The German word for pawn, ‘bauer’, can also be translated as peasant, or farmer. There are many spectacular games in which the pawns pick up their pitchforks and overrun the landed gentry. A historic example, played in 1834, is the game McDonnell–de La Bourdonnais, in which the Frenchman playing Black advanced his pawns to d2, e2 and f2, overwhelming White’s rook and queen. A modern example is the game Saric–Suleymanli, which I wrote about in December last year. Aydin Suleymanli, just 14 years old from Azerbaijan, acquitted himself well but eventually succumbed to the advancing horde.
Much less gets written about failed uprisings, but in this week’s game Suleymanli found himself yet again facing down an angry mob. Events hung in the balance, but on this occasion the mob was quashed, amid spectacular complications.
The Aeroflot Open is a tremendously strong tournament played annually in Moscow, and Suleymanli’s performance was the sensation of the event.
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