Croatian Chess Cup 2017

A couple of days after the Croatian Chess Championship 2017 has finished, another prestigious Croatian chess event took place. The final of the Croatian Chess Cup 2017 was a team event in which 25 teams competed for the title of the Croatian Cup Champion… and 18 000 kn first prize (around 2500 euros).

Naturally, the existence of monetary prizes usually leads to participation of the strong players who own an official FIDE title. Croatian Chess Cup 2017 was no exception, as it gathered a total number of 22 Grandmasters, 20 International Masters and 20 Fide Masters.

Of course, apart from a number of titled players, there was also a number of weaker players who don’t get the opportunity to participate in such events that often.

The author of these lines had the privilege to belong to this group. In this article, I will take a look at the key chess moments of the tournament, but also try to express my own thoughts and feelings about a chess event of such a calibre.

(All photos are taken from the official website of the Croatian Chess Federation, from the official website of the Lošinj Hotels and from the private collection of Stella Seissel, who very graciously let me use them in this report. Thank you very much, Stella!)

Venue

Croatian Chess Cup was held from 9th to 15th May 2017 on the relatively lesser known, but very beautiful Croatian Island, Mali Lošinj.

The venue of play was the four-star Aurora Hotel, located in island’s capital city that bears the same name as the whole island (Mali Lošinj city).

Hotel Aurora from air

It is impossible not to include a little advertising of the Croatian touristic gems at this point.

Hotel Aurora was definitely one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at. This hotel has it all. Comfortable rooms with TVs and minibars, the vicinity of the sea, inner and outer swimming pools, saunas, perfectly polite personnel and last, but not the least, fantastic choice and quality of food.

The surrounding nature is also beautiful. Hotel Aurora is located in the so-called “Sunny” cove and there is a beautiful 25 min walk down the coast to the nearby “Čikat” cove.

Even without the chess tournament, Mali Lošinj is well worth visiting. Although the official tourist season hasn’t started yet, there was a significant number of German visitors.

The sea was probably too cold for regular swimming, but their number proved that peace and serenity are sufficient for an enjoyable vacation.

Okay, after this commercial break, it is time to take a look at the chess part of the whole story.

Regulations and participants

Croatian Chess Cup is the elite team event played on four boards. The tournament was held under Swiss regulations and lasted 6 rounds. The tempo of play was 1 hour and 30 minutes + 30 seconds for first 40 moves, with additional 30 minutes added after move 40.

Teams competing in the highest divisions of the Croatian leagues (1A and 1B leagues) gain the right to participate automatically. Most titled players play for these teams and Croatian Chess Cup is the unique opportunity for chess amateurs/enthusiasts to play against Grandmasters and International Masters.

Or to kibitz their games from the close vicinity.

GM Nikola Sedlak – GM Marin Bosiočić clash on the board one of the Stridon Štrigova – Rijeka Rijeka match from the last round

The remainder of the teams not competing in the 1A or 1B league have the opportunity to qualify via several qualification tournaments held over different Croatian geographical regions.

Course of the tournament – key games and moments

The main pre-tournaments favourites were certainly the strongest teams in the 1A league – Zagreb, Zagreb and Liburnija, Rijeka. Both teams have four 2500+ players, a luxury in Croatian Chess these days.

Apart from them, Solin-Cemex, Solin and Mornar, Split also brought very strong lineups, with strong players on all four boards. Not having a “lamb for slaughter” on one of the boards when the match is played on only four is a very important factor.

However, after the expected course of events and wins by favourites in the 1st round of the tournament, already in the 2nd round Solin-Cemex suffered a major setback, drawing against the Stridon, Štrigova.

The outcome of the match was largely determined by the surprising win of the president of the Croatian Chess Federation, Roland Tomašić, against the legendary Croatian Grandmaster Vlatko Kovačević (who even beat Fischer in the past).

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.11"] [Round "2.34"] [White "Kovacevic, Vlatko"] [Black "Tomasic, Roland"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteElo "2454"] [BlackElo "2173"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. d4 {Kovacevic is a great expert on Colle and London Systems} f5 {But he will have none of that, since Tomasic always plays the dutch defence} 2. Nc3 { No mainlines, sorry} Nf6 3. Bg5 d5 4. Bxf6 exf6 5. e3 Be6 6. Bd3 Qd7 7. Qf3 Nc6 8. a3 a6 9. Nge2 Bd6 10. Nf4 Bxf4 11. Qxf4 {[pgndiagram] White can be satisfied with the outcome of the opening. He has the better structure and easier play} O-O 12. h4 Ne7 13. Ne2 Nc8 14. f3 $6 {[pgndiagram] The first move that probably deserves some criticism. There was no need to weaken the kingside } (14. Qf3 {Not fearing the knight on e4, was good} Nd6 15. Nf4 Ne4 16. Qe2 Rfe8 17. c3 c6 {And White retains better chances}) 14... Nd6 15. h5 Rae8 16. O-O-O {Very risky plan. Now Black has counterplay on the queenside. It was much better to castle kingside and try to play more slowly} b5 17. Rdg1 a5 { [pgndiagram] Black has an easy plan} 18. Kd2 (18. g4 fxg4 19. fxg4 h6 {And white has no attack}) 18... Re7 {I am not certain about the idea behind this move} (18... Rc8 {Why not this immediately?} 19. g4 fxg4 20. fxg4 b4) 19. Ng3 Rc8 20. Re1 {Black has initiative now, while White's kingside play is non-existent , and his pieces are misplaced} c5 $6 {Very natural, but probably too early} (20... h6 {Black should probably shuffle his pieces a bit before embarking on the definite plan} 21. Ke2 a4 22. Kf2 Ree8 23. c3 c5) 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Qd4 (22. Ke2 {Running with the king was probably a good idea} Ne4 23. c3) 22... Qc7 {Now Nc4 and Ne4 are unpleasant threats} 23. Ke2 $2 {[pgndiagram] The losing moment} (23. Kc1 {Looks dangerous, though, but it is not clear how Black breaks with his attack} b4 24. axb4 axb4 25. Qxb4 Nc4 26. Ne2 Ra5 {And the game is not over yet}) 23... Ne4 $1 {Probably overlooked by Kovacevic, giving Black a winning position} 24. fxe4 (24. Nf1 {White can't really decline the sacrifice since the knight on g3 is undefended with the queen on d4} Rxc2+ 25. Bxc2 Qxc2+ 26. Nd2 Ng3+ 27. Kf2 Nxh1+ 28. Rxh1 Kf7 {And Black has a winning position}) 24... fxe4 $2 (24... dxe4 {Was stronger} 25. Nxe4 fxe4) 25. Nxe4 $2 {[pgndiagram] Mistakes come in pairs..} (25. Kf2 {Was better defence} exd3 26. cxd3 Rc2+ 27. Re2) 25... dxe4 26. Qxe4 Bf5 27. Qa8+ Kf7 {Now the game is virtually over. Black has a winning attack} 28. Bxf5 $2 {This merely hastens the end} Rxf5 29. Kd2 Rd7+ 30. Kc1 Rf2 31. c3 Rdd2 32. Qe4 f5 33. Qb1 b4 34. axb4 axb4 35. Rhf1 Rxb2 36. Qxb2 Rxb2 37. Kxb2 Qxc3+ 38. Kb1 b3 39. Rc1 Qd2 40. Rc6 {A very nice win by Tomasic and not the best game by Vlatko Kovacevic} 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

GM Vlatko Kovačević, apparently not fully satisfied with his position in his game against Roland Tomašić

Nevertheless, for the remainder of the favourites, the first two rounds represented an easy cruise.

