of one of the main enemies on the board: the f5-knight.

18...exf5

The position remains very sharp!

19.Qh8+ Kd7 20.Qxa8!

Ganguly continues picking the most forcing continuations in the position!

20...Rxh6!

The only move. 20...Bxa8 just loses as after 21.h7 there is no way to stop White from queening.

21.e6+!

A beautiful resource. 21.Rxh6 Bxa8 22.Be3 leads to another very unclear position.

21...Rxe6

The only move. 21...fxe6? 22.Rxh6 Bxa8 23.Rh7+ Ne7 24.Ba3 and White wins the piece on e7.

22.Qf8

Although Black is a full rook down, the position remains remarkably unclear and sharp, with a lot of different options
for both sides on every turn.

22...Nd4

A very logical move, attacking the pinned knight on e2.

In the event of 22...Ba6 23.Qxf7+ Ne7 White has the very strong

24.Qxe6+! Kxe6 25.Nd4+ and the two rooks dominate the game.

23.Rh7!

White plays a fantastic game and finds the best moves! 23.Qxf7+ leads to an unclear position. 23...Kc6 24.Qxe6+
Nxe6 25.Rh6 At first sight this position looks to be winning for White, but in fact things are again unclear and the black
king miraculously escapes to a5! 25...Bc8 26.Nd4+ Kb7 27.Nxe6 Qe7 All the black moves are forced. 28.Ba3 Qe8
29.Rh7+ Ka6 30.Re7 Qh5 31.Nc7+ Ka5 and in this crazy position it is really hard to say if White has more than a
draw... The black queen is very active and the white king is open, which gives Black great chances for a perpetual
check.

23...Kc6

Maybe Black missed White’s next move..? It is hard to tell if White has more than a slightly better endgame after
23...Rxe2+ 24.Kd1 Qd8! Black starts to defend the 7th rank. 25.Rxf7+ Re7 26.Qxe7+ Qxe7 27.Rxe7+ Kxe7 28.Ba3+
Kd7 29.Bb4 with a minimally better endgame for White, but Black keeps excellent drawing chances.

24.Rh6!

Now that the black king is on c6, the rook on e6 can be pinned!

24...Qd7

25.Be3!

Great play. White develops the bishop and at the same time protects his king on the e-file.

25...Nxc2+

25...Nxe2 26.Kxe2 and White’s rook should decide the game in his favor.

26.Kf2 d4

This might be Black’s best try. Being a rook down, Black needs to try and create something immediately and with the
move ...d4 Tregubov opens up his b7-bishop.

27.Nxd4+
White needs to give away some material but now it is the black king who is going to be in danger.

27...Nxd4 28.Rc1

Finally all the white pieces are in the game.

28...Rxh6

28...c2 29.Rxe6+ fxe6 30.Qb4 and after the knight moves from d4, Rxc2 just wins the game.

29.Rxc3+

The tactical battle is over and White has won it!

29...Kd5 30.Qxh6

White is an exchange up and the black king is in big trouble, for example Qh1 could be a deadly threat any moment!

30...Qxa4

31.Rd3 1–0

The knight on d4 is lost so Black has nothing left but to resign. A very interesting game with a lot of tactical ideas and
one where White played perfectly throughout!

GAME 27
B. Socko (2604)
E. Bacrot (2692)
Bundesliga
20.11.2016 [C44]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
This game was played in a Bundesliga match between one of the best Polish players for a long time, Socko, and the
several-times French champion, Bacrot. The French player, normally very solid with the black pieces, decides to enter a
very dubious line. Socko played perfectly and won the game easily. Let’s have a look.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4

One of the mains moves with 3.Bb5 and 3.Bc4.

3...exd4 4.Bc4!?

It’s very rare to see a Max Lange Attack at such a high level. Many lines are drawish and not so difficult for Black to
play. The idea of this opening is to play for activity and try to use the advantage in development. 4.Nxd4 and it’s the
Scotch Opening.

4...Nf6

This is the main move. 4...Bc5 is the second main variation for Black.

5.e5

0-0 is the other main line.

5...Ng4?

What a strange choice from the French player; 5...d5 An important move to release the bishop on c8 and to have a
good square for the knight on e4. 6.Bb5 is the main line. (6.exf6? dxc4 7.fxg7 Bxg7 and Black has an excellent position
with pairs of bishop and a strong center.) 6...Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.0-0 Bc5 10.f3 Ng5 11.f4 Ne4 12.Be3
Bb6 13.Nd2 Nxd2 14.Qxd2 c5 leads to complicated position, but definitely a better choice than the game!

6.0-0

As we can see, White has managed to castle quickly and at the same time the black king is still in the center and this
knight on g4 looks very ugly.

6...Be7

6...Ngxe5?? 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Re1 d6 9.f4+– winning a piece without compensation for Black.

7.Bf4

Protecting the pawn and threatening h3.

7...d6

Bacrot has to find some squares for his knight. He decides to go for what is a worse position but 7...g5 is for sure the
best way to play for Black. I have to admit, it looks scary but interesting! 8.Nxg5 Bxg5 9.Qxg4 d5 10.Qxg5 Qxg5
11.Bxg5 dxc4 12.Nd2 Be6 13.Ne4 and White gets a better endgame, as the dark squares are a bit too weak around the
black king.

8.exd6 cxd6

As a teacher will often say to his pupil, Black’s pawn structure is very bad! White now has to organize his plan against
the d6-target. 8...Bxd6 trying to keep the pawn. 9.Re1+ Be7 10.c3 dxc3 11.Nxc3 0-0

12.Qc2 with a lot of compensation for the pawn. White has two beautiful open files for his rooks!

9.Nxd4 0-0! 10.Nc3²

White get a very pleasant position, all his pieces developed and in the center. The plan is quite easy, to attack the black
weakness on d6.

10...Nce5 11.Bb3 Ng6 12.Bg3

White put his pieces on the correct, and safe, squares.


12...Bh4

It’s difficult to find the correct plan for Black. With this move the French player wants to exchange off the powerful
bishop on g3.

13.Bxh4 Qxh4 14.Nf3±

Attacking the queen and the d6-pawn.

14...Qf6 15.Nd5

Socko put his knight on the magisterial d5 spot.

15...Qxb2?

The French player knows that his position is strategically lost, so decides to try some complications...

15...Qd8 16.Qd2 Be6 17.Rad1± and White has a dream position.

16.a4!+–

As we can see, the queen on b2 has no escape square...

16...N4e5 17.c3!

An accurate move, threatening the nice Ra2.

17...Nxf3+ 18.gxf3

Black can’t stop the idea of Ra2.

18...Bh3

with some idea of tactics...


19.Ra2

but now the queen has to say “Ciao”! 19.Re1?? If White wants to keep his rook, an unexpected drama will appear.
19...Rae8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8 21.Ra2 Qxb3! 22.Qxb3 Re1#

19...Qxa2 20.Bxa2 Bxf1

21.Kxf1+–

White is a piece up and Black has no chances to survive...

21...Rae8 22.Qd4

A perfect square for the queen, looking over the entire board.

22...Ne5

The French player tries to find some play on the kingside. 22...b6 23.f4 Ne7 24.Nxe7+ Rxe7 25.Qxd6 Rfe8 26.Bd5+–

23.Qxa7 Nxf3 24.Qxb7

Socko is not afraid at all, and simply collects all the pawns on the queen side.

24...Re1+ 25.Kg2 Nh4+ 26.Kh3

White’s king is very safe here. Black doesn’t have enough pieces to create any trouble.

26...g5

Bacrot uses his best chance to create something around the white king.

27.Qb6
An accurate move with the idea of bringing the queen back quickly.

27...Rg1 28.f4

Giving some space to the king and the queen on b6 now attacks the rook on g1.

28...Nf3

With the idea of giving checkmate with ...g5-g4!

29.Nf6+ Kg7 30.Bd5 1–0

Stopping all Black’s hopes. An easy game for Socko, who showed a nice way to win the black queen. Definitely a
game to forget for Bacrot, who chose a bad line in the opening with 5...Ng4.

GAME 28
V. Anand (2784)
L. Aronian (2792)
Zurich
13.02.2016 [C48]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
Anand was back in great shape after his disaster in Gibraltar and I guess it was a very important psychological moment,
one which might help Anand to be at his best at the Candidates in March. Usually decisive games are very hard-fought
on the highest level and are rarely ended in under 30 moves. This game between two chess giants will only last 19
moves! After quite a solid opening, White maybe got a small plus because of his pressure on the kingside, but Aronian
lost control of the position with the terrible 14...Nb8?? and gave Anand the chance to finish the game on the spot with a
beautiful combination!

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6


The Berlin is one of Aronian’s favorite openings.

4.Nc3

Anand transposes into the 4 knights opening.

4...Bd6

This is a rarely-played move and in my opinion a quite dangerous one. I think 4...Bb4 or 4...Nd4 are the critical
continuations.

5.0-0

This is not the most-often played move either. White usually starts with 5.d3 The idea is to wait for Black to castle
kingside and start the attack by playing g4. 5...a6 6.Ba4 0-0 7.a3 Re8 and for example now is an interesting moment to
play the attacking move...

8.g4!? with a very fighting position.

5...0-0 6.d3

This move has to be played in any case.

6...Re8

The most solid. Black wants to play ...Bc5-d6 or ...Bf8-d6, which are the two most logical and standard plans in this
kind of position.

7.a3

Saving the b5-bishop from any exchanges.

7...h6
Black defends against potential Bg5 or Ng5 moves.

8.Bc4

Now we can see how useful the a3 move is, as Black no longer has the ...Na5 option.

8...Bc5

Actually I am not so sure about this move. I think it is safer to put the bishop on f8 and then to play ...d6 and ...Be6,
with a slightly worse but very safe position.

9.Be3

This is also the usual move. White develops the bishop and in case of an exchange on e3 the f-file will be open.

9...Bxe3

I think Aronian hurried too much with this exchange. 9...d6 looks simpler and Black should not be afraid of 10.Bxc5
dxc5 because actually such a pawn structure benefits him more than White. 11.Nd5 Be6 with a completely equal
position.

10.fxe3

Now there is some pressure on the f-file.

10...d6 11.Nh4

Very typical play. The white knight will take up a great position on f5. I think White can also consider playing 11.d4!?
with the idea of Qd3 next and then doubling on the f-file with the rooks. In my opinion White is better here.

11...Be6
12.Nf5!

A very strong move! Anand evaluates the position perfectly and sees no reason he would be worse after ...Bxc4, which
weakens the white pawn structure a lot but the attacking options on the kingside clearly give him great play!

12...Bxc4?!

Not the best. Black should try to get the knight to d7, which is very important. 12...Nb8! 13.Qf3 Nbd7 and the knight
joins the defense on the kingside. White’s position, of course, retains more prospects, but it is hard to see a direct plan
as to how to proceed with the attack.

13.dxc4 Kh7

It is already too late for 13...Nb8 because of 14.c5! and Black is just not in time, while if he takes the c5-pawn White
is clearly much better in the ensuing endgame: 14...dxc5 15.Nxh6+ gxh6 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Rxf6±

14.Qf3

The pressure on the f-file is becoming critical. White’s next move could be Nxh6 or just Nd5.

14...Nb8

The right plan, but Black misses the tactics that are now possible...

15.Nxh6!!

Not very difficult, but this beautiful combination leads to a direct loss for Black.

15...Kxh6

15...gxh6 16.Qxf6 would make the game last a bit longer, but White’s position is just winning here as well.

16.Qh3+ Kg6 17.Rf3!


This is probably the move that Aronian blundered to. There is no defense against the double threat of playing Qf5-Rh3
or Rg3 with mate!

17...Nh5

Other moves don’t help either.

18.Rf5

Forcing the knight to go back to f6.

18...Nf6

19.Qh4 1–0

What a beautiful end to the game! Black cannot defend against Rg5 mate. So, what actually went wrong for Black?!
Clearly 12...Bxc4 was quite a serious mistake and later on he simply missed the Nxh6 idea.

GAME 29
E. Najer (2681)
D. Jakovenko (2731)
Russian League, Sochi
07.05.2016 [C49]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We are now going to witness some brilliant preparation by Evgeny Najer. White gets a technically won position straight
out of the opening.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3


White avoids the Berlin by transposing into the 4 Knights opening.

4...Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6

The point of this move is to transpose into a Spanish-type of position with c3 and Ng3. We know, that the standard
plan there is to transfer the knight to g3 via Nbd2-f1–g3, here White does it through c3-e2-g3. The move order with
6...Bxc3 7.bxc3 d6 avoids this recently popular 7.Ne2 line which occurs in our game.

7.Ne2 Ne7 8.c3 Ba5 9.Ng3 c6 10.Ba4 Ng6

Black keeps the symmetry, but White’s extra tempo allows him to occupy the center first with...

11.d4!

Otherwise Black himself is ready to play ...d5 after the typical regrouping with ...Ne7-g6 and c6.

11...Re8 12.Bc2

Securing the e4-pawn, which cannot be done by Re1 because after ...exd4 he cannot recapture with the pawn.

12...Bb6 13.Be3

This is Najer’s prepared improvement over Jakovenko’s previous game. White prepares for the standard ...d5-break. It
continued 13.h3 d5! 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qxd8 Bxd8 18.Bf4 Bc7 19.Bxe4 Bxe5 20.Bxe5
Rxe5= with full equality Safarli-Jakovenko, Reykjavik 2015

13...d5!

Jakovenko accepts the challenge and goes for the critical line. If ...d5 works well in such positions, it usually gives
instant equality, as happened in the 13.h3 d5 game as well. 13...Ng4 without having the pawn on h6 runs into 14.Bg5;
13...Bg4 makes no sense now, because the d4-pawn is well protected. White can simply play 14.h3
14.Nxe5

Black has several different options to simplify the position, but only one of them seem to equalize.

14...Nxe4

A mistake, which allows Najer to show his amazing analysis. The correct move is 14...Nxe5! 15.dxe5 and now:
15...Rxe5! In similar positions this kind of recapture is what White is hoping for and why Jakovenko refuses this
option. The reason is, that White can obtain a dangerous attacking position with Bd4 or Bf4 followed by e5, but now
Black has concrete counterplay... (15...Bxe3? 16.exf6±; 15...Nxe4 leads to slightly worse position after 16.Bxb6 Qxb6
17.Bxe4 dxe4

18.Qd4!² Black can keep the material balance by taking on b2, but the knight is going to be powerful on e4, from
where it can jump at any moment to d6.) 16.Bd4 Re8 17.Bxf6 (17.e5 For instance, with the inclusion of the h3-h6 pair
of moves, this continuation would be just deadly, but now Black can play 17...Ng4! with a quick attack on e5 and in
connection with Qh4.) 17...Qxf6 18.exd5 cxd5 19.Qxd5
19...Re5! 20.Qd3 g6 White has won a pawn, but these types of positions are known from different openings (for
example the Marshall Gambit), and Black has full compensation with the bishop pair. ...Bg4 or ...Be6 comes next,
followed by Rd8 with tempo. Actually, the machine even gives preference to Black’s position despite his pawn deficit.
14...dxe4 does not guarantee equality 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Bg5² when the e4-pawn becomes a real target after Re1.

15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.f4!

A very concrete move to fortify the e5-knight and to isolate the e4-pawn, and it has a deep concrete idea behind it also.

16...exf3

16...f5 17.Qh5 is very bad from a positional viewpoint. Bb3 will come next.
17.Nxf7!!

A real shocker! The upcoming fantastic lines were all analyzed by Najer. Of course, it is very unpleasant to face such
moves and to try to refute them over the board, while our opponent knows everything in detail for many more moves.
After 17.Qxf3 Black gets a nice position with 17...Nxe5 18.dxe5 Be6=

17...Qe7

The best reply is 17...Qf6! although it does not give equality.

18.Rxf3! (18.Ng5 Rxe3 19.Bb3+ Kh8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 White does not have a good discovered check so must force a
draw by repetition. 21.Ng5+=) 18...Bg4! 19.Rxf6 Bxd1 20.Rxd1 gxf6 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Kf2² White has only one
pawn for the exchange, but his pieces are perfectly coordinated, the black pawn structure is ruined, and White has a
small but long-lasting advantage;
17...Kxf7 loses to 18.Bb3+! Be6 19.Qxf3+ Kg8 20.Bxe6+ Rxe6 21.Qf7+ Kh8 22.Qxe6+–

18.Rxf3! Bg4

Another key line of the 17.Nxf7 sacrifice is 18...Nh4 which is refuted by 19.Rf2! Qxe3
20.Bxh7+! Kxh7 21.Qh5+ Kg8 22.Qh8#+–

19.Bg5! Bxf3 20.Qxf3!

White is winning in all lines.

20...Qe2

20...Qxf7 leads to a winning endgame by force: 21.Bb3 Re6 22.Qxf7+! Kxf7 23.Rf1+ Ke8 24.Bxe6+–

21.Nh6+!

Everything works for White. The knight cannot be taken.

21...Kh8
White is an exchange down and some pieces are hanging. Does he have more than a draw with Nf7? 21...gxh6
22.Bb3++– and mate on f6 next move.

22.Qf7!!

Yes, he does! Threatening mate in two moves after Qg8 Rg8 Nf7!

22...Qe6

It is not so easy to parry the threat. Jakovenko manages it, but it leads to a lost endgame. 22...gxh6 23.Bf6#;
22...Qxc2 23.Qg8+! Rxg8 24.Nf7#

23.Bb3! Qxf7 24.Nxf7+ Kg8 25.Nd6+ Kh8 26.Nf7+

White repeats just once.

26...Kg8 27.Nd6+ Kh8 28.Nxe8 Rxe8

Not bad out of the opening! White is a pawn up, with a perfect pawn structure and the bishop pair. The rest should just
be a matter of technique.

29.Rf1

It is possible to simplify with 29.Bf7 the idea being that if Black invades with 29...Re2 then 30.Kf1! Rxb2 31.Re1
wins. Black cannot protect his back rank. (31.Bb3+– and Bc1 next is also winning. The rook is trapped.)

29...Ne5 30.Bc2 Nc4 31.Rf7 c5

31...Nxb2 32.Bf4 transferring the bishop to e5. White can take on b7 anytime to retain his material advantage.
32...Nc4 33.Rxb7+–

32.Ba4
White should promote his passed pawn starting with 32.d5 with an easily won position. 32...Nxb2 33.d6+–

32...Rb8 33.Bf4 Rd8 34.Bg5

The most precise is 34.Bb3! kicking the knight from its outpost in order to install the bishop on e5! 34...cxd4 35.Kf1!
avoiding from the discovered check. 35...dxc3 36.bxc3 Na5 37.Be5+–

34...Rb8 35.b3?

White has already failed to find the easiest ways to win, but this move is just a big mistake, giving Black realistic
chances to hold.

35...Nd6 36.Rd7 Ne4 37.Bf4 Rg8?

Spoiling the chance.


Actually after 37...Rd8! the win is no longer so easy because of the hanging c3-pawn. White has also cut his a4-bishop
out of the game.

