🔹🔺 The interesting and tactical moments
of the European Club Cup Round 3 🔹🔺
of the European Club Cup Round 3 🔹🔺
📘 Nd2! Naturally, in a closed center flank attacks come into consideration. White initiates an attack by transfering the knight to the ideal f5 outpost and then a pawn storm on the kingside.
📘 5.Qb3 c6 6.e4 Carl Schlechter played it for the first time in 1902.
The interesting point, according to Chessbase, is that the move 6.e4 has only been played 4 times in the history of chess: the first time in 1902, the second time in 2016 by grandmaster Sasa Martinovic, 3rd time August 2017 by grandmaster Peter Wells, and the last one in September 2017 by Super GM Peter Svidler at the World Cup!
That means the move came back to fashion after 115 years!!
6...dxe4 7.Bc4 Qe7 8.a4 Nf6 9.Nge2 with the idea of short castle, then Ng3 and Re1 putting pressure on e4.
There are several "Schlechter Variations" in chess openings:
Schlechter Gambit of the Bird's Opening 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6
Schlechter Variation of the French Defence 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3
Schlechter Variation of the Slav Defence 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 (or via a Grünfeld move-order, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 c6)
Schlechter Variation of the Danish Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d5
The interesting point, according to Chessbase, is that the move 6.e4 has only been played 4 times in the history of chess: the first time in 1902, the second time in 2016 by grandmaster Sasa Martinovic, 3rd time August 2017 by grandmaster Peter Wells, and the last one in September 2017 by Super GM Peter Svidler at the World Cup!
That means the move came back to fashion after 115 years!!
6...dxe4 7.Bc4 Qe7 8.a4 Nf6 9.Nge2 with the idea of short castle, then Ng3 and Re1 putting pressure on e4.
There are several "Schlechter Variations" in chess openings:
Schlechter Gambit of the Bird's Opening 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6
Schlechter Variation of the French Defence 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3
Schlechter Variation of the Slav Defence 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 (or via a Grünfeld move-order, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 c6)
Schlechter Variation of the Danish Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d5
📘 56...Rc8? 57.Ng2+?
Probably Nepom underestimated his position and didn't calculate his opponent's back rank threats correctly and went for a draw, but he missed the winning variation:
57.h6 Rc1 58.h7 Ke2+ 59.Kg2 Qa1 60.Nf1!!
Beautiful and super strong move! Probably Nempo missed this move in his calculations.
60...R.f1 61.Qc4+ Kd2 62.Qd5+
White wins the pawn with tempo, then with some additional checks, wins the rook on f1, and Black should resign.
Probably Nepom underestimated his position and didn't calculate his opponent's back rank threats correctly and went for a draw, but he missed the winning variation:
57.h6 Rc1 58.h7 Ke2+ 59.Kg2 Qa1 60.Nf1!!
Beautiful and super strong move! Probably Nempo missed this move in his calculations.
60...R.f1 61.Qc4+ Kd2 62.Qd5+
White wins the pawn with tempo, then with some additional checks, wins the rook on f1, and Black should resign.
📘 18...Rg8?
A mistake. Black had to transfer his king to the safe place in the queenside immediately.
18...Rc6 with the idea of Kc8 was correct.
A mistake. Black had to transfer his king to the safe place in the queenside immediately.
18...Rc6 with the idea of Kc8 was correct.
📘 Mate in 5:
36...R.f3! 37.R.f3 Re1+ 38.Kg2 Re2+ 39.Kf1 Qe1# 0-1
36...R.f3! 37.R.f3 Re1+ 38.Kg2 Re2+ 39.Kf1 Qe1# 0-1
📘 43...Rb6
But the continuation 43...Qe2 44.Q.d6 Rb1! could have finished the game much more nicely.
But the continuation 43...Qe2 44.Q.d6 Rb1! could have finished the game much more nicely.
22...Ka7
A good prophylactic move so in the case of moving the rook up, White wouldn't be able to do any check in the back rank.
A good prophylactic move so in the case of moving the rook up, White wouldn't be able to do any check in the back rank.
📘 26...Kg7?
The Slovakian IM missed a beautiful finale:
26...Rb8! and now either white takes the exchange by 27.Nd7 Kg7 28.N.b8 R.b8 or not he can not reasonably defend black's nate threat on b2. Defending b2 from the second rank will be refuted by a neat check on g5!
The Slovakian IM missed a beautiful finale:
26...Rb8! and now either white takes the exchange by 27.Nd7 Kg7 28.N.b8 R.b8 or not he can not reasonably defend black's nate threat on b2. Defending b2 from the second rank will be refuted by a neat check on g5!