Crowded In An Empty Room

Romain Édouard – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
1st Trophée CapÉchecs Online; europe-echecs.com, October 23, 2020
Slav Defence D10

The 18th anniversary of the Rencontres Nationales et Internationales d’Échecs will be remembered as much for its virtualisation, as there are no more queens and kings in the Salle Molière, but only their holograms through the glass screen. Time control is 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Qb3 Qc8 7. Rc1 dxc4 (7. ... Be7 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bg3 0-0 10. Nf3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 c5 12. Be2 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nd7 14. Nxf5 exf5 15. Bf3 Nc5 16. Qb1 Rd8 17. 0-0 ½ : ½ A. J. Miles – L. Portisch, 10th Interpolis Chess Tournament Tilburg 1986) 8. Bxc4 Be7 9. Nf3 0-0 10. 0-0 Nbd7 11. Rfe1 Bg4 12. Ne5!?TN (12. Nd2 Nb6 13. Bd3⩲ Vasilev – Zakharova, 41st International Chess Open, Albena 2017) 12. ... Bh5? (12. ... Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bh5) 13. e4? (13. Bxe6!) 13. ... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Bg3 Nb6 16. Bf1 Bg5 17. f4 Bf6 18. Bf2 Qd7 19. Qb4 Rad8 20. h3 h6 21. g4 Bg6 22. Rcd1 Kh8 23. a4 Be7 24. Qb3 f5 25. a5 Nc8 26. d5. Here 26. gxf5 exf5 27. e5 gave White a big advantage, and not to say that 26. Bc4 was also very strong. 26. ... exd5 27. exf5 Bf7 28. Qc2 Bd6

29. Re5! A very strong Exchange sacrifice, especially given the time control. 29. ... Qc7 30. Bd4 Qxa5 31. f6! gxf6? Much better was 31. ... Bxe5 32. fxe5 c5 33. Be3 (Δ Be3xh6) 33. ... Qc7! apparently holding everything up.

32. Rf5? (32. Qf5! fxe5 33. Bd3+−) 32. ... Bg6 33. b4? A dramatic error in calculation that costs the game. Correct was 33. Rxf6 Bxc2 and now both 34. Rf7+ and 34. Rg6+ do not give more than a draw by perpetual check. 33. ... Qxb4−+ 34. Rxf6. Now too late. 34. ... Bxc2 35. Rxf8+ Kh7 36. Rxd8 Bc5 37. Rd7+ Kg8 38. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 39. Kh2 cxd5 40. Bg2 Bxd1 41. Bxd5+ Kf8 42. Rd8+ Ke7 43. Rxc8 Qd2+ 44. Bg2 Bf3 0 : 1.