Lake Time

Pier Luigi Basso – Thái Đại Văn Nguyễn
Tegernsee Masters 2020; Bad Wiessee, November 5, 2020
Neo-Grünfeld Defence D70

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 e5 9. d5 c6 10. h4 cxd5 11. exd5 N8d7 12. h5 Nf6 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. 0-0-0 Bd7 15. Kb1 Rc8 16. d6 e4 17. fxe4 Ng4 18. Bg5 Qe8 19. Nf3 Rf7 20. Be7. Very interesting is also 20. Qe1 Rc5 21. Bd2 Be6 22. e5 Bxe5 23. Bd3! Na4? (23. ... Nc4!?) 24. Nxe5 Rxe5 25. Qh4 Rh5 26. Qg3 Nxc3+ 27. Bxc3 Qa4 28. d7! Rd5 29. Bc2 Qxd7 30. Bb3 Rxd1+ 31. Rxd1 Qc8 32. Qh4! Nf6 33. Rd6! Bxb3 34. Rxf6 1 : 0 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Mamedyarov, 7th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2019. 20. ... Rxc3 21. bxc3 Qc8 22. Rc1 Qc5? This is a new, but bad move. Theory gives 22. ... Na4 23. Ng5 Qc5 with a tenable game: 24. Nxf7 (24. Rh3 Rxf1 25. Rxf1 Qb5+ 26. Kc2 Qb2+ 27. Kd1 Qa1+ 28. Kc2 Qxa2+ 29. Kc1 Qa1+ 30. Kc2 Qb2+ 31. Kd1 Qb1+ 32. Ke2 Bb5+ 33. Kf3 Qxf1+ 34. Kxg4 Bd7+ 35. Kh4 Bxc3 36. Qd5+ Kg7 37. Bf6+ Qxf6 38. Rf3 Bc6 39. Qd1 Nb2 40. Qb3 Be1+ 41. Kh3 Qxg5 42. Rf7+ Kh6 43. Rxh7+ Kxh7 44. Qf7+ Kh6 45. Qf8+ Kh7 ½ : ½ Tabatabaei – Maghsoodloo, 15th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2017) 24. ... Nxc3+ 25. Rxc3 Bxc3 26. Nh6+ Kg7 27. Qd5 Qb4+ 28. Qb3 Qxe4+ 29. Qc2 Qe1+ 30. Qc1 Qe4+ 31. Qc2 Qe1+ 32. Qc1 Qe4+ 33. Qc2 ½ : ½ Grischuk – Domínguez Pérez, Grand Prix 2012–2013, 4th stage, Thessaloniki 2013. 23. Qb2! Nf2 (23. ... h6 24. Qb4±/+−)

24. Ng5!!?? 24. Rh4+− was now very strong, but Basso gets tempted by something more exciting, even if not flawless to the engine’s further check. 24. ... Nxh1 25. Qb3 Be8? 25. ... Qf2! should hold everything together, even if by a hair’s breath (26. Bb5 Ng3). 26. d7!+− Qxe7 27. dxe8=Q+ Qxe8 28. Bb5 Qe7

29. Rf1! Bf6 30. Qxf7+ Qxf7 31. Nxf7 Ng3 (31. ... Kxf7 32. e5 Ng3 33. Rxf6+ Ke7 34. Bd3+−) 32. Rxf6 Nxe4 33. Nh6+ Kg7 34. Rf7+ Kxh6 35. c4 1 : 0.

Regardless of how the tournament ends, Basso can consider himself lucky he can enjoy such an interlude from the emptiness of lockdown at Tegernsee. Photo: schach-tegernsee.de.

