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Главная страница Справка Коды ЭШД B00 - B99 B94

Коды ЭШД

B91 B92 B93

B94

B95 B96 B97

B94

Код энциклопедии шахматных дебютов (ЭШД)

Описание

RU: Сицилианская защита (вариант Найдорфа с 6 Сg5)
EN: Sicilian Najdorf: 6 Bg5 Nbd7

Ходы

1. e4 c5 2. Кf3 d6 3. d4 c:d4 4. К:d4 Кf6 5. Кc3 a6 6. Сg5 Кbd7

Дебюты

Сицилианская защита

[Event "EU-Cup 18th"]
[Site "Kallithea"]
[Date "2002.09.22"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Filipek, Jakub"]
[Black "Miroshnichenko, Evgenij"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2373"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[Annotator "Avrukh,B"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2002.09.22"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 092"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.02.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.02.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Temse"]
[BlackTeam "Momot Alexander"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "BEL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UKR"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $6 {Nowadays
this variation is quite a rare quest in tournament practice.White has clear
development advantage and not so clear what to do with black king.In present
game black tries to find a new set-up,also without success.} 7. Bc4 h6 8. Bh4
Ne5 $5 (8... b5 $2 9. Bd5 (9. Nd5 $1 Bb7 (9... bxc4 $140 $2 10. Nc6 {[%csl Rd8]
}) 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. Bd5 $1 {and white is clearly better}) 9...
Nxd5 10. exd5 (10. Nxd5 $5 Bb7 $140 $2 11. Ne6 $1 $18 {[%cal Gd1h5]}) 10... Bb7
11. O-O Nb6 {[%csl Rd5]} 12. Nf5 g6 13. Qd4 Rg8 14. Ne3 Bg7 15. Qd3 b4 16. Ncd1
Qd7 $13 {1/2-1/2 Baklan,V-Kempinski,R/Polanica Zdroj 2001/EXT 2002 (33)}) (8...
g6 9. f4 Bg7 10. O-O Qc7 11. Qe2 $6 (11. Bb3 $142 O-O 12. f5 $1 g5 13. Bg3 $14)
11... O-O 12. Nf3 b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 $13 {0-1 Marsalek,J-Jezek,J/Podebrady 1956/
MCD (37)}) 9. Bb3 g5 10. Bg3 e6 11. Qe2 $1 $146 {Quite a logical novelty ,
white will castle longside and will start a play against black knight in the
centre.} (11. O-O Ng6 (11... b5 $5) 12. Qd2 Be7 13. Rad1 Nh5 14. Ba4+ $5 Bd7 (
14... b5 $140 15. Nc6) 15. Bxd6 Bxd6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Qxd6 b5 18. Bb3 Qe7 19.
Qb6 $44 {1-0 Aronin,L-Buslaev,A/Tbilisi 1957/MCD (26)}) 11... Bd7 (11... b5 12.
O-O-O Qc7 {maybe was more flexible}) 12. O-O-O b5 13. h4 (13. f4 $143 gxf4 14.
Bxf4 b4 $1 $13) 13... g4 (13... b4 $2 14. hxg5 bxc3 15. gxf6 cxb2+ 16. Kb1 Qxf6
17. f4 $40 {[%csl Re8]}) (13... Rg8 {opens h-file in white favour} 14. hxg5
hxg5 15. Nf3 (15. f4 gxf4 16. Bxf4 b4 $132) 15... Qc7 (15... Nxf3 $2 16. Qxf3
$16 {[%csl Rd6]}) 16. Nxe5 (16. a3 $5 $14) 16... dxe5 17. Qf3 Be7 18. Rh6 g4
19. Qe3 b4 20. Nb1 $16 {[%cal Gb1d2,Gd2c4,Gg3h4]}) 14. f4 gxf3 15. Nxf3 $2 (15.
gxf3 $1 b4 (15... Nh5 16. Bh2 Qf6 17. Qd2 $1 $16 {[%cal Gf3f4]}) 16. f4 $1 (16.
Na4 Qa5 {[%csl Ra4]}) 16... bxc3 17. fxe5 cxb2+ 18. Kb1 $36) 15... b4 $4 {
Decisive mistake in the begining of the battle} ({The logical continuation was
} 15... Qc7 $142 $1 16. Nxe5 (16. Rd4 Nc6 17. Rd2 b4 18. Na4 Rg8 $13) (16. h5
b4 17. Nb1 Bb5 $132) 16... dxe5 17. Qf3 (17. Rhf1 Be7 18. a3 Rg8 19. Rd3 a5 20.
Rdf3 Rb8 $1 $36 {[%cal Gb5b4]}) 17... Be7 18. Rhf1 (18. h5 Nh7 $1 {[%cal Gh7g5]
}) 18... Rg8 {with complicated play} (18... b4 $143 19. Ne2 Bc6 $140 $2 20. Nd4
$1 Bxe4 21. Ba4+ Kf8 22. Nxe6+ fxe6 23. Qxe4 $18 {[%csl Re5,Re6,Rf8]})) 16.
Nxe5 dxe5 (16... bxc3 17. Nxd7 cxb2+ 18. Kb1 Nxd7 19. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 $140 20.
Qh5+ Ke7 21. Bxd6+ Kf6 22. Rhf1+ Kg7 23. Qf7#) 17. Bxe5 $1 bxc3 18. Rhf1 Bg7
19. Qf3 cxb2+ 20. Bxb2 O-O 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Qxf6 Bxf6 23. Rxf6 {After forced
line white won a pawn and the was transfered to the endgame with very big
advantage for white.} Bc6 24. e5 $1 (24. Rxh6 Bxe4 $14) 24... Kg7 25. Rd2 (25.
Rd4 $142 $1 {[%cal Gd4g4]} h5 26. g4 Rh8 27. gxh5 Rxh5 28. Rg4+ Kh8 (28... Kf8
29. Bxe6) 29. Rxf7 Rxe5 30. Rf6 $1 {winning the second pawn}) 25... h5 (25...
Rad8 26. Rdf2 Bd5 (26... Rd4 $2 27. Bxe6 $1) 27. c4 Be4 28. R2f4 $1 $18) 26. g4
$2 {If there is nothing wrong with the text of the game it's difficult to
explaint this move.} (26. Rd3 $1 {[%cal Gd3g3]} Rg8 27. Rc3 Rac8 (27... Bd5 28.
Rc7 $18) 28. Rg3+ Kf8 29. Rxg8+ Kxg8 30. Rxe6 $1) 26... Rh8 $2 (26... hxg4 27.
Rd4 (27. h5 g3 $132) 27... Bf3 28. h5 (28. Rd7 Rad8) 28... Rad8 $13) 27. g5 {
[%cal Gg5g6]} Rhd8 28. Rdf2 Ra7 29. g6 $1 fxg6 30. Rxe6 Be8 (30... Be4 31. Rd6
$1 Rf8 (31... Rxd6 32. exd6 Rd7 33. Rd2 Kf6 34. c4 $18) 32. Rxf8 Kxf8 33. Kd2
$18) 31. Rb6 $2 (31. Rd6 $142 $5) (31. Rd2 $142) 31... a5 $6 (31... Rd4 $1 {
[%csl Rh4]} 32. Rh2 $16) 32. a4 $2 (32. Rd2 $142 Rxd2 33. Kxd2 Re7 34. e6 $18)
32... Rc8 $2 (32... Rd4 $1 $13 {[%cal Gd4h4,Gd4a4]}) 33. e6 $18 {After losing
some good opportunities to create counterplay black is losing without chances.}
Rc5 (33... Re7) 34. Rb8 Re7 35. Rd2 {[%cal Gd2d8]} g5 (35... Kf6 36. Rdd8 Bc6
37. Rbc8 $18) 36. Rdd8 Bg6 ({More stubborn was} 36... Kf8 $142 {but also here
after right} 37. Rb5 $1 (37. hxg5 Rxg5 38. Bc4 (38. Bd5 {[%cal Gd5c6]} Kg7 $1)
38... Re5 $1 $16) 37... Rxb5 (37... Rec7 38. hxg5 Rxb5 39. axb5 Ke7 40. Rb8)
38. axb5 gxh4 39. b6 Rb7 40. Ba4 $18 {white wins}) 37. hxg5 Rxg5 (37... h4 38.
Rg8+ Kh7 39. Rh8+ Kg7 40. Rbg8#) 38. Rd7 Kf6 39. Rf8+ Kg7 40. Rf1 $1 {White
cut black king and black is hopeless against e6-pawn.} 1-0

[Event "GER-ch 66th"]
[Site "Binz"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Luther, Thomas"]
[Black "Bangiev, Alexander J"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2510"]
[BlackElo "2385"]
[Annotator "Bangiev,A"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1994.11.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 044"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 (7. f4
Qb6 $5) (7. Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 O-O-O 12. Kb1
$14) 7... e6 8. O-O-O Be7 9. f4 Qc7 10. Nf3 $5 {/\ e5} h6 (10... b5 11. e5 b4
12. exf6 gxf6 13. Nd5 exd5 14. Bh4 {/\ Re1} (14. Re1 Ne5 $5) 14... Kd8 15. Nd4
$16) 11. Bh4 g5 $5 12. fxg5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 b5 14. a3 (14. h4 b4 15. Na4 Bb7 $13)
14... Rb8 $5 15. Qd2 (15. Bd2 Nc5 (15... b4 16. axb4 Rxb4 17. Nd5 exd5 18. Bxb4
dxe4 19. Nd4 $16) 16. e5 dxe5 17. Nxe5) 15... Qb7 $5 (15... Nc5 16. Qd4 $1 (16.
Bd3 b4 17. axb4 Rxb4 18. Nd5 Nb3+ $19) 16... e5 17. Qe3 $14) (15... Bb7 16. Bd3
$16) 16. b4 (16. Qd4 e5 17. Qd2 b4 $40) 16... Qc7 17. Bd3 (17. Bd3 Bb7 18. Rde1
Rc8 19. Nb1 (19. Kb2 Bf8 $5 20. Rhf1 Bg7 $36) (19. Nd1 Bf8 (19... a5 $6 20. Nd4
$5 (20. bxa5 d5) (20. Kb2)) 20. h3 Bg7 21. Rhf1 Nh7 22. Be3 Nhf8 {/\Ng6-e5})
19... Bf8 $5 (19... a5 $6 20. Nd4) (19... Nb6 20. Rhf1 Nc4 21. Qc3 e5 22. Nfd2
(22. Nxe5 Nxe4 $1) (22. Bxc4 Qxc4 23. Qxc4 Rxc4) (22. Nh4 $2 Nxe4 23. Rxe4
Bxg5+) 22... Nxd2 23. Qxc7 Nb3+ 24. cxb3 Rxc7+ 25. Kb2 $14) (19... d5 20. exd5
Bxd5 21. Rhf1 Bxf3 22. Rxf3 Qxh2 (22... Rxh2 $2 23. Bf4) 23. Ref1 Rg8 24. Bxf6
Nxf6 (24... Rxg2 25. R3f2 Rxf2 26. Rxf2 Qg1+ 27. Rf1 $16) 25. Rxf6 Rxg2 26.
R6f2 $16) 20. h3 $5 (20. Rhf1 Ng4 21. h3 Nge5 22. Nxe5 Nxe5) 20... Bg7 21. Rhf1
Nh7 22. Be3 Nhf8 23. Re2 Ng6 24. Ref2 Nge5 $13) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sarajevo Bosna op 40th"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "2010.05.11"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Huschenbeth, Niclas"]
[Black "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2457"]
[BlackElo "2616"]
[Annotator "Berg,E"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2010.05.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BIH"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 136"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.05.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {An
interesting attempt for Black to avoid the sharp and theoretical variations
that follows after} (6... e6 7. f4 {when White also very often, if he likes to,
can force a draw.}) 7. Bc4 {This is considered to be the best move by theory.}
({If White tries the standard setup with} 7. f4 Qc7 8. Qf3 {Black can achieve
a good position after} h6 9. Bh4 (9. Bxf6 $5) 9... g5 $1 {with good counter
play for the sacrifed pawn.}) 7... Qb6 8. Bb3 e6 9. O-O ({White can also head
for the long castle by playing} 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O {when Black has tried both
} O-O {and} (10... Nc5)) 9... Be7 10. a4 {This move came as a surprise to me.
However, it has been played once before in a correspondance game. White is
trying to grab some space on the queenside playing a5, and he also stops Black
from playing ...b5 in the future.} Nc5 (10... Qa5 11. Nf3 Nc5 12. Bc4 Ncxe4 13.
Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Kxe7 15. Re1 $132 {0-1 Jacobs,B (2200)-Taras,I (2239)/ICCF
email 2006/Corr 2008 (32)}) 11. a5 Qc7 12. Ba2 {During the game I was slightly
surprised by this move as I had no intentions to exchange the bishop anyway.
However, this move does not only save the bishop, but also prepares b2-b4,
that might be played in the near future.} ({An interesting option is} 12. Re1 {
when after} Nxb3 (12... h6 $5) 13. cxb3 {White might get good counterplay
along the c-file and the N c3 can be transfered to b6 via a4.}) 12... h6 $1 {
A strong move, that forces White either to exchange his strong bishop on f6 or
retreat, which would give Black the option of taking the e4-pawn.} (12... Nfxe4
$2 {runs into} 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Re1 {[%cal Ge1e8,Yd4f5] when
Black is in serious trouble, e.g.} d5 16. c4 $16 {and Black cannot hold on to
his extra pawn.}) 13. Be3 ({After} 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 {[%csl Gc8,Gf6] I like the
look of the Black position with his pair of bishops.}) 13... Ncxe4 $5 {This
move is the critical test of White's setup, but also involves a pawn sacrifice
from Black.} 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qg4 Nf6 {This looked like the most logial move
to me, but I also considered} (15... d5 {However after} 16. Qxg7 Bf6 17. Qg4 {
the position looks a bit shaky for Black as his king is stuck in the center
and White might break quickly with for instance c2-c4.} h5 18. Qf3) ({
Huschenbeth mentioned the strange-looking move} 15... Ng5 {during our
post-mortem. This is the top suggestion of my computer engine, but at the
board I did not even consider this move. It seems that White has a good game
after} 16. f4 h5 17. Qe2 Ne4 18. Nf3 {intending Bb6 with a nice initiaitve.
Black has no safe spot for his king and a pawn is a small sacrifice from White
to achieve this.}) 16. Qxg7 Rg8 17. Qxh6 Bd7 {Black is now intending to play ..
.0-0-0 and put pressure on the half open h- and g-files towards the white king.
When taking on e4 at move 13, my assessment of this position was that Black
should have full compensation for the given pawn. Black has a strong center,
open files for his rooks on the kingside and his B on d7 can become very
useful on c6 later in the game.} ({I was looking quickly at the move} 17... e5
$2 {that might lead to a forced draw if White moves his N. However White also
has the very unpleasant move} 18. Bg5 $1 (18. Nf3 $2 Rg6 19. Qh8+ Rg8 20. Qh4
Rg4 21. Qh3 Rg6 $11 {forces a draw for Black.}) {Now after} 18... Ng4 19. Qh7
Rxg5 {White is simply winning after} 20. Bxf7+ Kf8 (20... Kd7 21. Ne6 $18) 21.
Bd5 Ke8 (21... Bd8 22. Qh8+ Ke7 23. f4 $1 $18) 22. h4 $1 exd4 23. hxg5 $18) 18.
f3 {For the first time in the game, my opponent started thinking. And it was a
deep thought of not less than 47 minutes, clearly indicating that Black has a
strong initiative. f3 is aimed against the black bishop, that will come to c6
sooner or later. Now it will at least be harder to cause White any harm on the
diagonal.} ({If White would have continued with the rather logical move} 18.
Nf3 {in order to play Bb6 Black can still play} O-O-O (18... Bc6 {Huschenbeth})
19. Bb6 Qc6 20. Qe3 {and now} Ng4 21. Qc3 Ne5 $36 {[%csl Rg1] with a very
strong initiaitve for Black.} 22. Nxe5 Rxg2+ 23. Kh1 dxe5 24. Bxd8 Bxd8 25. f3
Rxc2 26. Qxc6+ Bxc6 $17 {[%csl Gc6,Gd8,Rh1][%cal Ge5e4]}) 18... O-O-O 19. Ne2 (
{In case of} 19. Bf2 {Black can follow up the same way as in the game.} Rg6 20.
Qe3 Rdg8 {Forcing further weaknesses from White.} 21. g3 d5 {[%csl Rg3][%cal
Ge7d6,Yg6g3,Rf6h5] and once again the Black position looks very promising to
me.}) 19... Rg6 20. Qf4 Rdg8 21. g3 {This move is a serious weakening of
White's kingside, but it seems tat White didn't have much of a choice.} (21.
Ng3 $2 {would have been a mistake in view of the nice combination} Nh5 $1 22.
Nxh5 Rxg2+ $1 (22... Bg5 $6 23. Bb6 $1 (23. Qd4 $2 Bxe3+ 24. Qxe3 Rxg2+ {
transposes back to 22.Rxg2+.}) 23... Bxf4 24. Nxf4 Qxc2 ({After} 24... Qc6 25.
Nxg6 Rxg6 26. c4 {White's R+B+P is stronger than the black queen, since Black
lacks a target for counterplay.}) 25. Rac1 Rxg2+ 26. Nxg2 Rxg2+ 27. Kh1 Rxh2+
28. Kg1 Rg2+ $11 {with perpetual checks.}) 23. Kh1 Bg5 24. Qd4 Bxe3 25. Qxe3
Qxc2 26. Qf4 (26. Qc3+ Bc6 $17) 26... Bc6 $1 $17 {[%csl Gc2,Gc6,Gg2,Gg8,Rh1]
[%cal Ye6e5] Black's pieces are all working very well, while White is
struggling to stay in the game.} 27. Rac1 Qe2 $1 $19 {White simply cannot
handle all the threats and has to give up material not too loose immediately.}
(27... Rxh2+ 28. Qxh2 Bxf3+ 29. Qg2 $8 Bxg2+ 30. Kh2 Qxc1 31. Rxc1+ Bc6 $15 {
[%csl Gd6,Ge6,Gf7]})) ({Just for a moment I got a bit worried about the
counter threat} 21. Bb6 {but soon found out, that Black would be fine at least.
} e5 $1 22. Bxc7 Rxg2+ (22... exf4 $2 {[%cal Gg6g2]} 23. Nxf4 Kxc7 24. Bxf7
R6g7 25. Bxg8 Rxg8 {[%csl Gd7,Ge7,Gf3,Gg2,Gh2]} 26. Rfe1 $16 {White has simply
too many pawns and there are no real targets for counterplay for Black.}) 23.
Kh1 exf4 24. Nxf4 Rxc2 25. Bb6 Kb8 $1 $36 {[%csl Gc2,Rh1][%cal Gg8h8,Yd7c6]
The material is level, but Black is definitley the one with the better chances
here, having control of the 2nd rank and a very active position.}) 21... Nh5
22. Qc4 (22. Qxf7 $2 R8g7 {[%csl Rf7]} 23. Bxe6 $8 Bxe6 $1 (23... Rxf7 $6 {
is just asking for trouble after} 24. Bxf7 {and White has very good
compensation for his queen.}) 24. Qe8+ Qd8 $15 {Black has a piece for three
pawns and stands slightly better.}) (22. Qd4 $5) 22... Bc6 {With this move
Black avoids the exchange of queens, but he also activates his B as well as
creating the theat...d6-d5 targeting the g3-pawn.} 23. Bb6 Qb8 $1 {[%cal Gb8g3,
Yd6d5] After some thought I finally decided to put the queen on the back rank.
It's important to keep it on the diagonal b8-h2 for the future and actually I
also ad in mind thait might be useful on the 8th rank after the move ..Kd7 in
some occasions.} ({After} 23... Qd7 {Black has no immediate threats and White
has more time to consolidate.}) 24. Bf2 {This move is rather logical in order
to over-protect the g3-pawn. However, this square might have been more useful
as a way to escape for the white king.} (24. Nd4 {is a critical move, but the
tactics are working for Black now.} Rxg3+ $1 ({Not} 24... d5 $2 25. Nxc6 Rxg3+
26. Kh1 {when White is having the better prospects.}) 25. Kh1 (25. hxg3 $4 d5
$19) 25... Kd7 $1 26. Nxc6 bxc6 27. Qxa6 Rh3 $17 28. Qa7+ Qxa7 29. Bxa7 Ng3+
30. Kg2 Ne2+ $1 31. Kh1 (31. Kxh3 Nf4#) (31. Kf2 Rxh2+ 32. Ke1 Rgg2 $19) 31...
Bh4 $17) (24. Qd3 $1 {looks like the a better continuation for White in order
to wait and see. Most probably Black will have to play ...d5 anyway.}) 24... d5
25. Qd3 (25. Qd4 Bf6 {[%csl Rb2][%cal Yf6e5]}) 25... Bd6 $1 ({Another
interesting move was} 25... Nf4 $5 26. Nxf4 Qxf4 $36 {threatening ...Rxg3 or
first ..Bd6. Black has a strong initiative.}) 26. Kg2 (26. Rfd1 Bxg3 $1 27.
hxg3 Nxg3 28. Nxg3 Rxg3+ 29. Kf1 Rg2 $17 {Black will soon enter with his queen
on h2 with a decisive attack.}) 26... Nf4+ {A simplifying move in timetrouble,
that puts even more pressure on g3, but now White gets a chance to escape the
worst. Black had two highly interesting options.} (26... d4 $5 27. Bxd4 (27.
Qxd4 $2 Nxg3 28. hxg3 Bxg3 29. Bxg3 Rxg3+ 30. Kf2 Rxf3+ 31. Ke1 Rxf1+ 32. Kxf1
Qh2 $19 {[%csl Rf1]}) 27... Bxg3 (27... Nxg3 $2 28. hxg3 Bxg3 29. Rh1 $16) 28.
hxg3 Nf4+ $1 29. Nxf4 Rxg3+ 30. Kf2 Qxf4 31. Ke1 Rd8 32. Rd1 e5 33. Be3 Rxd3
34. Bxf4 Rxd1+ 35. Kxd1 exf4 $15) (26... Bxg3 $1 27. Bxg3 (27. hxg3 $2 Nf4+ $1
28. Nxf4 Qxf4 29. Rg1 Rxg3+ 30. Kf1 Rxg1+ 31. Bxg1 Rg3 32. Ke2 Rg2+ 33. Bf2
Qe5+ 34. Qe3 (34. Kf1 Qh2 35. Qd4 Qh1+ 36. Bg1 (36. Ke2 Qxa1 $19) 36... Rxc2
$19) 34... Qxb2 $17) 27... Nxg3 (27... Nf4+ 28. Nxf4 Qxf4 29. Kf2 Rxg3 30. hxg3
Qxg3+ 31. Ke2 Qe5+ 32. Kf2 (32. Kd1 $4 Qxb2 $19) (32. Qe3 Rg2+ 33. Rf2 Bb5+ 34.
Kd2 Qxe3+ 35. Kxe3 d4+ 36. Kxd4 Rxf2 $17) 32... Qg3+ $11) 28. hxg3 Rxg3+ 29.
Kf2 Rg2+ 30. Ke1 Qe5 $36 {Black has a strong initiative for the given piece
and excellent attacking chances. White lacks counterplay and for the moment
all of his pieces are just defending.}) 27. Nxf4 Bxf4 28. Rg1 $1 {By putting
his own R to g1 White is well prepared against the B sacrifice on g3.} d4 (
28... Bxg3 $5 {An interesting, but also very risky move for Black.} 29. hxg3
Rxg3+ 30. Kf1 Rxg1+ 31. Bxg1 Qg3 (31... Qf4 $44 {Black has reasonable
compensation in view of the exposed white king, but when defending correct
White can well get the upper hand.}) 32. Bf2) ({Activating the queen was
perhaps a better choice with ideas such as ...Qh5.} 28... Qe5) 29. Kf1 (29. Kh1
$4 Be3 30. Qe2 Rf6 $19 {[%csl Rf3]}) (29. Bxd4 $1 Bxg3 30. Kf1 (30. hxg3 Qxg3+
31. Kf1 Qh3+ 32. Kf2 Qh2+ $19) 30... Qf4 (30... Bxh2 $2 31. Bxe6+ $1 fxe6 (
31... Bd7 32. Bxd7+ Kxd7 33. Rxg6 Rxg6 34. Be5+ $18) 32. Rxg6 $16) 31. hxg3
Rxg3 32. Bf2 Rxg1+ 33. Bxg1 Rg3 34. Qd4 Qxf3+ 35. Ke1 (35. Bf2 Rg1+ 36. Kxg1
Qh1#) 35... Rg4 36. Bxe6+ $1 fxe6 37. Qh8+ Kd7 38. Qh7+ Ke8 39. Qh5+ Kf8 40.
Qc5+ Kf7 41. Qf2 Qf5 42. Qxf5+ exf5 $15) 29... Be3 30. Bxe3 dxe3 31. Ke2 $2 ({
Much better was} 31. Qxe3 Rf6 32. f4 Qd6 $132 {when Black has full
compensation for two pawns, but White is very much in the game.} ({The logical
follow up} 32... e5 {might soon end up in trouble for Black after} 33. Re1 $1
$132 Re8 (33... exf4 34. Qe7) 34. Qc3 Qc7 35. Re2 {and White still remains
with two extra pawns.})) 31... Qe5 $1 {The start of a winning queen mauvre.} (
31... Rh6 32. h4 (32. Rg2 Rxh2 $1 33. Rxh2 Bxf3+ $1 34. Kxe3 Qxg3 $19) 32...
Rxg3 $17) 32. Qxe3 Qxb2 33. Bb3 Qh8 $1 34. Rg2 $4 {A terrible blunder, but
White is in great difficulties no matter what he plays.} (34. Rh1 Rg5 $1 (34...
Rh6 $17) 35. f4 Qh5+ 36. Kf2 Qh3 37. Rag1 Rxa5 $17) 34... Qxa1 {Ooops, that
guy wasn't protected anymore!} 0-1

[Event "Dubai op 13th"]
[Site "Dubai"]
[Date "2011.04.16"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ganguly, Surya Shekhar"]
[Black "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2643"]
[BlackElo "2312"]
[Annotator "Berg,E"]
[PlyCount "164"]
[EventDate "2011.04.10"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 141 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.05.03"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.05.03"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {Slightly
surprisingly my opponent chose this sharp move, which I use as my main move on
the white side when facing the Najdorf.} Nbd7 {An interesting move to avoid
the mainline theory, with lots of variations to remember. This is also a good
move in order to avoid forced drawing variations which can often arise in the
main lines.} 7. f4 Qc7 8. Qf3 h6 (8... e6 {leads back to the main lines.}) (
8... e5 {is a possible option here, but my impression is that White should get
the upper hand. By playing ...e5 Black seriously weakens the d5-square and
invites the N on d4 to get there via f5-e3. Now} 9. fxe5 $146 {looks like a
good way forward.} (9. Nf5 {is also interesting and keeps the tension in the
centre. White has a slight initiative.}) 9... dxe5 (9... Nxe5 10. Qg3 $14) 10.
Nf5 $14 {[%cal Ge3d5,Gf5e3]}) (8... b5 {is an interesting try that has been
played recently by the grandmasters Giri and Harikrishna.} {The critical test}
9. e5 {is well met by} (9. O-O-O Bb7 10. Bd3 e6 {leads to one of the 6.Bg5
main lines by transposition.}) 9... Bb7 10. exd6 Qb6 11. Qe3 e6 $1 {0-1 Kett,T
(2219)-Harikrishna,P (2645)/Khanty Mansiysk 2010/CBM 139 (103); when Black
will regain the pawn on d6 with an excellent position.}) 9. Bxf6 ({In the
event of} 9. Bh4 {White can easily end up in trouble after} g5 $1 10. fxg5 hxg5
11. Bxg5 Qc5 {when Black's activity fully compensates for the sacrificed pawn.
White needs to defend accurately so as not to get a worse position.}) 9... Nxf6
10. f5 {This is the critical approach in order to hold down Black's kingside.
Sooner or later Black must push either his e- or g-pawn and then the pawn on
f5 comes in handy. White gives up the e5-square, but will get excellent
light-square control in return. It's also hard for Black to find a way to make
use of his e5-outpost.} Rg8 $5 $146 {This move seems to be a novelty as far as
I can see. I was shown the move by a club friend of mine and was unable to
find anything convincing for the white side. Playing the move from the black
side against a strong grandmaster as Ganguly felt like an excellent way of
testing this move over the board. The main idea is simply to play ...g5 next
and to recapture with the rook on g6 after fxe6 in order not to weaken the
light squares.} ({The main move is} 10... Qc5 11. O-O-O g5 {with the idea to
answer 12.fxg6 with Bg4 winnig the exchange. However practice has shown that
it is not all that simple as White gets excellent compensation for the
exchange as is shown by the following game} 12. fxg6 Bg4 13. gxf7+ Kxf7 14. Qd3
Bxd1 15. Nxd1 {White has a pawn and a long term compensation of light square
control as well as attacking chances against the weakend black king. Although
the position might well be playable for Black objectively it's very easy to go
wrong and White definitely has an easier game.} e6 (15... h5 $5) 16. g3 Bg7 17.
Bh3 Rae8 18. Rf1 Re7 19. Ne3 Rhe8 20. Ng2 Qe5 $2 {After this move Black is
already in big trouble.} (20... b5 {was better, when} 21. Nf4 {can be met by}
e5 22. Nb3 Qc4 {and Black's position is still playable although White's
compensation is still obvious even in the endgame after} 23. Nd5 Qxd3 24. cxd3
Ra7 25. Na5 $36) 21. Nf4 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe6+ Rxe6 24. Nfxe6+ Bf6 {
White was a pawn up in 1-0 Hector,J (2592)-Volokitin,A (2661)/Germany 2011/
Mega2011 Update 16 (63)}) 11. Bd3 g5 12. fxg6 Rxg6 13. Nf5 $1 {A good move
that stops Black from playing ...e6 in view of Nh4.} Ng4 $6 {The right idea,
but the wrong way to do it.} (13... Qc5 $5 {was better, preparing ...Ng4 or ...
Nd7 This move additionally prevents the 0-0 for White and takes away the
option of Nd5 coming with tempo as in the game.} 14. O-O-O (14. Nd5 Nxd5 15.
exd5 Rf6 {runs in a troublesome pin for White.}) 14... Ng4 {[%cal Gg4e5] The N
will soon arrive on e5 with an attractive position for Black. White still has
some activity, but Black has the long term trump of the bishop pair as well as
the superb e5-outpost.}) 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. O-O $1 {This move make life a bit
difficult for Black since the pressure along the f-file prevents Black from
playing ...e6.} Ne5 16. Qf2 Be6 (16... e6 $2 {runs into} 17. Nh4 $1 $16 (17.
Nb6 Rb8 18. Ng3 Qc7 {looks fine for Black.})) 17. Be2 $6 {This move makes life
easier for Black. It would have been better for White to play a waiting move
like} (17. Rae1 $36 {or}) (17. Kh1 {The bishop on d3 might seem useless for
the moment, but once Black exchanges on d5 it will come back to life.}) ({
Another straightforward option was} 17. Nf4 $5 {when Black's best defence is}
Rf6 $5 ({In the event of} 17... Rg8 {White can follow up with} 18. Nxe6 fxe6
19. Nd4 $14 {and Black is struggling.}) 18. Ng3 {White threatens to win an
exchange with Ngh5 which forces Black to give up a pawn after} Bg4 {[%cal
Ge5g6]} 19. Qe3 {threatening h3 followed by Ngh5.} h5 20. Ngxh5 Rh6 21. Ng3 $14
{White is a pawn up and is slightly better, but Black has good chances to
achive counterplay along the half-open h- and g-files.}) 17... Bxd5 18. exd5
Qa5 19. Rad1 O-O-O 20. a3 {White is preparing b4 to build up an attack on the
queenside.} (20. Qa7 Kc7) 20... Kb8 21. b4 Qc7 22. c4 e6 23. Nh4 ({Perhaps} 23.
Ng3 {was a better route for the N.}) 23... Rg5 24. Nf3 Rf5 25. Qh4 Be7 26. Qe4
(26. Qxh6 Nxf3+ 27. Rxf3 Rxf3 28. Bxf3 Qxc4 $132) 26... Nxf3+ 27. Bxf3 (27.
Rxf3 Re5 28. Qd3 exd5 $11) 27... Bg5 28. dxe6 Re5 29. Qd3 (29. e7 Rxe4 (29...
Qxe7 30. Qh7 $36) 30. exd8=Q+ Qxd8 $1 31. Bxe4 Be3+ 32. Kh1 Qh4 33. Bf5 (33.
Bf3 Bf4 34. h3 Qg3 35. Kg1 Be3+ 36. Kh1 Bf4 $11) 33... Qxc4 $11) 29... fxe6 30.
Rfe1 d5 $5 {An interesting pawn sacrifice that gives Black some activity and
an easy position to play in the forthcoming time trouble.} 31. Rxe5 Qxe5 32.
cxd5 exd5 33. Bxd5 h5 $1 {The pawn is heading for h4 in order to exert
pressure against the h2-pawn later on.} 34. Qf3 (34. Qh7 Qe3+ (34... Rxd5 35.
Qg8+ Rd8 36. Rxd8+ Bxd8 37. Qxd8+ Ka7 38. Qd2 Qa1+ 39. Kf2 Qxa3 40. Qe3+ (40.
h4 $5 $36) 40... Qxe3+ 41. Kxe3 b6 $11) 35. Kh1 Rxd5 36. Qg8+ Rd8 37. Rxd8+
Bxd8 38. Qxd8+ Ka7 39. Qd1 Qxa3 $11) (34. Kh1 {might have been the best way to
continue for White, but even here Black has enough counterplay to hold the
draw without any particular problems.} h4 35. b5 a5 $44) 34... h4 (34... Bd2 $5
35. Bb3 Be3+ 36. Kh1 (36. Kf1 {looks risky after} Qb5+ 37. Ke1 Re8) 36... Rxd1+
37. Bxd1 (37. Qxd1 Bb6 $44 {[%csl Ge5,Rh1][%cal Yb6c7,Gh5h4]}) 37... Bc1 $44 {
[%csl Ra3,Ge5,Rh1]}) 35. h3 Be3+ 36. Kh1 Bb6 37. Bb3 Rxd1+ ({Here} 37... Re8 $1
{would have been an improvement. White will have a hard time defending here,
although objectively it should be a draw.} 38. Qf1 Bc7 39. Qg1 Qc3 $15 {
[%csl Ra3,Rb4,Rh1][%cal Ge8e3]}) 38. Qxd1 Bc7 39. Kg1 Qe3+ 40. Kh1 Qg3 41. Kg1
Qe3+ 42. Kh1 Qf4 43. Kg1 Bb6+ 44. Kh1 Qg3 $1 45. b5 Bc7 46. Kg1 Bb6+ 47. Kh1
Bc7 48. Kg1 Qe3+ 49. Kh1 Qf4 50. Kg1 Bb6+ 51. Kh1 Bc7 52. Kg1 Qe3+ 53. Kh1 axb5
(53... Qe5 54. Kg1 Qxb5 {was a slightly more promising try, but White should
kep a draw here as well with accurate defence.} (54... Qc5+ 55. Kh1 Qxb5 56. a4
) 55. a4 Qc5+ 56. Kf1) 54. a4 Qe5 55. Kg1 Qe3+ 56. Kh1 Qg3 57. Kg1 Bb6+ 58. Kh1
b4 59. Bd5 Bc7 60. Kg1 Bb6+ 61. Kh1 Bc7 62. Kg1 Qe3+ 63. Kh1 Qe5 64. Kg1 Ka7
65. Bb3 Qe3+ (65... Qh2+ 66. Kf1 Qh1+ 67. Kf2 Bb6+ 68. Kf3 Qh2 69. Qd5 $1 (69.
Qe1 $2 Qd6 $36) 69... Qg3+ 70. Ke2 Qe3+ 71. Kd1 $11) 66. Kh1 Qg3 67. Kg1 Bb6+
68. Kh1 Qe3 69. Bd5 Bd4 70. Bc4 Kb6 71. Bb3 Qf2 72. Kh2 Qg3+ 73. Kh1 Qf2 74.
Kh2 Be5+ 75. Kh1 Qf4 76. Kg1 Bd6 77. Bd5 Qe3+ (77... Kc5 78. Bxb7 Qd4+ 79.
Qxd4+ Kxd4 80. Kf2 b3 81. Kf3 $11) 78. Kh1 Kc7 79. Qc2+ Kb8 80. Qd1 Qf2 81. Bb3
Qg3 82. Kg1 Bc7 {Here White claimed a draw on threefold repetition as if White
now plays 83.Bd5 the same position had arisen at moves 60, 62 and 83. Anyway I
had tried out most things in the position already and there was no win to be
found.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "POR-chT"]
[Site "Porto"]
[Date "2016.08.15"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Santos Latasa, Jaime"]
[Black "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2579"]
[Annotator "Berg,E"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2016.08.14"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "POR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Porto"]
[BlackTeam "Mata de Benfica"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "POR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "POR"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {Although my
opponent used to play many different things I was slightly surpriced to meet
this, one of my favorite lines from the White side of the Najdorf.} Nbd7 {
A populr alternative to the mainline 6...e6. Black might also hope to avoid
long teoretical ines. However in reality both moves are pretty well analysed
nowadays.} 7. Qe2 {The second surprise. In my earlier games I've only faced 7.
f4 which is the mainmove. Apart from that 7.Bc4 is another important option.
The move played is slightly less played but will likely be seen more of in the
near future as it was the recommendation by Parimarjan Negi in his repertoire
book against the Najdorf.} Qa5 {This move is considered dubious by Negi.} (7...
h6 {is the most popular continuation forcing a decision from White's bishop.})
8. Bd2 $1 {A good continuation as pointed out by Negi.} ({Instead after the
automatic reply} 8. f4 {Black's queen development to a5 will be fully
justified.} {One interesting continuation would be} e5 $5 9. Nb3 Qc7 {
intending ...b5 and ...Bb7 when Black has good control in the centre.}) 8...
Qb6 $6 {This looks like a natural continuation forcing White's knight to a
more passive place. However it also restricts the movement of Black's b-pawn
and WHite is getting a good game.} ({Instead} 8... g6 $1 {seems to be the move
to be played. This is not mentioned by Negi and has a perfect score for Black
so far out of two games.}) 9. Nb3 e6 {This prevents the knight jump to d5 but
instead gives White an initiative on the kingside.} (9... Nc5 $5 $146 {might
well be a better option although White should still be better.}) 10. g4 h6 11.
O-O-O $146 {Negi's suggested novelty.} Qc7 {Preparing for ...b5} 12. Bg2 {
Preventing ...b5 due to e5 comming.} Ne5 13. f4 Nc4 14. Be1 $1 {Still
following Negi's analysis.} Be7 15. Bg3 $6 {Here my opponent did not spot the
best option (also given by Negi). Following} (15. Rd4 $1 {black would have
ended up in difficulties after} Nb6 16. e5 $16 {Negi. There is nothing urgent
yet but White has a distinct space advantage and black is clearly behind in
development.}) 15... Nd7 16. Nd4 $6 {This is a bit slow and gives black time
to consolidate.} (16. h4 $14 {or}) (16. Kb1 $14 {would both be good options.})
16... Ndb6 17. f5 $6 {Another slip, especially from a positional point of view.
Now the e5-square is severly weakened.} ({Once again} 17. h4 {would keep WHite
on top.}) 17... Qc5 $5 ({The simple} 17... Bd7 {intending ...Rc8 was perhaps
even stronger.}) 18. Qe1 {A surprising move which did not look quite right.
However I was not able to find a refutation over the board.} ({I was expecting
} 18. Rd3 {when after} Ne5 19. Bxe5 Qxe5 {black has achieved the pair of
bishops.}) 18... Bf6 (18... Bd7 $15) (18... Bg5+ $1 {should have been played
following} 19. Kb1 Nxb2 {I saw all this but didn't pay attention to the
tactical nuances after the continuation} 20. Nb3 ({Instead} 20. Kxb2 Nc4+ 21.
Ka1 Qa3 {forces White to give back material with} 22. Na4 Qxa4 $17) 20... Qa3
21. Bxd6 {when it looks like White is simply winning. However things works
perfectly in Black's favour following} N2c4 $3 22. Bxa3 Nxa3+ 23. Ka1 (23. Kb2
Nbc4+) 23... Nxc2+ 24. Kb1 Nxe1 25. Rhxe1 O-O $17 {when Black is a clear pawn
up and likely winning in the long run.}) 19. e5 $1 (19. Nb3 Qe3+ 20. Qxe3 Nxe3
$15) 19... dxe5 ({Better was} 19... Bg5+ $1 20. Kb1 Nxb2 $1 {which I
considered but rejected due to White's counterplay by Ne4xd6+} 21. Kxb2 ({
After a closer look it appears that Black is just winning following} 21. Ne4 $4
Qa3 22. Nxd6+ Kf8 $1 $18 {when White's counterplay is over while Black stll
has a huge attack.}) 21... Nc4+ 22. Ka1 Qa3 23. Na4 $8 Qxa4 24. Qc3 dxe5 25.
fxe6 O-O $1 $15) 20. Ne4 Qe7 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 (21... Qxf6 $4 22. Bh4 $18) 22. Nc6
{Perhaps not the objectively best but certainly causing a lot of confusion in
the upcomming time trouble.} bxc6 23. Bxc6+ Kf8 24. Bxa8 Nxa8 25. fxe6 (25. Rf1
{looks better to keep Black's minor pieces passive.}) 25... Bxe6 26. Bh4 Nab6
$2 {A mistake which turn the tables completely.} (26... Nc7 27. Rf1 Ne8 $17 {or
}) (26... Rg8 27. Rf1 Rg6 $17 {where both giving Black a serious advantage.})
27. Rf1 Nd7 28. Rxd7 $1 {Suddenly Black is in great danger.} Qxd7 29. Bxf6 Kg8
{Black has to be very careful since Qb4+ and Rd1 was in the air.} 30. Bxh8 $6 {
This move makes Black's task easier.} (30. Qc3 $1 Qd4 31. Qxd4 exd4 32. Rd1 Kh7
33. Bxh8 Kxh8 34. Rxd4 $16 {would have left Black with a very difficult
endgame.}) 30... Kxh8 ({Even stronger was} 30... Qd4 $1 {intending} 31. c3 Qd3
32. Bf6 Nd2 $1 {when the tactics appears to end up in a repetition following}
33. Qxe5 Qxf1+ 34. Kxd2 Qf2+ $11) 31. b3 Qd4 32. c3 Qe3+ 33. Kc2 Na3+ 34. Kb2
Qc5 35. Qh4 Kg7 $2 ({Black should have gone for the immediate counterplay with
} 35... Nb5 36. Qxh6+ Kg8 {when Black has enough counterplay for a draw in
view of the upcomming check on a3 possibly followed by a bishop sacrifice on
b3.}) 36. Qf6+ (36. g5 h5 $1 37. g6 f5 38. Qxh5 Nb5 {seems to hold the balance
for black.}) 36... Kh7 37. Re1 Nb5 38. Qxe5 Qa3+ 39. Kb1 Bxb3 40. axb3 Qxb3+
41. Kc1 Nxc3 {Black is an exchange down but the limited material brings him
excellent drawing chances. It's also well known that a queen and a knight are
very strong in the attack together so White has to watch out too!} 42. Kd2 Nb1+
$5 ({Centralizing with} 42... Nd5 $5 {was probably objectively better.}) 43.
Ke2 Qc2+ 44. Kf3 $2 ({After} 44. Ke3 $1 $14 {White would remain with some
winning chances.}) 44... Nd2+ {Suddenly White is in a trap, but he will get
out with a half point still.} 45. Kg3 Qd3+ 46. Kf2 Qf3+ 47. Kg1 Qxg4+ 48. Kf2
Qf3+ 49. Kg1 Qg4+ 50. Kf2 Qf3+ 51. Kg1 Qd3 52. Qf6 Nf3+ 53. Kf2 Nxe1 54. Qxf7+
Kh8 55. Qf8+ Kh7 56. Qf7+ {(=)} 1/2-1/2

