Gifted Hands

Denis Rimovich Khismatullin – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
69th All-Russian Higher League; Kolomna, June 24, 2016
English Opening A28

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Bb4 5. e4 Bxc3 6. bxc3 d6 7. d3 0-0 8. Nf3 Bd7 9. 0-0 Qc8. Goryachkina goes for unfianchettoing. The alternative was 9. ... Kh8 10. Nh4 Ng8 11. Be3 Be6 12. Qd2 Nge7 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 f6 15. Be3 Qd7 16. Rab1 b6 17. Nf5 Ne5 18. Nxe7 Qxe7 19. h3 Rae8 20. g4 Qd7 21. Kh2 Bf7 22. Bf4 Bg6 23. Qe2 c6 24. Rbe1 Bf7 25. Bg3 Kg8 26. Qd1 Re7 27. Rf5 ½ : ½ Uhlmann – Kortschnoi, Interzonal Tournament, Leningrad 1973. 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. Nh4 Bh3 12. f4 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Qg4 14. Qc2 Qd7 15. Qe2 Ne7 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Ba3 Rfe8 18. Rf3 b6 19. Rbf1 c5 20. Bc1 Ng6 21. Nf5 Re6. In spite of coriaceous defence by Goryachkina, the open f-file seems to offer White a definite initiative.

22. Nxg7?! A controversial choice among many interesting possibilities. The simplest could be 22. h4! h5 23. Ne3 with very promising prospects; for instance: 23. ... Nf8 24. Rxf6! Rxf6 25. Rxf6 gxf6 26. Nd5 and White’s position appears dominant. 22. ... Kxg7 23. Qf2 Kg8?! Chess-News.ru’s commentator Alexey Borisovich Yarovinsky recommends 23. ... Qd6! 24. Bg5 Nd7 25. Rxf7+ Kh8 with unclear variations, in his opinion, more favourable to Black. 24. Bg5?? An awful blunder. After 24. Rxf6 Nf4+ 25. Rxf4 exf4 26. Qxf4 both material and dynamic assets more than compensate White for the Exchange. 24. ... Nh5 25. Qe2. Yarovinsky suspects that Khismatullin may have overlooked — after 25. Rxf7 — the trivial refutation 25. ... Ngf4+! which wins instantly. 25. ... f6 26. Bc1 Rd8 27. Bh6 Rd6 28. Rf5 Ng7 29. Rxf6 Nf4+ 0 : 1.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina. Photo: Chess-News.ru.

One Shot

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Denis Khismatullin
68th Russian Chess Championship; Chita, August 12, 2015
Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6 3. Nge2 d6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. b3 0-0 9. Bb2 Bd7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Nde2 b5 12. 0-0-0? Castling long to San Quentin... We would have castled Kingside. 12. ... Ng4 13. Rdf1 Qa5 14. h3 Nf6 15. Kb1 b4 16. Nd1. 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Na7 also seems to give Black a powerful attack. 16. ... Qc7 17. Ne3 a5 18. f4 a4. Svidler has achieved less than nothing from the opening, so he decides to embark on a hazardous adventure: 19. e5!? dxe5 20. fxe5 Nxe5! Khismatullin is very happy to sacrifice the Exchange! 21. Bxa8 Rxa8 22. Rf4 axb3 23. axb3. Comparatively best is 23. cxb3, though after 23. ... Bh6 Black retains a decisive advantage. 23. ... Qa7 24. Nd4. No better is 24. Nc1 Ne4! 25. Rxe4 Nc4!! 26. Nxc4 Qa1+! and mate next move. 24. ... Nh5 25. Nd5 Bc6 26. Nxc6 Qa2+ 27. Kc1

27. ... Qa1+!! An elegant finish! 28. Bxa1 Rxa1+ 29. Kb2 Nc4 mate. Or – as a “dual” – 29. ... Nd3 mate.

