ODT090922

=**Substitute wins Grand Slam Final**=




 * Problem:** White to play and mate in three.

The second Grand Slam Masters Final took place in Bilbao, Spain earlier this month. The four players in the double round-robin qualified by winning one of the four Grand Slam events over the last 12 months: Sergey Karjakin, the winner of Wijk ann Zee, Alexander Grischuk, winner of Ciudad de Linares, Alexei Shirov, winner in Sofia, and Levon Aronian, second-place in Nanking, since the winner, Veselin Topalov, turned down his invitation to Bilbao. But not only did the substitute player win in Bilbao, he did it with a round to spare. After a first round loss to Grischuk, Aronian racked up four straight wins, a rare event in elite chess. The final score (3 points for a win and 1 for a draw) were Aronian 13, Grischuk 8, Karjakin 7 and Shirov 4.

Today's game is the first of Aronian's wins, playing White against Karjakin in round two. In an echo of our last column it features a mating attack with just rooks and bishop. The notes are based on those of Karsten Mueller on Chessbase. media type="custom" key="26376402" A well-known idea in this line of the Nimzo-Indian, leading to a forced series of exchanges. In the earliest games in this line in 1960, white played 16 Bxe6+, but White's extra f-pawn is worth little. The text move aims to keep the black knights passive while bring up White's major pieces. Exchanging queens would leave White's rooks and bishops dominant, whereas this move eyes up the weak doubled f-pawns. Underestimating the power of the remaining White pieces. After 22...h6 23 Qxf7 Rxf7 the rook guards the 7th rank and White's extra pawn is no danger. Accepting the pawn sacrifice was unwise and gets the black rook offside, while it's white counterparts bear down on g7 – instead 24 ... Kg8 25 Rxa7 Rf7 safeguarding the king was necessary. Not 27 Rgxg7? allowing the pin 27 ... Rg8. After 28 Bd4 Rxg7+ 29 Rxg7 Rd3 Black survives. The toughest defence was 28 ... Rd8 29 Rxh5+ Kg8 30 Rg5 Kh8 31 Rgxg7 Rg8 32 Bd4 Rxg7+ 33 Rxg7 Rd3. Getting caught in a mating net. The counter-attack 28 ... Ne6!? fails to 29 Rh5+ (Not 29 Rxe6?? Rc1+ 30 Kg2 h3 mate!) 29... Kg8 30 Rxe6 h3 31 Be3 Rxa2 32 Rxh3. The threat of 31 Bc1+ mating means the rook is lost.
 * 1.d4 Nf6**
 * 2.c4 e6**
 * 3.Nc3 Bb4**
 * 4.e3 O-O**
 * 5.Bd3 c5**
 * 6.Nf3 d5**
 * 7.O-O dxc4**
 * 8.Bxc4 Nbd7**
 * 9.Qe2 b6**
 * 10.Rd1 cxd4**
 * 11.exd4 Bb7**
 * 12.d5 ---**
 * 12. --- Bxc3**
 * 13.dxe6 Bxf3**
 * 14.gxf3 fxe6**
 * 15.bxc3 Qc7**
 * 16.Ba3!? ---**
 * 16. --- Nc5**
 * 17.Rd4 Kh8**
 * 18.Re1 Rac8**
 * 19.Qe5 Qf7**
 * 20.Bc1 Nd5**
 * 21.Bxd5 exd5**
 * 22.Qxd5 Qxf3?**
 * 23.Qxf3 Rxf3**
 * 24.Re7! Rxc3?**
 * 25.Be3 Ra3**
 * 26.Rg4 h5**
 * 27.Rg5! ---**
 * 28.--- h4?!**
 * 28.Bd4 Kh7**
 * 29.Rgxg7+ Kh6**
 * 30.Bb2 Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Bxb5+! axb5 (1... Bc6 2 Bxc6+ Rxc6 3 Rd8#) 2 Nc7+! Rxc7 3 Rd8#.