Some interesting chess
An assortment of games from recent (and not so recent) tournaments that I was taking a look at earlier today, each with an instructive, interesting or humorous episode that I am certain my readers will find worthy. Enjoy!
Nice finish!
In the following game I am impressed with the surprisingly rapid demise of White’s King position, despite the apparent pawn fortress about the monarch. The reader should take note at how relatively simple tactical ideas can have such a devastating effect on the defence.
{
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #800000;">gm</span> Pourramezanali, A(<span style="color: #800000;">2510</span>) – <span style="color: #800000;">im</span> Mousavi, Seyed Khalil (<span style="color: #800000;">2412</span>)
Iran Championship 2017</strong></span></div>
}
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
7.Be3 Bf5 8.Nd4 Bg6 9.Qf3 c6 10.Nf5 O-O 11.O-O-O Nd7 12.h4 Ne5
13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Qf4 f6 15.Be2 Qe6 16.b3 a5 17.h5 Bf7 18.h6 g5
19.Qd4 a4 20.Kb2 Rfd8 21.f4 c5 22.Qd2 gxf4 23.Bxf4 axb3 {
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="border: ffffff solid; color: 000000; background-color: ffffff; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;"><strong>Black obviously stands better. His pieces are more active and White’s King is a cause of much concern.</strong></span></div>
}
24.axb3!{
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}
( 24.cxb3$4 Rxa2+!$19 ) c4! {
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;"><strong>A simple, but very strong move! Black threatens to capture on b3, but also sets up some tactical themes involving Nd3 check.</strong></span></div>
}
25.Bxe5 {
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<strong style="color: red;">There is no better</strong>} ( 25.b4$2 Nd3+! 26.Bxd3 cxd3 27.Qxd3
Qa2+ 28.Kc1 Bg6 29.Qd5+ Qxd5 30.Rxd5 Ra1+ {<strong style="color: red;">etc</strong>} )
( 25.Bh5 Bxh5!
( 25...cxb3$2 26.Bxf7+! {<strong style="color: red;">And the advantage changes sides</strong>} ) 26.Rxh5 d5! {<strong style="color: red;">threatening Qa6 in some lines</strong>} 27.Rhh1 {<strong style="color: red;">to be able to defend along the a-file</strong>}cxb3 28.cxb3 Nc4+! 29.bxc4
Qb6+ {<strong style="color: red;">winning easily</strong>} ) cxb3$3{
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} 26.Ra1 ( 26.Bd4$2 Ra2+!$18 ) bxc2 27.Qxc2 dxe5 {
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<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;"><strong>The smoke has cleared and things might not be so bad for White had it only been about the extra pawn that Black has, but infact there is nothing to do about the coming Qb6 check. Not surprisingly, the game is soon over.</strong></span></div>
} 28.Rxa8
Rxa8 29.c4 Qb6+ 0-1
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Kenneskog,T – Blomqvist,E Stockholm 2016 Black to play and win!
Mirzoev,A – Mammodov,Z Azerbaijan Ch 2011 White to play and win!
Guseinov,G – Bagirov,R Azerbaijan Ch 2011 White to play and win!
Focus on your priorities!
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” –Johann Wolfgan von Goethe
The following example is von Goethe’s advice in action. White has a clearly dominant game, an exchange up to boot, and has to make a decision: to defend against Black’s diversionary threats, or to ignore these threats and plow ahead, using the resources he has in the position, and try to impose his advantage.
White chooses the latter, and we spectators come out delighting in some clever tactics…
Alizadeh,G – Noroozi,O Iran Ch 2003
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3
Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 O-O 10.O-O-O Qc7 11.g4 Rc8 12.Kb1 Nbd7 13.g5
Nh5 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.exd5 a5 16.Bh3 a4 17.Nc1 a3 18.b3 g6 19.Ne2
Bf8 20.Bg4 Nf4 21.Nxf4 exf4 22.Bd4 Ne5 23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.Bxc8 Rxc8
25.c4 Bd6 26.h4 Qb6{
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<strong style="color: red;">Threatening to capture the c-pawn</strong> } 27.h5! {<strong style="color: red;">Ignoring the threat</strong>} Rxc4 28.hxg6 fxg6{
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} ({<strong style="color: red;">Worse still is</strong>} 28...hxg6$6 29.Qh2!
Kf8 30.Qh8+ Ke7 31.Qf6+ Kd7 32.Qxf7+ {<strong style="color: red;">and mate is not far off</strong>} ) 29.Rxh7$3 {
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} ({<strong style="color: red;">Precision and focus! It is still not too late to let Black back into the game</strong>} 29.Qh2$6 Rc7! 30.Rc1
Rxc1+ 31.Rxc1 Qd4$13 ) Rd4 ( 29...Kxh7 30.Rh1+ Kg8 31.Qh2 Kf7 32.Qh7+
Ke8 33.Qxg6+ Kd7 34.Rh7+ ) 30.Rdh1$3{
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<strong style="color: red;">Threatening mate in two!</strong>} Bf8 31.Qc2 Rxd5 32.Qc8 Qd6
33.Rh8+ Kf7 34.R1h7+{<strong style="color: red;">There is no escape.</strong>} 1-0
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