Beijinho

Alexandr Hilário Takeda Sakai dos Santos Fier – Maximo Iack Macedo
83rd Brazilian Chess Championship; Rio de Janeiro, February 13, 2017
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. Qc2!? Shuffling cards. For 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. 0-0 Rc8 see Macedo – Mekhitarian, 82nd Brazilian Chess Championship, Rio de Janeiro 2016. 8. ... Nc6 8. 0-0 Rc8 9. d3 Be7 10. a3 0-0 11. e3 Nd5 12. Nbd2 b5 13. b3 f6 14. Bb2 Be8 15. Rad1 Nb6 16. Ne4 Nd7 17. Qe2 Qc7? 17. ... Na5 appears much better, maintaining a more balanced game. 18. d4! Now White opens up the centre under much more favourable conditions than before. 18. ... cxd4 19. exd4 b4 20. axb4 Bxb4 21. Rc1 Bf7 22. Nfd2. Stockfish lists on top the flashy 22. Nfg5! which could indeed be even stronger; for instance: 22. ... fxg5 23. Nxg5 Ndb8 24. d5! exd5 25. Bxd5 Bxd5 26. Qd3 g6 27. Qxd5+ Rf7 28. Nxh7! Kxh7? 29. Rc4 with an irresistible attack. 22. ... Qb6 23. Nc4 Qb8 24. Ra1 e5? The final crisis. Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão rightly recommends 24. ... Rfd8. 25. Bh3 Rcd8. White to move and win (it’s very easy!):

26. Bxd7! Rxd7 27. Nxf6+! 1 : 0. For if 27. ... gxf6 then 28. Qg4+.