new column by jacob aagaard: all-round Training on four Types of decisions

BACK TO The fuTure

MEET ThE youngEsT grandMasTEr in ThE world Awonder - A wonder!InTerVIew & eXCLUSIVe AnnoTATIonSAwonder Liang

MaxiME vachiEr-lagravEwins ThE sinQuEFiEld cuP“He'S one HeLL oF A PLAYer”Shak THE SHARK Mamedyarov

ThE baku olyMPiad rEvisiTEd wHo broUgHTCHAmPAgneFor THe US TeAm?Surya Ganguly

CATCH ArISIng STAr:mAggIe FengYuanling Yuan

norTH AmerICAn

U18 CHAmPIonBryce Tiglon

Denes Boros

wISConSIn CHeSS

[noT CHeeSe]

AMERICANchess Magazine

GArrY

acmcHESS.cOm / iSSuE no.4 FaLL 2017

BESTLAYOUTCJA Awards • 2017

BESTLESSON

CJA Awards • 2017

BESTANALYSISCJA Awards • 2017

BESTINTERVIEW

CJA Awards • 2017

2017Chess Journalists

of America Awards

kasparov at st. louis rapid & blitz

for DewainBarber

iT's cool To be smarT

9 772572 280005

01703ISSN 2572-2808

www.acmchess.com

BECAUSE CHESS IS A GAME OF UNLIMITED BEAUTY.

O P E N I N G S O P E N I N G S

american CHESS MAGAZINEFALL 20172 3

AMERICANchess Magazine

AMERICANchess Magazine

SUBSCRIBE4 ISSUES PER YEAR

Save by choosing annual subscription. Free shipping on

all U.S. orders.

acmchess.com/subscribeSpecial plans for

non-profit 501(c)3 organizations

ADVERTISEAffordable advertising repeat rates.

Ad design assistance

acmchess.com/advertise

SUBMITManuscripts, photographs, chess

games and other correspondence are welcome. Letters become

the property of ACM and may be edited for publication.

acmchess.com/submit

ISSN 2572-2808

CHESS MEDIA NETWORK

IT'S Cool To BE SMART

Editor-in-Chief JOSIP ASIK

Art DirectorVLADIMIR VUKSAN

Deputy Editor JIMMY ADAMS

Managing Editor PETE TAMBURRO

Senior Editor DUSAN KRUNIC

Copy EditorPETER KURZDORFER

Photo Editor DAVID LLADA

Editor at Large DIEGO HERMAN

Features EditorPETER LONG

Chief DesignerALEKSANDAR GAJIC

Chess Editor GORAN ARSOVIC

Associate EditorCHRIS WAINSCOTT

Associate EditorDANIEL PARMET

Contributing Editors and Writers

JOEL BENJAMINMACKENZIE MOLNER

JON EDWARDSDANNY RENSCH

VASSILY IVANCHUKCARSTEN HANSEN

AWONDER LIANGJOHN FEDOROWICZ

BRYCE TIGLONALEX FISHBEIN

SARUNAS SULSKIS

SHAK MAMEDYAROVROBERT HUNGASKIS.P. SETHURAMANYUANLING YUANIVAN SOKOLOVMICHAEL ROHDEERNESTO INARKIEVJACOB AAGAARD JENNIFER SHAHADEKARSTEN MUELLERSURYA GANGULY

Contributing Artists and Photographers

MARIA EMELIANOVA, LENNART OOTES, DAVID LLADA, HARALD FIETZ, ANDREAS KONTOKANIS, MAX AVDEEV,

PAUL TRUONG, ANASTASYA KARLOVICH, DIANA MATISONE

Editorial Advisory Board Members

ALISA MARIC, DAVID S. BUTLER JR, JOHN HARTMANN, STEPHEN LOWE, SHAWN SULLIVAN

Cover photo: Garry Kasparov, 2017Photo by DAVID LLADA

Website: www.acmchess.com Correspondence: office@acmchess.com

Emails to the editor: editor@acmchess.com

Letters to: American Chess Magazine, 2028 E Ben White Blvd, Ste 240-2969, Austin, TX 78741 ; Or call: 512-910-2107

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The views included herein are those of the authors, and do not necessarily

reflect the opinions of the publisher.

american CHESS MAGAZINEFALL 20174 5

COVERSTORY

CONTENTS

46

24

36

69

Issue no.4

AwOndER A wOndER !

