Ten Minutes in the Fourth Dimension

Denis Lazavik – Luca Moroni

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Qualifier 1; time control: 10 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 22, 2022

bnrkqnrb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BNRKQNRB w GCgc - 0 1

Position #243

1. b3 b6 2. e4 e5 3. 0-0-0 g6 4. g3 f5 5. exf5 Bxh1 6. Rxh1 gxf5 7. d4 e4. Fixing the centre may make Black’s situation just a little uneasy, so perhaps 7. ... Ng6 8. dxe5 f4 was here to be considered. 8. Ne3 Qg6 9. Nc3 0-0-0 10. Ncd5 Nc6 11. Qe2 Kb7 12. Nf4 Qf7 13. d5 Ne5 (13. ... Bxa1? 14. dxc6+ Ka8 15. Qa6 Rb8 16. Qb5+−) 14. Rd4 Nfg6. 14. ... Ra8 15. Ra4 a6 also seems playable. 15. Ra4 a5

16. b4! Sometimes less is better than more as the showy sacrifice 16. Rxa5!? is neutralised by 16. ... Ra8! (but not 16. ... bxa5?? by reason of 17. Qb5+ K~ 18. d6!+−) 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18. Kb1 Nxf4 19. gxf4 Ng6 20. Bxh8 Nxf4 21. Qxd2 Rxh8= with equality. 16. ... Nxf4? This is probably Black’s crucial mistake. He had to play at once 16. ... Ra8 17. bxa5 Ra6 18. Qb5 Rga8 with a sufficient defence. 17. gxf4 Ng6 18. Bxh8 Rxh8 19. bxa5 Ra8 20. Qc4 Rhc8. Not 20. ... Nxf4? on account of 21. a6+! Kc8 (21. ... Kb8 22. a7+!+−) 22. a7!+− winning. 21. Kd2! Making room for the other Rook. 21. ... Qf6 22. Rb1 Nxf4

23. Qb5? Throwing away the win: consistent was 23. Qc5! Ra6 (now neither 23. ... Qd6 nor 23. ... Qh4 are playable for Black because of 24. Rxb6+!+−) 24. Nc4 with an irresistible attack. 23. ... Qd6? (23. ... Qh4!⇄) 24. Ke1 Rg8 25. Kd2

25. ... Ra6? As Tarrasch said, “When you don’t know what to do, wait for your opponent to get an idea — it’s sure to be wrong!”. 26. axb6 Rxb6 (26. ... Qxb6 27. Qa6+!+−) 27. Qa6+!   1 : 0.

Another Way to Climb a Tree

Luca Moroni – Szymon Gumularz
11th Dolomiti International Chess Open; Forni di Sopra, September 28, 2020
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 0-0 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Qa4 Nd5 9. Qc2 Be7 10. Rd1 Bd7 11. e4 Ncb4 12. Qd2 Nb6 13. Ne5 Nc6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Qe2!? Moroni ambitiously aims at improving Fabiano Caruana’s heritage: 15. Qc2 f5 16. a4 fxe4 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Qd7 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Rxd5 Qc6 22. Rd4 Bc5 23. Qxc6 bxc6 24. Rxc4 Bxf2+ 25. Kg2 c5 26. Ra2! Bd4 27. b4! Rad8 28. bxc5 c6 29. Bf4 Rfe8 30. Rd2 with great play for White, Caruana – So, 6th Sinquefield Cup/4th Grand Chess Tour, 4th leg, Saint Louis 2018, tie-break game 2 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 15. ... Re8 16. Be3 f5? (16. ... Bb4!)

17. d5!± exd5 18. Bxb6 axb6? 18. ... cxb6 was necessary, so as to neutralise any effect from Nc3xd5xb6; White, however, would play 19. e5!± followed either by the capture of the d5-Pawn or of the c4-Pawn (if Black pushes on d4). 19. Nxd5 b5 20. Nb6 Bd6 21. Nxa8 Qxa8 22. a4. Black has not enough for the Exchange, as Moroni brilliantly demonstrates. 22. ... Qa6 23. axb5 Qxb5 24. Rd4

24. ... fxe4? White obviously stands much better and would win the game anyway, but Black’s move hastens the end. 25. Bxe4 Bc5 26. Bxc6 Qxc6 (26. ... Rxe2 27. Ra8+ Kf7 28. Rf4+ Kg6 29. Bxb5+−) 27. Qxc4+ Kh8 28. Re4 Rf8 29. Rf4 1 : 0.

Wuthering Heights

Noah Fecker – Luca Moroni
11th Dolomiti International Chess Open; Forni di Sopra, September 27, 2020
Spanish Game C87

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 d6 6. Re1 Be7 7. c3 0-0 8. d3 Re8 9. Nbd2 Bf8 10. Nf1 g6. Larry Evans and Walter Korn, in their completely revised tenth edition of “Modern Chess Openings” (Isaac Pitman & Sons, London, 1965, p. 70), give 10. ... b5 11. Bb3 h6 12. Ng3 Na5 13. Bc2 c5 14. d4 Qc7 15. h3 Rb8= Yates – Bogoljubov, British Empire Club Chess Tournament, London 1927. 11. Ng3 Bg7 12. h3 b5 13. Bc2 Bb7 14. a4!?TN (14. d4 Na5 15. a4 exd4 16. cxd4 c5 17. d5 Nd7 18. Rb1⩲ Nisipeanu – Kantarji, 16th European Individual Chess Championship, Jerusalem 2015) 14. ... Nb8 15. Be3 Nbd7 16. Qd2 c5 17. Bh6 Qc7 18. h4 Nf8 19. h5 Ne6 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. h6+ Kh8 22. Ng5 Ng8. Perhaps 22. ... Nxg5 23. Qxg5 Ng8 might have been more prudent, in order to follow with ... Qc7-e7. 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. d4 exd4 25. cxd4 c4 26. e5 d5 27. Nf1 Qe7 28. Ra3 Rf8 29. Rh3 Rf7 30. Nh2 b4 31. f4 b3 32. Bb1 a5 33. Nf3 Qb4. Now it becomes suddenly clear that White’s Kingside attack is faster than Black’s on the Queenside:

34. Ng5! Re7. The Queen is taboo due to mate in one (34. ... Qxd2?? 35. Nxf7#). 35. Qe3 Bc6

36. Bxg6! hxg6 37. h7 Nh6 38. Rxh6 Be8. Now Black’s sitting alone on the verge of ruin. If 38. ... Kg7 then 39. f5!!+− Kxh6 (39. ... exf5 loses to 40. e6!+− while 39. ... gxf5 is demolished by 40. h8=Q+! Rxh6 41. Nxe6++−) 40. f6! with mate coming soon. 39. Qg3. (39. Nxe6! Rxe6 40. f5!+−) 39. ... Rc8 40. Re3. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but 40. Nf7+! Rxf7 (40. ... Bxf7 41. Qg5!+− leads to a quick mate) 41. Rxg6 (Δ 42. Rg8+ Kxh7 43. Qg6#) was at least equally good: if, for instance, 41. ... Kxh7 then 42. Re3!+− (Δ 43. Qh3+ Kxg6 44. Rg3#). 40. ... c3. Spes ultima dea.

