Chess News: Your Daily Update - London Classic begins

IM Malcolm Pein
December 1, 2023

DOMMARAJU Gukesh and Hans Niemann headline the 2023 London Chess Classic, where play gets under way today. Gukesh, a 17-year-old Indian, knows that a good result in London will give him a chance of pipping Anish Giri on the FIDE Circuit leaderboard and secure qualification for next year’s Candidates Tournament. Niemann’s play is always scrutinised, and while his rating has settled down around 2700, I sense that the 20-year-old has both the desire and the talent to go much further.
British number one Nikita Vitiugov will be looking to build on a fine England debut on top board at the European Team Championship. Regular Classic attendees Michael Adams and Luke McShane are also in the line-up, as is 14-year-old Shreyas Royal, who came so close to a grandmaster norm at the FIDE Grand Swiss. The 10 player all-play-all is completed by Mateusz Bartel (POL), Jules Moussard (FRA), Amin Tabatabaei (IRI) and Andrei Volokitin (UKR).
Niemann has been playing almost non-stop since April and led the Tournament of Peace in Zagreb by two whole points with 5.5/6, a tournament which only finished yesterday. The highlight was this miniature, which should serve as a reminder of the old adage, ‘knights on the rim are dim’.

I Cheparinov – H Niemann
English Opening

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5!? e4! 6.Nh4 0-0 7.a3 Bc5 8.Bg2 d6 9.0-0 Re8 (9...g5? fails to 10.d4!)
10.d3 (10.b4!? Bb6 11.e3 Ne5 could be critical)
10...exd3 11.Qxd3 Ne5 12.Qc2?! (12.Qc3 Bg4 13.b4 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Bb6 was also comfortable for Black in Vachier Lagrave-Robson, St. Louis Rapid 2023)
12...c6 13.Nc3 (13.Ne3 a5! leaves White struggling to coordinate, so 13.Nb4!? may be best)
13...Nxc4 14.Na4 Be6 15.Rd1? (15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.b3 Nd6 17.Rd1 and Bb2 gives White a bit of compensation)

15...Bxf2+! 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Ke1? (17.Kg1 Nce3 18.Bxe3 Nxe3 19.Qc3 Nxd1 20.Rxd1 Qe7 favours Black, but had to be tried)
17...b5 (17...Qf6!? 18.Bf3 g5 was also strong)
18.Rd4 (18.Nc3? Qb6! would be devastating)
18...Nce3 19.Bxe3 Nxe3 20.Qc3?! Bd5! (The knight on a4 isn’t going anywhere)
21.Be4!? Bxe4 22.Qxe3 Bd5 23.Qd2 bxa4 24.Rxa4 Re5 25.Rd4 One knight on the rim has fallen.

How did Black force the win?