Down to Earth

Alessio Valsecchi – Pier Luigi Basso
11th Dolomiti International Chess Open; Forni di Sopra, October 1, 2020
Caro-Kann Defence B15

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c6 4. h3 d5 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. 0-0 c4 10. Be2 Qa5 11. Bd2 Qa4 12. Qc1!?TN (12. Nh4 Nc6 13. f4 e6 14. g4 Ne7 15. Kh2⩲↑ Nozdrachev – V. Borisenko, 7th World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018) 12. ... Na6 13. Bd1 Nc7 14. Nh4 h5 15. Rb1 b6 16. Re1 Be6 17. Bg5 Kd7 18. Qb2 Rae8 19. Bc1 Bh6 20. Bxh6 Rxh6 21. Nf3 Rhh8 22. Ng5 Ref8 23. Re3 Bf5 24. Nf3 Rhg8 25. Qb4 Qxb4 26. cxb4 g5 27. Rb2 g4 28. Nh4 Be6 29. hxg4 hxg4 30. a4 f5 31. exf6 exf6 32. c3 f5 33. f4 gxf3 34. Nxf3 f4 35. Re5 Kd6 36. Rbe2 Bg4 37. Re1 Re8 38. Kf2 Bxf3 39. Bxf3 Rxe5 40. Rxe5

40. ... Rh8? The curse of the 40th move strikes again. Correct was 40. ... Re8 in order to answer 41. Rf5 by 41. ... Re3= with equality. 41. Rf5? Maybe the only inaccuracy by Valsecchi. Best is 41. Rg5! as after 41. ... Rh1 42. b5!+− White wins in all lines; for instance: 42. ... Rc1 43. Rg6+ Ke7 44. Rg7+ Kd8 45. Bg4! a6 46. a5! and finis. 41. ... Rh4? Apparently, Black missed here his last saving chance: 41. ... Rh1! 42. Rxf4 Rc1 43. Rf6+ Ke7 44. Rc6 Kd8 45. Bg4 Rxc3 46. Rd6+ Ke8 47. Rd7 Na6 48. b5 Nb4 49. Rxa7 Ra3 with a draw coming soon. 42. Rf6+ Ke7 43. Rc6 Kd7 44. b5+− Kd8 45. Rg6 Rh7 46. Rd6+ Ke7 47. Rc6 Kd8 48. Bg4 Ne8 49. Rc8+ Ke7 50. Ra8 Nf6 51. Bf5 Rh5 52. Rxa7+ Kd8 53. Bc2 Ne4+ 54. Bxe4 dxe4 55. Rf7 Rh4 56. Rf6 Kd7 57. d5 f3 58. gxf3 exf3 59. Rxb6 Rh2+ 60. Kxf3 Rc2 61. Ke4 Rxc3 62. Rc6 1 : 0.

Upside Down

Alessio Valsecchi – Felix Blohberger
11th Dolomiti International Chess Open; Forni di Sopra, September 29, 2020
Nimzo-Indian Defence E21

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 0-0 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 c5 7. Rc1 cxd4 8. Nxd4 a6. The dernier cri is 8. ... d5 9. cxd5 g5 10. Bg3 Qxd5 11. e3 Qxa2 12. Qc2 Bxc3+ 13 Qxc3 Ne4 14 Qc2 Qa5+ 15 Ke2 Nxg3+ 16 hxg3 Kg7 17. f4 Nc6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Kf2 Rd8 20. Rd1 Rxd1 21. Qxd1 Qf5 22. Qd6 Qd5 23. Qa3 a5 24. Qc3+ e5 25. Bc4 Qd6 26. fxe5 Qb4 27. Qd4 Be6 28. Bxe6 Qxd4 29. exd4 fxe6 30. Rc1 Ra6 31. g4 Rb6 32. b3 Rxb3 33. Rxc6 Rd3 34. Rxe6 Rxd4 35. Re7+ Kg6 36. Re6+ Kg7 37. Re7+ Kg6 38. Re6+ Kg7 ½ : ½ Nepomniachtchi – Lékó, Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, 4th stage, Legends of Chess, chess24.com, July 27, 2020, match game 2 (time control: 15+10). 9. e3 Nc6 10. Be2 Be7 11. 0-0 d6 12. Bg3 Bd7 13. Nb3 e5 14. Qd2 Be6 15. Rfd1 Qb6 16. f3 Rfd8! Probably best — otherwise Black gets crushed. 17. Bf2

17. ... d5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. e4 Nd4?? A blunder, losing material and the game. Correct and consistent was 19. ... Ne3! 20. Qxe3 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Qb4 22. Qc3 Qa4 just with a hope to get some compensation for the Pawn. 20. exd5+− Bg5 21. f4! Bxf4 22. Bxd4! 1 : 0.

