Tata Steel Masters is Underway!
Nils Grandelius leads the event with 3.5/5. Caruana, Carlsen, Giri, and Harikrishna are hot on his heels...
Check. took a week off last week ahead of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and in anticipation of a busy week, professionally, for your author: me. But, we’ve had some time to catch our breath, and top level chess is back on, over the board, in Wijk aan Zee!
Wijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the North Holland province of the Netherlands. Self-styled as, “the cultural village of Europe,” Wijk aan Zee is perhaps best known as the home of one of the longest running top-level chess tournaments, an event formerly known as Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee Chess Tournament, that came to be called the Corus Tournament, and now “Tata Steel Masters,” after its sponsor (Hoogovens) was acquired, first by the Corus Group, and later by Tata Steel.
Despite all the M&A activity, the sponsorship of the tournament has remained constant and this year’s event, which started on January 15th, is the 83rd annual installment of the tournament. Because it regularly attracts the top talent, the Wijk aan Zee crown is often handed to world champions and world championship caliber challengers. Magnus Carlsen has won the event 7 times in the last 12 years, more than any other player in the history of the event. Surely this is a record worthy of his enormous accomplishments in the game of chess.
But the 2020 event was not won by Magnus Carlsen, it was won by his 2018 challenger, Fabiano Caruana, who found himself in excellent form during the run up to the ill-fated world championship candidates tournament that was due to start a few months later, as the coronavirus pandemic ensnared the world in its grip. It would be one of the few bright spots during 2020 for Fabiano Caruana, who has always been known more for his stellar opening preparation and ruthless, computer like accuracy at classical time controls than his rapid-play or blitz chess. As the coronavirus ravaged the chess landscape and events increasingly turned to online venues and rapid, or blitz time controls, Caruana mostly chose to sit out. When he did play, however, he scored very well. He earned a positive score at Norway Chess 2020 (+1), and was only a half point off the lead at the turning point of the Candidates tournament when that event was postponed.
In the early going at this year’s Wijk aan Zee, it almost looks like Caruana has something to prove to the chess world, as he rounds back into form…
Game of the Week # 19:
Fabiano Caruana vs. Jan-Krzysztof Duda (1-0) Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Zee, 2020, Round 3
e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
A fearless choice against Caruana, who is the world’s foremost expert on the Petroff defense. Of course, the Petroff itself is not considered risky, or anything. It’s actually a rather solid, if relatively unpopular, option. But Caruana is its main champion, and Duda must have been employing a bit of gamesmanship here, asking Fabiano what he has prepared to use against his own opening weapons.
Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 (diagram)
Caruana chose to follow the line that Magnus Carlsen used against him in their 2018 world championship match. Due to the popularity that always comes to certain openings and variations after world championship matches, this might even be called the “modern main line.” Players with the white pieces have been tending to choose the “modest” 5. Nc3 over the more strategically ambitious, old main line: 5. d4 d5.
… Nd7 8. Qd2 0-0 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhg1 (diagram)
But this is a new move. Where Carlsen had preferred the “natural” 11. Rhe1, bringing the rook to the half open central file, Caruana has prepared the odd but aggressive looking 11. Rhg1, which comes with the rather obvious intention to push the g-pawn down the board, annoying the f6 knight which defends the black king, and setting in motion a mating attack. Subtlety is evidently, not required.
Because the players are castled on opposite sides of the board, time is of the essence. Duda immediately gets on with his queenside counterplay:
… b5 12. g4 (12. Bxb5?! is a pawn grab, but it’s really, obviously, not in the spirit of the position. 12. … Qa5 13. Bc4 Be6, for example, and Black has more than enough compensation in the form of the open b-file, while white’s attack on the kingside is going nowhere) Bb7
Similar to the note after white’s 12th, 12. … Bxg4 is survivable, but not in the spirit of the position, as it opens the g-file for white. 13. Bh6! with the threat of 14. Bxg7 and 15. Bf5, and Caruana would be happy with his position.
