When Jorge Cori was proclaimed under 14 world champion in Turkey in late 2009, it was hard to believe that in the near future he would reach even higher goals. But the young Grand Master has demonstrated to have the ability to quickly evolve and reinvent himself each time. His style has the maturity of a veteran and his polished technique makes him able to convert a microscopic advantage into a resounding victory. In August, Jorge will go to Russia. There he will find the best players on the planet. So this is his great opportunity to keep climbing to the top of chess Olympus. The game that we are going to watch now was played in the final round at the recent Continental Tournament in Toluca in which Jorge Cori defeats Mexican GM José González thus gaining the qualification for the Khanty Mansiysk fair.

[Event “Absolute Continental”]
[Site “Toluca, MEX”]
[Date “2011.4.24”]
[Round “9”]
[White “José González”]
[Black “Jorge Cori”]
[Result “0-1”]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 The Slav Defense of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, currently Jorge’s favorite weapon against 1.d4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 The Slav Accepted, Czech Defense 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.0–0 Dutch Variation 8…Nbd7 9.Qe2 Bg6 10.e4 0–0 Ensuring the king’s position. Black would win a pawn with 10…Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxe4 but after 12.Ba3 it couldn’t inmediately castle short 11.Bd3

With the idea of advancing his e4-pawn and capturing the g6-bishop, weakening a little bit Black’s Kingside, or forcing Black to capture on d3 with which White queen would become more active 11…Bh5 Opposing the idea aforementioned, pinning the f3-knight and looking for liberating the game in the center with e5 12.e5 White realizes this move thus Black can’t execute for now its projected advance in the center 12…Nd5 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.Qe3 Interesting maneuver that gets out of the pin of the knight and threatens Ng5 followed by Qh3 with a dangerous attack over enemy king

14…Be7! Very well done because it takes back the dark-squared bishop which had stayed inactive on the Queenside, while reinforcing the Kingside against the projected knight jump to g5 15.Ng5 Now this jump is not of great danger for Black 15…Bxg5 16.Qxg5 Bg6 Jorge abstains from trading the queens waiting for his rival to do so as to allow him to activate his king’s rook without delay 17.Be2 Rc8 Takes the “c” file which will be very important in the later course of the game 18.Qxd8 Rfxd8 As mentioned above, Black has activated the play of its king’s rook thanks to the queens trading on d8 19.Bg5 f6 The best answer because in this manner Black will make sure a preponderance in the center which will be the second decisive theme in this game 20.exf6 gxf6 21.Bh4

Perhaps it might have been better 21.Bh6 supporting the location of the White rooks on c1 and controlling the dark squares around Black king 21…Kf7 Jorge activates his king with a view to the endgame 22.Rfc1

22…Nb8! Now this knight is going to start an interesting path on the Queenside. Obviously 22…Rxc1+ 23.Rxc1 would facilitate White’s task, allowing the subsequent rooks trading thus it would arrive to a minor pieces endgame without any complication 23.f3 To actívate the dark-square bishop by f2 23…Nc6 24.Bf2 Na5 Threatening the fork on b3 25.Bd1 Nc4 26.b3 Moving away from the c4-knight attack. Also 26.Rc3 was possible, threatening to double the rooks along the “c” file and if 26…Nxb2 then 27.Rb3 Nxd1 28.Rxb7+ Ke8 29.Rxd1 though Black would have a slight advantage for its superiority in the center 26…Nb2 27.Be2 Anticipating the knight jump to d3 27…Nd3 28.Bxd3 Bxd3

As a result of the knight maneuver, Black has activated his bishop which is going to provide support to get the central pawns going 29.Be1 e5! The first action toward victory 30.dxe5 fxe5 31.Rxc8 31.Bg3 Ke6 32.Re1 e4 33.Bf2 a6 34.Rac1 was easier and after rooks trading along the “c” file the game would turn into a drawish endgame 31…Rxc8 Now Black temporally controls the “c” file 32.Rd1 e4! Approaching the crowning area 33.Bf2 a5

33…a6 would have been the “normal” and after 34.fxe4 dxe4 35.Be3 Rc2 36.Rd2 Rc1+ 37.Kf2 Rf1+ 38.Kg3 Rb1 39.Rf2+ Ke6 40.Rf4 Rxb3 41.Rh4 it would arrive to an endgame with a passed pawns struggle on both sides. However, Jorge’s move implies to give up the a-pawn looking at buying time for his passed pawn’s advance in the center 34.fxe4 dxe4 35.Bb6 Ke6 36.Bxa5 e3 37.Re1 e2 38.Kf2 Ke5 The critical position in the game