38.Bb5!

A perfect regrouping of the bishop after which the win is in his hands again. White wants to play Be5 and Bc4. The
rook on the 7th rank is too active.

38...cxd4

38...Nxc3 39.Bc4 Rd8 40.Rxb7 cxd4 41.Be5 d3+ 42.Kh1+– The mate on g7 is stronger than the queening pawn on d3.

39.cxd4 Nf6 40.Rxb7 Bxd4+ 41.Kf1

The game has simplified. White keeps his extra pawn and the bishop pair. His rook is also more active and he does not
have a single weakness. The rest should again be just a matter of technique and Najer does not give his opponent any
more chances.
41...Nd5 42.Bd6 Ne3+ 43.Ke2 Nxg2 44.Kd3!

Asking the bishop to choose a diagonal! He either gives up the a7-pawn after which the connected passed pawns win
automatically, or he gives up control over the e5-square, which leaves the g7-pawn as a crucial weakness.

44...Bf2

44...Bb2 45.Rxa7+–

45.Be5! Ne3

Other moves would be met by Bc4!

46.Bd7

Black has prevented Bc4 so the new threat is Be6.

46...h5

46...Rd8 47.Ke2+–

47.Ke2 Bg1 48.Bd4 1–0

wins a piece. Black resigned.

GAME 30
F. Caruana (2804)
V. Kramnik (2812)
GCT Rapid Leuven
18.06.2016 [C65]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
There are a lot of discussions about whether we can compare classical games to rapid ones. Rapid games obviously
contain a lot more blunders and the level of play is lower. But in my opinion, both time-controls have their benefits and
the rapid games clearly get more fireworks going! We are going to see a real masterpiece from Caruana, with great
tactical blows, sacrifices and a beautiful mate at the very end!

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6

As in classical chess, Kramnik also plays the Berlin in rapid. This is a normal decision, as in rapid every minute counts
and great theoretical knowledge plays an important role.

4.d3

Clearly the most popular move for rapid games. Very few players enter the Berlin endgame, which in my opinion is
easier to play for Black.

4...Bc5 5.c3

A very popular line. Another one is of course 5.Bxc6.

5...0-0 6.0-0 d6
We now have a sort of Italian, but with the bishop on b5.

7.Nbd2 Ne7

Black tries to get the knight directly to g6, which is the main-line.

8.d4

This has to be played, as in case the black knight reaches g6 Black is out of ‘opening trouble’.

8...exd4 9.cxd4 Bb6 10.Re1

Now White’s main idea is to hold the center together and Black, conversely, tries to attack the d4-pawn in the hope of
stopping White from comfortable development.

10...Bg4

Pressuring the d4-pawn.

11.h3 Bh5

Now White needs to decide what’s next?

12.a4

A very modern and theoretical move, although it is hard to understand why exactly 12.a4 is such a good move.

12...a6

Of course Black cannot play 12...Bxd4? as it loses a piece after 13.g4

13.Bf1
The bishop is better placed on f1 than on d3 because of the ...Nc6 move, when later on the bishop might come under
attack.

13...Nc6

Black continues to attack the d4-pawn in the hope of provoking d5.

14.a5 Ba7

A good decision by Kramnik in my opinion. 14...Bxd4 leads to a very dangerous position: 15.g4 Bg6 16.Nxd4 Nxd4
17.f4 Playing against the black bishop. 17...h6 18.f5 Bh7 White is still a pawn down, but he has the bishop pair and the
black bishop on h7 is totally out of the game. I think White has more than enough compensation for the pawn.

15.Ra4

Once again Black has the chance to take the d4-pawn.

15...h6

A prophylactic decision, but it looks a bit too slow and it gives White time to fix things in the center. Maybe it is worth
trying 15...Nxd4 16.Rxd4 Bxd4 17.g4 White will have two pieces but Black will have a rook and two pawns for it.
17...Bxf2+ 18.Kxf2 Bg6 With a very unclear position. The two pieces will give White good attacking chances, but if
Black is able to play ...d5 at some point I believe he will not be in danger of standing worse.

16.Qc2

Now that the d4-pawn is safely protected, White can continue with the development of his pieces.

16...Re8 17.Bd3

Everything looks solid, the only passive piece being the bishop on c1.

17...Bg6

Of course the black bishop should go to g6 at some point, but once again Kramnik gives White a lot of time to
complete development. It is perhaps worth trying 17...Qd7 with the idea of pushing ...d5 next and having ...Ne4 after
White’s e5.

18.b3

White’s development is almost complete.

18...Qd7 19.Bb2

What to do now for Black? White might want to play d5 next.


19...Nh5?!

I think this ‘normal’ move lets White establish a small but clear advantage. I think Black can also try 19...d5 20.e5
Bxd3 21.Qxd3 Nh7 and maybe White is a bit better, but Black also has clear pluses. The next few moves are simple:
...Ne7-c6-Nf8 trying to hold on the light squares.

20.d5

It is time to push.

20...Ne5 21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Nf3

Black faces problems. Not only is the e5-pawn weak, but the c7-pawn may also quickly find itself in trouble after
Rc1–Rc4.

22...Nf4

A practical approach by Kramnik. Vladimir doesn’t want to defend a clearly worse position after 22...f6 but instead
looks for chances in a tactical battle, even if White is of course clearly better.

23.Nxe5 Qd6

A lot of pieces are hanging, so both players need to be very precise.

24.Ng4

A solid reply but probably not the best. 24.Qd2! looks very strong. 24...Nxh3+ (Black can’t play 24...Rxe5 25.Qxf4
Rxd5 because of the simple 26.exd5 and the Ra4 defends the queen on f4.) 25.gxh3 Rxe5 26.Bxe5 Qxe5 and although
Black has some play on the dark squares, it is clear that the extra exchange gives White much better chances.

24...Nxd5
Could it be that Kramnik underestimated Caruana’s next move?! I think Black should try instead 24...h5 25.Ne3 Nxd3
26.Qxd3 c6 Trying to open the position as much as possible for the bishop pair. White is better, but how much better is
the big question here?

25.Rd1!

Exactly! It is strange, but the black knight has no good squares.

25...Nf4 26.Qc3!

The g7-pawn is under attack and it is not easy to see how to defend it!

26...Ne6

26...Qf8 lookes very scary. 27.Nf6+ (27.Nxh6+ is also possible.) 27...gxf6 28.Qxf6 Nxh3+ 29.gxh3 White’s attack
on the kingside looks deadly and once again we see how strongly-placed the white rook is on a4, as it can join the
attack at any moment.

27.Bc2

Black needs to defend against numerous threats now.

27...Qc5 28.Rc4 Qg5 29.Rd5

It is fantastic how nicely all the white pieces work together.

29...Qh4 30.Kh2!?

Caruana doesn’t care about winning a pawn and creates the threat of playing g3 next. However 30.Rxc7 seems to just
win a full pawn for nothing.

30...c6
Black tries to hold things together. After 30...h5 31.g3 Qe7 32.Nh6+ Kh7 33.Nf5 Black’s position seems to just fall
apart.

31.g3 Qe7 32.Nxh6+

Of course! How can he not take such a tasty pawn, especially now that the black king is going to be even more open?

32...Kh7 33.Nf5

A small tactic to save the piece.

33...cxd5

Any other move leaves Black in a hopeless position.

34.exd5!!

Fantastic play by Caruana! After 34.Nxe7 dxc4 35.Nxg6 fxg6 White is better, but things are far from clear, as the pair
of rooks might very quickly become active.

34...Qf6

Exchange of queens?! No better is 34...Bxf5 35.Bxf5+ Kg8 36.dxe6 and White just mates during the next few moves.

35.Rh4+

Of course not!

35...Kg8 36.Nh6+

Perfect play by White. 36.Qxf6 is less accurate. 36...gxf6 37.Bxf6 Ng7! The only way to escape the mate. 38.Bxg7 f6
leaves Black with some small hopes for survival.
36...Kf8 37.Ba3+

White is mating the black king from all sides!

37...Nc5

37...Re7 38.Nf5 would end the game on the spot as well.

38.Bxc5+ Bxc5 39.Qxc5+ Qe7

and now what a beautiful finishing move...

40.Nf5! 1–0

Followed by mate on h8! A fantastic game by Caruana and the hero of the game was clearly the a1-rook, which went
via a4 to h4 and finally mated the black king on h8!
GAME 31
Dominguez L. Perez (2720)
B. Adhiban (2671)
Spanish League, Monzon
28.09.2016 [C78]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We are now faced with a nice strategical victory by Dominguez. He builds up his position using positional methods and
finishes the game with some nice tactical shots.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6

Nowadays we often meet the pawn structure which arises in the game from the Berlin Defense 3...Nf6 4.d3 Bc5
5.Bxc6 dxc6 It’s a very common topic on the highest level. The plans for both sides are already more-or-less clear to all
the players, but still using them in practice and knowing them in theory causes difficulties even for good players.

4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5

The Arkhangelsk Variation with a delayed ...b5.

5...b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 is the initial position of the Arkhangelsk Variation proper.

6.Bxc6

Dominguez was clearly unprepared for this very sharp sideline of the Ruy Lopez, therefore he takes a very clever
practical decision. He transposes to the Berlin structure, which we spoke about in the 3...Nf6 line. The only difference
is having the pawn on a6 instead of a7, but of course it is not a significant one. The main line is 6.c3 b5 7.Bc2 This is
the extra option for White if Black starts with 5...Bc5. (7.Bb3 transposes to the main Arkhangelsk with 5...b5.) Here the
critical lines start with 7...d5

6...dxc6 7.d3 Nd7


According to the latest developments, this regrouping of the knight is the best way to arrange the black pieces.

8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Nc4 Re8

10.Kh1!?

A very deep move which is connected to the f4-plan. Let’s try to summarize the plans for both sides to understand the
ideas: Black would like to complete the development of his pieces. For this, he must remove his knight from d7 to free
the bishop. The knight belongs on e6, g6, or c6 in this type of position. The e6- and g6-squares can be reached via f8,
while to c6 it goes via b8-c6 (pushing the pawn to c5 is a useful positional idea for Black). In any case, he must protect
the e5-pawn first. White should play for f4, and another plan is g3-f4. In both cases, the Kh1 move is very useful. The
most effective way to execute the f4-plan is to remove the f3 knight to h4, from where it can immediately support the
attack with Nf5. Therefore the ...f6-move is always a question from Black’s point of view and White usually tries to
provoke it by attacking the e5-pawn once more with the bishop.

10...Bf8

10...f6 can be met by 11.Nh4;


I personally like 10...Bd6 in such positions, overprotecting the e5-pawn and playing ...Nf8 next move. White cannot
play Nh4 in this case.

11.Bd2

With the idea of Bc3 sometimes, trying to provoke ...f6.

11...c5

Adhiban wants to play without ...f6. He wants to avoid this Nh4 plan at any cost. A typical plan after having played
...Bf8 is 11...f6 12.Nh4 Nc5 to get the knight to e6.

12.b3 b6
Both sides improve their positions with each move. If Black goes 12...f6 he should continue with ....Nb8-c6.

13.Bc3

Another attempt by Dominguez to provoke the ...f6-move, but Black keeps on resisting.

13...Bd6

Of course, it would have been easier to play 10...Bd6 at once and in this case Black has enough time to regroup his
knight as well.

14.a4 Bb7

White has improved his minor pieces to the maximum and has to admit that his opponent will not allow him the Nh4
plan in this game. White must continue playing for the f4-plan, but must choose another direction for the knight.

15.Nfd2 Nf8

Finally, there is not enough pressure on the e5-pawn, and therefore Black also completes his plan of regrouping his
knight to a better square.

16.Qg4

f4 is a threat now.

16...Ng6
I prefer 16...Bc8 17.Qg3 f6 after which the knight can go to e6.

17.Ne3!

Great positional maneuvering! As we said before, White wants to have his knight on f5. Black cannot prevent it now
with ...g6, which would have been possible with the knight on e6. Earlier we tried to achieve it with Nh4-f5. Basically
after Ndc4, Nf5 White manages to now get the same knight outpost as with Nh4-f5...

17...Bf8 18.Nf5 Bc8

A good move, but Black clearly does not ‘feel’ the position. He knows the plans, but he mixes them up badly. He
plays ...Bc8-b7-c8 with the other bishop, ...Bc5-f8-d6-f8. The position is closed, so tempi are not that relevant, but still
it is going to be too much wasted time. If 18...f6 19.f4 works because of a tactical trick... (19.h4 is also quite tempting.)
19...exf4 20.Rxf4 Kh8 (20...Nxf4? 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Nf7++–) 21.Rf3 followed by Raf1 and Rh3 looks very scary.
White has achieved what he wants.

19.g3!

Here comes the main point of 10.Kh1. White would like to play f4 and recapture with the pawn, after which the g-file
opens dangerously on the king. Another idea is to further improve the knight with 19.Nc4 f6 20.Nce3 followed by h4
or g3-f4.

19...f6 20.f4 Kh8!

Black obviously cannot open the g-file. He must try to hold the pawn on e5. The best would be if he can kick out the
f5-knight with ...Ne7, ...g6, but for this he must leave the pin to avoid losing the queen with ...Nh6-f7.

21.Nf3

An inaccuracy, after which Black can ease his defense. Dominguez tries to increase the pressure on the e5-pawn to
provoke the capture on f4 and he ignores the pin. White should have removed his queen from the pin with 21.Qh5
21...exf4 22.gxf4 Bxf5?

A terrible positional decision by Black based on a tactical oversight. He should keep his strong bishop. He could play
22...Be6! with the idea of ...Qd7. It is not easy to leave the pin, because the f4-pawn hangs sometimes and White does
not want to destroy his structure by allowing ...Bxf5. We can see now why 21.Qh5 would have been preferable. The
game might continue with 23.Rg1 Qd7 24.Rg2 bringing all the pieces to the kingside attack, but Black has defensive
potential. 24...Bxf5 25.exf5 Ne7 26.Nh4 Nd5 27.Bd2 and actually Black is very safe on the g7-square. 27...Kg8 To
avoid tactics with Ng6 check and hxg6 fxg6. 28.Rag1 b5 Black creates counterplay on the queenside. The game is
unclear.
Another option is 22...Ne7 23.N3h4 Nxf5 24.Nxf5 Be6 But here White could save his knight with 25.Qh5! whereas n
the 22...Be6 line, the f4-pawn was hanging. 25...Qd7 26.Ne3 White retains his excellent attacking chances.

23.Qxf5 Bd6

Black has probably pinned his hopes to this move when he took on f5, but he missed the next move...

Perhaps Black intended to trade queens, which would of course help his defense, but after 23...Qc8 24.Qxc8 Raxc8
25.f5! Ne7 26.h4!² followed by h5 and h6 if possible, White has a pleasant positional advantage.

24.Rg1!

The f4-pawn is indirectly protected and White continues his attack with the most useful move. On 24.e5 Be7 followed
by ...Qd5! Black is fine.
24.Bd2 Qc8 is already a different story as after f5, Black can go to e5 with his knight.

24...Qc8

Perhaps, Black was still calculating this position when he captured on f5, but he missed the next two great moves with
the queen. 24...Nxf4 is countered by 25.Rxg7! Kxg7 26.Rg1+ Ng6 27.Nh4!+– and Black gets mated.
24...Bxf4 is simply met by 25.Rxg6! hxg6 26.Qxf4±

25.Qh5!

White successfully saves his queen and the attack is just crushing now.

25...Nxf4
26.Qh6!

An easy, but beautiful move! White attacks the main weaknesses on g7 and f6. The queen cannot be taken.

26...Ne6

26...Re7 27.Bxf6+– is over.

27.Bxf6!

An even faster win is given by 27.Rxg7! Nxg7 28.Ng5! Kg8 29.Qxh7+ Kf8 30.Bxf6+– and mate on the next move.

27...Bf8
28.Rxg7!

The decisive blow! Of course, to have such an attacking position is the dream of us all. We only need to choose with
which spectacular sacrifice we should finish our opponent.

28...Bxg7

28...Nxg7 29.Ng5+–

29.Ng5! Kg8 30.Qxh7+ Kf8 31.Rf1!

The game is over. Black resists a bit longer, but basically all moves lead to mate or an easy win. Probably White had
some time trouble, and that’s why the game goes on...

31...Re7 32.Nxe6+ Rxe6

On 32...Qxe6 33.Bxe7+ Kxe7 34.Qxg7+ Kd6 35.Rf6+–

33.Bxg7+

The quickest win is 33.Qxg7+ Ke8 34.Bg5+–

33...Ke7 34.Be5+ Ke8 35.Qf7+ Kd8 36.Bf6+ Rxf6 37.Qxf6+ Kd7 38.Qf7+ Kd8

38...Kc6 39.Qd5#

39.Rg1 1–0

Black resigned.

GAME 32
V. Anand (2762)
P. Svidler (2757)
FIDE Candidates
Moscow, RUS
17.03.2016 [C88]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
There were many guesses as to who might be the favorite to qualify in the Candidates and if Vishy Anand could really
do it for the second time in a row?! He had a good start with a win in the first round, but then the loss against Karjakin
seemed to drop Vishy out of the list of pretenders — but with this great and beautiful win in the 6th round over Svidler
the run for the first place was once again open! We are going to see a game which had a solid and a slow start, after
which things started to heat up. By making a miscalculation, Svidler gave White the chance to finish the game in a very
beautiful manner.

1.e4

Lately 1.e4 has been Anand’s main move...

1...e5

...and Svidler sticks to his favorite answer as well.

2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6

We are going to see the main-line Spanish and not a Berlin defense.

4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0

5.d3 is a popular move to avoid the Open Spanish lines.

5...Be7

No Open Spanish, which would appear in the event of 5...Nxe4 which was, for example, played a few times in the
match between Hou Yifan and Muzychuk, where White did not manage to get any advantage.

6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0

Does Svidler want to play the Marshall? This is clearly the question Anand was asking himself. If not, Black would
usually start with 7...d6 to avoid all the Anti-Marshall lines.

8.a4

and we are in the Anti-Marshall.

8...Bb7

Not the main move. Usually Black continues with 8...b4 and lately there have been a lot of games with 9.d4 d6 where
usually a drawn result was the outcome.

9.d3

The main move. White keeps both options in mind, to play Nc3 or Nbd2 next.
9...Re8

Does Black still want to play ...d5 next?! I am not so sure about that, as usually a move like ...d5 increases the stakes.

10.Nbd2

Another option is 10.Nc3 b4 11.Nd5

10...Bf8

11.c3

Clearly played against Black’s ...d5 move. Let’s take a look at what might happen in case White would continues with
the usual development plan. 11.Nf1 The best position for the white knight is usually on g3. 11...d5 This move is worth
trying, although it looks a bit risky. 12.axb5 axb5 13.Rxa8 Bxa8 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Ng5!? and maybe Black is still fine,
or White might be a bit better. It should be somewhere in-between these two assessments.

11...Na5

A very normal move: Black is going for ...c5. Too risky now is 11...d5?! 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Ng5 Qxg5 14.Bxd5 and
White should be clearly better.

