EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

The 2018 European Individual Championship in Batumi, Georgia has concluded on 28 March.

Aside from the 100.000€ prize fund and 20.000€ first prize, there are 23 qualification spots to the 2019 World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia available.

Croatian GM Ivan Ivan Saric took the win with 8.5 from 11 games. He was just a half point ahead of a group of 7 players. He sealed victory by winning his last round game.

An interesting side note to the tournament was seventeenth place finisher Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria. Bulgaria is currently suspended by FIDE and will likely not be competing at the Olympiad this year.

Many of you may remember Cheparinov as the second to Veselin Topalov during his glory years in the early 2000’s. Many of the ideas for Topalov’s wins on the way to become the FIDE World Champion in 2005 have been credited to Cheparinov. As you can tell GM Cheparinov is a player of influence on the world stage. Therefore it was only logical that he compete at the European Individual Championship under the FIDE flag due to Bulgaria’s suspension.

On a personal note, a couple of years ago South Africa was suspended by FIDE for unpaid debt. During that period of suspension I was not permitted to play in any open tournaments in Europe, nor was my club allowed to include me in their league team. No FIDE flag option was available at that time.

Here is Saric’s game from the final round that won the tournament. I’m also including two other interesting games:

Saric,Ivan (2657) - Navara,David (2737)

19th EICC 2018 Batumi (11), 28.03.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.c4 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 8.Qxg4 Nxd4 9.Qd1 e5 10.Bd3 d6 11.0–0 0–0 12.a4 

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12...Be6 B39: Sicilian: Maroczy Bind with 5...Bg7 and 7...Ng4 [12...a5 13.Nb5 Bd7 14.Bxd4 Bxb5 15.Be3 Bc6 16.f3 f5 17.Qc2 Qf6 18.Rad1 Qe6 19.Rd2 Kh8 20.Rfd1 1–0 (35) Van Wely,L (2663)-Edouard,R (2640) Chartres 2017] 

13.a5N [13.Nb5 Qb6 14.Qd2 Rfc8 15.Rfc1 a6 16.a5 Qc5 17.b4 Qc6 18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Bh6 Bh8 20.f4 f5 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.Bxf5 gxf5 23.Ra3 d5 24.Rg3+ Kf7 1/2–1/2 (24) Horvath,A (2473)-Seres,L (2461) Hungary 2011] 

13...Qd7 14.Qa4 Qxa4 White is slightly better. 

15.Rxa4 Rfc8 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 Re8 18.Re1 f5 19.Kf1 Kf7 20.b4 Rac8 21.Rc1 e4 22.Be2 Be5 23.g3 Rc7 24.c5 Rec8 25.Bxd4 [White should play 25.Rb1± ] 

25...Bxd4² 26.c6 bxc6 27.b5 c5 [27...Bxf2!? 28.Kxf2 cxb5 29.Rxc7+ Rxc7 30.Bxb5 Rc2+ 31.Be2 Kf6²] 

28.b6 axb6 29.axb6 Rb7! 

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Strongly threatening ...Rcb8. 

30.Rxd4! cxd4 31.Rxc8 Rxb6 Endgame ...Rb1+ is the strong threat. KRB-KR 

32.Ke1 g5 [Black should try 32...Rb1+² 33.Bd1 h5] 

33.Bd1 [Better is 33.Rc6 Rb1+ 34.Bd1] 

33...Rb1 

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[¹33...Rb5] 

34.g4!± fxg4 35.Rc4! Kf6 36.Rxd4 Ke5 37.Ra4 h5 38.Kd2 Kxd5? [38...Rb5±] 

39.Bc2? [39.Ra5++- and the rest is easy. 39...Kd4 40.Rxg5] 

39...Rg1? [39...Rf1± was necessary.] 

40.Ra5+!+- [Less strong is 40.Bxe4+ Ke5±; Inferior is 40.Rxe4 Rh1=] 

40...Kd4? [40...Ke6 41.Bxe4 Kf6 42.Rf5+ Kg6] 

41.Bb3 e3+ 42.fxe3+ Ke4 43.Bc2+ Kf3 intending ...Rg2+. 

44.Rf5+ Kg2 45.Rxg5 Kxh2 46.Rxh5+ Kg3 [¹46...Kg2 47.Be4+ Kg3] 

47.Bd1 Rg2+ 48.Be2 Rf2 49.Ke1 Rg2 50.Rd5 Rg1+ 51.Kd2 Ra1 52.Rd4 Ra2+ 53.Ke1! Ra1+ 

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54.Bd1! Kh3 55.Rxd6 g3 56.Kf1 g2+ 57.Kg1 Rb1 58.Rd2 Rc1 59.e4 Kg3 

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60.e5! Rc6 61.Rd4 Rc5 62.Rg4+ [¹62.e6 Rc7 63.Rd7 Rc6 64.Rg7+ Kf4 65.e7 Re6 66.Kxg2 Ke4 67.Bh5] 

62...Kh3 63.Re4 Rc3 64.e6 White mates. 

