2013 Belarus championship in Russian draughts (top league).

Round 1

Plakhin – Valyuk

1. g3-f4 White has to equalise. The doyen of Russian draughts, Arkady Mironovich Plakhin, thought for a long time over this move, running through long variations in his head. Wild positions like this have evidently not come his way often, especially against grandmasters and European and world champions.
( The second possible plan for equalising was 1. e3-d4 d2:b4 2. a3:c5 d6:b4 3. a5:c3, as in S. Belosheev’s game at the World Cup (stage 1) in 2012 against S. Mullin )

1…d2:b4 2. a3:c5 b6:d4 3. e3:c5 d6:b4 4. a5:c3 a7-b6 White has to fight for equality.

5.h2-g3 f6-g5 6. c3-b4 g5:e3 7. f2:d4 e7-d6 8. b4-c5 d6:b4 9. b2-a3 b4-c3 10. d4:b2 One of those dynamic positions in which grandmasters feel like fish in water. White’s left flank is undeveloped and the right flank is weakened.

10…hg7 11. b2-c3 g7-f6 12. c1-d2 f6-e5 Black attacks 13. d2-e3 And White has built a defensive chain along the 3rd rank; the one trouble is the backward piece on a1.

13…f8-e7 14. a3-b4 c7-d6 15. a1-b2 d8-c7 White has at last developed the backward a1 piece, while Black has built a most powerful column and controls practically everything in the position. Playing White here is simply frightening. But the patriarch of draughts calculated a draw in the endgames and slipped like an eel out of the net of European champion A. Valyuk 16. b2-a3! e5-f4 17. g3:e5 d6:f4:d2 18. b4-a5 d2:b4 19. a3:c5:a7 e7-d6!

A long series of 9 forced moves to the draw begins for White. Every other move leads to a loss for White.
20. g1-f2! h6-g5 21. f2-e3! d6-c5 22. e1-d2! g5-h4 23. d2-c3! c5-b4 24. c3-d4 b4-a3 25. d4-c5 a3-b2 26. e3-d4! b2-c1 27. d4-e5! h4-g3

28. e5-f6 !
( 28. c5-b6? c7-d6 29. e5:c7 b8:d6 30. a7-b8 c1-f4 31. b8:e5 f4:b8x )
c1-a3 29. c5-b6 c7-d6 30. f6-g7 a3-b2 31. g7-h8 b2-a1 32. b6-c7 A draw! Such a draw is worth many wins. Bravo, maestro Arkady Mironovich!!

In the second game between the grandmasters, Valyuk – Plakhin, after the moves 1. g3-f4 d2:b4 2. a3:c5 b6:d4 3. e3:c5 d6:b4 4. a5:c3 e7-d6 5. f2-e3 a7-b6 6. c3-d4 f6-g5 7. h2-g3 b6-c5 8. d4:b6 c7:a5 9. b2-c3 d6-c5 10. e3-d4 the game quickly reached a drawn result.

Kadesnikov – Kunitsa

The position arises with colours reversed and out of the flying-draughts opening g3-h6 h6-a5 after the move 1. h2-g3

1. g3-f4 The strongest move f6-g5
( there is also a plan with 1… b6-a5 )
2. h4:f6 g7:e5:g3 Making way for the piece on h8
( 2… e7:g5! 3. c3-d4 b6-a5 is also possible, with an interesting game )
3. f2:h4
( 3. h2:f4 h8-g7 4. c3-d4 is also possible, with an equal game )

3…h8-g7 4. c3-d4 A hasty move into the centre. White ends up with a weak centre.
( Here 4. h2-g3 g7-f6 5. g3-f4 is usually played )
4…g7-f6 5. b2-c3 A strategic mistake.
( 5. h2-g3 was necessary )
5…f6-g5! 6. h4:f6 e7:g5 Black finds a strong exchange that controls the f4 square and fixes White’s unsupported centre 7. h2-g3 f8-g7 8. g3-h4 g7-f6 9. e1-f2

9…d6-e5 An inaccuracy.
( 9… b8-a7 won: 10. a1-b2 White has built battle columns, but too late. Black’s strategy triumphs! b6-a5 11. f2-g3 d6-e5 12. g3-f4 e5:g3 13. h4:f2 c7-d6 )
10. f2-g3? The decisive mistake by the former champion of Belarus.
Salvation lay in completing the columns with 10. a1-b2 b6-a5 11. d4-c5=
10…d8-e7 The threat is to win a piece, and from here Black swallows White’s position like a boa constrictor 11. g3-f4 e5:g3 12. h4:f2 c7-d6 13. f2-g3 d6-e5 14. g3-h4 g5-f4 15. e3:g5 h6:f4 16. g1-f2

16…b6-c5
( 16… b8-c7! won easily: 17. f2-e3 b6-a5 18. e3:g5 a5-b4 19. c3:a5 e5:c3:e1 )
17. d4:b6 f4-g3 18. f2-e3 g3-h2 19. e3-f4?
( 19. b6-a7 e7-d6 20. e3-d4 gave a draw )
19… e5:g3 20. h4:f2 f6-e5 21. f2-e3 h2-g1 22. b6-a7 g1:d4:b2 23. a1:c3 e5-f4 24. c3-d4 f4-g3 25. d4-c5 g3-f2 26. d2-c3 f2-e1 27. c3-d4 e1-b4 0-2

Round 2

Stelmakh – Bakach

1. c3-d4
According to Edeon’s theory of flying draughts, 1. c3-b4 is played here
1…f6-e5 2. d4:f6 g7:e5 3. a3-b4 h8-g7 4. b4-a5 g7-f6 5. b2-c3 b6-c5 6. a1-b2 a7-b6 7. b2-a3 c5-d4 8. c3-b4 b6-c5

