SHAMKIR CHESS 2018 ROUND 4

The first three rounds of the Shamkir chess were filled with 15 draws. However, Topalov decided to spoil the perfect 50% score sheet by beating Mamedyarov in round four.

Another notable game was the one between the two draw masters Giri and Ding. At one stage I thought that the only bit of excitement would be Giri’s shocked facial expression when he saw Carlsen play the Pirc. However, Giri strayed in the endgame and Ding pounced. Unfortunately on move 64 Ding missed the winning move despite using almost all of the time remaining on his clock. The net result was the draw I expected before the game even started.

Topalov,Veselin (2749) - Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2814)

5th Shamkir Chess 2018 Shamkir (4), 22.04.2018

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.Be3 Be7 10.c3 0–0 11.Nbd2 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Na5 13.Bc2 Nc4 C83: Open Ruy Lopez: 9 c3 Be7 

14.Qd3 g6 15.Bh6 [15.Bc1=] 

15...Nxb2³ Black is slightly better. [15...Re8 16.Nd4 Bd7 17.Rae1 Nxb2 18.Qf3 Bg5 19.Bxg5 Qxg5 20.Qxd5 Rad8 21.Qc5 1/2–1/2 (36) Tari,A (2570)-Ernst,T (2372) Vasteras 2016] 

16.Qe2 Re8 17.Nd4 Bd7 18.f4 c5 19.Nf3 Qb6 20.Qf2 

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20...d4N [20...Nc4 21.Rae1 1/2–1/2 (29) Haznedaroglu,K (1990)-Wojcik,W (2185) ICCF email 2006] 

21.Bg5 dxc3 White must now prevent ...Bd8. 

22.Qh4 c4+ 23.Kh1 Bf8 

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24.f5! Nd3µ 

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[24...Bxf5 25.Bxf5 gxf5 26.Bf6±] 

25.e6! 

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25...Bxe6! [25...fxe6 26.f6] 

26.fxe6 Rxe6 Hoping for ...f6. [Much worse is 26...Qxe6?! 27.Bf6=] 

27.Rad1 Rae8 28.Bxd3 cxd3 29.Rxd3 Re4 [Black should try 29...Qc5µ 30.Rc1 Bg7] 

30.Bf4!= aiming for Ng5. 

30...Be7 31.Qg3! b4 32.Ng5! Bxg5! 33.Bxg5 Qe6 34.h3 

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34...Qe5 Threatens to win with ...Qxg3. 

35.Kh2 Qxg3+ 36.Kxg3 h6 37.Bxh6 Re1 [37...a5= remains equal.] 

38.Rf6± R1e6 39.Rf2 [39.Rxe6± Rxe6 40.Kf2] 

39...Re2 [39...a5²] 

40.Rd5 Rxf2 [40...R2e6± was necessary.] 

41.Kxf2+- f6 42.Be3  1-0

Giri,Anish (2777) - Ding,Liren (2778)

5th Shamkir Chess 2018 Shamkir (4), 22.04.2018

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 d5 4.Bb2 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.g3 A13: English Opening: 1...e6 [6.e3 Nc6 7.Bb5 Bd6 8.d4 0–0 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.0–0 Bg4 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Qc2 Ne4 13.Nbd2 Nxd2 14.Nxd2 Bb6 15.h3 Be6 1/2–1/2 (62) Andreikin,D (2712)-Anand,V (2776) Moscow 2018] 

6...Nc6 7.Bg2 d4 8.0–0 Be7 9.Na3 0–0 10.Nc4 Be6 11.e3 Rc8 

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12.exd4N [12.Nfe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 dxe3 14.dxe3 1/2–1/2 (50) Salaun,Y (2329)-Delaunay,S (2357) France 2005] 

12...cxd4 13.Re1 Bd5 14.Nce5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Re8 16.Bf3 Bc5 17.Rc1 Qd6 18.Nd3 Rxe1+ 19.Nxe1 

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19...Re8 Threatens to win with ...Rxe1+! 

20.Nd3 aiming for Bxd5. 

20...Bb6 21.Nf4 Bxf3 22.Qxf3 Qd7 23.h4 h6 24.Ng2 [White should try 24.a4= ] 

24...Ng4³ 25.Re1 Rxe8+ is the strong threat. 

25...Ne5 26.Qe4 Re6 27.Ba1 Ng4 [27...Ba5µ 28.Rd1 Re7] 

28.Qd3 Ne5 [28...h5³] 

29.Qe4µ g6 [29...Ba5µ 30.Rd1 Re7] 

30.Rf1 [30.h5³] 

30...f5 31.Qf4 Qd5 32.f3 [32.Ne1µ] 

32...Kg7 33.g4 Rf6 34.g5 hxg5 35.hxg5 Re6 36.Qg3 Nd3 37.Nf4 Nxf4 38.Qxf4 Kf7 39.Qh4 Ke7 40.Qh7+ [40.d3³] 

40...Kd6 41.Bb2 f4 42.Kh1 Qxg5 [42...Bc5!µ 43.Qg7 Kc6] 

43.Ba3+= Kc6 44.Rc1+ Kb5 

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45.Qxb7 White threatens Qd7+ and mate. 

45...Qh4+ 46.Kg1 Re1+‚ Black mounts an attack. 

47.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 48.Kg2 Qxd2+ 49.Kh3 Qc2 Hoping for ...Qf5+. 

50.Qd5+! Ka6 And now ...Qf5+ would win. 

51.Bd6! Qc8+ 52.Kg2 Qc2+ 53.Kh3 Qc1 54.Kg4? [54.Kg2=] 

54...Qg1+!–+ 55.Kxf4 

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55...Qh2+! 56.Kg4? 

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[56.Ke4 Qc2+ 57.Kf4] 

56...Qh5+! 57.Qxh5 gxh5+ 58.Kxh5 Endgame KB-KB 

58...d3 59.Bf4 Ba5 60.Kg4 Kb5 61.Kf5 d2 62.Bxd2 Bxd2 KB-K3P 

63.f4 Kb4 64.Ke4 

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64...Kc5? [64...a6 mates 65.f5 Ka3 66.Kd3 Bb4 67.Kc4 Be7 68.b4 Bxb4 69.f6 Ka4 70.Kd4 Kb5 71.Kd3 a5 72.Ke3 Ka4 73.Kd3 Ka3 74.Kc4 Kxa2 75.f7 Ka3 76.Kb5 a4 77.Kc4 Bf8 78.Kd5 Kb4 79.Ke6 a3 80.Kd7 a2 81.Ke8 Bc5 82.f8Q Bxf8 83.Kf7 a1Q 84.Kxf8 Qa7 85.Kg8 Kc5 86.Kf8 Kd6 87.Kg8 Ke6 88.Kh8 Kf6 89.Kg8 Qg7#] 

65.Ke5!= The position is equal. 

65...Kc6 White must now prevent ...Kd7. [65...a6!? 66.f5™ Kb4=] 

66.f5 Bb4 67.Ke6 Ba3 68.f6 a5 69.Kf7 Kd7  ½–½