WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 10 – MAGHSOODLOO vs VAVULIN

The style of analysis in today’s game is the same as that used in my new book: Hidden Lessons From The 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad.

The 2018 edition of the World Junior Championship has as top seed the phenomenally talented Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran. He has only just turned 18 and already has a live rating of 2667. Winning this tournament now is a massive opportunity as it is a direct seeded slot into the 2019 World Cup, which in turn is a gateway to the next Candidates cycle. In addition it will open the door to invitations to the lucrative super tournament circuit.

It might seem strange to many, but when I look at chess players I always take a close look at the physical condition of the player. This comes from my background in the health and fitness industry.

Physical fitness is a vital ingredient on the classical tournament circuit where it is possible to have consecutive days at the chess board of seven hours or longer. As chess players we know how physically draining long tournament games can be.

Remember how Peter Svidler lost a lot of weight before the Candidates in 2013? It made a huge difference to his performance over the final two rounds when tension was at an extreme level.

It is clear that Parham does not rate working on his fitness highly at all. During an interview Parham indicated that he works at least ten hours every day on his chess. From my perspective, if he took just 30 minutes a day from that schedule for physical training he would be able to absorb so much more during his study sessions.

Aspirant higher level players all realize that having a coach is an important step to improvement. It is just as important to have a coach or personal trainer for the physical aspect of your chess training as well.

Today’s game features a Sicilian Najdorf that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Maghsoodloo,Parham (2649) - Vavulin,Maksim (2559)

World Junior U20 Open 2018 Gebze (10.1), 14.09.2018

1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 a6 6.h3 e5 7.Nde2 h5 B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5 
8.Bg5 Be6 [8...Be7 9.Ng3 g6 10.Bc4 Be6 11.Bb3 Nbd7 12.Qf3 Nc5 13.0–0–0 Nfd7 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Qe3 1/2–1/2 (43) Xiong,J (2650)-Kovalyov,A (2644) Irving 2018] 
9.Bxf6 Qxf6 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.Qd3 g6 12.0–0–0 Bh6+ 13.Kb1 Nd7 14.Qa3 Nc5 15.Nec3 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wqk+-tr(
7+p+-+p+-'
6p+-zpl+pvl&
5+-snNzp-+p%
4-+-+P+-+$
3wQ-sN-+-+P#
2PzPP+-zPP+"
1+K+R+L+R!
xabcdefghy

15...0–0N 16.h4! b5 17.f3 f5 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6p+-zpl+pvl&
5+psnNzpp+p%
4-+-+P+-zP$
3wQ-sN-+P+-#
2PzPP+-+P+"
1+K+R+L+R!
xabcdefghy

18.Be2 
White missed an attacking opportunity here. What was it?

00000

[White should try 18.exf5!± gxf5 19.g3] 
18...Bg7 
How could Black have retained equality in this position?

00000

[18...f4= remains equal.] 
19.g4 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7+-+-+-vl-'
6p+-zpl+p+&
5+psnNzpp+p%
4-+-+P+PzP$
3wQ-sN-+P+-#
2PzPP+L+-+"
1+K+R+-+R!
xabcdefghy

19...hxg4 
What should Black rather have played?

00000

[Black should play 19...fxg4² 20.fxg4 Bxg4] 
20.fxg4 
Find an even more attacking move for White.

00000

[20.exf5!± gxf5 21.fxg4] 
20...fxg4 21.Rhg1 Rb8 22.Bxg4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-wq-trk+(
7+-+-+-vl-'
6p+-zpl+p+&
5+psnNzp-+-%
4-+-+P+LzP$
3wQ-sN-+-+-#
2PzPP+-+-+"
1+K+R+-tR-!
xabcdefghy

22...Bf7? 
This was a grave error. Find the alternative.

00000

[22...Bxg4± 23.Rxg4 Rf3] 
Find the move that punishes Black's error.

