[Event "Linares 12th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "Anand,V"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1994.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 040"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ftacnik Donev} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4
7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 (10. Nc3 {Ftacnik} a5 (10... b5 $5 11.
Qd3 b4 $13) 11. Re1 Ne4 12. Qd3 $14) 10... Bd5 (10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6) 11. Qd3
c5 12. Nc3 (12. Bxf6 {Ftacnik} Bxf6 13. e4 Bc6 14. e5 Be7 $10) (12. dxc5 {
Ftacnik} Nbd7) 12... cxd4 $6 (12... Bc6 $5 {Donev} 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. dxc5 Nd7
15. b4 Nxc5 $1 $10) 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 $2 (13... Nxd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 (14... Nxe7 {
Ftacnik} 15. Nxd4 $14) 15. Nxd4 $14 (15. Nxd4 {Donev} Nc6 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. a5
Qb7 {Huebner,R-Karpov,An/Tilburg/1979/})) 14. h4 $1 Nbd7 $2 (14... Nc6 {
Loses without resistance} 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ng5 Qf5 17. Be4 Qa5 (17... Qe5 {
Donev} 18. f4 (18. Bxc6 Bxg5 19. Bxb7 Rab8 20. Bxa6 Be3 21. Kh2 $16) 18... Qc7
19. Nxh7 Rfd8 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 $16) 18. Nxh7 (18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Bg8 $2 Qf5 $1) (
18. Bxc6 Bxg5 19. Bxb7 Ra7 (19... Ra7 {Ftacnik} 20. Be4 $16)) 18... Rfd8 $14) (
14... e5 $2 {Donev} 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ng5 $18) 15. Nxd4 (15. Bxf6 {Ftacnik}
Nxf6 {xh7}) 15... Qd6 (15... Qa5 {Ftacnik} 16. Nb3 $1) 16. Rfd1 $1 Nc5 (16...
Qb6 17. a5 $1) (16... Rac8 {Donev} 17. Nf5 $3 exf5 18. Qxd6 Bxd6 19. Rxd6 Rc2
20. Bxb7 Rxe2 21. Bxa6 Rxb2 22. Bb5 $18) 17. Qc4 (17. Nf5 {Ftacnik} Nxd3 18.
Nxd6 Nxb2 19. Rd2 Bxd6 20. Rxd6 Nc4) (17. Qc2 {Ftacnik} Qb6 18. a5 Qb4) 17...
Rfd8 18. b4 $18 Nxa4 (18... Ncd7 {Donev} 19. Nc6 $1 $18) (18... Nce4 {Ftacnik}
19. Bxf6 Nxf6 (19... Bxf6 20. Bxe4 Bxd4 21. e3 Bxa1 22. Rxd6 Rxd6 23. Bxb7 $16)
20. Bxb7 Rab8 21. Qxa6 Qxb4 22. Nb5 $16) 19. Qb3 Qb6 (19... Nb6 {Donev} 20. Nc6
$16) (19... Qxb4 {Ftacnik} 20. Qxb4 Bxb4 21. Rxa4 Bc3 22. Rc4 Bb2 23. Rd2 $18)
20. e3 1-0

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2007.01.26"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2678"]
[Annotator "Aronian,L"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2007.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 117"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.03.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {before the game, Gabriel Sargissian and I recalled
the words of the trainer of our Olympiad team, Arshak Petrosian. He urged me
to briden my opening repertoire, despite my lack of knowledge of other
variations. For this reason, I decided to try the Catalan, which I have rarely
played lately.} d5 {Real Catalan-haters play 3...c5} 4. Nf3 Be7 {Sergey has
played this before, and I began to suspect that our game would see what is
today the main variation. I myself used to like to play 4...dxc4 and then a6,
Nc6, or 4...a6, which usually leads to the same variation.} 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O
dxc4 7. Qc2 {There is no need to play 7.Qa4, because the attempt to hang onto
the c4-pawn by means of 7...b5 leads to unpleasant consequences after 8.a4,
and if 8...c6 then 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5.} a6 8. Qxc4 {The alternative 8.a4 is
not so popular as it once was. All White's searches for an advantage are
concentrated around the strange development of the bishop on d2.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7
10. Bd2 {The main position. Black has a wide choice, although many strong GMs
prefer the mysterious rook move. There is also another interesting and
rarely-played move: 10...Be4 11.Qc1 Bb7!} Ra7 11. Rc1 {Having seen before this
gamethe encounter Kramnik-Anand, which gives confidence to anyone playing this
line as White, I decided to go in for the line my opponent likes to play.} Be4
12. Qb3 Nc6 13. e3 Qa8 14. Qd1 Nb8 15. Ba5 Bd6 {Thus reaching the structure
mentioned. Since Anand did not manage to get in c5 by means of Rc8 in the
above-mentioned game, Seryozha tries another idea.} 16. a3 {Played by analogy,
although I can admit that copying the moves of the world champion cannot be
such a shameful thing.} Nbd7 {Naturally, Black tries to exchange off his
backward pawn. Not seeing how I could stop this, I decided to carry on
developing my pieces.} 17. Nbd2 Bd5 18. Qf1 {A useful move in this position.
The bishop on g2 needs to be defended, in the event of an attempt to break in
the centre by e5.} c5 {My computer, free of all complexes, recommends 18...e5.
Nevertheless, to a human player, it is more natural to think about the harmony
of his pieces. Probably for this reason, Black prefers not to leave his rook
blocked in on a7.} 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Rc2 {White seizes the c-file, while the
enemy rooks are out of play. One must conclude that getting rid of the c7-pawn
has not brought Black full relief, and White retains the advantage.} Qb7 {
A good move. Black tries to activate his queen.} 21. Rac1 Bb6 ({I flatly
refuse to believe in the viability of Black's position after the highly
"inhuman"} 21... Bd6 22. Qd3 Be7) 22. Bxb6 {The bishop on b6 is ideally placed,
which makes its exchange attractive to White.} Qxb6 23. Nd4 Ne5 24. Bxd5 Nxd5
25. N4f3 ({When playing 22.Bb6 I intended} 25. Nc6 {now, but after a short
think, I realised that the rook stands badly on c6 after} Nxc6 26. Rxc6 Qb8 {
and gives Black a tempo for ...Ne7, which he has to play anyway.}) ({So as not
to have to calculate the variations after} 25. N2f3 Nc4 {I chose the more
modest text, since I felt that the retreat f the knight to d7 did not change
that much.}) ({Of course, it was possible not to hurry with the exchange, and
to play} 25. Qe2 {slightly improving the position of the white queen.}) 25...
Nxf3+ ({After} 25... Nd7 {White can continue with either} 26. Qd3 {or 26.Ne4,
which leads to positions similar to the game.}) ({On} 25... Qb8 {I intended}
26. Qe2 {with the idea of playing Nb3 at the appropriate time.}) 26. Nxf3 Rd8 {
Black sets up a barrier. It looks as though the worst is behind him, but the
wakness of the queenside is still noticeable, and the knight will have to
guard c6.} 27. Qd3 {With the disappearance of the minor pieces, the white
queen finds gainful employment.} Ne7 ({Becoming active by} 27... Rad7 {doesn't
work. After} 28. Ne5 Rd6 29. Qe4 Nf6 30. Qf3 {the white rooks dominate.}) 28.
Qe4 Rad7 29. Kg2 {I did not think over this move at all, as I felt that the
move Ne5 would not run away.} ({This is justified by the line} 29. Ne5 Rd1+ 30.
Rxd1 Rxd1+ 31. Kg2 Rd5 {when Black's position has improved.}) 29... f6 {
But I had not reckoned on this move. Now I understand that I would not be able
patiently to improve my position, so I decided to make something happen.} 30.
h4 {Even though Black's position has eased, White still has easy play. And is
there any better feling in chess than torturing an opponent in a position
where you are taking no risk? Well, maybe the feeling of gaining a totally
undeserved voictory...} e5 31. h5 {The march of the h-pawn is the most
unpleasant thing in the position for Black. he does not want to play h6,
because the white knight may get to g6, which would be very unpleasant.} Qb7 {
In analysis, one can of course recommend any neutral move, such as 31...Qd6
and further waiting. White's initiative is long-lasting, even though no direct
danger to Black is apparent.} 32. Qg4 Kf7 {Of course, playing 32...f5 is very
risky. The weakness of e5 would force Black to push the pawn on to e4, which
would create new weaknesses.} 33. Rc5 Rc8 {Practically the decisive mistake.} (
{It was necessary to defend passively with} 33... Qb6 {Then the rook sacrifice}
34. Rxe5 {does not work because after} fxe5 35. Nxe5+ Kg8 36. Nxd7 Qb7+ {
Black wins back the knight. Including the moves h6 and g6 does not make a
great deal of difference.}) (33... Qb6 {Probably I would have continued} 34.
Qb4 {retaining threats.}) 34. Rxc8 Nxc8 35. Qf5 g6 36. Qg4 ({Also possible was
} 36. Qh3 Ne7 37. hxg6+ hxg6 38. Qh8 {and later Rh1.}) 36... Ne7 37. hxg6+ hxg6
38. Rh1 f5 {This loses by force.} ({After the moves} 38... Kg7 39. Qh3 Qc8 40.
Qh7+ Kf8 41. e4 {Black's position is hardly a bed of roses, but this would
have been the best course. Now it is easy.}) 39. Rh7+ Ke6 40. Qg5 Qe4 41. Qh6
f4 42. Qf8 Nc6 {I refrain from the natural wish to highlight every winning
move, out of sympathy for Sergey.} 43. Qc8 Ne7 44. Qe8 Kd6 45. Qf8 Qd5 46. e4
Qe6 ({Black could have choose an ending two pawns down by} 46... Qg8 47. Qxg8
Nxg8 48. Rxd7+ Kxd7 49. Nxe5+) 47. Ng5 {Black must lose material.} 1-0

[Event "Burgas Black Sea"]
[Site "Burgas"]
[Date "2012.09.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Black "Atalik, Suat"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2689"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2012.09.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 {Somehow I do not mind the Catalan. Let us
update our general knowledge on the field.} Be7 {I like the classical approach
above all.} 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {
An idea of Sosonko.} Bd6 $5 {Just one of many moves.} (10... h6 11. a3 {
is a crazy waiting game.}) 11. a3 {Not the most common move but it should work.
} (11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nbd2 (12. Rd1 Qb8) 12... Rc8 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nb3 c5 15.
Nxc5 Be4 16. Qc3 e5 17. e3 Bxc5 18. dxc5 Qd5 19. Rad1 Qa8 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Nxg2
Ne4 22. Qxe5 Rxc5 23. Qd4 Rc4 $132) {Black can not hold it anymore.} 11... Nbd7
(11... h6 $5 12. Ba5 $1 Nc6 13. Bc3 $16 {is the idea.}) 12. Ba5 (12. b4 Ra7 13.
a4 (13. Nc3 Qa8 $132) 13... bxa4 $1) 12... Qb8 (12... Ra7 13. Nbd2 Qa8 {
is OK but momentarily paralyses the rook.}) 13. b4 Qa7 $1 {I was very
ambitious at this point and my main idea was to meet e4 with e5.} (13... e5 14.
Nbd2 exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Re8) 14. Nbd2 Rac8 $6 ({I shoud have chosen} 
14... Rae8 $1 15. e4 e5 16. d5 (16. dxe5 $6 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Rxe5 $1 {makes
difference!}) 16... Rc8 17. Qd3 c6 18. dxc6 Rxc6 $13) 15. e4 e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 (
16... Bxe5 $6 {is not safe enough.} 17. Nxe5 (17. Rac1 Bd6 18. Bh3 c5 19. Qd3
Rc6 $132) 17... Nxe5 18. Rac1 Rfd8 19. Nb3 Nc4 20. Rfd1 $16) 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18.
Rac1 Rfe8 19. Nb3 Bd6 20. Rfe1 Nd7 $1 (20... Qa8 21. f3 Nd7 22. f4 $16) 21. Bh3
{He picks up the gauntlet.} (21. Nc5 Bxc5 22. bxc5 Ne5 23. Qe2 Bc6 24. Bc3 Rcd8
25. Red1 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Qa8 27. f4 Ng6 28. Qd4 f6 $13) 21... Ne5 22. Qe2 Rcd8
23. Bxc7 Bxc7 24. Rxc7 Qb6 {Black has to choose one of the two queen moves.} (
24... Rd3 $4 25. Nc5 (25. Rxb7 Qxb7 26. Nc5 Nf3+ 27. Qxf3 Rxf3 28. Nxb7 $18)
25... Nf3+ 26. Kh1 $18) (24... Nd3 $2 25. Nc5 $18) (24... Qb8 25. Rc3 Nc4 26.
Nc5 Rd2 27. Qf3 Red8 28. Bf1 $16 {and Black does not have enough compensation.}
) 25. Rc3 Nc4 (25... Qh6 26. Bg2 Bc8 27. f4 $16) 26. Nc5 Rd2 27. Qf3 Ba8 {
In my calculations I always kept the bishop on the a8-h1 diagonal.} (27... Red8
28. Qf4 $16) (27... Bc6 28. Bf1 Ne5 29. Qe3 $16) (27... a5 $5 28. Qf4 Rd4 $44)
28. Qf4 (28. Bf1 Rd4 29. Bxc4 bxc4 $44) 28... Qd8 29. Bf1 g5 30. Qf3 (30. Qf5
$6 Nd6 31. Qf3 f5) 30... Ne5 31. Qf5 h6 $1 $44 {With the possession of the
d-file and White's queen awkwardly placed Black has obvious compensation.} 32.
h4 (32. Nxa6 $2 Nc6 $1 33. Rf3 (33. Nc5 Nd4 34. Qg4 Qf6 $17) 33... Rf8 34. Qf6
Nd4 $1 $17) 32... Bc6 (32... Nc6 $6 33. Rd3 Rxd3 34. Bxd3 Re5 35. Qd7 $1 Qxd7
36. Nxd7 Re7 37. Nc5 $16) ({Strange complications occur after} 32... gxh4 33.
gxh4 Kh8 34. Qf4 Rg8+ 35. Rg3 Rxg3+ 36. fxg3 Qd4+ 37. Re3 Ng4 38. Nb3 Qxe3+ 39.
Qxe3 Nxe3 40. Nxd2 Nc2 41. Kf2 Nxa3 42. Bd3 $18) 33. hxg5 hxg5 34. Rce3 g4 $2
$138 {This is simply bad.} (34... a5 $1 35. Be2 (35. bxa5 $2 Rc2 $3 {I had
completely missed this idea.} 36. Nd3 (36. Rd3 Qe7) 36... Bd7 $19) 35... axb4
36. axb4 {and Black does not have to worry about a second pawn.} Kg7 $44) (
34... Kg7 35. Be2 Qe7 $16 (35... Rd6 36. Kg2 Rh6 $16)) (34... Rc2 $6 {The same
idea dressed up differently.} 35. Be2 Rxc5 36. bxc5 Bd7 37. Rd1 Bxf5 38. Rxd8
Rxd8 39. exf5 f6 40. f4 gxf4 41. gxf4 Nc6 42. Bf3 Nd4 43. Be4 $1 (43. Bb7 $2
Rd7 44. Bxa6 (44. c6 Rc7) 44... Ra7 45. c6 Rc7 46. Bb7 Nxc6 $11) 43... Kf7 44.
Kf2 $18) 35. Be2 Kg7 $2 {This is equivalent to resignation!} ({Good or bad I
had to play one of these:} 35... Bd7 $5 36. Nxd7 Qxd7 37. Qg5+ Kf8 38. Kg2 $1 (
38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qxa6 $2 Rxe2 $1 40. R3xe2 Nf3+ 41. Kg2 Re6 42. Qa8+ Re8 43.
Qa5 Kg7 $40) 38... Rd6 39. Qh5 Kg7 40. Rh1 $40) (35... Rc2 36. Kg2 $1 (36. Bxg4
$6 Rxc5 37. bxc5 Bd7 38. Rd1 Bxf5 39. Rxd8 Rxd8 40. Bxf5 Rd1+ 41. Kg2 Rc1 42.
f4 Nc6 43. e5 Nd4 44. Be4 Rxc5 $44) 36... Bd7 37. Nxd7 Qxd7 38. Qg5+ $18) 36.
Bxg4 $18 Nc4 37. Rf3 Qe7 38. Bh5 Ne5 39. Rf4 (39. Ne6+ $5 Qxe6 40. Qg5+ Kf8 41.
Qxd2 Nxf3+ 42. Bxf3 $18) 39... a5 40. Kg2 (40. bxa5 Qxc5 41. Qg5+ Kf8 42. Rxf7+
$18 {is another way to win the game.}) 40... axb4 41. axb4 Rd4 42. Rh1 $1 {
Ivan shows a good way to carry out the execution.} Rh8 (42... Ng6 43. Bxg6 fxg6
44. Qh3 $18) 43. Bxf7 $1 {Nice!} Rxh1 44. Rg4+ $1 {Delivers checkmate in a
couple of moves.} (44. Rg4+ $1 Kh6 45. Rg6+) 1-0

[Event "SRB-chT"]
[Site "Kragujevac"]
[Date "2015.08.29"]
[Round "10.1"]
[White "Atalik, Suat"]
[Black "Pavlovic, Milos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2488"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2015.08.20"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Kraljevo Sloga Turist"]
[BlackTeam "Subotica Spartak"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SRB"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SRB"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 (2... d4 {is always a problem.}) 3. g3 Nf6 (3... dxc4 4.
Qa4+ Nd7 5. Qxc4 a6 6. Qc2 $13) 4. Bg2 Be7 (4... dxc4 5. Qa4+ c6 (5... Nbd7 6.
Qxc4 a6 7. Qb3 $5 c5 8. a4) 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qb3 Bb7 8. d4 $5 a6 9. Be3 $5 {
is my game with GM Galkin from Serbian Central League which happenned to be
played in the same venue 2 years ago.}) 5. d4 {Now I finally diverted the game
into a Catalan having avoided dc4 and Bb4 lines.} O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8.
a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 $5 (11. Qc2 {is more popular.} Be4 (
11... c5 $6 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. b4 a5 15. b5 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nxc5 17.
Rfd1 $16 {with queens this position ought to be clearly better for White.}) 12.
Qd1 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 $1 (13... Nbd7 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3
Nxc5 $14) 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nb3 {exerting some pressure.}) 11...
c5 (11... Be4 12. Qe3) 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Bxf6 $5 {A fresh idea which has already
been played.} (13. Rfd1 Qa5 $1 (13... Nbd7 14. e4 $1) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. d5 (15.
Ne4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Nc6 $15) 15... exd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Qxd5 Nc6 $132) 13...
Bxf6 14. Rfd1 (14. Ne4 $5 Nd7 (14... Bxd4 $1 15. Rfd1 Bf6 16. Qxd8 Bxd8 17.
Nxc5 Be7 18. Nb3 Bf6 19. Nfd4 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rd8 (20... Nc6 21. Nxc6 bxc6 22.
Rab1 Rfb8 23. Na5 $16) 21. Rac1 Nd7 $11) (14... Bxe4 $6 15. Qxe4 Nc6 16. dxc5 {
and White may keep the pawn.}) 15. Rfd1 {is a better way to get in the game
continuation having forced Nd7.}) 14... Nd7 {He could have spared the
possibility of Nc6.} (14... Qa5 $5 15. d5 {transposes to one of these equalish
lines mentioned above.}) (14... Qe7 $142 15. Qe3 (15. Ne4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Nc6 $17
) 15... Bxf3 16. Qxf3 cxd4 17. Ne4 Be5 18. Rac1 Nc6 19. Qa3 $44) 15. Ne4 Qe7 (
15... Bxe4 16. Qxe4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Nc5 18. Qe3 Qb6 19. Qa3 Rfd8 20. e3 $14) 16.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 (16... Nxf6 $2 17. Qa3) 17. Qa3 ({I was calculating} 17. Ne5 Nxe5
18. dxe5 Qxe5 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Rac1 Rab8 (20... Qxb2 21. Rxc5) 21. b3 Qd5 22.
Rc3 Qxd3 (22... Rfd8 23. Rxc5 Qxc5 24. Qxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rxd8+ Qf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8
27. Kf1 Ke7 28. Ke1 Kd6 29. Kd2 Kc5 30. Kc3) 23. Rdxd3 Rxb3 24. Rxb3 c4 25. Rb6
cxd3 26. exd3 $11 {but everything looked drawish.}) 17... Rac8 18. Rac1 cxd4
19. Nxd4 Bxg2 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Kxg2 $14 {After all White has a more pleasant
position but Black may defend as well.} Ne5 (21... Nc5 $6 22. Qc3 b6 (22... Qd8
$2 23. Nxe6) 23. b4 $1 {The unexpected!} (23. a5 bxa5 24. Qxa5 Qd8 $11) 23...
Qxf2+ 24. Kh1 e5 25. Nb3 Qxe2 26. Re1 Qd3 27. Rc1 $1 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 $16 {and the
piece matters!}) 22. Qb4 $1 (22. Nf3 Nxf3 23. exf3 $11 {is drawish.}) 22... Rd8
$1 (22... Qd8 $2 23. Qxb7 $1 $18 (23. Nc6 Qxd1 24. Ne7+ Kh8 25. Nxc8 h5 26.
Qf8+ Kh7 27. Ne7 Qc2 $1 $13 {and things are very messy since Qh7 prevents the
checkmate.})) (22... Rc7 23. Qd6 Rd7 24. Qb8+ Rd8 25. Qxb7 {is a complicated
way to reach the game continuation.}) 23. Qxb7 $1 {Actually this is a piece
sacrifice!} (23. Rc1 h5) 23... Ng6 $6 {In such positions the defence should be
build up in the most precise way possible.} (23... Ng4 $1 24. Qf3 Qxf3+ $1 (
24... h5 $2 25. Qxf6 (25. Rd2 $5) 25... gxf6 26. Rd2 e5 27. Nb3 $16) 25. Kxf3
$5 (25. exf3 Ne5 26. Rc1 Kf8 $11) 25... Nxh2+ 26. Kg2 Ng4 27. Rd3 Ne5 (27... h5
28. Nc6 $16) 28. Rb3 Kf8 29. e3 {may turn out to be the only chance remained.})
24. Qxa6 $1 (24. Nxe6 fxe6 25. Rxd8+ Qxd8 26. Qxa6 Qd5+ $132) 24... h5 $2 {
Simply bad.} (24... Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Qxd4 26. Qa8+ Nf8 27. a5 {Stopping the
passer seems impossible but a knight is a knight as Tal pointed out once.} Qd5+
$3 (27... h5 $2 28. a6 h4 29. e3 $1 $18 (29. a7 $2 h3+ 30. Kxh3 Qxf2 31. Qxf8+
Kxf8 32. a8=Q+ Ke7 33. Qf3 $14)) 28. Qxd5 exd5 29. Kf3 Ne6 30. e4 d4 31. e5 Kf8
32. b4 Ke7 33. Ke4 Kd7 34. f4 g6 35. g4 d3 36. Kxd3 Nxf4+ 37. Kc4 Kc7 38. b5
Ne6 $11 {despite of White's initiative a win is improbable.}) (24... e5 $2 25.
Qxf6 (25. Ne6 fxe6 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Qxe6+ Kf8 $14) 25... gxf6 26. b4 $3 (26.
e3 $6 exd4 27. Rxd4 Ra8 $1 $14) 26... exd4 27. a5 {and the pawns roll.}) 25. e3
h4 (25... e5 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. b4 exd4 28. Rxd4 $16) 26. Qe2 (26. Rd2 $5 $18)
26... e5 $138 27. Nf3 (27. Nb5 h3+ 28. Kg1 {is another choice.}) 27... Ra8 28.
b3 Rb8 (28... h3+ 29. Kxh3 Qe6+ 30. Kg2 Qxb3 31. a5 $1 $16 (31. Ng5 $5)) 29.
Nd2 Qf5 $2 {This loses right away.} (29... Qc6+ 30. Qf3 Qc2 31. Ne4 Qxb3 32. a5
$1 (32. Rd7 Qe6) (32. Nc5 Qc4) 32... Qa2 33. Rd5 $18) 30. e4 h3+ (30... Qg5 31.
Qe3) 31. Kf1 $18 Qc8 32. Qd3 Rb4 33. Nc4 Kh7 34. Qf3 (34. a5 $5) 34... Qc6 (
34... Kg8 35. Qf5 Rxc4 36. bxc4 Qxc4+ 37. Kg1 (37. Ke1 $5) 37... Qxa4 38. Rd8+
Nf8 39. Qxe5 $18) 35. Qh5+ Kg8 36. Rd8+ Nf8 37. Qxf7+ (37. Qxf7+ Kxf7 38. Nxe5+
Ke6 39. Nxc6 {wins everything.}) 1-0

[Event "Tan Chin Nam Cup 2nd"]
[Site "Beijing"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Atalik, Suat"]
[Black "Liang, Jinrong"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2425"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1996.08.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 055"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 Bxa3 8.
bxa3 Bd7 9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 Nd5 12. Rb1 Qd6 $5 13. e3 $5 (13. Qc1
Nb6 (13... c3 $6 14. Bxc3 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Nxd4 16. Rfe1 Rab8 17. e3 Nf5 18. Bxb7
$16) 14. Rd1) 13... Rab8 14. Qc1 b5 15. a4 a6 16. axb5 axb5 17. a4 c3 $1 (17...
bxa4 18. Ra1 Rb3 19. Ba3 Ncb4 20. Qxc4 $44) 18. Bxc3 (18. Bxd5 $2 Qxd5 19. axb5
cxb2 20. Qxc6 Qb3 $19) 18... bxa4 19. Ra1 Rb3 20. Bb2 $2 (20. Bxd5 Qxd5 21.
Rxa4 $10) 20... Rfb8 21. Ba3 Ncb4 22. Qc4 Rc3 23. Qe2 Qb6 $1 24. Bxb4 $6 (24.
Rfc1 $8 Rb3 25. Qc4) 24... Qxb4 25. Bxd5 (25. Qa2 $6 Nb6 26. Rfb1 Rb3 27. Rc1
Rb2 28. Qa3 Qd2 29. Rf1 Nc4 30. Qxa4 Nxe3 $19) 25... exd5 26. Qa2 Rc4 27. Rab1
Qf8 28. Rxb8 Qxb8 29. Rb1 Qe8 30. Qb2 g6 31. Qb8 Kf8 $1 $138 32. Kg2 a3 33. Qb3
Qa4 34. Qb8+ Qe8 35. Qb3 Qa4 $2 (35... Qe4+ 36. Kg1 (36. Kh3 Kg7) 36... Rc3 $19
) 36. Qb8+ Kg7 37. Qd8 Qc2 (37... Rb4 38. Rc1 a2 $2 (38... c6 39. Qc7) (38...
Rb7 39. Qxd5) 39. Rxc7 Qa6 40. Qe7 Qf6 41. Qxb4 a1=Q 42. Rc8 Qf5 43. Qf8+ Kf6
44. Re8 $18) 38. Rb8 Qe4+ 39. Kh3 Qf5+ 40. Kg2 Qe4+ 41. Kh3 Qf5+ (41... Rc2 $2
42. Qf8+ Kf6 43. Qh8+ Kf5 44. Re8 $18) 42. Kg2 Qe4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Paracin GM"]
[Site "Paracin"]
[Date "2018.07.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lorparizangeneh, Shahin"]
[Black "Atalik, Suat"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2493"]
[BlackElo "2509"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2018.07.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SRB"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 186"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. g3 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 (5. d3 O-O 6. Nbd2 Nc6 $5) 5...
O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 (10. Bg5 {was my choice
against Pavlovic from Kragujevac 2015.} h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3
c6 14. e3 a5 $14) 10... Nbd7 (10... Bd6 $5 11. Qc1) 11. Nc3 Bd6 {Tricky move
order.} 12. Bd2 $5 {I have to admit that I was utterly surprised by this
choice, albeit it has been played by Gelfand.} a5 $146 13. Qd3 Bb4 14. Rfe1 Re8
({Some time I might go for the exchange.} 14... Bxf3 15. Qxf3 c6) 15. Qc2 (15.
Rad1 $5 Nb6 16. b3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 c6) 15... Bxf3 $1 (15... e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17.
Nxe5 Rxe5 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Rad1 $14) 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Red1 Qb6 18. Bg5 (18. Be3
Nd5 19. Bc1) 18... h6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Rad8 22. e3 Rd6 23.
Rd3 Qd8 24. Rad1 Re7 (24... h5 25. h4 g5 26. hxg5 Qxg5 27. Kg2 h4 28. Rh1 hxg3
29. f4 Qf6 30. Kxg3 Kf8 $13) 25. Qc4 Red7 26. Bg2 Qe7 27. h4 h5 28. Bf3 g6 29.
Bg2 Kg7 30. b3 e5 31. dxe5 (31. d5 cxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxd5 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34. Bxd5 b6
35. Kg2 Bc5 $11) 31... Qxe5 (31... Rxd3 32. Rxd3 Rxd3 33. Qxd3 Qxe5) 32. Rxd6
Rxd6 33. Rxd6 Qxd6 34. Be4 $11 Qf6 35. Kf1 Qa1+ 36. Kg2 Qe5 37. Bf3 f5 $5 38.
Qd4 Qxd4 39. exd4 Bd6 40. d5 c5 41. Be2 f4 42. Kf3 (42. g4 hxg4 43. Bxg4 Kf6)
42... fxg3 43. fxg3 Kf6 44. Bd3 g5 45. hxg5+ Kxg5 46. Kg2 $11 b6 (46... Kg4 47.
Be2+) 47. Kh3 Bb8 48. Be2 Be5 49. Bd3 Bd6 50. Be2 Be5 51. Bd3 Bd6 52. Be2 Be5
1/2-1/2

[Event "Veliko Gradiste Silver Lake op"]
[Site "Veliko Gradiste"]
[Date "2018.06.22"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Atalik, Suat"]
[Black "Karavade, Eesha"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2512"]
[BlackElo "2399"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2018.06.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SRB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 186"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 {
Two alternatives} ({are} 7... b5 8. a4 b4 9. Nfd2 c6 10. Nxc4 Qxd4 11. Rd1 Qc5
12. Be3 Qh5 13. Nbd2 Ng4 14. Nf1 $44) (7... b6 8. Bg5 Nd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 $13) 8.
a4 Bd7 9. Rd1 {Sosonko.} (9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13.
Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 14. Ne4 Nd7 15. Rfd1 {is the idea I applied against GM Milos
Pavlovic with the proper order of moves.}) 9... Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 (10... Bb4 11.
Bg5 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 Ne4 13. Bxd8 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Rxd8 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nc6 $1
{and White's advantage is not clear.}) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. a5 Rb8 (
13... Qb8 14. Bg5 $5) (13... Nd5 14. Na2) 14. Qa4 $6 (14. Ra4 Rb4 15. Na2 Rxa4
16. Qxa4 Qb8 17. Qxc4 Qb7 $1 $132) 14... Bb4 (14... Rb4 15. Qxc6 Qd6 16. Qf3
$13) 15. Na2 Be7 16. Qxc4 ({There have been many short draws with} 16. Nc3 Bb4
$11) 16... Qd5 17. Qxd5 $146 (17. Qd3 $2) 17... cxd5 $5 (17... Nxd5 18. Nc3 $5)
18. b4 Ne4 19. Bf4 Bxb4 $2 (19... Nd6 $142 20. Bxd6 (20. Rdc1 Nc4 21. Bxc7 Rb5)
20... Bxd6 21. Rdc1 Rb5 22. Rc6 Ra8 $17 {Followed by Kf8-e7-d7.}) 20. Bxc7 Rb5
21. Nxb4 (21. Rdb1 $6 Ba3 22. Rxb5 axb5 23. Rb1 Rc8 24. Bb6 b4) 21... Rxb4 22.
Rac1 Rc8 $2 (22... Rb2 23. Kf1 Nd2+ 24. Ke1 Nc4 25. Rb1 $11) (22... Rb3 23. Rd3
$1) 23. f3 Rc4 24. Rxc4 dxc4 25. fxe4 Rxc7 $14 {White is only optically better.
} 26. Kf2 Kf8 27. Ke3 (27. Rb1 c3) 27... Rb7 (27... e5 $5 28. Rc1 Ke7 29. d5
Rc5 30. g4 $13) 28. Rc1 Rb5 (28... Rb4 29. Kd2 Ke7 30. Kc3 Ra4) 29. Rxc4 Rxa5
30. Rc8+ Ke7 31. e5 Ra1 32. Rh8 h6 33. Rg8 g6 34. Rh8 h5 35. Ra8 (35. Kf4 Ra2
$1) 35... a5 36. Kf4 Ra2 37. e4 (37. Kg5 Rxe2 38. Kh6 Rxh2 39. Kg7 Rf2 (39...
Rg2 40. Rxa5 Rxg3 41. Ra7+ Ke8 42. Rxf7 h4 $11) 40. Rxa5 g5 41. Ra7+ $11) 37...
Rd2 (37... Rxh2 38. d5 exd5 39. exd5 $44) 38. Ra7+ (38. Rxa5 Rxd4) (38. Kg5
Rxd4 39. Ra7+ Rd7 40. Rxa5 Rd2 41. Ra7+ Kf8 42. Kh6 Rxh2 43. Ra8+ Ke7 44. Kg7
h4 45. gxh4 Rxh4 46. Ra7+ Ke8 47. Rxf7 Rxe4 48. Rf8+ $11) 38... Kf8 (38... Ke8)
39. Ke3 Rxh2 40. d5 exd5 41. exd5 Rh1 (41... Ra2 $2 42. d6) 42. Rxa5 (42. d6
Ke8 43. Re7+ Kf8 44. Kd4 Rd1+ 45. Kc5 g5 46. Ra7 Ke8 47. Rxa5 h4 48. gxh4 gxh4
$11) 42... Rd1 43. Ke4 g5 $5 {During the game I thought that this should have
lost but Black still ought to draw.} (43... Ke7 $5) 44. d6 h4 45. g4 h3 {
White has to take an important decision.} 46. Ra2 $5 ({The natural} 46. Ra8+
Kg7 47. Ra2 {helps Black to insert} f6 $1 48. Kf5 h2 $3 (48... fxe5 $2 49. Ke6
$1 e4 50. d7 e3 51. Rh2 $1 $18) 49. Rxh2 (49. exf6+ Kf7 50. Rxh2 Rd5+ $1 $11)
49... Rd5 50. Re2 Kf7 $1 {is the last exact move and Black draws.} 51. Re1 fxe5
52. Rxe5 Rxd6 $11) 46... Rf1 (46... Rg1 47. Kf5) (46... f6 $2 47. Kf5 $1) 47.
Rh2 f5+ $4 $138 {A terrible blunder.} (47... Rf4+ 48. Kd5 Rf3 49. Kc6 Ke8 $1
50. Ra2 Rc3+ 51. Kd5 Re3 52. Ra8+ Kd7 53. Rh8 Rf3 54. Rh7 Ke8 $11) 48. gxf5 g4
49. e6 g3 50. Rxh3 g2 51. e7+ ({Another winning move is} 51. d7 $18) 51... Kf7
52. Rh7+ Kf6 53. e8=N+ (53. e8=N+ Kg5 54. Rg7+ $18) 1-0

[Event "Hoogovens-B"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1997.01.31"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Atalik, Suat"]
[Black "Van der Sterren, Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1997.01.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 057"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Nbd2 {Bu fikir Kaidanov un eski bir fikri.Bu oyunun ilginc tarafi bana
bu fikri asilayan GM Dmitry Gurevich in oyunun oynandigi gun Isvicre den bizi
ziyarete gelmis olmasiydi.} Bc6 10. a5 b5 (10... Nbd7 11. Rd1 b5 12. b3 c3 13.
Qxc3 Bb7 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. Qf3 $14) 11. axb6 cxb6 12.
Nxc4 Be4 13. Qb3 $6 $146 (13. Qd1 Nc6 14. Bg5 Nb4 15. Qd2 a5 16. Rfc1 Rc8 17.
Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Ne4 19. Bxe7 Nxd2 20. Bxd8 Nb3 21. Be7 Nxc1 22. Rxc1 Rfe8 23.
Bg5 Na2 24. Rc2 b5 25. Nce3 f6 26. Bf4 e5 27. dxe5 g5 28. Rxc8 Rxc8 29. Nd5 Rd8
30. e4 gxf4 31. e6 $44 {GM Kaidanov,G(2500)-GM Wells,P(2410) London Lloyds 1990
}) 13... Bd5 14. Qd3 Be4 15. Qb3 {Bu hamle tahmin edebileceginiz gibi genel
karakterimin disinda,fakat bir  tur once kaybetmem Dima nin sehre gelmesiyle
birlesince beraberlige razi oldum.} (15. Qe3 Nc6 16. Bd2 {oyuna geri donerdi.
Fakat yukarida saydigim sebepler sonucunda bu karari Paul e biraktim.}) 15...
Bd5 16. Qd3 Nc6 17. Bd2 Be4 18. Qe3 {15. hamledeki bahsi gecen konuma ulasildi.
} Rc8 19. Rfc1 (19. Rxa6 $4 Nb8) 19... Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Nxd4 21. Bb7 Rb8 (21...
Ng4 22. Qd3 Rc7 23. Bxa6 b5 $2 (23... Rd7 24. Be1 $1 (24. Bf4 Bc5 25. Rf1)
24... b5 25. Ba5 bxc4 (25... Qe8 26. Nb6) 26. Rxc4 Qa8 27. Rxd4 Nxf2 28. Kxf2
Rxd4 29. Qxd4 Qxa6 30. Qxg7+ Kxg7 31. Bc3+) 24. Ba5 bxc4 25. Rxc4 Ne5 26. Rxd4
Nxd3 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Bxc7) 22. Bxa6 Ng4 23. Qd3 (23. Qe4 $5 f5 24. Qd3) 23...
b5 24. Ba5 Qd5 (24... bxc4 $2 25. Rxc4 Ne5 26. Bxd8 Nxd3 27. Bxe7 $18) 25. Nb6
Qh5 26. h4 Rfd8 $2 (26... Bxh4 $2 27. Kg2 Bf6 28. Rh1 Qg6 29. Qxg6 hxg6 30. Nd7
$18) (26... Rbd8 $1 27. Nc8 Bxh4 (27... Bc5 28. Bxd8 Rxd8 29. Kg2 (29. Qe4 f5
30. Rxc5) 29... Nxf2) 28. Kg2 Bxg3 (28... Nxf2 29. Kxf2 Bxg3+ 30. Qxg3 Qxe2+
31. Kg1 Nf3+ 32. Kh1 Rd4 33. Bxb5 Qxb5 34. Qxf3 Rh4+ 35. Kg2 Qg5+ 36. Qg3 Rg4
37. Be1 Rxg3+ 38. Bxg3 $13) 29. Qxg3 (29. Rh1 Bh4 (29... Bh2 30. Bxd8 Rxd8 31.
f3 Ne5 32. Qe4 Ndxf3 $17) 30. Bxd8 Rxd8 31. Qe4 Qg5 32. Kf1 Nb3 $17) 29... Nxe2
30. Qf3 Rd3 $3 31. Ne7+ Kh8 32. Rh1 Rxf3 33. Rxh5 Rxf2+ 34. Kh3 f5 $13) 27. Nc8
Bxh4 28. Kg2 $1 (28. Bxd8 Bf6 $3) 28... Bf6 (28... Bxg3 29. Qxg3 Nxe2 30. Qxb8)
(28... Nxf2 29. Kxf2 Bxg3+ 30. Qxg3 Qxe2+ 31. Kg1 Nf3+ 32. Kh1 Rd4 33. Ne7+ Kf8
34. Qxb8+ Kxe7 35. Bd8+ $1 Rxd8 36. Rc7+ Kf6 37. Qxd8+ Kg6 38. Qd6 $18) 29. Rh1
Qd5+ 30. e4 $2 {Burasi oyunun enkritik noktasiydi.Dogal gorunen bu hamle yerine
} (30. f3 $1 {hemen kazanirdi.} Nh6 (30... Rbxc8 31. Bxc8 Rxc8 32. Qxh7+ Kf8
33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Qxc8 Nxe2 35. Bb4+) 31. Bxd8 Qxd8 32. e3 Ndf5 33. Qxd8+ Bxd8
34. e4 Nd4 35. Nd6 Bc7 36. e5 Nhf5 37. Nxf5 $18) 30... Qb3 $1 31. Qxb3 Nxb3 32.
Bxd8 Bxd8 33. Rad1 Bf6 34. Rh5 (34. Rhe1 Nc5 35. e5 Nxa6 36. exf6 Rxc8) 34...
g5 35. Nd6 h6 36. Bxb5 $2 (36. Kf3 Ne5+ 37. Ke2 Nc5 38. Bxb5 Be7 39. b4 Bxd6
40. bxc5 Bxc5 $11) 36... Nd4 37. Rd3 $6 (37. Be2 $1 Nxe2 38. Kf3 Nxf2 39. Kxe2
(39. Kxf2 Rxb2 40. Kf3 Bg7 (40... Nd4+ 41. Kg4 $11))) 37... Nxb5 38. Rb3 Nxd6
39. Rxb8+ Kg7 40. Rb3 $2 {Zeitnotun son hamlesi.} (40. f3 Ne3+ 41. Kh1 g4 $17)
(40. b4 Nxe4 41. b5 Nexf2 42. b6 Kg6 $19) 40... Bd4 $1 $17 41. Rd3 e5 {Oyun
bir anda yine el degistirdi.} 42. Rh1 Nxe4 43. f3 Nc5 44. Rxd4 Ne3+ 45. Kf2
exd4 46. Ke2 Nc4 47. b4 d3+ 48. Kf2 Na4 {Bu hamleyle turnuvanin en ilginc
partilerinden biri bitmis oluyordu.Beyaz terk eder.} 0-1

[Event "Asia-ch"]
[Site "Kolkata"]
[Date "2001.08.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hakki, Imad"]
[Black "Nolte, Rolando"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2428"]
[BlackElo "2324"]
[Annotator "Atlas,V"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2001.08.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 085"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nbd7 11. Ba5 Rc8 12. Nbd2 Bd6 13. e4 e5 14. Rfe1 Qe8 15.
b4 Nb6 16. a3 Nfd7 17. Rac1 exd4 18. e5 Be7 19. Bxb6 Nxb6 20. Ng5 $2 ({A very
bad slip.} 20. Nxd4 {was to be preferred; yet, after} Bxg2 21. Kxg2 c5 {
Black has a good counterplay.}) {[%tqu "En","How can Black punish White's last
'smart' move?","Use a shaky postion of both white knights.","Play
energetically not to allow White any time for defence.","d4d3","Correct! This
simple and elegant pawn thrust does not leave White any chances.",5]} 20... d3
$1 {[%csl Rd2,Rg5][%cal Ge7g5,Gc8d8,Gd8d2] After this pawn thrust the game is
over.} 21. Qxd3 Bxg5 22. f4 ({Or} 22. Bxb7 Rd8 {winning.}) 22... Bxg2 23. Kxg2
Be7 {White has no slightest compensation for the piece.} 24. Ne4 Nc4 25. Qf3 c5
0-1

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 17th"]
[Site "Novi Sad"]
[Date "2009.10.29"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Sanikidze, Tornike"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "Avrukh,B"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2009.10.22"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 133"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Israel"]
[BlackTeam "Georgia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GEO"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (
{Previously I always opted for} 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {, the line,
that has been recommended in my book "1.d4 Repertoire according to Avrukh",
but this time I decided to choose another option.}) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10.
Bf4 {Recently this move has become fashionable.} ({White's first choice
according to the theory is} 10. Bg5 {but present theory considers it pretty
harmless.}) 10... Nd5 ({Both} 10... a5) ({and} 10... Nbd7 {are the more
popular options.}) 11. Nc3 {I believe this is the most challenging move.} ({
More often seen in practice is} 11. Bd2 {, but I believe Black has good play
after} Nd7 12. Qc2 Nb4 $1 13. Bxb4 Bxb4) 11... Nxf4 12. gxf4 {Eventually we
have reached a thematic pawn structure for the Catalan opening with each side
having its own trumps: White has more control in the centre plus the
opportunity to seize an initiative on the kingside with the help of the open
g-file, while Black is very solid and will try to create counterplay on the
queenside.} a5 13. Ne5 $1 $146 {I believe this is essential idea, since after}
(13. Rfd1 {Black can play not only} Bd5 {, but also} (13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 {
and I don't believe White can pose Black any problems here.}) 14. Qb5 Na6 15.
e4 Bc6 16. Qc4 Nb4 17. Ne5 Be8 $13 {0-1 Hulak,K (2540)-Psakhis,L (2575)/Zagreb
1993/CBM 035/[Ftacnik] (37)}) 13... Bxg2 14. Kxg2 c6 15. Rad1 Na6 16. e3 {
[%csl Gf4] Always a useful move in this type of structure.} Nb4 17. Rg1 {
The only active idea for White, he is going to double his rooks along g-file
in order to seize the initiative on the kingside.} Nd5 18. Kh1 f6 {An
understandable decision, White's knight on e5 was really annoying, but
obviously the text move has a clear drawback as it weakens Black's pawn
structure on the kingisde.} ({In my opinion Black could try} 18... g6 19. Ne4
Qc7 $14 {with a slightly passive, but very solid position.}) 19. Nf3 Qb6 {
Black tries to get some activity on the queenside.} 20. Qf1 $6 {[%cal Gf1h3] A
very attractive continuation, that brought me a nice victory, but objectively
this move not the best one.} (20. Ne4 {doesn't promise much in view of} f5 $1 (
20... Qb4 21. Qc2 $14) 21. Ned2 Qb4 22. Qc2 c5 $1 {and Black equalises
comfortably.}) ({Now I believe White should have played} 20. Rb1 Qb4 21. Qd3 f5
22. Qc2 {keeping somewhat better chances, but definitely Black has reasonable
play.}) 20... Qxb2 $1 {The critical continuation.} 21. Nxd5 cxd5 ({Certainly} 
21... exd5 $6 {would be a clear conssession, since after} 22. Rb1 Qc2 23. Rxb7
$14 {Black has a damaged pawn structure on the queenside.}) 22. f5 $1 {This
was my idea, I believed that with Black's queen being temporailry far from the
kingside White could generate a dangerous offensive; in fact Black has enough
defensive resources to maintain balance.} ({Of course} 22. Rb1 Qc2 23. Rxb7 Rf7
{is not dangerous for Black.}) 22... Qb6 {Another defensive idea would have
been} ({It was better to play} 22... exf5 23. Nh4 Rf7 24. Nxf5 Kh8 {I didn't
find anything decisive for White, but there are two nice lines, that lead to
the draw} 25. Nxg7 {and} (25. Qh3 Bf8 (25... Qxf2 $4 26. Rg2 $18) 26. Qh5 Rd7
27. Rg3 Qc2 28. Rdg1 Qe4+ 29. f3 Qe6 30. Qxh7+ Kxh7 31. Rh3+ Kg8 32. Nh6+ $11)
25... Rxg7 26. Rxg7 Kxg7 27. Qg2+ Kf7 (27... Kh8 $2 28. Rg1 $18) 28. Qxd5+ Ke8
29. Rg1 Qb6 30. Qg8+ Kd7 $1 (30... Bf8 $2 31. Rg7 $18) 31. Qxa8 Qc6+ 32. Rg2
Qc1+ 33. Rg1 Qc6+ $11) 23. Qh3 Rfe8 $4 {Black's only serious mistake in the
game appears to be a decisive one.} ({Black could have still maintained the
balance by means of} 23... exf5 $1 24. Nh4 ({Winning the exchange doesn't
bring White much:} 24. Qh6 Rf7 25. Ne5 Raf8 26. Nxf7 Rxf7 27. Qf4 Qe6 {and two
pawns fully compensate for the exchange, for instance} 28. Qb8+ Bf8 29. Rc1 g6
30. Rc7 Qe4+ 31. Rg2 Qb1+ $11) 24... Rf7 25. Nxf5 Kh8 {Black's position looks
quite dangerous from the human point of view, but I didn't manage to find how
White can decide the game. It looks like White should settle for the draw.} 26.
Rg3 {, or} (26. Rg6 Bf8 27. Rdg1 Qe6 28. Nh6 $1 Re7 29. Qxe6 Rxe6 30. Nf7+ Kg8
31. Nh6+ $11) 26... Bf8 27. Rdg1 Qe6 28. Qxh7+ Kxh7 29. Rh3+ Kg8 30. Nh6+ Kh7
$11) 24. Rxg7+ $3 {A decisive blow, that decides the game instantly.} Kxg7 25.
Rg1+ Kh8 26. Nh4 $1 h6 ({The key point of my combination is} 26... Rg8 27. Ng6+
Rxg6 28. fxg6 $18 {[%cal Gh3h7]}) 27. Ng6+ Kh7 28. fxe6 $1 $18 {[%cal Gh3f5] I
was happy to find this idea, when I was calculating the consequences of 24.
Rg7. Black is absolutely helpless against the coming Qf5.} ({I also realized,
that most probably} 28. Nxe7 {is enough for a win as well, due to the
following line:} Rxe7 29. Rg6 Qb1+ 30. Kg2 Qe4+ 31. Kg3 $18 {, but the game
continuation is much more elegant.}) 28... Ra6 29. Qf5 Qxe6 30. Nf8+ {[%cal
Gf5h7] Next 31. Qh7 mate.} 1-0

[Event "EU-Cup 12th final"]
[Site "Budapest"]
[Date "1996.11.22"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Dizdar, Goran"]
[Black "Ostojic, Nikola"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "Baburin,A"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1996.11.21"]
[EventType "team-k.o."]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Borovo Vukovar '91"]
[BlackTeam "Belgrade Partizan"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CRO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "YUG"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 {This position was
quite popular some years ago; usually Black managed to get equal chances by
putting pressure on the b2-pawn.} 13. Bg5 Nd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne4 Qb4 16.
Rdc1 Rfb8 17. Ra2 a5 18. Qxc4 Qe7 19. b3 Rb6 20. Nc5 {The white knight has
occupied a very important position; being absolutely safe there the knight
determines White's advantage. The position of the black knight on d5 is not
guaranteed at all.} h5 21. e3 h4 22. Qe2 Qg5 23. Rac2 Rd8 24. Rc4 g6 25. Qf3
hxg3 26. hxg3 Kg7 27. Qe4 Nf6 28. Qe5 Qxe5 29. dxe5 {White's doubled pawns
make a compact pawn mass, as opposed to the black isolated doubled pawns.} Ng8
30. Kg2 Ne7 31. Rh1 Rd5 32. f4 Rb8 33. Kf3 Rd2 34. Ne4 Rd3 35. Nc5 Rd2 36. Rhc1
Rh8 37. R4c2 Rd5 38. Ne4 Rb8 39. Rc3 Rdd8 40. Rh1 Rb4 41. Nf6 Rh8 42. Rxh8 Kxh8
43. Rd3 Nd5 44. e4 Nxf6 45. exf6 Kh7 46. Rd7 Rxb3+ 47. Kg4 g5 48. fxg5 Kg6 49.
Rd8 Rb4 50. Rg8+ Kh7 51. Rg7+ Kh8 52. Rxf7 Rxe4+ 53. Kh5 1-0

[Event "Ubeda"]
[Site "Ubeda"]
[Date "1997.02.08"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Beliavsky,A"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1997.02.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 058"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ribli} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6
8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 (10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 13. e4
Nb4 14. Rfd1 b6 15. Ne1 g6 16. e5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Bg7 18. Nf3 $14) 11. Qd3 Be4 $1
(11... c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qa5 (15... Nbd7 $5 {
Ribli}) 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 Nc6 19. Qc5 Rac8 20. Qxa5 Nxa5 21.
Nd6 Rc2 22. b4 Nc4 23. Nxb7 Rxe2 24. Nc5 a5 25. Rdc1 Nd6 26. bxa5 Ra8 27. Rab1
g5 28. a6 g4 29. Rb4 h5 30. Rcb1 Kg7 31. Rb8 Ra7 32. R8b7 Ra8 33. Rb8 Ra7 34.
Kf1 Re5 35. Rc1 Ne4 36. Rb7 Rxc5 37. Rxc5 Rxa6 38. Rcc7 Ng5 39. Rb5 Kg6 40. a5
Rd6 41. Rc1 {1-0 Tukmakov,V-Beliavsky,A/Portoroz 1996/EXP 51}) 12. Qe3 {
Das ist wirklich kein so schoener Platz fuer die Dame, aber mit spaeterem 13.
Nc3 und 14.Qd3 kann Weiss einen idealen Figurenaufbau erzielen. In der
Katalanischen Eröffnung hat Weiß zwar nur einen kleinen Vorteil, aber Schwarz
kann nur selten gewinnen. Ribli.} Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3 (14. a5 Nd5 15. Nxd5
Bxg5 16. Nxg5 exd5 17. Rac1 $14) 14... Bb4 {Das ist das ideale Feld für den
schwarzen Läufer. Mit diesem Zug Schwarz verhindert 15.e4.Ribli.} (14... Nd5
15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. e4 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Rfd8 18. Qe3 $14) 15. Rfe1 (15. Rfd1 $5)
15... Bxf3 (15... h6 16. Bxf6 (16. Bf4 {Ribli} Rc8 17. Qc2 b6 18. e4 Bb7 19.
Rad1 {[%csl Yd4,Ye4,Yf4]} Re8 20. Ne5 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Nd7 22. Bf4 Qe7 23. Re2 c5
24. d5 $36 {Khalifman,A-Lautier,J/Biel zt/1993/}) 16... Qxf6 17. e4 Rad8 18.
Qe3 $14) 16. Qxf3 c6 {Schwarz hat nur eine etwas passivere Stellung und keine
Schwächen. Das Feld b4 ist ein positioneslles Loch im weißen Lager, aber Weiss
hat Übergewicht im Zentrum.Ribli.} 17. Red1 (17. e4 Qa5 18. e5 Nd5 19. Bd2 Rfd8
$13) 17... Qa5 $1 {Ein aktiver und ruhiger Platz fuer die Dame.Ribli.} 18. h4
h6 19. Bd2 e5 {Schwarz folgt einem guten Plan. Da der weisse Laeufer auf g2
kein gute Zukunft hat wegen den Bauern b7/c6 öffnet Schwarz die Stellung.Ribli.
} 20. Be1 (20. e3 {Ribli} exd4 (20... Rfe8) 21. exd4 Rfe8 $13) 20... Rfe8 21.
e3 (21. e4 exd4 22. Rxd4 Nc5 $13) 21... Rad8 22. Qf5 exd4 23. Qxa5 Bxa5 24.
Rxd4 Nc5 25. Rad1 (25. b4 $2 {Ribli} Rxd4 26. exd4 Nb3 27. Rb1 Bxb4 28. Rxb3
Rxe1+ $19) 25... Rxd4 26. Rxd4 Rd8 (26... Ne6 {Ribli}) 27. b4 (27. Rxd8+ Bxd8
28. Bf1 Ba5 $15) 27... Rxd4 28. exd4 Nd3 29. bxa5 Nxe1 {Weiss hat zwar drei
Bauerninseln und einen Doppelbauer auf der a-Linie, aber der schwarze
Damenflügel ist angreifbar.Ribli.} 30. Bh3 {Nur so! Ohne diesen Läufer steht
Schwarz besser.Ribli.} (30. Bh1 Nd3 31. d5 cxd5 32. Nxd5 Nxd5 33. Bxd5 Nc5 $11)
30... Nf3+ 31. Kg2 Nxd4 32. Bc8 Nc2 (32... Nb3 33. Bxb7 Nxa5 34. Bxa6 $14 Ne4)
33. Na2 (33. Bxb7 Nb4 34. Kf3 Kf8 35. Ne4 (35. Ke3 {Ribli} Ke7 36. Kd4 Kd7 $13)
35... Nxe4 36. Kxe4 Ke7 37. Kd4 Kd6 38. Kc4 c5 39. h5 g5 $13) 33... Nd5 34.
Bxb7 Ncb4 35. Nxb4 Nxb4 36. Kf3 {Weiss hat symbolischen Vorteil, dank seines
aktiven Laeufers. Der junge ungarische Grossmeister hält aber das
Gleichgewicht.Ribli.} Kf8 37. Ke4 Ke7 38. Bc8 (38. Kd4 {Ribli} Kd7) 38... Kd6
39. Kd4 c5+ 40. Kc4 g6 41. Bb7 g5 42. h5 {Weiss gewinnt etwas Raum mit diesem
Zug, aber er kann das nicht nutzen, weil der König im Zentrum oder am
Damenflügel bleiben muß.Ribli.} (42. hxg5 {Ribli} hxg5 $11) 42... f6 43. Bc8
Kc6 44. Bh3 Kd6 45. Bf1 Nc6 $11 (45... Kc6 $11 {Ribli}) 46. Kc3 Nxa5 47. Bxa6 {
Der weiße Freibauer hat keinen Wert, weil der weiße König ihn nicht
unterstützen kann.Ribli.} Ke5 48. Bf1 f5 49. Bg2 g4 (49... f4 $11 {Ribli}) 50.
Bf1 Kf6 51. Bb5 Kg5 52. Be8 {Zum ersten mal in dieser Partie muß Weiss sich
verteidigen. Aber die Stellung bleibt gleich.Ribli.} Kf6 53. Kd3 Ke5 54. Bb5
Kd5 55. Bd7 Ke5 56. Bc8 Kf6 57. Ba6 Ke5 (57... Kg5 $6 {Ribli} 58. Ke3 Kxh5 59.
Kf4 Kg6 60. Bc8 $16) 58. Ke3 Nc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Chicago op 26th"]
[Site "Chicago"]
[Date "2017.05.29"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Belous, Vladimir"]
[Black "Brown, Michael William"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2587"]
[BlackElo "2489"]
[Annotator "Belous,V"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2017.05.25"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Rd1
$5 {A very rare move. The idea of this move is to sacrifice a pawn and to play
against the weak c5-square} b5 9. Ne5 Nd5 (9... Ra7 $6 10. a4 $14) 10. b3 Bb7
$5 {A very good move for equalising.} ({The main line is} 10... cxb3 11. axb3
Bb7 12. Ba3 a5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Qd2 $44) 11. bxc4 Nb4 12. Qc3 $1 {The best
square for the queen.} (12. Qb3 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 N8c6 $1 (13... bxc4 14. Qxc4 c5
$11) 14. c5 Bf6 $15 {Black controls critical squares and has better
development.}) (12. Qd2 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nd7 $11) 12... Bxg2 13. Kxg2 c5 (13...
N8c6 14. Nf3 Na5 (14... bxc4 15. Ba3 Rb8 16. Qxc4 Na5 17. Qc1 $14) 15. Nbd2
Nbc6 16. Bb2 $14) (13... N4c6 14. Qf3 Nxe5 15. Qxa8 Nxc4 16. Qf3 c5 $44 {
For a human this position is impossible to understand, but the computer shows
good compensation for Black.}) 14. Bb2 $1 (14. a3 N4c6 15. Qf3 (15. Nxc6 Nxc6
$17) 15... Nxe5 16. Qxa8 Nxc4 17. e3 Qc7 18. Qf3 Nc6 19. dxc5 Bxc5 $17) (14.
Qf3 $2 Nd7 $17) 14... Bf6 $1 {Black puts his bishop in line with White's
bishop.} (14... cxd4 15. Rxd4 Qc8 16. Nf3 f6 17. Re4 $40) 15. Qf3 Nd7 $1 ({
I considered} 15... Ra7 {to be more logical} 16. Na3 $8 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Qb6 18.
Rd6 N8c6 (18... N4c6 19. Rad1 $14) 19. Nb1 $3 {A remarkable idea of my
computer.} bxc4 20. Nd2 Nd5 21. Nxc4 $14) 16. Nxd7 (16. Na3 cxd4 17. Bxd4 Bxe5
18. Bxe5 Nxe5 19. Rxd8 Nxf3 20. Rxa8 Nh4+ 21. gxh4 Rxa8 22. cxb5 axb5 23. Nxb5
Rxa2 $11) (16. Nc3 cxd4 17. Nxd7 {leads to a transposition.}) 16... Qxd7 17.
Nc3 $1 cxd4 18. Ne4 Be5 19. e3 (19. a3 Nc6 20. Nc5 Qc7 21. Rac1 b4 22. axb4
Nxb4 23. Nb3 Rab8 $11) 19... Nc6 $1 {A very solid move, consolidating the
position.} (19... bxc4 20. Bxd4 Qb5 (20... Qd5 21. Rac1 Nd3 22. Bxe5 (22. Rxd3
cxd3 23. Rc5 Bxd4 24. Rxd5 exd5 25. exd4 dxe4 26. Qxe4 d2 27. Qd3 $15) 22... f5
$3 23. Nc5 $3 Qxf3+ (23... Qxc5 24. Rxd3 Qxe5 25. Rxc4 $14) 24. Kxf3 Nxe5+ 25.
Ke2 Rfe8 26. Rd6 $11) 21. Rab1 Bxd4 22. Rxd4 Nd3 $1 23. Nf6+ $1 (23. Rxb5 Ne1+
24. Kf1 Nxf3 $19) 23... Kh8 24. Qe4 Qf5 25. Qxf5 exf5 26. Nd7 Rfd8 27. Rd1 Nb2
28. R1d2 Nd3 $11) 20. Rac1 (20. cxb5 axb5 21. Rac1 Rac8 22. Nc5 Qd6 23. Nb7 Qd7
24. Nc5 $11) 20... b4 (20... Rac8 21. cxb5 axb5 22. Nc5 Qd6 23. Nb7 Qd7 24. Nc5
$11) 21. Nc5 $6 (21. Qh5 f5 22. exd4 fxe4 23. dxe5 Qa7 24. c5 Rf3 25. Qg4 $15)
(21. Bxd4 $5 Bxd4 22. exd4 Nxd4 23. Nf6+ gxf6 24. Qg4+ Kh8 25. Rxd4 Qc6+ 26.
Qf3 $11 {White should be fine.}) 21... Qc7 22. exd4 Nxd4 23. Bxd4 Bxd4 24. Nxa6
$8 Rxa6 25. Rxd4 Qc5 $1 {A very strong move.} (25... Rxa2 {gives White
sufficient compensation after} 26. c5 Ra3 27. Qe4 b3 28. Rb4 Rb8 29. c6 $11)
26. Rd2 Ra3 27. Qe4 g6 28. h4 h5 29. Rcc2 Rc8 30. Rd3 {Black is slightly
better, but there is nothing concrete.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1981.04.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "Belov,I"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1981.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 (10. Bd2 $5) 10... Nbd7 (10... Nc6 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1
Rc8 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. a3 Nd5 15. e4 Nb6 16. Nc3 Qe8 17. b4 $14 {Quinteros,
M-Velimirovic,D/Moscow(izt)/1982/Inf 34/(580)/}) 11. Bxf6 (11. Nbd2 Rc8 $10 (
11... c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Rfd1 Qb6 15. Nd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 f5 17.
Rac1 Rad8 18. N2f3 Rd5 19. b4 $1 $16 {Van der Sterren,P-Renet,O/Lyons(zt)/1990/
})) 11... Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 Be4 (13... c5 14. dxc5 Bd5 (14... a5 15. a4
Be4 16. Qc3 b4 17. Qe3 Bd5 18. Rfd1 Qc7 $10 {Andersson,U-Petursson,M/Reggio
Emilia/1989/0:1 (50) Inf 49/574/}) 15. Rfd1 Qc7 (15... Bxb3 16. Qxb3 Qc7 17. a4
Qxc5 18. axb5 axb5 19. Nd4 b4 20. e3 Rfd8 21. Rd2 Qb6 $10 {Kasparov,G-Karpov,
An/London_Leningrad(m/20)/1986/}) 16. Ne1 Bxb3 17. Qxb3 Qxc5 18. Nd3 Qb6 $10 {
Andersson,U-Georgiev,Kir/Novi Sad(ol)/1990/0,5 (25)/}) 14. Qc3 (14. Qc1 c5 15.
dxc5 Qc7 16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. gxf4 Bxc5 $10 {Razuvaev,Y-Huebner,R/URS-World/1984/
Inf 37/(551)/}) 14... Nd5 (14... Qd5 15. Rfc1 Bd6 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Qxc5
18. Rxc5 Nd7 19. Rc3 c5 20. dxc5 Rxc5 21. Rxc5 Nxc5 22. Rc1 $14 {Larsen,
B-Hansen,Cu/Copenhagen/1985/}) (14... Bd5 15. Rfd1 Ne4 16. Qe3 c5 17. Ne5 cxd4
18. Nxd4 Nf6 19. Nec6 $14 {Razuvaev,Y-Geller,E/Moscow/1987/}) 15. Qc1 (15. Qd2
Bb4 16. Qd1 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 19. Rc1 Qc7 20. Rxc5 Qxc5 $10 {
Dlugy,M-de Firmian,N/New York/1985/}) 15... c5 16. Nxc5 Qb6 17. Qd2 Bxc5 18.
dxc5 Rxc5 $10 19. Rfc1 Rfc8 20. Rxc5 (20. Rxc5 Qxc5 21. Ne1 $1 {>< c2/} Bxg2
22. Kxg2 Qe7 $10) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1981.04.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Black "Geller, Efim P"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "Belov,I"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1981.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 (7. Qc2 $5
) 7... Nc6 $5 (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 Qxc5 10. b3 $14) 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3
(9. Bxc6 Rb8 10. Nc3 Nd5 11. e4 Nb4 12. Bb5 Nd3 $1 13. Be3 Bb4 14. a4 a6 15.
Bxc4 Nxb2 $1 {Eriksson,Mag-Ernst,Th/Lindesberg/1993/0,5 (25) Inf 58/(528)/})
9... Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 (10... Nd5 11. Qa4 Nb6 12. Qxc6 Rb8 13. Qc5 Ba6 14. Bf4
Nd5 15. Qxa7 Nxf4 16. gxf4 Qd6 17. Rfc1 Rb2 $10 {Sveshnikov,E-Balashov,Y/URS/
1979/}) 11. Bxc6 (11. Qa4 $5) 11... Rb8 12. Qa4 Rb6 (12... Qc8 13. Bf3 Nd7 14.
Bf4 Rb6 15. Rfd1 $14 {Chekhov,V-Zaid,L/Baku/1979/}) 13. Bf3 (13. Bg2 Qc8 14.
Qa5 $10) (13. Bd2 Qd6 14. Bf3 Nd5 15. Rfb1 Rfb8 16. Rxb6 Qxb6 $10 {Ribli,
Z-Balashov,Y/Dortmund/1987/Inf 43/(609)/}) 13... Nd5 $1 14. Qa5 (14. e4 Qf6 $1
15. Kg2 Qxd4 16. Bg5 Qe5 $13) 14... c3 (14... f5 $5 15. e4 $140 fxe4 16. Bxe4
c3 17. Re1 Qf6 $36) 15. Re1 Qf6 {>< d4/} (15... f5 $6 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17. Qxc3
Rc6 18. Qd2 $14) 16. Bxd5 (16. Qc5 Rb5 17. Qc6 Rb6 $10) 16... exd5 17. Qxc3 (
17. Qxd5 Rd8) 17... Rc6 $10 18. Qb3 (18. Qd2 Rb8 19. Bb2 Rc4 $10) 18... Qxd4
19. Be3 Qe4 20. Rad1 Rc4 21. Bxa7 c6 (21... c5 $5 $13) 22. Qe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "St Petersburg zt"]
[Site "St Petersburg"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Budnikov, Alexandar"]
[Black "Pigusov, Evgeny"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "Belov,I"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1993.01.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 034"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 (10... Be4 11. Qc1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nbd2 Ba8 14.
Qc2 Qe8 15. b4 Nd5 16. a3 f5 $10 {Galdunts-Vaganian,R/Moscow/1991/}) (10...
Nbd7 11. Ba5 Bd6 $6 $146 (11... Ra7 $142 12. Nbd2 Qa8 $10) 12. Nbd2 Qc8 13. e4
e5 14. Bh3 Qe8 15. Rfe1 c5 16. d5 $16 {Shipov-Litinskaja Shul/Katowice/1993/})
11. e3 Ra7 (11... Nb4 12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 Bd6 14. Nbd2 Rc8 $10 {ECO}) 12. Rc1
Qa8 13. Ne1 Nb8 14. Bxb7 $5 $146 (14. Ba5 Rc8 15. Nd2 (15. Bb6 $5 Bxg2 16. Nxg2
Rb7 17. Bc5 $14) 15... Bxg2 16. Nxg2 c5 $8 17. Bb6 Rd7 18. Bxc5 a5 19. a4 b4
20. Nf4 Rdc7 21. Nd3 Nbd7 22. Qc4 {Timman,J-Short,N/Hilversum m-1/1989/} e5 $1
23. Nb3 Ne4 {/\ Ng5~/=; Timman}) 14... Rxb7 15. Nd3 Rc8 16. Be1 (16. Ba5 $5 b4
17. Nd2 (17. a3 $5 b3 (17... bxa3 18. Nxa3 $14) 18. Qc4 $14) 17... Rb5 18. Nb3
Qd5 19. Nf4 Qb7 20. Qc4 $13) 16... a5 $1 17. Nd2 a4 $10 18. b3 Ra7 19. Rab1 (
19. bxa4 Rxa4 (19... bxa4 $6 20. Rab1 Nbd7 21. Qc6 $16) 20. Nb3 Ba3 21. Rd1 Rc4
22. Qe2 Nbd7 23. Rab1 $13) 19... axb3 20. axb3 Ra2 (20... Nbd7 21. Qc6 $14) 21.
Rb2 Rxb2 22. Qxb2 Nbd7 23. Qc2 c6 $1 (23... c5 $2 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. b4 $18) 24.
f3 (24. Nc5 Bxc5 25. dxc5 Ne5 $1 $15) 24... Qb8 {/\ 25...e5} (24... c5 $6 25.
Bf2 (25. dxc5 $6 Bxc5 26. Bf2 Rc7 27. Kg2 Bb6 28. Qb1 Rxc1 29. Qxc1 Nd5 $15)
25... Rc7 26. e4 $16) 25. f4 Nd5 26. Bf2 Ba3 27. Ra1 Bf8 28. Ne4 Nb4 29. Nxb4
Bxb4 30. Be1 Be7 31. Rc1 Qb7 $5 $15 {/\ 32...f5 33.Nf2 c5} (31... Ba3 32. Ra1
Be7 $10) 32. g4 $6 (32. b4 $142 $15) 32... h6 33. h4 c5 $1 34. dxc5 (34. Bb4 f5
35. gxf5 exf5 36. Nxc5 (36. Ng3 g6 $17) 36... Qf3 37. Qf2 Qg4+ 38. Qg2 Nf6 $17)
34... Bxc5 35. Bf2 Rc7 36. Qd3 (36. Nxc5 Rxc5 37. Qd1 Rxc1 38. Qxc1 Nf6 39. g5
Ng4 40. Qd1 h5 $17) 36... b4 $17 37. g5 $17 Be7 38. Rd1 (38. Rxc7 $142 Qxc7 39.
gxh6 gxh6 $17) 38... Nb6 39. Ng3 Rd7 40. Qe2 hxg5 41. hxg5 Rxd1+ 42. Qxd1 Nd5
43. Qc2 (43. Qf3 Qc7 44. Ne2 Qc2 45. e4 (45. Nd4 Qb1+ 46. Kh2 Bc5 $19) 45...
Nc3 $19) 43... Nc3 44. Qd3 g6 45. e4 Qc7 46. Be3 $2 Bxg5 47. e5 Be7 48. Bd2
Qa7+ 49. Kf1 Qa1+ 50. Kg2 Qd1 0-1

[Event "Ciocaltea Memorial"]
[Site "Bucharest"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Marin, Mihail"]
[Black "Marciano, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "Belov,I"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1993.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 034"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. e3 Nb4 (11... Ra7 {Budnikov-Pigusov,S/Peterburg/
1993/}) 12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 (13. Nbd2 c5 $1 $10) 13... Be7 $5 $146 (13... Bd6
14. Nbd2 Rc8 (14... Qb8 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Ng5 $1 $16 {Orlov-Vaganian,V/New York/
1990/}) (14... Qe7 15. e4 e5 16. Nh4 g6 17. f4 $16 {Pigusov-Rozentalis/
Sevastopol/1986/}) 15. b4 a5 $1 16. e4 Be7 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 Ra8 19. Rfe1
Ra4 $10 {Beliavsky,A-Karpov,An/Bruxelles/1988/}) 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. b4 a5 16. Ne5
(16. Qb2 $5 axb4 17. axb4 Bd5 18. Rfc1 Ra8 19. Ne5 $14) 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 c6
$1 $10 18. Nd3 (18. Rfc1 axb4 (18... Qd5+ $1 19. Kg1 axb4 20. axb4 Bxb4 $15)
19. Nxc6 (19. axb4 Bxb4 20. Nxc6 Qd7 $13) 19... Rxc6 20. Qxc6 bxa3 21. Qxb5 $16
) 18... axb4 19. axb4 Nd5 20. Qb3 Ra8 $1 21. Rfc1 Qb6 22. Nf3 {/\ Ne5} Qb7 $1
23. Kg1 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Ra8 25. Ra3 Nxb4 $2 (25... Rxa3 26. Qxa3 g6 $10) 26. Nxb4
c5 27. dxc5 Qxf3 (27... Rxa3 28. Qxa3 Qxf3 29. Qa7 Bf8 30. Qd7 $1 Qe4 31. Nc6
$16) 28. Nd5 $3 $16 Re8 (28... Rxa3 29. Nxe7+ Kf8 30. Qxa3 Kxe7 31. c6+ $18) (
28... Qxd5 29. Qxd5 Rxa3 30. Qe5 $1 b4 31. Qb8+ Bf8 32. c6 $18) 29. Nxe7+ Rxe7
30. Qxb5 Qd1+ 31. Kg2 Qd5+ 32. Kg1 Qd1+ 33. Qf1 Qd5 $142 $6 (33... Qxf1+ 34.
Kxf1 f6 35. Ke2 Rc7 36. Rc3 Kf7 $16) 34. Qd3 $1 Qc6 35. Qd6 Qxd6 (35... Qe8 36.
Rb3 $18) 36. Ra8+ 1-0

[Event "YUG-chT"]
[Site "Tivat"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Black "Shneider, Aleksandr"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "Belov,I"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 048 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.11.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.11.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 $5 (12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Rfd1 (13.
Bxf6 Bxf6 14. e4 b6 15. Rfd1 Bb7 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Ba6 18. Qb3 Nd3 $10 {
Hjartarson,J-Rozentalis,E/Tilburg 10'/1994/0,5/36/}) 13... Rc8 14. Bxf6 (14.
Ne5 Bd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 $10 {Stohl,I-Rozentalis,E/GER/1994/0,5/19/}) 14... Bxf6
15. e4 b6 16. e5 (16. d5 $5 $14 {Kaidanov/}) 16... Be7 17. Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2
Qd7 $10 {Kaidanov,G-Dautov,R/URS/1989/0,5/44/}) (12. e3 Nb4 13. Rfd1 Bd5 (13...
h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Rac1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 17. h4 Qb6 $10 {Bareev,E-Shneider,A/
Kremlin Star 25'/1995/0,5/66/}) 14. Qe2 Ne4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Rdc1 Nd6 $10 {
Nogueiras,J-Beliavsky,A/Novi Sad olm/1990/0,5/50/}) (12. Rfd1 Nb4 13. Rac1 Rc8
14. e3 h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Qe2 Qe7 $10 {Gavrikov,V-Khalifman,A/URS-ch/1986/0,
5/28/}) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 b6 15. Ne1 (15. Rac1 Rc8 16. d5 (16. e5
Be7 17. Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2) 16... exd5 17. exd5 Bb7 18. Nd4 $14) 15... g6 $6 (
15... Rc8 $32) 16. e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Bg7 (17... Be7 $5) 18. Ne3 $14 Qe7 (18...
c6 $6 19. Qe2 Qe7 20. Nc4 $16) 19. Rac1 (19. f4 $5 Rfd8 (19... c6 20. Qe2 Rfd8
21. Nc4 $16) 20. d5 exd5 21. Ncxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Qe6 23. Rac1 $14) 19... Rfd8
20. Ne4 (20. f4 $5) 20... Rd7 21. g4 h6 22. f4 Qh4 $132 23. Qe2 Qd8 (23... Rad8
$5) 24. Qf3 Nd5 25. Nc4 (25. Ng2 Qe7 (25... Nb4 26. Qf2) 26. h4 Rad8 27. g5 $36
) 25... Qh4 26. Rd2 Rad8 27. Rf1 g5 $1 (27... Ne7 $6 28. Ne3 Rxd4 $140 29. Rxd4
Rxd4 30. Ng2 $18) 28. fxg5 (28. f5 Nf4 29. f6 Bf8 $132) 28... hxg5 29. Rfd1 Nf4
30. b3 $6 (30. Ng3 $13) 30... Rxd4 $1 31. Rxd4 Rxd4 32. Nf2 (32. Rxd4 Qe1+ 33.
Qf1 Ne2+ 34. Kg2 Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 Nxd4 36. Ned2 $17) 32... Rxd1+ (32... Rd5 33.
Ne3 (33. Rxd5 Nxd5 $17) 33... Rxd1+ 34. Qxd1 $132) 33. Qxd1 $132 Nh3+ 34. Nxh3
Qxh3 35. Qd8+ Bf8 36. Qxg5+ Kh7 (36... Kh7 37. Qf4 Kg8 38. Qg5+ $10) 1/2-1/2

[Event "ROM-GER Kings"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2015.10.30"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Marin, Mihail"]
[Black "Buhmann, Rainer"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "Bulmaga/Rogozenco,D"]
[PlyCount "180"]
[EventDate "2015.10.30"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Romania"]
[BlackTeam "Germany"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ROU"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Nc6 (8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 {ist die Hauptvariante, 8... Nc6 wird seltener
gespielt.}) 9. Qxc4 Qd5 10. Qd3 {"Ich habe das vor 15 Jahren analysiert."
Mihail Marin.} Qf5 {Doch dieser Zug war eine Überraschung für den
rumänischen Großmeister.} 11. Qd1 $6 {Eine sehr seltene Fortsetzung.} Rd8 12.
Nc3 e5 {Die schwarze Zentrumsstrategie war erfolgreich und Weiß muss sehr
genau spielen, um nicht große Probleme zu bekommen.[#]} 13. d5 Qh5 (13... e4
$5 {Nach der Partie waren sich beide Spieler einig, dass dies eine
interessante Fortsetzung gewesen wäre.} 14. Nd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Be6 16. Bf4 Nxd5
17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Bxc7) 14. e4 (14. Nd2 Nb4 $15) 14... Bg4 {Mit der Drohung
Nd4. Weiß scheint in Schwierigkeiten zu sein.} 15. Qd3 (15. Be3 Nd4 16. Bxd4
exd4 17. h3 dxc3 18. hxg4 Nxg4 (18... Qxg4 19. bxc3 Nxe4 20. Qe1 $1 $44 f5 21.
Ne5 Qg5 22. Bxe4 fxe4 23. Qxe4 Bc5 24. Kg2) 19. bxc3 Bc5 $17) (15. h3 $2 Bxh3
16. Bxh3 (16. Nxe5 $2 Bg4 17. Nxg4 Nxg4 $19) 16... Qxh3 17. Ng5 Qc8 $17) 15...
Nb4 16. Qe2 c6 17. dxc6 (17. h3 Bxh3 18. Bxh3 Qxh3 19. Nxe5 cxd5 $17) 17...
Nxc6 18. Be3 {[#]} (18. Qe3 Nd4 $17) 18... Bb4 (18... Nd4 $5 19. Bxd4 exd4 20.
Na2 Nd7 $17) 19. Bb6 Nd4 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. Na2 Bc5 $6 (21... d3 $1 {war ein
wichtiger Zwischenzug.} 22. Qe3 {Beide Spieler hatten hier nur noch wenig Zeit
hielten diese Fortsetzung für riskant für Schwarz - es sei denn, es gibt und
er findet einen klaren Weg zum Gewinn.} Bc5 23. Qf4 Rac8 $17) 22. Nc1 Re8 23.
e5 Nd5 24. Nd3 Ba7 25. Rad1 Rad8 26. Qe4 Bf5 27. Qe2 Bd7 28. a5 Bg4 29. Qe4 h6
30. Rd2 Bf5 (30... Ne3 $5 31. Nf4 Qf5 32. Qxf5 Bxf5 33. fxe3 dxe3) 31. Qe2 g5 {
"Eine Idee dieses Zuges ist es, Ne3 möglich zu machen." Rainer Buhmann} (31...
Ne3 $4 32. Nf4 $1 $18) 32. Nfe1 Qxe2 33. Rxe2 f6 34. Be4 Bh3 35. Bg2 Bg4 36.
Bf3 Bh3 37. Bg2 Bxg2 38. Kxg2 Bb8 39. Nf3 fxe5 40. Nfxe5 Bc7 41. Ra1 Bxe5 42.
Rxe5 Rxe5 43. Nxe5 Nb4 44. Kf3 Rf8+ 45. Kg2 d3 (45... Re8 46. f4 Nc6 47. Nxc6
bxc6 48. b4) 46. Rd1 Rf5 47. Nc4 Kg7 48. f3 Kf6 49. Kf2 g4 50. f4 Rh5 51. Rh1
Rc5 52. b3 Nc6 53. Ke3 Rb5 54. Rb1 Nxa5 55. Nxa5 Rxa5 56. Rb2 h5 57. Kxd3 h4
58. h3 $4 {[#]} gxh3 59. g4 (59. Rh2 $2 hxg3 60. Rxh3 g2 61. Rg3 Ra2 $19) 59...
Ra1 $1 $19 60. Rh2 Rg1 $2 (60... Rb1 $3 61. Ke4 (61. Kc4 Rg1 62. Rxh3 Rxg4 $19)
61... Rxb3 $19) 61. Ke4 Rxg4 62. Rxh3 Rg3 (62... a5 $5 63. Rd3 Rg3 64. Rd6+ Kg7
65. Rb6 h3 66. Rxb7+ Kg6) 63. Rxh4 Rxb3 64. Rh6+ Ke7 65. f5 a5 66. Rh7+ Kd6 67.
Rh6+ Ke7 68. Rh7+ Kf6 69. Rh6+ Kg7 70. Rd6 a4 71. Ke5 a3 72. Rd7+ Kf8 73. Rd8+
Ke7 74. Ra8 Kd7 75. f6 Rf3 76. Kd5 Rxf6 77. Rxa3 Rc6 78. Ra5 Kc7 79. Rc5 Kb6
80. Rxc6+ bxc6+ 81. Kc4 c5 82. Kc3 Kb5 83. Kb3 c4+ 84. Kc3 Kc5 85. Kc2 Kd4 86.
Kd2 c3+ 87. Kc2 Kc4 88. Kc1 Kd3 89. Kd1 c2+ 90. Kc1 Kc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 1st"]
[Site "Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2013.02.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Meier, Georg"]
[Black "Fridman, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2013.02.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 153"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Be7 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4
b4 9. Nfd2 c6 10. Nxc4 Qxd4 11. Rd1 Qc5 12. Nbd2 Rd8 13. b3 Ba6 14. Bb2 Nbd7
15. Rac1 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Nb6 17. Nxb6 Qxc2 ({Fridman spent 40 minutes weighing
the merits of} 17... Qxb6) ({as well as} 17... Rxd1+ {and the move he
eventually played.}) {After} 18. Rxd8+ {he burned more time choosing between}
Rxd8 ({and} 18... Bxd8 {eventually leaving himself under ten minutes for
fifteen moves. Some fantastic lines were aired in the post-game press
conference, but as Daniel explained, "the best solution was just to play
something, but quicker!" The end result was Fridman overlooking that a long
sequence of play simply ended with the b4-pawn dropping, although even the
ending a pawn down left him with chances. As it happened, it was mainly a
chance to commit another classical psychological error.}) 19. Rxc2 Rd1+ 20. Bf1
axb6 21. Rxc6 Rd6 22. Rc4 Rd2 23. Bd4 Nd7 24. Be3 Rd1 25. Rc8+ Bf8 26. h4 f5
27. Kg2 Kf7 28. Rc7 Be7 29. Bg5 h6 30. Bxe7 Kxe7 31. e3 Kd6 32. Rc4 Nc5 33.
Rxb4 Kc7 34. g4 g5 35. hxg5 hxg5 36. gxf5 exf5 37. Rb5 Rb1 38. b4 Nxa4 39. Rxf5
Rxb4 40. Rxg5 Nc3 41. f4 {Fridman described} Kd6 $6 {as a typical 41st move,
where a chess player is so relieved to make the time control with seconds to
spare that he rushes and blunders on the next move.} ({Both Fridman and Meier
thought} 41... Ne4 $1 {would offer more chances, with Georg noting his pieces
were poorly coordinated.}) 42. Kf3 Rb1 43. Bd3 Rd1 44. Bc4 Rh1 45. Re5 Rb1 46.
e4 {Meier's pawns advanced inexorably, with some help from his opponent.} b5
47. Bd3 Rb2 48. Rg5 b4 49. e5+ Kc5 50. e6+ Kd6 51. Bc4 Rb1 52. Re5 Ke7 53. f5
b3 54. f6+ Kxf6 55. e7 Kxe5 56. Bd3 Rc1 57. e8=Q+ {The players continued even
after Meier queened a pawn. Fridman was drawn to the idea of positions where a
pawn and knight can compete with a queen, but Meier kept his cool and took
home the full point: "I was seeing some ghosts, but not so many."} Kd5 58. Qd7+
Ke5 59. Qc7+ Kd5 60. Qc4+ 1-0

[Event "WchT (Women) 3rd"]
[Site "Mardin"]
[Date "2011.12.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Khotenashvili, Bela"]
[Black "Zhao, Xue"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2497"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2011.12.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 145 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.03"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.03"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Georgia (W)"]
[BlackTeam "China (W)"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GEO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CHN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. a4 a6 8. Qc2
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 {Zhao is the first to break from routine, which
would be 10...a5 or 10...Nbd7, and chooses a lesser played line.} 11. Nc3 Bxf4
12. gxf4 a5 13. Rad1 (13. Rfd1 Na6 14. e3 Nb4 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd5 17.
Rac1 c6 18. Qb3 Ra6 19. Nxd5 Qxd5+ 20. Qxd5 exd5 21. Rb1 Ne4 22. Nd7 Re8 23.
Nc5 Nxc5 24. dxc5 Re4 25. b3 Kf8 26. Rd3 {1/2-1/2 (41) Yrjola,J (2515)-Ubilava,
E (2475) Sochi 1984}) 13... Na6 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nb4 16. e3 Nfd5 17. Ne4
f6 18. Nf3 Qe8 19. b3 {Although this move looks natural enough to protect the
a4-pawn, White needed to play Qb3. The reason is Black's next reply} Ra6 $1 {
This rook lift is extremely strong and now the Georgian GM is in serious
trouble.} 20. Rd2 Rc6 $1 21. Qb5 b6 22. Rg1 {As if Khotenashvili didn't have
enough problems, Zhao is in great form and finds the move that highlights
everything that is wrong with White's position.} Qa8 $3 {In spite of the
presence of no fewer than four pieces on the a8-h1 diagonal between the black
queen and the white king, the x-ray attack is decisive.} 23. Qe2 f5 {Make way
for her majesty the queen!} 24. Ng3 Rc3 25. Rb1 ({The engines suggest} 25. h3 {
to give the king a place to flee to, but this does not solve White's problems.}
Rf6 26. Kh2 Nxf4 $1 27. Qd1 (27. exf4 Qxf3 {and White's pawns are doomed.})
27... Nxh3 28. Kxh3 {and Black has a magnificent finish with} Rc1 $3 29. Qxc1
Qxf3 {with Rh6 and mate.}) 25... g5 {There are no good replies anymore, but
Zhao finishes off her opponent in style.} 26. fxg5 (26. Nxg5 $2 Nxe3+ 27. Kh3
Qg2+ 28. Kh4 Qxh2+ {etc.}) 26... f4 27. e4 fxg3 28. hxg3 Rcxf3 29. Qxf3 Rxf3
30. Kxf3 Qc6 31. exd5 Qxd5+ 32. Ke3 c5 33. f3 Qxg5+ 34. Ke2 Nd5 35. Rd3 Qxg3
36. Kd2 Qf2+ 37. Kc1 Nb4 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 36th"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2014.07.28"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Cornette, Matthieu"]
[Black "Schroeder, Jan Christian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2532"]
[BlackElo "2370"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2014.07.21"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.08.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.08.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2
15. Kxg2 Nbd7 16. Qf3 Qa5 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 {Weiß hat zweifelsohne das
angenehmere Spiel, die Schwarzen Figuren wirken im Moment noch etwas
unkoordiniert.} 18. Nb3 $2 {stellt den Springer etwas ins Abseits und öffnet
die Läuferdiagonale nach b2} (18. Nxe6 $5 {wäre ein Versuch, sofort etwas
zählbares zu erlangen.} fxe6 19. Rxd7 Bd4 20. Qg4 Rxf2+ 21. Kh3 Bxc3 22. bxc3
Qe5 {soweit alles forciert. Weiß hat etwas Druck doch Schwarz kann sich gut
behaupten.}) (18. Ne4 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Rad8 {und Weiß kann den Druck aufrecht
erhalten - es ist lange und ausdauernde Defensivarbeit gefragt.}) (18. Qxb7 $6
{scheitert an einem typischen taktischen Motiv} Nc5 19. Qf3 $2 (19. b4 $8 Nxb7
20. bxa5 Nxa5 $11) 19... Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Nb3 $19) 18... Qc7 19. Ne4 $2 (19. Rac1
Ne5 20. Qf4 Qb6 {nun hat Weiß Probleme mit der Koordination}) 19... Bxb2 {
diesen Bauern wird Weiß nie wieder sehen} 20. Rab1 $2 (20. Ra2 {verhindert
den Aufbau Lb2/Dc2 (wie in der Partie), was Cornette vermutlich nicht
antizipiert hatte.} Be5 (20... Ne5 $2 21. Qf4 Qc2 22. Rd2 $18) 21. Rad2 $44)
20... Ne5 21. Qf4 Qc2 {diese - auf den 1. Blick nicht sehr
vertrauenserweckende - Verteidungsidee ist nicht zu widerlegen, Schwarz hat
einen glatten Bauern mehr.} 22. Nbc5 Rad8 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. exd3 Rd7 $17 {
in der Folge zeigt Schwarz gute Technik und lässt sich den Punkt nicht mehr
nehmen.} 25. d4 h6 26. Nc5 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Bxd4 28. Rc1 Qb2 29. Nd3 Qb6 30. a5
Qd8 31. Qe4 Qd7 32. Rb1 Qc6 33. Kf3 f5 34. Qxc6 bxc6 35. Rb7 c5 36. Nf4 Re8 37.
h4 g5 38. Ng6 Bf6 39. h5 Rc8 40. Ke2 c4 41. Ne7+ Bxe7 42. Rxe7 c3 43. Kd1 c2+
44. Kc1 Rc6 45. Rb7 Rc5 46. Rb6 Kf7 47. Rxa6 Kf6 48. Ra8 Ke5 49. a6 g4 50. a7
Rc7 51. Rh8 Rxa7 52. Rxh6 Ra1+ 53. Kxc2 Ra2+ 0-1

[Event "Leiden op-A 10th"]
[Site "Leiden"]
[Date "2016.07.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Pruijssers, Roeland"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2662"]
[BlackElo "2463"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2016.07.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.08.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 (13. a5 Rb8 14.
Ra4 Rb4 15. Na2 Rxa4 16. Qxa4 Qb8 17. Qxc4 Qb7 18. Bg5 Qxb2 19. Nc3 Nd5 20.
Bxe7 Nxc3 21. Bxf8 Nxd1 22. Qxa6 Ne3 $1 23. fxe3 Qb1+ 24. Kf2 Qf5+ {mit
Dauerschach in Leko,P-Aronian,L Istanbul 2012.}) 13... Rb8 14. a5 $5 {Die Idee
von Weiß war, den Springer auf c5 zu stellen und anschließend den weißen
b-Bauern gegen den Bc4 zu tauschen, wonach Weiß besser gestanden hätte. Ich
überlegte an dieser Stelle lange, um das Entstehen solch einer unerfreulichen
Stellung zu verhindern.} (14. Rac1 h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e3 Qe7 17. Ne4 Rb4 18.
Qe2 Rxa4 19. Rxc4 Rxc4 20. Qxc4 e5 21. Qxa6 exd4 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxd4 Rb8
24. b4 Qe7 25. Qc4 Rb6 26. Qd3 Rb8 27. Qc4 Rb6 28. Kg2 Rb5 29. e4 g5 30. f3 Kg7
31. Qc3 Qf6 32. Kf2 Qe5 33. Qd2 Qf6 34. Rc4 Rb8 35. Ke3 Qe7 36. Qc3+ Kh7 37.
Rc5 Rb6 38. Rf5 Kg8 39. Re5 Qf8 40. Rc5 Qb8 41. Qf6 Qf8 42. Qc3 Qb8 43. Qf6 Qf8
44. Qc3 {1/2-1/2 (44) Kramnik,V (2800) -Karjakin,S (2763) Moscow 2011}) 14...
Nd5 $146 {neu, aber nicht besonders gut} (14... Nd7 $142) (14... Rb4 $142 {
Nach der Partie meinte Loek, dies sei der beste Zug.} 15. Na2 Rb5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6
17. Nc3 Rb4 18. Na2 Rb5 19. Nc3 Rb4 20. Na2 {½-½ Kovalyov, A -Kasimdzhanov,R
Baku AZE 2015}) 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Na4 $14 {Hier hatte ich selber das Gefühl,
etwas schlechter zu stehen.} Rb5 17. Qxc4 $5 (17. Nc5 e5 18. Qxc4 exd4 19. Nxa6
{hatte ich befürchtet, denn jetzt ist der a-Bauer sehr stark. 17.Dxc4 ist
aber auch gut.}) 17... Rxa5 18. Qxc6 Qb4 19. e3 (19. b3 $5 {War vielleicht der
beste Zug, denn dann hätte Weiß seine Idee Sc5 verwirklichen können.}) 19...
Qb3 20. Rdc1 h5 {Einen besseren Zug habe ich nicht gesehen und nach der Partie
habe ich dies für den besten Zug der Partie gehalten. Hätte ich übereilt
etwas gespielt wie:} (20... Rb8 $2 {dann wäre ich verloren gewesen wegen} 21.
e4 $1 Nf6 22. Qxc7 {und ich kann wegen des Grundlinienmatts nicht auf a4
schlagen.and I cannot take on a4 because of the mate on the back rank}) 21. h4
g6 {Auch hier: Ich konnte nichts Besseres finden.} 22. Ra3 Qb4 23. Rca1 Rb8 24.
Qc2 {Nicht präzise} (24. e4 $6 Nb6 $1) (24. Qc1 $142 Qd6 (24... Kg7 25. b3)
25. Nc5 $1 (25. b3 e5) 25... Rxa3 26. Rxa3 $14) 24... Rab5 25. b3 $6 {Der
richtige Plan, doch Schwarz kommt mit seinem Gegenspiel gerade rechtzeitig.} (
25. Nc5 Qxb2 26. Qxb2 Rxb2 27. Rxa6 {wäre etwas besser für Weiß gewesen,
aber mit meinen aktiven Türmen und dem möglichen Springer auf g4 dachte ich,
dass ich genügend Gegenspiel haben würde.}) (25. Nc3 Qxb2 26. Qxb2 Rxb2 27.
Nxd5 exd5 28. Rxa6 Rc2 $11) 25... Qd6 $1 26. Kh2 (26. Nc5 Nxe3 $1 27. fxe3
Qxg3+ 28. Qg2 Qxe3+ 29. Qf2 Qxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Rd8 $1 31. Ra4 e5 {mit Ausgleich})
26... e5 $1 {Mit diesem Zug sind meine Probleme ausgestanden!} (26... g5 $5 27.
hxg5 h4 {Eine verrückte Idee, an die ich gar nicht gedacht habe.}) 27. Nc5
exd4 28. exd4 Nb4 {mit Tempogewinn} 29. Qe4 $6 (29. Qc4 Rd8 30. Kg1 (30. Nxa6
Rf5 $1 $36) 30... Qxd4 $11) 29... Rd8 30. Ra4 Qxd4 {Ich sah, dass dies zum
Remis reichen würde, doch Schwarz hatte eine Möglichkeit, die Initiative zu
übernehmen.} (30... Qf6 $1 31. Kg1 Rxd4 {und Weiß muss die richtige
Verteidigung erst noch finden.}) 31. Qxd4 Rxd4 32. Nxa6 c5 33. Nxb4 Rdxb4 {
mit Remisangebot. Mein Turniersieg war gesichert.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares 26th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2009.02.19"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2776"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2009.02.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 129"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.03.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 {#} 12. a3 {A rare continuation in a
well-known theoretical position. Aronian, who by the way played this variation
before with both colours, is preparing b2-b4, which fights against Black's
main idea in this system: the advance c7-c5.} ({The most frequent continuation
here is} 12. Bf4 {a move played in the past also by Kasparov, or... Aronian
himself.}) 12... Qc8 13. b4 Nbd7 14. Bc3 {A new move.} (14. Bf4) 14... Ne4 15.
Nbd2 Bd5 16. Qc2 Nxd2 17. Bxd2 Qb7 18. Rac1 Rac8 {# White achieved his goal,
but Carlsen reasonably considers that one single weakness (pawn c7) in his
camp is easy to protect and therefore doesn't represent a real problem.} 19. e4
({After} 19. Rfe1 {Black can prevent e2-e4 with the radical} f5 ({or 19...Nf6,
but not} 19... Be4 $2 {in view of} 20. Ng5 Bxc2 21. Bxb7 {and in opposite to
the game White has kept the e-pawn.})) 19... Bxe4 20. Ng5 Bxc2 21. Bxb7 Bd3 22.
Rfe1 {Aronian offers his opponent the possibility to change his mind and
instead of giving up the exchange to return the extra pawn.} (22. Bxc8 Rxc8 23.
Rfe1 Bc4 {leads to the position from the game.}) 22... Bc4 $1 {Carlsen follows
his initial plan.} ({Weaker is} 22... Rb8 23. Rxc7 {with advantage for White})
23. Bxc8 Bxg5 $1 {Just like on move 16, for Black is important to exchange
enemy's knights.} 24. Bxg5 Rxc8 {# White won an exchange, but Black has a pawn
for it and a very good control over light squares. In fact from the practical
point of view the position is even easier to play with Black, since White
doesn't even have targets for attack. After several more moves the players
repeated the position and agreed to a draw:} 25. f3 f6 26. Bf4 Nb6 27. h4 Kf7
28. Kf2 c6 29. Bd6 Bd5 30. Bc5 Na4 31. g4 Ra8 32. Re2 a5 33. Bd6 axb4 34. Bxb4
Nb6 35. Bc5 Na4 36. Bb4 Nb6 37. Bc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Dilijan FIDE GP (Women)"]
[Site "Dilijan"]
[Date "2013.06.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Harika, Dronavalli"]
[Black "Koneru, Humpy"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2492"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "177"]
[EventDate "2013.06.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The game between the two Indians GMs was very interesting. White had a slight
advantage after the opening. Koneru didn't put much resistance and soon after
the time control Dronavalli had a winning position.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3
d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2
Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 Bb7 14. a3 Qc8 15. b4 Nbd7 16. Nc3 Bd6 17.
Re1 Ne4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Bh3 h6 20. Bc3 Bxf3 21. exf3 Nb6 22. f4 Qd7 23. Ra2
Nd5 24. Rae2 Qd8 25. Bg2 Qf6 26. Bd2 Rab8 27. Bxd5 exd5 28. Qc3 Qf5 29. Kg2
Rfd8 30. h3 Qf6 31. Qd3 g6 32. f5 Qxf5 33. Qxf5 gxf5 34. Bxh6 a5 35. Bg5 Rdc8
36. Bd2 axb4 37. Bxb4 Ra8 38. Rc1 Bxb4 39. axb4 Ra4 40. Re5 Rxb4 41. Rxd5 f4
42. g4 c6 43. Rg5+ Kf8 44. d5 c5 45. d6 c4 46. Rd1 Rd8 47. Rc5 Rb3 48. Rdd5 Kg7
49. h4 f5 50. d7 Rd3 51. Rxf5 R8xd7 52. Rxb5 Rc7 53. Rg5+ Kf8 54. Rbf5+ Rf7 55.
Rc5 Rd4 56. Rc8+ Ke7 57. Rc7+ Kf8 58. Rxf7+ Kxf7 59. Rc5 $2 {Missing her final
chance.} (59. Kf3 Kf6 60. Rf5+ Ke6 61. Rxf4 {was an easy win.}) 59... Ke6 60.
h5 Kd6 61. Rc8 Kd7 62. Rc5 Kd6 63. Rc8 Kd7 64. Ra8 c3 65. Ra3 Rc4 66. Ra1 c2
67. Rc1 Ke6 68. Kf3 Kf6 69. Ke2 Rc3 70. Kd2 Rf3 71. Ke2 Rc3 72. Kd2 Rf3 73.
Rxc2 Kg5 74. Ke2 Kxg4 75. Rc8 Rh3 76. Rg8+ Kf5 77. Rh8 Kg5 78. Rg8+ Kf6 79. Ra8
Rxh5 80. Kf3 Rh4 81. Ke4 f3+ 82. Kxf3 Rb4 83. Kg3 Rc4 84. f4 Rc1 85. Ra6+ Kf5
86. Ra5+ Kf6 87. Ra6+ Kf5 88. Ra5+ Kf6 89. Ra6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2013.02.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 153"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 12. b4 (12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Nb3
a5 15. Rd1 (15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nc5 Bd5 17. e4 Bc4 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Re1 Bxd4 20.
Rd1 c5 21. Qc2 e5 22. Nxe5 {1/2-1/2 (22) Aronian,L (2750)-Kramnik,V (2769)
Mexico City 2007}) 15... Bd5 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 a4 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Bxf6 Bb6
20. Bg5 Nxe5 21. dxe5 h6 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Qxh6 Rd8 24. Qg5+ {1/2-1/2 (24)
Gelfand,B (2733)-Leko,P (2751) Mexico City 2007}) 12... Nbd7 (12... Nc6 13. Nc3
Nxb4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bxb4 Bxb4 16. Qb1 Bc3 17. Qxe4 Bxa1 18. Ng5 g6 19. Qh4
h5 20. Bxa8 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Qxa8 22. Rd1 {1-0 (22) Popov,V (2577)-Biriukov,O 
(2327) St Petersburg 2012}) 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. a3 Qb7 15. Qc2 h6 16. Rac1 Rac8 17.
Rfe1 Nb6 18. e4 Nc4 19. d5 Bd7 (19... exd5 $2 20. exd5 $18) 20. dxe6 fxe6 (
20... Bxe6 21. e5 Nxa3 22. Qd3 Rfd8 23. Nd4 Qa7 24. Nc6 Rxd3 25. Nxa7 Ng4 26.
Nxc8 Bxb4 $13) 21. e5 Ng4 22. Re4 Nxf2 $1 23. Kxf2 (23. Rxc4 $5 bxc4 (23... Qb6
$5 24. Rf4 Nd3+ 25. Kh1 Nf2+ 26. Kg1 Nh3+ 27. Kh1 {und nun nicht} Qg1+ $4 28.
Nxg1 {ohne ersticktes Matt.} (28. Rxg1 Nf2#)) 24. Kxf2 Bc6 25. Bf4) 23... Nxd2
({Naheliegend war} 23... Bc6 {z.B.:} 24. Rf4 Rcd8 25. Be3 (25. Be1 $2 Qb6+ 26.
Ke2 Qe3+ 27. Kf1 Rxf4 28. gxf4 Bxf3 $19) 25... Nxe3 26. Kxe3 Qb6+ 27. Ke2 Bg5
28. Nxg5 hxg5 29. Rxf8+ Rxf8 30. Rf1 Bxg2 31. Rxf8+ Kxf8 32. Qd2 $11) 24. Qxd2
c5 25. Kg1 (25. bxc5 Bxc5+ 26. Kf1 Bxa3 $19 (26... Bc6 $19)) (25. Rf4 $5) 25...
cxb4 26. axb4 Bc6 27. Rce1 a5 28. Nd4 Qa7 (28... Bxe4 29. Nxe4 Qa7 30. Rd1 Bxb4
31. Qd3 Rcd8 $17) 29. Ncxb5 $2 (29. R4e3 $5 {mit der Idee} Bxg2 30. Ncxb5 Qa6
31. Qxg2 Bxb4 $18) 29... Bxb5 30. Kh1 Bc4 31. bxa5 Rfd8 32. Qb2 Qxa5 33. Nf3
Bd5 $17 34. R4e2 Bb4 35. Rg1 Bc3 36. Qb1 Bc4 37. Re3 Bb4 38. Re4 Bf8 (38... Bc3
$5 39. Rg4 Bd3 40. Qb3 Qd5 41. Qxd5 exd5 $17) 39. Rf4 Bd3 (39... Bd5 $5) 40.
Qb3 Qd5 41. Qxd5 Rxd5 42. Nd4 Rxe5 43. Nxe6 Be7 44. Rd4 Bf5 45. Nf4 Bc5 46. Rd5
1/2-1/2

[Event "Sigeman & Co 18th"]
[Site "Malmo"]
[Date "2010.05.30"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Hammer, Jon Ludvig"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2642"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2010.05.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 137"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 11. Re1 Be4 12. Qc1 Bb7 13. Qc2 Be4 14. Qc1 Bb7 15.
Bg5 Nbd7 16. Nbd2 h6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Nb3 Rc8 19. Rd1 Bd5 20. Ne1 {Anish Giri:
"I think I was better prepared than my opponent with this move."} Qe7 21. Nd3
Bxb3 22. axb3 c5 {"Not a bad choice by Jon Ludvig."} 23. dxc5 Bxc5 24. Nxc5
Qxc5 {Anish: "He definitely should have taken with the rook."} 25. Bb7 $1 {
"Perhaps he missed this move."} Qxc1 26. Rdxc1 Rxc1+ 27. Rxc1 Rb8 28. Bxa6 $1 {
"I had to make sure my bishop would not be trapped. I thought for a long time
about it, and decided that with Rc8+! and Ra8 I would be able to get it out."}
Rb6 29. Rc8+ Kh7 30. Ra8 Ne4 31. Bc8 g6 32. Ra7 Kg7 33. Rc7 Kf8 34. Bd7 h5 35.
b4 g5 36. f3 Nd6 37. Kf2 Ra6 38. Rc5 ({"I was counting on} 38. Rc6 {thinking
that the bishop-knight ending was won. However then I realized it wasn't
winning, or at least not easily, so I had to play Rc5."}) 38... Ra2 {"Now I
was winning.} ({If he had played} 38... Ra4 39. Bxb5 Rxb4 40. Bd3 f5 $1 {
I would be a pawn up and thought I had a winning plan of Ke1-d2 etc. But he
has e5! and e4 quickly, so he should hold."}) 39. Bxb5 h4 40. b3 hxg3+ 41. hxg3
g4 42. Ba4 gxf3 43. Kxf3 Rd2 44. Rc7 Nf5 45. b5 Rd6 46. g4 Ne7 47. Rc2 Rb6 48.
Ke4 Ke8 49. Kd4 Rb8 50. Ke5 Nd5 51. e4 Ne7 52. Rc7 Rb6 53. Kd4 Kd8 54. Rxe7
Kxe7 55. Kc5 Rb8 56. b6 Kd8 57. e5 Rc8+ 58. Bc6 Rb8 59. b4 Kc8 60. b5 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2015.09.14"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]
[BlackElo "2659"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "233"]
[EventDate "2015.09.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 a5 11. Bxc6 Rb8 12. Qc2 Ba6 13. Rd1 Nd5 14. e4
Ne7 15. Ba4 f5 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Rf7 18. Be3 f4 19. Bxf4 Ng6 20. Be3 Ne5 21.
Qe4 Qe7 22. Bf4 Qxa3 23. Bxe5 Qxa4 24. Bc3 Bc8 25. g4 Qd7 26. h3 h5 27. Rd4
hxg4 28. hxg4 Bb7 29. Qe6 Re8 30. Re1 Ref8 31. f4 Qd8 32. f5 Qg5 33. Bd2 Qh4
34. Kg2 Rd8 35. Rh1 Bxd5+ 36. Rxd5 Qxg4+ 37. Kf2 Rxd5 38. Qxd5 c6 39. Qe6 Qd4+
40. Be3 Qd5 {[#]} 41. Qxd5 $6 {Danach wird die Aufgabe für Weiß viel
schwieriger.} (41. Qe8+ Rf8 42. Rh8+ Kxh8 43. Qxf8+ Kh7 44. Qc5 $18) 41... cxd5
42. Bd4 Rxf5+ 43. Ke3 Kf7 44. Rh7 Rg5 45. Kf3 Kg8 46. Rh1 Kf7 47. a3 Ke6 48.
Rb1 Rh5 49. Kg4 Rh2 50. Rb6+ Kd7 51. Kf5 Rh5+ 52. Kg4 Rh2 53. Be5 Ra2 54. Rd6+
Ke7 55. Ra6 c3 56. Bxc3 Rxa3 57. Bxg7 {[#]} Kd7 {Das Endspiel ist theoretisch
natürlich remis, nur muss Schwarz das auch nachweisen.} 58. Kf5 Kc7 59. Bd4
Kb7 60. Rb6+ Kc7 61. Ke5 Rh3 62. Kxd5 Rh5+ 63. Kc4 Kd7 64. Ra6 Rf5 65. Bc5 Rf4+
66. Kd5 Rf5+ 67. Kd4 a4 68. Kc4 Rf4+ 69. Bd4 a3 70. Kd5 Rf5+ 71. Be5 Rf7 72.
Ra8 a2 73. Ra7+ Ke8 74. Ra8+ Kd7 75. Rxa2 Ke7 76. Ra6 {Mit Let's check hat man
Zugriff auf die dort gespeicherten Tablebases und sieht, dass natürlich auch
dieses Endspiel remis ist.} Kd7 77. Bf6 Ke8 78. Ra8+ Kd7 79. Ke5 Kc6 80. Ke6
Rb7 81. Be5 Kb5 82. Kd5 Rd7+ 83. Bd6 Rb7 84. Ra1 Kb6 85. Rc1 Kb5 86. Bc7 Ka6
87. Kd6 Rb5 88. Kc6 Rb6+ 89. Kd7 Rb5 90. Kc8 Rd5 91. Rb1 Rc5 92. Rb2 Rc4 93.
Kd7 Rc5 94. Bd6 Rb5 95. Ra2+ Kb7 96. Ra4 Kb6 97. Ra1 Kb7 98. Rd1 Kb6 99. Rh1
Kb7 100. Rh6 Rd5 101. Rh8 Rb5 102. Rc8 Kb6 103. Bc7+ Kb7 104. Rg8 Rd5+ 105. Bd6
Rb5 106. Rg6 Rd5 107. Ke6 Rb5 108. Rg1 Kb6 109. Rc1 Kb7 110. Bc5 Kc6 111. Bd4+
Kb7 112. Kd6 Ka6 113. Bc5 {[#] Bis hier ist alles im Lot für Schwarz.} Kb7 $2
{Nach langer Verteidigung einmal fehlgegriffen.} (113... Rb7 $11 114. Ra1+ Kb5
115. Rb1+ Ka6) (113... Ra5 $11 114. Kc6 Rb5 $8) (113... Rb3 $11 114. Ra1+ Kb5 (
114... Kb7 $2 115. Ra7+ Kb8 116. Kc6 Rd3 117. Ra1 Rd2 118. Bd6+ Kc8 119. Ra8#))
114. Ra1 Rb3 115. Ra7+ Kb8 116. Kc6 Rh3 117. Ra1 1-0

[Event "Shanghai Masters"]
[Site "Shanghai"]
[Date "2010.09.06"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2724"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2010.09.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Qb3 {#}
Qc7 (14... Ra7 {when the Danish player improved with} 15. Ne4 $1 Bxd4 16. Rfd1
Qb6 17. Qd3 {eventually winning the game.}) 15. Rfd1 Rd8 (15... a5 {is the
known move.}) 16. Ne4 Nd7 17. a5 Be7 18. e3 Rab8 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. Nc4 Ne8 21.
Nb6 Nd6 22. Rac1 Nb5 23. Be2 Qd6 24. Qa2 Bf6 25. Bc4 Qb4 26. Bb3 Nd6 27. Kg2
Kh8 28. Bc2 Nc8 29. Nc4 Nd6 30. Nb6 Nc8 31. Nc4 Nd6 {#} 32. Bd3 {Aronian
declines the repetition and draw, still hoping to crack his Chinese opponent.}
Nxc4 33. Rxc4 Qe7 34. Be4 Rd7 35. Rc3 g6 36. Qc4 Kg7 37. Rcd3 Rbd8 38. f4 h5
39. h4 Qd6 40. Kf2 Be7 41. Qc3 Qb4 42. Qxb4 Bxb4 43. Ra1 f5 44. Bf3 Kf7 45. Ra4
Bd6 46. Rc4 Bc7 47. Rc5 Bd6 48. Rc4 Bc7 49. Rc5 Bd6 50. Rc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "URS-ch50 Final"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1983.04.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg M"]
[Black "Razuvaev, Yuri S"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "Chekhov,V"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1983.04.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "17"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "URS-ch"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 Bxa3 8.
bxa3 Bd7 9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 Nd5 12. Rc1 $6 (12. Rb1 $5 Nb6 13. e3
Qd6 14. Qc2 Rfd8 15. Rfd1 Rab8 16. e4 e5 $1 17. d5 (17. dxe5 Qc5 $17) 17... Nd4
18. Bxd4 exd4 19. Rxd4 c6 $132 {Khalifman,A-Portisch,L/Reykjavik/1991/0,5 (33)}
) 12... Nb6 13. e3 Qd6 14. Qg4 (14. Qc2 $5) 14... f6 15. Rc2 Na4 $1 16. Qh5 f5
17. Qf3 (17. Ba1 b5 $17) 17... Ne7 18. Qe2 (18. Qxb7 Rab8 $19) 18... b5 $1 $17
19. Bxa8 Rxa8 20. e4 fxe4 21. Qxe4 Qd5 22. Qf4 Nxb2 23. Rxb2 Nc6 24. Rd2 (24.
Qxc7 Nxd4) (24. Rd1 $2 e5 $19) 24... c3 25. Rdd1 (25. Rd3 e5) 25... Rd8 26.
Qxc7 Nxd4 27. Rxd4 (27. f3 Nxf3+ 28. Kf2 Nd2 $19) 27... Qxd4 28. Qc6 Qc4 $1 29.
Qxc4 bxc4 30. Rc1 Rd3 $19 31. Kf1 Kf7 32. Ke2 Kf6 33. Rb1 Ke5 (33... Ke5 34.
Rb4 Kd4 $19) 0-1

[Event "Interzonal-16"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Pigusov, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1993.07.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 037"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 Na5 12. Nd2 c5 13. dxc5 Rc8 14. b4 cxb3 15.
Nxb3 Nxb3 16. Qxb3 Nd7 17. c6 (17. Ba3) 17... bxc6 18. a5 Nc5 19. Qc4 Qd3 20.
Qxd3 Nxd3 21. Bd2 Rfd8 22. Rfb1 Nf4 23. gxf4 Rxd2 24. Bf1 Bh4 (24... Ra8 $10 {
Pigusov,E}) 25. Bxa6 Bxf2+ 26. Kg2 Rcd8 27. Kf3 Bh4 28. Be2 Ra8 29. a6 Rdd8 30.
Rb7 Kf8 31. Rc1 Rac8 32. Rd1 Rb8 33. Rdd7 Rxb7 34. axb7 Re8 35. Rc7 Be7 36.
Rxc6 e5 37. Rc8 1-0

[Event "Montreal International"]
[Site "Montreal"]
[Date "1979.04.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1979.04.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (
8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 (10... Bd5) (10... Nbd7)
11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 (12. Rfe1 $6 Nb4 13. e4 $2 Nc2) (12. Rae1 $6 Bd5 13. Nxd5
exd5 14. Qb5 Nb4 15. Qxb7 Rb8 16. Qa7 Nc6 $15) 12... Bd5 $1 $10 13. Nxd5 (13.
Qd3 $5 Nb4 14. Qb1) 13... exd5 14. Qb5 Nb4 15. Qxb7 Bd6 {/\Qe7,Rfb8} 16. Ne5 (
16. Bxf6 $5 Qxf6 17. Qb5 c6 18. Qb7 (18. Rxc6 $6 Nxc6 19. Qxc6 Rad8) 18... Qe6
{/\Qe2,Rfb8} 19. Ng5 $1 Qxe2 $2 (19... Qf5 20. h4 {/\Bh3}) 20. Nxf7 $1) 16...
Rb8 (16... Qe7 $2 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Nc6 $16) 17. Qa7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Amsterdam Euwe Memorial"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Timman, Jan H"]
[Black "Hjartarson, Johann"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1989.03.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 012"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1989.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1989.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. e3 Qb8 {Short} 12. a3 Rc8 13. Re1 {N} (13. Nc3
Nd8 14. b4 a5 15. Rab1 axb4 16. axb4 Nc6 $10 {Karpov,An-Short,N/Tilburg/1988/1/
2-1/2/61/ -> CBM9/S.77}) 13... a5 14. Nc3 Nd8 15. e4 b4 16. Na4 Nd7 17. Bf4 Bd6
18. Be3 Bc6 $1 19. d5 b3 20. Qc4 Qb5 $1 $10 21. Qxb5 Bxb5 22. Nc3 Bd3 23. Nd4
Nc5 24. Rad1 Rab8 25. dxe6 fxe6 26. Bh3 Bc2 27. Rd2 Bxe4 28. Ndb5 Bc2 29. Bf1
Nf7 30. Nd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Chicago op"]
[Site "Chicago"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kaidanov, Gregory S"]
[Black "Hove, James B"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2660"]
[BlackElo "2325"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 1999"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. e3 Nb4 12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 Be7 14. Nbd2 b4 15.
Rfc1 Rc8 16. axb4 Bxb4 17. Nb3 Be4 18. Qe2 Bd5 19. Nc5 a5 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2
Rb8 22. Nc6 Qd5+ 23. Qf3 Rb5 $2 (23... Qxf3+ 24. Kxf3) 24. Ne7+ 1-0

[Event "YUG-ch34"]
[Site "Bjelovar"]
[Date "1979.02.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vukic, Milan"]
[Black "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2485"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1979.02.10"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2000"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 (11... Nxc3) 12. gxf4 Nd7 13. Qd3 (13.
e4 $5 Nf6 14. Qd3 Nh5 $13) (13. Rfd1 $5 Nf6 14. Rac1 $14) 13... Nf6 14. Rfd1
Qd6 15. e3 Rfd8 16. Qc2 Rac8 17. h3 Qb4 18. Rdc1 $1 (18. a5 $5 Ne8 $1 19. Ne4
$14) 18... Qa5 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 c5 21. Ne4 $1 $16 Nxe4 (21... cxd4 $2 22.
Qxc8 Rxc8 23. Rxc8+ Bf8 24. Nxf6+ gxf6 25. Kh2 {/\ Rg1+-}) (21... c4 $5) 22.
Qxe4 Qb6 (22... cxd4 $2 23. Qxb7 $18) 23. dxc5 Rxc5 24. Rxc5 Bxc5 25. Rc1 Be7
$2 (25... Bf8 $5 26. a5 $1) 26. a5 $1 Qxa5 27. Qxb7 Qd5+ 28. Qxd5 Rxd5 29. Rc8+
Rd8 $4 (29... Bf8 30. Ra8 f6 31. Nc6 Rb5 32. Rxa6 Rxb2 33. Nd8 $16) 30. Nc6 1-0

