US CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 9

GM Sam Shankland won the only decisive game of round 9 to retake the lead by a half point over Caruana.

Caruana on the other hand was fortunate to be able to escape with a draw after Nakamura failed to correctly analyse the crushing sacrifice that he had seen on the board. Caruana was “completely shocked” and relieved that Nakamura didn’t go for the killer 46…Qxe4!  Especially when it emerged in the press briefing that Hikaru had analysed all the way to 52.Nd2. Fabio commented: “Even if you’re not sure that it’s winning, you’re two pawns up. Just go for it, and if it’s a draw – it’s bad luck!”

The biggest problem for Caruana’s US Championship ambitions is that Shankland’s final two games are against the players in the bottom two spots on the cross table.

Shankland,Samuel (2671) - Zherebukh,Yaroslav (2640)

US-ch Open 2018 Saint Louis (9), 27.04.2018

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 Nbd7 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 0–0 8.Rc1 c6 9.a3 a6 10.c5 D63: Queen's Gambit Declined: Classical: 7 Rc1 

10...e5 

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11.Nxe5N [11.Be2 e4 12.Nd2 Nh7 13.Bg3 f5 14.h4 g5 15.hxg5 hxg5 16.f4 exf3 17.Nxf3 Bf6 1–0 (33) Akobian,V (2612)-Shulman,Y (2632) Upper Lake 2009] 

11...Nxe5 12.dxe5 The position is equal. 

12...Nd7 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Qd4 Nxe5 15.Be2 Qg5 16.g3 Qe7 17.0–0 Bh3 18.Rfe1 f5 19.f3 Rae8 20.Nd1! 

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aiming for Nf2. 

20...Qf7 [20...f4!= 21.Nf2 (21.exf4 Nxf3+) 21...fxg3 22.Nxh3 Nxf3+ 23.Bxf3 Rxf3] 

21.Nf2!ƒ White has strong initiative. 

21...Qh5 22.Qh4! Qxf3 23.Qxh3 Qxe3 24.Bh5 Nf3+ 25.Bxf3! Qxf3 26.Qg2 Qb3 27.Nh3 Re4 28.Qd2 b6 [28...Rfe8± 29.Nf2 Re3] 

29.Nf2 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 bxc5 31.Rxc5 Qxb2 32.Qc3 [32.Rxc6+- Qd4 33.Qe6+ Kh7 34.Qg6+ Kg8 35.Rc8! (35.Rxa6 f4+-) 35...Qa1+ 36.Kg2 Qxa3 37.Qxf5] 

32...Qb8 [32...Qb1+± was necessary. 33.Kg2 f4 34.gxf4 Qg6+ 35.Qg3 Qe6] 

33.Nd3 [White should play 33.Rxc6+- Rc7 is the strong threat. 33...f4 34.Rc7] 

33...Qb1+ 34.Kg2 f4 35.Nxf4 Qe4+ 36.Kg1 g5 37.Ng2! [Inferior is 37.Rxc6 gxf4 38.Rc7 Qe3+ 39.Kh1 Qxc3µ] 

37...Qf5 38.Qe1 Qf6 39.Rc1 d4 [39...Qd4+± 40.Qe3 Qxe3+ 41.Nxe3 Rf6] 

40.Qe2+- c5 41.Ne1 [Stronger than 41.Rxc5 d3=] 

41...Rc8 42.Nd3 c4 43.Qe4 Qd6 44.Ne5 [¹44.Nb4] 

44...c3 [44...Re8 is a better defense.] 

45.Nd3 Kg7 46.Kg2 Rc7 47.Re1 c2 48.h4 [White should try 48.Kg1± ] 

48...Qc6!² 49.Qxc6! Rxc6 Endgame KRN-KR 

50.Kf3 gxh4 51.gxh4 Rc3 52.Ke4 Threatens to win with Rc1. 

52...Rxa3 53.Rc1 Rc3 54.Kxd4 Rc8 55.Nc5 Kg6 56.Rxc2 Kh5 57.Rh2 Black must now prevent Ne4. 

57...Rg8 58.Ne4 Intending Nf6+ and mate. 

58...Rg1? [58...Rc8± 59.Nf6+ Kg6] 

59.Nf6++- Kg6 60.Ke5 Re1+ 61.Ne4 Kh5 62.Kf4! Rf1+ 

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63.Kg3! Re1 

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64.Nf6+! Kg6 65.Nd5 Rd1? [65...Re5 was called for.] 

66.Nf4+ Kf5 67.Ra2 Rg1+? [67...Rd6 68.Kf3 Ke5] 

68.Ng2 White is clearly winning. 

68...Rb1 69.Rxa6 Rb3+ 70.Kh2 Kg4 71.Rxh6  1–0

Caruana,Fabiano (2804) - Nakamura,Hikaru (2787)

US-ch Open 2018 Saint Louis (9), 27.04.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0–0 6.0–0 C65: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence (3...Nf6), unusual lines and 4 0–0 Bc5 

6...Re8 7.Nbd2 a6 8.Bxc6 dxc6 9.Nc4 

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9...Bd6N [9...Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.g4 Bg6 14.Ncxe5 0–1 (66) Caruana,F (2802)-Nakamura,H (2786) chess.com INT 2017] 

10.Bg5 b5 11.Ne3 Qe7 12.Nh4 Qe6 13.Nhf5 Bf8 14.f4 fxe5 is the strong threat. 

14...Nd7 15.Ng3 [¹15.fxe5 Nxe5 16.a4] 

15...f6= 16.f5 Qf7 17.Bh4 Bb7 18.Qe2 Rad8 19.Nh1 Nc5 20.Rfd1 Rd6 21.Nf2 Red8 22.Rd2 a5 23.g4 g5 24.Bg3 Ba6 25.Rad1 b4 26.c4 b3 27.a3 R6d7 28.Qe1 Nb7 29.Nh1 Nc5 30.Qe2 Rd4 31.Be1 R8d6 32.Nf2 Qd7 33.Kg2 Qd8 34.h3 Rd7 [34...Bh6³] 

35.Nf1 Na4! 36.Nh2 Bc5 37.Nf3 R4d6 38.Rc1 [38.h4= h6 39.hxg5 hxg5 40.Rc1] 

38...Bxf2µ 39.Qxf2 c5 40.Qe2 Rxd3 41.Rxd3 Rxd3 42.Bxa5 Bb7 43.Kf2 [43.Bxc7³ Qd7 44.Rb1] 

43...Qd7 44.Re1 Rd6 45.Rc1? [45.h4!³] 

45...Qc6!–+ 46.Re1 

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46...Rd8 [Black should play 46...Qxe4!–+ 47.Qxe4 Bxe4 48.Bxc7 (48.Rxe4? Nxb2 49.Ke2 Nxc4–+) 48...Rd7 49.Rxe4 Nxb2 50.Nxe5 Rxc7] 

47.h4 

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[47.Kg1³] 

47...h6 [Better is 47...Qxe4!µ 48.Qxe4 Bxe4 49.Rxe4 Nxb2] 

48.hxg5= The position is equal. 

48...hxg5 49.Kg3 Rd7 50.Qh2 Threatens to win with Rh1. 

50...Rh7 51.Qd2 And now Qd8+ would win. 

51...Rd7! 52.Qh2 Strongly threatening Rh1. 

52...Rh7 53.Qd2  ½–½