41. bxc3? Although it does still not spoil the win, White should regret at having missed his best move for the second time: 41. Nf7+! Rxf7 (41. ... Bxf7 42. Qg5!+−) 42. Rxg6 (Δ 43. Rg8+ Kxh7 44. Qg6#) with mate in a few moves; for instance: 42. ... Kxh7 43. Qh3+ Kxg6 44. Rg3#. 41. ... Qb7 42. Re1 b2 43. Rb1 Qb3 44. Qf2 Rb8 (44. ... Qxc3 45. Rxb2+−)

45. Nf3?? And finally White does his rewind back to the point of no return. White’s last winning chance was 45. f5!! exf5 (or 45. ... gxf5 46. Rf6!+−) 46. Qe1!+− with Black being helpless in preventing e5-e6. Of course, now Moroni takes the opportunity to turn the tables on his opponent: 45. ... Rg7 (45. ... Qxc3−+) 46. g4? Qxc3−+ 47. Rh2 Rxh7 48. Rg2 Rh3 49. Ng5 Qc1 50. Qf1 Qxf1+ 0 : 1.

Not enough ink

Luca Moroni – Nataliya Igorivna Buksa
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 28, 2019
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. Nbd2 Bxf4 6. exf4 0-0. The historical reference is 6. ... c5 7. dxc5 Qc7 8. g3 Qxc5 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. c3 0-0 11. 0-0 b5 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Qe2 ½ : ½ A. K. Rubinstein – Capablanca, London 1922. 7. Bd3 c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. g3 Qxc5 10. 0-0 Nc6 11. c3 Qd6. 11. ... b5 transposes into A. K. Rubinstein – Capablanca, London 1922. Another interesting option is 11. ... Rd8 12. Qe2 Qb6 13. Nb3 Bd7 14. Nbd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Re8 16. Rfe1 Rac8 17. Rad1 a6 18. Rd2 Qd6 19. Nf3 Qf8 20. Nd4 Qc5 21. Nb3 Qb6 22. Nd4 Qc5 23. Nb3 ½ : ½ Selezniev – Em. Lasker, Mährisch Ostrau 1923. 12. Re1 b6 13. Qe2. Not too dissimilar is 13. Nb3 Bb7 14. Nbd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Rad8 16. Qe2 Rfe8 17. Qe5 a6 18. Re2 Qxe5 19. fxe5 Nd7 20. f4 Nb8 21. Rae1 Nc6 22. Nxc6 Bxc6 23. Kf2 Bb5 24. Bxb5 axb5 25. Ke3 g6 26. Rd2 Ra8 27. a3 Ra4 28. Rd4 Rxd4 29. cxd4 Rc8 30. Kd3 Kf8 31. Re2 Ke7 32. Rc2 Rc4 33. Rc35 Ra4 34. Rc7+ Ke8 35. Rc6 Ra6 36. Kc3 Kd7 37. Rd6+ Kc7 38. g4 Ra4 39. f5 Rc4+ 40. Kd3 b4 41. fxe6 fxe6 42. axb4 Rc6 43. Rxc6+ Kxc6 44. Kc3 g5 45. Kc2 b5 ½ : ½ Forgacs – Leonhardt, 15th Deutscher Schachbund (DSB) Congress, Nuremberg 1906. 13. ... Bb7 14. Nb3 a6 15. a3 Rfe8 16. Rad1 b5 17. h4!↑ Rad8 18. Bb1 Qc7 19. Nbd4 Ne4 20. Qc2 g6 21. h5! White’s initiative appears real enough to be feared, so Buksa will have to defend carefully. 21. ... Nxd4 22. Rxd4 Kg7. It may even be that 22. ... gxh5 23. Qe2 f6 (intending ... e6-e5) actually were Black’s best defence. 23. Qe2 Ba8. 23. ... f6 still deserved consideration. 24. Red1 Nf6. After this, White forces the exchange of Queens, turning his dynamic motifs into a powerful bind. The following line is not forced at all, but it could even look like a sound one: 24. ... f6 25. Bxe4 dxe4 26. Nh4 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Rd8 28. Rxd8 Qxd8 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Qg4 Qe8 31. f5 g5 32. fxe6 Kf8 33. Ng2 Bd5 winning back the Pawn with a tenable game.

25. Qe5! Qxe5 26. fxe5 Nd7 27. Re1 Nc5 28. Rh4 Rc8 29. Nd4 Bc6 30. g4 Bd7 31. f4 a5 32. Kf2. Better seem 32. Re2 or also 32. Bc2, so as to better control — or at least contain — Black’s counterplay on the Queenside. 32. ... Na4 33. f5 gxf5. Clearly not 33. ... Nxb2?? because of 34. f6+ Kg8 35. hxg6 fxg6 36. Reh1 with an irresistible attack. If, instead, 33. ... g5 then 34. h6+ Kh8 35. Rh5 and White may still hope for better things. 34. gxf5 Nxb2 35. Rf4 Kh8. 35. ... Nc4 36. Rg1+ Kh8∞ implies very similar consequences. 36. Rg1 Rg8 37. fxe6 fxe6 38. Rf7 Rcf8 39. Rg7! Rxg7 40. Rxf8+ Rg8 41. Rf7 Rg7 42. Rf8+ Rg8 43. Rf7 Rg7 44. Rf8+ ½ : ½.

Luca Moroni vs. Nataliya Igorivna Buksa. Photo © John Saunders.

Nuts and Bolts

Hristos Alexiadis – Luca Moroni
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 30, 2018
Giuoco Piano C54

In the end, despite his last round victory, Luca Moroni missed a podium medal by a hair’s breadth, thus having to be content with tying for third place — which, however, may be regarded as a historical result. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Nbd2 a6 7. Bb3 Be6 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Re1. Two days earlier the game Gumularz – Moroni, 32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras 2018 continued: 9. h3 h6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. b4 Ba7 13. Qc2 Nh5. 9. ... Re8 10. Nc4 h6 11. a3!? No better than 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Nxe3 Qd7 13. Nh4 Bxb3 14. Qxb3 Ne7 15. a4 b5 16. Qd1 Qe6 17. Nhf5 Nxf5 18. Nxf5 g6 19. Ne3 Kg7 20. Qf3 c6 21. Ra3 d5= Antipov – Lékó, Nutcracker Generation Tournament 2015, Moscow 2015. 11. ... b5 12. Ne3 d5! 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15. b4 Bb6 16. Bb2 a5 17. c4 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Bd4 19. Qxc6 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bc3 21. Red1 axb4 22. axb4 Bd4 23. Nf5. 23. cxb5 is also answered by 23. ... Re6. 23. ... Re6 24. Qd5 c6 25. Qxd8+ Rxd8 26. cxb5 cxb5 27. Nxd4 Rxd4. White did nothing, and slowly lapsed into a slightly uncomfortable endgame. 28. Kf1 Ra6 29. Rb3 Ra4 30. Re1 f6 31. Re4 Kf7 32. Ke2 Ke6 33. Ke3. White could simplify a little by exchanging a pair of Rooks with 33. Rxd4 exd4, but after 34. Kf3 Kd5 the ending, though still latently drawish, appears to be easier for Black to play. 33. ... Rd5 34. d4 Ra2

35. dxe5? This precipitates White into a hopeless ending. Something like 35. g3 appears to help White maintain some drawing prospects. 35. ... f5! 36. Rd4 Rxd4 37. Kxd4 Rxf2 38. Rg3 g5 39. Ra3 Rd2+ 40. Ke3 Rxg2 41. Ra5 f4+ 42. Kf3 Rxh2 43. Rxb5 Kf5 44. e6+ Kxe6 45. Rb6+ Kf5 46. Rb5+ Kg6 0 : 1.

