By Larry Tamarkin

Going into this game, I had lost twice in a row to Mr. Solonkovich. I found him an extremely difficult man to play, partly because he (when black) insisted on using a set of very bright and glossy pieces that was very large for the squares on his brown and white vinyl chess board (but still barely regulation). I of course had a heavy wood set of precisely-coordinated size with the usual green and buff board, but my opponent would always look to create an argument about which equipment to use in his preference for the unusual. The director often favored him, but fortunately in this game my more "standard" equipment was used.

Larry Tamarkin (2058) – Ilya Solonkovich (2091) [C56]
Nassau Championship, NY 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4


I'm always very happy to be in this line recommended by my hero, GM Roman Dzindzichashvili in his DVDs and books.

7...Bd7

7...Bc5!? invites White into great complications that would likely not favor him, as well as keeping more options for the c8-bishop which is not always best developed at d7. After 8.Be3 (Any capture on c6 is probably bad for White, but I leave it to the books.) 8…0–0 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bxc5 Nxc5 11.Bxc6 Rb8 12.Qxd5 Qe7 13.0–0 Rd8 14.Qf3 Qxe5 is equal. This is a theoretical line that black would probably revel in.

8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.0–0 Be7

Now White is back into more familiar territory (From Roman's DVDs)

9...Bc5 10.f3 Ng5 11.f4 Ne4 12.Be3 0–0 (12...Bb6 13.Nc3 Nxc3 14.bxc3 Qe7 15.Qd2 f5 16.e6 Bc8 17.Nxf5±) 13.Nd2 Nxd2 (13...f6 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qe2 Qe7 16.Nb3 Bxe3+ 17.Qxe3 fxe5 18.Qxe4 Bf5 19.Qxe5 Qxe5 20.fxe5 Bxc2 21.Nd4 Be4 22.Rfe1 Bd5 23.Rac1 Rab8 24.b3 Rb6 25.e6 Re8 26.Rc3 g6 27.Rec1 Rb4 28.Nxc6 Rg4 29.g3 Rxe6 30.Nxa7 Re2 31.R3c2 Rge4 32.Nb5 Re1+ 33.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 34.Kf2 Rh1 35.Ke3 c6 36.Nc3 Be6 37.Kd4 and White won in Plachetka (2420) - Opl (2315), Austria 1995) 14.Qxd2 f6 15.Nb3 Bb6 16.Bc5 Re8 17.Rae1 Bf5 18.Qc3 Be4 19.Nd2 d4 20.Qc4+ Bd5 21.Qxd4 fxe5 22.Rxe5 Rxe5 23.fxe5 Bxc5 24.Qxc5 Bxg2 25.Kxg2 Qxd2+ 26.Kg1 Qd5 27.Qxd5+ cxd5 28.e6 Re8 29.Rf7 c5 30.Rxa7 Rxe6 31.Rd7 Re2 32.Rxd5 Rxc2 33.a4 Rxb2 34.Rxc5 Ra2, 1/2-1/2, was Mnatsakanian (2450) - Mamatov, (2265), Moscow 1981.

9...c5 10.Ne2 (10.Nb3 was discussed by Roman Dzindzichashvili in his latest DVD, Roman's Lab: Volume 41, "New lines & Novelties in the Scotch and f4 Sicilian".) 10...Bc6 11.f3 Ng5 12.Ng3 (12.f4 Ne4 13.Nbc3 f5 14.Nxe4 fxe4 15.f5 Qe7 16.Bf4 0–0–0 17.Qd2 d4 18.Qa5 c4 19.Qa6+ Bb7 20.Qxc4 Qc5 21.Qxc5 Bxc5 22.Kh1 Rhe8 23.Rad1 e3 24.Ng3 Ba6 25.Rfe1 Bb4 turns out badly for White in Nakamura (2658) – Onischuk (2663), Stillwater 2007) 12...g6 13.f4 Ne4 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qe2 Qd4+ 16.Kh1 Rd8 17.Nc3 Qd7 18.f5 gxf5 19.Qh5 Qc8 20.Bg5 Be7 21.Bxe7 Kxe7 22.Rxf5 Rdf8 23.Raf1 and White had a winning attack in Rizouk (2220) - Vergara, Moscow 1994.

10.f3 Nc5

10...Ng5 11.f4 Ne4 12.Nc3 transposes to the game.

