Croatia unlikely Euro Teams leader

by Macauley Peterson
11/2/2017 – Who would have guessed that Croatia would be in the sole lead at the European Team Championship heading into the rest day? They beat Germany, while Hungary and Armenia played to a 2-2 tie. Russian and Poland are also a point off the pace. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov turned in a scorching win over David Navara and broke 2800 on the live rating list. Highlights from Rounds 4 and 5 including extensive game annotations from GM Daniel Fernandez. | Photos: euroteams2017.com
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Croatia rocking the boat

They came in as the fourteenth seeds but Croatia, the most recent addition to the European Union, finds itself at the top of an impressive list, with 9 match points on the tournament's only rest day. Only sixth seed Armenia has nicked a match point off their total, after a 2-2 tie in Round 3. Croatia then dispatched fifth seed Israel and ninth seed Germany in the last two matches to bring themselves to clear first place in the standings.

Croatia has been helped by the seventh seeded team, Hungary, which scored a crucial upset match win over Russia in Round 4, then split the match with Armenia in Round 5 leaving all three teams a point behind the leaders. Eighth seeded Poland, has recovered from its "Swiss gambit" draw with 28th ranked Slovakia from Round 1, to stay in contention with eight match points.

Croatia vs. Armenia

Croatia-Armenia was all draws including Ivan Saric vs. Levon Aronian | Photo: euroteams2017.com

Round 4

After holding Armenia, Saric and company faced Israel, which outrated them by about 70 Elo points on every board. Not surprisingly it was a close match, which hinged on the game Maxim Rodshtein vs. Marin Bosiocic — GM Daniel Fernandez's pick for game of the round.

