Lost & Found

Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli – Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 5, 2021

Slava Defence D17

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8. Ne5 a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 e6 11. e4 Bh7 12. f3 Be7 13. Bf2 0-0 14. Be2 Nfd7 15. Nd3 Rc8 16. 0-0 c5 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. Bxc5 Rxc5 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Kf8 23. Rd8+ Ke7 24. Rb8 Rc7 25. Kf2

25. ... f5? An unfortunate novelty which betrays nervousness. Theoretically speaking, 26. ... f6 27. Ke3 Bg6 28. Nb5 Rd7 29. Nd4± was also quite bad for Black, 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – 阮露斐 (Ruǎn Lùfěi), Women’s Zonal 3.3, 北京 (Běijīng) 2005, but he could well play 25. ... Bg6!? at once, in order to answer 26. Ke3 by 26. ... e5!? with reasonable play. 26. Ke3. Very natural, but 26. Nb5! has its merits also, because if 26. ... Rd7 White might continue 27. e5 with a crushing advantage. 26. ... fxe4 27. fxe4 Bg6 28. Nb5 Rd7 29. Nd4. 29. e5 seemed very strong here. 29. ... e5 30. Nb3 Rc7 31. Bb5 Nc4+ 32. Bxc4 Rxc4 33. Rxb7+ Kf8 34. Nd2 Rxa4 35. Rb5 Be8 36. Rxe5 Rb4 37. Rxa5 Rxb2 38. h4 Bc6 39. Rc5

39. ... Rxd2? Black must have been tremendously short of time, since by the text move he deliberately simplifies into an ending the Exchange down without any saving chances. From a practical standpoint, even 39. ... Bxe4!? — not to say of 39. ... Bd7 — 40. Nxe4 Rxg2 would have given Black much better prospects of drawing. 40. Kxd2 Bxe4 41. g3 Kf7 42. Ke3 Bb1 43. Kf4 Kg6 44. Rc6+ Kf7 45. Ke5 Ba2 46. g4 Bb1 47. Rb6 Bd3 48. Rd6 Bb1 49. Rd2 Ke7 50. Rb2 Bd3 51. Rb3 Bc4 52. Rb7+ Kf8 53. Rb4 Ba2 54. Kd6 Ke8 55. Re4+ Kf7 56. Kd7 Kf6 57. Re2 Bb3 58. Rf2+ Kg6 59. Ke7 Bd1 60. Rf4 Kh7 61. Kf8 Kh8 62. g5 Bh5 63. Rf5 Kh7 64. Ra5 hxg5 65. Rxg5 Bg6 66. Ra5 Kh6 67. Ra6 Kh5 68. Kxg7 Bd3 69. Rh6+ Kg4 70. Rh8 1 : 0.

That’s how classical chess has evolved — too much theory and not enough RAM. Photo: Lydia González/Salamanca RTV al día.

Chinese Shadows

Nurgyul Salimova – Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 4, 2021

Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 c5 6. d5 exd5 7. cxd5 g6 8. Bg2 Bg7 9. Nc3 0-0 10. a4. 10. a3 d6 may transpose to well-known paths: 11. 0-0 Re8 12. Re1 Qc7 13. Bf4 Nh5 14. Bd2 Nd7 15. Qa4 Bb7 16. Qh4 a6⇄ Kasparov – Fedorowicz, 3rd World Youth U-26 Team Chess Championship, Graz 1981. 10. ... Bb7 11. Qb3 Na6 12. 0-0 Nb4 13. Rd1 d6 14. Nd2 Re8 15. Nc4 Ba6 16. Bf3 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 a6 18. Qb3 Nd7

19. a5? This seems to be Salimova’s crucial mistake, allowing Black to expand in the Queenside. Correct was 19. Ne4 Ne5 20. Bg2 h6!? with more or less equality. 19. ... b5 20. Ne4 Ne5 21. Bd2?! Now 21. Bg2 would be met by 21. ... Nc4 with overwhelming advantage, but 21. Bg5 Qd7∓ was probably a little better.

21. ... Nbd3!−+ 22. Bg5 f6 23. Be3 (23. Rxd3 c4−+) 23. ... Nxb2 24. Qxb2. 24. Nxc5 dxc5! 25. Qxb2 Nc4 is of no help as well. The rest is easy: 24. ... f5 25. Nc3 b4 26. Qb3 Nxf3+ 27. exf3 Bxc3 28. Ra2 Qd7 29. Qc4 Qb5 30. Qf4 Be5 31. Qh6 b3 32. Rad2 c4 33. f4 Bg7 34. Qh4 c3 0 : 1.

Venezuelan Grandmaster Iturrizaga Bonelli managed to deploy all the potential of his Indo-Benoni formation. Photo: Club Deportivo Ajedrez Salamanca.

