Fire on the board in Porto San Giorgio

The battle has started. 16 GMs and 16 IMs are playing in Porto San Giorgio (315 participants), where the traditional chess festival began yesterday. Some surprising results occured in the first round: Ukrainian GM Dimitri Komarov and last year winner, English IM Lawrence Trent, drew against CMs Pietro Ruggeri and Giampaolo Manganelli respectively, while Bulgarian IM Nikolai Ninov and Croatian IM Milan Mrdja lost to CMs Matteo Rotoni and Sergio Faccia. The day before the event start a blitz tourney (10 minutes per player, 80 participants), the 3rd Lanfranco Bombelli Memorial, took place in Porto Sant’Elpidio: Italian master Ettore Stromboli scored 7/8 and edged out by half a point IM Trent, Russian GM Igor Naumkin (Elo-favorite) and Giulio Calavalle from Bologna. Official site: www.torneoscacchi.it.
IM Daniele Vocaturo gave a simul to inaugurate the 2007 festival in Castione della Presolana, not far from my home town Bergamo. The young talent from Rome won 13 games on 14, with only one draw against candidate master Gian Marco Marinelli from Modena; there were five more CMs among his opponents. The first round of the A group (Dutch GM Sergei Tiviakov is the top seed) will be played tomorrow, the remaining groups will start on Friday. Official site: www.scaccobratto.com.

Daniele Vocaturo interviewed
by a journalist of a local Tv channel
(my thanks to Matteo Alborghetti for the photos)
The young IM from Rome in action!
Daniele Vocaturo in action - part 2
And now here is the surprising and brilliant win by candidate master Matteo Rotoni from Macerata (who also made a very good performance in Falconara last month) against Ninov in Porto San Giorgio.

