Hedgehog Tattoo

Nigel David Short – Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami
1st Stars Cup; Bandar-e Anzali, July 18, 2016
English Opening A17

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 b6 4. e4 Bb7 5. d3 d6 6. g3 Be7 7. Bg2 0-0 8. 0-0 c5 9. Re1 a6 10. b3 Nbd7 11. d4 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Qc7 13. Bb2 Rac8. Else 13. ... Rfe8 14. Qd2 Bf8 15. Rad1 Rad8 16. h3 Qb8 17. Ba1 Qa8 18. Kh2 Nc5 19. Qc2 Rc8 20. Qb1 Red8 21. Re3 g6 22. f4 Bg7 23. Nde2 ½ : ½ Kasparov – Gipslis, 7th Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, Moscow 1979. 14. Qd2 g6? Iranian Grandmaster evidently underestimates the danger, otherwise he would have followed the sound example set him by Aivars Gipslis (... Rf8-e8 followed by ... Be7-f8). 15. Bh3! Nc5 16. b4 Rcd8!? Making a virtue of necessity, for if 16. ... Ncd7 then 17. Nxe6! fxe6 18. Bxe6+ Kg7 19. f4! with a very powerful attack. 17. Rac1! Bc8 18. Bg2! Ncd7

19. Nd5! This thematic sacrifice must have not been too difficult for Short – almost like a youth’s memory. 19. ... exd5 20. cxd5 Qb7 21. Nc6 Rfe8. “Perhaps it was better 21. ... Rde8, but Black stood badly anyway”, writes Leontxo García in his notes for El País, July 27, 2016. White would have probably played 22. Qf4 imposing his opponent heavy burdens and fines. 22. f4 Nh5 23. e5! Short conducts the attack by autopilot. 23. ... Nb8 24. Nxd8 Rxd8 25. e6! Nf6 26. f5! b5 27. Bd4! Rf8 28. Qh6 fxe6 29. dxe6 d5 30. fxg6 Nc6 31. Rxc6! 1 : 0. For if 31. ... Qxc6 then 32. Bxf6 Bc5+ 33. Kh1 Rxf6 34. Qxh7+ Kf8 35. e7+ Ke8 36. Qg8+ and mate in two moves.