Qe2 c4 14. Bf5 Re8
The bishop on f5 looks like it’s short of squares, but 14. … g6 doesn’t really do anything for black in this position, as gxf5 would simply be suicidal. It’s a bit difficult to evaluate at first glance, but 14. … g6 15. Nd4! gxf5 16. Nxf5 and black is not surviving. For example, 16. … Nd5 17. g5 Qd7 18. Qg4 Rfd8 19. Nh6+ Kf8 20. Qd4 and white has a crushing position, where soon he will infiltrate on the dark squares. Instead, Duda simply brings his rook to e8, where it sits opposite the white queen, and gives the black king a little wiggle room on f8.
Nd4 Nd5 (diagram)
It is my understanding that Caruana thought for a full 45 minutes in this position before igniting the fireworks:
Ne6!
It’s an interesting moment really. Caruana must have had the idea of 16. Ne6 in mind when he played 15. Nd4, so why think for 45 minutes? Stylistically, Fabiano is not one to go into complications before he’s had them sorted out. He’s accurate above all else, and meticulous with his time in standard time controls. Another player might have gone for 16. Ne6 on pure feel or principles. For one thing, the knight cannot be taken. 16. … fxe6? 17. Bxe6+ and 18. Bxd5, white has won a pawn and the black king is still not safe. So the knight has landed on the dangerous e6 square, and cannot be taken. But what happens if the queen simply moves away?
… Qa5 Duda played, and this must be the critical continuation. (diagram)
White to play.
Caruana had worked out 17. Qf3, which he played quickly. But the computer spies a stunning series of sacrifices - 17. Rxd5! Bxd5 18. Nxg7! when black cannot survive 18. … Kxg7 after 19. g5! when the threats are too many: 20. Bd4+, 20. Qh5, and 20. Bxh7 all work, depending on what Black chooses to defend against. But after 18. Nxg7! there is 18. … Qxa2! 19. Nxe8 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Qxg1 21. Nc7 Qh1 22. Nxa8 Bxa8, which is, amazingly enough, equal… Sometimes you have to just shake your head and marvel at the lines computers come up with. But then you do also start to wonder how much of this Caruana was looking into when he played 16. Ne6? In any case, he played 17. Qf3 after a very short think:
Qf3 Bf6?!
And Duda responds with an inaccuracy. His idea is interesting, but provocative. He invites the white pawn to g5, but the bishop always intends to sacrifice itself on c3. I suspect that Duda overlooked white’s 20th move, actually, which is a cool continuation, and the only move that promises Caruana any advantage after Duda’s bishop sacrifice:
g5 Bxc3!? 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 (diagram)
White to play. This position is a mess, but how best for white to continue the attack?
g6+!
The only move. 20. Qh5+ looks tempting, but fails after 20. … Kg8 21. g6 fxe6 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Bg5 Nf6, after which the black king finds an escape, via e7.
… fxg6 21. Ng5+ Kh8 (not 21. … Kg8? 22. Qf7+ Kh8 23. Rxd5 Bxd5 24. Qxg6, when black will have to lose the house in order to prevent mate on h7) 22. Bd4 Bxd4 23. Rxd4 Nf6 (forced, due to the threat of Rh4+) 24. Qxb7 (diagram)
Caruana wins back his piece, and we can begin to take stock of this position. White is still down a pawn, but black’s king position is still woefully dangerous. 24. … Qxa2?? for example, loses immediately: 25. Rh4+ Nh5 26. Ne6! when the threat of Qxg7# cannot be parried by 26. … Rxe6 without dropping the rook on a8. Of course, Duda defended accurately:
… Rab8 25. Qf7 Re1+ 26. Rd1 Rxg1 27. Rxg1 Re8 28. Ne6! Rxe6 (forced) 29. Qxe6 Qxa2 (diagram)
Finally, Duda was forced to give up material to save his king. For now, black has two pawns for the exchange, but his pawns are terribly weak, and not long for this world. For his part, Caruana was dangerously short of time (he thought for 45 minutes on move 16, and then played the sharpest continuation with 13 “only moves” to follow) and he opted to repeat moves a few times in order to approach the time control at move 40. Rxg6 is possible here, but Caruana’s continuation is also fine:
Qh3+ Kg8 31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Qh3+ Kg8 33. Qa3 Qxa3 34. bxa3 Kf7 35. Kd2 a6 36. Ke3 Nd5+ 37. Kd4 Ne7 (diagram)
White to play. Caruana has played brilliantly, and he’s three moves away from the time control. Black has two pawns for the exchange, but his king is a long way away from the queenside, and white should be able to make progress. Duda has defended like a machine, however, and you can’t win with just any move. Accuracy is required, even now.
