MY BEST GAMES

Choose a game

[Event "65. Open Warsaw Championship 2012"] [Site "Warszawa"] [Date "2012.06.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Adamski, Andrzej"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C41"] [WhiteElo "2050"] [BlackElo "2268"] [PlyCount "87"] {This is a game I won when I was 14 years old and rated 2050. Its level is not very high, but it features the most beautiful combination in my career so far. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 g6 $6 {A dubious continuation. White has a simple plan of Nc3, Be3, Hd2, 0-0-0, f3, g4, h4 etc. and his attack is going to be much quicker than Black's counteraction on the queenside.} 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Be2 $6 {An unnecessary delay.} ({I should have played} 7. Qd2 $1 {with the abovementioned plan.}) 7... O-O 8. Qd2 Re8 9. f3 Nc6 10. O-O-O Bd7 $6 {Too passive.} ({For better or worse, Black had to try} 10... d5 {although White is still seriously better after} 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 ({or} 12... bxc6 13. Nb3) 13. Bh6) 11. h4 $6 (11. g4 $1 {was much more accurate.}) 11... Rb8 $2 {After this, Black is busted since his attack is much slower than White's.} ({Black had a chance to slow down White's attack by} 11... h5 $1 { and although he would still be close to lost, White's task wouldn't be so straightforward.}) 12. g4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 b5 14. g5 b4 (14... Nh5 {offered no relief. White can finish Black off with} 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. f4 Ng3 17. h5 $1 Nxh1 18. Nd5 $1 Ng3 19. Qc3+ Re5 20. Qxg3 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 $18 {White's attack soon crashes through Black's defence.}) 15. gxf6 bxc3 16. Qxc3 (16. Qf4 $1 { keeping the queen on the kingside, was a much easier win. If Black retreats the bishop, h5 simply ends the game.}) 16... Bh8 17. h5 g5 18. Rdg1 $2 { Were it not for this move, the later brilliant continuation wouldn't have been possible. However, objectively it is a mistake.} ({I should have played} 18. Rhg1 $1 h6 19. f4 {with a completely winning position. The crucial difference with the game is that now} c5 {loses simply to} 20. Bxc5 $1) 18... h6 19. f4 { This loses the rest of White's advantage.} ({From a practical point of view, better was} 19. Qe3 Bxf6 20. f4 {In order to defend successfully, Black would have to find an unexpected resource:} Rb4 $1 21. c3 Bxd4 22. cxd4 Qa8 $1 23. Qc3 Qxe4 $1 24. Qxb4 Bf5 25. Qc3 Qb1+ 26. Kd2 Qe4 27. Re1 Qxf4+ 28. Kd1 Re3 29. Qd2 Qe4 $1 {and it might be hard to figure out for a human, but the computer points out that the game should end in a position repetition.}) 19... c5 20. fxg5 $2 ({After the correct} 20. Be3 Bxf6 21. e5 {Black has a strong rook sacrifice up his sleeve:} Rxe5 $1 22. fxe5 Bxe5 {Black has full compensation. The computer points out that the likely finish to the game is a draw, e.g.} 23. Qd3 Rxb2 24. Bf4 $1 Bd4 25. c3 Rxa2 26. cxd4 Qa5 27. Bxg5 hxg5 28. Rxg5+ Kf8 29. dxc5 Ra1+ 30. Kb2 Ra2+ 31. Kc1 Ra1+ $11) 20... cxd4 21. Qg3 Re5 $2 { This allows a spectacular finish.} ({The flaw in my conception is that Black could play} 21... hxg5 22. Qxg5+ Kh7 {It seems that White is left with nothing, but he can still put up a tough defence with a queen sacrifice analogous to the game:} 23. Qg6+ $3 ({I missed that} 23. h6 Qxf6 24. Qg7+ Bxg7 25. hxg7+ { doesn't work because of} Qh6+) 23... fxg6 24. hxg6+ Kg8 25. g7 Kf7 26. Rh6 $3 { The beautiful point.} Qxf6 (26... Re5 27. Rh7 $1 Bxg7 (27... Kxf6 28. Rh6+ Kf7 29. Rh7 {leads to a draw.}) 28. Rgxg7+ Ke6 29. Re7+ Qxe7 30. Rxe7+ Kxf6 31. Rxd7 d5 32. Rd6+ Ke7 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34. exd5 Kd6 35. Bc4 $11 {This position seems to be a fortress.}) 27. Bh5+ Ke7 28. Rxf6 Kxf6 29. Bxe8 Rxe8 30. g8=Q Rxg8 31. Rxg8 Bg7 $17 {Black has winning chances, but it seems White should hold.}) 22. gxh6+ Kh7 23. Qg6+ $3 {The most beautiful move in my carrer. The queen sacrifice for a pawn phalanx is reminiscent of the classic game McDonnell-De La Bourdonnais. The rest requires no commentary.} fxg6 24. hxg6+ Kg8 25. h7+ Kf8 26. g7+ Kf7 27. g8=Q+ Qxg8 28. hxg8=Q+ Rxg8 29. Rh7+ Kf8 30. Rxg8+ Kxg8 31. f7+ Kf8 32. Rxh8+ Kxf7 33. Bc4+ Be6 34. Bxe6+ Rxe6 35. Rh7+ Ke8 36. Rxa7 Rxe4 37. Kd2 Kd8 38. Kd3 Rh4 39. a4 Kc8 40. b4 Rg4 41. Re7 Rg2 42. a5 Rh2 43. a6 Kb8 44. b5 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Capelle la Grande 2013"] [Site "Capelle la Grande"] [Date "2013.02.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Jarmula , Lukasz"] [Black "Kovacevic , Aleksandar "] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E17"] [WhiteElo "2145"] [BlackElo "2574"] [PlyCount "55"] {This is a game from Capelle la Grande 2013 tournament. I had a fantastic performance, beating an IM and two GMs in a row. In the end, I scored my first IM norm, falling only half a point short of a GM norm.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 {A good alternative to 7.Nc3. White awaits Black's move and the rook can be useful in supporting e2-e4 later. } Na6 8. Nc3 d5 {After this move Black's bishop on b7 will be somewhat passive. } ({I expected the more natural} 8... Ne4 {after which i wanted to play} 9. Nxe4 (9. Bf4 $5 {is another possibility.}) 9... Bxe4 10. Ne5 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 { planning e2-e4.}) 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bf4 c5 11. Ne5 $5 {Objectively this is not the best move, but it sets a devious trap.} ({The best way to claim an advantage was} 11. e3 Ne4 12. h4 $14 {After preventing ...g5 White is slightly better. He has in his plans a timely dxc5, with play against the hanging pawns or an isolated pawn.}) 11... Nc7 $6 {The most natural move, which, however, falls right into White's trap.} 12. dxc5 bxc5 $6 ({In view of White's next move the lesser evil was} 12... Bxc5 13. Nd3 {with a stable edge for White thanks to the weak d5 pawn.}) 13. Nc4 $1 {Unexpectedly Black finds himself in deep trouble. My opponent sank into an half an hour thought.} Ne6 14. Be5 Ba6 15. Ne3 d4 16. Nf5 Ng4 17. Qa4 $6 {An inaccuracy.} ({The clear way to win was} 17. Nd5 $1 Nxe5 18. Ndxe7+ Kh8 19. Qa4 Qb6 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 {I was afraid of the weakening of the h1-a8 diagonal, but in fact Black has no way to use it and after} 21. f4 $1 Nc4 22. Qc6 Qxc6 23. Nxc6 g6 24. b3 $1 Na3 25. Nd6 Nc2 26. Kf2 {Black takes back the exchange, but White is winning, because his knight completely dominate the position.}) 17... Nxe5 18. Bxa8 $2 {After this mistake the position becomes equal.} ({I should have played} 18. Nd5 Bf6 19. Qxa6 { and White retains a big edge, thanks to his superb knights.}) 18... Bf6 $2 { My opponent, being in a big time trouble, returns the favor.