Say it with Flowers

卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) – Vadim Viktorovich Zvjaginsev
23rd Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 6, 2016
Sicilian Defence B36

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. e4 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Be2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Bg5 0-0 10. Qe3 Be6 11. 0-0 Qb6 12. Qd2 Rfc8 13. b3 a6 14. Rac1 Qb4!? Maybe a new idea. For 14. ... Qa5 15. f4 Rc5 see Kobalia – Zvjaginsev, 69th Moscow Blitz Chess Championship, Moscow 2015. 15. f4 b5. I feel that Black should have played 15. ... Rc5, but probably this was the idea related to the previous 14. ... Qb4. 16. f5 Bd7 17. fxg6 hxg6

18. e5! A surprisingly powerful Pawn sacrifice. 18. ... Qc5+ 19. Kh1 Qxe5. Black cannot refuse the proffered Pawn. 20. Bf3! “The threat is Rc1-e1 followed by Re1xe7 invading deep into Black’s camp”, writes Europe Échecs’ editor-in-chief Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly. 20. ... b4 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. Bxd5 e6 23. Bf4 Qb2 24. Bxa8 Qxd2 25. Bxd2 Rxa8 26. Bxb4. White is an Exchange ahead with no compensation for his opponent. Zvjaginsev defended strenuously but vainly. 26. ... d5 27. cxd5 exd5 28. Bc3 d4 29. Bb2 Rd8 30. Rcd1 Bc6 31. Rf4 f5 32. Rf2 Be4 33. Rfd2 Rc8 34. Rc1 Rxc1+ 35. Bxc1 d3 36. Rd1 Kf7 37. Kg1 Ke6 38. Be3 Bb2 39. Kf2 Kd5 40. Rb1 Ba3 41. b4. Threatening Rb1-b3. 41. ... Kc4 42. Bd2 Kb5 43. Rb3 Ka4 44. g3 g5 45. h4 gxh4 46. gxh4 f4 47. h5 a5 48. h6 Bxb4 49. Bxb4 axb4 50. Ke1 f3 51. Rb2 Ka3 52. Rf2 Bh7 53. Rd2 b3 54. axb3 Kxb3 55. Kf2 Kc3 56. Ke3 Bf5 57. Rf2 Bh7 58. Rxf3 d2 59. Rf1 1 : 0. For if 59. ... Bc2 then 60. Rd1! finis.

July 18. 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) gives his wife 黄茜 (Huáng Qiàn) a bouquet of flowers on her birthday. Photo: sports.sina.com.cn.