11.f4 Ne4 12.Nc3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 c5


What's more valuable, Black's center pawns and two Bishops or the kingside attacking chances that White gets thanks to his powerful kingside pawn majority? Obviously, I'm partial to the white side of this position, and the many white victories that follow seem to back me up!

14.Nb3

14.Ne2 Bb5 15.f5 d4 16.Rf2 dxc3 17.Qe1 Bc4 18.Nxc3 0–0 19.Rf4 Ba6 20.Be3 Re8 21.Rd1 Qc8 22.Qg3 Bf8 23.Ne4 Rxe5 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Nxh7 Kxh7 26.Rh4+ Kg8 27.Qxe5 Bd6 28.Qe4, 1–0, Turov (2531) - Kallio (2470), Budapest 2003.

14...c4 15.Nd4 0–0

15...c5 16.Ne2 Bc6 17.f5 Qa5 18.f6 gxf6 19.exf6 Bd6 20.Bf4 0–0–0 21.Bxd6 Rxd6 22.Ng3 Qd8 23.Qg4+ Bd7 24.Qf4 Be6 25.Rab1 Rb6 26.Rfd1 Qc7 27.Qg5 Rd8 28.Rxb6 axb6 29.Nf5 Bxf5 30.Qxf5+ Qd7 31.Qxh7 Qe6 32.Rf1 d4 33.cxd4 cxd4 34.Qf5 Qxf5 35.Rxf5 d3 36.cxd3 cxd3 37.Rf1 d2 38.Rd1 Rd6 39.Kf2 Rxf6+ 40.Ke2 Rh6 41.h3 Rg6 42.g4 Rh6 43.Rh1 d1Q+ 44.Kxd1 Kd7 45.Ke2 Ke6 46.Kf3 Kf6 47.Kg3 Kg7 48.Rb1 Rc6 49.Rb3 f6 50.h4 Kg6 51.h5+ Kg7 52.a3 Kh6 53.Kh4 Kg7 54.Kg3 Kf7 55.Kf3 Ke6 56.a4 Kf7 57.Rb4 Rd6 58.Ke4 Ke6 59.Rb5 Rc6 60.Kd4 Kf7 61.Kd5 Re6 62.Rb4 Re5+ 63.Kc6 Re6+ 64.Kc7 Ke7 65.Rf4, 1–0, Myrvold (2330) - Roelvaag, (2260), Vettre 1993.

16.f5 c5

16...f6 17.e6 Be8 18.Qg4 h5 19.Qg3 Bd6 20.Bf4 Bxf4 21.Qxf4 c5 22.Ne2 Qb8 23.Rab1 Qe5 24.Qd2 Bc6 25.Rbe1 Qd6 26.Nf4 d4 27.Nxh5 Rfe8 28.Rf4 Re7 29.Rg4 Kh7 30.Nxf6+ gxf6 31.Rh4+ Kg8 32.Qh6, 1–0, Edelman (2350) - Vucic (2395), New York 1989.

17.Ne2 Bc6 18.Ng3

White has also scored well with two other moves:

18.Nf4 Re8 19.Qg4 Bf8 20.e6 Qf6 21.Bd2 fxe6 22.fxe6 d4 23.Nd5 Qxe6 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Nxe8 Qxe8 26.Rae1 Qd8 27.Rf7 Rb8 28.Ref1, 1–0, Lagunes - Stranjakovitch (2375), France 1988.

18.f6 gxf6 19.Bh6 fxe5 20.Nd4 Bd7 21.Nc6 Qe8 22.Nxe5 Bg5 23.Nxd7 Qe3+ 24.Kh1 Bxh6 25.Nxf8 Rd8 26.Nd7, 1–0, Kosintseva (2259) - Genova (2162), Litohoto 1999.

18...d4

18...f6 19.e6 d4 20.Qg4 Kh8 21.Nh5 Rg8 22.Nf4 Be8 23.Ng6+ Bxg6 24.fxg6 h6 25.Qh5 Bf8 26.Rb1 Qd6 27.Rb7 Qe5 28.Qxh6+, 1–0, Zelcic (2576) - Zavacki (2036), Bosnjaci 2003.

19.Qg4 Qd5

19...Kh8!? was suggested by Solonkovich.

20.Nh5 g6 21.Bh6 Rfe8


22.e6!

A natural and very thematic continuation leading to a completely winning position.

22...Bd8

22...Qxg2+ 23.Qxg2 Bxg2 24.Kxg2 gxh5 25.Kh3! wins for White.

23.fxg6!?

