Visma Chess Tournament | CHESS AT THE BAG OF CATS

It is not every day that you encounter a new GM tournament in Sweden, but last week we witnessed a minor miracle. The Visma Chess Tournament, in Växjö, Sweden, not only featured a GM-group, but also two IM-groups. In the end the GM-group was won by the dangerous Finn, Vilka Sipilä, who managed to score a GM-norm with half a point to spare. What made me even happier was that the talented junior Linus Johansson scored an IM-norm and that my neighbor Daniel Semcesen scored his last GM-norm. In the fourth round Semcesen and Blomqvist produced a battle that I think is well worth looking closer at:

   [Event "Visma Chess Tournament 2013 GM"]  [Site "Vaxjo"]  [Date "2013.06.28"]  [Round "4.5"]  [White "Semcesen, Daniel"]  [Black "Blomqvist, Erik"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "A00"]  [WhiteElo "2431"]  [BlackElo "2483"]  [PlyCount "77"]  [EventDate "2013.06.26"]  [SourceDate "2011.03.24"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. Nc3 $1 {Principled. White is aiming for e2-e4.} Bb7 ({Black is trying for an improved version of} 3...  d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 {when there is no queen - as in the game - on c2.}) 4. Qc2 d5 $5 5. Nf3 {This was a surprise  to me.} ({After} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 {White surely has a good  version of an QI a3-line (without a3!).}) 5... g6 $5 ({The structure after}  5... e6 6. cxd5 exd5 {is not to everybody's liking. Now} 7. g3 (7. Bg5 Be7 8.  e3 {leads to a Queens Gambit Declined structure, where I believe Black is all  right.}) 7... c5 8. Bg2 Nc6 {looks shaky for Black, but might be all right.})  6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. e4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Bg7 9. Bb5+ ({In Demuth - Abergel, TCh-FRA Top  2012, White played aggressively:} 9. h4 $5 h6 10. Be3 Qd6 11. Bc4 e6 12. Rd1  Nd7 13. e5 Qe7 14. Bd3 O-O-O 15. Be4 {with some advantage for White.}) (9. Bc4  O-O (9... Nc6 $6 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. Ng5+ Ke8 12. Ne6 Qd7 13. Nxg7+ Kf7 14. Bh6  $16) 10. h4 Qd7 $1 {and it is annoying for White that the black queen reaches  g4. This idea is common in the Grünfeld Indian.}) 9... Nd7 ({The idea behind  the check on the last move is} 9... c6 10. Bc4 {and Black is not able to play  Nb8-c6-a5, before c5. Neither does Qd8-d7-g4 come with a threat to the e4-pawn.  }) 10. Ne5 $5 {This is very interesting and a bit untypical for Daniel - as  far as I know him. That said, this is exactly the kind of move I have been  wishing he would play more of; a let's-get-the-initiative kind of move. Very,  very, well done.} ({The dull} 10. O-O O-O 11. Bg5 h6 12. Be3 e6 13. Rad1 (13.  a4 $5 {intending a4-a5 looks like something...}) 13... Qe7 14. Rfe1 {led to  approximate equality in Nestorovic - Predojevic, 42nd Bosna Open A 2012.})  10... Bxe5 11. dxe5 c6 ({There is something to be said for} 11... a6 12. Be2  Nxe5 13. Bh6 {when White has some compensation for the pawn, but certainly not  more.}) 12. Be2 Nxe5 13. O-O $1 {The dark squares does not run away. Daniel  finishes his development first and leaves the decision of  where-to-put-the-bishop to the future.} Qc7 14. a4 $1 {An excellent move that  aims to weaken Black's queenside pawns. Now it is not so attractive to play  0-0-0 anymore.