Something Special

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Rauf Mamedov
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 26, 2019
King’s Indian Defence E81

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 c5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. d5 Na5. The alternative is 8. ... Ne5, against which Goryachkina scored a crushing victory not so long ago: 9. Ng3 h5 10. Be2 h4 11. Nf1 e6 12. Bg5 h3 13. Ne3 hxg2 14. Rg1 Qa5 15. Qd2 exd5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nexd5 Bh4+ 18. Kd1 Qd8 19. f4 Ng4 20. Rxg2 Nf2+ 21. Kc2 Bh3 22. Rgg1 Re8 23. Bf3 Qc8 24. Rg3 Bxg3 25. hxg3 Ng4 26. Rh1 Nh6 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Qxd6+ Re7 29. Ncd5 Ng8 30. Nxg8 1 : 0 Goryachkina – Blohberger, 16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2018. 9. b3 a6 10. Rc1 Bd7 11. Ng3 Rb8 12. Bd3! This is probably an improvement on 12. a3 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. b4 cxb4 15. axb4 Nc4 which seems to be fine for Black, Keymer – Nikolov, 26th ZMDI Open, Dresden 2017. 12. ... b5 13. 0-0 bxc4 14. bxc4 Qc7 15. Bd2 e6. Worth considering was 15. ... Rb2 16. Rc2 (or 16. Rb1 Rb4!?∞) 16. ... Rfb8 with a reasonable game. 16. Qe1 Rfe8. 16. ... Rb2 was still possible, after which White can continue with both 17. Rb1 and 17. Rf2 with an edge in either case. 17. Nce2 Nb7 18. Bc3 h5 19. Qd2. Here 19. dxe6 Bxe6 (19. ... fxe6? 20. e5!+−) 20. f4 was a tempting, perhaps stronger, option. 19. ... e5 20. Rb1 h4 21. Nh1 Nh5 22. Rb3 Kh7 23. Rfb1 Bh6 24. Qb2 Bc8 25. Rb6. White succeeded in getting a big advantage by simple means, and now she has somehow to turn it into a win — a thing still far from easy. 25. ... Be3+ 26. Kf1 Qe7 27. Bd2 Qg5. 27. ... Bxd2 28. Qxd2 Ra8 looks a more stubborn defence, but after 29. Nf2 (among others) White continues to be in the driver’s seat. 28. Bxe3 Qxe3 29. Nf2 h3

30. Qc1. Now the engines suggest 30. g4! (followed, in case of 30. ... Nf6, by 31. Ng1) — which could indeed be White’s best winning attempt. However, it’s hard to think that Goryachkina’s move may be wrong. 30. ... hxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Qxc1 32. Rxc1 Ra8 33. Bc2 Na5? With the approaching of the time control, Mamedov becomes anxious and helps his opponent decisively in fulfilling her wishes. The move in the text, indeed, loses a vital Pawn, leaving White with a powerful passed central Pawn and (nearly) a technical win. Therefore a better advice would be 33. ... Kg7 34. Nd3± — White stands obviously better, but no forced win is demonstrable. 34. Rxd6 Nxc4 35. Rc6 Ne3+ 36. Kg1 Bd7 37. Rxc5 Nxc2 38. R5xc2 Kg7 39. Nd3 Bb5 40. Nc5 Rec8 41. Ng3! 1 : 0.

俯卧撑 (Push-up)

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Rauf Mamedov
5th Gashimov Memorial; Şəmkir, April 27, 2018
4R3/5rk1/p5p1/R4p2/3Pp3/4P2P/1r3PK1/8 w - - 3 35

Position after 34. ... Rb3-b2

Today 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was gifted by his opponent with an extra half point, in spite of Black’s exemplary play until that point. 35. Rxa6. White has finally won a Pawn, but Black’s dynamic counter initiative at least compensates for it. 35. ... f4! 36. exf4 Rxf4 37. Ra7+ Kh6?? With still enough time on the clock, Mamedov inexplicably blunders for self-mate. 37. ... Kf6 38. Rf8+ (or 38. Kg3 Rf3+ 39. Kg4 Rfxf2) 38. ... Kg5 would have brought Black nearer to a draw. 38. Kg3! Rf6. Both 38. ... Rfxf2 39. Rh8+ Kg5 40. h4+ Kf6 41. Rf8+ and 38. ... Rbxf2 39. Rh8+ Kg5 40. h4+ Rxh4 41. Ra5+ lose a whole Rook. 39. h4! g5 40. Rh8+ Kg6 41. Rg8+ Kf5 42. Rxg5+ 1 : 0. For after 42. ... Ke6 43. Re5+ Kd6 44. Ra6+ White wins a Rook.

How (Not) to Have a Perfect Day

Rauf Mamedov – Aloyzas Kveinys
33rd European Chess Club Cup; Göynük, October 9, 2017
Sicilian Defence B43

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. Qe2 d6 8. f4 Nbd7 9. Bd2 g6. From a strategic viewpoint I don’t like Black’s fianchetto (with such a Pawn formation), even if probably it is playable. Sounder seems 9. ... Be7 10. g4 Nc5 11. g5 Nfd7 ½ : ½ Kovalenko – Neiksans, Baltic Zonal Tournament, Vilnius 2014. 10. Bc4!? Mamedov introduces a novelty, instead of the archived lines 10. g4 and 10. 0-0-0. It should not be particularly dangerous, if had not been for Black’s harakiri.