Crashdown

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli

2nd Chess Festival Eighth Centenary 2019 of Salamanca University; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, November 30, 2019

Caro-Kann Defence B10

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Qe2 Nxe4 (5. ... Nbd7?? 6. Nd6 mate, Keres – Arlamowski, Szczawno Zdrój 1950) 6. Qxe4 Qd5 7. Qh4 Qe6+ 8. Be2 Qg4 9. Qg3 Qxg3 10. hxg3 g6 11. a4!? An interesting strategic novelty which will provide White with a lasting initiative, though in the end 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) won’t achieve more than a drawish endgame, probably due to some omissions along the way. Proof theory gave 11. d4 Bg7 12. Bh6 Bf6 13. Ne5 Be6 14. 0-0-0 Nd7 15. f4 Rg8 16. g4 Rd8 17. c4 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Nb6 19. b3 g5 20. Kc2 f6 21. exf6 exf6 22. Kc3 Kf7 23. Rdf1 Rg6 24. Bd3 Bxg4 25. Bxg6+ Kxg6 26. Re1 Nc8 27. c5 Rg8 28. a4 a5 29. b4 axb4+ 30. Kxb4 Rd8 31. Kc3 b6 32. Kc4 Bf5 33. Re3 Bc2 34. Bxg5 Kxg5 35. Rg3+ Kf5 36. Rxh7 Bxa4 37. Rh5+ Ke6 38. Re3+ Kf7 39. Rh7+ Kg6 40. Rc7 Bb5+ 41. Kc3 bxc5 42. dxc5 Kf5 43. g3 Kg6 44. Kb4 Rd4+ 45. Kc3 Rd8 46. Kb4 Rd4+ ½ : ½ Bacrot – Topalov, 3rd Grand Chess Tour, 1st stage, Rapid Tournament, Paris 2017. 11. ... Bg7 12. a5 Bf5 13. c3 e5 (13. ... Nd7 14. d4 0-0 15. 0-0 Rfd8 16. Re1⩲) 14. d3. After 14. d4!? exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. cxd4 0-0 17. g4 Be6 “Two Bishops and the better King gives White the upper hand”, says Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli. 14. ... Nd7 15. Be3 0-0 16. Nd2 Nf6 17. Nc4 (17. f3⩲) 17. ... Nd5 18. Bc5 Rfd8 19. Nd6 b6 20. Nxf5 bxc5 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Rh4 Rab8 23. Ra2 f5 24. Rc4 Rb5 25. Kd2 Nf6 26. Kc2 Ne8 27. Rca4 Nd6 28. a6 Kf6 29. Ra5 Rdb8 30. c4 Rxa5 31. Rxa5 Rb6 32. f4 e4 33. dxe4 Nxe4 34. g4 fxg4 35. Bxg4 Nd6 36. Rxc5 Rxa6 37. Bf3 Nf5 38. Kc3 Ne7 39. Re5 h5 40. b4 Ra3+ 41. Kd4 Ra4 42. Kc5 a5 43. b5 cxb5 44. cxb5 Rxf4 45. Re1 Rf5+ 46. Kb6 Nc8+ 47. Ka6 Re5 48. Rc1 Re6+ 49. Kxa5 Nd6 50. b6 h4 51. Bg4 Re5+ 52. Ka6 Re4 53. Bd7 Re2 54. Ka7 Rxg2 55. Rd1 Ra2+ 56. Kb8 Nc4

57. Rf1+. A pretty drawing variation is 57. b7! Na5 58. Rd6+ Ke7 59. Ra6 Kxd7 60. Rxa5 Rxa5 stalemate. 57. ... Ke7 58. b7?? Crashdown. 58. Kc7 should still be enough for White to draw the game. 58. ... Kxd7 59. Rd1+ Nd6 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is still struggling to recover her best form after her year of full-time study at the University of Oxford. Photo: Ajedrez Salamanca via Flickr.

He Got Game

Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli – John Paul Gomez
7th HDBank International Open Chess Tournament; Ho Chi Minh City, March 15, 2017
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

Evaluation symbols and punctuation marks are by Brazilian Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 cxd4 4. exd4 d5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nd2 Bf5 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Ngf3 e6 9. Nh4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Bd3 Be7. The same position can be reached through 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. Nd2 Bf5 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Ngf3 e6 9. Nh4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Bd3 Be7 – Caro-Kann Defence (B13). 12. 0-0 0-0. For 12. ... Nh5 13. Be5 0-0 14. Rfe1 Qd7 15. Nf3 g5 16. Rad1 g4 17. Nd2 g5 18. Be2 f6 19. Bxg4 Ng7 20. Nf3 fxe5 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Rxe5 Bf6 23. Re2 Qf7 24. Rde1 Rae8 25. h3 Re7 26. Re3 Nf5 see Honfi – Barcza, KS Jubilæum, Copenaghen 1965. 13. Rae1 a6 14. Qd1 b5 15. a3 Na5 16. Nf3 Nc4 17. Qe2 Ra7 18. Ne5 Nd6 19. g4!± Nfe4?! 19. ... Nc4 20. h4 Nd7 seems to give much better survival chances as after 21. Nxg6 fxg6 22. Qxe6+ Kh8 23. Qxg6 Nf6 24. g5 Qe8 Black appears to have limited damages to the best possible worst. 20. f3 Nf6 21. h4. Now White’s attack spreads itself smoothly. 21. ... a5 22. h5! gxh5 23. Qh2 g6

24. Nxg6! fxg6 25. Bxd6+− hxg4 26. Be5 g3 27. Qh6 Bd8 28. Bd6 Rff7 29. Bxg6 Rg7 30. Kg2 Rxg6 31. Qf8+ 1 : 0. For if 31. ... Kh7 then 32. Rh1+ and mate in two moves.