Team chess — in which the “how many?” matters so much more than the “how?” — would not seem a fertile format for brilliant play. Risking a precious half-point on a speculative attack or unclear gambit is not exactly taking one for the team.
Then again, some of greatest wins of Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky and Mikhail Tal came in Olympiads and other team events, and now GM Daniil Dubov has contributed not one but two fantastic king hunts to the list in helping Russia capture the just-completed European Team Championships in Batumi, Georgia. (Russia scored double gold as its women’s team edged Georgia in the women’s competition.)
Dubov wasted no time getting hot with a superb anti-Marshall Ruy Lopez win in Round 1 over Danish IM Jonas Bjerre, a win that kept the Danes from a stunning Round 1 upset. Black’s startling novelty 8. a4 d5!? in a well-known position results in Black claiming a huge lead in development at the hefty cost of two pawns.
The fun really begins on 13. dxc6 14. d3 (desperately trying to unravel the queenside) Bxf2+! 15. Kxf2 Qd4+ 16. Be3 (Kg3 Rfe8 17. Nc3 b4! 18. Ne4 Rxe4! 19. dxe4 Nxe4+ 20. Kf3 Qf2+ 21. Kxe4 f5+ 22. Ke5 Re8+ 23. Kd5 Rxe1) Ng4+ 17. Kf3 Nxe3 18. Rxe3 Rae8.
Bjerre here could have tried 19. Rxe8 Rxe8 20. Qd2 Re6 21. g3, though after 21…Qh1! it’s not clear the White king will survive. Instead, it was a much quicker quietus after 19. Re2 Qf6+ 20. Kg3 g5! (a dagger with the killer threat of 21…Qf4+ 22. Kh3 Qh4 mate) 21. Rf2 Qd6+ 22. Kh3 Qh6+ 23. Kg4 Qh4+, and White called it quits facing 24. Kf5 Qd4! 25. Kxg5 h6+ 26. Kh5 Re5+ 27. Kxh6 Qh4+ 28. Qh5 Qxh5 mate.
The king hunt was even more impressive in Dubov’s Round 6 win over German GM Rasmus Svane, in which Black castles kingside only to be mated in 39 moves on the a3 square. The brilliant conclusion here is even more impressive when you consider Dubov apparently overlooked one amazing move — the sacrificial 16. gxf4!!?, with the idea Black has bleak prospects of holding off an h-file attack despite his material edge — and still managed to fashion one of the games of the year.
There isn’t room to do justice to the complexities here, and Svane puts up a stout defense for a good while. Down a piece already, White takes the plunge with 21. Rh7+ Kg8 22. Rxf7!? Rxf7 23. Qxg6+ Kf8 24. Qh6+ Rg7 25. Bxd5 Ke8?! (starting a long, tragic trek; on 25…Bf5+!? 26. e4 Ke8 27. Qh5+ Bg6 28. Bc6+ Rd7 29. Qg4 Bh7, it’s hard to see how White gets his sacrificial investment back) 26. Qh5+.
White disdains the draw by repetition with the remarkable 28. Qh5+ Kd7 (see diagram) 29. Be6+!!?, when the post mortem suggested that 29…Qxe6! 30. Nxe6 Kxe6 31. f5+ Kd7 was Black’s best hopes for survival in a deeply irrational position.
Instead, Dubov again dons his hunting gear after 29…Kc6? 30. Qf3+ Kb5. The computers say the mate is now forced but there are a couple of amazing finesses along the way.
Thus: 31. Bxc4+!! (Qd5+? Bc5 32. Qxc4+ Kc6 33. dxc5 Kb7 is only equal) Ka5 (Kxc4 32. Qc6+ Bc5 [Kd3 33. Qc2 mate] 33. Rc1+ Kd3 34. Rc3+ Kd2 35. Qg2+ with mate to come) 32. Qd5+ Bc5 (c5 33. b4+ Ka4 34. Kb2 Bb7 35. Bb3+ Kb5 36. a4+ Kxb4 37. Qc4+ Ka5 38. Qb5 mate) 33. b4+ Ka4 34. Qg2! Bxb4 35. Qc6+ Kxa3 36. Bb3!! (accurate to the last; disastrous would have been 36. Qg2?? Bd2!! 37. Qxd2 Qb4+ and Black wins) Bd7 (Kxb3 37. Qc2+ Ka3 38. Qa2 mate) Qc1+, and Black resigns because of 37…Kxb3 38. Qc2+ Ka3 39. Qa2 mate. Fabulous play from the young Russian.
Dubov-Bjerre, 22nd European Team Championships, Batumi, Georgia, October 2019
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 d5 9. exd5 Na5 10. Nxe5 Nxb3 11. cxb3 Bb7 12. Nc6 Bxc6 13. dxc6 Bc5 14. d3 Bxf2+ 15. Kxf2 Qd4+ 16. Be3 Ng4+ 17. Kf3 Nxe3 18. Rxe3 Rae8 19. Re2 Qf6+ 20. Kg3 g5 21. Rf2 Qd6+ 22. Kh3 Qh6+ 23. Kg4 Qh4+ White resigned.
Dubov-Svane, 22nd European Team Championships, Batumi, Georgia, October 2019
1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. Qc2 Ba6 8. O-O-O dxc4 9. Ng5 Nc6 10. a3 g6 11. h4 Bd6 12. g3 Qe7 13. h5 e5 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Bg2 exf4 16. Bxc6 fxg3 17. Kb1 Rad8 18. f4 Bc8 19. Rde1 Kg7 20. Nd5 Nxd5 21. Rh7+ Kg8 22. Rxf7 Rxf7 23. Qxg6+ Kf8 24. Qh6+ Rg7 25. Bxd5 Ke8 26. Qh5+ Kd7 27. Qh3+ Ke8 28. Qh5+ Kd7 29. Be6+ Kc6 30. Qf3+ Kb5 31. Bxc4+ Ka5 32. Qd5+ Bc5 33. b4+ Ka4 34. Qg2 Bxb4 35. Qc6+ Kxa3 36. Bb3 Bd7 37. Qc1+ Kxb3 38. Qc2+ Ka3 39. Qa2 mate.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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