Grivas on the Chess Olympiad 2024 (2)

by Efstratios Grivas
10/2/2024 – The Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest saw a lot of interesting games, many truely spectacular, and often quite instructive, especially for budding chess masters. Of the total of nearly 8,000 games, here are six treats, selected and annotated by international trainer Eftratios Grivas. Play through them and learn.
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Arjun Erigaisi (left) scored 10.0/11, and missed a good chance against Shamsiddin Vokhidov

Erigaisi, Arjun2778½–½Vokhidov, Shamsiddin2650
Olympiad
Budapest20.09.2024[Efstratios Grivas]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Ba4 e4 7.Re1 Be7 8.Ne5 0-0 9.Nc3 Nf5 10.Rxe4 Nxe5 11.dxe5 d6 12.Bf4 c6 13.exd6 Bxd6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.Bb3 Qc7 16.Qh5 Bd7 17.Rae1 Rad8 18.g4 Nd6 19.Rd4 Bc8 20.Red1 Rd7 21.R1d3 Ne8 22.Rxd7 Bxd7 23.Ne4 h6 24.Qg6 c5 25.Nxc5 Bxg4 26.Qxg4 Qxc5 27.Qd4 Qa5 28.Rg3 b6 29.Kg2 Qf5 30.Qg4 Qf6 31.c3 Nd6 32.Rf3 Qe7 33.Qf4 Rd8 34.Bd5 Kf8 35.c4 Rc8 36.h4 Rc7 37.b3 Ne8 (D)
An interesting and crucial moment of the match India-Uzbekistan (the previous edition winners); the only one that India didn't win (2-2 with four draws). 38.Re3? White could have made it 11/11 for India, by playing the decisive 38.Bxf7! Qxf7 38...Nf6 39.Bd5+- 39.Qd4! Nf6 40.Qd8++- . But by missing this golden chance, the game ended in a draw later on. 38...Qd8 39.Rd3 Nf6 40.Be4 Qe7 41.Bf3 Rc8 42.Kf1 Kg8 43.Qd6 Kf8 44.Qxe7+ Kxe7 45.Be2 a5 46.a3 Rc7 47.Ke1 Rc5 48.Re3+ Kd7 49.b4 Rf5 50.Rd3+ Kc7 51.Rd4 g5 52.hxg5 hxg5 53.f3 Nd7 54.Kf2 axb4 55.axb4 Ne5 56.Re4 Nc6 57.b5 Ne5 58.Ke3 Ng6 59.Rd4 Re5+ 60.Kf2 Nf4 61.Bf1 Re8 62.Rd1 Ra8 63.Re1 Ra2+ 64.Kg1 Ng6 65.Bd3 Nf4 66.Bf1 Rd2 67.Re7+ Rd7 68.Re5 f6 69.Rf5 Rd6 70.c5 ½–½

Sabrina Vega (left) in the match Spain vs Mongolia | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Vega Gutierrez, Sabrina23741–0Nomin-Erdene, Davaademberel2319
Olympiad
Budapest14.09.2024[Efstratios Grivas]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Bb7 9.Be2 c5 10.0-0 Qc7 11.Nd6+ Bxd6 12.exd6 Qc6 13.f3 e5 14.c4 Nf4 15.Bxf4 exf4 16.Bd3 0-0 17.Bc2 Rae8 18.Qd3 g6 19.Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1 Qb6 21.Qd2 Bc6 22.Be4 Rc8 23.Bxc6 Qxc6 24.Re7 Rf8 25.h4 h5 26.b3 a5 27.Qxf4 a4 (D)
An instructive moment from the match Spain-Mongolia (Women Section), where White thought of a well-known idea. Of course, she is a pawn-up, but it doesn't look quite easy to bring the bacon home. 28.Kh2! White plans to get her king to h6 via the dark squares (g3-f4-g5) and mate her opponent! The most famous example of this idea is the game Short,N-Timman,J Tilburg 1991. I have also written a lengthy survey on this topic, named 'The King's March' (Training with the Experts - 2012). axb3 29.axb3 Qb7 30.Qe3 Qc6 31.Qe5 Rb8 (D)
32.Kg3! White continues her king's march... Ra8 32...Rxb3? 33.Re8+ Kh7 34.Qh8# , would be easier. 33.Qf6 Rf8 34.Kf4! Preparing the lethal net (Kg5-h6). Kh7 (D)
34...Qb6 35.Kg5 Qb4 36.Kh6 Qd2+ 37.f4 Qd4 38.Re5+- , is curtains, as White's idea has been completed. 35.Kg5! 35.Rxf7+ Rxf7 36.Qxf7+ Kh6 37.Qf8++- , is a win as well, but White rightly goes for the gold! 35...Qa8 36.Rxf7+ 36.Qxg6+ Kh8 37.Qf6+ Kh7 38.Rxf7+ Rxf7 39.Qxf7+ Kh8 40.Kh6+- , isn't much different. 36...Rxf7 37.Qxf7+ Kh8 (D)
38.Kh6! And as Black is getting mated, she resigned. 1–0

