Russian grandmaster Alexander Morozevich “played brilliantly for much of the game and just missed the opportunity to create [an] ‘evergreen game.’ Frustrated by his mistakes, with chaos overwhelming the beauty of his ideas, a draw was not an acceptable outcome for Morozevich. The battle raged to the bitter end, and it is my impression that Grandmaster Morozevich sacrificed his own feelings as a gift to this magnificent clash. The harmony of the unusual ending served to complete this masterpiece. If one side had played irreproachably from the beginning to end, this game would have been voted the best.”
Game of the week. Moro’s opponent is the reigning world junior champ who will turn 20 this October. Chess Informant editor IM Sasa Velickovic annotates.
White: A. Morozevich (2751)
Black: M. Vachier-Lagrave (2703)
Sicilian Scheveningen
Biel 2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f3 e6 7.Be3 b5 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.g4 h6 10.0-0-0 b4 11.Nce2 Qc7 12.h4 d5 13.Nf4! [a novelty; 13.Bh3] e5! [13…de4 14.Nfe6! fe6 15.Ne6 Qc6 16.Nf8 Nf8 17.Qb4 with compensation, with attack] 14.Nfe6! fe6 15.Ne6 Qa5 16.ed5 Qa2 17.Qd3 Kf7? [RR 17…Ke7? 18.d6! Kf7 19.Qc4! Qc4 20.Bc4 Kg6 (20…Rb8 21.Ng5 Ke8 22.Bf7 Kd8 23.Ne6#) 21.h5 Kh7 22.g5 and White is winning; 17…e4 18.Qd4! Bd6 19.Bc4 b3! 20.f4 Qa1 21.Kd2 Qa5 22.c3 Qa2 23.Ke2!; 17…Bb7! a) 18.g5!? e4! 19.Nc7!? (19.Qc4 Qc4 20.Bc4 hg5 21.hg5 Rh1 22.Rh1 Nd5 23.Bd5 Bd5 24.Nc7 Kf7 25.Nd5 ef3 26.Rf1 equal) Kd8 20.Ne6 Ke8 21.Qd4!? hg5 22.Nf8 Nf8 23.Bc4 Qa5 24.Bg5 N8d7 25.fe4 Qa1! 26.Kd2 Qa5; b) 18.Qg6 Ke7 19.d6! Ke6 20.Bh3! Qa1! (20…Bd5? 21.g5 Kd6 22.gf6 Nf6 23.Rd5!) 21.Kd2 Qa5! 22.Kc1 Qa1 M.Vachier-Lagrave] 18.g5! [18.Nd8 Ke7 19.Nc6 Kd6 20.Nd8 equal] Nd5 19.Bh3! Ne3 [19…N7f6 20.Nd8 Kg8 21.gf6 Nf6 22.Bf1! Be6 23.Ne6 Qe6 24.Qc4 (24.Bh3!? with compensation, with attack) Qc4 25.Bc4 Kh7 26.Bd3! and White is superior] 20.Nd8 Ke7! [RR 20…Ke8 21.Bd7 Kd8 22.Bc8! (22.Be6?! Nd5 23.Bd5 Qa1 24.Kd2 