The Asian Nations Cup is a team event for members of the Asian Chess Association. The winner earns the right to represent Asia in the 2017 World Team Championship, but in recent years it has really been a testing ground to see who is better: China or India. Last year, the Chinese won. So this year, the Indians had extra motivation. Driven by a 3-1, fifth-round victory over the favored Chinese, the jubilant Indians are this year’s Asian Cup champions.
The crucial game in the high-pressure India vs. China match was the third board meeting between the prodigy Wei Yi (17) and Santosh Vidit (21). You had to think Wei was favored, but Vidit steered the game into a quiet, positional struggle in which Wei, seemingly uncomfortable, played poorly. And with each weak move by Wei, Vidit built his advantage until Wei blundered.
2016 Asian Nations Cup, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Wei Yi (2714) — Santosh Vidit (2648)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Anything to avoid the Berlin Defense. 3...Bc5 4.d3?! 4.b4! Just joking, sort of, but the Evans Gambit is certainly more interesting than the ancient Giuoco Piano. 4...Nf6 5.c3 0–0 6.0–0 d5 7.exd5Nxd5 8.Nbd2 Nb6 9.Bb5 Bd6 10.Re1 10.a4 strikes me as a better approach when after 10…a6 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.a5 Nd5 13.Nc4 Qf6 14.d4 e4 15.Nfe5 White has an advantage. 10...Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Ne4 f5 13.Ng3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Qd7 15.a4 a6 16.Bxc6 bxc6 For the bad pawns, Black has better control of the center but one has to feel that White is somewhat better here. 17.c4?! Rather dubious as it weakens d4 and d3. I think the idea is to force the Black knight back to c8 by taking d5 away after 18.a5, but I think it is a serious error in judgment. 17...Rab8 18.a5 Nc8 d6 or e7 are good squares for the knight. And now note that 17…Rb8 has a purpose. 19.c5? This has to be a positional mistake. In a few moves, Black is exceedingly active and White is just hanging on. 19...Bxc5 20.Rxe5 Bd4! 21.Re1 White must have missed that 21.Rxf5 loses an exchange to. 21…Ne7 22.Rf4 (Not 22.Rxf8 Rxf8 and f2 falls) 22…Ng6 trapping the rook. 21...Nd6 Heading to d4 via b5 where it will be very happy. White is not doing well here. 22.Ne2?! The computer likes 22.Qd1 Bxb2 23.Bxb2 Rxb2 24.Qc1 Rb5 25.Nh5 h6 26.Qd2 keeping White’s disadvantage to a minimal. 22...Rfe8 Move by move, White’s position gets harder to play. Now the pin on the e-file is an issue. 23.Bf4 Just giving up the pawn to finish his development. 23.Rd1 seems better when after 23…Bxb2 24.Bxb2 Rxb2 25.Nd4 Nb7 26.Nxc6 Ree2 27.Rac1 Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Rxf2 29.Kxf2 White may hold with his two rooks. 23...Bxb2 24.Rab1 Nb5! 25.Ng3 Not 25.Rxb2 Nd4 25...Bc3 There goes White’s a-pawn. 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8 27.Be3 g6 28.Qd1 Threatening RxN and then Qb3+ 28...Bxa5 29.Ra129...Bb6 29...f4 is better when after 30.Rxa5 (30.Bxf4 Re1+ 31.Qxe1 Bxe1 32.Rxe1 Qxd3) 30...fxe3 31.f3 Rd8 32.Rxa6 Qxd3 33.Qxd3 Rxd3 Black is winning. Now, White gets some counterplay. 30.Bxb6 cxb6 31.Rxa6 f4?! The computer much prefers the centralizing 31…Qd4 to minimize White’s counterplay against Black’s somewhat exposed king. 32.Ne2 f3 33.Nf4?? 33.Ng3 should hold when after 33…fxg2 34.Qb3+ Kh8 35.Qb2+ Qd4 36.Qxd4+ Nxd4 37.Rxb6 the win seems problematical. 33...Nd4 34.Ra1 Rf8 Since 35.g3 loses to 35….Rxf4 36.gxf4 Qxh3 37.Qf1 Ne2+ 38.Qxe2 Qg2# and 35.Qd2 to 35…RxN 36.QxN Ne2+, Black gave up; 0–1