Only in the round three did the heavyweights meet on the high boards and started exchanging blows.

The first seed, Zagreb, Zagreb barely beat Rijeka, Rijeka, 2.5 – 1.5.

True, the final result suggests it was a much closer match than it actually was.

It only got slightly more complicated when Grandmaster Zdenko Kozul overstepped the mark and lost an equal endgame against International Master Boris Golubović.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.11"] [Round "3.13"] [White "Kozul, Zdenko"] [Black "Golubovic, Boris"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D10"] [WhiteElo "2617"] [BlackElo "2404"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 e5 4. dxe5 d4 5. Ne4 Qa5+ 6. Bd2 Qxe5 7. Ng3 Nf6 8. Nf3 Qd6 9. Qc2 Be7 10. e3 dxe3 11. Bxe3 O-O 12. Be2 Re8 13. O-O Qc7 14. Bd4 Bg4 15. Rfe1 Nbd7 16. h3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Bc5 18. Bxc5 Nxc5 19. Qc3 a5 20. Rad1 Rad8 21. Rxe8+ Nxe8 22. Re1 Nf6 23. Nf5 Re8 24. Rxe8+ Nxe8 25. g3 Nd7 26. Qd4 Ne5 27. Bg2 g6 28. Nh6+ Kg7 29. Ng4 f6 30. Ne3 Qd6 31. Qa7 Qb4 32. b3 Kf8 33. f4 Nd3 34. Qd4 Qd6 35. Qc3 Qd8 36. c5 Nb4 37. a3 Qd3 38. Qxd3 Nxd3 39. Nc4 Nxc5 40. Nxa5 Nd6 41. b4 Ne6 42. Nb3 Ke7 {[pgndiagram] So far nothing too exciting happened in this game, and the most logical outcome should be a draw.} 43. Bf1 Nc7 44. Na5 $6 {First step in the wrong direction} (44. Kf2 Ncb5 45. Bxb5 Nxb5 46. a4 Nc3 47. a5 Kd7 48. Nc5+ Kc7 49. Nd3 Nd5 {Was around equal}) 44... Ncb5 45. Bxb5 cxb5 (45... Nxb5 46. a4 (46. Nxb7 Nxa3 47. Nc5 Nc2) 46... Nd6 $1 ( 46... Nc3 47. Nxb7 Nxa4 48. Kf2 Nc3 49. Nc5 Nd5 50. Na6 Kd7 {And probably White can defend this as well}) 47. Kf1 Ke6 {And White has very unpleasant endgame}) 46. Kf2 Ke6 47. Nb3 $6 {[pgndiagram] The second mistake} (47. Ke3 Kd5 48. g4 f5 49. Kd3 {And nothing terrible for White is apparent. For instance} fxg4 50. hxg4 h5 51. f5 hxg4 52. fxg6) 47... Kd5 48. Kf3 b6 49. Na1 Kc4 {Now Black should be winning} 50. Nc2 Nf5 51. Ne1 Kd4 (51... Kb3 {Why not?} 52. g4 Ne7 53. Ke4 Kxa3 54. Nd3 Kb3 55. f5 gxf5+ 56. gxf5 Kc4 {And wins}) 52. g4 Nd6 $4 {A big mistake, that lets white back in the game} (52... Ne7 {Preventing future Nd5, was winning} 53. Nc2+ Kc3 54. Ne3 Kb3) 53. Nc2+ Kc3 54. Ne3 Kd4 55. Nc2+ Kc3 56. Ne3 Kb3 57. Nd5 $1 {[pgndiagram] Now White should be fine} Kxa3 58. Ke3 Kb3 59. Kd4 f5 60. g5 $2 {Not yet losing, but aggravating White's task} (60. Ke5 $1 {Was easiest, when Black can't win} fxg4 61. hxg4 Nf7+ 62. Kf6 Nh6 63. Kg5 Ng8 64. f5 {And White is fine}) 60... Nf7 {Now White's king can't advance} 61. h4 Nd8 62. Nxb6 $2 {This is the real losing moment} (62. Ke5 {Was the only way of drawing this game, but it is very hard to find that over the board} Nc6+ (62... Kc4 63. Kd6) 63. Kf6 Nxb4 64. Nxb4 Kxb4 65. Kg7 { [pgndiagram] And amazingly, Black can't win this} Ka3 66. Kxh7 b4 67. Kxg6 b3 68. h5 b2 69. Kh7 b1=Q 70. g6 {And my computer evaluates this endgame as dead equal}) 62... Kxb4 {[pgndiagram] Now Black is indeed winning} 63. Nd5+ Ka4 64. Ke5 b4 65. Kf6 b3 66. Nc3+ Kb4 67. Nd1 Ka3 68. h5 gxh5 69. Kxf5 b2 70. Nxb2 Kxb2 71. Ke4 $2 (71. Kf6 {Might have complicated the winning take somewhat} h4 72. f5 h3 73. g6 h2 74. g7 h1=Q 75. g8=Q Qh6+ 76. Ke7 Nc6+ 77. Kf7 {And Black still has some work to do}) 71... Nf7 {An amazingly complicated endgame} 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

However, this loss turned out to be irrelevant for the final result, especially because this game was played when the result was already 2.5-0.5 in Zagreb’s favour.

Hrvoje Stević gained a fantastic victory on the first board against the newly crowned Croatian Champion Marin Bosiočić.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.11"] [Round "3.11"] [White "Stevic, Hrvoje"] [Black "Bosiocic, Marin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C45"] [WhiteElo "2600"] [BlackElo "2603"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 {Once again, the same variation of the Scotch as in Croatian Championship} bxc6 {[pgndiagram] Bosiocic is the first to deviate} (5... Qf6 {Was played in Stevic - Bosiocic, Croatian Championship, 2017}) 6. Bd3 d6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nc3 Ng4 9. h3 Ne5 10. Na4 Bb6 {[pgndiagram] Everything has been played up to this point already} 11. b3 $5 {The first new move, intending to fianchetto the bishop} g5 $2 {This early aggression is a mistake; Black is not in the position to launch an attack} 12. Nxb6 (12. Qh5 {Immediately was probably even more precise.} g4 13. Bg5 Qd7 14. Bf6 {Because now Black doesn't have the move Ra5}) 12... axb6 13. Qh5 {A great move. White eyes the f7 and h7 pawns and places the queen on the dominant position} g4 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. f4 $5 {I remember seeing this on the board and being impressed with Stevic's play... This is certainly very imaginative move, although objectively probably not the strongest} (15. Bf6 Ra5 16. Qh4 {Is better for White}) 15... gxf3 16. Bf6 Rg8 17. Bxe5 $1 {[pgndiagram] An amazing position. White lets Black take his g2 pawn with check.} Ra5 $2 {In very complicated position, Black commits the decisive mistake} (17... dxe5 18. Rxf3 {Leaves White with a considerable advantage} Qd4+ {Fails to} 19. Kh2 Qxa1 20. Qxf7+ Kd8 21. Qxg8+ {With mate coming soon}) (17... fxg2 {Was the only chance} 18. Rf2 dxe5 19. Bc4 Rf8 20. Rd1 Qe7 {And although White has definite compensation for the pawns, nothing terrible for Black is apparent}) 18. Qxh7 Rxg2+ 19. Kh1 Rxe5 (19... Qxh3+ {Was comparatively better} 20. Qxh3 Bxh3 21. Rxf3 Rg4 22. Rxh3 Rxe5 {Although naturally White is also winning here}) 20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Rxf3 Rg6 22. Bc4 {Amazing demolishment of the fellow 2600 player by Stevic} 1-0 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

Not a bad revenge for the missed opportunity that cost him the title of the Croatian Champion (cf. Croatian Chess Championship 2017 report).

