Life Happens

Garry Kimovich Kasparov – Jorden van Foreest

6th Grand Chess Tour; 3rd stage; Blitz Tournament; time control: 5 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Zagreb, July 11, 2021

Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 Qb4+ 9. Nd2 Nf4 10. Qe3. 10. Qe4 Ne6 11. f4 (⌓ 11. Be2 followed by 0–0 and Be2-f3) 11. ... Bb7 12. a3 Qb6 13. Nf3 c5 is fine for Black, Walbrodt – Marco, Hastings 1895 Chess Tournament, Hastings 1895. 10. ... Ng6 11. Bd3 Bc5?!TN (11. ... Qb6 12. Nf3 Bb4+ 13. Kf1 Be7 14. h4 Bb7 15. b4 Qxe3 16. Bxe3 f6 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Re1 0-0 19. h5 Ne5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. c5 a5 22. Rd1 axb4 23. Bc4+ Kh8 24. Rxd7 Ba6 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. Rh4 Rxa2 27. Rxb4 h6 28. f4 Rc2 29. Re4 Bc3 30. Rde7 Rf5 31. Rxc7 Rxh5 32. Kg1 Re2 33. Rxc6 Rxe3 34. Rxe3 Bd4 35. Kf2 Bxc5 ½ : ½ Kristjánsson – Kortschnoi, 1st Hrókurinn Chess Tournament, Reykjavík 2003) 12. Qg3↑ 0-0 13. 0-0 d6 14. Nb3

14. ... Nxe5? Better was 14. ... dxe5 after which there could follow 15. Bd2 Qb6 16. h4! with White having the upper hand. 15. a3!? Much stronger was 15. Bd2! Qb6 16. Ba5 Qa6 17. Bc3+− with crushing effect. 15. ... Qb6 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Be3 Qa5 18. b4 Qa4 19. Bd4 f6

20. Bxe5?! Throwing away all his advantage. In order to maintain the initiative, White would have done better to keep the light-squared Bishop by 20. Bb1 to follow with f2-f4 (of course Black cannot play 20. ... Nxc4?? because of 21. Qd3+−). 20. ... fxe5 21. f4 Bf5 22. fxe5 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 dxe5 24. Qd7 Qb3?! 24. ... a5!= was a simpler way to equalise. 25. Qxc6 Qe3+ 26. Kh1 Kh8?! 26. ... Rad8 is still a tough defence. 27. Rfe1 Qc3 28. Qxc7 Rac8? 28. ... e4 seems best as after 29. c5 e3 30. Qg3± it is anything but easy for White to take advantage of his extra Pawn. 29. Qxa7 Rxc4 30. h3. White’s two passed and united Pawns are enough to win. 30. ... Rcf4 31. Qc5 Qb2 32. Qxe5 Qb3

33. Qe3. Maybe it is just a minor detail, but 33. Qxf4! would have ended the game immediately. 33. ... Qc4 34. Rac1 Qf7 35. Qg3 h6 36. b5 Qd5 37. a4 Rxa4 (37. ... Rf3!? 38. Re5!+−) 38. Rb1 Rf5 39. b6 Rg5 40. b7! Qxb7 41. Qxg5 1 : 0.

No matter who wins or loses, that’s “A truly special moment! Never thought I’d get the opportunity”, Jorden van Foreest said. Photo © Lennart Ootes.