Торта „Гараш“ (Garash cake)

Silvio Danailov – Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
36th Open Internacional Villa de Benasque; Benasque, July 15, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D30

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 e6 4. Qc2 Nd7 5. g3 Ngf6 6. Bg2 b6 7. 0-0 Bb7 8. b3 Rc8 9. Rd1 c5 10. Nc3 dxc4

11. d5! Danailov’s crushing novelty! White sacrifices a second Pawn in order to exploit his manifest lead in development. If, instead, 11. dxc5(?) there follows 11. ... Bxc5 and Black has already more than equalized, Kaidanov – Strauss, 93rd U.S. Open, Dearborn 1992. 11. ... cxb3? This will turn out to be very bad. Granda Zúñiga should have played 11. ... exd5 12. Nh4 g6 13. Nxd5 even though with a clear White’s advantage. 12. axb3 Bxd5. No better is 12. ... exd5 13. Rxa7 with consequences similar to those of the game. 13. e4 Ba8 14. Rxa7 Rc7 15. Ra2. Very obviously, the Bulgarian International Master doesn’t throw everything away exchanging the Rooks. Granda Zúñiga horrifyingly realizes he is in Zugzwang! 15. ... Qc8 16. Bf4 Bc6. The Rook has no good square for salvation. 17. Bxc7 Qxc7 18. e5 Ng4. Now Danailov gives a very pretty conclusion to his “Immortal Game”. 19. Nb5!! Bxb5. If 19. ... Qb8 then 20. Rxd7! Kxd7 (else 20. ... Bxd7 21. Rxa8 winning more prosaically) 21. Qd3+ Ke8 22. Ra7 Be7 23. Nfd4!! finis. 20. Nd4!! 1 : 0. Bravo!

It was in the reign of George III that the aforesaid personages lived and quarrelled; good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now.

The Song That Never Ends

Igor Gennadievich Naumkin – Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
5th International Chess Open; Llucmajor, May 10, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E92

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 a5 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 Na6 10. 0-0 Qe8 11. Nd2 Bd7 12. b3 Nh7 13. a3 Kh8 14. Rb1. For 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Qb3 c5 17. Rxa8 Qxa8 18. Be7 Re8 19. Bxd6 b6 see 诸宸 (Zhū Chén) – Stellwagen, 65th Corus Chess Tournament (B-Group), Wijk aam Zee 2004. 14. ... Rg8!? 15. Kh1 f5 16. exf5? It gives sense to Granda Zúñiga’s idea 14. ... Rg8. Most consistent was 16. f3 Nf6 17. Bf2 for then developing the thematic Queenside play by b3-b4. 16. ... gxf5 17. Bh5 Qf8 18. f4 e4 19. Qc2 Bd4 20. Ne2

20. ... Qg7. With the threat of mate on the move. 21. g4 Nf6 22. Nxd4? A grave mistake. 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 was mandatory, even though in that case Granda Zúñiga could have been content with the passed e4-Pawn and the Bishop pair; for instance: 23. Rg1 Qh7 24. Nf1 Nc5 and Black stands better. 22. ... Nxh5 23. Rg1 Qxd4 24. gxh5 Nc5 25. Rg6!? If 25. Bf2 there might follow 25. ... Qf6 26. Bxc5 dxc5 with an imposing advantage to Black. 25. ... Rxg6 26. hxg6 Kg8 27. Nf1 e3 28. Ng3 Qxf4 29. Bf6 Re8 30. Ba1. Hoping to create threats on the a1-h8 diagonal. 30. ... Ne4! Granda Zúñiga concludes energetically. 30. ... e2! 31. Qc3 (31. Nxe2 Qf3+) 31. ... Re5 was another way to win. 31. Qb2. Or 31. Nxe4 Qf3+ 32. Qg2 (32. Kg1 Rxe4) 32. ... fxe4 33. Rf1 Bh3! winning immediately. 31. ... Nxg3+ 32. hxg3 Qf3+ 33. Kh2 Qh5+ 34. Kg2 Qxg6 35. Qf6 Qxf6 36. Bxf6 f4! The light-square Bishop vehemently enters into play. 37. gxf4 h5 38. Re1 Kf7 39. Bd4 e2 40. Kf2 Bg4 41. f5 Re4 42. Bb2 h4 43. f6 Rf4+ 44. Kg1 b6 45. Kh2 Rf1 46. Bc3 Rf3 0 : 1.

Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
Photo: Thinking Squares (@hinkingSquares)

Once Upon a Time in the West

Radoslaw Wojtaszek – Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 18, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. 0-0 a6 9. a4 Nh5. For 9. ... c5 10. d5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Qxd5 Nf6 13. Qe5 Qe8 14. Bxc4 Bd7 15. a5 Bc6 16. b3 see Gelfand – Kasimdzhanov, Grand Prix 2014/2015, Baku 2014. 10. Bxc4 Nxf4 11. exf4 c6 12. Qe2 Qa5 13. Bb3 Rd8 14. Rfd1 g6 15. Ne4 Nf6 16. Neg5 Nd5 17. g3 Bd7 18. h4 h5 19. Ne5 Be8. The Peruvian Grandmaster is a highly skilled defender, as yesterday’s game demonstrated. 20. Qf3 Bf8