00000

23.h5!+- gxh5 [23...g5 is a better defense. 24.b4 a5] 
24.Bf5 Kh8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-wq-tr-mk(
7+-+-+lvl-'
6p+-zp-+-+&
5+psnNzpL+p%
4-+-+P+-+$
3wQ-sN-+-+-#
2PzPP+-+-+"
1+K+R+-tR-!
xabcdefghy

25.Ne2 
What is White's winning threat?

00000

Threatens to win with Rxg7! 
25...Bh6 26.Qh3 
What would have been wrong with 26.Qg3?

00000

[Weaker is 26.Qg3 a5²] 
26...Rg8 27.Rxg8+ Qxg8 28.Rg1 Qf8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-wq-mk(
7+-+-+l+-'
6p+-zp-+-vl&
5+psnNzpL+p%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-+Q#
2PzPP+N+-+"
1+K+-+-tR-!
xabcdefghy

29.Ng3? 
There was an even stronger move available. What was it?

00000

[29.Nf6+- has better winning chances.] 
29...Rb7? 
What was the correct defense in this position?

00000

[29...Qg7±] 
30.Nf6? 
This was another missed opportunity to kill the game. What move did White overlook?

00000

[30.Nxh5 Bxd5 31.exd5] 
30...b4? 
Black seems to have overlooked the looming Check Mate threat. What was a better defense here?

00000

[30...Qg7 31.Nfxh5 Qg5] 
31.Ngxh5 a5 32.Nh7 Bxa2+ 33.Kxa2 Rxh7 34.Bxh7 Kxh7 35.Qg4 White mates. 
35...Qf7+ 36.Kb1 Ne6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+q+k'
6-+-zpn+-vl&
5zp-+-zp-+N%
4-zp-+P+Q+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-zPP+-+-+"
1+K+-+-tR-!
xabcdefghy

White's next move forced an immediate resignation. What was it?

00000

37.Nf6+!  1–0

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 9 – MAGHSOODLOO vs SINDAROV

The style of analysis in today’s game is the same as that used in my new book: Hidden Lessons From The 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad.

The 2018 edition of the World Junior Championship has as top seed the phenomenally talented Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran. He has only just turned 18 and already has a live rating of 2667. Winning this tournament now is a massive opportunity as it is a direct seeded slot into the 2019 World Cup, which in turn is a gateway to the next Candidates cycle. In addition it will open the door to invitations to the lucrative super tournament circuit.

It might seem strange to many, but when I look at chess players I always take a close look at the physical condition of the player. This comes from my background in the health and fitness industry.

Physical fitness is a vital ingredient on the classical tournament circuit where it is possible to have consecutive days at the chess board of seven hours or longer. As chess players we know how physically draining long tournament games can be.

Remember how Peter Svidler lost a lot of weight before the Candidates in 2013? It made a huge difference to his performance over the final two rounds when tension was at an extreme level.

It is clear that Parham does not rate working on his fitness highly at all. During an interview Parham indicated that he works at least ten hours every day on his chess. From my perspective, if he took just 30 minutes a day from that schedule for physical training he would be able to absorb so much more during his study sessions.

Aspirant higher level players all realize that having a coach is an important step to improvement. It is just as important to have a coach or personal trainer for the physical aspect of your chess training as well.

Today’s game features a Kings Indian Attack that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Maghsoodloo,Parham (2649) - Liang,Awonder (2575)

World Junior U20 Open 2018 Gebze (9.1), 13.09.2018

1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 e5 4.d3 g6 5.0–0 Bg7 6.c3 Nge7 7.a3 0–0 8.b4 d6 9.e4 b6 10.Bb2 A04: Unusual lines after 1 Nf3 and King's Indian Attack [10.Nbd2 h6 11.Re1 Be6 12.Bb2 Qd7 13.Nc4 Rad8 14.b5 Nb8 15.a4 Qc7 16.a5 Nd7 17.axb6 axb6 18.Qa4 1–0 (65) Petrosian,T (2601)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2789) Riadh 2017] 
10...Bb7 11.Nbd2 Qd7 12.Qb3 h6 13.Rfe1 Kh7 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-tr-+(
7zpl+qsnpvlk'
6-zpnzp-+pzp&
5+-zp-zp-+-%
4-zP-+P+-+$
3zPQzPP+NzP-#
2-vL-sN-zPLzP"
1tR-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

