Monday, October 9, 2017

How (Not) to Have a Perfect Day

Rauf Mamedov – Aloyzas Kveinys
33rd European Chess Club Cup; Göynük, October 9, 2017
Sicilian Defence B43

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. Qe2 d6 8. f4 Nbd7 9. Bd2 g6. From a strategic viewpoint I don’t like Black’s fianchetto (with such a Pawn formation), even if probably it is playable. Sounder seems 9. ... Be7 10. g4 Nc5 11. g5 Nfd7 ½ : ½ Kovalenko – Neiksans, Baltic Zonal Tournament, Vilnius 2014. 10. Bc4!? Mamedov introduces a novelty, instead of the archived lines 10. g4 and 10. 0-0-0. It should not be particularly dangerous, if had not been for Black’s harakiri.


10. ... b5?? This is really a horrible blunder which calls for an easy and standardized attacking protocol. If Black was not convinced by Stockfish’s sharp argument (10. ... Bg7!? 11. Bxe6 0-0 sacrificing a Pawn for development), he might have played, more modestly, 10. ... Nc5 which at least would have avoided immediate catastrophe. 11. Bxe6! fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qb7. 12. ... Qb8 and 12. ... Qb6 are both met by 13. Nd5 with an already written attacking crescendo. 13. e5! dxe5 14. fxe5 Nh5 15. Nd5! Nc5 16. Nec7+ Kf7 17. g4. 17. 0-0+ Kg8 (or 17. ... Bf5 18. Rxf5+!+−) 18. Rxf8+! Kxf8 19. e6 (Stockfish’s analysis) was only another way to win. 17. ... Ne6 18. Rf1+ Kg8 19. Qf3 Nhf4 20. Bxf4 Nxc7 21. Bh6! 1 : 0. Black is helpless against the double threat of Qf3xf8 mate and Qf3-f7 mate (if 21. ... Bb4+ then 22. c3 finis).

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