[Event "OHRA-A"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gulko, Boris F"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1989.07.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 014"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Nxc5 14. Qe3 Qa5
$1 $10 {N} (14... Ng4 $2 15. Bxe7 Nxe3 16. Bxd8 Nxf1 17. Be7 $18 {Smyslov}) (
14... Rc8 15. Rfd1 Re8 16. Ne5 Qb6 17. Bh3 $1 {Smyslov,V-Nogueiras,J/Graz/1984/
1-0/}) 15. Rad1 Bc6 16. Rd4 Nb3 17. Rc4 Rad8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20.
Rxe4 Nd2 21. Nxd2 Qxd2 22. Qxd2 Rxd2 23. b3 b5 24. Rb1 Rc8 25. Bf3 g6 26. axb5
axb5 27. Rb4 Rc5 28. g4 Bd4 29. h4 h6 30. Kf1 g5 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. Bb7 Bc3 33.
Re4 Rd7 34. b4 Bxb4 35. Ba6 Bc3 36. Bxb5 Rb7 37. Bd3 Rxb1+ 38. Bxb1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "Leningrad"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Aseev, Konstantin N"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2485"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "1989.06.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 014"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 c5 $5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Nb3
Rc8 15. Rad1 Qb6 16. Nxc5 Bxc5 17. Qb1 Rfd8 18. Ne1 $6 {>= 18.Nd2 ><e4} Rxd1
19. Qxd1 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qc6+ 21. Nf3 Bf8 22. Qd2 $2 {>= 22.Qd4} Qe4 23. Qd3 Qxd3
24. exd3 Rc2 $17 25. Rb1 Bc5 26. d4 Bb6 27. Ne1 Rc4 $1 (27... Rd2 28. Nf3 Rd3
29. Rc1 Bxd4 30. Rc8+ Kg7 31. Rd8 e5 32. Rd6 $13) 28. d5 $1 exd5 29. Rd1 d4 30.
Kf3 Kf8 31. Ke4 Ke7 32. Kd3 a5 33. Nc2 Kd7 34. Re1 Rc5 35. Re4 Rf5 36. Rf4 Rxf4
37. gxf4 Bc7 38. Nxd4 Bxf4 39. Nxb5 $2 (39. h3 b4 40. Ke4 $15) 39... Bxh2 $19
40. a3 Be5 41. b3 (41. b4 Kc6 42. Nd4+ Bxd4 43. Kxd4 axb4 44. axb4 Kb5 45. Ke4
Kxb4 46. Kf5 h5 $19) 41... h5 42. a4 h4 43. Ke2 h3 44. Kf1 Kc6 45. Na3 Kd5 46.
Nc2 Bd6 47. Kg1 Bc5 48. Kh2 Ke4 $1 49. Ne3 Bxe3 50. fxe3 Kxe3 51. b4 axb4 52.
a5 b3 53. a6 b2 54. a7 b1=Q 55. a8=Q Qc2+ $1 (55... Qc2+ 56. Kxh3 Qf5+ 57. Kg3
Qf4+ 58. Kg2 Qe4+ $19) 0-1

[Event "Paris FIDE GP"]
[Site "Elancourt"]
[Date "2013.09.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Wang, Hao"]
[Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2013.09.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 157"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "2:00:00"]
[BlackClock "2:00:00"]

1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Nf6 {
[%emt 0:00:39]} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:32]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:
07]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:22]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:15]} 6. d4 {
[%emt 0:04:51]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 7. Qc2 {[%emt 0:03:32]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:
53]} 8. a4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:01:45]} 9. Qxc4 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Bc6 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 10. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 11. Bg5 {[%emt 0:
04:20]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:01:55]} 12. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} h6 {[%emt 0:01:35]} 13.
Bxf6 {[%emt 0:01:02]} Nxf6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 14. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:04:37]} Bd5 {
[%emt 0:10:42]} 15. Qd3 {[%emt 0:01:22]} Bxf3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 16. Qxf3 $146 {
[%emt 0:09:38]} (16. Bxf3 c6 17. e4 Bb4 18. Na2 Be7 19. Qb3 Rb8 20. Rac1 Qa5
21. d5 exd5 22. exd5 cxd5 23. Nc3 b5 24. axb5 axb5 25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Bxd5 Bf6
27. Bxf7+ Rxf7 28. Rd7 Rbf8 29. Qe6 b4 30. Rcc7 Qe5 31. Qc4 Qe1+ 32. Kg2 Be7
33. Rxe7 {1/2-1/2 (33) Ribli,Z (2554)-Kovacs,G (2461) Hungary 2013}) 16... c6 {
[%emt 0:00:22]} 17. e4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:02:56]} 18. Na2 {[%emt 0:
13:16]} Be7 {[%emt 0:25:59]} 19. Qb3 {[%emt 0:25:00]} Qb8 {[%emt 0:03:11]} 20.
a5 {[%emt 0:02:13]} Qa7 {[%emt 0:05:02]} 21. Nc3 {[%emt 0:03:48]} Rad8 {
[%emt 0:07:42][%csl Rd4]} 22. e5 {[%emt 0:04:29]} Ne8 {[%emt 0:10:59]} 23. Ne2
{[%emt 0:06:07]} Nc7 {[%emt 0:02:45]} 24. h4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Nb5 {[%emt 0:01:
18]} 25. Qc4 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Rd7 {[%emt 0:07:45]} 26. Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:21]}
Rfd8 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 27. Rad1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nc7 {[%emt 0:01:36]} 28. h5 {
[%emt 0:18:16]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 29. Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} c5 $1 $36 {
[%emt 0:02:19][%csl Rd4][%cal Gd7d1] Wang Hao found himself in trouble on the
white side of a Catalan today as his d-pawn came under heavy pressure. His
Cuban opponent was able to win it with a timely c5 break and Black held an
indisputable advantage. The Chinese created counterplay down the b-file with a
creative rook lift, but it was not enough to equalize. What it was enough for
was to confuse his opponent in time pressure, and Dominguez agreed to a
threefold repetition in a position where he was clearly better.} 30. Bxd5 {
[%emt 0:06:36]} Rxd5 {[%emt 0:01:18]} 31. Rb6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Qb8 {[%emt 0:13:
28]} 32. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:43]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:02:11]} 33. Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:07]}
Rxe5 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 34. Rxb7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 35. Rb6 {
[%emt 0:00:40]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 36. Rb7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:00:
44]} 37. Rb6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:05:29]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Altensteig"]
[Site "Altensteig"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg M"]
[Black "Brunner, Lucas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[Annotator "Dautov,R"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1992.07.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 031"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1992.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1992.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ftacnik} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. a5 Rb8 (
13... Qb8 14. Ra4 Qb3 (14... c5 15. Rxc4 cxd4 16. Rdxd4 $14) 15. Qxb3 cxb3 16.
Rc4 c5 17. dxc5 Rfd8 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Be3 Nd5 {1/2:1/2 Kajdanov,G-Tukmakov,V
Irkutsk 1986}) (13... Qb8 14. Qa4 Qb3 15. Qxc6 Bb4 16. Bd2 Rad8 17. Qxa6 (17.
e3 e5 $1 $132) 17... Ra8 (17... Rxd4 18. Qb7 $16) 18. Qb7 Bxa5 19. Qxb3 cxb3
20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxa5 Ra7 22. Bb4 Rfa8 23. Rxa7 Rxa7 24. f3 $16 {Gorelov,
S-Kaplun,L USSR 1982}) (13... Qb8 14. Qa4 c5 $1 15. Qxc4 cxd4 16. Rxd4 c5 17.
Rd1 Qb4 18. Ra4 {1/2:1/2 Razuvaev,Y-Geller,E Moskva 1982}) 14. Qa4 Rb4 $6 {N} (
14... Bb4 15. Na2 (15. Qxc6 $6 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qd5 $36) 15... Qd6 (15... Be7 16.
Nc3 Bb4 17. Qxc6 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Qd5 19. Qxc7 Ne4 20. Ra3 Nd6 21. Ra4 Rfc8 22.
Qe7 Ne4 23. Ra3 Rb7 24. Qh4 Rb3 25. Rxb3 cxb3 $17 {Kogan,B-Burger/Reykjavik/
1982/}) 16. Bf4 Qe7 17. Qxc6 (17. Bg5 Rb5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nc3 Bxc3 20. bxc3
Qd6 21. e4 f5 22. exf5 exf5 23. Qxc4 Re8 24. Qd3 f4 $132 {Kirov-Lengyel,L/Novi
Sad/1981/}) 17... Nd5 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Rxd2 Qg5 20. Rad1 Rb5 $13 {Rashkovsky,
N-Geller,E SSSR(ch) 1981} (20... Rb5 {Ftacnik} 21. e4 Nf4 22. Nc3 Rb4 23. Na2
Rb5 24. Qxc4 Qg4 25. Qxc7 Nh3+ 26. Kg2 Ng5 27. Qf4 Qxf4 28. gxf4 Nxe4 $10 {
Rashkovskij,N-Geller,E/URS-ch/1980/})) 15. Qxc6 Qd6 16. Qf3 Rfb8 (16... c5 $2
17. Bf4 $16) (16... Nd5 {Ftacnik} 17. e4 Nxc3 18. bxc3 $14) 17. e4 Qc6 $2 (
17... e5 $2 18. dxe5 Qxe5 19. Bf4 Qc5 20. e5 Ne8 21. Nd5 $16 (21. Nd5 {Ftacnik}
Rxb2 22. Be3 $18)) (17... Qd7 $142 18. Qe2 (18. d5 e5) 18... Qc8 $14 {/\Qb7})
18. d5 exd5 $2 (18... Qe8 $142 19. Bf4 R8b7 $140 20. dxe6 fxe6 21. e5 Nh5 (
21... Nd7 22. Qc6 $18) 22. Be3 g6 23. Qe4 $16) (18... Qe8 $142 {Ftacnik}) 19.
e5 Ne8 20. Nxd5 $18 Kf8 $8 (20... Bf8 {Ftacnik} 21. Nf6+ $18) 21. Qh5 R4b5 (
21... h6 {Ftacnik} 22. Nxb4 $18) 22. Qxh7 f6 23. Qg8+ 1-0

[Event "Linares Anibal op 07th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Black "Sargissian, Gabriel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2470"]
[Annotator "Delchev/Kostakiev"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2000.01.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2002"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 (7...
b5 $2 8. a4 c6 9. axb5 cxb5 10. Ng5 $1 $18) (7... e5 $5) 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7
10. Bf4 (10. Bg5 $5) 10... Nc6 $5 (10... Nd5 11. Nc3 (11. Bd2 Nd7) 11... Nxf4
12. gxf4 $14) (10... Bd6 $5 {Smyslov} 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 12. a4 $14) 11. Rd1 (11.
Nc3 $5 {/\ 11..} Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Rfd1 $1 $36 {'+/-!'}) 11... Nb4 12. Qc1
(12. Qxc7 $2 Qxc7 13. Bxc7 Nc2) 12... Qc8 $6 (12... Rc8 $142 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14.
Be5 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Ne4 Qe7 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 19. Qd2 Rfc8 $11 {
;14Nd5 Bd5 15Be3}) 13. Bg5 $1 (13. Bxc7 $2 Nfd5) 13... Nbd5 (13... c5 $142 14.
Bxf6 gxf6 {Smyslov} (14... Bxf6 15. a3 $16 (15. dxc5)) 15. Nc3 Rd8 16. a3 Nd5
17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 $11 {;15a3!+/=}
) 14. Ne5 $5 $146 {'!' Olafson} (14. Nbd2 c5 $5 (14... h6 $2 {1-0 Hauchard,
A-Rozentalis,E/It, Belfort FRA 1998 (68)}) 15. e4 Nb4 16. e5 Nfd5 17. Bxe7 Nxe7
18. Qxc5 Qxc5 19. dxc5 Nd3 20. Nb3 Nxb2 21. Rd7 $16 {Smyslov}) 14... h6 15.
Bxf6 Bxf6 (15... Nxf6 16. Nc6 Bd6 17. Nd2 $14) 16. Nc6 (16. e4 Bxe5 17. dxe5
Nb6) 16... a5 $6 (16... Ne7 $142 {/\} 17. Na5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rd8 19. Nb3 c5) 17.
e4 $1 $14 Nb4 18. e5 Bg5 $6 19. f4 Bd8 20. Nd2 $2 (20. a3 Nxc6 21. Bxc6 Bxc6
22. Qxc6 Qa6 23. Qxa6 Rxa6 24. Nc3 c6 25. Ne4 $14) (20. Qc5 $5) 20... Qd7 $15
21. Nxb4 Qxd4+ 22. Kh1 Bxg2+ 23. Kxg2 axb4 24. Qc2 (24. Nf3 Qe4) 24... Rxa2 $1
25. Nb3 (25. Rxa2 Qd5+ 26. Nf3 Qxa2 27. Rd7 c5) 25... Qc4 $1 26. Rac1 $5 $132 {
(ץd8,><c5,c6)} f6 (26... Qxc2+ 27. Rxc2 g5 28. Rd7 gxf4 29. gxf4 c6 30. Kf3
Bb6 31. Nc1 Ra7 32. Rd6 $13) 27. Rd7 (27. Rd4 $142) 27... fxe5 28. fxe5 Rxb2 $5
(28... Bg5 29. Rd4 (29. Qg6 Qe2+ 30. Kh3 Qxe5 31. Rcxc7 Bf6 32. Nc1 b3) 29...
Qxc2+ 30. Rxc2 Be3 31. Rxb4 c6) 29. Qxb2 Qe4+ 30. Kg1 Bg5 31. Qg2 Qe3+ 32. Kh1
Qxb3 33. Rf1 $132 {(עg8)} Rxf1+ (33... Rd8 34. Rxd8+ Bxd8 {(/\Qd5 _|_)}) 34.
Qxf1 Kh7 35. h4 Qc4 $5 (35... Be3 36. Qf6 Qb1+ 37. Kh2 Qg6) 36. Qf3 (36. Qxc4
$2 bxc4 37. Rxc7 (37. hxg5 b3 $19) 37... Bd2 38. Rxc4 b3) 36... Bc1 37. h5 $1
$11 b3 (37... Bb2 38. Rxg7+ Kxg7 39. Qf6+ $11) 38. Qf7 $6 $138 (38. Rxg7+ $11)
38... Qe4+ (38... Qg4 39. Kg2 b2 40. Rd8 Qe2+ 41. Kh3 Qxh5+ 42. Qxh5 b1=Q 43.
Qf7 $13) 39. Kh2 Qc2+ 40. Kh1 Qe4+ 41. Kh2 Qc2+ 42. Kh1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bundesliga 9697"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?.4"]
[White "Meins, Gerlef"]
[Black "Donev, Ivo Hristov"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "Donev,I"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1996.10.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "GER-chT"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Werder Bremen"]
[BlackTeam "Eppingen"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 c5 8. dxc5
Bxc5 9. Nc3 Qe7 10. Bg5 Rd8 11. Qc1 Nbd7 12. Nxc4 h6 13. Be3 (13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14.
Rd1 Rxd1+ 15. Qxd1 Rb8 $14) 13... Rb8 14. Rd1 b6 15. Nb5 Ba6 $8 {Nach
30-minütiger Überlegung. Alles andere verliert.} (15... Bb7 16. Nxa7 Nd5 17.
Bf4 Nxf4 18. Qxf4 $18) (15... a6 16. Na7 $1 $18) 16. Nxa7 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Ne5 $1
18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Qc3 (19. Nc6 Nxc6 20. Qxc6 Qb4 $1 {Die Pointe! Bevor ich 15.
Ba6 zog, mußte ich bis hierher rechnen und diesen starken Zug finden.} 21. Qc2
Rd2 $11) (19. f4 Qxa7 20. fxe5 Nd7 $44) 19... Qxa7 20. Qxe5 Bxe2 21. Qc3 (21.
Nf5 Rd1+ 22. Rxd1 Bxd1 23. Nxh6+ Kh7 $1 $11 (23... gxh6 24. Qxf6 Qxa2 25. Qd8+
$18)) 21... b5 22. a3 Qd4 (22... Nd5 23. Qd2 Bc4 (23... Bh5 24. Rc1 $14) 24.
Nxc4 bxc4 25. Rc1 $16) (22... Ng4 23. Nxg4 Bxg4 24. Bf1 $14) 23. Qxd4 Rxd4 24.
b3 $1 $14 {Dank seiner entfernten Freibauern besitzt Weiß soliden
positionellen Vorteil.} Nd7 (24... Nd5 25. Nxd5 exd5 26. a4 bxa4 27. bxa4 Ba6
28. a5 Kf8 29. Bf1 $16) 25. Ra2 (25. a4 Nc5) 25... Bd1 26. Nxd1 Rxd1+ 27. Bf1 {
In diesem Augenblick hatte ich weniger als 3 Minuten auf der Uhr für die
restliche 14 Züge. Das hat natürlich die Qualität meines Spiels negativ
beeinflußt.} Nc5 $6 (27... Rb1 $1 28. b4 (28. a4 b4 $1 29. a5 Rxb3 30. a6 Ra3
$1 31. Rxa3 bxa3 32. Bc4 Kf8 $17) 28... Nb6 29. Kg2 Nc4 30. a4 Rxb4 31. axb5
Nb6 32. Ra6 Nd5 $11 {Angesichts des aktiven schwarzen Rb4 und des starken
zentralisierten Nd5 ist der weißen Vorteil minimal. Der entfernte b-Bauer ist
schwer über das Feld b6 zu bringen.}) 28. Kg2 Nxb3 29. Bxb5 Nd4 30. Bf1 $16 {
In dieser Stellung ist der Läufer besser als der Springer. Dazu kommt ein
starker weißer Turm, der den weißen entfernten Freibauern aktiv unterstüzt.
Alle diese Vorteile nutzen dem Anziehenden auf sehr lehrreiche Weise.} Kf8 31.
a4 Ke7 32. a5 Nc6 33. a6 Na7 34. h4 h5 35. Be2 Rd5 36. Bf3 Rb5 37. Be2 Rd5 38.
Rb2 g6 39. Kf3 Rd7 40. Ke4 Rc7 41. Rb7 Rd7 42. Ke5 Nc6+ 43. Kf4 Na7 44. Kg5
Rxb7 45. axb7 Nc6 46. Bb5 Nb8 47. f4 Kd6 48. Kf6 Kc5 49. Bf1 Kd4 50. Kxf7 Ke3
51. Kxe6 Kf2 52. Bb5 Kxg3 53. Kd6 {Eine mustergültige Partie zum Thema
"Entfernte Freibauern"!} 1-0

[Event "AUT-chT 9697"]
[Site "Austria"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Black "Donev, Ivo Hristov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "Donev,I"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 057 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.05.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.05.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 c5 13. Nbd2 (13. Nc3 Bxf3 14.
Bxf3 cxd4 15. Ne4 (15. Bxb7 Ra7 $1 $19) 15... Nc6 $17) 13... Bc6 (13... Bd5)
14. dxc5 Bxc5 {[%cal Yd2b3,Yb3a5]} 15. Nb3 Be7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 {Die Idee
des Springermarsches Nb1-d2-b3-a5 ist es, Druck auf den Bauern b7 auszuüben.}
Bd5 {Auf keinen Fall darf der Nachziehende den weißfeldrigen Läufer für den
Na5 abtauschen.Wenn er tauschen will,dann nur gegen seinen starken Widersacher
Bg2.} (17... Be4) (17... Bb4 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Rfd1 $14) 18. Ne5 $1 {Das Ziel
dieses Zuges ist es, weiter Druck auf den schwachen Bauern b7 auszuüben und
gleichzeitig den starken Punkt e5 zu besetzen.} Bxg2 19. Kxg2 {Weiß droht
erneut, den schwachen b7-Bauern zu erobern.Was soll Schwarz unternehmen?} Nbd7
$1 (19... Rd5 20. Nac4 {[%csl Yb6]} Bc5 (20... Nbd7 21. Bxf6 (21. Nxd7 Rxg5)
21... Nxf6 22. Nb6 Rxe5 23. Nxa8 $16)) (19... b6 $6 20. Nac6 Nxc6 21. Nxc6 Rd7
22. Nxe7+ Rxe7 23. Rac1 $14) 20. Nd3 h6 $1 {An diesem Zug hängt die ganze
schwarze Verteidigung. Zum einen macht der Nachziehende sich ein Luftloch für
seinen König, zum anderen zwingt er den aktiven gegnerischen Läufer sich zum
Tausch zu entscheiden oder nicht.} (20... Rdc8 21. Nxb7 Rab8 22. Na5 Bd8 23. b4
Bxa5 24. bxa5 $16) 21. Bf4 (21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Nxb7 Rdb8 23. Na5 Bxb2 $11) 21...
g5 22. Nxb7 (22. Bd2 Ne4 23. Be3 Nd6) (22. Be3 $5 Rdb8 (22... Nd5 23. Nxb7 Rdb8
24. Na5 $16) 23. Rfc1 Nd5 $13) 22... gxf4 23. Nxd8 Rxd8 24. gxf4 a5 $1 $15 {
Vermeidet die Bildung eines entfernten Freibauern am Damenflügel und sichert
das Feld b4 für eine der Leichtfiguren.} (24... Nc5 25. Ne5 Rd2 26. b4 $1) 25.
Rac1 Nb6 26. Rc7 Rd7 (26... Nfd5 27. Ra7 Nxa4 28. Rxa5 $14) 27. Rxd7 Nfxd7 28.
b3 Nc5 29. Ne5 Nd5 $1 30. Nc6 (30. Rb1 Nb4 $11 (30... Nxf4+ 31. Kf3 Nd5 32. Nc6
Bd6 33. Nxa5 $14)) 30... Nxb3 31. Nxe7+ {Jetzt erst hat Weiß bemerkt, daß das
ursprünglich geplante 31.e4 nicht möglich ist, weil Schwarz den angegriffenen
Springer in allen Varianten rettet.} (31. e4 Nxf4+ 32. Kg3 (32. Kf3 Nd2+ 33.
Kxf4 Bg5+ 34. Ke5 Nxf1 $19) 32... Ne2+ 33. Kf3 Ned4+ 34. Nxd4 Nxd4+ $17) 31...
Nxe7 32. Rb1 {Jetzt stellt sich die schwierige Entscheidung, ob der Randbauer
behalten werden soll oder nicht.} Nd4 (32... Nc5 33. Rb5 Nxa4 34. Rxa5 Nc3 35.
e3 $15) (32... Nc5 33. Rb5 Nxa4 34. Rxa5 Nc3 $15) 33. e3 Ndc6 34. Rb5 f5 35.
Kf3 Kf7 36. Ke2 Kg6 37. Kd3 Kh5 38. Rb7 Kg4 39. Rd7 e5 $1 40. Rd6 $1 {Der
kritische Moment des Endspiels.Der Nachziehende hat mehrere interessante
Fortsetzungen.Leider habe ich für den letzten Zug vor der Zeitkontrolle nur
mehr 1 Minute gehabt.Darum habe ich meinen 40. Zug gefühlsmäßig ausgeführt.} h5
(40... e4+ 41. Ke2 h5 42. Rh6 h4 43. Re6 $1 {Bindet beide Springer.} (43. Kf1
Kh3 $13) 43... Kh3 44. f3 exf3+ 45. Kxf3 Kxh2 46. Rd6 $3 $11 (46. Kf2 Kh3 47.
Kf3 $11)) (40... exf4 {Die chancenreichste Fortsetzung.} 41. Rxh6 Kf3 (41...
Ne5+) 42. exf4 Kxf2 43. h4 Kg3 44. Rh7 $13) (40... Kf3 41. fxe5 (41. Rxh6 e4+ (
41... Kxf2 42. h4) 42. Kd2 Kxf2 43. Re6 $1 $16) 41... Nxe5+ 42. Kd4 N5c6+ 43.
Kc5 Kxf2 44. Re6 h5 45. Rh6 $11 {Und remis wie in der Partie.}) 41. fxe5 Nxe5+
42. Kd4 N5c6+ (42... Nf3+ 43. Kc5 Nxh2 44. Re6 $1 {Und der Springer geht
verloren.}) 43. Kc5 Kf3 44. Rh6 Kxf2 45. Rxh5 Kxe3 {Es scheint, daß Schwarz
großen Vorteil bekommen hat,aber schon der nächste gegnerische Zug zerstört
die schwarzen Träume.} 46. Rxf5 $1 {Erzwingt remis.} Nxf5 47. Kxc6 Kd4 48. Kb5
Nh4 49. Kxa5 Kc5 50. Ka6 Kc6 51. Ka5 Kc5 52. Ka6 Kc6 53. Ka5 Kc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "AUT-chT"]
[Site "Austria"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hoelzl, Franz"]
[Black "Donev, Ivo Hristov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2390"]
[BlackElo "2410"]
[Annotator "Donev,I"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 038"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
c5 9. dxc5 Nc6 10. Na3 Bxc5 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Bf4 Nd5 (12... Bd7 $5 13. Rfd1 Nb4
$13 {/\ Bc6}) 13. Rac1 $146 (13. Bd2 Ndb4 14. Qb3 a5 {Kamsky,G-Speelman,J
Linares 1991 inf 51/(108)}) 13... Ncb4 14. Qb1 f6 (14... Bd7 $5 15. b3 Nxf4 16.
gxf4 f6 $10 {/\ Bc6}) 15. Bd2 b5 $1 16. axb5 axb5 17. Na3 Bd7 $10 18. e4 Nb6 $8
(18... Nc7 $2 19. Bxb4 $18) 19. e5 N4d5 20. exf6 gxf6 21. Nc2 {/\ Ncd4} e5 22.
Bh6 Rfd8 (22... Bf5 23. Nh4 Bd3 24. Rfd1 $13) 23. Nh4 Be6 24. Kh1 (24. b4 $2
Nc3 $19) 24... Rac8 25. Rce1 (25. f4 Ne3 26. Nxe3 Bxe3 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 $13) 25...
Nc4 26. Bc1 (26. f4 Nd2 $19) 26... b4 $1 {/\ b3} 27. Na1 Qa7 28. Re2 $15
1/2-1/2

[Event "Landesliga Nord 9798"]
[Site "Bayern"]
[Date "1997.02.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jirovsky, Pavel"]
[Black "Donev, Ivo Hristov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2395"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "Donev,I"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1997.10.19"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 063"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Obernburg"]
[BlackTeam "Regensburg DJK II"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Nc3 {Dieser auf den ersten Blick logische Zug ist ungenau,
den Schwarz energisch ausnützt.} {[%tqu "De","Was würden Sie spielen um die
Initiative zu bekommen?","","","b7b5","",4]} b5 $1 11. Qd3 {Weiß darf nicht
auf b5 schlagen weil er Material verlieren wird:} (11. axb5 $2 axb5 $19 {
[%cal Yb5c4,Ya8a1]}) {[%tqu "De","Wie geht weiter?","","","b5b4","",10]} 11...
b4 $1 {verdrängt den Springer auf der ersten Reihe.} 12. Nb1 Be4 {Räumt mit
Thempo die c-Linie um c7-c5 vorzubereiten.} 13. Qc4 Bd5 (13... Nc6 {[%cal
Yc6a5]} 14. a5 Bd5 15. Qd3 $8 $13) (13... Nbd7 14. Bg5 Nb6 15. Qc1 $11) 14. Qc2
(14. Qd3 c5 15. dxc5 Nbd7 $15 {/\Nc5}) {[%tqu "De","Wie kann Schwarz die
ungünstige Lage des weiße Dame benützen?","","","c7c5","",6]} 14... c5 $1 {
Einerseits löst Schwarz das Problem mit dem rückständigen c-Bauer,
andererseits wird später die c-Linie vom schwarzen Turm mit Thempo besetzt.}
15. dxc5 Nbd7 16. Bg5 {[%tqu "De","Wann und mit welche Figur muss den c5 Bauer
geschlagen werden?","","","a8c8","",5]} Rc8 $1 {Schwarz hat es nicht eilig mit
der Zurückeroberung des c-Bauern.} 17. Nbd2 {Beritet Nb3 vor.} {[%tqu "De","Es
ist höhste Zeit die c-Bauer zu schlagen.Aber wie?","","","c8c5","",5,"d7c5","",
0]} Rxc5 $1 $146 (17... Nxc5 18. Rfc1 Nb3 (18... Qb6 19. Qd1 Rfd8 20. Qe1 h6
21. Be3 $13 {Schinzel,W-Zaitsev,I/Graz 1979/EXT 97}) 19. Qxc8 Qxc8 20. Rxc8
Rxc8 21. Nxb3 Bxb3 22. Nd4 $11) 18. Qd3 {[%tqu "De","Nächte Zug ist sehr schön.
","","","d8a8","",8]} Qa8 $1 {[%cal Yf8d8,Yd8c8,Ya8d5,Yd5g2] Es hat mich immer
gefreut, wenn ich einen Zug finde bei dem es viele Aufgaben zu lösen gibt.
Jetzt steht die schwarze Dame perfekt! Einerseits deckt sie den a6 Bauer und
räumt die 8 Reihe für den Rf8. Andererseits übt sie starken Druck auf die
große Diagonale a8-h1aus!} 19. Be3 {[%tqu "De","Wo würden Sie mit dem Turm
abziehen?","","","c5c7","",5]} Rc7 $1 {Jetzt bleibt nur noch den anderen Turm
auf c8 zu stellen und dann hat Schwarz alle Figuren optimal plaziert.} 20. Rfc1
{In diesem Moment habe ich über folgendes nachgedacht: Es ist klar, daß hier
Rfc8 logisch ist, aber vielleicht gibt es noch etwas besseres? Ich habe tief
in die Stellung hineingerechnet und dafür über 30 Minuten Zeit verbraucht.
Dann habe ich gesehen das ich auch eine Leichtfigur auf die c-Linie stellen
kann um den Turmtausch zu vermeiden - naja der Ra1 steht viel schlechter als
mein Rf8. Leider konnte mein Gegner mit einigen genauen Zügen das Spiel
ausgleichen. Wenn man für eine Stellung zu viel Zeit verbraucht, bedeutet das
nicht immer, daß man die bessere Fortsetzung finden wird, sondern es besteht
auch die Gefahr, daß man in einem Variantenwust eine schwächere Variante wählt.
} Nc5 (20... Rfc8 $142 $1 {Nach diesem Zug könnte Schwarz seine
Eröffnungsinitiative in einem festen positionellen Vorteil behaupten.} 21. Nb3
(21. Rxc7 Rxc7 22. Ne1 $1 (22. Nb3 Be4 23. Qd1 (23. Qd2 Rc2) 23... Nd5 $1 $17 (
23... Bc2 24. Nfd4 $3 {[%cal Yd4c2,Yg2a8]})) 22... Ne5 23. Bxd5 Nxd5 $15) 21...
Be4 22. Ne1 (22. Qd1 Nd5 $1 $17) 22... Bxd3 (22... Ne5 23. Qd4 $15) 23. Bxa8
Bxe2 24. Bb7 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Rxc1 26. Nxc1 Bd1 27. a5 Bd8 $17) 21. Bxc5 Bxc5 22.
Nb3 $1 Ne4 (22... Be4 23. Qd2 Rd8 24. Qe1 Qc8 25. Nxc5 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 Qxc5 27.
Rd1 Rc8 $13) (22... Bxb3 23. Qxb3 Rfc8 24. e3) 23. Nxc5 Nxc5 24. Qe3 Rfc8 {
Bis hierher habe ich gerechnet und dachte das Schwarz (Beherrschung der c
-Linie, Schwächen a4-Bauer und Feld b3) besser steht. Mit seinem nächsten Zug
vernichtet der Anziehende meine Hoffnungen.} 25. Ne1 $1 {Jetzt ist die
Stellung voll ausgeglichen.} h6 (25... a5 26. Rc4 Qa6 27. Bxd5 exd5 28. Rd4 Qe6
29. Qf3 Ne4 (29... Nxa4 30. Nd3 $1 (30. Rxa4 Rc1 31. Kf1 Qh3+ $1 $19) 30... Nc5
31. Rxd5 Nxd3 32. Qxd3 $14) 30. Rad1 Nf6 $15) 26. Rc4 Qb8 27. Bxd5 exd5 {
Für die restlichen 13 Züge (Die Kontrolle war 40 Züge für 2 Stunden) hatten
beide Seiten nur noch wenige Minuten. Das vermindert natürlich die Qualität
des Spiels.} 28. Rd4 Re8 (28... Qb7 29. Nd3 a5 $11) 29. Qf3 Rce7 30. Rxd5 Rxe2
31. Rxc5 Rxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 33. Kg2 Qe8 34. Rc7 Re7 35. Qc6 (35. Rxe7 Qxe7
36. Qa8+ Kh7 37. Qxa6 Qe4+ 38. Kh3 Qf5+ (38... Qc2 39. Qb5 Qxb2 40. Qf5+ Kg8
41. Qc8+ $11) 39. Kg2 Qe4+ $11) 35... Qxc6+ 36. Rxc6 a5 37. Rc5 Re2 38. Rxa5
Rxb2 39. Rb5 Kf8 40. Rb7 b3 41. a5 {Eine sehr interressante Partie zum Thema
Eröffnungsinitiative.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "AUT-chT2 9697"]
[Site "Austria"]
[Date "1997.10.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Almasi, Istvan"]
[Black "Donev, Ivo Hristov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2425"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "Donev,I"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 057 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.05.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.05.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Der Läufer strebt nach a5, um das befreiende c7-c5 zu
verhindern.} Be4 11. Qc1 b4 {Mit diesem Zug wolte ich den Nb1 einschränken.
Dafür mußte ich jedoch mit der Schwächung des Feldes c4 bezahlen.} 12. Bg5 Nbd7
13. Nbd2 Bd5 14. Ne5 $1 {In der Praxis sind mehrere Fortsetzungen bekannt,
aber ich halte den Partiezug für das Beste. Weiß öffnet die Diagonale h1-a8
und will den Springer auf c6 gemütlich unterbringen.} (14. Nb3 c5 15. Nxc5 Rc8
16. Bxf6 Bxf6 $15) (14. Qc2 c5 $1 15. e4 Bb7 16. e5 Nd5 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 $15) {
Mein Gegner hatte ziemlich schnell die Eröffnung absolviert. Daraus war mir
klar, daß er diese Variante sehr gut kennt.} 14... Bxg2 $5 $146 {[%csl Ge5]
Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt habe ich auch rasch gespielt. Jetzt war für mich die
Theorie zu Ende. Ich konnte mich kaum an die Partie Salov-Short erinnern, in
der der Nachziehende eine schwere Stellung verteidigen mußte. So war ich
gezwungen selbständig zu denken, und ich sollte über 30 Minuten überlegen, um
tief in die Stellung einzutauchen und den nächsten Zug zu finden. Mir war klar,
daß das Leitmotiv der schwarzen Verteidigung der Abtausch des weißfeldrigen
Läufers und der Vorstoß c7-c5 nebst Rc8 war. So sollte ich die schlechte Lage
der weiße Dame ausnutzen können.} (14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Ng4 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17.
Nf3 c5 18. h3 Nh6 19. Qc2 Rac8 20. e4 Bb7 21. Nd2 $14 {[%csl Rc4,Rh6] 1/2-1/2
Salov,V-Short,N/Amsterdam Euwe-mem 1989/CBM 12 (44)}) 15. Kxg2 {[%csl Rc6]} c5
$1 {Schwarz muß sich sofort des rückständigen c -Bauer entledigen, sonst
bleibt er nach Nc6 in einer schwierigen Lage.} (15... Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd5 17.
Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne4 $14 {[%csl Rc5]}) 16. Nc6 (16. Nxd7 Nxd7 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18.
dxc5 Rfc8 $15) 16... Qe8 $8 17. Bxf6 (17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. dxc5 Rfc8 (18... Rac8
19. Ne4 Nxc5 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Bh6 Rfd8 22. Qf4 $1 $16) 19. Ne4 Nxc5 20. Nxf6+
gxf6 21. Bh6 $13) (17. e4 Rc8 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Bxf6 (19. e5 cxd4 20. Qe1 Qc5
$1 $17) 19... Nxf6 20. dxc5 Rxc5 $15) 17... Nxf6 $1 (17... Bxf6 18. Ne4 $1 Be7
(18... cxd4 19. Nd6 $18) 19. Nxc5 $16) (17... gxf6 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Qc4 cxd4
20. Qxd4 Ne5 $14) 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Qxc5 (19. dxc5 Rfc8 20. Nb3 a5 $1 21. c6 (
21. a4 bxa3 22. Rxa3 a4 23. Nd4 Rxc5 $15) 21... Qd6 22. Rd1 Qxc6+ 23. Qxc6 Rxc6
24. Nxa5 Rc2 $1 $11) 19... Qb7+ $1 20. Nf3 (20. f3 Rfc8 21. Qe5 Rc2 $44) 20...
Rfc8 21. Qe5 Rc2 22. Rfc1 Rac8 {Der Nachziehende hat für den geopferten die
einzige offene Linie bekommen. Dazu beherrscht er die 2. Reihe, und seine Dame
b7 ist sehr gut platziert. Mit zwei Worten: Schwarz hat ausreichend
Kompensation.} (22... Rxb2 23. d5 $18 {[%cal Ye5b2] Der schwarze Turm ist
gefangen.}) 23. Rxc2 Rxc2 (23... Rxc2 24. b3 h6 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bundesliga 9697"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?.5"]
[White "Schmidt, Peter"]
[Black "Donev, Ivo Hristov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2410"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "Donev,I"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1996.10.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "GER-chT"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Passau"]
[BlackTeam "Eppingen"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 Be4 14. Qc3 (14.
Qd2 c5 $10) 14... Nd5 15. Qa5 (15. Qd2 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 $10) 15... c6 $146 (
15... c5 16. Qxa6 Nb4 17. Qxb5 Rb8 18. Qa5 (18. Qc4 Bd5 19. Qc1 Nxa2 20. Rxa2
Bxb3 $10) 18... Qxa5 19. Nxa5 Nc2) (15... Nb4 16. a3 (16. Rfc1 Nc2 17. Rab1 c5
$15) 16... Nc6 17. Qc3 (17. Qxa6 $2 Qd5 $19) 17... Bf6 $10) 16. Qxd8 (16. Qxa6
Nb4 (16... Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Qd7 18. Rfc1 $16) 17. Qa5 Qd5 $15) 16... Rfxd8 17.
Rac1 f6 18. Ne1 Bg6 (18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nb6 20. Nd3 Kf7 $14 (20... Na4 21. Rc2
$16)) 19. Na5 c5 20. dxc5 (20. Nb7 cxd4 $1 21. Nxd8 Rxc1 22. Nxe6 Nb6 23. Nxd4
Rb1 $1 $44) 20... Bxc5 (20... Rxc5 $142) 21. Nf3 (21. Nb7 Bb6 22. Nxd8 Rxc1 23.
Nxe6 Ne7 $44) 21... Bb6 22. Nc6 Rd6 {[#]} 23. Nfe5 $5 (23. Nfd4 Bxd4 24. Nxd4
Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Nb4 $10) 23... Kf8 24. e4 fxe5 25. exd5 e4 (25... exd5 $142 26.
Nxe5 Bf5 $1 $17) 26. Bh3 {[#] Mit dem Ziel, die kommende Zeintnot zu vermeiden,
habe ich in der Eile ganz den starken Zug 26...Be8 übersehen.} Bf5 (26... Be8
$142 $1 27. Bxe6 (27. Rfe1 Rc7 $19) 27... Rxe6 28. dxe6 Bxc6 $17) 27. Bxf5 exf5
28. Rcd1 Kf7 29. Kg2 Kf6 30. Rfe1 Re8 (30... Rc7 31. h4 Rcd7 32. Nb8 Rc7 33.
Nc6 $13) 31. Re2 g5 32. Rc2 f4 33. Kf1 a5 (33... Kf5 $15) 34. b4 a4 (34... axb4
$142 35. Nxb4 e3 36. fxe3 Rxe3 $15) 35. Rc5 $1 {Beide Seiten befinden sich in
große Zeitnot. Der Anziehende wählt eine in solchen Situation sehr unangenehme
Fortzetzung: ein positionelles Qualitätsopfer.} Bxc5 {Sonst geht der Bauer b5
verloren.} 36. bxc5 Rxc6 {Für diesen Zug habe ich mich gefühlsmäßig schnell
entschieden. Mir war klar, daß nach Weiß nach dem Rückzug des Rd6 37.Nb4
spielen würde, und dann sind die verbundenen Freibauern d5-c5 zu gefährlich.} (
36... Rd7 37. Nb4 $44) 37. dxc6 Rc8 (37... Re5 38. Rd6+ Ke7 (38... Kf5 39. c7
Rxc5 40. Rd5+ $18) 39. Rd7+ Ke6 $10) 38. Rd6+ Ke5 39. a3 Rc7 40. Ke2 Kf5 {
Endlich ist die Zeitnotphase überstanden.Beide Seiten haben exakt 120 Minuten
für die gespielten 40 Züge verbraucht.} 41. h3 Ke5 42. Kd2 e3+ 43. Ke2 exf2 44.
Kxf2 Ke4 45. gxf4 gxf4 46. h4 h5 47. Rh6 Ra7 (47... Kd4 48. Rxh5 Kc4 49. Kf3
Kb3 50. Kxf4 Kxa3 51. Ke5 b4 52. Kd6) 48. Rxh5 b4 49. axb4 a3 50. c7 (50. Rh8
a2 51. c7 a1=Q $19) 50... Rxc7 51. Rh8 Ra7 52. Re8+ Kd5 53. Re1 Kc4 54. Kf3
Kxb4 55. Kxf4 Rc7 (55... a2 56. Ra1 Kb3 57. c6 Kb2 58. Rxa2+ Kxa2 59. Ke5 Kb3
60. Kd6 Rh7 61. c7 Rh6+) 56. Re4+ Kb3 57. Re3+ Kb2 58. Re2+ Kb1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Nations Cup Online Prelim"]
[Site "Chess.com INT"]
[Date "2020.05.05"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Ju, Wenjun"]
[Black "Dzagnidze, Nana"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2524"]
[Annotator "Edouard,R"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2020.05.05"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 196"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.06.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.06.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "China"]
[BlackTeam "Europe"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"]

{[%evp 0,77,14,19,39,7,0,-31,-37,-16,-11,3,8,21,11,-1,-2,-17,2,3,8,-3,12,1,-3,
-23,-3,24,33,19,20,-22,11,-6,22,-18,-21,34,115,50,62,53,59,66,137,108,134,123,
124,124,159,168,168,214,321,345,381,381,401,405,404,353,361,337,391,387,387,
398,399,415,437,400,469,468,870,679,1268,1190,29987,29988]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6
3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10.
Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 (12. Qd1 c5 {is the other critical line. Obviously,
by playing 12.Qc1, White tries to prevent ...c5.}) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14.
Rd1 $5 (14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. e3 a5 $11) (14. Nbd2 $5 {has been
critical recently. However after} Bc6 $5 (14... Bxf3 15. Nxf3 a5 {is also
quite solid}) 15. Qc3 a5 16. Rfd1 Nd7 17. Nc4 Bd5 $1 18. Nxa5 c5 $1 {Black had
fine compensation in the game: Giri,A (2764)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2778) chess24.
com 2020, ½-½ (47).}) 14... Nc6 {A risky bet. After that, Black never had
time to play ...a5 in the game.} (14... a5 {is much more solid. White may
continue 15.Nbd2 or 15.Nc3, more or less forcing ...Bxf3. He's going to enjoy
a symbolic plus thanks to his space advantage, but Black remains very solid.})
15. Nbd2 (15. Nc3 $5) 15... Bh7 16. Nb3 {Later in the game, we will see that
this move turned out quite expensive for Black!} Nb4 $6 (16... Qe7 $142) 17.
Ne1 $6 (17. Qc4 $5 Nd5 (17... Qe7 18. Rdc1 c6 19. a5 Nd5 20. Nc5 $14) (17... a5
$6 18. Nxa5 $1 $16) 18. Ne5 $14) 17... c6 $6 (17... Rb8 $1 18. a5 b6 $132) 18.
a5 $1 {Black can't allow something like that!} Qe7 $6 {Not helping Black's
case.} 19. f4 $2 ({After} 19. e4 $1 {the b4-knight is in big trouble:} e5 20.
Ra4 $1 (20. Nc5 $5) 20... c5 (20... exd4 21. Nc5 $18) 21. Qxc5 Nc6 22. Qxe7
Bxe7 23. d5 $18) 19... g5 $2 20. e4 {Now it's time! The f6-bishop even
prevents Black from playing ...f5, in order to save the b4-knight (by freeing
the d5-square).} gxf4 21. gxf4 Rad8 $2 ({A better defence was} 21... Rfd8 22.
Qc3 b6 $1 23. axb6 Rab8 {and Black is still in the game.}) 22. Qc3 Kh8 23. Nc5
{And the b4-knight is lost!} Rg8 24. Kh1 ({Simplest, avoiding} 24. Qxb4 Bxe4 {
although it is not like Black would have serious compensation.}) 24... Nd5 25.
exd5 exd5 26. Nf3 Rxg2 27. Kxg2 Qe2+ 28. Kh1 Be4 29. Nxe4 dxe4 30. Ng1 Qf2 31.
Rf1 Qh4 32. Rad1 Qh5 33. Qe3 Re8 34. Ne2 Qxa5 35. Nc3 Qb4 36. Nxe4 c5 37. f5
Bg7 38. f6 Bf8 39. Rg1 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2015.09.25"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2814"]
[Annotator "Eljanov,P"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2015.09.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 $5 {A pretty rare move
nowadays although very logical in my view: White puts pressure along the
c-file and interferes with the typical play c7-c5.} ({My opponent had been
playing this line with success with White:} 12. Qd1 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd8 (
{also in Baku Giri beat Leko in nice technical manner} 14. Nbd2 Bc6 15. Ne5
Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Be7 17. Rc1 Nbd7 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Nf3 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 $14 {
1-0 (46) Giri,A (2793)-Leko,P. This one reminded me of the other game which
was played in 1980 in Amsterdam (before Anish was born), Ribli-Karpov. I was
not yet born in 1980 either but thanks to chess books I found out this
exemplary game won by the Hungarian grandmaster.}) 14... Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16.
Nb3 Be7 17. Na5 h6 18. Be3 Nd5 19. Bd2 Nb6 20. Bf4 Nd5 21. Ne5 g5 $6 (21...
Nxf4 22. gxf4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Nd7 $11) 22. Bd2 Bf6 23. Nd3 $14 {1-0 (43)
Nakamura,H (2814)-Anand,V (2816) Saint Louis 2015}) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14.
Rd1 a5 15. Nbd2 Bh7 $146 {A very logical novelty - Black simply does not want
to give up his bishop.} ({Probably more principled is} 15... Bxf3 {because now
we get a very typical structure for this line. In the last round of the super
tournament in Biel this year I played an identical structure with Adams. I
lost but because of rook blunders not an opening outcome (I was clearly better
all along).} 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Nc4 Nd7 18. Qd2 Be7 19. h4 Bb4 20. Qc2 Nb6 21. Ne5
Bd6 22. Nd3 Nd5 23. e4 Nb4 24. Qe2 Qe7 (24... Nxd3 25. Rxd3 Qe7 $11) 25. e5 Bc7
26. Nf4 Rad8 27. Qe4 Bb6 28. Nh5 Nd5 29. Ra3 f6 30. Rb3 fxe5 31. dxe5 Qf7 32.
Qg4 Kh8 $2 (32... Nb4 $13) 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34. Rxb6 Rxe5 35. Nf4 $18 {1-0 (50)
Sasikiran,K (2682)-Svetushkin,D (2592) Moscow 2015}) 16. Nb3 c6 17. Qc3 {
I have to put pressure on the a5-pawn. Otherwise the black knight will be
transferred to b4 and secure Black from any trouble.} Be7 18. Nc5 Qc7 19. Ne5
Na6 20. Nxb7 $1 {The only way to fight for an advantage.} Qxb7 21. Bxc6 Qc7 $2
{This looks like the only serious mistake by Black in this game. After a long
think Hikaru didn't find the correct way.} (21... Qa7 22. Bxa8 Bb4 $1 {an
important intermediate move. I believed that White still has a way to the edge
but analysis shows that Black is able to establish an exact defensive plan.}
23. Qf3 Qxa8 (23... Rxa8 $4 24. Nc6) 24. Qxa8 Rxa8 25. Rac1 Be4 $1 {It is very
important to transfer the bishop to the defence of the queenside} 26. Nc6 (26.
f3 Bd5 27. Nc4 Rd8 28. Kf2 f5 $132) 26... Bd5 27. Nxb4 Nxb4 28. Rc3 Bc6 29. Rc5
Kf8 30. Rdc1 Ra6 $132 {and now it's unlikely that White can break through such
a strong defence.}) 22. Bxa8 Qxc3 23. bxc3 Rxa8 24. Nc6 $1 Bd8 25. Nxd8 Rxd8
26. f3 $1 {Now apart from the fact that White has a more flexible pawn
structure the black bishop has lost all prospects. White does not have access
to the b-file but this factor is not so important and in the game I slowly
managed to regroup and grab the file.} Rc8 27. Ra3 Bg6 ({Difficult to advise
something concrete. It is logical to bring the king:} 27... Kf8 28. Kf2 Ke7 {
but I'm not forced to hurry and am able to strengthen the position on the
kingside first} 29. g4 $1 (29. Rd2 Rb8 30. Raa2 Rb3 31. Rab2 Rxc3 32. Rb5 Bc2
33. Rxa5 Nc7) 29... Nc7 30. e4 Rb8 31. h4 {and White has a big advantage.}) 28.
Kf2 Rb8 29. Rd2 f6 30. Raa2 $1 {Now when Black's king is far from the centre -
I have time to penetrate with success.} Rb3 31. Rab2 Rxc3 32. Rb5 Bc2 33. Rxa5
Nc7 34. Ra7 f5 (34... Kf8 35. a5 Ba4 (35... Ke8 36. Rb7 Kd8 37. d5 exd5 38. a6
Nxa6 39. Rxd5+ Kc8 40. Rxg7 $18) 36. Rb7 Bb5 37. e4 Ba6 38. Rb6 $18) 35. a5 Kh7
36. Rb7 Rc4 37. Rb6 Ba4 38. a6 Bc6 39. a7 Bd5 40. Ra2 Rxd4 41. Rc2 Na8 42. Ra6
{Black managed to get a foothold on the last line of defence. But as a rule
such positions are indefensible and I was able to prove it in practice.} Rd1
43. h4 $1 {Typical play on the principle of two weaknesses. Black should
prevent 44.h5 but at the same time also other ways are bad.} h5 (43... Kg6 44.
Rc8 Bb7 (44... Kf6 45. Rd8 Ke7 46. Rad6 Nb6 47. a8=Q Nxa8 48. R6d7+ Kf6 49.
Rxa8 $18) 45. Rxe6+ Kf7 46. Rce8 $18) (43... g5 44. h5 Kg7 45. Rb2 $18) 44. Ke3
Rg1 45. Kf4 Rg2 46. Rd6 Rg1 47. Rc8 Ra1 48. Kg5 ({Another way was also fine:} 
48. Rxd5 exd5 (48... Nb6 49. a8=Q $18) 49. Rxa8 Kg6 50. Ke5 Ra5 51. e3 Kh7 52.
Kd6 Kg6 53. Kc6 Ra1 54. Kxd5 $18) 48... Rxa7 49. Rdd8 g6 50. Rh8+ ({Of course
it would be nicer to finish the game with mate in 4 but I honestly did not
even consider alternatives to 50.Rh8.} 50. Kf6 $1 Kh6 51. Rh8+ Rh7 52. Rcg8
Rxh8 53. Rxh8# {the game continuation promises about +5 computer units. Which
is also good.}) 50... Kg7 51. Rcg8+ Kf7 52. Rxg6 Ra6 53. Rh7+ Kf8 54. Kxh5 Nb6
55. Kg5 Nc4 56. h5 Nd6 57. Rf6+ Kg8 58. Rd7 1-0

[Event "SWE-chT"]
[Site "Sweden"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bator, Robert"]
[Black "Schussler, Harry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2465"]
[Annotator "Engqvist"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 056"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 (6... Nbd7 {
- E07-E09}) 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 $10) 8... Bd7 9. Rd1 (9.
Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {is the main line.}) 9... Bc6 10. Nc3 {><c4} Bxf3 (10... Bb4 {
/\Bc3}) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 (13. a5 Qb8 14. Qa4 c5 15. Qxc4 cxd4
16. Rxd4 c5 17. Rd1 Qb4 18. Ra4 {1/2 Razuvaev-Geller, Moskva 1982}) 13... a5 $5
$146 (13... c5 14. dxc5 (14. d5 $5 {Barkhagen} Nxd5 (14... exd5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6
$10) 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Rxd5 Rab8 $10) 14... Qb8 15. Ne4 Qb3 16.
Qxb3 cxb3 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Rd4 Rfb8 20. Kf1 e5 21. Rg4+ Kf8 22.
Ke1 Rd8 23. Rc1 Rab8 24. Rc3 Rd5 25. f3 Ke7 26. Rgc4 {1/2 Razuvaev-Kotronias,
Moskva 1989}) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 (14... gxf6 15. e4 {/\d5 Schussler}) 15. Ne4 Rb8 (
15... Be7 16. Qxc4) 16. Ra3 $1 Be7 17. Rc3 Rb4 18. Rxc4 Rxc4 19. Qxc4 Qd5 20.
Qc2 Rb8 21. e3 h5 (21... h6 $5 {Schussler}) 22. h4 Bd6 23. Rc1 e5 24. dxe5 Qxe5
25. b3 g6 26. Nxd6 cxd6 $2 (26... Qxd6 {Schussler} 27. Qxc6 Qxc6 28. Rxc6 Rxb3
29. Rc5 Ra3 30. Rxa5 c5 $14) 27. Qxc6 Rxb3 28. Rd1 Qc5 29. Qxd6 Qxd6 30. Rxd6
Ra3 (30... Rb4 31. Rd4) 31. Rd4 Ra2 32. Kg2 f6 33. Kf3 Kf7 34. e4 Ke6 35. Ke3
Ra3+ 36. Kf4 Ra2 37. f3 Ra3 38. g4 hxg4 39. Kxg4 (39. fxg4 $5) 39... Ra1 40.
Rc4 Rg1+ 41. Kf4 Rh1 42. Kg3 Rg1+ 43. Kf2 Rh1 (43... Ra1) 44. Rc5 Rxh4 45. Rxa5
Rh1 46. Rb5 Ra1 47. a5 f5 $5 48. Ke3 Ra4 49. Rb6+ Kf7 50. a6 fxe4 51. fxe4 g5
52. Kf3 Ke7 53. Rh6 Kf7 54. Rc6 Ke7 55. Rb6 Kf7 56. Rb7+ Ke6 $2 $138 (56... Kf6
57. Ra7 $140 Ra3+ 58. Kg4 Ra4) 57. Ra7 Kf6 (57... Ra3+ 58. Kg4 Ra4 59. Kxg5
Rxe4 60. Ra8 Ra4 61. a7 Kf7 62. Rh8 $18) 58. Ra8 g4+ 59. Ke3 Kg7 60. a7 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 81st"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2019.01.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2019.01.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 188"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.12.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.12.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {The 'Kramnik line'.} Be4 (10... Ra7 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3
Nc6 (12... Bd5 13. Qe3 Nbd7 14. Ba5 Bd6 15. Nc3 Bb7 16. Ng5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qa8+
18. Qf3 Qxf3+ 19. Kxf3 $36 {Hammer,J-Ivanchuk,V Plovdiv 2010}) 13. e3 Qa8 14.
Qd1 b4 15. Be1 (15. Qf1 $5 {attracted some attention a while back, as a result
of some games from Giri and others.}) 15... Bd5 16. Nbd2 Nb8 17. Nh4 Bxg2 18.
Nxg2 Nbd7 19. Qf3 Qxf3 20. Nxf3 c5 21. Nf4 $14 {Damljanovic,B-Efimenko,Z
Zlatibor 2007}) (10... Nbd7 11. Ba5 Rc8 12. Nbd2 $14) 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Rd1 Qc8
13. Ba5 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 ({The high-level precedent is a game between another
Chinese player and another early post-Soviet grandmaster.} 14... Qxc5 15. Qxc5
Bxc5 16. Nbd2 Rc8 17. Rac1 Nbd7 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Kxg2 $14 {
Wang,Y-Ponomariov,R Medias 2010}) 15. Nbd2 Nbd7 16. Nb3 Ba7 17. Qf4 Nb6 (17...
Bd5 {followed by ...Qb7 might have given White a little bit less to nibble on.}
) 18. Bxb6 Bxb6 19. Rac1 Qe8 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rd8 22. Rxd8 Qxd8 23. Qf3
Qd6 24. Nd3 {It is hard to dispute that White has something, based on the
c-file, but actually improving his play to prosecute that advantage is another
matter.} Nd5 25. Nbc5 a5 26. Ne4 Qb8 27. h4 h6 28. b3 b4 29. Rc4 Rd8 30. g4 Ne7
31. g5 Ng6 32. Qg3 Qxg3+ 33. fxg3 Ne7 34. g4 hxg5 35. Nxg5 Nd5 36. Kf3 Be3 37.
Ne4 g6 38. Nf6+ Nxf6 39. Kxe3 Nd5+ 40. Kf3 Kg7 41. g5 Rh8 42. e3 Nb6 43. Rd4
Nd5 44. Ne5 f6 45. Nc4 fxg5 46. hxg5 Rf8+ 47. Kg4 Rf2 {Now this is dead level.
Black has played precisely, and proven once more the truism that +/= just
means there is a different level of demand on the two players in order to make
a draw.} 48. e4 Nc3 49. Rd7+ Rf7 50. Rxf7+ Kxf7 51. Nxa5 Nxa2 52. Kf4 Nc1 53.
Ke3 e5 54. Kd2 Na2 55. Kd3 Ke6 56. Nb7 Nc3 57. Nd8+ Kd6 58. Nf7+ Ke6 59. Nd8+
Kd6 60. Nf7+ Ke6 61. Nh8 Nd1 62. Ke2 Nc3+ 63. Kd3 Nd1 64. Nxg6 Nf2+ 65. Ke3 Nh3
66. Nf8+ Ke7 67. Nh7 Kf7 68. Kf3 Kg6 69. Nf8+ Kf7 70. Nd7 Nxg5+ 71. Ke3 Ke6 72.
Nb6 Kd6 73. Nc4+ Ke6 74. Nb2 Kd6 75. Nc4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (
8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 {is the absolute main line, and now nobody quite
understands what White should be doing with his dark-squared bishop!}) 8... Bd7
9. Qxc4 (9. Ne5 {has always seemed to me to be a cleaner move.} Nc6 $1 (9...
Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 Na5 12. Nd2 {and White regains the pawn while keeping
the bishop pair. It is important to note the wrinkle} c5 13. dxc5 Rc8 14. b4 $1
cxb3 15. Nxb3 Nxb3 16. Qxb3 Rxc5 (16... Nd7 17. c6 bxc6 18. Rd1 $44) 17. Qxb7
a5 18. Bb2 $14) 10. Qxc4 Nd5 $1 (10... Nxe5 11. dxe5 Nd5 12. Nc3 $14) 11. Nxd7
Na5 $1 12. Qd3 Nb4 13. Qc3 Qxd7 14. Nd2 Rfd8 $11 {Black has enough
compensation for the bishop pair, when we consider the short-term factors.})
9... Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bg5 (11. Qc1 $5 {is the main move, fighting for the
dark squares and at the same time avoiding various tempo-gainers that Black
had. Nevertheless, by following a strategy remarkably like the one in the
present encounter, Black managed to squeeze his opponent to death in another
top game:} Nbd7 12. Nc3 Qe7 13. Re1 (13. a5 $5) 13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Bxf4 15.
Qxf4 c6 16. a5 e5 $1 $11 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bg2 Rad8 19. b4 (19. Red1 $11) 19...
Rd7 20. Bh3 Rd6 $36 {Inarkiev,E-Leko,P Riadh 2017}) 11... Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13.
Bc1 {Even the official commentary stream was powerless to explain this move,
which seems to rely on considerations that are so long-term as to be
practically non-existent.} (13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Rfd1 {really does seem like a
better try for an advantage, even if it too should not work.} Qe7 15. Nd2 (15.
Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 $11 {Kuzubov,Y-Bologan,V Plovdiv 2012}) 15... Bxg2 16.
Kxg2 Bb4 $1 $11) 13... a5 14. b3 Qe7 15. Bb2 Rfd8 16. Rac1 $6 {On one level
there is nothing so wrong with this, and on another it signs away most of
White's winning chances. As Mamedyarov commented in his press conference, ...
Bxf3 is often a terrible idea when White has both bishops, but after one pair
has been traded off, Black can worry less and can perhaps even think about
winning the battle of the minor pieces.} (16. e3 {was a little more ambitious
- it is still not completely clear to me how Black intends to deploy his
pieces. White's queen can retreat to e2 and he can consider playing for e4, or
even Bh3 and Nd2-c4.} Nd5 {can for instance be met.} 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qc2 f5
19. Nd2 $32) 16... Ba3 $1 17. Bxa3 Qxa3 18. Nb5 Qe7 $1 19. Qc2 (19. Nxc7 $4 Nb6
$19 {is a rather useful detail}) 19... Bxf3 20. Bxf3 c6 21. Nc3 Nb6 22. e3 e5 {
After this move, neither side can really dodge the draw.} (22... Nbd5 $11 {
was slightly more ambitious- certainly having equalised with Black I might
well be tempted to play for a bit more, especially since '0.00' is likely an
overestimation of the bishop.}) 23. dxe5 Qxe5 24. Rfd1 g6 25. Rd2 Rd7 26. Rxd7
Nbxd7 27. Rd1 h5 28. Rd4 Nc5 29. h4 Kg7 30. Kg2 Ne6 31. Rd1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 80th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2018.01.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Jones, Gawain C B"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2018.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 183"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:01:20]} 2. g3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:
00:06]} 3. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Be7
{[%emt 0:00:35]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:08]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:04]} 6. d4 {[%emt 0:
00:08]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 7. Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:16] Gawain Jones departs from
his usual 1.e4 fare and plays a topical Catalan.} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 8. Nxc6
{[%emt 0:00:09]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 9. Na3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bxa3 {[%emt 0:
00:15]} 10. bxa3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ba6 {[%emt 0:00:08] Right now this is
fashionable.} (10... Nd5 11. Qa4 Nb6 12. Qa5 (12. Qxc6 Rb8 {is another
significant line, and I think Black is more or less fine here.}) 12... Bb7 13.
Rd1 Qc8 14. Rb1 Rd8 15. e4 Ba6 $1 $132 {Howell,D-Speelman,J England 2017,
Black maintained equality here. It is a fair bet that White knew about this
game and maybe even that Black anticipated he would...}) 11. a4 {[%emt 0:00:29]
} Qc8 $6 $146 {[%emt 0:14:57] This novelty commits to an exchange sacrifice,
which may not end up working out well.} (11... Qd6 {was a sensible move in a
predecessor game, which Black may have known about.} 12. Qd2 (12. e4 Qb4 13.
Qc2 Rab8 $132) 12... Rfb8 13. Qa5 Rb6 14. Re1 Bb7 (14... Qxd4 $5 {is also
playable}) 15. Qc3 Qb4 16. Qxb4 Rxb4 17. Bd2 Rb2 18. Bc3 Rc2 19. Rec1 Rxc1+ 20.
Rxc1 Nd5 $11 {Wang,Y-Zhou,J Xinghua Jiangsu 2011}) 12. Ba3 {[%emt 0:02:41]} Rd8
{[%emt 0:00:52]} 13. Be7 {[%emt 0:06:08]} Rd5 $5 {[%emt 0:04:10]} (13... Rd6 $5
$14 {could be the best way to give up the exchange, which in fact White is not
encouraged to take.}) 14. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:15:40]} gxf6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 15. Bxd5
{[%emt 0:00:05]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 16. e4 $1 {[%emt 0:04:30]} dxe4 {
[%emt 0:10:18]} 17. Qg4+ {[%emt 0:00:27] Now White has a material advantage,
and whatever parallel one wants to draw with the ...b5 QGA exchange sacrifice
line or whatever, he stands better.} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 18. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:
50]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} (18... Qb7 $5 19. Qxh7 Qd5 $14 {offers slightly more
interesting compensation}) 19. Qxh7 {[%emt 0:02:40]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 20.
Qh6+ {[%emt 0:11:22]} (20. Qh4 $1 Ke7 21. Rab1 Qd5 22. f3 $16 {was concretely
the way to do it. White need not shrink from Qe4 in what follows.}) 20... Ke7 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} 21. Qe3 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Qxa4 {[%emt 0:02:24]} 22. Rab1 {
[%emt 0:09:14]} Bd5 $14 {[%emt 0:00:11] Black seems to have broadly speaking
got things back on track. The practical problems caused by the long diagonal
are augmented by the fact that Black has a pawn for the exchange now.} 23. Rb2
{[%emt 0:03:49]} Rh8 {[%emt 0:01:36]} 24. Qc3 {[%emt 0:01:52]} a5 {[%emt 0:02:
14]} 25. f3 {[%emt 0:03:05]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:05:42]} 26. Rc1 {[%emt 0:06:48]} Ra8
$6 {[%emt 0:06:37] A slightly strange move, unless it occurs to you that Black
might have been concerned about the odd-looking idea of Rb3-a3.} (26... f5 {
was more natural. Now} 27. Rb3 $6 {is nothing in particular after} Qxa2 $1 {
due to the threat to h2.} 28. Rb2 Qa4 $15) 27. Qe3 {[%emt 0:03:57]} Rg8 {
[%emt 0:01:01]} 28. Kg2 {[%emt 0:02:52]} f5 {[%emt 0:12:07]} 29. Kf2 {[%emt 0:
05:54]} Rh8 {[%emt 0:10:49]} 30. Ke1 {[%emt 0:01:12]} Qc6 {[%emt 0:12:19]} 31.
Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Qa8 {[%emt 0:02:12]} 32. Qe2 {[%emt 0:08:22]} Qa7 {
[%emt 0:10:15]} 33. Qd1 {[%emt 0:03:13]} e5 {[%emt 0:11:36]} (33... f4 $5 $44 {
kept the tension going longer, and thus might have stood better chances
against a White player who, it seems, might have been making some slightly
sub-optimal calls.}) 34. Qa4+ {[%emt 0:00:57]} Kc8 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 35. Rxc4 {
[%emt 0:00:51] White does not miss his chance to clarify the position at the
cost of reinstating material parity.} Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 36. Qxc4 {[%emt 0:
00:06]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. Kf1 {[%emt 0:12:08]} (37. Qb5 $5 Rxd4 38. Qxe5
$14) 37... Qxd4 {[%emt 0:03:42]} 38. Qa6+ {[%emt 0:01:04]} (38. Qxd4 $5 Rxd4
39. h4 $44) 38... Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 39. Qb5+ {[%emt 0:01:06]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:
00:53] Black now plays for a win!} 40. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:01:33]
} 41. Qe2 {[%emt 0:08:26]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:10:06]} 42. Rc2 {[%emt 0:02:55]} Qb4 {
[%emt 0:02:24]} (42... c5 $17 {was completely natural and probably winning,
and would have been a good culmination to the strategy begun with ...Rd5.}) 43.
Qe3 {[%emt 0:07:56]} c5 {[%emt 0:14:58]} 44. Qh6+ {[%emt 0:15:10]} Ke7 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} 45. Re2 {[%emt 0:01:52] Now White is in some sense 'in', and
there is compensation again.} Qb5 {[%emt 0:04:17]} 46. Rf2 {[%emt 0:03:20]} Qb8
{[%emt 0:04:58]} 47. Qg5+ {[%emt 0:02:24]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 48. g4 $1 {
[%emt 0:00:41]} f4 {[%emt 0:05:59]} 49. Qf5+ {[%emt 0:01:28]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} 50. Re2 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:02:58]} 51. Qf6 {[%emt 0:01:12]} Qd6
{[%emt 0:01:49] Black has to give this back to alleviate some of the pressure.
But after this, there are close to no winning chances- for either side.} 52.
Qxd6+ {[%emt 0:00:24]} Rxd6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 53. Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rd2+ {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 54. Kh3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Rxa2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 55. Rxc5 {
[%emt 0:01:09]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 56. Kh4 {[%emt 0:01:45]} Rxf3 {[%emt 0:01:
40]} 57. Rxa5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Rf2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 58. h3 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Rf3
{[%emt 0:00:06]} 59. Rh5 {[%emt 0:04:00]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 60. Rf5 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 61. Rf6 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:01:
17]} 62. g5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 63. Ra6 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Kg7
{[%emt 0:00:21]} 64. Rf6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 65. Rh6 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} Rg3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Odorheiu Secuiesc"]
[Site "Odorheiu Secuiesc"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Horvath, Jozsef"]
[Black "Wells, Peter K"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2485"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1993.05.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 036"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Be5 (14. Be3
c6 $5 15. Ne5 Qb6 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qd2 b4 18. Bg5 Rc7 19. Rac1 Rfc8 20. Rxc7
Rxc7 21. Rc1 a5 $10 {Andersson,U-Beliavsky,A/Reggio Emilia/1989/1-0 (62)}) (14.
Nxd5 Bxd5 (14... Nxd5 15. Bg5 c5 16. dxc5 Qe8 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne5 Rxc5 19.
Qd2 Qc7 20. Nd3 Rc2 21. Qe1 Nf6 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Rac1 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 $14 {
Ribli,Z-Gligoric,S/Novi Sad/1982/1-0 (49)}) 15. Be3 Ng4 (15... c6 16. Ne1 Ng4
17. Bf3 $1 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Bf6 19. Qa3 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qb6 21. Rac1 $6 Rfd8 22. b4
g6 $6 23. e3 Qb7 24. Nd2 {Atalik,S-Vaganian,R/Manila ol/1992/0.5 (41)}) (15...
Bd6 16. Ne1 Qe7 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Qc6 Ng4 19. Ng2 Qe6 20. Rac1 Rfe8 21. Bf4 Qf5
22. f3 Rxe2 23. Nh4 Qe6 24. fxg4 $16 {Verat-Wells/Paris-ch (8)/1993/1-0 (30)})
16. Ne1 c5 17. dxc5 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Bxc5 19. Qf4 g5 20. Qg4 Qf6 21. Nd3 Bxg2 22.
Kxg2 Rfd8 23. Rac1 Bb6 24. Rxc8 $10 {Andersson,U-Tal,M/Brussels SWIFT/1988/0.5
(36)}) (14. Ne5 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. dxc5 Qc7 18. Nd3 Qb7+ 19.
Kg1 Nd5 20. Be3 Nxe3 {0,5/Lieb,H-Simon,A/Berlin-ch/1987/}) 14... c5 15. dxc5
Bxc5 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Ne4 Qe7 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 19. Qd2 Nf6 (19... Rfc8 20. Ne1 h6
21. Rac1 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 Nf6 24. Nd3 $14 {Andersson,U-Georgiev,Kir/
Sarajevo (15)/1985/1-0 (45)}) 20. Qd6 (20. Rac1 h6 21. Rxc5 Qxc5 22. Rc1 Qb6
23. Ne5 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 $10 {Andersson,U-Beliavsky,A/Debrecen EU-chT (2) SWE-UKR/
1992/0.5 (32)}) 20... Qxd6 21. Rxd6 Rfc8 (21... Rc2 $2 22. Nd4 Rc7 23. Bxb7
Rxb7 24. Rxa6 $16) 22. Ne1 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 a5 (23... R5c6 24. Rad1 Kf8 25. Rxc6
Rxc6 26. Rd8+ Ke7 27. Ra8 $14) 24. Ra6 a4 25. b3 axb3 26. axb3 g5 27. Nd3 Rc2 (
27... Rc3 28. b4 $14) 28. Ra8 Rxa8 29. Rxa8+ Kg7 30. Kf1 Ne4 31. b4 (31. Rb8
Nd2+ 32. Ke1 Nxb3 33. Rxb5 Nd4 $10 (33... Rxe2+ $2 34. Kf1 Nd4 35. Rxg5+ Kf6
36. Rg4 $18)) 31... Nd2+ 32. Ke1 Nb3 33. Ra7 Kf6 (33... Nc1 $2 34. Kd1 Ra2 35.
Rxa2 Nxa2 36. Kc2 e5 37. Kb3 e4 38. Kxa2 exd3 39. exd3 $18) (33... Nd4 34. Kd1
$1 (34. Rd7 Nxe2 35. Ne5 Kf6 36. Nxf7 Nc3 37. Nd6 $13) 34... Rc3 35. Ne5 $16)
34. Rd7 Ra2 35. f3 h5 36. Kf2 g4 37. f4 Rd2 38. Rb7 (38. Rb7 Nd4 39. Ke3 Nb3
40. Ne5 $18) 1-0

[Event "Altensteig"]
[Site "Altensteig"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Stangl, Markus"]
[Black "Luther, Thomas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2435"]
[BlackElo "2385"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1990.07.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1991.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1991.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Nc3 Nb4 12. Qc1 c5 (12... Rc8 13. a3 Nbd5 (13...
c5 $6 14. dxc5 Nbd5 15. b4 Bxc5 16. bxc5 Rxc5 17. Nxd5 $1 Rxc1 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6
19. Raxc1 $18) 14. b4 a5 15. Nxb5 axb4 16. axb4 Bxb4 17. Be5 c6 $10 {
Chiburdanidze,M-Geller,E/Sochi/1989/ ->CBM 14}) 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. a3 Nbd5 15.
Nxd5 Qxd5 16. Rd1 (16. Ne1 $5 Ne4 17. Nd3 $13) 16... Qh5 17. Bd6 $1 Rac8 (17...
Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Ng4 19. h3 $14) 18. Bxc5 (18. Bxf8 Bxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Rxc1 20. Raxc1
Kxf8 21. Rd8+ Ke7 22. Rb8 Bd5 $15) 18... Rxc5 19. Qf4 Rfc8 20. h3 Rc4 $6 (20...
h6 21. g4 Qg6 22. Nh4 $18) (20... Nd5 $5) 21. Qd6 h6 22. g4 Nxg4 (22... Qg6 23.
Nh4 Qg5 24. Bxb7 Qxh4 25. Bxc8 Qxh3 26. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 27. Rd3 Rxg4+ 28. Rg3 $16)
(22... Qc5 23. Ne5 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 R4c7 25. Bxb7 Rxb7 26. Rxa6 $16) 23. hxg4 Rxg4
24. Rd4 Be4 (24... Bxf3 25. exf3 Rg6 26. Rg4) 25. Ne1 Qg5 (25... Bxg2 26. Nxg2
Rg6 27. f3 Qh3 28. Rg4 $14) 26. f3 Bxf3 27. Nxf3 (27. exf3 $2 Qe3+ $19) 27...
Rxg2+ 28. Kf1 Qg6 29. Rad1 Rg3 (29... Rc2 30. Qb8+ Kh7 31. Rd8 $18) 30. Qe5 Rc2
31. R4d2 (31. Rd8+ Kh7 32. Qb8 $2 Rxf3+ $19) 31... Rc4 32. Rd8+ Kh7 33. Qb8
Rxf3+ 34. exf3 Qf5 35. Rh8+ Kg6 36. Qg3+ Kf6 37. Rhd8 Rf4 38. Kf2 g5 39. R8d4
Qc2+ 40. Kf1 h5 41. Rxf4+ gxf4 42. Qxf4+ {Ftacnik,L} 1-0

[Event "Candidates (Women)"]
[Site "Shanghai"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Levitina, Irina S"]
[Black "Gaprindashvili, Nona"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2415"]
[BlackElo "2435"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "1992.10.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 033"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 Bxa3 8.
bxa3 Nc6 (8... Nd5 9. Qc2 Nb6 10. Ng5 f5 11. e4 Nc6 12. d5 Nd4 13. Qd2 c5 14.
dxc6 Nxc6 15. exf5 exf5 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Qxd8 Rxd8 18. Be3 Nd5 19. Bd4 Nf4 20.
Rfe1 Nd5 21. Rac1 h6 22. Ne6 Bxe6 23. Rxe6 c5 24. Be5 $15 {Michalet,G-Korneev,
O/Paris-ch (2)/1991/}) 9. Bb2 Nd5 (9... Bd7 10. Qc2 b5 11. Rad1 Nd5 12. e4 Nb6
13. Rfe1 f6 14. d5 exd5 15. exd5 Ne7 16. Nd4 Nexd5 17. a4 Nb4 18. Qc3 Nd3 19.
axb5 Nxe1 20. Nc6 Bxc6 21. Rxd8 Raxd8 22. Bxc6 Rd1 23. a4 Kh8 24. Qa5 $13 {
Arbakov,V-Timoschenko,G/Warszawa LEG op (08)/1992/}) (9... Rb8 10. a4 (10. Qc2
b5 11. Rad1 Ne7 12. e4 Bb7 13. Rfe1 Ng6 (13... Bxe4 14. Rxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nd5
16. h4 h6 17. Ne5 Qd6 18. Re1 Rbd8 19. Qg4 f5 20. Qe2 Rf6 21. h5 c5 22. Bxd5
cxd4 23. Nc6 Re8 24. Bxd4 $18 {Benjamin,J-Browne,W/Long Beach ch-US (4)/1989/})
14. h4 Re8 15. Nh2 Qe7 16. Qe2 e5 17. h5 Nf8 18. dxe5 N6d7 19. Ng4 h6 20. f4
Nc5 21. Nf6+ Kh8 22. Nxe8 Rxe8 23. Kh2 Nd3 24. Rxd3 $13 {Korchnoi,V-Rodriguez,
O/Barcelona/1992/}) 10... a6 11. Qc2 b5 12. axb5 axb5 13. a4 Nb4 14. Qc1 bxa4
15. Rxa4 Bd7 16. Ra7 Bb5 17. Ne5 Nfd5 18. Ba3 c3 19. Re1 f6 20. Bxb4 Nxb4 21.
Qxc3 fxe5 22. Qxb4 Bc6 23. Qc4 Bxg2 24. Qxe6+ $17 {Bee,M-Winkeler,U/NWL-I 9192/
1992/}) 10. Rc1 Nb6 11. e3 Qd6 12. Qc2 (12. Nd2 e5 $13) 12... Bd7 13. Nd2 (13.
Ng5 f5 14. Rfd1 $13) 13... e5 14. Nxc4 Nxc4 15. Qxc4 exd4 16. exd4 Rac8 17. d5
Ne5 18. Qd4 f6 19. f4 Nf7 (19... Ng4 20. h3 Nh6 21. Qxa7 b6 $14) 20. Qxa7 Rfe8
21. Qf2 (21. Qxb7 $2 Rb8 22. Qxc7 Rxb2 $19) 21... Re7 22. Rfe1 Rce8 23. Rxe7
Rxe7 24. h3 (24. Re1 Rxe1+ 25. Qxe1 Qb6+ 26. Qf2 Qxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Nd6 $14) 24...
Bf5 25. Re1 Rxe1+ 26. Qxe1 Qb6+ 27. Kh2 $1 Nd6 (27... Qxb2 $4 28. Qe8#) 28. Qe2
Qc5 29. a4 b6 30. a3 Qc2 31. Qxc2 Bxc2 32. a5 bxa5 33. Bc3 a4 (33... Nc4 34. d6
(34. Bf1 Ne3 35. Bb5 a4) 34... Nxd6 35. Bxa5 c5 $13) 34. Ba5 Ne8 35. Kg1 Kf7
36. Kf2 Ke7 37. Ke3 Kd7 38. h4 Nd6 39. Bh3+ f5 40. Bf1 Bb3 41. Kd4 c6 42. dxc6+
Kxc6 43. Bb4 Ne4 44. g4 $1 Bc2 (44... Ng3 45. Bg2+) 45. g5 g6 46. Be2 Bb3 47.
h5 Kd7 (47... gxh5 48. Bxh5 Bg8 49. Be8+ Kc7 50. Ke5 $18) 48. Ke5 Ke8 49. h6
Kf7 50. Bb5 Nf2 51. Kd6 Ne4+ 52. Kc6 Ke6 53. Kb6 Nf2 54. Be8 Nd3 55. Bd2 Ke7
56. Bxg6 (56. Bxg6 hxg6 57. h7 $18) 1-0

[Event "Balkaniad"]
[Site "Kavala"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Skalkotas, Nikolaos"]
[Black "Cvetkovic, Srdjan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2325"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1990.10.??"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 021"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1991.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1991.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 (10. Qxc4 b5 $132) 10... Bb4 11. Bg5 Bxc3 (11... Nbd7
12. d5 $5 exd5 13. Nxd5 $16) 12. Bxf6 (12. bxc3 Nbd7 $22 13. e4 Bxe4) 12...
Qxf6 13. bxc3 Nd7 (13... Qg6 14. Qa2 $14) 14. Qa2 $5 (14. e4 b5 $13) 14... Nb6
(14... b5 15. Ne5 $1 Bxg2 16. Nxd7 $16) 15. a5 Nd5 16. Rdc1 (16. Qxc4 $2 Bb5
17. Qc5 Bxe2 $19) 16... Bb5 17. e4 Ne7 18. e5 Qh6 19. Nd2 c5 (19... Bc6 20.
Qxc4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 c6 22. Ne4 $16) 20. dxc5 (20. Nxc4 cxd4 21. cxd4 Rac8 $1
$132) 20... Rac8 21. Ne4 (21. Nxc4 Rxc5 22. Nd6 Rxe5 $13) 21... Rc7 22. Qe2 Rd8
$6 (22... Nd5 $5) 23. Nd6 Nc6 24. Rd1 Rf8 25. f4 f6 26. Nxb5 axb5 27. a6 $1 (
27. exf6 Qxf6 $14) 27... bxa6 28. Rxa6 Nd8 29. Rad6 Nf7 30. Rxe6 Rxc5 31. Rb6
Nd8 32. e6 f5 (32... Re8 33. Rxd8 $1 Rxd8 34. e7 Re8 35. Qe6+ Kh8 36. Rb8 $1
Qh5 37. Rd8 $18) 33. Rxd8 $1 Rxd8 34. e7 Re8 (34... Qxb6 35. e8=Q+ $1) 35. Rxh6
gxh6 36. Qe6+ Kg7 37. Bc6 Rxc6 38. Qxc6 Rxe7 39. Qxb5 {Ftacnik,L} 1-0

[Event "Tilburg"]
[Site "Tilburg"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Antunes, Antonio"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2510"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "1994.09.??"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 044"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 11. Bg5 $146 (11. Bxc6 Rb8) 11... h6 (11...
Qd6 12. Qa4 Bb5 13. Qa5 Nd5 14. a4 $140 Qa3) 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Bxc6 (13. Qa4
Bb5 14. Qa5 c3 $10) 13... Rab8 14. Qa4 Rb6 15. Rfd1 Rd8 16. Bf3 $1 c6 $1 (16...
Rxd4 17. Rxd4 Qxd4 18. Rd1 Bb5 $1 19. Qc2 Qf6 20. a4 (20. Kg2 Ra6 21. Rb1 $13)
20... Bc6) 17. Kg2 Qe7 (17... Rxd4 $6 18. Rxd4 Qxd4 19. Rd1 Qf6 20. Rd7 $44)
18. e3 Rc8 (18... Bb5 19. Qb4 Qxb4 20. axb4 Ba4 21. Rdc1 Rxb4 22. a3 Rb6 23.
Rxc4 $14) 19. h4 Bb5 20. Qb4 c5 $1 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Rd8+ Kh7 (22... Qxd8 23.
Qxc5 $13) 23. Rad1 Bc6 $1 24. Qc3 Bxf3+ 25. Kxf3 Rf5+ (25... Qb7+ 26. e4 (26.
Ke2 Rf5 $19) 26... f5 27. R8d4 Re5 28. Re1 $13) 26. Kg2 Qb7+ 27. Kg1 Qf3 28.
Rf1 (28. R8d2 Rc6 $17) 28... Rc6 (28... Rb1 $1 29. Rxb1 (29. Qc2 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1
Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Qg2 $19) 29... Qxf2+ 30. Kh1 Qf3+ 31. Kh2 Qe2+ 32. Kh3 (32. Kg1
Rf2 $19) 32... Rf2 33. Rh1 Qf3 34. Rh2 Qf5+ 35. g4 Qf3#) 29. Rd4 Qe2 $6 (29...
g5 $1 30. hxg5 (30. Rxc4 gxh4 31. Rxc6 h3 $19) 30... hxg5 31. Rxc4 g4 32. Rxc6
Rh5 $19) 30. Rd2 Qf3 31. Rd4 Qe2 32. Rd2 Qh5 33. Rb1 Rd5 34. Qc2+ Qg6 35. Qxg6+
Kxg6 36. Rc2 Rd3 37. a4 Ra3 38. Rb4 c3 39. Kf1 Ra6 40. Rb3 (40. Rg4+ Kf6 41.
Rf4+ Ke7 42. Rc4 R3xa4 (42... R6xa4 43. R2xc3 Rxa2 44. Rc7+ $132) 43. R4xc3
Rxa2 44. Rc7+ Kf6 45. R2c4 $132) 40... R3xa4 41. Rcxc3 Rxa2 42. Rb7 Rb6 43.
Rxb6 axb6 44. Rb3 Ra6 45. e4 (45. g4 Kf6 46. h5 $17) 45... Kf6 46. f4 Ke7 47.
Ke2 Kd6 48. g4 (48. e5+ Kd5 49. Rd3+ Ke4 $19) (48. Rd3+ Kc6 49. Rc3+ Kb7 50.
Rd3 Ra7 51. Rd7+ Ka6 $19) 48... Ra2+ 49. Ke3 Kc6 50. Rc3+ Kb7 51. Rd3 Rc2 52.
h5 b5 53. e5 Kc7 54. Ra3 Kb6 55. Ra8 Rc3+ 56. Kd4 Rc4+ 57. Ke3 Rc3+ 58. Kd4
Rc4+ 59. Ke3 Rc7 60. Rg8 (60. Rb8+ Rb7 (60... Kc5 61. Kd3) 61. Rg8 b4 62. Kd3
Rc7 63. Rb8+ Ka5 $19) 60... b4 61. Kd3 b3 62. Rb8+ Rb7 63. Rc8 (63. Rxb7+ Kxb7
64. Kc3 Kc6 65. Kxb3 Kd5 $19) 63... Ka7 64. Rc1 Rb5 65. Rb1 Kb6 66. Kc3 Kc5 67.
Kb2 Rb4 68. Rf1 Kd5 69. Rf3 Ke4 70. Rf1 Rb7 71. Rf2 Ke3 72. Rf1 Ke2 73. Rg1 Kf2
(73... Kf2 74. Rc1 Kf3 75. g5 Kxf4 $19) 0-1

[Event "Interpolis-03"]
[Site "Tilburg"]
[Date "1979.11.07"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1979.11.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 (7. Ne5
Nc6 $5) 7... a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 $132) 9... Bc6 10.
Bg5 Bd5 (10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 (12. Rfe1 $6 Nb4 13. e4 $2 Nc2) (12.
Rae1 $6 Bd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb5 Nb4 15. Qxb7 Rb8 16. Qa7 Nc6 $15) 12... Bd5
$1 $10 13. Nxd5 (13. Qd3 $5 Nb4 14. Qb1) 13... exd5 14. Qb5 Nb4 15. Qxb7 Bd6 {
/\De7,Tfb8} 16. Ne5 (16. Bxf6 $5 Qxf6 17. Qb5 c6 18. Qb7 (18. Rxc6 $6 Nxc6 19.
Qxc6 Rad8) 18... Qe6 {/\De2,Tfb8} 19. Ng5 $1 Qxe2 $2 (19... Qf5 20. h4 {/\Lh3})
20. Nxf7 $1) 16... Rb8 (16... Qe7 $2 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Nc6 $16) 17. Qa7 {
1/2-1/2 Huebner,R-Karpov,An/Montreal (01) 1979}) (10... Nbd7) 11. Qd3 c5 (11...
Be4 12. Qe3 Bxb1 {/\13... Sd5}) 12. Nc3 cxd4 (12... Bc6 13. e4 cxd4 14. Qxd4
Nbd7 $15) 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nxd4 Nc6 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. a5 $1 Qb7
18. Qc2 Rab8 19. Rfc1 Rfc8 $10 20. Qc4 h6 21. e3 (21. e4 $6 {><d4}) 21... Qa7
22. Bf1 Nb4 23. Qf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Horgen-B"]
[Site "Horgen"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gabriel, Christian"]
[Black "Masserey, Yvan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2475"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1995.10.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 050"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 Be4 12. Qe3 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3 Re8 (
14... Bb4 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bf4 (16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. e4 b6 $14) 16... Rc8 17. Qc2
b6 18. e4 Bb7 19. Rad1 Re8 20. Ne5 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Nd7 22. Bf4 Qe7 (22... c5 $6
23. d5 e5 24. Be3 $16) 23. Re2 c5 (23... e5 24. Nd5 $14) 24. d5 $5 (24. Red2)
24... e5 {Khalifman,A-Lautier,J/Biel izt/1993/1-0 (57)}) 15. Rfe1 Bb4 {Black
has to fight the threat of white's pawn supremacy in the center with all means.
} 16. Qc2 (16. e4 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nc5 $1) 16... b6 $6 {Weakening move aiming to
"correct" the unatural position of the Bc6. For the moment it is the same, as
if black would have played highly unnatural Bb7-c6.} (16... h6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6
18. e4 $14) 17. e4 (17. Na2 Bxf3 (17... Bxe1 18. Qxc6 Ba5 19. b4 $16) 18. Nxb4
Bxg2 19. Kxg2 c5 $10) 17... h6 $2 (17... Bb7 18. e5 h6 19. exf6 Bxf3 (19...
hxg5 20. Nxg5 Qxf6 21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Qh4 $18) 20. Bxf3 hxg5 21. Bxa8 $16) (17...
Bxc3 18. bxc3 h6 $14) 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 (18... Qxf6 19. Na2 Bxe1 20. Qxc6 Ba5 21.
b4 $16) 19. Na2 $1 {Very original way to trap the enemy's B along the a5-e1
diagonal.} Bxe1 20. Qxc6 Ba5 (20... Qd6 21. Qc2 (21. Qxd6 Bxf2+ $1 22. Kxf2
Nxe4+ 23. Ke1 Nxd6 $13) 21... Bxf2+ 22. Kxf2 $16) 21. b4 Qd7 (21... Bxb4 22.
Nxb4 Qd6 23. Qxd6 cxd6 24. e5 $16) 22. Qxd7 Nxd7 23. bxa5 bxa5 24. Rc1 Nb6 (
24... Ra7 25. Bh3 $16) 25. Rc5 (25. Rxc7 Nxa4 26. Rc4 Nb6 $14) 25... Nxa4 26.
Rxa5 Nb6 27. Bf1 (27. Bf1 Reb8 28. Nb4 $18) 1-0

[Event "Riga Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Riga"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1995.04.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "LAT"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 047"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Nbd2
b5 9. Ng5 c6 10. b3 c3 (10... h6 11. Ngf3 cxb3 12. Nxb3 a5 (12... Nbd7 13. Qxc6
Rb8 14. Bd2 Bb7 15. Qc1 b4 16. Qb2 a5 17. Bf4 Rc8 18. Rac1 Qb6 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20.
Nxd7 Nxd7 21. Kxg2 Qb5 22. e4 a4 23. Na1 Qd3 24. f3 {Pina,U-Perez,Ro/
Capablanca mem-C (5)/1992/0-1 (48)}) (12... Bb7 13. Ne5 Nfd7 14. Nd3 a5 15. a4
b4 16. e4 $16 {Glek,I-Jankovec,I/Cadca/1985/}) 13. Rd1 Nd5 (13... Qb6 14. Ne5
Bb7 15. Nc5 Rc8 16. Bh3 $16 {Bany,J-Cvetkovic,Sr/Balatonbereny/1985/}) 14. e4
Nb4 15. Qe2 Nd7 16. a3 Na6 17. d5 exd5 18. exd5 cxd5 19. Nfd4 Bb7 20. Qxb5 Nac5
21. Nxc5 Nxc5 22. Be3 Ba6 23. Qb1 Bc4 24. Nf5 {Birnboim,N-Liberzon,V/Tel-Aviv/
1988/0-1 (39)}) (10... cxb3 $5 11. Nxb3 a5 $5 12. Rd1 Bd7 $1 13. Nc5 h6 14. Nf3
Be8 15. Bb2 Na6 16. Rac1 Qc8 17. Qb1 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Nd7 19. Ne5 $1 Nxe5 20. Bxe5
$13 {Shabalov,A-Aseev,K/Barnaul/1988/}) 11. Nde4 (11. Ndf3 h6 12. Nh3 Bb7 13.
Qxc3 Nbd7 14. Bb2 c5 15. Rad1 {Chiburdanidze,M-Liu,Shelan/Dubai olw/1986/0.5 
(15)}) 11... Nd5 $5 $146 (11... Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Qxd4 13. Be3 Qd8 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15.
Qxc3 Nd7 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Bb7 18. Be7 Rfe8 19. Bd6 Qc8 20. Rac1 c5 21.
Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Bxc5 Rac8 23. Qd4 Nf6 24. b4 $10 {Mellano,S-Zarnicki,P/Mar del
Plata op (9)/1995/0-1 (57)}) 12. Nf3 (12. Nxh7 $2 Nb4 13. Qxc3 Kxh7 $19) 12...
b4 13. a3 f5 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15. dxc5 a5 16. e4 $1 (16. axb4 Na6 17. bxa5 Nab4 18.
Qd1 Rxa5 $17) 16... fxe4 17. Qxe4 Qf6 18. axb4 (18. Ng5 Qf5) 18... Nxb4 19. Ng5
g6 $6 (19... Qf5 $5 20. Qh4 h6 21. Ne4 (21. Be4 Qf6) 21... c2 22. Be3 $13) 20.
Qh4 h5 (20... Ra7 21. Rxa5 $1) (20... Qg7 21. Ne4 $40) 21. g4 c2 (21... Qd4 22.
Be4) 22. Be3 Ba6 23. gxh5 Bxf1 24. Rxf1 Nd7 25. Be4 $2 (25. hxg6 $1 Qxg6 (25...
Qh8 26. Qg4 (26. Qc4 Rae8 27. Nxe6 Ne5 $1) (26. Qxh8+ Kxh8 27. Nxe6 Rf5 $13)
26... Rf6 27. Ne4 Rf5 28. Nd6 Rf6 29. Bd4 $40) 26. Be4 Rf5 (26... Qg7 27. Bh7+
Kh8 28. Bxc2+ Kg8 29. Bh7+ Kh8 30. Bf5+ Kg8 31. Bxe6+ Rf7 32. Bxf7+ $18) 27.
Bxf5 (27. Kh1 Nd5 28. Bd2 Nxc5 29. Bxc2 $40) 27... Qxf5 28. Kh1 $1 Qd5+ 29. Ne4
$40) 25... Ne5 26. hxg6 (26. f4 Nf7 27. hxg6 Nxg5 28. Qxg5 Qxg5+ 29. fxg5 Rad8
$1 $19) 26... Ra7 $1 27. Bd4 (27. f4 Nxg6 28. Qh6 (28. Qh5 Rg7 29. Nh7) 28...
Rg7 $19 29. Nh7) (27. Qh5 $1 Rfa8 28. Nh7 Qh8 29. Qg5 Ned3 30. Nf6+ Kf8 $13)
27... Qf4 28. Qxf4 (28. Qh5 c1=Q $19) 28... Rxf4 29. Bxe5 Rg4+ 30. Kh1 (30. Bg3
Rxg5 31. Rc1 Rxc5 32. Bd6 Rd7) 30... Rxg5 31. Bd6 (31. f4 Rxe5 32. fxe5 Rd7 33.
Bxc2 Nxc2 34. Rf6 Nd4 $19) 31... Rd7 32. f4 (32. Rc1 Rxc5 $1 33. Bxc5 Rd1+)
32... Rxc5 $1 33. Bxc5 Rd1 34. Bxc2 Rxf1+ 35. Kg2 Rc1 (35... Rc1 36. Bxb4 Rxc2+
) 0-1

[Event "Aars"]
[Site "Aars"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Kristensen, Jorgen Juul"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2500"]
[BlackElo "2335"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1995.10.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 050"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1 Nbd5 13. Nbd2 Nxf4 14. gxf4 c5 (
14... Bd6 15. Nb3 Bd5 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 18. e4 Nb6 19. Nc5 Qe8 20. b3
f6 21. Ned3 f5 22. f3 Qh5 23. Rf1 Rf6 24. Kh1 fxe4 25. fxe4 Bxc5 26. Nxc5 {
Illescas Cordoba,M-Campora,D/ESP-chT (06) 1995/1-0 (64)}) (14... Bd5 15. Nb3 a5
16. Ne5 a4 17. Nc5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qd5+ 19. f3 Rad8 20. e4 Qa8 21. Qe3 Bxc5 22.
dxc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rd8 {Opitz,E-Beckmann,K2/NRW-I 8990 (1990)/1990/0.5 (30)})
15. dxc5 Qc7 16. Nb3 (16. e3 Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Nb3 Be7 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20.
Kxg2 Rfc8 21. Rac1 Nd5 22. Kf3 Kf8 23. e4 Nb6 24. Nd7+ Nxd7 25. Rxc8+ Rxc8 26.
Rxd7 Rc2 27. Rd2 Rxd2 28. Nxd2 {Illescas Cordoba,M-Lautier,J/Madrid (05)/1993/
0.5 (46)}) (16. c6 Qxc6 17. Qxc6 Bxc6 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rfc8 20. Rac1 Kf8
21. Kf3 Ke8 22. Nb3 Nd5 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Rc1 {0.5/Csom,I-Parma,B/Roma/1981/})
16... Rac8 (16... Rfc8 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 a5 19. Nd3 a4 20. Nd4 Bxc5 21.
Nxc5 Qxc5 22. Qxc5 Rxc5 23. b4 Rd5 24. e3 g5 25. fxg5 Rxg5+ 26. Kf3 e5 {
Grebenkin,A-Kiriakov,P/RUS-chS Orel/1992/0.5 (34)}) 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Bxc5
(18... a5 19. c6 $5) 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Qxc5 Rxc5 21. Rac1 {Usual picture in
the Catalan opening, black can not prevent falling into somewhat inferior
ending. The 8th rank is weak and a6P an ideal target.} Rd5 (21... Rxc1 22. Rxc1
Nd5 23. Kf3 $14) 22. Kf3 Rxd1 (22... Rfd8 23. Rxd5 Nxd5 24. a3 $14) 23. Rxd1
Nd5 (23... Ra8 24. e4 $14) 24. e4 Nb4 $2 {Counterplay at all costs will drive
the N into unusual trap on c2. Even such a great jumper can be caught in a
midfly.} (24... Nb6 25. Rd6 Rb8 26. Nc6 Ra8 $14) 25. a3 Nc2 (25... f6 26. Nd7
$18) 26. Nc6 f5 (26... b4 27. axb4 e5 28. fxe5 $18) 27. e5 (27. Rc1 fxe4+ 28.
Kxe4 Nxa3 29. bxa3 $18) (27. e5 Kf7 28. Rc1 $18) 1-0

[Event "Minsk"]
[Site "Minsk"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shipov, Sergei"]
[Black "Kruppa, Yuri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1993.03.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BLR"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 036"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Chekhov} e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 (11... Nbd7 {Chekhov} 12. Ba5
Rc8 13. Nc3 Ba8 14. a4 Rb8 $10 {(ECO)}) 12. Rd1 Qc8 13. b4 (13. a4 c5 14. dxc5
Bxc5 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxa8 Bxa8 17. Be3 Be7 18. Qxc8 Rxc8 19. Nd4 Bxg2 20.
Kxg2 b4 21. Rc1 Rxc1 22. Bxc1 Nfd7 23. Nd2 Bf6 24. N2b3 $10 {Bareev,E-Aseev,K/
URS-FL Irkutsk/1986/0.5 (53)}) (13. Ba5 c5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Nbd2 Nbd7 16. Nb3
Qxc1 17. Raxc1 Rfc8 18. Bc7 Bd5 (18... Kf8 $1 $10 {Chekhov (Chernin-Gurevich,
Vilnius 1985 Inf 40/609)}) 19. Nfd4 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nd5 21. e4 Nxc7 22. Nc6 Bg5
23. f4 Nb8 24. fxg5 $16 {Suba,M-Morovic Fernandez,I/Tunis izt/1985/1-0 (48)})
13... Nbd7 14. a4 (14. a3 Bd6 15. Nc3 e5 $132) 14... Bd6 15. axb5 (15. Qb2 {
Chekhov} Nb6 16. axb5 axb5 17. Na3 Na4 18. Qb3 Bd5 19. Qd3 c6 $10) 15... axb5
16. Na3 (16. Rxa8 Qxa8 17. Nc3 (17. Na3 Qa4 $132) 17... Qb8 $13) 16... Qb8 17.
Nc2 (17. Nxb5 Rxa1 18. Qxa1 Bxf3 19. Nxd6 Bxg2 20. Nxf7 Ba8 $19) (17. Qb2 $5 {
Chekhov} Be4 18. Rdc1 Qb7 19. Ne1 $10) 17... Be4 18. Nfe1 (18. Qb2 $5 {Chekhov}
Qb7 19. Ne3) 18... Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Qb7 20. Nge1 (20. f3 e5 $36) 20... Qe4 21. Be3
Nd5 22. f3 (22. Qb2 {Chekhov} Ra4 $5 $15) 22... Qg6 23. Bd2 Rxa1 24. Nxa1 (24.
Qxa1 f5 25. Qa6 Rb8 $13) 24... f5 $1 (24... Nxb4 25. Bxb4 Bxb4 26. Qxc7) 25.
Ng2 N7b6 26. Nb3 Nc4 27. Nc5 f4 28. g4 (28. Bxf4 $2 Bxf4 29. gxf4 Nde3 $19 (
29... Nxf4 $19 {Chekhov})) 28... Nxd2 29. Qxd2 Ra8 30. Qb2 (30. Nd3 Qf6 31. Nc5
Bxc5 32. dxc5 Ra4 $17) 30... Bxc5 31. bxc5 (31. dxc5 Ra4 32. Rd4 Qf6 $17) 31...
b4 32. Kf2 h5 33. h3 (33. gxh5 Qxh5 34. h4 g5 $17) 33... hxg4 34. hxg4 Qh6 35.
Ra1 Rb8 36. Ra6 (36. Qb3 {Chekhov} Qh2 37. Rg1 Ne3 $22) 36... Qh2 37. Qb3 (37.
Rxe6 Ne3 38. Rxe3 fxe3+ 39. Kxe3 Qxg2 $19) 37... Ne3 38. Qxe6+ Kh8 0-1

[Event "Zagreb zt"]
[Site "Zagreb"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hulak, Krunoslav"]
[Black "Psakhis, Lev"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2540"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1993.03.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 035"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Nd5 $5 (10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rae1 Bxf3 (12... Nb4
13. e4 Nd7 14. Qe2 (14. Ra1 Bd6 15. Be3 Nc2 16. Bg5 Nb6 17. Qd3 Nb4 18. Qe2 Qe8
19. b3 f5 20. Rac1 h6 21. Be3 Qh5 22. d5 fxe4 23. dxc6 exf3 24. Qd1 $17 {
Kortschnoj,V-Hjartarson,J (8)/Saint John cq/1988/}) 14... Nb6 15. b3 Bd6 16.
Bg5 Qe8 17. h3 f5 18. Ne5 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Nd7 20. Nb5 Bxb5 21. Qxb5 c6 22. Qxb7
Nxe5 23. exf5 Rf7 24. Qb6 $16 {Birnboim,N-Verat,L/Lugano op (2)/1989/}) 13.
Bxf3 c6 14. Rd1 Nb4 15. e4 Rc8 16. Rd2 Qd7 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. h4 Qe8 19. h5 Nd7
20. Qf1 Nf8 21. Qh3 Rd7 22. Qg4 Rcd8 23. Bh6 g6 24. e5 $14 {Kakhiani,
K-Petronijevic,Z/Pula op/1990/}) (10... Bd6 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13. Bd2 e5
14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Bxc6 Qxd2 17. Bxb7 Rab8 18. Qxa6 Qxb2 19. Nb5
Qxe2 20. Rae1 Qh5 21. Bg2 Rb6 22. Qa7 Bxg3 23. fxg3 Qc5+ 24. Kh1 $10 {Birnboim,
N-Namyslo,H/Lugano op (6)/1989/}) (10... Nbd7 11. Nc3 (11. Qc2 Bd6 12. Nc3 Bxf4
13. gxf4 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. a5 Re8 16. e3 Nf8 17. Ne4 Ng6 18. Nc5 Nh4 19. Be4
Rb8 20. f3 Nd5 21. Qf2 Nf5 22. Ra3 Kh8 23. Kh1 Rg8 24. Rg1 $36 {Birnboim,
N-Kortschnoj,V/Beersheva/1987/}) 11... Nb6 12. Qb3 (12. Qd3 Nbd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5
14. Qc2 Rc8 15. Bg5 c5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. dxc5 Rxc5 18. Qd2 Qc7 19. Rfc1 Rc8 20.
Rxc5 Qxc5 21. Ne1 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rd8 23. Nd3 Qd5+ 24. f3 $10 {Angelova
Chilingirova,P-Kas,R/Dortmund WA/1988/}) 12... a5 13. Rfd1 Ra6 14. Qc2 Nbd5 15.
Bg5 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be4 17. Qc1 c5 18. Qe3 Bd5 19. h3 Qc8 20. Rab1 Bc6 21. Bxf6
Bxf6 22. Ne1 Bxg2 23. Nxg2 cxd4 24. cxd4 $14 {Birnboim,N-Kosashvili,Y/ISL-ch/
1986/}) 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 a5 (12... Qd6 13. e3 Nd7 14. a5 $14) 13. Rfd1 Bd5
(13... Nd7 14. e4 Bb4 15. Qe2 $14) 14. Qb5 (14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Qb5 Ra7 16. e3 c6
$10) 14... Na6 (14... Bc6 15. Qh5 $5) 15. e4 Bc6 16. Qc4 (16. Qh5 Nb4 17. Rac1
$14) 16... Nb4 17. Ne5 Be8 (17... Ra6 18. Qe2 $14) 18. d5 (18. Rac1 $13) 18...
exd5 19. Nxd5 (19. exd5 Bd6 $13) 19... Nxd5 20. Rxd5 Bd6 (20... Qc8 21. Rd3 $14
) 21. Nf3 (21. Rad1 Qh4 22. f5 Qf4 23. Nf3 Bc6 24. R5d4 Be7 $13) 21... Bc6 22.
Rd3 Qc8 23. e5 Be7 24. Ne1 (24. Nd4 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qg4+ 26. Rg3 Qxf4 $17) 24...
Ra6 $1 25. Bh3 Qe8 $1 26. Nc2 $2 (26. Rg3 Kh8 $13) 26... b5 $1 27. Qc3 Be4 28.
axb5 (28. Rd2 Rg6+ 29. Kf1 bxa4 30. Bd7 Qa8 $17) 28... Qxb5 29. Re3 Rg6+ 30.
Rg3 Rc6 31. Nd4 $8 Rxc3 32. Nxb5 Rc2 33. Nc3 (33. Bg2 Bg6 34. Rxa5 Bc5 35. Rf3
Be4 36. Rc3 Bxf2+ 37. Kh1 Bxg2+ 38. Kxg2 Rxb2 $17) 33... Ba8 34. Bg2 (34. Rxa5
Bh4 $17) 34... Bh4 35. Rd3 Bxf2+ 36. Kf1 Bb6 37. Bxa8 Rxa8 0-1

[Event "Interzonal-16"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1993.07.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 037"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Ne5) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Nfd7 $6 (11... Nbd7) (11...
Na6) 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. e4 Na6 (13... Qb4 14. Qa2 Nb6 15. d5 $14) 14. Rfd1 $5
Rfd8 15. b3 $14 (15. Qe2 Nb4 {/\ b6}) 15... Nb6 16. Qe2 (16. Qd3 $5) 16... Be8
17. Qb2 $5 (17. Rac1 c5 $5 18. Nb5 $5 (18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Nxd5 (19... Qxe2 $6
20. Nxe2 Nxd5 21. Ne5 Bc6 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23. Nc3 $1 $14) 20. Qxe7 Nxe7 21. Ne5
Nc6 22. Nxc6 Bxc6 23. Bxc6 bxc6 $10) 18... cxd4 19. Nfxd4 Rac8 20. e5 $14)
17... Rac8 (17... c5 $6 18. d5 c4 19. dxe6 Qxe6 20. bxc4 Nxc4 21. Qxb7 $16) (
17... Nb4 18. Ne5 c5 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 $14) 18. Ne5 f6 (18... c5 19. d5) 19.
Nc4 Nxc4 20. bxc4 Qb4 21. Rab1 $1 Qxc4 $6 (21... Qxb2 $6 22. Rxb2 Nb4 23. Bh3
$1 Bd7 24. e5 $16) (21... Bh5 $5 22. Rd2 Qxc4 23. Bf1 Qc6 24. d5 $44) 22. Bf1
Qb4 (22... Qc6 23. Qxb7 Nb4 24. Qxc6 Bxc6 25. Bc4 $16) 23. Qc1 $16 Qe7 24. Rxb7
Nb4 25. d5 $1 (25. Nb5 Bc6) (25. Ra7 Nc6) 25... Rb8 $2 (25... exd5 26. exd5 Qc5
27. Qe3 $1 Qxe3 28. fxe3 $16) 26. d6 $1 $18 Qf8 27. dxc7 Rxd1 28. Qxd1 Rc8 29.
Qd8 1-0

[Event "Dos Hermanas"]
[Site "Dos Hermanas"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Lautier, Joel"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1995.04.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 047"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Kortschnoj} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7.
Nc3 Nc6 8. e3 Bd6 (8... Na5 $5 9. e4 $1 $8 c6 (9... c5 10. d5 exd5 11. e5 Nd7
12. Nxd5 Nc6 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. Re1 Nb6 15. Bg5 Qe6 16. Qd6 Nb4 17. Re2 Nd3 18.
Be3 Qxd6 19. exd6 Bf5 20. Nh4 Bg4 21. Rd2 Rad8 22. Bf1 Nd7 23. b3 N3e5 24. f4 {
Sorokin,M-Galdunts,S/URS-chJ Kherson/1991/0.5 (62)}) 10. Qc2 b5 11. Rd1 Bb7 12.
Bg5 $1 h6 13. e5 $1 Nd7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Qd2 $1 b4 16. Ne4 Ba6 17. Nc5 $1 c3
18. bxc3 Nc4 19. Qe1 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Qxc5 21. cxb4 Qb6 22. Qc3 $1 $16 {Gulko,
B-Gelfand,B/Amsterdam II/1988/1-0 (67)}) (8... Nd5 9. Qe2 Nb6 10. Rd1 Bd6 11.
e4 Qe8 12. e5 Be7 13. Ne4 Nb4 14. Bg5 N4d5 15. h4 Bd7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. h5 h6
18. Nh2 Ba4 19. Rdc1 Rad8 20. Ng4 Bc6 21. Qd2 Nd7 22. Rxc4 f5 23. exf6 N5xf6
24. Ngxf6+ {Ulibin,M-Sulskis,S/Moscow olm (07) RUS-2 LTU/1994/0.5 (54)}) (8...
Rb8 9. Qa4 Nb4 (9... Bd7 10. Qxc4 b5 11. Qd3 $1 b4 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Na5
14. Bd2 $6 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Rfd1 Bc6 17. Qc2 Qe7 18. Rac1 Bd6 19. Be1 Rb6
20. Nd2 $6 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rc6 22. Qd3 Qb7 23. Qe4 Rfc8 24. Rxc6 {Tukmakov,
V-Beliavsky,A/Moskva GMA/1990/0.5 (35)}) 10. Qxa7 Bd7 11. Ne5 Nfd5 12. Qxb8
Qxb8 13. Nxd7 Qa7 14. Nxf8 Bxf8 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Bd2 c6 17. a3 Nd3 18. Bc3 b5
(18... g6 19. Rfd1 Qa4 20. Bf1 b5 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. Rac1 Qc4 23. Bb4 Qb3 24.
Bxf8 {Mochalov,E-Berzinsh,R/Sala op (08)/1993/1-0 (51)}) 19. Rfd1 h5 20. Bf1
Qd7 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. Rxd3 Qf5 23. Rad1 h4 24. gxh4 {Mochalov,E-Brumen,D/
Budapest Spring op (07)/1994/0.5 (62)}) 9. Nd2 {TN} (9. Qa4 e5 10. d5 Nb4 11.
Nxe5 a6 12. Nf3 Bf5 13. Nd4 Bd3 14. Re1 Bc5 15. e4 Nbxd5 16. Nf5 Nxc3 17. bxc3
Ng4 18. Ne3 Nxf2 19. e5 b5 20. Qa5 Ng4 21. Kh1 Nxe5 22. Ba3 Bxa3 23. Qxa3 c6
24. Nf5 {Lautier,J-Kortschnoj,V/Moscow olm (10) FRA-SUI/1994/0-1 (33)}) 9... e5
10. Nxc4 (10. Bxc6 $6 exd4 11. exd4 bxc6 12. Nxc4 Bg4 $17) 10... exd4 11. exd4
Bg4 12. Qb3 (12. f3 Be6 13. Nxd6 Qxd6 14. Bf4 Qd7 $15) (12. Bf3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3
Nxd4 14. Qxb7 Rb8 15. Qxa7 Bb4 $36) (12. Qd3 Bc5 $1) 12... Nxd4 13. Qxb7 Bf3 $5
(13... Rb8 {Kortschnoj} 14. Qxa7 Ne2+ 15. Kh1 Nxc3 16. Nxd6 $14) 14. Qa6 $2 (
14. Bxf3 Rb8 15. Qxa7 Nxf3+ 16. Kg2 Qd7 (16... Ra8 17. Qb7 Nd4 18. Nxd6 Qxd6
19. Bf4 Qb6 20. Qxb6 cxb6 21. Be5 $16) (16... Bb4 17. Rd1 (17. Bf4 Bxc3 18.
bxc3 Qd5 19. Ne3 Qe4 $40) 17... Qc8 18. Kxf3 Qg4+ (18... Bxc3 19. Kg2 Ra8 20.
Qe3 Bb4 $13) 19. Kg2 Qxc4 20. Qa4 Ne4 21. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 22. Kg1 $14) 17. Nxd6 (17.
Qa4 Nh4+ 18. Kg1 Qh3 19. Qc6 Ng4 $19) 17... Qc6 $1 18. Nde4 Nxe4 19. Qa4 Qxa4
20. Nxa4 Nd4 $44) 14... Bb4 15. Be3 (15. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 16. Kg2 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Qd3
$1 $17) 15... Bxg2 (15... Bxc3 16. Bxd4 (16. bxc3 Ne2+ 17. Kh1 Qd5 $19) 16...
Bxg2 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Kxg2 Qd5+ $15) 16. Rfd1 $1 (16. Kxg2 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Qd5+
18. f3 Nc2 19. Rad1 Qxc4 $1 $19) 16... c5 (16... Bxc3 17. bxc3 Ne2+ 18. Kxg2
Qe7 $13) 17. Bxd4 (17. Kxg2 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Qd5+ 19. Kh3 Qh5+ 20. Kg2 Qf3+ 21.
Kh3 Nc2 $17) 17... cxd4 18. Kxg2 Rc8 (18... Bxc3 $5 19. bxc3 Qd5+ 20. Kg1 (20.
f3 Rfe8 21. Rd2 Re6 $17) 20... Qf3 21. Rxd4 (21. cxd4 Ne4 22. Ne5 Qxf2+ 23. Kh1
Rac8 $40) 21... Ne4 22. Rf1 Nxc3 $17) 19. Kg1 Re8 20. Rac1 (20. Qb5 {!?
Kortschnoj} Bxc3 21. bxc3 d3 $17) 20... Qd7 21. Nb5 (21. Qb5 Qh3 22. Rxd4 (22.
Qxb4 Ng4 $19) 22... Ng4 23. Rxg4 Qxg4 24. Qxb4 Rxc4 $19) 21... d3 (21... Qh3 $5
22. Nxd4 Ng4 23. Nf3 Nxf2 $1) 22. Ne3 (22. Nc3 $2 Re6 23. Qb5 Qxb5 24. Nxb5 a6
(24... d2 25. Nxd2 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Bxd2 27. Rc8+ Re8 28. Rxe8+ Nxe8 29. Nxa7 $17)
25. Nba3 d2 $19) 22... Rxc1 23. Rxc1 d2 24. Rd1 Nd5 25. Qa4 (25. Nd4 Rxe3 $1
26. fxe3 Nxe3 $19) 25... a6 $1 (25... Nxe3 26. fxe3 Bc5 27. Nc3 Bxe3+ 28. Kg2
Qb7+ 29. Kh3 Re6 $19) 26. Qxa6 (26. Nxd5 Re1+ 27. Kg2 Qxd5+ $19) 26... Nxe3 27.
fxe3 Qd3 28. Qc6 (28. Nc7 Qxe3+ 29. Kg2 Qe2+ 30. Qxe2 Rxe2+ 31. Kf3 Re1 $19) (
28. Qb6 Rxe3 29. Qb8+ Bf8 $19) 28... Qxe3+ 29. Kg2 Qe2+ 30. Kh3 Qh5+ (30...
Qh5+ 31. Kg2 Re2+ 32. Kf1 Re1+ 33. Kg2 Qxd1 34. Qa8+ Bf8 $19) 0-1

