The Emirate of Sharjah is the third-largest of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Sharjah is about 1,000 square miles and has a population of around 800,000. It is the site of the first Sharjah Masters, a 230-player open Swiss sponsored by the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club and the ruler of Sharjah, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.
The Indian contingent is an amazing 94 players (compared to the 24 players from the UAE). There are no Americans, and just five Chinese and five Russian players. However there are 57 grandmasters and 32 international masters.
Today’s game features the highest-rated Chinese player present, Hao Wang, versus S. P. Sethuraman of India. Wang, realizing that you need to take chances if you have any hope of winning such a strong event, took a huge one when his rook ended up on h3. For some reason, he eschewed the winning 21…Qd5 to play the losing 21…Nh6 but this mistake did allow us to see a very nice concluding shot.
2017 1st Sharjah Chess Club, Sharjah, UAE
Hao Wang (2683) — S. P. Sethuraman (2629)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.a4 Move order does matter. With 7....0–0 Black was “threatening’’ to play the Marshall Gambit after 8.c3 d5. 8.a4 is a common anti-Marshall line if you’re not in the mood for all that theory. 8...Bb7 9.d3 d5!? A rarity here. It’s a kind of a delayed Marshall gambit. 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nbd2!? Declining the pawn after 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxe5 f6!? 12.axb5 axb5 13.Rxa8 Bxa8 14.c4!? Another approach is14.Ne4 Na5 15.Ba2 c5 16.c3 Qd7 17.Qe2 equal 14...bxc4 15.Nxc4 Kh8 16.d4 Bb4 17.Re4 Moving the rook seems to be forced as after 17.Bd2 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Bxb4 Nxb4 White is just down a pawn 17...Nde7 Building pressure on White’s d-pawn and heading towards the very useful f5 square. 18.Rh4!?? Taking a big chance as the rook may be really misplaced and so, White would be much worse. The computer prefers 18.Rg4, to keep an eye on his d-pawn and not to be forced to h3 after Black’s next. 18...Nf5 (18…f5 19.Rh4 threatening Ng5 is strong) 19.dxe5 Qxd1+ 20.Bxd1 Rd8 21.Be2 Ncd4 22.Nxd4 Nxd4 23.Bf1; or 18...Qc8 19.Ne3 exd4 20.Nxd4 Nxd4 21.Rxd4 Bc5 when both are equal. 18...Nf5 19.Rh3 Still hoping for attacking chances but it is too late for Rg4 as he just drops his d-pawn. 19...Ncxd4 or 19...exd4 20.g4 Nh6 21.Bc2 is about equal 20.Nxd4 exd4 20...Nxd4 21.Nxe5 Be4 (21…fxe5? 22.Rxh7+ wins) 22.Re3 fxe5 23.Rxe4 is equal. 21…Nxb3 is bad due to 22.Nf7+! 21.Qg4 Nh6? Losing on the spot. Not sure what Black feared but with 21…Qd5! he is on the verge of winning after 22.Bd2 Bxd2 23.Nxd2 Qc6 24.Bc4 Nh6 25.Qg3 Re8 Black is still up a pawn and White’s rook is very much out of play. 22.Bxh6 gxh6 23.Rg3! Setting a bit of a trap for Black, but there is really no good way to defend against 24.Qg7 mate 23...Rg8 I guess that Black thought this defended but he missed White’s next. 23...Qe7 fails to 24.Ne3 Bd5 25.Bxd5 dxe3 26.Qg8+ Rxg8 27.Rxg8# 24.Nd6!! As there is no good defense to either 25.Nf7 or 25.Qxg8 Qxg8 26.Rxg8 mate, Black gave up. Note that 24…Rxg4 25.Nf7+ Kg7 (or g8) 26.Rxg4+ and 27.Nxd8 wins and that 24.Ne5 is not as good due to 24…Bd5; 1–0
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
