A nice attacking finish

Every once in a year or two, you play a game where you “see everything”. This game was quite dull coming out of the opening – if my opponent had chosen to trade all the minor pieces, it would have probably ended up as a long grind against his positional weaknesses, like his backwards c-pawn. As it turned out, he underestimated my play on the king-side and focussed on his counter-play on the queen-side. It was nice to note afterwards that I had seen all the relevant lines that the computer spit out and taken the right decisions at the appropriate times.

Anyway, enough gloating 🙂 – Replay here (I was white).

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf65. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Qe2 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Qd7 13. Rfe1 Na5 14. Bc2 Nc4 15. Bc1! Bf5 16. b3 Nb6 17. Nd4 Bxc2 18.Qxc2 a5 19. Nf5 a4 20. Bg5 axb3
(20… Rfe8 21. b4 Bf8)

21. axb3 b4
(21… Rfe8)

22. Rad1! bxc3?
(22… h6 23. Bf6 gxf6 24. Qd3 Kh8 25. Qh3) (22… Qe6 23. cxb4Bxb4 24. Re3 Nd7 25. Nd4 Qg6 26. Qxg6 hxg6 27. Nc6 (27. e6))

23. Nxg7! Kxg7
(23… d4 24. b4 Bxb4 (24… d3 25. Rxd3 Ra2 26. Qxa2 Qxd3 27. bxc5 Ra8 28. Qb3Nd7 29. Nh5 Nxc5 30. Nf6+ Kg7) (24… Be7 25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Nf5) 25. Nf5 Bc5 (25… Nd5 26. Rxd4))

24. Bf6+ Kg8 25. Rd3 Rfb8
(25… Qf5 26. Rg3+ Qg6 27.Rxg6+ fxg6 (27… hxg6 28. Qc1) 28. Qxc3 Nd7 29. b4 Bb6 30. Qc6 Nxf6 31. exf6Rad8)

26. Rg3+ Kf8 27. Qxh7 Ke8
(27… Bxf2+ 28. Kh1!)

28. Rg8+ Bf8 29. Rxf8+ 1-0

 

An entertaining draw

Playing black against a slightly higher rated opponent, we went straight into a very sharp line of the main line Najdorf. I mixed up the move order on my 10th and 11th moves (I should have first played Qc7) and could have been punished right away but my opponent couldn’t spot the right follow-up either! Replay here.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Nbd7 8. Qf3 Be7 9. O-O-O h6 10. Bh4 g5?
(10… Qc7 11. Bd3 g5)

11. fxg5 Ne5??
(11… hxg5 12. Bxg5)

12. Qe2?
(12. gxf6 Nxf3 13. fxe7 Qb6 14. gxf3)

12… Nfg4 13. h3 hxg5 14. Bg3 Bd7 15. Nf3 Qc7 16. Kb1 O-O-O 17. Qd2 Nxf3 18. gxf3 Ne5 19. Be2 Bc6 20. f4 gxf4 21. Qxf4 Rdg8 22. h4 b5 23. a3 Qb7
(23… f5 24. Rhg1 fxe4 25. Nxe4)

24. Rhg1 Kb8 25. h5 a5 26. Qf1 b4 27. axb4 axb4 28. Nb5
Now the tactical options start to get a bit out of control. We started to take a lot of time for each move, trying to figure out the right way out of the mess.
(28. Bxe5 dxe5 (28… Rxg1 29. Qxg1 (29. Bxd6+ Bxd6 30. Qxg1 bxc3 31. b3 Bxe4) 29… dxe5 30. Qg7 Rd8 31. Rxd8+ Bxd8 32. Nd1 Bxe4 33. Qxe5+) 29. Rxg8+ Rxg8 30. Qxf7 Rc8 31. Qxe6 (31. Na2 Bxe4) 31… bxc3 32. Qxe5+ Rc7 33. Qxc3 Bxe4 34. Qh8+ Rc8 35. Qe5+ Rc7)

28… Bxe4
(28… b3 29. cxb3 (29. Nc3 bxc2+ 30. Kxc2 Bxe4+ 31. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 32. Bd3 Nxd3 33. Qxd3 Qxd3+ 34. Rxd3 Rc8+ 35. Kb1 Rxh5 36. Bxd6+ Bxd6 37. Rxd6) 29… Bxe4+ 30. Ka2 Nc6)

29. Bxe5
(29. Nxd6 Bxd6 30. Rxd6 Qc7 31. Bd3 (31. Ra6 Qxc2+ 32. Ka1 Qc5) (31. Rd2 b3 32. Bd1) 31… Rxg3 32. Rxg3 Qxd6 33. Bxe4 Qd4) (29. Rxd6 Bxc2+ 30. Kxc2 Bxd6 31. Nxd6 Qc7+ 32. Nc4 Rxg3 33. Rxg3 Nxc4)

29… dxe5 30. Rxg8+
(30. Qxf7 Rc8 31. Qxe6 Bxc2+ 32. Ka1 Bxd1 33. Qxe5+ Ka8 34. Rxd1 Rhd8 35. Rxd8 Bxd8 36. Qf4 Qh1+ 37. Ka2)

30… Rxg8 31. Bd3 b3 32. c4
(32. cxb3 Qxb5 33. Bxe4 Qxf1 34. Rxf1 f5)

32… Rd8
(32… Bf3 33. Rd2 (33. h6 Bxd1 34. Qxd1 Rh8 35. Qxb3 Rxh6) 33… Bxh5 34. Qe1 e4 35. Bf1 Qa6 36. Nc3 Rg5)

33. Nc3 Rxd3 34. Rxd3 Bf5 35. Kc1 Bxd3?
Most likely winning was 35… Bg5+! 36. Kd1 Bxd3 37. Qxd3 Qh1+ 38. Ke2 Qxh5+ 39. Qf3 Qh2+ 40. Qf2 Qxf2+ 41. Kxf2 f5 42. Na4 Be7

36. Qxd3 Bg5+ 37. Kb1 Qh1+ 38. Nd1 Qxh5 39. Qxb3+ Kc7 40. Nc3 Qh1+ 41. Ka2 Qa8+ 1/2-1/2

I had turned down a draw offer from my opponent after his 40th move. But here, just 2 moves later, I offered him a draw in turn, because I couldn’t work out whose pawns would be queening first and I didn’t want to risk it!