Unfortunately for this week’s hero, Caruana did not find the best way to proceed:
Re1?
Better was the immediate 38. a4!, when 38. … bxa4 and 38. … b4 both lose material immediately. The “point,” is that after 38. … Ke6 39. axb5 axb5 40. Rg5! and white wins one of the queenside pawns, or 38. … Kf6 39. axb5 axb5 40. Rb1! and white wins a pawn. After 38. Re1? the black king has the one tempo it needs to get to c6, where it defends the black queenside. And that’s what the whole game comes down to - a vicious kingside attack after opposite side castling nets Caruana an exchange for two pawns, but one lost tempo allows the black king back into the game, and Duda is able to set up a defensive structure that white cannot break down:
… Ke8! 39. a4! (alas, too late) Kd7 40. axb5 axb5 41. Rg1 Kc6 (diagram)
And ten moves later, the players agreed it was drawn:
h4 Nf5+ 43. Kc3 Nxh4 44. Kb4 Nf3 45. Rxg6 Nd4 46. c3 Ne2 47. Rxg7 Nf4 48. Ka5 Ne2 49. Kb4 Nf4 50. Ka5 Ne2 51. Kb4 1/2 - 1/2
One wonders what you must have to go through to actually win a game of chess, at this level. In any case - this was one of the most brilliant, violent draws I’ve seen in a long time. Well played, Caruana, well defended, Duda, and in general, if you think draws are boring, you’re wrong. Not when these two guys sit down at the board.
We’ll be back next week, with games from the second half of the Wijk aan Zee event.
Puzzle of the Week #20:
But first, a solution from our puzzle two weeks ago:
… f5! wins for black. For example:
Kh4 Rxf3 3. Rg2 Qe7+ 4. g5 Qe4+ 5. Kh5 g6#
Rf1 Qxg4+ 3. Kf2 Qxf3+ 4. Kg1 Qg2#
gxf5 Qxf5 with the threat of 3. … Qg5+ 4. Kxh3 Re6 and 5. … Rh6#. White can escape mate, but only by giving up his queen, in multiple different variations. 3. Qc7 Re6 4. Qc1 Rg6+ 5. Kh4 Rh6+ 6. Kg3 Qh5 7. Qc2+ Rg6+ 8. Qxg6 Kxg6
Carlsen played 3. Qb5 Re6 4. Re2 Rg6+ 5. Kf2 Qf4 6. Qb1 Kh6 7. Qd3 Qxh2+ 8. Ke3 Re6+ and resigned. A fine win for Dubov.
In this week’s position, taken from Grandelius - Harikrishna in Round 3 of the Tata Steel Masters, Harikrishna has gotten a sortof “ideal French Defense” position, which can arise (as it did here) from the French defense, or from the closed variation of the Catalan. He achieved a queenside space advantage, kept a safe king, and planted a knight on c4, before ultimately winning a queenside pawn. In the diagram position, Harikrishna is clearly winning, but he finds a nice little tactic to simplify the position into a clearly won ending. Can you spot it?
To be clear, there’s more than one winning move here. But the move played in the game provides a simple, instructive, tactical conclusion.
As always, if you think you have a solution shoot an email to JensenUVA@gmail.com or DM on twitter: @JensenUVA. If you enjoy these, please don’t forget to hit like, forward, share, subscribe, all of that stuff - I do get a kick out of it.
Until next week, ARGH! SHAKHMATY!!