Light It Up

Daniil Dimitriyevich Dubov – Daniil Aleksandrovich Yuffa
69th All-Russian Higher League; Kolomna, June 27, 2016
Alekhine Defence B02

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. Nc3 c6 4. d4 d6 5. f4 Bf5 6. Bd3. For 6. Nxd5 cxd5 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 g6 10. 0-0 Bg7 11. Bd2 Qd7 12. Rae1 see I. A. Zaitsev – Vesterinen, Moscow 1982. 6. ... Qd7. Also 6. ... Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 e6 9. Nf3 d5 10. f5 seems to give White a very powerful attack, Glinert – McLaren, 76th Canadian Chess Championship, Richmond 2002. 7. a3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Qg4

10. Nh3! Dubov is a very creative player and you can be sure that he is always ready to invent something dangerous. Here he sacrifices a Pawn for a powerful initiative. 10. ... Qxg2 11. Rg1 Qd5. Not 11. ... Qxh2? 12. Bd2! followed by long castling, with very sad consequences for Black. 12. c4 Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. Ng5 e6 15. f5 h6 16. exd6! There were many interesting possibilities, but Dubov chooses the soundest and probably the best one. 16. ... Qxd6? Probably 16. ... Bxd6 was a little better, although after 17. Ne4 Nd7 (17. ... Bxh2 18. Rxg7 is decidedly bad, while after 17. ... exf5 18. Nxd6+ Qxd6 19. 0-0-0 White totally dominates the board, in spite of his two Pawns minus) 18. 0-0-0 White still has powerful compensation for the Pawn. 17. Ne4 Qxh2 18. 0-0-0 Nd7 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. Rh1. Now White easily demolishes any resistance. 20. ... Qc7 21. Ng5 0-0-0 22. Nxe6 Qd6 23. Nxd8 Qxa3+ 24. Qxa3 Bxa3+ 25. Kb1 Rxd8 26. c5. That’s the point! The Black Bishop is in trouble. 26. ... b5 27. Ba5 Re8 28. Rhe1 Nf6 29. Rxe8+ Nxe8 30. Ka2 1 : 0. For if 30. ... b4 then 31. c3.

Daniil Dimitriyevich Dubov. Photo: chesspro.ru.