[Event "SWE-chT 1920 Elite"]
[Site "Sweden"]
[Date "2020.01.19"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Black "Andersson, Tommy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2544"]
[BlackElo "2396"]
[Annotator "Berg,Emanuel"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2019.10.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 195 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.05.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.05.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Wasa"]
[BlackTeam "Burgsvik Alva"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SWE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SWE"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {This move has
become very popular during the last decades and is a well reknowed move at top
level.} (6... e6 {is still the main move though with the very popular Poisoned
Pawn Variation being one of the main lines for black.}) 7. Bc4 {A sound
developing move and a good alternative to the main continuation} (7. f4) 7...
Qb6 {The main continuation, developing with tempo. However, the queen often
has to retreat to c7 later on in order to advance with ...b5.} ({The immediate
} 7... Qc7 {is possible but has some drawback, as after} 8. Bb3 e6 {White can
castle short without having to worry about the pin in case of a later f4.
Another point is that following} 9. O-O b5 ({or} 9... Be7 $2 10. Bxe6 $1 $16)
10. Bxe6 $1 $36 {is a nice tactical blow that offers White more than enough
compensation for the piece. Black's exposed king and lack of development puts
him in a difficult situation.}) 8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 Be7 {Now Black is ready to
play ...Nc5 next since he can now recapture with his bishop on f6. Allowing a
capture by ...gxf6 is possible but gives white a positional advantage.} 10.
O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 $5 {White is now playing for activity along the central
files. With a rook on e1 the x-ray attack towards Black's king must also be
taken serious. Now a timely piece sacrifice on f5 or d5 is close at hand.} O-O
{Black decides on castling away from the actions in the center and now has a
safe king for the moment. However, Black is often more eager to castle long in
this kind of positions. The king on g8 can easily become a target for attack
in the near future.} (11... h6) ({and} 11... Qc7 {are a bit more common but
the move played seems to have scored best for Black.}) 12. f4 {White is now
getting ready to play e5.} h6 {A weakening move in front of black's king.
However, the idea is that now Bh4 can be met by the tactical blow ...Nfxe4
while after an exchange on f6 Black secures the pair of bishops.} 13. h4 $1 {
A tactical way of defending the threatened bishop on g5. Although white's rook
has left h1, it's still too dangerous to open up the h-file in front of
Black's king.} Qc7 {The most frequent move in the position and quite logical
defending the bishop on e7 while also preparing the ...b5-advance. However,
Black also has quite a few number of alternatives.} ({During the game I was
slightly concerned about} 13... a5 {but it appears that Black is not in time
for this as White strikes first playing} 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 $14 {with
somewhat better prospects.}) (13... Bd7 14. Kb1 (14. g4 $6 $146 {is another
interesting option.}) 14... Nxb3 15. Nxb3 {turned out well for Black in 0-1 
(37) Karpus,M (2291)-Paramzina,A (2166) Warsaw 2017} ({Here} 15. axb3 $146 {
looks better keeping the knight centralized on d4. White has an active game
with chances to create an attack on the kingside by means of g4 or a timely e5.
})) (13... Rd8 {is well met by} 14. g4 $1 {with Bxf6 and g5 to come. White is
better even in the endgame following} Kf8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. g5 (16. Qf2 $1 {
is stronger though keeping the queens on with chances to play for a mating
attack.}) 16... Bxd4 17. Qxd4 Nxb3+ 18. axb3 Qxd4 19. Rxd4 hxg5 20. hxg5 $14 {
1-0 (42) Ortiz Suarez,I (2548)-Real,T (2246) Avoine 2018}) (13... hxg5 $2 {
is extremely dangerous to play for Black and gives White at least a clear
advantage. After} 14. hxg5 {Black will not be able to hold on to his extra
piece. The only example found in the database went} Ng4 {when white went on to
win quickly following} 15. Qe2 Nxb3+ 16. axb3 e5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. exf5 Rfc8 19.
Qxg4 Qa5 20. Qh3 {1-0 (20) Nedev,T (2475)-Lazov,T (2223) Struga 2015}) (13...
Nxb3+ 14. axb3 Qc5 {was played in 0-1 (32) Corallo,M (2285)-Troff,K (2556)
Chicago 2015} {Now instead of 15.Qe2 it would have been better to go for} 15.
g4 $16 {intending Bxf6 followed by g5 with an advantage for White.}) (13... Qa5
$5 {is an interesting option with the idea of playing ...Nfxe4 next followed
by a queen exchange before recapturing the piece on g5.} {Folllowing} 14. Bxf6
$6 (14. Kb1 {looks better when after} Nfxe4 15. Nxe4 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 hxg5 17.
hxg5 {the resulting queenless middlegame is slightly in White's favour.}) 14...
Bxf6 15. g4 e5 $15 {Black was already on top in 0-1 (32) Molner,M (2458)
-Paragua,M (2521) Los Angeles 2011}) 14. Kb1 {An automatic reply which is
usually always a useful move for White getting the king a bit more secure. I
also recalled that I had analysed this position at home, although from another
move order.} ({However, here White could have been more efficient playing the
immediate} 14. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 15. g4 $14 {with an initiative and a slight edge.})
({Another move worth mentioning is} 14. g4 {which has been played twice in
blitz by Nepomniachtchi in both occasions vs Ding,Liren.}) 14... b5 (14... Rd8
{is well met by} 15. Bxf6 $1 $146 ({Black was doing fine after} 15. Qe2 b5 {
in 1-0 (39) Ibarra Chami,L (2436)-Vazquez Reyes,R (2231) Mexico City 2010})
15... Bxf6 16. g4 $14) 15. e5 Ne8 $6 $146 ({Better is} 15... dxe5 {but White's
position is still promising after} 16. fxe5 Nh7 (16... Ng4 {can be met by} 17.
Qf4 $1 $146 {More promising than} (17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nc6 Qc7 {when Black was
doing well in 0-1 (58) Filev,G (2359)-Apostolakakis,K (2061) Kavala 2019})
17... Nxb3 18. axb3 f5 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Ne4 $1 $14) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne4 Bb7
({or} 18... Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Bb7 20. Rf4 Rad8 21. c3 Bd5 22. Bc2 $16 {1-0 (42)
Rublevsky,S (2678)-Andriasian,Z (2585) Warsaw 2010}) 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. g4 $40 {
with promising attacking chances for White in 1-0 (30) Rublevsky,S (2688)
-Vachier Lagrave,M (2711) Warsaw 2012}) 16. Bxe7 (16. Bd5 $5 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Qxb7
(17... Nxb7 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. g4 $16) 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. g4 $16) 16... Qxe7 17.
Qf2 (17. exd6 Qxd6 18. g4 $16) 17... Nxb3 18. axb3 (18. Nxb3 $16) 18... Bb7 19.
g4 Rd8 20. g5 dxe5 21. Rxe5 b4 (21... hxg5 22. hxg5 g6 23. Rd3 {[%cal Gd3h3]}
Ng7 24. Qh2 Qb4 25. Qh6 $1 Qxd4 $8 (25... Rxd4 $4 26. Rh3 Nh5 (26... f6 27. f5
$1 fxe5 28. Qh7+ Kf7 29. Qxg6+ Ke7 30. Qxg7+ Ke8 31. Qxb7 $18) 27. Rxh5 gxh5
28. g6 $18) 26. Rh3 $1 Qg1+ 27. Ka2 Nh5 28. Rxh5 gxh5 29. g6 Qxg6 (29... fxg6
30. Rg5 Qxg5 31. fxg5 $18 {[%csl Rg6,Rg8]}) 30. Rg5 Rd7 31. Rxg6+ fxg6 32.
Qxg6+ Rg7 33. Qxe6+ Kh7 34. Qe2 $1 $16) 22. Na4 f6 $2 {It's hard to remain
passive for Black, but this doesn't make things any better.} (22... hxg5 23.
hxg5 g6 24. f5 $1 $16 gxf5 25. Re3 $1 $18 {[%cal Gf2h4,Ye3h3]}) (22... h5 23.
Nc5 $16) 23. Rxe6 Qf7 (23... Qxe6 24. Nxe6 Rxd1+ 25. Ka2 Rf7 26. gxh6 gxh6 27.
Nac5 $18 {is hopeless for Black due to the lack of coordination between his
pieces.}) 24. Rde1 (24. Qe1 {is a bit more clearcut.}) 24... fxg5 25. hxg5 hxg5
26. Nc5 Bc8 (26... Qxf4 27. Qxf4 gxf4 28. Nxb7 Rxd4 29. Rxe8 Rxe8 30. Rxe8+ Kf7
31. Rd8 Rxd8 32. Nxd8+ Kf6 {might not look at all clear at first sight but
after} 33. Kc1 $1 $18 {White is winning.}) (26... Bd5 27. R6e5 (27. Re7 Qxf4
28. Qxf4 gxf4 29. Nde6 Bxe6 30. Nxe6 Rb8 31. Nxf8 Kxf8 32. R7e5 $18) 27... Qxf4
28. Qg1 $18 {[%csl Rd8,Rf4,Rf8][%cal Gd4e6,Ge5g5]}) 27. Nc6 $1 Rd1+ 28. Rxd1
Bxe6 29. Qe2 $1 (29. Nd8 Qh5 {[%csl Rd1]} 30. Qd2 $18) 29... Nc7 (29... Bf5 30.
Ne7+ Kh8 31. Qh2+ Bh7 32. Qxh7+ Kxh7 33. Rh1+ Qh5 34. Rxh5#) 30. Nd8 (30. f5 $1
$18) 30... Qe7 31. Ndxe6 gxf4 32. Rd7 f3 33. Qf2 1-0

[Event "BCF-ch 79th"]
[Site "Plymouth"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Howell, James C"]
[Black "Hodgson, Julian M"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Bulletin"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1992.08.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 030 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1992.11.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1992.11.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 g6 8.
Qd2 Bg7 9. f3 h6 10. Be3 b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. a4 $2 (12. O-O-O $1 {[ /\ g4 h4 ]})
12... b4 13. Nd5 a5 $10 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. O-O h5 16. Kh1 h4 17. Bd5 Qc8 18.
Rad1 Rh5 $1 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 {[ White plays a bit too passively ]} 20. b3 $6 {
[ 20.h3! ]} d5 $1 21. Ne2 dxe4 22. Nf4 Re5 23. Nd5 h3 24. fxe4 (24. Bf4 hxg2+
25. Kxg2 e3 $1 $17) 24... Rxe4 25. gxh3 Bd4 $1 $17 26. Qg2 Qxd5 27. Bxd4 Ra6 $1
{[ [] ]} 28. c4 bxc3 29. Bxc3 Qe6 30. Rc1 f5 31. Bd2 Kf7 32. Rf2 Re5 33. Bf4
Re1+ 34. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 35. Rf1 Qe6 $19 36. h4 Nf6 37. Rg1 Nh5 38. Bd2 Qxb3 39. h3
Re6 40. Bxa5 Nf4 0-1

[Event "Bled 30th Anniversary"]
[Site "Bled"]
[Date "1961.09.15"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ivkov, Borislav"]
[Black "Petrosian, Tigran V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Annotator "Bulletin"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[EventDate "1961.09.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "19"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 (6... e6) 7.
Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O $5 (9. O-O) 9... b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 Nc5 (11...
Be7) (11... Rc8 $1) 12. e5 dxe5 13. Bxe6 $1 (13. Rxe5 Nxb3+ 14. Nxb3 (14. cxb3
O-O-O) 14... Qc7) 13... fxe6 14. Nxe6 (14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nxe6 Bc6) (14. Rxe5 b4
15. Nxe6 Nd3+ $1) 14... Ncd7 (14... Nxe6 $2 15. Bxf6) (14... b4 $1 15. Rxe5
Nd3+ $1 16. Qxd3 Qxe5) (14... b4 15. Nxc5 bxc3 16. Rxe5+ Kf7) (14... b4 15.
Bxf6 bxc3) 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 $22 $16 {(16.Rxe5 Kf7 17.Qf4 /\ 18.Rd7+) [Keres]} (
15... Nxf6 16. Rxe5 Kf7 17. Qf4 $1 $16 {/\18.Rd7}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade"]
[Date "1959.10.25"]
[Round "26"]
[White "Tal, Mihail"]
[Black "Petrosian, Tigran V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Annotator "Bulletin"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1959.09.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "28"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[SourceTitle "Candidates"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Bc4 a6 7. Bg5 Qa5 {
/\ 8...Nxe4} 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O (9. O-O-O) 9... h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Nh5 12.
Bxe6 $1 fxe6 13. Nxe6 Nxg3 (13... Ne5 14. Nxf8 {15.Qxd6}) 14. fxg3 Ne5 15.
Rxf8+ (15. Nxf8 Qc5+) 15... Rxf8 16. Qxd6 Rf6 (16... Bxe6 $2 17. Qxe6+ Kd8 18.
Rd1+ Kc7 19. Qd6+ Kc8 20. Qxf8+) 17. Nc7+ Kf7 18. Rf1 Rxf1+ 19. Kxf1 Nc4 20.
Qxh6 Qc5 $1 (20... Rb8 21. N3d5 $1 Nd2+ 22. Ke2 Bg4+ 23. Kd3 $1) 21. Nxa8 (21.
N3d5 Ne3+) 21... Nd2+ 22. Ke2 (22. Ke1 $4 Qe3+ 23. Kd1 Bg4+) 22... Bg4+ 23. Kd3
(23. Kxd2 Qd4+) 23... Qc4+ 24. Ke3 Qc5+ (24... Nf1+ $2 25. Kf2 Qd4+ 26. Kxf1)
1/2-1/2

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2013.08.12"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Ortiz Suarez, Isan Reynaldo"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2609"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "173"]
[EventDate "2013.08.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 156"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 h6 8.
Bd2 e6 9. f4 Qc7 10. O-O-O b5 11. g4 Bb7 12. g5 hxg5 13. fxg5 b4 14. Nd5 Nxd5
15. exd5 Bxd5 16. Bg2 Bxg2 17. Qxg2 Rc8 18. Bxb4 g6 19. Bc3 e5 20. Ne2 Nb6 21.
h4 d5 22. Rhe1 Bg7 23. h5 Rxh5 24. Nf4 Rh4 25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Rxd5 Rc4 27. Re3
Kf8 28. Qd2 e4 29. Bxg7+ Kxg7 30. c3 Qf4 31. Re2 Qg3 32. Kc2 Re8 33. Rg2 Qb8
34. Qe3 Rc7 $2 (34... Kg8 $14) 35. Rh2 $18 Rce7 36. Qf2 $2 (36. Qd4+ $2 Re5) (
36. Rh4 $1 {Mit diesem Zug entzieht Weiß den Turm dem Angriff durch die
schwarze Dame und erhält freie Hand für seinen Mattangriff.} Re5 (36... Kg8
37. Qh3 $18) 37. Qf2 Rxd5 38. Qf6+ Kg8 39. Rh8#) 36... Re6 37. Rd7 (37. Qd4+
Re5 38. Qf2 Rf5 39. Rxf5 gxf5 40. Qh4 Qd6 41. Qh7+ Kf8 $11) 37... Rf8 38. Rxf7+
Rxf7 39. Rh7+ Kxh7 40. Qxf7+ Kh8 41. Qxe6 Qh2+ 42. Kb3 Qb8+ 43. Ka3 Qf8+ 44.
Ka4 Qf4 45. Qe8+ Kg7 46. Qd7+ Kf8 47. Qd8+ Kf7 48. Qd5+ Ke7 49. Qd4 Ke6 50. Kb3
Qf3 51. Kc2 Kf5 52. a4 Kxg5 53. b4 Kh4 54. b5 axb5 55. a5 Qe2+ 56. Kb3 Kg3 57.
Qd6+ Kf3 58. a6 Qe1 59. Kb4 Qb1+ 60. Kc5 Qa1 (60... Qg1+ $16) 61. Qf6+ $2 (61.
Kb6 $1 e3 62. Qf6+ Ke2 (62... Kg2 63. Qxg6+ Kf1 64. Qd3+ Kf2 (64... e2 65. Qf3+
Kg1 66. Qxe2 $18) 65. Qf5+ Ke1 66. Qc5 Kd2 67. Qd4+ Kc2 68. Qxe3 $18) 63. a7 b4
64. Qc6 g5 65. a8=Q $18) 61... Ke2 (61... Ke3 $16) 62. Kb6 $2 (62. Qc6 Qg1+ 63.
Kxb5 Qb1+ 64. Ka5 Kf3 65. Qf6+ $18) 62... b4 63. Qd4 bxc3 $11 64. Qxe4+ Kd2 65.
Qd5+ Ke3 66. Qe5+ Kd3 67. Qg3+ Kd2 68. Qd6+ Ke3 69. Qc5+ Kd3 70. Qb5+ Kd2 71.
Qg5+ Ke2 72. Qe5+ Kd3 73. a7 Qg1+ 74. Ka6 Qa1+ 75. Kb7 Qh1+ 76. Kb8 c2 77. Qg3+
Kd2 78. Qg5+ Kd1 79. Qd8+ Ke2 80. Qe7+ Kd2 81. Qb4+ Ke2 82. Qc4+ Kd2 83. Qf4+
Kd1 84. Qd6+ Ke2 85. a8=Q Qxa8+ 86. Kxa8 c1=Q 87. Qxg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Geneve FIDE GP (Women)"]
[Site "Geneve"]
[Date "2013.05.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Black "Ushenina, Anna"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2491"]
[BlackElo "2491"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2013.05.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.06.25"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.06.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 h6 8.
Bh4 g6 9. f4 e5 10. fxe5 Nxe5 11. h3 Be7 12. Bf2 b5 13. g4 Bb7 14. Bg2 Rc8 15.
Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Qa5+ 17. c3 O-O 18. O-O ({White could have tried} 18. Nc6)
18... Rfe8 19. Be3 Bf8 20. Qf2 Qc7 21. Rad1 Bg7 22. Bf4 Qd7 23. Bc1 ({... or} 
23. Bxe5 Rxe5 24. Nc6 {but for some reason the former world champion avoided
playing this move today.}) 23... b4 24. Ne2 a5 25. Qb6 Nc4 26. Qf2 Ne5 27. Qb6
Nc4 28. Qf2 bxc3 29. Nxc3 Nxb2 30. Bxb2 Bxc3 31. Bc1 ({White could have kept
chances of holding the position by playing} 31. Bxc3) 31... Ba6 {Now the
position is absolutly winning for Black.} 32. Bxh6 Bxf1 33. Rxf1 Bg7 34. Bf4
Rc4 35. Kh1 Be5 36. Bh6 Rb4 37. Qd2 Reb8 38. a3 Rb1 39. Qxa5 Rxf1+ 40. Bxf1 Qb7
41. Qd2 Qb1 42. Qd3 Qa2 0-1

[Event "World Women-ch k.o."]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2012.11.20"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Kosintseva, Nadezhda"]
[Black "Ushenina, Anna"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2539"]
[BlackElo "2452"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2012.11.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 152"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteClock "0:11:20"]
[BlackClock "0:30:44"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 h6 8.
Bh4 g6 9. O-O-O e5 10. Nb3 Be7 11. f3 b5 12. a3 Qc7 13. Kb1 Kf8 14. g4 Bb7 15.
Bf2 Kg7 16. h4 Rab8 17. Be3 Nb6 18. Bc1 Nc4 19. Rd3 Ba8 20. Rg1 b4 21. axb4 Qb6
22. Rg2 Qxb4 23. g5 hxg5 24. hxg5 Nd7 25. Rd1 Na3+ 26. bxa3 Qxc3 27. Bb2 Qc7
28. Qc4 Bc6 29. f4 Qb7 30. Rf2 Nb6 31. Qxa6 Qxa6 32. Bxa6 Na4 33. Bc4 Nxb2 34.
Kxb2 exf4 35. Rxf4 {[#]} f6 $4 {Ushinina: "I had spent too much time in the
middlegame, and made a couple of serious mistakes under time pressure, when
all I had to do was calculating a couple of simple lines."} (35... Be8 {
for instance would have kept Black on the offensive.}) 36. Ka2 $4 {A missed
chance.} ({"When I played 35...f6, Nadezhda began to think, and I instantly
noticed that she can take on f6 twice. However, she rejected this move."} 36.
gxf6+ Bxf6+ 37. Rxf6 $1 Kxf6 38. Rxd6+) 36... Rhf8 {White still has the
advantage, but is now unable to turn it into a full point.} 37. Nd4 Bd7 38. Be6
Ba4 39. Rdf1 Rbe8 40. Bd5 Bd7 41. Be6 Ba4 42. Bb3 Bd7 43. Be6 {and draw by
repetition. " In the final position Nadezhda still had a big advantage and
could torture be for a long time," said Anna Ushinina.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad Women-41"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2014.08.06"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Sebag, Marie"]
[Black "Paehtz, Elisabeth"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2464"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "France (W)"]
[BlackTeam "Germany (W)"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]
[WhiteClock "0:22:39"]
[BlackClock "0:02:56"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {galt bis vor
wenigen Jahren noch als zweifelhaft, hat sich mittlerweile jedoch als Hauptzug
auch auf Großmeisterebene etabliert.} 7. Bc4 Qb6 {wird von Kuzmin in CBM 135
ausführlich diskutiert und für gut befunden.} (7... Qa5 {ist die alte
Hauptvariante} 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 {1-0 (41) Spassky,
B-Polugaevsky,L Riga 1958}) 8. Bb3 (8. Qd2 {ist eine riskante Alternative, die
Weiß einige sehenswerte Kurzsiege einbrachte.} Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. O-O e6 (
10... Qc5 11. Bd5 Nxd5 $2 12. Nxd5 $18 f6 13. Ne6 Qc4 14. Rb4 Qxa2 15. Nec7+
Kf7 16. Nxa8 {1-0 (16) Li,C (2646)-Zhou Jianchao (2660) Xinghua Jiangsu 2011})
11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qa5 13. f4 Kf7 14. e5 Kxe6 15. Rbe1 Kf7 16. Kh1 Nb6 (
16... h6 17. Bh4 Nb6 18. exf6 g6 19. Qe3 Bd7 20. f5 g5 21. Bf2 g4 22. Qg3 Rc8
23. Bxb6 Qxc3 24. Qxg4 Qxf6 25. Bd4 Qg5 26. Qe4 Be7 27. Bxh8 Rxh8 28. Qd5+ Kg7
29. Rxe7+ {1-0 (29) Wang Yue (2714)-Zhou Jianchao (2636) Danzhou 2011}) 17.
exf6 gxf6 18. Bxf6 Rg8 19. Bd4 Na4 20. Qe2 Bd7 21. f5 Rxg2 22. Kxg2 Nxc3 23.
Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kf7 25. Qf6+ Kg8 26. Qh8+ {1-0 (26) Cheparinov,I (2664)
-Kadric,D (2379) Aix-les-Bains 2011}) 8... e6 {hier gibt es verschiedene
weiße Pläne, die prinzipielle Frage ist natürlich, wohin der König
rochiert.} 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. f3 (11. Rhe1 $5 {ist eine wichtige
Alternative. Weiß plant f4 und dann f5 oder e5.} Qc7 12. f4 (12. Kb1 h6 13.
Bh4 b5 14. Bd5 Bb7 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qe3 $14 {1-0 (50) Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave-Leinier Dominguez Perez Tromso NOR 2013}) {Kuzmin empfiehlt}
12... h6 {mit komplizierten Verwicklungen}) 11... O-O 12. g4 (12. h4 {ist eine
Alternative} Qc7 13. Kb1 b5 14. a3 Rb8 $1 15. h5 h6 16. Be3 (16. Bh4 {mit
unklarer Stellung (Kuzmin)}) 16... e5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. exf5 Nxb3 19. cxb3 b4 {
und Schwarz war mit seinem Angriff deutlich schneller in: 0-1 (33) Naiditsch,A
(2574)-Anand,V (2774) Dortmund 2003}) 12... Qc7 13. Kb1 b5 14. a3 Rb8 15. h4
Bd7 {Schwarz hat alle Figuren entwickelt, den Bauern b5 zweimal überdeckt und
kann nun mit a5 seinen Angriff fortsetzen.} 16. Bxf6 (16. Nde2 {erhöht den
Druck gegen d6, doch Schwarz kann die Drohung Lxf6 einfach ignorieren.} a5 $1
17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qxd6 Rfc8 (18... Qxd6 $5 19. Rxd6 Rfd8 20. g5 Be7 21. Rdd1 b4
22. axb4 axb4 23. Na2 Nxb3 24. cxb3 e5 $15 {und Schwarz hat die besseren
Leichtfiguren}) 19. f4 $2 Qb7 $2 (19... Qxd6 $1 20. Rxd6 Be7 21. Rdd1 b4 22.
axb4 axb4 23. Na2 Bc6 $17) 20. e5 {0-1 (62) Sengupta,D (2393)-Khismatullin,D 
(2576) Moscow 2006}) 16... Bxf6 17. g5 Be7 $146 {sieht wie eine logische
Abweichung von der Stammpartie aus. Der Ld8 hat den Vorteil, die 7. Reihe für
die Dame zu räumen, sodaß diese im Fall eines Turmopfers auf h6 in die
Verteidigung eingreifen kann. Schwarz wählt hier jedoch eine andere
Verteidungsstrategie.} (17... Bd8 18. h5 a5 19. g6 Nxb3 20. Nxb3 fxg6 21. hxg6
h6 22. Nxa5 (22. Rxh6 $2 gxh6 23. Qxh6 Bc8 {und die Dame kommt nach g7}) 22...
Rxf3 $13 {und Schwarz konnte am Ende durch Glück Remis retten. ½-½ (30)
Shirov,A (2723)-Dominguez Perez,L (2712) Wijk aan Zee 2010}) 18. h5 a5 19. g6 {
der Standarddurchbruch des Weißen. Schwarz hat prinzipiell drei
Verteidigungsideen: (1) alles so stehen lassen und mit dem eigenen Angriff
fortfahren, ...fxg6 und auf hxg6 nun (2)...h6 bzw. (3) ...hxg6 oder (4)
sofortiges ...h6.} Nxb3 (19... Bf6 20. h6 hxg6 21. Qh2 Rfc8 22. Nf5 $1 $18 {
1-0 (29) Stephen John Solomon (2378)-Ryan Rhys Griffiths (2362) Istanbul TUR
2012}) 20. cxb3 $1 {Le7 überdeckt den d6 zuverlässig, sodass die Öffnung
der d-Linie mittels Sxb3 nichts einbringt. Stattdessen bleibt er Sd4 aktiv und
Weiß kann den Bauernwall um seinen eigenen König verstärken.} h6 $1 {
entscheidet sich für (4)} (20... fxg6 $2 21. hxg6 hxg6 {(3)} (21... h6 $4 {
die Verteidung (2) analog zu Shirov-Dominguez Perez funktioniert mit dem Le7
natürlich nicht mehr.} 22. Rxh6 gxh6 23. Qxh6 $18) 22. Qg2 Rf6 23. e5 $1 dxe5
24. Ne4 $40) (20... b4 $6 {(1)} 21. h6 $1 {ist die schematische Fortsetzung}
fxg6 (21... hxg6 $4 22. hxg7 Kxg7 23. Qh6+ Kf6 24. e5+ dxe5 25. Ne4#) (21...
gxh6 $4 22. Qxh6 Rfe8 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. Qxf7#) (21... bxc3 $4 22. gxh7+ Kh8 23.
hxg7+ Kxg7 24. h8=Q+ Rxh8 25. Rdg1+ Kf6 26. Qg5#) 22. hxg7 Rf7 23. Rxh7 $1 Rxg7
(23... Kxh7 $2 24. Rh1+ $18) 24. Rxg7+ Kxg7) 21. Nce2 d5 $5 {öffnet die
Diagonalen für die Läufer} 22. exd5 exd5 23. Rhg1 fxg6 {beschleunigt den
weißen Plan, die Türme auf der g-Linie zu verdoppeln} (23... Bg5 24. Rxg5 (
24. f4 Bf6 25. f5 {und Schwarz hat quasi ein Tempo gewonnen. Der Bauer auf f5
stört nicht} Rbe8 26. gxf7+ Rxf7 27. Ne6 (27. Qxh6 $2 Bxf5+ 28. Nxf5 $140 Rxe2
$19) 27... Bxe6 28. fxe6 Rxe6 29. Nf4 $11) 24... hxg5 25. Qxg5 Rbe8 (25... Qd8
26. Qxd5 Be6 27. Qe5 $44) 26. h6 {sieht sehr gefährlich aus, wobei} Qe5 {
die Stellung zusammenhält} 27. gxf7+ Rxf7 {und Schwarz hat die besseren
Aussichten}) (23... Bf6 24. gxf7+ Rxf7 25. Qxh6 $40) 24. Rxg6 Qe5 (24... Bg5
25. f4 Bf6 26. Rdg1 Kh8 27. f5 $40 {mit der Drohung Dxh6}) 25. Qxh6 Bf6 26. Ka1
Rbc8 27. Qd2 Qxh5 28. Rgg1 Rfe8 29. Nf4 $2 {Einleitung eines Manövers, das
lediglich Schwarz dazu verhilft, die Figuren auf den richtigen Felder zu
platzieren.} (29. Ng3 $5 Qe5 (29... Qf7 $6 30. Ngf5 $40) 30. f4 Qe3 31. Nh5
Bxd4 32. Qxe3 Rxe3 33. Rxd4 Bg4 $1 {rettet die Stellung} 34. Nxg7 (34. Rxg4 $4
Rc1+ 35. Ka2 Ree1 36. Rxg7+ Kf8 37. b4 a4 38. b3 Rc2#) 34... Kxg7 35. Rxg4+ Kf6
36. Rg1 $11) (29. Qxa5 $5 {ist der radikale Versuch der Engine. Weiß steht
kompakt genug um sich diesen Zeitverlust leisten zu können.}) 29... Qe5 30.
Ng6 $6 Qe3 31. Qxe3 Rxe3 32. Nf4 $15 {Schwarz ist mit dem Damentausch
zufrieden und hat nun die besseren Leichtfiguren. Weiß wird in den folgenden
Zügen eindrucksvoll überspielt.} Re5 33. Ka2 a4 34. bxa4 bxa4 35. Nd3 Rh5 $1
36. Nf4 Rh4 37. Nfe2 Rc4 $1 38. f4 Rh2 $1 39. Rd3 {nach einigen genauen Zügen
von Eli ist die weiße Stellung kurz vor dem Kollaps} Bf5 $2 {kurz vor der
Zeitkontrolle diese Ungenauigkeit, die Weiß entlastet} (39... Be8 $1 {bringt
die letzte schwarze Figur in den Angriff und gewinnt die Partie auf der Stelle}
40. Rgd1 Bg6 41. R3d2 Bh5 $1 {gewinnt zwingend Material}) 40. Nxf5 Rxe2 41. Rb1
Rcc2 42. Nd4 Red2 43. Rxd2 Rxd2 44. Ne6 Rc2 {die Stellung ist immer noch sehr
gut für Schwarz, doch nun ist Technik gefragt.} 45. f5 Be5 46. Ng5 Kf8 47. Nf3
Bf6 48. Ne1 Rd2 49. Nf3 Rf2 50. Ne1 Bd4 51. Nd3 Rd2 52. Ne1 Bf6 53. Nf3 Rf2 54.
Ne1 Rxf5 $1 55. Nd3 g5 56. Nc5 Kf7 {mit Remisschluss, trotz immer noch
besserer Stellung. Die Zeit wurde knapp und Weiß bekommt nun auch Chancen am
Damenflügel, dennoch wird der schwarze g-Bauer Weiß zumindest den Springer
kosten.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "URS-ch21 Final"]
[Site "Kiev"]
[Date "1954.01.18"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Nezhmetdinov, Rashid"]
[Black "Petrosian, Tigran V"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1954.01.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "19"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[SourceTitle "URS-ch"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qf3 h6 8.
Be3 e5 9. Nf5 $2 (9. Nb3) 9... g6 10. Ng3 b5 11. h4 h5 12. Bg5 Be7 13. O-O-O (
13. a3 $142 {/\14.Bd3,15.Nge2}) 13... Bb7 (13... b4) 14. Kb1 Rc8 15. Bd3 Nc5 {
/\ 16...Se6} 16. Nge2 b4 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 {[#]} Qe7 (19...
Bxh4 20. g4 $132) 20. Ng3 (20. Bc4 $142) 20... Bxh4 21. Ne4 Bg5 22. g3 (22.
Nxc5 Rxc5 23. Bxa6 f5 $36) 22... a5 23. Rde1 Nxe4 24. Bxe4 f5 25. Bd3 Bf6 26.
Bb5+ Kf7 27. Qb3 Kg7 28. f3 h4 29. g4 (29. gxh4 $142 $5) 29... fxg4 30. fxg4
Bg5 31. Bd3 h3 32. Ba6 Ra8 33. Rxh3 Bh4 $1 34. Reh1 Rxa6 35. g5 Qxg5 36. Qc4
Ra7 37. Rxh4 Rxh4 38. Qxh4 Qxh4 39. Rxh4 Rc7 40. Rh1 g5 41. Kc1 Rc5 42. Rd1 Kg6
43. Rd2 g4 44. Kd1 Kf5 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 9th"]
[Site "Caleta"]
[Date "2011.02.01"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Fernandez Romero, Ernesto"]
[Black "Edouard, Romain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2453"]
[BlackElo "2634"]
[Annotator "Edouard,R"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2011.01.25"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GGB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 141"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $5 {An
interesting try when you need to win a game.} 7. f4 Qc7 8. Qe2 $6 {A classical
try in the Najdorf, but probably quite dubious here.} (8. Qf3 {is the usual
move, of course.}) 8... e5 $1 {This can be the idea of "delaying" ...e6. Black
is already fine, but I slightly misunderstood the position and made a
positional blunder on move 11.} 9. Nf5 h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. O-O-O (11. Ne3 $6
exf4 12. Ned5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qa5+ $5 14. c3 (14. b4 $2 Qd8 15. Qc4 Be6 16. Nc7+
Kd7 $17) 14... Be6 15. Nxf4 Be7 $36) 11... Bxf5 $6 {After that move, White
will be slightly better whatever happens.} (11... exf4 $5 {was just alright:}
12. Nd5 (12. Qd2 Bxf5 13. exf5 O-O-O $11) 12... Nxd5 13. exd5+ Kd8 14. Qe4 Qd7
(14... g6 $5 15. Re1 Bd7) 15. Nd4 (15. g4 g6 16. Re1 Kc7 $132) 15... Qe7 $1 16.
Qxf4 Qg5 {with a very pleasant position for Black.}) (11... Be6 $5 12. fxe5 (
12. Ne3 exf4 13. Ned5 Bxd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. exd5+ Be7 16. Re1 Kf8 $15) 12...
dxe5 13. Ne3 Bc5 14. Ned5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Qc6 {with equality as a minimum for
Black.}) 12. exf5 Be7 13. fxe5 (13. g4 $1 exf4 14. h4 O-O-O (14... Qc5 15. g5
hxg5 16. hxg5 Rxh1 17. gxf6 Qe3+ 18. Qxe3 fxe3 19. fxe7 $16) 15. Bg2 Rde8 (
15... Kb8 16. g5 hxg5 17. hxg5 Rxh1 18. Bxh1 Ng8 19. Nd5 Qd7 20. Qg4 $14) 16.
Qf3 {would have been a bit unpleasant for me!}) 13... dxe5 14. g4 Qa5 $5 (14...
Rc8 15. Bg2 b5 16. h4 b4 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 $14) (14... Rd8 15. Rxd8+ (15.
Bg2 $6 Rd4 $132) 15... Kxd8 16. Bg2 Kc8 17. Kb1 Kb8 18. h4 $14) 15. Bg2 $6 {
The idea of starting 14...Qa5 was partly to tempt White to play this pretty
logical move.} (15. h4 Rc8 16. Rh3 $8 Bb4 17. Nb1 $1 {(the move I forgot
during the game) would be annoying for Black.}) 15... Rc8 16. Kb1 (16. Nd5 Qxa2
17. Qxe5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Qa1+ 19. Kd2 Qa4 20. Bxf7+ Kf8 $1 {and Black is OK.})
16... Rxc3 $1 {A typical sac in the Sicilian.} 17. bxc3 O-O 18. Qc4 {This move
has to be played fast, as White's queen is the only piece able to defend the
dark squares!} (18. Rhe1 e4 $1 19. Qc4 Nxg4 {is very fine for Black.}) 18... b5
19. Qc6 Nxg4 (19... b4 20. c4 Bc5 21. h4 Bd4 {White will have to sac an
exchange anyhow.} 22. g5 $1 ({I actually didn't like} 22. Rxd4 exd4 23. g5 {
but in fact, the position is just unclear after} Ng4 $1 24. gxh6 d3 $1) 22...
Bc3 23. Rh3 $1 Qa3 24. Rxc3 bxc3 25. Qb6 hxg5 26. hxg5 Ng4 27. Rd8 {and White
is just better.}) 20. Rd7 (20. Rhe1 $6 b4 $1 {with the idea of} 21. c4 e4 $1 {
followed by ...Bf6 is just good for Black.}) 20... Qa3 $1 {The position is
already more pleasant to play for Black, but it is important to see the ...e4
idea which I didn't play!} 21. Rc7 $5 (21. Ra7 a5 (21... Bb4 $5 22. cxb4 $140
Qxb4+ 23. Kc1 Qf4+ 24. Kb1 Qb4+ $11) 22. Qxb5 Ne3 23. Bf3 Qxc3 24. Qb3 Bb4 $44)
21... Ne3 (21... e4 $1 {was a strong move I had seen! I would like to explain
why I didn't play it, but I just couldn't remember it even few minutes after
the game! I think I just thought the text move was stronger, because of some
hallucination (check below).} 22. Qxe4 Ne5 $1 {Of course I missed this move.
However, I saw 22...Bd6 (much simpler) which is also better for Black!} (22...
Bd6 23. Qxg4 Bxc7 24. f6 g6 25. Bd5 Kh8 $1 $15) 23. Qxe5 Bd6 {is just better
for Black without any danger. I believe White should hold a draw thanks to the
reduced material, but it won't be such fun.}) 22. Bd5 Nc4 $6 (22... Nxd5 23.
Qxd5 Bf6 24. Rd1 (24. Qe4 Rd8 $132) 24... e4 25. Qb3 Qa4 $1 {(once again a
nice idea I missed) was unclear and probably the best possible choice.}) 23.
Bxc4 bxc4 24. Qb7 $1 {I had actually missed that White has time for taking the
c4-pawn!!} Bd6 (24... Qd6 $5 {is possible, but I start to be in trouble and I
thought 24...Bd6 was still kind of a forced draw, thanks to the text moves 27..
.Bc5! and 29...Qd4!.}) 25. Rxc4 (25. Rc6 Kh7 26. Rxa6 Rb8 27. Qxb8 Qxa6 28. Qb2
$8 {and Black is much better, for instance with} e4 $5 {and can make a draw at
any moment with ...Ba3-...Bd6.} (28... Ba3 $5 29. Qb8 e4)) 25... Kh7 26. Rc8
Rxc8 27. Qxc8 Bc5 $1 28. Qb7 Qxc3 29. Qb3 $1 {A very tricky position. Any
endgame with this structure will be losing. Only, if I can exchange g- and
f-pawns very fast, it will become very unclear as I could push my central
pawns very fast.} (29. Qxf7 Bd4 $11) 29... Qd4 $8 30. Qxf7 e4 $5 {And White
has just no winning plan, and his king is too weak to undertake a slow winning
plan.} ({The crazy move} 30... Be7 $5 {given by the computer, should also draw!
}) 31. Qg6+ (31. f6 {is the only way to keep on playing, but after} Qxf6 32.
Qxf6 gxf6 {Black would be just fine!}) 31... Kh8 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. Qg6+ Kh8
1/2-1/2

