Chess leagues are coming to a close. The Schach Bundesliga is almost over, as they just wait for the tie-breaking match between Baden-Baden and Solingen later this month. The English 4NCL (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) has just concluded with Guildford 1 champs. The other major team championship, France’s Top 12, will be played at the end of the month. The Russian team just concluded in Sochi, with the Bronze Horsemen from St. Petersburg champions.
Today’s game comes from the Russian Team Championship. It’s a first-board game between two of Russia’s most promising young players, Vladislav Artemiev and Daniil Dubov. In the game, Artemiev plays a very attractive exchange sacrifice, which on the surface gave him endless play. Dubov defends poorly, allowing an attractive victory for Artemiev.
2018 Russian Team Championship, Sochi, RUS
Vladislav Artemiev (2704) - Daniil Dubov (2696)
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 The closed Sicilian. Yet another way of avoiding theory/preparation 2...Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nh3 Nge7 8.0–0 0–0 9.f4 exf4 10.Nxf4 b5 11.a3 b4?! This strikes me as a little too ambitious here. 11…Rb8 is better 12.axb4 cxb4 13.Ncd5 Bxb2!? 14.d4!? A nice positional sacrifice of an exchange and a pawn. With proper defense it seems to lead to equal positions, but Black needs to do a lot of work to get there. For the material White gets a strong center, good pieces, and very dangerous play on the black squares around Black's king. 14...Bxa1 15.Nf6+ Kh8 15...Kg7 is the natural move but it seems to be too exposed there. 15...Kg7 16.Qxa1 Qa5 17.Qd1 Ba6 18.Rf2 Ng8 18.N4h5+! Kg8 19.e5 16.Qxa1 Qa5 Please, exchange queens! 17.Qd1 Ng8?! A strange move. Black looks for simplification but at the cost of time and loss of d5 influence. The computers like 17...Ba6 18.Rf3 Bc4, keeping an eye on d5 with a dynamic equality. 18.N4d5 Be6 Not a great square for the bishop as it runs into d5 forking ideas. 18...Nxf6 19.Nxf6 Ba6 20.Rf4 Kg7 19.Nxg8 Rxg8 20.Bg5 Rg7 20...h5 21.Qd2 With the very sneaky threat of Bd8 and Qh6# 21...b3 22.Qf4 Qa4 23.Bh4 Kh7 24.Nf6+ Kg7 25.Nxg8 Rxg8 26.d5 is winning; 20...Rge8 21.Bf6+ Kg8 22.Qd2 Nxd4 23.Qh6 Nf5 24.exf5 Qc5+ 25.Kh1 and there is no way to stop mate on g7 21.Bf6 At least now he gets back the exchange but there is that question of Black's extra pawn. 21...Rag8 22.Ne3! Qb6 23.Qd2 Na5 24.h4?! 24.Rb1! b3? Simplification with Nc4 seems best here; 24...Nc4 25.Nxc4 Bxc4 26.Rf2 a5 27.d5 Bb5 28.e5 dxe5 29.Bxe5 Re8 30.Bd4 Qd6 with a small advantage for White. 25.Rb1 b2 25...Nc4 26.Nxc4 Bxc4 27.cxb3 d5 28.e5 a5 29.Rb2 Rb8 30.Qf4 is better for White 26.c4 Rb8? 26...Nxc4 Is Black’s best chance 27.Nxc4 Bxc4 28.Rxb2 Bb5 29.Kh2 a6 30.Qf4 Re8 31.Rf2 Reg8 32.d5 Qc7 33.e5 dxe5 34.Bxe5 Qe7 35.d6 Qe6 36.Qd4 Qc4 37.Qxc4 Bxc4 38.Bf6 Be6 39.Rd2 Rf8 40.d7 Bxd7 41.Rxd7 is winning 27.Kh2 Qb4 28.Qf2 Nxc4 29.Nxc4 Bxc4 30.d5! Not only is the Black bishop cut off from f7, b2 is a goner and then White's rook has access to an open file with which to torment Black further. 30...Qb6 31.Rxb2 Bb3 Sadly necessary as 31...Bb5 32.Bd4 Qb7 33.Bxa7 f5 34.Bxb8 Qxb8 35.exf5 Kg8 36.f6 Rf7 37.Bh3 Qe8 38.Be6 Bd7 39.Bxf7+ Kxf7 40.Re2 wins 32.Qe1 Qb4 33.Qa1! A clever move. The threat is 34.Bxg7+ Kxg7 and then 35.Rxb3+ 33...Rbg8 34.Qxa7 Qc4 35.Qxf7 Black’s now in zugzwang. If 35…Bishop anywhere 36.Rb8 wins or 35...Qb4 36.Bh3 Qb8 37.Be6 Qf8 38.Qxg8+ Qxg8 39.Bxg8 Kxg8 40.Bxg7 Bd1 41.Bh6. So, Black gave up; 1–0
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
