Certain Opening variations are razor sharp and sometimes a trifle risky   Opting for lines which shatter your own castle in the opening for active play is witnessed quite often in games at the amateur level and also at Master tournaments. Such sharp variations need precise play as they can many a time back fire.
In the game which follows, White decides to break his own castle in the Opening.
Though the game is then fought along equal lines, the castle which was ruptured in the opening ultimately brings about White’s downfall.
White: Konstantinos Markidis (2295) – Black: Spyridon Skembris (2480)
Athens , 1998
The Ruy-Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
The Ruy-Lopez or the Spanish Opening
3. ..a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 e4
An interesting line but still sticking faithfully to opening theory
10.dxc6 exf3
Things are heating up
11.d4 fxg2
Letting his castle get shattered. Black’s pawn has reached the seventh rank rather early in the game
Diagram 1
12.Qf3
If 12.Bg5 Bg4 13.Qd3 Re8 14.Nd2 Nh5 15.Nf3 Bf6 16.Re5 Qd6 17.Qe4 Be6 18.Bc2 g6 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Qh4 Bd5 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8
12...a5
Black would have been better off playing 12...Be6 13.Bf4
13.a4
White played a novelty here. A previous continuation went 13.Qxg2 Re8 14.Bg5 (14.Bf4 a4 15.Bc2 Be6 16.Be5) 14...a4 15.Bd1 Be6 16.Nd2 b4! 17.a3 bxc3 18.bxc3 Nd5 leading to an unclear position
13...bxa4 14.Rxa4 Re8 15.Be3
If 15.Bg5 h6 16.Be3 Bd6
15...Bg4 16.Qxg2
The time is ripe now to pick up the pawn which had infiltrated onto the seventh rank
16. ..Qc8
Quite an unusual position to take
17.Nd2 Bd6
Note that all of Black’s pieces are trained on the White King even though they don’t appear menacing for now
18.Bd1
Inviting the exchange of bishops after smelling danger. If18.Nc4 Qf5 19.Nxd6 cxd6 20.Rea1 Bf3 21.Qg5 Qxg5+ (
18...Bh3 19.Qf3
If 19.Qg5 h6 20.Qh4 Qf5 21.Kh1 (21.Bf3 g5 22.Qxh6 Bf8) 21...Ng4 22.Ra1 Rxe3 23.Rxe3 g5! 24.Rf3
19...Be6
Retreating a bit too far. Black could have attained equality with 19...Bg4
20.c4
Here 20.Qg2 also leads to a balanced position
20...Bg4 21.Qg2 Bh3 22.Qf3 Bb4
A good move, pinning the knight
23.Bc2 Bg4 24.Qg2 Rb8
Slowly and with precision getting his pieces onto the desired squares. If 24...Bh3 25.Qg3 Qg4 and if 24...Rxe3 25.fxe3 Bh3 26.Qf2 Qg4+ 27.Kh1 Bxd2 28.Qxd2 Qf3+ 29.Kg1 Qg4+
25.Rb1
White could have tried out 25.b3 Rxe3 26.fxe3 Bh3 27.Qf2 Qg4+ 28.Kh1 Bxd2 29.Qxd2 Qf3+ with more or less an equal position
25...Bf5
If 25...Bxd2 26.Bxd2 Re2
26.Bxf5 Qxf5 27.Raa1
The game is evenly poised
27. ..Bxd2 28.Bxd2 Re2
Invading the seventh rank! However this does not look good for Black. He should have played 28...a4
29.Bc3
White should have grabbed the pawn which would have given him an advantage. If 29.Bxa5 Ng4 30.Bxc7! Nxf2 31.Bxb8 Nh3+ 32.Kh1 Nf2+
29...Ng4 30.Rf1
If 30.Re1!? Rxf2 31.Qg3 Rxh2 32.Rxa5 Qg6 33.Rb5 (33.d5 h5) 33...Rc8
30...Ne3 31.Rxa5
If 31.Qg3 Nxf1 32.Kxf1 Re6 gives advantage for black
31...Qc2 32.Qg3 Nxf1 33.Kxf1 Rbe8 34.d5 Qb1+ 35.Kg2 Qe4+ 36.Kh3 g6 37.Ra4
A mistake!  White panics but then there is no way out of trouble. If  37.Qg4 Qxg4+ 38.Kxg4 Rxf2 39.Ra7 Rfe2! 40.Rxc7 h6 41.d6 R2e3 42.Re7 R8xe7 43.dxe7 f5+ 44.Kf4 (44.Kh4 Kf7 45.e8Q+ Kxe8 with advantage for Black) 44...Re4+ 45.Kf3 Kf7 46.c5 .Rc4 47.c7 Rxc5 48.Ba5 Rc4 49.b4 Kxe7 50.b5 Kd7 51.b6 Kc8
 37...h5 38.b3 Rxf2 39.c5 Qf5+ 40.Kh4 Rf3 and White resigned as  40...Re4+ 41.Rxe4 Qxe4+ 42.Kg5 (42.Kh3 Qf5+ 43.Kh4 Rxh2+ 44.Qxh2 Qg4 checkmate) 42...Rf5+ 43.Kh6 Qe7 44.Bg7 h4]  leaves him with a hopeless position.
Diagram 2
Black to play and win
1.      ..Nd3+  2.Qxd3 Qc1+ 3.Rxc1 Rxc1 checkmate.
Manisha Mohite