 
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Today's choice of best game is picked from round 4 and awarded for a hard fought game featuring interesting preparation and good technique. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 By contrast to the round 1 best game, we get a Russian variation, on which some very brief comments and game links follow. dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 7.Bf4 c6 8.e4 b5 is, of course, another main line, and now ...Qa5 against either Qd3 or Qb3 (the latter being now viewed as better.) 9.Qb3 9.Qd3 Qa5 9...Qa5 One particularly noteworthy game continued: 10.Bd3 Be6 11.Qd1 Rd8 12.0-0 Bg4 13.e5 Nd5 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Rc1 Qb6 16.Rc5 Nd7! White's chance of an advantage now melts away. 17.Rxb5 Bxf3 18.Qa4 Bxg2 19.Rxb6 Nxb6 20.Qa6 Bxf1 21.Kxf1 e6 Miles,A -Kasparov,G Basel 1986 7...Na6 7...a6 is another move, intending to sacrifice the c7 pawn in case of Bf4. 8.Bf4 8.e5 b5 9.Qb3 Nfd7 10.Be2 was, for reasons that are not apparent to me, a theoretical fashion: c5 11.e6 fxe6 12.Qxe6+ Kh8 13.dxc5 Ne5 14.Qd5 Qxd5 15.Nxd5 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Bb7 17.Nc7 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Ra7 19.Ne6 Rxf3 No fewer than 5 games, all featuring GMs on both sides, reached this position: for instance Kasimdzhanov,R-Caruana,F, Baku 2014 8...b5 9.Qxc7 Qxc7 10.Bxc7 Bb7 7...Bg4 is my personal preference. 8.Be2 8.Qb3!? The move the hand wants to play; Black has to think quickly or get his pawns doubled. c5 9.d5 Qb6! The best, possibly the only, way to sensibly prevent the doubling. 9...e6 is main; 10.Bxa6 10.d6 may raise some questions according to my analysis. 10...bxa6 11.0-0 exd5 12.exd5 Qb6 Atalik,S -Cheparinov,I , Burgas 2012 10.Bxa6 Qxa6 11.e5 Ng4 12.Bf4 Qd3 13.Bg3 Qf5= Gagunashvili,M -Ftacnik,L , Istanbul 2003 8...c5 9.d5 e6 10.0-0 exd5 11.exd5 Re8 11...Bf5 is another move, but could just be a move-order device; Black barely ever wants the Rf8 to move anywhere other than e8. 12.Bf4 Bd7?! Has less to do with the centre than Black might like. Clearly this is preparation, but it does not seem that venomous. 12...Bf5 13.Rad1 is the main line, and now Ne4! 13...Qb6 14.Qb5 is unnecessary; it is unlikely that Black wants the queen trade. 14.Nb5 14.Bd3?! Bxc3! 15.bxc3 b5 16.Qxb5 Nxc3 17.Qxa6 Bxd3 18.Qxd3 Ne2+ 19.Kh1 Nxf4 20.Qc4 Qd6 Gurevich,M -Kasparov,G, Moscow 1988 14...g5 15.Be3 h6 16.d6 Qd7∞ Gelfand,B-Topalov,V Beijing 2013 13.Qb3! A good reaction; White uses the idea mentioned before and 'hints' at Bxa6 (and also, of course, Qxb7 and Nd2-c4.) 13.Ne5 It doesn't take a genius to work out that this must have been in Black's preparation: a central, dominating move that cuts out Nh5 ideas and hits the piece Black has just developed. What could the intention have been? Maybe Qb6!? 13...b5!? 14.Nxb5 Bxb5 15.Qxb5 Nc7 16.Qc4 Ncxd5 17.Bg3 Re6 The White knight in the centre is not secure and he will have to play extremely precisely to pin down the edge that the computer, spurred on by the presence of the bishop pair, insists is present. 13...Nh5? 14.Nxd7 Nxf4 15.Qxf4 Bxc3 16.Bxa6 Qxd7 17.bxc3 bxa6 18.c4± 14.Nxd7 14.a3 also suggests itself, but now Bf5 threatens, among other things, ...Qxb2 and the position descends into chaos. 15.g4!? Nh5‼∞ 14...Nxd7 15.Qb5 Rad8 Black will attack d5 with his knights next, e.g. 16.a3 Be5!= 13...Nh5?! 13...c4!?N could be considered for the future, but White should have some edge, e.g. 14.Bxc4 Nc5 15.Qa3 Rc8 15...Na4!? It is awesome that this move even exists. 16.Nxa4 Re4 16.Rac1 16.d6 Nce4 17.Ne5 Rxe5 16...Nce4 17.Bb3 13...Ne4 14.Bxa6 14.Rae1!? 14...bxa6 15.Rfe1 is a bit late 13...Qb6 14.Ne5 Qxb3 leads to mass simplification: 14...Nh5 15.Nxd7 Qxb3 16.axb3 Nxf4 15.axb3 Nh5 16.Nxd7 Nxf4 17.Bxa6 bxa6 18.Nxc5 White keeps a little something in the ending. 14.Bg5?= 14.Be3± was better, and Black would have been hard pressed to explain what the knight was doing at h5. 14...Qb6 Black now gets counterplay in a standard way. 15.Bc4 Qxb3 16.axb3 Nb4 17.d6 h6 17...Nf6= could have been considered, avoiding Be7 ideas, but Black judges that his knight can do better work elsewhere. 18.Be7 18.Be3 Nc2 19.Rac1 Nxe3 20.fxe3 was interesting, but objectively nothing: Black shuts the f-file. Nf6= 21.e4 Be6! 