After three rounds, only Zagreb, Zagreb and Liburnija, Rijeka scored the perfect 100%. Thus, their encounter in the 4th round was excitedly awaited and very important for the final tournament standings.

A scene from the battle of the favourites, Zagreb, Zagreb – Liburnija, Rijeka

And what an encounter it was. After relatively quiet draws on boards one and four, Serbian Grandmaster Robert Markus managed to gain a decisive attack after a time trouble blunder by the Grandmaster Mladen Palac.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.12"] [Round "4.12"] [White "Palac, Mladen"] [Black "Markus, Robert"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B04"] [WhiteElo "2573"] [BlackElo "2673"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 c6 6. Be2 Bf5 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nf3 e6 9. c4 N5f6 10. Bf4 Qb6 11. Qc1 Be7 12. Rd1 h6 13. Nc3 O-O 14. c5 Qd8 15. b4 a6 16. Nd2 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Nb3 Re8 19. a4 Nf8 20. Qb2 Ne6 21. Bg3 Bf6 22. Bf1 h5 23. h3 h4 24. Bh2 Ng5 25. b5 Be4 26. Qc3 Qd7 27. bxa6 bxa6 28. Re1 Qf5 29. Rac1 Qg6 30. Kh1 Bf5 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32. f3 Bc8 33. Na5 Bd8 34. Nb3 Qe6 35. Bd3 g6 36. Qd2 Nh7 37. Bf4 Nf6 38. Bg5 Nh5 39. Bxd8 Rxd8 40. Re1 Qf6 41. Qe3 Bf5 42. Bxa6 Bc2 43. a5 Ng3+ 44. Kh2 Nf5 45. Qc3 Bxb3 46. Qxb3 Qxd4 47. Qb6 Rf8 48. Bb7 Qd2 49. Rb1 Re8 50. Qxc6 $4 {[pgndiagram] After a titanic battle, White blunders with his flag about to fall} (50. Qb4 Qf2 51. Ba6 {Would keep White very much in the game, but it is hard to find Ba6 with 30 seconds on the clock}) 50... Re2 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

With the score standing at 2-1 in Liburnija’s favour and Zdenko Kozul once again overstepping the mark and remaining a piece down in his game against Grandmaster Ognjen Jovanić, everything seemed gloomy for Zagreb.

However, in chess everything is possible, and Kozul managed to swindle Jovanić, get his piece back, and win on time in equal position.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.12"] [Round "4.13"] [White "Jovanic, Ognjen"] [Black "Kozul, Zdenko"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A48"] [WhiteElo "2492"] [BlackElo "2617"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 {In the Croatian Championship Jovanic had the winning position right out of the opening with the London System, so there is no reason not to try it once again} O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. h3 Nbd7 7. Be2 c5 8. O-O b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. a4 a6 11. Bh2 Qc7 {[pgndiagram] The tabiya of the King's Indian London system has been reached} 12. Bd3 Rfe8 (12... e5 {Comes into consideration}) 13. Qb3 (13. e4 {Was interesting now. It is doubtful whether Black should go for e5} e5 14. d5 {With pleasant position}) 13... Bd5 ( 13... e5 14. Bc4 {Is slightly unpleasant and the point behind 12 Qb3}) 14. c4 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 e5 $6 (15... cxd4 {Was better first, opening the c-file for the heavy pieces and opening c5 square for the knight} 16. exd4 e5 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Rad1 Nc5 {With equality}) 16. dxe5 dxe5 {Now White has a pleasant position} 17. Nd2 {Not strictly necessary yet, since e5 pawn is pinned} (17. Rfd1 Rad8 ( 17... Nb8 {Is impossible due to} 18. a5 Nc6 (18... bxa5 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. Qb7) 19. axb6 Qb7 20. Bc2 {And White is obviously better}) 18. Bc2 { And it is hard to suggest a move for Black here, due to the e5 weakness}) 17... Nb8 18. Ne4 {[pgndiagram]} (18. a5 bxa5 {Now leads nowhere}) 18... Nc6 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 {Now the position should be equal, but a lot of play remains} 20. Be4 Rad8 21. Rad1 (21. Bxc6 {Not allowing Nb4, came into consideration, although it is not natural to give up such a wonderful bishop}) 21... Nb4 22. g4 Bh4 23. Qc3 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Qe7 25. Kf1 Qe6 26. b3 h5 27. f3 hxg4 28. hxg4 Kg7 29. Bd5 Qe7 30. Kg2 Bf6 31. Be4 Kg8 {[pgndiagram] The combination of Bf6 and Kg8 was not very successful, and now White can again gain the upper hand} 32. Qd2 Bg5 33. Bg1 (33. Bg1 Qf8 34. Qd6 Qh6 35. Qxb6 $5 (35. a5) 35... Bxe3 36. Rd8 Rxd8 37. Qxd8+ Kg7 38. Bh2 Bf4 39. Bg1 Be3 40. Qe7 Bd4 41. g5 Qh4 42. Bxd4 exd4 43. Qxc5 Kh7 44. Qxb4 Qxg5+ 45. Kf1 f5 46. Qa5 Qf4 47. Bc6 Kh6 48. c5 d3 49. Qc3 Qe3 50. Qe1 Qxc5 51. Qd2+ Kh5 52. Bb7 Qc2 53. Ke1 Qxb3 54. Bxa6 Qe6+ 55. Kf2 Qxa6 56. a5 Qc4 57. Ke1 Qd4) 33... Qf8 34. Qd6 Qh6 35. Qxb6 $2 { [pgndiagram] The queen ends up too far away} (35. a5) 35... Bxe3 36. Rd8 Rxd8 37. Qxd8+ Kg7 38. Bh2 Bf4 39. Bg1 Be3 40. Qe7 Bd4 $2 {The mistake just before the time control..once again Kozul goes over the mark} 41. g5 Qh4 42. Bxd4 exd4 43. Qxc5 {White is simply winning here, but this is not the end of the game} Kh7 44. Qxb4 Qxg5+ 45. Kf1 f5 46. Qa5 Qf4 47. Bc6 Kh6 48. c5 d3 49. Qc3 Qe3 50. Qe1 Qxc5 {[pgndiagram] White has complicated his task here} 51. Qd2+ (51. Bb7 { Was most precise, but Jovanic was playing on increment here, and the winning path is not that simple anymore} Qc2 52. Bxa6 d2 53. Qh4+ Kg7 54. Qd4+ Kh7 55. Be2) 51... Kh5 52. Bb7 Qc2 53. Ke1 Qxb3 {Now the position is no longer clear} 54. Bxa6 Qe6+ 55. Kf2 (55. Kd1 {It was time to settle for a draw} Qxa6 56. Qh2+ Kg5 57. Qd2+) 55... Qxa6 56. a5 Qc4 57. Ke1 Qd4 {And here Jovanic lost on time. An amazing turnaround that kept Zagreb's hopes of ultimate success in the tournament} 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

The peaceful end to this encounter meant that everything will be decided in the last two rounds.

