Holy Day, Holiday

Vladislav Mikhailovich Artemiev – Ivan Ivanovich Bocharov
26th Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 1, 2019
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Nbd2 d5 6. Bg2 Bd6 7. 0-0 0-0 8. b3 Nbd7 9. e4 dxe4!? New, but not so new; after 9. ... Nxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Rb8 14. Qf3 Qc8 15. Bb2 Bb7 16. Rfe1 Bxe4 17. Rxe4 Re8 18. Rae1 Qd7 19. Kg2 Bf8 20. h4 b5 Black somehow managed to hold on to a draw, Gyimesi – Gordon, 2nd European Individual Chess Championship, Liverpool 2006. 10. Ng5 Be7 11. Ndxe4 Rb8 12. a4 Bb7 13. Be3 h6 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bxb7 Bxg5 16. Bc6 Bxe3 17. fxe3 Qe7 18. b4 Rbd8 19. Qb3 e5 20. b5 Nf6 21. Qc3 Ng4 22. Rae1 Qg5 23. Kg2 h5 24. Rf3 h4 25. h3 Nh6!? Engines like more 25. ... Nf6 than 25. ... Nh6, although after 26. g4 (if 26. dxe5 then 26. ... Nd7 winning back the Pawn with good prospects of equality) 26. ... Qg6 27. Ref1! exd4 28. exd4 Nh5 29. Re1 Ng3 (in the end, the Black Knight goes to g3 anyway) 30. Bd5 White stands at least a little better. 26. dxe5 Nf5 27. g4 Ng3 28. Bd5 Rde8

29. a5 Qxe5? With this offer to exchange Queens, Bocharov deprives himself of any chance of counterplay, soon ending up in a painfully lost game. 29. ... Rxe5 (30. e4⩲) offered Black much better surviving chances. 30. Qxe5 Rxe5 31. e4 g6. After this, White’s Rook can even penetrate with gain of tempo, but it’s very likely that Black’s game were hopeless anyway. If, for instance, 31. ... Kh8 then 32. Rxf7 Rxf7 33. Bxf7 Rxe4 34. Rd1! with a relatively easy win. 31. ... g5!? is probably critical, but then after 32. a6! White would likewise put his opponent in a squeeze. 32. Rf6! With the obvious threat of Rf6xg6+. 32. ... Kg7 33. Rc6 Re7 34. e5 Kh6 35. Rf6 Kg5. Or 35. ... bxa5 36. Ra6 with an overwhelming advantage. 36. a6! White puts Black in a kind of zugzwang. 36. ... Rd7 37. Re3 Re7 38. Rff3 Kh6 39. Kf2 Kg5 40. Ke1 Kh6 41. Kd2 Rd8 42. Kc2 Rdd7? This last mistake leads to a pretty finish, but Black could not save the game either by 42. ... Rf8 43. Rf6 Kg7 44. Ref3 Ne2 (44. ... Rxe5?? 45. Rxf7+ is even worse) 45. Kd3 Ng1 46. Re3 (threatening Rf6-f1) 46. ... Rxe5 47. Rxf7+ Rxf7 48. Rxe5 Rd7 49. Re3 with an easily won ending (the Black Knight being virtually trapped). 43. Bxf7! 1 : 0. For if 43. ... Rxf7 then 44. e6! finis.

Vladislav Mikhailovich Artemiev. Photo © Evgeny Vashenyak. Courtesy of the Russian Chess Federation.