Today’s game comes from the 2017 World Rapid Championship in Saudi Arabia. It’s between Russia’s youngest grandmaster Andrey Esipenko, 15, and recent world championship challenger Sergey Karjakin. Last time we saw Esipenko, he was one of the “princes’’ in the “Nutcracker Battle of the Generations’’ that ended on Christmas Eve. His tournament was either feast or famine as he finished with 7 wins, 7 losses and only 1 draw. His game against Karjakin must be considered his event’s high point. As for Karjakin, this must be yet another warning sign of bad things to come in the Candidates this coming March. Playing listless and somewhat indifferent chess, he finished in 34th place. The game itself is surprisingly one-sided and has been chosen for one move and one move only, a move that chess players of all ages and ranks, dream of playing one day.

 2017 World Rapid, Riyadh KSA

Sergey Karjakin (2760) — Andrey Esipenko (2564)

 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 The Caro-Kann Two Knights, a not terribly ambitious choice. 3...Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Nf6 6.d3 e6 7.Bd2 Once upon a time (1959), Bobby Fischer preferred g3 here against Keres and Petrosian. 7...Qb6 8.0–0–0 d4 9.Ne2 c5 10.e5?! This works out very badly for White. Something like 10.g4 Bd6 11.Qg2 Nc6 12.Kb1 0–0–0 13.f4 Nd7 14.Nc1 f6 15.Be2 is a better approach 10...Nd5 11.Nf4 This knight now just gets in the way. 11...Nb4 12.Kb1 Nd7 13.Qe4 Nc6 While Black’s knights are working very harmoniously. 14.Nh5 Knights on the rim are dim and grim. 14...0–0–0 if14...Ncxe5 then White gets enough for the pawn but not much more 15.f4 Nc6 16.f5 e5 17.g4 c4 Returning the pawn for attacking chances 18.dxc4 0-0-0 19.Qe1 Nc5 20.f6 g3 21.Ng3 Na4 22.b3 Bb4 23.Ne4 Bxd2 24.Rxd2 Kb8 with basic equality 15.f4 c4 16.dxc4 Ba3 17.Bc1 Nc5 Don’t look now but Black has four pieces aimed at White’s king and White’s knight is still offside and his Bishop is all set for the next game. 18.Qf3 18...d3! To be honest, the engines, to a chip, think the game is over now. The point is to break the communication of White’s queen to a3 and to weaken b3 as we shall see. 19.cxd3 Not 19.Bxd3 Bxb2 20.Bxb2 Na4 wins; Or 19.Qf2 dxc2+ 20.Qxc2 Nb4 21.Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.Qc3 Ne4 23.Qxa3 Rd1 with just too many threats 19...Na4 20.Rd2 Nd4 Black’s knights are certainly hopping all over the place! 21.Qf2 Nc3+ 22.Ka1 Qb3!! A move that chess players can only dream of playing The threat is just 23.Qxa2 mate 23.bxc3 Only move; 23.axb3 Nxb3#; 23.bxa3 Qb1#; 23...Qxc3+ 24.Bb2 Bxb2+ 25.Rxb2 Qc1+ 26.Rb1 Nc2+ 27.Qxc2 Qxc2 Sad times forWhite, He’s now down a queen for two pieces, his king exposed, his knight is still on the rim and his remaining bishop ready to go for the next game. 28.g3 b5! Opening lines against White’s king. 29.cxb5 or 29.Rxb5 Qd1+ wins the knight 29...Rd4 Since there is no good defense to Qc3+ and then Rb4, White gave up; 0–1

Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.