Russian Grandmaster Evgeniy Najer has seized the sole lead at the European Individual Championship after winning a tough game against Israel’s Ilya Smirin. The game of the round, however, was undoubtedly Aleksandr Shimanov’s victory over Baadur Jobava. In his brilliant analysis for chess24 Jan Gustafsson describes it as “one of the coolest games we’ve seen in a while”.
Round 4 again saw mainly draws at the top of the table, but we can live with a few draws when we get entertainment like the following game. Over to Jan!
1. d4 This is actually the best move according to Houdini. He considers it seriously better (0.19) than 1. e4 (0.14). It's interesting that I've never paid attention to this before, since I tend to follow his advice blindly in pretty much every other position. Whole opening repertoires are based upon 0.05 engine preferences and frankly, Houdini should get credit for annotating this game too.
1... ♘f6 2. ♘f3 The first interesting moment. Jobava has been experimenting with all kinds of offbeat openings recently, using
2. c4 e5 to beat Wojtaszek in Wijk 2014. The ongoing competition between Rapport and him for the most funky way to leave the trodden paths within the first 5 moves is one of my favourite topics of 2014. With 2. Nf3 Shimanov says, "No crazy gambits today, thank you" (Apologies to Budapest fans - it's the good kind of crazy!)
2... d5 3. c4 c6 Not a very common way to reach the Slav, which hasn't shown up much in Jobava's games of late. Is he going mainstream?
4. ♘c3 dxc4 5. a4 ♗g4⁈ Phew, not quite! While this move is well-known and has been played in hundreds of games it's not even close to
5... ♗f5 and
5... e6 in reputation or popularity. It does invite the white knight to jump to e5 with tempo, after all.
6. ♘e5 ♗h5 7. f3 The main line and the most testing move, preparing to occupy the center with e4 and simultaneously threatening to harass the black bishop with g4 and h4.
7... ♘fd7 The main move, defending against the aforementioned g4-threat and forcing the white knight to recapture the pawn.
7... e6 8. g4 ♘d5 9. e4 hasn't worked well for Black in the past.
8. ♘xc4 e5 This is the idea of Black's setup. It's not easy to combat, but theory (and Houdini) consider White's choice to be very pleasant here.
Georgian firebrand Baadur Jobava | photo: official website
9. e4 Arguably the most critical move. Other testing choices include
9. ♘e4⁉ and
9. g3⁉
9. dxe5⁇ ♕h4+ is not one of them, and
9. ♘xe5 ♘xe5 10. dxe5 ♘d7 gives Black decent play as well.
9... ♕h4+! Provoking a weakening of the f3-pawn and the only decent move.
10. g3
10. ♔e2⁉ refusing to go along with Black's idea, makes a lot of sense too.
10... ♕f6 11. dxe5 ♕xf3 This is still quite well-known and considered to be good for White, the last time I checked. Things aren't as clear, though, as we'll see shortly.
12. ♘d6+! The "refutation". White is willing to temporarily sacrifice a rook in order to gain a strong attack.
12... ♔e7! An attempt to revive this line! Or, at least, to get White out of book. Chaos is coming... The (worse) lines I was familiar with are
12... ♗xd6 13. ♕xd6 ♕xh1 (13... ♘a6 14. ♖g1 ) 14. ♗g5 with an already winning position, e.g. 14... f6 15. exf6 gxf6 16. ♗xf6 ♘xf6 17. ♕e6+ ♔f8 18. ♕xf6+ ♔g8 19. ♕g5+ ♗g6 20. ♕d8+ ♔g7 21. ♕d4+ ♔g8 22. 0-0-0 ♗f7 23. ♗c4 and
12... ♔d8 13. ♕xf3 ♗xf3 14. ♘xf7+ ♔e8 15. e6! which favours White as well.
13. ♕b3 A de facto novelty, only seen in one correspondence game so far. White isn't satisfied with an ending and is very willing to mix things up as well. Considering Shimanov's 22-minute think before this move (see the game on our site here) it's safe to assume he was out of book by now. The more common move has been
13. ♗f4 intending 13... h6⁉ and now (13... ♕xd1+ 14. ♘xd1 f6 might be a better bet, but should favour White as well) 14. ♕b3 with another total mess. The computer likes White after 14... ♕xh1 (14... ♘c5 15. ♕c4 ) 15. ♕xb7 g5 16. ♗e3
13... ♘xe5 The real novelty. Getting rid of the crippling e5-pawn at the first opportunity is highly logical. Then again, so is grabbing a hanging rook...