} ({He missed} 18... dxc3 $1 19. Qxa6 cxb2 20. Rab1 Bg5 21. Be4 g6 22. Red1 Qf6 23. Nd6 Bc1 $1 {The key resource. Sooner or later White will have to return the exchange by taking on c1, leading to an equal position.}) 19. Bg2 dxc3 20. Qxa6 cxb2 21. Rab1 {White retains a big advantage. To add to his troubles, my opponent already had only around one minute on the clock!} Qb8 22. Ne3 Nc7 23. Qa4 Rd8 $2 {The decisive mistake.} 24. Red1 {The rook exchange puts an end to Black's hopes.} Rxd1+ 25. Nxd1 c4 26. Qc2 {White takes the key b2-pawn, leaving Black with no compensation for the exchange whatsoever.} h5 27. Nxb2 Ne6 28. Nxc4 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Mitropa Cup 2014"] [Site "Ruzomberok (Slovakia)"] [Date "2014.05.25"] [Round "3"] [White "Jarmula , Lukasz "] [Black "Szabo , Krisztian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E97"] [WhiteElo "2256"] [BlackElo "2543"] [PlyCount "69"] {Throughout my carrer I have always enjoyed playing against the King's Indian Defence. This is one of my finest wins in this opening.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 {The bayonet Attack, Kramnik's favourite weapon against the King's Indian Defence.} Ne8 $1 { The principled line and the one I consider the best. Black starts preparing the traditional kingside attack, not fearing White's offensive on the queenside. The other ways to play are 9....Nh5 and 9....a5, but Black's position is quite unpleasant in both lines.} 10. a4 $5 {A subvariation. White does not declare the position of the f3-knight yet, in order to be able to go to g5 after f5.} ({The main line is very dangerous for White:} 10. c5 f5 11. Nd2 Nf6 12. f3 f4 13. Nc4 g5 14. a4 Ng6 15. Ba3 Rf7 16. b5 dxc5 17. Bxc5 h5 18. a5 g4 19. b6 g3 20. Kh1 Bf8 21. d6 cxb6 22. axb6 a6 {and White's queenside attack comes to a dead end while Black can play on the kingside or focus on the d6-pawn.}) 10... f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 ({A good alternative for Black was} 11... h6 12. Ne6 Bxe6 13. dxe6 c6 {preparing ...Qc8 or ...Nc7. White will probably lose the pawn, but get plenty of compensation.}) 12. f3 h6 $2 {With the knight on f6, this doesn't work well.} ({The right continuation was} 12... Nh5 $1 { A high-level correspondence game went} 13. c5 Nf4 14. Bc4 h6 15. Ne6 Bxe6 16. dxe6 fxe4 17. fxe4 dxc5 18. bxc5 Qd4+ 19. Qxd4 exd4 20. Nd5 Nfxd5 21. exd5 d3 22. Be3 Bxa1 23. Rxa1 Rfd8 24. Bxh6 Rxd5 25. Bxd5 Nxd5 26. Ra3 Re8 27. Rxd3 c6 28. Rb3 b6 29. Be3 Nxe3 30. cxb6 axb6 31. Rxe3 Kf8 32. Rb3 b5 33. axb5 cxb5 34. Rxb5 Rxe6 35. Rb7 {1/2 (35) Muneret,M (2464)-Tyulenko,Y (2435) ICCF email 2013} ) 13. Ne6 Bxe6 14. dxe6 c6 {We can see that the knight would be much better placed on e8, defending d6 and giving an option of ...Nc7.} 15. a5 ({Another way to a serious advantage was the simple} 15. Be3 $16) 15... Qc7 ({It is hard to offer Black any good advice at this point, e.g.} 15... Ne8 16. c5 ({Another good option is} 16. Ra2 Qc8 17. c5 Qxe6 18. a6 b6 19. cxb6 axb6 20. b5 $16 { The light squares in Black's camp start crumbling and White has fantastic compensation for the pawn.}) 16... fxe4 17. cxd6 Qxd6 18. Qxd6 Nxd6 19. fxe4 Rxf1+ 20. Kxf1 $16 {White retains a hudge edge in the endgame. He can support the e6-pawn by Bd1-b3.}) 16. Qb3 Rfd8 17. Rd1 Qc8 18. c5 d5 19. exd5 Nfxd5 20. Nxd5 cxd5 21. a6 $1 {This is what I had planned playing 15.a5.} Kh7 (21... b6 22. cxb6 axb6 23. b5 $1 {The point of the whole idea. White not only supports his passed pawn, but also creates the threat of Ba3.} Qxe6 24. Ba3 Kh7 25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Rxd5 Rxd5 27. Qxd5 Rd8 28. Qb3 e4 29. Rd1 {The supported passed a6-pawn should decide the game.}) (21... bxa6 22. Rxa6 {is hopeless for Black.} ) 22. Bb5 $1 {The bishop on d7 will be a huge thorn in the middle of Black's camp.} Rb8 23. Bd7 Qc7 24. Bb2 d4 25. axb7 Rxb7 26. Qc4 {Black is completely dominated. My opponent tries a few desperate moves before resigning.} Rxd7 27. exd7 Qxd7 28. f4 exf4 29. Bxd4 Nc6 30. Bxg7 Qxg7 31. b5 Ne5 32. Qd5 Rxb5 33. Rab1 a6 34. Rxb5 axb5 35. c6 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Wch U18"] [Site "Porto Carras"] [Date "2015.10.26"] [Round "2"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Garriga Cazorla, Pere"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B94"] [WhiteElo "2321"] [BlackElo "2422"] [PlyCount "41"] {This is a win I owe entirely to Parimarjan Negi's excellent book "1.e4 vs the Sicilian I".} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 g6 8. O-O-O Bg7 9. h4 h5 10. Kb1 Qc7 11. g4 $1 hxg4 12. h5 $3 {This brilliant double pawn sacrifice is Negi's astonishing idea.} Rxh5 ({The safer continuation for Black seems to be} 12... Qa5 13. Qd2 Rxh5 14. Rxh5 gxh5 15. Nf5 Bf8 16. Bg2 Qc5 $1 {and the computer claims Black is fine, but of course White still has enormous compensation for the two pawns.}) 13. Rxh5 gxh5 14. Nf5 Bf8 15. Bg2 e6 $2 {A losing mistake.} ({The only defence is} 15... Qc5 16. f4 gxf3 17. Bxf3 e6 18. Be3 Qe5 {and although objectively Black is fine, White still has many possibilities to set Black difficult problems.}) 16. e5 $3 { A third pawn sacrifice completely breaks Black's position apart.} dxe5 17. Ng3 Be7 18. Qd2 {Everything up to this point is mentioned in the Negi's book. White is completely winning.} Nc5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nxh5 Be7 21. Ng7+ 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "EU-chT U18 16th"] [Site "Celje"] [Date "2016.07.14"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Sanal, Vahap"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2447"] [BlackElo "2478"] [PlyCount "59"] {This is another of my best efforts against the King's Indian Defence.} 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 Nd7 5. e4 e5 6. Be2 Ngf6 7. O-O O-O {This is a rather dubious variation and this game is an excellent illustration why.} 8. Be3 c6 9. d5 c5 10. Ne1 Ne8 11. g4 $1 {An excellent idea introduced by Rainer Knaak in 1978. White prepares for Black's only active plan, i.e. ...f5. He plans to take twice and take control of the white squares in the centre and on the kingside.} Kh8 {Black refrains from ...f5, but ultimately he will find nothing better than executing this break.} 12. Kh1 Ndf6 13. Rg1 Ng8 14. Qd2 { Preventing the typical ...Bh6 exchange.} f5 {This in fact only worsens Black's position, but otherwise he would be reduced to total passivity.} 15. gxf5 gxf5 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Bd3 $6 {It is logical to exchange the light-squared bishops but White had a more energetic continuation at his disposal.} ({Much better was } 17. Nf3 $1 {planning Ng5 and only then Bd3, with an overwhelming advantage.}) 17... Qh4 ({Black could have stayed in the game with} 17... Qd7 {, although he is still much worse after} 18. Bxf5 Qxf5 19. Rg5 $16) 18. Bxf5 {Suboptimal, but not spoiling anything.