Up and Down Stairs

Haik M. Martirosyan – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 27, 2019
Réti Opening A07

A particularly difficult opponent awaited Goryachkina today. World Youth Chess Champion Under-16 in 2016, Armenian Chess Champion in 2018, last month Martirosyan just shared first place with Kaido Külaots in the 17th Aeroflot Open, finishing second on tie-break. 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6. h3 Bh5 7. 0-0 e5 8. e4 dxe4 9. dxe4 Be7 10. Qe1 0-0 11. Nc4 Qc7 12. Nh4 Rfe8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd2 Nc5 15. Bc3. Of course, there is another way, quite similar: 15. Ba5 b6 16. Bc3 Nfd7 17. f4 f6 18. fxe5 fxe5 19. Ne3 Ne6 20. Nef5 Rad8 21. Kh1 Nf6 22. Nh6+ gxh6 23. Rxf6 Nd4 24. Rf2 Bg6 25. Qe3 Qg7 26. Raf1 Be7 27. Nxg6 Qxg6 28. Be1 Rf8 29. b4 Rxf2 30. Rxf2 Rf8 31. c3 Rxf2 32. Bxf2 Ne6 33. h4 Nc7 34. Qd3 Qd6 35. Qc4+ Qe6 36. Qxe6+ Nxe6 37. Be3 Bf8 38. Bh3 Kf7 39. Bf1 Nc7 40. Bc4+ Kf6 41. Kg2 Ne8 42. Bg8 Kg7 43. Be6 Nf6 44. Kf3 Kg6 45. Bf5+ Kg7 46. Ke2 h5 47. Kd3 Kf7 48. a5 1 : 0 Nakamura – Pelletier, 6th Kortschnoi Zürich Chess Challenge (45+10), Zürich 2017. 15. ... Nfd7 16. f4!? Black gained the upper hand in Javakhadze – Sevian, 10th Philadelphia Open, Philadelphia 2016, after 16. Bf3? Bxf3 17. Nxf3 b5!⩱ — understandably, White changes direction and move. 16. ... exf4 17. gxf4 f6 18. b4. 18. e5 Nb6 doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. 18. ... Bf7 19. Nd2 Na6. 19. ... Ne6 20. e5 c5⩱ seems to offer more prospects for an advantage. Black’s move is not wrong in itself, but, as it will become clear very soon, it aims at the wrong target. 20. Rb1 Qb6+ 21. Kh1

21. ... Bxb4?? A grave miscalculation, which in fact costs Goryachkina the game immediately. Black ought to play 21. ... c5! 22. a5! Qd8 23. b5 Nb4 24. Qg3! Nxc2 25. e5 with White’s initiative compensating for the Pawn, but probably not more. 22. Bxb4 Nxb4 23. Qg3! Black cannot defend both wings. 23. ... Nf8 24. Nf5 Ng6 25. Nd6 Re7 26. e5 Ba2 27. Rb2 fxe5 28. fxe5 Bd5 29. c3 Bxg2+ 30. Qxg2 Qe3 31. cxb4 Qxe5 32. N2c4 Qe6 33. Rff2 Qe1+ 34. Kh2 Rd8 35. b5 Qe6 36. Rbe2 Qd7 37. bxc6 bxc6 38. Rxe7 Qxe7 39. Qxc6 Qe6 40. Qc7 Rf8 41. Qxa7 Rxf2+ 42. Qxf2 1 : 0.

Silver plating

Haik M. Martirosyan – Luca Moroni
35th World Youth Chess Championship Under-16; Porto Carras, November 5, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D36

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 0-0 8. Nf3 Nbd7 9. Qc2 Re8 10. 0-0 h6 11. Bf4 Bf8 12. h3 Nb6 13. Ne5. For 13. Bh2 Bd7 14. Kh1 Nc8 15. Ne5 Nd6 16. Rae1 Qc8 17. f3 see C. Cruz – Gardela Batlle, 17th International Open, Montcada i Reixac 2009. 13. ... Be6 14. Bh2 Nc8 15. Na4 Nd6 16. Nc5 Nfe4 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Nxe6 Rxe6 19. f3 Qe8 20. Qb3 Kh7 21. fxe4 f6 22. Rae1 Qe7 23. Nd3 Nxe4 24. Qc2 Qe8 25. Ne5 fxe5 26. Qxe4+ Kg8 27. dxe5 Bd6. Now Black’s position is not a bed of roses, and if White plays the best moves Luca can only expect suffering. 27. ... Rd8 seems a little better. 28. Rf5 Qg6 29. Qf3 Bc7 30. Rf1 Rd8 31. h4 a5 32. h5 Qe8 33. Bg3? Much stronger looks 33. Qg4 (with the threat of Rf5-f8+) 33. ... Qd7 34. Bg3 Rde8 35. Rf6 with a powerful bind. 33. ... Bxe5 34. Qg4 Bd6 35. Bh4? Martirosyan falls into trouble. Correct was 35. Rf7 Qxf7 36. Rxf7 Kxf7 tending towards a draw. 35. ... Re4 36. Qh3 Rxe3 37. Qg4 Re4 38. Qh3 Rd7 39. Rxa5

39. ... Re2? Being in serious time trouble, Moroni misses his golden opportunity: 39. ... b5! (cutting off the White Rook) with apparently irresistible threats such as, for instance, 40. ... Bc5+ 41. Kh1 Rd3!!-+. 40. Ra8! A pretty resource that turns out to be a saving clause for White. 40. ... Bc5+ 41. Kh1 Qxa8 42. Qxd7 Re4 43. Qf7+ Kh8 44. Bf6 Qf8 45. Qxf8+ Bxf8 46. Bd8 Kg8 47. Rf3 Re1+ 48. Kh2 Re5 49. Rh3 Bc5 50. Bc7 Rd5 51. Bf4 Bd4 52. b3 Be5 53. Bxe5 Rxe5 54. Rh4 Kf7 55. Kg3 Rc5 56. Rf4+ Ke6 57. Rg4 Kf6 58. Rf4+ Ke6 59. Rg4 Kf6 ½ : ½. Congratulations anyway to Luca Moroni for taking second place in such a contest!

Luca Moroni. Photo: Luca Moroni (Facebook).