BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 10 – KOVALEV vs KHUSENKHOJAEV

This game is from round 10 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Vladislav Kovalev with White against Muhammad Khusenkhojaev with Black.

Today’s game features a Scotch.

Kovalev,Vladislav (2664) - Khusenkhojaev,Muhammad (2430)

43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Open Batumi (10.1), 04.10.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.h3 d5 [4...Bb4 5.Bd3 Bxc3 6.dxc3 d6 7.0–0 h6 8.Re1 g5 9.Nh2 Ne7 10.Bb5+ Kf8 11.a4 a5 12.Bf1 1/2–1/2 (59) Yu,Y (2760)-Vidit,S (2707) Liaocheng 2018] 

5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bb5 C47: Scotch Four Knights and Four Knights with 4 g3 

6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bd6 8.0–0 0–0 9.Re1 Re8 Black wants to play ...e4. 

10.d3 

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10...Bd7N [10...a6 11.Ba4 h6 12.Nd2 1/2–1/2 (46) Van Bommel,T (1899) -Soreghy,J (1846) LSS email 2009] 11.Ng5 Qh5 is the strong threat. 

11...h6 12.Ne4 Bf8 13.Qh5 a6 14.Ba4 g6 15.Qf3 aiming for Nf6+. 

15...f5 

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16.Nc5! e4 [16...Bxc5 17.Qd5+] 

17.Qg3 Kh7! 18.Nxd7 Qxd7 19.dxe4 Rxe4 20.Rxe4 fxe4 21.Bf4 Bg7 22.Bxc7 b5! 23.Bb3 a5„ Strongly threatening ...a4. Black is not keeping still 

24.a4 b4 25.Re1 bxc3 26.Bb6 Nd4 27.Bxd4 Qxd4 28.Bf7 Qf6 [28...g5= remains equal.] 

29.Bd5± Rd8 30.Bxe4 Rd4 31.Qg4 Qg5 32.Qe6 Qf6 33.Qg4 Qg5! 34.Qc8 h5 35.Qe8 [35.g3±] 

35...Kh6? [35...Rd2=] 

36.h4!+- Qf6 

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37.g3? [37.Bd3!+- is the precise move to win.] 

37...Rd2± 38.Rf1 Qd6 [Black should try 38...Bf8 ] 

39.Qb5 [39.Bd3±] 

39...Bd4!= ( -> ...Qxg3+) 

40.Qg5+ Kg7 41.Kg2 Qe6 42.Qf4 Be5 43.Qf3 Qf6 [Black should play 43...Bd4= ] 

44.Rb1 Qxf3+ 45.Kxf3 Endgame KRB-KRB 

45...Bd4! 46.Rb7+ Kh6 47.Bd3 Rxf2+ 48.Ke4 

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48...Bf6? [48...Bc5= and Black stays safe.] 

49.Ke3!+- Rg2 50.Kf3 Rg1 51.Rb6 Kg7 52.Ra6 Be5 53.Rxg6+ Kf7 54.Rg5 Kf6 55.Ke4 Black must now prevent Rf5+. 

55...Bxg3 56.Rxa5 Bxh4 57.Rf5+ Ke7 

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58.a5 [But not 58.Rxh5?! Rg4+ 59.Kd5 Rxa4=] 

58...Rg5? [58...Rg4+± 59.Kf3 Kd6] 

59.Rxg5  1–0