Wei Yi had just won a riveting game in round 11 of the Tata Steel Masters event (see puzzle no. 786). His post-game interview ended with the question: ‘With two rounds to go, do you still have energy?’

‘No,’ replied Wei, smiling. And yet China’s second strongest grandmaster (after the world champion Ding Liren), somehow rallied himself to win the final two games. His opponents must have been running on empty too. I was present in the playing hall on the final day, when apart from the matter at hand, the players also had to contend with a persistent tooting noise made by climate change protestors outside the playing hall. They were objecting to the tournament’s sponsorship by Tata Steel, which owns an enormous steel plant in Wijk aan Zee, the village on the north coast of Holland where the event is held.

It is chilly and windswept there, but also rather homely, and the Wijk aan Zee event has a grand tradition dating back to the 1930s. Fourteen players compete in the traditional Masters tournament, which is held each January. Alongside the world elite, there are always a few accomplished but ‘lesser’ grandmasters, so the top players are forced to play ambitiously. After two weeks of intense competition, only the Indian teenager Praggnanandhaa survived without losing a game. (And that only by good fortune, since he had a lost position in the penultimate round when Gukesh miscounted the moves and allowed a draw by threefold repetition.)

Here is Wei’s magnificent win, against a top Dutch grandmaster. Wei ended in a four-way tie for first place with Gukesh, Giri and Abdusattorov, and then won the title in a knockout blitz playoff, beating Gukesh in the final.

Wei Yi-Max Warmerdam

Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Zee, January 2024

1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nf6 3 d3 Bc5 4 Nc3 c6 5 f4 d5 6 exd5 Ng4 7 Nf3 After almost 50 minutes of thought! Wei will lose the Rh1 to a knight fork, but correctly judged that he will gain ample compensation. O-O The immediate 7…Nf2 8 Qe2 Nxh1 9 Qxe5+ is awkward for Black. 8 fxe5 Dodging the fork is less good, since after 8 Qe2 cxd5 9 Bxd5 exf4 there is imminent nuisance with Rf8-e8. Nf2 9 Qe2 Nxh1 10 Bg5 Qa5 11 d6 A moment of stability. White has just two pawns for the rook, but complete domination of the centre. The following variation shows what might happen if Black tries to extract the knight from the corner: 11…Nf2 12 d4 Ba3 13 Bd2! Bxb2 14 Nd5 Qa3 15 Ne7+ Kh8 16 Qxf2 Bxa1 17 Ng5 with overwhelming threats on the kingside. Instead, Warmerdam correctly fights for the initiative. Bg4 12 Be7 Nd7 13 e6 Ba3 (see diagram) A clever shot. In irrational positions like this one, strong players prioritise king safety and the potency of their pieces over material considerations, which is why Wei responds by capturing ‘only’ a pawn with check and then bringing his king to relative safety. 14 exf7+ Kh8 15 O-O-O Qxc3 16 bxa3 Bxf3 This natural idea appears to be the decisive mistake. Also plausible was 16…Qxa3+ 17 Kb1 Qb4+ 18 Bb3 Rxf7 19 Rxh1 Bxf3 20 gxf3 a5, but then 21 Qe4! keeps the advantage. According to the computer, the obscure move 20…a5! was Black’s best chance to keep the balance. 17 gxf3 Ne5 18 Kb1 Qd4 19 Rxh1 Nxc4 20 dxc4 Qb6+ 21 Kc1 It is hard to believe that all eight of White’s pawns remain alive! Rxf7 22 Rd1 Rff8 23 d7 Rg8 24 Qe5 Rad8 25 f4 c5 26 Bxd8 Qxd8 27 Qxc5 White is three pawns up and the one on d7 is a monster. Black resigns