[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1947.06.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Staldi, Cherubino"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C12"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1947.06.??"]

{Reggio Emilia's New Year chess events are the longest series of international
tournaments in Italy. Two events precede the series. The first forerunner
occurred from 22 until 29 vi 1947. Vittorio Vilani was the director (in 1947,
1951 and 1958/59).   When Enrico Paoli looked for a new home in Northern Italy,
he received a positive answer from a chess club in Reggio Emilia. He was
allowed to work over there at a primary school and got extra spare time for
chess.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Ne4
8. Nge2 c5 9. a3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 $5 ({Theory is} 10. Nxc3 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3) 10...
Ba5 11. h4 g4 12. dxc5 Nc6 13. Qd3 Qe7 14. Qe3 d4 $5 15. Nxd4 $1 Qxc5 16. Nb5
Qxe3+ 17. fxe3 O-O $6 (17... Ke7 $1 {
uses the king as a defender in the central area.}) 18. O-O-O $1 a6 19. Nd4 Ne7
20. Nb3 Bc7 (20... Bxc3 $2 21. Rd3 Nf5 22. Bf4 Be1 23. Be2 Bg3 24. Bxg4 Bxf4
25. exf4 {favours White.}) 21. h5 Nd5 22. Rd3 f5 23. c4 Nb6 24. Bf4 Kg7 25. Nc5
Rf7 $5 26. Rd4 Re7 27. Bg3 Rf7 $6 {He spoils time.} 28. Be2 Bd7 29. Rhd1 Bc8
30. a4 a5 {Black suffers from restriction.} 31. Kb2 $5 Rb8 $5 32. Kb3 Na8 33.
Nd3 Nb6 34. c5 $6 (34. Nc5 $1 {increases the restraint.}) 34... Nd5 $1 {
The knight has been freed.} 35. c4 Ne7 $1 36. Bh4 Nc6 37. Bf6+ Kh7 $5 38. Rd6
$1 Bxd6 39. cxd6 Bd7 40. Nf4 $6 ({Better is} 40. Nc5 $1) 40... Rbf8 41. Be7 $2
Nxe5 $2 (41... Nxe7 42. dxe7 Rxe7 43. Ng6 Rff7 44. Nxe7 Rxe7 {gains a plus.})
42. c5 $6 Rc8 43. Ng6 Nxg6 44. hxg6+ Kxg6 45. Bb5 Bxb5 $2 (45... Rc6 $3 46.
Bxc6 bxc6 {closes the defence.}) 46. axb5 Re8 47. Bh4 $1 Kh5 48. g3 e5 {
Staldi cannot offer a serious resistance.} 49. d7 Rxd7 50. Rxd7 {
Paoli won after a hard battle.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1947.06.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Romi, Massimiliano"]
[Black "Cenni, Giovanni"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D02"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1947.06.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nc6 6. c3 Qb6 7. Rb1 Bd7 8. Bd3
Be7 $5 9. h3 Rc8 10. O-O h6 $5 11. Ne5 O-O 12. Qe2 Rfd8 13. Bg3 Be8 14. f4 Nd7
15. f5 {The attack starts.} cxd4 $5 16. Nxd7 Bxd7 17. exd4 $5 Bf6 $2 (17...
exf5 $1 18. Bxf5 Bxf5 19. Rxf5 Bg5 {makes useful exchanges.}) 18. fxe6 Bxe6 19.
Rxf6 $1 {The defence is crushed by a sacrifice.} gxf6 20. Qe3 $5 Kf8 $6 (20...
Kg7 $5 21. Bf4 Rh8 22. Qg3+ Kf8 23. Bd6+ Ne7 {offers more resistance.}) 21.
Qxh6+ Ke7 22. Bh4 Rg8 23. Qxf6+ Kd7 24. Bf5 Rce8 $2 25. Qxf7+ $1 {
Romi won convincingly.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1947.06.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Canal, Esteban"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C53"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1947.06.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Bb6 5. d4 Qe7 6. d5 Nd8 7. d6 Qxd6 8. Qxd6
cxd6 9. Na3 Nf6 $5 {Black has an edge.} (9... Ne6 {
happened in Chekhover - Poliak, Leningrad 1938.}) 10. Nd2 Ne6 11. f3 d5 $5 12.
exd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 12. Bxd5 $5 Nf4 13. Ndc4 N6xd5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxb6
Nxb6 16. Nb5 O-O 17. Nd6 {and White has a fine compensation for the pawn.})
12... Nf4 $1 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. fxe4 Nxg2+ 15. Kf1 Nh4 16. Nb5 h6 17. b3 O-O $1
18. Ba3 a6 $1 19. Nd6 $1 f5 20. Ke2 f4 21. Nf5 $5 Rxf5 $5 22. exf5 d6 $5 23.
Bxd6 Bxf5 {Canal has an advantage.} 24. Rae1 $6 Re8 $2 {He misses the win.} (
24... Be3 $1 25. Bxe5 b5 26. Bd3 Bg4+ 27. Kf1 Bh3+ 28. Ke2 Bg2 {
decides the game.}) 25. Kd1 Bg4+ 26. Kc2 Nf3 27. Re2 g5 28. Bd3 Kf7 29. h3 Bh5
30. Bf5 $5 Kf6 $5 31. Bg4 Bg6+ 32. Kb2 $6 {The king should move to d1.} e4 $1
33. Rf1 Ne5 $1 34. Bxe5+ Kxe5 35. c4 h5 36. Bd7 Re7 37. Be6 Bf5 $5 38. Bxf5
Kxf5 39. d6 Bd4+ 40. Kc2 Rd7 41. Rd2 Rxd6 42. Rfd1 Ke5 43. Rg2 g4 $1 {
He triumphs elegantly.} 44. hxg4 f3 $1 45. Rh2 hxg4 46. Rh5+ Kf4 47. Rd5 Rxd5
48. cxd5 Bb6 49. d6 g3 $1 50. d7 g2 {
The connected passed pawns decide the game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1947.06.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Canal, Esteban"]
[Black "Romi, Massimiliano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C49"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1947.06.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Ne2 Ne7 8. c3
Ba5 9. Ng3 c6 10. Ba4 h6 $5 {He breaks the symmetry in the Four Knights.} 11.
d4 Qc7 12. Nh4 $5 Bg4 13. f3 Be6 14. f4 $5 exd4 $1 15. cxd4 {
White has a vulnerable centre.} Bc4 16. Rf2 d5 17. e5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. f5
f6 20. exf6 $5 Rxf6 $5 21. Bf4 Qd7 22. Be5 {He has protected a weakling.} Rf7
23. Bb3 e3 $1 24. Re2 Bxb3 25. Qxb3 Nxf5 26. Nxf5 Qxf5 27. Rxe3 Qf2+ 28. Kh1 {
Black cannot deliver mate.} Kh8 29. h3 Bb6 $2 30. Rg3 $2 (30. Bg3 $1 Qf5 31.
Rf3 {gains material.}) 30... Raf8 $2 31. Qe6 $1 Qd2 32. Qg4 $2 ({
This time, they miss} 32. Rf3 $1 Rxf3 33. gxf3 Rg8 34. Rg1 Bxd4 35. Qd6 Be3 36.
Bxg7+ $1) 32... Qg5 33. Qxg5 hxg5 34. Rxg5 Rd8 {
Black will regain the pawn in the endgame.} 35. Rd1 Rd5 36. Rd3 Rfd7 37. Kh2
Rxe5 $1 38. Rxe5 Bc7 39. Rg3 Rxd4 $1 40. Re8+ Kh7 41. Re7 Bxg3+ 42. Kxg3 Rb4
43. b3 a5 44. Kf3 Kg6 45. Re5 a4 46. Re4 Rxe4 47. Kxe4 axb3 48. axb3 Kf6 49. h4
Ke6 50. g4 c5 51. h5 b5 52. g5 c4 {
The game between the two strongest players had a peaceful end.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1947.06.27"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Cenni, Giovanni"]
[Black "Canal, Esteban"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1947.06.??"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 $5 Nd5 7. Bd2 Nxc3
8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Bxc3 Qd5 10. Qe2 Bg4 11. a3 e6 12. O-O-O Bd6 13. h3 Bxf3 14.
Qxf3 Qxf3 15. gxf3 O-O-O {The chances are even.} 16. Rhg1 Bf4+ 17. Kb1 Bh6 18.
Rd3 Rd5 19. f4 $6 ({Preferable is} 19. Bb4 $1 Rhd8 20. Bc5) 19... Rhd8 20. Bd2
$2 ({Maybe, White did not like} 20. Rg4 $1 f5 $5 21. Rh4 c5 22. dxc5 Rxd3 23.
cxd3 Rxd3 {but} 24. Bf6 $1 {equalises.}) 20... Rxd4 21. Rxd4 Rxd4 22. Be3 Rd5
23. Bxa7 c5 $1 24. b4 $1 cxb4 25. axb4 g6 26. Be3 Rf5 27. Rg4 Bf8 28. c3 Bd6
29. Rg5 $6 (29. Kc2 $1 h5 30. Rg5 Rf6 31. Kd3 Bxf4 32. Ra5 {wins one tempo.})
29... Rf6 $1 30. Ra5 Bxf4 {Black has gained a pawn.} 31. Bd4 e5 32. Bc5 ({Or} 
32. Bxe5 Bxe5 33. Rxe5 Rxf2) 32... Bd2 $5 33. Kc2 Be1 34. Kd3 $5 Bxf2 35. Bxf2
Rxf2 36. Rxe5 Rf3+ $1 37. Kd4 $5 Rxh3 38. Re7 Rf3 39. c4 h5 40. c5 Kd8 41. Re4
Kd7 42. b5 g5 43. Kd5 Rf5+ 44. Kd4 Rf4 $5 45. Rxf4 gxf4 46. Ke4 f5+ $5 47. Kf3
h4 48. Kg2 Ke6 {Canal wins the pawn ending. The final standings became: Canal
91/2/11, Romi 81/2, Riello 71/2, Cenni 7, Paoli 61/2, Staldi 6, Castiglioni 5,
Norcia 41/2, Rosseli and Siveri 4, Gabinara 3, Ferrantes 1/2. All players
lived in Italy but the participation had an international side, because the
top two was born in Peru and Istria.} 0-1

[Event "First prize"]
[Site "La Scacchiera#64"]
[Date "1950.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Endgame study"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "KB6/2RP1nPk/8/4n1P1/8/8/pp6/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "1950.??.??"]

{Enrico Paoli was a composer of endgame studies. This study got a first prize.
White has to fight for a draw.} 1. g8=Q+ $1 ({No good is} 1. d8=Q $2 a1=Q+)
1... Kxg8 2. d8=Q+ $1 Nxd8 3. Rg7+ $1 {White seems to sacrifice everything.}
Kh8 ({The pointe is} 3... Kxg7 4. Bxe5+ Kg6 5. Bxb2) 4. Bxe5 a1=Q+ (4... b1=Q
5. Rg6+ Kh7 6. Rg7+ Kh8 7. Rg6+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 5. Ra7+ Kg8 6.
Rxa1 bxa1=Q+ 7. Bxa1 {A drawn position has arisen.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.07.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Millini, Paolo"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D07"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1951.07.??"]

{The second predecessor of the New Year's tournaments was played in Reggio
Emilia from 17 until 28 vii 1951. The participants were a mix of Italians and
foreigners.} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e3 Nc6 $5 6. Bd3 Bxd3
7. Qxd3 Nf6 8. O-O O-O 9. Ne2 Bd6 10. Rd1 Ne4 11. a3 Kh8 12. b4 f5 13. c5 Be7
14. Nf4 Rf6 $5 15. b5 {The players operate on the flanks.} Nb8 16. Bb2 g5 17.
Nh5 $5 ({More solid is} 17. Ne2 $1 Nd7 18. Nd2 Rh6 19. f3 {
and White has a plus.}) 17... Rh6 $1 18. Ne5 Qe8 $1 19. Ng3 Nd7 20. Nxd7 Qxd7
21. f3 Nf6 $5 {Exchange equalises.} 22. Qb3 $5 Rg8 23. c6 $2 {White panics.}
bxc6 24. bxc6 Qxc6 25. Rac1 Qd7 26. e4 $5 f4 $1 {Black has a winning attack.}
27. Ne2 g4 $1 28. Nxf4 (28. e5 gxf3 29. Qxf3 Ng4 $1 30. h3 Ne3 {also triumphs.}
) 28... gxf3 29. exd5 ({Or} 29. Qxf3 dxe4) 29... Nxd5 30. Qxf3 Rf6 $1 {
Paoli gains a piece.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.07.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Steiner, Herman"]
[Black "Canal, Esteban"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D09"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1951.07.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. g3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Bg4 7. Bg2 Qd7 8.
O-O Bh3 $5 ({Known in the Albin Counter Gambit is} 8... Nge7) 9. a3 Bxg2 10.
Kxg2 Bxd2 11. Bxd2 Nge7 12. Qa4 O-O 13. Bb4 Rfd8 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Rad1 g5 $6 {
Black postpones the capture of e5.} 16. h3 h5 17. Rh1 $6 (17. e6 $1 fxe6 $2 18.
Qb5 g4 19. hxg4 hxg4 20. Nh2 {gains a pawn.}) 17... g4 $1 18. hxg4 hxg4 19. Nd2
Nxe5 {The chances have become equal.} 20. Rh4 Qe6 $6 (20... d3 $1 {counters.})
21. Rdh1 {Steiner likes to attack.} Ng6 22. Rh6 Re8 ({Not} 22... Qxe2 $2 23.
Qa5 $1 {and White wins.}) 23. Qc2 Rad8 24. Qd3 Rd6 $5 25. Kf1 c5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 25... a5 $5 26. b4 axb4 27. axb4 Kf8) 26. b4 $1 cxb4 27. axb4
Qe5 $6 ({More useful is} 27... b6 $5) 28. R6h5 Qg7 $5 29. Rg5 Rde6 30. Rxg4 {
White has gained a pawn.} Rxe2 31. Qxd4 Re1+ $5 32. Kg2 Rxh1 33. Kxh1 Qh6+ 34.
Kg2 Re1 35. Nf1 $1 {He stops the counter-play at once.} Qc1 36. Ne3 Qb1 37. c5
Rg1+ 38. Kf3 Rh1 39. Rg5 Qa1 40. Qd5 Qf6+ 41. Kg2 Rb1 42. Rg4 Rb2 43. Nd1 Re2
44. Qxb7 Rd2 45. c6 $1 {The previous winner was defeated.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.07.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Czerniak, Moshe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1951.07.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Bd3 e5 4. Ne2 Nbd7 $5 (4... Be7 {
occurred in Christoffel - Pirc, Ljubljana 1949.}) 5. c3 b6 $5 {
The queen's bishop will become reasonably active on b7.} 6. O-O Bb7 7. Ng3 g6
8. Bg5 h6 9. Be3 Bg7 10. Nd2 O-O 11. f4 Qe7 12. Qe2 Rae8 13. a4 $5 (13. fxe5
dxe5 14. d5 c6 15. c4 {fights for the centre.}) 13... exd4 14. cxd4 Nd5 15.
Rae1 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 c5 $1 17. Nf3 Nf6 18. Bb5 Rc8 19. Qd3 Qc7 20. dxc5 dxc5 21.
Ne5 h5 22. Bc4 Rcd8 23. Qc2 Kh7 24. Nxf7 $6 {The tactics favour Black.} ({
Preferable is} 24. Qb3 $1 Ng4 25. Nxf7 Bd4+ 26. Kh1) 24... Rxf7 25. Bxf7 Qxf7
26. e5 Ng4 $5 27. Nxh5 $1 Ba6 $1 28. Rf3 Qc4 $2 (28... Qd5 29. Nxg7 Qd4+ 30.
Kh1 Kxg7 31. h3 Bb7 {keeps an edge.}) 29. Qxc4 Bxc4 30. Nxg7 Kxg7 31. h3 Nh6
32. g4 $1 Be6 33. b3 Rd2 34. Ree3 Kf7 35. Rd3 Rb2 $6 36. Rc3 $6 Ke7 37. a5 Ra2
38. axb6 axb6 39. b4 c4 40. Ra3 $1 Rb2 41. Ra7+ Kd8 $2 {
The king is safer on f8.} 42. Rfa3 $1 Rb3 43. Ra8+ $2 ({Better is} 43. R3a6 $1
c3 44. Rxb6 c2 45. Rd6+ $1 Kc8 46. Rc6+ Kb8 47. Rg7 $1 Rb1+ 48. Kf2 c1=Q 49.
Rxc1 Rxc1 50. Rxg6 {and White has many pawns for a minor piece.}) 43... Kc7 44.
R3a7+ Kc6 45. Re7 Bd5 46. Rg7 $2 {The tables turn.} (46. Rd8 $1 Be4 47. Kh2 {
plays for a win.}) 46... Rxh3 $1 47. Rxg6+ Kb5 48. Rb8 c3 49. e6 $6 c2 $1 50.
Rc8 Bc4 $1 51. Kg2 Re3 52. e7 c1=Q {Czerniak was the toughest battler.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.07.25"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Siveri, Armando"]
[Black "Steiner, Herman"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D04"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "1951.07.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Bd3 Bg4 5. c3 Nbd7 $5 6. Nbd2 a6 7. h3 Bh5 8.
a4 e5 $1 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Be2 Nc6 $5 {Black avoids exchanges.} 11. O-O Bd6 12.
Nh4 $5 Bg6 $5 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Re1 $6 Qe7 15. Nf1 $6 (15. c4 $5 {
challenges the centre.}) 15... O-O-O $1 16. Qc2 Ne4 17. f4 $2 (17. f3 $1 Qh4
18. fxe4 $1 Qxe1 19. exd5 Ne5 20. Rb1 {offers a strong resistance.}) 17... Qh4
$1 18. Rd1 Qf2+ 19. Kh1 f5 {
Black threatens 20...Rxh3+! 21.gxh3 Rh8. The American attacked well.} (19... f5
20. Bd3 Qxc2 21. Bxc2 Nf2+ {gains an exchange.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.07.26"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Czerniak, Moshe"]
[Black "Rellstab, Ludwig Sr"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C47"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1951.07.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8.
exd5 Qe7+ 9. Qe2 Nxd5 10. Qxe7+ Kxe7 11. a3 Ba5 12. b4 $5 {
White avoids additional exchanges.} (12. Bd2 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 {
drew in Spielmann - Rubinstein, Teplitz-Schoenau 1922.}) 12... Bxb4 $2 ({
Usual will become} 12... Bb6 $5) 13. axb4 Nxc3 14. Bb2 Nd5 15. Bxg7 Rg8 16. Bd4
Rxg2 {Black has gained a pawn temporarily.} 17. c4 $1 (17. Rxa7 Rxa7 18. Bxa7
Nb6 {brings no advantage.}) 17... Nf6 (17... Nb6 18. Bc5+ Kf6 19. Be4 $1 {
favours White.}) 18. Bxa7 $1 {He threatens 19.Bc5+!} Bb7 $2 (18... Ke8 $1 19.
Kd2 Be6 {tries to survive.}) 19. Bc5+ Kd8 20. O-O-O $1 {
White has liberated a rook from a pin and threatens 21.Be4+.} Ra1+ 21. Bb1+ $1
Kc8 22. Kb2 Rxb1+ ({The pointe is} 22... Ra6 23. Bf5+ Kb8 24. Rd8+) 23. Rxb1
Rg4 24. Kb3 Ba6 25. Rbc1 Ne4 26. Be3 Nd6 27. c5 Nf5 28. Rhg1 Rh4 29. Rg8+ Kb7
30. Rf8 Bd3 31. Ra1 Nxe3 32. Raa8 $1 {
Black will be mated. Rellstab played a disappointing tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.07.28"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Czerniak, Moshe"]
[Black "Canal, Esteban"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A83"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1951.07.??"]

{Moshe Czerniak led by one point on Herman Steiner, when the last round began.
} 1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c6 5. f3 Qa5 6. Qd2 {
They play a line of the Staunton gambit.} d6 $5 {Usual is a move by pawn e4.}
7. fxe4 $1 {White occupies the centre.} Nbd7 8. Nf3 e5 9. O-O-O Be7 10. Kb1 a6
11. Bd3 {He has a fine position.} Nf8 $5 12. Ne2 $5 {
Czerniak does not have to win.} Qxd2 13. Bxd2 Ng6 {
Black can restore his game after the exchange of queens.} 14. h3 Be6 15. Bc3
Nd7 16. Bd2 $5 O-O 17. Ng5 Bxg5 18. Bxg5 Rf2 $5 19. Rhg1 Raf8 20. Be3 $1 R2f7
21. d5 $5 cxd5 22. exd5 Bf5 $1 23. Bxf5 Rxf5 24. Ng3 R5f7 25. Ne4 Nf6 $1 26.
Ng5 Rd7 {Black defends well.} 27. c4 Rc8 28. Rc1 h6 29. Ne6 $1 b5 30. cxb5
Rxc1+ 31. Rxc1 Nxd5 $4 {Canal misses a trick.} ({Right is} 31... axb5 $1 32.
Nc7 b4 33. Bd2 b3) 32. bxa6 $1 Nxe3 33. Rc7 $1 {Moshe had won the event. The
final standings became: Czerniak 9/11, H.Steiner 8, Romani 71/2, Paoli 6,
Keller and Norcia 51/2, Canal and Rellstab 5, Ceccato 41/2, Millini and Wade 4,
Siveri 2.} (33. Rc7 Rxc7 34. Nxc7 Nc4 35. Nd5 $1 {
wins for White, because the a-pawn cannot be stopped.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 1"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1958.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Primavera, Giuseppe"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B98"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1958.12.??"]

{Enrico Paoli (1908-2005) was the grand old man of Italian chess. He had been
a ship captain for Lloyd Triestino and learned many languages on his voyages.
Later he became the ideal organiser of international chess tournaments in
Reggio Emilia. The New Year's tournament or 'Torneo di Capodanno' started in
1958/59. Play began after Christmas and ended the next year. The budget of the
first installment was 198,000 liras. Count Giancarlo Dal Verme, president of
the Italian Chess Federation, took care of deficits in the Capodanno events.} 
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3
O-O 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. Bd3 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. e5 $5 {
Paoli delivers an important novelty. He starts a number of sacrifices.} dxe5
13. Qh3 {14.Bxf6 and mate is threatened.} h6 14. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 15. Qxh6 e4 $6 (
15... Rd8 $5 {will be played in furure games.}) 16. Nxe4 $6 (16. Bxe4 $1 Rd8
17. Rdf1 $1 Qd6 18. Bd3 {strengthens the attack.}) 16... Nxe4 17. Bxe4 f5 18.
Rd3 $6 {White does not deliver perpetual check but threatens mate again.} Bf6
$1 19. Rg3+ Bg7 20. Bxc6 $1 Ra7 $1 21. Ba4 Qe7 $6 (21... Qb6 $1 22. Bb3 Rd8 {
gains a plus.}) 22. Rd1 $1 Rc7 23. Bb3 Qf6 24. Qxf6 Rxf6 25. Rd8+ Kf7 $2 (25...
Kh7 $1 26. Re8 Rf8 27. Rxf8 Bxf8 {achieves an edge.}) 26. Rc3 $1 Rxc3 27. bxc3
{White regains the piece.} Rh6 28. Rxc8 Rxh2 29. Rc6 $1 Rh6 $5 30. Kb2 a5 31.
Ra6 Rg6 32. Rxa5 Ke7 ({The pointe is} 32... Rxg2 33. Rxf5+) 33. Ra7+ Kd6 34.
Ra6+ Ke7 35. Bd5 Bh6 36. g4 $1 fxg4 37. f5 $1 {Paoli participated in his
tournament many times. This time he scored six wins and three losses!} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 1"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1958.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Seitz, Adolf"]
[Black "Stupica, Janec"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E63"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1958.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. c4 Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. b3
Rb8 9. Bb2 b5 10. cxb5 axb5 11. Rc1 Bd7 12. d5 $5 Na5 13. Ba1 $5 b4 $1 14. Nb1
$6 {He withdraws too much.} c5 $1 15. dxc6 Bxc6 16. Nbd2 Qb6 17. Qc2 Rfc8 18.
Qb2 Qa6 $5 19. Bh3 $1 Rd8 20. Rfe1 Nb7 $1 21. Nd4 Be8 22. Bg2 Nc5 {
A knight has been activated.} 23. Nc2 Rdc8 24. Ne3 Ne6 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Qb1
Bc6 27. Bxc6 Qxc6 28. h4 $5 Bh6 29. Ndc4 d5 $1 30. Ne5 Qc7 31. N5g4 $2 {
Seitz allows an invasion.} (31. Qd3 $1 Qa5 32. N3g4 Nxg4 33. Nxg4 Bg7 34. Bxg7
Kxg7 35. Qe3 $1 {counters at the right time.}) 31... Nxg4 $1 32. Nxg4 Bd2 $1
33. Rd1 Qc2 $1 34. e3 Qxb1 35. Rxb1 Rc2 36. Bb2 Nc5 37. Bd4 Ne4 $1 {
White has been outmanoeuvred.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 1"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1959.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Marthaler, Otto"]
[Black "Seitz, Adolf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D53"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1958.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Ne4 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Bd3 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Nd7 9. cxd5 $5 (9. Nf3 {was played by Marshall several times.}) 9... exd5
10. Ne2 Nf6 11. O-O O-O 12. Ng3 c6 13. Qc2 Re8 14. Rae1 Ne4 15. f3 Nxg3 16.
hxg3 h5 $5 17. e4 $1 Bd7 $6 (17... Be6 {closes the e-file.}) 18. Qd2 $6 (18.
exd5 $1 Qd6 19. dxc6 Rxe1 20. Rxe1 Qxg3 21. Qf2 Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Bxc6 23. c4 {
favours White.}) 18... Qa3 19. Bb1 g6 20. e5 $1 Kg7 $2 (20... c5 $1 {
challenges the centre.}) 21. g4 $1 h4 $2 (21... Qe7 22. gxh5 Rh8 {
counters at the cost of a pawn.}) 22. f4 $1 Bxg4 23. f5 gxf5 24. Bxf5 Bxf5 25.
Rxf5 Re6 26. Ref1 Rf8 27. Rf6 $1 Rxf6 28. Rxf6 Rh8 29. Qg5+ Kf8 30. Rd6 $1 {
Marthaler played solidly.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 1"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1959.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Marthaler, Otto"]
[Black "Fricker, Jean"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1958.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 $5 e5 $6 {Black gets a crammed position.} (
{Preferable is} 4... a6 $5 5. a4 e6 6. e4 exd5 7. Nxd5) 5. e4 a6 6. a4 Bd6 7.
Bxc4 Ne7 8. Nge2 Ng6 9. O-O Nf4 $4 10. Nxf4 exf4 11. e5 $1 {
A temporary pawn sacrifice decides the game.} Bxe5 12. Re1 f6 13. Bxf4 $1 O-O
14. Bxe5 fxe5 15. Rxe5 {White has an advantage in material and development.}
Qh4 16. Qe2 Bg4 17. f3 Nd7 18. d6+ Kh8 19. Re7 Nf6 $2 20. fxg4 Nxg4 21. g3 Qh3
22. Be6 $1 {The final standings became: Marthaler 8/9 (25,000 liras), Stupica
71/2 (20,000), Winiwarter 7 (15,000), Paoli 6 (10,000), Primavera 51/2 (5,000),
Seitz and Fricker 31/2, Siveri 2, Piccinini and Vittiglio 1. Five foreigners
battled with five Italians.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 2"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1959.12.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Siveri, Armando"]
[Black "Marthaler, Otto"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B83"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1959.12.??"]

{The second Torneo di Cappodanno happened from 27 xii 1959 until 3 i 1960.
Motori Slazzidi Novellare sponsored. The budget was 344,000 liras.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e6 7. Be3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nb3
a6 10. f4 Qc7 11. Bf3 Bd7 12. Ne2 $5 {
He plays an odd novelty. The plan is to support an occupation of square d4.}
Rac8 13. c3 b5 14. a3 Rb8 15. Qe1 a5 16. Nbd4 a4 17. Rd1 Na5 18. g4 $6 Nc4 $1
19. Bc1 Ne8 $5 20. Ng3 Kh8 21. Nc2 Bc6 22. Nb4 Bb7 23. Qe2 Nf6 24. g5 Nd7 25.
Nd3 Nc5 26. Bg2 $6 ({Preferable is} 26. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 27. Kg2) 26... Nb3 $1 {
They manoeuvre slowly, but Black has achieved an advantage.} 27. Rf3 $6 ({
Better is} 27. Be3 $5 Nxe3 28. Qxe3) 27... Nxc1 $1 28. Rxc1 d5 $5 29. e5 g6 30.
Nf1 Kg7 31. h4 Qb6+ 32. Kh2 Rh8 33. Rh3 h5 34. Ne3 d4 35. cxd4 Qxd4 36. Nc2 Qb6
37. Bxb7 Rxb7 38. Nce1 Rd8 39. Rc2 Rbd7 40. Rf3 Qd4 41. Kg3 Qg1+ 42. Qg2 Bc5
43. Qxg1 Bxg1 44. Re2 Bb6 45. Kg2 Rd4 46. Kh3 Ba5 $1 47. Kg3 $2 ({Correct is} 
47. Kh2) 47... Bxe1+ $1 48. Nxe1 Nd2 $1 {
Rook f3 is lost due to the poor position of the white king.} 49. f5 Nxf3 50.
f6+ Kg8 51. Nxf3 Rc4 52. Re3 b4 53. axb4 Rxb4 54. Ra3 Rd1 55. b3 axb3 56. Ra8+
Kh7 57. Ra7 b2 58. Rxf7+ Kg8 59. Rg7+ Kf8 60. Rh7 b1=Q 61. Rh8+ Kf7 {The previo
us winner scored another success, but he made too many draws in this event.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 2"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1960.01.02"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Bely, Miklos"]
[Black "Fricker, Jean"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E81"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1959.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 c6 7. Nge2 a6 8. d5
cxd5 $5 9. cxd5 Qa5 10. Nd4 Nbd7 11. Be2 Re8 $6 ({Better is the immediate} 
11... Ne5) 12. O-O Ne5 13. Qb3 Kh8 $6 14. Ne6 $1 Nfd7 $4 ({Correct is} 14... b5
$1 15. Nxg7 Kxg7 16. f4 $5 Ned7) 15. Nxg7 Kxg7 16. f4 $1 Nc5 17. Qd1 $1 {
Bely got a brilliancy prize of 10,000 liras for this game.} (17. Qd1 Ned7 18.
Qd4+ f6 19. b4 {gains a knight.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 2"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1960.01.02"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Trampuz, Cveto"]
[Black "Lilloni, Luciano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A11"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1959.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. g3 g6 4. b3 Bg7 5. Bb2 d5 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O b6 8. Nc3 $5
Bb7 9. d4 Nbd7 10. Rc1 Rc8 $5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Qd3 Ne4 13. Qb1 $5 Ndf6 14.
Rfd1 Nxc3 15. Bxc3 Ne4 16. Bb2 Qd6 17. Qd3 Rfd8 18. Qb5 a6 19. Qd3 Rxc1 20.
Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {The position is equal.} 22. Ne5 Bb7 23. f3 Nf6 24. Qc3
e6 25. Qc1 Bf8 26. Qf4 Qd8 27. g4 $1 Bd6 $6 (27... h6 28. h4 Qe7 {protects f7.}
) 28. g5 $1 Bxe5 29. Qxe5 {White has the two bishops.} Ne8 30. Ba3 Qc7 31. Kf2
a5 32. Bf1 Ba6 $2 (32... Qc8 $1 {defends passively.}) 33. Qxc7 $1 Nxc7 34. Be7
$1 Bb5 35. a4 Bc6 36. e3 $1 {
He threatens to marsh his king thru g3 and f4 to e5.} e5 $5 37. dxe5 Ne6 38.
Bd3 d4 39. e4 {Trampuz had the sole lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 2"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1960.01.03"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Siveri, Armando"]
[Black "Trampuz, Cveto"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C07"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "1959.12.??"]

{Trampuz needs a win in the last round.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Bb5+
Bd7 $5 ({Known is} 4... Nc6) 5. Bxd7+ Qxd7 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Ndf3 Nc6 8. Ne2 Rd8
9. c3 cxd4 10. Nexd4 Bc5 11. Qb3 $2 {White should protect the centre.} ({
Preferable is} 11. Be3 Nf6 12. O-O O-O) 11... Bxd4 12. Qxd5 Bxc3+ $1 13. Qd2
Bxd2+ 14. Bxd2 Nge7 {Black has gained a pawn.} 15. Bc3 f6 16. Ke2 Nd5 17. Bd2
Kf7 18. a3 $6 e5 $1 19. Rhc1 e4 $1 {The final standings became: Trampuz 61/2/8,
Dely 6, Kinzel and Marthaler 51/2, Seitz 4, Romani 3, Lilloni 21/2, Siveri and
Fricker 11/2.} (19... e4 20. Ne1 Nd4+ 21. Kf1 Nb3 {wins more material.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 3"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1960.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Castagna, Rino"]
[Black "Dely, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D02"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "1960.12.??"]

{The third Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 1960 until 3 i 1961. Again
ten players participated in the first group. Nine peoples took part in the
second group. The budget was 441,000 liras.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 c5 4.
Bg2 cxd4 5. O-O d5 6. Nxd4 Be7 7. c4 O-O 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 Nb4 10. Nc3 N8c6
11. Nxc6 bxc6 $5 ({Usual is} 11... Nxc6) 12. Qa4 Ba6 13. Rd1 Qc8 14. Be3 Nd3 $6
15. Bf1 $1 {White applies a pin.} Rd8 16. Bd4 $2 ({Correct is} 16. Rd2 $1)
16... Rxd4 $1 17. Qxd4 Bc5 18. Qa4 Nxf2 19. Re1 $2 {
White misses another 'petite combinaison'.} ({Better is} 19. Rdc1 $1 Bd3 (19...
e5 $2 20. Bxa6 Qh3 21. Nd1 $1 Ng4+ 22. Rxc5 $1 Qxh2+ 23. Kf1 Rd8 {
only leads to perpetual check}) 20. Bxd3 Nxd3+ {favours Black.}) 19... e5 $1
20. Qxa6 ({Alternatives are} 20. Qc2 Qg4 $1 21. Bxa6 Qf3) ({and} 20. Kg2 Qh3+
21. Kf3 Qxh2 22. Bxa6 Nh3) 20... Nd3+ $1 {
Dely gains a queen. He made a good start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 3"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1960.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Dely, Peter"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A04"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1960.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d3 d6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O Bd7 $5 7. h3 Nf6 8. Nh4
$5 e5 9. Qe1 Nh5 $5 10. Kh2 $5 Nd4 $1 11. Na3 Nf4 $1 12. gxf4 $6 ({
Preferable is} 12. Bxf4 exf4 13. c3 Ne6 14. Nc4) 12... Qxh4 13. f3 $1 Qxe1 14.
Rxe1 Ne6 $5 15. Nc4 exf4 $6 {Paoli loses his advantage.} (15... b5 $1 16. Nxd6+
Ke7 17. Nb7 Rhc8 {keeps an edge.}) 16. Nxd6+ $1 Ke7 17. Nf5+ $1 Kf6 $6 (17...
gxf5 18. exf5 Rhf8 19. Bxf4 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bc3 {leads to equal chances.}) 18.
Nxg7 Kxg7 19. b3 g5 20. Bb2+ f6 21. c3 Rac8 22. Rad1 h5 23. e5 f5 $5 24. d4 $1
cxd4 25. cxd4 Rc2 26. Ba1 $1 g4 $1 {Black threatens ..gxf3.} 27. Kh1 $1 Rhc8 $1
28. d5 $1 Rxg2 $2 ({Right is} 28... Rxa2 29. Rc1 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 a5 31. dxe6 Bxe6
{and Black has great compensation for a bishop.}) 29. Kxg2 Rc2+ 30. Kh1 Ng5 31.
e6+ $1 Kh7 $1 32. Rg1 $1 Be8 33. Rg2 Rc5 34. Bf6 Nxf3 35. d6 $1 {
White advances faster with his passed pawns.} Bc6 36. h4 Nxh4 37. Bxh4 Rc2 38.
Rdg1 Rc3 39. Rf1 Bxg2+ 40. Kxg2 {Dely had defeated a main competitor.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 3"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1961.01.03"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Glass, Esra"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B58"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "128"]
[EventDate "1960.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8.
O-O O-O 9. Bg5 Be6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. Qxd5 Qb6 $5 (12... Qc7 {
drew in Bernstein - Paoli, Madrid 1959.}) 13. Rab1 Rac8 14. c3 Rfd8 15. Bc4 Rd7
16. Qd3 Qc7 17. Rbc1 g6 18. g3 Kg7 19. b4 Qd8 20. Bb3 Rdc7 21. Rfd1 $2 Nxb4 $1
{Black attacks.} 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 Rxc3 $6 24. Rxc3 Rxc3 25. Rd7 $1 Rxf3
26. Rxf7+ Kh6 27. Kg2 Rxb3 $5 28. axb3 Bd8 29. f4 Nc6 30. Rxb7 Bb6 31. h4 $2
exf4 32. gxf4 Na5 $1 33. Rd7 Nxb3 34. e5 Nd4 35. Rb7 Nf5 36. e6 $5 Bc5 $1 37.
Rc7 Bd6 $6 ({Better is} 37... Be7 $1 38. Rxa7 Nxh4+) 38. Rxa7 Nxh4+ {The positi
on in the endgame is almost equal, but Paoli will strike by his expertise as a
study composer.} 39. Kh3 Nf5 40. Kg4 Be7 41. Ra5 Ne3+ 42. Kf3 Nf5 43. Kg4 Ng7
44. Ra7 Bc5 45. Ra6 $6 (45. Rc7 $1 {draws.}) 45... Ne8 46. Rc6 $2 ({Correct is
} 46. Ra5 Bd6 47. Ra7) 46... Be7 $1 47. f5 $6 (47. Rc8 Nf6+ 48. Kf3 Kg7 49. Rc7
Ng8 50. Ke4 Kf6 51. Rc8 Nh6 52. Rh8 Kg7 53. Ra8 Nf5 54. Ke5 h5 {
will win for Black eventually.}) 47... Nf6+ 48. Kf4 g5+ $1 {
White's pawns are blockaded. Black starts to advance his army.} 49. Kf3 Kg7 50.
Rc7 Ng8 51. Rc1 h5 52. Rh1 Nf6 53. Rg1 g4+ 54. Kf4 Nh7 55. Rh1 Bd6+ 56. Ke3 Nf6
57. Rd1 Be7 58. Kf4 Kh6 59. Ke5 Kg5 60. Rb1 g3 $1 61. Rb7 Ng4+ 62. Ke4 g2 63.
Rb1 Bc5 64. e7 Nf6+ {The final standings became: Dely 61/2/9 (30,000 liras),
Paoli, Perez and Uhlvestad 6 (15,000), Glass 5 (5,000), Napolitano 41/2,
Cuderman 4, Castagna 31/2, Palmiotti 21/2, Siveri 1.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 4"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1961.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Canal, Esteban"]
[Black "Pirc, Vasja"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1961.12.??"]

{The fourth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 1961 until 6 i 1962.
Twelve instead of ten players took part. The level increased by a strong
participation from Communist countries.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. e5
Nd5 5. Na3 d6 6. d4 $5 ({Usual is} 6. exd6) 6... cxd4 7. exd6 e6 8. Nxd4 Bxd6
9. Nab5 Nxd4 $6 ({Preferable is} 9... Be7) 10. Qxd4 $1 O-O 11. Nxd6 Qxd6 12. c4
$1 Qb6 13. Qxb6 Nxb6 14. Be3 {White has a positional advantage.} Bd7 15. O-O-O
Bc6 16. f3 Rfc8 $5 17. b3 Nd7 18. Kb2 b6 19. Be2 e5 20. Bd3 Nc5 21. Bxc5 bxc5
22. Be4 Bxe4 23. fxe4 Rd8 24. Rd5 $1 {Canal has kept an edge.} Rxd5 25. cxd5
Kf8 26. Rc1 Rc8 27. Rc4 Ke7 $2 {
Black could have survived by an accurate defence.} ({Right is} 27... a5 $1 28.
Kc3 Ke7 29. Ra4 Ra8 30. Kc4 Kd6 31. g4 $1 f6 32. Kb5 h5 $1 33. h3 hxg4 34. hxg4
g6 35. Kc4 (35. Rxa5 Rxa5+ 36. Kxa5 f5 $1 37. exf5 gxf5 38. g5 e4) 35... Ra7 $1
36. a3 f5 $1 37. exf5 gxf5 38. gxf5 Ra8 $1 39. f6 Ra7 $1 40. b4 cxb4 41. axb4
Rc7+ {drawn.}) 28. Ra4 $1 Rc7 29. Kc3 {Canal played the rook ending well.} (29.
Kc3 Rb7 30. Ra6 {utilises the availability of square a6.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 4"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1961.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Giustolisi, Alberto"]
[Black "Marthaler, Otto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1961.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Be3
Re8 9. d5 Nc5 10. Nd2 $5 ({The alternative is} 10. Qc2) 10... a5 11. a3 Kh8 $2
({Better is the positional sacrifice} 11... a4 $1 12. Bxc5 dxc5 13. Nxa4 Qe7)
12. b4 $1 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 Na6 15. Rb1 Nd7 $5 16. Qa3 $5 ({
Even better is} 16. c5 $1 dxc5 17. Bxa6 cxb4 18. Bxb7 Bxb7 19. Rxb4) 16... f5
17. f3 f4 18. Bf2 Rg8 $6 (18... Bf8 19. Nb3 Qe7 {offers more resistance.}) 19.
c5 $1 dxc5 20. bxc5 Bf8 21. Bxa6 $1 bxa6 22. Qa5 g5 23. d6 $1 g4 24. fxg4 Qg5
25. h3 cxd6 26. Nf3 Qg7 27. Qc7 Be7 28. cxd6 h5 29. dxe7 hxg4 30. hxg4 Qxg4 31.
Nh4 {Giustolisi played the tournament of his life.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 4"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Giustolisi, Alberto"]
[Black "Lehmann, Heinz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D91"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1961.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. cxd5 Nxg5 7. Nxg5 e6 8.
Nf3 exd5 9. e3 O-O 10. Be2 c6 11. O-O Nd7 $5 (11... Qe7 {
drew in Lasker - Botvinnik, Nottingham 1936.}) 12. Rc1 Nf6 13. b4 Ne4 14. Nxe4
dxe4 15. Nd2 Qe7 16. b5 cxb5 17. Bxb5 Bf5 18. Qa4 Rfc8 19. Qb3 Bf8 20. Bc4 Rc7
$4 {The German blunders a pawn.} ({Correct is} 20... Rc6) 21. Bxf7+ $1 Kg7 ({
The pointe is} 21... Qxf7 22. Rxc7 $1) 22. Rxc7 Qxc7 23. Bd5 Bd6 24. Bxe4 Bxh2+
25. Kh1 Bxe4 26. Nxe4 Qe7 27. Ng5 Bd6 28. Ne6+ Kh8 29. f4 Rc8 30. e4 {
White controls the central area.} Bb4 31. Qd5 Bd2 32. g3 h6 33. f5 $1 gxf5 34.
Qe5+ Kg8 35. Qxf5 Rc1 36. Qg6+ Kh8 37. Rxc1 Bxc1 38. d5 b5 39. d6 $1 Qd7 40.
Qf6+ Kg8 41. Qf8+ Kh7 42. Qe7+ {Giustolisi had scored 5/6!} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 4"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Padevsky, Nikola"]
[Black "Canal, Esteban"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1961.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 $5 6. Be3 ({
A fine alternative would be} 6. e5 $1) 6... Bb4 7. Bd3 e5 8. Nf5 d5 $4 ({
Correct is} 8... O-O) 9. Nxg7+ Kf8 10. Bh6 Kg8 11. Nh5 Ng4 12. Bd2 Qh4 13. Ng3
Bc5 14. Rf1 $1 ({Avoids} 14. O-O $4 Qxh2#) 14... Nxh2 15. Rh1 $1 h5 16. Nxd5
Bg4 17. Qc1 $1 {The Bulgarian master crushed the previous winner.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 4"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ghitescu, Teodor"]
[Black "Lehmann, Heinz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E13"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1961.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nc3 b6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Bb7 7. e3 Qe7 8. Bd3
Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 d6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Nd2 g5 12. Bg3 h5 13. h3 O-O-O 14. c5 $6 {
White gambles a pawn.} ({The cautious} 14. Bh2 {
drew in Botvinnik - Lisitsin, Leningrad 1938.}) 14... dxc5 $1 15. a4 $6 (15.
Qa4 $5 {will become a novelty.}) 15... h4 $1 16. Bh2 g4 $1 17. hxg4 h3 $1 18.
g3 Rhg8 19. a5 Nb8 $6 (19... Nxg4 $1 20. axb6 axb6 {does not spoil time.}) 20.
axb6 axb6 21. Qa4 $2 (21. Be2 Nc6 22. Re1 {defends properly.}) 21... Nxg4 $1
22. Be4 Bxe4 23. Nxe4 Qd7 24. Qa7 $5 {Exchange leads to a lost endgame.} Qc6 $5
25. f3 $5 f5 26. Nxc5 bxc5 27. Rab1 Nxe3 $1 28. Rxb8+ Kd7 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30.
Re1 Qxf3 31. Qa2 Rg8 32. Qe2 Qxe2 33. Rxe2 cxd4 34. cxd4 Ng4 {
Ghitescu overestimated his chances.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 4"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ghitescu, Teodor"]
[Black "Giustolisi, Alberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1961.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. d3 Nd7 7. Nbd2 Be7 8.
O-O O-O 9. b3 f6 10. Bb2 c5 $5 ({Known is} 10... Nc5) 11. Nh4 g6 $6 (11... Nb6
$5 12. a4 Be6 {develops the black pieces.}) 12. Qg4 Rf7 13. Nf5 $1 Bf8 14. Ne3
Bh6 15. Qe2 $6 {White withdraws.} Nf8 16. g3 Bh3 17. Rfd1 Qd7 18. f3 Be6 19.
Rf1 Bh3 20. Rfd1 Be6 21. Qf2 b6 22. a4 a5 23. Ndc4 Rd8 24. Kh1 Qc8 25. Rg1 Bxc4
26. Nxc4 Ne6 27. Qg2 Bf8 28. Rgf1 Bh6 29. Qh3 Bg7 30. Rae1 Re8 31. Rf2 Qd8 32.
Bc3 Nd4 33. Bxd4 Qxd4 34. Rfe2 f5 $2 {He makes an unnecessary commitment.} 35.
exf5 Rxf5 36. f4 Qd5+ 37. Qg2 Qf7 38. Nxe5 {Ghitescu gains a pawn.} Bxe5 39.
Rxe5 Rexe5 40. Rxe5 Rxe5 41. fxe5 Qe6 $2 (41... Qf5 $1 42. Qd5+ Kg7 43. Kg2 Qg5
$1 {fights for a draw.}) 42. Qe4 $1 Kf7 43. Kg2 h5 44. Qf4+ Ke7 45. Kf2 Qc6 46.
Ke3 Qe6 47. h4 Qc6 48. Qh6 Kf7 49. Qh7+ Kf8 50. Qh8+ Kf7 51. Qd8 Kg7 52. Qe7+
Kg8 53. e6 Qd5 54. Qf7+ Kh8 55. Qf6+ Kh7 56. e7 Qh1 57. Qf7+ Kh6 58. e8=Q Qe1+
59. Kf3 Qh1+ 60. Ke2 {Giustolisi kept the lead, despite this loss. The final
standings became: Giustolisi 8/11, Lehmann 71/2, Ghitescu and Padevsky 7,
Gragger 61/2, Pirc and Haag 6, Sanz  and Canal 41/2, Contedini, Romani and
Marthaler 3.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 5"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Forintos, Gyozo"]
[Black "Barcza, Gedeon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1962.12.??"]

{The fifth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1962 until 6 i 1963.
Hungarians dominated the event.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3
Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8. e3 d6 9. f3 Nbd7 10. Bd3 h6 $5 11. Bh4 e5 12.
Bf5 $6 (12. Ne2 {continues the development.}) 12... exd4 13. Qxd4 Nc5 $2 ({
Preferable is} 13... Ne5 $1 14. O-O-O Re8) 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. Ne2
{White has a plus.} Rfe8 $6 (16... Nb3 $1 17. Rd1 Ba6 18. Nf4 Bxc4 19. Nh5 Rad8
{almost equalises.}) 17. Kf2 Re5 18. Ng3 a5 19. Rad1 Bc8 20. Bc2 Bd7 21. Rd4
Rae8 22. Re1 Rb8 $5 23. f4 Re6 $5 24. Nh5 Kh8 25. g4 b5 $5 26. b4 $1 axb4 27.
axb4 Na6 28. f5 $5 Re7 29. cxb5 Bxb5 30. Nxf6 {
White conquers a pawn and the central area.} Bc6 31. Rb1 Re5 32. Bd3 Bb5 33.
Be4 c5 $6 (33... Kg7 34. Nh5+ Kf8 {offers more resistance.}) 34. bxc5 dxc5 35.
Rd6 $1 Nb4 36. h4 Kg7 37. Kf3 Kf8 38. Kf4 Re7 39. Rbd1 c4 40. Rd8+ Rxd8 41.
Rxd8+ Be8 42. g5 hxg5+ 43. hxg5 {Forintos defeated an important competitor.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 5"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Honfi, Karoly"]
[Black "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C16"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1962.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. Bd2 Nf5 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf3 c5 $5 8.
dxc5 Bxc5 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. O-O Nfd4 11. Bf4 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 g5 $1 13. Bg3 h5 {
Black takes the initiative.} 14. h3 a6 15. Ne2 Bd7 16. c4 g4 $1 17. hxg4 dxc4
18. Bxc4 Qg5 $1 19. Qf6 Qxf6 20. exf6 hxg4 {The chances are about equal.} 21.
Nc3 Nd4 22. Ne4 Ba7 $1 {Tatai sets a devious trap.} 23. Nd6+ Kf8 $1 24. Nxb7 $4
{Honfi bites the bait.} ({Correct is} 24. Rfc1) 24... Bc6 $1 25. Bd6+ (25. Na5
Nf3+ $1 26. gxf3 Bxf3 {leads to a similar result.}) 25... Kg8 26. Rfe1 Nf3+ $1
27. gxf3 Bxf3 28. Bh2 g3 $1 {
White will be mated in two moves. An Italian tricked a strong Hungarian player.
} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 5"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1962.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Gragger, Fritz"]
[Black "Honfi, Karoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B72"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1962.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8.
Bb3 d6 9. f3 a6 10. Qd2 Na5 11. O-O-O b5 12. g4 $5 Nxb3+ 13. axb3 Bb7 14. h4
Qa5 $6 15. h5 $6 (15. Bh6 $1 b4 16. Na4 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Kh8 18. h5 {
gains an advantage.}) 15... Qa1+ 16. Nb1 Rfc8 $6 17. hxg6 fxg6 $6 18. Bh6 $2 (
18. Qh2 $1 a5 19. Bh6 $1 {attacks.}) 18... Bh8 $1 19. Qh2 Nxe4 $2 ({Better is} 
19... Nd7 $1 20. Bf4 Nf8) 20. Bg7 $3 Bxg7 21. Qxh7+ Kf7 22. fxe4 Rxc2+ $1 23.
Nxc2 $4 ({Right is} 23. Kxc2 $1 Bxe4+ 24. Kd2 Qxb2+ 25. Ke3 Bxh1 26. Rf1+ $1
Ke8 27. Qxg7 {and White wins.}) 23... Qxb2+ 24. Kd2 Bxe4 25. Rhf1+ Ke6 $1 26.
Rfe1 Qxc2+ 27. Ke3 Rf8 28. Qxg7 Rf3+ 29. Kd4 Rd3+ {
Honfi won a spectacular game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 5"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1963.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Forintos, Gyozo"]
[Black "Langeweg, Kick"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A53"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1962.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 4. d5 Nbd7 5. e4 c6 6. Nge2 cxd5 7. cxd5 g6 $5 8.
Ng3 a6 9. a4 Bg7 10. Be3 h5 11. Be2 Bh6 $5 12. Bxh6 Rxh6 13. Qd2 Rh8 14. O-O $6
h4 $1 15. Nh1 Nc5 16. Qe3 Nh5 $6 17. Bxh5 Rxh5 18. f4 $1 Nd7 $6 {
Black defends passively.} ({More active is} 18... h3 $1 19. g3 Qb6) 19. Nf2
exf4 20. Qxf4 Ne5 21. a5 Bd7 $5 22. Nd3 $1 Qe7 23. Nxe5 Rxe5 24. Rf2 Kf8 $2 (
24... h3 $1 25. g3 f5 $1 {fights back.}) 25. Raf1 $1 Be8 26. Qh6+ Kg8 27. Rf6
Rh5 28. Qe3 Rd8 29. Qd4 Re5 30. Qb6 Kg7 $5 31. h3 Rd7 32. Qf2 Rc7 $2 (32... Rh5
{protects a pawn.}) 33. Qxh4 Rc5 34. Qf2 Qc7 35. Re6 $1 Rxe6 36. dxe6 {
White has an extra pawn and the attack continues. Langeweg resigned. Forintos
had scored 51/2/6.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 5"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1963.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Honfi, Karoly"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1962.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd2 O-O 8.
O-O-O b5 9. cxd5 $5 ({Usual is the adventurous} 9. cxb5 c5 10. e4) 9... exd5
10. e4 $6 b4 $6 (10... Nxe4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 Nf6 {gains a plus.}) 11. e5
$1 bxc3 12. Bxc3 Ne4 13. exd6 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Nf6 15. Bd3 ({Not} 15. Qxc6 $2 Bf5
$1) 15... Qxd6 16. Ne5 Be6 17. Kb1 Ng4 18. Rd2 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Qd7 20. Qc2 h6 21.
f4 f5 $5 22. Rf1 $5 Rac8 23. g4 $1 Kh8 24. g5 $5 hxg5 25. fxg5 g6 $2 (25... c5
$1 26. g6 $1 f4 $1 27. Rdf2 c4 28. Qd1 Bg4 29. Qe1 Kg8 30. Rxf4 Rxf4 31. Rxf4
cxd3 32. Qh4 Rc1+ $1 33. Kxc1 Qc6+ 34. Kd2 Qc2+ {leads to perpetual check.})
26. h4 $1 Kg7 27. h5 $1 Rh8 $6 (27... gxh5 $5 28. Rh2 d4 29. Rxh5 Qd5 30. Qh2
Rh8 {fights for the last chance.}) 28. hxg6 Kxg6 29. Rh2 $1 Kg7 30. Rfh1 Qf7
31. Qf2 Rxh2 32. Qxh2 Qg6 33. Qg1 $1 Qf7 34. g6 $1 Qxg6 35. Qxa7+ Qf7 36. Qe3
Kf8 37. Rh8+ {Honfi carried out a great attack.} ({The pointe is} 37. Rh8+ Ke7
38. Qc5+ Kd7 39. Qd6#) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 5"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1963.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Zichichi, Alvise"]
[Black "Forintos, Gyozo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B25"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1962.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. f4 Rb8 7. a4 a6 $5 ({
The alternative is} 7... e6) 8. Nf3 Bd7 9. Nd5 b5 10. axb5 axb5 11. O-O Nf6 12.
c3 b4 13. Ne3 Ng4 14. d4 bxc3 15. bxc3 cxd4 16. cxd4 Rb4 17. Nd5 $6 (17. Nc2 {
protects the pawn.}) 17... Rxd4 $1 18. Bd2 O-O 19. Rc1 $2 ({Better is} 19. Nxd4
Bxd4+ 20. Kh1 Nf2+ 21. Rxf2 Bxf2 22. Bc3) 19... e6 $1 20. h3 exd5 21. hxg4 Bxg4
22. Qe1 $2 Rxe4 $1 23. Qf2 Nd4 24. Kh2 $2 Re2 {The final standings became:
Forintos 10/11, Honfi 81/2, Damjanovic 71/2, Rabar and Tatai 7, Langeweg and
Filip 61/2, Zichichi 51/2, Paoli 4, Gragger 21/2, Fleischmann 1, Siveri 0.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 6"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1963.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Barcza, Gedeon"]
[Black "Teschner, Rudolf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D77"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1963.12.??"]

{The sixth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1963 until 6 i 1964.
Strong chess masters participated again.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4
Nf6 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Na3 c5 8. dxc5 Qxd1 $6 ({
Barcza encountered the immediate} 8... c3 {in previous games.}) 9. Rxd1 c3 10.
Nb5 $1 {Black has a weak queenside.} Na6 (10... cxb2 $5 11. Bxb2 a6 12. Nc7 Ra7
{also favours White.}) 11. Nxc3 Nxc5 12. Be3 Ne6 $6 (12... Nce4 $5 13. Bd4 Nxc3
14. Bxc3 Bg4 15. h3 Be6 16. Ng5 Bc8 {encounters problems too.}) 13. Ne5 $1 Rd8
14. Nb5 Ne8 (14... Nd7 $5 15. Nc4 Ne5 16. Rxd8+ Nxd8 17. Nc7 $1 Nxc4 18. Rd1
Ne6 19. Nxa8 Nxe3 20. Rc1 Bd7 21. fxe3 {costs an exchange.}) 15. Nc4 $1 {
Black suffers from restriction.} a6 $6 ({Or} 15... Bd7 $5 16. Nxa7 Ba4 17. Rxd8
Rxd8 18. Bxb7) 16. Nb6 $1 Rb8 17. Na7 $1 Nd6 18. Naxc8 Nxc8 19. Nd7 $1 Nd6 ({
The pointe is} 19... Ra8 20. Bxb7) 20. Nxb8 Rxb8 21. Rab1 Nc4 22. Bc1 Nd4 23.
Kf1 b5 24. b3 Nd6 25. Bb2 Ne6 26. Bd5 Nc7 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28. Rbc1 Nxd5 29. Rxd5
Ra8 30. Rc6 a5 31. a4 b4 32. f3 Nf5 33. Kf2 e5 34. Rcc5 {
Barcza defeated a main rival.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 6"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Fricker, Jean"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C03"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "1963.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 f5 5. e5 $5 ({Theory is} 5. exf5 exf5 6.
Bb5) 5... Nh6 6. c3 a6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. Nf1 Nf7 9. h4 Bd7 10. Ne3 Na7 11. b4 a5
12. a3 Nb5 13. Bd2 axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 O-O 16. g3 Qa8 17. Ke2 b6 18.
Ng2 Qb7 19. Qb2 Ra8 20. Ra1 Rxa1 21. Qxa1 Qa7 22. Qxa7 Nxa7 23. Nf4 $1 {
Paoli has the initiative after many exchanges.} Nd8 24. Bxf5 $5 exf5 25. Nxd5
Kf7 $5 26. Nxc7 {White gains three pawns for a bishop.} Ne6 27. Nd5 $5 Bb5+ 28.
Ke1 Bc6 29. c4 $5 b5 $5 30. Nxe7 Bxf3 31. Nxf5 bxc4 32. Nd6+ Ke7 33. Bc3 Nc6
34. Nf5+ Kd7 35. b5 $1 Ne7 36. Nd6 Nd5 37. Kd2 Nb6 38. Ba5 Nc8 $2 ({Right is} 
38... Nd5 39. b6 Nxd4 40. b7 Nc6) 39. Nxc4 Nd8 ({Not} 39... Nxd4 $2 40. Ke3)
40. Kc3 Nb7 41. Kb4 $5 Ke6 42. Nd2 Bd5 43. f4 $2 ({Better is} 43. Bc7 Kd7 44.
Bb8) 43... g6 44. Nf1 Ne7 45. Ne3 h5 46. Ka4 Nf5 47. Nxf5 Kxf5 48. Be1 Ke4 $1
49. Bc3 Kf3 50. Be1 Ke2 51. Bc3 Kf2 52. b6 Kxg3 53. Kb5 Kxh4 $5 54. e6 $1 Kg4 (
54... Bxe6 55. Kc6 Kg4 56. Be1 h4 57. Bxh4 Na5+ 58. Kb5 Nb7 {
leads to a repetition of positions.}) 55. e7 $1 Bf7 $2 {
An obvious move causes a disaster.} (55... h4 $1 56. e8=Q Nd6+ 57. Kc5 Nxe8 58.
Kxd5 h3 59. b7 Nc7+ 60. Kc6 Na6 61. Kb6 Nb8 62. Kc7 h2 63. Kxb8 h1=Q 64. Ka7
Qh7 65. Ka8 Qh1 66. Ka7 {ends by a perpetual.}) 56. Kc6 $1 h4 57. Kxb7 h3 58.
Kc7 h2 59. b7 h1=Q 60. b8=Q Qe4 61. Qc8+ Kxf4 62. Qf8 Qe6 63. d5 $1 Qxd5 64.
e8=Q {Paoli kept on going.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 6"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Flesch, Janos"]
[Black "Bratoszewski, Jerzy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A07"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1963.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nbd7 4. O-O e6 5. d3 Be7 6. Nbd2 Nc5 7. b3 $5 O-O 8.
Bb2 b6 9. c4 Bb7 10. Qc2 Rc8 11. Rad1 Nfd7 $5 12. d4 $5 Na6 13. e4 $1 Nb4 14.
Qb1 dxe4 $6 (14... c6 {protects the centre.}) 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 $6 16. Qxe4 Nxa2 {
The exchange has a poor effect.} 17. d5 $1 exd5 $2 18. Rxd5 $1 {
The position has been opened.} Bf6 19. Qb1 $1 Nb4 20. Bxf6 gxf6 (20... Qxf6 21.
Rxd7 {costs a piece.}) 21. Rh5 {Black has no defence left.} Re8 22. Qxh7+ Kf8
23. Nh4 Re5 24. Rxe5 Nxe5 25. Bh3 Rb8 26. Nf5 Ke8 27. Qg8+ Kd7 28. Rd1+ Ned3
29. Qxf7+ Kc6 30. Bg2+ Kc5 31. Ng7 Kd6 32. c5+ bxc5 33. Qe6# {
Flesch attacked victoriously.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 6"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Teschner, Rudolf"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B59"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1963.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8.
Be3 O-O 9. f3 a5 $5 10. a4 Nb4 11. Bc4 $6 Qc7 $1 12. Bd5 $6 Nfxd5 13. exd5 $2
Bf5 $1 {Black has a superior position.} 14. Rc1 Qc4 $2 (14... b5 $1 15. Nxb5
Nxc2+ 16. Kf2 Qc4 {wins for Black.}) 15. Nd2 Qh4+ 16. g3 Qh3 17. Kf2 $1 Bg6 18.
Nc4 f5 19. f4 Bh5 20. Qf1 Qg4 21. Kg2 e4 22. Rg1 Qg6 23. Qf2 $6 (23. h3 $1 Bf3+
24. Kh2 $1 {defends well.}) 23... Bf3+ 24. Kf1 Qf7 25. Qd2 Ra6 26. Na3 Bf6 27.
Nab5 Rc8 28. Ke1 Bd8 29. Nd4 Bh5 $5 30. Ne6 Bf6 31. h3 Bf3 32. g4 fxg4 33. hxg4
Bxc3 34. bxc3 Na2 35. Bd4 $1 {White counters at the cost of an exchange.} Nxc1
36. Qxc1 Qe7 {So far, we have seen Paoli as a great fighter.} 37. g5 Qd7 $4 {
But he collapses before the time control.} (37... e3 $1 38. Qxe3 $2 Bxd5 39. f5
Bxe6 40. fxe6 d5 {ends the game.}) 38. g6 $1 h6 39. f5 e3 40. Qxe3 Bxd5 41.
Nxg7 Qxa4 42. Qxh6 Qxc2 43. Qh7+ Kf8 44. Ne6+ $1 Bxe6 45. g7+ $1 {
Teschner delivers mate in two moves.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 6"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Gereben, Erno"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C59"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1963.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8.
Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. f4 exf3 12. Nxf3 {
They play the Two Knights in a classical way.} Bg4 $5 ({Usual is} 12... O-O)
13. O-O Qc7 14. h3 Bh5 15. Nc3 $5 O-O 16. Nh4 Bg6 $6 17. d4 Rad8 18. Nxg6 fxg6
19. Qd3 {Paoli has achieved a great advantage.} Kh7 $5 ({Sources give} 19...
Nh7 $2 {but that move makes no sense.}) 20. Be3 Nb7 21. Kh1 Qe7 22. Bg1 Bb8 23.
Bf3 Nd6 24. Bh2 $2 (24. g4 $1 {prevents the next counter.}) 24... Nf5 $1 25.
Bxb8 Rxb8 26. Rfe1 Qd6 27. Rab1 Rfe8 28. b3 Rbd8 29. Rbd1 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Qg3 $1
{Black takes the initiative.} 31. Rb1 $2 ({Better is} 31. Qf1 Qh4 32. Qg1 Rxd4
33. Rd1) 31... Rxd4 32. Qa6 $6 ({Chessbase mentions} 32. Ne2 $5 Rxd3 33. Nxg3
Nxg3+ 34. Kh2 Rxf3 $1) 32... Qf2 33. Rd1 Rh4 34. Ne2 Rxh3+ $1 35. gxh3 Qxf3+
36. Kh2 Qf2+ 37. Kh1 Nh4 (37... Nh4 38. Rg1 Nf3 39. Rg2 Qf1+ {wins easily.})
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 6"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Teschner, Rudolf"]
[Black "Flesch, Janos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B16"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1963.12.??"]

{Flesch led by one point, when the last round began.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6. Bc4 Bf5 7. Nf3 e6 8. Qe2 Nd7 9. Nh4 $5 Bg6
10. Bb3 Qa5+ $5 11. Bd2 Qh5 12. Nxg6 Qxe2+ 13. Kxe2 hxg6 14. c4 Bg7 15. Be3 Bh6
16. f4 Nb6 $6 (16... e5 $1 17. g3 O-O-O {equalises.}) 17. a4 $1 Rd8 $6 18. a5
$1 Nc8 19. d5 $1 cxd5 20. cxd5 exd5 {Black grabs the pawn.} 21. Bc5 Nd6 $6 ({
Preferable is} 21... Kd7 $5 22. Kf3 Kc7) 22. Kf3 O-O 23. Bxd5 Rfe8 $2 (23...
Rd7 $1 24. Rhd1 Rfd8 {defends the queenside indirectly.}) 24. Rad1 Bf8 25. Bxa7
{He has won a pawn.} Nc8 26. Bf2 Rd7 27. Bb3 Red8 28. Rxd7 Rxd7 29. Rd1 Rc7 $5
30. Bd4 Be7 31. g4 Nd6 32. Bb6 Rc6 33. Re1 Kf8 34. Bd5 Rc2 35. Re2 Rc1 36. Rd2
Nc8 37. Bd4 Bb4 38. Rd3 f5 $5 39. gxf5 Bxa5 40. fxg6 fxg6 41. Bxb7 {
White has gained two pawns.} Nd6 42. Bd5 Nf5 43. Be5 Rc2 44. Rb3 Be1 45. Bf6
Rf2+ 46. Kg4 Re2 47. Rb8+ Re8 48. Rxe8+ Kxe8 49. Kg5 Nh4 50. Be4 Kf7 51. Bd4
Ke6 52. Bc3 Bf2 53. h3 Kf7 54. b4 Ke6 55. b5 Kd6 56. b6 Bxb6 57. Kxh4 {
The final standings became: Teschner, Gereben, Barcza and Flesch 81/2/11,
Beggi 61/2, Castaldi 6, Trincardi 51/2, Paoli 5, Bonfioli and Bratoszewski 3,
Fricker and Siveri 11/2. Three players had caught up with Flesch during the
last round. Teschner won the tournament on tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 7"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Barczay, Laszlo"]
[Black "Minic, Dragoljub"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B98"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1964.12.??"]

{The seventh Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1964 until 6 i 1965.
Twelve men participated.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6
6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Nbd7 9. f5 $6 {White makes a premature advance.} ({
Theory is} 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. g4) 9... e5 $5 10. Nb3 b5 11. a3 Bb7 12. g4 $6 Rc8
$1 13. Bd3 $2 (13. Bg2 $1 {prevents the next move.}) 13... d5 $1 {
Minic counters in the centre.} 14. Bxf6 ({The pointe is} 14. exd5 Rxc3 $1 15.
bxc3 Bxd5) 14... Nxf6 15. O-O-O O-O $2 (15... Rxc3 $1 16. bxc3 O-O {
wins for Black.}) 16. g5 $6 (16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Qxd5 18. Qxd5 Bxd5 19. f6
$1 {brings counter-play.}) 16... Nxe4 17. f6 $2 (17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxg5+
19. Kb1 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Qe7 21. Rhe1 {offers more resistance.}) 17... Rxc3 $1 18.
bxc3 Bxa3+ 19. Kb1 Nxc3+ 20. Ka1 e4 21. Qh5 Qd6 22. fxg7 Bc1 $1 23. gxf8=Q+
Qxf8 {Black threatens mate in one.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 7"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Bertok, Mario"]
[Black "Teschner, Rudolf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "1964.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 e6 4. Nf3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Na4 Bb6 11. b3 Be6 $6 12. Nxb6 $1 axb6 13. Bb2 Qe7 14. Nd4
Rfd8 {Black has a passive defence.} 15. Qd2 Bd7 $5 16. Rfd1 Re8 $5 17. Re1 $6 {
White protects e2.} ({Best is} 17. Nb5 $1 Rac8 18. Ba3 $1 Qxe2 19. Nd6) 17...
Ne5 18. Nc2 Bc6 19. Ne3 Ne4 $2 {He lessens the protection of pawn d5.} (19...
Qe6 20. Qd4 b5 21. Red1 Rad8 {keeps d5.}) 20. Qd4 $1 Qc5 21. Red1 Qxd4 22. Rxd4
Nf6 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 {White has gained a pawn.} Nc6 25. Bxc6 bxc6 26. Kf1
Re6 27. Rd2 Nd5 28. Rc1 $1 h5 ({The pointe is} 28... Rxa2 $2 29. Rxd5 $1) 29.
a3 f6 30. Rc4 Kf7 31. e4 Ne7 32. f3 Ra5 33. Rd7 $1 c5 34. a4 Ra8 35. Rc2 Rc8
36. b4 $1 g5 37. bxc5 bxc5 38. Ba3 Ra8 39. Rc4 $1 Ke8 40. Rc7 Nc6 41. Rxc5 Ne5
$6 (41... Rxa4 $5 42. R5xc6 Rxc6 43. Rxc6 Rxa3 44. Rxf6 Ke7 45. e5 {
leads to an advantage of two pawns in a rook ending.}) 42. Rh7 Ng6 43. Rg7 Ne7
44. Rc7 {Bertok played a solid game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 7"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1964.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Barczay, Laszlo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B41"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1964.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. g3 d5 6. Bg2 dxe4 7. Bxe4 e5 8. Nb3
Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Nf6 10. Bg2 Nc6 $5 {Black has a plus.} 11. Re1 Bg4+ 12. f3 O-O-O+
13. Bd2 Bf5 14. a3 Be6 15. Nc1 {White withdraws.} Bc5 16. Nd3 Rxd3 $6 {
Barczay shows too much optimism.} (16... Bd4 17. Nc3 Bf5 {keeps an edge.}) 17.
cxd3 Nd4 $5 18. Bb4 $5 Nd7 $6 (18... Bxb4 19. axb4 Bb3+ 20. Kd2 Bd5 21. Kd1
Bb3+ {leads to a repetition.}) 19. Nd2 Bxb4 20. axb4 Kb8 21. Ra3 Rd8 22. Rc3
Nb5 23. Rc1 Nb6 $6 (23... Nd4 {aims at a perpetual.}) 24. Rxe5 Na4 25. Kc2 Rc8+
26. Nc4 Nd4+ 27. Kb1 Nc6 $2 (27... b5 $1 28. Rxe6 $5 fxe6 29. Ne5 Rxc1+ 30.
Kxc1 Nb6 {tries to survive.}) 28. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 29. b3 {He catches a piece.}
Nxb4 30. bxa4 Nxd3 31. Rd1 $1 {Paoli came back from a difficult position.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 7"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1965.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Bertok, Mario"]
[Black "Barczay, Laszlo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A25"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1964.12.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Rb1 f5 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nf3 d6 8. O-O
O-O 9. b4 h6 $5 10. b5 $1 Ne7 11. Ba3 g5 $5 12. c5 g4 $6 ({Preferable is} 12...
Be6 $1) 13. cxd6 $1 cxd6 14. Nd2 f4 $5 15. Qa4 Ne8 16. Nd5 $5 Kh8 $5 17. Nxe7
Qxe7 18. b6 a6 19. Rbc1 h5 $6 (19... Be6 {makes a useful move.}) 20. Qe4 $1 Qg5
$2 ({Better is} 20... Rf7) 21. Rxc8 $1 Rxc8 22. Qxb7 {
White has conquered the queenside.} Qd8 23. Nc4 $1 Rb8 24. Qc6 h4 25. b7 Rf6
26. Rb1 hxg3 27. hxg3 fxg3 28. fxg3 Bh6 29. Be4 Kg7 30. Rf1 $1 {
Bertok charges on all fronts.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 7"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1965.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Palmiotto, Fiorentino"]
[Black "Bilek, Istvan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[EventDate "1964.12.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. Qf3 $5 {
White delivers an odd novelty.} Nc6 6. Nge2 O-O 7. h3 Nd7 8. Be3 e5 9. d5 $2 ({
Right is} 9. Rd1 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bxd4 12. Rxd4 Ne5 13. Qe2 {
and equality.}) 9... Nd4 $1 10. Bxd4 exd4 11. Nd1 $5 c5 12. O-O Ne5 13. Qb3 a6
$5 14. a4 $2 (14. f4 Nxc4 15. Qxc4 f5 16. Nf2 {defends properly.}) 14... b5 $1
15. axb5 Nxc4 $1 {Bilek gains material.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 7"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1965.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Malcanek, Oldrich"]
[Black "Teschner, Rudolf"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E43"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1964.12.??"]

{Bilek led by half-a-point, when the last round began. He played a short draw.
} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. d4 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. Nf3 Ne4 7. Qc2 f5 8. O-O
Bxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Nd2 Qh4 11. g3 $5 (11. f3 {
happened in I.Rabinovich - Alekhine, Moscow 1920.}) 11... Ng5 $1 12. d5 ({
The pointe is} 12. gxh4 $4 Nh3#) 12... Qh5 13. h4 Nf7 14. Ba3 Re8 15. Rae1 Ne5
16. Be2 Qf7 17. f4 Qg6 18. Kh2 $6 (18. fxe5 Qxg3+ 19. Kh1 Qh3+ {draws.}) 18...
Ng4+ 19. Bxg4 Qxg4 {Black attacks.} 20. Qd3 $5 d6 21. Nf3 $2 ({Better is} 21.
e4 $1 Nd7 22. e5) 21... Nd7 $1 22. Ng5 Nf6 23. Nxe6 $2 (23. e4 Ba6 24. Bc1 {
offers more resistance.}) 23... Rxe6 $1 24. dxe6 Ne4 $1 25. Rg1 Nxg3 $1 26. e4
$5 Qxh4+ 27. Kg2 Nxe4 28. Qe3 Nd2+ {Three players caught up with Bilek. The
final standings became: Bertok, Bilek, Teschner and Minic 81/2/11, Kozma 8,
Palmiotto 51/2, Barczay 41/2, Paoli 4, Malcanek 31/2, Siveri and Damele 21/2,
Bagnoli 11/2. Bertok won the tournament on tie-break.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 8"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1965.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Parma, Bruno"]
[Black "Szilagyi, Gyorgy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B78"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1965.12.??"]

{The eighth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1965 until 6 i 1966.
Bruno Parma was the young star.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5.
Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. Bb3 Rc8 11. h4 Ne5 12. h5
Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. O-O-O b5 15. hxg6 $5 ({Known is} 15. Ncxb5 Bxb5 16. Nxb5
{(Minic - Tomovic, Belgrade 1961).}) 15... fxg6 16. e5 $1 dxe5 $2 (16... b4 $1
17. exf6 bxc3 18. Qd3 Rxd4 19. Bxd4 cxb2+ 20. Bxb2 Bxf6 {
offers more resistance.}) 17. Ne6 $1 Qc8 18. Nxf8 Bxf8 {
White has gained an exchange.} 19. Kb1 $5 b4 20. Nd5 Be6 21. Nxb4 e4 22. b3 Rc7
23. Bd4 Rd7 24. Qe2 a5 25. Bxf6 exf6 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27. Rd1 $1 Qb7 28. Nd3 $1
Bd5 29. fxe4 Bxe4 30. Nc5 $1 Bxc5 31. Qc4+ Kg7 32. Qxc5 Bxg2 33. Qxa5 h5 34.
Qd8 Qf3 35. Rd6 g5 36. Qe7+ Kg6 37. Qe8+ Kf5 38. Qe6+ Kg6 39. Qg8+ Kf5 40. Qh7+
Ke5 41. Qe7+ {Parma attacked elegantly.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 8"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1965.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Canal, Esteban"]
[Black "Ujtelky, Maximilian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1965.12.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. g3 $5 ({Ujtelky encountered} 5. Qd2 {
in previous games.}) 5... b5 6. Bg2 Bb7 {
The double fianchetto by Black was a novel idea in those days.} 7. Nge2 Nd7 8.
d5 $5 b4 9. Na4 c5 $1 10. Rb1 a5 11. c4 Ngf6 {Black develops well.} 12. h3 Qc7
13. Qd2 h6 14. O-O g5 15. f4 gxf4 16. gxf4 O-O-O 17. Ng3 Rdg8 18. Kh2 Bf8 {
He controls the open file.} 19. Rg1 h5 20. Bf3 $6 e6 $6 (20... Ng4+ $1 21. Kh1
Ndf6 {attacks.}) 21. Nh1 $2 {Canal misses the threat.} ({Correct is} 21. Kh1 $1
Ng4 22. Nxh5 $1 Rxh5 23. Bxg4) 21... Ng4+ $1 22. Bxg4 ({Or} 22. hxg4 hxg4+ 23.
Kg2 gxf3+ 24. Kxf3 f5 $1) 22... hxg4 23. Nf2 Nf6 $6 (23... f5 $1 {wins quickly.
}) 24. Rg3 exd5 25. cxd5 Kb8 26. Rbg1 Rh5 27. f5 Rgh8 28. Bg5 Bh6 $1 29. Bxh6
R8xh6 30. Qf4 Rh4 31. Re3 $5 gxh3 32. Qg3 Ka7 33. Rge1 Qe7 {
Black threatens ..Nh5.} 34. e5 $5 Nxd5 35. exd6 Qxd6 36. Re5 $5 Rc4 37. Nh1 Nf6
38. Nf2 Qc6 $1 39. b3 Rc2 $1 {The Czech carried out a mating attack.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 8"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1965.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Jagodzinski, Waldemar"]
[Black "Szilagyi, Gyorgy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A20"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1965.12.??"]

1. c4 f5 2. g3 e5 3. d4 $5 ({Usual is} 3. Bg2) 3... exd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd1 Nf6
6. Bg2 Be7 7. Nh3 O-O 8. Nc3 Ne5 9. Nf4 c6 10. b3 d6 11. O-O Qc7 12. e3 Bd7 13.
Qd4 g5 $6 {Black weakens a long diagonal.} 14. Nfe2 Ng6 $5 15. Bb2 Rf7 16. Rad1
a6 17. f4 g4 18. Qd3 $1 Rd8 19. Nd4 Ne8 20. Rfe1 Ng7 21. Re2 Nf8 $6 22. e4 $1
Nfe6 $2 ({More active is} 22... fxe4 23. Nxe4 Ng6) 23. Nxf5 $1 {
White has a decisive attack.} Nxf5 24. exf5 Qb6+ 25. Kh1 $6 (25. Kf1 $1 {
wins quickly.}) 25... Nc5 26. Qe3 Bxf5 27. Nd5 $1 cxd5 28. Bxd5 Kf8 29. Bxf7
Be4+ $1 {This move would have had no effect, when the king had gone to f1.} 30.
Kg1 Kxf7 31. Qd4 $2 (31. Rd5 $1 Rd7 32. Qd4 $1 Bxd5 33. Qg7+ {wins for White.})
31... d5 $1 32. b4 $2 {The tables turn.} (32. Qg7+ $1 Ke8 33. cxd5 Ne6+ 34. Bd4
$1 Nxg7 35. Bxb6 Bf3 36. Bxd8 Bxe2 37. Re1 Kxd8 38. Rxe2 {keeps the equality.})
32... Na4 33. c5 $1 Qg6 $6 (33... Qh6 $5 {favours Black.}) 34. f5 $1 Bxf5 35.
Rf1 Ke8 36. Qe5 $6 ({Better is} 36. Rxe7+ $1 Kxe7 37. Qe5+ Kd7 38. Rxf5 Nxb2
39. Rf6) 36... Be4 37. Ref2 $6 Nxb2 38. Rf8+ Kd7 39. R1f7 Re8 $1 40. Rxe7+ Rxe7
41. Qb8 Qc6 $2 {
The blunders continue, although the time limit has been reached.} (41... Re8
42. Qxb7+ Ke6 43. Qc6+ Ke7 {wins for Black.}) 42. Rd8+ Ke6 43. Qf4 $2 (43. Rd6+
Qxd6 44. Qxd6+ Kf7 45. Qf4+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 43... Nc4 $1 44. Qxg4+
Bf5 45. Qg8+ Ke5 46. Qh8+ Ke4 47. Rf8 Qh6 48. Rf6 Qc1+ {
Szilagyi will mate in a few moves.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 8"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1966.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Black "Ujtelky, Maximilian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1965.12.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. f4 c5 4. d5 d6 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 a6 8. Nf3 $5
({Known is} 8. a4) 8... Nh6 {Ujtelky plays ultramodern openings.} 9. a4 O-O 10.
Bc4 Re8 11. O-O Nd7 ({The gain of a pawn by} 11... Bxc3 $5 12. bxc3 Rxe4 13.
Bd3 Re8 {leaves the initiative to White.}) 12. Qd3 f6 $6 ({More active is} 
12... f5) 13. Bd2 Nf7 $5 14. Rae1 Rb8 15. b3 Nf8 $5 {Black defends passively.}
16. h3 Bd7 17. Re2 Re7 18. Rfe1 Qe8 19. a5 $1 b5 20. axb6 Rxb6 21. Na4 Rb8 $2 (
{Preferable is} 21... Bxa4 $5 22. bxa4 Qxa4 23. Bc3 Qe8 24. Bxa6 Ra7) 22. Nxc5
$1 dxc5 23. d6 Re6 24. f5 Re5 25. Nxe5 fxe5 26. Rf1 gxf5 $6 27. exf5 Bf6 28. g4
$2 (28. Qg3+ $1 Kh8 29. Rfe1 Bg7 30. Rxe5 Nxe5 31. f6 {wins for White.}) 28...
Bc6 $6 29. g5 $1 e4 30. Qg3 Bd4+ 31. Kh2 Kh8 $6 32. Bf4 $2 {
Tatai spoils a fine attack.} (32. g6 $1 hxg6 33. fxg6 {still wins.}) 32... Ne5
33. g6 Nxc4 34. bxc4 Rb7 35. Qh4 Kg8 36. Rg2 $2 (36. gxh7+ Rxh7 37. Rg2+ Kh8
38. Qg5 {continues the battle.}) 36... hxg6 $1 37. fxg6 e3 $1 38. Bh6 Qe5+ 39.
Qg3 Qxg3+ 40. Kxg3 Nxg6 41. Re2 Be5+ 42. Kg4 Bxd6 43. Rf6 Ne5+ 44. Kf5 Nxc4 45.
Bxe3 Re7 46. Kg5 Re5+ 47. Kh6 Rxe3 $1 {Ujtelky had scored 6/7.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 8"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1966.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ujtelky, Maximilian"]
[Black "Parma, Bruno"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1965.12.??"]

{Parma trailed by one point.} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O
O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 Qxc5 10. Nbd2 $5 (10. b3 {
drew in Petrovs - Eliskases, Buenos Aires 1939.}) 10... Nc6 11. a3 $6 (11. b3
Rd8 12. Bb2 {develops more quickly.}) 11... Rd8 12. e3 Ne5 13. b4 Qc7 14. Nxe5
Qxe5 15. Ra2 $6 ({Preferable is} 15. Qb3 $1 Qb5 16. Nf3 a5 17. Bb2) 15... Qb5
$5 16. Qf3 $5 ({The alternative is} 16. Bb2 a5 17. bxa5 Qxa5 18. Bd4) 16... e5
$1 17. Ne4 Be6 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Rd2 Rxd2 20. Bxd2 Rd8 21. Bc1 $1 e4 $1 ({
The immediate} 21... Bc4 $2 {is answered by} 22. Rd1) 22. Qxe4 Bc4 23. a4 $5
Qxb4 24. Bf3 $2 (24. Ba3 Qxa4 25. Be7 Bxe7 26. Qxe7 Re8 27. Qh4 b5 28. Rc1 {
offers more resistance.}) 24... Qb3 $1 25. Bd1 Qd3 $1 {
Parma and Ujtelky had scored 6/8.} (25... Qd3 26. Qxd3 Bxd3 27. Re1 Bc3 {
gains material.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 8"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1966.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Canal, Esteban"]
[Black "Parma, Bruno"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "1965.12.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 c6 5. Qe2 $5 h6 6. Bh4 Qa5 7. O-O-O $5 Bg7
8. e5 $5 {Canal wants to attack.} ({More solid is} 8. f4 $1 Be6 9. a3) 8...
dxe5 9. dxe5 Nh5 10. Re1 $6 ({Preferable is} 10. Nf3 g5 11. Bg3) 10... Be6 $1
11. Nh3 $2 (11. Nf3 Nd7 12. Kb1 {defends properly.}) 11... Nd7 $1 12. g4 $2 {
White allows a crushing attack.} Bxe5 13. gxh5 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Qa3+ 15. Kd2 O-O-O
$1 16. Ke3 {The king is exposed.} Qxc3+ {Ujtelky produced draws in the last
two rounds. The final standings became: Parma 9/11, Ujtelky 8, Szilagyi and
Tatai 71/2, Rabar 61/2, Trincardi 6, Wagman 5, Canal 41/2, Paoli 4,
Jagodzinsky and Beggi 31/2, Wagner 1.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1966.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Buljovcic, Ivan"]
[Black "Ciocaltea, Victor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1966.12.??"]

