Varuzhan Eduardovich Akobian vs Wesley So, Grünfeld Defense, Brinckmann Attack (D82)
2018 US Chess Championship, Round 9, St. Louis, 04/27/18
Var Akobian played a magnificent game which not even the engines understood fully. He faced Wesley So in rd.9, in a less than ideal situation on the scoreboard. He was at only 3.5/8, which means he had no chance at the title anymore, but he definitely wanted to make a point with the white pieces. Wesley was trailing behind Caruana after rd.8 by only half a point, so he too must have wanted a victory.
They opened with the Grünfeld Defense, a very interesting opening which often produces mega-exciting games and seldom results in a draw. It’s also one of the most theory-heavy hypermodern openings. It has numerous theoretical lines which offer a lot of chances for both sides. Varuzhan Akobian went for the Brinckmann Attack (4.Bf4) which most often gives white a temporary pawn advantage (which is given back for equality). When this happened Var went for a rare line which exchanges the queens, but keeps the extra pawn and ensures an interesting game with opposite side castling and attack on both sides of the board.
Wesley played well too and they entered a position in which he had enough compensation for the lost pawn. Here Akobian found a remarkable (yet well known) positional exchange sacrifice which blocks off the position and renders black’s rooks almost immovable. The engines though Wesley So was winning after winning the exchange, but they soon agreed there was no breakthrough in the position.
Standings after round 9:
Samuel Shankland 6.5/9
Fabiano Caruana 6/9
Wesley So 5.5/9
Aleksandr Lenderman 5/9
Zviad Izoria 4.5/9
Jeffery Xiong 4/9
Hikaru Nakamura 4/9
Yaroslav Zherebukh 4/9
Ray Robson 4/9
Varuzhan Eduardovich Akobian 4/9
Awonder Liang 3.5/9
Alexander Vasilyevich Onischuk 3/9
Game moves:
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 c5 6. dxc5 Qa5
7. Qa4+ Qxa4 8. Nxa4 Bd7 9. Nc3 Ne4 10. Nxd5 Na6 11. f3 Nexc5
12. O-O-O e6 13. Nc3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 f6 15. e4 e5 16. Be3 Rc8
17. Rd5 Be6 18. Kd2 Ke7 19. Nh3 b6 20. Be2 Bxd5 21. cxd5 Nc7
22. Nf2 Ne8 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Bxd3 Nd6 25. a4 Nc4+ 26. Bxc4
Rxc4 27. Ra1 Rhc8 28. Ra3 f5 29. Kd3 Kd7 30. h3 h5 31. h4 R4c7
32. Rb3 Rc4 33. Ra3 R4c7 34. Rb3 Rc4 1/2-1/2