Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Otchkov,O - Gurtovoi,N [B75]
Correspondence Game, 1993
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 h5 8.Bc4 a6 9.Bb3 Bd7 10.Qd2 Nc6 11.0-0-0 Na5 12.h3?! [12.h4 or 12.Qf2 were better.]

12...h4! 13.f4 Rh5! [Preventing 14.e5]

14.Qf2 [Too late!]

14...Rc8! [Threatening 15... Rxc3! and 16... Nxe4]

15.Nce2 [15.Qf3 was better, eg 15... b5 16.Rhe1 Nc4 -+]

15...Nxb3+ 16.Nxb3 Nxe4 17.Qf3 Bc6 18.Nbd4 Bd5! 19.Kb1 [Despair! If 19.Qg4 Nf6! or 19.Qf1 Bxa2]

19...Nc3+ 20.Nxc3 Bxf3 21.Nxf3 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Rxc3 0-1