Youth in Revolt

Rainer Fritz Albert Knaak – Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov
8th World Senior Team Chess Championship 65+; Prague, March 10, 2020
Nimzo-Indian Defence E46

The Czech Republic, in new measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, closed schools indefinitely and banned events involving more than 100 people. Nevertheless, the 5th round of the 8th World Senior Team Championship, featuring many hundreds participants, seized its day through the escamotage of splitting the playing halls into smaller rooms and allowing no visitors. The “rearrangement” was apparently supervised by the Deputy Minister of Health of the Czech Republic Roman Prymula, who, besides being a chess master, is also an epidemiologist of international fame. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd2 b6 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. Nf3 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. 0-0 Nbd7 10. Rc1 a6 11. Ne5 Bd6. Theoretically speaking, it is probably better to go for 11. ... Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. a3 Be7 14. Qc2 Nxe5 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. f4 Ng4 17. Bf5 Nh6 18. Ne2 c5 19. Ng3 d4 20. Be4 Bxe4 21. Qxe4 Bf6 ½ : ½ Gligorić – Tal, 2nd European Team Chess Championship, Oberhausen 1961. 12. f4 c5 (12. ... Ne4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bc4→ Qe7 15. Be1 Kh8 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 Qe8 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. f5 f6 20. fxg6 Qg7 21. Qxh7+ Qxh7 22. gxh7 Kxh7 23. Bg3 Bxg3 24. hxg3 Rae8 25. Rf4 Re7 26. Kf2 1 : 0 Gligorić – Pirc, International Tournament, Zagreb 1955) 13. Qf3 b5 14. Bf5!?TN (14. Qh3 g6 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. f5→ Be7 17. fxg6 hxg6 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Bb1 Nd7 20. Ne2 b4 21. Nd4 Nf6 22. Nf5 Ne4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Qg3 Rc8 25. Rcd1 Qe8 26. Nd6 Bxd6 27. Qxd6 b3 28. axb3 Qe6 29. Qb4 Bc6 30. Bc3 Rcd8 31. Rxd8 Rxd8 32. Qb6 Qc8 33. h3 Rd5 34. Qb4 Qe8 35. Bd4 Bb5 36. Rc1 Rd8 37. Qc5 Bd7 38. Qg5 1 : 0 Smyslov – Bisguier, Match USSR–USA, Moscow 1955) 14. ... cxd4 15. exd4 Nb6 16. Be1 g6 17. Bb1 b4 18. Ne2 Ne4 19. f5 Qg5 20. f6? (20. Qh3! Qh5 21. Qe3→) 20. ... Rfe8? (20. ... Nd2!∞) 21. h4 Qh6 22. Ng4 Qf8 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Qe3 Nd5 25. Qg5 Rad8? There was nothing better here than 25. ... h5, though after 26. Ne5 it is anyway very hard for Black to defend himself. 26. h5 Re6 27. Bg3 Rd7 28. Be5 Qd8 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Nh6+ Kf8

31. Nf5! (Δ Qg5-h6+) 31. ... gxf5 32. Bxd6+ Rdxd6 33. Qg7+ Ke8 34. Qg8+ Kd7 35. Qxf7+ Ne7 36. fxe7 Qxe7 37. Qxf5 Rd5 38. Qh3 1 : 0.

International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess)

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

Yuri Sergeyevich Balashov – Sergio Mariotti
14th European Senior Team Chess Championship; Vienna, July 17, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D45

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Qc2 b6 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Bb7 11. Bf4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Nf6 13. Qe3 c5!? More enterprising than 13. ... Re8 14. Rad1 Qc8 15. h3 c5 16. Bg5 Qc7 17. Bf4 Qc8 18. Bg5 Qc7 ½ : ½ Shvedchikov – Živković, 11th European Senior Team Chess Championship, Rogaška Slatina 2012. 14. Rfd1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc8 16. a3 Re8 17. Rac1

17. ... e5! A very interesting Pawn sacrifice for the initiative! 18. Bxe5. Not 18. Qxe5?? Bc5 winning a piece. 18. ... Bd6 19. f4 Bxe5. Possibly a little too hasty. Also tempting was 19. ... Ng4 20. Bxg4 Qxg4 which results in Black quickly winning back his Pawn with satisfactory play. 20. fxe5 Qc5 21. b4 Qxe5? A grave error! Correct was 21. ... Rxe5 as 22. bxc5 (22. Qf4 Qe7 23. Bf3 Ne4 leads nowhere) 22. ... Rxe3 23. cxb6 axb6 24. Rb1 Rexa3 25. Rxb6 Be4 26. c5 Rc3 seems to give Black a tenable position. 22. Qxe5 Rxe5 23. c5. Now White’s pieces are very well placed to support the passed c-Pawn. 23. ... bxc5 24. bxc5 Rae8? From bad to worse. Comparatively best was 24. ... Bd5, although after 25. c6 Rc8 26. Ba6 Rc7 27. Rc5 White retains a crystal-clear advantage. 25. Bb5 Rf8 26. c6 Bc8 27. c7 Re7 28. Re1. Balashov finishes the game with perfect technique. 28. ... Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Nd5 30. Rc1 a6 31. Be2 Re8 32. Bf3 Nf6. 32. ... Nf4 is equally met by 33. Nc6. 33. Nc6 Kf8 34. Na7 1 : 0.

Sergio Mariotti
Photo: Österreichischer Schachbund