Part I
Dmitri Svetushkin’s style of play was very attractive to the general chess public. He was not just an attacker, he was a brilliant attacker.
Many of his best efforts sparkle and inspire. Still others leave the spectator with a sense of awe…Dmitri could demolish any obstacle in his way.
Below are just a few of his games that have impressed me. Over the coming weeks and months I will add to this collection. For today, let’s just call this Part I.
Let’s get started!
gm Svetushkin,D – Ionescu,Irina
I like this game because it is so typical of Svetushkin’s forceful style of play. He starts to attack almost from the opening, castling long, and then for the rest of the game Dmitri lets nothing get in his way! Black must surely have felt relieved when she resigned…
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.f3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Nc3 O-O 6.Qd2 e5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 7.O-O-O ({<strong style="color:black;">White avoids the ‘normal’ </strong> } 7.Nge2 exd4 8.Nxd4 d5!{<strong style="color:black;">as Black gets messy counterplay </strong> } )
exd4 8.Bxd4{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Nc6 9.Be3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Be6 10.g4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Svetushkin has a clear attacking plan. In this game he is relentless</strong>} Ne5 11.Bh6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Ne8{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black is already in trouble.</strong>} 12.h4 Bxh6 13.Qxh6
Qf6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 14.Qe3 (14.h5 g5!) c6 15.g5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Qh8{[#] <strong style="color:red;">An awkward place for the Queen, but the King does not mind! Besides, what better piece to defend the King?</strong>} 16.f4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Nc4 17.Bxc4 Bxc4{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 18.e5!{<strong style="color:black;"> This strong move wins squares for the White pieces to enter Black’s camp and blocks the Black Queen</strong> } dxe5 19.fxe5
Bd5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 20.Rxd5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Typical Svetushkin! The Bishop was in his way!</strong>} cxd5 21.Nxd5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This Knight is a killer. It shall soon be joined by his brother…</strong>} h5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">To make room for the King, but there is no good defence already.</strong>} 22.gxh6 Rd8 23.Ne7+ Kh7 24.Nf3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} f6
25.h5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black resigns.It is soon mate.</strong>} 1-0
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gm Svetushkin,D – gm Lazarev, V Roquetas de Mar (ESP) 5.1.2014(1-0)
What I wrote in the previous game is amplified 10 times here! Wave after wave of attacking moves. Grandmaster Lazarev has rarely been beaten so convincingly.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">One of Dmitri’s favourite opening variations</strong>} Qb6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Lazarev tries to avoid theory. The move is not so bad, Korchnoi having played it successfully several times.I confess that I have also tried it…</strong>} 4.Nc3 e6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Planning to bring in the other Knight via e7</strong>} 5.Bxc6$5 bxc6 6.O-O Ne7 7.e5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Now that White has castled, he goes about drumming up attacking chances.</strong>}
Ng6 8.h4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">See last comment! Black just wants to castle, but his opponent makes his life difficult</strong>} h5 9.b3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A good idea. The Bishop on this diagonal will play a very important role in the game.</strong>} Be7 10.Ne4 f6 11.Bb2 Kf7{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Not the kind of move one wants to play, but there is little better.</strong>} 12.exf6 gxf6 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 13.Nfg5+!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The fun begins!</strong>}
Kg7 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">Capturing the Knight does not help: </strong> } 13...fxg5 14.Bxh8! Nxh8 ( 14...g4 15.Bc3 ) 15.Qxh5+{<strong style="color:black;">with a winning attack </strong> } )
14.Ng3{<strong style="color:black;">The Black h-pawn is not long for this world. Worse still, White’s attack will be strengthened when the Knight gets to occupy h5. </strong> }
e5$5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Blocking the Bishop on b2. This decision that did not come easily, as it does not help develop Black’s game, but sometimes it is necessary to make such concessions. </strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Lazarev probably saw that after the logical </strong> } 14...Kf8 15.N5e4 e5 {<strong style="color:black;"> White has the super strong</strong> } 16.f4!{<strong style="color:black;"> leading to a winning attack</strong> } Nxf4 17.Nxf6 Bxf6 18.Rxf4 exf4
19.Bxf6 c4+ 20.Kh1 fxg3 21.Qe2 )
15.Nxh5+{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Logical</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">It was later discovered that </strong> } 15.Nf5+$5 Kf8 16.f4!{<strong style="color:black;">is even stronger, and is actually very similar to what happens later in this game! </strong> } )
Kf8 16.Ne4 f5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Trying to chase away White’s pieces, but a nasty surprise awaits Lazarev…</strong>} 17.f4!!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Forcing the center to explode! The curious thing is that this remarkable move actually works!</strong>} c4+ {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">After </strong> } 17...fxe4 18.Qg4! c4+ 19.Kh1 Rh6 20.Bxe5!{<strong style="color:black;">White’s attack is unstoppable. </strong> }
( 20.fxe5+ Kg8 21.Qf5$16 ) )
18.Kh1 d5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">If nothing else, Black’s centre is very impressive! The problem is that Svetushkin’s pieces refuse to go away…</strong>} 19.fxe5 dxe4 20.e6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Rg8 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">There is nothing better</strong>}
( 20...Bxe6 21.Bxh8 Nxh8 22.Qg4! Bf6 23.Rxf5!! )
21.Rxf5+{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> About the same thing is</strong> } 21.Qg4 Nxh4 22.Rxf5+! )
Ke8{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The Black King tries to get away, but there is a price to pay for it…</strong>} 22.Nf6+! Bxf6 23.Rxf6 Qc5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 23...Rh8 24.g3!$18 ) 24.Qg4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Ne7 25.Raf1!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Merciless! </strong>} Kd8 26.Rf8+ Rxf8 27.Rxf8+
Kc7 28.Qg7!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White’s game is completely winning. Besides, Black is already short of time…</strong>} cxb3 29.axb3! Bb7? 30.Be5+!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black resigns. He loses his Queen.</strong>} 1-0
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To be continued in Part II
