Nuts and Bolts

Hristos Alexiadis – Luca Moroni
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 30, 2018
Giuoco Piano C54

In the end, despite his last round victory, Luca Moroni missed a podium medal by a hair’s breadth, thus having to be content with tying for third place — which, however, may be regarded as a historical result. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Nbd2 a6 7. Bb3 Be6 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Re1. Two days earlier the game Gumularz – Moroni, 32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras 2018 continued: 9. h3 h6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. b4 Ba7 13. Qc2 Nh5. 9. ... Re8 10. Nc4 h6 11. a3!? No better than 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Nxe3 Qd7 13. Nh4 Bxb3 14. Qxb3 Ne7 15. a4 b5 16. Qd1 Qe6 17. Nhf5 Nxf5 18. Nxf5 g6 19. Ne3 Kg7 20. Qf3 c6 21. Ra3 d5= Antipov – Lékó, Nutcracker Generation Tournament 2015, Moscow 2015. 11. ... b5 12. Ne3 d5! 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15. b4 Bb6 16. Bb2 a5 17. c4 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Bd4 19. Qxc6 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bc3 21. Red1 axb4 22. axb4 Bd4 23. Nf5. 23. cxb5 is also answered by 23. ... Re6. 23. ... Re6 24. Qd5 c6 25. Qxd8+ Rxd8 26. cxb5 cxb5 27. Nxd4 Rxd4. White did nothing, and slowly lapsed into a slightly uncomfortable endgame. 28. Kf1 Ra6 29. Rb3 Ra4 30. Re1 f6 31. Re4 Kf7 32. Ke2 Ke6 33. Ke3. White could simplify a little by exchanging a pair of Rooks with 33. Rxd4 exd4, but after 34. Kf3 Kd5 the ending, though still latently drawish, appears to be easier for Black to play. 33. ... Rd5 34. d4 Ra2

35. dxe5? This precipitates White into a hopeless ending. Something like 35. g3 appears to help White maintain some drawing prospects. 35. ... f5! 36. Rd4 Rxd4 37. Kxd4 Rxf2 38. Rg3 g5 39. Ra3 Rd2+ 40. Ke3 Rxg2 41. Ra5 f4+ 42. Kf3 Rxh2 43. Rxb5 Kf5 44. e6+ Kxe6 45. Rb6+ Kf5 46. Rb5+ Kg6 0 : 1.

Pictured from left to right are European Chess Union (ECU) President Zurab Alekseyevich Azmaiparashvili, Viktor Gažík, Igor Janik, Szymon Gumularz, Luca Moroni, Ashot Parvanyan, and Zhandos Agmanov. Photo © Niki Riga.