[Event "Moscow Aeroflot op"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2002.02.10"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Volkov, Sergey"]
[Black "Bu, Xiangzhi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A74"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2593"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "276"]
[EventDate "2002.02.04"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 088"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Nd2 Bg7 8. e4
Nbd7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O a6 $6 11. a4 Rb8 (11... Re8 12. f4 $1 c4 13. Kh1 Nc5
14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Rxe5 16. Nxc4 Rf5 17. Bf4 $36 {-the insertion of the
moves a4 and a6 weakens b6 and favours White.}) 12. Ra3 {White has more than
one promising alternative.} (12. Qc2 Ne8 13. Nc4 Ne5 14. Ne3 f5 15. f4 Ng4 16.
Nxg4 fxg4 17. Be3 Nc7 18. a5 b5 19. axb6 Rxb6 20. Rad1 Rb4 21. e5 Bf5 22. Qc1
$14 {Korobov,A-Janssen,R/Moscow Aeroflot/2002/}) (12. Kh1 Qc7 13. f4 Ne8 14.
Nf3 c4 15. e5 $5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Nxe5 17. Bf4 f6 18. Ne4 Nd6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20.
Bxc4 Bg4 21. Be2 {Farago,I-Damljanovic,B/Belgrade/1984/} Rbd8 22. Nxe5 fxe5 $11
) ({The most energetic is again} 12. f4 $5 Ne8 $5 (12... Re8 13. Kh1 c4 (13...
b6 14. Qc2 Qc7 15. Bc4 h6 16. Nf3 Bb7 17. Bd2 Rf8 18. Rae1 Rbe8 19. Qd3 $16 {
Ragozin,E-Prudei/Leningrad/1989/}) (13... Qc7 14. a5 b5 15. axb6 Rxb6 16. Ra3
Bb7 17. Bf3 Rb4 18. Qc2 Nb6 $2 19. Na2 Rb5 20. b3 Rc8 21. Be2 $16 {Lukacs,
P-Parkanyi,A/Balatonbereny/1996/}) 14. e5 $1 dxe5 15. Nxc4 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17.
Nd6 $14 (17. Nxe5 b4 18. Nb5 Nxe5 19. fxe5 Rxe5 $1 20. Bf4 Nxd5 $44 21. Bc4 Be6
22. Bxe5 Bxe5 23. Qe2 Qg5 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Ra5 Rc8 26. Na7 Qh4 27. Qxe5 Qf2 {
0-1,Larsen,B-Ljubojevic,L/Milan/1975/})) 13. Nc4 (13. Nf3 Nc7 14. Be3 (14. a5
$5 $14) 14... b5 15. axb5 axb5 16. e5 dxe5 17. fxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxc5 Re8 19. Bd4
b4 $15 {Kvikstad,J-Schelderup,N/NOR-ch2/1997/}) 13... Nb6 14. Ne3 f5 15. a5 Na8
16. exf5 $14) 12... Ne5 13. Re1 g5 14. Nf1 h6 (14... g4 15. Ng3 $36 {[%csl Rf5]
[%cal Yd1c2,Yc1d2,Yc3d1,Yd1e3];Pinter,J-Lawton,G Balatonbereny 1983 1-0 /\Qc2,
Bd2,Nd1-e3+/-,><f5 only further weakens Black's >>. A model game in a similar
line is}) 15. Qc2 $14 Re8 16. Bd2 (16. Ng3 Ng6 (16... c4 17. a5 b5 18. axb6
Qxb6 19. Nd1 Bd7 20. Bd2 Bb5 21. Bc3 $16 {Zentil,G-Fornari,G/Caorle/1984/}) 17.
a5 (17. Nd1 Nf4 18. Ne3 $14) 17... Nf4 18. Bc4 Ng4 19. Nce2 Be5 20. h3 Nf6 21.