{The ninth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1966 until 6 i 1967. It
would become a hard competition.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5.
Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 8. Qd2 Nge7 9. Nc3 d6 10. Qg5 $5 {
Buljovcic plays for a draw.} Nb4 11. Bd3 Be6 12. Qxf6 gxf6 13. f4 d5 $1 {
Ciocaltea seeks the confrontation.} 14. fxe5 fxe5 15. exd5 Nxd3+ 16. cxd3 Nxd5
17. O-O Nxc3 18. bxc3 O-O-O {Black has the initiative in the endgame.} 19. Rf3
$6 ({Preferable is} 19. d4 $1 exd4 20. Bg5 Rd6 21. Bf4 Rc6 22. Be5 {
and White keeps the equality by a tactical trick.}) 19... Rhg8 20. Ba3 $5 Bd5
$1 21. Rg3 $6 ({Better is} 21. Rf2 $1 Bc6 22. g3 Rxd3 23. Rxf7 h5 24. Raf1 $1)
21... Rxg3 22. hxg3 {White has many weaknesses.} Be6 23. Rd1 Bg4 $5 ({
Even better is} 23... Bxa2 24. d4 Bb3 25. Rb1 Bc4 26. dxe5 Rd3 27. Bb4 Rd2) 24.
Rd2 $6 (24. Re1 $1 Rxd3 25. Rxe5 Be6 $1 26. Kf2 Bxa2 27. Re3 {
offers more resistance.}) 24... e4 $1 25. Kf2 (25. d4 e3 $1 26. Rb2 Re8 27. Rb1
Be6 28. Re1 Bxa2 {also costs a pawn.}) 25... exd3 26. Ke3 Be2 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 27. c4 $6 Kc7 28. Bb4 Rg8 29. Ba5+ $6 b6 $1 {
Ciocaltea started well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1966.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Zinser, Sylvain"]
[Black "Ciric, Dragoljub"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B81"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1966.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g4 Nc6 7. g5 Nd7 8. Be3
Be7 9. Rg1 a6 $5 (9... Nb6 {happened in Gheorghiu - Najdorf, Havana 1966.}) 10.
Bc4 Nde5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bb3 d5 $1 13. exd5 exd5 $5 14. f4 $6 (14. Bd4 $1 Bd6
15. f4 Ng6 16. Bxg7 Qe7+ 17. Ne2 Rg8 18. Bf6 {favours White.}) 14... Ng6 15.
Qe2 O-O 16. O-O-O Bd6 17. Qf2 Re8 $1 {Black threatens 18...Rxe3! 19.Qxe3 Bxf4.}
18. Kb1 Rb8 19. Rde1 Bf5 $1 20. h4 Rb4 $5 21. Ne2 Ne7 22. Bd2 $5 Rb8 23. h5 Qb6
24. Qxb6 Rxb6 25. Ng3 Bd7 26. c4 Rbb8 27. h6 g6 28. Ba4 $6 Bc5 29. Rgf1 Bd4 30.
Bc1 Nf5 31. Ne2 dxc4 $6 32. Ka1 $2 {White should exchange.} ({Correct is} 32.
Nxd4 Nxd4 33. Rxe8+ Rxe8 34. Bd2) 32... Bh8 $1 {The pressure on b2 continues.}
33. Nc3 Nd4 34. Rxe8+ Rxe8 35. Nd1 $5 Bf5 36. Ne3 $6 Bd3 $1 37. Rd1 Ne2 $5 38.
Nd5 $5 Nxc1 39. Rxc1 Bxb2+ $1 40. Kxb2 Re2+ 41. Kc3 cxd5 {
Black has gained two pawns.} 42. Bc6 Re4 $5 43. Bxd5 Rxf4 44. Re1 Kf8 45. a4 f6
46. gxf6 Rxf6 47. Bxc4 $5 Bxc4 48. Kxc4 Kf7 49. Rb1 g5 $1 50. Rb7+ Kg6 {
Ciric will have two extra pawns in the rook ending. Black attacked in the
endgame.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Zinser, Sylvain"]
[Black "Honfi, Karoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C92"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1966.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d3 Na5 11. Bc2 c5 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. Nf1 Re8 14. d4 $6 ({
Known is} 14. Ng3 Bf8 15. Nf5) 14... cxd4 $1 15. cxd4 exd4 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17.
Qxd4 Nd7 $6 (17... d5 $1 18. exd5 Qxd5 19. Qxd5 Nxd5 {gains a plus.}) 18. Ng3
$5 g6 19. a4 Qc7 20. Qd1 Rac8 21. Bb1 b4 22. Bf4 Ne5 $5 23. b3 Bf6 24. Ra2 Qe7
25. Rd2 Red8 26. Ne2 Rd7 27. Be3 Qd8 28. Rf1 $5 Nc6 29. Bc5 $5 a5 30. Bd4 $2 ({
Better is} 30. Be3 {(Zinser and Honfi).}) 30... Nxd4 31. Nxd4 d5 $1 32. Nb5 Bc6
33. Qe2 Bc3 34. Rdd1 Qe7 35. Qg4 Rcd8 36. exd5 Rxd5 37. Rxd5 Bxd5 38. Qg3 Be5
39. Qe3 Qf6 40. Bc2 Bf4 41. Qe2 Qg5 42. Qg4 Qxg4 43. hxg4 Rc8 {
Black has reached a favourable endgame.} 44. Bd1 Rc1 $6 {Zinser missed the
opportunity and resigned. Honfi led by 71/2/10, half-a-point ahead of
Ciocaltea, Ciric and Damjanovic.} (44... Rc1 $6 45. Nd4 $1 Rc5 ({the pointe is
} 45... Be5 $6 46. Bf3 $1) 46. Bf3 Bxf3 47. Nxf3 Rc3 48. Rb1 {
fights for the last chance.}) ({Better is} 44... Be5 $1 45. g5 Rc1 46. g3 Rb1 {
and Black wins.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Ciric, Dragoljub"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B89"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1966.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 Be7 8.
Be3 O-O 9. Qe2 a6 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. Rhg1 $5 ({Paoli met} 11. g4 {
in previous games.}) 11... b5 12. g4 Nxd4 13. Rxd4 Nd7 14. g5 g6 $6 {
A slight weakening occurs.} ({Preferable is the immediate} 14... Nc5) 15. f4 $1
Nc5 16. f5 $1 Nxb3+ 17. axb3 exf5 $6 (17... Re8 18. f6 Bf8 {defends  well.})
18. Nd5 $1 Qb7 19. Nf6+ $6 {He exchanges a strong knight.} Bxf6 20. gxf6 fxe4
21. Bh6 $6 ({Better is} 21. Qh5 $1 Kh8 22. Qh6 Rg8 23. Rxd6) 21... Re8 22. Qe3
$1 Re5 ({The alternative is} 22... Qd7 $1 23. Rxe4 (23. Bf8 $2 Qh3 $1) 23...
Rxe4 24. Qxe4 Bb7) 23. Rxd6 Be6 $2 {Square e8 gets insufficient protection.} ({
Correct is} 23... Qc7 24. Rgd1 Bg4 25. R1d2 Qc8) 24. Rgd1 $1 Bg4 25. R1d4 $2 {
White misses the first opportunity.} (25. Rd8+ Re8 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Bf8 $1
Qc6 28. Rd6 {wins for White.}) 25... Rae8 $2 {Paoli defends poorly.} (25... Qc8
$1 26. Bf4 Re8 {avoids mate.}) 26. Bf4 $1 R5e6 27. Be5 $1 {Black has no proper
defence against 28.Qh6. Ciric utilised the second chance and scored an
important win in the last round.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Damjanovic, Mato"]
[Black "Kozma, Julius"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C90"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1966.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. d3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Nbd2 Nc6 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ne3 Bf8 {
They play an old and solid line of the Ruy Lopez.} 14. a4 Bd7 $5 ({Usual was} 
14... Bb7) 15. Bd2 g6 16. h3 Bg7 17. Rc1 Rb8 18. axb5 axb5 19. b4 Rc8 20. Bb3
cxb4 21. cxb4 Be6 22. Bxe6 fxe6 $1 23. Qb3 Nd4 $6 ({More solid is} 23... Qd7)
24. Nxd4 exd4 25. Rxc8 Qxc8 26. Nc2 Nd7 27. Ra1 Qc6 28. Ra5 d5 29. exd5 exd5
30. Na3 Rb8 31. Kf1 $6 (31. Qc2 $1 Qxc2 32. Nxc2 {keeps a plus.}) 31... Ne5 32.
Bf4 Rf8 $1 33. Bxe5 $2 (33. Bd2 Rb8 34. Bf4 {leads to a repetition of moves.})
33... Bxe5 34. Qc2 $5 (34. Rxb5 $2 Qc1+ 35. Ke2 Kh8 36. Qxd5 Qb2+ 37. Kd1 Qa1+
38. Ke2 Bg3 $1 {wins for Black.}) 34... Qf6 $1 35. f3 Bg3 36. Qe2 $2 ({
Correct is} 36. Qd2 Re8 37. Nc2 Bf4 {(Zinser)} 38. Qf2 {
and White tries to survive.}) 36... Qc6 $1 37. Qd1 Re8 38. Nxb5 Qc2 $3 {
Damjanovic did not end the tournament on a high place.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Honfi, Karoly"]
[Black "Ciocaltea, Victor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "172"]
[EventDate "1966.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. d4 {
Honfi picks an adventurous variation, although he needs a draw.} ({
The main line is} 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Re1) 6... fxe4 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8.
Qh5+ Ke7 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Bg5+ Nf6 11. dxe5 Qd5 12. Bh4 Kd7 $5 (12... Bd7 {
drew in Stolz - Sultan Khan, Hastings 1931.}) 13. Qg5 $1 Ke6 $5 14. exf6 Qxg5
15. Bxg5 gxf6 16. Be3 {The chances in the endgame are equal.} Rg8 17. g3 Rb8
18. Nd2 $5 ({More solid is} 18. b3) 18... Rxb2 19. Nxe4 Kf7 20. O-O Be6 21.
Rfb1 Rc2 22. Rc1 Rxc1+ 23. Rxc1 Be7 $5 24. c4 Rb8 {Black has the initiative.}
25. Nc5 Bxc5 26. Bxc5 Rb2 27. Kg2 $2 Rxa2 {
He achieves a plus by capturing an unprotected pawn.} 28. Be3 Ra4 29. c5 Bd5+
30. Kf1 a5 31. Ke2 Ra2+ 32. Kd3 a4 33. Bd4 Ra3+ 34. Kd2 Rb3 35. Rc3 Rb4 {
Black has to avoid the exchange of rooks.} 36. Kd3 Bb3 $1 37. Rc1 a3 38. Ra1
Ra4 39. Rc1 Bd5 40. h4 h5 41. Ba1 Ke6 42. Rc3 Be4+ 43. Ke3 a2 44. Rb3 Bd5 45.
Rc3 f5 $1 46. Kd2 f4 $1 47. Rd3 f3 48. Re3+ Be4 49. Rc3 Kd5 50. Ke3 Ra5 51. Kf4
Ra4 52. Re3 $2 ({Correct is} 52. Ke3) 52... Rb4 $1 53. Bg7 Bd3+ $1 54. Kxf3 Kc4
$2 (54... Rd4 $1 {wins immediately.}) 55. Re8 Ra4 56. Ba1 Kb3 57. Rb8+ Bb5 $1
58. Ke3 Kc2 $2 (58... Rc4 $1 59. Ra8 Rc1 60. Bg7 Ba4 {also wins.}) 59. Rd8 Kc1
60. f3 Ra3+ 61. Kf2 Bc4 62. Re8 Kd2 63. g4 hxg4 64. fxg4 Rh3 65. h5 Rh1 66. Bg7
a1=Q 67. Bxa1 Rxa1 68. h6 Rh1 69. g5 Kc3 70. Kg3 Kd4 71. Kf4 Kxc5 {
Black has an extra bishop, but winning has become difficult.} 72. Rd8 Ba2 73.
Ke5 Bb1 74. Rb8 Bd3 75. Rd8 Kc4 76. Rd7 c5 77. Rxc7 Kb4 78. Kf6 c4 $1 79. Kg7
Rg1 ({This time} 79... c3 $1 80. g6 Bc4 {decides the game.}) 80. Kf6 c3 $2 {
Ciocaltea misses the triumph for the third time.} (80... Rh1 $1 {still wins.})
81. h7 Rh1 82. g6 Rh6 83. Rb7+ $2 {
Honfi fails to draw the game and win the event.} (83. Rxc3 $3 Kxc3 84. Kg5
Rxg6+ 85. Kh5 $1 {draws.}) 83... Ka5 84. Rc7 c2 85. Kg5 Rxg6+ 86. Kh5 Rg1 {
The final standings became: Ciocaltea and Ciric 8/11, Kozma and Honfi 71/2,
Damjanovic 7, Bobotsov and Buljovcic 61/2, Paoli 5, Malcanek 4, Zinser 31/2,
Capece 11/2, Mondaini 1. Ciocaltea won on tie-break.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Saidy, Anthony"]
[Black "Matulovic, Milan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B36"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "128"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

{The tenth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1967 until 7 i 1968.
Fourteen men participated.} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. e4 Nf6
6. Nc3 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8. c5 Bg7 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. cxd6 O-O 12.
O-O Ne8 13. Qd5 e6 14. Qd3 $5 (14. Qb5 Qxb5 15. Nxb5 a6 16. Nc7 Nxc7 17. dxc7
Rfc8 18. Bf4 e5 {drew in Keres - Gurgenidze, Tbilisi 1959.}) 14... Qxd6 15. Rd1
Rd8 16. Qc2 Qc7 17. Rxd8 Qxd8 18. Be3 Qa5 $5 19. Rd1 Nf6 20. h3 Rc8 21. Qb3 b6
22. Rd3 $5 h5 23. Qd1 Qb4 24. Rd8+ $2 ({Correct is} 24. e5 $1 Ne4 25. Rd8+ Rxd8
26. Qxd8+ Kh7 27. Qd4 Qxd4 28. Bxd4 Nxc3 29. Bxc3 {drawn.}) 24... Rxd8 25.
Qxd8+ Kh7 26. e5 Ng8 $1 {Black is going to gain a pawn.} 27. Qd4 Qxb2 28. Ne4
$5 Bxe5 $1 29. Qxb2 Bxb2 30. Nd6 Ne7 $5 31. Nxf7 Kg7 32. Nd6 Nc6 {
He has an extra pawn in the endgame.} 33. Kf1 Kf6 34. Ke2 e5 35. Kd3 Ke6 36.
Ne4 b5 37. Bd2 Ba3 38. f3 Bb4 39. Be3 Be7 40. Bd2 a5 $1 41. Be1 a4 42. Bd2 Bb4
43. Be3 Ba5 44. Bc5 Kd5 45. Bf8 Nb8 46. Nf6+ Ke6 47. Ne4 Na6 $1 48. Kc2 Kd5 49.
Kd3 Bb4 50. Bh6 $5 Nc5+ 51. Nxc5 Bxc5 52. Bg5 b4 $1 53. Bd2 b3 $1 54. axb3 axb3
55. Bg5 ({The pointe is} 55. Kc3 Bb4+ $1) 55... Bd4 56. Be7 b2 57. Kc2 e4 58.
fxe4+ Kxe4 59. Bg5 $5 (59. g4 Kf3 $1 (59... hxg4 $2 60. hxg4 Kf4 61. g5 $1) 60.
gxh5 gxh5 61. h4 Kg4 62. Bd8 Bf2 63. Kxb2 Bxh4 {
leads to a theoretical win (tournament book).}) 59... Be5 60. Bd2 Bf6 61. Bh6
g5 $1 62. Kb1 h4 63. Bf8 Ke3 64. Bc5+ Ke2 {
This game became decisive in the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.12.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mariotti, Sergio"]
[Black "Saidy, Anthony"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A66"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 8. e5
Nfd7 9. Ne4 dxe5 10. Nd6+ {White plays the Mikenas Attack.} Kf8 11. Nf3 $1 ({
Known is} 11. Nxc8 Qxc8 12. Nf3) 11... Na6 $5 ({The usual answer will become} 
11... h6 $5) 12. Nxf7 $5 (12. Ng5 $1 exf4 13. Ndxf7 Qf6 14. Bxa6 bxa6 15. Bxf4
{gains an edge.}) 12... Kxf7 13. Ng5+ Ke8 $1 ({Not} 13... Kg8 $2 14. d6 $1 Qf6
15. Bc4+ Kf8 16. Qd5 Nb6 $2 17. Nxh7+ $1) 14. Ne6 Qe7 15. Bxa6 bxa6 16. Nc7+
Kd8 17. d6 $2 (17. Ne6+ $1 Ke8 18. Nc7+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 17... Qh4+
18. g3 Qh3 $1 19. Qd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 19. Qb3 $5 Nb6 20. Rf1) 19... Nb6 20.
Qxc5 $2 (20. Qf7 Qd7 21. Ne6+ Qxe6 22. Qxg7 {
fights for the last chance (Mariotti).}) 20... Qg2 $1 21. Ne6+ $5 Kd7 22. Nxg7
Qxh1+ 23. Kf2 Qxh2+ 24. Kf1 Qh1+ 25. Kf2 Qc6 {Saidy began to win games.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1967.12.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Saidy, Anthony"]
[Black "Bertok, Mario"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E80"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 c6 6. Be3 a6 7. a4 Nbd7 8. Bd3 $5
a5 $5 9. Nge2 e5 10. O-O O-O 11. Qc2 Qe7 12. Rfe1 Re8 13. Rad1 exd4 14. Nxd4
Nc5 15. Bf1 Nfd7 16. Bf2 Be5 17. g3 $5 Bg7 18. h3 $5 {
White slightly weakens his kingside.} Ra6 19. b3 Ra8 $5 20. f4 h5 21. Bg2 Na6
22. Na2 Nac5 23. Rd2 Bh6 24. Rde2 h4 $2 25. Nf5 $1 {
Suddenly the position explodes.} gxf5 $2 (25... Qf8 26. Nxh4 Bg7 {costs a pawn.
}) 26. exf5 Qxe2 27. Rxe2 Rxe2 28. Qxe2 hxg3 29. Qe8+ Bf8 30. Bxc5 $1 dxc5 31.
Nc3 Nf6 32. Qd8 Kg7 33. Ne4 Nxe4 34. Bxe4 f6 35. Kg2 Bxf5 36. Qxa8 Bxe4+ 37.
Kxg3 f5 38. Qxa5 Kg6 39. Qb6 Bg7 40. Qxb7 Bc3 41. Qc7 {
Bertok had a sudden breakdown.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.01.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Mista, Ladislav"]
[Black "Matulovic, Milan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 Qe5 8.
Nb5 Qxe4+ 9. Be2 Qe5 10. f4 Qb8 11. O-O $5 {
White has an obvious advantage for the pawn.} e6 12. f5 $5 a6 13. Nc3 Bd6 $1
14. Ne4 $5 Bxh2+ 15. Kh1 exf5 16. Rxf5 d5 $2 (16... Ne7 17. Rh5 Be5 {
defends properly.}) 17. Rxf7 $3 {He delivers a brilliant sacrifice.} Kxf7 ({
The alternative is} 17... Qe5 18. Rxg7 $1 Qxg7 19. Qxd5 {and White wins.}) 18.
Qxd5+ Ke8 19. Bh5+ $1 g6 20. Nf6+ Ke7 21. Bg5 $1 {
All pieces are directed on the hostile king.} Be6 22. Ng8+ Kf7 23. Nh6+ Kg7 24.
Qxe6 Rf8 25. Rd1 $1 Bd6 26. Rxd6 Rf1+ 27. Kh2 Qc7 28. Qd7+ Qxd7 29. Rxd7+ Kf8
30. Bf3 a5 31. Rf7+ Ke8 32. Bxc6+ bxc6 33. Rxf1 {
Mista has gained two pieces during the mate attack.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.01.03"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Huguet, Bernard"]
[Black "Matulovic, Milan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B82"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be3 a6 7. Bd3 Nf6 8.
Nb3 b5 9. f4 d6 10. Qf3 Be7 11. O-O-O $5 Bb7 12. g4 Nb4 $1 13. Kb1 $6 ({
Preferable is} 13. g5 $1 Nxd3+ 14. Rxd3 {(Paoli)} Nd7) 13... d5 $1 14. g5 $2 (
14. Rc1 $1 {protects pawn c2.}) 14... dxe4 $1 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Qxc2+ $3
17. Bxc2 Bxf3 18. Rhe1 Nxc2 19. Kxc2 Rc8+ 20. Kb1 Bxd1 {
Matulovic started a series of five wins.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.01.05"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Mista, Ladislav"]
[Black "Ciocaltea, Victor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Qb3
{White plays a sharp line of the Siesta.} b5 9. Qd5 Nd4 10. cxd4 Ne7 11. Qe6
Bxf1 12. Kxf1 $5 (12. Bb3 Bc4 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14. Ng5 {
happened in Minev - Damjanovic, Bad Liebenstein 1963.}) 12... bxa4 13. Ng5 Qc8
$6 (13... Qb8 $5 14. Qf7+ Kd7 15. Qe6+ Ke8 {leads to perpetual check.}) 14.
Qf7+ Kd7 15. dxe5 $1 h6 16. e6+ Kc6 $1 (16... Kd8 $2 17. Nh7 $1 {
wins for White (Paoli).}) 17. Qf3+ Kb6 18. Qe3+ Kb7 19. Nf7 Rg8 20. Nc3 g5 21.
d4 Rg6 22. d5 $6 ({Preferable is} 22. Qf3+ $5 Kb8 23. d5) 22... Rb8 $6 (22...
Nxd5 $1 23. Nxd5 Qxe6 {counters.}) 23. Bd2 Ka8 $1 24. Rc1 Qb7 $5 25. Qd3 Bg7
26. Kg1 $6 {He loses time.} a3 27. b3 Bxc3 28. Bxc3 $2 ({Correct is} 28. Rxc3
$1 Rf6 29. b4 Nxd5 30. Rxa3) 28... Nxd5 $1 29. e7 ({The pointe is} 29. Qxg6 $2
Nf4 $1 {(Paoli).}) 29... Nf4 $1 30. Qf1 Re8 31. Bf6 $2 Rxf6 32. Nd8 Qb5 33.
Qxb5 axb5 34. Rxc7 Kb8 35. Rb7+ Kc8 {Ciocaltea countered in the Siesta.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 10"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.01.07"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kurajica, Bojan"]
[Black "Matulovic, Milan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B82"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1967.12.??"]

{Matulovic led by half-a-point, when the last round began.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nb3 Nf6 7. Bd3 a6 8. f4 d6 9. Be3 b5 10.
Qf3 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. g4 $5 d5 $6 ({Usual will become the quiet} 12... Bb7)
13. e5 $1 Nd7 14. g5 Re8 $5 15. Ne2 $5 ({White misses the elegant} 15. Bxh7+ $1
Kxh7 16. g6+ $1 fxg6 17. Qh3+ Bh4 $1 18. Qxh4+) 15... Nb6 16. Nbd4 Nc4 $1 17.
Nxc6 Qxc6 18. Bd4 Nd2 19. Qh3 g6 20. Rfd1 Ne4 21. Qe3 $5 Bb7 22. Kg2 b4 23. h4
h5 $5 24. gxh6 Bxh4 25. Qh3 Be7 26. h7+ Kh8 {The king finds a haven.} 27. Kf3
a5 28. Ke3 a4 29. Rg1 Bc5 30. Qh4 Be7 31. Qh3 Bc5 32. Rad1 $6 ({Better is} 32.
Qh4 $5 Be7 {and White repeats the moves or continues the attack.}) 32... a3 $1
33. Bxc5 $2 ({Right is} 33. b3 $1 Nc3 $1 {(tournament book)} 34. Rd2 Ba6 35.
Qh4) 33... Qxc5+ 34. Nd4 axb2 $1 35. Rdf1 Qe7 36. Bxe4 dxe4 37. Rb1 Ra3+ 38.
Nb3 Rxb3+ $1 39. axb3 Qc5+ 40. Kd2 Qf2+ {The final standings became: Matulovic
101/2/13, Saidy 10, Mista 91/2, Ciocaltea 9, Kurajica, Bertok and Tatai 81/2,
Navarovszky 7, Jahr 61/2, Canal 5, Huguet 3, Trincardi 21/2, Albano 11/2,
Mariotti 1.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ciocaltea, Victor"]
[Black "Radulov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

{The eleventh Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1968 until 6 i 1969.
Fighting would be great. The number of participants was back to twelve.} 1. e4
e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. d3 Be7 8. Nc3 d6 9.
a4 b4 10. Ne2 O-O $5 11. Ng3 Bc8 ({The alternative will become} 11... Na5 $5)
12. h3 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Be3 d5 15. Nd2 Qe8 $1 {
Black prepares a charge on the kingside.} 16. Nb3 $5 Qg6 17. exd5 $6 {
He strengthens the black centre,} exd5 18. Bc5 Bd6 19. Bxd6 cxd6 20. Qd2 d4 $6
21. Rae1 $6 (21. Na5 $1 Qe8 $5 22. Nxc6 Qxc6 23. Qxb4 {counters well.}) 21...
Nd5 22. Qe2 Rac8 23. Qe4 Nce7 24. Rc1 Qg5 $5 25. Qg4 Qh6 $5 26. Ne4 Nf4 27. g3
$2 (27. Rfe1 Rc7 28. Qg5 {offers more resistance.}) 27... d5 $1 28. Nec5 ({
The pointe is} 28. gxf4 Rxf4 29. Qd7 dxe4 30. Qxe7 Qxh3 {
and Black wins (Radulov).}) 28... Rc6 $1 {All pieces participate in the attack.
} 29. Kh2 Rg6 30. Qh4 Qxh4 31. gxh4 Rg2+ 32. Kh1 Nf5 {
The black attack decides the game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mista, Ladislav"]
[Black "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B57"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Bb5 a6 $5 8.
Ba4 Bd7 9. Be3 Qc7 ({Paoli's suggestion} 9... Qxb2 $5 10. Nde2 Qb4 11. Rb1 Qa5
12. Rxb7 Nxe4 $4 {will be refuted by} 13. Qd5 $1 Qxd5 14. Nxd5 {
in Soltis - Vulicevic, New York 1992.}) 10. O-O e6 11. f4 b5 12. Bb3 b4 13. Na4
Nxe4 $2 ({Correct is} 13... Rb8) 14. f5 $1 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 d5 16. fxe6 fxe6 17.
Nb6 $1 Rb8 $2 (17... Bd6 $1 18. g3 $1 ({not} 18. Nxa8 $2 Bxh2+ 19. Kh1 Ng3+ 20.
Kxh2 Nxf1+ 21. Kg1 Qh2+ 22. Kxf1 O-O+) 18... Rb8 {fights back.}) 18. Nxd5 $1
exd5 19. Qxd5 Nd6 ({Or} 19... Nf6 20. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 21. Qf7+) 20. Bg5 $1 Be7 21.
Rae1 Nc8 22. Bxe7 Nxe7 23. Rf7 {Mista finished the game quickly.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1968.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Filep, Tibor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Nb3 b5 9. a3 Bb7 10. f4 d6 11. Be3 Be7 12. Qf3 Nd7 $5 ({Usual is} 12... O-O)
13. Rad1 b4 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Nd4 Bf6 16. Qh3 Nc5 $2 ({Correct is} 16... O-O
17. f5 Nxd3 18. cxd3 e5) 17. Bb5+ $1 {Enrico strikes.} Kf8 ({
Paoli analyses the alternatives} 17... axb5 18. Ndxb5 Qc6 19. Nxd6+ Kf8 20. Qh5
g6 21. Qxc5) (17... Nc6 18. e5) (17... Ke7 18. e5 $1 dxe5 19. Nc6+ Nxc6 20.
Bxc5+ Ke8 21. Ne4 $1) 18. e5 $1 dxe5 19. fxe5 Bxe5 (19... Qxe5 20. Bf4 {
costs a queen.}) 20. Nxe6+ Nxe6 21. Qxe6 Kg8 ({Or} 21... axb5 22. Rd7 $1) 22.
Bc4 $1 Bf6 (22... fxe6 23. Bxe6+ Qf7 24. Bxf7+ Kf8 25. Bc5+ {leads to mate.})
23. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 24. Qg4+ Kf8 25. Rd7 f5 26. Rxc7 {Paoli played an evergreen.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1969.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ciocaltea, Victor"]
[Black "Filep, Tibor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C93"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 h6 10. d4 Re8 11. Be3 Bb7 12. Nbd2 Bf8 13. Bc2 $5 g6 $6 ({
Preferable is} 13... exd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 {(Paoli).}) 14. a3 Bg7 15. b4 Nb8 $6 (
15... d5 $5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Rxe5 18. f4 Rxe4 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. Bxe4 dxe4
{counters in the centre.}) 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Qb1 Nbd7 18. Nb3 $1 Nb6 19. Na5
Qc8 20. Nd2 Nfd7 $6 ({Better is} 20... Rb8 21. Bb3 Ba8) 21. Bb3 Rb8 22. Qa2 $1
Rf8 23. Rac1 $1 Qd8 $5 24. Nxb7 Rxb7 25. c4 $1 c6 26. cxb5 cxb5 27. Rc6 $1 g5
$5 28. Nf1 Nb8 29. Rc2 Na4 30. Ng3 a5 31. bxa5 Qxa5 32. Rec1 Na6 33. Nf5 {
White controls the position.} Rd7 34. Kh2 Kh7 35. Rc6 f6 36. Qe2 Nb8 37. Rc8
Nb6 38. Rxf8 Bxf8 39. Be6 {Filep has no serious defence.} ({Paoli analyses} 39.
Be6 Rb7 40. Qh5 Qxa3 41. Nxh6 Bxh6 42. Bf5+) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1969.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Zinser, Sylvain"]
[Black "Mista, Ladislav"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E83"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 Rb8 8. a3
Re8 $5 ({Usual is} 8... a6) 9. b4 e5 10. d5 Nd4 $5 11. Nxd4 $6 {
White should not accept the pawn.} exd4 12. Bxd4 c5 $6 (12... Nxe4 $1 13. fxe4
Qh4+ 14. g3 Rxe4+ 15. Be2 Rxd4 16. gxh4 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Bxc3+ {
leads to an unclear position.}) 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Rb1 $6 (14. Rc1 $1 {
overprotects the knight.}) 14... c5 $1 15. bxc5 $2 ({Correct is} 15. Bxf6 Bxf6
16. Qd2) 15... Nxe4 $1 16. Nxe4 Rxb1 17. Qxb1 Bxd4 18. Be2 dxc5 {
Black has a decisive positional advantage.} 19. Qb5 Re6 20. Qa4 f5 $1 21. Nf2
Bc3+ 22. Kf1 Rxe2 $1 23. Kxe2 Qd2+ {Mista delivers mate in one.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1969.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Mista, Ladislav"]
[Black "Klein, Manfred"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B35"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8.
Bb3 a5 9. Nxc6 $5 bxc6 10. e5 Nd5 $6 {Black sacrifices a pawn.} ({
The alternative will become} 10... Ne8 $5) 11. Nxd5 cxd5 12. Qxd5 Ba6 13. a4 $6
({Preferable is} 13. O-O-O {(Klein).}) 13... Qb8 $5 14. f4 e6 $5 15. Qxa5 Qb7
$5 16. Qd2 $5 d6 $1 17. exd6 Bxb2 18. Kf2 $1 Qc6 $5 (18... Bxa1 19. Rxa1 Qc6
20. c4 {can be played too.}) 19. Bd4 Bb7 20. Rhg1 Bxa1 $5 21. Bxa1 Rad8 22. Qc3
Qb6+ $5 {Exchange would be fine.} 23. Kg3 $1 f6 24. Bxe6+ Kg7 25. Qc7+ $1 Qxc7
26. dxc7 Rd6 27. Bc4 $5 Rc6 $5 28. Bd3 Rxc7 29. a5 {
White has the initiative, but Black can defend himself.} Rd8 $6 ({The passive} 
29... Ra8 {stops the passed pawns.}) 30. Rb1 Rd6 31. Kf2 Ba6 $6 ({More solid is
} 31... Rcd7 $5 32. Rb4 Ba6) 32. Rb6 $1 Bxd3 $2 (32... Rxb6 33. axb6 Bxd3 $1
34. bxc7 Bf5 {fights for the last chance.}) 33. Rxd6 Rxc2+ 34. Ke3 Bf1 35. g4
$5 (35. Rd7+ $1 Kg8 36. Bxf6 {wins for White.}) 35... Re2+ 36. Kf3 Ra2 37.
Bxf6+ Kf7 38. Bd4 $1 Rxh2 $5 ({Or} 38... Rxa5 39. Rd7+ Ke6 40. Rxh7 Ra3+ 41.
Be3 {and White has two extra pawns.}) 39. a6 Ra2 40. a7 Bg2+ 41. Kg3 Be4 42.
Rd7+ Kg8 43. Rg7+ Kf8 44. Rxh7 Ra3+ 45. Kh4 $1 g5+ $5 46. Kxg5 Bxh7 47. Bc5+ {
Mista ends the game elegantly.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 11"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1969.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Minic, Dragoljub"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B93"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1968.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 a6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. f4 Nbd7 7. Bd3 g6 8. a3
$5 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Kh1 $5 e5 $5 11. Nf3 b5 12. Qe1 Bb7 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Qh4
Qb6 15. Bh6 Nh5 $5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Ng5 Ndf6 $5 18. Rf3 h6 19. Nh3 Qe6 20.
Raf1 Rad8 21. Nd1 $5 Rd4 22. Ndf2 $5 {The white pieces become crammed.} Bc8 $5
23. Rg1 Ng4 24. Nxg4 Qxg4 25. Qe1 Bb7 26. Nf2 Qe6 27. Rf1 f5 28. c3 Rdd8 29.
Bc2 f4 30. Rh3 Kh7 31. Nd3 Rf7 $6 (31... Qe7 {prevents the next move.}) 32. Nc5
$1 Qe7 33. Nxb7 Qxb7 34. Bb3 Rfd7 35. Bd5 Rxd5 $5 {Black wants to win.} 36.
exd5 Rxd5 $6 (36... Qxd5 37. Qh4 Rd7 38. Qe1 Rd8 {repeats the position.}) 37.
Rhf3 a5 38. Qe2 a4 $5 39. Rd3 $1 Rxd3 $6 40. Qxd3 Nf6 $6 ({More active is} 
40... e4 $5 41. Qd4 e3) 41. Qf3 $5 Qxf3 $2 {
He should avoid the exchange of queens.} ({Better is} 41... Qc8) 42. gxf3 $1
Nd5 43. Rd1 $1 {White wins the endgame.} Ne3 44. Rd7+ Kg8 45. Rb7 e4 46. fxe4
f3 47. Kg1 {Mista and Radulov shared the lead at the end of the penultimate
round. Paoli and Ciocaltea joined the leaders by wins in the last round. The
final standings became: Mista, Radulov, Paoli and Ciocaltea 7/11, Ghitescu and
Minic 61/2, Damjanovic 6, Bertok 5, Zinser 4, Filep and Klein 31/2, Trincardi
3. Mista won the event on tie-break. Paoli had played his best tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 12"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1969.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Strauss, Anton"]
[Black "Bertok, Mario"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C09"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1969.12.??"]

{The twelfth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1969 until 6 i 1970.} 
1. e4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. O-O Nge7 8.
dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nb3 Bb6 11. Nbd4 Bg4 12. Be3 $2 ({Theory is} 12. Qa4)
12... Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. cxd4 Qb6 $1 15. Be2 Qxb2 16. Rb1 $1 Qxa2 17. Rxb7
Ng6 {Black has gained a pawn.} 18. h3 $5 Nf4 $1 19. Bd3 Bxf3 $5 20. Qxf3 Ne6 $6
{He should exchange.} 21. Qg4 $5 Qd2 22. Rd1 Qf4 23. Bf5 $5 Qxg4 24. Bxg4 Rfb8
25. Rd7 Rd8 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 {
Bertok has winning chances in the rook ending.} 28. Ra1 Rd7 29. f4 Kf7 30. Kf2
Kf6 31. Ra6 Rb7 32. g4 g6 33. Rc6 $2 (33. Ra3 {defends naturally.}) 33... h6
34. Rc8 Rb2+ 35. Kf3 Rb3+ 36. Kg2 Rd3 37. Rf8+ Kg7 38. Ra8 Rxd4 39. g5 $5 {
He should capture.} Rxf4 $5 40. Rxa7+ Rf7 41. gxh6+ Kg8 42. Ra6 Rf6 $5 43. Ra7
Rf7 44. Ra6 Re7 $1 45. Kg3 Kh7 46. Kf4 e5+ 47. Kg5 $5 e4 $1 48. Kf6 Re8 {
White cannot stop the passed pawns.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 12"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1969.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mariotti, Sergio"]
[Black "Zichichi, Alvise"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A84"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1969.12.??"]

{Mariotti was the great surprise of the tournament.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3
f5 4. h4 $5 ({Usual is} 4. Nf3) 4... c6 5. Bg5 Nf6 6. e3 Be7 7. Nh3 O-O 8. Nf4
Qa5 $6 ({Better is} 8... Ne4) 9. a3 Rf7 10. b4 Qc7 11. Rc1 Qd8 {
Black develops in a strange manner.} 12. Qb3 Na6 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Ncxd5 cxd5
15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. Bd3 Nc7 17. g4 $5 Ne8 $2 ({Correct is} 17... fxg4 18. Qd1 Qd6
19. Qxg4 e5 20. dxe5 Qxb4+ 21. axb4 Bxg4) 18. gxf5 $1 Nf6 $5 19. Qb1 e5 20.
dxe5 Rxe5 21. h5 Ne4 22. Qb2 Ng5 23. Kf1 Nf7 24. Ng6 $5 hxg6 25. hxg6 Qf6 26.
gxf7+ Kxf7 27. Rc7+ Re7 28. Qxf6+ Kxf6 29. Rxe7 Kxe7 30. Rh8 $1 {
White has an extra pawn and a positional advantage.} b6 31. Kg2 Bb7 32. Rxa8
Bxa8 33. Kg3 Bc6 34. Kf4 Kf6 35. f3 Ba4 36. e4 Bd1 37. e5+ Ke7 38. Ke3 (38. Kg5
$1 Bxf3 39. Kg6 Kf8 40. e6 Bg4 41. e7+ {wins more quickly.}) 38... Kf7 39. f4
Ke7 40. Kd4 Bf3 41. Bc2 Bg2 42. Bb3 Be4 43. Bxd5 Bxf5 44. Be4 Bd7 45. Bd3 Bc6
46. f5 Bb7 47. Ke3 Bc6 48. Kf4 Ba4 49. Kg5 Be8 50. b5 Bf7 51. e6 Be8 52. a4 $1
g6 53. fxg6 Kxe6 54. Bc4+ Ke7 55. g7 Bf7 56. Bxf7 Kxf7 57. Kh6 Kg8 58. Kg6 {
It is not stalemate.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 12"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Zichichi, Alvise"]
[Black "Damjanovic, Mato"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B25"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1969.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. Nd5 e6 7. Ne3 Nge7 8. a4 $5
({Zichichi played the immediate} 8. Ne2 {in other games.}) 8... O-O 9. Ne2 d5
$1 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 $5 exd5 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Nd4 15. Qd1
Re8 16. Kh2 {White plays wait and see.} Qd7 17. c3 Nc6 18. Bf4 Be5 19. Bd2 h5
20. Qf3 Rad8 21. Rae1 Re6 22. Kh1 Bg7 23. Rxe6 fxe6 $5 24. g4 $5 Qf7 25. Qe2
hxg4 26. hxg4 Be5 27. f4 Bc7 28. Bh3 Kg7 29. Kg2 Re8 30. g5 a5 $6 {
Black weakens his position.} 31. Bg4 Bd6 32. Qe1 Nd8 33. b4 b6 $6 {
He should exchange.} 34. bxa5 bxa5 35. c4 $1 d4 $5 36. Bxa5 Bxf4 37. Bxd8 Rxd8
38. Bxe6 Qc7 39. Bd5 $1 {The black position has become hopeless.} Rb8 40. Qh4
Rb2+ 41. Rf2 Rxf2+ 42. Kxf2 Kf8 43. Qh8+ Ke7 44. Qf6+ Kd7 45. Qe6+ Kd8 46. Qxg6
Be3+ 47. Kg2 Qa5 48. Qf6+ Kd7 49. Be6+ Kc7 50. Qe7+ Kb8 51. Bd5 Kc8 52. Bc6 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 12"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Klein, Manfred"]
[Black "Mariotti, Sergio"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B96"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1969.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 b5 8. e5
dxe5 9. fxe5 Qc7 10. exf6 Qe5+ 11. Be2 Qxg5 12. O-O Qe5 $5 ({
Polugaevsky played the line} 12... Ra7 13. Qd3 Rd7 14. Ne4 Qe5) 13. Re1 Qxf6
14. Bf3 Ra7 15. Nc6 $2 ({Better is} 15. Nd5 $5 Qg5 16. Qd3) 15... Nxc6 16.
Bxc6+ Bd7 17. Qd5 $1 Qe7 $1 18. Bxd7+ Qxd7 19. Qh5 Qc6 {
Black has stopped the attack and gained a pawn.} 20. a4 b4 21. Ne4 Be7 22. c4
$5 Qxc4 23. Qg4 (23. Rac1 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 O-O {also wins for Black.}) 23... Qd4+
24. Kh1 O-O 25. Rad1 Qxb2 26. Rd3 f5 {Klein loses a lot of material.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 12"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Mariotti, Sergio"]
[Black "Troianescu, Octav"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A43"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1969.12.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 exd5 4. cxd5 d6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Nf3 Bg7 7. Nd2 $5 a6 8. a4
Nd7 9. Nce4 ({The alternative is} 9. e4) 9... Ndf6 10. Nxf6+ Nxf6 11. Nc4 $5 ({
Preferable is} 11. e4) 11... b6 $5 12. g3 O-O 13. Bg2 Bb7 14. Bf4 Ne8 15. Qd2
Rb8 16. O-O Qc7 17. Rfc1 Bc8 18. Ra2 Bd7 $2 ({Correct is} 18... b5 19. axb5
axb5 20. Na5 Ra8) 19. b4 $1 b5 20. axb5 axb5 21. Nxd6 Nxd6 22. bxc5 Nc4 23.
Bxc7 Nxd2 24. Bxb8 Rxb8 25. Rxd2 {White has gained material.} b4 26. c6 Bc3 27.
cxd7 $1 {Mariotti took the sole lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 12"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Micheli, Carlo"]
[Black "Kozma, Julius"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B10"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1969.12.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 e5 6. Ngf3 Ne7 7. O-O O-O 8. b4 a5
9. bxa5 Qxa5 10. Bb2 Qc7 $5 ({The alternative is} 10... d4 {
(Stein - Hort, Sousse 1967).}) 11. Re1 d4 $1 12. c3 dxc3 13. Bxc3 c5 {
Black has gained an edge.} 14. a4 Rd8 15. Qc2 ({Preferable is} 15. Qb1 $1 Nec6
16. Nc4 $1) 15... Nec6 $1 16. Bf1 ({The pointe is} 16. Nc4 Nb4 $1 17. Bxb4 cxb4
) 16... Na6 {Both black knights become active on the queenside.} 17. h4 $6 {
He moves on the wrong flank.} Nab4 18. Qb1 b6 19. Rc1 Qe7 20. Nc4 Rb8 21. Na3
Bg4 22. Nh2 Be6 23. Nb5 Rd7 24. Bd2 Rbd8 25. Ra3 c4 $6 26. Be3 $6 (26. d4 $1
exd4 27. Bxc4 {counters.}) 26... Nxd3 27. Bxd3 $5 Rxd3 28. Rxd3 Rxd3 29. Bxb6
$2 Nd4 $1 30. Rd1 Rb3 31. Qa1 c3 $1 32. Kg2 ({Or} 32. Bxd4 exd4 33. Nxd4 Bxd4
34. Rxd4 c2) 32... Qb7 33. Nxd4 exd4 34. Bxd4 c2 35. Rd2 Qxe4+ 36. f3 Bxd4 $1
37. fxe4 Bxa1 38. Rxc2 Ra3 39. g4 Rxa4 40. Kf3 Be5 {The final standings became:
Mariotti 71/2/11, Kozma, Bertok and Zichichi 7, Damjanovic 61/2, Wagman 6,
Mista 51/2, Troianescu 41/2, Filep and Strauss 4, Klein and Micheli 31/2. So
the event led to an Italian success.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Benko, Pal"]
[Black "Cardoso, Radolfo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

{The thirteenth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 26 xii 1970 until 10 i 1971.
Sixteen strong players participated.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4
Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. a4 a6 7. Nc3 d6 8. Nd5 Ba7 9. Be2 Be6 $5 ({The alternative is
} 9... Nf6) 10. c4 Bxd5 11. cxd5 Ne5 12. O-O Nf6 $5 13. Qc2 Nfd7 $5 {
The black pieces hinder each other.} 14. Bd2 O-O 15. Bc3 Bb6 $5 16. a5 Ba7 17.
Nd4 Re8 18. Kh1 Bxd4 19. Bxd4 c5 20. Bc3 $5 Qh4 21. f3 Rab8 22. Ra3 Rec8 $6 ({
Preferable is} 22... Rbc8 $5 23. f4 Ng6) 23. f4 $1 Ng4 $2 ({Better is} 23...
Ng6 $1 {(Paoli) but} 24. e5 $1 dxe5 25. fxe5 {favours White.}) 24. Bxg4 Qxg4
25. Bxg7 $1 Qxg7 26. Rg3 Qxg3 27. hxg3 {White has gained material.} b5 28. e5
dxe5 29. Qf5 {Benko utilised a blunder.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.12.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Parma, Bruno"]
[Black "Benko, Pal"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

{The two strongest players met in round three.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Bb6 7. O-O Nc6 8. Qe2 d6 9. Be3 Nf6 10. c4 O-O 11.
Nc3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 b6 13. Rfd1 Rb8 $5 (13... Qc7 {
was played in Hecht - Hübner, Kiel 1967.}) 14. Be2 Qe7 $6 ({Preferable is} 
14... Qc7 15. Rd2 Rd8 16. Rad1 Bb7) 15. Rd2 $1 Rd8 16. Rad1 Rd7 17. f4 e5 18.
f5 h6 19. g4 Qd8 20. Bf3 b5 21. cxb5 axb5 22. g5 {White has the initiative.}
hxg5 23. Qxg5 b4 24. Nd5 Nxd5 25. Qxd8+ Nxd8 26. Rxd5 Rb6 $2 (26... Nb7 $1 {
protects the weakling on d6 and prevents 27.Na5.}) 27. Na5 $1 Nb7 $6 ({Wiser is
} 27... Ra6 28. Nc4 Nb7) 28. Rc1 $1 Nc5 29. Nc4 Ra6 30. Nxd6 $1 Rdxd6 31. Rcxc5
{White has gained a pawn.} Bd7 32. Be2 Rxd5 33. Rxd5 Ra7 34. Bc4 Rc7 35. Bb3
Kf8 36. Rxe5 Rc1+ 37. Kf2 Bc6 $2 (37... Rb1 38. Rc5 Rxb2+ {regains a pawn.})
38. Ke3 Rb1 39. Rc5 Be8 40. Rc2 f6 41. Kd4 Re1 42. Bd5 Ba4 43. b3 Bb5 44. Rc7
Rd1+ 45. Kc5 Rc1+ 46. Kb6 Rxc7 47. Kxc7 Bd3 48. Kd6 Bb1 49. Kc5 Bxa2 50. Kxb4
Ke7 51. Kc5 {Parma showed his superior positional play.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1970.12.30"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Masera, Umberto"]
[Black "Benko, Pal"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A57"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 {He plays the Benko Gambit.} 4. b3 $5 ({
Masera avoids the usual} 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6) 4... bxc4 5. bxc4 d6 6. Nc3
g6 7. Bb2 $5 Bg7 8. f3 $2 {White develops to slowly.} ({Better is} 8. e3) 8...
Nbd7 9. e4 Rb8 10. Qc2 $5 Qa5 $1 {Black threatens ..Nxd5!} 11. Kf2 $2 (11. Rc1
O-O 12. Kf2 {avoids a disaster.}) 11... Nxe4+ $1 {He strikes.} 12. fxe4 Rxb2 $1
13. Qxb2 Bxc3 14. Qc1 Nf6 15. Nf3 Nxe4+ 16. Ke3 Bxa1 17. Qxa1 Nf6 {
Pal has gained two pawns.} 18. Bd3 O-O 19. h3 Ba6 20. Rb1 e5 21. dxe6 fxe6 22.
Rb3 Qc7 23. Ra3 Bc8 24. Qb2 d5 25. Qe5 Ng4+ $1 {Benko wins even more material.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1971.01.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Parma, Bruno"]
[Black "Mashian, Yaacov"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C05"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Ne4 5. Bd3 Nxd2 6. Bxd2 c5 7. dxc5 $5 Nc6 8.
Nf3 Bxc5 9. O-O h6 $5 10. a3 O-O 11. b4 Bb6 12. Qe2 f5 $5 13. exf6 $5 Qxf6 14.
c4 dxc4 $6 ({Preferable is} 14... Nd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. Rad1 Bd7) 15. Bxc4 Kh8
16. Rae1 e5 $2 (16... Bd7 {continues the development.}) 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Qxe5
Bxf2+ 19. Kh1 Bg4 $5 20. Qxf6 Rxf6 21. Re4 Bh5 22. Bc3 Rf3 $1 23. Ba1 Rc8 $4 (
23... Rxa3 24. Re7 Rxa1 $1 25. Rxa1 Bd4 {
offers more resistance (Mashian and Parma).}) 24. Be2 $1 {Parma scored well.} (
{The pointe is} 24. Be2 Rf5 25. g4 $1) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1971.01.05"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Parma, Bruno"]
[Black "Trincardi, Tullio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B65"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Bc4 h6 12. Bh4 e5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Qd3
Qc5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nd5 Bd8 $5 ({The alternative is} 16... Bg5+) 17. Kb1 Be6
18. Bb3 b5 $6 ({Preferable is} 18... a5 19. Ba4 Rc8) 19. Qg3 $1 a5 $5 20. a3 $5
(20. Qxe5 Rc8 21. a4 {gains an advantage.}) 20... a4 21. Ba2 Rc8 22. c3 f6 23.
Ne3 Bxa2+ 24. Kxa2 Rc7 {Black has the bad bishop.} 25. Kb1 Kh7 26. Qf3 Qc6 27.
Nd5 Rcf7 28. g4 Be7 29. h4 Bd6 30. Rh2 Qc4 31. Ne3 Qe6 32. Rd5 Rb8 33. h5 Rc7
34. Rhd2 Bxa3 $2 (34... Bc5 35. Nf5 Rbc8 {defends properly.}) 35. bxa3 Rxc3 36.
Qf5+ $1 Qxf5 37. Nxf5 b4 $5 38. Rd7 Rb3+ 39. Rb2 bxa3 40. Rxb3 Rxb3+ ({Or} 
40... axb3 41. Rxg7+ Kh8 42. Ra7) 41. Ka2 Rb4 42. Nxg7 Kg8 43. Ne8 Rb2+ 44.
Kxa3 Rf2 45. Kxa4 Rf4 46. Kb5 $1 Kf8 47. Nd6 Kg8 48. Rf7 Rxe4 49. Nxe4 Kxf7 50.
Kc6 Ke6 51. Nc5+ Ke7 52. Kd5 f5 53. gxf5 {White has an extra piece.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1971.01.06"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Benko, Pal"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B60"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Bd7 7. Bc4 Qa5 8.
Bxf6 gxf6 9. Nb3 Qg5 10. g3 f5 11. f4 Qg6 12. Bd5 Bg7 13. Qe2 $5 (13. Qd2 {
drew in Barczay - Stein, Kecskemet 1968.}) 13... fxe4 14. Bxe4 Bf5 15. Bxf5
Qxf5 16. O-O-O Bxc3 17. bxc3 O-O-O {
The chances are about equal, but Black will take advantage of the weak pawns.}
18. Qc4 $6 (18. Nd4 $1 Nxd4 19. cxd4 {restores the pawn structure.}) 18... Kb8
$1 19. Rd5 Qe6 20. Rhd1 Rc8 21. Qd3 Rc7 22. Rd2 h6 23. Re2 Qg4 24. Nd4 Nxd4 25.
cxd4 {Paoli has improved his position, but Benko keeps the initiative.} Rhc8
26. Rb5 Qd7 27. Rb3 Rc4 28. c3 R8c7 29. Kb2 {He protects the weakling c3.} a5
30. Rc2 Qc6 31. g4 $2 ({Better is} 31. d5 Qc5 32. a3) 31... e6 $2 (31... a4 $1
32. Rb4 a3+ $1 33. Kb3 d5 {wins for Black.}) 32. a3 Qd5 $1 33. h3 $6 e5 $1 34.
fxe5 dxe5 35. Qf5 $2 (35. Rd2 a4 36. Rb4 e4 37. Qe3 Rxc3 38. Qxc3 Rxc3 39. Kxc3
{prolongs the game.}) 35... a4 $1 36. Rb6 Rxc3 $1 37. Rxc3 Qxd4 38. Qd3 (38.
Rxb7+ Kxb7 39. Qf3+ Kb6 {wins for Black (Paoli).}) 38... Qxb6+ 39. Ka1 Rxc3 40.
Qxc3 Qd4 41. Kb2 b5 42. Kc2 Qxc3+ 43. Kxc3 Kc7 {
Benko will win the pawn ending easily.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 13"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1971.01.08"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Masera, Umberto"]
[Black "Parma, Bruno"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1970.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. Qc2 Bxd2+ 6. Nbxd2 d6 7. e4 e5 8.
Bd3 $5 ({Usual is} 8. d5 O-O 9. Be2) 8... O-O 9. d5 $6 ({Preferable is} 9. c5)
9... a5 10. O-O Na6 $1 11. a3 Bd7 12. Qc3 a4 $1 13. b4 axb3 14. Nxb3 Ba4 15.
Nfd2 Nd7 16. Bc2 Nac5 17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxa4 Rxa4 {
Black has achieved a positional edge.} 19. f3 Rfa8 20. Ra2 Qg5 21. Nb1 $5 f5
22. Nd2 f4 23. Nb1 Qh4 24. Rc2 R4a6 25. Ra2 Rb6 26. Nd2 h5 27. Rb1 Raa6 {
Both players have no plan.} 28. Rxb6 $4 Qe1+ $1 {The final standings became:
Parma 111/2/15, Benko 101/2, Damjanovic and Soltis 10, Barczay 91/2, Popov,
Ghitescu and Mista 9, Czerniak 71/2, Trincardi 7, Paoli 61/2, Mihaljcisin 6,
Cosulich 51/2, Mashian 41/2, Masera 3, Cardoso 11/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 14"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1971.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Masic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Soltis, Andrew"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "2310"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1971.12.??"]

{The fourteenth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1971 until 6 i 1972.
Twelve men participated in the main group.} 1. c4 Nc6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2
Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. Nge2 f5 7. d3 Nf6 8. O-O O-O 9. Rb1 Be6 $5 10. Nd5 Qd7 11. b4
Rae8 12. b5 Nd8 13. Qa4 $5 a6 $1 14. Qa5 Bxd5 15. cxd5 axb5 16. Qxb5 Qxb5 17.
Rxb5 {White has the initiative.} b6 18. Be3 $6 ({Preferable is} 18. Bd2 $5 Nb7
19. exf5 gxf5 20. Rc1) 18... Ng4 19. Bd2 Nb7 20. f4 $2 ({Correct is} 20. f3 Nf6
21. a4) 20... Ra8 $1 {Black will gain a pawn.} 21. h3 $6 Rxa2 $1 22. Rd1 Ne3 $1
23. Nc1 (23. Bxe3 Rxe2 24. Bd2 exf4 25. Kf1 f3 26. Bxf3 Rxd2 27. Rxd2 fxe4 {
also wins for Black.}) 23... Nxd1 24. Nxa2 exf4 25. gxf4 Ra8 26. Nc1 Ra1 27.
Kh2 Bc3 28. Nb3 Rb1 29. Bxc3 Nxc3 30. Rb4 Na5 $1 31. Nxa5 Rxb4 32. Nc6 Ra4 33.
e5 Kf8 34. d4 Ne2 35. e6 Nxd4 36. e7+ Ke8 37. Bf1 Ra2+ 38. Kg3 Nxc6 {
Soltis scored 3/4.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 14"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kovacs, Laszlo"]
[Black "Soltis, Andrew"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B34"]
[WhiteElo "2390"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1971.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. Nd5 Nf6 {
They apply an ancient line.} 8. Nxf6+ $5 (8. Nb5 Nxd5 9. exd5 Ne5 {
was played in Gunsberg - Bird, Hereford 1885.}) 8... Bxf6 9. c3 O-O 10. Be2 Bd7
11. O-O Rc8 12. Rc1 Qa5 13. a3 Rfd8 $6 14. Nb5 $1 {White threatens 15.b4!} Re8
15. b4 Qd8 16. c4 Be6 17. f4 a6 18. Nc3 Nb8 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Nc6 21. Qd2
e5 22. Bg4 Ra8 23. Qf2 exf4 24. Qxf4 Ne5 25. Rcd1 $6 ({Better is} 25. Be2)
25... Nxc4 $1 26. Bc5 $6 Qe7 $1 27. Be2 $2 (27. Bxd6 $1 {(Soltis)} Bg5 $1 28.
Bxe7 Bxf4 29. Rxf4 Rxe7 30. Rd3 {slightly favours Black.}) 27... Be5 $1 28. Qc1
b5 $6 (28... Nxa3 29. Qxa3 dxc5 30. bxc5 Rac8 {wins for Black.}) 29. Bxc4 bxc4
30. Be3 $6 (30. Bd4 $1 Rac8 31. Qc3 {counters in the centre.}) 30... Rac8 31.
Bg5 Qb7 $1 32. Rd5 c3 33. Qc2 Rc4 34. Qd3 Rxe4 $1 35. Kh1 ({The pointe is} 35.
Qxe4 Bxh2+ $1 36. Kxh2 Rxe4) 35... Rg4 36. Bc1 Qc6 37. Qf3 Qd7 38. Ra5 Bg7 39.
Rxa6 Rge4 $1 40. Ra8 d5 41. Rxe8+ Qxe8 42. b5 $5 Qxb5 43. Qxf7+ Kh8 44. a4 Qc6
45. h3 Re8 46. Qf3 Rf8 47. Qd3 Rxf1+ 48. Qxf1 Qxa4 49. Qf7 Qe4 50. Bf4 c2 51.
Qc7 h6 52. Kh2 Kh7 53. h4 {Soltis led by 41/2/6.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 14"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Damjanovic, Mato"]
[Black "Skalkotas, Nikolaos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B36"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2260"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1971.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Be2 Nxd4 8.
Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 Bd7 11. f3 Qa5 12. O-O Rfc8 13. Rac1 Be6 14. b3 a6
15. Rc2 Nd7 $6 (15... b5 $1 {
was played in Polugaevsky - Matulovic, Kapfenberg 1970.}) 16. Rfc1 Rab8 17. Bf1
Rc6 18. g3 Rbc8 19. Nd5 Qxd2 20. Bxd2 Kf8 21. Bg5 Nf6 22. Bd3 h6 23. Be3 Nd7
24. b4 Bxd5 $6 (24... b5 $1 25. cxb5 Rxc2 26. Rxc2 Rxc2 27. Bxc2 axb5 {
liberates the black position.}) 25. exd5 R6c7 26. a4 $5 Ne5 $5 27. Be2 Nd7 $5
28. a5 $5 e6 29. dxe6 fxe6 30. Kg2 Ke7 31. f4 d5 32. Bb6 $6 (32. Bd3 $1 Kf6 $6
33. b5 {keeps the advantage.}) 32... Nxb6 33. axb6 Rc6 34. c5 e5 $4 ({
Correct is} 34... Bd4) 35. fxe5 Bxe5 36. Bf3 Rd8 37. Rd1 Ke6 38. Re2 $1 {
Damjanovic played solidly.} (38. Re2 Kf6 39. Rxd5 Rxd5 40. Bxd5 {
crushes the opponent.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 14"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Richter, Yosef"]
[Black "Soltis, Andrew"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "2385"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1971.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Bc4
O-O 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. h4 Rc8 11. Bb3 h5 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. Kb1 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4
15. Nb3 Qc7 16. Bd4 Bc6 $5 {Soltis makes a new move in the Dragon.} (16... Be6
{was played in Musil - Baretic, Cateske Toplice 1968.}) 17. Qe2 b5 $1 18. e5
dxe5 $2 ({Preferable is} 18... Nd5 19. exd6 Qxd6 20. Bxg7 Kxg7) 19. Bxe5 Qb6
20. Nd2 Rc5 $5 (20... Rxc3 $5 21. Bxc3 b4 {counters.}) 21. Bd4 b4 $2 ({
Correct is} 21... Nd7 22. Bxc5 Nxc5) 22. Bxc5 $2 (22. Nc4 Qa6 23. Bxc5 bxc3 24.
b3 {wins for White.}) 22... Qxc5 {
Black has compensation for the exchange, due to the two bishops.} 23. Nb3 Qb6
24. Ne4 Nxe4 25. fxe4 a5 26. e5 Rc8 27. Rhe1 a4 28. Nc1 a3 29. Qe3 Qa6 $6 30.
bxa3 $2 (30. b3 {keeps the queenside closed.}) 30... bxa3 31. Rd3 Bxg2 $1 32.
Rxa3 Qc4 33. Re2 Bd5 $1 34. Qd3 (34. Rd3 $1 Qb5+ 35. Nb3 {defends properly.})
34... Qb4+ 35. Rb3 (35. Ka1 Rb8 {wins for Black (Paoli).}) 35... Bxb3 36. axb3
Qa5 $5 37. Qd4 $5 Rd8 38. Qf4 Ra8 39. Qd4 Bh6 $1 40. c4 Rd8 $1 41. Qb2 Rd1 42.
Rc2 Be3 43. b4 Qa8 44. Qc3 $2 Bd4 $1 45. Ra2 Qxa2+ $1 {Soltis scored well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 14"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Trincardi, Tullio"]
[Black "Damjanovic, Mato"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E41"]
[WhiteElo "2265"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "212"]
[EventDate "1971.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d6 8.
O-O e5 9. Ng5 Qe7 10. Qc2 Bd7 $5 11. f4 O-O-O 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. d5 Na5 14. e4
h6 15. Nf3 Ne8 16. Be3 b6 17. Rab1 Nd6 18. Nd2 Kc7 19. Qd1 Rhf8 20. Qe2 Rc8 21.
Nb3 Ndb7 22. Qb2 Kd8 23. Rbd1 Qd6 24. Rd2 f6 25. Rdf2 Rh8 26. Qd2 h5 27. Be2
Kc7 28. Qc1 Be8 29. Qa3 Kd8 30. Qc1 Rc7 31. Bd3 Kc8 32. Qd1 Qd7 33. Rb2 Bg6 34.
Qf3 Qg4 35. Qxg4+ hxg4 36. Bf2 Be8 37. Re1 Bd7 38. Re3 Kd8 39. Rg3 Bc8 40. Be2
Nxb3 41. axb3 Nd6 42. Bd3 Bd7 43. Re3 Ke7 44. Ra2 Rb7 45. Re1 Bc8 $6 46. Rea1
a5 47. Be3 Bd7 48. Bf2 Ra8 49. Kf1 $6 (49. b4 $1 {gains a pawn.}) 49... Be8 50.
Ke2 Bg6 51. Ke3 Rba7 52. Bg3 Kd7 53. Ra3 Kc7 54. b4 Kb8 55. Be1 Kb7 56. R1a2
Kc7 57. Ra1 Bh7 58. Bg3 Kb8 59. Be1 Bg6 60. Ra4 Be8 61. R4a3 a4 62. b5 $2 {
White should keep the pressure.} ({Better is} 62. Bf2 $5 Bg6 63. Kd2) 62... Bg6
63. Bg3 Kc7 64. R1a2 Ra5 65. Ra1 R8a7 66. R1a2 Bxe4 $1 67. Bxe4 Nxc4+ 68. Ke2
$5 Nxa3 69. Rxa3 Rxb5 70. Bc2 Rb2 71. Kd1 b5 72. Kc1 Rxc2+ 73. Kxc2 Kd6 74. c4
bxc4 $6 75. Kc3 Kxd5 76. Ra1 a3 77. Rd1+ Kc6 78. Kxc4 Ra4+ 79. Kb3 Kb5 80. Ka2
Rd4 $1 81. Rb1+ $5 Ka4 $1 82. Rb7 Rd2+ 83. Kb1 Rxg2 84. Rxg7 Kb3 85. Rb7+ Kc4
86. Rf7 Kb3 87. Rb7+ Kc3 88. Rf7 e4 $1 89. Rxf6 a2+ 90. Ka1 e3 91. Re6 e2 92.
Re8 c4 93. Re7 Kd3 94. Rd7+ Ke3 95. Re7+ Kd3 96. Rd7+ Kc2 97. Re7 Kb3 98. Rb7+
Kc2 99. Re7 Kd3 100. Rd7+ Ke4 101. Re7+ Kf5 $2 102. Be1 $2 (102. Re5+ $1 Kf6
103. Re3 c3 104. Be5+ Kg5 105. Bxc3 Rxh2 106. Be1 {
will be hard to win for Black.}) 102... Rxh2 103. Kxa2 g3 $1 104. Rg7 g2 105.
Kb2 Rh1 106. Rxg2 Rxe1 {Damjanovic struggled for the points, but he could not
catch up with Soltis. The final standings became: Soltis 81/2/11, Damjanovic
71/2, Lombard 7, Kovacs 61/2, Masic and Garcia Martinez 6, Klein and Richter 5,
Trincardi and Travnicek 4, Cappello 31/2, Skalkotas 3.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 15"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Torre, Eugenio"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "152"]
[EventDate "1972.12.??"]

{The fifteenth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1972 until 6 i 1973.
Competition at the top would be hard.} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6
5. f3 b5 6. a4 b4 7. Na2 a5 8. c3 bxc3 $5 9. Nxc3 Bg7 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Nge2 Ba6
12. g4 Nbd7 13. h4 e5 $1 14. h5 $1 exd4 15. Nxd4 Ne5 16. Be2 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 Re8
18. hxg6 fxg6 $1 19. O-O-O d5 $1 {Both sides attack.} 20. g5 Nh5 21. Rxh5 $5 {
Paoli was a strong man.} gxh5 22. Nf5 Qc7 $5 23. f4 $2 ({Better is} 23. Bd4 Bf8
24. Kb1) 23... Ng4 $1 24. e5 $2 Bxe5 25. fxe5 Qxe5 26. Rf1 c5 $2 ({
Torre does not dare to play the adventurous} 26... Nxe3 $1 27. Nh6+ Kg7 $1 28.
Rf7+ Kg6 $1 29. Rf6+ Kxg5 30. Nf7+ Kxf6 31. Nxe5 Rxe5 {and Black wins.}) 27.
Qd3 d4 28. Qc4+ $6 Kh8 $6 29. Bd2 $1 Rf8 30. Nh6 Rxf1+ 31. Qxf1 Nxh6 32. gxh6
h4 $6 33. Ne4 $1 Rg8 $2 34. Bxa5 $2 {Blunders are made under time pressure.} (
34. Bf4 $1 Qxe4 $2 35. Bg5 {wins for White.}) 34... h3 35. Bc7 Qe6 36. Qd3 h2
$2 {Pawn h6 should be captured at once.} 37. Bxh2 Qxh6+ 38. Qd2 Qxd2+ 39. Nxd2
h5 40. Kc2 $6 (40. Bd6 Rc8 41. Ne4 {tries to win.}) 40... h4 41. Kd3 h3 42. a5
Rg2 43. a6 Rg6 44. a7 Ra6 45. Ne4 Rxa7 46. Nxc5 Ra2 47. Kc2 Kg8 48. Nd3 Ra1 49.
Nc1 Kf7 50. Ne2 Rh1 51. Be5 $2 {White loses a fatal tempo.} ({Correct is} 51.
Bg3 h2 52. Bxh2 Rxh2 53. Kd3 Ke6 54. Nxd4+) 51... Ke6 $1 52. Bb8 h2 53. Nxd4+
Kd5 $1 54. Ne2 Rc1+ $1 55. Nxc1 h1=Q 56. b3 Qh7+ 57. Kd2 Ke4 58. Bg3 Qh1 59.
Bb8 Qg1 60. Kc2 Qc5+ 61. Kb2 Qd4+ 62. Kb1 Ke3 63. Bc7 Kd2 64. Ba5+ Kd1 65. Na2
Qe4+ 66. Kb2 Qe5+ 67. Bc3 Qe2+ 68. Ka3 Kc2 69. Ba5 Qe7+ 70. Nb4+ Kc3 71. Ka4
Qd7+ 72. Ka3 Qb5 73. Nc6+ Kd3 74. Nb4+ Kd2 75. Bd8 Qe5 $1 76. Bb6 Qa1+ {
Torre made a good start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 15"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Bisguier, Arthur"]
[Black "Torre, Eugenio"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2430"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1972.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. f4 Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. Nc3 Nge7 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 Nc6 8.
Qf2 Be7 $5 (8... Bb4 {was played in Zukertort - Paulsen, Frankfurt 1887.}) 9.
Be3 O-O 10. Rd1 $5 (10. O-O-O $1 {will become a novelty.}) 10... Qa5 11. Bc4 b5
$1 12. Bb3 $1 (12. Bxb5 $6 Rb8 13. a4 a6 14. Bxc6 Rxb2 15. Bd4 dxc6 {
slightly favours Black.}) 12... b4 13. Ne2 Qc7 14. O-O Na5 15. Ng3 Nxb3 16.
axb3 Bb7 17. f5 $5 f6 18. Rd2 Bc6 19. Rfd1 e5 20. Bc5 $5 Bxc5 21. Qxc5 Qb6 22.
Qxb6 axb6 {Both sides have weaknesses.} 23. Kf2 Ra7 24. Rb1 $6 {
White loses a tempo.} (24. Ke3 $1 Ra2 25. Nh1 $1 Rxb2 26. Nf2 Bb5 27. Rd5 Bc6
28. R5d2 {leads to a repetition.}) 24... Rfa8 25. Ke3 Ra1 26. Rxa1 Rxa1 27. Ne2
Rh1 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 28. h3 g6 29. c4 $6 ({Preferable is} 29.
fxg6 hxg6 30. Ng3 Re1+ 31. Re2) 29... gxf5 $1 30. exf5 Kf7 31. Ng3 Rg1 32. Re2
Rxg2 33. Rxg2 Bxg2 {Torre has gained a pawn.} 34. h4 Ke7 35. Ne2 Bh3 36. Ng3
Bg4 37. Kd2 Bf3 38. Nf1 d5 $1 {He can make the liberating move at last.} 39.
Ne3 ({Or} 39. cxd5 Bxd5 40. Ne3 Bxb3 41. Kd3 b5) 39... d4 $1 40. Nc2 Kd6 41.
Nxb4 Bb7 42. Nd3 e4 43. Nf4 Ke5 44. Ne6 e3+ 45. Ke2 Ke4 46. c5 d3+ 47. Kd1 Ke5
$1 {Torre won for the second time.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 15"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1972.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wagman, Stuart"]
[Black "Popov, Luben"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B03"]
[WhiteElo "2330"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1972.12.??"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Bf5 7. Nc3 e6 8. Nf3
Bg4 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd2 Be7 11. O-O-O Qd7 12. d5 $6 {White sacrifices a pawn.} (
{Usual is} 12. h3) 12... Bxf3 13. gxf3 Nxe5 14. Bxb6 $5 axb6 15. Bh3 O-O 16.
Qe2 Bd6 17. dxe6 Qc6 $1 ({The pointe is} 17... fxe6 $4 18. Qxe5 $1) 18. exf7+
Nxf7 {White regains the pawn, but Black has a positional edge.} 19. Be6 Rae8
20. Bd5 $5 Qd7 $6 (20... Rxe2 $5 21. Bxc6 Rxh2 22. Rxh2 Bxh2 23. Bxb7 Be5 {
keeps a plus.}) 21. Qc2 Bf4+ 22. Kb1 c6 23. Be4 Qh3 24. Qb3 Be5 25. Qxb6 $6 ({
Better is} 25. Na4) 25... Bxc3 26. bxc3 Ng5 $1 27. Rhg1 h6 $5 28. Qd4 $5 Re7 $5
29. Rd2 Nxf3 30. Bxf3 Qxf3 31. Rdg2 $6 ({Preferable is} 31. Rgg2 Qe4+ 32. Kb2)
31... Rff7 32. Qd8+ Kh7 33. Qd4 Rd7 34. Qe5 $5 Qd3+ 35. Kb2 Qxc4 36. Qg3 $5 Rf6
37. Qh3 $5 Rdf7 $5 38. Qe3 Qb5+ 39. Kc2 Qa4+ 40. Kb2 Qc4 41. Qg3 $5 c5 $5 42.
Qe3 $4 {Probably, blunders were made under time pressure.} Rb6+ 43. Ka1 Rf1+ {
Popov scored his first win.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 15"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1973.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wagman, Stuart"]
[Black "Lengyel, Levente"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B48"]
[WhiteElo "2330"]
[BlackElo "2455"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1972.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Qc7 7. f4 b5 8. Nb3
d6 9. Bd3 Nf6 10. a3 Be7 11. O-O Bb7 12. Qf3 b4 13. axb4 Nxb4 14. Qh3 O-O 15.
Nd4 $5 ({Theory is} 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Qxe5) 15... d5 16. e5 Ne4 {
An endless manoeuvring in the central area starts.} 17. Nce2 Bc5 18. Rf3 Rae8
19. Kh1 f5 20. Rg1 Rf7 21. g4 fxg4 22. Rxg4 g6 23. Qg2 Rg7 24. Rf1 $5 Kh8 $5
25. Rg1 Bf8 26. h4 Qf7 27. Kh2 Nc5 28. Nc1 Rc8 29. Bf1 Rc7 30. c3 Nc6 31. Nd3
Ne4 32. Be2 Ne7 33. h5 $1 {The attack begins at last.} Nf5 34. Nxf5 gxf5 35.
Rxg7 Bxg7 36. Bd4 Bh6 37. Qf3 Bc6 38. Nf2 Bb5 39. Bd1 $2 (39. Nh3 {
overprotects f4.}) 39... Nd2 $1 40. Qg3 $2 (40. Qh3 $5 Bxf4+ 41. Kh1 {
only costs a pawn.}) 40... Nf1+ 41. Rxf1 Bxf1 42. Kg1 Bb5 43. Nh3 Qg8 44. Ng5
Bf8 45. Kf2 h6 46. Nf3 Qxg3+ 47. Kxg3 Bc5 48. Nh4 $2 (48. Bxc5 Rxc5 49. Nd4 {
uses the knight as a defender.}) 48... Bxd4 {
Lengyel utilised the opportunities.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 15"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1973.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Torre, Eugenio"]
[Black "Lengyel, Levente"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2400"]
[BlackElo "2455"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1972.12.??"]

{Torre led ahead of Lengyel and Popov. The decisive game began.} 1. g3 d5 2.
Bg2 e5 3. d3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. O-O Be7 6. c3 a5 7. a4 O-O 8. Na3 $5 h6 9. Nb5
Be6 10. Qc2 Nd7 11. Bd2 Ncb8 $1 12. Na3 $6 ({Preferable is} 12. c4 dxc4 13. d4
c6 14. Na3 Na6 15. Nxc4) 12... Na6 13. Rfb1 Nac5 14. d4 e4 $1 15. dxc5 exf3 16.
Bxf3 Bxc5 17. Bg2 $5 Qf6 18. Rf1 c6 19. Qd1 Ne5 20. Nc2 Nc4 $1 21. b3 Nd6 22.
e3 Ne4 23. Nd4 Bd7 24. Be1 Ng5 $5 25. h4 Ne6 26. Rc1 Rfe8 27. Qf3 Qd8 28. Nf5
Bf8 29. c4 $1 Qb6 $6 30. cxd5 $1 cxd5 31. Qg4 h5 $5 32. Qxh5 g6 33. Nh6+ Kg7
34. Qf3 $6 (34. Qe5+ f6 35. Qxd5 Bc6 36. Rxc6 $1 bxc6 37. Qxc6 Qxc6 38. Bxc6
Kxh6 39. Bxa5 $1 {gains an advantage.}) 34... Kxh6 35. e4 $2 ({Correct is} 35.
Qxf7 Qd6 36. Bc3 {and White has sufficient compensation for a piece.}) 35...
Kg7 $1 36. exd5 Nd4 $1 {Black takes over the attack.} 37. Bc3 Kg8 38. Bxd4 Qxd4
39. Rc7 Qg4 40. Qc3 Rec8 41. Rxc8 Bxc8 $5 42. Qc7 Qd7 43. Qc4 Qd6 44. h5 gxh5
45. Bf3 Qg6 46. Kg2 Bg4 47. Be4 Bf5 48. Bf3 Bd3 49. Qc7 Bxf1+ 50. Kxf1 Qf5 {
Lengyel, Torre and Popov shared the lead. The final standings became: Lengyel,
Popov and Torre 7/11, Cobo, Ghizdavu and Bisguier 6, Markland and Zichichi 51/
2, Kriz, Levy, Paoli and Wagman 4. Lengyel won on tie-break.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 16"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1973.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Popov, Luben"]
[Black "Luppi, Sergio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2470"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1973.12.??"]

{The sixteenth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1973 until 6 i 1975.
Popov, Sax and Dueball were the best players.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+
4. Bd2 a5 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 d6 7. O-O Bxd2 8. Qxd2 Nbd7 9. Nc3 Qe7 $5 ({Usual is
} 9... e5) 10. e4 e5 11. d5 $6 ({Preferable is} 11. Rfe1) 11... Nc5 $1 12. Qc2
Ne8 $6 13. Nh4 g6 14. Rae1 Qg5 $6 (14... Ng7 $5 15. Qd2 g5 16. Nf3 g4 17. Nh4
f5 {combines defence and attack.}) 15. b3 Ng7 16. a3 Nh5 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4
Na6 19. Qb2 Bd7 20. Ra1 Rae8 21. Ra5 Qe7 22. Qa3 Bc8 $5 23. c5 $1 Nb8 24. Ra7
Ng7 25. c6 $5 bxc6 26. Qa5 Qg5 $6 {Black makes a useless move twice.} ({
Better is} 26... Rd8 $5 27. Rxc7 Rd7 28. Rxd7 Bxd7) 27. Qxc7 Qd2 28. Ra3 Ba6 $2
(28... Qb2 $1 29. Qa7 Ba6 30. Rfa1 Bc4 {offers more resistance.}) 29. Rfa1 Rc8
30. Qxd6 Rfd8 31. Qxe5 cxd5 32. Nf3 $1 Qb2 33. exd5 Qxb4 34. Ne4 Nd7 35. Qf4
Bc4 36. Nd6 {Popov scored well.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 16"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1974.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Micheli, Carlo"]
[Black "Dueball, Juergen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B61"]
[WhiteElo "2315"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1973.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Bd7 7. Qd2 Rc8 8.
f3 $5 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Qa5 10. Be3 a6 11. g4 e5 12. Qd2 h6 13. h4 Be6 14. Rg1 $6 ({
Preferable is} 14. Rh2 $5 Be7 15. a3 b5 16. Rd1) 14... d5 $1 15. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 16.
Kxd2 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. f4 Be7 $5 19. h5 exf4 20. Bxf4 O-O 21. Bd3 Bc5 22.
Rg3 Bf2 23. Rh3 Be6 24. Rh2 Bd4 25. c3 Bf6 26. a3 $6 (26. Rg1 $5 Bxa2 27. g5
hxg5 28. Bxg5 Bxg5+ 29. Rxg5 f6 30. Rg3 {counters at the cost of a pawn.})
26... Rfd8 27. Rg1 $2 ({Correct is} 27. Ke3 $1 {(Micheli).}) 27... Rc4 $1 28.
Be3 Rxg4 29. Rxg4 Bxg4 {He has gained a pawn.} 30. Kc2 Rd5 31. Be4 Bf5 32. Bxf5
Rxf5 33. Kd3 Kf8 34. b4 Ke7 35. a4 Rd5+ 36. Kc4 Ke6 37. b5 axb5+ 38. axb5 Rd8
39. Kb4 $6 (39. Bd4 $5 Bxd4 40. cxd4 Rd5 41. Ra2 $1 Rxh5 42. Ra7 {
fights for the last chance.}) 39... Rd3 $1 40. Bd2 Bg5 41. Bxg5 hxg5 42. h6 $5
gxh6 43. Rxh6+ f6 44. c4 b6 45. Rg6 Kf5 46. Rg7 g4 47. Rg8 Re3 $1 48. Rg7 Kf4
49. Rg6 Re6 50. c5 Kf5 {Black wins the rook ending.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 16"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1974.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Popov, Luben"]
[Black "Toth, Bela"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2470"]
[BlackElo "2390"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1973.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3 c6 8.
Qc2 O-O 9. Bd3 Re8 10. O-O Nf8 11. Rab1 Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Bf5
15. Rfc1 Rad8 $5 16. Ne2 $5 Rd6 17. Ng3 Bc8 $6 (17... Nxg3 18. hxg3 Bxd3 19.
Qxd3 Qe4 {simplifies.}) 18. b5 {He carries out a minority attack.} axb5 19.
axb5 h5 $2 (19... Ng6 20. bxc6 Rxc6 {defends properly.}) 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Ne5
h4 22. Nxe4 Bf5 23. f3 $6 (23. bxc6 $1 bxc6 24. Rb7 $1 Qe6 25. Nxd6 Bxc2 26.
Nxe8 {wins quickly.}) 23... h3 24. bxc6 Bxe4 25. Qxe4 bxc6 26. Rb2 $6 Qa7 27.
Rbc2 $6 {Probably, the time pressure begins.} hxg2 $6 28. Rxc6 Rxc6 29. Rxc6
Qa1+ 30. Kxg2 Rb8 31. Qd3 Rb1 32. Rc8 $4 Rg1+ 33. Kh3 Qa2 $1 34. Qc2 Qe6+ 35.
Ng4 f5 36. Qc4 fxg4+ 37. fxg4 Kh7 38. Qxe6 Nxe6 39. Rc6 Ng5+ 40. Kh4 Nf3+ 41.
Kh3 g6 42. Rc2 Kh6 43. Rg2 Re1 44. Kg3 Rxe3 45. Kf4 Rb3 46. d5 Nh4 47. Rd2 g5+
48. Ke4 Rb4+ 49. Rd4 Rxd4+ 50. Kxd4 Kg6 51. Ke5 Nf3+ $4 {Many other moves draw.
} 52. Ke6 $1 Nd4+ 53. Ke7 $1 Kg7 54. h3 Kg6 55. d6 $1 Nc6+ 56. Kd7 Nd4 57. Ke8
$1 {Popov had defeated a main rival.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 16"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1974.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Sax, Gyula"]
[Black "Cappello, Renato"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2450"]
[BlackElo "2300"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1973.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 cxd4 8.
cxd4 d5 9. e5 Ne4 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Na5 12. a4 a6 $5 13. Bf1 (13. Bd3 $5 {
will become a novelty.}) 13... Qc7 14. Ba3 $1 Re8 15. Bb4 Nc4 16. a5 Bf5 17.
Nd2 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Bf8 $6 ({Preferable is} 18... Rac8) 19. Rac1 Rec8 $5 20. Be2
Bd7 $2 ({Better is} 20... b5 21. axb6 Qxb6) 21. c4 $1 dxc4 22. Bxc4 Qd8 23. d5
$1 {White occupies the centre.} Bb5 24. Bxb5 axb5 25. Qd3 $5 Qd7 $5 26. Qf3 Rc4
$2 (26... Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rc8 {simplifies.}) 27. e6 $1 Qe8 28. Rxc4 bxc4 29. Qf4
Rc8 30. Rc1 f5 (30... fxe6 31. dxe6 Rc6 {prolongs the game.}) 31. Bc3 Bg7 32.
Bxg7 Kxg7 33. Qd4+ Kh6 $2 34. d6 {The final standings became: Popov, Sax and
Dueball 8/11, Toth and Mednis 71/2, Estevez 61/2, Micheli and Cappello 51/2,
Paoli 31/2, Beggi 3, Capece and Luppi 11/2. Popov won on tie-break.} ({
The pointe is} 34. d6 exd6 35. Rc3 Qxe6 36. Rh3+ Kg5 37. Qh4#) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 17"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1974.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Rodriguez, Orestes"]
[Black "Wagman, Stuart"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2325"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1974.12.??"]

{The seventeenth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 1974 until 6 i 1975.
} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8.
f3 Nc6 9. Bb3 Bd7 10. Qd2 Rc8 11. O-O-O Ne5 12. h4 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. Kb1 b5
15. h5 b4 16. Nce2 Qb8 17. hxg6 $5 (17. Bh6 $1 {
won in Dely - Szilagyi, Hungary 1966.}) 17... fxg6 18. Bh6 Bxh6 19. Qxh6 e5 $1
20. Nb3 Rf7 21. Qd2 Rc6 22. g4 Be6 $6 23. g5 $6 (23. Ned4 $1 exd4 24. Nxd4
Bxa2+ 25. Kxa2 {gains an advantage.}) 23... Ne8 24. f4 {
The chances are equal, but White has the initiative.} Rc4 25. f5 $1 gxf5 26. g6
$1 hxg6 27. Rdg1 $1 Qc8 $2 ({Right is} 27... Rf6 28. Ng3 Kf8 29. exf5 gxf5 30.
Rh8+ Ke7) 28. Rxg6+ Rg7 29. Qh6 $1 Kf7 30. Rxg7+ Nxg7 31. Rg1 $1 Ne8 $1 32.
Qh7+ Kf8 33. exf5 $1 Bf7 34. Nd2 $2 (34. Ned4 $1 exd4 35. f6 $1 Nxf6 36. Qg7+
Ke7 37. Re1+ {wins beautifully.}) 34... Rc7 35. Qh6+ Ke7 36. Qh4+ Nf6 $5 37.
Nd4 $5 Qb7 38. Re1 $1 Qd5 $2 (38... Bd5 $1 39. Qg5 $1 Qb8 40. Ne4 Qf8 {
tries to survive.}) 39. Ne4 $1 Qxd4 40. Qxf6+ {
Rodriguez was the successful player.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 17"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1974.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Trincardi, Tullio"]
[Black "Zichichi, Alvise"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A55"]
[WhiteElo "2250"]
[BlackElo "2355"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1974.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 Nbd7 4. Nc3 e5 5. g3 c6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. e4
a6 9. h3 b5 10. cxb5 axb5 $1 (10... cxb5 {
drew in Eising - Jongsma, Amsterdam 1972.}) 11. Qc2 b4 12. Nb1 $5 c5 13. dxe5
dxe5 $5 14. Be3 Bb7 15. Nbd2 Ra6 16. Nh4 g6 17. Rfd1 Qa8 $1 {
Pawn e4 lies under attack.} 18. b3 Rd8 19. Bf1 Rd6 20. Bg5 $2 ({Better is} 20.
Bd3 $1 Rxd3 $5 21. Qxd3 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Bxe4 23. Qc4) 20... Nf8 $1 21. Bc4 $2 Qc8
$2 ({Both players miss} 21... Nxe4 $1) 22. Kh2 {White has no proper defence.}
Ng4+ $1 23. hxg4 Bxg5 24. Ndf3 Bxh4 25. Rxd6 Rxd6 26. Nxh4 Qxg4 {
He wins a pawn and the game.} 27. f3 Qd7 $1 28. Ng2 Rd2 29. Qc1 Bc8 30. g4 Qd4
{Zichichi competed at the top.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 17"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1975.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Rodriguez, Orestes"]
[Black "Lombard, André"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2410"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1974.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 a6 7. a4 Be7 8. O-O
Nc6 9. Be3 Bd7 10. Nb3 b6 11. f4 O-O 12. Bf3 Rb8 13. Rf2 $5 ({Usual is} 13. Qe2
) 13... b5 14. Rd2 $5 b4 15. Ne2 Qc7 16. g4 $5 Be8 17. Ng3 Na5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 17... Nd7 18. g5 $6 f6 $1) 18. Nxa5 Qxa5 19. g5 $1 Nd7 20. Rg2
f6 21. h4 Kh8 $5 22. Kh1 $5 Qc7 23. Bh5 g6 24. Bf3 Nb6 25. b3 a5 26. f5 $1 exf5
$2 ({Correct is} 26... Nd7 27. h5 fxg5 28. hxg6 hxg6 29. Rh2+ Kg8 30. fxg6 Bxg6
) 27. exf5 Nd7 $2 (27... d5 28. Bd4 Qf4 {defends well.}) 28. fxg6 $2 (28. h5 $1
gxh5 29. g6 hxg6 30. fxg6 Bxg6 31. Be4 f5 32. Nxf5 {attacks victoriously.})
28... hxg6 $2 ({Right is} 28... fxg5 $1) 29. h5 $1 {
White breaks the defence line.} fxg5 30. hxg6 Bxg6 31. Be4 $1 Ne5 32. Bxg6 Nxg6
33. Qh5+ Kg7 34. Bxg5 Bxg5 ({Or} 34... Rh8 35. Nf5+ Kf7 36. Nh6+) 35. Qxg5 Rh8+
36. Nh5+ $1 Rxh5+ 37. Qxh5 {The final standings became: Rodriguez and Zichichi
8/11, Lombard, Nikolic and Formanek 7, Paoli 6, Wagman 51/2, Beil 5, Valenti
and Stoutenborough 31/2, Trincardi 3, Blasi 21/2. Rodriguez won on tie-break.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 18"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1975.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Paoli, Enrico"]
[Black "Schneider, Lars"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C57"]
[WhiteElo "2270"]
[BlackElo "2380"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1975.12.??"]

{The eighteenth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 1975 until 6 i 1976.
Enrico Paoli participated in the main group for the last time at the age of
67!} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 6. Bd5 d6 $5 {
Schneider plays a new move in the Traxler.} (6... Rf8 7. O-O Qe8 {
won for White in Paoli - Cappello, Milan 1968.}) 7. c3 Qe8 8. d4 exd4 9. Bxc6 (
9. cxd4 $5 Nxd4 10. Nc3 {will draw in Karpov - Beliavsky, Moscow 1983.}) 9...
Qxc6 10. O-O dxc3 11. Nxc3 Bg4 12. Qb3 $1 {White has the initiative.} Raf8 13.
Nd5+ Nxd5 14. exd5 Qb6 15. Qg3 $1 {The charge continues.} Bf5 $6 ({Better is} 
15... h5 $1 16. h3 Bd7) 16. Ne6 $1 Bxe6 17. Qxg7+ $1 Bf7 $2 {
One mistake becomes fatal for Black in a risky line.} (17... Kd8 $1 18. dxe6
Kc8 {tries to survive.}) 18. Qg5+ $1 Ke8 ({Or} 18... Kd7 19. Qg4+ Kd8 20. Bg5+
Ke8 21. Qc8#) 19. Re1+ Be6 20. Rxe6+ Kd7 21. Qg4 $1 Bxf2+ 22. Kh1 h5 23. Re7+
$1 Kxe7 24. Qe6+ {Paoli shared the second place at the end.} ({The pointe is} 
24. Qe6+ Kd8 25. Bg5+ Rf6 26. Bxf6#) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 18"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1975.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Schneider, Lars"]
[Black "Formanek, Edward"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A10"]
[WhiteElo "2380"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1975.12.??"]

