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In the following game black takes too many chances and white executes a typical N-sac in the Sicilian that gives him a lasting attack. However, black fights back into the game only to miss his opportunity in a mutual time scramble and the result was a nail-biting finish.
The game was played in the 2015 European Individual Championship. The event was the sixteenth in the annual series of European continental championships that were first staged in 2000. The top 23 places qualified for the World Cup 2015 and 250 players competed. This event, an 11 round Swiss, was held February 24 to March 8 in the Jerusalem Ramada Hotel in Israel.
Round one saw nearly half of the top boards drawn and in round 2 over half the top twenty boards were drawn. After three rounds five players had 3-0 scores while 37 players had 2.5.
After round four only Anton Korobov had 4-0 and maintained the lead until he lost to Nepomniachtchi in round 6 which dropped him back into a tie for fifth. Nepomniachtchi’s win tied him for first with 5.0 with Bartel, Sargissian and Motylev.
By round 7 there was a nine-way for first and a pack of 21 players were a half point back.
In round 8 Nepomniachtchi defeated David Howell to take the sole lead with 6.5-1.5.
In round 9 Nepomniachtchi lost the lead when he was defeated by Navara, who was joined in the lead by Evgeniy Najer and Anton Korobov with scores of 7.0-2.0. Eleven players were half point behind them.
In round ten, Najer moved into the sole lead when he beat Korobov. In the last round Najer took the event with outright first place after he drew his game with Khismatullin. The top scores were:
1) Evgeny Najer 8.5-2.5
2-4) David Navara, Mateusz Bartel and Denis Khismatullin 8.0-3.0
There were 22 players with 7.5-3.5. Nepomniachtchi finished with 7.0-4.0.
[Event "European Individual Championship"]
[Site "Jerusalem ISR"]
[Date "2015.3.8"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mateusz Bartel"]
[Black "Ian Nepomniachtchi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 a6 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. d4 cxd4
{Better is 5...Nf6. } 8. Nxd4 Bd7 {Better was 8...Nf6 as played in
Adams-Topalov, Frankfurt 2000. Or even 8...e6 as is Hua-Movsesian, in a game
played on ICC back in 2006. } 9. Bg5 Nf6 10. Bxf6 {White has given up the two
Bs in exchange for a badly weakened black Ks position. } 10... gxf6 11. Nc3
e6 12. Qh5 {White has already established a very promising position. Where
can black's King go and be safe? The answer is nowhere. The K-side is too
dangerous and this attack on f7 rules out castling Q-side. And. everybody
knows it's dangerous to leave the K in the center. } 12... Bg7 13. Rad1 Rc8
{For better or worse black had to risk castling with 13...O-O. The reason is
that now black's R on h8 is going to become useless. } 14. Nf5 exf5 {11...O-O
12.Nxg7 Kxg7 16.Rd3 and this R-lift leaves black lost.} 15. exf5+ Kf8 16. Ne4
Bc6 17. Nxd6 Qc7 18. Nxc8 Qxc8 19. Rd4 {Black is already lost. Stockfish
evaluates this position a being over six Ps in white's favor! } 19... Qc7 20.
Qd1 Bh6 21. h4 {What a great move! This wins material because of the threat of
22.Rd8+ Kg7 and 23. Qg4+ which can only be met by 23...Bg5. } 21... Qa5 22.
Rd8+ Kg7 23. Qg4+ Bg5 24. Rdd1 h6 25. a3 Qc7 26. Qg3 {Equally good was 26.Re3
and 27.Rg3, but white is willing to trade Qs which leaves him with an easy
win. } 26... Qa5 27. f4 {This turns out to be dubious as it allows black an
ingenious try at saving the game. Safer was either 27.Qg4 or 27.Qh3.} 27...
Qc5+ 28. Re3 Bxg2 {A brilliant try! If 29.Kxg2 Qxc2+ which picks up the R on
d1 or if 29.Qxg2 lack snags the R on e3. In either case black would be
winning. } 29. fxg5 hxg5 30. hxg5 Rh1+ {This loses instantly. Tougher
resistance could be put up with 30...Be4! but after 31.gxf6+ Kxf6 32.Qd6+
white should eventually win, but black is certainly not without drawing
chances. } 31. Kxg2 Qc6+ 32. Rf3 Rxd1 33. gxf6+ Kxf6 34. Qh4+ Kg7 35. f6+
{Black's K is caught in a mating net. } 35... Kg8 36. Qg3+ Kf8 37. Qb8+ Qe8
38. Rh3 {The knockout punch. } 38... Rd2+ 39. Kf3 1-0
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