MELKUMYAN vs LOMASOV – ROUND 8 ISLE OF MAN MASTERS 2018

This game is from round 8 of the Isle of Man Masters 2018, fully annotated. It is between Hrant Melkumyan with White against Semen Lomasov with Black.

This game features a Queen’s Pawn Game. To learn more about the Queen’s Pawn Game, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Melkumyan,Hrant (2660) - Lomasov,Semen (2540)

IOM chesscom Masters 2018 Douglas (8), 27.10.2018

1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 3.e4 Bb4+ 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Qc2 A40: Unusual replies to 1 d4

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5...c5 [5...Ne7 6.Bd3 (6.Nge2 f5 (6...0–0 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 f5 9.f3 fxe4 10.fxe4 d5 11.Bg5 dxe4 12.0–0–0 Qe8 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Nxe4 Nd7 15.Bd3 Rac8 16.h4 h6 17.Nc3 Rf4 18.g3 Bxh1 19.gxf4 Qxh4 20.Kb1 Bb7 21.f5 Fauland Borek,J (2085)-Rantanen,T/Pula 1997/CBM 057 ext/1–0 (55)) 7.f3 c5 8.d5 fxe4 9.fxe4 Ng6 10.Bd2 0–0 11.0–0–0 a6 12.a3 Ba5 13.dxe6 dxe6 14.Na4 Bxd2+ 15.Qxd2 Nc6 16.Qxd8 Raxd8 17.Rxd8 Rxd8 18.Nxb6 Na5 19.Na4 Rc8 20.Nec3 Ne5 Chabanon,J (2492)-Wohl,A (2401)/Lido Estensi 2003/CBM 094 ext/½–½ (43)) 6...d5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Qa4+ Nec6 9.Nf3 dxe4 10.Bxe4 0–0 11.0–0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Na5 13.Re1 Bxe4 14.Rxe4 Nd7 15.Bg5 Nf6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Rae1 Qd6 18.Qc2 c5 19.Rh4 f5 20.Re5 Frey Beckman,K (2390)-Verduga,D (2300)/Lone Pine 1977/MCD/½–½ (36); 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Bd3 c5 9.0–0 Ne7 10.Bf4 Qc7 11.Rfe1 Ng6 12.Bg3 e5 13.Bf1 Nf6 14.Rad1 0–0 15.Ng5 h6 16.Nh3 Rad8 17.f4 Rfe8 18.f5 Nf8 19.d5 N8h7 20.Bh4 Storgaard,M (1955)-Christensen,S/Esbjerg 2007/CBM 119 ext/1–0 (59); 5...Qe7 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 d6 8.Nf3 h6 9.Bd3 Nd7 10.0–0 e5 11.a4 a5 12.Rb1 Qf6 13.Ba3 Ne7 14.c5 dxc5 15.dxc5 0–0 16.cxb6 cxb6 17.Bb5 Nc5 18.Bxc5 bxc5 ½–½ Mendoza,B (2162)-Mariano,C/Manila 2001/CBM 082 ext] 

6.d5 This push gains space 

6...f5 Black has a cramped position 

7.a3 White threatens to win material: a3xb4 

7...Ba5 [7...Bxc3+!? 8.Qxc3 Nf6³] 

8.Bd2 fxe4 

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9.Nxe4 [Inferior is 9.Qxe4 Nf6 10.Qe3 0–0 11.dxe6 Qe7=] 

9...Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 [Not 10.Nxd2 exd5 11.0–0–0 Ne7³] 

10...Qe7 Black has a cramped position 

11.0–0–0 

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11...Nf6 Black threatens to win material: Nf6xe4 

12.Nc3 Black has a cramped position 

12...0–0 13.Nf3 Na6 14.Bd3 Kh8 15.Rhe1 Nc7 16.Qf4 d6 Secures e5 [¹16...Qd8!? must definitely be considered 17.d6 Nce8±] 