Pictured from left to right are European Chess Union (ECU) President Zurab Alekseyevich Azmaiparashvili, Viktor Gažík, Igor Janik, Szymon Gumularz, Luca Moroni, Ashot Parvanyan, and Zhandos Agmanov. Photo © Niki Riga.

Through the Storm

Luca Moroni – Milton Pantzar
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 29, 2018
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. Nbd2 Nc6 6. c3 cxd4 7. exd4 Nh5 8. Be3 Bd6 9. Ne5 g6 10. g4. Moroni is quite familiar with the so-called London System, which is much in vogue among young people. One Christmas ago the Italian Chess Champion preferred instead 10. Nd3 f6 11. Be2 Ng7 12. f4 Qc7 13. g3 Bd7 14. a4 0-0 15. 0-0 Na5 16. Nc5 Be8 17. Bg4 Bf7 18. Qe2 b6 19. Na6 Qb7 20. b4 Nc6 21. a5 e5 22. fxe5 fxe5 23. axb6 axb6 24. b5 Na5 25. Rf6 Qe7 26. Raf1 h5 27. Rxd6 Qxd6 28. dxe5 Qxe5 29. Bxb6 Qxc3 30. Bd7 Nc4 31. Nxc4 Qxc4 32. Qe7 Qe4 33. Bc5 Qxe7 34. Bxe7 Rfe8 35. Bxe8 Rxe8 36. Bf6 d4 37. Bxd4 Bc4 38. Rc1 Bd3 39. Nc7 Rb8 40. Rc3 Be4 41. Re3 Bc2 42. Ba7 Rb7 43. b6 Nf5 44. Rc3 Be4 45. Ne6 Bd5 46. Rc8+ Kh7 47. Nc5 Re7 48. Rd8 Bc6 49. Bb8 Re2 50. Bf4 Rc2 51. b7 Rg2+ 52. Kf1 Bxb7 53. Nxb7 Rxh2 54. g4 Rh3 55. Be5 Ng7 56. Rd7 Rf3+ 57. Kg2 hxg4 58. Nd8 Kh6 59. Bxg7+ Kh5 60. Ne6 Kh4 61. Bf6+ 1 : 0 Moroni – Curien, 41st Zürich Christmas Open, Zürich 2017. 10. g4 Ng7 11. h4 f6. From a theoretical standpoint, the most influential line is 11. ... Nxe5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Nf3 Bf6 14. h5 0-0 15. Qd2 d4! 16. cxd4 b6 17. hxg6 fxg6 18. Ne5 Bb7 19. Rh3 Rc8= Kamsky – Nakamura, 61st U.S. Chess Championship, Saint Louis 2017. 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. h5 gxh5 14. Bd3!? White seeks something new, as 14. gxh5 Nf5 doesn’t seem to offer much of an advantage, Gaede – Buhmann, 89th Deutsche Meisterschaft, Dresden 2018. 14. ... Qe7 15. gxh5 e5 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. 0-0-0. The interpolation of 17. dxe5(!) fxe5 18. 0-0-0 is nevertheless interesting, for now 18. ... e4? would be met by 19. Bxe4! with a decisive breakthrough for White. 17. ... e4 18. Be2 Ne6 19. Bg4 Nf4 20. Bxf4 Bxf4 21. Bxd7+ Qxd7 22. Kb1 Bxd2 23. Rxd2 Kf7 24. Rc2 Rab8 25. c4 Rb7 26. Rhc1! Rhb8 27. cxd5! cxd5? However ugly it might appear, 27. ... Qxd5 was probably Black’s best chance.

28. Qa5? 28. Qa6! was much more accurate here, as well as much stronger, for in that case Black couldn’t play 28. ... Qb5?? because of 29. Rc7+! winning decisive material. 28. ... Qb5! 29. Qd2 Qd3! Most of White’s advantage has vanished by now. 30. Qxd3 exd3 31. Rc7+ Ke6 32. Rxb7 Rxb7 33. Rd1 Kf5. The better King obviously gives Black enough compensation for the Pawn. 34. Rxd3 Ke4 35. Rg3 Kxd4. Nothing’s wrong, of course, but there was not too much hurry, and also 35. ... f5 should likewise lead to a draw (for if 36. h6 then 36. ... Rb6). 36. h6! f5. 36. ... Re7(!) 37. Rg7 Re1+ 38. Kc2 Re2+ 39. Kb3 Rxf2 40. Rxa7 f5 41. Rxh7 f4 was probably a simpler draw for Black. 37. Rg7 Rb6 38. Rxh7 Kd3 39. a4 a6 40. a5 Rd6 41. Rh8 d4 42. h7 Rd7 43. Ra8 Rxh7 44. Rxa6 Kc4? This seems to be Pantzar’s losing move. After 44. ... Kd2! followed by ... d4-d3 it’s hard to imagine that White will make any progress. 45. Rc6+! Kb5 46. Rd6! Kxa5. 46. ... Kc4 47. a6 may well lead to the same ending. 47. Rxd4 Kb6 48. Rd5 f4 49. Rd4 Rf7 50. Kc2 Kc5 51. Kd3 f3 52. b4+ 1 : 0.

Sidereal Time

Szymon Gumularz – Luca Moroni
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 28, 2018
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Bb3 d6 6. c3 a6 7. Nbd2 Be6 8. 0-0 0-0 9. h3 h6!? In absolute terms, this seems quite inconsistent with 7. ... Be6. 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. b4 Ba7 13. Qc2 Nh5 14. Nc4!? Something similar had happened already, and, regardless of the result, it should be the last thing Black should desire to experience again: 14. Nf1 Rg6 15. Kh2 Qe7 16. g3 Qd7 17. Be3 Re6 18. a4 Nf6 19. b5 Ne7 20. c4 Bxe3 21. Nxe3 c6 22. bxc6 bxc6 23. Rab1 a5 24. c5 d5 25. Rb2 Rd8 26. Rb3 Qe8 27. Rb7 Nd7 28. Kg2 Qf8 29. Ra7 f5 30. exf5 Nxf5 31. Ng4 Qe7 32. Rxe5 h5 33. Rxf5 hxg4 34. hxg4 Re2 35. Qd1 Rxf2+ 36. Kxf2 Qxc5+ 37. d4 Qxa7 38. Rh5 Nf6 39. Rh4 Ne4+ 40. Kg2 Qb8 41. Qe1 Rf8 42. Nd2 Qb2 0 : 1 Padmini – Amin, 18th Dubai Open Chess Tournament, Dubai 2016. 14. ... Rg6!? 15. a4 Qf6!? The crude threat of ... Qf6xf3 hardly justifies Black’s clumsy assembling of troops on the Kingside. 15. ... Qd7 looks more natural, in order to reply both 16. Kh2 and 16. Nh4 with 16. ... Rf6. 16. Kh1! Nd8? Very obviously intending ... Nd8-e6-f4, but, alas for Black, there’s not time to jump so far. It’s likely that Black should have gotten back to his basic strategy by 16. ... Qe6 (or also Stockfish’s 16. ... Qd8) to be soon followed by ... Rg6-f6.

