DAVID R. SANDS: A generous chess GM saves something for himself

Call it karma, or at least a little reward from Caissa for a good deed done.

We wrote here last week of how young Russian GM Daniil Dubov generously shared an opening novelty with compatriot GM Ian Nepomniachtchi ahead of a key game at the recent Russian team championships. The result: a brilliancy for Nepo that helped preserve a tie in a key match in Sochi.

It turns out that Dubov had more where that came from.

At the 17th European Individual Chess Championship that wrapped up Monday in Gjakova, Kosovo, Dubov kept the ingenious idea for his own scoresheet, with an inspired queen sacrifice against Croatian GM Ante Brkic. The result: another masterpiece that will give the Nepomniachtchi game a run for its money as the best for the first half of 2016.

In a Queen’s Gambit, Dubov as White accepts a busted-up kingside in exchange for clear lead in development after 9. h3!? Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Nxg3 12. fxg3 Nc6 13. e4. White has two pairs of doubled pawns, but the half-open b- and f-files leave Black with a dilemma over where to put his king.

Brkic opts to castle long, but a moment’s inattention to his defense leads to disaster: 16. Rb1 0-0-0 17. Ne5 f5 18. Qf3, when shoring up the c6-knight with 18…Qe8 was strongly indicated. Black can then fight on in double-edged lines such as 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Bb5 Qd5 21. Bxc6!? Qxa2+ 22. Ke3 bxc6 23. Qxc6 e5 24. Qb7+ Kd7 25. dxe5 Ke7 26. Rhd1 Qa5.

Instead, Black walks into a buzzsaw on 18…g4? (see diagram; Black may have been banking on 19. hxg4?! fxg4 20. Qe4 Qh7!, forcing a queen trade and easing the defensive load) 19. Ba6!! gxf3 (taking the bishop leads to 19…bxa6 20. Nxc6 Bxc6 [gxf3 21. Rb8 mate] 21. Qxc6, and White can double rooks on the b-file and win easily) 20. Bxb7+ Kb8 21. Bxc6+ Kc8, and the Black king is caught in a net of windmilling checks by the bishop.

White could check indefinitely, but rightly goes for the quick KO with 23. Bxf3+ Kc8 24. Bb7+!? (White follows a clear path to victory, but even more satisfying would have been 24. Be2! Bb5 25. Bxb5 Rd6 26. cxd6 Qxd6 27. Bd7+ Kd8 28. Nf7+, picking off the queen) Kb8 25. Bc6+ Kc8 26. Rb2!, and Brkic sportingly resigns as 26…Rdf8 27. Bxd7+ Qxd7 28. Rb8+! Kxb8 29. Nxd7+ Kc8 30. Nxf8 Rxf8 31. Kf3 leaves him two pawns down in an hopeless rook ending.

In one of the best results of his career, 30-year-old Russian GM Ernesto Inarkiev is Europe’s new champion, finishing alone in first at the Kosovo event with an undefeated 9-2 score, a half-point ahead of Latvian GM Igor Kovalenko. Dubov finished in a large group tied for sixth at 7½-3½.

Dubov-Brkic, 17th European Individual Championships, Gjakova, Kosovo, May 2016

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Ne4 8. Qc2 h5 9. h3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Nxg3 11. fxg3 Nc6 12. e4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Qd6 14. Kf2 Bd7 15. c5 Qe7 16. Rb1 O-O-O 17. Ne5 f5 18. Qf3 g4 19. Ba6 gxf3 20. Bxb7+ Kb8 21. Bxc6+ Kc8 22. Bb7+ Kb8 23. Bxf3+ Kc8 24. Bb7+ Kb8 25. Bc6+ Kc8 26. Rb2 Black resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.