[Event "Ashdod"]
[Site "Ashdod"]
[Date "2004.12.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2697"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2004.12.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 105"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.04.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 Nc6 10. d5 Bxc3+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Qxd2 Na5 13. h4 Bg4 14. Ng5
Bxe2 15. Kxe2 e6 16. h5 Nc4 17. Qc1 exd5 {About this line-see CBM92,
annotations to Bacrot-Popovic.} 18. hxg6 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (18. Nxh7 $6 Re8 $1
19. hxg6 Rxe4+ 20. Kf1 Rh4 21. Rxh4 (21. Rh3 $5 Rxh3 22. gxh3 Qh4 23. Qc3)
21... Qxh4 22. Kg1 Ne5 23. g3 (23. gxf7+ Kxh7 24. Qxc5 Kg7 $17 {1-0 Bacrot,
E-Popovic,P/Chalkidiki 2002/CBM 092/[Krasenkow] (27)}) 23... Qe7 24. Qh6 Nxg6
25. Rxb7 Qe1+ 26. Kg2 Qe4+ 27. Kg1 Qe1+ 28. Kg2 Qe4+ 29. Kf1 Qd3+ 30. Kg1 Qf5
31. Rb3 c4 32. Re3 d4 33. g4 $2 (33. Re4 $1 Rb8 34. Ng5 Qf6 35. Qh7+ Kf8 36.
Qh5 Qh8 $1 $17) 33... Qxg4+ 34. Rg3 Qf5 $19 {0-1 Ernst,S-L'Ami,E/Groningen NED
2004/The Week in Chess 530 (41)}) 18... fxg6 19. Rxh7 $1 {Correct. Both kings
are now under attack - the question is whose attack will succeed first.} (19.
Rxb7 Qf6 (19... Rb8 $2 20. Rbxh7) 20. f4 h5 $17 {[%csl Re2]}) 19... Qf6 20. f4
b6 21. Rb3 {[%cal Yb3h3]} (21. Rd7 $5 {[%cal Yd7d5]}) 21... Rae8 22. Rbh3 Re7
23. R7h6 $1 (23. Rxe7 Qxe7 24. Qc3 Qf6 $1 $17) 23... Nd6 {[%cal Yd6f7,Yd6e4]
This leads to an almost forced win for White.} (23... Rfe8 $5 {[%cal Ye7e4]}
24. Kf2 $3 Qd4+ (24... Rxe4 $2 25. Rh8+ $1) 25. Kg3 $40) 24. Qd2 $1 (24. e5 Nf7
25. Nxf7 Kxf7 $17) 24... d4 (24... dxe4 $2 25. Qxd6 $1 $18) 25. Qd3 $1 {
[%cal Re4e5]} Nf7 (25... Rfe8 26. Kd1 $1 Rxe4 27. Nxe4 (27. Rh1 $5 $18 {
[%cal Rd3h3]}) 27... Rxe4 28. f5 Qxf5 29. Rxg6+ Qxg6 30. Rg3 Kf7 31. Rxg6 Kxg6
32. Qg3+ $18 {1-0 Belov,V-Knott,S/Hastings ENG 2005/The Week in Chess 530 (45)}
) 26. Qc4 $18 {[%cal Re4e5] The pin is deadly.} d3+ 27. Rxd3 b5 28. Qd5 Re5 $1
(28... c4 29. Rdh3 Qb2+ 30. Kf3 Qc3+ 31. Kg4 $18) 29. fxe5 Qxg5 30. e6 $2 ({
White fails to calculate the winning line} 30. Rdh3 $1 Qxg2+ 31. Kd1 Qf1+ 32.
Kc2 Qe2+ 33. Kc1 Qe1+ 34. Kb2 Qe2+ (34... Qb4+ 35. Kc2 Qa4+ 36. Kc1) 35. Ka3 $1
(35. Kb3 Qc4+ $1) 35... b4+ 36. Ka4 Qa6+ 37. Kb3 c4+ (37... Qa3+ 38. Kc2) 38.
Kc2 Qxa2+ (38... b3+ 39. Kd1) 39. Kd1 Qb1+ 40. Ke2 Qc2+ 41. Kf3 Qd3+ $1 (41...
Qc3+ 42. Kg4) 42. Kf2 $3 (42. Kg4 $2 Qe2+ $11) 42... Qc2+ 43. Kg3 Qc3+ 44. Kg4
$18) 30... Qxh6 (30... Qxg2+ 31. Kd1 Qg1+ 32. Kc2 Nxh6 33. e7+ Nf7 34. Rd1 Qe3
35. Qe6 $1 $18) 31. Rf3 $1 Qh2 $2 {This loses at once.} (31... Qg7 $142 32.
exf7+ Rxf7 33. e5 $16 {[%csl Ge5]}) 32. e7 $1 Qxg2+ 33. Rf2 Qg4+ 34. Kd2 Qc8
35. Rxf7 Rxf7 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Qxc8 Rxe7 38. Ke3 1-0

[Event "GRE-chT 34th"]
[Site "Ermioni Argolidas"]
[Date "2005.07.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Azmaiparashvili, Zurab"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2652"]
[BlackElo "2672"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2005.07.04"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 107 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nd7 5. Nc3 Ngf6 6. e4 e5 7. O-O O-O 8. h3
c6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 b5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Qd6 Bb7 13. a4 a6 14. Rfd1 Re8 15.
Ne1 Kh7 16. f3 Bf8 17. Qd2 Qc7 18. Qf2 Nh5 19. Nd3 b4 20. Nb1 c5 21. b3 c4 22.
bxc4 Qxc4 23. Nd2 Qxc2 24. Rac1 Qa2 25. Rc7 Bc8 26. Nc4 Qxf2+ 27. Bxf2 Kg8 28.
f4 Ng7 29. f5 Rb8 30. g4 b3 31. Rb1 gxf5 32. exf5 e4 33. Nf4 e3 34. Bxe3 Rxe3
35. Nxe3 Bd6 36. Rc4 Nb6 37. Rd4 Bc5 38. Rd8+ Kh7 39. Rxb3 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-37"]
[Site "Turin"]
[Date "2006.06.04"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B66"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2006.05.21"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 113"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.07.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.07.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Russia"]
[BlackTeam "Israel"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ISR"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. e5 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nd7 13. h4 g4 14. Qe2 Rg8
