Nº11 Mario Micaloni & Daniele Gatti

Draw

Mario Micaloni & Daniele Gatti (Italy)

wKg2,Nc6,Be3,Ra4,d2,Pb6,f2,f3/bKg7,Qc3,Bc5,d5,Pb4,f7,g6,h5

Middlegame study. White is down a pawn and suffers from multiple threats (1. . .. Bxc6; 1. … Bxe3 2. fxe3 Qxd2). Black Bishop in d5 cannot be captured: 1. Rxd5? Bxe3! 2. Sxb4 Bxb6! And Black has great advantage. What’s the correct strategy to save the game?

1.Nd4!
thematic try: 1.Bd4+? Bxd4–+
thematic try: 1.Rd4!? Bxc6!–+

1…b3
Blocks threats. Pawn in b6 cannot be captured by Black: 1…Bxb6 2.Ra6! Bc5 3.Ra5! Bxf3+ 4.Kxf3 Bxd4 5.Rxd4= and equivalent position (=).;
1…Bxd4?? 2.Bxd4++-

2.b7! Bxb7 First deviation sacrifice 3.Ne6+ fxe6 Second deviation sacrifice, cannot be refused because of double attack on bBc5 4.Rd7+ Kf6 5.Rf4+
5.Rxb7!? Bxe3 6.fxe3 Qd2+ and Black wins the e3 pawn with great positional and material advantage

5…Ke5 6.Rxb7 Bxe3 7.Re4+! Kf5 8.Rxe3 and next move will be the capture of b3 pawn, with equivalent forces on the board (= positional draw)