The European Magazine

Piotr Brodowski – Sabino Brunello
European Rapid Chess Championship; Katowice, December 16, 2017
Benkö Opening A00

Sabino Brunello took a brilliant 14th place (out of 1,181 players) with 9 points out of 11 at the European Rapid Chess Championship held in Katowice, Poland on the last two days. Alessio Valsecchi might have been next to him (on the scoreboard), had he won his last-round game against French Grandmaster Laurent Fressinet. 1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. c4 d4 4. d3 e5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. 0-0 a5 7. Na3 Be7 8. Nc2 0-0 9. b3 h6!? For 9. ... Rb8 10. Bb2 Bf5 11. Re1 Nd7 12. a3 Re8 13. Rb1 Bg6 14. Ba1 Bf8 15. b4 axb4 16. axb4 b5 17. c5 see Brodowski – Červený, 19th Czech Team Chess Championship 2010/2011, Czech Republic 2010. 10. e3 dxe3 11. Nxe3 Bc5 12. Bb2 Re8 13. h3 Qd6 14. Re1 Bd7 15. Rc1 e4 16. dxe4. After 16. d4 exf3 17. dxc5 Qxd1 18. Rexd1 fxg2 19. Bxf6 Bxh3 Black wins a not too meaningful Pawn, as White should soon or later regain it with quite good drawing chances. 16. ... Nxe4 17. Qxd6 cxd6. Strangely White cannot avoid the loss of a Pawn. 18. Rcd1 Nxg3 19. Nd2? Dropping a second Pawn. 19. Nd4(!) Ne4 20. Ndb5 seemed a more and better tenable cause. 19. ... Nb4 20. Ndf1 Nxf1 21. Kxf1 Nxa2 22. Bd4 Bxd4. Black decides to return one of his extra Pawns contenting himself with a sound Pawn and a safe edge. 23. Rxd4 Nb4 24. Rxd6 Bc6 25. Red1 a4 26. bxa4 Rxa4 27. Nd5 Kh7 28. Rb1? 28. Ne3 was probably a better try. 28. ... Nc2 29. Nb6 Bxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Ra2

31. Nd5. 31. Kg1 would have been equally met by 31. ... Ne1, whilst if 31. Kf1 there might follow 31. ... Ra3 in both cases with much better chances for Black. 31. ... Ne1+ 32. Kf1 Nf3 33. Ne3? Both players were in serious time trouble. The text costs White the Exchange, but neither 33. Nb4 Rae2 followed by ... Re8-e4 nor 33. Kg2 Nh4+ 34. Kg1 Ree2 35. Rf1 Red2 would have probably given Brodowski any saving chances in the mid-long run. 33. ... Nd2+ 34. Rxd2 Rxd2 35. Rxb7 Kg6. Now it’s over if doesn’t happen something strange. Luckily everything goes as it should. 36. Nd5 Re4 37. Rc7 Rc2 38. Ne3 Rc1+ 39. Kg2 f6 40. Kf3 Re5 41. Rd7 h5 42. Rd4 Rh1 43. Kg2 Rc1 44. Kf3 Kh6 45. Rd6 Rh1 46. Kg2 Rc1 47. Kf3 Rg5 48. h4 Re5 49. Rd4 Kg6 50. Kg2 Ra1 51. Kf3 Ra7 52. Kg3 Kf7 53. Kf3 Ke6 54. Rd8 Ke7 55. Rg8 Kf7 56. Rd8 Rc7 57. Rd4 Ke6 58. Rd8 Rd7 59. Ra8 Rc5 60. Ra6+ Kf7 61. Kg3 Rcc7 62. Ra5 Kg6 63. Kf3 Rd4 64. Kg3 Re7 65. Nd5 Re5 66. Rc5 Rg4+ 67. Kh3 Re1 68. Kh2 Rxh4+ 69. Kg3 Rg4+ 70. Kf3 Re5 71. Rc7 Rxc4 72. Rxc4 Rxd5 73. Kg3 Kf5 74. f4 g5 75. fxg5 fxg5 76. Rc3 h4+ 77. Kh3 Kg6 78. Kg4 Rd4+ 79. Kh3 Kh5 80. Rc5 Rd3+ 81. Kg2 h3+ 82. Kh2 Kh4 0 : 1.

