**NOTE: A “pop-up” analysis board is available by clicking on one of the moves shown in boldface in the game description below. You can then follow the game move-by-move at your pace.
[Event "6th Hainan Danzhou GM"]
[Site "Danzhou, China"]
[Date "2015.07.03"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wei Yi (2724)"]
[Black "Lazaro Bruzon Batista (2669)"]
[Result "1-0"]
{GM Wei Yi might just have played the 21st-century version of the Immortal Game.
The Chinese super-talent beat Cuban GM Lazaro Bruzon just brilliantly today in Danzhou.\n \n
So how did this happen in modern-day chess? Well, Bruzon might have been tricked into this Scheveningen via an irregular move order. The Cuban only played it once before in his career, which was 12 years ago.
If he had known the games Bok-Hansen or Kamsky-Stellwagen, he would have been warned that 16…Qd8 already looks dubious. But enough talk; sit down and enjoy this modern-day brilliancy! }
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.Be2 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Qc7 7.O-O Nf6 8.Be3 Be7
9.f4 d6
{Perhaps Bruzon was tricked into the Scheveningen via this irregular move order. }
10.Kh1 O-O 11.Qe1 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 13.Qg3 Bb7 14.a3
{A well-known variation of the Scheveningen. }
Rad8
{Bruzon only had this position as Black once in his career, twelve years ago: 14… Bc6 15. Rae1 Rae8 16. Bd3 e5 17. fxe5 Nh5 18. Qh3 dxe5 19. Be3 Nf4 20. Bxf4 exf4 21. e5 g6 Zapata,A (2472)-Bruzon,L (2603) Santo Domingo DOM 2003}
15.Rae1 Rd7
{This funny-looking move is the most popular in this position. }
16.Bd3 Qd8
{This might be inaccurate already, even though it was played before by several grandmasters. \n
Here the immediate 16… Re8 is played more often, e.g. 17. Re2
(17. a4 b4 18. Na2 Qa5 19. Nc1 Qxa4
(19… Qh5 20. Nb3 Qg6 21. Qh3 Qg4 22. Qxg4 Nxg4 23. Na5 Ra8 24. Be2 Nf6 Giri,A (2750)-Hou,Y (2629) Biel 2014 )
20. Qh3 h6 21. Nb3 Qc6 22. Na5 Qc7 23. Nxb7 Qxb7 24. Re3 Bd8 Leko,P (2723)-Wang,Y (2720) Beijing 2014 ) \n
17… Qd8 18. Ref2 Bf8 19. Rf3 g6 20. f5 exf5 21. Rxf5 Nxe4 22. Qf4 Qe7 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. Rxf7 Qxf4 26. R7xf4 Bg7 Giri, A (2734)-Grischuk,A (2780) Beijing 2013 }
17.Qh3 g6 18.f5 e5 19.Be3 Re8
{Here Black should go 19… Nh5 20. Rf3 Bc6 21. Bh6 Re8 22. Qxh5!? Basically a draw offer.
(22. Nd5 looks good for White. )
22… Bh4
(22… gxh5 23. Rg3+ Kh8 24. Bg7+ Kg8 is nothing more than draw. )
23. Qg4 Bxe1 24. f6 Bxc3? \n
(24… d5 was just enough to draw here, as Benjamin Bok pointed out: 25. Bg7 Rd6! 26. Qg5 dxe4 27. Rh3 exd3 28. Qh6 Bxg2+! 29. Kxg2 Qa8+ 30. Kg1 Qa7+ and Black gives perpetual. )\n
25. bxc3 d5 26. Bg7 dxe4 27. Rh3 Rd6 28. Qg5 Rxd3 29. cxd3 1-0 Bok,B (2520)-Hansen,E (2584) Oslo 2013 }
20.fxg6
{20. Qf3 Kh8 21. Bg5 was also good for White in Alekseev,E (2698)-Jumabayev,R (2561) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013 }
hxg6 21.Nd5
{A strong novelty.
(21. Bb6 Qc8 22. Re2 Nh5 23. Be3 Rc7 24. Qxc8 Rexc8 25. Ref2 Bf8 26. Be2 Nf4 Sredojevic,I (2396)-Rajkovic,D (2474) Vrnjacka Banja 2008 )}
Nxd5?!
{Losing on the spot, but how could Bruzon know?
(21… Bxd5 22. exd5 Rb7 23. Qf3 looks better for White too. )}
22.Rxf7!!
{It takes a while for computers to change their 0.00. White wins on the spot. }
Kxf7
23.Qh7+ Ke6 24.exd5+ Kxd5
{24… Bxd5 25. Bxg6 and Black’s free move can’t save him, for example 25… Rf8
(25… Bf6 26. Bf5#)
26. Qh3+ Kf6 27. Rf1+ Kg7 28. Qh7#}
25.Be4+!
{A classic king hunt, dragging the king further into the danger zone with multiple sacrifices. }
Kxe4
{25… Ke6 26. Qxg6+ Bf6 27. Qf5+ Ke7 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Bh6+ Rg7 and now e.g. 30. Rf1! and Black can resign. }
26.Qf7
{The first “silent” queen move, threatening mate in one in different ways:
The move 26. c4! was in fact a forced mate in 9: 26… Kd3
(26… bxc4 27. Qxg6+ Kd5 28. Qf7+ Ke4 29. Qxc4+ Kf5 30. Rf1+ Bf3 31. Rxf3+ Kg6 32. Qf7#)
27. Qxg6+ Be4 28. Rd1+ Kc2 29. Qxe4+ Kb3 30. Qd3+ Ka2 31. b4 and so on. }
Bf6 27.Bd2+ Kd4 28.Be3+
{Just repeating moves; nothing wrong with that. }
Ke4 29.Qb3!
{Another silent queen move, theatening Qd3 mate. }
Kf5 30.Rf1+ Kg4 31.Qd3!
{And the third silent queen move! }
Bxg2+
{(31… Rg7 32. Qe2+ Kh4 33. h3! Qd7 34. Kh2! Bxg2 35. Qxg2 forces Black to give up his queen. )}
32.Kxg2 Qa8+ 33.Kg1 Bg5
{(33… Rg7 34. Qe2+ Kh4 35. Bf2+ Kh3 36. Qd3+ Kg4 37. Qg3+ Kf5 38. Qh3+ Ke4 39. Qd3+ Kf4 40. Be1+)}
34.Qe2+ Kh4 35.Bf2+
Kh3 36.Be1
{ 36. Be1! And another silent move to finish off the game. Just brilliant! Black resigned here as the threat of putting pieces on the third rank is too much to bear. For example: 36… Rf8
(not 36… e4 cutting off protection of g2 37. Qg2#) 37. Qd3+ Kg4. Also:
36. … Rf8 37. Qd3+ Kg4 38. Qg3+ Kh5 39. Qh3+ Bh4 40. Qxh4#}
1-0
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