If you want to buy imported Emmentaler, just make yourself sure it is from Switzerland

Daniele Vocaturo – Yannick Pelletier
21st European Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, November 6, 2017
Caro-Kann Defence B13

In the last round of the 21st European Team Chess Championship Italy defeated Switzerland (2½ – 1½), and much credit goes to Daniele Vocaturo, who, on first board, played highly inspired brilliant chess: 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Nd2 e6 9. Ngf3 Bxf3 10. Nxf3 Be7 11. Ne5 Qc8 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Rae1. The alternative is 13. Qd1 Rd8 (better appears to be the immediate 13. ... Nxe5) 14. Re1 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. h4 with the initiative: 16. ... Nf8 17. h5 h6 18. Re3 f5 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Rg3 Kf7 21. Qf3 Qc5 22. Re1 Rac8 23. Be3 (23. Be5 seems even stronger) 23. ... Qd6 24. Bd4 Nd7 25. Qg4 e5 26. Qg6+ Kf8 27. Qh7 Nc5 28. Bf5 Rc7 29. Be3 Rf7 30. Bg6 Rc7 31. Rf3 Rdc8 32. Rd1 Ke7 33. Bxh6 Ne6 34. Bxg7 Bxg7 35. h6 Rh8 36. Rf7+ Kd8 37. hxg7 1 : 0 Tringov – Pomar Salamanca, International Tournament, Büsum 1968. 13. ... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Qc2 h6. Who knows, perhaps 15. ... g6 16. Bf4 Re8 might be a sounder formation. 16. Bf4 Re8 17. Re3 Qd8 18. Qe2 Bg5 19. Bxg5 Qxg5 20. f4 Qd8 21. g4! g6 22. Re1 Nf6 23. Rh3 h5? This doesn’t seem a good idea at all, allowing White to build up the most imposing attacking position. 23. ... Qc7(!) was a much better option for Black. 24. gxh5 Nxh5 25. Qg4 Ng7

26. Bxg6! This must be winning! You don’t need to calculate too much for knowing it. 26. ... fxg6 27. Qxg6 Re7. 27. ... Rf8 was probably more stubborn, but after 28. Qh7+ Kf7 29. Rg3 White (sooner or later) will breakthrough anyway. 28. Re5! (Δ Re5-h5-h8 mate) 28. ... Qe8 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Rh6! Threatening f4-f5. The rest comes easy. 30. ... Rf7 31. f5 Qa4 32. Re1 Rxf5 33. Rg6 Rf7 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxa8 Qb5 36. Qc8 1 : 0.

Vintage Superbrand

Yannick Pelletier – Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky
20th European Team Chess Championship; Reykjavík, November 22, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D46

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. 0-0 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. Ng5 h6 12. Nge4 Be7 13. a3 a5 14. Rd1 Qb6 15. Qe2. For 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bd2 e5 see So – Navara, Prague 2015, match game 4. 15. ... Nxe4 16. Bxe4 b4 17. Na4 Qc7 18. axb4 axb4 19. Bd2 c5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Nxc5 Nxc5 22. dxc5 Bxc5 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Qc4 Be7 25. Rc1 Qa6 26. g3 Qd6 27. Be1

27. ... g5! “Think Like a Grandmaster”. 28. e4 Bf8 29. Kg2 Qe5 30. b3 Rd8 31. Qe2 Rd4. “Train Like a Grandmaster”. 32. f3 g4! “Play Like a Grandmaster”. 33. Bf2 gxf3+ 34. Kxf3? After 34. Qxf3 Rxe4 White is down a Pawn; however, this would be the lesser evil. 34. ... Qh5+ 35. g4 Qh3+ 36. Bg3 h5!? Here 36. ... f5! looks even stronger. 37. Ke3? Pellettier’s last chance was the (unpleasant) Pawn-down ending by 37. gxh5 Qxh5+ 38. Kf2 Qxe2+ 39. Kxe2 Rxe4+ and so on. Now Black wins by force: 37. ... Rd8! 38. Qb5 Bh6+ 39. g5 Qg2! 0 : 1. For after 40. gxh6 Qd2+ 41. Kf3 Rd3+ Black wins everything.

Douglas Griffin (‏@dgriffinchess)

Garry Kimovich Kasparov vs. Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky
Photo: ChessPro.ru

10 Years

Yannick Pelletier – Hikaru Nakamura
31st European Chess Club Cup; Skopje, October 19, 2015
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 a5. It may look Nakamura suffers of the Pelletier Syndrome: 9. ... Nh5 10. Re1 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Bf3 c6 13. b5 h6 14. Ne6 Bxe6 15. dxe6 Qa5 16. Bb2 fxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Rxe4 d5 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Rxe5 Bxe5 21. Bxe5 Qxb5 22. Rb1 Qc6 23. Ba1 Rf4 24. g3 Rc4 25. Qd2 Qc5 26. Bf6 g5 27. Rxb7 Rc1+ 28. Kg2 Qc4 29. Qe2 Qxe2 30. Bxe2 Nf5 31. Bg4 1 : 0 Pelletier – Nakamura, 38th Internationales Schachfestival, Biel/Bienne 2005. 10. Ba3 b6 11. bxa5 Nh5 12. Nd2 Nf4 13. axb6!? A very well-founded theoretical novelty – then Yannik said he “had been waiting for ten years to use”. Such patience! 13. ... Rxa3 14. Nb5 Ra5 15. bxc7 Qd7 16. a4. Now White has three Pawns for the sacrificed Bishop with the strong positional threat of creating a centre/Queenside Pawn roller (c4-c5!). 16. ... Ba6. Nakamura decides to sacrifice the Exchange, with the hope of regaining some ground. It doesn’t turn out to be a good idea. 17. Nb3 Bxb5 18. cxb5 Qxc7. Otherwise b5-b6 follows. 19. Nxa5 Qxa5 20. g3 Nxe2+ 21. Qxe2 Bh6 22. Rfb1 Rb8

23. b6! A brilliant solution! What follows is more or less forced and Pelletier terminates the game in grand style. 23. ... Rxb6 24. Rxb6 Qxb6 25. a5 Qc5 26. Ra4 Kg7 27. a6 Nc8 28. Rc4 Qb5 29. Qa2 Nb6 30. Rc6 Na4 31. a7 Qa5 32. Kg2 Qxa7 33. Rc4 Bg5 34. Qxa4 Qb7 35. Rb4 Qc7 36. Qc6 Qa7 37. Qxd6 Be7 38. Qxe5+ 1 : 0.

Yannik Pelletier
Photo: Stefan Bohrer