15. Qd3 Rb8 16. Qh7 Rg7 17. Qh8 Qa5 18. Rd3 d4 19. Rxd4 Rxb2 20. Kd2 Nb6 21.
Bd3 Nd5 22. Rc4 Bb7 23. Re1 Rb4 24. Ree4 c5 25. a3 Rxc4 26. Rxc4 Nb6 27. Rf4
Nd5 28. Rc4 Nb6 29. Rf4 c4 30. Rxc4 Nxc4+ 31. Bxc4 Be4 32. Qxh6 Rh7 33. Qe3 Bh6
34. Bf4 Bxf4 35. Qxf4 Bg6 36. g3 Rh5 37. Qxg4 Rxe5 38. Qd4 Rc5 39. f4 Ke7 40.
g4 Rc6 41. Bd3 Bxd3 42. cxd3 Rc7 43. g5 Qxa3 44. Qf6+ Ke8 45. Qh8+ Kd7 46. Ne2
Qb4+ 47. Ke3 Rc2 48. Qh5 Qd2+ 49. Kd4 Ke7 50. Qf3 Qxe2 51. Qb7+ Kf8 0-1

[Event "Biel GM"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2007.07.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Bu, Xiangzhi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "Avrukh,B"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2007.07.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 $5 {Usually my opponent prefers 3...Nf6, but as
I noticed during my preparation 3...dxc4 has been tried in his practice a few
times.} 4. e4 ({Another option is} 4. e3) 4... b5 5. a4 b4 6. Na2 Nf6 7. e5 Nd5
8. Bxc4 e6 9. Nf3 Be7 10. Bd2 {Obviously White cannot fight for the advantage
with such a badly placed N on a2.} a5 11. Nc1 Nd7 12. Nb3 Bb7 13. Qe2 {A
relatively rare continuation.} (13. O-O {is considered to be the main move in
this position.}) 13... O-O {I wouldn't say this is an inaccuracy, but it
simply allows White an additional option.} ({Black could have played} 13... c5
{, then White has to play} 14. O-O O-O 15. Bd3 Qb6 (15... cxd4 16. Rfc1 Qb6 17.
Nbxd4 Rfc8 18. Bb5 Nf8 19. g3 Rc7 20. Rxc7 Nxc7 21. Bd3 Rd8 22. Re1 $13 {
1/2-1/2 Yakovich,Y-Sadler,M/Pula 1997/CBM 057 ext/[Huebner,R] (42)}) 16. Rfe1
Ba6 17. Rac1 Rfc8 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. Bxa6 Rxa6 {1/2-1/2 Dobrov,
V-Dieb fritz,D/playchess.com 2005/CBM 106 ext (41)}) 14. Bd3 $5 $146 {A new
move, which has been found over the board.} c5 15. Qe4 {The point of my
previous move. My idea was to force Black to play g6, weakening the dark
squares around the king, which might be useful for White in the middlegame.} ({
Another interesting alternative would have been the typical} 15. h4 {but it
didn't appeal to me, due to the following line:} cxd4 16. Qe4 ({Doesn't work} 
16. Bxh7+ $2 Kxh7 17. Ng5+ Kg8 18. Qh5 N5f6 $19) 16... f5 $1 (16... g6 17. h5
Qb6 18. hxg6 (18. Qg4 Ba6 19. Bxg6 Kh8) 18... fxg6 19. Qg4 Rf7 20. Bh6 {
looks very risky for Black.}) 17. exf6 N7xf6 18. Qxe6+ Kh8 19. O-O (19. Nbxd4
Nc7 20. Qc4 Ng4 $44) 19... Ne3 $1 20. fxe3 Bd5 21. Qf5 dxe3 22. Bxe3 Bxb3 $11)
(15. O-O Qb6) 15... f5 $2 {But this came as a shock to me, I don't know what
he was afraid of after the natural 15...g6, while the game-move is already a
decisive mistake!} (15... g6 $142 {[%csl Rf6,Rg7,Rh6]} 16. Bh6 ({The point
that after} 16. h4 {[%cal Gh4h5] Black has a very strong (maybe he missed that)
} Rc8 $1 {[%cal Gc5c4]} ({After} 16... Qc7 17. h5 {it seems to me the
complications in White's favour} c4 18. Rc1 $1 Nc3 (18... c3 19. Bh6 $1 $40 (
19. hxg6 fxg6 20. Qg4 Rf5 21. bxc3 bxc3 $13)) 19. Qe3 cxd3 20. bxc3 Bxf3 21.
cxb4 Qb7 22. Qxf3 Qxf3 23. gxf3 Bxb4 (23... axb4 24. Rc7 Rfd8 25. a5 $16) 24.
Bxb4 axb4 25. a5 $16) 17. Qe2 (17. h5 $2 c4 18. hxg6 (18. Bb1 cxb3) 18... fxg6
19. Rxh7 (19. Bb1 Rf5 $19) 19... Nf4 $1 $19) 17... cxd4 18. h5 Nc5 19. Nxc5
Bxc5 20. hxg6 fxg6 $15) 16... Re8 17. O-O Qb6 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 $13 {
with a complicated game.}) 16. exf6 N7xf6 17. Qxe6+ Kh8 18. Ne5 $1 {A very
strong move, which secures White's advantage.} ({Things are far from clear
after obvious} 18. O-O Nb6 $1 {threatening 19...Bd5} 19. Rfe1 c4 20. Bxc4 Bd6
$1 (20... Nxc4 21. Qxc4 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Bd6 23. Bg5 $16) 21. Ne5 (21. Ng5 Bxh2+
22. Kxh2 Qc7+ 23. Kg1 Nxc4 24. Qh3 Rfe8 $44) 21... Nxc4 (21... Bxe5 22. dxe5
Re8 23. exf6 Rxe6 24. fxg7+ Kxg7 25. Bxe6 $16) 22. Qxc4 (22. Nxc4 Bxh2+ $1 23.
Kxh2 Bd5 24. Qe2 Ne4 $44 {[%csl Gf2,Gh2][%cal Gd8h4]}) 22... Bd5 23. Qd3 Bxe5
24. dxe5 Ng4 25. Be3 Nxe5 26. Qd1 $14) 18... Bc8 ({It's difficult to suggest
an improvement, since} 18... Nb6 19. dxc5 (19. O-O $2 Bd5 20. Qh3 c4) (19. Qh3
c4 $13) 19... Nbd7 20. Nxd7 Bd5 21. Qh3 Qxd7 22. Bf5 Qc7 23. O-O $16 {leaves
White with a healthy extra pawn, or}) (18... cxd4 19. Qh3 (19. Nf7+ Rxf7 20.
