One-sided affair
China is known for giving its strongest talents chances to play against international stars. Besides the already traditional Russia-China match, they pair their highest-rated players in individual matches. Last year, Yu Yangyi was defeated by Alexander Grischuk in a four-game match with a classical time control in Jiayuguan. This year, both the rival and the format were changed.
Before the tournament began, Yu Yangyi was ranked 15th in the FIDE rapid ratings list, while Peter Svidler occupied the 22nd spot. In blitz, they were number 14 and number 16, respectively. Looking only at these numbers, it would have been hard to predict any of the two dominating the match. However, as it is well known, these formats have more to do with form than anything else.
Earlier this year, Svidler played rapid and blitz at the strong Tal Memorial in Moscow. There, he actually did better at the blitz, where he finished on 6/13. On the other hand, Yu Yangyi arrived fresh from the Chinese Rapid and Blitz Championships, played last week (6-8 June) in Tianjin. He tied for first in the blitz section and finished clear second in the rapid. His score in both events was 7/9, and he did not draw a single game in the whole tournament.

Svidler dominated in Shenzhen | Photo: sports.sina.cn
The match in Shenzhen lasted three days. On Tuesday and Wednesday (12-13 June), four rapid games per day took place, with a 10+10 time control. On Thursday, ten 3+2 blitz games were played. As mentioned above, the rapid games granted twice as many points in comparison to the blitz games.
To review what happened in Shenzhen, we will present some of the games that became turning points in the match.
Rapid, game 1: The local takes early lead
Yu Yangyi started with the white pieces, and immediately it was clear that Svidler would not hide away from using his beloved Gruenfeld Defense. His first attempt, however, failed against the Chinese's domination of the light squares. It is worth replaying the whole game and see how Black is unable to take advantage of the bishop pair, given White's strong grip in the centre.
1.e4 | 1,165,570 | 54% | 2421 | --- |
1.d4 | 946,474 | 55% | 2434 | --- |
1.Nf3 | 281,312 | 56% | 2441 | --- |
1.c4 | 181,937 | 56% | 2442 | --- |
1.g3 | 19,688 | 56% | 2427 | --- |
1.b3 | 14,236 | 54% | 2427 | --- |
1.f4 | 5,886 | 48% | 2377 | --- |
1.Nc3 | 3,796 | 51% | 2384 | --- |
1.b4 | 1,753 | 48% | 2380 | --- |
1.a3 | 1,197 | 54% | 2403 | --- |
1.e3 | 1,068 | 48% | 2408 | --- |
1.d3 | 948 | 50% | 2378 | --- |
1.g4 | 662 | 46% | 2361 | --- |
1.h4 | 446 | 53% | 2374 | --- |
1.c3 | 426 | 51% | 2425 | --- |
1.h3 | 279 | 56% | 2416 | --- |
1.a4 | 108 | 60% | 2468 | --- |
1.f3 | 91 | 47% | 2431 | --- |
1.Nh3 | 89 | 66% | 2508 | --- |
1.Na3 | 42 | 62% | 2482 | --- |
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Be3 Qa5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.Rc1 Rd8 11.d5 e6 12.Bg5 f6 13.Be3 Nc6 14.Bd3 Ne7 14...exd5 15.exd5 c4 16.Bxc4 Be6 17.Rd1 Ne7 15.c4 Qxd2+ 16.Bxd2 16.Nxd2 b6 17.0-0 h6 18.Rfd1 f5 19.f3 g5 16...b6 17.0-0 Ba6 18.Rfe1N 18.Rfd1 Nc8 19.Re1 e5 18...Rac8 19.Bf1 exd5 20.exd5 Nf5 21.g4 Nd6 22.Re7 Bf8 23.Rxa7 Ra8 24.Rxa8 Rxa8 25.g5 Bc8 26.gxf6 Rxa2 27.Be3 27.Bf4± 27...Ne4 28.Rb1 Ra6 29.Bf4 Nxf6 30.Bc7 Ne4 31.Rxb6 Ra1 31...Ra7 32.Kg2 Ra2 33.Bg3! Bf5 34.Nh4 34.Rb3 Bg7 35.Bd3 Bf6 36.Bb1 Ra4 37.Be5 34...Nxg3 35.Kxg3 Ra3+ 36.f3 36.Kf4! 36...Bc2 37.Bh3 Rd3 38.Ng2 Bd1 39.Bg4 Rb3 40.Rc6 40...h5 41.Be6+! 41.Rxg6+ Kh7 41...Kg7 42.Nh4 g5? 42...Be7± 43.Rc7++- Kh6 44.Nf5+ Kg6 45.Rf7 Bxf3? 45...Rxf3+ 46.Kg2 Rxf5 47.Rxf5 Bd6 46.Kf2 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
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Yu,Y | 2759 | Svidler,P | 2753 | 1–0 | 2018 | | Shen Zhen Luo Hu Match 2018 | 1 |
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Rapid, game 3: Gruenfeld's revenge
This time, it was White who got the bishop pair and the space advantage, as it tends to happen in the Gruenfeld. However, Svidler had a better pawn structure and managed to attack White's weaknesses effectively. Eventually, the Russian's queenside pawns were too much for his opponent to handle.
