Highlights of the George Trundle Masters 2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 exd5 6.cxd5 g6 7.Bf4 Bg7 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qb3 Qc7 10.e4 O-O 11.Nd2 Re8 12.Be2 a5 13.a4 Na6 14.O-O Nb4 15.Rfe1 Re7 16.Nc4 Ne8 17.Rad1 Bd4 18.Bg5 f6 19.Be3 b5 20.axb5 a4 21.Nxa4 Bxb5 22.Nab6 Bxc4 23.Nxc4 Bxe3 24.Nxe3 Rxe4 25.Bf3 Re7 26.h4 h5 27.g3 Ng7 28.Qc3 Rf8 29.Ng2 Re5 30.Re4 Qf7 31.Rf4 Nxd5 32.Bxd5 Rxd5 33.Rxd5 Qxd5 34.Rxf6 Rxf6 35.Qxf6 Qe6 36.Qd8+ Kh7 37.Nf4 Qe1+ 38.Kg2 Nf5 39.Qf6

Who stands better here? There is a certain amount of symmetry in play, in particular the two side's Knights are exact equals. Both Queens hover threateningly around the opponent's King. It's the sort of position where a tempo can mean a lot, but as it happens the fact that it's Black's move turns out to be outweighed by White's safer King. The absence of a Black counterpart on f7 to White's f2 pawn is strongly felt.   39...Qe8? ( The computer holds with 39...Qe4+ 40.Kh2 Nh6! combining attack (Ng5+) and defence  ) 40.Ne6!

Suddenly it's over. White threatens g4 then h5 and Black is paralysed by the need to keep g7 and f6 covered   40...Kh6 41.Nf8 An elegant move, cutting off defence of h8 (41.Nf8 Trying to continue costs more than just a Knight  41...Qe4+ 42.Kh2 Nxh4 43.Qh8+! Kg5 44.Nh7+ Kf5 else Nf6+ wins the Queen  45.Qf6+ Kg4 46.Qxh4+ Kf5 else Ng5+ wins the Queen  47.Qf6+ Kg4 48.f3+ Qxf3 49.Qg5# ) 1-0

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 gxf6!? The less common, but more dynamic and fun way to recapture  4.c3 c5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Bd3 Qb6 7.Ne2 e5 8.O-O Bg4 9.f3 Be6 10.Qb3 Qc7 11.Qc2

11...Bh6 Black makes good use of both lines opened by 3...gxf6 and secures his King with long castling  12.f4 Saving e3 in the short term but weakening it in the long term  12...O-O-O 13.dxc5 a6 14.Bf5 Ne7 15.Bxe6+ fxe6 16.b4 Nf5 17.Rf3 Not a pleasant move to make  17...Rhg8 18.Nd2 Qg7 19.Ng3

19...e4 20.Ndxe4 White cannot really let Black play Nxe3, but Black quickly puts the extra piece to work to wrap up the game  20...dxe4 21.Qxe4 Qd7 22.a4 Nxg3 23.Rxg3 f5 24.Qf3 Rxg3 25.hxg3 Bg7 26.b5 Qd5 27.Qh5 Bxc3 28.Rf1 axb5 29.axb5 Qxc5 30.Rf3 Qxb5 31.Qxh7 Qb1+ 32.Rf1 Qd3 33.Rf3 Qd1+ 34.Rf1 Qe2 0-1

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5 Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Bd3 O-O 11.O-O h6 12.Bf4 d4 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Qf6 15.Bg3 Bf5 16.Bf3 Rfe8 17.b4 Rac8 18.Rc1 Re7 19.Re1 Rxe1+ 20.Qxe1 Qe6 21.Qd2 Qc4 22.h3 a6 23.Qf4 Bg6 24.c3 Nd8

25.Rd1? Ne6! Crossing up White's plan to eliminate the strong central pawn ( White was relying on 25...dxc3?? being impossible  26.Qxc4 Rxc4 27.Rxd8+ ) 26.Qe5 dxc3 Instead the pawn has grown in strength, the rest is very simple and logical  27.Bxb7 c2 28.Rc1 Rd8 29.Bf3 Nd4 The d1 square falls to Black's all powerful Knight, it attacks the defender of the square and also threatens Nb3  30.Qf4 Preventing Nb3 at least  30...Nxf3+ 31.gxf3 ( if 31.Qxf3 Black can also insist on playing Rd1+ and Qf1  31...Rd3 32.Qf4 Rd1+ ) 31...Rd1+ 32.Kg2 0-1

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.O-O Bc5 8.Be3 d6 9.Qd2 Nf6 10.Nb3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 O-O 12.a4 Bd7 13.Rfd1 Rfd8 14.a5 Rac8 15.Rd2 Be8 16.h3 Ne7 17.f4 d5 18.e5 Nf5 19.Qf2 Ne4 20.Nxe4 dxe4 21.Rxd8 Rxd8 22.Qb6 Rc8 23.Qxc7 Rxc7 24.c3 Kf8 25.Bg4 Ne3 26.Kf2 Nc4 27.Ra2 Bc6 28.Nd4 e3+ 29.Ke2 Bd5