17.Qh4± e5 

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18.Bxh7 [18.g4!? Qe8 19.g5±] 

18...g5² Black threatens to win material: g5xh4 

19.Qxg5 White has a strong king attack 

19...Qxh7 Black wins a piece 

20.Nh4 Qh5 Black threatens to win material: Qh5xg5 

21.Ng6+ Kg7 22.Qxh5 Nxh5 23.Nxf8 Rxf8 24.g3 Controls f4 

24...Ba6 25.b3 Prevents intrusion on c4 

25...Kg6 [25...Nf6!?= is worth consideration] 

26.f4± exf4 27.gxf4 Bc8 28.Re7 Rf7 29.Rg1+ Kf6 30.Re3 Bf5 31.Ne2 Rf8 

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32.Ng3 White has a mate threat 

32...Ng7 [32...Nxf4?? a poisoned pawn 33.Rf3 Nd3+ 34.Kd2+-] 

33.Rge1 

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33...b5 Nimzovich: attack the chain at its base 

34.Re7 Rf7 35.Rxf7+ Kxf7 36.h4 bxc4 37.bxc4 Bd3 38.h5 Nge8 39.f5 Nf6 40.h6 Nce8 41.Rh1 Kg8 42.Rh4 Nd7 43.Kd2 Ne5 44.h7+ Kh8 45.Kc3 a6 46.Rh6 Bxc4 47.Re6 Bb5 48.f6 White advances the passed pawn.  

48...Kxh7 49.Rxe5 dxe5 50.f7 Kg7 51.fxe8Q Bxe8 52.Kc4 White threatens to win material: Kc4xc5 

52...Kf6 53.Ne4+ Ke7 54.Kxc5 

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54...Bg6? [54...Bb5 55.Nd6 Bd3 56.Nc8+ Kf7 57.Na7²] 

55.Nf2 [¹55.d6+ Kd7 56.Nf6+ Kd8 57.Kd5+-] 

55...a5?? [¹55...Bf5² the only rescuing move] 

56.Ng4+- e4 57.Kd4 Kd6 58.Ne3 Kc7 59.Nc4 Kb7 

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60.Nd6+ [60.Nxa5+?! Kb6 61.Nc4+ Kb5+-] 

60...Kb6 61.Nxe4 Kb5 [61...Bf5 62.Nc5 Bg4+-] 

62.Nc3+ Kb6 

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63.Kc4 [¹63.Ke5+- secures victory] 

63...Bc2 64.Ne2 

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64...Bb1 [¹64...Bd1 65.Nd4 Bh5+-] 

65.Nc1 Bc2 66.Nd3 Bb1 67.Nc5 

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67...Ba2+ [67...Bh7+-] 

68.Kd4 Kb5 

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69.Ne4 [¹69.d6 it becomes clear that White will call all the shots 69...Kc6 70.Ke5+-] 

69...Bb3 70.Nc3+ Kb6 71.Ke5 

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71...Kc5 [71...Kc7+-] 

72.Ne4+ Kb5 73.d6 Kc6 

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74.Nc5!! a sacrifice in the best tradition 

74...Bc4 [74...Kxc5 75.d7 Passed pawn] 

75.Ne6 [75.a4 keeps an even firmer grip 75...Ba2+-] 

75...Bf1?? sad, but how else could Black save the game? [¹75...a4+-] 

76.Nd4+ Kb6 [76...Kd7 does not improve anything 77.Nb3+-] 

77.Ke6 [¹77.Kf6 and White can celebrate victory 77...Kc5 78.d7 Kxd4 79.d8Q+ Ke4 80.Qxa5+-] 

77...Bh3+ 78.Ke7 Bc8 79.Kd8 Bh3 80.Ke7 Twofold repetition 

80...Bc8 81.d7 Bxd7 82.Kxd7 Kc5 83.Nc2 [83.Nc2 a4 84.Kc7+-]  1–0