Interview

All-ROund TRAiningGM Jacob Aagaard

SEViAn BlOOmSGM Robert Hungaski

Ph

oto

by

Mar

ia E

mal

ian

ova

Garry Kasparov

back to the Future

8page

By GM Ivan Sokolov

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wins the Sinquefield Cup

"HE'S OnE HEll OF A PlAYER"GM Shak Mamedyarov

46

50

36

24

40

58

55

interVieW: AWonder A Wonder!Josip Asik

My beSt gAMeS in 2017GM Awonder Liang

ALL-round trAiningGM Jacob Aagaard

MAggie Feng - the girL With the doubLe-edged SWordWIM Yuanling Yuan

the baku olympiad revisited

Who brought ChAMpAgne For the uS teAM?GM Surya Ganguly and GM Sarunas Sulskis

roCky –eSque FightGM Michael Rohde

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wins the Sinquefield Cup

"he'S one heLL oF A pLAyer"GM Shak Mamedyarov

69

66 don't Judge A book by itS CoVerGM Vassily Ivanchuk

SeViAn bLooMSGM Robert Hungaski

78

106

122

100

82

74

110

114

88

108

130

118

126

tWo neW u.S. iMs! Bryce Tiglon

the new Art of positional play

WAiting For A queenSide breAkGM John Fedorowicz

greed doeSn’t pAy! GM Karsten Mueller

tAbLebASeS!Jon Edwards

interVieW:25 queStionS For deWAin bArberPete Tamburro

FreSh LeAVeS FroM the bookSheLF 4FM Carsten Hansen

MuSingS oF An AMeriCAn grAndMASter GM Joel Benjamin

ASphyxiAted pAWnS GM Alex Fishbein

World Championship Match

the SCAry Future oF CheSS?GM Ernesto Inarkiev

onLine VS (get ALong With)oVer-the-boArdIM Danny Rensch

CheSS ACroSS AMeriCAGM Mackenzie Molner

SpiCe progrAM At WebSter uniVerSityChris Wainscott

CheSS, not CheeSe!GM Denes Boros

135 tournAMent reVieW

FALL 20176 american CHESS MAGAZINE 7

Letterfrom the EDITORWHAT’S THE GREATEST AWARD A MAGAZINE CAN RECEIVE?

64 SQUARES

I have always believed that quality ultimately wins. The road is often longer but it is undoubtedly the right one on which to travel. With that said, I was genuinely surprised by the accolades the American Chess Magazine received in the Chess Journalists of America Awards for 2017. Not that we do not deserve them – oh yes, I certainly believe we do! – it’s just that such recognition came sooner than I anticipated. And this was based only on the first two issues! So thank you, good folks from the CJA – we are of course all absolutely delighted and honored by your choices.

The Best Interview Award was given for the “It ain’t over till it’s over” feature in ACM 01. As I was the writer, for obvious reasons I won’t make any comment. However what I do want to say is that a good half of the praise should go to David Llada, a photographer from Spain whose artwork made such a visual impact. He brilliantly depicted the atmosphere in Moscow and the mood of the challenger prior to his world title match with Magnus Carlsen. And, looking at the bigger picture, I feel that ACM is making a significant contribution to chess photography in general and highlighting its importance in presenting our game to a wider audience.

The Best Chess Analysis Award went to GM Ivan Sokolov for his work in ACM 01. Ivan’s analysis sends us on a truly worthwhile journey, albeit one that is sometimes over rough terrain with many obstacles for the unsuspecting reader. However, this is because he does not shy away from the challenge of answering difficult questions in the ever changing field of opening theory and always approaches the job in hand with great passion and honesty.

Alex Fishbein‘s article from ACM 02 was selected as the Best Instructive Lesson Award. I still haven’t had the opportunity to meet Alex in person, but just by reading his articles I see a personality with great intellectual curiosity. Patiently, he lays foundations for our understanding of chess. Alex never stops halfway, but presents as many relevant examples as necessary to be sure that we will respond: “Yes, now we’ve got it!”

