Old Acquaintances

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk
16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 29, 2018
Neo-Grunfeld Defence D76

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3 0-0 9. 0-0 Re8 10. Re1 a5 11. h3 a4 12. Rb1 a3!? A (temporary) positional Pawn sacrifice. After 12. ... e5 13. d5 Ne7 14. e4 Bd7 15. b3 axb3 16. axb3 c6 17. dxc6 bxc6 18. Be3 Nec8 19. Bf1 Bf8 20. Na4 Nxa4 21. bxa4 Nd6 22. Bb6 Qc8 23. Kh2 c5 24. a5 c4 25. Rc1 Qc6 Black finally managed to pass thru the crowd without attracting attention, van Wely – Sutovsky, 41st Chess Olympiad, Tromsø 2014, but it’s quite obvious that White could have improved his play on more occasions. 13. bxa3 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Qxd8 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Rxd8 17. Nb5 Be5 18. Nd4

18. ... Bxh3? However natural this move, it will condemn Black to permanent inferiority. Stockfish gives 18. ... Ra7! (defending b7 and intending ... Nb6-a4) 19. Kg2 (if 19. Nb5 then 19. ... Ra5 offering a draw by repetition) 19. ... Bxd4 (19. ... Na4!?) 20. exd4 Be6 with quite a reasonable game. 19. Bxb7 Bxd4!? If 19. ... Rab8 then 20. Bf3 and White stands much better anyway. 20. exd4 Rab8 21. Bf3 Be6. After 21. ... Rxd4 22. Bf4 Rf8 23. Rb4! Rd3 24. Rb3 Rd4 25. Bxc7 Black’s ending would be quite hopeless. 22. Bf4 Nd5 23. Bd2. Also strong seems to be 23. Rxb8 Rxb8 24. Bh6! nailing down the weakness of Black’s first rank. 23. ... Rxb1 24. Rxb1 Ra8? 24. ... Nb6 probably gave Black a little more hope; for instance: 25. Bf4 Rxd4 26. Bxc7 Nc4 27. a4 Nd2 28. Rb8+ Kg7 29. Be5+ f6 30. Bxd4 Nxf3+ 31. Kg2 Nxd4 and there is no easy win for White in sight – of course, this variation is not forced. 25. Rb5! If nothing else, now it’s considerably easier to win. 25. ... c6 26. Ra5 Rb8 27. Bh6 f5 28. Ra6 Rc8 29. Ra7 Nc3 30. a4 Bd5 31. Bxd5+ cxd5 32. a5 Ne2+ 33. Kg2 Nxd4 34. a6 Nc6 35. Rg7+ Kh8 36. Rb7 d4 37. a7 d3 38. Rc7! 1 : 0.

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk vs. Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo © Sophie Triay.