When the Uzbek prodigy, now seventeen-year-old Nodirbek Abdusattorov, won the World Rapid Chess Championship at the end of last year, many probably considered it a fluke. If you are not following the career of this serious young man, I bet you haven't heard about him for over half a year. Although this year's Olympiad lacks a number of strong players (the teams from China and the Russian Federation are not participating, France is missing two super grandmasters, etc.), there is still plenty to watch. After the fifth round, Nodirbek has a score of... 5 wins and has crossed the magical 2700+ rating mark! And what's more, he even defeated a star of Fabiano Caruana's calibre...
before the game...
This is an instructive game from start to finish, so I have decided, dear readers, to comment on it entirely, including certain opening recipes on how to fight against the still recently super dangerous weapon for White – the London System. The main reason, however, is the actual conclusion of the game after White's 43rd move. So, if you are not interested in the opening or even in the work of the heroes of the modern era – the ‚h‘ pawns – you can skip ahead in the text to the diagram after 43. Qc8.
A very nice game with a very high-quality analysis. It was truly a pleasure to watch. Thank you!