Marathon Man

Eugene Torre – Mikael Agopov
41st Chess Olympiad; Tromsø, August 2, 2014
Larsen’s Opening A01

“After a slow buildup, Torre, on a historic 22nd Olympiad appearance, finally launched a Kingside onslaught that netted a Pawn first then later a Rook for a Bishop before carving his way through Agopov’s weakened Kingside”, Joey Villar writes. 1. b3. The so-called Larsen’s Opening, already mentioned by Lucena (1498). 1. ... e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6 5. Na3 a6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nc4 Qe7 8. Ne2 b5 9. Nxd6+ cxd6 10. 0-0. For 10. a4 b4 see Rapport – So, Wijk aan Zee 2014. 10. ... c5. For 10. ... 0-0 11. Qe1 c5 12. f4 Re8 13. Qh4 Nd5 see Fries-Nielsen – Finkel, Panormo 2001. 11. f4 0-0 12. Ng3 Bb7 13. Qe2 Qe6 14. e4 c4 15. d3 Rac8. The wrong Rook!? 15. ... Rfc8 16. Nf5 Rc7 could offer the strongest possible resistance. 16. Nf5 Rfd8 17. Rf3 Nh5 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. Raf1. Consistently following his plan of attack. 19. ... Rd7 20. Rh3 Nf6. On 20. ... Nf4 21. Rxf4! exf4 22. Qg4 wins outright. 21. Rg3 Ne8. If, instead, 21. ... g6 then 22. Nh6+ Kg7 23. Rgf3 and White’s attack continues. 22. Qg4. The final attack plays by itself. 22. ... Rcc7 23. bxc4 Qb6+ 24. Kh1 g6. On 24. ... f6 25. Nh6+ Kg8 26. Bxe5! wins. 25. Bxe5 bxc4 26. Qf4 f6. Desperation, as 26. ... Rc7-moves is refuted by 27. Nh6+ Kf8 28. Qxf7+ and mate next move. 27. Bxc7 Rxc7 28. e5 cxd3 29. cxd3 Rc2

30. Nd6 1 : 0. For if 30. ... Nxd6 then 31. Qxf6 wins. “Eugene is showing vintage form. He is the best performer in the team so far. His win against Agopov was straight out of the 1970s, from the era of Bent Larsen and Bobby Fischer, and his win from the rarely-played Larsen Opening is a happy memory that will last a very long time”, noted former Times Journal sportswriter Eli Tumbaga in his report to Chess Philippines.

Eugene Torre