When it’s your game and your clock ticking and your rating points on the line, even a Friday night ladder pairing at the local club can be a highly stressful exercise. Put some higher stakes on the table — say, oh, the last available slot for next year’s U.S. championship field — and things really start to get interesting.
GM Aleksandr Lenderman needed to win his last-round game against fellow GM Timur Gareyev and then take down rising young IM Christopher Yoo in an Armageddon playoff to win the first-ever U.S. Championship Online Qualifier and book the last berth in the 2021 U.S. title tournament. He managed to do both.
In his King’s Indian against Gareyev, Lenderman’s stress level likely spiked as Black after 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 e5 seems to be doing fine out of the opening, getting in the freeing central break backed by a powerful fianchettoed bishop. Gareyev, who also needed a win to catch Yoo, sacrifices a pawn to gum up White’s defenses but falters just when he seems poised to break on top.
Thus: 27. Qc5 Ne5? (Black can safely take the trapped bishop: 27…gxf4 28. Bxf5 Bf8! 29. Qxf8+ Rxf8 30. Bxc8 fxe3 31. Rd3 Raxc8 32. Rxe3 Ng5, with the very nasty threat of 33…Nh3 mate) 28. Na7 Qb8? (abandoning his king; on 28…Qe6 29. Nxc6 bxc6 30. Bxe5 Bf8 31. Qd4 Qxe5 32. Qxe5 Rxe5 33. Bg2, it’s still very much a game) 29. Nxc6 Nxc6 30. Qxf5 gxf4 31. Rd7, with powerful threats.
Black has to try 31…Ne7 [Kh8 32. Rxg7!? Kxg7 33. Qg4+ Kh7 Kf7 34. Rd7+ Re7 35. Qe6+ 34. Qh4 looks scary for Black] and hope to survive the opposite-colored bishop ending after 32. Qe6+ Kh8 33. Rxe7 Rxe7 34. Qxe7 fxg3 35. hxg3 Qe8. Instead, Gareyev collapses with 31…Qa7?? and has to resign facing mate in two after 32. Qf7+.
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At the just-concluded 73rd Russian Chess Championships in Moscow, GM Sergey Karjakin, like Lenderman, needed a final-round win to keep pace with rival GM Ian Nepomniachtchi for first place.
Unfortunately, the Russian star nicknamed the “Minister of Defense” for his ability to ward off an attack was paired with GM Daniil Dubov, who was more than ready to rumble. Dubov, who had knocked off Nepomniachtchi two rounds earlier, surprised Black with a rare Giuoco Piano sideline (6. b4!?) and proceeded to fashion what some are already calling a modern attacking masterpiece.
White softens up the defense with a surprise sortie, then jolts Black with inspired queen sacrifice: 15. Bf6! (not decisive, but unsettling nonetheless; on 15….gxf6?? 16. exf6 d6 [Kh8 17. Rxe7 Qd8 18. Qc1 Kh7 19. Bc2+ and wins] 17. fxe7 wins material) a4?! (Nf5 16. Qd3 d6 keeps Black in the game) 16. Bc4 Ng6 17. Qd3 d5 18. exd6 Be6 (see diagram; Karjakin climbs back into the game if White settles for 19. Bxc3 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qd7 21. dxc7 Qxc7) 19. Qxg6!!, leaving White’s queen and both bishops open to capture.
After 19…fxg6 20. Rxe6 (the attack on the queen and the threatened discovered check guarantee White an edge) Qf7 (Qc6? 21. Re7+ Qxc4 22. Rxg7+ Kh8 23. Rxc7+ Kg8 24. Rxc4 Rxf6 25. Rxc3, winning two pawns) 21. Bxc3! Kh8 22. Re4 Qf5 23. Re7 Rg8 (a necessary concession; on 23…Bxf2+ 24. Kh1! [Kxf2?? Qc2+ spoils all the fun] Rfe8, White has 25. Rf7 Qh5 26. Bxg7+ Kg8 27. Rd7+ Kh7 28. Bb2+ Re7 29. Rxe7 mate) 24. Bxg8 Rxg8 25. dxc7 Qc2 26. Be5, and White has a rook, knight and pawn for the queen, a powerful passer on c7, and much better coordinated forces.
By 31. Nd4 Qc4 32. Nf5, the pressure on Black’s cornered king is becoming unbearable. After 34. Rxg7+ Kxf5 (Rxg7 35. c8=Q) 35. Rxg8 Bxc7 36. Bxc7 Qb2 37. Rc5+ Ke4 38. Rd8, Black resigns as his king faces doom in the center of the board in lines like 38…Qf6 39. Re5+ Kf4 40. Rxd4 mate.
Nepomniachtchi took home the title. Karjakin finished a half point behind in second.
Lenderman-Gareyev, U.S. Chess Championship Online Qualifier, December 2020
1. Nf3 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 Bf5 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Rd1 Ne4 10. Nd5 a5 11. Qe3 e6 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 e5 14. Be3 Bg4 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Rd2 Re8 17. Rad1 h6 18. Qa3 e4 19. Nd4 Ne5 20. Qa4 Bd7 21. Nb5 Bc6 22. Qb3 a4 23. Qb4 f5 24. Bh3 Nf7 25. Bf4 e3 26. fxe3 g5 27. Qc5 Ne5 28. Na7 Qb8 29. Nxc6 Nxc6 30. Qxf5 gxf4 31. Rd7 Qa7 32. Qf7+ Black resigns.
Dubov-Karjakin, 73rd Russian Championship, Moscow, December 2020
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. b4 Bb6 7. e5 Ne4 8. Bd5 Nxc3 9. Nxc3 dxc3 10. Bg5 Ne7 11. O-O h6 12. Bh4 O-O 13. Re1 Qe8 14. Bb3 a5 15. Bf6 a4 16. Bc4 Ng6 17. Qd3 d5 18. exd6 Be6 19. Qxg6 fxg6 20. Rxe6 Qf7 21. Bxc3 Kh8 22. Re4 Qf5 23. Re7 Rg8 24. Bxg8 Rxg8 25. dxc7 Qc2 26. Be5 Bxf2+ 27. Kh1 Bb6 28. h3 Kh7 29. Re1 a3 30. Kh2 g5 31. Nd4 Qc4 32. Nf5 Qxb4 33. Rc1 Kg6 34. Rxg7+ Kxf5 35. Rxg8 Bxc7 36. Bxc7 Qb2 37. Rc5+ Ke4 38. Rd8 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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