Contemporary Youth

Luca Moroni – Leon Livaić
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 22, 2018
Queen’s Indian Defence E14

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 b6 5. e3 Bb7 6. Bd3 0-0 7. 0-0 d5 8. b3 Nbd7 9. Bb2 Ne4 10. Qc2 f5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nc4 Ndf6 13. Nce5 Bd6. The alternative is 13. ... Nd6 14. Rac1 c5 15. Qe2 a6 16. Rc2 Qe7 17. Qd1 Qe6 18. Be2 Rae8 19. a4 cxd4 20. Bxd4 Ng4 21. Nd3 Rb8 ½ : ½ Hellsten – Pétursson, 18th Politiken Cup, Copenhagen 1996. 14. Ne1 g6 15. f3 Ng5 16. Be2!? Theoretical novelty? The vintage “book” was 16. Bb5 c5 17. Qf2 Ne6 18. Qh4 cxd4 19. exd4 a6 20. Be2 (Kurr – Dermann, 15th SchachBundesliga, Neuss 1986) and now 20. ... Nh5 would have offered Black excellent prospects for equality. 16. ... Qe8 17. N1d3 Rc8 18. b4 c6 19. a4 Ba6 20. Qd2 Bxd3 21. Bxd3 Nf7 22. f4 Ne4 23. Bxe4 fxe4 24. Rac1 Bxe5 25. dxe5 Qe6 26. h3 h5 27. a5 Nh6 28. axb6 axb6 29. Rfd1 Nf5 30. b5 cxb5 31. Qxd5 Qxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxc1+. Or 32. ... Nxe3 33. Rxb5 Rxc1+ 34. Bxc1 Nc4 35. Rb4 b5! 36. Rxb5 e3 with a dynamic balance. 33. Bxc1 Rc8 34. Bd2 Kf7? Under time pressure, Black misses the chance to solve most of his problems by fixing the g-Pawn by 34. ... h4! with equality.

35. g4! hxg4 36. hxg4 Nh4? With less three minutes remaining, Livaić understandably goes for a perpetual chimera. Strangely, Moroni loses for a moment his hold on reality: 37. Kf2? 37. Bb4! at once would have put Black unsurmontable problems; for instance: 37. ... Rc2 38. Rd7+ Ke8 39. Rh7 Nf3+ 40. Kh1 and finis. 37. ... Nf3! 38. Bb4 Rc2+? But in the end, all’s well that ends well. By now Back had no longer time to guess his lucky number: 38. ... Nh2! 39. g5 Ng4+ 40. Ke2 Rh8! with excellent drawing chances. 39. Kg3 Rb2 40. Rxb5 Nd2 41. Rxb6 Nc4 42. e6+ 1 : 0.