18...Nf4! Now Black has completely equalised and probably mentally went over to trying to win. 18...Nc6!? 19.Nd5 b5 20.Bd3 20.Bxb5 Nxe7 21.Bxd7 Nxd5 22.Bxe8 Rxe8 20...Nxe7 21.Nxe7+ Kf8 The position is still equal, but White looks more fragile (smaller margin of error.) 19.Rad1 a6 20.Rfe1 b5 21.Bf1 Nc6?! Perfectly decent move on the surface and avoids a dangerous White idea; however, his problem is that White now begins to play flawless chess. 21...Nc2!? 22.Re5!? was probably what Black noticed and tried to avoid. The point though is that now Black has a hidden move- Nd4! Without an engine, it would be impossible to notice that Black is essentially getting this pawn back. 22...Rac8?! 23.Ne4 doesn't help. 22...Bxe5? 23.Nxe5 Be6 24.Ne4± 23.Rxc5 Nfe6 24.Rd5 Nc6 25.Bh4 f5 26.h3 g5 27.Bg3 f4 28.Bh2 Rad8 White is practically in zugzwang, and parallels could be drawn to the 16th game of the 2nd KK match. 22.g3! Ne6 23.Nd5! Nxe7 24.Nxe7+ Kf8 25.Ne5 Ra7?! 25...Rad8 eyes up the d6-pawn, which is relevant in a non-obvious line: 26.Bg2? 26.Bh3! 26...Nd4 27.b4 Bxe5 28.Rxe5 Bg4! Forcing White's next. 29.Rde1! cxb4 30.R1e4 There now follows a ridiculous line: Nf5‼ 31.Rxg4 Rxd6 32.Rxf5 Rxe7 33.Rff4 Rd1+ 34.Bf1 Ree1 35.Rxg6! Rxf1+ 36.Kg2 Rg1+ 37.Kh3 Rd4= 26.Bg2 Bxe5 26...Nd4 27.b4 Bxe5 28.Rxe5 Nf5 29.bxc5 29.Rxf5!? 29...Nxe7 30.dxe7+ Rxe7 31.c6 Bf5 32.Rc5 Rac7 33.b4± 27.Rxe5 a5 Trying to activate the a7 rook. 28.h4 a4 29.bxa4 Rxa4 30.h5! Not very much to look at, but those of us whose chess culture includes long games of positional chess, fighting for small wrinkles in dark corners of the old Europe, know that after ...g5 is forced, one day the h6 pawn will be weak, and fall to Rh7, Nf5 or similar. g5 31.Bc6 Rd8 31...Rd4! The pawn was falling anyway, it is better to do it this way and get a bishop against the knight. 32.Rxd4 Nxd4 33.Rxc5 33.Bxd7 Nf3+ 34.Kf1 Nxe5 35.Bxe8 Kxe8 36.Ke2 Kd7 37.Nf5 I suspect this knight ending is not winning but drawn. 33...Nxc6 34.Nxc6 Re1+ 35.Kg2 Rd1 36.Ne5 Be6 37.Rxb5 Rxd6± 32.Bxd7 Rxd7 33.Nf5 As promised. By magic, White has outplayed his 80-points-higher opponent over 10 moves and now stands a clear pawn to the good in a double rook ending. Nd4 33...Ra6 34.Red5 does not help 34.Rxc5 Nxf5 35.Rxf5 Rb4 36.Rd2 Kg7 37.Kg2 f6 38.Kf3 Kf7 A key decision. Black keeps his own structure intact, allowing White to play g4. 38...g4+?! 39.Ke3 Kf7 40.Rf4 Rb3+ 41.Ke2 was the alternate way to play, but it loses by force. f5 42.Rxf5+ Ke6 43.Rf8 Rxd6 44.Re8+ Kd7 45.Rd8+ Kxd8 46.Rxd6+ Kc7 47.Rxh6 Rxb2+ 48.Ke3 Rb3+ 49.Kf4 Rf3+ 50.Kxg4 Rxf2 51.Re6+- 39.g4 Ke6 40.Kg3 Rb3+ 41.f3 Rb4 42.Kf2 Rb3 43.Ke2?! Not necessarily spoiling anything, but giving Black an unnecessary choice. 43.Re2+ could have been played now. 43...Rb4 43...b4 44.Kd1! 44.Kf2 Rxd6 45.Rxd6+ Kxd6 46.Rxf6+ Kd5 should draw, though care must still be taken. 44...Re3! 45.Rd4! White has to attack b4 now, else d6 will just fall. Re5 46.Rxe5+ Kxe5 46...fxe5 47.Rxb4 Rxd6+ 48.Ke2 is definitely winning. 47.Rxb4 Rxd6+ 48.Kc2 48.Ke2 Rd5 49.Re4+ Kd6 50.b4 f5 51.Rc4 is worse because now there are only two pawns each left on the kingside. 48...Ra6± It's not yet clear what the assessment of this should be, but as a probability balance it should be 80% win, 20% draw or so with good play. 44.Ke3 Rb3+ 45.Kf2 Rb4 46.Re2+ Kf7 47.Rd5 Very good. The rooks swap roles, but Black's is still tied down. Rb3 47...Rc4 48.Rxb5 Rxd6 49.Rb7+ Kf8 50.b4+- 48.Rd4 Kf8 49.Rde4‼ A lovely motif. Kf7 49...Rd3 50.Re8+ Kf7 51.R8e7+ Rxe7 52.dxe7 Ke8 53.Re6 Rd2+ 54.Ke3 Rxb2 55.Rxf6 Kxe7 56.Rxh6 In this case, Black's king is not on d5 but e7, and his pawn is one step back too, so this is totally winning. 49...Rxd6 50.Re8+ Kf7 51.R2e7# is of course the point. 50.Re7+ Rxe7 51.Rxe7+ Kf8 52.Rh7 Rxb2+ 53.Ke3 To cover d2. Ke8 54.Rxh6 f5 55.Rh7 Rb3+ 56.Kd4 Rxf3 57.Re7+ Kd8 58.h6 58.gxf5 could have saved his team-mates that last bit of worry. 58...fxg4 59.h7 Rh3 60.Rg7 g3 61.Ke3 b4 62.Kf3 Kc8 63.Kg2! As befits a grandmaster: we will let the black king out when it suits us to do so, even though doing so wins a rook. 63.Rg8+?! Kd7 64.h8Q Rxh8 65.Rxh8 Kxd6 might appear less than completely clear at first sight, though White can still win simply enough: 66.Rb8 Kc5 67.Kxg3 Kc4 68.Kf3 Kc3 69.Ke3+- 1–0
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Bosiocic,M2619Rodshtein,M26991–02017D97European Team Championship4

The Grünfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black's position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable — up to the highest level.

You might be forgiven for overlooking this game as it was being played live, due to the surprising upset which unfolded over on the first table. Russian board two Ian Nepomniachtchi's win the day before against the Czech republic saved that round for the top seeds, but in Round 4, playing the black side of a symmetrical English line in which the queens came off by move 7, he fell victim to "pitch-perfect technical chess" by Hungary's Viktor Erdos.

Viktor Erdos and Peter Leko

Viktor Erdos (left), beside Hungarian top board Peter Leko, facing Russia | Photo: euroteams2017.com

 
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We may as well take some note of this competitively very important game: 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 b6 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.a4 a6 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 11.e4 e6 12.Bf4 f6 12...0-0-0 could have been called for, to defend the queenside with the king on b7 or even c6. 13.Nd2 Be7 14.Nc4 Kf7 15.Kc2 e5 16.Rhd1! Ke6 17.Be3 Rhb8 Black wanted . ..b5, so there was no time to mess around with g3, just f4 immediately. 18.f4! exf4 19.Bxf4 Rb7 20.Rd5 Raa7 21.Nd6!? 21.Rad1 b5 22.Nd6± could also have been played — Black digs his own grave somewhat by opening the position. 21...Bxd6 22.Rxd6+ Ke7 23.Rc6 Ra8 23...a5 24.Rc8 was likely something that scared Black, because of the domination of both his rooks — he now has to play Ne5 to free them, and enter a depressing single-rook ending: 25.Bxe5 fxe5 26.Rd1 Rd7 27.Rb8 Rxd1 28.Kxd1 Rd7+ 29.Kc2 Rd6 30.Rb7+ Kf6 31.Kb3 24.a5! Making use of the small tactics — not dissimilar to our star game by Bosiocic. Kf7 25.axb6 Obviously ...b5 was never going to be allowed again. Rxb6 26.Rc7 Ke8 27.Rd1 Rd8 28.Rd6 g5 29.Bg3 Rxd6 30.Bxd6 Just like that, a pawn is won; White cashes in and the game is over. h5 31.Bxc5 Nxc5 32.Rxc5 Kf7 33.Rd5 Re8 34.Kd3 h4 35.b4 h3 36.g3 Rb8 37.Kd4 Ke6 38.Ra5 Rb6 39.Rc5 Rd6+ 40.Rd5 Rb6 41.g4 Kf7 42.e5 Ke7 43.Ke4 Rc6 44.Kf5 fxe5 45.Rxe5+ Kf7 46.Re3 a5 47.Rxh3 Kg7 48.bxa5 Rc5+ 49.Ke6 Rxa5 50.c4 Ra6+ 51.Kd5 Kf7 52.Re3 Ra4 53.h3 More pitch-perfect technical chess to complete our trio of rook endings (though this one was only briefly so.) There might have been just one issue with a hasty Nd6, but Black's method of bailing out was not an obvious or appealing one even after that. White made his 2733 opponent look like a statue as he sped past. 1–0
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Erdos,V2624Nepomniachtchi,I27331–02017A34European Team Championship4

Williams main teaching method behind this set of two DVDs is to teach you some simple yet effective set ups, without the need to rely on memorising numerous complicated variations.

Top results of Round 4

Team MP Res. : Res. MP Team
Russia 6 1½ : 2½ 5 Hungary
Germany 5 2 : 2 5 Poland
Israel 5 1½ : 2½ 5 Croatia
Armenia 5 2½ : 1½ 5 Netherlands

Poland yielded its second draw, with the young guns Jan-Krzysztof Duda (age 19) and Kacper Piorun (25) exchanging wins with their German counterparts, Georg Meier (30) and Matthias Bluebaum (20). Duda's win over Meier featured a nice technical rook ending.

 
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Another technical game, like the last, featuring my 'hero' of round 1 and also featuring a nice technical rook endgame, interestingly again with White having an extra b-pawn... 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6 6...Bf5 7.Qf3 Bg6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Qxf6 gxf6 10.Nf3 Nd7 11.Nh4 Be7 12.Ne2 was the 'modern classic' Carlsen,M-Kramnik,V, Stavanger 2016 7.Bh4 Bf5 The implication of ...Bf5 from Black in these positions is generally that he is fine to play for a draw. 8.Bd3 8.Qf3 would be similar to the last note, with a minor wrinkle being that the bishop has h7 too. 8...Bxd3 9.Qxd3 Be7 10.Nge2 0-0 11.f3 We have swiftly left theoretical battlefields. White may not be claiming any advantage as such, but he is asking a very powerful question- with e4 unstoppable, does Black generate counterplay before he gets overrun? Re8 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.Rad1 13.Bf2!? White could maybe dispense with Rad1, since the rook might want to come to e1 instead later. b5 14.Ng3 13...b5 14.Bf2 Bf8 15.Ng3 Rc8?! Doesn't give a particularly coherent impression. 15...h5!? was a good example of drastic action Black should have considered. 15...b4 16.Nce2 c5 could have been played immediately since that was what Black did next anyway 16.h3 16.e4!? screamed out to be played. Obviously, the issue White had with this must have been dxe4 17.fxe4 Ng4 else he would not have bothered playing 16.h3, however here 18.Qf3! gives White an edge 16...b4 17.Nce2 c5! Action at last. 18.dxc5 Bxc5 19.Nf4 Qb6 Forcing Nf5, which White likely wanted anyway. 19...Qa5! 20.Nf5 20.Nxd5 Qxa2 21.Nxf6+ Nxf6= 20...Qxa2 It turns out White's play is not yet so serious that Black can't go pawn-grabbing. 20.Nf5 Ne5 21.Qb3 g6 21...Nc4!? must have been considered; it seems 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Rxd5 Bxe3 23...Nxe3 24.Rxc5! wins on the spot. 24.Nxe3 Rxe3‼ may have been the missed detail; Black obtains a fair amount of counterplay 22.Nxh6+ Kg7 23.Ng4 Picking up a clean pawn. Nexg4 24.fxg4 Bxe3 25.Nxd5 Nxd5 26.Qxd5 Re7 26...Rcd8 27.Qf3 Rxd1 28.Rxd1 Re5 may have been a slightly better try, looking for Ra5 after the pieces come off, but after 29.b3± a pawn is still a pawn. 27.Qf3 Bxf2+ 28.Qxf2 Rc2 29.Qxb6 axb6 30.Rf2 Ree2 31.Rxe2 Rxe2 32.b3! A very cute detail. Now, by virtue of his rook position on b4, White's pawn plus is exceptionally relevant, and the position may already be technically winning. This is a difficult endgame to annotate- if Black was not already lost, where did he lose? Rxa2 33.Rd4 Re2 34.Rxb4 Re6 35.Kf2 g5 An interesting call. It's not clear to me that this actually needed to be done, though its idea- preventing White's g5- is clear. 35...f6 36.h4 Kh6 37.Rb5 Rc6 The idea is that g5 can always be met by a capture and Kh5, and that h5 can always be ignored. This is an alternative setup, and the way to try and break it down is obvious. 38.Kg3 Rd6 39.Kh3 Rc6 40.g3 Maybe this forces .. .g5. Rd6 40...Kg7 41.Rd5 Rc3 42.Rd7+ Kh6 43.Rf7!+- 41.g5+ fxg5 42.Rxg5± White has undoubled and the maneouvring can continue. 36.Rb5 f6 37.g3 Kg6 38.h4 Kh6 39.Kf3 Kg6 40.Rd5 Rc6 41.Ke4 Re6+ 42.Kd3 Re1 42...gxh4 43.gxh4 Re1 It seems critical, as in the last line, to permit the undoubling. Maybe this would have drawn. Maybe I would criticise it if it was played en route to a loss... 43.hxg5 43.h5+ Kh6 44.Rf5 Kg7 45.Rf3 could have been another idea- Black has no way to hit the pawns, and must go back to defence, but White has improved his king to the 4th rank. 43...Rg1!? An imaginative defence- reminding us that chess is a game of 2 players- but unfortunately he is already dead. 44.gxf6 Rxg3+ 45.Kc4+- 45.Kd4!? Rxg4+ 46.Ke5 may have been better. 45...Rxg4+ 46.Kb5 Kxf6 47.Kxb6 Rb4+ 48.Rb5 Re4 49.b4 Ke6 50.Kb7 Kd6 51.Rb6+ Kd5 51...Kd7 52.b5 Rb4 53.Ka7 Ra4+ 54.Ra6 Rb4 55.b6 Kc8 56.Ra1 52.Ka6 The only winning move, but obvious enough. The rest has been seen a hundred times; Black is cut off, this time not on the files but on the ranks. Rh4 53.Rb7 Rh6+ 54.Ka5 Rh1 55.b5 Kd6 56.Rg7 Kc5 57.Rc7+ Kd6 58.b6 Ra1+ 59.Kb5 Ra8 60.Rc1 1–0
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Duda,J2706Meier,G26551–02017D35European Team Championship4