Qxf7 Qd6 $19 {/\ 21...Rf8}) 19... Bc8 (19... Kg8 20. Bxh7+ Nxh7 21. Qe6+ Kh8
22. Ng6#) 20. Qh4 Kg8 21. O-O Bd6 22. Qxd4 $16) 19. Qc6 $1 {This is stronger
than} (19. Nf7+ Rxf7 20. Qxf7 Ra7 21. Bg5 Rc7 22. O-O c4 23. Bxc4 Rxc4 24. Rfc1
Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 $14) 19... Rb8 ({After} 19... Nc7 20. O-O cxd4 21. Rfe1 {
anyway Black is going to lose d4-pawn, for example} Be6 (21... Bd6 22. Bf4 Nfd5
23. Bg3 $16) 22. Bc4 $16) (19... Ra7 20. Nxc5 Bd6 21. Rc1 $16 (21. O-O Rc7 22.
Qb5 Rxc5 $1)) 20. O-O $16 {Finally we can see that White managed to keep his
extra pawn while Black didn't manage to get sufficient counterplay. It's funny,
but White's Q on c6 is very well placed, disturbing Black pieces to get into
play.} Bb7 (20... Rb6 21. Qa8 $1 {A very good square for the Q!} Bd6 22. Qxa5
$18) (20... Ng4 21. Rae1 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Nxe5 23. Rxe5 Bb7 24. Qe6 Nf6 25. Be3
$16) 21. Qe6 Bc8 22. Nf7+ {Forced, but quite strong} Rxf7 23. Qxf7 Rb7 24. Bg5
$1 $18 {The winning move, now White keeps a huge material advantage.} ({After} 
24. Ba6 $6 Rc7 25. Bxc8 Qxc8 26. Rae1 c4 {Black gets some counterplay} 27. Nxa5
Bf8 28. Qe6 Qa8 {[%csl Ga5]}) 24... Bd6 25. Qh5 $1 {[%csl Gd8,Gg5] The rest
doesn't require any special comments. White is absolutely winning.} c4 26. Bxc4
Qc7 27. Qe2 Bxh2+ 28. Kh1 Nf4 29. Qe5 Qxc4 30. Rac1 Qg8 31. Bxf4 Ng4 32. Qe4
Bxf4 33. Qxf4 Rf7 $2 {A final blunder, which of course doesn't change nothing.}
34. Qxf7 $1 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0708"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2007.12.08"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Sargissian, Gabriel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]
[BlackElo "2673"]
[Annotator "Avrukh,B"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.10.20"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 123"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.04.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.04.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Remagen"]
[BlackTeam "Kreuzberg"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 d5 {Usually Gabriel plays the Nimzo/Queen's Indian system, but recently
I noticed, that Aronian has started to play the Slav Defence with Black and
since it's not a secret that my opponent works permanently with him I was
prepared for this opening.} 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4
7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 {Recently the most fashionable tabya in the Slav
Defence.} 10. h4 ({The alternative is} 10. O-O {, but I like the text more.})
10... g4 11. Ne5 h5 ({A few months before, I lost a very important (last round)
game to Vladimir Akopian, where he opted for another, less popular line:} 11...
Rg8 12. Nxg4 Nbd7) 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. b3 $5 {A
relatively unexplored move.} ({The main line would have been} 15. Rad1) ({also
} 15. Bg3 {which has been tried by Grischuk and Aronian is very interesting.})
15... cxb3 (15... b4 $2 16. Na4 {[%csl Gc5]} c3 17. a3 a5 18. Nc5 Qe7 19. axb4
axb4 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Ra1 O-O 22. Ra4 $16 {[%csl Gb4]}) 16. axb3 O-O 17. Bg3
$5 $146 {An intersting novelty, although the idea of the pawn sacrifice is
well-known. White clears a path for his e-pawn, intending to play e4-e5,
followed by Ne4.} ({Before White has tried} 17. Rad1) ({or} 17. Rfd1) 17... b4
$6 {Definitely not the best reaction; all three other moves deserve serious
consideration:} (17... Qxd4 {looks like the most critical continuation} 18.
Rfd1 {here it's important to keep the rook on the a-file} Qb4 $5 (18... Qb6 19.
e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 $36 {[%cal Ge4g5]}) (18... Qc5 19. Bd6 Qb6 20. e5 $1 {with very
interesting play.} (20. Bxf8 $6 Rxf8 $15)) 19. Bd6 c5 20. Bxf8 Rxf8 (20... Bxf8
$140 $2 21. e5 Nd5 22. Nxb5 Nf4 23. Bc4 $1 $16 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Ga1a4]}) 21. e5
(21. Rxa7 Bxe4 $13) 21... Nd5 22. Nxb5 Nf4 23. Ra4 Nxe2+ 24. Qxe2 Qxb3 $44) (
17... c5 $5 18. e5 (18. dxc5 b4 19. Rad1 Qc8 20. Nb5 Nxe4 {should be fine for
Black.}) 18... Nd5 $13) (17... Nd7 $5) 18. Na4 {[%csl Gb7,Gc5]} Nd7 (18... Qxd4
$2 19. e5 Nd5 20. Rad1 $18) 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Nc5 ({Another interesting
alternative would have been} 20. f3 $5 {playing for the attack on the K-side.}
gxf3 (20... f5 21. exf5 exf5 22. Rfe1 $36 {[%cal Ge2c4]}) 21. Rxf3 $1 (21. Bxf3
e5 (21... f5 22. Bxh5 $14) 22. dxe5 Nxe5 23. Bxh5 Ba6 $13 {Black has
counterplay.}) 21... Rad8 (21... e5 22. Rf5 exd4 23. Rxh5 Ne5 24. Nc5 Bc8 25.
Rg5 $36) 22. Bf2 {[%cal Gf3g3] with promising play for White.}) 20... Nxc5 21.
dxc5 Rfd8 $2 {This natural move seems to me already the decisive mistake.} (
21... e5 22. Rd6 $16) ({Black should have tried} 21... a5 $142 $1 {with the
idea of activating his light-squared bishop via the a6-square.} 22. Rd6 (22. f3
gxf3 23. Bxf3 Ba6 24. Rf2 (24. Rfe1 Bc3) 24... Bb5 25. Bxh5 a4 $132) ({The
point is, that} 22. Bd6 $140 Qxh4 {is quite good for Black.} 23. g3 Qg5 24.
Bxf8 Bxf8 $44) 22... a4 23. bxa4 Ba6 {still after} 24. Rxc6 {I believe White
keeps some advantage.} (24. Bxa6 Rxa6 25. Qc4 Qb7 $11) 24... b3 25. Qd1 Rfd8 (
25... Bxe2 26. Qxe2 Rxa4 27. Bd6 Qxh4 28. g3 (28. Bxf8 $2 g3 29. fxg3 Bd4+ $19)
28... Qd8 29. Bxf8 Bxf8 30. Qb5 Rxe4 31. Qxb3 $16) 26. Bd6 Bxe2 27. Qxe2 Qxh4
28. Rb6 $14) 22. Rd6 $1 Bd4 (22... e5 23. Qd2 {[%csl Gb4]} Rxd6 (23... a5 24.
f3 $1 gxf3 25. Rxf3 $16 {[%cal Ge2c4]}) 24. cxd6 Qd7 25. Qxb4 c5 26. Qxc5 Bxe4
27. Bxe5 Qf5 28. Bd4 $16) 23. e5 $16 {After this move White's advantage is
undisputable.} Rxd6 24. cxd6 {[%csl Gd6]} (24. exd6 $2 Qf6 $13) 24... Qf8 25.
