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.

BACH motif

Fabiano Caruana – Szymon Gumularz
SchachBundesliga Championship Tournament; Karlsruhe, September 17, 2020
Modern Defence B06

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. g4 b5 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. h4 h5?! Not a lucky number. 8. gxh5 Rxh5 9. Bf3 Rh8 10. h5 e5!? Here’s the novelty, but nothing too new. Likewise after 10. ... gxh5 11. e5 Nc6 12. Rxh5 dxe5 13. Rxh8 Bxh8 14. Bxc6+ Bxc6 15. Qh5 Bg7 16. dxe5 White has a crushing advantage, Miśta – Stryjecki, 71st Sygnity Ekstraliga Polish Team Chess Championship, Katowice 2015. 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. hxg6 fxg6 13. Rxh8 Bxh8

14. e5! Nc6 15. Be4 Nge7 (15. ... Bxe5 16. Bxg6+ Kf8 17. Nd5+−) 16. Qg4 Bxe5 (16. ... Nxe5 17. Qh4+−) 17. Bxg6+ Nxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kd7 19. Qg4+ Ke8

20. 0-0-0 Qf6 21. Nd5 Qf7 22. Nf3 Bc8 23. Qe4 Rb8 24. Ng5 Bf5 25. Nxc7+ Kd7 26. Nxf7 Bxe4 27. Nxa6 1 : 0.

Caruana castled Queenside at move 20 to win a brilliant attacking game. Screenshot from the GRENKE Chess YouTube Channel.

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.