Monday, January 8, 2018

Things that happened

Hikaru Nakamura – Levon Grigori Aronian
9th World Rapid Fischerandom Chess Championship; match game 1; Mainz, July 30, 2009
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Position 190

Comments in quotation marks by Dylan Loeb McClain, The New York Times, Sunday, August 9, 2009, p. A17.

“[...] Nakamura thrashed Aronian by winning the first three games before yielding a draw in the last game. In Game 1, Nakamura exploited weaknesses that Aronian created in his own position”. 1. f4 f5 2. Bd4 d6 3. Qg1 c5 4. Bc3 Nc7 5. g4 e6 6. d3 Bf7 7. e4 Ne7 8. Ne2 Qg8 9. Nb3 b6 10. 0-0-0 g6 11. Nd2 0-0-0 12. Bh3 fxe4? “Aronian should not have ceded the e4 square to Nakamura by playing 12 ... fxe4; 12 ... Kb8 would have been better”. 13. Nxe4 Ned5 14. Bf6 Rd7? “Aronian’s 14 ... Rd7 was a more serious error; 14 ... Be7 was necessary”. However, also after 14. ... Be7 15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. a3 (intending c2-c4) White appears to stand much better. 15. c4 Nb4 16. a3 Nc6 17. Bc3 Be7 18. g5 d5 19. Nf6. “After 19. Nf6, he had to trade his dark-squared Bishop, giving Nakamura control of the dark squares”: 19. ... Bxf6 20. Bxf6 Qf8 21. Nc3 Qd6 22. Qf2 Kb7 23. Kb1 Rf8 24. cxd5 Nxd5 25. Nxd5 Qxd5


26. d4! Hikaru spreads his wings. The h1-a8 diagonal and the c-file will prove to be an unbearable burden for the Black royal couple. 26. ... e5? Aronian made a last-ditch effort to drum up counterplay with 26 ... e5, but his idea was unsound. He should have played 26 ... Qb3, though after 27 Qg3 Qxg3 28 hxg3 Nxd4 29 Rd2 Be8 30 Bg2+ Kc7 31 Be5+ Kd8 32 Bxd4 Rxd4 33 Rxd4+ cxd4 34 Rxe6 White has a clear edge”. In that case, however, 27. Qf1(!) cxd4 28. Rd3 Qb5 29. Bg2 (Stockfish’s analysis) might have well been stronger. 27. Bxd7 Nxd4. Consistency in desperation. However, if 27. ... Qxd7 then 28. dxc5 with conclusive effect. 28. Rxd4! cxd4. 28. ... exd4 29. Bb5! is no better at all. 29. Rxe5 Qa2+ 30. Kc1 Qa1+ 31. Kc2 d3+ 32. Kxd3 Qd1+ 33. Qd2 Bc4+ 34. Ke3 Qg1+ 35. Kf3 h5 36. Re1 Qc5 37. Be7 Bd5+ 38. Kg3 h4+ 39. Kh3 1 : 0.

Hikaru Nakamura (L.) vs. Levon Grigori Aronian (R.)
Photo: chesstigers.de

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