Qe4 $1 {[%csl Gb7][%cal Ge2d3]} Bb6 26. Kh2 $5 {[%cal Gf2f3]} ({The simple} 26.
Qxb4 {was also good enough} c5 27. Qd2 Qg7 28. Bc4 $16 {with a great
positional advantage.}) 26... Qh6 ({After} 26... a5 27. f3 {White's attack is
decisive, for example} Qh6 28. Bd3 $1 (28. fxg4 Qe3 $16) 28... Qg6 29. Qc4 Qg7
30. fxg4 Qxg4 31. Rf4 $1 Bg1+ (31... Qg7 32. Qe4 $18) 32. Kxg1 Qxg3 33. Qe4 Qg7
34. Rf3 $18 {[%cal Gg1h2,Gf3g3]}) 27. f3 (27. Bd3 $5 Rb8 {[%cal Gc6c5]} 28. Bf4
Qg7 29. Qxb4 c5 30. Qa4 $16) (27. Bf4 Qg6 28. Qxb4 Qc2 $132) 27... Qe3 28. Qxe3
Bxe3 29. fxg4 c5 {Finally Black's light-squared bishop comes into play, but
it's too late, the white position is winning.} ({Nor does} 29... hxg4 {help:}
30. Bxg4 c5 (30... Rd8 31. Bf3 Rd7 32. Rd1 Kf8 33. h5 Ke8 34. Re1 Bg5 35. Bf2
$18) 31. Bh5 $1 Bd5 (31... Rf8 32. d7 Bc6 33. Bxf7+ Kg7 34. Bxe6 Bxd7 35. Rxf8
Bxe6 36. Rf6 c4 37. Rxe6 cxb3 38. Re7+ Kh6 (38... Kg8 39. e6) 39. Rb7 a5 40.
Be1 b2 41. Bxb4 $18) 32. Rxf7 (32. Bxf7+ Kg7 33. Bh5 Bxb3 34. Rf3 Bd1 $132)
32... Bxb3 33. Rc7 Rd8 (33... a5 34. d7 $18 {[%cal Gc7c8]}) (33... Kf8 34. Bg6
(34. d7 $140 Rd8) 34... c4 35. h5 Bg5 (35... c3 36. d7 $18) 36. h6 $1 Bxh6 37.
d7 Rd8 38. Bh4 $18) 34. Bf7+ Kf8 35. h5 Bg5 36. h6 Bxh6 37. Bh4 $18) 30. g5 $1
{[%cal Ge2h5]} (30. gxh5 $6 Bd5 $132 {[%csl Gb3]}) 30... c4 (30... Bd5 31. Bxh5
Bxb3 (31... c4 32. bxc4 Bxc4 33. Rf3 Bd2 (33... b3 34. Rxe3 b2 35. Re1 Bd3 36.
Bf3 Rf8 37. Bf2 b1=Q 38. Rxb1 Bxb1 39. Bc6 $18) 34. Bxf7+ Kg7 35. Bh5 b3 36.
Rf7+ Kg8 37. Rc7 b2 38. Bg6 Ba2 39. Rb7 $18) 32. Rxf7 c4 33. Rc7 c3 34. Bf7+ (
34. d7 Rd8 35. Rc8 Bb6 36. Bf2 Ba5 37. Bc5 Ba4 (37... c2 $2 38. Be7 $18) 38.
Bxb4 Bxd7 39. Rxd8+ Bxd8 40. Bxc3 a5 $16) 34... Kf8 35. g6 Bh6 36. h5 c2 37.
g7+ Bxg7 38. Bf4 c1=Q 39. Bxc1 Bxe5+ 40. Kh3 $18 {[%cal Gc1h6]}) 31. Bxc4 Kg7 {
Somehow Black has managed to avoid an immediate disaster, but White still
keeps an extra pawn and a huge advantage.} (31... a5 $6 32. g6 $18) 32. Be2 {
[%csl Gh5]} Rh8 33. Bf4 Bb6 (33... Bd4 34. Bf3 (34. Kh3 $5 {[%cal Gg2g4]})
34... Bxf3 35. Rxf3 a5 36. Rd3 Bb6 37. g4 hxg4 38. Kg3 Ra8 39. Kxg4 a4 40. bxa4
Rxa4 41. Rb3 Ba5 42. h5 Ra3 43. Rb2 Rd3 44. Rd2 $18) 34. g6 $1 {Not so
difficult, but still a very elegant pawn sacrifice. Now my dark-squared B
comes into play with decisive effect.} Kxg6 (34... fxg6 35. Bc4 Bc8 36. Bg5 Rg8
37. Bb5 $18 {[%cal Gd6d7]}) 35. Bg5 $18 {[%csl Gd8,Ge7,Gf6]} f5 (35... Bd5 36.
Rc1 $18 {[%cal Gd6d7]}) 36. exf6 Kf7 37. Rc1 a5 (37... Be4 38. d7 Bg6 39. Rc8
Rd8 40. Bb5 $18) 38. d7 Kg6 39. Bd3+ Kf7 40. Be2 $138 {A very good practical
decision. With this repetition of moves I managed to get over the first time
control. Of course, I saw the decisive 41 f7, but I wanted to check all the
lines carefully.} Kg6 41. f7 $1 {and indeed it wins easily.} (41. f7 Rf8 (41...
Kxf7 42. Rf1+ Kg6 43. Bd3+ Kg7 44. Bf6+ $18 {[%csl Gh8]}) 42. Rf1 {and Black
is hopeless.}) 1-0

[Event "RUS-chT"]
[Site "Dagomys"]
[Date "2008.04.02"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A62"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]
[BlackElo "2672"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2008.04.02"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 124"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.05.28"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Buryatia Shatar"]
[BlackTeam "St Petersburg Finek"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nf3
O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. a4 b6 11. Bf4 Qe7 12. Nb5 Ne8 13. Ra3 a6 14. Re3 Qf6 15.
Bg5 Qxb2 16. Rb3 Qa2 17. Nc3 Bxc3 18. Rxc3 Ndf6 19. Qc1 Bb7 20. Nd2 Qxa4 21.
