In the Blink of an Eye

Volodar Arturovich Murzin – Jonas Buhl Bjerre

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 3rd stage; Kramnik Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, August 12, 2021

2r1q1k1/5ppp/Q3pn1b/2r1N3/3Nn2P/2P2R2/P4PPB/4R1K1 w - - 1 32

Position after 31. ... Rd5-c5

The 3rd stage of the 1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour has started today with much work for the teams’ coaches who have to do their best to get the best out of their pupils. If nothing else, Danish Grandmaster Bjerre, who’s tutored by four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), in his game against Russian prodigy Murzin, managed to miraculously escape being checkmated. And yet, from the position of diagram, White began well: 32. Nxf7! Nd2? After 32. ... Kxf7 33. Rxe4 Rxc3 34. Rxc3 Rxc3 35. Re1 White’s extra passed Pawn on the Queenside is enough to guarantee a win. 33. Nxh6+ Kh8 (33. ... gxh6 34. Rxf6 Rxc3 35. Qe2+−) 34. Rxf6! gxf6 35. Rxe6 Qg6 36. Bf4 Qb1+ 37. Kh2 Nf1+ 38. Kh3 Rxc3+ 39. g3 Nd2 40. Re8+ Kg7 41. Ndf5+ Kg6

42. h5+!? White goes King hunting, apparently overlooking that His Majesty was already in a mating net: 42. Qxf6+!! Kxf6 43. Be5+ Kg6 44. Re6+ Kh5 45. Ng7#. 42. ... Kxh5 43. Qe2+? Actually, Murzin overlooked it. White was still in time for 43. Ng7+ Kg6 44. Qxf6+!! Kxf6 45. Be5+ Kg5 (or 45. ... Kg6 46. Re6+ Kg5 47. Nf7#) 46. Nf7+ Kg6 47. Nh8+ Kg5 (or 47. ... Kh6 48. Re6+ Kg5 49. Nf7#) 48. f4+ Kh6 49. Re6+ Qg6 50. Nf7#. 43. ... Nf3 44. g4+ Kg6. Now White’s two Knights cannot checkmate: 45. Ne7+ Kg7 46. Nhf5+ Kf7 47. Nd6+ Kg7 48. Nef5+ Kg6 49. Ne7+ Kg7 50. Ndf5+ Kf7 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Nhf5+ ½ : ½.

The Catcher in the Rye

Jonas Buhl Bjerre – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 1st stage; Polgár Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, April 10, 2021

King’s Indian Defence E92

Indian prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, 15, eventually won the Polgár Challenge, thus earning a wild card into his first Champions Chess Tour 2021 with the big boys. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. 0-0 e5 8. Be3 c6 9. d5 c5 10. Ne1 Kh8 11. g4 Ng8. Very much Chigorin-like. 12. Qd2 f5 13. gxf5 gxf5 14. exf5 Ne7 (14. ... Ndf6 15. Bd3 Ne7 16. Qc2 Qe8 17. Ng2 Qh5 18. f3 Nxf5 19. Bxf5 Bxf5 20. Qd2 Rf7 21. Ne2 Qh3 22. Ng3 Bg6 23. Rae1 Raf8 24. Bg5 Nh5 25. Ne4 Rxf3 26. Rxf3 Rxf3 27. Nxd6 e4 28. Nb5 a6 29. d6 Rd3 30. Qa5 h6 31. Qd8+ Kh7 32. Nc3 hxg5 0 : 1 Guadalpi – Jaracz, 6th European Individual Chess Championship, Warsaw 2005) 15. Kh1 Nf6 16. Bd3 Bxf5 17. Rg1 e4 18. Be2 Ng6 19. Rg5 Qd7 20. Nc2 Rf7 21. Rag1 Raf8

22. Qe1? This move is so bad that one may well attribute it to a mouse slip, as it’s quite obvious that it was the Knight which had to move to e1 (⌓ 22. Ne1!). Now Praggnanandhaa unleashes his attack: 22. ... Ne5! 23. Qf1 Nf3 24. Bxf3 exf3 25. Ne1. Just too late. 25. ... Ng4! 26. Bf4 Bd4 27. Bg3

27. ... Rf6! Threat: ... Rf6-h6xh2+. 28. Nxf3. Desperation, but if 28. Nb5 then 28. ... Ne3! 29. fxe3 f2 with devastating effect. 28. ... Bxc3 29. Nh4 (29. bxc3 Be4−+) 29. ... Be4+ 30. f3 Rxf3 31. Nxf3 Rxf3 32. Qg2 Rxg3! 0 : 1. Mate follows after 33. Qxe4 Nf2# or 33. hxg3 Ne3! 34. Qxe4 Qh3#.

