Pop Goth

Georg Meier – Sabino Brunello
21st European Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, October 30, 2017
Slav Defence D12

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 Qb6 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. Kf2. Meier likes this line probably very much. Most usual is 10. Bd2 followed by Queenside castling. 10. ... Nbd7. Just another way of being: 10. ... Be7 11. Qxb6 axb6 12. Bd2 0-0 13. g4 Rd8 14. g5 Ne8 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. h4 Nc6 17. Nb5 Rdc8 18. Bd3 Bb4 19. Ke2 Kf8 20. h5 gxh5 21. Rxh5 Bxd2 22. Kxd2 Ke7 23. Rh7 Na5 24. Rc1 Nc6 25. Nc3 Nb4 26. a3 Nxd3 27. Kxd3 Nd6 28. Rch1 g6 29. R1h2 b5 30. e4 dxe4+ 31. fxe4 Nc4 32. Nxb5 Ra5 33. a4 Rxa4 34. b3 Ra3 35. Nxa3 Nxa3 36. Rf2 Rf8 37. Rf6 Nb5 38. Rxg6 Rd8 39. d5 exd5 40. e5 Rc8 41. e6 Rc3+ 42. Kd2 1 : 0 Meier – Hector, 32nd Politiken Cup, Copenhagen 2010. 11. Qxb6 axb6 12. Bd2. Of course, 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Bd3 b5 14. b3 Ba3! it’s not a line that may give Black any problems, Caprio – S. Brunello, 73rd Italian Chess Championship, Rome 2013. 12. ... Bd6 13. Be2 dxc4 14. a4! It’s definitely an improvement on 14. Bxc4 b5 15. Bd3 e5 16. Ne2 exd4 17. Nxd4 Ne5 18. Be2 Nd5 19. h3 Nb4 20. Bxb4 Bxb4 21. Rhd1 Ke7 22. a3 Bd6 ½ : ½ Halkias – Atakisi, Zonal Tournament, Yerevan 2000. 14. ... e5 15. h3 exd4 16. exd4 Bb4 17. Bxc4 Rh5 18. g4 Rha5 19. h4 Kf8. If 19. ... Bxc3 then 20. Bxc3 Rxa4 21. Rae1+ Kf8 22. Bb3 followed by h4-h5 with a powerful initiative for White. Black must probably look for improvements somewhere around moves 14-19. 20. Rae1. Two moves later White will apparently realize that the Rook must stand on d1. 20. ... Re8. And here Brunello very probably misses his best chance of resistance: 20. ... Rxa4! 21. Nxa4 Bxd2 22. Re2 Rxa4 23. b3 Rxc4 24. bxc4 Bc3 with a very unclear, uneven ending, in which, however, Black’s drawing possibilites seem not unrealistic. 21. Ra1 Rea8 22. Rad1 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 Rxa4 24. Bb3 Nd5. 24. ... R4a7 25. h5 certainly seems unpleasant (and maybe very unpleasant), but Brunello’s decision to sacrifice the Exchange is not grounded on any pragmatic foundation for a draw. Meier will convert his material and positional advantages with his usual refined technique. 25. Bxa4 Rxa4 26. Ra1 b5 27. b3 Rxa1 28. Bxa1 Ke7 29. Bb2 Nf8 30. Ra1 Kd7 31. Bc1 Ne6 32. Be3 f5 33. Ke2 Kd6 34. Ra7 b6 35. Bf2 c5 36. dxc5+ bxc5 37. Bg3+ f4 38. Bf2 Nb4 39. Rb7 Nc6

40. h5! gxh5 41. gxh5. White is threatening (in the case, for example, of 41. ... b4) 42. Rxg7! Nxg7 43. h6 winning easily. 41. ... Kd5 42. Bg1 Ke5 43. Kd2 Kf6 44. Rb6 Ne5 45. Ke2 c4 46. Bd4! cxb3 47. Bb2! 1 : 0. A very pretty Zugzwang ends the movie (but not the world).