1. Nf3 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. b4 $5 a5 5. b5 Bg7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. Bg2 d6 8. d4
Nbd7 9. Qc2 Qe8 10. O-O e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Nc3 Rb8 14. a4 Qf7
15. Nd5 Be6 16. Rad1 e4 17. Nf4 $2 ({Better is} 17. f3 exf3 18. Bxf3) 17...
Bxc4 18. Rc1 Bb3 19. Qxc7 Qxc7 20. Rxc7 Ne8 $1 21. Bxg7 Nxc7 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 23.
b6 $2 (23. Rc1 $1 Na8 24. g4 $1 fxg4 25. Rb1 {defends well.}) 23... Na8 $1 24.
g4 $5 Bxa4 {Black has gained a pawn.} 25. gxf5 gxf5 26. Rb1 Ke7 27. Bh3 Bd7 28.
Nd5+ Kf7 29. Ne3 Kf6 30. f4 $6 (30. Nd5+ Ke6 31. Rd1 {offers more resistance.})
30... exf3 31. exf3 a4 32. f4 Be6 33. Rb5 $2 a3 $1 34. Bxf5 a2 $1 35. Ra5 a1=Q+
36. Rxa1 Bxf5 37. Nd5+ Kf7 38. Ra7 Be6 39. Nc7 Nxb6 40. Na6 $5 Nc8 $1 {
Formanek has an extra piece.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 18"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1975.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Magrini, Riccardo"]
[Black "Valenti, Giuseppe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B95"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2215"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1975.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd3 Be7 8.
O-O-O $5 Nbd7 9. f4 Qc7 10. Be2 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Rhe1 Nc5 13. Qf3 $5 Qb6 $5
14. e5 $1 dxe5 15. fxe5 Bxe5 16. Bb5+ $1 axb5 17. Rxe5 O-O 18. Ndxb5 Nd7 19.
Re4 Nf6 20. Red4 Qc5 21. Nd6 e5 22. Rc4 Qb6 23. Qg3 $2 ({Better is} 23. a3 $1
Rd8 24. Rb4 Qc5) 23... Be6 24. Rh4 $6 {White has the initiative.} Rfd8 $1 {
But Black strikes back.} 25. Rxh6 (25. Qxe5 Bxa2 26. Ra4 Rxa4 27. Nxa4 Qc6 {
also favours Black.}) 25... Ng4 $1 26. Rxe6 fxe6 27. Qxg4 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 Qxd6
29. Ne4 $6 (29. b3 Qc6 30. Kb2 {defends properly.}) 29... Qb6 30. Nc3 Qe3+ 31.
Kb1 Re8 $6 32. h4 $6 Qe1+ $1 33. Qd1 ({Or} 33. Nd1 Rd8 34. Qxe6+ Kf8 35. Qf5+
Ke7 36. Qg5+ Ke8 37. Qg6+ Kd7 $1 38. Qxg7+ Kc8 39. Qg4+ Kb8 {and Black wins.})
33... Qxh4 {He has gained an exchange.} 34. a3 Qd4 35. Qf3 Re7 36. Nb5 Qd5 37.
Qd3 e4 38. Qe2 e3 39. Nc3 Qd2 40. Qg4 Qe1+ 41. Ka2 Qd2 42. Kb1 Qf2 43. Qg5 Rd7
44. Qg4 Qf5 45. Qe2 Qe5 46. Nd1 Rd2 {Valenti countered well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 18"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1975.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Cangiotti, Claudio"]
[Black "Pachman, Ludek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2510"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1975.12.??"]

{The players from Eastern Europe withdrew from the tournament, when the
participation by Pachman became apparent.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4.
Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb4+ 6. c3 Be7 7. N1d2 $5 Nf6 8. f4 O-O 9. Bd3 d5 10. e5 Ne8 $6
({Preferable is} 10... Ng4 $5 11. Nf3 f6 12. exf6 Nxf6) 11. O-O $1 f6 12. Nf3
fxe5 13. fxe5 Bg4 14. Qe2 Qd7 15. Bd2 a5 16. a4 g6 17. Rae1 Ng7 18. Bh6 Nd8 19.
Nbd4 {White has the initiative.} Nde6 20. Qc2 Rf7 21. Nxe6 Nxe6 22. Bxg6 $5
hxg6 23. Qxg6+ Rg7 24. Bxg7 Nxg7 $2 (24... Bc5+ $1 25. Kh1 Qxg7 {defends well.}
) 25. e6 $2 (25. Ng5 $1 Bc5+ 26. Kh1 Bf5 27. Qh6 {prepares the advance e5-e6.})
25... Bxe6 26. Ne5 Qe8 $1 27. Qh6 Qh5 $1 28. Qxh5 Nxh5 {
Pachman has reached a favourable endgame.} 29. Nd3 $5 Ng7 30. Rf3 Bd6 31. Rf6
$5 Bf5 32. Nf2 Ra6 33. g4 $5 Bc2 34. g5 Bxa4 35. Ng4 Bd7 36. Nh6+ Kh7 37. Kg2
Rb6 38. Re2 Bb5 39. Ref2 Bc5 40. Rd2 Rxf6 41. gxf6 Kxh6 42. fxg7 Kxg7 43. Kg3 (
{The pointe is} 43. Rxd5 Bc6) 43... Bc4 44. h4 b5 45. Kg4 b4 {
Pachman scored well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 18"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1976.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Formanek, Edward"]
[Black "Pachman, Ludek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2420"]
[BlackElo "2510"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1975.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. dxe5 d5 7. c4 a6 8. Ba4
$5 {He applies a new idea in the Berlin Defence.} (8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qc2 {
happened in Chigorin - Gunsberg, Havana 1890.}) 8... dxc4 9. Nd4 Nc5 10. Bxc6+
bxc6 11. Nxc6 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Nd3 {Black takes the initiative.} 13. Nxe7 Kxe7 14.
Na3 Be6 15. b3 $1 Nxe5 16. f4 $5 (16. Bb2 f6 17. Bxe5 fxe5 18. Nxc4 Bxc4 19.
bxc4 {draws.}) 16... Nd3 17. Nxc4 Bxc4 18. Ba3+ Ke6 19. bxc4 Rhd8 {
The chances are equal.} 20. Rab1 Rd7 21. g3 Kf5 22. Rb7 $5 Re8 23. c5 $2 ({
Better is} 23. Rb2 $1 f6 24. Rbd2 Red8 25. Bb4) 23... Re6 $1 24. Rbb1 Re2 25.
c6 Rd5 $1 26. Rb2 Rxb2 27. Bxb2 f6 28. Ba3 Ke4 $1 {
Pachman has developed a winning attack in the centre.} 29. Rb1 $5 Rd4 $1 30.
Bf8 g6 31. Kg2 Rc4 $1 {A mating charge begins.} 32. Rb8 $5 Rc2+ 33. Kh3 h5 34.
Be7 Nf2+ $1 35. Kh4 Ng4 36. h3 Ne3 $1 37. g4 Ng2+ 38. Kg3 h4+ $1 39. Kh2 Nxf4+
40. Kh1 Nd5 {The final standings became: Pachman 6/9, Paoli, Valenti and
Formanek 5, Beggi, Ciric, Schneider and Toth 41/2, Magrini and Cangiotti 3.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1976.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Akvist, Hakan"]
[Black "Kuzmin, Gennadi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B83"]
[WhiteElo "2325"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

{The nineteenth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1976 until 6 i 1977.
Gennadi Kuzmin was the first participant from the Soviet Union.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. O-O Be7 8. Be3 O-O 9. f4
Qc7 10. Qe1 Bd7 11. Qg3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bc6 13. Bd3 b6 14. Rae1 Rad8 15. Kh1 $5 (
{Known is} 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxe5 Qb7 17. f5) 15... Qb7 16. Rf3 Rfe8 17. Qh3 $1
e5 $5 {Black counters at the cost of a pawn.} 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. Bxe5 Nxe4 $2 {
He misses a 'petite combinaison'.} ({Right is} 19... Qc8 20. Qxc8 Rxc8 21. Bc4
Bd8 {and Black attacks the centre.}) 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Qg4 $1 Bg6 22. Rxf7 $3 {
The Soviet grandmaster was crushed in the first round.} ({The pointe is} 22.
Rxf7 Kxf7 23. Bc4+ Kf8 24. Qe6) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1976.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Natalucci, Fabrizio"]
[Black "Kuzmin, Gennadi"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C99"]
[WhiteElo "2280"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. Nb3 a5 15.
Be3 a4 16. Nbd2 Bd7 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. Bb1 Bd8 $5 ({Theory is} 18... Rc8 19. Nf1
Na5 20. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {(Smyslov - Reshevsky, Den Haag 1948).}) 19. Nf1 Re8 20.
dxe5 Nxe5 21. Bg5 Qa7 $5 22. Ne3 ({The greedy} 22. Qxd6 $5 Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 Re6
24. Qh2 Ng4 $1 25. hxg4 Bxg5 {leads to a black initiative.}) 22... h6 23. Nxe5
dxe5 24. Bxf6 $6 ({Preferable is} 24. Bh4) 24... Bxf6 25. Nd5 Bh4 26. g3 $5
Bxg3 $5 27. Re3 Bf4 28. Rc7 $1 {White seems to gain an advantage.} Bxe3 $1 29.
Rxa7 $2 (29. fxe3 $1 Qb8 30. Rxd7 {does achieve an edge.}) 29... Bxa7 30. Nc7
Bd4 31. Nxa8 Rxa8 32. Kg2 Ra6 $1 {
Black can start an attack, despite the material plus for his opponent.} 33. f4
$2 ({Better defends} 33. Qe2 Rf6 34. f3 Rg6+ 35. Kh2 Rg1 36. Bd3) 33... Rg6+
34. Kh2 Bg1+ 35. Kh1 Bxh3 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. f5 Rg5 38. Bd3 (38. Qxg5 hxg5 39.
Kxg1 g6 {brings a won bishop ending for Black.}) 38... Bf2 39. Bxb5 Bg2+ 40.
Kh2 Bf3 41. Bf1 Rg1 $1 {Kuzmin scored well after the poor start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1976.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bertok, Mario"]
[Black "Toth, Bela"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2425"]
[BlackElo "2405"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Bg2 Bxc4 6. Nfd2 $5 (6. O-O {
happened in Naegili - Nimzowitsch, Zuerich 1934.}) 6... Bd5 7. e4 Bb7 {
White has some compensation for the pawn.} 8. O-O d5 9. e5 Ng8 $5 ({
The natural move is} 9... Nfd7) 10. Nb3 Ne7 11. Nc3 Nf5 12. Qg4 Be7 13. Rd1 c6
14. h4 h5 15. Qf3 Nd7 16. Bh3 g6 17. Bf4 a6 18. Rac1 Rc8 19. Ne2 c5 $1 {
Black has gained a plus by a natural development.} 20. Kh2 Ng7 $5 21. Qe3 a5
22. Nd2 Ba6 23. Nf3 Nf5 24. Bxf5 gxf5 25. Bg5 Bxe2 26. Qxe2 Bxg5 27. Nxg5 cxd4
28. Rxc8 Qxc8 29. Rxd4 Qc7 {The exchanges have favoured Toth.} 30. Nf3 Rg8 $1
31. Rd3 Rg4 $1 32. Rc3 Rc4 {Black's rook develops smoothly.} 33. Qe3 Qc5 $1 34.
Qd2 b5 $1 35. Kg1 b4 $1 36. Rxc4 dxc4 37. Qh6 c3 $1 38. bxc3 bxc3 39. Ne1 Nxe5
({Not} 39... c2 $2 40. Qc1) 40. Qxh5 Ng4 $1 41. Qh8+ Ke7 42. Nd3 Qc4 43. Nc1 e5
44. Qa8 Qd4 45. Qf3 Qd2 46. Nb3 Qxa2 47. Qxf5 Qxb3 48. Qxg4 c2 49. Qg5+ f6 50.
Qg7+ Qf7 51. Qh6 Qc4 52. Qg7+ Ke8 53. Qg6+ Kd7 54. Qg7+ Kc8 55. Qf8+ Kb7 $1 {
Toth competed at the top.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1977.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kuzmin, Gennadi"]
[Black "Haik, Aldo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E82"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2325"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. Nge2
c5 9. d5 e6 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. Bc2 exd5 12. exd5 Re8 $5 ({Usual is} 12... a6) 13.
Bg5 a6 14. a4 Ne5 ({A novelty will become} 14... Qe7 $5) 15. b3 Qc7 16. O-O h5
$4 {Black allows decisive tactics.} 17. f4 $1 Neg4 18. f5 $1 gxf5 19. h3 $1 Ne5
20. Ng3 $1 {He takes the kingside by force.} Nh7 ({Or} 20... Bc8 21. Bxf5 Bxf5
22. Rxf5) 21. Nxh5 Nxg5 22. Qxg5 Ng6 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Qxf5 {
Kuzmin had defeated a main competitor.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1977.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Formanek, Edward"]
[Black "Haik, Aldo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C62"]
[WhiteElo "2430"]
[BlackElo "2325"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. Nc3 exd4 6. Nxd4 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Qd3 $5 ({Theory is} 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Rad1)
11... h6 12. Bh4 c5 13. Nde2 $6 ({Preferable is} 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nf3) 13...
g5 $1 14. Bg3 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Qd2 Qb8 17. Nd1 $5 Qb7 18. c3 Nd5 19. c4 $5
Nb4 $1 20. Ne3 Bg6 21. f4 $2 (21. Nc1 {defends properly.}) 21... Qe4 $5 22.
fxg5 Rae8 $1 23. Nd5 Nd3 $1 24. Nxc7 Bd4+ $1 25. Kh1 ({Or} 25. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 26.
Kh1 Nxe1) 25... Nxe1 26. Nf4 $5 Rxf4 27. Bxf4 Nxg2 $1 28. Qxg2 Qe1+ $1 {
Black delivers mate in two.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1977.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Akvist, Hakan"]
[Black "Bilek, Istvan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2325"]
[BlackElo "2435"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g3 Bc5 7. Be3 Qb6 8.
Na4 Qa5+ 9. c3 Bxd4 10. Bxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 e5 $1 (11... O-O $6 12. e5 Ne8 {
happened in Wolf - Moreau, Monte Carlo 1903.}) 12. Qc4 $2 (12. Qb4 $1 Qxb4 13.
cxb4 Nxe4 14. Rd1 {achieves counter-play for a pawn.}) 12... d6 13. b3 O-O 14.
f3 Bd7 15. Nb2 b5 16. Qd3 Rac8 17. Nd1 d5 $5 18. exd5 e4 $1 19. fxe4 Nxe4 $1
20. Bg2 Nc5 $1 21. Qc2 Rfe8+ 22. Kf1 Bg4 $1 23. b4 ({The pointe is} 23. h3 Re2
$1) 23... Re2 $2 (23... Qa6 $1 24. bxc5 b4+ $1 25. c4 Qf6+ {wins for Black.})
24. Qxe2 $2 (24. bxa5 $1 Rxc2 25. Ne3 Be2+ 26. Kg1 Rxc3 27. Kf2 {
tries the opportunity.}) 24... Bxe2+ 25. Kxe2 Re8+ 26. Ne3 Qa4 27. Kd2 Nd7 28.
Rhe1 Ne5 29. Re2 Qa3 30. Nd1 f6 31. Ke1 a5 32. bxa5 b4 33. cxb4 Qxb4+ 34. Kf1
Qxa5 35. Nf2 Qa6 36. Rae1 Rd8 37. Kg1 Qc4 38. Rd2 Qc5 39. Kh1 Qc3 40. Red1 Nc4
41. Re2 Ne3 42. Rde1 Nxg2 43. Kxg2 Qc4 44. Kg1 Rxd5 45. Re8+ Kf7 46. R8e7+ Kg6
47. R1e4 Qc1+ 48. Kg2 h5 49. Re2 Rd2 50. Rxd2 Qxd2 51. Ra7 Qd5+ 52. Kg1 Qc5 53.
Ra6 Qb4 54. Ra7 Kh7 55. Kg2 Kh6 56. h4 Qc5 57. Ra6 Qd5+ 58. Kg1 Qf3 {
Bilek competed at the top.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 19"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1977.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kuzmin, Gennadi"]
[Black "Formanek, Edward"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B52"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1976.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. O-O g6 6. c3 Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8.
cxd4 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. h3 $5 Nc6 11. Be3 d5 12. Ne5 Qd6 $6 ({Preferable is} 
12... Qe6 $5 13. Nxc6 bxc6 $1) 13. Nxc6 {
Now Black has to capture with his queen.} Qxc6 14. e5 Nd7 15. Rc1 Rac8 $6 {
Pawn a7 becomes vulnerable.} 16. Qb3 Nb6 $2 ({Correct is} 16... e6 17. Nb5 Qa6
$1 18. Nc7 Qb6 19. Qxb6 Nxb6) 17. Nb5 $1 {The attack on the queen nets a pawn.}
Qe6 18. Nxa7 Rxc1 $6 19. Bxc1 $6 (19. Rxc1 $1 Rb8 20. Rc7 {wins quickly.})
19... f6 $1 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Nb5 Nc4 22. Qd1 Qc6 23. a4 Kg7 24. Qg4 Nd6 25.
Nxd6 Qxd6 26. Bg5 Rf7 27. Bxf6+ exf6 28. Qf3 Qc6 29. a5 Rc7 30. Re1 Qd6 31. Qb3
h5 32. h4 Rd7 33. Qb5 Kf7 34. g3 Kg7 35. Re8 Rc7 36. Kg2 Qd7 37. Qxd7+ Rxd7 38.
b4 {The rook ending is won.} Kf7 39. Rc8 Ke6 40. b5 Kd6 41. Rg8 Rc7 42. Rxg6
Ke6 43. Rh6 Rc4 44. Rh7 Ra4 45. Rxb7 Rxa5 46. b6 Rb5 47. Rb8 Kd7 48. g4 $1 hxg4
49. h5 $1 {Final standings: Kuzmin 8/11, Bilek, Haik and Toth 71/2, Trabattoni
and Joksic 61/2, Bertok 51/2, Kaikamdzozov 41/2, Akvist and Formanek 31/2,
Rosini 3, Natalucci 21/2. The Soviet grandmaster won at the end.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 20"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1977.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kovacs, Laszlo"]
[Black "Coppini, Giorgio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2395"]
[BlackElo "2215"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1977.12.??"]

{The twentieth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1977 until 6 i 1978.
} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8.
O-O O-O 9. Bd3 Bg4 $5 {The exchange of bishops is usual.} 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3
Nbd7 12. Rd1 e5 13. Bf5 exd4 14. exd4 Nb6 15. Bg5 Be7 16. a5 Nbd5 17. a6 b5 $5
18. Re1 Re8 19. Re2 h6 20. Bh4 b4 $5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 $2 (21... Qxd5 22. Qxd5 cxd5
{almost equalises.}) 22. Rae1 g6 23. Be4 $2 {White allows an escape.} (23. Bg4
$1 Qc7 24. Re4 $1 {combines a restriction and a centre attack.}) 23... Bxh4 24.
Bxd5 Rxe2 25. Bxf7+ $1 Kg7 26. Rxe2 Qxd4 $2 ({Correct is} 26... Qf6 $1 27.
Qxf6+ Bxf6 28. Be8 Bxd4 29. Bxc6 Rc8) 27. Be8 $1 Qf6 28. Qe4 Rd8 29. g3 Rd1+
30. Kg2 Bg5 31. h4 Bc1 32. Qxb4 Qd6 33. Qb7+ Kh8 34. Bxc6 {Kovacs  scored well.
} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 20"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1977.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Niklasson, Christer"]
[Black "Averbakh, Yuri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A56"]
[WhiteElo "2380"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1977.12.??"]

{Yuri Averbakh was the Soviet grandmaster of the event.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3.
d5 e5 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4 Nbd7 6. Nf3 Be7 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Ne8 9. a3 b6 10. b4 g6
11. Bh6 Ng7 12. Qd2 Nf6 13. Ne1 {White has the initiative.} Ng4 $5 ({Usual is} 
13... Kh8) 14. Bxg4 Bxg4 15. bxc5 bxc5 16. f4 ({Better is} 16. Nd3 $1 Qa5 17.
f4) 16... exf4 17. Qxf4 f5 $1 18. Nf3 $6 (18. Nd3 Bf6 19. Qd2 {
battles for the centre.}) 18... Bf6 $1 19. Rac1 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 $2 ({Correct is} 
20. Rxf3) 20... fxe4 21. Qe2 ({The pointe is} 21. Qxe4 Bd4+ $1 22. Kh1 Bxc3)
21... Bd4+ 22. Kh1 Rxf1+ 23. Qxf1 Nf5 24. Bf4 Bxc3 25. Rxc3 Qf6 26. Rc2 Ne3 $1
{Averbakh utilised the tactical opportunities.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 20"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1978.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Wirthensohn, Heinz"]
[Black "Kovacs, Laszlo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2390"]
[BlackElo "2395"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1977.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Bd3
Nbd7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. O-O Bb7 11. Qc2 c5 12. Ne5 $6 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Ng4 {
White has damaged his centre.} 14. Bg3 Bh4 $1 15. Qe2 $2 (15. Rad1 $5 Bxg3 16.
hxg3 Nxe5 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 $1 {keeps the equality.}) 15... Bxg3 16. Qxg4
Bxe5 17. Qf5 Re8 $1 {Black defends brilliantly.} 18. Qh7+ Kf8 19. Rad1 Qh4 20.
f4 $6 {White allows a counter in the centre.} Bxc3 21. bxc3 Rxe3 22. Qh8+ Ke7
23. Qxg7 Qf6 24. Qg4 $6 (24. Qxf6+ Kxf6 25. Kf2 Rae8 26. Rfe1 Rxe1 27. Rxe1
Rxe1 28. Kxe1 {prolongs the game.}) 24... Kf8 25. Qh5 Rae8 26. a4 c4 $1 27. Bb1
Rxc3 28. Rxd5 $5 Bxd5 29. Qxd5 Rd8 {
Kovacs kept on winning and led on Averbakh by one point.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 20"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1978.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kovacs, Laszlo"]
[Black "Haik, Aldo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E70"]
[WhiteElo "2395"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1977.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. Nge2 d6 6. Ng3 e5 7. d5 Ne8 8. h4 h5
9. Be2 Bf6 10. Bh6 Ng7 11. Qd2 Bxh4 12. O-O-O Be7 $5 (12... f5 {
happened in Ader Hausman - Gragger, Tel Aviv 1964.}) 13. Kb1 Nd7 $2 {
Black allows a 'petite combinaison'.} (13... Na6 {
develops the knight in the right way.}) 14. Bxh5 $1 Nxh5 15. Nxh5 gxh5 16. Rxh5
f5 ({The pointe is} 16... Re8 17. Bg7 $1) 17. Bxf8 Bxf8 18. exf5 {
White has a decisive attack.} Nf6 19. Qg5+ Kf7 ({Or} 19... Bg7 20. Rdh1 $1) 20.
Qg6+ Ke7 21. Rh7+ Nxh7 22. Qxh7+ Ke8 23. Qg6+ Ke7 24. Rh1 Bxf5+ 25. Qxf5 Bg7
26. Qe6+ Kf8 27. Rh5 {
Kovacs had won the event at the end of the penultimate round.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 20"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1978.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Averbakh, Yuri"]
[Black "Wagman, Stuart"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A10"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2325"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1977.12.??"]

1. c4 f5 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 $5 (3... fxe4 4. Nxe4 Bg7 {
was played in Szabo - Sax, Hilversum 1973.}) 4. h4 Nf6 5. h5 $1 {
Averbakh develops in a remarkable way.} Bg7 (5... Nxh5 $6 6. exf5 Bxf5 $2 7. g4
{costs a piece.}) 6. d3 c6 7. Bg5 $6 Na6 $6 ({Preferable is} 7... Nxh5 $1 8.
exf5 Qa5) 8. h6 $1 Bf8 9. Qd2 fxe4 10. dxe4 Nc5 11. f3 Be6 12. Rb1 a5 13. Be3
Nfd7 14. b3 Bf7 15. f4 e5 16. Nf3 Qc7 17. g3 Be7 18. Bh3 Rd8 $5 19. O-O Rf8 $6
20. Qh2 $5 Bf6 $2 (20... exf4 21. gxf4 Be6 {defends more actively.}) 21. f5 $1
Rg8 22. Ng5 Bxg5 23. Bxg5 Ra8 $2 (23... gxf5 $5 24. Bxd8 Qxd8 25. Bxf5 Qg5 {
fights for the last chance.}) 24. Qd2 gxf5 25. Bxf5 Bg6 26. Kh2 Nf8 27. Bh4
Nce6 28. Bh3 b6 29. Rf6 Nd4 30. Rbf1 Ra7 31. Qf2 Bf7 32. Ne2 Nde6 33. Qe3 Nd8
34. R6f2 Be6 35. Bxd8 Qxd8 36. Rxf8+ $1 Rxf8 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. Bxe6 Qf6 39.
Bf5 a4 40. b4 d5 41. Qxb6 Qxh6+ 42. Kg2 Rf7 43. Qb8+ Kg7 44. Qxe5+ Kf8 45. Nf4
dxc4 46. Ne6+ {Averbakh played too many draws for a great success. The final
standings became: Kovacs 81/2/11, Averbakh 71/2, Formanek 7, Niklasson 61/2,
Coppini 6, Wirthensohn, Passerotti and Haik 51/2, Valenti 41/2, Wagman 4,
Martorelli 3, Magrin 21/2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 21"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1978.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ljungqvist, Lennart"]
[Black "Bykhovsky, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A12"]
[WhiteElo "2240"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1978.12.??"]

{The twenty-first Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 1978 until 6 i 1979.
Twelve moderate players participated.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. b3 Bf5
5. Bb2 e6 6. d3 h6 7. Nbd2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. c4 Nbd7 10. a3 a5 11. Qc2 Bh7 12.
h3 $5 Re8 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Bc3 Bf6 16. Qb2 Qb6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18.
b4 e5 19. cxd5 cxd5 {Black has a positional edge.} 20. Rac1 axb4 21. axb4 $5
Ra4 $1 22. Rb1 Qd6 23. Qc3 Bf5 {He frees his bishop easily.} 24. Rb2 $2 (24. e4
$5 dxe4 25. Nxe4 Nxe4 26. dxe4 {counters in the centre.}) 24... Rc8 $1 25. Qb3
b5 $1 {Black dominates on the queenside.} 26. Rfb1 Be6 27. Ra2 $2 {
This looks like desperation.} d4 $1 28. Nc4 $1 Bxc4 $1 29. dxc4 Rxa2 30. Qxa2
Rxc4 $6 {He has gained a pawn.} (30... bxc4 $1 {wins for Black.}) 31. Qa8+ Qf8
$2 ({Better is} 31... Kh7 32. Qb7 Rxb4) 32. Qb7 $1 Rxb4 33. Rxb4 Qxb4 34. Qb8+
Kh7 35. Qxe5 Qc4 36. h4 b4 37. Be4+ Nxe4 38. Qxe4+ f5 $6 (38... g6 $5 39. h5
Qc1+ 40. Kg2 Qc5 41. hxg6+ fxg6 {will be hard to win.}) 39. Qxf5+ Kg8 40. Qe4
b3 41. Qa8+ $6 Kh7 $6 42. h5 $4 ({Right is} 42. Qe4+ Kh8 43. Qe8+ $1 Qg8 44.
Qb5 Qe6 45. h5 {drawn.}) 42... Qc2 43. f4 b2 {Bykhovsky started well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 21"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1978.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hess, Ralf"]
[Black "Taruffi, Daniele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2285"]
[BlackElo "2340"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1978.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8.
Re1 Nd6 9. Bf4 Nd7 $5 ({Usual is} 9... Bg4) 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. c3 Nf8 12. Qc2 c6
13. h3 g6 14. g4 $5 f5 $5 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. gxf5 Qf4 $6 ({Preferable is} 16...
gxf5 17. Bxf5 Qf6 18. Bxc8 Raxc8 {and White has little advantage.}) 17. Re5 $1
gxf5 18. Bxf5 Bf6 19. Bxc8 Bxe5 $4 ({Right is} 19... Raxc8) 20. Bxb7 Rab8 21.
Bxc6 Re6 22. Bxd5 Kh8 23. Bxe6 Nxe6 24. Qe4 Rg8+ 25. Kf1 {
Hess has gained four pawns.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 21"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1979.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Cappello, Renato"]
[Black "Hess, Ralf"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[WhiteElo "2365"]
[BlackElo "2285"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1978.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. O-O d6 6. d4 f6 7. dxe5 fxe5 $5 (
{Known is} 7... dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8) 8. Nxe5 $5 {White starts an adventure.}
dxe5 9. Qh5+ Ke7 10. Rd1 Bd7 ({The alternative will become} 10... Qe8 $5 11.
Qxe5+ Kf7) 11. Bg5+ $2 (11. Qxe5+ $5 Kf7 12. Qd4 {
will gain an edge in Mokcsay - Biro, Gyula 2001.}) 11... Nf6 12. f4 $2 ({
Better is} 12. Bh4 Qc8 13. Qxe5+ Kf7 14. Qf4) 12... Qe8 $1 13. Qh4 Kf7 14. Bxf6
gxf6 15. fxe5 fxe5 16. Nc3 h6 17. Rd3 Kg8 18. Rg3+ Kh7 $1 {
White has no compensation for the piece.} (18... Bg7 $2 19. Rf1 Be6 20. Qf6 Rh7
{brings less advantage.}) 19. Rf3 Be7 20. Qf2 Rf8 21. Rf1 Rxf3 22. Qxf3 Be6 23.
Qd3 Qd8 24. Nd5 Bc5+ 25. Kh1 cxd5 26. exd5+ Kg7 27. Qg3+ Qg5 28. dxe6 Qxg3 29.
Rf7+ Kg6 30. hxg3 Bd6 31. c4 Re8 32. c5 Rxe6 33. Rd7 Bxc5 34. Rxc7 Bb6 {
Hess had defeated a main rival. The final standings became: Hess 8/11,
Bykhovsky 71/2, Cappello and Nikolic 61/2, Messa and Tarruffi 6, Zichichi,
Bertok and Goldenberg 51/2, Kovacs 4, Llungqvist and Pederzoli 21/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 22"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1979.12.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kochyev, Alexander"]
[Black "Wagman, Stuart"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E02"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2315"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1979.12.??"]

{The twenty-second Torneo di Capodanno happened from 25 xii 1979 until 6 i
1980. Soviet player Kochyev dominated the field of 14 men.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Qc2 Nbd7 8. Qxc4 a6 9. Qc2 c5
10. Rd1 Qe8 $5 ({Usual was} 10... Qb6) 11. Nc3 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nb6 13. Qb3 Bc5
14. Bg5 Nbd5 15. Rac1 Ba7 $5 {Black has a slightly crammed position.} 16. Nxd5
Nxd5 17. e4 $1 Nf6 18. Qf3 $5 Nd7 19. Qe2 Nf6 $4 ({Correct is} 19... Ne5 $1 20.
Be3 Bd7) 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qg4+ Kh8 22. Qh4 {White has a mate attack.} Kg7 23.
e5 $1 fxe5 24. Nc6 $1 {Two sacrifices bring the decision.} Bd4 $5 ({
The pointe is} 24... bxc6 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Qf6+ Kg8 27. Bxc6) 25. Rxd4 $1 exd4
26. Qg5+ {
Kochyev was one of the youngest grandmasters in the world at that time.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 22"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1979.12.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kochyev, Alexander"]
[Black "Karaklajic, Nikola"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E09"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1979.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Qc2 e6 5. g3 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O b6 8. b3
Nbd7 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. e4 Rc8 11. Bb2 Qc7 12. Rad1 Qb8 13. Ne5 $5 Rfd8 14. Rfe1
Bb4 15. Nxd7 Rxd7 16. Bc3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Rcd8 20.
Bf3 h6 21. c5 Qc7 22. b4 Ba6 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... b5) 23. a4 $1 {
White takes the initiative.} bxc5 24. Qxc5 Bb7 $6 ({Better is} 24... Qb8 $1 25.
Bxc6 Rd6 26. d5 Bb7 27. Bxb7 Qxb7 {and Black regains the pawn.}) 25. Qxa7 Ra8
26. Qc5 Rxa4 27. Ra1 Rxa1 28. Rxa1 g5 $2 (28... Qb8 $1 29. Ra7 Bc8 {
defends properly.}) 29. Ra7 $1 {He threatens 30.b5!} g4 30. Rxb7 $1 Qxb7 31.
Bxc6 Qa7 32. Bxd7 Qxd7 {White has gained a pawn.} 33. b5 $1 Kh7 34. Kg2 Kg6 35.
d5 $1 Kf6 36. Qc6 $5 Ke7 37. Qxd7+ Kxd7 38. dxe6+ fxe6 39. f3 {
Kochyev will win the pawn ending.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 22"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1979.12.31"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kochyev, Alexander"]
[Black "Cappello, Renato"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2405"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1979.12.??"]

1. Nf3 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. c4 d5 4. d4 c5 5. Bg2 cxd4 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qxd4 $5 ({
Theory is} 7. Nxd4) 7... Qxd4 8. Nxd4 a6 9. Nd2 Bc5 10. e3 ({
A novelty will become} 10. Nc2 $5 c3 11. bxc3 {
(Balashov - A.Petrosian, Yerevan 1986).}) 10... Nbd7 $6 ({Preferable is} 10...
e5 $1 11. Ne2 O-O 12. Nxc4 e4) 11. Nxc4 O-O 12. Rd1 Rb8 13. Nb3 Be7 14. Bd2 b6
15. e4 Bb7 16. Bf4 Rbc8 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18. Bxd6 Rfe8 19. f3 Rc2 $6 ({Wiser is} 
19... Red8) 20. Nd4 $1 Rcc8 ({The pointe is} 20... Rxb2 $2 21. Ba3 $1) 21. a4
Nb8 22. Bf1 Red8 23. Nb3 Rc6 24. Be5 Re8 $6 25. a5 $1 b5 26. Rac1 Rxc1 27. Rxc1
Nc6 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Nc5 $1 Nxa5 $2 (29... Bc8 $2 30. Nxa6 $1 Nxa5 31. Bxb5 {
costs a pawn.}) (29... Nd8 $5 30. b4 Re7 31. Nxb7 Rxb7 32. Rc8 Rd7 {
offers more resistance.}) 30. b4 $1 Nc6 31. Nxb7 Nxb4 32. Rc7 Kf8 33. Nc5 Re7
34. Rc8+ Kg7 35. Ra8 Nc2 36. Nxa6 {Kochyev played the endgame accurately.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 22"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1980.01.05"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Velikov, Petar"]
[Black "Kochyev, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2440"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1979.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. Be2 d6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qd2 c6 8. Nf3
e5 9. O-O exd4 10. Nxd4 Nc5 11. Bf3 Re8 12. b4 $5 ({Known is} 12. Rad1) 12...
Ne6 13. Nxe6 Bxe6 14. Be2 a5 15. b5 cxb5 16. Bxf6 $2 ({Correct is} 16. cxb5 Rc8
17. Rac1) 16... Bxf6 17. cxb5 a4 $1 18. Rac1 Qa5 19. Qd3 $5 (19. Rc2 Bxc3 20.
Qxc3 Qxc3 21. Rxc3 Bxa2 {also costs a pawn.}) 19... Bxc3 20. Rxc3 Bxa2 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 21. Ra1 Be6 $6 (21... Bd5 $1 {wins quickly.}) 22. Qd4
Bd7 23. Rca3 $6 (23. Rf3 $1 Rf8 24. Qd5 {fights back.}) 23... Bxb5 24. Bxb5
Qxb5 25. Rxa4 Rxa4 26. Qxa4 Qxa4 27. Rxa4 d5 $1 {He wins the rook ending.} 28.
f3 dxe4 29. fxe4 b5 30. Rb4 Rb8 31. Kf2 f6 32. Ke3 Kf7 33. Kd3 Ke6 34. Rd4 Rb7
35. Kc3 Ra7 36. Rd2 Ra4 37. Kd3 Ke5 38. Rb2 Rd4+ $1 {The final standings
became: Kochyev 91/2, Hess and Velikov 81/2, F.Portisch 8, D.Cramling, Lengyel,
Adamski, N.Karaklajic and Danner 7, Cappello 61/2, Wagman 6, Chevaldonnet 51/2,
Campioli 2, M.Karaklajic 11/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 23"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1980.12.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Taruffi, Daniele"]
[Black "Renman, Nils"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2425"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1980.12.??"]

{The twenty-third Torneo di Capodanno was played from 25 xii 1980 until 6 i
1981. 14 men participated. Renman from Sweden dominated the event.} 1. e4 e6 2.
d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9.
Qxh7 cxd4 10. Kd1 dxc3 11. Nf3 Nbc6 12. Ng5 Qxe5 13. Qxf7+ Kd7 14. Nf3 $6 {
Troubles start for the white queen.} (14. f4 Qd4+ 15. Bd3 {
drew in Longwitz - Neis, Saarbrücken 1968.}) 14... Qh8 $1 15. Bf4 $2 ({
Better is} 15. Qf4 e5 16. Qh4 Qxh4 17. Nxh4) 15... e5 $1 (15... Rf8 $2 16. Ne5+
$1 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Rxf7 18. Bxh8 {brings no advantage.}) 16. Nxe5+ $5 (16. Bg3 e4
$1 17. Nh4 Rf8 {costs a queen.}) 16... Nxe5 17. Bb5+ Kd8 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Re1
Qd4+ 20. Bd3 Re8 21. Rb1 Bf5 $1 {He threatens ..Bxd3.} 22. Re3 Qg4+ 23. Ke1
Bxd3 24. Rxb7 Be4 25. Qf6 Qg6 $1 26. Qxc3 Nc6 27. Qc5 d4 28. Re2 Kc8 29. Rb3
Kc7 30. Rg3 Qh6 {Renman won after an exciting opening.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 23"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1981.01.01"]
[Round "8"]
[White "De Eccher, Stefano"]
[Black "Renman, Nils"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2285"]
[BlackElo "2425"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1980.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2
Nc6 9. d4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Qc7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. e4 d6
$5 (14... Bc5 15. Qd3 Ng4 {
was played in Clarke - Milner Barry, Sunderland 1966.}) 15. Rd2 a6 16. a4 Bf8
17. Ba3 Qb7 18. f3 Nd7 19. Rb1 ({Not} 19. Bxd6 $2 Nc5) 19... Ne5 20. Rbd1 Nc6
21. Qe3 Na5 22. Ne2 Qc7 23. h4 Nb7 24. Nf4 $6 ({Better is} 24. Bb2) 24... b5 $1
25. Rc1 bxa4 26. b4 $1 Rdc8 27. Ne2 $6 (27. Nd3 $1 Be7 28. Ra2 Qd7 29. Bb2 {
will regain the pawn eventually.}) 27... Nd8 28. h5 h6 29. Qc3 Nc6 $1 30. f4
Qb7 31. Nd4 Be7 32. Nxc6 Rxc6 33. Qf3 Rac8 34. Rdc2 R8c7 35. Kh2 Bf6 36. Qd3
Qc8 37. Qe2 Bd4 38. Qd3 e5 39. f5 Kh7 40. Qe2 Qd8 41. Rf1 d5 $5 42. c5 ({
The pointe is} 42. exd5 Qxd5 $1) 42... dxe4 43. Qxe4 Qg5 44. g4 Qe3 45. Qxe3
Bxe3 46. Rd1 Bd4 47. Kg2 Rb7 48. Rb1 Rcc7 49. Rcc1 e4 $6 50. Rc4 $2 {
Probably, the blunder was made under time pressure.} (50. Kf1 e3 51. Ke2 {
defends properly.}) 50... Bxc5 $1 51. Rxe4 Bd6 {The final standings became:
Renman 10/13, Wittmann 91/2, Trois 8, Bertok, Taruffi and Minic 71/2,
Chevaldonnet and De Eccher 61/2, Wagman and Paniagua 6, Martoreli 51/2,
Evangelisti 5, Messa 3, Braunberger 21/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 24"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1981.12.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Bykhovsky, Avigdor"]
[Black "Duer, Arne"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2330"]
[BlackElo "2395"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1981.12.??"]

{
The twenty-fourth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 25 xii 1981 until 6 i 1982.
} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. e5 Nd5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. O-O Ba6 12. Re1 O-O 13. Ne4 Qc7 14. Bg5
$5 Rab8 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qc1 Rfd8 17. a3 c5 18. c4 Nf6 19. Nd2 $6 {
White plays somewhat passively.} Bb7 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Rb1 a5 22. Qc3 a4 23. b4
axb3 24. Rxb3 Qa6 25. Reb1 Rxb3 26. Rxb3 h6 27. Rb5 Qd6 28. Rb2 Ng4 29. Nf1 Qc6
30. Rd2 Ra8 31. Rd3 f6 32. Nd2 Rb8 33. Qa5 Kh7 34. Rd8 $6 ({Preferable is} 34.
f4) 34... Rxd8 35. Qxd8 Ne5 $1 {Black controls the centre.} 36. Qe7 $5 Qb6 $1
37. Kg2 Qa5 $1 38. Ne4 $2 ({Better is} 38. Qd6 $1 Qc3 39. a4 h5 40. a5 Qxa5 41.
f4 Ng4 42. Qd3+ f5 43. Qe2 {and White has created a defence line.}) 38... Qa8
$1 39. f3 Qxa3 40. Nxf6+ Kg6 41. Ne8 Qxf3+ 42. Kg1 Qd1+ 43. Kf2 Ng4+ 44. Kg2
Qe2+ 45. Kh3 Nf2+ 46. Kg2 Ne4+ {Duer scored well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 24"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1981.12.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Rossi, Carlo"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "1981.12.??"]

{The visiting Soviet grandmaster was Rafael Vaganian.} 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3.
d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 c6 6. O-O Bg7 7. Re1 dxe5 8. Nxe5 Nd7 9. Qf3 $5 ({
Known is} 9. Bxd5 cxd5 10. Bf4) 9... Nxe5 10. dxe5 O-O 11. Nc3 Nb4 $5 12. Bb3
Be6 13. Qe2 Qd7 14. Bg5 h6 $5 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. Bf4 Kh7 17. a3 Na6 18. g4 $6 {
He weakens his pawn structure.} (18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Qe3 {keeps a plus.}) 18...
Bc8 $5 19. Rd3 Nc5 20. Rh3 Qd7 21. e6 $1 Nxe6 22. Bxe6 $6 Qxe6 23. Bxh6 Bxh6 $6
(23... Qxg4+ 24. Qxg4 Bxg4 {gains a pawn.}) 24. Rxh6+ $1 Kg7 ({The pointe is} 
24... Kxh6 25. Qd2+ Kg7 26. Rxe6 Bxe6) 25. g5 $6 ({Preferable is} 25. Qxe6 Bxe6
26. Rh4) 25... Qxe2 26. Rxe2 Be6 27. Re4 Rh8 28. Rxh8 Rxh8 29. Rd4 Bf5 30. Rd2
e5 31. f3 Rh5 32. Rg2 {White saves material but he gets a passive position.}
Rh4 33. Re2 Rh5 34. Rg2 Bh3 35. Rg3 Rh8 36. Nd1 Kf8 37. Ne3 Ke7 38. Ng4 Ke6 39.
Ne3 b6 40. Kh1 Rh4 41. Kg1 c5 42. Kf2 b5 43. Ke2 Bf5 44. Rg2 b4 45. axb4 cxb4
46. b3 Rh8 47. Kf2 e4 $6 48. fxe4 Bxe4 49. Rg4 Bf5 50. Rg2 Ke5 {
The long manoeuvres have achieved little.} 51. Ke2 $2 {White should exchange.}
(51. Nxf5 Kxf5 52. Ke3 a5 53. Kd3 Rh5 54. Rf2+ Kxg5 55. Rxf7 Rxh2 56. Ra7 {
leads to a drawn rook ending.}) 51... Be6 $1 52. Nd1 a5 53. Nf2 Bd5 54. Rg3 $6
(54. Rg1 Rxh2 55. Ke3 Rg2) 54... Rxh2 {Black has gained a pawn.} 55. Ke3 Be6
56. Nd3+ Kf5 57. Ne1 Bd5 58. Kd4 Be4 59. c4 bxc3 60. Rxc3 Re2 61. Rc5+ Kf4 62.
Nd3+ Bxd3 63. Kxd3 Re5 $1 64. Rxe5 Kxe5 65. Kc4 f6 66. gxf6 Kxf6 67. Kb5 g5 68.
Kxa5 g4 69. b4 g3 70. b5 g2 71. b6 g1=Q {Vaganian won with a great difficulty.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 24"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1981.12.30"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Duer, Arne"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2395"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1981.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nbd7 4. Nc3 e5 5. e4 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3
c6 9. Qc2 Ng4 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bh4 Nh6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. b4 Qe7 14. c5 Nf7 $5 ({
Usual is} 14... Re8) 15. Rfd1 Re8 16. Bc4 b6 $6 ({A novelty will become} 16...
Nf8 $1) 17. b5 $5 Bb7 18. bxc6 Bxc6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Rac8 21. c6 Nc5 22.
a4 Kf8 23. a5 Nd8 24. Rab1 Qc7 ({Not} 24... bxa5 $2 25. Nxe5 $1) 25. axb6 axb6
26. Qb2 Rb8 27. Qb5 $1 {The restraint becomes painful for the Soviet star.}
Nde6 28. Bg3 $5 Qe7 $5 29. h3 Rec8 30. Rdc1 $5 Bh6 $1 31. Rc2 Bf4 32. Bxf4 Nxf4
33. Qc4 Kg7 34. Rcb2 Qc7 35. Ra2 Ra8 36. Rxa8 Rxa8 37. Qb5 Ra6 $2 (37... Rb8 {
continues the defence.}) 38. Nd2 $1 Qd8 39. Nb3 $1 {
White wins on the queenside.} Nfd3 40. Rd1 Ra7 41. Bc4 $1 Qa8 42. Bxd3 Nxb3 43.
Qxb3 Qxc6 44. Rb1 Rb7 45. Bc4 {
A great surprise happened, because Duer took the lead on Vaganian and Cuartas.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 24"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1982.01.01"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Duer, Arne"]
[Black "Messa, Roberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2395"]
[BlackElo "2325"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1981.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nc3
Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nc6 10. e4 Qa5 11. d5 exd5 12. exd5 Rd8 $5 ({The alternative is} 
12... Nb8) 13. Bd2 $5 Rxd5 $1 14. c4 $1 Rxd2 15. Qxd2 Be6 {
Black has a sufficient compensation for the exchange.} 16. Rac1 Rd8 17. Qxa5
Nxa5 18. Rfe1 Kf8 19. Bf1 Bf6 20. Re3 Rd6 21. h4 h6 22. Rc2 Rd1 23. Re1 Rd6 24.
Nd2 Rb6 $5 25. Rb1 Ra6 $6 26. Bg2 $1 b6 $2 {He imprisons his own rook.} 27. Re1
Bd7 28. Ne4 Bd4 29. Nd6 $1 g6 30. Rce2 Nc6 31. Bd5 $1 Nb4 $5 32. Re7 $1 Be6 33.
Re8+ Kg7 34. Bxe6 Rxa2 ({The pointe is} 34... fxe6 35. Re7+ Kg8 36. R1xe6) 35.
Bxf7 $5 Rxf2 $5 36. Kh1 Nd3 37. R1e7 Rf1+ 38. Kg2 Rf2+ 39. Kh3 h5 40. Bd5+ {
Duer kept on scoring.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 24"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1982.01.06"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Cuartas, Carlos"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C01"]
[WhiteElo "2425"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1981.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bd3 Ne7 6. Qh5 c5 7. Nf3 c4 8. Ne5
{White threatens mate in one.} Be6 $5 ({Known is} 8... g6) 9. Be2 Nbc6 10. Bg4
$6 {The opportunism continues.} O-O 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. Qg4 e5 $1 {
Black takes over the initiative.} 14. O-O (14. dxe5 d4 {costs a piece.}) 14...
Nxd4 {He gains a centre pawn.} 15. Bg5 Qd6 16. Rad1 h6 17. Nxd5 $5 Qxd5 18.
Bxh6 Qf7 {Vaganian prevents another mate.} 19. c3 Nf5 20. Bxg7 Nxg7 21. cxb4
Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rd1 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Qf5 $2 ({Correct is} 24... b5) 25.
Qd5+ Kh7 26. g3 Qb1+ 27. Kg2 Qxb2 28. Qe4+ $1 Kh6 29. Qh4+ Kg6 30. Qg4+ Kf6 31.
Qf3+ Ke6 32. Qg4+ Kd5 33. Qd7+ Ke4 34. Qxb7+ $2 (34. Qxg7 Kd3 35. h4 {draws.})
34... Kd3 $1 35. Qf3+ ({Or} 35. Qxg7 Qd4 $1) 35... Kd2 36. Qe3+ Kd1 37. Qxa7
Qd4 38. Qxg7 c3 39. Qh7 c2 40. Qh5+ Ke1 41. Qh6 Qxf2+ 42. Kh3 Qf1+ {Vaganian ac
hieved the second place. The final standings became: Duer 101/2/13, Vaganian
91/2, Bykhovsky 9, Formanek and Cuertas 8, Rigo and Sisniega 71/2, Passerotti
7, Messa 61/2, Trabattoni 51/2, Santolini 5, Reggiani 31/2, Rossi 3, Coppini 1/
2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 25"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1982.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Messa, Roberto"]
[Black "Danner, George"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2350"]
[BlackElo "2395"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1982.12.??"]

{The twenty-fifth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1982 until 6 i
1983. Main sponsor became the Banco di San Geminiano a San Prospero. Another
new sponsor was Ferrarini, a food company. It had a positive effect on the
tournament level for ten years. The bank director Elio Monducci persuaded
Paoli to proceed as organiser after the jubilee event.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3.
f4 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. e5 Nc6 7. Bb5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nf3 $5 ({
Theory is} 9. fxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4) 9... Nd4 $5 10. Nxd4 $2 (10. fxe5 $5 Nxc2+ 11.
Ke2 $1 Nxa1 $6 12. exf6 {favours White.}) 10... exd4 11. Ne2 Bd7 12. Bc4 $6 ({
Preferable is} 12. Nxd4) 12... Rc8 13. b3 $6 ({Better is} 13. Bb3 Bc6 14. Rg1)
13... Bg7 14. Bb2 Ng4 15. Bxd4 Bxd4 16. Nxd4 Ne3 $1 17. Bxf7 Rf8 18. Kd2 Nxg2
19. Bd5 Rxf4 {Black has gained a pawn.} 20. Ne2 Rf2 21. Raf1 $2 (21. Bxg2 Rxg2
22. Rag1 Rf2 23. Rf1 {prolongs the game.}) 21... Rxf1 22. Rxf1 Rxc2+ $1 23.
Kxc2 Ne3+ 24. Kc3 Nxf1 {He has two extra pawns in the endgame.} 25. h4 b6 26.
Kd4 Bg4 27. Nf4 Ng3 28. Ke5 Nf5 29. Be6 Nh6 30. b4 Ke8 31. b5 Nf7+ 32. Kd5 Bf3+
33. Kc4 Nd6+ 34. Kb4 Kf8 35. Nd3 Kg7 36. Bd7 Kf6 37. Bc6 Bxc6 38. bxc6 e5 39.
a4 Kf5 40. a5 Ke4 41. axb6 axb6 42. Nb2 Kd5 43. c7 Kc6 44. Nc4 Kxc7 45. Nxe5
Nf5 46. Nf3 Kc6 47. Kc4 b5+ 48. Kb4 Kd5 $1 49. Kxb5 Nd4+ 50. Nxd4 Kxd4 {
Danner had a fine start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 25"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1982.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Koch, Robert"]
[Black "Gaprindashvili, Nona"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2260"]
[BlackElo "2355"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1982.12.??"]

{The special guest of the tournament was Nona Gaprindashvili, the former
Women's World Champion. She played in mixed events before and had achieved the
title of International Grandmaster.} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5.
Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Ke2
Nc6 12. Qc2 g6 13. Rhd1 Bg4 14. Qa4 $5 ({Theory is} 14. Kf1 Bxf3 15. gxf3)
14... Qf6 15. Bb5 $6 ({Preferable is} 15. Kf1 Bxf3 16. gxf3) 15... Qxb2+ $1 {
Nona likes to play aggressively.} 16. Kf1 Bf5 17. Bxc6 $2 ({Correct is} 17.
Rac1) 17... Bc2 $1 18. Be5 Bxa4 19. Bxb2 bxc6 {Black has gained a pawn.} 20.
Rdc1 Rfc8 21. h4 h5 22. Be5 c5 23. Bd6 $5 Ba3 $1 24. Rcb1 Rc6 25. Be5 Rb6 26.
Bc7 Rb5 27. Kg1 $2 Bb2 $1 {She wins an exchange.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 25"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ceschia, Ivano"]
[Black "Gaprindashvili, Nona"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B87"]
[WhiteElo "2285"]
[BlackElo "2355"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1982.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O
Be7 9. f4 Bb7 10. Be3 Nc6 $5 ({An alternative is} 10... b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6
Bxf6) 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. f5 b4 13. Na4 exf5 14. Nb6 $5 (14. exf5 {
will become the natural move in future games.}) 14... Bxe4 $5 {
Gaprindashvili gives an exchange for two pawns.} 15. Ba4+ Kf8 16. Nxa8 Qxa8 17.
Qe2 h5 18. Rae1 h4 19. Bd4 Qb7 20. Qc4 $6 ({Preferable is} 20. c3 bxc3 21. bxc3
) 20... Bd5 $6 (20... Rh6 $1 {starts an attack.}) 21. Rxe7 $5 (21. Qe2 Be4 22.
c3 {is alright.}) 21... Kxe7 $1 22. Qe2+ Be6 23. Rxf5 h3 $1 24. Rg5 $2 (24.
Bxf6+ gxf6 25. g3 {defends properly.}) 24... Rh4 $1 25. Qf2 Ng4 26. Qd2 Qxg2+
$5 27. Qxg2 hxg2 28. Kxg2 Rxh2+ 29. Kg3 Rd2 30. Bxg7 f6 31. Rh5 Ne3 32. Bh6
Rg2+ 33. Kf4 Nxc2 34. Ke4 Rg4+ 35. Bf4 d5+ {
Gaprindashvili produced her third win.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 25"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anceschi, Vittorio"]
[Black "Bertok, Mario"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B67"]
[WhiteElo "2210"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1982.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.
O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 b5 10. a3 Qb6 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. f5 $6 ({Known is} 12. Nb3)
12... Qxd4 13. Qxd4 Nxd4 14. Rxd4 Bh6+ 15. Kb1 Bf4 {Black has gained a plus.}
16. fxe6 fxe6 17. Be2 h5 18. h4 Ke7 19. Bf3 Rac8 20. Ne2 Be5 21. Rd2 a5 22. g4
$2 {White weakens his pawns.} ({Preferable is} 22. Nc1) 22... hxg4 23. Bxg4 Bc6
$1 24. Nd4 $6 (24. Bf3 f5 25. Nd4 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. Rdd1 fxe4 28. Be2 {
offers more resistance.}) 24... Bxe4 25. Re1 f5 26. Nxb5 Rxh4 {
He has an extra pawn and positional advantages.} 27. Bd1 Rc5 28. a4 Bc6 29. c3
Be4+ 30. Ka2 Bf4 31. Rde2 e5 32. Rxe4 fxe4 33. Rxe4 Rh2 34. Re2 Rxe2 35. Bxe2
e4 36. Nd4 Be3 37. Nc2 Bg1 38. Kb1 Ke6 39. Kc1 Ke5 40. Kd2 d5 41. b4 axb4 42.
Nxb4 d4 43. cxd4+ Bxd4 44. Nc2 Bc3+ 45. Kd1 Rd5+ 46. Kc1 Rd2 47. Bb5 Rh2 48.
Kd1 Kf4 49. Na3 Kf3 50. Bc6 Rd2+ 51. Kc1 Rd6 52. Ba8 Ra6 53. Bd5 Rxa4 54. Nc4
Kf4 55. Kc2 Bf6 56. Kd2 Ra2+ 57. Kd1 Bc3 58. Bf7 Rh2 59. Nb6 Rd2+ 60. Kc1 e3
61. Bh5 Bb2+ {Bertok won his fourth game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 25"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Gaprindashvili, Nona"]
[Black "Messa, Roberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2355"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "173"]
[EventDate "1982.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Bg5 Be6 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Nxd5 Qxb2 13. Nc7 Rad8 14. Qc1
Qxc1 15. Raxc1 b6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. e3 h6 18. Rc4 Rd6 $5 ({The alternative is} 
18... Rf6) 19. Re4 Nb4 20. a4 Rf6 21. h4 Nd3 22. g4 a6 23. Rb1 a5 24. Rc4 Bb4
25. g5 Rf8 26. Kf1 Nc5 27. Ra1 Nb3 28. Ra2 hxg5 29. hxg5 Rd1+ 30. Ke2 Rb1 31.
Rac2 Nc5 32. Bh3 $5 g6 $5 33. Rc1 Rxc1 34. Rxc1 Kg7 35. Ne5 Rh8 36. Bg4 Ba3 $5
37. Rd1 Re8 38. Nc4 $5 Nxa4 $1 {Black survives by a trick.} 39. Nxa3 Nc3+ 40.
Kd2 Nxd1 41. Bxd1 $5 Rd8+ 42. Kc1 Rd5 43. f4 Rd3 44. Nc2 b5 $5 45. Be2 Rb3 $6 (
{Preferable is} 45... Rd5 $5 46. Nd4 e5 47. Ne6+ Kh8) 46. Nd4 $1 Rxe3 47. Kd2
Ra3 $5 48. Bxb5 Ra2+ 49. Kc3 Ra3+ 50. Kd2 Ra2+ 51. Kd3 Kf7 52. Bc4 Ra1 $5 53.
Bxe6+ Ke7 54. Bc4 a4 55. Nc2 Rf1 56. Ke3 Rb1 57. Kd4 Kf8 58. Kc3 Kg7 59. Ba2
Rf1 60. Nd4 Rf2 61. Bc4 a3 62. Ne2 Rf1 $5 ({Better is} 62... Kf8 $1) 63. Kb4 $1
Ra1 64. Nc3 Rc1 65. Ba2 Rf1 $1 66. Nd5 Rf3 67. Bb3 Kf7 68. Kxa3 Ke6 69. Ne3+
Kd6 70. Nc4+ Kc5 $2 {Black misses a narrow escape.} (70... Kc7 $1 71. Ne5 Rxf4
72. Nf7 Kd7 73. Kb2 Ke7 {draws.}) 71. Ne5 $1 Rg3 72. Nxg6 Kd4 73. Ne7 Ke4 74.
Nd5 Kd4 75. Kb4 Rg4 76. Nc7 Ke4 77. Ne6 Kf5 78. Kc5 Rg1 79. Kd6 Rc1 80. Ke7 Rc3
81. Ba2 Rc1 82. Bb3 Rc3 83. Bd5 Rd3 84. g6 Rc3 85. g7 Rc8 86. Kf7 Rb8 87. Nf8 {
Gaprindashvili took the lead on Mokry, Danner and Bertok.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 25"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Mokry, Karel"]
[Black "Bertok, Mario"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B67"]
[WhiteElo "2420"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1982.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.
O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 b5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Qe1 Qa5 13. Kb1 Be7 14. Bd3
h5 $5 ({Bertok played} 14... O-O-O {in a previous game.}) 15. Qg3 O-O-O 16.
Rhe1 Rdg8 17. Qh3 Bd7 18. Qf3 Qb6 19. f5 Kb8 20. Ne2 Qc5 21. Nf4 h4 22. Bf1 Rc8
23. Qb3 Rc7 $6 ({Preferable is} 23... Rhg8 $5) 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. c3 $1 {
He threatens e6.} Rb7 26. Nxe6 Qe5 27. Nd4 Qxh2 28. Nc2 $6 ({More active is} 
28. Qa3 $1 Rb6 29. Nf5) 28... Qe5 29. Qa3 d5 $2 (29... Ra7 30. Qa5 Bc6 31. Qb6+
Bb7 {defends more solidly.}) 30. Qxa6 dxe4 31. Rxd7 $1 Rxd7 32. Nd4 Rc8 $5 (
32... Rd6 33. Nc6+ Kc7 34. Bxb5 Qc5 35. Rxe4 {also favours White.}) 33. Bxb5
Ra7 34. Nc6+ $1 Rxc6 35. Qxc6 f5 $2 (35... Rc7 36. Qe8+ Rc8 37. Qf7 Qxb5 38.
Qxe7 f5 {tries to survive.}) 36. Qe8+ $1 Kc7 37. Qc6+ Kb8 38. Qe8+ Kc7 39. Rd1
$1 Bf6 40. Qc6+ Kb8 41. Rd5 $5 Qe7 $5 42. Ba6 {The final standings became:
Gaprindashvili 8/11, Mokry and Danner 71/2, Bertok 7, Lengyel and Wiedenkeller
61/2, Messa 6, Ceschia, Lanzani and Koch 41/2, Anceschi 21/2, Wagman 2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 26"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.12.24"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Formanek, Edward"]
[Black "Mokry, Karel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2325"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1983.12.??"]

{The twenty-sixth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 24 xii 1983 until 4 i 1984.
It was the first grandmaster tournament, because Hulak, Spassky and Nunn took
part. However, the strongest men could not play a main role.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4
e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 c5 5. d5 Nh5 6. g3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 f5 8. dxe6 $5 ({
More aggressive is} 8. e4) 8... dxe6 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Nh3 Nc6 11. e4 fxe4 12.
Ng5 Kc7 $1 13. Nxe4 b6 14. Be2 $2 ({More solid is} 14. Be3 Rf8 15. Nd2) 14...
Nf6 15. O-O Ba6 16. Ng5 $5 Rhe8 17. f4 h6 18. Nf7 $6 {
The knight should return as a defender.} Rf8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Ne4 {
White weaknesses are attacked.} 21. Bf3 (21. Bb2 Nd2 $1 22. Rxf8 Rxf8 23. Rd1
Nf3+ 24. Bxf3 Rxf3 25. Rf1 Rd3 26. Rf7+ Kc6 27. Rxa7 Bxc4 {wins for Black.})
21... Bxc4 22. Bxh6 Rxf3 $1 23. Rxf3 gxh6 24. Rf4 Bd3 25. Rd1 Rd8 26. Rxd3 Rxd3
27. Rxe4 Rxc3 {He has an extra pawn in the rook ending.} 28. Rh4 Ra3 29. g4 c4
$6 (29... Rxa2 30. Rxh6 c4 {ends the game quickly.}) 30. g5 $1 hxg5 31. Rxc4+
Kd7 32. Rd4+ Ke8 33. Rg4 $1 Rxa2 34. Rxg5 b5 35. Rg8+ Kf7 $6 {
The king should support the queenside pawns.} 36. Rb8 $1 Ra5 $1 37. Kf2 Kg6 38.
Ke3 Kf5 39. Kd4 Ra4+ 40. Kc5 a6 41. Kd6 Rd4+ 42. Ke7 Kxe5 43. Rb6 Ra4 44. Rxe6+
Kd5 45. Rh6 b4 46. h4 b3 47. Rb6 Re4+ 48. Kf6 Rxh4 49. Rxb3 Kc4 {
A theoretical win has been reached.} 50. Rb8 Rh5 51. Ke6 a5 52. Rg8 a4 53. Rg4+
Kb5 54. Rg3 Rc5 {Mokry had a good start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 26"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.12.25"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Mokry, Karel"]
[Black "Bouaziz, Slim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2450"]
[BlackElo "2390"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1983.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5
Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O $5 ({The alternative is the immediate} 
11. Nd5) 11... Nd4 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. exd5 O-O 15. Qf3 Re8 16. Bd3
Re5 17. Kb1 Qb6 $6 ({Usual will become} 17... Qa5 $1) 18. g4 $5 Rae8 19. h4 Qc5
{Black has lost a tempo.} 20. g5 Bd8 21. Qh5 g6 22. Qg4 {
White tries to attack on the kingside.} Qxd5 23. a3 b5 $6 (23... Ba5 24. f4 Re1
{leads to exchanges.}) 24. f4 $1 Re3 25. h5 $1 Qf3 26. Qd7 $1 R3e7 $2 (26...
Qd5 $1 27. hxg6 hxg6 {defends properly.}) 27. Qxd6 Re6 28. Qxd4 {
White has gained a pawn.} Bb6 29. Qb4 $1 gxh5 30. f5 Rc6 31. Qb3 Re5 32. g6
hxg6 33. fxg6 Qd5 34. gxf7+ Kf8 35. Qb4+ $5 (35. Bc4 $1 Qxc4 36. Qg3 $1 {
wins quickly.}) 35... Qc5 36. Qf4 Qe3 37. Qf1 Rce6 38. Qg2 Qg5 39. Qa8+ Qd8 40.
Qb7 Rd6 41. Rde1 Qe7 42. Qa8+ Rd8 43. Rxe5 Rxa8 44. Rxe7 Kxe7 45. Bg6 Bc5 46.
Re1+ Kf6 47. Re8 Kxg6 48. Rxa8 Kxf7 49. Rxa6 h4 50. Rh6 {Mokry won again.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 26"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.12.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Bouaziz, Slim"]
[Black "Hulak, Krunoslav"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2390"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1983.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2
Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. e5 Nd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5
15. Be2 dxe5 16. O-O Ra7 17. c4 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 d4 19. Bh5+ g6 20. Bd1 Be7 21.
Ba4+ Kd8 22. Rf7 h6 23. Bxh6 e4 24. h3 e5 25. Bg5 e3 26. Bxe3 {
They play a fashionable line of the Poisoned Pawn Variation.} Rb7 $5 (26... Rh5
{drew in Timman - Sunye Neto, Wijk aan Zee 1980.}) 27. Rd1 $6 Bg4 $1 28. Re1 {
White has lost a tempo.} Kc8 29. Bg1 Bf5 30. Bh2 e4 31. Rxe7 $2 ({Preferable is
} 31. Qf2 Rd8 32. g4) 31... Rxe7 32. Qf4 Qb4 33. Rg1 Rd8 34. g4 Qxa4 $2 (34...
e3 $1 35. gxf5 Qb7+ 36. Rg2 Re4 37. Qg5 e2 {wins for Black.}) 35. gxf5 Qc6 36.
Rxg6 Qb7 37. c5 $2 ({Right is} 37. Qh6 e3+ 38. Rc6+ Kd7 39. Qd6+ Ke8 40. Qg6+
Rf7 41. Bf4) 37... e3+ 38. c6 Qb1+ $6 39. Rg1 Qb5 40. f6 $2 (40. Qf3 Qd5 41.
Qxd5 Rxd5 42. f6 {fights for the last chance.}) 40... Qxc6+ 41. Rg2 Rf7 42. Bg3
Rxf6 43. Qb8+ Kd7 44. Qa7+ Ke6 45. Qg7 Qe4 46. Kh2 d3 47. Rb2 Qd4 48. Rb7 Rf2+
49. Bxf2 {White made the final mistake in a tactical game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 26"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.12.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nunn, John"]
[Black "Mokry, Karel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B63"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1983.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. Nb3 a6 10. f3 b5 11. h4 $5 Qc7 12. Bd3 $2 ({Preferable is} 12.
Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Qxd6 Qb6 14. Qc5 Qxc5 15. Nxc5 Ra7) 12... Rd8 13. Qf2 Ne5 14. Be3
Nfd7 15. Kb1 b4 16. Ne2 a5 17. g4 a4 $1 18. Nbd4 Nxd3 19. cxd3 Nc5 20. Bg5 Re8
$5 (20... f6 $1 {keeps more advantage.}) 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. h5 Ba6 $1 23. Qe3
Rec8 24. h6 g6 25. f4 e5 26. Nf3 Qc7 27. Ne1 Qc6 28. f5 d5 $1 29. Rc1 Qd6 30.
Rh2 Rc7 $5 31. exd5 Qxd5 $5 32. Ng3 $6 (32. d4 $1 exd4 33. Qxd4 Qxd4 34. Nxd4 {
tries to escape.}) 32... b3 $6 33. a3 Rac8 34. Rd1 $2 ({Right is} 34. Rd2)
34... Nxd3 35. Ne2 e4 36. Nc3 Qe5 37. Rhd2 Rxc3 38. bxc3 Qxc3 39. Re2 Qc6 40.
fxg6 fxg6 41. Qg5 Nxe1 42. Qe5 Bd3+ 43. Kb2 Qc2+ 44. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 45. Kb1 Rc5+
46. Rxd3 Rxe5 47. Rd7 Nf3 48. Rg7+ Kf8 49. Rxh7 Ng5 {Mokry won his third game.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 26"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.12.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Gobet, Fernand"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2415"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1983.12.??"]

{Spassky played many draws.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3
d6 6. g4 h6 7. g5 hxg5 8. Bxg5 Nc6 9. Qd2 Qb6 10. Nb3 Ne5 11. Qe2 Bd7 12. O-O-O
Rc8 13. Rd4 $5 ({Usual is} 13. h4) 13... a6 14. f4 Nc6 15. Rd2 Qc7 16. Bg2 b5
17. a3 Nh7 18. h4 Nxg5 19. hxg5 Rxh1+ 20. Bxh1 g6 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... Qb6
) 21. f5 $6 (21. e5 $1 dxe5 22. Ne4 $1 {charges at the king.}) 21... Ne5 22.
Nd4 $5 Qb6 $5 23. Bg2 $2 {Gobet loses an important tempo.} ({Better is} 23. Qf2
$1 Rxc3 $5 24. bxc3 Qa5 25. Nb3 Qxa3+ 26. Kd1 {and White defends well.}) 23...
Rxc3 $1 {The white defence line is opened.} 24. bxc3 Qc5 25. Nb3 Qxc3 26. Qf2
Nc4 $1 27. Rd3 Qb2+ 28. Kd1 exf5 29. exf5 gxf5 $5 30. Qa7 $5 Bg7 $6 ({Right is
} 30... Qe5) 31. Bd5 $6 (31. Nd2 Bc3 32. Qa8+ Ke7 33. Nxc4 bxc4 34. Re3+ Be5
35. Qb7 {offers more resistance.}) 31... Qb1+ 32. Nc1 Bb2 33. Qb8+ Ke7 34. Bxc4
Qxc1+ 35. Ke2 Qxc2+ 36. Kf1 Be5 $1 {
Black consolidates the centre and continues the attack.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 26"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1983.12.31"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Black "Zichichi, Alvise"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A09"]
[WhiteElo "2440"]
[BlackElo "2385"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1983.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. g3 c5 4. b4 cxb4 5. a3 bxa3 6. Bxa3 {
White plays a gambit.} Nc6 7. d3 g6 8. Bg2 Bg7 9. O-O Nh6 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Qc2
$5 (11. Ne1 Bd7 12. Nc2 {occurred in Larsen - Portisch, Palma de Mallorca 1970.
}) 11... Nf5 12. Rfb1 Qc7 13. Ne4 h5 14. Ne1 h4 15. Qd1 $5 hxg3 16. hxg3 Rb8
17. Bc1 e5 18. Qa4 Nfe7 19. Qa3 f6 $2 (19... Bg4) 20. Qd6 $1 Qxd6 21. Nxd6 Rd8
$6 22. Ba3 $6 (22. Nxc8 Rdxc8 23. Ba3 b6 24. Bxe7 Nxe7 25. Rxa7 {
attacks on the queenside.}) 22... Bf8 $6 (22... Rd7 {overprotects b7.}) 23.
Nxc8 $1 Rdxc8 24. Bd6 {White gains material.} Rd8 $5 25. Bxb8 Rxb8 26. Nc2 f5
27. Nb4 Nxb4 28. Rxb4 b6 29. Rb5 {The final standings became: Mokry 8/11,
Hulak and Tatai 71/2, Rogers 61/2, Spassky, Vukic and Nunn 6, Toth 5, Zichichi
41/2, Bouaziz 4, Formanek and Gobet 21/2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1984.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Toth, Bela"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2410"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

{The twenty-seventh Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1984 until 6 i
1985. A Soviet boycott had been applied, because Spassky participated during
the previous tournaments. Nevertheless, it became one of the most interesting
grandmaster events in Reggio Emilia. The contemplation time was fifty moves in
three hours.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. b3 O-O 7.
Bd3 c5 8. O-O b6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. Rc1 a6 12. Qe2 b5 $5 13. dxc5
Nxc5 14. Bf5 Re8 15. Rfd1 Qb6 16. Qc2 Rad8 17. Ne2 Nfe4 18. Bd4 Qh6 19. b4 $5
Ne6 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 $5 21. Nf4 Qh6 $6 22. Qc7 $1 {White controls the open file.}
Ba8 23. Ne5 Qd6 24. Nfd3 f6 25. Nf3 Qe6 26. Nc5 $5 Bxc5 27. bxc5 Rc8 28. Qa5
Rc6 $6 ({The natural move is} 28... Bb7) 29. Ne1 Ng5 30. f3 Qe7 31. Nd3 Ne6 32.
Re1 $5 Qc7 33. Qc3 a5 34. a3 Qa7 35. Qb3 Nc7 $2 ({Better is} 35... Qb8 $1 36.
Rb1 Rc7 $1) 36. Nf4 Kh8 $6 (36... Rd8 37. Red1 Kf8 {offers more resistance.})
37. Nxd5 Nxd5 38. Qxd5 {White has gained a pawn.} Rce6 39. Qb3 Bc6 40. e4 Qb7
41. Rb1 R6e7 42. Qc3 Qc7 43. Bf2 Qd8 44. Bg3 Rb7 45. Red1 Rd7 46. Bd6 Qa8 47.
h3 Ra7 48. Kh2 Qc8 49. Rd2 Qe6 50. Rd4 h6 51. Bf4 Qf7 52. Rd6 Ra6 53. Qd2 Re6
54. Qa2 Re7 55. Qe2 Re6 56. Rd8+ Re8 57. Rxe8+ Qxe8 58. a4 $1 Ra7 59. axb5 Rb7
60. bxc6 $1 Rxb1 61. c7 {Portisch played a solid positional game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1984.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Miles, Anthony"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 Bg6 8. h4
h5 $5 ({The alternative is} 8... h6) ({Black has to avoid the trap} 8... Bxh4
$2 9. Qb3 $1 b6 10. Rxh4 $1 Qxh4 11. Nxd5 $1 cxd5 12. Qxd5) 9. g5 Bd6 10. Qf3
Ne7 11. Nge2 Bb4 $5 12. O-O-O b5 13. a3 Ba5 14. b4 Bb6 15. Be5 O-O 16. Bh3 $6 (
{Preferable is} 16. Nf4 $5 Nd7 $1 17. Nxh5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Qc7 {(Kovacevic)} 19.
Nxg7 $1 a5 20. h5 axb4 21. axb4 Be4 22. Nxe4 Qxe5 23. Qf6 Ra1+ 24. Kc2 Qxe4+
25. Bd3 Ra2+ 26. Kc1 Qxb4 27. h6 Qa3+ 28. Kb1 Qb3+ 29. Kc1 {
and Black delivers perpetual check.}) 16... Nd7 17. Bxd7 $5 Qxd7 18. Ng3 $5 Bc7
19. Bxc7 Qxc7 20. Nxh5 {The gain of a pawn will be too costly.} a5 $1 21. Kb2
axb4 22. axb4 c5 $6 (22... Qd6 $1 23. Kb3 Be4 $1 24. Qg3 Qxg3 25. Nxg3 Bxh1 26.
Rxh1 f6 {wins material.}) 23. dxc5 Nc6 24. Qf4 Ne5 25. Nf6+ $6 gxf6 26. Kb3 Nc4
27. Ra1 ({The pointe is} 27. Qxc7 $4 Ra3#) 27... Qxf4 28. exf4 Nd2+ 29. Kb2
Nc4+ 30. Kb3 Nd2+ 31. Kb2 Rfd8 $2 ({Portisch misses the win} 31... d4 $1 32.
Nd5 Nc4+ 33. Kb3 fxg5 34. f5 Rxa1 35. Rxa1 gxh4 36. fxg6 fxg6 37. f4 d3) 32.
Nxb5 $2 {A rook should be exchanged.} (32. Rxa8 $1 Rxa8 33. Nxb5 Rb8 34. Nc7
Rxb4+ 35. Kc3 Rxf4 36. Kxd2 {draws.}) 32... Rab8 33. Na7 Rxb4+ 34. Kc3 Rdb8 35.
Kxd2 Rb2+ 36. Ke1 Rb1+ 37. Kd2 R8b2+ 38. Ke3 Rb3+ 39. Kd2 R1b2+ $1 40. Ke1 Be4
41. c6 Rc3 42. f3 $5 ({Or} 42. Rg1 Rcc2 $1 43. gxf6+ Kh7) 42... Re3+ 43. Kf1
Rxf3+ 44. Ke1 Re3+ 45. Kf1 Bd3+ {Portisch delivers mate in one.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1984.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Kurajica, Bojan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 d5 5. e3 O-O 6. a3 Be7 7. Bd3 c5 8. dxc5
a5 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. Bc4 $5 (10. Qe2 {
was played in Timman - Kurajica, Sarajevo 1984.}) 10... Qxc5 11. b3 b5 12. Be2
Bb7 13. Bb2 Na6 14. O-O Qd5 15. Qb1 Rfc8 16. Rd1 Qc6 17. Bf1 Nc7 18. Ne5 Qe8
19. Bd4 Ncd5 20. Qb2 b4 21. axb4 axb4 22. Nec4 Qd8 23. Be2 Ne8 24. Nf3 Rxa1 25.
Qxa1 Ra8 26. Qb2 Bf6 27. Nfe5 Qc7 28. h3 Nc3 $5 29. Bxc3 bxc3 30. Qxc3 Bd5 {
Black has sufficient compensation for the pawn.} 31. f4 Rb8 32. Bf3 Rb5 33. Kf2
g6 34. Rc1 Bxf3 35. gxf3 Qb8 36. Rb1 Nd6 37. Qd3 Rd5 38. Qc2 Nf5 39. Rd1 Bh4+
40. Kg2 $6 Qd8 $6 (40... Qa7 $1 {gains an advantage.}) 41. Rd3 Bf6 42. Nc6 Qa8
43. N6e5 Bxe5 44. Nxe5 Rxd3 45. Qxd3 Qa2+ 46. Kf1 Qa1+ 47. Ke2 Qb2+ 48. Kd1 Kg7
49. Nc4 Qa1+ 50. Kc2 Qa2+ 51. Nb2 Qa7 52. Qc3+ Kh6 53. Nc4 Kh5 54. e4 Qf2+ 55.
Qd2 Nd4+ 56. Kd3 Qxd2+ $2 (56... Qg1 {keeps the equality.}) 57. Nxd2 Nc6 58.
Nc4 Kh4 59. Ne5 Nd8 60. Ke3 Kxh3 61. Kf2 f5 62. b4 Kh4 63. b5 $1 g5 $2 (63...
Nb7 64. b6 Nc5 65. exf5 exf5 66. Nc6 Nb7 {offers more resistance.}) 64. Nc6 Nb7
65. e5 $1 Nc5 66. Nd4 $6 Nd3+ $6 67. Ke3 Nxf4 68. Nxe6 $1 Nxe6 69. b6 g4 70. b7
g3 71. b8=Q f4+ {Portisch won for the third time in a row.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Hort, Vlastimil"]
[Black "Ivanovic, Bozidar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A67"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 8. Bb5+
Nfd7 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nf3 Nb6 $6 ({Usual is} 10... Na6) 11. h3 N8d7 12. a4 Nf6
13. O-O Re8 14. Bd3 Rb8 15. Re1 a6 16. Be3 Na8 17. Bc2 Nb6 18. Nd2 Qc7 19. Qf3
Nbd7 20. Bd3 b6 {Black has a passive game.} 21. Rac1 Ra8 22. Bf2 Qb8 23. Kh1
Nh5 $5 24. g4 $1 Nhf6 25. Bg3 h5 26. g5 Nh7 27. Qf1 Rf8 28. Nf3 Re8 29. Rc2 Qc7
30. Bc4 b5 $5 31. axb5 Nb6 32. b3 Nxc4 33. bxc4 Bxc3 34. Rxc3 axb5 35. cxb5 Ra4
{A pawn sacrifice has activated the black position.} 36. Nd2 Bd7 37. Rb1 Rb8 $5
38. Qd3 $6 Qd8 $6 {Black could capture on h3.} 39. Bf2 f5 $5 40. gxf6 $1 Qxf6
41. Rg1 $6 (41. b6 {keeps the extra pawn.}) 41... Bxb5 42. Qg3 Be8 43. Nc4 Kh8
$2 (43... h4 44. Qe3 Bf7 {defends properly.}) 44. e5 $1 dxe5 45. fxe5 {
White has conquered the centre.} Qg7 46. Nd6 h4 47. Qe3 Rd4 48. Rxc5 Rdb4 49.
e6 Rb3 50. Qd4 Nf6 51. Nxe8 Rxe8 52. Kh2 Ra8 53. e7 Rf3 54. d6 {
Hort competed at the top.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kurajica, Bojan"]
[Black "Mokry, Karel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2485"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 g6 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. h4 h5 $5 7. Bc4 Bg7 8.
Qb3 e6 9. Nf3 Nd7 $6 ({More prudent is} 9... Qb6) 10. e4 $1 Nxc3 11. bxc3 O-O
12. e5 c5 13. O-O cxd4 14. cxd4 Nb6 15. Bg5 Qe8 16. Nd2 Bd7 17. Qb4 Bc6 $5 18.
Be7 $5 {White accepts the offer.} Qd7 19. Bxf8 Bxf8 20. Qb2 $6 ({Preferable is
} 20. Qc3 Rd8 21. d5 Nxd5 22. Bxd5 Qxd5 23. Nf3) 20... Rd8 $6 (20... Na4 $1 21.
Qc2 Qxd4 {gains an edge.}) 21. d5 $1 exd5 22. Be2 Na4 23. Qc2 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ne6
25. f4 Bh6 26. g3 Ng7 $2 (26... Nxf4 $1 27. gxf4 Qh3 28. Qd3 Qxh4 29. Qd4 Qg3+
{leads to perpetual check.}) 27. Nd4 Qh3 28. Rf3 Ne6 29. Rd1 Bf8 $2 ({Right is
} 29... Bd7 30. Nxe6 Bxe6) 30. f5 $1 gxf5 31. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 32. Rd4 {
The black queen will be won.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Miles, Anthony"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Qb3 Ba5 $5 4. Qa3 Bxc3 5. Qxc3 {
Both sides have lost one tempo.} Qe7 6. b4 $5 Nf6 7. Bb2 d6 8. g3 O-O 9. Bg2
Nc6 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. b5 Nd8 12. O-O Ne6 13. h3 Bh5 14. Qe3 Rfe8 15. Nh4 Rab8 16.
Rae1 Nd7 17. Qe4 Ndc5 18. Qf5 $5 g5 $1 19. g4 $1 Bg6 20. Nxg6 hxg6 21. Qc2 Nf4
22. e3 Nfd3 $1 {Miles becomes restricted.} 23. Ra1 Qf6 24. a4 Nxb2 25. Qxb2 a5
26. bxa6 $2 bxa6 27. Qc3 Rb3 {Black controls the open file.} 28. Qa5 Rb6 29.
Rad1 e4 $1 30. f3 Nb3 31. Qc3 Qxc3 32. dxc3 Nc5 33. a5 $5 Rb3 $1 34. fxe4 Rxc3
35. e5 $5 Rxe5 36. Bd5 Ne6 37. e4 Nf4 $1 38. Rb1 Nxd5 39. exd5 Rxc4 {
Timman has won two pawns.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Hort, Vlastimil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O Bg4 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. Rd1 Re8 11. b3 Nbd7 12. Bf1 Bf8 $5 ({Usual is} 12... a6)
13. Bb2 Bd6 14. e4 $1 {White takes the initiative.} dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4
Qe7 17. Rab1 Rad8 18. Re1 Qg5 $5 19. Rbd1 h5 $5 20. h4 $5 Qh6 $6 ({
Preferable is} 20... Qe7 {and Black uses his queen as a defender.}) 21. Qf3 Qf4
22. Qxf4 Bxf4 23. g3 Bh6 $6 ({More solid is} 23... Bd6 $5 24. Bh3 {(Portisch)}
Bb4 25. Re2 Kf8) 24. d5 $1 exd5 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. cxd5 {
The two bishops are an advantage in the open position.} c5 27. Bb5 Rd8 28. Bc6
$1 b6 $1 29. Kg2 Bg7 30. Bc1 Ne5 31. Bb5 Kf8 $2 (31... Bf8 $1 {
prevents the next move.}) 32. d6 $1 Nd7 33. Re1 a6 $6 (33... Ne5 34. f4 Nd7 35.
Re7 Nf6 {defends properly.}) 34. Bxa6 Nf6 35. Rd1 Ne4 36. d7 $1 Bd4 37. Bh6+
Kg8 38. Bc8 Nd6 39. Bg5 {Portisch defeated a main competitor.} (39. Bg5 f6 40.
Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 41. Rxd6 Kf7 42. Rxb6 {gains three pawns.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Hort, Vlastimil"]
[Black "Garcia Palermo, Carlos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B18"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2500"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. f4 e6 8. Nf3
Nd7 9. h5 Bh7 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 Qc7 12. Bd2 O-O-O 13. Qe2 c5 $5 ({
The alternative is} 13... Ngf6 14. O-O-O c5) 14. Ne5 Nb6 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16.
O-O-O Nf6 17. Kb1 Kb8 18. Bc1 Rhe8 19. Rhf1 Bd6 20. Rde1 Nfd5 21. Rf3 f6 22.
Ng6 e5 23. fxe5 Bxe5 24. Nxe5 Rxe5 25. Qf2 Nc4 26. Rd3 Rxe1 27. Qxe1 Ne5 28.
Rd4 Ne7 29. Re4 Qd6 30. b3 Rd7 31. Bf4 N7c6 32. Nf5 Qd5 33. Re2 Kc8 $5 34. Rd2
$1 Qe6 35. Qe4 Rxd2 36. Bxd2 Qd7 37. Bc1 b5 $6 ({Preferable is} 37... a6) 38.
Bf4 a6 $2 (38... Kb7 $1 {prevents the next tactics.}) 39. Nxg7 $1 Qxg7 40. Bxe5
{Hort battled for the second place.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ivanovic, Bozidar"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C52"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 {Black accepts the Evans Gambit.} 5.
c3 Ba5 6. d4 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. dxe5 Bb6 9. exd6 Na5 10. Qb4 Nxc4 11. Qxc4 Qxd6
12. O-O $5 {It is easier to play the black position.} (12. Ba3 Be6 13. Qb5+ {
was played in Mnatsakanian - Korelov, Yerevan 1962.}) 12... Be6 13. Qb5+ ({
The alternative is} 13. Qe2 $5) 13... Qd7 14. Qxd7+ Bxd7 15. Re1 Nf6 16. Be3
Bxe3 17. Rxe3 O-O-O 18. Nbd2 Rhe8 19. h3 h6 20. Rb1 Re6 21. Rb2 $6 ({
Preferable is} 21. Nd4 $1 Re7 22. Rbe1 c5 23. N4b3) 21... c5 $1 22. Nc4 Bc6 23.
Nfe5 Be8 24. f4 b5 25. Na3 a6 26. Rf2 $6 (26. Kf2 $5 Nxe4+ 27. Rxe4 f6 28. Rbe2
fxe5 29. f5 {offers more resistance.}) 26... Rd1+ 27. Kh2 Red6 $1 28. Ree2 Rc1
$1 {Jan attacks.} 29. Nc2 h5 $6 (29... Rdd1 30. Kg3 Rxc2 31. Rxc2 Nxe4+ 32. Kf3
Nxf2 33. Kxf2 f6 {wins for Black.}) 30. g4 $6 (30. f5 Rdd1 31. Rf4 {
defends properly.}) 30... hxg4 31. hxg4 Bc6 $1 32. g5 Nxe4 33. Nxc6 Nxf2 34.
Ne7+ Kd7 35. Nf5 Nd3 36. Nxd6 Kxd6 37. Rd2 c4 38. a4 $5 bxa4 39. Ne3 Rxc3 40.
Ra2 Nxf4 41. Nf5+ Ke5 42. Nxg7 a3 43. Ne8 Rb3 44. Ra1 c3 {
Timman chased Portisch.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Adorjan, Andras"]
[Black "Kurajica, Bojan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 4. g3 g6 $5 ({Theory is} 4... Nf6) 5. d4 e4 6.
Ng5 $5 Bb4 7. Bg2 Qf6 $6 {The queen starts a doubtful adventure.} ({
More natural is} 7... Nf6) 8. O-O Nge7 9. Qa4 Bxc3 10. bxc3 b6 11. d5 Nd8 12.
f3 h6 13. Nh3 Qxc3 $6 {Kurajica is too greedy.} 14. Rb1 $1 Nb7 15. fxe4 Nc5 16.
Qd1 $1 d6 (16... Nxe4 $6 17. Bb2 Qe3+ 18. Nf2 O-O 19. Bd4 Qd2 20. Nxe4 Qxd1 21.
Nf6+ Rxf6 22. Rfxd1 Rd6 23. Be5 {wins for White.}) 17. Bb2 Qe3+ 18. Kh1 Rf8 19.
e5 $5 ({Even better is} 19. Rf3 $1 Qxe4 20. Bd4 $1 Bd7 21. Rf4) 19... Ba6 $5
20. Rf3 Qe4 21. Rf4 Qe3 22. Rc1 dxe5 23. Rf3 Qe4 24. Nf2 {
The black queen has been caught in the middle of the board.} Qxc4 25. Rxc4 Bxc4
26. d6 Nd5 27. e4 fxe4 28. Rxf8+ Kxf8 29. Nxe4 Nd3 30. Qd2 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

