The Board Chair

Luca Moroni – Paulius Pultinevičius
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 24, 2018
English Opening A34

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. h4!? The most à la page. 7. ... Bg7 8. h5 Nc6 9. Qb3. Intending Nf3-g5. The alternative 9. Ba3!? Qa5 10. Rh4!? really brought Aronian good luck in one of his American-based games: 10. ... Bd7 11. Qb3 0-0? (but 11. ... Nd8 was certainly best) 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Qxb7! Rfd8 14. Qa6 Bxc3 15. Qxa5 Bxa5 16. Bxc5 and White found himself a clear Pawn up, Aronian – Nepomniachtchi, 5th Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis 2017. 9. ... Qd6!? Apparently a novelty. The “book” gave 9. ... Qc7 10. Ba3 b6 11. Ng5 e6 12. d4 Bb7 13. h6 (13. Rd1!? 0-0-0∞) 13. ... Bf8 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Bxc5 bxc5 16. Rb1 Rb8 17. Nxe6!? fxe6 18. Qxe6+ Qe7 19. Qxc6+ Bxc6 20. Rxb8+ Kd7 21. Rxh8 Qe5 22. Rxh7+ Kd6∞ Inđić – Baron, 42nd Chess Olympiad, Baku 2016 10. Ng5 0-0 11. hxg6 hxg6? This proves to be fatal for Black. 11. ... Qxg6(!) would have made sense with 9. ... Qd6 and offered Black quite a safe chair to sit. 12. Ba3? It might be a careless inversion of moves. Much stronger seems the immediate 12. Qc4! with ideas such as Rh1-h8+ or Rh1-h7 in prospect; so there would have probably followed 12. ... Qf6 13. Qh4 with an attack similar to the one carried on in the actual game. 12. ... b6? Black, however, misses his only — and major — chance to re-enter a virtuous cycle by 12. ... Na5(!) 13. Qa4 Rd8 with more sustainable consequences.

13. Qc4! Now the game is virtually won: all White has to do is look for mate! 13. ... Qe5? 13. ... Bf5 14. Qh4 Rfd8 15. d4 is probably a bit better, but hardly different in result. 14. Qh4 Rd8 15. Bc4 e6 16. d4 Qc7 17. Rd1 Rb8 18. 0-0. What to do when almost everything scores the goal it’s just a matter of taste. Here, for instance, the Rook lift Rh1-h3-f3 would have lead to another powerful finish. 18. ... Qe7 19. d5 exd5 20. Bxd5 Ne5. Black could have surrendered more prosaically by sacrificing the Exchange, but chivalrously prefers mate over the board. 21. c4 Bb7 22. e4 Bxd5 23. exd5! The e-file is a myth to which nobody can be indifferent! 23. ... Nxc4 24. Bc1! Nd6 25. Rfe1 Qd7 26. Bf4 Qf5 27. Re7 Rbc8 28. Rde1 Kf8 29. Bxd6! 1 : 0. For if 29. ... Rxd6 then 30. Re8+! Rxe8 31. Nh7+ Kg8 32. Rxe8+ Bf8 33. Qh6 and mate in three moves.