The Bukayev-Grischuk Variation in Two Games – without and with the Winning Blow Bxf7+!

 

The Bukayev-Grischuk Variation in Two Games –

without and with the Winning Blow Bxf7+!    

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

 

Last year my article with the start of my old tournament game against the future World Blitz Chess Champion Alexander I. Grischuk was published on ‘Bruno’s Chess Problem of the Day’ website with my analyses of it.

I should repeat the following from that my article. This notable tournament chess game Bukayev, Yury V. – Grischuk, Alexander (Aleksandr) I. was played at the Moscow Junior Championship, in 1993 (the address is Moscow, Marshal Vasilevsky street, 9), 30 years ago, with a standard time control. It was the 2^nd tour, and it was a Swiss-system tournament, we both had 1 tournament point after the 1^st tour. Alexander Grischuk was 10 years old that time, I was 11. He was a real chess star in the world among young chess players: he was the U10 World Vice-Champion (1992). He was almost a CM in chess, I had the 2^nd category only, the first chess tournament in my life was started in the end of 1991 only... Nobody prepared me to the game against Alexander, unfortunately. I have lost this game in 42 moves by resignation after 2 hours (approximately) of fighting.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nf3 e4 6.Nd4 d5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Nc3 dxc4

I’ll not repeat my commentaries of these moves. Here is a continuation of this game.

 9.Bxc4!

This my strong move leads to much more complicated play than its very good alternative – 9.Nxc6!, which was analysed on ‘Bruno’s Chess Problem of the Day’. Nobody in the world has played 9.Bxc4! earlier, and further play has been strong, so it can be named as ‘Bukayev-Grischuk Variation’ or ‘Bukayev-Grischuk System’ of Anti-Benoni (A31), analogously to ‘Hamppe-Meitner Variation’ from the ‘Immortal Draw’ game between these two masters. I hope to publish my more large analysis of this my game since 9.Bxc4 on ‘Bruno’s Chess Problem of the Day’ soon.

 9…Ne5 10.Be2

It is a very good move, although 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.0-0! is the best way, where White has some advantage in the complicated play.

 10…Bc5 11.0-0 0-0 12.h3?!

When Top GM Ian Nepomniachtchi has played h2-h3? against World Champion Top GM Magnus Carlsen during the World Chess Championship Match in 2021 and when Top GM Ding Liren has played h2-h3? against Top GM Ian Nepomniachtchi during the World Chess Championship Match in 2023, many commentators have started to search explanations of these grandmaster ideas. Here commentators can explain my choice more easily, but it isn’t so important. The best move could be 12.Qc2! here, and White could fight for the advantage. Probably, the glory of my opponent affected me negatively, my thoughts were not brave, my notes of moves became not very good too…

 12…Qe7!

 Bravo, Alexander! Black gets the advantage, although White has serious defensive resources yet.

 13.a3 Rd8 14.b4 Bd6 15.f3?! Nc6?! 16.Qc2?

This pressure doesn’t work here, the move 16.f4 is necessary. Now Black gets an extra pawn.

 16…Qe5! 17.f4 Nxd4 18.exd4 Qxd4+ 19.Kh1

My mood became very bad after my loss of the pawn, and I tried absently to make an impossible move instead of 19.Kh1, so Alexander was forced here to attract my attention that his 18^th move is a check…

 19…Re8?

Probably, it is a psychology: probably, Alexander was sure that his position is very easy to win and that his opponent can’t fight already… Here after my thinking I wanted to make the move 20.Nb5!?, but it was too difficult for me to calculate 20…Qxa1! 21.Nxd6! enough well. When my fingers were above my Knight on c3 to make it, my mind cried: “No! There are some more easy alternatives!” And my fingers ran back abruptly and touched the crown of my Queen on c2 by accident. Very unfortunately, I was silent that moment… The best move was 20.Bb2! with enough compensation for a pawn, and I think, I could choose it. And my initial idea 20.Nb5 Qxa1 21.Nxd6 was also enough good (and very good for a practical game!), in fact.

But I had to make a Queen’s move as a result of my accidental touch… All possible Queen’s moves were very weak or enough weak, and my mood became very bad again.

 20.Qd2? Qxd2

Alexander got an easily won position, and I’ll not comment the following rest of the game, although it contains opponents’ mistakes too.

21.Bxd2 Bd7 22.Be3 Rac8 23.Rac1 a6 24.Rfd1 Bb8 25.a4 Be6 26.b5 Bc4 27.Bxc4 Rxc4 28.Rd2 Rec8 29.Rdc2 Nh5 30.bxa6 bxa6 31.Bd2 Bxf4 32.Bxf4 Nxf4 33.Rb1 Ne6 34.Rcc1 Rxc3 35.Rxc3 Rxc3 36.Rb8+ Nf8 37.Kg1 e3 38.Kf1 Ra3 39.Re8 f6 40.Ke2 Kf7 41.Rxe3 Rxa4 42.Kd2

White resigned.

 

And in 30 years I have played a thematic blitz game against my father Vyacheslav where the Bukayev-Grischuk Variation has become a result of our agreement. Here it is.

 

Bukayev Yury – Bukayev Vyacheslav 

blitz 5+0

Moscow, 2023

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nf3 e4 6.Nd4 d5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Nc3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Ne5 10.Bb5+ Ned7 11.Nf5 a6 12.Ba4 b5 13.Bb3 Nc5??

It is a ‘natural’ blunder. And White wins immediately.

 14.Bxf7+!

Black resigned. After 14…Kxf7 15.Qxd8 he has no opportunities to save the game.

 

 

 

Contact the author:  istinayubukayev@yandex.ru