Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Telesh,V - Gurtovoi,N [B23]
Correspondence Game, 1993
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Bg7 6.0-0?! [A waste of tempo. 6.a3 or 6.d3 were better.]

6...Na5!? [Maybe 6... Nd4! was stronger. Not 6... Bg4? 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Ng5+]

7.Be2 [If 7.Bb5+ Kf8! 8.d3 a6! 9.Ba4 b5 10.Bb3 Bb7 -+]

7...Nc6!? [The knight had no future on a5. More promising to aim at the central squares (d4, e5)]

8.Qe1 [8.d3 was more correct.]

8...Bg4 9.Qg3 Qd7 10.d3 Nf6 11.f5 gxf5! 12.exf5 [if 12.h3 Bxf3! 13.Qxg7 (or 13.Qxf3 Nd4!) 13...Rg8]

12...Rg8 13.Bg5 Kf8! [Prevents 13.Bxf6. If 13... 0-0-0?! 14.Nh4! Bxe2 15.Nxe2 Nh5 (or 15... h6 16.Be3!? unclear) 16.Qf3!? unclear.]

14.Nh4 h5 15.h3 Bxe2 16.Nxe2 Nh7 [Probably 16... Ne5 was more correct.]

17.f6! [The best defence.]

17...exf6 [Only move.]

18.Bf4 Ne5 [Only move.]

19.d4 cxd4 20.Nxd4 Ng5 21.Rad1 Bh8!? 22.Ndf5? [The losing move! Instead 22.Kh1! Rd8 unclear.]

22...Ngf3+! 23.Rxf3 Rxg3 24.Rxg3 Ng6!! [The only winning move which my opponent had overlooked.]

25.Bxd6+ Kg8 26.Ne7+ Kh7! [White resigns prematurely, as after 27.Rd5! he is winning!] 0-1