[Event "Amsterdam ACP Golden Classic"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "2012.07.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Black "Le, Quang Liem"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "Erenburg,S"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2012.07.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 150"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {This move has
become the top players' prevailing choice recently.} 7. Bc4 e6 ({After} 7...
Qb6 8. Nb3 e6 {the game was transformed into a Scheveningen-like position.} 9.
O-O Be7 10. a4 Qc7 11. Bd3 b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Kh1 h6 14. Bd2 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5
16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Bc3 $6 (17. c4 $5 Bc6 18. a5 Nc5 19. Nd4 (19. axb6 Qb7 $132)
19... Nxd3 20. Nxc6 Qxc6 21. Qxd3 $14) 17... O-O 18. Be4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rac8 $15
{1/2-1/2 Filippov,A (2620)-So,W (2669)/Guangzhou 2010/EXT 2011 (48)}) 8. a4 {
A very rare continuation. White wants to fix Black's pawn structure on the
queenside by playing a4-a5.} ({A more common one is} 8. O-O h6 (8... Qa5 9. Qd2
h6 10. Be3 Ne5 11. Bb3 Neg4 12. f4 Be7 13. Kh1 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 g5 15. f5 e5 16.
Nde2 Qc5 17. Qf3 (17. Qd3 Bd7 18. Nd5 $14) 17... g4 18. Qd3 Bd7 19. Rad1 (19.
Nd5 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 Bg5 21. Rad1 $14) 19... Rc8 20. Rfe1 Bc6 $11 {1-0 Li,C (2619)
-Zhou Jianchao (2652)/Hefei 2010/CBM 136 Extra (53)}) ({Note that} 8... b5 $2 {
is met by} 9. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 10. Nxe6 Qa5 11. Nd5 $40) 9. Be3 Ne5 10. Bb3 g5 11.
Qe2 Nfg4 12. Bd2 Bd7 13. Rad1 Rc8 14. a3 Be7 15. f4 Qb6 (15... gxf4 16. Bxf4 (
16. Rxf4 Qb6) 16... Qc7 17. h3 Nf6 18. Kh1 $14) 16. fxe5 dxe5 $2 (16... Qxd4+
$142 17. Kh1 h5 18. Bxg5 Qxe5 19. Bf4 Qg7 $13 (19... Qc5 20. h3)) 17. Qxg4 exd4
18. Na4 $18 Qc7 19. Qh5 Rh7 20. Rxf7 Rxf7 21. Rf1 Kd8 22. Qxf7 b5 23. Qg8+ Be8
24. Bxe6 {1-0 Radjabov,T (2740)-Sutovsky,E (2650)/Baku 2010/CBM 136 Extra})
8... Qa5 $1 {A multi-function move. Black has prevented a4-a5, attacked
White's bishop and doesn't need to worry anymore about tactical tricks such as
Bxe6.} ({Otherwise, if} 8... b6 $2 9. Bxe6 $1 {wins on the spot.}) (8... h6 9.
Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Ne5 11. Bb3 (11. Be2 $5 Ng6 12. Qd2 Be7 13. O-O-O e5 14. Nb3 Be6
$13) 11... Ng6 12. f3 (12. Qd2 $5 Nh5 (12... Be7 13. O-O-O $14) 13. f3 Nxg3 14.
hxg3 $14) 12... Be7 13. Qd2 {White is preparing to castle long. Since there
are many white pieces on the queenside, it is relatively safe to keep the king
on the queenside. Moreover, by castling long, White creates some serious
pressure against Black's centre.} Bd7 14. Bf2 (14. Nde2 $5) 14... Rc8 15. a5 $6
(15. O-O-O $142 $14) 15... Rc5 $11 {0-1 Shinkevich,V (2487)-Tihonov,J (2382)/
Samara 2002/CBM 089 ext (44)}) 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O h6 ({Obviously not} 10... O-O
$2 11. Nd5 $1) 11. Be3 Ne5 12. Be2 (12. Bb3 {is met by} Neg4) 12... Bd7 {
[%cal Ya8c8,Ye5c4] Quite a typical idea for the Sicilian: Black wants to
create counterplay on the queenside as soon as he can by deferring castling.} (
{Here after} 12... Neg4 {White can reply} 13. Nb3 Qc7 14. Bf4) (12... Qc7 13.
h3 (13. a5 {seems more logical.}) 13... b6 14. Rad1 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. f4
O-O 17. e5 dxe5 18. fxe5 Nd7 19. Nf3 Qc7 $15 {1-0 Soltis,A (2460)-Zuckerman,B 
(2475)/Pasadena 1978/MCD (53)}) 13. Kh1 $146 {[%cal Gf2f4,Ye3g1] White is
preparing the g1-square for his dark-squared bishop.} ({In the preceding game,
} 13. f4 {was played, which allows Black to eliminate the dark-squared bishop.}
Neg4 14. Nb3 Qb4 (14... Qc7 {seems more natural.}) 15. a5 (15. Qd4 $5) 15...
Nxe3 16. Qxe3 Rc8 17. Bd3 O-O 18. Ra4 Bxa4 19. Na2 d5 (19... Qxb3 20. cxb3 d5
21. Qe2 Bxb3 22. Nc1 Bc4 $11) 20. Nxb4 $14 {0-1 Santillan,G (1970)-Cuniali,E 
(1866)/IECC email 2001/Corr 2008 (34)}) 13... Rc8 {Just in time.} 14. f4 Nc4
15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Qd3 Rc8 17. Rae1 O-O $15 {/=. Black has solved all his
problems. His king is safe, the centre is stable and the pair of bishops
guarantee Black good prospects should the position get sharpened.} 18. Bd2 $1 {
Preparing the breakthrough in the centre.} Qc7 ({The software programs have no
fear and suggest playing} 18... Qh5 $5 {. Obviously, for someone with heart
and feelings, it is quite difficult to place the queen in such a dangerous
position.}) ({Perhaps a more reasonable move (from the point of view of a
human being) is} 18... Qc5 $5 19. e5 dxe5 20. fxe5 {with the idea of having
the following resource:} Nd5 21. Nf5 exf5 22. Nxd5 Bh4 $132) 19. e5 Nh7 $5 {
[%cal Yf8d8,Gh7f8] It is more common in this kind of positions to withdraw the
knight to e8 to have the d6 outpost strengthened. However, in this particiluar
situation, White has no rooks along the d-file, so the d6-pawn is sufficiently
protected. The main advantage of this withdrawal is that the knight can enter
the game through f8 after the kingside rook moves to d8.} (19... Ng4 {looks
too risky.} 20. Qg3 (20. Qe2 Qc4 $1) 20... h5 21. h3 Nh6 22. Ne4 $36) ({After} 
19... Ne8 20. b3 {Black's pieces along the 8th rank are somewhat
discoordinated.}) (19... dxe5 20. fxe5 Nd5 {is now met by} 21. Nf5 $1 $18) 20.
b3 {Covering the c4 square.} ({Maybe White should have acted in a more
aggressive manner:} 20. Qg3 Kh8 21. Rd1 $13) 20... Kh8 $6 {Too slow. It was
necessary to mobilise his forces asap.} ({It seems that after} 20... Rfd8 21.
Ne4 (21. exd6 Bxd6 22. Ne4 Be7 $15) 21... dxe5 22. fxe5 Nf8 {Black is just in
time to bring all hsi forces to save his monarch!} 23. Qg3 (23. Nd6 $2 Bxd6 24.
exd6 Qxd6 25. Nf5 Qxd3 26. Ne7+ Kh7 27. cxd3 Rc2 $15) (23. Bf4 Ng6 24. Bg3 Nxe5
25. Bxe5 Qxe5 26. Nf6+ Qxf6 27. Rxf6 Bxf6) 23... Be8 $1 24. Nf3 (24. Bxh6 $2
Ng6 {[%cal Ye7h4,Gc7e5]}) 24... Ng6 25. h4 f5 $1 $15) 21. Ne4 dxe5 {This opens
the f-file for the white rooks. Nevertheless, the alternatives were not any
better:} ({After} 21... d5 22. Ng3 {[%cal Yf4f5] it's hard to believe that
Black will survive White's offensive.}) (21... f5 22. Nxd6 (22. exf6 $5 Nxf6
23. Ng3) 22... Bxd6 23. exd6 Qxd6 24. Qe3 (24. Nxe6 Qxd3 25. cxd3 Bxe6 26. Rxe6
Rfd8 27. Rf3 Rc2 $44) 24... Nf6 25. Qe5 $14) 22. fxe5 f5 {It was pretty much
forced. Black needs his knight back in the game.} (22... Qxe5 $4 23. Ng5 $18)
23. exf6 Nxf6 24. Bf4 $14 Qa5 ({Perhaps} 24... Qb6 {was more accurate, since
it keeps the d6-square covered. However, White should still be better after}
25. Bg3 $14) 25. h3 {A prophylactic move. Apparently, Baadur calculated the
consequences of the 25.Nd6 line and decided that the endgame with the opposite
coloured bishops has very strong drawish tendencies.} (25. Nd6 $5 Bxd6 (25...
Ng4 $2 26. Nxc8 Qxe1 (26... Rxf4 27. Qg3 $1 $18) 27. Nxe7 Nf2+ 28. Kg1 Nxd3 29.
Ng6+ Kg8 30. Rxe1 Rxf4 31. Nxf4 Nxe1 32. Ng6 $18) 26. Bxd6 Ng4 27. Nf3 (27. Qe2
$5 Rxf1+ 28. Rxf1 e5 29. Nf3 Re8 30. Nh4 $14) 27... Nf2+ 28. Rxf2 Rxf3 29. Qd2
Qxd2 30. Rxd2 Rf5 $14) 25... Bb4 (25... e5 $2 {is met by} 26. Bxe5) 26. Bxh6 $2
{White must have missed something when he decided to go for this line.} ({
Simpler and stronger was} 26. Nxf6 Rxf6 27. Re4 $1 Rcf8 28. Rf3 $14) 26... Bxe1
{From now on, everything is forced.} ({But not} 26... Nxe4 27. Rxe4 gxh6 28.
Nf3 $1 $40) 27. Nxf6 Rxf6 28. Rxf6 gxf6 29. Qg6 Rg8 30. Qxf6+ Kh7 31. Qf7+ Kxh6
32. Qxg8 Bc3 $1 $17 {My guess is that Jobava underestimated the strength of
this move. White does not have enough resources to keep his attack alive. Now
Black's pieces get coordinated and White will have a hard time surviving.} 33.
Qf8+ (33. Nxe6 {is easily parried by} Qf5) 33... Kg6 34. Qg8+ Kf6 35. Qf8+ Kg6
{Black is winning some time by "burning" the moves to get to 40, after which
the game is adjourned.} 36. Qg8+ Kf6 37. Qf8+ Ke5 38. Ne2 Bd2 39. c4 $2 {
In time trouble, Baadur commits a mistake that leaves him no chance to survive.
} (39. Qb8+ {should have been played.} Kd5 40. c4+ Kc5 41. Qf8+ Kb6 42. Qd8+
Kc6 43. Nd4+ Kd6 44. Qf8+ Kc7 45. c5 {with some chances to save the game.})
39... Bc6 $19 {Now Black is consolidated and White does not have sufficient
resources to cause any serious trouble.} 40. h4 Ke4 41. Qf3+ Ke5 42. Qf2 ({
Black had enough time at home to see the following variation:} 42. Qf8 Qb6 $1
43. c5 Qc7 $19) 42... Bh6 $1 43. Qd4+ Kf5 44. Kh2 Qe5+ 45. Ng3+ Kf6 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 20th"]
[Site "Skopje"]
[Date "2019.03.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Azarov, Sergei Nikolaevich"]
[Black "Grandelius, Nils"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2694"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2019.03.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "MKD"]
[Tiebreak "Sum of Buchholz"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 189"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.04.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.04.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,117,19,31,72,53,86,72,72,49,49,58,62,47,73,56,68,55,68,18,62,15,16,24,
26,-18,2,-58,-17,-58,-43,-45,-21,-20,-20,-65,-68,-61,3,-9,-16,-74,-28,-85,80,
65,65,65,98,83,55,62,62,86,130,56,83,53,68,67,75,75,95,102,96,97,104,99,131,
128,116,119,152,165,166,165,166,111,132,115,104,110,118,118,118,123,123,123,
119,133,129,129,145,175,164,160,168,161,220,220,264,151,163,185,211,217,196,
196,230,366,370,463,537,589,608,615,624,677,736,229] [#]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3.
d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 {An interesting 'second' move
after Qe2.} Qb6 (7... Qa5 {Solid; the queen may however wish to drop back to
c7 later. I explain one or two ideas in qualitative terms.} 8. Qd2 e6 9. Bb3 {
This seems to be trending now; if Black commits with ...b5 then White may be
going kingside.} (9. O-O-O b5 {[#]} 10. Bxe6 $6 (10. Bb3 Nc5 {Seems to lead to
generally acceptable Rauzer versions for Black.}) 10... fxe6 11. Nxe6 Ne5 12.
Nxf8 (12. Nxg7+ Bxg7 13. Qxd6 Nc4 14. Qc6+ Kf7 15. Qxa8 Re8 $1 $40) 12... Nc4
$1 13. Qd4 Rxf8 $15 {White's compensation is insufficient.}) 9... Be7 {A
little move-order wrinkle.} (9... b5 $6 10. f3 {9...b5 has two ideas: to push .
..b4 and to fianchetto the queen's bishop. The latter would be blunted by the
text, and the former would be less effective in case of the short castling
that White can now do.}) 10. f3 Nc5 {[#] Now Black may economise on ...b5 in
case White castles short, and that decision has to be taken without further
delay. The independent option, then, is} 11. O-O {and now say} Qc7 12. Rad1 O-O
{[#] when Black is indeed likely to use the alternate bishop development to d7.
}) (7... h6 {looks a little bit suspect: for instance now} 8. Bxf6 Nxf6 9. Qe2
e6 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. f4 b5 12. Bb3 b4 {[#]} 13. e5 $5 bxc3 14. exf6 gxf6 15.
Qh5 $40) 8. Bb3 {Not entering the treacherous pseudo-Poisoned-Pawn waters.} (8.
Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. O-O (10. Nd5 Qc5 {The tempo this move gains is very
useful, especially with reference to how White plays in the next note.} 11.
Bxf6 Nxf6 12. O-O e6 $132) 10... e6 $1 11. Bxe6 {Else there may not be
anything.} fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qa5 $1 13. f4 h6 $1 {The position is scary, but White
doesn't have a promising continuation (this all puts me in mind of the 4.Nxf7
Petroff!)} 14. Bh4 (14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Nxf8 Kxf8 16. e5 (16. Qxd6+ Kf7 $17)
16... Ne8 $15 {White doesn't have quite enough compensation.}) (14. e5 dxe5 15.
Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Nxf8 Rxf8 17. fxe5 Nd7 $15 {The position remains unclear, but I
trust that Black is not getting mated.}) 14... Kf7 15. f5 b5 $15 {[#]}) (8. O-O
Qxb2 (8... Qc5 {is seen elsewhere in these pages in Wei Yi-Loek van Wely.}) 9.
Nd5 {was the variation chosen in a historic Wei Yi game:} (9. Qd2 {also exists,
but White does not immediately crash through after} Qb4 10. Bb3 e6 11. f4 Be7
$132 {and so his compensation may be a little bit hard to pin down}) 9... Nxd5
10. Rb1 (10. Bxd5 {is just a different move order: after} Qc3 {White probably
wants to go Rb1 anyway.} (10... e6 {Let us examine this move, in case the game
continuation turns out not to be great for Black.} 11. Rb1 (11. Bxe6 $6 fxe6
12. Nxe6 Qc3 13. Qh5+ (13. Rb1 Qc4 14. Nf4 b5 $15 {is too slow}) 13... g6 14.
Qh4 Ne5 15. Nf4 {Keeping pieces on the board.} (15. Nxf8 $6 h6 $1 16. Nxg6 (16.
Bxh6 g5 17. Qxg5 Nf7 18. Bg7 Nxg5 19. Bxc3 Rxf8 $15) 16... Nxg6 17. Qh5 Kf7 18.
Bxh6 Be6 $15 {Black has managed to develop, so his king's dodgy cover is not
too much of an issue.}) 15... Bg7 16. Nd5 Qc4 17. Rad1 O-O $13 {[#]}) 11... Qc3
12. Bxb7 (12. Rb3 Qc7 13. Re3 Nc5 $15) 12... Bxb7 13. Rxb7 Nc5 14. Rb6 (14. Rc7
Qa5 15. Rc6 Nxe4 $13) 14... Nxe4 15. Be3 {was seen in the only practical
example, and now:} Be7 (15... Nf6 $6 16. Qf3 $6 (16. Rc6 $1 {Sethuraman may
have previously seen the idea he ended up playing in the game; the correct
execution is like this.} Qb2 17. c4 Be7 18. Rc7 Bd8 (18... Kd8 19. Rc6 $16 {
when loss of castling rights will decide}) 19. Nxe6 $16) 16... d5 17. Rfb1 Be7
18. R6b3 Qc4 19. Rb7 Bd8 {[#]} 20. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 21. Qg3 Rf8 $6 (21... Rg8 $44)
22. Qxg7 $40 {Sethuraman,S-Al Sayed,M Tromsoe 2014}) (15... Rc8 $5 {should be
playable, e.g.} 16. Qe2 Qc4 17. Qxc4 Rxc4 18. Rxa6 e5 $13 {[#]}) 16. Qg4 Nf6
17. Qxg7 Rg8 18. Qh6 Rc8 $13 {White might be slightly more comfortable, but
this factor is dwarfed in the present position by the role of calculation.}))
10... Qc3 11. Bxd5 Qc7 {This is greedy, and leads to a slightly worse position,
but not as yet an unsustainable one, because White has nothing clear-cut.} (
11... e6 {is playable, see 10.Bxd5. This seems most principled, as even by the
most exacting standards White has more than enough development to compensate
for the missing pawn.}) 12. f4 e6 13. Re1 Nc5 $6 {A non-obvious mistake.} (
13... Ne5 $1 {Closing the e-file without further delay is likely to be a very
good idea.} 14. Bxe6 (14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Bxe6 {may look like a move-order
change but in fact now Black gets the extra option} Bc5 $15) (14. Bb3 h6 $1 15.
Bh4 g5 16. fxe5 gxh4 $15) 14... fxe6 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. Nb3 Bd6 {[#] The
evaluation of this position is critical for determining whether Black has to
deviate on or before move 11, e.g. 8...Qc5 or 11...e6.} 17. Rf1 $5 {Seems to
be best.} (17. Qh5+ Qf7 {doesn't acheive much}) (17. Qf3 a5 18. a4 b6 $13 {
White is trying to do too much with the queen, so Black has time to develop
his queen's bishop.}) 17... Rf8 18. Qg4 {While Black has lost castling rights,
the centre is fairly closed and the attack is not imminent, so White's
advantage is limited, and Black can sensibly continue in optimistic vein with}
b5 $14 {preparing to use the rook along the 7th rank. In conclusion, the
position after 11...Qc7 is risky but probably just about playable.}) (13... Nf6
{may also be dodgy; now there is} 14. Bxf6 (14. Bb3 Be7 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5
Nd5 17. Bxd5 Bxg5 18. Bxe6 Bxe6 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Qh5+ g6 21. Qxg5 O-O $11)
14... gxf6 15. f5 e5 (15... exd5 16. exd5+ Kd8 17. Qh5 Bg7 18. Rb3 $16) 16. Ne2
$14 {[#] This is decidedly a good Rauzer for White.}) 14. f5 $1 {[#] Now the
centre is cracked open; moves like e5 and Qh5 are not far off.} Be7 $6 {
A natural option in a bad position.} (14... e5 $5 {might be the knee-jerk
reaction to try and close things, so that Black at least does not get mated.}
15. Qh5 {now opens up the idea of Ne6! so ...g6 is virtually forced.} (15. c3 {
is possible, but Black is far from being toast after} Be7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Nb3
$14) 15... g6 (15... exd4 16. e5 $18 {will be mate}) 16. fxg6 fxg6 17. Qf3 Be7
18. Qf7+ $1 (18. Bxe7 $5 Qxe7 19. Nc6 {looks extremely tempting, but I'm not
seeing the follow-up; for instance} Qf8 20. Qc3 (20. Qg3 $5) 20... Be6 21. Bxe6
(21. Rf1 Qg7 22. Bxe6 Nxe6 23. Nb4 Qc7 $14) 21... bxc6 22. Rf1 Qe7 23. Bf7+ Kd8
24. Bb3 Rb8 25. Rbd1 Nxb3 26. cxb3 Kc7 $14) (18. Bh6 {leads to an impressive
forced line, but not a win:} exd4 19. Bg7 Rf8 20. Bxf8 Bxf8 21. e5 dxe5 22.
Rxe5+ Qxe5 23. Qf7+ Kd8 24. Qxf8+ Kc7 25. Qxc5+ Kb8 $11) 18... Kd8 19. Nf3 Bxg5
20. Nxg5 Qe7 21. Qxe7+ Kxe7 22. Rf1 h6 (22... Rf8 23. Rxf8 Kxf8 24. Rf1+ Ke7
25. Rf7+ Kd8 26. Nxh7 Bd7) 23. Rf7+ Kd8 24. Nh7 Nd7 $16 {[#] White is quite
significantly better but there is still a game to be played.}) (14... h5 $5 {
Protects the g4 and h5 squares against incursion by White's queen.} 15. fxe6 (
15. Qf3 f6 $5) 15... fxe6 16. Qf3 Qf7 17. Qe3 $16 {[#] White has opened up so
many avenues of attack (e5 ideas, Rb6, Rf1, Nf5, etc) that Black cannot
possibly defend it all.}) 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. fxe6 fxe6 {[#]} 17. Nf5 $1 {
This wins without too much trouble.} Qc7 (17... Qf8 18. Bc6+ bxc6 19. Nxd6+ Ke7
20. Rf1 $16) (17... Qd7 18. Bc6 bxc6 19. Nxd6+ Ke7 20. Qg4 $16) 18. Bc6+ Qxc6
19. Nxd6+ Ke7 20. Qg4 Nd7 (20... Qxd6 21. Qxg7+ Ke8 22. Qxh8+ Qf8 23. Qe5 $18)
21. e5 {Now Black resigned, as there is no answer to Qxg7 and Qh4. Wei,Y-Xu,Y
China 2015.} (21. Qxg7+ $6 {would let Black escape:} Kxd6 22. Qxh8 Kc7 23. Re3
Nc5 $14) (21. e5 Qc5+ (21... Kd8 22. Nf7+ Kc7 23. Nxh8 $18) (21... Rg8 22. Qh4+
$18) 22. Kh1 Nxe5 23. Qxg7+ Kxd6 {[#]} 24. Rxe5 $1 {The final necessary
wrinkle.} (24. Qxh8 Nc4 $14) 24... Qxe5 25. Rd1+ Qd5 26. Rxd5+ exd5 27. Qxh8
$18)) 8... e6 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 (11. f3 Qc7 12. g4 b5 $132 {
[#] As played in, inter alia, Brenjo,S-Djukic,N Montenegro 2016}) (11. Qe2 $5)
11... h6 12. Bh4 O-O 13. Qe3 (13. g3 Qc7 14. f4 b5 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Nh7 17.
Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nc6 Qc7 19. Qd6 Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Bb7 {Black was at least fine in
Dominguez Perez,L-Wojtaszek,R Doha 2016}) 13... Qc7 14. g4 $5 {A violent
attacking move!} Nfxe4 (14... Nxg4 15. Qg3 Bxh4 16. Qxh4 Ne5 17. f4 Ng6 18. Qg3
$44) (14... Re8 $5 15. f4 b5 $132 {looks good, staying calm}) 15. Bxe7 Nxc3 16.
bxc3 Qxe7 17. Nf5 {Now White's position is practically quite nice.} Qc7 18.
Nxd6 Rd8 19. Qe5 b6 20. f4 Bb7 (20... a5 $11) 21. f5 Bd5 22. Nxf7 $1 $16 Qxf7
23. fxe6 Bxe6 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Bxe6 Nxe6 26. Qxe6 Rd5 27. a4 Rc5 28. Kb2 Rc4
29. Qxb6 Rxa4 30. h3 Kh7 31. Qb3 Qd7 32. Re5 Rf4 33. Qd5 Qc8 34. Re7 Qb8+ 35.
Rb7 Qe8 36. Qd3+ Kh8 37. Qd6 Rf8 38. Qe7 Qxe7 39. Rxe7 Rb8+ 40. Ka3 Rc8 41. Kb3
Rb8+ 42. Ka4 {I think the rook endgame is just a matter of technique.} Rc8 43.
Re3 Rc5 (43... Kh7 {What was White's idea after this? Presumably, to force the
Black rook forward anyway. But in that case, the text loses a tempo, which if
not critical is at least a good idea to keep.} 44. Kb4 (44. Ka5 Rc6 45. Kb4 {
also makes sense}) 44... Rb8+ 45. Ka5 Rb2 46. Re2 Ra2+ 47. Kb6 a5 $18) 44. Kb4
Rb5+ 45. Kc4 h5 46. Kd4 hxg4 47. hxg4 Rb2 48. Re2 Kh7 49. c4 a5 50. Kc3 Rb1 51.
Re5 a4 52. Ra5 Rg1 53. c5 Rxg4 54. c6 Rf4 55. c7 Rf8 56. Rxa4 g5 57. Rc4 Rc8
58. Kb4 g4 59. Rxg4 1-0

[Event "Lake Sevan"]
[Site "Martuni"]
[Date "2016.07.26"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Hovhannisyan, Robert"]
[Black "Artemiev, Vladislav"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Fischer,J"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2016.07.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {A modern line
of the Najdorf.} 7. Bc4 h6 8. Bh4 g6 9. Qe2 Bg7 10. O-O-O O-O 11. f4 Qc7 12.
Kb1 b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 14. f5 g5 15. Bg3 Nc5 16. h4 ({After} 16. e5 $5 Nxb3 17.
axb3 dxe5 (17... Nd7 18. f6 $40) 18. Bxe5 Qb6 $11 {the position is tense but
dynamically equal.}) 16... g4 {[#]} ({Taking the e-pawn is risky:} 16... Ncxe4
17. Nxe4 {and after Therefore Black has to play} Bxe4 {but after} (17... Nxe4
18. hxg5 {the engines claim that White's attack is too strong, e.g.} Qc5 ({
after} 18... Nxg3 19. Qg4 hxg5 20. Qxg3 {White's threat are overwhelming.}) {
and now the engines propose} 19. Bf4 {with a crushing attack, e.g.} Bxd4 20. f6
{and White is a piece down but will win on the h-file.}) 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. Qe3
{White also has good attacking chances, even though the engines evaluate this
position as equal.}) 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Rac8 19. h5 (19. c3 $5 {was a good
alternative. After} Na4 20. Rhe1 $14 {Black still has to show how he wants to
mate White's king.}) 19... Na4 20. c3 $2 {[#]Missing Black's next move.} ({
Black threatened} 20. Z0 Nxb2 21. Kxb2 Nxd5 22. exd5 Qc3+ 23. Kb1 Bxd4 {
and Black is winning.}) ({But better was} 20. Bf2 Nxd5 21. exd5 Qc4 22. c3 Qxe2
23. Nxe2 b4 24. Kc2 $11) 20... Qxc3 $1 21. Be1 ({After} 21. bxc3 Nxc3+ 22. Ka1
Nxe2 23. Nxe2 {Black has the nasty} Nxd5+ {regaining the piece and leading to
a won position after} 24. Kb1 Ne3 25. Rc1 Rc4 $19) 21... Qc7 22. Nc6 $2 {
[#]The final mistake - the knight should have stayed on the diagonal b7-b2.} ({
More stubborn was} 22. Bh4 {Now after} Nxd5 23. exd5 Qc4 24. Qxc4 bxc4 25. Bxe7
Rb8 {White is definitely worse but can still fight - in the game he is simply
lost.}) 22... Nxb2 23. Rd4 (23. Qxb2 Nxd5 $19) (23. Rc1 Nc4 $19) 23... Nc4 24.
Bc3 Qd7 25. Rxc4 bxc4 26. Qxc4 Kh8 27. Rc1 Rc7 28. Bxf6 Bxf6 29. Bxf7 {
Allowing Black to finish the game with a simple tactical trick.} Rxc6 30. Qxc6
Qxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxf7 32. Rxa6 Rf8 0-1

[Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 47th"]
[Site "Havana"]
[Date "2012.05.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Potkin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2642"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.05.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 {
The battle will be raging on fresh opening territory. White players are still
not sure what is the most promising line against the 6.Bg5 Nbd7 defence. The
queen move to e2 is dangerous for the defender, the only real drawback lies in
limiting the scope of the ligh-squared bishop on f1.} (7. f4) (7. Bc4) (7. Qd2)
7... h6 {The whole system is so young, that also the prescriptions for Black
are still quite weakly defined. Other players have tried different pawn moves.}
(7... e6) (7... b5) 8. Bh4 {For most followers this seems more than natural,
but White has already also tried the more modest retreat to d2.} (8. Bd2 e5 9.
Nf5 Nc5 10. O-O-O g6 11. Ng3 Be6 12. h4 Qc7 13. h5 Bg7 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Be3
O-O-O 16. f3 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Ne4 Qa5 21. a3 h5
22. Rd3 Kb8 23. Kb1 Bc6 24. Qd1 {1/2-1/2 Melia,S (2400)-Guramishvili,S (2395)/
Anaklia 2012}) 8... e6 {Laznicka believes in classical setups, but Black has a
distinctly wider choice at this moment. It is safe to predict, that we will
most likely see more of the clever move 8...g6 in combination with the e7-e5
advance in the near future.} (8... g6 9. O-O-O (9. f4 e5 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Nf3
Bb4 12. O-O-O Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qc7 14. Qc4 Qxc4 15. Bxc4 g5 16. Bg3 Nxe4 17. Nxe5
Nxg3 18. Rhe1 Nxe5 19. Rxe5+ Be6 20. hxg3 {1-0 Antal,T (2352)-Perunovic,M 
(2481)/Plovdiv 2012 (70)} O-O 21. Bxe6 Rae8 $11) 9... e5 10. Nb3 Be7 11. Qe1 (
11. f3 b5 12. Kb1 b4 13. Na4 Nb6 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. Bf2 Qc7 16. Qc4 Qxc4 17.
Bxc4 a5 18. Bb5+ Bd7 19. Bxd7+ Kxd7 20. Nc5+ Kc6 $11 {1/2-1/2 Danin,A (2543)
-Khismatullin,D (2662)/Olginka 2011 (105)}) 11... b5 12. a3 Bb7 13. f3 Qc7 14.
Kb1 Rc8 15. Bd3 Nb6 16. Rd2 g5 17. Bf2 Nc4 18. Bxc4 bxc4 19. Nc1 Bc6 20. N1a2
a5 21. Ka1 Qb7 $11 {1/2-1/2 Radulski,J (2552)-Cheparinov,I (2664)/Plovdiv 2012
(57)}) (8... Qc7 9. O-O-O g5 10. Bg3 e6 11. h4 Rg8 12. hxg5 hxg5 13. Qe3 (13.
Qd2 Ne5 14. f3 Bd7 15. Kb1 Rb8 16. Bd3 b5 17. Nce2 $16 {0-1 Milov,L (2562)
-Gashimov,V (2719)/Mainz 2010 (42)}) (13. Kb1 Ne5 14. Qd2 b5 15. a3 Be7 16. f3
Bd7 17. Bf2 Rb8 18. Be3 Nc4 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. Ka1 g4 21. Rb1 $14 {1-0 Fercec,N
(2491)-Mazi,L (2375)/Zadar 2010 (37)}) 13... Ne5 14. Nf3 Nfg4 15. Qd2 Be7 16.
Be2 Bd7 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Bh5 Rg7 19. Qe3 $14 {1-0 Sethuraman,S (2546)-Hamdani,
R (2322)/Ho Chi Minh City 2012 (32)}) (8... g5 9. Bg3 e5 10. Nf5 Nc5 11. O-O-O
Bxf5 12. exf5 Qc7 13. h4 Rg8 14. hxg5 hxg5 15. Qe3 Rc8 16. Rd2 Ncd7 {1-0
Balogh,C (2622)-Savchenko,S (2526)/Dubai 2010 (50)} 17. Kb1 $16) (8... e5 9.
Nf5 g6 10. Ne3 Be7 11. O-O-O b5 12. f3 Bb7 13. a3 Rc8 14. Be1 Nc5 15. Kb1 Ne6
16. h4 Nd4 17. Qd2 Qd7 18. Ne2 Ne6 19. g3 Qc7 {0-1 Kosintseva,N (2576)
-Bodnaruk,A (2407)/Moscow 2010 (65)} 20. Bh3 $14) 9. O-O-O b5 {Black could
have transposed to the line quoted above with 9...g5. It would serve a great
purpose of preventing the dangerous f2-f4 advance.} (9... Be7 10. f4 Qc7 11.
Bg3 Nc5 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Nh7 14. Ne4 Bd7 15. Nd6+ Bxd6 16. exd6 Qa5 17. Kb1
O-O 18. Be5 f6 19. Bg3 Ng5 20. Nb3 Nxb3 21. axb3 $16 {0-1 Tayar,J (2335)
-Molner,M (2447)/Los Angeles 2011 (59)}) (9... g5 10. Bg3 Qc7) 10. f4 Qc7 11.
f5 (11. Re1 $5 Bb7 12. Nd5 Qa5 13. Nb3 Qd8 14. Qf3 g5 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Na5
gxh4 17. Nxb7 Rb8 18. Rd1 $14) 11... Nc5 $6 {[%mdl 4] Both players are left to
their own fantasy, as there are no games played with this continuation. It
seems, that the most promising lines have remained behind the scenes.} (11...
b4 $1 12. fxe6 (12. Nb1 $6 e5 13. Nb3 Bb7 $17) 12... bxc3 13. exd7+ Bxd7 14.
Bxf6 cxb2+ 15. Kb1 gxf6 $15) 12. fxe6 (12. Bxf6 $5 gxf6 13. a3 Bb7 14. g3 $16)
12... fxe6 13. e5 $5 dxe5 14. Bg3 b4 $2 {Potkin has found a way to open up the
position when his pieces are much better mobilised. Black is not paying proper
attention to the dangers lurking in the sharp position.} (14... Bb7 15. Bxe5
Qf7 16. b4 Nce4 (16... Ncd7 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Qxe6+ Qxe6 19. Nxe6 $16) 17. Nxe4
Nxe4 18. Nxb5 Bxb4 19. Nc7+ Qxc7 20. Qh5+ Qf7 21. Qxf7+ Kxf7 22. Rd7+ Be7 23.
Rxb7 Nc5 $11) 15. Bxe5 Qf7 (15... Qb7 16. Na4 Nxa4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Nxe6 $16)
16. Nb1 {The retreat of the knight is not a bad choice, but it must be more
dangerous to simply grab the pawn on b4 with the help of the 16.Nc6! jump.} (
16. Nc6 $1 Bb7 17. Nxb4 Be7 18. Nd3 Nxd3+ 19. Rxd3 O-O $14) 16... Bb7 17. Nd2 (
17. Qe1 $5 Be7 18. Bc4 O-O 19. Rf1 Rad8 20. Qe2 $14) 17... Be7 18. Nc4 {
White does not appreciate the might of the bishop activation to the c4-square.}
(18. Qe1 O-O 19. Bc4 $14) 18... Nfe4 19. Nf3 (19. Na5 $2 Bd5 20. Nac6 O-O $17)
19... O-O 20. Qe3 Rad8 21. Rxd8 {Due to Potkin's soft approach Black has
managed to get an equal position with lively piece play.} (21. Be2 Qg6 22. Kb1
$11) 21... Rxd8 22. Be2 Qg6 (22... Nf6 23. Rd1 Rxd1+ 24. Kxd1 Qg6 (24... Ng4
25. Qd4 Nxe5 26. Ncxe5 $14) 25. Nh4 Qf7 $11) 23. Re1 (23. Bd4 $1 Bd5 24. Kb1
$14) 23... Bd5 (23... Nf6 24. Nh4 Qh7 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Qxc5 Bxh4 27. g3 Bg5+
28. Kb1 Qf5 $11) 24. g3 (24. Bd4 Rf8 25. Nce5 Qe8 $11) 24... Rf8 25. Bf4 Qe8
26. Nfd2 $6 {The early middlegame must have cost both players lot of time. It
is quite difficult to decide what to do with the pieces and find a decent plan.
} (26. Rd1 Qa4 27. Kb1 Bf6 28. Nd4 $11) 26... Nxd2 27. Qxd2 (27. Nxd2 $2 Qa4
$19) 27... Ne4 (27... Qa4 28. Kb1 Rd8 29. b3 Qe8 30. Qd4 Ne4 31. Bd3 $11) 28.
Qd4 Qa4 (28... Bc5 29. Qe5 g5 30. Bf3 Rf5 31. Qc7 Rf7 32. Qe5 $11) 29. Kb1 (29.
Bg4 $5 Bf6 30. Bxe6+ Bxe6 31. Qxe4 Re8 32. a3 Bf7 33. Ne5 Qa5 34. Qxb4 Qxb4 35.
axb4 g5 36. Kd2 gxf4 37. gxf4 Be6 $15) 29... Rc8 30. Rd1 $2 {It seems nearly
certain that the players have been caught up in mutual time trouble in an
unsuitable moment. The highly charged contact of numerous pieces requires at
least a basic level of accuracy.} (30. b3 Qe8 31. Bd3 $11) 30... Bc5 $2 (30...
Nc3+ $1 31. bxc3 bxc3 32. Qe3 Bxc4 33. Bxc4 Rxc4 34. Qxe6+ Kh7 35. Qf5+ Kh8 $19
) (30... Bf6 31. Be5 Bxe5 32. Qxe5 Qb5 33. Bd3 Nf2 $19) 31. Qe5 Bd6 32. b3 $4 {
White blinks first with a horrible blunder, that finishes the game outright.
White would still be very much in play with the patient retreat of the queen.}
(32. Qd4 $1 Bf8 33. Be5 (33. Qe5 Qb5 $17) 33... Bc5 34. Qd3 Rf8 $15) 32... Bxe5
33. bxa4 Nc3+ 0-1

