Among the 21 or so Indian players at the 2016 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival was 15-year-old Chithambaram Aravindh. He has been touted as a possible successor to former world champion Viswanathan Anand. Two years ago, he came out of nowhere to win the Chennai Grandmaster Open with a performance rating of 2728. ChessBase.com published an article with the headline: “The next Anand? Aravindh a special Indian talent.’’ It has been a bit of struggle for Aravindh, but he got his grandmaster title last year and may still fulfill the hope of Indian chess.
Today’s game is Aravindh’s third-round victory over the veteran Indian player Chanda Sandipan. Sandipan seems to play a couple indifferent moves that led to White getting a serious initiative, which, in a very nice attacking style, the Indian teenager converts into a win.
2016 Gibraltar Masters, Caleta, England
Chithambaram Aravindh (2500) — Chanda Sandipan (2583)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 Transposing into the classical line in the Scheveningen Sicilian. Scheveningen is a Dutch seaside town where a tournament was held in which this line was first ventured. 7.0–0 Be7 8.f4 0–0 9.a4 Nc6 10.Be3 Qc7 11.Kh1 Bd7 12.Nb3 b6 13.Bf3 All of this has been seen many times before. The most common move here is 13…Rab8. Black’s choice is very rare. 13...Rae8!? I have just one game with this in my database. Not sure if it is good or not. We will see. 14.g4! A new move. 14.Qe2 was played in the game mentioned.
14...Bc8 Making room for the knight 15.g5 Nd7 16.Bg2 f6!? An interesting attempt by Black to attack White’s kingside, but it also weakens e6 and his king side. 17.h4 fxg5 18.hxg5 g6?! f6 will now become a target. Better was just 18...Bb7 with a very double-edged position. 19.Qe2 Rf7 Black is really not paying attention here. 19...Nc5 is required. 20.Qc4 Now the pressure on e6 and the pin on the c6 knight are annoying. 20...Bf8 The point of 19…Rf7 but now White gets an initiative 21.Nd4 Ndb8 Sadly forced as 21..Nc5 loses to 22.Nxc6 Qxc6 23.b4 and 21...Bb7 to 22.Nxe6 22.f5! The computer prefers the calmer 22.Nc6 but Aravindh, in his youthful enthusiasm, follows another path. 22...gxf5 Maybe saner was 22...Nxd4 23.Qxd4 Nc6 24.Qxb6 Qxb6 25.Bxb6 Ne5 26.fxe6 Bxe6 27.a5 Rc8 though a pawn down, Black can put up a lot more resistance. 23.exf5 d5 Again 23...Nxd4 may be better as after 24.Qxd4 Bb7 25.fxe6 Bxg2+ 26.Kxg2 Rxe6 27.Rxf7 Qxf7 28.Rf1 Qb7+ 29.Kh2 Qc6 30.Qf4 Qe8 31.Nd5 is still better for White but Black has chances. 24.fxe6 dxc4 If 24...Rxf1+ 25.Qxf1 or 24...Bxe6 25.Nxd5 Qe5 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 27.Rxf7 Kxf7 28.Qh4 Kg7 29.Nf6 are both much better for White 25.exf7+ Qxf7 26.Rxf7 Kxf7 27.Rf1+ Kg7 28.Nxc6 Nxc6 29.Bxb6 29.Bxc6 Rxe3 29...Nb4 White’s extra pawn and more active pieces give him a large advantage. 30.Bd4+ Kg6 Going back to g8 is safer but after 30...Kg8 31.Ne4 Nd5 32.Nd6 Bxd6 33.Bxd5+ Be6 34.Bc6 Rf8 35.Rxf8 Kxf8 Black will just be ground down. 31.Be4+ Kxg5 32.Kg2 Now White weaves a mating net around Black’s king. 32...Be7 33.Be3+ Kh4 or 33...Kg4 34.Bf3+ Kh4 (34...Kf5? 35.Bh5+)35.Rh1+ Bh3+ 36.Rxh3# 34.Rh1+ Kg4 Now if White could only play Nf2, it would be mate. So, how does White get a knight there? 35.Nd1! Bh4 Also losing is 35…Rf8 36.Rxh7 Bd6 37.Bh6 Bc5 38.Bxf8 Bxf8 39.Rh8 36.Bf3+ Kf5 37.Rxh4 Nxc2 38.Kf2 Down a piece and about to lose his c-pawn, Black gave up; 1–0.
