The Fiftieth Gate

Borya Ider – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
15th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 28, 2017
Neo-Queen’s Indian Defence A47

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. Bf4 Bb7 4. e3 g6 5. h3 Bg7 6. Be2 d6 7. c4 Nbd7 8. Nc3 0-0 9. 0-0 e6 10. Qc2 Nh5 11. Bh2 f5 12. d5 e5 13. g4 fxg4 14. hxg4 Nhf6 15. Ng5

15. ... Nxd5!! A fantastic positional Queen sacrifice for only two minor pieces (and a Pawn) which resembles very much the one (13. ... Nxd5!!) made by Alexander McDonnell in the 50th game of his match against Louis-Charles de la Bourdonnais at London in 1834. In both cases, a purely intuitive, uncompensated grand offer will overwhelm the weight of the matter. In both cases, no calculation could be made in advance. 16. Ne6 Nxc3 17. Nxd8 (17. Qxc3 Qh4 18. Nxf8 Rxf8∓) 17. ... Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Bf3! 19. Qd3 (19. Qc2 Raxd8) 19. ... Nc5 20. Qa3 Rfxd8 (20. ... a5!) 21. e4? I won’t bore my readers with what they already know, but it is a fact that the text, weakening dramatically both the d4- and f4-squares, contributes significantly to the creation of a four-hand artwork. On 21. b4 Black would have probably played 21. ... Ne4 (but even 21. ... Ne6 should be considered) with a very pleasant game, but nothing immediately concrete. 21. ... Rf8 22. Rae1 Bh6 23. b4 Ne6 (23. ... Nxe4 24. Rxe4 Bxe4 25. f3 Bb7 26. c5 Rf7∓) 24. c5 Nd4 25. Qd3 b5! 26. Bg3 Bg5 27. a4 a6 28. Qa3 Bxg4 29. Rd1 Nf3+! 30. Kg2 dxc5 31. bxc5 h5! 32. Qa2+ Kh7 33. Qd5 Rae8 34. Qc6 Re7 35. Rd3 h4 36. Bh2 bxa4 37. Qxa4 Kh6 38. Qa3 Ref7 39. Qb2 Re7 40. c6 a5 41. Rb3 Kg7 42. Rb5? And even this, after all, almost metaphysically serves to create the impressive, final Black’s crescendo. I’ve read somewhere that the White Rook should not have abandoned the third rank, and maybe it’s true. On the other hand, Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine once complained that any creative accomplishment in chess, unlike as for other arts, demands the cooperation of your opponent, who very often is, instead, determined to prevent and trivialize the most beautiful of masterpieces. Ars tua mors mea – with a bit of luck, it could even become the new motto of FIDE. 42. ... h3+ 43. Kh1 Nxh2 44. Rxe5. 44. Kxh2 Bf4+ 45. Kg1 Bf3 eventually leads to mate. 44. ... Bf3+ 45. Kg1. “After 45. Kxh2 Bf4+! 46. Kg1 (46. Kxh3 Rxe5−+) 46. ... h2 mates”, Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek wrote in his The Huffington Post column. 45. ... Nxf1!! “A cool move, allowing a discovered check and White’s invasion”. (Kavalek). 46. Rxe7+. “Black wins after 46. Kxf1 h2! 47. Rxe7+ (47. Rxg5+ Kh7 48. Rg1 hxg1=Q+ 49. Kxg1 Rxe4−+) 47. ... Kh6 48. Qg7+ Kh5 49. Qh7+ Bh6 50. Re5+ g5−+ or after 46. Rxg5+ Kh7−+”. (Kavalek). 46. ... Kh6 47. Qg7+ Kh5 48. Qh7+ Kg4. “48. ... Bh6 49. Re5+ g5 also wins comfortably”. (Kavalek). 49. Re8. “After 49. Rxc7 h2+ 50. Kxf1 Bh4! 51. Qxg6+ Kh3 52. Qe6+ Bg4 53. Qb3+ Rf3 the checks stop and Black wins. White dies on the back rank after 49. Kxf1 Rb8!−+”. (Kavalek). 49. ... Rxe8 50. Qd7+ Kh4 51. Kxf1 Rd8 52. Qh7+ Kg4 0 : 1. And maybe Johann Jacob Löwenthal’s handwritten note (in pencil) at the end of the score in his personal copy of the 1834 endless match book is not so frivolous as it might sound: “Creditable to M’D to win a game after losing the Queen at 14th move”.

A Queen’s sacrifice. Photo: chess24.com.