[Event "EU-Cup 25th"]
[Site "Ohrid"]
[Date "2009.10.08"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Alekseev, Evgeny V"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[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 "Yerevan Mika"]
[BlackTeam "Saratov Economist"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 {Getting any advantage against
a well prepared Catalan defender is fiendlishly difficult. Aronian chooses an
older line, that unfortunately requires the surrender of one of the strong
white bishops.} Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 g6 15. h4 {It is useful to know about
the most promising plans in opening lines. White trusts this idea, that can
claim a proud 100% score.} (15. Rac1 Re8 (15... Rc8 16. Ne1 Bg7 17. Nc2 Nxc2
18. Rxc2 Qe7 19. b3 Rfd8 20. Rcd2 Be8 $14) (15... Bg7 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Bd7
18. Nd4 Qc8 19. b3 c6 20. d6 Bg4 21. Rd2 Qd7 22. Ne4 Nd5 23. Nc5 Qxd6 24. Nxb7
$16 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B (2701)-Svidler,P (2686)/Moscow 2001 (92)}) 16. d5 exd5
17. exd5 Bd7 18. Nd4 Rc8 $2 (18... Be5 $1 19. Ncb5 Rc8 20. Nc6 bxc6 21. dxc6
Be6 $5 22. Rxd8 Rcxd8 23. Qe2 Bb3 $44) 19. Ne4 $1 Be5 20. Nc5 b6 21. Nc6 $1 (
21. Nde6 Qe7 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. Bh3 Qe7) 21... Bxc6 22. dxc6 bxc5 $1 (22... Qe7
23. Rd7 Qf8 24. Ne4 Bxb2 25. Rcd1 $16) 23. Rxd8 Rcxd8 24. Re1 $1 {1/2-1/2
Gelfand,B (2681)-Anand,V (2762)/Shenyang 2000 (38)}) 15... Bg7 (15... Rc8 16.
Rd2 Bg7 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Ng5 h6 19. Nf3 b6 20. d5 Bd7 21. Nd4 exd5 22. exd5 Bg4
23. Nc6 Nxc6 24. Qxg4 Ne5 25. Qe2 $14 {1-0 Lputian,S (2605)-Polgar,J (2658)/
Wijk aan Zee 2000 (60)}) (15... h6 16. Rac1 Rc8 17. Nh2 Bg7 18. Nb5 Bxb5 19.
Qxb5 b6 20. h5 c6 21. Qe2 g5 22. e5 Qe7 23. Ng4 $16 {1-0 Nielsen,P (2578)
-Lobzhanidze,D (2493)/Bergen 2000 (51)}) 16. h5 b6 {Alekseev will go down in a
difficult manner, so any possible improvement on this is worth looking into.
The provocative grab of the h-pawn could become dangerous, even though White
would have a difficult task to prove it.} (16... gxh5 $5 17. Rd2 b6 18. Rad1
Bb7 $13) 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Nh2 Qd7 19. e5 $1 {Aronian understands the
necessity to exchange light-squared bishops and limit the scope of the
dark-squared one.} (19. d5 $6 exd5 20. exd5 Bb7 $15) 19... Bxg2 $6 (19... Bd5
$5 20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Qe2 Rae8 22. f4 f6 $11) 20. Kxg2 c5 $2 {Black is geared
up for generating counterplay. Unfortunately his solution falls short of the
objectively best idea as White will transfer the queen to h4 and realise his
coveted kingside attack.} (20... Rad8 21. Ng4 f5 22. exf6 Bxf6 23. Rac1 Bg7 $14
) 21. dxc5 Qc6+ 22. Nf3 Rfd8 (22... Qxc5 $2 23. Qh4 Qc6 24. Ne4 Nd5 25. Nf6+
Bxf6 26. exf6 $18) 23. Qh4 Rd3 {This should have been the crowning move in
Black's counterplay. In a slightly paradoxical way the knight move into the
enemy camp would have been more resilient.} (23... Nd3 $5 24. Ne4 bxc5 25. Rac1
$1 Qb6 (25... Nxc1 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. Qxd8+ Bf8 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. Nd7 $18) 26.
Nf6+ Kf8 27. Ng5 Qb7+ 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Nfe4 Kf8 30. Rxd3 Rxd3 31. Nxc5 Qd5 32.
Qf4 Rd1+ 33. Ke2 $18) 24. Ne4 $1 bxc5 25. Rac1 Kf8 {In an act of silent
desperation Black is admitting that his concept has failed. Objectively better
was to suffer after the exchange of the rooks.} (25... Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Nd5 27.
Nf6+ Kf8 28. Rc1 Rd8 29. Ne4 $16) 26. Rxc5 Rxd1 (26... Qxc5 27. Nxc5 Rxd1 28.
Ng5 Ra7 29. Nh7+ Ke8 30. Nf6+ Ke7 31. Nce4 $18) 27. Rxc6 Nxc6 28. Nf6 {[%mdl
128] White must be close to winning with his mobile army of coordinated
attackers, spare pawn and a safe king.} (28. Neg5 Nd8 29. b4 Rd5 30. b5 $18)
28... Rb8 (28... Rc8 29. Qc4 Bh6 30. Qa6 Rdd8 31. Qb7 Ne7 32. b4 axb4 33. Qxb4
$18) 29. Qc4 $1 (29. Qh7 Ne7 30. Ng5 Rdd8 (30... Rxb2 31. Ne8 Kxe8 32. Qxg7) (
30... Rd4 31. Qh1 Nf5 32. Qc1 Bxf6 33. exf6 $18) 31. g4 Rd4 32. Qh4 Nc6 33.
Ngh7+ Ke7 34. Nh5+ $18) 29... Rc8 30. Ng5 Bxf6 (30... Bh6 31. Nxe6+ fxe6 32.
Qxe6 Rdd8 33. Qg8+ Ke7 34. Nd5+ Rxd5 35. Qxd5 $18) 31. exf6 {Aronian has just
one task to complete. Any approach of the white queen to the black king will
finish the game.} Rd4 (31... Rd5 32. Qh4 Ke8 33. f4 $18) 32. Qa6 Rc7 (32...
Rdd8 33. Qb7 Ne5 34. Nxe6+ $18) 33. Qb6 Rdd7 34. Nh7+ Kg8 (34... Ke8 35. Qc5
Ne7 36. Qa3 $18) 35. Qe3 $1 {The final touch is charming, as the queen alone
can finish the job so efficiently done by the whole white army.} Kxh7 36. g4
Nd4 37. Qh3+ Kg8 38. Qh6 1-0

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "USA"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Benjamin, Joel"]
[Black "Browne, Walter Shawn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1989.11.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 019"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Na3 Bxa3 8.
bxa3 Nc6 9. Bb2 Rb8 10. Qc2 b5 11. Rad1 Ne7 {N} (11... Bb7 $2 12. Ng5 $1 h6 (
12... g6 13. e4 Nd7 14. f4 $16) 13. d5 Nb4 $8 14. axb4 hxg5 15. dxe6 Qe7 16.
exf7+ Rxf7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Qg6 $1 $16 {Glek-Klovans/Tashkent/1987/}) 12. e4
Bb7 13. Rfe1 Bxe4 $6 (13... Ng6 $13) 14. Rxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nd5 16. h4 h6 17.
Ne5 $14 Qd6 18. Re1 Rbd8 19. Qg4 f5 $6 (19... c3 $1 $14) 20. Qe2 Rf6 21. h5 c5
$2 (21... c3 22. Bc1 c5) 22. Bxd5 $1 cxd4 (22... exd5 23. dxc5 Qxc5 24. Nd7 $1
$18) (22... Qxd5 23. Ng6 Rxg6 24. hxg6 cxd4 25. Bxd4 $1 Qxd4 26. Qxe6+ Kh8 27.
Qe8+ $18) 23. Nc6 Re8 24. Bxd4 Qxd5 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Nb4 Qc5 27. Qd2 Kg7 28.
Qd7+ Re7 29. Qd8 e5 30. Rd1 (30. Na6 Qxa3 31. Re3 Qc1+ 32. Kg2 Kf7 33. Nc7 $18
{Seirawan}) 30... Qc7 31. Qd5 Qb6 32. Qf3 Qe6 33. Nc2 f4 (33... Rd7 34. Rxd7+
Qxd7 35. Ne3 $18) 34. gxf4 e4 35. Qg2+ Kh8 $138 {Ftacnik,L} (35... Kh8 36. Qg6
$18) 1-0

[Event "FRA-NED"]
[Site "Cannes"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sosonko, Gennadi"]
[Black "Miralles, Gilles"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1990.02.??"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 018"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Nc3 Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 13. a3 Nbd5 14. b4 Nxc3 {N} (
14... a5 15. Nxb5 axb4 16. axb4 Bxb4 17. Be5 c6 $10 {Chiburdanidze,M-Geller,E/
Sochi-A/1989/ ->CBM 16}) 15. Qxc3 a5 (15... Nd5 16. Qb2 a5 17. bxa5 {x b5}) 16.
bxa5 c5 17. dxc5 Rxc5 (17... Bxc5 18. Qd2 Nd5 19. Be5 $14) 18. Qd2 Qa8 (18...
Nd5 19. Be5 Qa8 20. Bd4 $14) 19. Be3 Rc4 (19... Ne4 20. Qd7 Bf6 21. Bxc5 Nxc5
22. Qc7 Bxa1 23. Rxa1 (23. Qxc5 Bf6 24. Qxb5 $14) 23... Rc8 24. Qb6 $16) (19...
Rd8 20. Qb2 Rcd5 21. Bb6 $16) 20. Qb2 $1 Bd5 $6 (20... Qxa5 21. Ne5 Rc7 22.
Bxb7 Rxb7 23. Nc6 Qc7 24. Rfc1 $36) (20... Nd5 21. Bd4 f6 22. e4 $36) 21. Qxb5
Rb8 22. Bb6 $16 Rc3 (22... Rc5 23. Qd3) 23. Rfb1 Ne4 (23... Rxa3 24. Rxa3 Bxa3
25. Ne1) (23... Bc4 24. Qe5 Nd5 25. Bd4 Rxb1+ 26. Rxb1 $18) 24. Ne5 $1 Bc5 (
24... Bf6 25. Nd7) 25. Qd7 Rb7 (25... f6 26. Bc7 $18) 26. Bxc5 $1 Nxc5 (26...
Rxd7 27. Nxd7 Nxc5 28. Bxd5 exd5 29. Rb8+ Qxb8 30. Nxb8 $18) 27. Bxd5 Nxd7 (
27... exd5 28. Qxd5 Rxb1+ 29. Rxb1 Qxd5 30. Rb8+) 28. Bxb7 Qxa5 (28... Qd8 29.
Nxd7 Qxd7 30. a6 Qd4 (30... Qa4 31. Bc6 Qxc6 32. Rb8+ Qc8 33. a7 $18) 31. Rd1
Qb6 32. a7 $18) 29. Nxd7 f6 (29... Qc7 30. Ba6 $18) 30. Nb6 h5 (30... Rxa3 31.
Rxa3 Qxa3 32. Bf3 $18) 31. a4 Qe5 32. Bf3 h4 33. a5 Rb3 34. a6 $1 Rxb6 (34...
Rxb1+ 35. Rxb1 Qa5 36. Bb7) 35. a7 {Ftacnik,L} 1-0

[Event "Luzern"]
[Site "Luzern"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Miralles, Gilles"]
[Black "King, Daniel J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1989.10.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 Bxa3 8.
bxa3 Bd7 9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 Qd7 12. e4 $6 {N} (12. Qa4 b5 13.
Qxb5 Rab8 14. Qxc4 Rxb2 15. Bxc6 Qd6 16. Bf3 Qxa3 17. Qxc7 Rxa2 18. Qc1 $14 {
Glek,I-Timoshchenko,G/Frunze/1988/1/4-1/4/32/}) 12... Rad8 13. d5 exd5 14. Bxf6
gxf6 15. exd5 Ne5 16. f4 (16. Qd4 $5) 16... Nd3 17. Rb1 b6 18. Qc2 Qe7 19. a4
Rfe8 20. h4 Qe3+ 21. Kh2 Qd4 $17 22. Qd1 Re3 23. Qg4+ Kf8 24. Qf5 c3 25. Qxh7
c2 26. Rb3 Ke7 27. h5 Rxd5 28. Bxd5 Qxd5 29. Kh3 Qe6+ 30. Kh4 Re2 31. g4 Rh2+
32. Kg3 Qe2 {Ftacnik} 0-1

[Event "URS-sf Ukraine-ch"]
[Site "Kherson"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Palatnik, Semon"]
[Black "Kruppa, Yuri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1989.11.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 11. Bxc6 Rb8 12. Qa4 Rb6 13. Bg2 Nd5 {N} (
13... Bb5 14. Qc2 Ra6 15. Bb2 Nd5 16. Rab1 c6 17. Rfe1 Qa5 {Liptay,L-Pigusov,E/
Rotterdam tt/1988/1/4-1/4/22/ -> CBM 09}) 14. Qc2 f5 $6 15. e4 $1 fxe4 16. Bxe4
Nf6 17. Bg2 Nd5 18. Re1 Qf6 19. Re5 h6 20. f4 Ne7 (20... c3 $5) 21. Bd2 Nf5 (
21... Nc6 $5 22. Be3 (22. Bc3 $5 Nxe5 23. d5 $146) 22... Nxe5 23. dxe5 Qe7 24.
Qa4 Bb5 25. Qa5 Bc6) 22. Bc3 Bb7 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Rae1 Rb6 25. Qe2 Ne7 26. Bb4
$18 Nc6 27. Bxf8 Nxe5 28. Bxg7 Nf3+ 29. Qxf3 Kxg7 30. Qc3 c5 31. Re5 Rb1+ 32.
Kg2 cxd4 33. Qxd4 Rc1 34. Qd2 Ra1 35. Qc2 c3 36. Qxc3 Rxa2+ 37. Kh3 Kh7 38. Qb3
Rd2 39. Qxe6 {Ftacnik} 1-0

[Event "Balatonbereny op"]
[Site "Balatonbereny"]
[Date "1985.09.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Bany, Jerzy"]
[Black "Cvetkovic, Srdjan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2435"]
[BlackElo "2380"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1985.09.25"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Nbd2
b5 9. Ng5 c6 10. b3 h6 11. Ngf3 cxb3 12. Nxb3 a5 13. Rd1 Qb6 14. Ne5 Bb7 15.
Nc5 Rc8 16. Bh3 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Qc7 18. Rd6 Na6 19. Bb2 Nb4 20. Qb3 Nbd5 21. Nxf7
Kxf7 22. e4 Re8 23. exd5 cxd5 24. Qxb5 e5 25. Re1 d4 26. Qb3+ Kf8 27. c6 $1 Bc8
(27... Bxc6 28. Rxc6 Qxc6 29. Bg2 e4 30. Ba3+ Re7 31. Bxe4 Nxe4 32. Qf3+ Ke8
33. Bxe7 Kxe7 34. Rxe4+ $18 Kd7) 28. Ba3 Re7 29. Bxc8 Rxc8 30. Rxe5 Rb8 31.
Rxe7 1-0

[Event "Belgrade Investbank"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "1989.11.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Hjartarson, Johann"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1989.11.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. e3 Ra7 12. e4 $6 {N} (12. Rc1 Qa8 13. Ne1 Nb8 14.
Ba5 Rc8 15. Nd2 Bxg2 16. Nxg2 c5 17. Bb6 Rd7 18. Bxc5 a5 19. a4 b4 20. Nf4 Rdc7
21. Nd3 $14 {Timman,J-Short,N/Hilversum (m/1)/1989/1-0/57/}) 12... Qa8 13. Re1
Nb4 14. Qb3 a5 15. e5 Ne4 16. Bxb4 axb4 $1 17. Qd3 c5 $1 18. Qxb5 Rd8 19. Qe2
cxd4 20. Nfd2 d3 21. Qf1 Nc5 $17 22. a3 h5 23. Rc1 Bxg2 24. Qxg2 Qb8 25. Re1
Rd5 26. f4 Ra6 27. Kh1 Rd8 28. Qf3 g6 29. Ra2 Qc7 30. Rc1 Qd7 31. Kg2 Qd4 32.
b3 bxa3 33. Rc4 Qd5 34. Rxa3 Rxa3 35. Nxa3 Nxb3 36. Nxb3 d2 37. Nxd2 Qxd2+ 38.
Kh3 Qa2 39. Ra4 Rd2 {Ftacnik} 0-1

[Event "Stara Zagora zt-A"]
[Site "Stara Zagora"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ninov, Kiril"]
[Black "Lechtynsky, Jiri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1990.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Nc3 (11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Be3
) 11... Nxd4 $6 (11... Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8) 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Rfd1 $1 (13. Nxe6
fxe6 14. Kxg2 c5 $13) 13... Bb7 (13... Bd5 14. e4 b4 15. exd5 bxc3 16. dxe6 (
16. Nc6 Qe8 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. d6 Qd7 19. dxc7 Nd5 20. Qxc3 $1 $16) 16... cxb2
17. Qxb2 $16) 14. Nxe6 Qe8 15. Nxf8 Qc6 16. f3 (16. e4 b4 17. Qa4 (17. Nd7 $2
Nxd7 18. Qd3 bxc3 19. Qxd7 Qxe4 $19) 17... bxc3 18. Qxc6 Bxc6 19. e5 cxb2 20.
Rab1 Nd5 21. Nd7 Nc3) 16... b4 17. Rac1 $6 (17. Nd7 $1 Nxd7 18. Qd3 bxc3 (18...
Nc5 19. Nd5 $1) 19. Qxd7 cxb2 20. Rab1 Bf6 21. Qxc6 Bxc6 22. Rd2 $14) 17...
bxc3 18. Qxc3 Qxc3 19. Rxc3 Kxf8 20. Rxc7 Bd5 21. b3 a5 22. e4 Be6 23. Rb7 (23.
Bd6 $2 Bxd6 24. Rxd6 Ne8) 23... a4 24. Bd6 Bxd6 25. Rxd6 axb3 26. axb3 g5 $36
27. Rd2 Ra3 28. Rb2 g4 29. Kf2 Ra5 30. Rb4 Rh5 31. Ke3 gxf3 32. Kxf3 Ng4 33. h4
Rc5 34. Rb6 Ne5+ 35. Kg2 Rc3 36. b4 Nc4 37. Rb8+ Kg7 38. Rf2 $2 (38. Re2 $5)
38... Ne3+ 39. Kh2 Ng4+ 40. Kg2 Nxf2 41. Kxf2 Kf6 42. b5 Ke5 43. b6 {Ftacnik,L}
0-1

[Event "Stara Zagora zt-B"]
[Site "Stara Zagora"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Inkiov, Ventzislav"]
[Black "Boensch, Uwe"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2510"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1990.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 Ra7 $6 {N} (12... Nd7 13. Rfd1
Qc8) 13. Rfd1 Bd6 $6 (13... Qc8 {/\ c5}) 14. Ng5 $1 g6 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. Qe4 c6
17. Qf3 Be7 18. Nge4 b4 19. Nc5 Rb6 $6 (19... Bxc5 20. dxc5 Rd7 21. Rxd7 Nxd7
22. Ne4 $16) 20. N3a4 Rb5 21. Rac1 Qc7 22. b3 a5 23. e3 Rc8 24. Rc2 Qd8 25.
Rdc1 Bf8 26. Nd3 Bd6 27. Nac5 Bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rxc5 29. Rxc5 Nd7 30. Rxc6 Nf6 31.
Ne5 Nd5 32. Rc4 a4 33. Kg2 a3 34. e4 Rxc4 35. bxc4 Nc3 36. d5 exd5 37. cxd5 Qf6
38. Nc6 Nxa2 39. e5 Qh4 40. d6 Nc3 41. d7 a2 42. Qg3 Qxg3+ 43. hxg3 a1=Q 44.
d8=Q+ Kg7 45. Qf6+ Kg8 46. e6 {Ftacnik,L} 1-0

[Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 46th"]
[Site "Havana"]
[Date "2011.05.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2011.05.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 143"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Nd5 {It may seem very logical to
attack the bishop on f4 with the knight, but the recent score for Black
players is a bit depressing. It is quite possible that 12...Bd6 will be
proclaimed to be more promising in the fight for the equality.} (12... Bd6) 13.
Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Nd7 {Black can try to oppose the queen with the same piece,
but experiences with 14...Qd6 show it achieving something less than true
parity.} (14... Qd6 15. Rfd1 (15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Ne4
Qb6 19. Rfd1 Ra7 20. Rac1 f6 21. Nf3 $14 {Khalifman,A (2530)-Karpov,A (2725)/
Moscow 1988/URS-ch 1/2 (26)}) (15. Qe3 $5) 15... Nd7 16. d5 Qxf4 17. gxf4 exd5
18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Nb6 20. Rdd1 Bf6 21. Rac1 Bxb2 22. Rxc7 $14 {Romanishin,
O (2550)-Janjgava,L (2470)/Simferopol 1988/ 1-0 (39)}) (14... c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5
16. Rfd1 (16. Ng5 Qb6 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Rfd1 Be7 19. Rd3 Nd7 20. Rad1 Bxg5 21.
Qxg5 Nf6 {Ubilava,E (2528)-Karpov,A (2668)/Calatrava, rapid 2007/ (1/2, 36)}) (
16. a4 bxa4 17. Nxa4 Bd6 18. Qe3 Qe7 19. Nb6 Bc5 20. Qb3 Ra7 21. Rfd1 Bc6 22.
Na4 Rb7 23. Qc2 Bb4 24. Rac1 a5 $11 {Grischuk,A (2728)-Karpov,A (2651)/Moscow
2008/ (1/2, 34)}) 16... Qe7 17. Rac1 Ra7 18. a4 $5 b4 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 $14
{Lastin,A (2622)-Novikov,M (2426)/Tomsk 2004/ (1-0, 54)}) 15. Rac1 $146 {
Andreikin must have had a reason to play this unusual move. Instead of the
game novelty the previous games have featured the seemingly more logical move
15.Rfd1 that prevents the immediate 15...c5 and supports the d4-d5 advance.} (
15. Rfd1 Bd6 16. Qh4 (16. Qe3 Nb6 (16... Qe7 17. Ne5 (17. a4 bxa4 18. Nxa4 Rab8
19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Rb5 22. Nc3 Rb6 23. Rac1 Rfb8 24. Na4 R6b7
25. Qd4 $16 {1-0 Fressinet,L (2677)-Gustafsson,J (2646)/Oberhof 2011 (46)})
17... Bxg2 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Kxg2 f5 20. f4 b4 21. Nb1 c5 22. dxc5 Qc6+ 23. Qf3
Qxf3+ 24. Kxf3 Bxc5 25. Nd2 $11 {1/2-1/2 Leko,P (2752)-Karpov,A (2619)/Moscow
2009 (60)}) 17. Qd3 (17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 f5 19. Rac1 (19. f4 b4 20. Nb1 {
Mikhalevski,V (2590)-Bakre,T (2426)/Sydney 2007/ 1-0 (32)} Nd5 21. Qb3 Bxe5 22.
fxe5 (22. dxe5 Ne3+ $1 $19) 22... f4 $40) 19... Qf6 20. f4 b4 21. Nb1 g5 22.
Nd2 gxf4 23. gxf4 Nd5 24. Qf2 Kh8 25. Kh1 Qh6 26. e3 $11 {1/2-1/2 Ivanisevic,I
(2649)-Iljin,A (2556)/Plovdiv 2008 (52)}) 17... c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Qxd8 Rfxd8
20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 f5 $5 (21... Rac8 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Ne4 Bf8 (23... Be7
$6 24. Nc6 Rd7 25. Nxe7+ Rxe7 26. Rc1 $16) (23... Rd5 24. Nd3 Bf8 25. Rc1 $14)
24. Rc1 Rc8 25. Rxc8 Nxc8 26. Nc6 $14) 22. e3 Rac8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rc1 {
1/2-1/2 Ponomariov,R (2739)-Leko,P (2752)/Moscow 2009 (31)}) (16. Ne5 Bxg2 17.
Kxg2 f5 $5 (17... Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qe7 19. a4 b4 20. Ne4 Rfd8 21. Rac1 $14) (17...
f6 18. Nc6 $14) 18. Nc6 Qe8 (18... Bxf4 19. Nxd8 Rfxd8 20. gxf4 Rac8 21. Rac1
c5 (21... Nf6 $5) 22. dxc5 Rxc5 (22... Nxc5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nxb5 $1 $16) 23.
Rd4 Kf7 24. Rcd1 Ke7 25. Rd6 $36) 19. Qf3 g5 20. Na5 $6 (20. Kg1 Nf6 21. b4 h5
22. a4 g4 23. Qg2 $14) 20... Nf6 21. a3 h5 {0-1 Maslak,K (2544)-Riazantsev,A 
(2656)/Moscow 2008 (47)}) 16... Nf6 $6 (16... Qxh4 $1 17. Nxh4 Bxg2 18. Nxg2
Nf6 19. Rac1 Rac8 $11) 17. a3 Qb8 18. g4 Rd8 19. Rac1 Be7 20. g5 Nd7 21. d5 Nf8
22. Ne5 $16 {1-0 Aronian,L (2744)-Ivanchuk,V (2750)/Monte Carlo 2007 (67)}) (
15. Ne4 c5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Rfd1 Qb6 18. Ne5 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Rac8 20. Bf3 a5 21.
Rac1 Rc7 22. Kg2 $14 {1/2-1/2 So,W (2668)-Onischuk,A (2688)/Lubbock 2010 (43)})
15... Bd6 (15... c5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Rfd1 $14) 16. Qh4 {White is borrowing
Aronian's idea, but the retreat 16.Qe3!? also makes a lot of sense.} (16. Qe3
$5) 16... Qxh4 (16... Be7 17. Qh3 c6 18. Rfd1 f5 $11) 17. Nxh4 Bxg2 {Bruzon
Batista can not believe, that his defence after exchange of queens could be
marred by any difficulties. The modest 17...c6 made sense for the bringing of
all of Black's reserves to the centre.} (17... c6 18. Ne4 Be7 19. f4 Rfd8 $11)
18. Kxg2 Nf6 (18... g5 $5 19. Nf3 g4 20. Ne1 f5 21. Nd3 Rfc8 22. Rfd1 c5 $11)
19. Nf3 Rfc8 20. Nd2 {White needs to play creatively in order to get a chance
for any advantage.} (20. Rfd1 c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Ne5 Bb4 $11) 20... e5 (20...
c5 $2 21. Nce4 $16) 21. d5 b4 {Black has a wide choice of options, but some of
them are more difficult to handle. It seems that the retreat of the bishop
would not promise full equality.} (21... Be7 22. Nde4 (22. e4 c6 23. dxc6 Rxc6
24. Nd5 Rxc1 25. Nxe7+ (25. Nxf6+ Bxf6 26. Rxc1 Bg5 $11) 25... Kf8 26. Rxc1
Kxe7 27. Rc7+ Kd6 $1 28. Rxf7 Rc8 29. Kf3 Rc2 30. Ke3 Rxb2 31. Rxg7 Rxa2 $11)
22... Nxe4 23. Nxe4 f5 24. Nd2 $14) 22. Nce4 Nxd5 23. Nxd6 cxd6 24. Ne4 f6 $6 {
This schematic solution in the critical moment is solid, but not the best
choice. Black finally had a chance to get rid of all the problems with the
more active knight retreat 24...Ne7!?} (24... Ne7 $5 25. Nxd6 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Rd8
27. Ne4 (27. Nc4 f6 28. e4 Kf7 $11) 27... f5 28. Ng5 h6 29. Nf3 e4 $11) 25.
Nxd6 Rd8 (25... Rc7 26. e4 Rd8 27. Nf5 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 g6 29. exd5 gxf5 30. Rc5
$14) 26. Nb7 Rdc8 (26... Rd7 27. Nc5 Rc7 28. Rfd1 Ne7 29. Nd3 $14) 27. Kf3 Nb6
28. Nd6 Rd8 {[%mdl 256] Black correctly judges, that it would be easier for
White to prove his superiority without a pair of rooks.} (28... Rxc1 29. Rxc1
Na4 30. Rc7 Nxb2 31. Nf5 $14) 29. Rc6 Na4 30. Rfc1 a5 (30... Nxb2 $2 31. Rb1
Na4 32. Rxb4 Nc5 33. Nf5 g6 34. Nh6+ Kg7 35. Rxc5 Kxh6 36. Rh4+ Kg5 37. Rxh7
$16) 31. R1c2 (31. Nc4 h5 32. Ke3 $14) 31... Rab8 32. Ke4 Rb6 (32... b3 33.
axb3 Rxb3 34. Nc4 Kf7 35. Kf5 g6+ 36. Kg4 $14) 33. Kd5 $6 {Andreikin has
worked hard for his chances, but he fails in the critical moment. The king
will be active, but it costs him the b2-pawn.} (33. Rxb6 Nxb6 34. Nb7 Rd4+ 35.
Kf3 a4 36. Rc6 $14) 33... b3 $1 34. axb3 Rxb3 35. Ke6 Rxb2 36. Rxb2 {White
continues to fight even without the pawn, as his active pieces fully
compensate for the missing material.} (36. Rc8 Rb8 37. R8c7 Rb6 38. Rd7 Rbb8
$11) 36... Nxb2 37. Ra6 a4 (37... Kf8 38. Ra7 a4 39. Rf7+ Kg8 40. Ra7 $11) 38.
f4 exf4 39. gxf4 h5 40. Ra7 (40. h4 Rb8 41. Ra7 Rb6 42. Kd5 Rb4 43. e4 $11)
40... Kh7 $6 {The magical 40th move has been one player's undoing in many
games. Black could have activated his rook with a draw.} (40... Rb8 41. e3 Rb6)
41. Nf5 Re8+ 42. Kf7 Rg8 (42... Rxe2 43. Nxg7 Nd3 44. Kxf6 Nxf4 45. Nxh5+ Kh6
46. Nxf4 Rxh2 47. Rxa4 $14) 43. Ne7 Rb8 44. Ra5 g6 $2 {The disappointed
defender is missing his golden chance, the position was still quite defendable.
} (44... f5 $1 45. Rxf5 (45. Nxf5 Rb7+ 46. Ne7 Rb6) 45... Rb6 46. Rxh5+ Rh6 47.
Rxh6+ Kxh6 48. Nd5 a3 49. Nb4 Nc4 50. Ke6 Ne3 $11) 45. Nxg6 Rb7+ 46. Ne7 Kh6
47. Kxf6 Nc4 (47... Nd1 48. Rxa4 Nc3 49. Ra8 Ne4+ 50. Kf7 $18) 48. Nf5+ (48.
Nf5+ Kh7 49. Rxa4 Nb6 50. Ra5 $18) 1-0

[Event "WchT 10th"]
[Site "Tsaghkadzor"]
[Date "2015.04.21"]
[Round "3.4"]
[White "Bu, Xiangzhi"]
[Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2744"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "298"]
[EventDate "2015.04.19"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "China"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {The
return of the ambitious variation 7.Ne5 speaks volumes about the difficulties
of getting any advantage in the main line with 7.Qc2.} Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6
Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 (11... c5 $5 {The closely related system with
the advance of the c-pawn is completely independent.}) 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4
Be6 14. Qc2 {Black is obviously ahead in mobilisation of his forces; White
needs to tread carefully in order to retain any chances for an advantage.} (14.
Qa6 Bh3 15. Re1 Qd5 16. f3 Ng4 17. Nc3 Qc5+ 18. e3 Ne5 19. Qe2 Rad8 20. Rd1 h6
21. Bd2 f5 22. Be1 Qc6 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Kf2 f4 25. Bd2 Nxf3 26. Rd1 Nd4 $19 {
0-1 Spiridonov,N-Geller,E/Novi Sad 1978/ (26)}) (14. Qd3 $5 Rad8 (14... Nd5 $5
15. Nc3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Rad8 $44) 15. Qe3 Qh5 16. f3 Nd5 (16... Rfe8 17. Qg5 Bc4
18. Qxh5 Nxh5 19. Re1 $1 Rxe2 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. Kf2 Bc4 22. Nc3 $14 {Pigusov,
E-Raecky,A/USSR 1988/ (22)}) 17. Qg5 $2 (17. Qc5 $1 $14) 17... Qh3 18. Bd2 h6
$6 (18... Rfe8 $1 $15) 19. Qh4 Qxh4 20. gxh4 Rfe8 21. Kf2 $8 Nb6 22. b3 Bc8 23.
Rg1 Ba6 24. e4 $14 {Teplicky-Ziatdinov,R/USSR 1988/ (31)}) 14... Bf5 {Black
players have stopped trusting the knight move; the activity of the bishop is
more irritating for White.} (14... Nd5 15. Re1 (15. e4 Bh3 16. Re1 Qf6 17. Qe2
$14) 15... Nb4 16. Qa4 Nd3 17. Rf1 Qxe2 18. Nc3 Qf3 $15 {1-0 Gruenenwald,
J-Wagman,S/Mendrisio 1988/ (74)}) 15. Qc4 Be6 16. Qc2 Bf5 17. Qd2 Rfe8 {
An important crossroads for Black, since the bishop move to h3 is an active
and quite promising continuation.} (17... Bh3 18. Re1 (18. Rd1 Rfe8 19. Nc3 Ne4
20. Qe3 Nxc3 21. bxc3 Qh5 $36) 18... Rad8 19. Qe3 (19. Qc3 Qd5 (19... Qf5 20.
Nd2 Rfe8 21. Qf3 Qa5 22. Qc3 Qa6 23. Nf3 Rxe2 $15 {1/2 (33) Georgiev,K (2654)
-Kiriakov,P (2564) Coventry 2005}) 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Na3 (21. Be3 Ng4 22. Bxa7
Qd1 23. Na3 Rxe2 24. Raxd1 Rg2+ 25. Kh1 Rxh2+ 26. Kg1 Rg2+ $11 {1/2 (31)
Sieciechowicz,M (2446)-Maksimenko,A (2540) Legnica 2010}) 21... Qb7 $5 (21...
Ne4 {1-0 Stanojoski,Z (2481)-Sigalas,F (2199)/Kavala 2006/ (40)} 22. Qc4 $14)
22. Qb3 (22. Nc4 $5 Nd5 23. Qb3 Qa6 $11) 22... Qa6 23. Qb5 Qe6 24. Qb3 Qa6 $11
{1/2 (24) Meier,G (2644)-Leko,P (2730) Dortmund 2012}) 19... Qd5 (19... Qh5 $5
20. Nc3 (20. f3) 20... Rfe8 (20... Ng4 $6 21. Qg5 $14) 21. Qf4 (21. Qg5 Qf3 $19
) 21... Nd5 22. Qh4 Qxh4 23. gxh4 Nxc3 24. bxc3 Rxe2 25. Bf4 $11) 20. f3 Ng4 $6
(20... Rfe8 $44) 21. Qc3 (21. Qxa7 $6 Rfe8 $44) 21... Rfe8 22. Na3 (22. e4 Qb7
23. Na3 (23. fxg4 Rxe4) 23... Ne5 $44) 22... Qb7 (22... Ne5 23. Bf4 $14) (22...
Rxe2 $2 23. Rxe2 Qxf3 24. Bh6 (24. Qe1 $18) (24. Qxf3 Rd1+ $19) 24... Qxc3 25.
bxc3 gxh6 (25... Nxh6 26. Rae1 Be6 27. Nb5 $18) 26. Nb5 {1-0 (34) Parker,J 
(2523)-Baburin,A (2593) Port Erin 1999}) 23. Bf4 Qb6+ 24. e3 Qb7 25. e4 Qb6+
26. Be3 Nxe3 27. Rxe3 Be6 $11 {0-1 (40) Benidze,D (2442)-Jojua,D (2520)
Tbilisi 2009}) (17... Rad8 $6 18. Qf4 $1 (18. Qe3 Qa5 19. Nc3 Rfe8 $44) 18...
Qe6 19. Nc3 $14) 18. Re1 Bg4 {Most likely the defender has enough compensation
for the sacrificed pawn. Proving it without doubt is of course a different
story.} (18... Rab8 19. Nc3 Rb4 20. Qe3 Qa5 21. Qf3 Bc8 22. Qg2 Bb7 23. f3 Ng4
$44 {1/2 (42) Meier,G (2641)-Bruzon Batista,L (2617) Havana 2009}) (18... Ne4
19. Qf4 Qa5 20. Bd2 Qb6 21. b3 Qd4 22. Bc3 Qc5 23. Bb2 g5 24. Qe3 Qxe3 25. fxe3
$11 {1/2 (50) Khismatullin,D (2662)-Ionov,S (2541) Olginka 2011}) 19. Qg5 $146
{[%mdl 8] Bu is actively working on his chess and it innevitably entails also
energy devoted to study of the critical opening lines. The knight move 19.Nc3
seems to be more than natural, but Black comes close to equality. The novelty
in the game hopes to retain more chances for play.} (19. Nc3 Ne4 20. Nxe4 Qxe4
21. Qc3 $5 (21. Qf4 Bxe2 22. Qxe4 Rxe4 23. Bf4 c6 24. Rac1 Bf3 25. Rxe4 Bxe4
26. Rc3 f6 27. f3 Bd5 {1/2 (43) Zhou,J (2660)-Hou,Y (2602) Xinghua Jiangsu 2011
}) 21... Bxe2 22. Be3 Qf3 (22... Bf3 23. Bh6 $1 Qg4 24. Bxg7 $16) 23. Rac1 a6
24. Bd4 Qg4 $1 (24... Qxc3 25. Rxc3 Rac8 26. f3 f6 27. Kf2 Bb5 28. Be3 Kf7 29.
Rd1 $14) 25. Be5 $5 f6 (25... Rac8 26. h3 $1 {[%csl Ge2]} Qh5 27. Bxg7 Qxh3 28.
Bh8 Qg4 29. b4 Re6 30. Qd4 $14) 26. Bxc7 Kh8 27. Qc6 Rac8 28. b3 $14 {1/2 (47)
Kramnik,V (2790)-Leko,P (2734) Dortmund 2010}) 19... Qxg5 (19... Qd6 20. Nc3
Re5 21. Qf4 Bxe2 22. Nxe2 Rxe2 23. Rxe2 Qd1+ 24. Kg2 Qxe2 25. Qf3 Re8 26. Qxe2
Rxe2 27. Be3 a6 28. Rd1 h5 29. Rd8+ Kh7 30. Bd4 $14) 20. Bxg5 Bxe2 (20... Rxe2
21. Rxe2 Bxe2 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Nc3 Bf3 $11) 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Nc3 Bf3 23. Re3
$1 Rxe3 {The ending is clearly slightly better for White, as Black has to cope
with the presence of 5 (!) isolated pawns in his camp.} (23... Bb7 24. Rd1 Kf8
25. Kf1 $14) 24. fxe3 Kg7 25. Rf1 Bg4 26. Rf4 Be6 27. Kf2 c5 28. Ke2 Rd8 29.
Ra4 Rd7 $6 {The engine is quite confident in the belief, that the rook move is
an inaccuracy. Black should have looked for counterplay with the precise 29...
c4!} (29... c4 $1 30. Rxa7 Bg4+ 31. Ke1 Rb8 32. a4 Rxb2 33. Rc7 Be6 $11) 30. b3
Kf8 (30... c4 $5 31. bxc4 Bg4+ 32. Ke1 Rd3 33. Ra3 Rxe3+ 34. Kd2 Rf3 35. c5
Rf2+ 36. Ke3 Rxh2 37. Rxa7 Rc2 $11) 31. e4 c4 {The key idea of the counterplay
comes after a delay of two moves and that makes it insufficient.} (31... f5 32.
exf5 Bxf5 33. Ke3 Rd3+ 34. Kf4 Bg6 35. Ne4 Rd5 36. g4 $14) 32. bxc4 Rd4 33. Ke3
Rxc4 34. Rxc4 Bxc4 35. Kd4 {[%mdl 4096] The minor piece endgame will be very
difficult for the defender, since the white king is perfectly centralised and
the black pawns remain vulnerable.} Be6 (35... Ba6 36. a4 $1 Bf1 37. Kc5 Ke7
38. Nd5+ Ke6 39. Kd4 $16) 36. a4 $1 f5 (36... Ke8 37. a5 Kd7 38. Kc5 f5 39.
exf5 Bxf5 40. Nb5 Bd3 (40... a6 41. Nd4 Bd3 42. Kb6 $18) 41. Nxa7 $16) 37. exf5
Bxf5 38. a5 h5 (38... Ke8 39. Nb5 Kd7 40. Kc5 $16) 39. h4 $6 {The looming time
control very often influences the quality of decisions that players make over
the board. Much more painful for the defender was the immediate attack on the
undefendable a-pawn.} (39. Nb5 $1 a6 (39... Ke7 40. Nxa7 Kd6 41. Nb5+ Kc6 42.
Nc3 $18) 40. Nc7 Bc8 41. Kc5 Ke7 42. Kb6 Kd6 43. Nxa6 Bxa6 44. Kxa6 Kc6 45. h3
f5 46. h4 $18) 39... Ke7 40. Nb5 a6 41. Nc7 Bc8 42. Kc5 Kd7 43. Nd5 {Bu must
have been unpleasantly surprised by the discovery that the king attack against
the a6-pawn no longer promises a decisive advanatage.} (43. Kb6 Kd6 44. Nxa6
Bxa6 45. Kxa6 Kc6 46. Ka7 Kc7 47. Ka8 Kc8 48. g4 hxg4 49. h5 g3 50. h6 g2 51.
h7 g1=Q 52. h8=Q+ Kd7 53. Qh3+ Kc6 54. Qb3 Qg4 $11) 43... Ke6 44. Nf4+ Kf5 45.
Nxh5 Bb7 46. Nf4 $6 {The nervous reaction is quite understandable, as the win
has become much more complicated.} (46. Kb6 $1 Bf3 (46... Bc8 47. Nf4 Kg4 48.
Nd5 Kxg3 49. h5 Bf5 50. Kxa6 Kh4 51. h6 Kg5 52. Kb6 Kxh6 53. a6 $18) 47. Ng7+
Kg4 48. Kxa6 Kxg3 49. h5 Kg4 50. Kb6 Kg5 51. a6 Bd5 52. a7 Ba8 53. Kc7 f6 54.
Ne6+ Kxh5 55. Kb8 Bf3 56. Nc5 f5 57. Nb7 $18) 46... Kg4 47. Nd5 $2 {The better
idea 47.h5 might not have been winning any more, but the game move simply
leads to the queen ending that should be defendable for black.} (47. h5 Be4 48.
h6 Kg5 (48... Kxg3 49. Nh5+ Kh2 50. Nf6 $18) 49. Kb6 Kxh6 50. Kxa6 Kg5 51. Nh3+
Kf5 52. Nf2 Bf3 53. Kb6 Be2 $16) 47... Bxd5 $1 48. Kxd5 f5 49. Kc6 (49. Ke5
Kxg3 50. h5 f4 51. h6 f3 52. h7 f2 53. h8=Q f1=Q 54. Qg8+ Kh3 $11) 49... Kxg3
50. h5 f4 51. h6 f3 52. h7 f2 53. h8=Q f1=Q 54. Qe5+ Kh4 55. Kb6 Qd3 {
Jakovenko will not be able to hold the a6-pawn, but it does not mean he has to
lose the queen ending.} 56. Kb7 Kg4 57. Qe6+ Kh4 58. Qh6+ Kg3 59. Qc6 Kh4 60.
Qf6+ Kg3 61. Ka7 Qc4 62. Qg5+ Kh3 63. Qf5+ Kh4 64. Kb7 Qb4+ {Black becomes
tired of waiting for the moment when White will finally grab the a6-pawn and
thus forces it himself.} (64... Qe2 $11) 65. Kxa6 Qc4+ (65... Qb8 66. Qd7 Qe5
$11) 66. Kb7 Qb3+ 67. Ka8 Qg8+ (67... Qc4 68. Kb7 Qb4+ $11) 68. Ka7 Qg1+ 69.
Ka6 Qd4 {The black king has to stary away from the trouble at the edge of the
board. The position is theoretically drawn, even though White has every reason
to test the opponent's defensive skills.} 70. Kb5 Qb2+ 71. Kc6 Qc3+ 72. Qc5
Qf3+ 73. Kd7 Qg4+ 74. Kc7 Qg3+ 75. Kc6 Qf3+ 76. Kb5 Qb7+ 77. Kc4 Qa6+ 78. Kc3 (
78. Qb5 Qf6 79. a6 Qf1+ 80. Kc5 Qg1+ 81. Kd6 Qg3+ $11) 78... Kg3 79. Qe5+ Kg2
80. Qd5+ Kg1 81. Kb4 Qg6 82. Qd4+ Kg2 83. Qd2+ Kf1 84. Kc5 Qf5+ (84... Qa6 85.
Qb4 Qc8+ 86. Kd4 Qg4+ $11) 85. Qd5 Qf8+ (85... Qf2+ 86. Qd4 Qf5+ 87. Kb4 Qb1+
$11) 86. Kc4 Qf4+ 87. Kb3 Qe3+ 88. Kb4 Qe1+ 89. Kb5 Qe8+ 90. Kb6 Qb8+ 91. Kc5
Qf8+ 92. Kc4 Qf4+ 93. Kd3 Qg3+ 94. Kc2 Qf2+ (94... Qc7+ 95. Kd2 Qf4+ $11) 95.
Qd2 Qc5+ 96. Qc3 Qf2+ 97. Kb3 Kg1 98. Qc1+ Kh2 99. Qc2 Kh1 {Jakovenko reverts
to the idea of stalemate in the corner of the board. The drawing trick turns
the black queen into an untouchable defensive monster.} 100. Qc6+ Kg1 101. a6
Qe3+ 102. Kb4 Qd4+ 103. Qc4 Qd2+ 104. Qc3 Qf4+ 105. Kb3 Qf7+ 106. Qc4 Qa7 107.
Qg4+ (107. Qb5 Qe3+ $11) 107... Kh2 108. Qf4+ Kg1 109. Qg5+ Kh1 110. Qd5+ Kg1
111. Qe6 Qb8+ (111... Kf2 112. Kc4 Qc7+ 113. Kb5 Qg7 $11) 112. Ka4 Qf4+ 113.
Kb5 Qf1+ (113... Qg5+ 114. Kb6 Qf4 115. a7 Qd4+ 116. Kb7 Qg7+ $11) 114. Kb6
Qf2+ 115. Kb7 Qf3+ 116. Ka7 Qf2+ 117. Kb8 (117. Qb6 Kh1 $11) 117... Qb2+ 118.
Kc7 Qg7+ 119. Kd8 Qd4+ 120. Ke7 Qg7+ 121. Ke8 Qa7 122. Kf8 Qf2+ 123. Kg7 Qg3+
124. Kh7 Qc7+ 125. Kg6 Qg3+ 126. Kh5 Qh2+ 127. Kg5 Qg3+ 128. Qg4 Kh1 129. Kf5 {
White plays on, but he must have stopped believeing, that progress was
possible.} (129. a7 $2 Qe3+ $11) 129... Qf2+ 130. Qf4 Qc5+ 131. Qe5 Qf8+ 132.
Qf6 Qc5+ 133. Kg4 Qg1+ 134. Kh5 Qd1+ 135. Kh4 Qe1+ 136. Kg5 Qd2+ 137. Kg6 Qd3+
138. Kf7 Qd7+ 139. Kg8 Qc8+ 140. Kh7 Qd7+ 141. Kh6 Qd2+ 142. Qg5 Qd6+ 143. Qg6
Qd2+ 144. Kh5 Qh2+ 145. Kg5 Qd2+ 146. Kg4 Qg2+ 147. Kf5 Qc2+ 148. Kf6 Qc3+ 149.
Ke7 Qc7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Lvov zt"]
[Site "Lvov"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tukmakov, Vladimir B"]
[Black "Dokhoian, Yury"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2540"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1990.02.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 018"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Nc3 c5 8. dxc5
Nc6 9. Qa4 Qa5 10. Qxc4 Qxc5 11. Qxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd7 13. Ne5 {N} (13. Rac1
Rad8 14. Nb5 Be7 15. Bc7 Rc8 16. Bd6 Rfd8 17. Rfd1 $14 {Wojtkiewicz,A-Arlandi,
E/Haifa ETC/1989/ ->TD89_12}) 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Ng4 (14... Bc6 15. Bxc6 bxc6
16. Rac1 $16) 15. Bf4 e5 16. Rad1 (16. Bg5 h6 17. Bd2 Rab8) 16... Rad8 (16...
exf4 $2 17. Rxd7 fxg3 18. hxg3 $16) 17. Bg5 f6 18. Bc1 b6 19. Bd5+ Kh8 20. h3
Nh6 21. g4 (21. Bxh6 gxh6 22. Kh2 Bd4 $10) 21... Ng8 22. Ne4 (22. Rd3 Ne7 23.
Rfd1 Bc6 $10) 22... Be7 23. Ng3 Bb5 $1 24. Be3 Bd6 25. Bf3 Ne7 26. Ne4 Bb8 27.
Nc3 Bc6 28. Bxc6 {Ftacnik,L} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Qatar Masters op"]
[Site "Doha"]
[Date "2015.12.24"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Ganguly, Surya Shekhar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2688"]
[BlackElo "2648"]
[Annotator "Ganguly,S"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2015.12.20"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "QAT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This was my first encounter with David and I wasn't sure what to expect from
him as he has quite a broad repertoire.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 {This was not in my
top 6 list which I thought he could opt for!} d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 (5.
d3 {I thought maybe he was aiming for a King's Indian Attack.}) 5... O-O 6. d4
{So main Catalan it is. Probably he was fine with the Catalan but wanted to
avoid Grünfeld/Kings Indian/QGA from my repertoire.} dxc4 {I have played few
games with this solid main line and decided to stick with my preparation for
this game.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 (10... h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6
12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. e3 (14. Qb3 {will transpose to the game}) 14... a5
{Earlier I had this position twice against Akopian and Papaioannu} 15. b4 {
Although both my games ended in a draw but there was some pressure I had to
withstand which I wanted to avoid for this game.}) 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 h6 $5 {
So the whole point is to get a similar position to 10...h6 but with the white
queen on d1 and not on c4 in order to stop White from playing b4.} (12... c5 {
is more popular here and has been seen a number of times at the top level.})
13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 {Now we have the exact same position
with white queen on d1 instead of c4.} 16. Qb3 (16. e3 a5 {[%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4]
and White is not in time to break with b4.}) 16... Qc7 {We are back to one of
the main lines of 10...h6 where White doesn't play b4.} 17. e3 (17. Rfd1 a5 18.
Rac1 Ra6 19. d5 Qb6 $1 {Jumabayev,R (2558)-Harikrishna,P (2666) Mashhad 2011,
and Black had a fine position.}) 17... a5 {David was taking s decent amount of
time for each move after 12...h6 and I felt he perhaps wanted to get the b4
break in as in the case of 10....h6 and now that he hadn't got the said move
he had to come up with some original plan over the board.} 18. Be2 $5 {And he
comes up with one! This way White first of all stops all kind of Ra6-Rb6 ideas
and switches the diagonal of his light squared bishop which will now look at
kingside (from d3 or c4) and instead of creating pressure on the queenside now
it will focus on a long term kingside attack!} Na6 {The knight belongs on b4.
This way White won't be able to create any threats with queen and bishop on
the b1-h7 diagonal.} 19. Ne4 Be7 20. Rac1 Nb4 21. Bc4 {And now it was my turn
for a long think. So Black has got his minor pieces on the right squares for
the moment. What next? Where to put the rooks was my main concern. By keeping
his bishop on c4 David has created the potential attacking threat of f4-f5
which will happen sooner or later. Also since the bishop has moved from the
h1-a8 diagonal it's clear that White will focus his play on the kingside now.}
Rae8 $1 {This looks rather stupid at first sight but since White's main plan
is f4-f5 (otherwise the bishop on c4 doesn't make much sense) it makes sense
not to move the f8-rook in order to keep the f7-pawn protected and by bringing
the other rook to e8 Black is now excellently prepared to meet f4-f5 ideas
anytime.} 22. f4 (22. Rfd1 {is possible and of course White doesn't have any
problems here but on the other hand now White also doesn't have any clear
plans on the kingside and the bishop on c4 is not doing much.} Bd8 $5 {[%cal
Gc7e7,Gb4d5,Ge7b4]} (22... Rd8 $5 {I was also considering this move as an
alternative})) 22... Bd8 $1 {Now Black doesn't have to worry about f5 ideas
anymore.} 23. Qd1 $1 {Now that White has already committed f4 it makes sense
to switch the force completely to the kingside and launch an attack.} Qe7 24.
Qf3 Nd5 {[%cal Ge7b4]} 25. Rc2 (25. Nc5 $1 {I felt this was needed in order to
not allow any counterplay on the queenside.} Bb6 26. Nd3 Bc7 (26... Nb4 27. Ne5
$14) 27. Kg2 Rd8 {I was intending to stay solid and wait for White's break.
The computer screams that every line is equal. White definitely has some play
here and is probably slightly better although Black is extremely solid.}) 25...
Qb4 26. Nc5 {[%cal Gc5d7]} Re7 (26... Bb6 $1 {I simply can't remember why I
didn't play this move!} 27. Nd7 $140 Rd8 $1 28. Nxf8 Nxe3 $17 {I saw these
tactics but then maybe I got tempted with the move that I played or simply
forgot that I thought about Bb6 after he played Nc5 :)}) 27. e4 $6 {This move
would have given White a steady advantage if Black didn't have the following
tactics.} (27. b3 Bb6 {maintains equality.}) 27... Bb6 $1 (27... Nb6 28. Qb3 $1
$14 {was his idea.}) 28. exd5 $2 (28. Nb3 Nf6 $15) (28. Qf2 Bxc5 29. dxc5 Nf6
$15 {White has too many weakness to protect now}) (28. Nd3 Bxd4+ 29. Kh1 Qxa4
30. b3 Qa3 31. exd5 exd5 $15) (28. Kg2 $1 {was the only way not to get into a
worse position} Bxc5 29. dxc5 Nf6 30. e5 Nd5 $13) 28... cxd5 29. Qb3 (29. Qa3
Qxa3 30. bxa3 dxc4 $15) (29. Bb3 Qxd4+ 30. Qf2 Qxf2+ (30... Qb4 {This was also
very tempting}) 31. Rfxf2 Rc8 32. Nd3 Rxc2 33. Bxc2 Rc7 34. Bb3 Kf8 $17 {
this was one of the options I was considering}) (29. Nd3 Bxd4+ 30. Kg2 Qxa4 31.
b3 Qc6 $17) 29... Bxc5 30. dxc5 Qxc5+ 31. Rff2 dxc4 32. Qxc4 {Black is a
healthy pawn up and White's king is also weak so it is very difficult to hold
this endgame, especially if Black can keep the queens on the board.} Qa7 $1 {
The safest way to keep the queens on the board.} (32... Qe3 33. Qc5 $1 {
and White's drawing chances will increase significantly after exchange of
queens.}) 33. Kg2 Rd7 34. Rfd2 b6 35. Qc6 (35. Rxd7 Qxd7 36. Qc6 Qd4 $17 {
[%csl Rg2]}) 35... Rfd8 36. Rxd7 Rxd7 37. h4 $6 {This further weakens White's
king position.} h5 $1 38. Kh2 Kh7 (38... Rd1 $4 {I was considering this move
for some time then recovered from the shock and played ...Kh7 instead!} 39.
Qc8+ Kh7 40. Rc7 $18) 39. Qe4+ g6 40. Qc6 Rd1 {And all Black has to do now is
to get his queen out. This was the 40th move and I didn't realise that the win
was still far away.} 41. b3 $1 (41. Qe8 Qb7 $19) (41. Qc7 Rd2+ {[%csl Rb2]} 42.
Kh3 Qxc7 43. Rxc7 Kg7 44. b4 axb4 45. Rc6 Ra2 46. Rxb6 Rxa4 47. Rb8 Kf6 48. Rb7
Kf5 49. Rxf7+ Ke4 $19) 41... Rd3 $1 {Not to allow the exchange of queens.} 42.
Qb5 Rd6 43. Rc8 $1 {Just when I thought the game was over David comes up with
the most stubborn defence.} (43. Rc6 Rd2+ 44. Kh3 Qa8 $1 (44... Qd7 45. Rxb6
Qd4 46. Rb7 {and it's a draw!}) 45. Qxb6 Rd6 $1 $19 {was my intention.}) 43...
Rd2+ $1 (43... Qb7 44. Rh8+ $1 {is a fine trick} Kxh8 45. Qe5+ Kg8 46. Qxd6 {
and the win is very very far away for Black.}) 44. Kh3 Qb7 45. Qc6 Qa6 46. Rh8+
{Again the only way.} (46. Qc4 Qxc4 47. Rxc4 Rb2 48. Rc3 Kg7 {should be
winning easily.}) 46... Kxh8 47. Qc3+ e5 $1 {Otherwise it's not so easy to
come up with a concrete plan.} 48. Qxd2 exf4 (48... Qf1+ 49. Kh2 exf4 50. gxf4
Qf3 51. Qd4+ Kh7 52. Qxb6 Qxf4+ 53. Kg2 {White should be lost, but here White
will create some counterplay with an outside passed pawn.}) 49. gxf4 (49. Qxf4
Qc8+ 50. Kh2 Qc2+ 51. Kg1 Qxb3 $19) 49... Qc8+ 50. Kh2 Qc5 {Not to allow b4.}
51. Qb2+ Kh7 52. Qd2 Qe7 53. Qf2 (53. Kg3 Qe6 $19) 53... Qf6 {And White is in
zugzwang.} 54. Kh1 (54. Kg2 Qe6 $19) (54. Qg3 Qb2+ 55. Kh3 Qe2 $19) 54... Qe6
55. Qg3 Qg4 56. Qe3 Qxh4+ 57. Kg2 Qf6 58. Kh2 Qe6 59. Qd3 Qf5 60. Qe3 Qc2+ 61.
Kg3 Qc5 62. Qe1 Qd4 63. Qe8 Qg1+ 64. Kf3 Qg4+ 65. Ke3 Qe6+ 0-1

[Event "FIDE World Cup KO"]
[Site "Shenyang"]
[Date "2000.09.10"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "Gelfand,B"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2000.09.07"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 079"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8.
a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 g6
15. Rac1 $1 {N} (15. Qe2) (15. h4 Rc8 16. Rd2 Bg7 17. Rad1 $14 {1-0 Lputian,
S-Polgar,J/Wijk aan Zee 2000}) 15... Re8 (15... Rc8 16. Ne1 Bg7 17. Nc2 Nxc2
18. Rxc2 Qe7 19. b3 Rfd8 20. Rcd2 Be8 $14) 16. d5 (16. Ne1 $5 $14) 16... exd5
17. exd5 Bd7 18. Nd4 Rc8 $2 (18... Be5 $1 19. Ncb5 Rc8 20. Nc6 bxc6 21. dxc6
Be6 $5 (21... Re7 $5) 22. Rxd8 Rcxd8 23. Qe2 Bb3 $44) (18... Qb8 {Shipov,S} 19.
Nb3 $1 (19. Ndb5 Bxb5 (19... c6 20. dxc6 Bxc6 21. Nd6 Re7 (21... Re6 22. Nce4
Bxe4 23. Nxe4 Bxb2 24. Rb1 Bg7 25. Rd7 $40)) 20. Qxb5 Re7 $11) (19. Ne4 Bg7 $5
(19... Be5 20. Nc5 Bg4 21. Re1 Qc8 22. Nxb7 $1) 20. Qxc7 (20. Nc5 Bg4 21. Rd2)
20... Qxc7 21. Rxc7 Bg4 22. Rd2 Rad8 $44 {Shipov,S}) 19... Bg5 (19... Bxa4 20.
Nxa4 b5 21. Qxc7 bxa4 22. Nd4 $14) 20. Ra1 Bf5 21. Nd4 Bg4 22. Nf3 Bxf3 23.
Bxf3 $14) 19. Ne4 $1 Be5 (19... Bxa4 20. b3 (20. Ne6 Qe7 (20... fxe6 21. dxe6
Qe7 22. Rd7 Bxd7 23. exd7+ Kh8 24. Nxf6 Qxf6 25. Qe2 $1 Qd8 26. Qb5 c6 27.
dxe8=Q+ Qxe8 28. Qxa5 $16 {Shipov,S}) 21. b3 fxe6 (21... Bb2 22. Nxc7 Bxc1 23.
d6 $1 {Shipov,S}) 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. bxa4 exd5 24. Bxd5+ Nxd5 25. Qxd5+ Kh8 26.
Qxb7 Rf8 $11) 20... Bxd4 (20... Bd7 21. Ne6 (21. Nc6 bxc6 22. dxc6 Bxc6 23.
Rxd8 Bxd8 24. Rd1 $16) 21... fxe6 (21... Qe7 22. Nxc7) 22. dxe6 Bxe6 23. Rxd8
Bxd8 24. Qd4 $16) 21. Qxd4 Rxe4 22. Bxe4 Bxb3 23. Rd2 Qd6 24. Qa7 $1 b6 (24...
c5 25. Qxb7 Re8 26. Re2 $1 (26. Bf3 c4 27. Qb5 Ra8) 26... Kf8 27. Qa7 $16) (
24... Re8 25. Bf3 c6 (25... Na2 26. Rxa2 Bxa2 27. Qxa5 Qa6 (27... Bb3 28. Qb5)
28. Qxc7 $16) 26. Qxb7 $16) 25. Qb7 Re8 26. Qxc7 Qxc7 27. Rxc7 Rxe4 28. d6 Be6
29. d7 Bxd7 30. Rdxd7 $18) 20. Nc5 b6 21. Nc6 $1 (21. Nde6 Qe7 22. Nxd7 Qxd7
23. Bh3 Qe7) 21... Bxc6 22. dxc6 bxc5 $1 (22... Qe7 23. Rd7 Qf8 24. Ne4 Bxb2
25. Rcd1 $16) (22... Qf6 23. Nd7 (23. Ne4 Qe6) 23... Qe6 24. Nxe5 (24. Qxe6
Rxe6 25. Bh3 $1 (25. Nxe5 Rxe5 26. Rd7 Na6 (26... Kf8 27. Bh3) 27. Bd5 Nc5 28.
Bxf7+ Kf8 $132) 25... f5 26. Bf1 $16) 24... Qxe5 25. Bh3 Rcd8 26. Rd7 $16) 23.
Rxd8 Rcxd8 24. Re1 $1 (24. Bh3 $6 Bxb2 25. Rb1 Rd2 $132) 24... Bd4 25. Rxe8+
Rxe8 26. Qb5 (26. Bf3 Re1+ (26... Re6 $5) 27. Kg2 Rb1) 26... Kg7 $1 (26... Re1+
27. Bf1 Rb1 (27... Re6 28. Qxa5 Nxc6 (28... Rxc6 29. Kg2) 29. Qa8+ Kg7 30. Kg2
$18) 28. Qxa5 (28. Qb8+ Kg7 29. Qxc7 Rxb2) 28... Rxb2 29. Qxc7 Kg7 30. Bb5 Rxf2
31. Kh1 Nd5 32. Qd8 Ne3 33. c7 Rc2 34. h4 Ng4 35. Qf8+ Kxf8 36. c8=Q+ Kg7 37.
Qxg4 $18) 27. Qxa5 $6 (27. Bf3 Re6 28. Kg2 c4 29. Qxa5 Nd3) (27. Kf1 $1 Re5 $3
(27... c4 28. Qxa5 (28. Qxc4 Bb6 $16) 28... Nd3 29. Bd5 Re5 30. Qa6 $1 $18) (
27... Nc2 28. Bd5 Re5 29. Bc4 (29. Qxa5 $5 Rxd5 30. Qxc7)) 28. f4 (28. Qxa5 Nd3
29. Bf3 Rf5) (28. Bf3 Rf5 29. Kg2 c4 30. Qxc4 Bb6 31. g4 $16) 28... Re3 29.
Qxa5 Nc2 (29... Rb3 30. Qxc7 Rxb2 31. Be4) (29... Nd3 30. b3 c4 31. bxc4 Re1+
32. Qxe1 Nxe1 33. Kxe1 $18) 30. Bd5 Re1+ 31. Qxe1 (31. Kg2 Re2+ 32. Kh3 Bg1
$132) 31... Nxe1 32. Kxe1 Bxb2 $16) 27... Re2 28. Qxc7 Rxf2 29. Kh1 (29. h4 $6
Nd3 30. Qd8 Rd2+ 31. Kh2 Rd1 32. Bd5 Rd2+ $11) 29... Nd3 30. Qd8 $2 (30. Bd5 $1
Ne5 (30... Ne1 31. Qxf7+ Rxf7 32. Bxf7 Be5 33. a5 $18) 31. h4 $3 (31. a5 Ng4
32. Qxf7+ Rxf7 33. Bxf7 Nf2+ 34. Kg2 Ne4 35. c7 (35. a6 c4 36. Bxc4 Nd6) 35...
Nd6 36. a6 c4 37. Be6 Kf6 38. c8=Q Nxc8 39. Bxc8 Ke5 40. Kf3 Kd6 41. Kf4 Kc7
42. Be6 h6 43. Bxc4 Bxb2 44. Bf7 g5+ 45. Kg4 Kb6 46. Bc4 Bd4 47. Kh5 Bg1 48. h3
Be3 49. g4 Bf2 50. Kxh6 Bh4 $11) (31. Qc8 h5 $1 (31... f5 32. Qg8+ $1 (32. Qb7+
Kh6 33. c7 Rf1+ 34. Kg2 Rg1+ 35. Kh3 g5 36. Bf3 g4+ 37. Bxg4 Nd3 $3 38. Qf3
fxg4+ $132) (32. c7 Rf1+ 33. Kg2 Rf2+ 34. Kh3 Ng4) 32... Kh6 33. Qf8+ Kh5 34.
Qe7 $18) 32. c7 (32. Qa6 Ng4 33. Bg2 Rxb2 34. h3 Rb1+ 35. Bf1 Ne5 $132) (32. h3
Rf1+ 33. Kh2 Rf2+ 34. Bg2 Rxb2) 32... Ng4 33. Qxg4 Rf1+ (33... hxg4 34. h4) 34.
Kg2 Rf2+ $11 35. Kh3 $2 hxg4+ 36. Kxg4 f5+ 37. Kh3 g5 38. g4 Be5 $19) 31... h5
(31... Ng4 32. Bg2 h5 33. Qf4 $3 Rxf4 34. gxf4 Nf2+ 35. Kh2 Be3 36. a5 $1 (36.
Kg3 Nd3 $1 37. Kf3 Bxf4 38. Bf1 c4 39. Bxd3 cxd3 40. a5 g5 $11) 36... Bxf4+ 37.
Kg1 Nd3 38. a6 $18) 32. a5 Ng4 (32... Rxb2 33. a6 Rb1+ 34. Kg2 Rb2+ 35. Kh3 $18
) (32... Rf1+ 33. Kg2 Rf2+ 34. Kh3 Re2 35. Qe7 $18) 33. Qxf7+ Rxf7 34. Bxf7
Nf2+ 35. Kg2 (35. Kh2 Ne4) 35... Ne4 36. c7 Nd6 37. a6 c4 38. Be6 (38. Bxc4 Kf6
39. Kf3 Ke7) 38... Kf6 39. c8=Q Nxc8 40. Bxc8 $18 Ke5 41. Bd7 Ke4 42. Be8 Kf5
43. Kf3 $18) (30. Be4 Ne5 31. Qc8 (31. h3 {Shipov,S} Rf1+ 32. Kh2 Rf2+ 33. Bg2
Rxb2 (33... Nf3+ $2 34. Kh1 Ne1 35. Qf4 $1 Rxg2 36. Qf1 $18) 34. g4 Nd3 35. Qg3
(35. Qd6 $2 Ne1 $1) 35... Rb1 36. Bh1 (36. Qxd3 Be5+ 37. Qg3 Bxg3+ 38. Kxg3 Rb8
39. a5 Rc8 $1 40. a6 Rc7) 36... Rb2+ $11 {Shipov,S}) 31... f5 (31... h5 32. c7
Ng4)) 30... Rc2 $1 (30... Rxb2 31. c7 Rb1+ (31... Nf2+ 32. Kg1 Ng4+ 33. Qxd4+
cxd4 34. c8=Q Rb1+ 35. Bf1 Ne3 36. Qa6 Kf8 37. a5 Ke7 (37... Rxf1+ 38. Qxf1
Nxf1) 38. Kf2 Rxf1+ 39. Qxf1 Nxf1 40. a6 $18) 32. Bf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kg2 Rg1+ 34.
Kf3 (34. Kh3 Nf2+ 35. Kh4 Rg2 36. Qxd4+ cxd4 37. c8=Q h6) 34... Ne5+ 35. Ke4
Nc6 36. a5 Ra1 37. Qd6 $16) 31. Bf1 (31. Bf3 Rc1+ 32. Kg2 Rc2+ 33. Kh3 Nf2+ 34.
Kh4 Nd3 $1 (34... Bf6+ 35. Qxf6+ Kxf6 36. c7 g5+ 37. Kh5) 35. Kh3 $11 (35. h3
Rc4)) 31... Nf2+ 32. Kg2 Ng4+ (32... Nd3+ $2 33. Kh3 Nf2+ (33... Ne5 34. c7 Nf3
35. c8=Q Ng1+ 36. Kh4 Rxh2+ 37. Bh3 Bf6+ 38. Qxf6+ Kxf6 39. Qh8+) 34. Kh4 Bf6+
35. Qxf6+ Kxf6 36. c7 $18) 33. Kf3 (33. Be2 Ne5 $1 (33... Rxe2+ 34. Kf3 Rxh2
35. c7 Nf6 36. Qxd4 cxd4 37. c8=Q Rxb2 $132) 34. c7 Rxe2+ 35. Kf1 (35. Kh3 Nf3
36. c8=Q Ng1+ 37. Kh4 Re4+ 38. Qg4 Rxg4+ 39. Kxg4 Be5 $3 40. a5 h5+ 41. Kh4
Bf6+ 42. Qxf6+ Kxf6 43. a6 Nf3+ 44. Kh3 Ng5+ 45. Kg2 Ne6 $19) 35... Rf2+ 36.
Ke1 Nd3+ 37. Kd1 Nxb2+ $11) 33... Ne5+ (33... f5 34. Qe7+ Kh6 35. Qh4+ Kg7 $11)
34. Ke4 Nxc6 35. Qc7 Nb4 36. g4 $6 (36. b3 Rf2 37. Bc4 Kf8 38. Qd8+ Kg7 39. Qe7
Kh6 $11) 36... Rf2 37. Bb5 g5 38. a5 (38. a5 Rf4+ 39. Qxf4 gxf4 40. a6 $11)
1/2-1/2

[Event "Bermuda"]
[Site "Bermuda"]
[Date "2005.02.07"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2632"]
[Annotator "Gelfand,B"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2005.01.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "BER"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 106"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 11. Rc1 (11. Rd1 Qc8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 c5 14.
Rac1 c4 15. e4 h6 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Re1 Ba8 18. Qc3 Rc7 $17 {Marin,M-Gelfand,B/
2nd Internet EUR-ch  blitz 2004}) 11... Be4 12. Qb3 (12. Qd1 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qxd4
14. Be3 Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 c5 16. a4 bxa4 17. Rxa4 Nbd7 18. Na3 Rb8 19. Nc4 h6 $44
{Nielsen,P-Short,N /2nd Internet EUR-ch ,blitz 2004}) 12... Nbd7 (12... Bd5 13.
Qe3 Nc6 $2 14. Rxc6 $1 Bxc6 15. d5 Nxd5 16. Qxa7 Nb6 17. Qxa6 Bf6 18. a4 $18 {
Nielsen,P-Landa,K/BL 0405 2004}) 13. Ba5 (13. Bb4 Bd5 14. Qa3 $2 (14. Bxe7 $142
Qxe7 15. Qe3 Rc8 16. Nc3 c5 $11) 14... c5 $1 15. Bxc5 (15. dxc5 a5) 15... Nxc5
16. dxc5 Ne4 $15 {Gelfand,B-Anand,V/Calvia, 2004}) 13... Qb8 14. Qe3 $1 (14.
Nbd2 Ba8 15. Bb4 c5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Rc8 18. Qa3 Rac7 $1 19. b4 a5 $1 20.
Qxa5 Ra7 21. Qb6 Rb7 22. Qa5 Ra7 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Vescovi,G/Bermuda BER 2005
(22)}) 14... b4 $146 (14... Ba8 15. b4 Bd6 16. Nbd2 Nb6 17. Rc2 Bd5 18. Rac1
Qb7 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Nxg2 Nfd5 21. Qb3 f5 22. f3 {Johannessen,L-Vaganian,R/BL
0405 2005}) 15. Nbd2 (15. a3 $6 bxa3 16. Nxa3 (16. bxa3 c5 17. Nbd2 cxd4 18.
Qxd4 $5) 16... Qxb2 17. Nc4 (17. d5 Bc5) 17... Qb7 18. Ncd2 Bd5 19. Rxc7 Qa8
$11) 15... Ba8 (15... Bd5 16. Rc2 (16. Nb3 $5 Bd6 17. Rc2 Qb5 18. Nfd2 Ng4 19.
Qd3 Qxd3 20. exd3 $14) 16... Rc8 (16... c5 17. dxc5 Qb5 18. Bb6) 17. Rac1 $14)
16. Nb3 Rc8 $6 (16... Nd5 17. Qd2 $1 (17. Qd3 Qb5 18. Nfd2 $1 (18. Ne1 c5 19.
dxc5 Nxc5 20. Qxb5 (20. Nxc5 Qxa5) 20... axb5 21. Nxc5 Rxa5 22. Ned3 Rc8 $11
23. Nb3 $140 Rxc1+ 24. Rxc1 Rxa2 25. Rc8+ Bf8 26. Ne5 Ra7 27. Nc5 Nb6) 18...
Qxd3 19. exd3 $14) 17... Qb5 18. e4 (18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 c5 20. e4 Nb6 21.
Bf1 c4) 18... N5f6 19. d5 $1 exd5 (19... Nxe4 20. Qe3 Nec5 21. Bf1 Qb8 22. Nxc5
Bxc5 23. Rxc5 Nxc5 24. Qxc5) 20. Nfd4 Qb8 21. exd5 $16) (16... Qb5 $2 17. d5)
17. Rc2 $1 Be4 (17... Bd6 18. Rac1 Be4 19. Ne5) 18. Ne5 $1 Bxg2 (18... Bxc2 19.
Nc6) (18... Nxe5 19. Bxe4) 19. Nxd7 (19. Kxg2 Nxe5 20. Qxe5 (20. dxe5 Nd7)
20... Qb7+ $132) 19... Nxd7 (19... Qb7 20. Nxf6+ Bxf6 21. f3 Bh3 22. Rac1 $18)
20. Kxg2 Qb5 21. Rac1 $16 c6 $1 (21... Bg5 22. f4 Be7 23. Qf3 $16) 22. Qf3 Nb8
(22... c5 $2 23. dxc5 Bxc5 (23... Nxc5 24. a4 bxa3 25. bxa3) 24. Qd3 $18) 23.
Rc4 (23. e4 $5 Re8 (23... c5 24. dxc5 Nc6 25. Bb6) (23... Rd7 24. Qe2) (23...
Rb7 24. Nc5) (23... Bg5 24. Re1 Nd7 25. Qe2 $16) 24. Qe2 Bf8 25. f4 $16) (23.
e3 $5 Bf8 (23... Re8 24. Qf4 $5 (24. Qe2 Bf8 25. Qxb5 axb5 26. Bb6 $6 Rxa2 27.
Bc5 Nd7 $11) 24... Rc8 (24... Rd7 25. Bc7 $16) 25. h4 Bf8 26. e4 $36) 24. Qe2
Re8 $14) 23... Rd7 $2 (23... Re8 $1 24. e3 Bf8 (24... Bd6 25. Qd1 Rd7 26. Qe1)
25. Qd1 (25. Qf4 Rd7 26. Bc7 $2 g5 $1 27. Qe5 f6) (25. Rxc6 Nxc6 26. Rxc6 (26.
Qxc6 Raa8) 26... Qa4) 25... e5 26. dxe5 (26. Qd2 exd4 27. Qxd4 (27. exd4 Qd5+
28. Kg1 Rae7) (27. Rxd4 c5 28. Rd5 Rd7) 27... c5 (27... Rd7 28. Qb6) 28. Rxc5
Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Qa4 (29... Qb7+ 30. Kg1 Nc6 31. Rxc6) 30. Qxb4 Qxb4 31. Bxb4 Nd7
$11) 26... c5 27. Qd5 $16) 24. e3 h6 (24... Re8 $5 25. Qe2 e5 (25... c5 26.
dxc5 Nc6 27. Bb6 Ne5 28. Nd4) (25... Bf8 26. Qe1 e5 27. Bxb4 $16) 26. dxe5 c5 (
26... Bf8 27. Qg4 Qxe5 28. Bxb4 $16) 27. Qg4 $1 Ra7 28. e6 Bd6 29. Rd1 ({Or} 
29. Re4 f6 (29... Rf8 30. Qf5 Nc6 31. Rd1 g6 32. Qd5) 30. Rd1) 29... Bf8 (29...
f5 30. Qxf5 Qxc4 31. Rxd6) (29... h5 30. Qh4 (30. Qxh5 Qxc4 31. Rxd6 Qe4+)
30... Rxe6 31. Rxd6 Rxd6 32. Rxc5 Qb7+ 33. e4 $16)) 25. Qe2 Re8 26. Qe1 Qa4 $6
(26... c5 27. dxc5 Nc6 28. Bxb4 Ne5 29. Nd4 Qb8 30. c6) (26... Rb7 27. Qd2 {
/\Nc5}) 27. Bxb4 Qxa2 28. Qc3 $18 Bxb4 29. Rxb4 c5 (29... a5 30. Rb6 a4 31. Ra1
axb3 32. Rxa2 bxa2 33. Qa3 e5 34. dxe5 Rd2 35. Qxa2 Nd7 36. Rxc6 Nxe5 37. Rc7
$18) 30. dxc5 a5 (30... Nc6 31. Ra1 Nxb4 32. Rxa2 Nxa2 33. Qa5) 31. Nxa5 (31.
Rb6 Qa4 32. c6) 31... Qd5+ (31... Qxa5 32. Rxb8) 32. e4 Qa8 33. c6 Rc7 34. Rc4
Na6 35. b4 Qb8 36. Nb7 Rxc6 37. Rxc6 Qxb7 38. Rc8 1-0

[Event "WchT 6th"]
[Site "Beersheba"]
[Date "2005.11.10"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "Gelfand,B"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2005.11.01"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 110"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Israel"]
[BlackTeam "US of America"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Nb3 c5 15.
Bxf6 Bxf6 $5 $146 16. Nxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Be7 18. b4 (18. Qf4 $5 Qxc5 19. Rac1
Qd6 (19... Qb4 20. Qxb4 (20. Rc7 Qxf4 21. gxf4 Bxf3 22. Bxf3 Bd6 $11) 20...
Bxb4 21. Ne5 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rfc8 23. Nc6 Bf8 24. Rc3 Rc7 25. Rfc1 $14) 20. Qxd6
Bxd6 21. Rfd1 Rfd8 $11) 18... Bf6 (18... a5 19. a3) 19. Rb1 Be4 (19... a5 20.
a4 $5) 20. Rb3 $1 (20. Nd2 Bxb1 21. Bxa8 Bxa2 22. Bg2 Rd8 (22... Bd5 23. Bxd5
exd5 24. e3 Qg4 $132) 23. Qc2 Bd5 $11) 20... a5 (20... Bd5 21. Ra3 a5 22. Rxa5
Rxa5 23. bxa5 Qc7 24. Nd2 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qxa5 26. Qc2 Ra8 27. Rc1 $16) 21. a3 (
21. bxa5 Rxa5 22. Ra3 Qa8 23. Rxa5 Qxa5 $11) 21... Bd5 22. Nd2 (22. Rd3 axb4
23. axb4 Ra4 24. Qd2 Ra2 25. Qe3 Rb2 $44) 22... Bxb3 (22... Bxg2 23. Kxg2 axb4
24. axb4 Qc6+ 25. Kg1 (25. f3 Ra2 26. Rd3 Rb2) (25. Nf3 e5) 25... Ra2 26. Rd1
Rfa8 27. Rd3 $14) 23. Bxa8 Qxa8 24. Nxb3 axb4 25. axb4 Qa4 26. Qe3 $1 Qxb4 27.
Rc1 Rc8 $6 (27... Bd8 28. Qd3 $14 (28. c6 Bc7 29. Qa7 Qd6)) 28. c6 g6 29. Qb6
$2 (29. Qd3 Rd8 30. c7 (30. Qf3 Be5) 30... Rxd3 31. exd3 Qxb3 32. c8=Q+ Kg7 $44
) (29. Qa7 $1 Qxb3 (29... Qe4 30. Qb7) (29... Be5 30. Nc5 Qd2 31. Nd3 Qxe2 32.
Qd7 $1) 30. Qb7 Rf8 31. c7 Kg7 32. c8=Q Rxc8 33. Rxc8 $16) 29... Be5 (29...
Qxb3 30. Qb7 Rf8 31. c7 $16) 30. Nc5 (30. Na5 Qb2) 30... Qd2 $1 31. Nd3 (31.
Nd3 Qxe2 32. Nxe5 (32. Qxb5 Bd6 $11) 32... Qxe5 33. c7 Qd5 34. Rc6 Qd1+ 35. Kg2
Qd5+ $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Amsterdam NH Hotels 5th"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "2010.08.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2672"]
[Annotator "Giri,A"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[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"]

{In this game I had to make a draw to more or less secure my first place in
the NH tournament and thus get a ticket to Amber. However the previous round
was a very painful one for me. I let Loek van Wely escape in a completely,
totally winning position, and that wasn't especially helping me for this game.
Nevertheless I played reasonably and it was only a horrible blunder when all
the troubles seemed to be over, that spoiled my game and the tournament as
well.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 {I didn't mind the Catalan and was
very curious about what my opponent would show me in the main-line.} Be7 5. Bg2
O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Lately this move has become very popular.
Perhaps due to the fact that White constantly fails to find any advantage in
the main line.} (8. Qxc4 {is the main-line, with the tabia starting after} b5
9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Exactly the same line
Gelfand played against me. I wasn't worried, since I had spent quite a lot of
time on this line as well.} (10. Bf4 {is another try.}) (10. Nc3 {seems to be
the most logical move, but it's considered to be imprecise in view of} b5 $1)
10... h6 {The modern idea. Black just wants to exchange everything and get a
rock solid position.} (10... Bd5 {Followed by ...c5 at some point is the old
main-line.}) 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 $1 {It's considered to be good to give
away the poor bishop. However it makes sense, since after e4, the bishop on c6
will become poor anyway.} 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Qb3 {And yet, my opponent is
repeating the choice of Boris.} (14. Rfd1 {is one of the other tries. Recently
Carlsen tried it against Ponomariov, with the idea of playing e4 e5 quickly
and giving a mate. Ponomariov however guessed his opponent's intention and
managed to equalise.}) 14... Ra7 $5 {I was thinking that my opponent had some
idea in mind, but nevertheless I decided to be dumb and follow my game against
Gelfand. However it was not so clever, since I knew that I have a lot of other
ways to meet this harmless idea.} (14... Qc7 15. Rfd1 Rd8 16. Ne4 $1 Be7 17. a5
Nd7 18. e3 Rab8 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. Nc4 Ne8 $1 21. Nb6 Nd6 22. Rac1 Nb5 $1 23. Be2
Qd6 24. Qa2 Bf6 25. Bc4 Qb4 26. Bb3 Nd6 27. Kg2 Kh8 28. Bc2 Nc8 29. Nc4 Nd6 {
led to total equality in Aronian-Wang Hao played a couple of weeks after my
game versus Nielsen. Sadly enough I already knew this nice equalising
manoeuvre before my game against Nielsen, Nf6-e8-d6-b5, but as I said I was
just to curious about my opponent's intention.}) 15. Ne4 $1 {Here I was so
much blaming myself for being too naive that I decided to stay principled.}
Bxd4 ({I could and maybe should have stayed solid -} 15... Be7 {but I thought
it wasn't a good combination with Ra7.}) 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. Qd3 c5 $2 {I didn't
see this move when I took on d4, but when I saw it, I got very enthusiastic
about it. It seems that after ...Nc6 I solve all my problems, but when I got
deeper into the position I realised that it was here where I messed it up for
the first time.} (17... Be5 $1 {would probably lead to a fine position, but it
was actually pretty hard to see the following sequence in advance.} 18. a5 Qb4
$1 (18... Qc7 $6 19. Qe3 Ra8 20. Nc5 {and it's hard to develop anything for
Black.}) 19. Qe3 b6 $1 (19... Ra8 20. Ra3 $1 $16) 20. axb6 Rd7 21. Qc5 Qb3 $1 {
and Black seems to be holding, though still a few precise moves are required.}
22. Rxd7 Nxd7 23. Qxc6 Nb8 $1 24. Qb7 (24. Qc5 Nd7 $11) 24... Bd4 $11) 18. e3
Be5 19. Rac1 Nc6 20. Nxc5 {Here I already realised fully how bad it all is and
it took me a lot of time to actually find the way to at least not to collapse
without any fight.} Rd8 $1 21. Nd7 {Maybe not the best objectively, but
reasonably tricky.} (21. Qc4 {was worrying me more behind the board.} {I was
intending -} Rxd1+ $6 (21... Bxb2 $1 {was the only way to survive -} 22. Rxd8+
(22. Rb1 Ne5 $1 $11) 22... Qxd8 23. Rd1 Qc8 24. Nd7 Ba3 25. Nb6 (25. Ne5 Bb2 $1
26. Nxc6 bxc6 $11) 25... Qb8 {followed by a5 should be holding too, though
it's clear that Black is always on the range.}) 22. Rxd1 Na5 23. Qe4 $1 {
I saw this move, but underestimated that after} Bxb2 24. Qc2 Be5 25. Rd7 {
will be very strong and Black is under huge pressure.}) (21. Qc2 {was also
very tricky. Here too I failed to see all the nuances at the the board, though
I must say I was working pretty hard there...} Rxd1+ $1 (21... Qxb2 {was my
initial intention, but I underestimated -} 22. Rxd8+ Nxd8 23. Qd1 $1 Bf6 24.
Ne4 Ra8 25. Rb1 Qa3 26. Nxf6+ gxf6 27. Rc1 {and it's not the most pleasant
position, though Black may survive it.}) 22. Rxd1 Qxb2 23. Qxb2 Bxb2 24. Rb1
Ne5 {and again Black seems to have escaped!}) 21... Qxb2 $1 {Only move. Over
the board I was very proud of such a fearless one. I actually first thought
that I had just survived it all and it would be a draw soon.} (21... Qc7 $4 {
seems rather safe, but in fact loses instantly to} 22. b4 $1) 22. Qc4 $2 {
To be honest, while my opponent was thinking, I in fact realized that after
the very strong 22.Kg2! I might still be in trouble. I got pretty unhappy and
depressed again, especially because I had just 30 minutes for 18 moves, which
in such a position are just nothing. Strangely enough my opponent failed to
spot this move.} (22. Kg2 $1 {an easy move, if you ask your self what do I
want, and what does my opponent want.} Qa2 $1 {covering the key c4-square was
the saving move.} (22... Qb4 {was my initial intention, but then I realised
that I might end up in an unpleasant ending after Qc4. However White has an
even stronger move} 23. Qc2 $1 (23. Qe4 Qxe4 24. Bxe4 Bc7 25. Bxc6 bxc6 26.
Rxc6 {leads to a pleasant edge for White.}) 23... Bb2 24. Bxc6 $1 bxc6 25. Ne5
$1 Raa8 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. Rb1 Rd2 28. Qxc6 Qc3 29. Qxc3 Bxc3 30. Rb8+ Kh7 31.
Nxf7 {and Black's chances to survive aren't that big.}) 23. Qe4 Bc7 24. Qh4 {
and White keeps an edge, but Black is still in the game.}) 22... b5 $2 {
The point was that after Qc4 I for a moment thought that I am in trouble.
However the way my opponent made a move and his expression at the moment
clearly showed me that there is some equaliser in the position! So I "found"
it, and impatiently played it. If I would have thought for half a minute more,
I would most probably find the right way. Great pity, but chess is chess!} (
22... Rxd7 {is not hard, but if you don't see the problem with ...b5 then why
would you try to find it?} 23. Rxd7 b5 24. Qxc6 Rxd7 {with dead equality.}) 23.
axb5 {My opponent played this move too quickly. I already felt something is
wrong, but I couldn't stop my hand from replying.} axb5 $2 {After I saw Qxd7!
I realized that it was actually here that I missed my last chance to save the
game and the tournament.} (23... Raxd7 $1 24. Rxd7 Rxd7 25. bxc6 Rd8 $1 {
and I actually think that after this important move Black is simply holding.}
26. Be4 (26. c7 $2 Rc8 {is the point}) 26... Bc7 {I don't see how White is
going to break the fortress after I set up something like Qe5, a5 and go with
rook to b8-d8, though of course he can try for a while.}) 24. Qxc6 Raxd7 25.
Qxd7 $1 {It's like in a famous game when Karpov blundered against Kasparov in
one of their games. Hopefully this blunder will not be the only thing in
common between me and the World Champion Anatoly Karpov.} Rxd7 26. Rc8+ Kh7 27.
Rxd7 {Now it's all over.} Kg6 (27... f5 {isn't helping since after} 28. Bh5 {
Black is in a mating net and the e6-pawn is too weak.}) 28. h4 Qa3 29. Kg2 Kf6
30. Rb7 Qd6 31. Ra8 b4 32. Raa7 Qf8 33. h5 Bd6 34. Rd7 Be5 35. Rab7 Qe8 36. Bd1
Bc3 37. Bb3 (37. f4 {wins on the spot, but Black is so hopeless that White can
do whatever he wants anyway.}) 37... Bd2 38. Kf1 Bc3 39. Ke2 Qg8 (39... g6 40.
hxg6 Kxg6 41. Kf1 {followed by Bd1 wins.}) 40. Bc2 Qe8 41. f4 {Finally White
decided to force the win.} g5 42. hxg6 fxg6 43. e4 g5 44. e5+ Bxe5 45. Rf7+ $1
Qxf7 46. fxe5+ Kg7 47. Rxf7+ Kxf7 {And the following moves were unnecessary.}
48. g4 Kg7 49. Kf3 Kf7 50. Bb3 Ke7 51. Ke4 Kf7 52. Bd1 Kg7 53. Kd4 Kg6 54. Kc4
h5 55. gxh5+ Kf5 56. h6 Kg6 57. Bg4 1-0

[Event "Interpolis-03"]
[Site "Tilburg"]
[Date "1979.11.13"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg M"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Gligoric,S"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1979.11.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
$5 Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bb4 11. Bg5 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nbd7 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2
b5 $1 $44 15. Rab1 Qe8 16. axb5 axb5 17. Nxd7 (17. Rxb5 $2 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 Nd5
19. e4 f6 $17) 17... Qxd7 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Qe4 f5 20. Qh4 f6 21. e4 $13 fxe4
22. Qxe4 c6 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Re1 Rae8 25. Re3 Rf7 (25... c5 $1 26. dxc5 Qc6+
27. Kg1 e5 $17) 26. Rbe1 Rfe7 27. Qf4 Kg7 (27... Kg7 28. Qg4+ Kh8 29. Qf4 Kg7
$10) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reykjavik op"]
[Site "Reykjavik"]
[Date "2016.03.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gupta, Abhijeet"]
[Black "Petrov, Nikita"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2634"]
[BlackElo "2463"]
[Annotator "Gupta,A"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2016.03.08"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ISL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 {This was already a surprise as usually my
opponent goes for Benko/Benoni.} 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Nbd2 {I decided to stick with
my 'old love' here :)} dxc4 6. Bg2 O-O (6... c3 7. bxc3 Bxc3 8. Rb1 Nc6 9. O-O
O-O 10. e3 $44) 7. Qc2 c5 (7... Nc6 8. Qxc4 Qd5 9. O-O {this is also bit
better for White.}) 8. dxc5 Nc6 9. O-O Bxc5 (9... c3 10. Nb3 $1 {Even stronger
than bxc3} (10. bxc3 Bxc5 11. Nb3 {This is what happened in the game between
Giri-Adams}) 10... Qe7 11. bxc3 Bxc5 12. Nxc5 Qxc5 13. Rd1 $14) 10. Nxc4 Qe7 $6
(10... Bd7 11. Bf4 Nb4 12. Qb3 Bc6 13. Rac1 Rc8 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Nxe3 Nbd5 16.
Nc4 {White is only marginally better here.}) 11. Nfe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qc7 $6 {
As they say mistakes comes in pairs; to be fair Black already had a pretty
depressing position.} (12... Nd5 13. a3 (13. Nd3 Bd6 14. a3 Bd7 (14... Nf6 15.
Bg5 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Rfd1 $14) 15. e4 Nb6 16. e5 Bb8 17. Be3 $14)) (12...
Rd8 13. Bd2 Nd5 14. Rac1 $16) 13. Be3 $1 {Protects the threat of ...Bxf2 and
pins the bishop on c5, simple yet pleasing to the eye.} Bb6 14. Qxc7 Bxc7 15.
Bd4 Rd8 16. Rac1 Ne8 17. Rfd1 f6 18. Nc4 {I decided to keep it simple.} (18.
Nc6 {This was !? but sadly doesn't really give an advantage:} bxc6 19. Bxc6 Ba6
(19... Bd7 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. Bxa8 Bxg3 $1 22. hxg3 Rxa8) 20. Bxe8 Rxe8 21. Rxc7
Red8 {Just draws on the spot.}) 18... Nd6 19. Ne3 Ne8 20. Nc4 {The repetition
was just show "who is the boss here?" :)} Nd6 (20... e5 21. Bc5 Be6 22. b3 {
There are simply too many pawns hanging for Black to defend.}) 21. Na3 {
By now I had already the final trick.} Bb8 22. Bc5 Nf7 23. Rxd8+ Nxd8 24. Be7
Nc6 (24... Be5 25. Nc4) 25. Rxc6 $1 {Again simple and elegant :)} bxc6 26. Bxc6
1-0

[Event "Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 20th"]
[Site "Bad Wiessee"]
[Date "2016.11.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Buhmann, Rainer"]
[Black "Stern, Rene"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2633"]
[BlackElo "2521"]
[Annotator "Gutman,L"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2016.10.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 c5 (7...
Nc6 {ist üblich.}) 8. dxc5 Qc7 (8... Bxc5 9. Qxd8 (9. Nxc4 $5 Nc6 10. Nc3 Qe7
11. Bg5 Rd8 12. Qc1 Bd4 13. Ne4 h6 14. Bh4 $16 {Kortchnoj-Granda Zuniga,
Thessaloniki Olympiade 1988}) 9... Rxd8 10. Nc3 Be7 $5 (10... Nc6 11. Nxc6 (11.
Nxc4 $5) 11... bxc6 12. Bxc6 Rb8 13. Bf4 (13. Bb5 $5 Bd4 14. Bxc4 e5 {
Schmidt-Rieger, AUT chT 2013} 15. Rd1 Bg4 16. Kg2 Rdc8 17. Bb3 $14) 13... Rb4 (
13... Bd6 14. Rfd1 Rb6 15. Bxd6 Rxc6 16. Bc5 Nd5 17. Bxa7 Rd7 18. Nxd5 exd5 19.
Bd4 $16 {Szabo-Kozma, Constanta 1969}) 14. Rfd1 Rf8 15. Na4 Be7 {
Shamkovich-Klavins, URS ch sf Kharkov 1956} 16. Bd2 Rb8 17. Rac1 Ba6 18. Be3 {
Vidit} Rbc8 19. Bf3 Bb5 20. Nc3 a6 21. Nxb5 axb5 22. Bb7 $14) (10... Nbd7 11.
Rd1 (11. Nxc4 Nb6 12. Nxb6 Bxb6 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Rfd1 Kf8 16. Rxd8+
Bxd8 17. Rd1 {Braun Michael-Margraf Ch, Mittelfranken chT 2010} Be7 $11) 11...
Be7 12. Nxc4 Nc5 13. Rxd8+ Bxd8 14. Be3 Be7 15. Rd1 (15. Nb5 Ng4 16. Bd4 e5 17.
Nc7 Rb8 18. Nxe5 $16) 15... Kf8 (15... Bd7 16. Nd6) 16. Nb5 (16. b4 Na6 17. a3
Nc7 18. Nd6 $14 {Monin-Rubzova, St Petersburg 1998}) 16... Ng4 17. Bd4 $16) (
10... a6 11. Nxc4 (11. Bf4 $5 Nc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Na4 Be7 14. Bc7 Rf8 15.
Bxc6 Bb7 16. Bxb7 Ra7 17. Rfc1 Rxb7 18. Rxc4 $16) 11... Nc6 (11... Nbd7 12. Rd1
Re8 13. Nd6 Bxd6 14. Rxd6 Rb8 15. Be3 Ng4 16. Ba7 Ra8 17. Rxa6 $5 (17. Bb6 Nxb6
18. Rxb6 Nf6 {Ivkov-Peredy, Basel 2007} 19. Rd1 $14) 17... Nde5 18. Ra3 Nc6 (
18... Nc4 19. Ra4) 19. Bc5 Rxa3 20. Bxa3 $16) 12. Na4 Ba7 13. Nab6 Bxb6 14.
Nxb6 Rb8 15. Bxc6 $1 (15. Be3 e5 16. Rfc1 Ng4 17. Bc5 Be6 $14) (15. Bg5 e5 16.
Nxc8 Rbxc8 17. Rfd1 $14) 15... bxc6 16. Bf4 Rb7 17. Rfd1 Nd5 18. Nc4 Bd7 19.
Bd6 Be8 20. Bc5 $16) 11. Bf4 (11. Nxc4 Nc6) (11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxf6 gxf6 (12...
Bxf6 13. Rfd1 Nc6 14. Rxd8+ Nxd8 15. Nxc4 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Bd7 $11 {Farias
Magalhaes-Lyashenko, ICCF 2012}) 13. Nxc4 Nc6 14. Rfd1 Kf8 (14... Bd7 15. Nd6
Rab8 16. Rd2 Be8 17. Rad1 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Rxd6 19. Rxd6 Kf8 $11) 15. Rxd8+ $5 (
15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Na5 c5 17. Nc6 Rd7 18. Nxe7 Kxe7 19. Rac1 Rb8 $11 {
Berczes-Bas Mas, Andorra 2012}) 15... Nxd8 16. Rd1 $14) (11. Nb5 Nd5 12. Nxc4 (
12. e4 Nb4 (12... a6 13. Na3 Nb4 14. Naxc4 Nc2 15. Rb1 {Vidit} b5 16. Nb6 Ra7
17. Bf4 Nd4 18. Be3 Bc5 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Rbd1 Nd7 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. Nxf7 $14)
13. Nxc4 N8c6 14. Bf4 e5 15. Nxe5 g5 $11 {Vidit}) 12... Bd7 13. a4 Na6 (13...
Nc6 $5 14. Bd2 Be8 15. e4 Ndb4 $11 {Vidit}) 14. Ne3 Bc6 (14... Nab4 15. Nxd5
Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bxb5 17. Bxb7 Bxe2 18. Bxa8 Bxf1 19. Kxf1 Rxa8 20. Bd2 {Vidit} a5
21. Rc1 g5 22. Rc4 Bd8 23. Ke2 Kg7 $11) 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Rd1 Nb4
18. Bd2 Nc6 19. Be3 Rd7 20. Nd4 Bf6 21. Nxc6 bxc6 22. Rac1 Rd6 23. b4 h6 24.
Rc5 (24. Kf1 d4 25. Rc4 Rad8) 24... Re6 (24... d4 $5 25. Kf1 Re8 26. Rc4 Red8
$11) 25. b5 cxb5 26. axb5 (26. Rxb5 $6 Re4 27. a5 d4 28. Rb4 Rd8 $11 {
Vidit-Pashikian,Lake Sevan Martuni 2016}) 26... d4 27. Bxd4 Rd8 28. e3 a6 29.
bxa6 Rxa6 $14 {Vidit}) 11... Nd5 12. Rfd1 g5 $6 (12... Nxf4 13. Rxd8+ Bxd8 14.
gxf4 Be7 (14... Bc7 15. Rd1 $14 {Vidit}) 15. Rd1 (15. Nb5) 15... Kf8 16. Nxc4 (
16. Nb5 Na6 17. Nxc4 Nc5) 16... Nd7 17. Bxb7 Bxb7 18. Rxd7 Bc6 19. Rc7 Be8 $11)
13. Bd2 Nb6 14. a4 N8d7 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Be3 Nf8 17. a5 (17. Rxd8 Bxd8 18. Nb5
a5 19. Rc1 $16) 17... a6 18. Ne4 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 h6 20. Nd6 (20. Bc5 Bxc5 21.
Nxc5 f5 22. Rd4 $16) 20... Bxd6 21. Rxd6 Nd7 22. h4 gxh4 23. gxh4 $14 {
Buhmann-Vasilevich, Zvenigorod 2008}) 9. Nxc4 Qxc5 ({Minder ratsam ist} 9...
Bxc5 10. Nc3 Rd8 (10... Bxf2+ 11. Rxf2 Qxc4 12. Rxf6 gxf6 13. Bh6 Nd7 (13...
Qc5+ 14. e3 f5 15. Rc1 (15. g4 Re8 (15... f4 $2 {Poutiainen-Van den Broeck,
Reykjavik zt 1975} 16. Bxf8 Qxf8 17. exf4 $16) 16. gxf5 Qxf5 17. Nb5 (17. Qa4
Nd7 18. Rf1 Qh5 19. Qf4 Kh8 $5 (19... e5 20. Qg3+ Qg6 {Zubarev-Dolana, Arad
2015} 21. Bd5 Qxg3+ 22. hxg3 Re7 23. Bg5 $14) 20. Ne4 Rg8 21. Nf6 Rxg2+ 22.
Kxg2 Qg6+ 23. Bg5 h6 24. Nxd7 Bxd7 25. Qf6+ Qxf6 26. Bxf6+ Kh7 $15) 17... Qg6
18. Nc7 Qxh6 19. Nxe8 $14) 15... Qe7 16. Qd4 f6 17. Bxf8 Qxf8 18. Nb5 Nc6 (
18... Nd7 19. Nc7 Rb8 20. Nxe6 $18 {Gheorghiu-Varabiescu, ROM ch Bucharest 1969
}) 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Rxc6 Bb7 21. Rc7 Rd8 22. Qh4 Rd1+ 23. Kf2 Rd2+ 24. Ke1 {
1-0 Zvjaginsev-Solozhenkin, RUS ch Kaliningrad 2015}) (13... Nc6 14. e3 (14.
Ne4 $5 Rd8 15. Qf1 Qd4+ 16. e3 Qe5 17. Nxf6+ Kh8 18. Be4 $18) 14... f5 (14...
Rd8 15. Qh5 e5 16. Ne4 Qe6 17. Qh4 {1-0 Ivkov-Robatsch, Vinkovci 1988}) 15. Ne4
f6 16. Bxf8 fxe4 (16... Kxf8 17. Qd6+) 17. Bh6 e5 18. Bxe4 Be6 19. Qf3 $16) 14.
Ne4 Qb4 15. Qc1 $5 (15. Rc1 f5 $14 {Psachis-Stefansson, Winnipeg 1997}) 15...
Kh8 (15... Rd8 16. Qf4 Kh8 17. Rd1 Qb6+ 18. Kf1 e5 19. Qg4 Rg8 20. Qh4 Rg6 21.
Nd6 $18 {Mamrukov-Lyashenko, email 2012}) (15... Qd4+ 16. Be3 Qe5 17. Qd2 Kh8
18. Bd4 $16 {Brewer-Vekelis, email 2010}) 16. Bxf8 Qxf8 17. Qc3 Kg7 18. g4 e5 {
Tyulenko-Akkalyoncu, email 2010} 19. Rc1 $16) 11. Bf4 Qe7 (11... Bxf2+ 12. Kxf2
e5 13. Nb5 $16 {Portisch-Matanovic, Skopje 1968}) 12. Qc2 Nc6 13. Rad1 $5 (13.
Bxc6 bxc6 14. Na5 (14. Bg5 {Lev Psachis} Bd4 (14... Ba6 15. Ne4 Bxc4 16. Qxc4
Bd4 17. Rab1 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rfc1 $14) 15. Ne4 Ba6 16. e3 Bxc4 17. Qxc4
Bxb2 $11 {Vaulin-Stanojevic, Nis 1996}) 14... Bb7 15. Bg5 Bd4 (15... Bb6 16.
Nxb7 Qxb7 17. e3 Bc5 {Rilberg-Schwenk, email 2009} 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Rfd1 $14)
16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 Bd4 18. e3 Bb6 19. Nxb7 Qxb7 20. Rac1 Rac8 21. Rfd1 $14)
13... Nd4 (13... Rxd1 14. Rxd1 Bd7 15. a3 a5 16. Bd6 (16. e3 $16) 16... Bxd6
17. Nxd6 Be8 {Hausner-Maros, SVK ch Kaskady 2002} 18. Ncb5 Rd8 19. Rd2 $16) 14.
Qc1 Nd5 15. Rfe1 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Nc6 {Trujilo Morales-Barreras Merino, corr 1996}
17. Qb1 f6 18. Be4 $14) 10. b3 $5 Rd8 11. Nbd2 $5 {Andere Fortsetzungen sind
harmlos.} Qc7 (11... Qh5 12. e3 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Nc6 14. Ba3 $5 (14. Bb2 $5 {
- 11...Nc6 12.Bb2}) 14... Bxa3 15. Nxa3 Nd5 16. Ndc4 $14) (11... Nc6 12. Ba3 (
12. Bb2 $5 {ist ebenfalls gut}) 12... Nb4 (12... Qh5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. e4 $5 (
14. e3 Qxd1 (14... Qb5 15. Qf3 Nc6 16. Rfd1 Rf8 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 a5 19.
Rac1 $16 {Gheorghiu-Robatsch, Ljubljana 1969}) (14... Qf5 15. e4 Qg6) 15. Rfxd1
Nfd5 16. Rac1 (16. Ne4 b6 17. Rac1 Ba6 $11 {Gheorghiu-Lengyel, Budapest 1970})
16... b5 (16... Bd7 17. Nd6 Bc6 18. N2c4 f5 19. a4 Rab8 20. e4 Nf6 21. e5 $14)
17. Na5 (17. e4 bxc4 18. Nxc4 Bb7 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Ne3 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 $14 {
Iniguez-Milde, email2012}) 17... b4 {Szabo-Portisch, HUN ch 1968} 18. Ndc4 Ba6
19. Ne5 $14) 14... Qxd1 (14... Qh6 15. e5 Nfd5 16. Nd6 b6 17. Rc1 Ba6 18. Re1
Rd7 19. N2e4 Rad8 20. h4 f6 21. Qd4 fxe5 22. Qxe5 Nb4 23. Nf7 Kxf7 24. Ng5+ Kg8
25. Bh3 $16) (14... Qg6 15. Qc1 (15. e5 $5 Nfd5 16. Nd6 b6 17. Re1 Rb8 18. Rc1
$14) 15... Nc6 16. e5 Ng4 $2 (16... Nd5 17. Nf3 f6 18. Re1 $14) 17. Nf3 Qh5 18.
Rd1 Rf8 19. h3 Ngxe5 20. Nfxe5 Nxe5 21. g4 Nxg4 22. hxg4 $18 {Cosma-Repkova,
Bucharest 2011}) 15. Rfxd1 Bd7 16. Nd6 Rab8 17. N2c4 Nc6 18. e5 Nd5 19. f4 b5
20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Ne3 d4 22. Nc2 $16 {Kiss-Lengyel, HUN Liga 2002}) 13. Bb2 $5
(13. Qb1 Qb5 14. Nf3 Bd7 15. Nfe5 Be8 $11 {Szilagyi-Pogats, HUN ch 1966}) (13.
e3 e5 (13... Qb5 $5 14. Qf3 Rb8 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Bd7 $11) 14. Qf3 (14. Qb1
Qc7 15. Ne4 Be6 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Be4 h5 $11) 14... Qc7 15. h3 Rb8 16. Ne4
Nfd5 17. Qh5 f6 18. Rac1 Be6 19. Qe2 Qd7 $5 (19... f5 20. Nxe5 Qa5 21. Nc4 Qa6
22. Bxb4 Nxb4 23. Nc3 Bf6 {Dordzhieva-Kovanova, RUS ch Women Kolomna 2016} 24.
e4 $5 $14) 20. Rfd1 Rbc8 $11) (13. Rc1 a5 (13... Qc7 14. Bb2 $5 (14. Bxb4 Bxb4
15. Qc2 Bd7 (15... Rb8 16. a3 Be7 17. Qb2 Nd5 18. e4 Nb6 19. Nxb6 Qxb6 20. Nc4
Qc5 $6 {Lange-Cherek, corr 1978} 21. e5 $14) 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Bc6 $11))
14. e4 (14. Rc2 Qc7 (14... Ra6 15. Qa1 b5 16. Bxb4 Qxb4 17. a3 Qc5 18. Qc1 Qc7
19. Nb2 Qb8 20. Nd3 Bb7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 $11 {Jordan-Miglorini, corr 2001}) 15.
Bxb4 axb4 16. e4 e5 17. Ne3 Bc5 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. exd5 Qe7 20. Ne4 Bf5 $15)
14... e5 15. Qe2 $11) (13. Qc1 $5 Rb8 (13... a5 14. Bb2 $14) (13... Qh5 $2 14.
Rd1 e5 15. Bxb4 Bxb4 16. Ne4 Rxd1+ 17. Qxd1 Be7 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Ne3 e4 20.
Nd5 Bf5 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Qd5 $16 {De Smet-Moeykens, email 2007}) 14. Bb2 Qh5
(14... Nc6 15. Nf3 Bd7 16. Nfe5 b5 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Na5 $18 {Sjoel-Smith,
corr 1990}) 15. Bf3 (15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 f6 (16... Qxe2 17. Qf4 $14) 17. Rd1
(17. Bf3 Qf7 $11) 17... Qxe2 (17... Bd7 18. Qe3 Bc5 19. Bd4 Bxd4 20. Rxd4 $14 {
Melnikov- Bueno Telmo, corr 2000}) 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 19. Qb1 b5 (19... Qxb2) 20.
Bxh7+ Kf8 21. Qd1 Qxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Bb7 23. Nd6 Bf3 $11) 15... Ng4 16. h4 Nc6 17.
Ne4 e5 18. Ba3 $5 Bxa3 19. Qxa3 $14) 13... Qg5 (13... Qh5 14. a3 Nc6 15. e3 (
15. e4 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 b5 {remis Vekshenkov- Karpov Alex, Koltsovo 2006}) 15...
Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 $14) (13... Qc7 14. Rc1 Nc6 (14... Nxa2 $2 15. Ra1 Nb4 16. Be5
Qd7 17. Nb6) 15. a3 Bd7 16. b4 a6 17. e4 b5 18. Bxf6 (18. Na5 $5 e5 19. Nf3 Qb6
20. Bxe5 Rac8 21. Bd4 $16) 18... gxf6 (18... bxc4 $5 19. Ba1 Ne5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5
21. Nxc4 Qb8 22. e5 Ra7 23. Qf3 $14) 19. Na5 Qb6 20. e5 $16 {Johnsen-Kramer,
corr 2001}) (13... Qb5 14. a3 (14. Ne5 Bd7 15. a4 Qa6 16. Ndc4 Be8 17. Qb1 Nfd5
$11 {Lara Ruiz-Punzon Moraleda, email 2006}) 14... Nc6 15. e3 $5 (15. b4 Qa6 (
15... Ng4 16. Qc2 a5 17. h3 Nf6 18. a4 Qh5 19. b5 Nb4 20. Qb3 Qxe2 21. Bf3 Qd3
22. Nb6 e5 23. Nxa8 Bxh3 24. Rfd1 Qf5 25. Nc4 Rd3 26. Rxd3 Nxd3 27. Nxe5 Nxe5
28. Bxe5 Qxe5 29. Rd1 $16 {Seiler-Schaefer, email 2011}) 16. Rc1 (16. e4 e5)
16... Bd7 17. Qb3 b5 18. Ne5 Rac8 19. Ndf3 Be8 20. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1 Nxe5 22.
Nxe5 Qd6 23. Qe1 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Nd5 $11) 15... Qa6 16. Qc2 Bd7 17. Ne4 Nd5 18.
Ncd6 Qb6 19. Rfd1 f5 20. Nc4 Qc7 21. Ned2 $14 {Neborak-Baranov, email 2013})
14. a3 (14. e3 $5 Nbd5 (14... Nd3 15. Nf3 Qh6 16. Bd4 Nb4 17. Nfe5 $14) (14...
Qb5 15. Qf3 (15. Qe2 Bd7 16. a3 Nbd5 17. Rac1 $14) 15... Nd3 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17.
Rad1 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 {Rauduve-Brazilius, ICCF 2011} 19. Ne4 Be7 20. Rxd8+
Bxd8 21. Rc1 Be7 22. Qd1 Rb8 23. b4 b6 24. Qa4 $14) 15. Nf3 (15. Qe2 Qh5 16.
Qxh5 Nxh5 17. Rfd1 Nhf6 18. e4 Nb4 19. e5 Nfd5 20. Ne4 $14) 15... Qh6 16. Qe2
Qh5 (16... Ne4 $6 17. Nfe5 Nec3 18. Qc2 Nb5 19. Rad1 $16) 17. Rfd1 Ne4 18. Rac1
Bd7 19. Nd4 Qxe2 20. Nxe2 Nef6 21. e4 (21. Bxf6 $6 Bxf6 22. e4 Nb4 23. e5 Bg5
24. f4 Be7 25. Bxb7 Rab8 $11 {Ritsema-Pheby, email 2005}) 21... Nb6 22. e5 (22.
Na5 Bb5 23. Nc3 Ba6 24. e5 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Nfd5 26. Nxd5 Nxd5 27. Bxd5 exd5 28.
Rxd5 Rc8 29. Nc4 Bxc4 30. bxc4 Rc7 $11) 22... Nfd5 23. Nd6 Bxd6 24. exd6 Bc6
25. Ba3 $14) 14... Nc6 15. e3 Nd5 (15... Bd7 16. b4 Be8 17. Qe2 (17. h4 $5 Qf5
18. e4 Qg6 19. e5 Nd5 20. b5 Nb8 21. a4 a6 22. Nd6 Bxd6 23. exd6 axb5 24. axb5
Rxa1 25. Qxa1 b6 26. Be4 $16) 17... Rac8 18. Rfd1 Qf5 19. Rac1 Qb5 20. Bf1 Nb8
21. e4 Qh5 22. Qxh5 Nxh5 23. e5 $14 {Loriguillo Gonzalez- Schulz Rene, email
2013}) (15... Rb8 16. Rc1 Bd7 17. Qe2 Be8 18. Rfd1 Rbc8 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. Ne4
Qf5 21. Ncd6 Bxd6 22. Nxd6 Rxd6 23. Rxd6 Nd4 24. Rxc8 Nxe2+ 25. Kf1 g5 {
Mantovanelli-Panyushkin, email 2011} 26. Rxe8+ $5 Kg7 27. Re7 Nc3 28. Bxb7 Qh3+
29. Ke1 Qh5 30. Rd2 h6 31. a4 Qxh2 32. Rdd7 Qg1+ 33. Kd2 Qa1 34. Rxf7+ Kg6 35.
g4 Nd5 36. Bxd5 exd5 37. Rb7 $16) 16. Rc1 Qg6 17. b4 b5 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5
Bb7 20. Qe2 a6 21. Nb3 Rac8 22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. bxc5 $14 {Dzhafarov-Frijing, ICCF
2013}) 12. Bb2 Nc6 13. Rc1 (13. Qc2 Nd4 14. Bxd4 Rxd4 15. Rac1 Rd8 16. Qb2 Bd7
17. Ne5 Qb8 18. Nxd7 Rxd7 $11 {Calvo-Antonov, email 2011}) 13... Bd7 14. e4 $5
(14. Qc2 Be8 15. Nf3 Rac8 16. Qb1 b5 17. Nce5 Qb6 $11 {Gutman-Stern, Berlin
2013}) (14. e3 Be8 15. Qe2 (15. a3 Rac8 16. b4 b5 17. Na5 Qb6 $11) 15... Rac8 (
15... Nd5 16. a3 (16. Ne4 Rac8 17. h4 f6 18. Rfd1 Bf7 19. g4 b5 $11 {
Cheparinov-Zhigalko, Tromso Olympiade 2014}) 16... Bf6 (16... b5 17. Ne5 $14)
17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. b4 Rac8 19. Nb3 Qb8 20. b5 Ne7 21. a4 h6 $11 {
Williams-Wuerschner, email 2013}) 16. Rfd1 Qb8 (16... Nd5 17. Nf3 b5 18. Nce5
Qb6 19. Nxc6 Rxc6 20. Rxc6 Qxc6 21. Rc1 Qd6 22. a3 Bf6 $11 {
Zlatariu-Voiculescu, email 2011}) 17. Nf3 Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Rd8 (18... b5 19. Nce5
Nb4 $11) 19. Rc1 Nb4 (19... Nd5 20. Nfe5 Bf6 21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23.
Qg4+ $16 {Kelires-Villegas,Luxembourg 2016}) 20. Bd4 (20. Ra1 b5 21. Nce5 Rc8
$11) 20... b5 21. Nce5 Rc8 22. Rxc8 Qxc8 23. Qb2 (23. Ne1 Qa6 24. N1d3 Nxa2 25.
Qc2 Bd6 26. Bc5 Bc7 27. Bf3 h6 $11 {Wiesner-Lehnen, email 2010}) 23... Nd7 24.
Bxa7 Qa6 25. a3 Qxa7 26. axb4 Nxe5 27. Nxe5 $11 {Medvedev-Noskov, Lechenicher
Schach 2013}) 14... b5 $6 {Zu optimistisch, Schwarz bleibt ohne Gegenspiel.} (
14... Rac8 $6 15. e5 Nd5 16. Ne4 Be8 17. Qg4 g6 18. Rfd1 h5 19. Qf3 Bf8 20.
Ncd6 Rb8 21. Rxd5 exd5 22. Nf6+ Kg7 23. Nxd5 {1-0 Bartels-Ward, Guernsey 1987})
({Vorzuziehen war} 14... Nb4 $5 {Weiß hätte} 15. Ne5 $5 (15. Be5 Qc5 16. Bxf6
Bxf6 17. e5 Bxe5 18. Ne4 Qc7 19. Qh5 f6 20. Nxe5 Qxe5 21. Qxe5 fxe5 22. Nc5 Bc6
23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Nxe6 Rd6 25. Rc4 Nxa2 $11 {Baklanov-Nordal, email 2013}) (15.
e5 Ne8 (15... Nfd5 16. Nd6 Bc6 17. N2e4 Nxa2 18. Rc4 Nb6 19. Rd4 Nd5 20. Qh5
$16) 16. Qh5 (16. Ne4 Bc6 17. Ncd6 Nxd6 18. exd6 Bxd6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Qg4 e5
$11) 16... Bc6 (16... g6 17. Qf3 Bc6 18. Ne4 Nd3 19. Ncd6 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Bxd6
21. Nxd6 Qxd6 22. Qxc6 bxc6 23. Bxd6 {Kishkin-Schlenther, ICCF 2010} Nxd6 24.
Rxc6 Nb5 25. Ra6 Rab8 $11) 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. Bc3 a5 19. Ra1 g6 20. Qe2 Nd5 21.
Ne4 Ng7 $11 {Shishkov-Zhuravlev, email 2013}) 15... Bc6 16. a3 Nd3 (16... Bd6
17. Nxc6 Nxc6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Qg4+ Kf8 20. Nc4 Nd4 {Kries-Zvak, email 2010}
21. Qh5 Nxb3 22. Rc3 Nd4 23. Kh1 Qc5 24. e5 $16) 17. Nxd3 Rxd3 18. e5 Ng4 19.
Be4 (19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qe2 Rad8 21. Nc4 Nh6 $11) 19... Rd7 20. Qe2 Rad8 21. Nc4
Nh6 22. b4 Bb5 23. Rc2 Ba4 24. Rc3 Bb5 25. Rfc1 Bg5 26. R1c2 Qb8 27. h4 Be7 28.
Bc1 Rd1+ 29. Kh2 Nf5 30. Bf4 Qa8 31. Qf3 $14 {finden müssen.}) 15. Ne3 Rac8 16.
e5 Ne8 17. Ne4 Qb8 18. Ng4 Nb4 $2 ({Hartnäckiger wäre} 18... Bf8 19. Qd2 Ne7 (
19... h6 $2 20. Nef6+ gxf6 21. exf6 $18) 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Rc1 Qb8 22. Nc5 Bc6
23. Qg5 Kh8 24. Qf4 Kg8 25. Bxc6 Nxc6 26. Nxe6 fxe6 27. Rxc6 Rd1+ 28. Kg2 Qb7
29. Qf3 Rb1 30. Bd4 Nc7 31. Ne3 $16) 19. Ngf6+ gxf6 20. exf6 Bf8 21. Qh5 e5 22.
Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Ng5 Nxf6 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Qxf6+ Bg7 26. Qe7 1-0

