Although this week's game isn't exactly a "Canadian" game in that it wasn't played in Canada, it deserves to be shown as it is the biggest upset of GM Bator Sambuev's career. A very exciting back-and-forth game from the first round of the World Cup in Tromso, Norway, goes his way against one of the world's best. You don't want to miss it.
[Event "WorldCup 2013"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.08.11"]
[Round "1.16"]
[White "Sambuev, Bator"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "MacKinnon,Keith"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {Morozevich is one of the foremost Grunfeld
players, so I'm sure Bator did his homework} 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3
Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 c5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 {all very theoretical so far} Qc7
11. Rc1 b6 (11... Rd8 {putting the rook on the half-open file to put more
pressure on d4 is the popular option, but I noticed that Morozevich has played
11...b6 before}) 12. h4 $5 {My database is slightly out-of-date so I can't be
certain that this move is a novelty, but if it isn't, it is still a very
creative and rare try.} (12. Qd2 Bb7 13. Bh6 Rad8 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. f4 Qd7 16.
Bb5 Qe6 17. f5 Qd6 18. Bxc6 Bxc6 19. d5 Bd7 20. c4 Qe5 21. Rc3 Rh8 22. Rh3 f6
23. Qf4 b5 $13 {and Black eventually won in 0-1 Vachier Lagrave,M (2722)
-Morozevich,A (2694)/Biel 2011/CBM 144 (41) but the result was not due to a
better opening}) 12... Bb7 13. h5 e6 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Nf4 {White's play seems
ambitious but potentially too loose in the centre.} Na5 16. Bd3 e5 {Black
decides that it's time to make this break. ...Rad8 was another good option} 17.
Nh3 Rad8 18. d5 {White's protected passed pawn might look strong, but Black is
able to quickly shut it down by blocking it with his knight - very often the
correct way of handling a passed pawn} c4 19. Bc2 Bc8 20. g4 {I think that
this is taking things too far. The move is extremely weakening} (20. Qf3 {and
then to g3 and white can control some of the dark squares g5, h4 etc}) 20...
Nb7 21. Kg2 Nd6 {Black completes the manoeuvre} 22. g5 Rfe8 23. Rh1 Kf8 24. Ng1
{opening up the h-file} Ke7 25. Rh7 (25. Qf3 Rh8 26. Ne2 $11 {was not what
Bator wanted although likely objectively best}) 25... Rh8 26. Rxg7 Ne8 (26...
Kf8 27. Qf3 Kxg7 28. Qf6+ Kg8 29. Qxe5 {and the position is unclear but around
equal}) 27. Rxf7+ $2 Kxf7 28. f4 {White is trying to continue his attack, but
Black is coming up with the correct responses and gets a winning position
shortly} Kg8 $1 {to swing the Queen to h7} 29. Qf3 Qh7 $17 30. Kf1 {Now it is
White who is on the defensive} Ng7 31. Ke1 Rf8 32. Kd2 exf4 $6 {Likely the
beginning of black's troubles.} (32... Nh5 $19) 33. Bf2 Qh2 34. Rf1 Rh4 35. e5
Rg4 36. e6 {in just a few short moves, the position is trending away from
advantage Black and towards a White advantage} Rxg5 37. Kc1 Bb7 38. Be4 Qh5 {
Black is realizing, late, that trading queens is a good idea. It would have
been a better idea back at 33...Qh5} 39. e7 Re8 40. d6 Qxf3 $4 {Likely
realizing that he may have thrown away the win, Morozevich makes this rash
decision. I'm not sure what he missed here, but it's a terrible mistake} (40...
Bxe4 41. Qxe4 Rd5 $15 42. Qxc4 Ne6 {and White has good chances to hold}) 41.
Nxf3 {From here on out, white takes control and plays strong moves to finish
off the game} Bxe4 42. Nxg5 Bc6 43. Bd4 Nf5 44. Be5 Rc8 (44... Nxe7 45. dxe7
Rxe7 46. Bd4 $18) 45. Rf2 Nh6 46. Rxf4 Bd7 47. Ne4 Bf5 48. Rh4 Ng4 49. Rh8+ Kf7
50. Ng5# {It must have been something really special to pull off this
magnitude of upset - the biggest of Bator's career!} 1-0