The Last Minute

Felipe de Cresce El Debs – Rafael Figueiredo De Paula
83rd Brazilian Chess Championship; Rio de Janeiro, February 14, 2017
English Opening A30

“Grandmaster Everaldo Matsuura was the deserved winner of the 83rd Brazilian Chess Championship. The best game in the final round was Felipe de Cresce El Debs’s victory. How shall White play from the position of the diagram?”, Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão says and asks. 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. 0-0 Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 9. Bg5 a6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qf4 0-0 12. Rfd1 Be7 13. Ne4 Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Ra7 15. Nd4 Rc7 16. b3 Qc8 17. Rd2 Rd8 18. Qe3 Bf8. A not-too-edifying game went 18. ... Rc5 19. Rad1 Nd7 20. b4 Rc7? (it was better to take the Pawn) 21. Nxe6! fxe6 22. Qxe6+ Kh8 23. Qxe7 Ne5? 24. Qxe5! 1 : 0 Alonso Rosell – Díaz Camallonga, 7th International Open, Sabadell 2014. 19. Rad1 Re8 20. Qe4 Nd7 21. e3. Finally, the novelty. For 21. Qf3 d5 22. cxd5 Nxd5 23. Ne2 Bb4 24. Rd4 Rc2 25. e4 Nc3 26. Nxc3 Rxc3 27. Qg4 a5 28. e5 g6 29. Bf1 Rc2 30. Bb5 Rf8 31. Rc4 Rxc4 32. Qxc4 Qb8 33. Qe4 Bc3 34. f4 Bb4 35. Rd7 Qc8 see Iturrizaga Bonelli – 章钟 (Zhāng Zhōng), World Rapid Chess Championship, Berlin 2015. 21. ... Nf6 22. Qb1 Rc5 23. Rc2 Rd8 24. b4 Rc7 25. Rdc1 Qd7 26. a4 Rdc8 27. b5 a5 28. Nc6 Qe8 29. Rd2 Nd7 30. h4 Nc5 31. Qc2 f5 32. Kh2 Rf7 33. f4 Rf6 34. e4 fxe4 35. Bxe4 Qh5 36. Re1 h6 37. Kg2 Rc7 38. Bf3 Qf7 39. Qd1 g6 40. Rde2± g5?

41. Nd8! Qg6 42. hxg5 hxg5 43. fxg5 Qxg5. If 43. ... Rg7 then 44. Nxe6 Nxe6 45. Bd5 winning without difficulty. 44. Nxe6 Nxe6 45. Rxe6+- Rg7 46. g4 Rxe6 47. Rxe6 Re7 48. Qxd6 Rxe6 49. Qxe6+ Kg7 50. Qxb6 Bc5 51. Qc7+ Kf8 52. Qc8+ Ke7 53. Qb7+ Kf8 54. Qa8+ Kg7 55. Qe4 Qd2+ 56. Be2 Qb2 57. Qb7+ Kg6 58. Qc6+ Kg7 59. Qxc5 Qxe2+ 60. Kg3 Qe1+ 61. Kf4 Qc1+ 62. Kf5 Qf1+ 63. Ke4 Qg2+ 64. Ke5 Qg3+ 65. Kd5 Qf3+ 66. Kd6 1 : 0.

Beijinho

Alexandr Hilário Takeda Sakai dos Santos Fier – Maximo Iack Macedo
83rd Brazilian Chess Championship; Rio de Janeiro, February 13, 2017
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. Qc2!? Shuffling cards. For 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. 0-0 Rc8 see Macedo – Mekhitarian, 82nd Brazilian Chess Championship, Rio de Janeiro 2016. 8. ... Nc6 8. 0-0 Rc8 9. d3 Be7 10. a3 0-0 11. e3 Nd5 12. Nbd2 b5 13. b3 f6 14. Bb2 Be8 15. Rad1 Nb6 16. Ne4 Nd7 17. Qe2 Qc7? 17. ... Na5 appears much better, maintaining a more balanced game. 18. d4! Now White opens up the centre under much more favourable conditions than before. 18. ... cxd4 19. exd4 b4 20. axb4 Bxb4 21. Rc1 Bf7 22. Nfd2. Stockfish lists on top the flashy 22. Nfg5! which could indeed be even stronger; for instance: 22. ... fxg5 23. Nxg5 Ndb8 24. d5! exd5 25. Bxd5 Bxd5 26. Qd3 g6 27. Qxd5+ Rf7 28. Nxh7! Kxh7? 29. Rc4 with an irresistible attack. 22. ... Qb6 23. Nc4 Qb8 24. Ra1 e5? The final crisis. Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão rightly recommends 24. ... Rfd8. 25. Bh3 Rcd8. White to move and win (it’s very easy!):

26. Bxd7! Rxd7 27. Nxf6+! 1 : 0. For if 27. ... gxf6 then 28. Qg4+.

Samba Pa Ti

Everaldo Matsuura – Paulo Jatobá de Oliveira Reis
83rd Brazilian Chess Championship; Rio de Janeiro, February 10, 2017
Pirc Defence B07

