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Perfect scores in Albania

IM Malcolm Pein IM Malcolm Pein
October 11, 2023

 

MAGNUS Carlsen’s Offerspill club had more than kept pace with top seeds Superchess of Romania after a tight fifth round of the European Club Cup in Durres, Albania.
With two rounds to play, Offerspill led on tie-break as both teams maintained their 100 per cent match record to reach 10/10.
Carlsen led from the front and scored the only win of the match as he took down 18-year-old Vincent Keymer.
Keymer should have eliminated Carlsen from the FIDE World Cup after outplaying the world number one and winning one of the Classical games, before eventually losing in a speed chess playoff. Carlsen demolished the German number one in 29 moves.
Superchess were grateful to the Russian GM Vladimir Fedoseev, who now plays under the Slovenian flag, for the only win of the match against defending champions Novy Bor of the Czech Republic.
Wood Green, Blackthorne and The Sharks all lost. Celtic Tigers scored a narrow win over Partizani of Albania.

M Carlsen – V Keymer
38th European Club Cup (5)
Sicilian Najdorf

 

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.a4 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Be3 Qc7 10.Qe2 Bd7 11.a5 Ng4 12.Nf5! Bf6
(If 12...exf5 13.Nd5 Qd8 14.Bb6 Qe8 15.Nc7 Qc8 16.Nxa8 wins)
13.Bb6 Qc6

Carlsen presumably rejected a beautiful way to trap the black queen. What was it?

 

14.Bd5! exd5 15.exd5 Qc8 16.Nxd6 is exquisite, or Black can secure three pieces for the queen with 15...Qxb6 16.axb6 Bxf5 but is too uncoordinated after 17.h3 Ne5 18.f4 Ned7 19.g4 Bg6 20.Nb5! or just 20.f5; If 17...Nh6 18.Nb5 Nd7 19.Nxd6 Black is in dire straits, as evidenced by 19...Nxb6 20.g4 Bg6 21.c4 with f2-f4 next.

 

14.Nd4 Qc8 15.Bb3 Ne5 16.Rad1 Bd8 17.f4 Nec6 18.f5 Bxb6 19.axb6 Nxd4 20.Rxd4 Qc5 21.Qf2 exf5
(21...Nc6 22.Rd2 Qxf2+ 23.Rfxf2 is hopeless, d6 falls or if 22...Qe5 23.Qg3)
22.exf5 Bc6 23.f6 Nd7 (Too late, Black’s position is fatally weakened)
24.fxg7 Kxg7 25.Bd5 (Cutting off the black queen and intending Ne4)
25...f5 26.Bxc6 Qxc6 27.Rfd1 Qxb6 (If 27...Rf6 28.Nd5 Rg6 29.Ne7)
28.Nd5 Qd8 29.Nf4 1-0
The threats include Ne6+ and Rxd6. If 29…Qe7 30.Rxd6 Nf6 31.Re6 (Or the more prosaic 31.Ne6+)
31...Qf7 32.Rxf6 Kxf6 33.Qd4+ Kg5 34.Rd3 is one way.

 

©Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023





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