1/15/2023 – As Wijk aan Zee gets underway this weekend, we can look forward to a magnificent battle of the generations. In my time this would have been utterly impossible — surely the young guns used to play in the B group? Find here analyses of three formidable wins by the Indian prodigies that are playing in Wijk aan Zee. | Photos: Tata Steel Chess
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[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]
As Wijk aan Zee gets underway this weekend, we can look forward to a magnificent battle of the generations with the “old guard”, led by Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren and Fabiano Caruana, in combat in a field which includes no fewer than five teenagers (in increasing order of age): Dommaraju Gukesh who won’t be 17 until June, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (17), Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Vincent Keymer (both 18) and Arjun Erigaisi (19).
In my time this would have been utterly impossible, and even today I shall risk summary execution (the penalty I advocate for use of the u-word in public) by saying that it must be unprece*****d: surely the young guns used to play in the B group?
When I turned to the January FIDE list of the top juniors of 20 or under, it was utterly terrifying. Alireza Firouzja won’t be 20 until June, and he’s followed by four more over 2700: Gukesh, Erigaisi, Abdusattorov and the controversial Hans Moke Niemann; and a further eight in the 2600s starting with Keymer, Pragg and Nihal Sarin.
So I thought that in advance of the expected bloodshed by the sea we’d look today at some of the young monsters who will be attempting to devour their elders-but-maybe-not-betters. Five is rather too many to focus on, so I’m giving a game each by the three Indians.
[Pictured: The three Indian prodigies joined by guest of honour Vishy Anand in Wijk aan Zee | Photo: Tata Steel Chess]
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1.e4
1,166,623
54%
2421
---
1.d4
947,298
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
281,602
56%
2441
---
1.c4
182,102
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,702
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,265
54%
2427
---
1.f4
5,897
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,801
51%
2384
---
1.b4
1,756
48%
2380
---
1.a3
1,206
54%
2404
---
1.e3
1,068
48%
2408
---
1.d3
954
50%
2378
---
1.g4
664
46%
2360
---
1.h4
446
53%
2374
---
1.c3
433
51%
2426
---
1.h3
280
56%
2418
---
1.a4
110
60%
2466
---
1.f3
92
46%
2436
---
1.Nh3
89
66%
2508
---
1.Na3
42
62%
2482
---
Please, wait...
1.d4 Dommaraju Gukesh was the player of the Chennai Olympiad leading
the young guns of India II to a bronze medal with a superb score of 9/11.
Perhaps his best win was this superb attcking game against Armenia.d52.c4e63.Nf3Nf64.Nc3Bb45.Qa4+Nc66.e30-07.Bd2dxc48.Bxc4Bd69.Qc2e510.dxe5Nxe511.Be2!?Nxf3+11...Qe712.Nd4c513.Nf5Bxf514.Qxf5Ng615.g3a616.f4b517.a4b418.Nd5Nxd519.Qxd5Rad820.Qc4a521.Bf3?21.0-0-021...Bxf4!22.gxf4Qh4+23.Ke2Ne524.Be1Rd2+25.Kxd2Nxc4+26.Kd3Nxb2+27.Ke2Qd828.Be4Re829.Kf3Rxe40-1 (29)
Kjartansson,G (2456) -Sebenik,M (2534) Hersonissos GRE 201712.gxf3!