[Event "Danzhou 2nd"]
[Site "Danzhou"]
[Date "2011.05.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wang, Yue"]
[Black "Zhou, Jianchao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2636"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2011.05.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 143"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qb6 {
The line 6...Nbd7 used to be rather obscure, but it has come mightily back to
the limelight in the last two years.} 8. Qd2 {The choice of line, illogical in
a Poisoned Pawn variation, says a lot about the quality of the natural 8.Bb3
retreat.} (8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 (9. Bxf6 {White is giving up the dark-squared
bishop in order to lure the knight to f6. Speedy attack with pawns should
punish Black for the meagre development due to the double edged 7...Qb6 move.}
Nxf6 10. f4 e5 (10... Be7 11. f5 (11. Qd2 Nd7 $1 12. O-O-O (12. f5 Bf6 (12...
Nc5 $6 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Na4 $14 Nxa4 15. Bxa4+ Bd7 16. Bxd7+ Kxd7 17. O-O-O
Bf6 $11) (12... Bh4+ $5 13. g3 Bf6)) 12... Nc5 13. g4 Qc7 14. f5 b5 15. fxe6
fxe6 16. Rhf1 Bd7 17. Kb1 Nxb3 18. cxb3 Rf8 $1 19. Rxf8+ Kxf8 20. b4 Qb7 21. g5
Kg8 22. Rf1 a5 $15 {Tukhaev,A (2534)-Borovikov,V (2599)/Alushta/2010/}) 11...
e5 (11... O-O $5) 12. Nf3 (12. Nde2 $2 Ng4 $1) 12... Bd7 $132) 11. Ba4+ (11.
Nde2 exf4 12. Nxf4 Qe3+ 13. Nfe2 Be7 14. Qd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 g6 16. O-O O-O 17.
Rad1 Ng4 18. h3 {Beliavsky,A (2650)-Gelfand,B (2685)/Linares/1994/} Ne5 19. Nd5
Bd8 $11) 11... Ke7 $1 {The king's step to the centre is an attempt to benefit
from White's lack of control on the dark squares.} (11... Bd7 $143 12. Bxd7+
Nxd7 (12... Kxd7 $5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Nf5+ Kc8 $14) 13. Nde2 (13. Nd5 Qa5+ (
13... Qxd4 14. Qxd4 exd4 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Nxa8 Kc8 17. O-O-O Kb8 18. Rxd4 Kxa8
19. e5 $16) 14. b4 Qd8 15. Ne2 $14) 13... Rc8 (13... exf4 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Qd4
Ne5 16. O-O Be7 17. Nexf4 O-O 18. Rad1 Rc8 19. c3 Rc4 20. Qa7 $16 {Timman,J 
(2569)-Klein,D (2236)/Dieren/2009/}) 14. Nd5 Qxb2 15. O-O $44 Qa3 16. Kh1 Be7
17. Rb1 b5 18. Rb3 Qa5 19. Rg3 g6 20. f5 Bd8 21. Qc1 $11 {1-0 Tukhaev,A (2518)
-Borovikov,V (2601)/Kavala 2010 (40)}) 12. Nde2 (12. fxe5 $6 dxe5 13. Nde2 Be6
$32 {|^}) 12... exf4 13. Bb3 (13. Nxf4 Qe3+ 14. Nfe2 Be6) 13... Be6 14. Nd4 g6
15. Qd2 Bh6 (15... h5 16. O-O-O Bxb3 17. axb3 Bh6 18. Kb1 Kf8 19. Rhf1 Kg7 $6 (
19... Re8 $5 $13) 20. g3 $1 f3 (20... fxg3 21. Qd3 $36 {/\Rf6}) 21. Qf2 Qc7 22.
Qxf3 Qe7 23. Nde2 Rae8 24. Nf4 Rhf8 $2 (24... Bxf4 $142 $14) 25. Nfd5 Nxd5 26.
Nxd5 $36 {Naiditsch,A (2693)-Sjugirov,S (2562)/Moscow/2009/}) 16. O-O-O Bxb3 (
16... Ng4 17. Qe1 $5 (17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Nd5+ exd5 19. Qxd5 Kd8 20. Qe6 Kc7 $11)
17... Bg5 (17... f3+ 18. Kb1 fxg2 19. Rg1) 18. e5 dxe5 (18... Nxe5 19. Nxe6
fxe6 20. Ne4 $40) 19. Na4 Qc7 20. Qb4+ Kf6 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Nc5 $44) 17. axb3
Rhc8 $5 (17... Kf8 18. g3 Kg7 19. gxf4 Rhe8 $132) 18. h4 $5 (18. g3 Rxc3 19.
Qxc3 (19. bxc3 Nxe4 20. Rhe1 d5 21. gxf4 Qc7 $15 {/-/+}) 19... Ng4 $5 20. Kb1 (
20. Qf3 Nf2 $1 21. gxf4 Nxh1 22. c3 Rc8 $15) 20... Nf2 21. e5 $1 Bg7 $5 (21...
Nxd1 22. exd6+ Qxd6 23. Rxd1 $36) 22. Nf5+ gxf5 23. Rxd6 Qb5 24. Qc7+ Kf8 25.
gxf4 Nxh1 26. Rd7 Kg8 $8 (26... Qf1+ $2 27. Ka2 Kg8 28. e6 $1 $18) 27. Rd8+ (
27. e6 Bf8 28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Qxf7+ Kh8 30. Qf6+ $11) 27... Rxd8 28. Qxd8+ Bf8
29. Qg5+ $11) (18. Kb1 Kf8 19. g3 Re8 20. Rhe1 $14) 18... Rxc3 $1 (18... Kf8 $6
19. h5 $1 gxh5 (19... Nxh5 $2 20. g4 $18) 20. Nf5 Bg5 21. Kb1 $14) 19. Qxc3 (
19. bxc3 $143 $6 Nxe4 $36) 19... f3+ (19... Nxe4 $5 20. Rhe1 f5 $11) 20. Kb1
fxg2 (20... Nxe4 $2 21. Rhe1 $18) 21. Rhe1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Giri,A (2672)-Gelfand,
B (2739)/Amsterdam 2010/ (41). The fight in the critical game was very tense
with chances for slight improvements on both sides.}) (9. f4 Be7 10. f5 Nc5 {
Black seems to be meeting and standing up well to White's onslaught.} 11. Qf3 (
11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Na4 Qc7 13. Nxc5 dxc5 14. Nxe6 Bxe6 15. Bxe6 Qe5 16. Bxf6
Qxe4+ 17. Qe2 Qxe2+ 18. Kxe2 Bxf6 $11 {Radjabov,T (2682)-Gelfand,B (2724)/
ESP-chT Merida/2005/}) 11... Nxb3 $1 (11... Ncxe4 $2 12. Nxe4 Qxd4 13. Bxf6
gxf6 14. c3 Qb6 (14... Qe5 15. O-O-O d5 16. Ng3 $16) 15. O-O-O d5 16. fxe6 dxe4
17. exf7+ Kf8 18. Qxe4 $18 {Gashimov,V (2717)-Volokitin,A (2672)/Poikovsky/
2008/}) 12. Nxb3 Qc7 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. O-O O-O 15. Qg3 b5 16. a3 Bd7 17. Rad1
Nh5 18. Qh4 Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Rxf1+ 20. Rxf1 Nf6 {Kurnosov,I (2602)-Areshchenko,A 
(2673)/EU-ch Budva/2009/ (27). Black had no reason to complain about the
outcome of the opening.}) (9. O-O Be7 10. Be3 {The presence of the black queen
on the a7-g1 diagonal is proving to be annoying for White.} (10. Nf3 O-O 11.
Qe2 Qc7 12. a4 b6 13. Qc4 Qxc4 14. Bxc4 Bb7 15. Nd2 Rfc8 16. Bd3 h6 17. Bf4 g5
18. Be3 Ng4 19. Bd4 Nge5 20. Nb3 Nc4 21. Nd1 Bf6 $15 {1/2-1/2 Kravtsiv,M (2546)
-Kovalyov,A (2615)/Bhubaneswar 2010 (29)}) (10. a4 Nc5 (10... Qa5 11. Nf3 Nc5
12. Bc4 Ncxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Kxe7 15. Re1 $132 {0-1 Jacobs,B (2200)
-Taras,I (2239)/ICCF email 2006/Corr 2008 (32)}) 11. a5 Qc7 12. Ba2 (12. Re1
Nxb3 (12... h6 $5) 13. cxb3) 12... h6 $1 (12... Nfxe4 $2 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe7
Qxe7 15. Re1 d5 16. c4 $16) 13. Be3 (13. Bxf6 Bxf6) 13... Ncxe4 $5 14. Nxe4
Nxe4 15. Qg4 Nf6 (15... d5 16. Qxg7 Bf6 17. Qg4 h5 18. Qf3) (15... Ng5 16. f4
h5 17. Qe2 Ne4 18. Nf3) 16. Qxg7 Rg8 17. Qxh6 Bd7 (17... e5 $2 18. Bg5 $1 (18.
Nf3 $2 Rg6 19. Qh8+ Rg8 20. Qh4 Rg4 21. Qh3 Rg6 $11) 18... Ng4 19. Qh7 Rxg5 20.
Bxf7+ Kf8 (20... Kd7 21. Ne6 $18) 21. Bd5 Ke8 (21... Bd8 22. Qh8+ Ke7 23. f4 $1
$18) 22. h4 $1 exd4 23. hxg5 $18) 18. f3 (18. Nf3 O-O-O 19. Bb6 Qc6 20. Qe3 Ng4
21. Qc3 Ne5 $36 22. Nxe5 Rxg2+ 23. Kh1 dxe5 24. Bxd8 Bxd8 25. f3 Rxc2 26. Qxc6+
Bxc6 $17) 18... O-O-O 19. Ne2 (19. Bf2 Rg6 20. Qe3 Rdg8 21. g3 d5) 19... Rg6
20. Qf4 Rdg8 $11 {0-1 Huschenbeth,N (2457)-Berg,E (2616)/Sarajevo 2010/ (34)})
10... Nc5 11. f4 Qc7 12. Qf3 b5 $5 (12... O-O) {/\} 13. e5 $6 (13. f5 Nxb3 14.
cxb3 O-O 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Qh3 e5 17. Nf5 b4 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. exd5 Rxf5 20.
Rxf5 Qb7 21. Rc1 Bxf5 22. Qxf5 Qxd5 23. Rc8+ $11 {0-1 Simacek,P (2518)
-Wojtaszek,R (2663)/Wroclaw 2010 (47)}) 13... Bb7 14. Qg3 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nh5 16.
Qf2 O-O 17. g4 b4 $36) 9... Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 (10... O-O) 11. f3 $5 {White is
ready to apply an English Attack pattern for the kingside advance.} (11. Rhe1
Qc7 12. f4 (12. Kb1 O-O 13. f4 h6 14. h4 b5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. g4 b4 17. Na4
Bxh4 18. Rh1 Be7 19. g5 Nxe4 20. Qg2 Bb7 21. Qg1 $15 {0-1 Filippov,A (2604)
-Guliev,L (2468)/Nakhchivan 2011 (82)}) 12... b5 (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14.
Kb1 Bd7 $5 (14... O-O 15. Nf3 Be7 16. g4 b5 17. g5 hxg5 18. Nxg5 Bd7 19. Rg1
Bxg5 20. Rxg5 f6 21. Rg3 b4 22. Rdg1 Rf7 23. Nd5 $1 $40 {Kratochvil,J (2289)
-Babula,V (2533)/Pardubice op/2010/}) 15. Nf5 $6 exf5 16. Nd5 Qd8 $17) 13. e5 {
Dimitrov,V (2460)-Rodriguez Lopez,R (2275)/Orense 1994/ (1-0, 39)}) 11... Qc7
12. Kb1 (12. g4 b5 13. a3 Bd7 14. Kb1 Qb7 15. Be3 Nxb3 16. Nxb3 a5 17. g5 Nh5
18. e5 d5 19. Bc5 b4 20. Ne4 bxa3 21. Bxe7 Kxe7 22. Qd4 Qb4 $17 {0-1 Ter
Sahakyan,S (2575)-Miroshnichenko,E (2670)/Dubai 2011 (38)}) 12... O-O (12... b5
$5 $13) 13. g4 b5 {If White wants to make this line work he will have to
analyse positions of this type.} 14. a3 Rb8 15. h4 Bd7 16. Bxf6 (16. h5 $5 Rfc8
$5 (16... h6 $2 17. Bxh6 gxh6 18. Qxh6 Nh7 19. g5 $1 $40) (16... a5 17. h6 g6
18. Qf4 e5 19. Bxf6 $1 exf4 20. Nd5 Bxf6 21. Nxc7 $13 {/+/=})) 16... Bxf6 17.
g5 Bd8 18. h5 a5 19. g6 Nxb3 (19... h6 $15) (19... Bf6 $5) 20. Nxb3 fxg6 21.
hxg6 h6 22. Nxa5 Rxf3 23. e5 Be8 24. exd6 Qxa5 25. Rxh6 gxh6 26. Qxh6 Bf6 27.
d7 Bxc3 28. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 $11 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A (2723)-Dominguez Perez,L (2712)/
Wijk aan Zee 2010/ (30)}) (8. Nb3 e6 9. O-O Be7 10. a4 Qc7 11. Bd3 b6 12. Qe2
Bb7 13. Kh1 h6 14. Bd2 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Bc3 O-O 18. Be4 Bxe4
19. Qxe4 $15 {1/2-1/2 Filippov,A (2620)-So,W (2669)/Guangzhou 2010 (48)}) 8...
Qxb2 {If Black doesd not take the b2-pawn White is clearly saving a vital
tempo normally used for the Bc4-b3 retreat.} (8... e6 9. O-O-O Be7 10. f4 Nc5
11. Qe2 O-O 12. h4 Bd8 13. f5 Qc7 14. fxe6 Nxe6 15. Nf5 b5 16. Bb3 Nc5 17. Nxg7
Kxg7 18. e5 dxe5 19. Rhf1 Nxb3+ 20. axb3 Ng4 21. Nd5 Qc6 22. Ne7 Bxe7 23. Bxe7
Re8 $19 {0-1 Vescovi,G (2632)-Delgado Ramirez,N (2575)/Bogota 2010 (42)}) 9.
Rb1 Qa3 10. O-O e6 {White's development advantage is enormous, but it will not
be easy for him to play for an advantage.} (10... Qa5 11. Nd5 (11. Bd5 Nc5 12.
Nb3 Nxb3 13. Bxb3 e6 14. f4 Be7 15. Rbe1 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. e5 dxe5 18. fxe5
Bxe5 19. Ba4+ Ke7 20. Rxe5 Qxe5 21. Nd5+ exd5 22. Re1 Qxe1+ 23. Qxe1+ Be6 $17 {
1/2-1/2 Lagarde,M (2433)-Guttulsrud,O (2107)/Batumi 2010 (65)}) 11... Qxd2 12.
Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nde6+ fxe6 14. Nxe6+ Ke8 15. Nc7+ $11 {1/2,Luther,T (2551)
-Bischoff,K (2554)/AUT-chT/2002/}) (10... Qc5 11. Bd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 f6 13. Ne6
Qc4 14. Rb4 Qxa2 15. Nec7+ Kf7 16. Nxa8 {1-0 Li,C (2646)-Zhou Jianchao (2660)/
Xinghua Jiangsu 2011}) 11. Bxe6 {Wang Yue is a very strong player with a full
understanding of the rule - create an immediate crisis on the board whenevert
your opponent has fallen behind in development.} (11. Kh1 Be7 12. f4 b5 13. Bb3
Nc5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Bxe5 17. Nc6 Bc7 18. Qg5 Nxb3 $2 (18...
O-O 19. Rbd1 Nxb3 20. axb3 h6 $17) 19. Ne4 Qf8 20. Rxf7 Qxf7 21. Nd6+ {1-0
Andriasian,Z (2588)-Raykhman,A (2362)/Kalamaria 2010}) 11... fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qa5
13. f4 Kf7 14. e5 {[%mdl 128] I find this ambitious advance faulty, White is
becoming too aggressive.} (14. f5 Be7 15. Qe3 Re8 16. Qg3 Nc5 17. Nxg7 Rg8 18.
Ne6 h6 19. e5 dxe5 20. Qxe5 Rxg5 21. Nxg5+ hxg5 22. Rfe1 Bf8 23. Rbd1 Bd7 24.
Nd5 Nce4 25. Rxe4 Nxe4 26. Qxe4 Bc5+ 27. Kf1 Qa4 $19 {0-1 Robson,R (2539)-So,W
(2668)/Lubbock 2010 (32)}) 14... Kxe6 15. Kh1 $2 {It would be very useful to
have the white king in the corner, but there is simply no time for such a
luxury.} (15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rfe1+ Kf7 $17) 15... Kf7 $2 {This
illogical retreat was played before, but it just mirrors the twisted logic of
white's previous move. Black can force a draw with 15...Nxe4 or find some
courage and win with 15...dxe5!? 16.fxe5 Ne4!.} (15... dxe5 $5 16. fxe5 (16.
Bxf6 Nxf6 17. fxe5 Nd7 (17... Ne4 18. Qd3 Qxc3 19. Qxe4 Qxe5 20. Qd3 Qd6 $15)
18. Rbd1 Nxe5 19. Qe3 Bd7 $17) 16... Ne4 $1 17. Nxe4 Qxd2 18. Bxd2 Be7 $19) (
15... Ne4 16. f5+ Kf7 17. e6+ Kg8 18. Nxe4 Qxd2 19. exd7 Qxg5 20. dxc8=Q Rxc8
21. Nxg5 Be7 22. Ne6 b5 $11) 16. Rbe1 h6 {Suddenly Black is feeling the real
heat, since his loose queen on a5 is grabbed in some tactical lines.} (16...
Nb6 $2 17. exf6 gxf6 (17... Bf5 18. fxg7 Kxg7 19. Qd4+ $16) 18. Bxf6 Rg8 19.
Bd4 Na4 20. Qe2 Bd7 21. f5 Rxg2 22. Kxg2 Nxc3 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kf7 25.
Qf6+ Kg8 26. Qh8+ {1-0 Cheparinov,I (2664)-Kadric,D (2379)/Aix les Bains 2011})
(16... dxe5 17. fxe5 Bb4 (17... Nxe5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Rxf6+ Kxf6 20. Ne4+ Kg6
21. Qxa5 $18) 18. e6+ Kg6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Qd3+ Kh6 21. Rf5 Qxf5 22. Qxf5 Bxc3
23. Qh3+ Kg6 24. Qg3+ Kh6 25. Qxc3 $16) 17. Bh4 Nb6 (17... dxe5 $5 18. fxe5
Nxe5 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rxf6+ Kg7 21. Ref1 Be7 22. Qf4 Bf5 23. Rxf5 Raf8 24.
Qg3+ Kh7 $19) 18. exf6 g6 {The position will probably not be repeated due to
the horrible 15th moves, but Black should try to find an improvement.} (18...
Bf5 $5 19. fxg7 Kxg7 20. g4 Bd7 21. Bf6+ Kg8 22. Qd3 $15) 19. Qe3 Bd7 20. f5 g5
$6 {Zhou Jianchao was not feeling comfortable under the direct attack. He
should definitely have found more courage for moves like 20...Bxf5 giving him
a serious edge.} (20... Bxf5 21. Rb1 Nd7 22. Rxb7 Rb8 23. Rxb8 Nxb8 24. Re1 Bd7
$17) 21. Bf2 g4 $2 (21... Nd5 22. Qf3 Nxf6 (22... Nxc3 23. Qh5+ $18) 23. Re6
Bxe6 24. fxe6+ Kxe6 25. Bd4 Be7 $11) 22. Qg3 $1 {The advance of Black's g-pawn
was truly absurd, suddenly White is fully in the driving seat.} Rc8 (22... Bxf5
23. Bxb6 Qxb6 24. Nd5 $18) (22... Re8 23. Bxb6 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Qxf5 (24... Qxb6
25. Qxg4 $18) 25. Bd4 $18) 23. Bxb6 (23. Qxg4 Rg8 24. Qh5+ Kxf6 25. Bh4+ Kg7
26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Bf6+ Rg7 28. Re7 $18) 23... Qxc3 24. Qxg4 Qxf6 (24... Rg8 25.
Qh5+ Kxf6 26. Qh4+ Kf7 27. Bd4 $18) 25. Bd4 Qg5 26. Qe4 {Wan Yue refuses to
grab material as his position is completely winning.} (26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Bxh8
$16) 26... Be7 (26... Kg8 27. Re3 Rh7 28. Rg3 $18) 27. Bxh8 Rxh8 28. Qd5+ Kg7
29. Rxe7+ 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 19th"]
[Site "Batumi"]
[Date "2018.03.27"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Piorun, Kacper"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2737"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2018.03.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GEO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {The modern
line against the terryfing 6.Bg5 move. Black is playing with pieces first in
order to reduce White's development advantage.} 7. Bc4 Qb6 8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 Be7
10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Qe2 {In a higher sense this queen move should not be the
best move, as White still needs to develop other pieces. Both 11.f3 and 11.
Rhe1 deserve attention, but White is worried about ...Nxe4 ideas at a suitable
moment.} (11. f3 Qc7 (11... Bd7 12. Kb1 Qc7 13. g4 b5 14. h4 (14. a3 Qb7 15.
Ba2 (15. Be3 Nxb3 16. Nxb3 a5 17. g5 Nh5 18. e5 d5 19. Bc5 b4 20. Ne4 bxa3 21.
Bxe7 Kxe7 $17 {0-1 (38) Ter Sahakyan,S (2575)-Miroshnichenko,E (2670) Dubai
2011}) 15... a5 16. Nd5 exd5 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Bxd5 Qc8 19. Bxa8 Qxa8 20. Nf5
Bxf5 21. gxf5 (21. exf5 O-O 22. g5 Bxb2 23. Kxb2 Qxf3 24. Qxd6 Na4+ $15 {
1/2-1/2 (57) Vishnu,P (2536)-Van Delft,M (2393) London 2017}) 21... Be7 22.
Rhg1 g6 23. Qd4 $16 {1/2-1/2 (74) Ruiz Castillo,J (2368)-Sarana,A (2562) chess.
com INT 2018}) 14... b4 (14... Rb8 15. Nf5 exf5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd5 Qd8 18.
exf5 O-O 19. g5 Be5 20. f4 Nxb3 21. axb3 Bxf5 22. fxe5 $14 {1-0 (53) Ortiz
Suarez,I (2611)-Delgado Ramirez,N (2607) Praia da Pipa 2014}) 15. Nce2 a5 16.
Ng3 Rc8 17. Rhe1 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. g5 hxg5 20. hxg5 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 e5 (21...
Rh3 22. Qxg7 Nxb3 23. cxb3 Qc2+ 24. Ka1 Rxg3 25. Qh8+ Ke7 26. Qf6+ Ke8 27. Qh8+
Ke7 28. Qf6+ Ke8 29. Qh8+ {1/2-1/2 (29) Papp,G (2594)-Ragger,M (2668)
Zalakaros 2015}) 22. Qd2 Rh3 23. Rg1 g6 24. Qxd6 Qxd6 25. Rxd6 Nxb3 26. axb3
Rh2 $11 {1/2-1/2 (39) Jakovenko,D (2746)-Sarana,A (2577) Batumi 2018}) (11...
O-O 12. h4 Qc7 13. Kb1 b5 14. g4 Bd7 15. a3 (15. Qe3 b4 16. Nce2 Nxb3 17. cxb3
a5 18. Ng3 a4 19. bxa4 Bxa4 20. b3 Be8 21. Rh2 $14 {0-1 (57) Movileanu,D (2191)
-Brunello,M (2345) Cosenza 2017}) 15... Nxb3 16. cxb3 b4 17. axb4 Rfb8 18. h5
h6 19. Bxh6 gxh6 20. Qxh6 Nh7 21. Nf5 Bf8 $17 {1-0 (34) Perunovic,M (2696)
-Kovacevic,A (2629) Belgrade 2014}) 12. g4 (12. Kb1 O-O 13. g4 b5 14. a3 Rb8 (
14... Nxb3 15. cxb3 Bb7 16. h4 Rac8 17. h5 Rfd8 18. Rc1 Qd7 19. Be3 Qe8 20. g5
Nd7 21. g6 $16 {1/2-1/2 (88) Hevia Alejano,C (2535)-Duda,J (2610) Havana 2015})
15. h4 Bd7 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. g5 Bd8 (17... Be7 18. h5 a5 19. g6 Bf6 20. h6 hxg6
21. Qh2 Rfe8 22. Nf5 exf5 23. hxg7 Bxg7 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Bxf7 Kxf7 26. Rdg1 Be6
$11 {1-0 (38) Salem,A (2567)-Zhou,J (2587) Tagaytay City 2013}) 18. h5 a5 19.
g6 Nxb3 20. Nxb3 fxg6 21. hxg6 h6 22. Nxa5 Rxf3 $11 {1/2-1/2 (30) Shirov,A 
(2723)-Dominguez Perez,L (2712) Wijk aan Zee 2010}) 12... b5 13. a3 (13. Bxf6
Bxf6 14. g5 Be7 15. h4 Bd7 16. Rde1 b4 17. Nd1 Nxb3+ 18. axb3 a5 19. Ne3 O-O
20. Qd3 Rfc8 $15 {1/2-1/2 (62) Sevian,S (2578)-Bok,B (2607) Wijk aan Zee 2016})
13... Bd7 14. Ba2 Rb8 15. b4 Nb7 16. Be3 Rc8 17. Kb2 O-O 18. h4 a5 19. g5 Nh5
20. Ncxb5 Qb8 21. Na7 $14 {1/2-1/2 (56) Swiercz,D (2654)-Bruzon Batista,L 
(2673) Saint Louis 2018}) (11. Rhe1 h6 (11... Qc7 12. Kb1 (12. f4 h6 13. Bh4 (
13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nh7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Nf5 exf5 17. Nd5 Qd7 18. Qa5 Nxb3+
19. axb3 O-O 20. Nc7 Qc6 21. Nxa8 $16 {1/2-1/2 (40) Solak,D (2622)-Amonatov,F 
(2592) Kocaeli 2015}) 13... O-O 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nfe4 16. Rxe4 Nxe4 17.
Nxe4 Bxh4 18. Qf4 Be7 19. Rf1 Kh8 20. Qg3 f5 21. Nd6 f4 $17 {0-1 (36)
Savchenko,B (2602)-Grischuk,A (2785) Moscow 2013}) (12. Nf5 exf5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6
14. Nd5 Qd8 15. exf5+ Kf8 16. Nxf6 Qxf6 17. g4 h5 18. h3 g6 19. fxg6 Qxg6 20.
Qf4 Nxb3+ 21. axb3 Be6 22. Rxd6 Rc8 $11 {0-1 (38) Carlsson,P (2520)-Ganguly,S 
(2623) Dubai 2013}) 12... h6 (12... O-O 13. f4 h6 14. h4 $1 b5 15. e5 dxe5 16.
fxe5 Nh7 (16... Ng4 17. Qf4 $1 $40) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne4 $1 Bb7 (18... Nxb3
19. Nxb3 Qxh4 $11) 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. g4 Qe7 21. Qh2 Rfd8 22. g5 hxg5 23. hxg5
Qxg5 24. Rg1 $16 {1-0 (30) Rublevsky,S (2688) Vachier Lagrave,M (2711)/Warsaw/
2012/}) 13. Bh4 b5 (13... O-O 14. Bg3 b5 (14... Nh5 $6 15. Nf5 $1 Nxg3 (15...
exf5 $2 16. Nd5 Qd8 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Bxd6 Nxb3 19. axb3 Qd8 20. Bxf8 Qxf8 21.
Qa5 $16) 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. hxg3 $14) 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxe5 Qb6 $11) 14. Bd5 $6
(14. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 15. Nf5 exf5 (15... Nb7 $5 16. Nxd6+ Qxd6 17. Qxd6 Nxd6 18.
e5 $1 Bh4 19. exd6 Bxf2 20. Re2 $14) 16. Nd5 Qd8 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. e5 $1 dxe5
(18... Qd8 19. exd6+ Ne6 20. Bxe6 $1 Bxe6 (20... fxe6 21. Qd5 Ra7 22. Rxe6+
Bxe6 23. Qxe6+ Kf8 24. d7 g6 25. Qd6+ Kf7 26. Qd5+ Kg7 27. Qd4+ $18) 21. d7+
Ke7 22. g4 $1 fxg4 23. Qb4+ Kf6 24. Rd6) 19. Rxe5+ Be6 20. Rxc5) 14... Bb7 $6 (
14... Rb8 15. Bc6+ Bd7 (15... Kf8 $6 16. a3 (16. e5 dxe5 17. Bg3 $1 Ncd7 $1)
16... b4 $2 17. axb4 Rxb4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Nd5 $16) 16. Bxd7+ Ncxd7 $1 (16...
Qxd7 17. Nb3 Nxb3 18. axb3 Rd8 19. f4 $14) 17. f4 b4 18. Na4 O-O $11) 15. Bxb7
Qxb7 (15... Nxb7 16. f4 O-O (16... Nxe4 $6 17. Rxe4 Bxh4 18. Nd5 $18) 17. e5
Ne4 $8 18. Rxe4 Bxh4 19. Nf3 Be7 20. f5 $1 exf5 21. Nd5 $16) 16. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 (
16... Bxf6 17. Nf5 $1 exf5 18. exf5+ Kf8 19. Qxd6+ Be7 20. Qe5 Re8 21. Nd5 Nd7
22. Qe4 $16) 17. Qe3 O-O-O 18. Nb3 (18. Nd5 exd5 19. exd5 Rd7 20. Nc6 Bd8 21.
Qg3 $1 $16) 18... Nd7 (18... Nxb3 19. axb3 Kb8 20. f4) (18... Kb8 19. Nxc5 dxc5
20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Qxh6 $16) 19. a4 $1 b4 20. Na2 Ne5 21. Qe2 $1 {1-0 (50)
Vachier Lagrave,M (2719)-Dominguez Perez,L (2757) Tromsoe 2013. Now Black's
knight is repelled and I get the opportunity to attack all of Black's
weaknesses: a6, b4, e6 and f7 are potentially in trouble!}) (11... O-O 12. f4
h6 13. h4 a5 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 hxg5 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. hxg5 Bxd4 18. Qxd4
Nxb3+ 19. axb3 Qxd4 20. Rxd4 Kh7 21. Re5 $14 {1-0 (53) Andreikin,D (2720)-Zhou,
J (2606) Baku 2015}) 12. Bxf6 (12. Bh4 O-O (12... Qc7 13. Bg3 O-O 14. e5 dxe5
15. Bxe5 Qb6 16. Kb1 Bd7 17. Qf4 a5 18. a4 Qb4 19. g4 Bxa4 20. g5 Nh5 21. Qf3
g6 22. Nxa4 $16 {1-0 (30) Dominguez Perez,L (2739)-Gulamali,K (2341) chess.com
INT 2017}) 13. g3 (13. Qe3 Qc7 14. g4 Nfxe4 15. Bxe7 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Qxe7 17. Nf5
Qc7 18. Nxd6 Rd8 19. Qd4 b6 20. Nb5 Qd7 21. Qe5 Qe7 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 $15 {
1/2-1/2 (68) Mista,A (2588)-Navara,D (2737) Czech Republic 2017}) 13... Qc7 14.
f4 b5 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Nh7 (16... Ne8 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Rxe4
Bb7 20. Rg4 Kh8 21. Rf1 Rd8 22. c3 Bd5 23. Bc2 $11 {1/2-1/2 (35) Diu,V (2475)
-Lastin,A (2617) Taganrog 2011}) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nc6 Qc7 19. Qd6 Qxd6 20.
Rxd6 Bb7 21. Ne4 Nxe4 22. Rxe4 Rfe8 23. Re3 $11 {0-1 (51) Dominguez Perez,L 
(2739)-Wojtaszek,R (2749) Doha 2016}) 12... Bxf6 13. f4 Bd7 14. Kb1 O-O-O 15.
e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Bg5 17. Qf2 Rhf8 18. h4 Be7 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. Rxe4 f5 21. Re2
Be8 $11 {0-1 (46) Ginsburg,G (2443)-Smeets,J (2605) Germany 2018}) 11... h6 {
Strictly speaking this move is not necessary as Black can try for counterplay
without it.} (11... Qc7 12. f4 b5 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nd5 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16.
Ne4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Rb8 (17... Qb7 18. Qg4 O-O 19. h4 Qb8 20. Rde1 Qb6 21. h5 Nf5
22. Rd1 $14 {1-0 (56) Atabayev,Y (2455)-Chen,F (2326) Chengdu 2017}) 18. h4 Bd7
19. h5 h6 20. Rh3 a5 21. a3 Qb6 22. c3 b4 $14 {0-1 (36) Nijboer,F (2550)
-Gelfand,B (2720) Novi Sad 2016}) 12. Bh4 Qc7 (12... Qa5 13. Kb1 Nxb3 14. axb3
Qh5 15. Nf3 b5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rhe1 Rg8 18. Rd3 Bb7 19. Nd5 Bd8 20. Nf4 Qc5
21. Nd4 $14 {1-0 (37) Duda,J (2675)-Djukic,N (2534) Baku 2016}) 13. f4 O-O 14.
e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nh7 {In the true critical position of the opening Navara is
ready for compromises. The knight on h7 is not a great hero, it might have
been objectively better to play in the centre.} (15... Nxb3+ 16. Nxb3 Nd5 17.
Nxd5 exd5 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Rxd5 Be6 20. Rd6 $14) 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Ne4 b5 (
17... Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rd8 19. h4 $14) 18. Nxc5 $2 {[%mdl 4] Piorun has made
great progress in strength in last few years, but in confrontation with a
strong opponent he finds it hard to stay objective. The knight from e4 would
have been very strong on the d6-square reaching many sensitive objects.} (18.
Nd6 $1 Bb7 19. h4 Rad8 20. Qg4 $16) 18... Qxc5 19. h4 (19. c3 Bb7 20. Bc2 Rfd8
21. Rhf1 $11) 19... Rd8 20. c3 Bb7 (20... b4 21. Qe4 Rb8 22. Bc2 Nf8 23. Nb3
Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Qe7 (24... Qc7 25. cxb4) 25. Na5 Bd7 26. c4 $11) 21. Rh3 $6 {
The advance of the black b-pawn was so strong, that it was necessary to slow
it down with 21.a3.} (21. a3 Nf8 22. Bc2 $11) 21... b4 $1 22. Bc2 (22. g4 bxc3
23. bxc3 a5 $17) 22... Rac8 23. g4 (23. Rhd3 Bd5 $1 (23... bxc3 $2 24. Nxe6 $1
cxb2+ 25. Kb1 $16) 24. cxb4 Qxb4 $15) 23... Qa5 $5 (23... Nf8 24. g5 h5 25.
Qxh5 bxc3 26. bxc3 Qxe5 $17) 24. cxb4 (24. Rhd3 Rd5 $17) 24... Qxa2 25. Nb3 $2
{The art of defence is very elusive, just making the "least bad" move
represents a concept that is very hard for many players.} (25. Ra3 Qc4 $17)
25... Bd5 $1 26. Rc3 (26. Nd2 Qa4 27. Nb1 Nf8 $17) 26... Rxc3 27. bxc3 Qa3+ 28.
Kb1 Rc8 29. Bxh7+ {The desperate situation is calling for extreme meassures.
White's position is beyond salvation...} (29. Rxd5 exd5 30. e6 Nf6 31. exf7+
Kf8 32. Qe6 Rxc3 $19) 29... Kxh7 30. Qc2+ Kg8 31. Nc5 a5 $1 32. Rxd5 (32. Qb2
axb4 33. Qxa3 (33. cxb4 Qf3 $19) 33... bxa3 34. Na4 Bb3 35. Rd4 g5 $19) 32...
exd5 33. e6 fxe6 34. Qg6 (34. Qb2 axb4 $19) 34... Rf8 $1 {The rook is killing
the counterplay and aiming for f1.} 35. Qxe6+ (35. Nxe6 Qb3+ $19) 35... Kh8 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 15th"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2014.03.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kovalev, Vladislav"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2548"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2014.03.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {The sharpest
line of current opening theory is in recent times often met with the immediate
move 6...Nbd7.} 7. Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 h6 9. Bh4 e6 10. O-O-O Be7 {By pushing the
white bishop to h4 Black can start dreaming about tactics with ...Nxe4. In
real life the defender must tread very carefully, since the White's advantage
in development can not be neutralised any time soon.} (10... b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12.
Rhe1 Be7 13. Kb1 (13. f4 Nc5 14. Nf5 exf5 15. exf5 Nxb3+ 16. axb3 Qc7 17. Bxf6
gxf6 18. Qe2 d5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Rd8 $15 {0-1 (40) Szilagyi,P-Bogdanovic,
R Pecs 1964}) 13... Nc5 14. e5 dxe5 15. Rxe5 b4 16. Qe2 bxc3 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18.
Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qh5+ Ke7 20. Rxe6+ Nxe6 21. Qxa5 $18 {1-0 (32) Djurovic,
D-Bogdanovic,R Novi Sad 1965}) 11. Kb1 (11. Rhe1 Ne5 (11... O-O 12. Kb1 Qc7 13.
Bxe6 fxe6 14. Nxe6 Qb6 15. Nxf8 Nxf8 16. f4 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 Bxh4 18. Qd5+ Kh8 19.
Re8 Be6 20. Qxe6 $18 {1-0 (24) Rubinetti,J-Garcia,H Buenos Aires 1965}) 12. Bb3
g5 (12... Ng6 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. Kb1 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Bd7 16. f4 O-O 17. f5 exf5 18.
exf5 Bxf5 19. Rxe7 Bxc2+ 20. Nxc2 Nxe7 21. Nd5 $14 {1-0 (44) Cesnauskas,
A-Heuer,V Novgorod 1961}) 13. Bg3 Bd7 14. f4 gxf4 15. Bxf4 O-O-O 16. Kb1 Kb8
17. h3 h5 18. Nf3 Bc6 19. Nd5 Qxd2 20. Rxd2 Nxf3 21. gxf3 Bxd5 22. exd5 e5 23.
Bh2 Nh7 24. f4 Bh4 $11 {0-1 (70) Henseler,J (2075)-Gabuzyan,H (2537) Yerevan
2014}) 11... Nc5 12. Rhe1 Qc7 (12... O-O $6 13. Nd5 $1 $18) 13. Bg3 e5 $6 {
Sutovsky is showing signs of nervosity under the pressure of the white pieces
against his centre. A much more promising line was to castle, leaving him with
only a slight disadvantage.} (13... O-O $5 14. e5 dxe5 15. Bxe5 Qb6 16. Be2 $14
) 14. Nf5 Bxf5 {Combinations with the help of blows against the e4-square are
not feasible for Black since he is seriously behind in development. In the
shoot out between the pieces White would simply have more firepower to hand.} (
14... Ncxe4 15. Nxg7+ Kf8 16. Nxe4 Qxc4 (16... Nxe4 17. Rxe4 Kxg7 18. Qe2 $16)
(16... Kxg7 17. Nxd6 Rd8 18. Bxe5 Rxd6 19. Qf4 $1 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Qc5 21. Rd6
Bf5 22. Qxf5 Qxc4 23. b3 $18) 17. Nxd6 Bxd6 18. Qxd6+ Kxg7 19. b3 Qe6 (19...
Qb5 20. Bxe5 Be6 21. Qd4 $18) 20. Bxe5 Qxd6 21. Rxd6 Be6 22. Rd3 $16) 15. exf5
O-O 16. f4 e4 $2 {The decisive strategical mistake, since both of White's
bishops will be playing to their maximum.} (16... Ncd7 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5
Rac8 19. Bb3 $14) 17. Nd5 Nxd5 (17... Qd8 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Bh4 Rad8 20. Bd5
Rfe8 21. Re3 $16) 18. Bxd5 Bf6 19. Bf2 Rac8 20. Bd4 $1 {The swap of
dark-squared bishops deserves praise. Kovalov will have managed to remove from
the board the only opposing piece which is really in the game.} Bxd4 (20... Qd8
21. Bxe4 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Nxe4 23. Rxe4 $16) 21. Qxd4 Rfe8 22. c3 {White has
build up such a good position, that he could already choose between several
promising plans. It would also have been very dangerous to attack with the
help of advancing the g-pawn.} (22. g4 $5 b5 23. g5 $16) 22... b5 (22... Qd7
23. g4 Qb5 24. g5 Nd3 25. c4 Qc5 26. Qxc5 Nxc5 27. g6 $16) 23. Re3 $1 Kf8 $2 {
The defender has decided to step away with the king towards the centre. The
modest retreat to the h7-square was uch more promising. Black would have
suffered all right, but that does not mean he would be losing right away.} (
23... Kh7 24. f6 g6 25. h4 Ne6 26. Qxe4 Ng7 27. Qf3 Nh5 28. Rxe8 Rxe8 29. f5
Nxf6 30. fxg6+ Kxg6 31. Bb7 $16) (23... Qd7 $2 24. Rg3 $18) 24. f6 g6 (24...
gxf6 25. Qxf6 b4 26. cxb4 Ne6 27. Bxe4 $18) 25. Rh3 $1 h5 (25... Kg8 26. Rxh6
Ne6 27. Qe3 $18) 26. g4 {[%mdl 128] Kovalev might have felt like the
proverbial child in a sweetshop, since any sensible attacking continuation had
a sweet taste. The closing combination emphasises the might of the bishop on
the d5-square.} (26. f5 Re5 (26... Nd7 27. Bxf7 Kxf7 28. fxg6+ Kxg6 29. Rg3+
Kf7 30. Qd5+ Kxf6 31. Rf1+ $18) 27. Qe3 Rxf5 28. Qh6+ Ke8 29. Qh8+ Kd7 30. Qg7
Rd8 31. Qxf7+ Kc8 32. Qxg6 $18) 26... Ne6 (26... Qd7 27. f5 Re5 28. Qe3 Ke8 29.
fxg6 fxg6 30. gxh5 $18) 27. gxh5 $1 {With every move white pretends to offer
some form of sacrifice, but the defender can not really afford to accept any
of the dubious gifts.} Nxf4 (27... Nxd4 28. hxg6 Kg8 29. g7 $18) 28. hxg6 Nxg6
(28... Nxh3 29. Qe3 Re6 30. g7+ Kg8 31. Qxh3 $18) 29. Qg1 $1 {An impressive
attacking move in the form of move backwards. White has several terminal
threats, one of them is 30.Rh8+!} (29. Qg1 $1 Re5 30. Qxg6 $18) 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 12th"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2011.03.26"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Papaioannou, Ioannis"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2707"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2011.03.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 142 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.06.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.06.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 {
The variation with 6.Bg5 is very dangerous for Black. White even has the
option to test the lesser known line. The queen on e2 is less exposed than on
f3 and what is more - supports the pawn advance e4-e5.} Qa5 (7... h6 8. Bh4 g5
(8... Qc7 9. O-O-O g5 10. Bg3 e6 11. h4 Rg8 12. hxg5 hxg5 13. Qd2 Ne5 14. f3
Bd7 15. Kb1 Rb8 16. Bd3 b5 17. Nce2 $14 {0-1 Milov,L (2562)-Gashimov,V (2719)/
Mainz 2010 (42)}) 9. Bg3 e5 10. Nf5 Nc5 11. O-O-O Bxf5 12. exf5 Qc7 13. h4 Rg8
14. hxg5 hxg5 15. Qe3 Rc8 16. Rd2 Ncd7 17. Qd3 Nc5 18. Qf3 Qc6 19. Qd1 Nce4 20.
Nxe4 Nxe4 21. Rd3 Qb6 $2 (21... g4 22. Be2 Be7 $14) 22. Rb3 $16 {1-0 Balogh,C 
(2622)-Savchenko,S (2526)/Dubai 2010 (50)}) (7... b5 8. O-O-O (8. f4 e5 9. Nd5
Bb7 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Nf3 Qa5+ 12. Bd2 b4 13. c4 Bc5 14. g3 O-O 15. Bh3 Bxd5
16. cxd5 Rac8 17. Bf1 Bb6 18. a3 Rc2 19. Qxa6 Qc5 $19 {0-1 Brasket,C (2360)
-Browne,W (2610)/Lone Pine 1974 (36)}) 8... Bb7 9. Nd5 (9. f4 e5 10. Nf5 Qb6
11. g3 Rc8 12. Bg2 g6 13. Ne3 Rxc3 14. bxc3 Qa5 15. Kb1 Qxc3 16. Rd3 Nxe4 17.
Nd1 Qc4 18. Re1 f5 19. fxe5 Nxe5 $15 {1/2-1/2 Kuzmin,G (2479)-Vitiugov,N (2592)
/Sochi 2007 (34)}) 9... Nxd5 10. exd5 Bxd5 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. Rxd5 Rxa2 13. Qxb5
h6 14. Bc4 Ra1+ 15. Kd2 Rxh1 16. Rxd6 hxg5 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Qf5+ Nf6 19. Rxd8
e6 $17 {0-1 Melia,S (2462)-Parligras,M (2598)/Aix les Bains 2011 (64)}) (7...
Qc7 8. O-O-O e6 9. f4 b5 (9... Be7 10. g3 (10. Nf3 h6 11. Bh4 e5 12. g3 Nb6 13.
Qd3 Bg4 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Ng8 16. Qg4 Nf6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. f5 Rc8 19. Qe2
Qd7 20. Qf3 {1/2-1/2 Negi,P (2634)-Ghaem Maghami,E (2575)/Dubai 2010 (32)})
10... h6 11. Bh4 b5 (11... Nb6 12. Bg2 Ng8 13. f5 e5 14. Nb3 Bxh4 15. gxh4 Nf6
16. Rd3 Bd7 17. Rhd1 O-O-O 18. Rxd6 Bc6 19. R6d3 Rhe8 20. Bf3 Rxd3 21. cxd3 $14
{1-0 Shabalov,A (2585)-Aveskulov,V (2544)/Beijing 2008 (43)}) 12. Bg2 b4 13. e5
dxe5 14. Bxa8 bxc3 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. Rhe1 Qb8 17. bxc3 Ba3+ 18. Kd2 Nfd7 19.
Bc6 Nxc6 20. Nxc6 Qd6+ $17 {0-1 Naiditsch,A (2687)-Korobov,A (2648)/Moscow
2010 (32)}) 10. f5 (10. a3 Be7 11. g4 Bb7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 (12... gxf6 13. Kb1 Nb6
14. h4 h6 15. Rh3 Rg8 16. f5 e5 17. Nb3 Rc8 18. Nc1 Qb8 19. N1a2 Qa8 20. Nb4
$16 {1-0 Perez Candelario,M (2524)-Spirin,O (2464)/Navamoral de la Mata 2010 
(41)}) 13. g5 Bxd4 14. Rxd4 e5 15. Rd1 exf4 16. Qd2 O-O 17. Qxf4 Ne5 18. h4 d5
19. Kb1 dxe4 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 Rae8 $11 {1/2-1/2 Balogh,C (2608)-Kraemer,M
(2516)/Germany 2010 (38)}) 10... e5 (10... b4 11. fxe6 bxc3 12. exd7+ Bxd7 13.
Qc4 cxb2+ 14. Kb1 Qxc4 15. Bxc4 Be7 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 Ne4 18. Rde1 Nxg5 19.
h4 Kd8 20. hxg5 Bxg5 21. Bxf7 $11 {1/2-1/2 Ismagambetov,A (2492)-Brodsky,M 
(2549)/Tiumen 2010 (34)}) 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Nb6 13. g4 h5 14. gxh5 Be7 15.
Rg1 Nxd5 16. Qg2 Bb7 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Qxg7 O-O-O 19. f6 Qxf6 20. Qxf6 Nxf6 21.
Nf5 Kc7 $15 {0-1 Zambrana,O (2513)-Mareco,S (2627)/Campinas 2011 (38)}) (7...
e6) 8. h4 $146 {[%mdl 4] The sortie of the black queen to the a5-square has
not been much tested as a continuation. What is more, White's reaction is
technically a novelty already at move 8!} (8. f4 e5 (8... e6 9. O-O-O Be7 10.
g4 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Bg2 g5 13. e5 dxe5 14. Nb3 Qc7 15. Ne4 Be7 16. f5 Nf6
17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Rhf1 exf5 19. gxf5 Bd7 $15 {0-1 Dubinsky,R (2269)-Odeev,H 
(2403)/Moscow 1999 (52)}) 9. Nb3 Qc7 10. g4 b5 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. a4 b4 13. Nd5
Nxd5 14. exd5 h6 15. Bh4 Be7 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. O-O-O Rac8 18. Kb1 Kf8 19. Rhf1
$16 {0-1 Miroshnichenko,E (2670)-Nyzhnyk,I (2563)/Reykjavik 2011 (35)}) (8. Bh4
e5 9. Nb3 Qc7 10. g3 h6 11. f4 Be7 12. a4 b6 13. Bg2 Bb7 14. O-O O-O 15. f5
Rfe8 16. g4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bxh4 18. Nxd6 Bxg2 19. Nxe8 Bxf1 20. Nxc7 Bxe2 21.
Nxa8 {0-1 Kapnisis,S (2514)-Kovalyov,A (2599)/Leros 2010 (47)} Bd8 $15) 8... h6
9. Bd2 Qb6 10. Nb3 e6 11. g4 {There is a clear logic also to to the transfer
of the rook to the 3rd rank. The temperamental Spaniard has decided to launch
an attack without any delay.} (11. Rh3 h5 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Rg3 $14) 11... Ne5
12. f4 (12. Bh3 Qc7 13. g5 hxg5 14. hxg5 Nh5 15. O-O-O Bd7 16. g6 Nxg6 17. Bxe6
Bxe6 18. Rxh5 Bc4 19. Qg4 (19. Nd5 Bxe2 20. Nxc7+ Kd7 21. Rxh8 Kxc7 22. Rh7
Bxd1 23. Kxd1 $11) 19... Ne5 20. Qh4 Rxh5 21. Qxh5 O-O-O 22. Rh1 $14) 12...
Nexg4 13. e5 {It is easier to offer some more promising continuations after
the game. It seems tempting enough to fix the structure of the kingside with
13.h5!? and postpone the e4-e5 advance for a more suitable moment.} (13. h5 $5
e5 14. f5 a5 (14... g6 15. hxg6 fxg6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. Qxg4 $16) 15. a4 d5 16.
Nxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bxf5 18. Rh4 Qg1 19. Qb5+ Bd7 20. O-O-O $16) 13... dxe5 14.
fxe5 Qc7 $1 15. exf6 (15. Bf4 Bb4 16. Rh3 h5 17. O-O-O Nd7 18. Rd4 Be7 $11)
15... Qg3+ 16. Kd1 Nf2+ 17. Kc1 Nxh1 18. Ne4 Qxh4 {A good sign of the
intrinsic health of this forced line is the fact that Black could have chosen
another sensible line with queen centralisation 18...Qe5.} (18... Qe5 19. Qg2 (
19. Qe3 g5 20. Na5 Qf4 21. Bg2 Qh2 22. Bf1 $11) 19... gxf6 20. Qxh1 Rg8 $13)
19. Qc4 (19. Be1 Qf4+ 20. Bd2 Qh4 $11) 19... g5 20. Nbc5 (20. Qd3 $6 g4 $1 21.
Nd6+ Bxd6 22. Qxd6 Qxf6 23. Bg2 Nf2 $19) 20... Ng3 $2 {Black has not realised
the full extent of danger from the concentrated white forces to his own king.
Fortunately for the defender there are sufficient solutions to his problems,
but it all began with the seemingly weakening advance of the b-pawn.} (20... b5
21. Qd3 (21. Qd4 Qh2 (21... Ra7 22. Nxa6 $18) 22. Ba5 Qf4+ 23. Kd1 Qxf1+ 24.
Kd2 Qf4+ 25. Kc3 Qf3+ 26. Kd2 (26. Kb4 Bxc5+ 27. Nxc5 O-O $19) 26... Qf4+ 27.
Kc3 $11) 21... Ra7 22. Ba5 Qf4+ 23. Kb1 Rc7 24. Bxc7 Qxc7 25. b4 Nf2 26. Nxf2
Bxc5 27. bxc5 Qxc5 $11) 21. Qa4+ $1 b5 (21... Kd8 22. Ba5+ b6 23. Bxb6#) 22.
Bxb5+ axb5 23. Qxb5+ Kd8 24. Ba5+ Rxa5 25. Qxa5+ {What is very sad for Black
is the fact that White did not even have to take the rook in order to force
the mating pattern.} (25. Qb6+ Ke8 26. Nd6+ Bxd6 27. Qc6+ Kd8 28. Qxd6+ $18)
25... Ke8 26. Qb5+ Kd8 27. Qb6+ Ke8 28. Nd6+ {The mate for the black king is
only few moves away.} (28. Nd6+ Bxd6 29. Qc6+ $18) 1-0