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Be3 Qa5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.Rc1 Rd8 11.d5 e6 12.Bg5 f6 13.Be3 Nc6 14.Bd3 Ne7 15.c4 Qxd2+ 16.Bxd2N 16.Nxd2 b6 17.0-0 h6 18.Rfd1 f5 19.f3 g5 16...b6 17.0-0 Bd7 18.Rfe1 Nc8 19.e5 exd5 20.cxd5 fxe5 21.Nxe5 Nd6 22.Bg5 Bxe5! 23.Bxd8 Bf4 24.Bc7 Bxc1 25.Rxc1 Ne8 26.Be5 Rd8 27.f3 Bf5 28.Bf1 Kf7 29.g4 Bc8 30.Bc4 Nd6 31.Bb3 Ba6 32.a4 c4 33.Ba2 Nb7 34.Bc7 34.Bxc4 Rc8 34.Bf4= 34...Rxd5 35.Bxc4 Bxc4 36.Rxc4 Rc5 37.Rf4+ Ke6 37...Kg7!? 38.Bb8 Ra5= 38.Re4+ Kd7 39.Bf4 Rd5 40.Be3 Nd6 41.Rf4 Rd3 42.Kf2 Ra3 43.h4 Ke6 44.Rb4 Rc3 45.Bf4 Nc4 46.Bb8 46.Rb1= 46...a5 47.Rb5 Ra3 47...Rc2+! 48.Ke1 Rb2 48.h5 48.Ke2!= 48...Rxa4 49.Rg5 49.hxg6 hxg6 50.f4 49...Kf7-+ 50.Rd5 Ra2+ 51.Kg3 Rd2 52.Rb5 Rd7 53.Kf2? 53.Kf4 53...Rb7 54.Bf4 54...a4! 55.Ke2 a3 56.hxg6+ hxg6 57.Rb1 b5 58.Kd3 Ke6 59.Kd4? 59.Kc3 59...Rf7 60.Re1+ Kd7 61.Bg5 Rxf3 62.Kc5 62...a2! 63.Ra1 Nd6 64.Bh6 Rf2 65.Kb4? 65.Bg7 65...Rb2+ 66.Kc3 Nc4 67.Bg7 Kc6 68.Kd3 Rg2 69.Kc3 Kc5 70.Kb3 70.Bd4+ Kc6 71.Bg7 70...Na5+ 71.Ka3 b4+ 72.Ka4 Nc6 72...b3 73.Kxa5 Rxg4 74.Rc1+ Rc4 73.Rc1+ Kd5 74.Rd1+ Ke4 75.Kb3 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
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Yu,Y | 2759 | Svidler,P | 2753 | 0–1 | 2018 | | Shen Zhen Luo Hu Match 2018 | 3 |
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In this DVD Sam Collins provides a complete and detailed repertoire for Black. Numerous novelties and improvements are suggested, with the conclusion that White has no clear route to an opening advantage.
Rapid, game 5: Yu Yangyi switches to 1.e4
After being defeated in a Petroff, Yu Yangyi decided not to go against Svidler's Gruenfeld again and played 1.e4. Peter went for a Closed Ruy Lopez — something he would use repeatedly in the match — and won a pawn in the middlegame. The players reached this position on move 39:
White has just played 39.Qg3, which was answered by 39...Rxb6, and White resigned. The Chinese probably was counting on 40.Rxb6 Qxb6 41.Qxg5 and it would be hard for Black to win the endgame. However, after 40.Rxb6, Black would instead play 40...Qd1+ Kh2 41.Bf4, winning the queen.
Rapid, game 7: Svidler wins with Black again
After losing the first game, Svidler won the next three he played with Black. In fact, his victory in round seven was his fifth in a row. Yu Yangyi miscalculated a forcing line:
White took the pawn with 23.Nxc4, as it discovers an attack of the bishop on h2 against Black's queen. Svidler answered with check, 23...Bxd4+, and White blockaded with 24.Ne3 (24.Kh1 was better). After 24...Ng3 25.Qd3 Ba7 26.Bxg3 Qxg3, Black is in better shape positionally.
Yu Yangyi could have maintained the tension by not going into this line, as it's usually hard to convert a better position in a rapid game.

Yu Yangyi finished the blitz with three wins in a row | Photo: sports.sina.cn
Blitz, game 6: Revenge against the Gruenfeld
The five first 3+2 games left Svidler on 'plus-one' (in the blitz), but Yu Yangyi's comeback started on the sixth game, when he finished off his opponent nicely:
White's central pawns were too fast against Black's queenside passers. 23.e6! Axe6 24.Bxb8 Rxb8 25.Rxe6! and Svidler resigned, as Qd7 is coming next move.
Blitz, game 8: A trapped queen
The first of three consecutive wins for the Chinese arrived rather quickly. In another Gruenfeld, Svidler played in his usual dynamic style, but was not careful enough to protect his queen against a backward bishop move:
The Grünfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black's position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable — up to the highest level.
White played 19.Bc1, Svidler resigned and the match was over. The final score favoured the Russian 15½ : 10½.
It was a great result for Svidler, who can look at a second semester of the year with optimism, while Yu Yangyi can at least find solace in the fact that he performed excellently in the Chinese Championships.
Results
All games
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
- 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.
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