We pick up the action after white’s 25th move. White has just moved his king out of check.
Francisco Vallejo-Pons in 2013. Photo: Przemyslaw Jahr/Wikimedia Commons
Peter Svidler has been one of the world’s best players since the 1990s. The 8-time(!) Russian Champion has played many outstanding games and has become one of the most popular chess commentators.
In contrast, this was the only game the young Francisco Vallejo-Pons won in the 2004 Melody Amber rapid, but what a victory it was! White’s king gets caught in a hurricane in a theoretical mainline of the Najdorf English Attack (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3).
With competing opposite-side castling attacks, Svidler decides to fight off black’s attack before launching an offensive of his own.
He never got the chance. How did Vallejo-Pons respond to 25.Ka1?