Rook endings are amongst the most frequently encountered endgames there are, and so your training effort will be quickly repaid in the form of half and full points. Knowing even a few rules of thumb and key methods makes life a great deal easier and provides a guiding light even in complex positions. This DVD focuses on the important themes which are to be found in common rook endings.

Rounding out the top four matches of the fourth round was Armenia vs. the Netherlands, which saw three decisive games. Only Aronian-Giri was drawn. Gabriel Sargissian, known for turning in impressive team performances for Armenia, has the hot hand of the first half, with three wins and two draws, which is among the best in the tournament (Rauf Mamedov has 4½ / 5 for Azerbaijan, but faced weaker opposition).

 
Gabriel Sargissian vs. Benjamin Bok
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Gabriel SargissianSargissian's 26.Bxb4 was more than enough after 26.Rc1+ 27.Kg2 Qd8 28.Bxf8 Qxf8 29.Qxa6.

But 26.Qe8 would have won in style. White is threatening Rd7, and after 26...Rc1+ 27.Kg2 f5, trying to cover the bishop from f6, 28.Bxb4 Qf6 29.Rb8 is lights out.

Sargissian has been a stalwart for the Armenian national team, playing in every biennial Chess Olympiad competition since 2000, a span in which they won three times. (Armenia was notably absent from the 2016 Baku Olympiad due to geopolitical tensions with Azerbaijan). His individual career has seen several notable open tournament wins, including two wins at the Chicago Open, but his rating peaked in 2015 at 2702, when he briefly broke into the world's top 50.

As Sargissian has excelled, Movsesian has struggled, with just 1½ / 5 thus far. His loss to Erwin l'Ami featured a "gutsy exchange sacrifice" from the Dutch number four, playing board two. After Anish Giri, Loek van Wely serves as captain and Robin van Kampen is studying in Canada this Autumn.

