Draniki

Daniele Vocaturo – Alan Tate
18th European Individual Chess Championship; Minsk, May 30, 2017
Two Knights Defence C55

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. e5 d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. 0-0 Bc5 10. f3 Ng5 11. f4 Ne4 12. Be3 Bb6. No doubt Vocaturo knows very well what is playing. If 12. ... 0-0 there might follow 13. Nd2 f6 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qe2 Qe7 16. Qc4+ Kh8 17. Nf5 Bxe3+ 18. Nxe3 Rab8 19. b3 Rb4 20. Qc3 h6 21. Rad1 a5 22. exf6 Rxf6 23. Qe5 Re6 24. Qxa5 Rb5 25. Qxc7 Qc5 26. Rfe1 Be8 27. Qc8 Qe7 28. Qd8 Qc5 29. f5 Re5 30. f6 gxf6 31. Qxf6+ Kh7 32. Rd6 1 : 0 Vocaturo – Martínez López, 17th Sants Open 2015, Barcelona 2015. 13. Nd2 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 c5 15. Nf3 d4 16. Bf2 0-0. Probably sounder is 16. ... Bc6, e.g. 17. Bh4 Qd7 18. Rad1 0-0 19. f5 Qxf5 20. Nxd4 Qh5 21. Nxc6 Qxh4 22. Qd5 c4+ 23. Kh1 Rae8 24. a4 Qg4 25. a5 Be3 26. Rf3 Bg5 27. Rd4 Qe6 28. Qxc4 f6 29. h4 fxe5 30. Re4 Qxc4 31. Rxc4 Bd2 32. Re4 Re6 33. Nd4 Rxf3 34. Nxe6 Rf1+ 35. Kh2 Bxa5 36. Rxe5 Bb4 37. Nc5 Rf2 38. c3 Bxc5 39. Rxc5 Rxb2 ½ : ½ G. C. B. Jones – E. l’Ami, 5th Remco Heite GM Tournament, Wolvega 2014. 17. a4!? Just a little diversion. For 17. Qd3 Qc8 18. b4 cxb4 19. Nxd4 c5 20. Nf3 c4 21. Qd6 Rb8 22. Rad1 Bf5 see Smerdon – Wallis, 23rd Australian Open, Sydney 2015. 17. ... a5 18. Qd3 Qc8 19. Nh4. Prevents ... Bd7-f5. 19. ... f6? This will turn out to be a wrong and very detrimental idea, as it dramatically weakens Black’s Kingside. Probably best is 19. ... f5 (Stockfish) eventually followed by ... Bd7-e6-d5. 20. Rae1 Be6? After which White’s attack is easy and unbearable. Perhaps Black might do a little better by 20. ... Qa6, but, even in such a case, 21. Qf3 followed by f4-f5 would be very unpleasant for him to bear.

21. f5! Bd5 22. c4! Qa6 23. b3 Bc6 24. exf6 Rxf6 25. Bg3 Raf8 26. Be5 R6f7 27. f6! gxf6. No better is 27. ... g6 28. Nxg6 hxg6 29. Qxg6+ Kh8 30. Rf4 with mate to follow in three moves. 28. Rxf6! With the deadly threat of Rf6-g6+. 1 : 0. For if 28. ... Rxf6 then 29. Qg3+ Kf7 (neither 29. ... Kh8 30. Nf5 nor 29. ... Rg6 30. Nxg6 would change the outcome) 30. Bxf6 Kxf6 31. Qe5+ Kf7 32. Rf1+ and mate in three moves.