12.Bc2

Of course the bishop goes to c2 and not a2, which is typical in the Spanish.

12...c5 13.d4!?

Probably the best! White needs to do something quickly or Black will be perfectly fine.

13...exd4
This whole strategy that Svidler employs from now on just looks very risky. If 13...d6 14.d5 White might be a bit
better because the black bishop should not be on b7 but instead on d7.
But Black actually has a great reply here, one which is very rare to see in Spanish structures: 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 Qb6!
A fantastic move! Black immediately develops a very strong initiative. 15.dxe5 (15.Nxe5 Qxd4) 15...Ng4 16.Rf1 Bc5
17.Qe2 Rac8 with a lot of different threats and the e5-pawn is not going to survive for many more moves. I like Black’s
position a lot here.

14.cxd4 d5

The idea of playing ...d5 is of course the correct one, but Svidler clearly underestimated Anand’s great exchange
sacrifice.

15.e5 Ne4

If you say A, then you have to say B — and going back to d7 was clearly not the intention behind playing ...d5.

16.axb5 axb5 17.Nxe4 dxe4

and here comes the move:

18.Rxe4!

Very strongly played! Black was probably hoping for 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.Rxe4 Qd5 with clearly enough compensation
for the pawn.

18...Nb3

Svidler tries to make things right by entering into tactics. 18...Bxe4 is not better, since after 19.Bxe4 White is almost
winning because of the double-threat of playing Bxa8 and Ng5.
Black had to fight on with 18...Nc4 19.Rxa8 Bxa8 20.Rg4 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 and the important 21...Qa5! and of course
White is still better, but the game is far from over.
19.Rxa8 Bxa8

and once again Vishy surprises his opponent.

20.Ng5!

A move that wins the game! 20.Rh4 leads to a perpetual check: 20...Bxf3 The rook on h4 is hanging. 21.Bxh7+ Kh8
22.Rh3 Bxd1 23.Bf5+ Kg8 24.Bh7+ with a draw.

20...Nxc1

20...Bxe4 also leads to mate: 21.Bxe4 Nxc1 22.Qh5

21.Qh5

Of course! The pawns on h7 and f7 are hanging and there is no more escape for Black.

21...h6

This move just loses on the spot. Black could fight on a bit longer with 21...Qxg5 22.Qxg5 Bxe4 23.Qxc1 Bxc2
24.Qxc2 cxd4 but of course the position is close to being lost after the simple 25.f4

22.Qxf7+

There are also other moves for White.

22...Kh8 23.Rg4

Black has no defense against the upcoming Qg6 with mate.

23...Qa5
24.h4 1–0

and the work is done! A very nice game by White, who saw all the tactical tricks, but we have to admit that Svidler
made it all a bit too easy. Had Black seen 18.Rxe4 I am sure that he would not have played 13...cxd4.

GAME 33
E. Inarkiev (2732)
P. Svidler (2745)
Bundesliga, 19.11.2016 [C96]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
This game was played during the clash in the Bundesliga between two of the best teams. With White, Inarkiev holds the
European Champion title and with Black, the multiple Russian Champion Svidler. In the Ruy Lopez variation, Svidler
played a terrible move and a few moves later his position was just hopeless. Let’s see this instructive game...

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6

As usual, Svidler heads for the Ruy Lopez lines as we saw in the previous game. He almost never plays the Berlin
Defense.

4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6

7...0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 is the Marshall Gambit.

8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5

9...Bb7 and 9...Nb8 are two others main-lines.

10.Bc2 c5

and this is the Chigorin Variation of the Spanish.


11.d4

11...Nd7

This is another typical plan in the Ruy Lopez. Black’s idea is to take on d4 and then try to destabilize White’s center.
11...Qc7 is the well-known main-line in which Svidler is a specialist.

12.Nbd2 exd4

12...cxd4 is also possible for Black.

13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5

Taking a big space advantage in the center.

14...Nce5

Now we can see the idea behind ...Nd7, supporting the other knight on e5.

15.a4

A logical move to open the a-file.

15...Rb8

15...Bb7? This move is a huge strategical mistake because the bishop on b7 simply doesn’t play at all.

16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.axb5 axb5


18.f4

White uses his space advantage to chase away the knight.

18...Ng6 19.Nf3

White’s position looks lovely, and the idea is to push e4-e5 — releasing the bishop on c2 and then creating some
weaknesses in the black camp. Black has to react quickly.

19...Bh4

The only move to stay in the game and a strong novelty played by Ponomariov back in 2002.

20.Rf1

20.Nxh4 Qxh4 21.f5 Ne5 22.Rf1 is also an interesting possibility for White, but the position is still unclear; White has
the bishop pair and a lot of space, while Black has a strong knight on e5 and a pawn majority on the queenside.

20...Bg3

Black wants to provoke the push f4-f5 thereby gaining a strong square on e5.

21.f5 Ne5 22.Ng5


Of course, White has to decline the exchange of the knights and try to use the bad position of the bishop on g3.

22...Bh4??

What a terrible blunder by Svidler...and a difficult one to understand. 22...h6 is the normal continuation for Black.
23.f6 g6 24.Nf3 Qxf6 25.Bxh6 Re8 26.Nxe5 Qxe5 27.Ra3 giving White a small edge because of the weakness of the
black king.

23.f6!!+–

Cutting off relations between the queen and the bishop, and also destroying Black’s kingside.

23...h6

23...Bxg5 24.Bxg5 g6 25.Qd2+– with a terrific attack coming on the dark squares.

24.Qh5!

A great move to bring the queen into the action.

24...gxf6
24...hxg5 was the best chance to survive. But White wins in a delicious way! 25.Bxg5 Bxg5 26.Qxg5 Ng6 27.e5 and
now the bishop on c2 plays. 27...dxe5 28.Bxg6 fxg6 29.f7+ Kh8 (29...Rxf7 30.Qxd8++–) 30.Qxd8 Rxd8 31.f8=Q+
Rxf8 32.Rxf8++–

25.Nh7!!

An important and beautiful move to avoid a reconstruction of the ‘black castle’.

25...Kxh7 26.Qxh4 1–0

The threat on h6 is unstoppable and so Black resigns. A quick and surprising loss for Svidler. At the highest level, it’s
important to be focus 100% of the game, otherwise the punishment on the board is very quick and painful!

GAME 34
G. Kamsky (2673)
A. Goganov (2575)
Aeroflot Open
Moscow RUS
08.03.2016 [D00]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Gata Kamsky has started to play in Open tournaments. He convincingly won the Cappelle la Grande tournament and
here he shared 3rd place in the Aeroflot Open. He employs his pet weapon, the London System, avoiding long
theoretical lines and aiming for complicated positions where he can outplay his opponent using his superior skills.

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 e6 6.c3


Here is the London. It’s an extremely hard-to-break system because of the solid structure without weaknesses, against
which the win against a much-weaker opponent is also a big challenge — but this game is a good example that White
can also play this opening for an advantage.

6...Bd6 7.Bg3

A typical response: White keeps the tension and wants to open the h-file for a potential attack if Black castles kingside,
as well as slight improvement on the pawn structure by taking towards the center. If White instead takes on d6, Black
can easily execute an ...e5-break which gives him instant equality.

7...0-0 8.Bd3 b6

A well-known trick in this opening is 8...Qe7 Black tries to execute the ...e5-break 9.Ne5 Nd7 10.Nxd7 Bxd7? drops
material in view of the nice trick 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.dxc5 Qxc5
13.Bxh7+!! Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ne4! followed by Ng5! Kamsky and others have won some games like this.
15...Qb5 16.Ng5 Qd3 17.e4!+–

9.Qe2 Bb7

10.Rd1

A small improvement on the previously common games with 0-0. White keeps his king in the center in order to scare
Black from capturing on g3, as he does not want to open the h-file while the rook is still there. The move is very useful
anyway as it supports two typical plans in the center. One is an immediate e4-push, or White sometimes does it after
taking on c5.
10...Re8 11.e4!

At first sight this looks a bit risky because of the e-file, if Black can open it somehow with ...e5. However, the move is
tactically justified.

11...Be7

This idea was employed successfully against Kamsky in a position where White had already castled kingside.
However, as we will see, there is a big difference now because of the attacking potential. 11...e5 right away is met by

12.dxc5! keeping the e-file closed 12...Bxc5 13.b4 Bd6 14.0-0² and White has a very good version of the Meran
opening with reversed colors;
11...dxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Bxe4² shows off the excellent placement of the d1-rook. White is better-prepared for the
opening of the center;
11...cxd4 with the idea of pushing ...e5 after cxd4, runs into the intermediate move 12.e5!

12.e5 Nh5

This is the point, and Black gets the pair of bishops. However the difference is again the same as before — after taking
on g3 the h-file opens on the black king.
13.a3!

A very important prophylactic move before starting any direct measures. Black was about to take ...cxd4, cxd4 and
then play ...Nb4 with the idea of Bb1 Ba6.

13...c4

I am not sure if closing the queenside is such a good idea. The attack can be more effective in such circumstances but
perhaps some idea like 13...a5 followed by ...Qc8 and ...Ba6, trading the strong light-squared bishops, is preferable.

14.Bb1 g6 15.Nf1!

A typical maneuver to direct the knight to the weakened dark squares. It is heading to g4 from where it is ready to
jump into h6 or f6.

15...b5

Black slowly crushes on the queenside with ...a5-...b4, but the question is if whether or not he can survive the kingside
attack? 15...f5 is a highly logical follow-up to his entire plan 16.exf6 Bxf6 Black wants to break the center with ...e5!
17.Ne3! The question is whether White can consolidate his control over the e5-square with Ng5, or if Black is in time
to execute the central break... 17...e5 18.dxe5 Nxg3 19.hxg3 Nxe5 and the point is 20.Be4! The key move, after which
it appears that White is better.

16.Ne3 a5 17.Ng4 b4
18.Qe3!

Kamsky continues to focus all his pieces on the dark squares! It is very important to mention — and instructive to see
— that Kamsky does not include taking once on b4 (keeping the material balance like this), because that would quicken
Black’s counterplay with ...Ra1 after taking twice on b4!

18...bxc3 19.bxc3 Rb8

The greedy 19...Bxa3? allows a decisive attack after 20.Bh4! Be7 21.Nh6+! Kf8 keeping the g7-square free for the
knight. (21...Kg7 22.Bxe7 Nxe7 23.g4! traps the knight!) 22.g4 Bxh4 23.gxh5+– and Qf4 arrives next, against which
Black has no adequate defense.

20.Bf4

Attacking by using purely positional ideas! White wants to trade the dark-squared bishop, which controls the holes
around his king, by Bg5!

20...Bc8

20...Nxf4 is also bad: 21.Qxf4 and Nh6 is the threat, e.g. 21...Rf8 22.h4! when the attack is crushing. A nice line to
demonstrate its strength is 22...h5 23.Qh6! hxg4 24.Ng5! Bxg5 25.hxg5+–

21.Bg5 Rb3

Black also improves his position move-by-move, but the attack comes faster than the counterplay.

22.h4

After this move, Nh6 followed by g4 is already a decisive threat. White cannot win immediately with 22.Nh6+ Kg7
23.Bxe7 Qxe7 24.g4 trapping the knight, but suddenly Black has 24...Qxa3! and the c3-pawn is hanging. The game is
unclear.
22...Qb6

22...f5 A final attempt to open the center against the side attack also fails: 23.exf6 Nxf6 24.Bxf6 Bxf6

25.Bxg6!! hxg6 26.Qh6 and it is easy to feel that the attack breaks through. Qg6, h5 or Ng5 are coming next. Later
even Rh3-g3 is a possible maneuver.

23.Bc2 Rxa3

23...Rb2 24.Ba4+– also appears pretty hopeless if we just look at the respective pieces.

24.Bxe7 Nxe7
25.Qh6!

Creating the threats of Ng5 and Nf6.

25...Nf5 26.Bxf5 exf5 27.Ng5!

Suddenly the f7-square turns out to be the key. The loss of the h7-pawn is not fatal in itself, but f7 is hanging with
mate afterwards.

27...Nf6

27...Be6 28.Qxh7+ Kf8 29.Nh6+–;


27...fxg4 28.Qxh7+ Kf8 29.Qxf7#

28.Ne3!!

A cold-blooded retreat! White simple unpins himself on the e-file and the knight is hanging now on f6. 28.Nxf6+
Qxf6 29.Qxh7+ Kf8 is unclear.

28...f4 29.Nxd5!

Another deflection!

29...Qd8
A brilliant last move to a fantastic game now follows! It is quite rare to see castling on move 30! The point is again the
same; White unpins himself and Black gets mated on Qh7-f7! A perfect strategic victory by Kamsky! 29...Nxd5
30.Qxh7+ Kf8 31.Qxf7#

30.0-0!! 1–0

GAME 35
M. Carlsen (2857)
E. Ghaem Maghami (2566)
Baku Olympiad
12.09.2016 [D02]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
We are in the last round of the Olympiad in which Norway took an excellent 5th place in the final standings. The team
is very young and of course they have the World Champion on the first board, who can score in some very nice and
important games — such as the following one...

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4

The London System again. One of the most popular openings for club players, but nowadays we see it frequently at
the highest level as well.

3...e6 4.e3 Bd6 5.Bg3!

A typical retreat. White does not want help his opponent’s development by taking on d6, and instead he allows the
trade of bishops on g3, which would improve his structure as he takes with a pawn towards the center and opens the h-
file for the rook for a potential attack with g4-g5.

5...c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Nbd2


7...Bxg3?!

A dubious move. Black should delay this capture until White has castled kingside. Carlsen perfectly demonstrates the
potential on the h-file. The critical line, from the opening point of view, starts with 7...0-0 8.Bd3 b6

8.hxg3 Qd6

Black wants to open the center with the ...e5-break which would lead to some space advantage for him. White must
prevent this break.

9.Bb5!

White not only prevents ...e5, but also prepares the strategic simplification of taking on c6 followed by establishing a
very strong knight on e5. Giving up the bishop is justified as the position is closed.

9...Bd7 10.Bxc6!

White immediately occupies the e5-square. It is very important as he can now quickly organize his play on the
kingside.

10...Bxc6 11.Ne5 Qc7

Black does not want to castle kingside as he is rightly afraid of g4-g5 and Qh5. There are not too many options left as
he does not want to stay too long in the center, therefore he protects the f7-pawn in order to castle queenside.
It is more logical to get rid of a pair of knights with 11...Nd7 although White keeps an advantage 12.Ndf3 Nxe5
13.Nxe5² At least now, however, Black has the option of kicking out the knight with ...f6 at some point. It does not
work immediately in view of Qh5 check.

12.Qf3!

Carlsen decides to prevent ...Nd7 before he launches his principal attack with g4-g5. 12.g4 is also possible and here
are some lines to demonstrate the ideas behind it: 12...Nd7 13.Ndf3 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 0-0-0 (Black cannot prevent g5
with 14...f6 because of 15.Ng6! and h7 falls.) 15.g5! Black has castled queenside. Now of course the g4-g5 move does
not have attacking purposes, but it brings serious positional advantages as it fixes two weaknesses — on h7 and f7.
White has a clear plan to attack them with Qf3, 0-0-0 followed by doubling on the h-file. Black should get rid of the
knight with 15...f6 but now after 16.gxf6 gxf6 17.Nxc6 Qxc6 18.Rh6 White maintains a positional advantage, thanks to
the superior pawn structure. He does not have any weaknesses, while Black must worry about his 6th rank pawns and
the one on h7.

12...h6

12...0-0-0 13.g4 is also good for White.

13.Qf4!

Another subtle move! White improves his queen, it supports the g4-g5 break and at the same time protects his knight
on e5 to create the simple threat of taking on c5.

13...Qe7

Black protects the c5-pawn. 13...0-0-0 14.dxc5±

14.g4!

Everything goes according to plan.


14...Nh7

Black considers it to be safer to castle kingside and tries to establish full control over the g5-square.

14...Nd7 is strongly met by 15.Nxd7 Bxd7 16.g5! h5 17.g4! creating a target on the h-file;
14...g5? is useful, but it runs into 15.Qxg5!

15.Qg3!!

Another perfect and subtle move by the World Champion. The idea is very concrete. He realizes that his opponent
plans 0-0, when the attack should roll with f4-g5! However to understand why 15.Qg3 is so deep, we must check the
difference if White loses an important tempo with 15.0-0-0 0-0 Now after 16.Qg3 Black is in time to play 16...Be8!
taking control over the g6-square and f6 comes next, kicking out the e5-knight and getting another piece to control the
g5-break. 17.f4 f6 with mutual chances.

15...Rg8

Now on 15...0-0 16.f4! and Black is not in time to prevent g5. 16...Be8 17.g5‚

16.0-0!

After Black has given up the possibility of castling kingside, White finally connects his rooks and leave the h-file.
Either Black keeps his king in the center or he castles queenside, when White’s going to blow the center with a terrific
attack.

16...Nf6

If Black tries 16...f6 17.Nxc6 bxc6 18.Nb3! c4 19.Nc5± followed by e4 and Rfe1 or just b3 with a big advantage
because of the better structure and pieces.

17.Rac1!

A great move yet again! The next step is clear; White will explode the center in front of the weak black king with c4.
17...Rc8

17...Nd7 loses material after 18.Nxc6 bxc6 19.Qc7!±;


17...0-0-0 18.c4 should lead to a crushing attack as well;
17...c4 just temporarily prevents the c4-break as after 18.b3! Black cannot hold his c4-pawn with ...b5 because of the
c6-bishop.

18.c4!

The opening of the game basically means the end of the game. Black has no chance to bring his g8-rook into the action
and his king finds himself in trouble soon enough.

18...dxc4 19.dxc5

White opens both central lines.

19...Qxc5 20.Ndxc4 Ke7

With the hope of artificial castling after ...Rgd8 and ...Kf8, but of course, White does not give Black a free move to
consolidate.

20...Bd5 loses to 21.Nd6+!+–

21.b4!

A concrete move, based on exploiting the d6-square. 21.Nxf7! is actually also winning, but it requires some artificial
moves after 21...Ne4 22.Qf4 g5 (22...Rgf8 23.Nce5+–) 23.Qh2+– and the knight can never be taken on f7 because of
Ne5 and the queen falls.

21...Qxb4
On 21...Qb5 the easiest win is 22.Nd6! Kxd6 23.Nxc6++–

22.Nd3!

Chasing the queen away from the d6-square.

22...Ne4

On 22...Qb5

White wins after the beautiful regrouping 23.Qd6+! Ke8 24.Qa3! freeing the d6-square for the knight, which cannot
be defended against. 24...Ne4 25.f3+–

23.Nxb4

White wins a piece, but a final subtlety had to be foreseen.

23...Nxg3 24.fxg3 Bb5


Black would still be in the game, except for...

25.Rxf7+!!

This final tactical blow finishes matters. 25.Rf4 Rgd8∞ is unclear. Black has two pawns and the pin on the c-file is
very unpleasant to deal with.

