Once Upon Another Time

Abhimanyu Mishra – Robert Andrew Hungaski
4th Spring Chess Classic—B; Saint Louis, March 6, 2022
Two Knights Defence C55

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 g5 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Bb3 a6 9. Nc4 Be6 10. d4. Alternatively 10. Re1 g4 11. Nfd2 Qd7 12. a4 h5 13. a5 h4 14. Nf1 0-0-0 should give rise to a sharp struggle with heterogeneous castling, but, in a relatively recent game, after 15. Ba4 Black mispushed his Kingside Pawns by 14. ... g3 16. fxg3 h3 17. gxh3 Rxh3 and ended up being overwhelmed by White’s attack on the Queenside: 18. b4 Qe7 19. Nce3 d5 20. Ba3 Qe8 21. b5 axb5 22. Bxb5 dxe4 23. a6 b6 24. Qa4 Bd7 25. Nf5 Bxf5 26. a7 Kb7 27. Be7 Bd7 (27. ... Ra8 28. Qa6#) 28. Bxd8 1 : 0 Amin – Cheparinov, 1st Belt and Road 湖南 (Húnán) International Open, 长沙 (Chángshā) 2019. 10. ... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. cxd4 d5 (12. ... Nxe4?? 13. d5+−) 13. Na5 b6

14. Ba4+!?TN (14. e5 bxa5 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Be3 Qd6 17. Rc1 Bd7 18. Rc5 c6 19. Qe2 Qe6 20. Qd3 Bd8 21. Bd2 0-0 22. Bxa5 Bxa5 23. Bc2 Rfe8 24. Rxa5 Qf6 25. Qc3 Kg7 26. Bd3 Bg4 27. Rc5 Bd7 28. b4 h5 29. Bc2 h4 30. h3 Rab8 31. a4 Qf4 32. Bd1 Re4 33. Bf3 Re7 34. Bh5 Qd6 35. Qd2 Qh6 36. Re1 Rxe1+ 37. Qxe1 Re8 38. Qd1 ½ : ½ Baumgartner – Prozorovsky, Germany Candidate Master 04-B, by e-mail, 2017) 14. ... Kf8. If 14. ... b5 then 15. e5 bxa4 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Nb7 Qc8 18. Nc5⩲ regaining the Pawn with a slight edge. 15. Nc6 Qe8 16. e5 b5 17. exf6 Bxf6

18. Ne5 bxa4 19. f4 Bxe5 20. fxe5. 20. dxe5 gxf4 (Black cannot allow the advance of the f-Pawn) 21. Rxf4⩲ also deserves attention, but Mishra is playing for an attack — or something that looks like it. 20. ... Qb5 21. Be3 Rb8. After 21. ... Qxb2 22. Bc1! Qc3 23. Rf3! followed by the check of the Bishop at a3 and the doubling of the Rooks on the f-file White’s initiative, exalted by the presence of Bishops of opposite colours, more than compensates for the two Pawn. 22. Rc1 Qd7. If Black wanted to take the Pawn, then maybe he should have taken it now: 22. ... Qxb2 23. Rxc7 (23. Rc2 Qb4 24. h3!? ) Qxa2 24. Qh5 Rh7 25. Qg6 Rb2 26. Rfxf7+ Rxf7 (26. ... Bxf7?? 27. Rc8+ Ke7 28. Qd6#) 27. Qxh6+ Kg8 28. Qxg5+ with a draw by perpetual check — obviously an indicative line only. 23. Qf3 Rxb2? Black eventually decides to grab the “poisoned” b-Pawn and indeed he could not do it at a worse time than now! ⌓ 23. ... Kg8 24. Rc2 (24. Rf2 also has its points) 24. ... Rh7 25. Bd2⩲ would have left White with only a somewhat better game.

24. Bxg5! Ke8. Clearly not 24. ... hxg5 because of 25. Qa3+ winning the Exchange while retaining all his advantages. 25. Rb1 Rb5 26. Qf6 Rg8 27. Qxh6 Qc8 28. Qf6 Kd7 29. Rbc1 Qf8 30. h4 Kc8 31. Rc6 Rb6 32. Rfc1 Rxc6 33. Rxc6 Kb7 34. Rc5 Rg6 35. Qf1 Qe8 36. Qb1+ Ka8. If 36. ... Kc8 then 37. Qb6! forcing mate in a few moves. The text is only contingently better as in the end White’s attack will triumph anyway. 37. Rxc7 Qb8 38. Qc2 Qb6 39. Rc5 Qb4 40. Qd3 Kb7 41. Rc1 Ka7 42. Rb1 Qc4 43. Qa3 Qc6 44. Qe7+ Ka8 45. Rc1 Qd7 46. Qf8+ Ka7 47. Be7 Bf5 48. Bc5+ Kb7 49. Bd6 Kb6 50. Qb8+ Qb7 51. Bc7+ 1 : 0.