Keres memorial tactics

(1) Orlov,G (2508) - Neven,K (2236) [D93] 28th Keres Memorial [Easy] Vancouver (3), 17.05.2003 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.Bf4 0-0 6.Rc1 c6 7.e3 Qa5 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bg4 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nbd7 12.Qe2 Rfe8 13.0-0 e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Bb3 Nfd7 16.Ne4 Qb4 17.Qc2 Nf6 18.Nc5 Nfd7 19.Bxe5 Nxc5 Diagram White to play Georgi Orlov had a fantastic score of 7/7. Here he spots a simple tactic to end the game. 20.Bxg7 Nxb3 [ 20...Kxg7 21.Qxc5 Qxc5 22.Rxc5 and White is a piece up] 21.Bc3 and Qxb3 or axb3 is next. 1-0

(2) Niksic,J (2093) - Tegzes,L (2114) [E63] 28th Keres Memorial [Easy] Vancouver (4), 18.05.2003 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.g3 d6 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 a6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.h3 Rb8 9.a4 Na5 10.b3 c5 11.dxc5 Nd7 12.Qc2 dxc5 13.Rd1 Nc6 14.Be3 Qa5 15.Rac1 Nf6 16.Bf4 Nb4 17.Qd2 Ra8 18.g4 Qb6 19.Ne5 Be6 20.a5 Qxa5 21.Bxb7 Rad8 22.Qe1 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Nc2 24.Qd2 Nd4 25.Nc6 Diagram Black to play You're playing Black, and your Queen is attacked. Should you exchange knights with Nxc6, or should you move your queen somewhere? 25...Qxc3! Somewhere! 26.Nxe7+ [ 26.Qxc3 Nxe2+ and Nxc3] 26...Kh8 27.b4 Qxh3 28.bxc5 Qxg4+ 29.Kf1 Nxe2 30.Nd5 Bxd5 31.cxd5 Nxf4 32.d6 Qh3+ 33.Kg1 Qg4+ 34.Kf1 Nd7 35.Qe3 Qxd1+ 0-1

(3) Steininger,G - Neufahrt,G [B06] 28th Keres Memorial [Easy] Vancouver (4), 18.05.2003 1.e4 g6 2.d4 c6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nf3 d5 6.Bb3 Ne7 7.Bf4 b5 8.a3 a5 9.Qd2 h6 10.0-0 g5 11.Bxb8 Rxb8 12.exd5 exd5 13.Rae1 0-0 14.Ne5 f6 Diagram White to play Black's last move, 14...f7-f6, seems rather anti-positional, given the poor state of the Bg7, and the kingside light squares. Perhaps there is some sort of direct refutation? 15.Nxc6! Nxc6 16.Bxd5+ Kh8 17.Bxc6 White has two pawns AND compensation! 17...b4 18.axb4 axb4 19.Ne2 Rb6 20.Be4 f5 21.Bd3 Bxd4 22.Nxd4 Qxd4 23.Qe3 Rd6 24.Qxd4+ Rxd4 25.b3 Kg7 26.Re7+ Rf7 27.Rxf7+ Kxf7 28.Ra1 Be6 29.Ra7+ Kf6 30.Ra6 Ke5 31.Kf1 Bxb3 32.Rxh6 Bd5 33.Ke2 Bxg2 34.Rb6 1/2-1/2

(4) Neufahrt,G - Davies,L (2077) [D02] 28th Keres Memorial [Easy] Vancouver (5), 18.05.2003 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 c5 5.Nbd2 Nc6 6.c3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Ne5 Nd7 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Nf3 cxd4 11.exd4 Qb6 12.Qe2 a5 13.h4 Rd8 14.Bxh7+ Kxh7 15.Ng5+ Kg8 16.Qh5 Nf6 17.Qxf7+ Kh8 18.Qxe7 Ba6 19.0-0-0 Re8 20.Qf7 Be2 21.h5 Ra7 22.Qg6 Bxd1 23.h6 Kg8 24.Nh7 Nh5 25.Rxd1 Ree7 26.g4 Nxf4 Diagram White to play Down a rook, and your queen's attacked! Find the mate in 3! 27.Nf6+ Kf8 [ 27...Kh8 28.Qh7# ] 28.hxg7+ [ 28.hxg7+ Rxg7 29.Qe8# ] 1-0

(5) Basanta,G (2328) - Wu,H (2185) [B30] 28th Keres Memorial [Easy] Vancouver (6), 19.05.2003 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.b4 cxb4 4.d4 d5 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.c4 bxc3 7.Nxc3 Qa5 8.d5 Bg4 9.dxc6 Qxc3+ 10.Bd2 Qxc6 11.Rc1 Bxf3 12.gxf3 Qe6+ 13.Be3 Nf6 14.Bb5+ Nd7 15.Rc7 Diagram Black to play Here Black resigned. Why? After Rd8 the knight on d7 is defended by three pieces and attacked by three. 15...Rd8 16.Bxd7+ Rxd7 Oops! 17.Rc8+ Rd8 18.Rxd8# 1-0

