The Same Today

Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez – Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 6, 2021

Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd2 g6 6. b3 Bh6 7. f4 f5 8. Bb2 Nf6 9. Nh3?! An unimpressive novelty. A recent game went 9. 0-0-0 fxe4 10. Kb1 Qa5 11. Nge2 Rf8 12. h3 g5 13. Nd4? gxf4 14. Bb5 Bd7 15. Qe2 e3 16. Nd5 Nxd4 17. Bxd7+ Kxd7 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. Rxd4 Rg6 20. Rhd1 Rc8 21. Rd5 Rc5 22. c4 Rxd5 23. Rxd5 Qb4 24. Kc2 a6 25. Bc3 Qb6 26. Bd4 Qc6−+ Jones – Donchenko, ACP-ChessBase Knockout 2020, playchess.com, July 28, 2020, final match game 3 (time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). 9. ... fxe4 10. Ng5 Rf8 11. Bc4 Qb6

12. Rf1?? A catastrophic mistake, which precipitates Black into an early surrender. Castling (Queenside only) was playable, with good or better prospects of equality. 12. ... e3−+ 13. Qd1 Bg4 14. Be2 Bf5 15. Bd3 Qa5 16. Bxf5 Qxf5 17. Qd3 Bxg5 18. fxg5 Qxg5 19. Qb5 (19. Qe2 Nd4−+) 19. ... Qxg2 20. 0-0-0

20. ... 0-0-0. Symmetrical castles — but what a difference! 21. Rfe1 Qxh2 22. Kb1 d5 23. Nxd5 e2 24. Rxe2 Rxd5 25. Qxd5 Qxe2 26. Bxf6 Rd8! 0 : 1.

For Shirov’s sake, first Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez, and then Elisabeth Pähtz did not object to his final victory in the 3rd Salamanca Chess Festival. Photo: Ajedrez Salamanca.

Lost & Found

Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli – Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 5, 2021

Slava Defence D17

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8. Ne5 a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 e6 11. e4 Bh7 12. f3 Be7 13. Bf2 0-0 14. Be2 Nfd7 15. Nd3 Rc8 16. 0-0 c5 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. Bxc5 Rxc5 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Kf8 23. Rd8+ Ke7 24. Rb8 Rc7 25. Kf2

25. ... f5? An unfortunate novelty which betrays nervousness. Theoretically speaking, 26. ... f6 27. Ke3 Bg6 28. Nb5 Rd7 29. Nd4± was also quite bad for Black, 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – 阮露斐 (Ruǎn Lùfěi), Women’s Zonal 3.3, 北京 (Běijīng) 2005, but he could well play 25. ... Bg6!? at once, in order to answer 26. Ke3 by 26. ... e5!? with reasonable play. 26. Ke3. Very natural, but 26. Nb5! has its merits also, because if 26. ... Rd7 White might continue 27. e5 with a crushing advantage. 26. ... fxe4 27. fxe4 Bg6 28. Nb5 Rd7 29. Nd4. 29. e5 seemed very strong here. 29. ... e5 30. Nb3 Rc7 31. Bb5 Nc4+ 32. Bxc4 Rxc4 33. Rxb7+ Kf8 34. Nd2 Rxa4 35. Rb5 Be8 36. Rxe5 Rb4 37. Rxa5 Rxb2 38. h4 Bc6 39. Rc5

39. ... Rxd2? Black must have been tremendously short of time, since by the text move he deliberately simplifies into an ending the Exchange down without any saving chances. From a practical standpoint, even 39. ... Bxe4!? — not to say of 39. ... Bd7 — 40. Nxe4 Rxg2 would have given Black much better prospects of drawing. 40. Kxd2 Bxe4 41. g3 Kf7 42. Ke3 Bb1 43. Kf4 Kg6 44. Rc6+ Kf7 45. Ke5 Ba2 46. g4 Bb1 47. Rb6 Bd3 48. Rd6 Bb1 49. Rd2 Ke7 50. Rb2 Bd3 51. Rb3 Bc4 52. Rb7+ Kf8 53. Rb4 Ba2 54. Kd6 Ke8 55. Re4+ Kf7 56. Kd7 Kf6 57. Re2 Bb3 58. Rf2+ Kg6 59. Ke7 Bd1 60. Rf4 Kh7 61. Kf8 Kh8 62. g5 Bh5 63. Rf5 Kh7 64. Ra5 hxg5 65. Rxg5 Bg6 66. Ra5 Kh6 67. Ra6 Kh5 68. Kxg7 Bd3 69. Rh6+ Kg4 70. Rh8 1 : 0.