17. d4! White breaks through the centre quickly gaining an overwhelming initiative. 17. ... exd4. If 17. ... Qe6 then 18. d5 with an inexorable squeeze. 18. e5! Qe6 19. cxd4 Nc6 20. exd6. The game ended up in a catastrophe for Black, but the last word has not yet been said. 20. ... Qd5 21. Ne3 Qxd6 22. Nf5 Qd7 23. b5 Nb4 24. Qb1 Nd5 25. Ne5 Qe6 26. g4 Rf6 27. Bd2 Nhf4 28. Nd3? This could be the only good thing that happened to Moroni today. Even worse, 28. Ng6? Ne2! was all bad news for White, who, on the other hand, may be forgiven for overlooking the engine-based 28. Ra3! (Δ Ra3-f3), which would have left Black helpless. 28. ... Ne2? Maybe 28. ... Nxd3(!) 29. Rxe6 Nxf2+ 30. Kg2 fxe6 wouldn’t have saved Black either (as 31. bxa6 bxa6 32. Qb7 appears to be very strong), but certainly it would have complicated White’s way to victory. Now it’s all very easy: 29. Nc1 Ndf4 30. Bxf4 Ng3+ 31. Bxg3 Qxe1+ 32. Kg2 Re8 33. Qd3 Rfe6 34. Nb3 Qb4 35. Bxc7 Rc8 36. Ba5 Qf8 37. d5 Re5 38. d6 b6 39. Bb4 Rd8 40. Nbd4 g6 41. Ne7+ Kh7 42. Ndc6 1 : 0.

Under an Autumn Sun

Luca Moroni – Viktor Gažík
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 27, 2018
King’s Indian Defence E64

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 0-0 5. 0-0 d6 6. b3 c5 7. c4 e5 8. e3. 8. dxe5 dxe5 does not lead to anything special for White. 8. ... Nc6 9. Bb2 e4 10. Ne1 Re8. If I were his scapegoat, I’d advise Moroni to carefully study an “old” game from the 80s: Webb – Kasparov, 7th European Team Chess Championship, Skara 1980. 11. Nc3 Bf5 12. Qd2. And, as a corollary, he should also take a look at 12. Nc2 h5! 13. Qd2 h4 14. Ba3 b6 15. Rfd1 Bg4 16. Rdc1 Qd7 17. b4 Qf5 18. Bb2 Rad8 19. Nb5 Bf3 20. d5 Ne5 21. Bxe5 Rxe5 22. Ne1 hxg3 23. fxg3 (23. hxg3 Ng4!−+) 23. ... Bh6 24. Rab1 Kg7 25. Rb3 Qh5 26. h3 Nh7! 27. g4 Bxg4! 28. hxg4 Qxg4 29. Qd1 Qg3! 30. Qe2 Ng5 31. Kh1 Rh8 32. Nxd6 Kg8 33. bxc5 Bf8+ 34. Kg1 Nh3+ 35. Kf1 Bxd6 36. cxd6 Rf5+ 37. Nf3 Rxf3+ 0 : 1 Caruana – Kasparov, Ultimate Blitz Challenge, Saint Louis 2016, match game 6. 12. ... Qd7 13. Rd1 Rad8 14. Nd5 cxd4 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. exd4 d5 17. cxd5 Ne7 18. d6 Qxd6 19. Nc2 Nd5 20. Ne3. In the end, Moroni was lucky enough to hold the position and have time on his side. 20. ... Bc8 21. Qa5 a6 22. Rc1 Qb4 23. Qc5 Qxc5 24. Rxc5 Nb4

25. Bc3! Moroni defends brilliantly, temporarily sacrificing a Pawn in order to keep dynamic equilibrium. 25. ... Nxa2 26. Ba5 b6. Clearly not 26. ... Rxd4?? because of 27. Rc2 and the Black Knight has no way out. 27. Bxb6 Bxd4 28. Rxc8 Bxb6 29. Rxd8 Bxd8 30. Ra1 Nb4 31. Ra4 a5 32. Nc4 Nd3 33. Nd6 Re6 34. Nxe4. Moroni has finally regained his Pawn, but, subjectively speaking, the game appears to be easier for Black than for White. 34. ... Bb6 35. Ra2 f5 36. Ng5 Re1+ 37. Bf1 Rb1 38. Rd2? Moroni plays too quickly just to take advantage of his opponent’s dramatic shortage of time, and, as often happens, it is he who ends up being tricked in the bet. Instead, 38. Kg2 Rxb3 39. Rd2 would have almost certainly ensured him realistic prospects for a draw. 38. ... Nxf2! 39. Rxf2? 39. Kg2 Ng4 looks hardly better, but indeed it has the merit not to lose immediately. 39. ... h6!? It’s not an irreparable omission, but 39. ... Kg7! followed by ... Rb1xb3 and ... Bb6xf2+ (or vice versa) would have won right off. 40. Kg2 hxg5!? Finally Gažík makes his 40th move. Engines make it easier with 40. ... Bxf2 41. Bc4+ Kf8 42. Ne6+ Ke7 43. Kxf2 a4! 44. bxa4 Rb4 45. Bd5 Kd6 46. Nf4 g5 47. Be6 gxf4 48. Bxf5 Rxa4, but, quite understandably, Black contents himself with a zero risk Rook and Bishop of opposite colour ending a Pawn up, which he succeeded in winning after a long work afternoon. 41. Rd2 Kg7 42. Bc4 Rg1+ 43. Kf3 g4+ 44. Ke2 Rg2+ 45. Ke1 Rg1+ 46. Ke2 Rh1 47. Kd3 Kh6 48. Bd5 Rc1 49. Bc4 Kg5 50. Re2 Bg1 51. Kd2 Ra1 52. Kd3 Rd1+ 53. Kc2 Rd8 54. Rg2 Bc5 55. Re2 Rh8 56. Rg2 Bd6 57. Rd2 Be5 58. Re2 Kf6 59. Rg2 Rc8 60. Kd3 Rc7 61. Re2 Rd7+ 62. Kc2 Rd4 63. Bd3 Rb4 64. Rd2 Bd4 65. Re2 Rb8 66. Bc4 Rh8 67. Rg2 Bc5 68. Kd3 Rh7 69. Kc3 Bb4+ 70. Kd3 Rd7+ 71. Kc2 Ke5 72. Re2+ Kd4 73. Be6 Re7 74. Kd1 Kc3 75. Rc2+ Kd3 76. Re2 Kd4 77. Kc2 Rc7+ 78. Kd1 Ba3 79. Ra2 Bb4 80. Re2 Rc3 81. Bf7 Rf3 82. Kc2 g5 83. Be6 Rf1 84. Kb2 f4 85. gxf4 gxf4 86. Bxg4 Kd3 87. Rg2 Bc3+ 88. Ka3 f3 89. Ra2 Ke3 90. Ka4 f2 91. Kb5 Re1 92. Bh3 f1=Q+ 93. Bxf1 Rxf1 94. Rg2 Bb4 95. Rg3+ Kf4 96. Rg2 Rf3 97. Ka4 Rh3 98. Re2 Kf3 99. Rc2 Rh4 100. Kb5 Rd4 101. Rc4 Rd3 102. Ka4 Kg2 103. h4 Rh3 104. Rd4 Kg3 105. h5! In a last ditch show of resistance, Moroni invents a stalemate ordeal which would have deserved better luck. 105. ... Rxh5 106. Rg4+! Kf2 107. Rf4+ Ke2 108. Rf2+ Kd3 109. Rf3+ Kc2 110. Rf2+ Bd2 111. Rg2 Rh4+ 112. Ka3 Rb4 113. Rg3 Bc1+ 114. Ka2 a4 115. Rg2+ Bd2 116. Ka3 axb3 0 : 1.