} ({Again it was better to immediately send the knight to g5:} 18. Nf3 Qh5 19. Ng5 $18 {Black is in dire straits.}) 18... Rxf5 19. Qd3 Ne7 20. Ne4 {White is in total control. His next moves flow naturally and it is hard to offer any improvement for Black.} Bh6 21. Rg3 Bxe3 22. Ng2 $1 {A small tactical finesse, increasing White's advantage.} Qh6 23. Nxe3 Rh5 24. Ng4 $1 {Black is a completely busted now.} Qf8 25. Rf3 Qg7 26. Rg1 Ng6 27. Qe3 Qe7 28. Nh6 Qg7 29. Nf7+ Kg8 30. Nfxd6 {With the d6 pawn, the whole Black's position falls apart, so Black understandably resigned.} 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "EU-ch U18 26th"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2016.08.26"] [Round "8"] [White "Kelires, Andreas"] [Black "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D03"] [WhiteElo "2483"] [BlackElo "2452"] [PlyCount "60"] {This is my most valuable victory from the European Youth U18 Chess Championship 2016, in which I shared the 2nd-5th place, finishing 4th.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 {This was a surprise for me, and I was pretty much on my own from this moment.} Bg7 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. c3 d5 {I went for a central startegy. } (5... d6 {is another fully viable option.}) 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 Re8 8. O-O e5 9. h3 $5 {An interesting idea, intending to play Nh2 after the eventual ...e4.} c6 10. Bh4 Qb6 11. Qc2 e4 12. Nh2 c5 13. Rac1 h5 {Starting play on the kingside.} ({The computer suggests} 13... Qc6 {though, with a plan of playing on the queenside by ...b5, ...c4 etc.}) 14. Rfd1 Bh6 15. Bg3 g5 16. h4 ({ Another option was} 16. Nhf1 h4 17. Bh2 cxd4 18. cxd4 Qe6 {with a double-edged game.}) 16... cxd4 17. cxd4 Nf8 18. hxg5 Bxg5 19. Be5 $6 {White goes for the pawn, which is a very risky idea, since Black will get a dangerous attack on the kingside.} ({It was a wiser idea to try to exchange queens:} 19. Qc7 { Now Black has a choice. He can play simply} Ng6 ({or try his luck in the complications after} 19... Qxb2 $5 {e.g.} 20. Bf4 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 Qb6 22. Qg5+ Ng6 23. Bxh5 Nxh5 24. Qxh5 Qd8 25. Ng4 Kg7 26. Qh6+ Kg8 27. f3 $1 exf3 28. Rxc8 $1 f2+ $1 29. Kxf2 Rxc8 30. Nf3 Rc2+ 31. Kg1 Re4 $1 32. Ng5 Rxg2+ 33. Kh1 Qxg5 34. Qxg5 Rexg4 35. Qd8+ Nf8 36. Qxd5 R2g3 37. Rd2 Rg5 38. Qxb7 Rg1+ 39. Kh2 R1g4 40. Kh1 Rg1+ $11 {and this long forcing line ends in a draw.}) 20. Qxb6 axb6 {with an equal position.}) 19... Ng6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Bxh5 Kg7 { Intending the obious ...Rh8. It is clear that Black has great attacking prospects for the pawn.} 22. Qc7 $6 {After this move White immediately runs into grave problems.} ({White should have played} 22. Ndf1 Rh8 23. Bxg6 Qxg6 24. Qc7 Be6 25. Qe5+ Bf6 26. Qg3 Rac8 27. Qxg6+ fxg6 $11 {Black's bishop pair offers full compensation for the pawn, but no more.}) 22... Bh4 $1 {This surprising move turns out to be very strong, because every defence of the f2-pawn has serious drawbacks.} 23. f4 (23. Rf1 {is wrong because it covers the f1-square needed for the d2-knight.} {After the simple} Be6 {White is helpless against the coming attack on the h-file.}) (23. g3 {seriously weakens the kingside.} Qg5 $1 {Black has a huge attack after both} 24. Bxg6 ({and} 24. Be2 Bh3) 24... Qxg6) 23... Rh8 $1 {Sacrificing another pawn for the attack.} 24. Bxg6 Qxg6 25. Qe5+ Bf6 26. Qxd5 Rh5 $2 ({Unfortunately I missed a possibility to crown the attack with a real jewel:} 26... Rxh2 $3 27. Kxh2 Be6 28. Qxe4 Qh5+ 29. Kg1 Bd5 30. Qc2 Rh8 31. Ne4 Qh1+ 32. Kf2 Bh4+ 33. Kf3 Qh2 34. Rg1 Re8 35. g3 Qxc2 36. gxh4+ Kh6 37. Rxc2 Bxe4+ 38. Kf2 Bxc2 $19 {Although White has three pawns for the piece, they are blocked by the black bishop, making this an easy win for Black.}) 27. Qxe4 Bf5 28. Qf3 Rh3 29. Qxb7 $2 { Finally my opponent cracks under pressure.} ({It was obligatory to defend with } 29. Qe2 {Now the best move is} Rg8 $1 {giving rise to hair-raising complications:} 30. Ndf1 {This seems to be the best of White's possibilities.} (30. Rc5 Rxe3 $3 31. Qxe3 Kf8 32. g4 Bxg4 33. Rf1 Bh3+ 34. Kf2 Qg2+ 35. Ke1 Qxh2 36. Rh5 Rg3 37. Qe4 Qg2 38. Qxg2 Bxg2 39. Kf2 Rg4 40. Rc1 Bxd4+ 41. Ke2 Rxf4 42. b3 $14 {With an exchange for the pawn, White has some winning chances, although Black should defend.}) (30. Ndf3 Be4 31. Rc5 Rgh8 $13 {The computer claims equality and offers various repetitions, but of course for the human player the position remains higly unclear.}) 30... Kh7 31. Rd2 Be4 32. Rc7 $14 {White is for choice, but the position remains wild.}) 29... Rah8 30. Nhf3 ({ After} 30. Ndf1 {Black wins by} Rxh2 31. Nxh2 Be4) 30... Qg3 {White has no way to avoid mate, so he resigned.} 0-1 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Warsaw Najdorf Memorial op-A 15th"] [Site "Warsaw"] [Date "2017.07.15"] [Round "7"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Stefanova, Antoaneta"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "2444"] [BlackElo "2512"] [PlyCount "55"] {This is my victory against the former Women World Champion. She played a dubious line and didn't survive the opening.} 1. d4 g6 {This was presumably intended as a surprise, but I had happened to check the Modern Defence few rounds earlier at the same tournament and I pretty much remembered everything.} 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 a6 4. f4 b5 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. e5 c5 8. Be4 Rb8 9. O-O Nh6 10. exd6 exd6 11. f5 $1 cxd4 $2 {Already a losing mistake.} ({It was obligatory to finish the development with} 11... O-O {, although White is for choice.}) 12. Nxd4 ({Another winning continuation was} 12. Nd5 O-O 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bxh6 Bxh6 15. Nxd4 $18 {and Black is completely busted}) 12... Qb6 13. Be3 {The simplest continuation.} ({I could also win by} 13. f6 $5 Nxf6 14. Bc6+ Nd7 15. Qe1+ Be5 16. Bxh6 Qxd4+ 17. Kh1 $18 {And Black's lack of development and king in the centre are his demise.}) 13... Ng4 14. Qxg4 Bxd4 15. Bxd4 Qxd4+ 16. Kh1 O-O 17. fxg6 hxg6 18. Rad1 Qe5 19. Bd5 $1 {A winning piece regroupment.} Qg7 20. Ne4 Qh6 ({After} 20... Nc5 {White has} 21. Nf6+ Qxf6 22. Rxf6 Bxg4 23. Rxg6+ Kh7 24. Rxg4 $18 {, winning.}) 21. Qg3 Bb7 22. Bxb7 Rxb7 23. Nxd6 Ra7 24. Nxf7 $1 {Black's position falls apart like a house of cards.} Qg7 25. Ng5 Qxb2 26. Qe3 Rc7 27. Qe6+ Kh8 28. Qh3+ 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Warsaw Najdorf Memorial op-A 15th"] [Site "Warsaw"] [Date "2017.07.17"] [Round "9"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Markowski, Tomasz"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B41"] [WhiteElo "2444"] [BlackElo "2557"] [PlyCount "61"] {This my win against the former 5-time Polish Champion. Thanks to good preparation I got a big advantage out of the opening and never let it slip.