Just One Time

Boris Abramovich Gelfand – Alessio Valsecchi
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 19, 2019
English Opening A18

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 d5 4. e5 d4 5. exf6 dxc3 6. bxc3 Qxf6 7. d4 c5 8. Nf3 h6 9. Bd3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4+ 11. Kf1!? Nd7!? Vintage theory reads thus: 11. ... Nc6 12. Bb2 Bc5 13. Bc2 0-0 14. Qd3 Rd8 15. Rd1 with the initiative, Seirawan – Kortschnoi, 42th Hoogovens International Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 1980. 12. Rb1 Be7 13. c5 e5 14. Bb2 Qe6? This is the first serious error by Valsecchi. 14. ... 0-0! seemed perfectly playable. 15. Nxe5 Nxe5

16. d5! This powerful zwischenzug, obviously unforeseen by Valsecchi — who was probably expecting 16. dxe5? 0-0! — decisively crushes Black’s position. 16. ... Qf6 17. Qe2 Bf5 18. Bb5+ Kf8 19. Bxe5 Qg6 20. Re1. Maybe it’s only a matter of taste, but 20. Rb3! Bxc5 21. Rg3 Bg4! 22. Qb2! f6 23. Bd3 seems even stronger. 20. ... a6. If 20. ... Bxc5 then 21. h4! maintaining the bind on Black. 21. Bg3! axb5. 21. ... Re8 is no better, on account of 22. d6! axb5 23. Kg1! followed by d6xe7+ and Bg3-d6 with overwhelming advantage. 22. Qxe7+ Kg8 23. h4 Rxa2. 23. ... Kh7 should likewise have been met by Kf1-g1-h2. 24. h5? This move incredibly loses a crucial tempo, which could have costed Gelfand a well deserved win. White ought to play 24. Kg1! at once, to be followed by Kg1-h2. 24. ... Qg5! 25. d6!? If 25. Qe8+ then 25. ... Kh7 26. Qxf7 Rha8 (intending to exchange two pairs of Rooks) 27. Kg1 Ra1 28. Kh2 Rf8!! 29. Qe7 Qxh5+ 30. Qh4 Qxh4+ 31. Bxh4 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Rc8 33. Be7 b4 with equality. 25. ... Qd2? Valsecchi misses his salvation: after 25. ... Qxe7! 26. dxe7 Kh7! there’s nothing left for White except to content himself with a draw. 26. Kg1! But now it’s all right again! 26. ... Kh7 27. Kh2 Rc8. Black self-mates in short order, but other moves weren’t better. 28. Qxf7 Rxc5 29. Re8 Qd5 30. Qf8 1 : 0.

The European Magazine

Piotr Brodowski – Sabino Brunello
European Rapid Chess Championship; Katowice, December 16, 2017
Benkö Opening A00

Sabino Brunello took a brilliant 14th place (out of 1,181 players) with 9 points out of 11 at the European Rapid Chess Championship held in Katowice, Poland on the last two days. Alessio Valsecchi might have been next to him (on the scoreboard), had he won his last-round game against French Grandmaster Laurent Fressinet. 1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. c4 d4 4. d3 e5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. 0-0 a5 7. Na3 Be7 8. Nc2 0-0 9. b3 h6!? For 9. ... Rb8 10. Bb2 Bf5 11. Re1 Nd7 12. a3 Re8 13. Rb1 Bg6 14. Ba1 Bf8 15. b4 axb4 16. axb4 b5 17. c5 see Brodowski – Červený, 19th Czech Team Chess Championship 2010/2011, Czech Republic 2010. 10. e3 dxe3 11. Nxe3 Bc5 12. Bb2 Re8 13. h3 Qd6 14. Re1 Bd7 15. Rc1 e4 16. dxe4. After 16. d4 exf3 17. dxc5 Qxd1 18. Rexd1 fxg2 19. Bxf6 Bxh3 Black wins a not too meaningful Pawn, as White should soon or later regain it with quite good drawing chances. 16. ... Nxe4 17. Qxd6 cxd6. Strangely White cannot avoid the loss of a Pawn. 18. Rcd1 Nxg3 19. Nd2? Dropping a second Pawn. 19. Nd4(!) Ne4 20. Ndb5 seemed a more and better tenable cause. 19. ... Nb4 20. Ndf1 Nxf1 21. Kxf1 Nxa2 22. Bd4 Bxd4. Black decides to return one of his extra Pawns contenting himself with a sound Pawn and a safe edge. 23. Rxd4 Nb4 24. Rxd6 Bc6 25. Red1 a4 26. bxa4 Rxa4 27. Nd5 Kh7 28. Rb1? 28. Ne3 was probably a better try. 28. ... Nc2 29. Nb6 Bxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Ra2

