Luck

Gataulla Rustemovich Kamsky – Ivan Sokolov
46th Rilton Cup; Stockholm, January 1, 2017
Queen’s Pawn Game A45

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 g6 4. c3 Qb6 5. Qb3 Bg7 6. Nd2. 6. Nf3 after 6. ... d6 7. Nbd2 0-0 8. Be2 Be6 9. dxc5 Qxc5 10. Qxb7 Nbd7 11. Nb3 Qb6 12. Qxb6 Nxb6 13. Nbd4 Bd7 14. Bg5 Na4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. 0-0-0 Rab8 transposes into Prie – I. Sokolov, Coupe de France, Saint Quentin 2016. 6. ... 0-0 7. Nc4 Qd8 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. exd4 Nc6 10. Be2 d6 11. Rd1. This looks a bit too artificial. Much sounder seems to me to be 11. h3 followed by short castling. 11. ... Nd5 12. Bg3 Be6!? This is quite a thematic Pawn sacrifice. 13. Ng5. 13. Qxb7 Na5 leads to unbalanced positions, which, undoubtedly, Sokolov contemplated. The text doesn’t promise anything better. 13. ... Bd7 14. Nd2. If 14. Nxd6?! exd6 15. Qxd5 then 15. ... Nxd4! 16. cxd4 Bc6 and Black regains the piece with interest. 14. ... Nb6 15. h4. 15. 0-0 e5 doesn’t make much difference, but could have been a little less committal. 15. ... e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 (Δ ... Bd7-a4) 17. Qa3. White commits himself by putting his own Queen out of play and exposing her to constant attack by the enemy forces. 17. Bb5 might have been a lesser evil. 17. ... d5 18. 0-0 Re8 19. Rfe1 Bf8 20. b4 a5 21. Qb2 axb4 22. cxb4 Bg7 23. Qb1 Bf5 24. Qb3 Rc8 25. Bxe5. This makes things worse, but even after 25. Nde4 h6 Black stands quite clearly better. 25. ... Rxe5 26. Bb5 Rc3! Of course 26. ... Bc2 was also very strong, but Sokolov’s solution is as strong as elegant. 27. Rxe5 Bxe5 28. Qb2 h6 29. Re1 Qd6. 29. ... Re3! is another way of winning the game. 30. Ndf3 Bf6 31. Re8+ Kg7 32. Qd2 Qxb4 33. Nxf7! Feeling himself on the verge of the abyss, Kamsky tries a last ditch trick. 33. ... g5?? And Sokolov – probably in serious time trouble – falls straight into it! Correct was 33. ... Kxf7 34. Qxh6 Nd7! leaving White without a future.

34. Nxh6! Kxh6. Or 34. ... Qxb5 35. Nxf5+ Kg6 36. Ne5+! Kh7 (if 36. ... Bxe5 then 37. Qxg5+ Kf7 38. Qg8+ Kf6 39. Rf8 mate, while if 36. ... Kxf5 then 37. g4+! Ke4 38. f3+! Rxf3 39. Nc6+! and mate next move) 37. hxg5 winning easily, e.g. 37. ... Qb1+ 38. Kh2 Qxf5 39. gxf6 and Black can resign. 35. hxg5+ Kh7 36. gxf6 1 : 0.

Gata Kamsky
Photo: Lars OA Hedlund