Hourglass

Stanislaw Drozniak – Sabino Brunello
European Rapid Chess Championship; Katowice, December 16, 2017
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nf5? A clumsy move by Bernhard Horwitz that Dutch Grandmaster Jan Timman got out of the dust in the 1980s. 5. ... d5! Wilhelm Steinitz’s recommendation. Less energetic is 5. ... d6 6. Nxg7+ Kf8 7. Nh5 Qh4 8. Ng3 Nf6 9. Be2 Ne5 10. Nc3 Nfg4 11. Bxg4 Nxg4 12. Rf1 Rg8 13. Na4 Nxh2 14. Nxc5 Nxf1 15. Kxf1 Rxg3 16. fxg3 Qh1+ 17. Kf2 Qxd1 18. Bh6+ Ke7 19. Rxd1 dxc5 20. Bf4 Bg4 ½ : ½ Timman – Karpov, GMA World Cup, Brussels 1988. 6. Nxg7+. Not 6. exd5? Bxf5 7. dxc6?? Bxf2+ winning the Queen. 6. ... Kf8 7. Nh5 Qh4 8. Ng3 Nf6 9. Be2. 9. Bb5!? Ng4 10. Rf1 Nxh2 11. Qxd5 is a suggested improvement by Grandmaster Nigel Davies. Try it and good luck. 9. ... dxe4. Vintage Steinitz’s analysis ran 9. ... Ne5 10. h3 Rg8 with powerful initiative for Black. But probably something is happened in the meantime. 10. 0-0 h5 11. Be3 Bd6 12. f3? Certainly it is not an improvement on 12. Bd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Qf4 14. Nc3 h4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Qxh8+ Ke7 17. Rae1 Be5 18. Qh7 Nf6 19. Qh8 hxg3 20. hxg3 Qg5 and White soon ended up crushed, Zagema – Liss, 32nd Open, Groningen 1994. 12. ... exf3 13. Bxf3 Ng4 14. Bxg4 hxg4 15. Rf4

15. ... Bxf4. Maybe it’s not a mistake in absolute terms, but certainly Brunello misses the much stronger 15. ... Qxh2+ 16. Kf2 Rh3! 17. Nf1 g3+! 18. Ke1 Qxg2 which wins right off. 16. Bxf4 Qxh2+ 17. Kf2 Rh6? Black’s Rook lift appears promising, but indeed it leaves White the time to consolidate. Best was 17. ... Be6 18. Nc3 Rd8 with great advantage to Black. 18. Qd2 Rf6 19. Nc3 Qh6 20. Nd5 Rxf4+ 21. Nxf4 Bd7? After this pseudo-developing move Black’s Bishop will immediately find to stand on the verge of the abyss. Correct was 21. ... b6(!) 22. Rh1 Qf6 with at least equality. 22. Rh1 Qf6. 22. ... Qg7 might have been a little better, but after 23. Nfh5 Qd4+ 24. Qxd4 Nxd4 25. Nf6 Bc8 26. Nge4 Black is almost paralysed. 23. Ne4 Qe5 24. Rh5? Much stronger was 24. Nd5! (24. ... Qxe4 25. Rh8+ Kg7 25. Qh6 mate). 24. ... Bf5!?? As Schiller said, “To save all we must risk all”. After 24. ... Qxe4 25. Rh8+ followed by Rh8xa8 White would have relied upon a definite advantage. 25. Ng3? It was White’s last chance to play 25. Nd5! (25. ... Qxe4 26. Rh8+ Kg7 27. Qh6 mate). 25. ... Rd8! Now the tables are turned, and Black should be easily able to liquidate into a winning endgame. 26. Ng6+? White has his last illusion. 26. ... fxg6 27. Qh6+ Ke7. Game over. 28. Qg5+ Kd7 29. Rh7+ Kc8 30. Nxf5 Qxf5+ 0 : 1.

Yellow Submarine

Nigel David Short – Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev
European Rapid Chess Championship; Minsk, December 20, 2015
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3. Of course, Sir Short is faithful to his system. 4. ... e6 5. a3 Ne7 6. Nc3 Ng6. For 6. ... Nd7 7. Be3 Bg6 8. Nh4 c5 9. dxc5 Nc6 see L. Vajda – Vedmediuc, Romanian Team Chess Championship, Mamaia 2015. 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 c5 9. 0-0 Nc6 10. Re1 cxd4 11. Nb5 Bc5 12. b4 Be7 13. Nbxd4 Rc8 14. g3 Nf8 15. c3 Nd7 16. h4 0-0 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Kg2 a6 20. Re2 Rc7 21. Qe3 Rfc8 22. Rd1 Nxd4 23. cxd4 Nf8? A surprisingly passive move. Much better looks 23. ... Nb6 intending ... Nb6-c4. 24. Rd3 Qd7