25...Kxf7 26.Nd6+ Ke7 27.Nxc8+ Kd7 28.Nxa7 Ba4 29.Nd3 1–0

Black resigned. Simply a perfect game by the World Champion!


GAME 36
N. Sedlak (2537)
W. So (2782)
Baku Olympiad
06.09.2016 [D02]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4

Nikola Sedlak is the big expert in this opening, and is also the author of Winning with the Modern London System. In
this game, his opponent Wesley So arrived very well-prepared and managed to seize the initiative with dynamic play
after an inaccuracy by White.

3...c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 e6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bg3

All details and explanations of the opening part can be found in the Kamsky-Goganov game, which was exactly the
same until the 13th move.

7...0-0 8.Bd3 b6 9.Qe2 Bb7 10.Rd1 Re8 11.e4 Be7 12.e5 Nh5 13.a3 g6

This was So’s improvement over the afore-mentioned game. The idea is very concrete and deep. The move itself is
natural: Black temporarily stabilizes his knight, closes the diagonal of the light-squared bishop and delays the capture
on g3 until White castles in order to avoid the opening of the h-file while the rook is on h1. Goganov only played ...g6
after he closed the position on the queenside with 13...c4, but keeping the tension on the d4-square is very important for
the following undermining plan...

14.Nf1

A typical regrouping of the knight, which heads towards the weak squares on h6-f6 via e3-g4. White delays castling to
prepare for the capture on g3, but it has a drawback as well in that the king temporarily stays in the center and Black
can start to open files in front of it. This maneuver works perfectly after 13...c4, but now Black launches his
counterplay. White should play 14.0-0 followed by slowly executing the same plan with Rfe1, Nf1–e3-g4. Now in the
event of 14...f5 15.exf6 Bxf6 White can fight for the e5-square with 16.Bb5! Nxg3 17.hxg3 with some advantage after
White manages to establish control over the e5-square.

14...f5!

Black undermines the center. White must take en passant, otherwise the g3-bishop gets in trouble.

15.exf6 Bxf6

Black is ready to explode the center with ...e5. If the knight was already on e3 and he could play Ng4 and all would be
fine from White’s point of view, but he is missing one tempo.

16.Ne3

White could have fought against the ...e5-break with 16.Bb5 but then he misses the light-squared bishop too much
after 16...a6 17.Bxc6 Bxc6 and the bishop suddenly arrives to b5, depriving White of castling rights. 18.Be5 Bb5
19.Qe3 Rf8! Black has serious attacking chances by using the f4-square with his knight.

16...e5!

Black consequently follows his thematic plan of undermining and opening the center. By successfully executing the
...e5-break, Black suddenly gains a space advantage and takes over the initiative. Of course, all the concrete lines
connected to the d5-pawn had to be well-calculated. Going for the pawn with 16...cxd4 17.cxd4 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Bxd4 is
not advisable because of 19.Bxg6! hxg6 20.Rxd4 when White wins back the material and Black’s king position remains
vulnerable.

17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Nxe5

If 18.Bxe5 Bxe5 19.Nxe5 Rxe5 and the knight is threatened on f4.

18...Nxg3 19.hxg3 Rxe5!


Black had to strengthen his d5-square. If he manages to consolidate his position he will get the advantage.
Additionally, he keeps the option of playing ...Bg5 at his disposal. White must try to make some direct use of the
moment. After 19...Bxe5 White can successfully hunt the d5-pawn with 20.Bb5! Re7 21.Bc4! and if 21...Rd7 22.Nxd5!
Bxd5 23.Rxd5! Rxd5 24.Qxe5+–

20.Bc4

On 20.0-0 Qc8 Black leaves from the pin and due to the two bishops and better structure he enjoys some advantage;
20.Ba6 is logical to remove one of the defender from d5, but it allows 20...Bxa6 21.Qxa6 Bg5! and White cannot play
f4 anymore.

20...b5!!

Black sacrifices a less-useful pawn in order to consolidate his position and save his powerful center. The pair of
bishops, the active pieces and the threats of ...Bg5 and ...d4 will give him more than enough compensation.

21.Bxb5 Qb6 22.0-0

White finally finds shelter for his king.

22...Kg7!

Black is threatening ...d4 after removing the king from the c4 check. 22...d4 23.Qc4+

23.Bd3!

White retreats his bishop from its loose position and uses the tactical trick that the ...d4-break does not work properly.

23...Bg5

A very tempting move, but probably not the best as it allows White a nice tactical defense.
Black should play instead 23...c4 24.Bb1 Bg5 and ...Rae8 next move with a clear advantage.
However 23...d4 does not work so well because of 24.cxd4 cxd4 25.Nc4! and the a8-rook is hanging after the
captures.

24.c4!

A very difficult move to find: White explodes the center to reduce its flexibility. An interesting alternative is 24.Nc4!?
dxc4 25.Qxe5+ Bf6 26.Qf4 cxd3 27.Rxd3 Qc6 28.f3 and it’s hard to evaluate the arising position. Black has very
strong bishops, but White has 2 pawns and the rooks might cause some problems if they invade on the 6th or 7th rank.
If 24.f4 c4! 25.fxe5 Qxe3+ 26.Kh2 cxd3 and Black retains his strong d3-pawn as it is indirectly protected in all the
lines by ...Ba6. For instance 27.Qxe3 Bxe3 28.Rxd3 Ba6!

24...Rae8

24...d4 25.Nd5! is the tactical justification for the 24.c4 move! White successfully closes the dangerous long diagonal.

25.cxd5
25...Rxe3!

A great exchange sacrifice. Black correctly sees that his attacking potential is much greater with the dark-squared
bishop on board.

26.fxe3 Bxe3+ 27.Rf2!

And White correctly feels that he must give back the exchange, however Black is not forced to take it — instead he
can increase the pressure on the pin. 27.Kh1 is met by 27...Re5! We can see the strength of the e3-bishop, which
controls White’s camp and squeezes the king to the corner. 28.g4 Bxd5! with a very strong attack. If Black manages to
drop his queen to the h-file it is going to be mate. It can be done by ...Qd8-h4, or ...g5-Qh6. It is not easy to fight
against both plans. (On the direct 28...Qd8 White can ensure the h-file with 29.Rf3!)

27...c4!

Another sacrifice, and a very obvious one to increase the pressure on the f2 square to the maximum.

28.Bxc4 Rf8 29.Rdf1 Qd4!


A picturesque position. White is an exchange and two pawns up, but he cannot really move his pieces. All are tied to
defense of the pinned rook. However there are not too many pieces left and the question is, how can Black improve his
position? Most of his pieces are also tied to attacking the f2-rook...

30.b3!

White stabilizes his c4-bishop to keep the position together. 30.Bb3 is refuted tactically by 30...Ba6! 31.Qxa6 Bxf2+
32.Kh2 Qe3! and ...Qh6 is a serious threat.

30...h5!

Black improves his position and keeps in mind the advance of his kingside pawns, with the hope that one will arrive
on g3.
31.d6?

A decisive mistake. White tries to lure the Black pieces away in order to release the tension on the f2-rook, but it
opens the a8-h1 diagonal which turns out to be fatal.
It is very interesting — and to be honest a bit strange to me — but I don’t see how Black can make progress if White
just waits with Qe1–e2. 31.Qe1! The point is that if Black advances his g-pawn, his king becomes exposed and White
can sacrifice his rook to invade with his queen on e7 and give perpetual check. I have tried different plans for Black
here, but none of them turned out to be successful. 31...Rf6 Black tries to hide his king first before pushing
...g5-...g4-...h4. (If 31...g5 White can play 32.Kh1! Rxf2 33.Rxf2 Bxf2 34.Qe7+ Kg6 35.Bd3+ Qxd3 36.Qe6+= with
perpetual check on the e6-e7-e8 squares.) 32.Qe2 g5 (On 32...Kh6 White just keeps on waiting with 33.Qe1 till Black
starts some action with the kingside pawns 33...g5 and now again
34.Kh1! Bxf2 35.Qe7 The threat is Bd3! 35...Kg6 36.Qxb7 Bxg3 37.Rxf6+ Kxf6 38.Qc6+= with perpetual check
once more.) 33.Kh1 Bxf2 34.Qe7+ Kg6 35.Qxb7 Bxg3=

31...h4!

So precisely punishes the mistake. Before attacking the g2-square, he first opens the kingside. On the direct 31...Qe4
with the threat of ...Qxg2 mate, White can play 32.Kh2!

32.Kh1

32.g4 keeps the h-file temporarily closed, but Black wins after 32...Qf4!–+ and ...Qg3 next.
If 32.gxh4 Qe4! already wins. ...Qxg2 is threatened and after 33.Kh2 Qxh4+ 34.Kg1 Qg3–+

32...Rxf2

32...hxg3 was also good, with the mate on h4 33.Rf7+ Rxf7 34.Rxf7+ Kh6–+

33.Rxf2 hxg3! 34.Rf7+ Kh6 0–1

White resigned.

GAME 37
T. Gelashvili (2557)
V. Akobian (2612)
Annual World Open
Philadelphia USA
02.07.2016 [D05]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
In this fascinating encounter White wins a very nice attacking game with a typical double bishop sacrifice...

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.Bd3 d5 5.b3


This system without playing c4 is very popular at club level as it does not require any particular theoretical knowledge,
but as we will see, sometimes even good grandmasters employ it successfully. The plan is to build up an attacking
position with Bb2, Ne5 and f4.

5...Nbd7

5...Nc6 It looks much more natural to develop the knight to a more active position, but in this case White also needs to
lose a tempo on playing a3 to avoid the annoying ...Nb4 at some point.

6.0-0 b6 7.Bb2 Bb7 8.Nbd2

Another reason why this opening is so popular is that the pieces are always developed to the same squares, so one does
not need to check what his opponent does and play according to that.

8...Bd6

9.Ne5!

White follows his plan to centralize the knight, followed by cementing it with f4. It is especially effective now as it
cannot be taken with the knight.

9...0-0 10.f4

White usually wants to attack with Qf3, g4-g5 and Qh3.

10...Rc8

A normal developing move, but a very careless one — allowing White to execute a typical tactical trick. The drawback
of the f4-move is giving up the e4-square. Black should occupy it with the knight, however he should find the right
conditions under which to do it. The direct 10...Ne4 is inaccurate: 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Bc4 in connection with the f5-plan
to open the diagonal and the file against the f7 square. Black fails to equalize here 12...cxd4 (12...Nf6 13.f5²;
12...Nxe5 13.dxe5 Be7 14.f5²) 13.Nxd7! this intermediate move is very important to maintain the advantage 13...Qxd7
14.Qxd4±;
Black should take first on 10...cxd4 and only after 11.exd4 Ne4 with the idea of playing ...Ndf6. These positions are
very tricky, because both sides have a strong knight on e4 and on e5, but in the long-term the one on e5 can be kicked
out by ...f6, while the e4 is stable. If White does the same as after 10...Ne4 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Bc4 Black can prepare the
...f5-break with 13...Qe7 having in mind to play ...Bd5 or ...Nf6-d5 at some point. 14.f5

is now strongly met by 14...b5! (14...Bd5 is also good for equality, but Black can play for more) 15.Bxb5 Bxe5!
16.Bxd7 (16.dxe5 Qc5+–+ wins a piece.) 16...Bd6 the bishop is hanging and Qh4 will come next with decisive threats
17.Ba4 (17.fxe6 just helps Black as it opens the rook’s file. 17...fxe6–+) 17...Qh4 18.h3 (18.g3 Bxg3 19.hxg3 Qxg3+
20.Kh1 e3+–+) 18...Qg3–+ with a decisive attack. The b7-bishop soon joins the game after e3.

11.Nxd7!

Of course, White must have a very concrete reason to give up his strong knight by himself...

11...Nxd7
11...Qxd7 loses to 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Bxf6 Bxe3+ 14.Kh1 gxf6 15.Qg4+ Kh8 16.Qh4 with a double attack on h7 and
f6, and after 16...f5 17.Qf6+ Kg8 18.Rf3+– wins.

12.dxc5!

Opening the diagonals to prepare for the forthcoming sacrifices.

12...Rxc5?

This is already a decisive mistake. Black should have recaptured with the bishop 12...Bxc5! and there are now some
differences after the sacrifices: 13.Bxh7+! Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Bxg7! Black has to solve a very difficult calculation
problem to choose the right way from the two options: Black is a piece ahead, and should reject the capture the second
bishop. 15...f5! (On 15...Bxe3+ 16.Kh1 Kxg7 17.Qg4+! The key check to avoid the king’s escape to the f-file after
removing the rook from f8. 17...Kh7 (17...Kf6? 18.Qg5#) 18.Rf3 and now Black can defend against the mate with
18...Bxf4! 19.Qxf4! Black is still up a piece, he has resources to defend 19...f5 (After 19...Qf6 20.Rh3+ Kg7 21.Rg3+
Kh7
22.Rf1! A bit unexpected, but White is threatening the same mate on h4 even without the queens. Black is in trouble.
For example if 22...Rg8 23.Rh3+ Kg7 24.Qd6+– wins. The heavy pieces are too strong and the black king is too
much exposed.) 20.Rh3+ Kg7 21.Qg3+ Kf6

22.Rh7! A coldblooded attacking move. White is threatening Qg7 and Qh4 (22.Rh6+ Black runs away after 22...Ke7)
22...e5 The only move to free the e6-square for the king. White continues his calm attack with 23.Nf3‚ followed by
Re1. Black is actually in trouble, especially in a practical game without computer assistance.) 16.Rf3 (16.Qg6 Qe8)
16...Kxg7 17.Rg3+ Kf6 The king has an escape path through e7-d6. White must avoid it by playing 18.Qh7! at the
same time threatening Rg6. The only move is 18...Rg8 and White must settle for a draw by giving perpetual check with
19.Qh4+ Kf7 20.Qh7+ Kf6=

13.Bxh7+!
Now the double bishop sacrifice works perfectly...

13...Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8

15.Bxg7!

All the previous moves with 11.Nxd7 and 12.dxc5 becomes clear now. White had to clear the diagonals for the
sacrifices...

15...Kxg7

15...f5 is not the same as in the 12...Bxc5 line 16.Rf3! Kxg7 (16...Qe8 17.Qh6+– and Rg3 next.) 17.Rg3+ Kf6 In
comparison to 12...Bxc5, Black does not have the d6-square for his king. He simply gets mated after 18.Rg6+ Ke7
19.Rg7+ Kf6 20.Qg5#

16.Qg4+ Kh7

Without the d5-pawn, having covered the g5-square, Black couldn’t play 16...Kf6 17.Qg5#

17.Rf3! Qf6!

The only move to avoid mate.

18.Rh3+ Qh6
Black is still doing fine materially. He has two bishops and a rook for the queen, but the problem is still his exposed
king. White still has some material left to continue the attack.

19.Nf3!

Aiming at g5.

19...Be7

19...Qxh3 also loses after 20.Qxh3+ Kg7 21.Qg4+ Kh8 Black avoids Ng5 with check. 22.Qh4+ Kg7 23.Qg5+ Kh7
(Now on 23...Kh8 24.Qh6+ Kg8 25.Ng5+– wins.) 24.Nd4!+– White simply intends to bring his rook to the attack
via f1–f3, or at some point playing f5 is also possible. 24...Rg8 25.Qh5+ Kg7
White wins with the demolishing sacrifice 26.f5! e5 27.Ne6+!! fxe6 28.Rf1!+– and Black gets mated. Qg6 appears
after most replies.

20.Ng5+!

Perfectly continuing the attack. The arising g5-pawn becomes a very strong attacker.

20...Bxg5 21.fxg5 Qxh3 22.Qxh3+ Kg8

22...Kg7 loses by force to 23.Qh6+ Kg8 24.g6! fxg6 25.Qxg6+ Kh8 26.Qh6+ Kg8 27.Qxe6+ Rf7 28.Rf1+–

23.g6!

The last accuracy and Black collapses on the e6-square!

23...fxg6

23...Nf6 24.Qh6! Creating the threats of g7 and Rf1. 24...fxg6 25.Qxg6+ Kh8 26.Rf1 Nh7 27.Rxf8+ Nxf8 28.Qf7+–
and the double-attack on f8 and b7 wins the game.

24.Qxe6+ Kg7

24...Rf7 25.Rf1+– is also over.

25.Qxd7+

The game is over. After sacrificing two bishops, finally White has gained back more than enough material and he is
the one who is already heavily ahead materially. Black continues playing, but the rest does not require much comment.

25...Rf7 26.Qd6 Rxc2 27.Rf1

White can already simplify to realize his advantage.


27...Rxf1+ 28.Kxf1 Bc6

Of course, there is no chance of creating a fortress...

29.g4 Bb5+ 30.Kg1 Rxa2 31.Qe5+ Kh7 32.g5 Bd3 33.Qxd5 Ra1+ 34.Kg2 Rd1 35.Qb7+ Kg8 36.Qa8+ Kg7
37.Qxa7+ Kg8 38.Qxb6 Be4+ 39.Kf2 Bf5 40.e4 1–0

A model game for this opening line.

GAME 38
L. Aronian (2795)
R. Rapport (2730)
European Club Cup
Novi Sad SRB
08.11.2016 [D07]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
This game was played between Aronian, one of the best player in the world over the last 10 years, and the Hungarian
prodigy Rapport. As usual, Rapport chose a crazy opening — the Chigorin Defense. The game was very interesting and
at some point the Hungarian played perhaps the move of the year! Let’s check it out...

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6

With Rapport, any opening is possible! It depends on his mood of the day. Let’s go for a Chigorin
Defense.

3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3

5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 e5 7.d5 Nb8 8.Nf3 is also interesting for White.

5...e5
The pet line of Rapport. Even though he lost his previous outing with it against Navara, he goes for it one more time!
The idea is to destabilize the white center.

6.dxe5 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Ba5

Black is a pawn down, but White has some weaknesses on c3 and e5.

9.e3 0-0 10.Qa4 Bb6 11.Qf4

Transferring the queen to a better square, protecting the e5-pawn.

11...Qe7

12.h4?

In my opinion, this move is just a terrible blunder. White wants to create some idea with Ng5, but strategically it’s
difficult to understand it. 12.Be2 Re8 (12...f6 13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Qc4+ Kh8 15.0-0 and without the pawn on h4, White’s
position is better.) 13.0-0 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Qxe5 Rxe5 16.c4 leads to an equal position.

12...f6!

Opening the f-file for his rook.

13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Qc4+ Kh8 15.Bd3 Bf5

Of course! Exchanging the best bishop of the white side.

16.Bxf5 Rxf5 17.Ng5

17.0-0 Raf8³

17...Ne5 18.Qe4 Qd7 19.0-0


19.g4 Nd3+ 20.Kf1 Rxf2+ 21.Kg1 g6–+

19...Re8

Bringing the last ‘man’ onto the pitch.

20.Qc2 h6 21.Ne4 Rh5

From this point on, the game will be torture for Aronian. Rapport will put terrible pressure on him.

