Hello folks,
This is another entertaining game with chances for both sides.
There is a detail here that slides past the casual eye. It's in the note to
Black's 17th move. Chris writes "Black has to be very careful here. If 17...
Qc7 18. Rxe6+ is possible" on the obvious point that 18...fxe6 19 Qxc7 Black
has lost his Queen. I thought what about 18...Kd8!?. After 19 Re3 Qxg3 20 hxg3
(say) bxc4 21 bxc4 Rc8 Black is equal. Then I spotted that Black has an
improvement with 17... Qc7 18. Rxe6+ Kd8 19 Re3 Qxg3 20 hxg3 b4 winning a
piece.
However, in tactical positions certain moves reoccur in different lines. After
17... Qc7 18. Rxe6+ Kd8 19 Bf4! Qc8 20 Rxf6! is too powerful. 20...Nxf6 is met
by 21 Qxg7 winning material whilst after 20...gxf6 21 Nd5! leaves Black in
ruins.
In summary at move 17 the suggested 17...Qc7?? really is a mistake because of
the lines above. The game move 17...Qb7? deserves its question mark after
Chris's suggestion 18 Bg5! Hence 17...Qc8 is the best move.
But, just to show you can't keep a good engine (in this case Deep Rybka) down
after 17...Qc8 it still advocates 18 Bg5! and if 18...Be5 19 Bf4!? Bxd6 20 Bxd6
claiming that White, who is the Exchange down is better by 1.29!! Worth
analysing.
The moral is clear. Delay castling at your peril!
Happy analysing,
Tyson
On 30 November 2018 at 21:37 Chris Ross <c.ross@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
All,
Here's an annotated game from the Team World Cup last July in Bulgaria,
which recently appeared in the November version of the UK's BCA Gazette. I'm
aware that there are folks on the list not in receipt of this publication, so
thought that I would re-post here, with some additional comments to the
original article.
The game is between myself and International Master Oliver Müller, a very
strong player from Germany. The game was destined to be a very tense affair.
Round 3: C. Ross 2214 v O. Müller (Germany) 2291
{B52: Sicilian: Moscow Variation}
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Bb5+ Bd7
4. Bxd7+ Qxd7
5. O-O Nf6
6. Qe2 Nc6
7. Rd1
{Varying from an earlier round's encounter, where 7. c3 was played by me
against a FIDE Master, where I nearly, but didn't quite, take the full point.}
7... e6
8. d4
{Since the white king's rook has landed on d1 quickly, he wishes to open
up the file, not block it with c2-c3 and then d2-d4 and recapture on d4 with
the c3-pawn. C2-c3 was played in an earlier round, where the move didn't
prove to have been a useful start to the plan. So, here, it is neglected and
the plan initiated immediately.}
8... cxd4
9. Nxd4 a6
10. c4
{Introducing a completely different structure as seen in the previous
rounds. White clamps down on the position and restricts black from breaking
with either d5 or b5. The move though is slow. White's lack of development is
a point of contention. If white is enabled to developed quickly, then, he
will have a very severe grip on the position. Black must strive to exploit
that lack of development, in order to grapple for equality.}
10... Nxd4
11. Rxd4 Qc6
{Unpinning the d6-pawn. 12. e5 was a direct threat.}
12. Nc3 Be7
13. b3
{13. a4 to restrain the black queen-side is also possible. Black has a
cramped position and doesn’t have any obvious pawn-breaks. The rook on d4
seems slightly precarious, but is indeed holding up a lot of ground and
preventing Black from freeing himself.
13. Bd2 is the more secure, but slower way to play the position. As can
be seen, the loose nature of the c3-knight is a point of tactical combat.}
13... b5
{Black takes the opportunity to break. The pin on the c4-pawn prevents
White from capturing on b5.}
14. e5
{White attempts to create tension since Black is somewhat behind in
development (due to the b7-b5 break instead of castling). The open diagonal
from a1-h8 becomes a point of focus and with the white heavy pieces ranging
along it, both sides have to tread very carefully not to lose material.