Nc4 Nd7 22. Ra3 Qb4 23. Bd2 Qb5 24. Bh6 a5 25. Qc2 Ba6 26. Rc3 Ne5 27. Nxe5
dxe5 28. Rb1 Qxe2 29. Qxe2 Bxe2 30. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. Rxb6 a4 32. Ra3 Bc4 33. h4
Ra7 34. d6 Kg7 35. Bf1 Bxf1 36. Kxf1 Rd7 37. Rxa4 Nxd6 38. Rc6 c4 39. Ra5 Kf6
40. Rac5 Kf5 41. f3 h5 42. Kf2 Rd8 43. Ke2 f6 44. Rd5 Ke6 45. Rd1 Rd7 46. g4
Ke7 47. Rd5 Ke6 48. Ra5 Rd8 49. Kd1 Rc8 50. Rxc8 Nxc8 51. Ra8 Nd6 52. Ra6 Kd5
53. Ke2 e4 54. gxh5 exf3+ 55. Kxf3 gxh5 56. Ra5+ Kd4 57. Rxh5 c3 58. Ke2 Ke4
59. Rh7 Kf4 60. Rg7 Ne4 61. Kd3 f5 62. h5 Nf2+ 63. Kxc3 Ng4 64. Kd4 Kf3 65. Rg6
f4 66. h6 Nxh6 67. Rxh6 Ke2 68. Re6+ 1-0

[Event "ESP-chT Honor Gp1"]
[Site "Cala Mayor"]
[Date "2008.09.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Black "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B05"]
[WhiteElo "2679"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2008.09.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 126"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 Nc6 6. c4 Nb6 7. exd6 exd6 8.
Nbd2 Be7 9. d5 Nb8 10. Nf1 O-O 11. Ne3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Bg5 13. Qc2 a5 14. h4 Bf4
15. Be4 h5 16. g3 Bh6 17. Bd2 Na6 18. O-O Nc5 19. Bg2 g6 20. Rae1 Bg7 21. b3
Nbd7 22. Kh1 Re8 23. Nd1 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Ne5 25. f4 Ng4 26. f5 Qf6 27. Rf1 Qe5
28. Bf4 Qxf5 29. Qxf5 gxf5 30. Ne3 a4 31. b4 Nd3 32. Nxf5 Nxb4 33. c5 Nxa2 34.
Nxg7 Kxg7 35. cxd6 cxd6 36. Bxd6 Nc3 37. Bb4 Ne2 38. Re1 Nf2+ 39. Kh2 Ng4+ 40.
Kh1 Nf2+ 41. Kh2 Nd3 0-1

[Event "ISR-ch 34th"]
[Site "Haifa"]
[Date "2008.12.08"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Roiz, Michael"]
[Black "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A32"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2657"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2008.12.01"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 127 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.01.08"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. g3 Qb6 6. Nc2 e6 7. Bg2 d5 8.
cxd5 exd5 9. O-O Be6 10. Nc3 Rd8 11. Na4 Qa6 12. Nd4 b5 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Nc3
Qb6 15. e3 Be7 16. Qe2 a6 17. Bd2 O-O 18. Rfc1 Ne5 19. Be1 Rc8 20. a4 b4 21.
Na2 a5 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Nc1 b3 24. Qd1 Rc2 25. Qd4 Qxd4 26. exd4 Nc6 27. Bc3
Bb4 28. Bxb4 axb4 29. Nd3 Na5 30. Bh3 Rd2 31. Nf4 Rxb2 32. Bxe6+ Kf8 33. Re1
Rc2 34. Bf5 g6 35. Bxc2 bxc2 36. Nd3 b3 37. f3 Nd7 38. Kf2 Nb6 39. Ke2 Nxa4 40.
Nb4 Nc6 41. Nxc2 bxc2 42. Kd2 Nxd4 43. Kd3 Nb2+ 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 31st"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2009.07.26"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Malakhov, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]
[BlackElo "2707"]
[Annotator "Avrukh,B"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2009.07.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 131 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.09.03"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The game was played in the last round and up till then Vladimir had had a
very good tournament. His play had been very powerful and impressive, but
somehow in the previous round he made a quick draw with the white pieces
against Negi (who shared 1st place with me), that seemed to me quite strange.
Most probably he was a bit tired and wanted to get a day off. In any case I
had a lot of motivation, first because I had a very bad score (0.5-2.5)
against Vladimir and secondly because it was a must win situation, as in the
event of a draw I would finish in 6-7th place.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4.
Nc3 a6 {The Chebanenko variation has been his favourite weapon recently.} 5. c5
{The last game in this line I played 5.a4 , but here I decided to vary with
the text.} Nbd7 {He goes always for this line. Certainly it's well-known that}
(5... Bf5 {is a serious alternative.}) 6. Bf4 Nh5 7. e3 Nxf4 {Obviously the
critical continuation. Before, I had faced} (7... g6 {That game saw} 8. h4 $5
Bg7 9. Bh2 Nhf6 10. Be2 Ng4 11. Bg3 h5 12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 O-O 14. O-O Ndf6
15. Neg5 Nd5 16. Qb3 $14 {Avrukh,B (2632)-Burmakin,V (2615)/Benidorm 2008/CBM
123 Extra (91). and White retained better chances in a very complex middlegame.
}) 8. exf4 b6 9. b4 ({Theory considers} 9. cxb6 e6 $1 10. Bd3 Bd6 {pretty
harmless for White, as he is unable to do much against the following ...Qb6
and ...c5.}) 9... Qc7 {This move brings Black very good results in practice. A
more popular alternative is} (9... g6) 10. Qd2 $5 $146 {An interesting attempt
to fight for an opening advantage. The main point is to play Rc1 quickly and
not to allow Black to quickly swap the a- and b-pawns on the queenside. This
is what Black achieves easily after} (10. g3 g6 11. Rc1 Bg7 12. Bd3 a5 13. a3
axb4 14. axb4 bxc5 15. bxc5 O-O {and White can hardly find a target for the
attack.}) 10... g6 {The key point is, that the immediate} (10... a5 {is met
strongly by} 11. b5 $1 bxc5 12. bxc6 Qxc6 13. Ne5 $1 Qe6 {Obviously the white
N is untouchable:} (13... Nxe5 $2 14. Bb5 $18) 14. Nb5 {[%cal Gb5c7]} Kd8 15.
Be2 {[%csl Yd8] with a long-term initiative.}) 11. Rc1 Bh6 $5 {A tempting
continuation, Black intends to carry out e7-e5 in a suitable moment.} ({
In the event of} 11... Bg7 {Black should reckon with} 12. cxb6 $5 Nxb6 13. Bd3
{with a complicated game.}) 12. g3 bxc5 {Black doesn't want to think about a
possible capture on b6 and decided to fully concentrate on his main strategic
idea.} 13. bxc5 O-O 14. h4 $1 {A very strong move and at the same time the
only way to fight for an advantage. Now we can see also the negative side of
Black's 11th move, the h4-h5 idea with the black bishop on h6 looks very
annoying. Other options are harmless for Black.} (14. Bg2 f6 $1 {[%cal Ge7e5]
and Black will comfortably carry out the e7-e5 advance.}) (14. Bh3 $2 {Just a
blunder, since after} Ne5 $1 {[%csl Gf3,Gh3] Black takes over the initiative.})
14... e5 {I didn't expect Black to be able play this so quickly; fortunately
for me White still has things under control.} ({Alternatively} 14... Nf6 {
would led to a pretty sound, but passive position for Black after} 15. Bd3 Bf5
16. Bxf5 {, or} (16. O-O e6) 16... gxf5 17. O-O $14) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 {Actually
Black has a big choice here:} (15... Re8 {White should meet with} 16. Be2 {
, while} (16. h5 $6 {unexpectedly runs into the fantastic} g5 $1 17. Qd4 gxf4
18. gxf4 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 f6 {and Black is better already.}) 16... Nxc5 (16...
