In one sense, everything went right for Nodirbek Yakubboev at the Rubinstein Memorial, held in Poland earlier this month. The 23-year-old grandmaster, who was part of Uzbekistan’s gold medal winning squad at the Chennai Olympiad in 2022, scored a convincing tournament victory with four wins and five draws and pushed into the world’s top 50. And yet, it could have been even better. In the penultimate round, Yakubboev conducted a sparkling attack, only to blow it at the crucial moment and let his opponent, Matthias Blübaum, escape with a draw.
It began with an enviable flash of optimism in the diagram position. Older, wiser heads would surely just castle kingside, but Yakubboev advanced 14 h4, preparing Nf3-g5. Classical theory suggests that this offensive was doomed to failure, since Black’s kingside defences are unfurrowed, and the open centre allows for a counterattack, but such generalities can never be more than a guideline. Blübaum, the reigning European Individual Champion, soon find himself in severe difficulties, despite a lack of conspicuous errors.
Nodirbek Yakubboev – Matthias Blübaum
Rubinstein Memorial, Polanica Zdroj, 2025
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 Be7 5 Bf4 c5 6 dxc5 Bxc5 7 a3 Nc6 8 b4 Be7 9 e3 O-O 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11 Nxd5 exd5 12 Bd3 Bf6 13 Rc1 a6 (see diagram above) 14 h4! d4 Crucially, 14…Bg4 loses to 15 Bxh7+! Kxh7 16 Ng5+ Bxg5 17 hxg5+ Kg8 18 Qxg4. Or 14…h6 has the drawback that 15 Bb1!, preparing Qd1-d3 is hard to meet. 15 Rc5 dxe3 16 fxe3 Ne7 16… h6 deserved consideration here, though 17 Ng5 would maintain the pressure. 17 Ng5 g6 17… Ng6 was a lesser evil, but 18 Qh5 h6 19 Bxg6 fxg6 20 Qxg6 Bc3+! 21 Rxc3 Bf5 22 Qd6 hxg5 23 Qxd8 Raxd8 24 Bxg5 leaves Black with a very bad endgame. 18 h5 Nd5 19 hxg6 hxg6 20 Bxg6 Nxf4 21 Bxf7+ Rxf7 (see diagram below)
22 Rh8+!! Exquisite, but the fireworks are not over. Bxh8 22…Kxh8 23 Nxf7+ forks king and queen. 23 Qxd8+ Rf8 24 Qe7 Nxg2+ 25 Kd2 Bg7 26 Rxc8 Tempting, but not best. 26 Rc7! would have clinched the game, as 26…Rf2+ 27 Kc1! Rf1+ 28 Kc2 Bf5+ 29 Kb3 Rb1+ 30 Ka4 b5+ 31 Ka5 sees the king skip town just in time, and Black will soon be checkmated. Rfxc8! Vacating the f8 square as an escape route. 27 Qf7+ Kh8 28 Qh5+ Kg8 29 Qh7+ Kf8 30 Qf5+ Kg8 31 Qh7+ 31 Qd5+ Kh8 32 Qxg2 should win in the long run, but Black can still put up a fight. Kf8 32 Ne6+ Kf7 33 Qf5+ The problem is that 33 Nxg7 Rh8! wins the knight Kg8 34 Qg5 Kf7 35 Qf5+ Kg8 36 Qg5 Kf7 37 Nxg7 Nxe3 38 Kxe3 Rg8 39 Qd5+ The queen has run out of backup, so there is nothing better than endless checks. Draw agreed.
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