THE top favored squad in the 28th Russian Team Championship Premier League in Sochi, Bronze Horseman or Mednyi Vsadnik, routed its opponents in Rounds 6 and 7 to pull away in both match points and game points with two rounds to go in the 9-team, 6-board team competition.
The Bronze Horseman demolished Gogolevsky 14 and Ladya in Rounds 6 and 7, respectively, by identical 4½-1½ tallies to lead the tournament by three match points and 7½ game points over its closest pursuer Moscow Chess, which seized second place in the event. By the looks of it, Bronze Horseman will win the tournament with two rounds to spare.
In the other Round 7 matches, Wildberries Molodezhka squeezed past KPRF, 3½-2½, Moscow Chessnarrowly defeated M. Botvinnik School, 3½-2½, and Cimmeria shaded SShOR, 3½-2½, while Gogolevsky 14 drew the bye.
Standings after Round 7 (in match points): 1. Bronze Horseman, 12; 2. Moscow Chess, 9; 3. Gogolevsky 14, 8; 4. Wildberries Molodezhka, 7; 5-7. Ladya, M. Botvinnik School, KPRF, 5; 8. SShOR, 3; 9. Cimmeria, 2.
Chigaev, M (2631)-Inarkiev, E (2654) [C50]
Sochi (6.2) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.a4 h6 6.a5 a6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.Be3 Bxe3 10.fxe3 Ne7 11.Nh4 c6 12.Nd2 d5 13.Bb3 dxe4 14.Nxe4 Ng4 15.Qe1 Qxd3 16.Nf2 Qb5 17.Ba4 Qc5 18.b4 Qxe3 19.Qxe3 Nxe3 20.Rfe1 N7d5 21.Bb3 Ng4 22.Nxg4 Bxg4 23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.h3 Be6 25.Rxe5 Rac8 26.Ra3 Rc4 27.Nf3 Re4 28.Kf2 f5 29.Ra1 Kf7 30.Rd1 Rc8 31.c4 Rcxc4 32.Rxe4 Rxe4 33.Rb1 Bd7 34.Nd2 Re7 35.Nb3 Bb5 36.Nd4 Re4 37.Rd1 Ba4 38.Rd2 Kf6 39.g3 g5 40.Ne2 Bc6 41.Nd4 Ke5 42.Nf3+ Kd6 43.Nd4 Bd7 44.Rd1 f4 45.g4 Re3 46.h4 Bxg4 47.Rg1 h5 48.hxg5 Ke5 0-1
Riazantsev, A (2631)-Sarana, A (2649) [D27]
Sochi (6.4) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.b3 Nbd7 8.Bb2 b5 9.Be2 Be7 10.Nbd2 Bb7 11.a4 b4 12.Nc4 0-0 13.Nfe5 cxd4 14.Nxd7 Nxd7 15.Bxd4 Bf6 16.Bxf6 Nxf6 17.Qxd8 Rfxd8 18.Na5 Rd2 19.Rfe1 Bd5 20.f3 e5 21.e4 Be6 22.Rad1 Rb2 23.Rb1 Rc2 24.Rbc1 Ra2 25.Bf1 Kf8 26.Re2 Ra3 27.Rb2 Nd7 28.Rc6 Rd8 29.Kf2 Nb8 30.Rb6 Nd7 31.Rxb4 Nc5 32.Rb6 g6 33.Nc4 Ra1 34.Nxe5 Rdd1 35.Bxa6 f6 36.Rc2 Nxb3 37.Rxe6 fxe5 38.Rb6 1-0
Najer, E (2648)-Antipov, M (2609) [C65]