14.d4N [14.Nc4 f5 15.b5 Nd8 16.a4 f4 17.a5 Qc7 18.axb6 axb6 19.Rxa8 Bxa8 0–1 (34) Hofegger,J (2072)-Vitouch,A (2320) Austria 2016] 
14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 exd4 17.Nf3 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-tr-+(
7zpl+qsnpvlk'
6-zp-zp-+pzp&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-zP-zpP+-+$
3zPQ+-+NzP-#
2-vL-+-zPLzP"
1tR-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

17...Ng8 
Find an improvement for Black.

00000

[17...d5= 18.Bxd4 Bxd4 19.Nxd4 dxe4 20.Bxe4 Bxe4 21.Rxe4 Rad8] 
18.Nxd4 Nf6 19.Rad1 Rfe8 20.f3 Rac8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+-+(
7zpl+q+pvlk'
6-zp-zp-snpzp&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-zP-sNP+-+$
3zPQ+-+PzP-#
2-vL-+-+LzP"
1+-+RtR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Time to Attack! Find the move.

00000 

21.Bf1! a6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+r+-+(
7+l+q+pvlk'
6pzp-zp-snpzp&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-zP-sNP+-+$
3zPQ+-+PzP-#
2-vL-+-+-zP"
1+-+RtRLmK-!
xabcdefghy

Don't be shy. Continue building the attack...

00000

22.b5! Ra8 23.bxa6 Bxa6 24.Nb5 Re6 25.a4 Bxb5 26.axb5 Qc7 27.Rc1 Qa7 28.Ra1 Qb7 29.Ra6 d5 30.Rea1 Rf8 31.Bh3 Ree8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+rtr-+(
7+q+-+pvlk'
6Rzp-+-snpzp&
5+P+p+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+Q+-+PzPL#
2-vL-+-+-zP"
1tR-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Find the move that will capitalize on your space advantage.

00000

32.e5! Nd7 33.Ra7 Nc5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+rtr-+(
7tRq+-+pvlk'
6-zp-+-+pzp&
5+PsnpzP-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+Q+-+PzPL#
2-vL-+-+-zP"
1tR-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

34.Qc2 [Not 34.Rxb7 Nxb3 35.Raa7 Bxe5±] 
34...Qb8 35.f4 Ne6 36.Bxe6 Rxe6 37.Qd3 Kg8 38.Qxd5 Rd8 39.Qf3 Bf8 40.Ra8 Qc7 41.Rxd8 Qxd8 42.Ra8 Qd7 43.Ba3 Re8 44.Rxe8 Qxe8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+qvlk+(
7+-+-+p+-'
6-zp-+-+pzp&
5+P+-zP-+-%
4-+-+-zP-+$
3vL-+-+QzP-#
2-+-+-+-zP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Find White's next move.

00000

45.Qc6! Qd8 46.Bd6 Kg7 47.Kg2 h5 48.Kh3 Kg8 49.Kg2 Kg7 50.Kf3 Kg8 51.Ke4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-wq-vlk+(
7+-+-+p+-'
6-zpQvL-+p+&
5+P+-zP-+p%
4-+-+KzP-+$
3+-+-+-zP-#
2-+-+-+-zP"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

51...Kg7? 
This was Black's final, critical error. Can you find the improvement?

00000

[51...Bg7 was called for. 52.Ke3 Bf8] 
52.Kd5 Kg8 53.Qb7+- 1–0

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 5 – BHARATHAKOTI vs MAGHSOODLOO

The style of analysis in today’s game is the same as that used in my new book: Hidden Lessons From The 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad.

The 2018 edition of the World Junior Championship has as top seed the phenomenally talented Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran. He has only just turned 18 and already has a live rating of 2667. Winning this tournament now is a massive opportunity as it is a direct seeded slot into the 2019 World Cup, which in turn is a gateway to the next Candidates cycle. In addition it will open the door to invitations to the lucrative super tournament circuit.

