Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov – Sergio Mariotti
14th European Senior Team Chess Championship; Vienna, July 17, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D45

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Qc2 b6 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Bb7 11. Bf4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Nf6 13. Qe3 c5!? More enterprising than 13. ... Re8 14. Rad1 Qc8 15. h3 c5 16. Bg5 Qc7 17. Bf4 Qc8 18. Bg5 Qc7 ½ : ½ Shvedchikov – Živković, 11th European Senior Team Chess Championship, Rogaška Slatina 2012. 14. Rfd1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc8 16. a3 Re8 17. Rac1

17. ... e5! A very interesting Pawn sacrifice for the initiative! 18. Bxe5. Not 18. Qxe5?? Bc5 winning a piece. 18. ... Bd6 19. f4 Bxe5. Possibly a little too hasty. Also tempting was 19. ... Ng4 20. Bxg4 Qxg4 which results in Black quickly winning back his Pawn with satisfactory play. 20. fxe5 Qc5 21. b4 Qxe5? A grave error! Correct was 21. ... Rxe5 as 22. bxc5 (22. Qf4 Qe7 23. Bf3 Ne4 leads nowhere) 22. ... Rxe3 23. cxb6 axb6 24. Rb1 Rexa3 25. Rxb6 Be4 26. c5 Rc3 seems to give Black a tenable position. 22. Qxe5 Rxe5 23. c5. Now White’s pieces are very well placed to support the passed c-Pawn. 23. ... bxc5 24. bxc5 Rae8? From bad to worse. Comparatively best was 24. ... Bd5, although after 25. c6 Rc8 26. Ba6 Rc7 27. Rc5 White retains a crystal-clear advantage. 25. Bb5 Rf8 26. c6 Bc8 27. c7 Re7 28. Re1. Balashov finishes the game with perfect technique. 28. ... Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Nd5 30. Rc1 a6 31. Be2 Re8 32. Bf3 Nf6. 32. ... Nf4 is equally met by 33. Nc6. 33. Nc6 Kf8 34. Na7 1 : 0.

Sergio Mariotti
Photo: Österreichischer Schachbund