Carmel Winery

Boris Abramovich Gelfand – Ernesto Kazbekovich Inarkiev
Match game 6; Magas, July 20, 2016
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 d5 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Be7 8. cxd5 exd5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Nc3 Re8 11. Ne5 Bb7 12. Bc1 Nbd7 13. Bb2 Bd6 14. f4 c5. Let’s take a class at Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik’s chess school: 14. ... Ne4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. e3 Nf6 17. a3 c5 18. Qe2 cxd4 19. Bxd4 Qe7 20. b4 a5 21. b5 Bxe5 22. Bxe5 Nd7 23. Bd4 Nc5 24. f5 Nd7 25. f6 Qe6 26. Qh5 Ne5 27. Rf5 Ng6 28. fxg7 Rad8 29. Qxh7+ 1 : 0 Botvinnik – Padevski, 7th International Tournament, Monte Carlo 1968. Another try is 14. ... a6 15. e3 Qe7 16. g4 Ne4 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 ½ : ½ Flohr – Ståhlberg, Gothenburg 1957. 15. e3 cxd4. The alternative was 15. ... a6 16. Rc1 Rc8 17. Na4 b5 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 19. Nxc5 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Bxc5 21. Rxc5 Rxc5 22. Bxg7 d4 23. Bxd4 Bxg2 24. Bxc5 Bxf1 25. Qg4+ Kh8 26. Bd4+ f6 27. Qf5 Kg7 28. Kxf1 Qd6 29. Qg5+ Kf8 30. Qf5 Kg8 31. Qg4+ Kf8 32. Qh5 Rc8 33. Qxh7 Rc1+ 34. Kg2 Qc6+ 35. Kh3 Rc2 36. Qh8+ Kf7 37. Qh7+ Kf8 38. Qh6+ Kf7 39. Qh5+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Kf7 41. Qh7+ Kf8 42. Qh6+ Kf7 43. Qh7+ Kf8 44. Qh8+ ½ : ½ Rashkovsky – Kuzmin, 8th Chigorin Memorial, Sochi 1976. 16. exd4 Bb4!? A very artificial plan, especially if related to Black’s next move. Deserving consideration was 16. ... a6 like in the aforementioned game Rashkovsky vs. Kuzmin. 17. Rc1 Bxc3 18. Rxc3 Ne4 19. Rc2 Nf8. If 19. ... f6 there might follow 20. Nd3 intending f4-f5 followed by Nd3-f4-e6. 20. Qh5! g6. On 20. ... Ng6? 21. f5 Nh8 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. f6! wins immediately. 21. Qh6. “There are pretty White’s threats in sight such as f4-f5, or even Bg2xe4 followed by d4-d5 opening the long diagonal for the b2-Bishop. Ernesto Inarkiev realizes the danger, but he is too eager to eliminate White’s Knight from its own outpost on e5”, says Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly in his commentary for Europe Échecs. 21. ... f6? 22. Bxe4! fxe5. Or 22. ... dxe4 23. Ng4 (Δ d4-d5) 23. ... Bd5 24. f5 e3 25. fxg6 Re6 26. Re2 and wins (Kouatly’s analysis).

23. f5! The End. 23. ... Re7 (23. ... dxe4 24. f6+-) 24. Bg2 e4 25. Ba3 Rf7 26. fxg6! Rxf1+ 27. Bxf1 Nxg6 28. Rf2 Qd7 29. Bh3 Qc6 30. Be7. The deadly threat is Be7-f6. 30. ... e3 31. Rf6 Qc1+ 32. Rf1 Qc6 33. Bf6 1 : 0.

Boris Abramovich Gelfand (right) vs. Ernesto Kazbekovich Inarkiev (left). Photo: ruchess.ru