Asian Continental: Adhiban analyses

by Frederic Friedel
4/30/2014 – In yesterday's report on the Asian Continental Open in Sharjah, UAE, we provided a quick glimpse of a game played in the penultimate round by the silver medalist B. Adhiban. Shortly after the report went online the talented young India GM, who hails from Anand's city of Chennai, sent us wonderfully instructive analysis of this key game, which we now share with you.

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Adhiban analyses

The following wonderfully annotated game by the silver medal winner in the Open section arrived after our final Asian Continental report has been published. GM B. Adhiban (2609) greatly extended the analysis of a game we had quoted in that report. Adhiban, one of the most talented youngsters from India, played some exciting chess in Sharjah to finish with 6.5/9 with a performance of 2732, gaining 15 Elo points.

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1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
1.b314,23654%2427---
1.f45,88648%2377---
1.Nc33,79651%2384---
1.b41,75348%2380---
1.a31,19754%2403---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d394850%2378---
1.g466246%2361---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.f39147%2431---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 What to do when you want to play for a win with black? You play the KID of course! 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 6...Na6 7.0-0 e5 In an earlier round I went for this. 8.Re1 c6 9.Bf1 exd4 10.Nxd4 Ng4 11.h3 Qb6 12.hxg4 Qxd4 13.g5 Qe5 with an interesting struggle (Kasimdzhanov-Adhiban Asian 2014). 7.0-0 Nc6 I decided to go for the main this time! 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5 10.g3 a5!? Recently this has become quite topical. 10...f5 11.Ng5 Nf6 is the undisputed mainline. 11.b5 A bit surprising and he played it quickly. Nf6!? I felt b6 wasn't such a big deal. In a way actually provoking b6. 11...b6!? is also possible, completely locking the queenside and then prepare f5. I am not sure what White intends to do. 12.b6 cxb6 13.Ba3 Bh6 This just felt natural, but the bishop was also useful on g7 itself. 14.Rb1 Bh3 15.Re1 Nc8 16.c5!? Not obilgatory but definitely very tempting, and also Black was getting ready for Nd7. bxc5 16...dxc5 17.Nxe5 Here if Black had the bishop on g7, Nd5 or Ne4 would have been possible. 17.Rxb7 White has broken through on the queenside, but compared to the normal Kings Indian the white pieces are somewhat misplaced: Ba3, Nf3 restricted by Bh6 and Nc3 stuck to the defence of e4. Ra7! Removing the only active piece on white's camp. 18.Rxa7 18.Qb1 I felt this was critical. Rxb7 19.Qxb7 Ng4 20.Rb1 f5 with a complex position. 18.Qb3 a4! 18...Nxa7 19.Bc1 Bxc1 19...Bg7 I was considering this, but felt Bc1 was very natural. 20.Qxc1 Bg4! An important move preventing Nd2. 21.Qb2 21.Nd2 Bxe2 22.Rxe2 Qb6! 23.Nc4 Qa6 21...a4! A nice move preparing Qa5, after which Black becomes active. 22.Rb1 Qa5 23.Qc2 Nd7! 24.Nxa4 Bxf3 25.Bxf3 Nb5 26.Qd3! Qxa4 I felt it was better to play this pawn up endgame. 26...Nd4 wasn't so clear. 27.Bd1 Qe1+ 28.Kg2 c4 29.Qe3 27.Qxb5 Qxa2 28.Rf1! Away from all trouble. Nf6?! 28...Rd8! was necessary. 29.Qc6 Nf6 30.Qc7 Qa8 31.Rb1 Qc8 29.Qb6! Preventing the defence of d6 with Rd8. Qa3 30.Kg2 c4 31.Qc7! 31.Qc6 was also possible. c3 32.Rb1 32.Re1!? 31...c3 32.Re1! With a couple of strong defensive moves White has managed to almost equalise. 32.Rb1 Nd7! This was my idea. 33.Qxd7 c2 34.Rf1 c1Q 34...Rb8 35.Qc7 35.Rxc1 Qxc1 36.Qxd6 Qc3 32...g5!? Trying to muddy the waters! 33.h3 h5 34.Re3?! White complicates his task. 34.g4 was simple. hxg4 35.hxg4 Qc5 36.Qxc5 dxc5 37.Rc1 Rc8 38.Rxc3 Ne8 I was intending to go for this endgame which seemed like the best chance. 34...g4 35.hxg4 hxg4 36.Bd1 Kg7! An useful prophylactic move, preparing Rh8 in some lines. 36...Qb2 37.Rxc3 Nxe4 38.Rc2 37.Rxc3 Qa1 38.Rc1 Qd4 39.Qc4 Nxe4 40.Qxd4 exd4 41.Bxg4 f5 This endgame looks very pleasant for Black, with a strong d-pawn, and also the knight was strong on e4. Here I had to make a major decision: f5 or Kf6. Both seemed good and the ideas were similar. 41...Kf6 Finally I rejected this in view of 42.Rc8! Rxc8 43.Bxc8 Nc3 43...d3 44.Kf3 I felt White had decent saving chances here. 42.Rc7+ 42.Bf3 Kf6 43.g4 At first I felt White should be able to liquidate a bit, but going deeper I found Rg8 44.Kf1 Nd2+ 45.Ke2 Nxf3 46.Kxf3 Rxg4 47.Re1 d3 48.Re6+ Kf7 49.Ke3 49.Rxd6 Rd4 49...Rd4! A nice trick. 50.Kd2 Rxd5 42...Kf6 43.Bd1 43.Be2 was the critical continuation. Rb8 White is still struggling. 43...Ke5 44.f4+ Kxd5 45.Bc4# 43...Nc5 44.f4 d3 45.Bh5 43...Rb8! 44.f4 Rb2+ 45.Rc2 Rb3 46.Bf3 d3 47.Rc7 47.Rc1 d2 48.Rd1 Rd3 49.Bxe4 fxe4 50.Kf2 e3+ 51.Ke2 Rc3 52.g4 Rc1-+ 47...d2 48.Bh5 Rxg3+ 49.Kf1 Rg7 50.Rxg7 Kxg7 50...Kxg7 51.Bd1 51.Ke2 Ng3+ 51...Nc3 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Jumabayev,R2583Adhiban,B26090–12014E97Asian Continental8

