Russian championship 2021

After 59.7-2? 45-50! black had full control over the tric trac diagonals 1/45 and 6/50, and so he won the endgame easily. White could make a draw using ≡ 59.21-16! 45-50 and now the subtle waiting move 60.47-42! Then black has no better than 18-23, which allows white to force a draw using 61.16-11! 50x6 62.7-1 23-28 63.42-38 25-30 64.38-33 28x39 65.1-34.

48-34? Four against two endgames can be notoriously difficult for humans. Only with the seemingly passive move ≡ 48-42! a draw was possible. The idea behind this move is that after 64.2-13 black can force a draw using 42-15! 65.13-4 15-38 66.27-22 38-27 67.22x31 26x37. ≡ 65.27-22? Here ≡ 65.2-13 was winning. ≡ 34-39? Black could force a draw using ≡ 34-23 66.11-6 26-31 67.2-24 31-37 68.24-47 23-10 69.6-1 10-15 70.1-6 15-4 71.22-17 4-36 etc. ≡ 66.22-17 26-31 67.2-19 39-34 68.11-6 34-1 69.19-46

In the opening of the game white had launched a center attack, but now his front pieces are under heavy pressure. 29.37-31! The only possible move. 21-26 30.39-33? It was necessary to play the ugly ≡ 30.32-27 26x37 31.42x31. From a positional point of view this move is very illogical due to the useless formation 22/27/31/36. But in this particular setting black cannot take advantage of it. ≡ 26x37 31.42x31 24-29! 32.23x34 19-23 33.28x10 17x50 34.10-5 13-18! Now the white king will always be captured. 35.32-27 18-22 36.27x18 12x23 37.5x6 7-11 38.6x17 50x11 and black failed to win the endgame.

19-23(?) It was much safer to play ≡ 11-17 and black has no troubles at all. ≡ 35.33-28 22x33 36.39x19 14x23 37.44-39 8-12 38.39-33 11-17 39.33-29! By surrounding the center piece on 23 Getmanski puts pressure on the black position. 10-14 A better defense was ≡ 10-15 40.31-27 9-14 and after 41.38-33(?) 14-20! it is black who has the better position. ≡ 40.38-33 17-22 41.30-24! 9-13 42.31-27 22x31 43.36x27 4-9? The decisive mistake. Here ≡ 12-17 44.33-28 14-19 45.24-20 4-9 46.20-15 9-14 was still a draw. ≡ 44.42-38 14-19 45.24-20 12-17 46.20-15 17-22 and black did not await 47.15-10 22x42 48.38x47 anymore.

After 40.38-33? Shvartsman forced a winning position using 20-25! 41.37-32 26-31! Now the threat 31-37 is decisive. ≡ 42.45-40 31-37 43.42x31 36x38 44.33x42 22-27 45.30-24 27-31? 46.42-38? Both players missed the ingenious defense ≡ 46.47-41 31-36 47.41-37 23-28 48.24-19 28-32 49.37x28 36-41 50.19-14 and 41-47? is not possible due to 51.28-22 47x9 52.22x4. ≡ 23-28 47.24-19 28-33 and black won the game.

Shvartsman surprised his opponent with 38.37-31! 21-26? After ≡ 20-24 the game would have ended in a draw. ≡ 39.42-37 An immediate win was possible using ≡ 39.34-29 26x48 40.40-34 48x30 41.35x15 23x34 42.27-22 18x27 43.32x23 W+ ≡ 17-21 40.28-22 20-24 41.33-28 24-29 42.35-30 9-14 43.30-24 19x39 44.28x10 and white won the endgame.

After 6-11? white decided the game using a nice combination: 34.32-28! 23x21 35.26x8 18x27 36.33-28 3x12 37.28-23 19x28 38.34-30 25x34 39.39x6 W+

52.40-34? This is too early, but it is difficult to see why. The proper way to make a draw was ≡ 52.42-37 28-33 53.40-34 29x40 54.30-24 etc. ≡ 29x40 53.30-24 28-32! 54.27x38 40-44 55.42-37 And of course not ≡ 55.24-19? 14-20 56.25x14 44-49 57.19x28 49x5 B+. ≡ 11-17? The correct move was ≡ 11-16. The difference with the game is that after 56.38-33 44-49 57.37-31 black can win using 49-21. In the game the piece on 17 is in the way. ≡ 56.38-33 44-49 57.24-19? White should have played ≡ 57.37-31 17-22 58.33-28 to make a draw. Now black won elegantly using ≡ 14-20! 58.25x14 49-21! 59.19x28 21-26 B+

49-35? Using a double sacrifice black could have escaped with a draw: ≡ 9-14 66.10x37 36-41 67.37x46 49-38 68.24-19 38-24 = ≡ 67.10-46 and white won.

