Played this week!
While everyone’s attention naturally is glued to the Sinquefield Cup taking place right now in St. Louis, there are dozens of other interesting tournaments taking place elsewhere, no less worthy of consideration. St. Louis might objectively feature the most ‘correct’ chess, but not necessarily the most creative.
The following miniature was played at the British Championship in Llandudno , Wales. (This game is reproduced with the RPB plugin; just click on any move and a popup board will appear that can be placed to the side, resized, or as the reader wishes)
gm Pert,N – Gallagher,DBritish_Ch 29.7.2017
[Annotator "Spraggett"]
[Source ""]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 e6 4.c4 b5$5{
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>The timeless <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blumenfeld_Gambit">Blumenfeld Gambit</a>! The brainchild of the Russian master Benjamin Blumenfeld (1884 to 1947), born just 47 days before the death of Paul Morphy, this sharp gambit is a cross between the present day Benko Gambit and the Modern Benoni. When Alekhine employed it in his famous <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012085">victory</a> against Tarrasch in 1922, the opening started to attract the attention of the theorists. Today the Blumenfeld Gambit is a frequent visitor to tournaments of all levels and has defied outright refutation.</strong></span></div>
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}
5.e4$5{
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;"><strong>Sharp! Countering Black’s gambit with a counter-gambit of his own, White hopes to fight for the initiative right from the start! This move (5.e4) is not so often played, though it is known to the theorists and is only occasionaly seen in grandmaster praxis. The final word on its merits is still long from being uttered. However, the move is very tricky and if Black is not careful he can land into hot water, as happens in this game.</strong></span></div>
} Nxe4{
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The theoretical recommendation – accepting White’s gambit – but I have my doubts.} ( {Safer seems} 5...bxc4 6.Nc3
Bb7 {and this is what I would try} ( 6...exd5$6 7.e5 {!} ) ) 6.Bd3{
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Now Black has to make a very important decision about his Knight, and it is not evident what he should do. The options include retreating the Knight to f6 or to d6, with or without first exchanging on d5.</strong></span></div>
} Nf6
({<strong style="color: red;">A:</strong> } 6...Nd6$5 7.cxb5 Bb7
( 7...exd5 {?!} 8.O-O Be7 9.Re1 O-O 10.Nc3 Bb7 11.Nxd5 Bxd5 12.Bxh7+
Kxh7 13.Qxd5 )
( 7...a6 8.b6! {is strong} ) 8.Nc3 a6 9.b6 Be7 10.O-O exd5
11.Bf4 O-O 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Qxd5 Qxb6 15.Rae1 Nc8
16.Qxa8 Nc6 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.Bxe5 Bf6 19.Qf3 Bxe5 20.Rxe5 Qxb2
21.Rxc5 Kg8 22.Qc3 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Bluebaum,M 2530 – Hoolt,S 2332 , Dortmund GER 15/ 3/2015 Bundesliga 2014-15</strong> }
)
({<strong style="color: red;">B:</strong> } 6...Qa5+$6 {has a very bad reputation} 7.Nbd2 Nf6 8.O-O d6 9.dxe6 fxe6 10.Re1 Be7 11.Ng5 Nc6 12.Qf3 Qc7 13.cxb5 Ne5 14.Rxe5 dxe5 15.Qxa8 O-O 16.Qc6 Qd7 17.Bc4 Nd5 18.Ndf3 h6 19.Qxd7 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Jakhin Rashid (RUS) – Popov Luben (BUL) 2300 , Frunze 1964 Ch URS (team) (1/2 final)</strong>} )
( {<strong style="color: red;">C:</strong> }6...exd5$5 7.cxd5 Nd6 8.O-O Be7 9.Bf4! O-O 10.Nc3
( {Also promising is }10.Re1 c4 11.Bc2 Bb7 12.Nc3 a6 13.Qe2 Nc8 14.Bxb8 Rxb8 15.Qe5
d6 16.Bxh7+ Kxh7 17.Qh5+ Kg8 18.Rxe7 g6 19.Qh6 Qxe7 20.Ng5 f6
21.Ne6 Nb6 22.Qxg6+ Kh8 23.Re1 Rf7 24.Re3 Rh7 25.Nf4 Qf7 26.Qe4
