TWIC is 30. First issue 17th September 1994.
AAI GM 2011 (7)
Wesley So's fine finish against Laznicka
IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 2nd July 2011
Malcolm Pein looks at a nice finish from Wesley So against Viktor Laznicka.
The younger generation at the AAI GM tournament in Delhi have been attacking with abandon, so much so that in the first three rounds of the six player double round all play all, there was only one draw. The Women's World Champion Hou Yifan of China took five rounds to get off the mark. With two games to play, Fabiano Caruana led and there had only been seven draws in 24 games.
Wesley So finished with a flourish here, see if you can find the winning move.
W So - V Laznicka
Queen's Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.Qc2 Nf6 7.e3 Nh5 8.Be5 Nd7 9.Be2 Nxe5!? 10.dxe5 g6 11.Bxh5 gxh5 12.0-0-0 f6 13.e4!
(13.Nf3 fxe5 14.Nxe5 0-0 15.f4 Bd6 was fine for Black in Grischuk-Aronian Candidates Kazan 2011)
13...d4 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Nf3 Bg4
(15...0-0 16.Ne2 c5!?)
16.Ne2 Qa5 17.Kb1 c5!?
(17...0-0-0 18.Nfxd4 Bxd4 19.Rxd4 Bxe2 20.Rxd8+ Rxd8 21.Qxe2 Rd2 was probably better)
18.Nf4 0-0 19.h3 Bd7 20.Nxh5 Rae8 21.Nd2 Bh4 22.f4 c4 23.g4 d3 24.Qc1 b5
Viktor Laznicka
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Wesley So
Position after 24...b5
A crazy position. Both sides have imposing pawn rollers but White has the upper hand because his queen can reach the enemy king quicker
25.f5! Kh8 26.Nf3 Bd8 27.Qh6 Rf7
(27...Rg8 28.Qd6 attacking d4 and d7)
28.f6 Rg8
(It is too late for 28...c3 29.Ng5!! c2+ 30.Ka1 cxd1Q+ 31.Rxd1 wins)
29.Ne5 Be6
(29...Be8 30.g5 c3 31.g6! )
30.Nf4
(30.Ng7! threatens mate in one)
30...Rxf6
(30...b4! 31.Neg6+ Rxg6 32.Nxg6+ Kg8 33.Ne7+ Bxe7 34.fxe7 Rxe7 35.Rhf1 Re8 36.Rf5! Bxf5 37.gxf5 Qc5 should lose in the long run)
Viktor Laznicka
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Wesley So
Position after 30...Rxf6
Answer:
31.Nxe6! 1-0
31...Rxh6 32.Nf7 is a pretty mate.
17.Bxf4 is a positional blunder, Black takes complete control of the dark squares.
Hou Yifan - F Caruana
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4 Rb8 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 0-0 12.Nxb5 Bg4 13.Re1 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nh5 15.Kh1 Qf6 16.Rg1 Nf4 17.Bxf4? Qxf4 18.Ba4 Ra8! 19.Na3
(19.Nxd6 cxd6 20.Bxc6 Rxa1 21.Qxa1 Qxf3+ 22.Rg2 exd4)
19...Nd8 20.Nc4 Ne6 21.d5 Ng5 22.Rg4 Qf6 23.Nxb6 cxb6 24.Rg3 Qf4 25.Rg4 Nh3! 26.Kg2
(26.Rxf4 Nxf2+ 27.Kg2 Nxd1 wins the exchange)
26...Qh6 27.Bd7 Nf4+ 28.Kh1 Nd3! 29.Kg2
(29.Rxa8 Nxf2+)
29...Rxa1 30.Qxa1 Qd2 31.Qf1 h5 32.Rg3 Ra8
(The bishop on d7 might as well be in the box)
33.Bb5 Nf4+ 34.Kh1 Qxb2 35.Rg1 Qxc3 36.Be2 Ra2 37.Bd1 Qd4 0-1
