European Championship: Two out of two

by Klaus Besenthal
3/5/2023 – After the second round of the European Championship, a 56-player leading group has emerged. Gabriel Sargissian, David Navara, Jules Moussard, Boris Gelfand and Ivan Saric are the five highest-rated players who have won their first two games in the Serbian city of Vrnjacka Banja. | Photos: European Chess Union

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Nine rounds to go

Romanian grandmaster Vladislav Nevednichy had a few opportunities, in his game against Alexander Donchenko, to get out of the predicament he got into early on, but failed to take advantage of them.

After a serious oversight, the game ended abruptly in the German’s favour.

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 h6 8.Re1 Nbd7 9.Rb1 Re8 10.d5 a5 11.Bd2 Nc5 12.Bf1 Bd7 13.b3
This roughly balanced position is not treated appropriately by Black. 13...b6 This was not (yet) necessary. The move would probably have been appropriate as a reaction to a possible Bd2-e3. 13...Nh7 14.a3 f5 would have been more in the spirit of the King's Indian. 14.h3 Kh7?! This also seems superfluous. 14...Nh7! 15.a3 a4 16.b4 Nb3 17.Be3 Ng8 The merciless computers want to start at this point with 17...Kg8 to quickly correct the previous mistake. 18.Nd2 Nd4 Better was 18...Nxd2 19.Qxd2 f5 20.f3 Nf6 Black keeps the a4-pawn, but after 21.c5!± White continues his attack. 19.Bd3 c5 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.Bc2 Ne7 The a4-pawn is lost. After 21...Nxc2 22.Qxc2 White plays b4-b5 and then captures the a4-pawn. 22.Bxa4 Bxa4 23.Nxa4
23...f5? It is too late now - and the conditions are no longer right in view of the unstable centre. 23...Nec6 was better, but even here Black's position is clearly worse. 24.Bxd4 exd4 25.Qb3?! Giving away part of the advantage. Consistent was 25.exf5 Nxf5 25...gxf5 26.Nf3+- 26.Rxe8 Qxe8 27.Nxb6 Rxa3 28.Nd5 d3 29.b5+- 25...fxe4 26.Rxe4 d5! 27.cxd5 Nxd5 28.Rxe8 Qxe8 29.Qxd5 Rxa4 29...Qxa4 was better: the a8-rook can go to e8 or f8. 30.Nc4 Qe2 31.Rc1 This position was absolutely tenable for Black. h5?! But this move seems to be imprecise. 31...Ra7!= would have brought the rook back into play. 32.Nd6 Rxa3 33.Ne4 White has given up his a-pawn, but in return he has gained the time to manoeuvre his knight towards the hole created by h6-h5. Ra7 34.Qe6 Thit wins immediately after Black's coming blunder. More accurate was 34.Ng5+ Kh6 35.Nf3 Again there is a threat of Rc6 - Qg5+ is available on top of that. 34...d3?? 34...Qb5! with drawing chances. 35.Rc6 35.Rc6 The g6-pawn cannot be covered - and neither can the g5 hole or the back rank: Qe1+ 36.Kh2 Qxb4 37.Ng5+ Kh8 38.Rc8+ Bf8 39.Qf6+ Kg8 40.Ne6 etc.
1–0
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Donchenko,A2653Nevednichy,V24571–02023EICC 20232.19
 

