From Ocean to Aquarium

AllieStein – Stockfish

Top Chess Engine Championship Season 16 – Superfinal; match game 93; tcec-chess.com, October 11, 2019

Queen’s Gambit Declined D36

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 0-0 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Nge2 Re8 10. 0-0-0 b5 11. h4!?TN h6 12. f3. In the following, reverse game there followed: 12. Nf4 Nb6 13. Kb1 Rb8 14. g4!? Nxg4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Rdg1 b4 17. Nd1 Nf6 18. Rh2 Kh8 19. Rhg2 Rg8 20. b3 Bd7 21. f3 Rbc8 22. Bg6 Be8= with a draw agreed on move 108, Stockfish – AllieStein, Top Chess Engine Championship Season 16 – Superfinal, October 11, 2019, match game 94. 12. ... Nb6 13. Kb1 Bd7 14. Nf4 Bd6 15. Qf2 Nc4 16. e4 Bxf4. Instead, after 16. ... hxg5 17. hxg5 Bxf4 18. Qh4 Kf8 19. Qxf4 Ng8 20. e5 White would enjoy a powerful initiative as a compensation for its (her) sacrificed Bishop. 17. Bxf4 dxe4 18. fxe4 Bg4! 19. e5 Nd5 20. Nxd5. 20. Qg3 h5! could be a little better for White, but not so much, because for nothing in the world would Black ever get rid of its (her) formidable Bishop. 20. ... Qxd5 21. Be2 (21. Qg3 h5!) 21. ... Bxe2 22. Qxe2 c5! The best move among all possible moves and the prelude to an elegant positional sacrifice. 23. b3 cxd4! 24. bxc4 bxc4−+

Black has only two Pawns for the Bishop, but its (his) crushing pair of centre Pawns and the open b-file will soon have its devastating effect. Now the most immediate threats are ... d4-d3 and/or ... Ra8-b8+. 25. Ka1 Rac8 26. Qf3 Qc5 27. Rc1 Re6 28. Rhd1 c3 29. Rc2 Rb6 30. Qe4 Rd8 31. Qd3 Qa3. With the obvious threat of ... Rb6-b2. 32. Bc1 Qa4 33. Bf4 Rc8 34. g3 Qa3 35. Bc1 Qb4 36. Bf4 Rcb8. Threatening mate in two. 37. Rf2 Qa3 38. Rdf1 Rb2 39. Qc4 Kh7! 40. Qxf7 Qa6! 41. Bxh6!? A last desperate hope to “turn tables”: 41. ... Qxh6?? 42. Rf6 Qd2 43. Qh5+ drawing by perpetual check. 41. ... R8b7! 42. Qd5 0 : 1. For after 42. ... Qd3 mate soon follows.