Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Klovans (LAT) - Harman ENG) [C43]
II European Team CC Championship, 1985
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.e5 Ne4 5.Qxd4 d5 6.exd6 Nxd6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Qf4 Bf5 9.Bb5 Qe7+ 10.Kf1 Be4 11.Bxc6+ Bxc6 12.Ne5 0-0-0?? [After such a serious strategic mistake (Black's K finds himself trapped in a corner and offside), the English master lost a pawn. The game was published in the magazine Shakhmaty 16 (1988), where Latvian master Klovans thought 12... 0-0-0 to be a forced move. Instead of this, Black has the almost winning move 12... f6!! eg 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Bd2 Kf7! 15.Re1 Qd7 16.h4 h5 17.Rh3 g6! (idea 18.Bh6 =+)]

13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Qa4 Nb5 15.Qa6+ Kb8 16.Be3 Qb4 17.Qxc6 [And White went on to win in 48 moves.] 1-0