This game was Ali Hill’s finest performance in Lisbon last month, an entertaining victory against GM Antonio Fernandes, winner of the Portuguese Chess Championship on 15 occasions.
[pgn]
[Event “Portugal Open”]
[Site “Lisbon”]
[Date “2018.02.04”]
[Round “4”]
[White “Hill, A.”]
[Black “Fernandes, A.”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D85”]
[WhiteElo “2159”]
[BlackElo “2443”]
[Annotator “Fritz 15 (75m)”]
[PlyCount “43”]
[SourceDate “2018.03.05”]
[SourceVersionDate “2018.03.05”]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Bg7 {The Grunfeld is well-known to Ali, who often plays it as black} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 O-O 8. Be3 c5 9. Be2 Qa5 10. O-O Rd8 (10… Nd7 11. Qb3 e6 12. a4 Qc7 13. a5 Rb8 14. Nd2 b6 15. axb6 axb6 16. Bb5 Nf6 17. f3 Bd7 18. Be2 Rfc8 19. Rfb1 cxd4 20. cxd4 b5 21. Qb2 Ne8 22. Nb3 Qc3 23. Bf4 Qxb2 24. Rxb2 Ra8 25. Rxa8 {Shimanov,A (2519) -Rakhmanov,A (2590) Irkutsk 2010 1-0 (60)}) 11. Qb3 b6 $146
(11… Nd7 12. Rfd1 (12. Bc4 e6 13. Bg5 Re8 14. Rad1 a6 15. d5 Nb6 16. d6 Bd7
17. Rb1 Nxc4 18. Qxc4 Bb5 19. Qxc5 Rec8 20. Qb4 Qxb4 21. Rxb4 Bxf1 22. d7 Rxc3
23. d8=Q+ Rxd8 24. Bxd8 Bb5 {0-1 (24) Kovalchuk,A (2269)-Belous,V (2578)
Taganrog 2014}) 12… Nf6 13. Ne5 e6 14. f3 Bd7 15. a4 Qc7 16. Qc4 Rac8 17.
Qxc5 Qxc5 18. dxc5 Nxe4 19. fxe4 Bxe5 20. Bd4 Bg7 21. Bb5 Bc6 22. Bxc6 Rxc6 23.
Be3 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Bxc3 25. Bh6 Rc8 26. Rd7 {Popovics,A (2193)-Gara,T (2296)
Hungary 2001 0-1 (44)}) (11… cxd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 13. Rad1 Qb4 14. d5 Qxb3 15.
axb3 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bg7 18. Bc5 Bf8 19. Ra1 e6 20. Bxf8 Kxf8 21. Bc4
exd5 22. Bxd5 Be6 23. Bxb7 Rab8 24. Bc6 Rb6 25. Rfc1 Rc8 26. Bd5 {Khatoev,E
(2306)-Timofeeva,E (2315) Tomsk 2012 1/2-1/2 (40)}) (11… Nc6 12. Rad1 $14)
12. Rad1 (12. Bc4 e6 13. d5 $16) 12… cxd4 $2 (12… Be6 13. d5 Bd7 14. Rc1
$14) 13. Nxd4 (13. Ng5 $5 Rf8 14. cxd4 Bd7 $18) 13… Bd7 (13… Rf8 14. a4 $14
) 14. Bc4 $16 Ba4 $2 (14… Rf8 $142 $5 15. Bd5 Ba4 $16) 15. Bxf7+ $18 Kh8 16.
Ne6 $4 {stumbles just before the finish line} (16. Qa3 $142 {a pity that White
didn’t try this} Na6 17. Nb3 Bxb3 18. Qxa5 bxa5 19. axb3 Bxc3 20. Bd5 $18)
16… Rxd1 $19 17. Rxd1 Nc6 18. Qd5 Qxd5 19. Rxd5 Bxc3 $2 (19… Ne5 $142 $5
20. Nc7 Rf8 $16) 20. Bh6 $18 Nb4 $4 {leading to a quick end} (20… Bc2 21. e5
$1 {Decoy: e5} Rg8 $18) 21. e5 $3 {Mate threat} Rg8 (21… Z0 $140 22. Bg7# {
Mate threat}) 22. Rd8 (22. Rd8 Be8 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Bg7#) 1-0
[/pgn]