Rotoni,Mat. (2074) - Ninov,Nik. (2536) [B21], Porto S. G. 21.8.2007
1.e4 c5 2.d4
No fear of a stronger opponent: Rotoni wants to fight for the initiative since the very begin!
2...cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6
5...e6 is a popular alternative, but the text move is more frequent.
6.Bc4 a6
6...e6 is now the most common reply.
7.0–0 Nf6 8.Bg5
8.h3 and the immediate 8.Qe2 are well-known alternatives. The text move is less popular.
8...e6 9.Qe2 h6
9...Be7 is good as well (and probably less risky).
10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Nh5 12.Rad1
12.Rfd1 was played in Smith-Evans, San Antonio 1972; the game continued 12...Nxg3 13.hxg3 g4 14.Ne1? Ne5 15.Bb3 h5 16.Nd3 (16.f4 looks better) 16...Bg7 17.Nf4 h4 18.Qd2 hxg3 19.fxg3 Qb6+ 20.Kf1 Bd7! and Black won the game 20 moves later.
12...Nxg3 13.hxg3 Bd7
A new move. 13...Qf6 was played a couple of times before, with Black winning in both cases: 14.Nh2 (14.e5!? dxe5?! (14...Nxe5) 15.Ne4 Qg7 16.Qd2? (16.Nd6+ Bxd6 17.Rxd6 is unclear) 16...f5 17.Nc3?! Bc5 18.Rfe1?! e4 19.Nxe4 fxe4 20.Rxe4 0–0 21.Qc2 Be7 22.Bxe6+ Bxe6 23.Rxe6 Bf6–+ Costa-Gallagher, Lisbon 2000) 14...Be7 15.f4 gxf4 16.gxf4 Qg7 17.Kh1 Bd7 18.Qe3 Rc8 19.Be2 Rg8 20.g4 Nd8 21.Bf3 Bc6 22.Rfe1 e5 23.Nd5?! (23.f5) 23...Ne6 24.f5 Nd4 and White resigned on move 44, Lendwai-Lutz, Graz 1993.
14.Nd4
14.e5 looks interesting, e.g.: 14...g4 (14...d5? 15.Bxd5! exd5 16.Nxd5 Bg7 17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.exf6+ Kf8 19.Ne5 Nxe5 20.Qxe5 and White gains the piece back by Qd6+ or Qd4 (20...Qc8 21.Qe7+) with a huge advantage) 15.Nh2 Nxe5 16.Nxg4 Nxc4 17.Qxc4 Rg8 18.Rfe1 intending Nd5 and White has the control of the board.
14...h5
Why not the immediate 14...Rc8 ?
15.Rfe1
15.Nxc6 Bxc6 16.Bd5 Rc8 is not dangerous for Black.
15...Rc8 16.Bb3 Be7
16...Bg7 was also possible, but White can take a strong initiative by playing the immediate 17.Nf5 , e.g.: 17...exf5 18.exf5+ Kf8 19.Rxd6 Bxc3 (19...Be5 20.Rxc6 Bxc6 21.Qxe5 with a good compensation) 20.bxc3 Qc7 21.Qd2 Re8 (21...Bxf5? 22.Rf6 Bg6? 23.Qxg5 with a very strong attack) 22.Rxe8+ Bxe8 23.f6 Rg8 24.Qd5!? and Black doesn't have an active plan to play.; 16...Nxd4 17.Rxd4 h4 had to be considered.
17.Qd2 Qb6?
A serious mistake. 17...h4 was strong and natural. Now White takes the initiative by playing a brilliant (and virtually forced) move.
18.Nf5!
Excellent! White opens the "e" file and starts the attack.
18...exf5?
18...Qd8 19.Nxd6+ Bxd6 20.Qxd6 Qe7 was too sad to be taken into consideration, but it probably was the most stubborn continuation.
19.exf5 Bxf5
19...Kd8 was not better, e.g.: 20.Nd5 Qb5 (20...Qc5 21.Rxe7! Nxe7 22.Qxg5 Re8 23.Re1 with a decisive attack; 20...Qa5 21.Qxa5+ Nxa5 22.Rxe7 with excellent winning chances) 21.Nxe7 Nxe7 22.Qxg5 Re8 23.Rxd6 f6 24.Qf4 and White must win.
20.Qxd6 Qa5?
A losing move, but Black didn't have many drawing chances anyway, e.g.: 20...Be6 21.Rxe6 Qd8 22.Qc5 fxe6 23.Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.Qe3 e5 25.Nd5+-; 20...0–0 21.Rxe7 Qb4 22.Qxb4 Nxb4 23.Nd5! Bc2 24.Bxc2 Nxc2 25.Rxb7+-
21.Rd5?!
What a pity! This move is probably enough to take the full point, but 21.Nd5 wins on the spot, e.g.: 21...0–0 (21...Be6 22.Rxe6 fxe6? 23.Nf6+ Kf8 24.Qxe6+-) 22.Rxe7 Nxe7 23.Nxe7+ Kg7 24.Rd5 Qe1+ 25.Kh2+-
21...Rd8?
Black's last chance was 21...Be6 22.Rxe6 Qc7 23.Re3 Qxd6 24.Rxd6 Rd8 25.Rf6 and White is very close to victory, but Black can still fight.
22.Qf6!
Now it is all over.
22...0–0?
22...Rxd5 was more precise, although after 23.Bxd5 0–0 24.Qxf5 Kg7 25.Rxe7 Nxe7 26.Qe5+ (see game) Black is lost anyway.
23.Qxf5
23.Rxe7! Rxd5 24.Nxd5 is much stronger, but the text move wins anyway.
23...Rxd5 24.Bxd5 Kg7
Forced. 24...Qb4 25.Be4+-; 24...Kh8 25.b4 Bxb4 (25...Qxb4 26.Be4+-) 26.Qf6+ Kg8 27.Qg6+ Kh8 28.Qxh5+ Kg8 29.Qxg5+ Kh8 30.Re4+-
25.Rxe7! Nxe7 26.Qe5+ Kh6 27.Qxe7 Qd8 28.Qxd8
28.Qxb7 was faster.
28...Rxd8 29.Bxb7 Rb8 30.Bxa6 Rxb2 31.a4 Rc2 32.Nd5
Black is completely lost now.
32...f5 33.Bb5 h4 34.gxh4 gxh4 35.Ne3 Rc1+ 36.Kh2 f4 37.Ng4+ Kg5 38.f3 Ra1 39.Nf2 Ra2 40.Ne4+ Kf5 41.Kh3 Ke5 42.Nc5 Kd4 43.Nd3 Ke3 44.Ne5
Intending Ng6-Nxh4.
44...Ra1 45.Ng4+ Kd4 46.Kxh4 Rg1 47.Kg5 Rxg2 48.Kxf4 Rc2 49.Nf6 Rc5 50.Nd7 Rd5 51.Nb8 Kc5 52.Nc6 Rd7 53.Ke4 Rh7 54.f4 Rh8 55.f5 Kd6 56.Kf4 Rg8 57.f6 1–0
And finally Black resigned.