Nxe5 {would just transpose to the game} 17. Nxe5 Rxe5 18. h5) 17. h5 Bg7 18.
Kf1 Rb8 19. Kg2 $14 {with a very complicated battle, in which probably White's
chances are slightly preferable.}) ({A worse version is} 15... Nxc5 {, since
White has an option of developing his bishop to h3.} 16. h5 Bg7 17. Qe3 $1 Qa5
18. h6 $1 Bh8 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. Bh3 $1 {[%csl Yc6,Yd7,Gh8] and White has a nice
positional edge.}) 16. Nxe5 Re8 17. Be2 Rxe5 18. h5 $1 {Without this
possibility Black would be just better with the bishop pair and the better
pawn structure.} gxh5 19. Kf1 {After a more or less forced line, an
interesting position has arisen with each side having itis own trumps.} Re8 {
A natural reaction; it would be quite dangerous to remove the black queen from
the centre by} (19... Qa5 {White can play} 20. Qc2 $5 Bf5 21. Qd1 Re6 22. Rxh5
Bg7 23. Rxf5 Bxc3 24. Qc2 Bg7 25. Rb1 $1 {getting a favourable position with
opposite coloured bishops.}) 20. Rxh5 Bg7 21. Kg2 ({White can also play} 21.
Bd3 h6 22. Kg2 {, not fearing} Bg4 {in view of} 23. Rh4) 21... Qe7 {It's quite
obvious Black wants his queen close to the kingside. During the game I also
considered} (21... f5 $6 {that positionally looks somewhat risky and indeed
after} 22. Na4 ({Only not} 22. Rch1 $2 Qa5 $1 23. Rg5 Qxc5 {and Black is fine.}
) 22... Be6 23. Nb6 Ra7 24. Qc2 $1 {Black is able to defend his pawns in case
of the natural} (24. Bd3 Qf7 25. Rch1 h6 26. Qc2 Rf8 $14) 24... Bf7 {The key
point is that Black cannot play} (24... Qf7 {in view of the elegant} 25. Rch1
h6 26. Rxh6 $1 Bxh6 27. Bh5 {with a winning position.}) 25. Rhh1 Bg6 26. Bd3
Qf7 27. Rhe1 {and with Black's bishop badly placed on g6 White's positional
advantage is undisputable.}) ({Again Black cannot afford to play} 21... Qa5 $6
22. Bd3 h6 23. f5 {with the following nice idea} d4 24. f6 $1 dxc3 25. Qf4 $18
{with a decisive attack.}) 22. Bd3 h6 23. f5 $1 {A strong plan. Now Black's
light-squared bishop is temporarily out of play.} ({Very unclear would have
been} 23. Na4 Bg4 24. Rhh1 (24. Rh4 Be2 $1) 24... Qf6) 23... Qf6 {Other
options are worse:} ({The idea to activate the bishop immediately by means of} 
23... a5 {[%cal Gc8a6] doesn't work in view of} 24. Rxh6 $1 Bxh6 25. Qxh6 f6
26. Ne4 $1 Rf8 27. Rh1 Qg7 28. Qf4 $1 {and Black is hopeless against White's
threat Rh4-g4.}) (23... Qe5 24. Na4 $1 Rb8 25. Nb6 Qd4 26. Rd1 $1 $16) 24. Nd1
$1 {[%cal Gd1e3,Ge3g4] A strong positional idea, White's knight is heading for
g4 via the e3-square.} d4 $6 {A first inaccuracy. Black prevents White's idea,
but at the same time blocks the big diagonal and weakens the c4-square.} ({
Preferable would have been} 24... Rb8 25. Qf4 {Unexpectedly} (25. Ne3 Rb2 26.
Rc2 Rb1 $1 {allows Black excellent counterplay, since} 27. Ng4 $6 Qa1 $1 {
[%csl Yg2] leads to Black's advantage.}) 25... Qe5 {After} (25... Bd7 26. Ne3
Qd4 27. Qxd4 Bxd4 28. Ng4 Bg7 29. Nxh6+ Kf8 30. Ng4 $16 {Black remains without
a pawn.}) 26. Qf3 Kf8 (26... d4 {is met strongly by} 27. Rc2 $1 {following by
Nb2-c4.}) 27. Rh4 $1 {An important prophylactic move, White takes control over
the d4-square.} ({Black is fine after} 27. Ne3 Rb2 $1 28. Ng4 Qd4) 27... Bd7
28. Ne3 {White retains better chances.}) 25. Nb2 Qe5 $2 {This is a serious
mistake. Black should have opted for} (25... Re5 {although after} 26. Re1 $1 {
White is better, while} (26. Nc4 $6 Rxc5) ({and} 26. Rch1 $6 Bxf5 {are just
good for Black.})) 26. Nc4 Qxc5 27. Rch1 $40 {White is ready to sacrifice on
h6.} f6 (27... Qd5+ {doesn't help:} 28. f3) 28. Rxh6 $1 ({Also worth
considering is} 28. Qf4 $5) 28... Ra7 {Black's best try would have been} (28...
Qd5+ $142 {and White should play the calm} 29. Kg1 $1 {, since} (29. f3 {
runs into} Bxf5 $1 {with the following point} 30. R6h5 $2 (30. Nb6 $11) 30...
Bxd3 31. Rxd5 Bxc4 $1 $17 {[%csl Gd5][%cal Ge8e2]}) 29... Rb8 {Also after} (
29... Bxh6 30. Rxh6 Bxf5 31. Rh5 Bxd3 32. Rxd5 cxd5 33. Nb6 $1 {White's
material advantage should tell.}) 30. Rg6 $1 Bxf5 31. Rh5 Bxd3 32. Rxd5 Bxg6 {
Doesn't change the evaluation} (32... Rb1+ 33. Kh2 Bxg6 34. Rxd4 Ree1 35. Ne3
$1 $16) 33. Rxd4 Be4 34. Kh2 $1 Rb5 35. Qe2 Bg6 36. Ne3 $16) 29. R6h5 Rae7 $6 {
This slightly helps White, but it's difficult to give good advice.} (29... Rc7
30. Qf4 {[%csl Gc7] Only helps White to bring his queen to the kingside.}) (
29... Rb7 {looks like the best try.} 30. Qf4 Qd5+ 31. f3 {Black is unable to
exploit the vulnerability of the second rank.} Kf8 32. Qg4 $1 $16 {and White's
attack plays itself.}) 30. Nb6 $3 $18 {A great tactical idea. White needs the
c4-square for his bishop in order to launch a decisive attack.} Bxf5 {There is
no reasonable defence already. White wins in all lines :} (30... Re5 31. Bc4+
Kf8 32. Rh7 $1 $18 {with the decisive threat 33. Rg7.}) (30... Qxb6 31. Bc4+
Rf7 32. Rh7 $1 $18 {and again Black is hopeless.}) (30... Rf7 31. Bc4 Bxf5 32.
