Passer-by

Radosław Wojtaszek – Grzegorz Gajewski
73rd Polish Chess Championship; Poznań, April 2, 2016
Nimzo-Indian Defence E32

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 0-0 8. Bg5 d6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. f3 h6 11. Bh4 c5 12. e3. For 12. e4 Qc7 13. Be2 Nh5 see Wojtaszek – Abasov, 1st Vugar Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2014. 12. ... Re8. For 12. ... Rc8 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. b4 Ncd7 15. Qd4 Qc7 16. Be2 d5 17. 0-0 Qe5 see V. A. Chekhov – Wojtkiewicz, Polish Team Chess Championship, Lubniewice 1995. 13. dxc5 dxc5 14. Qc2 e5 15. Be2 Nf8 16. 0-0-0 Ng6 17. Bf2 Qc7 18. Bg3 Rad8 19. Nb1 Nh5 20. Nc3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 Qe7 22. Qf5 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Nd5 Bxd5? A grave error of judgment, which gives White a very dangerous passed Pawn in the centre. Instead 24. ... Qe8 seems to give Black a tenable position. 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. cxd5 Qg5? Another very questionable decision. Better looks 26. ... Qd8 in order to answer 27. Bc4 by 27. ... b5.

27. Qd3! Here 27. Qxg5 hxg5 28. d6 was also very tempting, since after 28. ... Kf8 29. Kd2 f5 30. Kc3 the ending looks very sad for Black. 27. ... Qxg3 28. d6 e4. After 28. ... Qh4 29. d7 Qd8 30. Qd6 Nf8 31. Bb5 Black finds himself in a kind of strategic Zugzwang, and giving back the extra Pawn by 31. ... Ne6 (31. ... a6 32. Bc6 makes no difference) 32. Qxe5 a6 33. Bc6 doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. 29. Qd1 Nf8. Thus resigning himself to play a Piece down. However, if 29. ... Qh4 then 30. d7 Qd8 31. fxe4 with an overwhelming position for White, e.g. 31. ... Ne5? 32. Qd5! (not 32. Bb5 a6!) 32. ... Nxd7 33. Bb5 and wins. 30. d7 Nxd7 31. Qxd7 Qe1+ 32. Qd1 Qf2 33. fxe4 Qxg2 34. Bc4 Qf2 35. Qd2. The safest way to exploit his material advantage. Wojtaszek demonstrates the technique to bring home the point. 35. ... Qxd2+ 36. Kxd2 Kf8 37. e5 Ke7 38. Kd3 h5 39. Ke4 h4 40. Kf4 f6 41. Kg4 g5 42. Bd5 b5 43. Kf5 fxe5 44. Kxg5 h3 45. Kg4 Kd6 46. Be4 h2 47. Kg3 c4 48. Kxh2 Kc5 49. Kg3 b4 50. axb4+ Kxb4 51. Kf3 Kb3 52. Bd5 Kxb2 53. Bxc4 a5 54. Bb5 Kc3 55. Ke4 Kd2 56. Ba4 Ke2 57. Bc6 Kd2 58. Bb5 1 : 0.

Radosław Wojtaszek
Photo: mp2016.pzszach.pl