[Event "Las Palmas m"]
[Site "Las Palmas"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Morovic Fernandez, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "Hansen,Cu"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1994.02.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 040"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Nc3 a5 $6 (10... Nbd7 11. Re1 (11. Bf4 Nd5 12. Nxd5 exd5
13. Qc2 Re8 14. Rfd1 a5 15. Ne5 $14 {Parappalli,J-Ganesan,S/Calcutta open/1992/
}) 11... Nb6 (11... Ne4 12. d5 Nd6 13. Qa2 exd5 14. Nxd5 Nf6 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.
b3 $14 {Ftacnik,L-Inkiov,V/Skara EUchT/1980/}) 12. Qb3 Nbd5 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6
Nxf6 15. e4 $14 {Hubner,R-Helmers,K/Luzern/1979/}) (10... b5 $1 $8 11. Qd3 (11.
Qa2 b4 12. Nd1 Bd5 13. b3 c5 $15 {Polugaevsky,L-Braga,F/Mar del Plata/1982/})
11... b4 12. Nb1 Be4 13. Qd1 (13. Qe3 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 Bd5 15. Qd3 c5 16. e4 Bb7
17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 h6 19. b3 a5 20. Nfd2 Ba6 21. Nc4 Rc8 22. Rd1 N5b6 $17 {
Spassov,L-Ionescu,L/Spain/1991/}) 13... c5 (13... Nbd7 14. Nbd2 Bb7 15. b3 Ne4
16. Bb2 Nxd2 17. Nxd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 19. Nc4 $14 {Rozentalis,E-Crouch,C/Bern
open/1992/}) 14. dxc5 Nbd7 15. Nbd2 Bd5 16. c6 (16. Nb3 Rc8 (16... Nxc5 17.
Nxc5 Bxc5 18. Ne5 Qc7 19. Nd3 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bd4 $10 {Maiwald,JU-Berzinsh,R/
Duisburg WCJ/1992/}) 17. c6 Rxc6 18. Nfd4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rd6 20. Bd2 Qa8+ $15 {
Fauland,A-Ciolac,G/Wien open/1990/}) 16... Bxc6 17. Nc4 (17. Nb3 Rc8 18. Bf4
Be4 19. Rc1 Nd5 $10 {Peng Zhaoqin-Bojkovic,N/Novi Sad ol-W/1990/}) 17... Nc5 (
17... Rc8 18. b3 Nc5 19. Bd2 Nxa4 $15 {Smyslov,V-Veingold,A/Oviedo 25'/1992/})
18. Bd2 Rb8 19. a5 $14 {Dizdarevic-Brunner,L/?/1990/}) 11. Re1 Ne4 $6 (11...
Bd5 12. Qd3 Nc6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Qd1 Bc4 15. Ne5 Ba6 $13 {Ftacnik,L-Pokojowczyk,
J/Karvina/1979/}) 12. Qd3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 $16 Nd7 14. c4 (14. e4 $5) 14... Nb6
15. c5 Nd7 $6 (15... Nxa4 $5 16. Qc2 (16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qe8 18. c6 (18. Qc4
b5 19. cxb6 Nxb6 20. Qxc7 Nd5 $10) 18... Nb6 19. cxb7 Rb8 20. Qf3 Nd5 $13)
16... Qe8 17. e4 b5 $13) 16. Qc2 (16. e4 $2 Nxc5 $17) 16... e5 17. dxe5 Bxf3 (
17... Nxc5 18. Ng5 Bxg5 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qxc5 $16) 18. exf3 (18. Bxf3 $5 c6
19. Rd1 Qc7 (19... Qe8 20. Rb1 Nxc5 21. Be3 Nd7 22. Rxb7 Nxe5 23. Be4 $16) 20.
e6 fxe6 21. Be3 $16) 18... Nxc5 19. Rd1 (19. f4 $6 Qd3 $5 $14) 19... Qe8 20.
Be3 b6 21. f4 Rd8 22. f5 {()} f6 (22... Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Qxa4 24. Qxa4 Nxa4 25.
Rd7 Bc5 (25... Bd8 26. e6 $18) 26. e6 fxe6 27. fxe6 Bxe3 28. e7 $18 Bxf2+ 29.
Kh1 Bc5 (29... Nc3 30. Rd8 $18) 30. Bd5+ Kh8 31. exf8=Q+ Bxf8 32. Rd8 $18) 23.
e6 Bd6 24. Qc4 Kh8 25. Bf3 {><h5} Qe7 26. Rac1 Qe8 27. Rd4 {/\Rh4,Bh5-g6 ->} g6
28. fxg6 Qxg6 (28... hxg6 29. Rh4+ $18) (28... Nxe6 29. Rh4 $18) 29. Rh4 Be7
30. Rh6 Qg7 31. Rh5 {/\32.Bh6} Qg6 32. Qg4 Rg8 (32... Qxg4 33. Bxg4 {/\Bf5} Rg8
34. Bf5 Rg7 35. Bh6 Rgg8 36. Bf4 $18) 33. Qh4 {/\34.Bxc5 Bxc5 35.Be4} Rg7 34.
Bh6 Rgg8 35. Be3 Rg7 36. Qh3 {><f5 /\Rh6} (36. Rh6 Qf5) 36... Rgg8 37. Bg4 $1 {
/\Bf5, Hansen,Cu} 1-0

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 23rd"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "1995.07.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Hansen,Cu"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1995.07.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 048"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 {Von Gleich} d5 2. d4 e6 3. g3 {Weicht dem angenommenen Damengambit aus,
mit dem Lautier in letzter Zeit sehr gute Erfolge hatte.} Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O
O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 (10... Bd6 11. Nc3 (
11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13. Bd2 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Bxc6 Qxd2
17. Bxb7 Rab8 18. Qxa6 Qxb2 19. Nb5 Qxe2 $10 {1/2-1/2 Birnboim,N-Namyslo,H/
Lugano 1989 op (06) 1989 (33)}) 11... Bxf4 12. gxf4 Qd6 (12... a5 13. e3 Na6
14. Rfd1 Nb4 15. Rac1 Ra6 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 $14 {1-0 Birnboim,
N-Shterenberg,P/ISR ch 35/584 1982 (42)}) 13. e3 Nbd7 14. Rfc1 Rac8 15. b4 $14
{Vadasz,L-Plachetka,J/Trnava 27/507/1979/}) (10... Nbd7 11. Nc3 (11. Rc1 Rc8
12. Nc3 Nb6 13. Qb3 a5 14. Nb5 Bd5 15. Qd1 c6 16. Nc3 c5 {= Vukic,M-Parma,B/
YUG ch 33/(599) 1982}) (11. Qc2 Bd6 12. Nc3 Bxf4 13. gxf4 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15.
a5 Re8 16. e3 $14 {Birnboim,N-Kortschnoj,V/Beersheva 1987/1/2-1/2 (60)}) 11...
Nb6 (11... Rc8 12. Rfe1 Nb6 13. Qb3 a5 14. e4 $16 {Kakhiani,K-Bojkovic,N/Sm.
Palanka (Gruzija-Gosa [6]) 1990/1/2-1/2 (51)}) 12. Qb3 (12. Qd3 Nbd5 13. Bg5 (
13. Bd2 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Be4 15. Qe3 b5 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 c5 18. Nc6 Qc7 19.
Qf3 Rac8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Bg5 $14 {Frendzas,P-Pandavos,E/
Peristeri (09) 1993/1/2-1/2 (60)}) 13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Be4 15. Qe3 Bc6 16. a5
$14 {Alburt,L-Prandstetter,E/Taxca izt/1985/}) 12... a5 (12... Nbd5 13. Rfd1
Nxf4 14. gxf4 {1/2-1/2 Karlsson,L-Spassov,L/Eksjo (10) 1981}) 13. Nb5 {N} (13.
Rfd1 {N} Ra6 14. Qc2 Nbd5 15. Bd2 (15. Bg5 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be4 17. Qc1 c5 18. Qe3
Bd5 19. h3 Qc8 20. Rab1 $14 {Birnboim,N-Kosashvili,Y/ISL-ch 1986/1-0 (51)})
15... Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be4 17. Qa2 c5 18. Bg5 Nd5 {= Petrosian-Ivanovic/Vrbas 30/
(505) 1980}) (13. Rfe1 Nbd5 14. Be5 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Ra6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. e4 $16
{Kachiani Gerchinska-Garcia/Moscow ol (02) 1994 (39)}) 13... Nbd5 14. Be5 Bd6
15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Bb4 $10 {Tal,M-Georgadze,T/URS ch 29/425
1979/0-1 (40)}) (10... Nd5 11. Bd2 (11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 Nd7 (12... a5 $5 13.
Rfd1 Bd5 $5 (13... Na6 14. d5 $1 exd5 15. Nxd5 $36) 14. Qb5 (14. Nxd5 exd5 15.
Qb5 Na6 16. Qxb7 Nb4 $10) 14... Na6 15. e4 Bc6 16. Qc4 $14 {Hulak,K-Psakhis,L/
Zagreb (zt) 57/475 1993/0-1 (37)} (16. Qe2 $5 Nb4 17. Ne5 Be8 $13)) 13. Qd3 Nf6
14. Rfd1 Qd6 15. e3 $14 {Vukic,M-Cebalo,M/YUG-ch 27/508/1979}) 11... Nd7 12.
Qc2 (12. Re1 a5 13. e4 Nb4 14. Qb3 Bd6 15. Bg5 Qe8 16. Nc3 e5 17. Qd1 exd4 18.
Nxd4 Ne5 {+/= Dlugy,M-Morovic Fernandez,I/Tunis izt 39/(593) 1985}) 12... a5 (
12... N5f6 13. Nc3 b5 14. Rfc1 Rc8 15. axb5 axb5 $14 {Dorfman,J-Geller,E/
URS-ch/1978/}) (12... Nb4 13. Bxb4 Bxb4 14. Rd1 Nf6 15. Nbd2 Qe7 16. Ne5 Bxg2
17. Kxg2 c5 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 {1/2-1/2 Razuvaev,Y-Geller,E/URS-ch46
Tbilisi 1978}) 13. e4 Nb4 14. Bxb4 axb4 15. Nbd2 Nf6 16. b3 $14 {Dorfman,
J-Razuvaev,Y/URS-ch/1978/}) 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 (12. Rfe1 Nb4 13. Rac1 Nbd5
14. Ne5 Nxf4 15. Bxc6 Nxe2+ 16. Rxe2 bxc6 17. Nxc6 Qd7 18. d5 $14 {Agzamov,
G-Platonov,I/URS-FL Tashkent ,MCL 06 1980}) (12. Rfd1 Bd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb3
Bb4 15. Ne5 h6 16. g4 c6 17. Kh1 Nd7 18. Qg3 g5 19. Bc1 Bd6 20. f4 f6 21. Nxd7
Qxd7 22. e4 {1/2-1/2 Sygulski,A-Sobura,H/dr ch POL Porabka (08) 1986}) (12.
Rae1 $5 Nb4 $6 (12... Bd5 $1 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb5 Qc8 {/\ c6=}) 13. e4 Nd7 {
Kortschnoj,V-Hjartarson,J/St John (m/8) 45/6111/1988/} 14. Re2 $1 (14. Rd1 Nb6
15. Qb3) 14... Nb6 15. Qb3 Kh8 $14) (12. Qd3 Nb4 13. Qb1 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15.
Rd1 Bd6 $10) (12. Be5 {Von Gleich} Bd5 13. Qd3 c5 14. Ng5) 12... h6 13. Rfe1 {
[%cal Ye2e4]} (13. Be5 {Von Gleich}) (13. Rfd1 {Von Gleich} Bb4 14. Ne5 Bxg2
15. Kxg2 c6 (15... Bd6) (15... Nd5 16. Nd3 Nb6 {gewinnt einen Bauern}) 16. Nd3
Nd5 17. e4 Nxf4+ 18. gxf4 Qh4 19. Ne2 Bd6 20. Qb3 $13) 13... Bb4 14. Be5 {
[%cal Ye5f6,Ye2e4]} (14. Qd3 {Von Gleich} Bd5 15. e4 Bb3 (15... Bc6 $2 16. Ne5)
16. d5) 14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Red1 (16. e4 Nd7 17. Bf4 Nb6 18. Qd3 c5 $132
{[%csl Rd4,Rf3,Rf4]}) (16. Qb3 {Von Gleich} Nd7 17. Bf4 Qe7 18. e4 e5 19. Be3
exd4 20. Bxd4 Nac5 21. Qc2 Ne6) 16... Qe7 (16... Bd6 $6 {Von Gleich} 17. Bxf6
Qxf6 18. Ne4 Qe7 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 $14) 17. Bf4 {[%csl Gd4][%cal Re2e4,Rf4e3]} (17.
Na2 {Von Gleich} Bd6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Qb3 Qe7 20. e4 $14 (20. Qb6 $2 Nd5 21.
Qxa5 Nab4) (20. e3 Nd5 21. Kg2 Rfd8 22. Rc4 Rd7 23. Nc3 Ndb4 24. Ne4 e5 25. Nc3
$14)) 17... Nd5 18. Bd2 {[%cal Ye2e4]} Rfd8 19. Qb3 (19. e4 $2 Nb6 {[%csl Rd4]}
) 19... Nf6 20. Be3 (20. Be1 $5 {[%cal Ye2e4]}) 20... Nd5 21. Bd2 Nb6 22. Be3
Nd5 23. Bd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Ubeda"]
[Site "Ubeda"]
[Date "1997.02.18"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "Hansen,LB"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1997.02.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 058"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{8. a4 is more popular at the moment, but I don't like the weak b4-square!} b5
9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 $5 (10. Bf4) (10. Bd2) 10... Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8
13. Nb3 c5 (13... Be4) 14. dxc5 Be4 $5 (14... Bd5) (14... a5) 15. Qc3 Bd5 16.
Rfd1 Ne4 $5 {A natural, but seldomly played move.} (16... Qc7 17. Nfd4 Bxc5 18.
Bxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxc5 Qxc5 20. Nxc5 Rxc5 21. Rac1 Rxc1 (21... Rcc8 $6 22. Nc6 $16
{Fedder,S-Pedersen,S/Lyngby/1991/}) (21... Rfc8 $2 22. Rxc5 Rxc5 23. e4 Nf6 24.
Nxb5 $1 $18) 22. Rxc1 $14 {Schmidt-Stern,R/BL9394/1994/ A typical Catalan
ending: White is slightly better because the a6-pawn is weak.}) 17. Qe1 (17.
Qe3 $5 Qc7 $6 (17... Nxc5 $142) 18. Nfd4 Nf6 19. Rac1 Rfd8 20. c6 $16 {
Neckar-Donev,I/Lenk/1991/}) 17... Qc7 18. Nfd2 Bxb3 (18... Nxc5 $6 19. Bxd5
exd5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Nb3 $16 {>< d5}) (18... Nxd2 $5 19. Rxd2 (19. Bxd5 Nxb3
20. Bxb3 Bxc5 $11) (19. Qxd2 Bxb3 20. axb3 Rfd8 $1 21. Qe1 Rxd1 22. Qxd1 Qxc5
23. Rxa6 Qc1 $11) 19... Bxb3 20. axb3 Bxc5 21. Rd3 (21. Rxa6 $4 Bb4 $19) 21...
Qb6 $11) 19. Nxb3 Nxc5 20. Rac1 Qb6 21. Qa5 $1 Qxa5 22. Nxa5 Na4 23. Rxc8 Rxc8
24. Nc6 Bf6 25. Rd7 $1 Nxb2 26. Ra7 Na4 27. Rxa6 Nc3 28. Kf1 $14 Kf8 29. Ke1 g6
30. Ra7 $6 (30. f4 $5 $14) 30... e5 $1 31. Kd2 e4 32. Ra6 Rc7 33. Ke3 Nxa2 $1
34. Bxe4 Nc3 35. Bc2 Kg7 36. f4 Na4 37. Bxa4 bxa4 38. Ne5 Bxe5 39. fxe5 $11 Rc4
40. Ra7 Kf8 41. h4 1/2-1/2

[Event "DEN-ch"]
[Site "Denmark"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hansen, Lars Bo"]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "Hansen,LB"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 053"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. d4 Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {A solid line, which in my opinion is underestimated.}
Nbd7 11. Bxf6 $1 (11. Nbd2 c5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 $132) 11... Nxf6 (11... gxf6 12.
Ng5 $1) 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 c5 14. dxc5 a5 (14... Bd5) 15. a4 Be4 16. Qc3 b4
17. Qe3 Bd5 (17... Qd5) 18. Rfd1 Qc7 19. Nfd4 (19. Rac1 $5 Bxb3 20. Qxb3 Bxc5
21. e3 $14) 19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bxc5 21. Rac1 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Qb7+ 23. Kg1 Qa6
24. Qe5 Nd5 25. e4 $1 $146 (25. Nc5 Qc6 26. Rd2 Nb6 27. Rdc2 Rcd8 28. Nb3 Rd1+
$1 29. Rxd1 Qxc2 30. Qd4 Qxb3 31. Rd3 Qxa4 32. Qxb6 Qa1+ 33. Kg2 Qxb2 34. Qxa5
g6 $15 {Andersson,U - Petursson,M/ Reggio Emilia/1989/}) 25... Nb6 (25... Qe2
$2 26. Qd4 (26. Nd4 Rxc1 $8 27. Nxe2 Rxd1+ 28. Kg2 Nf6 29. Qxa5 $16) 26... Nf6
27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Qd8+ $1 Ne8 29. Qxc8 Qxd1+ 30. Kg2 Kf8 31. Nxa5 Qxa4 32. Nb7
$16) (25... Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Qe2 27. Nxa5 $16) 26. Rxc8 Qxc8 (26... Rxc8 $6 27.
Rd6 $1 $16) 27. Rc1 (27. Qxa5 $1 Qc2 28. Rd4 $1 Qxb3 29. Qxb6 $16 {Aagaard})
27... Qd7 28. Qxa5 Qxa4 29. Qxb6 Qxb3 30. Qd4 $14 {A typical scenario in the
Catalan: Even after several exchanges, White maintaines a slight edge due to
the exposed b4-pawn.} h6 31. Kg2 Qa4 32. Rc7 Qb5 33. b3 Ra8 34. Rc4 Ra2 $2 $138
(34... Rb8 35. h4 $14) 35. h4 $1 (35. Rxb4 $2 Qe2 $132) 35... e5 $6 36. Qd8+
Kh7 37. Qc8 $1 $18 Ra7 (37... g6 38. Rc7 Kg7 39. Qe6 $18) 38. Qf5+ g6 39. Qf6
Qb8 40. h5 $1 gxh5 41. Rc6 1-0

[Event "Madrid"]
[Site "Madrid"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Black "Epishin, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "Hansen,LB"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1995.05.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 047"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Bxf6 $1 (11. Nbd2 c5 $1 12. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 $13)
11... Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 Be4 (13... c5) 14. Qc3 Nd5 15. Qd2 c5 16. Nxc5
Bxc5 17. dxc5 Rxc5 18. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 19. Rxc1 Qa8 $5 (19... Nf6 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21.
Ne5 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Ne8 23. Nd3 $14 {Larsen,B-Tal,M/Næstved/1985/}) 20. Qd4 Nf6
21. Qc5 h6 22. a3 Rd8 23. h3 $14 {X a6} Bb7 24. Qb6 Rb8 (24... Rc8 25. Rxc8+
Qxc8 26. Kh2 $14) 25. b4 Bd5 (25... Bxf3 $2 26. Bxf3 $16) 26. Qc7 Ne8 27. Qf4
Qb7 (27... Rc8 28. Rxc8 Qxc8 29. Ne5 $14) 28. h4 $1 Rd8 29. Rc5 Nd6 30. g4 $1
$36 Qe7 31. g5 $1 hxg5 (31... h5 32. Ne5 $16) 32. hxg5 Bxf3 $5 33. Bxf3 Nf5 34.
e4 $5 (34. e3 $14) 34... Nd4 35. Bg4 Qd6 $8 36. Qxd6 Rxd6 37. f4 f5 $1 38. gxf6
$1 (38. exf5 exf5 39. Bxf5 Nxf5 (39... Ne2+ $2 40. Kf2 Nxf4 41. Ke3 $16) 40.
Rxf5 Rd3 $10) 38... gxf6 39. Kf2 Kg7 40. Ke3 (40. Kg3 $5) (40. e5 $5 $14) 40...
e5 $5 41. fxe5 (41. Bc8 $5 $14) 41... fxe5 42. Rxe5 Nc2+ 43. Kf4 Nxa3 44. Re7+
Kf8 45. Ra7 Nc2 46. Ke5 Rh6 $1 (46... Rb6 $2 47. Be6 $1 $16 {X Kf8}) 47. Be6
Nxb4 48. Rf7+ Kg8 $1 (48... Ke8 $2 49. Kd6 $16 {X Ke8}) 49. Kf5 Nd3 50. Ra7+
Kf8 51. Ra8+ Ke7 52. Ra7+ Kf8 (52... Kf8 53. Rxa6 Nc5 $10) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 2nd"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2015.04.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2745"]
[Annotator "Havasi,G"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2015.04.17"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 {We are in the
Catalan.} dxc4 7. Ne5 (7. Qc2 {is the other big main line.}) 7... Nc6 8. Bxc6
bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 {This position is a very important one for the
evaluation of the whole Catalan.} 11. Na3 $5 (11. Qa4 {is the other line} e5
12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 {etc.}) 11... c5 (11... Rd8 12. Qc2 (12. Nxc4 c5 {
was good for Black in some games}) 12... c5 (12... Rxd4 13. Nxc4 Qc5 14. b3 Rd8
15. Ba3 $14) 13. dxc5 Qxc5 14. Be3 Qh5 {1-0 (37) Kjartansson,G (2446)-Sabuk,P 
(2206) Legnica POL 2013}) (11... e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Nxc4 $14 {1/2 (35)
Andrews,S-Arganian,D East Lansing 1991}) (11... Qb4 12. Qc2 $142 (12. Qd2 Rb8
13. Qxb4 Rxb4 14. Rb1 Ba6 {0-1 (28) Epp,E-Salman,J (2198) Bermuda 2005})) 12.
dxc5 Qxc5 13. Be3 Qc6 $146 (13... Qb4 {was played by Nakamura} 14. Qc1 (14. Qc2
Ba6 15. Bd2 Qb6 {1/2 (40) Omelka,R (2115)-Dobes,V (2061) Czechia 2011}) 14...
Ba6 15. Bd4 Rfd8 16. Rd1 Rac8 17. Qc3 Qa4 $13 {1-0 (50) Aronian,L (2797)
-Nakamura,H (2767) Saint Louis USA 2014}) (13... Qh5 {was playec by Anand} 14.
f3 c3 15. bxc3 Qa5 16. Qc1 Ba6 17. c4 Rac8 $44 {1/2 (31) Kramnik,V (2787)
-Anand,V (2770) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2014}) 14. Rc1 Bb7 {Black provokes f3 to
weaken the g1-a7 diagonal.} 15. f3 Ba6 16. Nxc4 Bxc4 17. Qd4 Rfc8 18. b3 Qa6
19. bxc4 Qxa2 20. Kf2 $14 {White is already better} a5 21. Bg5 {White attacks
the N and forces Ne8.} (21. g4 {is the thematic move} Qa4 22. g5 Ne8 23. Rfd1
$14) 21... e5 $1 22. Qd6 Rd8 (22... e4 $1 23. Bxf6 exf3 24. Kxf3 gxf6 {leads
to a very unclear position.}) 23. Qb6 Rab8 (23... Rdb8 $1 {was important} 24.
Qe3 a4 $11) 24. Rfd1 $1 Re8 25. Qe3 $14 {White has seized the initiative.} a4
26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qe4 {White tries to activate the Q.} (27. c5 $1 $14) 27... a3
28. Rd7 Rbd8 $6 (28... Red8 $1 {the other R should stay on the b-file} 29. Rcd1
Rxd7 30. Rxd7 Qb3 $11) 29. Ra7 $1 {Black's Q can't go away.} Qb2 {If it
nevertheless does so...} 30. Rb1 $1 f5 $2 (30... Qc3 31. Qg4+ $16) (30... Qd4+
$1 31. Qxd4 Rxd4 32. Rb4 $1 Rc8 33. Rb6 Rcxc4 34. Rxf6 $1 $14) 31. Rxb2 fxe4
32. Rxa3 $16 Rd4 33. Rc2 Rc8 34. c5 exf3 35. Rxf3 Rc6 36. Rd3 Rxd3 37. exd3 f5
38. d4 exd4 39. Ke2 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9798 40th"]
[Site "Reggio Emilia"]
[Date "1997.12.30"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Bellini, Fabio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2415"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1997.12.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 063"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. Qd3 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Bf4 Re8
15. Rfc1 f6 16. Nd2 Nb6 17. Nb3 Bb4 18. Nc5 Re7 19. b3 Nd7 20. Rc2 Nf8 21. Rd1
Qe8 22. e4 Bxc5 23. exd5 Re1+ 24. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 25. Qf1 Qxf1+ 26. Kxf1 Bxa4 27.
bxa4 Bd6 28. Bxd6 cxd6 29. Bh3 $1 {[%csl Rb7,Yc8,Rd6,Yd7,Ye6][%cal Rc2c7] [#]
Guter "schlechter" Läufer; immobiler Springer, der durch den Läufer und den
Doppelbauer beherrscht wird; keinerlei schwarze Aktivitäten; einzige offene
Linie besitzt Weiß.} Re8 (29... b5 30. axb5 a4 31. b6 Rb8 32. Rc8 Rxc8 33. Bxc8
a3 34. b7 a2 35. Be6+ Kh8 36. b8=Q a1=Q+ 37. Kg2 $18) 30. Bc8 b6 31. Bf5 Kf7
32. Rc6 Rb8 33. Rc7+ Kg8 34. Bd3 Ng6 35. Rc6 Kf7 36. Rxd6 Ne7 37. Rd7 Ke8 38.
Bb5 Kf8 39. Ke2 h5 40. Kd3 Rc8 41. Bc4 Nf5 42. d6 Ke8 43. Be6 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia 9798 40th"]
[Site "Reggio Emilia"]
[Date "1998.01.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Arlandi, Ennio"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2470"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1997.12.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 063"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 b6 15.
h4 Bb7 16. Rd2 c6 17. Qe2 Ra7 18. Rad1 Ba6 19. Qe3 Bc4 20. Nb1 Ba6 21. Ne5 Qb8
22. Ng4 Be7 23. Nc3 Re8 24. b3 h6 25. Bf1 Bxf1 26. Kxf1 Bd6 27. Qf3 Rd8 28. Kg2
Rad7 29. Ne2 Qb7 30. Ne3 Na6 31. g4 Bb4 32. Rb2 e5 33. d5 Nc5 34. Ng3 Bc3 35.
Rbb1 Bd4 36. dxc6 Qxc6 37. Nef5 Ne6 38. Nh5 Bc5 39. Rxd7 Rxd7 40. Rf1 Rd2 41.
Kh2 Kf8 42. Qc3 Nd4 43. Nhg3 Bb4 44. Qe3 Qc3 45. Kh3 Rd3 46. Qc1 Nxb3 47. Qxc3
Bxc3 48. g5 hxg5 49. hxg5 g6 50. Ne3 Nc5 51. Kg4 Rd4 52. Nd5 Nxe4 53. Nxe4
Rxe4+ 54. Kf3 Re1 55. Rxe1 Bxe1 56. Ke2 Bb4 57. Nxb6 Ke7 58. Nd5+ Kd6 59. Nxb4
axb4 {[#] Besonderes Merkmal: der weiße Bg5 blockiert den schwarzen
Königsflügel und sichert Weiß das Remis.} 60. Kd3 Kc5 61. f3 (61. f3 Kd5 62.
Kc2 Kc4 (62... Kc6 63. Kb3 Kc5 64. Kc2 $1 Kb6 65. Kb2 $1 $11) 63. Kb2 b3 64. a5
Kb5 65. Kxb3 Kxa5 66. Kc4 Kb6 67. Kd5 Kc7 68. Kxe5 Kd7 69. Kf6 Ke8 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad-34"]
[Site "Istanbul"]
[Date "2000.11.05"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Hansen, Lars Bo"]
[Black "Arlandi, Ennio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2562"]
[BlackElo "2437"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2000.10.28"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2001"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Denmark"]
[BlackTeam "Italy"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "DEN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. c4 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 c5 14. dxc5 Be4
15. Qc3 Nd7 16. Rfd1 Qc7 17. Rac1 Nxc5 18. Qe3 Bd5 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qb7+
21. f3 Nxb3 22. Qxb3 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Qe3 Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Bd6 26. Nd3 {
[#] Eine etwa gleiche Stellung verwandelt Arlandi in der Folge in eine
schlechtere. Ursache: der schwächende Bauernvorstoß f5. Danach wird der
Springer immer beweglicher. Taktik!} a5 27. b3 h6 28. Qc3 a4 29. Qa5 Qc6 30.
Qd2 axb3 31. axb3 f5 $5 32. Nf2 Bc5 33. Qc3 Qd5 34. Nd3 Bd4 35. Qc8+ Kh7 36.
Nf4 Qxb3 37. Nxe6 Qc3 $2 (37... Bf6 $1) 38. Qd7 $1 $16 {[%csl Rb5,Rd4,Rf5]} Be5
$2 (38... Be3 $142) 39. Nf8+ Kg8 40. Ng6 Bf6 41. Qe8+ Kh7 42. h4 $1 {[%cal
Rh4h5,Re8h8]} Qc4 43. h5 Qg8 44. Qxb5 Qc8 45. Qd3 Kg8 46. Nf4 Bg5 47. Qd5+ Kh7
48. Ne6 Qc2 49. Nd4 $18 Qd2 50. Qxf5+ Kh8 51. Qc8+ Kh7 52. Qc2+ 1-0

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 4th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2017.04.25"]
[Round "5"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2822"]
[BlackElo "2811"]
[Annotator "Hillarp Persson,T"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2017.04.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 (3... dxc4 {here or on the next move, is the
other direction the game can take.}) 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O (5. cxd5 $6 {is a
strategic mistake before Black has committed to b6. After} exd5 6. O-O O-O 7.
d4 c6 8. Nc3 Bf5 {it s hard for White achieve e4, while the Carlsbad minority
attack, with b2-b4-b5 is almost impossible to get working. Black is already a
bit better.}) 5... O-O 6. d4 (6. b3 b6 {After this move cxd5 becomes a
possibility. The point is that the light squares has been weakened and if
Black answers with exd5, then after Nf3-e5 Black will have little choice but
to play ...c5 at some stage and accept a couple of hanging pawns.} (6... d4 7.
e3 c5 8. exd4 cxd4 9. d3 Nc6 10. Re1 {leads to a Benoni setup with colours
reversed, which would be a formidable weapon in the hands of someone who wants
to create an unbalanced game.}) (6... c5 7. e3 (7. Bb2 $5 d4 8. e3 Nc6 9. exd4
cxd4 10. Re1 $1 {[%cal Gf3e5] is another Benoni inspired line where the
drawing tendencies are low.} (10. d3 e5 {and the bishop makes no sense on b2.})
) 7... b6) 7. Bb2 (7. Nc3 Bb7 8. d4 Nbd7 9. Bb2 Rc8 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5
12. Qd3 c5 13. e4 Bb7 14. Rad1 (14. Rfd1) 14... cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Qe8 {
Kramnik,V (2805)-Aronian,L (2785) 8th London Classic 2016, was not without
complications.}) 7... Bb7 8. cxd5 Nxd5 (8... exd5 9. d4 Nbd7 10. Nc3 Re8 11.
Rc1 {scores quite well for White, perhaps not because White's position is
better, but since it is harder to handle Black's structure for a human.}) 9. d4
Nd7 (9... c5 {was played by Aronian and could be the better move.}) 10. Re1 c5
11. e4 N5f6 12. Nc3 {(Ever noticed how few really strong GMs there are who
place their knight on d2 when c3 is an option?)} cxd4 13. Nxd4 Ne5 14. Qe2 $1
Bc5 (14... Qxd4 15. Nd5 Qc5 16. Rac1 Qd6 17. Nxe7+ (17. Bxe5 $5 {might be even
stronger.}) 17... Qxe7 18. Bxe5 Rac8 19. Bb2 {and White will continue with f3
and enjoy the bishop pair in an endgame with pawns on both sides.}) 15. Red1
Qe7 16. Na4 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 Nc6 18. Be3 Rfd8 19. Nc3 Qb4 20. Qb2 Ng4 21. Bf4 Nce5
22. a3 Qc5 23. Na4 Qb5 24. Nc3 Qc5 25. Na4 Qb5 26. h3 Nd3 27. Rxd3 Rxd3 28.
hxg4 Qxb3 29. Bf1 {So,W (2820)-Onischuk,A (2665) ch-USA 2017, and White went
on to win.}) 6... dxc4 {I dare say that noone understands the Catalan better
than Kramnik, so it is well worth noting which line he chooses with the black
side.} 7. Qc2 ({The other main line goes} 7. Ne5 {, when Black's most reliable
counter was seen today on a adjacent board:} Nc6 8. Bxc6 (8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 {
has also been played a lot, but it leads to terribly forced variations where
it seems to me that Black is not doing worse.}) 8... bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+
Qxe7 11. Qc2 c5 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 14. Qh4 Qb7 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Bg5 Nd5
17. Nxd5 Qxd5 18. b3 f6 19. Be3 Qb5 20. Rfe1 a5 21. f3 Rfc8 22. Kf2 a4 23. Qe4
axb3 24. axb3 Rxa1 25. Rxa1 Qxb3 26. Ra8 Rxa8 27. Qxa8+ {and draw was soon
agreed.}) 7... a6 8. a4 (8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {was a line that
attracted a lot of attention for many years. However Black came up with a very
solid antidote with} Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 $1 {when White has been unable to set
Black any real problems.} (11... c6 {is a new continuation for those who shun
draws before move 15.})) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 (10. Bg5 {has been more
popular. A recent game went} Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nbd2
Bxf3 15. Nxf3 a5 16. Qc3 Nc6 17. Rad1 Nb4 18. Ne5 c6 19. e4 Rc8 20. Ng4 c5 21.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. e5 (22. d5 $5) 22... Qe7 23. d5 exd5 24. Bxd5 Rcd8 {Adams,M 
(2760)-Harikrishna,P (2755) Du Te Cup 2017, with a balanced game; (although
White soon went wrong and lost).}) 10... a5 {This has gone from main- to
sub-line in a short time. Black is planning to exchange Bc6 for Nf3 at an
opportune moment and then argue the bishop pair is of little use when the
opponent has such a wonderfully harmonious pawn structure.} (10... Bd6 {
has taken over as the most common. Aronian played two games on the black side
lately:} 11. Qc1 Bxf4 (11... a5 12. Nc3 Na6 13. Bd2 Nb4 14. Qb1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3
c6 16. Rd1 Qe7 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rfd8 19. Bc3 Rd7 20. Rd2 Qd8 21. Rad1 Be7
22. h4 Rb8 23. e3 Nd5 24. Qc2 Qc7 25. Kg2 g6 26. h5 {Ding Liren (2760)-Aronian,
L (2785) Sharjah Grand Prix 2017, and White had managed to ge an initiative.})
12. Qxf4 Qd6 13. Qc1 Bd5 14. Nc3 Nc6 15. e3 Nb4 16. Qb1 (16. a5 $5 Qe7 17. Nxd5
Nbxd5 18. Ne5 $14) 16... Qe7 17. a5 c5 18. Nxd5 Nfxd5 19. e4 Nc7 20. dxc5 Qxc5
21. e5 Qe7 {Eljanov,P (2755)-Aronian,L (2780) 79th Tata Steel GpA 2017. Black
had solved the opening problems and went on to win.}) 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. Qd3 {
In this part of the game, play is all about whether White gets to play e2-e4.
White threatens to play e4.} Bb4 {Black stops e2-e4.} 13. Rfe1 {White
threatens to play e4.} Re8 {Black can answer e2-e4 with ...Nc5, so he takes a
moment to prepare some activity of his own (e6-e5).} 14. Qc2 {Now e2-e4 is in
the making, again.} (14. e4 $2 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Bxe4 $1 16. Rxe4 $2 Nc5 $17) 14...
Bxf3 {Black finally decides to exchange the bishop. There was no good way to
stop e4 anymore.} (14... Bxc3 $6 15. bxc3 Be4 16. Qb2 h6 (16... c5 17. Ng5 {
and Black regrets the insertion of a4 and a5 since his queenside is quite weak.
}) 17. Bf1 b6 18. Red1 Bb7 19. Ne5 {and White has been able to keep the bishop
pair without compromising the pawn structure, so White is better.}) 15. Bxf3 c6
{This structure arises in most of the games in this line. White has more space
and the bishop pair, but Black lacks weaknesses and has a nice outpost on b4.
Some might find this position to be boring, but at this stage I was basically
jumping up and down from the excitement of seeing two such great players
dealing with it.} 16. Red1 $1 {Black has exchanged the bishop on c6, so White
no longer needs the rook on e1 in order to play e4. Now White plans to improve
the knight...} (16. Na2 $2 Bxe1) 16... Qe7 17. Na2 Bd6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Nc1 {
Around this point in the game something goes wrong, but I really struggle to
see what it is. Kramnik's moves all seem reasonable.} Nd5 20. e4 Nb4 21. Qc3 e5
(21... f5 $6 {aims to wrestle control of d5 from White, but it is a double
edged victory. After} 22. Nb3 {a5 remains weak and e6 is a new target.}) ({
If Black tries to ride out the game in passive manner with} 21... Qe7 {, then
White will play} 22. Nb3 {and follow up with Bg2 and f4 before deciding on how
to continue. Black has no good way to solve the problem with the weak a5-pawn 
(apart from keeping the rook on a8 and the queen on e7), since b6 just creates
a new set of weaknesses (White will immediately re-route the knight on b3 to
d3 or e3).}) ({Perhaps the whole setup with queen on e7 and rook on a8 is too
passive and Black should try} 21... Rad8 22. Nb3 Qc7 $5 {The advantage of such
a setup is that Black only needs one piece to keep an eye on a5. White keeps a
slight advantage, but needs to come up with an active plan.}) 22. Nb3 Qe7 23.
Bg2 exd4 24. Rxd4 {As I'm watching this game live, I'm prone to proclaim the
opening to be a slight success for White, so it will be very exciting to see
if I'm right. How will Kramnik deal with the a5-weakness and the Bg2/f4/
e5-plan?} Nf8 $5 {Here the knight is out of harm's way when White starts
throwing the f- and e-pawns forward and it can also challenge the rook on d4.
Black's dream scenario is to be able to exchange a couple of knights and enter
a N+Q vs. B+Q endgame. The N+Q has a tendency to be quite good here,
especially if White has weakened his queenside.} ({Black would like to solve
his problems with} 24... b6 {, but then, after} 25. Rad1 Nf6 26. f3 c5 27. R4d2
Red8 28. Bf1 {White is basically a pawn up, since the pawns on the queenside
are immobile. Also, the knight on b4 is out of play, the bishop will find an
excellent square on c4 and later on in the endgame c4 is a juicy square for
the white knight.}) ({Considering how the game continues, Black could try
something drastic, like:} 24... Nf6 25. f3 $1 h5 $5 26. Rad1 h4 {Hard to
believe in though.} 27. Qc5 $5 $14) 25. Rad1 Red8 26. R1d2 $5 {A very tricky
move. So simply threatens to take on d8 and then a5 and perhaps he guessed the
Kramnik would be reluctant to touch the b-pawn.} (26. e5 {is more forceful and
leads to some initiative for White after} b6 27. f4) 26... Ne6 $2 {Such a move
means that Kramnik is not in good shape.} (26... g6 {would prepare exchanges
on d4, so as not to invite the knight to f5. However, after} 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28.
Nxa5 Ra8 29. Nc4 Rxa4 30. Rd1 {White is still much better.}) (26... b6 $1 {
is not - I'm guessing - to Kramnik's liking since it weakens the light squares
in the long term. However, here there were no good alternatives.} {After} 27.
e5 {White has some initiative still, but Black is close to equality.}) 27.
Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Nxa5 Ra8 29. Nc4 Rxa4 30. Nd6 {Now Black is in trouble. White's
pieces could not be better placed, while the knight on b4 is suddenly without
support.} Ra1+ 31. Bf1 Na6 $1 {A persistent move.} ({If instead} 31... c5 {
, then} 32. Kg2 Nc6 33. Bc4 b6 34. b4 $1 Ra8 35. Nf5 Qc7 36. bxc5 bxc5 37. Bd5
{looks hopeless for Black. For instance:} Re8 38. Nxg7 Nxg7 39. Qxc5 Rc8 40.
Rc2 {wins two pawns for White.}) 32. Kg2 Nac7 {I often meet players who think
that there is some inherent value in pieces protecting one another. Indeed, it
might seem like strong players have a tendency to keep everything connected.
"Seem" is the operative word here. Harmony and mutual protection is not the
same thing. But, if there is a weak square somewhere and one side directs the
knights towards that square, it is not uncommon for these knights to protect
one another. It is a consequence of another factor; of coordination. Here the
knights protect each other because the knight on e6 is a pillar in the defence
and if you try to protect it from c5, then the knight can be kicked away with
b4.} 33. Nf5 Qe8 34. Bc4 {White's pieces are all on great squares. It is
unlikely that Black can defend this.} Ra8 35. Rd6 $5 (35. Nd6 Qe7 36. Nxb7 {
wins a pawn, but So prefers to keep the pressure.}) 35... Qf8 36. Rd7 Re8 37.
Qe5 $1 {A very strong move, since it forces Black to enter a position that is
lost. The engine likes a number of moves better, but from a human point of
view this is just the best; not allowing any curved balls from Black.} b5 ({
The best defence was} 37... g6 {, when 38.Nd6 is good, but} 38. Qf6 gxf5 39.
exf5 Qg7 40. Qxg7+ Kxg7 41. fxe6 Nxe6 42. Rxb7 {looks like a sure road to
victory. This is probably why So played Qe5.}) 38. Ba2 g6 {This should lose
immediately. However, the alternative} (38... Na6 39. Ra7 Nac5 {is not much
better:} 40. b4 Na4 41. Rxf7 Qxf7 42. Nd6 Qf6 43. Qxf6 gxf6 44. Nxe8 Kf8 45.
Nxf6 $18) 39. Ne3 $2 ({Here So could have ended the game with} 39. Rxf7 $1 Kxf7
(39... Qxf7 40. Nh6+) 40. Qxc7+ Kf6 41. Qxc6 $1 gxf5 42. exf5 {and White is
winning since} Kxf5 {fails to} 43. Bxe6+ Rxe6 (43... Kf6 44. Bd7+) 44. Qf3+ {
[%cal Gf3f8]}) 39... Re7 40. Rxe7 Qxe7 41. Ng4 Qg5 (41... Qd8 42. Nh6+ Kf8 43.
Qh8+ Ke7 44. Qxh7 Ng5 45. Ng8+ Ke8 46. Qh4 $16) 42. Nf6+ Kh8 43. Nd7+ Qxe5 44.
Nxe5 Nd4 45. Bxf7 $18 c5 46. f4 c4 47. Kf2 Kg7 48. Ke3 Nb3 49. g4 Nc5 (49...
Na1 50. g5 Nc2+ 51. Kf3 Ne1+ 52. Kf2 Nd3+ 53. Nxd3 Kxf7 54. Ne5+ Ke7 55. Ke3
$18) 50. h4 Na4 51. b3 cxb3 52. Bxb3 Nc5 53. Bd1 h6 54. Nc6 N7a6 55. Kd4 Ne6+
56. Ke5 Nec5 57. Bc2 b4 58. Nd4 g5 59. hxg5 hxg5 60. f5 Nd7+ 61. Kd6 Nf6 62. e5
Nxg4 63. Ne6+ Kh6 (63... Kf7 64. Nxg5+ Kg7 65. Ne6+ Kf7 66. Bb3 Nh6 67. f6 $18)
64. f6 Nb8 65. Ba4 Kg6 {and the game ended. Whether on time or because 66.Be8+
followed by f7 wins, I don't know. Anyway, a great game. There is still life
in the Catalan.} 1-0

[Event "Madrid Magistral 7th"]
[Site "Madrid"]
[Date "1998.05.21"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "Illescas Cordoba,M"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1998.05.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 065"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.08.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 {Ribli} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 (4. Bg2 {Ribli} dxc4 $5) 4... Be7 5.
Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist die klassische Variante. Schwarz nimmt den Bauern
an und während Weiß Zeit mit dessen Zurückgewinn verliert, beendet Schwarz
seine Entwicklung. Ribli.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Das ist sehr in Mode. Früher
spielte man lieber 8.Qxc4. Mit dem Partiezug verliert Weiß Zeit und schwächt
das Feld b4, verhindert aber die Entwicklung des schwarzen Damenläufers in die
lange Diagonale.} Bd7 9. Rd1 {Eine relativ seltene Fortsetzung. Üblicher ist
die Alternative 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bg5.} Bc6 10. Nc3 {[%cal Ye2e4]} Bxf3 {Schwarz
gibt das Läuferpaar auf.} (10... Nbd7 {Ribli}) (10... Bb4 $5 {Ribli} 11. Bg5
Bxc3 12. Bxf6 (12. bxc3 Be4 13. Qb2 $13) (12. Qxc3 Ne4 13. Bxd8 Nxc3 14. bxc3
Rxd8 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nc6 $11) 12... Qxf6 13. Qxc3 Qe7 14. Qxc4 Nd7 15.
Rac1 Rfd8 16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 c6 $11) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 {[%cal Yc6d4]} 12. Bxc6
bxc6 13. Bg5 (13. a5 {Ribli} Qb8 14. Qa4 c5 15. Qxc4 cxd4 16. Rxd4 c5 17. Rd1
Qb4 18. Ra4 {1/2 Razuvaev-Geller, Moskva 1982}) 13... Rb8 (13... c5 {Ribli} 14.
dxc5 Qb8 15. Ne4 Qb3 16. Qxb3 cxb3 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Ra3 Rfb8
20. Rd3 Rb4 21. Raxb3 Rc4 22. Rb7 Rxc5 23. Rc3 {1-0 Kochyev,A-Blauert,J/
Groningen op 1990 (52)}) (13... Nd5 {Ribli} 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne4 Qb4 (15...
Rfb8 16. Qxc4 Rxb2 17. Rab1 Qb4 18. Qxc6 Rxb1 19. Qxa8+ Qb8 20. Qxb8+ Rxb8 21.
Nc5 {1/2-1/2 Timoshenko,G-Asrian,K/Open, Ubeda ESP 1998 (40)}) 16. Rdc1 Rfb8
17. Ra2 a5 18. Qxc4 Qe7 19. b3 Rb6 20. Nc5 h5 21. e3 h4 22. Qe2 Qg5 23. Rac2
Rd8 24. Rc4 g6 25. Qf3 {Dizdar,G-Ostojic,N/EUCup f Budapest 1996/1-0 (53)}) (
13... a5 {Ribli} 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ne4 Rb8 16. Ra3 $1 Be7 17. Rc3 Rb4 18. Rxc4
Rxc4 19. Qxc4 Qd5 20. Qc2 Rb8 21. e3 {Bator,R-Schussler,H/SVE-chT 1996/1-0 (60)
}) 14. Bxf6 (14. e3 {Ribli} Nd7 $1 (14... Ne8 $6) 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne4 Rb4 (
16... c5 17. Qxc4 Rxb2 18. Rac1 cxd4 19. Qxc7 $36) 17. Nd2 c5 18. Nxc4 $11 Rfb8
{0-1 Dizdar,G-Sadler,M/EU-chTM 1997 (38)}) (14. a5 {Ribli} Rb4 15. Ra4 Qb8 16.
Rxb4 Qxb4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Na2 Qb5 {1/2-1/2 Kochyev,A-Aseev,K/Leningrad 1989 
(38)}) 14... Bxf6 15. Ne4 {Schwarz besitzt einen Mehrbauern, aber seine
c-Bauern sind schwach. Jetzt beginnt ein konkreter taktischer Kampf.} (15. e3 {
Ribli} c5 $1 $11 (15... Be7 16. Rac1 Rb7 17. Ne4 Qd5 18. Nd2 c5 19. Nxc4 cxd4
20. Rxd4 {1-0 Piket,J-Lautier,J/Monaco rapid 1996 (61)})) 15... Rb4 (15... Be7
{Ribli} 16. Qxc4 Rxb2 17. Qxa6 Qd5 18. Nc3 $14 {[%csl Ga4,Rc6,Rc7]}) (15...
Bxd4 $4 {Ribli} 16. e3 {[%csl Gd1,Rd4,Rd8]}) 16. e3 Qd5 $1 $146 {[%csl Ga5,Gb5,
Gc4,Gc5,Ge4,Gf3] Schwarz hat keine Angst vor weiteren Doppelbauern. Vielleicht
ist Beliavsky ein Leser des ChessBase-Magazins, denn dieser Zug war mein
Vorschlag im CBM 63.} (16... Be7 $2) (16... Be7 $2 {Ribli Dieser Zug ist zu
passiv.} 17. Nd2 {[%cal Yd2c4]} Qd5 18. Rac1 {1-0 Illescas Cordoba,M-Lutz,C/
Pamplona 9798 1997 (47)}) (16... a5 {Ribli}) 17. Rac1 $6 (17. a5 $5) (17. Nxf6+
{Ribli} gxf6 18. e4 Qh5 $5 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Rf8b8,Rb8b2]} (18... Qa5)) 17...
Rfb8 {[%csl Rb2]} 18. Nc5 {[%csl Ra6]} a5 (18... Rxb2 {Ribli} 19. Qxc4 Qxc4 20.
Rxc4 $14 {[%csl Ra6,Rc6,Rc7]}) 19. Qe2 $2 (19. Na6 $1 Rxb2 20. Qxc4 Qf3 (20...
R8b6 21. Nc5 $44) 21. Rf1 (21. Qf1 $5) 21... R8b6 22. Nc5 Bg5 $1 (22... h5 $2
23. Nd7 R6b4 (23... Bg5 24. Nxb6 Bxe3 25. Rc2 $18) (23... h4 24. Nxb6 Rxb6 25.
Rfe1 Rb2 26. Qf1 $16) 24. Qc5 $1 $16) 23. Nd3 $5 (23. Nd7 Bxe3 24. Rc2 Rxc2 25.
Qxc2 Bxd4 26. Nxb6 cxb6 $19) (23. Rc2 Rb1 $15) 23... Bxe3 24. Rce1 $1 Bd2 25.
Rd1 $15) 19... Be7 {[%csl Rc5]} (19... Rxb2 {Ribli} 20. Qxc4 {[%csl Rc6,Rc7]})
20. e4 {[%csl Rd4]} Qd8 $17 (20... Qg5 21. Nd7 $132) 21. Na6 (21. Rxc4 Rxb2 $17
(21... Rxc4 {Ribli} 22. Qxc4 Rxb2 $15) (21... Bxc5 22. dxc5 (22. Rxc5 Rxd4 $15)
22... Qxd1+ 23. Qxd1 Rxc4 24. Qd7 Rxc5 25. Qxc7 Rf8 $11)) 21... Rxb2 22. Qxc4
R8b6 23. Nc5 R2b4 {[%csl Ra4,Rc5,Rd4]} 24. Qc2 $5 {Weiß hat einen Bauern
weniger, aber sein Springer steht gut auf c5 und er entfaltet positionellen
Druck gegen die schwarzen Doppelbauern in der c-Linie.} (24. Qc3 Bf6 25. e5 Be7
$17) 24... h5 (24... Rxd4 $5 {Ribli} 25. Nb3 (25. Rxd4 Qxd4 26. Rd1 Qb2 $17 (
26... Qb4 27. Nd7 Qb3 28. Qxb3 Rxb3 29. Ne5 c5 30. Nc6 $15 {[%csl Gc6]}) (26...
Qxc5 $2 27. Rd8+ Bxd8 (27... Bf8 $3 28. Qxc5 $18) 28. Qxc5 $14)) 25... Rxd1+
26. Rxd1 Qa8 $15) 25. Nd3 Rxd4 {Schwarz hat zwei Bauern mehr, aber seine
c-Bauern sind schwach, so daß er noch Probleme mit der Verwertung hat.} {[#]}
26. Ne5 Rb2 27. Qxb2 (27. Rxd4 {Ribli} Qxd4 $19 {[%csl Gb2,Rc2,Gd4,Re5,Rf2]})
27... Rxd1+ 28. Kg2 (28. Rxd1 $2 {Ribli} Qxd1+ 29. Kg2 Qxa4 $19) 28... Rd2 $4 (
28... Rxc1 29. Qxc1 Qd4 $19) (28... Bf6 $5 {Ribli} 29. Rxd1 Qxd1 30. Qb8+ Kh7
31. Nxf7 (31. Qxc7 Qxa4 32. Qxc6 Qxc6 33. Nxc6 Bc3 $19 (33... a4 34. e5 a3 35.
exf6 a2 $19)) 31... Qxa4 32. e5 Qe4+ 33. Kg1 Qe1+ 34. Kg2 Bxe5 $19) 29. Rc2 $1
Bb4 (29... Rxc2 {Ribli} 30. Qxc2 $15 {[%csl Gc6,Gc7]}) 30. Rxd2 (30. Nxc6 $2
Qd3 $1 31. Rxd2 Bxd2 $17) 30... Bxd2 (30... Qxd2 $6 31. Qxd2 Bxd2 32. Nxc6 $44
(32. Nxc6 {Ribli} Kf8 33. Kf3 Ke8 34. Ke2 Bb4 (34... Kd7 $4 35. Ne5+ $18) 35.
Kd3 $15)) 31. Qc2 $44 Qd6 32. Nxc6 {[%csl Ga2,Ga4,Ga5,Gb2,Gb3,Gb4,Gb5,Gc3,Gc4,
Gc5,Gd2,Gd3,Gd4,Gd5,Ge2,Ge3,Ge4,Ge5] Der weiße Springer blockiert den
Freibauern und in der Regel wirken Dame und Springer besser zusammen als Dame
und Läufer. Weiß kann daher noch berechtigt hoffen, die Partie zu retten.} g6
33. Qc4 Be1 34. Qc2 (34. Kf1 {Ribli} Qd1 (34... Qd2 35. Qe2 Qxe2+ 36. Kxe2 $14
{[%csl Ra5][%cal Re2d3,Rd3c4,Rc4b5]}) 35. Qe2 Qxa4 {[%csl Rc6]} 36. Ne7+ Kf8
$17 {[%csl Ga5]}) 34... Bb4 35. f4 $5 Bc5 $6 {Schwarz gibt den Mehrbauern
zurück und plant, die geschwächte weiße Königsstellung anzugreifen.} (35... Kf8
$142) 36. Nxa5 Qd4 37. Nc6 $1 Qg1+ 38. Kh3 Qf1+ {Der König scheint sich in
schwieriger Lage zu befinden, aber Weiß kann die Stellung halten.} 39. Kh4 (39.
Qg2 $2 Qa6 $17 (39... Qd1 {[%csl Rh3][%cal Rd1g4,Rd1a4] Ribli} 40. Qa2 Qg4+ 41.
Kg2 h4 $40 {[%csl Rg2]})) 39... Qf3 40. Kg5 $2 $138 {"Der König ist eine
starke Figur!", sagte der erste Schachweltmeister Wilhelm Steinitz.} (40. Kh3
$11) (40. h3 {Ribli} Bf2 $19 {[%csl Gf2,Gf3,Rg3,Rh4]}) 40... Bf8 $2 $138 (40...
h4 $1 {[%cal Yf3h5]} 41. Kf6 $8 hxg3 42. hxg3 $8 Qa3 43. Qg2 $1 (43. a5 Kf8 $19
) 43... Qxa4 (43... Kf8 44. Kg5 $1 Qxa4 45. e5 Qd1 46. Qh3 $1 Be7+ 47. Kh6 Qf3
48. Nxe7 Kxe7 49. Kg7 Qh5 50. Qg2 g5 51. Qc6 Qg6+ 52. Kh8 $11) 44. e5 Bf8 $17)
(40... Qg4+ $6 {Ribli} 41. Kf6 {[%csl Gf6]} (41. Kh6 $4 Bf8#)) 41. Ne5 $1 $11 (
41. Ne5 Be7+ (41... Kg7 $4 42. Qxc7 (42. Nxf3 $2 {Ribli} Be7#)) (41... Kh7 {
Ribli} 42. Qxc7 (42. Nxf3 $2 Be7#) (42. Nxf7 $2 Be7#) 42... Bh6+ 43. Kf6 Bg7+
44. Kxf7 Qxe4 45. a5 $16) 42. Kh6 Bf8+ 43. Kg5 Qa3 44. Qxc7 Be7+ 45. Kh6 Bf8+
46. Kg5 $11) (41. Kf6 $4 Qa3 42. a5 Bg7+ 43. Kg5 Qf3 $19) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Pamplona 9798 8th"]
[Site "Pamplona"]
[Date "1998.01.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "Illescas Cordoba,M"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1997.12.28"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 063"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 {Ribli Hecht} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 {Ribli: Nach meiner Meinung
bietet diese Variante - klassische Katalanische Verteidigung - mehr Aussicht
auf Eröffnungsvorteil für Weiß als 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Qa4 Nbd7. Ribli.} Be7 5. Bg2
O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Ribli: Das ist eine sichere Variante für Schwarz. Seine
Hauptidee: Weiß muß Zeit verlieren, um den Bauern zurückzugewinnen, während
Schwarz die Entwicklung des Damenflügels beenden kann.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9.
Rd1 {Ein seltener Zug.} (9. Qxc4 {Ribli} Bc6 10. Bg5) 9... Bc6 10. Nc3 $5 {
[%cal Ge2e4]} (10. Bg5 {Ribli} Nbd7 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 h6 14.
Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Nc3 Bc6 16. Qc2 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Almasi,Z/Tilburg Fontys 1996 
(23)}) 10... Bxf3 {Ribli: Schwarz gibt das Läuferpaar auf, denn nach 11.e4
wäre der Läufer auf c6 eingeschlossen.} (10... Nbd7) (10... Bb4 $5 {Ribli Auf
diese Weise verhindert Schwarz den Zug 11.e4.} 11. Bg5 Bxc3 12. bxc3 (12. Qxc3
Ne4 13. Bxd8 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Rxd8 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nd7 17. Nxc4 $11) 12...
Be4 13. Qb2 Nbd7 {[%csl Ge4]}) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 {[%cal Yc6a5,Yc6d4]} 12. Bxc6 bxc6
13. Bg5 (13. e4 {Ribli} Qb8 {1/2-1/2 Quinteros,M-Zarnicki,P/Acasusso Valle op
1994}) (13. a5 {Ribli} Qb8 14. Qa4 c5 15. Qxc4 cxd4 16. Rxd4 c5 17. Rd1 Qb4 18.
Ra4 {1/2 Razuvaev-Geller, Moskva 1982}) 13... Rb8 (13... c5 {Ribli} 14. dxc5
Qb8 15. Ne4 Qb3 16. Qxb3 cxb3 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Ra3 (19. Rd4
Rfb8 20. Kf1 e5 21. Rg4+ Kf8 22. Ke1 Rd8 23. Rc1 Rab8 24. Rc3 Rd5 25. f3 Ke7
26. Rgc4 {1/2 Razuvaev-Kotronias, Moskva 1989}) 19... Rfb8 20. Rd3 Rb4 21.
Raxb3 Rc4 22. Rb7 Rxc5 23. Rc3 {1-0 Kochyev,A-Blauert,J/Groningen op 1990 (52)}
) (13... Nd5 {Ribli} 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne4 Qb4 16. Rdc1 Rfb8 17. Ra2 a5 18.
Qxc4 Qe7 19. b3 Rb6 20. Nc5 h5 21. e3 h4 22. Qe2 Qg5 23. Rac2 Rd8 24. Rc4 g6
25. Qf3 {Dizdar,G-Ostojic,N/EUCup f Budapest 1996/1-0 (53)}) (13... a5 {Ribli}
14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ne4 Rb8 16. Ra3 $1 Be7 17. Rc3 Rb4 18. Rxc4 Rxc4 19. Qxc4 Qd5
20. Qc2 Rb8 21. e3 {Bator,R-Schussler,H/SVE-chT 1996/1-0 (60)}) 14. Bxf6 {
Ribli: Das ist eine gute Idee von Weiß. Der schwarze Läufer wird weniger
effektiv gegen den Springer.} (14. e3 {Ribli} Nd7 $1 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne4 Rb4
(16... c5 17. Qxc4 Rxb2 18. Rac1 cxd4 19. Qxc7 {[%cal Gc7e7]}) 17. Nd2 c5 18.
Nxc4 $11 Rfb8 {0-1 Dizdar,G-Sadler,M/EU-chTM 1997 (38)}) (14. a5 {Ribli} Rb4
15. Ra4 Qb8 16. Rxb4 Qxb4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Na2 Qb5 {1/2-1/2 Kochyev,A-Aseev,K/
Leningrad 1989 (38)}) 14... Bxf6 15. Ne4 $1 $146 {[%csl Yc5][%cal Gc2c4] Ribli:
Weiß hat noch einen Minusbauern, aber alle schwarzen Bauern am Damenflügel
sind schwach. Trotzdem besitzt Schwarz Gegenspiel in der b-Linie.} (15. e3 {
Piket-Lautier, Monaco 1996} c5 $1 $11 (15... Be7 {Ribli} 16. Rac1 Rb7 17. Ne4
Qd5 18. Nd2 c5 19. Nxc4 cxd4 20. Rxd4 {1-0 Piket,J-Lautier,J/Monaco rapid 1996
(61)})) 15... Rb4 $1 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Yb4a4,Yb4c4,Yb4b2]} (15... Be7 {Ribli}
16. e3 (16. Qxc4 Rxb2 17. Qxa6 Qd5 18. Nc3 $14)) (15... Bxd4 {Ribli} 16. e3 $2
$18) 16. e3 Be7 $2 {Ribli: Mit diesem Zug verliert Schwarz ein wichtiges Tempo,
während sich Weiß eine starke Springerstellung auf c4 aufbauen kann.} (16... a5
{[%csl Gf6][%cal Yf6b2]}) (16... Qd5 {Ribli} 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. e4 Qh5 {
[%csl Gb4][%cal Rf8b8,Rb8b2] Ribli: Es ist wahr, daß Schwarz eine schlechte
Bauernstellung hat, aber seine Figuren sind aktiv und er besitzt einen
Mehrbauern.}) 17. Nd2 {[%cal Yd2c4]} Qd5 18. Rac1 c5 (18... Rfb8 {Ribli} 19.
Nxc4 $14) (18... Qa5 {Ribli} 19. Nxc4 Qxa4 20. Qxa4 Rxa4 21. Ne5 {[%csl Rc6,
Rc7]} Bd6 22. Nxc6 Ra2 23. Rc2 $14 {Ribli: Dank seiner besseren Bauernstruktur
und des aktiven Springers auf c6 steht Weiß etwas besser.}) 19. Nxc4 cxd4 20.
Rxd4 Qc5 21. b3 {Ribli: Weiß hat keine Drohungen, aber sein Vorteil ist
trotzdem unangenehm. Schwarz hat keine Möglichkeit, aktiv zu spielen, während
Weiß Zug um Zug seine Stellung verbessern kann.} Rfb8 (21... e5 {Ribli} 22. Rd3
Rfb8) 22. Rd3 $14 {[%csl Ra6,Rc7,Gd3][%cal Gd3b3,Gd3d7]} g6 {Ribli: Auf den
ersten Blick ist das ein natürlicher Wartezug, aber nach dem folgendem Zug des
Anziehenden muß Schwarz die Damen tauschen, was die weißen Chancen erhöht.} (
22... Qh5 {Ribli}) 23. Nd2 $1 Qxc2 24. Rxc2 {[%csl Gc2,Gd3][%cal Gc2c7,Gd4d7,
Gd3d7]} c5 {[%csl Re7] Ribli: Dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht. Die schwachen
Bauern sollte man für eine bessere Verteidigung hinten lassen.} (24... Bd6 $5 {
Ribli und Schwarz beabsichtigt ...Kf8-e7-d7.}) 25. Kf1 {Ribli: Weiß hat einen
einfachen Plan. Sein König strebt nach c2, wo er die Bauernschwäche auf b3
verteidigt, um den Springer zu entlasten.} R8b7 $6 (25... Kf8 26. Ke2 Ke8 $14)
26. Ke2 h5 $6 {[%csl Rg6] >< g6} (26... Kf8 $142 27. Rc4 Rxc4 28. Nxc4 Ke8 29.
Kd2 f6 30. Kc2 Rd7 $14) 27. Rc4 Rxc4 (27... R4b6 {Ribli} 28. Kd1 $14 {[%cal
Gd1c2]}) 28. Nxc4 Kf8 29. Kd2 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Gc4,Rc5,Gd3,Re7] [#] Hecht: 
Schwarze Bauern- und Felderschwächen sowie durch den Bc5 erheblich
eingschränkter Läufer.} g5 {Ribli: Schwarz verliert die Geduld. Er gewinnt
zwar etwas Raum am Königsflügel und legt die weißen Bauern fest, schwächt
allerdings auch den eigenen Königsflügel.} (29... Ke8 30. Kc2 {[%cal Yc4d6] /\
Nd6} Rd7 31. Rxd7 Kxd7 32. Ne5+ {[%csl Rf7]} Ke8 (32... Kd6 33. Nxf7+ Kd5 34.
Kd3 Bf6 35. e4+ Kc6 36. h4 $18) 33. Kd3 $16 (33. Kd3 {Hecht} Bd6 34. f4 Bxe5
35. fxe5 Kd7 36. Kc4 Kc6 37. a5 g5 38. h3 $22 $18)) (29... Ke8 {Ribli}) 30. h3
$1 {[%csl Rg5][%cal Yg3g4] /\ g4} g4 31. hxg4 hxg4 32. Kc2 f5 $138 (32... Kg7 {
Hecht} 33. Ne5 {[%csl Rg4][%cal Rd3d7]} f5 (33... f6 34. Rd7) (33... Bf6 34.
Rd7) 34. Rd7 Rxd7 35. Nxd7 {[%csl Rc5][%cal Rc2d3,Rd3c4]} Kf7 36. Kd3 Ke8 37.
Nb8 Bd6 38. Nxa6 Kd7 39. Kc4 Kc6 40. b4 cxb4 41. Nxb4+ Kb6 42. Nc2 $18 {
[%csl Re6,Rf5][%cal Rc2d4]}) 33. e4 $1 {Ribli: Es scheint mir, daß nur Weiß
Chancen am Königsflügel hat.} fxe4 (33... Kg7 34. exf5 exf5 35. Rd5 $18 {
[%csl Rc5,Rf5]} (35. Rd5 {Hecht} Kg6 36. Ne3 Rb4 37. Nxf5 $16)) (33... Kf7 {
Hecht} 34. exf5 exf5 35. Nd6+ (35. Rd6 $36 {[%csl Gd6] Ribli} Ra7 $14 {Schwarz
kann nur warten, Weiß hat freie Hand.} (35... Bxd6 $4 36. Nxd6+ $18)) (35. Rd5
Ke6 (35... Kf6 $2 36. Ne3 $16) 36. Re5+ Kf6) 35... Bxd6 36. Rxd6 c4 $6 (36...
Re7 $142 $5 {[%cal Re7e2]}) 37. bxc4 Rb4 38. Rxa6 Rxc4+ 39. Kb3 Re4 40. a5 Re2
41. Rb6 Rxf2 42. a6 Rf1 43. Ka2 $18) 34. Re3 {[%csl Ra6,Rc5,Re4,Re6,Rg4] >< e4,
e6,g4,c5,a6 Ribli: Ein interesantes Bild: Schwarz hat fünf Bauern und zugleich
fünf Bauerninseln.} Bf6 35. Rxe4 Bd4 36. Rxg4 Bxf2 37. Rg6 (37. Rf4+ $142 Rf7
38. Rxf7+ Kxf7 39. Nd6+ $18 {[%csl Rf2] /\ Ne4, g4, Kd3-c4}) 37... Bd4 (37...
Re7 38. Rf6+ $18) (37... Kf7 {Hecht} 38. Ne5+ (38. Ne5+ {Ribli} Ke7 (38... Ke8
39. Rg8+ $16) (38... Kf8 39. Rf6+ $18) 39. Rg7+ $16)) 38. Rxe6 {Mit diesem Zug
gewinnt Weiß einen Bauern.} Rf7 (38... Ra7 {Ribli} 39. Nd6 $16) 39. Rxa6 Rf3 (
39... Rf2+ {Ribli} 40. Kd3 Rf3+ 41. Ke4 Rxb3 42. a5 $16 {Der gut
zentralisierte Läufer kann nicht gegen den weißen a-Bauern kämpfen.} (42. g4
Rg3)) 40. Rb6 {>< b3} Rc3+ 41. Kd2 Rxg3 42. a5 $18 {[%cal Ga5a8] Hecht: Der
Springer ist dem Läufer allein durch Behauptung der Position auf c4 überlegen.
Erneut behindert der Bc5 den Läufer an einem wirksamen Einsatz. Ribli: Der
weiße a-Bauer entscheidet die Partie. Ein typisches Beispiel zum Thema
"Springer gegen schlechter Läufer".} Ke8 43. a6 Kd7 (43... Rg2+ 44. Kd3 Ra2 45.
Ke4 $18 {[%cal Ge4c6]}) 44. Rb7+ $1 (44. a7 Rg2+ 45. Kd3 Ra2 46. Rh6 $1 Kc7 47.
Rh7+ Kc6 48. b4 $1 {/\ Na5} cxb4 49. Kxd4 b3 50. Kc3 $18) 44... Kc6 (44... Ke6
45. a7 Rg2+ 46. Kd3 Ra2 47. Nb6 $18) 45. Na5+ $1 {<-> a} Kd5 {Die schwarze
Aktivität reicht nur für eine Falle, mehr nicht.} 46. a7 Rg2+ (46... Rg8 {Ribli
} 47. Rb8 $18) 47. Kd1 Ke4 (47... Rg1+ 48. Ke2 Rg2+ 49. Kf3 Rf2+ 50. Kg4 Rg2+
51. Kh3 Rg8 52. Rb8 $18) 48. Re7+ {Ribli: und Schwarz gab in völlig
hoffnungsloser Stellung auf.} (48. a8=Q $4 {Ribli: Unglaublich, aber Weiß kann
das Dauerschach nicht vermeiden. Ribli.} Rg1+ $11 49. Ke2 (49. Kc2 Rg2+ 50. Kb1
Rg1+ 51. Kc2 $11 (51. Ka2 $4 Ra1#)) 49... Rg2+ 50. Kf1 Rg1+) (48. Re7+ Kd3 49.
a8=Q Rg1+ 50. Re1 $18) 1-0

[Event "World Cup"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2007.11.30"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Inarkiev, Ernesto"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2674"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Inarkiev,E"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2007.11.24"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 122"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This is the first game of our match. The first time in this World Cup I met a
higher rated opponent. I wanted to play solid long game, to "feel" what we can.
} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 {Levon's main weapon.} 4. g3 {I had doubts,
should I play the Catalan, or not, because Aronian plays it with both colours,
but finally, I decided that the character of the game which is generally
achieved in this opening, is that what I need.} Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7.
Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Nd5 {
This came as a surprise for me. There was "only" one game with this move
before. Beliavsky played it with Black against Aronian!} 14. Bxd6 $5 $146 ({
In that game White didn't gain an advatage:} 14. Nb3 Nxf4 15. gxf4 Nd7 16. e3
Rc8 17. Rd1 c5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. Qxc5 Bxc5 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 $11 22.
Ne5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Kf8 {1/2-1/2, Aronian Levon 2741 - Beliavsky Alexander G
2646 , Crete 4.11.2007 Ch Europe (team)}) 14... cxd6 15. e4 Ne7 {White has a
space advantage, and a more free play. Black has a solid position without
weaknesses. It should be about equal, but White has an easier game.} 16. Qc3
Nd7 17. a4 $5 {Trying to create a weakness. White should hurry, because Black
wants to finish his development with Qb6 and Rfc8.} ({An interesting
alternative is} 17. Rfc1 $5 {(/\Qc7).} Rc8 18. Qb4 Qb6 19. a4 $1) 17... bxa4 {
Both players look on the queenside, but it was a good moment to start action
in the center.} (17... Nf6 $1 {The pawn is hanging and White needs one more
piece to protect it.} {If} 18. Rfe1 {then Black has} d5 $1 19. e5 Ne4 20. Qa3
Nf5 21. Nb3 bxa4 $13) 18. Rxa4 Rc8 $6 ({Still right was} 18... Nf6) 19. Qa3 $2
{After this move Black gets a pleasant game.} ({It was important to protect
the b5 square. The best way is} 19. Qb4 $1 {also attacking d6.} Nb6 20. Ra3 Nc6
21. Qb3 $14 {White holds all pluses of the position.}) 19... d5 $1 ({The
position after} 19... Bc6 20. Rxa6 Bb5 21. Rxd6 $14 {is in White's favour.}) ({
I thought that the best is} 19... Nb6 20. Rb4 Nc6 21. Rb3 {and in comparison
with variation 19.Qb4 White's queen controls the dark squares.}) 20. exd5 {
After a long thought. This is necessary.} ({Of course, normaly, White would
like to play} 20. e5 $2 {but here it's just bad} Bc6 $1 21. Rb4 Bb5 22. Rd1 ({
or} 22. Ra1 Nc6 23. Rb3 Qb6 $17) 22... Nb6 $1 {and White can't save the rook.}
23. Qa1 ({or} 23. Bf1 Nc6 24. Rb3 Ba4 $17) 23... Nc6 24. Rb3 Ba4 25. Rxb6 Bxd1
26. Rxc6 Rxc6 27. Qxd1 Qb6 $17) 20... Nxd5 {Now Black is slightly better,
because of the weakness of the d-pawn.} 21. Ra1 {(/\Bf1).} Nc7 $1 {The knight
is going to b5, now it's difficult to create a threat against the a-pawn.} 22.
Rc4 Nb5 23. Qe3 {The pawn d4 already needs protection.} Rxc4 24. Nxc4 Qa8 $1 {
Here the queen is protecting the a-pawn, pressing along the white diagonal,
and is also placed far enough from White's knights, so Black shouldn't worry
about any tricks.} 25. Na5 $1 {Good defensive manoeuvre. /\Nb3 to protect the
d4-pawn, and then Ne1-d3-c5 to attack pawn a6.} ({Interesting is also} 25. Ncd2
$5 {(/\Bf1).}) 25... Bd5 26. Ne1 $1 Bxg2 27. Nxg2 Rc8 28. Ne1 $1 h6 29. Nb3 ({
Not} 29. Nd3 $2 {becuase of} Qd5 $17 {and White can't protect the pawn.}) 29...
Rd8 {Black is going to attack the d-pawn.} ({Interesting is immediate} 29...
Rc4 $5 30. Nd3 Nf6) 30. Nd3 {Here both of us had about 10 min untill the
control.} Qd5 $2 {This is a blunder.} ({After} 30... Nf6 {the position is
about equal.}) 31. Nb4 $1 Qd6 32. Nxa6 Nf6 ({Black did prepare} 32... Ra8 {
and overlooked, that White shouldn't retreat the knight.} 33. Ra5 $1 {Saving
the pawn.}) 33. Ra4 Qd5 {The position is not easy, White's pawns are weak.} 34.
Nac5 $2 {In time trouble it's very natural to put your pieces so, that they
would protect each other. But here, it os not less important to attack enemy's
pieces.} ({Right is} 34. Qd3 $1 {(/\Ra5; /\Nb4-c2-e3).} Nd6 ({if} 34... Qh5 {
then} 35. Ra5) 35. Nb4 Qh5 36. Nc6 $1 $16) 34... Qh5 {Now Black has
compensation. Here we both had less the 5 minutes.} 35. f3 Nd6 36. Qe2 Qd5 37.
Kg2 $6 {One more "natural" move, but this gives Black a new motiv.} Rb8 38. Qd3
g5 $1 {An unpleasant surprise, now Black has the initiative.} 39. Kf2 $6 {
Losing the pawn.} ({Better is} 39. Kg1 {but Black has a good position. For
example} Kg7 {and then Nf5 and Rd8.}) 39... g4 $1 40. Ra1 gxf3 {We passed the
time control. It's obvious, that White should play very carefully.} 41. Qxf3
Nde4+ 42. Kg2 Nxc5 43. Qxd5 Nxd5 44. Nxc5 Rxb2+ {Previous moves are forced.}
45. Kf3 $1 {The most accurate. Probably, with his king on the first rank White
can count on a successful defence, but it will be defence.} Nc7 $5 {Black
continues to play.} ({After} 45... Rxh2 46. Ra8+ Kg7 47. Ra7 {Black should
agree on a draw, or give back the pawn.} Kg6 (47... Kg8 48. Ra8+ $11) 48. Nd7
$11 f6 $6 49. Nf8+) 46. h4 {Now the draw is the most probable result, but we
were coming in the next time trouble, so we both were trying to catch a chance.
} Nb5 47. Ra8+ Kg7 48. Rd8 Rc2 49. Ne4 ({More accurate is} 49. Nd3 Rc3 50. Ke3
$11) 49... f5 $5 50. Rd7+ Kg6 51. Nf2 ({It was tempting to play} 51. h5+ $2 {
but after} Kxh5 52. Nf6+ Kg6 53. Ne8 {threatening mate,} {Black has} h5 $1 $17)
51... Rc3+ 52. Kg2 $6 {Gives Black the initiative} ({Right is} 52. Kf4 $1 {
it looks dangerous, but Black hasn't more then the repetition of moves.} Nc7
53. Ke5 $1 Re3+ 54. Kf4 $1 Rc3 55. Ke5 $1 $11) 52... Nc7 {The knight is going
to d5.} 53. Re7 $1 {It's important to attack the pawns to prevent further
increase in activity of the Black pieces.} Rc2 54. Kf3 Kf6 55. Rh7 $1 Nb5 56.
Ke3 Nc3 57. Nd3 $1 Kg6 ({Doesn't work} 57... Nd1+ $2 {because of} 58. Kf4 $1 {
with a threat Rh6.} ({Losing} 58. Kf3 $2 {after} Rd2 $1)) 58. Rd7 Nd5+ 59. Kf3
Rc3 60. Ke2 Rc7 {Almost a draw offer.} ({Black could try to make the attack} 
60... Kh5 $5 61. Rd6 ({worse is} 61. Rg7 $2 Rc4 $17) 61... Kg4 62. Rxe6 Rc2+
63. Kd1 Ra2 {Black has good activity, but it's unbelievable that he can build
a mating net.}) 61. Rxc7 Nxc7 62. Nf4+ Kf6 63. Ke3 Nb5 64. Ne2 Nd6 65. Kf4 Nb5
66. Kf3 {Black offered a draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Montpellier"]
[Date "2015.06.01"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Feller, Sebastien"]
[Black "Doettling, Fabian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2626"]
[BlackElo "2588"]
[Annotator "Ipatov,A"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2015.05.30"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Evry Grand Roque"]
[BlackTeam "Strasbourg"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Na3 Rd8 12. Qc2 c5 13. dxc5 Qxc5 14.
Qxc4 Qxc4 15. Nxc4 Ba6 16. b3 Bxc4 17. bxc4 Rdc8 18. Be3 $146 ({The recent
game from the Russian Team Championship continued} 18. Bb2 Rxc4 19. Rac1 Rac8
20. Rxc4 Rxc4 21. Rc1 Rxc1+ 22. Bxc1 Kf8 23. f3 Ke7 24. e4 Kd6 25. Kf2 Nd7 26.
Ba3+ Kc6 27. Ke3 e5 $11 {but Black seemed to equalise easily} 28. Kd3 Nc5+ 29.
Kc4 Ne6 30. Bb2 f6 31. h4 h5 32. Ba3 Kd7 33. Kd3 a6 34. Bb2 g6 35. Ke3 Kd6 36.
Ba3+ Kd7 37. Bb2 Kd6 38. Ba3+ Kd7 39. Bb2 {1/2-1/2 (39) Sjugirov,S (2669)
-Aronian,L (2770) Sochi 2015}) 18... Rxc4 19. Rfc1 Ra4 $1 $11 20. a3 h6 21. Bc5
Rc8 22. f3 Ra6 23. Kf2 Nd5 24. e4 Rac6 25. exd5 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 Rxc5 27. dxe6
fxe6 1/2-1/2

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Montpellier"]
[Date "2015.06.01"]
[Round "3.4"]
[White "Ipatov, Alexander"]
[Black "Sokolov, Andrei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2612"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "Ipatov,A"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2015.05.30"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Bois Colombes"]
[BlackTeam "Mulhouse Philidor"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Na3 $5 {This rare move was played
three times on 2600+ level in this tournament, that's why I thought it would
be interesting to mention about that. Much more popular continuations for
White are the moves 11.Qc2 and 11.Qa4. On the other hand, 11.Na3 is relatively
a new way to handle this position with White and I am sure that we will see
more games on top level with this move.} (11. Qc2 e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Bf4 Qh5
14. Nc3 Nd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. Rd4 Bh3 18. f3 Be6 19. Rad1 Qb6 20.
Qc3 f6 21. Kg2 Rae8 22. R1d2 a5 23. g4 a4 24. Bg3 Qc5 25. Re4 Rf7 26. Qe3 Qxe3
27. Rxe3 Rfe7 28. Bf2 Kf7 29. Rc3 Rb8 30. Rcc2 Rb5 {1/2-1/2 (30) Tomashevsky,E
(2749)-Nakamura,H (2799) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015}) 11... c5 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Be3
Qh5 (13... Qc6 $143 14. Rc1 Ba6 15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. b3 Bxb3 17. Rxc6 Bxd1 18.
Rxd1 {Kramnik,V (2783)-Adams,M (2745) Gashimov Memorial 2015 (1) 1-0}) 14. f3
Nd5 $146 (14... c3 15. bxc3 Qa5 16. Qc1 Ba6 17. c4 Rfc8 18. Rd1 Nd5 19. Rd4 Rc6
20. Kf2 Rac8 21. Rb1 h5 22. Rb3 Qc7 23. Qd2 Nb6 24. Qa5 e5 25. Rh4 Nxc4 26.
Qxc7 R6xc7 27. Rxh5 f6 28. Rh4 Nxa3 29. Rxa3 Bb5 30. Rb3 a6 31. a4 Be8 32. Bb6
Rc2 33. a5 Ra2 34. Re4 Rcc2 35. Rbe3 Bc6 36. Rb4 Bb5 37. Rbe4 Bc6 38. Rb4 Bb5
39. Rbe4 Bc6 40. Rb4 Bb5 {1/2-1/2 (40) Grachev,B (2673)-Lysyj,I (2691) Sochi
2015}) 15. Bf2 c3 16. bxc3 Nxc3 17. Qd3 Nd5 18. Rfc1 a5 19. Rc5 $14 Ba6 20. Qd2
h6 21. Nc2 Qg6 22. Nd4 Ne7 23. Rxa5 Rfd8 24. Qb2 Qf6 25. Rb1 e5 26. Nb3 Nc6 27.
Rc5 Nd4 28. Bxd4 exd4 29. Rd1 Qb6 30. Rxd4 Rxd4 31. Qxd4 Re8 32. e4 Kh7 33. Kf2
Rd8 34. Rd5 Qxd4+ 35. Nxd4 Rb8 36. a4 Rb2+ 37. Ke3 Rxh2 38. Rd7 Bc4 39. Rc7 Be6
40. Nxe6 fxe6 41. Kd4 Ra2 42. Rc4 Ra3 43. f4 Rxg3 44. Rc3 e5+ 45. fxe5 Rg6 46.
Kd5 Ra6 47. e6 Kg6 48. e5 Ra5+ 49. Kd6 Rxa4 50. e7 1-0

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Montpellier"]
[Date "2015.06.09"]
[Round "11.3"]
[White "Gajewski, Grzegorz"]
[Black "Fressinet, Laurent"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2648"]
[BlackElo "2712"]
[Annotator "Ipatov,A"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2015.05.30"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Mulhouse Philidor"]
[BlackTeam "Clichy-Echecs 92"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Na3 $5 {This rare move was played
three times on 2600+ level in this tournament, that's why I thought it would
be interesting to mention about that. Much more popular continuations for
White are the moves 11.Qc2 and 11.Qa4. On the other hand, 11.Na3 is relatively
a new way to handle this position with White and I am sure that we will see
more games on top level with this move.} Rd8 12. Qc2 Ba6 $146 (12... c5 13.
dxc5 Qxc5 14. Qxc4 Qxc4 15. Nxc4 Ba6 16. b3 Bxc4 17. bxc4 Rdc8 18. Bb2 Rxc4 19.
Rac1 Rac8 20. Rxc4 Rxc4 21. Rc1 Rxc1+ 22. Bxc1 Kf8 23. f3 Ke7 24. e4 Kd6 25.
Kf2 Nd7 26. Ba3+ Kc6 27. Ke3 e5 28. Kd3 Nc5+ 29. Kc4 Ne6 30. Bb2 f6 31. h4 h5
32. Ba3 Kd7 33. Kd3 a6 34. Bb2 g6 35. Ke3 Kd6 36. Ba3+ Kd7 37. Bb2 Kd6 38. Ba3+
Kd7 39. Bb2 {1/2-1/2 (39) Sjugirov,S (2669)-Aronian,L (2770) Sochi 2015}) 13.
Nxc4 c5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. b3 Bxc4 16. Bb2 Rac8 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rfc1 Qa5 19.
bxc4 Rd2 20. Qe4 Rxa2 21. Rxa2 Qxa2 22. c5 Qd2 23. Rc4 f5 24. Qe5 Qd5 25. Qc3
a5 26. Rd4 Rxc5 27. Rxd5 Rxc3 28. Rxa5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2011.11.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {Boris is one of the biggest experts in the Catalan
and I was expecting this opening.} d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 ({Later in this tournament Kramnik played} 9. Rd1 {
against me, and in the press conference he said that this is the only move
after which there were noto a lot of my games to be found:-).}) 9... Bc6 10.
Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Ne5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nd5 14. Rad1 Nxf4+ 15. gxf4 Bd6 16.
Rd3 $146 {A new idea in a fresh position! White wants to bring the rook closer
to Black's king. In previous games White played 16.e3.} Qe8 $5 {As I did not
expect 16.Rd3 I did not want to play logical moves like 16...Qh4 or 16...Nb4,
and wanted to surprize Boris! The main idea of 16...Qe8 is to prepare ...f6.}
17. Rf3 {There are other options for White, but I think that basically Black
has a solid and good position.} Nb4 18. Nb5 f6 19. Nd3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Rd8 $11 {
I think it is time to evalute the position. Black has completely equalised and
White must already play carefully so as not to get into a slightly worse
position.} 21. Rh3 (21. e3 {was more precise:} c6 22. Nxd6 Rxd6 23. Rc1 $11)
21... f5 22. e3 Qc6+ 23. Kg1 Bb4 {Of course nothing serious for White happened,
but Black managed to keep his bishop and potentially after playing Qd7, c6, b5,
Black would be a bit better.} 24. Rg3 Qd7 25. Qb3 c6 26. Nc3 b5 27. Rc1 Rb8 ({
May be more precise was} 27... Kh8 {was more precise, to get off the a2-g8
diagonal and to prepare ...Rb8 and ...Rfc8, with a slighlity better position.})
28. axb5 cxb5 29. d5 Rfe8 30. dxe6 ({During the game I was expecting} 30. e4 $5
Rbc8 31. e5 Rc4 {with a very unclear and probably objectively equal position.})
30... Qxe6 31. Nd5 (31. Qxe6+ Rxe6 32. Ne2 Bf8 33. Nd4 Rf6 {following with a4,
b4 keeping a better position.}) 31... Kh8 32. Rc7 $6 {A logical attacking move,
but it has a tactical refutation!} ({White should have played} 32. e4 $1 Qxe4 (
32... Bf8 33. e5 {is probably fine for White.}) 33. Re3 Qd4 34. Rd3 Qa7 35.
Nxb4 axb4 36. Qd5 $11 {and it would probably be just a draw.}) 32... Rbd8 $1
33. e4 (33. Rgxg7 Rg8 $19 {and White cannot reach the h7-pawn!}) 33... Bf8 34.
Qc3 $6 ({It was better to play} 34. Qxb5 Qxe4 35. Re3 Qb1+ 36. Kg2 Rxe3 37.
Nxe3 Qe4+ 38. Kg1 Qxf4 39. Rc4 {White is worse, but with precise play he
should keep the balance.}) 34... b4 35. Qd4 Rd7 36. Qa7 (36. Rxd7 Qxd7 $17)
36... Rxc7 37. Nxc7 Qf7 ({There was the interesting alternative} 37... Qe7 38.
Qb6 Qd8 39. Qxa5 Re7 40. Qa8 Qxa8 41. Nxa8 Rxe4 {winning a pawn.}) 38. Qxa5 Rc8
39. Nd5 fxe4 40. Ne3 Qxf4 41. Qd5 (41. Qg5 $15 {was more stubborn where it is
not easy for Black to convert his extra pawn.}) 41... Bd6 $17 {Now Black has a
clear extra pawn and the position should be technically winning.} 42. Qb7 Qf8 (
42... Rg8 $17 {was also very strong!}) 43. Rh3 Re8 44. Rh5 Qf3 (44... Qf4 $1 {
was probably stronger.}) 45. Rg5 Rg8 46. Qc6 $6 (46. Qd5 Qf4 47. Kf1 {could
give White good drawing chances.}) 46... Qf4 (46... Qf6 $19 {was very strong,
but the text move is also good enough.}) 47. Rg2 Be5 48. Qc4 Rb8 49. b3 h6 50.
Rg3 Rf8 51. Rg2 Ra8 52. Qc6 Ra1+ 53. Nf1 Qf5 54. Qb6 {Here in a completely
winning position I thought that everything wins and lost concentration a litle
bit.} Rd1 $2 (54... Qd7 $19 {was a normal "human" win}) (54... Bxh2+ 55. Kxh2 (
55. Rxh2 Qg4+ 56. Rg2 Rxf1+ 57. Kxf1 Qd1#) 55... Qh5+ 56. Kg3 Qe5+ $19 {
was a computer win.}) 55. Qa6 Bd4 56. Qe2 Rd3 $6 (56... Rc1 $19) 57. Rg3 Rc3
58. Qd2 (58. Ne3 {is of course winning for Black, but White is at least in the
game.}) 58... Be5 59. Ne3 Qe6 {White resigned!} 0-1

[Event "Interzonal-16"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "Khalifman,A"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1993.07.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 037"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ambroz} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 (10. Bf4 {Ambroz} Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 a5
$5 $13 {Hulak-Psakhis, Zagreb 1993}) 10... Bd5 11. Qd3 Be4 (11... c5 $5 {Ambroz
}) 12. Qe3 Bc6 13. Nc3 Nbd7 14. Qd3 Bb4 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bf4 (16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17.
e4 b6 $13) (16. Bd2 {Ambroz}) 16... Rc8 17. Qc2 (17. e4 $2 Nc5 $1) 17... b6 18.
e4 Bb7 19. Rad1 Re8 20. Ne5 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 (21. dxe5 Nd7 $13) 21... Nd7 22. Bf4
Qe7 (22... c5 $6 23. d5 e5 24. Be3 $16) 23. Re2 c5 (23... e5 24. Nd5 $14 (24.
Nd5 $1 {Ambroz} Qd6 (24... Bxd5 25. exd5 f6 (25... Bd6 26. Bh3 $1 $14) 26. Bh3
$14) 25. Nxb4 Qxb4 (25... exf4 26. e5 Qxb4 27. Bxb7) 26. Bh3 $16)) (23... Bxc3
{Ambroz} 24. bxc3 e5 25. Bc1 $14) 24. d5 $5 $146 (24. Red2 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Nf6
26. Bd6 Bxd6 27. Rxd6 b5 $10 {Yusupov,A-Portisch,L Linares 1989} (27... b5 $10
{Ambroz} 28. axb5 axb5 29. Qb3 Bc6 30. Qb4 Qb7 31. h3 Rb8 32. Kh2 {1/2,
Yusupov-Portisch, Linares 1989})) 24... e5 25. Be3 (25. d6 $6 Qe6 26. Be3 Nb8
$1 $15 (26... c4 {Ambroz} 27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. Rxd5 Nf6 (28... Bxd6 29. Qd1 Rc6 30.
Red2) 29. Rd1 b5 $17)) 25... Qd6 (25... c4 $6 {Ambroz} 26. Bh3) 26. Bh3 Rc7 27.
Nb1 (27. f4 $5 $132) (27. Na2 $5 {Ambroz}) 27... Bc8 (27... c4 $2 {Ambroz} 28.
Bxd7) 28. Nd2 (28. Na3 $5 $14) 28... b5 29. Nf3 c4 $6 (29... h5 $5 30. Nh4 g6
$13) (29... Kh7 {Ambroz} 30. Nh4 g6 31. axb5 axb5 32. Qc1 h5 $13 (32... c4 $5))
30. Nh4 g6 $1 (30... Nc5 31. Bxc8 Rexc8 32. Nf5 $16) 31. Bxh6 Nc5 32. Bxc8
Rexc8 33. axb5 axb5 34. Nf3 $14 Ra8 $2 (34... Nb3 35. Be3 (35. Re3 {Ambroz /\
Rb3} Nd4 36. Nxd4 exd4 37. Rxd4 Bc5 38. Bf4 (38. e5 $5 $44) 38... Qd7 39. Rd1
$16) 35... Bc5 $14) 35. Bd2 $2 (35. Nxe5 $1 Qxe5 36. Bf4 Qe7 37. d6 $18) 35...
Ra4 36. Kg2 Nd3 37. Bxb4 Rxb4 (37... Nxb4 {Ambroz} 38. Qd2) 38. Rxd3 $1 cxd3
39. Qxd3 f6 $6 (39... Rbc4) (39... Rbc4 $142 {Ambroz} 40. Ng5 $1 $40 (40. h4 f6
$13 {/\ Qc5, Rc2})) 40. Qa3 Qc5 (40... Kg7 $14) 41. Nh4 $1 Kh7 (41... Kg7 {
Ambroz} 42. Qf3 {/\ Qg4} Qd6 $2 43. Qg4 $18) 42. Qf3 (42. Qa6 $5) 42... Qd6 43.
b3 $1 (43. Qg4 $2 f5 $1 44. Qh3 Kg8 $1 45. exf5 g5 $1 $17) 43... Qa6 (43... f5
44. exf5 g5 45. Ng6 g4 46. Qd3 $16) (43... Rd4 {Ambroz} 44. Ra2 $1) (43... Ra7
{Ambroz} 44. Rc2 $1) 44. Rd2 Rd4 45. Rxd4 exd4 46. Qf4 $1 (46. Qd3 Qb6 47. Nf3
Rc3 48. Qxd4 Qxd4 49. Nxd4 b4 50. d6 Rd3 51. Nc6 Rxd6 52. Nxb4 Rd4 53. Nd5 f5
$10) 46... Qb6 (46... Rd7 47. Nxg6 $1 $18) (46... Re7 47. d6 Rf7 (47... Rd7 48.
Nf5 $1 $18) 48. Nf3 $18) (46... Rf7 47. Nf3 $18) 47. d6 Rf7 (47... Rd7 48. Nf5
$1 Kg8 49. Qg4 $18) 48. Qg4 $1 (48. e5 Qc6+ 49. Nf3 Qd5 $13) 48... Rg7 (48...
g5 49. Qh5+ Kg8 50. Nf5 $18) 49. Qh3 $1 d3 (49... Kg8 50. Qe6+ Kh7 51. Qxf6 d3
52. Nf3 $18) 50. Nf5+ Kg8 51. Nxg7 Qxd6 (51... d2 52. Ne8 d1=Q 53. Qe6+ (53.
Nxf6+ $1 {Ambroz} Kf7 54. Qh7+ Kxf6 55. Qe7#) 53... Kh7 54. Qf7+ Kh6 55. Qg7+
$18) (51... Kxg7 {Ambroz} 52. Qd7+ Kh6 53. Qc8 $18) 52. Ne8 $1 $18 Qd4 53.
Nxf6+ Kf7 (53... Qxf6 54. Qc8+ Kg7 55. Qd7+ $18) 54. Qh7+ Ke6 55. Qxg6 d2 (
55... Qxf6 {Ambroz} 56. Qe8+) 56. Nd5+ Kd7 57. Qf7+ 1-0

[Event "Zagreb/ Rijeka"]
[Site "Zagreb/ Rijeka"]
[Date "1985.04.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Black "Ivanovic, Bozidar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "Kharitonov,A"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1985.04.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Qd6 $6 (
7... c5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nc3 Qc7 10. Nxc4 Rd8 (10... Bxf2+ 11. Rxf2 Qxc4 12.
Rxf6 gxf6 13. Bh6 $40 {Ivkov,B-Robatsch,K/Vinkovci/1968/1:0/17/}) 11. Bf4 Qe7
12. Qc2 Nc6 13. Rad1 $16) (7... Nc6 $5 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Qa4 Bb4 $5
11. a3 Bb7 12. axb4 Bxc6 13. Qa5 Nd5 $13 {Karasev,V-Pigusov,E/Riga/1988/0:1/60/
}) 8. Nxc4 Qa6 9. Nba3 Rd8 10. Qb3 $1 c6 (10... Rxd4 $2 11. Nb5 Rd7 12. Ne5 $18
) (10... Bxa3 11. bxa3 $1 Rxd4 12. Ne5 $14) 11. Rd1 $16 Nbd7 12. Bd2 Nb6 (12...
Nf8 13. Ba5 Re8 14. Rac1 $14) 13. Ba5 $14 (13. Rac1 Nxc4 14. Nxc4 Bd7 $14)
13... Nfd7 14. Rac1 Re8 15. Bb4 $1 Qa4 (15... Bxb4 16. Qxb4 Nxc4 17. Nxc4 $16)
16. Qxa4 Nxa4 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. b3 Nab6 19. e4 (19. Nd6 $5 e5 20. e4 exd4 21.
Rxd4 Nf8 22. f4 $16) 19... Nf6 (19... Nxc4 20. Nxc4) 20. f4 Bd7 21. Bf3 h6 22.
Kf2 Be8 23. Rd2 g5 $6 (23... Rd8 $142) 24. h4 $1 Rd8 (24... g4 25. Bg2 $16) (
24... gxf4 25. gxf4 $16) 25. e5 (25. hxg5 hxg5 26. Ke3 $36) 25... Nh7 26. Nxb6
axb6 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. Nc4 b5 29. Nd6 f5 $5 30. a4 $1 bxa4 31. bxa4 Ra8 32. Ra2
Ra6 $2 (32... g4 $142 33. Bg2 Nf8 34. Rb1 Rb8 35. a5 Rc7 $16) 33. Raa1 (33. a5
$6 b5 $1 $132) 33... Nf8 34. a5 $18 Ng6 (34... b6 35. Nc8 Rc7 36. Nxb6 Rca7 37.
Nc8 Ra8 38. Nd6 Bd7 39. Rc5 $18) 35. Ke3 (35. fxg5 $5 $18) 35... gxf4+ 36. gxf4
Nh4 37. Bh1 $1 (37. Rcb1 Nxf3 38. Kxf3 c5 39. Nxe8 Rxe8 40. dxc5 Rc8 $132)
37... Bh5 38. Rcb1 Rg7 39. Rxb7 Ng2+ 40. Bxg2 Rxg2 41. Rb6 Ra8 (41... Ra7 42.
Rb8+ Kh7 43. Rb7+ Rxb7 44. Nxb7 $18) 42. a6 Kh7 43. a7 Rag8 44. Kd3 R8g3+ 45.
Kc4 Rc2+ 46. Kb4 c5+ 47. dxc5 Bf3 48. Ra3 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-31"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1994.12.11"]
[Round "10.1"]
[White "Lautier, Joel"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "Kortschnoj,V"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1994.12.01"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 045"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "France"]
[BlackTeam "Switzerland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SUI"]

1. d4 {Ftacnik} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Nc3
Nc6 8. e3 Bd6 $6 (8... Nd5 9. e4 Nb6 10. Be3 $146) (8... Na5 {Ftacnik}) (8...
Rb8 {Ftacnik}) 9. Qa4 (9. Nd2 e5 (9... Na5 $1 {Ftacnik}) 10. d5 Na5 11. Qe2 c6
12. Nxc4 Nxc4 13. Qxc4 cxd5 14. Nxd5 $14) 9... e5 $10 10. d5 (10. Qxc4 exd4 11.
exd4 (11. Nxd4 {Ftacnik} Nxd4 12. Qxd4 c5 $10) 11... Nb4 $14) 10... Nb4 11.
Nxe5 a6 $5 (11... Nbxd5 12. Nxc4 (12. Nxd5 {Ftacnik} Nxd5 (12... Bxe5 13. Nxf6+
Qxf6 14. Qxc4 $10) 13. Nxf7 $1) 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 $14) (11... Bxe5 {Ftacnik}
12. Qxb4 $14) 12. Nf3 $4 (12. Nxc4 b5 13. Nxb5 axb5 14. Qxa8 bxc4 15. a3 $13) (
12. f4 Nbxd5 (12... Bxe5 {Ftacnik} 13. Qxb4 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Nxd5 15. Qxc4 $14) (
12... Nbxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxe5 14. Qxc4 $10) (12... Qe7 {Ftacnik} 13. a3 Nd3 14.
Nxd3 cxd3 15. Qc4 $14) 13. Nxc4 Nb6 14. Nxb6 cxb6 $15) (12. e4 b5 13. Qa5 Qe7
14. Bf4 $13) (12. a3 b5 (12... Bxe5 13. Qxb4 b5 $13) 13. Nxb5 Bxe5 14. f4 $1
Nbxd5 15. fxe5 Bb7 16. exf6 Nb6 17. Qd1 Bxg2 18. Qg4 $14) 12... Bf5 $17 13. Nd4
(13. a3 $4 {Ftacnik} Bc2 14. Qa5 b6 $19) 13... Bd3 14. Re1 Bc5 15. e4 (15. a3 {
Ftacnik} Nbxd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Qa5 b6 $17) 15... Nbxd5 (15... Bxd4 {Ftacnik}
16. Qxb4 Ng4 17. Nd1 $13) 16. Nf5 (16. Nxd5 {Ftacnik} Bxd4 $17) (16. exd5 {
Ftacnik} Bxd4 $17) 16... Nxc3 17. bxc3 Ng4 18. Ne3 (18. Be3 $1 {Ftacnik} Nxe3
19. Nxe3 $17) 18... Nxf2 $1 $19 19. e5 (19. Kxf2 Qf6+ 20. Bf3 (20. Kg1 {Ftacnik
} Qxc3 $19) 20... Qxc3 $19 (20... Qxc3 21. Ba3 b5 22. Qd1 Qxa3 $19)) 19... b5
20. Qa5 Ng4 21. Kh1 (21. Bxa8 {Ftacnik} Qxa8 $19) 21... Nxe5 22. Ba3 (22. Bxa8
{Ftacnik} Qxa8+ 23. Ng2 Bd6 $19) 22... Bxa3 23. Qxa3 c6 24. Nf5 Bxf5 25. Rxe5
Be6 26. Qc5 (26. Bxc6 Qc7 $19 (26... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 27. Rc5 Rac8 28. Qxa6 Qd6 $1
29. Qxb5 Rxc6 $19)) 26... Rc8 27. Rae1 Qd7 28. Rg5 f6 29. Rh5 Bg4 30. Rh4 Rfe8
31. Rxe8+ (31. Rg1 {Ftacnik} g5 $19) 31... Rxe8 32. h3 Qd1+ 33. Kh2 Bf3 0-1

[Event "Bled/Rogaska Slatina"]
[Site "Bled"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Kotronias, Vasilios"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "Kortschnoj,V"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1991.06.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 024"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1991.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1991.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. a4 Nc6 8. a5
$5 {New move.8.Sc3 Sa5 does not promise much to white.} Rb8 9. Qc2 Nxd4 10.
Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Be3 Qg4 {Or 11...Dd6 12.Dc4 with full compensation for a pawn.}
12. h3 Qh5 13. Qxc4 e5 $6 {Dubious.A critical continuation should be 13...Sd5!}
14. Qxc7 Bd7 (14... Bxh3 $1 15. Qxe7 Rfe8 $1 {/\ Nf6-g4 !}) 15. g4 Bxg4 (15...
Qg6 16. Qxe5 $16) 16. Qxe7 Bxh3 17. f3 Rfe8 18. Qa3 e4 19. Nd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2
Qg6+ 21. Kf2 exf3 22. Rg1 $1 Ng4+ 23. Rxg4 Qxg4 24. Nxf3 Re4 25. Rg1 Qe6 26.
Qc3 Rg4 (26... g6 $2 27. Bh6 f6 28. Qc7 $18) 27. Rxg4 Qxg4 28. Bxa7 Rc8 29. Bc5
h5 30. b4 h4 31. Qe5 f6 32. Qd4 Qg3+ 33. Kf1 Qh3+ 34. Ke1 Qg3+ 35. Kf1 Qh3+ 36.
Ke1 Qg3+ 37. Qf2 Qxf2+ 38. Kxf2 $18 g5 39. Nd4 Kf7 40. Kg2 Kg6 41. Nb5 Re8 42.
e3 Re5 43. Nc3 f5 44. Bd4 Re8 45. b5 Kh5 46. a6 bxa6 47. bxa6 Re6 48. a7 Ra6
49. Nd5 Ra2+ 50. Kg1 Kg4 51. Nc7 1-0

[Event "GER-ch 73th"]
[Site "Altenkirchen"]
[Date "2001.12.07"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Handke, Florian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2612"]
[BlackElo "2384"]
[Annotator "Kortschnoj,V"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2001.11.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 087"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ribli} Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Ne5
Nc6 (7... c5 {Ribli} 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 Qxc5 (9... Bxc5 {Ribli} 10. Nc3 $14
Bxf2+ $6 11. Rxf2 Qxc4 12. Rxf6 gxf6 13. Bh6 $36) 10. b3 $14) 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9.
Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 c5 {Ribli: 'Dieser Zug scheint mir logischer,
als die Alternative 11...e5.'} 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 {The theory considers
this position good for black - he has a proper compensation for a pawn.  Ribli:
'Dieser Zug kommt mit Tempo, aber ich glaube, dass die Mobilisierung der
Figuren besser wäre als dieser Bauernzug. '} (13... Rd8 $5 {Ribli} 14. Qh4 Rb8
15. b3 Ba6 16. Ba3 (16. Nc3 {Ribli} Qc5 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rb4 19. Qe3 Qc2
20. Ba3 Re4 21. Rfc1 Qxe2 {1/2-1/2 Krasenkow,M-Ribli,Z/Germany 1998/GER-chT 
(21)}) 16... Qc7 17. Rc1 Qe5 18. Nc3 Rd4 19. Qh3 Bb7 20. Qf1 h5 21. f3 Rc8 22.
Qe1 h4 {1/2-1/2 Vasovski,N-Bojkovic,N/Skopje MKD 2002/The Week in Chess 376 
(38)}) 14. Qh4 Rb8 (14... Qe6 {Ribli}) (14... h6 $5 {Ribli}) 15. b3 $1 {
This move was discovered about 15 years ago. Since then the theory believes 14.
..Qe6! was the best for black.} (15. Nc3 {Ribli} Rb4 16. e4 Bb7 17. f3 Rc8 18.
g4 a5 19. Qf2 h5 20. g5 Nh7 21. Qe3 Rd8 {1/2-1/2 Atalik,S-Liang Jinrong/
Beijing 1997/CBM 61 (21)}) (15. Bg5 {Ribli} Rxb2 16. Nc3 Qe6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18.
Qxf6 gxf6 $11) 15... Rd8 16. Bb2 {Ribli: 'Dieser einfache Zug ist eine
theoretische Neuerung - auf diese Weise verhindert Weiß den Turmzug 16...Rd4
und platziert den Läufer auf der großen Diagonale.'} (16. Bg5 {Ribli} Rd4 17.
Bxf6 gxf6 (17... Qxf6 $6 {Ribli} 18. Qxf6 gxf6 19. Rc1 $1 $16 Ba6 20. Kf1 h5
21. Ke1 {1-0 Gelfand,B-Timoscenko,G/Norilsk 1987/EXT 97 (46)}) 18. Qh6 Rb6 19.
Nc3 f5 $13 {Holmov}) 16... h6 {Ribli: 'Schwarz verteidigt sich gegen 17.Qg5,
wonach der e5-Bauer hängen würde und die Dame über die Diagonale h6-c1 ins
Spiel kommen würde.'} ({After} 16... Rb4 17. Ba3 Rdd4 {white has} 18. Qg5 {
so black is still hunting on the white queen.}) (16... Ba6 {Ribli} 17. Qg5 $14)
17. Na3 {Ribli: 'Mit natürlichen Zügen hat Weiß bequemes Spiel erlangt, und er
hat einen Bauern mehr.'} Bg4 (17... Rd2 {Ribli} 18. Nc4 Rxe2 19. Rfe1 $16) (
17... Ba6 {Ribli} 18. Nc4 (18. Rfe1 {Ribli} Rd2 19. Bc3) 18... Bxc4 19. Qxc4
Rbc8 20. Qa6 $14) 18. Nc4 $1 {After this move it becomes obvious - black will
not succeed to trap the queen.  Ribli: 'Weiß gibt den Bauern zurück, aber er
bekommt einen kleinen und dauerhaften Vorteil. '} (18. Rfe1 {Ribli} Qf8 {
[%csl Rh4][%cal Rg7g5,Rg5h4]} 19. f4 $13) 18... Bxe2 (18... Rb5 19. f3) (18...
Qf8 {Ribli} 19. Nxe5 $16 g5 $2 20. Nxg4 $18) 19. Rfe1 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 $14 {
Black pawn e5 is weak, the bishop is stronger than the knight - white has some
edge.  Ribli: 'Weiss hat ausgezeichnetes Figurenspiel, der e5P ist schwach und
Schwarz kann das nicht so lange verteidigen.'} (20. Bxe5 Be6) 20... Rd5 (20...
e4 {Ribli} 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Qxe4 $16) 21. Rad1 $1 Ra5 ({If} 21... Rbd8 22.
Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Qc8+ Kh7 24. Qf5+ g6 25. Qf3 {- weakening of the long diagonal
is unpleasant for black.}) ({Or} 21... Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Re8 23. Qc6 {and black
has problems. Still, it would be the best for black.}) 22. Bc3 ({Also} 22. b4 {
was strong. With continuation:} Rxb4 ({or} 22... Rab5 23. Bc3 {and then a2-a4.}
) 23. Qc8+ Kh7 24. Bc3) 22... Rc5 ({If} 22... Rxa2 {then} 23. b4 (23. Rxe5 {
Ribli} Qb7 24. b4 $14) 23... Qe6 ({Instead} 23... Ra3 {(24.Be5 Rd8) was more
stubborn.}) 24. Qxe6 fxe6 25. Bxe5 {with solid advantage.}) 23. Qd3 Qe6 {
'?!' Ribli.} (23... Rd5 $14 {Ribli}) 24. Qe3 $1 {Wins a pawn.} Rbc8 25. Rd8+ {
'!' Ribli.} (25. Bxe5 $2 {Ribli} Ng4 26. Qxc5 (26. Rd8+ {Ribli} Rxd8 27. Qxc5
Rd5 $19) 26... Rxc5 27. Bd4 Re5 $19) 25... Rxd8 26. Qxc5 Qh3 27. Qxe5 {Ribli:
'Jetzt hat Weiß einen Bauern gewonnen und 27...Ng4 geht nicht wegen des Matts
auf g7.'} Kh7 ({Tactical justification of 27.Qe5:} 27... Re8 28. Qd4 Rxe1+ 29.
Bxe1 Ng4 30. Qd8+ Kh7 31. Qh4) 28. Qe2 Qf5 (28... Nd5 {Ribli} 29. Qd3+ f5 (
29... Kg8 {Ribli} 30. Ba5 $18) (29... g6 {Ribli} 30. Qd4 $18) 30. Re7 Nxe7 31.
Qxd8 $16) 29. Bxf6 $1 {With this exchange white obtains a profitable endgame.
Ribli: 'Rechtzeitig - sonst geht der Springer weg; obwohl natürlich Weiß immer
besser steht, ist es höchste Zeit für Vereinfachungen.'} Qxf6 30. Qe7 {'+/-'
Ribli.} Rd2 {'?!' Ribli. Afer exchange on e7 or 30...Qc3 31.Rf1 black loses
the second pawn.} (30... Qc3 $5 $16 {Ribli}) 31. Qxf6 gxf6 32. a4 Rb2 (32...
Rd3 {Ribli} 33. Re7 Kg6 34. Rb7 $16) 33. Re7 (33. Re3 {Ribli} a5) 33... Kg6 (
33... Rxb3 {Ribli} 34. Rxf7+ Kg6 35. Rxa7 $18) 34. Rb7 a5 35. Kg2 f5 (35... Kg7
{Ribli} 36. Kf3 $16) 36. Rb6+ f6 37. Rb5 Kg5 38. Kf3 Rc2 (38... Kg6 {Ribli} 39.
h4 $16) 39. h4+ Kg6 40. Ke3 {Ribli: 'Der weiße Plan ist klar - er möchte 41.f3
und 42.Kf4 ziehen und den Wirkungskreis des b2-Turms verkleinern.'} h5 41. f3
Rc3+ 42. Kf4 Rd3 43. Rxf5 Rxb3 44. Rxa5 {White has won the second pawn but his
win still hangs on one tempo, as we soon will see.  Ribli: 'Weiß hat zwei
Bauern mehr und Gewinnstellung. '} Rb4+ 45. Ke3 Rb3+ 46. Ke4 {'!' Ribli. Ribli:
'Der weiße König muss seinen a-Bauern unterstützen und den Königsflügel
verlassen.'} (46. Kf2 $6 {Ribli} Rb2+ 47. Kg1 Rb1+ (47... Ra2 $16 {Ribli}) 48.
Kg2 Rb2+ 49. Kh3 Rf2 50. f4 Ra2 $14) 46... Rb4+ 47. Kd5 Rb3 48. Rb5 Rxf3 49. a5
Rxg3 {Ribli: 'Die Stellung ist nur materiell gleich - Weiß hat einen
ernfernten Freibauern mit der Unterstützung des Königs.'} 50. Kc6 {Ribli:
'Jetzt droht schon 51.a6. Ich muss betonen, dass der b5R ausgezeichnet steht -
er schneidet dem schwarzen König den Weg über die fünfte Reihe ab.'} (50. a6 $2
{Ribli} Ra3 51. Rb6 Kf5 {[%cal Gf5g4]} 52. Kc6 Kg4 53. Kb7 Kxh4 $11) 50... f5 (
50... Rg4 51. a6 Rxh4 52. a7 Ra4 53. Kb6 Rxa7 54. Kxa7 h4 55. Kb6 h3 56. Rb3
Kf5 57. Rxh3 Ke4 58. Kc5 f5 59. Kc4 f4 60. Kc3 f3 61. Kd2 $18) (50... Ra3 {
Ribli} 51. Kb7 $18) 51. a6 Ra3 52. Kb7 f4 53. a7 f3 54. Rg5+ (54. a8=Q {Ribli}
Rxa8 55. Kxa8 f2 56. Rb1 Kf5 57. Rf1 Kg4 58. Rxf2 Kxh4 $11 {[%csl Ra8,Gh4,Gh5]}
) 54... Kf6 (54... Kh6 {Ribli} 55. a8=Q $18) 55. Rg3 $1 {The only winning move.
After the natural 55.Rg8 black would save the game with 55...Kf5!  Ribli:
'Droht 56.Rxf3+.'} (55. Rg8 Kf5 $1) 55... Rb3+ (55... f2 {Ribli} 56. Rxa3 f1=Q
57. a8=Q $18) 56. Kc7 Rc3+ 57. Kb6 Rb3+ 58. Kc5 Rc3+ 59. Kd4 Rc8 (59... Ra3 {
Ribli} 60. Rxf3+ $18) 60. Rxf3+ Ke6 61. Ra3 1-0

[Event "World Cup"]
[Site "Reykjavik"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2570"]
[Annotator "Kortschnoj,V"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1991.09.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "ISL"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 026"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1992.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1992.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ftacnik} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3
Bxa3 8. bxa3 Bd7 $5 {8...Sc6,8...Sd5} 9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 Nd5 12.
Rb1 $1 {Subtle move.The rook belongs to the b-line,the other goes to the c- or
d-line.} Nb6 13. e3 Qd6 14. Qc2 Rfd8 15. Rfd1 Rab8 16. e4 e5 {16...c3 17.Lc3
Da3=+,17.Dc3 Sa4=,17.e5! Dd7 18.Lc3+=,17...De7 18.Dc3+=} 17. d5 Nd4 18. Bxd4
exd4 19. Rxd4 c6 {19...Da3!?} 20. a4 Qc5 {N} (20... cxd5 {Ftacnik} 21. exd5 g6
$6 22. a5 Qc5 23. Qc3 Nxd5 24. Qxc4 Qxc4 25. Rxc4 $14 {Krasenkov-Flear,G/Paris/
1990/}) 21. Qc3 cxd5 (21... Nxa4 {Ftacnik} 22. Qxc4 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 Nb6 24. dxc6
$5 Nxc4 25. c7 Rdc8 26. cxb8=Q Rxb8 $10) 22. exd5 Rbc8 23. Rb5 Qe7 (23... Nxa4
{Ftacnik} 24. Rxc5 Nxc3 25. Rdxc4 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 Nxa2 $10) 24. a5 Na4 25. Qc2
Qe1+ (25... Qe5 $6 {Ftacnik} 26. Rh4 $1) 26. Bf1 Nc3 27. Rxb7 Nxd5 (27... Re8 {
Ftacnik} 28. Kg2 $1) 28. Rxc4 $6 {28.Df5! Se7 29.Td8 Td8 3o.Dc5 Sg6 31.Dc4 or
28...Sf6 29.Tc7! Tc7 30.Td8 Se8 31.Db1! would leave black in a difficult
position without counterplay} (28. Re4 $1 {Ftacnik} Qxa5 29. Bxc4 $16) 28...
Ne3 $1 29. fxe3 Rxc4 30. Qxc4 Qxe3+ 31. Kg2 Rd2+ 32. Kh3 Qh6+ 33. Kg4 Qg6+ 34.
Kh3 {34.Kf3 Df6 35.Ke3 Df2 36.Ke4 De1,or 35.Df4 Dc3 36.De3 Df6 -black's attack
pro vides him at least a draw.} (34. Kf3 {Ftacnik} Qf6+ 35. Ke4 g6 36. Bd3 Qf5+
37. Kd4 Qf6+ 38. Kc5 Qe5+ 39. Kc6 Qf6+ $13) 34... Qh6+ 35. Qh4 {Ftacnik,L} (35.
Qh4 {Ftacnik} Qe6+ 36. Qg4 $10) 1/2-1/2

[Event "FRA-chT Gp-A"]
[Site "France"]
[Date "2004.04.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Black "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2638"]
[Annotator "Kostakiev,D"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2004.01.30"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 100"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Mulhouse"]
[BlackTeam "Paris NAO"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

