Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Drejev,A - Khalifman,A [C25]
USSR Youth Championship, 1984
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 h5 4.Nf3 h4 5.Nxh4 Rxh4? 6.gxh4 Qxh4 7.Bg2 Bc5 8.0-0?? [After this trite move it is all over for White. This game was published in the magazine Shakhmatnoe Obozrenie-64 (1989), with notes by Gennady Nesis who considered Black's victory as perfectly natural. No-one noticed the winning move 8.d4!! instead of 8.0-0?? eg (a) 8... Bxd4 9.Qe2 d6 10.h3! +- or (b) 8... Nxd4 9.Be3 Nxc2+ 10.Qxc2 Bxe3 11.Nd5! Bb6 12.Nxc7+ Bxc7 13.Qxc7 +- or (c) 8... exd4 9.Nd5 d3 10.Be3! Bxe3 11.Nxe3 dxc2 12.Qxc2 +-]

8...Nf6 9.Qf3 d6 10.Qg3 Qh7 11.d3 Nd4 12.Be3 Bd7 13.b4 Bb6 14.Rac1 Nh5 15.Qh4 c6 [Idea 16... Bd8]

16.f3 Nf5 17.exf5 Bxe3+ 18.Kh1 Bxc1 19.Rxc1 Bxf5 20.Re1 Kd7 21.Ne2 Rh8 22.d4 g5 23.Qf2 [23.Qxg5 Nf4 -+]

23...Nf4 24.Bf1 Bxc2 0-1