21. g4! The most difficult move of the game! Wojtaszek launches a wild attack against the enemy King! 21. ... hxg4 22. Nxg4 Bg7 23. h5! gxh5 24. Ne5 Nf6 25. f5! Rxd4. Black tries a desperate Exchange sacrifice in a last ditch attempt to upset his opponent’s bloody attack. 26. Rxd4? White is too greedy and “[...] maybe he missed 26. fxe6 Rg4+ 27. Qxg4! and a sweet mate next”, Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer said. Another pretty variation is 26. fxe6 Qxe5 27. exf7+ Bxf7 28. Nxf7 Qf4 29. Ne5+! Kh7 30. Rxd4 Qxd4 31. Qf5+ Kh8 32. Ng6+ Kh7 33. Nf8++ Kh8 34. Qh7+! Nxh7 35. Ng6 mate. 26. ... Qxe5 27. Rad1 Nd5 28. Bc2 exf5 29. Qxh5 Nf4? But here Granda Zúñiga goes astray: after 29. ... Qf6 30. Bb3 Qh6 Black still can defend. 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Nf3 Qe2? Black should have resigned himself to 31. ... Qc7 32. R4d2 when White stands much better. 32. Rxf4? Here 32. Qxf5 was much stronger, e.g. 32. ... Bxd4 33. Rxd4! Ng6 34. Re4! with an easy win. 32. ... Qxc2 33. Rd2 Qb1+? Her Majesty checks at the wrong square! Black’s last chance was 33. ... Qc1+! 34. Kg2 Rd8, although after 35. Rxd8 Qxf4 36. Rxe8+ Kxe8 37. Qxg7 Qxa4 38. Qe5+ White should win in the long run anyway. 34. Kg2 c5 35. Rxf5 1 : 0.

Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Mateusz Bartel (@MateuszBartel)

Una joya inexpugnable

Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga – Radosław Wojtaszek
6th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Baku, September 17, 2015
Sicilian Defence B26

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Be3 Bg7 6. Qd2 e5 7. Bg2 Nge7 8. h4 h5 9. f4 Nd4 10. Nd1. 10. Nh3 Bg4 11. 0-0 exf4 12. Nxf4 0-0 13. Rf2 Kh7 14. Raf1 transposes into the game Hort - L. Portisch, 30th Hoogovens International Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 1968. 10. ... d5 11. c3 Ne6 12. Nf3 d4 13. Bg1 Nc6 14. c4 f6 15. Nf2 Bh6 16. Nh3 Qd6 17. Bh2 Bd7 18. 0-0 0-0-0 19. a3 a5 20. Kh1 b6 21. b3 Kc7 22. Rab1 Rb8 23. Qe2 Rbg8 24. Ne1 Ned8 25. Nc2 g5 26. f5 g4 27. Nf2 a4 28. b4 Nb7 29. b5. An impressive mutual Pawn blockade! 29. ... Nca5 30. Na1 Qe7 31. Qc2 Ra8 32. Nd1. The Peruvian Grandmaster doesn’t dare to take the Pawn, for if 32. Qxa4? then 32. ... Nd6! 33. Qd1 Qf7 followed by 34. ... Naxc4! 35. dxc4 Qxc4 and White’s position falls apart. 32. ... Nd6 33. Re1. The silly 33. Nxa4?? now or in the next few moves is always met by 33. ... Naxc4 with an easy win for Black. 33. ... Qf7 34. Bf1 Ra7 35. Bg1 Rha8 36. Bf2 Nb3 37. Re2. “The position in Granda Zúñiga – Wojtaszek is quite funny. How to break through? :)”, Tarjei J. Svensen wondered.

37. ... Nxb5!? “Granda Zúñiga vs. Wojtaszek is special. The first piece/Pawn exchange at move 37 is an intriguing sacrifice”, Olimpiu G. Urcan said. 38. cxb5 Bxb5 39. Nb2 Bc6 40. Be1 b5 41. Nd1 Bf8 42. Rg2 Kd7 43. Kh2 Nxa1 44. Rxa1 b4 45. Nb2 b3 46. Qd1 Bb5 47. Nc4 Bxc4 48. dxc4 Bh6 49. Bd3 Rb7 50. Rb1 Kc6 51. Bd2 Qf8 52. Kg1 Bxd2 53. Qxd2 Rab8 54. Kf1 Ra8 55. Ke1 Rh7 56. Rb2 Qh6 57. Qxh6 Rxh6 ½ : ½.

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Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Queen to Play

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga
2nd Ruy López International Chess Festival; Mérida, April 9, 2008
Spanish Game C92

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Nd7 10. d4 Bf6 11. a4 Bb7 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8? Best is 13. ... Qxa8 and if 14. d5 then 14. ... Na5 15. Bc2 Be7 16. Na3 c6 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Qe2 Qa6 19. Nd2 Rb8 20. b4 Nb7 21. Bd3 Nd8 22. Nb3 Nf6 23. Na5 Bd7 24. c4 bxc4 25. Bxc4 Qa8 26. Nc2 Ba4 27. Bb3 Bxb3 28. Nxb3 Ne6 29. Qd3 d5 30. exd5 ½ : ½ Tal – L. Z. Stein, 32nd USSR Chess Championship, Kiev 1965. 14. Na3 Qb8 15. d5 Ne7

16. Nxb5! 1 : 0. Well, after 16. ... Qxb5 17. Ba4 Black will end up only a Pawn down, but that is enough to make Granda Zúñiga feel disgusted enough to resign! Curiously enough, 7th World Chess Champion Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov, too, once fell into such a “dark hole”, and after 16. ... c6 17. dxc6 Nc5 18. Bc4 Bxc6 19. Qxd6 Nxe4 20. Qxb8 Rxb8 21. Na3 Ng6 22. Bf1 Nc5 23. Nc2 e4 24. Nb4 Ba8 25. Nh2 Rd8 26. Be2 Nd3 27. Bxd3 exd3 28. Rd1 Ne5 29. f4 Nc4 30. Rxd3 he found himself down two Pawns for no compensation, Boleslavsky – Smyslov, 18th USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1950.