GM Ian Nepomniachtchi - GM Vladimir Fedoseev

Julius Baer Rapid Div 2 W, (2.1)


C43: Petrov, Modern Attack, symmetrical variation

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 The Petrov Defence - well, nothing exciting ever happens with this opening! 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nc3 Nxe5 7.dxe5 Bb4 8.O-O Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bxc3 10.Rb1 O-O 11.Bxh7+! All seen before, and although not a full "Greek gift" with an ensuing mating attack, good enough to gift Nepo the more promising position to build on. 11...Kxh7 12.Qd3+ Kg8 13.Qxc3 a5 14.Qd3!?N One thing about being a two-time back-to-back world championship challenger, is that your databases will be crammed with a plethora of interesting new opening novelties - and this looks like one of them from Nepo. Previously seen here has been 14.Rd1 that soon petered out to a draw recently with 14...Ra6 15.Rb5 Rc6 16.Qxa5 Rxc2 17.Rbxd5 Qh4 18.R5d2 b6 19.Qb5 Rxd2 20.Rxd2 and both players shook hands here in Svane,F-Cheparinov,I FIDE World Cup 2023. 14...Qd7 This weakens Black's dark-squares - but obviously, Fedoseev smells a rat here, fearing some deep prep from the ex -world championship challenger, and wanted to avoid the similar set-up with 14...Ra6 15.f4 Rc6 16.Rb5! and suddenly Black's in trouble with the d-pawn set to fall. 15.Rb5 Qc6 Also a good option was 15...d4!? The obvious move looks like the solid 15...c6 but after 16.Rb3, long-term Black will have problems developing his queenside bishop and rook due to the b-pawn; and also White can heap more pressure on the dark-squares with Bc1-a3-d6 etc. 16.Ba3 Re8 Fedoseev misses a trick here with the engine-accurate 16...b6! 17.Bxf8 Ba6 18.Rfb1 Rxf8 19.f4 Bxb5 20.Rxb5 Rd8 which, if anything, is marginally in Black's favour. 17.Rc5 Qb6 18.f4 c6 19.h3 Qa6 Fedoseev seeks to trade queens, after which the game is equal and heading for a draw - but Nepo isn't going to play ball, recognising that keeping the queens on the board is his best hope to win this otherwise equal position. 20.Qg3! Bf5 21.Qg5! All the momentum is certainly now with White, as Black's pieces are somewhat misplaced, especially with the queen being offside on a6. 21...Be4 22.Bb2! With the major threat of e6 looming. 22...Qb6 23.Bd4 Qd8 24.Qg4 Re6 Hoping to get ...Rg6 in - but although Nepo easily thwarts this, he inadvertently forces the black rook to a vital square for the outcome of the game! 25.f5 Rh6 26.Rf4 Qf8 27.Kh2 b6 28.Rc3 Renewing the e6 threat. 28...c5 29.Be3 Rh7 30.Rb3 The massed, misplaced Black pieces are indeed a sorry sight - and from such position you would expect White to be easily winning. 30...Qd8 31.f6 Also good and winning was the exchange sacrifice 31.Rxe4! dxe4 32.Qxe4 Rh4 33.g4 Rb8 34.e6! fxe6 35.Qxe6+ Kh8 36.Kg3! Rh7 37.Bf4 Qh4+ 38.Kg2 Rd8 39.Qxb6 and it is hard to see how Black is going to survive this with all his queenside pawns dropping like fall leaves from trees right now, not to mention his back-rank predicament. 31...Qe8 32.e6! The breakthrough looks imminent - and indeed, I would imagine Nepo was waiting for his opponent to resign at this point. Oh, how cruel chess can be! 32...Rb8? A bad move in a bad position - but unwittingly, it lays the groundwork for a remarkable swindle that doesn't just save the game but wins it! Nepo probably just banked on the "better" 32...Qxe6 33.Qxe6 fxe6 34.f7+ Kf8 35.Rxb6 and White's on easy street with just about all of Black's pawns dropping. 33.Bxc5! You can't help but feel for Nepo here, as he's finding all the best moves in a clearly winning position to force a pawn promotion..but all to no avail! 33...g6 The only move. If 33...bxc5 34.exf7+ Kxf7 (Forced, otherwise 34...Qxf7 35.Rxb8+ Qf8 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.Rxf8#) 35.fxg7+ Ke7 36.Rxb8 Qxb8 37.g8=Q and Black can resign. 34.Bd6 Rc8 35.e7 Rc6 36.Be5 Rh5 37.Bd4 Rxc2 38.Rg3! If this game were an opera, valkyrie Brünnhilde would be in the wings adjusting the horned helmet atop her head right now! But Usually in such scenarios, you just sit back and bask in your your wonderful play as you wait for the opponent to meekly resign. But here's the truth in the nugget that you should never resign, as chess can sometimes throw-up the miraculous 'Hail Mary' outcome. 38...Kh7 39.Bxb6 Rxa2 40.Qd1Blissful unaware of the hidden dangers, Nepo just gets carried away about how best to promote his e-pawn that he fails to see the hidden dangers. Simple and winning almost immediately was 40.Rxe4! dxe4 and only now 41.Qd1! Qb8 42.Qd7! where the engine is just that more alert to the pitfalls than the human! 40...Qb8?? Bad, in a bad position - yet strangely paradoxical at the same time, as it sets up the great rook 'n' roll swindle win! 41.Rxe4! dxe4 42.Qd8?? There's a good reason why Mr. Engine more cannily wants to play Qd7! 42...Qe5! And with it, suddenly all the engines start screaming "0.00" - but Nepo, blissfully unaware of the dramatic turnaround in the position, continues with his "winning plan". 43.e8=Q?? (see diagram) And with two queens on the board and mate to follow in a move or two, you sit back in all confidence, fold your arms and wait for your opponent to resign...but there's a little snafu! The only saving move was 43.Qd1 Ra3 44.Bf2 e3 with a draw looming. 43...Rxh3+!! Never mind the contrasting looks on both the players' faces by now, just picture the wicked smile appearing on David Smerdon's face as he watched this game, seeing more wonderful material to include in The Complete Chess Swindler II! 44.Kg1 Played more in a state of shell shock rather than realising that the jig was up and you had to resign. Nepo was probably oblivious to the fact that 44.Kxh3 allowed 44...Qh5#! 44…Qa1+ 0-1 As the Sex Pistols' lead singer, Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) once famously said at the premature end of the Winterland concert in 1978: "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"