Between Scylla and Charybdis

Boris de Greiff – Boris Vasilievich Spassky
1st José Raúl Capablanca Memorial; Havana, 1962
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bf4 Bg4 4. e3 e6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Ne5 Nxe5 7. Bxe5 Bxe2 8. Qxe2 c6. The reference book also contemplates 8. ... Nd7 ½ : ½ L. Ortega – Godena, 1st International Open Capo d’Orso, Porto Mannu 2007. 9. 0-0 Be7 10. Nd2 0-0 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. c4 Be7 13. Rfc1? I don’t like the opening play by de Greiff, but it’s just my taste. Here, however, White certainly uses the wrong Rook to occupy the c-file! 13. ... Bd6 14. c5. White seems strategically confused, caught between the Scylla and Charybdis dilemma, while Spassky hits the time for strengthening his own position, starting from the centre. 14. ... Bc7 15. f4 f6! 16. Qg4 Qe7 17. Rf1 e5 18. fxe5 fxe5 19. Rxf8+ Rxf8 20. Rf1

20. ... Re8! A very bright and elegant mind: Black takes control of the e-file. Almost forever. 21. Kh1 Qe6 22. Qf3 Bd8! The Bishop is surrounding the d4-Pawn. 23. b4. 23. dxe5 Bc7 is far from satisfactory, but it seems a bit more tenacious than the untimed text move. 23. ... Bf6 24. Nb3 exd4 25. exd4 Qe2 26. Qf4 Qc4 27. g4 h6 0 : 1. White’s Queenside is falling apart, while the Black Rook is eager to penetrate along the e-file. Nothing worse could have happened to a Spassky’s admirer such was de Greiff!

Seated: Boris de Greiff (left) vs. Boris Vasilievich Spassky (right). Standing on left, Ernesto Che Guevara is watching the game. Photo: Oud Zuylen.

The Thinker

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk – Zoltán Almási
51th Capablanca Memorial; Varadero, June 10, 2016
Torre Attack A46

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bh4 c5 5. c3 d5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Nbd2 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. Bd3 0-0 10. Qe2. For 10. 0-0 Nh5 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Re1 Nf4 13. Bc2 b6 14. Nf1 Ba6 15. Ne3 Qd6 see Sorokin – Lisitsin, 7th USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1931. 10. ... Nh5 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Qe3 Rb8 13. 0-0 Qf6 14. g3 Bd7 15. Ne5 Qe7 16. f4 Nf6 17. Rae1 Rfc8? The wrong Rook on the wrong file – almost a record. 18. g4! Ivanchuk exploits the special features of this kind of “Pillsbury Formation” through a quite thematic Pawn sacrifice. 18. ... Nxe5 19. fxe5 Nxg4 20. Qg3 h5 21. Re2 f5? Black was probably helpless anyway, but after the text matters worsened dramatically. 22. exf6 Nxf6 23. Ref2 Ng4. 23. ... Rf8? 24. Rxf6! doesn’t work at all, while if 23. ... Kh8 there might follow 24. Nf3! with devastating threats. 24. Rf7 Qg5 25. Rxd7 Rf8. Also after the immediate 25. ... Qxd2 26. Rff7 White must win.

26. h4! The very pretty start of the mating attack. 26. ... Qxd2 27. Rxg7+! The pointe. 27. ... Kh8. If 27. ... Kxg7 then 28. Qc7+ and mate in two moves. 28. Rxg4 hxg4 29. Qe5+ Kg8 30. Qxe6+ Kh8 31. Qe5+ Kg8 32. Qxd5+ 1 : 0.

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk

Small Steps

Pavel Eljanov – Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
50th Torneo Internacional Capablanca in Memoriam; Havana, June 15, 2015
Grünfeld Defence D92

“Poco después concluyó el duelo de Eljanov ante Nepomniachtchi. El ucraniano llevó figuras claras y afrontó la defensa Grünfeld planteada por su oponente. En la jugada 20 ganó el peón de d5 y el resto no fue complicado, sobre todo después de pasar el peón por la columna ‘c’. En el movimiento 35, el ruso inclinó su rey”, Miguel Ernesto Gómez Masjuán wrote in his Mi Columna Deportiva.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. Rc1 Be6 7. e3 c5 8. dxc5 Nc6 9. Ng5 Qa5 10. Nxe6 fxe6 11. Be2 Ne4 12. 0-0 Bxc3!? Most theoreticians would probably regard this as a sideline, but if 12. ... Nxc3 then 13. bxc3 Qxc5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Rb1 and White stands better, García González – Milos, Havana 1986. 13. cxd5! Sharper and more effective than 13. bxc3 Nxc3 14. Qd2 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Dxc5 16. cxd5 Qxd5 17. Rfd1 Qf5 18. Rd7 Rac8 19. Rxb7 g5 20. Rc7 gxf4 21. R1xc6 Rxc7 22. Rxc7 f3 23. gxf3 Rf6 24. Qd1 Rg6+ 25. Kh1 Qg5 26. Qf1 Qh5 27. Qd1 Qg5 28. Qf1 Qh5 ½ : ½ Knudsen – Brinck-Claussen, 72nd Danish Chess Championship, Aarhus 1981. 13. ... Rad8 14. Qc2 exd5 15. bxc3 Nxc5 16. Rfd1

16. ... Qa4? A serious error which, after the exchange of Queens, implies the (decisive) loss of the valuable d5-Pawn. After 16. ... e6 17. h4! White has the upper hand, but Black can still defend. 17. Qxa4 Nxa4 18. Bg4 Rf6. If 18. ... Kf7 then 19. Bc7 Nb2 20. Rf1! with advantage to White. 19. Bf3 Kg7 20. Rxd5 Rxd5 21. Bxd5. The Pawn has finally fallen and Eljanov quite easily gets to convert it into a win. 21. ... Rf5 22. c4 Nb6 23. g4! Rf8 24. Rb1 e5 25. Bg3 Kf6 26. Rb5 Re8 27. h4 h6 28. Rc5 Nb4 29. Bxb7 Nxa2 30. Ra5 Nb4 31. c5 Nc4. It makes no difference 31. ... N6d5 32. c6 and Black is helpless. 32. Rb5 a5 33. c6 Nd6 34. Rxa5 g5 35. Rc5 1 : 0.

Pavel Eljanov vs. Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Photo: Fernando Medina / Cubahora