Let’s remember the wonderful moments of the competition
We’re already halfway through the World Russian Draughts Championship in Moscow. There have been some unusual games and endgames, as well as well-known theoretical endgames. Due to the tension and intense competition, the quality of play in some rounds has been exceptionally high. Thanks to the work of Denis Filatov, Alexander Getmansky, and Dmitry Tsinman, we’re able to share some interesting highlights with you.
Let’s take another look at some of the highlights of the World Cup: We’ve kept the authors’ original texts.
 |
“The Magic of a Name”
I. Mikhalchenko – A. Egorov To advance, Igor Mikhalchenko needs nothing less than a win. It’s a tough task, but the magic of the renowned champion’s name had a mesmerizing effect on his opponents in the blitz game: 1…bc7?? 2.dc3x |
 |
“The best is the enemy of the good”!
D. Qingman – I. Mikhalchenko The board shows a theoretical position where the checker must be recaptured with the move 1.ab4; however, it seemed to me that a draw could be achieved in a beautiful way: 1.ef4? cg5 2.hf4 bc5 3.de3 fe5 4.fg5 ef4 5.gf6 fb4 . |
 |
And only then did I realize that the planned 6.cb2 would be followed by de5!x |
 |
“One queen is good, but two is bad”!
Ilyasov, I. – Belosheev, S. White decided to force a draw: |
 |
2…fe7!! 3.ab6 ed6 4.ba7 fe3 5.ab8 еf2x A dramatic finale: two checkmates weren’t enough to secure a draw! |
|
Caught Up in Associations, or 10 Years Later
N. Gulyayev vs. S. Smaydris, 2016 European Championship 21…gf6? (21…ef6=)
27.fe5 hg3 28.ed6 gh2 29.dc7 hg1 30.cb8 fe7 31.bh2 ef6 32.hb8 fg5 33.bh2X |