Mediterraneano

Lucas van Foreest – Luca Moroni
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 26, 2018
Scotch Game C45

If the answer, my friend, was blowing in the wind, a Greek island must be the perfect place in which to enjoy the breeze. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 Qh4 7. Qe2 Nf6. The alternative is 7. ... Ne7 8. Nc3 0-0 9. Be3 Bb6 10. 0-0 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Bd2 Bd4 13. Rae1 Nb4 14. Qe4 Qxe4 15. Bxe4 Ba6 16. Ne2 Bc5 17. a3 Nd5 18. b4 Bd6 19. Nd4!? Bxf1 20. Kxf1 (Carlsen – Caruana, 44th Biel International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 2011) and now Grandmaster Ľubomír Ftáčnik recommends 20. ... Rae8 21. Nxc6 Nf6 22. Bf3 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 a6 with equality. 8. h3 d5 9. exd5+!? Presumably a surprise to Moroni, who could have expected 9. g3 Qh5 10. Qxh5 Nxh5 11. Nc3 Nf6 12. Bf4 Bb4 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2 Nxc3 (Ivanchuk – Malakhov, 9th MetLife Amplico European Rapid Championship, Warsaw 2009) where now White’s best appears to be 15. a3! Ba5 16. b4 with an edge. 9. ... Kd8 10. g3!? And here is van Foreest’s novelty, which undoubtedly constitutes an interesting field for further analysis. An earlier game continued 10. 0-0 Bxh3!∞ with a wild mess of lines, Nataf – Istratescu, French Team Chess Championship Top 12, Saint-Quentin 2014. 10. ... Qd4 11. c4 Re8 12. Be3 Qe5

13. Bxc5! White sacrifices the Exchange in order to bring annoyances to the exposed Black King. 13. ... Qxb2 14. Be3 Qxa1 15. dxc6 Re7 16. g4 Qe5 17. 0-0 h5??!! From an objective standpoint, Moroni ought probably to have played for a dynamic balance by ... Kd8-e8-f8, so it’s admirable, if not commendable, that he throws himself with vehemence into attack. 18. g5 Bxh3 19. gxf6 gxf6 20. Qf3? The bet works as van Foreest overlooks 20. Rc1! (intending Nb1-c3) 20. ... Re8 (threatening ... Re8-g8+) 21. Bh7! with a nearly decisive advantage in all variations. 20. ... Bxf1 21. Kxf1 Rb8! The game is still in high seas. 22. Nd2 Rb2 23. Ne4. If 23. Nb3 then 23. ... Rxa2 24. Bd4 Qh2 25. Bxf6 Rxf2+! 26. Qxf2 Qh1+ 27. Qg1 Qf3+ and Black has at least perpetual check. 23. ... Rxa2. Now one might have expected 24. Qd1 Ke8 which leads to something between unclarity and parity, instead Moroni gets his reward for his audacity: 24. Nxf6?? A dramatic oversight which loses a piece right off. 24. ... Qa1+ 25. Kg2 Rxe3! That’s all, after which White might as well resign. 26. Qd5+ Ke7 27. Qc5+ Kxf6 28. Qxe3 Qe5 29. Qf3+ Kg7 30. Bf5 Ra5 31. Bb1 Qd4 32. Be4 Rg5+ 33. Kf1 a5 34. Bd5 Qa1+ 35. Ke2 Qb2+ 0 : 1.

The Board Chair

Luca Moroni – Paulius Pultinevičius
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 24, 2018
English Opening A34

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. h4!? The most à la page. 7. ... Bg7 8. h5 Nc6 9. Qb3. Intending Nf3-g5. The alternative 9. Ba3!? Qa5 10. Rh4!? really brought Aronian good luck in one of his American-based games: 10. ... Bd7 11. Qb3 0-0? (but 11. ... Nd8 was certainly best) 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Qxb7! Rfd8 14. Qa6 Bxc3 15. Qxa5 Bxa5 16. Bxc5 and White found himself a clear Pawn up, Aronian – Nepomniachtchi, 5th Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis 2017. 9. ... Qd6!? Apparently a novelty. The “book” gave 9. ... Qc7 10. Ba3 b6 11. Ng5 e6 12. d4 Bb7 13. h6 (13. Rd1!? 0-0-0∞) 13. ... Bf8 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Bxc5 bxc5 16. Rb1 Rb8 17. Nxe6!? fxe6 18. Qxe6+ Qe7 19. Qxc6+ Bxc6 20. Rxb8+ Kd7 21. Rxh8 Qe5 22. Rxh7+ Kd6∞ Inđić – Baron, 42nd Chess Olympiad, Baku 2016 10. Ng5 0-0 11. hxg6 hxg6? This proves to be fatal for Black. 11. ... Qxg6(!) would have made sense with 9. ... Qd6 and offered Black quite a safe chair to sit. 12. Ba3? It might be a careless inversion of moves. Much stronger seems the immediate 12. Qc4! with ideas such as Rh1-h8+ or Rh1-h7 in prospect; so there would have probably followed 12. ... Qf6 13. Qh4 with an attack similar to the one carried on in the actual game. 12. ... b6? Black, however, misses his only — and major — chance to re-enter a virtuous cycle by 12. ... Na5(!) 13. Qa4 Rd8 with more sustainable consequences.

13. Qc4! Now the game is virtually won: all White has to do is look for mate! 13. ... Qe5? 13. ... Bf5 14. Qh4 Rfd8 15. d4 is probably a bit better, but hardly different in result. 14. Qh4 Rd8 15. Bc4 e6 16. d4 Qc7 17. Rd1 Rb8 18. 0-0. What to do when almost everything scores the goal it’s just a matter of taste. Here, for instance, the Rook lift Rh1-h3-f3 would have lead to another powerful finish. 18. ... Qe7 19. d5 exd5 20. Bxd5 Ne5. Black could have surrendered more prosaically by sacrificing the Exchange, but chivalrously prefers mate over the board. 21. c4 Bb7 22. e4 Bxd5 23. exd5! The e-file is a myth to which nobody can be indifferent! 23. ... Nxc4 24. Bc1! Nd6 25. Rfe1 Qd7 26. Bf4 Qf5 27. Re7 Rbc8 28. Rde1 Kf8 29. Bxd6! 1 : 0. For if 29. ... Rxd6 then 30. Re8+! Rxe8 31. Nh7+ Kg8 32. Rxe8+ Bf8 33. Qh6 and mate in three moves.

Contemporary Youth

Luca Moroni – Leon Livaić
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Under-18; Porto Carras, October 22, 2018
Queen’s Indian Defence E14

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 b6 5. e3 Bb7 6. Bd3 0-0 7. 0-0 d5 8. b3 Nbd7 9. Bb2 Ne4 10. Qc2 f5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nc4 Ndf6 13. Nce5 Bd6. The alternative is 13. ... Nd6 14. Rac1 c5 15. Qe2 a6 16. Rc2 Qe7 17. Qd1 Qe6 18. Be2 Rae8 19. a4 cxd4 20. Bxd4 Ng4 21. Nd3 Rb8 ½ : ½ Hellsten – Pétursson, 18th Politiken Cup, Copenhagen 1996. 14. Ne1 g6 15. f3 Ng5 16. Be2!? Theoretical novelty? The vintage “book” was 16. Bb5 c5 17. Qf2 Ne6 18. Qh4 cxd4 19. exd4 a6 20. Be2 (Kurr – Dermann, 15th SchachBundesliga, Neuss 1986) and now 20. ... Nh5 would have offered Black excellent prospects for equality. 16. ... Qe8 17. N1d3 Rc8 18. b4 c6 19. a4 Ba6 20. Qd2 Bxd3 21. Bxd3 Nf7 22. f4 Ne4 23. Bxe4 fxe4 24. Rac1 Bxe5 25. dxe5 Qe6 26. h3 h5 27. a5 Nh6 28. axb6 axb6 29. Rfd1 Nf5 30. b5 cxb5 31. Qxd5 Qxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxc1+. Or 32. ... Nxe3 33. Rxb5 Rxc1+ 34. Bxc1 Nc4 35. Rb4 b5! 36. Rxb5 e3 with a dynamic balance. 33. Bxc1 Rc8 34. Bd2 Kf7? Under time pressure, Black misses the chance to solve most of his problems by fixing the g-Pawn by 34. ... h4! with equality.