Now there is one award that I am particularly proud of and that is The Best Magazine/Newsletter Layout for ACM 02. The man behind our design is Vladimir

Vuksan – who, as it happens, was my classmate ever since 1st grade of primary school. With about 40 years of friendship, it is obvious that we complement each other, as shown for example by our endless arguments about color, which photo should be included, why a diagram has to be here and not elsewhere... He is the “Jonathan Ive” of chess design, whereas I can only take credit for inviting such a great talent into our chess world.

Our Managing Editor, Pete Tamburro, received an Honorary Mention for Best Journalist of The Year. He is indeed a living legend in American chess journalism and I am so very grateful for the energy and enthusiasm he has brought to ACM. Top chess is our specialty but Pete is the one who finds hidden gems in local chess, and who is always on the lookout for a little story that deserves to be broadcast to the wide world. It’s about making chess bigger and better, and Pete has always been a man with a mission.

Awards are a big bonus but it is the judgment of the readership that counts for much more. Issue no. 4 also marks the first major challenge for the American Chess Magazine. Hopefully, there will be many of you, dear chess friends, who will choose to renew your subscription, and this is what will be the ultimate test for the future of our periodical. We can only look forward with optimism to the greatest award a magazine can receive – the loyalty of its readers!

While preparing to deliver the pages of this issue to the printer we are receiving real life dramatic stories from our chess friends and readers in Florida and Houston, Texas – areas that have been hit by natural disasters. Sometimes chess must take a back seat and at this moment in time we are first and foremost praying for their safety.

Josip Asik, Editor-in-Chief

Latest NewsWESlEY So In WORlD CUp SEmIfInAlReigning US Champion Wesley So has advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he will face Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren. The other semifinal pairing is Vachier–Lagrave vs Aronian. On his road to the final four, Wesley won his mini–matches against J. D. Ruiz Castillo, Matthias Bluebaum [See page 58! – Ed.], Francisco Vallejo Pons, Baadur Jobava and Vladimir Fedoseev.So many of the top seeds got knocked out in first three rounds: Carlsen (vs Bu Xiangzhi) Kramnik (vs Ivanchuk), Caruana (vs Najer), Nakamura (vs Fedoseev), Anand (vs Kovalyov), Karjakin (vs Dubov), Mamedyarov (vs Kuzubov), etc.

BERmUdA pARTyIt looked like chess fans were going to remember 25–year old Anton Kovalyov as the man who eliminated Vishy Anand at the World Cup. But then he was party to an even bigger sensation. Just minutes before the start of the third round, Kovalyov was approached by arbiters and organizers who claimed that his wearing of Bermuda shorts contravened the FIDE dress code. The Canadian grandmaster was so upset by what he considered to be unwarranted and aggressive treatment by chief organizer Zurab Azmaiparashvili, that he withdrew from the tournament and swiftly left Georgia. This incident has provoked serious controversy which has yet to run its full course.

17–year old Zhansaya Abdumalik from Kazakhstan was the sensationof the 45th World Open in Philadelphia. She earned a GM norm while sharing 2nd place with half a dozen strong GMs, half a point behind the sole winner Armenian Tigran L. Petrosian. Wins over GMs Moradiabadi, Popilski and Zherebukh finallypropelled Abdumalik to board 1(!) for her last round game - which she drew against Jeffery Xiong.

AbDUmAlIk – A SEnSAtIon AT ThE WORlD OpEn

US youngsters swept gold in all three Open divisions of the World Cadet Championships, held during the last week of August in Brazil. The winners were Aren Emrikian, Liran Zhou and Vincent Tsayin U8, U10 and U12 respectively. The US expedition had 68 players and brought home seven medals in total. Silver went to Abhimanyu Mishra in the U8 and Arthur Xu in the U10. US girls also fought well with Nastassja Matus taking silver in the U12 and Ellen Wang bronze in the U10 group.