[Event "RUS-chT 19th"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2012.04.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kokarev, Dmitry"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2012.04.09"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Nizhniy Tagil Polytechnik"]
[BlackTeam "Moscow ShSM-64"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {The board now
features one of the sharpest positions in current opening theory. The defender
faces a problem, since he cannot match the extreme mobility of the white
pieces.} Nbd7 7. Qe2 {This is a very fresh direction of the theoretical
discussion. In the reaction to the modern 6...Nbd7 White is avoiding the main
move 7.f4, but tries for the immediate castling instead.} b5 8. O-O-O {White
players have already tried different methods to benefit from the fact, that at
this moment he has an advantage in piece development in the ratio of 4:2.} (8.
Nd5 Bb7 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. Nxf6+ gxf6 11. O-O-O Qc7 12. Kb1 O-O-O 13. g3 Kb8 14.
Bg2 e6 15. Bf3 Rg8 16. h4 Rc8 17. Rd3 Qb6 18. Rhd1 $14 {0-1 Alsina Leal,D 
(2545)-Alonso Rosell,A (2493)/Sabadell 2011 (48)}) (8. f4 e5 $1 9. Nd5 (9. Nf5
h6 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Bh4 Qc7 12. O-O-O g6 13. Ne3 Bb7 14. Qf3 Bg7 15. g4 b4 16.
Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Ncd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 O-O $11 {1-0 Istratescu,A (2628)
-Griffiths,R (2310)/Bunratty 2012 (83)}) 9... Bb7 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Nf3 Qa5+
12. Bd2 b4 13. c4 Bc5 14. g3 O-O 15. Bh3 Bxd5 16. cxd5 Rac8 17. Bf1 Bb6 18. a3
Rc2 19. Qxa6 Qc5 $17 {0-1 Brasket,C (2360)-Browne,W (2610)/Lone Pine 1974 (36)}
) (8. g4 h6 9. Bd2 Nb6 10. g5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 Bb7 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Ndxb5 Rc8 14.
Nd4 Bh6 15. Qg4 e6 16. Rg1 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. Nxe6 Qa5 19. Ng7+ Kf8 20. Kf1
$16 {1-0 Fluvia Poyatos,J (2472)-Alonso Rosell,A (2477)/Barcelona 2011 (64)})
8... Bb7 {Black should rush his development and not provoke the opponent with
absurd moves like 8...b4?!} (8... b4 $6 9. Nd5 Bb7 10. f4 g6 11. Qc4 Nxd5 12.
exd5 Bg7 13. Nc6 Bxc6 14. dxc6 Nf6 15. Be2 O-O 16. Bf3 Qb6 17. Rhe1 Ra7 18. f5
Rc7 19. Be3 $16 {0-1 Fercec,N (2451)-Bove,A (2369)/Padova 2011 (33)}) 9. Bxf6 {
In the interest of higher goals the attacker can use even somewhat dubious
methods. The voluntary parting with a strong bishop would have been an absurd
move, if it did not help to develop White's initiative.} (9. f4 e5 10. Nf5 Qb6
(10... Qc7 11. Kb1 h6 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 O-O-O
16. g4 g6 17. Ne3 Bc5 18. Bg2 e4 19. c4 Kb8 20. cxb5 axb5 $11 {0-1 Antal,T 
(2352)-Sax,G (2486)/Kecskemet 2012 (31)}) 11. g3 Rc8 12. Bg2 g6 13. Ne3 Rxc3
14. bxc3 Qa5 15. Kb1 Qxc3 16. Rd3 Nxe4 17. Nd1 Qc4 18. Re1 f5 19. fxe5 Nxe5 20.
Bc1 Bd5 21. Rxd5 Qxd5 $17 {1/2-1/2 Kuzmin,G (2479)-Vitiugov,N (2592)/Sochi
2007 (34)}) (9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Bxd5 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. Rxd5 Rxa2 13. Qxb5 h6
14. Bc4 Ra1+ 15. Kd2 Rxh1 16. Rxd6 hxg5 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Qf5+ Nf6 19. Rxd8 e6
20. Qd3 R8xh2 $17 {0-1 Melia,S (2462)-Parligras,M (2598)/Aix-les-Bains 2011 
(64)}) 9... gxf6 {Black can most likely recapture also with the knight, but he
would have had to have well prepared it at home.} (9... Nxf6 10. f4 (10. e5 $5
dxe5 11. Qxe5 Qb8 12. Qxb8+ Rxb8 13. Ndxb5 Rc8 14. Nd4 $14) 10... b4 11. Nd5
Nxd5 12. exd5 Qa5 13. Kb1 Bxd5 14. Nb3 Bxb3 15. axb3 e6 16. Qf3 d5 17. f5 Be7
18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Qh5+ g6 20. Qe5 Kd7 21. g3 $14 {1-0 Groszpeter,A (2483)
-Idani,P (2451)/Kecskemet 2012 (29)}) 10. Qh5 Rc8 {Wang Hao must try to come
to terms with the fact, that the enemy pieces are significantly restricting
his further development.} (10... Nc5 11. Bd3 e6 12. b4 Nxd3+ 13. Rxd3 Qd7 14.
a3 $14) 11. Nd5 Nc5 12. Be2 {Kokarev had declined to come back with the queen,
since the opponent would have immediately taken advantage of that for bringing
up his pieces.} (12. Qf3 Rg8 13. Bd3 Rg6 $1 14. Kb1 e6 $11) 12... Nxe4 13. Rhe1
Rc5 {[%mdl 4] The first independent move in the game is trying to improve the
defence which Kokarev had demonstrated with black pieces in the year 2011.} (
13... Bxd5 14. Qxd5 Bh6+ 15. Kb1 Nd2+ 16. Ka1 Rc5 17. Qb7 Qd7 18. Qxa6 O-O 19.
Bxb5 Qg4 20. c3 e5 21. Nf3 $16 {0-1 Danin,A (2543)-Kokarev,D (2576)/Olginka
2011 (46)}) 14. Nb3 Rxd5 15. Rxd5 e5 $5 {The Chinese chess star is an
exceptionally creative player. With the help of an exchange sacrifice he will
get few pawns and some tempi. This will give him fair chances of levelling the
prospects in the game.} (15... Bxd5 16. Qxd5 Nc5 17. Nxc5 Bh6+ 18. Kb1 dxc5 19.
Qxc5 O-O 20. Rd1 $16) (15... e6 16. Rdd1 f5 17. Kb1 $14) 16. Rd3 Nxf2 17. Rf3
$2 {An inconsequential move with the "cheap" idea of luring the enemy into a
dubious win of material. It was much more exact to centralise the rook along
the e-file, since the central conflict will be played out on that territory.} (
17. Re3 Ne4 18. Bf3 d5 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Rd1 Qb6 21. Re2 $14) 17... Ne4 (17...
Bxf3 $2 18. Qxf3 Qb6 19. Qxf6 Qe3+ 20. Kb1 Ne4 21. Qxh8 Nd2+ 22. Nxd2 Qxd2 23.
Bxb5+ axb5 24. Rc1 $16) 18. Bd3 Ng5 19. Rf2 (19. Rg3 Ne6 20. Kb1 Qb6 $11) 19...
Be7 20. Bf5 Qb6 21. Rd2 d5 22. Kb1 {Kokarev has sensibly abstained from
forcing the conflict with active moves, as his adversary was well prepared for
the battle.} (22. h4 Ne4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Qh6 Bb4 25. c3 Bf8 26. Qh5 Bg7 $15)
22... h6 (22... a5 23. h4 Ne4 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Qg4 Kf8 26. Qh5 Kg7 $11) 23. h4
{Both players are slightly lost in the very unusual situation. Quite naturally
the more exact moves are much more accessible to the annotator in the quiet of
the home.} (23. Rde2 $1 e4 24. Rd1 Ne6 (24... b4 25. Nd4 $14) 25. Bxe6 Qxe6 26.
c3 $14) 23... Ne4 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Rde2 (25. a3 Qe6 26. Red1 Bc8 27. Qe2 $11)
25... Qe6 26. Nd2 f5 27. Rf1 $2 {Kokarev had no problems with realising the
necessity of undermining the mighty black pawn mass in the centre. A much more
difficult choice was what would be the best method to achieve the goal.} (27.
g4 fxg4 (27... Bc8 $2 28. Nxe4 $1 Qg6 (28... fxe4 29. Rxe4 $18) 29. Ng3 Qxh5
30. Nxh5 Bxh4 31. Rxe5+ $16) 28. Nxe4 O-O 29. Ng3 Qg6 30. Qxe5 Bxh4 31. Nf5 Bf6
32. Ne7+ Bxe7 33. Qxe7 Bf3 $15) 27... Bc8 28. g4 Qg6 $1 {The queen on the
h5-square is suddenly "locked in" and White is forced to improve the pawn
structure of his opponent.} 29. Qxg6 (29. Rxf5 $2 Qxh5 30. Rxh5 Bxg4 $19) 29...
fxg6 30. h5 (30. a4 Bxh4 31. gxf5 gxf5 32. Nxe4 fxe4 33. Rxe4 Be7 34. Rxe5 bxa4
$19) 30... O-O 31. hxg6 (31. gxf5 gxf5 32. c4 Be6 $17) 31... fxg4 $1 {Black is
an outstanding player who thrives on calculations. Thus it was not so
difficult for him to realise that his position is close to winning.} (31... f4
32. Rxe4 Bf6 33. Nf3 Bb7 34. Re2 e4 35. Nd2 e3 36. Rxf4 exd2 37. Rxd2 Re8 38.
Rf1 Re6 $17) 32. Rxf8+ (32. Rd1 Bf5 33. Nxe4 Bxg6 34. Nc3 g3 35. Rxe5 Bg5 $1
$19) 32... Kxf8 33. Rf2+ $6 {The first player is lost and he needs very much
to change the course of the game. The direct attack of the rook fails due to
an amusing combination.} (33. a4 bxa4 34. Rxe4 Bg5 35. Nf1 Bf4 $19) (33. Nxe4
Kg7 34. Ng3 Bf6 35. b3 Kxg6 36. Rd2 Bh4 37. Rd6+ Kg5 38. Ne4+ Kh5 39. Rd5 g3
40. Rxe5+ Kg4 $19) 33... Kg7 $1 34. Rf7+ (34. Nxe4 Kxg6 35. Kc1 Bb7 36. Re2 h5
37. Kd2 h4 $19) 34... Kxg6 35. Rxe7 g3 {Somewhat unsusual picture in the
practical game. White is not able to fight against the advancing pawn despite
the material advantage of the whole rook.} 36. Re8 Kf7 37. Rxc8 g2 (37... g2
38. Rc7+ Kg6 39. Rc6+ Kf5 $19) 0-1

[Event "Norway Chess 1st"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2013.05.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2013.05.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {The knight
move to d7 is currently the most topical line against White's unpleasant
attack with the immediate 6.Bg5.} 7. Qe2 g6 8. O-O-O Bg7 9. f4 Qa5 {Nakamura
must know what he is doing against the best world players he regulary meets at
supertournaments. His solution has not been tested in practice even though the
queen foray is unpleasant for White.} (9... O-O 10. g4 (10. e5 dxe5 11. fxe5
Qa5 12. Nf3 Ng4 13. Rd5 b5 14. h3 Nh6 15. Kb1 Nf5 16. Ne4 Qc7 17. g4 Bb7 18.
Rxd7 Qxd7 19. gxf5 Qxf5 20. Ned2 Bxe5 21. Qe3 Qe6 22. Rg1 Bg7 23. Qxe6 fxe6 24.
Be2 $11 {1/2 (41) Alekseev,E (2673)-Grischuk,A (2763) Moscow 2012}) (10. Kb1
Qc7 11. Nf3 e5 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Qxd6 Qxd6 14. Rxd6 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4
Rxe4 17. Bg3 Bf8 18. Rd1 b5 19. Bd3 Re8 20. Rhe1 Rxe1 21. Nxe1 Nc5 22. Be2 Bf5
$11 {1/2 (48) Balogh,C (2668)-Navara,D (2691) Sibenik 2012}) (10. f5 Ne5 11. h4
Bd7 12. h5 Rc8 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. Qe1 Rf7 15. Rh3 b5 16. Qh4 Qa5 17. Nd5 gxf5
18. Nxe7+ Rxe7 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qxf6 Rg7 21. Qxd6 fxe4 22. Qd5+ Nf7 {1-0 (22)
Castellanos Rodriguez,R (2515)-Asis Gargatagli,H (2474) Leon 2012}) 10... h6
11. Bh4 e5 12. fxe5 Nxe5 13. h3 Bd7 14. Nf3 Qa5 15. Rxd6 Be6 16. Nd4 Bc4 17.
Qf2 Ne8 18. Rd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Nc7 20. Be7 Nxd5 21. Nb3 Qb6 22. Qxb6 Nxb6 23.
Bxf8 Rxf8 $11 {1/2 (77) Kosintseva,T (2517)-Ushenina,A (2477) Huashan City 2013
}) (9... Qc7 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. e5 dxe5 12. fxe5 Bg4 13. Nf3 Nd7 14. Nd5 Qc5 15.
Qe4 Rc8 16. Nc3 Bf5 17. Qxb7 O-O 18. Rxd7 Bxd7 19. Qxd7 Rfd8 20. Qa4 Qe3+ 21.
Kb1 Rxc3 $17 {0-1 (36) Sommerbauer,N (2427)-Czebe,A (2494) Oberwart 2005}) 10.
g3 (10. Kb1 O-O 11. g4 Qc7 12. f5 Ne5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Nxf6+ exf6
16. Qg2 $14) 10... h6 {Irritating the bishop is a very important feature of
the plan. Karjakin could not have been happy about the necessity to make a
choice. Parting with the knight saves time but has positional drawbacks.} (
10... O-O 11. Bg2 h6 12. Bh4 Nc5 13. Kb1 $14) 11. Bxf6 (11. Bh4 Qc5 12. Nf3 b5
13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 (14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Nxe5 Bb7 16. Bg2 Bxg2 17. Qxg2 O-O $11)
14... Ng4 15. e6 Nb6 16. exf7+ Kxf7 $11) 11... Nxf6 (11... Bxf6 12. Nb3 Qc7 13.
Nd5 Qd8 14. e5 $1 dxe5 15. Nxf6+ exf6 16. fxe5 Qe7 (16... fxe5 17. Rxd7 Kxd7
18. Bh3+ Ke7 19. Qxe5+ Be6 20. Rf1 $18) 17. exf6 Qxe2 18. Bxe2 Nxf6 19. Rhe1
O-O 20. Rd6 $14) 12. Bg2 {It is difficult to imagine a lesser player resisting
the chance for the advance of the e-pawn 12.e5. The dangers for Black can not
be underestimated, but White's advantage would be rather elusive.} (12. e5 dxe5
13. Nb3 Qc7 14. fxe5 Ng4 15. Bg2 Nxe5 16. Nd5 Qd6 17. h3 O-O 18. Rhe1 $11)
12... Bg4 13. Bf3 (13. Nf3 Nd7 $15) 13... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 (14. Nxf3 O-O 15. e5
Nd7 $11) 14... O-O 15. Rhe1 {White cannot claim that he has achieved any
palpable advantage, but his neatly centralised pieces are offering chances for
active play.} Nd7 16. Nb3 Qc7 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. h4 Rc8 {Nakamura finds it hard
to believe that White's initiative could amount to anything real. A more
careful player would probably spend more time on the cautious approach with 18.
..h5.} (18... h5 19. Qd3 Rc8 20. Kb1 Nb6 $11) 19. h5 $1 e6 (19... gxh5 $5 20.
Qxh5 e6 21. Ne3 Qc7 22. Kb1 $14) 20. Nc3 (20. Ne3 $5 Qf6 21. Nd4 (21. e5 $2
Nxe5 $15) 21... b5 22. Kb1 $14) 20... Bxc3 21. bxc3 Qf6 22. hxg6 {The tactical
phase of the game required great caution from both players. Each move can
alter the value of the position, which is objectively somewhat better for
White.} (22. Rxd6 Rxc3 23. Qf2 Ne5 24. Qd4 Nd3+ 25. Kd2 Qxd4 26. Nxd4 Nxe1 27.
Kxc3 gxh5 $11) 22... fxg6 (22... Rxc3 23. Qg4 (23. gxf7+ Rxf7 24. Qf2 e5 $11)
23... Qxg6 24. Qxg6+ fxg6 25. Rxd6 Nf6 (25... Rf7 26. Rxe6 Rxg3 27. e5 $14) 26.
Nd4 Rxg3 27. e5 $14) 23. Rxd6 Ne5 $2 {The American grandmaster certainly knows
how to apply his tactical magic in attacking positions. Unfortunately
defensive tasks are generally much less attractive and it shows in his last
choice.} (23... Rxc3 24. e5 Rxf3 25. exf6 Nxf6 26. Rexe6 Kg7 27. Nd4 Rxg3 28.
Re7+ Kh8 29. Rxb7 $14) 24. Qh1 $6 {[%mdl 64] Karjakin was definitely happy in
this position and was probably spoiled for choice. It is a bit risky to claim
something definite, but it seems that the more centralising retreat 24.Qd1!
would have led to a winning position.} (24. Qd1 $1 Nc4 25. e5 Qf7 (25... Qf5
26. Nd4 Qf7 27. Nxe6 Nxd6 28. exd6 $18) 26. Rd7 Qe8 27. Qd3 Nb6 (27... b5 28.
Rh1 $18) 28. Rxb7 Na4 29. Qxa6 $18) 24... Nc4 25. e5 Qf7 26. Rd4 (26. Qxh6 Nxd6
27. exd6 Rfd8 28. Nd2 Rxd6 29. Ne4 Rd7 30. Rh1 Qg7 31. Qg5 Rf8 32. Rh6 Kf7 33.
Qh4 Kg8 $11) 26... h5 27. Qe4 {The queen is rushing back to the centre
indirectly vindicating our note about the merits of the 24th move.} b5 28. Red1
(28. Qd3 Rc7 29. Nd2 Nxd2 30. Qxd2 Rfc8 31. Re3 $16) 28... Rc7 (28... Qf5 29.
Qxf5 Rxf5 30. Rd7 Rff8 31. Ra7 Ra8 32. Rxa8 Rxa8 33. Rd7 $16) 29. Nc5 $1 {
Chess would certainly be very dull without small combinations. White is using
a trojan horse in order to penetrate the enemy ranks.} Rxc5 (29... Re8 30. Rd7
Re7 31. Rxc7 Rxc7 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4 $18) 30. Rd7 Rc7 (30... Qe8 31. Qb7 Rf7
32. Rxf7 Qxf7 33. Rd8+ Kg7 34. Rd7 $18) 31. Rxf7 Kxf7 32. g4 $1 {Karjakin can
prove the might of his major pieces only under one condition, if they start to
play to their maximum. Opening the kingside is surely the right strategy.} hxg4
(32... h4 33. Rh1 Rh8 34. f5 $18) 33. Rh1 Kg7 (33... Rg8 34. Rh7+ Rg7 35. Rh8
$1 Nb6 36. Qg2 $18) 34. Qg2 (34. Rh4 Rf5 35. Qh1 Rh5 36. Rxh5 gxh5 37. Qxh5 $18
) 34... Rh8 (34... Rxf4 $2 35. Qh2 Rf5 36. Qh8+ Kf7 37. Rh7#) 35. Rxh8 (35. Re1
Na3 36. Qxg4 Rh2 37. Rg1 Rxc2+ 38. Kd1 Rd7+ 39. Ke1 Rc1+ 40. Kf2 Rxg1 41. Kxg1
$18) 35... Kxh8 36. Qxg4 Rh7 {Black can suddenly entertain some mild hopes as
the white king is trapped in an unfortunate position on the back rank.} 37. Qd1
(37. Qg1 Rh3 38. a4 $18) 37... Rf7 38. Qd4 (38. Qg4 Kg7 39. Qxe6 Rxf4 40. Kd1
$18) 38... Kg7 (38... g5 39. Qd8+ Kh7 40. Qxg5 $18) 39. Kd1 {At long last
White's majesty is getting the chance to win some breathing space.} g5 40. fxg5
(40. Qg1 Rf5 41. Qa7+ Kf8 42. Qxa6 gxf4 43. Qxe6 Rf7 44. Ke2 Nxe5 45. Kf2 $18)
40... Kg6 41. Qh4 Nxe5 (41... Rh7 42. Qe4+ Kg7 43. Qf3 Kg8 44. Qc6 $18) 42. Qh3
(42. Qh6+ Kf5 43. Qh3+ Kxg5 44. Qxe6 $18) 42... Kxg5 43. Qxe6 {Nakamura has
managed to eliminate two white pawns, but it came at a serious cost. The
coordination of his pieces is so bad, that he will have to play very
creatively in order to continue resistance.} Rf5 44. Qxa6 Nc4 45. Ke2 Re5+ 46.
Kf2 (46. Kd3 Rf5 47. Kd4 Rf4+ 48. Kc5 Rf5+ 49. Kb4 Ne3 50. Kb3 $18) 46... Ne3 (
46... Rf5+ 47. Kg3 Ne3 48. Qa7 $18) 47. Qa7 Ng4+ 48. Kf3 Rf5+ 49. Ke2 (49. Kg3
Nf6 50. Qe3+ Kh5 51. Qd4 Kg6 52. c4 $18) 49... Re5+ 50. Kd2 Rd5+ 51. Kc1 Kf4 {
Black's pieces are dreaming about a position in which they would be able to
pull in the same direction.} 52. Qf7+ (52. a4 $1 bxa4 53. c4 Re5 54. c5 $18)
52... Ke4 53. Qh7+ Kf4 54. Qh4 {The white queen has excellent mobility that
can be used even for pinning a piece.} (54. c4 bxc4 55. a4 Ne5 56. Qc7 $18)
54... Re5 55. Kb2 Kf3 56. c4 $1 {It was no secret that White would want to
create and exploit passed pawns on the queenside.} Ne3 (56... bxc4 57. Qh3+ Kf4
58. Qf1+ Ke3 59. Qxc4 $18) 57. Qf6+ Ke4 58. Qc6+ Kd4 59. Qd6+ (59. Qd6+ Ke4 60.
Qd3+ Kf4 61. cxb5 $18) 1-0

[Event "Biel GM 51st"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2018.07.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2842"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2018.07.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 186"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {Svidler is
putting his trust in a modern variation 6...Nbd7 which presents White with
bigger challenges than the older 6...e6.} 7. Qe2 h6 8. Bh4 g6 9. f4 Qc7 {
Black is abstaining from advancing the e pawn as the level of risk is much
higher in a direct fight with better developed white pieces.} (9... e5 10. fxe5
dxe5 11. O-O-O (11. Nf3 Qc7 12. O-O-O b5 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bd6 15. Qe3 Bb7
16. Bd3 f5 $6 (16... Rc8 $11) 17. Nd4 Qb6 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. Qg3 Nf8 20. Nxf5
$18 {1-0 (38) Khader,S (2392)-Karjakin,S (2760) Riadh 2017}) 11... Qc7 12. Nd5
(12. Nb3 b5 13. Qf3 (13. g4 Be7 14. Qf3 Bb7 15. a3 Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bxh4 17. Rxd7
Qxd7 18. Nbc5 Bg5+ 19. Kb1 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Qd1+ 21. Ka2 O-O 22. Bd3 Qd2 $15 {
0-1 (44) Savchenko,B (2550)-Sarana,A (2577) Moscow 2018}) (13. Rxd7 Nxd7 14.
Nd5 Qb8 15. Bf6 Nxf6 16. Nxf6+ Ke7 17. Nd5+ Ke8 18. Nf6+ Ke7 19. Nd5+ Ke8 20.
Nf6+ Ke7 {1/2-1/2 (20) Sarana,A (2613)-Khanin,S (2494) Ekaterinburg 2018})
13... Bg7 14. Kb1 O-O 15. g4 Bb7 16. a3 Rac8 17. Bd3 Qb6 18. Be1 Qe6 19. Rg1
Nb6 20. h4 $14 {0-1 (41) Wan,Y (2500)-Cheparinov,I (2702) China 2018}) 12...
Nxd5 13. exd5 Bd6 14. Nb3 b5 15. Qd2 (15. g4 h5 16. g5 Nb6 17. h3 O-O 18. Na5
Bf5 19. Bg2 e4 20. Rhf1 Bf4+ 21. Kb1 Rad8 $19 {0-1 (48) Yankelevich,L (2442)
-Jakovenko,D (2710) Germany 2017}) 15... g5 (15... f5 16. g4 f4 17. Bd3 Kf7 18.
Qe2 g5 19. Qe4 gxh4 20. Qg6+ Kf8 $11 {1-0 (35) Pichot,A (2552)-Asis Gargatagli,
H (2529) Barcelona 2018}) 16. Be1 Nc5 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. h4 g4 19. Bg3 Bd7 20.
Re1 f6 21. Bd3 O-O-O 22. Rhf1 Rdf8 23. Bf5 $16 {1-0 (39) Naiditsch,A (2697)
-Hamdouchi,H (2580) Brest 2018}) 10. O-O-O {Carlsen most likely did not like
10.Nf3 because after the best 10...e5! the knight may turn out to be somewhat
misplaced on f3.} (10. Nf3 Bg7 $6 (10... e5 $1) 11. O-O-O (11. e5 $1 dxe5 12.
fxe5 Ng4 13. O-O-O e6 14. Bg3 h5 15. Ne4 $16) 11... Nb6 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5
Nh5 14. Bf2 Be6 15. Qe4 g5 16. Nd4 Bc8 17. g3 Bxe5 18. Nc6 Bd6 19. Bxb6 Qxc6
20. Qd4 Nf6 {0-1 (29) Levrand,R (2156)-Bauer,C (2647) Zuerich 2017} 21. Rg1 $1
Be6 22. Bg2 Qc4 23. Ne4 $16) 10... Bg7 (10... e5 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. Nb3 Bg7 13.
Qc4 $1 Qb8 14. Nc5 O-O 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Nd5 b5 17. Qc6 $16 {1-0 (56) Smirnov,
P (2569)-Bocharov,D (2610) Vladivostok 2016}) 11. g4 {Surprisingly enough
there have been as good as no games played from this position; the players
have to invent theory.} (11. Kb1 O-O 12. Nf3 e5 13. f5 b5 14. g4 b4 15. Nd5
Nxd5 16. exd5 a5 17. g5 e4 18. Nd4 hxg5 $2 (18... Bxd4 $1 19. Rxd4 Ne5 20. fxg6
Bg4 21. Qe3 fxg6 $15) 19. Bxg5 $16 {1-0 (39) Melia,S (2400)-Travkina,A (2287)
Riga 2017}) 11... e5 12. fxe5 Nxe5 (12... dxe5 13. Nb3 O-O $14) 13. h3 Be6 {
We can safely presume, that this move was most likely part of Black's
preparation. Immediate castling has the drawback of a vulnerable f6-knight
that has to defend the sensitive d5-square.} (13... O-O 14. Qf2 g5 15. Bg3 b5
16. Kb1 $16) 14. Qf2 Nfd7 15. Bb5 $5 {The world champion must have tried to
guess which line of attack will turn out to be more efficient - the text move
or the unpleasant 15.Qd2.} (15. Qd2 O-O (15... Nc5 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Qxd6 Qxd6
18. Rxd6 O-O 19. b4 Ncd7 20. Ne2 $14) 16. Be7 Rfc8 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Qxd6 Nc5
19. Qxc5 Qxc5 20. Bxc5 Rxc5 21. Ne2 $14) 15... O-O (15... axb5 $4 16. Ncxb5 Qa5
17. Nxe6 $18) 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 (16... Nxd7 17. Be7 Rfc8 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Bxd6 $14
) 17. Nf5 $6 {[%mdl 32] The temptation to play a flashy attacking move proved
to be too strong. The engine is not so emotional and clearly prefers the
modest positional exchange of the g7-bishop with some advantage.} (17. Bf6 $1
Rac8 (17... Bxf6 18. Qxf6 Qd8 19. Qf4 Kh7 20. Kb1 $14) 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Kb1
$14) 17... gxf5 18. gxf5 Kh7 19. Rhg1 Bh8 {It makes sense to show some respect
to the best player in the world even though objectively even 19...Qc7 with the
knight retreat to g6 was good enough for keeping the balance.} (19... Qc7 20.
Rg3 Ng6 21. Qg2 Rg8 22. fxg6+ fxg6 23. Rgd3 Rac8 $11) 20. Bg3 Rac8 21. Bf4 (21.
fxe6 fxe6 22. Qe2 Rg8 $11) 21... Qe7 $1 {The queen prevents aggression via h4
and prepares to create counterplay on the a1-h8 diagonal.} (21... Bc4 $2 22.
Qh4 Bg7 23. Rxg7+ Kxg7 24. Rg1+ Ng6 25. f6+ $18) 22. fxe6 (22. Kb1 Qf6 (22...
Bc4 23. Bxh6 Kxh6 24. Rxd6+ Kh7 25. f6 Bxf6 26. Rxf6 Ng6 27. h4 $16) 23. fxe6
fxe6 24. Rdf1 Ng6 25. Qg3 Nxf4 26. Rxf4 Rg8 $11) 22... fxe6 23. Qg3 Rg8 {
The disappointed champion must have realised that White has not even a hint of
any advantage.} 24. Qf2 Rgf8 (24... Bg7 25. Rdf1 Nc4 $11) 25. Qg3 Rg8 26. Qf2
Rgf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 5th"]
[Site "Antalya"]
[Date "2004.05.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Guseinov, Gadir"]
[Black "Kempinski, Robert"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2548"]
[BlackElo "2586"]
[Annotator "Gofshtein,L"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2004.05.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 101"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.07.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.07.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 {7.Bc4
deserved attention as was played in the classical game Spassky-Petrosian given
below.} (7. Bc4 $5 Qa5 (7... h6 $6 8. Bxf6 Nxf6 9. Qe2 $1 e6 10. O-O-O Qc7 11.
f4 e5 12. Nd5 $16) (7... e6) 8. Qd2 h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. O-O-O e6 11. Rhe1 Be7
$2 (11... Bd7 $1 {/\ 0-0-0= Tal, Boleslavsky}) 12. f4 O-O 13. Bb3 Re8 (13...
Rd8 $5) 14. Kb1 Bf8 15. g4 $1 $36 {1-0 Spassky,B-Petrosian,T/Moscow 1969/
MainBase/[Bulletin] (24)}) 7... b5 $5 {Black immideatly sets up a fianchetto
for his bishop, also preventing the development of the white bishop to c4. In
case of the usual 7...e6 8.Qf3 the game could reach a usual variations with a
different move order.} (7... e6 8. Qf3) 8. Qe2 $6 {White's idea is simple - A
long castle and e4-e5. From the other hand this move looks dubious as it's
closing the bishop. As the other games show white has other possibilities,
which are probably better.} (8. Bxf6 $5 Nxf6 9. e5 dxe5 (9... b4 $5) 10. fxe5
Ng4 11. Ndxb5 $36 {1-0 Isanbaev,R-Kotsur,P/Nizhnij Novgorod 1998/EXT 2000 (17)}
) (8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Qe2 e5 10. Nd5 exd4 11. e5 Nxd5 12. Bxd8 Nxf4 13. Qf2 Nxg2+
14. Kd2 Rxd8 $36 {1-0 Quinteros,M-Browne,W/Las Palmas 1974/MCD (47)}) 8... e5 {
A natural move, which prevents e4-e5. Other moves have also been met, for
example:} (8... h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. O-O-O Bg4 11. Nf3 b4 12. Nb1 e6 $132 {
1-0 Hector,J-Hoelzl,F/Istanbul 2000/EXT 2001 (59)}) (8... b4) 9. Nf5 $146 {
This position was played very rarely. Probably this is the reason why white's
next move is a novelty.} (9. O-O-O exd4 10. e5 dxe5 11. fxe5 Be7 12. exf6 gxf6
13. Nd5 fxg5 14. Re1 Nf6 15. Nxf6+ Kf8 16. Qe4 Be6 17. Nxh7+ Kg7 18. Bd3 Qd6
$13 {1-0 Borkovec,M-Fialka,M/Czechia 1997/EXT 98 (25)}) 9... h6 $5 {A typical
move for this positions. His main idea is to prepare g7-g6. Now white doesn't
have a square on h6 for the knight.} 10. Bxf6 {White tries to take advantage
of his lead in development and to gain more tempis.} (10. Bh4 g6 11. Ne3 exf4
12. Ned5 Bg7 $132) 10... Nxf6 11. O-O-O Qc7 $5 (11... b4 12. fxe5 bxc3 13. exf6
cxb2+ 14. Kb1 Qxf6 $132) 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. g4 b4 $5 {13...g6 was also possible
with a fine counterplay.} (13... g6 $5 14. Ne3 Be6 15. Ned5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Bd6
$132) 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Bxf5 {It is essential to take down the dangerous
white knight.} 16. gxf5 Be7 17. Rg1 Qd6 {Blocking a dangerous passed pawn} 18.
Rg4 {[%cal Rg4c4,Rc4c6] Activizng the rook via 4th rank.} (18. Rxg7 Bg5+ 19.
Kb1 Qf6) 18... O-O 19. Rc4 {[%cal Yc4c6] With the idea to remove the black
queen from d6 with Rc6.} e4 $5 {[%cal Re7f6,Rf6b2][%mdl 512] Black sacrifices
a pawn in order to activize his pieces and firstly his bishop.} 20. Qxe4 (20.
Kb1 Bf6 21. Rxe4 a5 $44) 20... Rfe8 {[%cal Re8e4] Black activizes his rook.}
21. Qg4 Qxh2 {Returning the material balance.} 22. Rc6 $6 {A dubious move
after which black seizes the initiative.} (22. Bg2 $5) 22... Qe5 $5 {[%csl Yb2]
[%cal Re5b2,Re7f6]} 23. Rc4 a5 {Defending the b4 pawn and threatening to
harrass the white king with Bf6.} (23... Bf6 24. Rxb4) 24. Qd4 {White gives
another pawn in order to defend against the black threats.} (24. Re4 $2 Qxe4
25. Qxe4 Bg5+ $19) (24. Bg2 Bf6 25. Rcd4 Rac8 $36 26. d6 Qe2 $19) 24... Qxf5
25. d6 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Probably missing black's next tweo moves. Also in case
of the normal 25.Bd3 black has the initiative.} (25. Bd3 Qf3) 25... Qg5+ 26.
Kb1 Bxd6 27. Bd3 (27. Qxd6 $4 Red8 $19) 27... Rad8 28. Qa7 Qe3 {Black offers
the exchange of queens, wishing to exploit his big material advantage (2 extra
pawns) in the endgame.} 29. Qxa5 (29. Qxe3 Rxe3 30. Rd4 Kf8 $19) 29... Qd2 $1 {
After this strong move, black wins an exchange and is easily winning.} 30. Rc1
Bf4 31. Rxf4 Qxf4 32. b3 Rd6 33. Bc4 Qd2 {Black's plan is to exchange rooks by
Re1 and to get to the white king.} 34. Qh5 {[%cal Rh5f7,Rc4f7]} Rf6 {[%csl Yf7]
defending against the threats of white and preparing Re1} 35. Qh1 Qc3 {
Planning Rf6-f3-e3-e1.} 36. Rg1 Rf3 {[%cal Rf3e3,Re3e1]} 37. Rd1 Rf2 38. Rc1 (
38. Bd3 Rd2 39. Rc1 Rd8 $36) 38... Rxc2 0-1

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 13th"]
[Site "Leon"]
[Date "2001.11.07"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Sermek, Drazen"]
[Black "Agrest, Evgenij"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2577"]
[BlackElo "2563"]
[Annotator "Gofshtein,L"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2001.11.06"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 086"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Slovenia"]
[BlackTeam "Sweden"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SLO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SWE"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bg5 {This variation is very aggressive;
Usually It leads to sharp play of both sides.} Nd7 5. Qd2 (5. Nf3 {This move
doesn't bring white big success how it was shown in undermentioned games.} a6
6. a4 h6 7. Bf4 (7. Be3 b6 8. d5 Ngf6 9. Qd2 Nc5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a5 b5 12. b4
Ncxe4 $36 {1/2-1/2 Dreev,A-Hansen, 1991}) 7... e5 8. Be3 Ngf6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10.
h3 Qe7 11. Nd2 Nc5 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 O-O $132 {0-1 Afek,Y-Gofshtein,Z 2001}
) (5. f4 $6 c5 $1 6. d5 Qa5 $1 7. Qf3 h6 8. Bh4 Bxc3+ $1 9. bxc3 Ngf6 10. Kd2
b5 $36 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A-Hansen, 1991}) 5... a6 (5... c5 $5 6. d5 (6. Nf3 a6 7.
O-O-O cxd4 8. Nxd4 Ngf6 9. Bh6 Bxh6 10. Qxh6 b5 11. Kb1 Bb7 12. f3 Qc7 $132 {
1-0 Sanchez,V-Bustamante2000}) (6. Nge2 Qa5 7. f3 Rb8 8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. Nd4 a6
10. Be2 Ne6 11. Be3 Nf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Nb3 Qd8 $132 {0-1 Saathoff,
R-Khetsuriani,B2001}) 6... Ngf6 (6... a6 7. a4 Ngf6 8. f3 O-O 9. Nh3 Rb8 10.
Be2 c4 11. Nf2 (11. Bxc4 Ne5 12. Be2 Bxh3 13. gxh3) 11... b5 12. O-O Qc7 13.
axb5 axb5 {1/2-1/2 Sorokin,M-Hoi,C 1992}) 7. Bh6 (7. f4 a6 8. a4 Qb6 $13 {
/\ Qb4, Krnic-Jansa, 1976}) 7... Bxh6 8. Qxh6 a6 9. Nf3 b5 10. Ng5 Qa5 11. Be2
b4 $132 {1/2-1/2 Jamrich,G-Resika,N 2001}) 6. f4 (6. O-O-O b5 7. f4 Bb7 8. a3
c5 9. d5 Ngf6 10. Qe1 O-O 11. Nf3 Rb8 12. Kb1 b4 13. axb4 cxb4 14. Na2 b3 15.
cxb3 Nc5 $132 {1/2-1/2 Leko,P-Chernin 1992}) (6. Nf3 h6 7. Be3 e6 8. a4 Ne7 9.
a5 d5 10. Bd3 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nd5 12. O-O Nxe3 13. Qxe3 O-O 14. Qf4 b5 15. Ne5
Bb7 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Nc5 Qc8 18. Be4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rd8 20. c3 Bf8 21. Rfd1 Rd5
$132 {1/2-1/2 Sutovsky,E-Hickl, 2000}) 6... c5 {[%mdl 4]} (6... b5 $5) 7. Nf3
cxd4 (7... b5 $5 {probably better was 7...b5 entering the bishop to the play;}
8. O-O-O (8. dxc5 Nxc5) 8... Bb7 $132) 8. Nxd4 Ngf6 9. O-O-O O-O (9... Nc5 {
[%csl Ye4][%cal Yc5e4,Yf6e4]} 10. Qe1 Bg4 11. e5 $36) 10. Be2 $5 (10. Qe1 $5
Qc7 $132) 10... Nc5 11. Bf3 {Black should be careful after this move; The
threatment e4-e5 looks very dangerous for black.} h6 $5 {Black prepares the
counterplay in the center} 12. Bh4 e5 13. Nb3 {[%mdl 64] #} (13. fxe5 dxe5 14.
Nde2 Qxd2+ 15. Rxd2 $14) 13... Ncxe4 $5 14. Bxe4 (14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qe1 g5 16.
fxg5 hxg5 17. Qxe4 gxh4 $132) 14... Nxe4 15. Qe1 (15. Nxe4 Qxh4 16. g3 Qh5 17.
Nxd6 Bg4 $132) 15... g5 16. Nxe4 gxh4 {This position is characterized by
trade-off between black's weaknesses on the king side and his bishop-pair.} 17.
Qf2 (17. Nxd6 Bg4 18. Rd2 exf4 19. Nf5 Qf6 20. Nxg7 Kxg7 $13) 17... exf4 18.
Qxf4 (18. Rxd6 Qe7 19. Qxf4 Be6 $132) 18... d5 19. Rhf1 {[%cal Ye4f6]} f5 (
19... Be6 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. Qxf6 Qxf6 22. Rxf6 Kg7 23. Rf4 h3 24. gxh3) 20. Nc3
(20. Nd6 Qg5 $11) 20... Qg5 21. Nxd5 Be5 22. Qxg5+ hxg5 $11 {The bishop-pair
compensates the activity of White's pieces.} 23. Nb6 Rb8 24. Nc5 {[%csl Rd7]
[%cal Yc5d7,Yb6d7]} Bxh2 $8 {Black gets the sufficient counterplay after of
this sacrifice.} (24... Re8 $6 25. Nbd7 Bxd7 26. Nxd7 Rbd8 27. Rxf5 $16) 25.
Ncd7 Bxd7 26. Nxd7 Bf4+ 27. Rxf4 (27. Kb1 Rbe8 28. Nxf8 Kxf8 29. Rfe1 (29. Rd5
Re2 $36) 29... Rxe1 30. Rxe1 Kf7 $44) 27... gxf4 28. Nxb8 Rxb8 29. Rh1 Re8 $1
30. Rxh4 Re4 {[%cal Yg6g5,Yg8g7,Yg7g6] This bad position of black pawns
compensates good position of his pieces.} 31. Rh5 Re5 32. Rh4 Re4 33. Rh5 Re5
1/2-1/2