{Portisch led by half-a-point on Timman.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4
Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7
12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 c5 16. d5 c4 17. Bg5 h6 18. Be3 Nc5
19. Rf1 Bg7 20. Qd2 Kh7 21. Nh2 Nxa4 $5 (21... h5 {
occurred in Spassky - Portisch, Geneva 1977 (6).}) 22. Bxa4 $1 {
Timman plays for a win.} bxa4 23. Rxa4 a5 24. f4 h5 $6 ({Preferable is} 24...
exf4 $1 25. Rxf4 g5 26. Rxf6 $5 Qxf6 27. Rxc4) 25. fxe5 dxe5 26. Bg5 Ba6 27.
Rf3 $5 Qb6+ 28. Qf2 Qxf2+ 29. Rxf2 Bb5 30. Ra1 Nd7 31. Rxf7 {
He has gained a pawn.} Kg8 32. Raf1 Rf8 33. Rxf8+ Bxf8 34. Nf3 Ba4 35. Be3 Bc2
36. Ng5 $6 (36. Rc1 Bd3 37. Ra1 {keeps an edge.}) 36... Be7 37. Rf2 Bd3 38. Nf1
Rb8 39. Nh2 $6 ({Wiser is} 39. h4 a4 40. Ng3) 39... Bxg5 40. Bxg5 Bxe4 $6 ({
Better is} 40... Nc5 $5 41. Be7 Nxe4 42. Rf3 a4) 41. d6 Rf8 42. Rd2 Kf7 43. Be7
Ra8 $5 44. Re2 $5 Bd5 $5 45. Kf2 Ke6 46. Nf3 $2 (46. Nf1 $1 {(Simic)} a4 47.
Ne3 {keeps the equality.}) 46... Bxf3 47. Kxf3 Nc5 $1 {
Black has a decisive positional advantage.} 48. g4 Nd3 49. Ke3 hxg4 50. h4 Rb8
51. Rg2 Rxb2 52. Rxg4 Nf4 53. h5 Rg2 54. Rh4 gxh5 55. Rh1 a4 56. Rd1 Re2+ 57.
Kf3 Kf5 $1 58. Rd5 Nxd5 59. d7 Nf4 $1 {Portisch had won the tournament.} ({
The pointe is} 59... Nf4 60. d8=Q e4+ 61. Kg3 Rg2+ 62. Kh4 Rg4#) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 27"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Rogers, Ian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E10"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1984.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 b5 {They play the Blumenfeld Gambit.} 5. Bg5
h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Nc3 b4 8. Nb5 Kd8 9. e4 g5 10. Bd3 $5 (10. e5 Qg7 11. dxe6
$6 fxe6 12. Bd3 $6 {happened in Szymczak - Knaak, Leipzig 1983.}) 10... Bb7 $6
(10... g4 11. Nd2 Qxb2 12. Rb1 Qe5 13. Qxg4 Qg5 {is alright.}) 11. e5 $6 ({
Rogers suggests} 11. Qa4 a5 12. Qc2) 11... Qg7 12. Qa4 a5 13. O-O g4 14. Nd2
Qxe5 15. Qc2 Ra6 16. Rfe1 Qg7 17. a3 h5 18. axb4 cxb4 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. Be4 Nc6
21. Rad1 h4 22. Nb3 a4 23. N3d4 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Bxe4 25. Qxe4 $2 {
Suddenly, positional problems arise for Portisch.} (25. Rxe4 Qf7 26. Rxg4 {
utilises a rook.}) 25... Kc8 $1 26. Kh1 Bc5 27. Re2 Rf8 28. Nb5 g3 $5 29. fxg3
$6 hxg3 30. h3 a3 31. bxa3 bxa3 32. Qb1 Rf2 33. Ra2 Rxa2 34. Qxa2 Qb2 {
The final standings became: Portisch 71/2/11, Hort and Timman 61/2, Adorjan,
Toth and Kurajica 6, Rogers and Miles 51/2, Lobron 5, Mokry and Ivanovic 41/2,
Garcia Palermo 21/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E69"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2485"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

{The twenty-eighth Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 1985 until 7 i
1986. Games were played in the Sala Verdi of the Teatro Ariosto.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2.
c4 d6 3. g3 e5 4. Bg2 g6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. d4 Nbd7 8. e4 c6 9. h3 Re8
10. Re1 a5 11. Rb1 Rb8 12. Be3 b5 13. dxe5 $5 ({Known is} 13. cxb5 cxb5 14.
dxe5 dxe5 15. Nd2) 13... dxe5 14. Nd2 Bf8 15. cxb5 cxb5 16. Qe2 Bc5 17. Rbc1
Ba6 18. Nb3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 a4 20. Nd2 Qa5 21. Red1 Rbc8 22. a3 b4 23. Na2 bxa3
24. bxa3 Qb6 25. Qxb6 Nxb6 26. Bf1 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rd8 28. Rc2 Bxf1 29. Kxf1 Rd4
30. f3 Nfd7 31. Ke2 Nf8 $6 ({Better is} 31... Rd6) 32. Rc6 $1 Nbd7 33. Nb4 $6 (
33. Nc3 $1 Ne6 34. Rc8+ Ndf8 35. Nc4 {gains an advantage.}) 33... Ne6 34. Nc2
Ndc5 35. Rxc5 Nxc5 36. Nxd4 exd4 {
This game starts for Andersson, when the knight ending begins.} 37. Nc4 $1 Kf8
38. Ne5 Ke8 39. h4 h5 $2 (39... f6 40. Nd3 Nd7 {defends well.}) 40. Nc6 Nb3 41.
Kd3 Nc1+ 42. Kxd4 Ne2+ 43. Ke3 Nc3 $5 {White has won a pawn.} ({The pointe is} 
43... Nxg3 44. Kf2 Nh1+ 45. Kg2) 44. Nd4 Kd7 45. Kd3 Nb1 46. Nc2 Kd6 47. Kd4 f6
48. g4 Nd2 49. Ke3 Nc4+ 50. Kf4 hxg4 51. fxg4 Ke7 52. g5 Kf7 53. Kg4 Nd2 54.
Kf4 Nc4 $6 (54... fxg5+ 55. hxg5 Nc4 {draws.}) 55. gxf6 Kxf6 56. Ne3 Nxa3 57.
Nd5+ Kg7 58. Nb6 Kh6 59. e5 Nb5 60. Nxa4 {A lot of pawns have been exchanged.}
Nc7 $6 (60... Kh5 $1 61. e6 Nc7 62. e7 Nd5+ {forces a draw.}) 61. Kg4 Ne6 62.
Nc3 Kg7 $6 ({Better is} 62... g5 $1 63. h5 $5 Nf4) 63. Ne4 {
White can play for a win again.} Nd4 64. Ng5 Nf5 65. Nf3 Kf7 66. Kf4 Ne7 67.
Nd4 Kg7 68. Kg5 Kf7 69. Kf4 Kg7 70. Kg4 $5 {
Cebalo resigned in a drawn position.} ({Probably he calculated} 70. Kg4 Kf7 $2
71. Kg5 Kg7 72. Ne6+ Kf7 73. Nf4 Kg7 74. e6 {and White wins.}) ({Correct is} 
70. Kg4 Kh6 $1 71. Nf3 Nd5 72. Ng5 Nf6+ {drawn.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d3 Be7 8. a3
O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. b4 a5 11. b5 Nd4 12. Nd2 c6 $5 13. bxc6 Nxc6 14. Bb2 a4 15.
Rc1 Ra5 $1 {Romanishin shows ambition.} 16. Re1 Qd7 17. Nc4 Nxc4 18. dxc4 Qxd1
19. Nxd1 $6 (19. Rexd1 $1 Bxc4 20. Rd7 Bg5 {(Romanishin)} 21. Rb1 Rb8 22. Ba1
Bb3 23. Ne4 {leads to equality.}) 19... Rc8 $1 20. h4 Nd4 21. Ne3 b5 $1 22. Nd5
Bf8 23. Bc3 $2 (23. Nb6 $1 Rc5 24. e3 Nb3 25. Rcd1 bxc4 26. Bc3 {
tries to survive.}) 23... Rxc4 $1 24. e3 ({The pointe is} 24. Bxa5 Rxc1 25.
Rxc1 Nxe2+) 24... Nb3 25. Rcd1 Bxd5 26. Bxa5 Bxg2 27. Kxg2 Nxa5 28. Rd8 Nc6 29.
Ra8 g6 30. Rb1 Kg7 31. Rxb5 Bxa3 32. Rb6 Be7 33. Raa6 Nd8 34. Ra7 Bf8 35. Ra5
a3 36. Raa6 h5 37. Rb5 e4 38. Rbb6 Ne6 39. Rb8 Rc2 40. Kg1 a2 41. Kg2 Nc5 42.
Raa8 Bd6 43. Rc8 {Romanishin competed at the top.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2485"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Qb3 a5 10. Nh4 Bg4 11. f3 Bh5 12. g3 O-O $5 13. e4 Nb6 14. Be3 Nxc4 15.
Qxc4 Nd7 16. Ng2 e5 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Nh4 Bg6 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Kg2 exd4 21.
Bxd4 Rfd8 22. Qb3 g5 23. Ne2 Nc5 24. Qc2 Ne6 25. b3 $6 ({Preferable is} 25. Bb6
$1 Rxd1 26. Rxd1) 25... Rd7 26. Be3 Rad8 27. f4 $6 (27. Rxd7 Qxd7 28. Nc1 Qd6
29. Rf2 {defends stubbornly.}) 27... gxf4 28. gxf4 Qh4 29. Rxd7 Rxd7 30. Rf3
Be1 31. h3 Qd8 32. Qc4 Nf8 $6 {Black loses his advantage.} 33. f5 Qe8 34. Rf4
$6 Bd2 $1 35. Rf3 Nh7 36. Ng3 Bxe3 37. Rxe3 Rd2+ 38. Re2 $2 {Cebalo blunders.}
({Correct is} 38. Kg1) 38... b5 $1 39. Qc3 Rxe2+ 40. Nxe2 Qxe4+ 41. Qf3 Qc2 42.
axb5 cxb5 43. Kf2 Ng5 44. Qd5 Ne4+ 45. Ke3 $2 Qxe2+ $1 {
Portisch came back in the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1985.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Marjanovic, Slavoljub"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B70"]
[WhiteElo "2505"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. a4
O-O 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd2 Bd7 11. Rfd1 Rc8 12. f3 Na5 $5 13. Ra3 $5 Qc7 14. g4 $6
{He makes a premature advance.} Be6 15. Qe1 Nc4 16. Bxc4 Bxc4 {
Black has a superior position.} 17. a5 Nd7 18. Kg2 Rfe8 19. Rd2 $5 e6 20. Qg3
Be5 21. Qf2 d5 $1 22. exd5 exd5 23. Nd1 Qd6 24. Qh4 $5 Nc5 $1 25. g5 Ne6 26.
Nf2 Bxd4 27. Rxd4 $2 ({Preferable is} 27. Bxd4 Nf4+ 28. Kg3 $1 Re2 29. Rxe2
Nxe2+ 30. Kg2) 27... Nxd4 28. Qxd4 Qe5 $6 29. Qxe5 Rxe5 30. Ng4 Re6 31. Rc3 h5
32. Nf6+ Kf8 33. Nxd5 $2 (33. Bc5+ $1 Rxc5 34. Nd7+ Kg7 35. Nxc5 Rc6 36. Nb3
Bxb3 37. cxb3 {fights back.}) 33... Rcc6 34. Nf4 (34. Nf6 Bf1+ 35. Kf2 Rxc3 36.
bxc3 {also wins for Black.}) 34... Re5 $1 35. Kf2 Rxa5 36. b4 Rf5 $1 37. h4 Bb5
38. Rxc6 Bxc6 39. c4 Ke7 40. Kg3 Kd7 41. Bb6 Kd6 42. Bd8 Kd7 43. Bb6 Kc8 44.
Ba5 Re5 45. Kf2 Bd7 46. Bb6 Be6 47. c5 Bc4 48. Ba5 Kd7 49. Bb6 Kc6 50. Ba5 Kb5
51. Bc7 {Ljubojevic scored well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Smejkal, Jan"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1
c6 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. Bb3 exd4 13. exd4 Re8 14. h3 Nf8 15.
d5 Bd7 16. Qd2 $5 (16. Re1 Rxe1+ 17. Qxe1 {drew in Ribli - Karpov, London 1984.
}) 16... Rc8 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Nd5 Ne6 19. Rfe1 Bxd5 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Bxd5 Nc7
22. Rxe8+ Nxe8 23. Qb4 b6 24. b3 Nc7 25. Qc4 Qd7 26. Be4 b5 27. Qc2 g6 28. g3
Kg7 29. Kg2 Ne6 30. a4 bxa4 31. bxa4 Qd6 32. Qc4 Qc5 33. Qb3 Qc3 34. Qb5 Qb2
35. Bd5 Qxb5 36. axb5 {The endgame begins.} Nc7 37. Bc4 Bc3 38. Kf1 Ne8 39. Ke2
Nd6 40. Kd3 $2 (40. Bd3 $1 {avoids the following problems.}) 40... Ba5 41. Ne5
$6 (41. g4 Kf6 42. Ba2 Nxb5 43. Nd4 Nc7 44. f4 {offers more resistance.}) 41...
Be1 $1 42. g4 ({Or} 42. Ke2 Bc3 $1) 42... Bxf2 {Black has gained a pawn.} 43.
Nc6 Kf6 $5 ({Preferable is} 43... Bb6 $1 44. Kc3 Nxc4 45. Kxc4 Kf6) 44. Ke2 Bb6
45. Bd3 Ke6 46. Kf3 Kd5 47. Nb4+ Kc5 48. Na6+ Kd4 49. Bf1 Nc4 50. Be2 Nd2+ 51.
Kf4 $5 (51. Kg2 Bc5 $1 52. Bd1 Bd6 53. h4 Ke3 {also wins for Black.}) 51... Bd8
$1 52. Bd1 Be7 $1 53. Kg3 Bd6+ 54. Kg2 f5 $1 {
Andersson defeated a strong opponent.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.01.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

{Andersson and Portisch competed at the top.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 d5 4.
cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Qa4 Bd7 8. dxc5 e5 9. O-O Bxc5 10. Nc3 h6 $5
11. Nd2 O-O 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Be6 14. Rd1 Qf6 ({
The alternative will become} 14... Qe7 $5) 15. Be3 Bd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Nd5
Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Rae8 19. Rd2 Re7 20. Rad1 Rfe8 21. Qc4 {
The isolated pawn becomes a weakness.} Na5 22. Qd3 $1 (22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. Rxd4
Rxe2 {draws.}) 22... Qb6 23. Rc1 Nc6 24. a3 Re5 $6 ({More solid is} 24... Rd8)
25. b4 $1 R8e6 $6 ({Preferable is} 25... Rd8 26. Bxc6 bxc6) 26. Rc4 $1 g6 27.
Kf1 Qa6 28. Bxc6 Rxc6 29. Rxd4 {White has gained a pawn.} Rc1+ 30. Kg2 Qc6+ 31.
Qf3 Rc3 $5 32. R2d3 Rxd3 33. exd3 Re1 $6 (33... a5 34. Rc4 Qxf3+ 35. Kxf3 axb4
36. Rxb4 b5 37. d4 Rf5+ 38. Ke3 Kf8 {defends properly.}) 34. Qxc6 bxc6 35. a4
Rb1 36. Kf3 Kf8 37. Rc4 Ke8 38. Rxc6 Rxb4 39. Ra6 Rb7 40. g4 Rb4 $5 41. h3 ({
The alternative brings} 41. Rxa7 Rd4 42. a5) 41... h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. Rxa7
Rh4 44. a5 Rxh3+ 45. Ke4 Rh1 46. a6 Ra1 47. Kf5 h4 48. Kg4 $1 Ra4+ 49. f4 Kd8 (
49... Kf8 $5 50. Ra8+ Ke7 51. Kxh4 Rxf4+ {(Andersson)} 52. Kg5 $1 Ra4 53. a7
Ra5+ 54. Kf4 Ra4+ 55. Ke5 Ra5+ 56. Ke4 {will win for White slowly.}) 50. d4 $1
Ke8 51. Kxh4 {Andersson led by half-a-point on Romanishin and Ljubojevic.
Portisch followed at one point.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Smejkal, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. Bc2 Nb8 13. b3 Nbd7 14. Bb2 g6 15. a4
Bg7 16. Bd3 c6 17. Rb1 $5 ({Usual is} 17. Qc2) 17... Qb6 18. b4 Nh5 19. Nb3
Rad8 20. Bc1 Qc7 21. Bg5 Rb8 22. Qc2 c5 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... Nf4 $5 23.
Bxf4 exf4) 23. bxc5 dxc5 24. Nxc5 Nxc5 25. dxc5 Bc6 $6 ({More active is} 25...
bxa4 26. Qxa4 Nf4 27. Bxa6 Bxa6 28. Qxa6 Qxc5) 26. axb5 Bxb5 27. Be3 Bf8 28. c4
Bd7 29. Rb6 Bxc5 30. Rxa6 {White has gained a pawn, but it is blockaded.} Ra8
31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. Qb2 Bxe3 33. Rxe3 Ra5 $5 34. Bf1 Bc6 35. Nd2 Nf4 36. Nb1 $1
Ne6 37. Nc3 Qa7 38. Nb5 Qc5 39. Re1 h5 40. Nc3 Kg7 41. Nd5 Qd4 42. Nc3 Qa7 43.
Rd1 Kh7 44. h4 Kg8 45. Qb4 Kg7 $2 ({Correct is} 45... Qc5 46. Qb8+ Kh7) 46. Nb5
$1 Qb6 47. Qc3 $1 f6 48. Rd6 $1 Nc5 ({Or} 48... Ra2 49. Qf3 Kf7 50. c5 $1 Qxc5
51. Rxe6 $1 Kxe6 52. Qb3+) 49. Rxc6 $1 {Ljubojevic wins a piece.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 28"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1985.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 c5 5. Nf3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg2 d5 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Qa4 $5 Qa5 10. Qxa5 Bxa5 11. Ndb5 Nc6 12. Rd1 a6 $6 {
Ribli wastes a tempo.} ({Better is} 12... e5 $1) 13. Nd6 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Nd5 15.
Nxc4 $1 Nxc3 16. Rd2 {White has a positional advantage.} a5 $5 17. Ba3 Re8 18.
Rc1 Na4 19. Nd6 Rd8 20. Rxc6 $5 bxc6 21. Bxc6 Nb6 22. Bxa8 Nxa8 {
White has regained the pawn.} 23. f3 e5 $6 ({Preferable is} 23... f6) 24. Rd5
a4 $6 (24... Be6 $1 25. Rxe5 Bxa2 26. Rxa5 {offers more resistance (Ribli).})
25. Nxc8 $1 Rxc8 26. Rxe5 {He has an extra pawn in the endgame.} h6 27. Rb5 Kh7
28. Kf2 Rc2 29. Rb2 Rc6 30. Rb7 Nc7 31. Bb2 Kg6 32. a3 Nd5 33. Rd7 $1 Nb6 ({Or
} 33... Nc7 34. Rd4) 34. Ra7 {Ljubojevic and Romanishin caught up with
Andersson. The final standings became: Andersson, Ljubojevic and Romanishin 7/
11, Portisch 61/2, Sosonko and Nogueiras 51/2, Lobron, Kavalek and Smejkal 5,
Ribli and Marjanovic 41/2, Cebalo 31/2. Andersson won on tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 29"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1986.12.??"]

{The twenty-ninth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1986 until 7 i
1987. Many draws were made in a peaceful atmosphere.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4
e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Qc2 Na6 9. a3 dxc4 $5 ({
The alternative is} 9... c5) 10. Bxc4 c5 11. Rd1 cxd4 12. Nxd4 (12. exd4 Bd7
13. O-O Qc7 14. Qe2 {
will draw in Ribli - Beliavsky during the next Reggio Emilia tournament.})
12... Bd7 13. Ba2 Qe7 14. h4 Bxd4 15. Rxd4 Rfd8 16. O-O Bc6 17. Rfd1 Rxd4 18.
Rxd4 Rd8 19. Bb1 g6 20. Qd1 Rxd4 21. Qxd4 Qc5 22. Qf6 Nc7 23. Qd8+ Ne8 24. Be4
Qd6 25. Qc8 Kf8 26. Bxc6 Qxc6 27. Qxc6 bxc6 {
Ribli has a minuscule advantage in the knight ending.} 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Ke2 f5
30. Kd3 g5 $6 ({Ribli prefers} 30... Kd6) 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. e4 Kd6 33. exf5
exf5 34. Ne2 $5 Kd5 $6 (34... c5 $5 35. Nc3 Kc6 36. f3 Nd6 {defends well.}) 35.
Nc3+ Kd6 36. b4 $1 Nf6 $6 (36... Nc7 37. Kc4 Ne6 {
places the knight on a better square.}) 37. Kd4 Nh5 38. Ne2 $1 Ng7 ({Or} 38...
Nf6 39. Ng3 Ke6 40. Kc5) 39. Kc4 $1 f4 40. Nd4 a6 $5 41. f3 Ne8 42. Ne2 $5 Nf6
43. Nc3 g4 44. Kd4 gxf3 45. gxf3 Nd7 46. Ne4+ $1 Kc7 47. Nc5 Nf6 ({
The pointe is} 47... Nxc5 48. Kxc5 Kb7 49. Kd6 Kb6 50. a4 {
and Ribli wins the pawn ending.}) 48. Nxa6+ Kb6 49. Nc5 Nd5 50. Na4+ Ka6 51.
Nc3 Ne3 52. Ke4 Nc2 53. Nb1 {Beliavsky loses another pawn and the game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 29"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Chernin, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1986.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8.
d3 Be6 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qc1 f5 11. Rd1 Nd5 12. Bg5 $5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Kh8 14. Bxe7
Qxe7 15. Qe3 Bd7 16. a4 a5 17. Rdb1 b6 18. Rb5 $5 {
Andersson will move heavy pieces to vulnerable places.} Rae8 19. h4 Qf6 20. Rd5
$6 Bc8 21. Qg5 Qf7 22. Nd2 $6 Re6 $6 (22... h6 $1 23. Qe3 f4 {hunts a queen.})
23. h5 Ne7 24. Rb5 Bd7 25. Rb2 Rh6 $1 26. Bf3 Bc6 $1 27. e4 $6 Rf6 $6 (27...
fxe4 28. dxe4 Rd6 {is even stronger.}) 28. Bg2 $6 fxe4 29. Nxe4 Rf5 30. Qg4
Rxh5 {Black has gained a pawn.} 31. Re1 Rf5 32. Rbe2 h6 33. d4 Ng6 34. Nd6 $5
cxd6 35. Bxc6 Rg5 $2 (35... Rxf2 $1 36. Bd5 Rf1+ 37. Rxf1 Qxf1+ {
wins for Black.}) 36. Qe4 $2 (36. Qd7 $1 Qf6 37. Rd2 Nf4 38. Re3 {
grabs the opportunity.}) 36... Nf4 $1 37. dxe5 {Chernin wins an exchange.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 29"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1986.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Smyslov, Vasily"]
[Black "Van der Wiel, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1986.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bb4 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2
dxc4 9. Bxc4 Bd6 10. b3 Qe7 11. Bb2 g6 $5 ({Known is} 11... e5) 12. Ne4 Nxe4
13. Qxe4 Nb6 14. Be2 Nd5 15. Ne5 Bd7 16. Bf3 Rfd8 17. Qc2 Ba3 $2 {
John makes a positional error.} ({Better is} 17... Bxe5 18. dxe5 c5) 18. Bxa3
Qxa3 19. e4 Nc7 20. Rfd1 Qf8 $5 21. Nc4 Be8 22. e5 $1 {
Vasily has conquered the control over square d6.} Rd7 23. a4 Qb4 24. Nd6 Rxd6
25. exd6 Qxd6 26. Qc5 Qxc5 27. dxc5 {
White has a material advantage in the endgame.} Kf8 28. Be2 Ke7 29. Bc4 Nd5 30.
Rd4 Nf6 31. a5 $1 a6 32. Re1 Rd8 $6 (32... Nd7 33. b4 Nf6 {prolongs the game.})
33. Rxd8 Kxd8 34. f4 Ke7 35. Kf2 Nd7 36. b4 Nf6 37. Kf3 h5 38. g3 Nd5 39. h3
Kd7 40. g4 hxg4+ 41. hxg4 Kc7 42. Bxd5 cxd5 43. f5 $5 gxf5 44. gxf5 Bd7 45. f6
$1 Ba4 46. Kf4 Kd7 47. Ke5 Bc2 48. Rg1 Kc6 49. Rg7 d4 $5 50. Kxd4 e5+ 51. Kc3
$1 {Smyslov performed a great technical effort.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 29"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Suba, Mihai"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1986.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qc2 Nbd7 6. O-O Nb6 7. Na3 Bxa3 8.
bxa3 Bd7 9. Ne5 Ba4 10. Qc3 Nfd5 11. Qd4 $5 ({Known is} 11. Qa5) 11... Bb5 {
Black defends his extra pawn. White will be hindered by c4.} (11... Qf6 $5 {
will happen in Suba - Nogueiras, Szirak 1986.}) 12. Rb1 a6 13. a4 $6 (13. Bb2
$5 f6 14. Qg4 {(Ribli)} Qe7 $1 {also favours Black.}) 13... Nxa4 $1 14. Ba3 c5
15. Bxc5 Nxc5 16. Qxc5 Rc8 17. Qd4 f6 18. Nf3 O-O 19. a4 $1 Bxa4 20. Rxb7 Bc6
21. Ra7 $1 Bb5 22. Qg4 Nc7 23. Nd4 Qd6 $1 24. Ra1 (24. Rxc7 $5 Qxc7 25. Nxe6
Qd7 26. Bd5 Kh8 {wins for Black.}) 24... Rf7 25. e3 Rb8 26. Rb1 f5 27. Qh4 e5
$1 28. Nxb5 $5 axb5 29. Bf1 Rbf8 30. Ra2 g6 31. Qh6 Rd8 32. h4 f4 33. exf4 $2 {
Suba lacks contemplation time.} exf4 34. Rxb5 $2 {
Ribli won his second game. It was enough for the tournament victory.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 29"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Hort, Vlastimil"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1986.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Rc1 b6 8. cxd5
exd5 9. Nf3 Bb7 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. O-O Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Qb3 Ndf6 14. Nxe4
Nxe4 15. Rfd1 c5 16. Qa3 Rfc8 $5 ({The alternative is} 16... Qf6) 17. Nd2 $1
Nxd2 18. Rxd2 Kf8 19. dxc5 Rxc5 20. Rcd1 Rc7 $6 {
Black should defend passively in the Tartakower.} ({Preferable is} 20... a5 21.
Bf3 Rd8) 21. Qb3 $1 Qg5 $5 22. Bf3 $1 {All pieces are aimed on the weakling.}
Qe5 23. Qa3+ $5 {He postpones the capture of d5.} Kg8 24. h3 Rd8 $2 (24... Rd7
25. Rd4 {(Hort)} Bc6 26. Qd3 Rad8 {offers more resistance.}) 25. Qxa7 $1 Ra8
26. Qxb6 Ra6 $5 27. Qd4 $5 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Rxa2 29. Rb4 Ra5 30. Rb6 Kf8 31. b4
Ra2 32. g4 Rd7 33. Kg2 Ke7 34. Rd4 Rc2 35. Rb5 Ke6 $2 ({The pointe is} 35...
Ke6 36. Rxb7 $1 Rxb7 37. Bxd5+) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 29"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Van der Wiel, John"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C58"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1986.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8.
Qf3 h6 $5 {Van der Wiel and Spassky start a great fight in the Two Knights.} ({
An old move is} 8... Qc7 {(Bird - Schiffers, Hastings 1895).}) 9. Ne4 Nd5 10.
Nbc3 $5 cxb5 11. Nxd5 Bb7 ({Not} 11... Qxd5 $4 12. Nf6+) 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. O-O
Nc6 14. d3 O-O-O 15. c3 g6 16. a4 b4 $1 17. Nf6 $6 ({Preferable is} 17. cxb4 $5
Bxb4 18. Qf6) 17... Qe6 18. Nfd5 $2 (18. a5 $1 Kb8 19. a6 Ba8 20. Nc4 {
attacks on the queenside.}) 18... f5 $1 19. c4 Nd4 20. Qh3 g5 21. Re1 Rg8 $5
22. Qh5 $5 g4 $1 23. Nf1 Nc2 $1 24. Bf4 Nxa1 25. Rxe5 Qg6 26. Re7 Rd7 $5 27.
Re8+ Rd8 28. Re7 $5 Rxd5 $1 {Spassky finds the win.} 29. Rc7+ Kd8 30. Qh4+ Ke8
31. cxd5 Rg7 32. Ne3 Nb3 33. h3 Nd4 34. Kf1 Rxc7 35. Bxc7 Be7 36. Qg3 f4 37.
Qxg4 Qxd3+ 38. Kg1 fxe3 {The final standings became: Ribli 61/2/11, Hort,
Chernin, Spassky and Smyslov 6, Portisch, Nogueiras, Velimirovic and Beliavsky
51/2, Andersson 5, Suba 41/2, Van der Wiel 4. Hort, Chernin, Spassky and
Smyslov won one game and drew the rest.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Tukmakov, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2580"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

{The thirtieth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1987 until 6 i 1988.
Ten strong players participated.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4
Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. e4 c5 $5 ({
Usual is} 11... e5) 12. Nxb5 $6 ({Preferable is} 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. e5 Bxf3 14.
exd6) 12... Bxe4 13. Qe2 Bxf3 $1 14. gxf3 ({The pointe is} 14. Qxf3 $6 Bxh2+ $1
15. Kxh2 Qb8+ {(Tukmakov).}) 14... Bb8 15. f4 $5 a6 16. Qf3 Bxf4 $1 17. Bxf4
axb5 18. Bd6 cxd4 $1 19. Bxf8 Qxf8 {
Tukmakov has two pawns for an exchange plus a positional advantage.} 20. Rac1
Rd8 $1 21. Rc7 $5 Nc5 $5 22. Rc1 Nfe4 23. Re1 $6 (23. Bd1 $1 {defends well.})
23... Nd2 24. Qc6 Nd3 25. Rd1 Ne5 $1 26. Qc5 Ndf3+ 27. Kg2 d3 28. h3 g5 29.
Qxf8+ Kxf8 30. Rb7 Nd4 31. Rc1 $2 Nxb3 32. axb3 d2 {
Tukmakov had a good start against a great fighter.} ({The pointe is} 32... d2
33. Rd1 Nd3 $1 {(Tukmakov).}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c6 7. e3 Be7 8.
Qc2 Nh5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. O-O-O g6 11. g4 $5 {
Portisch makes an adventurous advance.} ({Theory is} 11. Bd3) 11... Nhf6 12.
Rg1 O-O 13. Bd3 Re8 14. h3 b6 15. g5 Nh5 $2 ({More solid is} 15... Ne4 16. Bxe4
dxe4 17. Nd2 f5 18. gxf6 Nxf6 {(Ftacnik).}) 16. Kb1 Qd6 17. Qd2 Bb7 18. Rg4 Re6
19. Rh4 $1 Rae8 $6 (19... Ng7 {prevents the next move.}) 20. Rxh5 $1 gxh5 21.
Ne2 Kh8 22. Nf4 Rg8 ({The pointe is} 22... R6e7 $2 23. Nh4 $1 c5 24. Nf5) 23.
Nxe6 fxe6 24. h4 Rg7 25. Qe2 c5 26. Bb5 Bc6 27. Bxc6 Qxc6 28. Ne1 $1 e5 $1 29.
Qxh5 {White has gained a pawn.} Qe6 30. Nc2 Rf7 31. Rd2 Kg8 32. Qd1 $1 exd4 33.
exd4 cxd4 $2 (33... c4 $1 {stops the attack in the centre.}) 34. Re2 $1 Qh3 35.
Qxd4 Qf1+ 36. Re1 Qxf2 37. Qxd5 Nf8 38. a3 Qf5 39. Qb3 h6 40. gxh6 Kh7 41. Re5
$1 Qf6 42. Ne3 Rd7 43. Qc2+ Kh8 44. Rf5 Qe7 45. Nd5 Qe1+ 46. Ka2 Ne6 47. Qc6
Rd8 48. Rf6 Qe5 49. Rxe6 Qxd5+ 50. Qxd5 Rxd5 51. Re8+ Kh7 52. Re7+ Kxh6 53.
Rxa7 {Portisch has two extra pawns in the rook ending.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D82"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. Rc1 Nh5 $5 ({Theory is} 5... O-O) 6.
Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 c5 8. Nxd5 $5 Nc6 9. e3 Be6 $6 ({Preferable is} 9... cxd4 10.
exd4 Be6) 10. Be2 cxd4 11. exd4 $2 ({Better is} 11. Bxh5 gxh5 12. e4) 11...
Bxd5 12. cxd5 Qxd5 13. Bxh5 gxh5 $1 14. Nf3 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 16. O-O Rg8 17. g3 Rd8 18. Qe2 f6 19. h3 Rd7 20. Kh2
Kf7 21. Rfd1 Rgd8 22. Rc2 Qf5 23. Rcd2 e6 $6 ({Right is} 23... Rd5 24. Rd3 Bb6
{(Tukmakov).}) 24. Rd3 $1 Rd5 25. Rf3 Re5 $1 26. Qd3 $1 Qxd3 27. Rxf6+ $1 Kg7
$2 (27... Kg8 $1 28. Rxd3 Rdd5 29. Rf4 Bxb2 {keeps an edge.}) 28. Rxd3 Bb6 ({
The pointe is} 28... Rdd5 29. Rf4 Bxb2 $2 30. Bf6+) 29. Rf4 Rxd3 30. Bf6+ Kf7
31. Bxe5+ Ke7 32. Bc3 h4 $1 33. Bb4+ Kd7 34. Rf7+ Kc6 35. g4 Bd4 36. b3 b6 37.
Kg2 a5 38. Bf8 Rd2 39. a4 Be3 40. Kf1 Bg5 41. f4 Bd8 42. Bxh6 Rh2 43. g5 Rxh3
44. g6 Rf3+ $2 (44... Rg3 $1 45. f5 h3 46. Rh7 h2 47. Bf8 Rg1+ 48. Kf2 exf5 49.
Rxh2 Rxg6 {favours Black.}) 45. Ke2 $1 Rg3 46. g7 h3 $2 47. Bg5 $1 h2 48. g8=Q
h1=Q 49. Qe8+ Kc5 50. Qb5+ {Kortschnoj delivers mate in one.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Nikolic, Predrag"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Bxd2 Ne4 7. Qc2 $5 ({
Usual is} 7. Bf4) 7... Nxd2 8. Qxd2 Qe7 9. e4 d6 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 b6 12.
Be2 Bb7 13. Rd1 c5 14. Qd6 $5 Qxd6 15. Rxd6 Nc6 16. O-O Rfd8 17. Rfd1 Rxd6 18.
Rxd6 Kf8 19. Rd7 Rb8 20. Bd3 $2 {White exposes his rook.} (20. Kf1 Ke8 21. Rd3
{draws quickly.}) 20... Ke8 $1 21. Rc7 Ne7 $1 22. Ng5 h6 23. Be4 hxg5 24. Rxb7
({Or} 24. Bxb7 $2 Kd8) 24... Rxb7 25. Bxb7 Ng6 $1 26. Kf1 Nxe5 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 27. b3 Kd7 28. Ke2 Nc6 29. Bxc6+ Kxc6 30. Kf3 Kd6 31.
Ke4 f5+ 32. Ke3 Ke5 33. h3 a6 34. g4 g6 35. f3 Kd6 $1 36. Kd3 b5 37. cxb5 axb5
38. gxf5 gxf5 {Christiansen wins the pawn ending easily.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Tukmakov, Vladimir"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Ne5 Bd7 8. Na3
cxd4 9. Naxc4 Bc5 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Bf4 Qc8 12. Rfd1 $5 ({Known is} 12. Nd3 Be7
13. Rac1) 12... Nd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 12... Rd8 13. Rac1 Nd5) 13. Nxd7 $1
Qxd7 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Nb6 16. a4 $1 Rad8 17. a5 Nc8 18. Qxb7 Qxb7 19. Bxb7
{White has regained the pawn and achieved a positional advantage.} Nd6 20. Bg2
Nc4 21. Rdc1 $1 Nxe5 22. Rxc5 f6 23. f4 $6 (23. b4 Rd7 24. b5 {gains a plus.})
23... Ng4 24. Rc7 Rf7 25. Rac1 d3 $2 ({Better is} 25... Rxc7 $1 26. Rxc7 d3 27.
exd3 Rxd3 {(Tukmakov).}) 26. Rc8 $1 Rff8 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. exd3 Rxd3 29. h3 Ne3
30. Rc8+ Kf7 31. Rc7+ Kf8 32. Be4 Rb3 $5 (32... Rd1+ 33. Kf2 Nf5 34. Bxf5 exf5
35. b4 Rb1 36. Rb7 {also wins for White.}) 33. Rxa7 Rxb2 34. a6 Ra2 35. Bd3
Ra1+ 36. Kf2 Nd1+ 37. Ke2 Nb2 38. Bb5 Ra2 39. Ke3 $1 Nd1+ 40. Kd4 Rd2+ 41. Kc5
Nc3 42. Rd7 Rb2 43. Bc6 Rc2 44. a7 {Tukmakov won his second game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1987.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D89"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Bc4 Bg7 8.
Ne2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bd3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Be6 14. d5 Bxa1
15. Qxa1 {
This line is known from the match Bronstein - Boleslavsky, Moscow 1950.} f6 16.
Bh6 Re8 17. Kh1 Bd7 18. e5 Rc8 19. Nf4 Nc4 20. e6 Ba4 21. Nxg6 hxg6 22. Bxg6
Ne5 23. Be4 Qa5 $5 (23... Bc2 $1 24. Bxc2 Rxc2 {
happened in Bannik - Novotelnov, Tbilisi 1951.}) 24. Qd4 Rc4 25. Qf2 {
White threatens Qg3+.} Rxe4 $1 26. fxe4 Qc3 27. h3 $2 (27. d6 $1 Bb5 28. d7
Nxd7 29. exd7 Bxd7 30. Bf4 {slightly favours White.}) 27... Qd3 $1 28. Qf5 $5
Rc8 $1 29. d6 Qxd6 $1 30. Bf4 Be8 31. Rb1 Qd3 32. Rb3 Qxb3 $1 {
Kortschnoj played many decided games.} (32... Qxb3 33. axb3 Bg6 {wins material.
}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. c4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qb3 a6 8. Bg5
Nbd7 9. e4 $5 h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. e5 $1 Nd7 12. Be2 Bb7 13. O-O Be7 $5 14. Ne4
Rc8 15. Rfc1 $5 Qb6 16. a4 c5 17. Nd6+ $5 Bxd6 18. exd6 c4 $1 19. Qb4 {
White has two isolated centre pawns.} Bxf3 20. Bxf3 O-O 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ra5
Rb8 23. Re1 $2 ({Better is} 23. Rd1 Rfd8 24. b3 cxb3 25. Be2 Nf6 26. Rxb5 Nd5
27. Qxb3 Qxd6 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. Qc4 {and White defends properly.}) 23... Rfd8
24. h3 Nf6 25. Re5 Qxd6 26. Qxd6 Rxd6 27. Rexb5 Rxb5 28. Rxb5 Rxd4 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 29. Be2 Ne4 30. Rb8+ Kh7 31. Rb4 Rd2 $1 32. Bxc4 Nxf2
33. Rb3 $1 Rc2 34. Bb5 Kg8 35. Rf3 Ne4 $1 ({Not} 35... Rxb2 $2 36. Be8 {
(Ribli).}) 36. Bd3 Rc1+ 37. Rf1 Rxf1+ 38. Kxf1 Nf6 $1 {
He comes close to victory, despite the active bishop.} 39. Ke2 Kf8 40. Ke3 Ke7
41. Kd4 Kd6 42. Bc4 Nd7 43. b4 f5 44. Be2 Nb6 45. Bh5 e5+ $1 46. Kd3 Nd5 47.
Kc4 Nf4 48. Be8 Nxg2 49. Kb5 Ne3 {Ribli won one game and drew the rest.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Bg2 d5 8.
O-O dxc4 9. Qa4 Na6 10. Ndb5 Nd5 11. Rd1 Nc5 12. Qc2 $5 Qa5 13. Bd2 Bd7 $6 ({
Better is} 13... Nxc3 $1 14. bxc3 Qxb5 15. cxb4 Na4 {(Mihalcisin).}) 14. Nxd5
$1 exd5 15. Bxb4 Qxb4 16. Nc7 Ba4 17. Qd2 Qxd2 18. Rxd2 Rad8 19. Nxd5 {
White has regained the pawn and achieved a positional edge.} Rfe8 20. Rc1 b5
21. b4 $3 (21. b3 $6 Bxb3 $1 22. Rb2 Na4 23. Rd2 Nc5 {
leads to a repetition of moves.}) 21... Nd7 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... Ne6 $1
22. Rb2 Rd6 23. Nc3 Ra6) 22. Nc3 $1 Nb6 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Kf1 Rd2 25. Be4 Kf8
26. Ke1 Rd6 {Black cannot liberate his bishop.} 27. h4 Ke7 28. Rb1 h6 29. Rb2
g5 30. hxg5 hxg5 31. Rd2 $1 Re6 {Exchange also favours White.} 32. Rd4 {
He has conquered the open file.} Re5 33. Kd2 f5 $6 (33... Re6 $1 34. Bb7 Rf6
35. f3 Rh6 36. g4 Rh1 {offers more resistance.}) 34. Bc6 $1 g4 35. e4 Kf6 36.
exf5 Rxf5 37. Ke3 $1 Re5+ 38. Re4 Rg5 39. Re8 Rg6 40. Be4 Rg7 41. Rh8 Kg5 42.
Rf8 Rd7 43. Rg8+ Kf6 44. Rxg4 Re7 45. Rg6+ Kf7 46. Rh6 Kg8 47. Kd2 Rd7+ 48. Kc1
Rf7 49. f4 Rd7 50. g4 Rd4 51. g5 Nc8 52. Bd5+ {
Bishop a4 has remained offside for many moves.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Pinter, Jozsef"]
[Black "Tukmakov, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D49"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2580"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "160"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 axb5 13. Bxb5+ Bd7 14. Nxd7 Qa5+
15. Bd2 Qxb5 16. Nxf8 Kxf8 17. a4 Qxb2 18. O-O {
They follow a long theoretical line of the Meraner. Black has an extra pawn.}
Ne4 $5 ({Known is} 18... Nd5) 19. Qf3 $6 ({An improvement will become} 19. Bf4
$5 Nc3 20. Qf3) 19... f5 $1 20. Bf4 Qc3 21. Qe2 $5 d3 $1 22. Qh5 Qf6 23. a5 g5
$6 ({Preferable is} 23... e5 $1 24. Be3 Nc3) 24. Be3 h6 25. Qd1 $1 Rd8 26. a6
Kg7 $6 (26... Nc3 27. Qd2 Kf7 {keeps the equality.}) 27. a7 $1 d2 28. Qb3 $1
Nc3 $5 29. Bxd2 Rxd2 30. a8=Q Rxa8 31. Rxa8 {White has a material plus.} Ne4
32. Qb8 Kg6 33. Ra7 Rd8 34. Qc7 $2 Nxf2 $1 {Black gains a pawn.} 35. Qh7+ {
Capture leads to a quick mate.} Kh5 36. Ra4 Ng4 37. h3 Ne3 38. g4+ $1 Kh4 39.
gxf5+ Kh5 40. Qb7 $1 Nxf5 41. Qe4 Rd6 42. Qa8 Qd8 43. Qf3+ Kg6 44. Re4 Qf6 45.
Qb3 Rc6 46. h4 Rd6 $5 47. Qf3 h5 48. Rf2 $2 (48. hxg5 Qxg5+ 49. Kh2 Rd2+ 50.
Rf2 {draws (Tukmakov).}) 48... g4 $1 49. Qb3 Qa1+ 50. Rf1 Qa7+ 51. Kh1 Qe7 52.
Rfe1 Kf7 53. Rf1 Qxh4+ 54. Kg1 Kf6 55. Qb7 Kg6 56. Qc8 Qe7 57. Qb8 Rc6 58. Rb4
Qc7 59. Qg8+ Ng7 60. Rbf4 Qa7+ 61. Kh1 Qb7 62. Rf6+ Kg5 63. Rf7 Rc8+ $1 64.
Rxb7 Rxg8 {Black is going to win the ending.} 65. Re1 Kf6 66. Kg2 Rd8 67. Re2
Rd6 68. Rb8 Nf5 69. Rf8+ Kg5 70. Re8 Kf6 71. Rf8+ Kg7 $1 72. Re8 Kf7 73. Rh8 h4
74. Ra8 Rd4 75. Ra6 Nd6 76. Ra5 Re4 77. Rxe4 Nxe4 78. Ra4 Nf6 79. Ra5 Nd5 80.
Ra4 Kf6 {Tukmakov had scored his third win and led the field.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Pinter, Jozsef"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A41"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. c4 Bxf3 4. gxf3 g6 $5 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. f4 c6 7. e3 Nd7 8.
Bd3 e6 9. Ne4 Ndf6 10. Ng5 Ne7 11. Qb3 Rb8 12. Bd2 a6 13. Rc1 O-O 14. Qa3 Nf5
15. Bb4 Ne8 16. d5 c5 17. Bc3 Qe7 18. Rg1 b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. dxe6 fxe6 21. b4
e5 22. bxc5 exf4 23. cxd6 Bxc3+ 24. Qxc3 Nexd6 25. Qb3+ Kh8 26. Bxf5 Nxf5 27.
Qc3+ Ng7 28. e4 f3 29. Rg3 h6 30. Nxf3 Qxe4+ 31. Kf1 g5 32. Kg1 Qf5 33. Qb2
Rbd8 34. Re1 Rde8 35. Rd1 Re4 36. Nd4 Qf6 37. Rf3 Rg4+ 38. Kh1 Rf4 39. Rxf4
Qxf4 40. f3 Rd8 41. Rd3 Qe5 42. Rd2 Qe3 43. Kg2 Qf4 44. Nb3 Rf8 45. Nd4 g4 46.
Rf2 Rf6 {Black has the initiative but achieved little, so far.} 47. Kf1 $2 ({
Correct is} 47. a3) 47... Rd6 $1 48. Nc2 $4 {Pinter collapses.} (48. Nb3 gxf3
49. Nd2 Rd3 50. Qc2 {defends properly.}) 48... gxf3 {
Christiansen neared Tukmakov.} (48... gxf3 49. Ne1 Qc4+ 50. Kg1 Rd1 51. Qe5
Qg4+ 52. Kf1 Qh3+ 53. Kg1 Qf5 54. Qc3 Qe4 55. Kf1 b4 {forces the win for Black.
}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 30"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1987.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Nh4 O-O 10. Nxf5 exf5 11. h3 $5 ({Usual is} 11. Qc2 g6 12. f3) 11... a5
12. Qf3 Nb6 13. Bb3 g6 14. g4 fxg4 $6 ({More solid is} 14... Nbd5 $5 15. gxf5
Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bxc3) 15. hxg4 h5 16. gxh5 Nxh5 17. Rd1 Kg7 18. Ne4 $6 ({
Preferable is} 18. e4 f5 19. e5 Qh4 {(Mihalcisin)} 20. Qg2 $1 Be7 21. d5 {
and White attacks.}) 18... Qe7 19. Bd2 Bxd2 20. Rxd2 Rae8 21. Nc5 Nf6 22. Kf1
$2 (22. Kg2 $1 Nbd5 23. Rh1 {brings safety for the king.}) 22... Nbd5 23. Rdd1
Rh8 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 25. e4 Nb4 $1 {Black starts an encircling manoeuvre.} 26. e5
Rh4 $1 27. Nxb7 {White grabs a pawn at a high cost.} Nd5 28. Nd6 Reh8 $1 29.
Ke2 $5 Rd8 $5 30. Kf1 Nf4 31. Ra3 Qg5 32. Ne4 $2 {White blunders a pawn.} ({
Correct is} 32. Re3) 32... Qxe5 $1 33. Ng3 ({The pointe is} 33. dxe5 Rh1+ 34.
Qxh1 Rxd1#) 33... Qe6 34. Rc3 Re8 35. Qxc6 Qh3+ 36. Kg1 Qg4 37. Qf3 Ne2+ 38.
Kf1 Nxg3+ {Christiansen and Tukmakov drew in the last round. The final
standings became: Tukmakov 6/9, Christiansen and Beliavsky 51/2, Ribli,
Portisch and Kortschnoj 5, Nikolic 41/2, Andersson 31/2, Vaganian and Pinter
21/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

{The thirty-first Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1988 until 6 i
1989. Ten men participated.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. cxd5
exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. Qc2 Be7 8. h3 O-O 9. e3 Re8 10. Bd3 Nf8 11. g4 Bd6 12. Bxd6
Qxd6 13. O-O-O Be6 $5 14. Kb1 Rac8 15. Rc1 Qb8 16. g5 N6d7 17. Qd2 Rc7 18. h4
Nb6 19. Qc2 Nc4 20. Nd2 Nd6 21. Ne2 b6 22. e4 $5 dxe4 23. Nxe4 Rcc8 24. f3 Nxe4
25. Bxe4 Bd5 26. Nc3 Bxe4 27. fxe4 Ne6 28. Rcd1 Red8 29. d5 $1 {
White has the initiative.} cxd5 30. exd5 Nc5 31. Rhf1 Nb7 32. h5 Qg3 33. g6 $5
fxg6 34. Rg1 Qh3 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Qxg6 Qh7 37. Ne4 Qxg6 38. Rxg6 Nc5 39. Ng3
Rc7 40. Nh5 Kh7 41. Rdg1 Rxd5 42. Rxg7+ Rxg7 43. Nf6+ Kh6 44. Rh1+ Kg6 45. Nxd5
{The chances are equal.} Rd7 46. Nb4 Kf5 47. Rh8 a5 48. Nc6 Ke6 49. Rb8 Kd5 (
49... Kd6 $1 50. Rxb6 Kc7 51. Rb5 Kxc6 52. Rxa5 {draws.}) 50. Rxb6 Rd6 $2 (
50... Na4 $1 51. Ra6 Nc5 52. Nb8 Rb7 {leads to a draw (Gurevich).}) 51. Ne7+
Ke6 52. Rb5 Ne4 53. Ng6 Kf6 54. Nf4 a4 55. a3 Rd2 56. Nd5+ Ke6 57. Nb6 Rd4 58.
Ra5 Nd2+ 59. Ka2 Kd6 60. Rxa4 {Gerevich defeated Andersson in the endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Sax, Gyula"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

{The young Anand was a great talent when he participated in Reggio Emilia for
the first time.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6
7. Rg1 Nc6 8. Be3 g5 9. Qd2 Nd7 10. O-O-O Nde5 11. Be2 a6 12. h4 Be7 13. hxg5
hxg5 14. Rh1 Rg8 15. Rh7 $5 {Anand has gained an edge in the opening.} Bd7 16.
Rdh1 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Qc7 18. Qe3 Qc6 19. Kb1 O-O-O {Black castles at last.} 20.
Bxe5 dxe5 21. Rxf7 {White wins a pawn, but Black has compensation.} Bc5 22. Qg3
Bd4 23. Rhh7 Rgf8 24. Qf3 $1 Qd6 $5 ({The exchanges by} 24... Rxf7 25. Rxf7
Bxc3 26. Qxc3 Qxc3 27. bxc3 {also favour White.}) 25. a3 Bc6 26. Bc4 Kb8 27.
Qd3 b5 28. Bb3 Rxf7 29. Rxf7 Rh8 30. Ka2 $1 Be8 31. Rf6 Bd7 32. Ne2 Qe7 33. Qf3
Bc5 $2 (33... Rh3 $1 34. Rf8+ Kc7 35. Qxh3 Qxf8 36. Nxd4 exd4 {
offers more resistance.}) 34. Rf7 $1 Qd6 35. Qf6 Rc8 36. Nc1 $1 a5 37. Nd3 $1
Bd4 38. Qe7 Qxe7 39. Rxe7 Bc6 40. f3 Rf8 41. Rxe6 Kc7 42. Nxe5 Bxe5 43. Rxe5
Rxf3 44. Rxg5 Rg3 45. Bd5 Bd7 46. e5 Re3 47. e6 Bc8 48. Rg8 Kd6 49. Rxc8 Kxd5 {
White has three extra pawns in the rook ending.} 50. Re8 Kd6 51. e7 {
Anand started with two wins.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A62"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. g3 O-O 7. Bg2 e6 8. O-O
exd5 9. cxd5 a6 10. a4 Re8 11. h3 Nbd7 12. Bf4 Qc7 13. Rc1 Rb8 14. Qd3 $6 ({
The alternative is} 14. b4 $5 Nh5 15. Bd2 cxb4 16. Ne4 Nc5 17. Nxc5 dxc5 18.
Bxb4 {(Csom - Kindermann, Dortmund 1983).}) 14... c4 $1 15. Qd1 Nh5 16. Bd2 Nc5
17. Na2 $6 {The white pieces withdraw.} ({Slightly better is} 17. g4 Nf6 18.
Be3 Nb3 19. Rb1) 17... b5 $1 18. axb5 axb5 19. g4 Nf6 20. Bc3 Ra8 $1 21. Nb4
Nb3 22. Rb1 h5 23. g5 Ne4 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Nc6 Qb6 26. h4 $2 {
Sokolov misses the threat.} (26. Qc2 Bb7 27. Rbd1 Bxc6 28. dxc6 Rad8 29. e3 {
offers more resistance.}) 26... Ng3 $1 27. Re1 Bf5 $1 28. Nfd4 Bxb1 29. Nxb3
cxb3 {Georgiev won in the Benoni easily.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Nd7 8.
Nf3 c5 9. Bg5 O-O 10. Rc1 Qc7 11. Bd3 h6 $5 12. Be3 a6 13. Qa3 b6 14. e5 Bb7
15. h4 $5 e6 16. Qb3 Bd5 17. Qd1 Rad8 18. Qe2 Rc8 $6 ({More useful is} 18... b5
) 19. O-O (19. Bxa6 $5 cxd4 20. Bxc8 dxe3 21. Bxd7 exf2+ 22. Kxf2 Qxd7 {
brings little advantage for White.}) 19... b5 20. h5 $1 {White attacks at last.
} Qb7 $2 {He blunders a pawn.} ({Correct is} 20... g5 $1 21. Nh2 {(Gurevich)}
cxd4 $1 22. cxd4 Qa5) 21. hxg6 f6 $5 ({Or} 21... fxg6 22. Bxg6 Rxf3 23. gxf3
Bxf3 24. Qd3) 22. exf6 Rxf6 23. Nh4 e5 $6 24. Qh5 $1 e4 25. Bxh6 Bxh6 26. Qxh6
Nf8 27. Bb1 Rcc6 28. Qg5 Rce6 29. dxc5 Bc6 30. Bc2 Rxg6 31. Nxg6 Rxg6 32. Bb3+
Kh8 33. Qe5+ Kh7 34. Rfd1 {Gurevich won his second game.} ({The pointe is} 34.
Rfd1 e3 35. Bc2 $1) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sax, Gyula"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. Nf3 f5 8.
Nc3 Bf6 9. Qd2 c5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 {Andersson likes to play this line.} 11. Bxd7+
$5 Nxd7 12. O-O-O Qa5 13. Kb1 O-O-O 14. Qh6 Rhg8 15. g3 Bg7 16. Qf4 cxd4 17.
Nxd4 a6 18. Rd2 Qe5 19. Qh4 Qf6 20. Qxf6 Nxf6 21. f3 h5 22. Rd3 $6 h4 $1 23.
Nde2 $5 Rxd3 24. cxd3 Rh8 $1 25. Rg1 hxg3 26. hxg3 Rh2 27. g4 $6 fxg4 28. fxg4
{White has two weak pawns.} Kd7 29. Kc1 Nd5 30. Kd1 Ne3+ 31. Kd2 Ng2 32. g5 Nh4
33. Rf1 Nf5 34. Ne4 Bd4 35. b3 Ke7 36. Rf3 Bb6 37. N4g3 Nd4 $1 38. Rf4 Rg2 39.
Re4 Nxe2 40. Nxe2 Rxg5 {Ulf has gained a pawn.} 41. Kd1 Bc5 42. Rc4 Bd6 43. Nc3
f5 44. a4 $2 (44. Rh4 Rg1+ 45. Kc2 Rg2+ 46. Kd1 {prolongs the game.}) 44...
Rg1+ 45. Ke2 Rg2+ 46. Kf3 Rb2 47. Ke3 Rxb3 48. Ne2 Rb4 49. Rxb4 Bxb4 50. d4 Bd6
51. Nc1 {Andersson has two extra pawns in the ending.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1988.12.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vasily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Nd2 a5 10. a3 Bd7 11. b3 c5 12. Rb1 $5 Ne8 13. b4 b6 $6 ({Preferable is
} 13... axb4 14. axb4 b6) 14. bxc5 dxc5 $5 15. Nf3 Nd6 16. Bg5 Rb8 17. Nd2 f6
18. Bh4 h5 19. Bg3 Bh6 20. h3 Nf7 21. Bd3 Nc8 22. Ne2 Ba4 $6 {
He exchanges a strong piece.} 23. Qxa4 Bxd2 24. Rb2 Bh6 25. Rfb1 Rb7 26. Qc2
Re8 27. Nc3 Ra7 28. Na4 Ra6 29. Rb3 Nfd6 30. Be2 Kh7 31. Kh1 Re7 32. Bh2 Rf7
33. Bd3 Kg8 34. Qe2 Re7 35. Bc2 Bg5 36. Qf1 Kg7 37. Bd3 Bh6 38. R3b2 Re8 39.
Nc3 Ra7 40. Bc2 Rf8 41. Na4 Ra6 42. Bd3 Re8 43. Qe2 Bg5 44. Bg3 f5 45. f3 f4
46. Bf2 Qc7 47. Qe1 Bd8 48. Qg1 Nb7 49. g4 $5 h4 $6 ({Better is} 49... Qd7 50.
Nc3 Rh8) 50. Qd1 g5 51. Bc2 Nbd6 52. Qd3 Re7 53. Nc3 Kf7 (53... a4 $1 54. Bxa4
Qa7 55. Bc6 Rxa3 {counters.}) 54. Ba4 $1 Na7 55. Ne2 $1 Qc8 56. Nc1 Rb7 57. Qc3
Bf6 58. Nd3 $1 {The knight has reached his destiny.} Kg7 59. Kh2 Qc7 60. Rg1
Nf7 $2 {Ivanchuk blunders under time pressure.} (60... Kg8 {
continues the defence (Gurevich).}) 61. Bxc5 $1 {Gurevich won his third game.}
(61. Bxc5 bxc5 62. Rxb7 Qxb7 63. Nxc5 Qc8 64. Nxa6 Qxa6 65. c5 {wins for White.
}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.01.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B09"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. d4 d6 2. e4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. f4 Nf6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5
Nd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. c3 Be6 11. O-O Rad8 12. Bf4 Qd7 13. Qe1 Bf5 $5 ({Known is
} 13... Bd5) 14. Bxf5 Qxf5 15. Qg3 h6 16. Rae1 Qe6 17. a3 Na5 $2 ({Better is} 
17... g5 $1 18. Be3 a6) 18. Bg5 $1 Rd7 ({The pointe is} 18... hxg5 19. Nxg5 Qd5
20. Qh4 {(Ehlvest).}) 19. Qh4 $1 h5 20. b4 $5 Nc4 21. Bc1 Nb6 $2 (21... Qg4 22.
Qf2 Rd5 {offers more resistance.}) 22. Ng5 $1 Qc6 ({Or} 22... Qg4 23. Qf2 $1
Rd5 24. Re4 Qd7 25. Nxf7) 23. e6 $1 fxe6 24. Rxf8+ Bxf8 25. Qf2 {
Ehlvest carried out a fine attack.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 b6 6. Ne5 $1 (6. O-O Bb7 7. Qc2
{leads to a well-known position.}) 6... c6 7. O-O Bb7 8. d4 d6 9. Nd3 Bxc3 10.
bxc3 Ba6 11. c5 $5 bxc5 12. dxc5 d5 13. Bf4 Nbd7 14. Bd6 Re8 15. Qa4 $1 Bb5 16.
Qd4 $1 Qa5 17. a4 Bxd3 18. exd3 e5 $5 19. Qb4 Qa6 20. d4 exd4 21. cxd4 Ne4 22.
Rfe1 {White has an edge.} Ndf6 23. Be5 Qd3 24. Qb1 Qd2 25. Ra2 Qa5 26. Qc1 Nd7
27. Bxe4 dxe4 28. Rxe4 Re6 $2 (28... f6 $1 29. Qc4+ Kh8 30. Qf7 Nxe5 31. dxe5
fxe5 {defends properly (Ribli).}) 29. Rae2 Rae8 30. Qc2 $1 Nxe5 31. Rxe5 $1
Rxe5 32. dxe5 $1 Qb4 33. Re4 Qa3 34. Kg2 $1 g6 35. Qc4 Re6 36. Qd4 Qb3 37. Re3
Qc2 $2 38. Rf3 $1 {
Anand scored poorly during the second part of the tournament.} (38. Rf3 g5 39.
Qd7 Qg6 40. Qxa7 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Sax, Gyula"]
[Black "Damljanovic, Branko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B48"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. f4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. Nb3 d6 10. Qf3 Nf6 11. O-O Be7 12. Qh3 e5 $5 ({Usual is} 12... Nb4) 13.
f5 $5 Nb8 $5 14. a3 h5 15. Kh1 Nbd7 16. Rad1 Bc6 17. Qf3 Rb8 18. Bd2 Ba8 19.
Bg5 Ng4 20. Be3 $5 Nxe3 21. Qxe3 Nf6 22. Be2 Bd8 23. Qd3 Ke7 $5 24. Rd2 Qb6 25.
Rfd1 Bc7 26. Bf3 Bc6 27. Qe2 a5 28. Nd5+ Bxd5 29. exd5 Kd8 30. Rd3 b4 31. a4
Rc8 32. Nd2 Bb8 33. Ne4 h4 34. Qd2 Ba7 35. c3 $6 (35. Qg5 Ke7 36. Qxg7 Nxe4 37.
Bxe4 Rcg8 $6 38. f6+ Ke8 39. Bh7 {favours White.}) 35... Ke7 36. cxb4 $2 ({
Better is} 36. Qg5 Rh7 37. h3) 36... Qxb4 37. Qxb4 axb4 38. h3 Nxe4 39. Bxe4
Rc4 40. Bf3 Kf6 41. R3d2 Kxf5 {Black has gained a pawn.} 42. Be2 Rf4 43. Bb5
Bc5 44. a5 Ra8 45. a6 e4 46. Bc4 Ke5 47. b3 f5 48. Re2 g5 49. Kh2 Ra7 50. Rc2
Rf2 51. Re2 Rg7 52. Bb5 Rxe2 53. Bxe2 Bd4 54. Bb5 $2 Kxd5 55. Rf1 Ke5 56. Be8
d5 {Damljanovic pushes the pawns forwards.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E48"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8.
O-O Ne7 $5 9. f3 Ng6 10. Bc2 c6 11. Kh1 Be6 12. a3 Bd6 13. h3 Nh5 14. e4 $1
dxe4 15. fxe4 Ng3+ 16. Nxg3 Bxg3 17. Be3 Bc7 18. e5 Bb6 19. Qd2 Qd7 20. Rf3 $1
Rad8 21. Rd1 Qc8 22. Qf2 Rd7 23. Rg3 Bd8 24. Bg5 Bxg5 25. Rxg5 Qd8 26. Qe3 Qe7
$6 (26... b6 27. Rg3 c5 {counters at the right time.}) 27. Ne4 $1 b6 28. Rf1
Rfd8 29. Nd6 Rxd6 $1 {Black has to sacrifice an exchange.} 30. exd6 Rxd6 31.
Rg3 Qd7 32. Rd1 Ne7 33. Qe5 g6 34. Be4 $1 Bf5 35. Re3 h5 36. b4 $1 Bxe4 37.
Rxe4 Nd5 38. Qe8+ Kg7 39. Rc1 Qxe8 40. Rxe8 {White has a plus in the endgame.}
Nf4 $1 41. Rc8 Ne2 $5 42. R8xc6 $5 Rxd4 43. R1c2 Rd1+ 44. Kh2 Nd4 45. Rc1 $1
Rd2 46. Rc7 a5 47. bxa5 bxa5 48. Ra7 h4 49. Kh1 Ne2 $1 50. Rb1 Rd5 51. Kh2 Rf5
52. Rab7 Rf4 53. R7b5 $4 {Sokolov blunders an exchange.} Nc3 54. R1b3 Nxb5 55.
Rxb5 Ra4 {Black has an extra pawn.} 56. Rb3 g5 57. Kg1 Kg6 58. Kf2 f6 59. Ke3
Rc4 60. Kd3 Rf4 61. Ke3 Rc4 62. Kd3 Rc5 63. a4 $6 ({Better is} 63. Kd2 {
(Sokolov)} f5 64. Rb6+ Kh5 65. Rb8 Rc4 66. Rb3 Ra4 67. Ke3 g4) 63... Rf5 64.
Kc4 Rf2 65. g3 hxg3 66. Rxg3 Rb2 $1 {Andersson produced a fine score.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 31"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.01.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Black "Sax, Gyula"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6 7. h4 Nc6 8. Rg1
h5 9. gxh5 Nxh5 10. Bg5 Nf6 11. Rg3 a6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qf3 Bd7 $2 ({
Preferable is} 13... Rb8) 14. O-O-O {White has a plus in the Keres Attack.} Be7
15. e5 $1 dxe5 16. Ne4 Rb8 (16... Nxe4 $5 17. Qxe4 Bf6 {will become a novelty.}
) 17. Bxf6 gxf6 ({The pointe is} 17... Bxf6 18. Rxg7 $1 {(Georgiev).}) 18. Qg2
$3 Rf8 {Black has to defend passively.} 19. Bc4 Qb6 $5 20. Rb3 $1 Qa7 21. Rbd3
Rb7 22. Qg7 f5 23. Nd6+ $1 Bxd6 24. Rxd6 Qxf2 25. Bxe6 $1 Qf4+ 26. Kb1 fxe6 27.
Rxd7 $1 Rxb2+ 28. Kxb2 {Black cannot deliver perpetual check. The final
standings became: Gurevich 61/2/9, Georgiev and Andersson 51/2, Ehlvest and
Ivanchuk 5, Ribli 41/2, Anand and Damljanovic 4, Sax 3, Sokolov 2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Black "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B08"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

{The thirty-second Torneo di Capodanno was played from 28 xii 1989 until 9 i
1990. Eleven players participated. Former world champion Karpov was the star.} 
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O Bg4 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2
Re8 9. d5 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Ne5 11. Be2 c6 12. a4 Qa5 13. Ra3 Rec8 14. Rb3 Rab8 15.
Qd4 c5 16. Qd2 a6 17. f3 Ned7 18. Rb1 $5 (18. Kh1 {
happened in Rozentalis - Gurevich, Sverdlovsk 1984.}) 18... Ne8 19. Bf1 Nc7 20.
Ra3 Rf8 21. Qe1 Rbe8 22. Bd2 Qb6 23. Nd1 Qa7 24. Ne3 Qb8 25. a5 Qa7 $5 26. Kh1
Nb5 27. Ra2 Rc8 28. c3 Qb8 29. Be2 Nc7 30. Rd1 Ne8 {Black withdraws.} 31. Bc1
Nef6 32. Nc4 $1 {White goes forwards.} Qc7 33. Qh4 Ne5 34. Nb6 {
He has the initiative.} Rce8 35. Bg5 Nfd7 $1 36. Nxd7 Nxd7 37. f4 Nf6 38. Bf3
Kh8 39. Raa1 Ng8 40. Qg3 Bf6 41. Re1 Bxg5 42. Qxg5 e5 43. dxe6 Rxe6 44. b4 $1
cxb4 $6 ({Better is} 44... f5 $5 45. Qg3 fxe4 46. Bxe4 Ne7) 45. cxb4 h6 $6 ({
Preferable is} 45... Rfe8 {(Ehlvest)} 46. Rac1 Qe7) 46. Qg3 Kg7 47. Bg4 Ree8
48. Rac1 Qe7 49. h3 Nf6 50. Qc3 Kg8 51. Bf3 $1 Qd8 $2 (51... Rc8 $1 52. Qxc8
Rxc8 53. Rxc8+ Kg7 {defends properly.}) 52. Rcd1 $1 Re6 53. e5 $1 Ne8 54. Bxb7
Qb8 55. Bxa6 dxe5 56. Bc4 Qc7 57. Rc1 Re7 58. fxe5 Ng7 59. Qg3 Qb8 60. b5 {
Ehlvest started well.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 c5 5. d5 Nh5 6. g3 f5 7. Bd2 d6 $5 ({
Theory is} 7... O-O) 8. Qc2 O-O 9. O-O-O Nd7 10. e3 Ne5 11. Be2 Nf6 12. Nh3
exd5 13. cxd5 Ne8 $5 14. Nf2 Nc7 15. f4 Ng6 16. Kb1 Rb8 17. Bc1 b5 18. Bf3 Bxc3
19. Qxc3 b4 20. Qc2 Nb5 21. Ka1 Qa5 22. Rd2 $2 ({Better is} 22. Bd2 Ba6 23. Rc1
) 22... Ba6 23. Bd1 Qb6 $2 (23... Rfe8 $1 24. Re1 {(Ehlvest)} Nd4 $1 25. Qa4
Qb6 26. Bh5 b3 {wins for Black.}) 24. Be2 Qa5 25. Qb3 Ne7 26. Rc2 Kh8 27. h3
Rb6 28. Bc4 Rfb8 29. Bd2 Nc7 30. g4 Bxc4 31. Qxc4 Qa6 32. b3 $1 Qc8 33. gxf5
Nxf5 34. Qd3 a5 35. Rg1 a4 $1 36. bxa4 Qd7 37. Nd1 h6 38. Nb2 $2 ({Right is} 
38. Rb2 $1 Ne7 39. e4) 38... b3 $1 39. Rcc1 bxa2 40. Bc3 Rb3 41. Rg2 Ne8 42.
Rcg1 c4 43. Qd2 Qa7 $1 44. e4 $2 (44. Re1 Qc5 45. e4 Qa3 46. Rc1 {
offers more resistance.}) 44... Ne3 $1 45. Rxg7 $5 Nxg7 46. Bxg7+ Qxg7 47. Rxg7
c3 $1 {Ehlvest scored his second win.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E37"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 c5 8.
dxc5 Nc6 9. e3 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Nxd2 11. Qxd2 Qxc5 12. b4 Qe7 13. Nf3 O-O $5 (13...
dxc4 14. Bxc4 O-O 15. O-O e5 {drew in Alatortsev - Ragozin, Leningrad 1934.})
14. b5 Qf6 15. Rd1 Ne7 16. c5 $5 a6 17. a4 axb5 18. axb5 Ra1 19. Rc1 Rxc1+ 20.
Qxc1 Bd7 21. Bd3 e5 22. Be2 Rc8 23. O-O Ng6 24. Qa3 d4 $6 (24... Qe7 $5 25. Rc1
b6 $6 26. Qa7 $1 bxc5 27. b6 {favours White (Chernin).}) 25. Qa7 $1 dxe3 26. c6
exf2+ 27. Rxf2 Bxc6 $1 28. bxc6 Qxc6 {Black has three pawns for a bishop.} 29.
Bf1 $5 h6 30. Bd3 Rd8 31. Qe3 Qc3 32. Rd2 Rf8 $2 ({Right is} 32... Kf8) 33. Rc2
Qa1+ 34. Rc1 Qa3 35. Kf2 $5 Qe7 36. Bxg6 fxg6 37. Rc4 g5 38. Re4 Qd7 39. h3 Kh8
40. Kg3 Qd6 41. Qc3 Rf4 42. Rxe5 Rf8 43. Qc5 Qf6 44. Re4 b6 45. Qe5 Qf7 46. Kh2
Qb7 47. Rc4 Qf7 48. Rc7 Qf4+ 49. Qxf4 Rxf4 50. Rd7 Rb4 51. Nd4 Kh7 52. Nf5 Kg6
53. Nxg7 Re4 54. g4 Kf6 55. Nf5 h5 56. Ng3 $1 {Gurevich wins the ending.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "De Firmian, Nick"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B99"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3
Qc7 9. O-O-O Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. g5 Nd7 13. f5 Bxg5+ 14. Kb1 Ne5
15. Qh5 Qd8 16. Rg1 Bf6 17. fxe6 g6 18. exf7+ Kxf7 19. Qh6 Bg7 $5 20. Qf4+ {
White attacks.} Qf6 $2 (20... Kg8 {tries to survive (Ivanchuk).}) 21. Qg3 $1
Qd8 22. Nf5 Bf8 23. Be2 gxf5 $6 (23... Ke8 $5 24. Rgf1 Rb8 {
offers a longer resistance.}) 24. Bh5+ Ke7 25. exf5 Bxf5 26. Rge1 $1 Ke6 27.
Ne2 $1 {The white pieces aim at the king.} Bxc2+ $5 28. Kxc2 Rc8+ 29. Kb1 Rc4
30. Nf4+ Rxf4 31. Qxf4 Qf6 32. Qe4 Qg5 33. Qd5+ {Ivanchuk charges for mate.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 Be7 7. Be2 Be6 8.
O-O O-O 9. Qc2 Qd7 10. Rd1 $5 ({Usual is} 10. a3) 10... f5 11. a3 a5 12. Rb1
Bf6 $6 ({Preferable is} 12... Rfd8) 13. Ne4 $1 fxe4 $2 {
He should not accept the challenge.} ({Better is} 13... Be7 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15.
Qxc5 Qe7) 14. dxe4 Ndb4 $5 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Rxd7 Nxc2 17. Rxc7 {
White has gained a pawn.} Rfc8 18. Rxc8+ Rxc8 19. Bd2 Nb4 20. Rc1 Rxc1+ 21.
Bxc1 Kf7 22. Bd2 Ke7 23. Bxb4+ axb4 24. Nd2 Kd6 25. Bc4 $1 Bd7 26. Bd5 b5 27.
f3 g5 28. g4 Be8 29. Nb3 h5 30. h3 hxg4 31. hxg4 Be7 32. Nc1 Kc7 33. Nd3 Bd6
34. f4 exf4 35. exf4 gxf4 36. e5 $5 Be7 37. Kg2 Kb6 38. Kf3 Bg5 39. Be4 $2 (39.
Nf2 $1 Kc5 40. Ba8 Bg6 41. Nh3 Bd8 42. Nxf4 {wins for White.}) 39... Bf7 40.
Nxf4 Kc5 41. e6 Be8 42. Nh3 Bf6 43. b3 Kd6 44. g5 Be5 $2 (44... Bh5+ $1 45. Kf4
Bc3 {draws (Ribli).}) 45. Nf4 Bxf4 46. Kxf4 Kxe6 47. Bf5+ $1 Ke7 48. g6 Kf6 49.
Ke4 $1 Kg7 ({The pointe is} 49... Bc6+ 50. Kd4 $1 Kxf5 51. g7) 50. Ke5 Kh6 51.
Kd6 ({He avoids the trap} 51. Kf6 $4 Bxg6 52. Bxg6) 51... Kg7 52. Bc2 Kf8 53.
Kc5 Bd7 54. Kxb4 Kg7 55. Bd3 Be6 56. Kc3 Kf6 57. b4 Bd7 58. Kd4 Bc6 59. Kc5 Be8
60. Kd6 Kg7 61. Bc2 Kf8 62. Be4 $1 Kg7 63. Ke7 {
White wins the pawn ending after the exchange on g6.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1989.12.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E55"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4
Nbd7 9. Ne2 cxd4 10. Nexd4 Qe7 $5 ({\/Known is} 10... e5) 11. a3 Bd6 12. Nb5
Bb8 13. Bd2 a6 14. Bb4 Nc5 15. Nc3 Bd7 16. Qd4 Rc8 $1 17. a4 Ba7 18. Qh4 Bc6
19. Ne5 Be8 20. Be2 Qc7 21. Nc4 Rd8 22. a5 Nb3 23. Rad1 Bc5 24. Bxc5 Nxc5 25.
Qg3 Qxg3 26. hxg3 {The endgame begins.} Bc6 27. f3 Nb3 28. e4 Kf8 29. Kf2 Ke7
30. Ke3 Nh5 31. Kf2 Nf6 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Bd1 $2 (33. Rd1 {
continues the exchanges (Karpov).}) 33... Nd2 $1 34. Nd5+ $5 exd5 35. Nxd2 dxe4
{Black has gained a pawn.} 36. Nb1 exf3 37. Bxf3 Bxf3 38. gxf3 Rd5 39. Rc1 Rb5
40. Rc2 Kd7 41. Nc3 Rxa5 {He grabs a second pawn.} 42. Rd2+ Ke7 43. g4 Rc5 44.
Ke3 h6 45. Kd4 Rc6 46. Rg2 Rd6+ 47. Ke5 Nd7+ 48. Kf4 Nc5 49. Re2+ Kd7 50. Kg3
Rd3 51. Re5 Ne6 52. Ne4 Kc6 53. Rf5 f6 54. Nxf6 Nd4 $1 55. Nh5 Nxf5+ 56. gxf5
Rd7 57. Kf4 Re7 {Karpov scored his first win.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1990.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D88"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 O-O 9. Be3 Nc6 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. fxg4 Rxf1+ 14.
Kxf1 cxd4 15. cxd4 e5 16. d5 Nc4 $5 17. Bf2 Qf6 18. Kg1 Rf8 19. Qe1 (19. Bc5
Rc8 20. Bf2 Rf8 21. Bxa7 $6 b6 {endangers a bishop.}) 19... Bh6 20. Ng3 $1 Qa6
21. Kh1 Qa4 22. Qe2 b6 23. h4 Bf4 24. Nf1 Nd6 25. Re1 Rc8 26. g3 Rc2 27. Qf3
Qxa2 $1 28. Kg1 Bh6 29. g5 Bg7 30. Ne3 Rc7 31. Ng4 Rf7 32. Qe3 Qc2 33. h5 $5
Nc4 $1 ({The alternative brings} 33... gxh5 $5 34. Nh6+ $1 Bxh6 35. gxh6 Nxe4
36. Re2 Qb1+ 37. Re1 {and White achieves a repetition of moves.}) 34. Qc1 Qxc1
35. Rxc1 gxh5 $1 36. Rxc4 hxg4 37. Rc8+ Bf8 38. Be1 $6 ({Preferable is} 38. Kf1
$1) 38... Kg7 39. Bc3 Bd6 40. Rc6 Bc5+ 41. Kg2 Rf2+ 42. Kh1 Bd4 43. Bb4 $2 ({
Better is} 43. Rc7+ Kg6 44. Bxd4 exd4 45. Kg1 Rf8 46. Rxa7 d3 {(Ivanchuk)} 47.
Ra4 $1 Kxg5 48. Rd4 {and White fights for survival.}) 43... Rf7 $1 44. Re6 Rb7
45. Rc6 a5 46. d6 $5 axb4 47. Rc7+ Kf8 $1 48. Rxb7 b3 49. Rb8+ Kf7 50. d7 b2
51. Rf8+ Ke6 $1 52. d8=N+ $5 ({The pointe is} 52. d8=Q b1=Q+ 53. Kg2 Qg1#)
52... Ke7 53. Rf1 Kxd8 54. Rb1 Kc7 55. Kg2 Kc6 56. Kf1 Kc5 57. Ke2 Kc4 58. Kd2
Kb3 59. Rf1 b5 60. Kd3 Ka2 61. Kc2 b4 62. g6 hxg6 63. Rh1 b3+ 64. Kd3 b1=Q+ 65.
Rxb1 Kxb1 66. Kd2 b2 67. Kd3 Ka2 68. Kc4 b1=Q 69. Kd5 Qg1 70. Ke6 Qxg3 71. Kf6
Qf4+ 72. Kg7 Qxe4 {Ivanchuk and Ehlvest competed for the first place.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1990.01.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "De Firmian, Nick"]
[Black "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B82"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. f4 Be7 7. Qf3 O-O 8. Be3
e5 9. Nf5 Bxf5 10. exf5 Qa5 11. g4 e4 12. Qd1 d5 $1 {springs a fine novelty.} (
{Known is} 12... Rc8) 13. g5 Nc6 $1 {He crowns it with a sacrifice.} 14. gxf6 (
14. Bd4 Ng4 $6 15. Bh3 $6 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 Bc5 17. Qa4 Qxa4 18. Nxa4 Nf2 19. Nxc5
Nxh3 {will draw in Garcia - Ehlvest, St Martin 1993.}) 14... Bxf6 15. Qd2 Bh4+
$1 16. Kd1 ({The pointe is} 16. Bf2 e3 $1 {(Ehlvest).}) 16... d4 $1 17. Nxe4 ({
Or} 17. Bxd4 Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Rad8) 17... Qxf5 18. Ng3 Bxg3 19. hxg3 dxe3 20. Bd3
Rad8 $1 21. Qc3 (21. Qxe3 Nb4 {wins easily.}) 21... Qe4 22. Rg1 Rxd3+ 23. cxd3
Rd8 24. Kc2 Rxd3 25. Qxd3 Nb4+ 26. Kc3 Nxd3 {Ehlvest won his third game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1990.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Be3 c6 $5 (
14... Qd6 {happened in Andersson - Georgiev, Sarajevo 1985.}) 15. Ne5 $1 Qb6
16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qd2 b4 18. Bg5 Rc7 19. Rac1 Rfc8 20. Rxc7 Rxc7 21. Rc1 a5 22.
Bf4 Rxc1+ 23. Qxc1 h6 24. Bf1 Ne4 25. Be3 a4 26. f3 Nd6 27. Bf2 Nb5 28. Qf4 Nd6
29. Qc1 Nb5 30. Nd7 $5 {Andersson avoids a repetition.} Qc6 31. Nc5 a3 32. Qd2
Nxd4 $1 33. Nxb7 b3 $1 34. Na5 $1 Qc2 35. Nxb3 $1 axb2 36. Qxc2 Nxc2 37. Nd2
Bb4 38. Nb1 Na3 39. Bd4 Nxb1 40. Bxb2 {The chances are equal in the endgame.}
Bc5+ $5 41. Kg2 Nd2 42. a4 Nc4 ({Even better is} 42... d4 $1) 43. Bc1 Ne3+ 44.
Kf2 Nxf1+ ({The alternative is} 44... d4 45. a5 Nc4 46. a6 d3+ 47. Ke1 d2+ 48.
Bxd2 Nxd2 49. Kxd2 Kf8 50. Kd3 Ke7 51. Kc4 Kd6 {drawn (Beliavsky).}) 45. Kxf1
Kf8 46. g4 Ke7 47. h4 Kd6 48. Ke1 Kc6 $2 {Black loses valuable time.} (48...
Bb4+ $1 49. Kd1 Kc5 50. Kc2 Kc4 51. h5 e5 {
leads to a defendable position for White.}) 49. Kd1 Kb6 50. Kc2 Bd4 51. h5 Bc5
52. Kb3 f6 53. Bd2 e5 54. Bb4 $1 Kc6 55. Bxc5 Kxc5 {White wins the pawn ending.
} 56. Kc3 d4+ 57. Kb3 Kc6 58. Kb4 Kb6 59. a5+ Kc6 60. Kc4 Kb7 61. Kb5 Ka7 62.
a6 {The distant passed pawn decides the game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1990.01.07"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Petursson, Margeir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B36"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Be2 Nxd4 8.
Qxd4 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 Be6 11. Qe3 Qb6 12. Rab1 Qxe3 13. Bxe3 Rfc8 14. b3
Bd7 $5 (14... Ng4 15. Bxg4 Bxg4 16. Nd5 Kf8 {
drew in Stangl - Schindler, Bundesliga 1989.}) 15. Rfd1 Bc6 16. f3 a5 17. Rbc1
Nd7 18. g3 Kf8 19. h4 h5 20. Kf2 Be5 21. Bf1 e6 $6 {He weakens pawn d6.} 22.
Rd2 Nc5 23. Bg2 Ke7 24. Ne2 b6 25. Rcd1 Rd8 $2 ({Better is} 25... Rab8 26. f4
Bg7 27. Rxd6 Nxe4+ 28. Bxe4 Bxe4 29. Rxb6 Rxb6 30. Bxb6 a4) 26. Bg5+ $1 Bf6 27.
Bxf6+ Kxf6 28. e5+ $1 Ke7 29. Rxd6 {White has won a pawn.} Nb7 30. Nd4 $1 Rxd6
31. exd6+ Kxd6 32. Nxc6+ Kxc6 33. f4+ Kc7 34. Bxb7 Kxb7 35. Rd7+ $1 Kc6 36.
Rxf7 a4 37. Rf6 axb3 38. axb3 Ra2+ 39. Ke3 Kd6 40. Kd4 {
Karpov wins the rook ending.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1990.01.09"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4
d6 9. Bg5 a6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qf4 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Ra7 13. Rfd1 O-O 14. Rac1 Rd7
15. Qe3 $5 ({Known is} 15. b3) 15... Qc7 16. Na4 Rdd8 $1 (16... Bd8 $6 {
will occur in Ribli - Ftacnik, Bundesliga 1990.}) 17. Qxb6 Qxb6 18. Nxb6 Bxb2
19. Rb1 Be5 {Black has kept a material equality in a defendable position.} 20.
e3 g5 21. Rd3 g4 22. Ra3 Rfe8 23. h3 gxh3 $6 ({Preferable is} 23... h5 $1) 24.
Bxh3 Bg7 25. Bg2 Bf6 26. Rd1 Kg7 27. Kf1 Be7 28. Ra4 Bf6 29. Bb7 Re7 $1 30.
Bxa6 Ra7 $1 31. Bb5 Rb7 $1 32. Na8 d5 33. Rd3 dxc4 34. Bxc4 Rxd3 35. Bxd3 Nd7
36. Be4 Rb2 37. Nc7 Be5 $6 (37... Nc5 $1 38. Ne8+ Kf8 39. Ra8 Be5 $1 {
restricts the white pieces.}) 38. Nxe6+ $1 Kf6 $1 39. Nd8 Nc5 40. Rc4 Nxe4 41.
Rxe4 Rxa2 {White has an extra pawn.} 42. Nc6 Bd6 43. Rd4 Bc5 44. Rf4+ Kg7 45.
Rc4 Bf8 46. Rd4 Bc5 47. Rc4 Bb6 48. g4 f6 $6 {The f-pawn can be blockaded.} 49.
Ne7 $1 Rd2 50. Rb4 Bc5 $6 (50... Bc7 51. f4 Rd7 52. Nf5+ Kg6 {defends properly.
}) 51. Nf5+ Kg8 52. Rb8+ Bf8 53. Nd4 Kf7 54. Rb7+ Kg6 55. Ne6 Ba3 56. Rg7+ Kh6
57. Rf7 Kg6 58. Ra7 Bb4 59. Rg7+ Kh6 60. Rg8 Bc3 {
Andersson shared the second place.} (60... Bc3 61. Ng7 Kg6 62. Nf5+ Kf7 63.
Rg7+ Ke6 64. Rxh7 {gains a second pawn.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 32"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1990.01.09"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Black "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1989.12.??"]