35. g4! hxg4 36. hxg4 Nh4? With less three minutes remaining, Livaić understandably goes for a perpetual chimera. Strangely, Moroni loses for a moment his hold on reality: 37. Kf2? 37. Bb4! at once would have put Black unsurmontable problems; for instance: 37. ... Rc2 38. Rd7+ Ke8 39. Rh7 Nf3+ 40. Kh1 and finis. 37. ... Nf3! 38. Bb4 Rc2+? But in the end, all’s well that ends well. By now Back had no longer time to guess his lucky number: 38. ... Nh2! 39. g5 Ng4+ 40. Ke2 Rh8! with excellent drawing chances. 39. Kg3 Rb2 40. Rxb5 Nd2 41. Rxb6 Nc4 42. e6+ 1 : 0.

The Sudden Star

Luca Moroni – Pia Cramling
16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 31, 2018
Catalan Opening E01

Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling, 54, wrote today one of her most memorable chess pages by winning undefeated the prize for the best woman in the 16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival. The newly Italian Chess Champion, Luca Moroni, may therefore feel himself proud of having given (just yesterday) his personal contribution to Pia’s brilliant achievement. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bd6 6. Nc3 0-0 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nxd5 Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Be7!? Cramling’s sensible improvement over 9. ... Bxg3(?) 10. Qb3 Bd6 11. Nf3 c6 12. Bc4 Bf5 13. Ng5 Qe7 14. Qf3 Bg6 15. h4 Bb4 16. 0-0-0 Bxd2+ 17. Rxd2 h5 18. Rg1 which gave White a dream position, So – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2018. However, I still keep thinking that 9. ... Ba3(!) might be very interesting. 10. Be4 Qxd4 11. Qc2 h6 12. Nf3 Qb6 13. 0-0 Nd7 14. Rfc1 c6 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Nd4 Nf6 17. Bg2 Bd7 18. h3 a5 19. Rd1 Rfe8 20. Rac1. Strangely White’s Knight won’t never jump on f5: 20. Nf5 Bf8 21. Bd4 Nh7 22. h4 with a promising position. 20. ... a4 21. Bf4 Qc8 22. h4 Be6 23. a3. 23. Nxe6 Qxe6 24. Qc4 seemed like a good ending for White. 23. ... Bg4 24. Qc4 Bf8 25. Re1 Qd7 26. e4 b5 27. Qc3 c5. White played quite erratically, and Cramling did not hesitate in seizing her opportunity to assume the initiative. 28. Nc2 Rad8 29. Ne3. A strange Pawn pseudo-sac that could even work. Not 29. Bxh6? on account of 29. ... b4! and Black hits back with interest. 29. ... Nxe4 30. Qa5 Nf6 31. f3?? White should absolutely have gotten rid of Black’s light-squared Bishop with 31. Nxg4, still with the possibility to somehow hold his position together. The reason will soon become obvious. 31. ... Be6! 32. Rcd1 Qc8 33. Qxb5. Material equality is restored, but Black dominates the board. 33. ... Bb3! 34. Rxd8 Qxd8 35. Re2 Qd4! White is in Zugzwang.

36. Kf1 c4! 37. Qa5 c3! 38. bxc3 Qd3! Threatening both ... Bb3-c4 and ... Bb3-d1. 39. Kf2 Nd5 40. Bf1 Nxf4 41. gxf4 Qd6 42. Kg3 Qg6+ 43. Kf2 Qf6 44. Kg3 Qg6+ 45. Kf2 Qc6 46. Nf5 Bc5+ 47. Nd4 Ra8 0 : 1. White’s Queen ended up trapped.

Luca Moroni vs. Pia Cramling. Photo © Sophie Triay.

Pia Cramling. Photo © Sophie Triay.

Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker

Danyyil Dvirnyy – Sabino Brunello
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 10, 2017
r2b2k1/p2br1pp/2p3q1/3pBpN1/3P1P1Q/6R1/P5PP/2R4K w - - 8 30

Position after 29. ... Bb6-d8

Luca Moroni has deservedly won (for the first time) the 77th Italian Chess Championship held in Cosenza, Italy which was aimed at rebuilding a reputation for the whole Italian chess movement after the accusations of unfair business practices apparently perpetrated by “a few rotten apples” which, however, lay in a basket in which the unfair business practices are a dogma of teachings. Only time will tell whether the “crocodile tears” have filled the sea. Getting back to the board, Moroni’s victory was helped by the two-time Italian Chess Champion Danyyil Dvirnyy (a direct contender to the title), who, in a win–win situation against Sabino Brunello, ended up completely losing control: 30. Ne4?? Blundering a piece! Probably best was 30. Nf3(!) and after 30. ... Rxe5(!) 31. Qh3 Re4 32. Rxg6 hxg6 33. Qg3 Be8 34. Rb1 White stands better, but a win is anything but granted. 30. ... Rxe5! 31. Qh3 fxe4 32. Qxd7 Re7! 0–1.

The Unpredictable Certainty

Alberto David – Luca Moroni
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 9, 2017
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. d4 Bxd4 10. Qxd4 d6 11. Bf4 0-0 12. f3 c5 13. Qd2 c4 14. Ba2 Be6. Moroni is not interested in repeating 14. ... Qb6+ 15. Be3 Qc7 which, however, after 16. axb5 axb5 17. Nc3 b4 18. Ne2 b3 19. Bb1 bxc2 20. Qxc2 d5 21. Ra7 Rb7 led him to quite a balanced game, Hráček – Moroni, 18th European Individual Chess Championship, Minsk 2017. 15. Nc3 b4 16. Ne2 b3 17. Bb1 bxc2. Not 17. ... Ng6 18. cxb3 Rxb3 19. Nd4 Qb6? as after 20. a5 Qa7 21. Be3 Black was forced to give up the Exchange for no worthy compensation, Vocaturo – Moroni, 19th Open Internacional d’Escacs de Sants, Hostafrancs i la Bordeta, Barcelona 2017. Finally, Grandmaster Aleksander Delchev’s suggestion 17. ... Qe7 18. c3 Rbd8 19. Nd4 Bd7 deserves practical tests. 18. Bxc2 Ng6!? That’s a novelty. Probably Moroni did not like 18. ... Rxb2 19. Rfb1 Rxb1+ 20. Rxb1 Qc7 21. Rd1 which, at the cost of a Pawn, leaves White with the Bishop pair and a better position, Topalov – Nakamura, 3rd Norway Chess, Stavanger 2015. 19. Be3 d5 20. e5!? Quite an interesting Pawn sac which might not be improvisation. 20. ... Nxe5 21. Nd4 Rb7 22. Rfe1 Bd7 23. Rad1 Re8 24. Bf2 a5 25. Qc3 Ng6 26. Rxe8+ Bxe8 27. Nf5 Bd7? So far, the game was dynamically balanced, but no longer after this bad error by Moroni. After ... Ng6-f4-e6 everything was fine for Black.

