Wednesday, April 25, 2018

CARUANA’S CRASH – US CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 4


In the same way as Carlsen is keeping an eye on Caruana’s games in Saint Louis, Caruana will have been doing the same. I do wonder, however, whether Caruana had been paying a little too much attention to the live ratings list as well.

Carlsen had made draws in all four of his opening rounds in Shamkir, losing rating points in the process. Thanks to wins in rounds two and three, Caruana had closed the rating gap to only 15 points behind Carlsen. Add to that Caruana’s overconfident expectation of crushing Izoria and we have all the ingredients for what happened…

Caruana,Fabiano (2804) - Izoria,Zviad (2599)
US-ch Men 2018 Saint Louis (4), 21.04.2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.0–0 h6 7.Re1 0–0 8.h3 a5 C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3 
9.Nbd2 a4 10.Nf1 Bd7 11.d4 Bb6 12.Ng3 Re8 13.Bf1 

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13...Qb8N [13...Na5 14.b4 axb3 15.axb3 1–0 (65) Leko,P (2693)-Ganguly,S (2668) Doha 2016] 
14.d5 Ne7 15.Nh4 Kh7 16.Qf3 Qd8 17.Bd2 Neg8 18.Nhf5! g6 19.Ne3 Kg7 20.Nc4 Ba7 21.Be3 Bxe3 22.Qxe3 Nh7 23.f4 b5 24.Nd2 exf4 25.Qxf4 Qf6 26.Qe3 Ne7 27.Qf3 Rab8 28.a3 c5 29.Rad1 Nc8 30.Qe3 Nb6ƒ Black is more active. 
31.Nf3 Ng5 32.Nh2 Nh7 33.Be2 Qg5 34.Qf2! Qf6 35.Qe3 Qg5 36.Qf3 [36.Qf2!=] 
36...Qf6 [Black should try 36...h5µ ] 
37.Bd3 Qxf3 38.Nxf3 f6 39.h4 h5 40.Kf2 Nf8 41.Nd2 Nc8 42.Rb1 Ne7 43.Ngf1 Ng8 44.Ne3 Nh6 45.Be2 f5 46.b3 axb3 47.Rxb3 c4 48.Rb4 fxe4 49.Reb1 Strongly threatening Ndxc4! 
49...Ra8 

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50.a4! Rxa4 51.Rxa4 bxa4 52.Ndxc4 Nf7 53.Rb7 Kf6 54.Bd1 White has compensation. 
54...Ra8 55.Nb6 Rd8 56.Nec4 Bb5 57.Nd2 Bd3 58.Ke3 Ne5 [58...a3 keeps more tension. 59.Ra7 Nh6 60.Nxe4+ Bxe4 61.Kxe4 Nf5] 
59.Bxa4 g5 60.hxg5+ [60.Rc7 is more complex. 60...Nfg6 61.hxg5+ Kxg5 62.Rc8 Ng4+ 63.Kd4] 
60...Kxg5 61.Nxe4+ Bxe4 62.Kxe4 Threatens to win with Rc7. 
62...Nfg6 63.Nd7 Rc8 Hoping for ...Rc4+. 
64.Bc6 Nxc6 65.dxc6 Rxc6= Endgame KRN-KRN 
66.Kd4 Nf4 67.c4 Nxg2 Black wants to play ...h4. 
68.Kd5 Rc8 aiming for ...Ne3+. 
69.Nb6 [69.Rb5= keeps the balance.] 
69...Ne3+µ 70.Ke6 

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[70.Ke4µ was the only defense. 70...Re8+ 71.Kf3] 
70...Rc6? [Better is 70...Rh8!–+ 71.Rg7+ Kf4 72.Nd5+ Ke4] 
71.Kd7 [71.Rg7+³ Kh6 72.Rb7] 
71...Nxc4–+ 72.Kxc6?? [72.Nd5µ] 
72...Na5+ 73.Kxd6 Nxb7+ KN-KN 
74.Kd5 Kf4 Black mates. 
75.Nc4 h4 76.Nd2 h3 77.Nf1 Nd8 78.Kd4 Nf7 79.Kd5 Ne5 80.Kd4 Ng4 81.Kd3 

