@ Fischer Chess Academy _Mandar Shiraskar, 23/06/2024
Viswanathan Anand In fact, it is trapped. Bg2 ( 13...Bd5
Joel Lautier
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5
#teamscandi 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6
This move serves the purpose of
securing control of d5 and b5 and
presents the queen a diagonal to retreat
on. [ 5...Bf5 I personally prefer this move
as I consider it more flexible. I usually
postpone ...c6 until White plays Bd2. On
a good day, I may omit it if White
permits and play ...Nc6 and 0-0-0. ]
6.Bc4 Bf5 7.Ne5 Some have played
this against me in similar positions. I
usually find that Black is fine if Ne5 can
be met by ...Nbd7. Here the threat to f7
forces ...e6. 7...e6 8.g4 The g4 lines
are some of the most dangerous against
the Scandi. Black's margin of error is
very thin, but it is of course possible for
White to overpress and regret the pawn
thrusts. 8...Bg6 9.h4 Once g4 is played,
h4 is nearly a given. It's a classic
\"having said 'A', you must say 'B'
situation. 9...Nbd7 The intolerable
knight must be challenged. 10.Nxd7
Nxd7 11.h5 Be4 12.Rh3!? [%c_effect
h3;square;h3;type;Interesting;persistent;
true] I love a rook lift $1 This one
reminds a bit of Rh3 in Tal vs. Botvinnik.
[ 12.0-0! [%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;
GreatFind;persistent;true] Stockfish
has transistors of steel and
recommends castling kingside. It is hard
to convince a human to castle on a
kingside we have just denuded, but we
live in a pragmatic era. Maybe a modern
GM would play this. ] 12...Bg2
[ 12...0-0-0? [%c_effect c8;square;c8;
type;Mistake;persistent;true] 13.Bd2!
[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;GreatFind;
persistent;true] As soon as the knight is
unpinned, the bishop is in grave trouble.
1
14.Nxd5 ) 14.Rg3 Bh1 15.Ke2+-
Perhaps this is not the best way to trap
the bishop, but it is the funniest. ] 13.Re3
Nb6 [ 13...0-0-0∞ I don't know what
Lautier calculated here, but in the
absence of a refutation, I think it is time
to castle $1 The position is now
extremely complex and playable for both
sides. ] 14.Bd3 Nd5 [ 14...0-0-0?
[%c_effect c8;square;c8;type;Mistake;
persistent;true] 15.Bd2+- Placing the
knight on b6 prevented ...Qc7. Suddenly
the knight discovery is strong for White.
It is always tempting to delay castling,
but one often finds the window of
opportunity closed if one delays too
long. ] 15.f3!! [%c_effect f3;square;f3;
type;Brilliant;persistent;true] The bishop
is trapped on g2 $1 Anand keeps his eye
on the ball and doesn't worry about
either the rook or the knight on c3.
15...Bb4 [ 15...Nxe3! [%c_effect e3;
square;e3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]
16.Bxe3 Ba3!? [%c_effect a3;square;a3;
type;Interesting;persistent;true] 17.bxa3
Bxf3 18.Qd2±; 15...Nxc3? [%c_effect c3;
square;c3;type;Mistake;persistent;true]
16.bxc3 Qxc3+ 17.Bd2 Qxd4 18.Kf2
Bh3 19.Kg3+-; 15...Qc7!? [%c_effect c7;
square;c7;type;Interesting;persistent;
true] Black repositions the queen and
prepares to save the bisohp with ...Qh2
$1 16.Nxd5 Qg3+ 17.Kd2 cxd5
18.Qe1!+- [%c_effect e1;square;e1;type;
GreatFind;persistent;true] ] 16.Kf2!
[%c_effect f2;square;f2;type;GreatFind;
persistent;true] 16...Bxc3 17.bxc3
Qxc3 18.Rb1 Qxd4 19.Rxb7 Rd8
20.h6!! [%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;
Brilliant;persistent;true] This move
anticipates the next. Where does the
analyst assign the double exclamation
marks in such a case $2 To the
@ Fischer Chess Academy _Mandar Shiraskar, 23/06/2024 2

spectacular move or the one that

anticipates it $2 Why not both $6
[ 20.Bg6? [%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;
Mistake;persistent;true] is premature.
Qxd1 21.Rxe6+ ( 21.Bxf7+ Kf8
22.Ba3+ c5 23.Bxc5+ Ne7 24.Bxe7+
Kxf7 25.Bxd8+ Kg8 Black again
escapes. ) 21...Kf8 22.Ba3+ Ne7
23.Rexe7 Qd4+ 24.Kxg2 hxg6
Thanks to the queen's defense of g7,
Black evades mate. ] 20...gxh6 21.Bg6!!
[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;Brilliant;
persistent;true] Incredible $1 Anand
sacrifices his queen in anticipation of a
beautiful mate $1 This move is also a
\"quiet\" move in that no check is given
and no capture is made. However, the
threats to pick off the queen and give
mate are completely decisive. Black
cannot defend. 21...Ne7 [ 21...Qxd1
22.Rxe6+ Kf8 23.Bxh6+ Kg8 24.Bxf7#
😍 ] 22.Qxd4 Rxd4 23.Rd3! [%c_effect
d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;
true] A nice use of the \"lifeline\" tactic.
The rook is activated while the bishop is
left en prise for the moment. Ultimately,
the entire point is that the bishop on g2
is still trapped. Lautier played on a few
moves before resigning. 23...Rd8
24.Rxd8+ Kxd8 25.Bd3 Bh1 26.Be2
1-0