All,
The below encounter was my final round game in the recent Sheffield
congress. This victory took me to 4/5 points, half a point of the tournament
leaders, which included Grandmaster Mark Hebden on 4.5/5. Sheffield was one
of my better performances in the last few years, since I have moved to
Northampton and I'm delighted that my performance during the weekend
demonstrated my old style of playing, achieving the results that I used to
obtain.
I've wrote many times about the importance of the "principals" of opening
play. Not necessarily theory, but the concept of the opening's objectives,
strategic values and the fundamental basis of that opening. With that
understanding, a player can establish a setup with relative comfort and have
a game-plan already formulated. The execution of such a game-plan can then
often appear seamless in actuality.
In this match, black is graded ECF 185, which is a very respectable grade
indeed. The apparent ease with which white accomplishes all that his opening
targets, is probably down to black not appreciating the subtleties of the
position and fully comprehending white's long-term aims.
If nothing else throughout my writings, I would strongly encourage all
players to analyse their opening choices and grasp the "principals" of that
variation or setup. Not learn a batch of theory from a book, DVD, but
contemplate it's foundation. Those are the rules, with which a player should
start the game and strive to obey. Adapt once things become disjointed or
adversity over-the-board is evident. It is no more instructive that the
tactical finesses of a position will soon sort themselves out once that
grounding of the game-plan is suitably structured.
Enjoy.
[Event "Sheffield Congress 2015"]
[Site "Sheffield, ENG"]
[Date "2015.06.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ross, Chris"]
[Black "Merks, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[Annotator "Chris Ross"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2015.06.28"]
{B51: Sicilian: Moscow Variation}
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Bb5+
{The Canal-Sokolsky variation of the Sicilian Defence, often called the
Moscow variation. Unlike its sister variation, the Rossolimo, the Moscow
variation does not strive to shatter the black formation in compensation for
giving up the bishop-pair. Interestingly, the Moscow pertains similar
objectives, one of which, is the ultimate good-knight VS bad-bishop ending,
that all the variations have in common. The Moscow variation sets out to
demonstrate that piece play, a lead in development and the occupation of the
light-squares will give him a positional plus.}
3... Nd7
{The response preferred by Gary Kasparov no less.
3... Bd7 allows the exchange of light-squared bishops and 5. C4, forming the
Maroczy bind, gives white a comfortable edge, since the light-squared
bishops are no longer on the board.
3... Nc6 is a more challenging variation, but after 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1, the
white light-squared bishop is given a flight-square back to f1, where it
will later emerge to support white in his occupation of the light-squares.
The text-move should force white to depart with the bishop-pair, but this is
ultimately within his game plan in any case.}
4. O-O a6
{In round 3 of this tournament, black played 4... Ngf6 permitting 5. Re1 and
once again, the light-squared bishop had a flight square back to f1. A
subtlety in the move-order, but important as white then achieved an easy
advantage and converted the victory under 35 moves.}
5. Bxd7+ Bxd7
{Here, a close analysis of the position should be undertaken. What is white
attempting to achieve and where is he going to accomplish it?
White has voluntarily given up the light-squared bishop, which should only
be done if a long-term objective is intended. Indeed, with this exchange,
white is stating that he believes the black light-squared bishop is of
little significance. Examining the black pawn chain, it is clear that the
pawns on c5, d6, e7, limit the scope of the dark-squared bishop quite
considerably. To develop the black dark-squared bishop, black will either
have to advance the E-pawn, thereby leaving the black D-pawn backward and
vulnerable, or financhetto it, which is not going to be easy considering
white's follow-up.
Taking that analysis further, white is thus intending to make the black
dark-squared bishop "bad" and wishes to have his own queen's knight (b1)
prove to be "good", thereby giving white an advantage in the end-game.
To that end then, white needs to ensure that black does not keep the
bishop-pair. Having exchanged his own light-squared bishop, white must
endeavour to exchange his king's knight for black's light-squared bishop.
Due to the pressure exerted on the light-squares in the middle-game, this is
easily accomplished.}
6. d4 cxd4
{If permitted, white will play d4-d5 and clamp down on all the light-squares
with his pawns, reducing the black light-squared bishop to a mere observer.