9. d2-e3 A weak move.
9. c1-b2 c7-b6 10. a5:c7 d8:b6 11. b4-a5 was necessary, with an advantage for White
9. f6-g5 A tempting sacrifice, but much stronger is 9… c7-b6! 10. a5:c7 d8:b6 11. g3-f4
( 11. b4-a5? loses because of Kukuev’s little trick: d4-c3 12. a5:c7 c5-d4 13. e3:c5 d6:b4 14. a3:c5 b8:d6:b4x )
11…e5:g3 12. h2:f4 b6-a5 13. f4-e5 a5:c3 14. e5:c7 b8:d6 Capturing the other way loses, because Black simply goes into the kings 15. c1-d2 f6-e5 16. d2:b4 e5-f4 17. e3:g5 h4:f6-+ )
10. h6:f4 f8-g7 11. f4-g5 h4:f6 12. g3-h4 g7-h6 13. h2-g3 f6-g5 14. h4:f6 e5:g7 15. g3-f4 e7-f6 16. f4-e5 d6:f4:d2 17. b4:d6 c7:e5 18. c1:e3:c5 h6-g5 19. c5-b6 e5-d4

20. a3-b4
( More logical is 20. e1-d2 f6-e5 21. b6-a7 g5-f4 22. a5-b6 g7-h6 23. b6-c7 b8:d6 24. d2-c3 d4:b2 25. a3:c1 e5-d4 26. a7-b8 d8-c7 27. f2-e3 d4:f2 28. g1:e3:g5 h6:f4 29. b8-a7 f4-g3= )
f6-e5 21. b6-a7 d8-c7 22. b4-c5 d4:b6 23. a7:c5 g7-f6

24. f2-g3?? Probably a time-trouble mistake
( 24. c5-b6 was necessary: c7-d6 25. b6-a7 g5-f4 26. f2-e3 f4:d2 27. e1:c3 d6-c5 28. a5-b6 c5-d4 29. c3-b4 d4-e3 30. b6-c7 b8:d6 31. a7-b8 e3-d2 32. b4-c5 d6:b4 33. b8:f4:c1 b4-c3 34. g1-f2 f6-g5 35. c1:h6 c3-b2= )
24…c7-d6 25. c5:e7 f6:d8 x White’s position is hopeless.

Round 3

Stelmakh – Plakhin

Henri Estienne: «If youth but knew, if age but could» — figuratively: regret that the energy of the young and the experience of the old cannot be combined
1. a3-b4 d6-e5 2. e3-d4 h6-g5 3. b4-a5 g5-h4 4. d2-e3 g7-h6 5. c3-b4 e5:c3 6. b4:d2 b6-c5 Theory

7. b2-c3? hands the whole initiative to Black. 7.ba3 ! had to be played, with equality 7…c5-b4 8. c3-d4 b4-a3 9. g3-f4 f6-g5 10. a1-b2 e7-f6 A new move in theory. Theory previously gave 10…ab6 or 10…hg7 11. b2-c3? Loses. 11. d2-c3 had to be played, with an equal game
h8-g7 12. f2-g3 h4:f2 13. e1:g3 g5-h4

14. g1-f2?
14. f4-g5! was necessary: h4:f2 15. g5:e7 f8:d6 16. e3-f4 with the trap f2-e1? 17. g1-f2 e1:g3:e5 18. d4:f6:h8x and Black is forced to part with the extra piece by 16…g7-f6
14…f8-e7 The grandmaster finds the shortest road to victory. 15. f4-e5 e7-d6 16. e3-f4 d6-c5 17. d4:b6 f6:d4:b2x The grandmaster’s experience defeated youth.

Valyuk – Kadesnikov

1. e3-d4 b6-a5 2. d4-c5 d6:b4 3. a3:c5 f6-g5

4. g3-h4! The strongest move! Grandmaster A. Valyuk has played this position more than once at a high level and knows all its subtleties. 4…g5-f4
( Garmatny played worse: 4… c7-b6 5. h4:f6 b6:d4 6. c3:e5 e7:g5+- Belarus championship 2007 )
5. c3-d4 c7-d6
( S. Maksimchuk played 5… h6-g5 6. h4:f6 g7:e5:c3 7. b2:d4 f4-e3 8. d2:f4 c7-d6= MARCH-1995 )
6. d4-e5 d6:b4 7. e5:g3 b4-a3

White has won the opening duel and will play from here on with the strong right flank 8. f2-e3 e7-f6 Black builds a column in vain, blocking his own flank. 9. b2-c3 a7-b6 10. g1-f2 b6-c5 11. g3-f4 ! Black was probably counting on exchanges. 11.c3-b4
11… c5-b4 12. f4-g5 h6:f4 13. e3:g5:e7 d8:f6

White’s position is frighteningly torn apart across the flanks — over three whole files! Strategically Black is already hopeless. 14. h2-g3 g7-h6 15. f2-e3 f8-g7 Black has again built a column for future exchanges, but this no longer saves the game. 16. e1-f2! b8-c7 17. e3-f4 c7-d6 18. f2-e3 d6-e5 19. f4:d6 f6-g5 20. h4:f6 g7:c7

Black exchanged, and what of it? The gap between Black’s flanks has now reached 5 files!

21. e3-f4 h8-g7 22. g3-h4 g7-f6 23. c3-d4 h6-g5 24. f4:h6 c7-d6 25. d2-e3 d6-e5 26. e3-f4 e5:c3 27. f4-g5 c3-d2 28. c1:e3 a3-b2 29. g5:e7 b2-c1 30. h4-g5 c1:f4 31. g5:e3x

As the Germans say: a colossal game! And as grandfather Lenin used to say: «There is such a party!»

Round 4