Championship of Belarus 2021

Round 1

Alexander Bulatov - Heorhi Vydzerka 0-2

17-22(?) 33.33-29! 22x31 34.36x27 24x33 35.38x29 8-12 36.42-38 12-17 37.29-24 20x29 38.34x12 17x8 39.38-33(?)

As Paul Oudshoorn pointed out on Toernooibase, in this position 39.35-30! 25x34 40.40x29 was a promising alternative. Then black cannot prevent white to occupy square 23, because 14-19? is prohibited due to 41.37-31 26x28 42.29-23 21x32 43.23x5 W+. A narrow draw is still possible after 15-20 41.29-23 8-12 42.43-39 20-24 43.45-40 14-20 44.38-33 12-17* 45.33-28 24-30*. This would have been a real test for the white player, because the last couple of moves for black are very difficult to find.

14-20 40.35-30 25x34 41.40x29 20-24 42.29x20 15x24 43.43-39 8-12 44.45-40 12-18 45.33-28 10-14

Here the notation suddenly stops, and the game ended in an unexpected victory for black. Since the position is almost impossible to lose for white, the most likely explanation is that white has lost on time.

Yauhen Zhukouski - Aleksei Kunitsa 2-0

46.34-29 23x34 47.30x39 18-23?

This is losing. Only with the sacrifice 11-17 48.22x11 16x7 49.27x16 7-12 50.32-27 14-20 51.25x23 18x38 52.16-11 12-17 53.11x22 24-29 black could still make a draw, for example 54.28-23 29x18 55.22-17 18-23 56.17-11 23-28 57.11-7 28-32 58.37x28 38-42 59.7-1 42-47 etc.

48.39-34 24-29

Also 11-17 49.22x11 16x7 50.27x16 13-18 51.34-30 23-29 52.16-11 29x27 53.11x2 27-31 54.37-32! 31-36 55.2-7 was lost.

49.33x24 19x39 50.28x8 11-17 51.22x11 16x7 52.27x16 7-12 53.8x17 39-43 54.17-11 43-48 55.11-7 48x31 56.7-1 31-22 57.32-27 22x36 58.1-23 W+

Sergei Nosevitch - Eugenij Kapustin 2-0

24-29?

At first sight the black position looks OK, but in fact he is in a lot of trouble. After 14-20? 51.32-27! 13-18 52.30-25! black ends up in a terrible case of zugzwang. Only the difficult to find 13-18 52.32-27 23-28?! 53.34-29 28x39 54.29x9 39-43 55.9-3 18-23!! 56.27x29 43-48 57.3x26 48x25 was enough to make a draw.

52.33x24 22-28 53.24-20 28x26 54.20x29 26-31 55.29-24 19-23 56.24-20 31-37 57.20-14 37-41 58.14-9 41-47 59.9-3 17-22 60.3-21 47-15 61.30-25 23-28 62.16-11 28-33 63.11-6 W+

Round 2

Aleksei Kunitsa - Sergei Nosevitch 0-2

32.47-41?

The white attempt to force the position will soon backfire on him.

19-24! 33.38-33 29x38 34.32x43 23-28! 35.40-35 16-21! 36.27x16 28-32!

Perhaps Kunitsa had only looked at 22-27 37.31x33 14-20 38.25x14 13-19 39.14x23 18x29 with a draw.

37.37x28 22x33 38.39x28 14-20 39.25x14 13-19 40.14x23 18x38 41.41-37 38-43 42.31-27 12-18 43.27-21 8-12 44.45-40 B+

Round 3

Igor Tereshko - Ivan Kruhlik 2-0

Tereshko decided to play on in a 3 against 1 endgame, and after 12 moves he got rewarded for it: 17-8? 79.37-26! 8-24 80.26-8 24x2 81.45-7 2x11 82.16x7 W+

Alexander Bulatov - Zakhar Shybakou 1-1

43.38-32?