31. Nd5. 31. Kg1 would have been equally met by 31. ... Ne1, whilst if 31. Kf1 there might follow 31. ... Ra3 in both cases with much better chances for Black. 31. ... Ne1+ 32. Kf1 Nf3 33. Ne3? Both players were in serious time trouble. The text costs White the Exchange, but neither 33. Nb4 Rae2 followed by ... Re8-e4 nor 33. Kg2 Nh4+ 34. Kg1 Ree2 35. Rf1 Red2 would have probably given Brodowski any saving chances in the mid-long run. 33. ... Nd2+ 34. Rxd2 Rxd2 35. Rxb7 Kg6. Now it’s over if doesn’t happen something strange. Luckily everything goes as it should. 36. Nd5 Re4 37. Rc7 Rc2 38. Ne3 Rc1+ 39. Kg2 f6 40. Kf3 Re5 41. Rd7 h5 42. Rd4 Rh1 43. Kg2 Rc1 44. Kf3 Kh6 45. Rd6 Rh1 46. Kg2 Rc1 47. Kf3 Rg5 48. h4 Re5 49. Rd4 Kg6 50. Kg2 Ra1 51. Kf3 Ra7 52. Kg3 Kf7 53. Kf3 Ke6 54. Rd8 Ke7 55. Rg8 Kf7 56. Rd8 Rc7 57. Rd4 Ke6 58. Rd8 Rd7 59. Ra8 Rc5 60. Ra6+ Kf7 61. Kg3 Rcc7 62. Ra5 Kg6 63. Kf3 Rd4 64. Kg3 Re7 65. Nd5 Re5 66. Rc5 Rg4+ 67. Kh3 Re1 68. Kh2 Rxh4+ 69. Kg3 Rg4+ 70. Kf3 Re5 71. Rc7 Rxc4 72. Rxc4 Rxd5 73. Kg3 Kf5 74. f4 g5 75. fxg5 fxg5 76. Rc3 h4+ 77. Kh3 Kg6 78. Kg4 Rd4+ 79. Kh3 Kh5 80. Rc5 Rd3+ 81. Kg2 h3+ 82. Kh2 Kh4 0 : 1.

Formidable

[Event "XLVI Campionato Italiano a squadre"]
[Site "Condino ITA"]
[Date "2014.05.02"]
[Round "4"]
[White "De Filomeno, Simone"]
[Black "Valsecchi, Alessio"]
[ECO "A29"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTeam "SS Torinese"]
[BlackTeam "Chieti"]
[PlyCount "100"]

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Nf3 h6 7.O-O O-O 8.Na4 Bb6 9.Nxb6 axb6 10.b3 Re8 11.Bb2 Bg4 12.h3 Bd7 13.e4 Nh7 14.d4 Ng5 15.Nxg5 hxg5 16.d5 Ne7 17.Qh5 b5 18.Qxg5 bxc4 19.bxc4 c5 20.f4 Ng6 21.Qxd8 Rexd8 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Rfb1 Ra6 24.Bc3 Rb8 25.Rb2 b6 26.h4 f6 27.a4 Rba8 28.a5 bxa5 29.Rb7 Nf8 30.Rc7 a4 31.Rxc5 a3 32.Ra2 Ra4 33.Rc7 Rb8 34.c5 Bb5 35.c6 Bc4 36.Ra1 Rb3 37.d6 Be6 38.d7 Ra8 39.Ba5 Rab8 40.Ra7 a2 41.Kh2 Rb1 42.c7 R8b2 43.c8=Q Bxd7 44.Qc4+ Be6 45.Qc7 Nd7 46.Bc3 Rc2 47.Qd6 Rb6 48.Qd3 Rf2 49.Rxd7 Bxd7 50.Qxd7 1-0