(6) Bouvier,J - Collins,C [C47] 28th Keres Memorial [Medium] Vancouver (3), 17.05.2003 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5 Nxd5 6.exd5 Qe7+ 7.Be2 Ne5 8.0-0 d6 9.Re1 Bd7 10.Bf4 0-0-0 11.Qxd4 Kb8 12.Nxe5 dxe5 13.Bxe5 f6 14.Bf4 Qc5 15.Qd2 Bd6 16.Be3 Qb4 17.c3 Qh4 18.g3 Qh3 19.c4 c6 20.Qa5 b6 Diagram White to play In this sharp Belgrade Gambit, both players have castled on opposite wings, and stuff has gotten wild. It's White's move, can he crash through? 21.Bxb6! The only way! 21...axb6 22.Qxb6+ Kc8 23.dxc6 [ 23.c5! (threat: Ba6 mate) is even better, but the text is good enough.] 1-0

(7) Balbutin,N - Spears,N [C42] 28th Keres Memorial [Medium] Vancouver (5), 18.05.2003 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.d4 d6 5.Nf3 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 Bg4 8.c4 c6 9.Re1 f5 10.Nc3 0-0 11.h3 Bh5 12.cxd5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 cxd5 14.Be2 Nd7 15.Rb1 b6 16.Rb5 Nf6 17.Bg5 Qc7 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Qb3 Re8 20.Kf1 Kh8 21.Ne5 Bxe2+ 22.Rxe2 Bxe5 23.dxe5 Rxe5 Diagram White to play White seems to be down a pawn, and his pieces are in some strange positions. Does he have a way to save the game? 24.Qxd5! Yes! He can win a rook and the game! 24...Rd6 [ 24...Rxe2 25.Qa8+ mates.; 24...Rxd5 25.Re8+ Rf8 26.Rxf8# ] 25.Qxe5 Rd1+ 26.Re1 Qc4+ 27.Qe2 Rxe1+ 28.Kxe1 Qxc3+ 29.Qd2 1-0

(8) Neufahrt,G - Davies,L (2077) [D02] 28th Keres Memorial [Medium] Vancouver (5), 18.05.2003 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 c5 5.Nbd2 Nc6 6.c3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Ne5 Nd7 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Nf3 cxd4 11.exd4 Qb6 12.Qe2 a5 13.h4 Rd8 Diagram White to play Your tactical senses should be alerting you to something here.... 14.Bxh7+! Kxh7 [ 14...Kf8 should be preferred.] 15.Ng5+ Kg8 16.Qh5 Nf6 17.Qxf7+ Kh8 18.Qxe7 And it's smooth sailing from here. 18...Ba6 19.0-0-0 Re8 20.Qf7 Be2 21.h5 Ra7 22.Qg6 Bxd1 23.h6 Kg8 24.Nh7 Nh5 25.Rxd1 Ree7 26.g4 Nxf4 27.Nf6+ Kf8 28.hxg7+ 1-0

(9) Davies,L (2077) - Harris,P [C54] 28th Keres Memorial [Medium] Vancouver (7), 19.05.2003 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 d6 6.Nbd2 Bg4 7.Nf1 0-0 8.Ng3 Qe7 9.0-0 Nd8 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Ne6 12.Nf5 Qd7 Diagram White to play White's pieces are beginning to swarm around the black king. Use your tactical eye to find a way in. 13.Nxg7! Kxg7 [ 13...Nxg7 14.Qxf6 Will be sufficient for victory.] 14.Bh6+! Kg8 [ The bishop cannot be taken: 14...Kxh6 15.Qxf6+ Kh5 16.g4# ] 15.Qxf6 [ 15.Bxf8 Rxf8 16.Qxf6 and the extra exchange and pawn should guarantee simple victory.] 15...Rfe8 16.d4 and it's only a matter of time before White wins. 1-0

(10) Kosinski,G - Krzyzowski,E [B02] 28th Keres Memorial [Hard] Vancouver (6), 19.05.2003 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 d4 4.exf6 dxc3 5.fxe7 cxd2+ 6.Bxd2 Qxe7+ 7.Qe2 Be6 8.Bc3 Nd7 9.Nf3 f6 10.Nd4 Bd5 11.Qxe7+ Bxe7 12.Nb5 Kd8 13.0-0-0 c6 14.Kb1 Kc8 15.f3 Nb6 16.Nd4 Rd8 17.Be2 Nc4 18.Nf5 Bf8 19.Rhe1 Kc7 20.b3 Na3+ 21.Kb2 Nb5 Diagram White to play Both players have been rapidly exchanging pieces to get into a queenless middlegame. Black's last move, 21...Na3-b5, seems to force White to have to retreat his bishop, or does it? 22.Bxb5! cxb5 23.Nxg7! Bxg7 24.Re7+ Rd7 25.Rxd7+ Kxd7 26.Rxd5+ And White, with a pawn to the good and better structure, went on to win without much difficulty. 26...Kc6 27.Rh5 h6 28.Kc1 Re8 29.g4 Re3 30.Bd2 Rxf3 31.Bxh6 Bxh6+ 32.Rxh6 Kc5 33.Rh7 a5 34.Rf7 b6 35.g5 f5 36.h4 a4 37.h5 Kb4 38.g6 axb3 39.cxb3 1-0