Bulatov missed a beautiful win using a piece sacrifice: 43.38-33! 21-26 44.12-8!! 13x2 45.30-24 14-20 46.24-19 2-8 47.29-23 and black can't prevent a white breakthrough.

Sergei Nosevitch - Heorhi Vydzerka 0-2

Tournament winner Vydzerka secured an important win in the third round against grandmaster Nosevitch. In the position of the diagram black has the advantage, but that didn't stop the white player from complicating the position.

33.36-31 18-23 34.31-26 13-18 35.37-31 18-22! 36.32-27?! 23-28 37.27x18 28x39 38.45-40 3-8 39.31-27 8-13! 40.27-22?

It was necessary to defend with 40.26-21 13x31 41.21x12 31-36 42.12-7 36-41 43.7-1 41-46 44.1-6 46-23 45.6x44 23x45 46.44-33 and 45-29 47.48-43 and white can make a draw.

17x28 41.18-12 28-33!! 42.38x20 13-18 43.12x23 19x28

After this double sacrifice the position is completely lost for white.

44.20-15 28-32 45.48-42 39-43 46.42-38 32-37

A quicker way to end the game was 43-48 47.38x27 4-10 48.15x13 14-20 49.25x14 48x36

47.38x49 37-41 48.40-34 41-46 49.34-29 14-19 50.49-43 46-41 51.43-38 19-24!

The decisive blow.

52.29x20 41-46 53.38-33 46-5 54.30-24 5-10 55.33-29 10-5 56.20-14 5x45

Round 5

Yauhen Zhukouski - Igor Tereshko 1-1

14-20?

Here Tereshko could force a nice win using 21-26!

This brings the threat 18-22 35.27x18 13x33 36.39x28 17-22 37.28x17 24-29 38.34x23 19x37 39.42x31 26x37 into play. And of course 35.39-33? doesn't help because of 17-22 36.28x17 24-29 37.34x12 13-18 38.12x23 19x50.

Hence white must play 35.42-37 18-23! 36.48-42

This looks like a clever defense, because immediately 24-29? is not possible due to the charming combination 37.30-24! 29x49 38.45-40! 19x30 39.28x10 15x4 40.35x24 49x19 41.27-22 17x28 42.32x3 B+.

However, after 2-8! white can no longer prevent the deadly infiltration 24-29-33, for example 37.42-38 16-21! 38.27x16 17-21! 39.16x27 24-29 40.45-40 29-33 41.38x18 13x42 B+

Yauhen Zhukouski - Igor Tereshko 1-1

65.38-47?

Zhukouski misses the not too hard, but unexpected win after 38-43! and black loses quickly.

Round 6

Danila Lapchuk - Uladzislau Valjuk 0-2

54.44-40(?)

A safer way to make a draw was 38-33 18-23 44-40 14-19 40-34

24-29 55.40-35 18-23 56.38-32?

This is the decisive mistake. The correct defense was 56.35-30 23-28 57.27-22 28-33 58.22x11 16x7 59.38-32 33-39 60.32-28 39-43 61.28-23 29x18 62.30-24 43-48 63.24-20 14-19 64.20-15 etc.

Round 7

Aleksei Kunitsa - Heorhi Vydzerka 1-1

11-17?

Vydzerka misses a very ingenious strategic plan: 8-12! 33.40-34 12-17! 34.33-28 21-26! Now white needs to fill the gap on 37, but this is not possible due to a small combination: 35.46-41 17-21 36.41-37 13-18 37.22x13 9x18 38.23x12 3-8 39.12x3 21-27 40.3x20 15x44 B+

Round 10

Yauhen Zhukouski - Uladzislau Valjuk 0-2

6-11?

Valjuk could have ended the game immediately using 14-20! 27.25x23 18x38 28.30x19 12-18 29.43x32 18-23 30.19x28 22x44.

Round 11

Heorhi Vydzerka - Igor Tereshko 1-1

11-17? 40.27-21 16x27 41.31x11 6x17 42.36-31?

White could win using 42.38-32! 19-24 or? 43.37-31 24x22 44.32-27 26x37 45.27x7 W+