All in a Day

Blažimir Kovačević – Saša Martinović
21st Croatian Chess Championship; Vinkovci, June 28, 2020
English Opening A26

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 e5 4. Bg2 d6 5. d3 Nc6 6. e3 Nf6 7. Nge2 0-0 8. 0-0 Be6 9. Nd5 Qd7 10. Nec3 Ne8 11. f4 Bh3 12. Bxh3 Qxh3 13. Bd2 (13. f5 gxf5 14. Qf3 e4 15. dxe4 Ne5 16. Qe2 fxe4 17. Nxe4 Qg4 18. Qxg4 Nxg4 19. Rb1 Ne5 20. b3 Ng6 21. Ba3 f5 22. Ng5 c6 23. Nf4 Nxf4 24. exf4 h6 25. Ne6 Rf6 26. Rfe1 Kf7 27. Nd4 c5 28. Nf3 Re6 29. Rxe6 Kxe6 30. h3 h5 31. Kg2 Bf6 32. Re1+ Kd7 33. Rd1 b6 34. Rd2 a6 35. Bb2 Bxb2 36. Rxb2 b5 37. Nh4 Ng7 38. Kf2 ½ : ½ van Wely – E. l’Ami, 66th Dutch Chess Championship, Eindhoven 2010) 13. ... exf4!? This is new, but hardly an improvement over 13. ... Qd7 14. Qa4 (14. f5! seems more to the point) 14. ... f5 15. Rae1 Rf7 16. b4 Nf6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nd5 Bg7 19. Bc3 Nd8 20. Qxd7 ½ : ½ Taimanov – Sánchez Guirado, 2nd Open Internacional Málaga de Ajedrez, Málaga 1999. 14. gxf4 f5 15. Rf3 Qh4 16. Qb3 Nd8

17. c5! Rf7 18. cxd6 cxd6 19. Be1 Qh5 20. Kg2 Ne6 21. Rh3 Qg4+ 22. Rg3 Qh5 23. Rh3 Qg4+ 24. Bg3 g5 25. Rf1 h6 26. e4! gxf4 27. Nxf4 Nd4 28. Qc4 fxe4 29. Nh5! Nf5?!

30. Qxf7+?? This melodramatic harakiri not only throws away the win, but also loses the game! Consistent and strong was 30. Nd5! with the annihilating threat of Rf1xf5; after 30. ... Kh8 31. Nxg7 Nxg3 32. Rxh6+ Kxg7 33. Rxf7+ Kxh6 34. hxg3 White gains at least a Pawn with a winning (end)game. 30. ... Kxf7 31. Rh4 Qf3+! 0 : 1.

With only one round to go, Ante Brkić is in the lead by half a point over Saša Martinović and Robert Zelčić. Photo: Croatian Chess Federation.