Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker

Danyyil Dvirnyy – Sabino Brunello
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 10, 2017
r2b2k1/p2br1pp/2p3q1/3pBpN1/3P1P1Q/6R1/P5PP/2R4K w - - 8 30

Position after 29. ... Bb6-d8

Luca Moroni has deservedly won (for the first time) the 77th Italian Chess Championship held in Cosenza, Italy which was aimed at rebuilding a reputation for the whole Italian chess movement after the accusations of unfair business practices apparently perpetrated by “a few rotten apples” which, however, lay in a basket in which the unfair business practices are a dogma of teachings. Only time will tell whether the “crocodile tears” have filled the sea. Getting back to the board, Moroni’s victory was helped by the two-time Italian Chess Champion Danyyil Dvirnyy (a direct contender to the title), who, in a win–win situation against Sabino Brunello, ended up completely losing control: 30. Ne4?? Blundering a piece! Probably best was 30. Nf3(!) and after 30. ... Rxe5(!) 31. Qh3 Re4 32. Rxg6 hxg6 33. Qg3 Be8 34. Rb1 White stands better, but a win is anything but granted. 30. ... Rxe5! 31. Qh3 fxe4 32. Qxd7 Re7! 0–1.

Hidden Stone

Michele Godena – Danyyil Dvirnyy
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, November 29, 2017
French Defence C03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Bd3 c5 5. dxc5 Nf6 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Qf3. Godena adopts a modest approach which will turn out to be psychologically quite crafty. 7. ... Qxc5 8. Ne4 Nxe4 9. Qxe4. Calling for Black’s castling Kingside. 9. ... Nd7 10. Nf3 Nf6 11. Qh4 Nd5 12. Qg3 0-0 13. a3(!) Bd6. Dvirnyy was probably very relaxed and plays by ear. Here he should have done better to play 13. ... Qc7! (eventually exchanging Queens) with at least equality. 14. Qh4 f5 15. 0-0 e5? Black probably made this move so natural without thinking too much about it first, but, unluckily for him, it is a mistake which loses at least a Pawn. After 15. ... Qc7 16. Re1 Black’s position is quite unpleasant, but there’s nothing irreparable.

16. Qc4! e4 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Bc4 Rd8?? Blundering a piece! It’s true that after 18. ... exf3 19. Bxd5+ Kh8 20. Bxf3 White remains a Pawn ahead with a clear advantage in position, but it’s also true that it was by far the lesser evil. 19. Bg5 Rd6 20. Be7 1 : 0. Things that can happen to everyone! Michele Godena himself has once lost in 21 moves to Stefano Tatai (on occasion of the 48th Italian Chess Championship at Chianciano Terme in 1988).

The laws of luck

David Wei Liang Howell – Danyyil Dvirnyy
21st European Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, October 31, 2017
8/4n3/2N2k2/p2p3p/Pp1P3P/1P3PK1/8/8 w - - 1 48

Position after 47. ... Ng6-e7

The two-time Italian Chess Champion Danyyil Dvirnyy saved today both the honour and the day of Italy’s team managing to accomplish a “mission impossible” against the three-time British Chess Champion David Wei Liang Howell. Objectively speaking, he couldn’t have done that without his opponent’s help. In the position of the diagram, although under time pressure, Howell – very unwisely, no doubt – decided to play for a win, whereas 48. Nxe7 Kxe7 49. Kf4 Kf6 would have led to a neat draw (in spite of White’s extra Pawn), ensuring England team’s victory. 48. Nxa5(?) Nf5+ 49. Kf4 Nxd4 50. Nb7 Nxb3 51. a5 Nd4 52. a6? Howell stubbornly insists in his irrational search for a win, that simply doesn’t exist – not this way, I mean. 52. ... b3 53. a7 b2 54. a8=Q Ne6+ 55. Kg3 b1=Q 56. Qh8+ Ke7 57. Kh2 Qf5. So White ended up standing worse. The rest is a colourful succession of big and small steps towards self-destruction, nearly begging (just in extremis) for the mirage of a stalemate. 58. Qc3? Qf4+ 59. Kh3 d4 60. Qa3+ Kd7 61. Na5 Qf5+ 62. Kg3 Qe5+ 63. Kg2 Qe2+ 64. Kg3 Qe1+ 65. Kh2 Qxh4+ 66. Kg1 Qe1+ 67. Kh2 Qe5+ 68. Kh1 Qb5 69. Qa2 Qf1+ 70. Kh2 Qxf3 71. Nc4 Ke7 72. Qa6 Qf4+ 73. Kh1 h4 74. Qb7+ Kf6 75. Qc8 Qe4+ 76. Kh2 d3 77. Qh8+ Ke7 78. Qc3 Qf4+ 79. Kh1 Qf3+ 80. Kh2 Qf2+ 81. Kh1 h3 82. Qa3+ Kf6 83. Qa1+ Nd4 84. Qa6+ Kg5 85. Qa5+ Kg4 86. Ne3+ Qxe3 87. Qh5+ Kxh5 0 : 1.