[Event "WchT 11th"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2017.06.19"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "Korobov, Anton"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2732"]
[BlackElo "2711"]
[Annotator "Hillarp Persson,T"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Russia"]
[BlackTeam "Ukraine"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UKR"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 ({For many, many years the general trend was that
players avoided the Najdorf and played} 3. Bb5+ {instead. I am happy to notice
that there is an opposite trend now; especially since I always preached to my 
(most ambitious) students that they should either choose the open Sicilian or
play another game altogether.}) 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {What a lovely
position. The smell of Darjeeling tea in my father's living room, just as it
was the first time I encountered this position, still hovers at the edge of my
nostrils. There is no place for laziness in such a position, for either side.
Black has an extra central pawn and looks forward to exchanges, whereas White
is developing fast and has to keep up the pressure so as not to let Black take
over. In the pre-strong-engine era, White was banging his head against a brick
wall and was close to giving it up in favour of 3.Bb5+, but then the rise of
the engines reversed the trend. Now Black is facing a serious assault in more
than one of the old lines.} 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $5 ({Some years ago everyone played} 
6... e6 {and it just about holds on to its position as the main line. This
spring there was an extensive discussion of the line} 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4 Qb6 {
As far as I know it has not been settled.}) 7. Bc4 (7. f4 Qc7 {gives Black the
option of entering one of the normal e7-e6-lines, but also leaves the option
of e7-e5, which is not at all bad.}) ({Another popular line has been} 7. Qe2 h6
8. Bh4 $1 g6 9. f4 e5 {and it seems that Black is facing some hard times after}
10. fxe5 dxe5 11. O-O-O $1 Qc7 12. Nb3 b5 13. Rxd7 $1 Nxd7 14. Nd5 Qd6 15. Na5
$36 Rb8 $6 (15... f6 16. Qf3 $36) 16. Qf3 Bb7 17. Nxb7 Rxb7 18. Be2 h5 19. Kb1
Bg7 20. Rd1 Qe6 21. Qa3 f6 22. c4 b4 23. Qa5 O-O 24. c5 Kh8 25. Bf2 b3 26. Qxa6
bxa2+ 27. Ka1 {1-0 (27) Kasimdzhanov,R (2695)-Zhu,Y (2325) 16th Asian
Continental 2017}) 7... Qa5 {[%cal Ga5g5]} (7... Qb6 {usually induces White to
retreat with the bishop to b3, but another idea that has been around for a
while has suddenly been brought to prefection in the hands of Wei Yi:} 8. O-O
Qxb2 (8... Qc5 9. Bd5 e6 10. Re1 $5 Be7 ({Black is facing a serious assault
after} 10... exd5 11. exd5+ Kd8 (11... Ne5 12. f4) 12. Ne4) 11. Be3 Qa5 12.
Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nxe6 Nc5 14. b4 $1 Qxb4 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. N3d5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 $18 {
Wei Yi (2705)-Van Wely,L (2695) 79th Tata Steel GpA 2017}) 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. Rb1
Qc3 11. Bxd5 Qc7 12. f4 e6 13. Re1 $1 Nc5 14. f5 Be7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. fxe6
fxe6 17. Nf5 $1 Qc7 18. Bc6+ Qxc6 19. Nxd6+ Ke7 {Try to find a way to finish
Black off here.} 20. Qg4 $3 Nd7 (20... Kxd6 21. Red1+ Ke5 22. Qg5+ Kxe4 23.
Rb4#) (20... Qxd6 21. Qxg7+ Kd8 22. Red1 $18) 21. e5 {1-0 (21) Wei Yi (2725)
-Xu,Y (2540) 7th HD Bank Cup 2017}) 8. Qd2 e6 9. Bb3 (9. O-O-O b5 10. Bxe6 (10.
Bb3 $1) 10... fxe6 11. Nxe6 b4 12. Nd5 Kf7 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nxf8 Rxf8 (14...
Qxa2 $5 15. Qxb4 a5) 15. Qxb4 Qxb4 16. Nxb4 Nxe4 {Predke,A (2565)-Alekseev,E 
(2610) TCh-RUS Men 2017, was much better for Black.}) 9... Be7 $1 ({It is too
time consuming to play} 9... h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 {After} 11. O-O-O Be7 12. f4 $1 {
Black never really got out of the starting blocks:} Nd7 13. Kb1 Nc5 14. g4 Bd7
15. h4 b5 16. Qg2 b4 17. e5 Rc8 18. exd6 bxc3 19. dxe7 Nxb3 20. axb3 Kxe7 21.
bxc3 Qxc3 22. Rh3 Qc5 23. Rhd3 Rhd8 24. Qd2 Qc7 25. g5 hxg5 26. hxg5 a5 27. f5
exf5 28. Qe2+ Be6 29. Nxf5+ Kf8 30. Rh1 Kg8 31. Rdh3 Rd1+ 32. Qxd1 {1-0 (34)
Amonatov,F (2590)-Salem,A (2591) Tromsoe 2014}) 10. O-O-O ({Now that White has
retreated with the bishop to b3, it seems less dangerous to play} 10. O-O {
There is nothing wrong with neutralising Bb3 with} Nc5 ({, but inserting} 10...
h6 {first might be even better.} 11. Bxf6 $6 Bxf6 $1 $15 {[%cal Gd7c5]})) 10...
h6 $5 {I am sceptical about this move, although it is according to the normal
script.} (10... O-O 11. Kb1 $1 {[%cal Gc3d5]} Qc7 12. h4 (12. Bxe6 $5 fxe6 13.
Nxe6 Qc4 14. Nxf8 Bxf8 15. f3 $14 {[%csl Ge4]}) 12... Nc5 13. f3 b5 {is pretty
similar to what happens in our main game, but with h6 swapped for 0-0. I would
not dare to say that castling is a bad move for Black, but it seems more
flexible to wait until it is necessary.} 14. g4 b4 15. Nce2 Bd7 16. Ng3 a5 17.
Nh5 a4 18. Bc4 Ncxe4 19. fxe4 Qxc4 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 {Sandalakis,A 
(2440)-Gu Xiaobing (2320) 33rd Boeblinger Open 2016, was a real mess.}) ({
So, since I might want to play 0-0 later I would rather not play h6 either:} 
10... Nc5 11. f3 Bd7 12. Kb1 Qc7 13. g4 b5 {is therefore, perhaps, the best
setup. After something like} 14. h4 b4 15. Nce2 a5 {Black is making contact
with White's king, so White must act.} 16. Ng3 $1 Nb7 (16... a4 17. Bc4 O-O 18.
Nh5 Ncxe4 19. fxe4 Qxc4 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 {and we are back in the
game Sandakis-Gu.}) 17. Rhe1 O-O 18. Nh5 a4 19. Bd5 $1 {with crazy
complications.}) 11. Be3 ({It might seem that White can get a version of
Amonatov - Salem, above, but Black doesn't have to take back with the knight:} 
11. Bxf6 Bxf6 $1 12. f4 Nc5 13. Kb1 Bd7 {with a balanced position.}) 11... Nc5
{Black's grand plan is to play ...Qc7, ...b5-b4 and then ...Nxb3, followed by .
..d5. White gets to do something first.} (11... Ng4 12. f4 Nc5 13. Kb1 Nxe3 14.
Qxe3 Bd7 {I like comparisons, so let's compare this to the line after 11.Bxf6.
It seems that by offering the exchange of the dark-squared bishop in this way
White has won a tempo (by having Black take it) and also the queen is more
active on e3.}) 12. Kb1 Bd7 (12... Nfxe4 $4 13. Nxe4 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 $18) 13. f3
{I was surprised to find no examples of this position in the database. I would
at least have thought that it would have come about via some strange move
order, but no.} Qc7 14. g4 b5 15. a3 $5 {This kind of move is often played to
slow Black's pawns down, but usually after Black has played something like ...
Bb7 (making it harder to play b4 or a5/b4).} ({The more straightforward} 15. h4
b4 16. Nce2 {also looks good. After} a5 17. g5 Nh5 18. gxh6 g6 19. Bg5 {
White has a strong attack.}) 15... Qb7 $1 ({After something like} 15... Rb8 16.
h4 a5 17. g5 Nh5 18. gxh6 g6 19. Bg5 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Na2 {Black is
unhappy about not having the rook on the a-file.}) 16. h4 a5 (16... Nxb3 $6 17.
Nxb3 a5) 17. g5 Nh5 $6 ({I'd rather do just about anything rather than play} 
17... Ng8 $1 {although it might actually be the best move here. Black's
counterplay is coming and it is more important to "hold the lines" on the
kingside, than it is to place the pieces in active places. The engine claims
that} 18. a4 $1 bxa4 19. Bc4 $1 a3 20. Ndb5 $1 {, using the weak b5-square, is
the best. Then} Na4 $1 21. Nxa4 Bxb5 22. Nb6 Bxc4 23. Nxc4 {indeed looks
promising for White.}) 18. gxh6 ({Here White had the fantastic option} 18. Bd5
$3 exd5 19. Nxd5 {which completely ruins Black's coordination. One reason why
this sacrifice works so well, is the stranded knight on h5, another is that
Nf5 comes with terrible force and the last is that Black is unable to play} b4
{, due to} 20. Nxe7 bxa3 21. b3 $1 Nxb3 (21... Kxe7 22. Nf5+ Bxf5 23. Qxd6+ Ke8
24. exf5 $18) 22. cxb3 Kxe7 23. gxh6 {when Black's position is a mess.}) 18...
g6 $6 {When I looked at the game before delving more deeply, I could not
understand where Black went wrong. Every move seems natural and strong. This
is one of those.} (18... b4 19. hxg7 Nxg7 20. Bd5 $1 exd5 21. Nxd5 bxa3 22. Qc3
$1 Rc8 23. Qxa3 $36) 19. Bg5 $6 ({Again White can mix the d5-square and Qc3
with excellent results:} 19. Ba2 $5 b4 20. Nd5 bxa3 21. Qc3 $1 Na4 22. Qxa3 Bf8
23. Rhe1 Rb8 24. Bc1 {and as Black runs out of dynamics, he will be left with
no option but to take material:} exd5 25. exd5+ {and hope to survive after} Kd8
{(althought that is very unlikely).}) 19... f6 $1 {The bishop on e7 is needed
in the defence.} 20. Be3 b4 21. axb4 axb4 22. Na2 {Black is actually doing all
right here, but has to walk a narrow line to prove it.} d5 $2 {Black spent
more than half an hour on this move, after which the game can not be saved.} ({
Black should seek immediate counterplay on the a-file with} 22... Qa6 23. Qxb4
Nxb3 24. Qxb3 {I presume Korobov calculated this far and then saw a ghost of
some kind. It is easy to understand.} O-O $1 (24... Kf7 {looks more natural at
first, but after} 25. c3 {Black can no longer play} d5 {since} 26. exd5 Rhb8
27. dxe6+ {just wins for White.}) 25. Nxe6 (25. c3 d5 $1 26. Nb4 Bxb4 27. cxb4
Rfc8 28. Qa3 Qb7 {is more than a little awkward for White.}) 25... Rfb8 $1 26.
Nc7+ Rxb3 27. Nxa6 Rxe3 28. Nc7 {[%cal Gc7d5]} Rxa2 29. Nd5 $1 Ra7 30. Nxe3 Nf4
{and the position is completely unclear. I would prefer to play Black though.})
23. Qg2 {This forces a rapid deterioration of Black's position. Not only is he
forced to reemploy his active a-rook in the defence, but also the king is
forced to f7, which opens up for a world of pain on the a2-g8 diagonal.} Kf7
24. Rhg1 Rag8 (24... Rhg8 25. h7 Rg7 26. Nxe6 $1 Nxe6 (26... Bxe6 27. exd5) 27.
Rxd5 $18 {[%cal Gd5h5]}) 25. Nxe6 $1 {Ah, you again.} Nxe6 26. exd5 Nef4 27.
d6+ Be6 28. Bxe6+ Nxe6 29. dxe7 Qxe7 30. Nxb4 Qxb4 31. Rd7+ Ke8 32. Rgd1 Nf8
33. Qe2 Ng3 34. Bc5+ {A rather sudden end to an interesting game.} 1-0

[Event "URS-chT Cup 03rd Final"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1961.12.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Stein, Leonid"]
[Black "Tal, Mihail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Annotator "Karolyi,T/Primel,D"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1961.12.22"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.10.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.10.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Avangard"]
[BlackTeam "Daugava"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "URS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "URS"]

1. e4 c5 {In the third game Tal was Black agains Stein who played a move that
Tal himself had suggested in an article. Tal forgot about his own
recommandation and went on to lose (Karolyi,T:Mikhail Tal's Best games vol 2)}
2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 (6... e6) 7. Bc4 Qa5 (
7... Qb6) 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O (9. O-O) (9. Bb3) 9... b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 {
[%cal Gc3d5]} Nc5 $5 {Reprenant une idée jouée par Petrossian quelques mois
plus tôt} (11... Be7 12. f4 {Kortschnoj,V-Polugaevsky,L RSFSR-ch 18th 1958 0-1
}) 12. Bxf6 (12. e5 dxe5 13. Bxe6 $1 {Ivkov,B-Petrosian,T Bled 1961 (9) 1/2})
12... gxf6 13. Qf4 Be7 (13... Nxb3+ 14. axb3 Rg8 15. Qh4 $14 {Schmidt,
W-Thomson,D Wch U20 prel-A 1961 (5) 0-1}) 14. Qg4 O-O-O 15. Bd5 $1 b4 16. Bxb7+
Kxb7 17. Nd5 $1 exd5 (17... h5) 18. exd5 Rd7 19. Nc6 $44 {[%csl Gc6][%cal
Gc6a5,Gc6e7]} Qxa2 20. Qxb4+ $40 {[%csl Rb7]} Kc7 21. Nxe7 Rb8 22. Qa3 Qc4 23.
Nc6 Rb3 24. Qa5+ Rb6 25. Kb1 Na4 26. Rd4 $18 Nxb2 27. Kc1 Qc5 28. Re3 Kb7 29.
Rc3 Rb5 30. Qa3 Qxa3 31. Rxa3 Rxd5 32. Na5+ 1-0

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 10th"]
[Site "Caleta"]
[Date "2012.02.01"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Molner, Mackenzie"]
[Black "Parligras, Mircea Emilian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "Let's Check Training"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GGB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 Qc7 8.
Qf3 h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f5 Qc5 11. O-O-O g5 12. e5 Qxe5 13. g3 g4 14. Qd3 h5
15. Bg2 Bh6+ 16. Kb1 Be3 {[%tqu "En","","","","d4c6","",10]} 17. Nc6 $1 Qc5 $6
(17... bxc6 18. Bxc6+ Kf8 $16) 18. Nxe7 $6 (18. Na4 Bxf5 19. Nxc5 $18) 18...
Kxe7 $16 19. Rhe1 Bxf5 20. Rxe3+ Kf8 21. Qxd6+ Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Ne8 23. Rd4 Rb8
24. Re5 Be6 25. Ne4 b6 26. Ng5 Rh6 27. h3 gxh3 28. Bxh3 Bxh3 29. Nxh3 Rb7 30.
Nf4 Re7 31. Rxe7 Kxe7 32. Nd5+ Kf8 33. c4 Ng7 34. Kc2 Nf5 35. Rd3 Rc6 36. b3 b5
37. Kc3 bxc4 38. bxc4 Nd6 39. Nf4 Nxc4 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Rh8 Nd6+ 42. Kd3 Nf5
43. Nxh5 Rg6 44. Ke4 Nxg3+ 45. Nxg3 Rxg3 46. Rh2 Ke6 47. Kf4 Ra3 48. Rd2 Ra4+
49. Kf3 $2 (49. Kg3 f6 50. Rf2 $15) 49... Ke5 $19 50. Re2+ Kf5 51. Rc2 Ra3+ 52.
Kf2 Kg4 53. Rc4+ Kg5 54. Rc2 f5 55. Kg2 Kg4 56. Kf2 f4 57. Kg2 a5 58. Kf2 a4
59. Kg2 Rd3 60. Kf2 a3 61. Ke2 Rh3 62. Kf1 Rh1+ 0-1

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2010.01.31"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2712"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2010.01.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 135"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qb6 8.
Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. f3 $5 $146 {Shirov seems to trust the
force of his position and prepares for a slow (at least for a while) attack.} (
11. Rhe1 Qc7 12. f4 b5 13. e5 {Dimitrov,V (2460)-Rodriguez Lopez,R (2275)/
Orense 1994/EXT 2004 (1-0, 39)}) 11... Qc7 12. Kb1 O-O 13. g4 b5 14. a3 Rb8 15.
h4 Bd7 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. g5 Bd8 18. h5 a5 19. g6 Nxb3 20. Nxb3 fxg6 21. hxg6 h6
22. Nxa5 Rxf3 23. e5 Be8 24. exd6 Qxa5 25. Rxh6 gxh6 26. Qxh6 Bf6 27. d7 Bxc3
28. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 29. Qh1 Re7 30. Qxf3 Bg7 (30... Bg7 {Shirov should have
answered the draw offer with} 31. b4 $1 $18 {, when Black could not have
maintained the back rank defended any more. This would have yielded Shirov a
shared tournament win...}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "RUS-ch Higher League 69th"]
[Site "Kolomna"]
[Date "2016.06.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Alekseenko, Kirill"]
[Black "Gordievsky, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2576"]
[BlackElo "2523"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2016.06.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nb3 $5 {A move
repeatedly played in recent games by the Polish GM Mateusz Bartel, with
remarkable success. The main idea behind it is to wait and see how Black is
going to develop, and then choose what to do as White.} e5 (6... e6 7. g4 b5 8.
Bg2 Bb7 9. g5 b4 (9... Nfd7 10. h4 Nc6 11. f4 b4 12. Ne2 Qb6 13. Rh3 a5 14. Be3
$40 {with a sharp position: 1/2-1/2 (40) Bartel,M (2653)-Zubov,A (2612)
Gjakova 2016}) 10. Nd5 $5 Nxd5 $6 11. exd5 e5 12. a3 $1 {White can also play
positionally on the queenside.} Be7 13. axb4 Bxg5 14. Na5 Bc8 15. c4 $1 (15.
Bxg5 Qxg5 16. Qf3 O-O 17. Qg3 Qe7 18. O-O-O f5 19. f4 e4 $13 {1-0 (58) Bartel,
M (2625)-Wojtaszek,R (2713) Poznan 2016}) {followed by c5, was very strong
right away. For example} 15... O-O 16. c5 {with the positional threat of c6,
putting the b8-knight out of play forever.} Nd7 17. O-O Bxc1 (17... dxc5 $2 18.
d6 $18) 18. Nc6 Qh4 19. Rxc1 $16) (6... Nc6 7. Be3 $5 e6 ({Now} 7... Ng4 {
is not so strong (unlike in the normal classical variation of the Sicilian - 1.
e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3?! Ng4!because if the
bishop leaves, then ...Qb6 is very annoying).} 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Bg7
$13 {going into a sub-variation of the English Attack in the Najdorf, which
may or may not be familiar to Black.}) 8. g4 b5 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. g5 Nd7 11. f4
Nb6 12. Qe2 Nc4 13. O-O-O Nxe3 14. Qxe3 Na5 15. f5 Nc4 16. Qg3 b4 17. Na4 e5
18. Nac5 Bc6 19. Bf1 $1 {and once again Black found himself in trouble:} Nb6
20. Nxa6 Be7 21. f6 gxf6 22. Nxb4 $5 (22. gxf6 $1 Bxf6 23. Qg2 $18 {
threatening Na5 and/or Nxb4, and Black does not have a decent defence.}) 22...
Bxe4 23. Bg2 $6 (23. Bb5+ Kf8 24. gxf6 Bxf6 25. Rhg1 Bg6 26. Rdf1 $40 {And the
attack would have been very strong again, Nc6 is a real threat, and also Kb1,
followed by h4.}) 23... Bg6 $2 (23... Bxg2 $1 24. Qxg2 f5 $132) 24. Bxa8 Qxa8
25. Qf2 Nd7 26. Nd5 Qxa2 27. gxf6 Bf8 28. Qd2 h5 29. Nc3 Qa6 30. Qf2 Bh6+ 31.
Kb1 O-O $13 {and Black escaped, after a horrible opening experience: 1/2-1/2 
(77) Bartel,M (2625)-Gelfand,B (2735) Moscow 2016}) (6... g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. Be3
Nc6 9. Nd5 $5 {An interesting try by the top GM Vitiugov.} O-O (9... Nxd5 10.
exd5 Ne5 {should be comfortable for White with} 11. O-O $14 {next.}) 10. Bb6
Qd7 11. f3 Nh5 12. Be3 Rb8 13. g4 $5 Nf6 14. Nb6 Qc7 15. h4 Be6 16. c4 {
Trying to control all sorts of counterplay and making Nd5 even stronger.} h5
17. Nd5 Bxd5 $2 18. cxd5 Ne5 19. Rc1 Qd7 20. gxh5 {with a very difficult
position for Black. There were many different ways to deal with the position
before, but it's important to say that White's plan was very aggressive and
original, which makes it not easy at all to deal with.} gxh5 (20... Nxh5 {
was the best chance to survive:} 21. f4 Ng3 22. Rg1 Qh3 23. fxe5 Nxe4 24. Qd3
$1 {Creating a safe square for the king on d1.} Qxh4+ 25. Kd1 Bxe5 26. Kc2 $36
{and after Kb1 White has the best chances for sure.}) 21. Nd4 $1 {The knight
comes back to decide the game.} e6 22. Rg1 exd5 23. Bh6 Ng6 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25.
Nf5+ Kg8 26. Qd4 Qe6 27. Rc7 $1 $18 Rbe8 28. Qd2 Nh7 29. Qh6 Qf6 30. Rxf7 {
1-0 (30) Vitiugov,N (2728)-Kovchan,A (2576) Biel 2016}) 7. Bg5 $5 Be6 8. Bxf6 {
The positional approach.} (8. Qd2 $5 Nbd7 9. O-O-O Rc8 10. f3 {Playing some
sort of an English Attack, but with the bishop on g5.} h5 11. Kb1 Be7 12. h4
Qc7 13. g3 b5 14. a3 O-O 15. Be2 Rfd8 16. f4 $40 {1-0 (45) Piorun,K (2681)
-Shevchenko,K (2438) Katowice 2016}) (8. f4 $5 exf4 9. Qd2 $36 {followed by
O-O-O and Bxf4, again reaching a position from the English Attack of the
Najdorf.}) 8... Qxf6 9. Nd5 Qd8 10. Be2 g6 11. Qd2 Nc6 12. Rd1 Rc8 13. c3 {
Normally these kind of positions are balanced, White has a nice control of the
d5-square, but Black has the bishop pair and prospects to play ...f5. I think
the main question is whether White can activate his b3-knight properly and be
ready to fight against ...f5. I would slightly prefer White here.} h5 14. O-O
Bh6 15. Qd3 O-O {I like this concept, which is something I use a lot in my
games - whenever my opponent has a bishop that I don't have anymore, I'm happy
to place all my pieces on the opposite color (all white pieces are on light
squares now!) and ideally many of my pawns on dark squares to limit that
bishop, which is not that easy to do here (the chain b2-c3 is doing a good job,
but g3-f4 is not easy to play and also risky).} 16. Rfe1 Kh7 17. Bf3 Qg5 18.
Nd2 {It is always important to reroute this knight back into the game 
(normally to f1-e3 or c4).} Ne7 19. Ne3 (19. Nf1 $2 {would be a big positional
mistake, allowing Black to take on d5 forcing a recapture with the pawn and
thus letting him create a pawn majority on the kingside. For example:} Nxd5 20.
exd5 Bd7 $17 {followed by f5, with a comfortable advantage.}) 19... Rcd8 20. a4
{White's positional idea is to play Ndc4-Nb6-Nd5. Meanwhile Black has to play .
..f5, and White is ready to play exf5 and try to create some weaknesses on
Black's camp.} f5 {Threatening the very strong ...d5!} 21. exf5 $1 gxf5 (21...
Nxf5 22. Nxf5 Bxf5 23. Ne4 {is very pleasant for White:} Qe7 24. Qc4 $16 {
followed by Qb4 with pressure on d6. And positionally White has a great
position, because the central squares are blockaded (e4, d5), meanwhile
Black's bishop on h6 is not doing much since we can always place all our
pieces on light squares (Rd3, Rfd1, etc).}) 22. Bxb7 a5 23. g3 $6 {Giving
Black real attacking chances on the kingside.} (23. Qa6 $1 {Going all-in on
the queenside and in the center is always an option when the position is open
like this. White is threatening Nf3 to take on d6. For example:} e4 (23... f4
$2 24. Nec4 $18 {and the black pawns collapse}) 24. Ndc4 Bxc4 25. Nxc4 Ng6 {
Threatening ...Nh4.} 26. Qxa5 $1 Nh4 27. Bxe4 $1 fxe4 28. Qxg5 Bxg5 29. Rxd6
$16 {with the much better endgame, already with four pawns for the piece, and
e4 is weak.}) 23... Qg7 $5 {Preparing ...Ng6.} (23... Kh8 $5 {with the idea of
f4 -} 24. Qa6 {with the same idea mentioned in the 23th move} (24. Nec4 Ng6 25.
Nxa5 h4 $40 {and Black's attack is building up to be scary.}) 24... f4 25. Ng2
{The knight looks awkard here.} fxg3 26. hxg3 Nf5 27. Nf3 (27. Ne4 Qg6 {
Threatening h4.} 28. Nxd6 Bb3 29. Nxf5 Qxa6 30. Bxa6 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Bxd1 32.
Nxh6 Rf6 $1 33. Bb5 Rxh6 34. Ne3 Bb3 $13 {with a complex endgame, but Black is
not worse}) 27... Qf6 28. Be4 h4 29. Bxf5 Bxf5 30. Ngxh4 e4 31. Nh2 Bh3 $40)
24. Ng2 Ng6 25. Bd5 e4 {Good timing to sacrifice the piece.} 26. Nxe4 $1 (26.
Qb5 {was dangerous:} Bxd5 27. Qxd5 Ne5 $36) 26... Bxd5 27. Qxd5 fxe4 28. Rxe4
$44 {Now White has three pawns for the piece, and Black's king feels unsafe.
The position remains very complex.} Rb8 29. Re2 {Threatening to take either on
a5 or h5.} h4 $1 30. Rd4 (30. Qxd6 h3 31. Ne1 Rbd8 $5 (31... Rbe8 $5 $36) 32.
Qxd8 Rxd8 33. Rxd8 Qb7 $36) 30... h3 31. Nh4 Rbe8 (31... Nf4 $1 32. Rxf4 Rxf4
33. Qd3+ Kg8 34. Nf5 Qg5 $1 35. Nxh6+ Kg7 $1 {A nearly impossible idea to see
during the game.} 36. Qxd6 (36. Qd2 Rbf8 37. Re6 Kh8 $1 38. Rxd6 Rxa4 $3 $19 {
taking advantage of the back rank weakness.}) 36... Rf6 $1 37. Qd7+ Kxh6 38.
Qxh3+ Qh5 $17 {and who knows what's going on in this crazy endgame? Black has
to be better, but it is far from simple.}) 32. Rde4 (32. Rxe8 Rxe8 33. Re4 Qd7
34. Nxg6 Kxg6 35. Rxe8 Qxe8 36. Qxd6+ Kh7 37. Qd3+ Kg7 $11 {should be a draw.})
32... Rxe4 33. Qxe4 Rf4 $4 {I can only think that Black forgot for a second
that the g6-knight is pinned, thinking he would be able to play ...Nxh4+ after
34.gxf4.} 34. gxf4 {A painful way to lose a game, but there's nothing left to
do now.} (34. Qxg6+ Qxg6 35. Nxg6 Rxa4 {and Black wins, this was probably what
he analysed when choosing 33...Rf4??.}) 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 18th"]
[Site "Minsk"]
[Date "2017.06.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Black "Sarana, Alexey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2472"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi,E"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2017.05.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BLR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 h6 8.
Bxf6 Nxf6 9. O-O-O e5 10. Nf5 g6 11. Ne3 Be6 12. Kb1 Rc8 13. Ned5 Bg7 14. h4 h5
15. g3 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Rc5 17. Ne3 Qd7 18. Qd3 Rc6 19. Be2 f5 20. Bf3 Rb6 21. b3
O-O 22. exf5 gxf5 23. Bd5 e4 24. Qc4 Bf7 25. a4 Kh7 26. Bxf7 Rxf7 {Definitely
a big gambit for Jobava. After losing his second round game, the 2700 Georgian,
known for his flamboyant style has a very good position in the third round.
Unfortunately for him, he does not pay enough attention to his king when it is
needed.} 27. Ka2 $2 (27. Rd5 Qe6 (27... Rc6 28. Qe2 Kg6 29. Rhd1 {with a
winning attack.}) 28. Rxf5 Qxc4 29. Rxh5+ Kg8 30. Nxc4 Rc6 31. Rf1 b5 32. Nd2 {
should be winning.}) 27... Rf8 (27... Rc6 28. Qe2 b5 {was definitely better.})
28. Rd5 $2 {Losing?} (28. Qe2 {is safer}) 28... Rc8 29. Qe2 Rb4 30. Ra5 $4 {
This loses by force.} (30. Qxh5+ {does not seem to save White either.} Kg8 31.
Ka3 Rxa4+ 32. bxa4 Rc3+ 33. Kb2 Rxe3+ 34. Kc1 Ra3 35. Rhd1 Qe6 36. Qxf5 Qxf5
37. Rxf5 Bc3) (30. Ka3 Rxa4+ 31. bxa4 Rc3+ 32. Kb4 Qc6 33. a5 {seems just like
a draw.} Rxe3 34. fxe3 Qc3+ 35. Ka4 Qc6+ 36. Ka3 Qc3+ $11) 30... Rc5 {Mate is
unavoidable now.} 31. Ka3 Rxa5 32. Kxb4 Qc6 33. Qc4 (33. Qc4 Rxa4+ 34. bxa4
Qb6+ {and White has to lose the queen to prevent checkmate in one.}) 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2012.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 {This is a
reasonable alternative to the "Poisoned pawn" variation that starts after 6...
e6 7.f4 Qb6.} 7. Bc4 Qa5 (7... Qb6 8. Bb3 e6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f4 e5 11. Ba4+
Ke7 12. Nde2 exf4 13. Bb3 Be6 14. Nd4 g6 15. Qd2 Bh6 16. O-O-O Bxb3 17. axb3
Rhc8 $13 {1/2-1/2 Giri,A (2672)-Gelfand,B (2739)/Amsterdam 2010/CBM 138 (41)})
8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bd5 $6 {This might be good as a surprise weapon, but,
objectively, not the best option.} ({White should fight for an advantage by
more positional measures:} 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 {and here Black often plays 11.
..0-0-0.}) 10... b4 $1 {The only move.} (10... exd5 $2 {ends in a disaster for
Black.} 11. Nc6 $1 Qc7 12. exd5 Ne5 13. Rhe1 Kd7 14. Qf4 Nfg4 15. Nxe5+ Nxe5
16. Rxe5 {1-0 Tatai,S (2361)-Tseitlin,M (2419)/Thessaloniki 2011/CBM 142 Extra}
) 11. Bxa8 bxc3 12. bxc3 {White couldn't take with the queen since the Bg5 was
hanging.} Qxa2 {It's clear that Black has good compensation for the exchange,
but the position is very sharp.} 13. Qe2 Be7 {Development above all!} (13...
Nb6 $2 14. Bc6+ Bd7 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. Nb3 $16 {1-0 Espig,L-Roberts,M/
Harrachov 1967/MCD (32)}) 14. Kd2 $6 {The idea of Ra1 is clear, but, at first
White should protect the bishop.} (14. h4 $1 {The position is very rich in
content and could be analysed for days. Here are several critical lines:} h6 (
14... Ne5 15. Kd2 (15. Bc6+ Nxc6 16. Nxc6 Bb7 17. Kd2 $1 Bxc6 18. Ra1 Nxe4+ 19.
Qxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxa2 f6 21. Be3 Bxg2 22. Rg1 Bd5 23. Rxa6 Kf7 $11) 15... h6 16.
Nb3 Qa4 17. Ra1 Qd7 18. f4 hxg5 19. hxg5 Rxh1 20. Rxh1 Nfg4 21. Rh8+ Bf8 22.
fxe5 Nxe5 23. Nd4 Qc7 24. Nf3 $14) 15. Kd2 $1 Qa5 16. Ra1 (16. Nc6 Qc7 17. Nxe7
Kxe7 18. Be3 Ne5 $132) 16... Qc7 17. Bc6 O-O (17... hxg5 18. hxg5 Rxh1 19. Rxh1
Ng8 20. f4 $44) 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. g3 $14) {[%tqu "En","Please
enter a move for Black.","","","f6e4","",5]} 14... Nxe4+ $1 15. Qxe4 Bxg5+ 16.
f4 d5 {An important intermezzo that must have been seen before playing 14...
Nxe4.} 17. Ra1 $2 {This move practically admits the failure.} (17. Qe3 $1 Bf6 (
17... Nb6 $6 18. Bc6+ Bd7 19. Bxd7+ Kxd7 20. Ke2 $14) (17... Be7 18. Bc6 (18.
Nxe6 $6 fxe6 19. Qxe6 Kd8 20. Rhe1 Qa3 21. Qxd5 Qd6 $15) 18... O-O 19. Ra1 Qc4
20. Qd3 {White shouldn't be worse here.}) 18. Bc6 (18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Qxe6+ Kd8)
18... O-O (18... Qa3 19. Nf5 $1 O-O $140 20. Ra1 {[%csl Ra3]}) 19. Ra1 Qc4 20.
Qd3 {White shouldn't be worse here either.}) 17... Qxa1 18. Rxa1 dxe4 19. fxg5
h6 {After massive simplifications Black has a big advantage in the endgame.}
20. g6 $1 {The only chance.} f5 21. Nxe6 Ke7 22. Nf4 (22. Nxg7 $2 Nb6 23. Bc6
Rg8 24. Nh5 Rxg6 $19 {[%csl Rc6,Rg2]}) 22... Rd8 $6 {Inaccuracy. Black should
have taken control over the d5-square immediately.} (22... Nb6 23. Nd5+ Nxd5
24. Bxd5 Rd8 25. c4 Rd6 {[%csl Rg6] and Black should win.}) 23. Bd5 $2 ({
The best chance was} 23. Nd5+ $1 Ke6 24. Ke3 Ne5 25. Nb6 $1 {This way White
grabs the a-pawn.} Kf6 26. Nxc8 Rxc8 27. Rxa6+ Kg5 $15) 23... Nb6 24. c4 Nxc4+
25. Kc3 Ne3 $19 26. Bf7 Rd6 27. Ra5 Bd7 28. Re5+ Kf6 29. Rc5 Kg5 {The king
invasion is decisive. White is not able to keep up the blockade.} 30. g3 Nf1
31. h4+ (31. Bd5 Nxh2 32. Bxe4 Nf1 $19) 31... Kg4 32. Rd5 Rxd5 33. Nxd5 Kxg3
34. Nf6 e3 35. Bc4 Bb5 36. Nh5+ Kf2 37. Nxg7 Bxc4 38. Kxc4 e2 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 19th"]
[Site "Batumi"]
[Date "2018.03.21"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sarana, Alexey"]
[Black "Zhigalko, Sergei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2577"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "Quintiliano,R"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2018.03.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GEO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 {
Not the main move, but there are no harmless lines in the 6.Bg5.} ({the natural
} 7. f4) ({and} 7. Bc4 {are more often seen.}) 7... h6 8. Bh4 (8. Bxf6 {
is less played} Nxf6 9. O-O-O {White bets on the use of his lead in
development, but Black achieves a nice position with} e5 $1 10. Nf5 g6 11. Ne3
Be6 {the d5-square is compensated for by a more free position for Black, who
scores pretty well in this position} 12. g3 (12. Ned5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Rc8 14. Kb1
Rc5 15. Ne3 h5 $1 16. g3 Bh6 17. Qd3 Qa5 $1 18. a3 O-O $1 19. Qxd6 Rfc8 {
Firouzja,A (2492)-Areshchenko,A (2686) Dubai op 19th 2017 (6) 0-1 White is
under unpleasant pressure on the queenside -}) 12... Rc8 13. Ned5 ({White
players have also played} 13. Rd3 {protecting against sacrifices on c3 and
getting ready to double on the d-file} h5 $1 {[%cal Yf8h6] a thematic idea to
activate the dark-squared bishop, it is very important for Black to be ready
to sacrifice the d6-pawn in return for an active position} 14. Bg2 Bh6 15. Kb1
O-O 16. Rhd1 Qa5 $1 17. Ned5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Rc5 19. a3 Kg7 20. b4 Qb5 21. a4 $5
{winning the rook, but not the game} Qxa4 22. bxc5 Qb5+ 23. Ka1 Qa4+ 24. Kb1
Qb5+ $11 {Hansen,E (2603)-Bok,B (2608) Tata Steel-B 79th 2017 (2) 1/2} 25. Ka2
Qc4+ $1) 13... Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Rc5 $1 {[%cal Ye6d5] Black is always threatening
to take on d5 leaving a white pawn there, which would not only equalise but
also sometimes give an easier position for Black} 15. b4 $6 {Nakamura,H (2785)
-Gopal,G (2579) Gibraltar Masters 15th 2017 (3) 1/2} Rc6 $13 {White's last
move makes his position a bit unstable.}) 8... b5 {Stepping into a less
explored position.} (8... g6 {is by far the most played, leading to very sharp
positions.}) 9. f4 (9. O-O-O {gives different ideas for White} Bb7 10. Bxf6
Nxf6 11. e5 $5 {although White's position looks very active, Black is not
really in trouble here} dxe5 12. Qxe5 (12. Ndxb5 Nd7) 12... Qd6 13. Qxd6 exd6
14. Nb3 d5 15. Na5 O-O-O $1 $11 {Solak,D (2610)-Wojtaszek,R (2713) EU-ch 15th
Yerevan 2014 (10) 1/2}) 9... g5 $5 {An interesting sacrifice, this way Black
manages to release White's pressure in the centre, and gains time to develop
his own initiative on the queenside.} 10. fxg5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 e6 $6 $146 {
Honestly I think that Zhigalko just played this move unaware of how important
the move order is.} (11... Bb7 {is correct.}) 12. O-O-O {After some reflection,
Sarana goes back to the theoretical path.} ({He probably felt that} 12. Nd5 $1
{was an interesting move, and actually it was!} Bb7 (12... exd5 $2 13. Nc6 $1 {
[%cal Re4d5] wins on the spot}) 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 14. e5 $1 {Black has no time to
continue developing} (14. O-O-O Be7 15. e5 Ne4 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. exd6 Qxd6 18.
Qe3 Rxh2 19. Rxh2 Qxh2 20. Nf3 Qg3 {looks tense but equal}) 14... Qa5+ (14...
dxe5 15. Qxe5 Rh5 $5 16. h4 $14 {looks very unpleasant for Black}) 15. Bd2 Qa4
{[%csl Yd4]} 16. Nxb5 $5 axb5 17. exf6 Bc6 18. a3 {remaining at least a pawn
up, although Black should have decent compensation, but not with} Rh4 $6 {
[%cal Gh4e4]} (18... Rc8 $142) 19. Qf2 $1 $16) 12... Bb7 13. e5 $1 {White
plays in the most principled way, trying to explore the development.} (13. a3 {
is the most played, but has scored poorly, as Black has time to create
counterplay} Rc8 14. Qe1 $5 {[%cal Ye1c3]} (14. Bd2 Qb6 15. Nf3 b4 16. axb4
Qxb4 17. e5 dxe5 18. Nxe5 Qa5 $1 19. Nxd7 Qa1+ 20. Nb1 Nxd7 $19 {[%cal Yf8g7];
Das,S (2456)-Idani,P (2517) Wch U20 53rd 2014 (3) 0-1}) 14... Rxc3 $1 {White's
last move doesn't really prevent this typical sacrifice} 15. bxc3 (15. Qxc3
Nxe4 16. Bxd8 Bh6+ 17. Kb1 Nxc3+ 18. bxc3 Kxd8 $44 {Antal,T (2321)-Idani,P 
(2480) Wch U20 52nd 2013 (12) 0-1}) 15... Qc7 16. Bd3 Qc5 $44 {[%csl Ya3,Yg5];
Rasulov,V (2488)-Khismatullin,D (2661) Baku op 2013 (6) 1/2}) 13... dxe5 (13...
Nxe5 $2 {is bad} 14. Ndxb5 $1 axb5 15. Qxe5 $1 dxe5 16. Rxd8+ Rxd8 17. Bxf6 {
with advantage for White.}) 14. Ndxb5 $5 $146 {This is the new move, judging
by the time spent by Sarana, probably found over the board. But probably not
the best move objectively speaking.} (14. Nf3 {has been played twice, but
Black was fine in both games} b4 $1 (14... Rg8 {was also good} 15. h4 Qc7 16.
Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Qxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxf6 Bh6+ 19. Kb1 Ng4 20. Bd4 Ne3 21. Bxe3 Bxe3 $44
{[%csl Gb7,Ge3][%cal Yg8g1];Raja,H (2354)-Troff,K (2522) Abu Dhabi op 23rd
2016 (7) 0-1 the bishop pair and the active position are enough compensation
for the pawn -}) 15. Nxe5 $2 {wrong reaction} (15. Ne4 Bxe4 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17.
Qxe4 Qf4+ $1 18. Qxf4 exf4 $11) 15... Qa5 $1 {[%csl Gc3][%cal Ya5g5,Ya5a2];
Raja,H (2423)-Huschenbeth,N (2596) Douglas IoM op 2017 (7) 0-1 suddenly Black
is very active -}) 14... axb5 15. Bxf6 $5 (15. Rxd7 $2 {looks also attractive}
Kxd7 (15... Qxd7 16. Qxe5 {[%cal Yf1b5]}) 16. Qxe5 {but Black is able to keep
the material and found a safe place to the king, solving his problems} Bg7 17.
Bxb5+ Kc8 $17) 15... Qxf6 16. Qxb5 O-O-O $17 {With some precise moves, Black
should be able to consolidate his advantage. But in practice it is never too
easy, especially because White has some pawns and Black's king is a bit unsafe.
} 17. Kb1 Qf2 $1 {[%cal Gf2a7] Zhigalko keeps finding good moves, now the
queen is helping to press on the kingside and protecting his king at same time.
} 18. Na4 Rh4 {[%cal Yh4d4] Now Rd4 is threatened.} 19. c3 {Rxd7 is a possible
threat now.} Qf5+ {This move doesn't waste Black's advantage, but he had two
or three creative solutions. True, Zhigalko played it with 5 minutes on the
clock, and the variations are not so easy.} (19... Bd6 $1 {was probably the
most difficult} 20. Rxd6 Qe1+ 21. Kc2 Qe4+ $1 {[%csl Ra4]} 22. Kb3 Qxa4+ $1 23.
Qxa4 Nc5+ $19) ({and} 19... Be4+ 20. Ka1 Qa7 $1 {looks difficult but it is a
bit intuitive, bringing the queen to help in defence.}) (19... Qa7 $6 20. Rxd7
$1 Be4+ 21. Bd3 Bxd3+ 22. Rxd3 Rxd3 23. Qxd3 Qxa4 $17 {also looks playable} 24.
Rd1 Qe4 $1 $19) 20. Ka1 Qe4 21. b4 $1 {Sarana finds the most stubborn moves,
as now Black can't count on mating ideas on the back rank.} Qc6 22. Qa5 Qc7 $6
{In severe time-trouble, Black's doesn't find the correct path and accepts the
repetition.} (22... Bd6 $1 {was the answer to Black's questions} 23. Bb5 Qc7
24. Qa7 (24. Bxd7+ Kxd7 $1) 24... Qb8 $1 25. Qf2 (25. Bxd7+ {still fails to}
Kxd7 $1) (25. Qa5 $2 Bc7 $19 {[%csl Ra5]}) 25... Rf4 26. Qe2 Qc7 $17 {the dust
has settled and Black is able to consolidate his advantage.}) 23. Qa7 Qc6 (
23... Nb8 $1 {was also winning here} 24. Ba6 $5 (24. Nb6+ Qxb6 25. Qxb6 Rxd1+
26. Kb2 Rd2+ $19) 24... Rd6 $1 25. Rxd6 Bxd6 $19 {White can't play Nb6 because
of the c3-pawn hanging.}) 24. Qa5 Qc7 25. Qa7 Qc6 26. Qa5 Qc7 {An interesting
game with complications, time-trouble and many tactical resources. Just one
more regular day in Najdorf's Bg5 office.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bundesliga 1112"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2011.11.20"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Black "Spoelman, Wouter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2563"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2011.10.14"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Dortmund Hansa"]
[BlackTeam "Emsdetten Turm"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 e5 8. Nf5
Qb6 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. Bc4 g6 $2 (12... h6 13. Be3 $14)
13. Nd5 $18 gxf5 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 15. Bxf6 Be6 16. Rb3 Qa4 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Bxh8
Rd8 19. Qe2 Bb4+ 20. c3 Bc5 21. Bxe5 Rd7 22. Rf1 Be3 23. Qxe3 Qxa2 24. Rb6 fxe4
25. Rf6 1-0