10. ... b5?? This is really a horrible blunder which calls for an easy and standardized attacking protocol. If Black was not convinced by Stockfish’s sharp argument (10. ... Bg7!? 11. Bxe6 0-0 sacrificing a Pawn for development), he might have played, more modestly, 10. ... Nc5 which at least would have avoided immediate catastrophe. 11. Bxe6! fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qb7. 12. ... Qb8 and 12. ... Qb6 are both met by 13. Nd5 with an already written attacking crescendo. 13. e5! dxe5 14. fxe5 Nh5 15. Nd5! Nc5 16. Nec7+ Kf7 17. g4. 17. 0-0+ Kg8 (or 17. ... Bf5 18. Rxf5+!+−) 18. Rxf8+! Kxf8 19. e6 (Stockfish’s analysis) was only another way to win. 17. ... Ne6 18. Rf1+ Kg8 19. Qf3 Nhf4 20. Bxf4 Nxc7 21. Bh6! 1 : 0. Black is helpless against the double threat of Qf3xf8 mate and Qf3-f7 mate (if 21. ... Bb4+ then 22. c3 finis).

Moving On

Wesley So – Rauf Mamedov
2nd Vugar Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, April 20, 2015
Sicilian Defence B38

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Bg7 8. Be3 0-0 9. Be2 Nh5 10. g3 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Be6 12. f4 Nf6 13. 0-0 Rc8 14. b3 Qa5. Black starts to drift. 14. ... Bh3 15. Rf2 b6 looks sounder.

15. f5! Seizing the initiative. 15. ... Bd7. Clearly not 15. ... gxf5 16. exf5 Bxf5?? because of 17. b4+-. 16. a3 e6 17. b4 Qd8 18. fxg6 fxg6. 18. ... hxg6 19. e5± is quite similar to the game. 19. e5! dxe5 20. Bxe5 Bc6 21. b5 Ne4 22. Qxd8 Rcxd8. “He should have taken with the other Rook”, then So said, but even after 22. ... Rfxd8 23. bxc6! Nxc3 24. cxb7 Nxe2+ 25. Kg2 Rb8 26. Bxb8 Rxb8 27. Rad1 Nd4 28. Rb1 White stands better. 23. Rxf8+ Rxf8 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Rc1 Nxc3 26. Rxc3 Bd7 27. c5. The material is even, but Black’s position is far from tenable due to White’s decisive Queenside majority. 27. ... Rc8 28. a4 Kf6 29. Kf2 Ke5 30. Ke3 Be8 31. Bf3 Rc7 32. Kd3 g5 33. Kc4 h5 34. a5 g4 35. b6! As they say, the win is only a matter of technique. 35. ... axb6 36. axb6 Rd7 37. Re3+ Kf6 38. c6 bxc6 39. Bxc6 Rd8 40. Bxe8 Rxe8 41. b7 1 : 0.

Wesley So
Photo: Shamkir Chess 2015

Долма (Dolma)

Fabrika (Фабрика) – “Фильмы о любви” (Films about love)

2nd Vugar Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, 16–26 April 2015

Каспийское море (Caspian Sea)

Today starts the 2nd Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir (Azerbaijan), scheduled from 16 to 26 April 2015.
For the first time, three World Chess Champions – the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen, former World Champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik will compete in the tournament in Azerbaijan, as well as Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Michael Adams, and the Azerbaijan Champion Rauf Mamedov will take part in the tournament.
The tournament’s total prize fund is €100,000.

Magnus Carlsen in Baku
Photo: Shamkir Chess 2015

Marcus Antonius

Rauf Mamedov – Daniele Vocaturo
16th European Individual Championship; Jerusalem, March 6, 2015
Spanish C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Nbd2 Be6 8. b3 0-0 9. Bb2. For 9. Nc4 Bxc4 10. bxc4 Nd7 11. Rb1 b6 12. g3 f5 see Anand – Aronian, FIDE World Rapid Championship, Dubai 2014. 9. ... Nd7 10. Qe2 c5 11. Qe3 f6 12. a4 a5 13. Nh4 Nb8 14. Nc4 Nc6 15. Nf5 Nd4 16. Bxd4 cxd4 17. Qg3 Bxf5 18. exf5 Bb4 19. f4 exf4 20. Rxf4 c6 21. Qf2 Re8 22. Nd2 Bxd2 23. Qxd2 Qd6 24. Re4 Rxe4 25. dxe4 Qe5 26. Qd3 Re8 27. Re1 g6 29. Qxd4 Qxg4+ 30. Kh1 Qf3+ 31. Kg1 Qg4+ 32. Kh1 Qf3+ 33. Kg1 Kf7

34. e5 Qxf5 35. e6+ Kg8 (35. ... Rxe6?? 36. Qd7++-) 36. c4 Qg5+ 37. Kh1 f5 38. Qe5 Qe7 39. Qxa5 Qd6 40. Qa7 Qd2 41. Qg1 Qc3 42. Re3 Qf6 43. Qe1 f4 44. Re4 f3 45. Qf2 g5 46. Kg1 Qf5 47. Qe3 h6 48. e7 Qh3 49. Qf2 Qf5 50. Qe3 Qh3 51. Qf2 Qf5 52. Qe3 Qh3 53. Qf2 Qf5 54. Qe3 ½ : ½.