It might seem strange to many, but when I look at chess players I always take a close look at the physical condition of the player. This comes from my background in the health and fitness industry.

Physical fitness is a vital ingredient on the classical tournament circuit where it is possible to have consecutive days at the chess board of seven hours or longer. As chess players we know how physically draining long tournament games can be.

Remember how Peter Svidler lost a lot of weight before the Candidates in 2013? It made a huge difference to his performance over the final two rounds when tension was at an extreme level.

It is clear that Parham does not rate working on his fitness highly at all. During an interview Parham indicated that he works at least ten hours every day on his chess. From my perspective, if he took just 30 minutes a day from that schedule for physical training he would be able to absorb so much more during his study sessions.

Aspirant higher level players all realize that having a coach is an important step to improvement. It is just as important to have a coach or personal trainer for the physical aspect of your chess training as well.

Today’s game features a Bogo-Indian that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Harsha Bharathakoti (2474) - Maghsoodloo,Parham (2649)

World Junior U20 Open 2018 Gebze (5.1), 08.09.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0 5.Bd2 b6 6.Nf3 Bb7 7.Bd3 a5 8.0–0 d5 E11: Bogo-Indian 
9.cxd5 exd5 10.Ne5 Nbd7 11.f4 c5 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 c4 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7+l+n+pzpp'
6-zp-+-sn-+&
5zp-+psN-+-%
4-+pzP-zP-+$
3zP-vLLzP-+-#
2-zP-+-+PzP"
1tR-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

14.Bf5N [14.Bc2 b5 15.Rf3 Ra6 16.Rg3 1/2–1/2 (31) L'Ami,E (2628)-Anand,V (2810) Wijk aan Zee 2011 ] 
14...b5 15.Qe1 Nb8 16.Rd1 Ne8 17.Rf3 Nd6 18.Bc2 Ne4 19.Rh3 Bc8 20.g4 Ra7 [20...Ra6=] 
21.Bxe4² dxe4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-snlwq-trk+(
7tr-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5zpp+-sN-+-%
4-+pzPpzPP+$
3zP-vL-zP-+R#
2-zP-+-+-zP"
1+-+RwQ-mK-!
xabcdefghy

22.d5 
Can you find an improvement for White?

00000

[White should play 22.f5!² ] 
22...f6!= 23.Nc6 Nxc6 24.dxc6 Qe8 25.Qh4 [Better is 25.Rd6² ] 
25...h6! 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+l+qtrk+(
7tr-+-+-zp-'
6-+P+-zp-zp&
5zpp+-+-+-%
4-+p+pzPPwQ$
3zP-vL-zP-+R#
2-zP-+-+-zP"
1+-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

26.Rg3 
What is White's threat?

00000

Strongly threatening g5. 
26...Qxc6 27.g5 Hoping for gxf6. 
27...fxg5 28.fxg5 Rd7 29.gxh6 Rxd1+ 30.Kg2 g6! 31.h7+‚ White has some attack. 
31...Kf7 32.h8Q Rxh8 33.Qxh8 Bf5! 34.Qg7+ Ke8! 35.Qg8+ Kd7 36.Bxa5 Qd8+ is the strong threat. 
36...Qf6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+Q+(
7+-+k+-+-'
6-+-+-wqp+&
5vLp+-+l+-%
4-+p+p+-+$
3zP-+-zP-tR-#
2-zP-+-+KzP"
1+-+r+-+-!
xabcdefghy

37.Bc3? 
This was the critical error of the game. What should White have played instead?

00000

[37.Qh7+= Ke6 38.Qg8+ Kd7 39.Qh7+ Ke6 40.Qg8+ Kd7] 
Find a way to punish the error that White made.

00000

37...Bh3+! 38.Kxh3 Qf5+  0–1

ARONIAN vs GRISCHUK – SINQUEFIELD CUP 2018 ROUND 9

I certainly wasn’t expecting to see 18.Rxf7!! Even more impressive was the speed at which Aronian played the move. I may be wrong, but it looked like the f7 pawn was off the board before Grischuk had even pressed his clock.

