Nice gory finish!
by
kevinspraggettonchess ·
October 17, 2018
The final attack in the game between gm Denes Boros (rated 2439) and fm Chris Yoo (rated 2402) played yesterday in the 2018 Fall Chess Classic in St.Louis was exceptional. Violent. Gory. And just what the spectators love to see…
gm Boros – fm Yoo St.Louis 16.10.2018
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4
Qb6 8.Bb3 e6 9.Qd2 Be7 10.O-O-O Nc5 11.f3 O-O 12.Kb1 Qc7 13.g4
b5 14.a3 Bd7 15.h4 Qb6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.g5 Be7 18.h5 a5 19.g6
b4$2 {[#]}({<strong style="color: black;">Black had to try</strong> } 19...h6!{<strong style="color: black;">with roughly equal chances</strong> })
20.h6$3{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: solid; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #000000;"><strong>So far the typical Sicilian ‘cut & thrust’ game, but White’s move is more than a glancing blow, and must have been calculated very precisely because I do not see a way for Black to escape.</strong></span>}
( 20.Nce2$6 h6!$13 )
( 20.axb4$6 axb4
( 20...Nxb3 21.Nxb3 axb4 22.h6! ) 21.Nd5! exd5 22.h6 hxg6 23.hxg7
Qa7 24.Rh8+ Kxg7 25.Qh6+ Kf6 26.Qh4+ Kg7$10 )
Bf6$5 {[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: solid; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Under the circumstances it is difficult to criticize this move as none of the alternatives are any better!</strong></span></div>
}
({<strong style="color: black;">A:</strong>} 20...bxc3 21.gxh7+
Kh8 22.hxg7+ Kxg7 23.h8=Q+! Rxh8 24.Rdg1+ {<strong style="color: black;">when mate is not far off</strong>} )
({<strong style="color: black;">B:</strong>} 20...hxg6 21.hxg7
Kxg7 22.Nf5+$3{[#]} exf5 23.Qh6+ Kf6 24.Nd5+ )
({<strong style="color: black;">C:</strong>} 20...fxg6 21.hxg7 Rf7
22.Rxh7!{[#]} bxc3 ( 22...Rxg7 23.Nd5! Qd8 24.Rxg7+ Kxg7 25.Rh1 ) 23.Qh6 {<strong style="color: black;">when mate is not far off</strong>} )
({
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: solid; color: #df3f3f; background-color: #f0f0f0; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>NOW BACK TO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THE GAME:</strong></span></div>
} )
21.Qh2!{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Clearly the strongest continuation, but not the only way to win:</strong> }
( 21.gxh7+ Kh8 22.hxg7+ Bxg7 23.Nce2 ( 23.Qg2$5 ) bxa3 24.Rdg1!
a4 25.Qg5! ) Rfb8{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: solid; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Once more it is difficult to criticize this move as none of the alternatives are any better!</strong></span></div>
}
({<strong style="color: black;">A:</strong>} 21...fxg6 22.hxg7 Bxg7 23.Qxh7+ Kf7 24.Rdg1 )
({<strong style="color: black;">B:</strong>} 21...Bxd4 22.Rxd4 Nxb3 23.gxh7+ {<strong style="color: black;">etc</strong>} )
22.hxg7{[#]} Bxg7 23.gxf7+{[#]}
({<strong style="color: black;">My computer prefers another winning line:</strong>} 23.Qxh7+ Kf8 24.gxf7 bxc3 25.Qg8+ Ke7 26.Qxg7 Rf8 27.Qg5+ Kxf7
28.Rh7+ ) Kxf7{[#]} 24.Nf5!{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Very pretty! White’s attack has many such ideas that throw his pieces forward.</strong>}
({<strong style="color: black;">Once more my computer prefers another winning line:</strong>} 24.Qf4+ Kg8 25.Rdg1 Rf8 26.Rxg7+ Kxg7
27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Qe7 )
bxc3{[#]} ( 24...Nxb3 25.Qh5+ Kf8 26.Qg5 exf5
27.Rxh7 ) 25.Qxh7{[#]} Rg8 ( 25...Ke8 26.Qxg7 Kd8 27.Rxd6 ) 26.Rhg1{[#]<strong style="color: black;">About here Black ‘forgot’ to resign, but was probably very short of time and did not have enough time to reflect. </strong> }
Ke8 27.Rxd6{[#]} ( 27.Qxg8+ Bf8 28.Nxd6+ ) Qb8 28.Nxg7+{[#]}
( 28.Rxg7 ) Kf8 29.Rxd7{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Very nice! Here Black finally resigned, but I give the likely concluding moves for the sake of completion.</strong>} Nxd7 30.Nxe6+{[#]} Ke8 31.Rxg8+ Nf8 32.Rxf8#{[#]} 1-0
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An excellently conducted attack by White, and one can not find any fault with Black’s play either: he simply found himself lost and could not save the game once White got h6 in.
That is the ‘thing’ about the Scilian Defence that many Black players often forget: the opening is risky and one small imprecision can be fatal.
