Trip trap

Roberto Cosulich – Francesco Scafarelli
7th Italian Team Chess Championship; Monticelli Terme, April 1966
Sicilian Defence B56

Notes and punctuation by International Master Francesco Scafarelli, Le mie 50 Siciliane, Editrice Scacchistica Internazionale, Napoli, 1980, p. 50.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 e5 7. Ndb5 a6 8. Na3 Ng4 9. Nc4! Nxe3 10. Nxe3 Be7 11. Ncd5 Be6 12. c3! 0-0 13. h4 h6 14. g3 b5 15. Bd3 Rb8 16. b4 Re8 17. Qe2 Qc8 18. 0-0 Bd8 19. a4 Qb7 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rfd1 Ne7 22. c4 Nc6 23. cxb5 Nd4 24. Qf1 Qd7 25. f3! Nxb5 26. Bxb5 Rxb5 27. Ra6 Qb7 28. Ra7 Qxa7 29. Qxb5 Kf8 30. Kh1?
Editor’s note: Scafarelli’s question mark is perhaps out of place, but there is no doubt that 30. Kf1 would prevent the next irruption of the Black Queen on f2.
30. ... Be7 31. Rc1 Bxd5 32. Nxd5 Qf2! 33. Qf1 Qxg3 34. b5 Bxh4? (34. ... Qxh4+)
35. b6 Bg5 36. Rc2! Rb8 37. b7

37. ... Qh4+?
Editor’s note: Self-trapping the Queen, but, as two students of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” noted, the correct defence was by no means obvious, i.e, 37. ... Bd8!! (Niccolò & Riccardo), so as to reply to 38. Rc8? with 38. ... Qh4+! 39. Kg2 Rxb7 and it’s Black who wins!
38. Rh2 Qg3 39. Rh3 1–0.