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81...Kf3 [81...Kf3 mates 82.Kd4 Kf2 83.Nd2 h2 84.Ne4+ Kg2 85.Nd6 h1Q 86.Nc4 Qa1+ 87.Kc5 Nf6 88.Kb5 Ne4 89.Ne3+ Kh3 90.Nd5 Qf1+ 91.Kb4 Qc1 92.Ne7 Qc5+ 93.Kb3 Qxe7 94.Kc4 Qc5+ 95.Kd3 Nf2+ 96.Kd2 Kg3 97.Ke1 Qc2 98.Kf1 Qd1#]  0–1


Robson,Ray (2660) - Shankland,Samuel (2671)
US-ch Men 2018 Saint Louis (4), 21.04.2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Be7 10.Bf4 0–0 C83: Open Ruy Lopez: 9 c3 Be7 
11.Nd4 Nxd4 [11...Na5 12.f3 Nxb3 13.axb3 Nc5 14.b4 Nd7 15.Nc6 Qe8 16.Nd2 Bh4 17.Bg3 Bxg3 18.hxg3 1–0 (44) Grischuk,A (2761)-Mamedyarov,S (2800) Paris 2017] 
12.cxd4 Black must now prevent f3. 
12...f6 White has an edge. 
13.Nd2 fxe5 14.Bxe5 

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Nxe4 is the strong threat. 
14...Nd6N [14...Nxd2 15.Qxd2 Bd6 16.f4 Bxe5 17.fxe5 Qe7 18.Qe3 Rxf1+ 19.Rxf1 1–0 (29) Konyves,A (1691)-Dopita,B (2136) Brno 2017] 
15.Bc2 Qd7 16.Re1 Nc4 17.Nf3 [17.Nxc4= bxc4 18.Re2] 
17...Bg4³ 18.Qd3 g6 19.b3 Bxf3! 20.bxc4 dxc4‚ Black goes for the king. 
21.Qe3 Bd5 22.Qg3 And now Bxg6! would win. 
22...Bf6 23.h4 Qg7 24.Re3 c6 25.Rae1 

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25...Qh6! 26.Bxf6 Rxf6 27.Re8+ [27.f3 is a better defense.] 
27...Rxe8–+ 28.Rxe8+ Kf7 [Weaker is 28...Rf8 29.Rxf8+ Kxf8 30.Qd6+ Kf7 31.Qd7+ Kf8 32.Qd6+ Ke8 33.Qb8+ Kf7 34.Qc7+ Ke6 35.Qc8+ Kf6 36.Qd8+ Kf7 37.Qd7+ Kg8 38.Qe8+ Kg7 39.Qe5+ Kf7 40.Qc7+ Ke6 41.Qc8+ Kf6 42.Qd8+ Kg7 43.Qe7+ Bf7 44.Qe5+ Kg8 45.Qb8+ Qf8 46.Qg3µ] 
29.Qe5? [29.Ra8 was called for. 29...Qc1+ 30.Kh2] 
29...Qc1+ 30.Bd1 

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30...Kg7 [¹30...Qxd1+ 31.Kh2 Re6 32.Rxe6 Bxe6 33.Qf4+ Ke8 34.Qb8+ Ke7 35.Qc7+ Bd7 36.Qe5+ Kd8 37.Qb8+ Bc8 38.Qd6+ Ke8 39.Qxc6+ Bd7 40.Qe4+ Kd8 41.Qa8+ Ke7 42.Qe4+ Be6 43.Qb7+ Bd7 44.Qe4+ Be6 45.Qb7+ Kf6] 
31.Qe7+ [¹31.Re7+ Bf7 32.Qe2] 
31...Rf7 32.Qe5+ Kh6 33.Qe1 Qf4 34.g4 Kg7 Black is clearly winning. 
35.g5 c3 Strongly threatening ...c2. 
36.Qe5+ Qxe5 37.dxe5 Endgame KRB-KRB 
37...Rd7 38.h5 gxh5 Threatens to win with ...Bf7. 
39.Bc2 Bf7 40.Rc8 Rd2 41.Rc7 Rxc2 42.e6 Re2 43.Rxf7+ Kg6 44.Kf1 Rxe6  0–1

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