28. Rxd5! Rb4 29. Rd2. Here there were also other moves – possibly sharper – to be considered, such as 29. Qd4 and 29. Rd6, but David, who was already short of time, quite rightly prefers to play safely. 29. ... Qe8 30. Nd6 Qe6 31. Bf5 Qe7 32. Bxd7 Qxd7. Not 32. ... Nxd7? because of 33. Nf5 Qe5 34. Rxd7 Qxf5 35. Rd8+ Nf8 36. Qd2 and Black can resign. 33. Nxc4 Qc8 34. b3 Nf4 35. Qe3? David pays the price for his time shortage. After 35. Qc2! followed by the capture of the Pawn on a5 Black would have been left with nothing to hope for. 35. ... N6d5 36. Qc5 Qxc5 37. Bxc5 Rxb3 38. g3 Nd3 39. Nxa5 Rb1+ 40. Kg2 Rb2. The time control is reached and by now the game is manifestly drawn. 41. Rxb2 Nxb2 42. Bd4 ½ : ½.

The earth is round

Luca Moroni – Michele Godena
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 8, 2017
1B6/1R4p1/2p1k3/2P2pP1/3Pp3/P7/5nPK/2r5 w - - 0 50

Position after 49. ... Nd3xf2

As for the position in the diagram White has a Pawn more, but it’s obvious that Black’s passed e-Pawn more than compensate for it. Black is actually threatening ... e4-e3. 50. Rxg7? A mistake that might have cost Moroni very dearly. Correct was 50. Kg3 Rf1 (if 50. ... e3 then 51. Kf3 Ng4 52. Bg3 Rf1+ 53. Ke2 likewise with a draw) 51. d5+! Kxd5 52. Rxg7 e3 53. Rd7+ Ke6 54. Rd6+ Ke7 55. Kf3 with at least a draw for White. 50. ... e3 51. Bd6 f4 52. g4!? Desperation! If, however, 52. Bxf4 then 52. ... e2 53. Bd2 Ne4 54. Bb4 Rc3! with an easy win. 52. ... Nxg4+? Godena – who, as usual, played most of the game only on increment – misses here the “easy” 52. ... Ne4! which would have won at once; for instance: 53. Re7+ Kd5 54. Bxf4 Rc2+ (but not 54. ... e2? because of 55. Bd2! Nxd2 56. Rxe2) 55. Kg1 e2 and game over. 53. Kg2 Kf5 54. Rf7+ Kg6 55. Re7 Kxg5 56. Rg7+ Kf5 57. Rf7+ Kg6 58. Rxf4 e2 59. Rxg4+ Kh5? Maybe it would have not been enough for a win, but certainly 59. ... Kf5 would have saved time and also cost something to his opponent. 60. Re4 e1=Q 61. Rxe1 Rxe1. That’s all: Black ends up reaching a drawn Rook and Pawn vs. Bishop and two Pawns ending. I’m not so sure it would have been drawn if only Godena had played 59. ... Kf5 instead of 59. ... Kh5. 62. Kf3 Kg5 63. Bg3 Rd1 64. Ke4 Kf6 65. a4 Ra1 66. Be5+ Ke6 67. Kd3 Kd5 68. Kc3 Rxa4 69. Kb3 Rc4 70. Bf6 Rc1. Or 70. ... Rxd4 71. Bxd4 Kxd4 72. Kb4 Kd5 73. Kb3 Kxc5 74. Kc3 with a dead draw, eventually till stalemate – just like in the actual game. 71. Kb4 Rb1+ 72. Ka5 Kc4 73. Be5 Rb5+ 74. Ka6 Kd5 75. Bf6 Rb4 76. Ka5 Rb1 77. Ka6 Rb3 78. Ka5 Rf3 79. Be5 Rb3 80. Bf6 Rb5+ 81. Ka6 Rb4 82. Ka5 Rxd4 83. Bxd4 Kxd4 84. Kb4 Kd5 85. Kb3 Kxc5 86. Kc3 Kd5 87. Kd3 c5 88. Kc3 c4 89. Kc2 Kd4 90. Kd2 c3+ 91. Kc2 Kc4 92. Kc1 Kd3 93. Kd1 c2+ 94. Kc1 Kc3 stalemate.

Half a Day

Carlos García Palermo – Luca Moroni
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 2, 2017
1rr1bnk1/6pp/4pp2/3p4/pb1P4/NqB3PB/1P1QPP1P/R1R3K1 b - - 9 31

Position after 31. Rf1-c1

Black has obtained a clear superiority on the Queenside, and it’s finally time to exploit it: 31. ... Rxc3! This brilliant Exchange pseudo-sac neatly forces the gain of a Pawn, clearing the way for the passed a-Pawn. 32. Rxc3 Bxc3 33. bxc3 Rc8 34. c4? The White c-Pawn was doomed anyway, but this is the worst way to give it up, as now Black will rely on a second passed Pawn. 34. ... dxc4. The rest is very easy: 35. d5 c3 36. Qd3 c2 37. Rc1 Rc3 38. Qd2 Qxa3 39. dxe6 Ng6 40. Rxc2 Rxc2 41. Qxc2 Qb3 0 : 1. The time control is over and García Palermo resigns.

Splat split

Luca Moroni – Andrea Stella
77th Italian Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 1, 2017
English Opening A33

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. a3 d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bg5 Bc5 9. e3 Bxd4 10. exd4 0-0 11. Be2 h6 12. Bh4 Qd6 13. Nb5!? A new move. If 13. Bg3 there might follow 13. ... Qe7 14. 0-0 Ne4 15. Rc1 Nxc3 16. Rxc3 Qf6 17. Rd3 ½ : ½ van Wely – Ivanchuk, 2nd Aerosvit Chess Tournament, Foros 2007. 13. ... Qe7 14. 0-0 g5 15. Bg3 Ne4. As they say, the player with the isolani (for now, both of them) must strive for maximum activity, avoiding (if possible) unnecessary exchanges. 16. Re1 f5!? 16. ... Be6 seems to be much quieter. 17. Be5. White actually threatens Nb5-c7. If 17. Nc7 at once, Black would have likely answered 17. ... f4! 18. Bxf4 gxf4 19. Nxa8 Qg7∞ with very unclear play. 17. ... Nxe5 18. dxe5 a6 19. Nd4. White’s position is structurally superior, and now much will depend on Moroni’s skill (and luck) in handling it. 19. ... Qxe5!? Very Steinitz-like. This temporary gain of Pawn could cost Black something. 20. f3 Nc5 21. Bc4!? Here 21. Bxa6 allowed White to regain his Pawn with a solid positional edge, but Moroni prefers to play for powerful dynamic compensation. 21. Rc1 (Stockfish) was another interesting modus operandi, halfway between matter and soul. 21. ... Qd6 22. Ba2 Bd7 23. Rc1 Rad8 24. Qc2 Rc8(!) 25. Qd2 Na4 26. Rxc8 Rxc8

27. h4! Moroni – a strong attacking player – boldly sacrifices a second Pawn aiming to keep the initiative at all costs. 27. ... gxh4 28. Ne6! Re8! After 28. ... Bxe6 29. Rxe6! Rc1+! 30. Qxc1 Qxe6 31. Qf4! White immediately regains a Pawn and retains a more-than-worthy compensation for the other one. It’s understandable, however, that after yesterday’s lucky marathon game against Daniele Genocchio, Stella weren’t in the mood to strive for a draw by stillicide, and wisely lets his opponent force a (pretty) draw by perpetual check. 29. Bxd5 Bxe6 30. Qxh6 Qxd5 31. Qg6+ Kf8 32. Qf6+ Kg8 33. Qg6+ Kf8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 ½ : ½.

