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13. Karjakin - Grischuk, Rapid Championship, Round 4

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Sergey Karjakin
[/center][font size="1"]Photo by Stefan64 (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stefan64) from Wikipedia
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Sergey Karjakin - Alexander Grischuk
World Rapid Championship, Round 4
Astana, 6 June 2012

Closed Caro-Kann Game: Short Opening

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.0-0 h6 7.Nbd2 Nd7 8.Nb3 Bg6

• Most common is [i[8...Bh7. See Ganguly-Antonio, Asian Ch, Subic Bay, 2009.

9.a4 (N)

• [font color="red"]9.c3 Nf5[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]10.a4 Be7 11.g4 Nh4 12.Nxh4 Bxh4 13.f4 f5[/font] is equal (Pogonina-Ushenina, Rpd ChW, Batumi, 2012).
• [font color="darkred"]10.g4!? Nh4![/font] (Black has a small advantage in space) [font color="darkred"]11.Nxh4 Qxh4! 12.f4[/font] then:
• If [font color="darkred"]12...Be7!? 13.Bd2 Be4[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]14.Bf3!? f5 15.gxf5 Bxf5! 16.Be1 Qh3[/font] gives Black a small advantage in space (Svidler-Bologan, Euro ChT, Porto Carras, Greece, 2011).
• [font color="darkorange"]14.Qe1 Qh3 15.Qg3 Qxg3+ 16.hxg3 Nb6 17.Na5 0-0-0[/font] remains equal.
• [font color="magenta"]12...h5 13.g5 Be7 14.Qe1 Qxe1 15.Rxe1 0-0-0[/font] continues to give Black a small advantage in space.

9...Nf5!

• White has a small advantage in space.

10.a5 Rc8 11.c4

• If [font color="red"]11.Bd3 Be7 12.g4 Nh4[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]13.Nxh4 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Bxh4 15.f4[/font] continues to give White a slight advantage in space.
• [font color="darkred"]13.Bxg6!? Nxg6! 14.Qe2 h5 15.g5[/font] gives Black a slight advantage in space.

11...Be7

• The game is equal.

[center]BLACK: Alexander Grischuk[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Sergey Karjakin[/center][center]Position after 11...Bffe8[/center]

12.cxd5

• If [font color="red"]12.c5! 0-0 13.Bd3[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]13...Nb8 14.Qe2 Na6 15.Bd2[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]15...Nc7 16.g4 Nh4 17.Nxh4 Bxd3 18.Qxd3 Bxh4 19.f4[/font] gives White a narrow advantage at best.
• [font color="magenta"]15...Qd7 (16.g4 Nh4 17.Nxh4 Bxd3 18.Qxd3 Bxh4 19.Kg2[/font] remains equal.
• [font color="darkred"]13...b6 14.cxb6 axb6 15.a6 c5 16.g4 Nxd4 17.Nbxd4[/font] remains equal.

12...cxd5 13.Bd3 0-0 14.g4

• [font color="red"]14.Qe2 Nb8 15.g4 Nh4 16.Nxh4 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Bxh4[/font] remains equal.

14...Nh4 15.Nxh4 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 Bxh4 17.Bd2

• [font color="red"]17.Be3 f6 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.f3 Nd7 20.Rac1 Rxc1 21.Bxc1[/font] remains equal.

17...f5 18.h3

• [font color="red"]18.exf6 Rxf6 19.f4 Qe7 20.Rac1 Rff8 21.Qe2 Qf7[/font] remains equal.

18...Qe7

[center]BLACK: Alexander Grischuk[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Sergey Karjakin[/center][center]Position after 18...Qd8e7[/center]

19.f4

• White is slowly building up on the kingside. He has advanced his pawns as far as he can for the moment and will commence to maneuver his pieces behind them. The, at the opportune moment, he will open a file for his Rooks.

19...a6 20.Kh2 Qf7 21.Rf3 Rc4

• The game is still equal.

22.Rg1 Rfc8 23.Bc3 Kh8!?

• Black should strengthen his defenses in the face of White's buildup.
• [font color="red"]23...g6 24.gxf5 exf5 25.Nd2 R4c6 26.Nf1 Kh7 27.Ne3[/font] remains equal.