Black cannot permit this and allow the e7-pawn to become a backward target.}
7. Qxd4
{Best, as re-capturing with the king's knight would only leave the knight
awkwardly placed to reach his objective square. The queen re-capture hinders
black's development and increases white's. The black G-pawn is now pinned,
preventing black from fianchettoing. Black will now have to make some kind
of concession to enable him to complete development.}
7... e5
{Black attempts to break out and remove the white queen from her dominating
position. Black reckons that putting the pawn on e5 is better than on e6, as
on e6, the G-pawn is still pinned and the D-pawn is no less backward whether
the E-pawn is on e6 or e5. Also, black is controlling some useful central
squares.
Like its sister variations, black seeks a Sveshnikov or Kalashnikov type of
setup, understandably combatting for space within the centre. However, just
like these sister variations, the outpost on d5 is now exposed. With white
having refrained from landing his king's knight on d4, he will find it much
easier to transfer this knight around to the outpost as if he had
re-captured in the centre with the steed.}
8. Qd3
{White retreats the queen to a light-square, as that is what coloured square
she now belongs on, with the light-squared bishop having been exchanged. The
E-pawn is guarded and the black D-pawn becomes a focus point. However, as
Nimzowitsch rightfully instructed us, the square in front of an isolated
pawn or backward pawn is to be controlled, not the weakness itself.}
8... Nf6
{A slight inaccuracy in the move-order, but this is not yet critical.
8... Be7 or 8... Bc6 is to be preferred.}
9. Nc3
{Slightly toying with black. White does not wish to commit his queen-side
pawns, as black's "break", b7-b5, may undermine it. In that sense then,
white only wants to play a2-a4 or c2-c4 if he really must. This begs the
question then to whether black should flick in Bb5 at some stage to force
c2-c4, but it is not clear to its validity.}
9... Be7?
{After which, white has a strong, if not, positionally winning, setup. Black
has failed to appreciate the long-term plans for white and the seriousness
of the d5-outpost.
9... h6 was black's only option. Although this leaves an anchor for white to
play with and the f5 square beckons, the black king's knight had to be
maintained to keep any kind of control over the d5-square.
After 9... h6, white can lever open the position at some stage with f2-f4 or
simply transfer the king's knight around to the d5-square, as in the game.}
10. Bg5
{White completes development and has a commanding position with overwhelming
control of the d5-outpost. From here on in, black never achieves equality
and white's play is natural, simplistic and entirely efficient.}
10... Be6
{Black attempts to regain some control of the d5-outpost and defends his
D-pawn in the doing. White's threat was to exchange on f6 luring the black
dark-squared bishop away from the defence of the backward pawn. If black is
required to re-capture on f6 with the G-pawn, his pawn structure is so
devastatingly fractured that an inevitable loss will soon occur.}
11. Rfd1
{The correct rook. The rook is removed from the a6-f1 diagonal, completely
negating any possible tactics that black may dream off. The D-pawn is yet
again targeted and the white queen's rook is left on that side of the board
in case a2-a4 and operations down the flank are necessary.}
11... Qa5
{Since black is positionally struggling, he resorts to tactical means in an
attempt to lessen the pressure. White, naturally, does not have to get
involved with any complications and the continuation of his game-plan is the
easiest and most effective way to refute the tactical tricks.}
12. Bxf6
{Removing a defender off the d5-outpost and beginning that long-term plan of
obtaining good knight VS bad bishop. The illusionary departure of the
bishop-pair is insignificant since white will soon regain the black
light-squared bishop or win material as an alternative.}
12... Bxf6
13. Nd2
{White ignores the tactical offer of a pawn, but instead, continues with his
plan, mindful that his positional superiority is more than enough to convert
the victory without having to get embroiled in a tactical melee. The white
king's knight is thus transferred around to exert pressure on the
d5-outpost. Black's attempt to complicate it tactically has only left his
queen on a more vulnerable square, thereby aiding white in his endeavours.
13. Qxd6 Rd8 14. Qa3 Qxa3 15. Rxd8+ Ke7 16. bxa3 Rxd8 is not the route white
wants to go down, despite being a clear pawn up.}
13... Rd8
14. Nc4 Bxc4
{Black exchanges his light-squared bishop as this knight can cause so much
damage otherwise. Tactically, the D-pawn may be vulnerable as the black
queen does not have many squares to escape to. If needed, the white knight
can step backwards onto e3 and then jump satisfactorily into d5. Either way,
the white knights will lead a merry dance around the black forces and
effectively split them in half. With the text-move, black hopes to regain
some tempi to permit himself to castle and organise an untangling process.}
15. Qxc4 O-O
16. Nd5 Bg5
{Black wishes to keep his dark-squared bishop, as his only true hope of
salvaging the game is by tactical means and potentially, by a king-side
attack. Instructively, all of the black forces are not only uncoordinated
but are indeed undefended.