22.Ng3 Rxh4µ 23.Rad1 Rf8

All Black’s pieces arrive closer to the white king. Tactics are coming!!

24.Bc1 Qg4 25.Rd5 Qg5 26.Qe2

26.e4 Nf3+ 27.gxf3 Qxg3# beautiful checkmate.

26...c6 27.Rd4

27...Rh1+!!

What a magical move!! Instead of taking the rook on d4, Rapport gives up his rook! Simply a fantastic idea.

28.Kxh1

28.Nxh1 Nf3+ 29.Qxf3 Rxf3 and Black has a material advantage.

28...Bxd4 29.f3!

A good defense by the Armenian. 29.exd4? Qh4+ 30.Kg1 Ng4 and Black just wins everything.
29...Bb6 30.Ne4 Qh5+ 31.Kg1 Bc7

Transferring the bishop to the dangerous diagonal h2-b8

32.Kf2

Time to run far away from all these problems!

32...Qh2

32...Qh4+ 33.Kg1 Nd3 34.g4 Ne5µ is also very good for Black.

33.Ke1?

33.f4 is the best chance for White to survive. 33...Qh4+ 34.g3 Qh3 35.Ke1 Nd7 36.Rg1 Re8µ

33...Rd8–+

Now the game is over: the knight will arrive on d3 and White’s position will be paralyzed.

34.Bd2 Nd3+ 35.Kd1 Qe5

Another great move! Rapport transfers the queen to the queenside.

36.g4

Aronian is almost in zugzwangs and he has no plan available. 36.Nf2 Nxf2+ 37.Rxf2 Qxc3 38.Ke1 Qa1+ 39.Qd1
Qxa2–+

36...Qb5

The queen is now on a perfect spot, threatening some checks on a4 or b1.


37.Qg2 Nb2+ 38.Kc2 Nc4 39.Bc1 Rd5

And the final piece comes to the party!

40.g5 Na5 41.Bd2

41...Qd3+ 0–1

41...Qd3+ 42.Kd1 Nc4 43.Ke1 Nxd2 44.Nxd2 Bg3+–+ What an amazing game by Rapport!! Aronian didn’t find a
good plan to fight against the Hungarian’s aggressive opening. Rapport played a wonderful move with 27...Rh1 and
crushed Aronian a few moves later.

GAME 39
D. Dubov (2644)
A. Brkic (2584)
European Championship
Gjakova, KOS
20.05.2016 [D30]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Now for a very nice attacking game with a beautiful finish at the end.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Bb4+ 5.Nc3

The Ragozin Defense is hugely popular nowadays.

5...h6 6.Bh4

This used to be considered a dubious variation, but after this game it will have to be re-evaluated and taken seriously.

6...g5
This was supposed to be the critical test of the line. The other option is 6...dxc4 which is perhaps better after all:
7.Qa4+ (Black can preserve his extra pawn after: 7.e3 b5 8.a4 c6) 7...Nc6 8.e3 If White wins back the c4-pawn he will
have an edge because of his better development, but Black can keep his extra pawn with: 8...Bd7! with the typical
threat of ...Nxd4, and on Qxb4 then ...Nc2 checks the queen. White has to leave the pin with 9.Qc2 but then Black
follows up with 9...b5

7.Bg3 Ne4 8.Qc2 h5

...h4 is coming next and after Be5 then ...f6 traps the bishop. White must play h4 or h3, but both ruin the pawn
structure after Black takes on g3. However, modern chess and its computer assistance allows us to play such lines.

9.h3 Bxc3+

Black does not want to allow White to recapture on c3 with the queen after his knight has subsequently taken on g3.
This creates another set of doubled pawns, which is logical from a positional point of view, but Black should probably
play differently: On 9...Nxg3 10.fxg3 Bd6 White gets huge compensation with: 11.0-0-0! Bxg3 12.e4! The big lead in
development and the black king being stuck in the center must give White more than enough compensation. I would
say the critical move is: 9...c5 A typical central blow in the Ragozin, to be followed by Nc6.

10.bxc3 Nxg3 11.fxg3 Nc6


11...Qd6 is now met by: 12.Kf2!² The g5-pawn is hanging and White opens the center with e4! The king feels very
safe on f2.

12.e4!

White opens the game and the center, where the black king is stuck. Black cannot castle kingside as he has heavily
weakened his structure there, and he cannot stay long in center, and to go to the queenside takes a lot of time...

12...dxe4 13.Qxe4 Qd6

Black intends to castle queenside, and develops his queen with tempo.

14.Kf2 Bd7 15.c5!

White correctly feels that it is more important to develop the initiative than be materialistic. After 15.Nxg5 0-0-0
Black can hope to start an attack with ...Rhg8, or open lines in front of the white king with ...e5 or ...f5-f4.

15...Qe7 16.Rb1 0-0-0 17.Ne5!

White activates all of his pieces. It feels that the black king is extremely weak: the early plan of creating doubled
pawns on the c-file has clearly backfired, as the attack on the b-file will soon be crushing.

17...f5

Trying to force exchanges loses to: 17...f6 18.Ba6! bxa6 19.Nxc6 Bxc6 20.Qxc6+–;
An attempt to prevent what happened in the game by strengthening the c6-knight is: 17...Qe8 However, this also loses
to
18.Ba6!! A fantastic sacrifice with a ‘cool’ follow-up. 18...bxa6 19.Rb3! Black gets mated. For example: 19...f6
20.Rhb1 fxe5 21.Rb8+ Nxb8 22.Qb7#

18.Qf3

18.Ba6!! This move also wins immediately, with the same ideas as in the game: 18...fxe4 (18...bxa6 19.Nxc6+–)
19.Bxb7+ Kb8 20.Bxc6+ Kc8 21.Bb7+ Kb8 22.Bxe4+ Kc8 23.Bb7+ Kb8 24.Bf3+ Avoiding checks on the f-file.
24...Kc8 Instead of giving perpetual check, White can play: 25.Rb2!! A brilliant move. Black gets mated on the b-file
after Rhb1.

18...g4

Black tries to chase the queen away from eyeing up the b7-square, in order to be able to take on e5. However, here
comes the fantastic blow...

19.Ba6!! gxf3

19...bxa6 20.Nxc6+–

20.Bxb7+ Kb8 21.Bxc6+ Kc8 22.Bb7+

White has a draw, but can he play for more?

22...Kb8 23.Bxf3+ Kc8 24.Bb7+ Kb8 25.Bc6+

25.Be4+!? Kc8 26.Bd3!+– is also winning.

25...Kc8

26.Rb2!! 1–0

Amazing! White is a queen down and yet he simply starts to double his rooks on the b-file. Black resigned, in view of
the following lines: 26.Rb2 On 26...Bxc6 (26...Rdf8! The most tenacious defense, trying to gain an escape route for the
king via d8. White has a pleasant choice of moves: 27.Bxd7+ This is the human win. (Objectively it is better to
continue the attack with: 27.Rhb1 Kd8 28.Rb8+ Bc8 29.Bb7! when Black does not get mated, but his king remains
extremely shaky after: 29...Qg5 30.Rxc8+ Ke7 31.Rxc7+ Kf6
(31...Kd8 32.Rd7+ Ke8 33.Bc6+–) 32.Ke2! Preventing the counterplay connected with ...Qd2. Black is completely
paralyzed, because his f8-rook must cover the f7-square. 32...Qxg3 33.Bf3+– Rbb7 is coming next with a mating
attack.) 27...Qxd7 28.Rhb1 Kd8 29.Nxd7 Kxd7 30.Rb7+– White has a technical win, as he is a pawn up with the more
active rooks.) 27.Rhb1!!+– This is the point! White needs his knight on e5 to prevent the king’s escape through d7.
Black gets mated on b8.

GAME 40
A. Ipatov (2648)
A. Brkic (2584)
European Championships
Gjakova KOS
14.05.2016 [D30]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
After landing some very deep home preparation, Ipatov manages to win a great attacking game with many nice tactical
motifs.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Bb4+

Black would like to transpose into the Ragozin Defense after Nc3, but one of the points of starting with 4.Bg5 is to
have the extra option of developing the knight to d2.

5.Nbd2

In this case, of course, White must count on the option of taking on c4, when Black will be able to preserve his extra
pawn.

5...dxc4 6.a3

White grabs the pair of bishops as the first step of his compensation.

6...Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2
Black has different options to guard his extra pawn, but as we will see, White gets decent compensation in all the lines.

7...b5

The most direct way to defend the pawn. 7...Qd5 is another typical move in such positions. White should continue
with 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.g3 the Black structure is damaged on both sides of the board and White will have a big lead in
development. The bishop goes to g2 with tempo and Qh6 may also be unpleasant at some point;
On 7...Nc6 8.e3 Qd5 In this case, Black has avoided the unpleasant development of the bishop to the long diagonal
with g3-Bg2, but now he faces other problems after 9.Bxf6 gxf6 White can play 10.Rc1 b5 11.b3! with the idea of
11...cxb3 12.Rc5!± and Bxb5 next.

8.a4!

Provoking ...c6 after which the bishop will be closed in on b7. Otherwise Black could play ...Bb7 and later a4 could be
met by ...a6 as the a8-rook is protected after axb5.

8...c6 9.g3!

White cannot win back the pawn on c4, so he must put pressure on the weakened long diagonal. This is a typical plan
in the Catalan opening.

9...Bb7 10.Bg2 Nbd7


If Black manages to consolidate, he ends up with an extra pawn. White must play with a lot of energy in his moves.
The next great idea was still clearly the Ipatov’s preparation.

11.Ne5!

A very concrete move with many tactical ideas.

11...Qc8!

A good reaction! Black defends the c6-pawn and leaves from the pin of the g5-bishop. The main point is that after
11...Nxe5 then 12.axb5! An intermediate move! White wants to take the knight on e5, which does not have a good
square to retreat to. For example after 12...Ng6 13.bxc6 Bc8 14.c7+– wins;
11...Qc7 looks more natural, but it runs into 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bf4! Qb6 (13...e5 loses to 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.axb5+–)
14.Bd6! This is another great point of 11.Ne5! We can understand now why White did not include the 0-0 0-0 pair of
moves, as now the king is stuck in the center. We also see now why 11...Qc8 was a good reply.

12.0-0 0-0

Black has survived the concrete problems, but White has a very active position. Ipatov finds a logical plan to
compensate. Black has grabbed a pawn, but given up the center in return, therefore White builds a very strong one over
the next few moves.

13.e4 a6

At some point, Black must explode the center with ...c5, otherwise his position remains too passive and he gets
crushed. It is possible to do it right away because the e4-pawn is hanging, although White gets strong compensation
here as well: 13...c5 14.Nxd7 Qxd7 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.d5! Gaining a strong passed pawn and the black structure is
damaged on the kingside, so White definitely has full compensation for the pawn, but of course the position remains
playable for both sides 16...exd5 17.exd5 a6

14.f4!
With the idea of pushing f5, activating the white pieces even more. If the rooks can join in on the f-file, Black will
quickly collapse under the pressure.

14...c5

15.d5!

Another point of 14.f4 was to fortify the e5 knight. Now White can react properly to c5 with this breakthrough,
without the capture on d7. White creates a passed pawn and locks in the b7-bishop.

15...exd5 16.exd5 Nb6

Black must try to find some counterplay, otherwise Nc6 or Bh3 will come with crushing compensation. Black allows
damage to his kingside, but he hopes that having the pawn on f4 deprives White of playing Qh6 — and without that the
attack does not break through.

17.Bxf6!?

White has the very strong alternative of playing 17.d6! with the simple idea to advance the passed pawn as far as
possible. Such pawns destroy the coordination in the opponent’s camp and now it is very hard to get rid of it, as White
can support it with many pieces. 17...Bxg2 18.Qxg2 Qe6
19.Rfe1! White has many promising moves, but this one is the nicest and strongest. White is threatening Ng6 and the
d6-pawn is poisoned... 19...Qxd6 20.Rad1 Qc7 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Ng4! and Black has no adequate defense against the
coming Qh3, Nxf6 threat. 22...Rad8 (22...Kg7 23.Qh3+–) 23.Nxf6+ Kg7 24.Qh3! This still works as the knight
cannot be taken because of Qh6-g5 mate. 24...h6 25.Qf5+–

17...gxf6

Unfortunately the knight cannot go to g4 now which could lead to a decisive attack and other knight moves help Black
(Nc6 leads to simplifications and Nf3 drops the d5-pawn).

18.f5!
A pretty tactical blow, which unfortunately does not win but just leads to an unpleasant position! Ng4 and Qh6 cannot
by allowed, so Black must accept the sacrifice.

18...fxe5 19.Qg5+ Kh8 20.Qf6+ Kg8 21.Qxb6 Rb8

Black should play 21...f6! after which he can finally relax a bit, because there is no more danger around the black king
connected to Qh6 and f6. The tactical point is that 22.axb5 axb5 23.Qxb5 is met by 23...c3! and Black holds thanks to
the ...Ba6 motif.

22.axb5

Here White should play 22.Qf6! Qd8 23.Qxe5 Re8 And now it is important to play 24.Qc3! with the idea of keeping
the control over the f6-square. Next move White goes f6 and the black king is in big danger, as he must always worry
about Qg5 and Qh6 moves.(24.Qf4 is a better square for the queen, but it allows 24...Qf6! A very active place for the
queen and it also prevents f6.)

22...axb5

An automatic recapture, but Black can instead release the tension... 22...Bxd5! 23.Qh6 Bxg2 24.Kxg2 (24.f6 Qg4! is
always an important defensive resource for Black.) 24...f6= and Black survives. He no longer gets mated and is doing
fine materially.

23.Ra7

A very unpleasant move, the point of which we will soon understand.

23...Bxd5 24.Qh6 Bxg2 25.Kxg2

The point of 23.Ra7 becomes clear now. Black must forget about the defense with ...f6, and otherwise f6 by White is
always hanging in the air. At the moment Black has ...Qg4, but of course, it is not such a safe rescue plan and White
has many ideas to prevent it.
25...Kh8

The only move. It prevents the concrete threats, but Black still cannot play ...Rg8, again because of the excellently
placed rook on a7.

25...b4 loses to 26.Rc7! deflecting the queen from the g4-square 26...Qxc7 27.f6+–;
25...Rb7 also loses to 26.f6+–

26.Rf3!!

A brilliant prophylactic move! With his last move Black prepared to play ...Rb7 (kicking out the rook from the 7th
rank in order to be able to play ...f6) as after f6 Rg8 already works because f7 is not hanging. Rb7, Rxb7 Qxb7, Qxf8 is
mate, but Black takes back on b7 with check! The last move, Rf3 closes the long diagonal and prevents ...Rb7,
additionally he sometimes intends to play g4-Rh3. 26.f6 Qg4 holds.
26.h3 to prevent Qg4 is already met by 26...Rb7! 27.f6 (27.Rxb7 Qxb7+ is check, so f8 is not hanging.) 27...Rg8

26...b4 27.h4!!

Another fantastic attacking move. The idea is to play h5, followed by Qf6 check and h6. It looks very easy indeed, but
Black cannot prevent it. On 27.g4 Qd8! is the only move and Black is still alive, because after 28.Rh3 Qd5+ White
cannot escape from the checks on d5-d4-d3-d1.

27...Qe8

27...c3 also loses to 28.h5! Qd8 29.Rd7! Deflecting sacrifice. The black queen is overloaded 29...Qxd7 30.Qf6+ Kg8
31.h6 Qd2+ 32.Rf2 Qxh6 33.Qxh6+–

28.h5! 1–0

And Black resigned as Qf6 and h6 comes next. Great preparation and a beautiful attack.
GAME 41
M. Ragger (2688)
H. Poetsch (2514)
Austrian League
02.04.2016 [D37]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
Markus Ragger is the best Austrian player and he has improved his play a lot over the last couple of years. Thanks to his
very good opening knowledge, he often presents his opponents with difficult decisions in the early stages of his games.
This particular game is no different. With his aggressive opening Ragger gets a strong initiative for the pawn and very
soon after that he mates his opponent with a piece sacrifice. A very nice game to watch!

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4

The Vienna may not be played as regularly as before, but it is certainly not a forgotten line in modern chess.

5.e4 Bb4 6.Bxc4

This is currently THE move for White.

6...Nxe4 7.0-0

With this pawn sacrifice White plays for a development advantage.

7...Nxc3

Another line is 7...Bxc3 8.bxc3 Nxc3 The position looks very risky after 9.Qb3 Nd5 10.Ba3 when White has great
play for the two pawns.

8.bxc3 Bd6

The modern move. The other main choice for Black is 8...Be7.
9.Ng5

The first choice of many computer engines and perhaps the most dangerous move for Black.

9...h6

This is almost forced. In case of 9...Be7 10.Qh5 Black’s position looks very scary.

10.Ne4 0-0

This is probably also Black’s best. 10...Bxh2+ looks too scary. 11.Kxh2 Qh4+ 12.Kg1 Qxe4 13.Re1 and the black
king will never be safe;
10...Nd7 11.Qg4 and Black will have a lot of trouble defending the g7-pawn.

11.Re1 Nd7

The black knight heads towards the f6-square, which is a typical idea.

12.Qf3

White hopes for an attack against the black king.

12...Be7

I am not sure that this is the best Black can do. I think it is stronger to firstly play 12...Nb6 to forve the white bishop to
decide where to go next 13.Bb3 and only now to play (13.Nxd6 cxd6 14.Bd3 Nd5 leads to unclear play.) 13...Be7 and
here we also have a very unclear position. Black is a pawn up but White is clearly better developed.

13.Qh3 Nf6

Black enters very dangerous waters. This was his last chance to play 13...Nb6 and it seems that White has to go back
into Bb3 lines. 14.Bb3 (14.Bxh6 Nxc4; 14.Bd3 f5 seems to be very unclear.) 14...Nd5 with extremely unclear play.

14.Bxh6!

and this is exactly why Black should have been more careful with his move order earlier.

14...e5?

This is clearly not the best. Black has to instead enter the main line with 14...gxh6 15.Qxh6
15...Ng4! Now let us take a look at how the game might continue: 16.Qf4 (16.Qh5 seems to just lead to a draw. 16...f5
17.Qg6+ Kh8 and it is not easy to find anything better for White than to go for a draw by perpetual check: 18.Re3
(18.h3 Qe8) 18...Nxe3 19.Qh6+ Kg8 20.Qg6+) 16...f5 It is easy to see that White has a lot of different interesting
moves here, but let’s follow the most obvious ones: 17.f3 The black knight has no good squares to go to. 17...Kg7 is
probably the safest move in the position. 18.fxg4 fxe4 19.Qe5+ Bf6

20.Qxe4 White has two pawns and the attack for the piece deficit — a very complicated situation. 20...Qe7 21.Re3
Bg5 22.Rh3 Rh8 23.Rxh8 Kxh8 24.Rf1 Bd7 Black is almost fully developed, but White still has some jokers up his
sleeve. 25.h4! A beautiful pawn sacrifice to get even more play on the h-file. 25...Bxh4 26.Rf3 Rf8 27.Rh3 and we can
see that the position might be holdable for Black, but there is clearly no pleasure in playing it. White has a very
dangerous attack.