In the 5th round, both teams were pretty convincing. Liburnija won 3-1 against Vinkovci, Vinkovci, and Zagreb 3.5-1.5 against Solin-Cemex, Solin.

Therefore, round six turned out to be crucial for the outcome of the tournament. Zagreb, Zagreb was playing another strong team, Mornar, Split. Mornar (2 GMs, 1 IM and 1 FM) were 4th at that moment and very much wanted to take Zagreb by surprise.

And, boy, they did that in style.

First, IM Julijan Plenča killed GM Alojzije Janković’s Rauzer in a very convincing game.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.14"] [Round "6.13"] [White "Plenca, Julijan"] [Black "Jankovic, Alojzije"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B67"] [WhiteElo "2406"] [BlackElo "2582"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] [WhiteClock "1:26:00"] [BlackClock "1:30:00"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 { [pgndiagram] It seems that Rauzer Sicilian is often played by the Croatian Grandmasters. Zdenko Kozul is the main champion of this opening, but i think that Jankovic also plays it regularly.} a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 b5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Kb1 Qb6 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. f5 b4 14. Ne2 e5 15. Ng3 h5 16. h4 Qc5 17. Bd3 Bh6 18. Qe2 Qe3 19. Nxh5 Ke7 20. Qf1 {[pgndiagram] Amazingly enough, this is all theory. Both players seemed well prepared} Bxe4 21. Rg1 (21. Rh3 {This is the only alternative. Obviously, there is a lot of theory involved here.}) 21... Rac8 $5 {The first new move which is apparently very interesting if followed up with the right sequence} (21... Bd5 22. g4 Qc5 {Was played previously} 23. Nxf6 Kxf6 24. g5+ Ke7 25. gxh6 Rxh6 {With approximately equal position}) 22. g4 Bxd3 (22... b3 $1 {Is what Black has to play after Rc8} 23. c3 $1 {The best reaction after which White is probably better} (23. axb3 Rxc2 $3 {Is the wonderful point behind Rc8-b3} 24. Kxc2 Rc8+ 25. Kb1 Rc1+ $1) 23... Qf3 24. Bxe4 Qxe4+ 25. Ka1 Be3 26. Rg2 Qa4 27. a3 Bc5 {And White should be better}) 23. Rxd3 {Now White is winning, his knight is a better piece and Black's king is not safe in the centre} Qc5 24. Qd1 Be3 25. Rg2 Rxh5 $2 {[pgndiagram] Desperation} 26. gxh5 Bh6 27. c3 Qb6 28. Qb3 a5 29. a4 Rb8 30. cxb4 Qxb4 31. Qxb4 Rxb4 32. Rc2 e4 33. Rc7+ Kd8 34. Rdc3 d5 35. Rxf7 e3 36. Rcc7 e2 37. Rfd7+ Ke8 38. Re7+ Kd8 39. Rcd7+ Kc8 40. Rxd5 {An impressive crush. I don't know how much of it was prepared, but nevertheless, a great game by Plenca} 1-0 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

The games on the first and the fourth board were drawn, and everything once again depended on Zdenko Kozul, who was playing Bosnian Grandmaster Šarić Ibro.

However, this time, there was no swindle.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.14"] [Round "6.12"] [White "Kozul, Zdenko"] [Black "Saric, Ibro"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D30"] [WhiteElo "2617"] [BlackElo "2555"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] [WhiteClock "1:30:00"] [BlackClock "1:30:00"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 a6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxe7 Qxe7 6. e3 Nf6 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Rc1 Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Be2 Bg4 11. O-O Na7 12. Qc2 c6 13. Bd3 Bxf3 14. gxf3 $5 {[pgndiagram] Another typical Kozul decision} (14. Nxf3 Nb5 15. Ne5 Nd6 16. Rfd1 {Was around equal}) 14... Nb5 15. Kh1 Rfc8 16. Rg1 Kh8 17. a4 Nc7 18. f4 a5 19. Nf3 Nce8 (19... Na6 {Was interesting} 20. Ne5 Nb4 21. Qc5 Qxc5 22. Rxc5 Nxd3 23. Nxd3 g6 {With approximate equality}) 20. Ne5 Rc7 21. f3 b6 22. Qf2 ( 22. e4 {Was more consistent, with big complications} c5 23. exd5 Nxd5 24. Bxh7 cxd4 25. Qf5 {And here Black has to find the accurate} Qf6 26. Ng6+ fxg6 27. Qxd5 Kxh7 28. Qxa8 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Nd6 {And he probably has adequate compensation for the exchange}) 22... c5 {[pgndiagram] Now Black creates some counterplay} 23. Rce1 cxd4 24. exd4 Qb4 25. Bb5 Rac8 26. Nd3 Qf8 27. Ne5 Qb4 28. Qe3 {Kozul avoids the repetition and wants to take risks in order to win} Nd6 29. Nd3 Nc4 30. Nxb4 Nxe3 31. Rxe3 axb4 32. Rb3 Rc2 33. Rxb4 $2 { [pgndiagram] Going over the top} (33. Rg2 {Would lead to a draw} Rc1+ 34. Rg1 R1c2 35. Rg2) 33... Rd2 34. Rb1 (34. Re1 {Was the only chance, trying to give up a piece for the 2 pawns} Rcc2 35. Re2 Rxe2 36. Bxe2 Rxe2 37. Rxb6) 34... Rcc2 {Now Black is winning} 35. Bf1 Rxh2+ 36. Kg1 g6 37. Rxb6 Nh5 38. Rc1 Rcd2 39. Rd1 Rc2 40. Rc1 Rxc1 41. Kxh2 Rxf1 42. f5 Ra1 {[pgndiagram] White has only one pawn for the piece and no compensation. The game is over} 43. f6 h6 44. b3 g5 45. Rb7 Ra2+ 46. Kg1 Kh7 47. Rxf7+ Kg6 48. Ra7 Kxf6 49. b4 Nf4 50. b5 h5 51. Ra8 g4 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

This meant that Liburnija wins the first place if they manage to win their match against Sljeme-Agroproteinka, Sesvete.