Ice Lolly

Benjamin Arvola – Luca Moroni
21st European Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, November 4, 2017
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 0-0 8. 0-0 Bb6 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Bxd4. If 10. cxd4 then 10. ... d5! 11. exd5 (Black stands better both after 11. Bxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Re8! and after 11. e5 Qg6) 11. ... Nf5 12. Bf2 Nd6! and Black wins the f4-Pawn. That is vintage analysis by 11th World Chess Champion Robert James “Bobby” Fischer (Chess Life, No. 12, December 1964, pp. 294-295). 10. ... d5! 11. exd5. 11. e5 Qg6 also gives Black a more comfortable game, Tkachuk – Coenen, 28th Post Open, Düsseldorf 2012. So maybe White should have been content with 11. Bxd5 Rd8 12. Kh1 Bxd4 13. cxd4 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nc3 Rd8= (15. ... Rxd4? 16. Nd5) – Bobby Fischer’s analysis (ibidem). 11. ... Nf5! 12. Bf2 Bxf2+ 13. Rxf2 Ne3 14. Qb3 Ng4 15. Rf3 Qh4 16. h3 Qe1+ 17. Bf1 Nf6 18. c4 Re8 19. Qc2 Ne4 20. f5? This is Arvola’s crucial mistake, after which suddenly Black’s initiative turns into a storm. White had to play 20. b3 at once. 20. ... Re5 21. b3 Bxf5 22. Qb2 Ng5 23. Rf2

23. ... Bxh3! The storm begins. 24. Nc3 Qe3 25. gxh3. 25. Qd2 Qg3 26. Qf4 Qxc3 (Stockfish) is anything but tempting, but what should we say about the text? 25. ... Rf5? More accurate seems 25. ... Qg3+ 26. Kh1 Rae8 leaving White no resource. 26. Nd1? After 26. Bg2 Rxf2 27. Qxf2 Qxc3 Black is a Pawn up and stands clearly better, but it would not have been so easy for him to demonstrate a win. 26. ... Qg3+. Or 26. ... Nf3+ 27. Kh1 Rg5 28. Bg2 (else 28. Rg2 Qg1+ and mate next move) 28. ... Qe1+ 29. Rf1 Qxf1+ 30. Bxf1 Rg1 mate. 27. Kh1 Nxh3 28. Bxh3 Qxh3+ 29. Kg1 Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Qh3+ 31. Kg1 Qg3+ 32. Kf1 Re8 33. Qd2 Qh3+ 34. Kg1 Re1+! 0 : 1. Mate in two follows.

Revival

Luca Moroni – Johan-Sebastian Christiansen
2nd Qatar Masters Open; Doha, December 26, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D20

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. Bxc4 exd4 5. exd4 Nf6 6. Nf3 Bd6. “The correct move; in subsequent games, however, M’Donnell almost invariably committed the error of playing the Bishop to e7”, writes Paul Charles Morphy in his commentary to de la Bourdonnais – McDonnell, London 1834, match game 12. 7. Qe2+ Qe7 8. Qxe7+ Bxe7 9. 0-0 Nbd7 10. Re1 Nb6 11. Bb3 Nfd5 12. Nc3 c6 13. h3 a5 14. Re2 Be6 15. Bg5 Bb4 16. Bd2 0-0 17. Ng5 Bd7 18. a3 Nxc3 19. bxc3 Bd6 20. a4! Luca energetically exploits his initiative. 20. ... c5 21. Rb1 Ra6? Not 21. ... Nxa4? because of 22. Nxf7 Rxf7 23. Bxf7+ Kxf7 24. Rxb7 and wins. It deserved consideration, however, 21. ... Bxa4 since after 22. Bxf7+ Rxf7 23. Nxf7 Kxf7 24. Rxb6 Bc6 25. d5! Bc7 26. dxc6 Bxb6 27. cxb7 Rb8 28. Be3 Rxb7 29. Rb2 White stands better, but not enough to be sure of winning the game. 22. Bc2! Bxa4. If 22. ... Nxa4? then 23. Rxb7 Bc6 24. Rxf7 Rxf7 25. Bb3 Ra7 26. Nxf7 Rxf7 27. Re6 c4 (what else?) 28. Bxc4 Nb6 29. Ba2 Nc8 30. Bf4! with a huge advantage. 23. Bxh7+ Kh8 24. dxc5 Bxc5 25. Bd3 Ra7 26. Re4! Threatening Re4-h4+. 26. ... Bc6 27. Rh4+ Kg8 28. Bh7+ Kh8 29. Re1! a4 30. Re5 a3. It looks like Black just won the lottery, but Luca has everything under his control. 31. Ne4! Moroni plays to win. After 31. Rxc5 a2 32. Bb1+ Kg8 33. Bxa2 Rxa2 Black should be able to hold his own despite the Pawn disadvantage. 31. ... a2? This allows a forced mate. Black could have prolonged the game with 31. ... Be7! 32. Rxe7 Nd5, although after 33. Re5 a2 34. Reh5 a1=Q+ 35. Kh2 Qd1 36. Bg6+! Qxh5 37. Rxh5+ Kg8 38. Bh7+ Kh8 39. c4! eventually followed by Bd2-b4 White would have conserved excellent winning chances.

32. Bg8+! Kxg8 33. Nf6+! gxf6 34. Rg4+ Kh7 35. Rh5 mate.

Luca Moroni (right) vs. Johan-Sebastian Christiansen (left). Photo © David Llada (@lladini).

Spaghetti Western

Pier Luigi Basso – Luca Moroni
75th Italian Chess Championship; Milan, December 2, 2015
Keres Defence A40

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+ 3. Nd2 b6 4. a3 Bxd2+ 5. Bxd2 Bb7 6. Qc2 f5!? An interesting transformation from Kangaroo to Tulip. 7. e3. For 7. Nf3 Nf6 8. g3 0-0 9. Bg2 Be4 10. Qc3 Qe8 see Kühn – Tereick, Chess Classic Elo Open, Baden-Baden 2013. 7. ... Qe7 8. f3 Nf6 9. Bd3 0-0 10. Ne2 d6 11. Bc3 Nbd7 12. b4 Rae8 13. Ng3 g6 14. Qb3? The b3-square is not suitable for Her Majesty. 14. 0-0 appears to be a far wiser course. 14. ... e5 15. d5

15. ... b5! A very strong coup by which Black breaks up the enemy’s centre. 16. 0-0-0. Decidedly too optimistic, but also 16. 0-0 e4! 17. fxe4 Ng4 looks quite unpleasant for White. 16. ... Nb6 17. Rhe1? The red light flashes, but now it’s hard to suggest any good move for White. 17. ... bxc4 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Qxc4 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Qf7 21. e4 fxe4 22. fxe4 c6! The coup de grâce. 23. Qxc6 Rc8 24. Qxd6 Rxc3+ 25. Kb2 Nxd5 26. exd5? A blunder, but after 26. Qxd5 Qxd5 27. exd5 Rd3 there is no hope anyway. 26. ... Rxg3! 0 : 1. For if 27. hxg3 then 27. ... Qf2+. The very young, gifted Luca Moroni, though at his first experience in a national Championship, showed both brilliancy and skill.

Pier Luigi Basso (left) vs. Luca Moroni (right). Photo: Scacchierando.it.