Good thoughts in bad times

Jorden van Foreest – Ivan Sokolov
Match game 2; Hoogeveen, October 17, 2016
Philidor Defence C41

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Nb6 7. Bf4!? More natural is 7. Bb3 which after 7. ... Be7 8. h3 0-0 9. Be3 may eventually transpose into Showalter – Blackburne, Vienna 1898. 7. ... Be7 8. 0-0-0 Nxc4 9. Qxc4 0-0 10. Rhe1 Be6 11. Qf1 Qc8 12. Nd4 Bd7 13. f3 Rb8 14. g4 b5 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. Qh3 b4 17. Ne2 Qa6 18. Kb1 Be6 19. b3 Rb5. After 19. ... Bxf5 20. gxf5 White has very dangerous attacking chances due to the open g-file. 20. Be3 d5?? Ivan committs a terrible blunder which is indeed not easy to understand. Black should have consistently played 20. ... Ra5 21. Nc1 (not 21. Nxg7?? Rxa2! turning the tables) 21. ... Ne8 keeping hold on his own fate.

21. Nxg7! Sic et simpliciter. Black is busted. 21. ... Kxg7 22. Bh6+ Kg8 23. Bxf8 Kxf8 24. Qh6+ Ke8. No better is 24. ... Kg8 25. g5 eventually followed by e4xd5. 25. Nd4 Ra5 26. Nxe6 fxe6. Harmlessly falling down the abyss, for if 26. ... Rxa2 then 27. Qf8+ Kd7 28. Qxd8+ Kc6 (28. ... Kxe6 29. exd5 mate) 29. Qxc7+ Kb5 30. Nd4 mate. 27. exd5. Of course, without the Black Pawn on d5, nothing might have been happened. 27. ... e5 28. Rxe5+ Kd7 29. Re6 1 : 0.

Jorden van Foreest
Photo: Lennart Ootes

Youth Vintage

Ivan Sokolov – Jorden van Foreest
Match game 1; Hoogeveen, October 16, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E73

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Be2 0-0 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 a5 8. g4 Na6 9. g5 Ne8 10. h4 Nc5 11. h5 Bd7 12. Nf3 c6 13. Nd2 a4 14. b4!? axb3 15. axb3 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 Na6 17. Kf1 Nb4 18. Qb1 Nc7 19. Na2 cxd5 20. cxd5 Nxa2? Sokolov himself afterwards suggested 20. ... Nbxd5! 21. exd5 Nxd5 with interesting possibilities for Black. 21. Qxa2 Nb5 22. Bxb5 Bxb5+ 23. Nc4 Qc8 24. Qe2 f5 25. gxf6 Rxf6 26. Bg5 Rf7 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Kg2 Rc7 29. Rc1 Bf8 30. Rc3 Ba6? After a long and laborious defence, van Foreest becomes optimistic and goes for the c-Pawn. Stockfish’s first line 30. ... Rh7 31. Rg3 Qc7 appears to be worth considering. 31. Rg3 b5. Jorden seems to have changed his mind. He probably did not take the Pawn by 31. ... Bxc4 32. bxc4 Rxc4 for fear of 33. Bd8! with serious threats. It’s hard to disagree. 32. Ne3. Sokolov naturally maneuveres his Knight to the Kingside and very quickly will mount an overwhelming attack against the enemy King. 32. ... b4 33. Qf3 Bg7

34. Bf6! The rest is easy. 34. ... Rf7 35. Rxg6 Qf8 36. Ng4 Qc8 37. Nh6+ Kh7 38. Qh5 Bf1+ 39. Kxf1 Qc1+ 40. Kg2 Bxh6 41. Rxh6+ 1 : 0.

Ivan Sokolov vs. Jorden van Foreest
Photo: Lennart Ootes

Randomly Painting

Chinese avant-garde artist 余友涵 (Yú Yǒuhán)’s “Untitled (Máo Marilyn)” 2005 artwork overlaps and combines Andy Warhol’s “Máo” and “Marilyn” artworks, so to create an androgynous icon that reflects both Máo and Marilyn. Image courtesy of portrait.gov.au.