{Ehlvest leads by half-a-point on Ivanchuk, when the last round begins.} 1. e4
e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qb6
9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. Bb5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bb4 13. O-O a6 14. Rb3 Qa5 {
Ehlvest applies a heroic defence, despite his lead.} 15. Bxd7+ $2 ({Theory is} 
15. Rfb1) 15... Bxd7 16. Rfb1 Bc5 17. Rxb7 Rc8 18. R1b3 Ba4 19. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 20.
Kh1 Qc4 21. Rb1 O-O 22. Nxa4 Qxa4 {Black has a favourable position.} 23. c3 h6
24. h3 Qc4 25. R1b3 a5 {He takes the initiative.} 26. Kh2 Qe4 27. g3 Rc4 28. h4
Rfc8 $6 (28... g5 $1 29. hxg5 hxg5 {wins for Black (Ehlvest).}) 29. Rb8 Rxb8
30. Rxb8+ Kh7 31. Rb2 Kg6 $1 32. Rc2 Qf3 33. Qe1 Qd3 34. Rd2 Qxc3 35. Qd1 Kh7
36. h5 Qe3 37. Rg2 d4 38. Re2 Qf3 39. Rd2 Qe4 40. Re2 Qf3 41. Rd2 Qe3 $6 {
Black should exchange.} 42. Re2 $6 (42. Qb1+ g6 43. hxg6+ {draws.}) 42... Rc1
43. Rxe3 Rxd1 44. Ra3 d3 45. Kg2 g6 $1 46. g4 g5 47. fxg5 hxg5 48. Kf2 d2 $1
49. Rd3 Kg7 50. Rd4 Re1 51. Rxd2 Rxe5 52. Rd4 Rc5 53. Ke3 Rc3+ 54. Ke4 Ra3 55.
Rd7 ({The pointe is} 55. Rd2 Rg3 $1) 55... Rxa2 56. h6+ Kg6 57. Kf3 Rh2 58. Ra7
Rxh6 59. Rxa5 Rh3+ 60. Kg2 Rc3 61. Re5 Rc4 {The final standings became:
Ehlvest 71/2/10, Ivanchuk 61/2, Karpov 6, Ribli and Andersson 51/2, Gurevich 5,
Georgiev and Petursson 41/2, Portisch and De Firmian 4, Beliavsky 2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "154"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

{The thirty-third Torneo di Capodanno was postponed. Fourteen players should
have competed in the main group, but they were split in two groups of seven
men. Double rounds were carried out. Thus, the number of games per player was
shortened by one. The tournament happened from 8 until 21 i 1991. We follow
the decided games in the strongest group.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a4 Nc6 10. Nb3 Na5 11.
Nxa5 Qxa5 12. g4 $5 ({Usual is} 12. Be3) 12... Nd7 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. Kh1 $5 Rb8
15. f4 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. g5 {Kamsky shows ambition.} Re8 $1 18. Ne2 Bb7 19.
Ng3 Bf8 20. Ba5 Qc8 21. Bc3 Nc5 22. Bd4 $5 e5 $1 23. Be3 exf4 24. Rxf4 Re5 $1
25. Rg4 $2 ({Correct is} 25. Qf3 $1 Rxg5 26. Rxf7 $5 Rxg3 $1 27. hxg3 Bxe4 28.
Qh5 $1 Bg6 29. Rxf8+ Qxf8 30. Qd5+ Bf7 31. Qd4 {
and White has compensation for the pawn.}) 25... Qe6 26. Bd4 $5 Nxe4 $1 27.
Nxe4 Rxe4 28. Bxe4 Bxe4+ 29. Kg1 Bxc2 $1 30. Qf3 d5 $1 {
Black has a positional advantage.} 31. Rh4 Be4 32. Qg4 Bf5 33. Qg2 Rc8 34. Rf4
Bd6 $1 35. Qf3 $5 (35. Rh4 Rc2 36. Qf3 Bf8 {also favours Black.}) 35... Be4 36.
Qg4 Bxf4 37. Qxf4 {Black has two extra pawns.} h6 38. gxh6 Qg6+ 39. Qg3 Qxh6
40. Be3 Qf6 41. Qf2 Qxf2+ 42. Bxf2 Rc2 43. b4 Rb2 44. Ra8+ Kh7 45. Bc5 Rg2+ 46.
Kf1 Rxh2 47. Rb8 Bd3+ 48. Kg1 Re2 49. Rb6 Bc4 50. Rd6 f6 51. Rd7 Re4 52. Kf2
Re8 53. Bd4 Kg6 54. Kg3 Re4 55. Bc5 f5 56. Bf8 Rg4+ 57. Kf3 Kh7 58. Bc5 Kh6 59.
Bf8 d4 60. Bc5 d3 61. Be3+ Kh7 62. Bd2 Kg8 63. Bc3 Kf8 64. Kf2 g5 65. Bf6 Ke8
66. Rd6 Kf7 67. Bc3 f4 68. Rd8 Rh4 69. Rd6 Rh2+ 70. Kf3 Rc2 71. Be1 Re2 72. Bc3
Re6 73. Rd8 Ke7 74. Rd4 Rd6 75. Re4+ Kd7 76. Re5 d2 77. Bxd2 Rxd2 {Kamsky resig
ned late because his father, a former boxer, would spank him after a loss,
according to gossip.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Rb1 a5 6. d3 d6 7. e3 f5 8. Nge2 Nf6
9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 Bd7 $5 11. Qd2 Rb8 12. O-O b6 13. Rbe1 Kh8 $5 14. f4 Ng4 15.
Nd5 Be6 16. h3 Nh6 17. Nec3 Qd7 18. Nb5 Rbc8 19. d4 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Nb4 21. dxe5
dxe5 22. a3 Na6 $2 (22... Nxd5 23. Qxd5 Qxd5 24. cxd5 Rfd8 25. Rd1 Nf7 {
almost equalises.}) 23. fxe5 c6 24. e6 $1 Qe7 25. Bxg7+ Qxg7 26. Nd6 Rc7 $5 (
26... cxd5 27. Nxc8 Rxc8 28. cxd5 Nc5 29. Qd4 $1 {also favours White.}) 27. e4
$5 Re7 $6 ({Preferable is} 27... cxd5 28. exd5 Re7) 28. exf5 $6 ({
Even better is} 28. Bxc6 Rxe6 29. e5) 28... gxf5 29. Bxc6 Nc5 $5 ({Or} 29...
Qxg3+ 30. Bg2 Qg7 31. Nf7+ Nxf7 32. Rxf5 $1 Nh6 33. Rg5) 30. Kh2 Nxb3 31. Qg2
Nc5 32. Bd5 Nd3 33. Re3 Ne5 34. Qe2 Ng6 35. Ref3 Qf6 36. Nxf5 Nxf5 37. Rxf5
Qxf5 38. Rxf5 Rxf5 39. h4 Rg7 40. Qb2 Ne7 41. Qxb6 Rf8 42. Qd6 Kg8 43. Be4 Rc8
44. c5 Kh8 45. Qe5 Ng8 46. c6 Rcc7 47. Qxa5 Nf6 48. Bf3 Rce7 49. Qd8+ Ng8 50.
Qd4 Rc7 51. Qe5 Ra7 52. h5 Rac7 53. a4 Nh6 54. Kh3 Ng8 55. a5 Ra7 56. Be4 Rac7
57. g4 h6 58. Kg3 Rce7 59. Bg6 Rc7 60. Bf7 Rxc6 61. e7 Nxe7 62. Qxe7 Rc3+ 63.
Kh4 Rxf7 $5 64. Qe5+ $1 {White has to gain the right rook.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D51"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. Rc1 Nxc3 10. Rxc3 c6 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O dxc4 13. Bxc4 b6 14. Bd3 c5
15. Bb5 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Nc5 {Theory reaches far in the Lasker Defence.} 17. Bc6
$5 Bb7 18. Qf3 Bxc6 19. Nxc6 Qb7 20. Ne5 Qxf3 21. gxf3 {
The chances in the endgame are equal.} f6 22. Nc6 a5 23. Rd1 Rf7 24. Rd6 e5 25.
b4 Nb7 26. Rd2 Rc7 27. b5 Rf8 28. Kg2 Rff7 29. Rcd3 Nc5 30. Rd8+ Kh7 31. f4
exf4 32. exf4 Ne6 (32... Rfd7 33. R2xd7 Rxd7 34. Rxd7 Nxd7 {exchanges.}) 33.
Rb8 $1 Rfd7 34. Rxd7 Rxd7 35. Rxb6 Rd3 $1 36. f3 Rd2+ $5 37. Kg3 Rxa2 38. f5
Nc5 39. Rb8 g6 $2 ({Correct is} 39... h5 40. Ne7 Nd7 41. Ra8 Ne5 42. f4 Nf7)
40. Nd4 $2 (40. b6 $1 gxf5 41. b7 Rb2 42. Nxa5 Rb5 43. Rc8 {wins for White.})
40... gxf5 41. Rc8 Nd3 42. Nxf5 Rb2 43. Rc7+ Kg8 $6 ({Better is} 43... Kg6) 44.
Nxh6+ Kf8 45. Rf7+ Ke8 46. Rxf6 Rxb5 47. Nf5 a4 48. h4 Ra5 49. h5 a3 $4 (49...
Ne5 50. h6 Nf7 51. h7 {(Polugaevsky), and now} Nh8 $1 {draws.}) 50. h6 $1 Ra7
51. Nd6+ {Polugaevsky led by 3/4.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Black "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. c4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nge2 d6 7. d3 e5 8. b3 c6
9. O-O Be6 10. Bb2 Nbd7 11. Qd2 Qe7 12. Rac1 $5 h5 13. Ba3 Bf7 14. Rce1 h4 $5
15. gxh4 $1 Ne8 16. h5 $1 g5 17. d4 $5 f4 18. Ne4 Bxh5 19. f3 Rd8 20. Rd1 Bg6
21. dxe5 Nxe5 $2 ({Correct is} 21... Bxe5 22. exf4 gxf4 23. Nxd6 Nxd6 24. Bxd6
Bxd6 25. Qxd6 Qe3+ 26. Kh1 Ne5 27. Qxd8 Rxd8 28. Rxd8+ Kf7 {
leads to chances for both parties (Gurevich).}) 22. exf4 gxf4 23. Nxf4 {
White has gained a pawn.} Bxe4 24. fxe4 Bh6 25. Qe3 Rf6 26. Qg3+ Ng7 27. Nd3 $1
Rxf1+ 28. Bxf1 Qf6 29. Bb2 $1 Re8 $2 (29... Qf3 30. Qxf3 Nxf3+ {
prolongs the game.}) 30. c5 $1 Qf3 31. Qxf3 Nxf3+ 32. Kg2 Nh4+ 33. Kh1 dxc5 34.
Nxc5 Nh5 35. Bc4+ Kf8 36. Rf1+ Nf4 37. Ne6+ Ke7 38. Nxf4 Rf8 39. Ba3+ {
Ehlvest won one game and drew the rest.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. d4 Ne4 7. Bd2 d6 8. d5
Nxd2 9. Nxd2 e5 10. e4 Nd7 11. h4 $5 (11. b4 h5 12. h4 {
happened in Reshevsky - Hecht, London 1973.}) 11... h5 12. b4 g6 13. Bh3 a6 14.
Nb3 Nf6 15. Qe2 Bf8 16. a4 Bh6 17. a5 $1 O-O 18. O-O Bc8 19. Bg2 $5 Rb8 20. b5
Ng4 $6 (20... Ra8 $1 {protects the queenside.}) 21. axb6 cxb6 22. bxa6 f5 23.
exf5 gxf5 24. Ra3 Ra8 25. a7 Rf7 $2 ({Better is} 25... f4 $1 26. Nb5 fxg3 27.
fxg3 Be3+ 28. Kh1 Rxf1+ 29. Qxf1 Nf2+ 30. Kh2 Ng4+ {
and Black delivers perpetual check.}) 26. Nb5 $1 Qf6 27. Na1 $5 f4 28. Nc2 Rg7
29. Nb4 Bb7 30. Rd3 Rf8 31. Nc3 Qd8 32. Ne4 Qc7 33. Ra3 Ba8 34. Nc6 Kh8 35.
Rfa1 Rgf7 36. Kh1 Rg7 37. Rb3 Rgf7 38. Raa3 Kg8 39. Qe1 Kh8 40. Kg1 Rf5 41. Qb4
$1 fxg3 42. fxg3 $6 (42. f3 $1 {wins at once.}) 42... Bc1 43. Ra1 $5 Be3+ 44.
Kh1 Nf2+ 45. Nxf2 Bc5 46. Qd2 Rxf2 47. Qh6+ $1 Qh7 48. Qxh7+ Kxh7 49. Rbb1 Rg8
50. Rf1 Rxg3 51. Rxf2 Bxf2 52. Rf1 Bc5 53. Rf8 Rg8 54. Be4+ Kg7 55. Rf5 $2 (55.
Rb8 $1 Bf2 56. Ne7 Rf8 57. Nf5+ Kg8 58. Nxd6 {decides the game.}) 55... Rh8 56.
Bf3 Bf2 57. Bxh5 Bxh4 58. Rf7+ Kh6 59. Be2 Kg5 $2 (59... Kg6 $1 60. Rd7 Bf2+
61. Kg2 Bc5 {defends well (Karpov).}) 60. Kg2 Rg8 $2 61. Ne7 Re8 62. Rf5+ Kh6
63. Rh5+ Kg7 64. Nf5+ Kf6 65. Nxh4 Re7 66. Rf5+ Kg7 67. Rg5+ Kf6 68. Rg6+ Kf7
69. Rxd6 Rxa7 70. Rxb6 Ra2 71. Kf2 {
Polugaevsky led ahead of Karpov at the end of the first cycle.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.15"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 b6 5. g3 Ba6 6. Qc2 Bb7 7. Bg2 Be4 8.
Qb3 Bxd2+ 9. Bxd2 O-O 10. O-O d6 11. Rfd1 Qe7 $5 ({Usual is} 11... Nbd7) 12.
Qe3 Nbd7 13. Bc3 Rfe8 14. Rac1 h6 15. b3 Rac8 16. Bh3 c6 17. Bb2 Rc7 18. Nd2
Bg6 19. Nb1 a6 20. Bg2 Rec8 $5 ({Preferable is} 20... Rcc8 21. Ba3 c5) 21. Ba3
$1 Ne8 22. Nc3 $1 Qd8 $5 23. Qd2 Rb7 24. e4 $1 b5 25. Ne2 Rbb8 $5 26. Nf4 Bh7
27. c5 d5 28. e5 a5 $1 29. Re1 Ra8 30. Bb2 b4 $5 31. Ra1 $1 Qc7 32. a4 bxa3 $2
(32... Nf8 33. Qe2 Qe7 {shifts the attention to the kingside.}) 33. Rxa3 Qb7
34. Bc3 Nc7 35. Bxa5 Nb5 36. Ra4 {
Karpov has gained a pawn and attacks on the queenside.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B44"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. O-O d5 8.
Nd2 Be7 9. c4 O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. b3 a5 $5 ({The alternative is} 11... Bb7) 12.
a3 Ba6 13. Rb1 Nd7 14. cxd5 $1 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 cxd5 16. exd5 Nf6 $1 17. Nc4 Nxd5
18. Bd2 Bd6 $6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. b4 $1 {
White utilises the pawn majority on the queenside.} a4 21. Be3 Rfd8 22. Bc5 Qc6
23. Qg3 f6 $5 24. f4 Rac8 25. Kh1 Kf7 26. Rbe1 Rd7 27. Qg4 f5 28. Qh5+ Kg8 29.
Qe2 Kf7 $4 30. Rc1 $4 (30. b5 $1 {wins for White (Kamsky).}) 30... Qb7 31. Rce1
Qc6 $4 ({Right is} 31... Nc7) 32. b5 $1 {Kamsky uses the second opportunity.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.20"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E81"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 a6 7. Bd3 Nfd7 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. Nge2 e5 10. d5 Nd4 11. O-O c5 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. b4 Bb7 $5 14. Rab1 Qc7
15. Kh1 Rfb8 16. Rb2 c5 17. Rfb1 cxb4 18. Rxb4 Bc6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. cxd5 Rxb4
21. Rxb4 Nc5 22. Nc1 Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Qxb8 24. h3 Qb6 25. Bc4 Qc7 26. Bf1 h5 27.
Nd3 a5 28. Qc1 Qb6 29. Nxc5 dxc5 30. Bd2 Bf8 31. Bc4 Bd6 32. Bc3 Kg7 33. Kg1
Qd8 34. Kf1 a4 35. Bd2 Qb8 36. Kf2 Qa7 37. Qa3 Qd7 38. Kg3 Kg8 39. Kh2 Kg7 40.
Ba6 Qe8 41. Qb2 Qd8 42. Be1 h4 43. Bd2 Be7 44. Qc1 Kh7 45. Bc4 f5 46. Bd3 Kg7
47. Kh1 Kh7 48. Be3 Kg7 49. Bg1 Qa5 50. Bf2 Qb6 51. Be1 Kh7 52. Bc3 fxe4 53.
fxe4 Qf6 54. Qe3 Bf8 55. Bd2 Bg7 56. Qe1 Bh6 57. Ba5 Qe7 58. Qb1 Be3 59. Ba6
Kh6 60. Qe1 Bf4 61. d6 Qxd6 62. Qxh4+ Kg7 63. Bc4 Nc6 64. Be1 Qd1 65. Qf2 Nd4
66. Qf1 Qb1 67. Bd3 Qb2 68. h4 Qc1 69. g3 Bd2 70. Bf2 Qa3 71. Kg2 Qb2 72. Kh3
Qb7 73. Bc4 Qxe4 $2 ({Correct is} 73... g5 $1 74. Qd3 g4+ 75. Kg2 Qb2) 74. Bxd4
$1 exd4 75. Qf7+ Kh6 76. Qf8+ Kh5 77. Qh8+ Bh6 78. Qe5+ $3 {White will mate
with a pawn. Karpov took the lead. The final standings in the main group
became: Karpov 71/2/12, Polugaevsky 7, Ehlvest 61/2, Ribli and Gurevich 51/2,
Andersson and Kamsky 5. 34 out of 42 games were drawn.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33B"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

{The second group of seven players played two cycles as well. Ljubojevic was
the star.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Be7 7. Be2
O-O 8. O-O b6 9. cxd5 $5 ({Theory is} 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4) 9... exd5 $5 10. b3
Bb7 11. Bb2 Re8 12. Ne5 c5 13. Nxd7 $5 Qxd7 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Rad1 Rac8 16. Bf3
Bd6 $1 {The chances are equal.} 17. Ne2 d4 $5 {
Black takes the initiative in the centre.} 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. exd4 Qa6 $5 20.
Ng3 Bxg3 21. fxg3 $1 (21. hxg3 $6 Re2 {(Epishin)} 22. Qb1 $1 c4 $1 {
brings no advantage.}) 21... cxd4 $1 {He regains the pawn.} 22. Qd3 Qxa2 $6 {
He should exchange.} 23. Qxd4 $2 (23. Bxd4 Rc2 24. Qf3 $1 Qa6 25. Ra1 {
gains an advantage.}) 23... Rc2 24. Rd2 $6 (24. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 $5 25. Qg4+ Kf8
26. Qb4+ Kg8 {leads to perpetual check.}) 24... Qxb3 25. Rxc2 Qxc2 26. h3 Re2
27. Qd8+ $5 Ne8 28. Qd5 Qc7 29. Bd4 a6 30. Kh1 h6 31. g4 Re6 32. Qf3 Qd7 33.
Bc3 Nd6 34. Rd1 Qc7 35. Qd3 Qc6 36. Bb2 Nc4 37. Bd4 Qd5 38. Rc1 Nd6 39. Rc5 Qb7
40. Kh2 Ne4 $1 41. Re5 Qc6 42. Bb2 Rxe5 43. Bxe5 f6 44. Qb3+ $5 Kh7 45. Bf4 a5
46. Qf7 Ng5 47. Bxg5 hxg5 48. h4 Qd6+ 49. g3 Qd2+ 50. Kh3 Qe1 $1 51. Kg2 $2
Qe4+ 52. Kh2 Qxg4 53. h5 Qf5 54. g4 Qf2+ {Ljubojevic will win a third pawn.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 33B"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.01.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1991.01.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Qb6 7. f4 e6 8. Nb3
Be7 9. Be2 Qe3 10. Qd3 Qxd3 11. cxd3 h6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. d4 b6 14. Bf3 Bb7 15.
O-O Be7 $5 (15... Nd7 16. Rac1 Rc8 {
happened in Yudasin - Novikov, Pamplona 1990.}) 16. f5 h5 17. Rae1 Nd7 18. e5
d5 19. Be2 Bg5 20. Bd3 Ke7 21. Rf3 Raf8 22. Ref1 Rhg8 23. R1f2 Kd8 24. Rc2 Ke7
$5 25. Kf1 h4 26. Rcf2 Bh6 27. Ke1 Bc8 28. Kd1 Bb7 29. a3 Bg5 30. Ke1 Bh6 31.
a4 g5 $5 ({Portisch mentions} 31... Bg5 32. a5 $1) 32. f6+ $1 Kd8 33. Rc2 g4
34. Rf1 Nb8 35. a5 Nc6 $2 (35... b5 36. Nc5 $1 Ba8 37. Ne2 Re8 {
tries to survive in a difficult position.}) 36. axb6 Nb4 37. Nc5 $1 Nxc2+ 38.
Bxc2 Kc8 39. Ke2 Kb8 $5 (39... Rd8 40. Ra1 Bf8 41. b4 {also wins for White.})
40. Nd7+ Ka8 41. Nxf8 Bxf8 42. Bd3 Bb4 43. Ra1 a5 44. Na2 $1 Bf8 45. Nc1 $1 {
Pawn a5 is going to fall. The final standings became: Ljubojevic 7/12,
Vaganian and Gulko 61/2, Romanishin, Beliavsky and Epishin 6, Portisch 4.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

{The thirty-fourth Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1991 until 6 i
1992. Ten of the best chess players of the world took part. Anand encountered
nine former Soviets. It became a category eighteen tournament, a record at
that time. The bank director Elio Monducci was the driving force behind this
feat.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7.
dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Rd1+ Ke8 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Ne2 $5 Bd5 12. Ne1 {
Anand has an edge in the Berlin Defence. He is going to play patiently.} h5 13.
Nf4 Rd8 14. b3 Be7 15. Bb2 g5 16. Ne2 Rg8 17. c4 Be6 18. Nc2 a5 19. Nc3 Rd7 20.
Ne4 c5 21. Kf1 Kd8 22. Ke2 Kc8 23. Rxd7 Kxd7 24. Rd1+ Kc6 25. a4 b6 26. Ne1 Kb7
27. g3 Nh6 28. Nc3 Bg4+ $5 29. f3 Be6 30. Nd5 Bd8 31. Ne3 $1 Be7 32. Bc3 c6 $5
33. N1c2 Bd8 34. Rh1 g4 35. f4 Nf5 36. Rd1 Bc7 $2 (36... Kc7 $1 37. Nxf5 $5
Bxf5 38. Ne3 Be4 {equalises (Anand).}) 37. Nxf5 Bxf5 38. Ne3 Bc8 $6 (38... Be4
$5 39. Rd7 Rf8 40. e6 $1 fxe6 41. Be5 Rc8 42. Re7 {(Anand)} Kb8 43. Rxe6 Bf3+
44. Kd2 Rd8+ 45. Kc3 Rd7 46. Nf5 Kb7 47. Bxc7 Kxc7 48. Re5 Rd1 {
organises a desperate defence.}) 39. Kd3 $1 {White will conquer the centre.} h4
40. Ke4 hxg3 41. hxg3 Rh8 42. f5 $1 Rh2 43. Nxg4 Re2+ 44. Kf4 $1 b5 45. Rd2 Re1
46. Ne3 f6 $5 47. g4 Rb1 48. Ke4 $1 fxe5 49. Bb2 Re1 50. Rd3 Kb6 51. Bc3 Re2
52. Bxe5 Bxe5 53. Kxe5 bxc4 54. bxc4 Kc7 55. Kf6 Ra2 56. g5 Rxa4 57. g6 Ra1 58.
Rd1 {Anand defeated Salov in the endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

{World champion Kasparov was the highest rated participant.} 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3
Bg7 3. g3 e5 4. Bg2 d6 5. d3 f5 6. e3 a5 7. Nge2 Nf6 8. O-O O-O 9. b3 c6 10.
Bb2 Na6 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. Kh1 $5 ({Known is} 12. Rae1) 12... Rc8 13. Rae1 b5 14.
e4 $6 ({Preferable is} 14. f4 Nc5 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. d4) 14... Nc5 $1 15. cxb5
cxb5 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Ne4 b4 18. Rc1 Nfxe4 19. dxe4 Bd7 $1 20. Rcd1 ({
The pointe is} 20. Qxd6 $2 Bb5 21. Bxe5 Bxe5 $1 22. Qxe5 Re8 23. Qb2 Nd3 {
(Kasparov).}) 20... Bb5 21. Qe3 a4 $1 22. Rfe1 Qb6 23. Nc1 a3 24. Ba1 Bd7 25.
Nd3 Be6 26. f4 Rc6 27. Nf2 Nd7 28. Qd2 $1 Nc5 29. Bh3 $1 Bf7 30. fxe5 dxe5 31.
Ng4 Be6 32. Nh6+ Kh8 33. Bxe6 Nxe6 34. Ng4 Nd4 35. Bxd4 $2 (35. Rf1 Rxf1+ 36.
Rxf1 {brings equality.}) 35... exd4 36. Nf2 Rc3 37. Nh3 $2 ({
More resistance is offered by} 37. Nd3 Rf3 38. Nf4 d3 39. Nd5 {(Kasparov)} Qe6
$1 40. Qg2 Qg4 {but White has a great advantage.}) 37... d3 $1 38. Nf4 Rc2 $1
39. Qxd3 Rxa2 40. Rf1 Rf2 41. Rxf2 Qxf2 42. Rd2 Qa7 $1 43. Qe2 Bc3 44. Rc2 Qf7
45. e5 Qb7+ 46. Qg2 Qxg2+ 47. Kxg2 Bb2 48. Rf2 a2 49. Nxg6+ hxg6 50. Rxf8+ Kg7
51. Rf1 Bxe5 52. Kf3 a1=Q 53. Rxa1 Bxa1 54. Ke4 Kf6 {
Gurevich crumbled under the initiative by Kasparov.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. Be2
Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O Qe7 12. Qb3 Rd8 13. Rad1 c6 14. Rfe1 Bc8
$6 ({Usual is} 14... Nd7) 15. Qc2 $1 c5 $6 {Black weakens the centre.} ({
More solid is} 15... Na6 $1) 16. e4 $1 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nc6 $6 (17... cxd4 $5 18.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Rxd4 Be6 $1 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 {defends properly.}) 18. dxc5 {
White has gained a pawn.} Bf5 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Qc1 $1 {
He keeps the extra pawn.} Nb4 21. cxb6 axb6 22. Rxd8+ $1 Rxd8 23. a3 $1 Rc8 (
23... Nd3 24. Bxd3 Rxd3 25. Ne5 {also favours White (Karpov).}) 24. Qf4 Nd3 25.
Bxd3 Bxd3 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. h3 Rc2 28. Re3 Bc4 29. Rc3 $1 Rxc3 30. bxc3 Kf8 31.
Nd2 $1 {White controls the queenside in the ending.} Ba6 32. f3 Ke7 33. Kf2 Kd6
34. Ke3 Kd5 35. h4 Ke5 36. c4 Bc8 37. g3 Be6 38. Kd3 Bf5+ 39. Ne4 Be6 40. Nf2
Bf5+ 41. Kc3 Bd7 {Anand, Kasparov and Karpov shared the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C07"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Ngf3 Nf6 7. Bd3 O-O 8.
Qe2 Nbd7 $5 ({The alternative is} 8... Nc6) 9. Ne4 b6 10. Nxc5 Qxc5 11. Be3 Qc7
12. Bd4 Bb7 13. O-O-O Nc5 14. Be5 Nxd3+ 15. Rxd3 $5 Qc4 $1 16. Nd4 $5 (16. Rhd1
$1 {avoids the following complications.}) 16... Be4 $1 (16... Qxa2 $6 17. Bxf6
Qa1+ 18. Kd2 {(Anand)} Qxh1 $2 19. Rg3 $1 g6 20. Qh5 $1 {wins for White.}) 17.
Re3 $6 ({Better is} 17. Rg3 $1 Qxe2 ({not} 17... Qxa2 $2 18. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 19.
Qxe4) 18. Nxe2) 17... Qxa2 $1 {Black has gained a pawn.} 18. Bxf6 Bg6 $1 19.
Ra3 (19. Bxg7 $6 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Qxh1 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 {leads to a black advantage.})
19... Qd5 20. h4 $2 (20. Qf3 $5 Qxf3 21. Rxf3 gxf6 22. Rxf6 {
offers a strong resistance.}) 20... gxf6 21. h5 Qxd4 22. hxg6 hxg6 23. Rah3 f5
$1 24. Rh4 f4 25. Qf3 Rac8 26. Rxf4 Qc5 27. c3 Kg7 28. Rhh4 Qe5 29. g3 Qe1+ 30.
Kc2 Rcd8 31. Rd4 Qe5 32. Rhf4 Qc7 33. Qe3 e5 34. Rxd8 Rxd8 35. Re4 Rd5 36. g4
b5 37. g5 Qd6 38. f3 a5 39. Qe2 Qe6 40. Qh2 Qf5 {
Vishy has a won game against the world champion.} 41. Qg3 Qd7 42. Qe1 b4 $1 43.
cxb4 Qa4+ 44. b3 Qa2+ 45. Kc3 a4 46. bxa4 Qa3+ 47. Kc2 Qxa4+ 48. Kc3 Qa3+ 49.
Kc2 Rd3 $1 {Anand took the lead by two wins.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D78"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. Nbd2 a5 7. c4 c6 8. Ne5
Ng4 9. Nef3 Bf5 10. b3 Nf6 {
Two moves are lost in comparison with previous games.} 11. Bb2 a4 12. Nh4 Be6
13. Qc2 a3 $5 ({Known in this position is} 13... axb3 14. axb3 Rxa1 15. Rxa1)
14. Bc3 c5 15. Rad1 cxd4 16. Bxd4 Nc6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Ne4 $1 {
Polugaevsky plays for a positional advantage.} dxe4 $1 {
Gelfand makes a surprising answer.} 19. Rxd8 Rfxd8 20. Qxe4 $2 {
White should defend the open file.} ({Better is} 20. Bxe4 Nb4 21. Qb1 Rd2 22.
Qe1 Bc3 {(Gelfand and Kapengut)} 23. Bb1 $1 {and the chances are equal.}) 20...
Rd2 $1 21. f4 $6 (21. Qe3 Rxa2 22. Qb6 Rxe2 23. Qxb7 Ra7 24. Qxc6 a2 25. Qf3 {
fights for the last chance.}) 21... Rxa2 22. f5 gxf5 23. Nxf5 Ra1 24. Nxe7+
Nxe7 25. Rxa1 Bxa1 26. Qxb7 Bd4+ $1 27. e3 Bxe3+ 28. Kf1 Ra7 $1 29. Qb8+ Nc8 {
Gelfand delivered a great sacrifice.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Qxd4 Nxc3 7. Qxc3 Nc6
8. e4 Bg4 9. Bb5 Rc8 10. Bf4 $5 ({Usual is} 10. O-O) 10... a6 11. Rd1 Qb6 12.
Ba4 f6 $6 ({Slightly better is} 12... Bxf3 13. gxf3 e6 14. O-O Rg8) 13. O-O $1
e6 $5 (13... e5 14. Bxe5 fxe5 15. Qxe5+ {wins for White.}) 14. h3 $1 Bxf3 15.
Qxf3 Bc5 16. Qg4 O-O 17. Bb3 Rcd8 18. Bxe6+ {He has gained a pawn.} Kh8 19. Bd5
Nd4 20. Rd2 $1 f5 21. Qh5 Rde8 22. exf5 Bb4 23. Bf7 Bxd2 24. Bg6 $1 Ne2+ 25.
Kh1 h6 26. Bxd2 Re7 27. Bxh6 $1 {Gelfand and Anand joined the lead by 3/4.} ({
Gelfand and Kapengut analyse} 27. Bxh6 gxh6 28. Qxh6+ Kg8 29. Bh7+ Rxh7 30.
Qxb6) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Qc7 7. Nc3 e6 8. Bd2
Nc6 9. Bb5 Bd6 10. Rc1 $5 Rb8 11. Nh4 Be4 12. f3 Bg6 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. f4 a6
15. Bd3 Nd7 16. Qd1 Qd8 17. Qg4 $5 Rh6 $5 18. h3 f5 19. Qf3 Nf6 $6 {
Square g5 becomes a weak point.} ({Better is} 19... g5 $1 20. Qf2 g4 $1) 20.
O-O $1 Kf7 21. Qe2 Qd7 22. a3 Rhh8 23. Rfd1 Ne7 24. Be1 Rbc8 25. Na2 Rxc1 26.
Rxc1 Rc8 27. Rxc8 Qxc8 28. g4 $1 {White has little advantage.} Ne4 29. Kg2 Qc6
30. Qd1 Ng8 31. Nc1 Ngf6 32. Be2 Nd7 33. Ba5 Nb6 34. Bxb6 Qxb6 35. Nd3 Qa5 36.
g5 Ke7 {Anand offers a draw. Gurevich continues.} 37. Qc2 Qd2 38. Qxd2 Nxd2 39.
Kf2 b5 40. Bd1 Nc4 {It seems to be a dead draw.} 41. Ke2 Nb6 42. Bb3 a5 43. Kd2
Nc4+ $6 {Anand allows a risky exchange.} 44. Bxc4 bxc4 $2 ({Correct is} 44...
dxc4 $1 45. Ne1 $1 b4 46. Nf3 $1 bxa3 47. bxa3 Bxa3 48. Ne5 Bb4+ 49. Kc2 {
(Gurevich)} Be1 $1 50. Nxc4 a4 51. Kb2 Bb4 52. h4 Ke8 {
and Black fights for survival.}) 45. Ne1 $1 Ke8 46. Kc3 Kd7 47. Nf3 Ke8 48. Kc2
Kf7 $2 (48... Ke7 $1 49. b3 Bxa3 50. bxc4 dxc4 51. Ne5 Ke8 52. h4 $1 {
wins for White.}) 49. Ne5+ $1 Bxe5 50. fxe5 $1 Ke7 51. b3 $1 Kd7 {
Exchange brings no relief.} 52. bxc4 dxc4 53. Kc3 Kc6 54. Kxc4 a4 55. h4 {
Anand loses the pawn ending.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E92"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. d4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 c6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. Rd1 Re8 $5 ({Theory is} 9... exd4 10. Nxd4 Re8 {
(Speelman - Mestel, London 1986).}) 10. d5 cxd5 11. cxd5 a6 12. O-O b5 13. Qc2
$1 Nb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Nxa4 Nxa4 16. Qxa4 Rb8 $6 ({Preferable is} 16... Bd7 17.
Qc2 Qc8) 17. Nd2 Ng4 18. Ba7 $1 {Kasparov keeps the game going.} Rxb2 19. Bxa6
Re7 $6 (19... Qd7 $1 20. Qxd7 Bxd7 {equalises.}) 20. Bxc8 Qxc8 21. h3 $1 Qa8 $5
22. Ra1 Nf6 $2 ({Correct is} 22... Rxd2 23. hxg4 Rb2 24. Qc6 Qd8 25. Be3 {
(Kasparov)} Reb7 $1 26. Rfc1 Bf8 {and White has an edge.}) 23. Nc4 $1 Rbb7 24.
Be3 Qb8 $5 {Exchange offers more resistance.} 25. Na5 $1 Rb4 26. Qd1 Rxe4 27.
Nc6 Qf8 28. Nxe7+ Qxe7 29. Ra8+ Bf8 30. Qf3 Rxe3 $5 31. fxe3 Nd7 32. Rb1 {
Kasparov had a positive score again.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. Re1 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Ng5 Rf8 12. Nf3 Re8 13. Nbd2 Bf8 14. a4 h6 15. Bc2
exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Bb1 c5 18. d5 Nd7 19. Ra3 f5 20. Nh2 Nf6 21. Rf3 {
The theory of the Closed Ruy Lopez has led to an equal position.} Re5 $5 22.
Rxf5 Rxf5 23. exf5 Bxd5 $1 24. Ne4 Bxe4 25. Bxe4 d5 26. Bf3 ({
The alternative is} 26. Bb1 d4) 26... c4 27. Re6 Nd3 28. Be3 d4 {
Black has threatening pawns in the centre.} 29. Bxh6 $1 (29. Bxa8 $2 dxe3 30.
Bf3 exf2+ {favours Black.}) 29... Nxb2 $6 30. Qc2 $2 (30. Qa1 $1 Nxa4 31. Bxa8
{gains a plus.}) 30... Nxa4 31. Bg5 $5 d3 32. Qd2 Nc5 33. Bxf6 gxf6 34. Rc6 Rc8
35. Rxc8 Qxc8 36. Bd5+ Kh7 37. Qf4 d2 $5 38. Qg4 d1=Q+ $1 39. Qxd1 Qxf5 40. Ng4
Bh6 $4 {Karpov blunders during time pressure.} (40... Qd3 $1 41. Qe1 Kg7 {
wins for Black (Khalifman).}) 41. Qe1 $1 {The tables turn.} Bf8 42. Qe8 Qb1+
43. Kh2 Bd6+ 44. g3 Qg6 45. Qd8 {White is going to win a piece.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1991.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. g3 Nc6 6. Nc3 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 Ne4 8.
Rc1 O-O 9. Bg2 d6 10. O-O Nxc3 11. Rxc3 e5 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nd2 Nd7 14. e4 a5 15.
Qe2 $5 ({Known is} 15. Bh3 Nc5 16. Bxc8 Raxc8 17. b3) 15... Nc5 16. f4 Bd7 17.
f5 f6 18. b3 Rfb8 19. a4 c6 20. h4 Be8 21. dxc6 bxc6 22. g4 Rb4 23. Rff3 Qa7
24. Rfe3 Kf8 25. g5 Ke7 26. Kh2 Kd8 27. Rg3 Qf7 28. Bf3 Rab8 29. Qe3 Kc7 30.
Bd1 R4b7 31. Qg1 Kb6 32. g6 Qg8 33. Rcd3 Rd7 34. b4 axb4 35. Nb3 Qxc4 $4 (35...
hxg6 36. Rxd6 $1 Rxd6 37. Qxc5+ Kc7 38. Qa5+ Kc8 39. Qa6+ {
leads to perpetual check.}) 36. gxh7 $1 Bf7 37. a5+ Kc7 38. Nxc5 dxc5 39. Rxd7+
Kxd7 40. Rxg7 Kd6 41. Qg2 b3 42. Be2 {Gelfand led by 3/4.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B83"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. a4 Nc6 8. Be2
Be7 9. O-O Bd7 10. Nb3 Na5 11. Nd2 O-O 12. f4 Bc6 13. Bf2 $5 Rc8 14. Bd3 Be8
15. Qf3 Nd7 16. Qh3 Nc5 17. Bxc5 Rxc5 $5 (17... dxc5 18. e5 g6 19. Nde4 {
brings a white edge (Anand).}) 18. e5 $1 {White takes the initiative.} g6 19.
Nce4 dxe5 $1 {A positional sacrifice almost equalises.} 20. Nxc5 Bxc5+ 21. Kh1
Nc6 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... exf4 $1 22. Rxf4 e5 23. Rff1 f5) 22. Rad1 $1 Qc7
$5 23. fxe5 Qxe5 $6 (23... Nxe5 24. Qg3 Bb6 {defends well.}) 24. c3 Be7 25. Nf3
Qc7 26. Be2 Bf6 27. Nd2 Bg7 28. Ne4 Ne5 29. b3 Qe7 30. Qe3 Bc6 31. Nd6 h5 32.
Nc4 Nxc4 33. Bxc4 Rc8 34. Rc1 Kh7 35. a5 $2 Be8 $2 (35... Bh6 {gains material.}
) 36. Qd3 Qc7 37. Ra1 Qe5 38. Rf3 Rc5 $6 {Black leaves the eighth rank.} 39.
Qd8 $1 Bc6 40. Rxf7 Qxc3 41. Raf1 Rf5 $2 (41... Qb2 $1 42. R7f2 Qd4 43. Qxd4
Bxd4 44. Rc2 Rxa5 45. Bxe6 Re5 {creates a fortress.}) 42. R7xf5 exf5 43. Bd5
Bb5 44. Rd1 f4 $2 (44... Kh6 $1 45. Qd6 Be5 46. Qf8+ Bg7 {
offers more resistance.}) 45. Qg8+ Kh6 46. Be4 Qf6 47. Qd8 Qe6 48. Qd5 Qf6 49.
Qxb7 Be2 50. Rb1 Qg5 51. Qd5 Qe7 52. Qc6 Bf6 53. Qc2 Bg4 54. Bxg6 f3 55. Be4
fxg2+ 56. Bxg2 Be5 57. Qc6+ Bd6 58. Qc1+ Kg7 59. Qc3+ Kg6 60. Rf1 Be2 61. Rg1
Kh7 62. Qd4 {Anand has gained matter and attacks.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 b6 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Nc6 7. e4 d6 8. d4
cxd4 9. Nxd4 Rc8 10. Nxc6 $5 ({Theory is} 10. b3) 10... Bxc6 11. Bf4 Be7 12.
Qe2 O-O 13. Rfd1 Qc7 14. Rac1 Qb8 $6 ({Preferable is} 14... e5 $1 15. Bg5 Qd7)
15. Nd5 $1 {Beliavsky brings a temporary sacrifice.} exd5 16. exd5 Ba4 17. b3
Rce8 18. bxa4 {White has gained a plus.} Nd7 19. Qd2 Qc7 20. Qb4 Nc5 21. Qb5
Qd8 $6 (21... Rc8 $1 {prevents the next move.}) 22. Qc6 $1 g5 $5 23. Be3 Bf6
24. a5 $1 Rxe3 $1 25. fxe3 bxa5 26. Qb5 g4 27. Kh1 Bg5 28. Rf1 $5 Bxe3 29. Rce1
Bg5 $2 (29... Qg5 {offers move resistance (Beliavsky).}) 30. Qb1 $1 Qd7 31. Be4
$1 f6 32. Bf5 Qg7 33. Bxg4 Bd2 34. Be6+ Kh8 35. Re2 Bc3 36. Rf4 Be5 37. Rh4
Nxe6 38. dxe6 Re8 39. Qf5 Qg8 40. Kg2 Re7 ({Or} 40... Rxe6 41. Rxh7+) 41. Rxe5
$1 fxe5 42. Rg4 Rg7 43. Qf6 h5 44. Rg6 Qa8+ 45. Kh3 Qb7 46. Rh6+ {
White delivers mate in one.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. b4 Bb6 6. d3 d6 7. a4 a5 8. b5 Ne7
9. O-O Ng6 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Ba3 {They play an old opening.} Nh5 $5 12. d4 Nhf4
13. Re1 $6 {A defender moves away.} Bg4 $1 14. h3 Bxh3 $5 15. gxh3 Nxh3+ 16.
Kh2 $6 (16. Kf1 Qf6 17. Bb2 Ngf4 18. Nh2 Nxf2 19. Qf3 {defends wisely.}) 16...
Nxf2 17. Qe2 Ng4+ {Black attacks at a low cost.} 18. Kg3 $1 Nf4 19. Qf1 $1 Qf6
$1 20. Qh1 (20. Kxg4 $2 Qg6+ 21. Ng5 Qh5+ {wins for Black.}) 20... Qg6 21. Qh4
Nh5+ 22. Kg2 $5 Ne3+ 23. Kf2 Ng2 24. Qh2 Nxe1 25. Rxe1 Nf6 26. Qg2 Rfe8 27.
Qxg6 hxg6 28. Bb3 d5 $2 (28... exd4 $1 29. cxd4 Rad8 {keeps an edge.}) 29. exd5
exd4 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. cxd4 Rd8 $2 ({Better is} 31... Ng4+ 32. Kg3 Ne3) 32. d6
$1 cxd6 33. Nc4 Bc7 34. b6 $1 Bb8 {A bishop has been imprisoned.} 35. Nxa5 Rd7
36. d5 $5 Ne4+ 37. Kg2 Nc5 38. Bd1 Re7 39. Nc6 $1 {
White finds a tactical decision.} bxc6 40. dxc6 Na6 41. Nd4 Re4 42. Be2 $1 Rxd4
43. Bxa6 Rd2+ 44. Kf1 $1 Rc2 45. Bb5 Kf8 46. a5 $1 {
Ivanchuk came back from a difficult position.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2
dxc4 9. bxc4 e5 10. O-O Re8 11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Rb1 e4 13. Nd2 Nf8 14. Nf1 $5 ({
Usual is} 14. c5 $1 Bc7 15. Nc4) 14... Ng6 15. a4 Nh4 16. Ng3 Nf5 17. Rb3 Nxg3
18. hxg3 h5 19. c5 Bc7 20. d5 $5 {White takes the initiative.} Be5 $6 (20...
cxd5 $5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Rxd5 Be6 23. Qxe4 Bxd5 24. Qxd5 {
(Karpov) brings about equal chances.}) 21. Nxe4 Nxd5 22. Nd6 $1 Bxd6 23. cxd6
Qxd6 24. Bxh5 {He has a positional plus.} Qh6 $2 (24... Qe5 $1 25. Bf3 Bf5 $1 {
defends actively.}) 25. Bf3 Nf6 26. Rd6 Qg5 27. Bb2 a5 28. Qd2 Nd5 29. Bxd5
cxd5 30. Rxd5 {White has gained a pawn and continues the attack.} Qg6 31. Rbb5
f6 32. Bc3 Be6 33. Rd4 Rac8 34. e4 Qf7 35. Bxa5 Rc6 36. f3 Kh7 37. g4 Rec8 38.
Rh5+ Kg6 39. e5 $1 Rc5 40. Rd6 Qe7 41. Bd8 Rxd8 42. Rxd8 Qc7 $5 43. Qd6 Qa5 44.
exf6 Qe1+ 45. Kh2 Rd5 46. Qe7 {Anand and Gelfand joined the lead.} ({
Karpov avoids} 46. Rxd5 $4 Qh4+ 47. Kg1 Qe1+ {drawn.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. a3 Nc6 6. Rb1 a5 7. d3 O-O 8. Bg5 d6
9. Nf3 h6 $5 10. Bd2 Be6 11. h3 d5 $1 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. O-O Nd4 14. e4 Nxf3+
15. Qxf3 Nc7 ({An alternative brings} 15... Nxc3 16. bxc3 Qd7 {(Beliavsky).})
16. e5 $1 Bf5 17. Rbd1 Ne6 $5 ({More prudent is} 17... Rb8) 18. Qxb7 Rb8 19.
Qa7 Bxd3 20. Bc1 c4 21. Rfe1 Nd4 $6 (21... Qc7 22. Qxc7 Nxc7 {aims at a draw.})
22. Nd5 $1 Nb3 $4 ({Better is} 22... e6 23. Qxd4 exd5 24. Qxd5 $6 Qxd5 25. Bxd5
Rb5) 23. Nxe7+ Kh7 24. Be3 Bxe5 25. Nc6 Qf6 26. Nxe5 $1 Qxe5 27. Bf4 Qd4 28.
Bxb8 {Kasparov scored his third win.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "151"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 c5 5. Bxb4 cxb4 6. g3 b6 7. Bg2 Bb7 8.
O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 d6 10. Qb3 a5 11. Rfd1 Na6 $5 12. Nf1 Qe7 13. Ne3 Rfc8 14. Ne1
Bxg2 15. N1xg2 g6 16. Nf4 Kg7 17. a3 Rab8 18. Nd3 $1 bxa3 19. bxa3 Nc7 20. a4
d5 21. Rac1 dxc4 22. Rxc4 Ncd5 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. e4 Rxc4 25. Qxc4 Nf6 26. f3 {
White has a positional edge.} Rd8 27. Ne5 Qa3 28. Kg2 Nd7 29. Nd3 $1 Nf6 30.
Rb1 g5 $6 (30... Qd6 $1 31. e5 Nd5 32. exd6 Ne3+ 33. Kf2 Nxc4 34. Ne5 Nxd6 35.
Rxb6 Nf5 {equalises.}) 31. g4 h5 32. h3 Rc8 $6 (32... Qd6 33. e5 Nd5 {
is better again.}) 33. Qxc8 Qxd3 34. Qc1 $1 Qe2+ 35. Kg1 ({The pointe is} 35.
Kg3 $4 h4#) 35... Qxf3 36. Qxg5+ Kh7 37. gxh5 Nxe4 38. Qg2 $1 Qe3+ 39. Kh1 Ng3+
$6 (39... Kh6 $1 40. Rg1 Qxd4 {defends properly.}) 40. Kh2 Nxh5 41. Rf1 $1 Qxd4
42. Rxf7+ Kh6 43. Qg4 $1 Qd6+ 44. Kg1 Qc5+ 45. Rf2 Ng7 $5 46. Qe4 e5 47. Qh4+
Nh5 48. Kh2 Qd6 $5 49. Qe4 Kg5 $2 50. Rc2 $2 (50. Rf5+ Kh6 51. Qe3+ {
ends the game.}) 50... Nf4 $1 51. Qf3 Qd7 52. Rb2 Qd4 53. Qg4+ Kf6 54. Qh4+ Kg6
55. Qf2 Qxa4 56. Qxb6+ Kf5 57. Qb7 Qd4 58. Qf7+ Ke4 $2 (58... Kg5 $1 59. Ra2
Qc3 {tries to survive.}) 59. Qh7+ Ke3 60. Qc2 a4 61. Ra2 $1 Qd7 62. Ra3+ Nd3
63. Qc1+ $1 Ke2 64. Qg5 Qd5 65. Qg2+ Qxg2+ 66. Kxg2 e4 67. Rxa4 Ne1+ 68. Kg3 e3
69. h4 Kd2 70. Ra2+ Kd3 71. h5 Nc2 72. Ra8 e2 73. Rd8+ Ke4 74. Re8+ Kf5 (74...
Kd3 75. Rxe2 {wins for White (Polugaevsky).}) 75. Rxe2 Nd4 76. Rd2 {
Anand, Gelfand and Kasparov led.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Nd2 a5 10. Rb1 Nd7 11. a3 f5 12. b4 Kh8 13. f3 Ng8 14. Qc2 Ngf6 15. Nb5
axb4 16. axb4 Nh5 17. g3 Ndf6 18. c5 Bd7 19. Rb3 Nxg3 {
This sacrifice in the King's Indian was conceived by Kasparov.} 20. hxg3 Nh5
21. f4 Bxb5 $5 {Khalifman delivers a novelty.} (21... exf4 22. c6 bxc6 23. dxc6
{happened in Karpov - Kasparov, Tilburg 1991.}) 22. Bxb5 exf4 23. Bb2 (23. exf5
$5 Nxg3 24. Rxf4 Nxf5 {will be played in Epishin - Je.Piket, Wijk aan Zee 1992.
}) 23... Nxg3 24. Bxg7+ Kxg7 25. Qc3+ Kg8 26. Rxf4 Nh5 $5 (26... Nxe4 27. Nxe4
fxe4 28. Rxf8+ Qxf8 29. Bd7 {also brings a white plus (Khalifman).}) 27. Rf2
fxe4 28. Rxf8+ Qxf8 29. Nxe4 Qf5 $5 30. Qf3 $5 Qxd5 $2 ({Better is} 30... Qe5
31. Nf2 Nf6) 31. Rd3 $1 Qe5 32. Rd1 $2 {The tables turn.} (32. Bc4+ $1 Kg7 33.
cxd6 Ra1+ 34. Kf2 Nf4 35. Rd2 cxd6 36. Rxd6 {wins for White.}) 32... d5 33. Nf2
c6 34. Bf1 Rf8 $1 35. Qh3 Nf4 36. Qf3 Qb2 37. b5 Nh3+ $1 38. Qxh3 Qxf2+ 39. Kh1
Rf5 40. bxc6 bxc6 41. Qb3 Rg5 42. Bh3 Rg3 43. Qb8+ Kg7 44. Qe5+ Kh6 45. Qe6
Qf3+ 46. Kh2 Qf2+ 47. Kh1 Qxc5 $1 {Black has four pawns for a bishop.} 48. Rf1
Qc2 49. Rf7 Qd1+ 50. Rf1 Qc2 51. Rf7 Qd1+ 52. Rf1 Qd3 53. Kh2 Rg5 54. Qc8 $2 (
54. Rg1 {prolongs the game.}) 54... Qg3+ 55. Kh1 Kh5 $1 {
The three leaders drew.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E39"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Nf3 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. g3 Nxc5 8.
Bg2 Nfe4 9. O-O $5 Bxc3 10. bxc3 d6 $1 11. Nd4 f5 {
Black occupies the centre and White pressures.} 12. Nb3 Bd7 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 14.
Bf4 e5 $1 {He takes the initiative.} 15. Be3 e4 $5 ({The quiet} 15... Qc7 $1
16. Qd2 Be6 {keeps the plus.}) 16. f3 Qc7 17. Qd2 Bc6 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Bf4 Qb6
$6 ({Preferable is} 19... Rfe8 20. Bxd6 Qf7) 20. Kh1 Rd7 21. Bxd6 Qd8 $5 22.
Qd4 Ne6 $6 ({Better is} 22... exf3 $1 23. Bxf3 Ne4 24. c5 Re8) 23. Qe5 Re8 24.
fxe4 Ng5 $2 (24... b6 25. Rxf5 Ng5 26. Qf4 Nxe4 {defends well.}) 25. Qxf5 Nxe4
(25... Rxd6 26. Rxd6 Qxd6 27. Qxg5 {also favours White (Gurevich).}) 26. Be5 $1
g6 ({The pointe is} 26... Rxd1 27. Qf7+ Kh8 28. Qxg7#) 27. Rxd7 gxf5 28. Rxd8
Rxd8 29. Bd4 Rf8 30. Kg1 h5 31. Bh3 Bd7 32. Rf4 Rf7 33. Bg2 Bc6 34. Rh4 Rh7 35.
Bf3 Be8 36. Bxa7 Kg7 37. Bd4+ Kg6 38. Rxe4 {
Gurevich has several extra pawns in the endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A86"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 d6 5. d5 e5 6. dxe6 Bxe6 7. Nd2 g6 $5 8. b3
Bg7 9. Bb2 Na6 10. Nh3 O-O 11. O-O Qe7 12. Qc2 Nc5 13. Rad1 a5 14. Rfe1 Nfe4
15. Nf4 Bxb2 16. Qxb2 g5 $2 (16... Rad8 {develops solidly.}) 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18.
Nxe4 fxe4 19. Qd2 e3 $5 20. fxe3 Rf6 21. Rf1 Rxf1+ $5 22. Rxf1 h6 23. e4 $1 Qe7
24. Qd4 Qe5 25. Rd1 Qxd4+ 26. Rxd4 Rd8 27. e5 $1 Kf7 28. exd6 Ke6 29. Kf2 Rxd6
30. Ke3 {White has an extra pawn and plays for a win.} a4 $5 31. b4 Na6 32.
Bh3+ Ke5 $5 33. Re4+ Kf6 34. c5 $1 Rd1 35. Bc8 Rb1 36. a3 Nxb4 $1 {
He delivers a temporary sacrifice.} 37. axb4 Rb3+ $6 ({Better is} 37... a3 38.
Be6 Rb2 39. Bc4 a2 40. Re6+ Kf5 41. Bxa2 Rxa2 42. Rxh6 Ra4 43. h4 $1 gxh4 44.
Rxh4 {but White has two extra pawns in the rook ending.}) 38. Kf2 a3 39. Re6+
$2 (39. b5 $1 cxb5 40. Re6+ Kg7 {(Salov)} 41. Bxb7 a2 42. Ra6 {wins for White.}
) 39... Kf7 40. Rd6 $2 (40. Re4 $1 a2 41. Be6+ Kf8 42. Bxb3 a1=Q 43. Bc2 {
builds a fortress.}) 40... a2 41. Be6+ Ke7 42. Bxb3 a1=Q 43. b5 $5 cxb5 44. h3
$5 Qc3 45. Rd3 Qxc5+ 46. Kf1 h5 47. Bd5 b6 48. Kg2 b4 49. Kf1 Kf6 50. Kg2 Ke5
51. Bb3 Qc6+ 52. Kg1 Qe4 53. Kf2 Qh1 54. Re3+ Kd4 55. Rd3+ Kc5 56. Be6 Qh2+ 57.
Kf1 Qh1+ 58. Kf2 b5 59. g4 Qh2+ 60. Kf1 Qe5 61. Bb3 hxg4 {The three leaders
drew again. The next day a meeting of former world champions took place in
Hotel Astoria. Botvinnik, Smyslov, Spassky, Tal and Karpov were present.
Fischer did not come at all. Kasparov refused because the meeting was not
included in his contract.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

{Anand, Gelfand and Kasparov shared the lead, when the last round began.} 1. d4
d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7
9. O-O b4 {Anand avoids the main line of the Meran.} 10. Ne4 Be7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6
12. e4 O-O 13. e5 Nd7 14. Be4 Rb8 15. Qc2 $5 h6 16. Be3 c5 $1 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18.
dxc5 Nxc5 19. Rfd1 ({The pointe is} 19. Bxc5 Qc8 $1 20. Rac1 Rc7) 19... Qb8 20.
Qc4 Nd7 21. Qe4 Rc8 22. Rd2 Rbc7 23. Rad1 Rc4 $1 24. Rd4 Nb6 25. Qg4 {
He threatens Bxh6.} Kf8 26. Qe4 Kg8 27. Qg4 Rxd4 $1 {
Black makes an effort to win.} 28. Rxd4 Kf8 29. Qh5 $6 ({Preferable is} 29. Qe4
Bc5 30. Rd2 Bxe3 31. fxe3 Kg8 32. Qxb4) 29... Qc7 $1 30. h4 $2 ({Better is} 30.
Bd2 Bc5 31. Rg4) 30... Bc5 $1 31. Rd2 Bxe3 32. fxe3 Nd5 33. Kf2 Qc5 $1 {
He charges.} 34. Nd4 Nf6 $1 35. Qf3 Qxe5 {
Black has gained a pawn and continues the attack.} 36. Rd1 Kg8 37. Qf4 Qd5 $1
38. Ra1 e5 $1 39. Qf5 Rc4 $1 40. b3 exd4 {Anand took the sole lead.} (40...
exd4 41. Qxd5 Rc2+ 42. Kf3 Nxd5 {wins for Black (Anand).}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "179"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. Qa4+ c6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. g3
Bd6 9. Bg2 Nbd7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bf4 Qe7 12. Rad1 Rfe8 13. e3 c5 $5 14. Bxd6
Qxd6 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. gxf4 Rab8 18. b4 $6 ({Preferable is} 18.
Rd2) 18... d4 $1 19. exd4 cxb4 20. axb4 Bxf3 21. Bxf3 Rxb4 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23.
Bxd5 {Black has the better pawn structure after the exchanges.} Nf6 24. Bc6 Rd8
25. d5 Rxf4 {A weakness has fallen.} 26. Ra1 Rd6 27. Rxa7 h5 28. f3 Nxd5 29.
Bxd5 Rxd5 30. Ra3 Rg5+ 31. Kh1 Kh7 32. Re3 Kh6 33. Rg1 Ra5 34. Rd3 Rf6 35. Rc3
Rff5 36. Rd3 g6 37. Rc3 Ra4 38. Rd3 Kg7 39. Rc3 Kf6 40. Re3 Re5 {Gelfand will
not catch up with Anand. He is going to battle for a draw, instead.} 41. Rge1
$1 Rxe3 42. Rxe3 Kf5 (42... Ra2 43. Kg1 Kf5 44. Re4 g5 45. h3 h4 46. Rb4 Re2
47. Ra4 f6 48. Rb4 Ke5 49. Rg4 $1 {defends well (Karpov).}) 43. Re2 Kf4 44. Kg2
g5 45. Kf2 f5 46. Rb2 g4 47. fxg4 hxg4 48. Rc2 Ra3 49. Rb2 Kg5 50. Rb8 $6 (50.
Rb5 {stops the passed pawn.}) 50... Ra2+ 51. Kg1 Rd2 52. Ra8 Kf4 53. Ra3 Re2
54. Ra1 Kf3 55. Rf1+ Ke4 56. Ra1 f4 57. Rd1 Rc2 58. Re1+ Kf3 59. Rf1+ Ke3 60.
Re1+ Re2 61. Ra1 Rc2 62. Re1+ Kd3 63. Rf1 f3 64. Ra1 Ke2 65. Rb1 Ra2 66. Rf1
Ke3 67. Rb1 Ra4 68. Rb3+ Kf4 69. Rb8 Ra1+ 70. Kf2 Ra2+ 71. Kg1 Rg2+ 72. Kh1 Rd2
73. Kg1 Rg2+ 74. Kh1 Re2 75. Kg1 Rc2 76. Rb4+ Ke3 77. Rb3+ Ke2 78. Rb1 Rd2 79.
Ra1 Rb2 80. Rf1 Ke3 81. Ra1 Rg2+ 82. Kh1 g3 $5 ({The pointe is} 82... Rd2 83.
Kg1 Ke2 84. Rb1 Rd1+ 85. Rxd1 Kxd1 86. Kf2 Kd2 87. h3 {and White draws.}) 83.
Ra3+ Kf4 84. Ra4+ Kf5 85. hxg3 Rxg3 86. Kh2 Rg4 87. Ra5+ Kf4 88. Ra4+ Kg5 89.
Ra3 f2 90. Rf3 {Gelfand achieved the second place.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2
Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6
15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ Kh8 18. Qe4 Ng6 19. Qd4 Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6
21. Rd6 fxe3 22. fxe3 Ra5 {Black's extra pawn has no importance.} 23. Kd2 $5 ({
Known is} 23. Rxb6 Rc5 24. b3 {(S.Ivanov - Aleksandrov, Leningrad 1990).})
23... Rf5 24. Rf1 $5 (24. Bd5 Be6 25. Bxb7 Rb8 26. Be4 Rb5 27. b4 {
brings little advantage.}) 24... Rc5 $1 25. Bd3 ({Or} 25. Bd5 Ne7 {(Khalifman).
}) 25... Rc6 $1 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. b4 Rd8 28. Rc1 Ne5 29. Nd4 Nxd3 30. Kxd3 Bd7
31. Ke4 Re8+ 32. Kf4 Rc8 33. Nf5 {Kasparov and Gelfand shared the second place.
} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 34"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Salov, Valery"]
[Black "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A87"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1991.12.??"]

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 f5 5. O-O Nf6 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 Qe8 8. d5
Na6 9. Rb1 e5 10. dxe6 Bxe6 11. Nd4 c6 12. b4 $1 ({Usual is} 12. Nxe6 Qxe6 13.
b3) 12... Bxc4 13. b5 $1 {He activates bishop g2 at the cost of a pawn.} cxb5
14. Ndxb5 ({The alternative is} 14. Bxb7 $1 b4 15. Ncb5) 14... Rd8 15. Ba3 d5
$5 16. Nd6 $1 Qe5 17. Nxc4 dxc4 18. Qc2 $1 Nc5 $2 ({Better is} 18... Rf7 19.
Bxb7 Nc5) 19. Bxc5 $2 ({Salov misses the win} 19. Na4 $1 b6 20. Qxc4+) 19...
Qxc5 20. Rb5 Qd6 21. Rxb7 Kh8 $1 22. Nb5 Qc5 $1 23. a4 a6 $1 24. Nc3 Ng4 $1 25.
h3 Ne3 $1 26. fxe3 Qxe3+ 27. Kh2 f4 $5 28. Rf3 $1 fxg3+ 29. Rxg3 Be5 $2 ({
Correct is the brilliant} 29... Qxg3+ $1 30. Kxg3 Be5+ 31. Kg4 Rf4+ 32. Kg5 {
and Salov misses the second sacrifice} Rd3 $1 33. exd3 Rf5+ 34. Kg4 Rf4+ 35.
Kg3 Rf5+ {drawn.}) 30. Rxh7+ $1 {White delivers mate in three moves. The final
standings became: Anand 6/9, Gelfand and Kasparov 51/2, Karpov 5, Ivanchuk,
Khalifman and Polugaevsky 41/2, Salov and M.Gurevich 4, Beliavsky 11/2. Anand
had won his first super tournament at the age of 22. He sent a proud FAX to
his family and friends in India from the Astoria Hotel. The event was a
farewell present to a bank CEO.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 35"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Borgo, Giulio"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2360"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]

{The 35th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1992 until 7 i 1993.
Eight Italians and four foreigners participated. The sponsorship by the bank
decreased, after the CEO Elio Monducci had left and the local bank became part
of a fusion. So the event became less important.} 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6
4. Nf3 g6 5. exd6 cxd6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Nc6 9. c3 h6 10. Nbd2 $5 e5
11. Bf1 Nb6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Nc4 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Nxc4 15. Bxc4 {
The chances are equal.} e4 16. Nd4 $6 ({Preferable is} 16. Ne1 Bg4 17. f3 exf3
18. Nxf3) 16... Nxd4 17. cxd4 Rd8 18. Be3 Bg4 19. Rd2 Rac8 {
Black occupies the open files.} 20. Bb3 Bd7 $5 21. d5 b6 22. a4 g5 23. Bd4 Bf5
24. Kf1 Rd6 25. Ke2 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 Kg7 27. Ke3 Kf6 28. Bc4 $6 {
White plays passively.} ({Better is} 28. a5 $5 b5 29. Rad1) 28... Ke5 $1 {
He pressures on the weakling.} 29. f3 $5 exf3 30. gxf3 Rd7 31. f4+ $5 Kd6 $1
32. fxg5 hxg5 {Black has a superior pawn position.} 33. Rf1 Re7+ 34. Kd2 Re4 $1
35. Kc3 Ke5 $1 36. Rxe4+ Bxe4 $1 37. Kb4 $5 f5 38. b3 g4 $5 39. Kb5 $5 Rh8 $1
40. Rf2 f4 41. Ka6 g3 $1 42. hxg3 fxg3 {
Vaganian was the strongest player of this tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 35"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.12.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Arlandi, Ennio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2435"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2
Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Nd2 Be7 11. Nb3 Qb6 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Na4 Qd8 14. O-O-O $2 {
Vaganian is too optimistic.} ({The alternative is} 14. Rd1 $1) 14... Qe8 $2 {
He loses an important tempo.} (14... Bd7 $1 15. Nbc5 Rc8 16. Kb1 Na5 $1 {
wins for Black.}) 15. Bb5 Bd7 16. Nac5 Rc8 17. Nxd7 $1 Qxd7 18. Kb1 a6 19. Bc4
b5 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Qd3 Rfd8 22. Rd2 Qe6 23. Rc1 Ne5 24. Bxe5 Rxc1+ 25. Nxc1
Qxe5 {The position is equal.} 26. g3 g6 27. Ne2 Bf6 28. h4 Kg7 29. Nd4 Rc8 30.
Nf3 Qc7 31. Rc2 Qxc2+ 32. Qxc2 Rxc2 33. Kxc2 Kf8 34. b3 Ke7 35. a4 h6 36. axb5
axb5 37. Kd3 Kd6 38. b4 Kc6 39. g4 Kd7 40. h5 Be7 $2 {Black misses a trick.} (
40... gxh5 41. gxh5 Ke6 $1 42. Nd4+ Bxd4 43. Kxd4 Kd6 44. f3 f6 45. f4 f5 {
leads to a dread draw.}) 41. g5 $1 gxh5 ({Or} 41... hxg5 42. h6 g4 43. Nd4) 42.
gxh6 Bf6 43. Nd4 $1 Ke7 44. Nxb5 Be5 45. f4 Bb8 {Vaganian won his third game.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 35"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.12.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Sarno, Spartaco"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2430"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1
a6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 c6 11. h3 Nd7 12. O-O Re8 13. Na4 $5 Be7 14. Qc2 Bd6
15. a3 Nf6 16. Nc5 Qe7 17. Nd2 Bc7 18. Rfe1 Qd6 19. Nf1 b6 20. Nb3 Bb7 21. Nbd2
Nd7 22. Nf3 Rac8 23. b4 Bb8 24. Qb1 g6 25. N1d2 f5 26. Rc2 Re7 27. Nb3 Rce8 28.
Rce2 Kg7 29. Nc1 Qf6 30. h4 Rf7 31. g3 g5 $1 {Black takes the initiative.} 32.
Kg2 Nf8 33. Rh1 $2 (33. hxg5 hxg5 34. Rh1 {counters in the right way.}) 33...
g4 $1 34. Ne1 Ne6 $1 35. Rb2 f4 $1 36. gxf4 Bxf4 $1 {
An elegant sacrifice decides.} 37. exf4 $2 (37. h5 Ref8 38. Bg6 Re7 39. exf4
Nxf4+ 40. Kf1 {prolongs the game.}) 37... Nxf4+ 38. Kf1 g3 39. Rg1 Ne2 $1 40.
Bf5 ({The pointe is} 40. Rxe2 Qxf2+ $1 41. Rxf2 Rxf2#) 40... Nxg1 {
Vaganian had scored the perfect 4/4.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 35"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1992.12.30"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E09"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2435"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 c6 7. Qc2 Nbd7 8. Nbd2
b6 9. e4 Bb7 10. Rd1 Rc8 11. b3 c5 12. e5 Ne8 13. dxc5 Bxc5 $5 ({Known is} 
13... Nxc5) 14. Nf1 Qc7 $6 ({Preferable is} 14... f6 $1) 15. Ng5 $1 g6 16. cxd5
Bxd5 $2 ({Better is} 16... Nxe5 17. Bf4 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 exd5) 17. Bxd5 exd5 18.
e6 $1 {Vaganian seems to been on his way to a third victory.} Ne5 19. exf7+
Nxf7 $5 20. Ne6 Qe5 21. Nxf8 Qxa1 22. b4 $2 ({Right is} 22. Nd7 $1 Bxf2+ $6 23.
Qxf2 Rxc1 24. Qe3 Rxd1 25. Qxe8+ Kg7 26. Qf8#) 22... Bxf2+ $1 23. Qxf2 Rxc1 24.
Rxc1 Qxc1 25. Ne6 $2 (25. Nxh7 $1 {does not cost a pawn.}) 25... Qc4 26. Qd4
Qxd4+ 27. Nxd4 Ne5 {Godena has an extra pawn in the double knight ending.} 28.
Ne3 Nc7 29. Kf1 Kf7 30. Ke2 Ke7 31. Nd1 Kd6 32. Nc3 Nc6 33. Nxc6 Kxc6 34. Kd3
a5 35. bxa5 bxa5 {The exchanges have helped Black.} 36. Nd1 Kc5 37. Ne3 Kd6 38.
Nf1 Kc5 39. Ne3 Ne6 {He takes his time.} 40. Ng4 Kd6 41. Kc3 h5 42. Nf2 Ke5 43.
Kd3 Nc5+ 44. Ke3 d4+ 45. Kf3 g5 {Black advances.} 46. g4 h4 $5 47. Nh3 Ne4 $1
48. Ke2 Kd5 49. Kd3 a4 50. a3 Nc5+ 51. Kc2 Ke4 $1 52. Nxg5+ Ke3 53. Kd1 d3 54.
h3 d2 55. Nf3 Kxf3 {Vaganian could lose a game. His score became 4/5.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 35"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1993.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vezzosi, Paolo"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2325"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 c6 6. O-O Bg7 7. h3 O-O 8. Re1
Bf5 9. exd6 Qxd6 10. Nbd2 a5 $5 11. Ne4 Bxe4 12. Rxe4 b5 13. Bf1 $5 Nd7 14. Bd2
e6 15. Qc1 Rfb8 16. Bh6 Bh8 17. Qd2 b4 18. Rae1 c5 19. h4 $2 {
He weakens square g4.} ({Correct is} 19. Bc4 Rd8 20. Rh4) 19... N7f6 $1 20. Ng5
$5 (20. R4e2 Ng4 21. Ne5 Nxh6 22. Qxh6 Bg7 23. Qd2 Rd8 {
brings a positional advantage for Black.}) 20... Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Qe7 22. Bc4 $2 (
22. Bg5 Qa7 23. Nxc5 {offers more resistance.}) 22... Bxd4 23. Bxd5 exd5 24.
Bg5 Qf8 25. Nf6+ Bxf6 26. Bxf6 Re8 {White has no mating threats.} 27. Rxe8 Rxe8
28. Qxd5 Re1+ 29. Kh2 Re6 30. Be5 Qe7 31. Bg3 Kg7 32. Qa8 Re2 {Vaganian had
made 7/8. He drew in round nine. Portisch followed by one point. The top two
played a quick draw in the penultimate round.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 35"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1993.01.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Garcia Palermo, Carlos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D29"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 a6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nf6 7. Qe2 b5 8. Bb3
Bb7 9. Rd1 Nbd7 10. Nc3 Qb6 11. d5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Bxd5 exd5 14. Rxd5
Qb7 15. e4 Be7 16. Bg5 f6 17. Rad1 Nb6 18. Bf4 Nxd5 $2 {
Black accepts the sacrifice.} ({Usual is} 18... O-O 19. R5d2 Rfe8) 19. exd5 $1
{White only needs a draw, but he is allowed to play for a win.} O-O 20. d6 Bd8
$5 21. d7 {He has a great compensation for the exchange.} Bc7 $6 ({Better is} 
21... Qc6 22. Rd6 Qb7 23. Qe6+ Kh8 24. Rd1 {but White has an advantage.}) 22.
Qe6+ Rf7 (22... Kh8 23. Be3 Bb6 24. Rd5 {also wins for White.}) 23. b4 $6 (23.
Be3 $1 Qb6 24. Qe8+ Rf8 25. Qe4 {attacks strongly.}) 23... c4 24. Be3 c3 $2 ({
Wiser is} 24... Rd8) 25. Ne1 $2 (25. Bc5 $1 c2 26. d8=Q+ Rxd8 27. Rxd8+ Bxd8
28. Qe8+ Rf8 29. Qxf8# {ends the game.}) 25... Rd8 26. Bc5 g6 27. Nc2 Kg7 28.
Be7 Qb6 29. Qe4 Bxh2+ $6 30. Kf1 $6 Be5 $6 31. Bxd8 Qxd8 32. Qc6 f5 33. Qc8 Bf6
34. Nd4 $1 Qb6 35. Ne6+ Kh6 36. Rd3 $1 Bh4 37. Re3 c2 38. d8=Q $1 {Portisch los
t in the last round. The final standings became: Vaganian 9/11, Portisch 7,
Godena, Manca, Arlandi and Azmaiparashvili 61/2, Belotti and Borgo 51/2, F.
Braga 41/2, Sarno and Garcia Palermo 3, Vezzosi 21/2.} ({The pointe is} 38.
d8=Q $1 c1=Q+ 39. Qxc1 Bxd8 40. Rh3#) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1993.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

{The 36th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1993 until 7 i 1994.
Again eight Italians and four foreigners participated.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3.
Bg2 c5 4. O-O Nc6 5. d4 e6 6. c4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Bd7 8. Na3 cxd4 9. Naxc4 Bc5 10.
Qb3 O-O 11. Qxb7 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Rb8 13. Qf3 Nd5 14. Rd1 $1 {
White pressures on d4.} ({Known is the tactical} 14. Bg5 f6 15. Qg4 $5 {
(Suluva - Dizdarevic, Cattolica 1993).}) 14... Ba4 15. b3 Nc3 $2 {
Godena miscalculates.} (15... Bb5 16. Bd2 Qb6 {is alright.}) 16. bxa4 Nxd1 17.
Bf4 Qa5 $6 (17... Nc3 18. Nc6 Qb6 19. Bxb8 Rxb8 20. Nxb8 Qxb8 {favours White.})
18. Rxd1 Bd6 19. Nc6 Qxa4 20. Rxd4 $1 Rb1+ 21. Bf1 Qxa2 22. Bxd6 Qa1 23. Bxf8
Rxf1+ 24. Kg2 Rg1+ 25. Kh3 Qf1+ 26. Kg4 {The king escapes.} f5+ 27. Kf4 Rg2 28.
Bc5 Qc1+ ({Or} 28... Rxf2 29. Rd8+ Kf7 30. Ne5+ Kf6 31. Rf8#) 29. e3 {
Portisch was the star this time.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1993.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Contin, Daniel"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "2385"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. b3 Be7 4. Bb2 Bf6 5. Qc1 Bxb2 6. Qxb2 Nf6 7. e3 O-O 8.
Be2 dxc4 $5 ({Known is} 8... c5 9. O-O b6) 9. Bxc4 b6 10. O-O c5 11. d4 Nbd7
12. Rd1 Qe7 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. Rac1 Rfd8 15. Qa3 Qf8 16. Ba6 $2 ({Better is} 16.
Be2) 16... Bxf3 $1 17. gxf3 cxd4 18. Qxf8+ Nxf8 19. exd4 {White has weak pawns.
} Rd7 20. Nb5 Nd5 21. a3 g5 $5 22. Rc8 $6 (22. Bc8 Re7 23. Nd6 {counters.})
22... Rxc8 23. Bxc8 Re7 24. Rc1 Ng6 $1 25. Ba6 Nh4 26. Rc8+ Kg7 27. Ra8 Nxf3+
28. Kg2 Nh4+ 29. Kf1 Nf5 30. Rxa7 Rxa7 31. Nxa7 Nxd4 {
Black has gained a centre pawn.} 32. Bc4 Kf6 33. a4 Ke5 34. Nc8 h5 35. h3 h4 $5
36. Kg2 $6 (36. Bxd5 $1 exd5 37. b4 b5 38. a5 Ne6 39. a6 Nc7 40. a7 {
offers more resistance.}) 36... f5 $6 37. Bxd5 $1 exd5 38. b4 Nc6 $1 39. b5 Na5
40. Nxb6 d4 41. f3 d3 $1 42. Kf2 Kd4 43. Nc8 d2 44. Ke2 Kc3 {
Portisch kept winning.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1993.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sarno, Spartaco"]
[Black "Cvitan, Ognjen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E88"]
[WhiteElo "2390"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. c4 g6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 c6 8. Bd3 cxd5
9. cxd5 Nh5 10. Nge2 f5 11. exf5 gxf5 12. O-O Nd7 13. Kh1 Ndf6 14. Rc1 Kh8 15.
Bc4 $5 (15. Bg5 {was played in Polugaevsky - Gligoric, Moscow 1974.}) 15... a6
16. Bb3 Rg8 17. Na4 $5 Nd7 18. f4 b5 $1 19. Nac3 Qh4 20. Rf3 Qg4 21. Qf1 exf4
$5 22. Nxf4 Ne5 23. Rh3 Nxf4 24. Bxf4 Bd7 25. Re1 b4 26. Bd1 $1 Qg6 27. Bh5 Qf6
28. Nd1 Bb5 29. Be2 Qf7 30. Ne3 Rge8 31. Bxb5 axb5 32. Qxb5 Ng4 $5 33. Rf1 Rxa2
34. Qd3 $6 (34. Nxg4 fxg4 35. Re3 $1 {achieves an edge.}) 34... Ra1 $1 35. Rhf3
Rxf1+ 36. Rxf1 Nxe3 37. Bxe3 Bxb2 38. g4 $6 (38. Bd2 Re5 39. Qb3 Bc3 40. Bxc3
bxc3 41. Qb8+ Qg8 42. Qxd6 Rxd5 43. Qc7 {keeps the equality.}) 38... Re5 $6 (
38... Qe7 39. Bd2 fxg4 40. Bxb4 Be5 {gains a pawn.}) 39. Rxf5 (39. gxf5 Rxd5
40. Qb3 Bc3 41. f6 Qb7 42. Kg1 Qf7 43. Kh1 {leads to a perpetual.}) 39... Rxf5
40. gxf5 Be5 41. Kg2 Qh5 42. h3 Qh4 43. Bf2 Qf4 44. Be1 Kg7 45. Bd2 $2 ({
Preferable is} 45. Qb3 Qg5+ 46. Kf1 Qxf5+ 47. Ke2) 45... Qh2+ 46. Kf1 Kf6 $2 (
46... b3 $1 47. Bc3 b2 $1 {ends the game.}) 47. Qe3 Qh1+ 48. Ke2 Qg2+ 49. Kd1
Qf1+ 50. Kc2 Qc4+ 51. Kd1 Kxf5 52. Qg5+ Ke4 53. Qg4+ Kxd5 54. Bxb4 $2 (54. Qg8+
Kc5 55. Qc8+ Kb5 56. Qe8+ Qc6 57. Qb8+ {offers more resistance.}) 54... Qxg4+
55. hxg4 Ke4 $1 56. Ke2 d5 $1 {Black has reached a won bishop ending.} 57. Bd2
Bf4 58. Be1 Be3 59. Bb4 d4 60. Ba5 d3+ 61. Kf1 Kf3 62. Bb4 Kxg4 63. Kg2 h5 64.
Bc3 h4 65. Bb4 h3+ 66. Kh1 Bf4 {
Black wins if he advances the d-pawn carefully. Cvitan had started by 41/2/5.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Cvitan, Ognjen"]
[Black "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D76"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. d4 Nb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Re1 h6 $5 11. h3 a5 12. Qe2 a4 13. Rd1 Be6 14. Nd2 Ra5 15.
Nde4 Qc8 16. Kh2 $6 {White misses the refutation.} (16. Nc5 $1 Bxh3 $6 17. Nxb7
$1 Bxg2 18. Nxa5 Qh3 19. f3 {gains an advantage.}) 16... Bc4 $1 17. Qc2 e5 {
Black attacks.} 18. dxe5 Nb4 19. Qd2 Raxe5 $5 20. f4 $5 R5e7 21. Nc5 $2 (21.
Nxa4 Rd7 22. Nxb6 Rxd2 23. Bxd2 Qe6 24. Nxc4 Qxc4 25. Rac1 {counters.}) 21...
Rxe3 22. Qxe3 $5 Rxe3 23. Bxe3 Nc2 $5 24. Nxb7 Nd7 25. Rxd7 $5 Qxd7 26. Rd1 Qe6
27. Bf2 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Qe2 29. Rd8+ Kh7 30. Kg1 Ne1 31. Nc5 Nf3+ {
Cvitan was stopped by Kozul.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Sarno, Spartaco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2510"]
[BlackElo "2390"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nc7 7. O-O e5 8. a3
f6 9. d3 Be6 10. Nd2 $5 (10. Be3 {is usual.}) 10... Qd7 11. Qa4 Nd5 12. Nc4 Rb8
13. Bxd5 Bxd5 14. Be3 Be7 15. Qb5 b6 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. b4 $5 O-O $1 18. Rab1 f5
19. f3 h5 $5 (19... f4 $1 20. Bf2 Nd4 {achieves a plus.}) 20. bxc5 Bxc5 21. Kg2
$5 h4 $5 22. Bxc5 bxc5 23. Qa4 Rxb1 24. Rxb1 Nd4 $2 25. Ne3 $2 {
Pawn a7 could be captured.} Qa8 $2 {Black blunders a pawn.} (25... Qf7 {
defends properly.}) 26. Qc4+ $1 Kh8 27. Qxc5 f4 28. Qxe5 $5 h3+ $5 29. Kxh3
Nxf3 30. Qh5+ $1 Kg8 31. Qd5+ Qxd5 32. Nxd5 Nd4 33. Nxf4 g5 34. Nd5 Nxe2 35.
Rb7 {White has gained two pawns.} Rf3 36. Kg4 $1 Rxd3 37. Nf6+ Kf8 38. Kxg5
Nxg3 39. Kg6 $1 {Black will be mated.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "240"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 Na6 8. O-O
Qe8 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. h3 Nd7 11. Rb1 f5 $5 ({Known is} 11... Nac5 12. b4 Ne6)
12. b4 f4 13. Bc1 c5 14. a3 Nc7 15. Nd5 Ne6 16. bxc5 $5 Ndxc5 17. Bb2 Bd7 $2 (
17... Nd7 $5 {avoids the loss of a pawn.}) 18. Bxe5 Ba4 19. Qe1 Bxe5 20. Nxe5
Nd4 21. Ng4 $1 {Black cannot capture on e4. So White has gained a pawn.} Kh8
22. Qc3 $6 {A messy segment of the game begins.} (22. Bd1 $1 Rc8 23. Qd2 {
wins for White.}) 22... Qe5 $1 23. Qb2 Qg7 24. Bd1 Bc6 25. e5 Nce6 26. f3 Rad8
27. Nb4 Rf5 28. Nxc6 bxc6 29. Re1 Nc5 30. Bc2 Rff8 31. Rbd1 Nce6 32. Be4 Qe7
33. Kh1 Rb8 34. Qf2 Rfd8 35. Rd3 Qg5 36. Red1 c5 37. Bd5 Ng7 38. Rxd4 $5 cxd4
39. Qxd4 h5 40. Nf2 Nf5 41. Ne4 Qe7 42. Qc3 Qg7 43. Re1 Re8 44. Ng5 Re7 45. Qd2
Ng3+ 46. Kg1 Qf8 47. Ne6 Rxe6 $5 48. Bxe6 Qc5+ 49. Kh2 Qxe5 $1 50. Rxe5 Nf1+
51. Kg1 Nxd2 52. Rb5 Re8 53. Bf7 Re3 54. Rb2 {White still has his extra pawn.}
Nb3 $6 (54... Kg7 $1 55. Rb7 Rc3 56. Rxa7 Kf6 {offers more resistance.}) 55.
Bxg6 h4 56. Kf2 Kg7 57. Bc2 Nd4 58. Be4 Kf6 59. c5 Rxa3 60. c6 Rc3 61. Ra2 Nb5
62. Ra5 Rb3 63. Bd3 $6 Nd6 $5 (63... Rxd3 64. Rxb5 Rc3 65. Rh5 {
also wins for White.}) 64. Ke2 Rc3 65. Ra6 Ke5 66. Kd2 Rc5 67. Rxa7 Rxc6 68.
Rh7 Rb6 69. Rxh4 Rb2+ 70. Bc2 Rb8 71. Kd3 Nf5 72. Rh5 Kf6 73. Kd2 Ng3 74. Rc5
Rd8+ 75. Bd3 Nf1+ 76. Kc3 Ne3 77. h4 Nxg2 78. Rc6+ Kf7 79. h5 $1 Nh4 80. Be4
Kg7 81. h6+ Kh8 82. Kc4 Ng2 83. Rf6 Ne3+ 84. Kc5 Nd1 85. Rxf4 Nf2 86. Rf5 Nh3
87. Bd5 Kh7 88. Rf6 Kh8 89. Kd4 Ng5 90. Ke5 Nh7 91. Rc6 Rf8 92. Rc7 Ng5 93. f4
Nh3 94. f5 Nf2 95. Bf3 Nd3+ 96. Ke4 Nf2+ 97. Kf4 Nh3+ 98. Ke5 Re8+ 99. Kf6 Nf4
100. Kg5 Nd3 101. Bd5 Ne5 102. Rc3 Nd7 103. Bf7 Rf8 104. Bg6 Nf6 105. Re3 Nd7
106. Re7 Nf6 107. Re6 Nd7 108. Rd6 Ne5 109. Rd5 Nc6 110. Rd7 Ne5 111. Re7 Nf3+
112. Kg4 Nd4 113. Rd7 Nxf5 114. Bxf5 Rg8+ 115. Kf4 Rf8 116. Re7 Rb8 117. Kg5
Ra8 118. Be6 Rf8 119. Bf7 Kh7 120. Rc7 Ra8 {
Portisch had defeated his main competitor. He drew the remaining three games.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D91"]
[WhiteElo "2510"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. cxd5 Nxg5 7. Nxg5 e6 8.
Qa4+ c6 9. dxc6 Nxc6 10. Nf3 Bd7 11. O-O-O b5 12. Nxb5 O-O 13. Qa3 Qb8 14. Nc3
Rc8 15. e3 Bf8 $1 {
Black has a better position, after the sacrifice of two pawns.} (15... a5 16.
Qb3 Nb4 {drew in Cebalo - Lalic, Zagreb/Vukovar 1993.}) 16. Qb3 Qc7 $1 17. Ba6
$2 (17. Nd2 Rab8 18. Qc4 {defends properly.}) 17... Rab8 $1 18. Qc4 Nb4 $1 19.
Ne5 (19. Qxc7 Rxc7 20. Be2 Nxa2+ {wins for Black.}) 19... Nxa6 20. Qxc7 ({
The pointe is} 20. Qxa6 Bb5 $1) 20... Rxc7 21. Nxd7 Rxd7 22. a3 Rdb7 23. Rd2
Nc7 24. Rhd1 Nd5 25. Nxd5 exd5 26. Rc2 Rb3 {Kozul kept fighting.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 36"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Black "Cvitan, Ognjen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2440"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 Nc6 7. g5 Nd7 8. Be3
Be7 9. h4 O-O 10. Qd2 a6 11. O-O-O Nxd4 12. Qxd4 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. h5 $5 (14.
f4 Rc8 15. Rh3 Nc5 {drew in Tatai - Cvitan, Manila 1992.}) 14... Nc5 15. f3 $5
({Preferable is} 15. f4) 15... Bxg5 16. Rg1 Bxe3+ 17. Qxe3 Qe7 18. Rxd6 $1 Rac8
({The pointe is} 18... Qxd6 $2 19. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 20. Qg5+ Kh8 21. h6 Qd4 22. e5
{and White wins by a double rook sacrifice.}) 19. Qd4 $6 (19. e5 $1 {
gains a plus.}) 19... e5 $1 20. Qd2 Rfd8 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qg5 Qxg5+ 23. Rxg5
{The chances are almost equal.} f6 24. Rg3 Kf7 25. Bh3 Bc8 26. Bxc8 Rxc8 27.
Nd5 $6 (27. Kd2 {develops the king.}) 27... Nd3+ $1 28. Kb1 Nf4 29. Nxf4 exf4 {
Black has an edge in the rook ending.} 30. Rg4 Rc5 31. Rh4 {
The white rook has become inactive.} Ke6 32. Kc1 Rg5 33. Rxf4 $6 (33. Kd2 Rg2+
34. Kd3 Ke5 35. Rh1 Rf2 36. Rh3 Rf1 37. c4 {
tries to survive by a passive defence.}) 33... Rxh5 34. Kd2 Rh2+ 35. Kd3 g6 36.
Rg4 g5 $1 37. f4 $5 h5 $1 38. Rg1 g4 $1 {
He has connected passed pawns on the kingside.} 39. b3 f5 40. c4 Rh3+ 41. Kd4
Rxb3 42. c5 Rxa3 43. exf5+ Kxf5 44. Rc1 Ra4+ $1 45. Kd5 ({Or} 45. Kd3 Rc4)
45... Ra2 46. c6 Rd2+ 47. Kc5 Rd8 48. Rh1 Rh8 49. c7 Kxf4 50. Kb6 Kg5 51. Kxa6
g3 52. Rb1 Rc8 {The final standings became: Portisch 81/2/11, Cvitan 71/2,
Kozul and Cebula 7, Manca 61/2, Belotti 6, Arlandi 51/2, Godena 5, Contin 41/2,
Tatai 31/2, Sarno 3, Borgo 2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.12.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

