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Chess Notes

Weekly chess column

Alongside the recent 2013 World Youth Championships, the Al Ain chess club from the United Arab Emirates ran several satellite tournaments. Today’s game comes from the Al Ain Open tournament for players with FIDE ratings over 2400. Georgian GM Baadur Jobava was leading for most of the event until the eighth round, when he became ill, lost, and then disappeared, forfeiting his last-round game. Today’s game is one of the talented, if offbeat Jobava’s best efforts in this event. In a rare opening, Jobava, not satisfied in winning a pawn, must also sacrifice an exchange and then his queen.

2013 Al-Ain Classic Open “A”

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Baadur Jobava, (2705) vs.

Sayed Barakat Hassan (2341)

1.b3 The “Larsen Opening”, so named after the Danish GM and many time world champion contender Bent Larsen (1935-2010). It is also called the Nimzowitsch-Larsen opening, adding Aaron Nimzowitsch’s (1886-1935) name to acknowledge Larsen’s debt to him. It is an offbeat system, which Larsen used with modest success and some horrifying failures (Larsen-Boris Spassky, USSR vs. “Rest of The World,” 1970; 0-1 in 17 moves) in order to avoid opening theory and preparation. Bobby Fischer was also known to play it, and with much better results than Larsen. It fits in well with Jobava’s freewheeling unconventional nature. 1…d5 2.Bb2 c5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 a6 5.Be2 Nc6 6.0–0 d4 A rare continuation and I am thinking not a very good one. Black’s center now becomes a target. 6...Bg4 is more common. 7.Re1 e6 8.a4 Bd6 9.Na3 0–0 10.Nc4 e5 11.exd4 exd4 12.c3 Bc7 13.Ba3 Now after 12…b6 White gets a plus with 13.cxd Nxd 14.NxN QxN 15.Bb2 Qd8 16.Bf3 Rb8 and 17.d4. So, Black decides to jettison the c-pawn hoping that the d3 pawn will put the bind on White but it doesn’t work out that way. 13…Re8 14.Bxc5 d3 15.Bf1 Ne4 16.Rxe4 (Diagram) The always impatient, or so it seems to me, Jobava rejects the saner 16.Ba3 or 16.Be3 with a pawn to the good and maybe a second one on the way (Black’s d3-pawn may soon be annexed.) for the complications of this unclear exchange sacrifice. 16...Rxe4 17.Qb1 The point. White wins the black d-pawn and if he gets lucky, Black’s h-pawn with check! 17…Bg4 18.Bxd3 Re6? The losing move. Much better is 18…RxN 19.BxN BxN 20.Qf5 Ne5, which the computer in its infinite wisdom considers equal, though I think that White has a small plus. Black king now becomes a target. 19.Bxh7+ Now White is much better with three pawns for the exchange, great pieces, and good attacking chances against Black’s weakened kingside. 19…Kh8 20.Be4 Qf6 21.Be3 Rae8 22.Ng5 Now begins a fun if unnecessary combination. More solid was 22.Bd5 but not so exciting. 22…R6e7 23.h3 Bh5 24.Bxc6 Bg6 25.Nxf7+ Rxf7 Better is 25…Kg8 when after 26. Nh6+ Kh8 27. Ng4 QxB when White is still better but Black has some hope. As played, Black is just a spectator to his own demise. 26.Qxg6 Qxg6 27.Bxe8 b5 28.axb5 axb5 29.Na3 Qd6 30.Bxf7 Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Qh1+ 32.Ke2 Qxa1 33.Nxb5 Amazingly, White has sacrificed his queen for just two minor pieces and a boatload of pawns, which most times would not be enough, but here, his king is perfectly safe, the bishops coordinate wonderfully, and the pawns prove unstoppable even for a queen. 33…Bd8 34.Bd5 Qa6 35.c4 Be7 36.g3 Qg6 37.h4 Qc2 38.Nd4 Qb2 39.Nc6 Ba3 40.b4 Bxb4 41.Nxb4 Qxb4 42.c5 g6 43.Kf3 Qb5 44.Kg2 Kg7 45.d4 Kf6 46.Bf3 Ke6 47.d5+ Ke5 48.c6 No stopping those pawns; 1–0.