{Four instructive typical middle game situations arise out from this game: 1)
Swap Bg2xNc6!? 2) The tandem Q+N > Q+B. 3) The violated Q-Ps structure a7 +
c7+c6+c4. 4) doubled Ps f6,f7+ Ph7. Attention merits also the history of the
opening.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5
Nc6 8. Bxc6 $1 {['Made in Bulgaria by gm Nino Kirov' 1976]} bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8
10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {the most often used line. Other continuations are
extremely rare:} (11. Na3 e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Nxc4 Qh5 14. Ne3 (14. h4 Qg4 {
1/2-1/2 Andrews,S-Arganian,D/East Lansing 1991/EXT 2003 (35)}) 14... Bh3 {
1-0 Lematschko,T-Kas Fromm,R/Graz 1991/EXT 97 (36)}) (11. b3 cxb3 12. Ba3 Qd7 {
1/2-1/2 Partanen,J-Koskinen,H/Finland 1999/EXT 2000 (23)}) (11. Qc2 c5 12. dxc5
Qxc5 13. Be3 Qh5 14. f3 {0-1 Heikkila,A-Sammalvuo,T/Kankaanpaa 1999/EXT 2002 
(50)}) 11... a5 $6 {The P's structure does not need such kind of advanced weak
Ps.} ({Geller preffered:} 11... e5 $5 12. dxe5 (12. Qxc4 exd4 {0-1 Garcia
Gonzales,G-Geller,E/Bogota 1978/EXT 98 (57)}) 12... Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 14. Qc2 (
14. Qa6 Bh3 {0-1 Spiridonov,N-Geller,E/Novi Sad 1978/EXT 2004 (26)}) (14. Qd3
Rad8 {1-0 Gelfand,B-Timoscenko,G/Sverdlovsk 1987/TD (41)}) 14... Bf5 15. Qc4
Be6 16. Qc2 {1/2-1/2 Kirov,N-Geller,E/Sochi 1976/MCD (16)}) ({Logical seems:} 
11... c5 $5 {because it allows do get rid of the weak P c7.} 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13.
Qxd4 e5 (13... Rd8 14. Qh4 {0-1 Baumgartner,H-Klovans,J/Bad Wildbad 1997/EXT
99 (28)}) 14. Qh4 Rb8 15. b3 Qe6 (15... Rd8 16. Bg5 {1-0 Gelfand,B-Timoscenko,
G/Norilsk 1987/EXT 97 (46)}) 16. Nd2 {1/2-1/2 Kaiszauri,K-Schussler,H/Malmo
1979/EXT 98 (30)}) ({interesting is also:} 11... Qd6 $5 12. Rd1 Qa6 13. Qxa6
Bxa6 14. Nc3 Rab8 15. e4 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Shneider,A/Uzhgorod 1987/EXT 97 
(38)}) 12. Rd1 $5 $146 (12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Qc2 Rfd8 14. Rd1 (14. Be3 Nd5 {
0-1 Lorenz,D-Fiebig,T/Dortmund 2003/CBM 95 ext (41)}) 14... c5 15. dxc5 Rxd1+ {
1-0 Vadasz,L-Arnold,L/Budapest 1997/CBM 59 ext (37)}) 12... Rd8 13. Bg5 c5 14.
dxc5 Rxd1+ 15. Qxd1 Bb7 16. Nc3 (16. Bxf6 gxf6 (16... Qxf6 17. Nc3 $16) 17. Nd2
Qxc5 $11) 16... Rd8 17. Qc2 Qxc5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 {[#] Is N+Q > than B+Q as
Capablanca had affirmed? Some more other specific questions here : Is the
missing Bg2 dangerous weakness - having in view Bb7 (/^ a8-g2). Gm Kiril
Georgiev is giving a lesson upon this topic.} 19. Rd1 Rxd1+ 20. Qxd1 Qc6 {
The Black's PP structure is worse. it gives better chanses to the opponent's
tandem Q+N} 21. Qd8+ Kg7 22. f3 Qc5+ 23. Kg2 Qb4 24. Qd2 Bc6 25. a3 Qc5 26. Nd1
h5 $2 {unnecessary! A weak P is better to stay at its initial place, or to h6.}
({More passive defend- politic is promising more draw chances:} 26... Ba4 $5
27. Nc3 (27. Nf2 $14) 27... Bc6 (27... Bb3 $6 28. Ne4 Qe5 29. Nd6 Kf8 30. e4
Qh5 31. Nb7 $16) 28. Qf4 h6 29. Qg4+ Kh7) (26... h6 $14) 27. Ne3 $1 {[/\ Kf1!,
Ne1-g2-f4!]} Bb7 (27... Ba4 28. Qc3 Bb3 29. Nf1 $11 Qe5 30. e4) 28. Kf1 Ba6 29.
Qc3 {Qc3 attacks Pa5,Pc4,Pf6. After some moves it will be repeted} Kf8 30. Ng2
Ke7 31. Qd2 Bc8 (31... Kf8 32. Qh6+ Ke7) 32. Nf4 {[NXh5]} (32. h4 $6 e5) 32...
Bd7 ({Good winning chances keeps White after:} 32... h4 33. gxh4 (33. g4 $5))
33. Kg2 Bc6 34. h4 Bd7 35. Qc3 Bc6 (35... Ba4 $142 $5 $14) 36. Kf1 (36. b3 $5
Bb5 37. bxc4 Ba6 $16 (37... Bxc4 38. Nxh5 Qxh5 39. Qxc4 $16)) 36... Bd7 37. Kg2
$16 Bc6 38. b3 $1 Qxa3 39. Qxc4 $18 Qd6 40. Qc3 Bd5 (40... Bb5 $18 41. Qxa5 $18
) 41. Qxa5 Bxb3 42. Qa7+ {[/\ Nxh5+-]} 1-0

[Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2001.11.29"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2573"]
[Annotator "Kostakiev,D"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2001.11.27"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 086"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 ({One of the Geller's memorable comments and games is his victory
against Botvinik:} 1... Nf6 2. g3 $2 {Geller correctly put "?', saying that 2.
g3 is bad against Q's gambit. The difference with the text move (3.g3!? ) is
important. Here Pe7 is on its initial place an it goes to e5 at once:.} d5 $1
3. c4 dxc4 4. Nf3 Nc6 $1 5. Nc3 e5 $1 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ $15 {0-1
Botvinnik,M-Geller,E/Moscow 1951/URS-ch (62)}) 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {After the
inogoration in 1938, Opocensky applied this inovation many times to strong
oponents. Statistic is favorable for White (58%).} Nf6 (3... c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5.
Nf3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Nf6 {1-0 Bolbochan,J-Graf,S/Mar del Plata 1941/HCL (59)}) (3...
c6 4. Nf3 Nd7 5. Qc2 Ngf6 6. Bg2 Bb4+ {1-0 Opocensky,K-Kubanek,J/Prague 1943/
HCL (29)}) (3... dxc4 4. Nf3 c5 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 Bc6 7. Bg2 {1/2-1/2
Opocensky,K-Kotov,A/Moscow 1946/MCL (26)}) 4. Bg2 dxc4 (4... c6 5. Nd2 Nbd7 6.
Ngf3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2 e5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 {1-0 Opocensky,K-Sutherland,M/Nice
1938/EXT 99 (16)}) (4... Nbd7 5. Nf3 dxc4 6. O-O Be7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Nxc4 c5 {
1-0 Opocensky,K-Milan,M/Trencianske Teplice 1941/EXT 98 (52)}) 5. Nf3 Be7 6.
O-O O-O 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 $5 {Dely 1966; statistic"+/-" (58%:42%). Big boom
2000-2001.} 9. Qxc4 (9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 {1/2-1/2 Honfi,K-Dely,P/
HUN-ch 1966/MCD (24)}) (9. Nbd2 Bc6 10. Nxc4 Be4 11. Qd1 Nc6 {1/2-1/2 Smyslov,
V-Kluger,G/Polanica Zdroj 1966/MCD (27)}) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5 (10. Nc3 $2 {Ribli}
b5) 10... Bd5 11. Qc2 {Ribli: 'Üblicher ist der andere Damezug 11.Qd3, aber
die Partiefortsetzung hat auch ihre Vorteile.'} (11. Qd3 {Ribli} Be4 (11... c5
12. Nc3 Bc6 $5 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qa5 (15... Nbd7 $5) 16.
Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 17. Ne4 {1-0 Tukmakov,V-Beliavsky,A/Portoroz 1996 (40)}) 12. Qe3
Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3 Bb4 15. Rfe1 (15. Rfd1 $5) 15... Bxf3 16. Qxf3 c6 {
Beliavsky,A-Almasi,Z/Ubeda 1997/CBM 58/[Beliavsky]/1/2-1/2 (58)}) 11... Be4 12.
Qc1 {[#]} (12. Qd1 {Ribli} c5 (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 {1/2-1/2
Azmaiparashvili,Z-Gelfand,B/Moscow RUS 2001/The Week in Chess 369 (78)}) 13.
Nbd2 (13. dxc5 Bxc5 {1/2-1/2 Fridman,D-Zarnicki,P/Erevan olm 1996 (50)}) 13...
Bc6 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 Be7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 {Ribli,Z-Donev,I/AUT-chT96/
97 1997/EXP 57/1/2-1/2 (53)}) 12... c5 $146 (12... Nc6 {Ribli} 13. e3 (13. Rd1
$2 {Ribli} Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Nxd4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e3 Nb3 $19 {.. 0-1 Vadasz,
L-Kabatenski,A/Budapest FS03 IM-B 1994}) 13... Nb4 $5 $146 {Eine völlig
logische Neuerung. Schwarz nutzt die Schwächung des Feldes b4 aus und schafft
zugleich Platz für seinen Läufer. Der Springer war auch nicht gut auf c6
platziert.} (13... Nd5 {Foisor,C-Amura,C/Jakarta iztW 1993/EXT 93/1-0 (44)
Ribli}) (13... a5 $6 {Ribli} 14. Nc3 {Weiß hat Raumvorteil und ein starkes
Zentrum, während die Schwächung des Punktes b4 nicht ins Gewicht fällt.}) 14.
Nc3 Bc6 15. a5 {Weiß gewinnt Raum am Damenflügel und verhindert den Zug a6-a5.
Jetzt steht der Nb4 nicht so überzeugend.} (15. Rd1 $5 {Ribli}) (15. Bxf6 {
Ribli} Bxf6) 15... Rc8 16. Rd1 Bxf3 (16... h6 {Ribli} 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. e4 $14
{[%csl Rb4,Gd4,Ge4] Das schwarze Läuferpaar ist nicht von Bedeutung, der weiße
Zentrumsvorteil macht sich hingegen bemerkbar.}) 17. Bxf3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Pigusov,
E-Liang Jinrong/Beijing 1997/CBM 61/[Ribli] (37)}) (12... h6 {Ribli} 13. Bxf6
Bxf6 14. e3 {0-1 Beliavsky,A-Lutz,C/Leon ESP 2001/The Week in Chess 366 (70)})
13. dxc5 $14 Nbd7 {[#]} 14. Bxf6 $6 $11 ({Better chances for '+/=' is giving
the more precise:} 14. Nbd2 $142 $5 Bd5 (14... Bxf3 15. Nxf3 $14) 15. a5 $5 $14
(15. Bxf6 {text}) 15... Bxc5 16. e4 Bc6 17. e5 $14) (14. a5 Bxc5 $11) 14...
Bxf6 15. Nbd2 Bd5 16. e4 Bc6 $11 17. Qc2 Qa5 18. Rfc1 Rac8 19. Nb3 Qb4 20. Qc4
Qxc4 21. Rxc4 Bxb2 22. Rb1 Ba3 23. Ra1 Bb2 24. Rb1 Ba3 25. Ra1 Bb2 26. Rb1
1/2-1/2

[Event "Beijing FIDE GP"]
[Site "Beijing"]
[Date "2013.07.06"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "150"]
[EventDate "2013.07.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 156"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 dxc4 7. O-O Nc6 8. Bg5
{A rare and harmless continuation. Usually White keeps this bishop playing} (8.
e4) ({or} 8. e3) {8.Bg5 is common when Black's bishop is on b4 instead of e7.}
8... a6 {This move is rather unnecessary.} (8... h6 $5 {leads to easy equality:
} 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. e3 e5 11. d5 Nb4 12. Nd2 c6 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Nxc4 Ba6 15.
Qg4 Nd3 16. Rfd1 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 Nxb2 18. Rxd8 Nxc4 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 $11 {0-1 (44)
Petursson,M (2560)-Zarnicki,P (2470) Oviedo 1993}) (8... Rb8 {is more
ambitious:} 9. Qa4 $5 (9. a4 Na5 10. e3 Nd5 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Nd2 Nxc3 13. bxc3
b6 14. e4 Bb7 15. Qc2 c5 $17 {0-1 (52) Matnadze,A (2415)-Zhukova,N (2425)
Antalya 2002}) (9. e3 b5 10. h4 Nb4 11. Qe2 Bb7 12. Rfd1 Ne4 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14.
Ne5 $17 {1/2 (14) Gonzalez Vidal,Y (2522)-Tarrago Antoni,M (2258) Barbera del
Valles 2010}) {but Black is fine after} 9... b5 10. Nxb5 Bd7 11. Nc3 Nxd4 12.
Qxc4 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Rxb2) 9. e3 Rb8 10. Nd2 e5 (10... Na5 $142 11. Qe2 Nd5 12.
Bxe7 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qxe7 14. Nxc4 Nxc4 15. Qxc4 e5 16. Rab1 b6 17. Rfd1 a5 18.
Qb5 e4 19. c4 Bd7 20. Qd5 Rfe8 $11 {0-1 (46) Meszaros,T (2448)-Kovacs,G (2493)
Hungary 2011}) 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. d5 Na5 13. b4 $1 cxb3 14. axb3 b6 15. b4 Nb7
16. Rxa6 $14 {White has recaptured the pawn and keeps a small edge, due to the
weakness of the light squares in Black's camp.} Be7 17. Qb1 Nd6 18. Ra7 Bd7 19.
Nf3 f6 20. Qb3 Kh8 (20... Ra8 $142 {M.Golubev}) 21. Rfa1 Rc8 22. h4 Qe8 23. Rc1
$6 {Not the best plan.} (23. Bf1 $5 $14) 23... Qh5 24. Nb1 $6 Nb5 $11 {[%csl
Gb5]} 25. Ra6 Bd6 (25... e4 $5 26. Nfd2 f5 $132) (25... Qg4 $5 26. Rc4 Qg6) 26.
Nbd2 Ra8 27. Raa1 Rxa1 28. Rxa1 Qf7 29. Nc4 Be7 30. Nfd2 Rd8 (30... Rc8 $142 {
The c-file can open up in the immediate future.}) 31. Ne4 Qf8 $6 {Black
underestimates the following pawn sacrifice.} (31... Rc8 $142) 32. d6 $1 {
[%mdl 512]} Nxd6 33. Nexd6 Bxd6 34. Nxd6 cxd6 (34... Qxd6 $2 35. Rd1 Qe7 36.
Qd5 {[%cal Gd1d8,Gd5d8]}) 35. Ra7 {White's pieces are now extremely active;
still, Veselin Topalov holds his ground after all.} f5 36. Bd5 f4 $132 37. exf4
exf4 38. Qf3 Qf5 39. Be4 Qf6 40. Qxf4 Qxf4 41. gxf4 {[%mdl 4096]} g6 42. Bd5
Bf5 43. Rb7 Re8 44. Rxb6 Re1+ 45. Kg2 Be4+ 46. Bxe4 Rxe4 {White can't make use
of his kingside pawn advantage, due to his double f-pawns.} 47. Kf3 d5 48. Rb7
h5 49. b5 Rb4 50. Ke3 Kg8 51. b6 Kf8 52. Kd3 d4 53. Ke4 Ke8 54. Kd3 (54. f3 Kf8
55. f5 gxf5+ 56. Kxf5 d3 57. Rd7 Rxb6 58. Rxd3 Kg7 $11) 54... Kf8 55. Rb8+ Kg7
56. b7 Kh7 57. Ke4 Kg7 58. f3 Kh7 59. Kd5 {This attempt proves vain, too.} d3
$1 60. Kc6 d2 61. Rd8 Rc4+ $1 62. Kb6 (62. Kb5 Rc2 $1) 62... Rb4+ 63. Ka6 Ra4+
64. Kb5 Ra2 65. Rd7+ Kh6 66. Rd4 Rb2+ 67. Kc6 Rc2+ 68. Kd6 Rb2 69. f5 Rxb7 70.
Rxd2 g5 71. Kc6 Rf7 72. Rd6+ Kh7 73. hxg5 Rxf5 74. Rh6+ Kg7 75. Rxh5 Rxf3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 18th"]
[Site "Caleta"]
[Date "2020.01.26"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Black "Esipenko, Andrey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2020.01.21"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GGB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 194 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.03.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.03.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,102,39,30,12,-10,-10,-24,-24,-8,-5,16,3,19,-16,0,-6,0,-15,-16,0,-3,0,
-15,-4,4,-7,-22,4,5,19,31,30,26,38,30,37,3,32,30,18,15,22,28,30,24,36,10,-2,-8,
-4,-6,-1,-22,-21,-31,-24,-46,-56,-41,-45,-49,-42,-62,-41,-54,-54,-66,0,-97,-83,
-99,-99,-97,-82,-96,-84,-87,-84,-78,-97,-97,-86,-97,-93,-93,-100,-100,-88,-60,
-103,-105,-127,-124,-102,-137,-105,-118,-106,-176,-106,-138,-153,-294,-289]} 1.
d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7
9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 {A bit too humble. Black equalizes easily.} (
11. Nc3 {is the main move.}) 11... h6 (11... Rc8 12. Qc2 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14.
Rfd1 Bb4 15. Rac1 Qd6 16. Nc4 Qe7 17. Nfe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 $11 {1/2 (30)
Wojtaszek,R (2749)-Giri,A (2780) Shenzhen 2018}) 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Rfd1 a5 {
[%csl Gb4]} (13... Rc8 $5 {with the idea to prepare ...c7-c5 after all}) (13...
Qd5 $5) 14. Rac1 (14. Ne5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qd5+ 16. f3 c5 17. e4 Qxd4 18. Qxd4
cxd4 19. Nb3 Rfd8 20. Rxd4 Rxd4 21. Nxd4 Rd8 $11 {1/2 (36) Aronian,L (2792)
-Kramnik,V (2812) Leuven 2016}) 14... Bd6 (14... Rc8 $5) (14... Qe8 $5 15. b3
Rd8) 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c6 (16... Nd5 $5 {[%cal Yd5b4]}) 17. Nd3 (17. Qb3 {
, preventing ...Qb6, is hardly successful in view of} Bb4 {[%cal Yd8d5]}) 17...
Qb6 18. Qb3 Qxb3 19. Nxb3 Rfd8 $11 {White has a space advantage but Black has
no weaknesses (his a5 pawn can hardly be considered a weakness) and no bad
pieces.} 20. Kf3 Nd5 21. Nbc5 Ra7 22. e4 Ne7 23. Ke3 (23. Ne5 $142 b6 $140 (
23... Bb8 $142 $11 {[%cal Yf7f6,Yg8f7]}) 24. Ncd3) 23... b6 {Black weakens his
c6 pawn a bit but drives White's knight away to a passive position.} 24. Nb3
Rad7 25. Rd2 f6 26. Rdc2 $6 {White doesn't realize that he must switch to
defence.} (26. h4 $142 {to prepare for ...g7-g5:} g5 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. f4)
26... Kf7 (26... Bb8 $1 {[%cal Re6e5,Yg7g5]}) 27. Ke2 (27. h4 $1) 27... Bb8 28.
Ne1 g5 $1 {This move fixes a potential weakness in White's camp: his h-pawn.}
29. Nf3 Bd6 (29... g4 30. Nfd2 {[%cal Yh2h3]}) 30. h4 $6 {[%mdl 32] White
underestimates the danger of his kingside pawns being fixed on dark squares 
(the squares of the opponent's bishop).} (30. h3 $142) 30... g4 31. Nfd2 (31.
Ne1 e5 $5) 31... Bb4 32. Nf1 (32. Nb1 $5) 32... c5 (32... b5 $5 33. Ra1 (33.
axb5 cxb5 {[%cal Ra5a4]}) 33... bxa4 34. Rxa4 c5 $1 35. dxc5 Nc6 $36) 33. dxc5
Rd3 34. Nbd2 $6 {White had a nice defence:} (34. Rc3 $1 Bxc3 35. bxc3 R3d7 $1 (
35... bxc5 36. Nxc5 Rf3 $8 37. Ne3 $44 {[%csl Rf3]}) 36. Ne3 $1 (36. cxb6 $143
Rb7 37. Nxa5 Rxb6 38. Nc4 Ra6 39. a5 Nc6 40. Nfe3 h5 41. Ra1 Rda8 42. Nc2 Ne5
$5 {, and Black keeps some winning chances}) 36... bxc5 (36... h5 37. cxb6 {
[%cal Re3c4]}) 37. Nxg4 h5 38. Ne3 Rb7 39. Nxa5 Rb2+ 40. Kf3 Ra2 41. Nac4 $1 {
, and White should not lose. However, the exchange sacrifice was far from
obvious.}) 34... bxc5 $17 {Black has a clear positional advantage (the
activity of pieces!) and gradually converts it.} 35. Nc4 Nc6 36. Nfe3 h5 37.
Rb1 R3d4 38. e5 (38. f3 gxf3+ 39. Kxf3 Rxc4 $1 40. Rxc4 Rd2 41. Rf1 Rxb2 $19)
38... fxe5 39. Kf1 Kf6 40. Rcc1 e4 41. Ng2 e5 42. Nge3 Ke6 43. Nd1 Bd2 44. Nxd2
Rxd2 45. Nc3 (45. Ke1 R8d3 {[%cal Rc6d4]} 46. Rxc5 Nd4 47. Ne3 Re2+ 48. Kf1
Rdd2 $19) 45... Kf5 46. Re1 R8d4 47. Re2 Rxe2 48. Kxe2 {[%mdl 4096]} Rb4 49.
Ke3 Rb3 50. Rd1 (50. Kd2 Nd4 {was hopeless enough but White's attempt to
activate his rook leads to a wonderful zugzwang position.}) 50... Nd4 51. Rd2
$2 ({To} 51. Rb1 {Black has the following plan:} Rb4 52. Kd2 {(otherwise White
loses one of his pawns)} (52. Nxe4 Nc2+ 53. Kd3 Rxe4 54. Kxc2 Re2+ $19) 52...
Ke6 {, then ...Nd4-f5 and ...e4-e3!}) 51... c4 $22 0-1

[Event "Hoogovens"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1997.01.28"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Lautier,J"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "1997.01.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 057"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Nbd2 Rc8 12. Rad1 {Piket's latest discovery in
this well-known position of the Catalan.} (12. Nb3 {was tried by Jeroen
against me a month before this game in the 8th game of our match in Monaco. He
didn't obtain much and suggested the text move during the post-mortem. At
least I knew what to expect !}) 12... Nb4 13. Qb1 Nbd5 14. Be5 {Black's only
problem is that his queen is in the way of the freeing push ...c7-c5. The only
available square at the moment is e8, but it isn't completely satisfactory as
White will meet ...Qe8 with Rfe1 and d5.} Nd7 15. Nb3 Qe8 $1 {It's about time
to get in ...c5.} (15... c5 $2 {is obviously bad immediately} 16. Nxc5 Nxc5 17.
dxc5 $16 {[%csl Rd5][%cal Rd1d8,Re2e4] /\ e4}) (15... c6 $2 16. Nc5 $16 {
[%csl Rb7] buries the Bb7 alive.}) (15... f6 $6 16. e4 $1 (16. Bh3 fxe5 17.
Bxe6+ Kh8 18. dxe5 c6 $13 {isn't completely clear}) 16... fxe5 17. exd5 Bxd5
18. Nxe5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Qe8 21. Qe4 $36 {[%csl Yc6,Yd7,Ge4,Ye6]
Black has serious worries on his light squares.}) 16. e4 N5b6 {[%cal Yb6c4]} (
16... N5f6 {isn't quite as good, since the Nf6 helps White to get rid of his
Be5 and clear the way for his e-P with gain of time.} 17. Rfe1 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 c5
19. Na5 $1 (19. d5 Bd6 20. Nf3 e5 $11 {is an excellent blockade for Black.})
19... Ba8 20. d5 Bd6 21. Nac6 $14 {[%csl Gc6,Re8]}) 17. Rfe1 (17. Na5 Ba8 18.
b4 Bd6 $11) 17... Bb4 $6 {I got somewhat engrossed in the idea of freeing the
e7-square for my Q by ...Bd6.} (17... Nc4 $1 {is much simpler and stronger} 18.
Bf4 c5 19. dxc5 (19. d5 e5 $36 {[%csl Rb1,Re1] The blockade certainly favours
Black, as White's pieces are not ideally placed.}) 19... Nxc5 20. Nxc5 Rxc5 $5
$36 (20... Bxc5 21. Ne5 $11)) 18. Re2 Bd6 19. Bxd6 cxd6 20. d5 $5 {An
interesting pawn sacrifice, played mainly on intuitive grounds by Piket.} exd5
21. Nfd4 Nf6 $1 {The only way to stay in the game.} (21... dxe4 $2 22. Na5 $1 (
22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Qd8 24. Nf5 Rc4 $11) 22... Ba8 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4
Qd8 25. Nac6 $16) 22. exd5 $6 (22. Na5 $1 {would have kept the balance} Ba8 23.
exd5 Qd7 24. Nf5 Rfe8 25. Red2 Nc4 26. Nxc4 Rxc4 27. Ne3 Rc5 $11) 22... Qd7 {
[%csl Gb6,Gb7,Rd5,Gf6]} 23. Qf5 (23. Nf5 Rfe8 $132) 23... Rcd8 $6 {An
unfortunate square, as the rook will be subject to a gain of tempo for White
by a future Nc6.} (23... Bxd5 $2 24. Qxd7 Nbxd7 25. Bxd5 Nxd5 26. Nxb5 $1 $16)
(23... Rc7 $1 {was the most precise} 24. Qxd7 (24. Qg5 $2 h6 25. Qh4 Nfxd5 26.
Bh3 Qd8 $17) 24... Rxd7 25. Nf5 Nbxd5 26. Red2 g6 $15) 24. Na5 $1 (24. Qg5 $2
Nfxd5 25. Nf5 f6 26. Qg4 g6 27. Nbd4 Kh8 $17) 24... Bxd5 25. Bxd5 Nbxd5 26.
Nac6 {The abovementioned gain of tempo} Qxf5 27. Nxf5 Rd7 28. Nfe7+ Nxe7 29.
Rxe7 Rfd8 30. Rxd7 Rxd7 31. Nb8 Rb7 $6 {I became too conservative in
time-trouble} (31... Rc7 $1 32. Rxd6 h5 33. Rxa6 Rc1+ 34. Kg2 Rc2 35. b3 Ng4
$11 {and Black draws easily}) 32. Nxa6 Rb6 33. Nb4 $14 {[%csl Gb4,Rb5,Rb6,Rd6]}
Kf8 34. Rc1 Rb7 $8 35. f3 Ke7 36. Kf2 Kd7 37. Ke3 Rb8 38. b3 Re8+ 39. Kd3 Re5
40. Nc6 Rd5+ 41. Nd4 Ne8 $1 {[%cal Ye8c7,Yc7e6] /\ Nc7-e6: It's high time to
create some minimal counterplay !} 42. f4 Nc7 43. Ke4 Rh5 (43... Rc5 44. Rxc5
dxc5 45. Nf5 g6 46. Ne3 $14 {[%csl Ga2][%cal Ra2a4] should be drawable, but
the soon to be outside passed a-pawn might give Black a few headaches.}) 44. h4
Ne6 45. b4 Nxd4 46. Kxd4 Rh6 47. Kd5 $1 (47. f5 Rf6 48. Rf1 h5 $11 {[%cal
Yf6h6,Yh6h8,Yh8a8,Yh8c8]}) 47... Re6 (47... Rh5+ 48. Ke4 $1) 48. Rc6 Re3 $8 49.
Rxd6+ Kc7 50. Ra6 (50. Rc6+ Kb7 51. Rc5 Kb6 52. g4 Rh3 53. h5 Rh4 54. Rc6+ Kb7
55. Kc5 Rxg4 56. Kxb5 Rxf4 $11) 50... Kb7 51. Ra5 Kb6 52. g4 Rh3 53. Ra8 Rxh4
54. Rb8+ Ka7 55. Rxb5 Rxg4 56. Ke4 g6 $6 (56... f6 57. Kf3 Rg1 $11 {is a more
secure way to the draw}) 57. a4 $6 (57. Rd5 f5+ 58. Ke5 h5 59. Rd7+ Kb6 60. a4
$14) 57... h5 58. Rd5 h4 $1 $11 59. Rd7+ Kb8 60. Rxf7 h3 61. Rh7 g5 62. Rxh3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 38th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2010.07.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Le, Quang Liem"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "Le Quang Liem"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2010.07.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {The Open
Catalan, which is considered to be a solid choice for Black.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
({The alternative is} 8. a4) 8... b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4
(12. Rd1 {is another possibility}) 12... Nd5 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Qd6 (14...
Nd7 {is more often played. But recently some players have tried the move in
the game.}) 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nd7 {Following the game Dominguez-Carlsen,
Amber Blindfold 2010. Obviously Carlsen's idea is quite playable for Black.}
17. Rac1 $146 {This is my new idea, which I found at home. Although if Black
manages to make some good moves, he should not have any problems.} ({I did not
like Dominguez's move} 17. Nxd7 {, as after} Qxd7 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Qf3 Rfd8
20. Rac1 h6 21. e3 b4 22. Ne4 Qa4 23. Ra1 Rd5 {Black was at least not worse.})
17... Nxe5 18. dxe5 Qb6 19. Ne4 $36 Rad8 ({It is worth mentioning that a
natural move such as} 19... h6 {would be a mistake because of} 20. Nf6+ $1) 20.
Rfd1 ({Now} 20. Nf6+ {does not work because of the simple reply} Kh8) 20... c5
{Indirectly taking control of d7, thus preventing Nf6 again, and also creating
the threat to exchange all the rooks on d-file. However this move weakens
d6-square, which is a nice place for my knight.} ({Rook exchanges} 20... Rxd1
21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Bxd8 {favours White, as White queen penetrates just in
time} 23. Qd2 Qb8 24. Qd7 $16) 21. Nd6 c4 $6 (21... f6 $142 22. Qg4 f5 23. Qf4
h6 24. Rc2 Rd7 25. Qe3 Bxd6 26. exd6 Rxd6 {and the position looks drawish.}) (
21... Qc6+ 22. f3 f6 $2 {runs into} 23. Qg4 f5 24. Qd4 $1 $16) 22. b3 cxb3 ({
My engine suggests} 22... g5 {, but it hardly suits a human. After} 23. Qd4
Qxd4 24. Rxd4 f6 25. f4 {White still maintains his slight advantage and some
pratical chances.}) 23. axb3 a5 24. Rd3 $6 {This move, connected with the idea
to trap the Black queen a few moves later, was actually only leading to a draw.
It came as a wrong evaluation of the forthcoming endgame.} ({Clearly the best
move would be} 24. Qe4 {,threatens Rc6} f5 (24... Bxd6 25. Rc6 Qb7 26. exd6 Rc8
27. Rdc1 $16 (27. d7 Rcd8 28. Rxe6 Rxd7 29. Qxb7 Rxb7 30. Ra6 a4 31. bxa4 bxa4
32. Rxa4 {is not enough for a win})) 25. Qf3 Bxd6 (25... a4 26. Rc6 Qb8 27. Qc3
$14) 26. Rc6 Qb7 27. exd6 Rd7 (27... a4 28. Rc7 Qxf3+ 29. Kxf3 {White keeps
some chances}) 28. Ra1 {and White enjoys a long lasting advantage, though it
is still far from winning.}) 24... a4 25. bxa4 bxa4 26. Qxa4 Bxd6 $1 {So, my
opponent managed to eliminate all queenside pawns. The cost is the queen
sacrifice for a rook and a knight.} (26... Qb2 27. Qf4 Qxe2 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Qd4
{White is slightly better.}) 27. Rb3 Qxb3 28. Qxb3 Bxe5 {Although all engines
give a big plus for White, it is obvious that White can not win this position.
Black's play is relatively simple and safe: try to exchange a pair of rooks
and build a fortress. I could not do anything against that, so we quickly
repeated moves.} 29. h4 g6 30. h5 Bg7 31. Rc5 Rd7 32. Rb5 Rfd8 33. Qf3 Rd5 34.
Rxd5 Rxd5 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Qe4 Bf6 37. Qf3 Bg7 38. Qe4 Bf6 39. Qf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danzhou 3rd"]
[Site "Danzhou"]
[Date "2012.05.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wang, Yue"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "Let's Check Training"]
[PlyCount "140"]
[EventDate "2012.05.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. a5 Bxf3
15. Bxf3 c6 16. Rfd1 Qe7 17. Bg2 Rfe8 18. Qb3 Rab8 19. e3 h5 20. h4 g6 21. Nb1
e5 22. d5 e4 23. Nc3 Be5 24. Ra4 Bxc3 25. d6 Qe6 26. Qxc3 Nd5 27. Qb3 f5 28.
Bf1 Red8 29. Rad4 b5 30. axb6 Rxb6 31. Qa2 Rxd6 32. Bxa6 c5 33. Bc8 Qxc8 34.
Rxd5 Qe6 35. Qa8+ Kg7 36. Rxd6 Rxd6 37. Ra1 Rd7 38. Ra6 Qc4 $2 (38... Qf7 39.
Kg2 c4 $11) 39. Kg2 $2 (39. Rxg6+ $3 Kxg6 40. Qc6+ $18) 39... Qe2 $2 (39... Qf7
40. Qb8 Rb7 $14) {[%tqu "En","","","","a6g6","",10]} 40. Rxg6+ $3 $18 Kxg6 41.
Qc6+ Kg7 42. Qxd7+ Kf6 43. Qd6+ Kf7 44. Qxc5 Ke6 45. Qc6+ Ke5 46. Qe8+ Kf6 47.
Qd8+ Ke6 48. b4 Qf3+ 49. Kg1 Qe2 50. Qc8+ Kf6 51. Qc6+ Ke5 52. Qc1 Kd5 53. Qf1
Qf3 54. Qb5+ Ke6 55. Qb6+ Kd5 56. Qd4+ Kc6 57. Qc5+ Kb7 58. b5 Qd1+ 59. Kh2 Qf3
60. Qc6+ Kb8 61. Qc2 Kb7 62. Kg1 Kb6 63. Qc6+ Ka5 64. Qa6+ Kb4 65. b6 Qd1+ 66.
Qf1 Qb3 67. b7 Kc3 68. Qc1+ Kd3 69. Qc7 Qb1+ 70. Kh2 Qb2 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 12th"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2011.03.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Postny, Evgeny"]
[Black "Melia, Salome"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2462"]
[Annotator "Marchand,A/Primel,D"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[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"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 (7. Qa4 {
Evite la ligne а la mode b5 sur Qc2}) 7... a6 8. a4 (8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10.
Bd2 (10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Nbd2 Bxf4 12. gxf4 Nbd7 (12... Qd6 13. Rac1 Nc6 14. e3 $14
)) 10... Be4 (10... Nc6 11. e3 (11. Nc3 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Nxe6 Qc8 $13)
11... Nb4 12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 Be7 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. b4 a5 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2
c6 18. Nd3 axb4 19. axb4 Nd5 20. Qb3 Ra8 21. Rfc1 Qb6 $11) (10... Ra7 11. Rc1 (
11. a3 Be4 12. Qc1 Nc6 13. e3 Qa8 {[%cal Ga8g2]} 14. Qd1 {[%cal Gd1f3]} Nd5 15.
Qe2 (15. Nc3 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 a5 17. Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2 b4 19. Bd2 bxa3 20. bxa3
Rd8 $11))) 11. Qc1 Bb7 (11... b4 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Nb3 c5 {
Chetverik,M (2316)-Namyslo,H (2315) Budapest FS08 IM-B 2002 (5) 1-0} (14... h6
$5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6)) (11... Ra7 12. Be3 {[%cal Gd4d5,Ge3a7]} Nd5 13. Nc3 $14) 12.
Bf4 (12. Bg5 $6 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Rc8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nb3 c5 $11 {Ree,H (2480)
-Grimberg,G (2210) Meudon op 1st 1984 (2) 0-1}) 12... Nd5 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4
Nd7 15. Rfd1 Bd6 $11) (8. Nbd2 b5 9. Ng5 Ra7 (9... c6 10. b3 h6 11. Ngf3 cxb3
12. Nxb3 Nbd7 {Pina Gomez,U (2355)-Perez Garcia,R (2285) Capablanca Memorial-C
1992 (5) 0-1}) 10. b3 c3 11. Nde4 Nxe4 (11... Nd5 12. Nf3 b4 13. a3 $13 {
Krasenkow}) 12. Nxe4) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 Na5 12.
Nd2 c5 $1 13. dxc5 Rc8 14. b4 cxb3 15. Nxb3 Nxb3 16. Qxb3 Nd7 ({RR} 16... Bxc5
17. Qxb7 Qa5 18. Ba3 Rb8 19. Qf3 Bxa3 20. Rxa3 Rfc8 21. Qe2 h6 22. Rd1 Rd8 23.
Raa1 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Rb2 25. Rc1 Qf5 26. Qf3 Qxf3 27. Bxf3 Ra2 {1/2-1/2 Pradeep,
K (2231)-Minhazuddin,A (2419)/Chennai 2011}) 17. Ba3 Nxc5 $11) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5
(10. Bf4 $5 {Semble revenir а la mode} a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Rfe1
Nfd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 $11) 10... Bd5 (10... a5 $143 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 {[%cal
Ge2e4]} Bxf6 13. e4 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4][%cal Gd4d5,Ge4e5]} Nb4 $1 {[%csl Gd5][%cal
Gb4c2]} 14. Rfd1 (14. Rac1 b6 15. Rfd1 Bb7 16. Qe2 Rc8 17. h4 c6 18. Qe3 {
Sorokin,M (2535)-Servat,R (2450) Clarin GP op 4th 1995 (4) 1-0}) 14... b6 (
14... g6 15. h4 h6 (15... Rc8 16. Rd2 {Lputian,S (2605)-Polgar,J (2658) Corus
Wijk aan Zee 2000 (6) 1-0} (16. h5 b6 17. Rd2 Bb7 18. Rad1 (18. Bh3 {[%cal
Gh3c8,Gd4d5]}))) 16. Rac1 {Nielsen,P (2578)-Lobzhanidze,D (2493) Bergen Sommer
op 2000 (5) 1-0}) 15. Rd2 (15. Ne1 Qd7 16. e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Bg5 18. Qe2 f5)
15... Bb7 16. Qe2 g6 17. Qe3 Qe7 18. e5 Bg7 19. Ng5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rad8 21. f4 {
Kozul,Z (2606)-Zelcic,R (2544) Nova Gorica op 07th 2002 (5) 1/2} (21. h4 $5) (
21. Nge4 $14 {[%csl Gf6]})) 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3 {[%cal Gb1c3] La ligne principale}
c5 (11... Be4 12. Qd1) 12. Nc3 (12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Nxc5 14. Qe3 {[%csl Re2,
Re3]} Qa5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qa3 $13 {Beliavsky,A (2654)-Almasi,Z (2668)
HUN-chT 0001 2000 (6) 1/2}) 12... cxd4 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxe7) 11... Be4 12.
Qc1 (12. Qd1 {Sur cette ligne voir les superbes commentaire du GMI WINNANTS
sur une partie de KRAMNIK jouée en 2001.} c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15.
Nbd2 (15. Nc3 $5) 15... Bc6 16. Nb3) 12... Nc6 (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3)
13. e3 {88} h6 {47 Les Noirs ont un gros retard а la pendule} 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15.
Nc3 Bh7 (15... Bg6 $142 {[%cal Gg6h5] Plus souple}) 16. Rd1 {[%cal Gd4d5,Gd1d8]
} Qe8 {[%csl Re8] Les Noirs commencent а manquer d'activité} 17. Nd2 $1 {
[%csl Rb7,Gg2][%cal Gd2e4,Ge4c5]} e5 (17... Rd8 18. Nde4) 18. Nce4 {[%csl Gc5]}
Bd8 19. d5 $36 Na7 (19... Nb4 20. d6 cxd6 21. Qc4 $36 a5 (21... Nc6 22. Nxd6))
20. d6 $1 cxd6 21. Nxd6 Qe7 22. Nxb7 {[%csl Gg2] Le triomphe du B catalan} Rc8
23. Nc4 Qb4 (23... e4 {[%cal Ge7b7]}) 24. Nbd6 Rc7 25. Qd2 Qxd2 26. Rxd2 Bf6
27. Nb6 {[%csl Gb6,Gd6] Deux N en 06ème rangée!} Be7 (27... Rb8) 28. Rad1 Bc2 (
28... Rc2) 29. Rc1 Rd8 $2 30. Nd5 $18 Bxd6 31. Nxc7 Bxa4 32. Nxa6 Be7 33. Rxd8+
Bxd8 34. Nc5 Bb5 35. Ra1 Bb6 36. Na4 Bxa4 37. Rxa4 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 12th"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2011.04.02"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg M"]
[Black "Sumets, Andrey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "Marchand,A/Primel,D"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[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. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 {Retombe sur une
Catalane mais l'ordre de coups permet d'éviter la variante ouverte 4. dc4} dxc4
7. Qc2 b5 $5 {La grande mode dans ce Championnat!} (7... a6 {La grande ligne}
8. Qxc4 (8. a4) 8... b5) 8. a4 (8. Ne5 $143 Qxd4 $1 {la ligne critique} (8...
Nd5 9. a4 c6 10. axb5 (10. b3) 10... cxb5 11. Nc3 (11. b3) 11... f6 12. Ng4 Nd7
{Sochacki,C (2319)-Petrosyan,T (2106) Wch U16 Kemer 2009 (8) 1/2} (12... Bb7
13. Nxb5)) 9. Bxa8 Qxe5 $13 {Foo,W (1893)-Griffiths,R (2301) GBR-ch 98th
Sheffield 2011 (4) 0-1}) 8... b4 9. Nbd2 {Reprenant la nouveauté jouée la
veille sur cette ligne critique} (9. Qxc4 Ba6 $132) (9. Ne5 Qxd4 10. Bxa8 Qxe5
11. Bf4 Qh5 12. Bf3 Ng4 13. Bxg4 Qxg4 14. Nd2 e5 15. Bxe5 Nc6 16. f3 {Schmidt
Brauns,J (2174)-Stigar,P (2298) Hamburg St Pauli op-A 2011 (3) 0-1} (16. Nxc4
Ba6 17. Ne3 Qe6 18. Bxg7 $3 Kxg7 19. Nf5+ Kh8 20. Nxe7 Nxe7 21. Rfe1 $44 {
[%csl Rh8]})) (9. Nfd2 {[%cal Gd2c4,Gg2a8] La ligne critique} c6 (9... Nd5 10.
Nxc4 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Rd1 {[%cal Ge2e4,Gd1d8]} (12. Nbd2 {Melkumyan,H 
(2580)-Can,E (2487) Sarajevo Bosna op 41st 2011 (4) 1-0}) (12. e4 $5)) 10. Nxc4
Qxd4 11. Be3 Qd8 12. Rd1 Nd5 13. Bd4 Nd7 14. e4 $44 {Gleizerov,E (2590)
-Paikidze,N (2416) Alghero op 1st 2011 (2) 1-0}) 9... Bb7 10. Nxc4 (10. Rd1
Nbd7 (10... c3 $5 11. bxc3 a5 {Leitao inf 114}) 11. Nxc4 c5 12. Bf4 Be4 $11 {
Sasikiran,K (2700)-David,A (2598) Gibraltar Masters 10th 2012 (3) 1/2}) 10...
Be4 11. Qd1 (11. Qb3 c5 12. Rd1 {[%cal Gd1d8,Gd4c5]} Nbd7 13. Nfe5 Bxg2 14.
Kxg2 Qc7 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bf4 Qb7+ 17. Qf3 $1 Qxf3+ 18. Kxf3 $14 {Postny,E 
(2662)-Ivanov,A (2424) EU-ch 13th Plovdiv 2012 (3) 1-0}) 11... Nbd7 $146 {
La nouveauté préparée par les Noirs sur la partie de référence jouée quelques
jours plus tôt mais Nbd7 semble plus solide} (11... c5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. Nfe5
Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Qc7 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 {Spirin,O (2474)-Gajewski,G (2567) Neckar op-A
15th 2011 (8) 0-1}) 12. Bg5 (12. Nfe5 $142 {Quelques mois plus tard, les
Blancs ont tenté une autre suite} Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nxe5 (13... c5 14. Nc6 Qe8 15.
Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Bf4 Nb6 17. Nxb6 axb6 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Qc2 (19. Rc1 Nd5) 19...
Nd5 20. Bd2 Rfc8 (20... Qb7 21. e4) (20... Rfd8 21. Rfd1 (21. e4 $14) 21...
Rac8 22. a5 {[%csl Ga5][%cal Ge2e4]}) 21. e4 Nf6 22. b3 $14 {[%csl Ga4,Rc5]} (
22. Rfd1 c4)) 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. Be3 Qc8 {[%cal Gc8b7]} 16. f3 $14 {Blagojevic,D
(2516)-Sedlak,N (2580) SRB-chT Valjevo 2011 (4.5) 1/2}) (12. Bf4) 12... c5 $1
13. Rc1 (13. Nfe5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Rc8 15. Rc1 Qc7 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. dxc5 Qb7+ 18.
Kg1 Rxc5 19. Be3 Rd5 20. Qb3 Rfd8 21. Rfd1 h5 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Bf4 Rc5 24. Rd1
Qe4 25. Ne3 a5 26. h4 Qc6 27. Bg5 Qc7 {Arun Prasad,S (2489)-Zumsande,M (2434)/
Dresden 2011/CBM 143 Extra/1/2-1/2}) 13... Rc8 14. Bf4 (14. Nfe5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2
Rc7 {[%cal Gd8a8,Ga8g2,Gf8c8,Gc5d4]}) 14... Nb6 15. dxc5 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 Nxa4 (
16... Nxc4 17. Rxc4 Bd5 (17... Bxc5 18. Rdc1) 18. Rcc1 Bxc5 19. Ne5 $14) 17.
Bd6 $1 Bxd6 18. cxd6 $2 (18. Nxd6 {[%csl Gd6]} Rxc5 19. Rxc5 (19. Nxe4) 19...
Nxc5 20. Nxe4 Nfxe4 21. Ne5 f5 (21... f6 22. Nc6 $36) (21... a5 {[%csl Ga5,Gb4]
[%cal Ga5a4,Ga4a3]} 22. Nc6 f5 (22... g5 {[%csl Gf4]}) (22... Ra8 {[%cal Ga5a4,
Ga4a3]} 23. Nxa5 $1) 23. Nxa5) 22. Bxe4 Nxe4 23. Rd7 Ra8 {[%cal Ga7a5,Ga5a4,
Ga4a3]} 24. Nd3 a5 25. f3 Nf6 26. Rb7 (26. Re7 Nd5) 26... Nd5 27. Kf2 h6 $11)
18... Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Rxc4 $1 20. Rxc4 Nxb2 21. Rdc1 Nxc4 22. Rxc4 Rb8 {[%csl
Gb4,Gb8][%cal Ga7a5] La finale est sans espoir pour le vétéran} 23. Rc7 Kf8 (
23... a5 $2 24. d7) (23... Ne8 24. Rc6 Rd8 25. d7 Rxd7 26. Rc4 a5) 24. Rxa7 b3
{[%csl Gb3]} 25. Ra1 b2 26. Rb1 {Les Blancs ont récupéré un P mais la position
de la Rb1 ne permet pas de sauver la nulle.} e5 (26... Nd7 $19 {[%cal Gd7c5,
Gc5a4,Ga4c3] Peut-être plus rapide}) 27. e4 Ke8 28. Kf1 Kd7 29. Ke1 Kxd6 {
[%csl Rb1,Gb2,Gb8,Gd6,Re1]} 30. Kd2 Rb3 31. Bg2 Kc5 32. Kc2 Rb4 33. f3 g5 34.
Bf1 Kd4 35. Be2 h5 36. h4 gxh4 37. gxh4 Ke3 38. Kc3 Rb6 39. Bd1 Nd7 40. Bc2
Kxf3 41. Bd1+ Kxe4 42. Bxh5 f5 43. Bd1 Ke3 44. h5 Nf6 45. Bc2 Ne4+ 46. Bxe4
Kxe4 47. Rxb2 Rc6+ (47... Rxb2 $4 48. Kxb2 f4 49. h6) 48. Kd2 Rh6 0-1

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 40th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2012.07.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Fridman, Daniel"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2012.07.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 150"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 ({Since
White does not intend to play the 8.a4 system, it makes no sense to allow the
additional line} 7. Qc2 b5 $5) 7... a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 11.
Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nb3 c5 $5 $146 ({Black usually
prepares this thematic break with} 14... Be4) 15. Nxc5 Be4 16. Qc3 e5 17. Qe1
Bxc5 18. dxc5 Rxc5 19. Rc1 Rxc1 20. Qxc1 Qd5 21. a3 Rd8 22. Qc3 Bxf3 23. exf3
Qd2 24. Qc7 Re8 25. Qc1 Rd8 26. Qc7 Re8 27. Qc1 Rd8 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.27"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 {The moment of truth has
come. Leko fights against Kramnik with his own weapons. Quite a risky policy,
I must say. Ha llegado la hora de la verdad. Leko lucha contra Kramnik con sus
proprías armas. Una política bastante arriesgada, según me parece...} 13. Qf4
$5 {Here comes the novelty, sidestepping most of the theoretical knowledge
that has been accumulated in recent years. Aquí tenemos la novedad, evitando
la mayor parte de los conocimientos teóricos acumulados durante los últimos
años.} Bb7 ({After a long thought, Leko refrains from Después de una larga
reflección, Leko decide abstenerse de} 13... c5 {, which seems to be a
critical continuation. White's most natural reply is , que parece como una
continuación crítica.} 14. Rc1 c4 15. b3 {[%csl Gc4]}) ({Another consequent
move would be} 13... Qb7 {, but it appears that Black has not sufficient space
along the h1-a8 diagonal after} 14. Nc3 {(Taking advantage of the fact that
the knight's development has been delayed.)} Bc6 15. e4 b4 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5
Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxg5 19. Qxb4 Bxd5 20. Qxb7 Bxb7 21. Nxg5 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 {Despite
simplifications, White retains a minimal but stable advantage because of
Black's queenside weaknesses. It would be dangerous to allow Kramnik to get
such a position.}) 14. Rc1 {There is something remarkable about White's last
moves. I can't help comparing them with certain patterns of play in chess
problems (mates in 3 or 4, helpmates). White's pieces tend to make full use of
the space left available by their colleagues. 12.Bg5 has made available a
whole new diagonal for the queen and she uses it immediately, making the
longest possible move. This has cleared the c1-square and the king's rook
hurries to occupy it. I would also point out that the queen and the bishop
concentrate their pressure on the f6-square, while the queen and the rook
attack the c7-square. To my understanding, this is pure harmony, but let us
return to the more concrete world of practical chess, where things are not
that clear. Hay algo de especial en las últimas jugadas de las blancas. No
puedo evitar compararlas con ciertos modelos empleados en la problemística de
ajedrez (mates en 3 o 4, mates ayuda). La sfiguras de las blancas tienden a
aprovechar plenamente el espacío dejado libre por sus colegas en las jugadas
anteriores. 12.Ag5 había eliberado la diagonal c1-f4 para la dama, que la
aprovecha enseguída, efectuando la jugada más larga posible. A su vez, esta
jugada ha eliberado la casilla de c1 y la torre de rey se da prisa en ocuparla,
efectuando también la jugada más larga. También queda por decir que la dama y
el alfil concentran sus esfuerzos sobre la casilla de f6, mientras que la
torre y la dama atacan el peón de c7. A mi entender, esto es pura harmonía.
Pero ya es el tiempo de volver al mundo más concreto del ajedrez de torneo.}
Bd6 15. Qh4 h6 16. Bxf6 ({I believe that the extravagant} 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17.
Qxh6 {[%csl Rg8][%cal Yb1d2,Yd2b3,Gc1c2,Ga1c1] should not be discarded
completely. White has no immediate threats, but he can combine the usual
queenside pressure with "casual" kingside tactics. Also, the breakthrough ...
e5 is less appealing, because the f6-knight is hanging. I only have one
objection to this plan: White is underdeveloped still, making such radical
measures loo premature.}) 16... Nxf6 17. Nbd2 {White has a slight advance in
development and has managed to prevent the freeing move ...c5. However, he has
to find a way to coordinate his queen with the other pieces, in order not to
lose... harmony. Las blancas han logrado una pequeña ventaja de desarrollo y
han conseguído evitar la ruptura ...c5. Sin embargo, tienen por delante la
tarea de coordinar de alguna forma a su dama con el resto de las figuras, para
no perder la... armonía.} Re8 18. e4 (18. Rc2 e5 19. dxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxg2 (
20... Rxe5 $6 21. Qf4 $1 Re7 (21... Rxe2 $2 22. Rxc7 $16) 22. Nb3 Bxg2 23. Kxg2
$14 {[%csl Ga5,Gc5][%cal Ya1c1]}) 21. Kxg2 Rxe5 $36 {[%csl Ge2][%cal Yc7c5,
Yc8b7,Ye5h5]}) 18... Nd7 $1 (18... e5 19. dxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Rxe5 21. Qf4 Re7
22. Qe3 $14 {[%csl Gc5]}) (18... Be7 19. Qf4 Bd6 20. e5 Nd5 21. Qg4 Be7 22. Ne4
$14 {[%csl Gc5]}) 19. Nb3 a5 {Up to this moment,Kramnik had spent around a
quarter of an hour, but now he sank into deep thought. Hasta este momento,
Kramnik había gastado alrededor de un cuarto de hora, pero aquí se hundió en
una larga reflexión.} (19... e5 $6 20. Na5 $1 $16) ({After} 19... Be7 20. Qf4
Bd6 {White is not forced to accept a draw, but can bring his queen back into
play with} 21. Qe3 $1 $14) 20. Nc5 ({My first thought was that the knight jump
to c5 should have been prepared with Mi primer pensamiento fue que el salto de
caballo tendría que ser preparado con} 20. Rc2 a4 21. Nc5 {, but maybe Leko's
last move was more of a defence against the threat Na5 than a preliminary step
for the further advance of the pawn. , pero puede que la jugada anterior de
Leko haya sido una simple parada contra la amenaza Ca5 y no una amenaza contra
el caballo de b3.}) ({After Es posible que despu'es de} 20. Rc2 {, Kramnik
might have disliked a Kramnik no le hubiera gustado} e5) ({When I wrote the
express report, I also believed that the thematic La temática jugada} 20. a4 {
fails to offer an advantage after no ofrecería ventaja por} bxa4 (20... b4 21.
Nfd2 $14 {[%cal Yd2c4]}) 21. Rxa4 Bb4 {, because there are too many pieces
along the fourth rank, preventing the coordination between the a4-rook and the
queen. This is probably wrong. After . Quedan demasiadas figuras interpuestas
entre la dama y la torre de a4.} 22. Qf4 {[%cal Yf4e3,Gf3e1,Ge1d3] White
retains chances for an advantage.}) 20... Be7 {The first impression is that
the capture on c5 would have made the b7-bishop feel uncomfortable. Leko
decides to solve his problems by... winning material. La captura en c5 hubiera
hecho al alfil de b7 sentirse incómodo. Leko decidió resolver sus problemas
por... ganancías de material.} ({Indeed,} 20... Bxc5 $6 {is not to be
recommended because of} 21. dxc5 Bc6 22. Nd4 $16) ({However,} 20... Nxc5 21.
dxc5 Be7 {is not entirely clear.} 22. Qh5 (22. Qf4 e5 23. Nxe5 Bf6 $44 {
[%csl Gb2]}) 22... Bxe4 (22... g6 23. Qe5 $1) 23. Ne5 $1 g6 24. Qxh6 Bxg2 25.
Kxg2 Bf6 26. Qf4 Bxe5 27. Qxe5 Rd8 {[%csl Ga1] and Black seems to be out of
danger. In most of these variations we can see that the insertion of the moves
Rc2 and ...a4 would have favoured White.}) 21. Qf4 e5 {Slightly risky.} ({
In fact,} 21... Nxc5 22. dxc5 e5 $1 {would transpose toa variation given above,
after having avoided Qh5.}) 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. dxe5 (23. Qxe5 $2 Bg5 24. Qf5 {
This will cause the disruption of White's centre, but there is no other square
available for the queen.} Qxf5 25. exf5 Bxc1 $19 26. Bxb7 Re1+) 23... Bg5 24.
Qf3 Bxc1 25. Rxc1 Rxe5 26. Qc3 {White's compensation for the sacrificed
exchange consists of his much more active placement of pieces. The b7-bishop
and the a8-rook cannot be brought into play too easily. Continuing the
discussion about harmony, White's position looks optically perfect from this
point of view. La compensación de las blancas por la calidad entregada reside
principalmente en la mayor actividad de sus figuras. Ls negras no podrán traer
a su torre de dama y alfil en juego con demasiada facilidad. Continuando el
debate sobre la harmonía, la posición de las blancas parece perfecta desde
este punto de vista.} f6 $6 ({It is hard to say whether Leko underestimated
White's compensation, or, on the contrary, feared that after Es difícil saber
si Leko había menosvalorado la compensación de las blancas después de la
jugada del texto, o si, por el contrarío, consideró su posición después de} 
26... Re7 27. Nxb7 Qxb7 28. e5 Qa7 29. Bxa8 Qxa8 {his position would remain
difficult. I believe that White would have not found it easy to consolidate
his advantage of space, because there is too little material left on the board
and his position contains some weaknesses, too. In view of Black's several
possible deviations from the game continuation, I would conclude that the
first move made by Kramnik after a long thought (20.Nc5) was not the best and
that 20.a4 will have to be tried next time the respective position arises.
como difícil. En realidad, las blancas hubieran tenido problemas mantener su
ventaja de espacío, por el número reducido de figuras que quedan y por las
debilidades en casillas blancas.}) 27. Qb3+ Kh8 $6 {Another uninspired
decision. As will be revealed soon, h7 was a safer square for His Majesty.
Otra decisión mal inspirada. Como se verá pronto, h7 sería una casilla mejor
para Su Majestad.} (27... Kh7 28. Qf7 Bc6 29. Nd3 (29. f4 $2 Qe8 $1) 29... Be8
(29... Qe8 $2 30. Nxe5 $1 {[%csl Gf7]}) 30. Qf8 $14 {The difference compared
to the game continuation is that this is without check.} Rg5 31. h4 Rg4 32. Bf3
$14 {[%csl Gc5]}) 28. Qf7 $1 {Black is in big trouble. The immediate threats
are Nxb7 or Nd3 followed by Rxc7. Las negras pasan por apuros graves. Se
amenazan Nxb7 o Nd3, seguído por Rxc7.} Bc6 29. Nd3 Re6 {Con el rey en h7, las
negras hubieran resistido con 29...Ae8, cuando 30.De8 sería sin jaque.} (29...
Be8 $2 30. Qf8+) 30. Nf4 ({Continuing the attack rather than pinning the rook
with the trivial Prefiriendo continuar el ataque en vez de la clavada sencilla
} 30. Bh3) 30... Rd6 31. Ng6+ Kh7 32. e5 $1 {White wins material now. Las
blancas ganan material.} fxe5 33. Bxc6 Rf6 34. Qd5 Qf5 35. Bxa8 Qxf2+ 36. Kh1
Qxb2 37. Qc5 Kxg6 38. Be4+ Kh5 39. Rb1 1-0

[Event "EU-Cup 23rd"]
[Site "Kemer"]
[Date "2007.10.06"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2649"]
[BlackElo "2674"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2007.10.03"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 121"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.11.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.11.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Alkaloid"]
[BlackTeam "Keystone"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "MKD"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 $5 {This (almost) new move was tried successfully
during the Mexico World Championship.} 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qb8 13. b4 e5 14.
Nbd2 Re8 $146 {Theoretically speaking, this is the most logical continuation.
Instead of exchanging on d4 himself, Black develops a piece, creating the
threat ...e4 and inviting White to release the tension in the centre.} ({
However, Black did quite OK with the less refined} 14... exd4 {when after} 15.
Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 {he managed to get rid of the backward c-pawn with} c5 $132
{in the aforementioned Gelfand,B (2733)-Anand,V (2792)/Mexico City 2007/CBM
120/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 20).}) 15. dxe5 (15. Rac1 e4 $132) 15... Nxe5 16. Nxe5
Rxe5 (16... Bxe5 {Drives the bishop away from the c5-square, leaving White in
a dominating position after} 17. Rac1 $14) 17. Nf3 {It appears that Black has
not achieved much by forcing the exchange on e5. White wins time to regroup
his pieces, while ...c5 remains out of the question for the time being.} Re7
18. Nd4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qb7+ 20. Kg1 ({The generally desirable} 20. Qc6 $2 {
[%csl Re2] drops the e2-pawn.}) 20... Rae8 21. Rac1 Re4 {White does not have
chronic weaknesses on the kingside (at least, nothing to be compared with
Black's structural defects on the other wing), but the fact that his king is
placed there invites him to caution.} 22. Qc6 $5 {White's piece placement was
optimal, which justifies the simplifications to a minimally better endgame.} ({
Georgiev probably feared that consolidating his central knight with} 22. e3 {
would offer Black a tempo to build up his kingside attack, although it is not
easy to see how this could happen. For instance, after} h5 23. Qc6 Qc8 24. Bxc7
Bxb4 25. Bd6 Qxc6 26. Rxc6 Bxd6 27. Rxd6 {the move e3 looks slightly more
useful than ...h5 if we compare with the game continuation.}) 22... Qc8 (22...
Qxc6 23. Rxc6 Be5 24. e3 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 Rxd4 26. exd4 {offers Black some
chances to build a fortress on the light squares despite inevitably losing a
pawn. By the way, after 22.e3 h4 this course of events would have been avoided.
However, Black's position does not yet look so bad as to justify such radical
measures.}) 23. Bxc7 Bxb4 24. Bd6 Qxc6 25. Rxc6 Bxd6 26. Rxd6 {The danger of a
kingside attack has dissapeared completely and the rook's activity along the
e-file has become sterile. White's pieces are more active and Black will have
to defend his queenside pawns passively.} Ra8 (26... a5 27. Ra6 a4 28. e3 $16 {
[%csl Ra4,Rb5]}) 27. e3 Ree8 28. Rc1 $14 {Black is still far from equality.
White not only has the more active placement of his pieces, but also enjoys
the better possibilities to centralse his king, because of the shelter offered
by the central e-pawn.} Kf8 29. Kg2 Ne4 30. Rd7 Rec8 31. Ra7 Rd8 32. Rcc7 Rxa7
33. Rxa7 Nc5 34. Rc7 Ne4 35. g4 g6 36. h4 b4 37. Rc4 a5 38. Nc6 Rc8 39. Nxa5
Rxc4 40. Nxc4 Nc3 41. a3 b3 42. Kf1 Ke7 43. Ke1 Ke6 44. Kd2 Ne4+ 45. Ke2 h5 46.
f3 Nd6 47. Nb2 hxg4 48. fxg4 Ne4 49. Kd3 Nf2+ 50. Kc3 Nxg4 51. Nc4 Nh6 52. a4
Nf5 53. a5 Kd5 54. e4+ Kxe4 55. a6 Ne7 56. Nd6+ Ke5 57. a7 Nd5+ 58. Kxb3 Nc7
59. Nxf7+ Kd5 60. Ng5 Kc6 61. Ne6 Na8 62. Nf4 Kb7 63. Nxg6 Nc7 64. h5 Ne6 65.
Kc4 Kxa7 66. Kd5 Ng5 67. Ke5 Kb7 68. Kf5 Nh7 69. Nf4 Kc6 70. Kg6 Nf8+ 71. Kg7
1-0

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 38th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2010.07.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2010.07.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 ({
Throughout history, great players have sometimes deviated this way from the
normal} 7. Qc2) 7... Nc6 $1 {The most active answer. Black gladly returns the
pawn and sacrifices one himself for the sake of rapid piece development.} 8.
Bxc6 {This is the main line. White gives up the Catalan bishop for the sake of
winning a pawn. In doing so, he relies on the lack of kingside weaknesses for
neutralizing the strong black light-squared bishop.} (8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bxc6 Rb8
10. Nc3 Bb7 11. Bxb7 Rxb7 12. e3 c5 $132 {Johansson,M-Mraz,M/EU-ch36 corr 1985/
Corr Nr. 1 (0-1, 52)}) 8... bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 (11...
c5 {is equally playable and is the start of another theoretical branch.}) 12.
dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 14. Qc2 Bf5 15. Qd2 {The forced phase of the opening
has come to an end. In order to avoid repetitions, the queen has been forced
to occupy a far from natural square. Optically speaking, Black's compensation
for the pawn is out of question. However, White has a subtle plan in mind:
give up the e2-pawn and simplify to a rook and opposite-coloured bishops
ending, in which the weakness of the black queenside may tell.} Rfe8 {The less
commital move.} (15... Bh3 {defines the bishop's intentions a bit too soon,
although it may be playable anyway.} 16. Re1 Rad8 17. Qe3 Qd5 18. f3 Ng4 $6 (
18... Rfe8 $44 {Ribli}) 19. Qc3 Rfe8 20. Na3 Rxe2 $2 21. Rxe2 Qxf3 22. Bh6 (22.
Qe1 $18 {Ribli}) 22... Qxc3 23. bxc3 gxh6 $16 {Parker,J (2523)-Baburin,A (2593)
/Port Erin 1999/CBM 074/[Ribli] (1-0, 34)}) (15... Rad8 $6 {can be met by} 16.
Qf4 $1 {In view of the hanging bishop, Black has no obvious way to retrieve
the pawn, for instance} Qe6 17. Nc3 $14) 16. Re1 Bg4 {In connection with the
next moves, Black forces the exchange of the knights, thus ensuring himself
drawing chances in case of massive simplifications.} ({Another approach is to
keep the pieces on board in order to establish a massive pressure:} 16... Rab8
17. Nc3 Rb4 18. Qe3 Qa5 19. Qf3 Bc8 20. Qg2 Bb7 21. f3 Ng4 $44 {Meier,G (2641)
-Bruzon Bautista,L (2617)/Havana 2009/CBM 131 (1/2, 42)}) 17. Nc3 Ne4 18. Nxe4
Qxe4 19. Qc3 $5 $146 {This new move induces some hidden nuances. White is not
against the queen exchange, but aims to carry it out in a way that leaves the
enemy bishop badly placed.} (19. Qf4 Bxe2 20. Qxe4 Rxe4 21. Bf4 c6 22. Rac1 {
1/2 Virovlansky,S (2437)-Novikov,M (2515)/Moscow 2005/EXT 2006} Bf3 $11 {
In this line, the bishop gets to the optimal d5-square, defending the own
queenside and keeping the enemy kingside under pressure. White's structural
advantage would not offer him realistic chances for success in this case.})
19... Bxe2 20. Be3 {It may seem risky to keep playing with queens on board,
but we will see that for the time being it is not easy for Black to build up a
mating attack based on, for instance, Bf3 and Qf3.} Qf3 (20... Bf3 21. Bh6 $1
Qg4 22. Bxg7 $16) 21. Rac1 a6 22. Bd4 Qg4 $1 {The most ambitious continuation.
Black does not abandon the hope of creating kingside threats in the middlegame.
} (22... Qxc3 {leads to a favourable ending for White:} 23. Rxc3 Rac8 24. f3 f6
25. Kf2 Bb5 26. Be3 Kf7 27. Rd1 $14 {[%cal Gb2b3,Gg3g4,Gh2h4] If compared with
a similar line examined above, the black bishop is poorly placed.}) 23. Be5 $5
{Cutting off the rook's action and leaving the e2-bishop insufficiently well
defended.} f6 (23... Rac8 24. h3 $1 {[%csl Ge2]} Qh5 25. Bxg7 Qxh3 26. Bh8 Qg4
27. b4 Re6 28. Qd4 $14 {Black has structural problems on both wings.}) 24. Bxc7
{This may have been the final point of Kramnik's preparation. White has won a
pawn and engines are quite happy about that. However, the safer king's
position offer Black good prospects in the middlegame, while the queenside
majority hardly has any relevance. For the time being, White seems to be
dominating the board and there is no immediate way for Black to set up a
deadly battery Q+B. However, White will not be able to keep all the important
squares under control forever. Confronted with unexpected problems, Kramnik
will soon get back into passive defence.} Kh8 25. Qc6 Rac8 26. b3 h6 27. Rc4 $6
{Just leading to a loss of time.} Qh5 28. Rcc1 ({Maybe he had initially planned
} 28. Re4 {, but after} Rxe4 29. Qxe4 Bf3 30. Qf4 Bb7 $36 {the king's position
would be very unsafe. This is the kind of regrouping that White should avoid.})
28... Bb5 29. Qd6 Be2 (29... Rxe1+ $5 {looks like a safe way of forcing a draw:
} 30. Rxe1 Qf3 {[%cal Gb5c6]} 31. Rc1 Re8 32. Qf4 (32. h4 $2 Bc6 33. Qxc6 Re1+
$1 $15) 32... Qd5 33. Qd6 Qf3 $11) 30. h4 (30. Qc6 $5 {looks safer, although
White would again expose himself to a repetition of moves.}) 30... Re4 $1 {
Immediately taking advantage of the space left available by the enemy queen.}
31. Bd8 Rxc1 32. Rxc1 Qg6 33. Ba5 Kh7 {A nice prophylactic move, avoiding any
casual checks before starting the attacking regrouping.} 34. Re1 Qg4 35. Qd2
Qf3 36. Qc3 Qf5 37. Qd2 Qg4 {White's position is quite delicate. He has to act
with great care in order to avoid Black's decissive regrouping.} 38. Bc3 $2 {
The bishop is passive on this square and it also takes the c3-square away from
the queen.} (38. Bc7 Qf3 39. Bf4 Bd3 40. Be3 {would prevent Black's optimal
coordination.}) (38. Bb4 Qf3 (38... Rxb4 $2 39. Qxe2 $16) 39. Qc3 $1 {would be
another defensive method. However, in both cases, Black would be able to keep
playing at no risk.}) 38... Qf3 $1 $17 {[%cal Ge2d3,Gd3e4] /\...Bd3xe4} 39.
Bxf6 $5 {Desperation...} (39. Bd4 $2 Rxh4 $1 40. gxh4 Qg4+ 41. Kh2 Qxh4+ 42.
Kg2 Qg4+ 43. Kh2 Bf3 $19) 39... gxf6 40. Qd5 Bd3 $2 {There was no need to
allow a perpetual so easily.} (40... Rg4 $17) (40... Qg4 $17) 41. Qf7+ Kh8 42.
Qf8+ Kh7 43. Qf7+ Kh8 44. Rc1 Bc2 45. Qf8+ Kh7 46. Qf7+ Kh8 47. Qf8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {Quite logical. Once Kramnik has shown
the best way to meet the Catalan, a new trend of fashion has been opened.
Until Kramnik will have this position with White, of course. Bastante lógico.
dado que Kramnik había mostrado unos días antes como hay que jugar contra la
Catalana, una nueva tendencía de la moda se ha abierto. Hasta que a Kramnik le
toque jugar esta variante con blancas, por supuesto.} 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7
14. Nb3 ({Deviating from the slightly premature Desvíandose de la algo
premátura} 14. Bxf6 {, as played in Aronian - Kramnik, few days earlier. ,
como se jugó en Aronian-Kramnik.}) 14... a5 15. Rd1 $146 {I had recommended
this logical move in my comments to the game Shirov,A (2699)-Onischuk,A (2663)/
Foros 2007/CBM 119/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 42).} Bd5 {But this is a new move for
me, too, and a strong one I must admit. Black does not rush in, but continues
improving the position of his pieces. Among others, the b7-square is cleared
for the queen.} ({I only investigated the consequences of the immediate} 15...
a4) 16. Ne5 {White has a wide choice here, but there seems to be no clear way
to even some minimal advantage.} (16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. Bxf6 {fails to} Nb3 $1 18.
axb3 Bxf6 $15 {[%csl Yb2,Yb3]}) (16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Qb7 {
Black's excellent development and the active placement of his bishops prevents
White from taking advantage of the (relatively unstable) blockade on c5.} 19.
Rac1 Rac8 20. a3 a4 21. Ne1 Rfd8 $1 {and Black might break with ...e5 soon,
putting the b2-pawn in danger.}) (16. Ne1 Qb7 $1 17. Bxd5 Qxd5 {Again, Black's
activity compensates for the weaknesses along the c-file. For instance, the
generally desirable} 18. Nd3 a4 19. Nbc5 {gives up a pawn to} Qxd4 {, when it
is far from easy to prove concrete compensation:} 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Ne5 Qc8 22.
Nc6 Qe8) 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 a4 (17... Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd5 19. e4 Bxg5 20. Qxg5
Nb6 21. Nc5 {might offer White some advantage, becaue of his stable knight,
but it remains an open question whether this is something real after} Rd8) 18.
Nc5 ({The occupation of the c6-square with} 18. Nc6 {is premature because of}
Qb7 {when the complications initiated by} 19. Nba5 Rxa5 20. Kg1 Ra6 21. Nxe7+
Kh8 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 (22... gxf6 $2 23. d5 $1 $16 {and Black will not manage to
keep the knight trapped.}) 23. Qc5 {[%csl Gf8][%cal Ye7g6]} Nd7 $1 24. Qb4 c6
$17 {[%csl Ge7]}) ({As usual, I am slightly reluctant to recommend} 18. Bxf6 {
, which allows the activation of the enemy bishop with} Bxf6 (18... Nxf6 19.
Nc5 $14) {for instance:} 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Nc5 Qc6+ 21. Kg1 Rfd8 $132 {[%cal
Yf6b2] and again Black's better development compensates for the (unstable)
blockade.}) 18... Bxc5 19. Bxf6 Bb6 $1 (19... gxf6 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Qxc5 $16)
(19... Bxd4 20. Nxd7 Bxf6 21. Nxf8 $14) 20. Bg5 ({Against the seemingly lethal
Contra la aparente letal} 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Qg5 {, Black can defend with las
negras pueden defender con} Qd5+ 22. Qxd5 exd5 {, when the relative weakness
of the c7-pawn is compensated by the fact that White's bishop cannot find an
active diagonal easily. However, there might be some play left here: cuando la
relativa debilidad del peón de c7 esta compensada por la flata de diagonales
activas para el alfil blanco.} 23. Bg5 Rfe8 24. Kf3 Re6 25. Rac1 Rae8 26. Rc2 {
[%cal Yg5f4,Yd1c1]}) (20. Bxg7 {would lead to a draw by perpetual slightly
sooner than in the game. llevaría a tablas por perpetúo un poco más rápido que
en la partida.}) 20... Nxe5 (20... f6 {was an interesting alternative.} 21. Nc6
{This tempting move allows an unexpected tactical trick.} (21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22.
Be3 Qd5+ 23. f3 {does not seem to offer an advantage either against Black's
active piece placement.}) 21... Qb7 22. Be3 Bxd4 $1 (22... Nb8 23. d5 $1) 23.
Kg1 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Qxc6 25. Rac1 Qb6 $1 26. Rxd7 Qxe3 27. fxe3 {White's active
rooks compensate for the missing pawn, but then the e-pawns are weak. Black is
at least not worse here.}) 21. dxe5 {The position is interesting. Black has
the better pawn structure, but cannot fight for the d-file while the enemy
bishop is on g5.} h6 {Safest.} (21... c5 $5) 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Qxh6 Rd8 24.
Qg5+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 80th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2018.01.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2018.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 183"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 h6 {One of the many possible moves. Black wastes a
tempo to get the bishop pair, which is far from one-sided with the development
incomplete.} ({The classical treatment of this line is} 10... a5 11. Nc3 {
but now} Ra6 $5 {So,W (2794)-Adams,M (2748) London 2016 CBM 176 [Marin,M] (1-0,
40) surely is a bit exotic.}) (10... Nbd7 11. Nc3 h6 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Ne5 Bxg2
14. Kxg2 Nb6 15. Qb3 a5 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2804)-Dominguez Perez,L (2739)
Doha 2016 (½-½, 48)} 16. e4 $5) (10... Bd5 {is an open attempt of reaching a
draw in a somewhat worse position, for instance} 11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 {
Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Nakamura,H (2787) Paris 2016 CBM 173 [Besenthal,K] 
(1-0, 54)}) 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 ({The main alternative is} 12. Rd1 {
overprotecting d4 before developing the knight. Of course the two variations
could transpose to each other if Black does not take the pawn as in the main
game (which will this time prove a not entirely edible pawn). But I am not
sure whether the main game move order offers White any additional ideas to
that with 12.Rfd1.} a5 13. Nc3 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. h4 Nd7 16. e3 Ra6 17. Rab1
Be7 18. Be4 Rb6 19. Bc2 $14 {Inarkiev,E (2660)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2704) Berlin
2015 (½-½, 53)  Compare also with Eljaov-Adams below.}) 12... Bxf3 (12... a5
13. e4 Na6 14. Rfd1 {is a tabyia which can arise via either move order.} Nb4
15. Ne1 $5 Be7 (15... b6 16. e5 $16) 16. Rac1 Rb8 17. Nb5 Bxb5 18. axb5 $14 {
Gabuzyan,H (2525)-Kravtsiv,M (2589) Yerevan 2013 (0-1, 39)}) 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 ({
A more solid try is} 13... c6 {even though White retains an edge:} 14. e3 a5
15. h4 Na6 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. Qe2 $14 {Eljanov,P (2723)-Adams,M (2740) Biel 2015
CBM 168 [Marin,M] (0-1, 59)}) 14. Qxc7 {Apparently the only challenging move.}
(14. Qxd4 {Kasimdzhanov defended Black's point of view twice after} Bxd4 15.
Bxb7 Ra7 16. Bg2 Nd7 17. Rfd1 c5 18. e3 Bf6 19. Rd2 (19. Rab1 Rb8 {Aronian,L 
(2805)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2683) Riadh 2017 (½-½, 51)}) 19... Rb8 20. Ne4 Be7 21.
Rc2 Rb4 {½-½ Landa,K (2626)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2704) Germany 2016}) 14... Nc6
15. Qxb7 Na5 {Black's chances to retrieve the pawn are obvious. But in the
process White may use the available time to regroup properly for setting up
some sort of central domination.} 16. Qc7 ({Once again it looks better
avoiding the queen exchange to be able creating some kingside threats. If} 16.
Qe4 Rab8 17. Qxd4 Bxd4 18. Rad1 Be5 19. Ne4 Nb3 20. Nd2 {½-½ Andriasian,Z 
(2585)-Harutyunian,T (2487) Yerevan 2018}) 16... Qd8 17. Qf4 {Same issue.} Rb8
18. Rfd1 {Molaei,M (2327)-Magalashvili,D (2506) Fajr op 26th 2018 (5) 1/2 A
draw was agreed here in} {So I assume this aks the next move a novelty:} Qe7 {
Black aims for natural development but this delays his queenside counterplay.}
({From this point of view} 18... Qc8 {is better suited. On the other hand,
after retrieving the pawn the queen will be slightly misplaced in the almost
symmetrical position.} 19. Ne4 (19. Rab1 {fails to consolidate the queenside
due to} Nc4) 19... Bxb2 20. Rab1 Ba3 (20... Qc4 21. Bh5 $14 g6 $2 22. Rxb2 Rxb2
23. Nf6+ Kg7 24. Qe5 $18) 21. Kg2 $5 $14 {[%cal Gh2h4] Black will not find it
easy getting coordinated.}) 19. Rab1 Rfc8 {Black is perfectly regrouped now,
but after the next move so will White be! And taking on b2 will induce some
chaos in Black's position again.} (19... Rb4 20. Ne4 $14 {fails to bother
White.} Bxb2 $6 21. Qd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 $16) ({Quite possibly, the best chance
was} 19... g5 $5 {when it is hard keeping the possibility Ne4 as an answer to .
..Rfc8:} 20. Qe4 (20. Qc1 Rfc8) (20. Qg4 Bg7 {[%cal Gf7f5]}) 20... Rfc8) 20.
Ne4 $1 Bg5 {Giving up the idea of retrieving the pawn.} (20... Bxb2 21. Nd6 {
causes serious problems on f7.} Rf8 (21... Rd8 22. Nxf7 $1 $16) 22. Qd2 Ba3 23.
Nxf7 $16) 21. Qd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 {White has kept his pawn anda6 is hanging
while Black is poorly coordinated. With a bit of accuracy from White, the game
is as good as over.} Be7 23. Rxa6 Nc4 24. Rc1 Nxb2 25. Rxc8+ Rxc8 26. a5 {
Sustained by all White's pieces, this pawn is unstoppable already.} Nc4 27. Ra7
Bb4 28. a6 f5 29. Rb7 $5 fxe4 30. Bg4 Ra8 31. Rxb4 Nd6 32. Bxe6+ Kf8 33. Rb6 {
With two pawns less and a passive position, Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 40th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2012.07.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Meier, Georg"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2644"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2012.07.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 150"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 14.
Qc2 Bf5 15. Qd2 Bh3 (15... Rfe8 {Kramnik,V (2790)-Leko,P (2734)/Dortmund 2010/
CBM 138/[Marin,M] (1/2, 47)}) 16. Re1 Rad8 17. Qc3 Qd5 18. f3 Rfe8 19. Na3 Qb7
$5 $146 {[%cal Ge8e2] Clearing the d-file in order to create the threat 20...
Rxe2! -+ 21.Rxe2 Rd1+ 22.Re1 Rxe1+ 23.Qxe1 Qxf3, with mate on f1 or g2 in view.
} (19... Ne4 {1-0 Stanojoski,Z (2481)-Sigalas,F (2199)/Kavala 2006/CBM 113 ext
(40)}) 20. Qb3 {Starting the peace negotiations.} ({He could have tried} 20.
Nc4 $5 {, which would prepare the knight for defending f1 and g2 in the end of
the threatened line.}) 20... Qa6 21. Qb5 Qe6 22. Qb3 Qa6 23. Qb5 Qe6 24. Qb3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 40th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2012.07.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.07.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 150"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 ({
For those who intend to meet 7...a6 with 8.a4, as Leko did in this game, it is
important to know how to deal with Salgado's} 7... b5 {, which has had
somethig of a burst of popularity lately. (Otherwise, White can play 7.Qa4,
transposing to the main lines after 7...a6 8.Qxc4).} 8. a4 b4 9. Nfd2 (9. Nbd2
{Ragger,M (2614)-Vallejo Pons,F (2707) Aix-les-Bains 2011 CBM 142 [Marin,M] (1/
2, 40)}) (9. Ne5 {Shimanov,A (2550)-Salgado Lopez,I (2630) Aix-les-Bains 2011
CBM 142 [Marin,M] (0-1, 19)}) 9... c6 10. Nxc4 {Gelfand,B (2733)-Ponomariov,R 
(2743) Olginka 2011 CBM 142 [Ponomariov] (1/2, 33)}) 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10.
Bg5 {The old main line.} ({Lately, there have been some intense discussions in
the line introduced by} 10. Bf4 a5 (10... Bd6 11. Bg5 {1/2 Tomashevsky,E (2738)
-Aronian,L (2825)/Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Marin,M] (25)}) 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 (
12. Ne5 {0-1 Gelfand,B (2744)-Karjakin,S (2763)/Moscow 2011/CBM 146/[Karjakin]
(59)}) 12... Nb4 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Nfd5 (14... Nh5 {1/2 Pelletier,Y (2584)
-Beliavsky,A (2616)/Rogaska Slatina 2011/CBM 145/[Pelletier] (59)}) 15. Nxd5
Qxd5+ 16. Qxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 {1-0 Wang Yue (2709)-Onischuk,A (2675)/Ningbo 2011/
CBM 144/[Marin,M] (29)}) 10... Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 ({Another possible continuation
is} 11... Be4 {, but after} 12. Qe3 {the queen stands well for fighting
against the freeing ...c7-c5.}) 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 Qa5 $5 {A developing move
which does not give up the tension yet.} ({The most popular continuation is} 
13... cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 {Here are two games which had been annotated
for CBM in the past:} h6 (15... Nbd7 {0-1 Kozul,Z (2585)-Beliavsky,A (2650)/
Portoroz 1999/CBM 072/[Ribli] (30)}) 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 {1-0 Kozul,Z (2585)
-Nikolic,P (2635)/Sarajevo 1998/CBM 066/[Ribli] (61)}) 14. Ne5 $146 {White
tries to take advantage of the fact that the last move has reduced the
pressure against the d4-pawn.} (14. Bd2 {fails to make Her Majesty feel
uncomfortable:} cxd4 15. Nb5 (15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd7 17. e4 Qb6 18. a5 Ne5
19. Qe3 Qc7 $11 {Ilincic,Z (2563)-Beliavsky,A (2654)/Belgrade 2000/CBM 080 (1/
2, 44)}) 15... Qb6 16. Nbxd4 Be4 17. Qe3 Nbd7 18. a5 (18. Bc3 Bc5 19. a5 Qc7 {
Kavutskiy,K (2303)-Akopyan,H (2233)/Los Angeles 2011/CBM 146 Extra (1-0, 51)})
18... Qd8 (18... Qc7 19. Rac1) (18... Qa7) 19. Bc3 Bd5 20. Rac1 Re8 21. Be1 Bd6
22. b4 Qe7 23. b5 Bc5 {Moradiabadi,E (2575)-Gundavaa,B (2472)/Guangzhou 2010/
CBM 139 Extra (0-1, 54)}) (14. Qc4 {led to quick simplifications and a draw:}
cxd4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. Rxd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nc6 19. Rd7 Rab8 20.
Qf4 Qb6 21. Rb1 Ne5 {1/2 Meier,G (2648)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2699)/Sestao 2010/CBM
138}) ({Or} 14. dxc5 {with similar consequences:} Nbd7 15. e4 Bxc5 16. Be3 Bxe3
17. Qxe3 Rfd8 18. Rd4 Ne5 19. b4 Nxf3+ 20. Bxf3 Qe5 21. Rad1 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Rc8
23. Be2 h6 24. f4 Qc7 25. b5 Bxb5 $1 $11 {Beliavsky,A (2618)-Lutz,C (2591)/
Germany 1999/EXT 2000 (1/2, 36)}) 14... Bxg2 15. Kxg2 cxd4 16. Qxd4 {White has
a lead in development and a centralised position. However, his stability looks
a bit shaky in view of Black's next move.} Rd8 17. Qc4 $5 {A piece sacrifice,
leading to fascinating tactical play. One would expect that Leko had analysed
this position at home, but what about Karjakin? Did he find all the defences
over the board, or it was just a "theoretical draw" all the way?} (17. Nc4 {
does not achieve much:} Rxd4 $1 ({Only not} 17... Qc7 $2 18. Qb6 $1 $16 {
, when the c4-knight is taboo because of the back rank weakness:} Qc6+ 19. f3
Rxd1 $6 20. Rxd1 Qxc4 $2 21. Rd8+ Bf8 22. Rxf8+ $1 Kxf8 23. Qd8+ Ne8 24. Qe7+)
18. Nxa5 Rb4) 17... Qxe5 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 19. Bf4 Qa5 $8 {The only way to limit
the damages created by White's next move.} 20. Qc8 {/\Qxb7} Qb6 $8 (20... e5
21. Rd1 $1 Nbd7 22. Qxa8 exf4 23. Qxb7 $16) (20... g5 21. Bxg5 Kg7 22. Qxb7
Qxg5 23. Qxa8 $14) 21. f3 $1 {[%csl Gg2] /\Rd1} (21. Bxb8 Qd6 22. Bxd6 Rxc8 $11
) (21. Rd1 $2 Qc6+ $1 $19) 21... g5 $1 {It is essential to clear an escape
square for the king.} (21... e5 $2 {does not sonctribute to this and White
gets a fantastic ending after} 22. Bxe5 Nc6 23. Qxa8 Nxe5 24. Rd1 Nc6 25. b4 $5
Qxb4 26. Rxd8+ Nxd8 27. Qxd8+ Qf8 28. Qc7 Qa8 29. g4 $16) 22. a5 $1 {An
important intermediate move, overloading the queen.} (22. Be5 $2 {does not
work anymore, since Black has solved his back rank problems:} Nc6 23. Qxa8 Nxe5
24. Rd1 Nc6 25. b4 Qxb4 26. Rxd8+ Nxd8 27. Qxd8+ Kg7 $17) (22. Bxb8 Qd6 $11) (
22. Bxg5 Kg7 $8) 22... Nc6 $1 {Once again, the only saving move!} 23. Qxa8 Qxb2
{White is temporarily an exchange up, but all his pieces are hanging.} 24. Bxg5
Kg7 (24... Qxa1 $2 25. Bxf6 Qxa5 26. Ne4 $16) (24... Qxc3 25. Rd1 Kg7 {
transposes to the game}) 25. Rd1 Qxc3 26. Rxd8 Nxd8 27. Qxd8 Nd5 {The game has
calmed down and in view of the exposed position of both kings, a draw by
perpetual check is almost inevitable.} 28. e4 Ne3+ 29. Bxe3 Qxe3 30. g4 Qe2+
31. Kg3 Qe1+ 32. Kg2 Qe2+ 33. Kg3 Qe1+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.06.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Tomashevsky, Evgeny"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2738"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2012.06.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Be7 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 {Not a bad move, as proven by this game.} ({
The main line goes} 10... a5 {, but White has chances to retain a stable edge
with} 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Ne5 {See for instance Le Quang,L (2681)
-Mamedyarov,S (2761)/Dortmund 2010/CBM 138/[Marin,M] (1/2, 52) and Wang Yue 
(2709)-Onischuk,A (2675)/Ningbo 2011/CBM 144/[Marin,M] (1-0, 29)}) 11. Bg5 Nbd7
12. Nc3 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nd2 $146 {This new move fails to impress, at
least in this game.} (14. Rfe1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 {Wang Yue (2697)-Nielsen,P 
(2693)/Beijing 2011/CBM 145 Extra (1/2, 49)}) (14. Rfd1 Qe7 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16.
Kxg2 c5 {Kuzubov,Y (2615)-Bologan,V (2687)/Plovdiv 2012/CBM 148 (1-0, 50)})
14... Bxg2 15. Kxg2 a5 16. Rfd1 Bb4 17. Rac1 Qd7 18. Nf3 Rfd8 19. Ne5 Qe7 20.
e3 c6 21. Qb3 Qc7 22. Nb5 Qb8 23. Nc3 Qc7 24. Nb5 Qb8 25. Nc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 38th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2010.07.23"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Le, Quang Liem"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2010.07.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 ({For} 9. Rd1 {see Leko,P (2734)-Ponomariov,R (2734)/Dortmund 2010/
CBM 138/[Marin] (1/2, 41)}) 9... Bc6 10. Bf4 {This move puts pressure against
the c7-pawn, preventing the freeing operation ...Bd5 followed by ...c5. On the
other hand, White daoes not challenge Black's control over the central light
squares in any way.} (10. Nc3 b5 11. Qd3 b4 $36) (10. Bg5 Bd5 {[%cal Gc7c5]})
10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 {White has
consolidates his space advantage, but after having occupied the b4-square
Black has a solid position.} Nfd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5+ {This is the most common
reply, but maybe not the most logical.} ({Since the queenside is blocked and a
pawn break in the centre is not very probable, White's main plan consists of a
slow kingside expansion. From this perspective, it makes a lot of sense for
Black to keep queens on board. Here is an example at high level:} 15... Nxd5
16. Bd2 Bb4 17. Bxb4 Nxb4 18. e4 c6 19. f4 Kh8 20. Rfd1 f6 21. Nf3 Qd7 22. b3
Rad8 23. Rd2 Rfe8 24. h4 Qf7 25. Re1 Qh5 26. Re3 h6 27. Kh3 Qf7 28. Qc5 Qc7 29.
Qh5 Re7 30. Qg4 c5 $1 $132 {Topalov,V (2813)-Jakovenko,D (2742)/Nanjing 2009/
CBM 133 (1/2, 43). Black immediately takes advantage of the fact that the
white queen remained stuck in the kingside for opening the position on the
other wing.}) 16. Qxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 c6 18. Nc4 ({Here is a first example of
the possible difficulties faced by Black in the queenless middlegame:} 18. Rfd1
Rfd8 19. e3 Nb4 20. b3 Na2 {These knight jumps clearly show that Black has
little else to do than sit and wait.} 21. Ra1 Nb4 22. Nc4 {We can notice one
important element. In the presence of dark-squared bishops, the pressure
against the a5-pawn is quite unpleasant. Black cannot move his knight easily
and has to keep the rook on a8.} f6 23. g4 {In the meanwhile White carries out
his general plan.} Kf7 24. h3 h5 25. Kf3 hxg4+ 26. hxg4 Nc2 27. Rac1 Nb4 28.
Ke2 Na2 29. Ra1 Nb4 30. Rh1 c5 $6 {So far, Black has been quite patient, but
now he worsens his position.} 31. Bxb4 $1 axb4 32. dxc5 Bxc5 {The weakness of
the b4-pawn is quite dangerous in case of simplifications.} 33. Rac1 Rd5 34.
Rhd1 Rxd1 35. Rxd1 Ke7 36. Rc1 b6 37. Nb2 Bd6 38. Nd3 Rb8 39. Kf3 b5 $6 {
Black's position was anything but funny, but this new pawn move makes things
even worse.} 40. a5 $16 Ra8 41. Ra1 Ra6 42. Ke4 Kf7 43. f4 Bc7 44. Nxb4 Rxa5
45. Rxa5 Bxa5 46. Nc6 Bb6 47. Kd3 {Lysyj,I (2631)-Jojua,D (2530)/Dresden 2010/
(1-0, 69). Black is helpless against the threat Nd4 (...b4, Nc2).}) 18... Bb4
$5 $146 {Not only a new move, but also a new concept! Black intends to
neutralize the pressure against the a5-pawn.} (18... Nb4 {leads to relatively
similar play as in the previous example.} 19. b3 Rfd8 20. e3 f6 21. Rfd1 Kf7
22. g4 Ra6 23. Be1 Rda8 24. Kf3 Na2 25. Rb1 Nb4 26. Bd2 Rd8 27. Ke2 Rd5 28. h3
h5 29. Rg1 hxg4 30. hxg4 b5 $5 {This looks like a consistent plan, but if
White manages to maintain his stability, the c6-pawn may become weak.} 31. Nb2
$1 {[%csl Ga4]} e5 32. dxe5 Rxe5 33. Rbc1 Re6 34. Rgd1 Ra8 35. Bxb4 $1 axb4 36.
Rd7 {Suddenly, White has strong initiative.} Rd8 37. Rc7 bxa4 38. Nxa4 Red6 39.
Rc2 Rd3 40. Nc5 Rc3 41. Rxc3 bxc3 42. Ne4 $16 {Landa,K (2635)-Bellaiche,A 
(2443)/France 2010/CBM 135 Extra (1-0, 89)}) 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 ({The immediate} 
19... f5 $5 {deserves attention.}) 20. Kf3 ({The more resolute} 20. e4 $5 {
comes into consideration:} Bxd2 (20... Nf6 21. Bg5 $14) 21. Rxd2 Nb4 22. f4 f6
(22... f5 {[%csl Gd5]} 23. Kf3 fxe4+ 24. Kxe4 $14 {leaves White with a lot of
space.}) 23. Kf3 Kf7 24. g4 $14) 20... f5 21. Bxb4 $6 {After this premature
exchange, White will be left with permanent queenside problems, preventing him
from focusing on the opposite wing.} (21. Bg5 $1 Re8 22. h4 $14) 21... axb4 $1
(21... Nxb4 22. Ne5 $16) 22. a5 {This move stabilizes the queenside, but
leaves the knight tied up to the defence of the a5-pawn, making the weakness
of the e5-square irrelevant.} (22. b3 {[%csl Gc3]} b5 23. axb5 cxb5 24. Ne5 Nc3
25. Rd3 Rd6 26. Rc2 Ra1 $132) 22... g5 $1 {Black has strong counterplay on the
wing where he was supposed to be put under pressure. The absence of the
d2-bishop makes it felt.} 23. h3 h5 24. e3 Kf8 (24... g4+ $5) 25. g4 Ke7 26.
Rg1 fxg4+ 27. hxg4 h4 28. Ke2 Rdc8 {[%cal Gc6c5] White's position is a bit
uncomfortable. His king is not as active as in some other games with this line,
while the h-pawn may become threatening in case of simplifications.} 29. f4 $5
$132 {An interesting way of changing the course of the game.} gxf4 30. e4 f3+
31. Kxf3 Rf8+ 32. Ke2 Nf4+ 33. Ke3 h3 34. Rg3 Ng2+ 35. Ke2 Nf4+ 36. Ke3 Ng2+
37. Ke2 Kf6 38. Ne5 Kg5 39. Nf3+ Kf4 40. Rxh3 Kxg4 41. Rh2 Nf4+ 42. Ke3 Nd5+
43. exd5 Rxf3+ 44. Ke2 exd5 45. Rg1+ Rg3 46. Rxg3+ Kxg3 {White has managed to
repell the enemy attack and finally can beneffit from the move a4-a5 played
long time ago.} 47. Rh7 $1 $11 Kf4 48. Kd3 Rxa5 49. Rf7+ Kg5 50. Rxb7 Kf5 51.
Rb6 Ra2 52. Rxb4 Ke6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 35th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2007.06.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2007.06.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 119"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 ({In his recent match against Aronian, Carlsen answered the classical
Catalan move order, consisting of} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {with} c5 {.
Despite the fact that the game ended with a convincing win for White, Kramnik
prefers to avoid the Benoni this time.}) 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7
5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. e3 Nb4
12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 Be7 {This is one of the more or less equivalent bishop
retreats.} (13... Bd6 {allows White win a tempo after} 14. Nbd2 {followed by
e4, threatening with a fork, but after the new bishop retreat from d6 to e7 it
is far from clear whether the pawn really stands better on e4 than on e3.
Anyway, that is an entirely different variation in fact.}) 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. b4
{White has to keep the c5-square blocked...} a5 {... and Black has to try to
unblock it at any cost!} 16. Ne5 {Some 16 years ago, when I started analysing
and playing the Catalan, I considered this move to be one of my discoveries.
After the creation and evolution of databases, it appeared that the move had
been played 10 years before I gave it a practical try myself...} ({A recent
game saw} 16. Qb2 {, which seems to be playable, too.} axb4 17. axb4 Qd6 18.
Rfb1 Ra8 (18... Nd5 $2 19. Ne4 $1 $16 Qxb4 $2 20. Qc1 $1 $18 Qc4 $8 21. Qxc4
bxc4 22. Rxb7) 19. Ra5 Nd5 $6 (19... Rxa5 $5 20. bxa5 b4 $132) 20. Ne4 Qxb4 21.
Rxb5 Qxb2 22. R5xb2 Nb6 23. Ne5 f6 24. Nxf6+ $5 (24. Nd3 $14 {[%csl Gc5,Rc7]})
24... gxf6 25. Bxb7 fxe5 26. Bxa8 Rxa8 27. dxe5 Ra4 28. Rc2 Nd5 $14 {Bruzon,L 
(2614)-Capo Vidal,U (2375)/Morelia 2007 (1-0, 36). The position is not easy to
assess, despite White's material advantage. Black's stability in the centre
offers him good chances for defence, but he can hardly aspire for more.
White's structure is too compact...}) 16... Nd5 $2 $146 {This move looks like
a bad over-the-board inspiration rather than the fruit of mistaken home
analysis.} (16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 c6 {is more or less forced, although it does
not solve Black's problems entirely.} (17... axb4 {allows the occupation of
the c6-square with} 18. Nc6 Qd7 19. axb4 $16 {Speelman,J (2535)-Cox,J (2355)/
Southport 1983/EXT 99 (1/2-1/2, 41)}) 18. Nd3 axb4 19. axb4 Nd5 20. Qb3 Ra8 21.
Rfc1 {White has more space and a flexible structure in the centre. The
weakness of the c6- and b4-pawns compensate for each other. In order to have
chances for equality, Black needs to get equal rights over the only open file.
He will fail painfully to do so...} Qb6 22. Nf3 {/\ Ne5} Qb7 23. Kg1 $1 Rxa1
24. Rxa1 Ra8 25. Ra3 $14 Nxb4 $6 26. Nxb4 c5 27. dxc5 Qxf3 (27... Rxa3 28. Qxa3
Qxf3 29. Qa7 Bf8 30. c6 $18) 28. Nd5 $3 $16 {1-0 Marin,M (2515)-Marciano,D 
(2430)/Bucharest 1993/CBM 034/ (1-0, 36)}) 17. Nb3 $1 {This move is easy to
overlook, because the b4-pawn is attacked no less than 3 times.} axb4 18. Na5
Ba8 19. Nac6 Bxc6 20. Nxc6 Qd7 21. Bxd5 $1 {The only way to retrieve the
temporarily sacrificed pawn, but entirely sufficient for retaining a crushing
positional advantage.} exd5 22. axb4 $16 {Black is completely paralyzed.
What's worse, his b5-pawn is impossible to defend.} Rfe8 (22... Ra8 23. Ra5 $5
Rxa5 24. bxa5 Ra8 {and now the a-pawn advances faster than Black would like it:
} 25. a6 $1 $16 Rxa6 $2 26. Nb8 $18) 23. Ra5 Bf8 24. Ne5 {An interesting
moment.} ({Black's conterplay after} 24. Rxb5 Re6 25. Rc1 Rh6 26. h4 {looks
questionable, but Kramnik must have asked himself whether it was worth playing
with the c6-knight pinned.}) 24... Qe6 (24... Rxe5 25. dxe5 Bxb4 {fails to
complicate the matters because of} 26. Ra7 {followed by Rc1.}) 25. Rxb5 Rb8 $6
({However, the unexpected} 25... Bxb4 $5 26. Rxb4 c5 {might have muddied the
waters a bit (at least psychologically), by changing the course of the game:}
27. dxc5 (27. Rb5 cxd4 $1 {[%csl Ye5]}) 27... Qxe5 28. Rd1 $16) 26. Rxb8 Rxb8
27. Qxc7 $18 Bd6 28. Qa5 Bxb4 (28... Bxe5 29. dxe5 Qxe5 30. Rd1 Qe4 {would
have allowed White win a second pawn with} 31. Rxd5 {although it would have
required some accurate calculation to foresee that he can avoid perpetual
check in the most convenient way with} Qb1+ 32. Kg2 Qe4+ 33. Kf1 Qb1+ 34. Ke2
Qb2+ 35. Kf3 Qf6+ 36. Kg2 $18) 29. Rb1 Qd6 30. Qa4 {Black will soon lose his
d5-pawn, which makes further resistance useless.} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b6 $5 {
One of the latest trends in the Catalan, not mentioned in older theory books
at all.} 8. Ne5 {This allows an unusual but interesting exchange sacrifice.} ({
The developing} 8. Bg5 {looks more to the point. A recent game went} Nd5 (8...
Ba6 9. Nbd2 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nxc4 Nd7 12. Rac1 c5 13. Qa4 Bb7 14. Qa3 N5f6
15. Rfd1 $14 {Aronian,L (2792)-Fressinet,L (2687) Paris 2016 (½-½, 72) is at
least more pleasant for White, even if he didn't manage to win.}) 9. Bxe7 Qxe7
10. Nbd2 Bb7 11. Nxc4 Nd7 12. a3 c5 13. e4 $5 $146 ({Stronger than} 13. dxc5
Qxc5 14. b4 Qc7 15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Qb2 Qb8 {Gelfand,B (2697)-Deac,B (2549)
Caleta 2018 (½-½, 34), and Black managed to gradually simplify and equalise.}
) 13... N5f6 14. e5 Nd5 15. Rfe1 $14) 8... Qxd4 (8... Nd5 9. Nxc4 {leads to a
comfortable position for White as he has managed to retrieve the pawn by using
his knight, thus avoiding any loss of time with the queen.} Bb7 10. a3 Nc6 11.
e3 b5 12. Ncd2 a5 13. Nc3 Qd7 14. Nce4 $14 {Gorelov,S (2480)-Gorjatchev,V 
(2355) Moscow 1996 (1-0, 25)}) 9. Bxa8 ({I would expect} 9. Nxf7 $5 {to get
some investigating but so far it has been tried only in a game between lower
rated players.} Nd5 $1 10. Ng5 Bxg5 11. Bxg5 {Fiori,H (2127)-Franco,G (2028)
Buenos Aires 2016 (½-½, 51)} Bb7 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Qd1 Qxd1 14. Rfxd1 Bxg2 15.
Kxg2 N8c6 16. Rac1 $44) 9... Qxe5 10. Bf3 ({It is a good idea to prevent ...
Qh5 followed by ...Ng4, as after, for instance,} 10. Bf4 Qh5 {Black gets a
kingside initiative.} 11. Bf3 (11. Bxc7 Ng4 12. h4 Na6 13. Qxc4 e5 14. Bf3 Nxc7
15. Qxc7 Bxh4 16. Bxg4 Qxg4 $11 {White cannot do much against the threat ...
Bxg3 with a perpetual as after} 17. Qxe5 $2 Bf6 {[%csl Gb2]} 18. Qb5 Bd4 $17 {
[%cal Gg4g3] the bishops are killing, for instance} 19. e3 $6 Bb7 $19) 11...
Ng4 12. Bxg4 Qxg4 $44 13. Nd2 (13. Nc3 Bb7 $44) 13... Qxe2 14. Qxc4 Qxc4 15.
Nxc4 Na6 $15 {Hilverda,A (2385)-Buhmann,R (2615) Austria 2016 (0-1, 52)}) 10...
Nd5 11. Qxc4 {It makes no sense delaying this.} (11. Bd2 {De Carvalho,C (2051)
-Da Silva Borges,R (2269) Florianopolis 2017 (0-1, 49)} Nc6 12. Qxc4 Nd4 $36)
11... Ba6 12. Qb3 $146 ({The usual line goes} 12. Qa4 {and in practice Black's
compensation for the exchange has more than once vanished away.} c5 (12... Bf6
13. Re1 c5 14. Nd2 (14. Na3 b5 15. Nxb5 Nb6 16. Qa5 Nc4 17. Qa4 Nb6 18. Qa5 {
½-½ Cheparinov,I (2677)-Bacrot,E (2692) Monzon 2016}) 14... b5 15. Qc2 Be7
16. Bg2 Nb4 17. Qb1 Rd8 {Meier,G (2648)-Deac,B (2572) Batumi 2018 (½-½, 52):
By the way, this game was played after our main game.} 18. a3 Nd5 19. Nf3 $16)
13. Re1 (13. Na3 $5 b5 $6 {With the bishop on e7 this does not work out
properly.} 14. Nxb5 Nb6 15. Qa5 Nc4 16. Qc7 Bxb5 17. Qxe7 $16) 13... b5 ({
It would have made sense to cut the queen off with} 13... c4) 14. Qe4 Nc6 15.
Nc3 Rd8 16. Rd1 Qxe4 17. Bxe4 Nd4 18. Bxd5 (18. Nxd5 $5 exd5 19. Rxd4 cxd4 20.
Bd3 {Due to the threat a2-a4 Black is likely to lose his extra pawn and be
left with the worse structure. For instance:} Rd6 21. Bf4 Rc6 22. Bb8 $14)
18... b4 19. Bb3 bxc3 20. bxc3 Nxe2+ 21. Kg2 {Aronian,L (2799)-Hou,Y (2652)
Tbilisi 2017 (½-½, 37)} Bd3 $5 $44 {With nice domination for the exchange.})
12... Nc6 13. Qa4 Bb7 {Black's compensation for the exchange is somewhat
different from the standard patterns. He is well developed and has good
control in the centre. Even though White has no weaknesses it is hard for him
to prove an advantage.} 14. Nc3 Nd4 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Bf4 ({Caruana indicated
the folloing line:} 16. Qxa7 Ba8 17. Bf4 Qh5 18. Qxc7 Nf3+ 19. exf3 d4 {
as satisfactory for Black. We can continue a few more moves to prove him right:
} 20. Ne4 Qxf3 21. Rfe1 Bxe4 22. Rxe4 Qxe4 23. Qxb6 h5 $146 {The strong
central pawn and the kingside initiative surely compensate for the pawn.})
16... Qf6 17. Rad1 (17. Qxa7 Qc6 {causes the white queen trouble.}) 17... c5
18. Be3 {Apparently Black is about to lose stability but he has two possible
combinations based on his strong b7-bishop.} Nf3+ $5 {Caruana played this
after a very long time.} ({The alternative was} 18... Nxe2+ $5 19. Nxe2 d4 20.
Nf4 ({Caruana considered} 20. Bf4 g5 21. f3 gxf4 22. Nxf4 {True, Qd7 and Qxa7
look unpleasant threats while the knight is stable, but the strong central
pawns ensure Black at least equal play.} Rd8 $1 23. Qxa7 $6 Qc6 $15) 20... dxe3
$44 {Ding thought} 21. Qd7 {to be strong but this allows} e2 $1 {as if} 22.
Nxe2 $2 Qf3 $19) 19. exf3 d4 20. f4 ({Caruana was not entirely sure about} 20.
Bf4 dxc3 21. Rfe1 cxb2 22. Qd7 Bxf3 23. Rb1 {but he has more than one good
continuation.} c4 $5 ({He thought} 23... g5 {was compulsory. It is a good move
but if Black wants to reach equality the main move is more convincing.}) 24.
Qxe7 Qxe7 25. Rxe7 c3 26. Bc1 Bd5 {/\...Bxa2} 27. Rxa7 Be4 28. Bxb2 Bxb1 29.
Bxc3 $11) 20... dxc3 ({Caruana was tempted to play} 20... Bf3 21. Bxd4 $1 Qf5 {
but ae the last moment he saw} 22. Nd5 $3 {when suddenly his compensation
would not be very clear.}) 21. bxc3 Bf3 ({This looks logical but} 21... Qe6 {
indicated by Ding was safer.} 22. f5 (22. Qxa7 $2 Qe4) 22... Qxf5 23. f3 Bxf3
24. Qxa7 (24. Qd7 Qh5 {Ding}) 24... Bf6 25. Qxb6 Qe4 26. Bxc5 Qe2 {with enough
compensation for the material and a probable draw due to the exposed white
king.}) 22. Rd3 ({While watching the game I did not understand why Ding
refrained from} 22. Qxa7 {I thought Qd7 would save any trouble next but was
wrong:} Qh6 23. Qd7 (23. h4 Bxh4 $19) 23... f5 $1 {The move I missed.}) (22.
Rd2 $5) 22... Bc6 ({An ambitious approach. Retrieving the exchange would leave
Black a pawn down but with reasonable chances to hold due to his better
structure:} 22... Be2 23. Rfd1 Bxd3 24. Rxd3 Qe6 25. Qxa7 h5 26. h3 Bf6) 23.
Qb3 Qf5 24. c4 Be4 25. Rd2 Qh5 ({Caruana rejected} 25... Qg4 {due to} 26. Bd4
cxd4 27. f3) 26. f3 Bxf3 27. f5 ({Actually, here, too,} 27. Bd4 {was worth
considering, with chances for retaining a small advantage.}) 27... Bc6 {
The game can now be evaluated as positionally balanced.} 28. Qd1 Qh3 29. Rff2
h6 30. Qf1 Qg4 31. Rf4 Qg5 32. Rd3 Qf6 33. Bd2 Ba8 34. h4 Qc6 35. Kh2 Bd6 36.
Rf2 Be5 37. Bc3 Bxc3 38. Rxc3 Re8 39. f6 g6 40. Rcc2 (40. Rd3 $5 {is a bit
more active.}) 40... Re4 41. Rfe2 Qe6 42. Rxe4 Bxe4 43. Rf2 Bf5 44. Qc1 Kh7 45.
Qc3 h5 46. a3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2007.11.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2007.11.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 122"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 {The newest trend of fashion.} 11. Bg5 {Finally,
this move gets tested at the top level.} (11. Rd1 {was played in the recent
games Gelfand,B (2733)-Anand,V (2792)/Mexico City 2007/CBM 120/[Marin,M] (1/
2-1/2, 20) and Georgiev,K (2649)-Onischuk,A (2674)/Kemer 2007/CBM 121/[Marin,M]
(1-0, 71)}) 11... Nbd7 12. Nbd2 Rc8 {The most logical sequence of moves. Both
sides keep developing, concentrating their attention on the critical c5-square.
} 13. Nb3 (13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nb3 Be4 (14... c5) 15. Qc3 Qe7 16. Rac1 Nd7 {
Bauer,C (2571)-Bologan,V (2652)/Belfort 2002/CBM 090 (0-1, 40)}) 13... c5 ({
Since White's intention is to capture on f6 at some moment anyway, it does not
make too much sense to play} 13... h6 {Hansen,C-Petersen,S/DEN-chT corr 1990/
Corr Nr. 1 (1-0, 24)}) 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 $1 {The only favourable way to capture
the bishop.} ({After} 14... Qxf6 $6 15. Ne5 $1 cxd4 16. Nxd7 $16 {a draw was
agreed in 1/2-1/2 Hoffmann,M (2440)-Braun,P (2215)/Bad Wiessee 1998/EXT 2001.
From White's point of view, this was at least premature.} Qd8 17. Nbc5 Bxg2 18.
Nxf8 Bxf1 19. Qxh7+ Kxf8 20. Nb7 Qd7 21. Nxd6 Rc6 22. Nxf7 Kxf7 23. Kxf1 $16) (
14... gxf6 $6 15. Ng5 fxg5 16. Bxb7 $16) 15. Nxc5 ({Given the final result and
that I have failed to find a significant improvement for White after this move,
} 15. dxc5 {deserves to be investigated. Black would win his pawn back with}
Ne4 {, but White would have a relatively wide choice of continuations, aiming
to simplify to a (hopefully) minimally better ending. Only further practice (a
Kramnik game?!) will shed some light. Here is just an illustrative attempt.}
16. Rad1 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Bxf3 $1 (17... Rxc5 18. Qxc5 Bxc5 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Ne5
$5 (20. Rc1 Be7 21. Ne5 Rc8 $1 $11) 20... Bxg2 21. Kxg2 $14 {[%cal Gf1c1,Ge5d3]
} Rd2 $2 22. Rc1 Bf8 23. Nd3 $1 {[%csl Gd2]} Rxe2 24. Kf3 Rd2 25. Ke3 $18) 18.
Bxf3 Rxc5 $11 {White's advantage is of a purely aesthetic nature. His bishop
looks more active than its rival, but there is no clear target available.})
15... Be4 16. Qc3 ({After} 16. Qb3 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Rxc5 18. Qe3 {, Black is in
time to neutralize White's plan to occupy the c-file with} Qc7 19. Rac1 Rc8 $11
) 16... e5 17. e3 (17. b4 {fails to maintain the extra pawn.} exd4 18. Qxd4 (
18. Nxd4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bxc5 20. bxc5 Qd5+) 18... Bxc5 19. bxc5 Qxd4 20. Nxd4
Rxc5 $11) ({White does not get sufficient compensation for the queen after} 17.
Nxe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Ne4 20. Nxe4 Rxc3 21. Nxc3 b4 $15 {and the
knight has no good squares to retreat.}) 17... Bxc5 $1 $146 (17... Nd5 $6 {
allows White to maintain his minimal material advantage.} 18. Qa3 exd4 19. exd4
b4 20. Qxa6 Bxc5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Rad1 $16 {Jostes,M-Hummeling,H/IECC email
1998/E-Mail 2000 (1/2-1/2, 80)}) 18. dxc5 Qd5 $44 {Judging from the high speed
of his play, Carlsen had analyzed all these moves at home. Untypically for him,
Kramnik was taking his time to answer. Black's pressure along the h1-a8
diagonal, combined with the weakness induced by e3 offers him excellent
compensation for the pawn.} 19. Rad1 Qa8 (19... Qxc5 $6 20. Qxe5 $1) (19... Qb7
{is slightly more natural, but has equal merit. After 27...Qc8 play would
transpose to the game continuation.}) 20. Nh4 Bxg2 21. Nxg2 Ne4 22. Qxe5 Rxc5
23. Qd4 Rc4 24. Qd3 (24. Qd5 Rc2 25. f3 Qxd5 26. Rxd5 Nd2 27. Ne1 Rxb2 28. Rf2
Rb1 $5 (28... Nc4 29. Rxb2 Nxb2 30. Nc2 {leads to a similar position as in the
aforementioned Georgiev,K (2649)-Onischuk,A (2674)/Kemer 2007/CBM 121/[Marin,M]
(1-0, 71). White's superior activity offer him chances for an advantage.}) 29.
Rfxd2 Rxe1+ 30. Kf2 Rh1 31. Kg2 Rc1 $11 {In the absence of pawns, the position
is just equal.}) 24... Ng5 25. b3 {Before attacking the knight to h4, White
needs to drive the enemy rook away from the fourth rank.} (25. h4 $2 Nf3+ 26.
Kh1 Qc8 27. Nf4 $2 (27. Qd7 Rc2) 27... Rxf4 $1) 25... Rc5 26. h4 Nf3+ 27. Kh1
Qc8 28. Nf4 (28. Qd7 Qxd7 29. Rxd7 Rc2 $44) 28... Qg4 29. Qd7 Rf5 {Black's
concentration of forces starts looking threatening. An interesting tactical
phase starts now.} 30. Rd5 Rxf4 31. exf4 f5 $1 32. Qe6+ $5 {Kramnik plays "to
the audience".} (32. Kg2 Nxh4+ 33. Kg1 $11 {would have led to an immediate
draw, without further complications.}) 32... Kh8 33. Qxf5 $1 Qxf5 34. Rxf5 Rxf5
35. Rd1 g5 $5 {Carlsen also loves beauty in chess.} ({The trivial} 35... h5 {
would have been entirely satisfactory as well, for instance} 36. Kg2 Nxh4+ 37.
gxh4 Rxf4 38. Rd6 $11) 36. hxg5 Nxg5 37. fxg5 Rxf2 38. a4 bxa4 39. bxa4 Ra2 40.
Rd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 38th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2010.07.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2010.07.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 {After publishing my article for CBM 127, I noticed
certain burst of popularity of this line at grandmaster level. It may be a
mere coincidence, though, since at the critical point White did not choose my
recommended line.} {In the first game of the playoffs, the same variation was
played again. Although he chose the main line this time, Bologan did not quite
obtain full equality.} Bxf3 {In my opinion, this is the only way to get
realistic chances for equality. It is quite deceptive for Black that he gets
no chances for counterplay in this line, though.} ({The first game that drew
my attention after writing the article went:} 10... Bb4 11. Bg5 Bxc3 12. Bxf6
$1 Qxf6 13. bxc3 Nd7 14. Qa2 Bd5 15. Nd2 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. Nxc4 Rfd8 18. a5
$14 {Laznicka,V (2637)-Bologan,V (2692)/Khanty Mansiysk 2009/CBM 134/[Marin] 
(1/2, 47). White has an advantage in the centre, while the black queenside
majority is safely blocked.}) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 {This was my
main line on the Catalan CD published several years ago.} ({In the last
article, though, I considered} 13. a5 {to be more promissing. Well, I am
covered for both situations, anyway.}) 13... Rb8 14. e3 {White consolidates
his centre, preparing the following exchange.} a5 {The main aim of 13.a5 is
prercisely preventing Black from getting a queenside blockade on dark squares.}
({The necessity of preveting the advance of the white a-pawn is revealed by
the next game:} 14... Nd7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne4 c5 ({Unlike in the main line,} 
16... Rb4 17. Nd2 $14 Nb6 $6 {fails to consolidate the queenside because of}
18. a5 $16) 17. Qxc4 Rxb2 18. Qxa6 cxd4 19. exd4 Nf6 20. Nc5 Nd5 21. Rab1 $14 {
[%csl Ga4] Nakamura,H (2651)-Petrosian,T (2592)/Internet ICC 2007/CBM 117 ext 
(1-0, 80)}) 15. Bxf6 {This is the right moment to eliminate the enemy knight.
Catalan specialists are used to the fact that Bxf6 is frequently played
without waiting for Black's losing a tempo with ...h6.} ({Delaying this
exchange offers Black good queenside counterplay:} 15. Rac1 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7
17. Ne4 Rb4 18. Nd2 Nb6 19. b3 cxb3 20. Nxb3 Rxa4 21. Qxc6 Ra3 $132 {Hulak,K 
(2534)-Iordachescu,V (2609)/Warsaw 2005/CBM 108 (1/2, 25)}) 15... Bxf6 {
This bishop is temporarily out of play and certainly does not contribute to
stabilizing the queenside. Black will have to find a form of opening the long
diagonal with either ...c5 or ...e5, thus getting certain counterplay.} 16.
Rac1 {The most natural move, but not the only one.} (16. Rab1 $5 {Aims to keep
the b2-pawn over defended and place the other rook on c1. The plan looks a bit
slow but is not easy to counter.} Qd6 17. Rdc1 Be7 18. Ne4 Qd5 19. Nd2 c3 (
19... c5 20. dxc5 $14 {[%cal Gd2c4]}) 20. bxc3 c5 {Blagojevic,D (2557)-Kreisl,
R (2380)/Zadar 2009/CBM 133 Extra (1/2, 62)} 21. Nb3 $14 {White retains the
better structure, while the black bishop still does not have too many
perspectives.}) 16... Rb4 $146 {This looks like a strong consolidating move,
but in fact the rook is not stable on b4.} (16... Qe7 $6 {is too rigid.} 17.
Ne4 Rb4 18. Nd2 c5 19. Nxc4 Ra8 (19... cxd4 20. Nxa5 $16 {[%csl Gc6]}) 20. d5
exd5 21. Rxd5 c6 22. Rd3 g6 23. b3 Qc7 24. Rcd1 $16 {Dizdar,G (2524)-Ramesa,D 
(2163)/Sibenik 2005/CBM 106 ext (1-0, 33)}) ({The playoffs of the match
Laznicka-Bologan saw:} 16... c5 {This gets rid of one of the tripple pawns,
but not of the general weakness of the queenside.} 17. dxc5 Qe7 18. Nb5 $6 ({
After} 18. c6 $1 {Black would have a harder time coordinating his pieces, for
instance:} Qc5 19. Nb5 Qxc6 20. Qxc4 Qxc4 21. Rxc4 $14 {With the b-file safely
dfeended, White retains the more active position.}) 18... c6 19. Nd4 {[%csl
Gb2]} Bxd4 $6 {A premature exchange.} (19... Qxc5 20. Qxc4 Qxc4 21. Rxc4 Rfd8
$11) 20. Rxd4 Qxc5 21. Rxc4 Qe5 22. b3 g6 23. Rxc6 $16 {Laznicka,V (2637)
-Bologan,V (2692)/Khanty Mansiysk 3.3 2009 (1/2, 32)}) 17. Na2 Rb6 {Black has
to leave the c4-pawn undefended, but hopes that the knight will have aharder
time getting active than from e4 (as in certain lines examined above).} 18. Rd2
{The most effective of activating the queen.} Qb8 ({The seemingly active} 18...
Qd5 $6 {fails to solve the strategical problems:} 19. Qxc4 Rfb8 20. Qxd5 exd5 (
20... cxd5 21. Rxc7 g5 22. Nc3 Rxb2 23. Rxb2 Rxb2 24. Ra7 $16) 21. Rcc2 $14 {
[%cal Ga2c1,Gc1d3]}) 19. Qxc4 Rxb2 20. Rxb2 Qxb2 21. Rc2 Qb1+ 22. Kg2 {White
will restore the material equality soon, maintaining the more compact
structure at the same time. Black has to rely on the dynamic factors of the
position in order to get chances for equality. One important element is the
high activity of the queen, which somewhat spoils White's coordination.} e5 23.
dxe5 Bxe5 24. Nc1 {This looks like a premature definition of the knight's
intentions.} ({After} 24. Qxc6 {, White can consider activate his knight more
rapidly, via c3, for instance:} Bd6 ({Black needs to place the bishop on a
stable square, since a neutral move such as} 24... g6 $6 {allows the forced
sequence} 25. Rc5 $1 Bd6 26. Nc3 Qe1 27. Rc4 $16 {with the better structure
and perfect coordination for White.}) 25. Rd2 g6 26. Qd5 {[%cal Ga2c3]} Bb4 (
26... Qa1 {gives up the possibility of ...Qe4+, allowing} 27. Qxa5 $16) 27.
Nxb4 axb4 28. Rd4 {White's superb centralization makes the b-pawn inoffensive.
White has excellent chances of getting a pleasant ending.} Rb8 (28... b3 29.
Rb4 b2 30. Qe5 $16) 29. Qc6 b3 30. Qxc7 Re8 31. Rf4 Rf8 32. Rb4 $14 {/+/- The
least White can count on is trading the passed pawns. The ensuing ending with
heavy pieces is not easy to defend for Black. Only a queen swap would
guarantee a draw, while the exchange of rooks would still leave White with
some practical possibilities.}) 24... Rb8 25. Qxc6 Qb6 $6 {There was no need
to retreat with the most active piece yet.} (25... Bd6 $5 $132 26. Nd3 g6 27.
e4 Qd1 28. Qc4 Rb1 29. Rc1 Rxc1 30. Nxc1 Bb4 {[%csl Ga4]} 31. Nb3 c5 32. Nxc5
Bxc5 33. Qxc5 Qxa4 34. Qc8+ Kg7 35. Qc3+ $11) 26. Qd5 Bd6 27. Ne2 (27. e4 $1
$14) 27... Qb3 28. Qc6 g6 29. Nd4 Qa3 $132 {White cannot take advantage of his
strategic advantage because he has to keep the enemy pieces' activity under
control.} 30. Rc3 Qa2 31. Rc2 Qa1 32. Rc1 Qa2 33. Rc2 Qa1 34. Rc1 Qa2 35. Qc4
Rb2 36. Rc2 Qxc4 37. Rxc4 Ra2 38. Nb5 h5 39. Nxc7 Bxc7 40. Rxc7 Rxa4 41. Ra7
Kg7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2007.11.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2007.11.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 122"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O {A curious practical
decision on Shirov's part. True, Kramnik's first move was designed to avoid
the Grünfeld, while the Slav (another main weapon of Shirov) is well known by
Kramnik himself. On the other hand, Shirov has not had too much practice
against the Catalan over the past years, while his overall result is not
entirely encouraging. We can suppose that he had some concrete variation in
mind, based on an improvement over one of Kramnik's recent games, but in this
case the next move was an excellent psychological decision.} 6. Qc2 $5 dxc4 ({
Black decides to maintain the same character of the position as in the main
line. The main alternative is} 6... c5) 7. Qxc4 a6 8. Bf4 Bd6 9. O-O ({A
famous game that brought 6.Qc2 into the limelight continued with} 9. Ne5 Nd5
10. Nc3 Nxf4 11. gxf4 Nd7 12. e3 Qe7 13. O-O Rb8 $6 (13... Nf6 $1 $14 {would
have prevented White's next manoeuvre.}) 14. Ne4 Nf6 15. Nc5 $16 {Kasparov,G 
(2715)-Andersson,U (2575)/Belgrade 1985/MCL/[ChessBase] (1-0, 50)}) 9... b5 10.
Qc2 Bb7 {Play has transposed to the known line 10.Bf4 from the main line of
the open Catalan. On the way, White has avoided the line 10...Nc6, which is an
important alternative to 10...Bd6.} 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 (11... Bxf4 12. gxf4 {
is supposed to strengthen White's centre, but on the other hand it allows
Black to develop his queen on an active square with gain of time with} Qd6 {
In practice, White has obtained good results, but from analytical point of
view it is not easy to prove an advantage after} 13. e3 Nbd7 14. Nb3 (14. Ne5
Bxg2 15. Kxg2 c5 16. dxc5 Qxc5 ({It would probably be better to keep queens on
board, in order to maintain some potential threats against the slightly
weakened position of the white king.} 16... Nxc5 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Rac1 Qb7+ 19.
Ndf3 Rac8 $132) 17. Qxc5 Nxc5 18. Rac1 Rfd8 19. Ndf3 {Black has problems
maintaining the control of the c-file.} Nd3 (19... Rac8 $2 {loses material to}
20. b4 Na4 21. Nc6 Re8 22. Ne7+ $1 $18) (19... Rdc8 20. Ng5 $1 $16) 20. Nxd3
Rxd3 21. Rc6 Nd7 22. Rfc1 $14 {1-0 Benjamin,J (2540)-Sieiro Gonzalez,L (2400)/
Rio Gallegos 1986/EXT 2003 (30). White's authoritarian control of the c-file
and the weakness of the enemy queenside offer him a stable advantage in the
endgame.}) (14. Rfd1 {A neutral move, failing to put pressure on the critical
c-file.} c5 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Qxc5 Nxc5 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rfc8 19. Ndf3 Na4
20. Nd3 Ne4 21. Rac1 Kf8 22. Nd4 Nec5 $11 {Piket,J (2640)-Karpov,A (2760)/
Monte Carlo 1997/CBM 057 ext (1/2-1/2, 52). Black has successfully neutralized
White's queenside pressure.}) 14... Be4 15. Qc3 (15. Qe2 {allows Black free
his position immediately with} c5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Rfd1 Nd5 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19.
Rac1 Qb6 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 f6 22. Nd3 Rac8 $11 {Ehlvest,J (2638)-Murshed,N
(2457)/Dhaka 2001/CBM 082 (0-1, 54)}) 15... Rac8 $6 ({The insertion of the
rook moves to the c-file favours White. Black should have immediately played} 
15... Nd5 {for instance} 16. Qd2 c5 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19. Qd4 Qxd4
20. Nxd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rfc8 22. Rfc1 Kf8 $11) 16. Rfc1 Nd5 17. Qd2 c5 18. dxc5
Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. Qd4 $1 {Black has to give up the control of the c-file.}
Rxc1+ 21. Rxc1 Qb4 (21... Bxf3 22. Bxf3 Rd8 23. f5 $14) 22. a3 Qxd4 23. Nxd4
Bxg2 24. Kxg2 $16 {1-0 Stangl,M (2480)-Stern,R (2370)/Germany 1991/GER-chT (45)
. Just another extremely promising ending for White.}) 12. Nb3 Be4 13. Qd2 {
Once the queen's knight has been developed, this square can be used by Her
Majesty.} ({The typical retreat} 13. Qc1 {is slightly artificial here,
depriving the rooks of this square.} Rc8 14. a4 {Since Ra(f)c1 are not
available, this looks like the only active continuation. However, the
b4-square will remain weak now.} Qe7 15. axb5 axb5 16. Ra7 Bxf4 17. Qxf4 Qb4
18. Nbd2 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 c5 $10 {Smyslov,V-Gligoric,S/Warsaw 1947/MCL/[Chekhov] 
(0-1, 55)}) 13... Qe7 {A natural developing move, but Black has an important
alternative here.} (13... Nd5 14. Rfc1 {Probably not the best.} ({White could
try to transpose to the main game with} 14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. Rfc1 {. If instead
of 15...Qe7 Black tries} Qb6 {, keeping the queenside defended, White has the
typoical tactical blow} 16. Ne5 $1 {with favourable simplifications.}) ({
If White intends to maintain the tension in the centre,} 14. Rac1 $5 {looks
better. Since the opening of the g-file is very probable, the presence of the
other rook will be most welcome on the other wing.} Nxf4 15. gxf4 Qe7 16. Qe3
Bd5 17. Ne5 $14 {White keeps both wings under control.}) 14... Nxf4 15. gxf4
Qe7 16. Ne5 $6 ({Here, too,} 16. Qe3 Bd5 17. Ne5 {deserves attention.}) 16...
Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nb6 18. Nc5 f6 19. Ned3 e5 $15 {Zimmerman,Y (2345)-Mochalov,E 
(2450)/Zalakaros 1994/TD (0-1, 37)}) 14. Rfc1 (14. Rac1 $5) 14... Rfc8 (14...
Nd5 15. Bxd6 cxd6 16. Qa5 $14 {[%csl Re4][%cal Gb3d2] /\Nbd2}) 15. Bxd6 $146 {
White changes the character of the position, relying on the weakness of the
enemy queenside and the subsequent possibility to gain the control of the
c-file.} (15. Ne5 Bxg2 (15... Bxe5 $2 16. dxe5 Bxg2 17. exf6 $18) 16. Nxd7 Nxd7
17. Kxg2 Bxf4 $6 (17... e5 $5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 $132 {White seems to have problems
maintaining the enemy queenside under control. Here White would be glad to
have the possibility of playing Rfd1 (after an eventual exchange on e5), which
casts some doubt over 14.Rfc1.}) 18. Qxf4 c5 19. Nxc5 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Rxc5 21.
Rxc5 Qxc5 22. Rc1 Qd5+ 23. Qf3 Qxf3+ 24. Kxf3 $14 {1-0 Buhmann,R (2525)-Braun,
P (2248)/Deizisau 2003/CBM 093 ext (54). Even in the absence of knights, the
ending is anything but easy for Black. The best he could dream of is an ending
with a pawn down, but with an active rook.}) 15... cxd6 16. Qa5 Rcb8 $5 {
The weakness of the a6-pawn forces Black give up the control of the c-file
temporarily.} 17. Nbd2 Bd5 18. Rc2 Qd8 $6 {Black plays too obstinately for
plain equality.} ({In doing so, he misses the opportunity of generating
counterplay with} 18... e5 $5 $132) 19. Qxd8+ Rxd8 20. Rac1 $14 {Black will
need a couple of tempi in order to neutralize White's pressure along the
c-file. In the meanwhile, White will manage to obtain an advantage in space in
the centre.} Nb6 21. Ne1 Rac8 22. Nd3 Rxc2 23. Rxc2 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Nxc8 25. Nb4
Bxg2 26. Kxg2 a5 27. Nc6 a4 28. e4 {A curious ending. The Catalan frequently
leads to symmetrical endings with N + 6 pawns for each side (pawns on the c-
and d-files missing). In these positions, White can hope for an advantage if
his king is closer to the centre than its counterpart and if Black's queenside
pawns have been advanced to, say, a6 and b5. The current position is by far
more complex. I have not met endings with this material balance before, but,
after doing a database search, was surprised to find a couple of hundred games
where each side had 2 Ns and 7 Ps and the c-file was open. Only rarely did one
of the sides manage to win. Two such cases are Petrosian,T-Wade,R/Leipzig 1960/
EXT 99 (1-0, 55) and the more recent Grunberg,M (2442)-Naiditsch,A (2654)/
Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (0-1, 74). However, none of the games from the list were
really similar to the present ending. Here, White has two forms of advantage:
the weakness of the far advanced queenside pawns and the space advantage in
the centre. The position is impossible to exhaust by analytical means, since
from the point of view of its complexity it is somewhat reminsicent of
middlegames. One thing is clear: White is entitled to play for a win.} Ne8 29.
Kf3 Kf8 30. Ke3 Nc7 31. Kd3 Ke8 32. Kc3 Na6 33. Nb4 Nc7 34. Nf1 Kd7 35. Ne3 Ne7
36. g4 {White cannot make progress on the queenside only and needs to open a
new front.} g5 {A difficult decision. This move weakens Black's position, but
allowing White to win even more space could prove dangerous in the long run.}
37. Nd3 f6 38. f4 gxf4 ({Black does not equalize completely with} 38... f5 39.
exf5 Ncd5+ 40. Nxd5 Nxd5+ 41. Kd2 exf5 42. fxg5 (42. gxf5 $6 g4 $1 $132) 42...
Ke6 (42... fxg4 43. Nf2 g3 44. hxg3 Ke6 45. Ne4 $14 {[%csl Gd6]}) 43. h3 $14)
39. Nxf4 e5 40. dxe5 fxe5 (40... dxe5 41. Nh5 {would have forced Black to
retreat with one of his pieces in order to defend the f6-pawn, allowing White
make progress on the other wing with Kb4.}) 41. Nfd5 Ncxd5+ 42. exd5 $1 $16 {
White has consolidated his advantage in space and has created threats on both
wings. Black is in trouble already.} (42. Nxd5 Nxd5+ 43. exd5 {leads only to a
draw after the forced move} Ke7 $1 {for instance} 44. h4 Kf6 $1 {If White
could manage to play g5 and h5, he would win.} 45. Kd3 Kg6 46. Ke4 Kf6 $11)
42... Kc7 43. g5 Kb6 {[%csl Rd5][%cal Gb6c5]} 44. b4 {[%csl Gc5]} axb3 (44...
Ng6 45. Kd3 $1 (45. Ng4 Nf4 46. Nf6 Kc7 $1 $132 {[%csl Gd5][%cal Gc7d8,Gd8e7,
Ge7f7]}) 45... Nf4+ 46. Ke4 Kc7 (46... a3 {[%csl Ga2]} 47. Nd1 {[%csl Ga2,Rb5]
[%cal Gd1c3,Ge4f5,Gh2h4]}) 47. h4 Kd7 48. Nd1 $1 {[%csl Rb5,Gd5,Rh7][%cal
Gd1c3,Ge4f5]}) 45. axb3 Ka5 (45... Ng6 46. Ng4 $1 Kc5 (46... Nf4 47. Nf6 Kc7
48. h4 Kd8 49. Kb4 $18) 47. Nf6 b4+ (47... e4 $2 48. b4+ Kb6 49. Kd4 $18) 48.
Kd3 Nf4+ 49. Ke4 Ne2 50. Nxh7 Nc3+ 51. Kf5 Nxd5 52. Nf6 Ne7+ 53. Ke6 Ng6 54.
Ne4+ Kd4 55. Nxd6 $18) 46. h4 Ng6 47. h5 Nf4 48. g6 hxg6 49. h6 g5 50. h7 Ng6
51. Kd3 (51. Kd3 Kb4 52. Ke4 Kxb3 53. Kf5 Nh8 54. Kf6 Kc3 55. Kg7 b4 56. Kxh8
b3 57. Kg7 b2 58. Nd1+ Kc2 59. Nxb2 Kxb2 60. h8=Q $18) 1-0

