Up-down cues

Francesco Rambaldi – John Bartholomew
7th CSC London Chess Classic FIDE Open; London, December 8, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D12

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Be7 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. 0-0-0 dxc4 12. Qxc4 a6 13. Qb3. For 13. g3 b5 14. Qe2 c5 15. dxc5 Nbd7 see Ubilava – Alsina Leal, 13th International Open, Villa de Navalmoral de la Mata 2007. 13. ... b5 14. g3. For 14. e4 c5 15. d5 c4 16. Qc2 e5 17. g4 Nfd7 see Shengelia – Esen, 17th European Team Chess Championship, Novi Sad 2009. 14. ... c5. The position is much easier to play as Black. 15. dxc5 Nbd7 16. Kb1 Nxc5 17. Qc2 0-0 18. e4 Rac8 19. Be3. Driving the Black’s Knight where it was aiming for. Consideration deserves 19. a3, although after 19. ... Na4 20. Qb3 Rfd8 Black stands better anyway. 19. ... Na4 20. Rc1 Qb7 21. Qg2 Nxc3+ 22. Rxc3 Rxc3 23. bxc3 b4 24. c4 b3 25. Qb2

25. ... Nxe4! The decisive blow! 26. Qxb3 Qa8 27. Bd3 Nc5 28. Bxc5 Bxc5 29. Be4 Qa7 30. Kc2 Rb8 31. Qa4 Bb4 32. Rf1 Qe3 0 : 1.

Out of Nothing

Francesco Rambaldi – Simon Kim Williams
7th CSC London Chess Classic FIDE Open; London, December 6, 2015
Sicilian Defence B51

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. 0-0 Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 e5 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bg4 10. d5 Nd4 11. Be3 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 Bd7 13. a4 Be7 14. Qb3 0-0 15. Qxb7 Rb8. Or 15. ... Nh5 16. Kh1 f5 17. Bh3 Rb8 18. Qa7 Nf6 19. a5 Qe8 20. Nd2 Ra8 21. Qb7 Rb8 22. Qa7 Ra8 ½ : ½ Delchev – Goumas, 11th International Open, Gazi 2015. 16. Qxa6 Nh5 17. Nd2 f5 18. Nc4 fxe4 19. fxe4 Bc8 20. Qa7 Rb7 21. Qa5 Qe8 22. Bg2 Qg6 23. Kh1 Bh4 24. Rf1 Rbf7. Williams leaves White with a free hand on the Queenside hoping to mount an attack on the opposite flank. Apparently 24. ... Rb3! pursues the same goal without ceding ground. 25. Qb6 Rf6 26. a5 Qg4 27. f3. It’s maybe not the best solution, but the position is very double-edged.

27. ... Rxf3?? As they say, from “illusions” to “hallucinations” there is only a step. Correct was 27. ... Qg6 28. Nd2! Ng3+! 29. hxg3 Bxg3 30. Kg1 Qh5 31. Rf2 Bh3! with a very unclear situation. 28. Nd2 Bd8 29. Qxd6 Rxf1+ 30. Rxf1 Nf4 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Nf3 Bxa5 33. e5 Bf5 34. e6 Qh5 35. e7 Re8 36. b4 Bd3 37. Re1 1 : 0.

Francesco Rambaldi at Wien in 2015
Photo: Wikipedia