Yaroslav Zherebukh vs Wesley So, Sicilian Defense, Rossolimo (Canal-Sokolsky) Attack B51
2018 US Chess Championship, Round 1, St. Louis, 04/18/18
Wesley So has started the US Championship with a fighting victory! He faced Zherebukh (2640, 150 points lower rated) with the black pieces. Since 2018., was a very bad year for Wesley so far, he really has to do something at this tournament. Even though Fabi is a clear favorite and in top form now, Wesley stands a chance to become the US Champion! The only other decisive result from round 1 was Var Akobian’s crazy victory in the Dutch (https://youtu.be/ro4vqoCtCh4), so Wesley is ahead of Caruana at the start!
Here are the standings – 2018 US Chess Championship, after Rd.1:
Wesley So 1/1
Varuzhan Eduardovich Akobian 1/1
Zviad Izoria 0.5/1
Samuel Shankland 0.5/1
Awonder Liang 0.5/1
Ray Robson 0.5/1
Fabiano Caruana 0.5/1
Hikaru Nakamura 0.5/1
Aleksandr Lenderman 0.5/1
Jeffery Xiong 0.5/1
Alexander Vasilyevich Onischuk 0/1
Yaroslav Zherebukh 0/1
Zherebukh went for an uncommon plan in the Rossolimo attack (4.Ba4). He played a move which has only been played once before, perhaps trying to get Wesley So out of his prep, but Wesley played an excellent opening and middlegame. It was a maneuvering Sicilian Defense, unlike the open positions such as the Najdorf or the Dragon, and both sides had to plan well ahead in order to position their pieces to optimal squares. Wesley did that better. He got a slight edge and Zherebukh played one passive blunder and allowed a winning tactic which got Wesley an extra queenside pawn. This was enough for a fast, easy conversion.
*The Rossolimo (Canal-Sokolsky) Attack is a variation of the Sicilian Defense in which white plays a check on move 3 with Bb5+, developing with tempo instead of playing d4, the open Sicilian. The variation occurs after:
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Bb5+ – from here black covers the check with either Nd7 or Bb7
On move 4 white in almost all games plays d4 or 0-0, but Zherebukh played the uncommon:
4. Ba4, getting out of opening theory on move 4.
Game moves:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. Ba4 Ngf6 5. O-O a6 6. c4 g6
7. Nc3 Bg7 8. d3 O-O 9. h3 b6 10. Rb1 Bb7 11. Bg5 h6 12. Be3
Qc7 13. Qd2 Kh7 14. b4 Rac8 15. Rfc1 e6 16. Ne2 Rfd8 17. Ng3
Ba8 18. a3 Nb8 19. Nh2 Nc6 20. f4 Nd4 21. Rf1 b5 22. cxb5 axb5
23. Bd1 Qa7 24. Ra1 cxb4 25. Qxb4 Nd7 26. Kh1 Nc2 27. Bxa7
Nxb4 28. Rb1 Nxd3 29. Rxb5 Bc6 30. Rb1 Ra8 31. Be3 Rxa3
32. Bf3 h5 33. Ne2 N3c5 34. Bxc5 Nxc5 35. e5 Ba4 36. exd6 Rxd6
37. Rbc1 Nb3 38. Rc7 Nd2 39. Re1 Rd7 40. Rxd7 Bxd7 41. Rd1 Ra2
42. Nc1 Ra1 43. Nd3 Rxd1+ 44. Bxd1 Ne4 45. Nf3 Bb5 46. Nfe1 h4
47. Kh2 Bc3 48. Bc2 Bd2 49. Nf3 Bxd3 50. Bxd3 Bxf4+ 51. Kg1
Be3+ 52. Kf1 Ng3+ 53. Ke1 Kg7 0-1