And here are some more that caught my eye:

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Nbd2 d6 8.a4 Ng4 9.Bxe7 Nxe7 10.d4 Ng6 11.h3 Nf6 12.0-0 a5 13.Re1 Qe7 14.Bf1 Bd7 15.Qc2 Rfe8 16.Rad1 h6 17.b3 Nh7 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.Nc4 Nf6 20.Ne3 Nf4 21.Bc4 Rad8 22.b4 axb4 23.cxb4 Qxb4 24.Qa2 Qe7 25.Qb3 b6 26.Qc2 c6 27.Bb3 b5 28.axb5 cxb5 29.Qc7 Rc8 30.Qb7 Rc3 31.Ba2 Nd3 32.Re2 Nc5 33.Qa7 Ncxe4 34.Nd5 Nxd5 35.Bxd5 Nf6 36.Rxe5 Qf8 37.Ba2 Bc6 38.Rxe8 Bxe8 39.Rd8 b4 40.Qb8 Qe7 41.Rc8 Rxc8 42.Qxc8 g6 43.Qb8 Kg7 44.Qb6 Qe2 45.Bb3 Qe4 46.Nd4 Qe1+ 47.Kh2 Ne4 48.Nc2 Qd2 49.Qxb4 Qf4+ 50.Kh1 Nxf2+ 51.Kg1 Ne4 52.Qd4+ Kh7 53.Qe3 Qxe3+ 54.Nxe3 Kg7 55.Bd5 Nd6 56.Kf2 Bd7 57.h4 Kf6 58.g3 Ke5 59.Bf3 f5 60.Ng2 Be6 61.Nf4 Bf7 62.Ke3 Nc4+ 63.Kf2 g5 64.hxg5 hxg5 65.Ne2 Bd5 66.Bxd5 Kxd5 67.Nc3+ Kd4 68.Ne2+ Kd3 69.Nc1+ Ke4 70.Ne2 Nd6 71.Nc3+ Kd3 72.Nd5 g4 73.Nf4+ Kd2 74.Ne6 Ne4+ 75.Kg2 Ke3 76.Ng7 Nd6 77.Ne6 Nc4 78.Kg1 Nd2 79.Kg2 Nf3 80.Nf4 Ne1+ 81.Kf1 Nf3 82.Ng2+ Kd2 83.Kf2 Ng5 84.Nh4 Ne4+ 85.Kg2 Nd6 86.Kf2 Kd3 87.Ng6 Ne4+ 88.Kg2 Ke3 89.Nf4 Nc3 90.Ng6 Ke2 91.Nh4 Nd5 92.Kh2 Ne3 93.Kg1 Ke1 94.Ng6 Kd2 95.Kf2 Nd1+ 96.Kf1 Ke3 97.Nh4 Ke4 98.Ke2 Nc3+ 99.Kf2 Nb5 100.Ng2 Kd3 101.Ne1+ Kd2 102.Nf3+ Kd3 103.Ne1+ Ke4 104.Ng2 Nd6 105.Ke2 Ke5 106.Ne3 Ne4 107.Nf1 Kd4 (D)
A position from the match France-England, where the White French player is already defending for a long time this difficult, but holdable ending. 108.Ke1? White should hold after 108.Kd1! Kd3 109.Ke1 Nc3 110.Nd2 Kd4 111.Nb3+! 111.Nf1? Ke4 112.Kf2 Kd3 113.Ke1 Ne4 114.Kd1 Nd6 115.Ke1 Nc4-+ 111...Ke3 112.Kf1 Nb5 112...Kf3 113.Nd4+= 113.Kg2 Nd4 114.Nc5= , as his knight wouldn't be dominated. 108...Kd3! 109.Kd1 (D)
109...Nd6! The black knight will improve and will dominate its counterpart. 110.Ke1 110.Nd2 Ke3 111.Ke1 Ne4-+ . 110...Nc4 111.Kf2 Nd2! 112.Nh2 112.Nxd2 Kxd2 113.Kf1 Ke3 114.Kg2 Ke2-+ , would be the end of the story. 112...Ne4+ 113.Kg2 (D)
113...Ke3 113...Ke3 And White resigned, due to 114.Nf1+ Ke2 115.Nh2 Nd2-+ , as the white knight would be fully dominated. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Maurizzi,M2595McShane,L26110–12024C54Olympiad10
Heim,C1751Mahendra,G17250–12024C61Olympiad9
Olsen,F2441Santos Latasa,J26240–12024E11Olympiad8
Garcia,J2380Svane,F26400–12024E11Olympiad2
Rodrigue-Lemieux,S2509Christiansen,J26611–02024C07Olympiad2

Efstratios (30.03.1966) is a highly experienced chess trainer and chess author. He has been awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) the titles of International Chess Grandmaster, FIDE Senior Trainer, International Chess Arbiter and International Chess Organiser.
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