International Events / 2015 World Team Championships
disap pointing. So why not surprise the World #19 with an opening I had never played before? YOLO, anyone (“You Only Live Once”)?
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. 0-0 0-0 6. Re1
An important move-order finesse. The
conventional 6. c3 allows 6. ... d5!? 7. exd5 Nxd5. This line has become quite fashionable in recent years, and Black holds his own in virtually every high-level game.
6. ... d6 7. c3 a6 8. Bb3 Ba7 9. h3
The immediate 9. Nbd2 is imprecise on account of 9. ... Ng4 10. Re2 Kh8 with ... f7-f5 to follow.
9. ... h6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 Be6 12. Bc2 d5 13. Qe2
Qd7 Black is definitely not worse. 19. Qc2
Now, Black is compelled to release the central tension.
19. ... axb2 20. Bxb2 dxc3 21. Bxc3 Qe8 22. Qb2 Rb8 23. Rac1 Kh7 24. a3 Timely prophylaxis against ... b5-b4.
White’s pieces are ideally placed, and the pressure has reached a zenith. With mutual time trouble approaching, my opponent desper ate ly tries to alter the course of the game.
24. ... g6 25. Ne3 Bxe3!? 26. fxe3 Nd7
have lost on the spot. 33. Qd5 c5 34. dxc5 Nf6 Black has lost a pawn, but this nifty
tactic enables him to keep his position together ... at least for the moment.
35. Qd8 Ra6 Much worse is 35. ... Qxd8 36. Rxd8
Ra6 37. Nd4 Rxe4 38. c6 when Black must give up a piece for the c-pawn.
36. Qxe8 Rxe8 37. Rd6! If not for this devastating shot, Black
would have been very much alive. As it stands, his entire defensive construction falls apart.
37. ... Rc6 More tenacious would have been 37. ...
Rea8, but after 38. Nd2 the win is a matter of straightforward technique.
38. Ne5! Rxd6 39. cxd6 Nxe4 Of course, material count is totally
inconsequential in this position. White’s newly-created monster on d6 decides the game.
40. d7 Rd8
27. Be1! More prophylaxis! The bishop is re-
routed to g3, while Black’s knight will be stuck on d7.
I was aiming for this type of position in
my preparation. Black has an impressive space advantage, but no clear plan of action. White has no objective advantage, but I could sense that Jakovenko was out of his comfort zone.
13. ... b5 14. Rd1 The move 14. Ng3?! would have allowed
14. ... dxe4 15. dxe4 Bc4! forcing an undesirable queen trade.
14. ... d4 15. Ng3 a5 16. Bb3 a4 17. Bxe6 Rxe6 18. Nf5
A critical position. The cold-blooded
18. ... Ne7 would have kept the situation balanced, but my opponent—after quite a bit of vacillation—decides to strike immediately.
18. ... a3?! The cart before the horse! Black does
not have enough firepower on the queenside to create any real threats, so this move simply leads to an unfavorable opening of the center. Evidently, my opponent rejected 18. ... Ne7 because of 19. Bxh6!? (19. N3h4 would have probably been my choice. After 19. ... c5 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 21. Nf5 Qf8 the position is roughly equal.) 19. ... gxh6 20. Nxh6+ Kg7 21. Ng5, when the two knights wreak quite a bit of havoc on Black’s kingside. None theless, following 21. ... Qe8! 22. Nhxf7 Ng6 23. Nxe6+ Qxe6 24. Ng5
32 July 2015 | Chess Life
27. ... Rb6 28. Bg3 b4 An excellent practical try, and it works to
perfection. Passive defense with 28. ... Qe7 would have led to immediate calamity after 29. d4! exd4 30. Nxd4 Nxd4 31. Rxc7! Rbc6 32. Ra7, when Black’s position col lapses.
29. a4?! When facing a strong opponent, it is
always tempting to play it safe. There was no need to hesitate: 29. d4! was nearly crushing. Black has nothing better than 29. ... exd4 30. exd4 Rxe4 31. Bxc7 Re2 (31. ... Ra6 32. axb4) 32. Qb3 Na5 33. Qd3 Re3 34. Qf1 Nb3 35. Bxb6 Nxc1 36. Rxc1 Nxb6 37. axb4. White is left with an extra pawn, but more important, Black will have a very hard time stopping Ne5 followed by Rc7 with a massive attack.
29. ... Ra6 30. Qb3 Rb6? The decisive mistake. 30. ... Qe7 would
have offered more chances for a successful resistance, since 31. d4 is strongly met by 31. ... Na5. However, after 31. Bh4 g5 32. Be1 a timely d3-d4 should decide the affair in White’s favor.
31. d4! exd4 32. exd4 Na5!
Tenacity is a typical quality for super- grandmasters. Jakovenko finds the only way to keep on fighting; the guileless 32. ... Rxe4? 33. Bxc7 Ra6 34. Qd3 would
Deep breath. With 30 minutes added
after move 40, I had all the time in the world to calculate, double-check, and quintuple-check. Many roads lead to Rome, but one stood out among the others:
41. Be1 f6 42. Rc8 Nb7 43. Rxd8 Nxd8 44. Bxb4!
The “academic” 44. Nd3 b3 45. Ba5 wins as well, of course, but I could not resist.
44. ... fxe5 45. a5 Nf6 46. a6 Nxd7 47. a7 Nb6 48. Ba5! The fulcrum on which everything stands.
To stop the pawn, Black must not only give up a knight, but relegate the other one to dreadful passivity.
48. ... Na8 49. Bxd8 Kg7 50. Kf2 With the knight out of commission,
Black’s monarch will be decidedly inca - pable of holding the fort on his own.
50. ... Kf7 51. Ke3, Black resigned. Needless to say, I was elated after this
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