Qb2 25.Ba8 and White is superior) a) 22…Nd5 23.Be6 Rb8 24.Qe4! Qa1 (24…Rb5 25.Qe5! and White is winning) 25.Kd2 Qb2 26.Ke2!; b) 22…Kc8 23.Qd8 Kb7 24.Rd7 Kc6 25.Rc7 Kb6 26.Rc8 Kb5 27.Ra8 (27.Qd7 Ka5 28.Qc7 Kb5 29.Qb7 Ka5 30.Ra8) Qa1 28.Kd2 Nc4 29.Ke2 Qh1 30.Qd7! Kb6 31.Rb8! Kc5 (31…Ka5 32.Rb5!! ab5 33.Qa7#) 32.Rc8 Kb6 33.Rc6 Ka5 34.Qc7 and White is winning; M.Vachier-Lagrave] 21.Nc6 Kf722.g6! [RR 22.Be6!! a) 22…Qe6 23.Nd8 Ke7 24.Ne6 Ke6 (24…Nd1 25.Rd1 and White is winning) 25.Qe3; b) 22…Ke6 23.Qg6 Nf6 24.gf6 gf6 25.Qe8 Kf5 26.Nd4! Kf4 27.Ne2 Kf5 (27…Kf3 28.Qc6 and White is winning) 28.Rd4!! with the idea 29.Rf4, 29.Ng3 M.Vachier-Lagrave] Kg8 only move [22…Kf6 23.Qd6! and White is winning] 23.Qe3Bc5 24.Qe4! [RR 24.Be6 Qe6 25.Qc5 Bb7 (25…Qg6 26.Rd7 Kh7 27.Ne5 and White is winning) 26.Ne7 Kf8 27.Rd7 Qd7 28.Nc6 Kg8 29.Qc4 Kf8 30.Rd1! Qc7 31.Qc5 Ke8 32.Rd6 and White is winning; M.Vachier-Lagrave] Nf8 25.Rd8 Bb7 [RR 25…Bh3 26.Ra8 Be6 27.Qe5! Qd5 28.Re1! Qc6 29.Qe6 Qe6 30.Re6 and White is winning; M.Vachier-Lagrave] 26.Ra8? [RR 26.Rf8! Bf8 (26…Kf8 27.Qf5 Kg8 28.Qe5 and White is winning; 26…Rf8 27.Qe5 Bc8 28.Bc8 Rc8 29.Qc5 and White is winning) 27.Qe5 Bc8 28.Qe8 and White is winning; M.Vachier-Lagrave] Ba8 27.h5! [RR 27.Rd1?? Bc6 28.Qc6 Be3 29.Rd2 Qa1#; 27.Bf1!? Bc6 28.Bc4 Ne6! 29.Qf5! Be3 30.Kd1 Bf3 31.Qf3 Qb1 32.Ke2 Qc2 33.Ke3 Qg6 34.Rf1 M.Vachier-Lagrave] Rh7! 28.Re1 Bc6 29.Qc6 Bd4 30.Kd2?! [RR 30.Kd1! Bb2 31.Bf5 Bc3 32.Ke2! Be1 33.Qc8! Kh8 34.Qf8 Qg8 35.Qg8 Kg8 36.gh7 Kh8 37.Ke1 and White is winning; M.Vachier-Lagrave] Qb2 31.Qc4 Kh8 32.Kd3! a5?! [32…Qa3 33.Ke4 Qa5 34.gh7 (34.Rd1!?) Kh7 35.Bf5 Kh8 36.Qc8 Bc5 37.Rd1] 33.Qc8? [RR 33.f4! Bf2 (33…Qc3 34.Qc3 Bc3 35.Re4! Kg8 36.Rc4 and White is winning) 34.Ke2! Qa3 35.Kf2 Qh3 36.Re5 Qh4 37.Ke2 Qd8 38.Qf7 Qc8 39.Re8 and White is winning; M.Vachier-Lagrave] Qa3 34.Ke4 b3 35.cb3 a4! 36.Rb1 [36.ba4 Qb4 37.Rd1 (37.Rc1 Bc5 equal) Ba7 equal] Qb4 37.Qc4 Qb7 38.Qd5 Qb4 39.Qc4 Qd2 40.Bg4?? [40.Qc8 Qe2 41.Kd5 Qf3 (41…Qb5 42.Ke4 equal) 42.Kc4 (42.Kd6 Qf6 equal) a3 43.Rf1 Qc3 44.Kd5 Qb3 45.Ke4 Qe3 equal] a3! 