{"id":3682,"date":"2025-12-14T18:23:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T17:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/?p=3682"},"modified":"2025-12-14T18:23:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T17:23:23","slug":"like-a-loose-cannon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/en\/jako-utrzeny-ze-retezu\/","title":{"rendered":"Like a bull in a china shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nodirbek like a bull in a china shop!<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Looking at the table and Nodirbek Abdusattorov's games from the London Classic tournament, this idiom comes to mind! After weaker results and missed chances to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, Nodirbek appeared in London in full force. Not only did he win the closed nine-round tournament with a two-point lead over Firouzja, but he also achieved another astonishing feat: six wins in a row!<\/p>\n

Just like in Prague 2024 (I wrote about that tournament on 13 March 2024 in the article \u201eAbdusattorov in Prague 2024 like Alekhine in San Remo 1930\u201c), the comparison to Alekhine's performances from 1930 and 1931 came to me again. But this time we cannot even talk about \u201esome\u201c luck. Nodirbek outplayed his opponents in every respect!<\/p>\n

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Let us first look at the final results:<\/p>\n

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And yet it \u201eall started innocently\u201c with a draw. True, with Black against the excellent theoretician Gawain Jones.<\/p>\n

In the game Jones,G vs. Abdusattorov,N<\/strong> The Caro-Kann Defence was played. It's hard to call it a surprise, because from time to time Nodirbek chooses this defence, although in serious games we might... well, suffice with lower mathematics. It's hard to say who surprised whom, but from a practical point of view the English grandmaster was satisfied with the opening development.<\/p>\n

In the Panov Attack 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3<\/strong><\/span> (in the game with a slight transposition of moves) Black played the fashionable today<\/p>\n

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6...a6<\/strong><\/span>. Modern, but not new; databases even contain a game by Karel Opo\u010densk\u00fd from ninety years ago (sic!). I might add that the traditional 6...Bg4<\/strong> has not been refuted, or rather \u201enothing has refuted it\u201c \ud83d\ude42, but many Black players simply do not want to play the resulting positions. For obvious reasons, as we will see in the viewer. After 7.cxd5 Nxd5<\/strong><\/span> neither player could be surprised by<\/p>\n

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8.Bc4 Be6 <\/strong><\/span>(with the threat of the retreating attack 9...Nxc3). Judging by the frequency of occurrence, this is probably not just Nodirbek's favourite way of development. However, from a practical point of view Black seems to have \u201emissed something\u201c! What followed was 9.Ng5!?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201eWhat is that supposed to be?\u201c you might say after a moment's thought. And when we also glance at the clock, with Black spending more than 25 minutes on the forced reply, everything might seem even more shrouded in mist!<\/p>\n

The haze will, however, dissipate and clear the way for the hurricane. What followed was 9...Nxc3 10.Bxe6!!<\/strong><\/span> (at the same time the only one) 10...Nxd1 11.Bxf7+ Kd7 12.Be6+<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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We see that at this moment White has only a pawn for the sacrificed queen, yet the opponents shook hands after a few moves to signal a draw. How are we to understand this?<\/p>\n

Allow me to pose a question: how would you continue if you were Black?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n