Mazurek

Mateusz Bartel – Radosław Wojtaszek
73rd Polish Chess Championship; Poznań, April 3, 2016
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nb3 e6 7. g4!? b5!? 8. Bg2 Bb7 9. g5 b4 10. Nd5! Most likely, it was a surprise that Bartel especially cooked up for the taste of his opponent.

10. ... Nxd5. If 10. ... exd5 there might follow 11. gxf6 dxe4 12. Rg1 gxf6 13. Qh5 with powerful compensation for the two minus Pawns. 11. exd5 e5 12. a3 Be7 13. axb4 Bxg5 14. Na5. White’s position appears to be quite impressive, but Wojtaszek somehow manages to hold together his goods as well as his bads. 14. ... Bc8 15. Bxg5 Qxg5 16. Qf3 0-0 17. Qg3 Qe7 18. 0-0-0 f5 19. f4 e4 20. h4 Nd7 21. Bf1 Nf6 22. Qe3 Bd7 23. Be2 Be8 24. h5 h6 25. Rh3 Kh7 26. Qd4 Bf7 27. c4 Qd7 28. Kb1 Qe8 29. Rdh1 Rg8 30. Nc6 Qd7 31. Rg1 Qb7 32. Qd2 Be8 33. Nd4 Rb8 34. Rhg3. Clearly not 34. Nxf5?? because of 34. ... Qd7 winning material. 34. ... Qxb4? A very serious mistake, which in fact loses the game. 34. ... Bd7 was mandatory, in order to answer 35. Nc2 by 35. ... Qb6. 35. Qxb4 Rxb4 36. Nxf5 Nxh5. If, instead, 36. ... Bxh5 then 37. Rxg7+ Rxg7 38. Rxg7+ Kh8 39. Bxh5 Nxh5 40. Rc7 Nxf4 41. Kc2 h5 42. Kc3 Rb6 43. b4 with decisive preponderance for White. 37. Bxh5 Bxh5 38. Rxg7+ Rxg7 39. Rxg7+ Kh8 40. Rc7 Be2 41. Nxd6 Bd3+ 42. Ka2 e3 43. b3 Bc2 44. Re7 Bxb3+ 45. Ka3 a5 46. Nb7 Bd1. Also after 46. ... Bxc4 47. Nxa5 Rb5 48. Nxc4 Rxd5 49. Nxe3 White must win. 47. d6 Ra4+ 48. Kb2 Bg4 49. c5 e2 50. c6 Rd4 51. f5 Bxf5 52. Rxe2 Kg7 53. d7 Bxd7 54. Re7+ Kf6 55. Rxd7 Rc4 56. Rd6+ Ke5 57. Rxh6 a4 58. Na5 Kd5 1 : 0.

Mateusz Bartel
Photo: mp2016.pzszach.pl