Young guns by the sea

by Jonathan Speelman
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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Elders but maybe not betters

[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]

Vishy AnandAs 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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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,186,70654%2421---
1.d4960,56055%2434---
1.Nf3286,91356%2440---
1.c4185,11556%2442---
1.g319,90256%2427---
1.b314,60954%2428---
1.f45,95948%2376---
1.Nc33,91950%2383---
1.b41,79148%2379---
1.a31,25254%2406---
1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446654%2382---
1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39366%2506---
1.Na34762%2476---
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. d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd2 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bd6 9.Qc2 e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Be2!? Nxf3+ 11...Qe7 12.Nd4 c5 13.Nf5 Bxf5 14.Qxf5 Ng6 15.g3 a6 16.f4 b5 17.a4 b4 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Rad8 20.Qc4 a5 21.Bf3? 21.0-0-0 21...Bxf4! 22.gxf4 Qh4+ 23.Ke2 Ne5 24.Be1 Rd2+ 25.Kxd2 Nxc4+ 26.Kd3 Nxb2+ 27.Ke2 Qd8 28.Be4 Re8 29.Kf3 Rxe4 0-1 (29) Kjartansson,G (2456) -Sebenik,M (2534) Hersonissos GRE 2017 12.gxf3! The doubled pawns give good central control and allow White to attack on the g-file. a6 13.0-0-0 b5! 14.Rhg1
14...b4!?N It's not unnatural to force matters to try to limit White's attack. There were also seveal other possible moves: 14...Bb7 15.e4 14...Bxh2 15.Rh1 Bd6 16.Ne4± 14...Qe7 15.Ne4 Nxe4 16.fxe4 Be6 17.f4 f6 18.Rg3 Bb4 19.Bxb4 Qxb4 20.Rdg1 g6 1-0 (33) Zhao,J (2625)-Xu,Y (2516) Liaocheng 2021 15.Ne4 Nxe4! 16.fxe4 Qe7 17.f4 a5 17...f6= 18.Rg3 Kh8! is apparently okay according to Stockfish. 18...Be6 19.Rdg1 g6 20.e5 fxe5 21.Rxg6+ hxg6 22.Rxg6+ 22.Qxg6+ Kh8 23.fxe5 22...Kf7 23.f5 19.Rdg1 g6 20.h4 Bb7 21.Bd3 a5 22.h5 gxh5 18.e5 Bc5 19.Rg5 Ba6
19...g6 20.h4 is apparently only equal according to Stockfish. 20.Rdg1! This must be played first before exchanging on a6 to avoid the defence ...Ra6-g6. 20.Bf3 20.Bxa6? Rxa6 21.Rdg1 Rg6 20...g6 21.Bxa6 Rxa6 22.f5 Threatening Qc4. Ba7
Black should try 22...Rc6! 23.Kb1 Rd8 23...Qe8 24.e6 fxe6 25.fxg6 h6 26.R5g2 Qf6 23.e6 23.Kb1± aiming for Qc4. Rd8 24.e6 23...Kh8? 23...fxe6 24.fxg6 h6 25.g7 hxg5 26.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 This 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.fxg6 fxg6 25.Qc4 Rxe6 26.Rxa5 Bxe3 27.Bxe3 Rxe3 24...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 with 25.Rxg6 fxg6 26.Rxg6 Rf6 27.Bc3 bxc3 28.Qxc3 Rc6 29.Rxh6+ Kg7 30.Rg6+ Kh8 31.Qxf6+ Qxf6 32.Rxf6 Bxe3 33.a4 Rc1+ 34.Ka2 Bc5 35.Rf7 Re1 36.Rxc7 Bb4 37.h4 There'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+ bxc3 26.Qxc3+ 26.Qg2 Qe8 27.Rg7 c2+ 26...f6 27.Rg7 Qxg7 28.Rxg7 Kxg7 29.Qxc7+ Kg6 30.Qg3+ Kh6 31.Qf4+ Kg6 32.e4 Worse is 25.Rxf5 Rxe6 26.Rxa5 26.Rh5 f6 26...c5= 25.Qxf5 Rxe6 26.Rg7 26.Qxa5 c5= 26...Rg6 27.R1xg6 hxg6 28.Qxg6 fxg6= 29.Rxe7 Bb6 25...Qxb4 25...axb4 26.Qg2 Qd8 26...Qe8 27.Rg7! 27.Rh5! 27.e7 Qd3+ 28.Qc2 Qxc2+ 29.Kxc2 Re8 30.Rg8+ Rxg8 31.Rxg8+ Kxg8 32.e8Q+ 26.Qg2 26.exf7? Rg6 27.Qxf5 Qd6 28.Rxg6 hxg6 29.Qxg6 Qxg6+ 30.Rxg6 Rxf7-+ 26.Qxf5? Rxe6 27.Qxf7 Qe1+! 27...Rg6 28.Rxg6 hxg6 29.Qxg6 Qe7
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.Rg5 Rf1+ 31.Kc2 Rc1+! 32.Kxc1 Bxe3+ 28.Rxe1 Rxf7 26...Qe4+ 27.Qxe4 fxe4 28.e7 Re8
29.Rg8+! The decisive blow forcing a winning endgame. Rxg8 30.Rxg8+ Kxg8 31.e8Q+ White now has to be accurate, but Gukesh was more than up to the task. Kg7 32.Qe5+ Rf6 33.Qg5+ Rg6 34.Qxa5 Not 34.Qe5+ Kg8 35.Qxc7 35.Qxe4 Bb6± 35...Bb6 36.Qb8+ Kg7 37.Qe5+ Kh6 38.Qxe4 Kg7 39.Qe5+ Kg8+- 34...Rg1+ 35.Kc2 Rg2+ 36.Kb3 Bb6 37.Qe5+ Kf8 38.Qh8+ Ke7 39.Qxh7 Re2 39...Rg6 40.Qh4+ Ke8 40.Qxe4+ Kf8 41.Qb4+! The rook now drops off to a light-square check so Black resigned. A brilliant attacking game. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gukesh,D2684Sargissian,G26981–02022D3844th Olympiad 20226.1
Praggnanandhaa,R2624Cornette,M25691–02022E46Kvika Reykjavik Open 20228.2
Erigaisi,A2689Aronian,L27751–02022D20FTX Road to Miami KO 20221.11
 

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This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.

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Jonathan 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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