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Be2 Bb4 8. Qd3 O-O 9. Nc2 Bd6 $6 {A dubious choice. Black will run into a passive position.} ( {The critical continuation was} 9... Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qe5 {after which I had prepared an interesting pawn sacrifice:} 11. Ba3 Re8 12. Bd6 Qxe4 13. O-O $44 { For the pawn White has a big lead in development.}) 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Rd1 Be5 12. Bc5 Re8 13. Bd6 Bxd6 14. Qxd6 Qxd6 15. Rxd6 Rd8 16. f4 {Ambitious, but the best way to play was simply to castle.} Rb8 17. e5 {Again it was better to castle.} Ne8 18. Rd3 b6 $2 {Far too passive.} ({It was time to break free with the active} 18... b5) ({or} 18... d6 {In both cases White has only a small advantage.}) 19. Kf2 Kf8 20. Rhd1 Ke7 21. Bf3 Bb7 22. Na4 Na5 23. b3 Bxf3 ({ This was Black's last chance to try and liberate his pieces with} 23... d6) 24. Kxf3 Nc6 25. c5 $1 b5 ({Black could have put better defence with} 25... bxc5 26. Nxc5 Rdc8 {, although after} 27. Nxa6 Rb7 28. b4 $16 {White is a clear pawn up to the good.}) 26. Nb6 Rb7 27. Nd4 Nb4 28. R3d2 Nc7 29. a3 Nbd5 30. Nxd7 $1 {A nice finishing touch.} Ke8 31. c6 {White will soon break through with f5, so Black resigned.} 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Bundesliga"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.12.16"] [Round "?"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Pavlidis, Antonios"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2481"] [BlackElo "2537"] [PlyCount "67"] {This is another one of my wins against the King's Indian Defence, this time against a strong Greek GM. I almost feel that I can repeat after Petrosian that I make a living out of beating this opening!} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 Na6 7. O-O e5 8. Be3 Qe7 {This is a very dubious line, which, however, was employed frequently by my opponent, so I was well prepared against it.} 9. d5 Ng4 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bh4 c5 {After this move Black runs into a very passive position.} ({I think Black should go} 11... g5 12. Bg3 f5 13. exf5 Bxf5 {However, after the simple} 14. h3 Nh6 15. Re1 { Intending to take control over the centre, White is for choice.}) 12. h3 Nh6 13. Nd2 Bd7 14. a3 Nf7 {This allows White a startegically desirable exchange. But Black had no other way to untangle his pieces.} 15. Bg4 $1 {By exchanging the light-squared bishops, White kills Black attacking chances on the kingside. } h5 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Rb1 Nh6 18. Bg3 Qe7 19. Kh1 f5 $6 {Black had no other active plan. However, under the current circumstances this advance only plays into White's hands.} 20. exf5 Nxf5 21. Bh2 Bh6 22. Nde4 {White completely dominates the position with his powerful grip over the centre and prospects of active play on both wings.} Bf4 $2 {This move only aggravates Black's problems. } 23. g3 Bh6 24. g4 $1 {White breaks through on the kingside.} hxg4 25. Qxg4 Kh7 26. Rg1 Rg8 27. Rbe1 Raf8 28. f4 $1 {After this braek Black's position finally falls apart.} exf4 29. Bxf4 Qh4 30. Bg5 Qxg4 31. hxg4 Nd4 32. Nf6+ Kh8 33. Re7 Bg7 34. Kg2 $1 {A nice move to finish the game with. Black has no defence against Rh1 and mate.} 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Bundesliga"] [Site "?"] [Date "2019.03.23"] [Round "?"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Muzychuk, Mariya"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C81"] [WhiteElo "2477"] [BlackElo "2560"] [PlyCount "121"] {This is my victory against a former Women World Champion, Mariya Muzychuk.} 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. Qe2 Nc5 10. Rd1 Nxb3 11. cxb3 $5 {An interesting sideline, tried by Caruana against Giri in 2016} Be7 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Bf4 Qd7 14. Rd2 Rad8 15. Rad1 Qc8 {My opponent was extremly well prepared and up to this point she blitzed everything out.} 16. Qe3 ({After} 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Rxd5 Rxd5 18. Rxd5 Nb4 19. Rd1 Nxa2 20. Qe4 Nb4 {the position is equal.}) 16... Qb7 {In her first non-prepared move, my opponent immediately commits a mistake.} $2 ({Black had a strong pawn sacrifice up her sleeve:} 16... d4 $1 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Rxd4 Rxd4 19. Qxd4 Rd8 20. Qe4 b4 ({or} 20... Rxd1+ 21. Nxd1 Qd8 22. Ne3 g5 23. Bg3 h5 {with compensation}) 21. Nd5 Bf8 {and Black has a bishop pair, plus White's extra pawn is doubled, so Black has full compensation.}) 17. Nxd5 {Now I can safely take the pawn, since the e6 square is not covered by the queen.} Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Qc8 {A sad admission to the mistake.} 19. Bg5 Rxd5 20. Rxd5 Nb4 21. Rd1 Bxg5 22. Qxg5 Nxa2 {Black reatsores the material equality, but her knight is too far away from the action and White wins with a powerful breakthrough on the kingside.} 23. Qe7 c5 24. Ng5 $1 h6 25. e6 $1 hxg5 26. Rd7 g6 (26... c4 {does not save Black either:} 27. g3 cxb3 28. exf7+ Kh7 29. Rc7 Qd8 30. Qe4+ Kh8 (30... g6 31. Rc6 Qd1+ 32. Kg2 Qh5 33. Qe7 $18) 31. Qf5 Qf6 32. Qh3+ Qh6 33. Qd7 $18) 27. Qd6 Kg7 28. h4 gxh4 29. e7 ({I could have won much more easily with} 29. Qe5+ Kg8 30. Qf6 Qe8 31. exf7+ Rxf7 32. Qxg6+ Kf8 33. Qh6+ Kg8 34. Qg5+ Kh7 35. Qxh4+ Kg7 36. Qg5+ Kh7 37. Rd6 Rg7 38. Rh6+ Kg8 39. Qd5+ Qf7 40. Qd8+ Qf8 41. Rh8+ $18) 29... Re8 30. Rd8 Qe6 31. Qxe6 fxe6 32. Rxe8 Kf7 33. Ra8 Kxe7 {Black has some small drawing chances, but I played accurately until the end and won preety smoothly.} 34. Ra7+ Kf6 35. Rxa6 Nc1 36. Ra5 Ne2+ 37. Kh2 Nd4 38. Kh3 Kg5 39. b4 cxb4 40. Ra8 b3 41. Rd8 e5 42. Rc8 Ne6 43. Rc3 Nd4 44. Rc5 Kf4 45. Kxh4 Ke4 46. Rc3 b4 47. Re3+ Kf4 48. g3+ Kf5 49. f3 Kf6 50. Kg4 g5 51. Rd3 Kg6 52. Re3 Kf6 53. Re4 Nc2 54. Re2 Ke6 55. Kxg5 Nd4 56. Re3 Nf5 57. Rxb3 Nxg3 58. Rxb4 Kd5 59. Rb8 e4 60. Kg4 Nf1 61. Rd8+ 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Czech Open 2020"] [Site "?"] [Date "2020.09.26"] [Round "?"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Stocek, Jiri"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2444"] [BlackElo "2595"] [PlyCount "79"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 {The Classical Variation, perhaps the most principled reply to the Nimzowitsch Defence.} O-O 5. e4 $5 {An interesting subsytem. The main move is 5.a3 attempting to get the bishop pair advanatage. The text move is a try at taking control over the centre and demands very concrete play form Black.} d6 $6 {In my opinion this move is too passive and allows White to take the opening advantage.