Qf4 $18) 31. Rxf5 Qxb6 32. Bc4+ Rf7 (32... Kf8 {Leads to mate in 5:} 33. Rxf6+
$1 Bxf6 34. Qh6+ Bg7 35. Qf4+ {etc.}) 33. Qc2 $1 {A very accurate move,
White's queen is ready to jump either to c4, or to g6 and h7 squares.} Qb7 {
After} (33... Kf8 {White has a pleasant choice between} 34. Bxf7 {and} (34.
Rfh5 $1 {with a crushing attack.}) 34... Kxf7 35. Qc4+ Kf8 36. Rc5 {with an
absolutely winning position.}) 34. Rfh5 Re5 35. Rxe5 (35. Rh8+ Bxh8 36. Qh7+
Kf8 37. Qxh8+ Ke7 38. Rh7) 35... fxe5 36. Rb1 $1 {White's rook decisively
switches to the b-file.} (36. Rb1 Qc7 37. Qg6 {and Black get mated very
quickly. So far my best game in 2009!}) 1-0

[Event "Zuerich Jubilee op"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2009.08.15"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2641"]
[Annotator "Avrukh,B"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2009.08.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 131 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.09.03"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Recently this move became Alexander's first option.} d5 $5 {I wanted to
suprise him with a new opening, but eventually I got confused myself.} 2. c4
dxc4 3. e4 {I was pretty sure, that Alexander would choose this move if we got
this postion.} Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Be6 8. Nbc3 Bc4 $6 {
Usually for the morning games (the last round has been played at 9:30) I used
to complete my preparation in the evening , but this time I was very tired and
decided to go to sleep earlier. I woke up at 7-30 in the morning and after a
cold shower and quick breakfast I started my preparation for the game. Most
probably this is not the best time for preparation, as I already mixed up the
move order on the 8th move. If I wanted to play ...Bc4, then it was necessary
to include ...Bg4, f3 and only then ...Be6.} ({Here already I should opt for
another theoretical line} 8... Qd7 9. Ne4 Bd5 {with a lot of theory.}) 9. Bxc4
Nxc4 10. O-O $146 {A natural novelty, but before only two games had been
played.} (10. Qb3 Nb6 11. e6 $5 {The thematic idea in this line} fxe6 12. O-O (
12. Qxe6 Qd7 13. Qe4 O-O-O {Van Wely,L (2700)-Shirov,A (2718)/Monte Carlo 2001.
Perfectly playable for Black.}) 12... Qd7 13. Rd1 (13. Ne4 $5) 13... O-O-O 14.
a4 {was interesting in Jedynak,R (2540)-Zilberman,Y (2473)/Oberwart AUT 2007})
10... e6 11. Qb3 Nb6 12. Rd1 Nb4 {Black should establish control over the
d5-square, as otherwise} (12... Be7 13. d5 $1 {is very unpleasant, for instance
} exd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Rxd5 Qc8 16. Be3 O-O 17. Rad1 {with a nice positional
edge for White.}) ({Also} 12... Qd7 13. d5 $1 Nxe5 14. Nf4 {gives White a
strong initiative.}) 13. a3 N4d5 14. Ne4 $1 {Very simple and at the same time
powerful play. Only now did I realise that I had done something wrong in the
opening and in fact, had I included ...Bg4, f3 I could easily play now ...Be7
short castle.} Qd7 ({Now I cannot play} 14... Be7 {in view of} 15. Qg3 $1 O-O
16. Bh6 {and Black loses an exchange.}) (14... Qh4 15. Qf3 Be7 16. h3 {didn't
appeal to me, next White continues Kh2, g3.}) 15. Bg5 h6 {Otherwise my king
will be stuck in the centre.} 16. Bd2 $1 {The right decision; after} (16. Bh4
g5 17. Bg3 Be7 {the white bishop is temporarly cut off from the game and I
have time to consolidate my position.}) 16... a5 {I try to create some play, as
} (16... O-O-O 17. a4 $1 Kb8 18. a5 Nc8 19. a6 b6 20. Rac1 $16 {looks very bad
for Black. White can slowly improve his position, while Black lacks any
reasonable counterplay.}) 17. a4 $1 {I like this human decision, that prevents
Black from playing a4.} ({Less clear is} 17. Nc5 a4 18. Nxd7 (18. Qd3 $5 Bxc5
19. dxc5 Nc8 20. Qg3 g6 $14) 18... axb3 19. Nxb6 Nxb6 {and even if White
manages to grab the b3-pawn Black will get compensation, for instance} 20. Be3
Nc4 21. Rd3 Nxb2 22. Rxb3 Nc4 23. Rxb7 Kd7 24. Rc1 Kc8 {with good chances to
hold.}) 17... Nb4 ({Relatively better would have been} 17... Bb4 {I was
concerned about} 18. Bxb4 axb4 (18... Nxb4 {runs into the unpleasant} 19. Qg3
$16 {[%csl Ye8,Gg7]}) 19. a5 {Less clear is} (19. Nc5 Qc6 20. Rdc1 Nc8 $14)
19... Nc8 20. Qg3 {, but here maybe} g6 {is very dangerous} (20... O-O 21. Nf6+
Nxf6 22. exf6 g6 23. Qf4 $1 $40 {[%csl Yg8]}) 21. Nf4 Nce7 {still allows Black
some play, although it is beyond doubt that White retains the better chances.})
18. Nc5 Qd5 ({Not satisfactory for Black is} 18... Bxc5 19. dxc5 N6d5 20. Bxb4
axb4 21. Nf4 $1 {and White wins the b4-pawn.}) 19. Qg3 $1 {Again a strong
decision. White could have won a pawn, but this might allow Black interesting
compensation.} (19. Qxd5 N4xd5 $1 (19... N6xd5 $2 20. Bxb4 $1 axb4 21. Nxb7 $16
) 20. Nxb7 Nc4 21. Bc1 {, or} (21. b3 Nxd2 22. Rxd2 Bb4 23. Rc2 Rb8 24. Nc5
Bxc5 25. Rxc5 Rxb3 26. Rxa5 Kd7 $44) 21... Rb8 {The computer recommends} (21...
