BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 2 – ARONIAN vs JUMABAYEV

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Levon Aronian with White against Rinat Jumabayev with Black.

Today’s game features a Sicilian Kan.

Aronian,Levon (2780) - Jumabayev,Rinat (2605)

43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Open Batumi (2.1), 25.09.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.Qg4 g6 8.Qe2 d6 B42: Sicilian: Kan Variation: 5 Bd3 

9.0–0 [9.a4 Nc6 10.0–0 Ne5 11.Kh1 Nf6 12.Nc3 Bd7 13.f4 Nxd3 14.cxd3 0–0 15.Be3 b5 16.a5 1–0 (48) Aronian,L (2764)-Caruana,F (2816) Paris 2018] 

9...Nd7 10.a4 b6 White is slightly better. 

11.Na3 Bb7 12.Nc4 Qc7 13.a5 b5 14.Nb6! Rb8 15.c4ƒ White has strong initiative. 

15...bxc4 16.Bxc4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+k+ntr(
7+lwqnvlp+p'
6psN-zpp+p+&
5zP-+-+-+-%
4-+L+P+-+$
3+N+-+-+-#
2-zP-+QzPPzP"
1tR-vL-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

16...Ngf6N 17.Be3 Nxe4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+k+-tr(
7+lwqnvlp+p'
6psN-zpp+p+&
5zP-+-+-+-%
4-+L+n+-+$
3+N+-vL-+-#
2-zP-+QzPPzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

18.Bxa6 [¹18.Nd4!] 

18...Bxa6± 19.Qxa6 0–0 20.Qb5 Rfd8 [20...Nef6²] 

21.Qa4 Nec5 22.Nxc5 dxc5 23.Bf4 Bd6 24.Nxd7 Rxd7 25.Rfd1! Rb4 26.Qxd7 [White should try 26.Bxd6± And now Qxb4 would win. 26...Rxa4 27.Bxc7 Rxa1 28.Rxa1 Rxc7 29.f4] 

26...Qxd7= 27.Bxd6 Ra4! [But not 27...Rxb2? 28.a6+-] 

28.Be5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+q+p+p'
6-+-+p+p+&
5zP-zp-vL-+-%
4r+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP"
1tR-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

28...Rxa5! 29.Rac1 [29.Rxa5 Qxd1#] 

29...Qe7 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+-wqp+p'
6-+-+p+p+&
5tr-zp-vL-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP"
1+-tRR+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

[29...Qe8µ 30.Bf6 Ra8 31.Rxc5 Qa4] 

30.b4! Ra8 [Black should play 30...Ra6= ; 30...cxb4 31.Rc8+] 

31.bxc5² f6 [31...Qg5² 32.Bd6 Kg7] 

32.Bd6+- White has strong compensation. 

32...Qa7 33.c6 aiming for c7. 

33...Rc8 34.c7 Threatens to win with Bf4. 

34...Kg7? 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-+-+(
7wq-zP-+-mkp'
6-+-vLpzpp+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+-tRR+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

[34...Qa4± was worth a try.] 

35.Bf4! Qa4 36.Be3 Qa5 [36...Qxd1+ was necessary. 37.Rxd1 Rxc7] 

37.Rd7+ Kg8 [¹37...Kf8 38.Rxh7 Kg8] 

38.h3 g5 39.Rb1 [¹39.Bd4] 

39...Qa8? 

XABCDEFGHY
8q+r+-+k+(
7+-zPR+-+p'
6-+-+pzp-+&
5+-+-+-zp-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-vL-+P#
2-+-+-zPP+"
1+R+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

[39...Qxc7 40.Rxc7 Rxc7] 

40.Ba7!  1–0