} ({Black should try to fight for the centre with} 5... d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 c5 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nd7 10. Bf4 {etc. with complicated play. I had a few ideas to pose Black problems in the resulting variations.}) 6. e5 $1 {According to my analysis this daring move brings White some edge.} Nfd7 ({Another option is} 6... dxe5 7. dxe5 Ng4 { , but after the simple} 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Bf4 {White can enjoy a big space advantage, which means Black is far from solving his opening problems.}) 7. Nf3 c5 {A logical attempt at breaking the centre. This way of playing was used by Caruana against Mamedyarov and this may have induced my opponent to go down this path. However, this was only a rapid game and this is why I wouldn't take this opening choice of the world's number 2 too seriously.} 8. exd6 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nc6 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Be3 Bxd6 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. g3 $1 {Still my preparation. White threatens to put the bishop on the excellent g2-square, hence Black's natural reply.} Ne5 ({Another try was} 13... f5 14. Bg2 f4 15. gxf4 Bxf4 16. Bxf4 Rxf4 17. O-O $14 {White retains a clear edge thanks to the better development and structure.}) 14. Be2 {The bishop must occupy this square to defend c4 and f3 simultaneously. But the black knight is not ideally placed either.} f5 {This constitutes a weakening, but Black has to fight for space.} 15. O-O ({The computer suggests the aggressive space grab} 15. c5 $1 Be7 16. f4 $16 {Black has great problems after every knight retreat.}) 15... Nf7 16. f4 Rb8 17. b3 $6 {Too safe.} ({By analogy to the 15th move White should play} 17. c5 $1 Be7 18. Bc4 $16 {with a close to winning advantage.}) 17... Re8 18. Bf3 $6 {The same situation again.} (18. c5 $1 {was similar to the same option in 15th and 17th move.}) 18... e5 19. Bg2 $6 {I didn't play this phase of the game optimally.} ({White should play} 19. Na4 {and after} e4 {put the bishop at the more active position:} 20. Be2 $1 $16) 19... exf4 $2 { Black misses a golden opportunity.} (19... e4 $1 {equalized the position. Black is quite passive, but the protected passed pawn is a big long-term asset. }) 20. Bxf4 Bxf4 21. gxf4 $1 {This move is very important positionally.} ({ After} 21. Rxf4 $6 {White would retain a slight advantaeg, but the Black knight would have access to the central e5-square, from where the irritating jumps to g4 would be possible.}) 21... Be6 22. Qf2 $1 {The queen comes to the ideal c5-square.} Rbd8 23. Qc5 Rxd1 24. Nxd1 ({Obviously} 24. Rxd1 $2 Qxf4 { would give Black unnecessary counterplay.}) 24... Nd8 ({Another defensive try was} 24... Bd7 25. Nc3 Qb8 {, but after} 26. b4 $1 $16 {White continues the expansion.}) 25. Nb2 $1 {The knight comes to the ideal e5-square.} Re7 26. Nd3 Rd7 27. Qe3 {This move doesn't spoil anything, but White shouldn't have worryied about the rook coming to d2.} ({After} 27. Ne5 Rd2 28. b4 $1 $18 { Black's queenside and the whole position collapses.}) 27... Qd6 28. Ne5 Rc7 ({ Black' last chance was provisional activity with} 28... Qd2 29. Re1 Qxe3+ 30. Rxe3 Rd2 {, but after} 31. a4 $18 {White not only takes the pawn, but also dominates positionally, so he should win the game.}) 29. c5 Qe7 30. Rd1 { White has achieved total domination and the time for decisive material gains comes. The rest doesn't require commentary.} a5 31. Rd6 Bf7 32. Qd2 Rc8 33. Bxc6 Nxc6 34. Nxc6 Qf8 35. Rd8 Rxd8 36. Qxd8 Be8 37. Nd4 Kf7 38. Qd5+ Kg6 39. c6 Qf6 40. c7 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Reykjavik Kvika op"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Date "2022.04.07"] [Round "3"] [White "Gupta, Abhijeet"] [Black "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2616"] [BlackElo "2434"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2022.04.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. a3 { A modest approach to the opening. White allows the ...b5 expansion and vacates the a2-square for the bishop in anticipation of it.} (8. a4 {is the more popular and principled option.}) 8... b5 9. Ba2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Qc7 {I went for the simple development.} (10... cxd4 {initaties a very concrete sequence} 11. Rd1 $1 {The point of 10.Qe2. Black needs to be accurate in his response:} b4 $1 12. exd4 $5 {This temporary piece sacrifice is the principled way forward.} ( 12. axb4 Nxb4 13. Rxd4 Qb6 $11 {guarantees equality.}) 12... bxc3 13. d5 Nxd5 14. Rxd5 (14. Bxd5 Nd4 $5 15. Rxd4 Bxd5 16. bxc3 Bc5 17. Rg4 Qf6 18. Ne5 Bd6 19. Nc4 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 O-O $11 {Extremely accurate play by both sides resulted in total equality, in Gelfand-Leko, Olympiad 2018. Clearly an excellent piece of preparation by both players.}) 14... Qc7 15. bxc3 {This is the most interesting continuation, played with the intention of keeping the rook on the 5th rank.} (15. Rd3 {is another option. Accepting the pawn sacrifice by taking on b2 is clearly very risky, but Black has a simple option of finishing his development instead:} Be7 16. Rxc3 O-O $11) 15... Be7 16. Rh5 $1 $11 {The rook seeks activity on the kingside. We can probably end the coverage of this line here. The position is objectively equal, but with plenty of imbalance to create an interesting, double-edged game. Black did well in practice, with two draws and one win.}) 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Bd6 13. Bb2 Rd8 (13... O-O {was just as good, but the game would become much more dry. As we will see, in the game I didn't need to castle at all!}) 14. Rac1 Qb8 15. Bb1 Ne5 ({The text doesn't land Black in problems if followed correctly, but the engine points out a more accurate move:} 15... Ne7 $1 {This would stop the idea of Ne4 while not allowing White to trade the f3-knight and push the f-pawn forward. Black can continue with ...Qa8, ...0-0 and ...Ng6.}) 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 $1 {Such advances can be weakening, but here my opponent made the correct judgment. It allows White to develop some intitative.} Bc7 $2 {A careless retreat. Immediately after playing this move, I noticed that 18.a4 leads into problems.} (17... Bd6 $1 {This is the correct retreat. The difference is that the b4-pawn is now eyed by the bishop, greatly reducing the effectivness of a3-a4.} { The strongest continuation for White is} 18. Nd1 $1 {Black should be fine after 18...Bc7 with the idea of ...Bb6 or 18...Qa8. But the natural 18...0-0?! 19.Nf2! can lead into problems with g2-g4! and a kingside attack coming.}) 18. Kh1 $2 {White misses his chance for a big edge.} (18. a4 $1 {was extremely effective and would force me to sacrifice a pawn for insufficient compensation. } O-O (18... bxa4 $2 19. Nxa4 $18 {is in fact lost for Black, as Nc5 comes as a big blow that is impossible to be prevented.