Never underestimate the Royals! - The Underdog

by Arne Kaehler
12/27/2023 – Should there ever be an underrated underdog, it would be Shreyas Royal. In the London Chess Classics, the 14-year-old IM, had to face nine Grandmasters! With his ELO rating of 2404, he had a rating 200-350 lower than all other players. Still, he ended up with 4/9 points, finishing ahead of players like Moussard, Vitiugov, and McShane. Robert Ris shows us the game the young Brit played against Jules Moussard!

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.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Position not in LiveBook
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nd7 3.d4 Nb6 4.Bg2 Bf5 5.b3 e6 6.0-0 h6 7.c4 c6 8.Nbd2 Nf6 9.Bb2 Be7 10.e3 0-0 11.Qe2 a5 12.Ne5 Nbd7 13.Nd3 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 13...a4 14.Rfc1 Qb6 15.c5 Qa6 15...Qb5! 16.Bf1 b6 17.b4 bxc5 18.bxc5 Bxc5! 19.Nxc5 19.dxc5 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 Qxb2 19...Qxb2 16.Bf1 b5 16...b6 17.b4 Rfb8 17.f3 axb3 18.axb3 Qb7 19.e4 Bh7 19...dxe4 20.fxe4 Bg6 21.e5?! Nd5 20.e5 Ne8 21.Rxa8 Qxa8 22.Ra1 Qb7 23.b4 g5 23...Nc7 24.Nb3 24.Nb3 Ng7 25.Na5 Qc7 26.Nf2 h5 27.Re1 Re8 28.Qd2 Nf8 29.Nh3 g4 30.fxg4 hxg4 31.Nf2 Bf5 32.Be2 Nh7 33.Nxg4 Bg6 34.Qf4 Nf5 35.h4 Kh8 36.Ne3 Nxe3 37.Qxe3 f5 38.Qf4 38.exf6 Bxf6 38...Rg8 39.Kf2 Be8 40.Ke3 40.Ra1+- 40...Bd8 41.Kd3?? Nf6! 42.Rg1 42.Qh6+ Qh7 43.Qxh7+ Nxh7 44.Rg1 Bxh4 42.exf6? Rxg3+ 42...Ne4 43.Kc2 43.Bc3 Qh7 44.Be1 Bxh4 45.Rh1 43...Qh7 44.Kb3 Bxh4 45.Bc3 45.Rh1 Bg5 46.Rxh7+ Kxh7 47.Qf3 Nd2+ 45.gxh4 Rxg1 45...Nxg3 45...Rxg3 46.Rxg3 Bxg3 46.Bf3 Rg6 47.Rg2 Qh6 48.Bd2? 48.Qxh6+ Rxh6 48...Bg5! 48...Qxf4? 49.Bxf4 49.Qxg3 Bxd2 50.Qh2 Rxg2 51.Qxh6+ 51.Qxg2 Qe3+ 51...Bxh6 52.Bxg2 Bd2 53.Bf1 Kg7 54.Nb7 Kg6 55.Kc2 55.Nd6 Bd7! 55...Bf7?? 56.Bxb5+- 55...Bxb4 56.Kd3 Be1 57.Be2 Bf2 58.Bd1 Kg5 59.Be2 Bg1 60.Bd1 Kh4 61.Be2 f4 62.Nd8 Bd7 63.Nf7 b4 64.Bd1 Be8 65.Nd8 Bg6+ 66.Kd2 Bxd4 67.Nxe6 67.Nxc6 Bxc5 67...Bc3+ 68.Kc1 Bxe5 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Moussard,J2639Royal,S24040–12023A0713th London Classic 20238


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!

_______________________________

Links:


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.

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.