The KID is a sharp and dynamic opening that leads to complex positions. Its adherents included Kasparov, Fischer, Tal and Petrosian. Currently, Azerbaijan GM Teimour Radjabov, 22, is considered one of the KID’s top experts as the following game, which he annotates, shows.
Radjabov, who ranks fifth in the world, became a GM at the age of 14. His playing style has been described as attacking and tactically influenced. Like Kasparov, Radjabov is from Baku and both men have Jewish fathers. Radjabov’s lifetime score against Kasparov at standard time controls is one win, three draws and no losses. Kasparov’s only win was in rapid chess. Radjavov was 15 when he famously defeated, with the black pieces, the living legend at the 2003 Linares tournament.
Game of the week.
White: GM Wang Yue (2739)
Black: GM Teimour Radjabov (2761)
Wijk aan Zee 2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 Ng4 8.Bg5 f6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Nh6 For the second time in a few months I have met this system vs Wang Yue. Last time in the FIDE GP in Elista. 11.d5 Nd7 12.0-0 f5 13.exf5 Nxf5 [13…Nc5 14.Qd2 g4 was played in Kasimdzhanov-Cheparinov from Elista GP and White got a very big advantage soon.] 14.Nd2 Occupying the e4-square. 14…Nd4 15.Nde4 h6 Preparing …Nf6. 16.Bg4 b6 Now I wanted to put my knight to c5 somehow in order to take back with the b-pawn after an exchange. 17.f3 [17.Be6+ Kh8 18.Qh5 looks beautiful, but it’s just bad: 18…Nf6 (18…Nxe6 19.dxe6 Nc5 20.Nxc5 bxc5 21.Rad1 Kh7) 19.Nxf6 Bxe6 20.dxe6 Rxf6 21.e7 Qd7 With …Re6 to follow and just a very fine position for Black.] 17…Nc5 18.Bxc8 Qxc8 19.Bf2 [19.Nxc5 bxc5 and with …Qf5 and …h5 Black seems to be just fine.] 19…Qd7 [19…Qe8 with the intention to play …Qg6 was quite interesting; 19…Qf5!? ] 20.Ng3 Now Wang starts a plan for domination. But it didn’t work as we will see. 20…a5 21.Nce2 Nf5! [21…Rxf3?? Too early for such an attack. 22.gxf3 Nxf3+ 23.Kh1 Qh3 24.Bg1 And White protects vs all threats, now the only chance is to go for central play but… 24…e4 25.Nc3! Be5 26.Qe2! Bxg3 27.Rxf3 exf3 28.Qxf3 and White ends with a piece up and a winning position.; 21…Nxe2+ 22.Qxe2+ and here Black is a tempo or even two tempi down compared to the game as the knight is already on g3 and White’s queen is on e2, when Black’s d7-queen is too far away from the action arena.] 22.Nxf5 Qxf5 23.Ng3 [23.Bxc5 bxc5 24.Ng3 — to avoid the Qd3 possibility as the knight on c5 has already been taken. But here Black may go for 24…Qg6 The same as in the game, so we will explore this position after Wang’s Ng3 anyway. I prefer the queen on g6 here rather than the pseudo-active f4 position. (24…Qf4 25.Ne4! Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Rab8 27.Qc2 a4 28.Rad1 Rb4 29.Rfe1 Qf4 I don’t see a real plan for White here for example 30.Re2 h5 31.Rde1 Qf5 32.Kg1 Rfb8 33.Qc3 Qf4 33…h4?! 