An encounter that ultimately determined the fate of the first place

It turned out to be a very close match whose outcome was decided by the sole win of the International Master Blažimir Kovačević over International Master Goran Djurovic on the 3rd board.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.14"] [Round "6.23"] [White "Kovacevic, Blazimir"] [Black "Djurovic, Goran"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A31"] [WhiteElo "2479"] [BlackElo "2389"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] [WhiteClock "1:30:00"] [BlackClock "1:30:00"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 e6 6. a3 Nf6 7. Nc3 a6 8. e4 Qc7 9. f4 d6 10. Be3 b6 11. Be2 Rb8 (11... Be7 {Was more normal} 12. O-O O-O 13. Rc1 Bb7) 12. Rc1 Be7 {[pgndiagram] The game has transposed from the English opening to a favourable hedgehog for White} 13. Nd5 $1 {A characteristic sacrifice} Qd8 $1 (13... exd5 {Is not advisable} 14. cxd5 Nxe4 15. Nd4) 14. Nxe7 Qxe7 15. Bf3 e5 16. f5 {White is markedly better, he has more space and the two bishops} Nd7 17. Na1 a5 18. b4 $6 {This pawn push is too hasty} (18. O-O O-O 19. Qd2 Ba6 20. b4 {Was more normal. White is better}) 18... axb4 19. Qa4 Bb7 20. axb4 Ra8 21. Qb3 Nd4 22. Bxd4 exd4 {[pgndiagram] Situation has improved for Black, White hasn't completed his development yet, and Black has a strong outpost on e5} 23. O-O (23. Nc2 d3 24. Qxd3 Ne5 25. Qe2 O-O 26. O-O Ra2 {Gives Black fantastic compensation for the pawn}) 23... O-O $2 (23... Ne5 {Was very unpleasant for White} 24. Nc2 d3 25. Ne3 Qg5) 24. Nc2 { Suddenly everything is in order for White} Nf6 (24... Ne5 {Was better nevertheless} 25. Nxd4 Qg5 26. Rcd1 Rfd8) 25. Rfe1 Qe5 26. Rcd1 Bc6 27. b5 Bxe4 28. Bxe4 Nxe4 29. Rxd4 Nc5 30. Qf3 Qf6 31. Qf4 (31. Red1 $5) 31... Rfe8 32. Rxe8+ Rxe8 33. Ne3 Ra8 $2 {[pgndiagram] The decisive mistake of the game} ( 33... h6 34. Nd5 Qd8 {Would given some chance of resisting}) 34. h3 h6 35. Qxd6 {One pawn falls, and the 2nd will soon follow} Qg5 36. Qf4 Qe7 37. Kh2 Ra1 38. Qb8+ Kh7 39. Rd8 g5 40. Rh8+ {The game that brought the Cup to Liburnija} 1-0 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

With this win, Liburnija, Rijeka ensured the first place. The heroes of the last round, Mornar, Split, were awarded the second place, whereas Zagreb, Zagreb had to be satisfied with only the third place.

Other interesting games and moments

Apart from the games crucial for the outcome of the tournament, there was also a number of fantastic games that weren’t as relevant for the final standings.

Let’s start with a Grandmaster encounter between Ante Brkić and Ivan Šarić.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.13"] [Round "5.11"] [White "Brkic, Ante"] [Black "Saric, Ivan"] [Result "*"] [ECO "B18"] [WhiteElo "2553"] [BlackElo "2618"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 e6 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O {[pgndiagram] The variation without h4-h5 is not considered as the most dangerous for Black. But still, White retains a slight advantage} Bd6 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 Nbd7 11. c4 Re8 12. Bxg6 hxg6 13. Qe2 a5 14. Ne5 (14. a4 {Preventing a4, came into consideration}) 14... a4 15. Bc3 Qe7 16. b4 $5 {Very imaginative} Bxb4 17. Bxb4 Qxb4 18. Rab1 Qd6 19. Rxb7 Red8 20. Rfb1 Rab8 21. Rxb8 Nxb8 22. Qe3 (22. Ne4 {It is very hard to judge which pieces to exchange} Nxe4 23. Qxe4 {And White retains some advantage, for instance} c5 24. dxc5 Qd1+ 25. Qe1 Qxe1+ 26. Rxe1 f6 (26... Rc8 27. Rb1) 27. Nxg6 Kf7 28. Nf4 Na6 29. c6 g5 30. Ne2 Rd6 31. c7 Rc6) 22... Nbd7 {[pgndiagram] Now c5 is coming and White has nothing any more} (22... Qxd4 $4 23. Qxd4 Rxd4 24. Rxb8+) 23. h3 c5 24. Qa3 $6 (24. Nxd7 Nxd7 25. dxc5 Nxc5 {Was wiser}) 24... Nxe5 25. dxe5 Qxe5 26. Qxa4 Qf4 27. Qb3 g5 {Now Black is the one who has greater chances} 28. Qb6 $2 {Not very careful} (28. a4 Rd2 29. Rf1 Qc7) 28... Rd2 {Exchanging the a pawn for the c pawn should be in Black's favour} 29. Qxc5 Rxa2 30. Rf1 Rb2 $6 {[pgndiagram] Not the most precise} (30... Rc2 31. Qc8+ Kh7 32. Qb7) (30... g6 {Creating space for the king on g7 was the best} 31. Qc8+ Kg7) 31. Qa3 Rb8 32. Rc1 g4 33. h4 Rc8 34. c5 Nd5 35. c6 {The c pawn is slightly annoying for Black, especially with the time trouble approaching} Nb4 36. Rc3 Nd5 {The c pawn is taboo} (36... Rxc6 37. Qa8+) (36... Nxc6 37. Rxc6) 37. Rc1 Kh7 $6 {Once again we see the pattern of players ignoring the three-fold repetition and getting punished for it} 38. Qc5 Rc7 $6 (38... Qe5) 39. Rc4 Qd2 $6 40. Ne4 Qe1+ $6 ( 40... Qd1+) 41. Kh2 {[pgndiagram]With the last couple of moves before the time trouble Black has landed into unpleasant position} Kg6 $2 {But this move hastens the end} (41... Qb1 $5 42. Qf8 $1 {And the computer finds a nice variation in which White ends up in a queen endgame with a pawn up} f6 43. Qe8 Re7 44. Nxf6+ gxf6 45. Qh5+ Kg8 46. Rxg4+ Rg7 47. Qe8+ Kh7 48. c7 Nxc7 49. Rxg7+ Kxg7 50. Qe7+ Kg6 51. Qxc7 {And it is very unpleasant to defend this endgame}) 42. Qf8 $1 Ne3 43. h5+ Kh7 44. Ng5+ Kh6 45. fxe3 f5 46. Nf3 gxf3 47. Qh8+ (47. Qe8 {Was winning immediately} Kh7 48. Rd4) 47... Kg5 48. Qd8+ Kh6 49. Qh8+ Kg5 50. Qd8+ Kh6 51. Qxc7 f2 52. Qf4+ Kh7 53. c7 Qg1+ 54. Kg3 f1=Q 55. Qxf1 Qxf1 56. c8=Q e5 57. Qe6 {A fascinating battle} * your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