15.Qh4
An aggressive approach, but White has a simpler solution: Why not just play 15.Qg3 Ng4 16.Bd2 with equal material,
but the black king is weak so White is clearly better here?

15...gxh6

So Black finally takes the piece.

16.Qxh6 Nxe4

The only move. 16...Ng4? already loses: 17.Qg6+! Kh8 18.Bxf7 and White is close to winning.

17.Rxe4

17...Qd6?!

Black does not defend well. Much tougher is 17...Bg5 18.Qg6+ Kh8 19.Qh5+ (19.Bxf7 doesn’t work: 19...Qf6 and
maybe it is already Black who can play for a win here.) 19...Kg7 20.dxe5 Of course Black’s position again looks very
scary, but he has a great move here: 20...f5! Bringing the game back into unclear waters. 21.Rd4 Qe7 22.f4 Bh6 and
although Black’s position is very dangerous, things are far from clear.

18.Qh5
White does not want anything direct, just to improve the position slowly and Black needs to pay a lot of attention to
the Re3 move.

18...exd4?

This move just loses. 18...Kg7! is the only move, with the idea of playing Qh6 next. 19.Re3 Qh6 20.Qxe5+ Bf6
21.Qxc7 White has three pawns for the piece and the attack, but Black is holding on. The position still has a lot of fight
in it.

19.Rae1!

and this move is a killer! Black now loses by force.

19...Bf6

There is already no better move.


20.Bd3!

There is no longer any defense against Rg4 next. Black is getting mated.

20...Bf5 21.Rg4+ Bxg4

22.Qh7# 1–0

An interesting game with a beautiful finish, which may also be important from a theoretical point of view.

GAME 42
V. Topalov (2760)
V. Anand (2779)
London Classic
17.12.2016 [D37]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
After 3 terrible losses with White in the tournament, Topalov wanted to finish the tournament on a high note. But Anand
is still a fantastic player with great preparation, and as we will see, he will play one of the novelties of 2016. Under
pressure, the Bulgarian will collapse in an equal position.

1.d4

After his previous bad results with 1.e4, Topalov tries the other pawn!

1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5

3...Bb4+ or 3...b6 are the other main moves.

4.Nc3 Be7

Anand defends the Queen’s Gambit, a very solid opening.

5.Bf4

The main move along with 5.Bg5. Both lines are very popular.

5...0-0 6.e3 c5

Black’s king is in a safer place, so now it’s time to open the position. 6...Nbd7 Is another option.

7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3

A logical move with the idea being to control the important square on b4, avoiding the pin. 8.cxd5?! is possible but
Black will continue with 8...exd5 and develop his pieces quickly giving Black an easy position to play.

8...Nc6 9.Qc2

A subtle move: White keeps his options open with either 0-0 or 0-0-0 depending on Black’s plan.

9...Re8

An interesting move from the Indian player, with the idea of pushing ...e5. 9...Qa5 is the main move, played many
times by Nakamura and Carlsen, when 10.Rd1 Re8 11.Nd2 leads to a really complicated position.

10.0-0-0 e5

As expected, Anand follows his idea!

11.Bg5

A good spot for the bishop, pinning the queen and attacking the d5-pawn.

11...d4 12.Nd5
12...b5!!

A fantastic novelty found by Anand’s second, GM Gajewski. Anand said after the game that it was found during his
second World Championship match against Carlsen. The idea is to open the c-file and to destabilize the knight on d5.

13.Bxf6

Not the best reaction possible.

13.cxb5 Qxd5 14.Bc4 Qd6 15.bxc6 Be6 (15...Bg4 Giving black some counterplay. 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Bd3²) 16.Bxe6
Rxe6 17.Kb1 is the best way to obtain an advantage for White.
13.Kb1? Be6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 16.cxb5 Na5–+
13...gxf6

Anand accepts the fact he has a weak pawn structure around his king, but it’s not important; the action will be in the
other side of the board.

14.cxb5 Na5

Avoiding the capture on c5 because of the beautiful ...Nb3!

15.exd4 exd4 16.Nb4

A good move by Topalov, who wants to put his knight on c6.

16...Bxb4 17.axb4

17...Be6!

A great move, developing the bishop to a good spot and completely opening the c-file for the rooks!

18.Nxd4 Rc8 19.Nc6

The only move not to lose the queen.

19...Nxc6 20.bxc6

For the moment, the c-file is closed, but Anand will do his best to open it. 20.Rxd8?? Nxd8!–+

20...Qb6

White has a material advantage, being two pawns up, but his king is very weak and Black’s pieces are super active!
21.Qa4

21.b5 with the idea of protecting the pawn. 21...a6! 22.Kb1 axb5 gives Black a deadly attack!

21...Rxc6+

Black takes back one pawn and continues to put terrible pressure on the white king. From this moment on, Topalov
has to be very accurate to avoid all the tactics around his weak king.

22.Kb1 Rd8 23.Rxd8+

23.Be2 Bf5+ 24.Ka2 Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Rc2 26.Bg4 transposes to the game.

23...Qxd8 24.Be2

It’s important to develop the bishop and the rook quickly.

24...Bf5+ 25.Ka2 Rc2

Black is one pawn down, but has a very active position with a lot of tricks available. It is a tough task for Topalov to
save such a position with big zeitnot approaching...

26.Rd1 Qb6 27.Bg4

A very good defensive move!

27...Qe6+ 28.Ka3

The king manages to find safety on a3...

28...Qe5 29.Qb3 Bg6 30.Bf3


30...Rxf2

The Bulgarian player is holding the position, but he needs to keep this up till the end of the zeitnot, when it will be an
easy draw.

31.h4?

A logical move, but sadly it’s a blunder.

31.Rd5= Rf1 32.Rd1 Rf2 33.Rd5 and Black has no better option than to take the draw.

31...Bc2

and White is in imminent danger...

32.Rd8+ Kg7

White’s king is now back in trouble.

33.Qc3??

And with only a few seconds left, Topalov makes another terrible blunder. 33.Qc4 avoids the loss 33...Qe3+ 34.Ka2
Qc1 35.Qg4+ Bg6 36.Qd4 Qb1+ 37.Ka3 Qa1+ 38.Kb3 Bc2+ 39.Kc4 Qf1+ 40.Kc5 Bf5 although Black gets a good
position with the white king in the center of the board!

33...Qb5

Threatening checkmate on a4 or a6...

34.Qc6
34...Rxf3+! 0–1

Winning the queen immediately and therefore the game. Topalov did his best against Anand’s strong novelty 12...b5.
But during time-trouble he blundered and, faced with a very weak king, Anand took the opportunity to win the game on
the spot.

GAME 43
S. Mamedyarov (2747)
L. Fressinet (2700)
IMSA Rapid
26.02.2016 [D38]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
This very interesting and colorful game was played recently in China, between two top Grandmasters. Despite the short
time-control, the game turned out to be very beautiful with a lot of tactical moments.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4

We see the Nimzovich-Indian opening, but two moves later we will switch to the Ragozin, which is quite popular at
the top level nowadays.

4.Nf3 d5 5.Qa4+

This is Shakhriyar’s pet line in this variation. White’s main idea is to force Black to play ...Nc6 and then just start
developing his pieces, because usually in the Ragozin Black just castles and plays ...Nb8-d7 followed by ...c5.

5...Nc6 6.e3

An interesting way to play. Many games also continue with 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.e3 0-0 and I believe that Black
has nothing to worry about.
6...0-0 7.Qc2

The main line is 7.Bd2 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bd6

7...b6!?

Laurent chooses a very rare but interesting line. This line has been played a few times by the very experienced GM
Aleksandrov, who has been playing the Ragozin for many years now. The main alternative is 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bd6
followed by ...e5, with a very difficult game where White probably has a slight edge.

8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Qxc3 Ne4?!N

I think this is Black’s first inaccuracy, after which White gets a pretty stable advantage, due to the instability of the
knight on e4. In many variations, Black cannot simplify the position by playing ...dxc4. I don’t really see any problems
for Black after 9...Ba6 and if White tries to save his center with 10.b3 then Black can prepare ...c5 after 10...Na5
followed by ...Rc8.

10.Qc2 Ba6 11.b4 Ne7 12.Bd3


12...Ng6?!

A very strange reply. Black just loses time in a bad position. The only chance is 12...f5 By protecting the e4-square,
Black can try to get some counterplay with ...Bxc4. And in case of 13.b5 Bb7 14.c5 Black gets serious counterplay by
pushing 14...a6! 15.c6 Bc8„

13.h4!?

Of course this is not the only move which keeps White’s clear edge, but we surely expect this move from Shakh!
White wants to gain space on both sides, but positionally I think the main idea is b5 followed by c5. Normally I would
choose 13.0-0 f5 14.b5 Bb7 15.c5 with a very unpleasant position for Black.

13...h6

Even after 13...h5 White has many options to continue. For example after 14.a4!? White has a very comfortable
position.

14.Bb2

White completes his development and will then start direct actions.

14...Ne7 15.Rc1 Nd6?!

The first serious miscalculation by the French GM. Black loses a piece and just finds himself in a very difficult
position. 15...Nf6! makes more sense, but after 16.b5 Bb7 17.c5 c6 18.a4 White is better in any event.
16.b5! dxc4!

Black has no choice and this was Fressinet’s intention anyway. If Black tries to save his bishop with 16...Bb7 17.c5
Ne4 18.c6 Bc8 19.0-0 a6 20.a4 White is just ‘easy-pushing’ his way to victory. It is very hard to even look at Black’s
position: White has two bishops, space and control everywhere.

17.Bh7+!

This blow is why I suggested 15...Nf6 for Black.

17...Kh8 18.bxa6
18...f5! 19.Ng5!

The key to White’s play and I guess that Fressinet underestimated the power of this move.

19...Qd7?

The last crucial mistake. The only chance is 19...Nd5 and after 20.Bg6! (I am not sure about 20.Nxe6 because after
20...Qf6 21.Nxf8 Rxf8 Black has very decent compensation.) 20...hxg5 21.hxg5+ Kg8 22.Rh5 White will probably be
able to convert his clear advantage into a full point.

20.a4!

White wants to bring his bishop to a3.

20...Rad8 21.Ba3! Rf6 22.e4!

By opening the b1–h7 diagonal, White saves his bishop from h7.

22...fxe4 23.Nxe4

23.Bxe4 looks like the simplest way to continue.

23...Rf4 24.g3 Rf3 25.Bxd6 cxd6 26.Ng5!

And finally, thanks to his knight, White manages to retreat his bishop. He is simply a bishop up and Black has no
compensation at all.

26...Rf6 27.Be4!+–

27...Kg8 28.Nh3

I would probably have chosen Nf3, but that is a matter of taste. White’s position is perfect and totally winning either
way. After a few more moves, Black has to admit defeat.

28...d5 29.Bg2 Nf5 30.Rd1

Defending the d4-pawn.

30...b5 31.axb5 Qxb5 32.0-0

Now that the white king is in safety, it is only matter of time until the white pieces will destroy Black’s hopes.

32...Qxa6 33.Rfe1 Qb6 34.Qc3

Once again defending the d4-pawn and planning to attack e6 with Nf4-Bh3 and maybe doubling on the e-file.

34...Rdf8 35.h5! 1–0

Fixing the pawn structure, and now that Nf4 is going to be even more powerful, Fressinet decided to stop the
suffering. A pretty and very interesting win by Mamedyarov, with the great idea of Ng5 which might be very useful to
remember for our own practical games!

GAME 44
A. Giri (2790)
P. Harikrishna (2763)
Gashimov Memorial
Shamkir AZE
29.05.2016 [D41]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
In this next example, Giri won a nice crushing game by using some standard attacking ideas.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5

This opening was a very popular choice over the last few years, since Kramnik played it with the black pieces all the
time. He more recently started to play other lines and so it has again goine a bit out of fashion nowadays.

6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 0-0
The initial position of this line. White can choose between several setups. In general we can say that White has a
strong center and he should play for a kingside attack, or create a passed d-pawn. On the other hand Black has a
queenside pawn majority which becomes more effective in the endgame, therefore almost all exchanges favor him.

11.Rc1

White delays the development of the bishop. He decides later if it goes to d3 or c4 and in the event of ...Nc6, he also
has the option of moving to b5.

11...b6

Black will attack the e4-pawn, therefore the logical development of the bishop is to d3. The main line is 11...Nc6
connected with ...Qa5, which was played by Harikrishna in three blitz games earlier in the year.

12.Bd3 Bb7 13.0-0 h6

A useful waiting move. Black does not decide yet where he develops his b8-knight. Kramnik lost to Aronian after
13...Nd7 14.Qe3 Rc8 15.e5 and the d7-knight was clearly misplaced, well-controlled by the pawns.
13...Nc6 is met by 14.d5! White creates a passed pawn using the fact that it cannot be taken twice because of Bxh7
discovered check winning the queen. 14...exd5 15.exd5 Na5 16.d6 is considered to be better for White.

14.Qe3 Nc6
15.h4!?

This is the novelty, although a standard move and idea in this line. White wants to play h5 and prepares to open the
b1–h7 diagonal, where a battery with the bishop on b1 and the queen on e4 or d3 could be decisive as Black cannot
close it with ...g6.

15...Rc8 16.h5 Qe7

Black calmly develops his pieces. It seems a bit careless to me, allows White to build up his attack. Initiating
exchanges with 16...Na5 looks more natural and if 17.Bb1 (On 17.Ne5 Nc6 as we said, Black should aim for
simplifications.) 17...Nc4 18.Qd3 Nd6 with the idea of 19.e5 Be4 neutralizing the dangerous diagonal.

17.Bb1!

Building the battery. The queen soon occupies the b1–h7 diagonal.

17...Rfd8
18.d5!

Just like the h4-h5 and Bb1 maneuvers, this is another standard and typical break in this line. We will discuss the
benefits next move. 18.e5 immediately just blunders to a pretty tactical blow: 18...Nxd4!! 19.Nxd4 Rxc1 20.Rxc1
Rxd4! 21.Qxd4 Qg5! With a double-attack on g2 and c1 when Black has won a pawn.

18...exd5 19.e5!

This is the point of the pawn sacrifice! White has opened the b1–h7 diagonal and he is threatening Qd3. On the other
hand, he has closed the other long diagonal where the black bishop resides. However, he has also obtained an outpost
for his knight on d4 if the c6-knight leaves, whereafter Nf5 might arrive with a very dangerous attack. Dozens of games
have been won with this idea, as it is very unpleasant to defend Black’s position.

19...Ba6

Black prevents Qd3. On 19...f6 20.e6! keeping all the advantages and, after ...f6 having been played, White has also
Nh4 at his disposal. 20...d4 21.Qd3 Qxe6 22.Rce1! Ne5 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Nh4 White has too many threats, one of
which is f4. Black is in trouble.

20.Rfe1 Qd7

Black protects the c6-knight in order to push ...d4-d3, closing the long diagonal and advancing the extra pawn.
On the direct 20...d4 21.Qe4! attacks c6. 21...f5 (21...d3 22.Rxc6) 22.exf6 Seems to be the best as the arising endgame
looks clearly better for White. (After 22.Qxf5 Black can already fight with 22...d3 as c6 is no longer hanging.)
22...Qxe4 23.Bxe4 Na5 24.Rxc8 Bxc8 25.Bg6 Threatening f7 and after 25...gxf6 26.Nxd4± Black ends up in a very
unpleasant endgame. White has the better pawn structure, the bishop is stronger than the a5-knight and the black king is
also vulnerable, despite the limited material on board.

21.Qf4!

Leaving from the ...d4-tempo and threatening Bf5.

21...Ne7 22.Nd4!

The knight occupies its excellent outpost. White is a pawn down, but one cannot dream of bigger compensation than
this! He is also threatening sometimes e6, making the black king even more vulnerable.

22...Rxc1 23.Qxc1!

This is a very precise recapture, laying a deep trap.

23...Qa4

On 23...Rc8
Giri was planning to play 24.e6!! fxe6 (24...Rxc1 25.exd7 Rxe1+ 26.Kh2+– is the point and the pawn on d7 is
unstoppable.) 25.Qa3± White wins back the e6 pawn and the attack is more than dangerous.

24.e6!

Perfect calculation! White destroys the pawn structure around the king. 24.Qc7 is also tempting, but Black can answer
it with 24...Rf8! when 25.Qxe7 Qxd4 26.Bh7+ seems to win, but 26...Kxh7 27.Qxf8 Qd2 and Black starts to attack the
rook with his queen and it is not easy to escape it.

24...Qxd4

A losing move, but the position is already very unpleasant. 24...f6 already loses to 25.Qc7 Re8 26.Qd7+–;
The only move is 24...Rf8! 25.exf7+ Rxf7 26.Nf3± but in a practical game, Black’s position looks quite hopeless with
such a weak king and poor pieces.

25.exf7+ Kxf7

25...Kf8 26.Qc7+–

26.Qc7

With a double-attack on e7 and on d8.

26...Re8 27.Bg6+! 1–0

Black resigned in view of 27.Bg6+ Kf8 28.Rxe7! This is probably what Harikrishna forgot when he captured the
knight on d4. (28.Bxe8? also looks to be winning, but Black has 28...Qb4! attacking the e1-rook and protecting the e7-
knight at the same time, after which the bishop can already be taken on e8 next move. Black is back in the game.)
28...Rxe7 29.Qd8++– A great attacking game!

GAME 45
H. Nakamura (2791)
Ding Liren (2755)
Sinquefield Cup
Saint Louis, USA
14.08.2016 [D43]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are now going to see a perfect game from White’s side. Great preparation, beautiful tactics and a decisive mating
attack!

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

The very solid Slav Defense is on the board.

3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6

Black is ready to go for the Meran. The main alternative is 4...dxc4, which is very popular at the moment.

5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4

Nakamura is ready to enter some very forcing lines. 6.Bxf6 leads to calmer play, but according to the latest theory
Black is showing solid results there.

6...dxc4 7.e4

Now the game takes a very sharp turn.

7...g5 8.Bg3 b5

This is clearly one of the sharpest lines and also one of the most-analyzed positions. Every single move plays a very
serious role.

9.Be2 Bb7
The general ideas are quite clear: Black tries to keep the extra pawn and White tries to play actively and somewhere
crush Black’s defense with a d5-push. Of course we are still in a very well-known theoretical position.

10.h4 g4 11.Ne5 Nbd7

11...Rg8 is the other possible move.

12.Nxd7

This is nothing new either. White exchanges the knight to get the bishop to e5.

12...Qxd7 13.Be5

Creating an unpleasant pin.

13...Qe7

This is still the very main-line and probably best move.

14.b3!?

A very interesting and rarely-played move. Usually White continues with 14.Bxg4.

14...cxb3

This move is almost a must, as if White manages to play bxc4 his position should simply be better.

