Today’s game comes from the recent 119th US Open won in exciting fashion by the “Blindfold King,’’ Timur Gareyev. It’s a last round encounter between 19-year-old Andrew Tang from Minnesota and Turkish, via Ukraine, GM Alexander Ipatov. Tang, desperate for a win and some vindication from his terrible US Junior result, was determined to go down fighting. Ipatov, needing a win to have any chance at money or the title, decided to avoid all theory or preparation to maybe confuse his young opponent and chose a rather off-beat opening. Sadly for him, it didn’t go as planned as Tang played a solid game, capping it off with a nice sacrifice to end up in sixth place.
119th U.S. Open, Madison, WI
Andrew Tang (2507) — Alexander Ipatov (2650)
1.d4g62.c4Bg7 3.Nc3 e6?! I can’t help myself. 3...d6 would take you into normal lines of the Modern. This, e6 just seems to me to take Black into nothing but trouble. The older, more experienced Ipatov needs a win, so he tries to get young Tang out any preparation he might have but it doesn’t work 4.Nf3Ne7 5.h4!? With the knight on e7, this is often the reply. 5...h6 6.Bf4d6 6...0–0 leads to some very scary complications: 7.Qd2 Kh7 (7...h5 8.g4 hxg4 9.Ne5 g3 10.h5 gxf2+ 11.Kxf2 g5 12.h6 Bxe5 13.Bxe5 f6 14.Bg3 Nf5 may be OK for Black) 8.h5 g5 9.Bxg5 hxg5 10.Nxg5+ Kh8 11.h6 Bf6 12.Nge4 Ng6 13.Nxf6 Qxf6 14.e3 with an unclear position 7.Qd2Nd7 We are getting closer to a sane and sensible “Hippopotamus’’ setup. He just needs a6, b6 and Bb7 and he will be singing with the Angels. 8.0–0–0!? I wonder about this move. Works out fine as Black castles kingside eventually but what happens if he just waits. 8...Nc6?! Wrong plan again, a6, b6, Bb7 9.e4 e5? This is just a positional mistake 10.dxe5 Ndxe5?! 10...dxe5 is the only sensible move here, 10...dxe5 11.Be3 Nf6 (11...Nf8 12.Qxd8+ Nxd8 13.Nb5 Nfe6 14.Nxa7 Bd7 15.h5 g5 16.Kb1 id somewhat better for White) 12.Qxd8+ Nxd8 13.Nxe5 wins a pawn 11.c5! Sadly for Black, the position is opening up with his king stuck in the center 11...Bg4 11...Be6 12.Bb5 12.Qe3h5 Trying to get castled without losing his h-pawn 13.Nxe5Nxe514.Bb5+c6 Maybe 14...Kf8 is more sensible: 15.f3 Be6 16.Bg5 f6 17.Bf4 a6 18.Be2 Kf7 19.Kb1 Qd7 20.cxd6 cxd6 21.Nd5 with a very solid plus for White 15.Rxd6Qa516.Qd4f6 17.Ba4 0–0 Finally, it just cost him his d-pawn to do it 18.f3 Bc8 A sad retreat 19.Rd1 It seems White owns the d-file now 19...Kh720.Bb3 Taking control of a very important diagonal as we shall see 20...Qc721.Qf2 Qe7 22.Kb1 Re8 23.Qg3 With the thought of 24.Bxe5 Qxe5 25.f4 Qe7 (25...Qxc5 26.Bf7) 26.e5 23...Nf7 24.R6d2 f5? This loses on the spot. Black obviously tied of defending, lashes out to ill consequences. Necessary was 24...Ne5 25.Ne2 Qxc5 26.Bxe5 Qxe5 (or 26…fxe5 27.Rd6 Qg7 28.Rd8 Rxd8 29.Rxd8 Qe7 30.Rxf8 Qxf8 31.Qxe5 Bd7 32.Qc7 Qc8 33.Qd6 Qe8 34.Nf4 Rd8 35.Qf6 wins as there is no good defense to Bf7) 27.Nf4 g5 28.hxg5 fxg5 29.Nxh5 Qxg3 30.Nxg3 Be5 31.Nf5 Bxf5 32.exf5 is much better for White but Black is still playing 25.Rd6! An exchange sacrifice just to get at g6 25...Nxd626.Rxd6Bf627.e5!Rf828.exf6Rxf629.Qg5 A cute move as there is no good way to stop Qh6 mate: 29...Qg7 30.Rxf6.So, Black gave up; 1–0
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
