All,
Following up on Chris's excellent attack. I've probably posted this one before
but it is worth seeing again.
This game won the 4NCL Best Annotated Game Prize for the 2008-9 season. Points
to note are the strategical plan conceived at move 21, the exclusion of
defenders from the vicinity of the Black KIng particularly the Queen, and the
strength of the White attacking pieces even at a distance. Open lines and local
superiority are what matter in an attack. There is also a spectacular variation
in the note to White's 27th which is well worth seeing, although I must admit I
didn't spot it during the game.
Enjoy!
Tyson
Text begins:
[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "HINCKLEY"]
[Date "2008.7.12"]
[Round "4"]
[White "TYSON MORDUE"]
[Black "JONES Victor"]
1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 a6
{The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence, a line with which I have some
small experience. Against it I have never played anything other than the main
line 6 Bg5.}
6.Bg5 e6
7.f4 Qb6
{The famous ‘Poisoned Pawn’ line. Black forsakes his development to grab a Pawn
with his Queen. The main line is 7...Be7 while 7...Qc7, 7...Nbd7 and 7...b5
(the Polugayevsky variation) are all viable alternatives.
After the text White can play 8 Nb3 but it really is much better to play a
gambit.}
8.Qd2 Qxb2
9.Nb3
{I learned to play chess in 1972, the year of the famed Spassky-Fischer match.
Spassky played 9 Nb3 in the 7th and 11th games. In the 7th he was lucky to
escape with a draw after some untypical sloppy technique by Fischer in an
endgame where the American had an extra Pawn. However, Spassky’s powerful
approach in the 11th game brought him a crushing victory in 31 moves, although
Fischer could have resigned on move 24 with his Queen trapped and a Rook and
Knight en prise as well. This game put 9 Nb3 well and truly on the theoretical
map. I was so impressed by that game that I’ve never played the previously
popular 9 Rb1.
Many years later I was doing some preparation in anticipation of a Poisoned
Pawn and reading through John Nunn’s book on the Sicilian Najdorf when I got a
pleasant surprise - one of my own games had been quoted!
One of the characteristics of the 9 Nb3 line is that there are tactical chances
to trap the Black Queen. Right now White threatens 10 a3 and 11 Ra2 hence
Black's next.}
9...Qa3
10.Bxf6 gxf6
11.Be2 h5
{This move prevents Be2-h5 and was Fischer’s choice in the 1972 match. Black
can instead choose to play …Bg7, …0-0, …Kh8, and …Rg8 while White goes Bh5 and
f4-f5 to pressure the light squares. This line featured in the game
Mordue-Shapland, Hereford 2008.}
12.O-O Nd7
{Spassky-Fischer 11th match-game 1972 continued 12... Nc6; 13.Kh1 Bd7; 14.Nb1
Qb4; 15.Qe3 d5?; 16.exd5 Ne7; 17.c4 Nf5; 18.Qd3 h4; 19.Bg4 Nd6; 20.N1d2 f5;
21.a3 Qb6; 22.c5 Qb5; 23.Qc3 fxg4; 24.a4 h3; 25.axb5 hxg2+; 26.Kxg2 Rh3; 27.Qf6
Nf5; 28.c6 Bc8; 29.dxe6 fxe6; 30.Rfe1 Be7; 31.Rxe6 1-0.
The text was new to me and only features in four games in my database. I played
the usual continuation of tucking the King into the corner before committing my
pieces.}
13.Kh1 Be7
{Short -Kasparov, PCA 1994 continued 13...h4 14.h3 Be; 15.Rad1 b6 16.Qe3 Bb7
17.f5 Rc8 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.Bg4 Qb2 20.Rd3 f5 21.Rb1 Qxb1+ 22.Nxb1 fxg4 23.hxg4
h3 24.Rc3 hxg2; 25.Kxg2 Rg8 26.Rxc8+ Bxc8 27.Kf1 Rxg4 28.N1d2 e5 29.Qc3 Bb7
30.Qc7 ½-½. This is probably the best way to play for White.}
14.Bf3
{Clearing the e-file and pointing the Bishop at Black’s Queenside.
My opponent now emulated Kasparov’s Pawn advance and I decided that I didn’t
want the thorn in my side of …h4-h3. The weakness on g3 doesn’t seem important.
A Black Knight is hardly likely to arrive there in the near future.
Alternatives are 14 Nb1 and 14 Qd4 but both sides are keeping their cards close
to their chests here and avoiding really committal moves.}.