{The 37th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1994 until 6 i 1995.
Seven Italians and five foreigners participated.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2
Bb7 4. c4 c5 5. O-O g6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Qxd4 Bg7 8. Nc3 d6 9. Rd1 Nbd7 10. Be3 Nc5
$5 ({Theory is} 10... Rc8) 11. b4 Ne6 12. Qd3 Ng4 13. Bd2 Rc8 14. Rac1 Bxf3 $6
{White's two bishops will be strong.} 15. Qxf3 Ne5 16. Qb7 $1 {
He takes the initiative.} Nd4 17. Be3 Nf5 18. Bf4 Rxc4 $6 ({Better is} 18...
O-O 19. e4 Rc7 20. Qa6 Nh6) 19. Nd5 O-O 20. Rxc4 Nxc4 21. Bg5 $5 f6 $5 22. e4
$6 (22. Bc1 $1 Qb8 23. Qxb8 Rxb8 24. e4 Nh6 25. Nxe7+ {
achieves a positional advantage.}) 22... Nxg3 23. Bh4 Nh5 24. Rc1 b5 25. Nxe7+
Kh8 26. Nd5 Bh6 27. Rc2 Qe8 28. Bg3 Rf7 29. Nc7 Nxg3 30. hxg3 Qe5 $6 (30... Qd8
31. Ne6 Rxb7 32. Nxd8 Rd7 {equalises.}) 31. Qxb5 Rxc7 $4 (31... Na3 32. Qxe5
fxe5 33. Rc6 Bd2 {defends properly.}) 32. Qb8+ $1 {Vaganian was the star again.
} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2485"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O
e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nb5 Bb8 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Bd2 Ne4 13. Nbd4 $5 Qb6 14. Rfd1
Nxf3+ 15. Nxf3 Bg4 16. Be1 Qd6 17. g3 Qf6 18. Kg2 Rd8 19. Rac1 h5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 19... Be6 20. Nd4 Be5) 20. Nd4 $1 Bxe2 21. Qxe2 h4 22. Qg4 $5 (
22. f3 Ng5 23. Bc3) 22... hxg3 23. hxg3 Be5 24. b3 a6 25. Nf3 Bc3 $6 ({
Better is} 25... Bb2 $5 26. Rc2 a5) 26. Bxc3 Nxc3 27. Rd2 Ne4 28. Rdc2 {
White has positional advantages after the exchanges.} Qe6 $5 29. Qh4 Rac8 $2 ({
Correct is} 29... Qf6 30. Qh2 g6 31. Rh1 Qg7) 30. Nd4 Qd7 31. Rh1 $1 {
He threatens mate in one.} Kf8 32. Rxc8 Rxc8 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Qxg7 Nf6 35. Qg5
$1 {Epishin will gain a piece.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Martorelli, Antonio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2245"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. c4 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Rb1 Bf5 8. d3
e5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. b4 Qd7 12. Nd2 $5 Bh3 $5 13. Nd5 $1 Bd8 14. b5
Nd4 15. Ne4 Kg7 16. Bxh3 Qxh3 17. e3 Ne6 18. f4 f5 19. Nf2 Qh5 20. Qb3 exf4 21.
exf4 g5 22. Qb2+ Kg8 23. Rbe1 Qg6 $6 ({Better is} 23... Qf7 24. fxg5 hxg5) 24.
fxg5 Nxg5 25. Kg2 Qg7 $6 ({Preferable is} 25... Ne6) 26. Qxg7+ Kxg7 27. h4 $1
Nf7 28. Nf4 Kh7 29. Ne6 Re8 30. d4 c6 31. bxc6 bxc6 32. Nd3 Ba5 33. Re2 Ne5 $1
{Black tries to survive the restraint.} 34. dxe5 Rxe6 35. Rxf5 Rae8 $5 36. c5
$5 dxc5 $6 (36... Kg6 37. g4 dxe5 38. Rexe5 Bd2 {offers more resistance.}) 37.
Nxc5 R6e7 38. Ne4 $1 Rb8 39. Rc2 Rb5 40. Rxc6 Rbxe5 41. Nf6+ Kg7 42. Rxe5 Rxe5
43. Ng4 Re2+ 44. Kf3 Rxa2 45. Nxh6 {White has connected passed pawns.} Ra3+ 46.
Kg4 Rc3 47. Nf5+ Kf7 48. Nd6+ Kg7 49. Rxc3 Bxc3 50. Nb5 {
Vaganian gains the last black pawn and wins quietly.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1994.12.31"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Black "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2430"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Bc4 Bd7 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Bc6 14. Bd2
Nd7 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rhe1 Rfd8 18. Qg4 Nf8 19. Bd3 Qc7 $5 ({
The popular line is} 19... Rxd3 20. cxd3 Qd7) 20. Bb4 Bd5 21. Kb1 Rac8 22. Bd6
Qc6 23. b3 {White has a positional edge.} b5 24. Re3 Ng6 25. h4 f5 $1 26. Qg5
Rd7 27. h5 Nf8 28. Rd2 Rf7 29. Rf2 h6 $5 30. Qf4 Nh7 $2 ({Preferable is} 30...
Bxg2 31. Bxb5 Qxb5 32. Rxg2 Nh7) 31. g4 $1 Ng5 32. gxf5 exf5 33. Bxf5 {
He has gained a pawn.} Re8 $2 (33... Ne4 {offers more resistance.}) 34. Qd4 $6
(34. e6 $1 Rxe6 35. Rxe6 Nxe6 36. Qe5 $1 {wins quickly.}) 34... Be6 35. Bxe6 $6
Nxe6 $6 36. Qh4 Rc8 37. Ree2 Rxf2 38. Rxf2 Qd5 39. Qg4 Rc3 $2 40. Rf6 $1 Kh8 ({
The pointe is} 40... Ng5 41. Rf8+ Kh7 42. Qf5+ {and mate.}) 41. Rxe6 Qc6 42.
Re7 {Tatai defeated a foreign star.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2455"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. d3 O-O 6. Nbd2 a5 7. e4 dxe4 8.
dxe4 a4 $5 ({The alternative is} 8... Nc6) 9. Qe2 Nc6 10. Nc4 Be6 11. Ng5 Nd4
12. Qd3 Bxc4 13. Qxc4 h6 14. Nf3 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Nd7 16. Be2 Nb6 17. Qb4 a3 18.
Rd1 $5 Qc8 $1 19. c3 Ra4 20. Qb3 Rxe4 21. Bd3 $2 (21. Bf3 $1 axb2 22. Bxb2 Ra4
23. Ba3 {gains sufficient compensation for the pawn.}) 21... axb2 22. Bxb2 Re6
$1 23. a4 Nd7 24. Ba3 Rb6 25. Qc2 Ne5 26. Be4 Re8 27. Bc5 Re6 28. Kg2 b6 29.
Bd4 Rd6 30. c4 $2 Rxd4 $6 (30... f5 $1 31. Bf3 Nxf3 32. Bxg7 Qa8 $1 {
wins for Black.}) 31. Rxd4 Ng4 $5 32. Bxg6 $4 {Belotti blunders a piece.} (32.
Rdd1 Bxa1 33. Rxa1 {offers more resistance.}) 32... Bxd4 33. Rd1 fxg6 34. Rxd4
Qf5 35. Qe2 Nf6 36. Rf4 Qd7 {
Romanishin won three games at the end, but he made too many draws previously.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Garcia Palermo, Carlos"]
[Black "Chernin, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Bg4 3. e3 Nd7 4. Be2 c6 5. h3 $5 (5. Bb2 {
leads to a well-known position.}) 5... Bh5 6. d3 f6 7. Bb2 e5 8. O-O Bf7 9.
Nbd2 Bb4 10. c3 Ba5 11. e4 Ne7 12. d4 O-O 13. b4 Bc7 {
Black likes the symmetrical position of his light pieces and pawns.} 14. c4
dxe4 15. Nxe4 Ng6 16. dxe5 Ngxe5 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Qc2 Qe7 19. c5 Rfe8 20. Rfe1
Qe6 21. f4 Ng6 22. Bf1 Qd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... Qd7 23. Rad1 Bd5) 23. Rad1
$1 Qh5 24. Ng3 $2 (24. Rd7 {gains a positional advantage.}) 24... Qh4 $1 25.
Nf5 $5 Qxf4 {The queen escapes easily.} 26. g3 Qxb4 27. Rxe8+ Rxe8 28. Rd7 Be5
29. Bxe5 Nxe5 30. Rd4 $2 Nf3+ {Chernin made seven draws and four wins.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Martorelli, Antonio"]
[Black "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2245"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 Ngf6 5. O-O cxd4 6. Qxd4 a6 7. Bxd7+ Bxd7
8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Re1 $5 ({Usual is} 10. Nc3) 10... Rg8 11. c4 Bg7 12.
Nc3 Rc8 13. Nd5 Bg4 14. Qd3 e6 15. Ne3 $2 {White allows a positional disaster.}
(15. Nf4 $1 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Rxc4 17. Rac1 {
gains a sufficient compensation for a pawn.}) 15... Bxf3 16. gxf3 f5 $1 {
Black has opened a file and a diagonal.} 17. Kh1 f4 18. Nd1 $6 Be5 19. Nc3 Qb6
20. Rg1 $6 Rxg1+ 21. Rxg1 Qxb2 {He has gained a pawn.} 22. Na4 Qb4 23. Rg8+ Kd7
24. Rxc8 Kxc8 25. Qc2 Bd4 26. e5 dxe5 27. c5 Kc7 28. Kg2 f5 29. a3 Qb5 30. h3
Kd8 31. Qd1 Ke7 32. Kh2 Kf7 33. Qc2 Qf1 34. c6 Bxf2 {
Epishin trailed Vaganian by half-a-point at the end of the penultimate round.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 37"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.01.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Arlandi, Ennio"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2425"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1994.12.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Rc1
Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. g3 c5 12. Bg2 Na6 $5 ({Known is} 12... Qe7)
13. O-O Re8 14. Rc2 $5 Qd7 15. Rd2 Rad8 16. h4 $6 (16. Ne5 $1 Bxe5 17. dxe5
Rxe5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. f4 Re6 20. Rxd5 Rd6 {draws.}) 16... Nc7 17. Nh2 $5 cxd4
18. exd4 Ba6 19. Re1 Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1 Qf5 21. Qd1 h5 22. Nf1 Bxf1 23. Bxf1 g6 24.
Bg2 Qd7 25. Qb3 Kg7 26. Rd3 Qe6 27. Qd1 b5 28. a3 Qb6 29. Kh2 a5 30. f4 b4 31.
axb4 Qxb4 32. Rd2 Re8 33. Qa4 Qxa4 34. Nxa4 Ne6 35. Bxd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 
35. Nc3 $1 Rd8 36. Ne2) 35... Nxd4 36. Nc3 Rd8 37. Rd3 Nc6 38. Bc4 $2 (38. Rd1
Bxc3 39. bxc3 Kf6 40. Bb3 Rxd1 41. Bxd1 Ne7 42. Bb3 Nf5 {favours Black.}) 38...
Rxd3 39. Bxd3 Bxc3 40. bxc3 a4 $1 41. Kg2 a3 42. Bb1 ({Or} 42. Bc4 Na7 43. Bb3
Nb5 44. c4 Nd4 45. Ba2 Nc2 46. c5 Nb4 {and Black wins.}) 42... Na7 $1 43. c4
Nc6 44. Kf3 Nb4 45. c5 f5 46. Ke3 Kf6 47. Kd4 Ke6 48. c6 Kd6 49. c7 Kxc7 50.
Ke5 Kd8 {Vaganian kept the lead. The final standings became: Vaganian 81/2/11,
Epishin 8, Chernin and Romanishin 71/2, Tatai 6, Garcia Palermo and Martorelli
51/2, Arlandi and Godena 5, Belotti 4, Contin 3, Barlocco 1/2.} ({The pointe is
} 50... Kd8 51. Ke6 Ke8 52. Kf6 Nd5+ 53. Kxg6 Nc3) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Azmaiparashvili, Zurab"]
[Black "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2380"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

{The 38th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1995 until 5 i 1996. Two
Italians and eight former Soviets participated.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7
4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 Nh5 10. c5 h6 11. Nd2
Nf4 12. Nc4 f5 13. f3 g5 14. Be3 Rf6 15. cxd6 cxd6 16. Nb5 b6 17. a4 Nxe2+ $5 (
{Known is} 17... Ba6) 18. Qxe2 f4 $2 ({Preferable is} 18... Ba6 19. Rfc1 Qd7)
19. Bf2 Ba6 20. Rfc1 {White has a favourable position.} Rg6 21. Kh1 h5 22. Nxa7
$1 {He takes the queenside by force.} Bxc4 23. Qxc4 Rxa7 24. a5 $1 Ra8 $5 ({Or
} 24... Rb7 25. a6 Ra7 26. Qb5) 25. axb6 Rb8 26. Qc7 Qe8 27. b7 {
Many draws were made in the event, but Belotti was the target.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D57"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Ne4 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. cxd5 Nxc3 10. bxc3 exd5 11. Qb3 Rd8 12. c4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nc6 14. Qc3
Bg4 15. O-O Bxf3 16. gxf3 Qh4 17. Kh1 Rd6 $5 ({Known is} 17... Qh3 18. Be2 Rd6
19. Rg1) 18. Rg1 Ne7 $6 ({Preferable is} 18... Qf6) 19. Rg4 Qh5 20. Rag1 Rg6 $2
({Right is} 20... g6) 21. Qb4 {He attacks a pawn and a knight.} b5 $5 22. Qxb5
Qxb5 23. Bxb5 Rb8 24. Bc4 Rxg4 25. fxg4 {White has gained a pawn.} Rb2 26. Kg2
a5 27. Rc1 a4 28. Rc3 Kf8 29. Ra3 Nc8 $1 30. Bd5 Nb6 31. Bc6 Rb4 32. Rc3 Rb2
33. Be4 $1 Rxa2 34. Rxc7 a3 35. Ra7 g5 36. Kf3 Kg7 37. Bf5 Kf8 38. Bd3 Ra1 $1
39. Bc2 Nc4 40. Ke2 Ra2 41. Kd3 Nd6 42. Rd7 Ne4 $1 43. f3 $1 Ke8 $6 44. Ra7 $1
Nd6 45. e4 $1 {Beliavsky controls the centre.} Ra1 46. e5 Nc8 47. Ba4+ Kf8 48.
Ra8 Kg7 49. Bb3 $1 Ne7 50. Ra7 Kf8 51. Ra6 Ng6 $5 52. Ra8+ Kg7 53. Ra7 Nf4+ 54.
Ke4 a2 $5 55. Kf5 Rf1 56. Rxf7+ Kh8 57. Bxa2 Rxf3 58. Rf8+ Kg7 59. Rf7+ Kh8 60.
Ke4 {Vaganian met a strong opposition in this event.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Dautov, Rustem"]
[Black "Dreev, Alexey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3
dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Rc1 O-O 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Bb3 Rd8 $5 14. Qc2 Nf6
15. Nc5 $5 b6 $1 16. Ne5 $5 Rd6 $6 {Black does not accept the challenge.} (
16... bxc5 17. Nxc6 Qc7 18. Nxd8 Qxd8 19. dxc5 Qc7 {brings equality (Dreev).})
17. Ncd3 Bb7 18. Ba4 Rc8 19. b4 $1 Nd7 20. f4 Nf6 21. Bb3 Rdd8 22. a3 Nd5 23.
Qe2 Ba6 24. Bc4 Bb7 25. e4 $1 Nf6 26. f5 $1 {
White transforms the restraint into an attack.} Rxd4 27. fxg6 fxg6 28. Nxg6 $6
(28. Nf4 $1 Rxe4 29. Qd3 Rxf4 30. Rxf4 {gains an advantage.}) 28... Qe8 29.
Ndf4 $6 ({Preferable is} 29. Nde5 $1 c5 30. Qa2) 29... Rxe4 30. Qa2 Nd5 31.
Rce1 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Qf7 33. Rxe6 Re8 $1 34. Qe2 $2 (34. Re2 $1 Bd4+ 35. Kh1 {
avoids the unfavourable exchanges.}) 34... Rxe6 35. Qxe6 Bd4+ $1 36. Kh1 Qxe6
37. Nxe6 Bf6 38. Ngf4 Nxf4 39. Nxf4+ Kf8 {
Black has the two bishops in the endgame.} 40. a4 $5 Ke7 41. Kg1 Bc3 42. Nd3 c5
43. bxc5 bxc5 44. Nf4 Kd6 45. Kf2 Bc6 46. Bb3 Ke5 47. g3 Ke4 $1 48. Ne6 Bb4 49.
Ke2 Bd7 50. h4 $6 (50. Bc2+ Kd5 51. Ng7 Bg4+ 52. Ke3 c4 53. Nf5 h5 54. Nh6 {
offers more resistance.}) 50... a5 51. Bc2+ Ke5 52. Nf8 Bg4+ $1 53. Ke3 Be1 $1
54. Ng6+ Kf6 55. Nf4 Bxg3 56. Nd5+ Ke6 57. Bb3 Bxh4 {He has grabbed two pawns.}
58. Kf4 Bh3 59. Ne3+ Kd7 60. Nc4 Be1 {Dreev utilised his positional advantage.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D56"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Ne4 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Bd3 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. O-O b6 14. Qe2 a5
15. Rfc1 Bb7 16. h3 $5 ({Epishin will play} 16. a3 {
against Vaganian in Yerevan 1996.}) 16... c5 17. Bb5 e5 18. dxe5 ({
The pointe is} 18. Bxd7 $2 exd4 $1 {(Epishin)} 19. Rb3 Qxd7 20. exd4 Rae8)
18... Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. Rd1 Rfd8 21. Rcd3 Rxd3 22. Rxd3 Bd5 $5 23. a4 Be6
$2 ({Preferable is} 23... Be4 24. Rd7 Re8) 24. Qd2 $1 {
White has a positional advantage.} Qc7 25. Rd6 Kf8 26. e4 $1 Ke7 27. Rc6 Qd8
28. Qc3 $1 Kf8 29. e5 Rb8 30. f4 Qd1+ 31. Kh2 Qd5 $5 32. Rd6 Qe4 33. Qd2 g5 $5
34. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 35. Qd6+ Kf7 36. Qxb8 {He has gained a piece.} Qxf4+ {
Will Black be able to deliver perpetual check?} 37. Kg1 Qe3+ 38. Kf1 Qc1+ 39.
Kf2 Qd2+ 40. Kf3 Qf4+ 41. Ke2 Qe4+ 42. Kd2 Qxg2+ 43. Kc1 $5 Qh1+ 44. Kc2 $4 (
44. Kd2 $1 Qg2+ 45. Kc3 $1 Qf3+ 46. Bd3 {stops the checks.}) 44... Qe4+ 45. Kd2
Qf4+ 46. Kd1 Qd4+ 47. Kc1 Qe3+ 48. Kb1 Qe4+ 49. Ka2 Qd5+ 50. Ka3 Qf3+ 51. Ka2
Qd5+ 52. Ka3 Qf3+ 53. b3 Qd1 $4 ({Right is} 53... Qc3 $1 54. Qc7+ Kg6 55. Be8+
Kf5 56. Qf7+ Ke4 57. Bc6+ Kd4 {and Black draws.}) 54. Qe8+ $1 Kg7 55. Qe7+ Kh8
56. Qf8+ Kh7 57. Qe7+ Kh8 58. Qe8+ Kg7 59. Qd7+ Qxd7 60. Bxd7 Kf7 61. Kb2 h5
62. Kc3 {Epishin escaped from a forced draw.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1995.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Razuvaev, Yuri"]
[Black "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A49"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2380"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. h3 Nbd7 7. d5 $5 {
Razuvaev goes forwards!} ({Usual was} 7. c4) 7... Nb6 8. Nc3 e6 9. e4 exd5 10.
exd5 Re8 11. Nd4 Bd7 12. a4 Re5 $5 ({The alternative is} 12... a5 13. Qd3 Rc8)
13. Nf3 $5 Nfxd5 $2 {The rook should retreat.} 14. Nxe5 Nxc3 15. Nxf7 $3 {
He delivers a sensational sacrifice.} (15. bxc3 Bxe5 {
leads to sufficient compensation for the exchange.}) 15... Nxd1 16. Nxd8 Nxb2
17. a5 $1 {The attack changes to the queenside.} Rxd8 18. axb6 axb6 19. Ra7 Be6
$5 20. Rxb7 Rc8 21. Re1 $1 Kf7 22. h4 Bf5 23. Bd5+ Kf8 24. Bg5 $1 h6 25. Be7+
Ke8 26. Bc6+ {Razuvaev scored his first win.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 exd4 6. Nxd4 Ne7 7. Bf4 $5 ({
Theory is} 7. Bxc4) 7... Ng6 8. Bg3 Qe7 9. Bxc4 Qxe4+ 10. Kf1 Bxc3 11. bxc3 O-O
12. Qe1 $1 Qxe1+ 13. Rxe1 {
White has chances, despite the exchanges and the loss of a pawn.} Bd7 14. h4 $1
Nc6 $2 ({Better is} 14... Re8 $1 15. Rxe8+ Bxe8 16. h5 Ne7 17. Bxc7 Nbc6 18.
Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Rh4 Bd5 {and Black achieves equality (Epishin).}) 15. Nxc6 Bxc6
16. h5 $1 Nh8 {The knight stands offside.} 17. Rh4 Rfe8 18. Rxe8+ Bxe8 $1 {
Pawn c7 gets an indirect protection.} 19. Re4 Rc8 20. Bd5 Bb5+ $6 ({
Preferable is} 20... c6 $1 21. Bb3 b5 22. Re7 a5) 21. c4 Ba6 $5 22. Bxc7 $1 h6
23. Re7 {White has a positional advantage.} Kh7 $2 (23... Kf8 24. Bd6 Kg8 {
offers more resistance.}) 24. Ke2 g6 25. hxg6+ Kxg6 26. Kd3 Kf6 27. Rd7 b5 28.
c5 $1 b4+ 29. Kd4 Bb5 30. c6 a5 31. Bxa5 {
Epishin took the lead by his second win.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Chernin, Alexander"]
[Black "Dautov, Rustem"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. Qb3 c5 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Qxc3
b6 9. b4 Nbd7 10. O-O Ba6 $5 (10... Bb7 {drew in Stean - Matanovic, Vrsac 1979.
}) 11. d3 Rc8 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Qb2 c4 14. dxc4 Bxc4 15. Re1 N5f6 16. Be3 Bd5
17. Bd4 Qc7 {The chances are equal.} 18. Bf1 Qc2 19. Rac1 Qxb2 20. Bxb2 Ne4 $1
21. Red1 Nd6 22. Nd2 $1 f5 23. f3 Nf6 24. g4 $5 Ba8 $6 ({The pointe is} 24...
fxg4 $2 25. e4 $1 Bb7 26. e5) ({Preferable is} 24... Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Rd8) 25. Be5
Rcd8 26. gxf5 Nxf5 27. Nc4 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 b5 29. Nd6 Ne3 $6 (29... Rd8 30. e4
Nxd6 31. Rxd6 Rxd6 32. Bxd6 a6 {defends properly.}) 30. Rc1 Nxf1 31. Bxf6 $6
gxf6 32. Kxf1 a6 33. Rc7 Rd8 34. Nf7 Rd1+ 35. Kf2 Bd5 36. Nh6+ Kf8 37. Ng4 f5
38. Ne3 Ra1 39. Nxd5 exd5 40. Rd7 Rxa3 41. Rxd5 Ke7 42. Rxf5 {
White has an extra pawn in the rook ending.} Ra4 43. Rf4 a5 44. Re4+ $1 Kd6 45.
bxa5 Rxa5 {The exchange of rooks loses quickly.} 46. Ke3 Kc5 47. Re7 Ra3+ 48.
Kf4 Ra2 49. e4 $5 {He gives the additional pawn for a winning effort.} Rxh2 50.
e5 Rh6 $6 (50... b4 $1 51. Kf5 b3 {draws easily.}) 51. Kf5 b4 $5 52. e6 $5 Kc6
$2 {Black makes the decisive error.} (52... Rh5+ $1 53. Kf6 Rh6+ 54. Kf7 Rh3 $1
55. f4 Rf3 {finds the difficult escape.}) 53. Rd7 $1 Rh5+ 54. Kf6 $1 b3 ({
The pointe of the white manoeuvre shows} 54... Rh6+ 55. Kf7 Rh3 56. Rd3 $1) 55.
Rd3 b2 56. e7 Rh6+ 57. Kf7 b1=Q 58. e8=Q+ Kc5 59. Qe5+ Kc6 60. Qe4+ {
Chernin scored one win and eight draws.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Razuvaev, Yuri"]
[Black "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

{This encounter became the decisive game of the tournament.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6
3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 c5 5. Bxb4 cxb4 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Nf3 d6 8. O-O Re8 9. Qb3 Qb6 $5
({Theory is} 9... a5) 10. Nbd2 Nc6 11. Rfd1 Bd7 12. Rac1 Na5 13. Qd3 Rac8 14.
b3 Qc7 15. Qb1 e5 $5 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Ng5 $1 Bc6 18. Bd5 $1 Bxd5 19. cxd5 Qe7
20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. d6 $1 Qd8 ({The trap is} 21... Qxd6 $2 22. Nde4 Qe7 23. Nxf6+
Qxf6 24. Qxh7+ Kf8 25. Qh8+ {(Ftacnik).}) 22. Qf5 h6 23. Nge4 Nd7 24. Nf3 Qe8
25. Nxe5 $5 Nxe5 26. d7 Nxd7 27. Rxd7 Rd8 28. Rc7 Nc6 29. e3 Ne7 $5 30. Qe5 Nd5
31. Qxe8+ Rxe8 32. Rd7 Re5 $2 (32... Nb6 33. Rd4 a5 34. Nd6 Re7 {saves a pawn.}
) 33. Nd6 Nc3 $5 34. Rxb7 a5 35. Nc4 Rc5 36. a4 bxa3 37. Nxa3 Ne4 38. Ra7 Rc3
39. Rxa5 Rxb3 {White has an extra pawn in the endgame.} 40. Nc4 Rc3 41. Ne5 f6
42. Ng4 Rc4 43. h3 Ng5 44. Kg2 h5 45. Nh2 h4 46. g4 Rc2 47. Ra4 Kf7 48. Nf1 g6
49. Rd4 Ke6 50. Rd2 Rc1 51. Nh2 Ra1 52. Rb2 Kf7 53. f4 Ne4 54. Nf3 g5 55. Nd4
Nd6 56. Rc2 Re1 $2 {He defends pawn g5 unsufficiently.} ({Correct is} 56... Ke7
57. Rc7+ Ke8) 57. fxg5 fxg5 58. Nf3 $1 Rxe3 59. Nxg5+ Ke8 60. Kf2 Ra3 61. Re2+
Kd7 62. Nf3 $1 {White is going to gain another pawn.} Nf7 63. Kg2 Kd6 64. Nxh4
Ng5 65. Nf5+ Kd5 66. h4 Ne4 67. Ne3+ Ke6 {
Razuvaev overtook the lead from Epishin.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E08"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2390"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Qc2 Nbd7 7. O-O c6 8. Rd1
b6 9. b3 Bb7 10. Nc3 Rc8 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 c5 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Ng5 Bxg5
15. Bxb7 Rc7 16. Be4 f5 17. Bg2 cxd4 18. Bxg5 Qxg5 19. Rxd4 e5 20. Rd5 Qe7 21.
Re1 g6 $5 ({The alternative is} 21... Rc5) 22. Qd2 {White has the initiative.}
Kg7 23. Qc3 Kh6 24. a4 Rf7 25. a5 Rc5 26. Rxc5 Qxc5 27. b4 Qd6 28. Bd5 Re7 29.
Rd1 e4 30. c5 bxc5 31. b5 f4 32. gxf4 Nf6 33. Bb3 Qxf4 34. Qe3 g5 35. b6 axb6
36. axb6 Qe5 37. Bc4 Kg7 38. h3 h6 39. Rb1 Rb7 40. Ba6 Rb8 41. b7 Qd6 42. Bf1
Qd5 43. Ba6 Qa2 44. Rb6 Qa1+ 45. Bf1 Qe5 46. Qa3 Nd7 47. Rb1 Rf8 48. Bg2 c4 49.
Qe3 Nf6 $4 50. b8=Q $1 {Epishin joined the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 38"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.01.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Black "Dreev, Alexey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B58"]
[WhiteElo "2380"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1995.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 h6 8. O-O
Be6 9. Re1 Be7 10. Bf1 O-O 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Nb8 13. c4 Nbd7 14. a3 $5 a5
15. b3 Nh7 $5 16. Bb2 f5 17. b4 $1 b6 18. Qc2 Ng5 19. Nd2 Qe8 20. Kh1 Qf7 21.
Nb1 $5 e4 22. Nc3 Rac8 23. Nb5 h5 (23... Qxd5 $6 24. c5 $1 Nf7 25. Rad1 {
favours White.}) 24. Qd2 f4 $2 25. h4 $1 {Pawn e4 lacks protection.} e3 $5 26.
Qc2 $1 exf2 (26... Nh7 $2 27. Bd3 $1 {costs a knight.}) 27. Rxe7 $2 (27. Qxf2
Nh7 28. Bd3 {gains a great positional advantage.}) 27... Qxe7 28. hxg5 Ne5 29.
Qxf2 Nxc4 30. Re1 $2 (30. Bxc4 Rxc4 31. Nd4 {keeps a plus.}) 30... Qxg5 31.
Bxc4 Rxc4 32. Nxd6 $2 Rc2 $2 (32... f3 $1 33. g3 $5 h4 $1 {wins for Black.})
33. Qxc2 $2 (33. Re2 $1 Rxe2 34. Qxe2 Qxd5 35. Ne4 {defends properly.}) 33...
Qh4+ 34. Kg1 Qxe1+ 35. Kh2 Qg3+ 36. Kg1 f3 $1 37. Ne4 Qe1+ 38. Kh2 f2 39. Nxf2
Rxf2 40. Qc8+ Kh7 41. Bc3 Qe4 42. Qh3 Qf4+ 43. Qg3 Qxg3+ 44. Kxg3 Ra2 45. Kf4
Rxa3 46. Bd4 axb4 47. d6 b3 48. Ke5 $5 Ra8 49. d7 g5 {Dreev joined the leaders.
The final standings became: Razuvaev, Dreev and Epishin 51/2/9, Beliavsky,
Chernin and Azmaiparashvili 5, Godena 41/2, Vaganian 4, Dautov 31/2, Belotti
11/2. Razuvaev won the tournament on tie-break.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C96"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

{The 39th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1996 until 4 i 1997. Five
Italians and five foreigners participated.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4
Bb7 12. d5 Nc4 13. b3 Nb6 14. a4 Qc7 $5 ({Usual is} 14... Bc8 {
Romanishin has made this move in many games.}) 15. Na3 $5 b4 $1 16. a5 $1 Nbxd5
$1 17. exd5 bxa3 18. c4 Qxa5 19. Rxa3 Qc7 {
Black's extra pawn has little importance.} 20. Ng5 Rae8 (20... h6 $5 21. Nf3 {
leads to a weakness.}) 21. Qd3 g6 22. Qe2 Qd8 23. Bd2 $6 Nxd5 $1 24. Nxh7 $1
Kxh7 25. cxd5 Kg7 {He has an extra pawn and fights in the centre.} 26. b4 $1
cxb4 27. Bxb4 Qb6 $6 (27... Bxd5 28. Bd2 Qc7 {keeps a plus.}) 28. Rg3 Qb5 $2 {
Decisive tactics are allowed.} (28... Qxb4 $5 29. Rb1 {brings a white attack})
(28... Rc8 $1 29. Qd3 f5 30. Rxe5 dxe5 31. Bxe7 Rf7 32. d6 Be4 {(Bologan)} 33.
Rxg6+ Kxg6 34. Qg3+ {draws by perpetual check.}) 29. Qh5 $1 Rh8 30. Rxg6+ $1
fxg6 31. Qxg6+ Kf8 32. Qf5+ Kg8 33. Re3 $1 Rh6 34. Rg3+ Kh8 35. Bd2 {
Bologan carried out a strong attack.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.12.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Krasenkow, Michal"]
[Black "Efimov, Igor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2510"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

1. d4 c6 2. c4 f5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Nxe4 fxe4 6. f3 $5 d5 7. fxe4 dxe4 {
Play becomes similar to the Staunton Gambit.} 8. Qd2 Bf5 9. e3 Nd7 10. Ne2 h6
11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Bg7 13. h4 $5 Nf6 $6 ({Preferable is} 13... e5 {(Krasenkow).
}) 14. hxg5 hxg5 15. Rxh8+ Bxh8 16. Be5 {White has the initiative.} Qd7 17. Ng3
$1 Bg6 18. Be2 O-O-O $6 (18... b6 $5 {prevents the next move.}) 19. Qa5 $1 b6
20. Qa6+ Qb7 21. Qa3 $1 Bg7 22. O-O-O $1 Qd7 $2 (22... Rh8 $5 {
avoids the exposure of the black queen.}) 23. c5 $1 b5 24. d5 $1 cxd5 25. Qa5
a6 26. Bxb5 $1 {The black defence has been crushed.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.12.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Black "Krasenkow, Michal"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B08"]
[WhiteElo "2375"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. a4 a5 8. h3 Na6
9. Be3 Nb4 10. Nd2 d5 11. Bf3 $6 ({Theory is} 11. e5) 11... dxe4 12. Ndxe4 Nxe4
13. Nxe4 f5 $1 {Black takes the initiative.} 14. Ng5 e6 $1 (14... h6 $6 15. c3
$1 {(Krasenkow)} hxg5 16. cxb4 axb4 17. Bxg5 Qxd4 18. Bxe7 {
slightly favours White.}) 15. c3 $5 f4 $1 16. Bd2 Qxg5 17. cxb4 Bxd4 18. Bc3
Bxc3 19. bxc3 e5 20. Qb3+ $2 ({Better is} 20. Kh1 {
and White continues the protection of bishop f3.}) 20... Kg7 21. Kh2 $2 (21. h4
$5 Qxh4 22. Qc4 {prolongs the game.}) 21... e4 $1 22. Bxe4 f3 $1 23. Bxf3 Qe5+
{Krasenkow scored well.} ({The pointe is} 23... Qe5+ 24. Kg1 Rxf3 $1 25. gxf3
Bxh3 {and Black wins.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.12.31"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Efimov, Igor"]
[Black "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "2510"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

{The former Soviet player Efimov lived in Italy for some years.} 1. d4 Nf6 2.
Nf3 g6 3. c4 c5 4. d5 Bg7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. e4 d6 7. h3 e6 8. Bd3 Na6 9. O-O Nc7
10. a4 Na6 11. Re1 Nb4 12. Bb1 $5 Re8 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bd2 b6 15. Qc1 Kh7 16. e5
$5 {White charges.} dxe5 17. Nxe5 Re7 $2 {Black misses a double sacrifice.} ({
Correct is} 17... exd5 18. Nxf7 Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Qf8 20. Ne5 Bf5) 18. Nxf7 $1
Rxf7 19. Bxg6+ $1 Kg8 ({The pointe is} 19... Kxg6 20. Qb1+ Kh5 21. Re5+ Kh4 22.
Qg6 {and mate (Petursson).}) 20. Bxh6 Re7 $1 21. d6 $1 Qxd6 22. Rd1 Nbd5 23.
cxd5 exd5 24. Nb5 Qd8 25. Bg5 a6 26. Nc3 Bb7 27. Ne4 $1 {White wins elegantly.}
Qf8 28. Nd6 Bc6 29. Qf4 Rd7 30. Nf5 Ne4 31. Qh4 Nxg5 32. Qxg5 Qf6 33. Qh5 d4
34. Ra3 $1 Qe6 35. Rg3 Kf8 36. a5 $1 Rad8 ({Or} 36... b5 37. Nxg7 Rxg7 38.
Qxc5+) 37. axb6 c4 38. Nxg7 Rxg7 39. Qh8+ Qg8 40. Qh4 $1 Rd6 41. Qf4+ Ke7 42.
Rxd4 Rxd4 43. Qe5+ $1 {Efimov won a great attacking game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1996.12.31"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Krasenkow, Michal"]
[Black "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

{Krasenkow and Bologan shared the lead by 4/5, when the sixth round began.} 1.
Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7
9. b4 Nh5 10. Re1 Nf4 11. Bf1 a5 12. bxa5 c5 13. a4 $5 f5 $5 14. Bxf4 exf4 $2 (
{Better is} 14... fxe4 $1 15. Bxe5 exf3 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 {(Huzman).}) 15. e5 $1
dxe5 16. Nxe5 Kh8 $5 17. Nb5 Rxa5 18. Ra3 $1 {White becomes active everywhere.}
Bxe5 19. Rxe5 Nc6 20. Re2 $1 Nb4 21. d6 Rf7 22. Qa1+ $1 Kg8 23. Qe5 b6 24. Qxf4
{White grabs a pawn during the attack.} Bd7 25. h4 Qf6 26. g3 $1 Ra8 27. Bg2 $1
Rd8 28. Nc7 Bc6 29. Re6 $1 {Krasenkow controls the board.} Qb2 30. Rae3 Rf6 31.
Qh6 Rxe6 32. Nxe6 Re8 33. Bxc6 Qc1+ 34. Kh2 {Krasenkow gives this move.} ({
Other sources mention} 34. Kg2 {
but the following tactics are incorrect in that case.}) 34... Rxe6 35. Bd5 Nxd5
36. d7 $1 {Krasenkow became the sole leader.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1997.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Black "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nbd7 6. Nf3 h6 7. Nxf6+ Nxf6
8. Bd2 c5 9. Bd3 a6 10. Qe2 b5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. O-O-O Qc7 {
Lanka - Psakhis, Moscow 1994, ended as a draw in this position.} 13. Bc3 $5 {
Bologan proceeds.} Bb7 14. Be5 Qb6 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Be4 Rd8 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18.
Rxd8+ Kxd8 19. Rd1+ Ke7 20. Ne1 Rd8 21. Nd3 Bb6 22. f4 Qd5 23. Kb1 h5 24. g3
Rd6 25. h3 Kd8 $6 ({Better is} 25... Qf5 $5 26. g4 hxg4 27. Qxg4 $6 Qxg4 28.
hxg4 Rd8 {and Black has a plus.}) 26. g4 hxg4 27. Qxg4 $1 Kc7 28. h4 $1 {
He utilises his passed pawn immediately.} Rd8 29. h5 $1 Qe4 30. a3 $5 Qh7 31.
Qf3 a5 32. Rh1 Qh6 {The queen has become a passive blockader.} 33. Nc1 $5 Rd5
34. Ne2 Kb8 $2 (34... b4 $1 35. axb4 axb4 36. Nc1 Bc5 {creates counter-play.})
35. Nc3 Rc5 36. a4 $5 (36. Nxb5 $1 Rxb5 37. Qc6 {wins elegantly.}) 36... b4 37.
Nb5 Rd5 38. Qg2 Bc5 39. Qg8+ Qf8 40. Qxf8+ Bxf8 41. h6 Bxh6 42. Rxh6 {
Bologan chased Krasenkow.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 39"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1997.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Black "Razuvaev, Yuri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 d5 7. b4 dxc4 $5
8. Qxc4 b6 9. Bb2 c6 $6 ({More active is} 9... Ba6 $5 10. Qh4 Nbd7) 10. g4 $1 {
White charges.} a5 11. g5 Nd5 $2 ({Preferable is} 11... Ne8 12. Rg1 axb4 13.
axb4 Rxa1+ 14. Bxa1 Qd5) 12. Rg1 $1 axb4 $5 13. Qd4 $1 f6 14. gxf6 Qxf6 $5 (
14... Rxf6 15. axb4 Rxa1+ 16. Bxa1 Na6 17. b5 {leads to a white advantage.})
15. Rxg7+ $1 {The winning blow is delivered.} Kxg7 16. Qg4+ Kh8 17. Bxf6+ Rxf6
18. Ng5 {He has a decisive material advantage.} Nd7 19. Nxe6 Rg6 20. Qd4+ N7f6
21. Nf4 Nxf4 22. Qxf4 bxa3 23. Qf3 Bg4 24. Qxc6 Rc8 25. Qa4 Re8 26. Rxa3 Bxe2
27. Re3 $1 ({Not} 27. Bxe2 $4 Rg1#) 27... Rxe3 28. fxe3 Bxf1 29. Kxf1 h6 30.
Qd4 {The final standings became: Krasenkow 7/9, Bologan 61/2, Komarov,
Romanishin and Efimov 51/2, Razuvaev 5, Godena 31/2, Belotti and Tatai 21/2,
Mantovani 11/2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1997.12.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D16"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

{The 40th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 26 xii 1997 until 6 i 1998.
Eight Italians and four foreigners participated.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3
Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. a4 Na6 6. e4 Bg4 7. Bxc4 e6 8. Be3 Nb4 9. O-O Be7 10. Be2 O-O
11. a5 Qc7 12. Qb3 Rfd8 13. Ra4 $1 ({The alternative is} 13. Rfc1) 13... Na6 {
Black has to retreat. White continues the restraint.} 14. Rc1 Bh5 15. h3 Rac8
16. Bg5 Bxf3 $2 ({Better is} 16... h6 17. Be3 c5) 17. Bxf3 h6 18. Be3 Qd7 19.
Rc4 Ne8 20. e5 $1 {Black has no counter-play.} Rb8 21. Ne4 Nac7 22. Nc5 Bxc5
23. Rxc5 a6 24. Be4 Nd5 25. Bd2 Ne7 26. R5c4 Nf5 27. Bxf5 exf5 28. Bb4 Qe6 29.
Bc5 Nc7 $2 {Black blunders a pawn.} (29... Qc8 $1 30. f4 Nc7 {
improves the black position.}) 30. Ba7 $1 Ra8 31. Qxb7 Nb5 32. Bb6 Rab8 {
White captures another pawn.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1997.12.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Black "Efimov, Igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2540"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6 6. c3 g6 7. Re1 Bg7 8. Nbd2
O-O 9. Bb3 Kh7 10. Nf1 Bd7 $5 (10... Nh5 {
will happen in the next round (Yudasin - Godena).}) 11. h3 Qe7 12. Ng3 Rae8 13.
d4 $1 {White takes the initiative after a quiet opening.} Qd8 $6 (13... Na5 $1
14. Bc2 c5 {counters at the queenside.}) 14. a3 Ng8 $5 15. Bc2 a6 16. Rb1 Qc8
17. b4 Nd8 18. Be3 Ne6 19. Qd2 f6 20. Rbd1 Re7 21. Nh2 Qe8 22. d5 $1 {
The restriction increases.} Nd8 23. c4 $1 Kh8 24. c5 f5 $1 {
Black goes forwards at last.} 25. exf5 gxf5 26. f4 Qg6 27. Bf2 e4 28. Nhf1 Bf6
29. Ne3 Rg7 $5 30. Kh2 Ne7 31. Rg1 $6 Rfg8 32. a4 Nf7 33. Qe2 Ne5 $6 34. Kh1
Be8 $2 {Probably, time pressure affects the game.} (34... Nd3 $1 35. Bxd3 exd3
36. Rxd3 Bh4 37. Ngf1 Bxf2 38. Qxf2 Bxa4 {equalises.}) 35. fxe5 Bxe5 36. Ngf1
Qg5 37. Nc4 Bh5 38. g4 $1 fxg4 39. Nxe5 g3 $5 40. Nf7+ $1 {
This desperado sacrifice is okay.} Rxf7 41. Bd4+ $1 Rgg7 42. Qxe4 $4 {
The tables turn.} ({Correct is} 42. Bxg7+ $1 Rxg7 (42... Kxg7 43. Nxg3 $1 Bxe2
44. Nxe2) 43. Qxe4 Bxd1 44. Bxd1 {and White wins.}) 42... Bf3+ $1 43. Qxf3 Rxf3
44. Bxg7+ Qxg7 45. Be4 Qc3 46. Rg2 Rf2 47. cxd6 cxd6 48. b5 axb5 49. axb5 Nf5 {
Suddenly Efimov won.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1997.12.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6 6. c3 g6 7. Bb3 Bg7 8. Nbd2
O-O 9. Re1 Kh7 10. Nf1 Nh5 11. h3 Na5 $5 {Godena tries another idea.} (11...
Qe8 {was played in Mariotti - Godena, Italy 1997.}) 12. Bc2 c5 13. a3 Nc6 14.
b4 Be6 15. Be3 b6 16. Rc1 Rc8 17. Qd2 d5 $1 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. N1h2 f5 $1 {
Black takes the initiative.} 20. Qd1 c4 $1 21. dxc4 Bxc4 22. g4 fxg4 23. hxg4
Nf4 $1 24. Nd2 $6 Qh4 $2 (24... Be6 $1 25. Bxf4 Rxf4 {
gains a positional advantage.}) 25. Bxg6+ $2 (25. Nxc4 Nh3+ 26. Kg2 Nxf2 27.
Nf3 Qh3+ 28. Kxf2 Qh2+ 29. Kf1 Qh1+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 25... Kxg6 $2
(25... Nxg6 26. Nxc4 e4 {wins for Black.}) 26. Nxc4 e4 27. Qd6+ $5 Rf6 28. Bxf4
Rxd6 29. Nxd6 Be5 $5 30. Bxe5 Nxe5 31. Rxe4 Nd3 $5 32. Rc2 $1 Qf6 $2 33. Nxc8 {
Many mistakes were made.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1997.12.31"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Black "Lputian, Smbat"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A08"]
[WhiteElo "2410"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 c5 5. g3 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1
Nc6 9. c3 Kh8 10. exd5 Nxd5 $5 11. Nb3 b6 12. d4 c4 13. Nbd2 Qc7 14. Qa4 $5 (
14. Nxc4 $1 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Qxc4 16. Re4 Qc7 17. Bg5 {gains an edge.}) 14... Na5
15. Ne5 f6 $1 16. Ng4 Bd7 17. Qd1 $5 b5 18. Nf1 Rae8 19. h4 Bc6 20. Bd2 Nb7 21.
Qc2 Nd6 $1 22. Re2 Qb7 23. Nfe3 Nxe3 24. Nxe3 Ne4 25. Ree1 f5 $1 {
Black takes the initiative.} 26. Nf1 e5 $1 27. dxe5 Rxe5 28. Bf4 Re6 29. Nh2 $6
(29. a4 b4 30. cxb4 Qxb4 31. Rac1 {counters at the queenside.}) 29... Rfe8 30.
Re3 h6 31. f3 Nc5 32. Rae1 Rxe3 33. Rxe3 Qd7 34. Rxe8+ Qxe8 35. Qd2 Kh7 36. Nf1
Nd3 $1 37. Be3 a5 38. b3 $2 {He weakens pawn c3.} ({Preferable is} 38. f4 Bxg2
39. Qxg2) 38... Qe6 39. bxc4 Qxc4 $1 40. Bd4 Bxd4+ 41. cxd4 Qxd4+ {
Black has gained a pawn.} 42. Kh2 b4 43. Ne3 Qd7 44. Nc4 a4 45. Bf1 Ne5 46.
Qxd7+ Nxd7 47. Kg2 a3 48. Kf2 Nc5 {Yudasin led by half-a-point on Komarov,
Lputian and Arlandi at the end of the year.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Black "Belotti, Bruno"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D67"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2410"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3
dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Ne4 N5b6 12. Bb3 e5 13. O-O h6 14. Re1 Re8
$2 ({Better is} 14... Kh8 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 {
(Rey Ardid - Cenni, Paris 1924).}) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Nd6 $1 Rf8 {
The king's rook has to retreat.} 18. Nxf7 $1 Qf6 $5 (18... Rxf7 19. Qd8+ Kh7
20. Bxf7 Bd7 21. Qh4 {is even worse.}) 19. Nd6+ Kh8 20. Rc2 Qg6 21. Rd2 Bg4 22.
Qc2 Qh5 23. f3 Bf5 24. e4 Bg6 25. Nxb7 Nd5 26. Qc5 Qg5 27. Rf2 {
Komarov and Yudasin joined the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Qc7 5. O-O a6 6. Bf4 d6 7. dxc5 Qxc5 8. c4
Be7 $5 (8... Qxc4 $6 9. Bxd6 Qd5 {
happened in Romanishin - Sax, Polanica Zdroj 1993.}) 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Na4 Qa5 11.
b4 $1 Qd8 $1 ({The pointe is} 11... Qxb4 $2 12. Rb1 Qxc4 13. Nb6) 12. c5 $1
dxc5 13. Qxd8 Bxd8 14. bxc5 Bd7 15. Nb6 Bxb6 16. cxb6 {
White has a better endgame.} Bc6 17. Rfc1 Nbd7 $6 {
Black has to prepare the development.} ({Better is} 17... Rd8 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19.
Kxg2 Nbd7 20. Rc7 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Rab8) 18. Rxc6 $1 bxc6 19. b7 Rab8 20. Rb1 Nc5
21. Bxb8 Rxb8 22. Rb6 Nd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... Rxb7 23. Rxc6 Ncd7 24. Rxa6
g6) 23. Rxc6 Nxb7 24. Ne5 $5 Nd8 $5 25. Rxa6 {He gains a pawn.} Rb1+ 26. Bf1
Kf8 27. Kg2 f6 28. Nc4 g5 29. Ra8 Ke8 30. h3 $5 Nc7 31. Ra3 Nc6 32. e3 Rc1 33.
Rb3 Ra1 34. a3 h6 35. Be2 Nd5 36. Rb7 $1 Ra2 37. Rb2 $5 Ra1 $5 38. Bf3 {
Yudasin overstepped the time limit in a lost position. Komarov took the sole
lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Arlandi, Ennio"]
[Black "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E58"]
[WhiteElo "2470"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3
Bxc3 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. a4 Re8 12. Ba3 c4 13. Bc2 Ne4 14. Bxe4 Rxe4
15. Nd2 Re8 16. Re1 Bf5 $5 17. f3 Bd3 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 18. e4 Qa5
19. Bb2 $5 ({The alternative is} 19. Qc1 $1 Re6 20. exd5 Qxd5) 19... Re6 20. e5
$2 ({Right is} 20. exd5 Qxd5 21. Rxe6 Qxe6 22. Qe1 {
and White wants to equalise by exchanges.}) 20... Nxe5 $1 {Black gains a pawn.}
21. f4 $5 ({The pointe is} 21. dxe5 Qb6+ 22. Kh1 Qxb2) 21... Ng6 22. Rxe6 fxe6
23. g3 e5 $1 24. fxe5 Nxe5 $1 {Black repeats a sacrifice.} 25. Qh5 Nf7 26. Re1
Qxa4 27. Qxd5 Re8 {Komarov attacks. He kept the lead in the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 40"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.01.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Black "Tatai, Stefano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C91"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2385"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1997.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. d4 Bg4 10. d5 Na5 11. Bc2 c6 12. h3 Bc8 13. dxc6 Qc7 14. Nbd2 Qxc6 15.
Nf1 Nc4 16. Ng3 g6 17. a4 Bb7 18. Bd3 $5 ({Known is} 18. Qe2) 18... Nb6 19. Bh6
Rfd8 $2 ({Correct is} 19... Rfc8 $1 20. axb5 axb5 21. Qe2 Nc4 22. b3 Na3 {
and Black does not lose material.}) 20. axb5 axb5 21. Qe2 b4 $5 (21... Nc4 22.
b3 Na3 23. Qb2 $1 {protects pawn c3 and attacks a knight.}) 22. cxb4 Rxa1 23.
Rxa1 d5 $5 24. Nxe5 Qd6 25. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 26. e5 Qxb4 27. exf6 Bxf6 28. Bd2 $5
Qd6 $5 29. Qf3 $5 Kg7 $6 30. Nh5+ $1 gxh5 31. Qxh5 Kf8 32. Bh6+ Ke7 33. Re1+
Kd7 34. Qf5+ {Yudasin continued to trail the leader. He managed to join the
lead during the last round. The final standings became: Komarov and Yudasin 71/
2/11, Efimov and Lputian 7, Romanishin and Arlandi 61/2, Tatai 51/2, Godena 5,
Bellini 41/2, Belotti 4, Mantovani 3, Sarno 2. Komarov won on tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 41"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat"]
[Black "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1998.12.??"]

{The 41st Torneo di Capodanno was played from 28 xii 1998 until 5 i 1999. Six
Italians and four foreigners participated.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3
Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd2 Nd7 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. g3 Bd6 10. Bg5 Be7 11.
Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Rc1 c5 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Bh3 Nb6 15. Qc2 $5 (15. b4 {
drew in Krasenkow - Gelfand, Polanica Zdroj 1998.}) 15... Bc8 $5 16. Bg2 Ba6
17. O-O Rc8 18. Bh3 Rc7 19. b4 Bc4 20. bxc5 Qxc5 21. Qc3 O-O 22. Nd4 Na4 23.
Qa1 $1 g6 24. Rb1 Qe7 25. Rfc1 Re8 26. Rb4 $5 Nc5 {
The rook starts an odd adventure.} 27. Qb2 Qf6 28. Bg2 $2 {White blunders.} ({
Preferable is} 28. Rb8 Qe7 29. Rxe8+ Qxe8 30. Qb4) 28... Na6 $1 29. Ra4 $2 (29.
Nc2 $1 d4 30. Qxd4 Qxd4 31. Nxd4 Nxb4 32. axb4 {offers more resistance.}) 29...
Rxe2 $1 30. Qxe2 Bxe2 31. Rxc7 Nxc7 32. Nxe2 Qa1+ 33. Bf1 Nb5 34. Kg2 Nxa3 35.
Nf4 Qb2 36. Nxd5 Qb7 37. Rxa3 Qxd5+ 38. Kg1 a5 39. Ra4 Kg7 40. h4 Qc5 41. Rf4
Qc2 42. Bc4 f5 43. Rd4 Kf6 44. Bg8 Qc1+ 45. Kg2 Qc8 46. Bb3 Qc6+ 47. Kg1 Ke5
48. Ra4 Qb5 49. Bc2 Kd6 50. Rf4 Qb2 51. Ba4 Kc5 52. Kg2 Qb7+ 53. Kh2 Qd5 54.
Bc2 Qa2 55. Ba4 Qb1 56. Be8 Qd3 57. Kg2 Kd6 58. Ba4 h6 $1 59. Rf3 Qe4 60. Bd1
a4 61. Kf1 Qxf3 $1 {Komarov made a good start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 41"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vezzosi, Paolo"]
[Black "Lputian, Smbat"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2325"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1998.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 c6 4. e3 f5 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. f4 Bd6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. O-O Ne4
9. Bd2 Nd7 10. Be1 b6 11. Ne5 $5 ({The alternative is} 11. Rc1) 11... Bb7 12.
Qa4 Nxe5 13. fxe5 Be7 14. Qb3 $5 c5 15. cxd5 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Qxd5 17. Rf2 cxd4
18. Bc4 $1 dxe3 $5 {Black delivers a positional sacrifice.} (18... Qxe5 19.
Bxe6+ Kh8 20. exd4 Qe4 {gains an edge.}) 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. c4 exf2+ 21. Bxf2
Bc6 {The chances are about equal, despite the uneven material.} 22. Rd1 $6 (22.
Be1 Rad8 23. Bb4 {exchanges a strong bishop.}) 22... Rfd8 23. h4 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1
Rd8 25. Qc2 h6 26. g3 Bf3 27. Be3 f4 $5 28. gxf4 (28. Bxf4 Bc5+ 29. Kh2 Rd1 30.
g4 Rh1+ 31. Kg3 {is alright too.}) 28... Bxh4 29. Kh2 Rd1 30. Bg1 $1 h5 31. Kh3
$5 Be1 $5 {He threatens ..Bg4+ and ..Rd2+.} 32. Be3 Bg4+ 33. Kg2 Rd8 34. c5
bxc5 35. Qxc5 a5 36. Qc6 h4 37. f5 $2 {There is no need to give a pawn.} Bxf5
$6 38. Bg5 $2 ({Better is} 38. Bb6 $1 Rb8 39. Ba7 Rb2+ 40. Kf3) 38... Rb8 $1
39. Kf3 h3 $1 40. Bf4 Rf8 41. Bg3 Bd2 42. Ke2 Bg5 43. Qd7 Bg4+ 44. Ke1 Bh4 $1
45. Bxh4 h2 46. Qc6 Bf3 $1 {Lputian won elegantly.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 41"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1998.12.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Solozhenkin, Evgeniy"]
[Black "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1998.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 h6 13. Be3 exd4 14. Bh7+ Kh8
15. Bxd4 Nf6 16. Bf5 Qa5 17. Bxc8 Rfxc8 18. Qb3 Qd5 19. Rfd1 Qxb3 20. axb3 Ne4
21. Rxa7 Rxa7 22. Bxa7 Rc2 23. Bd4 Bc5 24. Ne1 Re2 25. Bxc5 Nxc5 26. b4 Na4 27.
b3 Nc3 28. Kf1 $5 {White has a plus in the endgame.} (28. Rd8+ Kh7 29. Kf1 {
was played by Solozhenkin in the same year.}) 28... Rb2 29. Rd7 f6 30. g3 $5 (
30. Rxb7 Rxb3 31. g3 {brings little advantage.}) 30... b5 31. Nd3 Rb1+ 32. Kg2
Rxb3 33. h4 h5 $2 (33... g5 $1 34. Kf3 h5 $1 {equalises.}) 34. Nf4 $1 Rxb4 35.
Nxh5 {Another black pawn will fall.} Re4 $5 36. Rxg7 Re5 37. Rc7 Nd5 $5 ({
The alternative} 37... Rxh5 38. Rxc3 Kg7 39. Rc7+ Kg6 40. f4 {
leads to a won rook ending for White.}) 38. Rc8+ Kh7 39. g4 b4 40. Kg3 Kg6 41.
Rb8 Re4 42. Rb5 Nc7 43. Rb6 $1 Ne6 44. f3 Re1 45. Nf4+ {
Solozhenkin defeated a main competitor.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 41"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1999.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Solozhenkin, Evgeniy"]
[Black "Drei, Andrea"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E13"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2340"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1998.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Bb7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3
Ne4 9. Qc2 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 d6 11. Bd3 Nxg3 12. fxg3 g4 13. Nh4 Qg5 {
The opening is known from Spassky - Polugaevsky, Baku 1961.} 14. Qe2 Nd7 15.
O-O Rf8 $5 ({Known is} 15... h5) 16. a4 a5 17. Rf4 h5 18. Raf1 {
White has the initiative.} f5 $2 ({Correct is} 18... Qg7 19. Qf2 f5 20. d5 Nc5)
19. d5 $1 e5 $2 (19... O-O-O 20. dxe6 Nc5 21. Bxf5 Kb8 22. e7 Qxe7 23. Ng6 Qg7
24. Nxf8 Rxf8 {offers more resistance.}) 20. Rxf5 Rxf5 21. Rxf5 Qg7 22. Rxh5 {
He has gained two pawns.} Nf6 23. Nf5 Qf8 24. Rg5 Bc8 25. Ng7+ Ke7 26. Bf5 Bxf5
27. Nxf5+ Kd7 28. c5 bxc5 29. Rg7+ Kd8 30. Qb5 $1 Qe8 31. Qb7 Rc8 32. Nxd6 $1 {
The final standings became: Solozhenkin 7/9, Lputian and Komarov 61/2,
Aldrovandi 5, Efimov 41/2, Vezzosi 4, Borgo, Tomescu and Drei 3, Anceschi 21/2.
} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1999.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Efimov, Igor"]
[Black "Khenkin, Igor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B18"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

{The 42nd Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 1999 until 5 i 2000. Six
Italians and four foreigners participated.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4.
Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Bc4 e6 7. N1e2 Nf6 8. O-O Bd6 9. f4 Bf5 10. Nxf5 exf5
11. Ng3 g6 12. Re1+ Kf8 13. Qf3 h5 14. b3 h4 $5 (14... Nbd7 {
happened in Aldrovandi - Solozhenkin during the same round.}) 15. Nh1 $5 {
He manoeuvres like Nimzowitsch.} Nbd7 16. Nf2 Kg7 17. Bb2 Nb6 18. Bf1 Nbd5 19.
g3 hxg3 20. hxg3 Nh5 21. Nh3 $6 ({More solid is} 21. Bg2 Ndf6 22. Rad1) 21...
Nxg3 $1 {Black utilises the opportunity.} 22. Qxg3 Rh4 23. Bg2 Rg4 24. Qf2 ({
Not} 24. Qh2 $2 Qf6 $1 25. Re2 Nxf4 $1) 24... Bxf4 $2 (24... Qh8 $1 25. Kf1
Nxf4 26. d5+ f6 27. Re6 Nxe6 28. dxe6 Be5 {favours Black.}) 25. c4 $1 Bg3 26.
Qf3 $6 Bxe1 27. cxd5 Bh4 28. dxc6 bxc6 29. Nf2 Rg3 30. Qf4 Qf6 31. Rb1 g5 32.
Qc7 Rxg2+ $2 (32... Re8 $1 33. d5 Rc3 34. Rf1 Re2 {
brings chances for both sides.}) 33. Kxg2 Bxf2 34. Kxf2 Qh6 35. Rg1 Re8 36. Qg3
f6 37. d5 $2 Qh5 $4 ({Right is} 37... Kf7 $1) 38. Qxg5+ Qxg5 39. Rxg5+ Kf7 40.
Rxf5 cxd5 41. Rxf6+ {Efimov defeated a strong opponent.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1999.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Khenkin, Igor"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2633"]
[BlackElo "2567"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 Ne4 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. Bf4 d6 8. e3
Be7 9. Bd3 Bg6 $5 {Usual is the exchange of bishops.} 10. h4 Nd7 11. g4 Qc8 $1
12. h5 Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Qb7 14. Ke2 O-O-O 15. Qc2 h6 16. Nd2 e5 17. dxe5 dxe5 18.
Bg3 Nc5 $6 {A solid move would be wiser.} 19. Qf5+ Kb8 20. Bxe5 Rd7 $2 (20...
f6 21. Bd4 Rhe8 {leads to compensation for the pawn.}) 21. Bxg7 Rhd8 22. Rhd1
Qc6 23. Bd4 Ne6 24. Bc3 Bg5 $6 25. Qf3 $1 Rxd2+ $5 26. Rxd2 Qxc4+ 27. Ke1 Rxd2
28. Bxd2 $1 Nc5 29. Bc3 $1 Bh4 30. Qe2 Qe4 31. Rd1 Nb3 32. Qb5 $6 a6 $6 (32...
Qf3 $1 33. Qf1 $1 Qxg4 34. Qh1 $1 {also wins for White.}) 33. Qe5 Qxg4 34. Qf4
Qxh5 35. Rd7 Qc5 36. Qxh4 Qf5 37. Rd8+ Ka7 38. Qg3 Qb1+ 39. Ke2 {
Khenkin came back from a loss.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1999.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Black "Aldrovandi, Costantino"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2 Nbd7 5. d3 b6 6. O-O Bb7 7. Re1 g6 8. Nbd2
Bg7 9. Bf1 O-O 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 Qc7 12. b3 Rac8 13. Ba3 Qb8 14. Qe2 Nh5 $5
(14... Qa8 {happened in Seret - Leko, Pamplona, 1993.}) 15. Qe3 Nhf6 16. h3
Rfd8 17. Bd3 Ne8 $5 18. Rad1 Nc7 19. Bb1 Ne6 20. Nf1 Ba8 21. Qd2 Bb7 22. Ng3
Ba8 23. Bb2 Nef8 $5 {Aldrovandi plays very passively.} 24. h4 h5 25. Bd3 Nh7
26. Qe2 e6 27. Ba3 Bb7 28. Nf1 Ndf6 29. N3d2 Ng4 30. Bb2 Ngf6 31. Ne3 Qa8 32.
f3 Bh6 33. a4 Bf4 34. Qf2 Qb8 35. Bf1 a6 36. g3 Bh6 37. d5 $1 exd5 38. Nxd5
Bxd5 39. exd5 Rc2 $1 ({Avoids} 39... Nxd5 $4 40. Ne4 $1) 40. Qd4 b5 41. axb5
axb5 42. Ba1 Ra2 43. Ne4 Bg7 44. Nf2 Rc8 45. Nd3 $5 Rxa1 $1 46. Qxa1 ({Or} 46.
Rxa1 Nd7 47. Qf2 Bxa1 48. Rxa1) 46... Qb6+ 47. Nf2 Ne4 $6 ({Better is} 47...
Nxd5 48. Qa2 Nc3 49. Qc2 Ra8) 48. Qa2 $1 Nxg3 $2 (48... Nc3 $1 49. Qc2 Rc7 50.
Rc1 Bd4 {accepts a small disadvantage.}) 49. Bh3 $1 Rc3 50. Kg2 Nf5 51. Bxf5
gxf5 52. Re8+ Nf8 53. Qb1 Qc5 54. b4 $1 Qc4 55. Qxf5 Qxb4 56. Re7 f6 57. Qxh5
Qf4 58. Qf7+ {Yudasin delivers mate.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "1999.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Black "Efimov, Igor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C76"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2445"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 g6 5. O-O Bg7 6. c3 d6 7. d4 Bd7 8. Be3
Nf6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. b4 Re8 12. Qc2 $5 Ng4 13. Bg5 Bf6 14. Bxf6
Nxf6 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Nf1 b5 17. Bb3 Bg4 18. Qe2 Nd8 $5 19. Ne3 Bxf3 20. Qxf3
c6 21. a4 Ne6 22. h4 h5 23. g3 Kg7 24. Nc2 Red8 25. Ne1 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 a5 {
The chances are equal.} 27. axb5 cxb5 28. Bd5 Ra7 $6 ({Preferable is} 28... Ra6
) 29. Qe3 $1 axb4 30. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 31. cxb4 Rd7 $2 ({Correct is} 31... Rc7 $1
32. Nd3 Nd7) 32. Rxd7 $1 Qxd7 (32... Nxd7 33. Qd3 {costs a pawn.}) 33. Nf3 Qd1+
34. Kg2 Qd6 35. Ng5 $1 Nd7 ({Or} 35... Qc6 36. Qc5 $1 Qxc5 37. Nxe6+ Kf7 38.
Nxc5) 36. Qf3 Qe7 37. Qd3 Nf8 38. Qxb5 Kf6 39. Qb8 Nd7 40. Qc8 Kg7 41. b5 Nb6
42. Qc6 {Yudasin won for the fourth time in a row.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2000.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2 Bb7 4. O-O Nf6 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4
Nc6 9. Qf4 O-O 10. Rd1 Qb8 11. b3 Rd8 12. Bb2 a6 13. Rac1 h6 $5 ({Known is} 
13... Qxf4 14. gxf4 Na5 15. Na4 Rab8) 14. Na4 $1 b5 15. Nb6 Qxf4 16. gxf4 Ra7
$5 (16... Rab8 $2 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. fxe5 Ne4 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Rxd7 {
costs a pawn.}) 17. Ne5 Nb4 $2 ({Preferable is} 17... Nh5 $5 18. e3 Nxe5 19.
Bxe5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bc5 21. Bd4) 18. a3 $1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rb7 ({
The alternative is} 19... Nc6 20. Nbxd7 Nxe5 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. Rxd8+ Bxd8 23.
Bxe5 {and White gains a pawn.}) 20. Nbxd7 $1 Nxd7 21. axb4 Nb8 $2 (21... Nxe5
22. Rxd8+ Bxd8 23. Bxe5 bxc4 24. bxc4 Rxb4 25. c5 {wins for White.}) 22. Rxd8+
Bxd8 23. cxb5 Bf6 ({The pointe is} 23... Rxb5 24. Rc8) 24. Rc8+ $1 Kh7 25. Rxb8
$1 Rxb8 26. bxa6 {
The favourites battled among each other. Yudasin had a setback.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2000.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Genocchio, Daniele"]
[Black "Solozhenkin, Evgeniy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B18"]
[WhiteElo "2291"]
[BlackElo "2544"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Bc4 e6 7. N1e2 Nf6 8.
O-O Bd6 9. f4 Qd7 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 g6 12. f5 gxf5 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Rae1 Rg8
15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxf5 exf5 17. Rxf5 Bh8 18. Qb3 Rg6 $5 {Genocchio has
sacrificed a piece again, but he encounters more resistance than the previous
time.} (18... Qe7 $2 19. Kf1 Nd7 20. Nf4 {
happened in Genocchio - Serrer, Budapest 1999.}) 19. Nf4+ Kf8 20. Qb4+ $2 ({
Preferable is} 20. c3 {(threatens Ne6+)} Na6 21. Nxg6+ hxg6 22. Rff1) 20... Kg8
$1 21. Nxg6 Bxd4+ 22. Kh1 hxg6 23. Rf4 $2 ({Better is} 23. Rff1 c5 24. Qc4 Nc6
25. c3 Be5 26. Qxc5) 23... c5 $1 24. Qc4 Nc6 25. c3 Be5 $1 26. Rf3 b6 {
Black has a decisive material advantage.} 27. h4 Bg7 28. Qe4 Rd8 29. h5 Ne5 $1
30. Rg3 Qd2 31. hxg6 f5 $1 32. Qe3 f4 33. Qxd2 Rxd2 34. Rg5 Rxb2 35. a4 Ra2 36.
Re4 $5 ({Or} 36. Rgxe5 Bxe5 37. Rxe5 Rxa4 {and Black wins the rook ending.})
36... Bf6 37. Rf5 Ng4 38. Rexf4 Ra1+ 39. Rf1 Rxf1+ 40. Rxf1 Kg7 41. Rf3 Ne5 42.
Rg3 Nc4 43. Rd3 Kxg6 44. Rd7 Bxc3 45. Rxa7 Be5 46. Kg1 Na3 47. Kf2 c4 48. Ke2
c3 49. Kd1 c2+ 50. Kc1 Bc3 51. Rc7 Be5 52. Rc8 Kf7 53. Kd2 Bf4+ {
Yudasin and Romanishin joined the lead at the end of the penultimate round.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 42"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2000.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Black "Genocchio, Daniele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2291"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1999.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 c4 $6 {
Black delivers an odd novelty.} 7. e5 $1 f6 8. Qe2 Ba6 9. Na3 fxe5 10. Nxe5 Nf6
11. h3 $5 {White leaves pawn c4 alone for a minute.} O-O 12. Nexc4 Re8 13. d3
e5 14. Qd2 Qb8 15. Qa5 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 d5 17. Nd2 g5 $5 18. Qa4 Qd6 19. Nf1 g4 $5
{Black becomes desperate already.} 20. hxg4 e4 21. dxe4 Nxg4 22. e5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 22. c3 $5 Qf6 23. f3) 22... Nxe5 23. Bf4 Qc5 24. Bxe5 Rxe5 25.
Rxe5 Bxe5 26. Qg4+ Kh8 27. c3 d4 28. Rc1 Rg8 29. Qe4 Re8 30. g3 Rf8 31. Rc2
dxc3 32. bxc3 Qd5 33. Qe2 $5 {Exchange is fine too.} Qb5 34. Qe3 Bc7 35. Qxa7
Bxg3 $1 36. Qe7 Bd6 $6 (36... Kg8 37. Qe6+ Kh8 {offers more resistance.}) 37.
Qxd6 Rg8+ 38. Ng3 $1 Rxg3+ 39. fxg3 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Qxc2+ 41. Kh3 Qxc3 $4 (41...
Qxa2 $2 42. Qf8+ $1 Qg8 43. Qxg8+ Kxg8 44. Kg4 {
leads to a won pawn ending for White.}) 42. Qf8# {Romanishin was defeated by
Efimov in the last round. The final standings became: Yudasin 7/9, Khenkin 61/
2, Romanishin and Solozhenkin 6, Efimov and Vezzosi 5, Manca 3, Drei and
Aldrovandi 21/2, Genocchio 11/2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 43"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.01.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Naumkin, Igor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2602"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2000.12.??"]

{The 43rd Torneo di Capodanno was played from 30 xii 2000 until 7 i 2001. Six
Italians and four foreigners took part.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2
Bb7 5. Nc3 Be7 6. d4 Ne4 7. Bd2 Bf6 8. Qc2 Nxd2 9. Qxd2 d6 10. Rd1 Nd7 11. Qc2
$5 g6 12. h4 $1 {Romanishin sees an opportunity.} Bg7 13. h5 a6 14. Kf1 $5 Qe7
15. Nd2 Bxg2+ 16. Kxg2 O-O 17. Nf3 f5 $6 (17... Nf6 $5 18. h6 Bh8 {
defends solidly.}) 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. Qd2 b5 20. Qe3 c6 $5 21. d5 $1 b4 22. Na4
cxd5 23. cxd5 e5 24. Qg5 Qe8 $2 ({Better is} 24... Qf6 $5 {
and Black almost equalises.}) 25. Qh4 $1 Nf6 26. Nb6 Rb8 27. Nc4 $1 b3 $5 28.
axb3 Qd7 29. Qg5 Rxb3 ({The pointe is} 29... Kf7 30. Ncxe5+ dxe5 31. Nxe5+) 30.
Qxg6 f4 31. Rh4 Qe8 32. Qc2 Rb4 33. Nxd6 Qd7 34. Nc4 e4 35. Nfe5 Qb5 36. Rxf4
Rc8 37. b3 Rxb3 38. Rxf6 Bxf6 39. Qxe4 Qe8 40. Nd6 {
Romanishin was the star this time.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 43"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.01.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Efimov, Igor"]
[Black "Naumkin, Igor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2000.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g4 Nc6 7. g5 Nd7 8. Rg1
Be7 9. Rg3 O-O 10. Be3 a6 11. Qe2 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Re8 13. Qh5 b5 14. O-O-O Nf8
15. Rdd3 b4 $2 (15... Ng6 16. Rdf3 e5 {avoids a disaster.}) 16. Bxg7 $1 {
He finds a prettier way to the win.} (16. Rdf3 e5 17. Qxf7+ Kh8 18. Bb6 $1
Bxg5+ 19. Kb1 Qe7 20. Nd5 Qxf7 21. Rxf7 {
won for White in Ljubojevic - Hjartarson, Barcelona 1989.}) 16... bxc3 ({
A pointe is} 16... Kxg7 17. Rdf3 $1 bxc3 18. Rxf7+ Kg8 19. g6 $1 {
and White has a mate attack.}) 17. Rdf3 $1 Ng6 18. Bxc3 Rf8 19. Bf6 $5 Qa5 20.
b4 $1 Qxb4 21. Rh3 $1 Qe1+ 22. Kb2 Qb4+ 23. Kc1 $5 Qe1+ 24. Kb2 Qb4+ 25. Rb3 $1
Bxf6+ 26. gxf6 {White will deliver mate soon.} Qd4+ 27. Rbc3 Rb8+ 28. Kc1 {
Efimov achieved a crushing victory.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 43"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.01.04"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Vezzosi, Paolo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A41"]
[WhiteElo "2602"]
[BlackElo "2412"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2000.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d6 2. d4 Bg4 3. Nbd2 c6 4. h3 Bh5 5. g3 Nd7 6. Bg2 Ngf6 7. O-O d5 $5 {
Black loses time.} 8. Re1 e6 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Be7 11. c3 O-O 12. Nxf6+ Bxf6
13. Qb3 Qb6 14. Be3 Bg6 15. Nd2 $1 Qc7 $6 {He spoils more time.} ({
Preferable is} 15... Be7 16. Nc4 Qa6) 16. Bf4 $1 Qb6 17. Nc4 Qa6 18. a4 Bd3 19.
Nd6 g5 20. Be5 Rab8 21. c4 Bg6 22. Qc3 c5 $2 ({Correct is} 22... Bd8 23. g4
Nxe5 24. dxe5 f5) 23. Bxf6 $1 Qxd6 24. dxc5 Qxc5 25. Bd4 Qc7 26. Bxa7 {
White has gained a pawn.} Rbc8 27. Be3 f6 28. a5 Rf7 29. b3 $1 {
Romanishin and Efimov were fighting for the first place.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 43"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.01.05"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Efimov, Igor"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2602"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2000.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. a3 Be7 {
Romanishin plays his favourite line.} 8. Be3 $5 Bf6 9. Nd4 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 d5 $1
11. e5 Be7 12. c4 $6 ({Preferable is} 12. Be3 c6 13. c4) 12... c5 $1 13. cxd5
$2 {White delivers a doubtful sacrifice.} cxd4 14. Qxd4 {
He has a strong centre.} Nh6 15. Nc3 O-O 16. Bc4 Nf5 17. Qd3 Qc7 $5 ({
More aggressive is} 17... Bc5 18. O-O Qh4) 18. f4 $2 {
White wants to continue his charge.} (18. d6 Bxd6 19. exd6 Re8+ 20. Kf1 Nxd6
21. Bd5 {regains the piece at a positional cost.}) 18... Qc5 19. Bb5 Ne3 20.
Na4 Nxg2+ 21. Kf1 Ne3+ 22. Ke2 Bg4+ 23. Kd2 Qxd5 24. Nb6 Qg2+ {
Black has a devastating attack. Romanishin had defeated his main competitor.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 43"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.01.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Zaja, Ivan"]
[Black "Iotti, Pierluigi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2513"]
[BlackElo "2294"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "2000.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Qa4+ c6 $2 (
7... Bc6 8. Qc2 Be7 {was played in Jaffe - Walcott, New York 1911.}) 8. Bxf6 $1
gxf6 {He ruins his pawn structure.} (8... Qxf6 $5 9. Nxd5 Qd6 10. Nc3 {
costs a pawn.}) 9. g3 Nd7 10. Bh3 $1 a5 $5 11. O-O Bb4 12. e4 $1 {Zaja charges.
} Bxc3 $5 13. exd5 $1 Bxd4 ({Or} 13... b5 14. Qc2) 14. Qxd4 c5 15. Rfe1+ $1 Kf8
16. Qf4 {The final standings became: Romanishin 71/2/9, Efimov 61/2, Zaja 6,
Bellini 51/2, Tomescu and Vezzosi 41/2, Naumkin 31/2, Constantini and Drei 3,
Iotti 1.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.12.30"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Zaja, Ivan"]
[Black "Chatalbashev, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "2476"]
[BlackElo "2526"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

{The 44th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 30 xii 2001 until 7 i 2002.
Three Italians and seven foreigners participated.} 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. e4 c5
4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. h3 O-O 8. Nf3 Na6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 Nc7 11.
Qd2 Kh7 12. e5 dxe5 13. Bxc5 Re8 14. d6 Na6 15. Ba3 $5 {White has an advantage.
} ({The alternative is} 15. Be3 Nd7 16. h4 f5 17. h5 f4 18. Bxg6+ {
(Sokolov - Gheorghiu, Haifa 1989).}) 15... Nd7 16. Qe3 $5 f5 $1 17. c5 $5 Qa5
$5 (17... e4 18. Bxa6 exf3 19. Bf1 fxg2 20. Bxg2 {favours White.}) 18. O-O-O $2
({Correct is} 18. Bb5 e4 19. Nd4 {and he keeps an edge.}) 18... Naxc5 $1 19.
Bb5 a6 20. Bxc5 $2 ({Better is} 20. Be2) 20... axb5 21. a3 f4 $1 22. Qe2 Nxc5 {
Black has gained a piece.} 23. Nxb5 Bd7 24. Nc7 e4 25. Ne1 Na4 {
Chatalbashev countered well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2001.12.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Black "Zaja, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2634"]
[BlackElo "2476"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Qc2 dxc4 7. Qxc4 a6 8. Bf4
Nd5 9. O-O b5 10. Qc2 Nd7 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 Bb7 13. Rfd1 Nf6 14. Ne5 Bxg2
15. Kxg2 Bd6 16. e3 Qe8 $5 ({Known is} 16... Qc8) 17. Ne4 Nd5 $1 18. Ng5 g6 19.
Ngf3 $6 ({Preferable is} 19. Ne4 f6 20. Nf3) 19... f6 $1 20. Nd3 g5 $1 21. Kh1
({Or} 21. fxg5 Qh5 22. h3 fxg5) 21... Qg6 $6 (21... Qh5 22. Qe2 Kh8 23. Rg1 Rg8
{attacks on the kingside.}) 22. Rg1 Qe4 23. Nde1 Qxc2 24. Nxc2 h6 25. Nce1 Kh7
26. Rc1 Rac8 27. Nd3 gxf4 $6 (27... Rf7 $1 28. Rc6 a5 {keeps the equality.})
28. e4 $1 Nb6 $2 (28... Nb4 29. Nxb4 Bxb4 30. Rc6 Rfe8 31. Rg4 a5 {is alright.}
) 29. e5 $1 fxe5 30. dxe5 Be7 31. Rc6 $1 Rf7 32. Rxe6 {
White has regained the pawn. He threatens 33.Rgg6.} Rd8 33. Nxf4 $1 {
Delchev grabs a pawn.} Bf8 34. Rg4 Nd5 35. Nxd5 Rxd5 36. Kg2 Bg7 37. Re8 $1 c5
38. e6 Rf6 39. e7 Re6 40. Rd8 $1 {Delchev played a fine endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Scalcione, Michelangelo"]
[Black "Chatalbashev, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D06"]
[WhiteElo "2292"]
[BlackElo "2526"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Qb3 Nc6 6. c5 Rb8 7. Bf4 a6 8. e3
Nd7 9. Rc1 $5 ({The alternative is} 9. Be2) 9... Be7 10. Qa4 $5 g5 $1 11. Bg3
h5 12. h3 Kf8 13. b4 Kg7 14. Qb3 g4 $1 15. hxg4 hxg4 16. Rxh8 Qxh8 17. Nh2 Qh6
18. Be2 $2 (18. Qb2 {protects rook c1.}) 18... Nxd4 $1 19. Qb2 Nxe2 20. Kxe2
Bf6 $1 {Black returns the pawn.} 21. Bxc7 Rc8 22. Bf4 Qg6 23. Qd2 Rh8 24. Nf1
Rh1 25. Nd1 e5 $6 26. Bg3 $6 (26. Ng3 $1 exf4 27. exf4 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 d4 29.
Nxf5+ Qxf5 30. Kf1 {offers more resistance.}) 26... Be4 27. Nh2 d4 28. Nb2 d3+
$1 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.04"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Vezzosi, Paolo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2492"]
[BlackElo "2401"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 Ne4 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. Nd2 Bb7 8. e4
d6 9. Bd3 Nc6 $6 {The knight becomes a target.} ({Usual is} 9... Nd7) 10. Nf3
e5 11. d5 $1 Ne7 $5 12. Bc2 h6 $5 13. O-O Qd7 14. Ba4 c6 15. b4 Ng6 16. Be3 Be7
17. Qe2 $5 O-O 18. Rfd1 Rfc8 $5 19. c5 $1 b5 20. Bb3 cxd5 21. Bxd5 Bxd5 22.
Rxd5 Qg4 $1 23. cxd6 $2 {Cebalo expects to strike.} (23. Qd3 dxc5 24. bxc5 {
keeps an advantage.}) 23... Nh4 $1 24. Nxh4 $5 {
He makes an opportunistic choice.} Qxe2 25. dxe7 g6 26. Nf3 Re8 27. Bc5 $5 f6
28. Re1 Qc2 29. h4 Rac8 $2 ({Better is} 29... h5) 30. h5 $1 g5 31. Nh2 Rxc5 $5
32. Rxc5 Qd2 33. Rec1 Rxe7 34. Ng4 $1 Kh7 $2 35. Nxf6+ Kg7 36. Ng4 Qf4 37. f3
$1 {White has a strong attack.} Re6 $2 (37... Rd7 38. Nxe5 Qe3+ 39. Kh2 Rb7 {
prolongs the game.}) 38. Rc7+ Kf8 39. Rd1 $1 Qg3 40. Nxh6 $1 {
The tables turned in an exciting game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.04"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Zaja, Ivan"]
[Black "Georgiev, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2476"]
[BlackElo "2564"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. d4 d6 2. e4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. dxe5 dxe5 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Bc4 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6
8. f3 a6 9. Be3 Bb4 10. Nge2 Ke7 11. O-O-O Nbd7 12. Nb1 $5 ({Known is} 12. a3
Bc5 13. Bxc5+ Nxc5) 12... b5 13. Nd2 h6 14. Kb1 c5 15. c3 Ba5 16. Nb3 Bb6 17.
c4 $1 Rhc8 18. Nc3 Rab8 19. Rc1 {White has little advantage.} Ne8 $1 20. cxb5
axb5 21. Nxb5 c4 $1 {Black takes the initiative.} 22. Bxb6 Nxb6 23. Na5 Na4 24.
Na7 $1 Rxb2+ 25. Ka1 Rc5 $1 26. N7c6+ Kf6 27. Nxc4 $1 Rxg2 28. Ne3 Rxc1+ 29.
Rxc1 Re2 30. Ng4+ Kg5 31. Ngxe5 Rxh2 32. Nd3 h5 $5 33. Rg1+ $6 ({Better is} 33.
Nd4 $1 h4 34. Nxe6+ Kf6 35. Nef4) 33... Kh6 34. Nce5 $2 (34. Nd8 Nc3 35. Nb4 {
defends properly.}) 34... Nd6 $1 35. Rc1 Nb5 36. Nc4 $5 Nbc3 37. Ncb2 h4 {
Black attacks at two fronts.} 38. a3 Nxb2 39. Nxb2 Ne2 40. Re1 h3 41. Nd1 Nd4 {
Georgiev scored well during the second half of the event.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.05"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Costantini, Roberto"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2314"]
[BlackElo "2634"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Qd2 Bb4 8. f3
d5 9. a3 Qa5 10. Nb3 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qc7 12. Bd3 $5 ({Known is} 12. exd5 Nxd5 13.
Bd4) 12... dxe4 13. fxe4 O-O 14. O-O Ng4 $1 15. Bf4 e5 16. Bg3 Be6 17. h3 Qb6+
$1 18. Kh1 Ne3 $1 19. Rfe1 Nc4 20. Qe2 Nd6 {The knight has made a grand tour.}
21. Bf2 Qc7 22. Nc5 Rfe8 23. Rab1 Na5 24. Nxe6 $5 Rxe6 25. c4 $6 {
White gives a pawn.} ({Wiser is} 25. Red1) 25... Ndxc4 26. a4 Rc6 27. Rb4 Nb6
28. Reb1 Nd7 29. Qe1 Rc8 30. Be3 Nc5 31. Qf2 Rd8 $5 32. Bb5 $4 ({Correct is} 
32. Be2) 32... axb5 33. axb5 Rf6 $1 34. b6 Qc8 35. Qg3 Ne6 36. Qxe5 Nc6 {
Black has an extra piece.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.05"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Georgiev, Vladimir"]
[Black "Djingarova, Emilia"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "2564"]
[BlackElo "2256"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. e3 d6 5. d4 Bg7 6. d5 Nb4 7. a3 Na6 8. h3 Nf6
9. e4 O-O 10. Bd3 Nc7 11. Bg5 $5 ({Usual is} 11. O-O) 11... h6 12. Be3 Kh8 $6
13. Rb1 Ng8 $5 14. Qd2 e5 15. g4 $6 (15. dxe6 $5 Bxe6 16. O-O {gains an edge.})
15... f5 16. gxf5 gxf5 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. Bxf5 Rxf5 19. Qe2 Qe7 $2 (19... b5 $1
20. cxb5 Qe7 21. Nd2 Nf6 {counters.}) 20. Ne4 Raf8 21. Nfd2 b5 22. b3 a6 23.
Rg1 Ne8 24. a4 b4 25. Kd1 Qh4 26. Qg4 Qh5 27. Ng3 $1 {
White achieves a large positional advantage.} Qxg4+ 28. hxg4 R5f7 29. Ke2 Ngf6
30. Nge4 Nxe4 31. Nxe4 Rd7 32. g5 hxg5 33. Nxg5 Nc7 34. Rg4 Rf5 35. Kd3 Kg8 36.
Rbg1 Ne8 37. Ne6 Rh5 38. R4g3 Rh2 39. a5 Rh5 40. Rg6 Kh7 41. R1g3 Rh1 42. Rg2
Rh5 43. R6g3 Kg8 44. Bg5 Kh7 45. Rf3 Kg8 46. Be3 Rf7 47. Rfg3 $1 {
He starts to play for the win effectively.} Rd7 48. f4 $1 exf4 49. Bxf4 Kh8 50.
Nxg7 Nxg7 51. Bxd6 $1 {Georgiev chased the leaders.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.05"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Scalcione, Michelangelo"]
[Black "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B79"]
[WhiteElo "2292"]
[BlackElo "2492"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 c5 3. d4 Bg7 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 d6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Be3 O-O 8. f3
Nc6 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. O-O-O Qa5 11. Kb1 Rfc8 12. Bb3 Ne5 13. g4 b5 14. Rdg1 $2 {
He spoils time. That is a fatal error in a sharp opening.} ({
A better alternative is} 14. g5 Nh5 15. Nd5) 14... Nc4 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. h4
Rab8 $1 17. Ka1 Qb4 18. Rb1 Rc5 19. h5 Ra5 20. hxg6 fxg6 21. Qh2 Rb6 $1 22.
Nde2 ({Not} 22. g5 $2 Rba6 23. gxf6 Rxa2+ 24. Nxa2 Rxa2+ 25. Kxa2 Qa4#) 22...
Rba6 23. Rbf1 $2 (23. Nc1 $1 {avoids an immediate disaster.}) 23... h5 $1 24.
Bd4 Nxe4 $1 25. fxe4 ({Or} 25. Bxg7 Nxc3 26. Nxc3 Qxc3 $1 27. Bxc3 Rxa2+ 28.
Kb1 Ra1#) 25... Bxd4 26. Nxd4 Qxc3 $1 {Cebalo led the field.} ({The pointe is} 
26... Qxc3 27. bxc3 Rxa2+ 28. Kb1 Ra1+ 29. Kb2 R6a2#) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 44"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.01.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Georgiev, Vladimir"]
[Black "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2564"]
[BlackElo "2492"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2001.12.??"]

