The Reorder of Things

David Navara – Matthias Blübaum

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Qualifier 2; Final match game 4; time control: 15 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 31, 2022

rnkrbqnb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNKRBQNB w DAda - 0 1

Position #651

1. f4 f5 2. g3 g6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 e6 6. d4 d5 7. Ne5 Ne4 8. Bxe4. Finally breaking the symmetry, but no initiative will come from it. 8. ... dxe4. 8. ... fxe4 9. Qh3 Qe7 is also perfectly playable. 9. Qc4 Qe7 10. a3 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Rxd1+ 12. Nxd1 0-0-0 13. Nf2 b6

14. a4! White goes for the attack, thus signaling that he won’t castle. On the other hand, 14. 0-0-0 Rxd1+ 15. Nxd1 Bg7 is nothing special for White. 14. ... Rd5?! 15. b4 Kb8 16. h4?! This is cryptic and useless. White could and should consolidate his bind on the position with Nf2-d1-c3-e2-d4. 16. ... Bg7 17. Kb2 Qd8 18. Qb3 Bf8 19. Bc3 Be7 20. Qc4? White achieved very little so far, and again he would probably have done better to recycle his Knight to the centre via h3, g1 and e2.

20. ... Qc8? Much better seems 20. ... Bxa4! 21. Qa6 b5 22. Qxe6 c5 with an overwhelming advantage for Black. 21. Be1 Qd8 22. Qe2 Qc8 23. Qc4 a6 24. Nd1 b5 25. axb5 (25. Qa2! c5 26. axb5 cxb4∞) 25. ... Rxb5 26. Kc1 c5

27. Nc3? 27. bxc5 Bxc5 28. Qa2 Rb6= was apparently good enough to hold balance. 27. ... Rb6! 28. Na4? Tantamount to capitulation. However, if 28. bxc5 Bxc5 29. Qe2 then 29. ... a5! 30. Rxa5 Bb4 winning the Exchange. 28. ... Bxa4 29. Rxa4 cxb4 30. Qxc8+ Kxc8. Now, with a Pawn ahead and the much better Bishop, the ending is easily won. 31. Ra5 Kb7 32. Kb2 Rc6 33. Ra4 Bc5 34. Bxb4. Or 34. Bd2 Rc8 35. Kb3 Rd8−+ sooner or later forcing the White Bishop to take on b4. 34. ... Bxe3 35. Bd6 Bf2 36. c4 e3 37. c5 e2 38. Rb4+ Ka7 39. Bb8+ Ka8 0 : 1.