The win gave Aronian a share of first place and confirmed his spot in the London series finale.

Today’s game features an Old Indian, Ukrainian variation that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Aronian,Levon (2767) - Grischuk,Alexander (2766)

6th Sinquefield Cup GCT 2018 Saint Louis (9), 27.08.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.g3 Nbd7 4.Bg2 e5 5.c4 c6 6.Nc3 e4 7.Nh4 A54: Old Indian, Ukrainian variation 
7...d5 8.0–0 Bb4  9.cxd5 White is a little better. 
9...cxd5 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqk+-tr(
7zpp+n+pzpp'
6-+-+-sn-+&
5+-+p+-+-%
4-vl-zPp+-sN$
3+-sN-+-zP-#
2PzP-+PzPLzP"
1tR-vLQ+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

10.f3N [10.Nf5 0–0 11.Qb3 Bxc3 12.Qxc3 Nb6 13.Ne3 Be6 14.b3 Qd7 0–1 (57) Kovalenko,I (2642)-Kabanov,N (2501) Moscow 2014] 
10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 0–0 12.Ba3 Black now has to pay attention to fxe4. 
12...Re8 13.Nf5 Nb6 14.Nd6 Nc4 15.Nxc4 dxc4 16.fxe4 Nxe4 17.Qc2 Qd5 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+r+k+(
7zpp+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+q+-+-%
4-+pzPn+-+$
3vL-zP-+-zP-#
2P+Q+P+LzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

Can you find White's killer blow in this position?

00000

18.Rxf7!  
18...Kxf7–+ 
How would you have responded if Black had replied with 18...Qxf7 instead?

00000

[Rather not 18...Qxf7 19.Bxe4 Qh5 20.Re1²] 
19.Rf1+ Bf5! 20.g4 g6 21.Qc1 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+r+-+(
7zpp+-+k+p'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+q+l+-%
4-+pzPn+P+$
3vL-zP-+-+-#
2P+-+P+LzP"
1+-wQ-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

21...Kg7 
Can you find a better option for Black instead of the move he played?

00000

[21...Re6!–+ 22.Qg5 (22.gxf5? gxf5 23.Qg5 Qxd4+ 24.cxd4 Nxg5µ) 22...Qxd4+! 23.cxd4 Nxg5] 
22.gxf5³ gxf5 Threatens Re6 
23.Bxe4 fxe4 [A no go is 23...Qxe4 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Qf6+ Kg8 26.Rxf5=] 
24.Qf4 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+r+-+(
7zpp+-+-mkp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+q+-+-%
4-+pzPpwQ-+$
3vL-zP-+-+-#
2P+-+P+-zP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

What is Black's best option to fend off the looming attack?

00000

24...h6! 25.Qc7+ Kh8 [25...Kg6µ 26.Kf2 Rac8] 
26.Bd6!‚ White attacks. 
26...Rg8+ 27.Kf2! Rg6! 28.Be5+ Kg8 aims at ... Rf8 +. 
29.Ke3 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-+k+(
7zppwQ-+-+-'
6-+-+-+rzp&
5+-+qvL-+-%
4-+pzPp+-+$
3+-zP-mK-+-#
2P+-+P+-zP"
1+-+-+R+-!
xabcdefghy

29...Rd8?
What should Black have played instead?

00000

[29...Re8=] 
Black's error exposes a vicious mating attack. Find the move.

00000

30.Qe7!+- b5 31.h4 a5 32.h5 Rg5 33.Rf6 Rxe5 34.Rg6+  1–0

CARUANA vs KARJAKIN – SINQUEFIELD CUP 2018 ROUND 6

Caruana’s crushing victory in round six left little doubt that he is coming into some excellent form ahead of his World Championship match.

In fact had Carlsen not managed to salvage the draw against Grischuk, Caruana would have been the new number one ranked player on the live rating list. As is the rating difference between the two has reduced to just 7.4, something that can be erased should Caruana somehow beat Carlsen with Black in Round 7. Carlsen has been World number one since the middle of 2011, so this is a potential big deal.

