Painting with a comet’s tail

Jacek Tomczak – David Navara
8th International Grandmasters’ Tournament; Lublin, June 18, 2016
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. 0-0 Bg6 7. Nbd2 Nh6 8. Nb3 Be7 9. c3 0-0 10. Bxh6 gxh6 11. Ne1. Another try was 11. Qd2 Kg7 12. Ne1 c5 13. f4 Qb6 14. Kh1 c4 15. Nc1 f6 16. exf6+ Nxf6 17. Bf3 Bd6 18. g3 Qc7 19. Ng2 b5 20. Nh4 a5 21. Re1 Rfe8 22. a3 ½ : ½ Inarkiev – Malakhatko, 7th European Individual Chess Championship, Kusadasi 2006. 11. ... c5 12. Qd2 c4 13. Nc1 f6 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Bf3. Not 15. Qxh6? on account of 15. ... Qb6 followed by ... Nf6-e4. 15. ... h5 16. Ne2 Ng4 17. g3 Bg5 18. Qd1 Qb6 19. b3 Qc7 20. h3 Nf6 21. Bg2 Ne4 22. Bxe4? A very serious mistake that spreads the wings of Navara’s colourful imagination. On 22. Nf3 Rxf3 23. Bxf3 Nd2 Black wins back the Exchange, without any concrete interest. 22. ... dxe4 23. h4 Bh6 24. Ng2 Rf3! Black’s Rook penetrates quite decisively into White’s position. 25. bxc4. Both 25. Nef4 and 25. Ngf4 are strongly met by 25. ... Bf5. 25. ... Raf8 26. Qb3 Qf7 27. c5

27. ... e3! David quickly demolishes Tomczak’s weakened Kingside. 28. Nef4 Bxf4 29. Nxf4 Rxf4! 30. gxf4 e2 31. Rfe1 Bc2!! A fantastic finish, worth the punctuation. 32. Qxc2 Qg7+ 33. Kh2 Rxf4 0 : 1. For if 34. Kh3 then 34. ... Rxh4+! 35. Kxh4 Qg4 mate.

Jacek Tomczak vs. David Navara
Photo: szachy.lublin.pl