Pain au chocolat

Wesley So – Renier Vázquez Igarza
French Team Championship Top 12; Port-Camargue, June 1, 2015
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qc2 Nd7 11. Nc3 Ndf6 12. Ne5 Bg6. The “old” move 12. ... Be6 might be sounder, e.g. 13. c5 Bc7 14. f3 h6 15. Ne2 Ng5 16. h4 Ngh7 17. g4 Re8 18. Ng3 Nf8 19. g5 N6d7 20. f4 f6 as in the game Hráček – Haba, Czech Team Chess Championship, Pardubice 2003-2004. 13. Nxg6 Bxh2+. Black decides to launches a wild attack – dangerous but not sound – by a Bishop sacrifice rather than give up a Pawn. Such an attack – although speculative – may not be so easy to parry at the board. 14. Kxh2 Ng4+ 15. Kg1 fxg6 16. Bxe4. Obviously, 16. f3?? Qh4 loses on the spot. 16. ... Qh4. Maybe here Vázquez Igarza committs himself irretrievably. The comparatively sounder 16. ... dxe4 17. Rxe4 Qh4 18. Rxg4 Qxg4 19. Be3 Rae8 would have minimized Black’s material disadvantage. 17. Bf3 Qh2+ 18. Kf1 Rae8 19. Rxe8 Rxe8

20. Ne4. The resource that Black probably overlooked. 20. ... Qh1+ 21. Ke2 Qg1. Perhaps the best last ditch try was 21. ... dxe4 22. Bxg4 Qxg2 when Black has only two Pawns for two Bishops, but he can still hope for a panic attack of his adversary. 22. cxd5 cxd5. Or 22. ... Nxf2 23. Bg5! Qxa1 24. Kxf2 cxd5 (other moves lose as well) 25. Nf6+! gxf6 26. Bxd5+ Kf8 27. Bh6+ Ke7 28. Qc7 mate. 23. Bxg4 Rxe4+ 24. Kf3 h5 25. Be6+ Kh7 26. Qc8 1 : 0.

Wesley So
Photo: Fédération Française des Échecs