Thoughts Behind the Thoughts

Jacek Tomczak – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
43rd Chess Olympiad; Batumi, September 27, 2018
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4 Qe6 9. g3 Nb4. The alternative 9. ... d6 10. c4 Nb6 also gives Black a satisfactory game, Nepomniachtchi – Kramnik, 3rd Grand Chess Tour, 2nd stage (“Your Next Move” Blitz), Leuven 2017. 10. c4!? This is an understandable attempt to improve on 10. a3 Qd5 11. Rg1 Ba6 which gives Black a very comfortable game, Díaz – Arencibia Rodríguez, 58th Cuban Chess Championship, Las Tunas 1996. 10. ... Ba6 11. Bf4. 11. b3 Qg6! is not too exciting either, but the text is probably even worse. 11. ... d5! 12. a3!? (12. exd6 Nd3+) 12. ... Bxc4 13. Qd1 Bxf1. 13. ... Qf5 (or also 13. ... Qg6!?) 14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. 0-0 Nd3∓ is regarded by most engines as a very appealing destination for Black. 14. Kxf1 Na6 15. Nc3 Nc5 16. b4 d4 17. bxc5 dxc3 18. Qd4 Rd8? It’s quite amazing that Kramnik did not go now for 18. ... Qd5! forcing the exchange of Queens and a very favourable ending a Pawn up. 19. Qxc3 Qd5 20. Kg1 Bxc5 21. Rc1 Bb6 22. h5!? 0-0 23. h6 Rfe8 24. hxg7 Re6! 25. Bg5 Qa2? Apparently overestimating his attacking chances. Best seems 25. ... Bd4! 26. Qc2 Rg6! 27. Qf5 Re8 which leaves Black with the upper hand. 26. Rh2 Rd5? Consistently oblivious to the disaster. A much lesser evil was 26. ... Rd4! in order to reply 27. Qf3 with 27. ... Qd5 28. Qh5 Qe4 29. Bf6 Rd5 eventually followed by an Exchange sacrifice on e5.

27. Qb4! It’s strange — but of course possible — that Kramnik may have overlooked this strabic move which threatens both Qb4-f8 mate and Qb4-h4. Instead, after 27. Bf6 Qd2 Black would have avoided the worst. 27. ... c5. Of course, both 27. ... Re8 and 27. ... Kxg7 are met by 28. Qh4 with mate coming soon. 28. Qh4. The End. Kramnik chivalrously allows his opponent to deliver mate: 28. ... h6 29. Bxh6 Qb3 30. Bd2! Kxg7 31. Qh8+ Kg6 32. Qh7 mate.

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik. Photo: batumi2018.fide.com.

The Guns of Navarone

David Navara – Jacek Tomczak
8th International Grandmasters’ Tournament; Lublin, June 15, 2016
Nimzo-Indian Defence E42

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Ne2 cxd4 6. exd4 0-0 7. a3 Be7 8. Nf4 Re8 9. Be3 d5. The strategic alternative is 9. ... d6, e.g. 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. 0-0 Nf8 12. b4 Ng6 13. Qb3 Nh4 14. Rad1 Bd7 15. f3 b6 16. Bf2 Ng6 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. a4 Qb8 19. b5 Qc7 20. Rc1 Bc8 21. a5 bxa5 22. Na4 Bb7 23. c5 Bd5 24. Qb2 Nh5 25. Rfd1 dxc5 ½ : ½ 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) – Short, 19th International Open, Reykjavík 2000. 10. cxd5 Nxd5. For 10. ... exd5 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Bf3 Be6 13. 0-0 Bd6 14. Qd3 Rc8 see Machycek – Sasvari, 22nd World Correspondence Chess Championship (Final), 2007. 11. Ncxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 Bf6 13. 0-0 Nc6 14. Rc1 Be6 15. Rc5 Qd6 16. Bb1 b6? Tomczak misses a subtle point. Of course neither 16. ... Bxd4? 17. Rxc6! nor 16. ... Nxd4?! 17. Nxe6 Nxe6 18. Rxd5± would be any better at all, but Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão rightly recommends 16. ... g6 and Black’s position appears to be quite sound.

17. Bxh7+! Kh8 18. Nxe6. Leitão gives 18. Qh5 bxc5 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Bg6+ Kg8 21. Bxe8 Nxd4 22. Bg6 with a crushing advantage for White. 18. ... bxc5 19. Bf4? 19. Qh5 fxe6 20. Bg6+ transposes into the above variation. 19. ... Qxe6 20. Qh5 g6 21. Bxg6+ Kg8 22. Bf5 Qe2 23. Qh6! Bg7 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Bh6! Bxh6 26. Qxh6+ Ke7 27. dxc5! Rad8 28. Qxc6 Qe5? Black’s best chance was 28. ... d4! (Leitão), hoping to fish in muddy waters. 29. Qb7+ Kf6 30. Bd7! Rh8 31. h3 Kg7 32. c6. It’s all over now. 32. ... Rb8 33. Qxa7 Rxb2 34. Qc5 Rb3 35. Rc1 Qc7 36. Qxd5 Qf4 37. Qc4 Qd2 38. c7 Rb2 39. Qc3+ 1 : 0.

David Navara vs. Jacek Tomczak
Photo: szachy.lublin.pl

Painting with a comet’s tail

Jacek Tomczak – David Navara
8th International Grandmasters’ Tournament; Lublin, June 18, 2016
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. 0-0 Bg6 7. Nbd2 Nh6 8. Nb3 Be7 9. c3 0-0 10. Bxh6 gxh6 11. Ne1. Another try was 11. Qd2 Kg7 12. Ne1 c5 13. f4 Qb6 14. Kh1 c4 15. Nc1 f6 16. exf6+ Nxf6 17. Bf3 Bd6 18. g3 Qc7 19. Ng2 b5 20. Nh4 a5 21. Re1 Rfe8 22. a3 ½ : ½ Inarkiev – Malakhatko, 7th European Individual Chess Championship, Kusadasi 2006. 11. ... c5 12. Qd2 c4 13. Nc1 f6 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Bf3. Not 15. Qxh6? on account of 15. ... Qb6 followed by ... Nf6-e4. 15. ... h5 16. Ne2 Ng4 17. g3 Bg5 18. Qd1 Qb6 19. b3 Qc7 20. h3 Nf6 21. Bg2 Ne4 22. Bxe4? A very serious mistake that spreads the wings of Navara’s colourful imagination. On 22. Nf3 Rxf3 23. Bxf3 Nd2 Black wins back the Exchange, without any concrete interest. 22. ... dxe4 23. h4 Bh6 24. Ng2 Rf3! Black’s Rook penetrates quite decisively into White’s position. 25. bxc4. Both 25. Nef4 and 25. Ngf4 are strongly met by 25. ... Bf5. 25. ... Raf8 26. Qb3 Qf7 27. c5

27. ... e3! David quickly demolishes Tomczak’s weakened Kingside. 28. Nef4 Bxf4 29. Nxf4 Rxf4! 30. gxf4 e2 31. Rfe1 Bc2!! A fantastic finish, worth the punctuation. 32. Qxc2 Qg7+ 33. Kh2 Rxf4 0 : 1. For if 34. Kh3 then 34. ... Rxh4+! 35. Kxh4 Qg4 mate.

Jacek Tomczak vs. David Navara
Photo: szachy.lublin.pl