The Carlsen versus Caruana game in round 7 will be the last time that the two players face each other before their match in London – so be sure not to miss that one.

Today’s game features a Nimzo-Indian that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Caruana,Fabiano (2822) - Karjakin,Sergey (2773)

6th Sinquefield Cup GCT 2018 Saint Louis (6), 24.08.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.g3 0–0 5.Bg2 d5 6.Nf3 dxc4 7.0–0 Nc6 8.Qa4 E20: Nimzo-Indian: 4 g3 and 4 f3 
8...Bd7 9.Bg5 [9.Qc2 Be7 10.e4 Nb4 11.Qe2 Nd3 12.Be3 b5 13.Ne1 Nxe1 14.Rfxe1 c6 15.Rad1 Rc8 0–1 (41) So,W (2780)-Anand,V (2768) Saint Louis 2018] 
9...a5 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7+pzpl+pzpp'
6-+n+psn-+&
5zp-+-+-vL-%
4QvlpzP-+-+$
3+-sN-+NzP-#
2PzP-+PzPLzP"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

10.Bxf6N White has an edge. [10.Rfd1 Nxd4 11.Rxd4 Bxc3 12.Rxd7 Qxd7 13.Qxd7 Nxd7 14.bxc3 f6 15.Be3 Rab8 16.Nd4 Kf7 17.Nb5 1–0 (17) Lenderman,A (2600)-Gretarsson,H (2567) Reykjavik 2018] 
10...Qxf6 11.a3 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Qd8 13.Qxc4 a4 14.Nd2 Na5 15.Qb4 Ra7 16.Rab1 b6 17.e3 Bc6 18.Bxc6 Nxc6 19.Qb5 Qa8 20.c4 Rd8 21.Rfc1 e5 [21...h6= remains equal.] 
22.d5± Nb8 23.c5 Ra5 

XABCDEFGHY
8qsn-tr-+k+(
7+-zp-+pzpp'
6-zp-+-+-+&
5trQzPPzp-+-%
4p+-+-+-+$
3zP-+-zP-zP-#
2-+-sN-zP-zP"
1+RtR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

Now that White has the space advantage, the time has come to open the position and launch the attack. Find the move.

00000

24.Qb2! Qxd5 25.cxb6 cxb6 26.Nc4 Rc5 27.Qxb6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-sn-tr-+k+(
7+-+-+pzpp'
6-wQ-+-+-+&
5+-trqzp-+-%
4p+N+-+-+$
3zP-+-zP-zP-#
2-+-+-zP-zP"
1+RtR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

27...f6?
Can you find an improvement on Black's decisive error?

00000

[27...Rcc8±] 
White's next move exploits the error and forced Black to resign within three moves. What was it?

00000

28.Rd1 White is clearly winning. 
28...Qxd1+ 29.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 30.Kg2  1–0

CARUANA vs NAKAMURA – SINQUEFIELD CUP 2018 ROUND 4

After two days featuring decisive games lasting almost 7 hours, it was a pleasant change to have one that finished in just over four hours. We now have half the field tried for the lead on plus one. Nakamura languished in last place on minus two.

Caruana hasn’t lost a classical game to Nakamura in the last three years. The opening novelty that lead to victory is what Nigel Short referred to during his match against Kasparov as a condom opening – something to use once, then discard. In this instance it was castling queenside out of a Catalan positional structure. Caruana prepared the line a few months back with the view to perhaps use it in a rapid game.

During the post-game interview, Caruana noted that Nakamura had played completely logical moves. They were just not the best moves in the highly unusual position.