Rg8 27.Qd4 Nd7 28.Ne4 Ne5 29.Nxd6 Qd7 30.Rxe5 Qxd6 31.Re6 Qd8
32.Rxf6 Rgg7 33.Ne6 Qb8 34.Rf8+ Qxf8 35.Nxf8 Rh6 36.f3 Kg8 37.Ne6
Rd7 38.Qf4 Rg6 39.Qb8+ Kf7 40.Qf8# {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Kleiminger Poul 5 – Wennerwald P 2200 , Espergaerde 1974 Tournament</strong> }
) b4 11.Bxd6 Bxd6 12.Ne4 Be7 13.d6 Bf6 14.Qc2 Na6 15.Qa4 Nb8
16.Nxc5 a5 17.Qc2 g6 18.Be4 Ra7 19.Bd5 Bg7 20.Rfe1 Kh8 21.Re7
Qb6 22.Ne4 f6 23.Qc5 Ra6 24.Rc1 Bb7 25.Qc4 Bxd5 26.Qxd5 a4 27.Rf7
Rd8 28.Nfg5 Ra5 29.Rxg7 fxg5 30.Qf7 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Gasztonyi Endre (HUN) 2295 – Forintos Gyozo V (HUN) 2340 , Budapest 1964 Ch Budapest</strong> }
{
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: ffffff solid; color: 000000; background-color: ffffff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>It is clear from the above examples of praxis in this variation that rapid development by White creates difficulties for Black. Especially, the open e-file only favours White, who can put his Rook there first. Though it is too complex a task to say with any certainty, my impressions are that theory’s recommendation of capturing on e4 are a bit optimistic.</strong></span></div>
}
) 7.Nc3{
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} Be7{
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} ( {It is still not too late to bail out with a safer, but also pleasant for White,alternative:} 7...bxc4 8.Bxc4 Ba6$5 9.Bxa6 Nxa6 10.O-O Nb4
( 10...Qc8 11.Bg5! ) 11.Bg5! ) ( 7...exd5 8.cxd5 {would transpose into lines considered at move 6} ) 8.O-O{
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}
( 8.Nxb5$5 ) exd5 9.cxd5{
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} b4$6{
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} ( {There are only unpleasant options}9...O-O 10.Bxb5 d6 11.Re1 )
( 9...c4$2 10.d6! Bxd6 11.Be4! {winning} ) 10.d6!{
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: ffffff solid; color: 000000; background-color: ffffff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Now there is no saving Black! White’s forceful play gives Black no opportunity to safely castle, and the game will now revolve around a direct attack against Black’s exposed King.</strong></span></div>
} Bxd6{
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} ( 10...bxc3 11.Re1! Nc6
12.Bb5 Rb8 13.Bxc6 dxc6 14.Rxe7+ Kf8 15.bxc3{Black is helpless} Be6 16.Ne5 Nd5 17.Rxe6
fxe6 18.Qf3+ Nf6 19.Bg5 Kg8 20.Rd1 ) 11.Be4!{
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} ( {Equally crushing is}11.Ne4 Be7 12.Nxf6+gxf6 ( 12...Bxf6 13.Re1+ Kf8 14.Be4 Nc6 15.Ng5 ) 13.Re1 ) Nxe4
( 11...bxc3 12.Bxa8 Be7 13.bxc3 O-O 14.Rb1 ) 12.Nxe4 Be7 {
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} 13.Nd6+{
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}
Kf8{
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} ( 13...Bxd6 14.Qxd6 Nc6 15.Re1+ Ne7 16.Nh4! ) 14.Bg5!{
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: ffffff solid; color: 000000; background-color: ffffff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>One can only express empathy with how Black must have felt around here. Fortunately, the end is quick.</strong></span></div>
} Bxg5
( 14...f6 15.Bf4 ( 15.Re1 fxg5 16.Qd5 Bxd6 17.Qxd6+ Kg8 18.Qd5+
Kf8 19.Nxg5 ) Nc6 16.Qd5 ) ( 14...Nc6 15.Qd5 ) 15.Qd5! Qf6{
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: ffffff solid; color: 000000; background-color: ffffff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Here Black stopped the clock without waiting for White’s reply. Continuing would have been masochistic. Both players deserve credit for such an entertaining struggle! And theory moves on one notch…</strong></span></div>
} 16.Rae1
g6 17.Re8+ Kg7 18.Nxg5 1-0
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