An Arrow in the Wall

Marina Brunello – Salome Melia
18th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Riga, April 20, 2017
Sicilian Defence B63

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 Qb6 7. Nb3 e6 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. 0-0-0 0-0-0 11. f4 Rg8 12. Bd3!? A novelty. White aims for a quick f4-f5, not caring too much about her Bishop pair. On the other hand, Melia often played this variation – where Black usually suffers a little – with both colours; for 12. g3 Na5 13. Kb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Qc5 15. Bh3 Kb8 16. f5 see Šarić – Melia, Mediterranean Open, Rijeka 2008, while for 12. Qe2 Na5 13. Kb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Qc5 15. g3 Kb8 16. f5 see Paikidze – Melia, 66th Women’s Georgian Chess Championship, Tbilisi 2009. And finally, for 12. Kb1 Kb8 13. Qe2 Be8 14. Qh5 h6 15. g3 a6 16. Bh3 see Melia – Khukhashvili, 62nd Women’s Georgian Chess Championship, Tblisi 2005. 12. ... Kb8 13. Rhf1 Nb4 14. g3 Nxd3+ 15. Qxd3 h5 16. f5 Be7 17. Kb1 a6 18. Qe2 Rg5 19. Rf4 Rh8 20. Nd2 Rc8 21. Qd3 Qc5 22. Nf3 Rgg8 23. Rh4 Rh8? White manouvered well obtaining an edge, but the absence of the light-squared Bishop might prevent her to achieve something more tangible. Here it seems very convincing Stockfish’s pyrotechnic liquidation by 23. ... exf5! 24. Rxh5 fxe4! with a tenable game for Black. 24. Nd4! Qe5? And here, probably, Black had nothing better than to hold on and wait by ... Rc8-g8-g5. 25. Qe2! The punishment was immediate and now Black is in serious trouble. So, you might even see Melia’s next move as a sign of desperation: 25. ... b5?

26. Nd5!! An explosive sacrifice – aesthetically in the style of Yugoslav Grandmaster Dragoljub Velimirović – which literally disintegrates Black’s position. 26. ... exf5. Not 26. ... exd5 on account of 27. Nf3 trapping the Black Queen in the middle of the board. 27. Nb6! Be6. Black cannot save the Rook, as both 27. ... Rc7 and 27. ... Rcd8 after 28. Nxd7+ Rxd7 29. Nc6+ would cost her the Queen. 28. Nxe6 Qxe6 29. Nxc8. Black is by now doomed and helpless, both materially and positionally. Brunello confidently brings home the whole point. 29. ... Rxc8 30. Qd3 Rc5 31. exf5 Rxf5 32. a4 Qd7 33. Rd4 Re5 34. Rd5 Qb7 35. axb5 axb5 36. Qb3 b4 37. Rxe5 fxe5 38. Qxf7 e4 39. Qd5 Qb6 40. Qxe4 Bf6 41. Qe8+ Bd8 42. Qxh5 b3 43. cxb3 Qxb3 44. Qd5 1 : 0.