Ivanchuk, Vassily – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar

2769 2012 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Vassily Ivanchuk, the Ukrainian genius known as "Chucky", is legendary for his encyclopaedic opening memory and wildly unpredictable moods — capable of beating anyone one day and collapsing the next; he reached world No. 2 and won the World Blitz Championship in 2007. Across the board sits Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, a multiple world junior champion who climbed to No. 2 in the world in 2018 and plays chess with dynamite in his pockets. A Philidor between two such imaginative minds promises anything but a quiet afternoon.