Deep Sengupta seized a big opportunity today. He defeated his compatriot Das Debashis in a pretty quiet game in which Debashis blundered a pawn. Since Erwin l’Ami, despite fierce attempts, didn’t manage to break through Vishnu Prasanna’s rock-solid defences, both reached no further than 4 points and Sengupta took the sole lead with 4½. Benjamin Bok and Jan Werle joined his pursuers. Werle had to beat his own partner, Iozefina Paulet, to achieve this. But then she had won the brilliance prize this morning for yesterday’s game with Arghyadip Das.
After his defeat in the second round, Abhijeet Gupta is back with a vengeance. Today he showed against Alexander Shabalov how things can go very wrong for Black in a King’s Indian position that seems to offer him great attacking chances.
Gupta - Shabalov
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.h3
Krasenkow’s move.
6...e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.g3 f5 9.exf5 gxf5 10.Nh4 Qe8 11.Le2 Nf6 12.Lg5 Na6 13.Qc2 Nb4 14.Qd2 a5 15.a3 Na6 16.Qc2
White takes aim at f5.
16...Nc5 17.Le3
Now, not 17.Nxf5?? Bxf5 18.Qxf5 Nfe4 and it’s game over already.
17...e4
In the commentary room, Dimitri Reinderman analysed 17...f4: 18.gxf4 exf4 19.Bxf4 Nfe4! is very good for Black, but White has a better option: 19.Bxc5 Nd7! (the bishop has no squares) 20.Ne4 Nxc5 21.Ng5 with a strong attack.
18.0–0–0 Nfd7 19.Kb1 Ra6!
An interesting and aggressive move. 19...Qe7 was the safer option.
20.Nb5! Qd8 21.Ng2 c6!?
In order to play for unclear complications after 22.Nxd6 with 22...Rb6. Gupta opts for a much more practical idea:
22.Nd4! Ne5 23.Nf4 Bd7 24.g4!
Now the black fortress crumbles.
24...cxd5 25.cxd5 Ba4 26.Qd2 Ncd3
Taking on d1 doesn’t help; White wins the exchange back on a6 or e6.
27.Bxd3 exd3 28.Rc1 Rb6 29.Nfe6 Qf6 30.Nxg7!
Now all Black’s pieces are hanging.
30...f4 31.Nh5 Qg6 32.Nxf4 Qe4 33.f3 Bc2+ 34.Ka1 1–0
What happened on board 19 today defies all description. Wim Heemskerk often plays quiet, positional games, but something seems to have come over him in this tournament.
Heemskerk - Rudolf
White puts everything on the long diagonal – literally and figuratively:
26.Qb2 e5
26...Qc6 27.Nxg7 Nxe3 28.Nxe6 f6 29.f5 Nxf5 30.gxf6 (30.Nxf6+? Bxf6 31.Qxf6 Nfxh4 and here it is Black who wins in the attack!) 30...Qxe6 31.fxe7 Rxe7, or 31...Nd4, and it’s still a fight.
27.fxe5 Bd8
27...Ngxh4 28.Nxg7 Nf3+ (28...Nxg7 29.e6) 29.Kf2 Nxg7 30.Kxf3 Ne6 31.Qg2!, also with a winning attack; or 27...Qc6 28.Nxg7 Nxg7 29.e6 Nxe6 30.h5, and Black won’t be able to hold this either.
28.Qf2 Nfxh4
29.Nxg7!
Always the introduction to a seething attack.
29...Nxe5 30.Ne8?!
‘I shouldn’t have allowed that pair of knights to enter my position’, said Heemskerk when he had recovered from the game. Strong was 30.Bxe5 Qxe5 31.Nh5, and if Black evades the lethal check on f6 with 31...Kh8, White wins a piece on h4.
30...Nef3+ 31.Kf1 Qc8 32.Qg3
There were more roads leading to Rome, like 32.N8f6+ Kf8 33.Nxh7+ Kg8 34.Nef6+ Bxf6 35.Nxf6+ Kf8 36.Nxd7+ Qxd7 37.Qg3.
32...Lc7 33.N4f6+ Kf8 34.Nxc7 Rxc7 35.Qd6+ Re7 36.Nxh7+ Kg8 37.Nf6+ Kf8
38.Nd7+
Chess can be a whole lot of fun, if you are sitting behind the white pieces here.
38...Qxd7 39.Qxb8+
But this is too much fun! 39.Qh6+ was mate in two.
39...Re8
Suddenly the white advantage is gone, and Black takes over the attack.
40.Qg3 Rxe3 41.Kf2 Qe8 42.Rxb6!
Quite cool-headed, after what happened to him before. It is also the only move that prevents worse.
42...Re2+ 43.Kf1 Nh2+ 44.Kg1 Rg2+
Black did have an attractive attempt here in 44...Nf5! 45.Qh3 Qe3+ 46.Qxe3 Nxe3.
(analysis diagram)
How can White prevent the mate with ...Nf3+ and Rh2 ??
47.Rb8+ Ke7 48.Rb7+ Ke6 49.Rb6+ Kf5 50.Rf6+ Kg4 (50...Kxg5 51.Rf2) 51.g6! fxg6 52.Rxg6+ Kh5 53.Rg3 Nxd1 54.Rh3+ Kg4 55.Rxh2 and chances are that this also ends in a draw.
45.Qxg2 Nxg2
46.Rdb1!
Again, quite cold-blooded! One of the knights will perish anyway.
46...Qe3+ 47.Kxh2 Nf4
Again threatening mate in two, so now it’s time to finish the story with a perpetual:
48.Rb8+ Ke7 49.Lf6+ Kd7 50.R1b7+ Kc6 51.Rb6+ Kd7 ½–½
After this exciting battle, Anna Rudolf came to the pressroom to present a special broadcast for Chess24…