14... h4
15.h3 Nc5
16.Rad1
{This move is a partial bluff. Ideally I’d like the Rook on the c-file but I
have to wait for Black to exchange Knights on b3. Whether he wants to is a moot
point but I thought that by playing Rad1 it might put Black off playing the
natural …Bd7. It did!
Victor now settled in for a long think while I settled in a comfortable chair
at the other end of the room. My opponent was clearly suffering from a cold and
I didn’t want to catch anything … other than his King or his Queen that is.}
16...Rb8
{Victor discovers that 16...Bd7; 17 e5! Is not appealing. With Black’s King in
the centre any line-opening sequence is to White’s advantage. If 17...dxe5??;
18 Nxc5 wins a piece. Better is 17...Nxb3; 18 cxb3 d5; 19 exf6 Bb4 (not
19...Bxf6; 20 Bxd5! and Black could be in trouble.). He decides to get his Rook
off the h1-a8 diagonal and venture …b7-b5 but now castling Queenside is no
longer possible. Meanwhile White continues to build up in the centre.}
17.Rfe1 b5
18.e5
{For better or worse White forces Black to define the central structure. Both
of us thought that 18...fxe5; 19 fxe5 d5 was asking for a sacrifice on d5,
Victor suggesting 20 Nd4 first. Hence his choice to open the d-file in the
belief that with his two Bishops controlling d6, d7 and d8 he should be safe.}
18...dxe5
19.fxe5 Nxb3
{Exchanging Knights before White gets the chance to play Nb3-d4 and into the
weak square on c6. Around here White deliberately avoids Bc6+ because it would
just present Black with a tempo to centralise his Queen with …Qc5.}
20.cxb3 f5
{Black has the two Bishops but opening lines with 20...fxe5 is just playing
into White’s hands because of his superior development. With the text he hopes
to shuffle his King to g7 and some sort of shelter.
At this point I determined that the Black Bishop on e7 was the glue holding
Black’s position together. There is only one White piece that realistically
hope to eliminate it so my remaining steed sets off on a journey. The target
square is c6.}
21.Ne2 Kf8
{This move threatens the skewer 22...Bb4 now that Qd8 is no longer mate. A
crucial alternative is 21...Qc5 bringing the Queen back into play. Fritz
suggests the line 22 Nd4 Bb7 23 Bxb7 Rxb7 24 Rc1 Qd5 25 Rc8+ Bd8 26 Rd1 0-0 27
Nxe6 fxe6 28 Rxd8 and White regains his Pawn. The resulting ending is probably
drawn though.}
22.Nd4 Bb7
{This time 22...Bb4 is answered by 23 Qg5 Bxe1 24 Nxf5! and Black is crushed on
the dark squares that his Bishop has just abandoned. If 24...Qe7 25 Rd8+ mates.
An obvious improvement is 23...Be7 but after 24 Qe3 White has gained a useful
tempo - here 24...Bc5 25 Nxf5! makes the point quite forcefully.
The regrouping of the Queen doesn’t fare so well here. If 22...Qc5 23 Nc6 Rb6
24 b4! Qc4 (the only square!) 25 Nxe7 Kxe7 26 Qg5+ mates again. If instead
22...Qc5 23 Nc6 Rb7 then 24 Nxe7 wins material because 24...Rxe7 loses to 25
Rc1 and the loose Bishop on c8 falls.
These lines demonstrate that Black has problems with the co-ordination of his
pieces due to his lack of development and his misplaced Queen (a characteristic
of the Poisoned Pawn line). White is also dominating the open lines so Black
must be careful.
With the text Black prepares to take the Knight if it lands on c6. Naturally
White is happy to exchange Bishops as his f3 Bishop is probably his least
effective piece.}
23.Bxb7 Rxb7
24.Nc6 Kg7
{Once again 24...Qc5 to regroup the Queen is an important alternative. After 25
Rc1 Black has two choices, the endgame with 25...Qd5 and the middle game with
25...Qb6. After 25... Qd5 26 Qxd5 exd5 27 Nd4 (avoiding pins on the c-file)
followed by 28 Rc6 White is doing very well and can expect to regain his Pawn
minus soon. This is probably Black’s best line.