White has now achieved pretty much everything he has set out to do from the
opening. He has obtained a huge positional advantage and any end-game will
be simply winning.
How then to complete development and where is the focus to be concentrated?}
17. Rd3
{The white rook is lifted onto the open third rank, placed on a light-square
and facilitates the doubling up of rooks onto the backward D-pawn.
The undefended white queen is an issue in the position, but it is not
entirely clear at the moment to where she belongs. Black's natural "break"
is f7-f5 and whilst the white queen remains on the a2-g8 diagonal, black
must waste time to ensure that no discoveries are going to cause him fatal
consequences.
17. A4 is certainly an option, gaining space on the queen-side and
introducing the tactical threat of 18. B4 winning the black queen. Black can
easily avoid this with 17... Rc8 and may follow up with the b7-b5 thrust.
Although this opens up the A-file for white, it is unclear whether any joy
will be gained down it. Despite being a promising prospect, the uncertainty
of the plan does not warrant the compromised nature of the white pawn-chain.
Indeed, the white C-pawn is backward on a half-open file. To ensure that it
does not become weak, white will be obliged to play c2-c3. That is one pawn
weakness in the white queen-side, playing a2-a4 would incur a second,
possibly one too many.
Thus, the rook lift. However, this does not entirely solve white's "true"
weakness, again, a principal for the black-sided player of the Sicilian
Defence, and that being the e4-pawn. The e4-pawn is a focus-point and black
can now turn his attention to its undefended nature.}
17... Rc8
18. Qb3 b5
{Black gains space on the queen-side, but more importantly, gives himself
the c4 outpost. This is though, in all reality, not a true outpost, for
although black can temporarily occupy the square, he cannot maintain it, an
important feature and the quintessential difference in the actual
effectiveness of an outpost.}
19. c3 Qd8
{Black retreats to defend his loose bishop on g5 and has the potential of
swinging the black queen across to the king-side for an attack.
19... Rc4 20. Qc2 and the E-pawn is defended covertly due to
20... Rxe4 21. Rg3 exploiting an attack on the two black loose pieces.}
20. Rad1 Rc4
21. f3
{Although this puts a pawn on a light-square, it is somewhat inconvenient
for white, who no longer has the third-rank for the white rook. Awkwardly
too, the a7-g1 diagonal becomes a tactical liability. This is a necessary
evil though since white needs tempi to consolidate his position. Although a
temporary measure, white has something else in mind to counter-attack the
black oncoming onslaught, similar themes that can be seen in the King's
Indian Defence and other such openings.}
21... g6
{Unfortunately, black does not have the luxury of such preparatory moves. He
is naturally striking out with his "break" of f7-f5, but there is not time
to waste here. Again, black mistakenly perceives that he will be obliged to
re-capture on f5 with a pawn, in order to open up the G-file and to have a
central pawn mass. Things are not so clear though as will soon become
apparent.
21... f5 22. exf5 Rxf5 23. a4 is a sneaky way in which to attack the black
queen-side pawns.}
22. Qc2
{Transferring the white queen across to the king-side, both for defensive
purposes and to facilitate some other heavy-piece manoeuvring. More
important is the fact that the black rook outposted on c4 can now be
evicted.}
22... f5
{Black strikes out, as surely he must, for otherwise, white will slowly
improve his piece superiority, bettering his queen and then begin to exert
pressure on the black queen-side pawns, as well as the backward D-pawn. The
show of impatience by black is understandable, but it leads to a swifter
demise for him.}
23. b3 Rc8
24. exf5
{It was essential to evict the black rook out of c4 before this exchange
occurred, as the white 4th-rank becomes open. It would have been criminal to
permit the rook on c4 to swing across to h4 and a possible king-side attack.
With the move-ordered adopted, the white forces now begin to control more
light-squares and indeed, the e4 square is freed up.}
24... gxf5
{It is difficult to criticise such a natural response, but black is on the
verge of sheer collapse in any case.
24... Rxf5 25. Qe2 Rf7 is the only possible variation for black to survive
the position for any more length of time. White can then choose on his
continuation which will include the occupation of the e4 square or the
targeting of the black queen-side pawns.}
25. f4
{A devastating disruptive move. The third rank is yet again opened up for
the white rook and the pressure on the e5 pawn reverberates backwards onto
the D-pawn. If fxe5 dxe5 is permitted, there are discoveries along the open
D-file and penetration by a white rook must be assured.}
25... exf4
{The black pawn formation is miserable to behold. Annoyingly for black,
25... e4 26. Rg3 would lose the pinned bishop on g5.