}) 19. axb5 axb5 20. Nxb5 Bb6 $16 {The game is not decided, but White definitely has the upper hand thanks to his material advantage.}) 18... h5 $1 {I'm proud of this moment. Instead of going for the equal-looking 18...0-0, I decided on a much more double-edged path, correctly assesing that the game can easily turn uncomfortable for White. This decision brought fruits in a matter of just a few moves.} 19. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 20. Nxd1 h4 21. Bxf6 $4 {I was happy to see this move on the board, but I didn't realize the full extent of this mistake. White gives up the bishop pair, and opens the g-fle for Black's rook, enabling Black to create an untamable attack.} (21. h3 {was the "necessary evil". It stops the h-pawn but gives up the g3-square to be occupied by Black's knight. It is often psychologically difficult to allow the opponent's piece to an outpost so close to one's king. Neverthless, after} Nh5 22. Qg4 {White holds his own. The game can end in an amusing tactical draw:} Bb6 23. Bg6 $5 Qxf4 $1 24. exf4 Ng3+ 25. Kh2 Nf1+ 26. Kh1 Ng3+ $11) 21... gxf6 22. Nf2 h3 $2 {The fact that this move also gives a promising position blinded me to a much, much stronger possibility.} (22... f5 $1 {stops the appearance of any piece on e4. I saw the line} 23. Nh3 Rg8 24. Rg1 {and missed the follow-up:} Bb6 $1 $19 {It turns out White is completely helpless against the ...Qc7-c3 idea, when too many weaknesses in White's camp are simultanously under attack to be able to defend.}) 23. Be4 {Now Black is not even close to the domination that could be achieved with 22...f5. But he keeps the better chances.} hxg2+ 24. Kxg2 f5 25. Qc2 $2 {White tries to solve his issues tactically, but it turns out to be another losing mistake.} ({ White should have gone for the passive but resilient} 25. Bf3 $15 {, when Black is visibly better with the bishop pair and the safer king, but has no easy way to make progress.}) 25... Bxe4+ 26. Nxe4 Qa8 $1 {Perhaps my opponent missed that I can play this move instead of 26...Qb7} ({After} 26... Qb7 $2 { White holds with} 27. Kg3 $1 $11) 27. Kg1 {A sad necessity, as 27.Kg3 now loses to 27...Bd8! and compared to 26...Qb7, there is no 27.Nd6+ fork.} Qxe4 28. Qxe4 fxe4 29. Rxc7 Rh3 $1 {This resource makes the rook endgame lost for White. The rok is in time to attack e3 and entrench itself on f3, paralysing White's pieces. Then Black's king can join the game. But it's still not completely over, and in fact I conducted the last stage far from accurately.} 30. Rc3 Kf8 $2 {This is effectively a loss of the critical tempo.} (30... Ke7 $1 {wins:} 31. Kg2 Rf3 32. Rc6 Kf6 $1 {We see the difference. The king reaches f6 in two, instead of three moves.} 33. Rxa6 Kf5 $19 {White is completely lost, as e3 gets taken by the rook and f4 by the king, leaveing Black with three passed pawns, one doubled, two connected. White's own passed pawns will not be supported by the king and not nearly as fast.}) 31. Kg2 Rf3 32. Kg1 $2 { White sits and waits, but he cannot save the game in this way.} ({It was time to go for active counterplay:} 32. Rc6 $1 {The problem for Black is that his king is farther away from f5 than it would be in the case of 30...Ke7} Rxe3 33. Rxa6 Rf3 34. Ra5 Rxf4 35. Rxb5 f5 {This still requires accuracy, but White should hold with} 36. Rc5 $1 Rf3 37. a4 Ra3 38. a5 Ra2+ 39. Kf1 Ke7 40. Rc3 $1 $11) 32... Kg7 33. Kg2 Kg6 34. Kg1 Kf5 35. Kg2 e5 $2 {This is a wrong idea. Instead of trading pawns, Black should strive to further paralyse White and maneuvre his rook at the right moment.} ({After} 35... Kg4 36. Kg1 Rh3 37. Kg2 f6 $1 {we reach a zugzwang. White either allows the king to f3 or places his rook passively.} 38. Rb3 (38. Kg1 Kf3 $19 {loses on the spot.}) 38... Rh5 $1 $19 {...Rd5-d2(d3) is decisive.}) 36. fxe5 Kxe5 37. Rc5+ Kf6 38. Rc6+ $2 { White misses a chance to hold the game once again, and this time won't be offered another opportunity to draw.} (38. h4 $1 {was crucial, making the passed h-pawn an asset!} Rxe3 39. Rc6+ Ke5 40. h5 $1 $11 {gives White enough counterplay.}) 38... Kg5 39. Rxa6 f5 {Now White can't make use of the h-pawn and Black's pawns, supported by the king and the rook, will march to promotion unopposed.} 40. Rb6 Rxe3 41. Rxb5 Rxa3 42. Rb8 Ra2+ 43. Kh3 Kf4 44. b5 Kf3 45. b6 Rb2 46. Kh4 f4 0-1 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Reykjavik Kvika op"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Date "2022.04.08"] [Round "4"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C83"] [WhiteElo "2434"] [BlackElo "2637"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2022.04.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {In late 2022, cheating accusastion against Hans Niemann erupted, led by the world champion Magnus Carlsen himself. At the time of playing this game I had no idea of any suspicions being in circulation. Up until the time of writing this commentary, early 2023, no proof has been shown of the alleged cheating by Niemann in over the board chess. I am against throwing accusations at somebody and slander of their name with no evidence.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 {The Open Spanish was a surprise for me in this game, which is way I soon chose a non-critical line.} 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 d3 13. Nxc5 (13. Bb1 { is the main move and widely regarded the main try for an advantage or at least a complex game. Unfortunately, I barely remebered any lines here, while my opponent was clearly prepared. I decided on a practical, if not minimalistic, approach and went for the quiet line instead. Perhaps unexpectedly, this approach brought me a full point.}) 13... dxc2 14. Qxd8+ Rxd8 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be3 Rd5 17. Rfc1 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Rxc2 Kf7 20. c4 Bd6 $6 {It turns out my opponent is not accurately prepared for this quiet sideline. Perhaps he regarded it as completely drawish and felt no need to study it. I think that this game proves the importance of doing your homework even in the lines regarded as leading to simple draws, as in practical chess, inaccuraccy and uncertainty are always factors and can lead to the "simple draws" turning to loses surprisingly easily.} ({The accurate continuation has been well-known:} 20... b4 $1 21. Rd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Kf1 Bg5 24. Ba7 $11 {White tries to preserve the bishops and count on the cosmetically better structure, but Black has a couple of moves that hold equality. White managed to squeeze water out of the stone in just a few games.}) 21. g3 ({The computer points out the immediate} 21. b3 $14 {as bit more accurate.