{Cebalo led when the last round began.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6
5. Bd3 O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. d5 e6 8. O-O exd5 9. cxd5 Na6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 g5
12. Bg3 Nh5 13. Kh1 Nc7 $5 14. f4 gxf4 15. Bxf4 Nxf4 16. Nxf4 Be5 17. Qf3 Qg5
18. Nh5 Ne8 (18... Bg4 $6 19. Nf6+ Bxf6 20. Qxf6 {favours White.}) 19. h3 Bd7
20. a4 a6 21. a5 Rc8 22. Nd1 f6 23. Ne3 Ng7 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 25. Nc4 Bb5 26. Nb6
c4 $6 {The sacrifice of the exchange is not necessary.} ({Preferable is} 26...
Rc7 $1) 27. Nxc8 Rxc8 28. Rac1 $1 Bxb2 29. Rc2 Be5 30. Be2 c3 31. Bxb5 axb5 32.
Rb1 Rc5 33. g3 h5 34. h4 $6 (34. Kg2 {is alright.}) 34... Qg4 $1 35. Kg2 Kg6
36. Rb4 Qxf3+ 37. Kxf3 f5 38. Ke3 Bxg3 39. Rg2 f4+ $6 (39... c2 $1 40. Rxg3+
Kf6 41. Rg1 c1=Q+ 42. Rxc1 Rxc1 43. exf5 Kxf5 {gains an edge.}) 40. Kd3 Kf6 41.
Rb1 Ke5 $4 {The outcome of the tournament changes by one mistake.} (41... Rc7
42. Rc2 Ke5 43. Rxc3 Rxc3+ 44. Kxc3 Kxe4 {keeps the equality.}) 42. Rxg3 $1
fxg3 43. Rf1 {White threatens mate in one. The final standings became:
Georgiev, Delchev, Chatalbashev and Cebalo 6/9, Naumkin and Zaja 5, Vezzosi 4,
Constantini 3, Scalcione 21/2, Djingarova 11/2. Georgiev became the winner on
tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.12.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Iotti, Pierluigi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2562"]
[BlackElo "2314"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

{The 45th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 29 xii 2002 until 6 i 2003. Four
Italians and six foreigners participated.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. c4
e6 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Bd2 O-O 8. d5 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 Bf6 10. Rc1 d6 11. O-O
Bxc3 12. Rxc3 e5 13. e4 Nd7 14. Nd2 g6 15. f4 Qe7 $5 (15... f6 16. h4 Qe7 {
occurred in Kirov - Radev, Pamporovo 1982.}) 16. f5 $1 {
White takes the initiative.} g5 17. g4 Kg7 18. h4 $1 h6 $1 (18... gxh4 $6 19.
Rh3 Qg5 20. Qe1 $1 {allows a charge.}) 19. Rh3 f6 $5 20. Nf3 Rf7 21. Kf2 $1 a5
22. Rfh1 Rg8 $6 (22... Rh8 $5 23. hxg5 fxg5 {defends the h-file.}) 23. hxg5
hxg5 24. Ng1 $1 Kf8 25. Ne2 Rgg7 26. Rh8+ Rg8 27. a3 Ba6 28. b3 Rfg7 29. R8h3
Rf7 30. Nc3 Ke8 31. Bf1 Rgg7 32. Rh8+ Rf8 33. b4 $1 {He attacks on both flanks.
} axb4 34. axb4 Kd8 $2 (34... Bb7 35. Qa4 Qd8 {resists on the queenside.}) 35.
Qa4 $1 Bb7 36. Qa7 Kc8 37. c5 $1 {He breaks through at the right time.} dxc5
38. Ba6 $1 Bxa6 39. Qxa6+ {
Black will be mated soon. Romanishin was the favourite again.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2002.12.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vezzosi, Paolo"]
[Black "Palac, Mladen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2394"]
[BlackElo "2568"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d3 Be7 8.
O-O O-O 9. Be3 Re8 10. Qd2 Bg4 $5 ({Usual is} 10... Bf8) 11. Rfc1 f5 $5 12. a4
a5 $1 13. Qd1 Bh5 14. Nb5 Bf7 15. Bh3 g6 16. Nd2 Nd5 17. Bc5 $6 ({Preferable is
} 17. Bh6) 17... Bxc5 18. Rxc5 Ncb4 19. e4 c6 $1 20. exd5 cxb5 21. Rxb5 Bxd5 {
Black has the initiative.} 22. Bf1 $2 {He defends passively.} ({Correct is} 22.
Nc4 $1 Bc6 23. Rxe5 Qd4 24. Qb3 Nxd3 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Ne5+ Bd5 27. Qxd3 Qxe5
28. Rc1 {and White has equalised.}) 22... Bc6 23. Rc5 Qd6 24. Rc3 Rad8 25. Qb3+
Kg7 26. Re1 h5 27. h4 e4 $5 {He uses force.} 28. Nc4 Qd5 29. dxe4 Rxe4 30. Rxe4
$4 {Vezzosi allows a decisive attack.} (30. Ne3 $1 Qxb3 31. Rxb3 f4 32. gxf4
Rxf4 33. Ng2 {tries to survive.}) 30... Qxe4 31. f3 Qe1 $1 32. Ne3 Rd2 $1 33.
Ng2 Qf2+ {Palac scored his second win.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Scalcione, Michelangelo"]
[Black "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E91"]
[WhiteElo "2366"]
[BlackElo "2544"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "166"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 7. Be3 Nfd7 8. Ng1
Bxe2 9. Ngxe2 c5 10. d5 a6 11. f4 $5 ({Usual is} 11. a4 Qa5 12. Bd2) 11... b5
$1 12. O-O Nb6 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Nxb5 Bxb2 15. f5 $6 N8d7 $6 16. Bh6 $6 Bxa1
17. Qxa1 Ne5 18. Bxf8 Qxf8 {Black has a positional advantage.} 19. Nec3 Qh6 20.
Qe1 Nbc4 21. Qg3 Na3 22. f6 $1 Nxb5 23. Nxb5 exf6 24. Nxd6 Qg5 25. Qf2 Ng4 26.
Qf4 Rxa2 27. h3 Ne5 28. Qxg5 fxg5 29. Rc1 g4 30. hxg4 $2 (30. Rxc5 gxh3 31.
gxh3 {almost equalises.}) 30... Nxg4 31. g3 {White should not capture on c5.}
Ra3 32. Kg2 Ra5 33. Nb7 Ra2+ 34. Kg1 Ra3 35. Kg2 c4 $1 36. d6 $2 (36. Nd6 c3
37. Kf3 Ne5+ 38. Ke2 {defends properly.}) 36... Rd3 $1 37. Ra1 c3 38. Ra8+ Kg7
39. Rc8 h5 40. Rxc3 Rxc3 41. d7 Rc2+ 42. Kf1 $2 {White loses an extra pawn.} ({
Correct is} 42. Kg1 Rd2 43. d8=Q Rxd8 44. Nxd8) 42... Rd2 43. d8=Q Nh2+ $1 44.
Kg1 Nf3+ $1 45. Kf1 Rxd8 46. Nxd8 Nd2+ 47. Kg2 Nxe4 {
Black has two extra pawns in the knight ending..} 48. Kf3 Ng5+ 49. Kg2 Kf6 50.
Nc6 Kf5 51. Nb4 Ke4 52. Kf2 Nf3 53. Nc2 Ne5 54. Kg2 g5 55. Na3 f5 56. Nb5 Nc4
57. Nc3+ Ke5 58. Kf3 g4+ 59. Kf2 f4 60. Ne2 f3 $1 61. Nf4 Nd6 $1 62. Nxh5 Ne4+
63. Ke3 Nf6 $6 (63... Kf5 $1 64. Ng7+ Kg6 $1 65. Ne6 Nxg3 {wins quickly.}) 64.
Ng7 Nd5+ 65. Kf2 Nc7 66. Ke3 Ne6 $1 67. Ne8 Nd4 68. Nc7 Nf5+ 69. Kf2 Nd6 {
Black wins anyway.} 70. Na6 Ne4+ 71. Ke3 Nxg3 72. Nc5 Nf5+ 73. Kf2 Nd6 74. Ke3
Nc4+ 75. Kf2 Kf5 76. Nd3 Ne5 77. Nc5 Nc4 78. Nd3 Kg5 79. Kg3 Nd6 80. Kf2 Kh4
81. Nf4 Ne4+ 82. Kg1 g3 83. Nd3 Nd2 {Cebalo won a subtle endgame.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.01.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Vezzosi, Paolo"]
[Black "Chabanon, Jean"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2394"]
[BlackElo "2481"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. Nc3 d6 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O
e5 9. d5 Ne7 10. Ne1 Bf5 $1 (10... Bc5 11. Kh1 Ba7 {
happened in Benjamin - Eingorn, Reykjavik 1990.}) 11. Nc2 Qd7 12. a3 Bxc3 13.
Bxc3 Bh3 $5 14. f3 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 b5 $1 {Black takes the initiative.} 16. e4
bxc4 17. Ne3 c6 $1 18. Nxc4 cxd5 $1 {He gives an exchange.} 19. Nb6 Qc6 20.
Nxa8 dxe4 21. Bxa5 Rxa8 22. Rc1 Qb5 23. b4 $2 ({Better is} 23. Bc3) 23... Nfd5
$6 (23... Nf5 $1 24. Re1 Nd4 25. fxe4 Nxe4 $1 {conquers the centre.}) 24. Re1
exf3+ 25. Qxf3 f5 {Black has positional compensation for the material deficit.}
26. Kg1 h6 27. Qe2 Qxe2 28. Rxe2 Kf7 29. Rd2 Ke6 {
He controls the centre and dominates the bishop.} 30. Rc4 g5 31. h3 h5 32. Re2
f4 $1 33. g4 $5 hxg4 34. hxg4 Ne3 35. Rc7 N7d5 $5 36. Rg7 Rc8 37. Rg6+ Ke7 38.
Rxg5 ({Or} 38. b5 f3 $1) 38... Kf6 $1 {
Chabanon scored the second victory in a winning streak.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Iotti, Pierluigi"]
[Black "Chabanon, Jean"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2314"]
[BlackElo "2481"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. O-O
d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Bc3 O-O 12. Nd2 Nf6 13. e4 b5 14. cxb5 cxb5
15. e5 Nd7 16. b4 Rc8 17. Rc1 $5 ({Known is} 17. Qf3) 17... Nb6 18. Nb3 Rxc3 $1
{Chabanon delivers a positional sacrifice again.} (18... Rc4 $5 {
will be played in a future game.}) 19. Rxc3 Bxb4 20. Rc2 Nc4 {
Black has a fine compensation for the exchange.} 21. Qd3 Bc8 22. f4 a5 23. h4
$5 a4 $1 24. Nc1 Be7 25. Bh3 f5 26. h5 g5 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. g4 Kf7 29. Rg2 Rh8
30. gxf5 gxf5 31. Qg3 $1 Ke8 $1 {The king escapes to the other flank.} 32. Rf3
Kd7 33. Qg7 b4 34. Nd3 Kc6 35. Nc1 Kb5 36. Kh2 Bd7 37. Qf7 Rf8 38. Qg6 Qb6 39.
Rd3 Qd8 40. Rf3 Rh8 41. Qf7 Na5 $1 42. Rg7 Nc6 43. Rd3 Qc8 44. Rh7 Ka5 45. Rxh8
$6 ({Preferable is} 45. Ne2 $1) 45... Qxh8 46. Qg6 $6 Qh4 47. Qg3 Qxg3+ 48.
Kxg3 Bc8 $1 {Black takes the initiative in the endgame.} 49. Kf3 Ba6 50. Rd1
Bd8 51. Ke3 Bb6 $1 52. Bg2 Bc4 53. Bf3 a3 54. Be2 Nxd4 55. Bxc4 ({The pointe is
} 55. Rxd4 Bxa2 $1) 55... dxc4 56. Kd2 Kb5 57. Rh1 Kc5 58. Rh8 b3 59. axb3 cxb3
60. Kc3 Ba5+ {
Chabanon and Palac shared the lead at the end of the penultimate round.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Castaldo, Folco"]
[Black "Tomescu, Vlad"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2338"]
[BlackElo "2432"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. Nf3 b5 2. e4 Bb7 {Tomescu plays an enterprising opening.} 3. Bxb5 Bxe4 4.
O-O Nf6 5. d4 e6 6. c4 Be7 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. d5 O-O 9. Ba4 Na6 10. Re1 Nc5 $5 ({
Known is} 10... Bb4) 11. Bc2 a5 12. Ne5 $5 ({The alternative is} 12. Rb1 $5)
12... d6 $1 13. Nc6 $6 Bxc6 14. dxc6 Ra6 15. Qf3 Qa8 {
The weakling lies under attack.} 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bxh6 $2 {
The sacrifice is incorrect.} gxh6 18. Qf4 $2 ({Better is} 18. Re3 Kh8 19. Qf4
Ng8 20. Rh3) 18... Kg7 19. Re3 Rh8 $1 {He defends the kingside.} 20. Nd5 exd5
21. Rxe7 Re8 $4 (21... Qd8 $1 22. Re3 Ne6 23. Rg3+ Kf8 {wins for Black.}) 22.
Rxf7+ $4 {Castaldo misses the opportunity.} (22. Qg3+ $1 Kf8 23. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7
24. Qg6+ Ke7 25. cxd5 Nfe4 26. Re1 Kd8 27. Bxe4 Nxe4 28. Rxe4 Rxe4 29. Qxe4 Qc8
30. Qh7 {wins for White!}) 22... Kxf7 23. Qxh6 Rg8 24. Re1 Qf8 25. Qh3 Ra8 26.
Bd1 Rh8 27. Qf5 Re8 {Tomescu achieved the third place.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Chabanon, Jean"]
[Black "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E00"]
[WhiteElo "2481"]
[BlackElo "2562"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 c5 5. Bxb4 cxb4 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Nf3 d6 8.
O-O Nc6 9. a3 Qb6 10. axb4 Qxb4 11. b3 Bd7 12. e3 Rfd8 13. Na3 $5 (13. Ne1 {
was played in Suba - Hubert, New York 1998.}) 13... Qb6 14. Qd2 e5 ({Not} 14...
Qxb3 $4 15. Rfb1 Qa4 16. Nb5 Qxc4 17. Nxd6 Qd5 18. Nxb7 {and White wins.}) 15.
Nb5 $1 e4 $5 16. Ng5 $1 d5 $2 ({Preferable is} 16... Bf5 17. Nc3 Re8) 17. f3 $5
(17. Nd6 $1 Be8 18. c5 Qc7 19. f3 {gains an advantage.}) 17... h6 $1 18. fxe4
$1 {Chabanon delivers a positional sacrifice for the third game in a row.} hxg5
19. exd5 Ne7 20. d6 Nf5 21. e4 Bxb5 22. Rxf5 Bc6 23. e5 $1 Nh7 24. c5 Qxb3 25.
d5 {White occupies the centre.} Bd7 $5 26. Rf3 $5 Qb5 27. Rc3 Rac8 28. Rac1 a5
29. Qd4 Qb2 30. R1c2 Qb4 {Black can do little.} 31. Qxb4 axb4 32. Rc4 b3 33.
Rb2 Nf8 (33... Re8 34. Rxb3 Rxe5 35. Rxb7 Nf6 36. c6 {
also continues the avalanche of pawns.}) 34. Rxb3 Ng6 35. Re3 Re8 36. c6 bxc6
37. dxc6 {Black overstepped the time limit in a poor position. Chabanon scored
the decisive win against a strong grandmaster.} (37. dxc6 Bxc6 38. Bxc6 Rxe5
39. d7 $1 Rd8 40. Ba4 $1 Rxe3 41. Rc8 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 45"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Mrdja, Milan"]
[Black "Palac, Mladen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2368"]
[BlackElo "2568"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2002.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O Ngf6 5. Re1 a6 6. Bf1 b6 7. c4 Bb7 8. Nc3
e6 9. b3 Be7 10. Bb2 O-O 11. d4 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Qc7 13. Rac1 Rac8 14. h3 Qb8 $5 (
{The alternative is} 14... Rfe8) 15. Nd2 Rfe8 16. b4 Bd8 17. a3 Bc7 18. Nf3
Rcd8 19. Rcd1 Qa8 20. Bd3 h6 21. Bc2 Rc8 22. Ba4 Red8 23. Bc2 Bb8 24. Bb3 Qa7
25. Qe3 Ba8 26. Rd2 Qc7 27. Red1 Qb7 28. Re1 Re8 29. Qe2 Nf8 30. Rd3 Ng6 31.
Qd2 Nd7 32. h4 Nf6 33. g3 $6 {The manoeuvres behind the lines continued
endlessly. White has weakened his position at last.} Qc7 $6 (33... b5 $1 34.
cxb5 axb5 {gains a plus.}) 34. Qd1 Qe7 35. Rd2 Red8 36. Qe2 Qb7 37. Nh2 Qc6 38.
f4 h5 39. Qd1 $6 ({Correct is} 39. Nf3) 39... b5 $1 40. cxb5 $6 (40. c5 $1 Re8
41. cxd6 Rcd8 42. Nf3 Bxd6 43. Ng5 {defends well.}) 40... Qb6+ 41. Rf2 $4 (41.
Kg2 Rxc3 42. Bxc3 Nxe4 43. Rxe4 Bxe4+ 44. Nf3 Qe3 45. Bc2 axb5 46. Bxe4 Qxe4 {
costs a pawn.}) 41... Ba7 $1 42. Ree2 Rxc3 $1 {The final standings became:
Chabanon and Palac 7/9, Tomescu 61/2, Cebalo 6, Romanishin 51/2, Mrdja and
Vezzosi 31/2, Costaldo 3, Scalciane and Iotti 11/2. Chabanon won the
tournament on tie-break.} (42... Rxc3 43. Bxc3 Nxe4 44. Be1 Nxg3 {
crushes the white defence.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 46"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Zimina, Olga"]
[Black "Georgiev, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2387"]
[BlackElo "2596"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2003.12.??"]

{The 46th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 2003 until 4 i 2004. Five
Italians and five foreigners participated.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4.
O-O Bg7 5. Re1 e5 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. d3 f6 8. Be3 b6 9. Nbd2 Nh6 10. Nc4 $5 ({
Known is} 10. Nf1) 10... Nf7 11. a4 Qe7 12. a5 b5 13. Ncd2 Nd8 14. c3 Ba6 15.
d4 Nb7 16. dxe5 fxe5 17. Bg5 Qe6 18. Nf1 O-O 19. Ng3 c4 20. Be3 Rfd8 21. Ng5
Qe7 22. Qg4 Re8 23. Red1 Nd6 24. Bc5 Rad8 25. Qh4 h6 26. Nf3 Qe6 $2 27. Bxa7
Ra8 28. Bc5 Nf7 29. Nf1 Bf6 30. Qg3 Be7 31. Bxe7 Rxe7 32. Ne3 Bc8 33. h4 $2
Rea7 $1 34. h5 Kh7 35. Nh4 gxh5 36. Qf3 Ng5 37. Qxh5 Nxe4 38. Nef5 Qf6 39. Re1
Nc5 40. Rxe5 Nd3 41. Re3 Qg5 42. Ng3 Bg4 43. Qxg5 hxg5 44. Nf3 Bxf3 45. Rxf3
Rxa5 46. Rxa5 Rxa5 47. Ne4 g4 48. Rg3 Kg6 49. Rxg4+ Kf5 50. f3 Ra2 51. Kh2 Rxb2
52. Kg3 Re2 53. Rg5+ Ke6 54. Rg6+ Kd7 55. Rg7+ Ke6 56. Rg6+ Kd7 57. Rg7+ Kd8
58. Ra7 c5 59. Ra5 Rb2 60. f4 b4 61. f5 b3 62. f6 Ra2 63. Rb5 Ra1 $4 (63... Kc7
$1 64. f7 Ra8 65. Nxc5 Kc6 66. Ne6 b2 67. Rxb2 Nxb2 68. f8=Q Rxf8 69. Nxf8 Nd1
{draws.}) 64. Rb8+ $1 Kc7 65. f7 $1 Kxb8 66. f8=Q+ Kc7 67. Qd6+ Kb7 68. Nxc5+
Nxc5 69. Qxc5 Ra6 70. Qxc4 Rb6 71. Qe4+ Kc7 72. Qf4+ Kc6 73. Qf3+ Kc7 74. Qf4+
Kc6 75. Qe4+ Kc7 76. Qb1 b2 77. Kf2 Kd6 78. Ke3 Kc5 79. Kd3 {
Georgiev had lost to a Russian girl.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 46"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Miladinovic, Igor"]
[Black "Bellini, Fabio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2599"]
[BlackElo "2503"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2003.12.??"]

{Miladinovic comes from Serbia and lived in Greece for some years.} 1. d4 g6 2.
e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 d5 5. f3 dxe4 6. fxe4 e5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Rxd1 Bg4 9.
Nf3 Nd7 10. h3 $5 Be6 11. Bf4 {White controls the central area.} h6 12. Rd6
O-O-O 13. h4 Re8 14. Be2 h5 15. O-O Nh6 16. b4 Ng4 17. b5 {
He has the initiative.} c5 18. b6 $5 Nxb6 19. Nb5 Kb8 20. Ng5 $5 Nc8 $2 ({
Correct is} 20... Bxe5 21. Bxg4 Bxf4 22. Bxe6 Bxg5 23. hxg5 fxe6 24. Rf7 c4 {
with chances for both sides.}) 21. Bxg4 hxg4 ({The pointe is} 21... Nxd6 22.
exd6 Bxg4 23. d7+ $1) 22. Rd7 $1 Rhf8 ({Or} 22... Bxd7 23. e6+ Ka8 24. Nc7+)
23. Nxe6 Rxe6 24. Nc7 Re7 25. e6 $1 fxe6 26. Rxe7 Bd4+ 27. Kh1 e5 28. Na6+ Ka8
29. Re8 $1 Rxe8 30. Nc7+ Kb8 31. Nxe8 exf4 32. Rxf4 {
Miladinovic has a decisive material advantage.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 46"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2003.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Tomescu, Vlad"]
[Black "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2447"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2003.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8.
Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O b6 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. h4 c5 12. Neg5 h6 13. Bh7+ Kh8 14. Be4 Bxg5
$5 ({The alternative} 14... Bxe4 15. Nxe4 cxd4 {
drew in Collutiis - Komarov, round 3.}) 15. hxg5 $6 {
Tomescu sacrifices a piece.} ({More solid is} 15. Nxg5) 15... Bxe4 16. gxh6 Qf6
$6 ({Better is} 16... g6 $1 17. dxc5 Bc6) 17. Ne5 $1 Rad8 18. Ng4 Qg6 19. Rh4
$2 (19. f3 $1 Bd5 20. hxg7+ Kxg7 21. Rh6 Qf5 22. Rf6 Qh5 23. Rh6 {
leads to a draw by repetition (Komarov).}) 19... Bxc2 $5 20. Rdh1 Bb1 21. dxc5
bxc5 $2 ({Correct is} 21... f6 $1 22. hxg7+ Kxg7 23. Rh7+ Kg8 $1) 22. R1h3 $1
Nf6 23. hxg7+ $2 (23. Qc3 $1 Rd4 24. hxg7+ Kxg7 25. Nxf6 Qxf6 26. Kxb1 {
(Komarov)} Qf5+ 27. Ka1 {brings equality.}) 23... Kxg7 24. Qc3 Rh8 25. Rxh8
Rxh8 26. Rxh8 ({Or} 26. Qxf6+ Qxf6 27. Nxf6 Rxh3 28. gxh3 Kxf6 29. Kxb1 Kg5 {
and Black wins the pawn ending.}) 26... Qxg4 27. Rc8 Bxa2 28. Qxc5 Bd5 29. f3
Qg5+ 30. Kb1 Qd2 31. Qc2 Qe1+ 32. Qc1 Qxc1+ 33. Kxc1 a5 34. Kd2 a4 35. Rc5 Kg6
36. Ra5 Bb3 37. Kc3 Nd7 38. Kd4 e5+ 39. Ke3 f6 40. f4 $6 Nb6 $1 {
Black threatens to check on c4 and capture on b2 or a5.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 46"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2004.01.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Miladinovic, Igor"]
[Black "Collutiis, Duilio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2599"]
[BlackElo "2417"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2003.12.??"]

1. d4 d6 2. e4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. dxe5 dxe5 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Bg5 c6 7. O-O-O+
Nbd7 8. Bh4 $5 ({Theory is} 8. Nf3) 8... Bc5 9. g4 $5 Ke8 $6 ({
The natural move is} 9... Kc7) 10. h3 h5 $5 11. g5 $1 Nh7 12. Nf3 Nhf8 $1 13.
Bg3 Ng6 14. h4 Bb6 15. Bh3 $1 Bc7 16. Bf5 Nf4 17. Bxf4 exf4 18. g6 $5 fxg6 19.
Bxg6+ Ke7 20. Bf5 Ne5 21. Rhg1 Rg8 22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23. Rg5 Bxf5 24. Rxf5 Ke6 25.
Ne2 Raf8 26. Rg5 $5 (26. Rxh5 Rh8 27. Rxh8 Rxh8 28. Ng1 Rxh4 29. Nf3 Rg4 30.
Rd7 Rg1+ 31. Nxg1 Kxd7 {equalises.}) 26... g6 27. f3 Rg7 $6 (27... Kf6 28. Rd7
Rb8 29. Rg1 Rgd8 30. Rgd1 Rxd7 31. Rxd7 g5 32. hxg5+ Kxg5 {brings equality.})
28. c3 Kf6 29. Kc2 Re7 30. Rdg1 Rg7 31. Nc1 $1 Re8 32. Nd3 Ree7 33. a4 Bc7 34.
R1g2 Bd6 35. Re2 Be5 36. Rd2 Bd6 37. b4 Rgf7 38. Rdg2 Rg7 39. Kb3 Be5 40. Kc4
Bc7 {Black defends passively.} 41. b5 cxb5+ 42. axb5 Bd6 $2 ({Correct is} 42...
Be5 43. Kb3 Re6 44. Nc5 Ree7 {and Black tries to survive.}) 43. Kd4 $1 Rd7 44.
Rd5 $1 Ke6 45. c4 $1 Rdf7 ({Or} 45... b6 46. e5 Bc7 47. Ke4 {and pawn f4 falls.
}) 46. e5 $1 Be7 47. Ke4 g5 48. hxg5 Bxg5 49. Nc5+ Ke7 50. e6 $1 {
Miladinovic led the field.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 46"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2004.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Bellini, Fabio"]
[Black "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2503"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2003.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nf3 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. Bf4 Bxc5 8.
Bd3 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Qe2 O-O 11. O-O-O Bd7 12. Ne5 Bd6 $5 ({
An alternative is} 12... Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Qb6) 13. Ng6 $5 ({More solid is} 13. Kb1
Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bxe5 15. Qxe5) 13... Bxf4+ 14. Nxf4 Qa5 15. a3 Rae8 16. g4 $6 {
He weakens the kingside.} Qc7 17. Nh3 Ne5 $6 (17... e5 $1 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bc4
Kh8 $1 20. Bxd5 Nd4 21. Qe4 Bxg4 $1 22. Rxd4 Bf3 {gains an advantage.}) 18. g5
Nxd3+ 19. Qxd3 $2 ({Correct is} 19. Rxd3 Ne4 20. g6 hxg6 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Rg3
{and both sides are involved in a struggle.}) 19... Nh5 20. g6 h6 21. Rhe1 Bc6
22. Qd4 $6 Qxh2 23. Qg4 Nf4 24. Ng1 Qg2 25. Qxg2 Nxg2 26. Re5 Nf4 27. Nf3 Nxg6
{Black has gained two pawns.} 28. Re3 a6 29. Rg1 Nf4 30. b4 e5 31. Nxe5 d4 32.
Nxc6 dxe3 {Komarov battled for the second place.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 46"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2004.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ronchetti, Niccolò"]
[Black "Miladinovic, Igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2201"]
[BlackElo "2599"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2003.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. Nb5 Qb8 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8.
Na3 e6 9. Bd3 Bc5 $5 ({Known is} 9... Be7) 10. Nc2 b5 $1 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Bxb5
Nxe4 $1 13. Nxe4 ({Not} 13. Bxc6 $2 Nxf2) 13... Qxb5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 {
Black has achieved a positional equality.} 15. O-O O-O 16. a3 Qe5 17. Rb1 $6 ({
More active is} 17. Re1 Qf6 18. Qd6) 17... Qf5 $5 18. Re1 Bb7 19. Be3 $2 (19.
b4 $1 Ne5 20. Rb3 $1 {utilises the queen's rook as a defender.}) 19... Ne5 $1
20. Nd4 (20. f3 $2 Nxf3+ $1 21. gxf3 Bxf3 22. Qd2 Qg4+ 23. Kf1 Qh3+ {
and Black wins quickly.}) 20... Qg6 21. f3 Nd3 $1 22. Rf1 Rfc8 23. Qd2 e5 24.
Ne2 $5 d5 $1 25. Rbd1 Ba6 26. Kh1 d4 $1 27. Bg1 Rc2 $1 28. Qxc2 Nf2+ 29. Rxf2
Qxc2 30. Re1 Qd2 $1 {The final standings became: Miladinovic 7/9, Komarov 6,
Bellini 51/2, Georgiev and Zimina 5, Tomescu and Piscopo 41/2, Collitiis and
Vezzosi 31/2, Ronchetti 1/2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 47"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2004.12.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Tirabassi, Maurizio"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E35"]
[WhiteElo "2330"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2004.12.??"]

{The 47th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 29 xii 2004 until 6 i 2005. Four
Italians and six foreigners participated. Delchev was the star player.} 1. d4
Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5 7. e3 cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6
9. Rd1 $6 ({The alternative is} 9. Bb5 $1) 9... O-O 10. Nf3 h6 11. Bh4 (11. Be3
$5 {will be played in a future game.}) 11... g5 12. Bg3 Ne4 {
Black has the initiative.} 13. Be2 $2 ({Correct is} 13. Bd3 Bg4 14. Kf1 Bxf3
15. gxf3 Nxd4 16. Qb1 Nxg3+ 17. hxg3 {but Black has a plus.}) 13... Bf5 $1 {
Black threatens ..Nxg3.} 14. Qb3 Re8 $6 (14... Qb6 $1 15. O-O Bxc3 16. bxc3
Qxb3 17. axb3 Nxc3 {wins quickly.}) 15. Kf1 $1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Rc8 17. Qb2 Qe7 $5
18. Bb5 $6 (18. Re1 $5 Na5 19. Kg1 Nxc3 {costs a pawn.}) 18... a6 19. Bxc6 Rxc6
20. Ne5 Rxc3 21. f3 Rc2 $1 22. Qb6 Nd2+ 23. Kg1 Qa3 24. Bf2 Rc1 25. Re1 Rxe1+
26. Bxe1 Qe3+ 27. Bf2 Qe2 $1 28. h3 Qf1+ 29. Kh2 Qxf2 {
Delchev had an easy start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 47"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2004.12.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Chatalbashev, Boris"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2554"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2004.12.??"]

{Delchev had played a quiet draw in the second round.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qa5 9. Bd2 O-O 10.
Nc2 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Qg5 12. Qe2 Qxg2 13. O-O-O Qxe4 14. Rhg1 g6 15. Ne3 e5 16. f4
Be6 17. Bxe6 $5 (17. Bd3 Qxf4 18. Rgf1 Qh4 $6 19. Be1 Qa4 20. Rxf6 Nc6 21. Rxe6
Nd4 22. Qg4 Qxa2 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. Rxg6+ fxg6 25. Qxg6+ {
drew in Kasparov - Morozevich, Sarajevo 2000.}) 17... fxe6 18. fxe5 Nd5 $1 {
Black has an advantage.} 19. Rxd5 $5 (19. Rge1 Nxc3 20. bxc3 Qxe5 {
also wins for Black.}) 19... exd5 20. e6 Rf3 $1 ({He avoids the trap} 20...
Qxe6 $4 21. Ng4 $1 Qxe2 22. Nh6#) 21. Re1 Nc6 22. e7 Re8 23. Qd2 {
Delchev took the lead.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 47"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.01.01"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Naumkin, Igor"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2479"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2004.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Qa5 9. Bxf6 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Kf1 gxf6 12. Rc1 Qa5 13. h4 Ke7 14.
Rh3 Rd8 15. Rd3 Nd7 16. Nb3 Qb6 {Delchev plays a wild opening.} 17. f4 $5 (17.
Qh5 Ne5 18. Rxd8 Qxd8 {drew in Lautier - Ivanchuk, Monte Carlo 2000.}) 17...
Nf8 $1 18. Rxd8 Qxd8 19. Qe1 Ke8 $5 20. Nc5 Qb6 21. Na4 $5 ({Preferable is} 21.
a4 $1) 21... Qd4 22. Qe2 f5 23. Nc3 a6 24. g3 b5 {
Black develops his queenside at last.} 25. Bd5 $6 (25. Bxb5+ axb5 26. Nxb5 Ba6
27. Nxd4 Bxe2+ 28. Kxe2 Rxa2+ 29. Kf3 {brings equality.}) 25... exd5 26. Nxd5
fxe4 $1 (26... Rb8 $2 27. exf5+ Ne6 28. Nc7+ Ke7 29. fxe6 fxe6 30. Rc3 {
favours White.}) 27. Nc7+ Ke7 28. Nxa8 Bh3+ 29. Ke1 e3 $5 30. Nc7 $5 Ne6 $2 (
30... Qb4+ 31. Kd1 Qd4+ 32. Ke1 Qb4+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 31. Qc2 Qb4+
32. Qc3 Qe4 33. Nxe6 Qh1+ {It must have been time pressure.} (33... Qh1+ 34.
Ke2 Bg4+ 35. Kxe3 Qf3+ 36. Kd4 {wins for White.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 47"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.01.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Black "Rombaldoni, Denis"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B16"]
[WhiteElo "2601"]
[BlackElo "2251"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2004.12.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6. c3 Qd5 7. c4 Qe4+ 8.
Be3 e5 9. a3 $5 ({Theory is} 9. Ne2 Bb4+ 10. Nc3) 9... Bf5 10. Ne2 Nd7 11. Ng3
Qc2 12. Nxf5 Qxf5 13. Bd3 Qe6 $6 ({Preferable is} 13... e4 $5 14. Bc2 Qg6 15.
O-O O-O-O) 14. O-O e4 15. Re1 $1 O-O-O $2 (15... f5 {defends the centre.}) 16.
d5 $1 Qf5 17. dxc6 $2 (17. Bc2 c5 18. f3 {wins for White.}) 17... Nc5 18. cxb7+
Nxb7 $1 19. Qa4 $5 exd3 20. Bxa7 Qa5 21. Qc6+ Qc7 22. Qxf6 Bc5 23. Bxc5 Nxc5
24. Qf5+ Ne6 25. Rad1 Rhg8 26. g3 Rg5 27. Qf3 Nd4 28. Qa8+ $1 (28. Qxd3 $2 Qb7
$1 29. Re3 Nf3+ $1 {wins for Black.}) 28... Qb8 29. Qa6+ Qb7 30. Qxb7+ Kxb7 {
The chances in the endgame are about equal.} 31. Re3 d2 32. Kf1 Ne6 33. Re2 Rd4
34. b3 Rd3 35. Rdxd2 Rxb3 36. Rd7+ Kc6 37. Rxf7 Nd4 38. Re4 Nf3 $6 39. Kg2 $1
Ne5 40. Rf6+ Kd7 41. Rh6 Rf5 42. Rxh7+ {White has five pawns for a knight.} Kd6
43. Rh6+ Kc5 44. Re2 $6 (44. g4 $5 Rg5 45. Rh3 {keeps an advantage.}) 44...
Rxa3 45. h4 Kxc4 46. Re6 Nd3 47. Rd6 Nb4 48. Re4+ Kc5 49. Rd2 Nd3 50. f3 Nb4
51. f4 Nd5 52. Rf2 Rf8 53. Re5 Rd3 54. Rf3 Rd2+ 55. Kh3 Kd4 56. Re1 Nf6 57. f5
Rg8 58. Re6 Ne4 59. Rg6 Rf8 60. g4 Ra8 $6 (60... Rd1 $1 61. g5 Rh1+ 62. Kg4 Rh8
63. Rh6 Nf6+ 64. Rxf6 R8xh4+ 65. Kg3 R4h3+ {draws by perpetual check.}) 61. g5
$1 Ra1 62. f6 Rh1+ $2 ({Better is} 62... Nf2+ $1 63. Kg3 Nd3 64. f7 Rg1+ 65.
Kh3 Rh1+ 66. Kg4 Ne5+ 67. Kf5 Nxf7 {and Black survives.}) 63. Kg4 Rg2+ 64. Kh5
$6 Rgh2 65. Rf4 $6 ({Preferable is} 65. Rg8 $5) 65... Ke5 66. f7 $1 Ng3+ 67.
Kh6 Kxf4 $2 {Black should not capture the strongest chessman.} ({Right is} 
67... Rxh4+ $1 68. Rxh4 Rxh4+ 69. Kg7 Nf5+ 70. Kf8 Ra4 {and White cannot win.})
68. Rf6+ $1 {He has an unexpected win.} ({The trap is} 68. f8=Q+ $2 Nf5+ 69.
Kh7 Rxh4+ 70. Rh6 Rxh6+ 71. gxh6 Rxh6+ 72. Qxh6+ Nxh6 73. Kxh6 {drawn.}) 68...
Nf5+ 69. Kg6 Kg4 70. Rxf5 {Delchev triumphed at last.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 47"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Komarov, Dimitri"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "2004.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Qa5 9. Bxf6 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Kf1 gxf6 12. Rc1 Qa5 13. Bb5+ Ke7 14.
e5 fxe5 15. Qh5 Nd7 16. Qg5+ Kf8 17. Rxc8+ Rxc8 18. Bxd7 Qd8 19. Nxe6+ {
The game is wonderful but everything is known. A quiet draw followed in round
seven.} (19. Nxe6+ fxe6 20. Qh6+ Ke7 21. Qxe6+ Kf8 22. Qh6+ Ke7 23. Qe6+ {
drew in Ribli - Tukmakov, Germany 1988.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 47"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Di Caro, Calogero"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2317"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2004.12.??"]

1. g3 e5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bc5 5. a3 O-O 6. e3 a6 7. Nge2 d6 8. O-O
Ba7 9. f4 exf4 $5 10. gxf4 $6 (10. Nxf4 {develops a knight.}) 10... Ne7 $1 11.
b3 c6 12. Bb2 d5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Kh1 $5 Nf5 $1 15. Rg1 $2 ({Preferable is} 
15. Na2 d4 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. exd4 Qxd4 19. Nc3) 15... Re8 $5 ({
Even better is} 15... Ng4 $1 16. Qe1 d4) 16. Qe1 $5 d4 $1 {
Black has a decisive attack.} 17. Nd1 Bd7 18. exd4 ({Or} 18. Bxb7 Rb8 19. Bf3
Rxb3) 18... Bb5 $1 19. Ndc3 Bxd4 20. Nxd4 Qxd4 $5 {
The queen can be captured too.} 21. Qc1 $5 Qxf4 $5 22. Bxb7 Rab8 23. Nxb5 Ne4
$1 24. Qf1 Nf2+ $1 {Delchev produced a short draw in the last round. The final
standings became: Delchev 61/2/9, Miladinovic, Komarov, Cebalo and Rombaldoni
5, Mas. Sciortini 41/2, Naumkin 4, Di-Caro and Chatalbashev 31/2, Tirabassi 3.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 48"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.12.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Franchini, Gabriele"]
[Black "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2315"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2005.12.??"]

{Enrico Paoli died at the age of 97 at 15 xii 2005 after a hospitalisation of
one month. The Circulo Scacchistico Ippogrifo in Reggio Emilia took good care
of his tournament.   The 48th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 29 xii 2005
until 6 i 2006. Four Italians and six foreigners took part. Landa dominated
the event.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Na3 Nc6 7.
Nb5 Qd8 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. b4 Be7 11. Bf4 Nd5 12. Rd1 $5 (12. Bg3
a6 13. Nd6 Bxd6 14. Bxd6 Nxc3 {
was played in Gusev - Lutsko, Novaya Ladoga 2002.}) 12... Bd7 13. Ne5 $2 ({
Preferable is} 13. Bd2 a6 14. Na3) 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 f6 $1 15. Bd4 $5 a6 $1
16. Na3 a5 $1 17. Bb5 $2 ({Better is} 17. Nb5 axb4 18. c4 Bxb5 19. cxb5 Rxa2
20. Bc4) 17... axb4 18. Bxd7 Kxd7 19. c4 Rxa3 20. cxd5 e5 21. d6 Bd8 $1 22. Be3
Rxa2 23. O-O Ra5 24. f4 Re8 25. fxe5 Rexe5 26. Bf4 Re4 27. Bg3 b3 28. Rd3 Bb6+
{Pawn b3 decides the game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 48"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.12.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Black "Fercec, Nenad"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D07"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2512"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2005.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e4 Bg4 6. Be3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8.
Qc2 O-O 9. O-O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Qe7 11. h3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Rfb8 13. Bd3 b5 14. Kd2
$5 (14. e5 Nd5 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Be4 {
happened in Shirov - Morozevich, Amsterdam 1995.}) 14... e5 $1 15. Rb1 a6 16.
Rhg1 Qd6 {Black has the initiative.} 17. d5 Na5 $1 18. Qb2 c6 19. Qb4 Qd8 20.
Bg5 $5 Nc4+ $2 {He makes a tactical blunder.} ({Better is} 20... cxd5 21. exd5
Nc4+ 22. Bxc4 bxc4 23. Qxc4 Qxd5+ 24. Qxd5 Nxd5 {
and White has achieved equality.}) 21. Bxc4 bxc4 22. Qxb8 $1 Rxb8 23. Bxf6 $1
Qd6 24. Rxg7+ Kf8 25. Rxh7 Qxf6 26. Rxb8+ Ke7 27. Ke2 Qf4 28. Rb7+ Kd6 29.
Rhxf7 {Landa won again.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 48"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2005.12.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vocaturo, Daniele"]
[Black "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2364"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2005.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. Rxe5+ Be7
8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bd3 Re8 10. b3 Bf6 11. Re1 Rxe1+ 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Ba3 d5 $5 (
13... d6 {occurred in Geller - Panno, Varna 1962.}) 14. Qe2 Be6 15. Re1 c6 16.
Qf3 Qa5 17. Bb2 Qb4 18. Bf5 Nc7 19. Bxe6 $6 Nxe6 20. Qf5 h6 21. a3 Qd6 22. Nd1
$2 Bxb2 23. Nxb2 Qxa3 {Landa grabs a pawn.} 24. Nd3 Qe7 25. Qe5 Qg5 26. Qc3 a5
27. Ne5 Qf4 28. Qd3 Nc5 29. Qe2 Re8 30. g3 Qf5 31. d4 f6 32. Qd1 Ne4 33. Nd3
Kf7 34. f3 Nc3 35. Qd2 Rxe1+ 36. Nxe1 Nb5 37. c4 $2 dxc4 38. bxc4 Na3 $1 39.
Qc3 Qb1 40. Qxa5 Nxc4 41. Qc7+ Kg6 42. Kf1 $2 Qb5 $1 43. Qe7 Nd2+ {
Landa had scored 3/3.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 48"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2006.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Black "Piscopo, Pierluigi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2399"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2005.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Qc7 9. f4 Rb8 10. Bd3 c5 $5 ({An alternative is} 10... Ba6) 11. Qe2 Be7 12.
O-O Bb7 13. b3 f5 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Bb2 c4 $1 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Bxc4 $5 (17.
Be4 d5 18. Qh5+ Kd7 19. Rad1 {attacks in the centre.}) 17... Rg8 18. Rf3 $1 ({
Not} 18. Rf2 $2 Bc5) 18... Bc5+ $2 ({Better is} 18... Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Qb7) 19.
Kh1 Ke7 20. f5 $1 e5 $5 21. Bxg8 Rxg8 $5 22. c4 $2 ({Correct is} 22. Rg3) 22...
Rg4 $2 (22... Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qc6 {fights for the last chance.}) 23. Rg3 Rxg3 24.
hxg3 Qc6 25. Rd1 Qe4 26. Qxe4 Bxe4 27. g4 h5 28. Re1 Bd3 29. Bxe5 $1 {
Landa had achieved 5/6.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 48"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2006.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Black "Ronchetti, Niccolo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B35"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2402"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2005.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8.
Bb3 a5 9. f3 d5 10. Bxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 f5 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Nb6 Rb8 14. Qxd8
Rxd8 15. Rd1 Rxd1+ 16. Kxd1 fxe4 17. Nxc8 Rxc8 18. fxe4 Bxb2 19. Ke2 Be5 20.
Rb1 Bxh2 21. Rb6 Kf7 $5 ({Known is} 21... Bd6) 22. Ra6 Ke6 23. Rxa5 Rb8 (23...
h5 $5 {will draw in a future game.}) 24. Ra6 Kd7 25. Ra7+ Ke6 26. a4 $1 h5 $6 (
{Preferable is} 26... Rb1 27. a5 Bg1 28. a6 Bxe3 29. Kxe3 Ra1) 27. a5 $1 Rb2
28. Kd3 Ra2 29. Bb6 $5 h4 $5 30. a6 g5 31. Ra8 g4 32. a7 Be5 $1 {
He controls square h8.} 33. Rg8 h3 $1 34. Rxg4 h2 35. Rh4 Kf6 $5 36. Bd4 Kg5
37. Rh3 Bf4 $4 (37... Bxd4 38. Kxd4 Rxa7 39. Rxh2 Ra4+ 40. c4 Ra5 {
defends properly.}) 38. g3 $1 Ra3+ 39. c3 Bd6 40. e5 c5 41. exd6 exd6 42. Be3+
Kg4 43. Rxh2 Rxa7 44. Rh6 {The final standings became: Landa 7/9, Yevseev 6,
Cebalo 51/2, Vocaturo 5, Piscopo and Fercec 41/2, Kotronias and Zimina 4,
Ronchetti 31/2, Francini 1.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 49"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2006.12.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Borgo, Giulio"]
[Black "Iordachescu, Viorel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2420"]
[BlackElo "2564"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2006.12.??"]

{The 49th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 30 xii 2006 until 7 i 2007. Five
Italians and five foreigners participated.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4
Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Nbd2 Nbd7 11.
Nb3 c5 $5 ({Usual is} 11... Be4 12. Qd1 c5) 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. dxc5 Be4 14. Qb3
$5 (14. Qc3 Qc7 15. b4 $5 Nd5 16. Qd2 a5 $1 {also regains the pawn.}) 14...
Bxc5 15. Be3 Bd5 16. Qd3 Rc8 17. Rfc1 Qe7 18. Bxc5 Rxc5 19. Qe3 Rfc8 20. Rxc5
Qxc5 21. Qxc5 Rxc5 22. Ne1 {White has to defend.} Kf8 23. Nd3 Rc4 24. Bxd5 Nxd5
25. Kf1 Ke7 26. Ke1 Kd6 27. Rd1 a5 28. a3 g5 29. Kd2 f5 30. Rc1 Rxc1 31. Nxc1
e5 $1 {Black has some pressure in the knight ending.} 32. f3 h5 33. Kd3 g4 34.
Nb3 $2 (34. fxg4 hxg4 35. e4 fxe4+ 36. Kxe4 Ke6 37. Nb3 Nf6+ 38. Ke3 {
defends properly.}) 34... a4 35. Nd2 Nb6 36. Kc3 Kc5 37. b3 $2 ({Correct is} 
37. b4+ $1 Kd6 38. Kd3 Ke6 39. fxg4 hxg4 40. e3 {fights for survival.}) 37...
Nd5+ $1 38. Kd3 b4 $1 39. bxa4 ({Or} 39. axb4+ Nxb4+ 40. Kc3 a3 41. Nc4 Nd5+
42. Kc2 gxf3 43. exf3 Kb4) 39... bxa3 40. e4 Kb4 $1 41. Kc2 Ne3+ $1 42. Kb1 Nc4
43. Nxc4 Kxc4 44. fxg4 fxe4 {Iordachescu had a good start.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 49"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.01.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg"]
[Black "Iordachescu, Viorel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D77"]
[WhiteElo "2542"]
[BlackElo "2564"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2006.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Ne5 c5 8. d5
Nbd7 9. Nxc4 b5 10. d6 Rb8 11. dxe7 Qxe7 12. Na5 Rb6 13. a4 a6 14. axb5 axb5
15. Nc3 b4 $1 (15... Re8 {drew in Erendzhenov - Lukin, Elista 1995.}) 16. Na4
Ra6 17. Nc4 Rd8 18. Qc2 Nf8 19. Ncb6 $2 ({Correct is} 19. Be3 Bf5 $6 20. Bxc5
$1 Bxc2 21. Bxe7 Re8 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Nab6 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Rxe2 {
and White has a plus.}) 19... Bf5 $1 20. Qc4 Qa7 $5 21. Be3 $5 N6d7 22. Nxd7
Nxd7 23. b3 $2 (23. Bxc5 Nxc5 24. Qxc5 Qxc5 25. Nxc5 Rxa1 26. Rxa1 Bxb2 27. Ra8
Rxa8 28. Bxa8 {defends properly.}) 23... Be6 24. Qc2 Bxa1 25. Rxa1 {
Black has an extra exchange.} Qb8 26. Bf4 Qb5 27. Qb2 c4 28. bxc4 Bxc4 29. Bh6
Qe5 30. Rd1 Qxb2 31. Nxb2 Bxe2 32. Re1 Bb5 33. Bd5 Nc5 34. Bc4 Bxc4 35. Nxc4 b3
36. Be3 Ne6 37. Rb1 Rb8 38. Kg2 Rc6 39. Na5 Rc3 40. Bd2 Rc2 {
Iordachescu defeated a former Soviet grandmaster.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 49"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.01.04"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Iordachescu, Viorel"]
[Black "Manca, Federico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2564"]
[BlackElo "2425"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2006.12.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 c6 5. Qd2 b5 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. Nf3 Qc7 8. O-O
Bg7 9. Rfe1 e5 10. a4 $5 exd4 11. Nxd4 b4 12. Nce2 a5 13. Ng3 O-O 14. Rad1 Nc5
15. b3 Re8 16. Bh6 Bh8 17. h3 Ng4 $1 {Black starts a tactical intermezzo.} 18.
hxg4 Bxd4 19. e5 $1 Bxg4 ({The pointe is} 19... Bxe5 20. Nh5 $1 Bb7 21. Qg5 f6
22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. Qxf6 Nxd3 24. cxd3 {and White has an edge.}) 20. Qf4 Bxd1
21. Qxd4 Ne6 $2 (21... Bxc2 $1 22. Bxc2 f6 $1 23. f4 Ne6 {defends properly.})
22. Qa1 $1 dxe5 $5 23. Rxd1 $5 Nf4 $5 24. Ne4 $5 Nd5 25. Bc4 Kh8 26. Re1 $5 Nb6
27. Nf6 Re7 28. Ng4 Nxc4 29. bxc4 Re6 $2 30. Rxe5 $1 Rxe5 31. Nxe5 f6 32. Ng4
Rd8 33. Nxf6 Qf7 34. g3 {Iordachescu had won his fifth game in a row. He drew
the remaining three encounters.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 49"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.01.05"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Rombaldoni, Denis"]
[Black "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E10"]
[WhiteElo "2377"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2006.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 b5 5. dxe6 fxe6 6. cxb5 a6 7. bxa6 d5 8. g3
Bd6 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Nc6 11. Nc3 Rxa6 12. Bg5 $5 h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. e4 d4
$1 {Black controls the centre.} 15. Nb5 e5 16. Nd2 Kh8 17. Qc1 Na5 18. b3 Bd7
19. Na3 $2 ({Better is} 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Qc2 $1) 19... Rfa8 $1 20. f4 $5 exf4
21. e5 $6 (21. Nac4 Nxc4 22. Nxc4 g5 23. a4 {defends well.}) 21... Bxe5 22. Ne4
$5 (22. Bxa8 $6 Rxa8 23. Ne4 Qg6 24. Qxc5 Nc6 {favours Black.}) 22... Qg6 23.
gxf4 (23. Nxc5 Bc6 24. Nxa6 fxg3 25. Bxc6 Nxc6 26. Qd2 d3 27. Rae1 Bd4+ 28. Kg2
Bf2 29. Nc4 gxh2+ {wins for Black.}) 23... Bh3 $1 24. Ng3 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qc6+
26. Kh3 Bf6 27. Qd2 Nxb3 $1 28. axb3 Rxa3 29. Rxa3 Rxa3 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 30. Qc2 Qe6+ 31. f5 Qd5 32. Rc1 Rxb3 33. Qxc5 Qf3 $1
34. Rb1 $1 {White sets a devious trap.} Kh7 $1 (34... Rxb1 $4 35. Qf8+ Kh7 36.
Qh8+ Kxh8 {leads to stalemate.}) 35. Qc8 Qh5+ 36. Kg2 Qf3+ 37. Kh3 Rc3 $1 38.
Rb3 Qf1+ $1 {Landa won the last three games and neared the leader.} (38... Qf1+
39. Kg4 h5+ 40. Kxh5 Qh3# {ends the game.}) 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 49"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.01.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Khenkin, Igor"]
[Black "Mogranzini, Roberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2401"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2006.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bd7 11. Rb1 Qc7 12. Bd3 a6 13. Qd2 Rad8 $5 ({
Known is} 13... b5) 14. Bh6 Bxh6 15. Qxh6 Bg4 16. f3 Bc8 17. d5 Ne5 18. Qe3 c4
$6 ({Preferable is} 18... e6 $1 19. c4 exd5 20. cxd5 f5 {
and Black attacks the blockaded centre.}) 19. Bc2 Nd7 20. f4 Nf6 21. h3 e6 22.
dxe6 Bxe6 $5 23. f5 $5 Bc8 $1 24. Nd4 Rde8 25. Qh6 b5 26. Nf3 Bb7 $2 (26...
Qa7+ $1 27. Kh1 Rxe4 $1 28. Bxe4 Nxe4 29. f6 Ng3+ 30. Kh2 Nf5 31. Qf4 Qe3 {
defends well.}) 27. Ng5 $1 Re7 28. Rf3 Qe5 29. Rbf1 $1 a5 $5 30. Nxh7 $1 {
Khenkin strikes.} Nxh7 31. fxg6 f6 32. gxh7+ $5 Rxh7 33. Qe3 b4 $5 34. Rg3+ $5
Kh8 $6 (34... Rg7 $1 35. Rxg7+ Kxg7 36. cxb4 axb4 37. Rf5 Qa1+ 38. Kh2 Qc3 39.
Qxc3 bxc3 {offers more resistance.}) 35. Rf5 Qc7 36. e5 $1 b3 37. axb3 cxb3 38.
Bxb3 a4 39. Rxf6 {The final standings became: Iordachescu 7/9, Landa and
Khenkin 61/2, Shytaj and Romanishin 41/2, Brunello and Magranzini 4,
Rambaldoni 3, Manca and Borgo 21/2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.12.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "2691"]
[BlackElo "2668"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

{The 50th Torneo di Capodanno was played from 29 xii 2007 until 6 i 2008.
Extra support got the Golden Jubilee event. One Italian and nine foreigners
participated. Kortschnoj was the most famous player. A tournament book was
written.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4
Be6 8. Nc3 Qd7 9. a5 a6 10. h3 h6 11. Bd2 Rae8 $6 (11... Bd8 12. Be3 Ne7 {
drew in Anka - Z.Szabo, Hungary 2004.}) 12. Nd5 $1 Bd8 13. Bb3 $1 Nh7 $6 {
Black plays passively.} 14. Ba4 Qc8 15. b4 f5 16. c4 (16. b5 $5 axb5 17. Bxb5 {
will become the alternative.}) 16... Bd7 17. b5 $1 {
White attacks on the queenside.} Ne7 18. Qb3 axb5 $6 ({Preferable is} 18...
Nxd5 19. cxd5 Bg5 20. Nxg5 Nxg5 21. Bxg5 hxg5 22. bxa6 Bxa4 23. Qxa4 bxa6) 19.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 20. cxb5+ Ref7 $2 (20... Be6 21. Qc3 fxe4 22. dxe4 Ref7 23. Bb3 {
(Marin)} Bxb3 24. Qxb3 Kh8 {tries to survive.}) 21. a6 $1 fxe4 22. dxe4 Kh8 23.
a7 $1 Qa8 {Black suffers from a horrible restraint.} 24. b6 c6 25. Re3 Nf6 26.
Rd1 Be8 27. Ba5 Rd7 28. Qa3 Be7 29. Bb4 c5 30. Ba5 Rd8 31. Bxe8 Rfxe8 32. Nh4
Kh7 33. Qb3 Bf8 34. Qf7 Qc8 35. Rf3 Rd7 36. Qg6+ Kh8 37. Bd2 d5 38. Rxf6 $1
gxf6 39. Ra1 dxe4 40. a8=Q {Almasi made a fine start.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.12.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. d4 Bf8 8. Re1
d6 $5 ({Known is} 8... exd4 9. e5 Nd5 10. cxd4) 9. Bg5 Bd7 10. Nbd2 h6 11. Bh4
g5 12. Bg3 Nxd4 $5 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Bxd7 Qxd7 15. cxd4 Bg7 16. e5 $5 {
He wants to attack.} dxe5 17. dxe5 Nd5 18. Qb3 b6 19. Rad1 Qe6 20. Nf3 Ne7 21.
Qxe6 fxe6 22. h4 Nf5 $5 23. hxg5 Nxg3 24. fxg3 Rad8 25. gxh6 Bxh6 {
White's extra pawn has little importance.} 26. Kf2 c5 27. b3 Rd5 28. g4 Red8
29. Rxd5 Rxd5 30. g5 Bf8 31. Kg3 b5 32. Rc1 c4 $6 ({Preferable is} 32... Be7
33. Kf4 Kf7) 33. bxc4 Rc5 34. Kf4 bxc4 35. Ke4 Kf7 36. Rc2 Bg7 37. Kd4 $5 Rd5+
38. Kxc4 $5 Bxe5 39. Rf2 Bg3 40. Rf1 Rf5 41. a4 Bd6 42. Rh1 Rf4+ 43. Kb5 Rb4+
44. Kc6 Rb6+ 45. Kd7 Bf4 46. a5 $5 Rb5 $2 {Godena makes a grave error.} (46...
Rd6+ 47. Kc8 Ra6 48. Ra1 Rc6+ 49. Kb7 Rc7+ 50. Ka6 e5 {draws.}) 47. Rh7+ $1 Kg6
48. Rh6+ Kg7 49. a6 e5 50. Re6 Bg3 51. g6 Ra5 52. Ng5 Bf2 $2 (52... Ra4 53. Nf7
e4 54. Ng5 e3 $1 55. Rxe3 Rg4 56. Re7+ Kxg6 57. Ne4 Bh2 {resist well.}) 53. Ne4
$1 Bb6 54. g4 Ra4 ({The pointe is} 54... Rxa6 55. Ng3) 55. Nd6 Rd4 56. Kc6 Rxg4
57. Nf5+ Kf8 58. Kd7 {Harikrishna has a mate attack.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.12.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Black "Marin, Mihail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2678"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. Nc3 a6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4
d6 9. Rd1 Be7 10. Be3 Nbd7 11. Qd2 O-O 12. Bf4 Ne8 13. Ng5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Qc7
15. Qd3 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Ne5 17. Qe4 Rc8 18. Rac1 h6 19. Bf4 Nf6 20. Qd4 $5 ({
Known is} 20. Qb1 $6 Nxc4) 20... Qb7+ $5 21. f3 $1 Nxc4 22. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 23.
Qxf6 Ne3+ 24. Kh1 $5 Nxd1 25. Rxd1 d5 $5 26. e4 $5 d4 $5 27. Rxd4 $5 {
Landa tries to win.} (27. Qxh6 dxc3 28. Qg5+ Kh7 29. Qh5+ {
leads to perpetual check.}) 27... Kh7 28. e5 Rg8 29. Kg2 Rg6 30. Qf4 Qc7 31.
Rd6 Kg7 32. Ne4 Rd8 33. g4 Rxd6 34. exd6 Qd7 $2 ({Correct is} 34... Qc2+ $1 35.
Kg3 Qd1 36. Qe5+ Kg8 37. d7 Qxd7 38. Nf6+ Rxf6 39. Qxf6 Qd2) 35. h4 f5 36. Qe5+
$2 (36. h5 $1 fxe4 37. hxg6 exf3+ 38. Kxf3 {
was seen by Landa, but he expected to have a better to have a better move.})
36... Kf7 37. h5 Rg7 $1 {Landa has missed this.} 38. Nf6 Qb5 $1 39. Qxb5 axb5
40. Nd7 $1 Rg8 $5 41. Ne5+ Kf6 42. Nd7+ Kf7 43. Ne5+ Kf6 44. Nd7+ Kg7 $1 {
He avoids the repetition.} 45. Ne5 Rd8 46. d7 Kf6 $5 47. f4 b4 $2 {
The tables turn.} ({Correct is} 47... fxg4 48. a3 $1 Ke7 49. Nc6+ Kxd7 50. Nxd8
Kxd8 51. Kg3 Ke7 52. Kxg4 Kf6 53. b3 e5 {(Marin)} 54. a4 $1 bxa4 55. bxa4 e4
56. Kh3 $1 {White avoids zugzwang.}) 48. g5+ $1 hxg5 49. Kg3 $1 gxf4+ 50. Kxf4
Kg7 51. Kg5 Rf8 52. Kf4 Rd8 53. b3 b5 54. h6+ Kh7 55. Kf3 Kg8 56. Ke3 Kh7 57.
Kf4 Kg8 58. Kg5 $1 Kh7 59. Kf6 Ra8 60. Kxe6 f4 61. Ng4 Kg6 62. Ke7 Kg5 63. d8=Q
{Landa won after a great effort.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2007.12.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Navara, David"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A69"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Nd2 Bg7 8. e4
O-O 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O a6 11. a4 Nbd7 12. f4 Rb8 13. a5 b5 14. axb6 Nxb6 15.
Kh1 c4 16. Ra3 Qc7 17. b4 $5 cxb3 18. Rxb3 Nfd7 19. Na4 $2 ({Preferable is} 19.
e5 dxe5 20. Nde4 f5 21. Ng5 Nc5 22. d6 {(Gashimov).}) 19... Nxa4 20. Rxb8 Nc3
$1 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Qe1 Nxe4 23. Nxe4 Rxe4 {Black has gained a pawn.} 24. Qd2
Nc5 25. Ba3 Rd4 26. Qa2 Ra4 27. Rf3 Qf5 28. h3 $2 Rxf4 29. Bxc5 Rxf3 30. Bxf3
dxc5 31. d6 ({The pointe is} 31. Qxa6 Qb1+ 32. Kh2 Be5+ 33. g3 Qe1) 31... Be5
32. d7 Qxd7 33. Qxa6 Qd4 34. Qf1 c4 35. Be2 c3 36. Bc4 Bf6 37. Bb3 Kg7 38. Qe2
Be5 39. Qf3 f5 40. Qe2 h5 41. Bc2 h4 42. Bb3 Qf4 43. Kg1 Bd4+ 44. Kh1 Qe4 45.
Qf1 Qe3 46. Bc2 Qd2 47. Qb1 Qf2 48. Qd1 Kf6 49. Qc1 Qd2 50. Qb1 Kg5 51. Ba4 Kf4
52. Kh2 Ke3 53. Bc2 Ke2 54. Qb5+ Kf2 55. Qb8 Qe3 {
Gashimov took advantage of the mistakes.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.01"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 Bd6 5. Bg2 Nge7 6. O-O Bc7 7. Be3 b6 8. d4
d5 $5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Bg5 f6 11. c4 $1 Nde7 12. Be3 cxd4 $6 ({Preferable is} 
12... Rb8) 13. Nxd4 Bd7 14. Nxc6 Nxc6 15. Qh5+ g6 16. Qe2 Kf7 17. Nc3 Rc8 18.
Nb5 Bb8 19. c5 bxc5 20. Bxc5 Qa5 21. Rfd1 $5 Rhd8 22. Nd6+ Bxd6 23. Bxd6 {
White has an advantage.} e5 $5 24. Rd5 $5 Qb6 25. Bc5 Qb8 26. Qa6 Ne7 27. Bxe7
Kxe7 28. Rad1 Bb5 $2 ({Better is} 28... Qb6 29. Qa3+ Ke8 {(Navara).}) 29. Qa3+
$1 Ke8 30. Rxd8+ Rxd8 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Qb3 $1 Be2 33. Qg8+ Ke7 34. Qxh7+ Ke6
35. Bh3+ Kd5 36. Qxg6 {White has gained two pawns.} Qc7 37. Bg2+ Ke6 38. Qe8+
Kd6 39. h4 Qc1+ 40. Kh2 Qxb2 41. Qc6+ Ke7 42. Qc5+ Ke6 43. Bd5+ {
Almasi, Gashimov, Harikrishna and Landa shared the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Marin, Mihail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C80"]
[WhiteElo "2691"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 g6 11. Bc2 Bg7 12. Nd4 Qd7 $2 {Black refuses the gambit.
} ({Theory is} 12... Nxe5 13. f4 Nc4) 13. f4 Bg4 14. Qe1 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Ne6 16.
Nb3 a5 17. h3 $1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. Be3 {White has a superior position.} a4
20. Nd2 Bf8 21. Nf3 Be7 22. Qb1 Nd8 $5 23. Qc2 Ra6 24. Rac1 Rc6 25. Qd3 Rxc1
26. Rxc1 Rg8 27. Kh2 Rg6 28. e6 $1 Qxe6 $5 29. Ne5 $5 {
White could have captured pawn c7.} c6 30. Bd2 $1 ({The alternative is} 30.
Nxg6 hxg6 {and Marin likes to defend this position.}) 30... Rg7 $6 ({
More solid is} 30... Rg8 $1 31. Re1 Kf8 32. Qc2 Kg7) 31. Re1 Kf8 32. Qc2 h5 $5
33. Ba5 h4 $6 (33... Rh7 $5 34. Re2 Rh6 35. Ng4 Qxe2 36. Qxe2 hxg4 {
fights for the last chance.}) 34. Re2 $1 Nb7 $6 (34... Rg3 35. Bxd8 Bxd8 36.
Nxc6 Qd6 {does not save the game.}) 35. Nxc6 Qc8 36. Nxe7 Qxc2 37. Rxc2 Nxa5
38. Nxf5 $1 {White threatens mate and a material gain.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]
[BlackElo "2643"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Bf4 Nd5 8.
Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Nf3 Nf6 10. Be2 Bg4 11. O-O e6 12. h3 $5 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qd7 14. c4
Bd6 $1 15. Bg5 Be7 16. Qb3 O-O 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 $6 ({Preferable is} 17... Qc7 $1)
18. Bf4 $1 a5 19. a3 a4 20. Qc2 Bd6 21. Bg5 Qe7 22. Rd3 h6 23. Bd2 Ra6 $5 24.
Re1 Bc7 25. Bb4 Qd7 26. Red1 Bd6 27. Bc3 Qc7 28. d5 $1 {
An attack in the centre starts.} cxd5 29. cxd5 e5 $5 (29... exd5 30. Bxd5 Nxd5
31. Rxd5 Bh2+ 32. Kh1 Rxd5 33. Rxd5 Bd6 {
leads to many exchanges, but White keeps a plus.}) 30. Re3 $1 Raa8 31. Qf5 Re8
32. Rde1 Nd7 33. Bh5 Nf8 $2 ({Better is} 33... Nf6 $1 34. Bxe5 Bxe5 35. Rxe5
Rxe5 36. Qxe5 Qb6 $1 {(Ni Hua)} 37. Re2 g6 38. Bf3 Re8 39. Qc3 Rxe2 40. Bxe2
Nxd5) 34. Rg3 $1 {White shifts his pieces to the kingside.} Re7 35. Re4 Ra6 $2
{Tiviakov allows a beautiful finish.} (35... Nh7 36. Qg4 Ng5 37. Rxa4 Rxa4 38.
Qxa4 {costs a pawn.}) 36. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 37. Rg4+ Ng6 38. Bxg6 $1 Kf8 ({
The pointe is} 38... fxg6 39. Qxg6+ Kf8 40. Qg8#) 39. Bh7 Rd7 40. Rg8+ Ke7 41.
Bg6 $1 {Ni Hua scored a fine victory.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Navara, David"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C09"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. exd5 exd5 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8.
O-O Nge7 9. Nb3 Bd6 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Re1 Bg4 12. Be2 Qc7 13. h3 Bd7 14. c3 h6
15. Bxe7 $5 ({Known is} 15. Be3) 15... Nxe7 16. Nbd4 Rad8 17. Bd3 a6 18. Bc2
Rfe8 19. Qd3 Ng6 20. Nh4 Nf8 21. Bb3 Re5 22. Nhf3 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Ng6 $1 24. Bc2
Kf8 $5 (24... Qc4 {leads to a useful exchange.}) 25. h4 Kg8 $5 26. Nf5 Bc5 27.
h5 $1 Bb5 $2 ({Correct is} 27... Nf8) 28. c4 $1 Nf4 $5 {
If Black captures on c4, the queen goes to the vacated square c3.} 29. Nxh6+ $1
Kf8 {Black will be mated, if he takes the knight.} 30. Qf5 $1 (30. Qh7 $2 Nh3+
$1 31. Kf1 Bxc4+ 32. Bd3 Bxd3+ 33. Qxd3 Bxf2 {favours Black (Navara).}) 30...
Bxc4 31. Ne5 $1 Ne2+ 32. Rxe2 $1 Bxe2 33. Nhxf7 $1 Ke8 34. Qg6 Qb6 35. Nd6+ Ke7
36. Nf5+ {Kortschnoj played a poor event, because he lost one game and drew
the rest. Almasi took the sole lead during the fifth round.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2643"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Bf4 Nd5 8.
Nxd5 Nxe5 $5 ({Usual is} 8... Qxd5) 9. Ne3 Nd3+ 10. Qxd3 Qxf4 11. d5 cxd5 $6 (
11... e6 $5 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. g3 Qc7 {
will draw in Docx - Bosiocic, Novi Sad 2009.}) 12. Qxd5 e6 $2 (12... a6 13.
O-O-O Qc7 {defends properly (Gashimov).}) 13. Bb5+ Ke7 14. Qd2 $1 Qd6 15. Qe2
Kf6 $5 16. Qf3+ Ke7 17. Qe2 Kf6 18. Qf3+ Ke7 19. O-O $1 Qc5 20. Ba4 g6 $6 ({
Better is} 20... f5 21. Rfe1 Kf7) 21. Rfe1 $1 Bg7 22. Rad1 Bxb2 23. c3 $1 f5
24. Rb1 $1 Ba3 ({The pointe is} 24... Bxc3 25. Nd5+ Kf7 26. Nxc3) 25. Rb5 Qc6
26. Qg3 Bd7 27. Nxf5+ $1 Kd8 ({Or} 27... gxf5 28. Qg7+ Kd6 29. Rd1+ Kc7 30.
Rxb7+) 28. Rb4 Qc7 29. Qh4+ Kc8 30. Bxd7+ Kxd7 31. Qe7+ {
Gashimov and Almasi joined the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2691"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. N3h2 Nc5 15.
Bc2 c6 16. b4 Ncd7 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Bg5 Qc7 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Ng4 Be7 21.
Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. Bb3 $5 (22. Ne3 {
happened in Navara - A.Ivanov, Khanty Mansiysk 2007.}) 22... a5 23. bxa5 Rxa5
24. Qf3 Bd7 $6 ({Preferable is} 24... Bg5 25. Rad1 Rd8 26. Ne3 Bxe3 27. Rxe3 {
and Black has exchanged his weak bishop.}) 25. Ne3 Be6 26. Nd5 Bxd5 27. Bxd5
Rc8 28. Re3 Qd7 29. Rd1 Bd8 30. Qh5 Bb6 $2 (30... Ra3 31. Bb3 Bf6 {
restores the position.}) 31. Rf3 $1 Rf8 32. Bxf7+ $1 Rxf7 33. Rxd6 $1 Qa7 34.
Qxf7+ Qxf7 35. Rxf7 Kxf7 36. Rxb6 {
White has two extra pawns in the rook ending.} g5 37. g3 h5 38. Kf1 h4 39. Kg2
Rxa2 40. Rxb5 Kf6 41. Rb6+ Ke7 42. gxh4 gxh4 43. Rh6 Rc2 44. Rxh4 Rxc3 45. Rh5
Ke6 46. Rf5 {The passed pawn will triumph.} Rc4 47. f3 Rc2+ 48. Kg3 Rc1 49. h4
Rg1+ 50. Kh2 Rg6 51. Kh3 Rg8 52. h5 Rg1 53. Kh4 Rh1+ 54. Kg5 Rg1+ 55. Kh6 Rg3
56. Kh7 Rg2 57. h6 Rg3 58. Kh8 {Almasi took the sole lead again.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 50"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Marin, Mihail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2007.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4
Bb6 9. Nc3 O-O {They play the main line of the Italian Game.} 10. Be3 Bg4 11.
Qc2 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Ng5 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. O-O-O $5 {
Ni Hua has prepared a novelty.} (14. Qa4 Nxf3+ 15. Ke2 f6 {
was played in Sveshnikov - Balashov, Soviet Union 1986.}) 14... Nxf3 15. Qe2 $1
Nh4 16. Rhg1 $1 f6 (16... Qd7 $5 {will become an alternative.}) 17. Qh5 Ng6 18.
Rg3 fxe5 $6 ({Preferable is} 18... Re8 19. Rh3 Nf8 {(Ni Hua).}) 19. Rh3 $1 Qf6
$2 (19... Kf7 $1 20. Rg1 Rh8 21. Qf5+ Qf6 22. Qd7+ Qe7 23. Rf3+ Kg8 24. Qxc6
Re8 25. Nxd5 Qe6 {tries to survive.}) 20. Rg1 $1 exd4 21. Qxh7+ Kf7 22. Rxg6
Qxg6 23. Rf3+ Qf6 24. Rxf6+ Kxf6 25. Qh4+ $1 Ke5 26. Qe7+ Kf5 27. Qd7+ Kg6 28.
Bxd4 Bxd4 29. Qg4+ Kh7 30. Qxd4 Rf6 31. Nd1 a6 32. Ne3 Re8 33. Ng4 Rfe6 34.
Qd3+ Kh8 35. Qxa6 c5 36. Qd3 c4 37. Qh3+ Kg8 38. Ne3 c6 39. Qg4 Rf6 40. Qd7 Re4
41. Nf5 Rf7 42. Qd8+ {The final standings became: Almasi 6/9, Gashimov,
Harikrishna and Ni Hua 51/2, Landa 41/2, Kortschnoj and Navara 4, Marin and
Tiviakov 31/2, Godena 3.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2613"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

{The 51st Torneo di Capodanno was played from 27 xii 2008 until 4 i 2009. Two
Italians and eight foreigners took part. The event became a race between the
grandmasters Almasi and Ni Hua. We follow their results.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. dxe5 Nc5 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be6
10. Qc1 $5 ({Usual is} 10. Bb5) 10... Qc8 11. Rd1 Rd8 {He protects pawn d5.}
12. Bg5 h6 $5 ({Preferable is} 12... Ne4 $1 13. Bxe7 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nxe7) 13.
Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Nd4 Bg4 15. f3 $1 Bd7 16. f4 c6 17. Qe3 Ne6 18. Nxe6 Bxe6 {
The chances are equal.} 19. Qc5 Ng6 20. Qf2 Bg4 21. h3 Bxe2 22. Nxe2 Qc7 23.
Nd4 $1 Qb6 24. c3 Re8 25. Rf1 Rad8 $6 (25... c5 $1 26. Nf5 f6 {counters.}) 26.
Rae1 Nf8 27. Kh1 $5 c5 $2 ({Correct is} 27... Ne6 28. f5 Ng5 29. e6 f6) 28. Nf5
$1 d4 $5 29. Nd6 Re7 30. cxd4 cxd4 31. Rd1 {White conquers the centre.} Ne6 $2
(31... Red7 32. Rxd4 f6 33. Re4 Qxf2 34. Rxf2 Ng6 {offers more resistance.})
32. f5 $1 Ng5 33. h4 Nh7 34. f6 $1 Rxe5 35. Nc4 $1 Qxf6 36. Nxe5 Qxe5 37. Qxf7+
Kh8 38. Rde1 Qb5 39. Rf5 Qc6 40. Re6 Qc8 41. Rfe5 {Almasi attacked well.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Ni Hua"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2493"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8.
g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 {
This line is famous from the world championship matches Euwe - Alekhine.} g5
12. Ne3 gxf4 13. Nxf5 O-O-O 14. Qc2 Ng6 15. a5 a6 16. O-O h5 $5 {
Ni Hua wants to counter.} 17. Rfc1 Kb8 18. b4 ({The alternative will become} 
18. Ra4 $5) 18... h4 $1 19. Rab1 $2 hxg3 20. hxg3 fxg3 21. fxg3 {
Black has a won game.} Qe5 22. Rd1 Ne7 23. Nxe7 Bxe7 24. Qe4 f5 25. Qxe5+ Nxe5
26. Rf1 Rh5 27. Rb3 Nc4 28. Nb1 Bg5 29. Kf2 Rh2 30. Rh1 Rxh1 31. Bxh1 Rd1 32.
Bg2 Be3+ 33. Kf3 Bd4 34. Kf4 Bb2 35. Nc3 Rd4+ 36. Kxf5 Ne3+ 37. Ke5 Rxb4 38.
Rxb4 Bxc3+ 39. Ke4 Bxb4 40. Kxe3 Bxa5 {
Ni Hua has an extra pawn in the ending of bishops of a different colour.} 41.
g4 Bc3 42. Ke4 $6 (42. Kd3 Bg7 43. Kc4 Kc7 44. Be4 b5+ 45. Kb4 Kb6 46. Ka3 c5
47. g5 a5 {makes a futile effort to stop the pawns.}) 42... Kc7 43. g5 a5 44.
Kf5 Kd6 45. e4 a4 {White cannot stop the black pawns. Almasi and Ni Hua had
won in the first round.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Ronchetti, Niccolo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2414"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bc2 Bb7 8. Re1
Rc8 9. a4 Ng6 10. Na3 bxa4 11. Nc4 Be7 12. Bxa4 $5 (12. Rxa4 {
happened in Gasanov - Moisenko, Moscow 2008.}) 12... O-O 13. d3 Qc7 14. Qb3 d5
15. exd5 exd5 16. Ne3 Rfd8 17. d4 cxd4 18. cxd4 Na5 19. Qd1 Nc4 20. Nf5 Bf6 21.
h4 Ne7 22. Nxe7+ Bxe7 23. h5 Bb4 24. Re2 Bc6 25. h6 g6 26. Bg5 Re8 27. b3 Nd6
28. Rxe8+ Nxe8 29. Bxc6 Qxc6 30. Qe2 {The chances are equal.} a5 $2 (30... Qb5
31. Qxb5 axb5 32. Ra7 f6 {keeps the equality.}) 31. Bd2 Qf6 32. Bxb4 axb4 33.
Qb5 Qf4 $1 34. Re1 Nf6 35. Qb7 Rf8 $5 36. Qxb4 Qxh6 37. Qd6 Ne4 $2 ({Better is
} 37... Kg7 38. b4 Rc8 39. b5 Rc1 {and Black awaits a difficult defence.}) 38.
Qxd5 Nd2 39. Ne5 $1 Qg5 40. b4 Qe7 41. Qc5 Qb7 42. Nc6 Qa6 43. d5 Qd3 44. d6
Ne4 45. Qe5 {Ni Hua threatens mate in one.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Marin, Mihail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2556"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 Bg7 5. Qd2 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Nh5 8. O-O-O
Nc6 9. Nge2 Bd7 10. f3 Nxg3 11. hxg3 e6 12. f4 Qf6 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 $5 ({
Known is} 14. dxe5 Qe7 15. Ne4) 14... Qe7 15. Ne4 O-O-O 16. N2c3 f5 17. exf6
Bxf6 18. Nxf6 Qxf6 19. Ne4 Qf5 20. Nc5 Qd5 21. c4 Qd6 22. Qe3 Ne7 23. g4 Kb8
24. Be2 Bc8 25. Rd3 b6 $6 {Black creates a hole.} 26. Bf3 $1 Ng6 27. Kb1 $1 Nh4
28. Be4 e5 29. Nb3 $5 Rhe8 $2 ({Correct is} 29... Bxg4 $1 30. Qd2 Rhe8) 30. d5
$2 (30. Na5 $1 Bd7 31. g3 {wins for White (Marin).}) 30... Bxg4 31. c5 $1 bxc5
$2 32. Na5 $6 (32. Nxc5 Nf5 33. Rb3+ Ka8 34. Qd3 {ends the game.}) 32... Nf5
33. Rb3+ Ka8 (33... Kc8 $5 34. Qf3 $1 Bxf3 35. Bxf5+ Rd7 36. Nc6 {
also favours White.}) 34. Qd3 Nd4 35. Nb7 Be2 $2 (35... c4 $1 36. Qxc4 Nxb3 37.
Qxb3 Qa6 38. Nxd8 Rxd8 {tries to survive.}) 36. Qc3 $1 Qa6 37. Nxc5 Qc4 38. d6+
c6 39. d7 Nxb3 $5 40. dxe8=Q Rxe8 41. Qxc4 Bxc4 42. Bxc6+ Kb8 43. axb3 {
Almasi and Ni Hua won their games for the second time.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2493"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3 d6 6. Bd3 g6 7. Ne2 Bg7 8. O-O
e5 9. f4 exd4 10. cxd4 Bg4 11. Qa4+ Nc6 $5 ({Usual is} 11... Nd7 12. Nbc3 O-O)
12. Nbc3 $1 O-O 13. e5 dxe5 14. dxe5 (14. fxe5 $5 Qg5 $1 {is alright for Black.
}) 14... Qe7 15. Be4 Rad8 $1 16. Bxc6 Qc5+ 17. Rf2 bxc6 $1 18. Rc1 $6 (18. Ne4
Qb6 19. Qc2 {gains a tempo.}) 18... Qb6 19. h3 Be6 20. Qc2 Bf5 $1 21. Qb3 $2 ({
Correct is} 21. Ne4 Qe3 22. N2g3 Bxe4 23. Nxe4) 21... Rd3 22. Qxb6 $5 axb6 23.
Kh2 $6 (23. Re1 $1 Re8 24. Nc1 Rdd8 25. g4 {counters at the right time.}) 23...
Rd2 $1 {Black has reached a won endgame.} 24. b3 Rfd8 25. Rf3 c5 26. Ng3 Bc8
27. Nge4 Rb2 28. h4 $5 Bb7 29. Rg3 Rd4 30. Re1 Kf8 31. Kh1 Rc2 32. Kh2 Bc6 33.
Kh1 $2 b5 $1 34. e6 b4 35. e7+ Kxe7 36. Nxc5+ Kf8 37. N3e4 Rxa2 38. h5 gxh5 39.
Rh3 Rd5 40. Nd3 Rd4 41. Ndc5 Rd5 42. Kh2 Rxc5 {
Almasi could take the lead, because Ni Hua played a short draw against Dreev.}
0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Leon Hoyos, Manuel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d6 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. N3h2 Rc8 15.
Bg5 h5 $2 ({Known is} 15... h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6) 16. a4 g6 17. Nf3 Nc5 18. axb5
axb5 19. Bc2 c6 20. b4 Ncd7 21. dxc6 Bxc6 22. Bb3 Qc7 23. Nh4 $1 Kg7 $5 ({
The alternative is} 23... Bxe4 24. Ng3 d5 25. Nxe4 Nxe4 26. Rxe4 $1 dxe4 27.
Nxg6 Bg7 28. Qxh5 {and White attacks.}) 24. Ng3 $1 Qb7 25. Nhf5+ $5 gxf5 26.
exf5 $2 {Ni Hua misses the win.} (26. Nxh5+ Kg6 27. Bxf6 Nxf6 28. exf5+ Kxf5
29. h4 $1 {charges the black king.}) 26... Bxg2 27. Re3 $2 (27. Nxh5+ Kh7 $1
28. Ra7 $1 Qxa7 29. Nxf6+ Nxf6 30. Bxf6 Bh6 31. Qh5 Bf3 $1 32. Qxf3 Rg8+ 33.
Kf1 Qc7 {brings a difficult position.}) 27... Kh7 $2 {The tables turn.} (27...
Kh8 $3 28. Bxf6+ Nxf6 29. Nxh5 Bh1 $3 {wins for Black.}) 28. Bxf6 Bh6 $6 (28...
Nxf6 29. Nxh5 Ng8 {grabs the last chance.}) 29. Bg5 Rg8 30. Bxh6 Bh1 31. Kf1 $1
Nf6 32. Qxd6 Bg2+ 33. Ke1 Rc6 34. Qxe5 Kxh6 35. Rd1 Bxh3 36. Rd6 Rxd6 37. Qxd6
Kg7 38. Re7 Qxe7+ 39. Qxe7 Re8 40. Nxh5+ Kh6 41. Qxe8 Nxe8 42. Bxf7 Nd6 43. Bg6
Bxf5 44. Bxf5 Nxf5 45. Ng3 {White has two extra pawns in the knight ending.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Ronchetti, Niccolo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2414"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Be3 e6 7. Na3 cxd4 8.
Nb5 Qd8 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Be7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O O-O 13. Re1 $5 {
White has the initiative.} ({Known is} 13. Qe2) 13... Bd7 14. Ng5 g6 $2 {
He weakens the kingside.} ({Better is} 14... Rfd8) 15. Qf3 Qc6 16. Qe2 $5 Rfd8
17. Qe5 Qd5 18. Qf4 h6 $2 {The kingside is weakened again.} (18... Be8 19. Bxg6
hxg6 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Qxf6 Qf5 22. Qxf5 gxf5 {costs a pawn.}) 19. Nf3 Kg7 20.
Be4 $1 Qb5 21. a4 Qa6 22. b4 $1 Bxa4 23. Be5 Rac8 24. h4 $1 h5 25. g4 hxg4 26.
Nh2 {Almasi had scored 4/4.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2008.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Dreev, Alexey"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "191"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8.
e3 d6 9. Ne2 Nbd7 10. Qc2 c5 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. Nc3 a6 13. Qd2 h6 14. Bh4 d5 15.
dxc5 $5 ({The alternative is} 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. f3) 15... bxc5 16. Be2 Rad8 17.
O-O Qc6 18. f3 Ne5 $2 19. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 20. cxd5 exd5 {
The black pawn structure has been damaged.} 21. e4 $1 {
White charges in the centre.} dxe4 22. Qxh6 f5 23. Qf4 $1 Rxd1 24. Bxd1 Qd6 25.
Qg3+ Kh7 26. fxe4 fxe4 27. Rf5 $1 {He attacks on the kingside.} Qd4+ 28. Kh1
Ng6 29. Bh5 Qg7 30. Nd1 Ne7 31. Rg5 Qh6 32. Be2 $5 Rg8 33. Rxg8 Nxg8 34. Qc7
Bd5 35. h3 Qd2 36. Nc3 Nf6 37. Qe5 Qd4 38. Qf5+ Kg7 39. Qg5+ Kf8 40. Bxa6 {
Dreev has gained a pawn.} Bc6 41. Ne2 Qd6 42. Qf4 Ke7 43. Bc4 Qxf4 44. Nxf4 e3
{Almasi has compensation for the pawn in the ending.} 45. Kg1 Kd6 $5 {
He counters desperately.} 46. Bxf7 Ke5 47. Nd3+ Kd4 48. Ne1 c4 49. Bg6 Ne4 50.
Nf3+ Kd3 51. Ne5+ Kd2 52. Nxc4+ Kd3 53. Ne5+ Kd2 54. Nc4+ Kd3 55. Ne5+ Kd2 56.
Nf3+ Kd1 57. Nd4 $1 e2 58. Nxe2 Kxe2 {White has four pawns for a knight.} 59.
h4 $6 ({The exchange by} 59. Bxe4 Bxe4 60. h4 {wins quickly.}) 59... Nf6 60. h5
Ng4 61. Bf5 Nh6 62. Be6 {The knight has been imprisoned.} Ke3 63. b4 Bb5 64. g4
Kf4 65. Kf2 Be8 66. Ke2 Ke5 67. Bc8 Nf7 68. Ke3 {He goes forwards slowly.} Bb5
69. Bf5 Nh6 70. Bc8 Nf7 71. Bb7 $1 {Zugzwang has arisen.} Nd6 72. h6 $1 Kf6 73.
Be4 Bd7 {Exchange of bishops loses as well.} 74. g5+ $5 Kxg5 75. h7 Nf7 76. Bd5
Nh8 77. Kd4 Kh6 78. Be4 Kg7 79. Kc5 Nf7 80. Bc2 Bg4 81. a4 Be2 82. b5 Ne5 83.
a5 Nd7+ 84. Kb4 Nf6 85. b6 Nd7 86. Bf5 Nb8 87. Kc5 Na6+ 88. Kd6 Nb4 89. Be4 Na6
90. b7 Bb5 91. Ke7 Be2 92. Kd8 Bf1 93. Bf5 Bg2 94. Kc8 Bf1 95. b8=Q Nxb8 96.
Kxb8 {Almasi cannot stop the advance of the a-pawn after a preparation. Ni Hua
drew. So Almasi and Ni Hua shared the lead by 4/5 at the end of the year.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2009.01.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Shytaj, Luca"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B29"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2472"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

{The leaders had drawn in the sixth round.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4.
Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Qb6 7. b3 Qc7 8. Qe2 $5 ({An alternative is} 8. Qd2
e6 9. O-O-O) 8... e6 9. Qe3 b6 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. Nd2 $5 Ne7 $1 12. Ne4 Nd5 13.
Qg3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Bc6 15. Be2 Be7 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. Rxd6 O-O-O $2 {
The king will become vulnerable at this flank.} ({Better is} 17... O-O 18. Bf3
Bxf3 19. Qxf3 f6) 18. Rhd1 f6 19. f3 Rhf8 20. h4 fxe5 21. Qxe5 g6 22. Bd3 Qb7
23. a4 $1 {The attack on the king begins.} Qc7 24. a5 $1 bxa5 25. Qxc5 Kb8 26.
Qe5 Bb7 $6 (26... Rf7 27. Kb2 a4 {offers more resistance.}) 27. Kb2 $1 Rc8 28.
Ra1 $1 Qc5 29. Rxe6+ $1 Qxe5 30. Rxe5 Rf4 31. Rexa5 Rxh4 32. Rxa7 {
White has gained two pawns.} Rh2 33. Rxb7+ $1 {
Almasi drew quickly, so Ni Hua took the lead.} (33. Rxb7+ Kxb7 34. Ba6+ Kc7 35.
Bxc8 Kxc8 36. g4 Rf2 37. Ra8+ Kc7 38. Rf8 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2009.01.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Ni Hua"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

{Ni Hua led by half-a-point, when the decisive game began.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6
10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. c3 Bg7 13. Nxb5 {Almasi plays for a win.} axb5 14.
Bxb5 Bd7 15. exf5 Nb8 {Ni Hua has prepared this sharp position.} 16. Qg4 O-O
17. O-O h5 18. Qf3 e4 $1 {He opens the position favourably.} (18... Qg5 $6 {
drew in Vallejo Pons - Topalov, Linares 2008.}) 19. Qxe4 Re8 $1 (19... Bxb5 $2
20. Ne7+ Kh8 21. Qh4 Bh6 22. Qxh5 Kh7 23. Rfe1 {wins for White (Ni Hua).}) 20.
Qd3 Bxb5 21. Qxb5 Nd7 22. Rfd1 $2 (22. Qd3 {is alright.}) 22... Rb8 $1 23. Qa6
Rxb2 24. Rab1 ({Or} 24. Qxd6 Be5 25. Qa6 Bxh2+ 26. Kxh2 Qh4+ 27. Kg1 Qxf2+)
24... Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Nf6 26. Qd3 Nxd5 27. Qxd5 Re5 28. Qd3 Qf6 29. g3 Qxf5 30.
Qxf5 Rxf5 31. Rd1 Bf8 $1 32. c4 Ra5 33. Rd5 Rxd5 34. cxd5 Be7 35. a4 Bd8 36. f4
f5 37. h3 Kf7 38. Kf2 Kg6 39. Ke2 h4 40. g4 fxg4 41. hxg4 Ba5 {
Ni Hua had won the tournament at the end of the penultimate round.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2009.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Marin, Mihail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C82"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2556"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Bg4 11. Bc2 Ne6 12. Re1 Bc5 13. Nf1 Ne7 14. h3 $5 ({
Usual is} 14. Ng3) 14... Bh5 15. Ng3 Bg6 16. b4 Bb6 17. a4 O-O 18. Be3 Bxe3 19.
Rxe3 Bxc2 20. Qxc2 c5 $5 21. bxc5 Qc7 22. axb5 axb5 23. Rb1 Qxc5 24. Rb4 {
The chances are equal.} d4 $5 25. Ne4 $1 Qxb4 $2 ({Better is} 25... Ra1+ $5 26.
Kh2 Qc7 27. Nxd4 Nxd4 28. Rxd4 Qxe5+ 29. Ng3 Qc5) 26. cxb4 dxe3 27. fxe3 h6 $5
28. Nd4 $1 Ra3 29. Qf2 Ng6 30. Qf5 $1 Nxd4 31. exd4 Ra2 {
Black threatens ..Rxg2+.} 32. Qg4 Re8 33. Nd6 $1 Re6 34. h4 Ra1+ 35. Kh2 Rf1
36. g3 Rb1 37. Qf5 Rb2+ 38. Kh3 Re7 39. Nxf7 $1 Nf8 40. Nd8 Rd7 41. e6 $1 Ra7
42. Nc6 {Marin cannot stop the e-pawn.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 51"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2009.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shytaj, Luca"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C34"]
[WhiteElo "2472"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2008.12.??"]