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 0-0 6. 0-0-0 c6 7. f3 b5 8. Kb1 Qa5? Not just a bit new, but seriously wrong. For 8. ... Nbd7 9. g4 Nb6 10. g5 Nh5 11. b3 a5 see Barría Zuñiga – Campora, 33rd International Open, Sevilla 2008. 9. Nd5! Qd8. 9. ... Qxd2 10. Nxe7+ would cost Black a clear Pawn for no compensation, but, on the other hand, the text exposes his King to an irresistible attack. 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. h4! So far, so easy. 11. ... Nd7 12. h5 e6 13. Nh3 Re8 14. hxg6 fxg6. 14. ... hxg6 15. Nf2 is no better at all. 15. f4 Bg7 16. e5 d5 17. Ng5 Nf8 18. Bd3 a5 19. g4 b4

20. Nxh7! As Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão notes, also 20. f5 would have won easily, but the leader of the Championship prefers a more aesthetic solution. 20. ... Nxh7 21. Rxh7! Kxh7 22. Qh2+ Kg8 23. Bxg6. Threatening f4-f5 followed by Qh2-h7+ and Be3-h6. 23. ... Ra7 24. f5! exf5 25. gxf5 Rf7 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Bxf7 Kxf7 28. f6 Rg8 29. fxg7 Be6 30. Qh5+ Kxg7 31. Bh6+ 1 : 0. Black resigned, not without a good reason: 31. ... Kh8 32. Bf8 mate.

Brazil

Alexandr Hilário Takeda Sakai dos Santos Fier – Paulo Jatobá de Oliveira Reis
83rd Brazilian Chess Championship; Rio de Janeiro, February 8, 2017
Nimzo-Indian Defence E46

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Nge2 c6 6. a3 Ba5 7. Ng3 d5 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. 0-0 dxc4 10. Bxc4 e5 11. Bb3 exd4 12. exd4 Bc7 13. Bc2 Re8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Be3 Nb6 16. Qd3 Nbd5 17. Nxd5 cxd5 18. f3 Bd6 19. Rac1 Bd7 20. Qd2 Qb6 21. Nf5 Bf8 22. Bf4 Rac8 23. Ne3 Be6 24. Be5 Be7 25. Nf5 Bxf5 26. Bxf5 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Bd6 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. g3 Kg7 30. Kg2 Qb5 31. Rc2 Re7. Black’s King’s position on the Kingside is very weak and Fier breakthroughs without too much difficulty. 32. Qd1! Rc7 33. Rd2 Re7 34. f4 Bc7 35. Rc2 Qb3 36. Qg4+ Kf8. Or 36. ... Kh8 37. Kh3! with the deadly threat of Kh3-h4-h5xh6.

37. Bh7! 1 : 0.

Alexandr Hilário Takeda Sakai dos Santos Fier
Photo credit: Rafael Duailibe Leitão

Bolo de rolo

Rafael Duailibe Leitão – Ricardo da Silva Teixeira
82th Brazilian Chess Championship; Rio de Janeiro, January 9, 2016
Dutch Defence A96

1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nc3 0-0 6. Nf3 d6 7. 0-0 a5 8. Re1 Ne4 9. Qc2 d5 10. Ne5 c6 11. Nxe4. For the vintage alternative 11. f3 dxc4 12. Nxe4 Qxd4+ 13. Kh1 Qxe5 14. Bf4 Qb5 15. Nd6 Qc5 see R. Marić – Janošević, Liberation Tournament, Belgrade 1962. 11. ... fxe4. After 11. ... dxe4 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. c5 White’s position is surely more pleasant to play, del Río Angelis – Pomés Marcet, Spanish Team Chess Championship, Barcelona 2000. 12. f3 Nd7 13. Nxd7 Bxd7 14. fxe4 dxc4 15. Qxc4 b5 16. Qd3 c5 17. Bf4 c4 18. Qe3 Qb6 19. h4 Rac8 20. Rac1 b4 21. h5 a4 22. h6 g6 23. Be5 b3. A very interesting, double-edged position has arisen. 24. a3

24. ... Bxa3! Making the right decision! 25. bxa3 b2 26. Rc3. Leitão cannot allow his opponent to play ... c4-c3. 26. ... b1=Q 27. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 28. Kh2 Qe1 29. Bf3. White has only a Pawn for the Exchange, but the Bishop pair and his latent initiative give him more than adequate compensation. 29. ... Rf7! 30. Kg2 Qb1 31. Bd6 Qb2 32. g4 Be8 33. g5 Rb7?? An awful blunder, probably due to time trouble. There were many reasonable moves worth considering, after which it would not have been easy for White to make progress. 34. Bg4. Suddenly Black has no defence. 34. ... Bd7 35. Qf2! The pretty coup de grâce, which must have been overlooked by Teixeira. 35. ... e5. The Rook is taboo: 35. ... Qxc3 36. Qf6 and mate in very short order. 36. Rf3 1 : 0. His Majesty is doomed.