Special Chess Game: When 'a' File was Full

For everyone watching Anand Gelfand Game 4 at the World Chess Championship 2012 in Moscow, the motif with d-file being full of pieces at Move 17 was an interesting topic of conversation. The official championship website even had their report titled on the motif! This is certainly not something one gets to see on the chessboard every day. That is why Boris Gelfand himself pointed it out, clicking with the mouse on the relevant place in the game’s electronic notation and adding that such positions give genuine pleasure to real chess amateurs. 

Masters of artistic composition – a genre of chess composition – would probably note that this “column”, along with the rook on c8 and the pawns on b7 and a6, forms a genuine number 1. This number is turned towards White, as if promising a win, but White just cannot score it!
We found a nice chess game for you with the a file being full from another tournament, another time! The game was played between Nino Khurtsidze and Corina-Isabela Peptan at the 7th Individual European Women's Chess Championship, 2006. The game ended in a draw. You can view it in our Chess King applet.

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