Odd Girl Out

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Fabiano Caruana
1st Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chess Tournament; New Delhi, June 24, 2011
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. a4 Rb8 10. axb5 axb5 11. Na3 0-0 12. Nxb5 Bg4 13. Re1 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nh5 15. Kh1 Qf6 16. Rg1 Nf4 (16. ... exd4 17. Bg5 Qe5 18. Bd5 dxc3 19. Bxc6 cxb2 20. Rb1 Bxf2 21. Rg2 Rb6 22. Rxf2 Qxg5 23. Rc2± Lékó – Caruana, 72nd Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2010)

17. Bxf4? International Master Malcom Pein call this “a positional blunder”, since now Black gains complete control of the dark squares. Theoretically critical is 17. Be3 Ne6 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Rg3 Kh8 20. Qd3 exd4 21. cxd4 e5 22. d5 Ne7 23. Bxb6 Rxb6 24. Nxc7 Rxb2 25. Ne6 Rg8 26. Kg1 Ng6 27. Qa3 Rb6 28. Kh1 Nf4 29. Nxg7 Ne2 30. Nf5 Rgb8 31. Qd3 Rb2 32. Rf1 Ra8 33. Qc4 Nxg3+ 34. hxg3 Qd8 35. Qc1 Rb3 36. Kg2 Qf8 37. Qc7 1 : 0 Svidler – Shirov, 15th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares, Linares 1998. 17. ... Qxf4 18. Ba4 Ra8! 19. Na3. Not 19. Nxd6? on account of 19. ... cxd6 20. Bxc6 Rxa1 21. Qxa1 Qxf3+ 22. Rg2 exd4−+ (Pein’s analysis). 19. ... Nd8 20. Nc4 Ne6 21. d5 Ng5 22. Rg4 Qf6 23. Nxb6 cxb6 24. Rg3 Qf4 25. Rg4

25. ... Nh3! 26. Kg2. If 26. Rxf4 then 26. ... Nxf2+ 27. Kg2 Nxd1 winning at least the Exchange. 26. ... Qh6 27. Bd7 Nf4+ 28. Kh1

28. ... Nd3! 29. Kg2 (29. Rxa8 Nxf2+−+) 29. ... Rxa1 30. Qxa1 Qd2 31. Qf1 h5 32. Rg3 Ra8. “The Bishop on d7 might as well be in the box”, Pein says. 33. Bb5 Nf4+ 34. Kh1 Qxb2 35. Rg1 Qxc3 36. Be2 Ra2 37. Bd1 Qd4 0 : 1.

“It was a normal game. We played a Spanish opening and this variation was played long ago, I think by Shirov. I equalized and had no problems. Till a certain point it was equal and she had chances to draw. But she got over-ambitious at some point and I saw that I was much better”, Caruana eventually said.

Clarice Benini

Alessandra Innocenti & Lorenzo Barsi

Clarice Benini
Omaggio alla Campionessa di Scacchi

versione 0.1 (PDF)

Bobby Fischer as seen by Harry Benson

Photo © Harry Benson

Bobby Fischer as seen by Harry Benson

Photo © Harry Benson

Scacchi in Festa

Villa Demidoff (Pratolino), domenica 12 giugno

Scacchi in Festa

Villa Demidoff (Pratolino), domenica 12 giugno

Villa Demidoff

Villa Demidoff (Pratolino), domenica 12 giugno

Just Say Yes

Alfiere della Repubblica

Marina Brunello, 16, who a few days ago (May 11) was awarded by 11th President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano the Certificate of Honour “Alfiere della Repubblica” for her chess excellence, achieved an International Master norm at the 1st I International Open Alimini Village (May 21–28), where she beat, among others, Serbian Grandmaster Siniša Dražić in a breathtaking game:

Marina Brunello – Siniša Dražić
1st International Open Alimini Village; Otranto, May 26, 2011
Alekhine Defence B04

