In today’s Daily Telegraph column, Malcolm Pein revisits the New in Chess Classic tournament – and the semi-final battle between Hikaru Nakamura and Shak Mamedyarov in particular – to highlight a Classic curiosity.
Malcolm Pein on…Classic Curiosity
One of the most entertaining matches from the New In Chess Classic on Chess24 was the semi-final clash between Hikaru Nakamura and Shak Mamedyarov. Nakamura eventually won in Armageddon. The match featured a theoretical battle of the like one rarely sees nowadays.
Mamedyarov employed a sacrificial line against Nakamura’s Nimzo-Indian on three occasions, scoring two wins to Nakamura’s one, but the American’s victory in game four, below, secured him the first set. White sacrifices a piece and two pawns. He recovers the piece by force and rests his hopes on the bishop pair and Black’s kingside weaknesses.
In the first game of the second set, Mamedyarov won after 16.Nxc3 Nc6 17.Qc1 Rd8 18.Rb2 Qc5 19.Bb1, but Black was better after 19…Be6.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense in Action
S. Mamedyarov – H. Nakamura
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 0–0 5.Bg5 c5 6.Rc1 h6 7.Bh4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 d5 9.cxd5 g5 10.Bg3 Qxd5 11.e3 Qxa2 12.Bd3 Qxb2 13.0–0 Bxc3 14.Rc2 Qb4 15.Nb5 e5 16.Rxc3 Nc6 17.f4 Bg4 18.Qc2 exf4 (18…Qe7 was game two) 19.exf4 Nd5 (Another fork in the road. 19…Rac8 20.Bc4 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 Qf5 was Topalov-Ding Wenzhou, 2018, when 22.Nd6 would have been better for White; 19…Nh5 was possible, trying to exchange a white bishop) 20.fxg5!? (Continuing in sacrificial vein. After 20.Rb3! Nd4 21.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 22.Bf2 Qg7 23.fxg5 hxg5 24.Rxb7 I would prefer to be White) 20…Nxc3 21.Nxc3 Rad8 22.Kh1 Qd4 23.Bh7+ Kh8 24.h3 Bh5 25.Rf6 Qe3 (Also 25…Bd1 26. Qf5 Qxc3 27.Rxh6 Bc2 28.Bg6+ Kg8! when Black wins despite the proximity of so many white pieces to his king; after 25…Bd1 26.Qf5 Qxc3 27.Rxh6 Bc2 28.Qxc2 Qxc2 29.Bxc2+ Kg8 White must struggle for a draw with 30.g6)
26.Bf2? (26.Rxh6 Qxg5! is the point; White’s best was 26.Bf4! Qe1+ 27.Kh2 Bd1 with complete chaos, or 26.Bf4 Qd4 27.Rxh6 Kg7 28.Qf5 Qxc3 29.Qf6+ Qxf6 30.gxf6+ Kh8 31.Rxh5 Rfe8 32.Bf5+ Kg8 33.Bh7+ Kh8=) 26…Qxg5 27.Ne4 Qg7 28.Bf5 Nd4 29.Bxd4 Rxd4 30.Qf2 Rdd8 31.Qh4 Bg6 32.Nf2 Rd5 33.Ng4 Rxf5 0–1
Test Your Strength
Aronian – Nakamura from the Airthings Masters on Chess24
White to play and win
Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.
1.Rxa6! 1-0 If 1…Rxa6 2.c8Q+ or 1…Rc8 2.a5 b4 3.Rb6 followed by a6.
