Bunratty | 1 March 2018

This year’s tournament at Bunratty in Ireland was the celebratory 25th in the series and I was invited to deliver the closing peroration. The competition was particularly stiff on this occasion, with British champion Gawain Jones sharing first prize with grandmaster Sergey Tiviakov, ahead of Nigel Short, Jon Speelman, Luke McShane and a host of other grandmasters and masters.
 
To break the tie a sudden death playoff was required, from which Tiviakov emerged the winner. For the key moment see this week’s puzzle. The game I have selected demonstrates the great talent of the female grandmaster Dina Belenkaya, of whom no doubt we shall be hearing much more.
 
Belenkaya-McShane: Bunratty Masters 2018; Scotch Game
 
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 Bb4 6 Nxc6 bxc6 7 Bd3 d5 8 exd5 0-0 Black can safely offer a gambit here and White does well to decline it, preferring to castle. 9 0-0 cxd5 10 Bg5 c6 11 Qf3 Rb8 12 Ne2 12 Bxf6 would give White the better pawn structure but after 12 … Qxf6 13 Qxf6 gxf6 the black bishops provide ample compensation. In practice, Black has scored very well from this position. 12 … Be7 If Black wants to draw he can play 12 … Bg4 when 13 Bxf6 (there is nothing better) 13 … Bxf3 14 Bxd8 Bxe2 15 Bxe2 Rfxd8 is completely equal. 13 b3 White could also play more directly with the immediate 13 Nd4. A possible line is then 13 … Bd7 14 Rae1 and if now 14 … Rxb2 then 15 Nf5 Bxf5 16 Qxf5 g6 17 Qf3 Ne4 leads to complex play. 13 … Bg4 14 Qe3 Re8 15 Qxa7 Ra8 16 Qd4 c5 17 Qf4 Bxe2 18 Bxe2 h6 19 Bh4 (see diagram 1) 19 … Bd6 19 … g5 is far too weakening.