15.axb3

I think Ding Liren was not very familiar with the position on the board, having already spent quite some time here. On
the other hand Nakamura was blitzing out his moves very confidently.
15...a6

A possible move, but I think it gives White a very important tempo. I think the best move is 15...Bg7 16.Qc1 with the
same idea of playing Qf4 as in the game. (16.Bxg4 0-0 (16...Qb4 17.Rh3 looks very tricky for Black.) 17.0-0 Rfd8
with very unclear play.) 16...0-0 17.Qf4 and we would probably be in a position which Nakamura has mainly prepared
for Ding Liren.

16.Qc1

With similar ideas as in the line above, but maybe White should also consider playing 16.Bxg4.

16...Rg8

Trying to defend against Qf4 and at the same time protecting the g4-pawn.

17.0-0

White is ready for the d5-push, it is in the air!

17...Nh5

A very risky decision. Black weakens his center even further by putting the knight on h5. I think 17...Nd7 looks much
more solid, even if 18.Bg3 maintains a lot of pressure.

18.d5!

Of course, what else!

18...Qxh4?

This move basically loses. I think Black underestimated White’s next move. Black had to play 18...f6! when 19.Bh2 is
probably the critical move.
a) 19.dxc6 fxe5 (19...Bxc6? 20.Nxb5! and White is winning.) 20.cxb7 Qxb7 The position is very unclear and it is
hard to tell who is better, but I feel Black should at least be alright;
b) 19.d6 Qf7 (19...Qd7 20.Bh2 e5 21.Rd1 and I think White’s chances are better.) 20.Bh2 e5 21.Rd1
b1) 21.Nd5 leads to a beautiful draw: 21...cxd5 22.Bxb5+ Kd8 23.Qa3 The moves seem to be forced. 23...axb5
24.Qxa8+ Bxa8 25.Rxa8+

25...Kd7 26.Ra7+ and Black can’t avoid the perpetual check: 26...Ke8 (26...Ke6 27.exd5+ Kxd5 28.Rxf7) 27.Ra8+
Kd7 28.Ra7+ with a draw;
b2) 21.d7+ is an interesting option. 21...Qxd7 22.Rd1 Qe7 23.Qe3 White is two pawns down, but the black king is
very open and the white queen gets to b6. Anyway, Black is solid and the fight is very unclear;
21...0-0-0!? This was the main idea behind playing 19...Qf7. Black castles queenside and attacks the d6-pawn.
22.Bxb5! Probably White’s best try. 22...axb5 23.Nxb5 g3! 24.fxg3 Nxg3 25.Qe3 with a really crazy position!
19...cxd5
(19...e5? loses to 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.Nxb5) 20.exd5 (20.Nxb5 Black’s position is very dangerous. 20...axb5 21.Rxa8+
Bxa8 22.Qc8+ Kf7 23.Qxa8 It is clear that White is the side trying to create trouble. 23...dxe4! It is important to stay
cool! 24.Qxe4 f5 and Black may actually have survived the most difficult moment. I think the position should be
around equal now.) 20...Rc8 21.Qd2 with a very dangerous initiative for White. It is really hard to play such a position
for Black. Everything is hanging and it is very unclear how to keep the king safe on e8.

19.g3!

Stopping Black from playing g3 himself! 19.dxc6?? is of course a horrible mistake, because after 19...g3! 20.fxg3
Bc5+ 21.Rf2 Nxg3 it is now Black who is winning!

19...Qg5 20.dxc6

Now everything is forced.

20...Qxe5

20...Bxc6 doesn’t help since after 21.Nxb5 Black’s position falls apart.

21.cxb7 Rb8

Black still hopes to keep things together by controlling the dark-squares and having the idea of ...Bc5 and ...Qxg3, but
here comes the next blow by Nakamura!
22.Nd5!

A very beautiful move! White gives up a full piece for a mating attack.

22...exd5

Black has to take.

23.Qc8+ Ke7 24.Rxa6!

This is the key move White had to see when he played 22.Nd5! Black is a full piece up, but there is no escape from the
deadly threat of Qc5+.

24...Nxg3

The last hope. In case Black tries to escape with the king after 24...f6 then 25.exd5! seems to end the game: 25...Kf7
26.Re6 with a totally winning position.

25.Bxb5!

The best. 25.Qc5+ Kd8 leads nowhere for White because the bishop on e2 is hanging.

25...Ne2+

After 25...Bg7 26.Qc5+ Kd8 27.Rd6+ White is mating the black king.

26.Bxe2

Material is equal now but White’s attack continues.

26...f6
27.Re6+

The simplest move.

27...Qxe6 28.Qxb8 1–0

and the game is over, as the b-pawn is basically a queen! A very beautiful game by Nakamura, but it is a pity that Ding
Liren made things too easy by playing 18...Qxh4? I bet we would have seen a great fighting game after 18...f6!
GAME 46
H. Nakamura (2787)
M. Muzychuk (2554)
Gibraltar Masters
Caleta ENG
30.01.2016 [D45]
Annotated by Csaba Balogh
Nakamura wins our next game with a crushing mating attack against the current Women’s World Champion.

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7

The Meran Variation of the Semi-Slav Defense.

6.Qc2

The other huge main-line begins with 6.Bd3

6...Bd6

7.g4!?

A few years ago, this aggressive move became extremely popular even at the highest levels. All the big events
frequently saw this move played, however nowadays it is already completely out fashion after Black found some
comfortable and playable setups against it. Nakamura decides to switch back, as sometimes it is a clever idea to test the
opponent’s memory with sharp and forgotten lines, and in any case the position remains very complex — an area where
he might easily outplay his opponent.

7...h6

This is considered to be the best reply. White’s idea after 7...Nxg4 is to gain compensation with 8.Rg1 Nxh2 9.Nxh2
Bxh2 10.Rxg7 and White wants to open the position with an e4 break followed by developing the c1-bishop and
castling queenside. 10...Nf8 11.Rg2 Bd6 12.e4∞ with another complicated middlegame.

8.Rg1 e5!

Mariya Muzychuk remembers the right answer. The move also follows the principles perfectly; against a flank attack
one must open the center!

9.Bd2!?

This is basically the novelty, as I found only one game in the database with it. White wants to castle and he also
creates a direct threat of cxd5 cxd5, Nb5 — and the difference is that after ...Bb8, Rc1 comes with a decisive tempo.
The drawback of this move is that it allows Black to seize control over the center. Hundreds of games have continued
with 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Nb5 Bb8 11.g5 hxg5 12.Nxg5 but Black turned out to be fine at the end of the lines beginning
with 12...e4.

9...e4!

Black grabs space and sends the knight to the edge of the board. Being materialistic with 9...exd4 10.Nxd4 Bxh2
leaves White with strong compensation after 11.Rg2 Be5 12.0-0-0 White can push f4 next and Black has real problems
with his king as it cannot stay long in the center. Castling kingside is very dangerous as White has already launched his
attack there, while queenside castling requires a minimum of 4-5 tempo, which he cannot survive without punishment.

10.Nh4 g6

Black prevents Nf5. 10...Bxh2 wins a pawn, but loses two tempi. Black might end up in some trouble because of it:
11.Rg2 Bb8 12.0-0-0 followed by f3, undermining the center and opening the position in front of the black king.
It looks to me like 10...Nb6 is the strongest move here, preventing Nf5 and attacking the g4-pawn. 11.h3 (11.c5 must
be checked of course, but Black consolidates after 11...Bxh2 12.Rg2 two pieces are hanging, but 12...Nxg4! protects
the h2-bishop and counterattacks the knight on h4.) 11...Nxc4 12.Bxc4 dxc4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4+ Be6 seems to be
absolutely fine for Black.

11.h3

It feels a bit slow somehow, but maybe it is just a good move to consolidate. It is more in Nakamura’s style to play
11.0-0-0 Bxh2 12.Rh1 Nxg4 I am quite sure that White was afraid of this, but it looks like everything just works for
him. .. (12...Bd6 13.f3! exf3 14.Nxg6! the attack is very strong.) 13.cxd5 Qxh4 14.Qxe4+ Kf8 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.f3
Ndf6 17.Qxc6 White wins back the piece and then he is fine.

11...a6

A typical Slav move, to play on the queenside with b5 and also preventing cxd5 cxd5, Nb5.

12.0-0-0
White has just finished his development and the next step for him is to explode the center with f3! After ...exf3, the
Nxg6 ideas are always hanging in the air, but even if he just continues opening the center with e4, that also appears
very dangerous.

12...b5 13.c5!

Naturally White keeps the queenside closed in front of his king and focuses his efforts on the central break.

13...Bh2 14.Rh1 Bc7

15.f3! a5?
This is too slow, making such a positional move when the house is on fire, but Black was in deep trouble anyway.
15...b4 is strongly met by 16.Nxe4! dxe4 17.fxe4 White gets only two pawns for the sacrificed piece, but Black lacks
coordination and his king is vulnerable. Bc4 and e5 are coming next.
15...exf3 is refuted by a different piece sacrifice: 16.Nxg6! fxg6 17.Qxg6+ Kf8 18.e4! and the attack breaks through
thanks to the bishop on d2 which enters the game at h6.

16.fxe4 b4

This is Black’s idea. She counterattacks the knight and, when it leaves, she establishes a great blockading knight on
the e4-square. However as we have already seen in some previous lines, White is willing to sacrifice material just to
collect all the pawns in the center.

17.Nxd5! cxd5 18.exd5

Black cannot take on d5 because of Qe4, while after any other move White manages to keep his pawn phalanx in the
center, which completely paralyzes the black camp. Imagine if White could play e4, Bc4, e5 and d6? Black lacks any
serious counterplay.

18...Bg3

18...Nxd5 19.Qe4+ Qe7 20.Qxd5+– and unfortunately for Black the a8-rook is hanging, so he cannot take on h4.

19.Nf3

Nakamura decides to play solidly, which is also enough to keep a big advantage. He could have continued to play the
game in style, however: 19.Nxg6!? fxg6 20.Qxg6+ Kf8 21.e4!
This would have been an amazing position. White is already two pieces down, but he has 5 pawns and what kind of
pawns are those!?! In addition, the bishop will take on h6 next move. Black is lost. 21...Qe8 22.Bxh6+ It is already 6
pawns for the 2 minor pieces 22...Ke7 23.Qg5 Of course, White does not trade queens, as Black should not last long
with such a weak king... 23...Rg8 24.Qe3 Bh4 25.Bg2!+– Just positionally developing the piece, connecting the rooks
and most importantly defending d5 in order to push e5!

19...0-0 20.Rg1 Qc7

20...Bb8 is met by 21.e4 Re8 22.Re1!+– followed by Bc4 and e5 swamping Black from the board.

21.Bc4!

The c4-square is a nice outpost for the bishop as it supports the e4-e5 plan. Now it creates a direct threat as well, which
we will see in the game... Nakamura rightly does not allow any counterplay by winning back the piece with 21.d6?
Bxd6 22.cxd6 Qxd6 when suddenly Black can play ...Bb7 and ...Rac8 and he is back in the game...

21...Ba6
If Black leaves the pin with 21...Kg7 then 22.e4 Ba6 23.e5+– is also spectacular and decisive.

22.d6!

White only gives up his pawns because he is winning by force.

22...Bxd6 23.Qxg6+!

Here comes the other point of 21.Bc4!

23...Kh8 24.Qxh6+ Nh7

24...Kg8 25.g5+– will be mate very soon.

25.Ng5 Ndf6 26.Rdf1! 1–0

The women’s World Champion obviously wasn’t at her best on this particular day, but still, it was a beautiful attacking
game!

GAME 47
A. Beliavsky (2603)
J. Borisek (2576)
Vidmar Memorial
Bled, SLO
25.06.2016 [D79]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
Alexander Beliavsky is clearly one of the greatest living chess legends and despite his 62 years he is still very active and
has managed to maintain a very impressive level throughout his 55-year long career! He was Soviet Champion four
times, lost in the semi-finals of the Candidates in 1983 to Kasparov, participated many times in the Olympiad and was
once the number 3 player in the world. In the current game we are going to see how impressively Alexander outplays
his much younger opponent!
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3

Sometimes White uses this move order to avoid the Grünfeld main-lines.

3...c6

A very popular and solid reply.

4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg2 d5

This is currently a quite popular line against White’s setup.

6.cxd5 cxd5 7.0-0 0-0 8.Ne5

This move was very popular around 10 years ago, when we saw a lot of top-level games reach the current position, but
it seems that Black is doing fine here so White rarely plays it nowadays.

8...Bf5

Not the main move and actually it is quite hard to explain why Borisek chose not to play 8...Nfd7, after which Black
seems to have no problems at all.

9.Nc3

The usual development.

9...Ne4

This was probably Borisek’s opening idea, but it looks a bit strange to me.

10.g4!?
Of course White can choose safer moves like 10.Bf4 or maybe 10.Qa4, but the text move complicates the position and
puts Black’s opening idea to the test.

10...Nxc3

Black can try to sacrifice a pawn with 10...Be6 11.Nxe4 White needs to take of course. 11...dxe4 12.Bxe4 and now
Black continues playing for the initiative with 12...Nc6! 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.e3 White is a pawn up, but the g4-pawn is
really wrongly-placed, so Black can for example continue with 14...Rc8, followed by ...c5 if possible, and things are far
from clear.

11.bxc3 Be6 12.f4

Of course! After playing g4, White has to follow with f4-f5!

12...Nc6

Borisek continues playing safely. Another interesting-looking move is 12...f6 13.Nd3 (After 13.f5 fxe5 14.fxe6 Rxf1+
15.Qxf1 Nc6 Black seems to be totally fine.) 13...Bxg4 and now White has the very strong 14.Rb1! There is no good
way for Black to protect the b7-pawn and White’s initiative might become dangerous.

13.f5

Shutting out the bishop.

13...Bc8 14.Nxc6

Probably the best move. White might also try 14.Rb1 when the pressure on the b7-pawn is always very unpleasant for
Black. 14...Nxe5 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Bh6 But now Black has a beautiful positional exchange sacrifice: 16...e6! 17.Bxf8
Qxf8 and the position is really difficult to evaluate, but because of the weakness of the dark squares Black ought to
have good compensation.

14...bxc6

Now White needs to think about what to do next. Try to attack on the kingside or maybe try to play for domination by
not letting the bishop from c8 come back into the game?

15.Bg5

The bishop is nicely-placed on g5, but now the black bishop from c8 rejoins the game. I think White can play here
15.Qa4, trying to keep the bishop on c8 out of the game for as long as possible. 15...Qb6 16.Ba3 but now Black has the
very strong 16...Qa6! 17.Qxa6 Bxa6 18.Rf2 and if White is better here, it is just a minimal plus.

15...Ba6 16.Qd2

It is clear that White is preparing to go for the black king with everything he has.

16...Qd6

A solid reply. For now Black doesn’t have too much to worry about.

17.Rf2
17...f6

I am not sure if Black really needed to play ...f6 so early. 17...Rae8 looks more solid to me. Now the ...f6-idea will
gain in strength and actually Black is not forced to focus only on the ...f6-...e5 idea, as a move such as ...c5 also deserve
attention.

18.Bh4

18.Bf4 e5 19.Bg3 leads back to the game.

18...e5

If 18...e6 White can try 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.e4 Black’s position looks a bit dangerous, but I am not sure if it is actually
dangerous. I think this line was worth considering for Black.

19.Bg3

A solid reply, but White perhaps has an even better option. Using the fact that the bishop on g7 is out of the game,
White can immediately act in the center with 19.e4!? Rae8 20.Rd1 when his chances look more promising.

19...gxf5

Now the big question is whether to take on f5 with the pawn or the rook?

20.gxf5

Beliavsky wants to continue by playing on the g-file — a good decision! But after 20.Rxf5 Rae8 (In case of 20...Bc8
21.dxe5 fxe5 22.Rxf8+ Bxf8 23.c4 Black’s position seems to fall apart.) 21.e4 White is also clearly better. Black’s
problem with the bad bishop on g7 is not going to be easy to solve.

20...Bc4 21.e4
I think White should have immediately played 21.Kh1, followed by Rg1, with an attack against the black king, while
trying to keep the center as closed as possible.

21...Rad8

Now things are heating up!

22.exd5

Beliavsky goes back to the idea of closing things in the center and attacking on the kingside. 22.dxe5 also deserves
attention. 22...fxe5 23.Qg5 and I think Black needs to be very careful here.

22...cxd5

23.Kh1

White will double on the g-file.

23...Qc6

This move is hard to understand, as the black queen will hardly be well-placed on c6. Black doesn’t feel the danger
yet, but he actually has to worry about the doubling on the g-file already! I think Black should immediately go for
23...Kh8 24.Rg1 Rg8 with the idea of ...Qf8-...Bh6.

24.Rg1 e4

The e4-pawn is powerfully placed, but in fact it just closes the position even more, which is good for White.

25.Bf4!

Excellent play! White places the bishop on e3 to avoid ...e3 pawn sacrifices and also threatens to play Bh6 at the right
moment.
25...Rf7 26.Bh3 Kh8 27.Rfg2

White has reached what he wanted: the position is closed and the g-file is under control, but is it enough to win the
game?!

27...Bd3 28.Bg4

Another very good move. The white bishop heads for b3 via d1 to participate in the game.

28...Re7 29.Rg3

Of course 29.Bd1 is also very strong.

29...Qd7 30.Be3

Black is in a position with practically no useful moves, nor a clear plan of what to do.

30...Rb8 31.Qg2

Tripling on the g-file!

31...Rg8

32.Bd1!

The game is now basically over. Black is totally paralyzed and can do nothing.

32...Ree8

This move loses on the spot, but there was no escape anyway. 32...Qxf5 33.Bg4 and the game would be over as well.

33.Ba4 1–0
A great positional victory by the legendary Alexander Beliavsky!

GAME 48
B. Gelfand (2734)
E. Inarkiev (2730)
Magas Match (6)
20.07.2016 [E15]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
We are in the last game of the friendly 6 game mini-match and Gelfand is deservedly leading by a score of 3-2. Clearly
it would be a great success for Inarkiev to manage to equalize the match somehow, but to win against Boris Gelfand
with the black pieces is anything but an easy mission. Out of the opening Gelfand managed to create some pressure in
the center which allowed him to create threats around the black king step-by-step. With beautiful tactical motifs and
very exact calculation Boris scored yet another great victory to seal the match result 4-2 in his favor.

1.d4

As usual Gelfand opens the game with 1.d4.

1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3

This is also Gelfand’s main move. Sometimes he allows the NimzoIndian, but that is a rarer choice for him.

3...b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 d5 6.Bg2

Currently a very popular opening for both sides.

6...Bb4+

Black provokes the bishop to go to d2 — a bad square for the bishop.

7.Bd2 Be7 8.cxd5

Sooner or later White will have to play cxd5 anyway, so why not immediately?

8...exd5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nc3

This is still just the beginning of theory. Usually Black’s idea is to somehow play ...c5-...Nc6 or ...Re8-...Nbd7-...Bb7,
with safe play.

10...Re8

A logical and useful move.

11.Ne5

The white knight has to be placed on e5.

