GOGOLEVSKY 14 took the temporary lead of the 28th Russian Team Championship Premier League in Sochi after defeating KPRF, 4-2, in Round 5 action with erstwhile leader Bronze Horseman drawing the bye. The two teams are actually tied in match points, but extra games gave Gogolevsky 14 the lead with the higher number of game points.
Gogolevsky 14 won its match with star-studded KPRF on Boards 3 and 5, with GM Mikhail Kobalia and IM Volodar Murzhin upsetting GMs Evgeny Alekseev and Vladimir Potkin, respectively, after the rest of the boards were draw. Round 5 appeared to be a round for the underdogs as the lesser-lights stood out with scintillating wins over their more eminent and higher rated opponents.
The other Round 5 matches saw Moscow Chess beating Ladya, 4-2; SShOR crushing Wildberries Molodezhka, 4½-1½; and M. Botvinnik School steamrolling Kimmeria, 4½-1½,
Standings after Round 5 (in match points): 1. Gogolevsky 14; 2. Bronze Horseman; 3. Ladya; 4. Wildberries Molodezhka; 5. Moscow Chess; 6-7. KPRF, M. Botvinnik School; 8. SSHOR 9. Cimmeria.
Kobalia, M (2587)-Alekseev, E (2617) [B46]
Sochi (5.3) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bf4 d6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Qd2 Be7 9.0-0-0 e5 10.Bg3 Nf6 11.Bc4 Be6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.f4 exf4 14.Bxf4 e5 15.Bg5 0-0 16.Qd3 Qc8 17.Qc4+ Kh8 18.Rhf1 Rb8 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Rd3 Rg8 21.g3 Rb6 22.Na4 Rb5 23.Rc3 Qh3 24.Rf2 Rc8 25.Qf7 Qh6+ 26.Kb1 Qg7 27.Qe6 Rc7 28.a3 Rb8 29.Rb3 Rxb3 30.Qxb3 Qg8 31.Qd3 Qc8 32.Nb6 Qb7 33.Nc4 Qb5 34.Rd2 Rb7 35.b3 Rd7 36.Ne3 Kg8 37.c4 Qb6 38.Ka2 Bf8 39.Ng4 Bg7 40.Qf3 Qd8 41.Rd3 a5 42.a4 Kh8 43.Ne3 Bf8 44.Qd1 Qb6 45.Qg4 Qd8 46.Qe6 Qe7 47.Qxe7 Bxe7 48.Nf5 Bf8 49.c5 d5 50.exd5 cxd5 51.c6 Rc7 52.Rxd5 Kg8 53.Rd8 Kf7 54.Rd7+ Rxd7 55.cxd7 Be7 56.b4 Bd8 57.b5 Ke6 58.g4 Kxd7 59.Kb3 Bb6 60.Kc4 Ke6 61.Ng3 Bg1 62.h3 Bf2 63.Ne4 Bb6 64.Kd3 Ba7 65.Kc4 Bb6 66.Nc3 Bg1 67.Nd5 f5 68.gxf5+ Kxf5 69.b6 1-0
Lobanov, S (2515)-Paravyan, D (2647) [B30]
Sochi (5.2) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nd4 5.Nxd4 cxd4 6.c3 a6 7.Ba4 Bc5 8.cxd4 Bxd4 9.Nc3 b5 10.Bc2 Bb7 11.Ne2 Bb6 12.d4 Nf6 13.f3 d6 14.a4 Nd7 15.axb5 axb5 16.Rxa8 Qxa8 17.Bd3 Bc6 18.Kh1 0-0 19.Bf4 e5 20.Bg5 exd4 21.Be7 Re8 22.Bxd6 Ne5 23.Qd2 Qd8 24.Bxe5 Rxe5 25.Rc1 Qd6 26.f4 Rc5 27.Rd1 Bb7 28.e5 Qd7 29.Ng3 Qg4 30.Be4 Bxe4 31.Nxe4 Rd5 32.h3 Qh4 33.Qc2 d3 34.Qc6 Qd8 35.Ra1 Qd7 36.Qxb6 h6 37.Ra8+ Kh7 38.Nf6+ gxf6 39.Qxf6 1-0