64...Rd3 65.Re1 Rd4 66.e7 Rh4 67.Re3# 1–0

Safarli,Eltaj (2639) - Ivanchuk,Vassily (2713)

19th EICC 2018 Batumi (11), 28.03.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Re8 10.Ng5 Rf8 11.Nf3 Bb7 12.d4 Re8 13.Ng5 Rf8 14.Nf3 Nd7 15.a4 Bf6 16.axb5 axb5 17.Rxa8 Qxa8 18.d5 Ne7 19.Na3 Ba6 20.Ba2 C92: Closed Ruy Lopez: 9...Be6, Karpov and Flohr-Zaitsev Variations [20.Nh2 Ng6 21.Ng4 Be7 22.Ne3 Rb8 23.Nec2 Nc5 24.Nb4 Bc8 25.Nc6 Rb6 26.Bc2 Bd7 27.b4 Nb7 28.Be3 Rxc6 29.dxc6 Bxc6 1/2–1/2 (78) Dominguez Perez,L (2726)-Svidler,P (2739) Tbilisi 2015] 

20...g6 

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21.Nc2N [21.Bh6 Bg7 22.Qd2 f6 23.Nc2 Bc8 24.Nb4 Nc5 25.Bb1 Bd7 26.Bc2 Qb7 27.Be3 Na6 1/2–1/2 (53) Pichot,A (2577)-Torres,J (2275) Medellin 2017] 

21...Bg7 22.Nb4 White is slightly better. 

22...Bc8 23.Qe2 Qb7 24.Bg5 Nf6 25.Ra1 Re8 26.Bb1 Bd7 27.Bd3ƒ White has good play. 

27...Nexd5? [27...h6² 28.Be3 Ra8 29.Rxa8+ Qxa8] 

28.exd5+- [And not 28.Nxd5 Nxd5 29.exd5 e4=] 

28...e4 29.Bc2 exf3 30.Qxf3 Nh5 31.g4 h6 32.gxh5 hxg5 33.hxg6 fxg6 34.Bxg6 Rf8? [34...Re7 35.Nc6 Bxc6] 

35.Qh5 

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White is clearly winning. 

35...Rf6 36.Re1 Qa7 37.Nd3 Threatening mate with Re7. 

37...c5 38.Re7 Intending Qh7+ and mate. 

38...Kf8 

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39.Rxg7! 1–0

Stefanova,Antoaneta (2481) - Kovchan,Alexander (2596)

19th EICC 2018 Batumi (11), 28.03.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 c5 4.dxc5 [4.c3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.Bg5 Bg7 7.Nbd2 0–0 8.0–0 d6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.e3 Nd7 11.a4 d5 0–1 (67) Carlsen,M (2857)-Grischuk,A (2754) chess.com INT 2016] 

4...Qa5+ 5.Nfd2 

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5...h5N [5...Qxc5 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.Nb3 Qc7 8.Nc3 d6 9.0–0 Nc6 10.Bg5 Be6 11.e4 h6 0–1 (38) Dounis,A (2246)-Zubarev,A (2583) Heraklion 2014] 

6.h3 A49: 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 g3: Anti-King's Indian systems 

6...h4 White should prevent ...hxg3. 

7.g4! Na6 8.a3 White is better. 

8...Qxc5 9.Bg2 Bg7 10.Nc3 Nc7 11.Nb3 Qe5 12.f4 Qe6 13.Qd3ƒ Black is under strong pressure. 

13...d5 14.Be3 0–0 [14...b6±] 

15.Bd4 b6 16.Be5 Ba6 17.Qf3 Rac8 18.Rd1 Rfd8 [¹18...Nce8] 

19.Nd4± Qd7 20.Qf2 Nce8 21.Qxh4 Black must now prevent 0–0. 

21...Nd6 Threatening ...Nc4. 

22.Nxd5 

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[Better is 22.0–0± ] 

22...Nxd5? [22...Nc4= and Black is okay. 23.Bxf6 (23.Nxf6+ exf6 24.Bxf6 Bxf6=) 23...Bxf6 24.Qxf6 (24.Nxf6+ exf6 25.Qxf6 Nxb2=) 24...exf6 25.Nxf6+ Kh8 26.Nxd7 Rxd7] 

23.Bxd5+- Bb7 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Bxb7 Qxb7 26.0–0 [26.Rf1+-] 

26...Nc4 [26...Qe4± was called for.] 

27.Rd3 [27.f5+- is more deadly. White threatens fxg6 and mate. 27...Ne3 28.Rf3] 

27...Rh8 [27...Qe4±] 

28.Qg5 Hoping for f5. 

28...Qe4? [28...f6± 29.Qb5 Qe4] 

29.f5 Qe5 

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30.c3? [30.Ne6+! Kg8 (30...fxe6 31.Qxg6+) 31.Qxe7 fxe6 32.Rd8+ Rxd8 33.Qxd8+ Kh7 34.Qe7+ Kg8 35.Qe8+ Kg7 36.Qxg6+ Kf8 37.fxe6+ Qf4 38.Rxf4+ Ke7 39.Qf7+ Kd6 40.Qd7+ Ke5 41.Rf5+ Ke4 42.Qd3#] 

30...Qf6 31.Qxf6+ exf6 32.fxg6 fxg6 33.Ne6+ Kf7 34.Nf4 g5 [34...Rhd8± 35.Rb1 b5] 

35.Nh5 Rh6 [¹35...Rcd8 36.Rxd8 Rxd8 37.Rxf6+ Ke7] 

36.Rd7+ White is clearly winning. 

36...Ke6 37.Rfd1 

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Intending Ng7+ and mate. 

37...f5 38.b3 fxg4 39.hxg4 Rxh5 40.gxh5 Ne5 41.Rxa7 Rxc3 42.h6 1–0