Bd2 Bd7 22. Nxf4 Bxf4 23. Rf3 Bxd2 24. Qxd2 Re5 25. Rb3 Qe8 26. f3 $16 {
Hernandez,R-Sygulski,A/Polanica Zdroj/1983/}) 16... Bd7 17. a5 Qc7 18. Na4 {
The N aims to the << and White loses some of his [+] control. More logical was}
(18. Ng3 $14 {[%cal Yc3d1,Yd1e3] /\Nd1-e3}) 18... Ng6 19. Ng3 Nf4 20. Bf1 (20.
Bc4 $1 Re7 21. Nb6 $14 {firmly protecting d5.}) (20. Nb6 $5) 20... Re7 21. b4 (
{Principled, but despite the lost tempo possible was} 21. Nb6 Rbe8 22. Bc4 $36)
21... Rbe8 $132 22. bxc5 (22. Be3 Rxe4 $5 (22... Ng4 23. bxc5 Qxa5 24. Rb1 Qc7
25. Nb6 $36) 23. Nxe4 Rxe4 24. bxc5 N4xd5 $132) (22. Qb1 $5 $14) 22... N6xd5
23. Qc1 $6 ({Somewhat better, although far from clear was} 23. Qd1 $5 Nf6 $8 (
23... Bxa4 24. Rxa4 dxc5 25. exd5 $18) 24. Bxf4 gxf4 25. cxd6 Qxa5 26. dxe7
fxg3 27. hxg3 Rxe7 (27... b5 $5 28. e5 Rxe7 $14) 28. e5 Rxe5 29. Rxe5 Qxe5 $13
{/+/=}) 23... Nf6 24. Bb4 (24. cxd6 Qxd6 25. Nc5 $13) 24... d5 $1 (24... Nxe4
25. cxd6 Qxc1 26. Rxc1 Nxg3 $5 27. hxg3 Ne2+ 28. Bxe2 Rxe2 29. Rc7 $36) 25. c6
Bxc6 26. Bxe7 Rxe7 $44 27. exd5 {White clings on to material, but it was more
important to exchange the strong Bg7-better moves were} (27. Nb6 dxe4 28. Nf5
$13) (27. Nf5 $142 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Nxe4 29. Nxg7 Kxg7 30. Nc5 $11 {/+/=}) 27...
Rxe1 28. Qxe1 N6xd5 {[%csl Gg7]} 29. Ra2 (29. Nf5 $2 Bf8 30. Ra2 Qd7 $19 {
[%csl Ra4,Rf5]}) 29... Bf8 $36 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Rf8b4] /\Bb4,><a5,} 30. Nb6 {
White rather gives the P immediately to coordinate his forces.} Nxb6 31. axb6
Qxb6 32. Qa5 Qxa5 33. Rxa5 Bb4 34. Ra1 Bd7 $6 (34... a5 {/\} 35. Nf5 Bd7 $1 $17
) 35. Rd1 Be6 36. Rd8+ Kh7 37. Rb8 Bd5 (37... b5 38. Rb6) 38. Nf5 (38. Bxa6
$142 bxa6 39. Rxb4 Bxg2 $11) 38... Be4 39. Ne3 Bc5 40. g3 Nd5 (40... Ne6 41.
Bg2 Bxg2 42. Kxg2 b5 43. Nd5 $14 {/\Ra8}) 41. Nc4 (41. Nxd5 Bxd5 42. Bg2 Bxg2
43. Kxg2 b6 $15 {/-/+}) 41... b5 (41... Nc3 42. Rc8 $132) 42. Nd2 Bg6 43. Nb3
Be7 44. Rb7 Bf8 45. Nd4 {Now Black's P can't advance further and are
themselves vulnerable.} Kg8 46. Nc6 Nc3 (46... Bc5 47. Bxb5 $5 axb5 48. Rxb5
$14) (46... Be4 47. Bg2 $14) 47. Rb6 (47. Ne5 Be4 48. Ra7 $14) 47... Bc5 48.
Rxa6 Bc2 49. Ra8+ {White rather gives up his Pf2 to keep the Pb5 under control.
} (49. Kg2 b4 $36) 49... Kg7 50. Rb8 Ne4 $132 51. Bxb5 Nxf2 {Black has lost
his <<P, but by gaining Pf2 he gurantees himself from a loss-with the play
concentrated on one flank White can't convert his extra exchange.} 52. Kf1 Bf5
(52... Ng4 53. h3 Ne3+ 54. Ke2 $14) 53. Rb7 Ng4 54. Nd8 Nxh2+ $6 (54... Ne5
$142 $1 $14 {/=}) 55. Ke2 Bg4+ (55... Bg6 $4 56. Ne6+ $18) 56. Kd3 Kg6 (56...
Bd6 57. Rxf7+ Kh8 (57... Kg6 58. Be8 $1 $18) 58. Rb7 $40) 57. Nxf7 Bf5+ 58. Kc4
(58. Kc3 Ng4 59. Be8 Kf6 $11) 58... Be6+ (58... Bf2 59. Nd6 Be6+ 60. Kc3 $14 {
/\} Bxg3 $2 61. Be8+ Kf6 62. Ne4+ $18) 59. Kxc5 Bxf7 60. Bd3+ Kf6 61. Rb6+ Kg7
62. Be2 Bg6 63. g4 $6 (63. Kd5 $142 $1 $16) 63... Be4 {White is down to his
last P and he can't trap Black's N} 64. Kd4 Bf3 65. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 66. Ke4 Nh4 $11
67. Ke5 Nf3+ 68. Ke4 Nh4 69. Ra6 {As the game was played in the last round,
White continues to try till the very end.} Ng2 70. Re6 Nh4 71. Kd5 Ng6 72. Ra6
Nf4+ 73. Ke5 Ng2 74. Ra7+ Kg6 75. Rb7 Ne3 76. Rb4 Ng2 77. Rb3 Kg7 78. Rf3 Kg6
79. Ra3 Kg7 80. Ke4 Kg6 81. Ra2 Nh4 82. Ra6+ Kg7 83. Rb6 Ng2 84. Rb2 Nh4 85.
Rf2 Ng6 86. Kf5 Kf7 87. Rf1 Kg7 88. Ra1 Nh4+ 89. Ke6 Ng2 90. Rg1 Nh4 91. Rf1
Ng2 92. Rf3 Nf4+ 93. Kf5 Ng6 94. Ra3 Nh4+ 95. Ke4 Kg6 96. Rc3 Kf6 97. Kd5 Ng2
98. Rf3+ Kg7 99. Ke6 Nf4+ 100. Kd6 (100. Kf5 {leads to the position after move
93.}) 100... h5 101. gxh5 Kh6 102. Rf1 Kxh5 103. Ke5 Kg6 104. Ke4 Nh5 105. Rg1
Nf6+ 106. Ke5 Nd7+ 107. Kd6 Nf6 108. Ra1 g4 109. Ke5 Kg5 110. Ra7 Nh5 111. Ke4
Ng3+ 112. Ke5 Nh5 113. Ra8 Kh4 114. Ke4 Ng3+ 115. Ke3 Nh5 116. Kf2 Nf4 117.
Rh8+ Nh5 118. Ke2 Kg5 119. Ke3 Ng3 120. Rf8 Nh5 121. Rg8+ Kh4 122. Rh8 Kg5 123.
Ra8 Kh4 124. Ra1 Kg5 125. Ra3 Kh4 126. Rb3 Kg5 127. Ke4 Kh4 128. Rb8 Kg5 129.
Rb1 Ng3+ 130. Ke3 Nh5 131. Rb7 Kh4 132. Ra7 Kg5 133. Ke4 Ng3+ 134. Ke5 Nh5 135.
Ra8 Kh4 136. Kf5 g3 (136... Ng3+ {also draws, but this is faster.}) 137. Rg8
Kh3 138. Rg5 g2 (138... g2 139. Rxh5+ Kg3 140. Rg5+ Kf2 $11) 1/2-1/2

