Easy as it seems

Baadur Jobava – Leinier Domínguez Pérez
FIDE Grand Prix; Tbilisi, February 22, 2015
Inverted Hanham Opening C44

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Be2 Nf6 4. d3 d5 5. Nbd2 Bc5 6. c3 a5 7. a4 0-0 8. 0-0 Re8 9. h3 h6 10. Re1. Another brick in the wall: 10. Qc2 b6 11. Re1 Bb7 12. Nf1 Bd6 13. Ng3 Ne7 14. Nh4 c5 15. Bg4 c4 16. dxc4 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 dxe4 18. Bxh6 Bc5 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. Qc1 e3 21. Bxe3 Bxe3 22. Qxe3 Qxc4 23. Nh5 Qe4 24. Qg5 Ng6 25. Kh2 Bc8 26. f3 Qc2 27. Rd6 Bxg4 28. hxg4 Kh7 29. Nxg6 fxg6 30. Nf6+ gxf6 31. Rd7+ Kg8 32. Qxf6 1 : 0 Jobava – Bok, 76th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2014. 10. ... Be6 11. Nh2. For 11. Qc2 Nd7 see Dimitrijevic – Malaniuk, Tseshkovsky Memorial, Sochi 2014. 11. ... Ne7 12. Bf1 Ng6 13. Nhf3 dxe4. In the press conference Domínguez Pérez said that, before surrounding the centre, 13. ... c6 was better since he could have replied 14. Qc2 by 14. ... Qb6. 14. dxe4 c6 15. Qc2 Qc7. Now, after 15. ... Qb6 then simply follows 16. Nc4 (Pawn no longer on d5). 16. Nc4 Red8 17. Be3 Bxe3 18. Nxe3 Rdb8 19. Rad1 Rd8 20. g3 Qb6 21. Nd2 Qc7 22. Kg2 Nf8 23. Nf3 N8d7 24. b4 axb4 25. cxb4 Qb6 26. Rb1 Qa7 27. Ra1 Qb6 28. Reb1 Qc7 29. a5 Rdc8 30. Bc4 Qd6 31. Nd2 b6 32. Bxe6 Qxe6 33. Nb3 Rcb8 34. Nc4 bxa5 35. bxa5 Rb5 36. a6 Ne8 37. Rd1 Nc5 38. Nxc5 Rxc5 39. Ra4

39. ... Nc7? A mistake in grave time trouble. Correct was 39. ... Nd6! 40. Qb3 Nxc4 41. a7 (the tempting 41. Qb7? is refuted by 41. ... Ne3+!) 41. ... Rb5 42. Qxc4 Qxc4 43. Rxc4 Rxa7 44. Rxc6 Rb4 with a drawish-looking position. 40. a7! Nb5 41. Qd3! Rxa7 42. Rxa7 Rxc4. If 42. ... Nxa7 then 43. Qd8+ Kh7 44. Ne3 with overwhelming threats. 43. Qd8+ Kh7 44. Re7 Qf6 45. Qd7 Rd4 46. Rxd4 Nxd4 47. Rxf7 Qg6 48. f3 c5 49. h4 h5 50. Kh3 Qh6 51. g4 hxg4+ 52. Qxg4 Kg8 53. Rc7 Ne6 54. Rc8+ Kf7 55. Qf5+ Ke7 56. Qxe5 Kd7 57. Ra8 Nf4+ 58. Kg4 Qxh4+ 59. Kxh4 Ng6+ 60. Kg3 Nxe5 61. Kf4 Kd6 62. Rd8+ Nd7 63. Rg8 c4 64. Rxg7 Ne5 65. Ke3 c3 66. f4 1 : 0.

Baadur Jobava
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova