Maxime’s opening CRASHES & BURNS
Despite Vachier Lagrave’s extensive praxis in the opening line that occurred today, the Azerbaijan superstar clearly demonstrated the drawbacks to his pet line and by move 11 Vachier Lagrave must have known that the struggle was already lost.
Radjabov did his homework better than the French superstar. Known for his limited but well worked out opening repetoire, the realization that Vachier Lagrave had been playing an inferior line for so long without ever having being punished for it — and then to lose without a fight today — in perhaps the most important game of his life up to now…what more can one say?
This loss clearly must have been painful for the Frenchman. If there is a lesson to be drawn from this, then it might be this: one should not play in the classic time controls what one can get away with at the faster time controls!?
In the meantime, the Chinese stars Yu and Ding drew a boring game. Tomorrow they will play the tiebreak to see which one will meet Radjabov in the finals.
gm Radjabov – gm Vachier Lagrave World Cup r6.g2 27.9.2019 1-0
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 Nxc3 6.dxc3$5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">The Frenchman has no less than 6 published games from this position</strong>} Qc7
({<strong style="color:black;">Pretty boring is </strong> } 6...Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Bf5 8.Nd2 Nc6 9.e4 Bg6 10.Bb5 {<strong style="color:black;">Carlsen,M – Vachier Lagrave,M , Saint Louis USA 5/ 8/2017 5th Sinquefield Cup</strong> }
) 7.e4 e6 ({<strong style="color:black;">The more often seen move is </strong> } 7...Nc6{<strong style="color:black;">which Vachier Lagrave himself had played 3 times before. I don’t know if it would make any difference. </strong> } ) 8.Bd3!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">New. And very logical.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Previously Vachier Lagrave had seen </strong> } 8.Be3 Bd7 ( 8...Be7 9.Be2 O-O 10.O-O
Bd7 11.Qd2 Bc6 12.Bf4 Qa5 13.Qc2 {<strong style="color:black;">So,W – Vachier Lagrave,M , Abidjan CIV 12/ 5/2019 Cote d’Ivoire Blitz</strong> }
) 9.Nd2 Bc6 10.Qg4 Nd7 11.Qg3 {<strong style="color:black;">Svidler,P – Vachier Lagrave,M , Baden Baden 26/ 4/2019 GRENKE</strong> })
Be7 9.Qe2 Bd7 10.O-O O-O$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Given what occurs in the game, there is an argument to delay castling </strong>} 11.e5!$16{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White has an ideal piece formation for a kingside attack</strong>} Bc6{<strong style="color:black;">White’s Qe4 must be stopped </strong> } 12.Ng5!{[#]} h6$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">One of the rare times when Vachier Lagrave’s extraordinary calculating skills fails him.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Probably the best chance is the provocative </strong> } 12...g6 13.Nxh7!
c4! ( {<strong style="color:black;">Losing immediately is </strong> } 13...Kxh7? 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Bxg6 fxg6 16.Qxg6+ Kh8 17.Qh5+
Kg8 18.Bh6!{<strong style="color:black;">with an unstoppable attack </strong> } ) 14.Bc2$6 {<strong style="color:black;">Now Black can take the piece: </strong> }
({<strong style="color:black;">Perhaps Vachier Lagrave feared </strong> } 14.Bxg6$5 fxg6 15.Nxf8 Bxf8 16.Qg4 Qf7 17.Qxc4 Nd7 {<strong style="color:black;">with a big material advantage for White. However, there is still a lot of fight left. </strong> } )
Kxh7! 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Bxg6 fxg6 17.Qxg6+ Kh8 18.Qh5+ Kg8
19.Bh6 Bc5!{<strong style="color:black;"> and Black pushes the attack back.</strong> } )
13.Bh7+! ( 13.Nh7$6 Rd8! ) Kh8 14.Bc2{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 14.Bb1! Nd7
15.Qd3 g6 16.Nxe6 )
c4 15.Re1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White solidifies his e-pawn before going in for the kill</strong>} Qd8 ( 15...Na6 16.b4! ) 16.Nh3! Qd5
17.Nf4 Qc5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 18.Bb1$5
( 18.Qg4$5! Nd7 19.Be3 Qxe5 20.Ng6+ fxg6 21.Qxg6
Kg8 22.Bxh6 Qf6 23.Qh7+ Kf7 24.Bxg7 Qxg7 25.Bg6+ Kf6 26.Rxe6+
Kxe6 27.Qxg7 )
Bg5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 19.Nxe6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The exclam is for domination. Actually, almost any good attacking move gets an overwhelming advantage.</strong>} ({<strong style="color:black;">Some observers have noted that</strong> } 19.b4! {<strong style="color:black;">is even stronger. It may be, but Radjabov shows in this game that even 2nd best moves in his position is more than enough to win. </strong> } ) fxe6 20.Bxg5 Qd5 21.Qg4
( 21.f4 ) Nd7 {?!} ({<strong style="color:black;">Vachier Lagrave was not interested in playing a hopeless ending after </strong> } 21...Qxg2+ 22.Qxg2 Bxg2 23.Kxg2 hxg5 24.Bg6
Nd7 25.Rad1 Nc5 26.Rd4{<strong style="color:black;">when Black has no play and White has all the trumps. </strong> } ) 22.Be4 Nxe5 23.Qh5 Qb5 24.Bxh6! Bxe4
25.Bf4+ Kg8 26.Qxe5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The smoke has cleared and White has an extra pawn plus a big positional advantage. The rest of the game is technical.</strong>} Bd5 ( {<strong style="color:black;">Hopeless would be </strong> }26...Qxe5 27.Bxe5 Bd5 28.Rad1 Rad8
29.Rd4 b5 30.Rg4 Rf7 31.h4{<strong style="color:black;">and White wins as he chooses. </strong> } ) 27.Re2 Rf5 28.Qe3 Qe8 29.f3 Qg6
30.h4 Raf8 31.Bg5 a6 32.Rd1 Qe8 33.Rd4 Qc6 34.Rg4 Kh7 35.Bf4
R8f7 36.Be5 b5 37.Qf2 Qd7 38.Qg3 Rh5 39.Bd4 Qc7 40.Re5 Rhf5 41.Rg5
Kg8 42.h5 Rxg5 43.Qxg5 Qe7 44.Qg4 Rf5? {<strong style="color:black;">A blunder in a lost position </strong> } 45.Qxf5 1-0
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