The top Emirati grandmaster Salem Saleh is an imaginative, dynamic player whose games are a treat to watch. But his win at the recent Sharjah Masters against Vladimir Fedoseev (formerly Russian, but now representing Slovenia) was surely the artistic highlight of his career. The combination which ends the game is dazzling, but both players deserve credit for energetic play in the earlier part of the middlegame.
Vladimir Fedoseev-Salem Saleh
Sharjah Masters, May 2024
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 h4 A modern extravagance, mainly used by players who wish to avoid the combative Grünfeld defence which would arise after 3.Nc3 d5. If Black stubbornly insists on a Grünfeld-style approach with 3… Bg7 4.Nc3 d5, then 5.h5 poses serious problems. d6 4 Nc3 Nbd7 5 Qc2 c5 6 d5 a6 7 e4 b5 A standard pawn sacrifice borrowed from the Benko Gambit. For the sacrificed pawn, Black gets open lines on the queenside, and weakens White’s central grip. 8 cxb5 Bg7 9 bxa6 O-O 10 h5 An ambitious counter sacrifice, opening the h-file for an attack. Nxh5 11 g4 Nhf6 12 g5 Nh5 13 Be2 Bxa6 14 Bxh5 gxh5 15 f4 e6 A well-timed break. When the centre opens up, White’s king will be in danger too, but castling queenside will invite different problems. 16 Nge2 16 Qh2 is too primitive. After 16…Re8 17 Qxh5 Nf8 the attack reaches a dead-end. Qe8 17 dxe6 fxe6 18 Ng3 Ne5 I suspect this brilliant sacrifice was made primarily on intuitive grounds, since it animates the Bg7 and Rf8. A slower plan with 18…c4 and Nd7-c5-d3 was possible, but then the Ba6 loses some potency. In sharp positions, vigour takes priority over bean-counting. 19 fxe5 Bxe5 20 Qg2 20 Nxh5 meets with a beautiful refutation: 20…Qxh5! 21 Rxh5 Rf1+ 22 Kd2 Bf4 mate. Rb8 21 Nxh5 Qg6 22 Be3 d5 A clever idea, since 23 exd5 Bxc3+ 24 bxc3 Rb1+ wins quickly.
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