Ante Brkić also produced a fighting draw together with the aforementioned Croatian Champion, Marin Bosiočić.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.12"] [Round "4.21"] [White "Bosiocic, Marin"] [Black "Brkic, Ante"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2603"] [BlackElo "2553"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Nb3 {[pgndiagram] No poisoned pawn, thank you very much} Be7 9. Qf3 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. Bd3 b5 12. a3 $6 (12. Kb1 b4 13. Ne2 Bb7 14. Rhe1 Rc8 15. Ned4 Nc5 { And it seems that here also Black has a good game}) 12... Rb8 13. Bh4 {I don't think that this retreat of the bishop is critical.} b4 (13... Nxe4 {This tactical trick also came into consideration} 14. Nxe4 Bxh4 15. Qg4 d5 16. Qxh4 (16. Nc3 Bf6) 16... dxe4 17. Bxe4 Nf6 18. Bd3 O-O {And Black is clearly better} ) 14. axb4 Rxb4 {Now Black has an easy game} 15. Be1 $2 {I think that here the bishop merely hinders the coordination of the White's pieces} (15. Kb1 Bb7 16. Qe2 O-O 17. g4 Nc5 18. Nxc5 dxc5) 15... Bb7 16. Kb1 Nc5 17. Nxc5 dxc5 18. Qe3 c4 19. Be2 Bc5 $5 {[pgndiagram]It is clear that Black already has the initiative} 20. Qg3 O-O 21. e5 Nd7 $2 {But this is a mistake} (21... Ng4 {Was a fantastic winning shot} 22. Bxg4 (22. Qxg4 Qb6 23. Ka1 Rb8) (22. Na2 {Also doesn't work, due to} Rxb2+ 23. Kxb2 Qb6+ 24. Kc1 Ne3 $3 {[pgndiagram] And the knight joins the attack as well} 25. Bc3 Ba3+ 26. Kd2 Rd8+ 27. Ke1 (27. Bd3) 27... Nxc2+ 28. Kf1 Ne3+ 29. Ke1) 22... Qb6 23. Ka1 Rb8 {And Black will soon win} (23... Rxb2 $4 24. Na4)) (21... Qb6 {Probably also wins} 22. exf6 g6 23. Ka1 Rb8 24. f5 Bd5 25. Qxb8+ Qxb8 26. Nxd5 exd5 27. Bxb4 Qxb4 28. Rxd5 c3 {And Black wins}) 22. Na2 Ra4 (22... Rxb2+ {Now doesn't work} 23. Kxb2 Qb6+ 24. Ka1 {And there is no Ne3 follow up}) 23. f5 {[pgndiagram] Overstepping the mark} ( 23. Nc3 {Would probably lead to a draw} Rb4 24. Na2) 23... Rb8 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Bg4 Bd5 $2 (25... Nf8 {Defending the king with the knight, and winning with the remaining pieces on the queenside, was correct.}) 26. Bc3 Ba3 27. Rxd5 {[pgndiagram] Highlighting the main drawback of the Bd5 move. The players are exchanging heavy punches, and it was a pleasure to watch this live} exd5 28. Bxd7 Bxb2 29. Bxb2 Qb6 30. Bb5 $3 {An amazing move; diverting the Black queen} (30. Qc3 d4) 30... Qxb5 31. Qc3 {Now d4 leads nowhere} Qc5 32. Ka1 Rb5 33. e6 { [pgndiagram]} d4 {Transposing to a drawn rook endgame} (33... Rb7 {Playing for the endgame, would allow Black to keep some chances} 34. Rd1 h6 35. e7 Rxe7 36. Kb1) 34. Qxd4 Qxd4 35. Bxd4 Rba5 36. Bc3 Rxa2+ 37. Kb1 R2a4 38. Bxa5 Rxa5 39. Rd1 {The endgame is drawn now.} Kf8 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Rd7+ Kf6 42. Rf7+ Kg6 43. Rc7 Re5 44. Rxc4 Rxe6 45. Rg4+ Kf7 46. Kb2 Re2 47. Kb3 g6 48. Rg3 Ke6 49. Rh3 Rxg2 50. Rxh7 {A fantastic game full of interesting variations, fighting spirit and mistakes in a complicated position.} 1/2-1/2 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

His teammate, Fide Master Josip Stočko, played probably the best game of the tournament. In his game against Grandmaster Dejan Pikula he finished the game in style by sacrificing his most valuable piece.

[Event "Croatian Chess Cup Final 2017"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.05.20"] [Round "?"] [White "Stocko, Josip"] [Black "Pikula, Dejan"] [Result "1-0"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "4q2k/4Npbn/ppb5/4P1BQ/1P1p4/3PR3/P4N1K/2r5 w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "9"] {[pgndiagram] Here stocko found the amazing} 1. Qxh7+ $3 {Winning} Kxh7 2. Rh3+ Bh6 3. Rxh6+ Kg7 4. Nf5+ {And here Pikula resigned due to} Kg8 5. Bf6 {I imagine it is a great pleasure to execute such a combination over the board.} 1-0 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

This event also saw the youngest Croatian International Master and my good friend Leon Livaić compete against strong Croatian Grandmasters for the first time since he captured the IM title.

Unfortunately, this time he didn’t fare that well, as he lost two games.

Although he is colloquially known as the best-prepared player in Croatia, this time he became a victim of yet another brilliant piece of preparation by the young Grandmaster Saša Martinović (readers might remember his 25 move win with Black against Ivan Šarić from the Croatian Championship).

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.12"] [Round "4.31"] [White "Livaic, Leon"] [Black "Martinovic, Sasa"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E73"] [WhiteElo "2464"] [BlackElo "2552"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Be3 {[pgndiagram] This variation has recently become popular on the highest level as Wesley So played it in a couple of games} e5 7. d5 Na6 8. g4 Nc5 9. Bf3 c6 {A novelty by Sasa in this position} 10. b4 cxd5 11. cxd5 (11. bxc5 d4) 11... Ncxe4 $1 {[pgndiagram] A great piece sacrifice} 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 f5 14. gxf5 gxf5 15. Bc2 f4 { I think that Sasa had 1 hour and 35 minutes on his clock.} 16. Bd2 (16. Qh5 { Is the best move in the position. Leon said he didn't see what to do after Black goes e4} e4 {Attacking the rook} 17. Bxe4 Rf7 18. Bxh7+ Kf8 19. Bd2 Qe7+ 20. Kf1 {And the position is highly unpleasant for White} Qe5 21. Qxe5 Bxe5 22. Bg6 Rf6 23. Rc1 Rxg6 24. Nf3 Bf5 {And Black has great compensation for the missing pawn. I guess that Sasa thought that there is little risk in playing this variation because even if White finds the best moves, Black isn't worse}) 16... e4 17. Bxe4 (17. Rc1 Qh4 18. Bxe4 Bg4 19. Qc2 Rae8 {Is clearly better for Black}) 17... Qe7 18. f3 Bf5 19. Rc1 Bxe4 20. Qe2 Qh4+ 21. Qf2 Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Bd4+ 23. Kg2 Bxd5 {[pgndiagram] And just like that, Black ends up with the two bishops and a pawn more. The game is virtually decided} 24. Ne2 Bb6 25. a4 Rf7 26. Bxf4 Re8 27. Nc3 Bc6 28. b5 Rxf4 29. bxc6 bxc6 30. Kg3 Ref8 31. Rhf1 Be3 32. Rc2 Rc4 33. Re1 Bf4+ 34. Kg2 d5 35. Ree2 Rf6 36. Nd1 Rg6+ 37. Kf1 Rxa4 {Another impressive piece of preparation by Sasa} 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

Still, even when not in his best form, Leon finished on 50 percent and lost only 5 rating points.

A couple of blunders

Naturally, every chess event features some big mistakes. We have already written that even world’s best players commit big blunders in the moments of tension.