 
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Now for a brief look at some completely diferent games. This one caught my eye for a gutsy exchange sacrifice by White, who is maybe best known as an ex-winner of the famous Reyjkavik open tournament. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qa4+ Nc6 8.e3 0-0 9.Rc1 According to what I understand the main line is 9.Be2 Bd7 9...dxc4 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Bd7 12.Qxc4 Aronian,L -So,W, Saint Louis 2017 10.Qc2 10.Qb3 is played too 10...dxc4 11.0-0 Bd6 as in Harika,D-Hou,Y, Rhodes 2013 9...Qg6 10.Qc2 Qxc2 11.Rxc2 Rd8 12.a3 Bf8 So, Black has equalised, at least to my mind. The question is whether anyone cares. These days Carlsen, Aronian and even Kramnik seem to be much more about outplaying people later than huge preparation, though the 'other' type of elite like Giri, Caruana, Anand continue to exist in equal numbers. 13.Nb5 Rd7 14.h4 Stopping ...g5 ideas, which doesn't look like much but is a big deal. What White might secretly want now is to be pushed back with ...a6, so that a later Nc5! packs a bit more punch... a6 15.Nc3 Rd8 16.g4?! 16.cxd5 exd5 17.Bd3 17.Na4 would have been consistent, and maybe intended, but also not best. 17...g6 18.g3 White definitely has more 'ideas' here. The king can go to g2, the Nf3 to c5, the rooks can be doubled or not, maybe b4... 16.Be2 dxc4 17.Bxc4 Bd6 is just equal. 16.c5 g6! is not what White is looking for. 16...g6 16...dxc4 17.Bxc4 e5 was a tactical opportunity that will not knock twice. 17.cxd5 exd5 18.Bh3 Back under control. Ne7 19.Na4 c6 20.Nc5 Rb8 21.Ke2 Kg7 22.Nd3 22.b4!? 22...Ng8 23.g5 h5 24.Nfe5 Ne7= Very good neutralisation by Black, who seems to be equal again. 25.Bxc8 Nxc8 26.Rh3 Bd6 27.Rf3 Bxe5 28.dxe5 28.Nxe5 Nd6 was possible, but would fail to keep 'a little something' in the position. 28...Ne7 29.Rf6 Ng8 30.f4! Exclamation mark for the Dutch courage! The conception is amazing, and not well understood by engines, and to do this in a team tournament... as we shall see it may not have improved White's position, but the nerve is admirable! 30.Rd6 Ne7= 30.Rf4 Ne7 31.Nc5 Nf5 32.e6 was relatively pedestrian and probably equal. 30...Nxf6 30...Re8 It takes a special kind of sadist to do this — " I see your sacrifice, and I raise you a cold shoulder" — from a psychological point of view this move would have been fantastic. White might struggle to arrange a favourable f5, and Black can if he wishes take later, or else play ...Ne7-f5 anyway. 31.gxf6+ Kh6 32.Rc1 The idea is simple. Rg1-g5, f5, Nf4 if/when it threatens Rxh5 or Rxg6. Rbc8!? A good defence. 32...Re8 33.Rg1 b6 ...c5 will come soon, so White should hurry. 34.f5 34.Rg5 Rg8 34.Kf3!? Leads to one of the most amazing perpetuals I have ever seen. c5 35.f5 c4 36.e6‼ cxd3 37.exf7 Re4 37...Rf8 38.fxg6 38.Rxg6+ Kh7 39.Rg7+ Kh8 40.Rg6‼= 34...Rg8 35.e6 gxf5 36.Rxg8 Rxg8 37.exf7 Rf8 38.Ne5 c5 39.Kf3 d4= with a bizarre draw. 32...Rg8!? is similar to the game, but less flexible. 33.Nc5 33.Rg1 b6 33...a5 34.Kd3! White should now give up on f5. 34.Rg1 b6 35.Nd7 Rb7 36.e6 Rxd7 34...b6 35.Nd7 Rb7 36.e6 Rc8‼= The mess continues, but Black has his counterchances. 33.Rg1 Rg8 34.Nc5 Rc7 Black seems to have adequately defended against both mate and pawn-grabbing. Now comes: 35.f5! g5?! 35...Rcc8‼ A hard defensive move to spot. 36.Ne6‼ The response is even more amazing. fxe6 36...gxf5 37.Ng7 c5 38.Kf3 d4 39.exd4 cxd4= 37.fxe6 Rce8 38.e7 Rg7 Black is so tied up, this is the best he can do. 39.Kd3 Rexe7 40.fxe7 Rxe7 41.Kd4= 36.e6 g4! 37.e7!± White gets the same bind without sacrificing his knight. A later Ne6 could well be crushing too. Re8 38.Kf2 b6 39.Nd3 c5 40.Nf4 Rd7 41.Rd1 d4 42.e4! Bringing, if needed, a fourth pawn. The game is now over. Kh7 43.Nd5 Rb8 44.Kg3 1–0
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L'Ami,E2611Movsesian,S26711–02017D38European Team Championship4

The positional exchange sacrifice is one of the most powerful and fascinating strategic weapons in chess. On this DVD Sergey Tiviakov explains why the positional exchange sacrifice is such a strong weapon and how to use it.

Round 5

After a fairytale start for Italy, upsetting the strong Azerbaijan quad, the 22nd seeds were brought back down to earth in the fifth round, roundly defeated by Ukraine 3½ : ½. On board two Ruslan Ponomariov has had the same nearly flawless record as Sargissian, and netted his third win against the 27-year old Danyyil Dvirnyy.

