Amersfoort Open 2024

In the 5th round, Van Berkel booked a spectacular win against former world champion Shvartsman.

With a temporary sacrifice Van Berkel forces the game into an unconventional gametype, and that turns out to be a masterstroke.

It's important that an immediate attack on the black outpost fails: 25.42-38 11-17 26.38x27 17-21 27.47-42 21x32 28.42-38 6-11 29.38x27 11-17 and white will lose the piece on 27 because 30.43-38? is prohibited due to 28-32 31.37x28 18-22 32.27x18 13x42 B+

The computer slightly prefers the white position now. But from a practical point of view, the black position is much easier to handle. White has to make some tough decisions, while the black moves are easy to find.

This move is very logical, but Shvartsman misses the cunning combination that Van Berkel has brought into play.

The idea of this combination is well known, but in this particular setting where black makes a backward capture with piece 28, it is extremely rare. That's why afterwards Van Berkel stated that he seriously took into account that his famous opponent would miss it.

Ndjofang misses the spectacular combination ≡ 32.27-22 18x27 33.32x21 23x43 34.37-31!! 16x29 35.34x3 43x34 36.40x29 24x33 37.35-30 25x34 38.3x4 W+

Now white is confronted with the threat 25-30 41.34x25 24-29 42.33x24 22x31 43.36x27. But there is a hidden combination that plays an even bigger role. After the logical move ≡ 41.38-32? black can play 26-31! 42.36x7 17-21 43.16x27 8-12 44.7x18 13x42. Although this combination is not winning for black, Ndjofang decides to avoid it and plays a very risky move instead.

Romijn has another trick up his sleeve. With a little forcing he now gains a piece, and subsequently wins the game.

In the last round Shvartsman showed his class with a beautiful victory against fellow grandmaster Domchev.

Domchev accepts the challenge to lock up the black left wing. Due to this we will witness an exciting middle game.

Instead of simplifying the position with ≡ 24-30 35.35x24 19x39 36.43x34 20-24 37.29x20 15x24, Shvartsman decides to go all in. The black left wing will now be completely entangled, so there is no way back anymore.

A good alternative was ≡ 37.45-40! 9-13 38.40-34 and both after 1) 8-12 39.43-38 21-27 40.49-44 12-17 41.44-40 18-23 42.29x9 14x3 43.25x23 17-21 44.30x19 27-31 45.36x27 21x41 or 2) ≡ 18-22 39.29-23 19x39 40.30x10 15x4 41.25x14 39x30 42.35x24 white has the better position.

After ≡ 38.29-23 19x39 39.30x10 15x4 40.25x14 black plays 18-23! Then white can defend with 41.35-30 13-19 42.45-40 19x10 43.40-34, but black clearly has the better position.

This is the decisive mistake. With the problematic ≡ 41.48-43! 18-22 42.29-23! (note that ≡ 42.32-28? doesn't work due to 8-13 43.28x17 21x12 44.43-39 or? 27-31! 45.36x27 19-23! 46.30x17 23x12 B+) ≡ 19x48 43.30x10 15x4 44.25x14 48x31 45.14-9 4x13 46.38-33 27x29 47.36x9 white could still force a draw.

With this move, Sekongo completely immobilizes the black right wing.

After this move the position may already be lost for black. The most accurate defense was ≡ 24-30! 20.35x24 19x30, with an equal position.

≡ After 18-23! white is in all sorts of trouble. For example 31.40-34? fails to the elementary combination 16-21 32.27x16 26-31 33.37x26 23-29 34.34x23 19x46 B+. The most logical move is therefore ≡ 31.33-28 10-15! Now 32.40-34? is still not possible due to 16-21 33.27x16 23-29 34.34x23 26-31 35.37x26 7-11 36.16x18 13x33 37.38x20 19x46 B+ Also ≡ 32.38-33? loses due to 14-20!, and the white right wing is blocked. After ≡ 32.41-36 7-11 white has no better than the ugly move 33.39-33, which obstructs the piece on 42. The computer believes that white can still survive this position after 14-20 34.44-39 9-14 35.40-34 20-25 36.36-31 12-18 37.34-30 25x34 38.39x30 11-17 39.43-39 6-11 40.28-22 17x28 41.33x22 24-29 42.30-25 15-20 43.39-33 29-34 44.33-29 34-40 45.35x44 23x34 46.32-28. But it's clear that this variant would have given great practical chances for black.

Van Wijk was close to a draw against his strong opponent. But here he underestimates the power of a second black king. White had to sacrifice a piece with ≡ 46.35-30 34x25 47.17-12, and after 16-21 48.12-8 21-26 49.8-2 26-31 51.48-42 31-36 52.2-16 the endgame is a draw.

Ndjofang correctly judges that control of the main diagonal is not even needed. For example, after 51.3-14 6-11 52.14-32 11-17 53.32-14 17-22 54.14-19 22-27! white has to give up the diagonal anyhow, since 55.19-37? quickly loses after 47-33! B+

Black could immediately win using the combination ≡ 13-19 21.24x13 4-10 22.13x4 3-9 23.4x13 18x9 24.27x18 12x45 25.44-40 45x34 26.39x30 20-25 27.30-24 9-13, and the outpost on 24 cannot be defended.

It looks like black is lost, but with a Coup Turc he could have saved the game: ≡ 23-28! 61.4x39 33x44 (or ≡ 61.4x15 43-48 etc).