A latere

王玥 (Wáng Yuè) – Danyyil Dvirnyy
42nd Chess Olympiad; Baku, September 5, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D12

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. g4 Bg6 7. Ne5 e6 8. Nxg6 hxg6 9. Bg2 Nbd7 10. Qd3 g5!? 11. Nc3 Bb4 12. Bd2 Qe7. Formally a novelty. For 12. ... a5 13. a3 Bxc3 14. Bxc3 Nb6 15. cxd5 Nbxd5 16. Bd2 Qc7 17. Rc1 see Lysyj – Korchmar, 11th International RSSU Chess Cup “Moscow Open”, Moscow 2015. 13. a3 Bxc3 14. Bxc3 Nf8 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Qf5 Ne4 17. Bxe4 Qxe4 18. Qxe4+ dxe4

19. d5! A timely break in the centre which appears to ensure White the initiative. 19. ... cxd5 20. Rd1 0-0-0? This was bad judgement on the part of Dvirnyy. After 20. ... f6 21. Rxd5 Ne6 22. Kf1 followed by Kf1-g2 and Rh1-d1 White stands better, but probably not enough to bet on a win. 21. Bxg7 Rg8 22. Bf6 Rd7. If Black manages to carry his Knight out, he would be quite well, but 王玥 (Wáng Yuè) hits a breakthrough which will prove to be decisive. 23. f4! exf3 24. Rf1 Ne6 25. Rxf3 Kc7 26. Rf5 Kc6 27. Rc1+ Kb6 28. Ke2 Rg6 29. Rcf1 Rh6 30. R1f3 Kc6. After 30. ... Rg6 31. Be5 the f7-Pawn is doomed, but Danyyil’s decision to renounce to the g-Pawn does not produce better outcomes. 31. Bxg5 Nxg5 32. Rxg5 d4 33. e4 d3+ 34. Kd2 Re6 35. e5 Rd5 36. Rxf7 1 : 0.

汉明码

Yuriy Hryhorovych Kryvoruchko – Danyyil Dvirnyy
16th European Individual Championship; Jerusalem, March 3, 2015
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 0-0 6. 0-0 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. a4 a5. The alternative is 8. ... a6 9. a5 Nf6 (else 9. ... Nb6 10. Ba2 Bg4 as in the game Demchenko – Tomashevsky, 67th Russian Championship Higher League, Vladivostok 2014) 10. Nbd2 h6 11. Qe2 Re8 12. Ne4 Bf8 13. Bb3 Be6 as in the game Ivanchuk – Vallejo Pons, 49th Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2014. 9. Re1 Nb6 10. Bb5 f6 11. Nbd2 Na7 12. d4 exd4 13. Ne4 Be7 14. Nxd4 Nxb5 15. axb5 Rf7 16. Bf4 a4 17. h3 Bd7 18. Qe2 Qc8 19. c4. White’s advantage is apparently symbolic: it is a superiority in space, a somewhat freer game. 19. ... c6? Very thoughtlessly played. Dvirnyy cedes the square d6. 20. Bd6! Qf8? Two mistakes in a row, the second one being irreparable. Comparatively best was 20. ... f5 although after 21. Bxe7 fxe4 22. Bd6 White retains a clear edge.

21. Nxf6+! The decisive coup. 21. ... Bxf6. Both 21. ... gxf6 and 21. ... Rxf6 are refuted by 22. Bxe7. 22. Bxf8 Bxd4 23. Bb4 Rxf2. Black wins back his Queen, but his game is, however, past redemption. 24. Qxf2 Bxf2+ 25. Kxf2 cxb5 26. Re7 Rf8+ 27. Kg1 Rf7 28. Rae1 h6 29. Rxf7 Kxf7 30. Re7+ Kf6 31. cxb5 1 : 0.

Por un beso de la Flaca

Emilio Cordova – Danyyil Dvirnyy
49th Capablanca Premier; The Habana, May 11, 2014
Réti A06

1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2 Bg4 4. e3 Nbd7 5. Be2. More usual is 5. h3; for example: 5. ... Bh5 6. Be2 e6 7. d3 h6 8. Nbd2 Bg6 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 Bd6 11. Nf3 0-0 12. 0-0 Qe7 13. c4 a5 14. Qc2 Nd7 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. a3 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. cxd5 Qxd5 19. b4 c6 20. Qc5 Rfd8 21. Qxd5 cxd5 22. Rfc1 ½ : ½ Salov – Anand, Madrid 1993. 5. ... c6 6. d3 g6 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Nxf3 a5 10. a3 0-0 11. 0-0 Ne8 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. c4 e6 14. Qc2 Qf6 15. Rab1 Nd6 16. Rfc1 h5 17. Qd2 Rfd8 18. c5 Nf5 19. b4 axb4 20. Rxb4 Ra7 21. a4 e5 22. e4 dxe4 23. dxe4 Nf8 24. Qb2 Nd4 25. Nxd4 exd4 26. Bc4. After 26. Rxb7 Rxb7 27. Qxb7 d3! 28. Bf1 Ne6 Black retains a definite initiative for the Pawn. 26. ... Nd7 27. Bb3 Ne5 28. Qd2 g5 29. Rf1. If 29. Rd1 then 29. ... d3. 29. ... Qf4 30. Qd1 g4. By this Pawn sacrifice (instead of the natural 30. ... d3) Blak tries to obtain the initiative. 31. Rxd4 Rxd4 32. Qxd4 gxh3 33. g3? It worked out! After 33. gxh3 Ra8 the position is unbalanced with even chances.

33. ... Qf3? Dvirnyy misses a decisive, if not too difficult, move: 33. ... Qf6! and Black wins, e.g. 34. Qa1 Nf3+ 35. Kh1 Nd2 etc. 34. Qxe5+ Kf8 35. Qd6+ Kg7 36. Qe5+ Kf8 37. Qd6+ ½ : ½.