 
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If the theme of round 4's best clashes (as judged by me) was the rook endgame, then round 5 was similarly characterised by... great attacking chess. We see a number of specimens, and then just as you were beginning to think I had woken up a bit, we return to our rook endings with extra b-pawns. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Be7 7.Ne2 Nc6 8.c3 Qb6 9.a3 0-0 9...a5 is main here, presumably to avoid what happens in the game. 10.b4 cxd4 11.cxd4 a5 12.b5! Previously played only in little-known games, but the only move to make any sense, and so Black could have expected this. Qxb5 13.Nc3 Qb6 14.Rb1 Qd8 15.Bd3 a4!? Risks looking a bit irrelevant. 15...Nb6 16.h4 f5 17.Nb5 Nc4 would have got Black started a bit faster, since he doesn't really want to to play ...Qa5 anyway, and White was never going a4. 16.h4 f5 Something must be done about the Greek gift. 17.Nb5 Re8 18.g4 Nf8 Black defends well for now. 19.Qc2 Bd7 Not bad at all; the idea of ... Rc8 makes White take on f5 now- at least once... 19...fxg4 is inhuman, and in fact terrible, thanks to 20.Ng5 Bxg5 21.hxg5 g6 22.Kf2 (for instance) when the machine learns the error of its ways. 19...Ra6!? is an interesting bet, trying to use the squares left behind by captured men for good. 20.gxf5 20.Qg2 Na5 Eventually, White must take, and then the 6th rank defence will be useful. 20...exf5 21.Bxf5 21.Kf2 Ne6= 21...g6 22.Bxc8 Qxc8= when Black has extremely good light squares. 20.gxf5 exf5 21.Bxf5?! 21.Bd2!? takes a time out before snacking on f5 to ensure that Black can't swap knights in a favourable way. The weakness of a4 is noteworthy in the line Rc8 22.Qxa4 21...Nb4! Inspired use of tactics — it was clearly this that Black had in mind two moves ago. 22.axb4 Bxb5 23.Qg2! a3! I didn't want the pawn to be moved to a4, but since it was, it should be moved further... 24.Rg1 There really is no time for messing around. Bxh4+ 25.Kd1 g6 26.Bc2 a2 26...Re6 is unhelpfully suggested by the machine. 27.f5 Rc6 and Black has great counter-attacking chances based on Rxc2 motifs. 27.Ra1 Qc7 28.f5!? For bravado: The initiative is far more important than taking pieces right now! 28.Nxh4 Qc3 29.Nxg6 was objectively best, and should draw — but nobody tells you this during a game. Be2+ 30.Kxe2 Qxc2+ 31.Ke1 Qc3+ 32.Kf2 Nxg6= 28...Rec8? 28...Qc3 should have been played anyway, and after 29.fxg6 h6!-+ - a theme which gives me a flashback to Groszpeter-Fernandez, Kecskemet 2015... 29.fxg6 hxg6 30.Nxh4 Since Black was not threatening even a check and this move now does, White gets in first. Qc3 31.Qxd5+ Kh8 32.Nxg6+ Nxg6 33.Qh1+‼ Not the only mate, but we always play Qh1+ when we can, no? 1–0
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Ponomariov,R2687Dvirnyy,D25421–02017C11European Team Championship5

Azerbaijan's loss to Italy was compounded by a 2-2 tie with Spain in the third round, but the tournament's second highest-rated team may be finally getting back on track after brushing past the Czech Republic 3 : 1. Shakrihyar Mamedyarov has played four decisive games since that first round upset during which he was benched. He demolished Czech number one David Navara to improve his personal score in the tournament to 3 : 1 as well, and has boosted his live rating above 2800 for the second time, but now as unofficial world number two.

Mamedyarov and Radjabov

Mamedyarov looking confident against Navara | Photo: euroteams2017.com

 
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A second hack, this time of... our hero from last time. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bxc4 e6 5.Nf3 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.Qe2 b5 8.Bd3 cxd4 9.Rd1 9.exd4 is most played but White was in gambit mode! 9...Be7 10.a4 bxa4 11.Rxa4 11.Nxd4 is given as +/= by the engine, but all sensible humans know that White's b-pawn is just as bad as Black's a6 pawn, so there is a strong chance of play petering out. 11...dxe3 11...Nc6 would have been a conservative reaction, in keeping with the last note. 12.Nxd4 Nb4 13.Bb5+ Bd7= 12.Bxe3 Nbd7 13.Nc3 0-0 14.Bg5 Bb7 14...Qb6 was called for. 15.Rd4!? 15.Ne5!? The tactical weakness of the d-file might begin to be an issue here; presumably White saw this but decided he didn't want to take the queen-for-stuff trade and didn't see an alternative. Black now has to play h6 16.Be4! Not obvious unless you are looking for a trick. 16.Bxf6 White can take the queen if he likes but after Nxf6 17.Bh7+ Kxh7 18.Rxd8 Raxd8 he may not even be better. 16...Nxe4 17.Bxe7 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Qxe7 19.Rxd7 Qe8! 20.Rf4 Rb8 21.h4 Black is in trouble. 15...Bxf3!? 15...Qe8 avoids giving concessions. 16.Qxf3 Ne5 17.Qe3 Qb8 18.Bf4 Suddenly Black finds himself being tied up, though he still has a route to equality: Neg4?! 18...Nfg4 19.Qe2 Bc5 20.Rc4!? 20.Bc4 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 Rc8= 20...Ba7 21.Bg3 Nxf2 22.Bxf2 Bxf2+ 23.Qxf2 Nxc4 24.Bxc4 Qb4 with dynamic balance. 19.Qe2 e5 20.Bg3 h5 21.Nd5 If not for this move, Black's 18th could be best. But now he is slightly worse again. Re8 22.h3! 22.Nxe7+ Rxe7 23.Rd6 e4 risks getting bogged down in tricks. 22...h4 23.Nxf6+ 23.Rxg4 is also tempting but all else being equal we would like to keep our bishops in the rapidly opening position. 23...Bxf6 24.Qe4 g6 25.Bc4! Threatening Qxg6 so that Black can't take any of his pieces. Kg7 26.Rd7 Re7 27.Bxh4 Bxh4 28.Qxg4 Bf6 28...Qc8!± may have been the best last-ditch defence, holding the position together by a thread. 29.R7d6 Rc7 29...Raa7 was a more natural 7th rank defence, but after 30.Rd8! Qxb2 31.Rg8+‼ Black is again toast. 30.Qf3 Bh4 31.Rd7 Now the 7th rank collapses and Black is finished. Rxd7 32.Rxd7 Qb4 33.Qxf7+ Kh6 34.Qh7+ Kg5 35.f4+ Kf5 36.Qf7+ Ke4 37.Qxg6+ An absolute demolition job! This attack was so crisp, I might even have considered letting White play mate on the board. 1–0
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Mamedyarov,S2791Navara,D27261–02017D28European Team Championship5