41.Qf7 Qc2 42.Kd5 Qc5 43.Ke4 a2 44.Rc1 a1Q 45.Rc5 Bc5 46.Qd5! Qe1 47.Kd3 Qd1 48.Kc4 Qd5 49.Kd5Ba3? [49…Ng6 50.hg6 h5 and Black is winning] 50.Bf5 Kg8 51.Ke5 Rh8 52.Kd5 Nh7!! [52…Ng6?? 53.Bg6 Kf8 54.Ke6 equal] 53.gh7Kf7 54.Bg6 Kf6 55.f4 Bc1 56.f5 [56.b4 Bf4 57.b5 Rd8 (57…Rb8 58.Kc6 Ke7 59.b6 Bg3 and Black is winning) 58.Kc6 Ke6 59.b6 (59.Bd3 g5 60.hg6 Be5 61.Bc4 Ke7 and Black is winning) Rc8 60.Kb7 Rb8 61.Kc6 Ke7 62.b7 Rd8 and Black is winning] Bd2 57.Kd6 Be1 58.Kd7 Bb4 59.Kc7 Ke5 60.Kd7 Ba3 61.Kc6 Kd4 62.Kc7 Kc3 63.Kd7 Kb4 [63…Kb3 64.Bf7 Kc3 65.Bg8 Kd4 66.Ke6 Ke4 67.f6 gf6 68.Kf6 Bb2 69.Kg6 Kf4 70.Kh6 (70.Ba2 Rf8 and Black is winning) Kf5 71.Bb3 Kf6 and Black is winning] 64.Kd6 Kb3 65.Kd5 Bb2 66.Kd6 [66.Ke4 Kc4 67.Bf7 Kc5 68.Bg8 Bf6 69.Ke3 Kd6 70.Ke4 Bb2 71.Kf4 Ke7 72.Ke4 Kf6 73.Kf4 Bc1 74.Kg4 Bd2 75.Kf3 Kf5 76.Bf7 g5 and Black is winning] Bf6 67.Kc5 Kc3 68.Kd6 Kd4 69.Kc6 [69.Ke6 Kc5 70.Kf7 Kc6 71.Ke6 Rd8 72.Kf7 Kd6 and Black is winning] Rd8 [69…Ke5 and Black is winning] 70.Kb6 [70.Kb5 Kd5 71.Bf7 Kd6 72.Bg6 Rc8 73.Kb4 (73.Kb6 Rb8 74.Ka7 Kc7 and Black is winning) Kd5 74.Bf7 Kd4 75.Bg6 (75.Bg8 g5 76.fg6 Rb8 and Black is winning) Rb8 76.Ka5 Kc4 77.Ka6 (77.Bf7 Kc5 78.Ka4 g5 and Black is winning) Kc5 78.Ka7 Rd8 79.Ka6 (79.Kb7 Be5 80.Ka6 Bd6 81.Kb7 Rb8 82.Ka7 Bc7 and Black is winning) Be5 80.Kb7 Rb8 81.Ka7 Bc7 82.Bf7 Kc6 83.Bg8 Rd8 84.h8Q Bb6 85.Ka6 Ra8#] Kd5! 71.Kc7 Kc5 72.Bf7 [72.Kb7 Be5 73.Ka7 (73.Ka6 Bd6 74.Bf7 Kc6 and Black is winning) Rd7 74.Ka6 Bb8 and Black is winning] g5! 73.fg6 Rd6 74.Be8 Be5 75.Kb7 Rb6 76.Kc8 Kd6 and 0-1.
Puzzler.
White — Ka4, Ba6, Nb8, Nc6, Qc1, pawns on e3 and h4
Black — Kd5, Nd6, Rf7, Bh7, Rh3, pawns on b3, c4, c7, d4, e6 and f3
White to play and mate in four.
Send your answers to “64” c/o Marianas Variety, P.O. Box 500231, Saipan MP 96950. Our fax no. is 670-234-9271. You can also e-mail idlasts @lycos.com or [email protected].