Rasmus Svane’s game against Bulgarian IM Tsvetan Stoyanov had a curious resemblance to Donchenko’s in the end, at least on a superficial level.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Nf6 6.Be3 cxd4 7.cxd4 e6 8.Nc3 Bb4 9.Be2 0-0 10.0-0 Qa5 11.Qb3 Nc6 12.Rfd1 Be7 13.a3 b5 14.Rac1 Bb7 15.d5 exd5 16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Rxd5 Rad8 18.Bd3 Rxd5 19.Qxd5 Qd8 20.Qb3
In this balanced position Black is losing the thread. 20...h6?! This move would only make sense if, with the white battery on the diagonal b1/h7 announcing itself, the bishop and queen would be ready to threaten checkmate. A better pawn to push was 20...g6= 21.Bb1! Na5 22.Qc2 f5 Now Black has to play a move that was certainly not planned. 23.Ba2+ Kh7 24.Nd4 Be4 25.Qd2 More accurate was 25.Qe2 Now the d4-knight can move without Black being able to exchange queens. 25...Rf6 25...Bd5 26.Ne6 Bxe6 27.Bxe6 Rf6 28.Qxd8 Bxd8 29.Bd5± was perhaps better, but White still has the advantage with his dominant bishop pair. 26.f3 f4 Black gives up this pawn voluntarily. 26...Bc6 27.Be6 Nc4 28.Bxf5+ Rxf5 29.Rxc4 bxc4 30.Nxf5 Qxd2 31.Bxd2 Bc5+ 32.Kf1 Kg6 33.Ng3± was complicated, but also had to be considered. 27.fxe4 fxe3 28.Qxe3 Nc4? Black had freed himself a bit by sacrificing the pawn, but this is not a good move. Better was to start with 28...Rd6! threatening Rxd4 and Bg5. 29.Nf3 Nc4 Collecting the pawn on c4 now only results in equalisation, whereby it is White who must strive for precise play: 30.Bxc4 Better is: 30.Qe2 Qb6+ 31.Kh1 Qe3 32.Qxe3 Nxe3 33.e5 Rd8± 30...bxc4 31.Rxc4 Rd3= 29.Bxc4 bxc4 30.Rxc4 White is winning - Black has no compensation for the two pawns. Qb8 31.e5 Rg6 This allows White to build up an ominous pin. The game comes to a quick end. 32.b4 32.Qe4!+- was already playable here. 32...Bd8 33.Qe4 Bb6 34.h4 h5 35.Kh2 Qe8 36.Nf3 Bd8 37.Rc8 Threatening Rxd8 followed by Ng5+.
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Svane,R2620Stoyanov,T24461–02023EICC 20232.30
 

The other two German grandmasters were less successful in round 2: Frederik Svane had to settle for a draw against Romanian IM Alexandru-Vasile David, while Dmitrij Kollars lost to Israeli FM Matan Gorodetzky.

Boris Gelfand

Boris Gelfand (born 1968) is the senior member of the leadership group.

David Navara

David Navara has fallen back a bit from the absolute top of the world in recent years - at the EICC he is seeded number four

Standings - Round 2

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Sargissian Gabriel 2 0
  Navara David 2 0
  Moussard Jules 2 0
  Gelfand Boris 2 0
  Saric Ivan 2 0
  Sarana Alexey 2 0
  Shevchenko Kirill 2 0
  Korobov Anton 2 0
  Nguyen Thai Dai Van 2 0
  Gledura Benjamin 2 0
  Sargsyan Shant 2 0
  Abasov Nijat 2 0
  Kovalev Vladislav 2 0
  Safarli Eltaj 2 0
  Mastrovasilis Dimitrios 2 0
  Paravyan David 2 0
  Kadric Denis 2 0
  Kobalia Mikhail 2 0
  Livaic Leon 2 0
  Kozak Adam 2 0
  Stremavicius Titas 2 0
  Nasuta Grzegorz 2 0
  Stocek Jiri 2 0
  Dvirnyy Danyyil 2 0
  Yilmazyerli Mert 2 0
  Kourkoulos-Arditis Stamatis 2 0
  Brunello Sabino 2 0
  Gorshtein Ido 2 0
  Gharibyan Mamikon 2 0
30 Sanal Vahap 2 0

...484 players

All available games - Round 2

 
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Klaus Besenthal is computer scientist, has followed and still follows the chess scene avidly since 1972 and since then has also regularly played in tournaments.

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