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.