Last But Not Least

Zdenko Kožul – Ante Brkić
21st Croatian Chess Championship; Vinkovci, June 29, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

Today Grandmaster Zdenko Kožul (twice Yugoslav Chess Champion and twice Croatian Chess Champion in the same life) awoke Brkić from his dreams of glory with a shockingly brilliant attacking game — worthy of his round three miniature against Marin Bosiočić — thus confirming himself as a merciless Ragozin killer. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 0-0 8. Rc1 dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Qc2 Qe7 12. Ne4! A brilliant novelty instead of 12. a3 Bd7 13. Ba2 Rc8 14. Bb1 g6 15. h4 (I. Sokolov – Cornette, 2014 Top 12 French Team Chess Championship, Saint-Quentin 2014) and now Black should reply 15. ... h5 with complex play. 12. ... Bb4+ 13. Ke2. This is the corollary of White’s previous move. 13. ... Bd7?! Had he known what was to happen, Black would have probably played 13. ... f5! with a tough game. 14. a3 Ba5 15. b4 Bb6

16. g4!↑ Bc6? After this White’s attack spreads its wings. Better was 16. ... Rc8, though after 17. g5 Bb5 18. Ned2 Nd7 19. Rhg1↑ White keeps the initiative. 17. Rhg1 Nd7 18. g5 h5. The ending a Pawn down after 18. ... f5 19. gxh6 Bxe4 20. Rxg7+ Qxg7 21. hxg7 Bxc2 22. gxf8=Q+ Nxf8 23. Rxc2 is quite hopeless for Black. 19. g6! Rac8? Black had probably nothing better than giving up the Exchange by 19. ... f5 (20. Neg5 Rf6 21. Nh7) — but what a pity to conclude so fine a story with such a prosaic epilogue! 20. Neg5 f6 (20. ... Bxf3+ 21. Nxf3 f5 22. Ng5 Rc6 23. Qb3+−) 21. Bxe6+ Kh8

22. Nf7+! Rxf7 (22. ... Kg8 23. Qf5+−) 23. Qf5! Kg8. Black could resign here. 24. gxf7+ Kf8 25. Nh4! 1 : 0.

And so Saša Martinović finished half a point ahead of Brkić, Kožul, Hrvoje Stević, and Robert Zelčić. Photo: Croatian Chess Federation.