Mediterraneano

Lucas van Foreest – Luca Moroni
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 26, 2018
Scotch Game C45

If the answer, my friend, was blowing in the wind, a Greek island must be the perfect place in which to enjoy the breeze. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 Qh4 7. Qe2 Nf6. The alternative is 7. ... Ne7 8. Nc3 0-0 9. Be3 Bb6 10. 0-0 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Bd2 Bd4 13. Rae1 Nb4 14. Qe4 Qxe4 15. Bxe4 Ba6 16. Ne2 Bc5 17. a3 Nd5 18. b4 Bd6 19. Nd4!? Bxf1 20. Kxf1 (Carlsen – Caruana, 44th Biel International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 2011) and now Grandmaster Ľubomír Ftáčnik recommends 20. ... Rae8 21. Nxc6 Nf6 22. Bf3 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 a6 with equality. 8. h3 d5 9. exd5+!? Presumably a surprise to Moroni, who could have expected 9. g3 Qh5 10. Qxh5 Nxh5 11. Nc3 Nf6 12. Bf4 Bb4 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2 Nxc3 (Ivanchuk – Malakhov, 9th MetLife Amplico European Rapid Championship, Warsaw 2009) where now White’s best appears to be 15. a3! Ba5 16. b4 with an edge. 9. ... Kd8 10. g3!? And here is van Foreest’s novelty, which undoubtedly constitutes an interesting field for further analysis. An earlier game continued 10. 0-0 Bxh3!∞ with a wild mess of lines, Nataf – Istratescu, French Team Chess Championship Top 12, Saint-Quentin 2014. 10. ... Qd4 11. c4 Re8 12. Be3 Qe5

13. Bxc5! White sacrifices the Exchange in order to bring annoyances to the exposed Black King. 13. ... Qxb2 14. Be3 Qxa1 15. dxc6 Re7 16. g4 Qe5 17. 0-0 h5??!! From an objective standpoint, Moroni ought probably to have played for a dynamic balance by ... Kd8-e8-f8, so it’s admirable, if not commendable, that he throws himself with vehemence into attack. 18. g5 Bxh3 19. gxf6 gxf6 20. Qf3? The bet works as van Foreest overlooks 20. Rc1! (intending Nb1-c3) 20. ... Re8 (threatening ... Re8-g8+) 21. Bh7! with a nearly decisive advantage in all variations. 20. ... Bxf1 21. Kxf1 Rb8! The game is still in high seas. 22. Nd2 Rb2 23. Ne4. If 23. Nb3 then 23. ... Rxa2 24. Bd4 Qh2 25. Bxf6 Rxf2+! 26. Qxf2 Qh1+ 27. Qg1 Qf3+ and Black has at least perpetual check. 23. ... Rxa2. Now one might have expected 24. Qd1 Ke8 which leads to something between unclarity and parity, instead Moroni gets his reward for his audacity: 24. Nxf6?? A dramatic oversight which loses a piece right off. 24. ... Qa1+ 25. Kg2 Rxe3! That’s all, after which White might as well resign. 26. Qd5+ Ke7 27. Qc5+ Kxf6 28. Qxe3 Qe5 29. Qf3+ Kg7 30. Bf5 Ra5 31. Bb1 Qd4 32. Be4 Rg5+ 33. Kf1 a5 34. Bd5 Qa1+ 35. Ke2 Qb2+ 0 : 1.