Bundevara

Sergio Mariotti – Niels Møllmann Boye
16th European Senior Team Chess Championship; Novi Sad, July 2, 2017
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 Bf5 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 c6 9. f3 Qb6 10. Nge2 Nbd7 11. 0-0 h6 12. Bh4 0-0 13. Kh1!? Apparently Mariotti must have thought this is a necessary precaution. In Koliada – Kiviaho, Toronto 1993 was seen 13. e4 Ne5!? 14. Qc2 Nc4? 15. e5! Ne3 16. Qd3 Nxf1 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Rxf1 Qxb2 20. Ng3 with an irresistible attack for White. 13. ... c5. This seems quite premature as the weakness of Black’s isolani on d5 is not compensated by any dynamic benefit. 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Qc2 Ne6. Finally Black cedes a Pawn with the only chance to hope for a drawish endgame. 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Qxb2 18. Qxb2 Bxb2 19. Rab1 Ba3 20. Rxb7 Rfd8 21. Nec3 Bc5 22. Rd1 Kf8 23. g3 Bb6 24. Nxb6 Rxd1+ 25. Nxd1 axb6 26. Rxb6 Rxa2 27. Rb2. Since it’s a four vs. three endgame with Pawns on the same side, Mariotti reasonably aims to exchange Rooks in order to make his chances to win as high as possible. 27. ... Rxb2. This looks very strange to me as I’d have said that Black needed to keep the Rooks on the board. 28. Nxb2 Ke7 29. Kg2 f5 30. Kf2 g5 31. Ke2 Nc5 32. Nd3 Nd7 33. h3 Ke6 34. g4 Nf6 35. gxf5+ Kxf5 36. e4+? White should have patiently played 36. Kf2 as the text allows Black an immediate escape. 36. ... Nxe4! 37. fxe4+ Kxe4 38. Ne1

38. ... h5?? A fatal mistake! 38. ... g4! followed by ... Ke4-f4 would have drawn immediately. 39. Kf2! Now, instead, White wins. 39. ... h4. Both 39. ... g4 40. h4 and 39. ... Kf4 40. Ng2+ followed by Kf2-g3 lose right off. 40. Ng2 g4 41. hxg4 h3 42. Ne3 1 : 0.