We have singled two major mistakes, made by 2400+ players.

GM Jovanić wasn’t the only one who gave aways his pieces for free. In the game between Boris Golubović and Krešimir Podravec, the International master blundered a rook in a move.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.13"] [Round "5.53"] [White "Golubovic, Boris"] [Black "Podravec, Kresimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B14"] [WhiteElo "2404"] [BlackElo "2171"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. c4 c6 2. e4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. Nf3 Nf6 8. Bb5 a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Ne5 Bb7 11. O-O Be7 12. Bg5 O-O 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Na4 Qd6 17. Nc5 Bc8 18. Qd3 g6 19. Rfe1 Bf5 20. Qg3 Qb8 21. Qxb8 Rfxb8 22. b3 Ra7 23. f3 Kf8 24. g4 Bc8 25. Nd3 Rc7 26. Kf2 Rb6 27. Nf4 Rd7 28. Re5 Rd8 29. g5 Bf5 30. Rc5 Re8 31. Rxe8+ Kxe8 32. Ke3 Kd7 33. Ra5 Kd6 34. Ne2 Bc8 35. Nc3 Rb7 36. Rc5 Re7+ 37. Kd2 f6 38. gxf6 Rf7 39. Nxd5 Bb7 40. Nc3 Ke6 41. Ne4 Rd7 42. Re5+ Kf7 43. Re7+ {[pgndiagram] Embarking on a non existent combination} Rxe7 44. Nd6+ $4 {Just blundering the rook away} Kxf6 { And White can only resign} (44... Ke6 {Golubovic probably imagined he could win a piece} 45. fxe7 Kxe7 46. Nxb7) 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

International Master Miroslav Rade also overlooked a simple tactic in his game against International Master Uroš Krstić.

[Event "CRO Team Cup"] [Site "Mali Losinj"] [Date "2017.05.12"] [Round "4.52"] [White "Rade, Miroslav"] [Black "Krstic, Uros"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B15"] [WhiteElo "2434"] [BlackElo "2383"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. d4 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Bf5 Bc7 11. c3 Nd7 12. Qd3 Bg6 13. Re1 Nc5 14. Qc2 Bxf5 15. Qxf5 Ne6 16. Be3 Re8 17. Qc2 Qd6 18. c4 g6 19. Rad1 Ng7 20. d5 c5 21. b4 b6 22. bxc5 bxc5 23. g3 Nf5 24. Bf4 Qd7 25. Bxc7 Qxc7 26. Qa4 Rxe1+ 27. Nxe1 Nd4 28. Rd3 Rb8 29. Nf3 Nf5 30. Kg2 Kg7 31. Rb3 Rb6 32. Qa5 Nd6 33. Nd2 h5 34. h4 Kf8 35. Qa3 Kg7 36. Qb2 Qb7 {[pgndiagram]} 37. Qb1 $4 {Overlooking a simple two move tactic and losing two pawns} Nxc4 38. Qd3 Nxd2 39. Qxd2 Rxb3 40. axb3 Qxb3 41. d6 Qb7+ 42. Kf1 c4 43. Ke2 c3 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

Polet Buševec?

Finally, considering I don’t have the pleasure of playing in similar events very often, I would like to talk a bit about my own experience on Mali Lošinj.

My club Polet Buševec earned the right to participate by winning the qualification tournament of the Zagreb – area region. We arrived on Mali Lošinj without any major ambitions and with the intention to fully enjoy ourselves.

The 1st round was a perfect possibility for enjoyment. Since we were 13th seed, we were paired with the main favourites of the tournament, Zagreb, Zagreb, a team consisting of four 2500+ grandmasters.

I got the opportunity to play against former European Champion and World Cup finalist, a 2600 grandmaster Zdenko Kozul.

Since this is only my 2nd serious encounter against a player of such a calibre, I will, of course, include this game in this post as well.