Baskaran Adhiban, photographed above in 2007 by Frederic Friedel during the World Youth Championship in Kemer-Antalya, Turkey, was born in 1992 and hails from Anand's city of Chennai. In 2008 he won the Under-16 World Championship (in Vung Tàu, Vietnam), and in 2009 the Indian Championship.

At the 11th Asian Continental Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2012

At the beginning of this year Adhiban, pictured above feasting on iddli, dal and puliyogare rice, came second in the Indian National Premier Championship, a 14-player roung robin (won by GM Krishnan Sasikiran).

In the 2013 Chess World Cup Adhiban caused an upset in the first two rounds, beating 2710-rated Russian GM Evgeny Alekseev in the first round, and Alexandr Fier in the second round. Adhiban won the Barcelona Open, which included 23 GMs and 28 IMs, with a score of 8.5/10.

Top final ranking (after nine rounds)

Rk. SNo Ti. Name FED Rtg Pts.
 TB2 
  TB3 
1 4 GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2667 7.0
5
 2593
2 12 GM Adhiban B. IND 2609 6.5
5
 2576
3 5 GM Ni Hua CHN 2654 6.5
5
 2501
4 2 GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam UZB 2693 6.5
4
 2582
5 14 GM Wen Yang CHN 2581 6.5
4
 2557
6 17 GM Salem A.R. Saleh UAE 2561 6.0
4
 2578
7 1 GM Bu Xiangzhi CHN 2699 6.0
4
 2548
8 10 GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son VIE 2621 6.0
4
 2504
9 16 GM Sethuraman S.P. IND 2576 6.0
4
 2491
10 6 GM Negi Parimarjan IND 2640 6.0
3
 2538

Silver for Adhiban, above with Asian Chess Federation, Secretary-General Hisham Al-Taher

Adhiban was thrown in the swimming pool of the hotel by the Indian team after winning the silver medal in Sharjah last week. He had already qualified to round three in World Cup 2013 after beating Alekseev and Fier. According to him it’s too early to think about World Cup 2015 but he pledges that he will work really hard for it!

Interview with Adhiban during the Tata Steel tournament in 2012

Selection of games from the Open

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Everything was pretty normal upto this point. The position is just equal. But here the younger of the two Indians decided to force the draw rather than play on. His idea backfired! But that doesn't mean he was wrong. 45...Rxg3+!? 46.Kxg3 Be1+ 47.Kg4 Bxh4 48.Kxh4 Debashish felt that this position is a forced draw. But he doesn't play accurately. Ke5 49.Bg6 Kf4 50.b4 Ke3 50...a6 was an easier way to draw 51.Bd3 b5 52.a3 Ke3 53.Bg6 d3 54.Kg3 Ke2 55.Kf4 d2 56.Bh5+ Ke1 57.Ke3 57.Ke5 d1Q 58.Bxd1 Kxd1 59.Kd5 Kc2 60.Kc5 Kb3 61.Kb6 Kxa3 62.Kxa6 Kxb4-+ 57...d1Q 58.Bxd1 Kxd1 59.Kd3= 50...b5 is also good enough. 51.b5 d3 52.Kg3 d2 53.Bh5 Kd3? the final losing mistake of the game 53...Kd4! 54.Kf4 Kc5 55.Be2 d1Q 56.Bxd1 Kxb5 57.Ke5 Kc5 Shouldering the white king 58.Bh5 a5 59.Bf3 b5= 54.Kf4 Kc4 55.Be2+ Kb4 56.Ke3 d1Q 57.a3+ 57.Bxd1 would also have won. 57...Kc5 58.Bxd1 Kxb5 59.Kd4 The point is that the black king is unable to cut off the white king on the e-file, and hence this is a lost position. Kc6 60.a4 Kc7 61.Kd5 Kb7 62.Be2 Kc7 63.Bb5 An extremely interesting endgame. Debashis's intuition was right that it was a draw, but his execution was not the best! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Sasikiran,K2680Debashis,D25041–02014E0813th Asian Continental-ch Open6
Bu,X2699Sasikiran,K26801–02014A1713th Asian Continental Open Chess Champi7.3
Negi,P2640Ghaem Maghami,E25561–02014C4113th Asian Continental-ch Open8
Adhiban,B2609Yu,Y2667½–½2014B4913th Asian Continental Open Chess Champi9.1
Wen,Y2581Sasikiran,K26801–02014A2213th Asian Continental Open Chess Champi9.5

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Editor-in-Chief emeritus of the ChessBase News page. Studied Philosophy and Linguistics at the University of Hamburg and Oxford, graduating with a thesis on speech act theory and moral language. He started a university career but switched to science journalism, producing documentaries for German TV. In 1986 he co-founded ChessBase.

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