SEVEn mEdAlS fOR U.S. CADETS In bRAzIl

In ACM 03, on page 104, we incorrectly tagged a photo of Carissa Yip as being Jennifer Yu. We would like to apologize for this mistake. Thanks go to reader Erin Dame for correcting us.So here she comes, a successful young lady from Ashburn, Virginia, who gained 4th place in the 2017 Women’s US Championship and even more recently participated as a member of the US Women’s Team at the World Team Championship in Russia.

mEET ThE “REAl” JEnnIfER YU

american CHESS MAGAZINE 9FALL 20178

K A S P A R O V I N S T . L O U I SS

T. L

Ou

iS R

aP

iD &

BLi

TZ

A

B12

Round 7, Saint Louis Rapid 2017

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 ¥f5 4.¤c3 e6 5.g4 ¥g6 6.¤ge2 c5 7.¥e3 XIIIIIIIIY

9rsn-wqkvlntr0

9zpp+-+pzpp0

9-+-+p+l+0

9+-zppzP-+-0

9-+-zP-+P+0

9+-sN-vL-+-0

9PzPP+NzP-zP0

9tR-+QmKL+R0

xiiiiiiiiy7...¤e7 A seldom played continuation, probably intended to surprise Garry. 7...¤c6 is considered the main move here, as was played for example in A.Shirov 2723 - V.Anand 2753, Wijk aan Zee 2003 (CI 86/87). Surprised or not by Navara’s choice of opening, Garry’s response as usual was direct and energetic. 8.f4 h5 9.f5! exf5 10.g5 XIIIIIIIIY

9rsn-wqkvl-tr0

9zpp+-snpzp-0

9-+-+-+l+0

9+-zppzPpzPp0

9-+-zP-+-+0

9+-sN-vL-+-0

9PzPP+N+-zP0

9tR-+QmKL+R0

xiiiiiiiiyThe strategic idea behind 8.f4 now becomes clear, White will place his knight on f4, effectively turning the black ¥g6 into one big pawn! 10...¤bc6 The only way for Black to prevent his bishop on g6 becoming a pawn in the future was to sacrifice the f–pawn here by 10...f4. This leads to a complicated position, although after 11.¤xf4 ¤bc6 12.¥g2 cxd4 13.¥xd4 ¤f5 14.¥f2 d4 15.¥xc6+ bxc6 16.£f3 White’s prospects still look better. 11.¤f4 Mission accomplished. For the

next 30+ moves, Black will be saddled with doubled g–pawns(!).11...a6 White has a number of promising options here, including 11...cxd4.12.¥g2 12.¤ce2!? was also interesting, e.g. 12...cxd4 13.¤xd4 £a5+ 14.c3 ¤xe5 15.£b3 0–0–0 16.0–0–0©. 12...cxd4 13.¥xd4 XIIIIIIIIY

9r+-wqkvl-tr0

9+p+-snpzp-0

9p+n+-+l+0

9+-+pzPpzPp0

9-+-vL-sN-+0

9+-sN-+-+-0

9PzPP+-+LzP0

9tR-+QmK-+R0

xiiiiiiiiy13...¤xd4 After this capture, Black will soon find himself in a lost position. Probably he should have considered 13...h4 14.¤cxd5 h3 15.¥f3 ¤xd5 16.¤xd5 ¦c8. 14.£xd4 ¤c6 15.£f2 15.£a4 also led to a big advantage for White, the tactical point behind the move being 15...b5? 16.¥xd5! winning. 15...¥b4 15...d4 16.0–0–0 ¥c5 17.¤cd5±. 16.0–0–0± ¥xc3 17.bxc3 £a5 XIIIIIIIIY

9r+-+k+-tr0

9+p+-+pzp-0

9p+n+-+l+0

9wq-+pzPpzPp0

9-+-+-sN-+0

9+-zP-+-+-0

9P+P+-wQLzP0

9+-mKR+-+R0

xiiiiiiiiyBlack’s bishop on g6 is a dead piece, while White is constantly threatening the e5–e6 pawn push. Quite simply White has a very large advantage here and if it had been the pre–retirement Garry playing the white pieces, the game would have been as good as over. 18.¦xd5 Kasparov plays it safe, transposing to an easily won endgame. 18.¥xd5 is also strong. 18...£xc3 19.£c5! £xc5 20.¦xc5 0–0 21.¥xc6 bxc6 22.¦d1

Technically Black is still a pawn up, however: (a) Black is about to lose his queenside pawns, (b) the black ¥g6 does not have any future and (c) there is the ongoing threat of the e5–e6 pawn push.

