Epaulettes

Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev – Evgeniy Yuryevich Najer
22nd Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 6, 2015
Caro-Kann Defence B11

1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 Nf6 6. d3 e6 7. Bd2 Qb6 8. 0-0-0 d4 9. Ne2 c5 10. e5 Nfd7!? A novelty. For 10. ... Nd5 11. Qe4 Nc6 12. Kb1 0-0-0 13. g4 c4 14. dxc4 Ba3 see Domínguez Pérez – Rodshtein, 30th European Chess Club Cup, Bilbao 2014. 11. Qe4 Nc6 12. f4 0-0-0 13. c4 h5 14. g3 f5 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Qxe6+ Kb8 17. Ng1 Re8 18. Qf5 Nb4 19. Bxb4 cxb4!? Preparing for a sharp Pawn sacrifice. 20. Nf3 b3!? 21. axb3. White accepts the challenge. 21. ... Re3 22. Ne5 Qxb3 23. Ng6? White makes his first serious error which can be blamed for his defeat. After the immediate 23. Rh2 Bb4 Black would have compensation for the Pawn, but probably nothing more. 23. ... Bb4!! 24. Rh2. The tactical justification is 24. Nxh8 Bd2+! and mate in three moves. 24. ... Rc8 25. Ne5 a6. The straightforward 25. ... a5 – intending ... a5-a4-a3 – is still stronger. 26. Nd7+? Motylev aims to exchange pieces, but his basic rules of survival will be demolished by tactical means. The comparatively best is 26. Qe6, although after 26. ... Rc7 Black’s position appears most imposing anyway. 26. ... Nxd7 27. Qxd7

27. ... Rxc4+!! A well-calculated disrupting sacrifice! 28. dxc4 Rc3+! 29. bxc3. Or 29. Kb1 Qxd1+ 30. Ka2 Rc1 and wins. 29. ... Ba3+ 0 : 1. For if 30. Kd2 then 30. ... Qxc3+ 31. Ke2 Qe3 mate. Just a taste of delicious “epaulette mate”!