}) 21... Rb8 22. b3 a5 $6 {A step in the wrong direction. The a5-square should be occupied by the rook, not the pawn.} ({Black should hold quite easily with} 22... bxc4 23. Rxc4 Ra5 $1 { with just a tiny edge for White, which I was aware of during the game.}) 23. Rd1 bxc4 24. bxc4 $1 {Perhaps this recapture was underestimated by my opponent. It turns out that the threat of c5 poses Black concrete and difficult problems. } Rd8 $6 {Another inaccuracy, but the computer defence was far from obvious.} ( 24... Re4 $1 {with the idea of meeting c5 with Be5 looks shaky, but is the best option. After} 25. Kg2 Rb4 26. c5 Be5 27. Rd8 $14 {White keeps an edge, but the game is still within the drawing margin.}) 25. c5 $6 ({The engine, with its razor-sharp precision, suggests starting with} 25. Kg2 $1 $16 { , as Black seems to have no useful move.}) 25... Be7 26. Rb1 $1 {The point. The rook swings to the b-file and the Black rook, despite controlling an open central file, has no targets.} Ra8 $6 {Again, not the most accurate defence.} ( {Going into the rook endgame with} 26... Bg5 $1 {was the way to limit the damage:} 27. Bxg5 Rxg5 28. Rb7 Rc8 29. Ra7 Rd5 30. Rxa5 Ke7 $14 {White has won a pawn in this line, but is unlikely to win the game as the c-pawn requires constant protection and the passed a-pawn is far from becoming threatening.}) 27. Rb7 Bd8 28. c6 $6 ({The engine favors the quiet} 28. Kg2 $1 {again. The point is that Bf4 becomes a threat.} Rd5 29. a4 $1 $16 {cements another pawn as a potential weakness. White has a big advantage.}) 28... Ra6 $2 {The well-known maxim "It is easier to attack then defend" applies not only to middlegame attacks, but to technical endgames like this as well. Black seeks active play, but misses tactical details that render the position unholdable after his move.} (28... Rd5 {led to a still unpleasant, but holdable position. Bb6 can be met with ...Rc8 and the barricades should hold.}) 29. Ba7 $1 { It turns out that the rook was needed on the 8th rank to defend the c7-pawn. Now there is absolutely nothing Black can do to defend from the imminent Bb8.} Re1+ 30. Kg2 Ke7 31. Rd2 Rxc6 32. Rb8 {And now Black suffers decisive material loss. Still, my conversion was careless and provided Black with an opportunity to save the game!} Rd6 33. Bc5 Rc1 34. Bxd6+ ({The computer points out} 34. Ba3 $1 $18 {as a super-precise killer move.}) 34... cxd6 35. Rdb2 Kd7 36. R2b7+ Bc7 37. Rg8 Kc6 38. Rb2 d5 39. Re2 e5 40. Rxg7 d4 {I had already managed to complicate the matters for myself unnecessarily, but now comes a big oversight. } 41. Kf3 $4 (41. Rd2 $1 {, stopping the d-pawn was still completely winning. White is in time to take the h7-pawn and start marching his pawns to promotion before Black creates adequate counterplay.}) 41... Kd5 $1 42. Rb2 ({I missed the obvious fact that} 42. Rd7+ {is met by} Bd6 {This makes the whole 41.Kf3 idea counterproductive, as Black gets an ...e4+ tempo. I was lucky to still win the game despite this horrible oversight.}) 42... e4+ 43. Ke2 Bd6 44. Rg5+ Kc4 $2 {Played too quickly by my opponent. It is a natural, but wrong move due to the line demonstrated in the game.} ({The restrained} 44... Kc6 $1 {would allow Black to hold:} 45. Rxa5 Bc5 $1 46. f3 Rh1 $1 47. Ra6+ Kc7 48. Rh6 Rg1 $1 49. Rxh7+ Kc6 {This position is an excellent example of "mind over matter". Black's coordination allows him to hold despite a tremendous material disadvantage, e.g.} 50. Rb8 d3+ 51. Kd2 Rg2+ 52. Kc3 d2 53. Rb1 e3 54. Kd3 e2 55. Kxd2 e1=Q+ 56. Kxe1 Rg1+ 57. Ke2 Rxb1 $11 {and Black still has to hold the resulting endgame, but the worst is over.}) 45. Kd2 $1 {This intitates a winning sequence that my opponent missed.} Rf1 46. Rc2+ Kb4 47. Rd5 Rxf2+ 48. Kc1 $1 {The point. Black is not in time to prevent the rook trade and defend the d4-pawn. His position collapses like a house of cards.} Rf1+ 49. Kb2 d3 { As I calculated in advance, this doesn't work.} 50. Rd4+ Kb5 51. a4+ Kb6 52. Rxd6+ {White ends a whole rook up. Black still played a few unnecessary moves before resigning.} Kb7 53. Rg2 Kc7 54. Re6 Re1 55. Rd2 Kd7 56. Re5 Kd6 57. Rxa5 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

[Event "Reykjavik Kvika op"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Date "2022.04.11"] [Round "8"] [White "Jarmula, Lukasz"] [Black "Sadhwani, Raunak"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2434"] [BlackElo "2628"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2022.04.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. c4 Ngf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. Bxd7 Bxd7 10. Qd3 {In choosing this line, I was influenced by the game Grischuk-Shankland 2022. The character of the line appealed to me: Objectively Black can equalize fully, but he needs to come up with an accurate and far from obvious sequence. Otherwise White can get a very pleasant bind, which happened in my game.} Rc8 ({In the abovementioned game, Shankland showed the precise equalizing line, and I can't help by think he was in his preparation:} 10... a6 11. a4 Ng4 $1 12. Nf3 {White stops the knight from appearing on e5. But now comes an impressive energetic sequence:} b5 $1 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. cxb5 Bxc3 $1 {This counterintuitive trade is the point. It makes the whole variation hard to find over the board.} 16. bxc3 Qa4 $11 {Black regained the pawn with full equality.}) 11. h3 {A natural move with the idea of stopping potential ...Ng4 sorties.} ({The strength of the ...Ng4 idea is well-illustrated by the line} 11. b3 Ng4 $1 12. Rb1 f5 $5 13. exf5 gxf5 $11 {with a highly double-edged, objectively balanced game.}) 11... a6 12. a4 Qa5 $6 {This move doesn't help Black to break up the Maroczy bind and Black starts suffering from lack of space.} (12... e6 $1 {with the idea of conducting the ...d5 break, was the equalizing move, e.g.} 13. Be3 Qc7 14. b3 d5 $1 15. exd5 exd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Qd6 $11 {and Black has managed to completely free up himself.}) 13. Be3 Bc6 $6 {According to the computer, Black should rather try the setup with ...e6, ...Rfd8 and ...Be8. Neverthless, his position is cramped and hard to play.} (13... Qb4 {can be parried by} 14. b3 { when} e5 $2 {intending to grab the b3-pawn, fails to} 15. Nf3 $1 {and Black is just lost strategically, because he cannot, after all, take the pawn:} Qxb3 $4 16. Nd2 Qb4 17. Rfb1 Qa5 18. Bb6 $18 {catching the queen.}) 14. Rab1 Nd7 15. b3 {Fortifying the typical Maroczy bind structure. White already enjoys a big advantage.} Qh5 16. f4 $6 ({The engine suggests to be more restrained with} 16. f3 $1 {and I can't argue. The main goal for White should be total restriction of Black's possibilities.}) 16... Nc5 17. Qc2 Ne6 {We reach a crossroads. I stood before an important decision. Should I take on c6, allow a trade on d4, or retreat the knight and avoid trades altogether?