What I did not tell you

Aleksandr Andreevich Rakhamanov – Daniele Vocaturo
52nd SchaakFestival; Groningen, December 30, 2014
English Opening A10

1. c4 g6 2. h4!? Fischerandom, anyone? 2. ... Nf6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 0-0 5. e3 d5 6. Nh3 Bg4 7. Be2 Bxe2 8. Qxe2 Nc6 9. d4 e5! 10. dxe5 Ne4 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 dxc4 13. f4 cxb3 14. Ng5 Qd5! A powerful diversion. 15. Rd1 Qc5 16. Ne4 Qa3 17. axb3 Qxb3. Black’s extra Pawn and his clear-cut majority of Pawns on the Queenside ensures for him a pleasant if not decisive ending, but “Before the endgame”, Siegbert Tarrasch wrote, “the gods have placed the middle game”. 18. h5! Sounding the initiative, in the hope of a quick attack to compensate for the Pawn sacrificed. 18. ... Rfd8 19. h6 Rxd1+ 20. Qxd1 Qc4 21. Qf3!? Also 21. Qb1 is answered by 21. ... Bf8, but the text is more consistent. 21. ... Bf8 22. Kf2 Be7

23. f5! White fights consistently for the attack. 23. ... Qb5 24. Qf4 Nb4? Here 24. ... a5 25. Rd1 Rf8! looks like a better defence. 25. Bxb4 Qxb4 26. Rd1 Kh8? It is hard to explain such a “losing move”. Black, nolens volens, ought to have played 26. ... Qb5, after which both 27. fxg6 and 27. f6 Bf8 28. e6 would have secured White a definite advantage. 27. f6 Bf8 28. Rd7 Qb3. On 28. ... Kg8 29. e6! wins outright, e.g. 29. ... fxe6?? 30. f7+ Kh8 31. Qe5+ and mate next move. 29. Ng5 Bxh6 30. Nxf7+. Embarass de richesses! The “dual” recommended by all engines was 30. Qd4 (30. ... Rf8 31. Rd8). 30. ... Qxf7 31. Rxf7 Bxf4 32. exf4 a5 33. e6 1 : 0.