(2) Sturniolo,Lou (1574) - Moldovan,John (1801) [B15]
Kenilworth Summer Tournament - open Kenilworth, NJ (7), 21.07.2011
[Moldovan & Houdini 1.5a]

G/55+5 (increment) B15 Caro-Kann Defense Gurgenidze System

1.d4 g6 [1...e6 was an option, but I had played a French against Lou before (2008 KST) & wanted to complete my book on him.]

2.e4 This lets me write the final chapter but my opponent's usual d4 opening, the Colle, is ineffective versus ...g6 lines.

2...Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 The Gurgenidze System, a favorite of 12x Kenilworth Chess Club Champion Scott Massey.

4.Be3 [For 4.Nf3 see McCormick - S. Massey : Somerset 1984, in my archive for 2008.]

4...d5 Diagram

We have transposed into 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7.

5.e5 [RR: 5.f3 maintaining the duo, as in the Fantasy Variation (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3) 5...Qb6 6.Qd2 (6.Na4 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 dxe4N 8.fxe4 Nf6= "ankisharma" - Moldovan : G/10+15, Chess.com 12/12/2008; 6.Rb1 dxe4 7.fxe4 e5 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.Bc4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Qb4 11.Be2 (11.Bb3 Ngf6 12.0-0 0-0 13.h3 Qe7 14.Qf3 Eckhardt - Schmitzer : correspondence, ICCF 2008 14...a5= ) 11...Ngf6 12.0-0 0-0 13.Qe1 Qe7= Balogh - Dautov:: Budapest 2004; 6.a3 setting a trap 6...dxe4 (not 6...Qxb2?? 7.Na4+- ) 7.fxe4 Nf6 8.h3 e5 9.Nf3 Nh5 10.Bf2 exd4 11.Nxd4 0-0 12.Nb3 Qc7 13.Qf3 Nd7 14.0-0-0 Bh6+ 15.Kb1 Ne5 16.Qe2 Be6= Koepke - Medvegy : Austria 2010) 6...Qxb2 7.Rb1 Qa3 8.exd5 Nf6 9.Rb3 Qa5 10.dxc6 bxc6 11.Bc4 0-0 12.Nge2 Re8 13.0-0 Nbd7 14.Ne4 Qxd2 15.Nxd2= Adamski - Plater : 21st Polish Championship, Warsaw 1964; For 5.Qd2 see my 2008 draw with Mazzillo.]

5...f6 Black takes the bull by its horns and threatens to win a P with 6...fxe5 7.dxe5 Bxe5. Thus, White has to reinforce the head of his P chain or trade at f6.

6.f4 [RR: 6.exf6 Nxf6 7.Nf3 0-0 8.Qd2 Ng4 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 e5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 Bxe5 14.dxe5 Nd7 15.h4 Nxe5 16.hxg5 Qxg5 17.Qxg5+ hxg5 18.Rh5 Rf5= Van der Wiel - Krasenkow : Wijk aan Zee 2002]

6...Nh6 Diagram



7.h3 [7.Nf3 developing and preparing to meet 7...Ng4 with 8.Bg1+/= is preferable.]

7...0-0 [>=7...Qb6 8.Na4 (8.Qd2!?N Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.Rb3 Qa5 11.Nf3© ) 8...Qa5+ 9.c3 Nd7 10.b4 Qc7 11.Nf3 0-0 12.Bd3 a5 13.Nc5 Qb6= 14.Ne6?! Nxe5 15.Nxf8 Nxd3+ 16.Qxd3 Kxf8 17.bxa5 D. Pedersen - L. Hansen : Denmark 2010 17...Qxa5=/+ ; ‹7...Nf5 8.Bf2 fxe5 9.dxe5 (9.fxe5 Bh6 (9...Qb6|^ Primel, in MegaBase 2011) 10.Qd3 Nataf - Minasian : 2004 10...Qb6 11.b3 Qa5= ) 9...d4 10.Ne4+/= Campo - Vila : Barbera del Valles 2006]

8.g4 [8.Nf3 ; & 8.Qd2 have also been played here (30x & 5x, respectively).]

8...Qb6 [‹8...b5 9.Qd2 Nf7 Varga - Beszterczey : Hungary 2001 10.Nf3+/= ; &, even more so, 8...a5 9.Qd2 Na6 10.0-0-0 Nf7 11.Nf3 b5 12.Kb1 a4 13.Bg2 Nc7 14.Ne2+/= Feldman - Frumkin : New York 1999]

9.Qd2N Diagram

[This varies from the 9.Na4 Qa5+ 10.c3 Na6 11.Bxa6 Qxa6 12.Nc5 Qb6 13.Qd2 Nf7 14.Ne2 Qc7 15.e6 Nd6 16.f5= of Marianidis - Efthimiou : Athens 1999 and takes aim at the Nh6.]