11...Bb7

The bishop on a6 is now useless, so it takes up its standard position on b7.


12.Bc1!

Even if this maneuver is not new, it still deserves an exclamation mark. The bishop on d2 is really a ‘bad bishop’.
Going to f4 doesn’t make much sense, as Black has ...Nh5 if needed and the bishop on f4 would take up quite an
‘empty’ position. Now White plans to put the bishop on b2, which is clearly the best square for the bishop knowing that
Black’s main plan remains playing ...c5.

12...Nbd7 13.Bb2 Bd6

A very logical move besides 13...c5, after which White would most probably have played 14.e3 and we would be back
to a similar position as in the game.

14.f4

The only way to fight for an advantage. Positions after 14.Nxd7 Qxd7 are fine for Black and can be evaluated as
equal.

14...c5

Usually a good move.

15.e3

Now it is time for Black to have a serious think about what to do next. Of course it would be great to get rid of the
nasty knight on e5 somehow, but it is difficult to achieve. The idea of playing ...Ne4 should clearly be considered and
the usual play with ...Nf6 is another option. Black also needs to think about whether including ...cxd4, exd4 is rather
positive or negative.

15...cxd4

A good move! Black has to take on d4 anyhow to avoid having to calculate all the time the dangerous Nxd7 and dxc5,
or dxc5 on the spot. 15...Rc8 16.Rc1 can be included, but now probably the best move for Black is to play ...cxd4
anyway, so we would be back to the position from the game.

16.exd4 Bb4

I think Inarkiev had the wrong idea in mind... A very natural move is 16...Ne4 and now White probably has to take on
e4: 17.Nxe4 (17.Qh5 Qe7 and Black is perfectly fine.) 17...dxe4 18.Qe2 The pawn on e4 is weak, but Black has
counterplay for it. 18...Nf6 19.g4

19...a5 (In case of 19...Rc8 20.g5 Nd7 the position is sharp but probably a bit better for White. 21.Bxe4 Nxe5 22.fxe5
(22.dxe5 Bc5+ 23.Kh1 Bxe4+ 24.Qxe4 Qd2 and Black has great play for the pawn.) 22...Qxg5+ 23.Kh1 and because
of the strong central pawns White should be better here.) 20.g5 It is probably best for White to sacrifice the exchange.
20...Ba6 21.Qf2 Bxf1 22.Rxf1 Nh5 23.Bxe4 Rc8 and we are in a complicated position as regards evaluation. Material
is more-or-less equal and the position is unbalanced. Maybe White is a bit better here, but things are far from clear.
Probably it is too slow for Black to continue with 16...Nf8 17.Rc1 Rc8 18.Qd3 and Black is sort of running out of
good moves.

17.Rc1
17...Bxc3

Inarkiev continues with the wrong plan... I think it was still better to play 17...Rc8 but of course White can now
continue with 18.Qd3 Bxc3 19.Rxc3 Rxc3 At least the rooks are off the board... 20.Qxc3 Ne4 21.Qc2 White is a bit
better, but this is clearly a better position for Black than in the game.

18.Rxc3 Ne4 19.Rc2

Of course White plans to control the c-file if possible.

19...Nf8?
This is already a very serious mistake! Now White has no trouble starting a very dangerous attack on the kingside.
Black should continue instead with 19...f6 20.Nd3 (20.Bxe4 leads to a more-or-less equal position I think. 20...dxe4
21.Nc4 Nf8 22.Ba3 White is trying to play Nd6, but it is not possible because of 22...Qd5! forcing White to go back
to e3. 23.Ne3 Qd7 and I think Black is fine here.) 20...Rc8 21.f5 The bishop pair and some small pressure on the
kingside gives White a small but safe advantage here. 21...Nb8 22.Nf4 Rxc2 23.Qxc2 Qd7 24.Rc1 Nc6 (The pawn
can’t be taken: 24...Qxf5? 25.Bh3 Qg5 26.Qc7 and White is just winning.) 25.g4 and we see a typical position where
White has a small advantage.

20.Qh5!

An excellent move! The game turns from the queenside to the kingside.

20...g6

The best way to defend the f7-pawn.

21.Qh6

Things around the black king are suddenly very dangerous. White has the idea of playing f5 or Bxe4 de5 and d5,
opening up the b2-bishop.

21...f6?

Clearly missing White’s next two moves. Probably the best chance is 21...Rc8 22.Bxe4 (22.Rxc8 Bxc8 23.f5 Bxf5
24.Nxf7 Kxf7 25.g4 Kg8 26.gxf5 Qd7 and of course White is better, but Black has good chances to save the game
because of the strong knight on e4.) 22...dxe4

23.Rc4! A very unpleasant move for Black, threatening to play d5 next. (23.Rxc8 Bxc8 24.d5 looks very dangerous
for Black, but things are again far from clear after 24...f6!) 23...Bd5 and White can just continue 24.f5! with a mating
attack.

22.Bxe4!
Releasing the b2-bishop.

22...fxe5

In case of 22...dxe4 23.Ng4 with the threat of playing d5 next 23...Bd5 24.f5 White is just totally winning.

23.f5!!

A highly spectacular move! White’s attack on the black king decides the game.

23...Re7

Maybe the best move in a very bad position. Of course Black can’t take the bishop on e4: 23...dxe4 24.f6 and White
wins on the spot.

24.Bg2

Also the best move. White has accomplished what he wanted to: the black king is open and the bishop from b2 will
join the game via a3.

24...e4 25.Ba3

Black’s position simply falls apart from here on in...

25...Rf7 26.fxg6

Opening the black king even more.

26...Rxf1+ 27.Bxf1 Nxg6 28.Rf2

28.Bh3 leads to a more direct win: 28...Bc8 29.Rc6! Bxh3 Black has nothing better. 30.Rxg6+ hxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kh8
32.Bd6 and Be5 next will decide the game.
28...Qd7

A slightly tougher defense is 28...Rc8 29.Bh3 Rc6 but of course White is still close to winning after 30.Bf5 and I don’t
think the game would go on for many more moves.

29.Bh3

All the white pieces are in the attack.

29...Qc6

30.Be7

Threatening to play Rf6 or Bf6 next. The game is over.

30...e3 31.Rf6 Qc1+ 32.Rf1 Qc6 33.Bf6 1–0

A very nice game by Gelfand, who took advantage of his opponent’s mistakes in a complex position and finished
matters off with a beautiful attack on the king!

GAME 49
H. Nakamura (2787)
B. Bok (2594)
Isle of Man Masters
Douglas ENG
05.10.2016 [E60]
Annotated by Arkadij Naiditsch
Who would guess, that Benjamin Bok could ever beat Nakamura with Black in a classical chess game! It happened
during the tournament in the Isle of Man, an open event which is becoming stronger and stronger every year. The game
started directly, with a very fighting opening and an unbalanced positon. Nakamura’s development was not yet
complete when he went for the very risky 16.g4 and this was very nicely countered by Bok who saw only one target in
front of him — and this was Nakamura’s king!

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3

The 3.f3 move became very fashionable both during and after the World Championship match between Anand and
Gelfand, which saw Gelfand super well-prepared in the Grünfeld and Anand trying to crack it with 3.f3

3...e6

A relatively rare line, but of course nothing new. After 3...d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 we are in the
main line, where Nakamura is actually quite an expert — having won several important games in it.

4.e4 c5

4...d5 is the more common continuation, but personally I would not advise this; it looks very risky for Black indeed.

5.d5

This move has to be played and we are now in a sort of Benoni with f3 or we can call it also a KID-Sämisch.

5...d6

Black doesn’t hurry with ...exd5, cxd5 exchanges, keeping the idea of maybe playing ...b5 somewhere or perhaps to
close everything with ...e5

6.Ne2

Nakamura decides on a very rare setup, maybe trying to avoid the main preparation of Bok. More usual for White is
Nc3-Bd3-Nge2.

6...Bg7 7.Nec3

The main idea of this set-up for White is to win full control over the queen-side, so Black’s ...a6-...b5 ideas are never
possible now. If Black does not act dynamically now, White will develop with Bd3 and 0-0 and enjoy a space
advantage.

7...a6

Black is planning ...exd5, cxd5 and now ...b5.

8.a4

...and White avoids this, all pretty standard stuff.


8...Nh5!

I think this is clearly the best! Black wastes no time and starts his play on the king-side, and this has to be connected
with the ...f5-push, there is no other way.

9.Be3

Defending against a nasty ...Qh4 check.

9...exd5

Finally it is time for this capture.

10.cxd5

This seems to be the only move. 10.exd5 is almost never a good option; Black can just castle short and play ...Re8 with
a nice position, and to play 10.Nxd5 is not really possible because of ...Bxb2.

10...f5

Well played! If 10...0-0, White can try 11.g4 pushing the knight back to f6.

11.exf5

The most logical move and probably best. White uses the moment that Black can’t take ...Bxf5 because of the g4-fork.

11...gxf5 12.Qd2 0-0 13.Be2

White has to finish his development.

13...Nd7 14.0-0
We are in a pretty standard position for this kind of opening. The position is very dynamic, and particularly from the
black side some action is required. White wants to complete his development now with Na3-Nc4, or maybe to play the
f4 move somewhere depending on how Black continues.

14...f4?!

I don’t think this is the correct way of playing this type of positions: the square e4 is a very important one and I don’t
think Black should relinquish control of it so easily. 14...Ne5 is the most standard decision or 14...Qe8 with the idea of
playing ...Qg6 next, leading to a fighting game.

15.Bf2 Qg5

Benjamin Bok targets the white king, but the question is, of course, is it really so dangerous?!

16.g4?

This looks to me to be a serious mistake. White isn’t really shutting down Black’s play, but rather weakening his own
king. To my mind, very logical-looking is 16.Ne4 Qg6 17.Nbc3 Ne5 18.Kh1 and I think White enjoys a very
comfortable position.

16...Ne5

Now White needs to be very careful of blows such as ...Bxg4.

17.Kh1

White needs to get the king away from the g-file.

17...Nf6

Both ..Bxg4 and ...Nxg4 are in the air, and the simple ...h5 might also prove unpleasant for White.
18.Rg1

Nakamura tries to keep things as solid as he can.

18...Qg6!

A very nice move and now Black is ready to play ...Bxg4. Leading to highly unclear play is the alternative 18...h5
19.gxh5 Qxh5 20.Qxf4 and of course the position looks dangerous for White, but the move played in the game is an
even better one for Black.

19.Bh4

White continues trying to be as solid as possible and to close down Black’s direct play. A beautiful line arises should
White would just try to develop his pieces comfortably: 19.Na3? Bxg4! This blow almost wins the game 20.fxg4 Ne4
The black pieces are flooding in 21.Qe1 Nxc3 22.bxc3 Qe4+ 23.Rg2 f3 with a winning attack for Black.

19...h5

Very logical, but perhaps Black has another even better try? He can play a very tempting piece sacrifice with
19...Nfxg4!? 20.fxg4 It seems like white has nothing better than taking the knight 20...f3 21.Bf1 f2 The f-pawn advance
opens even further the position of the white king 22.Bxf2 (22.Rg3 Nf3 23.Rxf3 Rxf3 and Black is close to winning)
22...Bxg4 and being just a pawn for the piece down, Black is most probably better here; the many different threats
around the white king make things far from easy for him.

20.g5

Already probably a must...

...in case of 20.gxh5 Qxh5 21.Bxf6 Rxf6 22.Ne4 Black wins after piling enough pressure on the h2-pawn with
22...Rh6 23.Qxf4 Ng6 followed by ...Be5 if needed, with a winning position.

20...Nfg4!
Of course! Black has to follow his strategy — the attack on the white king.

21.Ne4

In case White gets greedy with 21.fxg4 then 21...hxg4 with the idea of playing Qh7 next looks crushing! White will be
not able to defend his king in the long-term.

21...Bf5

Black continues to develop all his pieces into the attack.

22.Nf6+?

and this is just a blunder! White had to continue with 22.Nbc3 and now Black has quite a few interesting options, the
most logical-looking being: 22...Ne3 23.Nf6+ Kh8 with in my opinion better play for Black, although the position is of
course still very playable for White. There are no direct black threat, although the knights on e3 and e5 are very
disruptive to White.

22...Rxf6!

Bok plays a great game and doesn’t miss his chance to defeat a much stronger opponent

23.gxf6 Bxf6

The thing is that White can’t take the g4-knight and at the same time there is no good way of defending the bishop on
h4. The game is basically over.

24.Nc3

Nakamura tries to search for practical chances and at least gets his pieces into the defense. In the event of 24.fxg4
Black wins easily with 24...Be4+ 25.Rg2 Bxg2+ 26.Kxg2 f3+ when White is hopelessly lost;
24.Be1 Bxb1 doesn’t help much either as Black has 2 pieces and a pawn for just a rook.

24...Bxh4 25.Raf1

Probably White still harbored some small hopes to win the g4-knight and at least be a little bit back in the fight.
25...Bg5

Another very safe and strong move from Black. Bok uses the moment that the knight on g4 can’t be taken and Black
will have all time in the world to improve his position or run away from the pin on the g-file.

26.h4

It’s all or nothing for White, as in case of just waiting the game would be over anyhow.

26...Bh6 27.fxg4 hxg4

Black continues to play a great game. Even though White is formally an exchange up, the pawns on g4 and f4 are
going to cost White a lot of material in the near future.

28.Rxf4

The best hope

28...Qh5

Creating a lot of new threats! ...Qxh4, maybe somewhere even ...Ng6 can be played or a simple ...Rf8 bringing the last
piece into the attack.

29.Rg2 Qxh4+

Black startes to collect the fruits of the position.

30.Kg1

30.Rh2 Qg5 and there is no way to defend the f4-rook.

30...Ng6
Winning some material. A very safe choice.

31.Rxf5 Bxd2 32.Rxg4

White’s hopes are not great, being a queen for a rook down.

32...Bxc3

When material up, exchanging some pieces is mostly a good idea. Of course a lot of other moves are winning here as
well.

33.bxc3 Qe1+ 34.Bf1 Kg7 35.Rfg5

35...Qb1 0–1

So what did we see in this current game? Firstly that even a weaker player can defeat a much better one by playing
bravely and believing in his chances. Then of course Nakamura’s big mistake playing 16.g4 which was actually the
most critical move of the game, where White went from a comfortable position to a really bad one in one move. And of
course finally a material blunder with 22.Nf6? after which with great play Bok managed to not give a single chance for
an escape.

GAME 50
Z. Almasi (2682)
S. Maze (2617)
Hasselbacken Open
Stockholm, SWE
05.05.2016 [E62]
Annotated by Sebastien Maze
I played this game against the strong Hungarian GM Almasi during the Hasselbacken Open in Sweden. I tried to
surprise my opponent with a small line in the King’s Indian Attack. Almasi reacted badly, after which my attack on the
king-side proved to be very strong.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7

We both start the game with a fianchetto.

4.Bg2 0-0 5.0-0 d6 6.d4

Now, it transposes into a King’s Indian Attack with g3. Almasi, normally a 1.e4 player, likes to use this system.

6...Nc6 7.Nc3

And here we have reached the first key position: Black has to decide which line he wants to play.

7...e5

This move became very popular in 2016 and Naiditsch and Onischuk are the specialists. The idea is to put pressure
immediately on the center and to ask your opponent a question about his plans. 7...Bf5 and 7...a6 are the main moves.

8.d5

Closing the position. I was quite happy with this choice, feeling comfortable in this kind of structure. 8.dxe5 dxe5
9.Bg5 Be6 10.Nd2 is one of the main-lines for White.

8...Nb8

9.b4?

A very weak move by my opponent. Instead 9.e4 a5 10.Ne1 Na6 11.Nd3 Nd7 leads to a complicated position.

9...a5
Destroying the pawn structure. Now, White will only have a very slow attack on the queenside.

10.bxa5 Rxa5 11.Nd2 Nfd7

Controlling the c5 square and preparing to attack on the kingside.

12.Nb3 Ra8 13.a4 Na6

The blockade on c5 is complete...

14.Ba3 f5³

Let’s go!

15.e4

15.a5 e4 16.Qc2 Ne5 17.Nb5 Bd7 is also pleasant for Black. The bishop on g7 shines.

15...f4 16.Nb5

16...Rf7

A typical plan in the King’s Indian Attack. The rook goes to f7 to protect the seventh rank, but also has the possibility
to aid the attack on the g- or h-files. Then the Bishop drops back to f8 to help with this strategic idea and also to protect
the d6-pawn.

17.Qd3 Bf8 18.Rfd1 h5

And now I decide to send out a second ‘foot-soldier’.

19.Qc3 h4 20.g4
20.gxf4 exf4 21.N3d4 Bg7³

20...h3!

White has no time to block the position on the kingside.

21.Bxh3

21.Qxh3 Nf6 22.Bf3 Rh7 23.Qg2 Rh4 24.h3 Nh7 25.Rd3 Ng5 26.Be2 Qe7µ;
21.Bf1 f3–+

21...Qh4 22.Bg2 Qxg4 23.f3 Qh5µ

I knew that my position was very good here, but the road to the win was still long.

24.Rd2 Rh7 25.Bf1 Nf6 26.Raa2

Too passive. Almasi has to try his chances with


26.c5! Nxc5 27.Nxc5 dxc5 28.Rf2 b6 29.Bb2 Bd6 30.a5 bxa5 31.Rxa5 Rb8 and Black has a decent advantage.

26...g5–+

Black’s plan is very easy, just push the g-pawn and then create some powerful threat with all the pieces and the f-
pawn. White can’t stop it — it’s funny to see all of White’s pieces on the queenside.

27.c5 g4 28.Rg2 Kh8 29.Be2 Nxc5

From this moment on we were both in huge time-trouble. Not so easy with a complicated position!

30.Nxc5 dxc5 31.Bxc5 gxf3

31...Bxc5+ 32.Qxc5 gxf3?? 33.Qf8++–

32.Bxf3 Bxc5+ 33.Qxc5 Bg4

Protecting the queen and covering the f8-square with the rook on a8.
34.Rxg4

Trying the final complication. 34.Bxg4 Nxg4 35.Kh1 f3 36.Rxg4 Qxg4–+ was also winning easily.

34...Nxg4 35.Rg2 Rg7 36.Qc3 Rxa4

36...Rag8 was the simplest way to win. 37.Nxc7 Ne3!!–+

37.d6

37.h3 I missed this nice defense. 37...Qxh3 38.Bxg4 Qxc3 39.Nxc3 Ra3 40.Nd1 f3 but Black has too many pawns,
and White can’t survive. 41.Rg3 Ra1–+
37...Ra2!

A nice deflection.

38.dxc7

38.Rxa2 Ne3+ 39.Rg2 Qxf3 40.Rxg7 Qf1#

38...Rxg2+ 39.Bxg2 Qxh2+ 40.Kf1 Ne3+ 0–1

and White’s king will be checkmated in just a few moves. An important strategic mistake in the opening with b4 gave
me a strong attack on the kingside, and without counterplay for White on the queenside Black’s attack was too
powerful and I managed to score a nice victory.

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