Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Gufeld,E - Tarve,J [C27]
Tallin, Estonia, 1989
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Be7 6.Nf3 0-0? [Better is 6... Nc6]

7.h4! Nc6 [If 7... g6 8.Qxe5 Bxf6 9.Qf4 Re8+ 10.Kf1 Bg7 11.d4 Nc6 12.h5! +-]

8.Ng5 h6 9.Qg6! Bxg5 10.hxg5 Qxg5 11.Qxg5 hxg5 12.d3 Nf5 13.Bxg5 Ncd4 14.Nd5 Nxb3 15.Nf6+!! [The prelude to an original idea from GM Eduard Gufeld.]

15...gxf6 16.Bxf6 Ng7 17.axb3 Re8 [Black has a superfluous N but his position is lost as his K cannot escape from the corner trap.]

18.g4 Re6 19.g5 b6 20.Ke2! e4 [If 20... Bb7 21.f3!]

21.d4 e3 22.f3 d5 23.Rh4 Ba6+ 24.c4 dxc4 25.Rah1! [A final chord! Idea 28.Rh8#] 1-0