Therefore Black’s position is utterly hopeless. However, the subsequent play shows that even the greatest grandmasters can lose their sharpness when out of practice through many years of premature retirement. After strategically totally outplaying his opponent, Kasparov now fails to deliver the final blow time and time again. Moreover, in a dramatic turn of events Garry will not only miss an endless number of wins but ultimately even lose! The rest of the game deserves only limited comments. 22...¦ab8 23.c4 23.e6 ¦fe8 24.¦d7 ¦b6 25.e7 ¢h7 26.h4 wins. Total domination!. 23...¦fd8 24.¦d6 ¢f8 25.¦cxc6 ¦dc8 26.¢c2 h4 27.¦xc8+ ¦xc8 28.¢c3 a5 29.¦a6 ¦b8 XIIIIIIIIY

9-tr-+-mk-+0

9+-+-+pzp-0

9R+-+-+l+0

9zp-+-zPpzP-0

9-+P+-sN-zp0

9+-mK-+-+-0

9P+-+-+-zP0

9+-+-+-+-0

xiiiiiiiiy30.¦xa5 Passed pawns must be pushed! 30.c5 ¦b1 (30...¢e7 31.¦xa5 ¦b1 32.¦a7+ ¢d8 33.¢c4 wins) 31.c6 decides. 30...¦b1 31.c5 ¦e1 32.¦a8+ ¢e7

bACkTo THe FUTUre

By GM Ivan Sokolov With great anticipation the chess world awaited the return of the king. I think we can safely say that we got the playing style we expected. Dynamic, direct, and not shying away from theoretical battles!

Garry Kasparov 2812David Navara 2737

Garry Kasparov in St.Louis

lthough Garry did play at the Sinquefield tournament last year, this time it had a more serious format. The passage of time did not appear to have changed anything much in Garry’s approach to chess, although his long layoff does seem to have damaged his practical skills.

In the rapid stage of the event Kasparov lost three games (to Nepomniachtchi, Navara and Caruana) - pretty much every one of these due to a lack of practice. The most dramatic of these encounters was his game with Navara.

XIIIIIIIIY

9r+-+-trk+0

9+-+-+pzp-0

9p+p+-+l+0

9+-tR-zPpzPp0

9-+-+-sN-+0

9+-+-+-+-0

9P+P+-+-zP0

9+-mKR+-+-0

xiiiiiiiiy

Ph

oto

by

Mar

ia E

mal

ian

ova

FALL 201710 american CHESS MAGAZINE 11

K A S P A R O V I N S T . L O U I S

33.¦a7+ ¢e8 XIIIIIIIIY

9-+-+k+-+0

9tR-+-+pzp-0

9-+-+-+l+0

9+-zP-zPpzP-0

9-+-+-sN-zp0

9+-mK-+-+-0

9P+-+-+-zP0

9+-+-tr-+-0

xiiiiiiiiy34.¤d3 34.e6 was an easy win: 34...¦e3+ 35.¢d2 ¦e4 36.¤xg6 fxg6 37.c6 and the white pawn marches on, e.g. 37...¦d4+ (37...¢d8 38.¦d7+ wins) 38.¢c3 ¦d6 39.c7 ¦c6+ 40.¢d4. 34...¦e3 I assume that both players around here were in terrible time pressure. 35.¢d2 Pushing the passed c–pawn also wins: 35.c6 f4 36.¦a8+ ¢e7 37.c7 ¦xd3+ (37...¥xd3 38.¦e8+ wins) 38.¢c4 ¦d2 39.c8£ ¦c2+ 40.¢b4 ¦xc8 41.¦xc8 f3 42.¦c4. 35...¦h3 35...f4 was Black’s best try, then 36.¤xf4 ¦xe5 37.c6 ¥f5. 36.c6 ¦xh2+ 37.¢e3 White could

have queened his c–pawn by 37.¢c3 f4 38.¦a8+ ¢e7 39.c7 ¥f5 40.¤b4 as Black cannot even give up his bishop for it after 40...¥d7 41.¤d5+ ¢e6 42.¤b6 ¦h1 43.¢b2 ¦h2+ 44.¢b3. 37...¦c2 XIIIIIIIIY

