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Chess News: Your Daily Update - Don’t let your guard down!

IM Malcolm Pein
November 12, 2023

Always watch out for tactics on the long black diagonal if you have played g7-g6 and don’t have a dark bishop keeping watch. The same applies, of course, on the long white diagonal if you have played g2-g3. Should your opponent have even the slightest possibility of arranging a bishop and a queen so they reach the diagonal, then alarm bells must start ringing.
It was surprising to see a strong GM let his guard down in this respect recently:

M Bluebaum – V Sanal
FIDE Grand Swiss, Douglas (3)
Colle Zukertort

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 0–0 6.Bb2 b6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.d4 Bb7 9.Bd3

9...Nbd7 10.0–0 a6 11.Ne2 Bd6 12.Ng3 g6 13.Ne5 Ne4 14.Bxe4
(A prepared novelty, I assume. Previously, 14.f4 or 14.Qc2 Nxg3 15.hxg3 was Mchedlishvili – Sanal, Dubai 2019, when 15...Qe7 is all right intending 16.f4 f6! 17.Ng4 f5 18.Ne5 Nf6)
14...dxe4 15.Qc2 Nf6?!
(15...Re8! 16.Nxe4 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Bxe5 must be fine for Black. One bishop occupies the dark diagonal, while the other on b7 is well placed; after 15...Re8 16.Rad1 Nf6 17.f4!? exf3 18.e4!? fxg2 19.Qxg2 is an interesting and sharp idea and if 19...Re6 20.Nf5!?)

16.d5! Bxd5??
(Black had to calculate 16...Nxd5 17.Nxe4 Bxe5 18.Bxe5 Qe7 19.Bb2 Nxe3 20.Qc3 f6 21.Nxf6+ Qxf6 22.Qxf6 Rxf6 23.Bxf6 Nxf1= or 16...Nxd5 17.Ng4 (17.Rfd1 Qe7 18.Nc6 Qe8!) 17...h5! is harmless)
17.Qc3 (Simple as that, the game is over. If 17...Bxe5 18.Qxe5 Kg7 19.Nh5+ gxh5 20.Qg5+)
17...h5

How did White end the game?