Winning Without Castling

Last updated 2 May 2002

Rout,I - Gurtovoi,N [A80]
Latvia v Australia, 1994
[Notes by Nickolai Gurtovoi]

1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d6 4.Bd3 fxe4!? 5.Nxe4 Nf6 6.Bg5 Nbd7[] 7.Nh3 Be7 8.Nf4 Nf8 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.c3 Bd7 11.Qe2 Qe7 12.Nxf6+ gxf6 13.Be4 c6 14.Qh5+?! [14.h4 was better.]

14...Kd8! 15.0-0-0 f5 16.Bc2 Qf6 17.h4 Rg8! [Threatens 18... Rg4 with 19... Be8! -+]

18.Qe2 Kc7 [Perhaps stronger was 18... a5! (idea 19... a4 and 20... Ra5!)]

19.d5!? exd5 20.Rxd5 Rg4 [Not 20... cxd5?? because of 21.Nxd5+ and 22.Nxf6 +-]

21.Rd4 Ng6 22.Nh5 Qf8 23.Ng3 a5!? 24.Nxf5 Rxd4 25.Nxd4 Nf4 26.Qf1 c5! 27.Nb5+ Kb6 28.a4 Bc6 29.Rh2 Re8!-+ 30.Kb1 [If 30.Bxh7 Qh6! -+]

30...Re2! 31.Na3 Qe8!! [Only winning move, threatening 32... Re1+ and 32... Bxa4]

32.Nc4+ Ka7! [Less strong is 32... Kc7?! because of 33.Rh1! Bxg2 34.Qd1! (idea 35.Qxd6+) 34... Qe7 35.Rg1 unclear.]

33.Ne3 Bxa4 34.b3 Bxb3 35.Bxb3! [Idea 35... Qa4]

35...Qb5 36.Qd1 Rxf2 [Ideas 37... a4 or 37... Nd3] 0-1