Paths of Glory

Denis Khismatullin – Pavel Eljanov
16th European Individual Championship; Jerusalem, March 6, 2015
Nimzo-Indian Defence E46

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Ne2 Re8 6. a3 Bf8 7. Ng3 d5 8. Be2 a6 9. 0-0 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. cxd5. For 11. b4 Ba7 12. Qc2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qc7 14. Bd3 Nbd7 15. Bb2 Ne5 see El Debs – Henríquez Villagra, Pipa Beach 2014. 11. ... exd5 12. Bf3 Be6 13. b4 Bd6 14. Bb2 Be5 15. Na4 Bxb2 16. Nxb2 Nc6 17. Nd3 Qb6 18. Rc1 a5 19. Rb1 axb4 20. axb4 Rad8 21. b5 Na5 22. Ne2 Ne4 23. Ndf4 Nc4 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Nd4 Bc8 26. Rc1 Ne5 27. Qb3 Qh6 28. Rc5 b6 29. Rd5 Bb7 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Rd1 Qg5 32. Kf1 g6 33. h3 Nd3 34. Nc6 Bxc6 35. bxc6 Qc5 36. Qa4 Kg7 37. Qa1+ Kg8 38. Qa4 Rd6 39. Qa8+ Kg7 40. Qa1+ Kh6 41. Nxd3 exd3 42. Qh8 Qc2? This is a very natural move but a grave mistake! Correct was 42. ... Rxc6 43. Rxd3 Qc1+ 44. Ke2 Qc2+ 45. Kf3 Rxf2+! 46. Kxf2 Qc2+ 47. Kf3 Qxd3 48. Qf8+ Kg5 49. Qe7+ Kh6 drawing by perpetual check. 43. Qf8+ Kg5

44. Kg1!! A most aesthetic problem-like move! White sacrifices a whole Rook (with check)! Eljanov was probably expecting 44. f4+ Kh4! 45. Qxd6 (clearly not 45. Qh6+? Kg3 46. Qg5+ Kh2 with a win for Black) 45. ... Qxd1+ 46. Kf2 Qe2+ 47. Kg1 Qxe3+ 48. Kh2 Qg3+ 49. Kg1 Qe1+ drawing by perpetual check. 44. ... Qxd1+? Black has failed – but who can blame him? – to fully appreciate the surreal idea behind White’s last move. He should have played 44. ... Rd5!, after which there would have followed as in the game 45. Kh2!! Kf6 (of course 45. ... Qxd1?? loses to 46. c7+-) 46. e4 Rc5 47. Qd6+ Kg7 48. Rxd3 Rxc6 49. Qe5+ Rf6 50. Rf3 Qc6 “and though White has a terrific bind, there is no clear win. Even so, it would be a very tough defense for Black”, Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez summed up. 45. Kh2 Rxc6 46. Qe7+. White repeated just to save time on the clock. 46. ... Kh6 47. Qf8+ Kg5 48. Qxf7! The pointe. Black’s King is caught in a mating net! The threat is 49. Qf4+ Kh5 50. g4+ Kh4 51. Qh6 mate. 48. ... Rf6. Although he has an extra Rook, Black is without resource! If 48. ... Kh6 then 49. Qf8+ Kg5 (or 49. ... Kh5 50. g4+ winning) 50. Qf4+ Kh5 51. g4+ and wins. Else 48. ... Rc5 49. Qf4+! Kh5 50. g3! g5 51. Qf7+ Kh6 52. Qf6+ Kh5 53. g4+ winning. 49. f4+ Kh6 (49. ... Kf5 50. Qd5 mate) 50. Qxf6 Qe2 51. Qf8+ Kh5 52. Qg7. Threatening Qg7xh7 mate. 52. ... h6 53. Qe5+ Kh4. Or – as a “dual” – 53. ... g5 54. Qe8+ Kh4 55. Qg6 gxf4 (or 55. ... d2 56. Qxh6+ Qh5 57. g3 mate) 56. Qxh6+ Qh5 57. Qxf4+ and mate next move. 54. Qf6+ Kh5 55. f5! gxf5. If 55. ... d2 then 56. Qxg6+ Kh4 57. Qxh6+ Qh5 58. g3 mate. 56. Qxf5+ Kh4 57. Qg6 1 : 0.

Denis Khismatullin vs. Pavel Eljanov
Photo: ChessVibes (@ChessVibes)