Tata Steel Chess Tournament: Round 5

Nakamura, Hikaru - Karjakin, Sergey 

76th Tata Steel Masters 2014.01.17

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 ( Lately 6...O-O has been all the rage, but the game continuation is one of the main moves as well, of course.)

7.Qc2 c5 8.dxc5 Nc6 9.cxd5 exd5 10.e3 O-O 11.Nf3 Bf5 12.Bd3 Qa5+ 13.Ke2!?

Diagram #1

( This is very rare. The game Morozevich-Adams, Wijk aan Zee 2009 continued 13.Nd2 Nxd2 14.Bxd2 Bxd3 15.Qxd3 Qxc5 16.Bc3 d4! 17.Bxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 and now18... Qxd4 19.exd4 Rfe8+ 20.Kd2 Re4 21.Kd3 Rf4 22.Ke3 g5! is just equal, Black is winning back the pawn.)

13... Rfe8 (13... b6!? is an interesting approach, since 14.Bd2 ( 14.cxb6?

Diagram #2

14... Rac8 is very awkard, since Nd4+ is hard to meet.)14... Nxd2 15.Bxf5 Nxf3 16.gxf3 bxc5 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 gives Black excellent compensation for the pawn.)

14.Rd1 ( 14.Rb1 is logical, in order to prepare b2-b4, but after14... Qc7 15.b4 a5! 16.b5 Nd8 White is overextended on the queenside and with his king in the centre he should be thinking about equalizing.)

14... Bg4 (14... Nb4?!

Diagram #3

15.axb4 Qxa1 16.Nd4 Bg6 17.f3 is a typical case where White has fantastic play for the exchange. Play could continue17... Nf6 18.Bxg6 hxg6 19.b3 followed by Bb2, with initiative.)

15.b4 Qc7 16.h3 Bxf3+ ( Analyzing this game with Lawrence Trent on the tournament livestream we had difficulty deciding between this and Bh5 17.g4 Bg6 18.Bb2 d4! where Black seems to be in great shape: 19.Bxd4 ( 19.Nxd4 ( 19.b5 dxe3 20.bxc6 Qf4! 21.cxb7 ( 21.fxe3 Ng3+ 22.Kf2 Rxe3 crashes through.)21... Rab8 22.c6 Ng5! mating.)19... Qh2 20.Bxe4 Bxe4 21.Qc3 Ne5! and White has serious issues on the white squares.)19... Rad8!? (19... Nxd4+ 20.Nxd4 Qh2 ( Nxf2 21.Bxg6 Nxd1 22.Bxh7+ Kh8 23.Rxd1 should be better for White.) 21.Bxe4! 21... Bxe4 22.Qc3 Qxh3 23.Rg1 Bg2 24.Rad1 and although24... Qxg4+ restores the material balance, White is clearly better after 25.f3 Qg3 26.Qe1!? ) 20.Kf1 ( 20.Bxe4 Bxe4 21.Qb2 f6! 22.b5 Ne7! 23.g5 Nd5 24.gxf6 Nf4+! 25.exf4 Qxf4 and the king does not look happy on e2!)20... Nxd4 21.exd4 h5! is surprisingly difficult for White to defend. In the lines above there is clearly room for improvements, but they give an idea of what this position is about.)

17.gxf3 Ng5!

Diagram #4

(17...Nxf2 18.Kxf2 Nd4 would result in a draw following 19.exd4 Qh2+ 20.Kf1 Qh1+ but the intermediate 19.Bxh7+! Kh8 20.Rxd4! decides.)

18.Bb2 d4

Hunting down the king on e2.

19.h4 ( 19.Rg1 gives Black a minimum draw with19... Qh2 20.Rxg5 Rxe3+ 21.Kf1 ( not 21.Kd1 Rxf3! )21... Qh1+ 22.Rg1 Qxh3+ 23.Rg2 Qh1+ but Black could also try for more with 19...h6.)

19... Rxe3+!

Diagram #5

(19... Nh3 20.Bxh7+ Kh8 21.Be4 ( 21.b5 Nxf2 22.Kxf2 Qh2+ 23.Kf1 Qh1+ is a perpetual we have seen before.)21... Qh2 22.Rxd4!? 22... Qxf2+ 23.Kd1 Qxe3 24.Qd2 may be a bit better for White.)

20.fxe3 Qh2+ 21.Kf1 Qh1+ 22.Kf2 Qh2+

Repeating seems sensible but could Karjakin have played on? 22...Qxf3+ 23.Kg1 Nh3+ 24.Kh2 Nf2 is not the way to go because 25.Bxh7+ Kh8 (25...Kf8 26.Rxd4! ) 26.Bf5 covering all the essential squares around the king.

Much stronger is 22...Qxh4+! and now: 23.Kg2 ( 23.Ke2 ( 23.Kg1 Nxf3+ 24.Kf1 Nh2+! ( Qh1+ 25.Kf2 Qh2+ 26.Kxf3 Ne5+ 27.Ke4 Qh4+ 28.Kxe5 and amazingly, Black has nothing better than a repetition with28... Qf6+ 29.Kd5 Rd8+ 30.Ke4 ( 30.Kc4??

Diagram #6

30... Qe6+ 31.Kb5 Qa6#!) 30... Re8+ 31.Kd5 Rd8+) 25.Kg2 ( 25.Ke2 Ng4 26.Bxh7+ Kf8 27.Rf1 Qh2+ 28.Ke1 Qg3+ 29.Ke2 Re8! is dangerous as well.) 25... Ng4 26.Kg1 (26.Re1 Re8! 27.exd4 Qh2+ 28.Kf3 Qh3+ 29.Kf4 Ne3 mating.) 26... Re8! 27.Bxh7+ Kf8 28.Bxd4 Nxe3 29.Bxe3 Rxe3 30.Rd3 Nd4! 31.Rxe3 Nxc2 32.Bxc2 Qg5+ 33.Kf2 Qf6+! and it turns out White can't save both rooks!) 23... Qh2+ 24.Kf1 Qh1+ 25.Kf2 Qxf3+ 26.Kg1 Re8! leads to an irrational but most probably better position for Black 27.Re1 dxe3 28.Bf5 Ne5! with initiative.) 23... Qh3+ 24.Kf2 Re8! always this move! Black has a very strong initiative. It seems we can conclude that Karjakin had every reason to continue in the final position. But it sure is difficult to find your way through the maze of variations!

23.Kf1 Qh1+ 24.Kf2 Qh2+

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