Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Gurtovoi,N - Zavgorodny,V [A03]
Soviet All-Union CC Tourney, 1989
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Be2 c5 5.d3 Nc6 6.c3 e5 7.fxe5 Nxe5 8.Nbd2 Ng4 9.Nf1 Bd7 10.Qc2 Ne7 11.h3 Nf6 12.g4 Nc6 13.Ng3 Qc7 14.Rg1 d4?! 15.cxd4 cxd4 16.Nxd4!? Qa5+ 17.Qc3 Nb4 18.Kf1! [Repelling the potential threat of Nc2+]

18...Nfd5 19.Qe1 Qb6 20.Bf3!? Nxd3 21.Qe2 Nxc1 22.Rxc1 Nb4 23.a3 Nc6 24.Nxc6 bxc6 25.Ne4?! [Of course 25.Rc2 was better, but I decided to give two pawns for the attack.]

25...Qxb2 26.Rc2 Qxa3 27.Nc5 Rd8! 28.Nxd7 Kxd7! 29.Kf2 Ke7! [Alas! White's attack has stopped. Black's K has escaped.]

30.Rxc6 Rhe8 31.Ra6 Qc3 32.Rc6 [Not 32.Bc6? Rd2!]

32...Qe5 33.Rd1 Kf8 34.Rxd8 Rxd8 35.Qc2 Qh2+ 36.Bg2 Be5 37.Rc8 Qg3+ 38.Kf1 Rxc8 39.Qxc8+ Kg7 40.Qc5 [Here, with equality of position, I offered a draw, but my opponent refused.]

40...a6 41.h4 h6 42.h5 a5 43.hxg6 Bd6 44.Qd4+ Be5?! [44... Qe5 is better.]

45.Qd7! Kxg6 46.Qf5+ Kg7 47.Bd5 Qh3+? [A last mistake! Necessary was 47... Kh8!! =]

48.Ke2 f6 49.Qe6! h5[] 50.Qg8+ Kh6 [This endgame was published in the magazine Scottish Chess, July 1993.]

51.g5+ fxg5 52.Qf8+ Bg7 53.Qd6+ Kh7 54.Be4+ Kg8 55.Qd5+ Kf8 56.Qd8+ Kf7 57.Bd5+ Kg6 58.Qe8+! Kf6 59.Qf7+ Ke5 60.Bf3! Qh4 61.Qxg7+ Kd6 62.Qg6+ 1-0