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2007.11.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2007.11.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 122"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 {Leko deviates from his recent game against the same
opponent.} (10... Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {Kramnik,V (2769)-Leko,P (2751)/Mexico City
2007/CBM 120/[Marin,M] (1-0, 39)}) 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. e3 Qa8 14. Qd1
b4 $5 {The latest trend in this line. Black started playing like this in 2007.
The main idea is to cause White some difficulties with the development of his
queenside. The obvious drawback of this move is that it weakens the light
squares, a detail that could become important in the long run.} (14... Nb8 15.
Ba5 {Kramnik,V (2766)-Anand,V (2779)/Wijk aan Zee 2007/CBM 117/[Marin] (1-0,
53)}) 15. Qf1 {This queen has certainly moved around a lot. It has retrieved
the c-pawn, provoked the weakening of the enemy queenside and now gets ready
to replace the Catalan bishop for the purpose of controlling the long diagonal
ishould the latter be exchanged.} ({Opening the queenside with} 15. a3 {
seems to play into Black's hands. Indeed, he has concentrated a considerable
amount of forces on that side of the board.} Rb8 16. Be1 a5 17. Nbd2 Bd5 18.
Bf1 bxa3 19. bxa3 a4 20. Nc4 Na5 21. Bxa5 Bxf3 22. Qe1 Nd7 23. Rab1 Rxb1 24.
Rxb1 Bxa3 25. Ra1 Bf8 26. Rxa4 Nb6 {1/2-1/2 Ponomariov,R (2717)-Anand,V (2786)/
Leon 2007/CBM 119}) ({The main alternative to the game move is} 15. Be1 {
. White intends to complete his queenside development as soon as possible. At
the same time, he relies on the fact that the queen will be activated via f3 
(instead of g2, as after the preliminary Qf1)} Bd5 16. Nbd2 Nb8 17. Nh4 Bxg2
18. Nxg2 c5 ({This is not necessarily better than} 18... Nbd7 {, but Black's
subsequent play was clearly more inspired.} 19. Qf3 Qxf3 20. Nxf3 c5 21. Nf4 a5
22. Nd3 Ne4 23. Rc2 Rc8 24. Rac1 Rac7 {Black has concentrated his forces
around the c5-square, but now the exchange of rooks is more or less inevitable,
leaving White with a good endgame position.} 25. dxc5 Ndxc5 26. Kf1 $14 {
Damljanovic,B (2606)-Efimenko,Z (2624)/Zlatibor 2007/CBM 120 ext (1-0, 63).
The weakness of Black's queenside soon started making itself felt.}) 19. dxc5
Rc8 20. Qf3 Rxc5 21. Qxa8 Rxa8 22. Nb3 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Nbd7 24. Kf1 a5 25. f3 g5
26. g4 h5 27. h3 hxg4 28. hxg4 Bd6 29. Nd2 Be5 30. Nc4 Bc7 31. b3 {Black has
wisely maintained one rook on board, in order to generate some counterplay 
(possibly, along the a-file). White might stil be microscopically better, but
soon embarked a friendly repetition of moves in Suba,M (2537)-Vaganian,R (2590)
/Bazna 2007/CBM 118 ext (1/2-1/2, 35)}) 15... Bd5 {An overcautious move. Black
retreats with his bishop two moves before it can be attacked (with Nbd2).} (
15... Bd6 $6 {places the bishop on a vulnerable square.} 16. Be1 Rb8 17. Nbd2
Bd5 18. Ng5 $5 {A non-standard decision. In the Catalan, this move is typical
for the positions with the queen on c2, when White attacks the h7- and b7
squares simultaneously.} h6 19. Nh3 Ne7 $6 (19... Bxg2 20. Qxg2 Na5 21. Qxa8
Rbxa8 22. Nf4 Bxf4 23. gxf4 $14 {[%csl Gc5]}) 20. f3 $1 {Black loses stability
in the centre now.} Bc6 21. e4 $16 {Avrukh,B (2641)-Greenfeld,A (2559)/Beer
Sheva 2007/CBM 120 ext (1-0, 28)}) (15... Rd8 16. Be1 a5 17. a3 {Possibly not
the best. Again, Black is well prepared for the opening of the queenside.} (17.
Nbd2 {looks more natural.}) 17... Bd6 18. Nfd2 Bxg2 19. Qxg2 Ra6 20. Nc4 Nd5
21. Nbd2 bxa3 22. bxa3 Be7 23. Rab1 a4 24. Qf1 Nb8 25. Ne4 Nd7 26. Nc3 c5 27.
dxc5 Nxc3 28. Bxc3 Nxc5 $11 {Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V (2792)/Mainz 2007/CBM
120 (0-1, 68)}) 16. Be1 Rc8 17. Nbd2 $146 {I am continuously surprised by the
frequency with which novelties tend to be simple developing moves.} ({
Previously,} 17. Nfd2 {had been played.} Na5 (17... Nb8 $5 {[%cal Gb8d7,Ga6a5]}
) 18. a3 $5 {A good moment to play this move, because ...a5 is impossible now.}
bxa3 19. Nxa3 Bxg2 20. Qxg2 c5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Rxc5 Bxc5 23. Nac4 Nxc4 24.
Qxa8+ Rxa8 25. Nxc4 Nd5 26. Kf1 f5 {Berkes,F (2606)-Efimenko,Z (2624)/Hamburg
2007 (1/2-1/2, 50). White maintained a slight initiative until the end of the
game, but Black never got into real trouble.}) 17... Na5 {Controlling the
c4-square, but placing the knight in an uncomfortable position.} (17... Nb8 {
has the drawback of leaving the c8-rook undefended, which would place the
c-pawn under a pin in the event of an early ...c5. White would probably play
the same as in the game} 18. Ne5) 18. Ne5 c5 {Black has managed to carry out
this programmed move, but his queenside is vulnerable and his pieces far from
optimally coordinated.} 19. dxc5 Bxc5 (19... Rxc5 {would allow Black to
activate his other rook after} 20. Rxc5 Bxc5 21. Rc1) 20. Nd3 {Kramnik
continues regrouping, without letting himself be distracted by premature
tactical operations.} (20. e4 Nxe4 (20... Bb7 21. Qe2 $14) 21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22.
Bxe4 Qxe4 23. Nd3 Rac7 (23... Qd5 $2 24. Bxb4 Nb7 25. Bxc5 Nxc5 26. b4 $18) (
23... Nb7 24. Bxb4 $18) 24. Nxc5 Rxc5 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Qxa6 h5 27. Qb6 Qd5 28.
Qxb4 Nc6 {[%cal Gc6d4,Gd4f3]} 29. Qb3 Qxb3 30. axb3 Rb5 $11) 20... Bf8 21. Bxd5
Nxd5 22. e4 $14 {White is better regrouped, has more space in the centre and
some clear targets on the enemy queenside.} Nb6 (22... Nf6 23. f3 Rac7 24. Bf2
$14) 23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Nf3 Qb7 {Possibly not best.} (24... Qc6 25. Nxb4 {
transposes to the game after} Qxe4) (24... Qc4 $5 25. Nxb4 Bxb4 26. Qxc4 Naxc4
27. Bxb4 Nxb2 {White's chances to prove the superiority of the bishop over the
knight are questionable because of the reduced number of pawns left on the
queenside.}) 25. Nxb4 $5 Qxe4 26. Qd3 $1 Qxd3 27. Nxd3 Nac4 28. b3 Nd6 29. Rc1
$14 {White's control over the c-file and his queenside majority offer him a
stable advantage. It is instructive to follow how Kramnik's pieces will
gradually invade all the available queenside squares.} Nd5 30. Rc6 Nf5 31. Ba5
Ra8 32. Nfe5 Nfe7 33. Rd6 Nf6 34. b4 Ned5 35. Rc6 Be7 36. a4 g6 37. Nc4 Kf8 38.
Nc5 Bxc5 39. bxc5 Ke8 $6 {The position retains middlegame characteristics,
which means that the king's centralisation should be done with care.} (39...
Ne7 $5 {would have offered chances to establish a reliable blockade on light
squares, for instance} 40. Rc7 Nfd5 41. Rb7 Nc6 $14) 40. f3 Ng8 (40... Ne7 41.
Rc7 Nfd5 42. Rb7 Nc6 43. Nd6+ Kf8 44. Rxf7+ Kg8 45. Bb6 Nxb6 46. cxb6 Rd8 47.
b7 Rxd6 48. Rc7 $16) (40... Kd7 41. Rb6 $1 $16) 41. Nb6 $16 {White's
domination is impressive now.} Nge7 42. Rd6 $1 ({Of course not} 42. Rxe6 $6
fxe6 43. Nxa8 Kd7 $44 {when, in the absence of rooks, the centralisation of
the black king compensates for the (temporarily) missing pawn.}) 42... Rb8 {
Black is forced to give up a pawn.} (42... Ra7 43. Nxd5 (43. c6 $22 {is also
possible. Black can only move with his pawns, but this will soon leave him
without moves.} Nf6 $6 44. Nc4 Ned5 45. Rd8+ Ke7 46. Nd6 $18 {and the rook is
trapped.}) 43... Nxd5 44. Rd8+ Ke7 45. Rb8 e5 (45... Kd7 46. Bb6 $1 $18 {
[%csl Ga7]}) 46. c6 Ke6 47. c7 $1 Nxc7 48. Bb6 Ra8 49. Bxc7 $18) 43. Nxd5 Nxd5
44. Rxa6 Rc8 {Generally speaking, Black should place his rook behind the enemy
pawns, although this does not guarantee equality.} (44... Rb1+ 45. Kg2 Rb2+ 46.
Kh3 Rc2 47. Bb6 h5 48. a5 Ne3 49. c6 Nf1 50. Bg1 Nd2 51. Kg2 Nc4+ 52. Kh1 $16)
45. Bb6 Nb4 46. Ra7 Nc6 47. Rb7 Ra8 48. Rc7 Nd4 49. a5 $1 {This pawn is much
more important than the f3-pawn.} Nxf3+ 50. Kf2 $6 {But now, there was no need
to give up the h2-pawn for the sake of just one tempo.} (50. Kg2 Ne5 51. c6 $16
) 50... Nxh2 51. c6 Ng4+ 52. Kf3 Nf6 53. Rb7 Nd5 54. Ke4 Nb4 $2 {Black misses
his chance to take advantage of his huge advantage in pawns on the kingside 
(as a consequence of the over-optimistic Kf2).} (54... Rc8 $5 55. c7 (55. a6
Nb4 56. a7 Nxc6 57. Rc7 Nxa7 $14 {Zagrebelny}) 55... Kd7 56. Kd4 h5 (56... Nxc7
57. Kc5 $18) (56... Kc6 57. Rb8 Kd7 58. Kc5 Nxc7 59. Rb7 $18) 57. Kc5 g5 58. a6
h4 59. gxh4 gxh4 60. a7 (60. Rb8 Nxc7 61. Bxc7 Rxc7+ 62. Kb6 Rc6+ 63. Kb5 Rc7
$11) 60... h3 61. Rb8 Nxc7 62. Bxc7 Rxc7+ 63. Kb6 Rxa7 64. Kxa7 Kc6 $11) 55. c7
Rc8 56. Kd4 Kd7 57. Kc5 Nc6 (57... Na6+ 58. Kb5 Nxc7+ 59. Kc5 $18 {[%cal Gb7d7,
Ga5a8]} Kd8 60. Kc6 {[%cal Gb6d8]}) 58. a6 h5 59. a7 f5 60. a8=Q $1 Rxa8 61.
c8=Q+ Kxc8 62. Kxc6 (62. Kxc6 Ra1 63. Rc7+ $1 (63. Rh7 {unnecessarily prolongs
things because of} Rc1+ 64. Bc5 Rd1) 63... Kb8 64. Rh7 Rc1+ 65. Bc5 $18) 1-0

[Event "Foros Aerosvit 3rd"]
[Site "Foros"]
[Date "2008.06.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Volokitin, Andrei"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2684"]
[BlackElo "2664"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2008.06.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 125"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.07.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 {After having been introduced by Anand into top
level practice, this move has rapidly become one of the main trends in the
Catalan.} 11. Re1 (11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qb8 13. b4 e5 14. Nbd2 exd4 {Gelfand,B
(2733)-Anand,V (2792)/Mexico City 2007/CBM 120/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 20)} (14...
Re8 {Georgiev,K (2649)-Onischuk,A (2674)/Kemer 2007/CBM 121/[Marin,M] (1-0, 71)
})) (11. Bg5 {Bauer,C (2571)-Bologan,V (2652)/Belfort 2002/CBM 090 (0-1, 40)})
11... Be4 12. Qc1 Nbd7 $6 {Leaving the bishop on the vulnerable e4-square
seems to be the main cause for Black's future problems.} ({In a recent game,
Anand preferred} 12... Bb7 13. Bg5 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 {deserves testing.} ({In
practice,} 14. e4 Be7 {was OK for Black so far} 15. Nbd2 c5 16. e5 Nd5 17. Ne4
cxd4 18. Qd2 ({Just days after the game Volokitin-Onishcuk, the following game
was played:} 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Qd2 Ne3 {Same trick as in Gelfand-Anand.} 20.
fxe3 Bxe4 21. exd4 Bd5 $15 {Delchev,A (2618)-Ubilava,E (2525)/Benasque 2008 (1/
2-1/2, 45)}) 18... Bxg5 19. Nexg5 h6 20. Ne4 {Apparently, White is doing fine,
because of the control over the d6-square. Black's extra pawn is obviously
doomed, but, while alive, it can help to change the course of the game...} Ne3
$1 21. fxe3 Bxe4 22. exd4 Bd5 23. Nh4 Nb6 24. Be4 Rc8 25. Ng2 Bxe4 {1/2-1/2
Gelfand,B (2737)-Anand,V (2799)/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122. Only Black can be
better here.}) 14... c5 (14... Rc8 15. e4 $14) (14... Be7 15. Nb3 $14) 15. Bxf6
gxf6 (15... Nxf6 $2 16. dxc5 $16) (15... Qxf6 $2 16. Ne5 $1 $16) 16. Qc3 Rc8
17. Qe3 {Objectively speaking, the position may be equal. However, players
with high technique (such as Andersson and Kramnik; see for instance the games
Andersson-Ivanov 2000 and Kramnik-Deep Fritz 10, m/1 2006) may enjoy the
perspective of a better ending because of Black's weaknesses on both wings.})
13. Ba5 Qe7 (13... Rc8 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. e4 $14 b4 $2 16. e5 bxc3 17. exd6 $16)
14. Nbd2 {This natural move offers White an advantage without any risk.} ({
Therefore, it makes little sense to embark on unclear complications with} 14.
Bxc7 Rac8 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Qe3 (16. Nc3 $2 Bxf3 $1 17. Bxf3 b4 $19) (16. Qd1
Nd5) 16... Bxf3 $5 17. Bxf3 Qb4 $32) 14... Bxf3 {An obvious positional
concession, but Black had problems anyway.} (14... Bb7 15. Bxc7 $14 (15. e4 $5
$14)) 15. Nxf3 $14 (15. Bxf3 Rac8 16. Bb7 Rb8 17. Bc6 e5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nf3
Nfg4 $132) 15... Rac8 (15... c5 16. Ne5 (16. e4 e5 17. d5 c4 $132 {[%cal Gd7c5,
Gc5d3]}) 16... Rac8 17. Nc6 Qe8 18. Qd2 $5 $14 c4 $6 19. Bb4 Bxb4 20. Qxb4 Kh8
21. a4 $16) 16. e4 e5 17. Nh4 {This move leads to interesting complications.} (
{The more solid} 17. Bh3 $5 {was probably not worse.} c5 (17... Rfe8 18. Qc2
Rcd8 19. d5 $14) 18. dxe5 Bxe5 19. Qc2 c4 20. Rad1 $14 {[%csl Ga5,Gh3][%cal
Ga5d8,Gh3c8]}) 17... g6 (17... exd4 18. Nf5 Qe5 $6 (18... Qe6 $142 19. Nxd4 Qe5
20. Bc3 $16) 19. Qg5 Ne8 20. f4 Qe6 (20... Qf6 21. e5 Qxg5 22. fxg5 Nxe5 23.
Rxe5 Bxe5 24. Ne7+ Kh8 25. Nxc8 $18) 21. Bh3 $40) 18. f4 exf4 19. e5 Nxe5 20.
dxe5 Bc5+ 21. Kf1 (21. Kh1 Ng4 $132) 21... Ng4 $6 {Probably underestimating
White's answer.} (21... Nh5 $5 {may have offered better chances to keep the
position complicated. Here is a possible white try to stabilize the position:}
22. g4 Bb6 23. gxh5 Qxh4 24. Bxb6 cxb6 25. Qd1 Qxh2 26. hxg6 hxg6 27. Qb3 $14)
22. Qxf4 $1 Nxh2+ 23. Ke2 $16 f6 (23... g5 24. Qf5 gxh4 25. Be4 f6 26. exf6
Qxe4+ (26... Rxf6 27. Qxc8+) (26... Qf7 27. Qxc5) 27. Qxe4 Rce8 (27... Rfe8 $5)
28. Qxe8 $1 (28. Kd3 $6 Rxe4 29. Rxe4 hxg3 30. Bxc7 Rxf6 $1 $44 (30... Bf2 $2
31. Bxg3 $1 Bxg3 32. Rg1 $16)) 28... Rxe8+ 29. Kd3 Rd8+ {White's king seems to
have problems avoiding perpetual, but after} 30. Ke4 (30. Kc2 hxg3 31. Bxc7 Rc8
32. Bxg3 Bf2+ $11) 30... Rd4+ 31. Kf5 Rd5+ 32. Ke6 Rd6+ 33. Ke7 Rd3+ 34. Ke8
$16 {it appears that Black has only helped him get to a very active square,
sustaining the f6-pawn.}) 24. Bd5+ Kg7 25. Bc3 b4 26. Bd2 Qxe5+ (26... fxe5 $2
27. Qh6+ Kh8 28. Nxg6#) 27. Qxe5 fxe5 28. Rac1 Bd6 $6 (28... Rf2+ 29. Kd3 Bd6
30. Re2 $16) (28... Bf2 29. Be6 $5 Bxe1 30. Bxe1 Rb8 31. Rxc7+ Kf6 32. Rc6 $16)
29. Rh1 $1 $18 Ng4 30. Be6 Nf2 31. Nf5+ (31. Nf5+ gxf5 32. Kxf2 Rce8 33. Bh6+
$18) 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.03.24"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2872"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2013.03.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 11. a3 {Since Black's last move (quite fashionable
nowadays) does not contribute to the development directly, White thinks he can
afford to play some pawn moves before making up his mind with respect to the
b1-knight.} Nbd7 12. b4 (12. Ba5 {Cheparinov,I (2689)-Atalik,S (2603)/Burgas
2012/CBM 151/[Atalik,S] (1-0, 44)}) 12... Ra7 {Preparing a typical regrouping
with ...Qa8, aimed at putting pressure on the long diagonal and the a-file at
the same time.} (12... Nb6 13. Nc3 Nbd5 (13... Nc4 14. e4 $5) 14. Na2 Nb6 15.
Nc3 Nbd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 $2 (16... Bxd5 {may be slightly worse, but entirely
playable.}) 17. Qe4 $2 {Too modest.} (17. Ng5 $1 g6 18. Ne4 $16 {[%csl Gc5,Gf6,
Gh6]}) 17... h6 18. Ne5 Rb8 19. Qc2 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qe7 21. e4 Nb6 22. Be3 $14 {
Leko,P (2735)-Karjakin,S (2780)/Wijk aan Zee 2013/CBM 153 (1/2, 38)}) (12...
Be4 13. Qb2 Bd5 14. Bg5 Qb8 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Nc3 a5 {Quite ambitious, but not
really necessary.} (16... Bb7 17. Nd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 a5 19. Nde4 Nxe4 20. Nxe4
axb4 21. axb4 Ra4 $132 {Black's play along the a-file compensates for the
backward c-pawn.}) 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Ne5 axb4 19. axb4 Ra4 20. Nc6 {Quite a
good square for the knight, but White still needs to stabilise the position
and create some targets.} Qa8 $6 ({A more harmonious and effective regrouping
would have been} 20... Qb7 21. Rfc1 Rfa8 $11) 21. Rfc1 Rxa1 22. Qxa1 Qa4 23.
Qc3 $14 {Laznicka,V (2701)-Bruzon Batista,L (2682)/Poikovsky 2011/CBM 145 (1-0,
43)}) 13. Nc3 (13. a4 {gains some space but also helps Black get rid of a
potential queenside weakening.} bxa4 14. Rxa4 Qa8 15. Na3 Ne4 16. Rb1 Nxd2 17.
Qxd2 Rb8 18. Nc4 Nb6 19. Nxb6 cxb6 20. Rba1 Rc8 21. Ne1 {1/2 Gelfand,B (2756)
-Granda Zuniga,J (2644)/Lugo 2009/CBM 133}) 13... Qa8 14. Nh4 Bxg2 15. Nxg2 c6
$146 {Once the bishops have been exchanged, this is quite logical. Black
focuses on ...a5.} (15... e5 {does not quite solve all the problems, since the
queenside pieces remain slightly strangely placed:} 16. Be3 Rb7 17. Rfd1 $14 {
Cheparinov,I (2710)-Harikrishna,P (2692)/Leon 2012/EXT 2013 (1/2, 33)}) 16.
Rac1 $6 {This does not cross Black's plans in either way.} (16. Ne4 $5 Nxe4 17.
Qxe4 Rc8 18. Rfc1 {[%cal Gg2f4,Gf4d3,Gg2e1,Ge1d3] would allow White to keep
the queenside immobile, with chances to get an advantage in the long run. With
the a3-pawn defended,} a5 $6 {may cause Black some problems after} 19. bxa5 $1)
16... a5 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rc8 19. Nf4 axb4 20. Bxb4 ({White could still
keep the queenside blocked, but this would allow Black active play along the
a-file:} 20. axb4 Nf6 21. Qb1 Ra3 22. Nd3 Qa7 23. e3 Ne4 24. Rfd1 {[%cal Gd2e1]
}) 20... c5 21. Qxa8 Raxa8 22. dxc5 Bxc5 $11 {The position is plain equal now.
The game will end up in the same way as the first encounter between the same
players: a knight ending with equal pawns and symmetrical structure! Good
fighting spirit, but not really thrilling.} 23. Nd3 Bf8 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Rb1
Ra8 26. Bxf8 Kxf8 27. Rxb5 Rxa3 28. g4 h6 29. h4 Ra2 30. Kf1 Ra1+ 31. Kg2 Ra2
32. Kf3 Ra3 33. Kg3 Ra2 34. e3 Rd2 35. Nf4 g6 36. g5 hxg5 37. hxg5 Ke7 38. e4
Rc2 39. f3 Rc5 40. Rxc5 Nxc5 41. Ng2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Foros Aerosvit"]
[Site "Foros"]
[Date "2007.06.26"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2699"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2007.06.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 119"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {Recently, there has been some interest
in this line, occasionally employed by Karpov decades ago.} 12. Bg5 Nbd7 ({
Old theory had} 12... c5 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. dxc5 Qxc5 {as the main line. Frankly,
I have never found anything convincing for White here.} 15. Qxc5 ({White's
position looked more pleasant all the way after} 15. Nb3 Qb6 16. Rd1 Bd5 17.
Be3 Qd8 18. Nfd4 Qe8 19. Nf5 Nbd7 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 21. Bc5 Nxc5 22. Qxc5 Qxc5 23.
Nxc5 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Rfc8 25. Rac1 Kf8 26. Kf3 {, but in fact Black had little
to worry about and the players agreed here to a draw in 1/2-1/2 Sosonko,G 
(2575)-Karpov,A (2710)/Tilburg 1983/MCD}) 15... Bxc5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rac1 Bb6
{Johannessen,L (2543)-Zagorskis,D (2478)/Saint Vincent 2005/CBM 110/[Ribli] (1/
2-1/2, 43)} (17... Nd7 {Ftacnik,L (2596)-Borriss,M (2424)/Saint Vincent 2005/
CBM 110/[Ribli] (1/2-1/2, 53)})) 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Nb3 {As usual in this line
of the Catalan, the c5-square is critical. Black aims to carry out ...c5 in
the best form, while White would like to block the c-pawn.} a5 {A rare move.} (
14... c5 {has been tried at high level recently. After} 15. Bxf6 {Onischuk
tried the gambit move} Bxf6 $5 {in Gelfand,B (2717)-Onischuk,A (2640)/Beer
Sheva 2005/CBM 110/[Gelfand] (1/2-1/2, 31), but he failed to equalize
completely.} ({Surprisingly,} 15... gxf6 {offered Black entirely adequate play
in Grischuk,A (2710)-Bologan,V (2683)/Poikovsky 2005/CBM 106/[Ribli] (1/2-1/2,
78)})) 15. Bxf6 $6 {While I was playing over this game on my magnetic chess
set, my 9-year-old son Victor happened to be around and pay some attention to
the moves. He expressed his doubts about White's moving around with already
developed pieces (Qc2xc4-c2-c1 and Bd2-g5) while several pieces are on their
initial squares, something I categorically forbid him to do. I somehow managed
to explain to him that the Catalan is a subtle opening, where White has his
reasons for doing that. However, when he saw White's last move ("Never capture
a pinned knight with the bishop before he forces you do it with ...h6!" I
always tell him) he called the Catalan "an unprincipled variation" and lost
all his interest towards the game. I was about to mumble something about the
fact that sometimes it is useful to force Black to take a decision about which
of the 3 pieces would re-capture on f6, but then I understood that this might
be not one of those cases. The exchange on f6 remains a permanent strategic
threat, but I believe there are more urgent things to do.} ({For instance} 15.
Rd1 {and only after} a4 {exchange on f6:} 16. Bxf6 {when the inserton of the
moves Rd1 and ...a4 clearly favours White.} Bxf6 ({Black can deviate from the
natural course of the game with} 16... gxf6 {, keeping the c5-square well
defended, but after} 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Bd5 19. Qh6 Kh8 20. Rac1 $14 {
followed by the exchange of the light-squared bishops I prefer White anyway.})
17. Nc5 Bd5 (17... Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Bd5 19. Ne1 $14) 18. e4 $1 $14) ({Fighting
for the queenside light squares with} 15. a4 {also makes sense.} Bd5 16. Nbd2
$14 {/\e4, /\axb5.}) 15... Nxf6 $6 $146 ({Now, White's previous move will be
fully justified.} 15... gxf6 $6 {is unsatisfactory. Such a move usually makes
sense when Black has played ...c5 already.} 16. a4 $14) ({However, it makes
more sense to keep the c5-square defended by the knight, so that after an
eventual exchange Black is left with the dark-squared bishop in order to
unblock the c5-square easier.} 15... Bxf6 $1 16. Nc5 Bd5 17. Rd1 Nxc5 18. Qxc5
Qb7 19. Rac1 Rac8 20. Ne1 Rfd8 21. e3 c6 22. b3 (22. Qc2) 22... Be7 {/\...Ba3,
...c5 1/2-1/2 Sigurjonsson,G (2440)-Speelman,J (2520)/Brighton 1981/MCD}) 16.
Nc5 ({Here, too} 16. a4 {makes some sense, but the text move is good enough.})
16... Bd5 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 $14 {White has firm control of the centre now.}
c6 (18... Qd8 19. Rd1 Qd5+ 20. f3 Bxc5 21. Qxc5 Qxc5 22. dxc5 Rfd8 {is
insufficient for equality because of} 23. Nc6 Rd7 24. e4 $14 {[%csl Rd8][%cal
Yg2f2,Yf2e3] and Black will not be able to challenge White-s control of the
only open file.}) 19. Ncd3 $6 {This voluntary retreat will allow Black to
activate his position somewhat and will create problems for White in finding
good retreat squares for the other knight.} (19. Qc2 $5 {[%cal Ya1c1,Yf1d1]}
Rd8 (19... Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Nd7 21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. Rfc1 Rac8 {maintains White's
minimal advantage despite simplifications.} 23. Rc3 $14) 20. Rfd1 (20. e3 Rd5
21. Ned3 e5 $1 (21... Bxc5 22. Nxc5 e5 23. dxe5 Rxe5 24. Rfd1 Rh5 25. h4 g5 26.
Rd6 Ne8 27. Qd1 $1 $16) 22. dxe5 Nd7 $132) 20... Qc7 (20... Rd5 21. e4 $14) 21.
Rac1 $14) (19. Rd1 $14 {[%cal Yc1c2,Ya1c1]}) 19... Ra6 20. Qe3 Nd5 21. Qf3 (21.
Qe4 f6 22. Nf3 f5 23. Qe5 Bf6 24. Qd6 Be7 $11) 21... f6 22. Ng4 {Not a good
square for the knight.} c5 23. dxc5 Nb4 $5 {In the aforementioned game against
Gelfand, Onischuk also opted for gambit play.} ({The simpler} 23... Bxc5 {
was probably good enough for equality. Generally, a "Catalan" player is just
too happy to get such a symmetrical position with black weakneses on e6 and b5,
but here the bad placement of the g4-knight evens the balance.}) 24. Nf4 Qc6 (
24... Bxc5 $5) 25. a3 Nc2 26. Qxc6 Rxc6 27. Rac1 Nd4 28. b4 Rd8 29. e4 $6 (29.
Rfd1 e5 30. e3 exf4 31. exd4 h5 32. d5 Rcc8 33. d6 (33. Kf3 $5) 33... Bxd6 34.
cxd6 Rxc1 35. Rxc1 Rxd6 36. Nxf6+ Rxf6 37. Rc5 $14) 29... Kf7 30. Nd3 axb4 31.
axb4 Rc7 32. f3 Nc6 33. Ngf2 Rd4 34. Rb1 Ra7 $44 {White has no clear way to
activate his position.} 35. Rb2 f5 36. exf5 exf5 37. Rfb1 Bf6 38. f4 Ra4 39.
Re2 Nxb4 40. Ne5+ Bxe5 41. Rxe5 g6 42. c6 Nxc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 12th"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2011.03.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shimanov, Aleksandr"]
[Black "Salgado Lopez, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[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. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 $5 8.
a4 b4 $1 {The most consistent move. In the past, theory related with
skepticism to Black's queenside structure, but things are far from one-sided.
True, the c4-square has been weakened, but what about White's b3-square? In
certain cases, the a4-pawn may become vulnerable, while the b4-pawn can become
a dangerous candidate to promotion. I checked my old trusted Neischtadt book
on the Catalan and had to agree that sometimes there are new things under the
sun! Neischtadt only gives two inferior alternatives, leading to pleasant play
for White and concludes that 7...b5 is not recommendable.} (8... bxa4 9. Na3
Bb7 10. Rd1 Nbd7 11. Nxc4 Be4 12. Qxa4 Nb6 13. Qa6 Nfd5 14. Bd2 $14 {
Romanishin,O (2485)-Levit,R (2200)/Riga 1975/MCD (1-0, 27)}) (8... c6 9. axb5
Nd5 (9... cxb5 10. Ng5 h6 11. Bxa8 hxg5 12. Bxg5 $16) 10. bxc6 Nxc6 11. Qxc4
$16 {Romanishin,O (2560)-Azmaiparashvili,Z/Tbilisi 1979/EXT 2002 (1-0, 44)}) 9.
Ne5 {Recommended by some old edition of the ECO.} ({For the more cautious} 9.
Nbd2 {see Ragger,M (2614)-Vallejo Pons,F (2707)/Aix-les-Bains 2011/CBM 142 
[Marin] (1/2, 40)}) 9... Qxd4 $5 {Ivan is reported to have declared to his
friends after the game: "Today I refuted the Catalan!" He might not have been
aware of the fact that 25 days earlier it had been Vladimir Georgiev to
introduce this new move.} ({Actually, the consequences of the older} 9... Nd5 {
are far from clear, too.} 10. e4 b3 11. Qd1 ({Maybe he should try} 11. Qxc4 Ba6
12. Qxb3 Bxf1 13. Bxf1 Nb4 14. Be3 Nd7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Nd2 {White certainly
has compensation for the exchange, because of his centre and control over the
dark squares, but is this enough for more than equality?!}) 11... Nb4 12. Na3
Ba6 $132 {Koshy,V (2380)-Ravikumar,V (2395)/Delhi 1982/MCD (0-1, 20)}) 10. Bxa8
({The thematic intermediate move} 10. Nxf7 $6 {does not work out too well.} Nd5
11. Ng5 Bxg5 12. Bxg5 Nc6 $17 {It looks like White has just lost a pawn.}) (10.
Nd2 {fails to question Blacks concept, too} Qxe5 11. Nxc4 Qh5 12. Bxa8 Ng4 13.
h4 c6 $44) 10... Qxe5 {The position has calmed down. Black has two far
advanced pawns for the exchange, although one of them may be lost. One
important aspect is that White has shot his main bullet already, the pressure
along the h1-a8 diagonal. Soon, he will have to spend a tempo on retreating
with the bishop, in order to avoid letting it caged after ...c6.} 11. Bf3 $6
$15 {After this over-cautious move, Black manages to keep both his pawns and
very active play.} (11. Bg2 $6 $15 {is quite similar.} Ba6 12. Bf4 Qa5 13. Nd2
b3 14. Qc1 Qb4 15. Nb1 Nd5 16. Bd2 Qc5 17. Nc3 Nc6 $15 {Abel,D (2411)-Piorun,K
(2521)/Deizisau 2011/ (0-1, 51). Black is fully developed, while White's
pieces are very passive.}) ({The critical continuation (but probably NOT a
refutation of the Catalan's refutation) is} 11. Bf4 $5 {This move is important
for two reasons. First of all, the enemy queen has to define her intentions.
Secondly, the move ...c6 is prevented, because the b8-knight is hanging.} Qh5 (
11... Qa5 $6 {allows White taking advantage of the latter aspect mentioned
above with} 12. Nd2 $1 $16 {without the least compensation for Black.}) 12. Bf3
Ng4 13. Bxg4 (13. h4 $2 e5 $1 14. Bc1 Bxh4 $1 $19) 13... Qxg4 14. Nd2 {White
should dveelop as soon as possible. Other moves are risky.} (14. Re1 Nc6 15.
Qxc4 e5 $36) (14. f3 Qf5 15. Qxc4 Ba6 $17) 14... e5 $5 {Black should also act
quickly and activate his pieces.} (14... Qxe2 15. Rfe1 Qd3 16. Qxc4 Qxc4 17.
Nxc4 $14 {Black is OK from material point of view, but the queenside structure
has become imobile and White is very active.}) 15. Bxe5 Nc6 16. Nxc4 (16. Bxc7
Be6 $44) 16... Ba6 17. Ne3 Qe6 $1 {The bishop is trapped in the middle of the
board. White cannot retreat with it to f4 because of the killing ...Nd4.
therefore, the next sacrifice is forced.} 18. Bxg7 $8 Kxg7 19. Nf5+ Kh8 20.
Nxe7 Nxe7 $44 {An interesting position with approximate material equality and
chances for both sides.}) 11... Ba6 12. Bf4 Qa5 $146 ({The initial game with
this line went} 12... Qc5 $6 13. Be3 Qa5 {, leaving the c7-pawn somewhat
hanging.} 14. Nd2 b3 15. Qc1 Qb4 16. Bd4 $6 ({He should at least have grabbed
the pawn, although Black's compensation is out of question.} 16. Bxa7 Nd5 17.
Ne4 Nc6 18. Be3 f5 19. Bd2 Qb7 20. Nc3 Nd4 $44) 16... Nd5 $15 {Matjushin,G 
(2490)-Georgiev,V (2579)/Cappelle la Grande 2011/ (0-1, 31)}) 13. Nd2 b3 14.
Qc1 Qb4 15. Be5 $6 ({In a game played a few weeks later, White regrouped with} 
15. Nb1 Nd5 16. Bd2 Qc5 17. Nc3 {, safely blocking the queenside majority.
However, after} Nc6 18. Rd1 Rd8 $15 {Black had overwhelming activity in
Shankland,S (2512)-Shabalov,A (2590)/Saint Louis 2011/ (0-1, 39)}) ({Once
again, since White cannot do much to improve his position, he could consider
pawn grabbing, although this time he would not get a passed pawn as in the
initial game.} 15. Bxc7 Nd5 16. Bf4 (16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Be5 Nc6 18. Bc3 Qd6 $17)
16... Nxf4 17. gxf4 Nd7 $15) 15... Nd5 16. e4 $6 {Badly weakening the position.
} Nc6 17. Bxg7 (17. Bc3 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Qa5 $19 {The c3-pawn and the d3-square
are weak, while the b3-pawn may become a killer.}) 17... Kxg7 18. exd5 Nd4 (
18... Bg5 $19) 19. dxe6 $6 Qxd2 $1 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 12th"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2011.04.01"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ragger, Markus"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2707"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[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. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4
b4 9. Nbd2 $5 $146 {A quiet developing move, aiming for a safe queenside
blockade on light squares. Anticipating a bit, the existing practical material
suggest that Black has little trouble equalizing.} ({For} 9. Ne5 {see the game
played two days earlier: Shimanov,A (2550)-Salgado Lopez,I (2630)/
Aix-les-Bains 2011/CBM 142 [Marin] (0-1, 19)}) 9... Bb7 10. Nxc4 Be4 {This
position was reached in a series of games played after the European
championship.} 11. Qd1 $5 {Not really unusual in the Catalan Opening. It may
seem that White simply lost two tempi, but it is more important that under the
given circumstances d1 is the safest square for the queen.} (11. Qb3 c5 (11...
Nc6 12. Be3 Bd5 {led to an immediate repetition of moves:} 13. Qd3 Be4 14. Qb3
Bd5 15. Qd3 Be4 16. Qb3 {1/2 Garza Marco,S (2434)-De la Villa Garcia,J (2491)/
Gijon ESP 2011/TWIC 860}) 12. Be3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Qd5+ 15. f3 Nbd7
16. Nd2 Qb7 $11 {Maletin,P (2584)-Zontakh,A (2568)/Olginka 2011 (1-0, 59).
White cannot fully enjoy his queenside blockade because he faces threats such
as ...Nc5 and ...Ng4.}) 11... c5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 $1 (12... Na6 $6 {is an
imperceptible mistake. White is just too happy to get rid of his queen, which
does not find a stable square.} 13. Qxd8 $1 Rfxd8 14. Nfe5 Bxc5 15. Bg5 Rd4 16.
Rac1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Ne4 18. Bf4 $14 {Lafuente,P (2572)-Gurevich,D (2475)/Toluca
2011/ (1-0, 44). White's pieces are more stable.}) 13. Nfe5 Nxe5 $6 {Allowing
White to carry out the same favourable exchange as in the previous comment.} (
13... Bxg2 $1 $146 14. Kxg2 Qc7 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Be3 Bxc5 17. Rc1 Rac8 18. Kg1
Rfd8 $11 {/=/+ Black is well developed and has no problems at all, Spirin,O 
(2474)-Gajewski,G (2567)/Deizisau 2011/ (0-1, 62)}) 14. Qxd8 Rfxd8 15. Nxe5
Bxc5 $6 {He should have avoided the pin created by the next move.} (15... Rd5
$5 16. Nd3 Bxc5 {offers better chances for maintaining equality, although
White's position may be easier to play.}) 16. Bg5 $1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Rd5 {
Black cannot avoid the spoiling of his kingside structure under favourable
circumstances.} (17... Be7 18. Nc6 Rd7 19. Rfd1 Rxd1 (19... Rc7 20. Rac1 $16)
20. Rxd1 ({It is better to refrain from the intermediate check} 20. Nxe7+ $6
Kf8 21. Rxd1 Kxe7 22. Rc1 $14) 20... Bf8 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. b3 $16) 18. Bxf6
gxf6 19. Nd3 $14 {/+/- I immagine that Ulf Andersson would be happy with this
ending. Throughout his carrier he managed squeezing a win from positions with
lesser advantage than this one. The knight is very stable and Black's
structure on both wings is anything but perfect. In the absence of a black
knight, the white queenside is rather safe.} b3 20. Rfc1 Bd6 21. Rc3 Rb8 22.
Rac1 Kg7 23. Rc8 Rxc8 24. Rxc8 Ra5 25. Rc4 f5 26. Kf1 h5 27. Ke1 e5 28. f3 Ra6
29. Kd2 Rb6 30. Kc3 f4 31. a5 (31. gxf4 exf4 32. Rd4 $16 {would most likely
win a pawn soon, because of Black's lack of coordination.}) 31... Rb5 32. Rc6
fxg3 33. hxg3 Bb8 34. Nc5 e4 35. Nxe4 $6 (35. f4 {would have maintained some
chances:} Rxa5 36. Nxb3 Rd5 37. Nd4 h4 38. Kc4 Rh5 39. gxh4 Bxf4 40. Ra6 Be3
41. Rxa7 Bxd4 42. Kxd4 Rxh4 43. Re7 $16 {The draw is not really obvious here.})
35... Be5+ 36. Kc4 Rxa5 37. Kb4 Rd5 38. Kc4 (38. Kxb3 Rb5+) 38... Ra5 39. Kb4
Rd5 40. Kc4 Ra5 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 8th"]
[Site "Dresden"]
[Date "2007.04.09"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Baramidze, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2543"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2007.04.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 118"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.05.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.05.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 ({In the
first game of the same tournament Kozul won against} 13... Nbd7 {. We can
assume that Baramidze was aware of this.}) 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nb3
Bb6 $146 ({In the first game where this variation came into the limelight,} 
16... Nbd7 {was played Kramnik,V (2797)-Gelfand,B (2712)/Astana 2001/CBM 084/
[Ribli] (1-0, 60). In the comments to the game, 16...Be7 and 16...Bb4 are
mentioned. Nobody seems to have layed or suggested the move chosen by
Baramidze.}) 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 h6 {A curious move. Doubling Black's pawns
is usually an important strategic achievement for White, so why would Black
spend a whole tempo to provoke it? The answer is quite simple, but I doubt
whether it really justifies the last move. Black aims to drive the e5-knight
back before he develops his queen's knight so that he can do it by means of ...
Nc6.} (18... Nbd7 $5 19. Nxd7 Rxd7 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Rfd1 Rad8 22. Rxd7 Rxd7
23. Rc1 {White's position is more pleasant, but with his b-pawn on the initial
square Black is safe on the queenside, which should allow him leave with the
weaknesses on the opposite wing.}) 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Nc4 Bc7 21. Rfd1 Nc6 22.
Rxd8+ $6 {I see no special reason for giving up the control of the d-file so
easily.} ({The immediate} 22. Nc5 $14 {, with similar ideas as in the game,
should be prefereed, for instance} b5 (22... Rxd1 23. Rxd1 b5 24. Rd7 Ra7 25.
axb5 axb5 26. Na3 Bb6 27. Rxa7 Nxa7 28. Nd3 $14) 23. Ne3 $5 Rxd1 24. Nxd1 $14)
({A slower approach, such as} 22. f4 f5 23. Kf3 Kg7 24. e3 {is also possible.})
22... Rxd8 23. Nc5 {If White manages to provoke the advance of the enemy
b-pawn, then he will have targets on both wings, offering him reasonable
winning chances.} b5 (23... Rb8 $2 24. Nd7 $16) ({A more retrained
continuation was} 23... Rd4 24. Rc1 Nd8 $14 {with a solid defence.}) 24. axb5 (
24. Nxa6 bxc4 25. Nxc7 Rd2 $132) 24... axb5 25. Na3 Bb6 $6 {Black does not
take advantage of the control of the open file, offered to him by the exchange
on d8.} (25... Rd2 $1 $132 26. Nxb5 (26. Ne4 Rxb2 27. Nxf6+ Kf8 28. Rc1 Bd8 $11
) (26. Rc1 Be5 $11) 26... Be5 $11) 26. Nb3 Nd4 $6 {With every new exchange,
the superiority of the knight over the bishop (determined by Black's
weaknesses on both sides) increases.} 27. Nxd4 Rxd4 28. Rc1 Rd2 $6 {Heading
directly for the ending Black should avoid.} ({It is true that} 28... Rb4 {
would not have avoided the exchange of rooks anyway, because of} 29. Rc8+ Kg7
30. Rb8 Bd4 $8 31. Nc2 Be5 $8 32. Nxb4 Bxb8 33. Nc6 Be5 34. b3 $16 {The ending
is similar to the game, but White will need some more time to force the b-pawn
advance on a dark square in order to make the light squares available for his
pieces.}) 29. Rc6 $1 {Forcing the bishop on to an unfavourable square.} Ba5 30.
Rc2 Rxc2 (30... Rd5 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Rb8 b4 33. Nc4 $16 {[%csl Gb4]}) 31. Nxc2
Bb6 {Black has to spend a tempo on "correcting" the position of his bishop.} (
31... Kg7 $2 32. Nd4 b4 33. Nc6 $18 {wins a pawn for White.}) 32. Na3 b4 33.
Nc4 Bc5 34. e3 {The ending is very similar to that from the first game of the
match Kramnik-Deep Fritz. Kozul probably knew the general conclusion of the
intense theoretical debate: White has to keep things under control on the
kingside with a relatively limited number of forces, in order to make progress
on the other wing (that is - win the b4-pawn and promote his own pawn)} f5 35.
Kf3 Kg7 36. Ke2 f6 37. Kd3 Kg6 38. Nd2 Kg5 39. h3 e5 40. Kc4 Ba7 {[%cal Ya7f2]
Black has to maintain his bishop on an active diagonal.} (40... Be7 41. Nf3+
Kh5 (41... Kg6 42. Nh4+ Kg5 43. f4+ {/\Nxf5+-}) 42. Kd5 $18) 41. Nf3+ Kh5 {
An awkward square for the king, but Black had no choice.} (41... Kg6 42. Nh4+
Kg5 43. f4+ Kh5 44. Nxf5 $18) 42. b3 $5 {Excellent technique. White is not
rushing in.} ({The consequences of} 42. Kxb4 $6 {are not entirely clear. White
might be better but Black's powerful counterplay would offer him excellent
saving chances; if given a choice, such lines as the following should be
avoided:} e4 43. Nd4 (43. Nd2 f4 44. gxf4 f5 45. Kb5 Kh4 $132) 43... f4 44.
gxf4 Kh4 $132) 42... f4 $6 {Giving in without a fight.} (42... Bb6 {was more
stubborn.} 43. Kd5 $1 (43. Kxb4 e4 $132) 43... f4 (43... Ba7 44. Ke6 $1 $18 f4
45. Kxf6 $3 {followed by mate with g4.}) 44. gxf4 exf4 45. exf4 $1 (45. e4 Bd8
$1 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Yd8e7] /\Be7} ({Black's extra-tempo compared to the game
in the line} 45... Kg6 46. Kc4 Kf7 47. Kxb4 Ke6 48. Kb5 Bxf2 49. Kc6 $18 {
has no practical significance.})) 45... Kg6 (45... Bxf2 46. f5 Bb6 47. Ke6 Bd8
{Black has managed to defend his pawn, but the passive placement of his king
leaves him in a desperate situation. The only thing White should avoid is
stalemating his opponent by capturing the bishop!}) 46. Ke6 Bxf2 47. f5+ Kg7
48. Kd5 {and the b4-pawn is doomed, for instance} Bg3 49. Kc5 $1 {At the same
time, there is no kingside counterplay for Black after ...h5-h4, because the
king has no access to g4 or g5.}) 43. gxf4 exf4 44. e4 $1 {At the cost of the
f2-pawn White has managed to stabilise the kingside. The rest is relatively
easy.} Kg6 45. Kxb4 Kf7 46. Kb5 Bxf2 47. Kc6 Ke7 48. b4 Ke6 49. b5 Ba7 50. Kc7
Bc5 51. b6 Bd6+ 52. Kc8 Bc5 53. b7 Bd6 (53... Ba7 54. Nd4+ Kf7 55. b8=Q Bxb8
56. Kxb8 {and Black is not in time for any counterplay.}) 54. Nd4+ $1 {Once
again, the most technical continuation.} (54. b8=Q {is also winning, but
requires some concrete calculation.} Bxb8 55. Kxb8 Kd6 56. Kc8 Kc5 57. Kd7 Kc4
58. Ke6 Kd3 59. Kf5 Ke3 60. Nh2 f3 61. h4 $18) 54... Ke5 (54... Kf7 55. Nb5 (
55. b8=Q $18) 55... Be5 56. Nc7 $18) 55. Nb5 1-0

[Event "Terre degli Elimi op 8th"]
[Site "Erice"]
[Date "2017.07.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Marin, Mihail"]
[Black "Basso, Pier Luigi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2529"]
[BlackElo "2434"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2017.07.28"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 180"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
c5 {I do not remember having analysed this line ever since I published the
Catalan CD for ChessBase, meaning some 14 years ago. The last move used to be
popular somewhere in the '80s but then it slipped out of the theoretical
limelight. Lately, there seem to have been some new developments, which I was
completely unaware of.} (8... Bd7 {has been played in the vast majority of the
games over the past decade(s).}) ({Not so much time ago I experienced
someproblems against another rare move,} 8... Nc6 9. Qxc4 Qd5 10. Qd3 Qf5 {
Marin,M (2580)-Buhmann,R (2615) Medias 2015 CBM 169 [Bulmaga/Rogozenco,D] 
(½-½, 90)}) 9. dxc5 Bxc5 ({Some time ago} 9... Nc6 {used to be the second
most popular move, but it allows White to get very pleasant Catalan play, as
in the following recent game:} 10. Na3 Bxc5 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Nfe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5
Nd5 14. Rd1 Nb4 15. Qc4 {White is better developed and exerts annoying
queenside pressure.} f6 {In the long run this creates an important weakness.}
16. Nd3 Nxd3 17. Rxd3 b5 18. Qb3 bxa4 19. Rxa4 Ra7 20. Rc4 $16 {White has set
out his major pieces very cleverly and Black experiences developing problems.}
Kh8 $2 (20... Bb7 21. e4 Ba8 22. Rxc5 Qxc5 23. Be3 Qc7 24. Bxa7 Qxa7 25. Qxe6+
$16 {/+-}) 21. Qc2 {Oops, Black loses a piece.} Rc7 22. Rdc3 $18 {Soysal,S 
(2316)-Kryvoruchko,V (2205) Lvov 2015 (1-0, 57)}) 10. Nbd2 {I spent some time
on this move, not being sure what I had analysed some time ago.} (10. Qxc4 {
is what White usually avoids. He should take the pawn with a knight, not with
the queen, as this involves time loss.} b6 11. Ne5 (11. Nc3 Bb7 12. Bg5 Nbd7
13. Rad1 Qc8 14. Qb3 h6 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qb7+ 18. Kg1 Rfd8
$11 {Giri,A (2798)-Kramnik,V (2801) Zuerich (blitz) 2016 (1/2-1/2, 67)}) 11...
Ra7 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Bxb7 Rxb7 14. Bg5 h6 15. Rad1 Qe7 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Nd3 Qd4
18. Qb3 Be7 19. e3 Qg4 20. Ne5 Qh5 21. f4 Bf6 22. Nc4 Bxc3 23. Qxc3 Qc5 24. Qd4
Nd7 $11 {Aronian,L (2792)-Topalov,V (2761) Leuven (blitz) 2016 (1-0, 73)}) ({
My main alternative was} 10. Ne5 Qc7 (10... Nbd7 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Nc3 Rb8 13.
a5 b5 14. axb6 Nxb6 {Jakovenko,D (2714)-Popov,I (2596) Moscow (blitz) 2016 
(1-0, 26)} 15. Bf4 $16) 11. Nxc4 Nc6 12. Nc3 (12. Be3 Nd4 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. e3
Ba7 15. Rc1 {[%csl Ga7] looks more appropriate.}) 12... h6 13. a5 Nd4 14. Qd1
e5 15. e3 {1-0 (42) Avrukh,B (2610)-Krishnan,V (2268) Philadelphia 2015} Nc6
$15) 10... b5 $5 {To tell the truth, I had the intuition that my opponent
would play this way, even though I had never seen it before.} (10... Nc6 11.
Nxc4 $14 {more or less transposes above to 9...Nc6.}) 11. axb5 ({Without
previous preparation I was not keen on trying the thematic alternative} 11. Ng5
{involving a pawn sacrifice:} Ra7 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 (13. Qxe4 f5 14. Qe5
Bd6 15. Qd4 Re7 {looks reasonably safe for Black.}) 13... Bd4 (13... Bb6 14.
Bf4 e5 {The only way to restrict White's initiative.} 15. Bxe5 Nc6 16. Rfd1 Rd7
17. Bd6 Re8 18. e3 Bb7 19. axb5 axb5 20. Bc5 {Sargissian,G (2650)-Blomqvist,E 
(2546) Minsk 2017 (1-0, 42) with some initiative.}) 14. Ng5 g6 15. axb5 axb5
16. Rxa7 Bxa7 17. Ne4 {Bogosavljevic,B (2525)-Plenca,J (2422) Belgrade 2017 
(½-½, 36). White has enough compensation for the pawn, due to his better
development and the kingside weaknesses.}) 11... Bb7 12. bxa6 (12. Nh4 {
misplaces the knight} Nd5 13. bxa6 Bxa6 14. Nxc4 Nc6 {Cheparinov,I (2689)
-Schroeder,J (2550) Caleta 2017 CBM 177 [Schroeder,J] (1/2-1/2, 39)}) (12. b6 {
offers more of a symbolic advantage:} Nbd7 13. Nxc4 Nxb6 14. Na5 Qc8 15. Ne1 (
15. Nxb7 $2 Bxf2+ $1 $19) 15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Bb4 17. Qxc8 Rfxc8 18. Nd3 Bf8
19. Be3 (19. Bd2 $5 Rc2 20. Nb3 Nc4 21. Bc3 Rxe2 22. Rfc1 $14) 19... Nbd5 20.
Bd4 Nb4 21. Nxb4 {1/2-1/2 Ladva,O (2443)-Kravtsiv,M (2631) Pardubice 2016})
12... Nxa6 13. Nxc4 (13. Qxc4 {exposes the queen and does not do anything for
the queenside development.} Bd5 14. Qh4 Be7 15. Qf4 Bd6 16. Qh4 Be7 17. Qf4 Bd6
18. Qh4 {1/2-1/2 Donchenko,A (2583)-Lysyj,I (2663) Warsaw 2016}) 13... Nb4 14.
Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Qb3 $6 {When embarking on the pawn grabbing variation I was
relying on this and the next move.} ({But} 15. Qc3 {may be more consistent.
Black surely has some (possibly full) compensation, but proving it requires
more than just finding 1-2 precise moves.} Ne4 (15... Rc8 16. Qa3 Bxf2+ $2 17.
Kxf2 Rxc4 18. b3 Rg4 19. Qxa8+ Bxa8 20. Bf4 g5 21. Be5 Ne4+ 22. Kg1 $16) 16.
Qb3 $5 (16. Qa3 Qxa3 17. bxa3 Na2 $11 {Schroeder}) 16... Bd5 17. Be3 Be7 (17...
Bxe3 $2 {Unlike in the game, this does not work out well as Black's extra
tempo ...Ne4 causes him problems.} 18. Qxe3 $1 Bxc4 19. Nd2 Bd5 20. Bxe4 $16)
18. Rc1 {and White has chances of keeping his b-pawn for instance:} Qa2 19.
Qxa2 Nxa2 20. Ra1 Bxc4 21. Ne5 Nd6 22. Bc5 Rc8 23. Bxd6 Bxd6 24. Nxc4 Rxc4 25.
Rxa2 g6 26. b3 Rc1+ 27. Bf1 Rb1 28. Rd2 Bb4 29. Rd3 {Of course it is most
likely that Black will hold a draw here.}) 15... Bd5 16. Be3 ({I rejected} 16.
Ne1 {for being too passive.} Rc8 ({My opponent had calculated} 16... Qa2 17.
Qxa2 Nxa2 18. Bxd5 exd5 19. Be3 dxc4 20. Bxc5 Rb8 {but White can keep play
going on:} 21. Ba3 Nc1 22. Kg2 Nxe2 23. Nc2 c3 24. b4 $14) 17. Bxd5 Qxd5 18.
Bd2 Qxc4 19. Qxc4 Bxf2+ 20. Rxf2 Rxc4 $11) 16... Bxe3 17. Qxb4 Rb8 18. Qc3 {
By now I had spotted the next move but it was already too late to deviate.}
Bxf2+ ({Actually Black keeps a very active position with} 18... Bc5 {, too.}
19. Nce5 Ne4 20. Qc1 Rc8 $44) 19. Rxf2 Ne4 20. Qd4 Nxf2 21. Kxf2 Bxc4 22. Qxc4
Qa7+ (22... Rxb2 23. Nd4 {We both thought this promising for White due to the
inevitable Nc6 but actually} Qb8 {keeps things under control for if} 24. Nc6
Qb6+) 23. Kf1 Qa1+ 24. Ne1 Qxb2 {The material balance is even and a draw is
the most probable result due to the reduced pawn number. Only White has some
chances with queens on the board but Black can permanently harass the white
queen.} 25. Bf3 (25. Be4 g6 26. Nf3 {may be a more promising regrouping.})
25... Qb1 26. Qf4 h6 27. Kg2 Qb4 28. h4 Qxf4 29. gxf4 g5 $11 {The rest of the
game was played by inertia.} 30. Kg3 gxh4+ 31. Kxh4 Rb4 32. Nd3 Ra4 33. Kg3 Kg7
34. Ne5 Ra3 35. Nd3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Kazan"]
[Date "2011.05.06"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2744"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2011.05.05"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 143"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Be7 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 $5 {
An interesting nuance.} ({In recent games, White has failed to obtain an
advantage after} 7. Qc2 b5 $5 {(a move that had been considered "impossible"
for many decades).}) 7... a6 {The only limitation for White is that 8.a4 is
not possible anymore, but Kramnik is a specialist of 8.Qxc4 anyway.} 8. Qxc4 b5
9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 Bb7 14. Bf4 Nd5 15. Rd1
$5 {A rare move, probably intended to maintain White's flexibility.} ({Against
the more popular} 15. Nc3 {Black's safest answer is} Nxf4 16. Qxf4 Qd6 {
, a move introduced by Karpov decades ago. Kramnik also seems to trust it,
since he used it with Black in a recent game:} 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nd7 19.
Rac1 $5 $146 {Le Quang,L (2681)-Kramnik,V (2790)/Dortmund 2010/CBM 138/[Le
Quang Liem] (1/2, 41)}) 15... Nxf4 16. Qxf4 $5 $146 (16. gxf4 {Johannessen,L 
(2538)-Sammalvuo,T (2445)/Gausdal 2004/CBM 104/[Ribli] (1-0, 36)}) 16... Bd6 ({
I assume that after} 16... Qd6 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nd7 {he would play} 19.
Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Nd2 {, sending the knight onto a more promising route than after
Nb1-c3, with either Nb3 or Nf3.}) 17. Qh4 (17. Qe3 $5 {may be worth giving a
try. After} Nd7 18. Nbd2 {, the thematic} c5 {does not bring complete equality
after} 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 $14 {and White retains the more pleasant position,
although the presence of opposite coloured bishops creates a certain drawish
tendency.}) 17... Qxh4 18. Nxh4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nd7 20. Nc3 Rfd8 21. Rac1 Be7 22.
Nf3 c5 23. a4 (23. d5 $5 {looks more active, but the black queenside majority
may become dangerous later.}) 23... bxa4 24. Nxa4 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Bf6 26. Rd6 Ne5
27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Nxe5 Bxe5 29. f4 Bf6 30. Rc6 Rb8 31. Rxa6 g6 32. Nc5 Rxb2
33. Kf3 Bd4 34. Nd3 {White's symbolic advantage proved impossible to convert
even for a player with such brilliant technique as Kramnik.} Rb8 35. Rd6 Bf6
36. g4 Rd8 37. Rc6 Be7 38. g5 h6 39. h4 hxg5 40. hxg5 Rd7 41. Ne5 Rb7 42. Rc8+
Kg7 43. Re8 {lthough Black's position looks ridiculously passive, the presence
of pawns on just one wing keeps the game within drawish limits.} Rc7 44. Ng4
Rb7 45. e3 Rc7 46. Ke4 Rd7 47. Nh6 Bf8 48. Rc8 Rb7 49. Kf3 Ra7 50. e4 Ra3+ 51.
Kg4 Ra7 52. Kh4 Bb4 53. Kg4 Bf8 54. Rb8 Rd7 55. Kf3 Ra7 56. e5 Ra3+ 57. Kg2
Ra2+ 58. Kg3 Ra3+ 59. Kg4 Ra7 60. Rc8 Rb7 61. Ra8 Rc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2007.01.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2007.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 117"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.03.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 {This move has been quite popular over the past few
years. Black is trying to play a waiting game, by delaying the development of
his queenside knight. As known, ...Nbd7 can always be answered with Ba5,
whereas Ba5 with a knight on b8 is inefficient because of ...Nc6.} 11. Rc1 Be4
12. Qb3 Nc6 ({The newest trend. For a while,} 12... Nbd7 {was the main
variation.} 13. Ba5 Qa8 $5 {[%csl Ga8,Ge4][%cal Ga8g2] Thismove was designed
by Leko. Black ingnores the threat against the c7-pawn and takes the long
diagonal under firm control.} (13... Qb8 {Gelfand,B-Harikrishna,P/Bermuda 2005/
CBM 106/[Gelfand] (1-0, 38)}) 14. Nbd2 {Nobody has had the courage to capture
the pawn yet, although things might be not entirely clear there.} (14. Nc3 Bc6
{Nielsen,P (2668)-Leko,P (2763)/Dortmund 2005/CBM 108/[Ribli] (0-1, 60)}) 14...
Bd5 15. Qe3 Bd6 16. Bh3 (16. Rc2 Qb7 17. Rac1 Nb6 18. b3 $14 {Conquest,S (2505)
-Gomez Esteban,J (2495)/Donostia San Sebastian 2006/ (1-0, 58) Black cannot
obtain counterplay easily.}) 16... Ne4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Ne1 Nb6 19. Bxb6 $1
cxb6 20. Bg2 $1 Bxg2 21. Nxg2 $14 {Avrukh,B (2653)-Quezada,Y (2505)/Beer Sheva
2005/CBM 110/[Ribli] (1-0, 72)}) 13. e3 Qa8 14. Qd1 Nb8 15. Ba5 Rc8 (15... Bd6
16. a3 Nbd7 17. Nbd2 Bd5 18. Qf1 (18. b4 $5) 18... c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Rc2 Qb7
21. Rac1 {Black has managed to carry out the thematical break ...c5 under
relatively favourable circumstances, but White retains some pressure.} Bb6 22.
Bxb6 Qxb6 23. Nd4 Ne5 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 25. N4f3 Nxf3+ 26. Nxf3 Rd8 27. Qd3 Ne7 28.
Qe4 Rad7 29. Kg2 {Both sides have taken authoritarian control of one of the
open files, but the difference between the knights' placement s obvious. Black
did not equalise completely yet.} f6 30. h4 e5 31. h5 $14 {Aronian,L (2744)
-Karjakin,S (2678)/Wijk aan Zee 2007 (1-0, 47)}) (15... Nc6 16. Be1 Nb8 {
White has won an important tempo. Everything is ready for the development of
the queen's knight already.} 17. b4 Nbd7 18. a4 Nd5 19. Nbd2 Bg6 20. Nb3 Be4 (
20... Bxb4 21. Bxb4 Nxb4 22. Ne5 Qc8 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. axb5 $16) 21. axb5 (21.
Ne5 Bxg2 22. Nxd7 Rd8) 21... Bxb4 (21... axb5 22. Ne5 Bxg2 23. Rxa7 Qxa7 24.
Nxd7 $16 {[%csl Gf8,Gg2]} Rd8 25. Ra1 Qb7 26. Ndc5 Bxc5 27. Nxc5 Qc6 28. e4 $18
) 22. Bxb4 Nxb4 23. Nbd2 $16 {Avrukh,B (2633)-Sandipan,C (2546)/Turin 2006/CBM
113 (1-0, 62)}) 16. a3 $146 {Although this move is a novelty technically
speaking, the idea is not new. Just refer to the game Aronian-Karjakin above.}
(16. Bb6 {looks a bit premature. The bishop did not finish his job on a5 yet.}
Rb7 17. Bc5 Bxc5 18. dxc5 (18. Rxc5 Nbd7 19. Rc1 c5 20. Nc3 Bc6 $132) 18... Ra7
19. Nbd2 Bd5 20. Qc2 a5 21. a3 a4 22. Qd3 {1/2-1/2 Ponomariov,R (2723)-Anand,V
(2779)/Wijk aan Zee NED 2007}) (16. Nbd2 Bd5 {Gelfand,B (2723)-Karjakin,S 
(2660)/Wijk aan Zee 2006/CBM 111/[Ribli] (1/2-1/2, 22)}) 16... Bd6 (16... c5
17. Nbd2 Bd5 18. Bb6 $16) 17. Nbd2 Bd5 18. Qf1 Nbd7 19. b4 {Now that ...c5 has
become a threat, White prevents it physically.} e5 {Black has to look for some
counterplay in the centre. Otherwise, White would just double rooks on the
c-file, consolidating his advantage. of space.} 20. dxe5 Bxe5 $5 (20... Nxe5
21. Nxe5 Bxe5 22. Ra2 $14 {[%cal Ya2c2]}) 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 (21... Bxg2 22. Qxg2
Qxg2+ (22... Nxe5 23. Qxa8 Raxa8 24. Rxc7 $16) 23. Kxg2 Nxe5 24. Bb6 Rb7 25.
Bd4 $14) 22. f3 $3 {Slightly unaesthetical, but very deep. Black has not
sufficient space for his minor pieces, which justifies the decision of
avoiding the exchange of the light-squared bishops.} Nc4 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Qf2
Re8 25. e4 c6 26. Rd1 Rd7 27. Rxd7 Nxd7 28. Rd1 Qb7 29. Rd6 f6 30. f4 $16 {
Finally, White's structure has recovered its harmony. The pair of bishops and
the higher flexibility offer him a stable advantage.} Re6 31. Rd2 Re7 32. Qd4
Nf8 33. Qd8 Rd7 34. Rxd7 Qxd7 35. Qxd7 Nxd7 {[%cal Yc6c5]} 36. e5 $6 {This
move unnecessarily complicates the fight by giving upa pawn.} (36. Bh3 $1 Nf8
37. Bc8 $16 {would have been simpler.}) 36... fxe5 37. Bxc6 Nf6 38. Bb7 exf4
39. gxf4 Nd5 40. Kf2 Nxf4 41. Ke3 g5 (41... Ne2 {(=, Landa)} 42. Bc7 {[%csl
Ge2][%cal Yc7e5]} (42. Bxa6 Kf7 43. Bb6 Ke6 44. a4 Nc3 45. a5 Nd5+ 46. Kd4 Nxb4
47. Bb7 Kd6 48. a6 Nc6+ 49. Kc3 Bd5 50. a7 $2 Nxa7 51. Bxd5 Nc8 $1 $19 {Landa})
42... Kf7 (42... Nc3 43. Kd4 Nb1 44. a4 $18) 43. Be5 g6 44. Ke4 Ke7 45. Bxa6
$16) 42. Bxa6 Kf7 43. a4 Ke7 44. Bxb5 Bxb5 45. axb5 Kd7 46. Ke4 Ne2 47. Bb6 g4
48. Bf2 Nc3+ 49. Kf5 Nxb5 50. Kxg4 Ke6 51. Kg5 Kf7 52. Kf5 Ke7 53. Bc5+ 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 $5 {This move was played only once before. Since for
the time being both sides are playing a watch and wait game, Black prepares in
advance the thematic central break ...e5. Hasta ahora, esto se ha jugado solo
una vez.Dado que por el momento ambas partes están practicando un juego de
espera, las negras preparan con antelación la típica ruptura ...e5.} 11. Rd1
$146 ({White will fail to prove an advantage with this neutral move. In the
only previous game where 10...Bd6 was played before, White answered with Las
blancas no obtendrán ventaja con esta jugada.} 11. Bg5 {. Unexpectedly, this
leads to a transposition to the line 10.Bf4 Bd6 11.Bg5, which was played in
several games already. This might be a tricky transposition when preparing a
variation.} Nbd7 12. Nbd2 ({The only game where 10.Bd2 was played continued
with} 12. Rd1 Qb8 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. Ng5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qb7+ 17. Kg1
c5 18. Nde4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Qb6 20. d5 exd5 21. Rxd5 Be7 22. Rad1 Qe6 23. a4 {
Speelman,J (2570)-Browne,W (2540)/Wijk aan Zee 1983/MCD (1/2-1/2, 63)}) 12...
Rc8 $5 {[%cal Yc7c5]} (12... h6 $6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 (13... Qxf6 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15.
Nxd7 Qd8 16. Nxf8 Bxf1 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Rxf1 $18 {Kirov,N (2470)-Pisa Ferrer,
J (2355)/Olot 1992/TD (1/2-1/2! 61)}) 14. Rfd1 Rc8 15. Nb3 Be4 16. Qc3 Qe7 17.
Rac1 Bd5 18. Ne5 (18. Ne1 $5) 18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Nd5 21. Qc5 $14
{Ricardi,P (2480)-Soppe,G (2460)/San Fernando 1993/EXT 98 (1/2-1/2, 40)}) (
12... c5 $6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 $2 (13... gxf6) 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15. Nxd7 Qd8 16. Nxf8
Bxf1 17. Qxh7+ Kxf8 18. Rxf1 cxd4 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxg7 $16 {Huebner,R (2605)
-Eng,H (2345)/Germany 1985/GER-chT (1-0, 36)}) 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 (13... Qxf6 {
works out better tactically than in the previous lines, but is still bad:} 14.
Ne5 $1 Bxg2 15. Nxd7 Qh6 {This square was not available in one of the lines.
The queen is out of the knight's reach in case of both Nxf8 and Nxe6.} 16. Kxg2
Rfd8 {Unexpectedly, the knight is trapped, because of the pin along the d-file.
However, after} 17. Nf3 Rxd7 18. Qc6 $16 {White has a dream position.}) 14. Nb3
Be4 15. Qc3 Qe7 16. Rac1 Nd7 17. Qe3 f5 $13 {Bauer,C (2571)-Bologan,V (2652)/
Belfort 2002/CBM 090 (0-1, 40)}) 11... Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qb8 13. b4 e5 $132 14. Nbd2
(14. Nc3 {fails to prevent Black's freeing plan:} exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2
Qb7+ 17. Kg1 c5 {In case of} 18. Ndxb5 {, Black has} Bxg3 $1 $11) 14... exd4
15. Nxd4 (15. Nb3 $5 {does not stabilize the queenside either:} c5 16. bxc5 Rc8
$132) 15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 $1 {Just in time.} (16... Qb7+ $2 17. Qc6 $16) 17.
bxc5 (17. Nf5 cxb4 (17... Re8 $5) (17... Be5 $6 18. bxc5 $5 Bxa1 19. c6 Be5 (
19... Nb6 20. Rxa1 $44 {[%csl Gc6,Gf5]}) 20. cxd7 Nxd7 21. Nf3 {[%csl Gd7,Ge5]}
Qb7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. Nxe5 Qd5+ 24. Nf3 $16) 18. Nf3 Bc5 $13) 17... Bxc5 18.
N2b3 Ba3 19. e4 Ne5 20. Nf5 {White has no advantage at all. In fact, Black's
position looks more appealing already.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "RUS-ch Superfinal 61st"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2008.10.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Maslak, Konstantin"]
[Black "Riazantsev, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2544"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2008.10.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 127"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 {This line was designed by Karpov on the
occasion of his first match against Kasparov. Of course, in a match Black
cannot complain about a draw by repetition...} 12. Bf4 Nd5 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14.
Qxf4 {Abstractly speaking, this is a logical way to react to Black's way of
playing, since the tempo "won" by the queen (Qc1) has been converted into a
radical activation of Her Majesty.} Nd7 {This natural developing move is by
far not the only continuation in this position.} ({20 years ago, Karpov
preferred to activate his queen first with} 14... Qd6 15. Rfd1 ({This may be
more consistent than} 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Ne4 Qb6 19.
Rfd1 Ra7 20. Rac1 f6 21. Nf3 e5 $11 {and White somewhat lost stability in the
centre in Khalifman,A (2530)-Karpov,A (2725)/Moscow 1988/URS-ch (1/2, 26)}) (
15. Qe3 $5) 15... Nd7 16. d5 Qxf4 17. gxf4 exd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Nb6 20.
Rdd1 Bf6 21. Rac1 Bxb2 22. Rxc7 $14 {White's advantage may seem rather
symbolic, but he managed to convert it into a win in Romanishin,O (2550)
-Janjgava,L (2470)/Simferopol 1988/CBM 011 (1-0, 39)}) ({Recently, Karpov has
started experimenting with} 14... c5 {, which had been "officially doomed"
long time ago:} 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Rfd1 {This may be the best move, but none of
Karpov's opponents played it.} (16. Ng5 Qb6 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Rfd1 Be7 19. Rd3
Nd7 20. Rad1 Bxg5 21. Qxg5 Nf6 {and Black gradually equalized in Ubilava,E 
(2528)-Karpov,A (2668)/Calatrava, rapid 2007/CBM 117 ext (1/2, 36)}) (16. a4
bxa4 17. Nxa4 Bd6 18. Qe3 Qe7 19. Nb6 Bc5 20. Qb3 Ra7 21. Rfd1 Bc6 22. Na4 Rb7
23. Qc2 Bb4 24. Rac1 a5 $11 {Grischuk,A (2728)-Karpov,A (2651)/Moscow 2008/CBM
126 (1/2, 34)}) 16... Qe7 17. Rac1 Ra7 18. a4 $5 b4 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 $14 {
White is better developed and has good prospects on light squares, Lastin,A 
(2622)-Novikov,M (2426)/Tomsk 2004/CBM 102/[Ribli] (1-0, 54)}) 15. Rfd1 Bd6 16.
Ne5 $146 {A new try to maintain the pressure. Previously, White's concern was
to find the best square for the queen.} (16. Qh4 Nf6 $6 (16... Qxh4 $1 17. Nxh4
Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Nf6 19. Rac1 Rac8 $11 {/\ ...c5. With his knight passively
placed on g2, White has little chance of retaining an advantage.}) 17. a3 Qb8
18. g4 Rd8 19. Rac1 Be7 20. g5 Nd7 21. d5 Nf8 22. Ne5 $16 {with an advantage
in space and a strong initiative for White in Aronian,L (2744)-Ivanchuk,V 
(2750)/Monte Carlo 2007/CBM 117 ext (1-0, 67)}) (16. Qe3 Nb6 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18.
Kxg2 f5 19. f4 b4 20. Nb1 {[%csl Rb1] Obviously, White cannot be better here.
In Mikhalevski,V (2590)-Bakre,T (2426)/Sydney 2007/CBM 117 ext (1-0!, 32),
Black could in fact have obtained a big advantage with} Nd5 21. Qb3 Bxe5 22.
fxe5 (22. dxe5 Ne3+ $1 $19 {This trick must have been overlooked by both
opponents.}) 22... f4 $40) 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 f5 $5 {An interesting attempt
to take over the initiative on the kingside.} (17... Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qe7 19. a4
b4 20. Ne4 Rfd8 21. Rac1 $14 {Despite White's doubled pawns, Black is under
serious pressure.}) (17... f6 {does not win a piece because of the same move
as in the game.} 18. Nc6 $14) 18. Nc6 Qe8 ({The simplifications after} 18...
Bxf4 19. Nxd8 Rfxd8 20. gxf4 Rac8 21. Rac1 {leave White with some pressure.} c5
{fails to equalize.} ({Maybe Black should prefer} 21... Nf6 $5) 22. dxc5 Rxc5 (
22... Nxc5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nxb5 $1 $16) 23. Rd4 Kf7 24. Rcd1 Ke7 25. Rd6 $36
) 19. Qf3 g5 {Among other menaces, Black threatens to drive the enemy queen
away from the active h1-a8 diagonal.} 20. Na5 $6 {White clears the c6-square
for the queen, but retreats with the knight to a passive square.} ({He should
have kept the knight on the optimal c6-square and cleared another square for
the queen with} 20. Kg1 {. This would have been a much lesser commitment.} Nf6
21. b4 h5 22. a4 g4 23. Qg2 $14 {White's queenside initiative has reached more
concrete forms than Black's kingside attack.}) 20... Nf6 21. a3 h5 {It can be
felt that Black has overtaken his opponent in terms of speed.} 22. d5 $6 {
This move only opens files for Black. The d-file is not too important, because
it securely blocked by the enemy bishop.} f4 23. Qd3 fxg3 24. fxg3 {An obvious
positional concession.} ({However, the more consistent} 24. hxg3 {would not
have spared White any problems:} exd5 25. Nxd5 (25. Nb7 Be5) 25... Ne4 {
[%csl Rf2]} 26. Rf1 h4 $40) 24... exd5 25. Nxd5 Qe4+ 26. Qxe4 Nxe4 $15 {
Black has the better structure and an active bishop.} 27. Rf1 Be5 28. Nc6 Bxb2
29. Nxc7 Bxa1 30. Nxa8 Rxf1 31. Kxf1 Bb2 32. Nc7 Nc5 33. Nb4 Bxa3 34. Nbxa6
Nxa6 35. Nxa6 Bd6 36. Kf2 Kf7 37. Ke3 Ke6 38. Ke4 b4 39. Kd4 Kf5 40. e4+ Ke6
41. h3 g4 42. hxg4 hxg4 43. e5 b3 44. Kc3 Kxe5 45. Kxb3 Kd4 46. Kc2 Kc4 47. Kd2
Bxg3 0-1

[Event "WchT 8th"]
[Site "Ningbo"]
[Date "2011.07.20"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Wang, Yue"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2709"]
[BlackElo "2675"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2011.07.17"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 144"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "China"]
[BlackTeam "US of America"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 ({For} 9. Rd1 {see Leko,P (2734)-Ponomariov,R (2734)/Dortmund 2010/
CBM 138/[Marin] (1/2, 41)}) 9... Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 Nb4 13.
Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Nfd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5+ 16. Qxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 {This queenless
middlegame is slightly better for White, but Black makes things even worse
with his strange novelty.} Rfd8 $2 $146 (17... c6 {Le Quang,L (2681)
-Mamedyarov,S (2761)/Dortmund 2010/CBM 138/[Marin,M] (1/2, 52)}) 18. e4 $1 Nb6
$2 (18... Nf6 19. Rxc7 Rxd4 20. Rxe7 (20. Bc3 Bd6) 20... Rxd2 21. Rxb7 Nxe4 22.
Rxf7 Rxb2 (22... Rd5 {fails to question White's stability:} 23. f4 Rxe5 $2 24.
fxe5) 23. Re1 $14) 19. Rxc7 Bd6 20. Rxb7 Bxe5 21. Rxb6 Rxd4 (21... Bxd4 22. Rb5
) 22. Bc3 Rxe4 23. Re1 Rxe1 24. Bxe1 Ra7 25. Bc3 Bc7 26. Rc6 Kf8 27. g4 $16 f5
$2 28. Bd4 $1 (28. Rxe6 fxg4) 28... Rb7 29. Rxe6 (29. Rxe6 fxg4 30. Bc5+ Kf7
31. Re7+ Kf6 32. Bd6) 1-0

[Event "Foros Aerosvit 3rd"]
[Site "Foros"]
[Date "2008.06.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "164"]
[EventDate "2008.06.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 125"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.07.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 11. Ng5 $5 $146 {By exchanging the light-squared
bishops, White unblocks the e4-square, preparing to win space in the centre.
On the other hand, White slightly neglects his development, but didn't Black
do the same by moving with his dark-squared bishop twice?} Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Nbd7
13. e4 e5 {The logical reaction in the centre.} 14. dxe5 ({White is not
prepared for the method employed by Volokitin against Onischuk in the same
tournament:} 14. f4 $6 exd4 15. e5 Bxe5 16. fxe5 Nxe5 $15 17. Rxf6 $2 d3 $1 $17
) 14... Nxe5 15. f4 Nc4 16. b3 $1 (16. e5 $6 h6 17. exf6 (17. Nf3 $2 Ng4) 17...
hxg5 18. fxg7 Re8 $32) 16... Nxd2 {Exchanging a piece that has jumped around
so many times helps White catch up with Black in development, but there was no
other possibility.} (16... Nb6 $2 17. e5 $18) (16... h6 $2 17. bxc4 hxg5 18. e5
$16) 17. Nxd2 h6 18. Ngf3 Bb4 {So far, Carlsen played in blitz mode, which
makes us think that the novelty did not come as a surprise to him. However, I
am not sure that Black can be that happy with the outcome of the opening.
White is better developed and enjoys an advantage of space in the right half
of the board. He only has to work out some concrete details in order to avoid
problems connected with the undefended squares behind the advanced pawns.} 19.
Rfd1 $6 {Obviously, this is not the way to place rooks in this position, but
Eljanov may have been concerned about the threat ...Ng4-e3.} ({Indeed,} 19.
Rad1 $6 {was not better:} Qe7 (19... Ng4 20. Rfe1 Qe7 21. Re2 Rad8 22. e5 $5
$14) 20. Nd4 (20. Rfe1 Rad8 21. Ne5 Qe6 22. Re2) (20. Ne5 c5 21. Ndf3) 20...
Bxd2 (20... Ng4 21. Qd3 Rad8 22. N2f3 $14 c5 $2 23. Nc6 $18) 21. e5 c5 $1 (
21... Ng4 22. Qxd2 $16) (21... Bb4 22. Nc6 Qc5 23. Qxc5 Bxc5 24. exf6 $44) 22.
exf6 Qxf6 23. Qxc5 Be3 $15) ({Since White's plan is to advance his kingside
pawns, it would have made sense to concentrate rooks on this area of the board
with} 19. Rae1 $5 c5 (19... Qe7 $6 {Playing as in the game makes little sense
for Black now.} 20. Re2 Rad8 21. e5 Nd5 (21... Rfe8 22. Ne4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 $14 {
[%cal Gf4f5]}) 22. Ne4 $36 {[%cal Gf4f5,Gf3d4]}) 20. Re2 Qb6 {This is a better
way to strive for counterplay.} 21. e5 Nd5 22. Ne4 {[%csl Rd6,Rf6,Rg7][%cal
Gf3h4,Gh4f5]} c4 $5 23. bxc4 $1 Ne3+ 24. Rxe3 Qxe3 25. Rb1 Qa3 (25... Be7 26.
c5 {[%csl Re3][%cal Gb1b3]} Rfc8 27. Rb3 Rxc5 28. Nxc5 Qxc5 29. Qxc5 Bxc5 30.
Rc3 Bb6 31. Rc6 Rb8 32. Kf1 a5 33. Ke2 b4 34. Kd3 $14) 26. c5 Rac8 27. Rb3 Qa4
28. Kh3 $1 $44 {[%cal Gf4f5,Gc5c6,Ge4d6]} (28. c6 $2 Rxc6 $1) (28. f5 $2 Bxc5
$1)) 19... Qe7 20. e5 Nd5 21. Nf1 $11 {Quite sadly, the knight which seemed
designed for the central e4-square has to occupy a defensive position.} Rad8
22. a3 $5 (22. Nd4 c5 23. Nf5 Qb7 $36) 22... Bc5 (22... Bxa3 23. Nd4 c5 24. Nf5
Qb7 25. Kf2 Bb4 26. Qe4 $44) 23. b4 Bb6 24. Rd2 Qd7 25. f5 {This looks less
threatening now without the support of all the pieces.} Rfe8 26. Rad1 c6 $11 {
/~~ Black is well developed and enjoys stability in the centre. White's
attacking prospects are not too realistic.} 27. Rc1 Be3 $5 {An interesting way
of striving for active counterplay.} (27... Rc8 $11) 28. Rxd5 $8 cxd5 29. Nxe3
d4 30. Nf1 $6 {On general grounds, the player with two knights for a rook
should avoid the exchange of the additional pair of rooks.} (30. Rd1 {should
probably have been preferred.} Qb7 31. Nf1 Rxe5 32. Kf2 Red5 $13) 30... Rc8 31.
Qd1 Rxc1 32. Qxc1 Qxf5 $44 {/=/+ Black's play is easier now. White's display
of activity will only bring him trouble.} 33. Qc6 Rc8 34. Qxa6 Rc2+ 35. N1d2 g5
36. Qxh6 g4 37. Nh4 Qxe5 38. Kf2 Ra2 39. h3 d3 40. Qe3 Qxe3+ 41. Kxe3 gxh3 42.
Nhf3 Rxa3 43. Kf2 Ra4 44. Kg1 Rxb4 45. Kh2 Ra4 46. Kxh3 Ra8 47. Nd4 b4 48. Kg4
Re8 49. Kf5 Re2 50. N4b3 Kf8 51. Ne4 Ke7 52. Ke5 Rg2 53. Kf4 Ke6 54. Kf3 Re2
55. Nec5+ Kd5 56. Nxd3 Re8 57. Na5 Rb8 58. Nc1 Kc5 59. Nd3+ Kd5 60. Nc1 Rc8 61.
Ncb3 Ke5 62. Ke2 Rc2+ 63. Kf3 Rc3+ 64. Kg4 Ke4 65. Nb7 Kd3 66. N3a5 Kd4 67. Kf4
Kd5 68. Nd8 Rc8 69. Ndb7 Rc3 70. Nd8 Ra3 71. Ndc6 b3 72. Nxb3 Rxb3 73. Ne5 Rb1
74. g4 Rf1+ 75. Nf3 Ke6 76. Kg3 Ra1 77. Kf4 Ra4+ 78. Kg3 Kd5 79. Nh4 Ke4 80. g5
Ke5 81. Kh3 Kf4 82. g6 Kg5 0-1

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 {Frankly speaking, it seems to me that entering
the Catalan paths against Kramnik nowadays is a bit like playing with fire.
This subtle opening seems to suit the World Champion's present personality and
style perfectly. In this game, he will once again prove his deep opening
preparation and only a time trouble miracle will save Grischuk. Sinceramente,
me parece que entrar en una Catalana contra Kramnik es como jugar con el fuego.
Esta sútil apertura parece ajustarse perfectamente al estilo y a la
personalidad actual del Campeón Mundial. En esta partida, él demostrara una
vez mas su profunda preparación teórica y solo un milagro en apuros de tiempo
le salvó a Grischuk.} 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9.
Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 11. a3 $5 {A very rare move. White usually develops his
king's rook to c1 or d1, waiting for Black to develop his knight, in order to
play Ba5. Kramnik seems to believe that the modest advance of the a-pawn,
keeping the enemy pawns under control, is a more useful waiting move. Una
jugada muy poco frecuente. Normalmente, las blancas desarrollan su torre de
rey a c1 o d1, esperando a que las negras desarrollen su caballo para
contestar con Ba5. Kramnik parece pensar que el modesto avance del peón es una
jugada de espera más útil, al mantener los peones enemigos bajo control.} ({
I will mention here a game where the idea of sacrificing the c7-pawn was seen
for the first time in this variation.} 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nbd7 {Das ist ein
guter Platz für den Springer - Schwarz möchte mit c7-c5 die Partie ausgleichen.
} 13. Ba5 Qa8 $5 {[%csl Ga8,Ge4][%cal Ga8g2] Nielsen,P (2668)-Leko,P (2763)/
Dortmund 2005/CBM 108/[Ribli] (0-1, 60) Eine starke Neuerung von Leko, die die
Batterie Qa8-Be4 sehr angriffsstark werden lässt.}) 11... Nbd7 $146 ({In
practice, Black did OK after} 11... Be4 12. Qc1 {, but the objective merits of
the position remain unclear yet.} a5 (12... Nbd7 13. Ba5 Qa8 14. Nbd2 $5 (14.
Nc3 Bc6 15. Re1 Ne4 16. b4 Bd6 17. a4 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Nf6 19. Nh4 {1/2-1/2
Atalik,E (2399)-Bensdorp,M (2230)/Wijk aan Zee 2006/CBM 111}) 14... Bd5 15. b4
Nb8 (15... Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Ra2 $14 {We can see here one of the hidden
ideas behind the modest advance of the a-pawn: the a2-square is cleared for
the queen's rook, allowing the increase of the pressure along the c-file.}) 16.
Ne1 Bxg2 (16... Nc6 17. Nb3 $1 $14 {[%cal Ya1a2,Yg2d5,Ye1d3,Ya2c2,Yf1d1]}) 17.
Nxg2 Qd5 18. Qc3 Rd8 19. Nb3 $14) 13. Nc3 (13. a4 b4 14. Bg5 Nbd7 15. Nbd2 Bd5
{><b3} 16. Qc2 c5 $132) 13... Bc6 14. Bg5 Nbd7 15. Qe3 Qa8 16. Rfc1 Rc8 {
1/2-1/2 Kveinys,A (2510)-Rustemov,A (2564)/Lubniewice 2005/CBM 108 ext. Black
has a solid position, but has not managed to neutralize White's advantage of
space in any way. He is far from carrying out the thematic breaks ...c5 or ...
e5.} 17. a4 $5 $14) 12. Ba5 Qa8 $5 ({Grischuk aims for rapid activation of his
pieces, probably with the secret hope to surprise his well prepared opponent.
If the latter is true, a bitter disappointment awaited him... A more common
continuation would have been Grischuk aspira a activar sus figuras con rapidez,
posiblemente albergando la esperanza secreta de sorprender a su muy bien
preparado rival. Si eso último es verdad, le esperaba un amargo desengaño...
Una continuación mas conforme con la teória sería} 12... Be4 13. Qc1 Qb8 14.
Nbd2 Ba8 15. b4 {White has stabilized the queenside and could think about
gradual central expansion. y las blancas han estabilizado el flanco de dama,
pudiendo pensar en una expansión lenta en el centro.}) 13. Qxc7 {Played
without too much thought. Efectuada casi sin pensar.} Rc8 ({The discovered
attack} 13... Bxf3 {is not dangerous because of} 14. Bxf3 {. White seems to
maintain an edge in the endgame:} Rxc7 15. Bxa8 Rc4 (15... Rc2 16. Bf3 e5 17.
e3 exd4 18. exd4 Rxb2 19. Rc1 $14 {[%csl Yd7,Gf3]}) 16. Bg2 (16. Bf3 $5 Rxd4
17. Nd2 Ne5 18. Bg2) 16... Rxd4 17. Nd2 $14) 14. Qf4 Rc2 15. Nbd2 Rxb2 16. Rfc1
Nd5 17. Qe4 {Up to this moment, Kramnik had spent less than a quarter of an
hour. Quite suggestive for the degree of successf of Grischuk's surprise... En
este momento, Kramnik había gastado menos de un cuarto de hora. Bastante
sugestivo para el grado de éxito de la sorpresa de Grischuk...} b4 $5 {[%cal
Ga5d2]} 18. Qd3 (18. axb4 $6 Rxd2 $1 19. Nxd2 N5f6 20. Qd3 Bxg2 21. f3 Bh3 $13)
18... bxa3 19. Nc4 Bc6 (19... Rb5 20. Bd2 $1 $14 {[%cal Yc4a3]}) 20. Nxa3 Bb5
21. Nc4 Bb4 22. Qd1 Bxc4 23. Rxc4 Bxa5 24. Rxa5 $14 {White has the more
compact pawn structure and a very strong light-squared bishop, but the a6-pawn
should be kept under permanent surveillance. This position might have caused
Kramnik contradictory feelings. To a certain extent, the position is similar
to the first game of his match against Topalov. On that occasion, he had to
defend for a long time on the edge of the precipice, but eventually won.
However, there are two significant differences compared to that game. The
a-pawn is blocked in safer way, while the presence of queens on board prevents
Black from carrying out Topalov's plan based on ...g5-g4. Las blancas tienen
estructura algo más compacta y un fortisimo alfil de casillas blancas. Sin
embargo, puede que esta posición le hubiera provocado a Kramnik emociones
contradictorías, al parecerse bastante con la primera partida del match contra
Topalov. En aquella ocasión, Kramnik tuvo que defenderse por mucho rato al
borde del precipicio, pero acabo ganando.} Qb8 25. Nd2 N5b6 ({The attempt to
unblock the pawn with} 25... Qd8 {fails to} 26. Qc1 $1 {[%cal Yc4c8]} Rb8 27.
Qa1 $16) 26. Rc1 g6 27. Ne4 Rb5 28. Ra2 a5 {Black has managed to unblock his
pawn, but White's coordination remains better.} 29. Nc5 $16 {We can notice a
further difference compared to the game against Topalov. Instead of a pair of
knights, White has a knight and a bishop, which ensures the c5-knight another
possible outpost on b7.} Qd6 30. Nb7 Qb8 31. Qd3 $1 Rh5 {There was no other
way to keep the pawn defended.} 32. Nc5 $1 {The knight has return to the base,
after having isolated the enemy rook from the main theatre of operations.} Nd5
33. Qc4 N5b6 34. Qc3 Nd5 35. Qa1 Nxc5 36. Rxc5 {The pawn cannot be saved
anymore. El peón ya no puede ser salvado.} Nb4 (36... a4 37. Bf3 Rg5 38. Qc1 {
[%csl Gc8,Gg5]} (38. Rxa4 $4 Rxa4 39. Qxa4 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Nf4#) 38... Kg7 $1 39.
Qxg5 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Qxa2 41. Qe5+ (41. Bxd5 exd5 42. Qe5+ f6 43. Qb8 $40 {
[%csl Ya4,Yd5,Yg7]}) 41... f6 (41... Nf6 42. g4 h6 43. h4 $18) (41... Kh6 42.
Qb8 Rd7 43. Qf8+ $18) 42. Qd6 $40 (42. Qxe6 $4 Nf4+ $1 $19)) 37. Raxa5 Nc2 38.
Rxa7 $6 ({This spectacular move lets part of the advantage slip away. Esta
espectacular jugada deja escapar la ventaja de las blancas.} 38. Qa2 $1 {
would have won the pawn and, most probably, the game. hubiera ganado el peón y,
probablemente, la partida.}) 38... Nxa1 39. Ra8 Qxa8 40. Bxa8 Rxc5 41. dxc5 Kf8
42. c6 Ke7 43. c7 Kd7 44. Bc6+ Kxc7 45. Ba4 {White still has some winning
chances. The knight is isolated in the corner, while the black pawns are
vulnerable. A new miracle is needed in order to save Black's game... Las
blancas siguen teniendo algunas chances de victoría. El caballo está aislado
en el rincón, mientras que los peones negros son bastante vulnerables. Será
necesarío otro milagro más.} Kb6 46. Kg2 (46. Be8 $5 {is an important
alternative. The following analysis was provided by Jordan Kirchev from London.
} f6 47. Bf7 e5 48. Bg8 h6 49. Kg2 {"Black cannot move the knight to b3 or c2 
(because of Bh7 pininng the g6-pawn to the knight)."} Kc5 ({"If Black tries to
activate the knight by} 49... g5 $5 {then} 50. Kh3 $1 {aiming for the f6- or
h6-pawn."} Nc2 51. Kg4 Nd4 52. e3 $18) 50. Kh3 Kd6 51. Bh7 g5 52. Kg4 {with 53.
Kh5 and Kxh6 to follow.}) 46... Kc5 47. Kf3 Kb4 48. Be8 f6 49. Bf7 Nb3 {
Indirectly defending the pawn and winning an essential tempo. Defendiendo el
peón de forma indirecta y ganando un tiempo esencíal.} 50. e3 ({SImpler would
have been} 50. Bg8 {, for instance} h6 (50... Nd4+ 51. Ke3 Nf5+ 52. Ke4 Ne7 53.
Bxe6 $18 {There is such a theoretical winning position for White: the f-pawn
disappear (after f4 and e5) and the black king returns home. One of the main
reasons for Black's failure to hold the position is that the h7- and g6-pawns
are very vulnerable. However, Black is in an even worse situation here,
because his king is cut off the rest of the army.}) 51. Bf7 g5 52. Kg4 {
and Black is in big danger.}) (50. Kg4 $5) 50... Nc5 51. h4 $2 {This seems to
be the final mistake. White weakens the g3-pawn and facilitates the exchange
of one pair of pawns, something he should not be interested in.} (51. Bg8 h6
52. Bf7 g5 53. Kg4 f5+ 54. Kh5 g4 55. Kxh6 Kc4 56. Bxe6+ Nxe6 57. Kg6 Nc5 58.
Kxf5 Ne4 59. Kxg4 Nxf2+ 60. Kf5 $18 {Lebedev.}) 51... Kc3 52. Bg8 h6 53. Bf7 g5
54. Kg4 Ne4 55. hxg5 hxg5 56. Bxe6 Nxf2+ 57. Kf5 Kd3 {The incredible has just
happened. Black's pieces came back into play just in time. Lo increíble ha
pasado. Las figuras negras han llegado justo a tiempo.} 58. Kxf6 Ne4+ 59. Kg6
Nxg3 60. Kxg5 Kxe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 8th"]
[Site "Dresden"]
[Date "2007.04.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Georgiadis, Ioannis"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2413"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "2007.04.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 118"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.05.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.05.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
This variation is one of Kozul's specialties. White prevents Black from
gaining space on the queenside by means of ...b5, but weakens the b4-square in
chronic way. Theory generally considers that this move offers White less
chances for obtaining an advantage than after the immediate capture on c4, but
at the same time Black's chances for counterplay are almost non-existent.} Bd7
9. Qxc4 ({Over the years, Kozul has also tried} 9. Ne5 Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3
Na5 12. Nd2 {when Black is supposed to equalise with} c5) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5 {
This can be regarded as a small concession that White has to make in this line.
Generally speaking, it would be desirable to develop the knight first.} ({
However, after} 10. Nc3 {Black can play} b5 $1 {followed by ...b4, when the
knight would provoke considerable loss of time.}) 10... Bd5 {Black immediately
takes advantage of the fact that the e4- and d5-squares are not sufficiently
well defended (the knight is on b1 still!) in order to start active operations
in the centre.} ({For decades,} 10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 {has been regarded as the
main line, but recent practice has showed that White has good chances of
consolidating his advantage in the centre.}) 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 {The queen
has returned to its initial square after consuming 4 tempi, but the black
bishop has also moved quite a lot and is likely to provoke some additional
loss of time.} c5 13. dxc5 Nbd7 ({For} 13... Bxc5 {see Kozul's game against
Baramidze from the same tournament.}) 14. Nbd2 $146 {A new move.} ({Previously,
} 14. Nc3 {has been played, with the continuation} Bc6 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Bxf3
17. Bxf3 Nxc5 {In his comments to the game Kozul,Z (2569)-Ribli,Z (2564)/Solin/
Split 2001/CBM 087/[Ribli] (1-0, 51) Ribli gives a comprehensive survey on
this line. Kozul had some ulterior (but not too relevant) experience with this
line, continuing} 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. Be3 Rac8 20. Bxc5 Rxc5 21. Ne4 Nxe4 22.
Bxe4 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,Z (2589)-Delchev,A (2628)/Benidorm 2006/TWIC 631}) 14...
Bd5 {A logical retreat: since the d5-square is not attacked, why not make use
of it. However, the bishop will prove to be not too stable in the centre,
allowing White win some space with gain of tempo.} ({Kozul's new idea might be
based on the fact that after} 14... Bc6 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxc5 {
the white knight is better placed than on c3, enabling} 18. Nc4 $14 {[%csl Ya5,
Yb6] with pressure against the a5- and b6-squares.}) 15. Qc2 {[%csl Yc5,Ye4]} (
15. Rc1 Rc8 $1 (15... Nxc5 $6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Ne1 Rc8 18. b4 Bxg2 19. Nxg2
Nd7 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qb3 $14) 16. b4 a5 $11) 15... Nxc5 (15... Rc8 $6 16. b4
a5 17. e4 $16) 16. Bxf6 gxf6 {White has managed to spoil Black's kingside
structure, which will ofer him a comfortable target in the long run.} 17. b4
Nd7 18. e4 $5 {At this stage of the game, it is far from clear who will
actually benefit from this pawn advance. White wins some space in the centre,
but weakens the d4- and d3-squares, something he does not usually do in the
Catalan.} (18. Qb2 {[%cal Yf3d4] /\Nd4}) 18... Bc6 19. Rab1 {[%csl Gc6][%cal
Yb4b5]} Rc8 20. Qa2 b5 21. axb5 Bxb5 ({It is hard to give a refutation to} 
21... axb5 {[%csl Yc6] , but one can understand Black for wishing to open new
horisons for his bishop.}) 22. Rfd1 Qb6 23. Bf1 {An important moment. After
spoiling Black's kingside structure, one important element to achieve for
White is the exchange of the light-squared bishops. This would not only reduce
Black's counter-attacking potential, but also increase the significance of the
structural deffects (the f5-square will become potentially weaker now). The
curious thing is that this exchange is carried out along the f1-a6 diagonal 
(Catalan players are more used to doing it along the long diagonal, of course).
} Rfd8 24. Bxb5 axb5 25. Qb3 {Preparing the transfer of the queen to the
kingside.} Nb8 26. Ne1 {In the Catalan, this move is usually the preliminary
step to the transfer of the knight to d3. Here, it only clears the way for the
queen, because the d3-square is anything but stable after the advance of the
e-pawn.} Nc6 27. Qf3 Nxb4 {Black has managed to win a pawn, but he will face
serious problems defending his kingside and the b-pawn at the same time. From
a practical point of view, White's position is easier to handle (in the worst
of the cases, he should be able to find aperpetual), although we can probably
not speak about an objective advantage yet.} 28. Qg4+ Kh8 29. Qh5 $44 Rf8 {
It is hard to give a definitive evaluation to this move. Black maintains his
king on a safe position, but does not fight for space on the kingside in any
way.} ({In case of} 29... Kg7 {, preventing a further Qh6, White is not forced
to repeat moves. He could continue as in the game with} 30. Ndf3 {eventually
followed by e5, when the king would feel relatively insecure on g7.}) 30. Ndf3
Qc5 31. Qh6 Rcd8 32. Rdc1 Qd6 33. Rb3 Rc8 34. Rcb1 Nc6 35. Rxb5 $14 {After
winning his pawn back, White can finally claim a minimal advantage. His major
pieces are more active and his king is much safer.} Rg8 36. Rh5 Rg7 37. Rc1 Rd8
38. Rhc5 {The possibility of switching from one wing to another has not
disappeared after the elimination of the b-pawn. Black's position is not easy
to handle, although there are no big concrete threats yet.} Nd4 {Black had no
good squares for his knight. However, after the exchange of one pair of
knights, White's chances of setting up a domination on light squares increases.
The bishop will be not of great help from this point of view.} 39. Nxd4 Qxd4
40. Rc7 Rd7 41. Nf3 Qd3 42. Qf4 Rg8 43. Rxd7 Qxd7 44. Rc7 Qd8 45. Qc1 {[%cal
Yc1c6] Heading for c6.} Re8 46. Qc6 Kg8 {Black has somewhat "corrected" his
kingside arrangement of pieces, but the feeling of safety is relative, because
White can switch back any moment.} 47. Rd7 Qb8 48. Rb7 Qd8 49. Nd4 $1 {[%csl
Ye8] In the Catalan, the (king's) knight is the piece specially designed to
occupy the c6-square.} Bf8 50. Qa4 (50. Qb5 $5) 50... Qc8 51. Qb5 Qc1+ (51...
Qc3 $5 {Of course, such a move is not easy to find in the permanent time
trouble FIDE places players in after the 30th move with their "revolutionary"
time control.} 52. Nf3 (52. Qxe8 Qe1+ 53. Kg2 Qxe4+ $15 {[%cal Ye4b7]}) 52...
Re7 $14) 52. Kg2 Rd8 $2 (52... Re7 $14) 53. Nc6 $6 $16 (53. Qh5 $1 $18) 53...
Rd1 54. Qh5 Rg1+ 55. Kh3 Qh6 56. Qxh6 Bxh6 57. Nd8 {Although Kozul has failed
to find a simpler win, the final result cannot be put under question.} Rd1 58.
Nxf7 Bg7 59. e5 $5 fxe5 60. Ng5 Bh6 61. Nxh7 Rd2 62. Nf6+ Kf8 63. Nd7+ Kg8 64.
Nxe5 Rxf2 65. Ng4 1-0