25. g4!! Maybe not the best move in absolute terms, but from a practical point of view it turns out to be the decisive turning-point. White creates out from nothing a metaphorical attack against the enemy King. 25. ... Qb5 26. h5 Nh7 27. Red2 Rc1 28. g5 hxg5 29. Nxg5 Ra1 30. Nh3! Prophylaxis combined with attack. 30. ... Rcc1 31. h6 g6 32. Rc3 Qf1+ 33. Kg3 Qh1! With the terrible threat of ... Nh7-g5. Now Short must walk the tightrope. 34. Rxc1 Rxc1 35. Rd3! Re1 36. Qf3 Qxf3+ 37. Rxf3 Rc1 38. Rb3 Rc4. 38. ... b5 39. a4! is also very unpleasant for Black. 39. b5! a5 40. b6! White’s main idea is Rb3-b5-c5. 40. ... Rxd4 41. Rb5 Rd3+ 42. f3 f6. If 42. ... Rxa3 then 43. Rc5! (the pointe) and Black cannot hold the endgame anyway. 43. Rxa5 fxe5 44. Ra8+ Kf7 45. Ra7 g5 46. Rxb7+ Kg6 47. a4 Nf6 48. h7 Nxh7 49. a5 Nf6 50. a6 Rd2 51. Nf2 Nh5+ 52. Kg2 g4 53. a7 Ra2 54. Rb8 Nf4+ 1 : 0. A splendid game.

David Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess)

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Baadur Jobava – Vladimir Veremeichik
European Rapid Chess Championship; Minsk, December 19, 2015
Richter–Veresov Attack D01

1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c6 4. e3 Bf5 5. h3!? A bit of improvisation. For 5. f3 e6 6. g4 Bg6 7. h4 h6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. cxd3 Bd6 see Rapport – Tania Sachdev, 12th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2014. 5. ... h6 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. g4 Bh7 8. Bd3 e6 9. Bxh7 Nxh7 10. Qd3 Nhf6 11. 0-0-0 Qa5 12. a3 Nb6? A bit convoluted. After 12. ... b5! followed by ... b5-b4 as soon as possible, the game is dynamically balanced. 13. Nd2 Nc8. As it will be soon clear, Black’s formal consistency is not sufficient to guarantee safety. It’s complicated but interesting HAL 9000’s suggestion 13. ... Bxa3!? 14. Nb3 Bxb2+ 15. Kxb2 Qb4 eventually followed by ... a7-a5-a4. But 13. ... Qa6, forcing the exchange of Queens might have been relatively best. 14. Rhg1 Be7 15. h4! Nd7 16. g5 hxg5 17. hxg5 Nf8 18. g6! f6 19. e4! The breakthrough in the centre secures White an overwhelming game. 19. ... Bd6 20. e5! fxe5 21. dxe5 Be7 22. Qf3 Qc7 23. Be3! Bd8. Not 23. ... Qxe5 on account of 24. Qf7+ Kd7 25. Nde4 with potentially devastating threats, such as Ne4-c5+ and Rg1-g5.

24. Nde4! An inspired Knight sacrifice. 24. ... b6. Accepting the sacrifice equally leads to catastrophe: 24. ... dxe4 25. Nxe4 and Black is without resource against all White’s threats. 25. Nf6+! The pointe. 25. ... gxf6 26. exf6. Of course 26. g7 is also very good, but Jobava is not a “black bull” and enjoys playing chess. 26. ... Nxg6 27. Rxg6! Qf7 28. Rdg1. Such a dream position! 28. ... Nd6 29. Bd4 Nf5 30. Qd3 Nxd4 31. Qxd4 Rf8 32. Nxd5! The final touch! The Knight is taboo, for if 32. ... exd5 then 33. Qe5+ followed by Rg6-g7, while if 32. ... cxd5 then 33. Rg7. 32. ... Qd7 33. f7+! Qxf7. If 33. ... Kxf7 then 34. Rg7+ Ke8 35. Nf6+ and mate in two moves. 34. Qc4! Rc8 35. Rxe6+! Kd7 36. Rgg6 Bg5+ 37. Kb1 Qxe6 38. Nxb6+ 1 : 0.

Baadur Jobava
Photo: ruchess.ru