3530: Vishy Anand v Fabiano Caruana, Wijk 2018. Black has just offered a queen swap by Qa4-c4. How should the former world champion reply?
Shak Mamedyarov took a clear lead at Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee on Friday night when the 32-year-old won a marathon sixth-round encounter while most of his rivals only drew. The reigning world champion, Magnus Carlsen, is now a full point off the lead. Scores: Mamedyarov 4.5/6, Vishy Anand, Anish Giri and Wesley So 4, Carlsen and Vlad Kramnik 3.5. Gawain Jones, the British champion, facing the strongest event of his career at 30, has made an excellent start with 3/6 and drew with the former world champion Kramnik on Friday.
The most significant performer among the front runners is Mamedyarov. The Azeri has already qualified for the world title candidates in Berlin in March and has now jumped to world No 2 in the live ratings, a full 10 points clear of the US champion, Fabiano Caruana, who has begun badly with 2/6. Carlsen, seeking his first elite tournament win for 18 months, will be a touch disappointed to be on plus one.
Most of the world’s top 10 are playing in Wijk and another three – Levon Aronian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hikaru Nakamura – will be the favourites at Tradewise Gibraltar, the best open tournament on the calendar, which starts on Tuesday. England will be strongly represented by Michael Adams, Nigel Short and David Howell, all of whom have previous successes on the Rock. Gibraltar has the most generous women’s prize fund – £15,000 for first place – of any open tournament. Hou Yifan, who last year made a widely publicised protest against her pairings by resigning her final game in five moves, has opted for Wijk this time.
India’s former world champion Anand is 48 and for the past few years some well-intentioned friends have been suggesting that he retire. But the last few weeks have been among the most productive of his career. He won the world rapid, came third in the world blitz and scored the best win of the early rounds at Wijk. Afterwards he lamented that the daily brilliancy prize voted on by spectators had been abandoned since 2014.
Caruana chose the Petroff 2 Nf3 Nf6, which used to be the weapon of choice for players aiming for a half point as Black, was relegated for some years due to the popularity of the Berlin 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6, but has returned to favour as the main line Berlin with an early queen swap has been outmoded by 4 d3.
Caruana got in first with his prep, as Anand had not analysed 13...Bg6! whose tactical point is 14 Nxg6 fxg6! 15 fxe4 dxe4! when Black has at least a draw by perpetual check. At the board,the Indian found the strong plan 14 c5! and 16 Bb2! leading to a position where White had two light pieces for a rook. Later Anand missed the chance for 23 Nc4! followed by Nd6, but Caruana in turn went wrong at moves 27 (Qf5) and 28 (Qg6!). Back in control, Anand used his a pawn as a decoy to divert Black’s army from king defence, and set up this week’s puzzle.
Vishy Anand v Fabiano Caruana, Wijk 2018
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 d5 6 Bd3 Bd6 7 O-O O-O 8 c4 c6 9 Qc2 Na6 10 a3 Bg4 11 Ne5 Bf5 12 b4 Nc7 13 f3 Bg6! 14 c5! Bxe5 15 dxe5 Ng5 16 Bb2! d4 17 f4 Nd5 18 fxg5 Ne3 19 Qd2 Bxd3 20 Qxd3 Nxf1 21 Kxf1 Qxg5 22 Nd2 Qxe5 23 Nf3?! Qh5 24 Qxd4 f6 25 Qc4+ Kh8 26 Bc1 Rfe8 27 Bf4 a5?! 28 Bd6 axb4? 29 Qxb4 Qd5 30 Qxb7 h6 31 Kg1 Ra4 32 h3 Rc4 33 Qb2 Qd3 34 Ra2 Qd1+ 35 Kh2 Rc1 36 a4 f5 37 Qb7 f4 38 Bxf4 Rxc5 39 Rd2! Qxa4 40 Qf7 Rg8 41 Be5 Qc4 (see puzzle diagram)
3530 42 Rd6! and Black resigned in view of Qxf7 43 Rxh6 mate. If 42...Qc1 to guard h6 then 43 Rd8! with multiple threats. Instead 42 Qg6? fails to Rxe5! 43 Nxe5 Qf4+ forking rook and knight.