White is in no hurry to recapture the doubled F-pawn, for as it is, it
limits the scope of the dark-squared bishop. Studying the black pawn
structure now shows 5 pawn islands, with doubled and isolated pawns to
boot.}
26. Kh1
{Remaining calm to the finish. The white king is removed from all the
tactical possibilities along the a7-g1 diagonal. The white knight can now
leave the d5-square without any tactics occurring with the exposed white
king. Although this increases the weakness of the white back-rank, black
simply does not have time to exploit this, as his own king will soon be
slain well before he is offered that opportunity.}
26... Qe8
{Black seeks penetration possibilities down the open E-file. Possibly Qe4 is
an option or maybe Qh5 with king-side ambitions. Both of which, are easily
refuted. The black queen has no good squares though, since there are no
tricks with Qb6+ or Qa7 pins, forks on b6 tie black down and Nb4 may
pressurise the D-pawn to such an extent, that it's simply lost.}
27. Qf2
{Removing the white queen from the black rook on the C-file. Possibilities
now offer themselves with h2-h4 is needed, but critically, white will now
challenge the open file. Black has little resistance now.}
27... Rc5
{Presumably played with the intension of offering up the exchange with
Qe4/Qe3 penetration ideas. White must not, and does not, permit such
tricks.}
28. Re1 Qf7
29. Nxf4
{Simple and strong. White has cashed in his positional plusses now. The
damage caused to the black pawn structure and openness of the king no longer
mean that the end-game is necessary. There are too many weaknesses in the
black camp for it to be tenable.
White now has too many threats.
30. Ne6 winning an exchange is threatened as well as 30. Rg3 winning that
loose bishop on g5 again. Both threats cannot be defended simultaneously.}
29... Bxf4
30. Qxf4 Re8
{As good as resigning. The black position was hopeless and the various
weaknesses in the black camp mean that there is no acceptable defence.
30... Qf6 offered some resistance, as it controls the long a1-h8 diagonal
and puts pressure on the only weakness in the white position, the c3-pawn.
However, the conversion is simple enough for white with the open files and
ranks.
With the text-move, the tactical finish is simple in its entirety, but
perfectly apt for all of that.}
31. Qg5+ Kh8
32. Rxe8+ Qxe8
33. Qf6+
{And with 34. Rg3+ coming in, black will lose his queen and the mop up is
easy enough thereafter.}
33... 1-0
Opening references
A.
9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. Nd5 Qd8 13. Rfd1 Be6 14. Qb3
Bxd5 15. Rxd5 Qc7 16. c3 Be7 17. a4 b6 18. Qd1 O-O 19. Nd2 Rfd8 20. Qe2 Qb7
21. Nc4 Rc5 22. Ne3 Bg5 23. Rxc5 bxc5 24. Nc4
Adla,D (2469)-Schneider,G (2150)/Caleta ENG 2015/1/2-1/2 (34)})
B.
9. Bg5 Rc8 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Rfd1 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. Qxd5 Rc7
15. Rac1 Be7 16. Nd2 Qe6 17. Qa5 Qc8 18. c3 O-O 19. Nf1 Rc5 20. Qa4 b5 21.
Qb3 Qc6 22. Ng3 Rc8 23. Rd3 Bf8
Peptan,C (2430)-Vajda,S (2270)/Sovata 1998/EXT 2000/0-1 (76)})
C.
10... Bc6 11. Rad1 O-O 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nh4 Qc7 14. Nf5 Rfd8 15. Qg3+ Kf8
16. Qg7+ Ke8 17. Qxh7 Bf8 18. Ng7+ Bxg7 19. Qxg7 Ke7 20. Qh6 Rg8 21. Qd2 Qd7
22. Qd3 b5 23. a3 Rg6 24. Nd5+ Bxd5 25. Qxd5
Etrog,J-Le Bihan,Y/Montigny le Bretonneux 1999/EXT 2002/0-1})
D.
10... O-O 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Nd5 Re8 13. Nh4 Kh8 14. Rad1 Bf8 15. Qf3 Re6 16.
Nf5 Rc8 17. Qh5 Re8 18. Rd3 Bxf5 19. Qxf5 Bg7 20. Rh3 h6 21. Ne3 Re6 22. Qh5
1-0 King,D-Ernst,T/Eeklo 1979/EXT 2005})
Chris Ross
July 2015
