Recap of Round 3

Annotated by Alexander Kalinin

The main individuals … in round 3 of the Moscow Open festival were some of the favorites of the Men's and Women's 2015 Cup of Russia stages. The victories secured by them may serve as object lessons of positional play for young chess players.

I do not know whether young chess players still study P. Romanovsky's excellent book, “The Middlegame,” but during my childhood it helped the creative development of many lads. The following game strongly reminded me of the chapter of this book dedicated to the phalanx of the the 'e' and 'f' pawns, brushing aside all obstacles in their path.

Anton KORBOV – Boris KHARCHENKO
Men's Cup of Russia stage 2015

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4
In order to make sense of black's further opening play I recall the existing line 6...Bd6 7.e4 dxc4 8.Bxc4 e5?! 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Bxe5 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Bxf7 Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.0–0, and the bishop pair provide white the initiative.
7.Bxc4 Bd6
Black steers clear of the “minefield” of the main branches of the Meran variation. To the same end, by the way, another move order has won approbation: 7...b5 8.Bd3 Bd6, preparing to meed the advance е3-е4 by answering е6-е5.
8.e4 b5 9.Bb3
In contrast to the line of the previous comment, the white bishop has received the chance to develop to a more active position.
9…e5 Hunting for the e4 pawn - 9...b4 10.Na4 Nxe4 11.Qc2 Ndf6 12.0–0 – would bring black unpleasant threats.
10.0–0
With the inclusion of the move b7-b5 the variant 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Qxd8+ Kxd8 13.Bxf7 a5! Is fully satisfactory for black.
10...0–0 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 Bb7 13.Rc1 a6

White can be satisfied with the outcome of the opening – he has actively placed his pieces.
14.Bg3
The beginning of an appealing plan of attack. White prepares mass exchanges on the square e5, which will lead to the activation of the pawn phalanx in the center. 
14…Qb8 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.Bxe5 Qxe5 18.f4 Qc5+ 19.Kh1 Qe3 20.e5 Ne4 21.Nxe4 Qxe4 22.Qg4 Rad8 23.Rce1 

The pawn phalanx is as a tiger, preparing to pounce upon the fortifications of the enemy king. The primary task for black is to inhibit its advance to the maximum.
23...Qb4?
The fatal error. Necessary was 23...Qd4! 24.e6 fxe6 25.Rxe6 Kh8 26.Qg6 (or 26.Qh5 Rd6), and now the continuation 26...Qd3! Maintains the defensibility of the black's position.
24.e6! fxe6 25.Rxe6 Kh8 26.Qg6
With the mortal threat 27.Bc2.
26…Rd2 27.Re8!
White is will no longer settle for winning the exchange after 27.Bc2 Rc2.
27…Bc8 28.f5 Bd7 

29.f6! 1–0  The avalange lands directly on the 'e' and 'f' files, completely destroying the black position.

Well-Tended Bishops
Alexandra Koryachkina spent the whole game touchingly attending to needs or her bishops—protecting them from exchange, thoughfully expanding their living quarters. The clever fellows showed their gratitude to Alexandra by bringing her the victory!

Olga MATVEEVA – Aleksandra GORYACHKINA
Women's Cup of Russia stage 2015

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Bd6 6.Bg5 Ne7 7.e3 Qb6 8.Qd2 h6 9.Bxe7 Bxe7 10.Bd3 Be6 11.0–0 Nd7
White has played the opening without particular pretense, and both sides enter into the middlegame with roughly equal chances.
12.a3 a5 13.Na4 Qd8 14.Rfc1 0–0 15.Nc5
More consistent for white would have been the continuation 15.b4. 15...Nxc5 16.dxc5
White is counting on blockading the square d4 with a knight.
16…a4!
Cutting of the infantry (c5 pawn) from the tanks (pawns on a3 and b2)!
17.Nd4  

17...Bd7!
Brilliant play! Aleksandra avoids exchanging the flashy knight for, as it would seem, the passive light-squared bishop. The secret of the position is that the blockade of white may be broken down by means of b7-b6, and then the black bishops with break out into the open!
18.Rc2
In case of 18.Nf5 Bf6! or 18.Bf5 Be8! black would continue to hide her bishops from exchange.
18...g6!
Another technical move, speaking of the subtle positional understanding of the young grandmaster from Salekhard. The square f5 is now off limits to the white pieces.
19.f4
White is side-tracked by her own intrigues. Necessary was the prophylactic 19.Rac1.
19...Re8 20.Re1

20...b6!
The feature break, leading to the collapse of white's position.
21.cxb6 Qxb6 22.f5 Bg5
An alternative was 22...g5. The text move of black feels for a more vulnerable point her oppoent's armor.

23.fxg6?
Loses quickly. The only defense was 23.Qf2 c5 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Nf3 c4 26.Nxg5 hxg5 27.Bf1 Re5. Black's advantage here is also apparent, but there is still plenty of play.
23...Rxe3!
The decisive blow! Now the black bishops take center stage.
24.gxf7+ Kf8 25.Rxe3 Qxd4 26.Kf2 Qf4+ 27.Ke2 Bg4+ 28.Ke1 Qxe3+ 29.Qxe3 Bxe3,and white soon resigned.