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 e6. If 5. ... Nd7 then 6. Nxf7!? with a bayonet assault. 6. Be2. The alternative is 6. Qf3! (the punctuation is by Danish Grandmaster Bent Larsen) 6. ... Qf6 7. Qg3 h6 8. Nc3 Nb4 9. Bb5+ c6 10. Ba4 Nd7 11. 0-0 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Qg6 13. Qf3 Qf5 14. Qe2 Be7 15. a3 Nd5 16. Nb5 cxb5 17. Qxb5+ Kd8 18. c4 Qxe5 19. cxd5 Bd6 20. g3 Qxd5 21. Qe2 Ke7 22. Rd1 Qa5 23. Qg4 Qf5 24. Qc4 Qc5 25. Qd3 Qd5 26. Qc3 Be5 27. Qe1 Qc5 28. Bd2 Kf6 29. Rac1 Qb6 30. Be3 Qa6 31. Qb4 b5 32. Bxb5 Qb7 33. f4 Bb8 34. Bc6 1 : 0 Tal – B. Larsen, Candidates Semifinal, Bled 1965, match game 6. 6. ... Nd7 7. 0-0 Nxe5 8. dxe5 Bd7 9. Bf3 Bc6 10. Qe2 Qh4 11. a3 a5 12. Nd2 0-0-0? Dražić “must” win and plays too daringly to expect him not to lose! 12. ... Qa4! was good enough to keep sitting still. 13. Ne4! Threatening to trap the Queen by Bc1-g5. 13. Nb3 was also strong. 13. ... h6. Also after 13. ... Nf4 14. Qe1! Black stands badly enough. 14. g3 Qe7 15. c4 Nb6 16. Be3!? (16. b4!+−) 16. ... Nd7 17. b4!? Brunello not being fully convinced that 17. Bd4 f5 (idem to say 17. ... f6) 18. exf6 gxf6 19. b4 e5 eventually followed by ... f6-f5 does not hide bad surprises, goes for a more controversial Pawn sacrifice. 17. ... Nxe5 18. b5 Nxf3+ 19. Qxf3 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Qf6!? Audentes fortuna iuvat. 20. ... f5! 21. Qb1! g5! 22. b6! Bg7!∞ was unclear but roughly balanced. 21. c5! (Δ Qe4-a4) 21. ... Qf5 22. Qc4 Rd5?! Safer was 22. ... Be7 in order to reply to 23. Rac1 with 23. ... Bg5. 23. Rac1 h5

24. b6? Too hasty! Consistent and very strong was 24. Qc3! Kb8 25. h4! (preventing ... h5-h4) with an imposing position for White. 24. ... c6 25. Qc3? (25. h4!? g5!?) 25. ... Qd3? Luckily for Brunello, Dražić misses 25. ... h4! (threatening both ... Df5-h3 and ... h4xg3) 26. Qxa5 Bd6!−+ which would give Black an irresistible attack. 26. Qxa5 Qa6? 26. ... Bd6(!) was still good enough to stay alive, though after 27. Rfd1 followed by the exchange of Rooks there is no doubting White’s clear advantage. 27. Qxa6. 27. Qb4!+− (Δ Db4-f4) seems even stronger. 27. ... bxa6 28. Rfd1 Be7 29. Rxd5 exd5 30. Bd4 Bf6? After this White will easily win the ending. More tenacious is 30. ... Rh6!? (giving up a Pawn in order to activate the Rook) 31. Bxg7 Re6, although after 32. Bd4 Re4 33. Rd1 Re2 34. Rd3 it’s hard to think that Black can save the endgame. 31. Bxf6 gxf6 32. Re1 d4 33. Re7 Rd8 34. Kf1 d3 35. Ke1 Kb8 36. Rc7 Re8+ 37. Kd2 Re2+ 38. Kxd3 Rxf2 39. Rxc6 Rxh2 40. Rxf6 Rh3 41. Rxf7 Rxg3+ 42. Kd4 Rg6 43. Rh7 Rg4+ 44. Kd5 Rg5+ 45. Kc6 Rg6+ 46. Kd7 Rg8 47. c6 h4 48. Rxh4 Rg7+ 49. Kd6 Rg6+ 50. Kc5 Rg5+ 51. Kc4 Rg8 52. Re4 Rh8 53. Kc5 a5 54. Kb5 a4 55. Ka6 1 : 0.

Marina Brunello. Photo: AliminiScacchi.