Sochi (6.5) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Ne7 5.Bc4 c6 6.Nc3 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.Qxd4 Ng6 9.e5 Qe7 10.Bf4 Nxf4 11.Qxf4 d5 12.0-0-0 Nh5 13.Qe3 Qc5 14.Rd4 Be7 15.Bxd5 cxd5 16.g4 Bxg4 17.Rxg4 Qxe3+ 18.fxe3 f5 19.Ra4 Rd8 20.Rd1 f4 21.exf4 Bc5 22.Nxd5 Rf8 23.Rc4 Nxf4 24.Rxc5 b6 25.Rc6 Rxd5 26.Rxd5 Nxd5 27.Rc8+ Ke7 28.Rxf8 Kxf8 29.Kd2 Kf7 30.c4 Nc7 31.Ke3 h6 32.Nd4 g5 33.Ke4 Kg6 34.Nc6 g4 35.Nxa7 Kg5 36.Nb5 Ne6 37.b4 h5 38.Nd4 Nc7 39.a4 Kh4 40.b5 Kh3 41.a5 1-0
Vitiugov, N (2715) – Motylev, A (2641) [C27]
Sochi (6.1) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Be7 6.Qxe5 0-0 7.Nf3 c6 8.d4 Ne8 9.d5 d6 10.Qf4 Nd7 11.0-0 Nc5 12.Be3 Nxb3 13.axb3 c5 14.b4 h6 15.Rfd1 b6 16.bxc5 bxc5 17.Nd2 f5 18.Qc4 Kh8 19.Nb3 a5 20.Bd2 Bd7 21.Ra3 Bf6 22.Rda1 Bxc3 23.Bxc3 a4 24.Nd2 Nc7 25.Qf4 Kh7 26.Qxd6 Nb5 27.Qg3 Rf7 28.R3a2 Nc7 29.d6 Nb5 30.Be5 Nd4 31.Bxd4 cxd4 32.Qe5 Rc8 33.b3 Qf6 34.Qxf6 Rxf6 35.bxa4 Rxd6 36.Nf3 Bc6 37.a5 Bxf3 38.gxf3 Ra6 39.Kf1 Rc3 40.Ke2 f4 41.Rd1 Rc4 42.Kd3 Rc5 43.Rda1 Rd5 44.Ke4 Rd8 45.Ra4 Re6+ 46.Kd3 Red6 47.Rc4 Rd5 48.a6 R5d7 49.Raa4 1-0
Sakaev, K (2604)-Savchenko, B (2538) [D85]
Sochi (6.5) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Nb6 6.Bf4 Bg7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.Be5 Bh6 9.e3 Be6 10.h4 N8d7 11.Bg3 Nf6 12.Ng5 Bc4 13.Bxc4 Nxc4 14.Qe2 Nd6 15.e4 b5 16.Bxd6 cxd6 17.Qxb5 Rb8 18.Qe2 Qb6 19.e5 Nh5 20.0-0 Qxd4 21.exd6 Ng3 22.Qf3 Bxg5 23.Rad1 Qxh4 24.fxg3 Qh6 25.dxe7 Bxe7 26.Qf2 Rbc8 27.Rd5 Bg5 28.Re5 f5 29.Qxa7 f4 30.Ne4 fxg3 31.Nxg3 Bf4 0-1
Matlakov, M (2688)-Oparin, G (2652) [E06]
Sochi (7.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 b5 8.a4 b4 9.Ne5 Qxd4 10.Bxa8 Qxe5 11.Bf4 Qh5 12.Bf3 Ng4 13.Bxg4 Qxg4 14.Qxc4 e5 15.Qxc7 exf4 16.Qxe7 fxg3 17.Nd2 gxh2+ 18.Kh1 Be6 19.f3 Qd4 20.Ne4 Qxb2 21.Rab1 Qe5 22.Qxb4 Nd7 23.Qe7 Bf5 24.Qxe5 Nxe5 25.Rb5 f6 26.Rb7 a5 27.Nd6 Bd7 28.Rc1 Bxa4 29.Rcc7 Bd7 30.Nc4 Bf5 31.Rxg7+ Kh8 32.Nxe5 fxe5 33.Rge7 e4 34.fxe4 Bg6 35.Ra7 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Bb3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Kd3+ 2.Qd5#; 1…Bg2/h1/g4/h5, Nd3 2.Bd5#; 1…Re3/e1 2.Nxf2#; 1…Ng4/xh3/xd1/h1 2.Bc2#./PN