13... ♘c5 14. ♕c4 ♕xh1 15. ♕xc5 didn't end well for Black in the aforementioned correspondence game.
13... ♕xh1 could be critical: 14. ♕xb7 ♔e6 and Houdini can't spot anything better than repeating moves with 15. ♕b3+ ♔e7 16. ♕b7 ♔e6 If a reader is armed with a stronger comp and more time than me I'd be very interested in their verdict on this crazy position.
14. ♕xb7+ Both queens have left their camps early to hunt for enemy rooks - not something you see every day! It would be disingenuous if I tried to argue here or at any point over the coming moves that White is better based on general principles such as a safer king - there are no general principles here! Calculation and concrete lines rule supreme and I'll believe whatever the comp tells me.
The poor players had to use their own brains and did extremely well, producing one of the coolest games we've seen in a while.
14... ♔f6! But what now? The d6-knight and the h1-rook are hanging and the black king is safe for the time being... what's going on?
14... ♔xd6 15. ♖g1! doesn't work for Black.
15. ♖g1! An only move.
15... ♗xd6 16. ♗e2! This is the point of White's play! It turns out that the target wasn't the black rook or the black king but the black queen, which gets trapped in the middle of the board. I haven't seen a black lady in such a predicament for quite a while. Speaking of which, how touching was Lupita Nyong'o's Oscar acceptance speech?
Sorry, I got distracted there for a second. So, the black queen is trapped, but the action is just beginning...
16... ♘bd7! Completing development. Black will get two pieces and an attack for the queen, and it turns out the white lady is also quite a long way from home.
17. ♗xf3!
(see diagram) is one of the funnier positions I've seen in a while, with both queens trapped on an open board. Black is winning, so White wisely avoided this one.
17... ♘c5? It's hard to attach a question mark to this move, since it traps the white queen. However, White has a clever way out. Better was
17... ♗xf3! 18. ♕b3! ♖ab8 19. ♕c2 g6 and in my opinion the position is totally unclear and anything can happen. White has a material edge, but Black's king will be safe on g7 and the rest of the crew is very active.
18. ♘d5+! In some ways it's a pity White has this strong move available. I'd find it more pleasing to the eye if
18. ♕xc6 - the second best option - was forced, and we'd reach an even ending after 18... ♘xc6 19. ♗xh5 g6
18... cxd5 19. ♕xd5 The white queen escapes from its death trap, just as the bride did here:
Ok, I'm done with the movie references. White is objectively winning now, but the adventures are far from over.
19... ♘xf3+ 20. ♔f1 ♗e5! Both bishops were hanging but Jobava finds the best chance to keep mixing things up by preserving them both and sacrificing a knight instead.
21. ♕xc5 ♖ac8 Let's take stock for a second: White has a queen and a pawn for two pieces. Black is still very active, though, and can cash in the h2-pawn or the g1-rook at the right moment, so things are far from easy. What should turn the odds in White's favour is not just the material but the unstable position of the black king on f6.
22. ♕f2⁈ Very natural, stopping Rc2 and pinning the knight, but this allows Black back into the game. Correct was
22. ♕e3! and White seems to be winning, e. g. 22... ♘xh2+ (22... ♘xg1 23. ♕g5+ ♔e6 24. ♕xh5 ; 22... ♗d4 23. ♕f4+ ♔e7 24. g4! ) 23. ♔g2 ♖c2+ 24. ♗d2 ♘f3 25. ♖af1!
22... ♗d4! 23. ♗e3 ♗xe3 24. ♕xe3 ♘xh2+! It turns out the remaining black forces can still make life very uncomfortable for the white king.
25. ♔g2? This looks forced to humans, but the compy points out that the only way to keep an edge was
25. ♔e1! ♘f3+ 26. ♔f2 ♖c2+ 27. ♔f1 ♘h2+ 28. ♔e1 ♖e2+ (28... ♘f3+ 29. ♔d1! ) 29. ♕xe2 ♗xe2 30. ♔xe2 ♖b8 , resulting in an ending very similar to the one we'll see later in the game. White should win.