20-25? Trofimov spilled an important point in this game. After ≡ 24-30! 51.35x24 20x29 52.28-22 29-33 53.37-32 26-31 54.27x36 33-39 55.32-27 39-43 56.27-21 43-48! black is just in time to stop the white break-through. ≡ 52.28-22 14-19 53.37-32 12-18 54.22x13 19x8 55.32-28 25-30 56.45-40! and white managed to make a draw.

After 8-12? the game was suddenly over. Black had to play ≡ 30-35 to neutralize the threat ≡ 39-34 30x17 21x5. ≡ 32.21-17! 12x32 33.33-29 and black didn't await 18x27 34.29-23 19x28 35.39-33 28x39 36.43x5.

In this 5x5 position white has a clear advantage due to the weak black corner pieces on 16 and 26. 17-21? This is losing. Only with ≡ 15-20 47.44-39 16-21! 48.27x16 18-22 black could have made a draw, for example 49.39-34 22x33 50.38x29 17-22 51.16-11 22-27 and black is just in time to cross the main diagonal. ≡ 48.38-32 15-20 49.44-40 20-24 50.40-34 This position is winning for white. If the piece on 42 was on 37, then a draw is possible, see https://10x10.org/analysis/2015/klaverblad.html. 18-22 51.28x17! 21x12 52.32-28 12-17 53.42-37 17-21 54.27-22 21-27 55.22x31 16-21 W+

With 22-28! Trofimov abandoned the fork lock, to focus on the weak structure of white's right wing. 28.32x23 18x29 29.37-32? It was necessary to play ≡ 29.39-34 9-14 30.34x23 17-21 31.26x17 12x41 32.36x47 14-20 33.33-29 24x33 34.38x29 20-24 35.29x20 25x14 36.44-39 13-19 37.43-38 19x28 38.42-37 8-13 39.31-27 and white has sufficient counter play to make a draw. ≡ 25-30! Now the weakness on the white right wing is permanent. 30.42-37 17-22 31.27x18 13x22 32.32-27 8-13 33.27x18 13x22 34.37-32 9-14 35.32-27 12-18 36.26-21 7-12 37.31-26 22x31 38.26x37 16x27 39.33-28 18-23! Here ≡ 15-20 40.37-31 27-32 41.28x37 11-17 was already sufficient to win, but this piece sacrifice is even better. ≡ 40.28x10 15x4 41.39-33 30-34 and black won.

In this well known position Shvartsman quickly won the game. 14-20 21.26-21 20x40 22.21x32 10-14 A much more common continuation for black is ≡ 17-21 23.45x34 21-27 24.32x21 16x27. ≡ 23.35x44 25-30? This is a severe mistake. 24.44-40! 30-35 It was already too late to develop the black right wing with ≡ 17-21 due to 25.33-29 23x34 26.32x23 18x29 27.40-35 W+. ≡ 25.31-26 35x44 26.49x40 16-21 27.40-35 2-7 28.45-40 and in this 15x15 position black had to sacrifice material. 14-19 29.33-29 23x45 30.32x3 21-27 31.37-31 11-16 32.3-25 18-23 W+

The battle for the first place was decided in the last round. In this unpleasant position Trofimov chose a very risky plan that easily could have cost him the game. 31.48-43!? 20-24 32.43-39 15-20 33.30-25 1-7 34.25x14 9x20 35.34-30 20-25? This looks logical, but it allows white to get back into the game. After ≡ 23-29! 36.39-34 29x40 37.45x34 20-25 black would have a huge advantage. ≡ 36.39-34 3-9 37.33-29! 24x33 38.38x29 Probably Kalmakov did not anticipate the combination after 11-17? 39.30-24 19x39 40.42-38 23x34 43.38-33 39x28 44.32x23 18x29 45.27-21 16x27 46.31x2. This is not winning for white, but one can imagine that Kalmakov didn't trust it. ≡ 9-14(?) Now it is white who gets the initiative. 39.42-38 23-28 40.32x23 19x28 41.38-32 13-19 42.32x23 19x28 43.30-24 Here the notation suddenly ends, which suggests that black has lost on time. After 25-30 44.34x25 18-22 45.27x18 12x34 46.24-20 34-39 47.20x9 28-32 48.37x28 26x37 black has good perspectives to make a draw.

© Wieger Wesselink https://10x10.org