Today’s game features a Catalan Opening that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Caruana,Fabiano (2822) - Nakamura,Hikaru (2777)

6th Sinquefield Cup GCT 2018 Saint Louis (4), 21.08.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.g3 dxc4 6.Bg2 0–0 7.Ne5 Nc6 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxc6 Qe8 10.Nxe7+ Qxe7 11.Qa4 c5 12.dxc5 E06: Catalan 
12...Qxc5 13.Be3 Qc7 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+-trk+(
7zp-wq-+pzpp'
6-+-+psn-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4Q+p+-+-+$
3+-sN-vL-zP-#
2PzP-+PzP-zP"
1tR-+-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy

14.0–0–0N The position is balanced. [14.0–0 Nd5 15.Bd4 Bd7 16.Qa3 a5 17.Rad1 Nb4 18.Bc5 Qxc5 19.Rxd7 Rab8 1/2–1/2 (46) Svidler,P (2763)-Nakamura,H (2780) Palma de Mallorca 2017] 
14...Ng4 15.Rd2 Nxe3 16.fxe3 Rb8 17.Rhd1 a5 18.Kb1 h6 19.Ka1 Rb4 20.Qc2 Rb8 21.Qe4 Bb7 22.Qd4 Ba8 23.e4 Rfc8 24.Qf2 

XABCDEFGHY
8ltrr+-+k+(
7+-wq-+pzp-'
6-+-+p+-zp&
5zp-+-+-+-%
4-+p+P+-+$
3+-sN-+-zP-#
2PzP-tRPwQ-zP"
1mK-+R+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Black now has to pay attention to Rd7. 
24...Bc6 25.Qc5 Be8 26.Qxc7 Rxc7 27.Rd6 Kf8 28.Ra6 Rc5 29.Ra7 Rbc8 30.Kb1 Rh5 31.h4 Re5 32.Kc2 g5 33.Rf1 Kg7 34.Rb7 Kg6 35.Kd2 f5 36.hxg5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+l+-+(
7+R+-+-+-'
6-+-+p+kzp&
5zp-+-trpzP-%
4-+p+P+-+$
3+-sN-+-zP-#
2PzP-mKP+-+"
1+-+-+R+-!
xabcdefghy

36...fxe4 
Can you find and improvement on what Black played?

00000

[Rather 36...Kxg5² 37.exf5 exf5] 
37.Ke3 
There is a better move available for White. What is it?

00000

[Better is 37.gxh6± e3+ 38.Kc1 Kxh6 39.Rh1+ Rh5 40.Rxh5+ Bxh5 41.Rb6] 
37...Bc6 38.Re7ƒ aiming for gxh6 Black is under heavy pressure. 
38...Rxg5 39.Rxe6+ [39.Nxe4?! Bxe4 40.Rxe6+ (40.Kxe4 Rc6=) 40...Kg7=] 
39...Kg7 40.Re7+ [40.Nxe4?! Bxe4 41.Re7+ (41.Rxe4 Rxg3+ 42.Kd4 c3=; 41.Kxe4 Rb5=) 41...Kg6=] 
40...Kg6 41.Rd1 [41.Nxe4?! Bxe4 42.Re6+ (42.Rxe4 Rxg3+ 43.Kd4 c3=; 42.Kxe4 Rb5=) 42...Kg7=] 
41...Kf6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-+-+(
7+-+-tR-+-'
6-+l+-mk-zp&
5zp-+-+-tr-%
4-+p+p+-+$
3+-sN-mK-zP-#
2PzP-+P+-+"
1+-+R+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Find the best continuation for White.

00000

42.Ra7! Ke6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-+-+(
7tR-+-+-+-'
6-+l+k+-zp&
5zp-+-+-tr-%
4-+p+p+-+$
3+-sN-mK-zP-#
2PzP-+P+-+"
1+-+R+-+-!
xabcdefghy

43.Rh1 
What would have been wrong with 43.Nxe4?

00000

[Much worse is 43.Nxe4?! Bxe4 44.Kxe4 Re5+ 45.Kf4 Rf8+ 46.Kg4 h5+ 47.Kh3 Rxe2=] 
43...h5 44.g4! [However not 44.Nxe4?! Re5=] 
44...Be8? [44...Rh8±] 
45.gxh5+- Bxh5 [45...Rxh5 is probably better. 46.Rxh5 Bxh5 47.Rxa5 Be8] 
46.Nxe4 White is clearly winning. [Weaker is 46.Ra6+ Kf7+-] 
46...Rf5 47.Ra6+ Ke7 48.Nd6 Re5+ 49.Kd4  1–0