24.Nd2!

• White has the initiative and a fair advantage in space.

24...R4c6 25.Nf1?!

• The Knight doesn't help White's kingside buildup, and it is difficult to find a move that does. Therefore, White might consider opening the g-file.
• If [font color="red"]25.gxf5 exf5 26.Nf1 Qh5 27.Ng3 Bxg3+ 28.Rfxg3[/font] continues to give White a fair advantage in space.

[center]BLACK: Alexander Grischuk[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Sergey Karjakin[/center][center]Position after 25.Nd2f1[/center]

25...g6!

• Black makes his kingside more solid in order to slow down or thwart White's initiative.

26.Ne3 Nf8?!

• The has no role in supporting the kingside. Even worse, at this post his blocks the Rook from entering the kingside defense.
• If [font color="red"]26...Rg8! 27.Be1[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]27...Bxe1 28.Rxe1 Rcc8 29.Ref1 Nb8 30.Ra1[/font] equalizes.
• [font color="darkred"]27...Bd8 28.gxf5 gxf5 29.Rxg8+ Kxg8 30.Rf2[/font] levels the game.

27.Ng2!

• White takes the opportunity to disrupt Black's active defense.

27...Be7 28.Rg3

• If [font color="red"]28.gxf5 gxf5 29.Rg3 Ng6 30.h4[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]30...Rg8 31.h5 Nf8 32.Rxg8+ Kxg8 33.Nh4+[/font] continues to give White a fair advantage in space.
• If [font color="darkred"]30...Kh7 31.h5 Nh8 32.Ne1[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]32...Qxh5+ 33.Rh3 Qf7 34.Nf3 Ng6 35.Ng5+ Bxg5 36.fxg5[/font] continues to give White a fair advantage in space.
• [font color="magenta"]32...Bh4?! 33.Rg6 Bxe1 34.Bxe1 Rc2+ 35.Kh3 Rxb2 36.Bh4[/font] threatens 37.Bf6! amd 38.Rg7.

28...b5

• The text is a little bit better than [font color="red"]28...Rd8 29.gxf5 exf5 30.Ne3 b5 31.axb6 Rxb6 32.Qb1[/font] when Black's kingside initiative has completely dissapated.

29.axb6 Rxb6 30.gxf5 exf5 31.Ne3 Rb5?

• This Rook is busy covering the a-pawn; to cover the d-pawn, Black should use the other Rook.
• If [font color="red"]31...Rd8[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]32.Qb1 Rd7 33.Kh1 Bh4 34.R3g2 Qe6 35.Qc2[/font] gives White some latent threats on the kingside and in the center, but hardly a decisive advnatage.
• [font color="darkred"]32.R3g2 Rdb8 33.Ra1 Qe6 34.Qc2 Rb5 35.Qf2[/font] gives White a passed pawn, a solid center and a small edge in space.

[center]BLACK: Alexander Grischuk[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Sergey Karjakin[/center][center]Position after 31...Rb6b5[/center]

32.Nxf5!!

• White sacrifices a piece to break through on the kingside.

32...gxf5

• This loses immediately, but there is no satisfactory defense.
• If [font color="red"]32...Rc7[/font] then White wins after [font color="red"]33.Ne3 Qxf4 34.Rf1 Qh4 35.Rf7 Kg8.[/font]
• If [font color="blue"]32...Qxf5[/font] then [font color="blue"]33.Qxf5 gxf5 34.Rg8+ Kh7 35.R1g7#.[/font]

33.Qxf5!! 1-0

• White proffers his Queen and wins right away.
• [font color="red"]33...Qe6 34.Rg8+ Qxg8 35.Rxg8+ Kxg8 36.Qxc8[/font] leaves Black defenseless.
• If [font color="blue"]33...Qxf5[/font] then [font color="blue"]34.Rg8+ Kh7 35.R1g7#.[/font]
• Alexander Igorovich resigns.

[center]BLACK: Alexander Grischuk[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Sergey Karjakin[/center][center]Final Position after 33.Qd3f5:N[/center]