The Footnotes

Radosław Wojtaszek – David Navara
17th European Individual Chess Championship; Gjakova, May 17, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D52

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5 7. Nd2 Bb4 8. Rc1 Ne4 9. Ncxe4 dxe4 10. Bh4 Qxa2 11. Be2 Qxb2. Navara dares to grab the second, “poisoned” Pawn. The previous try was 11. ... Qa5 12. 0-0 Bxd2 13. Ra1 Qb4 14. Qc2 c5 15. Ra4 Qb6 16. Qxd2 e5 17. Ra5?? (a very serious blind spot by Grischuk; after 17. dxe5 White’s two Bishops surely compensate for the Pawn) 17. ... Qh6! 18. Bg3 exd4 19. Bf4 g5 20. Bg3 d3 with an overwhelming advantage for Black, Grischuk – Mamedyarov, Grand Prix 2014/2015, third stage, Tbilisi 2015. 12. Rc2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Qa3 14. 0-0 0-0 15. c5. With the threat of Rf1-b1 followed by Rc2-a2 trapping Black’s Queen.

15. ... b5. Black wisely returns a Pawn for making a way out. 16. cxb6. Now 16. Rb1 is answered by 16. ... Qa6 17. Ra2 Qb7 and, however funny-looking Her Majesty’s spot might appear, Black’s game is quite safe. 16. ... axb6 17. Rxc6 Ba6 18. Bxa6 Qxa6 19. Qc2 Qd3. Black returns also the second Pawn, implicitly agreeing to a draw. 20. Qxd3 exd3 21. Rc3 Rfc8 22. Rxd3 Rc2 23. Rb3 h6 24. h3 ½ : ½.

Radosław Wojtaszek vs. David Navara
Photo: European Chess Union (‏@ECUonline)

Baadur Jobava – Ernesto Kazbekovich Inarkiev
17th European Individual Chess Championship; Gjakova, May 17, 2016
Ponziani Opening C44

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nbd2 a5 6. exd5. Stepping out from 6. Be2 Bc5 7. Qa4 0-0 8. b4 Bd6 9. 0-0 b5 10. Qxb5 axb4 11. exd5 Na5 12. cxb4 Bd7 13. Qxa5 Rxa5 14. bxa5 Nxd5 15. Ne4 Qa8 as occurred (by transposition) into Jobava – Caruana, Grand Prix 2014/2015, second stage, Tashkent 2014. 6. ... Nxd5 7. g3 g6 8. Bg2 Bg7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. a4 Nb6 11. Nb3 Bf5 12. Ne1 Nd5 13. Kh1. Jobava has achieved less than nothing out of the opening, but rather than play for a draw, he goes for a bold attack that looks like a block bet. 13. ... b6 14. f4 Qd7 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. d4 Ng4 17. Qf3. White is obviously undeveloped and uncoordinated, but luckily for him, Inarkiev plays the only move which allow Jobava to escape to a draw. 17. ... Rae8

18. Qxd5 Nf2+ 19. Kg1. 19. Rxf2?? Rxe1+ loses both the Queen and the Knight. 19. ... Nh3+ ½ : ½.

Baadur Jobava vs. Ernesto Kazbekovich Inarkiev
Photo: European Chess Union (‏@ECUonline)