Forty-Four Seconds and a Pawn on d7

The game, move by move

The East Indian

1. 1. d4 Queen’s pawn
2. 1… Nf6
3. 2. Nf3
4. 2… g6 g6, for the bishop
5. 3. Nbd2
6. 3… Bg7
7. 4. e4
8. 4… d6
9. 5. Bd3
10. 5… O-O
11. 6. O-O
12. 6… c5
13. 7. c3
14. 7… cxd4
15. 8. cxd4
16. 8… Nc6
17. 9. Re1
18. 9… a5
19. 10. h3
20. 10… Nd7
21. 11. d5 d5, gaining space
22. 11… Nce5
23. 12. Bb5
24. 12… a4
25. 13. Rb1
26. 13… Nxf3+
27. 14. Nxf3
28. 14… Nc5
29. 15. Bg5
30. 15… h6
31. 16. Bf4
32. 16… Qa5
33. 17. Bf1
34. 17… Bd7
35. 18. b4 b4, offering the pawn
36. 18… axb3
37. 19. axb3

e5, and the centre breaks

1. 19… Bc3 Bc3, deep into White’s half Qb4 was the move. The bishop on c3 is a long way from home.
2. 20. Re3 Re3, at the bishop
3. 20… Kh7 Kh7 Rfc8 held things together. Now e5 comes.
4. 21. e5 e5 — the centre opens The pawn attacks d6, and the lines open at the black king and at the pieces on the queen’s side at once.
5. 21… Bf5
6. 22. exd6 The pawn takes on d6
7. 22… exd6
8. 23. Rc1 Rc1, into the bishop’s path
9. 23… Bb2
10. 24. Bxd6 Bxd6 — the exchange given Lu leaves the rook on c1 to be taken and takes d6 instead. A bishop on d6 and a passed pawn on d5 are worth more here than the rook.
11. 24… Bxc1 The bishop takes the rook
12. 25. Qxc1 The queen takes back
13. 25… Nxb3
14. 26. Qb2
15. 26… Nc5
16. 27. Qd4
17. 27… b6
18. 28. g4
19. 28… Bc2

The d-pawn walks

1. 29. Bxf8 The bishop takes the rook on f8
2. 29… Rxf8
3. 30. Re7 Re7, on the seventh
4. 30… Qa3
5. 31. Qf4
6. 31… Kg8
7. 32. d6 d6 — the pawn goes on
8. 32… Ne6
9. 33. Qf6 Qf6, beside the king
10. 33… Be4
11. 34. Ne5
12. 34… Ng5
13. 35. d7 d7 — with forty-four seconds left Five moves to make before the time control, and the pawn is one step from queening.
14. 35… Qa8
15. 36. Rxf7 Rxf7 — the rook given The rook takes the pawn in front of the king. When the knight takes it, the white knight takes back on f7, and h6 is next.
16. 36… Nxf7 The knight takes it
17. 37. Nxf7 And the knight takes back
18. 37… Qd5
19. 38. Nxh6+ Nxh6+
20. 38… Kh7
21. 39. Qe7+ Qe7+ — and Kamalidenova resigned The queen checks from e7, the pawn is still on d7, and the engine counts a forced mate. China and Kazakhstan drew the match 2–2, and finished first and second.