Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Gurtovoi,N - Breiksh,P [A02]
17th Latvian CC Championship SF, 1991
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 g5 5.g3 f5 6.e3 [Another possibility is 6.d4!?]

6...Nc6 7.Nc3 Be6 8.Bg2 h5 9.Qe2 h4 10.gxh4 gxh4 11.h3 Bg3+?! [The manoeuvre Ng8-f6-h5-g3 was better.]

12.Kd1 Nh6 13.Qb5 Qd7 14.Ng5 Rd8 15.Qxb7 Ne5 16.Nxe6 Qxe6 17.d3 Rh7 18.Bd2 Nhg4 [Despair!]

19.hxg4 fxg4 20.Rf1 h3 21.Bd5 Qe7 22.Ne4 Bh4 23.Bb4 c5 24.Bc6+ Nxc6 25.Qxc6+ Rd7 26.Bxc5 1-0