[Event "World-ch Tournament"]
[Site "Mexico City"]
[Date "2007.09.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2007.09.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 120"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {If asked which line he consideres to be
the safest against the Catalan, Kramnik would probably refuse to answer. The
best way to find out hisopinion is to play this opening against him and here
is what he decided to answer today. Sí le preguntasen a Kramnik cual es la
variante más segura contra la Catalana, lo más probable es que refuse a
contestar. El mejor método para saber su opinión es jugar esta misma apertura
contra él; aquí tenemos su espuesta para hoy.} 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14.
Nb3 a5 15. Bxf6 ({For instance} 15. Rd1 {and only after} a4 {exchange on f6:}
16. Bxf6 {when the inserton of the moves Rd1 and ...a4 clearly favours White.}
Bxf6 ({Black can deviate from the natural course of the game with} 16... gxf6 {
, keeping the c5-square well defended, but after} 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Bd5 19.
Qh6 Kh8 20. Rac1 $14 {followed by the exchange of the light-squared bishops I
prefer White anyway.}) 17. Nc5 Bd5 (17... Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Bd5 19. Ne1 $14) 18. e4
$1 $14) ({Fighting for the queenside light squares with} 15. a4 {also makes
sense.} Bd5 16. Nbd2 $14 {/\e4, /\axb5.}) 15... Bxf6 {This looks like the
correct capture.} (15... Nxf6 $6 {Shirov,A (2699)-Onischuk,A (2663)/Foros 2007/
CBM 119/[Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 42)}) 16. Nc5 Bd5 {White is not sufficiently well
developed to maintain the blockade on c5. After a short phase of
simplifications, the game will end in a draw, hopefully just in time to allow
Kramnik watch his favourite match from the Champion's League. Las blancas no
tienen suficiente desarrollo para mantener el bloqueo en la casilla de c5.
Tras una breve fase de simplificaciones, la partida acabará en tablas. Espero
que esto pasó suficientemente pronto para permitir a Kramnik seguír su partido
favorito de la Liga de Campeones.} 17. e4 $146 {Optically, this move looks
premature. White weakens the dark squares and will not be able to maintain his
advantage of space. The further course of the game will justify this feeling.}
(17. Rd1 Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Qb7 19. Rac1 Rac8 20. Ne1 Rfd8 21. e3 c6 22. b3 (22. Qc2
) 22... Be7 {/\...Ba3, ...c5 1/2-1/2 Sigurjonsson,G (2440)-Speelman,J (2520)/
Brighton 1981/MCD}) 17... Bc4 $1 {A courageous move, based on accurate
calculation (or maybe home preparation?! With Kramnik you never know)} ({
It is easy to see that the bishop had no other favourable squares, while} 17...
Nxc5 {would be bad because of} 18. exd5 $1 $16 {[%cal Yg2a8]}) 18. Nxd7 (18.
Re1 {would fail to put the c4-bishop in danger because of} Nxc5 19. dxc5 e5 $13
) 18... Qxd7 19. Re1 {Trying to retsrict the c4-bishop, but leaving the
d4-pawn undefended.} (19. Rd1 {is not better.} Be2 20. e5 Be7 $1 ({Not falling
for} 20... Bxd1 $2 21. exf6 Bxf3 22. Qg5 $18) 21. Rd2 Bc4 $1 {The bishop is
just in time to block the important d5-square.} 22. Rc2 c6 23. Qf4 Bd5 24. Rac1
a4 {Black is at least not worse.}) 19... Bxd4 20. Rd1 c5 21. Qc2 {[%csl Ge2]
[%cal Gb2b3]} e5 $8 22. Nxe5 {Black's agreement on a peaceful result looks
premature.} (22. Nxe5 Qe6 23. Nxc4 (23. Nf3 Bxa2 24. Nxd4 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Bc4 $15
{The strong queenside majority is a permanent source of worries for White,
whose bishop is not too active.}) 23... Qxc4 24. Qxc4 bxc4 25. Rac1 (25. Rd2 $2
c3 $1) 25... Rab8 26. Rd2 Rb4 $15 {The difference of activity between bishops
and the vulnerability of the f2-square faces White with permanent problems.})
1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 41st"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2013.07.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Khenkin, Igor"]
[Black "Fridman, Daniel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2013.07.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 156"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 c5 $5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. b4 a5 14. Nc3 (14.
Rd1 {Rodshtein,M (2616)-Pelletier,Y (2601)/Eilat 2012/CBM 151/[Pelletier] (1/2,
33)}) 14... axb4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bxb4 Bxc5 17. Qb1 Bxb4 (17... Ra4 18. Bxc5
Ndxc5 19. Qxb5 Qd5 20. Qb2 Rfa8 21. a3 f6 22. Rad1 Qb3 23. Qxb3 Nxb3 {Bluebaum,
M (2433)-Feygin,M (2538)/Germany 2013/CBM 153 (1/2, 37)}) 18. Qxb4 Ndf6 19.
Qxb5 Nc3 20. Qb2 Qc7 21. Rac1 Nfd5 22. Nd4 Rfb8 23. Qd2 Rxa2 24. Qxa2 Nxa2 25.
Rxc7 Nxc7 $11 {White's advantage is purely symbolical.} 26. Nc6 Rb5 27. Rd1 Ne8
28. f4 Nc3 29. Rd8 Rb1+ 30. Kf2 Nd1+ 31. Ke1 Nb2+ 32. Kf2 Nd1+ 33. Ke1 Nb2+ 34.
Kd2 Rd1+ 35. Kc3 Rxd8 36. Nxd8 Na4+ 37. Kd4 Nd6 38. e4 Kf8 39. Nc6 Ke8 40. Bf1
Kd7 41. Ne5+ Ke7 42. Nc6+ Kd7 43. Ne5+ Ke7 44. Nc6+ Kd7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 76th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2014.01.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rae1 {I sometimes tend to play
moves like this, Rae1 or Rae8, heading for a massive concentration of forces
on the kingside. And on many occasions I soon get the feeling that Rfe1(8)
followed by Rad1(8) would have been more flexible. I must admit, though, that
I would not consider seriously the last move. I really do not see what the
other rook is dong on f1.} Bd5 (12... Ne4 {Tkachiev,V (2643)-Zelcic,R (2540)
Istanbul 2003 CBM 096 [Ribli] (1-0, 43)}) ({A quarter of a century ago, it was
painful to see one of my biggest heroes ever defeated with} 12... Nb4 $6 {
This does not prevent White's plan at all.} 13. e4 Nd7 14. Ra1 $6 {[%csl Ga4]
Admitting that Rae1 was somewhat artificial is one thing, but giving way two
tempi may be too much...} (14. b3 $5) (14. Qe2 Nb6 15. b3) 14... Bd6 15. Be3 (
15. Bd2 $5) 15... Nc2 16. Bg5 Nb6 17. Qd3 Nb4 18. Qe2 Qe8 19. b3 f5 $132 {
Kortschnoj,V (2640)-Hjartarson,J (2590) Saint John 1988 (0-1, 38)}) 13. Nxd5 {
But this looks like a real concession. After strengthening his centre, Black
cannot be worse at all.} (13. Qd3 Nb4 14. Qb1 Bb3 $132 {Poldauf,D (2375)
-Pieniazek,A (2345) Rostock 1989 EXT 2002 [Poldauf,D] (1/2, 35)}) (13. Qb5 Bb4
(13... Bc6 14. Qb3 Nb4 15. Rc1 {Tkachiev,V (2643)-Delchev,A (2577) Istanbul
2003 (1/2, 15)}) 14. Bg5 Bc6 15. Qc4 h6 (15... Bd5 16. Qd3 c5 17. e4 cxd4 18.
Nxd5 exd5 19. e5 Nc5 20. Qd1 h6 21. exf6 hxg5 22. fxg7 Kxg7 23. Qxd4+ $16 Qf6
$2 24. Re5 $1 $18 {Ragger,M (2572)-Georgiadis,I (2457) Peristeri 2010 (1-0, 28)
}) (15... Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 17. e4 h6 18. Be3 $14 {Cvitan,O (2546)-Horvath,P 
(2463) Rabac 2003 (1-0, 67)}) 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. e4 Rfd8 18. Re2 Be8 19. Rd1 c6
20. h4 b5 $5 21. Qa2 bxa4 22. Nxa4 c5 $36 23. d5 exd5 $6 (23... Bb5 24. Re3
exd5 25. exd5 Re8 $36) 24. exd5 Bb5 25. Re4 $1 $36 {Buhmann,R (2565)-Boensch,U
(2523) Austria 2008 (1-0, 61)}) 13... exd5 14. Qb5 Qc8 $146 {Just a matter of
taste.} (14... Rb8 15. Qxa5 Bb4 16. Qb5 c6 17. Qd3 Bxe1 18. Nxe1 Ra8 19. Qb3 {
Inarkiev,E (2681)-Jakovenko,D (2720) Odessa (rapid) 2008 (1/2, 85). White's
compensation is not too obvious; if it exists, it should not yield more than
equality.}) 15. Qb3 (15. Qxa5 Bb4) 15... Nb4 16. Nd2 c6 {Black has a
comfortable position, but the bishop pair should allow White maintain
approximate equality.} 17. e4 {The only consequent plan after Rae1. White's
activity should compensate for the weakness of the isolated pawn.} dxe4 18.
Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Qd7 20. Bd2 Nd5 21. Re2 $6 {An unnecessary retreat,
weakening the d4-pawn and preparing an unnecessary concession on the next move.
} (21. Rfe1 {looks more logical:} Bf6 22. h4 h5 23. Bf1 g6 24. Bc4 Bg7 $11 {
There is no obvious way to make progress with either side. Black cannot
release the pressure along the e-file with ...Re8 without losing the b-pawn.
And White cannot transform his pressure into something concrete.}) 21... Bf6
22. Bxd5 $6 {This is starting to look too straightforward an attempt to play
for a draw. Or maybe White overestimated his rook activity along the seventh
rank (see below).} (22. Re4 Rfe8) (22. Rd1 Bxd4 $140 $6 23. Bxd5 Qxd5 24. Qxd5
cxd5 25. Bf4 $36) 22... Qxd5 23. Qxd5 (23. Qxb7 Bxd4 {leaves Black nicely
centralised.}) 23... cxd5 24. Rc1 (24. Rd1 Rfc8) 24... Bxd4 25. Bf4 {With
respect to the line starting with 22.Rd1 above, Black can keep his d-pawn now.}
Rfd8 26. Rc7 {This counterplay will not bring in any result.} (26. Rd2 Bf6 (
26... Bb6 27. Rcd1 d4 28. Be5 Rd5 29. Bxd4 Rad8 30. Be3 $11) 27. Rc5 d4 28. Rd3
Rd7 29. Kg2 $44 {/= Given White's activity, it it hard to believe that Black
can convert his extra pawn.}) 26... b6 27. Ree7 Bxb2 28. Rxf7 Rac8 {The
g7-pawn is safely defended and Black keeps his small material advantage.} 29.
Rb7 Rc4 30. Rfc7 Bd4 31. Be3 Rxc7 32. Rxc7 Bxe3 33. fxe3 d4 34. exd4 Rxd4 35.
Rb7 Rb4 $1 {It is useful to keep some queenside tension. The necessity of
keeping the b6-pawn under attack restricts the white rook's activity.} (35...
Rxa4 36. Rxb6 Ra2 {Otherwise White would not have any problem at all.} 37. Ra6
a4 38. Ra7 a3 39. Kf1 $5 ({Passivity looks suicidal:} 39. Kh1 h5 40. h4 g6 41.
Kg1 Kf8 42. Kh1 Ke8 43. Kg1 Kd8 44. Ra6 Kc7 45. Rxg6 Rb2 46. Ra6 a2 $19 {
[%cal Gb2b1]}) 39... h5 40. Ke1 Kh7 41. Ra6 g5 42. Kd1) 36. Kg2 h5 37. Kf3 Kh7
38. h4 $2 {If Black just had an extra pawn on the queenside, with his rook in
front of it, this would be the safest defensive method. The way it is, it just
offers Black the possibility of a winning mechanism.} (38. h3) 38... Kg6 (38...
Rxa4 $1 39. Rxb6 {Otherwise, Ra6 would draw.} Rb4 $1 40. Ra6 a4 41. Ke3 Kg8 42.
Ra7 Rg4 $1 {The key move. The rook defends all the pawns and attacks the
g3-pawn. Therefore, the king can slowly navigate first to b8, then to b3.} 43.
Kf3 Kf8 44. Rd7 Ke8 45. Ra7 Kd8 46. Kf2 Kc8 47. Kf3 Kb8 48. Ra5 g6 49. Kf2 Kb7
$19) 39. Rd7 {I am not sure why Black abandoned the old defensive system. The
new one is stirring up trouble, supposing that White was not going to notice
the plan indicated above.} Kf6 40. Rd6+ Kf5 41. Rd5+ (41. Rc6 g6 42. Rd6 Rxa4
43. Rxb6 Rb4 44. Ra6 a4 45. Ra5+ Ke6) 41... Ke6 {The game becomes a race now,
with certain drawing chances for White.} (41... Kg6 42. Rd6+ Kh7 {would have
returned the technical process to the right track.}) 42. Rg5 Kf7 43. Rxh5 Rxa4
44. Rh8 Rb4 45. Ra8 g5 46. hxg5 Kg6 47. Rg8+ Kh5 48. g4+ Kh4 49. Rg6 $2 {
White starts losing valuable time just when he was close to his goal.} (49. g6
$1 Kg5 50. g7 Kg6 51. Kg3 Kh7 52. Ra8 Kxg7 53. Kh4 a4 54. Ra7+ (54. Kh5 $2 Rb5+
55. g5 Ra5 $19) 54... Kg6 55. Ra8 {and Black cannot make progress:} Re4 56. Ra6
Rb4 57. Ra8 $11) 49... a4 50. Rg7 b5 51. Rg8 a3 52. g6 Kg5 53. g7 Rb3+ 54. Ke4
Kg6 55. Ra8 Kxg7 {With three extra tempi with respect to the previous line,
Black wins.} 56. Kf5 Rf3+ 57. Ke4 Rc3 58. Kf5 Rc5+ 59. Kf4 Rc4+ 60. Kf5 Ra4 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel-A 76th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2014.01.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2782"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 {I have never understood how come this paradoxical
move, moving for the second time with the bishop before completing the
development, became so fashionable and successful at the same time. I admit,
10.Bd2 is not very natural from the classic point of view, but it is a
developing move after all.} 11. a3 {White has tried a wide range of
continuations here. I was surprised to find out how many games with this line
I have annotated over the past years!} (11. Re1 Be4 12. Qc1 Bb7 (12... Nbd7 13.
Ba5 {Volokitin,A (2684)-Onischuk,A (2664) Foros 2008 CBM 125 [Marin,M] (1-0,
31)}) 13. Bg5 (13. a3 Nbd7 14. b4 {Cheparinov,I (2696)-Jakovenko,D (2737)
Elista 2008 CBM 128 [Marin,M] (1/2, 51)}) 13... Nbd7 14. Nbd2 c5 15. Bxf6 gxf6
16. Nb3 {Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Alekseev,E (2700) Havana 2010 CBM 137 [Stohl,
I] (1-0, 55)}) (11. Bg5 {Paradox for paradox...} Nbd7 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 c5
14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Nxc5 Be4 16. Qc3 e5 17. e3 (17. Qe1 {Fridman,D (2655)-Leko,P
(2730) Dortmund 2012 CBM 150 [Marin,M] (1/2, 27)}) 17... Bxc5 18. dxc5 Qd5 {
Kramnik,V (2785)-Carlsen,M (2714) Moscow 2007 CBM 122 [Marin,M] (1/2, 40)}) (
11. Ng5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Nbd7 13. e4 {Eljanov,P (2687)-Carlsen,M (2765) Foros
2008 CBM 125 [Marin,M] (0-1, 82). At that time, I found this line to be good
for White.}) 11... Nbd7 12. b4 (12. Ba5 Qb8 13. b4 Qa7 (13... e5 {Ganguly,S 
(2630)-Shyam,S (2484) Kolkata 2012 (1/2, 23)}) 14. Nbd2 Rac8 15. e4 e5 {
Cheparinov,I (2689)-Atalik,S (2603) Burgas 2012 CBM 151 [Atalik,S] (1-0, 44)})
12... Ra7 13. Bc3 $146 {Now that I see it, this looks like the most natural
move. The knight belongs on the route d2-b3, while the bishop inhibits the
freeing ...e6-e5. The fact that at depth 23/56 it does not make the top 8 in
my engine's preference list hardly has anything to do with the merits of the
move; it most likely is the engine's problem!} (13. Nc3 {Carlsen,M (2872)
-Aronian,L (2809) London 2013 CBM 154 [Marin,M] (1/2, 41)}) 13... Be4 14. Qc1 {
The most flexible retreat. Most likely, the queen will return to c2 after Nbd2,
but in the meanwhile the queen stays out of the d7-knight's range (Nb6-a4)
allowing the rook's activation with Ra2 at the same time.} Qa8 15. Nbd2 Bd5 16.
Qc2 Nb6 {Very natural play on both sides. Black seems to be well coordinated,
but his a7-rook lacks mobility and there is no freeing pawn break in view.} 17.
Ne1 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Na4 {Starting with this moment, Karjakin will do his best
to keep up the tension, an issue featured by the game Giri-Aronian, too.} ({
However, this might have been the right moment for giving up tension, with
chances to get a dynamically balanced position.} 17... Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Nfd5 {
Threatening ...Nxc3 followed by ...a5, but also ...Na4 with the same idea.} 19.
Bb2 (19. Nb3 Nc4 {[%cal Ga6a5]} 20. Bd2 e5 $132) 19... a5 $1 (19... Na4 20. Nb3
$14 {stops ...a6-a5.}) 20. e4 {Black loses a piece, but he can get good
compensation.} axb4 $1 21. exd5 bxa3 22. dxe6 (22. Bc1 Nxd5 {with three strong
pawns for the knight.}) 22... axb2 23. Rxa7 Qxa7 24. Qxb2 $13 {The black
kingside will be somewhat weakened, but there is no obvious way of exploting
that.}) 18. Nb3 Be4 ({It is hard to say whether the knight stands better on g2
or e1:} 18... Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Qe4 20. Ra2 Nxc3 21. Qxc3 e5 22. Rd1 {[%csl Gd4]} (
22. Ne3 a5 $1) 22... Raa8 23. Ne3 $14 {Nothing really changes with respect to
the game variation.}) 19. Bxe4 Qxe4 20. Ra2 $1 {White, too, maintains the
tension, but this is absolutely compulsory for him.} ({If} 20. Qxe4 Nxe4 {
he would luckily still have a square for his bishop:} 21. Bd2 {but this would
not prevent Black's counterplay:} a5 22. bxa5 Nxd2 23. Nxd2 Rxa5 $15) 20...
Nxc3 21. Qxc3 e5 ({Nothing is changed by} 21... Raa8 22. Rc2) 22. Nf3 exd4 23.
Nfxd4 Raa8 24. Rc2 Nd5 25. Qf3 Qxf3 26. Nxf3 {White has obtained a dream
position. In a few moves, the queenside will be completely blocked, after
which the kingside majority will advance slowly but surely. It is not easy to
choose an evaluation in the range +/= to +-. White's advantage does not look
so threatening yet, but a technical player will feel very unlucky if he fails
to win such a dominating position.} Rfe8 27. Rd1 Nb6 28. Na5 g6 29. e3 Kg7 30.
Rd3 Rac8 31. Rc6 Rb8 32. Kf1 h5 33. h3 Kf6 34. Nd2 Kg7 35. Ndb3 Re6 36. Kg2 Kf8
37. f4 Ree8 38. Kf3 Red8 39. Rc2 Rd7 40. e4 Ke8 41. e5 {Nothing spectacular
has happened over the last sequence of moves, but in the meanwhile it has
become crystal clear that White has at least a huge advantage.} Be7 42. Rxd7
Kxd7 43. Rd2+ Ke8 44. Nc6 Ra8 45. Nba5 f5 $6 {This makes things easier for
White.} ({If Black did not wish to wait until he is crushed by the white pawns,
} 45... f6 {should have been preferred.}) 46. g4 $1 {Probably underestimated
by Karjakin.} hxg4+ 47. hxg4 fxg4+ 48. Kxg4 Kf7 49. Rh2 Bf8 50. f5 {White
plays on automatic pilot.} ({The engines indicate several "more convincing"
wins, for instance} 50. Rh7+ Bg7 51. Ne7 Rh8 52. Rxh8 Bxh8 53. Nac6 Bg7 54. Kg5
$18 {But in a game between humans, one should not forget that the better may
well turn into the enemy of very good!}) 50... Nd5 ({A curious decision,
although} 50... gxf5+ 51. Kxf5 {is hopeless.}) 51. f6 Nxf6+ $2 {Mathematically,
the best move. But actually the only reasonable possibility at this level was
immediate resignation. The last phase of the game was completely unnecessary.}
52. exf6 Kxf6 53. Rf2+ Ke6 54. Re2+ Kd5 55. Rd2+ Ke4 56. Nb7 Ke3 57. Rd7 Re8
58. Rxc7 Bh6 59. Nc5 Rf8 60. Re7+ Kd2 61. Re6 Rf1 62. Na7 Be3 63. Rxa6 Ke2 64.
Rxg6 Rf4+ 65. Kh3 Rf3+ 66. Rg3 Rf7 67. Nxb5 Bf2 68. Rb3 Rf4 69. Nc3+ Kf1 70.
Rb1+ Be1 71. Rxe1+ 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 76th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2014.01.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Nc6 $5 {An interesting way of trying to take advantage of the move
order chosen by White.} ({The main continuation is} 9... Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11.
Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 {with some light pressure for White:} 13. Bg5 ({In my
article for CBM 127 I focussed on} 13. a5) 13... Rb8 {(1/2, 44) Kramnik,V 
(2800)-Karjakin,S (2763) Moscow 2011 CBM 146 [RR]}) 10. Qxc4 Nb4 11. Nc3 ({
With Nc3 instead of Rd1, White could have played} 11. Ne5 {, but here this
fails to} Bxa4 $1 {[%cal Gb7b5] Fritsch,R-Keller,M Germany 1985 (1/2, 19)})
11... Bc6 {Black has reached a known regrouping, but has spared a tempo on the
way: he did not have to clear the knight's path with ...a6-a5. This thematic
move will be played later, but for the time being he can use the tempo for the
fight in the centre.} 12. Bg5 (12. a5 $5 b5 13. axb6 cxb6 $13) ({But} 12. Bf4 {
looks better, when Black might have to transpose back to some of the main
lines with} a5 {But even this would be a small success, since White wanted to
play another variation in the first place.}) 12... Bd5 $1 {The game now takes
on an independent character.} (12... a5 13. Rac1 {would transpose to the main
lines with 9.Qxc4, when} Bd5 $2 {would not be possible anymore because of the
pressure along the c-file.}) 13. Nxd5 exd5 {This forced structural
modification clearly favours Black. The Karlsbad structure does not offer
White anything but worries if his bishop is on g2.} 14. Qb3 a5 $1 {Finally
consolidating the queenside.} 15. Ne5 c6 16. Nd3 $146 {The start of
simplifications. White understands very well that there is no advantage at all.
} ({Keeping the pieces on the board for too long may hand over the initiative
to Black:} 16. Bd2 {Too passive.} Qb6 17. e3 Bd6 18. Nd3 Rfe8 19. Rac1 Ne4 20.
Be1 h5 21. Rc2 Qa6 22. Rcc1 h4 $36 {Shestakov,S (2351)-Novikov,M (2515) Tula
2005 (0-1, 40)}) 16... Re8 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxb4 Qb6 19. Qc3 axb4 20. Qd3 Ra5
21. b3 Qa6 22. Qd2 Qb6 23. e3 g6 24. h4 Kg7 25. Bf3 h5 26. Kg2 $11 {Neither
side can carry out any pawn break without weakening his position.} Be7 27. Re1
Raa8 28. Qd3 Bf6 29. Rad1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 4th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2009.11.12"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2739"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2009.11.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 133"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Nd5 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Nd7 15.
Rfd1 Bd6 16. Qe3 Nb6 17. Qd3 {A new move, delaying the exchange of the
light-squared bishops and aiming to cause Black some difficulties with the
opening of the centre.} (17. Ne5 {has been universally played so far.}) 17...
c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Qxd8 Rfxd8 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 f5 $5 {Not a typical
move. Apparently, Black weakens his kingside, but his excellent development
allows him to avoid troubles. The control of the e4-square is essential in
view of the threatened Ne4.} ({White may have relied on} 21... Rac8 22. Rxd8+
Rxd8 23. Ne4 {with problems for Black.} Bf8 (23... Be7 $6 {[%csl Gg5][%cal
Gf7f5]} 24. Nc6 Rd7 25. Nxe7+ Rxe7 26. Rc1 $16) (23... Rd5 24. Nd3 Bf8 25. Rc1
$14) 24. Rc1 Rc8 25. Rxc8 Nxc8 26. Nc6 $14 {Black will soon have to advance
his pawns (Nb8-c6), exposing them to the attack of the white king.}) 22. e3
Rac8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rc1 Rc8 25. Ne2 Bd6 26. Rxc8+ Nxc8 27. Nc6 Kf7 28. f4
Ke8 29. Kf3 Kd7 30. Ncd4 Ne7 31. e4 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 8th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2016.12.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2748"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2016.12.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 ({Once considered a reliable drawing weapon in an
only slightly unpleasant position,} 10... Bd5 {has yielded White good results
lately:} 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)
-Nakamura,H (2787) Paris 2016 CBM 173 [Besenthal,K] (1-0, 54)}) 11... Be4 12.
Qd1 (12. Qc1 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rd1 {Eljanov,P (2717)-Nakamura,H (2814) Baku
2015 CBM 169 [Eljanov,P] (1-0, 58)}) 12... c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nbd2 Bc6 15.
Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Be7 17. Rc1 Nbd7 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Nf3 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 Rfc8
21. Ne5 h6 22. Bd2 Rd8 23. Nd3 {Giri,A (2793)-Leko,P (2707) Baku 2015 CBM 169 
[Stohl,I] (1-0, 46)}) ({Anticipating a bit, Adams seems to enjoy rare lines,
yielding him somewhat passive but solid positions, as in} 10... h6 11. Bxf6
Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. e3 a5 {Eljanov,P (2723)-Adams,M (2740) Biel
2015 CBM 168 [Marin,M] (0-1, 59)}) 11. Nc3 Ra6 $5 {This rare move brings the
rook closer to the b4-square.} ({Usually it is the knight heading for it with} 
11... Na6 {but this allows White to occupy the centre:} 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4
Nb4 14. Rfd1 g6 15. h4 Bg7 16. h5 (16. Rd2 {Aronian,L (2777)-Kramnik,V (2783)
Zuerich 2015 CBM 165 [Roiz,M] (1/2-1/2, 61)}) 16... b6 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Nh2
Qd7 19. e5 {Aronian,L (2773)-Alekseev,E (2725) Ohrid 2009 CBM 133 [Ftacnik,L] 
(1-0, 38)}) 12. Qd3 $5 ({The solid} 12. e3 {has the drawback of cutting off
the bishop's retreat, inevitably leading to its exchange.} Rb6 13. Qe2 Nbd7 14.
Rfd1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Qc2 Ne8 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 $14 {Nakamura,H (2793)-Aronian,
L (2788) London 2015 CBM 170 [Sumets,A] (½-½, 41), with the usual solid but
passive Black position.}) ({It should be mentioned that} 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 {
does not work now due to} Rb6 {[%csl Gb2,Gd4][%cal Gb6b4,Gf6d4] causing
troubles with the d4- and b2-pawns.}) 12... Rb6 13. Qc2 h6 $146 {Before making
a decision regarding the centre Black forces his opponent into defining his
intentions with respect to his bishop.} ({The alternative is} 13... Bxf3 14.
Bxf3 Rb4 $6 {This only wastes time without bothering White.} (14... Qxd4 15.
Be3 $18) ({The critical move seems to be} 14... Nc6 {more or less forcing} 15.
e3 {when after} Nb4 16. Qe2 h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 {the game would transpose to a
similar position as in the aforementioned game Eljanov-Adams. But maybe Adams
wanted something different this time.}) 15. Rfd1 c6 (15... Rxd4 16. Rxd4 Qxd4
17. Nb5 Qb6 18. Qxc7 Qxc7 19. Nxc7 $14) 16. Be3 Nd5 17. Bc1 Rb6 18. e4 Nb4 19.
Qe2 Re8 20. Bg2 Ra6 21. Be3 Nd7 22. d5 $16 {1-0 (40) Ruck,R (2535)-Moor,O 
(2377) Zuerich 2005}) (13... Rb4 {is pointless due to} 14. e4 $16) 14. Bd2 {
White is just happy to keep his bishop. Now he will be able to play e2-e3
without problems.} Bb4 15. Rfe1 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Bxf3 ({Giving up the other
bishop strengthens White's centre:} 15... Bxc3 16. bxc3 Be4 {As we will see,
the blockade is not very stable.} 17. Qc1 Nc6 18. Rd1 Qe7 19. Bf1 $5 Rd8 (19...
Bxf3 20. exf3 e5 21. Re1 Qd6 22. d5 $5 Qxd5 23. Be3 {[%csl Gb6]} Rb3 24. Qc2
$16 {[%csl Gb3][%cal Gf1e2,Ge2d1]}) 20. Bf4 (20. Ne1 e5 $132) 20... Nd5 21. Nd2
Bg6 22. Bg2 $14 {[%cal Gd2c4]}) 16. Bxf3 Nc6 17. e3 $14 {For the time being
White cannot advance his central pawns, but in the long run they could become
threatening, especially with two bishops sustaining them.} e5 {In principle
Black should break up the centre after thorough preparation, but it seems that
here there is no obvious way to improve the queen's placement, for instance.} (
17... Qe7 18. Rac1 e5 19. Nb5 {[%cal Gd2c3,Ge1e7]} Bxd2 20. Qxd2 Rd8 21. Bg2
$14 exd4 22. exd4 Qd7 23. Qf4 $16 {[%csl Gc7]}) (17... Re8 18. Rad1 {[%cal
Gd1d8]}) 18. Bxc6 $1 {The best way of keeping a stable advantage.} (18. d5 Bxc3
19. Bxc3 Nb4 20. Qd2 e4 $5 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Bxe4 Re8 23. Bb1 (23. Bg2 Nc2 $1
24. Qxc2 Rxb2) 23... Qg5 {retrieves the pawn with a normal position.}) 18...
exd4 (18... Rxc6 19. dxe5 Nd7 20. f4 $16 {offers Black no compensation.}) 19.
Bf3 dxc3 20. bxc3 Bc5 $14 {Black has dismantled White's centre and weakened
his queenside structure, but is still far from equality. The bishop pair is
strong, as is the mobile kingside majority. As for the queenside weaknesses,
they are not easy to attack, while Black has also lost his outpost on b4.
Moreover, the isolated pawns safely prevent the advance of Black's majority.
In the next phase the game will slowly flow towards a better ending for White.}
21. Rab1 Rd6 22. Red1 b6 23. c4 Qe7 24. Bc3 Rfd8 25. Bb2 Qe6 26. Rxd6 Rxd6 27.
Rd1 Rxd1+ 28. Qxd1 Bd6 29. Qd4 {This most natural move could have run into a
surprising antidote.} ({True,} 29. c5 {does not seem to offer more than
reasonable compensation:} Bxc5 (29... bxc5 30. Qe1 {[%csl Ga5]} Qf5 31. Kg2 c4
32. e4 $14) 30. Qd8+ Ne8 31. Bd5 Qe7 32. Qc8 Bxe3 $5 (32... Kh7 {also looks
reliable.}) 33. Bc6 (33. fxe3 Qxe3+ 34. Kf1 Qd3+ $11 35. Ke1 $2 Qb1+ $1 $19)
33... Bxf2+ 34. Kg2 Bxg3 35. Qxe8+ Qxe8 36. Bxe8 Bd6 {White's bishops are very
active, but with four pawns for a bishop Black should be able to draw.}) ({
With hindsight} 29. Qc2 {may have been slightly stronger.} Be5 {Exchanging
bishops would spare Black any problems but this is not easy to achieve.} (29...
Qe7 30. Qf5 $14) 30. Ba3 {[%cal Gc4c5]} Bd6 31. c5 $14) 29... Qe8 (29... Qd7 $1
{is a better way of attacking a4.} 30. Bd1 (30. Qd1 Qe6 {transposes back to a
previous position.}) 30... Be5 $3 31. Qxd7 Nxd7 {After exchanging queens and
achieving a perfect regrouping Black should be able to hold.}) 30. Bd1 Qc6 $6 {
Adams must have thought that with queens on the board he would have chances
for counterplay. He probably underestimated White's next move.} (30... Qe4 $5
$14 {looks safer.}) 31. Bc2 $1 {Suddenly White is perfectly coordinated and
all his pieces are targeting the enemy kingside.} Kf8 32. e4 Bc5 33. Qd8+ Ne8
34. Qd5 Qg6 ({The exchange on d5 is not something Black would be happy about:} 
34... Qxd5 35. cxd5 $16 {[%cal Ge4e5,Gf2f4]}) 35. Kg2 Ke7 (35... c6 $5 36. Qd7
Qd6 $14) 36. f4 c6 37. Qd3 Nc7 $2 {Things have not gone Black's way but the
last move is a blunder.} (37... Qe6 38. h4 $16 {[%cal Gf4f5]}) 38. f5 $1 $18 {
Suddenly the queen has no good squares.} Qg5 (38... Qd6 39. Qxd6+ Bxd6 40. Bxg7
$18) (38... Qh7 {looks ugly in general but there is also a quick win available:
} 39. f6+ gxf6 40. Bxf6+ $1 $18 Kxf6 41. e5+) 39. Be5 Ne6 (39... Ne8 {would
lose the queen:} 40. Bf4 Qf6 (40... Qh5 41. Bd1) 41. e5) 40. fxe6 {A good
technical game by Wesley, despite Michael's hesitations in the defence.} (40.
fxe6 Qxe5 41. Qd7+ Kf6 42. Qxf7+ Kg5 43. h4+ Kg4 44. Bd1#) 1-0

[Event "Elista FIDE GP"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2008.12.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2737"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2008.12.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 128"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.01.28"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 $5 {A frequent guest in top events of the last year.}
11. Re1 ({From all the games I have annotated so far, I prefer} 11. Ng5 Bxg2
12. Kxg2 Nbd7 13. e4 {, despite the final result in Eljanov,P (2687)-Carlsen,M
(2765)/Foros 2008/CBM 125/[Marin,M] (0-1, 82)}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 Bb7 (12...
Nbd7 $6 {Volokitin,A (2684)-Onischuk,A (2664)/Foros 2008/CBM 125/[Marin,M] 
(1-0, 31)}) 13. a3 $146 {I have analysed this move in certan positions of the
Catalan myself. I usually regarded it as a half-waiting move, consolidating
White's control over the b4-square and enabling the rook lift Ra2-c2.} (13. Bg5
{Gelfand,B (2737)-Anand,V (2799)/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122 (1/2, 25)}) 13...
Nbd7 14. b4 {Cheparinov's approach is more straightforward.} ({I would prefer} 
14. Ba5 {. In the Catalan, it is generally useful to occupy this square before
blocking the queenside.} Rc8 ({In the event of} 14... Qe7 {White may consider
grabbing the pawn with} 15. Bxc7 Rac8 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Qd1) (14... e5 $6 15.
Nxe5 $1 Bxg2 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Kxg2 $16) 15. Nbd2 Qe7 16. b4 $14) 14... Qc8 $1
{[%csl Gb7] An important prophylactic move, defending the b7-bishop.} (14...
Nb6 15. Nc3 Ne4 16. Qc2 $5 Nxc3 (16... f5 17. Ng5 $1 $16) 17. Ng5 Ne4 $8 18.
Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 g6 20. Qh4 h5 21. g4 $5 $36) 15. Nc3 Ne4 {Now, Black can
play this typical Queen's Indian move without fear.} ({The more static approach
} 15... e5 {fails to eqaulize after} 16. e4 Re8 17. Qc2 $14) 16. Nxe4 $6 {
After this premature release of the tension, White starts having problems on
the light squares.} ({It would be better to induce Black to exchange on c3
himself.} 16. Qc2 $5 f5 (16... Nxc3 $6 17. Bxc3 f5 18. e4 $1 Bxe4 19. Rxe4 $1
fxe4 20. Ng5 Nf6 21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. Qxe4 g6 23. Nxe6 $14) 17. Ng5 Nxc3 18. Bxc3
Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nb6 20. e4 h6 21. Nf3 Qb7 22. Re2 Nc4 {Compared with the game,
White has an extra tempo (Bc3), which allows him get rid of the intruder with}
23. Nd2 $5 $11) 16... Bxe4 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Qc2 f5 19. Kxg2 Nb6 {Black takes
full advantage of the fact that there is no white bishop on a5 and transfers
the knight to c4.} 20. e4 (20. Qc6 Nc4 21. Bf4 Qe8 $15) 20... h6 21. Nf3 Qb7
22. Re2 Nc4 $36 23. Rae1 $6 Rf7 $6 {At this moment, Black's position is
obviously preferable, but here he misses a concrete chance to consolidate his
domination.} (23... fxe4 $1 24. Rxe4 (24. Qxe4 $2 Qxe4 25. Rxe4 Rxf3 $1 $19)
24... Qd5 $17) 24. Nh4 fxe4 25. Rxe4 Be7 26. Kg1 Bxh4 27. Rxh4 Raf8 28. Bf4 {
White has activated his position considerably and has entirely reasonable play.
} Qd5 29. Rg4 Rf6 30. Rg6 Nxa3 31. Qd3 Qc4 32. Qxc4 bxc4 33. Rxf6 Rxf6 34. Rc1
g5 35. Be3 Rf7 36. Rc3 Nb5 37. Rxc4 Rd7 38. g4 Kf7 39. Kg2 Nd6 40. Rc5 Nb5 41.
h4 gxh4 42. Rh5 Nxd4 43. Rxh6 Nc2 44. Rh7+ Ke8 45. Rh8+ Kf7 46. Bc5 Ne1+ 47.
Kf1 Nd3 48. Rh7+ Ke8 49. Rh8+ Kf7 50. Rh7+ Ke8 51. Rh8+ Kf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2015.08.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2814"]
[BlackElo "2816"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2015.08.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 168"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 {The variation chosen by Anand is knwon for its
straight aim at simplifying and, after a bit of struggling, a relatively safe
draw.} ({For} 10... h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 {Eljanov,P (2723)-Adams,M (2740) Biel GM
48th 2015 (10) 0-1 see}) ({The most solid line is} 10... a5) 11. Qc2 Be4 12.
Qd1 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd8 {Since White intended to develop his knight to
d2, it makes sense exchanging queens first. Otherwise, his queen would be
passive.} (14. Nc3 {is an important alternative} Bc6 15. Ne5 {Akopian,V (2678)
-Kramnik,V (2807) Moscow 2002 CBM 091 [Ribli] (0-1, 26)}) 14... Rxd8 15. Nbd2
Bc6 {The structure is almost symmetrical, but Black is behind in development
and White can still gain some time by attacking the enemy bishops.} 16. Nb3 ({
Nobody has tried yet} 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nb3 {, aiming for a knight versus
dark-squared bishop which used to be a specialty of Ulf Andersson.}) 16... Be7
{Not the only possible move, but the most natural one, ensuring the integrity
of the kingside structure.} (16... Nbd7 {Kramnik,V (2797)-Gelfand,B (2712)
Astana 2001 CBM 084 [Ribli] (1-0, 60)}) (16... Bb6 {Kozul,Z (2610)-Baramidze,D
(2543) Dresden 2007 CBM 118 [Marin,M] 1-0 (55)}) 17. Na5 {White immediately
puts pressure on the c6-bishop, thus delaying the development of the b8-knight.
} (17. Rfc1 {is a bit milder.} h6 18. Be3 (18. Bf4 Nbd7 19. Na5 Be4 20. Ne1
Bxg2 21. Kxg2 e5 22. Be3 Nd5 {Cmilyte,V (2508)-Kosintseva,N (2460) Nalchik
2008 (½-½, 99)}) 18... Nbd7 19. Na5 Be4 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Nd5 {Panno,O 
(2485)-Zarnicki,P (2545) Villa Gesell 1996 0-1 (56)}) 17... h6 {Just like in
the lines above, Black is best adviced to start questioning the stability of
the white bishop.} (17... Bd5 {is too slow, allowing White to gain time for
regrouping.} 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nbd7 20. Nd3 $14 {Aronian,L (2581)-Lutz,C 
(2645) Germany 2003 CBM 094 [Ribli] (1-0, 45). The b2-pawn is defended, making
the pressure against b7 real. This element yields White long term initiative.})
18. Be3 ({Getting the bishops' pair with} 18. Nxc6 {speeds up Black's
development.} Nxc6 19. Bd2 Ne4 {As we see, the bishop faces permanent
harassment.} 20. Be3 Bc5 21. Bxc5 Nxc5 22. Ra3 {White cannot clear the long
diagonal with a knight move because this would leave Black with initiative
inthe centre after ...Nd4.} a5 23. Rc1 Na6 24. Rac3 Nab4 {After over defending
the c6-knight, Black is sfae against the bishop's pressure.} 25. Rc5 f6 26. Bf1
Rd7 27. e3 Rad8 28. Bb5 Nd3 {And now the bishop's exchange is forced, after
this piece has consumed a few tempi while looking for new horisons.} 29. Bxd3
Rxd3 30. Rb5 R8d7 $11 {Vasilevich,T (2399)-Kosintseva,N (2491) Dagomys 2009 
(½-½, 76)}) 18... Nd5 19. Bd2 Nb6 {Psakhis,L (2550)-Sandipan,C (2469)
Pardubice KB Czech op 2003 (8) 1/2 This looks a bit speculative but is not
easy to meet. Black keeps jumping around with an already developed piece
creating one-move threats. The main thread of this position is the concrete
fight of the minor pieces, not a simple issue and one which used to be Paul
Keres' specialty. And in general lines, Black should try completing his
development while White will do his best to prevent that. A draw was agreed
here in the only previous game with this line.} ({The straightforward} 19... b6
20. Nxc6 Nxc6 {may be playable for Black, but the queenside weaknesses could
tell in the long run after the natural sequance} 21. Rac1 Rac8 22. Rfd1) (19...
Bf6 {is abstractly more constructive than the game move (it activates a piece)
and not easy to refute. For instance, Black can neutralize the direct operation
} 20. e4 Ne7 21. e5 {with} Bxe5 22. Nxe5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rxd2 {True, White
retains some symbolic advantage after} 24. Rad1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Nec6 26. Nexc6
Nxc6 27. Nxb7 {but} Ra7 {should keep things under control} (27... Rb8 {would
be less indicated due to} 28. Rd7 {with some domination.})) 20. Bf4 {[%cal
Gf4c7]} Nd5 {Consequent and best.} (20... Bd6 $2 21. Rfd1 Be7 22. Ne5 $16) (
20... Rc8 $6 21. Rac1 $14) (20... Rd5 21. Nxc6 Nxc6 22. Rfc1 Bf6 23. Be3 Nc8
24. Rab1 $36 {[%csl Rd5,Ge3,Gg2][%cal Gb2b4]}) 21. Ne5 (21. Be5 {exposes the
bishop to the b8-knight's attacks, for instance} Bb4 22. Nc4 (22. Nxc6 Nxc6 {
[%csl Ge5]}) 22... Nd7 $11) 21... g5 $6 {Blach rightly decides to continue the
fight against the enemy bishop, but weakening the kingside is risky. In the
end of the game it will eventually cost him the full point.} ({Now was a good
moment to exchange some pieces and finally develop the queenside:} 21... Nxf4
22. gxf4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 {Ribli,Z (2610)-Karpov,A (2725) IBM Amsterdam 1980 1-0
This kind of structure with double f-pawns and an active jnight on e5 versus a
moderately good bishop may be dangerous for Black as known ever since Karpov's
famous defeat in} {But here the c6-square is not weak and besides Black can
immediately attack the e5-knight with} Nd7 $1 (23... b6 24. Nac4 Bc5 25. Rfd1
$14) 24. Nd3 (24. Nxb7 Rdb8 25. Nxd7 Rxb7 $11) 24... Rab8 25. Rfc1 Bd6 26. Kf3
{From practical point of view White's position is more appealing, but
formulating a clear plan of strengthening the pressure is not easy.}) 22. Bd2
Bf6 23. Nd3 {Nakamura still does not wish to allow Anand to develop.} ({But} 
23. Nexc6 Nxc6 24. Nxc6 bxc6 {was a worthy alternative, since Black's chronic
weaknesses offer White pleasant play after} 25. Rab1 Rab8 26. Rfc1 Nb4 27. Be1
$14) 23... b6 24. Nc4 b5 {To a lesser extent than 21...g5, this pawn move with
incomplete development is some sort of asking for trouble.} (24... Nd7 {
looks safe enough as after} 25. Rfd1 Rac8 26. e4 {Black can regroup with} Ne7
27. Nd6 Rb8 {when White's slight space advantage is compensated by the
weakness of the d4-square.}) 25. Bxd5 $5 {Typically for positions with mutual
minor piece play, White had a wide choice here. None of the available
continuations had clear consequences but analysis siggests that two other
moves might have been a bit stronger.} (25. Nce5 bxa4 26. f4 {is a resolute
attacking action, far from Black's undeveloped queenside.} gxf4 27. gxf4 Bb5
28. f5 Nd7 29. Ng4 Bd4+ 30. Kh1 $36 {Black should be able to defend, but the
fun would be all White's:} N7f6 31. Nxh6+ Kg7 32. fxe6 fxe6 33. Rf3 Rac8 (33...
Ra7 34. Raf1) 34. Rg3+ (34. Raf1 Rc2 35. Rg3+ Kh7 $132) 34... Kf8 35. Bg5) (25.
Ne3 $5 {This is an entirely different approach. White intends exchanging some
of Black's active pieces in order tp retain his lead in development until late
in the ending.} Nxe3 (25... bxa4 26. Rfc1 Ra7 (26... Bb5 27. Ba5 Re8 28. Nxd5
exd5 29. Bxd5 Ra7 30. Rc2 $14) 27. Nxd5 exd5 (27... Bxd5 28. Bxd5 exd5 29. Rxa4
$14) 28. Ba5 Re8 29. Rc2 $14 {[%csl Rb8][%cal Gd3b4]}) 26. fxe3 $1 {The point.
White spoils his pawn structure and temporarily sacrifices a pawn just to
maintain the rhytm of his initiative.} Bxb2 27. Ra2 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Bg7 29. axb5
Nd7 30. bxa6 Nb8 {It seems as if Black is close to a draw (or even the more
pleasant side of the draw, due to his better structure) but White can still
pull out a few tricks to retain a stable advantage.} 31. Rb1 $3 {Preventing
Rxa6 and threatening a6-a7.} (31. a7 Nc6) 31... Nxa6 (31... Rxa6 $2 32. Rxb8 $1
$11) 32. Rc1 $3 {Black does not seem to be under any pressure, but his knight
is in an awfull situation, for instance} Nc7 33. Rxa8 Nxa8 34. Ba5 {[%csl Gb6,
Gc7]} Rb8 35. Rc6 {[%csl Gb6,Gc7];Rodriguez Cespedes,A (2515)-Marin,M (2485)
Novi Sad ol (Men) 1990 (8) 1-0 It is far from clear how and if White can win,
but Black will play the rest of the game with the knight imprisonned. I have
some bad memories of this kind from the game} {The attempt to free the knight
with} Kf8 36. Kf3 Ke8 {can be met with either 37.Nc5 controlling d7 or} 37. Kg4
Kd7 38. Ra6 {starting an attack on the abandoned wing.}) 25... bxc4 $1 {
This should have led to equality.} (25... Bxd5 26. Nb6 Ra7 27. axb5 {wins a
pawn.}) 26. Bxc4 Bxb2 27. Ra2 Bg7 $6 {Too passive and offering White the time
to re-organize his pressure.} (27... Bd4 {would have pinned the f-pawn while
controlling c5, allowing to meet} 28. Rc1 {with} Be4 $11 {without fearing
f2-f3 or Nc5. This way, Black would have got an essential tempo to dveelop his
knight.}) 28. Rc1 Be8 {Black keeps regrouping, but we are approaching move 30
and his queenside pieces are still immobile. Quite a dangerous situation.} 29.
Nc5 {Abstractly, I find this a bit premature and concretely it causes White
some problems of stability. The knight was doing fine on d3, while on c5 it is
vulnerable, while also obstructing the c-file for the rooks.} ({During my live
comments I suggested} 29. a5 {which is the move I would probably play in a
game of my own, too. Blocking the a6-pawn and gaining space are useful
allowing White to keep options on other sectors of the board.} Nd7 (29... Bf8
30. f4 $1 $36) ({If} 29... Nc6 30. Nc5 {there would be some trouble around the
a6-pawn.}) 30. Be3 {[%csl Gb6] Black is in no immediaqte danger, but his
position is anything but pleasant.}) 29... Bf8 $1 {[%csl Gc5]} 30. Bd3 Nc6 31.
Be4 ({The a-pawn is taboo, of course:} 31. Nxa6 $2 Rxd3) ({or} 31. Bxa6 $2 Bxc5
) 31... Rdc8 32. Kf1 $1 {I like this move a lot. White takes measures against
the annoying ...Nd4 keeping his flexibility.} (32. f4 gxf4 33. gxf4 Nd4 $1)
32... Ra7 {[%cal Ge4a8]} 33. Nb3 ({Due to his hanging knight, White is not
ready to start his kingside attack with} 33. f4 gxf4 34. gxf4 Nd4 $1 {But b3
is not a good square for the knight.}) ({In fact, engines slightly prefer} 33.
Nd3 {and I can agree with that, since d3 is the best square for the knight,
but then why did White need to quit it a few moves earlier?}) 33... Rac7 34.
Rac2 Bd6 $6 {Overdefending the c7-rook, based on an illusion.} ({Ramirez: "} 
34... Ba3 $1 {Was much better} 35. Ba5 $2 {is what Anand was worried about.}
Nxa5 36. Rxc7 Rxc7 37. Rxc7 Nxb3 $19 {and Black has Nd2+ as a threat, so White
can't do anything."}) 35. f4 $1 $36 f5 (35... gxf4 36. Bxf4 $5 {[%csl Ra6,Rc7,
Rh6] leaves Black hanging but maybe things would not be as bad as they look:}
Ne5 37. Rxc7 Rxc7 38. Rd1 Rd7 39. Rxd6 Rxd6 40. Bxe5 Rd1+ 41. Kf2 Bxa4 42. Nc5
Bb5 43. Nb7 Rd2 44. Bf3 {Karpov,A (2720)-Kasparov,G (2700) World Championship
32th-KK2 1985 (2) 1/2 How would I evaluate this position? Possibly, I would
not be afraid of losing it with black, but I would get very irritated if I
could not win with white. To be compared with the ending from Carlsen-Nakamura,
this same tournament. Here the black kingside is weak, offering White some
additional ideas, while the presence of two more minor pieces may favour him,
too. But if the light-squared bishops are off board, I would start preferring
Black, due to his passed pawn. For this latter aspect compare with}) (35... g4
36. f5 $36) 36. Bd3 (36. Bg2 {does not put pressure on a6, allowing} g4 $11)
36... Nb8 $2 {This loses a big fat pawn and the game.} (36... gxf4 $2 37. Bxf4
$1 {[%csl Ra6,Rc7,Rh6]}) (36... Rb8 $1 {was the right move, hitting onto the
Achile's heel in White's position: his knight.} 37. Nc5 (37. Rc3 {leads to
interesting play resulting in simplifications and a probable draw:} Bb4 38. Rc4
Ba3 39. Nd4 Bxc1 40. Rxc1 Kf7 41. Ba5 Rcc8 42. Bxa6 Nxd4 $1 {The right moment
to free Black's positon.} 43. Rxc8 Rxc8 44. Bxc8 Bxa4 $11) 37... Nd4 38. Rc4
Rxc5 (38... Bxc5 $6 39. Rxd4 $14) 39. Rxd4 Rxc1+ 40. Bxc1 Be7 {[%csl Gd5,Gd6,
Gd7,Gd8] Despite his minor weaknesses, Black is well regrouped and has little
to fear.}) 37. Rxc7 Rxc7 38. Rxc7 Bxc7 39. fxg5 hxg5 40. Nc5 (40. Bxg5 Bxa4 41.
Nc5 $18) 40... Bd6 (40... Kf7 41. Bc4 Bd7 42. Nxd7 Nxd7 43. Bxa6 $18) 41. Nxe6
Bxa4 42. Nxg5 Bd7 43. Bc3 {The least White can do is create two connected
passers by eliminating the last kingside redoute with e2-e4, which should
suffice for a technical win. But even the advance of the h-pawn would be
molesting, being sustained by all the minor pieces. Anyway, Anand was not
curious to check all these details and called it a day.} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.26"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "0:59:26"]
[BlackClock "0:56:56"]

1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} e6 {[%emt 0:
00:07]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:35]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 4. g3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Be7
{[%emt 0:01:37]} 5. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:20]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:14]} 6. O-O {[%emt 0:
00:09]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 7. Ne5 {[%emt 0:05:29]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:03:15]} 8.
Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 9. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Qe8 {
[%emt 0:00:08]} 10. Nxe7+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Qxe7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 11. Na3 {
[%emt 0:00:14] This way of developing the knight to retrieve the pawn is
common in the Catalan, but mainly in positions where ...Bxa3 is possible.
Curiously, in this position, in which there is no black dark-squared bishop
anymore, it is quite rare.} (11. Qc2 {Kramnik,V (2810)-Carlsen,M (2872) London
2013 (1/2-1/2, 41)}) 11... c5 {[%emt 0:13:40] Taking into account the surprise,
Anand played relatively fast, after less than a quarter of an hour. Back
immediately gets rid of his backward pawn.} (11... Rd8 {is a logical
alternative, but it offers White chances to retain the better striucture while
more or less neutralising Black's play on the light squares.} 12. Qc2 Ba6 (
12... Rxd4 13. Be3 Rd5 14. Nxc4 {[%cal Gf2f3,Gb2b3]}) 13. Nxc4 Rxd4 14. Ne5 Rd5
(14... Bb7 15. Nc6 Bxc6 16. Qxc6 $14) 15. Qc6 Rad8 16. Qxa6 $14) 12. dxc5 {
[%emt 0:01:50]} Qxc5 {[%emt 0:02:02]} 13. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qh5 {[%emt 0:16:
39] Played after 16 minutes. Black had a relatively wide choice, indeed.} (
13... Qc7 14. Rc1 Ba6 15. Qa4 Qb7 16. Nxc4 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 Qxb2 18. Bd4 $14) (
13... Qc6 14. Rc1 Ba6 15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. b3 Bxb3 17. Rxc6 Bxd1 18. Rxd1 $14) (
13... Qb4 $5 {Omelka,R (2115)-Dobes,V (2061) Czechia 2011 (1/2-1/2, 40)}) 14.
f3 {[%emt 0:01:34]} (14. Nxc4 Ba6 15. b3 Ng4 16. h4 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Rad8 18. Qc2
Bb7 $36) 14... c3 $1 {[%emt 0:05:48][%csl Ra3] The point of the previous move.
It is not really unusual for Black to have a pawn less in the 7.Ne5 variation.
Due to the somewhat awkward position of the a3-knight and the vulnerable
c-pawn, Black has good chances of maintaining aproximate equality by dynamic
means. Compare also with c5-c6 from Karjakin-Anand.} 15. bxc3 {[%emt 0:02:57]}
Qa5 {[%emt 0:01:50]} 16. Qc1 {[%emt 0:12:21]} Ba6 {[%emt 0:02:37][%csl Rc3]
[%cal Ga8c8]} 17. c4 {[%emt 0:03:12]} Rac8 {[%emt 0:03:12] (!!) Choosing the
right rook for a certain file is one of the most difficult issues in chess.
Anand rightly decides that he will need the other rook on the d-file. And
remarkably, he used only 3 minutes on his last move, although it leaves the
a7-pawn undefended!} (17... Rfc8 {would offer White chances to keep his extra
pawn and a relatively active position.} 18. Rd1 Nd5 19. Rd4 Rc6 20. Kg2 Rac8
21. Bd2 Qb6 22. Rh4 $14) 18. Bxa7 $11 {[%emt 0:26:34] After nearly half an
hour, Kramnik decides to liquidate into a draw.} ({After} 18. Rd1 Nd5 19. Rd4 {
the difference is revealed by} Rfd8 $1 {The latent pressure on the d-file
restricts White's active possibilities.} 20. Bf2 (20. Kg2 $4 Nxe3+ 21. Qxe3
Rxd4 22. Qxd4 Qxa3 $19) (20. Rd3 $5 Nxe3 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qxe3 Rd2) 20... h6
$5 {Just a useful waiting move. For instance,} 21. Kg2 {would expose the king
slightly, adding effect to} e5 {(again, this would not be possible without a
rook on d8).} 22. Rd3 e4 $132) 18... Bxc4 {[%emt 0:02:55]} 19. Nxc4 {[%emt 0:
00:18]} Qxa7+ {[%emt 0:00:10]} 20. Qe3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qa6 {[%emt 0:00:45]}
21. Ne5 {[%emt 0:08:06] Two rounds later, in the aforementioned game with
Karjakin, Anand once again got a position in which White's extra a2-pawn was
not too relevant. Only that here it will liquidate rather soon into a 0.00
position.} Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:50][%csl Gc2]} 22. Nd3 {[%emt 0:07:32]} Nd5 {
[%emt 0:02:06]} 23. Qf2 {[%emt 0:04:01]} Rxa2 {[%emt 0:07:37]} 24. Rxa2 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxa2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 25. e4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Qa3 {[%emt 0:00:
26]} 26. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Qxd3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 27. dxe6 {[%emt 0:00:18]}
fxe6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 28. Qe1 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 29. Qe3 {
[%emt 0:00:19]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 30. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rxf3 {[%emt 0:00:
07]} 31. Qxe6+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Baku FIDE GP"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2748"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2014.10.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 {A solid move if Black is content with a
draw. If he wishes more, it can also be a psychological trick, inviting White
to display his level of ambitions. but in top level events a draw by
repetition at this stage of the game is out of the question, of course.} 12.
Bf4 (12. a3 {Rodshtein,M (2609)-Giri,A (2672) Biel 2010 CBM 138 [Stohl,I] (1-0,
39)}) 12... Nd5 13. Rd1 $5 {A relativey rare move.} ({The main line goes} 13.
Nc3 {The latest annotated game went} Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Nd7 15. Rac1 $146 {
Andreikin,D (2687)-Bruzon Batista,L (2693) Havana 2011 CBM 143 [Ftacnik,L] 
(1-0, 48)}) 13... Nxf4 {Abstractly, I would consider this a concession. Since
White has delayed the development of his queen's knight, it is to be expected
that he is planning Nbd2. But this would not be too effective with the queen
on c1.} (13... Nd7 14. Nc3 Nxf4 15. Qxf4 Bd6 16. Qe3 {Ponomariov,R (2739)-Leko,
P (2752) Moscow 2009 CBM 133 [Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 31)}) 14. Qxf4 (14. gxf4 {
is just illogical, this is not what White was playing for.} c5 (14... Bd6 $5 {
Andersen,M (2461)-Berger,S (2400) Germany 2013 (1/2-1/2, 56)}) 15. dxc5 Qc7 16.
Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Bxc5 $11 {Johannessen,L (2538)-Sammalvuo,T (2445) Gausdal
2004 CBM 104 [Ribli] (1-0, 34)}) 14... Qd6 $6 $146 {Black adopts a popular
setup in the 13.Nc3 variation, but things are different here.} (14... Bd6 {
Kramnik,V (2785)-Radjabov,T (2744) Kazan 2011 CBM 143 [Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 61)})
15. Nbd2 $1 {[%cal Ga1c1] Suddenly, it appears that it will not be easy for
Black to free his position with ...c7-c5. And actually this move could also
deserve a "N".} ({Indeed,} 15. Nc3 Nd7 {would transpose to a known position,
Romanishin,O (2550)-Janjgava,L (2470) Simferopol 1988 (1-0, 41)}) 15... Nd7 (
15... c5 16. Qxd6 Bxd6 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Rac1 Bb6 19. Ne5 $14 {[%csl Ra5,Rb8,
Rc5]}) (15... Qxf4 16. gxf4 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Rac1 Bb6 19. Ne5 $14) 16. Rac1
$14 {White has completed his development and is ready to fight for the
blockade on c5 with Nb3. Besides, there are tricks based on Nf3-e5 all the way.
} Rad8 {Over-protecting d7 in view of the aforementioned tactical threat, but
neglecting the c-file completely. Black has a wide choice, but none of the
available continuations is entirely satisfactory.} (16... Rac8 17. Qxd6 $1 cxd6
(17... Bxd6 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 Rfd8 20. Kxg2 Rxd7 21. Rc6 $16) 18. Ne5 Bxg2
(18... dxe5 19. Bxb7 {We can see why it was a good idea to wait with this
trick until the rook occupied the c8-square. With the rooks on a1 and a8,
Black could answer ...Ra7, defending everything.} Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Bg5 21. Rc2
exd4 22. Bxa6 b4 23. Ne4 Be7 24. Rc7 $14) 19. Nxd7 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rd8 21. Kxg2
Rxd7 22. Nb3 $14) (16... Rfd8 $2 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Qxf7+ $1 $18) (16... Qxf4 17.
gxf4 Rac8 (17... c5 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 Rfd8 20. Nxc5 $14) 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19.
Kxg2 ({This is more active than} 19. Nxd7 Rfd8 20. Kxg2 Rxd7 21. Nb3 c6 {
since in the main line White will have better control in the centre.}) 19...
Nxe5 20. fxe5 c6 21. Nb3 $14) (16... c5 17. Qxd6 Bxd6 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nc4 $36
) 17. Nb3 {Calmly continuing his plan.} (17. Rxc7 $2 {did not work due to} e5
$1 18. Rxd7 exf4 $17) ({But the plan initiated by} 17. Qxd6 {looks entirely OK.
} Bxd6 (17... cxd6 18. Rc7 $36) 18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 f5 20. Nd3 $14 e5 21. Nb3
$14 {[%csl Ga5,Ra6,Gc5,Gc6]}) 17... Bd5 18. Nfd2 Nb6 $6 {This loses a pawn
with just some compensation. But Black was under unpleasant pressure anyway.}
19. Rxc7 Bxb3 $2 {After giving away the control over the light squares Black
lands up in a very bad position.} (19... e5 $2 20. Qxe5 $18) ({Good or bad,
Black should have chosen something like} 19... Qxf4 20. gxf4 Bd6 21. Ra7 Na4
22. Rb1 Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Bxd5 exd5 25. e3 Rc8 26. Na1 $14 {White is a
pawn up and has stopped Black's counterplay. Whether he will manage to rid
himself of the queenside pressure - that is another question.}) 20. Nxb3 Nc4 ({
Possibly, Radjabov overlooked that the last exchange had cleared the c1-f4
diagonal, allowing White to meet} 20... e5 {, based on the pin of the d-pawn,
with} 21. Qc1 $1 $18) 21. Qxd6 Bxd6 22. Ra7 a5 (22... Nxb2 23. Rc1 Rc8 24. Rc6
Rxc6 25. Bxc6 $16) 23. Rb1 Bb4 24. a3 (24. e3 $16) 24... Nd2 $2 {The decisive
mistake in a difficult position.} (24... a4 $5) 25. axb4 Nxb1 26. bxa5 {
[%cal Gg2e4] Even if Black could save his knight the a-pawn sustained by the
Catalan bishop would give him a hard time. But with the knight prisoner on b1,
his game is just lost.} f5 {[%csl Ge4]} (26... Rc8 27. Be4 $18) 27. Rc7 e5 28.
Rc1 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 76th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2014.01.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2812"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bg5 {In the Catalan with 6...dxc4 players do
not seem to mind wasting time by moving with the already developed
dark-squared bishops.} Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. a5 {A strategically
double-edged move. It is nice, of course, to reduce Black's queenside mobility,
but in the long run the a5-pawn might become a comfortable target for the
black bishop.} (14. Nd2 {Tomashevsky,E (2738)-Aronian,L (2825) Moscow 2012 CBM
149 [Marin,M] (1/2, 25)}) (14. Rfd1 {Wang,H (2747)-Dominguez Perez,L (2757)
Elancourt 2013 CBM 157 [ChessBase Website] (1/2, 37)}) 14... Qe7 (14... Bxf3
15. Bxf3 c6 {as played in Wang,Y (2690)-Hou,Y (2623) Danzhou 2012 CBM 149 
[Let's Check Training] (1-0, 70) is solid, but a bit passive.}) 15. Nd2 $146 {
A very direct approach. White intends to eliminate the virtual blockade on e4
in order to set his centre in motion.} ({In the following game, White played
Nf3-d2 after some moving back and forth by both sides:} 15. Rfe1 Bb4 16. Rec1
Rfd8 17. e3 Bd6 18. Nd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 c5 20. dxc5 Bxg3 21. Nf3 Bc7 $132 {
Bukavshin,I (2476)-Lysyj,I (2624) St Petersburg 2012 (1/2, 32)}) 15... Bd5 $5 {
Trying to get the most out of the piece tension.} ({The natural} 15... Bxg2 {
may have seemed like a small concession to Aronian.} 16. Kxg2 e5 ({A player
with the technical skills of Ulf Andersson may find some way to retain
microscopic pressure after} 16... c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Nce4 Rac8 19. Rfc1 Nxe4
20. Qxe4 Rfd8 21. Nf3 {[%cal Gf3e5,Ge5d3,Gb2b4,Gg3g4,Gh2h4,Gh4h5]}) 17. d5 ({
The only way to fight for an advantage.} 17. dxe5 Bxe5 {yields the bishop too
much activity.}) 17... Rac8 18. Rfd1 {White cannot stop ...c7-c6, but after
the exchange on c6 he will have chances to get a dominating knight on d5, with
never ending pressure.}) 16. Bxd5 ({If} 16. Qd3 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Bxg2 17. Kxg2 c5
{the queen would be more exposed than in the similar line above.}) 16... exd5
17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Qxd5 Qxe2 19. Ne4 {The position has simplified, but the
strong white centralisation requires some accuracy from Black.} Rab8 {This
solid move fails to neutralise White's light initiative completely.} (19... c6
$6 20. Nf6+ $1 gxf6 21. Qxd6 $14) (19... Bb4 $5 {[%csl Ge4][%cal Gb4d6,Gb4d2,
Gf1e1] may have been best. The bishop dominates the knight and ensures the
queen against Rfe1.} 20. Qxb7 Rab8 21. Qc6 (21. Qd5 Rfd8 $36) 21... Qxb2 $5 $11
{(not the only move).}) 20. Rfe1 $1 {By means of a temporary pawn sacrifice,
White gains some tempi for his development.} (20. Nxd6 cxd6 21. Qxd6 Qxb2 22.
Rab1 Qc3 $11 {[%csl Ga5,Gd4][%cal Gf8d8]}) 20... Qxb2 21. Rab1 Qc2 22. Rec1 Qe2
23. Re1 Qc2 24. Nxd6 cxd6 (24... Rbd8 $2 {would allow three different ways of
keeping the extra knight, based on the same idea:} 25. Qf5 $1 $18 {[%csl Gc2]}
(25. Qe4 $1) (25. Qc4 $1)) 25. Rb6 Rbe8 26. Rf1 $5 {The safest way of avoiding
back rank problems in the process of queenside pawn grabbing.} Qe4 {This will
prove good enough for a draw,} ({but maybe a more clear way to equality would
have been:} 26... Re7 27. Rxb7 Rxb7 28. Qxb7 Qd3 29. Qd5 Re8 30. Kg2 (30. Qxd6
Re4 $11) 30... Re6 $11 (30... Re4 $6 {fails to some consecutive overloadings
of the queen:} 31. Rd1 $1 {The inevitable rook exchange will leave White with
the more pleasant queen ending.} Qc2 32. Rd2 $1 Qb1 33. Rb2 $1) 31. Qa8+ ({
Time has come for White to think of a draw. If, say} 31. h4 $6 Rf6 {Black's
position starts looking too active.}) 31... Kh7 32. Qb7 Rf6 33. Qb1 $11) 27.
Qxb7 $1 ({Of course, it would not have made sense to activate the enemy rook
with} 27. Qxe4 Rxe4) 27... Qxb7 ({If} 27... Qxd4 28. Rxa6 {the a5-pawn may
prove dangerous, especially with queens on board.}) 28. Rxb7 Re4 29. Rd1 Rc8 $1
{[%cal Gc8c2,Ge4e2] The key to the counterplay. Black simply intends to double
rooks on the second rank.} 30. Rb6 Rc2 31. Rd3 {[%cal Gd3f3]} (31. Rxa6 Ree2
32. Rf1 Ra2 33. Rxd6 (33. Kg2 {[%cal Gg2f3]} d5 $1 $11) 33... Rxa5 34. Kg2 {
[%cal Gg2f3]} Ra3 $1 {[%cal Ga3d3,Ge2d2]} 35. Rc1 Raa2 36. Rf1 Ra3 $11) 31...
g5 32. h3 h5 33. Rf3 g4 34. hxg4 ({If White leaves the h5-pawn on board, he
may have the surprise that the weakness would actually turn into a source of
counterplay:} 34. Rf5 {[%csl Gh5]} Rxd4 35. Rxa6 (35. Rxh5 Rd1+ 36. Kg2 gxh3+ {
[%csl Gf2]} 37. Rxh3 Rdd2 $11) 35... h4 $5 36. gxh4 gxh3 {with a probable draw.
}) 34... hxg4 35. Rf4 ({With nothing to attack on h5,} 35. Rf5 {would just
expose the rook to the king's attack:} Rxd4 36. Rxa6 Kg7 $11 {[%csl Gf2][%cal
Gg7g6]}) 35... Rxf4 36. gxf4 Ra2 37. Rxa6 Kg7 {King activity is essential.} (
37... f5 $2 {would be an instructive mistake. Black would deprive his king of
the f5-square and weaken the seventh rank at the same time.} 38. d5 Ra4 39. Kg2
Kf7 40. Kg3 Ke7 41. Ra7+ Kd8 (41... Kf8 42. a6 Kg8 43. Ra8+ Kg7 44. a7 $18 {
[%cal Gg3h4,Gh4g5,Gg5f5,Gf4f7]}) 42. a6 Kc8 43. Rf7 $18) 38. Kg2 Kg6 $1 {
Temporarily sacrificing a second pawn, again for the sake of the king's
activity.} (38... f5 $2 39. d5 $18) (38... d5 39. Kg3 $16 {/+-}) 39. Rxd6+ Kf5
40. a6 Kxf4 41. Rf6+ Kg5 42. Rb6 Kf4 43. d5 Ke5 44. d6 Ke6 45. Kg3 f5 46. d7+
Kxd7 47. Rf6 Ke7 48. Rh6 Kf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 76th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2014.01.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Qd3 $5 {A rare plan, aimed at
immediately taking the e4-square under control, at the price of neglecting the
development.} Nb4 13. Qb1 {The rook does not stand nicely on a1, but Black
needs to do something against the strong threat e2-e4.} Nbd5 $5 $146 {Fighting
for the e4-square.} (13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 {is a typical solid reaction, but
with both his bishops on the board White has some chances to gradually
increase the pressure.} 15. Rd1 Bd6 16. Bd2 Qe7 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 h6 ({
Somehow,} 18... f5 {does not look like what Black would really need after
having given away his light-squared bishop:} 19. Bf3 Qf6 20. Qc1 h6 21. Qc4 g5
22. Qb3 Rf7 23. Rf1 Nd5 24. Rad1 Qg6 25. Bg2 g4 26. e4 $36 {Birnboim,N (2460)
-Shvidler,E (2200) Beersheba 1982 (1-0, 37). Carried out after thorough
preparation, this causes Black serious problems.}) 19. Bc3 Rad8 20. Bg2 Rfe8
21. Qe4 Bc7 22. e3 Rd7 23. h4 h5 24. Bf1 Bd6 25. Kg2 g6 26. Be2 Qd8 27. Bc4 Nd5
28. Qf3 Bb4 29. e4 $14 {Alburt,L (2505)-Spiridonov,N (2420) Decin 1977 (1-0,
47); and once again the well-timed advance of the e-pawn ensures White some
long term advantage.}) (13... Nfd5 $5 {makes some sense, though.} 14. Bd2 {
True, there is no simple occupation of the e4-square now, but Black may try}
Nb6 15. Rd1 (15. e4 f5 $132) 15... f5 {Black has chances for a successful
blockade on the light squares, especially since White's development is
incomplete.}) 14. Bd2 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Be4 16. Qb2 Qd5 {This is the core of
Black's idea. Apparently, there is no simple way of eliminating the pin.} ({
It is also true that other forms of counterplay would fail to equalise, too:} 
16... Ra6 17. Ne5 Rb6 18. Qa2 Bd5 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Rab1 $14 {[%cal Gc3c4]
White's massive centre would ensure him a small, but long term advantage.}) 17.
Ne1 $6 {Too soft to cause problems.} ({Both players missed that after} 17. Ne5
$1 Bxg2 18. c4 $14 Qe4 $2 {there is} 19. f3 $3 {trapping the queen in all
lines:} Qxe2 (19... Qf5 20. g4 Nxg4 21. fxg4 Qe4 22. Rf4 $18) 20. Rf2 Bxf3 21.
Rxe2 Bxe2 22. Re1 Bh5 23. Qxb7 $16) 17... Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Rfb8 19. Rfb1 Ne4 20.
Nf4 ({White is not in time to regroup properly:} 20. Be1 Nd6 21. Ne3 Qe4 $132 {
The centre is likely to become a target soon.}) 20... Qd7 (20... Qc4 $5) 21.
Nd3 Nxd2 $6 {The correct idea, in an inaccurate move order.} (21... b5 $1 22.
axb5 Nxd2 23. Qxd2 Rxb5 {would transpose to the game.}) 22. Qxd2 b5 23. axb5 {
Failing to take advantage of Black's inaccuracy.} (23. Qc2 $5 {would have
maintained some pressure. After all, the centre has not been shaken yet and
the a-pawn is safely blocked.}) 23... Rxb5 24. Rxb5 Qxb5 $11 {The a5-pawn
becomes threatening already, so White decided to liquidate to a draw:} 25. c4
Qxc4 26. Rxa5 Rxa5 27. Qxa5 Qxd4 28. Qxc7 Qd6 29. Qc8+ Qd8 30. Qb7 Bd6 31. Kg2
h5 32. h3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 {In the static lines of the Catalan this is a
typical and entirely viable "loss of time".} ({The by far more popular} 10...
a5 11. Nc3 Na6 {has also been trotted out in some recent games, for instance:}
12. Qd3 (12. Rae1 {Van Wely,L (2672)-Karjakin,S (2759) Wijk a1 (0-1, 60)an Zee
2014 CBM 159 [Marin,M]}) 12... Nb4 13. Qb1 Nbd5 {Giri,A (2734)-Karjakin,S 
(2759) Wijk aan Zee 2014 CBM 159 [Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 32)}) 11. Qc1 $5 {A rare
move. The queen usually goes to c1 in the lines without a2-a4 when forced by ..
.Be4.} ({The most common answer is the equally typical loss of a tempo with} 
11. Bg5 {which eventually ensured White some slight initiative in Giri,A (2734)
-Aronian,L (2812) Wijk aan Zee 2014 CBM 159 [Marin,M] (1/2-1/2, 48)}) 11... a5
{The typical answer, blocking the queenside and preparing ...Na6-b4. Other
moves are playable, though.} (11... Nbd7 12. Nc3 Ne4 13. Rd1 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 Ndf6
15. Nb1 {This looks a bit more sophisticted than required by the position, but
has the advantage of offering Black choices on every move with chances to
confuse him.} (15. Ne5 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 $14 {offers White a
comfortable space advantage.}) 15... Nd6 16. Nbd2 Qe7 17. Rdc1 Bd5 18. Bf1 h6
19. Qe3 Rfd8 20. Ne5 Nde4 21. f3 Nxd2 22. Qxd2 $14 {[%cal Ge2e4] After a long
manoeuvring phase, with possible improvements for both sides on the way, Black
has lost stability in the centre.} Nd7 $6 (22... b6 23. a5 $14 {[%csl Gb6,Gc6]}
) 23. Rxc7 $16 {Nielsen,P (2649)-Antonsen,M (2449) Koge 2013 (1-0, 40)}) ({
The simplistic} 11... Bxf4 12. Qxf4 Qd6 {may be not that bad and deserves
further investigation.} 13. Qxd6 (13. Nc3 $5) 13... cxd6 14. Nbd2 Bxf3 15. Bxf3
d5 16. Rfc1 Nc6 17. e3 Rfc8 $11 {Nowak,I (2330)-Bielavsky,J Warsaw 1979 (1-0,
42). Although White managed to increase his microscopic pressure and win, the
position looks rather equal.}) 12. Bd2 $5 $146 {This is not only a new move
but also the real original one in the game! By this paradoxical retreat White
attacks the a5-pawn aiming to prevent the planned knight manoeuvre to b4.} (12.
Nc3 Na6 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 Bxf3 ({Threatening to win the h4-bishop with ...
g7-g5. The immediate} 14... g5 $2 {loses to} 15. Nxg5 hxg5 16. Qxg5+) 15. Bxf6
Qxf6 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Rd1 Rad8 18. Kg2 Bc7 19. e3 Qe7 20. Qc2 Nb4 21. Qb3 Rd7
22. Rac1 Rfd8 23. Ne4 Bb6 $11 {Fridman,D (2600)-Boruchovsky,A (2472) Warsaw
2013 (1/2-1/2, 42)}) 12... Nbd7 {Giving up the initial plan.} ({In fact, Black
could have prepared ...Nb8-a6-b4, but only with some loss of time.} 12... b6
13. Rd1 h6 $5 {Trying to play a waiting game before retreating with the bishop.
} (13... Bb7 14. Nc3 Na6 15. Ne5 $14) 14. Bf4 (14. Nc3 Na6 15. Nb5 Bd5) 14...
Bb7 {It is not easy to find any useful waiting move.} 15. Nc3 Na6 16. Nb5 Bd5 {
with a playable position for both sides.}) 13. Rd1 Qe8 $5 {It may seem that
this move mainly sets up pressure on the generally well defended a4-plan, but
there is a lot more behind it. The queen maneoeuvre is typical for the Iljin
Zhenevsky Dutch and the game will actually transpose to a structure of that
kind.} 14. Bc3 {This bishop has surely moved a lot.} (14. Nc3 {is more natural.
} {Knowing Kramnik's plan in the game, we could suspect he would have done
something similar with} Nd5 ({If White was worried about} 14... e5 {he
probably missed} 15. e4 $1 Bxe4 (15... Nxe4 $2 16. d5 Nxc3 17. Bxc3 $18) 16.
Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Be3 $44 {White surely has more play than in the game.}) 15. Nb5 (
15. Nxd5 exd5 {may create problems only for White.}) 15... f5 $5) 14... Ne4 ({
Once again, the thematic central break would not offer complete relief:} 14...
e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Bxe5 18. f3 (18. Qg5 Bxc3 19. Nxc3 Ne4)
18... Ra6 19. e4 Rc6 20. Qe3 $14) 15. Nfd2 (15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bc5 $132)
15... f5 $5 {Quite an ambitious way of fighting for the light squares.} ({
A safer alternative of the same kind was} 15... Nxd2 16. Nxd2 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nb6
18. Qc2 f5 19. Nf3 Nd5 $11) 16. Nxe4 fxe4 {At first sight, Black has weakened
his central structure but the e4-pawn actually causes White space problems.
Although White's kingside structure is solid, the gradually building up black
pressure will be annoying.} 17. Be1 {Another bishop move with incomplete
development, but this is not completely atypical for the Catalan. Besides,
overdefending the f2-square would become necessary within a few moves anyway.}
(17. Qc2 Qh5 18. Bxe4 $2 (18. Be1) 18... Rxf2 $1 19. Kxf2 Qxh2+ {Black has a
winning attack. Here is a sample line in which the white king runs a lot
before being trapped.} 20. Ke3 Qxg3+ 21. Bf3 Bf4+ 22. Kd3 Bxf3 23. exf3 Qxf3+
24. Kc4 {The apogee of the king's incursion, now is time to retreat.} Qd5+ 25.
Kd3 Ne5+ 26. Ke2 Qg2+ 27. Ke1 Nf3#) 17... Qh5 18. Nc3 Nf6 19. h3 Rf7 20. e3
Raf8 21. Qc2 Qf5 {Both players have completed their mobilisation and Black's
position surely looks more active. The only question is whether White can take
advantage of Black's pawn weaknesses. Since e4 is well defended, White should
look for his chances on the queenside.} 22. Nb5 h5 $5 {[%cal Gf6h7,Gh7g5,Gh5h4]
Even though engines disagree with this move, I find it entirely logical and
correct. Black gives up the a5-pawn but keeps strengthening the kingside
pressure, thus obtaining at least excellent compensation.} ({There were two
entirely viable alternatives to this ambitious approach.} 22... Bb4 23. Bxb4
axb4 24. Rd2 (24. Qc4 $2 Ng4 25. hxg4 Qxf2+ 26. Kh1 Bd5 27. Qxb4 Qxg3) 24... h5
$132) ({Or} 22... Nd5 23. Nxd6 (23. Bxa5 $2 Bxg3 $1 24. fxg3 Nxe3 $17) 23...
cxd6 24. Rac1 Nb4 25. Bxb4 axb4 26. Rf1 Qd5 $11) 23. Bxa5 Nh7 24. Nxd6 (24. Be1
Ng5) 24... cxd6 25. Bb4 {Active defence. If allowed to play Bxd6, White could
insert his bishop into the kingside battle.} Qd5 {The best way to protect the
pawn. The rooks are needed on the f-file and moreover the c6-bishop requires
protection in view of the threat a4-a5-a6.} (25... Rd8 26. a5 Ng5 $6 27. a6
Nxh3+ (27... Nf3+ 28. Kh1) 28. Bxh3 Qxh3 29. a7 Ra8 30. Bxd6 h4 31. Ra5 $16) (
25... Qxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Rxf2 27. Bxd6 R8f7 28. b4 $16) 26. Rf1 (26. Rd2 {looks
more natural, but the character of the position would not change greatly after}
Ng5 27. a5 h4 28. g4 Bb5 {White cannot make any queenside progress. Although
his kingside looks solid enough, it would probably not be pleasant to live
with Black's latent pressure on this wing.}) 26... Ng5 27. b3 (27. a5 $2 Bb5 {
[%csl Gf2][%cal Gb5f1]}) 27... Rd8 $5 {Now that he has completed the knight
manoeuvre, Black needs the queen on f5.} 28. Rac1 (28. h4 Nf3+ 29. Bxf3 Rxf3
30. Kg2 Qf5 31. Rad1 Kf7 $1 {[%cal Gf7d7,Gd8g8]} 32. Rh1 Ke7 33. Rd2 Rg8 {
[%cal Gg7g5]}) 28... Nf3+ 29. Kh1 ({Maybe it would have been safer to take the
knight:} 29. Bxf3 Rxf3 30. Kg2 (30. h4 g5) 30... h4 31. g4 {Once again, White
may be able to survive the pressure by simply waiting. But this was not an
easy practical decision, of course.}) 29... Qf5 {But now, Bxf3 is not possible
anymore because of the intermediate ...Qxh3+. White has to live with the
knight on f3.} 30. Qe2 Kh7 {Still waiting before opening the centre.} (30... e5
$5) 31. Rc2 Bd5 32. Rc3 Kg6 33. Qc2 Kh7 34. Ba3 e5 {After the opening of the
d-file, Black's attack acquires more strength.} 35. dxe5 dxe5 36. b4 $6 {
I see two main drawbacks to this move. Dynamically, it delays the fight for
the open d-file. Statically, it weakens the light squares.} (36. Rd1 Rfd7 37.
Rc8 Bxb3 $5 38. Rxd7 Bxc2 39. Rcxd8 $13) 36... Be6 37. Bc1 Qg6 38. Rd1 Rxd1+
39. Qxd1 Rd7 $36 40. Qf1 (40. Qe2 Bg4 $1 41. Qf1 (41. hxg4 hxg4 42. Bxf3 gxf3
43. Qf1 Qh5+ 44. Kg1 Rd6) 41... Qf5 42. Rc2 Bxh3 $1 43. Bxh3 Qxh3+ $1 44. Qxh3
Rd1+ 45. Qf1 Rxf1+ 46. Kg2 Rg1+ 47. Kh3 g5 {with mate to follow.}) 40... Bf5 (
40... Qf7 $1 {[%cal Ge6b3,Gd7d1]} 41. Ba3 {[%cal Gc3c1]} Rd2 $19) 41. Rc2 (41.
Ba3 Qe6 42. Rc1 Rd2 $40) 41... Qe6 42. Qe2 (42. Bb2 Bxh3 43. Bxh3 Qxh3+ 44.
Qxh3 Rd1+) 42... g6 (42... Bxh3 43. Bxf3 exf3 44. Qxf3 Bg4 45. Qe4+ Bf5 46. Qc4
Rd1+ 47. Kh2 Qxc4 48. Rxc4 Bd3 49. Rc7 Be4 50. g4 (50. f3 Bxf3 51. g4 h4) 50...
Rh1+ 51. Kg3 h4#) 43. Rc4 $6 {Making things simpler for Black} Bxh3 (43... Bxh3
44. Rxe4 (44. Bxf3 exf3 45. Qxf3 Qxc4) 44... Bxg2+ 45. Kxg2 Ng5 46. Rh4 (46.
Rc4 Qh3+ 47. Kg1 e4) 46... Qc6+ {[%csl Gc1]}) 0-1

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 4th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2009.11.13"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2786"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2009.11.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 133"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Bxf4 {This has not
been played at a high level so far.} ({The common continuation is} 13... Nbd7)
14. gxf4 Qd6 15. Nb3 Nbd7 16. Rd1 a5 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 a4 19. Nc5 Nxc5 20.
Qxc5 Qxc5 21. dxc5 Rfd8 22. Nc6 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Kf8 24. Kf3 Ke8 25. Nb4 Nd7 26.
c6 Nc5 27. Rc1 Na6 28. Nxa6 Rxa6 {White retains the more active position and
will eventually convert his advantage into an extra pawn. However, this will
prove insufficient for a win.} 29. e4 b4 30. Rc5 f5 31. exf5 exf5 32. Ke3 Ke7
33. Kd4 Kd6 34. Kc4 b3 35. axb3 axb3 36. Rxf5 Rxc6+ 37. Kxb3 Rc1 38. h4 Rf1 39.
Rg5 Rxf2 40. Rxg7 Rxf4 41. Rxh7 c5 42. h5 Rh4 43. h6 Kc6 44. Kc3 Kd5 45. Rh8
Rh3+ 46. Kd2 Kc6 47. Ke2 Kb7 48. Kf2 c4 49. Kg2 Rh5 50. Kf3 Rh4 51. Kg3 Rh1 52.
Kf4 Rh2 53. Ke5 Rxb2 54. Kd4 Rb6 55. Kxc4 Rg6 56. Kd5 Rf6 57. Ke5 Rc6 58. Rh7+
Kb8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 41st"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2013.07.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Meier, Georg"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2013.07.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 156"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qd1 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. a4 (14.
Be3 Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 c5 {Nielsen,P (2652)-Short,N (2684)/playchess.com INT 2004/
EXT 2005 (1/2, 44)}) 14... c6 15. Qb3 Rd7 16. Bf4 Nd5 17. Bxb8 {A safe way to
retrieve the pawn, but if White needs to spend three tempi with his bishop to
exchange it for an undeveloped knight, then something is surely wrong with the
opening.} Rxb8 18. Rxc6 Nb4 19. Rc1 Bc5 20. Rf1 {This rook has moved a lot
before returning to its location. Little wonder that Black has grabbed the
initiative already.} bxa4 21. Qxa4 Rc7 22. Nc3 Qe5 23. Rfd1 h5 24. Kg2 h4 25.
Ne4 Bf8 26. Rac1 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Qxb2 28. Rc7 Qe5 29. Qd7 Qf5 30. g4 Qf4 31. g5
Nd5 32. Nf6+ Qxf6 33. Qxd5 Qg6 34. Qe5 Rb5 35. Qf4 Rf5 36. Qe4 Qxg5+ 37. Kh3
Rf4 38. Qd3 g6 0-1

[Event "Biel GM 48th"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2015.07.30"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2015.07.20"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 168"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {This is the all time main line,} ({even though} 10.
Bf4 {has been enormously popular lately.}) 10... h6 {A relatively rare
continuation. Black spends a tempo on getting the bishop pair, but refrains
from any early counterplay.} ({The main lines are} 10... Bd5) ({and} 10... a5)
11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 {Black's position is
quite solid and he does not experience any concrete problems. But at the same
time play is rather one sided and White can try increasing the pressure at his
leisure.} 14. e3 {A solid move, which White may have to play soon anyway.} (14.
Rfd1 a5 15. h4 Qb6 16. e3 {Georgiev,K (2655)-Karpov,A (2693) Dubai 2002 CBM
089 [Ribli] (1-0, 62)}) (14. Rad1 a5 15. e4 Nd7 16. e5 Be7 17. Be4 {Carlsen,M 
(2813)-Ponomariov,R (2733) Medias 2010 CBM 137 [Rogozenco,D] (1/2-1/2, 31)}) (
14. Qb3 Ra7 15. Ne4 Bxd4 16. Rfd1 {Nielsen,P (2700)-Giri,A (2672) Amsterdam
2010 CBM 138 [Giri,A] (1-0, 57)}) 14... a5 15. h4 ({Practice has shown that
the radical} 15. b4 {offers White just some temporary initiative, as, for
instance, in the following game:} axb4 16. Qxb4 Ra7 17. a5 Be7 18. Qb3 Nd7 19.
Ra2 Nf6 20. Rfa1 Nd5 {Papaioannou,I (2597)-Ganguly,S (2627) Kavala 2012 (1/2-1/
2, 42)}) 15... Na6 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. Qe2 Rad8 $146 {Technically speaking this
is a novelty.} ({In the game quoted below, Black started with} 17... Rfd8 {
, but after the inevitable rook doubling on the d-file this loses significance.
}) 18. Ne4 Be7 19. Nd2 Nb4 {In fact, this is the real novelty.} (19... Bf6 20.
Nc4 Qc7 21. Be4 Rd7 22. Rac1 Rfd8 23. Qh5 {would transpose back to the earlier
game.} c5 $6 {Due to Black's insufficient control over the d5-square this is
premature.} ({It was not too late for} 23... b6 {[%cal Ga6b4] followed by ...
Nb4.}) 24. d5 exd5 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. Bxd5 Nb4 27. Be4 Nd3 28. Bxd3 Rxd3 29. Rd1
$14 {Markus,R (2608)-Cornette,M (2577) Novi Sad 2009 (1-0, 52)}) 20. Nc4 Qa6
21. b3 Bf6 22. Rac1 Rd7 23. Be4 Rfd8 24. Qh5 {Black's development has reached
a maximum, but he cannot undertake any concrete action. Adams rightly decides
to move around with his knight, harassing White a bit and keeping his overall
cordination.} Na2 25. Rc2 Nb4 26. Rcd2 Nd5 27. Rc1 $1 {[%csl Gc3]} (27. Bb1 Nc3
$132) (27. Bc2 Nc3 28. Rc1 b5 $132) 27... Qa7 {[%cal Ga7b8] Black needs to
remain passive.} (27... b5 28. Ne5 $14) 28. Bb1 ({In view of the line
recommended below, White should have still improved his position with, say,} 
28. Kg2 {leaving his bishop on e4 still. The counterplay examined in the next
line does not work out well here:} c5 29. Ne5 Bxe5 30. Qxe5 Qb6 31. dxc5 Qxb3
32. Rd4 {[%cal Gc1d1]} Qa2 33. Rc2 Qa3 34. g4 $40) 28... Ne7 ({But now the
thematic break} 28... c5 {looks possible:} 29. Ne5 Bxe5 30. Qxe5 Qb6 $132 {
[%csl Gb3] If not sustaining a kingside attack, the white bishop could well be
passive and vulnerable.} 31. dxc5 Qxb3 32. Rd4 Qa3 33. Rcd1 Qb3 {White would
like to increase the pressure against d5 with Be4 but this is not easy to
achieve:} 34. Kg2 (34. Be4 $2 Nxe3 $1 {wins based on} 35. Rxd7 Qxd1+ 36. Rxd1
Rxd1+ 37. Kh2 Ng4+) (34. g4 $2 {is met in the same way:} Nxe3 $1 35. fxe3 Qxd1+
36. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 37. Kf2 R8d2+ 38. Kf3 Rf1+ 39. Kg3 Rxb1 $19) 34... Qb2 {and
once again} 35. Be4 $2 {allows} Nxe3+) 29. Rdd1 ({Eljanov must have wished to
achieve a bit more than after} 29. Qxa5 Qxa5 30. Nxa5 e5 31. Nc4 exd4 32. e4
$14) 29... Rd5 30. Qf3 R5d7 31. Nd2 {[%cal Gd2e4]} Kf8 $2 {We are still far
from the endgame so this king's "centralising" is likely to cause only
problems if carried out without a serious reason. Adams wanted to anticipate
the threat Qe4 and clear the g8-square for his knight, but there was no need
for that.} (31... Nd5 $5 32. Qe4 (32. Ne4 Be7 {maintains the status quo.})
32... Kf8 $1 {Now that White has committed himself by occupying the e4-square
with the queen, this is good and necessary.} (32... g6 $2 33. h5 $18) 33. Kg2
Qb8 34. Qh7 $6 g6 $1 {[%csl Gh7]} 35. Qxh6+ (35. Be4 Bg7 {[%cal Gd5f6]} 36.
Bxd5 Rxd5 $11) 35... Ke7 {[%cal Gd8h8]} 36. Bxg6 fxg6 37. Ne4 Rh8 38. Qxg6 Rg8
$11) 32. Ne4 Ng8 {This surely looks passive,} ({but the more natural} 32... Nd5
{causes Black problems of stability.} 33. Nc5 Rd6 34. Kg2 $3 {By removing the
king from the back rank, White creates some additional tactical ideas. Besides,
Black is in a sort of zugzwang with all his pieces on the board.} (34. e4 Nc7
35. e5 Bxe5 36. Nxb7 Qxb7 37. dxe5 Rxd1+ {With check!} 38. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 39. Qxd1
Nd5 $11) 34... Be7 (34... Kg8 35. e4 Nc7 36. e5 Bxe5 37. dxe5 Rxd1 38. Rxd1
Rxd1 39. Qxd1 Qxc5 40. Qd8+ {and Black does not have ...Ne8.}) (34... Qb6 $2
35. e4 Nc7 36. e5 Bxe5 37. dxe5 Rxd1 38. Rxd1 Rxd1 39. Bg6 $18) (34... Ke8 $5 {
, controlling the d7- and d8-squares and getting the king out of the potential
pin along the f-file, is interesting but hardly satisfactory.} 35. h5 $16) 35.
e4 Nf6 (35... Nc7 36. e5 Rxd4 37. Bg6 f6 38. exf6 Bxf6 39. Rxd4 Rxd4 40. g4 $18
) 36. Qe3 (36. e5 Rxd4) 36... Qb8 37. Ba2 $3 {[%csl Yd6][%cal Gb3b4,Ge4e5]
Even if I needed some time to understand the idea behind this move, I am not
sure if it would be right to call it a computer move. It is just a pity we
could not offer this position as a test to some of the greates champions of
the past, but my guess is that at least some of them would find it.} (37. e5
Rd5 $1) 37... b6 (37... Qc8 38. e5 Rd5 39. b4 $18 Bxc5 40. bxc5) 38. e5 Nd5 39.
Qf3 bxc5 40. exd6 Bxd6 41. dxc5 Be5 42. Bb1 $18) 33. Nc5 Rd6 34. Bd3 Be7 35.
Bc4 Nf6 36. g4 $36 {After some more regrouping moves, White has finally
started his kingside attack. Obviously, the king does not stand well on f8.} b6
37. Nd3 (37. Nxe6+ fxe6 38. g5 Kg8 39. gxf6 Bxf6 40. h5 $14) 37... Nd7 38. Nf4
Kg8 39. Qg3 Qb8 $6 (39... Nf6 {would have been more active:} 40. Bd3 (40. g5
hxg5 41. hxg5 Ne4) 40... Nd5 $14) 40. g5 hxg5 41. hxg5 b5 {Just a hint of
black counterplay.} 42. Bd3 e5 43. Ne2 g6 44. Kg2 exd4 45. e4 $6 {There was no
need to sacrifice a pawn.} (45. Qh4 Bf8 46. Nxd4 $16) 45... Kf8 $2 {The second
centralisation of the king should have had fatal consequences.} (45... Bf8 $5
$13) 46. Rh1 (46. axb5 cxb5 {[%csl Gd5]} 47. Qh4 Ke8 48. Qh8+ Nf8 49. Nf4 $18)
(46. Qh4 $18) 46... Ke8 47. Rh8+ Bf8 48. axb5 {This absolves Black from the
worries regarding his c6-pawn, but opens the c-file. As we will see by
comparing the two similar lines below, the exchange does not alter the overall
evaluation in any way.} (48. Qf4 $1 $18 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Gh8h7]} Re6 49. Qxb8
Nxb8 {[%csl Gd4]} (49... Rxb8 50. Nxd4 Rd6 51. Nxc6 Rb6 52. Bxb5 $18) 50. axb5
cxb5 51. Bxb5+ Ke7 52. Rc7+ Kd6 (52... Nd7 53. Nxd4) 53. Rxf7 $18) 48... cxb5
49. e5 (49. Qf4 {is still very strong, even though play changes a bit with
respect to the similar line above.} Re6 50. Rc7 $1 {Taking advantage of the
previous opening of the c-file.} (50. Qxb8 Rxb8 $16 51. Nxd4 $2 Rd6 52. Nc6 Rb6
{and White does not have Bxb5 anymore.}) 50... Qb6 51. Qc1 $1 $18) 49... Rd5
50. Qf4 $2 {Losing a second pawn without compensation.} (50. Re1 $3 Rc8 (50...
Rxe5 51. f4 {[%cal Ge2d4,Rg3e1]}) (50... Nxe5 51. Nxd4 $18) (50... Qxe5 51. Nf4
Qxe1 52. Nxd5 $18) 51. Kf1 $3 (51. e6 Qxg3+ 52. Nxg3 Ne5 53. Be4 {is also
strong, but the king retreat prepares the intermediate move exd7+.}) 51... Qc7
52. e6 Qxg3 (52... fxe6 53. Nf4 $18) 53. exd7+ Kxd7 54. Nxg3 $18) 50... Qxe5
$15 51. Re1 $2 {Beter late than never does not apply here.} (51. Qxe5+ Nxe5 52.
Be4 R5d6 53. f4 Nd7 54. Bd3 Ke7 55. Bxb5 $2 d3 $17) 51... Qxh8 $19 52. Nxd4+
Re5 53. Rh1 Qg7 54. Bxb5 Be7 55. Ba4 Rxg5+ 56. Kf1 Qe5 57. Qxe5 Rxe5 58. Rh8+
Bf8 59. Nc6 Rh5 0-1

[Event "World Cup"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2009.11.28"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Black "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2692"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2009.11.21"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 134"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bb4 ({In the first game of the playoffs, the same
variation was played again. Although he chose the main line this time, Bologan
did not quite obtain full equality.} 10... Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13.
Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 a5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rac1 c5 17. dxc5 Qe7 18. Nb5 c6 19. Nd4
Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Qxc5 21. Rxc4 Qe5 22. b3 g6 23. Rxc6 $16 {Laznicka,V (2637)
-Bologan,V (2692)/Khanty Mansiysk 3.3 2009 (1/2, 32)}) 11. Bg5 Bxc3 12. Bxf6 $1
Qxf6 13. bxc3 Nd7 14. Qa2 Bd5 15. Nd2 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. Nxc4 Rfd8 18. a5 $14
{White has an advantage in the centre, while the black queenside majority is
safely blocked.} h5 19. h4 cxd4 20. cxd4 Nf8 21. e3 g5 22. hxg5 Qxg5 23. Ne5
Rd5 24. Qb1 Rb5 25. Qe4 Ng6 26. Rdb1 Rxb1 27. Rxb1 Nxe5 28. dxe5 Rd8 29. Rxb7
Rd5 30. Qa4 Rd8 31. Qe4 Rd5 32. Qa4 Rd8 33. Ra7 Qxe5 34. Rxa6 Qd5+ 35. Kh2 Qf3
36. Qf4 Qxf4 37. exf4 Rd2 38. Kg2 Ra2 39. Ra8+ Kg7 40. a6 Ra3 41. Kh3 Ra2 42.
Kh4 Rxf2 43. Kxh5 Rf3 44. Kh4 Ra3 45. Kh3 Kf6 46. Kg2 Kf5 47. Kh3 1/2-1/2

[Event "WUCC op 11th"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2010.09.11"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Mekhitarian, Krikor Sevag"]
[Black "Roganovic, Milos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2497"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2010.09.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.10.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.10.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This game was played in the last round of the World University Chess
Championship in Zuerich (SUI). One could hardly imagine that we both had 4 out
of 8. In any case, I always give such a big importance to last round games,
because for me the period after a tournament ends is an important one, and if
you're in a good mood, that helps whatever you're doing next on your life.} 1.
Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {I played the Catalan in some occasions, and here I had
a particular idea in mind} d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 $5 {I tried this idea for the 2nd time, and it's important to
notice that Black should be careful not to get an akward position from the
very beginning.} Bc6 10. Nc3 {This is the key. White does not want to take
back the pawn on c4, but instead prepares a strong e4 idea (limiting both Nf6
and Bc6).} Nd5 ({Among all possible moves here,} 10... Bxf3 $5 {seems to be
the best reaction} 11. Bxf3 Nc6 $1 (11... c6 {was my other game, where white
stands quite confortable with the bishop pair and some space, but again it is
not that easy to break-through black's solid light-squared-pawn-setup} 12. Ne4
Nbd7 13. Nd2 a5 14. Nxc4 Nb6 15. b3 $14 {Mekhitarian,K (2511)-Nakhapetian,P 
(2449) Pan-Armenian ol 2010 (7) 1/2}) 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. a5 $13 {when White is
trying to play Ra4xc4, or Qa4xc4 and wants to take advantage of Black's
dubious pawn structure. In any case, there is a strong counterplay coming on
the 'b' file, and chances should be balanced in here.} Rb8 $5 14. Ra4 Rb4 15.
Na2 Rxa4 16. Qxa4 h6 17. Qxc4 Qd5 $11 {Gelfand,B (2741)-Aronian,L (2783) Leon
23rd rapid 2010 (2.2) 1/2}) (10... Bb4 $5 11. Bg5 Bxc3 {leaving White with
different alternatives} 12. Bxf6 (12. Qxc3 {leads to a balanced endgame:} Ne4
13. Bxd8 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Rxd8 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nc6 17. Nxc4 $11 {/+/=})
12... Qxf6 13. bxc3 $44 Nd7 14. Qa2 Bd5 15. Nd2 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. Nxc4 $14 {
Laznicka,V (2636)-Harikrishna,P (2660) World op 38th 2010 (7) 1/2}) 11. e4 Nxc3
$6 (11... Nb4 {was more complicated and probably better:} 12. Qe2 Nd3 13. Be3 {
/\ b3} b5 $1 $146 (13... Bb4 $6 14. Ne1 Nxe1 15. Rxe1 b5 16. Red1 Bxc3 17. d5
exd5 18. exd5 Bb7 19. bxc3 $16 {Iskusnyh,S (2497)-Battulga,N (2395) Ulan Ude
Buddhist Sangha 2010 (2) 1/2}) 14. b3 {when it is not clear whether White's
chances are preferrable in the following complications:} Bb4 15. axb5 Bxc3 16.
bxc6 Bxa1 17. Rxa1 Nxc6 18. bxc4 Ncb4 $13) 12. bxc3 {Now the position becomes
quite unpleasant for Black.} b5 (12... b6 {would be a passive decision, when
White already is more confortable.} 13. Ne5 Bb7 14. Nxc4 $14) 13. Ne5 Bb7 14.
Rb1 Qc8 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxb5 Nc6 (16... f6 $6 {would leave a delicate
weakness on e6} 17. Nxc4 Ba6 18. Ra5 Nc6 19. Ra4 Bb5 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. Nb2 $16
{/\ c4, e5 [X e6, Nc6]}) 17. Qb1 $1 Nxe5 (17... Na5 18. Nxc4 Nxc4 19. Rxb7 $16)
18. Rxb7 Nd3 19. e5 Rb8 (19... h6 20. Bd2 $16 {with Be4 and Bxd3 to come, when
White's gonna be a clear pawn up.}) 20. Qb5 Nxc1 21. Rxc1 c5 {Black tries to
get into an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops, but with heavier pieces,
there's still a lot of play.} 22. Rxb8 (22. Rb1 {didn't attract me, since:}
Rxb7 23. Qxb7 Qxb7 24. Rxb7 Bd8 25. dxc5 Ba5 {and this didn't look good enough
for White, but} 26. Rb5 $1 {is good apparently, since Bxc3 is well-met by 27.
c6!} Bc7 27. f4 $16) 22... Qxb8 23. Qxb8 Rxb8 24. d5 {I don't know if this is
enough for a win, but I thought I would get the c4-pawn and could have chances
to expand my king-side, when there could be a real pressure, since we have
opposite-coloured bishops.} g5 $5 {A brave decision, allowing both 25.dxe6 or
25.d6, but neither is giving White a clear advantage.} (24... exd5 {would be
worse, I think:} 25. Bxd5 Rb2 26. Bxc4 $16 {with f4 to come, followed by the
activation of White's rook, when Black's king would be seriously vulnerable.})
25. dxe6 $6 {I preferred the creation of a clear weakness on Black's field, as
well as the weakening of the 7th rank, instead of having a strong passed pawn
on d6. In either case, Black would have counterplay ideas, but 25.d6 was the
best try.} (25. d6 $1 Bf8 26. Bf1 Bg7 27. Re1 g4 28. Bxc4 Kf8 29. h3 h5 30.
hxg4 hxg4 31. Re4 $1 $16 {/\ Be2, [X g4], and still it's not so clear whether
White is winning this (since defending e5-pawn is a big problem), but there
should be good chances.}) 25... fxe6 26. Bf1 Bf8 $2 (26... Kf7 27. Bxc4 Ra8 28.
Rb1 (28. Be2 Ra4 29. c4 Bf8 30. Rb1 Bg7 31. Rb7+ Kf8 32. f4 gxf4 33. gxf4 Bh6
34. f5 exf5 35. e6 Be3+ 36. Kg2 Ra2 $1 37. Kf3 Bd4 $11) 28... Ra4 $1 {The key
defensive move that makes 25.dxe6 a bad decision. Now White does not have time
to build an attack battery on e6, and probably can't hold e5 as well.} 29. Be2
Re4 30. Bh5+ Kg8 31. Rb7 Bf8 32. Bf7+ Kh8 33. Bxe6 Rxe5 34. Bc4 $14 {and now
drawing chances become huge without the strong e5-pawn.}) 27. Bxc4 Re8 28. Kg2
$18 {f4-Kf3-Rb1 is coming, against what Black is defenseless.} Bg7 29. f4 gxf4
30. gxf4 Bh6 31. Kf3 Kf8 (31... Rf8 32. Rg1+ Kh8 33. Rg4 Re8 34. Ke4 $18) 32.
Rb1 Re7 33. Rb8+ Kg7 34. f5 {So, back to my philosophy, even though I lost a
bunch of rating points in Zuerich, winning the last game made my journey back
home much better, and also gave me motivation to work harder on my game.} 1-0