[Event "Amsterdam NH Hotels 5th"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "2010.08.19"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "2010.08.12"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 Qb6 $6 (
7... Qc7 $1) 8. Qd2 Qxb2 $2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Bxf6 $1 Nxf6 (10... gxf6 11. Nd5 Rb8
12. Rb3 Qxa2 13. Qb4 $1 a5 (13... Qa1+ 14. Kf2 a5 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Nde6+ fxe6
17. Nxe6+ Ke8 18. Qb5 $18 {[%cal Rb5h5]}) 14. Qc3 e6 15. Bb5 $18 {1-0 Van der
Wiel,J (2465)-Danner,G (2410)/Luzern 1982/EXT 1997 (19)}) 11. e5 dxe5 12. fxe5
Nd7 $2 (12... Ng4 13. Nd5 Qc5 14. Nb3 Qc6 15. Na5 Qd7 16. Nc4 e6 17. Ncb6 $6 (
17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. Nb6 Qc6 19. exd6 Rb8 20. Be2 Nf6) 17... Qc6 18. Nxa8 exd5 19.
Be2 b5 20. Qa5 Ne3 21. Nc7+ Kd7 22. Nxb5 Bc5 23. Nd6 Bd4 24. c4 dxc4 25. Bf3
Nxg2+ 26. Bxg2 Qxg2 27. Rf1 Ke6 28. Qb4 Qd5 29. Nxc4 Rd8 30. Nd2 Qxe5+ 31. Kd1
f5 32. Re1 Be3 33. Qb3+ Kf6 34. Rxe3 Qxh2 35. Qc3+ Kf7 36. Qb3+ Kf6 37. Qc3+
Kf7 38. Kc2 f4 39. Rf3 Bf5+ 40. Kc1 Rc8 41. Nc4 Qg1+ 42. Kd2 Rd8+ 43. Ke2 Qxb1
44. Ne5+ Ke6 45. Qc6+ Kxe5 46. Qc7+ Rd6 47. Qxg7+ Kd5 {0-1 Smith,B (2468)
-Laznicka,V (2636)/Philadelphia 2010/CB26_2010}) 13. Nd5 $18 Qc5 14. Nb3 Qc6
15. Na5 Qc5 16. Nxb7 Qc6 (16... Bxb7 17. Rxb7 Rc8 18. Bxa6 $18) 17. Rb6 1-0

[Event "Bazna Kings 5th"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2011.06.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2774"]
[Annotator "Rogozenco,D"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2011.06.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 143"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {The Sicilian Najdorf is
extremely complex and it often leads to very sharp positions. The present game
is just another proof of this.} 6. Bg5 Nbd7 ({The main move is} 6... e6) 7. f4
e5 8. Nf5 Qb6 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. Be2 {As a compensation for the
sacrificed pawn White has an obvious lead in development and very active
pieces. Black must continue to play very sharply in order to justify his risky
opening plan.} h6 12. Bh4 exf4 13. O-O {A new move in this wild position. As
Radjabov put it after the game: "These days you can't remember all the
variations. It is important to know the general ideas". Indeed, the
Azerbaijani GM managed very well to cope with Nakamura's outstanding opening
preparation.} ({In the only game played so far (Ganguly,S (2651)-Spoelman,W 
(2547)/Wijk aan Zee 2011) White was successful with} 13. Bf2 Nc5 14. O-O Bxf5
15. exf5 Be7 16. Bd4 O-O 17. Rf3 {but there are certainly many ways to improve
for Black.}) 13... g6 ({After} 13... g5 14. Bf2 {White's compensation for the
two sacrificed pawns is enormous. The immediate threat is 15.Rb3 followed by
16.Nxd6.}) 14. Rxf4 $1 {White must play actively and the piece sacrifice is a
logical follow-up to the previous play.} g5 (14... gxf5 15. Rxf5 {is bad,
since White is not only threatening to recapture the knight on f6, but also to
catch the queen with 16.Rb3:}) 15. Rb3 Qa5 16. Nxd6+ Bxd6 17. Qxd6 gxf4 (17...
gxh4 18. Rxf6 {is hardly an option for Black.}) 18. Ra3 ({After} 18. Bxf6 Nxf6
19. Qxf6 Rg8 {the position remains double-edged. The important point is that}
20. Nd5 {is answered by} Qe1+ 21. Bf1 Rxg2+ $1 22. Kxg2 Qxe4+ 23. Kf2 Qxd5 {
and Black is better:}) 18... Qb6+ 19. Qxb6 Nxb6 20. Bxf6 Rg8 21. Rb3 Nd7 22.
Nd5 Rg6 23. Bd4 {Until this moment Nakamura had played all the moves extremely
quickly, spending less than 10 minutes altogether and openly showing that this
was his home preparation. Only now for the first time did the American stop
blitzing out moves and took about 15 minutes before continuing.} ({After the
game Nakamura revealed that his opening preparation went as far as this:} 23.
Nc7+ Kf8 24. Bb2 Ra7 25. Ba3+ Kg7 26. Ne8+ Kh7 27. Nd6 Ra8 28. Bh5 Rg7 29. Bxf7
Ne5 30. Bd5 f3 31. g3 Bh3 32. Bb2 Rf8 33. Nf5 Re7 34. Bg8+ Kh8 35. Bd5 Kh7 {
with repetition and a draw. All these moves are the best for both sides! There
is little to comment on that... Except maybe that chess has become very deep
these days indeed and that the homework in opening preparation fully pays off.}
) 23... Rc6 24. c4 b5 25. cxb5 ({Radjabov thought that} 25. c5 Rb8 26. Nxf4 b4
{would favour Black. At least from the practical point of view taking on b5
was certainly a wiser decision: with little time there was no point in
complicating matters.}) 25... axb5 26. Nc3 ({Both players thought that} 26.
Bxb5 Rc1+ 27. Kf2 Rxa2+ 28. Kf3 Kd8 {would favour Black.}) 26... Ba6 27. Kf2 {
Here Nakamura missed the chance to set more serious problems to his opponent.}
Rd6 ({After} 27... Nc5 {White's task would have been more complicated, since
there are many possibilities, but no clear way to achieve equality.}) 28. Rb4
$1 {White is still a clear exchange down, but the strong bishop on d4 together
with weak black pawns provide White sufficient compensation to keep the
balance.} f6 (28... Rc8 {is hardly an improvement:} 29. Nxb5 Bxb5 30. Bxb5 Rc2+
31. Kf3 Rxa2 32. Kxf4 {with the idea} Rxg2 33. e5 Rdg6 34. Ra4 {and White gets
counterplay.}) 29. Kf3 Rc8 (29... Ne5+ 30. Kxf4 Nc6 {would have kept some
practical chances for a win.}) 30. Nxb5 Bxb5 31. Bxb5 Ke7 {After 32.a4 White
has nothing to fear, so the players agreed to a draw. It must be said that
some spectators felt sorry that in the tournament regulations the players are
allowed to agree to a draw after move 30.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "RUS-ch 68th"]
[Site "Chita"]
[Date "2015.08.17"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Motylev, Alexander"]
[Black "Khismatullin, Denis Rimovich"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2658"]
[BlackElo "2642"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2015.08.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 168"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Khismatullin had been having quite a topsy turvy event. His win against
Svidler was excellent but he lost four games against Tomashevsky, Vitiugov,
Karjakin and Dubov. Today he struck back with a win against Motylev.} 1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {From the 36,000 odd games
that have reached this position, 30,000 have continued with the move e6.
Khismatullin plays the second most popular move in the position, one which has
seen 3700 outings.} Nbd7 $5 7. Bc4 h6 8. Bh4 g6 {This is a relatively unknown
line. The only famous players to have played it are Pachman, Polugaevsky and
Nepomniachtchi.} 9. Qe2 Bg7 10. O-O-O O-O {The game has now taken the contours
of a Dragon rather than a Najdorf. But there are a few differences. Who
benefits from these differences? The bishop on h4 seems a little misplaced but
at the same time the pawn has moved to h6 making the g6 square softer. The
knight instead of being on c6 is on d7 which could give it more flexibility
but less pressure on White's centre. All in all the position is complex and
interesting to play.} 11. f4 Qc7 {covering the c6 square before going b5.} 12.
f5 $5 {A very provocative move. White wants to force Black to play g5 when he
can chip away at his structure with the move h4. But at the same time he gives
up the e5 square. You get something, you lose something!} g5 13. Bg3 b5 14. Bb3
Bb7 15. h4 {Khismatullin made his next move in 31 seconds. What would you have
done?} g4 $1 {Of course the position has to be kept closed.} 16. h5 Nc5 17. e5
{Seeing that the control over e5 has been loosened a bit, White rushes to push
ahead.} (17. Nd5 Nxb3+ 18. axb3 Bxd5 19. exd5 Nxd5 $13 {Black is doing fine.}
20. Qxg4 $2 Ne3 $17) 17... dxe5 {Khismatullin took eleven moves to make this
recapture. Maybe he was calculating whether he could slip in the move Nxb3
before taking on e5.} ({Another perfectly playable move was} 17... Nxb3+ 18.
axb3 dxe5 19. Bxe5 Qb6 $11) 18. Bxe5 Qb6 19. Rh4 $5 {Believe it or not this is
a pretty logical move. White would like to sacrifice his rook on g4. That
seems like the only way to get to the black king. The computer might assess
those positions in Black's favour but if a strong human player were to be
given this position, the first thought that would come to his mind is this one!
} (19. Bxf6 $2 Qxf6 20. Qxg4 Rad8 $15 {A strong grandmaster would never ever
go for winning the g4-pawn at the cost of giving Black an unopposed bishop on
g7.}) (19. Kb1 Rad8 20. Rhe1 {opting for central play was possible and maybe
the best but when the kings are on the opposite flanks more often than not you
want to go for your opponent's throat.}) 19... Kh7 $1 {Prophylactic measures
against the sacrifice on g4.} 20. Rxg4 {Motylev makes this inspired move but
the timing turns out to be incorrect. Black takes the material and keeps it.
Although we cannot condemn him for this decision because once you have said A 
(Rh4) you must say B (Rxg4).} Nxg4 {18 minutes to accept the sacrifice! And
the bold Houdini 4 shows -+ 1.60 in three seconds! A game of chess during the
game is way more intense than sitting at home with an engine in front of you.
You have to constantly be on the look out whether you are blundering something
or making a mistake. And that's why these players are great because even
though they take a lot of time, more often than not they are able to find the
right path.} 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 ({Taking on b3 first was more accurate.} 21... Nxb3+
22. Nxb3 (22. axb3 Rg8 $1 $19) 22... Qe3+ $1 23. Qxe3 Nxe3 24. Rd3 Kxg7 25.
Rxe3 Rac8 $19) 22. Qxg4+ Kh8 {There is no way to continue the attack.} (22...
Kh7 23. Bxf7 $1 $16) 23. Qe2 (23. Qf4 Qf6 $17) 23... Nxb3+ 24. Nxb3 Qf6 25. Na5
Qg5+ 26. Rd2 (26. Kb1 Bxg2 {Although this looks dangerous, there is no way to
refute it.} 27. Rg1 Bf3 $1 $19) 26... b4 $1 {Pushing away the knight to get
the d5-square.} 27. Na4 Bd5 28. c4 $6 (28. Nb6 Rad8 $19) (28. Qe5+ f6 29. Qxd5
Rfd8 $19) 28... bxc3 29. Nxc3 Rac8 $1 {White's pieces are all pinned against
the king.} 30. Kd1 Rfd8 {The reason why White's Rxg4 was incorrect is because
after a sacrifice like this at least some of your opponent's pieces should
find it difficult to develop. Here all of Black's pieces are so well placed
that you get a feeling why exactly did White sacrifice an exchange?!} 31. Ke1
Qh4+ 32. Qf2 Qh1+ 33. Qf1 Qxf1+ 34. Kxf1 Bxa2 $1 {Une petite combinaison!} 35.
Rxd8+ Rxd8 36. Nc6 (36. Nxa2 Rd1+ 37. Kf2 Ra1 $19) 36... Bc4+ 37. Ke1 Rd3 38.
Kf2 Rd2+ 39. Ke3 Rxb2 40. Ne5 Bb3 {A fine game by Khismatullin and this is one
of those tournaments where nothing is going so well for Motylev!} 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel-B 73rd"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2011.01.22"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ganguly, Surya Shekhar"]
[Black "Spoelman, Wouter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2651"]
[BlackElo "2547"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2011.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 141"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $5 7. f4 ({
Some recent tactical adventures after} 7. Bc4 Qb6 8. Bb3 (8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1
Qa3 10. O-O (10. f4 e6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qa5 13. O-O Kf7 14. f5 Be7 15.
Qe3 Re8 16. Qg3 Nc5 17. Nxg7 Rg8 18. Ne6 h6 19. e5 dxe5 20. Qxe5 Rxg5 21. Nxg5+
hxg5 22. Rfe1 Bf8 $19 {Robson,R (2539)-So,W (2668)/Lubbock/2010/}) 10... e6 11.
Kh1 Be7 12. f4 b5 (12... h6 $5 $15) 13. Bb3 Nc5 $6 (13... Bb7 $142) 14. Bxf6
Bxf6 15. e5 dxe5 $2 16. fxe5 Bxe5 17. Nc6 Bc7 {Andriasian,Z (2588)-Raykhman,A 
(2362)/Kalamaria/2010/} (17... Nd7 18. Rxf7 $1 Kxf7 19. Bxe6+ Kxe6 20. Qd5+ Kf6
21. Rf1+ Kg6 22. Qd3+ Kh6 23. Qh3+ Kg6 24. g4 $1 h5 25. Qd3+ Kg5 26. Ne4+ Kg6
27. Ne7+ Qxe7 28. Nd6+ Kg5 29. Qe3+ Kg6 30. Qe4+ Kh6 31. g5+ $1 Kxg5 32. Rg1+
$18) 18. Nd5 $1 $18) 8... e6 9. Qd2 Be7 (9... Nc5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. O-O-O Bd7
12. f4 Qc7 13. f5 b5 14. fxe6 fxe6 15. Rhf1 b4 16. Nce2 Rc8 17. Rxf6 Bg7 {
Hunt,A (2437)-Cheparinov,I (2661)/EU Cup Plovdiv/2010/} 18. Rxe6+ $1 Nxe6 19.
Bxe6 $16) 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. f3 O-O 12. Kb1 Qc7 13. g4 b5 14. a3 Bd7 15. h4 Qb7
(15... Rab8 $142 $5 {transposes to Shirov-Dominguez, Wijk aan Zee 2010.}) 16.
h5 a5 $2 17. h6 g6 18. Nf5 $1 gxf5 (18... exf5 19. Nd5 $40) 19. Bh4 Nfxe4 {
1/2 Bezemer,A (2318)-Burg,T (2455)/Netherlands 2011/The Week in Chess 849 (55)}
(19... Kh8 20. Qg5 Rg8 21. Qxf6+ Bxf6 22. Bxf6+ Rg7 23. hxg7+ Kg8 24. Rxh7 $18)
(19... Rfb8 20. Qg5+ Kf8 21. Qg7+ Ke8 22. Bxf6 Bf8 23. Qxh7 Nxb3 24. Qg8 {
1-0,Haznedaroglu,K (2439)-Brkic,A (2564)/Rijeka/2010/}) 20. Nxe4 $1 (20. fxe4
Nxb3 21. cxb3 f6 22. gxf5 $16 {Bezemer,A (2318)-Burg,T (2455)/NED-chT/2011/})
20... Nxb3 21. cxb3 f6 22. gxf5 Kh8 23. Qg2 Rg8 24. Qh3 $18 {For more details
about this line see my notes to Giri-Gelfand, Amsterdam 2010 in CBM 138.}) 7...
e5 ({More topical is} 7... Qc7 8. Qf3 (8. Qe2 e6 (8... e5 9. Nb3 $6 (9. Nf5
$142) 9... h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. f5 b5 12. a3 d5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bxf5 15.
g4 Bg6 16. Nd4 Be7 17. Nc6 Bh4+ 18. Kd1 O-O 19. Bg2 e4 20. b3 Bf6 21. Ra2 Qd7
22. c4 bxc4 23. bxc4 Rac8 24. Kc1 Bg5+ 25. Kb1 e3+ 26. Kc1 Rxc6 27. dxc6 Qd4
28. c7 Bd3 29. Bd5 Qc3+ 30. Kd1 Qb3+ {0-1 Huseyn,O (2115)-Csiba,D (2389)/
Batumi 2010/CBM 138 Extra}) 9. O-O-O Be7 10. g4 b5 11. a3 Bb7 12. Bg2 Rc8 13.
Bxf6 (13. Bh4 Qc5 14. Qd2 b4 15. axb4 Qxb4 16. g5 Nb6 $1 17. Nb3 $2 (17. Nb1 $8
Qxd2+ 18. Nxd2 Nh5 $13 {/=/+}) 17... Nxe4 $1 18. Nxe4 Qxb3 19. Kb1 Bxe4 20.
Bxe4 Qa4 21. Rhe1 d5 22. Bd3 Nc4 23. Bxc4 Rxc4 24. Bg3 O-O $19 {Daulyte,D 
(2293)-Vera Gonzalez Quevedo,R (2518)/Cappelle la Grande /2011/}) 13... Nxf6
14. g5 Nd7 15. h4 Qc4 16. Qe1 b4 17. axb4 Qxb4 18. f5 e5 19. Nb3 Nb6 20. Kb1 a5
21. Nd5 Qxe1 22. Rhxe1 Bxd5 23. exd5 a4 24. Nd2 h6 $132 {Naiditsch,A (2700)
-Spoelman,W (2512)/Deizisau/2009/}) 8... h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f5 {Perhaps the
safest choice is} e5 (10... Qc5 11. O-O-O g5 12. fxg6 $5 Bg4 13. gxf7+ Kxf7 14.
Qd3 Bxd1 15. Nxd1 e6 16. g3 Re8 17. Nc3 b5 18. Kb1 Bg7 19. Bh3 Qh5 20. Bg2 Nd7
21. Nce2 Qc5 22. Bh3 $44 {[%csl Rf7] Kokarev,D (2612)-Kovalyov,A (2615)/Mumbai/
2010/ White has long-term cpmpensation due to Black's insecure K.}) (10... Bd7
$146 11. O-O-O Rc8 (11... e5 $5 {seems more logical, but Black continues to
develop in a very original fashion.}) 12. Kb1 Qc5 13. Nd5 h5 14. Be2 Ng4 15. h3
Ne5 16. Qb3 b5 17. Rhf1 Rh7 18. Nf4 h4 19. Nd5 Rh6 20. Nf3 a5 21. Nxe5 dxe5 22.
a3 a4 23. Qd3 Rd6 24. c3 Rb8 25. Rd2 Rb7 26. Bg4 Bc6 27. Qe2 Rbd7 28. Bf3 Kd8
29. Rfd1 e6 30. fxe6 fxe6 31. Nb4 Rxd2 32. Nxc6+ Qxc6 33. Rxd2 $36 {[%csl Rb5,
Rd8,Re5,Re6] Swiercz,D (2540)-Nyzhnyk,I (2530)/Wijk aan Zee C/2011/ Even
despite simplification Black's problems persist, his K and his P are
vulnerable and in the end the loss of the ><b5 cost him the game.}) 11. fxe6
fxe6 $132) 8. Nf5 {Definitely the main move.} (8. Nb3 {is too passive:} Be7 9.
Be2 h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. f5 O-O 12. Qd3 b5 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. Kb1 Re8 15. Bf3 a5
16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 a4 $15 {Haznedaroglu,K (2499)-Ragger,M (2561)/EU-chT
Novi Sad/2009/}) (8. Nf3 Qc7 9. Bd3 h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. Qd2 Be7 12. O-O-O b5
13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Qe1 O-O 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd6 $15 {Guseinov,G (2609)
-Sutovsky,E (2650)/Baku/2010/}) 8... Qb6 (8... h6 9. Bxf6 (9. Nxd6+ $142 $1
Bxd6 10. Qxd6 hxg5 11. fxe5 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Qa5+ 13. c3 Qxe5 14. Qxe5+ Nxe5 15.
Nxg5 $14) 9... Nxf6 10. fxe5 dxe5 (10... Nxe4 $1 11. Nxe4 Bxf5 12. Nxd6+ Bxd6
13. exd6 O-O $32 {|^}) 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Ne3 Be6 13. O-O-O+ Kc7 14. Bc4 Bc5
15. Ned5+ Bxd5 (15... Nxd5 $142) 16. Nxd5+ Nxd5 17. Bxd5 f6 18. Rd3 $14 {
Krzyzanowski,M (2342)-Sadikhov,U (2115)/Krakow/2010/}) 9. Qd2 ({A more recent
wild, but rather dubious sacrificial idea is} 9. Qf3 $146 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qxc2 11.
Bc4 Nxe4 12. O-O Qxc3 (12... Nxc3 $5 13. Nxg7+ (13. Nd4 Ne2+ $1 14. Qxe2 Qxe2
15. Nxe2 f6 $19) 13... Bxg7 14. Bxf7+ Kxf7 15. fxe5+ Nf6 $1 16. exf6 (16. Bxf6
Nxb1 17. Bxg7+ Bf5 18. Bxh8 Rxh8 $19) 16... Bf8 {and I don't see how White can
justify his material investment.}) 13. Qxe4 Nc5 14. Bxf7+ (14. Qd5 Be6 15.
Nxd6+ Bxd6 16. Qxd6 Qd4+ $17) 14... Kxf7 15. Qd5+ Be6 $2 (15... Ke8 16. fxe5
Ne6 $1 $17) 16. Rxb7+ $1 {Suddenly Black is mated by force!} Kg8 (16... Nxb7
17. Nh6+ $1 gxh6 18. fxe5+ Kg7 19. Qxe6 $18) 17. Rxg7+ $1 Bxg7 18. Ne7+ Kf7 19.
fxe5+ Bf6 20. Rxf6+ Kxe7 21. Qxd6+ {1-0,Kotronias,V (2599)-Xiu,D (2508)/Moscow
Aeroflot/2011/} Ke8 22. Rf8+ $1 Rxf8 23. Qe7#) 9... Qxb2 {Risky, but
consistent.} 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. Be2 (11. Rb3 {only chases Black's queen to the
defence after} Qc5 12. Be2 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Nd5 Nxe4 15. Qa5 f6 16. Nc7+
Kf7 17. Be3 Qc6 18. Nxa8 Ndc5 19. Bxc5 Bxc5 20. Qc7+ Qxc7 21. Nxc7 Bxf5 22.
Nxa6 Bf2+ 23. Kf1 Rc8 24. g4 Be6 25. Bd3 Bd5 26. Rxb5 Ba8 27. h4 Nc3 $17 {
Etaoin Shrdlu (2727)-Ibermax (2560)/playchess.com/2007/}) ({More to the point
is the dangerous} 11. Bc4 $5 {Here the B is actively placed, but Black can
gain a tempo in the future by attacking it (b5,Qc5).} h6 12. Bh4 g6 13. Ne3 {
A possible improvement is} Be7 $5 (13... exf4 14. Ned5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Bg7 16.
Rb3 (16. Nc7+ Kf8 17. Rb3 $2 Qc5 18. Nxa8 Qxc4 $17) 16... Qc5 17. Be2 Kf8 (
17... O-O $4 18. Bf2 $18) (17... Bd4 18. Rf1 $1 g5 19. Bf2 Bxf2+ 20. Rxf2 O-O
21. g3 $44) 18. Bf2 Qc6 19. Bd4 Bxd4 20. Qxd4 Rg8 21. Rc3 Nc5 22. Nxf4 Be6 23.
e5 g5 24. Bf3 Qd7 25. Nh5 g4 26. Be2 b6 27. Nf6 Qc6 28. O-O $16 {->, Liskevich,
V (2428)-Schinke,A (2516)/corr/2008/}) 14. fxe5 (14. Bf2 Qa5 $15) 14... dxe5
15. O-O O-O 16. Ned5 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 Kg7 $13 (17... Bxh4 $6 18. Qxh6 Qe7 19.
Qxg6+ Kh8 20. Qh6+ Kg8 21. Rf3 Nc5 22. Qg6+ Kh8 23. Qh5+ Kg7 24. Bxf7 Rxf7 25.
Nd5 Qe6 26. Rxf7+ Qxf7 27. Qxh4 Be6 28. Qg5+ Qg6 29. Qe7+ $16)) ({Too soft is} 
11. Bd3 h6 12. Bh4 exf4 13. O-O g6 14. Nd4 Bg7 15. Rb3 Qa5 16. Qxf4 O-O 17.
Qxd6 Ng4 18. Be7 Be5 $19 {Matejovic,J (2239)-Hoelzl,F (2339)/Zadar/2009/})
11... h6 12. Bh4 (12. Bxf6 $143 $6 Nxf6 13. O-O exf4 14. Rxf4 b5 15. Kh1 Be6
16. Rd1 Qc5 17. Rff1 $2 Rc8 $17 {Matt,F (2053)-Hoelzl,F (2325)/Vienna/2010/})
12... exf4 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8]} ({This novelty is an improvement over} 12... g6
$6 13. Ne3 exf4 14. Ned5 Nxd5 (14... g5 15. Bf2 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 $36) 15. Nxd5 Bg7
16. Nc7+ Kf8 17. Rb3 {Here contrary to the above line White's B is not en
prise and he wins a whole R.} Qxa2 18. Nxa8 Be5 19. O-O Nc5 20. Rb4 Qa5 {
Espinosa Aranda,A (2403)-Idani,P (2278)/Porto Carras/2010/} 21. Bf3 b5 22. Rd4
Qxd2 23. Rxd2 $16) 13. Bf2 (13. O-O $5 Qa5 (13... g5 14. Bf2 Qa5 15. Rfd1 $32)
14. Rfd1 Qc7 (14... d5 15. exd5 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 $44 {/\} O-O $6 17. Rb3 $36) 15.
Rb4 b5 16. Rd4 $44) 13... Nc5 (13... g6 $6 14. Rb3 Qa5 15. Nxd6+ $40) (13...
Qa5 $1 $15 {/\} 14. O-O g6) 14. O-O Bxf5 (14... Ncxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxf4
Nxf2 17. Qxf2 $32 {|^}) ({Even here Black could have played} 14... Qa5 $5 15.
Nxd6+ (15. Be1 Bxf5 16. exf5 Be7 $13) 15... Bxd6 16. Qxd6 Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4
18. Qd4 Nxf2 (18... Nf6 19. Bh4 $40) 19. Qxg7 Nh3+ $8 20. Kh1 Rf8 21. gxh3 Bxh3
22. Rxf4 Qg5 23. Re4+ Be6 24. Qc3 Rg8 25. Bf3 $13) 15. exf5 Be7 16. Bd4 O-O 17.
Rf3 (17. Qxf4 Rae8 18. Rf3 (18. Bf3 $5) {gives Black the extra option} 18...
Nh5 $1 19. Qg4 Bf6 $15) 17... Qa5 18. Qxf4 Rae8 (18... Nh5 19. Qg4 Bf6 20. Nd5
Bxd4+ 21. Qxd4 $44) 19. Rg3 Kh7 20. a4 (20. Nd5 $6 Qxa2 21. Rd1 Ncd7 {leads
nowhere}) (20. Bf3 $5) 20... Bd8 $5 {A sound idea, Black returns the extra P
to activate his forces...} (20... d5 21. Bf3 (21. Nxd5 Nce4 $1 $17) 21... Ncd7
{/\Bc5=}) 21. Qxd6 (21. Bf3 $5 Nxa4 22. Ne4 Re5 $1 23. c3 $13) 21... Nxa4 $2 {
[%mdl 64] However, this greedy move runs into a powerful tactic.} (21... Ncd7 {
[%cal Rd8c7] /\Bc7} 22. Rd3 Bc7 23. Qa3 (23. Qb4 $2 Qxb4 24. Rxb4 Ba5 $19)
23... Be5 $15 {is pleasant and almost riskless for Black.} {/\} 24. Rxb7 $2
Bxd4+ 25. Rxd4 Rxe2 $1 $19) 22. Ne4 $1 {[%csl Rf8][%cal Re4f6,Rg3g7] /\Rg7,Nf6,
><f8 An abrupt end, the overloaded defences suddenly collapse.} Be7 (22... Rxe4
23. Qxf8 $18) (22... Qc7 23. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 24. Nxf6 Qxd6 25. Nxe8+ $18) 23.
Bxf6 $1 (23. Rxg7+ Kxg7 24. Qg3+ Kh7 25. Rxb7 $1 $18 {wins, but the text is
simpler and prettier.}) 23... Bxd6 (23... Bxf6 24. Nxf6+ gxf6 25. Qxf6 Rg8 26.
Qxf7+ Kh8 27. Qf6+ Kh7 28. Rxb7+) 24. Rxg7+ Kh8 25. Ng5 $1 Bxh2+ (25... hxg5
26. Rxg5+ Kh7 27. Rh5+ Kg8 28. Rh8#) 26. Kh1 {[%cal Rg7h7,Rh7h8] Mate on h8
can only be postponed, not avoided.} 1-0

[Event "Amsterdam NH Hotels 5th"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "2010.08.19"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2010.08.12"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {Giri plays this only rarely.} c5 {Gelfand decides to repay the surprise.
In Amsterdam he was already twice successful with} (1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {
, but the Petroff belongs also to Giri's repertoire.}) 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $5 {The surprises continue, although Gelfand
used to be an avid Najdorf fan, he has never used the text-move previously. It
was also a topic of an opening survey in CBM 135 by Alex Kuzmin. This
continuation has recently become a serious alternative to the standard} (6...
e6 7. f4 {, to which it can in fact often transpose. At this crossroads Black
has numerous options:} {The most often played move is} Be7 (7... Nbd7 8. Qf3
Qc7 9. g4 $5 ({This is a recent try to limit Black's options with a tricky
move-order.} 9. O-O-O {is the main line.}) 9... b5 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. g5 Nd7 12.
O-O-O {Now Black should probably play the circumspect} Be7 (12... b4 13. Nd5 $1
exd5 14. exd5 Bb7 15. Qe4+ Be7 16. Nf5 Nc5 17. Nxg7+ Kf8 18. Qd4 Rg8 19. Nf5 b3
20. Bc4 bxc2 21. Rde1 $36 {Radjabov,T (2728)-Volokitin,A (2662)/Biel/2006/ see
notes by Ftacnik in CBM 114.}) (12... Nc5 13. a3 Rb8 $6 14. b4 Nd7 15. Nd5 $1
exd5 16. exd5 Be7 17. Re1 Ne5 18. fxe5 Bxg5+ 19. Kb1 dxe5 20. Nc6 Bf6 21. Bd3
h5 22. Rxe5+ $1 Bxe5 23. Re1 $40 {Nakamura,H (2708)-Van Wely,L (2641)/Wijk aan
Zee/2010/ see notes by Postny in CBM 135}) {Play has transposed into a
position from the 7...Be7 line and remains very tense and complex. After} 13.
f5 ({Too soft is} 13. Kb1 b4 14. Nce2 Nc5 15. Bg2 Bb7 16. Qe3 g6 17. h4 Rf8 18.
Rd2 Qb6 19. Ng3 Na4 20. Qb3 Nc5 21. Qe3 Na4 22. Qb3 {1/2,Bromberger,S (2537)
-Abreu Delgado,A (2474)/Badalona/2010/}) 13... Bxg5+ ({The other main line is} 
13... Nc5 $13) 14. Kb1 Ne5 15. Qh5 Qd8 16. h4 ({Black must be prepared also
for the alternatives} 16. Rg1) (16. fxe6 {and especially}) (16. Nxe6 Bxe6 17.
fxe6) 16... Bf6 17. fxe6 O-O 18. Bh3 fxe6 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Nd5 Bb7 $5 (20...
Nc4 $143 21. Nc6 $14) 21. Qe2 (21. Rdf1 $5 Qe8 $13) 21... Nc4 22. Nxf6 Qxf6 23.
Bxc4 bxc4 24. Nf5 Rab8 25. b3 cxb3 26. axb3 d5 $11 {Luther,T (2541)-Suvrajit,S
(2380)/Bhubaneswar/2010/ Black has a lot of <=>.}) ({The Poisoned pawn is less
popular nowadays, than some 2-3 years ago, when everyone played the line} 7...
Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 dxe5 (10... h6 11. Bh4 dxe5 12. fxe5 g5 $5
$13) 11. fxe5 Nfd7 12. Ne4 h6 13. Bh4 Qxa2 14. Rd1 Qd5 15. Qe3 Qxe5 16. Be2 Bc5
17. Bg3 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Qa5+ 19. Rd2 O-O 20. Bd6 Nc6 21. O-O {This position is
fully playable for Black:} Nce5 (21... f5 22. Bxf8 Nxf8 23. Nd6 Ne5 $5 $13) 22.
Bxf8 Nxf8 23. Nd6 {Even safer seems to be} f6 $5 (23... Bd7 24. Nxb7 Qb4 25.
Nc5 (25. Nd6 Bc6 26. Rd4 Qa5 27. Nc4 Nxc4 28. Rxc4 Bb5 29. Rcf4 Bxe2 30. Qxe2
f6 $11 {Geetha,N (2604)-So,W (2665)/Olongapo City/2010/}) 25... a5 $5 (25...
Bb5 $6 26. c3 Ng4 27. cxb4 Nxe3 28. Ra1 Rb8 29. Nxa6 $16 {So,W (2540)-Wu Xibin
(2351)/Dubai/2008/} {/\} Bxa6 30. Rxa6 Rxb4 $2 31. Rd8 $18) 26. Rf4 (26. c3 Qb6
27. Qxe5 Rc8 $11) 26... Qb6 27. Qxe5 Ng6 28. Qd6 Qxd6 29. Rxd6 Nxf4 30. Bf3 Rc8
31. Nxd7 Rxc2 32. Ra6 g5 33. Rxa5 f5 $14 {/<=> and Black should be able to
hold this _|_.}) 24. c4 Qc7 25. Ne8 Qe7 26. Nd6 Qc7 27. Ne8 Qe7 28. Nd6 Qc7 {
1/2,Vorobiov,E (2606)-Kokarev,D (2630)/Ulan Ude/2009/}) 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O {
here an independent line is} h6 (9... Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. g5 Nd7 {
-7...Nbd7}) 10. Bh4 Nbd7 11. Be2 ({Another important line is} 11. Bd3 g5 12.
fxg5 Ne5 13. Qe2 Nfg4 $132) 11... b5 12. Bxf6 (12. e5 Bb7 13. exf6 Bxf3 14.
Bxf3 Bxf6 (14... d5 $5 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Bh5+ g6 $1 17. Bxg6+ Kf8 18. fxe7+ Kg7
19. Bg3 b4 $13) 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 $5 (15... Rc8 $143 16. Bxg7 Rh7 {, when all
engines quickly show the dangerous sacrifice} 17. f5 $1 $44 {|^}) 16. Bxa8 d5
17. Bc6+ Ke7 18. g3 Rd8 19. Rhe1 b4 20. Nce2 Ne4 21. Kb1 Qb6 22. Ba4 Rc8 23.
Bb3 g6 $14 {/~~,Van Kampen,R (2481)-Ftacnik,L (2543)/Amsterdam/2010/ Although
White is ahead on material, Black's pieces are well coordinated and his set-up
is very solid. He even ended up winning the game.}) 12... Nxf6 13. e5 Bb7 14.
Qg3 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nd5 ({Unclear, but rather dangerous is} 15... Nd7 16. Nxe6
fxe6 17. Bh5+ Kd8 18. Qxg7 Rf8 19. Bg4 $44) (15... Ne4 16. Nxe6 Qxc3 17. Nxg7+
Kf8 18. Ne6+ Ke8 19. Qxc3 Nxc3 20. Nc7+ Kf8 21. bxc3 Rc8 22. Nd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5
Rg8 24. Bf3 $14) 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Qg6+ Kd7 18. Bg4 Qxe5 19. Nxd5 Qg5+ (19...
Bxd5 $2 20. Rxd5+ Qxd5 21. Rd1 $18 {[%csl Rd7] and White continues his ->
against the exposed K.}) 20. Nf4+ (20. Qxg5 Bxg5+ 21. Kb1 Bxd5 22. Rxd5+ Kc6
23. Re5 Rhe8 24. Rhe1 Rad8 25. a3 Rd6 26. Bxe6 Kc7 {Achilles,E (2440)-Ibarra
Padron,J (2438)/corr/2006/ and the ^- give the _|_ a drawish character.}) 20...
Kc7 21. Qxe6 Qxf4+ 22. Kb1 Kb8 23. Rd7 Bd8 24. Rxb7+ Kxb7 25. Bf3+ Ka7 26. Bxa8
Kxa8 27. Qxa6+ Kb8 28. Qxb5+ Ka7 29. Rf1 Qd6 30. Rf7+ Bc7 $11 {Manduch,M (2463)
-Guzy,G (2471)/corr/2006/ Although the defence hangs on a thin thread, here
Black seems to hold.}) 7. Bc4 ({Apart from this White often plays} 7. f4 {
Here Black has other options, if he doesn't want to go for the abovementioned
lines with 7...e6:} {More reliable is} Qc7 $5 {, recommended also by A.Kuzmin.}
(7... Qb6 $6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Bxf6 {is very risky and even the new}
Nxf6 (10... gxf6 11. Nd5 $36 {/\} Rb8 $6 12. Rb3 Qa4 13. Bxa6 $3 {Vitolinsh}
bxa6 $2 14. Qc3 $18) 11. e5 dxe5 (11... Ng4 12. Nd5 $40) 12. fxe5 Ng4 (12...
Nd7 $2 13. Nd5 Qc5 14. Nb3 Qc6 15. Na5 Qc5 16. Nxb7 Qc6 17. Rb6 $1 {1-0,
Nakamura,H (2729)-Van Wely,L (2677)/Amsterdam/2010/} Nxb6 18. Nf6+ exf6 19.
Qd8# {This game was played on the same day as ours!}) 13. Nd5 Qc5 14. Nb3 Qc6
15. Qa5 {Kavalek} (15. Na5 Qd7 16. Nc4 e6 17. Ncb6 $2 (17. Ndb6 Qxd2+ 18. Kxd2
Rb8 19. Be2 $36) (17. Nd6+ $5 Bxd6 18. Nb6 Qc6 19. exd6 $40) 17... Qc6 18. Nxa8
exd5 19. Be2 b5 20. Qa5 Ne3 21. Nc7+ Kd7 22. Nxb5 {Smith,B (2468)-Laznicka,V 
(2636)/Philadelphia/2010/} Qc5 $1 23. Qa4 axb5 24. Rxb5 Qa3 $15) 15... b6 16.
Nd4 (16. Bb5 $5 $36) 16... bxa5 17. Nxc6 e6 18. Nc7+ Kd7 19. Nxa8 Kxc6 20. Rb6+
$14 {/+/-}) 8. Qf3 (8. Qe2 e5 $1 9. Nf5 h6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. Ne3 exf4 12. Ned5
Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qa5+ 14. Qd2 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Rb8 16. Nxf4 Be7 17. Bc4 Bg5 18. Raf1
Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Kd3 Bxf4 21. Rxf4 Rf8 $11 {Radjabov,T (2756)-Ivanchuk,V 
(2746)/Bazna/2009/}) 8... h6 9. Bh4 (9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f5 Qc5 (10... e5 11. fxe6
fxe6 $132) 11. O-O-O g5 $5 $13 {should be OK for Black; White misses his
light-squared B.}) 9... g5 $5 ({More modest, but also playable is} 9... e5) 10.
fxg5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 Qc5 12. Nf5 (12. Be3 Ne5 13. Qe2 Neg4 14. Bg1 Bh6 $44) 12...
e6 13. Bxf6 (13. Be3 $6 Qb4 14. O-O-O exf5 15. Qxf5 Rh5 16. Qf3 Be7 17. Be2 Ne5
18. Qf4 Bg4 19. Bxg4 $2 Nc4 $1 20. Rd3 Qxb2+ 21. Kd1 Qa1+ 22. Bc1 Nb2+ 23. Ke2
Nxd3 24. cxd3 Qxc3 25. Bxh5 Nxh5 26. Qh6 Qg7 {0-1,Kanovsky,D (2489)-Navara,D 
(2718)/CZE-ch Ostrava/2010/}) 13... Nxf6 14. Nxd6+ (14. Ne3 Nd7 15. Ng4 Bg7 16.
O-O-O Ne5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Be2 Bd7 $44 {Narmontas,M (2370)-Bogner,S (2504)/
Kemer/2009/}) 14... Bxd6 15. Qxf6 Bg3+ 16. Ke2 Rh4 $5 $13 {Black has
reasonable compensation, although it's too early to speak about an advantage.})
(7. Qd2 {is the usual square for the Q in the Rauzer, here it's less effective
and after} e6 ({or even} 7... b5 $5 $132 {Black is doing fine.})) 7... Qb6 8.
Bb3 ({Here already} 8. Qd2 $6 Qxb2 ({Inconsistent is} 8... e6 9. O-O-O Be7 10.
f4 $14) 9. Rb1 Qa3 {leads to a better version of the Poisoned pawn lines. After
} 10. O-O {Black doesn't have to play} Qa5 (10... e6 $5 $15) 11. Nd5 Qxd2 12.
Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nde6+ fxe6 14. Nxe6+ Ke8 15. Nc7+ $11 {1/2,Luther,T (2551)
-Bischoff,K (2554)/AUT-chT/2002/}) 8... e6 {Here Black has already no reason
to postpone this natural move.} 9. Bxf6 {This exchange aims to disrupt Black's
natural development with Be7 and Nc5. Other alternatives are:} (9. f4 {
transposes into a position, which often arises via the move-order 6...e6 7.f4
Nbd7 8.Bc4 Qb6 9.Bb3. After} Be7 10. f5 Nc5 11. Qf3 ({This try for a while
replaced the older} 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Na4 Qc7 13. Nxc5 dxc5 14. Nxe6 Bxe6 15.
Bxe6 Qe5 16. Bxf6 Qxe4+ 17. Qe2 Qxe2+ 18. Kxe2 Bxf6 $11 {Radjabov,T (2682)
-Gelfand,B (2724)/ESP-chT Merida/2005/}) 11... Nxb3 $1 (11... Ncxe4 $6 12. Nxe4
Qxd4 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. c3 Qb6 15. O-O-O d5 16. fxe6 dxe4 17. exf7+ Kf8 18. Qxe4
$40 {Gashimov,V (2717)-Volokitin,A (2672)/Poikovsky/2008/}) 12. Nxb3 Qc7 13.
fxe6 fxe6 14. O-O O-O 15. Qg3 b5 16. a3 Bd7 17. Rad1 Nh5 {[%csl Gd7,Ge7] ^^}
18. Qh4 Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Rxf1+ 20. Rxf1 Nf6 21. e5 dxe5 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Rxf6 Qd8
24. Ne4 Bc6 25. Qg4 Bxe4 26. Qxe6+ Kh8 27. Rf1 Qg5 $36 {Kurnosov,I (2602)
-Areshchenko,A (2673)/EU-ch Budva/2009/}) (9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 (
11. f3 Qc7 12. Kb1 O-O (12... b5 $5 $13) 13. g4 b5 14. a3 Rb8 15. h4 Bd7 16. h5
$5 (16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. g5 Bd8 18. h5 a5 19. g6 {Shirov,A (2723)-Dominguez Perez,
L (2712)/Wijk aan Zee/2010/} h6 $15 (19... Bf6 $5)) 16... Rfc8 $5 $13 (16... h6
$2 17. Bxh6 gxh6 18. Qxh6 Nh7 19. g5 $1 $40) (16... a5 17. h6 g6 18. Qf4 e5 19.
Bxf6 $1 exf4 20. Nd5 Bxf6 21. Nxc7 $13 {/+/=})) 11... Qc7 12. f4 h6 13. Bxf6
Bxf6 14. Kb1 Bd7 $5 {[%cal Ye8c8] /\0-0-0~~} (14... O-O 15. Nf3 Be7 16. g4 b5
17. g5 hxg5 18. Nxg5 Bd7 19. Rg1 Bxg5 20. Rxg5 f6 21. Rg3 b4 22. Rdg1 Rf7 23.
Nd5 $1 $40 {Kratochvil,J (2289)-Babula,V (2533)/Pardubice op/2010/}) 15. Nf5 $6
exf5 16. Nd5 Qd8 $17) (9. O-O Be7 {can again transpose to other lines, after}
10. Be3 Nc5 11. f4 Qc7 {we reach a position from the 6.Bc4 system with an
extra move due to the manoeuvres Bg5-e3 and Qb6-c7. Now} 12. Qf3 {allows even}
b5 $5 (12... O-O {is the more usual choice.}) {/\} 13. e5 $6 Bb7 14. Qg3 dxe5
15. fxe5 Nh5 16. Qf2 O-O 17. g4 b4 $36 {Black is doing fine in the
complications, even if White wins a piece for some P, his K will suffer on the
/^a8-h1.}) 9... Nxf6 10. f4 e5 {A radical reaction.} ({However, even the simple
} 10... Be7 {deserves attention:} {Consistent is} 11. f5 {as now Black doesn't
have Nc5. However,} (11. Qd2 Nd7 $1 12. O-O-O (12. f5 Bf6 $11 (12... Nc5 $6 13.
fxe6 fxe6 14. Na4 $14) (12... Bh4+ $5 13. g3 Bf6)) 12... Nc5 13. g4 Qc7 14. f5
b5 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Rhf1 Bd7 17. Kb1 Nxb3 18. cxb3 Rf8 $1 19. Rxf8+ Kxf8 20.
b4 Qb7 21. g5 Kg8 22. Rf1 a5 $15 {Tukhaev,A (2534)-Borovikov,V (2599)/Alushta/
2010/}) 11... e5 (11... O-O $5) 12. Nf3 (12. Nde2 $2 Ng4 $1) 12... Bd7 $132 {
seems OK for him.}) 11. Ba4+ {Giri wants to profit from the weakening of the
light squares, less testing is} (11. Nde2 exf4 12. Nxf4 Qe3+ 13. Nfe2 Be7 14.
Qd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 g6 16. O-O O-O 17. Rad1 Ng4 18. h3 {Beliavsky,A (2650)
-Gelfand,B (2685)/Linares/1994/} Ne5 19. Nd5 Bd8 $11) 11... Ke7 $1 {Modern
chess is extremely concrete and this is a good example. The exchage of the
light-squared B is disadvantegous for Black so he boldly leaves K in the [+]
instead.} (11... Bd7 $143 12. Bxd7+ Nxd7 (12... Kxd7 $5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Nf5+
Kc8 $14 {is possible, but still only an inferior version of the idea behind 11.
..Ke7!}) 13. Nde2 (13. Nd5 Qa5+ (13... Qxd4 14. Qxd4 exd4 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Nxa8
Kc8 17. O-O-O Kb8 18. Rxd4 Kxa8 19. e5 $16) 14. b4 Qd8 15. Ne2 $14) 13... Rc8 (
13... exf4 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Qd4 Ne5 16. O-O Be7 17. Nexf4 O-O 18. Rad1 Rc8 19.
c3 Rc4 20. Qa7 $16 {Timman,J (2569)-Klein,D (2236)/Dieren/2009/}) 14. Nd5 Qxb2
15. O-O $44 {gives White reasonable compensation and -> chances for the P:} Qa3
16. Kh1 Be7 17. Rb1 b5 18. Rb3 Qa5 19. Rg3 g6 20. f5 Bd8 21. Qc1 g5 $2 {
Tukhaev,A (2518)-Borovikov,V (2601)/Kavala/2010/} 22. Ra3 $1 Rxc2 23. Rxa5 Rxc1
24. Rxc1 Bxa5 25. Rc8+ Bd8 26. Nc7+ Ke7 27. Nd5+ Ke8 28. Nec3 $1 $18) 12. Nde2
(12. fxe5 $6 dxe5 13. Nde2 Be6 $32 {|^}) 12... exf4 13. Bb3 (13. Nxf4 Qe3+ 14.
Nfe2 Be6 {[%cal Yg7g6] /\g6 Black will finish his development and is doing
fine.}) 13... Be6 14. Nd4 g6 15. Qd2 Bh6 $146 {[%mdl 8] A natural novelty. If
Black wants to transfer his K to g7, then} (15... h5 16. O-O-O Bxb3 17. axb3
Bh6 {only loses a tempo, after} 18. Kb1 Kf8 19. Rhf1 Kg7 $6 (19... Re8 $5 $13)
20. g3 $1 f3 (20... fxg3 21. Qd3 $36 {/\Rf6}) 21. Qf2 Qc7 22. Qxf3 Qe7 23. Nde2
Rae8 24. Nf4 Rhf8 $2 (24... Bxf4 $142 $14) 25. Nfd5 Nxd5 26. Nxd5 $36 {
Naiditsch,A (2693)-Sjugirov,S (2562)/Moscow/2009/}) 16. O-O-O Bxb3 (16... Ng4
17. Qe1 $5 (17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Nd5+ exd5 19. Qxd5 Kd8 20. Qe6 Kc7 $11) 17... Bg5
(17... f3+ 18. Kb1 fxg2 19. Rg1 {[%csl Rg4,Rh6] פg4,Bh6 and Black's pieces
are exposed.}) 18. e5 dxe5 (18... Nxe5 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Ne4 $40) 19. Na4 Qc7
20. Qb4+ Kf6 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Nc5 $44 {|^ is very dangerous for Black.}) 17.
axb3 Rhc8 $5 {Contrary to Sjugirov, Gelfand doesn't hurry to his K with} (17...
Kf8 18. g3 Kg7 19. gxf4 Rhe8 $132) 18. h4 $5 (18. g3 Rxc3 19. Qxc3 (19. bxc3
Nxe4 20. Rhe1 d5 21. gxf4 Qc7 $15 {/-/+}) 19... Ng4 $5 {and White probably
does best to force a draw with} 20. Kb1 (20. Qf3 Nf2 $1) 20... Nf2 21. e5 $1
Bg7 $5 (21... Nxd1 22. exd6+ Qxd6 23. Rxd1 $36) 22. Nf5+ gxf5 23. Rxd6 Qb5 24.
Qc7+ Kf8 25. gxf4 Nxh1 26. Rd7 Kg8 $8 (26... Qf1+ $2 27. Ka2 Kg8 28. e6 $1 $18)
27. Rd8+ (27. e6 Bf8 28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Qxf7+ Kh8 30. Qf6+ $11) 27... Rxd8 28.
Qxd8+ Bf8 29. Qg5+ $11) (18. Kb1 Kf8 19. g3 Re8 {[%csl Re4][%cal Ye8e7,Ya8e8] /
\Re7,Rae8<=> probably seemed too slow to Giri.}) 18... Rxc3 $1 {[%mdl 512]
Gelfand lashes out with a positional exchange sacrifice.} ({White's idea was} 
18... Kf8 $6 19. h5 $1 {/\} Nxh5 $2 20. g4 $18) 19. Qxc3 (19. bxc3 $143 $6 Nxe4
$36) 19... f3+ (19... Nxe4 $5 20. Rhe1 f5 {also can't be discarded outright,
but Gelfand wants to keep the [+] closed for the time being.}) 20. Kb1 fxg2 ({
Now White protects the Pe4, but} 20... Nxe4 $2 {fails to} 21. Rhe1 $18) 21.
Rhe1 Bf4 {Aims to stop motifs with e5. For the exchange Black has strengthened
his control of the weakened dark squares.} 22. Qh3 (22. Qf3 Be5 $44 {, so
White wants to keep f3 free for his N.}) (22. Rg1 {doesn't fit in well with
White's previous move and} Be5 ({or even} 22... a5 $5 $132 {gives Black <=>.}))
22... Be5 23. Nf3 Qf2 24. Rg1 {White must of course eliminate the o^g2.} ({
This is already difficult to achieve after} 24. Nxe5 $2 dxe5 25. Qc3 (25. Rg1
Rd8 $1 $19) 25... Kf8 $36) 24... Qg3 {The Q-swap safeguards the K in the [+].}
({For this reason dangerous is} 24... Nxe4 $6 25. Nxe5 dxe5 26. Rxg2 $40 {
[%csl Re7]}) 25. Qxg3 Bxg3 26. Rxg2 Bf4 27. Re1 Nd7 28. c3 (28. h5 Rg8 $5 $44 {
and Black's >>P can become strong.}) 28... h5 29. Kc2 Ne5 $44 {Black has fixed
the ><h4, controls the [+] and can claim equality even in an _|_, as White's R
still have no open<-> to show their strength.} 30. Nd4 (30. Nxe5 dxe5 $13 (
30... Bxe5 $44)) 30... Ng4 31. Kd3 Re8 32. b4 Be5 33. Rh1 Bf6 34. Ne2 d5 $5 {
An attempt to enliven the position.} ({Black can hold the balance with the
simple} 34... Ne5+ 35. Kc2 Ng4 $11) 35. exd5 Kd6 36. Rf1 (36. c4 Re3+ 37. Kc2
Re5 {can lead to repetition after} 38. Kb3 Ne3 39. Rf2 Ng4 $11) (36. Ng3 Kxd5
$13 (36... Re3+ $5)) 36... Bxh4 37. Rxg4 {Giri releases the tension.} ({
He is not interested in continuing the complex struggle with} 37. c4 $5 Bg5 (
37... Ne3 $6 38. c5+ Kxd5 39. Nf4+ Kc6 40. Re2 Nxf1 41. Rxe8 $14 {activates
White's forces and gives him winning chances.}) (37... b5 $5 $13) 38. Rxg4 hxg4
39. Rxf7 Re7 (39... Re3+ 40. Kd4 Rxe2 $4 41. c5#) 40. Rxe7 Kxe7 41. c5 Kd7 42.
Kc4 Bh4 43. b5 axb5+ 44. Kxb5 g3 45. Nf4 Bf6 $11) 37... hxg4 38. Rxf7 b5 (38...
g3 39. Rxb7 (39. Rf4 g5 40. Rg4 Kxd5 $11 {/=/+}) 39... g5 40. Ra7 g2 41. Rxa6+
Kxd5 42. Ra1 Rf8 43. Rg1 {catches the o^, leading to a draw after} Rf3+ 44. Kd2
Rf2 45. Kd3 (45. Ke3 Kc4 46. b3+ Kxb3 47. b5 $11) 45... Rf3+ $11) 39. Rf4 g5 (
39... Bd8 $5 40. Rxg4 g5 $11) 40. Rxg4 Kxd5 41. Rd4+ ({After} 41. Nd4 Rf8 42.
b3 Rf1 $11 {Black gets sufficient <=>.}) 41... Kc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "URS-ch26 Final"]
[Site "Tbilisi"]
[Date "1959.01.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tal, Mihail"]
[Black "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Annotator "Tal/Koblencs"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1959.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "19"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2018"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.10.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.10.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {1) Tal/ Koblencs in the tournament bulletin. Reprinted in 2) Kirillov,V.
: Mikhail Tal 1949-1961.Riga. 1996. p.161-163.} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O (9. O-O-O) 9... Be7 (9...
b5 10. Bd5 exd5 11. Nc6 $1 Qb6 12. exd5 Ne5 13. Rae1 Bb7 14. Be3 Qc7 15. f4
Bxc6 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. dxc6 Be7 18. Bg5 b4 19. Nd5 {Mnatsakanian-Zurakhov,
URS-ch26 sf Rostov 1959} (19. Bxf6 $142)) (9... h6 10. Bh4 Be7 11. Rad1 Ne5 12.
Bb3 g5 13. Bg3 Bd7 14. f4 gxf4 15. Bxf4 Nh5 $2 16. Bxe5 $1 Qxe5 17. Kh1 Nf6 18.
Nf3 Qh5 19. e5 $1 dxe5 20. Ne4 $1 {Tal,M-Larsen,B Portoroz Interzonal 1958 (15)
1-0}) 10. Rad1 Nc5 (10... O-O 11. Nd5 $1) 11. Rfe1 Bd7 12. a3 Qc7 (12... Nfxe4
13. Nxe4 Qxd2 14. Bxd2 Nxe4 15. Rxe4 d5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Re2 Kf8 18. Bb4 $1
Bxb4 19. axb4 $16 {_|_}) 13. b4 Na4 (13... Ncxe4 14. Nxe4 Qxc4 15. Bxf6 gxf6
16. Nf5 $1) (13... b5 14. Ndxb5 axb5 15. Nxb5 Bxb5 16. Bxb5+ Ncd7 17. e5 $1) (
13... Rc8 14. bxc5 Qxc5 15. e5 $1 Qxc4 16. exf6 gxf6 17. Ne4 fxg5 18. Nf5) 14.
Nxa4 Bxa4 15. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 16. Nxe6 Qxc2 17. Qd4 Kf7 18. Rc1 Qa2 19. e5 $1 (19.
Nxg7 Kxg7 20. Rc7 Qe6 21. Bxf6+ Qxf6 22. Rxe7+ Kg6) 19... dxe5 (19... Qxe6 20.
exf6 Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Qd5+ Kf8 23. Qxb7 (23. Re6) 23... Re8 24. Qxa6 {
[%csl Ya3,Yb4]}) 20. Qxe5 Qxf2+ (20... Rhe8 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Rc7+ Kg8 23.
Rxg7+ $1) (20... Qd5 21. Qg3 $40 (21. Bxf6 Qxe5 22. Bxe5 Kxe6 23. Bxg7+ Kd7 (
23... Kf7 24. Bxh8 Rxh8 25. Rc7 Re8 26. Rxb7) 24. Bxh8 Rxh8 25. Rc3 $11 {Fritz}
)) 21. Kxf2 Ng4+ 22. Kg1 (22. Kg3 Nxe5 23. Rc7 Nd7 $1) 22... Nxe5 23. Rxe5 Bxg5
$1 (23... Rac8 24. Rf1+ Bf6 25. Nxg7 $1 $18) 24. Nxg5+ Kg6 (24... Kf6 25. Rcc5
Rhe8 26. Ne4+ $18) 25. Ne6 (25. Re6+ Kxg5 26. Rc5+ Kf4 27. Kf2 Bc6 $1 28. h3 (
28. g3+ Kg4 29. Rexc6 bxc6 30. Kg2 g5 $19) 28... Bxg2 $1) 25... Rhe8 26. Re3
Rac8 27. Rf1 Bb5 28. Rg3+ Kh6 29. Nxg7 Rf8 (29... Bxf1 $142 30. Nxe8 Rxe8 31.
Kxf1 $16) 30. Re1 Rf6 (30... Bd7 31. h3 Rf7 32. Re4 $18) 31. h3 Rc2 (31... Rg6
32. Nf5+ Kh5 33. Rge3 $18 {Fritz}) 32. Re4 Rc4 33. Re5 Rc1+ 34. Kh2 1-0

