Quietly

Nino Batsiashvili – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
15th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 28, 2017
English Opening A10

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 b6 3. e4 Bb7 4. g3 Bb4 5. Bg2 Bxc3 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nh3 c5 8. 0-0 Nbc6 9. d3 d6 10. f4 Qd7 11. Qh5 h6 12. Be3. Even stronger might be 12. f5! g6 13. Qe2 with perhaps better prospects for initiative. 12. ... g6 13. Qe2 f5 14. Nf2 Na5 15. Rfe1 Rh7 16. Rad1 Qa4

17. d4! An interesting Pawn sacrifice. Also worth considering was 17. exf5 exf5 18. Bxc5! dxc5 19. Qe6 with good compensation. 17. ... Qxc4? A little too daring. Castling was much safer. 18. Qxc4? Luckily for mankind, Batsiashvili misses 18. Qb2! (threatening to trap the Queen with Bg2-f1) 18. ... Qa4 19. dxc5 dxc5 20. Bf1 which appears to give White. 19. ... Nxc4 19. exf5? This makes it easy for Black to win the endgame. Instead 19. Bc1! could give a tough fight. 19. ... Nxf5 20. Bc1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 cxd4 22. cxd4 Kd7 23. d5 exd5 24. Rxd5 Re7 25. Rxe7+ Nxe7 26. Rd1 Rc8 27. g4 Rc5 28. Re1 Ra5 29. Re2 Nd5 30. f5 gxf5 31. Bxh6 f4!

32. Re4 Nce3+ 33. Kf3 Ra3 34. Bxf4 Nd1+ 35. Kg2 Nxf4+ 36. Rxf4 Rxa2 37. h4 Ke6 38. h5 Rxf2+! 39. Rxf2 Nxf2 40. h6 (40. Kxf2 Kf6−+) 40. ... Nd3 0 : 1.

Things went smooth enough, but this was only the quiet before the storm. Photo © John Saunders.