Chess Shocker: Elo 1493 wins vs. Elo 2584 with the London System!

by Arne Kaehler
5/16/2023 – In today's episode Robert presents a rapid game that is quite stunning. When you use a very solid set-up like the London System, the move order is less important as long as you understand the basic ideas. And although the underdog in this game made a few small mistakes here and there, the Grandmaster on the other side of the board couldn't find a way to gain a clear winning advantage. Watch this fascinating game with Robert Ris!

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

The Underdog!

with IM Robert Ris

We all love stories where a vastly underrated player surprises everyone by beating a much stronger player. Fortunately, we are all human.

But how do these things happen? What are the moves that lead to success? And what can we learn from these examples for the times when we face a stronger opponent?

Dutch IM Robert Ris presents us with real-life examples of such encounters from the past month. Together with his co-host Arne Kaehler, they look at the tactics and strategies that led to the upset victory.

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.h3 c5 4.c3 b6 5.Bf4 Bb7 6.e3 Be7 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 d6 9.Nbd2 Nbd7 10.Bh2 Qc7 11.Rc1 11.a4 11...Rfd8 12.Qb3 Rac8 13.a4 cxd4 14.exd4 14.cxd4? Qxc1 15.Rxc1 Rxc1+-+ 14...a6 15.Qd1 Nf8 16.Re1 Ng6 17.Bd3 Nd5 18.Nf1 18.c4 Ndf4 19.Bf1 18...Qd7 18...Ndf4!? 19.Bc2 b5 20.axb5 axb5 21.Bb3 Nb6 21...Ndf4!? 22.Qd2? Nxg2 23.Kxg2 Nh4+-+ 22.Ne3 Nc4 23.Nxc4 23.d5!? e5 23...Nxe3? 24.dxe6! Nxd1 24...fxe6 25.Rxe3± 25.exd7 Rxd7 26.Bxd1± 24.Qe2 23...bxc4 24.Bc2 Rb8 25.Rb1 Bd5 26.Be4 Qc6 27.Bxd5 Qxd5 28.Qe2 Rdc8 29.Qe4 Qxe4 30.Rxe4 Rb5 31.Re2 Ra8 32.Bg3 32.b4!? cxb3 32...Ra3 33.Rc2 33.Reb2 Ra3 34.Nd2 32...h5 33.Bh2 Ra2 34.g4 Kf8 34...h4!? 35.gxh5 Rxh5 36.Kg2 Rb5 37.Bg3 Ke8 38.Kf1 Kd7 39.Rc2 f5 40.Nd2 f4 41.Bh2 Rh5 42.Nxc4 42.Kg2 Raa5 43.Nxc4 Rag5+-+ 42...Rxh3 42...f3! 43.Bg3 Rxh3 44.Kg1 Bg5 44...Ra8 45.Nb6++- 45.Bxd6 45.Nxd6 Ra8 45...Bf4 46.Bxf4 Nxf4-+ 43.Kg2 Rh5 44.Bg1 Rg5+?! 44...Nh4+ 45.Kf1 g5!-+ 45.Kf1 Nh4 46.Nd2 Rb5 47.Ke2 g5 48.Bh2 48.f3 48...Ra8 49.b4 d5 50.Nb3 Nf5 51.Nc5+ Bxc5 52.dxc5 e5? 52...Rbb8!? 53.b5 Ra5 54.Rcb2 e5 55.c6+ Kd6 53.f3? 53.Rg1! Rg8 54.Ra2 53...Kc6 53...Ne3 54.Rd2 Nc4 55.Rxd5+ Kc6-+ 54.Bg1 Rb7 55.c4 dxc4 55...d4!? 56.Kd3 Ra3+? 56...Ng3!-+ 57.Ke4 56.Rxc4 Ra2+?! 57.Ke1? 57.Kd3! Ng3 58.Rcc1 Rd7+? 59.Kc4+- 57...Kb5?? 57...Rh7! 58.b5+ Kd5 59.Rcc1 Rh1 60.Rd1+ Ke6 61.Kf1 Ne3+ 62.Ke1 Rxg1# 58.c6! Rb8 58...Kxc4 59.cxb7+- 59.Rc5+ Ka6 59...Ka4 60.Ra5# 59...Kb6 60.Ra5+ 60.b5+ Ka5 60...Ka7 61.Rc2+ 60...Kb6 61.Rc2+ 61.b6+ 61.c7 61...Ka6 62.c7 Rh8 62...Rc8 63.b7 63.c8Q+ Rxc8 64.Rxc8 Nh4 65.Ra8+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Grigoras,A1493Iordachescu,V25841–02023A46Grand Prix Bucharest 20231.15

Robert Ris has authored plenty of FritzTrainers for ChessBase — these are his newest, and perfect for every "Underdog"

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

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Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.

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