A Chair to Sit on

Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez – David Antón Guijarro

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 3, 2021

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. f4 Rc8 10. Qf3 exf4 11. Qxf4!? A variation in theme. Likewise after 11. Bxf4 Ne5 12. Qf2 Be7 13. 0-0-0 Ng6 14. Bh2 Rxc3! 15. bxc3 Nxe4 16. Qe1 d5 Black gains excellent compensation for the Exchange, Golubov – Oparin, 21st Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2013. 11. ... Be7 12. 0-0-0

12. ... Rxc3! And thus Black declares war on his opponent. 13. bxc3 Qc7 14. g4 Ne5 15. g5 Nfd7 16. h4 Qxc3 17. Bd4 Qb4 18. Bb2 0-0 19. a3 Qa4 20. Nd4

20. ... d5! Black’s counterattack gives him a good enough compensation for the Exchange. 21. Qg3 Rc8 22. Rh2 Bd6 23. exd5. The situation is highly uncertain, and no prediction of the outcome can be made. One possibility was 23. Nxe6 Nc4! 24. Qc3! Be5 25. Rd4 fxe6 26. Bxc4 Rxc4 27. Rxc4 dxc4 28. Qh3 Bxh2 29. Qxe6+ Kf8 30. Bxg7+! Kxg7 31. Qe7+ with a draw by perpetual check. 23. ... Bxd5. 23. ... Bg4!? 25. Rd2 Nc5 was perhaps more promising.

24. Nf5? White makes a grave mistake that spoils all the good things done so far. She ought to play 24. Nb5! Nd3+! 25. Qxd3 Bxh2 26. Nc3 Qf4+ 27. Kb1 Bc6 28. Bh3 Rc7 29. Qe2⩲ with an edge. 24. ... Be4!−+ 25. Nxd6 Rxc2+ 26. Kb1 Rxh2+ 27. Ka2. Or 27. Nxe4 Qc2+ followed by mate. 27. ... Rxb2+! 0 : 1.

Antón Guijarro was back in record time from Wijk aan Zee to sit punctually at 4.00 P.M. facing Vega Gutiérrez at the Colegio Mayor de Fonseca in Salamanca, Spain. Photo: Lydia González/Salamanca RTV al día.