The Challenger section of Tata Steel (www.tatasteelchess.com) is very entertaining. After five rounds, there have been 24 decisive games from a total of 35 played. Compared with other major events, this is an amazing winning percentage. The current leader, Austrian Markus Ragger, is 4.5/5. American Junior Champion, Jeffrey Xiong, stands very well in third place with 3.5/5. The other North American representative, Canadian, Eric Hansen, stands in just eighth with 2.5/5 points.
Today’s game is Hansen’s fourth-round victory over the current Dutch champion and the great hope of Dutch chess, 18-year-old Jorden Van Foreest. Hansen really needed this win, as he had lost a particularly bad game as black the round before to Ragger. In a sharp line of the Sicilian, Van Foreest plays some indifferent moves and falls victim to an entertaining attack.
79th Tata Steel, Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands
Eric Hansen (2603) - Jorden Van Foreest (2612)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4?! 3.d3! heading into the King’s Indian Attack is preferred :)
3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 The Taimanov variation of the Sicilian, one of Mark Taimanov’s many contributions to the game.6.Be3 The most popular choice here. The other major choice is 6.Be2 6...a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0–0–0 Bb4 9.f3 0–0 9...Ne5 is more common. Often in the Taimanov, Black waits a long while before castling so as to get his queenside counterplay going in order to distract White from mating him. 10.Kb1 10.g4 right away is the main line. 10...b5 10...d5! changes the nature of the game and puts the question to 10.Kb1 as 10.g4 would allow White to play 11.g5 in answer to 10...d5. 11.g4 Bb7 12.g5 Nh5?! I tend to think that 12...Ne8 was required as this knight on the rim will be a constant problem. 13.a3 Be7 14.Nb3 Rfd8? Perhaps the losing move as after White’s next Black becomes very disorganized, allowing White a free hand on the Kingside. 14…Ne5! 15.Qf2! Rdb8 The computer suggests the exchange sac with 15...Nf4 but after 16.Bb6 Qe5 17.Bxd8 Rxd8 18.Qb6 White is still better but not getting mated anytime soon. 16.Bb6 Qc8 17.h4 Bd8?! Black needs to keep this bishop. Something active like 17…b4 or 17…Ne5 is vastly better.18.Bxd8 Qxd8 19.Bh3 Now, Bg4 is an idea. Another idea is 19.Nc5 when after 19…d6 20.f4 Qb6 21.Rxd6 Rd8 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.f5 exf5 24.exf5 Nf4 25.N3e4 it’s messy but White should be better. 19...Nf420.Qd2!? Nxh3 21.Rxh3 Qb6 Defending d7 indirectly (22.Qxd7? Rd8) but what about his king? 22.g6! The assault begins and with all of Black’s pieces on the other side of the board. 22...fxg6 23.h5 Qd8?! Sinking without a trace. His last chance for defending is 23...Ne5. The lines are messy but he can keep playing for a while, 24.hxg6 Nxg6 25.Qh2 Nf8 26.Rh1 Rc827.Rxh7 Nxh7 28.Qxh7+ Kf7 29.Qh5+ Kf6 (29...Kg8 30.Qg6 Qd8 31.Na5 Bc6 32.Nxc6 Rxc6 33.e5) 30.e5+ Ke7 31.Qg5+ Kf7 32.Rg1 Rg8 and there is still life in Black for the moment. 24.hxg6 h6 25.Nc5 Ne5 25...Bc8? 26.Nxe6 Qf6 27.Nf4 26.f4 Nxg6 27.Rg1 Qf6 27...Nf8 28.f5 Kh7 29.Nxb7 Rxb7 30.Qg2 g6 31.fxg6+ Kg7 32.Qd2 28.Rhg3 Nf8 28...Nxf4 29.Nxd7 Qf7 30.Rxg7+ Qxg7 31.Rxg7+ Kxg7 32.Nxb8 Rxb8 33.Qxf4 29.Nxd7 Nxd7 30.Qxd7 g5 31.fxg5 Qe5 32.gxh6+ Kh8 33.Rg7 As there is no good defense to 34.Rh7+ Qxh7 35.Qd4+ mating, Black resigned; 1–0
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.