Not bad but even better is 23.Nf4! which I saw even though I didn't see the following forced winning lines. I later gave this position to various club and international players who were pre-warned that something very good is here! Approximate solving times were: Club players 1600–2000 as much as 7 minutes or not at all. IM Jay Bonin - 2 minutes, 20 seconds; Grandmaster Michael Rohde, who just tied for first in the recently held US Open, 1 minute 20 seconds; Grandmaster John Fedorowicz at his GM-Seminar at the Marshall Chess Club, 58 seconds! Grandmaster Roman Dzindzichashasvili – 1 second "Why you show me position from one of my games on the ICC?" (JUST KIDDING! But It wouldn't surprise me!).

After 23.Nf4! the analysis goes 23...Qxf5 (23...Qd6 24.exf7+ Kxf7 25.fxg6+ hxg6 26.Nh5+ Kg8 27.Rf6! and it's time for Black to resign) 24.Nxg6! hxg6 (24...Qxg4 25.exf7 mate was the "simple line" that kept me from playing this beautiful combination!) 25.Rxf5 and it's over.

23...fxg6 24.Nf6+

This was the only way I saw to make progress, but not surprisingly the Junior 10 chess engine finds a more attractive and incisive way forward: 24.Ng7


24...Re7 (24...Rf8 25.Rxf8+ Kxf8 26.Qf4+ Ke7 27.Qf7+ Kd6 28.Bf4+) 25.Rf8+! Kxf8 26.Nh5+ Rg7 (26...Kg8 27.Nf6+!) 27.Rf1+ Kg8 28.Nxg7 Bh4!? 29.Nf5! Qxg2+ (29...Bf6 30.Nxd4! Bxd4+ 31.cxd4 Qxd4+?! 32.Qxd4 cxd4 33.e7 and mates; 29...Bd8 30.Ne3! Qd6 31.Nxc4 +-) 30.Qxg2 Bxg2 31.Kxg2 gxf5 32.Rxf5 d3 33.cxd3 cxd3 34.Kf3!? (Other moves also win.) 34...Rd8 35.Rf4 Be7 (35...d2 36.Rg4+ Kh8 37.Bg7+ Kg8 38.Bf6+ Kf8 39.e7+) 36.Rg4+ Kh8 37.Bg7+ Kg8 38.Bd4+ Kf8 39.Be3 Rd5 40.Bh6+ Ke8 41.Rg8+ Bf8 42.Ke4 d2 43.Bxf8! ends the game since 43…d1Q 44.Bd6 mate is a nice finish.

24...Bxf6 25.Rxf6 Qe4 26.Qxe4 Bxe4 27.Raf1 Bf5 28.e7!

Wins, but it would be best if White sees the refutation to black's 29th move in advance.

28...Rxe7 29.g4 Re6

Solonkovich bashed this move down quickly and with great physical force, and for a moment I "forgot" some of my previous calculations and got a little worried. Fortunately I regained my balance and found...

30.R1xf5!

After this the game is just over and the remaining moves were not really necessary, but perhaps my opponent realized I was suffering from a very bad migraine headache, so naturally hoped to exploit this...

30...gxf5 31.Rxe6 fxg4 32.cxd4 cxd4 33.Rd6 d3 34.cxd3 cxd3 35.Rxd3 Rb8 36.Rd4 Rb1+ 37.Kf2 Rb2+ 38.Rd2 Rb6 39.Be3 Rf6+ 40.Ke2

Avoiding the very-silly mistake of 40.Kg3?? Rf3+ when black will have at least a draw. My technique may be a little slow, but is solid enough with the headache to keep me from doing something really stupid.

40...a6 41.Rd4 Rg6 42.Kf2 h5 43.Kg3 Rc6 44.Kh4 Rc3 45.Bf4 Rh3+ 46.Kg5 Kf7 47.Rd7+ Ke8 48.Rd6 Ra3 49.Rd2 Ra5+ 50.Kh4 Ke7 51.Bg5+ Ke6 52.Kxh5 Ra4 53.Re2+ Kf5 54.Rf2+ Ke5 55.Bf6+ Ke6 56.Bh4 a5 57.Bg3 Kd5 58.Bf4, 1-0.

I consider this my best game ever, and I also feel a great debt of gratefulness to Roman Dzindzichashvili whose many DVDs I have benefited from. Sure it's true that he sometimes gives evaluations of positions being won where they are checkmated in one(!), but his many original ideas and suggestions, explained in a very charming manner, continue to impress me and I rate his products right up there with the best from ChessBase.