H is for Hack

While just catching up with the final results from the 2016 New Zealand Championship, I came across the following last round game. CM Hilton Bennett decided to finish the tournament as brutally as possible, playing the Centre Game, with the plan of hacking on the kingside. The hack began as early as round 8 with h4, but it wasn't until Black castled short that it really got going. Given the complicated nature of the position, it was no surprise that both players missed stronger lines (my analysis engine kept screaming 'd3 for black' at me), but eventually White's attack paid off with a rook sacrifice on h8.
As for the overall event GM Gawain Jones finished on 7.5/9 after a draw with GM Alexandr Fier (the game finished with KvK) to win the tournament by half a point. A loss by FM Alexei Kulashko to GM Nigel Short gave a number of NZ players and opportunity to claim the NZ Champion title, but in the end only FM Michael Steadman scored the required point and both players tied for the title.


Bennett,Hilton P (1958) - Nicholls,Leighton (1910) [C22]
New Zealand Open 2016 Devonport, Auckland NZL (9.26), 10.01.2016

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Bd2 Nf6 7. O-O-O d6 8. h4 Be6 9. Nh3 Qd7 10. Nf4 h5 11. f3 O-O 12. g4 hxg4 13. h5 Ne5 14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. f4 Nf3 16. hxg6 d5 17. Qd3 d4 18. Ne2 c5 19. Bg2 c4 20. Qxc4 Nxe4 21. Qd3 Nf2 22. Qb3 Nxd1 23. Kxd1 Nxd2 24. Kxd2 Rf5 25. Qg3 Rd8 26. Be4 Rb5 27. b3 Qe7 28. Qh2 Bf6 29. Ng3 Rd7 30. Bd3 Rc5 31. Ne4 Rcc7 32. Qh5 Kf8 33. Qxg4 e5 34. Kd1 a6 35. Rh7 Bg7 36. f5 Rd6 37. Nxd6 Qxd6 38. Qh5 Re7 39. Rh8+ 1-0