The doubled pawns give good central control and allow White to attack on the
g-file.a613.0-0-0b5!14.Rhg1
14...b4!?NIt's not unnatural to
force matters to try to limit White's attack. There were also seveal other
possible moves:14...Bb715.e414...Bxh215.Rh1Bd616.Ne4±14...Qe715.Ne4Nxe416.fxe4Be617.f4f618.Rg3Bb419.Bxb4Qxb420.Rdg1g6
1-0 (33) Zhao,J (2625)-Xu,Y (2516) Liaocheng 202115.Ne4Nxe4!16.fxe4Qe717.f4a517...f6=18.Rg3Kh8!is apparently okay according to
Stockfish.18...Be619.Rdg1g620.e5fxe521.Rxg6+hxg622.Rxg6+22.Qxg6+Kh823.fxe522...Kf723.f519.Rdg1g620.h4Bb721.Bd3a522.h5gxh518.e5Bc519.Rg5Ba6
19...g620.h4is apparently only
equal according to Stockfish.20.Rdg1!This must be played first
before exchanging on a6 to avoid the defence ...Ra6-g6.20.Bf320.Bxa6?Rxa621.Rdg1Rg620...g621.Bxa6Rxa622.f5Threatening Qc4.Ba7
Black should try22...Rc6!23.Kb1Rd823...Qe824.e6fxe625.fxg6h626.R5g2Qf623.e623.Kb1±aiming for Qc4.Rd824.e623...Kh8?23...fxe624.fxg6h625.g7hxg526.gxf8Q+Kxf8This looks
very scary for Black but White's king isn't great neither, and Stockfish only
gives White half a pawn.24.Kb1!+-Getting off the c-file before the
decisive action.24.fxg6fxg625.Qc4Rxe626.Rxa5Bxe327.Bxe3Rxe324...gxf5?
This is the sort of position in which you just have to play
your moves and trust that they work. (Of course you will have calculated in
advance to try to prove that they do.)24...h6±was a much tougher
defence, but it turns out that White is winning in the endgame - which he can
force with25.Rxg6fxg626.Rxg6Rf627.Bc3bxc328.Qxc3Rc629.Rxh6+Kg730.Rg6+Kh831.Qxf6+Qxf632.Rxf6Bxe333.a4Rc1+34.Ka2Bc535.Rf7Re136.Rxc7Bb437.h4There's no immediate win here, but White has too many
pawns and it might well be easier to play a3 rather than a4 to stop the bishop from
parking itself on b4.25.Bxb4!Sacrificing the bishop to gain a
tempo to get the queen across to the g-file.25.Bc3+bxc326.Qxc3+26.Qg2Qe827.Rg7c2+26...f627.Rg7Qxg728.Rxg7Kxg729.Qxc7+Kg630.Qg3+Kh631.Qf4+Kg632.e4Worse is25.Rxf5Rxe626.Rxa526.Rh5f626...c5=25.Qxf5Rxe626.Rg726.Qxa5c5=26...Rg627.R1xg6hxg628.Qxg6fxg6=29.Rxe7Bb625...Qxb425...axb426.Qg2Qd826...Qe827.Rg7!27.Rh5!27.e7Qd3+28.Qc2Qxc2+29.Kxc2Re830.Rg8+Rxg831.Rxg8+Kxg832.e8Q+26.Qg226.exf7?Rg627.Qxf5Qd628.Rxg6hxg629.Qxg6Qxg6+30.Rxg6Rxf7-+26.Qxf5?Rxe627.Qxf7Qe1+!27...Rg628.Rxg6hxg629.Qxg6Qe7
Diagram after Black misses Qe1+! Here I
noticed the cross-check after Qh6+ . I thought that Rg5 would draw, but in fact
White has a pretty win through the outstanding Ka1!!, avoiding the check.30.Ka1‼30.Rg5Rf1+31.Kc2Rc1+!32.Kxc1Bxe3+28.Rxe1Rxf726...Qe4+27.Qxe4fxe428.e7Re8
29.Rg8+!The decisive blow forcing a winning
endgame.Rxg830.Rxg8+Kxg831.e8Q+White now has to be accurate, but
Gukesh was more than up to the task.Kg732.Qe5+Rf633.Qg5+Rg634.Qxa5
Not34.Qe5+Kg835.Qxc735.Qxe4Bb6±35...Bb636.Qb8+Kg737.Qe5+Kh638.Qxe4Kg739.Qe5+Kg8+-34...Rg1+35.Kc2Rg2+36.Kb3Bb637.Qe5+Kf838.Qh8+Ke739.Qxh7Re239...Rg640.Qh4+Ke840.Qxe4+Kf841.Qb4+!The rook now drops off to a light-square check so Black resigned. A
brilliant attacking game.1–0
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Jonathan SpeelmanJonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.
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