That’s how classical chess has evolved — too much theory and not enough RAM. Photo: Lydia González/Salamanca RTV al día.

Chinese Shadows

Nurgyul Salimova – Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 4, 2021

Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 c5 6. d5 exd5 7. cxd5 g6 8. Bg2 Bg7 9. Nc3 0-0 10. a4. 10. a3 d6 may transpose to well-known paths: 11. 0-0 Re8 12. Re1 Qc7 13. Bf4 Nh5 14. Bd2 Nd7 15. Qa4 Bb7 16. Qh4 a6⇄ Kasparov – Fedorowicz, 3rd World Youth U-26 Team Chess Championship, Graz 1981. 10. ... Bb7 11. Qb3 Na6 12. 0-0 Nb4 13. Rd1 d6 14. Nd2 Re8 15. Nc4 Ba6 16. Bf3 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 a6 18. Qb3 Nd7

19. a5? This seems to be Salimova’s crucial mistake, allowing Black to expand in the Queenside. Correct was 19. Ne4 Ne5 20. Bg2 h6!? with more or less equality. 19. ... b5 20. Ne4 Ne5 21. Bd2?! Now 21. Bg2 would be met by 21. ... Nc4 with overwhelming advantage, but 21. Bg5 Qd7∓ was probably a little better.

21. ... Nbd3!−+ 22. Bg5 f6 23. Be3 (23. Rxd3 c4−+) 23. ... Nxb2 24. Qxb2. 24. Nxc5 dxc5! 25. Qxb2 Nc4 is of no help as well. The rest is easy: 24. ... f5 25. Nc3 b4 26. Qb3 Nxf3+ 27. exf3 Bxc3 28. Ra2 Qd7 29. Qc4 Qb5 30. Qf4 Be5 31. Qh6 b3 32. Rad2 c4 33. f4 Bg7 34. Qh4 c3 0 : 1.

Venezuelan Grandmaster Iturrizaga Bonelli managed to deploy all the potential of his Indo-Benoni formation. Photo: Club Deportivo Ajedrez Salamanca.

A Chair to Sit on

Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez – David Antón Guijarro

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 3, 2021

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. f4 Rc8 10. Qf3 exf4 11. Qxf4!? A variation in theme. Likewise after 11. Bxf4 Ne5 12. Qf2 Be7 13. 0-0-0 Ng6 14. Bh2 Rxc3! 15. bxc3 Nxe4 16. Qe1 d5 Black gains excellent compensation for the Exchange, Golubov – Oparin, 21st Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2013. 11. ... Be7 12. 0-0-0

12. ... Rxc3! And thus Black declares war on his opponent. 13. bxc3 Qc7 14. g4 Ne5 15. g5 Nfd7 16. h4 Qxc3 17. Bd4 Qb4 18. Bb2 0-0 19. a3 Qa4 20. Nd4

20. ... d5! Black’s counterattack gives him a good enough compensation for the Exchange. 21. Qg3 Rc8 22. Rh2 Bd6 23. exd5. The situation is highly uncertain, and no prediction of the outcome can be made. One possibility was 23. Nxe6 Nc4! 24. Qc3! Be5 25. Rd4 fxe6 26. Bxc4 Rxc4 27. Rxc4 dxc4 28. Qh3 Bxh2 29. Qxe6+ Kf8 30. Bxg7+! Kxg7 31. Qe7+ with a draw by perpetual check. 23. ... Bxd5. 23. ... Bg4!? 25. Rd2 Nc5 was perhaps more promising.

24. Nf5? White makes a grave mistake that spoils all the good things done so far. She ought to play 24. Nb5! Nd3+! 25. Qxd3 Bxh2 26. Nc3 Qf4+ 27. Kb1 Bc6 28. Bh3 Rc7 29. Qe2⩲ with an edge. 24. ... Be4!−+ 25. Nxd6 Rxc2+ 26. Kb1 Rxh2+ 27. Ka2. Or 27. Nxe4 Qc2+ followed by mate. 27. ... Rxb2+! 0 : 1.

Antón Guijarro was back in record time from Wijk aan Zee to sit punctually at 4.00 P.M. facing Vega Gutiérrez at the Colegio Mayor de Fonseca in Salamanca, Spain. Photo: Lydia González/Salamanca RTV al día.