9...Nf7? Too passive. [9...Qxb2! 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Rb3 Qa5 12.e6! Bxe6 13.f5 Nxf5 14.gxf5 Bxf5 15.Rxb7 Nd7 , with 3 Ps and compensation for the sacked steed, was right.]

10.Na4? [10.0-0-0 would have given White a big advantage.]

10...Qc7 11.Bd3 a5 [>=11...fxe5 12.fxe5 b6= looking to attack the chain-base with ..c5 and trade light-squared clerics with ...Ba6.]

12.f5? Diagram

This is premature and drops a P because e5 isn't sufficently supported. [12.Nf3+/= was indicated.]

12...gxf5? Black plays the wrong order & gives his foe a chance to recover. [12...fxe5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nb6 Nxd3+ 15.cxd3 Ra6 16.Nxc8 Qxc8-/+ was precise.]

13.gxf5? [He should have played 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.0-0-0+/= ]

13...fxe5 14.dxe5? This loses. [The engine says 14.Qg2-/+ /\e4 15.Bf1 Bxf5 16.Ne2 was best.]

14...Nxe5! 15.0-0-0 [‹15.Nb6 Nxd3+ 16.cxd3 d4! (‹16...Ra6?! 17.Nxc8 Qxc8-/+ ) /\17.Nxa8 Qe5 ]

15...Nxd3+ 16.cxd3 Bxf5 Diagram

Black's 2 extra Ps and the B pair more than offset his drafty K & development lag.

17.Bf4? [>=17.Ne2 ]

17...e5 18.Bh2? [>=18.Bh6 ]

18...Nd7 [>=18...Na6 /\ ...Nb4, hitting d3 & a2.]

19.Nf3 b5 20.Nc3 Qb6? [20...Nc5 21.Ne1 Qe7 was much stronger.]

21.Rhg1 [>=21.Nh4 ]

21...Bg6 22.Rg3 [>=22.Nh4 Rf2 23.Qg5 /\Rxh2?? 24.Nxg6 hxg6 25.Qxg6+/- ]

22...Rf6? Another weak continuation. [>=22...b4 23.Na4 Qb5 24.b3 Nc5 ]

23.Bg1 Qc7 24.Qg5? [>=24.Qg2 The weaker piece (the R) should be fronting the battery, as there are no prospects for sacking the lady.]

24...Re8 Diagram



25.h4? White wants to play h5 then Nh4 but Black can blockade the soldier and keep the equine from getting to the desired square. [>=25.Nh4 ]

25...Rf5 [25...e4! 26.dxe4 (‹26.h5 Rf5 27.Qg4 Rxh5 ) 26...Bh6! 27.Qxh6 Qxg3 was even better.]

26.Qg4 Nf6 27.Qh3 Nh5 28.Rg5 [>=28.Rxg6 hxg6 29.Ne2 ]

28...Ref8?! [>=28...Rxg5 29.Nxg5 Nf4 ]

29.Rxf5 Rxf5?! [>=29...Bxf5 30.Qh2 Bg4 ]

30.Bh2 Bh6+?! [>=30...b4 ]

31.Ng5 >= Kb1, here or next.

31...Qe7 32.Kc2? Bxg5 >= ...b4, on this turn or the following one.

33.hxg5 Qxg5?! 34.Rg1? [>=34.Rd2 ]

34...Rf2+ 35.Kb3 Qf5?! [>=35...a4+ 36.Ka3 Qe7+ 37.b4 axb3+ 38.Kxb3 d4 39.Qxh5 dxc3 40.Rxg6+ hxg6 41.Qxg6+ Kf8 42.Qh6+ Ke8 43.Qxc6+ Kf7 44.Qd5+ Kf6 ]

36.Qh4?! Of course, a Q-trade would be hopeless.

36...a4+ 37.Ka3 Diagram



37...Kf7? [>=37...b4+ 38.Qxb4 (‹38.Kxb4 Qf8+ 39.Kxa4 Rxb2 with mate on the horizon.) 38...Rxh2 39.Nxa4 Nf4 ]

38.Rg5 [>=38.Bxe5 b4+ 39.Kxb4 Nf4 40.d4 ]

38...Qf3 [Houdini likes 38...b4+ 39.Kxa4 Qf3 40.Nxd5 Rxb2 41.Nxb4 c5 42.Qc4+ Kf6 43.Bxe5+ Kxg5 44.Bxb2 cxb4 but the Black K's lack of shelter makes that ending problematic.]

39.Rxe5 Nf6 40.Qg5? [>=40.Bg1 Qf4 41.Qxf2 Qxe5 42.d4 Qe7+ 43.b4 ]

40...Qxd3 41.Re3 Qc2 & faced with dual threats (42...Qxb2#, 42...Rxh2), White resigned. Time left - Sturniolo 0:06, Moldovan 2:32 Time used - Sturniolo 58:19, Moldovan 55:53 Longest think by White - 5 minutes for 15.0-0-0 Longest think by Black - 7 minutes for 7...0-0 [>=41...b4+ 42.Kxb4 Qd4+ ] 0-1