9-+-+k+-+0

9tR-+-+pzp-0

9-+P+-+l+0

9+-+-zPpzP-0

9-+-+-+-zp0

9+-+NmK-+-0

9P+r+-+-+0

9+-+-+-+-0

xiiiiiiiiy38.e6? 38.¤b4 still wins, since on 38...¦c4 follows 39.¦a8+ ¢e7 40.c7 and Black loses the exchange and then soon after the game. 38...h3 39.¤b4 39.¦a8+ ¢e7 40.¤f4 ¦xc6 (40...h2 41.¦h8 ¦xc6 42.¦xh2 ¦c3+ 43.¢d4 ¦f3 44.¤xg6+ fxg6=) 41.¦a7+ ¢e8 42.¦a8+ is only a draw. 39...f4+ Now 39...h2 40.¦a8+ ¢e7 41.¦h8 ¦c4 42.¤d5+ ¢xe6 43.¤f4+ ¢e5 44.¤d3+ ¢d6 45.¦xh2 ¦xc6 also looks drawish. 40.¢d4! Not 40.¢xf4?? h2 41.¦a8+ ¢e7 42.¦h8 (42.¤d5+ ¢xe6) 42...¦c4+ winning for Black. 40...h2 41.¦a8+ ¢e7 42.¦h8 ¦d2+ Yet another drawing line is 42...¦c1 43.¤d5+ ¢xe6 44.c7 ¦d1+ 45.¢c5 (45.¢c4? ¥d3+ 46.¢b4 ¥a6) 45...¦c1+ 46.¢d4=. 43.¢c5 ¥e4 44.c7 ¥b7 XIIIIIIIIY

9-+-+-+-tR0

9+lzP-mkpzp-0

9-+-+P+-+0

9+-mK-+-zP-0

9-sN-+-zp-+0

9+-+-+-+-0

9P+-tr-+-zp0

9+-+-+-+-0

xiiiiiiiiy45.¢b6 Though it could hardly be expected for a human to find it in a rapid game, 45.a3!! is a computer win. Black does not have a good move, whereas the pawn on a3 in some lines protects the

white king from checks along the a–file!For example: A) 45...¢xe6 46.¢b6 ¥c8 47.¦xc8 h1£ 48.¦e8+ ¢f5 49.c8£+; B) 45...fxe6 46.¢b6 ¥c8 47.¤c6+ ¢f7 48.¦xc8 ¦b2+ 49.¢a6 h1£ 50.¤e5+ ¢e7 51.¦e8+ ¢d6 52.c8£; C) 45...f3 46.¢b6 ¥c8 47.¦xc8 h1£ 48.¤c6+ ¢xe6 49.¦e8+ ¢f5 50.c8£+ wins; D) 45...g6 46.¢b6 ¥c8 47.¦xc8 h1£ 48.¤c6+ £xc6+ (48...¢xe6 49.¦e8+ ¢f5 50.c8£+) 49.¢xc6 ¦c2+ and now the pawn on a3 comes in handy for White! 50.¢b7 ¦b2+ 51.¢a8 f3 52.exf7 ¢xf7 53.¦h8. 45...¥c8 46.¦xc8 h1£ 47.¦e8+ 47.¤c6+ is now a draw: 47...£xc6+ 48.¢xc6 ¦c2+ 49.¢b6 ¦b2+=. 47...¢xe8 48.c8£+ ¢e7 XIIIIIIIIY

9-+Q+-+-+0

9+-+-mkpzp-0

9-mK-+P+-+0

9+-+-+-zP-0

9-sN-+-zp-+0

9+-+-+-+-0

9P+-tr-+-+0

9+-+-+-+q0

xiiiiiiiiyMost likely frustrated by missing so many wins, Garry now makes a terrible losing blunder. 49.¤c6+?? 49.£c7+ was still a draw: 49...¢xe6 50.£c8+ ¢e5 (50...¦d7 51.£e8+ ¢d6 52.£b8+) 51.£c3+ ¦d4 52.¤c6+=. 49...£xc6+ 50.£xc6 ¦d6 White resigned. A really tragic end to the game for Kasparov.

As the event moved on to the blitz stage, Garry was steadily moving up to top gear and he ended with two wins. These games were also very nice. With regard to theoretical preparation, he did not come to Saint Louis empty handed, as his 9.h4! Nimzo novelty was a totally new concept in a well known theoretical position. After completely outplaying Aronian in this line, his lack of practice again showed and resulted in losing from a position where he had gained a large advantage. Nevertheless Garry finished the blitz on a high note and did not allow Nakamura to escape in the same 9.h4! line. It was in fact a game played at a very high level.