And Then There Were None

Pier Luigi Basso – Ashot Parvanyan
Tegernsee Masters 2020; Bad Wiessee, November 1, 2020
King’s Indian Defence E81

Just like in an Agatha Christie novel, today German chess prodigy Vincent Keymer was ordered by the Mainz health authorities to leave Bad Wiessee and undergo a two-week precautionary quarantine at home, because only a few days before the tournament’s start, he was seated in the same classroom for examination with a classmate who then tested positive to COVID-19. The young Grandmaster, though feeling well and healthy, could do nothing else but return home. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Nge2 a6 7. Be3 b5 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. Bh6 e5 (9. ... b4 10. Nd5 Bxh6 11. Qxh6 c5 12. h4 e6 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. h5 Qg7 15. Qd2 a5 16. Rd1 Ra6 17. Kf2 e5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. d5 f6 20. Ng3 Kf7 21. Bd3 Ra8 22. Qh6 Nb6 23. Rh2 Ba6 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Qh4 Na4 26. b3 Nb2 27. Rd2 Nxd3+ 28. Rxd3 Bd7 29. Qh7 a4 30. Rd1 Rh8 31. Qxg7+ Kxg7 32. Rxh8 Kxh8 33. Nf1 Kg7 34. Nd2 f5 35. Ke3 g5 36. Rh1 f4+ 37. Kd3 Rh8 38. Rxh8 Kxh8 39. Ke2 Kg7 40. Kf2 Kh6 41. g4 a3 ½ : ½ Basso – Blohberger, GMT Banicky kahanec 2020, Bojnice 2020) 10. Bxg7 (10. 0-0-0 Δ 10. ... bxc4 11. h4⩲↑ Murey – Belkhodja, 6th OHRA International Tournament, Amsterdam 1987) 10. ... Kxg7 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Ba6. Black could sacrifice a second Pawn — quite in Morphy’s style — by 12. ... d5! 13. exd5 e4! with excellent compensation. 13. Nec3 exd4 14. Qxd4 Nc5 15. b4 Ne6 16. Qd2 c5? The exchange of Queens leaves White with a much better endgame. Probably best was 16. ... Qe7 and if 17. a4 then Black can effectively reply 17. ... c5 with good equalising chances. 17. bxc5 dxc5 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. a4 Nd4 20. Rc1 Nd7 21. Kf2 Ne5 22. Be2 Nxe2 23. Kxe2 Nd3 24. Rcd1 Bxb5 25. axb5 c4

26. g3? White groundlessly fears the check at f4, thus giving Black precious time to set up a defence. 26. Ra1 was simple and very strong, leaving White a Pawn ahead and with a winning endgame. 26. ... Ra3! 27. Nd5 Rda8? (27. ... f5!= Δ 28. b6 fxe4 29. fxe4 Nc5=) 28. b6? (28. Nb6+−) 28. ... Rb3 (28. ... Ne5!? 29. f4 Nd7) 29. Ra1 Rxa1 30. Rxa1 Nb4 (30. ... Ne5 31. Ra7 Nxf3 32. Rc7+−) 31. Nxb4 Rxb4 32. Ra6 Rb3

33. f4 (33. e5!) 33. ... h5 (33. ... Kf6!) 34. Kd2 (34. e5!) 34. ... Kh6? 34. ... Kf6! 35. e5+ Ke6 36. b7+ Kd7 37. Ra7 Ke6! looks drawish. 35. e5 Kg7 36. Kc2 Kg8. 36. ... Kf8 37. Ra8+ Ke7 38. Rb8 Kd7 39. b7 Kc6 40. Rc8+ Kxb7 41. Rf8 Rf3 42. Rxf7+ Kc6 43. Rf6+ Kc5 44. Rxg6 also leads to a won endgame for White. 37. Ra8+ Kg7 38. Rb8 Kh7 39. b7 Kg7 40. h3 Kh7 41. g4 Kg7 42. f5 gxf5 43. gxf5 h4 44. e6 Kf6 45. exf7 Kxf7 46. Rh8 1 : 0.

