Hourglass

Stanislaw Drozniak – Sabino Brunello
European Rapid Chess Championship; Katowice, December 16, 2017
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nf5? A clumsy move by Bernhard Horwitz that Dutch Grandmaster Jan Timman got out of the dust in the 1980s. 5. ... d5! Wilhelm Steinitz’s recommendation. Less energetic is 5. ... d6 6. Nxg7+ Kf8 7. Nh5 Qh4 8. Ng3 Nf6 9. Be2 Ne5 10. Nc3 Nfg4 11. Bxg4 Nxg4 12. Rf1 Rg8 13. Na4 Nxh2 14. Nxc5 Nxf1 15. Kxf1 Rxg3 16. fxg3 Qh1+ 17. Kf2 Qxd1 18. Bh6+ Ke7 19. Rxd1 dxc5 20. Bf4 Bg4 ½ : ½ Timman – Karpov, GMA World Cup, Brussels 1988. 6. Nxg7+. Not 6. exd5? Bxf5 7. dxc6?? Bxf2+ winning the Queen. 6. ... Kf8 7. Nh5 Qh4 8. Ng3 Nf6 9. Be2. 9. Bb5!? Ng4 10. Rf1 Nxh2 11. Qxd5 is a suggested improvement by Grandmaster Nigel Davies. Try it and good luck. 9. ... dxe4. Vintage Steinitz’s analysis ran 9. ... Ne5 10. h3 Rg8 with powerful initiative for Black. But probably something is happened in the meantime. 10. 0-0 h5 11. Be3 Bd6 12. f3? Certainly it is not an improvement on 12. Bd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Qf4 14. Nc3 h4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Qxh8+ Ke7 17. Rae1 Be5 18. Qh7 Nf6 19. Qh8 hxg3 20. hxg3 Qg5 and White soon ended up crushed, Zagema – Liss, 32nd Open, Groningen 1994. 12. ... exf3 13. Bxf3 Ng4 14. Bxg4 hxg4 15. Rf4

15. ... Bxf4. Maybe it’s not a mistake in absolute terms, but certainly Brunello misses the much stronger 15. ... Qxh2+ 16. Kf2 Rh3! 17. Nf1 g3+! 18. Ke1 Qxg2 which wins right off. 16. Bxf4 Qxh2+ 17. Kf2 Rh6? Black’s Rook lift appears promising, but indeed it leaves White the time to consolidate. Best was 17. ... Be6 18. Nc3 Rd8 with great advantage to Black. 18. Qd2 Rf6 19. Nc3 Qh6 20. Nd5 Rxf4+ 21. Nxf4 Bd7? After this pseudo-developing move Black’s Bishop will immediately find to stand on the verge of the abyss. Correct was 21. ... b6(!) 22. Rh1 Qf6 with at least equality. 22. Rh1 Qf6. 22. ... Qg7 might have been a little better, but after 23. Nfh5 Qd4+ 24. Qxd4 Nxd4 25. Nf6 Bc8 26. Nge4 Black is almost paralysed. 23. Ne4 Qe5 24. Rh5? Much stronger was 24. Nd5! (24. ... Qxe4 25. Rh8+ Kg7 25. Qh6 mate). 24. ... Bf5!?? As Schiller said, “To save all we must risk all”. After 24. ... Qxe4 25. Rh8+ followed by Rh8xa8 White would have relied upon a definite advantage. 25. Ng3? It was White’s last chance to play 25. Nd5! (25. ... Qxe4 26. Rh8+ Kg7 27. Qh6 mate). 25. ... Rd8! Now the tables are turned, and Black should be easily able to liquidate into a winning endgame. 26. Ng6+? White has his last illusion. 26. ... fxg6 27. Qh6+ Ke7. Game over. 28. Qg5+ Kd7 29. Rh7+ Kc8 30. Nxf5 Qxf5+ 0 : 1.