26. ♔h1 ♗f3+ is an important detail, forcing his Highness to go for a walk.
26... ♗g4+ 27. ♔h4 h5! Back in business! The semi-mated guy on h4 should allow Black to hold the game now.
28. ♕g5+
28. ♖af1+ ♔g6 29. ♕g5+ ♔h7 30. ♕e7! ♘xf1 31. ♖xf1 ♔h6 would force White to seek a draw with 32. ♕g5+ ♔h7 33. ♕e7
28... ♔e6 29. ♕d5+ ♔e7 30. ♕b7+ This sequence has been forced since Kg2, but now Black faces an important choice.
30... ♔f8⁈
30... ♗d7! was stronger, when it's White who has to walk a tightrope to actually survive: 31. ♔g5! ♖h6! 32. ♖a3 ♖g6+ 33. ♔f4 ♖f2+ 34. ♔e3 ♘g4+ 35. ♔d4 ♖d6+ 36. ♔c5 ♘e5 37. ♕xa7 ♖c6+ 38. ♔d4 ♖d6+ 39. ♔c5 ♖c6+ would be one fun way to bring the game to a conclusion. Thanks, Houdini!
30... ♔f6 also seems better than the move in the game, e. g. 31. ♖af1+ ♔g6 32. ♕xf7+ ♔h6 33. ♕f4+ ♔h7 34. ♕d6 ♘xf1 35. ♖xf1 ♖e8 and Black should hold.
31. ♔g5! Following the fine example of his queen the white king embarks on a heroic march to escape his grave on h4 as well. Black lacks the resources to get to him now, even though the game ain't over yet.
The eventual winner from Russia: Aleksandr Shimanov | photo: official website
31... f6+! The best chance.
31... ♖h6? 32. ♖ac1 ♖g6+ 33. ♔f4 ♖f6+ 34. ♔e3 ♖f3+ 35. ♔d4 ♖d2+ 36. ♔c5 and the checks run out.
32. ♔f4 ♖e2 Jobava has by no means given up and keeps posing problems by cutting off the king and threatening mate with g5. There's a certain element of chance to the following sequence, which simplifies into a pleasant ending.
33. ♕b4+! ♔g8 34. ♕c4+! ♔h7 35. ♕xe2! ♗xe2 36. ♖g2! White will win one of the minor pieces and remain an exchange up in the endgame. Even now, Black's activity makes the win far from trivial, but psychologically Shimanov must have been thrilled to have made it here material up and with his king alive, while Jobava was probably less than happy with recent events.
36... g5+ 37. ♔e3 ♘g4+ 38. ♔xe2 ♖b8 39. ♔d3 a5?
39... ♖b4! would have achieved the maximum activation of the black pieces, and it's still far from certain that White would be winning.
40. ♔c3 ♔g6 41. b3 Now everything is protected and the extra exchange is bound to tell sooner or later.
41... ♖c8+ 42. ♔b2 ♖e8 43. ♖e1 ♘e5 44. ♖d1 ♘f3 45. ♖d5
45. b4! axb4 46. a5 is our silicon friend's way to convert.
45... ♖xe4 46. ♖xa5 Knights aren't long-range pieces and therefore tend to be outmatched in pawn races on different sides of the board. They can only participate on one flank, while more mobile guys like rooks or bishops will influence both. White has more of those and is winning here.
46... h4 47. gxh4 ♘xh4 48. ♖c2 g4 49. ♖a8! Rooks belong behind passed pawns...
49... ♔f5 50. a5 g3 51. ♖g8 ♖e5 52. b4 g2 53. a6 And Jobava resigned.
Quite a game, huh? While Shimanov fully deserved the victory I feel as though Jobava didn't deserve to lose. Both sides came up with tons of creative ideas in totally non-standard and highly-complicated positions. A different choice on move 30 would most likely have led to a different result as well, which is really kind of bad luck, since no human can precisely calculate all these lines. Anyway, props to Shimanov!
1-0
All
that remains is to say that six players trail Evgeniy Najer by half a point
after four rounds:
Out in the lead - Evgeniy Najer | photo: official website
Almost fifty players are
also within touching distance on 3/4. Don’t forget you can follow the action
with computer analysis on chess24!
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