Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Gurtovoi,N - Safonov,N [A02]
18th Latvian CC Championship, 1994
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.exd6 Bxd6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Ng4 7.Ne4! Bb4+ 8.c3 f5 9.cxb4 fxe4 10.Bg5 Qd6 11.dxe4 Qxb4+ 12.Qd2 h6 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 Qxe4 15.h3 Ne3 16.Kf2!? Nd5 17.e3 Bf5 18.Rc1 0-0-0 19.Bb5 a6 20.Bxc6 bxc6 21.Rxc6 Rhe8 22.Rhc1 Rd7 23.Nd4 [Better is 23.Rxa6 +-]

23...Qd3 24.Qxd3 Bxd3 25.Rxh6 [25.Ne6! was better.]

25...Rxe3!? 26.Rhc6 Rf7+! 27.Nf3 Re2+ 28.Kg1 Be4 29.Rxa6 Rxf3? [Better was 29... Rxb2 unclear.]

30.gxf3 Bxf3 31.Ra3! [This unexpected move was not seen by my opponent. Weaker was 31.Bf2?! because of 31... Nf4 unclear.]

31...Rg2+ 32.Kf1 Rxg3 33.Kf2! Rxh3 34.Rxf3 Rh2+ 35.Kg3 Rxb2 36.Rc5 Nf4 37.Ra3 Ne6 38.Re5 Rb6 39.Kg4 Rd6 40.Rae3 Kd7 41.Kf5 Nd4+ 42.Ke4! [After 42.Kxg5?! White's K is offside for a long time.]

42...Nc2 43.Rd3 Nb4 44.Rxd6+ cxd6 45.Rb5! Na6 [45... Nxa2?? 46.Kd3 d5 47.Rb2 Nc1+ 48.Kd2 and Black's N is trapped.]

46.Rxg5 Kc6 47.Kd4 Nc5 48.Kc4 Ne6 [Despite the fact that White has superior material, his win has a thorny path. Therefore the endgame is of theoretical interest.]

49.Rh5 Nc5 50.a3 Na6 51.Rh6 Nc5 52.Rh3! Nb7 53.Kb4 Kb6 54.Rh5! Nc5 55.Rd5 Kc6 56.Rd2! Na6+ 57.Ka5! Nc7 58.a4 d5 [58... Ne6 was more persistent.]

59.Rd1! Kb7 60.Kb4! [After 60.Rc1? d4 61.Rc4 Ne6 62.Kb5 d3! with good chances for a draw.]

60...Kc6 61.Rd2 Kb6 62.a5+ Ka6 63.Rh2 d4 64.Rh6+ Kb7 65.Kc4 d3 66.Kxd3 Na6 67.Kc4 [Completed at last, a marathon duel between two kings!] 1-0