11（十一）

Jonas Buhl Bjerre – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié)

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 1st stage; Polgár Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, April 10, 2021

Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Nd5 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 9. Ne5 0-0 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 b5. 11. ... e5 12. d5 Ne7 13. Qxc4 c6 is more usual; for instance: 14. dxc6 Nxc6 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Qb5 Qb6 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. 0-0 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 Kf8 20. Bd5 Ke7 21. Kf1 f5 22. f3 b5 23. Bxe6 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Kxe6 25. a3 b4 26. axb4 Nxb4 27. Ke2 Na2 28. Rb1 Nb4 29. Rd1 Na2 30. Rb1 Nb4 31. Rd1 Na2 ½ : ½ Wojtaszek – Mamedyarov, 5th Gashimov Memorial, Şəmkir 2018. 12. Qxb5 Rb8 13. Qa4 Nb4 14. 0-0 Bd7 15. Qd1 Qe7?! While arguably an improvement over 15. ... Nd5?! 16. Qc1 Bb5 17. Nc3 c6 18. Rd1 Qe7 19. Ne4 Nb6 20. Nc5 Nd7 21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. Qc3 Rfd8 23. Bf1 h6 24. Rd2 Qd5 25. Rc1 c5 26. Bxc4 Bxc4 27. Qxc4 cxd4 28. Rxd4 Qxc4 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Rxc4 Rd2 31. Rb4 Kf8 32. Rb8+ Ke7 33. Rb7+ Kf6 34. a4 a5 35. Kg2 h5 36. Kf3 g5 37. Rb5 g4+ 38. Kg2 Kg6 39. b3 Rb2 40. h3 f5 41. hxg4 hxg4 42. Kf1 Kf6 43. Ke1 e5 44. Rxa5 Rxb3 45. Ra6+ Kg5 46. Ra8 Rb1+ 47. Ke2 Rb2+ 48. Kf1 Rb1+ 49. Kg2 Ra1 50. a5 Kg6 51. a6 e4 52. a7 Kg7 53. Kh2 Ra6 54. Kg1 Ra1+ 55. Kg2 Ra3 56. Kf1 Ra1+ 57. Ke2 Ra6 58. Kd2 Rd6+ 59. Kc3 Rc6+ 60. Kd4 Rc7 61. Rg8+ 1 : 0 Vlasov – Isajevsky, 6th PriFO Championship, Kazan 2008, it doesn’t seem, however, to best serve Black’s strategic needs. The Pawn sacrifice by 15. ... e5!? 16. dxe5 Be6 might offer better chances of dynamic balance. 16. Na3! White is going to win a Pawn, for which Black gets very little or nothing in return. 16. ... Nd3 17. Nxc4 Nxb2 18. Nxb2 Rxb2 19. Qc1 Qa3 20. Qxc7 Bb5 21. Rfb1 Bd3 22. Rxb2 Qxb2 23. Qc1

23. ... Qb4? 23. ... Rb8! gives a tough fight to White (and a challenge which is probably not winnable). 24. Qd1 Qa3 25. Qb3! Qxb3 26. axb3 Rc8 27. d5! Now, instead, Black must defend a much more worse endgame. 27. ... exd5 28. Bxd5 Rc7 29. e4 g5 30. f3 Kg7 31. Kf2 a6 32. Ke3 Bb5 33. Kd4 Rc2 34. h4 gxh4 35. gxh4 Rh2 36. Rg1+ Kf8 37. Rg4 Be8 38. e5 Ke7 39. Bc4

39. ... a5? 39. ... Bd7! 40. Rf4 Be6! might still give a tough time to White. 40. Rf4 Rf2 41. Kc5 Rc2 42. Kb6 Rc1 43. Kxa5 Re1 44. Rf5 Rh1 45. h5 Rb1 46. Kb4 Rb2 47. Kc5 Rc2 48. h6 Kd8 49. Kb4 Ke7 50. f4 Rf2 51. Rf6 Rf3 52. Kc5 Rc3 53. Kd4 Rc1 54. Bd3 Rd1 55. Kc3 Rh1 56. Bxh7 Bd7 57. Be4 Rh3+ 58. Kd4 Be6 59. b4 Rb3 60. Kc5 Rc3+ 61. Kb5 Bd7+ 62. Kb6 Be6 63. h7 Rh3 64. b5 Kf8 65. f5 Bd7 66. e6 Be8 67. exf7 Bd7 68. Rd6 1 : 0.