[Event "Corus-C"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2010.01.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vocaturo, Daniele"]
[Black "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2495"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "Tiviakov,S"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2010.01.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 134 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.03"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.03.03"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 e6 8.
Qe2 b5 9. Bb3 Nc5 10. O-O-O b4 $146 (10... h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Kb1 Nxb3 13.
axb3 Bd7 14. f4 Qxf4 15. Rhf1 Qe5 16. Qf3 f6 17. Nce2 g5 18. Qh5+ Ke7 19. Nc3
Be8 20. Qf3 Kf7 21. Qh5+ Kg7 22. Qh3 Bf7 23. Nc6 Qc5 24. Qf3 f5 25. exf5 Qxf5
26. Qe3 Qg6 27. Rf2 Be8 28. Nd4 Bd7 29. Rdf1 Be7 30. Nd5 Bd8 31. Nxe6+ Bxe6 32.
Qd4+ Kh7 33. Nf6+ Kg7 34. Nd7+ Kh7 35. Nf8+ Rxf8 36. Rxf8 Bg8 37. Rxg8 Qxg8 38.
Qe4+ Kg7 39. Qxa8 Qe8 40. Qb7+ Be7 41. Re1 Kf8 42. Qxa6 Qd7 43. Qa8+ Kg7 44.
Qd5 Bf6 45. Qe6 Qc7 46. Rf1 Be5 47. g3 Qb7 48. h4 Bxg3 49. hxg5 hxg5 50. Qf6+
Kh7 51. Qxg5 Be5 52. Rg1 Qg7 53. Qf5+ {1-0 Haucke,A-Bouroutzakis,G/Kiel 2001/
EXT 2003 (53)}) (10... Qc7 11. f4 (11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Rhe1 b4 13. Nd5 Bh6+ 14.
Ne3 Bb7 15. Kb1 Nxe4 16. Qh5 Bxe3 17. Nxe6 Qd7 18. Rxe3 Ke7 19. Nc5 dxc5 20.
Rxd7+ Kxd7 21. Qxf7+ Kc8 22. Bd5 Nd6 23. Qe6+ Kc7 24. Qe7+ Kc8 25. Qxd6 Rd8 26.
Be6+ {1-0 Zawadzka,J-Fedorchuk,S/Warsaw 2005/CBM 110 ext (26)}) 11... Bb7 12.
f5 b4 13. Na4 Nxb3+ 14. axb3 e5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nf3 Rc8 17. Kb1 Rg8 18. c4
Bc6 19. Rhe1 Qa5 20. Rd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 Kd7 22. Nd2 Be7 23. Ne4 Rg7 24. g4 Bd8
25. h3 Bb6 26. Nxf6+ Kc7 27. c5 Bxc5 28. Nxc5 dxc5 29. Qxe5+ Kb7 30. d6 Qb5 31.
d7 Rd8 32. Qe7 Qd3+ 33. Ka2 c4 34. Qxd8 Qxb3+ 35. Ka1 c3 36. Qc8+ Ka7 37. Qc7+
{1-0 Guid,M-Justin,M/Bled 2005/CBM 109 ext (37)}) 11. Na4 Nxb3+ 12. axb3 Bd7 (
12... Bb7 13. e5 Qa5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. exd6 $40) 13. e5 dxe5 14. Qxe5 Rc8 (
14... Be7 15. Nc5 (15. Nc6 $140 $6 Ng4) 15... Bxc5 16. Qxc5 Ne4 17. Bxd8 Nxc5
18. Ba5 Rb8 19. Rhe1 f6 20. f4 $14) 15. Rhe1 Be7 $2 (15... Qc7 16. Bxf6 (16.
Qxc7 Rxc7 $13) 16... gxf6 17. Qxf6 Rg8 18. g3 Be7 19. Qe5 Qxe5 20. Rxe5 $44)
16. Nf5 $1 $18 exf5 17. Nb6 (17. Rxd7 Qxd7 18. Nb6 Qe6 $1 19. Nxc8 Bc5 $11)
17... Rc7 (17... Be6 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Rd1 $18) 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Qxg7 Rf8 20.
Rxd5 f6 (20... Rxc2+ 21. Kxc2 Qc7+ 22. Kb1 Be6 23. Bxe7 $18) 21. Bxf6 Rf7 22.
Qg8+ Rf8 23. Qg5 1-0

[Event "GER-ch 70th"]
[Site "Bremen"]
[Date "1998.11.12"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Enders, Peter"]
[Black "Wahls, Matthias"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2485"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "Tyomkin,D"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1998.11.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 068"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 1]} 1. e4 {Hecht} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5
Nbd7 7. f4 g6 (7... e6 {-leads to the Naidorf.}) 8. Qf3 {The last game in this
line was in 1961 according my database.} Bg7 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. Kb1 O-O 11. Be2
Re8 {[%cal Ge7e5]} 12. h4 b5 (12... h6 13. Bxf6 (13. g4 hxg5 14. hxg5 Nh7 $17)
13... Nxf6 14. h5 $14) 13. h5 e5 14. fxe5 Rxe5 (14... dxe5 15. Nb3 Bb7 16. hxg6
hxg6 17. Qh3 $16 (17. Rhf1 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Rd1d7]} Rf8 $8)) 15. Bf4 Re8 16.
hxg6 fxg6 {The tactical fight is starting now.Both sides didn't play best
moves,but that's easy to judge from home moreover using analysis engines.} 17.
Ndxb5 $2 {[%mdl 64]} (17. e5 Bb7 (17... dxe5 18. Qxa8 exf4 (18... Bb7 19. Bxe5)
19. Nd5 $16) 18. exd6 Bxf3 19. dxc7 Bxg2 20. Rhg1 Bb7 {[%cal Gb5b4]}) 17...
axb5 18. Nxb5 Qa5 19. Bc4+ d5 $1 {I guess white understimated this move.} (
19... Kh8 20. Nxd6 $18) 20. exd5 (20. Rxd5 Nb6 21. Bc7 Qb4 $19) 20... Ba6 $2 (
20... Nb6 $1 21. Bc7 Bg4 $19) 21. Bc7 Bxb5 (21... Qb4 22. Qb3) 22. Bxa5 Bxc4 {
[%mdl 1024] Black has 3 light pieces for the queen and 3pawns.But the
advantage on black side because of the strong attack against white king.But
white "solves" all problems with the next move which lose at once.} 23. Bb4 $4
(23. Qc3 $1 Bxd5 24. Rhe1 Reb8 $40) 23... Bxa2+ $19 24. Kc1 Bc4 $1 (24... Bxd5
$2 25. Rxd5 Ra1+ 26. Kd2 Rxh1 27. Rxd7 $1) 25. Ba3 (25. Rde1 Ra1+ 26. Kd2 Rexe1
27. Rxe1 Bh6+ $19) 25... Be2 26. Qh3 Bg4 27. Qg3 Bxd1 28. Rxd1 Ne4 29. Qc7 Reb8
$1 {[%mdl 128]} 30. c4 (30. Qxd7 Bh6+ 31. Kb1 Nc3+ $19) 30... Ne5 {[%cal Rb8c8]
} 31. d6 Rc8 32. Qb7 Nxc4 33. d7 Bh6+ 34. Kb1 Ned2+ 35. Ka2 (35. Ka1 Rcb8 36.
Qd5+ Kh8 37. Rxd2 Nxd2 38. Qd4+ Bg7 39. Qxd2 Rxa3+ $19) (35. Kc1 Nf1+ 36. Kc2
Nfe3+ 37. Kd3 Rcb8 $19) 35... Rcb8 36. Qd5+ Kh8 37. Rxd2 Nxd2 {Hecht: '[#]
Taktik (Fesselung)!'} 38. Qd4+ {'?' Hecht.} (38. b4 $1 $44 {Hecht}) 38... Bg7
39. Qxd2 Rxb2+ 0-1

[Event "Najdorf Memorial 8th"]
[Site "Buenos Aires"]
[Date "1997.05.21"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Zarnicki, Pablo Adrian"]
[Black "Spangenberg, Hugo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "Tyomkin,D"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1997.05.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARG"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 060"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 e6 8.
O-O Qa5 9. Qd2 h6 10. Bh4 Ne5 (10... Be7 {and 10...g5 are the main
continuations in this position}) 11. Bb3 $6 $146 (11. Be2 {Tyomkin,D} g5 12.
Bg3 Be7 13. Kh1 Bd7 14. f4 gxf4 15. Bxf4 Rc8 16. Rad1 (16. Bxh6 $5 Neg4 (16...
Rxc3 17. bxc3 Nxe4 $132) 17. Bf4 Qb6 $1 $44 {[%cal Re6e5]} (17... e5 $140 18.
Nb3)) 16... Qc7 17. Nf3 (17. Bxh6 $6 {[%cal Gh6g7]} Neg4 18. Bxg4 Nxg4 19. Bf4
e5 20. Nd5 Qd8) 17... Bc6 18. Nxe5 dxe5 19. Bxh6 {1/2-1/2 Van den Berg,
C-Olafsson,F/Beverwijk 1959} (19. Bxh6 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. c3 Rd8 22. Qe3
$13)) 11... g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 $15 13. Ba4+ $2 b5 14. Bb3 (14. Ndxb5 $6 axb5 15.
Bxe5 dxe5 16. Bxb5+ Ke7 $15 {[%cal Ge7f6]}) (14. Bxe5 dxe5 15. Nc6 (15. Ndxb5 {
-14.Ndb5}) 15... Qc7 16. Rad1 {[%cal Yd2d8]} Bb7 17. Nxe5 bxa4) 14... Nxg3 15.
hxg3 Bg7 {^^} 16. Rad1 (16. a4 b4 17. Na2 Rb8 $15) 16... O-O 17. Qe2 {[%csl
Gc4]} Qb6 18. Kh1 {[%cal Gf2f4]} Qc5 {[%cal Ge5c4]} 19. f4 Nc4 20. Bxc4 bxc4 (
20... Bxd4 {This move wins a pawn,but white get's some initiative:} 21. Bb3
Bxc3 22. bxc3 Qxc3 23. Rd3 Qc5 24. Qh5 (24. Rfd1 $6 a5) 24... Kg7 (24... Bb7 $5
$13) 25. Rd5 $5 (25. Bd5 exd5 26. fxg5 Qc7 $1 {[%cal Yc7g7,Gh5h6,Gg5g6]} 27.
gxh6+ Kh7 28. Rdf3 f5 $1 29. exf5 (29. g4 dxe4) 29... Rf6) 25... exd5 26. fxg5
Qe3 (26... Qc3 27. Qxh6+ Kg8 28. g6 Qg7 29. gxf7+ Rxf7 30. Qxg7+ Kxg7 31. Rxf7+
Kxf7 32. Bxd5+ Be6 33. Bxa8 Bxa2 $17 {o^a}) 27. Qxh6+ Kg8 28. Bxd5 Be6 $11) 21.
e5 $2 {This is a beginning of the wrong action} dxe5 22. Ne4 Qc7 23. fxg5 (23.
fxe5 Bxe5 (23... Qxe5) 24. Nf6+ Bxf6 25. Rxf6 Kg7 $19 {[%cal Gc8b7]}) 23...
exd4 24. gxh6 Be5 25. Qh5 (25. Qg4+ Kh8 26. Nf6 Bxf6 27. Rxf6 Rg8 28. Qxd4 e5
$19) 25... f5 26. Rde1 Qf7 $1 (26... fxe4 $4 27. Qg6+ {[%csl Rf8]} Bg7 28. h7+
Kh8 29. Rxf8+ Bxf8 30. Qg8#) 27. Qh4 Bf6 28. Nxf6+ Qxf6 0-1

[Event "New York op"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1998.03.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Stripunsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Granda Zuniga, Julio E"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2475"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Tyomkin,D"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "1998.03.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 064"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.06.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.06.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 Qb6 8.
Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Nd5 Rb8 12. Rb3 Qa4 $2 {This is probably
losing by force.} (12... Qxa2 $142 13. Qb4 (13. Qc3 $5) 13... a5 (13... Qa1+
14. Kd2 $1 a5 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Nde6+ fxe6 17. Nxe6+ Ke8 18. Be2 $1 Rg8 $1 $146
{Tyomkin,D} (18... h5 19. Qb5 $18 {Van der Wiel})) 14. Qc3 e6 15. Bb5 a4 $2 (
15... exd5 16. O-O {[%cal Gf1a1] /\ Ra1 Van der Wiel} dxe4 17. Ra1 Qxa1+ 18.
Qxa1 $18) 16. Qc7 exd5 17. Qxb8 Kd8 18. Bxd7 Kxd7 19. Rxb7+ {1-0 Van der Wiel,
J-Danner,G/Luzern olm 1982}) 13. Bxa6 $1 $16 {/+-} (13. Rb4 {Tyomkin,D} Qa5 (
13... Qxa2 14. Qc3) 14. f5 Ne5 $2 (14... h5 $5) 15. Bxa6 h5 16. Bb5+ Bd7 17.
Bxd7+ Nxd7 18. Nc6 Bh6 19. Nxa5 Bxd2+ 20. Kxd2 Rg8 21. g3 e6 22. Nf4 Nc5 23.
Nxh5 {1-0 Rogulj,B-Nemet,I/Zagreb YUG ch 1977}) 13... e5 $146 (13... bxa6 14.
Qc3 $18 Qxb3 (14... Bb7 15. Rxb7) 15. cxb3 Bb7 16. Nc7+ Kd8 17. Qa5 Kc8 18. O-O
Bxe4 19. Rc1 Nc5 20. b4 e5 21. Nxa6 Rb7 22. bxc5 {1-0 Vitolinsh,A-Arakas/USSR
1978}) (13... Qxa2 14. Qc3 e6 15. Bxb7 $1 exd5 16. Bxc8 Rxb3 17. cxb3 $18) 14.
Rb4 Qxa2 (14... Qa5 15. Nb3 (15. Bb5 $5)) 15. Nb3 bxa6 {[%tqu "En","","","",
"d2c3","",10,"d2c3","",0]} 16. Qc3 $1 (16. Qc3 Ra8 $8 17. O-O a5 18. Rb5 {
[%cal Rb5a5]} a4 19. Nc1 $18) 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2013.08.17"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2719"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Vachier Lagrave,M"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2013.08.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 156"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {I had directed
most of my preparation for the World Cup towards my Black openings with Slav
and Caro-Kann, which meant I had to be clever with White and try to surprise
my opponents. I had almost never played the critical 6.Bg5 against the Najdorf,
while at the same time spending a couple of days from time to time to check
this position from the black side, meaning that my workload during the free
day, though quite important, was manageable.} Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qb6 8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2
Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 Qc7 12. Kb1 h6 (12... O-O 13. f4 h6 14. h4 $1 {
this is very good for White, as Rublevsky has shown in recent years via the
Sozin variation 6.Bc4, and against me in Warsaw most recently:} b5 15. e5 dxe5
16. fxe5 Nh7 (16... Ng4 17. Qf4 $1 $40) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne4 $1 $16 Bb7 19.
Nxc5 Qxc5 20. g4 Qe7 21. Qh2 Rfd8 22. g5 hxg5 23. hxg5 Qxg5 24. Rg1 Qe3 25. c3
Be4+ 26. Ka1 Bg6 27. Rxg6 fxg6 28. Bxe6+ Kh8 29. Rh1 Qh6 30. Qg2 {1-0
Rublevsky,S (2688) Vachier Lagrave,M (2711)/Warsaw POL 2012/The Week in Chess
945}) 13. Bh4 b5 {This is premature but I spent a lot of time here as I
couldn't remember the useful content of my work the day before.} ({Instead I
had mainly focused on} 13... O-O 14. Bg3 b5 (14... Nh5 $6 15. Nf5 $1 {again}
Nxg3 (15... exf5 $2 16. Nd5 Qd8 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Bxd6 Nxb3 19. axb3 Qd8 20.
Bxf8 Qxf8 21. Qa5 $16) 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. hxg3 $14) 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxe5 Qb6 {
with a double-edged position.}) 14. Bd5 $6 (14. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 15. Nf5 {a
typical manoeuvre that works well here.} exf5 (15... Nb7 $5 16. Nxd6+ Qxd6 (
16... Nxd6 17. e5 $1 $14) 17. Qxd6 Nxd6 18. e5 $1 {otherwise Black has
definite compensation for the pawn, so White is well advised to open the
e-file and get play for all his pieces, especially the Bb3.} Bh4 19. exd6 Bxf2
20. Re2 $14) 16. Nd5 Qd8 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. e5 $1 {the critical move that I
didn't manage to keep in mind.} dxe5 (18... Qd8 19. exd6+ Ne6 20. Bxe6 $1 Bxe6
(20... fxe6 21. Qd5 Ra7 22. Rxe6+ Bxe6 23. Qxe6+ Kf8 24. d7 {Black has no
defence here as his pieces are too badly coordinated:} g6 25. Qd6+ Kf7 26. Qd5+
Kg7 27. Qd4+ $18) 21. d7+ Ke7 22. g4 $1 {weakening even more Black's king} fxg4
23. Qb4+ Kf6 24. Rd6 {with a relentless attack.}) 19. Rxe5+ Be6 (19... Ne6 $2
20. Qd6 $18) 20. Rxc5 {with a clear edge.}) 14... Bb7 $6 {This is a mistake,
Leinier probably didn't overlook the strong white follow-up as it is typical,
but I suppose he thought with so many exchanges it couldn't work so well for
White.} (14... Rb8 {I thought this was by far the best move for Black, after
which I probably would have gone for} 15. Bc6+ Bd7 (15... Kf8 $6 16. a3 {
is the quiet option, maybe objectively best} (16. e5 dxe5 17. Bg3 $1 Ncd7 $1 {
this seems dangerous for Black but it might be playable}) 16... b4 $2 17. axb4
Rxb4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Nd5 $16) 16. Bxd7+ Ncxd7 $1 (16... Qxd7 17. Nb3 Nxb3 18.
axb3 {and White has the initiative as he is is safe and Black has to lose time
to protect the d6-pawn with} Rd8 19. f4 $14) 17. f4 b4 18. Na4 O-O {with
unclear play.}) 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 (15... Nxb7 16. f4 O-O (16... Nxe4 $6 17. Rxe4
Bxh4 18. Nd5 $18) 17. e5 {here White is clearly better after} Ne4 $8 18. Rxe4
Bxh4 19. Nf3 Be7 20. f5 $1 exf5 21. Nd5 $16) 16. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 (16... Bxf6 17.
Nf5 $1 {and after} exf5 18. exf5+ Kf8 19. Qxd6+ Be7 20. Qe5 Re8 21. Nd5 Nd7 22.
Qe4 {Black has no good defence. Looking from here it is quite obvious that
Black cannot afford to play this but a few moves earlier it was not so obvious
to imagine that White's attack could take such gigantic proportions despite
the low number of minor pieces.}) 17. Qe3 {Here it is clear that I am much
better as Black has a lot of weaknesses and very little counterplay. Still I
have to play precisely in the next few moves to avoid letting Black regroup.}
O-O-O 18. Nb3 (18. Nd5 {Of course I considered this move that the computer
likes but I missed that after} exd5 19. exd5 Rd7 20. Nc6 Bd8 21. Qg3 $1 {
22.Qg7 trapping Black's rook is suddenly a very serious threat. But in any
case in a practical game it makes sense to gradually improve my position here
instead of immediately throwing my pieces forward at the risk of giving Black
some counterplay.}) 18... Nd7 (18... Nxb3 19. axb3 Kb8 20. f4 {with a textbook
advantage for White. But maybe it was objectively best because of White's
strong reply in the game.}) (18... Kb8 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Qxh6
$16) 19. a4 $1 {I am not a big fan of committal moves when they are not needed
in a clearly better position, but I wanted to avoid the annoying possibility
of Ne5-c4, and I finally came to the conclusion that I was taking much less of
a risk with the opening of the queenside.} b4 20. Na2 Ne5 21. Qe2 $1 {Now
Black's knight is repelled and I get the opportunity to attack all of Black's
weaknesses: a6, b4, e6 and f7 are potentially in trouble!} Rd7 (21... Kb8 22.
f4 Nc6 23. Qh5 $1 Rhf8 24. Re2 $16) 22. f4 Nc6 23. f5 $1 {Again the right
decision, though an easy one. Black's position is on the edge of falling apart
completely.} exf5 24. Nd4 (24. exf5 d5 25. Nac1 {I missed this regrouping
using the now weak c5-square and apparently Black's position is rather
hopeless here. At the same time I like the text move which makes good use of
all of Black's weaknesses.}) 24... Nxd4 25. Rxd4 a5 26. Rd5 Bd8 (26... fxe4 27.
Qc4+ $1 {a cute zwischenzug that I didn't really consider prior to taking on
e4, but after} Rc7 28. Qxe4 {Black cannot defend a5 anymore, and White also
gets the possibility of checking on f5 first. The position is hopeless for
Black.}) 27. Rxf5 Re8 28. Rb5 Qc6 29. Nc1 $1 {After my knight joins the party
all of Black's weaknesses are likely to be too much to handle.} Re5 (29... Rde7
30. Qf3 (30. Qg4+ Qd7 31. Qf3 $16 {was my intention}) 30... Rxe4 31. Rd1 Rc4
32. Rd4 $1 {I will not pretend that I saw this move over the board, but it is
clear that tactics are very likely to favour White in such a nice positional
situation.} Re4 (32... Rxc2 33. Qf5+) 33. Qf5+ Kc7 34. Rxc4 Rxc4 35. Rxa5 $16)
30. Nb3 Rxb5 31. axb5 Qb6 32. Rd1 $1 {And the knight arrives with decisive
effect indeed.} a4 33. Nd4 Qc5 34. Nc6 Bb6 35. Rd4 b3 36. cxb3 axb3 37. Rc4
Qg1+ 38. Rc1 Qe3 39. Nd4+ Qxc1+ 40. Kxc1 Bxd4 {The smoke has cleared and Black
does not come close to managing any kind of blockade here.} 41. Qd3 Be5 42. h4
{A potentially passed h-pawn is an asset that should be kept dearly under most
circumstances.} Rc7+ 43. Kd1 Bxb2 44. Qxb3 Be5 (44... Bd4 45. Qd5 Bc5 46. Qa8+
Kd7 47. Qf8 $18) 45. Qd5 $1 {And now Black doesn't manage to blockade the
b-pawn with the king, and after...} Kb8 46. b6 Re7 47. g4 Bg3 48. Qc6 {...he
has no move against the king's journey to a6, followed by b7 and mate.} f5 49.
exf5 Bxh4 50. f6 $1 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 177"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $5 {An
interesting attempt to delay e7-e6 and change the move order from the regular
Najdorf theory.} 7. Bc4 $1 {The most principled reply.} ({For some time
everybody went gaga over} 7. Qe2 {but this move gets more credit for its edgy
unorthodox appearance than it really deserves for its quality.} h6 8. Bxf6 Nxf6
9. O-O-O e5 $1 {A true Najdorf reply!} 10. Nf5 g6 11. Ne3 Be6 {White has no
attack, and for the slow plans of controlling the pace of events through
occupation of the d5-square his king really doesn't belongs in the queenside.})
({And} 7. f4 {is inaccurate:} Qc7 {White never gets to place his bishop on c4,
which has always been considered the best weapon against Black's setup with
Nbd7.} 8. Qf3 b5 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. Bd3 {and...} g6 $1 {Welcome to the Dragon's
Den, courtesy of the late, great Vugar Gashimov.}) 7... Qb6 8. O-O (8. Bb3 {
appear the most logical, but White cannot quite transpose to the regular lines
of Bg5 Najdorf.} e6 9. Qd2 {This is more like a Richter-Rauser attack of the
Classical with a pinch of Fischer's Sozin Bc4-b3 thrown in.} ({if} 9. f4 Be7 {
then White cannot place his queen on f3.}) 9... Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 O-O
12. f4 h6 13. h4 {was played by Andreikin, but Dmitry's opening choices are
not to be always taken for granted.}) (8. Qd2 $5 {is a Poisoned Pawn combined
with Bc4. Velimirovic would be ecstatic!} Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. O-O Qc5 11. Bd5 {
We follow a recent game Tsydypov-Yu Yangyi which I witnessed at Hainan
International just a month ago.} e6 12. Rfe1 Ne5 (12... Qc7 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14.
Nxe6) 13. Na4 Qc7 14. Nb6 Rb8 15. f4 {Black's position came under considerable
pressure.}) 8... Qc5 ({Recently Black tried (and survived!)} 8... Qxb2 9. Nd5
Nxd5 10. Rb1 Qc3 11. Bxd5 Qc7 {One wonders what the Chinese GM analytical team
has up their collective sleeve.}) 9. Bd5 e6 ({Call me a coward, but I'd choose
} 9... g6 10. Qd2 Bg7 11. Rad1 O-O {just to play a game of chess, not some
memory contest.}) 10. Re1 Be7 11. Be3 Qa5 12. Bxe6 {It figures. This typical
sac has been tested in practice with good results since 2014. The ownership
belongs to Belorus GM Sergey Azarov.} ({Previously Wei Yi played} 12. Bb3 {
and didn't get much:} Nc5 13. f3 Qc7 14. a4 Nxb3 15. Nxb3 b6 {Wei Yi-Xu
Yinglun, China Team Ch 2015}) 12... fxe6 13. Nxe6 Nc5 {It only took Loek 50
minutes to come up with this over-the-board innovation. In reality it's not
such a good move, but additional value is placed on a surprise factor. Nobody
wants to let his opponent just follow his computer-approved preparation all
the way to victory.} ({Like it or not, Black has to follow the main line,} 
13... Kf7 14. Ng5+ Ke8 (14... Kg8 15. b4 $1 Qe5 (15... Qxb4 16. Nd5) 16. Qd3 h6
17. f4) 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Ne5 (16... Nf6 17. Bd4 Kf8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qh5
{was an Azarov quick kill against Xiong in 2014. Rest assured Jeffery doesn't
lose games in this fashion any more!}) 17. Bf4 Bf6 18. Ne4 Qc7 {
Adhiban-Swiercz, 2014 is a reference game, but to my eye Black's position
stops inspiring any confidence once you recall that he had already moved his
king and therefore cannot castle}) 14. b4 ({We can also look at} 14. Nxg7+ Kf7
15. Nd5 Kxg7 16. Nxe7 {Black's position is just hopeless here.} Qc7 17. Nd5
Nxd5 18. exd5 {etc.}) 14... Qxb4 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. N3d5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Qa3 18.
Nb6 {The one and only miss by Wei Yi in the whole game.} (18. Qf3 $1 {would
make this a typical van Wely Najdorf miniature loss in Wijk aan Zee
tournaments - I recall he had three of those in 2010 alone.} Rf8 (18... Qa5 19.
Qf7 Bf6 20. Bg5 Bxg5 21. Qxg7) 19. Qg3 Qa5 (19... Be6 20. Nxe7 Kxe7 21. Bg5+ {
and there goes the queen.}) 20. Qxg7 Re8 21. Bg5) ({Also, there was the pretty
strong} 18. e5) 18... Rb8 19. Nc4 Qb4 20. Nxd6 Nd3 $1 21. Qxd3 {Wei Yi is
still very young but his play shows maturity. Here he goes for a technical
solution, hoping to win slowly but surely.} (21. Nf7+ Ke8 22. Qh5 g6 23. Qd5 {
seems murky when you sit at the board.}) 21... Qxd6 22. Qxd6+ Bxd6 23. Rad1 Kc7
24. Rxd6 Kxd6 25. Bf4+ Ke6 26. Bxb8 {Just like this we have arrived at an
ending Black may or may not lose. Of course, Loek had maybe a minute left on
his clock and was all but mentally spent.} Bd7 27. Ba7 Rc8 28. Rc1 Rc4 29. f3
Ra4 30. Ra1 Rc4 31. c3 b5 32. a3 a5 {No, not this.} (32... Rxc3 33. Bd4 Rc2 34.
Bxg7 a5 {offers some counterchances.}) 33. Bb6 Ra4 34. Bd4 g6 35. Kf2 g5 36.
Ke3 Bc6 37. Kd2 h5 38. Kc2 b4 $6 {This offers White an easy expressway ride to
victory.} (38... h4 {had to be played to be able to trade the h-pawns once
White begins to make his connected passers.}) 39. cxb4 axb4 40. axb4 Rxb4 41.
Kc3 Ra4 42. Rxa4 Bxa4 43. g3 $1 h4 44. f4 gxf4 (44... hxg3 45. f5+ $1 (45. hxg3
$2 gxf4 46. gxf4 Bc6 47. f5+ Kf7 48. Kd3 Bb7 49. Ke3 Bc6 50. e5 Bd7 $11 {
is what Every Russian Schoolboy Knows about opposite-coloured bishop endings.})
45... Kf7 46. hxg3 {having saved his g-pawn White is happy to trade e- and
f-passers for the black bishop.}) 45. gxf4 {Same story here, because White's
bishop is of the right colour for the remaining rook pawn.} h3 46. Kd2 Kd6 47.
Ke3 Bc2 48. f5 Kc6 49. Kf4 Bd3 50. Bb2 Bc2 51. e5 Kd5 52. Kg5 Bd3 53. e6 1-0