REMEMBERING ICCF GAME OF THE MONTH

Dr Vytas Palciauskas, 10th World CC Champion used to bring out a very interesting Game of the Month column at the ICCF Web Site. In recent years this column appears to have been discontinued. Here is one of the last few games published. For the full game with notes by the winner and comments by Dr Vytas Palciauskas please see the ICCF website.

1.c4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.a3 5.d5 Bd6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.g3 Na6 8.Bg2 0-0 9.Nd4 Be5 10.0-0 Nc5 11.Rb1 Nce4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.dxe6 Qf6 14.Nf3 dxe6 15.Nxe5 Qxe5 16.Qc2 Qf6 17.b4 Rfd8 18.Bb2 Qe7 19.Rfd1 c5 20.f3 Nf6 21.b5 Qc7 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.Rd1 Rxd1+ 24.Qxd1 Kf7 25.Qd3 a6 26.a4 a5 27.Kf2 Qd7 28.Be5

28…Be4!? 29.Qc3 Bb7 30.Qc2 Qe7 31.Qd3 g5 32.h4 gxh4 33.gxh4 Ke8 34.Kg3 Nd7 35.Bc7 Qf6 36.Qd6 Ba8 37.Kh3 Qg6 38.Qg3 Kf7 39.Qg5 Qf6 40.Bd8 Qxg5 41.hxg5

1-0

With the Queens gone, black's knight tied to the defense of the b-pawn and his bishop restricted to three squares, the position is critical. Tsvetkov sportingly resigned without waiting to see the continuations.