Grandmaster Daniel King presents ten exemplary attacking performances. At key moments he stops and asks you to play a move. King then gives feedback on the most plausible continuations. It’s the next best thing to having your own personal trainer!

Top results of Round 5

Team MP Res. : Res. MP Team
Hungary 7 2 : 2 7 Armenia
Croatia 7 2½ : 1½ 6 Germany
Poland 6 3 : 1 6 Belarus
Russia 6 3½ : ½ 6 Turkey
Azerbaijan 5 3 : 1 5 Czech Republic

Additional highlights selected by GM Fernandez

 
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One final messy attack for the road. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.h3 a6 11.a4 Rb8 12.Bf4 Qc7 13.Rc1 Re8 14.Qd2 b5 15.axb5 axb5 16.b4 Ba6 17.Bh6 Bh8 18.Qf4 Qb6 19.Ng5 Re7 20.Nce4!? Playing 'va banque'. 20.Rfd1 and a whole host of other normal moves were possible, and the position stays level. 20...Nxd5 21.Qh4 Bb7 22.Rfd1 22.Nxh7?! looks good at first glance only. Re5 23.Bf3 Kxh7 23...f5!? 24.Nxd6 Bf6 22...Rbe8 22...cxb4!? 23.Nxh7 Re5 24.Nhg5 Completely understandable that Black might not want this, but at the same time — White lacks a threat, and it turns out Black can just play Rbe8! 23.bxc5 dxc5 24.Nxc5 Nxc5 25.Bxd5 Bxd5 26.Rxd5= Regaining the pawn and White has equalised. In human terms he is doing rather well as he has an attack on the king... Nb3 27.Rcd1 Rxe2 27...f6 28.Qb4! 28.Qf4 f6?! 28...Qf6 I'm not sure White had a plan against this, and it's not clear he can even recover his material, but he's luckily not worse: 29.Qxf6 Bxf6 30.R1d3 30.Rxb5 Nd4 31.Ra5 Nf5! 30...Nc1 31.Rf3 Bxg5 32.Bxg5 R2e5 33.Rxe5 Rxe5 34.Bh6= 29.Rd7 29.Qf3 immediately would have set up some beautiful ideas based on the epaulette mate: fxg5 30.Rd8! Bf6 30...Bg7 31.Qxb3+ Kh8 32.Qf7 30...Rxd8 31.Rxd8+ Qxd8 32.Qxb3+ 31.R8d6‼ Qxf2+ 32.Qxf2 Rxf2 33.Kxf2± 29...Nc5 30.Qf3 R2e5?? I suspect this was an attempt to win quickly. 30...Nxd7 31.Rxd7 Qxf2+ 32.Qxf2 Rxf2 33.Kxf2 fxg5 34.Bxg5 cannot possibly have escaped Nigel's notice, but some detail that enables the pawn to be retained might have, e.g. b4 34...Be5!? seems best 35.Rb7 Bc3 36.Be7 b3! 37.Ba3 Bd4+ 38.Kf3 Re3+ Black can try for a while to win this, although it should not work. 31.R1d6!+- Rf5 32.Rxb6 32.Qe2‼ is a nice extra, but you only need to win once. 32...Rxf3 33.Re7! 33.Nxf3 Even if Black had expected this, the line should not be preferred to the immediate ...Nxd7, because here it is obvious that White will regain his pawn. Nxd7 34.Rxb5= 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kelires,A2698Short,N25101–02017A63European Team Championship5
Aleksandrov,A2588Tomczak,J25830–12017D80European Team Championship5
Howell,D2698Dvirnyy,D25420–12017European Team Championship4
Kuzubov,Y2690Sanal,V25490–12017European Team Championship4

Click on a game in the list to see additional highlights

Round 6 is shaping up to be a pivotal one — will see matches between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Hungary and Croatia, and Poland against Russia among the top boards.

Top pairings of Round 6

Team MP : MP Team
Armenia 8 : 7 Azerbaijan
Hungary 8 : 9 Croatia
Belarus 6 : 6 England
Poland 8 : 8 Russia
Ukraine 6 : 7 France
Germany 6 : 6 Turkey
Georgia 5 : 5 Italy
Romania 7 : 7 Israel
Spain 6 : 6 Slovenia
Netherlands 5 : 5 Czech Republic

Live games and commentary starts at 14:00 CET (Europeans set their clocks back already last weekend) / 9:00 AM EDT.

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Macauley served as the Editor in Chief of ChessBase News from July 2017 to March 2020. He is the producer of The Full English Breakfast chess podcast, and was an Associate Producer of the 2016 feature documentary, Magnus.

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