Cooking Up the Past

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Đào Thiên Hải
Asian Nations Chess Cup; Abu Dhabi, March 30, 2016
Sicilian Defence B96

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Nbd7 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. 0-0-0 Be7 10. g4 h6 11. Bh4 g5. This is a very, very dubious plan – to put it euphemistically – as Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek found out at his own expenses forty-three years ago! 12. fxg5 Nh7

13. Bg3. Equally appealing is the immediate 13. Nf5! exf5 14. Nd5 Qd8 (no better is 14. ... Qa5 15. exf5 Ne5 16. Nxe7 Kxe7 17. Be1 Qxa2 18. Bc3 Rd8 19. b3 Nxg5 20. Rd5 a5 21. Rxe5+ Kf8 22. Re3 d5 23. Qb5 Ne4 24. Rxe4 dxe4 25. Qc5+ Kg8 26. Qe5 f6 27. Bc4+ 1 : 0 Rodríguez Vargas – Quinteros, São Paulo 1972) 15. exf5 Ne5 16. Bg3 Bxg5+ 17. Kb1 0-0 18. h4 Bf6 19. g5 hxg5 20. hxg5 Bxg5 21. Bxe5 dxe5 22. Qg4 Kg7 23. f6+ Kg8 24. Qe4 1 : 0 Calvo – Kavalek, 2nd International Tournament, Las Palmas 1973. 13. ... hxg5 14. Nf5! Nihil sub sole novum. 14. ... exf5. If, instead, 14. ... Ne5 there might follow 15. Nxe7 Kxe7 16. h4 Bd7 17. Qd2 Rhg8 18. Be2 b5 19. a3 Rab8 20. hxg5 Nxg5 21. Rh6 a5 22. Bh4 f6 23. Rxf6 Kxf6 24. Qf4+ Ke7 25. Bxg5+ Ke8 26. Qf6 Rxg5 27. Qxg5 Nf7 28. Qg6 Qd8 29. Rh1 Kf8 30. Rh7 Qe7 31. Rg7 1 : 0 J. C. Howell – Timoscenko, 67th Challengers Chess Tournament, Hastings 1991/1992. 15. Nd5 Qb8. Đào Thiên Hải’s novelty, hardly better than the old Via Crucis 15. ... Qd8 16. exf5 Nb6 17. Nxb6 Qxb6 18. Bxd6 1 : 0 Fedorowicz – Kuligowski, Ramsgate 1981. 16. exf5 Ne5. The corollary of 15. ... Qb8. It takes very little time for 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) to smash Black’s position. 17. Nxe7 Kxe7 18. Rxd6! Qxd6 19. Bxe5 Qd5 20. Bg2 Qxa2 21. Bd6+! It’s a very easy King hunt for a superb tactician such as 韦奕 (Wéi Yì). 21. ... Kxd6 22. Rd1+ Kc7 23. Qe5+ Kb6 24. Qd4+ Ka5 25. Qc5+ b5 26. Qc7+ 1 : 0. Just a bit “cooked up”.