Amblin’

Maxim Sergeevich Matlakov – Mariya Muzychuk
13th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 27, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D43

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. 0-0 Bb4 8. Qc2 0-0 9. Rd1 Qe7 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Nd7. The alternative 11. ... Nd5 12. Ne4 is no better Petkov – Danov, 64th Bulgarian Team Championship, Sunny Beach 2014. 12. Bf4 f6 13. Ne4 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 fxe5 15. Qxc4 Ba5 16. e3 Bc7 17. Rd2 a5 18. Rad1 a4. Intending an original Rook lift: ... Ra8-a5-d5. 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Rxd6 Ra5 21. e4. He prevents. 21. ... Rd5? She invents. Beyond its psychological effects, however, the text move must be considered a serious error of judgment. 22. R6xd5. Not 22. exd5? Qxd6 and Black comes out on top. 22. ... exd5 23. exd5 Qf7 24. Rd2 Bd7 25. Qxa4 cxd5 26. Qb3 e4 27. Qxd5 Bc6 28. Qxf7+? Maxim Sergeyevich misses the harsh 28. Bxe4! that finally leaves White with two Pawns to the good. 28. ... Kxf7 29. Rd4 Ke6 30. Rb4 Ke5 31. Kf1 Ra8 32. a3 Ra5 33. Ke1 Rc5 34. Kd1 Rd5+ 35. Kc1 Rc5+ 36. Kb1 g5

“White was probably not feeling too great about life at this point, after letting slip a big advantage earlier in the game. Here he still has an extra Pawn but his pieces, particularly his Rook, are badly placed. He probably felt he’d let the win slip but it’s about to get much, much worse...”, John Saunders said. 37. Rb3? A serious mistake, after which White falls into trouble. After 37. Bf1 Bd5 38. Rb5 Rc7 (or 38. ... Rc8) the game is quite even. 37. ... Rd5 38. Rc3. White has no choice as 38. Kc1?? would be a tragic blunder because of 38. ... Ba4. 38. ... Rd2 39. Rc2?? “A truly awful blunder, for almost anyone, let alone a 2695-rated GM. The all-seeing computer finds an improbable way out of White’s difficulties with 39. Rc5+! Kf6 40. Kc1 Rxf2 41. Rc2 e3 42. Rxf2+ exf2 43. Bf1 Ke5 44. Kd2 Kd4 45. Ke2 Kc4 46. Kxf2+ Kb3, etc.”, Saunders said. 39. ... e3!! A very brilliant finish! 40. Bxc6. There’s nothing else to do. 40. ... e2! 41. Rxd2 e1=Q+ 42. Kc2 bxc6 0 : 1.

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: John Saunders