Russia Cup 2018 Nabaty, Tamir (Israel) - Lomasov, Semen (Russia) Russia Cup Stage 2018
Russia Cup 2018 Nabaty, Tamir (Israel) - Lomasov, Semen (Russia) Russia Cup Stage 2018
Russia Cup 2018 Nabaty, Tamir (Israel) - Lomasov, Semen (Russia) Russia Cup Stage 2018
1.d4 e6 2.Bf4
The severity of the battle is transferred to middlegame.
7.exd4 Nh5
Black is going to dislodge the white bishop from the active position.
8.Bg5
This variation we have already seen in Semen Lomasov' game, where he was playing
white: 8.Be3 Bd6 9.Ne5 g6 10.Bb5 (Dynamical sacrifice of pawn is worth of attention
10.g4!? Ng7 11.h4 Nxe5 12.dxe5 Bxe5 13.Nf3 Bf6 14.h5, for the first time it happened
in the game G.Kamsky – H.Nakamura, Saint Louis 2017) 10...Qc7 11.0–0 0–0 12.f4 f6
13.Nd3 Ng7 14.Nf3 Na5 15.Qe2 Nc4 16.Ba4 Bd7 17.Bxd7 Qxd7 18.Rae1 with
appoximately equal position, S.Lomasov – E.Alekseev (Minsk 2017).
11.Bb5
The game A.Giri – W.So (London 2016) was for the benefit of Black: 11.Bg2 f5 12.Ne5
f4 13.Qxh5 fxe3 14.fxe3 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Bc5 etc.
White reinforces control over е5 square by this move.
11...g6 12.0–0 Ng7 13.Re1 Bd7 14.c4
Tries to undermine the Black center pawn.
14…a6 15.Ba4
15...Re8
Black had a good possibility - 15...b5!? 16.cxb5 Nb4,and he managed to keep strong
position in the center due to pawn sacrifice.
23...f5
Alternative was the "solid" variation 23...Qd7 24.Ng3 Bd6!? etc.
24.Ng5 Bxg5
After 24...Qd6 it could follow 25.gxh5 gxh5 26.Nhf3.
25.Bxg5 Qd6
26.Nf3!?
Quiter continuation was 26.gxh5 Nxh5 27.Nf3, with black-square play.
26...hxg4 27.Ne5 Kh7 28.Nf7 Qd7 29.Ne5 Qd6 30.Nf7 Qb8 31.Ne5 Qa8
«Weakened» diagonal a8-h1 hipnotizes Black and he refuses from repetition of moves.
Now Black queen is very far from the kingside.
32.f3!?
GM from Israel attacks very excitedly. The quiet 32.Qd2 (with the idea to play Bh6)
manages to strengthen the position without a lot of pawn sacrifices.
32...gxf3 33.h5!? Nxh5 34.Kf2 Ndf6?
A serious mistake. After 34...Bb7! 35.Rh1 Rg8! It would be not a simple thing for
White to prove the correctness of these pawn sacrifices.
35.Bxf6 Nxf6
36.Rh1+?
From this moment both players had a time-trouble. White makes a mistake in a step to
the victory! 36.Qd2! Led to winning and Black queen could't help to his king because of
hanging of c6 bishop, e.g. 36...Qb7 37.Qg5 Qg7 38.Nxc6 etc.
40...Bb5+ 41.Bc4 Rxc4 42.Rxg5+ Kf6 43.Rg6+ Ke7 44.Rg7+ Kd8 45.Nxc4
Both kings are in danger but now it's a turn for Black to move and he starts his attack!
45...f2 46.Qf1 Qd5 47.b3 Qf5 48.Qg2 Bxc4+ 49.bxc4 Nc5+ 50.Kc3 Qd3+ 51.Kb4
Qd2+ 52.Rc3 Qb2+ 53.Rb3 Nd3+ 54.Ka4 Qxa2+ 0–1
After such dramatic events, the game of the ninth round probably seemed to Semen
Lomasov "a pleasant walk".
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.a4
This idea prevents Black's plan with b7-b6, e.g. 7…b6 8.a5!
9.Qxd4
White manages to keep top control over square d5 and e5 by capture on d4 by queen.
9...Ng4
Immediate leap of knight on e5 is not a good move but more flexible is 9...Nc5 10.h3
Be6 (J.Smeets – D.Popovic, Al Ain 2012).
10.Nd5 Nde5 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Bf4!?
White plays for quicker development. In the blitz game Caruana – M.Vachier-Lagrave
(Moscow 2011) we saw 12.Bb3 Be6 13.Bf4, and now Black should play13...Bf6
14.Qb4 Retc.
12...Bf6
This tactics of simplification is worth of attention:12...Nxc4 13.Qxc4 Be6, in case of
14.Qxc7 Qxc7 15.Nxc7 follows 15… Rac8, recapturing a pawn.
13.Nxf6+!
White wants to transpose to the favourable ending!
16...Re8
Perhaps, Black should play: 16...Be6 17.Bxe6 fxe6 18.Rd7 Rf7 19.Rad1 Raf8 20.Kf1
Rxd7 21.Rxd7 Rf7 22.Rd8+ Rf8 etc. 17.Ra3 Kf8 18.Rc3 f6 19.h4 Rb8 20.Kh2 Ke7
21.Bb3 c6 22.Rg3 g6 23.h5 g5 24.Rgd3
24...f5
Black has a zugzwang. On 24...Be6 it was possible 25.Bxe6 Kxe6 26.Kg3 with further
Kg4.
«Active» move can't change anything - Black is completely helpless.
25.Rd6 fxe4 26.Rh6 Rh8 27.Re1 Kf8 28.Rxe4 Kg7 29.Rd6 Rf8 30.Rxe5 Bf5 31.f3
Rbe8 32.Rxe8 Rxe8 33.h6+ Kh8 34.g4 Bc8 35.Bf7 Rf8
36.b4
Bright position! Black is in zuzgwang – any move leads to material losses.
1–0