The Bavarian Gate

Matthias Blübaum – Pier Luigi Basso
Tegernsee Masters 2020; Bad Wiessee, October 31, 2020
Semi-Slav Defence D45

Italian Grandmaster Pier Luigi Basso debuted in the Tegernsee Masters 2020 with a draw against the top seeded Matthias Blübaum. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7 8. Bb2 Bd6 9. Bd3 0-0 10. 0-0 Re8 11. Rad1 Qc7 12. e4 dxc4 13. bxc4!?TN (13. Bxc4 b5 14. Bd3 e5 15. Ne2 g6 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Ng3 Rad8 18. Ng5 Qe7 19. Be2 Bc7 20. f4 Neg4 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. Qc3 Ba5 23. b4 Bb6+ 24. Kh1 Nf2+ 25. Rxf2 Bxf2 26. Qxf6 Qxf6 27. Bxf6 Bxg3 28. hxg3 h6 29. Nf3 Rxe4 30. Nd4 a5 31. Bf3 Re1+ 32. Kh2 axb4 33. Nxb5 ½ : ½ Helbich – Dolgov, Vilnis Strautins Memorial, by correspondence, 2018) 13. ... e5 14. d5 Nc5 15. Be2 a6 16. Nd2 cxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. exd5

18. ... e4 19. Kh1 Nfd7 20. Nb3 Nxb3 21. Qxb3 Nc5 22. Qh3 Be5 23. Bc1 Bf4 24. Bb2 Be5 25. Bc1 Bf4 26. Bb2 Be5 ½ : ½.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Photo: schach-tegernsee.de.

Meister des Tegernseer Hochaltars

Alexander Anatolyevich Donchenko – Alexandr Fier
Tegernsee Masters 2020; Bad Wiessee, October 31, 2020
King’s Indian Defence E97

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Be2 e5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 Nh5 10. Re1 f5 11. a4 Nf4. A questionable variation. 12. Bf1 fxe4 13. Nxe4 h6!? A novelty, but no improvement on 13. ... Bg4 14. Ra3 a5 15. bxa5 Rxa5 16. h3 Bd7 17. c5 which quickly led to a strategic win for White: 17. ... Bf5 18. cxd6 cxd6 19. Bd2 Rxd5 20. Bc4 Kh8 21. Bxd5 Nfxd5 22. Bg5 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Qc8 24. Rb3 Nf6 25. Bxf6 Rxf6 26. Reb4 Nc6 27. Rxb7 h6 28. Qd5 Kh7 29. a5 Nd4 30. Rb1 Nxf3+ 31. gxf3 h5 32. Kg2 Qf5 33. Qe4 Qg5+ 34. Kf1 Rf4 35. Qd5 Qf5 36. R7b4? (36. Ke2+−) 36. ... Qxh3+ 37. Ke2 Rf5? (37. ... e4! 38. R1b3 Rf5−+) 38. Rb7 e4 39. Rxg7+ Kxg7 40. Rb7+ Kh6 41. Qd2+ Rg5 42. Rf7 exf3+ 43. Rxf3 Qe6+ 44. Re3 Qc4+ 45. Rd3 Qe4+ 46. Re3 Qg4+ 47. Ke1 Qg1+ 48. Ke2 Qg4+ 49. Ke1 Qg1+ 50. Ke2 Qg4+ ½ : ½ P. H. Nielsen – Korobov, MrDodgy Invitational Blitz Knockout Blitz Chess Tournament, chess24.com, June 12, 2020, match game 1 (time control: 5 minutes without increment). 14. Ra3 g5. 14. ... a5 15. bxa5 Rxa5 16. Bd2 is also much better for White.

15. h4! gxh4 (15. ... g4 16. Nh2) 16. Nxh4 Nexd5 17. Ng6! Nxg6 18. Qxd5+ Kh8 19. c5! Of course, Black’s extra Pawn counts for nothing because of White’s overwhelming position (and Black’s shattered Kingside). 19. ... Ne7 20. Qd1 d5 21. Ng3 e4 22. Nh5 Nf5 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Rh3 Be6 25. f3 Kh7 26. Qd2 Qf6 27. fxe4 dxe4 28. Rxe4. Now Black cannot even console himself with a Pawn. 28. ... Rad8 29. Bd3 (Δ Re4xe6) 29. ... Kg8 30. Bb2 Qg6 31. Qe2 Ng3

32. Rxg3! A final brilliancy, leaving the stage to White’s Bishop pair. 32. ... Qxg3 33. Re3 Qg4 34. Rxe6 Qxe2 35. Bxe2 Rd2 36. Bc3 Rc2 37. Rg6+ Kh7 38. Rg7+ Kh8 39. Rg3+ 1 : 0.