} c5 ({An illustration of how nasty the White initiative can  become is} 14... O-O 15. Bh6 Rfd8 16. f4 Nd7 17. Bc4 $1 Nf6 18. Qa2 Nxe4 19.  Bxf7+ Kh8 20. Rae1 {with a huge advantage for White.}) 15. Bh6 f6 16. a5 $1  bxa5 {There is probably nothing wrong with this move, but I would prefer to  keep my pawn structure intact. Now the c5-pawn has become a possible target.}  17. Rfd1 {f2-f4 is no longer a threat, so there is no reason to keep the rook  on the f-file.} Bc6 {This seems like the beginning of a slow and incredibly  cool plan for force White to play c3-c4 (a6, Bb5).} ({The alternative} 17... c4  18. Rd4 Rd8 19. Bf4 O-O 20. Qa2 {is clearly more promising for White.}) 18. Qc1  $6 ({White can go for a better endgame with} 18. Qa2 $1 Nf7 19. Be3 Bxe4 20.  Qxa5 Qxa5 21. Rxa5 Nd6 22. f3 Bf5 23. Bxc5 Nb7 24. Rxa7 Rxa7 25. Bxa7 Kf7 {  Still, Black should be able to hold this. Daniels move is less direct and aims  to improve the position of the queen.}) 18... a6 ({After} 18... Rd8 $1 {it is  hard to see how White will keep the initiative.}) 19. Qe3 Bb5 20. c4 $1 Bd7 $2  {This is the first real mistake in the game. Now White takes a firm hold of  the initiative.} ({A better line is} 20... Nxc4 21. Bxc4 Bxc4 22. Rdc1 Qe5 $1 {  when White is worse, but has decent drawing chances due to the unequally  coloured bishop pair.}) 21. Rd5 Rc8 22. f4 Nf7 23. f5 $6 ({Here Daniel misses  an important tactical theme:} 23. Bg7 $1 Rg8 24. e5 $1 fxe5 (24... Nxe5 25.  Bxf6) 25. Bxe5 Nxe5 26. Rxe5 {with a strong initiative for White.}) 23... e6 $2  ({Here Black had a chance to coordinate his pieces with} 23... Bc6 $1 24. Bf4  Qb7 25. Rxc5 g5 $1 26. Bg3 a4 {Suddenly all of Black's pieces are well placed!}  ) 24. Rd2 Ke7 25. Rf1 $1 gxf5 26. Bf4 $6 ({It takes some good calculation  skills to see that White is better after} 26. exf5 Qe5 27. Qh3 $1 Nxh6 28. Qxh6  Rcg8 29. Bf3 $1 {Still, I would have gone for this line since it is clearly to  Black's benefit to get the pawn structure that arise in the game.}) 26... e5  27. exf5 h5 $1 {It is a good idea to stop Be2-h5, g2-g4 and simultaneously  prepare to meet Bf4-g3 with h5-h4.} 28. h3 h4 $1 {Now Black is clearly better  as there is no way to make the bishops count.} 29. Bg4 Qb6 $2 {It is a bad  idea to leave Bd7 unprotected as it is now impossible for Black to play Kf8.} (  29... Kf8 $1 30. Bh2 Kg7 {followed by a4 and Bc6, is clearly better for Black.}  ) 30. Rd5 $1 a4 31. Rfd1 Bc6 $2 ({Erik still had the chance to save the game  with} 31... Rcd8 $1 {when} 32. Rxe5+ fxe5 33. Bxe5 Kf8 $1 (33... Nxe5 34. Qxe5+  Kf7 35. Rd6 $18) 34. Bxh8 Bxf5 $1 {is far from clear.}) 32. Bxe5 $6 ({Instead}  32. Rxe5+ $1 fxe5 33. Bxe5 Kf8 $1 34. Bxh8 Rd8 35. Rf1 $1 Bxg2 36. f6 $1 Ba8  37. Bh5 Qd6 38. Bg7+ Kg8 39. Bxf7+ Kxf7 40. Qe7+ Qxe7 41. fxe7+ Kxe7 42. Bf6+  Kd7 43. Rd1+ {wins for White.}) 32... fxe5 33. f6+ $6 ({White has the  advantage after} 33. Rxe5+ Kf8 34. Re6) 33... Kxf6 $2 {The losing move. After}  (33... Kf8 $1 {there is all still to play for. The lines are still very  complicated and it is easy to be critical from the side, whereas it is not  easy to see that Black is only slightly worse after} 34. Rxe5 Nxe5 35. Qxe5 Re8  36. Qd6+ Kf7 37. Bd7 Qb3 38. Bxc6 Qe3+ 39. Kh1 Qe5 $1) 34. Rf1+ Kg7 35. Rxf7+  Kxf7 36. Rxe5 Qb1+ 37. Kh2 Rce8 38. Qf4+ Kg7 39. Rg5+ {Black resigned as 39...  Qg6 40.Qc7+ is the end.} 1-0

Now, all Daniel has to do is to cross the 2500 line, in order to be a fully fledged GM.