[Event "1. kolo"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.05.10"] [Round "?"] [White "Nemec, V."] [Black "Kozul, Z."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B22"] [PlyCount "66"] [SourceDate "2017.05.10"] {I have played the grandmaster of such a calibre only once (Vladislav Nevednichy), and felt both excited and nervous} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 $6 {A slight surprise, I considered only 2... d6 and 2... Nc6 as possibilities} 3. c3 {I don't have anything else against 2...e6... yet} Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 {Generally I like to play the c3 Sicilian against 2...e6, since now the d6-Nc6 equalizing plan is not available for Black} b6 $5 {And this is already a slight surprise, Kozul was probably trying to avoid lines familiar to me} ( 6... d6 7. Bc4 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 b6 10. Bxd5 exd5 11. Nc3 {Is how Stevic beat Kozul in one Croatian Championship}) 7. Bd3 (7. Nc3 {Is probably the main move here, I have played this variation a couple of times over the Internet} Nxc3 8. bxc3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Nc6 {But I don't have the best score from this position }) 7... Ba6 {I wasn't expecting this} (7... Bb7 {Is how people played against me previously.}) 8. O-O Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Nc6 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 {[pgndiagram] I realized here that I don't have a significant advantage, but also I knew that I can't be seriously worse.} Rc8 {And this is a very rare move} (11... d5 12. exd6 Bxd6 {Appeared previously}) 12. Bd2 $2 {Too passive} (12. Ng5 {Was one possibility} d5 13. exd6 Bxd6 14. Ne4 O-O) (12. c4 {Was other} Na5 13. Bg5 Be7 (13... Qc7 14. Rfc1) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Rac1) (12. d5 $1 {Was the best} exd5 13. Qxd5 Be7 14. Rd1 {And White has the advantage}) 12... d6 (12... Na5 $5 {Is what I was expecting} 13. Rfe1 Qc7 14. Rac1 Nc4 15. d5) 13. exd6 Qxd6 {Also rather unconventional} (13... Bxd6 14. c4 O-O 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Rac1 Qd7 {With complex play}) 14. c4 {I wanted to push this before Black plays Na5-Nc4} (14. Rab1 {Is the computer suggestion} Be7 15. Rb5 O-O 16. Rh5 g6 17. Rh3 Bf6 {But this looks rather ugly}) 14... Be7 {Now I realized that Bf6 is unpleasant for me} 15. d5 (15. Qe4 O-O 16. d5 {Would be similar to the game}) (15. Rfe1 Bf6 16. Rad1 {Was rather interesting, although I didn't consider such variations at all} Nxd4 17. Ng5 $1 Qe7 18. Nxh7) 15... O-O 16. Qe4 $6 {Not the best} (16. Rfe1 {Developing further, was better} Rfd8 {I wasn't sure what to do after this move} 17. Rac1 {But this is the solution} exd5 18. cxd5 Nb4 (18... Qxd5 19. Qxd5 Rxd5 20. Rxc6) 19. Bxb4 Qxb4 20. Rcd1 {With approximate equality}) 16... Nd8 $6 {Also not the best move in the position} (16... f5 $1 {Was the best reaction, taking advantage of the queen on e4} 17. Qxe6+ Qxe6 18. dxe6 Nd8 {And Black will have the better endgame}) (16... Nb4 17. Bxb4 Qxb4 18. dxe6 { Is good for me}) 17. Rfd1 {[pgndiagram] Here it was hard to decide on the rook arrangement} (17. Rfe1 {Was more natural} Qa3 (17... Bf6 18. Rad1 Qa3 19. Bg5 Bxg5) 18. Re3 Qa4 19. Ne5) (17. Bf4 Qb4 {Was unpleasant} 18. Rac1 exd5) (17. Ng5 f5 18. Qe2 Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Nf7 20. Be3 e5 {Was also very pleasant for Black}) 17... f5 $5 {Thematic move} (17... exd5 18. cxd5 Nb7 (18... Re8 19. Bf4 Qa3 20. d6) 19. Bf4 Qb4 20. Qxb4 Bxb4 21. Nd4 {With equality}) 18. Qe2 (18. Qe5 Qxe5 19. Nxe5 Bf6 20. f4 Bxe5 21. fxe5 Rxc4) 18... Bf6 19. Rab1 {[pgndiagram] Threatening Bb4} (19. Rac1 e5) 19... Re8 20. Bb4 $2 {So far I have played very well, but here I start losing the thread of the game. The move in the game loses a tempo to force the Black queen to go to a more favourable position} ( 20. Qd3 Qd7 21. Qb3 e5 22. Bc3 Nb7 {Was better for Black}) (20. Bg5 {Was the best move in the position, exchanging the bad bishop for Black's good one} Bxg5 21. Nxg5 h6 22. Nf3 Nf7 23. dxe6 Qxe6 24. Qxe6 Rxe6 25. Rd7 {And Black has slightly more favourable endgame}) (20. Re1 $5 {Is also interesting} e5 21. Nd4 Qd7 22. Nb5 e4 23. Rb3) 20... Qd7 {Now it is not clear what White should do} 21. Qd3 $2 (21. Ne5 {Was better} Bxe5 (21... exd5 22. Nxd7 Rxe2 23. Nxf6+ {I thought I had very unpleasant endgame here, but probably that was too pessimistic evaluation} gxf6 24. Rxd5 (24. cxd5 Rcc2) 24... Rxa2 25. Rxf5 (25. Rd7 Nf7) 25... Rxc4 26. Be7) 22. Qxe5 Rxc4 {I didn't consider this, I forgot my pawn is hanging. Black is better} (22... exd5 23. Qxd5+ Qxd5 24. cxd5 Rc2)) 21... e5 22. Qb3 Nb7 {Now Black's pieces are more active than White's counterparts. My knight on f3 is particularly sad} 23. Ne1 $2 {A bad decision, stranding the knight further. However, it is hard to suggest an alternative} ( 23. Rbc1 Nc5 24. Bxc5 Rxc5) (23. a4 Nc5 24. Bxc5 Rxc5) (23. h3 Nc5 {Nc5 leaves Black better everywhere}) (23. Qa3 e4 24. Nd4 Rxc4) 23... e4 {Of course!} 24. d6 $2 {Starting to panick} (24. Nc2 f4 {I didn't like the prospect of future f3 } 25. Nd4 f3 26. gxf3 exf3 27. Nxf3 a5 28. Ba3 b5 {And White has serious problems} 29. Qxb5 (29. cxb5 Qg4+ 30. Kh1 Rc3)) (24. f3 e3 25. Nd3 e2 26. Re1 Qc7 27. Rbc1 a5 28. Ba3 Re3 {And Black is again better}) (24. f4 e3 25. Nf3 e2 26. Re1 Qc7 27. Rbc1 {And White has a lot of problems} Nc5 28. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 29. Kh1 Re3) 24... Nc5 25. Qh3 {Preventing f4 in radical way, but...} g6 { [pgndiagram] A cold shower} (25... f4 {Was very good as well} 26. Qxd7 Nxd7) 26. Rd5 {I wanted to double the c pawns} (26. Bxc5 Rxc5) 26... Red8 $6 (26... Ne6 {Was winning on the spot} 27. Qb3 Nd4) 27. Qa3 $2 (27. Bxc5 {Was the only chance} Rxc5 28. Rxc5 bxc5 29. Rd1 Bd4 30. Nc2 Qxd6 {But even here Black is probably winning}) 27... Ne6 28. Qc1 $2 {Blundering the c4 pawn, after which d6 will soon fall as well} Qc6 29. Qd1 Qxc4 30. d7 Rc6 31. Rd6 Nd4 32. Rxc6 Qxc6 33. Rc1 $2 {A final mistake in a lost position} Qxc1 {A nice experience and a great lesson.} 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

Like pigs to slaughter.

Unfortunately, this turned to be our first and only encounter against such a strong team.

After a convincing win in the 2nd round, we suffered a very disappointing loss in the 3rd round, after an unfortunate loss of our 4th board in time trouble, with the result standing at 1.5-1.5.

[Event "CRO Team Cup 2017"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.05.21"] [Round "?"] [White "Kos, Bruno"] [Black "Štrukelj, Zlatko"] [Result "0-1"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/b7/8/p1P1p3/P3Nk1p/5P1P/4K3/8 w - - 0 0"] [PlyCount "12"] {[pgndiagram] White is completely winning here, but it is not that easy.} 1. Kf2 $2 {Losing most part of the advantage} (1. c6 {Was winning, but White has to be careful with his next knight jump} Bb6 (1... Bb8 2. Nc5 $1 {Only this move wins now, White has to gain a tempo on the bishop} (2. Nf6 Kg3 3. Nd5 Kxh3 4. c7 Bxc7 5. Nxc7 Kg2 {Is equal})) 2. Nf6 Kg3 3. Nd5 {Gaining a tempo on the bishop} Bd8 4. c7 Bxc7 5. Nxc7 Kxh3 6. Kf2 {And White is winning}) 1... Kf5 2. Ke2 $2 {Losing another tempo} (2. Ke3 Ke6 3. f4 {Would still allow White to play for the win} exf4+ 4. Kd4 Kd7 5. Nd2 Kc6 6. Nb3 f3 7. Nxa5+ Kd7 8. Ke3 Bxc5+ 9. Kxf3 {Although even here Black should draw with precise play}) 2... Ke6 3. Ke3 Kd5 {Now the logical outcome is draw} 4. f4 $4 {[pgndiagram] Throwing the game away} Bxc5+ 5. Nxc5 exf4+ 6. Kxf4 Kxc5 {And Black wins the race and the game} 0-1 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

All in all, we played within the limits of our capabilities and took 14th place in the end.

The final result could have been even better, but I managed to display some of my amazing technique in my last round game against International Master Branko Vujaković.

The finish to that game was described in the daily chess tactics # 50 post.

As a consequence of that miss, our last round match was drawn. Had we won, we would have probably ended somewhere around 6th or 7th place. But as our president often says, “that would be too much for you guys anyway.” 😀

Apart from that small disappointment, everything else was perfect. My teammates, although older by age, were immature enough to keep me laughing during our whole stay in Mali Lošinj.

We also took advantages of the swimming pool, went for occasional walks, and of course, were forced to watch Foxy Videos by our fastest improving player, Bruno Kos.

Naturally, we didn’t watch them as much as he’d like because we were quite busy with some primitive time wasting activities like sleeping longer than 6 a.m.

Anyway, I had a great time in Mali Lošinj and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to that fact; especially my teammates who endured my reign as the team captain.