Playing It Cool

Vladimir Vasilievich Fedoseev – Marco Codenotti
17th European Individual Chess Championship; Gjakova, May 22, 2016
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. 0-0 Bb6 7. a4 h6 8. Na3 0-0 9. Bb3 a5 10. Re1 Re8 11. h3 Be6 12. Nc4 Ba7 13. Bc2 Bxc4 14. dxc4 Nh5 15. Kf1 Nf4 16. Ng1 Qf6 17. Qf3 Nh5 18. Qxf6 Nxf6 19. g3 h5 20. Nf3 g6 21. Kg2 Kg7 22. Bd2 Bb6 23. Rad1 Nd7 24. b4 axb4 25. cxb4 Nd4 26. Nxd4 Bxd4 27. a5 b6 28. Ba4 Red8 29. Bc6 Ra7 30. Rb1 Nb8 31. Bb5 Rc8. Black’s position is surely easier to handle, but now White, rather than play to keep his slight uncomfort within acceptable terms by 32. axb6, decides to leave the a-Pawn to its fate, for focusing on the Kingside. 32. f4 bxa5 33. bxa5 c6 34. Ba4 Nd7 35. f5 Nc5 36. Bd1 Nb7 37. fxg6 fxg6 38. Rf1 Rc7

39. Bg5!?? White launches into a reckless attack, evidently overestimating his own Bishop pair. Maybe 39. g4 hxg4 40. hxg4 Nxa5 41. Bg5 Rf7 was not appealing to him as Black has a Pawn to the good and clearly better chances, but yet it would have been the best offering he could find. 39. ... Rxa5 40. Bf6+ Kh7 41. g4. As consistent as bad. 41. ... Ra2+ 42. Kh1 hxg4. Fedoseev to play and selfmate: 43. hxg4?? What a blunder! After 43. Bxg4 Kh6! 44. Bf3 Nc5 45. Rb8 Rh7 46. h4 Be3! Black should win anyway, but must play carefully for a while yet. 43. ... Kg8! 0 : 1. Very bad news for Fedoseev: mate is unstoppable.

Marco Codenotti
Photo © Andreas Kontokanis

Пізанська вежа (Leaning Tower of Pisa)

Mariya Muzychuk – Marco Codenotti
14th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 27, 2016
Sicilian Defence B50

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2. The great idea is 4. ... Nxe4?? 5. Qa4+, but it can work only in undeveloped chess countries. 4. ... Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d5 7. e5 Ne4 8. 0-0 Bg4 9. Be3 e6 10. Ne1 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 h6. Not 11. ... Qb6? on account of 12. f3 Nxd4 13. Qd1 Bc5 14. fxe4 and Black has no compensation at all for his sacrificed Knight (Muzychuk’s analysis). 12. f3. For 12. Nd3 Be7 13. f3 Ng5 14. Nd2 Qb6 15. f4 Ne4 see Fernández Aguado – Morovic Fernández, 10th International Open El Corte Inglés, Las Palmas 1987. 12. ... Ng5 13. Nc3 Be7 14. Qd3. For 14. Nd3 Qd7 15. Rac1 0-0 16. Nf4 Rac8 see Dâmaso – Diogo, 67th Portuguese Chess Championship, Lisbon 2013. 14. ... 0-0 15. f4. Grandmaster Stuart Conquest suggested a possible improvement with 15. a3 and if 15. ... Na5 then more effectively 16. f4. 15. ... Nb4 16. Qb1 Ne4! 17. a3. If 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Qxe4 there might follow 18. ... Qd5 and Black’s more dynamic placement seems to compensate for the Pawn. 17. ... Nxc3 18. bxc3 Nc6

19. f5. The aim is to vitalize a rather lifeless game. 19. ... exf5 20. Qxf5 Bg5 21. Nc2 Rc8 22. e6 Rc7 23. Rae1 g6 24. exf7+ Kg7 25. Bxg5 Qxg5. Not 25. ... hxg5? 26. Qh3 Rxf7 27. Ne3! with a powerful attack. 26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Nb4 Nxb4 28. cxb4 Rcxf7 29. Rxf7+ Rxf7 30. h3 b5 31. Rc1 a6 32. Rc5 Rf5 33. Rc7+ Rf7 34. Rc5. The King and Pawn ending would also lead to a draw. 34. ... Rf5 35. Kh2 Rf2 36. Rc7+ Kf6 37. Rc6+ Kf5 38. Rxa6 Ra2 39. Ra5 g4 40. hxg4+ Ke4 41. Rxb5 Rxa3 42. Rb6 g5 43. Rg6 Kf4 44. Rf6+ Kxg4 45. Rd6 Rb3 46. Rxd5 Rxb4 47. Rd8 Ra4 48. d5 Rd4 49. Kg1 Kg3 50. Kf1 g4 51. d6 Rd5 52. Rd7 Rd4 ½ : ½.

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: Sophie Tray

14th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival (‏@GibraltarChess)

The Sleepwalker

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Just two lines by 布鲁托

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Bala Chandra Prasad Dhulipala – Marco Codenotti
53rd World Junior Chess Championship; Pune, October 11, 2014
Romi System A45

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 Qb6 4. Nc3 d6. On 4. ... Qxb2 5. Nb5 Nd5 6. Rb1 Qxa2= ½ : ½ Gurschler – Olivetti, Ortisei 2013. 5. Rb1 g6 6. h3 Bg7 7. Nf3 0-0 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. 0-0 a6 10. d5 Qc7 11. a4 Ne5 12. Nd2 e6 13. dxe6 Bxe6 14. Bxe5 dxe5 15. Bc4 Bd7 16. Qe2 e4!? Enterprising play! 17. Rfd1. 17. Ndxe4 (idem to say 17. Ncxe4) 17. ... Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxa4 doesn’t seem to accomplish anything. 17. ... Rfe8 18. Nb3 Re5 19. Rd2 Rae8 20. Rbd1 Qc8 21. Nd5

21. ... Bxh3! The sacrifice is sound. Black obtains two Pawns and a bubbly initiative. 22. gxh3 Qxh3 23. Nxf6+ Bxf6 24. Rd5 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 Be5 26. f4?? A blunder, which finishes the game at once; but even 26. Qd2 could not have saved it, for Black would have played 26. ... b5!? 27. axb5 axb5 28. Bxb5 Bh2+ 29. Kh1 Bc7+ 30. Kg1 Re6! 31. Nxc5 Rf6 with a strong attack. 26. ... exf3 27. Qf2 Qg4+. Or 27. Qd2 Bg3 with an easy win. 28. Kh1 Bg3 29. Qd2 Qh3+ 0 : 1. For if 30. Kg1 then 30. ... Rxe3! finis.