14. Bd2 and 14. a3 were the calmer routes.}
14... dxe5
15. Qxe5 Nd7
{Black aims to place his dark-squared bishop along the long diagonal as
quickly as possible, since all of the white heavy pieces are lined up there.
White is now threatening to take on b5, as the knight on c3 is indirectly
defended by the queen on e5, since Rd8+ tactics would be available. White
would have to be careful of his back-rank though, so this would have to be
timed carefully.
15... Rc8 would avoid all of those tactics and keep the pressure down the
C-file.}
16. Qg3
{Defending the loose knight on c3.
16. Qxg7 isn’t possible due to 16... Bf6 17. Qg4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 Rg8 and
Black’s winning.}
16... Bf6
17. Rd6 Qb7
{Black has to be very careful here.
17... Qc7 18. Rxe6+ is possible.
17... Qc8 18. Bg5 O-O 19. Rxd7 Bxg5 is fine for Black.
White now has a very strong response.}
18. Bf4
{Preventing any forks with Be5. Annoyingly, White fails to appreciate
that the threatened fork is not a threat!
18. Bg5! Puts Black in a really awkward position and should win a clear
queen-side for White.
18... Be5 19. Rxd7! Gaining tempo on the misplaced black queen (had she
been on c8, this wouldn’t be possible.)
18... Bxg5 19. Qxg5 and both g7 and b5 are attacked. b5 will fall giving
White a clear advantage.}
18... b4
{Exploiting the pin on the c3-knight. Things will now get somewhat messy
and it all depends on who can hold their nerve the best!}
19. Rad1
{Messy, but not playable is 19. Nd5 Bxa1
(19... exd5 20. Re1+ Kf8 21. Qg4 and the knight on d7 can’t move due to
Rxf6 and Bh6+ tactics.)
20. Nc7+ Qxc7 21. Rxe6+ fxe6 22. Bxc7 O-O and black has too much for the
queen.}
19... bxc3
20. Rxd7 c2
{A very scary position for White, but seemingly tenable due to the
dark-squared bishop on f4 controlling the queening square. This advanced
pawn on c2 can be a huge asset, or a weakness in an end-game.}
21. R1d3 Qe4
{White’s back-rank still proves to be a problem, but intriguingly, both
the dark-square bishop and queen can defend backward to cover the
all-important squares. IF White can survive the tactics, the end-game looms
well for him.
Unfortunately, there was a twist here, as Black had an unstoppable
winning plan.
21... Qb4 with the simple intension of Qa3 and supporting the pawn home.
White doesn’t have time to protect the back-rank threat on e1 and stop Qa3 at
the same time. 22. Qe3 Bb2 is crushing.}
22. f3 Qe2
23. Bc1
{By this retreat, White has just about solved all of the tactics. The
queening square is blocked and with Qf2 coming in, the pawn on c2 will soon
fall, giving White a clear end-game advantage. Black only has one way to
salvage the position now.}
23... Rd8!
{By this sneaky exchange, Black removes all White’s defensive
opportunities. The rook on d3 will prove too loose to hold. White can’t
defend the back-rank and stop the penetration of both the black queen and
black dark-squared bishop without losing significant material. White has no
option now apart from cash out in a perpetual.}
24. Rxd8+ Bxd8
25. Rxd8+ Kxd8
26. Qd6+ Ke8
27. Qb8+
{27. Qc6+ is the cleanest way to obtain the perpetual. Nevertheless,
Black refrains from venturing into the middle of the board, where he would be
cut down by the joint efforts of the white queen and dark-squared bishop.}
27... Kd7
28. Qb7+ Kd8
29. Qb8+ Kd7
30. Qb7+ Kd8
31. Qb8+ Kd7
32. 1/2-1/2
