Riga World Cup 2023

Jan Groenendijk - Raimonds Vipulis 1-1 (6-7-2023)

Vipulis decides to wait a few moves before attacking with ≡ 21-27. But that will not be in his advantage.

Black doesn't have much choice. After ≡ 1-6 15.31x22 17x28 16.41-37 doesn't look very safe for black, and after ≡ 18x27 16.29x18 20x29 17.34x23 13x22 white has a promising attack.

The black position doesn't look too bad here. But the white position is very economical, due to the absence of pieces on 38 and on the main diagonal. For this reason the white position is already preferable.

An important question for black is how to develop the column of pieces 1/7/12/18. With this in mind, the last black move looks very logical. However, Vipulis will not manage to develop those pieces any further using 12-18, 7-12 and 1-7.

I believe this was the right moment for black to play ≡ 12-18 23.42-37 7-12. Then at first sight it looks like black loses a piece due to 24.37-32, but after 9-13 25.32x21 11-16! 26.31-27 22x31 27.36x27 17-22 black wins the piece back with an equal position.

Now black can't play the natural move 12-18? due to the small combination 25.29-24 20x29 26.38-33 29x38 27.43x12.

In this unbalanced position, black has to be very careful. Probably ≡ 2-8 29.40-35 23-28 30.37-32 28x37 31.31x42 18-23 was a better plan here, although white still has a significant advantage.

Using this double exchange the black left wing is further weakened. The black position is critical now.

Here ≡ 40.30-24 11-16 41.37-32 28x37 42.31x42 27-32 43.38x27 21x32 would have given much better practical chances for white to win the game. But this position is too difficult to calculate all possible variants.

First of all, one has to assess the break through 44.24-20 14x25 45.34-30 25x34 46.39x30. This looks quite dangerous for black. But after 18-23 47.42-37 (white has no time for ≡ 47.30-25? due to 23-28! 48.33-29 32-37! 49.42x31 17-21 50.26x17 12x21 51.25-20 21-26 52.31-27 22x31 53.36x27 16-21 54.27x16 26-31 and black survives) ≡ 32x41 48.36x47 8-13 49.30-25 7-11 50.25-20 22-28! 51.33x22 17x28 52.20-14 11-17! white has to invest another piece with 53.26-21, because after ≡ 53.14-10? black has the little combination 17-21 54.26x19 23x5. And it turns out that the endgame after ≡ 16x27 54.14-10 12-18! is not winning for white.

Second, after ≡ 45.49-44! black is still in great danger. But if black continues to play positionally using 16-21! 46.42-37 32x41 47.36x47 21-27! 48.34-30 8-13 49.33-28 22x33 50.39x28 18-22! 51.28-23 27-32, this variant turns out to end in a draw as well. For example 52.30-25 32-37 53.23-19 14x23 54.24-20 22-28 55.20-15 12-18 56.25-20 17-21! 57.26x17 7-12 58.17x19 23x25 59.15-10 28-32!! and white can't win. Needless to say that for human players it is next to impossible to defend this position correctly.

Vipulis forces an immediate draw.