30.b3 (30.Bf3! +/- ) 30...Nd2 31.c4 Nxb3! -/+ 32.cxd5 Nc1+ 33.Kxe3 Nxa2 34.dxe6 Nb4 35.f5 Nc2+ 36.Nxc2 Rxc2 37.exf7 Kxf7 38.Bf3 Rc5 39.Kd4 Rxa5 40.Bxb7 Ke7 41.g4 h6 42.Bc8 Ra3 43.h4 Rg3 44.g5 hxg5 45.hxg5 a5 46.f6+ Kf8 47.e6 Rxg5 48.fxg7+ Rxg7 49.Bd7 Rg4+ 50.Kc3 Rb4 51.Kc2 a4 52.Kc3 a3 53.e7+ Kxe7 54.Be6 Kxe6 55.Kxb4 a2 0-1

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Qc7 9.f4 Qb6 10.c4 Bb4+

11.Ke2! Forced but good. This is all theory apparently  11...f5 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Be3 Qd8 14.Nd6+ Bxd6 15.Qxd6 Bb7 16.Rd1 Rc8 17.g4 c5 18.Rg1 Rc6 19.Qe5 O-O 20.g5 Nh5 21.Bh3

21...Qc7 ( Kantans (2509) - Jodorcovsky Werjivker (2275), Batumi GEO 2018, was 1-0 in 71 moves after many adventures 21...d6 22.Qxe6+ Kh8 23.Qg4 Qe8 24.f5 Rb6 25.b3 d5 26.Kd2 d4 27.Bf2 Ra6 28.a4 g6 29.Bxd4+ cxd4 30.Qxd4+ Kg8 31.f6 Qb8 32.Kc3 Qxh2 33.Bg4 Nxf6 34.gxf6 Raxf6 35.Rd2 Qb8 36.Re1 Bf3 37.Be6+ Kh8 38.Re3 Qf4 39.Qxa7 Qh4 40.Rd7 Qh1 41.Kb4 Qh2 42.Qd4 Qf4 43.Qxf4 Rxf4 44.a5 g5 45.a6 g4 46.Bd5 Bxd5 47.Rxd5 R4f7 48.Rg3 Rb8+ 49.Rb5 Rg8 50.Rh5 Rg6 51.Rh4 Rxa6 52.Rhxg4 h6 53.c5 Rb7+ 54.Kc4 Kh7 55.b4 Ra1 56.Rb3 Rc1+ 57.Kd5 h5 58.Re4 Rd1+ 59.Kc6 Rdd7 60.b5 Rbc7+ 61.Kb6 Rb7+ 62.Ka5 Rd1 63.b6 Ra1+ 64.Kb5 Rg7 65.Rc4 Ra8 66.Ra4 Rb8 67.Rd3 Rg1 68.Ra7+ Kg8 69.Rc7 h4 70.b7 Rb1+ 71.Kc6 ) 22.g6! Qxe5 (22...Nf6! is the computer's suggestion. It's definitely easier to play this position as White though ) 23.fxe5 Rb6 24.Rxd7 Rxb2+ 25.Kd3 Bc8? 26.Bxe6+ Kh8

27.Rf1! Re8 (27...Nf6 28.Rxf6! gxf6 29.Rxh7# is pretty, and actually comes to pass later ) 28.Bf7! Rf8 29.Bd5 The Be6-f7-d5 manouevre frees the d7 rook to move (say to f7) without allowing Bc8xe6  29...Nf6 ( So for example 29...Re8 30.Rdf7 hxg6 31.Rf8+ Rxf8 32.Rxf8+ Kh7 33.Bg8+ Kh8 34.Rxc8 wins ) 30.Rxf6 1-0

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.f4 a6 7.Nb3 b5 8.Be3 Nf6 9.e5 b4 10.Nb5 axb5 11.exf6 gxf6 12.Bxb5 Rg8 13.O-O Bb7 14.Rf2 Na5 15.Qd3 Bd5 16.Nxa5 Rxa5 17.a4 Bc5

18.c4! bxc3 19.Qxc3 Bxe3 20.Qxe3 (20.Qxc7 Rxg2+ 21.Kf1 Rxf2+ 22.Ke1 is interesting  22...Rxb5 23.axb5 Rxb2 is a very dynamic an unbalanced 0.00 according to the engine ) 20...Qb7 21.g3 h5 Black pursues a very thematic Sicilian attack along the long diagonal and the g file, but this counter play is not in time  22.Qc3 Qa8 23.Rc1 Ra7

24.Qxf6 Qb8 (24...Qd8 is essential but hardly promising ) 25.Rfc2 Game over ( eg 25.Rfc2 Bb7 26.Bxd7+ Kxd7 27.Rc7+ Qxc7 28.Qxf7+ and mates ) 1-0