34.h3 Kh7 35.a3 Rb3 36.Qa5± )34.a3 R4b6 35.Qa5 g4 36.fxg4 Qxg4 37.Rf2 Qd7 with …Rb3-d3 to follow and nice counterplay.) ] 23…Qg6 [23…Qd3!? This is a very interesting idea to let White go to the endgame and still Black seems very OK. 24.Bxc5 Qxd1 25.Raxd1 bxc5 26.Ne4 Rab8 27.Rd2 Rb4 28.Rc2 Rfb8 29.Rb1 Ra4= ] 24.Bxc5 bxc5 25.Qb1 [25.Ne4 g4 26.Qe2 gxf3 (26…Rf4 27.Rae1 Rb8 28.b3 h5 29.fxg4 Qxg4 30.Qxg4 hxg4 31.Nc3 Kh7 32.Nb5 a4 33.Rxf4 exf4 34.Re7 Kg6 35.Rxc7 Bd4+ (35…axb3 36.axb3 Be5= ) 36.Kf1 axb3 37.axb3 Rh8= (37…Be5 ) ) 27.Rxf3 Rxf3 (27…Rf4 28.Re1 Raf8 29.Rg3 Qf5 30.h3 Kh7 ) 28.Qxf3 h5 29.Qd3 Rf8 30.Re1 Rf4 31.b3 h4= (31…Qg4 ) ; 25.Qe2 Black has a lot of good possibilities. 25…Rf4!? (25…e4 26.fxe4 and with knight to f5 coming, it is not easy to play with Black here.) 26.Ne4 g4 27.Rae1 a4 28.fxg4 Rxg4 29.g3 Rf4 30.Kh1 Rff8 31.Qd3 h5 32.Kg2 Rab8 (32…h4 33.Rxf8+ Rxf8 34.Nxc5 h3+ 35.Kg1 e4 (35…Qxd3 36.Nxd3 Rf3 37.Nf2 a3 ) 36.Nxe4 Bxb2 37.Rf1 Rb8! ) 33.Rxf8+ Bxf8 34.Re2 Kg7 35.h3 Be7 36.Qc2 Rb4= (36…h4 37.g4 Bg5= ) ] 25…Qxb1! [25…e4!? 26.fxe4 Rxf1+ 27.Qxf1 Bxb2 28.Rb1 Rb8 29.Nf5 and it’s really more pleasant to play with White here. Still the position remains about equal, I think the way I chose in the game was better.] e4!! A very interesting idea! Now Black’s structure is totally bad for the endgame, all his pawns are on dark squares (the color of his bishop) and Black is a pawn down! But he is slightly better! [26…Rab8= ] 27.Nxe4 [27.fxe4 Bd4+ 28.Kh1 Rxf1+ 29.Rxf1 Bxb2+ with …Rb8-b4 to follow] 27…Bd4+ 28.Kh1 a4 [28…Rfb8!? 29.b3 a4 was quite good too! The position is equal objectively, but Black might press here.] 29.h4 [29.Rfc1! Rfb8 30.Nc3 Rb4 31.b3 axb3 (31…Bxc3 32.Rxc3 Re8 33.Kg1 Re2 34.Ra1 Rb8+ ) 32.axb3 Ra3 33.Nb5 Raxb3 34.Rxb3 Rxb3 35.Nxc7 Kf7 36.Nb5 Be5] 29…gxh4 30.Kh2 Rfb8 31.b3 axb3 32.axb3 All moves starting from gxh4, were quite logical and almost forced. 32…Ra2 33.Rfd1 Kf7 Now…Rg8 is coming, the position is pleasant for Black and White has to take measures to decrease Black’s activity. 34.Rd2 Ra3! 35.Kh3 Raxb3 36.Rxb3 Rxb3 37.Kxh4 Kg6!? 38.Rc2 Rb1?! [38…h5!? This seems more strong to me.] 39.Ng3! Somewhere here White offered a draw, but I declined it and decided to play on. 39…h5 40.f4?? [40.Re2! This move seems to give a draw finally. 40…Bf6+ 41.Kh3 Be5 42.Re4 Rc1 43.Rh4 Bf6 44.Re4 and due to the e4 rook it is very hard to make any progress. 44…Kg5 45.Rh4 ] 40…Bf6+ 41.Kh3 Rb3! [41…h4 42.Ne2 Kf5 43.g4+ Ke4 44.g5 Bb2 But why does Black need such measures if he can win easily?] 42.Kh2 h4 43.Ne2 [43.Ne4 Kf5-+ 44.Nxf6 Kxf6 and Black is winning. c4 and f4 are too weak and White’s king is cut off.] 43…Kf5 44.Ra2 Rb4! 45.Ra8 Rxc4 46.Re8 Rb4 47.Re6 Rb3! The last finesse. Black is winning. 48.g4+ hxg3+ 49.Nxg3+ Kg4! 50.Ne2 Rb2 51.Kg2 Be5! 52.Kf2 [52.Rg6+ Kf5 53.Rg5+ Kf6 54.Kf3 Bxf4-+ ] 52…Bxf4 53.Re7 Kf5 54.Rf7+ Ke5 55.Kf3 Bd2 56.Rxc7 Kxd5 57.Ng3 Rb3+ 58.Kg2 Bf4 59.Ne2 Be5 60.Kf2 Ke4 61.Rh7 Rf3+ 62.Ke1 d5 63.Kd2 d4 64.Rh4+ Kd5 and 0-1.
Puzzler.
White — Qc2, Nd3, pawn on d5, Bd6, Re7, Kh3
Black — Bb2, Qc3, Re4, Nf3, Kh8, pawns on d7, f4
White to play and mate in two.
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