Instead 24...Qc5 25 Rc1 Qb6; 26 Nxe7! now works well as Black can’t recapture
with the Queen. Taking with the King is a disaster after 27 Qg5+ so instead
26...Rxe7 27 Rc8+ Re8 28 R1c1 Qb7 29 Rd8! leaves Black short of moves. Fritz
has the nice line 29...f4 30 Qxf4 Rxd8; 31 Qf6 neatly emphasising the lack of
co-ordination between Black’s pieces. White regains his Rook with a strong
initiative. Even worse is (24...Qc5 25 Rc1 Qb6; 26 Nxe7 Rxe7 27 Rc8+ Re8 28
R1c1) 28...Rxd8 29 Qxd8+ Kg7 30 Qf6+ Kh7; 31 Rd1! (threat 32 Rd4 and 33 Rxh4+
mating) 31...Qa7 (the only square that defends f7 and controls d4); 32 Rd3 and
there is no defence to 33 Qxh4+ and 34 Rg3+.
Note how Black’s h8 Rook does nothing in any of these lines. Also the semi-open
g-file is a big problem for Black. If his f5 Pawn was back on g6 Black would
have a reasonable position. The immediate transfer of the King to g7 instead of
bringing the offside Queen back into play meets with an intriguing riposte.
Take a good look at this position.}
25.Re3!?
{This surprising move enhances White’s options tremendously. Victor took twenty
minutes over his reply. This note shows why. He had a lot to think about.
The main strategical point is that White threatens 26 b3-b4 after which the
Black Queen is forced to an even worse square on a4. The immediate 25 b4 is
answered by 25...Qg3 and now Black’s Queen assists in the defence of the
Kingside. This is why I am refraining from Nxe7 while the Queen can recapture.
White has good prospects on the Kingside as long as the Black Queen isn’t
helping out, see the variations in the last note.
Also the Rook can go to d3 or c3 or possibly b3 (after b3-b4 Qa3-a4) to wall in
the Black Queen. It can even go to g3 in certain lines because the pin
25...Bg5? is refuted by 26 Rg3! hxg3 27 Qxg5+ Kh7 28 Rd4 and the only move
preventing 29 Rh4 mate is 28...f4. However, as long as White avoids 29 Rxf4??
Qc1 mate by the accurate 29 Qxf4 after which 29...Qf8 30 Qg5 Qh6 31 Rh4 wins.
Note once again the collapse occurs after the elimination of the Black Bishop,
and how the Black Rooks have no constructive role in the defence here.
It is now too late to bring the Queen back. After 25...Qc5 26 Rc3! Qb; 27 Nxe7
Rxe7 28 Qg5+ Kf8; 29 Rc8+ Re8; 30 Rd7! clearly emphasises the disparity between
attack and defence. Even agreeing to enter a disagreeable endgame with
(25...Qc5 26 Rc3) 26...Qd5 is no good as White declines with 27 Qc1! Qe4 28
Nxe7 and you can guess the rest.}
25...Kg6?
{Victor tries to force …Bg5 but after the following incarceration of the Black
Queen the White pieces rush to attack her exposed partner. Fritz suggests
activating the Rooks with either 25...Rc7 or 25...Rc8 and even hints that 26
g4!? might be the answer to the latter. This is certainly a powerful indication
of White’s attacking potential and something we’ll come back to.}
26.b4 Qa4
27.g4!
At this point it's worth getting a second board out. The notes are long and
complicated.
{The striking blow indicated in the last note. Open lines are imperative when
attacking. White is almost certain of opening the g-file here. However, the
position is far from simple. You may wish to make a separate note of the
current position before starting on this long annotation.
First of all the question of whether White can actually trap the Queen here has
been raised. Here’s a line suggested by Fritz. 27 Rb3 Bg5 28 Qb2 Rc7 29 Rd6
R8c8 30 Ra3 Rxc6! and now both 31 Rxc6 Qd1+ and 31 Rxa4 Rxc1+ 32 Kh2 Bf4+ 33 g3
R8c2+ win for Black. This seems convincing enough.
Secondly Fritz claims that 27 Nxe7+ Rxe7 28 g4 is a better move order and it
could be right. Certainly after 27 g4 f4 I’d have played 28 Nxe7+, and after
28...Rxe7 almost any sensible move of the e3 Rook (say d3 or b3) followed by 30
Qxf4 is very strong. The exclusion of the Black Queen from the defence is the
key factor.