Murzin, V (2478)-Potkin, V (2578) [B40]
Sochi (5.5) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.Qe2 e5 6.0-0 Be7 7.Nc3 d6 8.Nd5 0-0 9.c3 Nxd5 10.exd5 Nb8 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Bf6 14.Be3 Re8 15.Qd2 Bd7 16.b4 Na6 17.Rfc1 h5 18.Rab1 h4 19.Rc4 h3 20.Bf3 Nc7 21.b5 Rc8 22.a4 Nxb5 23.Rxc8 Nxd4 24.Rxd8 Nxf3+ 25.Kh1 Rxd8 26.Qd1 Ne5 27.Bd4 Bg4 28.Qb3 Rc8 29.Qxb7 Rc2 30.Bxe5 Bxe5 31.Qxa7 Bf3+ 32.Kg1 Bxd5 33.Qa5 Bg2 34.Qd8+ Kh7 35.Qh4+ Kg6 36.Re1 f5 37.Qb4 Rb2 38.Qc4 d5 39.Qc6+ Bf6 40.Qe8+ Kh6 41.Qc8 Kg5 42.Qc1+ Kg6 43.Qf4 Bg5 44.Re6+ Bf6 45.f3 Rb3 46.Kf2 d4 47.g4 fxg4 48.fxg4 Kf7 49.Rxf6+ gxf6 50.Qxd4 Kg6 51.Qf4 Rb6 52.Qc4 Rc6 53.Qg8+ Kh6 54.Ke3 Ra6 55.Qc4 Ra5 56.Kf4 Re5 57.Qf7 Re1 1-0
Pershin, D (2391)-Antipov, M (2609) [E32]
Sochi (5.4) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.e4 d6 6.e5 Bxc3+ 7.Qxc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 f5 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.Nf3 e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Be3 e4 13.Nd2 Nc6 14.h3 Qe7 15.Qc3 Bf5 16.Be2 Nd7 17.0-0 Rae8 18.Rfe1 Qh4 19.Nf1 Kh8 20.Rad1 Be6 21.b3 b6 22.Ng3 Nde5 23.Bd4 Bc8 24.Bh5 g6 25.Bxe5+ Rxe5 26.Rxe4 Qf6 27.Rxe5 Nxe5 28.Re1 Re8 29.Ne4 Qg7 30.Bd1 Bf5 31.Qd2 Nxc4 32.bxc4 Rxe4 33.Rxe4 Bxe4 34.Qd8+ 1-0
Saveliev, A (2372)-Kryakvin, D (2577) [C42]
Sochi (5.6) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Bg5 Nbd7 8.c4 h6 9.Be3 Ng4 10.Bd2 Nc5 11.Qxe7+ Bxe7 12.b4 Bf6 13.Nc3 Na4 14.d4 Nxc3 15.Bxc3 h5 16.h3 Nh6 17.Bd3 Bf5 18.Kd2 Kd7 19.a4 h4 20.Rhe1 g5 21.Bxf5+ Nxf5 22.d5 Bxc3+ 23.Kxc3 Rhg8 24.Re4 Rae8 25.Rae1 Rxe4 26.Rxe4 f6 27.Nd4 Nxd4 28.Kxd4 f5 29.Re6 Re8 30.Rf6 Re5 31.Rf7+ Kd8 32.a5 a6 33.Kd3 g4 34.f4 Re1 35.Rxf5 gxh3 36.gxh3 Rh1 37.Rh5 Rxh3+ 38.Ke4 Rh1 39.Rh8+ Kd7 40.Rh7+ Kd8 41.Kf5 Rc1 42.c5 dxc5 43.bxc5 Rd1 44.Ke6 Re1+ 45.Kf6 Rd1 46.f5 Rd4 47.Ke5 Rc4 48.f6 Ke8 49.Rxc7 h3 50.Rh7 Rc3 51.Rxb7 Re3+ 52.Kd6 Rf3 53.Ke5 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nc4!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…b1=Q/R/B/S, Kd1/xb3, Qb1, Rb1 2.Se3#; 1…Kxc3 2.Sb6/d6/e5/xa3/e3/d2#; 1…Kb1, Rd1, Bd2/xc3 2.Sxa3#; 1…Kd3 2.Sxa3/e3#./PN