} 18. Qd2 $6 {I went for simplicity and it proved to be enough to win the game. Still, objectively it doesn't pose Black the most problems.} (18. Nde2 {allows Black to create counterplay with} f5 $1 {with a very complex game, in which White's advantage seems to be destined to fade away, e.g.} 19. b4 fxe4 20. Qa2 $5 Kh8 21. Nd5 Rf7 22. b5 Bxd5 23. cxd5 Nc5 24. Qc4 $11 {with full compensation for the pawn for White, but no more.}) ({The best choice was} 18. Nxc6 $1 bxc6 19. b4 $1 { White is positioned offensively on both flanks. Black should try to access the c5-square at the cost of giving White a protected passed pawn:} a5 $1 20. b5 Bd4 21. Bxd4 Nxd4 {22.Qd3 is the human move now. The engine points a more precise line:} 22. Qd2 $1 Qc5 23. Kh1 $1 $16 {The point is that the ...cxb5 idea no longer works now, as there is no ...Qxc4 tempo. ...Qxc4 is well met by Rfc1. Black continues to face problems.}) 18... Nxd4 19. Bxd4 e5 $2 {This move unnecessarily weakens Black's structure right at the moment when Black could equalize.} ({Black should initatiate the trade of queens:} 19... Bxd4+ 20. Qxd4 Qc5 $11 {I've been unable to find a trace of an advantage for White here. There remains only the practical edge of the position being easier to play for White.}) 20. fxe5 Bxe5 21. Bxe5 $2 {Correct idea, but wrong move order.} (21. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 22. exd5 $16 {was the right continuation and could easily transpose to the game without giving Black additional possibilities.}) 21... Qxe5 22. Nd5 Bxd5 $6 {Black returns the favour.} ({I underestimated the effectivness of} 22... f5 $1 {The problem is that White won't reach the desired structure with exd5, e.g.} 23. exf5 Bxd5 24. cxd5 Rxf5 $11) 23. exd5 { We now have a major piece endgame with certain winning chances for White thanks to his queenside majority and better king activity in a potential rook endgame. Precisely these assets allowed me to extract the full point.} Rce8 ({ This moment mirrors the situation in the opening in the sense that the road to full equality leads via breaking the bind:} 23... b5 $1 {, e.g.} 24. Rbe1 (24. cxb5 axb5 25. a5 Rc5 26. Rbd1 Qc3 $11 {and White is unlikely to win, as more trades should follow.}) 24... Qg3 25. Rf3 Qh4 26. cxb5 axb5 27. a5 Rc2 $1 $11 { The tactic solves Black's issues.}) 24. Rbe1 Qg3 25. Qf2 $1 {This resource leads to the rook endgame, which, although objectively drawn, is very unpleasant to defend for Black in practice.} Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2 a5 $1 {So far good defence, trying to fix the structure unfavourably for White.} 27. Re3 $1 { White's ideas include Rb1, Rfe1 or Ke2 and activating the king in case of an exchange. The engine screams "equal", but in practice things are not so simple for Black.} Rxe3 $6 {After this trade White's king activity sharply increases, which puts Black on a very shaky ground.} ({The engine points out a very effective defensive mechanism that is not easy to notice for a human:} 27... f5 $1 28. Rfe1 Rxe3 29. Rxe3 Kg7 $1 $11 {Wherever the white rook invades, Black is ready to block with his rook along the f-file. It seems artificial, but works perfectly. White simply has no way to make progress.}) 28. Kxe3 Re8+ 29. Kd3 {Knowing that I have substantial winning chances in any case, I faced a tough choice between the text move and 29.Kd4.} ({Extensive analysis suggests that in the case of} 29. Kd4 {Black is able to draw by a narrow margin:} Kf8 $1 (29... b6 $2 30. b4 $1 Kf8 31. bxa5 bxa5 32. c5 $1 $18 {should win.}) 30. Rb1 ( 30. c5 f5 $1 {One more of the hidden resources connected with ...f5.} 31. cxd6 Re4+ 32. Kc5 Ke8 $11 {The black king joins the defence and suddenly White's advantage evaporates.}) 30... Re2 31. b4 b6 32. bxa5 bxa5 33. Rb5 Rxg2 34. Rxa5 h5 $1 {Black needs to gradually create counterplay with his kingside pawns.} 35. Ra8+ Ke7 36. Ra7+ Ke8 37. a5 g5 $1 38. c5 $1 {This breakthrough may look decisive and certainly isn't easy to meet.} dxc5+ 39. Ke5 c4 $1 40. Kd6 f5 $1 41. a6 c3 42. Rb7 Ra2 43. Ke6 Rxa6+ 44. d6 {What is most amusing here is that White is able to collect all of Black's pawns, but the game should still end in a draw!} Kf8 45. Rf7+ Ke8 46. Rxf5 c2 47. Rc5 Kd8 48. Rxg5 Kc8 49. Rc5+ Kd8 50. Rxh5 Kc8 51. Rc5+ Kd8 52. Rxc2 Ra4 $1 $11 {A study-like finish. Surprisingly enough, the endgame with two pawns up for White is drawn!}) 29... Kg7 $6 {This makes things harder for Black, but objectively still keeps the game within the drawing margin.} (29... f5 $1 {should draw the game, thanks to some tough-to-spot lines:} 30. Rb1 (30. c5 Re5 $1 31. Kc4 Re4+ 32. Kb5 Rb4+ 33. Kxa5 dxc5 $11 {with a draw.}) 30... Kf8 $1 31. b4 axb4 32. Rxb4 Ra8 $1 { Black holds, as the pawn endgame after} 33. Rb6 Ra6 $11 {is drawn.} {The second point, again hard to spot from afar, is} 34. Rxb7 Rxa4 35. Rxh7 Ra3+ 36. Kd4 Ke8 $1 {and the ...Rg3 resource saves Black.}) (29... Kf8 $1 30. Rb1 f5 $1 {is an alternative move order.}) 30. c5 $6 (30. Rb1 $1 {was the critical move, when we reach a transposition to the 29.Kd4 line:} Kf6 31. Kd4 Re2 32. b4 b6 33. bxa5 bxa5 34. Rb6 Ke7 35. Ra6 Rxg2 36. Rxa5 h5 $1 37. Ra7+ Ke8 38. a5 g5 $1 $11 {As we know from the 29.Kd4 line, 39.c5 puts Black to test, but doesn't win here.}) 30... dxc5 31. Kc4 Re2 32. Kxc5 Kf8 $4 {This attempt to activate the king throws away the hard-fought draw.} ({After} 32... Rxg2 {White has no way to win, as Black can create counterplay with his f-pawn at the right moment, e.g.} 33. Kd6 Rd2 34. b4 axb4 35. Rb1 f5 $1 36. Rxb4 Kf6 37. Rxb7 f4 $11) 33. Rf6 $4 {A return of the big favour.} ({The simple} 33. Kb6 Ke7 34. Kxa5 $18 {wins in a prosaic fashion, as the king returns to b6, grabs b7, and the a-pawn runs.}) 33... Rxg2 34. Rb6 Rc2+ 35. Kd6 f5 $1 {I underestimated the counterplay created by the f-pawn.} 36. Ke5 Re2+ 37. Kf6 f4 38. Rxb7 f3 39. Rxh7 Kg8 40. Rg7+ Kh8 $4 {Just when Black is step away from a draw, on the 40th move, short on time, he commits the losing mistake.} (40... Kf8 {draws, as compared to the game, there are no mating nets and the Black king is able to join the game.} 41. Rc7 f2 42. Rf7+ Ke8 43. Kxg6 Re3 44. Rxf2 Rxh3 $11 { White is temporarily two pawns up, but Black's piece activity should guarantee an easy draw.}) 41. Rc7 {Suddenly Black is completely busted, as 41...f2 fails to 42.Kxg6} Re1 42. Rc2 $1 {...f2 is stopped and Black can give up his hopes of saving the game.} Re2 43. Rc3 f2 44. Kxg6 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

Contact:

lukasjarmula@gmail.com

Made by Tatsu Media

MY BEST GAMES

My new course:

Lifetime Repertoires: O'Kelly Sicilian

is now available on Chessable!

Complete Black repertoire!

Always find the right move!

Everything you need to succeed with O’Kelly!