Finally there is the intriguing question of what I would have done after
Victor’s sensible post-mortem suggestion of 27...Bg5 28 exf5+ Kh7! It’s worth
writing these notes for just for this point alone. I had originally only looked
at (27...Bg5 28 exf5+) 28...exf5 29 Rg1 and the Black Bishop must fall soon.
I’ve already said the position is far from simple. There are lots of possible
moves on both sides. Fritz claims 27...Bg5 28 exf5+ Kh7 29 Rg1 Bxe3 30 Qxe3 Rg8
31 Rxg8 Kxg8 32 Qg5+ wins. This is based on a combination of getting the White
Queen on a square where it rules out …Qd1+ and playing f5-f6. This is a very
long calculation and a typical example of a computer program doing some
number-crunching.
My instinctive reaction was 29 Qd3 Bxe3 (I never entertained 29...Qxd1+ 30 Qxd1
Bxe3 and indeed after 31 fxe6 - threatening 32 Qd3+ picking up the Bishop -
Black has no co-ordinated defence against Queen, Knight and two advanced
Pawns.) 30 f6+ Kg8. At this point I was certain the attack should crash through
but try as I might I couldn‘t produce a convincing line. The best I could find
was 31 Ne7+ Rxe7 32 fxe7 Kg7 33 Qd8 forcing promotion, but now 33...Qxb4 and
Fritz claims Black is even better. After 34 Qxh8+ Kxh8 35 e8=Q+ Kg7 and Black
threatens 36...Qe4+ amongst other things.
Time for another good look. (27...Bg5 28 exf5+ Kh7! 29 Qd3 Bxe3 30 f6+ Kg8.)
Look again. It’s worth it!
31 Qe2 is a very good try. Victor and I succeeded in convincing ourselves (and
I later convinced GM Matthew Turner amongst others!) that 31...Rh6 was a good
defence, and it is after 32 Qg4+ Rg6 33 Rd8+ Kh7 34 Qh5+ Bh6. In fact Fritz
proves it does win after 31 Qe2 Rh6 32 Ne7 Kh7 33 Rg1+ Bxg1 34 Qg4! Rg6 35 Qh5+
Rh6 36 Qxf7+ Kh8 37 Qg7 mate. Credit to you if you found this line in full.
However, the really beautiful line is the wonderful yet logical retreat 31
Qb1!! I’m certain I would have found this over the board if we had reached this
position. Now Black is faced with the threat of 32 Rd8 mate because the Queen
still controls h7. The black Rooks are almost irrelevant here. Note how the
Knight on c6 prevents …Rb8 as a defence in every line. The desperate 31...Qxd1+
32 Qxd1 leaves Black facing 33 Ne7+ and 33 Qg4+ and there is no defence to both.
The only apparent defence after 31 Qb1 is 31...Bb6. White’s constant problem
here is getting an effective check on the g-file but now he can finally force
it, and a bit more to boot! 32 Rd8+!! Bxd8 33 Qg1+ Kf8 34 Qg7+ Ke8 35 Qxh8+ Kd7
36 Qxd8+! Kxc6 37 Qd6 mate!
Back to the game after 27 g4! Black decided to capture directly. Taking en
passant with 27...h4xg3 leads to annihilation after 28 Rxg3+ Kh7 29 Nxe7 Rxe7
30 R1g1.}
27...fxg4?
28.Rg1!
{Now Black doesn’t even have the desperate …Qxd1+. White’s major pieces
converge on the hapless Black King and there is now no parry. Both the thematic
28 Nxe7+ and 28 Re4 also win.}
28...g3
{If 28...Bg5 29 Rxg4 Rh5; 30 Rf3 (threat 31 Rf6+) 30...f5 31 exf6 Kh6 32 Qd8
storms through. Fritz adds 32...Qc2 33 Ne7 Qc1+ 34 Rg1 just in case you need
convincing. After the text I finally get to sacrifice a Rook on g3, and this
went nicely with my sac on b3 the previous day.}
29.Rexg3+ hxg3
30.Rxg3+ Kh5
{After 30 …Kh7 White ‘ladders’ his way in with 31 Qd3+ Kh6 32 Qe3+ Kh6 33 Qe4+
Kh6 34 Qf4+ Kh5 and now either 35 Qxf7+ or 35 Qg4+ mate soon. This rare tactic
is also described as a staircase.
After the text White finally plays the thematic capture of the bishop and Black
has no way of ultimately stopping the mate on g5 except by giving up his
stranded Queen.}
31.Nxe7
1-0
Text ends.