39.Rxe2+? Unnecessarily complicates the game. 39.Ke3! Ba6 (if 39…Bc2 40.Rxe2 Bxb3 41.Rb2 with a manageable endgame) 40.Bd2 was correct and White would have no problem because the square e1 would be well controlled with which its rook would have active play 39…Bxe2 40.Kxe2 So we have a rook against bishop endgame with two more pawns for White instead of exchange which theoretically means equal strength. But we all know that the mobility of the rook is much higher than that of the bishop for its ability to quickly move from one side to the other making it easier to attack the opponent pawns and coordinate better with its own pawns. Therefore, for practical purposes, the handling of this endgame is very difficult for White 40…Rc2+! The first important step: the rook’s infiltration on the opposite field 41.Bd2 Ke4! Jorge maximizes the activity of his king 42.b4 Ra2 43.a5 Ensuring the Queenside pawns 43…Rb2 44.g4 Rb3

45.h4?? This move seems to be the decisive mistake in this endgame because creates a second weakness that Black is going to exploit in “scientific” style. 45.Kf2 was the best and after 45…Kd3 then 46.Be3 Rxb4 47.Kf3 Ra4 48.Bb6 and though Black is going to trade his h-pawn for the White pawns on the Kingside with which it would have a winning endgame, is not secure that wins before the 50 regulation moves. So this was the only way that White had to try to save the game 45…Rg3! After this move White is lost since it is incapable of defending its weaknesses on both sides 46.Be1 In addition to this move, White has other two possibilities:

46.g5 Rg2+! To obligate the White king to move to e1 precluding the bishop to move to this square 47.Ke1 (after 47.Kd1?? the game would have an immediate end after 47…Kd3! 48.Be1 Ra2 and Black wins due to the mating threat on a1 because if 49.Kc1 Ra1+ 50.Kb2 Rxe1 the fight is over) 47…Kd3! 48.Bf4 Rg4 49.Bd6 Rxh4 and with the bishop placed on the opposite side of the table, Black would win for the threats over b4 and g5-pawns and for the continued threat of double attack over the king and the bishop.

46.b5 Rg2+! Again the check on g2 to obligate the king to retire to e1 47.Ke1 Rxg4 48.Bg5 Kf3! and White would have no defense against the translation of the rook toward the Queenside with which all the pawns on this side would disappear. This will be followed for the fall of the last White pawn due to the complete disconnect between the bishop and the king.

46…Rxg4 47.b5 47.Bf2 Kd5 48.Be1 Re4+ 49.Kf1 Kc4 50.h5 Re5 51.h6 Rh5 52.Bd2 Kd3 53.Be1 Rh1+ 54.Kf2 Kc4 55.Bd2 Rh2+ 56.Ke1 Rg2 doesn’t save the game and White has no way of preventing the fall of its Queenside pawns anymore. The attempt with 47.Kd2 leads to nothing after 47…Kd4 48.Ke2 Re4+ 49.Kf1 Kc4 transposing to the same position of 49th move of the last line.

47…Rg6! Now the Black rook is going to mobilize to the Queenside, with the already set out outcome in the previous comments 48.Bf2 Rd6 49.Bg3 Rd5 50.a6 Rxb5 51.axb7 Rxb7 52.Kf2 What follows is easy for Black. However, the precision with which Jorge finishes off the opponent is noteworthy 52…Rb2+ 53.Kg1 Kf3 54.Bd6 Rg2+ 55.Kh1 Rd2 56.Bc7 Kg4 57.Kg1 Kxh4 58.Bf4 Ra2 59.Be5 Kh3 60.Bd6 Rg2+ 61.Kf1 Rg6 62.Bc7 Rg7 63.Be5 Rg4 64.Kf2 Kh4 65.Bf6+ Kh5 66.Kf3 Rg1 67.Be5 Rg5 68.Bg3 Rg4 69.Bf4 Kh4 70.Bh6 Kh3 71.Kf2 Rg2+

White resigned. After 72.Kf3 Rg6 73.Bf4 Rf6 74.Ke4 Kg4 the pawn’s advance decides the game 0–1

Robert M. Cuadros
May 2011

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