{Shytal had moved from Albania to Italy.} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. d4
g5 5. h4 g4 6. Ng1 Bh6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. Qd3 Bd7 9. a3 {
White has chosen an enterprising opening.} f5 $1 ({Known is} 9... Nf6 10. Nge2
Qe7) 10. Nge2 fxe4 11. Qxe4+ Qe7 12. Qxe7+ $2 ({Better is} 12. Bxf4 $1 Qxe4 13.
Nxe4 Bxf4 14. Nxf4 Nxd4 15. O-O-O $1 Nc6 16. Ng5 {
and White has sufficient compensation for the pawn.}) 12... Ngxe7 13. d5 Ne5
14. Bxf4 Bxf4 15. Nxf4 O-O 16. g3 Nf5 $1 {Black attacks on the kingside.} 17.
Kf2 Ng6 18. Nce2 $5 ({Or} 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Bd3 Nxh4+) 18... Rae8 19. Bg2 (19.
Nxg6 hxg6 20. Nf4 Nxg3 $1 21. Kxg3 Re3+ 22. Kf2 Rf3+ {also costs a pawn.})
19... Nfxh4 $1 20. gxh4 Bb5 $1 21. Kg3 Re3+ $1 22. Kxg4 Bxe2+ 23. Nxe2 Rxe2 {
Black has regained the piece.} 24. Kg3 Re3+ $1 {The final standings became: Ni
Hua 71/2/9, Almasi 6, Landa, Gustafsson and Marin 5, Dreev and Leon Hoyos 41/2,
Ronchetti 3, Shytaj 21/2, Cebalo 2.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2009.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Godena, Michele"]
[Black "Vocaturo, Daniele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2537"]
[BlackElo "2500"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

{The 52nd Torneo di Capodanno was played from 28 xii 2009 until 6 i 2010. Four
Italians and six foreigners took part.} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 e6
5. Bc4 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3
dxe5 12. dxe5 Qa5 13. Bd2 Rd8 14. Rfe1 Bd7 15. Bb3 Be8 16. Qe4 Rd7 17. Rac1
Rad8 $5 18. Bg5 h6 19. Be3 Ba3 20. Rb1 Bf8 21. Rbc1 Ba3 22. Rb1 Qxc3 $5 {
Black continues the game by a capture.} 23. Bc2 $1 g6 24. Bxh6 Nd4 25. Bd1 Be7
$5 26. Be3 Nxf3+ 27. Bxf3 b6 28. h4 $5 {
White tries to transform his initiative in an attack.} Rd5 $1 29. h5 Rxe5 30.
Qb7 Bg5 31. Rec1 $5 Qa3 32. Rb3 {White sacrifices a second pawn.} Qxa2 33. Bxg5
Rxg5 34. Qe7 Rb8 $2 (34... Qd2 $1 35. Rbc3 Re5 36. hxg6 Re1+ 37. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 38.
Kh2 Qxc3 39. gxf7+ Bxf7 40. Qxd8+ Kh7 41. Qe7 Kg7 {leads to a draw.}) 35. Qxg5
Qxb3 36. hxg6 fxg6 37. Qe5 $1 Rd8 38. Qf6 Qd3 39. Rc7 $1 Rd7 40. Rc8 {
He charges decisively.} Qb1+ 41. Kh2 Rh7+ 42. Kg3 Qb5 43. Qxe6+ Kf8 44. Bd5 Rf7
({Or} 44... Qd7 45. Qf6+ Rf7 46. Qh8+ Ke7 47. Qe5+ Kf8 48. Be6) 45. Qxf7# {
Godena was the best Italian.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2009.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2704"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Kb1 Rd8 12. h4 Bd7 13. Bd3 Bc6 14. Qe3
Kf8 $5 ({An alternative is} 14... Rd7) 15. e5 $1 Ng4 $1 16. Qg3 h5 17. Be2 dxe5
18. Bxe7+ Kxe7 19. Bxg4 hxg4 $5 (19... exf4 $1 20. Qxf4 hxg4 21. Qxg4 Rxd1+ 22.
Rxd1 Rd8 $1 {leads to equality.}) 20. fxe5 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rf1 Ke8 $5
23. a3 Rd7 $6 ({More active is} 23... Qc5 $1) 24. h5 $1 Kd8 $2 ({Wiser is} 
24... Qc5) 25. Re1 $1 Qc5 26. Qxg4 {He has gained a pawn.} Qf2 27. Re2 Qf1+ 28.
Ka2 Qf5 29. Qxg7 Qxh5 30. Rf2 Qg6 31. Qf8+ Kc7 32. Qc5 a6 33. Na4 Rd5 34. Qe7+
Rd7 35. Qc5 Rd5 36. Qb6+ $1 Kc8 37. Qb4 $6 (37. Nc5 $1 {wins for White.}) 37...
Kc7 $6 (37... Bxa4 38. Qxa4 Qg8 {defends stubbornly.}) 38. Nb6 a5 39. Na8+ Kb8
40. Qf8+ Ka7 41. Nc7 Rxe5 $6 42. Qa8+ $1 Kb6 43. Qd8 $1 Kc5 44. Rd2 Qe4 45. Na8
$1 Kc4 46. Rd3 {Almasi has a mate attack.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.01.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 e5 5. d3 Ne7 6. h4 h6 7. e4 Nbc6 8. h5 g5
9. f4 gxf4 10. gxf4 exf4 11. Bxf4 $1 (11. Nh3 f3 12. Qxf3 Ne5 13. Qf1 {
was played in Jirovsky - Movsesian, Czechia 2000.}) 11... Nd4 12. Qd2 Nec6 13.
O-O-O Bg4 14. Nge2 Qd7 15. Rdf1 O-O-O 16. Be3 {White exerts some pressure.}
Nxe2+ 17. Nxe2 Kb8 18. Nf4 Rde8 19. Kb1 a6 20. Bh3 Bxh3 21. Nxh3 Re5 $6 (21...
Ne5 $1 {blockades the centre in the right way.}) 22. Nf4 Rhe8 23. Nd5 f5 24.
Bxh6 Bh8 $1 25. Rxf5 Rxf5 26. exf5 Qxf5 27. Qd1 $5 {
He overprotects the extra pawn.} b5 $6 (27... Ne5 {counters.}) 28. Rf1 Qh7 29.
cxb5 axb5 30. Bf4 Kb7 31. Bc1 Re5 32. Nf4 Rc5 33. Rh1 Qf7 34. Qe2 d5 $4 ({
Better is} 34... Rf5 35. Qg2 d5) 35. Ne6 Rxc1+ 36. Rxc1 Qf6 37. a3 Nd4 38.
Rxc7+ Kb6 39. Nxd4 Kxc7 40. Nxb5+ Kd7 {Kamsky was the other favourite.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Brunello, Sabino"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D79"]
[WhiteElo "2507"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 c6 6. Nc3 d5 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. Ne5
e6 9. O-O Nfd7 10. f4 Nc6 11. Be3 Nb6 12. Bf2 Ne7 13. a4 a5 14. Rc1 Bd7 15.
Nxd7 $5 Qxd7 16. Qb3 Nc4 $1 17. Rfd1 Nf5 18. Ne4 $5 Rac8 19. Nc5 Qe7 20. e3 b6
21. Rxc4 $1 dxc4 22. Qxb6 Rb8 23. Qxa5 Rxb2 24. Bf1 Nd6 25. Qc3 Rfb8 26. e4 {
White has compensation for the exchange.} Qa7 27. e5 Nf5 $2 (27... Rxf2 $1 28.
Kxf2 Qxc5 $1 {gains an advantage.}) 28. Bxc4 Bf8 29. Nd3 $2 ({Better is} 29. g4
$1 Bxc5 $1 30. gxf5 Qxa4 31. Rc1) 29... Rb1 $1 30. Rxb1 $6 (30. Qe1 $5 Rxd1 31.
Qxd1 Nxd4 {offers more resistance.}) 30... Rxb1+ 31. Kg2 Qa8+ 32. d5 Ne7 33.
Nc5 Nxd5 34. Qf3 Bxc5 35. Bxc5 Qc6 36. Bxd5 Qxc5 37. Be4 Qg1+ 38. Kh3 Rb2 39.
Qh1 Qf2 40. Qg2 Qd4 41. Qf3 Qxa4 42. Qd3 Qa5 43. Bc6 Rd2 44. Qc4 Qb6 45. Bg2
Qb2 46. Qe4 h5 47. Qa8+ Kg7 48. Qe4 Re2 49. Qa8 Qc2 {
Kamsky threatens mate in two.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Safarli, Eltaj"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

{Fabiano Caruana was born in Miami, but he got the American and Italian
nationality. He is the greatest Italian chess talent ever.} 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 e6
3. Nc3 a6 4. g3 b5 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. d3 d6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Re1 Nbd7 9. Bf4 Be7 10. a4
$5 b4 $1 11. Nb1 $1 O-O 12. Nbd2 d5 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 13. exd5
Nxd5 14. Ne5 Ra7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Be3 Nxe3 17. fxe3 $5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Bf6 19.
Qb1 $6 ({More direct is} 19. Nc4 Rd8 20. e4) 19... h5 20. Qa2 h4 21. Rf1 Qd5+
22. Rf3 $5 Rc7 23. Ne4 $6 (23. Nc4 {blockades the queenside.}) 23... c4 $1 24.
Nxf6+ gxf6 25. gxh4 Kh7 $1 26. Raf1 Rg8+ 27. Kh1 b3 $1 {
The young man attacks over the whole board.} 28. Qb1 cxd3 $1 29. cxd3 Rc2 30.
e4 Qd6 31. R1f2 Qc5 32. d4 Qxd4 $1 33. Qe1 ({The pointe is} 33. Rxc2 bxc2 34.
Qxc2 Qg1#) 33... Qxb2 34. Qa5 Rc1+ {Caruana delivers mate soon.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.01.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Black "Safarli, Eltaj"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C70"]
[WhiteElo "2704"]
[BlackElo "2592"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 Na5 6. O-O d6 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4
Bb7 9. c4 c5 10. Nf5 g6 11. Ng3 h5 12. Nc3 h4 13. Nge2 Nxc4 $5 (13... h3 14. g3
Nxb3 15. Qxb3 b4 {happened in Karjakin - Mamedyarov, Moscow 2009.}) 14. Bxc4
bxc4 15. h3 Bc6 16. Nd5 Bg7 17. Nec3 Rb8 18. Re1 Kf8 19. Ne3 Bd4 20. Nxc4 Rb4
21. Qd3 Qf6 $2 ({Preferable is} 21... Bb5 $5 22. Nxb5 axb5 23. Ne3 Qf6) 22. Be3
Bb5 23. Nxb5 axb5 24. Nb6 Qe6 25. Nd5 Rc4 26. b3 Bxa1 27. bxc4 bxc4 28. Qxc4 {
White blockades the centre and has a distant passed pawn.} Bf6 29. Qd3 Bd8 30.
Rd1 Nf6 31. Nxf6 Bxf6 32. Qxd6+ Qxd6 33. Rxd6 Kg7 $5 ({Or} 33... Be7 34. Rd5
Kg7 35. Bxc5 Bxc5 36. Rxc5) 34. Bxc5 {He has gained two pawns.} Rb8 35. Rd1 Rb2
36. a3 g5 37. Kf1 Ra2 38. Rd5 Kg6 39. Bb4 Bb2 40. Rd3 f6 41. Ke1 Kf7 42. Kd1
Kg6 43. Bc5 Kf7 44. Rd7+ Kg6 45. Ra7 Bc3 46. Be3 Be5 47. a4 Bc3 48. Bb6 Rb2 49.
Be3 Ra2 50. Bc5 Rd2+ 51. Kc1 Ra2 52. Bb6 Be1 53. Kb1 Rd2 54. a5 $1 Bxf2 55.
Bxf2 Rxf2 56. a6 Rf1+ 57. Kb2 Rf2+ 58. Kb3 Rxg2 59. Ra8 Rg3+ 60. Kb4 Re3 61.
Re8 {Almasi took the sole lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 52"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2704"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2009.12.??"]

{Almasi led by one point on Kamsky, when the last round began. The decisive
game started.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7.
c3 d6 8. a4 Rb8 9. axb5 axb5 10. d4 Bb6 11. h3 O-O 12. Re1 h6 13. Be3 Bd7 14.
Nbd2 Re8 15. Qb1 $5 (15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Rxe5 17. Bxb6 Rxb6 18. f4 Re8 19.
Qf3 {drew in Korneev - Alvarez, Castellar 1996.}) 15... b4 $5 16. Qc2 Na5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 16... bxc3 17. bxc3 Qe7) 17. Rxa5 $1 {
He sacrifices the exchange.} Bxa5 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. Nc4 Rb5 20. Ba4 b3 $5 21.
Qd1 $5 Qb8 22. Nfd2 Be6 23. Qa1 $5 Rc8 $6 ({Better is} 23... Bxc4 24. Nxc4 Nxe4
) 24. Ba7 $5 Qxa7 25. Bxb5 Bb6 $2 (25... Ra8 26. Qa4 Bb6 27. Qxa7 Rxa7 {
offers more resistance.}) 26. Qxa7 Bxa7 27. Nxe5 {Kamsky has won a pawn.} Rd8
28. Ndf3 Bb6 29. Bc4 Re8 30. Nd2 Bc5 31. Bxe6 Rxe6 32. Nec4 Bf8 33. e5 Nd5 34.
Nxb3 Nf4 35. h4 Ra6 36. Ra1 Rc6 37. Ra4 Nd3 38. Nd4 Rc5 39. e6 Be7 40. Ra8+ Kh7
41. Re8 $1 {The final standings became: Kamsky and Almasi 61/2/9, Caruana and
Godena 51/2, Jobava 41/2, Landa, Bologan and Safarli 4, Brunello 3, Vocaturo
11/2. Kamsky won on tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

{The 53rd Torneo di Capodanno was played from 28 xii 2010 until 6 i 2011. Two
Italians and eight foreigners took part.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Re1 Be6 11. Bb3
Na5 12. Bg5 Nxb3 13. axb3 Nd7 $5 ({Known is} 13... Rc8) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nd2
Nb6 16. Nf1 f5 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. f4 Bg6 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. Qe2 Qh4 $5 21. Qe3 $1
Rf6 22. Ne4 Rxf1+ $6 {
Black delivers a doubtful sacrifice. Great complications begin.} 23. Kxf1 Qxh2
24. Nf2 $6 {He could have captured knight b6.} Rf8 $6 ({Better is} 24... Nd5 $1
) 25. Qxb6 Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Qxg2 27. Rf1 h6 $5 28. Kd2 $5 Rf6 29. Qc5 Kh7 30. Rae1
Rc6 $5 31. Qxe5 Rxc2+ 32. Ke3 Qc6 $2 (32... Rc8 $1 33. Rg1 Qc6 34. Ne4 Re8 35.
Rxg6 $1 Qxg6 36. Qd5 b6 {offers more resistance.}) 33. Ne4 Qb6+ 34. Kf4 Qxb3
35. Rf3 Qb4 36. Rc3 Rf2+ 37. Kg3 Rf5 38. Qe6 Qxb2 39. Rc8 $6 (39. Rd1 $1 Qb5 (
39... Rf8 40. Ng5+ Kh8 41. Rf3 Rxf3+ 42. Nxf3) 40. Rc5 $1 Rxc5 41. Nf6+ gxf6
42. Qe7+ {wins for White (Ftacnik).}) 39... h5 $6 40. Qg8+ Kh6 41. Qh8+ Bh7 42.
Qd8 $1 g5 43. Nd2 Rf6 $6 44. Rc7 h4+ 45. Kg2 Bg8 46. Rd7 Qc3 47. Re3 Qc6+ 48.
Ne4 Rg6 49. Rd6 Qc2+ 50. Kg1 Qb1+ 51. Kf2 Qa2+ 52. Re2 Qf7+ 53. Kg1 Qf5 54. Nf6
$1 Qc5+ 55. Kh2 {The tactical lines are hard to calculate over-the-board.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.12.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C51"]
[WhiteElo "2697"]
[BlackElo "2548"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Be7 6. d4 Na5 7. Be2 d6 8. Qa4+
c6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 {They play a quiet line of the Evans Gambit.} b5 11.
Qc2 Nf6 12. a4 O-O 13. O-O Be6 $5 ({Known is} 13... Qc7 14. Nf3 a6 {
(Short - Svidler, Internet 2000).}) 14. axb5 cxb5 15. Bxb5 $5 Qc7 16. Nf3 Nb3
17. Ra6 $1 Nxc1 18. Rxc1 Rab8 $6 ({More solid is} 18... Bc5 19. Rc6 Qe7) 19. c4
$1 Rfc8 20. Nc3 Qf4 21. Rxa7 {White grabs another pawn.} Bb4 $5 22. Ba6 Rd8 23.
Nd5 Bxd5 24. cxd5 Nxe4 25. Rc7 Ba3 26. Rf1 Nf6 27. Rc4 Qd6 28. Rc6 Qxd5 29. Bc4
$1 Qh5 $1 30. h3 Rb7 31. Re1 Qa5 $2 (31... Bf8 {almost equalises.}) 32. Ra1 $1
Ra7 33. Qb3 Rda8 34. Rb6 g6 $4 (34... Rf8 $5 35. Rb5 Qc7 36. Rxa3 Rxa3 37.
Bxf7+ $1 Qxf7 38. Qxa3 {costs a pawn.}) 35. Rxf6 {
Vallejo Pons captures a piece.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C09"]
[WhiteElo "2709"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. exd5 exd5 6. Bb5 cxd4 7. O-O Bd6 8.
Nb3 Nge7 9. Nbxd4 O-O 10. h3 Re8 11. c3 a6 $5 ({Known is} 11... Bd7) 12. Bd3
Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Nc6 14. Nf3 Bc7 15. Bg5 Qd6 16. Bh4 Qh6 17. Bc2 Be6 18. Bg3 Bxg3
19. fxg3 Rad8 20. Qd3 g6 21. g4 {White prevents ..Bf5.} f5 $1 22. Rae1 $5 fxg4
23. hxg4 Bf7 $5 24. g5 Qf8 25. Ba4 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 b5 27. Bb3 Qd6 28. Nd4 Nxd4 $6
29. Qxd4 Qg3 $2 {Short carries out a wrong plan.} 30. Re5 $1 {Pawn d5 falls.}
a5 $5 31. a3 $5 b4 32. axb4 axb4 33. Bxd5 bxc3 $2 34. bxc3 $2 {
They make the wrong choice under time pressure.} (34. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 35. Qc4+
Kf8 36. Qf1+ $1 Kg8 37. Re7 $1 Rf8 38. Qc4+ Kh8 39. Qd4+ {
leads to mate (Caruana).}) 34... Bxd5 35. Rxd5 Rxd5 $5 36. Qxd5+ Kg7 37. Qd2 $1
{Caruana has an extra and passed pawn in the queen ending.} Qc7 38. Qd4+ Kg8
39. c4 Qe7 40. c5 $1 Qxg5 41. Qc4+ Kf8 42. c6 Qd8 43. Qf4+ $5 Kg8 44. Kh2 $2 (
44. Qc4+ Kf8 45. Qc3 $1 {returns to the winning line.}) 44... Qd5 45. Qf6 Qh5+
46. Kg3 Qc5 47. Kg4 Qd5 48. Kh3 Qh5+ 49. Kg3 Qc5 50. Qe6+ Kg7 $2 ({Correct is} 
50... Kf8 $1 51. Kf3 Qd4 $3 52. Ke2 Qd8 $1 {and Black escapes.}) 51. Kf3 $1
Qc3+ 52. Ke4 Qc2+ 53. Kd4 Qxg2 54. c7 $1 Qd2+ 55. Kc5 Qa5+ 56. Kd6 Qa3+ 57. Kd7
Qa4+ 58. Ke7 Qa7 59. Qd7 {Caruana won a hard fought game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C69"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2708"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 Bg4 7. c3 Bd6 8. Be3
Ne7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Qb3+ Kh8 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qxb7 $5 Bf7 13. dxe5 fxe5 14. Nb3
$5 Bc4 $1 {Black forces a draw.} 15. Rfd1 Rb8 $1 16. Qa7 Ra8 $1 17. Qb7 $1 (17.
Qc5 $6 Be2 $1 {favours Black.}) 17... Be2 $6 {
Navara should have repeated the moves.} 18. Nxe5 $1 Qe8 (18... Bxd1 $6 19. Rxd1
a5 20. Nc4 {is better for White.}) 19. Rxd6 $1 {He liberates his queen.} cxd6
20. Re1 $1 dxe5 (20... Bb5 21. Nd7 $1 Rf7 22. e5 $1 {wins for White (Navara).})
21. Rxe2 Ng6 22. Rd2 $1 {White has an advantage.} Qe6 23. Nc5 $1 Qxa2 24. Kh2
Qc4 25. Rd7 Rab8 $5 26. Qxc6 Rxb2 $5 27. Rxg7 Rfxf2 ({The pointe is} 27... Kxg7
$2 28. Ne6+) 28. Bxf2 Rxf2 29. Qc8+ $1 Kxg7 30. Ne6+ Qxe6 31. Qxe6 Rxg2+ $1 32.
Kh1 Rg3 33. c4 Rc3 34. Qd7+ Kh8 35. h4 h5 36. Qc8+ Kg7 37. Qd7+ Kh8 38. Qd6 Kg7
39. c5 Rh3+ $5 40. Kg1 Rxh4 41. c6 Rg4+ 42. Kf2 Rf4+ 43. Ke3 Rf6 44. Qd8 Rf7
45. c7 Ne7 46. Qd6 {Vallejo picks up some pawns, before he wins the knight.}
1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.12.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Black "Godena, Michele"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2719"]
[BlackElo "2548"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Bb7 8. c3
d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. Re1 O-O 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 exd4 13. cxd4 g5 14. Bg3 Ne7 15.
Qc2 $5 ({Known is} 15. Bc2) 15... Nh5 $1 16. Rd1 Ng6 17. Nc3 Nxg3 $6 ({
Pre More active is} 17... g4 18. Ne1 Ngf4) 18. hxg3 c6 19. d5 $1 Qf6 $2 (19...
bxa4 $1 20. Nxa4 c5 21. Nxb6 Qxb6 {defends well.}) 20. dxc6 Bxc6 21. Bd5 $1
Rac8 22. Bxc6 Rxc6 23. axb5 axb5 24. Qe2 Rfc8 $5 25. Nd5 $1 ({Not} 25. Nxb5 Rc2
$1) 25... Qd8 26. Qxb5 g4 27. Ne1 Ne5 28. Nd3 Bd4 29. Ra4 Rb8 $2 30. Ne7+ $1 {
Gashimov had scored 2/4.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2010.12.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2697"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Be7 8. c3 a5
9. h4 O-O $5 ({Known is} 9... b5) 10. Rh3 $6 {The charge will never start.} f6
11. a3 $5 Rf7 12. Be3 Nb6 13. b3 Qf8 14. Qb1 a4 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17.
b4 Qf8 18. Ned4 $2 ({Preferable is} 18. b5 $5 Na5 19. Ned4) 18... fxe5 19. Nxc6
e4 $1 20. Nce5 Rxf4 $1 {Black has a decisive attack in the centre.} 21. Nh2 Qf5
$5 22. Neg4 Rxf1+ 23. Nxf1 Qxg4 24. Ne3 Qg6 25. Kf2 e5 26. Rg3 Qf6+ 27. Kg1 Be6
28. Qe1 Rf8 29. Rd1 Kh8 30. h5 $5 Qh4 $1 31. c4 d4 32. c5 Nc4 33. Nf1 Qxh5 34.
Rc1 e3 35. b5 e4 36. Qb4 e2 37. Nh2 Qf5 38. Nf3 Qf4 39. Qe1 Qe3+ {Vallejo had
scored 31/2/4 at the end of the year, 11/2 points ahead of the field.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2764"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3 Qb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. O-O
Qxb2 9. Qe1 cxd4 10. Bxd4 Nxd4 11. Nxd4 Bb4 12. Rb1 Bxc3 13. Rxb2 Bxe1 14. Rxe1
b6 15. Bb5+ $5 Kf8 16. Nxf5 exf5 17. Rb3 $5 Ne7 18. Rc3 a6 (18... Rc8 $6 19.
Rxc8+ Nxc8 20. Rd1 Ne7 {will favour White in Svidler - Postny, 2011.}) 19. Bd7
{White has sufficient positional compensation for the pawn.} g6 $6 (19... h5 $1
20. Rc7 Rh6 {develops the king's rook (Kritz).}) 20. Rc7 {
The restriction becomes unpleasant.} b5 21. e6 $1 f6 $2 ({Preferable is} 21...
fxe6 22. Bxe6 h5) 22. Re3 Rb8 23. Ra7 Rb6 24. Rc3 $1 h5 $6 (24... d4 $1 25. Ra3
Kg7 26. R3xa6 Rxa6 27. Rxa6 Rb8 {offers more resistance.}) 25. Bc8 Rh7 26. Rcc7
{The rooks double on the seventh rank.} f4 $2 27. Ra8 $1 {
Gashimov neared the leader by one point.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2683"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 8. g4
Bc8 9. h3 Bd6 $6 ({Known is} 9... Na5) 10. Bxd6 cxd6 (10... Qxd6 11. g5 Ne4 12.
Qxd5 Nxc3 13. Qxd6 cxd6 14. bxc3 {costs a pawn.}) 11. Nge2 h5 12. g5 Ne4 13. h4
O-O 14. Bg2 Bg4 15. Nf4 Rc8 16. Qxd5 {White gains a pawn at last.} Nxc3 17.
bxc3 Ne7 18. Qb3 Nf5 19. g6 $2 {He returns the extra pawn.} Nxh4 20. Bd5 Nf3+
21. Bxf3 Bxf3 22. Rh3 Bg4 23. Rg3 Rc6 24. Rc1 d5 $2 25. Qxd5 {Thank you!} Rd6
26. Qxb7 fxg6 27. Qb3+ Rf7 28. c4 $5 Rxf4 $1 29. exf4 Rxd4 30. c5+ Kh7 31. Kf1
Rxf4 {Black has sufficient compensation for the exchange.} 32. Qe3 Qf6 $6 ({
Better is} 32... Qh4 33. Kg2 $5 Bf3+ $1 34. Rxf3 Rxf3 35. Qxf3 Qg5+ 36. Kh2
Qxc1) 33. c6 $1 Bc8 34. Kg1 h4 35. Rg2 Qd6 36. Qc5 Qd2 37. Qc2 $5 Qd6 38. Rd1
Qe6 39. Qc3 $2 {He blunders a pawn.} Rc4 40. Qa5 $2 ({Correct is} 40. Qf3 Rxc6
41. Rd4 $1 Rc4 42. Qf4 {(Krasenkow).}) 40... Qxc6 41. Qg5 $6 Bh3 $5 42. Qd5
Qxd5 43. Rxd5 Bxg2 44. Kxg2 Ra4 45. Kh3 Kh6 46. f3 g5 47. Rd2 Kh5 {
Black has two extra pawns in the rook ending.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Movsesian, Sergei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2723"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. Qe2 d6 6. d4 Nf6 $5 ({Known is} 6...
cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nd7) 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Bg5 Qc8 $1 9. d5 $1 {
Short charges in the centre.} Bxd5 10. Nc3 Bc6 11. exd6 h6 $5 ({More solid is} 
11... Bxd6 12. Nb5 Be7 13. Bxe7 Kxe7) 12. O-O-O $5 (12. Bf4) 12... Qa6 $1 (
12... hxg5 $6 13. Nxg5 Bxg2 14. Nb5 Na6 15. Nxe6 $1 {favours White.}) 13. Qe3
$2 {Nigel overestimates his chances. He should have exchanged the queens.} hxg5
14. Nxg5 $2 Bxg2 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Qxe6+ Kd8 17. Rhe1 Kc8 {The king escapes.}
18. Nd5 Kb7 19. Nc7 Rh6 20. Qg8 Qa4 {Short lost a lot of material.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2764"]
[BlackElo "2708"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. O-O dxc4 6. Na3 Be6 7. Ng5 Bd5 8. e4
$1 {White improves the theory.} Bc6 9. Nxc4 h6 $1 {Navara fights back.} 10.
Nxf7 $1 {Ivanchuk charges.} Kxf7 11. Ne5+ Kg8 $1 12. Nxg6 {
He has two pawns for a knight and attacks.} Nbd7 $5 ({The alternative is} 12...
Nxe4 13. d4 $1 Kh7 14. Nxh8 Kxh8 15. Bxh6 $1 {
and chances for both sides (Stohl).}) 13. d4 $1 {The advance continues.} Bxe4
14. Bxe4 Nxe4 15. Qd3 $5 Nef6 16. Qb3+ Kh7 17. Qc2 $2 {
White should capture on h8 and keep a plus.} Re8 $1 18. Re1 $2 (18. Qf5 Kg8 19.
Qe6+ Kh7 20. Qf5 {draws by repetition.}) 18... Kg8 19. Qb3+ e6 $1 20. Rxe6 Rxe6
21. Qxe6+ Kh7 22. Qf5 Qe8 23. Ne5+ Kg8 24. Bf4 Nxe5 25. Bxe5 Qd7 $5 26. Qxd7
Nxd7 27. Bxc7 Rc8 28. Ba5 Rc2 29. Bc3 Nb6 30. Re1 Kf7 31. Kf1 Na4 $5 32. Re2
Rc1+ 33. Re1 Rxe1+ 34. Kxe1 Nxc3 35. bxc3 Ke6 36. Kd2 Kd5 37. Kd3 b5 $1 {
Black wins the ending.} 38. f4 a5 39. g4 Bf6 $1 40. Ke3 a4 41. Kd3 Bd8 42. h3
Be7 $1 {It is zugzwang.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B08"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

{Vallejo led by one point, when the round began.} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6
4. Nf3 d6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 Nbd7 8. Bf4 Qa5 9. Nd2 Qc7 10. a4 e5 11.
Be3 Ng4 12. Bxg4 $5 ({Known is} 12. hxg4 exd4 13. Bf4 $6 dxc3 14. bxc3) 12...
exd4 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. Nc4 Bc5 15. a5 Ne5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Bxc8 Raxc8 18. Qe2
Bb4 19. a6 b5 20. Na2 Be7 21. Nc1 Rfd8 22. Nb3 Qb6 23. Rfd1 Kg7 24. Qg4 $2 ({
Preferable is} 24. Nd2 c5 25. c4) 24... c5 $1 {
Black has an edge on the queenside.} 25. Nd2 c4 26. Nf1 Bc5 27. Qg3 Rxd1 28.
Rxd1 Qxa6 29. Qxe5+ Qf6 30. Qxf6+ Kxf6 {Black has a better endgame.} 31. Rd5 $5
Ke6 $2 {He should play ..a5 at once.} 32. g4 a6 $6 33. Nd2 c3 34. bxc3 Bb6 35.
c4 bxc4 36. Kf1 a5 {The crucial advance is made at last.} 37. Rb5 Bd8 38. Ke2
a4 $1 39. Nb1 Ra8 40. Na3 Be7 41. Nxc4 $1 a3 42. Rb6+ Kd7 43. Rb1 $1 Kc6 44. c3
a2 45. Ra1 {White has stopped the passed pawn timely.} Kb5 46. Ne3 $2 ({
Right is} 46. Nb2 $1 {(Gashimov)} Bc5 47. f3 {and White has a fortress.}) 46...
Bc5 $1 47. Kd3 Bxe3 48. fxe3 f6 $1 49. h4 ({The pointe is} 49. Kd4 $4 Rd8# $1)
49... h5 50. gxh5 gxh5 51. Kc2 Kc4 $1 52. Kb2 Rb8+ 53. Kc2 Rg8 $1 54. Rxa2 Rg2+
55. Kb1 Rxa2 56. Kxa2 Kxc3 57. Kb1 Kd2 {Gashimov caught up with Vallejo Pons.
This became the decisive game of the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2719"]
[BlackElo "2731"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Bg5 h6 15.
Bh4 g6 16. N1h2 Bg7 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Ng4 g5 $5 (18... Qe7 19. Qd2 g5 20. Nxf6+
Nxf6 21. Bg3 {drew in Gashimov - Svidler, Astrakan 2010.}) 19. Bg3 Nxg4 20.
hxg4 Qe7 21. a4 c5 22. Nd2 Nf6 23. Nf1 Qe6 24. f3 h5 25. gxh5 Nxh5 26. Bf2 Rad8
27. Qc1 Nf4 28. Ne3 Qg6 29. axb5 axb5 30. Ra7 $2 ({Better is} 30. Ra5 Qb6 31.
Ra1 Qg6 32. Ra5 {drawn.}) 30... g4 $1 31. fxg4 $5 ({Or} 31. Rxb7 gxf3 32. g3
Qa6 33. Rc7 Qb6) 31... Bxe4 32. Nf5 Bxc2 33. Qxc2 Qxg4 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 34. Be3 c4 35. Rb7 Rd3 36. Bxf4 Qxf5 37. Bc1 Qc8 38.
Ra7 Bf8 39. b4 Qe6 40. Qf2 Rxc3 41. Bd2 Rb3 42. Rf1 Qd5 $2 (42... Re7 {
wins for Black.}) 43. Be3 $1 ({Not} 43. Rxf7 $2 Qd4 $1) 43... Rxe3 $2 ({
Correct is} 43... Bg7 $1 44. Rxf7 Qe6 45. Qf3 Rd3) 44. Rxf7 $1 Bh6 45. Qf5 Qd3
46. Qg4+ Kh8 47. R7f6 Rh3 $1 48. gxh3 Qh7 49. Kh1 $1 Bf4 50. Qf3 Rg8 51. Rb6
Qc2 52. Qh5+ Qh7 53. Qxh7+ Kxh7 54. Rf3 $1 {Gashimov kept the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. h3 e5 6. d3 f6 7. g4 $6 ({
An alternative is} 7. Be3 Nh6 8. O-O) 7... Nh6 8. g5 $5 Nf7 $1 9. gxf6 Qxf6 {
White has weakened his kingside.} 10. Be3 Nd8 $6 {He spoils time.} 11. Nbd2 Ne6
12. Nc4 Nd4 $1 13. Ncxe5 $5 (13. Nfxe5 b5 14. c3 bxc4 15. cxd4 cxd4 16. Bxd4
Bb4+ 17. Kf1 O-O {also favours Black.}) 13... Nxf3+ 14. Nxf3 Qxb2 15. a4 $5 Bg7
16. Rb1 Qc3+ 17. Kf1 b6 18. Qd2 Qf6 19. Ng1 $6 c4 $1 20. a5 c5 21. Kg2 O-O 22.
dxc4 $5 Bb7 23. f3 Rad8 24. Qe2 Qe6 $5 25. Bxc5 $5 bxc5 26. Rxb7 Bh6 {
Black prepares ..Rd2.} 27. Qf2 Rd2 28. Ne2 Qxc4 29. Re1 Rxc2 30. Rxa7 Qd3 $1
31. Rb7 Be3 $1 32. Qf1 Bg5 33. Kg3 Qe3 34. h4 Bxh4+ $1 35. Kxh4 Rxf3 36. Rb8+
Kg7 37. Rb7+ Kh6 {Short will be mated.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2683"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8.
Nd2 Bb7 9. Nf3 Qb4+ 10. Qd2 Qe4+ {
The players find some of the 'theoretical moves' over the board.} 11. Be2 $5 ({
Known is} 11. Qe2) 11... Ba6 12. Kf1 $1 Bxe2+ 13. Qxe2 Qf5 $6 (13... Qxe2+ 14.
Kxe2 Bc5 {will draw in a future game.}) 14. c4 Nb4 15. Bd2 Bc5 16. Bxb4 Bxb4
17. Rd1 O-O 18. Qd3 $1 Qe6 $1 {Exchange favours White.} 19. Ng5 Qh6 20. h4 $1 {
White has the initiative.} Rad8 $5 ({Preferable is} 20... Rae8 $1 21. Nf3 d6)
21. Rh3 $1 d5 $6 ({Better is} 21... Be7) 22. Qf5 $1 Rde8 $1 23. Rf3 $5 {
He sets a trap.} Qxh4 $2 ({Correct is} 23... dxc4 $3 24. Nxf7 Qxh4 25. Rh3 g6
$1 26. Rxh4 gxf5 27. Nh6+ Kg7 28. f4 {and White has an edge (Vallejo Pons).})
24. Rh3 Qxc4+ 25. Kg1 g6 26. Qf6 Be7 27. Nxh7 $3 Qg4 28. Qxe7 $3 {
Vallejo Pons won by great tactics and shared the lead.} (28. Qxe7 Qxh3 29. Nf6+
Kh8 30. Nxe8 {gains a knight.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 53"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.01.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Navara, David"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2708"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2010.12.??"]

{Both leaders drew quickly.} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 d6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 5. Rb1 h5
6. h4 Bg7 7. b4 Nh6 8. d3 O-O 9. Nf3 a6 10. a4 Nd4 $5 (10... a5 11. b5 Nb4 {
drew in Hodgson - Suba, London 1991.}) 11. b5 axb5 12. axb5 Bd7 $6 13. Nxd4
exd4 14. Nd5 Ng4 15. Bg5 f6 $5 16. Bf4 {White has an edge.} Rc8 17. Nb4 Rb8 18.
Nc2 f5 19. b6 Bc6 20. bxc7 Qxc7 21. O-O Be5 22. Qd2 Rfe8 23. Rfe1 Bxg2 24. Kxg2
d5 $5 25. Rb4 Rbd8 $6 26. Nxd4 $1 dxc4 27. Rxc4 Qf7 28. Bxe5 Nxe5 29. Rb4 Rd7
30. Ra1 Qd5+ 31. Kg1 Kh7 32. Ra7 Rc8 33. Qb2 Rcc7 34. Ra8 Re7 35. Qa1 Rc5 36.
Rb1 $5 Qd7 37. Qa4 Qd5 $5 38. Rb8 Rec7 39. Qa1 Ra5 40. Qb2 Ra2 41. Qb6 Rd7 42.
Qf6 Qxd4 43. Rh8# {The final standings became: Gashimov, Vallejo Pons 6/9,
Movsesian, Navara and Ivanchuk 5, Caruana and Onischuk 41/2, Morozevich 4,
Short 31/2, Godena 11/2. Gashimov won the event on tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

{The 54th Torneo di Capodanno happened from 27 xii 2011 until 6 i 2012. Six
top fifty players participated. They carried out double rounds. The scoring
system was 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
Morozevich came as a replacement for Gashimov.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Re8 10. d4 Bb7 11.
Nbd2 Bf8 12. a4 h6 13. Bc2 exd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 15. Bb1 c5 16. d5 Nd7 17. Ra3 c4
18. axb5 axb5 19. Nd4 Ne5 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. Nxb5 Rc8 22. Re3 Ba6 23. Nc3 Ned3
24. Bxd3 $5 ({Known is} 24. Na2 Nxa2 25. Bxa2) 24... Nxd3 {
Black has a sufficient compensation for the pawn.} 25. Nf3 Qb7 26. Re2 Be7 $1
27. Nd4 Bf6 28. Nf5 Qb3 29. Rc2 Rd8 30. Be3 $1 Nxb2 {The chances are equal.}
31. Qd2 Nd3 32. Bd4 $1 Be5 $6 {The exchange of bishops would be preferable.}
33. Bxe5 dxe5 34. Ra2 $1 Bb5 35. Ra1 $6 (35. Nxb5 Qxb5 36. Kh2 $1 {
keeps an edge (Marin).}) 35... Bd7 36. Ne3 Rc8 $5 37. Ra7 Nc5 38. Qc1 Qb6 39.
Qa3 Qb3 40. Qa1 Kh7 41. Kh2 $5 Qb6 $2 {He blunders a pawn.} 42. Nxc4 Qf6 43.
Qf1 Be8 44. d6 Qd8 45. Nd5 Bb5 46. Rxf7 Nxe4 47. Nc7 $4 (47. Qe2 Rxc4 48. d7
Kg6 49. Re7 Nf6 50. Qd3+ e4 51. Qg3+ {wins for White.}) 47... Bxc4 48. Qxc4
Nxd6 49. Ne6 Nxc4 {Black gains a knight.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1
c6 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nd7 11. O-O e5 12. Ne4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Be5 14. f4 Bc7 $5
(14... Bxd4 15. Qxd4 Nb6 {
was played in Cramling - Van der Sterren, Amsterdam 2011.}) 15. Bxf7+ $1 {
Ivanchuk seems to win, but Giri will defend well.} Rxf7 ({Not} 15... Kxf7 $2
16. Qb3+ Kg6 17. Ne6) 16. Ne6 Qe8 17. Nxc7 Qxe4 18. Nxa8 Qxe3+ 19. Rf2 Nf6 $5 (
19... Rxf4 $5 20. Qd2 Qxd2 21. Rxd2 {favours White.}) 20. Qe1 Qxe1+ 21. Rxe1
Nd5 {He imprisons the white knight.} 22. Re8+ Rf8 23. Rfe2 b5 24. R2e5 a6 25.
f5 Bb7 $1 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Rxd5 {The exchange has to be returned.} cxd5 28.
Nc7 Kf7 29. Kf2 d4 30. g4 g5 31. fxg6+ Kxg6 32. Ne6 Bc8 33. Nxd4 Bxg4 34. Kg3
Kg5 35. h4+ Kh5 36. a3 Bd7 37. Nf3 Bc8 38. Ne5 Bb7 39. b4 Bc8 40. Nc6 Bd7 41.
Nb8 Bc8 42. Nc6 Bd7 {The ending ends as a dead draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 c5 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. O-O c4 $1 {Black takes the initiative on the queenside.}
11. b3 Nb6 12. bxc4 dxc4 13. Qc2 Be6 14. Rab1 Rc8 15. a4 a5 16. Ng5 $5 Bxg5 17.
Bxg5 f6 18. Bh4 c3 19. Bd3 h6 20. Bb5 $2 ({Preferable is} 20. Rb5 Bd5 21. Rc1 {
and White has a plus.}) 20... Nd5 $1 21. Qe4 Qd6 $5 22. Bg3 Qe7 23. Rbc1 $5 Nb4
$1 24. d5 $6 (24. f3 Rfd8 25. Be1 {offers more resistance.}) 24... Nxd5 25.
Rfd1 Rfd8 26. Rd4 f5 27. Qe5 Qf6 28. Qxf6 gxf6 29. h3 Kf7 30. Bc4 Ke7 31. e4 $5
Nf4 $1 32. Rxd8 Rxc4 $1 33. Bxf4 Kxd8 34. exf5 Bxf5 35. Be3 c2 36. g4 Be4 37.
Bb6+ Kd7 38. Bxa5 Rd4 {Nakamura played well.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Nc3 e6 7. g4 Bg6 8. Ne5
Nbd7 9. h4 dxc4 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. g5 Nd5 12. Bxc4 Bb4 13. Bd2 Qe7 14. a3 Nxc3
$5 ({Known is} 14... Ba5) 15. bxc3 Ba5 16. f4 O-O-O 17. Qb3 Nb6 18. Bd3 Kb8 19.
Ke2 $5 {Giri has offensive plans.} Qd7 20. Be4 f6 $5 21. gxf6 gxf6 22. Rag1 $5
e5 23. fxe5 fxe5 24. Rg5 exd4 $1 {Black ignores the pin.} 25. Rxa5 $2 ({
Better is} 25. exd4 $1 Rhe8 $5 26. Kd3 Nd5 {(Timman).}) 25... Rhe8 $5 26. Bg2
$5 dxe3 27. Bc1 Qd3+ 28. Ke1 e2 $5 29. Bf4+ Ka8 30. Kf2 ({Or} 30. Qxb6 Qxc3+
31. Kf2 e1=Q+) 30... Rf8 31. Qb4 Nc4 32. Rxa7+ $1 Kxa7 33. Qa4+ Kb6 34. Qb4+
Ka6 35. Qa4+ Na5 36. Bf3 b5 {Morozevich scored his second win.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2729"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b5 4. Bg5 Bb7 5. Nbd2 c5 6. c3 Nc6 $5 7. e3 cxd4 8.
cxd4 a6 9. Bg2 Be7 10. O-O d6 11. a4 O-O 12. axb5 axb5 13. Qb3 Ra5 14. Rfc1 h6
15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ne4 Be7 17. d5 $1 Qa8 $1 18. Rab1 $5 ({The pointe is} 18.
Rxa5 $6 Nxa5 19. Qxb5 Bxd5) 18... exd5 19. Nc3 d4 20. Nd5 $1 dxe3 21. Rxc6
exf2+ 22. Kxf2 Bxc6 ({Or} 22... Qa7+ 23. Qe3 Qxe3+ 24. Kxe3 Re8 25. Nd4 Bf6+
26. Kd3) 23. Nxe7+ Kh8 24. Re1 Be4 25. Nh4 Qa7+ 26. Re3 Ra4 27. Nhf5 Qc5 28.
Bxe4 Rxe4 29. Qc3 {Exchanges will lead to equality.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Qe7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. e4 $5 d6 ({
The pointe is} 7... Bxc3 8. bxc3 Nxe4 $2 9. Re1 d5 10. d3 Nxc3 11. Qb3 d4 12.
Ba3 c5 13. Nxd4 $1 {and White gains a pawn.}) 8. d3 a6 9. Qb3 Bc5 10. Na4 Ba7
11. Nb6 Bxb6 12. Qxb6 c5 $5 13. Ne1 Bg4 $5 14. f3 Be6 15. Bg5 $5 Nbd7 16. Qa5
h6 17. Bd2 Nb8 $1 18. Nc2 Nc6 19. Qc3 b5 20. Ne3 Nd4 21. Rae1 Rab8 22. Qc1 bxc4
23. dxc4 Qd7 24. Rf2 Rfe8 25. Bc3 a5 26. Qd1 a4 27. Bf1 Ra8 28. Bd3 Kh8 {
Both sides can do little.} 29. Kh1 Qb7 30. h4 Rf8 31. Kh2 Qd7 32. Ref1 Rae8 33.
a3 Ra8 34. Qd2 Nb3 35. Qd1 Nd4 36. Rg1 Rae8 37. Qf1 Qd8 38. Qd1 Qd7 39. Nd5
Bxd5 40. cxd5 Rc8 41. Re1 Ra8 42. Bf1 Qe7 43. Bd3 {
Morozevich led after two rounds.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "166"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bf4 e5 8.
Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Nd5 f5 12. g3 fxe4 13. Bg2 Bg7 14. Bxe4 Be6
15. O-O O-O 16. c3 f5 17. Bg2 Rb8 18. Nc2 a5 19. a3 Kh8 $5 ({
Known in the Sveshnikov is} 19... Qd7) 20. Qe2 Qd7 21. Rad1 e4 22. f3 Nd4 $1
23. Nxd4 Bxd5 {Black threatens ..Bc4.} 24. Qd2 b4 25. axb4 axb4 26. fxe4 bxc3
27. bxc3 fxe4 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Qe3 Qe7 30. Bh3 Qe5 31. Re1 Rf6 32. Bg2 Rf7
33. Rb1 Bb7 34. Ne2 d5 35. Rb6 Qc7 36. Rb1 Be5 37. Nd4 Ba6 38. Bf1 Bc4 39. Bxc4
Qxc4 40. Ne6 Qa6 41. Nd4 h6 42. Ne2 Kh7 43. Rf1 Rxf1+ 44. Kxf1 Qa1+ 45. Kg2 Qe1
46. Qf2 Qxf2+ 47. Kxf2 Kg6 {
Black has the initiative in the bishop versus knight ending.} 48. Ke3 Kf5 49.
h3 Bf6 50. Nd4+ Ke5 51. Kd2 Bg5+ 52. Ke2 Bc1 53. Nb5 Ke6 54. Nd4+ Kf6 55. Nb5
Ke5 56. Nd4 Ba3 57. Nc2 Bc5 58. Ne3 Ke6 59. Ng4 Bf8 60. Ne3 Bg7 61. Kd2 Be5 62.
g4 Bf4 63. Ke2 Bg5 64. Nf5 Ke5 65. Ne3 Kd6 66. Nf5+ Kc5 67. Ne3 Bf4 68. Ng2 Bc7
69. Ne3 Ba5 70. Nd1 Kd6 71. Ke3 Ke5 72. Ke2 $1 Ke6 73. Ke3 Bb6+ 74. Ke2 {
White has defended well so far.} Kf6 75. Ne3 $4 ({Correct is} 75. h4 $1 {
(Timman)} Ke5 76. g5 $1 hxg5 77. hxg5 Kf5 78. Ne3+ Bxe3 79. Kxe3 Kxg5 80. c4 $1
{drawn.}) 75... Bxe3 76. Kxe3 Kg5 {He wins the pawn ending.} 77. Kf2 Kf4 78.
Kg2 Ke3 79. h4 Kf4 $1 80. g5 hxg5 81. h5 $5 Kf5 82. Kg3 Kf6 83. Kg4 Kg7 {
Caruana lost for the second time.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Qc2 c6 7. h3 O-O 8. Bf4
Bd6 $5 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. e3 b6 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. Be2 Nbd7 13. O-O c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5
15. Rfd1 Rac8 16. Qf5 Rfd8 17. Qe5 Qxe5 18. Nxe5 a5 19. Bg4 Nxg4 20. hxg4 Ne6
21. Ne2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 d4 23. Nxd4 Nxd4 24. exd4 f6 $1 {
Little happened in this game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. O-O-O Qd6 10. Nb5 Qd7 11. Kb1 Rd8 12. d5 a6 13. dxc6 $1 (13. Nc3 {
drew in Gustafsson - Mekhitarian, Reykjavik 2011.}) 13... Qxd2 14. Rxd2 Rxd2
15. Bxd2 axb5 16. cxb7 Bxb7 17. Bxb5 {White has an extra pawn temporarily.} f5
18. exf5 Bd5 $1 19. Ne2 (19. fxg6 $5 Rxa2 20. gxh7+ Kh8 21. Bc3 Bxc3 22. bxc3
Rxg2 23. Bd3 Bc4 24. Bxc4 Nxc4 25. Nh3 {brings equality.}) 19... Bxa2+ 20. Kc2
gxf5 21. Bc3 Bc4 22. Bxc4+ Nxc4 23. Nd4 Ne3+ 24. Kd3 Nxg2 25. Nxf5 Nf4+ 26. Kc4
Bxc3 27. bxc3 Kf7 28. Re1 Ng6 29. Nd4 Ra2 30. h3 Rh2 31. Ne6 Kf6 32. Nxc7 Rxh3
33. Nd5+ Kf7 34. Rf1 Nh4 35. f4 Nf5 36. Kb4 h5 37. c4 Rd3 38. Nb6 h4 39. c5 Rd2
40. Kc3 Rg2 41. Rh1 Rg4 {The chances are equal.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E99"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. f3 f5 11. Be3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 13. Rc1 Ng6 14. Nb5 b6 15. b4 a6
16. Nc3 Rf7 17. Nd3 h5 $5 ({Known is} 17... Bf8) 18. c5 $1 Bf8 19. cxb6 cxb6
20. b5 a5 $1 21. Na4 Nc5 $1 22. Ndxc5 dxc5 23. d6 $2 ({More solid is} 23. Bc4
Bd6 24. Qc2) 23... Be6 24. Bxc5 $2 {The tactics favour Black.} bxc5 25. Nxc5
Bxa2 $1 26. Qa4 Bxd6 $1 27. Qxa2 Bxc5+ $1 28. Kh1 (28. Rxc5 $2 Qd4+ {
costs a rook.}) 28... Bd4 $5 29. Bc4 Raa7 30. Bxf7+ Rxf7 31. Qd5 $2 (31. Rc6 $1
{(Likavsky)} Kg7 32. Rfc1 {offers more resistance.}) 31... Qxd5 32. exd5 Ne7 $1
33. d6 Nf5 34. Rc8+ Kg7 35. Rc6 a4 $1 36. Rfc1 a3 37. Ra6 a2 38. Rxa2 Nxd6 39.
b6 Bxb6 40. Rc6 Rc7 41. Rxc7+ Bxc7 42. Ra7 Ne8 43. g3 Kg6 44. Kg2 Bd6 45. Ra6
Kf5 46. Rc6 g4 47. gxf4 exf4 48. fxg4+ hxg4 49. h3 g3 50. Kf3 Be5 51. Rh6 Ng7
52. h4 Ne6 53. Rh5+ Kf6 54. Kg2 Nd4 55. Kh3 f3 56. Rh8 g2 57. Rg8 Ne2 58. Rg6+
Kxg6 59. h5+ Kg5 {Giri lost his second game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4
Bd7 9. c3 O-O 10. Bc2 b4 11. Re1 $5 ({Known is} 11. Nbd2 d5 {
(Bruzon Bautista - Svidler, Dresden 2008).}) 11... Re8 12. h3 Bf8 13. Nbd2 g6
14. Nc4 bxc3 15. bxc3 d5 $6 ({Preferable is} 15... Rb8 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 Bg7)
16. Ne3 dxe4 $5 17. dxe4 Na5 18. Qe2 Nh5 19. Rd1 $1 Nf4 20. Qe1 Bd6 21. Rb1 f6
22. h4 Rf8 23. g3 Ne6 24. Nd5 Qe8 25. Qe2 Bxa4 $5 26. Bxa4 Qxa4 27. Bh6 Rf7 $6
({Better is} 27... Ng7 28. Nh2 Qc4) 28. Nh2 $1 Nb3 $2 (28... Ng7 29. Ng4 Nh5 $1
{defends desperately.}) 29. Ng4 $1 Nbc5 30. Ngxf6+ $2 ({Better is} 30. Ndxf6+
$1 Kh8 31. Rb4 Qc6 32. Rdb1 {and White wins.}) 30... Kh8 31. h5 g5 32. Rb4 Qa3
33. Rdb1 $6 c6 $1 34. Ng4 $6 cxd5 35. exd5 Qxc3 $2 ({Correct is} 35... Ng7 $1
36. Nxe5 Re7 $1 37. Qf3 Bxe5 38. d6 $1 {(Marin)} Rb7 $1 39. Rxb7 Nxb7 40. Rxb7
Qxd6 41. Bxg7+ Bxg7 42. Rxg7 Kxg7 43. Qxa8 Kh6 {and Black might survive.}) 36.
dxe6 Nxe6 37. Rc4 Qa5 38. Qe4 Rd8 39. Rc6 Qd2 40. Qc4 Re7 41. Rbb6 e4 42. Kg2
e3 43. Nxe3 Bxg3 44. Kxg3 Nd4 45. Kg2 Nxc6 46. Rxc6 Qd7 47. Ng4 Qf5 48. Qc3+
Kg8 49. Nf6+ Kf7 50. Qc4+ Re6 51. Rc7+ Kxf6 52. Bg7# {
Morozovich suffered his first loss.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. Nd2 h6 4. Bh4 c5 5. e4 d5 $5 (5... cxd4 6. e5 g5 7. Bg3
Nd5 8. h4 gxh4 9. Rxh4 {happened in Vitiugov - Wang Hao, Ningbo 2010.}) 6. e5
g5 7. Bg3 Nfd7 8. h4 g4 9. dxc5 h5 10. Bb5 Nc6 11. Ne2 Nxc5 12. O-O a6 13.
Bxc6+ bxc6 14. c4 a5 15. Nd4 Qb6 16. Qc2 Nd7 17. Qd3 Ba6 18. Nxe6 $5 fxe6 19.
Qg6+ Kd8 20. Qxe6 Be7 21. Rfd1 d4 22. c5 $2 ({Correct is} 22. Qf5 Rc8 23. e6
Rf8 24. Qc2 Nc5) 22... Nxc5 23. Qf7 Ra7 24. Rac1 Rd7 25. e6 Rd5 26. Nc4 Bxc4
27. Rxc4 Rf8 28. Qg6 Nb7 29. Qe4 Nd6 30. Bxd6 Rxd6 31. Rcxd4 Rxd4 32. Rxd4+ Kc8
33. g3 Qc5 34. Rd2 Kb7 35. Rd7+ Kb6 36. Qe2 Rd8 37. Rxd8 Bxd8 38. Qd2 Be7 39.
a3 Qe5 40. Qd7 Qd6 41. Qe8 Qxe6 42. b4 axb4 43. axb4 Qe5 44. Kf1 Bd6 45. Qd8+
Bc7 46. Qd2 Bd6 {The standings became: Ivanchuk and Nakamura 8/4, Morozevich 7,
Caruana 4, Giri and Vitiugov 2. Giri had reached his lowest point.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. c4 Bb4+ 8.
Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O Bf5 10. Nb3 $5 ({An alternative is} 10. c5 Bxd2 11. Bxd2) 10...
dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nc6 12. Bd3 Bg6 13. a3 Bd6 14. Re1 f5 15. Qc2 Kh8 16. Be3 Qf6 17.
Nc5 Bxc5 18. dxc5 Rae8 19. Rad1 Bh5 20. Be2 f4 21. Bc1 $2 ({Preferable is} 21.
Bd4 $1 Nxd4 22. Nxd4) 21... a5 22. Qc4 Re7 $1 23. h3 Rfe8 24. Kf1 $2 ({Wiser is
} 24. Rf1) 24... h6 $5 (24... Nxf2 $1 25. Kxf2 Bxf3 26. Bxf3 Qh4+ {
wins quickly.}) 25. Qc2 (25. Qb3 a4 26. Qd3 Bxf3 27. Bxf3 Ne5 28. Qxe4 Nxf3 29.
Qxf3 Qa6+ {also wins for Black.}) 25... Nxf2 $1 26. Kxf2 Bxf3 27. gxf3 Qh4+ 28.
Kf1 Qxh3+ 29. Kf2 Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Re5 31. Bxf4 Qxf4 32. Qc4 Re4 33. Qb5 Qg3 {
Caruana will be mated.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E39"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2729"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 O-O 6. a3 Bxc5 7. Nf3 b6 8. e4
Nc6 9. b4 Nd4 10. Qd2 $5 ({Known is} 10. Qd3 Nxf3+ 11. gxf3) 10... Nxf3+ 11.
gxf3 Be7 12. Rg1 Kh8 $5 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 d6 15. O-O-O Rg8 16. Kb1 Bb7 17. h4
Qc7 18. h5 $1 h6 (18... Nxh5 $6 19. Rh1 $1 Nf6 20. Bd3 $1 {favours White.}) 19.
Na4 e5 20. Qe3 Bd8 21. Bd3 Nd7 22. f4 Bf6 23. fxe5 Bxe5 24. Bxe5 Nxe5 $2 (24...
dxe5 $1 25. Be2 Rad8 26. Kb2 Bc8 {is alright.}) 25. Nxb6 Rae8 26. Nd5 Bxd5 27.
exd5 $5 Nxd3 $5 28. Qxd3 Re5 29. Rde1 Rxh5 30. Qd4 {
White has a positional advantage.} Qc8 31. Kb2 Kh7 $6 (31... Qd8 $5 {
prevents the occupation of the seventh rank.}) 32. Re7 $1 Rf5 33. f4 g5 $5 34.
fxg5 Rgxg5 35. Rge1 Rg4 36. Qd3 Kg7 37. Qc3+ Kg6 38. b6 $1 Qc5 $6 ({Or} 38...
Rf2+ 39. R1e2 Rxe2+ 40. Rxe2) 39. b7 Rg2+ 40. Ka1 Rf3 41. b8=Q $1 (41. b8=Q $1
Rxc3 42. Qg8+ Kh5 43. Rh1+ {leads to mate (Ftacnik).}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2011.12.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

{The leaders battle.} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 d6 6.
Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Re8 8. Ne1 c6 $5 (8... Nc6 {leads to a known position.}) 9. d3
h6 10. Rb1 d5 11. Qb3 b6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Nc2 Nc6 14. h3 $6 Bb7 15. Nb4 Na5
16. Qb2 d4 17. c4 $6 ({Preferable is} 17. Bd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2) 17... Rc8 18. Bxb7
Nxb7 {Black has a positional plus.} 19. e4 dxe3 $1 20. Bxe3 Qd7 21. Kh2 Nd6 22.
Rbc1 Nf5 23. Rfd1 h5 24. Qe2 h4 25. Nc2 b5 {Ivanchuk charges everywhere.} 26.
Qf3 bxc4 27. dxc4 hxg3+ 28. fxg3 Qe6 29. c5 Red8 30. Bf2 e4 31. Qb3 Qe5 32. Ne3
Rxd1 33. Qxd1 Rxc5 $1 {He delivers a brilliant sacrifice.} 34. Nc4 Qc7 35. Bxc5
Qxg3+ $1 {Black has given a rook.} 36. Kh1 Qxh3+ 37. Kg1 Qg3+ $2 ({Correct is} 
37... Ng4 $1 38. Qe2 Nh4 39. Nd2 Qg3+ $1 40. Kh1 Nf3 $1 41. Nxf3 exf3 42. Qe8+
Kh7 {(Timman)} 43. Rc2 f2 44. Rxf2 Nxf2+ 45. Bxf2 Qxf2 {
and Black has a won queen ending.}) 38. Kf1 $1 Ng4 39. Qd8+ Kh7 40. Qd5 Qf3+ $2
({Right is} 40... Nh2+ $1 41. Ke2 Nd4+ $3 42. Qxd4 Qg4+ 43. Ke3 Qg3+ 44. Kxe4
Qf3+ 45. Ke5 Qf6+ $1 46. Ke4 Qf3+ {and a draw by perpetual check (Timman).})
41. Ke1 $1 Ng3 42. Rc2 f5 43. Kd2 $1 Nf6 $2 (43... Qf4+ 44. Kc3 e3 45. Bd6 Ne4+
46. Kb2 Nxd6 47. Nxd6 Qb4+ {offers more resistance.}) 44. Qd8 Ne2 45. Ke1 f4
46. Rxe2 Qc3+ 47. Kd1 Qxc4 48. Qd4 Qb5 49. Rh2+ Kg6 50. Kc2 a5 $5 51. Be7 Qc6+
52. Qc5 Qa4+ 53. Kc1 f3 54. Bxf6 Kxf6 55. Rd2 g6 56. Rd6+ Kg7 57. Rd8 {
The standings after one cycle became: Nakamura 11/5, Morozevich 10, Ivanchuk 8,
Giri 5, Caruana 4, Vitiugov 2.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

{The second cycle began after a rest day.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4.
Bd2 a5 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. Bg5 exd4 9. Nxd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 h6 11.
Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Qxf6 gxf6 13. a3 Bc5 14. Nc3 c6 15. e3 $5 {
White has a better endgame.} Ke7 16. Na4 h5 $2 17. h4 $1 {
Pawn h5 becomes a weakness.} Rg8 18. Rfc1 Ra7 $5 19. Bf3 Bg4 20. Bxg4 Rxg4 21.
Kf1 Ra8 22. b3 Ke6 23. Nc3 $1 {The knight will jump to f4 and attack h5.} Ke7
24. Ne2 Rgg8 25. Nf4 Rh8 26. Nd3 Bb6 27. Rab1 Kd7 28. Rc2 Bc7 29. Nf4 Rae8 30.
b4 axb4 31. axb4 Ra8 32. b5 Ra4 33. Rbb2 $1 Ra5 34. Kg2 Ra4 35. Kf3 Raa8 (35...
f5 {weakens the resistance on the f-file.}) 36. Ra2 $1 Rxa2 37. Rxa2 d5 $5 38.
bxc6+ bxc6 39. cxd5 c5 40. Ra6 Bxf4 41. Kxf4 Rc8 42. Rc6 $1 Rxc6 43. dxc6+ Kxc6
44. g4 $1 {White wins the pawn ending.} c4 45. e4 Kd6 46. f3 Ke6 47. Ke3 Ke5
48. gxh5 f5 49. h6 f4+ 50. Kd2 Kf6 51. h5 $1 {It ends by zugzwang.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D80"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. h4 Bg7 6. e3 $5 ({Theory is} 6. cxd5
Nxc3 7. bxc3 Qxd5 8. e3) 6... c5 7. cxd5 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Qxd5 9. Qf3 Qxf3 10. Nxf3
Nc6 $5 11. Rb1 Na5 $5 12. Bb5+ Bd7 13. Ke2 Rc8 14. Bxd7+ Kxd7 15. Rb5 $5 b6 16.
dxc5 Rxc5 17. Rxc5 bxc5 18. Rd1+ Ke6 19. e4 $1 Bxc3 $1 20. Be3 Bf6 21. h5 $5 {
He should have captured pawn c5.} Rc8 22. h6 Nc4 $1 23. Bf4 Nb2 24. Rd5 c4 25.
Ra5 $5 {Morozevich contines the fight.} (25. Be5 Bxe5 26. Ng5+ Kf6 27. Nxh7+
Ke6 28. Ng5+ {leads to perpetual check (Caruana).}) 25... Nd3 26. Be3 Rb8 27.
Nd4+ Kd7 28. Kd2 $6 {Capture of pawn a7 draws easily.} Rb7 29. g4 $2 (29. Nc2 {
is alright.}) 29... e6 $2 (29... Bh4 $1 {gains another pawn.}) 30. f3 Bd8 31.
Ra4 Nb2 32. Ra6 Bb6 33. Nc2 Nd3 34. Bxb6 axb6 35. g5 Nf4 36. Ne3 Kc6 37. Ng4
Kb5 38. Ra8 Rc7 39. Nf6 $2 ({Correct is} 39. Kc2 $1 Ne2 40. Ne5 $1 c3 41. Kd3
$1 Rc5 ({not} 41... c2 $2 42. Kxe2 c1=Q $2 43. a4+ $1 Kc5 44. Nd3+ {
and White wins.}) 42. Kxe2 Rxe5 43. Kd3 {and Black has little advantage.})
39... c3+ 40. Kc2 Ne2 $1 41. Rd8 Kc4 42. Nd7 Nd4+ 43. Kc1 c2 44. Nxb6+ Kd3 {
The c-pawn decides the game.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2729"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2
O-O 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. Kb1 b6 $5 ({Known is} 11... a6) 12. Bb5 Bb7
13. h4 Na5 $5 14. Bd4 Rac8 15. Ng5 $5 Nc4 16. Qe2 h6 17. Bxc4 dxc4 18. Bxc5
Bxc5 $5 19. Nge4 Bb4 20. Nd6 $1 Rcd8 21. Rh3 $5 Bxd6 $6 ({Better is} 21... a6
$1 22. Nxc4 Bxg2) 22. Nb5 $1 Qc6 23. Nxd6 Qxg2 24. Qe3 Be4 25. Rc1 f5 $5 26.
Rg3 Qh2 27. Qg1 Qxg1 28. Rcxg1 Rd7 29. Rg6 Re7 30. Rxh6 $1 c3 $6 31. bxc3 Bf3
32. Rhg6 Bg4 33. Rg5 Kh7 34. h5 Kh6 35. Rh1 Rd8 $6 (35... b5 $5 {
counters on the queenside.}) 36. c4 $1 Bf3 37. Rh2 Bg4 38. Kb2 Rb8 39. Kc3 Rd8
40. Kd4 Rb8 41. Ke3 Kh7 42. Kf2 Rh8 43. Kg3 $1 {
The king wants to move towards g5.} Kg8 $5 44. h6 $1 Rh7 45. Rg6 Bd1 46. c3 Bg4
47. Kf2 Kf8 48. Ke3 gxh6 49. Rhxh6 Rxh6 50. Rxh6 Kg7 51. Rh2 Rd7 52. Kd4 Bf3
53. Rh3 Bg4 54. Rh1 Bf3 55. Rg1+ Bg4 56. c5 $1 {
He will make an important exchange at last.} bxc5+ 57. Kxc5 Rc7+ 58. Kb4 Rc6
59. Nb5 Kf8 60. a4 a5+ $5 61. Kxa5 Rc4 62. Nd4 $1 Rxc3 ({Or} 62... Kf7 63. Rb1
Rxc3 64. Rb7+ {(Ftacnik).}) 63. Rb1 $1 Rc8 64. Rb6 Kf7 65. Nxe6 Rc4 66. Ng5+ {
Nakamura led by four points.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O e5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bxf6
Qxf6 9. Nf5 g6 10. Ne3 Bc5 11. Nd5 $5 (11. Nc3 d6 12. Ncd5 Qd8 13. c3 {
drew in Karjakin - Svidler, Moscow 2011.}) 11... Qd8 12. b4 Ba7 13. a4 d6 14.
a5 Be6 15. Bc4 O-O 16. Qd3 Nc6 17. c3 Ne7 18. Nd2 Rc8 19. Rac1 Kg7 20. Kh1 Nxd5
21. Bxd5 Qe7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "34"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 Be6 8. h4
Nd7 9. g5 h6 10. g6 $5 ({Known is} 10. Qf3 $6 hxg5 11. hxg5 Rxh1 12. Qxh1 Bxg5)
10... Ngf6 (10... fxg6 11. Bd3 Bf7 12. Qc2 {also leads to equality.}) 11. gxf7+
Bxf7 12. Bd3 Nh5 13. Be5 $5 O-O $5 14. Qg4 Nhf6 15. Qg3 Nh5 16. Qg4 Nhf6 17.
Qg3 Nh5 {It is drawn by repetition.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Ne4 7. Bd2 Nxd2 8.
Qxd2 cxd4 9. Nxd4 O-O 10. a3 Be7 11. O-O Ne5 $5 ({Known is} 11... a6) 12. b3 a6
13. Rfd1 Qc7 14. Ne4 f5 15. Nc3 Rb8 16. e4 fxe4 17. Nxe4 b6 18. Qe2 Bb7 19. f4
Nc6 20. Nf3 Na5 21. Rd3 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Nb7 23. b4 Nd6 24. Qe2 Nf7 25. Qd2 Rfd8
26. Re1 a5 27. Qc3 axb4 28. axb4 Rbc8 29. Nd2 Nd6 30. Rc1 Nxc4 $2 (30... Bf6
31. Qb3 Nb5 {continues the equality.}) 31. Nxc4 {
Nakamura kept the lead of four points.} (31. Nxc4 b5 32. Ne3 Qxc3 33. Rcxc3
Rxc3 34. Rxc3 Bxb4 35. Rc2 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2729"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. e5 Nd5 8. O-O
Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bxc3 10. Ba3 {Giri sacrifices again.} Qa5 11. Bd6 Nc6 12. Nxc6
dxc6 13. f4 Bxa1 $1 {Vitiugov accepts the challenge.} ({Known is} 13... Bb4 14.
Qd4 Bxd6 15. exd6) 14. Qxa1 Qd2 $1 15. Bd3 Qe3+ $5 16. Kh1 Bd7 17. Qb2 b5 $1 ({
Not} 17... O-O-O $2 18. Bxa6 $1 Qa7 19. Qxb7+ $1 Qxb7 20. Rb1 $1 Qxa6 21. Rb8#)
18. a4 $1 Rc8 19. f5 $1 exf5 $2 {He lessens the protection of his king.} ({
Better is} 19... h5 $1 20. Rf3 Qg5) 20. e6 $1 Qxe6 $5 21. Qxg7 Qxd6 22. Qxh8+
Qf8 23. Qxh7 {White has a positional edge.} Kd8 24. Bxf5 Bxf5 25. Qxf5 Kc7 26.
c4 $1 Kb6 {Vitiugov keeps the queenside closed.} 27. Rb1 b4 28. a5+ Kc7 $2 ({
Preferable is} 28... Ka7 $1 29. Qf2+ Ka8 30. Qb6 c5 $1 31. Qxa6+ Kb8 {
and pawn b4 gives Black counter chances.}) 29. c5 $1 Rb8 30. Qe5+ Kc8 31. Qf5+
Kc7 32. Qf4+ Kc8 33. Rxb4 Rxb4 34. Qxb4 {White has a won queen ending.} Qh6 35.
Qc4 Kd8 36. h4 f5 $6 37. Qd4+ Kc8 38. Qc4 Kd8 39. Kh2 Ke7 40. Qd4 Qh5 41. Kh3
Qg6 42. Qe3+ Kd7 43. Qd2+ Ke8 44. Qf4 Qf6 45. Qd6 $1 Qc3+ 46. Kh2 Qxa5 47.
Qxc6+ Kf7 48. Qd5+ Kf6 49. Qd6+ Kf7 50. Qd7+ Kf6 51. Qc6+ Kf7 52. Qb7+ Kg8 53.
Qc8+ Kg7 54. Qxf5 {Giri won a fine game.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Be2 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. c3
Nbd7 9. Bh2 Qe8 10. a4 a6 11. Na3 e5 12. Nc4 Ne4 13. Nfd2 Nxd2 14. Nxd2 Kh8 $5
15. Qc2 f5 16. Rfe1 g5 $5 {
Caruana fights for the initiative. Ivanchuk will react too passively.} 17. Bd3
Qg6 18. f3 $6 ({More active is} 18. e4 f4 19. Nf3) 18... Rae8 19. Rf1 $5 d5 $1
20. a5 c5 $1 21. g4 $2 {He opens his defence line.} (21. dxc5 bxc5 22. Be2 {
defends properly.}) 21... e4 $1 22. fxe4 dxe4 23. Be2 f4 $1 24. axb6 Qxb6 $6 ({
Even better is} 24... cxd4 25. cxd4 Qh6) 25. Qb3 Qa7 $5 26. Bb5 $2 (26. Rae1 {
offers more resistance.}) 26... cxd4 $1 27. Bxd7 dxe3 $1 {
White cannot stop the central pawns.} 28. Nc4 ({Or} 28. Bxe8 exd2+ 29. Rf2 e3)
28... Rd8 29. Ba4 Rd2 30. Qxb7 $5 (30. Rae1 f3 $1 31. Nxe3 Rxh2 $1 32. Kxh2
Qb8+ 33. Kh1 Qg3 {also wins for Black.}) 30... Qxb7 31. Rxf4 gxf4 32. Nxd2 exd2
33. Bxf4 Rxf4 34. Bc6 Qb6+ {Caruana scored well during the second cycle.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Qb6 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2
Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 (10. Nb5 $1 Qxa2 11. Rc1 Rb8 12. Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nb5 {
plays for a draw.}) 10... a6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Be2 $5 {
White has no compensation for the pawn.} ({Known is} 12. Ng5) 12... Be7 13. O-O
O-O 14. Kh1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Ndxe5 16. Rb3 Rxf1+ 17. Bxf1 Qd6 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19.
Na4 b5 20. Nb6 Rb8 21. Bf4 e5 22. Nxc8 Rxc8 23. Bg3 Qe6 24. Rb1 e4 25. a4 bxa4
26. Bxa6 Rf8 27. c3 a3 28. Be2 Bd6 29. Bh4 Rb8 30. Rxb8+ Bxb8 31. Qa2 Qd6 32.
Bg3 Qc5 {The standings became: Nakamura 15/8, Morozevich 14, Giri 12, Caruana
11, Ivanchuk 8, Vitiugov 5.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B47"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2729"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. O-O Bb4 8.
Qd3 Nc6 9. Kh1 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Bc5 11. Qd2 h6 12. f4 d6 13. Qe1 $5 (13. Qd3 Nd7
14. a3 {was played in Vukovic - Ionescu, Bucharest 2000.}) 13... Bd7 14. Qg3
Bd4 15. Bf3 Qc4 $5 16. Bd2 Bc6 17. Rae1 $6 (17. e5 $1 Bxf3 18. Rxf3 dxe5 19.
fxe5 Nd7 20. Re1 {gains a plus.}) 17... O-O-O 18. Be2 Qc5 19. Bd3 g5 20. Qf3
Rhg8 $5 21. Na4 $1 g4 $1 22. Qe2 Qh5 23. Bc3 Bxc3 24. Nxc3 {
The chances are about equal.} Qc5 $5 25. e5 $1 Nd7 26. Ne4 Bxe4 27. Bxe4 d5 28.
Bd3 Kb8 29. Rb1 $1 Rc8 30. b4 Qd4 31. Qe1 $1 Nb6 32. b5 axb5 33. Rxb5 {
White has the initiative.} Rc7 34. Qa5 Nd7 35. Rfb1 Qa7 $2 ({Better is} 35...
Nc5) 36. Qb4 Nc5 37. Bh7 $1 Rgc8 ({The pointe is} 37... Rh8 38. Ra5 $1 Na6 39.
Qd6) 38. Ra5 Na6 39. Qd6 Ka8 40. Rb6 $1 Rc6 41. Raxa6 $1 bxa6 42. Rxc6 Rb8 43.
c3 $1 {Bishop h7 controls b1.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 b4 10. Ne2 e5 11. Ng3 g6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Qf4 Bd6
15. Qh6 Rg8 16. Rc1 Ned7 17. Qh4 a5 18. Bb5 Kf8 19. O-O Kg7 20. Bxd7 Nxd7 21.
Qd4+ Nf6 22. Rc6 Re8 23. f4 Bb8 24. Kh1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

{Giri meets the leader.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3
6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nd7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O c6 10. h4 Re8 11. Bd3 d5 $5 12. Ng5
$5 {White is going to lose time.} Nf8 13. h5 Bf6 14. Nf3 Bg4 15. Rde1 Bxf3 16.
gxf3 {Nakamura offers a draw.} Ne6 {Giri plays for a win.} 17. f4 $5 h6 $1 {
Black has a solid position.} 18. a3 Qa5 19. Qd1 $6 Nc5 $1 {
He wants to achieve the initiative.} 20. Bf5 Na4 $1 21. Qd3 Nc5 $6 (21... Nxc3
$1 22. Bd2 d4 $1 {(Giri) gains an advantage.}) 22. Qd1 Qb5 $5 23. Qe2 $5 Qa4
24. Qd1 Ne4 25. Bxe4 Rxe4 {Black has a pleasant game.} 26. Rhg1 Rae8 27. Rg3
Kh8 28. Reg1 Qc4 $1 29. Kb1 c5 $1 {Giri attacks on the queenside.} 30. Qd3 b6
31. Qxc4 Rxc4 $1 32. Rd1 $6 d4 $1 33. cxd4 cxd4 34. b3 $2 (34. Bd2 Re2 35. Rg2
{tries to survive by a passive defence.}) 34... dxe3 $1 35. bxc4 exf2 36. Rf3 (
{Or} 36. Rh3 Re1 37. Rh1 Bh4 $1 {and Black wins (Giri).}) 36... Re1 37. Kc1 Bd4
38. c3 Be3+ 39. Kc2 f5 $1 40. a4 a5 41. c5 Bxc5 $1 {The standings at the end
of the penultimate round became: Giri, Morozevich and Nakamura 15, Caruana 14,
Ivanchuk 8, Vitiugov 5.} 0-1

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. Nc3 d6 5. e3 Nge7 6. Nge2 O-O 7. O-O a6 8. h3
Ba7 9. Kh2 $5 Be6 10. Nd5 Bd7 11. b3 Nxd5 12. cxd5 Ne7 13. d4 Nf5 14. Bb2 Re8
15. Rc1 Rc8 16. a4 a5 17. Qd2 Bb6 18. Rc2 Qg5 19. Qd3 Qg6 20. Rd1 $1 Rcd8 21.
e4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 exd4 23. Bxd4 Bxd4 24. Qxd4 {White has a plus.} c5 $1 25. dxc6
Bxc6 26. Rc4 Qh5 27. Qd2 h6 28. Rd4 {Black has a weakness, but he can defend
it. Giri stayed ahead of Caruana by the draw and expected to end at the second
place.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 h5 11. Rd1 Be7 12. Ne2 Bd7 $5 13. Bg5 Rd8 14.
Nf4 Bc8 15. Rxd8+ Kxd8 16. Rd1+ Ke8 {Black has a passive position.} 17. g3 Rh7
$5 ({Preferable is} 17... f6 $1 18. Ng6 Rg8) 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. Ng5 Rh6 20. h4
c5 21. c3 a5 22. Rd2 Be6 $5 23. Ngxe6 fxe6 24. Kg2 Nc6 25. Re2 Nd8 26. Kh3 $5
Nf7 27. Re3 Kd7 28. f3 b6 29. a3 Kc6 30. g4 hxg4+ 31. Kxg4 Kd7 $1 {
The king takes over the defence of pawn e6.} 32. h5 Rh8 33. Rd3+ Kc6 34. Ng6
Re8 {At last the rook has been liberated.} 35. f4 $5 b5 36. a4 Nh6+ 37. Kg5
Nf7+ 38. Kh4 b4 $5 39. c4 Nh6 40. Kg5 Nf7+ 41. Kg4 Nh6+ 42. Kh4 Nf7 $2 (42...
Kb7 $1 43. Rd7 Kc6 $1 {completes the passive defence perfectly.}) 43. f5 $1 {
The white pieces will go forwards after the breakthrough.} exf5 44. Rd5 b3 $2 {
He weakens the queenside.} 45. Kg3 Ng5 46. Kf4 Ne6+ 47. Kxf5 Nd4+ 48. Ke4 Ne6
49. Rd3 Ng5+ 50. Ke3 Ne6 51. Rxb3 Nd4 52. Rd3 Rb8 53. b3 $1 Kd7 ({The pointe is
} 53... Rxb3 54. Rxb3 Nxb3 55. Nf8 $1 Nd4 56. Kf4 {(Marin).}) 54. Ke4 c6 $6 ({
More resistance offers} 54... Rxb3 55. Rxb3 Nxb3 56. Nf4 Nd4 57. Kd5 Nb3 58.
e6+ Ke7 59. Nd3 {but White wins the knight ending.}) 55. Nh4 Ke6 56. Rg3 Kf7
57. Nf5 Ne6 58. Rd3 Ng5+ 59. Kf4 Ne6+ 60. Kg4 Nd4 $5 61. Nxd4 cxd4 62. Rxd4
Rxb3 63. Rd7+ Ke6 64. Rxg7 Rb4 65. h6 Rxc4+ 66. Kh5 Rc1 67. Rg4 {Nakamura had
lost the last three games. So a main competitor of Giri hit the dust.} 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 54"]
[Site "Torneo di Capodanno"]
[Date "2012.01.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A16"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2011.12.??"]

{Morozevich will win the tournament, if he does not lose from the tailender.} 
1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. g3 Nxc3 5. bxc3 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. Rb1 Nc6 8.
h4 h6 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O e5 11. d3 Kh7 $5 12. Nd2 f5 13. Ba3 Rf6 14. Qc2 Qe8
15. e3 b6 16. d4 Ba6 $1 17. Rfe1 e4 18. c4 Rc8 19. Qa4 Nb8 20. Qxe8 Rxe8 {
The chances are equal.} 21. Rec1 Nd7 22. Nb3 Rf7 23. Bb4 $6 c5 $1 24. Bd2 ({
The pointe is} 24. dxc5 Bf8 25. Bf1 Rc8) 24... g5 25. hxg5 hxg5 26. a4 cxd4 27.
exd4 f4 28. a5 f3 {Black wants to attack.} 29. Bf1 Kg6 30. axb6 $2 Bf6 $1 {
He threatens mate on the h-file.} 31. Re1 Rh8 $1 32. Rxe4 Rfh7 33. Rh4 $1 gxh4
34. Bd3+ Kg7 35. Bxh7 Kxh7 36. Ra1 $5 Bxc4 37. Rxa7 Bxb3 $2 (37... Rd8 $1 38.
Na5 Bd5 {wins for Black.}) 38. Rxd7+ Kg6 39. Bf4 $1 hxg3 40. Bxg3 Ba4 $2 (40...
Be6 41. Rd6 Bc8 42. Rxf6+ Kxf6 43. Be5+ Ke6 44. Bxh8 Kd5 45. Kh2 Kc6 46. Kg3
Kxb6 {draws.}) 41. Rd6 $1 Rg8 42. b7 Kf5 43. Ra6 Bxd4 44. b8=Q Rxb8 45. Bxb8
Bc2 46. Kh2 Bd3 $2 {
Morozevich spoils his last chance for a victory in the event.} (46... Kg4 47.
Bg3 Kf5 {defends well.}) 47. Ra4 $1 Be5+ 48. Bxe5 Kxe5 49. Kg3 Be2 50. Kg4 Kf6
51. Kf4 Bd1 52. Ra6+ Kf7 53. Ke5 Be2 54. Rf6+ Kg7 55. Kf5 Bd3+ 56. Kg5 Be2 57.
Rf4 Kg8 58. Kh6 Bd1 59. Rd4 $1 Be2 60. Rd7 $1 Kf8 61. Kg5 Ke8 62. Ra7 Kf8 63.
Kf4 Kg8 64. Ra3 Kf7 65. Rxf3 Bxf3 66. Kxf3 {Vitiugov wins elegantly.} Kf6 67.
Kf4 {The final standings became: Giri 16, Morozevich, Nakamura and Caruana 15,
Ivanchuk 12, Vitiugov 8. Anish Giri won the tournament at the age of 17,
despite a poor start.   Edition 55 of the Torneo di Capodanno was postponed
due to the financial crisis.} 1-0