Ra7 $5 22. b3 Nxe5 23. Nxa5 Nf3+ 24. gxf3 Rxa5 25. Bd2 Bb4 $44) 22. b3 Nb2 $1
23. Bxb2 Rxb7 24. Rd3 Be7 $44) 19... O-O-O $2 {This leads to a strategically
lost position.} (19... Qc4 {runs into} 20. Kf1 $1 (20. Re1 Bxc5 21. dxc5 Qxc5 {
unclear.})) ({In any case I should play} 19... g5 {covering the f4-square and
trying to develop the bishop to e7.}) 20. Bxb4 $1 axb4 21. Nf4 Qc6 ({My first
intention was} 21... Qc4 {, but then I noticed an elgant combination} 22. Rdc1
Qxd4 23. Ncxe6 $1 fxe6 24. Nxe6 {[%csl Gc7,Gd4,Gd8] with a winning attack.})
22. a5 Nc4 {After the game Alexander told me that I should play} (22... Bxc5
23. axb6 Bxb6 {but I rejected this in view of the simple 24.Qg7, while the
computer gives an even stronger line:} 24. Rdc1 Qe4 25. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 26. Ra8+
Kd7 27. Qxg7+ {with mate.}) 23. Nb3 {Maybe a slight inaccuracy.} (23. Rac1 {
looks stronger:} Bxc5 24. Rxc4 Qe4 25. Qe3 (25. Rxc5 $143 Rxd4 {Black can hope
to survive in a rook endgame.}) 25... Qxe3 26. fxe3 Be7 27. Rdc1 Rd7 28. Nd3
$16 {[%csl Gb4] and Black loses his b4-pawn.}) 23... g5 $2 {Actually this was
supposed to be the decisive mistake.} ({In any case I should have tried} 23...
Nxb2 24. Rdc1 Qe4 {, although after} 25. a6 $1 (25. Ra2 g5 $1) 25... bxa6 26.
Rxa6 {[%csl Yc8] Black's position looks suspicious.}) 24. Nd3 Qd5 25. Rdc1 {
All the white pieces are optimally mobilized and ready for the decisive
offensive.} Kb8 26. a6 b6 27. Qf3 $1 {I completely forgot about this nice move.
Now I realised that I could survive till the time control only with a lot of
luck.} g4 ({Objectively better was} 27... Qxf3 28. gxf3 b5 29. Na5 Nxa5 30.
Rxa5 Ka7 $1 {I missed this defensive idea.} 31. Rc6 Rb8 32. Ra1 Rc8 33. Rac1
$18 {and White should win easily.}) 28. Qe2 {White could have won on the spot
with} (28. Qf6 $1 {followed by 29.Nf4. Also 28.Qxf7 and 27.Qxg4 were good
enough.} Rg8 29. Rxc4 Bg7 30. Qxf7 Qxc4 31. Rc1 $18) 28... b5 29. Nf4 Qd7 30.
Na5 Nxa5 31. Rxa5 c6 32. a7+ Ka8 {I wanted just to play a few moves and resign,
but here something incredible happened with Alexander, as he completely lost
control over the game. It's hard for me to explain the reason why this
happened with such a great player, even mutual time trouble cannot be a reason
for giving up such a winning position, as I believe a few seconds should be
enough for him. Maybe the result on the second board where Areshchenko beat
Kuzubov made a strong impressed on him.} 33. Ra6 {Why not the simple} (33. Qe4
Rc8 34. Rxb5 $18 {and my position collapses.}) 33... c5 {A tricky chance in
time trouble.} (33... Qxd4 34. Raxc6 $18) 34. g3 $4 {We both overlooked, that
after} (34. dxc5 Bxc5 35. Rxc5 Qd1+ {White has} 36. Qf1 $1 $18) 34... Qb7 $1
35. Rca1 $4 $138 {This already throws away all the advantage.} ({White could
have still claimed an edge after} 35. Ra5 c4 36. b3 $1 Rxd4 37. bxc4 bxc4 38.
Rxc4 Rxc4 39. Qxc4 Bg7 40. Rc5 $1) 35... Rxd4 $17 {Black is clearly better now;
I couldn't believe my eyes. His a-pawn covers my king , while Black's
queenside pawns should decide the game easily.} 36. b3 {Not the best move, but
after} (36. Qxg4 Be7 {Black is clearly better.}) 36... Be7 ({Also good was} 
36... Bg7 $5) 37. R6a5 c4 $1 38. Qxg4 Rhd8 39. h4 Rd2 40. Nh3 c3 41. Rf1 {
Here Alexander offered me a draw, but I rejected his offer as I felt obliged
to take my chance, that might appear only once in my chess career.} c2 42. Raa1
Bc5 {The rest I think was played quite smoothly, but it was quite easy, as
Black has already a decisive advantage.} 43. Rac1 Qd5 {[%csl Gb3]} (43... R8d3
{was a nice option as well.}) 44. Qf4 Qxb3 {Black has a decisive advantage; I
just wanted to play safe and not allow him to create any play.} 45. Kh2 Qc4 46.
Qf3+ Qd5 $1 {Certainly I had no intention of capturing the a-pawn, as all it
is doing is defending my king.} 47. Qxf7 b3 48. Nf4 Qb7 {Maybe easier would
have been} (48... Qf3 {[%csl Gf2] , but my priority was to play safe.}) 49. Qg6
Bxf2 50. Kh3 Rc8 {[%cal Gb3b2]} 51. Nd3 Bd4 52. Nb4 b2 53. Rxc2 Qg2+ 54. Kg4
Rdxc2 55. Nxc2 Qe2+ $1 {I didn't know how this had happened and somewhat felt
sorry for Alexander (as I have a lot of respect to him) for my undeserved
victory, but to win such a big tournament you definitely need some luck and
for sure I had a lot.} 0-1

[Event "EU-Cup 25th"]
[Site "Ohrid"]
[Date "2009.10.09"]
[Round "6.4"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2009.10.04"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "MKD"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 133"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Ashdod Illit"]
[BlackTeam "Kiev Kievchess"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UKR"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Bd2 f5 8. d5
Bf6 9. Qc2 Na6 10. Nxe4 fxe4 11. Qxe4 Nc5 12. Qe3 O-O 13. dxe6 Re8 14. Qa3 Rxe6
15. Be3 Qe7 16. O-O Re8 17. Rad1 Rxe3 18. fxe3 a5 19. Nd4 Ba6 20. Nf5 Qe5 21.
b3 Qc3 22. Qc1 Qxc1 23. Rxc1 Ne4 24. Rcd1 d6 25. Nh6+ gxh6 26. Bxe4 Kg7 27. Bd5
Bc8 28. Rf4 Bh3 29. g4 Bg5 30. Rd3 Re7 31. Kf2 h5 32. gxh5 Bxf4 33. exf4 Bf5
34. Rg3+ Kf6 35. h6 Bg6 36. h4 Re8 37. Rg5 Bb1 38. a3 Bc2 39. Rg7 Re7 40. Rg8
c6 41. Bxc6 Bxb3 42. Bd5 Rc7 43. h5 b5 44. Rf8+ Ke7 45. Rf7+ Kd8 46. Rxc7 Kxc7
47. Be4 1-0

