Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Lukats (Est),T - Gurtovoi (Lat),N [B75]
VIIth Baltic Sea, 1999
[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.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Qa5 11.0-0-0 Rc8 12.h3 h4 13.Kb1 Rh5 14.Rhe1 Ne5 [14... b5!?]

15.Qe2 Kf8 16.f4 Nc6 17.Nf3 Be8 18.Bf2 Nd7 19.Rd5 Nc5 20.Rxh5 gxh5 21.e5 Nxb3 22.cxb3 dxe5 23.Nxe5 Nxe5 24.fxe5 f6 25.Qd3 Rc6 26.Bxh4 fxe5 27.Rf1+ Kg8 28.Nd5 Re6 29.Nxe7+ Kh8 30.Qg3?! [30.Qd5]

30...Qd2!=/+ 31.Bg5 Qd7! 32.Nf5 Bg6 33.a4 Re8?! [33... b5!=+]

34.Qf3 e4 35.Qe2!= Qd3+ 36.Qxd3 exd3 37.Kc1 Rc8+ 38.Kd1 Bf7 39.Nxg7 Bxb3+ 40.Kd2 Kxg7 41.Bf6+ Kg6 42.Bc3 Bxa4 43.Rf6+ Kg5 44.h4+ Kg4 45.Rg6+ Kf4 46.Kxd3 Rd8+ ½-½