A cute miniature!
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
It is not often that a grandmaster gets mated in the middle of the board! While this game is only a rapid game (15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move), it is still very instructive and features one grandmaster crushing another grandmaster with some blistering tactical play! Played this past weekend at the 22nd Keres Memorial Tournament in Tallin. Enjoy!
POSITION AFTER 12 MOVES
gm FRIDMAN
gm SVESHNIKOV
13. Bxh6!
Accepting the sacrifice is no defence: 13…PxB 14.Qg6! and Black only has lemons left as way of replies. The truth is that while there is no good defence Black can still suffer for a long time with 13… Rxf3!? 14. Bxg7+! Kxg7 (14… Kg8 15. gxf3 loses quickly) 15. Qg4 Kh6 (15… Kf7? 16. Qxf3 Ke8 17. Qh5 etc) 16. gxf3 d6 17. Qf4 Qg5 18. Qxg5 Kxg5 19. Nxc7 with a lost ending. The Black Knight on h1 is trapped in the corner…
Fridman wanted to save his dignity:
13…d6
Black tries to quickly mobilize his pieces
14. Bg5! Qe8 15. Qh4+! Kg7
16. Ne7+ Kf7
White now has a mate in three: 17. Qc4+! Be6 (17… d5 18. e6+ Bxe6 19. Ne5mate) 18. Qf4+ Bf5 19. Qxf5 mate
INSTEAD SVESHNIKOV GIVES MATE IN FIVE MOVES!
17. Qh5+ Ke6 18. Qg4+ Kf7 19. e6+
It is mate in two moves!
1-0
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Evgeny Sveshnikov (born 1950) is a well known grandmaster, opening theoretician and chess author. He lives in Latvia. His name honors a popular line of the Sicilian defence…curiously he no longer plays it!