E36

Round 13, Saint Louis Blitz 2017

1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 ¥b4 4.£c2 0–0 5.a3 ¥xc3+ 6.£xc3 d5 7.¤f3 dxc4 8.£xc4 b6 In his prime, Kasparov was famous for introducing fresh opening ideas in known positions. Retirement...passage of time...did not seem to have changed him much in this respect! In this familiar position, Garry introduces a totally new concept by continuing... 9.h4! 9.¥g5 is the move played in many top games but against this Black has managed to hold his own. Here are just two of many high level examples where Black equalized: 9...¥a6 10.£a4 (10.£c2 h6 11.¥h4 c5 is considered equal)

A) 10...h6 11.¥h4 c5 12.dxc5 bxc5= W.So 2810 - V.Anand 2783, Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis 2017.B) 10...c5 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.¦d1 £b6 13.¥xf6 gxf6 14.¦d2 ¤c6 15.£g4+ ¢h8 16.£h4 ¢g7 17.£g4+ ¢h8 18.£h4 ¢g7 19.£g4+ ½–½ M.Carlsen 2772 - V.Kramnik 2759, Dortmund 2009.

gArrY'S nImzo-IndIAn ConCePT oF 9.h4

XIIIIIIIIY

9rsnlwq-trk+0

9zp-zp-+pzpp0

9-zp-+psn-+0

9+-+-+-+-0

9-+QzP-+-zP0

9zP-+-+N+-0

9-zP-+PzPP+0

9tR-vL-mKL+R0

xiiiiiiiiyWhite will now combine the ideas of:(a) kingside pawn advances, h5–h6 or g4–g5; (b) the rook lift, ¦h3 or ¦h4, and (c) a potential piece sacrifice on g5.

I do not know whether Kasparov fundamentally believes that White has a real advantage here or if it was a once only novelty, as was the case in no fewer than three other games played by Garry in Saint Louis, but the whole concept is new, dynamic and typical Kasparov–style chess. I would like to give all three of his games and add some new lines too.

9...¥b7 was the choice of Aronian and Anand in games that were also played in the blitz stage. Then 10.¥g5

Garry Kasparov 2812Hikaru Nakamura 2792

Garry inspired me. I flew to St. Louis to see him in person and I was not disappointed. Seeing him at the board reminded me that fierce determination is a key component to success.Scott PolingLafayette, CA

His rust-induced time management prevented him from reaping the fruits of his excellent opening preparation. GM Max IllingworthAustralia

Great for chess in general! His goal was to give more interest to this event (and for chess in general) and in my opinion WELL DONE!!! Kasparov is a great chess ambassador and promoter.Sebastien RemillardCanada

It was a genuine pleasure to meet Garry Kasparov and watch him play against some of world's elite. Kasparov is Kasparov, but perhaps it was too much too soon. Manuel InfanteOklahoma City, OK

Saint Louis, MO, August 14-19, 2017The Saint Louis Rapid

Name Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts1 Levon ARONIAN 2799 * ½ 1 0 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 122 Hikaru NAKAMURA 2792 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 113 Fabiano CARUANA 2807 0 ½ * ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 114 Ian NEPOMNIACHTCHI 2751 1 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 105 Leinier DOMINGUEZ 2739 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 96 LE Quang Liem 2739 1 1 1 ½ 0 * 0 ½ 0 0 87 Sergey KARJAKIN 2773 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 * 1 ½ 0 88 Viswanathan ANAND 2783 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 79 Garry KASPAROV 2812 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * 0 7

10 David NAVARA 2737 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 0 1 * 7

XIIIIIIIIY

9rsn-wq-trk+0

9zplzp-+pzpp0

9-zp-+psn-+0

9+-+-+-vL-0

9-+QzP-+-zP0

9zP-+-+N+-0

9-zP-+PzPP+0

9tR-+-mKL+R0

xiiiiiiiiy

Garry Kasparov vs David Navara. Photo by Maria Emelianova

Read

eRS

Vo

Ice