[Event "Beersheba 16th"]
[Site "Beersheba"]
[Date "1997.02.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "Mikhalevski,V"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1997.02.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 058"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ribli} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Ribli:
Rozentalis kennt diese Variante sehr gut.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10.
Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 Nb4 (12... Bxf3 {Ribli} 13. Bxf3 c6 $14 {[%csl Yc3,
Yc4,Yd4,Ye4,Yf3] Ribli: Quinteros,M-Panno,O/Rio Honda/1987/ Weiß hat nur einen
kleinen Vorteil dank seines Übergewichts im Zentrum. Die schwarze Stellung ist
aber gut spielbar, denn er hat keine Schwächen.}) 13. Rfd1 (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 (
13... gxf6 $2 14. e4 Qd6 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 $16 {1-0 Tukmakov
V B-Ziatdinov R/It (open), Biel 1991 (17)}) 14. e4 b6 15. Rfd1 Bb7 16. d5 exd5
17. exd5 Ba6 18. Qb3 Nd3 19. Rb1 Nc5 20. Qc2 Re8 21. h4 Qd6 22. Nd4 Bxd4 23.
Rxd4 Re7 24. Bf1 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Rae8 26. Nb5 Qe5 27. d6 cxd6 28. Rxd6 Re6 29.
Rfd1 g6 30. Rxe6 Rxe6 31. Nc3 h5 32. Rd5 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Rd4 Qe5 35. Rf4
Rd6 36. Rf3 {1/2-1/2 Hjartarson,J-Rozentalis,E/Tilburg blitz 1994}) 13... Rc8 (
13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. e4 Nd7 16. Be3 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Bg2 e5 19. d5
Rfd8 20. dxc6 bxc6 21. Bf1 Qe7 {1/2-1/2 Gabriel,C-Siegel,G/Bad Woerishofen op
1996}) 14. Bxf6 (14. Ne5 Bd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb5 c6 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qa7 Ra8
19. Qb7 {1/2-1/2 Stohl,I-Rozentalis,E/BL9495 1995}) 14... Bxf6 15. e4 b6 (15...
Bd7 $6 16. h4 c6 17. Qe2 Qe8 18. b3 $16 {Vajnerman-Ivanchuk, Uzhgorod 1985})
16. d5 $5 $146 {Kaidanov 47/(595)} (16. e5 Be7 17. Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Qd7 $10 {
Kaidanov-Dautov, Moscow EU-Cup 1989;47/595} (18... c6 {Ribli} 19. Ne3) (18...
Qd7 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Rxd5 Qf5 (21... Qe6 22. Nf4) 22. Ne3 Qe6 $11)
) 16... exd5 17. exd5 Bb7 18. Nd4 Ba6 (18... Bxd4 {Ribli} 19. Rxd4 (19. Qxd4)
19... Ba6 20. Nb5 {Mit Zugumstellung wir haben die Partiefortsetzung.Ribli.} (
20. Qb3 Qf6)) 19. Ncb5 {The key position of the line with 12..Nb4.White is
threatening to play 20.Bh3} Bxd4 {Black liquidate the main enemy.Another
option was} (19... Qd7 $5 20. b3 $5 {/\Nc6} (20. Ne6 $6 fxe6 21. dxe6 Qe8 22.
e7+ Rf7 23. Bh3 Bxe7) (20. Qf1 Bxd4 21. Rxd4 c6 22. Bh3 (22. dxc6 Qxd4 23. Nxd4
Bxf1 24. Kxf1 $44) (22. Rxb4 axb4 (22... cxb5 $5 23. Rxc8 Bxc8 (23... Qxc8 $5 {
/\ba}) 24. Rxb5 $140 $2 Ba6) 23. dxc6 $44) 22... f5 23. dxc6 Qxd4 24. Nxd4 Bxf1
25. Kxf1 $44)) 20. Rxd4 (20. Qxd4 {Ribli} Bxb5 21. axb5 Qd7 $11) 20... Qf6 (
20... Qd7 $5) (20... Qd7 {Ribli} 21. Bf3 {[%cal Yf3g4,Yg4c8]} Kh8 22. Re1 Rcd8
$13 {Taylor,G-Rozentalis,E/Toronto op/1995/}) 21. Rcd1 (21. Bh3 $2 c6 $1 22.
Bxc8 (22. Rf4 Qxb2 23. Bxc8 cxb5 24. axb5 Bxb5 $1 $19) 22... cxb5 23. axb5 Bxc8
$17 (23... Rxc8 $4 24. Qxc8+ Bxc8 25. Rxc8+)) 21... g6 (21... Rfe8 $5) 22. b3 (
22. Bh3 {Ribli} Rce8 (22... c6 $1 23. Rf4 (23. Bxc8 cxb5) 23... Qxb2 24. Bxc8
cxb5 $17) 23. Qxc7 Bxb5 24. axb5 Re2 25. Qf4 $14 {[%csl Gd5][%cal Yd5d8]})
22... Rfe8 23. Bh3 c6 $8 (23... Rcd8 {Ribli} 24. Qxc7) 24. Rf4 $1 (24. Bxc8
cxb5 25. axb5 $15 (25. Qxb4 axb4 26. Bxa6 bxa4 27. bxa4 Re1+ $1 $17) 25... Bxc8
(25... Rxc8 $17 {Ribli})) (24. dxc6 {Ribli} Rxc6 $15) 24... cxb5 (24... Qg7 $5
25. Bxc8 cxb5 26. Qc7 $1 (26. Re4 $2 Rxc8 27. Qxc8+ (27. axb5 Rxc4 (27... Qf6
28. bxa6 Rxc4 29. Re8+ Kg7 30. a7 Nd3 $3 31. Rxd3 $140 Rc2 $1 $19) 28. Re8+ Qf8
29. Rxf8+ Kxf8 30. bxc4 Bc8 $17) 27... Bxc8 28. Re8+ Qf8 29. Rxf8+ Kxf8 $19)
26... Bxc8 (26... Rxc8 27. Qxb6 bxa4 28. Rxb4 axb4 (28... Be2 $2 29. d6 $1 Qf8
(29... Bxd1 30. d7 Rf8 31. d8=Q Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Qf8 33. Rb8 $1 Qxd8 34. Rxd8+
Kg7 35. Rxd1 axb3 36. Ra1 $1) 30. d7 Rd8 31. Qxd8 Qxd8 32. Rb8 Qxb8 33. d8=Q+
Qxd8 34. Rxd8+ Kg7 35. bxa4 $18) 29. Qxa6 Qc3 30. Qxa4 $16) 27. d6 Nd5 $3 28.
Qc6 $1 (28. Rxd5 $4 Qa1+ 29. Kg2 Qf1+ $3 30. Kxf1 Bh3+ 31. Kg1 Re1#) (28. d7 $2
Nxc7) 28... Qe5 $1 29. Qxd5 (29. Rxd5 $4 Qe1+ 30. Kg2 Qf1+ $3) 29... Qxd5 30.
Rxd5 Re1+ 31. Kg2 Bb7 32. Rfd4 $1 (32. d7 $2 Bxd5+ 33. f3 (33. Kh3 $2 Be6+)
33... Bxf3+ $1 {/\Rd1}) 32... Re8 $8 (32... Re6 33. Kf1 $1 $18 (33. d7 $4 Rd6
$19)) 33. axb5 Rd8 $14) (24... Qd8 25. d6 Rf8 (25... Rc7 26. Qd4) 26. d7 $1 Ra8
(26... cxb5 27. Qxf7+ $3 Rxf7 28. dxc8=Q Qxc8 29. Bxc8 Rxf4 (29... Bxc8 30.
Rd8+ Kg7 31. Rxf7+ Kxf7 32. Rxc8 bxa4 33. bxa4 $18) 30. gxf4 (30. Be6+ $5)
30... Bxc8 31. Rd8+ Kf7 32. Rxc8 bxa4 33. bxa4 $18) (26... Rb8 27. Be6 $3 fxe6
28. Qxe6+ Kg7 29. Qe5+ Kg8 30. Rxf8+ Qxf8 31. Qxb8 $1 Qxb8 32. d8=Q+ Qxd8 33.
Rxd8+ $18) 27. Be6 $3 fxe6 (27... Qe7 28. Bxf7+ Rxf7 29. d8=Q+ Rxd8 30. Rxd8+
Qxd8 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 32. Re4 $18) (27... cxb5 28. Bxf7+ Kg7 (28... Rxf7 29. Qxf7+
Kh8 30. Re1 $18) 29. Qd4+ Kh6 30. Rh4+ $18) 28. Qxe6+ Kg7 29. Qe5+ Kg8 (29...
Kh6 30. Rxf8 $1 Qxf8 31. Rd4 g5 32. Rd6+ Kh5 33. Qe2+ g4 34. Qe5+ $18) 30. Nc7
$1) (24... Qb2 $2 {Ribli} 25. dxc6 $16 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Rc4f7,Rf4f7,Rh3c8]}) (
24... Qe7 $2 {Ribli} 25. d6 cxb5 26. dxe7 bxc4 (26... Rxc4 27. bxc4 Rxe7 28.
cxb5 $18) 27. Bxc8 Bxc8 28. Rd8 $18) 25. Qxb4 $1 (25. Qxc8 $2 Bxc8 26. Rxf6
Bxh3 $17) (25. Rxf6 {Ribli} bxc4 26. Bxc8 Rxc8 $17) 25... Qc3 $1 (25... Qd8 26.
Qd4 $14) (25... Qb2 26. Qd4 Qxd4 27. Rfxd4 $14) (25... axb4 {Ribli} 26. Rxf6
bxa4 (26... Rb8 27. a5 $1 $18 {[%cal Yf6a6]}) (26... Rc3 27. Rxb6 $5 $16) 27.
Bxc8 $18) 26. Qxc3 Rxc3 27. Bf1 (27. d6 $5 bxa4 (27... f5 {Ribli Beschränkt
die weisse Figurenaktivität.Ribli.} 28. Bf1 (28. Bg2 bxa4) 28... Rxb3 $11) 28.
d7 (28. bxa4 $5 f5 29. Rfd4 $14) 28... Rd8 29. bxa4 (29. Re4 Bb5 30. bxa4 Bc6)
29... f5 30. Rfd4 $14) (27. Bd7 Rd8 28. axb5 Bb7 29. Bc6 Bxc6 30. bxc6 Rxc6 31.
dxc6 Rxd1+ 32. Kg2 Rd8 $8 $11 (32... b5 $2 33. c7 Rc1 34. Rc4 $1 $18)) (27. Rf6
bxa4 28. bxa4 Rd3 29. Rxd3 Re1+ $1 (29... Bxd3 30. f4 $1 Re1+ 31. Kf2 Re2+ 32.
Kf3 Rxh2 33. d6 $1) 30. Kg2 Bxd3 31. f4 Be4+ 32. Kf2 Rd1 33. Rxb6 (33. Ke3 Bc2
$1 34. Rxb6 Rd3+ $1 35. Kf2 Rxd5 36. Rb5 $11) 33... Rxd5 $11) 27... Rxb3 28.
Rf6 $1 Bb7 $1 {[]} (28... Rb8 $2 29. Rc6 $3 Bb7 (29... Rb4 30. d6 $1) 30. axb5
$1 (30. Rxb6 $2 bxa4) 30... Bxc6 31. bxc6 Rc3 32. Bb5 $1 Rd8 (32... Rc5 33. d6
Rd8 (33... Rxb5 $2 34. c7 $18) 34. Kg2 $1 $18 (34. c7 $4 Rxc7 35. dxc7 Rxd1+
36. Kg2 Rc1 $19)) 33. d6 {/\Kg2 and c6-c7+-}) 29. Bxb5 (29. Rxb6 $2 {Ribli}
bxa4 $17) 29... Rd8 30. Rxb6 Rxd5 {[#] [#]} (30... Bxd5 $2 31. Rc6 $18) 31. Re1
$6 $138 (31. Rc1 $142 $1 Rd7 $8 (31... Rc5 $2 32. Rxc5 Rb1+ 33. Bf1 Rxb6 34.
Rxa5 $16) 32. Rxg6+ hxg6 33. Bxd7 Bf3 34. h3 Rb4 35. g4 Rd4 36. Bb5 Bd1 37. Ra1
$14) (31. Rxd5 $2 {Ribli} Bxd5 32. Ra6 $4 Rb1+ 33. Bf1 Rxf1+ $19) 31... Rd7 32.
Rxg6+ hxg6 33. Bxd7 Bf3 {Weiß hat einen Bauer mehr, aber - wie gewöhnlich -
ist die Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel schwer zu verwerten. Besonders bei
reduziertem Material im Turmendspiel, oder im Läuferendspiel ist die
Remisgefahr groß.Ribli.} 34. h3 Rb4 35. Bb5 (35. g4 Rd4 36. Bb5 Bd1 37. Re8+
Kg7 38. Ra8 Bxa4 39. Rxa5 Bxb5 40. Rxb5 $11) 35... Rd4 36. Ra1 {Weiß bereitet
den Zug Bf1 vor.Ribli.} f5 $1 $11 {Now we can see the difference between 31.
Rc1 and 31.Re1.White didn't have time for g3-g4.} 37. Kh2 Rd2 38. Kg1 Kg7 {
Mit 38...Rd4 haben wir Zugwiederholung, aber Schwarz macht, ohne auf Gewinn
spielen zu können, den besten Zug. Ribli.} (38... Rd4 $11 {Ribli}) 39. Bf1 f4
$6 (39... Rd4 $142) (39... Kf6 $5 {Ribli}) 40. gxf4 Rd4 41. Kh2 Rxf4 42. Kg3 g5
43. Rc1 $1 Kf6 (43... Kg6 44. h4 $1 Bh5 (44... Bb7 45. Bd3+ $1 Kh5 $8 (45...
Be4 46. Rc6+ $1 Kg7 47. Bxe4 Rxe4 48. hxg5 Rxa4 49. Ra6 Ra1 50. f4 a4 51. Kg4
a3 52. Ra7+ Kf8 53. Kf5 $18) 46. Be2+ Kh6 47. Rc7 $1 Rb4 (47... Bh1 48. hxg5+
Kxg5 49. Rc5+ Rf5 50. Rxf5+ Kxf5 51. Bf3 $18 (51. f3 $18)) 48. hxg5+ Kxg5 49.
Rc5+ Kf6 50. Rxa5 $18) (44... Ba8 45. hxg5 Rxa4 (45... Kxg5 46. Rc5+ Rf5 47.
Rxf5+ Kxf5 48. Bg2 $18)) (44... Bd5 45. hxg5 Rxa4 (45... Kxg5 46. Rc5 $1 Rf3+
47. Kh2 Rxf2+ 48. Kg1 Rf5 49. Bh3 Re5 50. Bg2 $18) 46. f4 $16) 45. Bd3+ Kg7 46.
Rc7+ Kf8 47. hxg5 $16) (43... Bd5 $2 {Ribli} 44. Rc5 {[%cal Rc5g5,Rc5a5]}) (
43... Bh5 {Ribli} 44. Rc5 {[%cal Rc5g5,Rc5a5]}) 44. h4 $1 (44. Rc5 $2 Bd1 $11 (
44... Bb7 45. Rxa5 Rf3+ 46. Kh2 Rxf2+ 47. Kg1 Ra2 48. Ra7 $14)) 44... Bb7 $2 (
44... Bd5 $2 45. hxg5+ Kxg5 46. Rc5 Rf3+ 47. Kh2 Rxf2+ 48. Kg1 Rf5 49. Bh3 Re5
50. Bg2 $18) (44... Be4 $1 45. hxg5+ Kxg5 46. Rc5+ Rf5 (46... Bf5 $2 47. Bh3)
47. f4+ Kf6 48. Rc4 $16) 45. hxg5+ $2 (45. Bg2 $1 Bxg2 (45... Be4 46. hxg5+
Kxg5 47. Bxe4 Rxe4 48. Rc5+ $18) (45... Rb4 46. hxg5+ Kxg5 47. Rc5+ Kf6 48.
Bxb7 Rxb7 49. Rxa5 $18) 46. hxg5+ Ke5 (46... Kxg5 47. Rc5+ Rf5 48. Rxf5+ Kxf5
49. Kxg2 $18) 47. Rc5+ Kd6 48. Rxa5 $18) 45... Kxg5 46. Rc5+ Rf5 47. f4+ Kf6
48. Rc7 $16 {Weiß hat mehr praktische Gewinnchancen mit den Türmen auf dem
Brett. Ribli.} (48. Rxf5+ $6 {Ribli} Kxf5 $11) 48... Be4 49. Bb5 $6 (49. Bc4
$142) 49... Rd5 50. Rc6+ Kg7 51. Ra6 Rd2 52. Bf1 $1 (52. Rxa5 Rg2+ 53. Kh3 Rf2
$11 (53... Rf2 {Ribli} 54. Ra7+ Kf6 55. Kg4 Rg2+ $11)) 52... Rd1 $1 (52... Rd5
53. Kf2 $1 $16 {/\Ke3}) 53. Be2 (53. Kf2 $2 Rxf1+ (53... Rxf1+ {Ribli} 54. Kxf1
Bd3+ 55. Ke1 Bxa6 {Jetzt hat Schwarz großen Materialvorteil, aber trotzden ist
eine theoretische Remisstellung auf dem Brett. Schwarz hat den "schlechten"
Läufer. Wegen der schwarzen Farbe des Feldes a1 muß er einen schwarzfarbigen
Läufer haben, dann wäre es eine Gewinnstellung für ihn. Ribli.})) (53. Ra7+ $1
Kf6 54. Kf2 Ra1 $1 (54... Kf5 $2 55. Ke3 $1 $18) 55. Rxa5 Ra3 $1 56. Be2 Bc2
57. Bb5 (57. Rc5 Bxa4 58. Ra5 Ra2 $11) 57... Be4 $1 58. Ra7 Rf3+ 59. Ke2 Rxf4
60. Ke3 Rh4 $14) 53... Rd2 54. Kf2 (54. Bf1 $142 Rd1 55. Ra7+ Kf6 56. Kf2)
54... Ra2 $1 $11 {Leider droht - aus weißer Sicht- 55...Bd3, und es hängt auch
a4. Ribli.} (54... Bd3 $2 55. Ra7+ Kf6 56. Ke3 Rxe2+ 57. Kxd3 $18) 55. Ke3 (55.
Rxa5 Bd3 56. Re5 Bxe2 57. Rxe2 Rxa4 $11) 55... Rxa4 56. Bb5 Rb4 57. Rxa5 Kf6
58. Ra6+ Ke7 59. Bf1 Bf5 60. Bg2 {Weiß hat nur einen minimalen Materialvorteil,
und er kann niemals sein maximales Ziel erreichen: Turm und Läufer gegen Turm.
Dann hätte er praktische Gewinnchancen.Ribli.} Kf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Canadian op"]
[Site "Montreal"]
[Date "2008.07.27"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Huzman, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2589"]
[Annotator "Mikhalevski,V"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2008.07.19"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 125"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.07.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 {I needed
a win in this last round game and so I decided to surprise my opponent with
this rare and well-forgotten line.} Bxa3 8. bxa3 Bd7 {However it turned out
that he remembered a recent game of Ivanchuk, which you'll see below.} 9. Qc2 {
A side line. White wins back the c4-pawn, but allows the light-squared bishop
a good position on the a8-h1 diagonal.} (9. Ne5 {is the main line.} Bc6 10.
Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,Z (2595)-Georgiev,K (2654)/Sarajevo 2002/CBM
090/[Ribli] (54)} ({Ivanchuk included} 11. Rb1 Rb8 {and only then played} 12.
Bb2 {, but achieved nothing and soon a draw was agreed.} Qd7 13. e4 Rfd8 14. d5
exd5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. exd5 Ne5 17. Qd4 Qd6 18. f4 {1/2-1/2 Ivanchuk,V (2729)
-Onischuk,A (2663)/Foros 2007/CBM 119})) 9... Bc6 10. Qxc4 Nbd7 $6 {After the
game Alex criticised his own move here, and probably rightly so.} (10... Bd5 {
would be more precise developing the knight to c6.} 11. Qc3 Nc6 12. Rd1 Be4 13.
Qb2 Rb8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Ne5 Nxe5 17. Bxe4 (17. dxe5 $5 Qf5 18. Rd7
$14) 17... Nc4 18. Qb4 Nd6 19. Bf3 {1/2-1/2 Smirin,I (2555)-Rozentalis,E (2565)
/Leningrad 1990/URS-ch (27). with a minimal advantage for White.}) 11. Bf4 $1 {
[%csl Rc7] Now Black won't be able to move the bishop.} (11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxf6
Nxf6 13. Rfc1 Qd6 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nd5 16. Qb3 Rab8 17. Rc2 c6 18. e3 Rfd8
19. Rac1 Nb6 20. Qb4 Qd5+ 21. f3 Nd7 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. a4 Re8 24. Rc5 Rbd8 25.
R1c2 Re7 26. a5 a6 $14 {0-1 Aseev,K (2575)-Rozentalis,E (2565)/Leningrad 1990/
URS-ch (39)}) 11... h6 {This move is a novelty. Probably Black shouldn't waste
time on this move} ({Earlier Black tested} 11... Nb6 12. Qc2 Rc8 13. Rfc1 Qe7
14. Qb2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Szmetan,J (2385)-Servat,R (2395)/Buenos Aires 1991/EXT
1998 (48)}) ({and} 11... Rc8 12. Rac1 Bd5 {1/2-1/2 Przedmojski,R (2398)
-Zeberski,J (2326)/Poraj 2003/EXT 2005 (39). (15)} 13. Qb4 $5) (11... Nd5 {
would be met by means of} 12. Bg5 $14) 12. Rfc1 Nb6 13. Qb3 $1 {[%cal Gc1c6]
Here I started to think of a positional sacrifice on c6.} Nfd5 ({Black could
try an interesting manoeuvre of the knight} 13... Nbd5 $5 14. Bd2 Ne7 {
intending to move the bishop to d5.}) 14. Bd2 {[%cal Gf3e5]} Nf6 $1 {Now Black
has to come back in order to prevent any ideas of Ne5 and e4.} 15. Rxc6 $1 {
I spent a lot of time on this positional sacrifice and decided that Black's
task won't be easy. The strong light-squared bishop, weaknesses on the
queenside and an option of Ne5 are very annoying for Black.} bxc6 16. Rc1 {
[%csl Ra7,Rc6,Rc7][%cal Gf3e5]} (16. Qc2 $5 Qd5 17. Rc1 $44) ({The immediate} 
16. Ne5 {would be too much in view of} Qxd4) 16... Rb8 ({I worried mostly about
} 16... c5 $1 17. dxc5 (17. Ne5 Qxd4 18. Bc3 Qd6 19. Bxa8 Rxa8 $15 {is fine
for Black.}) (17. Rxc5 $2 Ne4 $15) 17... Nbd5 18. Ne5 Rb8 19. Qc2 Ne7 $13 {
with a complicated position.}) 17. Rxc6 {It seems that I have to capture this
pawn in order to avoid c5.} ({Since my main worry was the c5-move I started to
check} 17. Bb4 $2 {, but soon realized that Black can play} c5 $1 {anyway.} 18.
Rxc5 (18. Bxc5 Nbd7) (18. dxc5 Nbd5) 18... Nbd7 $1 {Suddenly the rook has no
moves on the fifth rank except} 19. Ra5 {, but then Black plays} c5 $1 {again}
20. dxc5 Qxa5 $1 21. Bxa5 Rxb3 22. axb3 Nxc5 $15 {After finding this line I
rejected 17.Bb4.}) ({In case of} 17. Qc2 {I didn't like} Nbd7 18. Qxc6 Rb2)
17... Nbd5 $6 {After this move Black will be under pressure.} ({Black should
have tried to exchange the queens.} 17... Qd5 $5 18. Qc2 Qe4) 18. Qc2 Rb6 19.
Rc4 $1 {Any exchange would make Black's life easier.} (19. Ne5 $5) 19... Qb8 {
[%cal Gb6b2]} 20. Bc1 Ne7 (20... Nd7 $5 {Covering the e5-square deserved
attention.}) 21. Ne5 $1 (21. Rxc7 $6 {would allow an exchange of rooks which
would be favourable for Black.} Rc8) 21... Rd8 22. Bf3 $5 Ne8 ({After} 22...
Nd7 {I would keep the knight.} 23. Nd3 $14) 23. e3 $1 {Stabilising the
position in the centre.} Nd6 24. Rc3 ({After} 24. Rxc7 {Black forces an
exchange of rooks.} Rc8 25. Rc5 Rb5 26. Nd3 Nb7 {though White seems to retain
better chances after} 27. Rxc8+ Qxc8 28. Qa4 Rb1 29. Qxa7 $14) 24... f6 25. Nd3
Nf7 {[%cal Gf7g5]} (25... Nd5 26. Rc5 Nb7 {the rook finds an escape on a4.} 27.
Rc4 (27. e4 $5 {also looks good.} Ne7 28. Rxc7 Rc8 29. Bf4 $1 $16) 27... Nd6
28. Ra4 $16) 26. a4 {[%cal Gc1a3]} ({Fritz 11} 26. Rxc7 Rc8 27. Rc5 $16) ({
Probably it would be safer to play} 26. h4 {[%csl Rg5] covering the g5-square.}
) 26... Nd5 27. Rc5 Rd7 {[%cal Gd5b4]} 28. Ba3 Nd8 {[%cal Gd8b7] A wrong
manoeuvre in time trouble.} ({Black should have tried} 28... Rb1+ $1 29. Kg2
Ng5 {with some tactical tricks.} 30. Bxd5 $1 ({In the event of} 30. Bb2 {
Black plays} Qb7 $1 31. e4 Rg1+ $1 32. Kxg1 Nxf3+ 33. Kh1 (33. Kg2 $4 Nb4 $1
$19) 33... Nb6 $132 {[%csl Ra4,Re4] with serious counterplay.}) 30... exd5 31.
Nf4 $14) 29. Kg2 {Allowing Black's idea I had in mind 32.a5.} Nb7 30. Rc6 (30.
e4 $1 {see 32.e4.}) 30... Na5 31. Rc5 (31. Rxe6 $6 {doesn't work.} Rxe6 32. Nc5
{[%csl Rd7,Re6]} Qe8 $1 33. Nxd7 (33. Qf5 $2 Red6 34. Be4 g6 $1 $19) 33... Qxd7
34. Qc5 {[%csl Ra5,Rd5]} Nxe3+ $1 35. fxe3 Rxe3 36. Bc1 Rxf3 37. Kxf3 Qxa4 $11)
31... Nb7 32. a5 $6 {I was attracted by this idea when I played 29.Kg2.
However it turns out to be wrong.} (32. e4 $1 {was correct.} Nxc5 33. Nxc5 (33.
dxc5 Nb4 $1 $17) (33. Bxc5 Nb4 $1 $15) 33... Nf4+ (33... Nb4 34. Bxb4 Rxd4 35.
a3 $16) 34. gxf4 Rxd4 35. f5 $16) (32. Rb5 $5 $16) 32... Nxc5 33. Nxc5 Rc6 $1
34. Qg6 $1 {This was my initial idea. Suddenly White starts an attack along
the light squares.} ({Once again} 34. e4 $5 {deserved attention.} Nb4 35. Qc4
Rxd4 36. Qxd4 Nc2 37. Qc3 Nxa3 38. e5 $1 (38. Qxa3 $2 Qf8 $1 $17 {[%csl Rc5]})
38... Qb5 $1 39. Bxc6 Qxc6+ 40. Kg1 $1 ({After} 40. f3 {Black has a nice trick.
} Nb1 $1 41. Qd4 Nd2 $1 {[%csl Rf3]} 42. Qxd2 Qxc5 43. exf6 gxf6 44. g4 $11)
40... Nb5 (40... Nb1 41. Qb4 $14) 41. Qe3 $14) (34. Qa4 $5 Rdd6 35. e4 (35.
Nxe6 $2 Nc3 $19) 35... Nc3 36. Qc4 Nb5 37. Bb2 $36) 34... Rf7 $2 {Finally
Black errs, succumbing to the pressure.} (34... Rdd6 $8 {was necessary.} 35.
Be4 $1 ({Now} 35. Nxe6 $2 {is strongly met by} Nxe3+ $1 {This is the move I
missed in my calculations.} 36. fxe3 Rxe6 37. Qd3 $44 (37. Bd5 Kh8 $17) (37. d5
Rxe3 38. dxc6 Rxa3 39. Bd5+ Kh8 40. Be4 Qg8 $19)) 35... Ne7 36. Nd7 $3 {
[%cal Gd7f6]} Rxd7 37. Qh7+ Kf7 38. Bxe7 Qb5 39. Bc5 $44 {[%cal Ge4g6] with
good compensation.}) 35. Be4 $1 $18 {[%csl Rg8][%cal Gg6h7] Now Black's
position is hopeless.} f5 36. Bxd5 {[%csl Rc6]} Rf6 37. Qxf6 $1 {and Black
resigned as his position is absolutely hopeless. After winning this game I
caught up with three more players in a tie for the first in the 2008 Canadian
and Quebec open.} (37. Qxf6 gxf6 38. Bxc6 $18 {[%csl Re6,Rf5]}) 1-0

[Event "ISR-chT"]
[Site "Israel"]
[Date "2004.01.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2568"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "Mikhalevski,V"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2004.01.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 100"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 {[%csl Rc7] One of the ideas behind this move is to
prevent 10...Bd5 which is the main White's worry after 10.Bg5.} (10. Bg5 {
Also in this line which I played a number of times White has problems to prove
his opening advantage.}) 10... a5 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Gb8a6] The most popular
reply. Black makes a typical for this entire variation move which has an idea
of taking control over the b4-square and frees the a6-square for the manoeuvre
of a black knight:Na6-b4.} ({Other options are} 10... Nbd7) (10... Nd5) ({and} 
10... Bd6) 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 {[%csl Gc2] White covers the c2-square in
advance in order to prevent a fork by means of Nc2 after preliminary Nb4.} ({
The other line} 12. Rae1 {doesn't promise any opening advantage in view of} Bd5
13. Qd3 (13. Qb5 Bc6 14. Qb3 Nb4 15. Rc1 {1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Delchev,A/
Istanbul 2003/CBM 96 (15)}) 13... Nb4 14. Qb1 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Nxd5 Nbxd5
17. Ne5 Nxf4 18. gxf4 Qb6 19. Rc1 {and Black's at least not worse in} Rac8 {
Tkachiev-Gelfand,Cap d'Adge 2002}) ({while} 12. Rfe1 Nb4 13. Rac1 {usually
leads to transposition.}) 12... Nb4 13. Rfe1 {[%cal Ge2e4] White has been
preparing e4.} Bd6 {One of the best ways to stop e4.} (13... Nbd5 $2 {is bad
ion view of} 14. Ne5 $1) (13... Bxf3 $6 {allows White to obtain a slight, but
long-last advantage.} 14. Bxf3) ({while} 13... Nfd5 {deserves a serious
attention.}) 14. Bg5 {[%cal Ge2e4] Renewing the idea of e4.} (14. e3 {
preparing a retreat of the queen to e2 is the other option here, which however
doesn't offer any advantage} Nfd5 15. Qe2 Nxf4 16. gxf4 f6 17. Kh1 Qe8 18. b3
e5 19. fxe5 fxe5 20. d5 e4 21. Nxe4 Bxd5 22. Nxd6 cxd6 23. Rg1 Qh5 24. Rc7 Kh8
$1 ({Unnecessary complications could arise after} 24... Rxf3 25. e4 $1 (25.
Rxg7+ Kxg7 (25... Kh8 26. Rg3 (26. e4 $2 Rh3 $1 $19) 26... Raf8 $1 27. e4 Bxe4
28. Qxe4 Rxf2 29. Qxb7 $13) 26. Bxf3+ Kh8 27. e4 $1 Qe5 28. exd5 Qxe2 29. Bxe2
Rf8 30. Bc4 Rxf2 31. Re1 Kg7 $11) 25... Rh3 26. Qxh5 Rxh5 27. exd5 Rf8 $1 28.
Rxb7 Nd3 $1 29. Rf1 Rg5 $1 30. h3 Nf4 $1 31. Rg1 Ne2 32. Rf1 Nf4 $11) 25. Qb2
Rf6 $1 $15 {1/2-1/2 Lautier,J-Beliavsky,A/Belgrade 1995/CBM 51 (49)}) 14... Bd5
$1 {Black exchanges the bishop which could become very passive after 15.e4} 15.
Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb3 h6 $1 {Black forces exchange of the dark-squared bishop on
the king's knight and thus equalizes the game.} 17. Bxf6 {There are no logical
retreats.} Qxf6 18. e3 {I was following the below-mentioned game of Kasparov.}
Rad8 {During his home preparation Rozentalis prepared this idea.} ({I believe
there's nothing wrong also with Gelfand's} 18... Rae8 19. Qd1 Re7 20. Rc3 Rfe8
21. Qb1 c6 $11 {1-0 Kasparov,G-Gelfand,B/Moscow 1996/CBM 52 ext (57). (56)})
19. Rc3 b6 {The beginning of an agressive plan. Black has been preparing c5
which however also has a drawback. The b5-square is getting weak. By the
series of the next moves I'm trying to exploit this weakness.} (19... c6 $5)
20. Qd1 {[%cal Gd1b1] The Queen has nothing to do on b3 so White brings it to
a better position on b1.} c5 21. Qb1 Rfe8 22. Rd1 Rc8 23. h4 {This a little
bit provocative move wasn't necessary. Although White gets the h2-square for
his king the pawn chain on the kingside is getting vulnerable.} ({Immediate} 
23. Rd2 {would be more accurate.}) 23... Rc7 24. Rd2 {[%csl Rb6][%cal Gb1f1,
Gf1b5] Clearing the way for the Queen to b5 via f1.} Rce7 {Black seems to
overlook my idea.} (24... c4 {was possible, however Black would have to
consider b3.}) 25. Qf1 $1 cxd4 $2 {This strange decision gives White an upper
hand. Now the d5-pawn is weak and the knight on b4 is misplaced.} (25... c4 {
was better.}) 26. Nxd4 $14 {[%csl Rd5]} Be5 ({or} 26... Bc5 27. Nb3 $1) 27. Qd1
$1 {[%cal Gd1g4] The Queen changes her plans. Women are unpredictable as usual!
} Qg6 {Black covers light squares on the kingside.} 28. h5 Qf6 29. Qg4 $1 Bxd4
$1 {The knight has to be eliminated.} 30. Rxd4 Re5 $1 {[%csl Rh5] Black finds
an object of attack on h5.} 31. Rc8 Qe7 $6 {This natural move seems to be a
serious inaccuracy.} (31... Rxc8 $1 32. Qxc8+ Kh7 33. Rf4 $14) 32. Rc1 $2 {
This one-move blunder can hardly be explained.} (32. e4 $1 {Right after the
game Eduardas proposed this strong idea.} {Now after} dxe4 (32... Rg5 33. Rxe8+
Qxe8 34. Qd1 $1 $16 Re5 35. Kh2 (35. f4 $5 {Golod})) ({Probably necessary is} 
32... f5 $1 33. Rxe8+ Qxe8 34. exf5 Qf7 $1 35. Bh3 Nc6 36. Rd1 Ne7 37. Rd3 $14)
33. Bxe4 $1 $16 {[%csl Rb4,Ge4] Bishop's superiority over the knight is
visible to the naked eye.}) 32... Rxe3 $1 {[%csl Rc1,Rg1]} 33. Bxd5 {
Fortunately White is able to keep an equality.} Nxd5 34. Rxd5 $11 (34. Rxd5 {
For example} Re4 35. Qf5 $1 {with the idea} Rxa4 36. Rd7 Qe6 37. Qxe6 fxe6 (
37... Rxe6 38. Rc8+ Kh7 39. Rxf7 Re5 40. Rc6 $1 Rxh5 41. Rxb6 $11) 38. Rcc7 Rg4
39. Rb7 Rg5 40. f4 $1 Rxg3+ 41. Kf2 Rg4 42. Kf3 Rg1 43. Kf2 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Beersheba-Peterburg Kings m"]
[Site "St Petersburg"]
[Date "1999.06.12"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Aseev, Konstantin N"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[BlackElo "2519"]
[Annotator "Mikhalevski,V"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1999.06.??"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ribli} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Ribli:
'Meines Erachtens bietet diese Variante der katalanischen Eröffnung dem
Schwarzen die besten Ausgleichsmöglichkeiten. Ribli.'} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Ribli: 'Das alte 8.Qxc4 ist heutzutage ein seltener Gast auf
Grossmeisterturnieren.'} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Ribli: 'Sofortiges 10.Nc3
wäre vorteilhaft für Schwarz, daher bereitet Weiss die Springerentwicklung vor.
In vielen Varianten gibt Weiss den g5-Läufer auf und erzielt mit Nc3 nebst
e2-e4 Zentrumsübergewicht.'} (10. Nc3 $2 {Ribli} b5) 10... Bd5 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3
{is more popular}) (11. Qd3 {Ribli}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 {Very uncommon move.
Ribli: 'Dieser Damenzug erscheint mir chancenreicher als die Alternative. Das
Feld d1 wird frei für den Turm und der Befreiungszug ...c7-c5 wird erschwert.'}
(12. Qd1 {is the main line.}) (12. Qd1 {Ribli} c5 13. Nbd2 Bc6 14. dxc5 Bxc5
15. Nb3 Be7 $11) 12... a5 $5 $146 {Black stops possible advance of the a-pawn.
In the previous games black tried 12...Nc6 and 12...Nd7.} (12... Nc6 13. e3 (
13. Rd1 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Nxd4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e3 Nb3 {0-1 Vadasz,L-Kabatianski,
A/Budapest 1994/EXT 97 (16)}) 13... Nd5 {'N!?' Ribli. '!?' Ribli.} (13... Nb4
$5 $146 14. Nc3 Bc6 {Ribli: '1/2-1/2 Pigusov,E-Liang Jinrong/Beijing 1997/CBM
61/[Ribli] (37)'} 15. a5 Rc8 16. Rd1 Bxf3 (16... h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. e4 $14 {
[%csl Rb4,Gd4,Ge4]}) 17. Bxf3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Pigusov,E-Liang Jinrong/Beijing
1997/CBM 61/[Ribli] (37)}) (13... a5 $6 14. Nc3) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nc3 Nxc3 16.
bxc3 Na5 17. Nd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 19. Qb2 Rac8 20. Qb6 {Ribli: '1-0 Foisor,
C-Amura,C/Jakarta iztW 1993/EXT 93 (44)'} Qc7 21. Rfb1 {Foisor,C-Amura,C/
Jakarta iztW 1993/EXT 93/1-0 (44)'}) (12... Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qc2 Bb4 (14...
h6 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. e4 Bb4 17. Rfe1 b6 18. Ne5 Bb7 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Nd3 Rfd8
21. e5 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Bxd5 Rxd5 24. Re4 Rad8 25. Nf4 R5d7 26. Nh5 Kh8
27. Rg4 Rg8 28. Qc1 $40 {[%cal Gh5f6] 1-0 Foisor,C-Markovic,G/Subotica 1991/TD
(45)}) 15. Rfe1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 $14 {Tkachiev,V-Almasi,Z/Senec 1998/EXT 99/1/2-1/
2 (73)}) 13. Nbd2 $1 {'?!' Ribli. Ribli: 'Dieser Zug wirkt passiv. Ich denke,
nach dem natürlichem 13.Nc3 hat Weiss gute Aussichten auf Eröffnungsvorteil.'}
({In case of standard} 13. Nc3 Bc6 (13... Bxf3 {Ribli} 14. Bxf3 c6 15. Rd1 $14)
14. Qc2 (14. Rd1 Nbd7 (14... h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e4 $14) 15. Qc2 $14) 14...
Na6 15. e4 Nb4 16. Qe2 {Black gets counterplay by means of} b6 $1 17. Rfd1 Bb7
18. Rac1 Ba6 19. Qe3 $13) 13... Bc6 {'=' Ribli. Ribli: 'Der schwarze Läufer
kontrolliert die wichtigsten Felder in der langen Diagonalen.'} 14. Nc4 (14.
Qc2 {Ribli} Na6 15. e4 Nb4 16. Qb1 b6 $11 {[%csl Gb4]}) 14... Bd5 $5 (14... Be4
$11 {Ribli}) 15. Nfe5 $5 {[%mdl 512] '?!' Ribli. Changing this bishop White
wins time spent by it on the manoeuvres along the c6-e4 diagonal.The only
drawback of this move is that pawn on d4 is not protected anymore. Ribli:
'Weiss möchte die Läufer tauschen, aber die katalanische Eröffnung ohne den
g2-Läufer ist wie ein Löwe ohne Zähne.'} (15. Rd1 $11 {Ribli}) 15... Bxg2 16.
Kxg2 h6 $6 {'!?' Ribli.} ({Black should accept the sacrifice.} 16... Qxd4 $142
17. Rd1 (17. f3 $5 $36) 17... Qe4+ (17... Qa7) 18. f3 $1 Qxe2+ 19. Kh1 $1 {
[%csl Re2][%cal Gd1d2] '~~' Ribli. Black's queen is in trap,but it escapes
with the help of tactics} ({During the game I thought} 19. Kh3 $2 {wins,but in
fact it's bad in view of} Ne4 $3 {Playing 15.Nfe5!? I have missed this
brilliant blow.} (19... Bb4 $2 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Ng4 Qxf3 22. Rf1 (22. Qh6 $5))
20. fxe4 (20. Bxe7 Nf2+ 21. Kh4 Nxd1) 20... f6 $1 (20... Qh5+ $5 21. Bh4 g5)
21. Bh4 g5 $1) 19... Ne4 $5 (19... Bb4 $5 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qf4 Nc6 22. Nxc6
bxc6 23. Qxf6 Qxc4 24. Qg5+ Kh8 25. Qf6+ $11) 20. Bxe7 (20. fxe4 $2 Qxe4+ 21.
Kg1 f6) 20... Nf2+ 21. Kg1 Nh3+ 22. Kh1 Nf2+ $11) 17. Bd2 $3 {[%mdl 512] Again
sacrificing a central pawn for strong initiative.} (17. Bxf6 {Ribli} Bxf6 18.
Rd1 $11) 17... Qxd4 18. Rd1 $6 {'©' Ribli. Hasty move.} ({First I should take
under control e4 and g4 squares.} 18. f3 $1 $36 {[%cal Gf1d1] with dangerous
initiative.}) 18... Ng4 $1 {'!?' Ribli.} (18... Qe4+ {[%cal Re4e2,Re4g2] Ribli}
19. f3 Qxe2+ (19... Qh7) 20. Kh1 $13 {[%csl Re2][%cal Gd1e1] Schwarz hat zwei
Bauern mehr, aber die Dame steht etwas unglücklich auf e2.}) 19. Nxg4 $8 (19.
e3 $2 Qd5+ 20. Nf3 Nxh2 $1) (19. Be1 $2 Qe4+ 20. Nf3 Nc6 (20... Qxe2 $5)) (19.
Nd3 $2 Qe4+) (19. Be3 {Ribli} Qe4+ $17) 19... Qxg4 20. f3 (20. Nxa5 $5 {
was possible with chances for minimal advantage.} Qxe2 $140 (20... Qe4+ $142
21. Kg1 Na6 22. Qc4 $11) 21. Qxc7 Bd8 22. Qc4 $14) 20... Qh5 (20... Qf5 {Ribli}
21. e4 Qc5 $15) 21. g4 Qc5 {'=/+' Ribli. Ribli: 'Schwarz besitzt einen
Mehrbauern und die weisse Kompensation wirkt kärglich.'} 22. Ra3 $1 $44 {
[%cal Ga3b3] Bringing last reserve into the play.} Bg5 $6 {First inaccuracy
called by approaching time-trouble.} (22... b6 $5) (22... Rd8 $5) (22... Rd8
$15 {Ribli}) 23. Rb3 (23. Bxg5 hxg5 (23... Qxg5 $142) (23... Qxg5 24. Qxg5 hxg5
25. Rb3 b6 26. Ne5 $44 {[%csl Ge5]}) 24. Rb3 {'©' Ribli.} (24. Rc3 $44 {
[%cal Gc1c7] Ribli}) 24... b6 25. Rb5 Qc6 26. Rxg5 Qxa4 27. Rxg7+ ({Optimistic
} 27. Ne5 {doesn't work} f6 28. Rg6 c5 $1 {[%cal Ga8a7]} (28... fxe5 $4 29. Qh6
Rf7 30. Rd8+) 29. Rd7 $140 Qxd7 $1 30. Nxd7 Nxd7 {[%csl Rg6][%cal Gf8f7,Gd7e5]}
) 27... Kxg7 28. Qg5+ $11) 23... Bxd2 $6 $138 (23... b6 $5 24. Bxg5 hxg5 25.
Rb5 {-23.B:g5}) ({Bad is} 23... Rd8 $2 {because of} 24. Rb5 Qc6 (24... Rxd2 25.
Rxc5 Rxe2+ 26. Kf1 Bxc1 27. Kxe2 Na6 28. Rxa5 $16) 25. Bxg5 Rxd1 26. Qxd1 Qxc4
(26... hxg5 27. Qd8+ Kh7 28. Rxg5 $18) 27. b3 Qc6 28. Qd8+ Kh7 29. Bf4 $16 {
[%csl Ra8,Rb8]}) 24. Nxd2 $1 {Black has missed this capture.} Qe5 $2 {[%mdl
8192] This is already a serious mistake.} ({Black is still was able to
equalize by means of} 24... Qxc1 25. Rxc1 b6 26. Rxc7 Na6 $1 $11 {[%cal Ga6c5]
/\Nc5}) (24... Na6) 25. Nc4 $1 (25. Ne4 $5 {/\Rb7}) 25... Qc5 ({In case of} 
25... Qxe2+ $2 {Black's queen is in trap.} 26. Kg3 $18 {[%csl Re2][%cal Gd1d2,
Gd1e1,Gb3e3]}) 26. Rxb7 $16 {'+/=' Ribli. Ribli: 'Weiss hat den Bauern
zurückgewonnen und besitzt die bessere Bauernstruktur.'} Ra6 (26... Qc6 {Ribli}
27. Rb5 $14 {[%csl Gb5]}) 27. Rd3 $6 $138 {Now White is also in time-trouble.}
({Both} 27. Qc3 $142) ({and} 27. Qf4 $142 {are better}) 27... Qc6 $6 {Aseev
doesn't use put at his disposal chance.} (27... Rb6 $1 28. Rb3 $1 $14 (28. Rb3
{Ribli} Nd7 $11 (28... Rxb3 29. Rxb3 $14))) 28. Rb5 {Now Black is in trouble.}
Qa8 {'?' Ribli. Ribli: 'Dieses Damenmanöver gefällt mir nicht. Die schwarze
Dame steht passiv auf a8.'} 29. Qc3 (29. g5 $16 {Ribli}) 29... Nc6 30. Rd7 Nb4
(30... Qc8 $142) 31. e4 $1 {[%csl Gd5] Ribli: 'Weiss nimmt dem Springer das
Feld d5.'} (31. Rxc7 $2 {Ribli} Nd5 $17 {[%cal Rd5c3,Rd5c7]}) 31... c6 $2 {
Decisive mistake.} (31... Qc8 {was the last chance.}) (31... Ra7 {Ribli} 32.
Nxa5 Rxa5 33. Rxb4 Rxa4 34. Rxa4 Qxa4 35. Rxc7 $16) 32. Rbb7 $18 {[%csl Rf7,
Rg7,Rg8][%cal Gc4d6] '+/-' Ribli. Black is defenceless. Ribli: 'Weiss steht
mit den verdoppelten Türmen auf der 7. Reihe klar besser.'} h5 {Ribli: 'Dieses
Bauernopfer hilft nicht.'} 33. gxh5 Na2 34. Qe5 {'+-' Ribli. Ribli: 'Die
weissen Schwerfiguren stehen ausgezeichnet. Schwarz ist chancenlos.'} Qe8 35.
Nd6 $138 {Ribli: 'Schwarz gab in völlig verlorener Stellung auf. Eine
schlechte Partie von Grossmeister Aseev.'} (35. Nd6 {Ribli} Qa8 36. Rxf7 $18 {
[%csl Rg8][%cal Re5g7]}) 1-0

[Event "ISR-ch"]
[Site "Ramat Aviv"]
[Date "1998.11.11"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Gruenfeld, Yehuda"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2540"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "Mikhalevski,V"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1998.11.08"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 068"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This game is a colourful example how thoughtless play on the opponent time
can destroy an interesting play on the early stages.The result of this game is
a rare exception.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O
dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Nbd7 ({Alternative is} 10... a5 {
[%cal Gb8a6]}) 11. Nc3 a5 12. Rfe1 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Nd5 $146 {In according to my
database this move is already a novelty.This idea was tried in the similar
position with white rook on d1 instead of e1 and white had got an advantage by
changes on e7 and d5.} (12... Bxf3 {is one of the possible ideas.Black is
agreed with slightly worse,but solid position.} 13. Bxf3 c6 14. e4 e5 15. Rad1
Qb6 16. Be3 Qb4 17. Qe2 Rfe8 18. Bg2 Bf8 19. h3 Qb3 20. Rd3 exd4 21. Bxd4 Qc4
22. f4 Bc5 23. Qd2 $14 {0-1 Filippov,V-Sulskis,S/New York 1998/CBM 64 (80)}) (
12... Bd5 13. Qd3 Bxf3 {leads to the same type of positions like 12...B:f3.}
14. Bxf3 c6 15. Rad1 h6 16. Bc1 $14 {1-0 Shtyrenkov,V-Cioara,A/Pardubice 1998/
EXT 99 (42)}) (12... Nb6 13. Qd3 Nfd5 (13... Nbd5 14. e4 $142 (14. Ne5 $6 Nb4
15. Qd1 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 h6 17. Be3 c5 $11 {1-0 Demina,J-Botsari Miladinovic,A/
Subotica 1991/TD (60)}) 14... Nb4 15. Qe2 $14) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne5 Nb4 16.
Nxc6 bxc6 17. Qe4 $14 {1-0 Rahman,Z-Ravi,T/Calcutta 1996/CBM 50 ext (40)}) (
12... h6 $5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. e4 e5 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 c6 17. Qb3 Qc7 {
1/2-1/2 Vaulin,A-Landa,K/Novgorod 1997/CBM 60 (17)}) 13. Bxe7 (13. Nxd5 {after}
Bxd5 {doesn't have independent value.} (13... Bxg5 14. Nxg5 exd5 15. Qc1 $14 {
[%cal Gg5h3,Gh3f4]}) (13... exd5 14. Qc1 $5) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 {see 13.B:e7 Q:e7
14.N:d5} (14... Bxc4 15. Bxd8 Rfxd8 16. Rac1)) 13... Qxe7 14. e4 $5 {I tried
to go for more than 14.N:d5 can give.} (14. Nxd5 $5 exd5 15. Qc3 $14) 14... Nb4
(14... Nxc3 15. bxc3 (15. Qxc3 $5) 15... Nb6 16. Qb3 Qe8 17. e5 {with
initiative in both cases.} (17. c4 $5)) 15. Qe2 (15. d5 {after} Nb6 ({but not} 
15... exd5 $4 16. exd5) 16. Qb3 Bd7 {leads to unclear position that was not my
idea when I played 14.e4}) 15... Rad8 16. Rac1 Nb6 {[%cal Gb6a4][%mdl 2048]
Black is starting an interesting plan.He's intending to play f6 and move his
bishop to the king side(to h5 via e8) attacking white's centre(d4-pawn).} 17.
b3 Be8 18. Qe3 {[%mdl 32] An useful move.Queen leaves d1-h5 diagonal and
strengthens the centre..} f6 19. Nb5 $5 {White provokes 19...c6 as it 1)
weakens queen side, in particular knight on b6 is filling unsafe and 2)limits
mobility of N on b4 and B on e8.} (19. h3 $5 {in order to meet 19...Bh5 with
20.g4.}) 19... c6 ({After} 19... Bxb5 $6 20. axb5 {pawn on c7 is becoming a
serious weakness and N on b4 fills very uncomfortable.}) 20. Nc3 Nc8 {[%cal
Ge6e5,Ge8h5,Ge8f7]} (20... Bh5 {was interesting,but black should consider} 21.
d5 (21. h3 $5) 21... Nc8 22. Nd4 $1 (22. dxe6 Rd3 $1 (22... Nd3 $2 23. Nd5 $1))
22... exd5 23. exd5 Qxe3 24. Rxe3 cxd5 25. Ncb5 $1 $44 {[%cal Gd4e6,Gg2h3,
Gb5c7] with good compensation for a sacrificed pawn.}) 21. h3 e5 22. Nb1 $1 {
[%mdl 2080] Very strong retreat.First of all a knight on c3 doesn't have
further perspectives.Secondly it will play in copula with Nf3 after Nb1-d2.
Third pawn on b3 will be well protected and finally a use of the weaknesses on
the queen side can be made by Nd2-c4.} Bf7 23. Bf1 $1 {[%cal Gd4e5] It'
important to take the d3-square under control.} exd4 $1 {Otherwise white would
take on e5.} 24. Nxd4 Rfe8 25. Nf5 (25. Nd2 $6 Qd6) 25... Qf8 26. Nd2 Nd6 (
26... Be6 27. Nd4 {[%cal Gd2c4]}) (26... Bg6 27. Nh4 {[%cal Gd2c4]}) 27. Nd4 $2
$138 {[%mdl 16384] I saw that Black is short of time and made this move too
quickly.Fortunately I won this game,but the mistake could become crucial.} (27.
Nxd6 Qxd6 28. Nc4 Bxc4 29. Bxc4+ Kh8 30. Re2 $1 $14 {[%cal Ge3b6] and white is
slightly better thanks to manoeuvre 19. Nc3-b5 which weakened queen side pawn
structure and made possible ideas like Qb6.}) 27... Re7 $1 $15 {Now all white
pieces fill uncomfortable.} 28. f3 (28. f4 $5) 28... Qe8 (28... Red7 $5) 29.
Nc4 $2 {One mistake drags on another.} Nxc4 30. bxc4 (30. Bxc4 {is not better}
Bxc4 31. Rxc4 Red7 {[%cal Ge8h5,Gc6c5]}) 30... Red7 31. Nf5 Nd3 $1 32. Bxd3
Rxd3 $17 33. Qf2 (33. Qf4 $5) 33... Be6 {[%cal Ge8h5]} 34. c5 $6 $138 {Black
lost on time in almost winning position and I being fantasticly lucky
qualified for the quarter-final of The Israel Championship.} (34. g4 $5 Qd7 35.
Re3 $17) 1-0

[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 3rd"]
[Site "Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2015.02.09"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2738"]
[BlackElo "2797"]
[Annotator "Mokal,P"]
[PlyCount "177"]
[EventDate "2015.02.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. a5 Qe7
15. Nh4 $146 {A new but harmless continuation.} (15. Nd2 Bd5 $5 16. Bxd5 exd5
17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Qxd5 Qxe2 19. Ne4 $11 {In spite of White's centralized
pieces Black had a holdable position in Giri,A (2734)-Aronian,L (2812)/Wijk
aan Zee 2014/CBM 159/[Marin,M] (48)}) (15. Rfd1 Bd5 16. Qd3 Bxf3 $5 17. Bxf3 c6
{Black is solid but many games can be played from this position. The game in
which it arose for the first time was later drawn. It was Wang Yue - Radjabov,
T, China, 2013.}) ({According to Mihail Marin in CBM 159, in the following
game, White played Nf3-d2 after some moving back and forth by both sides:} 15.
Rfe1 Bb4 16. Rec1 Rfd8 17. e3 Bd6 18. Nd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 c5 20. dxc5 Bxg3 21.
Nf3 Bc7 $132 {Bukavshin,I (2476)-Lysyj,I (2624) St Petersburg 2012 (1/2, 32)})
15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 {Black's typical freeing breaks in such structures are ...
c5 or ...e5.} Rfd8 (16... c5 $5 {comes into consideration. The question here
is whether White will have some play on the light squares in and around the
centre.} 17. d5 exd5 (17... g5 18. Nf3 exd5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 Rad8 21. Qf5
$13) 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5 Rfd8 20. Nf5 Qc7 21. Qf3 Rac8 22. Ne3 $13 {[%cal
Ge3d5]}) (16... e5 $2 17. Ng6 $18) 17. e4 Bb4 {[%csl Re4] Avoiding the fork
and at the same time threatening the e4-pawn.} 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nf5 Qd7 ({
An interesting alternative was} 19... Qf8 $5 {with the idea of immediately
playing...c5 after the N retreats from f5.} 20. Ne3 Bxc3 21. bxc3 c5 22. Rac1 (
22. Rab1 $6 Nxc3 $1 23. Qxc3 cxd4 $15) (22. dxc5 Nxe3+ 23. fxe3 Rd2+ 24. Rf2
Rxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Rc8 $15) 22... Qe7 $11 {[%cal Ge7c7,Gc7a5] Black is doing fine.}
) 20. Ne3 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Qb5 22. Qxb5 axb5 23. Rfc1 c5 {Black has other ways of
playing this position but this freeing move seems like a comfortable equaliser.
} 24. Nxd5 (24. dxc5 Nxe3+ 25. fxe3 Rd5 $11) 24... Rxd5 25. Rcb1 cxd4 26. cxd4
Rc8 ({With both the Rs keeping an eye on at least one P, another idea was to
first improve the K and the pawn structure with} 26... g5 $5 {[%cal Gd5d4,
Ga8a5]} 27. Kf3 Kg7 28. Ke3 (28. Ke4 Kg6 29. Rb4 f6 (29... Ra6 $5 $11) 30. exf6
Kxf6 $11) 28... Kg6 29. h3 (29. Rc1 b4 30. Rcb1 {is similar.}) 29... h5 30. Rc1
(30. Kd3 Rad8 $11) (30. Rb4 f6 31. exf6 Kxf6 $11) 30... b4 31. Rcb1 Raxa5 32.
Rxa5 Rxa5 33. Rxb4 b5 34. Ke4 Ra2 $11) 27. Rb4 Rc4 28. Rab1 Rcxd4 29. Rxd4 Rxd4
30. Rxb5 Rd7 $6 {A perplexing decision. Conventional wisdom advices to keep
the rook active. It is hard to believe that an ex-World Champion would not
want to keep his R active. Most probably Anand saw a draw in both ...Ra4 and ..
.Rd7. I don't think that Anand tossed a coin! I believe he chose the latter
simply because there is less calculation, and no apparent risk of a white king
march to the queenside. At least at first sight.} ({I wonder why Anand
rejected the more active placement of the rook with} 30... Ra4 {seems better.
With rook behind the pawn (here, the opponent's pawn) there should be enough
counterplay to make a draw.} 31. Kf3 (31. f4 g5 32. Kf3 gxf4 33. gxf4 h5 34. h4
Kf8 (34... Kg7 $5 35. f5 exf5 36. Rxb7 Rxa5 37. e6 (37. Kf4 Ra6 $11) 37... Ra4
38. Rxf7+ Kg6 39. Rf8 Re4 $11) 35. Ke3 Kg7) (31. h4 g5 32. h5 (32. hxg5 hxg5
33. Kf3 Kg7 34. Ke3 Kg6 35. g4 Rxg4 36. Rxb7 Ra4 $11) 32... g4 {[%csl Ga4]
This is an important change compared to the game. The move...g4 uses the
rook's effective placement.} 33. Kf1 Ra2 (33... Kf8 34. Ke2 Ra3 35. Rc5) 34.
Rb4 Rxa5 35. Rxg4+ Kf8 36. Re4 Rb5 (36... Ra8 37. Rb4) 37. Ke2 Rb2+ 38. Kf3 b5
$11) 31... g5 32. g4 (32. Ke3 Kg7 33. Kd3 g4 34. Kc3 Kg6 (34... Ra2 35. Kc4)
35. Kb3 Ra1 36. Kc4 Rc1+ 37. Kd4 (37. Kb4 Kg5 $11 {[%cal Gb1b7]}) 37... Rc7 $11
{[%csl Gg6] The black king is healthier here, than in the game.}) 32... Kg7 33.
Kg3 Ra3+ 34. f3 Kg6 35. Kf2 Ra2+ 36. Ke3 Ra4 37. Kd3 h5 38. h3 h4 39. Kc3 Ra2
40. Kb4 Rh2 41. Kc5 Rxh3 42. Rxb7 Rxf3 43. Rb8 Ra3 44. Kb4 Ra1 45. Rg8+ Kh6 46.
Kb5 Rb1+ 47. Kc6 (47. Ka6 Rb4 $19) 47... Ra1 48. Kb6 Rb1+ 49. Kc6 (49. Ka7 Rb4
50. a6 Rxg4 51. Kb6 Ra4 $11) 49... Ra1 $11) 31. Kf3 g5 32. h4 Kg7 33. h5 f6 ({
If Black continues passively White has good chances to push for a win. For
example} 33... Kh7 34. Kg4 Kg7 35. f4 gxf4 36. gxf4 Kh7 37. f5 $1 exf5+ 38.
Kxf5 Kg7 39. e6 $1 fxe6+ 40. Kxe6 Rf7 41. Rd5 Rf6+ 42. Kd7 Rf7+ 43. Kc8 $16)
34. exf6+ Kxf6 35. g4 Ke7 36. Ke4 Kf6 37. Rb3 Ke7 (37... Rd5 38. Rxb7 Rxa5 39.
Rh7 {would have probably saved some ink and paper.}) 38. f3 Kf6 39. Rb6 Ke7 40.
Rb5 Kf6 41. Rb3 ({Sooner or later White's best try is likely to be} 41. Rc5 {
but it does not seem to cause too much trouble if Black plays accurately.} Kf7
42. Rc8 Rd5 43. Rc7+ Kg8 44. Rxb7 Rxa5 45. Re7 Ra4+ 46. Ke5 Rf4 47. Rxe6 Kh7
48. Rf6 Ra4 $11) 41... Ke7 42. Rd3 Rc7 43. Kd4 Kf6 44. Rb3 Rf7 45. Rb5 Rc7 46.
Rb4 (46. Rc5 Rd7+ 47. Kc4 Rd1 48. Rb5 Rc1+ 49. Kd4 Rc7 $11) 46... Ke7 47. Rc4
Rd7+ 48. Kc5 Rd6 49. Rb4 Rc6+ 50. Kb5 Rd6 51. Rb3 Kf6 (51... Kd7 $5 52. Kc5
Rd5+ 53. Kb6 (53. Kb4 Kc6 54. Rc3+ Kd7 55. Rc5 Rd1 $11) 53... Kc8 54. Rc3+ Kb8
55. Rc4 Rd6+ 56. Kb5 Rd5+ 57. Ka4 Rd3 58. f4 gxf4 59. Rxf4 Kc7 60. Rf6 Rd4+ 61.
Kb5 Rxg4 62. Rxh6 Rg5+ 63. Kb4 Rg4+ 64. Kc3 Rh4 $11) 52. Kc5 Rc6+ 53. Kd4 Rd6+
54. Ke4 Rd7 55. Rb6 Rd5 {This does not lose, but White had not made any
significant progress, so it is not clear why Black decided to switch gears.
Probably Anand got bored and saw that even if he loses the h6P White cannot
make progress. It he had not blundered later, this would have very well been
the case.} (55... Ke7 56. f4 gxf4 57. Kxf4 Kf6 $11) 56. Rxb7 Rxa5 57. Rh7 Ra4+
58. Ke3 Ra3+ 59. Kf2 Ra2+ 60. Kg3 Ra3 61. Rxh6+ Kf7 62. Rh7+ Kf6 63. Rd7 Ra2
64. Rd3 Rb2 65. Re3 Rb4 66. Re2 Ra4 67. Kf2 Ra3 68. Rd2 Ra4 69. Ke3 Ra3+ 70.
Ke4 Ra4+ 71. Rd4 Ra1 72. Ke3 Ra3+ 73. Rd3 Ra4 74. Rb3 Ra1 75. Rb7 Ra3+ 76. Kf2
Ra2+ 77. Kg3 Ra3 78. Rb8 Kf7 79. Rb1 Kf6 80. Re1 Ra4 81. Kf2 Ra2+ 82. Kg3 Ra4
83. Rh1 Ra7 84. Kf2 Ke5 $4 {This is the decisive mistake. The K was badly
needed to block White's hP.} ({Black would have still been able to hold with} 
84... Ra2+ $142 85. Ke3 Ra3+ 86. Kd4 Ra4+ 87. Kc5 Kg7 88. Rh3 (88. Kd6 Ra3 89.
Rh3 (89. Rf1 Kf6 $11) 89... Re3 90. Ke7 Kh6 91. Kf6 e5 $11) (88. Re1 Kf7 (88...
Kf6 $6 89. h6 Kf7 90. Rh1 Kg8 91. h7+ Kh8 92. Rh3 $16) 89. h6 (89. Re4 Ra5+ 90.
Kb4 (90. Kd4 Ra3 91. f4 Ra4+ 92. Ke5 Ra5+ 93. Kd6 Ra6+ 94. Kc5 Kf6 95. fxg5+ (
95. h6 gxf4 96. Rxf4+ Kg6 97. g5 Ra5+ 98. Kd6 Rxg5 $11) 95... Kxg5 96. Kd4 Kf6
97. Ke3 e5 98. Kf3 Ra3+ 99. Re3 Ra5 100. Kg3 Kg5 101. Rf3 e4 $11) 90... Ra1 91.
f4 Kf6 $1 92. fxg5+ (92. h6 Rh1 $11) 92... Kxg5 93. Kc4 Rd1 94. Rd4 Re1 95. Kd3
e5 (95... Rd1+ 96. Ke3 Re1+) 96. Re4 Ra1 97. Ke3 (97. Kc4 Rd1 98. Kc5 Rd2 $11)
97... Ra3+ 98. Ke2 Rb3 99. Kf2 Ra3 100. Kg2 Ra2+ 101. Kf3 Ra3+ 102. Re3 e4+
103. Kf2 (103. Kxe4 Ra4+ 104. Kf3 Rf4+ $11) 103... Ra2+ 104. Kg3 Ra4 105. Rb3
Ra5 $11) 89... Ra3 90. Rh1 (90. h7 Kg7 91. Rxe6 Rxf3 $11) 90... Kg8 $11) (88.
h6+ Kh7 89. Rh5 Ra3 $11) 88... Ra5+ 89. Kd6 Kf7 90. h6 Rd5+ 91. Kc7 Kg8 92. Rh1
Rd3 $11) 85. h6 Ra2+ (85... Rh7 86. Ke3 Kf6 87. Ke4 $18 {[%csl Rh7][%cal Ge4e5]
With the rook stuck on h7, Black has to give way.}) 86. Kg3 Ra8 87. h7 Rh8 88.
Rh6 Kd6 89. Kf2 {[%csl Rh8] Black's loss in this comparatively irrelevant last
round game seems more due to psychological factors than 'chessical' ones.} ({
Again the rook is stuck and the white king will finish the game off.} 89. Kf2
Ke7 90. Ke3 Kf7 91. Ke4 Kg7 92. Rh5 Kf6 (92... Rxh7 93. Rxh7+ Kxh7 94. Ke5 $18)
93. Rh1 Kg6 94. Ke5 Kf7 95. Rh5 $18) 1-0

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2017.03.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shabalov, Alexander"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2556"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi,E"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2017.03.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {We have 5 US championship titles in this game!} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4.
Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {The move resurfaced in mainstream
theory after Wesley So beat Nakamura in the Sinquefield Cup with it!} Nc6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 11. Qd2 Rb8 12. Qa5 Qc8 13. a4 Rd8 14. Ba3
Qb7 $146 {A novelty confirmed by Mega Database} (14... Rxd4 15. Rfb1 Rb6 16.
Bc5 Rd7 17. Rd1 h6 18. Rxd7 Nxd7 19. Bxb6 cxb6 20. Qd2 c5 21. Rd1 Nf6 22. Kf1
Kh7 23. Qc2+ Kg8 24. Qd2 Kh7 25. Qd8 Qxd8 26. Rxd8 c3 27. Ke1 Bc4 28. Kd1 Bxa2
29. Kc2 Bc4 30. e3 b5 31. Kxc3 a6 32. Ra8 Nd5+ 33. Bxd5 exd5 34. a5 b4+ 35. Kd2
Bf1 36. Rc8 c4 37. Rb8 b3 38. Kc3 {1-0 (38) So,W (2771)-Nakamura,H (2791)
Saint Louis 2016}) 15. Bc5 c3 $5 {The best move.} 16. Rfe1 Nd5 17. e4 Nb6 18.
Rac1 e5 $5 {An interesting practical try but most likely dubious!} 19. dxe5 Rd3
20. Be7 $2 {Black is ok now!} (20. Rb1 $1 c2 21. Rb2 h6 22. e6 fxe6 23. Bh3 Re8
24. Rxc2 {gives White a tangible edge.}) 20... Nc4 21. Qc5 Qb6 22. e6 Qxc5 (
22... fxe6 {looks better.}) 23. exf7+ Kxf7 24. Bxc5 Rb2 (24... Nd2 {was still
necessary}) 25. e5 $1 $16 Ke6 26. Bxa7 $2 (26. f4 $3 {counter-intuitive} Rdd2
27. f5+ Kxf5 28. Bh3+ Kg5 29. Rxc3 Rxh2 30. Bf1 $18 {and White wins}) 26... Nd2
27. Bh3+ Ke7 28. Bc5+ Ke8 29. Kg2 g6 30. Be6 Bc4 31. Bxc4 Nxc4 32. Re4 {
White should be winning here. What happens from here is just a tragedy for
'Shaba'.} Nb6 33. a5 (33. e6 Nd5 34. a3 $1 {would have sealed the deal.}) 33...
Nd7 34. Be3 Rxa2 35. Kh3 $4 {Inexplicable!} Rxa5 36. e6 Nb6 37. Bxb6 $4 {
This one too!} cxb6 {All of a sudden, Black is winning now!} 38. Rc4 Rc5 39.
Rxc5 bxc5 40. Kg4 Ke7 41. Kg5 Kxe6 42. Kh6 Kd5 43. f4 Kc4 44. Kxh7 Kb3 {
A game in which Shaba did everything: he gained the advantage, he then let it
go and finally, he lost the game!} 0-1

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 4th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2017.04.30"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2811"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi,E"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2017.04.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 {Kramnik loves the QGD so much that I can say he
is addicted to this move order!} 4. g3 {No QGD for today, The Ukrainian opts
for a Catalan instead, but another opening in which Kramnik is considered one
of its main theoreticians!} Be7 (4... dxc4 5. Bg2 {could lead to very sharp
and long theoretically forced lines, where current theory admits that Black is
doing just fine!} a6 (5... Nc6) (5... b5 $6 {is a risky line that Anish Giri
once punished Morozevich for employing!} 6. a4 c6 7. Ne5 Nd5 8. O-O a6 9. axb5
cxb5 10. b3 $1 cxb3 11. Qxb3 Bb7 12. e4 Nf6 13. d5 $1 Bd6 14. Nxf7 (14. dxe6
fxe6 15. Rd1 Qe7 16. Nd3 e5 17. Nxe5 $1 {is more decisive.}) 14... Kxf7 15.
dxe6+ Ke8 16. e5 Bxg2 17. exf6 Qxf6 18. Kxg2 Qxa1 19. Bb2 Qa4 20. Qf3 Ra7 21.
Rc1 Kd8 22. Bf6+ Be7 23. Qd5+ Nd7 24. Bd4 Rc7 25. Qa8+ {1-0 (25) Giri,A (2720)
-Morozevich,A (2748) Beijing 2012})) 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {This line is
called the Open Catalan.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Rd1 {is another
'less' common though better known line that is losing ground and importance in
contemporary theory for being considered too 'harmless'! The most recent
famous game in this line was between the talented American GM Jeffrey Xiong
against none other than the new Catalan expert, world No.2 Wesley So! You
should read this game's commentary in our US Championship coverage by GM Alex
Yermolinsky!} Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 c5
15. dxc5 Qe8 16. Rd4 Nd7 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. c6 Ne5 19. Qe4 Qc5 20. Nd5 Nd3 21.
Nxc7 Nxf2 22. Kxf2 $2 Rxb2+ $19 {0-1 (31) Xiong,J (2674)-So,W (2822) Saint
Louis 2017}) 9... Bc6 10. Bf4 Nbd7 (10... Nd5 11. Nc3 $5 {and it is 'ok' to
let the pawns be doubled and lose the bishop pair. The reason is that in
exchange, White creates a long-term grip with his spatial advantage.} Nxf4 12.
gxf4 a5 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 c6 15. Rad1 Na6 16. e3 Nb4 17. Rg1 Nd5 18. Kh1 f6
19. Nf3 $14 {1-0 (30) Avrukh,B (2668)-Sanikidze,T (2600) Novi Sad 2009}) 11.
Nc3 Bd6 $5 {A less common move which had been tested successfully by the
'world champion' before in a blitz game.} (11... Nb6 12. Qd3 (12. Qb3 Nbd5 13.
Bd2 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Be4 15. Ne5 Bxg2 (15... c5 $2 16. Bxe4 Nxe4 17. Qxb7 Nxd2 18.
Nc6 Qd6 19. Nxe7+ Kh8 20. Rfd1 $16 {1/2 (63)-1/2 (63) Sargissian,G (2673)
-Svetushkin,D (2560) Rethymno 2010}) 16. Kxg2 Rb8 17. Nd3 Qc8 $1 {and I
believe after ...c5 Black should not have any difficulty.}) 12... Nbd5 13. Bg5
(13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2 Nf6 15. Rfd1 Be4 16. Qb3 Bd5 17. Qe3 Rc8 {with equal
play}) 13... Nb4 14. Qd2 Ne4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 {and Black has equalised.} 16. Qf4
Bc6 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Rfc1 Rac8 (18... a5 $1) 19. Ra3 Qd6 20. a5 Qxf4 21. gxf4
Rfd8 $11 {1-0 (63) Rahman,Z (2492)-Babu,N (2339) Chennai 2004}) 12. e3 (12.
Rfe1 Bxf4 13. gxf4 Nb6 14. Qd3 Nbd5 15. e3 Nb4 (15... Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be4 17. Qf1
c5 {½-½ (33) Postny,E (2625)-Tang,A (2421) Kavala 2016, also looks good!})
16. Qd2 a5 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. Red1 Rfd8 19. Qe2 Bxf3 20. Bxf3 c6 {0-1 (52)
Ragger,M (2632) -Carlsen,M (2881) Dubai 2014, with equal play.}) ({In another
blitz battle between another two opening experts, one of whom was the world
championship finalist, the game took a different path:} 12. Bd2 Ne4 13. Nxe4
Bxe4 14. Ng5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nf6 16. Qc2 Rc8 $5 (16... h6 17. Nf3 Qe7 18. e4 $14
Bb4 19. Bxb4 Qxb4 20. a5 Rac8 21. Rfc1 c5 22. Ra4 Qb5 23. Rc4 Qxa5 24. b4 Qb5
25. dxc5 Qc6 26. Rd4 Rfd8 27. Rcd1 Rxd4 28. Rxd4 a5 29. bxa5 Nd7 30. Rc4 Qb5
31. Nd4 Qa6 32. c6 bxc6 33. Rxc6 Rxc6 34. Qxc6 Qa7 35. Nb5 {1-0 (35) Gelfand,B
(2741)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2704) Berlin 2015}) 17. b4 e5 18. dxe5 Bxe5 19. Rad1 Qe7
20. e4 h6 21. Nf3 c5 22. bxc5 Rxc5 23. Qb3 a5 24. Bc1 Qe8 $1 {should be equal
too but it is not that easy.}) 12... Nb6 13. Qb3 Bxf4 14. gxf4 a5 15. Ne5 Bxg2
16. Kxg2 Nbd5 17. Rg1 {This came after some thought. There should be something
new here for Eljanov.} (17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qc6 Rb6 19. Qc4 Rxb2 {looks more
comfortable for Black.}) 17... Rc8 {Kramnik is playing enterprising chess and
opts for ...c5.} 18. Rac1 (18. Qxb7 Rb8 19. Qc6 Rb6 20. Qc4 Rxb2 {is worse
this time as the f2-pawn is not protected anymore.}) 18... Nb4 19. Qc4 g6 20.
Rgd1 c6 {Change of heart for both players. They have gone back to the centre
with a rigid pawn structure. It is hard to claim anything for either side.} 21.
Qe2 Qe7 22. Nc4 Qc7 23. Qf3 Nbd5 24. h4 {Eljanov decided to try something.}
Rfd8 25. b3 Nxc3 26. Rxc3 Qe7 27. Ne5 (27. Nxa5 $4 Qb4 $19) 27... Kg7 28. Kh3 {
White is not really pushing, but in an attempt to create something, Eljanov
managed to provoke Kramnik into 'trying' something as well.} c5 {A natural
reaction. White's king could become weak if Black manages to open up a central
file.} 29. Rdc1 b6 30. dxc5 Rxc5 31. Rxc5 bxc5 32. Nc6 Qb7 33. Kg2 Rd5 34. Nxa5
Qb4 35. Nc4 Qxb3 36. a5 {After a series of forced moves, the players reached
an 'almost' equal endgame. The knight on c4 is strong but it keeps White's
rook tied to c4 and while the a-pawn looks strong too, it is very much under
control.} Qa2 37. Kf1 Rh5 38. Qe2 Qb3 $2 (38... Qa4 {is necessary to stop the
a-pawn.} 39. Kg2 Rxh4 40. Qb2 Rg4+ 41. Kf3 Qc6+ 42. Ke2 Rg2 43. Ra1 Qa6 44. Kf1
(44. Ra4 $4 Rh2 {and White is losing as he cannot make any progress because}
45. Qb6 {loses to} Qa8 46. a6 Qg2) 44... Rg4 (44... Rh2 45. Kg1 Rh5 46. Ne5 {
and White dominates and wins!}) 45. Rc1 Qc6 46. Ne5 Qa6+ (46... Qg2+ 47. Ke2
Rg3 (47... Rh4 48. a6 Qxf2+ 49. Kxf2 Rh2+ 50. Ke1 Rxb2 51. Rxc5 Nd5 (51... Ra2
52. Rc7 Ne4 53. Rxf7+ Kg8 54. a7 Ra1+ 55. Ke2 Nc3+ 56. Kf3 Nb5 {and Black
should be able to hold this position}) 52. e4 Nxf4 53. Ra5 Ng2+ 54. Kf1 Ne3+
55. Kg1 Rb8 56. a7 Ra8 57. Nc6 Nc4 58. Rb5 Kf6 59. Rb8 Ne5 60. Rxa8 Nxc6 {
is a surprising draw too but it is very hard to find.}) 48. Rxc5 {does not
look as if Black has a concrete plan for counter play.}) 47. Nc4 {with a draw
as the most probable result.}) 39. Qc2 $2 (39. Qb2 Qd3+ 40. Kg1 Rxh4 (40... Qe4
41. f3 $3 {be my guest!} Qxf3 42. Qg2 Qxg2+ 43. Kxg2 Rd5 44. a6 Rd7 45. Ra1 Ra7
46. Nd6 Nd5 47. Nb5 Ra8 48. Kf3 {with very good winning chances for White.})
41. f3 $3 {is too insanely hard to see!} Rh5 (41... Qd5 42. Ne5 {and Black's
pieces are scattered around the board and the pin along the diagonal and the
a-pawn would tear them apart!}) 42. a6 Rd5 43. a7 Rd8 44. Qb7 $18 {another
counter-intuitive move! White's queen leaves its allegedly weakened king to
promote the a-pawn to yet another queen.}) 39... Qb7 40. Qb2 Qa8 41. Ke2 Rxh4
42. Rb1 {Time trouble is over and the dust has settled: we have a position
similar to the one analysed earlier on move 38.} Qg2 $6 {A blunder according
to Houdini and colleagues!} 43. Ne5 $6 {Returns the favour once again.} (43. a6
{wins in a collection of fantastic geometry and finesse. I really cannot
expect anyone to see all this unless their intuition leads them to the
solution. The following line, selected out of many possible ones is worthy of
study!} Rh2 (43... Rh3 44. Rf1 {same story} e5 45. Qxe5 Qf3+ 46. Ke1 Rh1 47.
Nd2 Rxf1+ 48. Nxf1 (48. Kxf1 $4 Qd1+ 49. Kg2 Qxd2 50. a7 Qd8 51. Qb8 Qd5+ {
and perpetual!}) 48... Qa8 49. Qa1 $3 {Sheer poetry, fantastic geometry!} c4
50. a7 c3 51. f5 $1 h5 (51... gxf5 52. Ng3 Kg6 53. Qa5 Nd5 54. Qa6+ f6 55. Qe6
Qxa7 56. Qg8+ Qg7 57. Qxd5 {and White wins!}) 52. fxg6 fxg6 53. Qa5 Nd5 54. e4
c2 55. Kd2 {and White wins! I can hardly blame Eljanov for missing all these
beautiful moves!}) 44. Rf1 Qd5 45. Ne5 {and surprisingly, it is once again
Black's pieces which are going to be torn apart. due to the pin and advanced
a-pawn.}) 43... c4 $1 {Kramnik fixes matters. Now Black is safe again!} 44. Qd4
$2 {A serious mistake!} (44. Nd7 Rxf4 45. exf4 Qe4+ {it was time to call it a
day.}) 44... c3 $1 45. a6 (45. Qxc3 {loses on the spot:} Ne4 $19) 45... c2 46.
Rc1 Rh1 $1 {Flawless technique by the ex-world champion} 47. Rxc2 Qf1+ 48. Kd2
Qd1+ $1 {Even better than ...Qxf2+ - great intuition!} 49. Kc3 Qa1+ 50. Kb3
Qxa6 {The a-pawn is gone, and with it all of White's hope! White's king has no
shelter and Black slowly but assuredly converted!} 51. Nc4 Rb1+ 52. Nb2 Ra1 53.
Rc5 Ra3+ 54. Kb4 Ra2 55. Qc3 Qb6+ 56. Rb5 Qd6+ 57. Rc5 Ra8 58. Nd3 Rb8+ 59. Ka4
Qa6+ 60. Ra5 Qb7 {The king is tied up and all White's pieces are defending
mating squares. Black just needs his knight.} 61. Nc5 Qb1 62. Ka3 Kg8 $1 {
Here comes the knight, unpinned!} 63. Nb3 (63. Qxf6 Qb4+ 64. Ka2 Qxa5+ 65. Na4
Qxa4#) 63... Nd5 {A sad loss for Eljanov when he actually could have won the
game! He really needed some intuition more than calculation but it is really
hard to have intuition when your king is not in the safest situation!} 0-1

[Event "Stillwater m"]
[Site "Stillwater"]
[Date "2005.02.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wojtkiewicz, Aleksander"]
[Black "Shulman, Yuri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2536"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "Mueller,Karsten"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2005.02.19"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "8"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 106"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3
Bd6 9. Nd2 e5 10. Nxc4 exd4 11. exd4 Bg4 12. Qa4 Nxd4 13. Nxd6 Qxd6 14. Bf4 Qb6
15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. Qxd4 Rfd8 17. Qb4 a5 18. Qb5 Bd7 19. Qxb7 Qxb7 20. Bxb7 Rab8
21. Bg2 Rxb2 22. Rfd1 Rdb8 23. Rab1 Kf8 24. h3 Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 26. Nxb1 Ke7
27. Kf1 Kd6 28. Ke2 Kc5 29. Kd2 Be6 30. Nc3 Kb4 31. g4 h6 32. f4 Ka3 33. Ke3
Kb2 34. Kd4 Bxa2 35. Nxa2 Kxa2 36. g5 Nh5 37. Bd5+ Kb2 38. Ke5 f6+ 39. Kf5 a4
40. gxh6 gxh6 41. h4 a3 42. Bg8 Kb1 43. Bd5 Kb2 44. Bg8 {Here the bishop is
stronger than the knight, meaning that Black's win is still surprisingly
complicated. Der Läufer ist hier stärker als der Springer, daher ist der
schwarze Gewinn noch erstaunlich kompliziert:} Ng3+ $2 {too hasty. zu
überhastet.} ({Transferring the king to the kingside by Die Überführung des
Königs zum Königsflügel mit} 44... Kc3 {would have won, e.g. hätte gewonnen, z.
B.} 45. Bf7 (45. Ba2 Kd4 46. Bf7 Ke3 47. Kg6 Nxf4+ 48. Kxh6 Kf3 49. Kg7 f5 50.
Kf6 Kg4 51. Ke5 Nd3+ 52. Kd4 Nb4 53. h5 Kg5 54. Kc3 (54. Ke5 Nc6+ 55. Kd6 f4
$19) 54... a2 55. Kb2 f4 56. Bg6 f3 57. Be4 f2 58. Bg2 Nc2 59. Kxa2 Ne3 60. Bh3
Kxh5 61. Kb3 Kh4 $19) (45. Kg6 Nxf4+ 46. Kxh6 Kd4 {[%cal Gf4d5]} 47. Ba2 Ke4
48. h5 Kf5 $19) 45... Kd4 46. Ba2 Ke3 47. Kg6 Nxf4+ 48. Kxh6 (48. Kxf6 Ng2 49.
h5 Nf4 50. Kg7 Nxh5+ 51. Kxh6 Nf4 $19) 48... Kf3 49. Kg7 f5 50. Kf6 Kg4 51. Bg8
Nd5+ 52. Bxd5 f4 53. h5 f3 54. h6 f2 55. h7 f1=Q+ 56. Kg7 a2 57. Bxa2 Qa1+ 58.
Kg8 Qxa2+ 59. Kg7 Qb2+ 60. Kg8 Qb8+ 61. Kg7 Qe5+ 62. Kg8 Qe8+ 63. Kg7 Qe7+ 64.
Kg8 Kg5 65. h8=Q Kg6 $19) (44... a2 $2 45. Bxa2 Kxa2 46. Kg6 Nxf4+ 47. Kxf6 Kb3
48. h5 Nxh5+ 49. Kg6 $11) 45. Kxf6 Ne4+ 46. Kg7 Nc5 47. f5 Nb3 48. Bxb3 $2 (48.
f6 {even still offered White practical winning chances. bot sogar Weiß noch
praktische Gewinnchancen:} a2 49. f7 a1=Q 50. f8=Q $14 {/+/-}) 48... Kxb3 49.
f6 a2 50. f7 a1=Q+ 51. Kg8 Qg1+ 52. Kh7 Qf1 (52... Qf2 $5 53. Kg8 Qxh4 54. f8=Q
{is also only a draw, but could still have been tried. ist auch nur remis,
hätte aber noch versucht werden können.}) 53. Kg7 Qg1+ 54. Kxh6 $5 Qf2 55. Kg7
Qg3+ 56. Kh7 Qf4 57. Kg7 Qg4+ 58. Kh7 Qd7 59. Kg8 Qd5 60. Kg7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Croatia GCT"]
[Site "Zagreb"]
[Date "2019.07.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2875"]
[Annotator "Nielsen,Peter Heine"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2019.06.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 191"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.08.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.08.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,47,19,31,14,-14,-11,0,0,-24,1,16,14,12,2,6,28,28,23,10,18,24,38,44,
107,125,94,109,97,126,197,145,87,89,105,-11,-37,-25,-10,-10,-31,-23,-8,0,30,
-27,-16,-10,3,2]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4
7. Qc2 {Ding as often shows a great loyalty to his opening systems, and plays
his favourite line in the catalan.} b5 $5 {Until a few years back, 7...a6 was
considered mandatory, but now both 7 ...b6 and 7...c6 as well as the game move
have gained in popularity.} 8. a4 b4 9. Nfd2 $5 {White's most critical move,
intending to play a positional pawn sacrifice.} ({Interestingly, Magnus'
second for the 2018WC-match, the World Rapid Champion Daniil Dubov, as White
tried} 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Nxc4 c5 11. dxc5 Be4 12. Qd2 $5 {gaining a small
endgame edge vs. Nakamura in the Moscow Grand Prix.}) 9... Nd5 $5 {This is
however very rare, and stylistically very different from the main line.} (9...
c6 {when} 10. Nxc4 Qxd4 11. Rd1 Qc5 {gives White good compensation for the
pawn, again the recent action being from the Moscow Grand Prix with Grischuk
beating Nakamura as White.}) 10. Nxc4 c5 11. dxc5 Ba6 $1 {Technically the
novelty, Black used to take back on c5 in the few existing games. Magnus
afterwards admitted that this was preparations for the WC-match and it is
indeed typical "computer" chess where one pushes the position to its absolute
maximum relying on tactics.} 12. Ne3 {Ding, not having the comfort of having
checked this position with a computer, faced a difficult task evaluating the
numerous options. Many ideas looks tempting for White, but the assumption
being that the World Champion does not just play bad lines, one has to tread
very carefully.} (12. Rd1 {is very logical, but after} Nd7 13. c6 Rc8 14. Ne3
Ne5 $1 {Black has excellent counterplay.}) 12... Nd7 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. c6 (14.
Bxd5 Rc8 15. c6 Ne5 16. Rd1 {is just transposing to the line below.}) 14... Rc8
15. Bf4 {Ding keeps finding good moves.} (15. Rd1 Ne5 16. Bxd5 Nxc6 $1 17.
Bxf7+ Rxf7 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 {is a strong queen sacrifice giving excellent
practical compensation, where the computer says White should better try
forcing a draw straightaway in order not to be worse.}) 15... Nc5 16. c7 Qd7
17. Nd2 g5 $5 {Continuing in the modern computer style, not caring for common
sense chess like17...Bd6 trying to round up the c7-pawn restoring material
equality, but again instead pushing the position to its limits.} 18. Be5 f6 19.
Bd4 Rxc7 20. Qd1 {Carlsen later said that while obviously he was happy being
in prep when his opponent was not, still his position did not leave him with
that much confidence.Objectively Black is OK, ()but White's position is easier
to play due to Black's weakened king and numerous pawn structure defects. So
Black has to keep putting maximum pressure before White consolidates.} Ne6 21.
Nb3 Bc4 $1 {An important move, disturbing just in time.} 22. Na5 ({If now} 22.
Be3 {, then} d4 $1 23. Nxd4 Nxd4 24. Bxd4 Rd8 {wins back the temporarily
sacrificed pawn with equality.}) 22... Nxd4 23. Qxd4 Kg7 $1 {A nice move,
removing the king from the light squares meaning that e.g. Bxd5 will now never
be a check, but noteworthy is that Magnus chooses the more active position on
g7 instead of the by sight safer place at h8. However, in the game
continuation it is obvious that protecting f6, and later being closer to the
centrum, are important factors.} 24. Rfc1 Bxe2 25. Rxc7 Qxc7 26. Re1 Bc5 27.
Qxd5 Re8 {White has no way of exploiting the pin in the e-line, and Ding has
to start caring about safety. Here, however, he miscalculates.} 28. Qb7 $6 (28.
Qc6 $1 {would be the correct way, the difference being after} Qxc6 29. Nxc6 Bh5
{White has} 30. Rc1 $1 {when he will manage to liquidate the queenside and
make a draw.}) 28... Qxb7 29. Nxb7 Bf8 {Now, however ,it is another matter, as
the game shows Black has excellent chances due to the queenside targets if the
rooks are exchanged.} 30. Bc6 $2 ({Magnus thus during the game felt that} 30.
Nd8 {was by far White's best move, and while} Rxd8 31. Rxe2 Rd1+ 32. Bf1 Bc5 {
still is not excactly pleasant for White, he seems to make a draw by exact
play, like} 33. Re4 b3 34. Rc4 Bd4 35. Rb4 Rd2 36. Rxb3 Bxf2+ 37. Kh1 {as
while Black obviously has some initiative, it should not be enough for the win.
}) 30... Re7 31. f3 Bc4 32. Rxe7+ Bxe7 {Blacks advantage is obvious, pair of
bishops, and targets on both wings to attack. Is it enough to win? I assume
its borderline, but to quote Larsen, practically what matters is if there is
winning chances.} 33. Kf2 f5 34. Ke3 Bg8 $1 {A beautiful move, that even
managed to get a praising Tweet from Giri. It exploits the whole board, and
thus exemplifies the difference between the knight and the bishop in mobility.}
35. Kd3 g4 $5 {35...Bf6 is met by 36 Nd6 securing sufficient counterplay. Now,
however, Magnus starts creating targets on the kingside, when ...h5 ...h4 will
be next. White's choice is between which kind of fortress to go for. Playing
f4 keeps the position closed, but risks the bishop landing on g1, while fxg4
exchanging pawns feels logical, but then leaves the black king a much easier
path to the opponent camp via the center.} 36. Na5 (36. fxg4 fxg4 37. Bb5 Bd5
38. Na5 Bc5 39. Bd7 h5 40. Nc6 Kf6) ({The right decision would actually have
been keeping positive thoughts and pushing the a-pawn to a6, starting with} 36.
a5 $1 {After} h5 37. a6 {not only is the white pawn much closer to queening
and thus Black has to be a bit more careful, but also is the knight stably
protected on b7. Black has several tries keeping practical chances, but
objectively the position seems drawn.}) 36... Bc5 {White's knight does get
rerouted back to the defences, but at the huge price of allowing the bishop to
penetrate on g1.} 37. Nc4 Bg1 38. Ne3 Be6 39. fxg4 fxg4 40. Ke2 {Tactically
White is OK, as 40...Bxh2 41.Kf2 threatens 42.Nf1, but Black of course instead
just increases the pressure having passified White completely.} h5 $1 41. Bd5
Bd7 42. Bb3 Bxh2 43. Kf2 h4 $1 44. gxh4 Be5 {In principle every exchange
should get White closer to the draw, but Black creating a passed pawn is a
much bigger factor.} 45. Nc4 g3+ 46. Kg1 Bf4 {It's been a common quote of
Magnus that he does not really believe in fortresses, a feeling letting him
down e.g.in the WC-game 4 vs Karjakin, but here everything is in order.
Black's king will enter easily.} 47. Bd1 Bc6 48. b3 Kh6 49. a5 Be4 50. Kf1 Kg7
51. Kg1 Kf6 52. Kf1 Ke6 53. h5 Kd5 54. a6 Kd4 55. Bg4 Kc3 56. Be6 (56. Bd1 {
only defends very temporarily as} g2+ 57. Kg1 Bd5 {puts White in a complete
zugzwang.}) 56... Bc2 57. Na5 Bc7 58. Nb7 Bd3+ 59. Kg1 Bxa6 $5 {My computer
says 59...Be4 is mate in 7, but criticising a move that forces instant
resignation is too much. An excellent game from Magnus, showing his skills in
all 3 phases of the game.} 0-1

[Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2001.11.27"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Goldin, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2612"]
[Annotator "Nielsen,Peter Heine"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2001.11.27"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 086"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Clearly whites most ambitious try. Both 10 Bf4 and Bg5
gives black relatively easy equality.} Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 {The solid way of
playing this position. Judit Polgar played 11...Nbd7 against me in Vegas WCC
1999 and soon got a better position. I was eager to improve on that game of
course.} 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 {13 Nc3 was the main line once, but as Kasparov
choose Nbd2 against Kramnik, everybody follows his example nowadays.} Nbd7 14.
Nb3 Bd5 {Kramniks move. Later in the tournament Svidler played Rc8 against
Gelfand and drew easily, but it cant be that simple for black.} 15. Rd1 Rc8 {
A novelty. Kramnik choose Qe7. I figured out the only way to try and punish
this, was by playing.} 16. Nc5 {Naturally I would like to occupy c5 with a
piece, but this really isn't possible, and the following structure offers some
chances for white.} Nxc5 17. dxc5 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 Qe7 19. Ne5 $2 (19. b4 {
Is better. By following with Ne5 white keeps the pressure. The knight is
threatening to go to c6, and should black play c6 himself, the d6 square
becomes inviting.}) 19... Qxc5 (19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qxc5 21. Rac1 Qb6 22. Nc6 {
Is a disaster for black. White plays e4, and black is paralyzed.}) 20. Rac1 Qe7
21. Nc6 Bxc6 22. Rxc6 {Clearly better for white I thought. However black can
equalize easily. My problem is that I cant regain the pawn without letting
black loose.} Rfd8 23. Rdc1 h6 (23... Nd5 $1 24. Bxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxc7 Rxc7 26.
Rxc7 g5 $1 {Is just a clear draw. Goldin actually saw this, but tried for more.
....}) 24. a3 {Controlling b4, so Nd5 can be answered by Qe5.} e5 $2 {A
blunder. Black was still completely ok.} (24... Nd5 25. Qe5 (25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26.
Rxc7 Rxc7 27. Rxc7 Rd7 {Draws}) 25... Nb6 {Theatening Nc4} 26. Rxc7 Rxc7 27.
Rxc7 Rd1+ 28. Bf1 Nc4 29. Rxe7 Nxe5 {And black is even better.}) 25. Qf5 {
Looks dangerous, but black cant get to it. White has a huge edge now, black
cant regroup, and I can start picking pawns.} e4 26. e3 {Cutting the queens
escape route, but ist fine on f5 anyway, no reason to hide.} Re8 27. Rxa6 c5 {
I got my pawn back, and b5/c5 is weak. Some accuracy is needed though.} 28. Rb6
$2 (28. Bf1 {Wins outright. It hits b5, and the counterplay arising in the
game, becomes irrelevant.}) 28... Rcd8 {Suddenly white has to be carefull. The
queen is in serious trouble.} 29. Bf1 {Taking c5 runs into trouble due to
forks on d7.} Rd5 30. Rxf6 (30. Qf4 {Is just bad. Black plays c4, and
ultimately takes on the 2.rank.}) 30... Rxf5 (30... Red8 {Is a cool, and
strong move. Not easy to see, but with some imagination it's possible.} 31.
Rxf7 Qxf7 32. Qxf7+ Kxf7 33. Bxb5 Rd1+ 34. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 35. Kg2 {Is white's best,
forcing a draw.}) 31. Rxf5 {White has excellent practical chances, allthough
black should be able to draw.} b4 32. a4 {Keeping the pressure.} g6 33. Rfxc5
Qf6 34. b3 Qb2 35. a5 Qxb3 36. a6 Qa3 37. Rb1 Rb8 (37... b3 38. Rc3 Rb8 39. Bc4
Qd6 40. Rcxb3 (40. Bxb3 Qxa6 41. Bxf7+ Kg7 42. Rxb8 Qa1+ 43. Kg2 Qxc3 44. Bd5 {
With some chances, but probably black manages perpetual.}) 40... Rxb3 41. Rxb3
Qd1+ {Is perpetual.}) 38. Rc7 Qa5 39. Rbc1 {Not fearing b3.} Kg7 (39... b3 40.
Rb7 {Just wins}) 40. R1c5 Qa1 41. Kg2 {A difficult position, our mutual time
pressure didn't make it easier.} Rb6 42. Rb7 $2 (42. Bc4 Rf6 43. a7 {Is
instantly killing.}) 42... Rf6 {Threatening Qa2, which it took some time for
me to realize.} 43. Rc2 $1 {Refuting his gamble, the rook is now misplaced on
f6.} Qb1 44. Rd2 b3 45. a7 Qa1 46. Bc4 Qc3 47. Bxf7 {The final blow.} Rxf7 48.
Rdd7 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0708"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2007.10.21"]
[Round "2.5"]
[White "Nyback, Tomi"]
[Black "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2579"]
[BlackElo "2567"]
[Annotator "Nyback/Meyer,CD"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[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 "Werder Bremen"]
[BlackTeam "Tegernsee"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {Evening before the game I was wondering if there's
an opening beginning with 1.d4 I haven't tried yet. Catalan is currently quite
popular, and White has sometimes even got some advantage, so why not?} d5 4.
Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 ({At present in vogue again,
while a couple of years ago the line} 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {was very
popular. (Z. Ribli/CBM)}) 8... b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 c6 {
Everything so far is normal, and has been played many times before. This move
is unusual, though a speciality of Rozentalis. 11.. Qc8 is currently the most
popular move on top level.} 12. Rd1 $1 {Considering my lack of experience in
Catalan, I had to take a look at lots of lines, not only the one my opponent
would likely play. Thus I didn't have sufficient time to find anything too
convincing against 11.. c6, and was just intending to play either 12.Nc3 or 12.
Be3, which have both been played before. On board I decided that I want to
sacrifice the pawn, and realized this might be more accurate than 12.Nc3.} Bxf3
{Principal. If Black doesn't capture the pawn, he just has an inferior version
of the normal Catalan, as he will probably lose his light-squared bishop
anyway.} 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. a4 $1 bxa4 ({The point is} 14... b4 15. Be3 Qe5 16.
Nd2 {intending Nc4, which wouldn't be possible with a knight on c3. Black's
position does not seem to be that bad, but White has very nice compensation
for the pawn.}) 15. Na3 $1 {White is in no hurry to capture Black's pawn on a4,
activating the pieces is more important.} Nbd7 16. Nc4 Ne5 (16... Nd5 17. Rxa4
{was probably a sounder choice for Black. White has good compensation due to
bishop pair and Black's weak pawns, but at least Black still is a pawn up.})
17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Bf4 Qc5 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxc6 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxa4
Nd5 ({Also into question came} 22... Ng4 23. Kg2 $1 {and for example} e5 ({or} 
23... h6 24. Bb7 e5 25. Bc1 Nxf2 26. b4 Bd4 27. Rxa6 Ng4 28. b5 Rb8 29. Bc6 Bc5
30. Ba3 Bxa3 31. Rxa3 Kf8 32. h3 Nf6 33. Re3 e4 34. Ra3 $16) 24. Bg5 f6 25.
Rxg4 fxg5 26. Rxg5 Bd4 27. b3 $16 {whereafter Black has drawing chances due to
the opposite coloured bishops, but faces a long and thankless defence.}) 23.
Bxd5 Rxd5 24. Rxa6 h6 (24... g5 $143 25. Bc7 Rd2 26. Kf1 Rd1+ 27. Kg2 Rd2 28.
Ra5 Be7 29. e3) 25. Kg2 (25. g4 g5 26. Bg3 Rd2 27. Rc6 Bf8 28. Rc8 f5 29. gxf5
exf5 30. Be5 Kf7 31. e3 $14) 25... e5 26. e4 Rd1 $5 ({Maybe best was} 26... Rd3
$5 {, e.g.} 27. Bxe5 (27. Ra5 $2 exf4 28. Rxc5 f3+ 29. Kh3 Rd2 {and Black has
no problems}) 27... Rd2 28. Rc6 Rxf2+ (28... Bxf2 {may be playable as well:}
29. Kf3 Bg1 30. h4 h5 31. g4 hxg4+ 32. Kxg4 f6 33. Bc3 Rg2+ 34. Kf3 Rf2+ 35.
Kg3 Rc2) 29. Kh3 Be3 $14 {seems stronger. White's king is badly placed and
Black can create threats against the h2-pawn, e.g.} 30. b4 f6 31. Bd6 Rb2 32.
Rc7 h5 (32... Bg1 33. g4 g5) 33. g4 Rb3 34. Kh4 Bg5+ 35. Kxh5 Kh7 36. Bg3 Bf4
$1 $11) 27. Ra5 (27. Bxe5 Rd2 28. Kh3 Rxf2 29. Rc6 Be3 {transposes to the 26...
Rd3 variation above}) 27... Bxf2 ({Exchanging to a rook endgame was more
purposeful:} 27... exf4 28. Rxc5 fxg3 {and now e.g.} 29. Kxg3 (29. hxg3 Rd4 30.
Kf3 Rb4 31. Rc2 h5 32. Kf4 (32. Rd2 g5 $11) 32... f6 $11) 29... Rd4 30. f3 Rb4
31. Rc2 g5 32. h4 (32. Kg4 Kg7 33. Kf5 Rb5+ 34. Kg4 (34. e5 $2 Rb4) 34... Rb4)
32... gxh4+ 33. Kxh4 f5 34. Re2 Rb3 35. exf5 Rxf3 36. Kg4 Rb3 $14) 28. Bxe5 Rd2
$2 ({Without fail} 28... Bd4 {again forcing a rook endgame was called for.
Obviously White still has the advantage thanks to his passed knight's pawn,
but also this ending seems to have a nasty drawing tendency, e.g.} 29. Rd5 Rg1+
30. Kf3 Bxe5 31. Rxe5 Rb1 32. Rb5 g6 33. Rb6 (33. b4 Kg7 34. e5 g5 35. Ke4 (35.
Kg4 Re1) 35... Rb2) 33... Kf8 34. b4 Ke7 35. b5 Rb2 $14) 29. Bc3 $16 {Now
White's bishop will conveniently protect his pawns while Black's bishop is
doomed to passivity.} Rc2 30. Kf3 Bb6 31. Rb5 Rf2+ 32. Kg4 Be3 33. h4 Bc1 34.
Rb8+ Kh7 35. e5 Bd2 36. Bd4 $2 ({By way of exception this time forcing a rook
ending was promising for White:} 36. Bxd2 $1 Rxd2 37. b4 {, e.g.} Re2 38. Kf4
Kg6 (38... Rf2+ 39. Ke3 Rg2 40. Kf3 Rc2 41. b5 Rc3+ 42. Kg4 h5+ (42... Rc4+ 43.
Kf5 Rc5 44. b6 f6 45. Ke6 Rxe5+ 46. Kd6 $18) 43. Kf4 Kg6 44. b6 Rc4+ 45. Ke3
Kf5 (45... Rc3+ 46. Kd4 Rxg3 47. Re8 Rb3 48. Kc5 $18) 46. Rf8 $1 (46. b7 $2
Re4+ 47. Kf2 Rb4 48. e6 Kf6) 46... Rb4 47. Rxf7+ Kxe5 48. Rxg7 Rb3+ 49. Kf2
Rxb6 50. Rg5+ Ke4 51. Rxh5 $18 Rb2+ 52. Kg1 Kf3 53. Rg5) 39. b5 Rb2 (39... Rf2+
40. Ke4 Re2+ (40... Rg2 41. Rb6+ Kh5 (41... f6 42. e6) 42. Rb7) 41. Kd5 Rd2+ (
41... Kf5 42. Re8) 42. Kc5) 40. Ke4 Rb3 41. Rb6+ Kh5 42. Rb7 {and again White
is winning.}) 36... Re2 $2 ({A very easy mistake to make, unfortunately this
lets the last opportunity slip. After the tactical stroke} 36... h5+ $1 37.
Kxh5 (37. Kh3 Re2) 37... Re2 $11 {(K. Müller) a draw seems inevitable in view
of the cardinal threat Re4 plus g6#}) 37. Kf3 $18 Re1 38. h5 {Luckily White
has achieved complete domination. Black's king is trapped in the corner and
White can choose whether he wants to advance his b or e-pawn.} Bg5 (38... g6
39. e6) 39. b4 Rb1 40. b5 Rb3+ 41. Ke4 Rxg3 42. b6 Rb3 43. Rf8 f5+ 44. Rxf5 Kg8
45. Kd5 g6 46. hxg6 Kg7 47. Rf1 1-0

[Event "Biel MTO op 45th"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2012.08.03"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Black "Prasanna Raghuram, Rao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2599"]
[BlackElo "2428"]
[Annotator "Pelletier,Y"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2012.07.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.08.24"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.08.24"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 {
Dieser Zug wurde nach der Einzel Europameisterschaft 2011 zur grossen Mode.} 8.
a4 {Dies ist die ruhige und wohl beste Fortsetzung.} b4 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Nxc4 {
Weiss hat den Bauern zurückerobert und besitzt das schöne Feld c4 mit seinem
Springer. Aber Schwarz kann sich bald mittels c7-c5 befreien, wobei die Frage
darin besteht, ob Schwarz somit voll ausgleichen kann.} Be4 11. Qb3 Nbd7 12.
Rd1 c5 13. Be3 ({Eine Neuerung im Vergleich zum ebenfalls zu leichtem Vorteil
führenden} 13. Nfe5) 13... Nd5 (13... cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Rc8 {gleicht
nicht aus wegen} 16. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 17. Ne5 Nd5 18. Rxd5 exd5 19. Qxd5+ Kh8 20.
Nxd7 Re8 21. Rd1 {Schwarz hat Mühe, sich zu befreien}) 14. dxc5 Bxc5 $6 ({
Dieser Zug scheitert aus taktischen Gründen. Nach dem richtigen} 14... Nxc5 15.
Bxc5 Bxc5 16. Nfe5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 {erhält Weiss einen typisch katalanischen
Minimalvorteil.}) 15. Nfe5 {Wie bald zu sehen wird, hängen einige schwarze
Figuren, während andere überlastet sind.} Bxg2 (15... Nxe5 $2 16. Bxc5 {
[%csl Re4,Re5][%cal Gc5f8] geht gar nicht.}) ({Im Fall von} 15... Bxe3 {
gewinnt Weiss mittels} 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Bxe4 Bg5 18. Ne5 $16 {einen Bauern.})
16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Bxc5 Rfc8 18. Bd4 ({Die Fortsetzung} 18. Kxg2 Rxc5 19. e4 {
überzeugt nicht, da Schwarz nach} Qc7 20. exd5 Rxc4 21. d6 Qc5 {den weissen
Freibauern nicht zu befürchten braucht.}) ({Der Computer will sich bedienen,
und sieht Weiss nach} 18. Bxa7 Qxa7 19. Kxg2 $16 {klar im Vorteil.}) 18... Bh3
({Beide folgende Alternativen sind kaum besser:} 18... Be4 19. f3 Bg6 20. e4 {
[%cal Gd1d7]} Qc7 21. Rac1 Nc3 (21... Ne7 22. Be3 $18) 22. Bxc3 bxc3 23. Qxc3
$16) (18... Qc6 19. Ne5 Qb7 20. f3 Bh3 21. e4 Nf6 22. a5 $16) 19. e4 Ne7 ({
Danach gewinnt Weiss zwangsläufig, aber besonders schön war} 19... Qc7 20. Rac1
Ne7 21. Qe3 $16 {auch nicht.}) 20. Bxg7 $1 Qc6 21. Bf6 {Weiss nützt die
gegnerischen Grundreiheprobleme aus, um den Springer indirekt zu decken.} Qxe4
22. f3 Qxc4 ({Auf den kritischen} 22... Qb7 {muss Weiss noch genau spielen:}
23. Qe3 Nf5 (23... Rxc4 24. Qg5+ Ng6 25. Qh6 $18) 24. Qg5+ Kf8 25. Ne5 (25. Qh5
$1 {hatte ich in meinen Vorberechnungen wegen} Rxc4 26. Qxh7 Rg4 $1 {für
falsch gehalten, aber der Computer ist erbarmungslos:} 27. Rd7 $1 $18 {
zerstört die Verteidigungskoordination. Lustig ist, dass nach} Qxd7 28. fxg4 {
[%cal Gh7h8] Schwarz dem gegnerischen nackten König nicht mal ein Schach geben
kann, da das Feld d4 vom Läufer kontrolliert wird.}) 25... Rc7 26. Qh5 Qb6+ 27.
Kh1 $18 {[%cal Gh5h3,Gh5h7]}) 23. Rd8+ Rxd8 24. Qxc4 {Eine kurze aber
intensive Partie mit vielen taktischen Themen: Fesselung, Überlastung, Abzug,
Grundreihe und Zwischenzug.} 1-0

[Event "Nancy-A"]
[Site "Nancy"]
[Date "2010.02.24"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Black "Wirig, Anthony"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2602"]
[BlackElo "2497"]
[Annotator "Pelletier,Y"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2010.02.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 135"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Ne5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nd5 14. Rad1 c6 ({
Diese Spielweise wurde zuerst 2007 in der Partie Tkachiev-Pelletier erprobt!
Obwohl ich diese Partie gewann, verstand ich sofort, dass Schwarz vor
ernsthaften Problemen steht. Nach} 14... Nxf4+ 15. gxf4 {hat Weiß zwar seine
Königsstellung leicht geschwächt, dafür positionellen Druck und Raumvorteil
erhalten. Zudem kann er die g-Linie selber auch für einen Angriff nutzen.
Inzwischen wurde Tkachievs Plan von anderen großen katalanischen Experten
adoptiert.}) 15. Bc1 {Schwarz hat darauf verzichtet, den Bf4 zu nehmen. Es ist
klar, dass Weiß wegem Raumvorteil leicht besser stehen soll.} Nac7 16. e4 ({
Den logischen Zug} 16. Ne4 $5 {[%csl Gc5] zog ich auch in Betracht.}) 16... Nb4
17. Qe2 f6 {Schwarz verjagt lieber den starken Springer, bevor er f5 spielt.
Das erlaubt aber eine neue Möglichkeit.} 18. Nc4 f5 19. Bf4 $5 {Da bald eine
Stellung mit isolierten Bauern entsteht, sind Springer nicht weniger wichtig
als Läufer.} fxe4 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Qxe4 Rf6 {Die schwarze Stellung ist solide.
Die Schwäche auf e6 ist gut geschützt, während beide Leichtfiguren ziemlich
aktiv sind. Ich entschied mich für einen interessanten Plan.} 22. Qe5 Qd8 ({
Nach} 22... Qxe5 23. dxe5 Rf7 24. Ne4 Nd5 25. Ned6 {[%cal Gd6b7]} Bxd6 26. exd6
{[%csl Ra5,Re6][%cal Gf1e1] behält Weiß trotz des starken Nd5 Vorteil.}) 23.
Kg1 $5 ({Im Fall von} 23. Ne4 Rg6 {erhält Schwarz die zusätzliche Ressource
Qd5.}) 23... Nd5 24. Ne4 Rg6 25. Nc5 {Sonst ist es für Weiß nicht einfach,
Fortschritte zu erzielen.} Bxc5 26. dxc5 Qh4 ({Nach} 26... Qe7 27. Qd6 ({oder} 
27. Qd4 {steht Weiß besser})) 27. Rd4 Qh3 {Schwarz plant einen Königsangriff,
der kaum realistische Chancen hat, durchzuschlagen. Weiß muss aber trotzdem
auf der Hut sein.} 28. f3 (28. Qe2 Rf8 (28... h5 $140 29. Kh1 $16) 29. f4 $16 {
war auch möglich.}) 28... Rf8 ({Auf} 28... h5 {geschieht nun} 29. Rf2 h4 30. g4
Rf8 31. Qe2 Rgf6 32. Ne5 $16 {Die beste Chance bestand aber trotzdem im
Vorstoß des h-Bauern.}) 29. Rf2 Rf5 30. Qe1 ({Solider als} 30. Qb8+ Rf8 31.
Qxb7) 30... Qh5 31. f4 Qh3 32. Re4 Rxg3+ $2 ({Verzweiflung in Zeitnot. Der
Bauer e6 ist mehr oder weniger verurteilt, aber es galt trotzdem, ihn so teuer
zu verkaufen wie möglich. Z.B.} 32... Rf8 33. Ne5 Rh6 34. Qxa5 $18) ({oder} 
32... Rh5 33. Rfe2 Rgh6 34. Ne5 $18 {und Schwarz kann seinen Angriff nicht
verstärken.}) 33. hxg3 Qxg3+ {Ohne auf 34.Rg2 zu warten, gab sich Schwarz
geschlagen.} 1-0

[Event "EU-Cup 27th"]
[Site "Rogaska Slatina"]
[Date "2011.09.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2584"]
[BlackElo "2616"]
[Annotator "Pelletier,Y"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2011.09.25"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 145"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Zuerich"]
[BlackTeam "Ptuj"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SLO"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 {Obwohl dieser Zug seit einer
Weile populär ist, überraschte er meinen Gegner, der hier fast eine halbe
Stunde überlag.} Nb4 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Nh5 $6 {Diese Neuerung wird als
keine Verbesserung der schwarzen Spielweise verbleiben.} 15. Bd2 Nf6 16. Rfd1
c6 17. e4 Nd7 18. Nf3 {Weiß besitzt mehr Raum und vermeidet daher
Figurenabtäusche.} ({Die Alternative} 18. Bf4 Nxe5 19. dxe5 {erlaubt nach} Qc8
$1 20. Be3 Qc7 21. f4 Rad8 22. Nb5 Qb8 {keinen Zugang nach d6.}) 18... Qb6 19.
Be3 {Obwohl Schwarz mit seinen Springermannövern Zeit verloren hat, ist seine
Stellung gar nicht kritisch. Hier fand ich nichts Besseres als die folgende
Abwicklung.} Qa6 20. Qxa6 Rxa6 21. d5 $1 {Weiß sichert sich somit einen
leichten Vorteil, wobei er sich vermutlich nichts mehr erhoffen darf.} cxd5 22.
exd5 Nf6 ({Schwächer ist} 22... exd5 $2 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. Rxd5 $16 {[%cal
Gc1c7]} Nb6 $140 25. Rb5 Nxa4 26. Ra1 $18) 23. dxe6 fxe6 {[%csl Gd5] Beliavsky
nimmt eine stukturelle Schwäche in Kauf, um das starke zentrale Feld d5 für
einen Springer zu sichern.} ({Im Fall von} 23... Rxe6 24. Nd4 {hätte er auch
nicht ausgeglichen:} Re5 25. Bf4 Rc5 26. Nb3 Rf5 27. Be3 $14 {Die schwarzen
Kräfte harmonieren nicht gut.}) 24. Nb5 Nbd5 25. Bd4 Rc6 26. Ne5 {Nach dem
Turmtausch auf c6 hätte der schöne Nb5 wieder gehen müssen.} Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rd8
28. b3 ({Etwas genauer war} 28. Re1 Rc8 29. b3) 28... Ne4 (28... Nd7 29. Nc4
$14) 29. Rc2 $6 {Diese weitere Ungenauigkeit bleibt unbestraft.} ({Um einen
kleinen Vorteil zu behalten, musste} 29. Nc4 Bb4 30. Rc2 $14 {geschehen.})
29... Bb4 $6 ({Die beste Verteidigung bestand hier in} 29... Nd6 $1 {, um den
starken Nb5 zu beseitigen. Der Springertausch löst den größten Teil der
schwarzen Probleme:} 30. Nxd6 Bxd6 31. Nc4 Bb4 32. Re2 Kf7 {und der
Nachziehende hat beinahe ausgeglichen.}) 30. Nc4 Kf7 31. Re2 Nec3 32. Nxc3 Nxc3
33. Bb6 Rd1 $2 $138 ({Mein letzter Zug erstaunte meinen Gegner so, dass er ca
8 seiner restlichen 10 Minuten verbrachte, und einen Fehler trotzdem beging.
Zwar ist hier} 33... Rd5 $2 {wegen} 34. Re5 {auch ungenügend}) ({aber das
passive} 33... Ra8 $14 {hätte den Bauern auf vernünftige Art und Weise
gerettet.}) 34. Re3 $6 {Dieser rasch ausgeführte Zug zeigt schlechte Technik.
Der Turm wird nämlich auf f3 ein ungemütliches Feld besetzen.} ({Richtig war} 
34. Re5 Nd5 35. Bxa5 Bxa5 36. Nxa5 b6 37. Nc6 Kf6 38. Re4 $16) 34... Nd5 35.
Rf3+ Ke8 $6 ({Der natürliche} 35... Ke7 {ist genauer.} 36. Bxa5 Bxa5 37. Nxa5
g5 $1 38. h3 h5 39. g4 (39. b4 b6 40. Nc6+ Kd6 $11) 39... hxg4 40. hxg4 Nf4+
41. Kh2 {Der starke Nf4 zwingt den gegnerischen König zur Passivität. Es ist
daher schwer, sich vorzustellen, dass Weiß seinen Mehrbauern verwerten kann.})
36. Bxa5 Bxa5 37. Nxa5 b6 ({Auch hier war} 37... g5 38. h3 h5 {möglich, aber
Weiß hat jetzt die folgende Alternative zu g3-g4:} 39. b4 $5 b6 (39... Ra1 40.
Nxb7 Nxb4 41. Rc3) 40. Nc6 $14) 38. Nc4 Ke7 39. h4 h6 40. Ne5 (40. h5 Rb1 41.
Rd3 Kf6 42. f4 $14) 40... Kd6 41. Ng6 (41. Rd3 Rb1 (41... Rxd3 42. Nxd3 Nc3 43.
Kf3 Kd5 44. Ke3 $16) 42. f4 $14) 41... Rb1 42. h5 ({Mit dem Textzug wollte ich
ein Tempo gegenüber der folgenden Variante gewinnen.} 42. Rf7 Rxb3 43. Rxg7 Ra3
44. Rh7 $6 ({besser ist} 44. Ra7 Ra2 45. h5 Nf6 46. Rf7 Ng4 47. Rf4 Ne3+ 48.
Kg1 $14 {, obwohl es auch hier nicht einfach wird, zu gewinnen.}) 44... Rxa4
45. Rxh6 b5 46. Rh8 b4 47. h5 b3 48. h6 b2 49. Rb8 Rb4 50. Rxb4 Nxb4 51. h7
b1=Q 52. h8=Q Qe4+ 53. Kh2 Nd3 $11 {Die beiden zentralisierten Figuren
kompensieren den weißen Mehrbauern.}) 42... Nf6 ({Mittels} 42... e5 $5 {
hätte Schwarz genug Gegenspiel erhalten, man sehe} 43. Rf7 (43. Rd3 Ke6) 43...
e4 44. Rxg7 (44. Nf4 e3 $1) 44... e3 45. fxe3 Nxe3+ 46. Kf2 Ng4+ 47. Kf3 Nf6
48. Nf4 Rxb3+ 49. Kg2 Ke5 $132) 43. Rd3+ Nd5 (43... Kc6 $6 44. Ne5+ Kc7 45.
Rc3+ $16) 44. Rf3 ({Technisch gesehen war} 44. f4 $5 {ein besserer Versuch.
Aber angesichts der schwarzen Aktivität nach} Rb2+ (44... Kc5 45. Ne5 Rb2+ 46.
Kf3) 45. Kf3 (45. Kh3 Rb1 46. g4 Kc5) 45... Rh2 46. g4 Rh3+ 47. Ke4 Rh1 {
sah ich kein Mittel, um weiterzukommen.}) 44... Nf6 45. Nf4 e5 46. Rd3+ Kc6 47.
Rc3+ Kd6 48. Rd3+ Kc6 49. Ng6 $6 ({Die letzte Chance war noch} 49. Ne6 Nxh5 50.
Nd8+ $1 Kc5 51. Nb7+ Kc6 (51... Kb4 52. Rd6 b5 53. axb5 Kxb5 54. Re6 Rxb3 55.
Rxe5+ Kb6 56. Nd6 Nf6 57. Nf5 $16) 52. Nd6 $14 {[%cal Gd6c4]}) 49... e4 50.
Rc3+ (50. Ne7+ Kc5 51. Rc3+ Kb4 52. Rc6 Rxb3 53. Nf5 Nxh5 54. Rxb6+ Kxa4 55.
Re6 $11) 50... Kd6 51. Nh4 (51. Nf4 Rb2) 51... Ke5 (51... Nxh5 52. Nf5+ Ke5 53.
Ne3 Nf6 $11) 52. Rc7 Nxh5 53. a5 (53. Re7+ Kd5 $11) 53... Rxb3 54. Re7+ (54.
axb6 g5 $11) (54. Rb7 Rb2 $11) 54... Kd5 55. Ng6 (55. a6 Ra3 56. a7 Ra2 57. Nf5
b5) 55... Nf6 ({Sogar} 55... bxa5 56. Re5+ Kd4 57. Rxh5 a4 58. Ra5 a3 $11 {
hätte gereicht!}) 56. axb6 Rxb6 57. Nf4+ (57. Rxg7 Kd4) 57... Kd4 58. Rxg7 Rb2
59. Rg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-Cup 28th"]
[Site "Eilat"]
[Date "2012.10.17"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "Rodshtein, Maxim"]
[Black "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2616"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "Pelletier,Y"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.10.11"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Beer Sheva"]
[BlackTeam "Zuerich SG"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SUI"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 c5 {Dieser Zug wurde vor langer Zeit nur
einmal zwischen Amateuren gespielt und kann also als Neuerung bezeichnet
werden. Mein guter Freund Julen Arizmendi hat mich vor ca. einem Jahr auf ihn
aufmerksam gemacht. Er habe ihn von seinem spanischen GM-Kollegen Salvador Del
Rio, der bekanntlich viele originelle Ideen hat, mal gehört. Schwarz opfert
vorläufig einen Bauern, indem er diesen thematischen Vorstoß ohne Vorbereitung
ausführt, um seine Entwicklung schnell zu beenden. In dieser Stammpartie
gelang es Weiß nicht, Probleme zu stellen. Aber es gibt einige kritische
Varianten, wo Schwarz sehr genau spielen muss. Viel mehr werde ich natürlich
nicht enthüllen! Fleißige Leute werden selbst einige interessante Sachen
finden!} 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. b4 (13. c6 $6 Rc8 $36 {geht nicht gut, während}) (
13. Be3 Nd5 {für Schwarz auch in Ordnung ist.}) 13... a5 14. Rd1 ({Danach ist
das schwarze Spiel leicht zu führen. Die kritischen Züge sind} 14. Nc3) ({und} 
14. bxa5) 14... axb4 15. Bxb4 Rc8 16. Nc3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Bxc5 18. Qb2 {Weiß
hatte sich wohl damit erhofft, gegen b5 drücken zu können. Würde dies gelingen,
erwiese sich der weißfeldrige Läufer als die beste Leichtfigur auf dem Brett.
Aber Schwarz schafft es rechtzeitig Gegenspiel zu erhalten.} (18. Bxc5 Rxc5 19.
Qd2 Qa5 $11) 18... Bxb4 19. Qxb4 Rc4 $1 20. Qb2 Qa5 21. Ne4 ({Da} 21. Nxb5 $2 {
wegen} Rb4 {nicht geht, muss Weiß ins Remis einwilligen.}) 21... Nxe4 22. Bxe4
(22. Rxd7 Nc3 $132) 22... Rxe4 23. Rxd7 Ra4 24. Qe5 (24. Rb7 b4 $11) 24... Rxa2
25. Rxa2 Qxa2 26. Qxb5 h6 27. Qd3 Rb8 28. Rd8+ Rxd8 29. Qxd8+ Kh7 30. Qd3+ Kg8
31. Qd8+ Kh7 32. Qd3+ Kg8 33. Qd8+ Kh7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Riga FIDE GP"]
[Site "Riga"]
[Date "2019.07.18"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Pelletier,Y"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2019.07.12"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "LAT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 191 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.09.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.09.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {This
classical line is so solide that both camps (yes, even Black!) have tried to
spice things up with different original moves. The text is obviously not new
and can lead to a position with original pawn structures.} Nc6 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6
bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {has been favoured in the past decade,
but keeping the Catalan bishop makes a lot of sense too.}) 8... bxc6 9. Na3 {
This maximalist approach forcesBlack to make a concession.} Bxa3 (9... Nd5 10.
Nxc4 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b3 $14 {obviously gives White a pleasant edge.}) 10.
bxa3 Ba6 ({Another reliable line is} 10... Nd5 11. Qa4 Nb6 12. Qa5 Qxd4 13. Be3
Qf6 {, for instance} 14. Bc5 Rd8 15. Bxc6 Rb8 16. Qxa7 Bd7 17. Bxb6 Bxc6 18.
Bxc7 Rb7 19. Bxd8 Qxa1 20. Qxb7 Qxf1+ 21. Kxf1 Bxb7 {should end in a draw}) 11.
Qd2 Rb8 (11... c3 {is not enough for equality:} 12. Qxc3 Bxe2 13. Re1 Bb5 14.
a4 Bxa4 15. Qb4 Bb5 16. a4 $14) 12. Qa5 Rb6 (12... Qc8 13. a4 Rd8 14. Ba3 Rxd4
15. Rfb1 Rb6 16. Bc5 {is unpleasant}) 13. a4 Qd6 (13... Qc8 14. Ba3 Rd8 15. e3
$14) 14. a3 (14. e4 {allows Black to give up the exchange quite advantageously
by} Qb4 15. Qxb4 Rxb4 16. Ba3 Rxa4 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 {Though tripled, Black's
extra pawns give good control, as the only open file can be blocked easily
with Bb5.}) ({No better is} 14. Rd1 Nd5 15. e4 Qb4 16. Qxb4 Nxb4 17. Bf4 Nd3
18. Bxc7 Rb2 $36 {Iturrizaga,E (2650)-Dominguez,L (2739) chess.com 2018. In
these 2 variations, we witness the important defensive ressource Qb4. The idea
of Mamedyarov's novelty becomes clear immediately.}) 14... Rfb8 15. e4 c3 $2 {
In the post-game analysis, Wesley So criticized his previous move, but the
only real mistake came here. He could have held the balance with the
complicated 15...Nxe4.} (15... Qd7 16. Rd1 Qc8 17. Bg5 Nd7 18. Bf4 $14) (15...
Nxe4 $1 16. Bxe4 Qxd4 17. Be3 Qxe4 18. Bxb6 Rxb6 19. Rfe1 Qg6 $1 (19... Qd5 $4
20. Rad1 $1) (19... Qf3 $2 20. Rab1 $18) 20. Qe5 Rb7 {was indicated by
Mamedyarov afterwards.}) 16. e5 Qd8 17. exf6 Bxf1 18. Bxf1 c2 19. Ra2 $18 {
White eliminates the only real danger and remains with a decisive material
advantage.} Qd5 20. Qxd5 cxd5 21. Rxc2 gxf6 22. Rxc7 R8b7 23. Rc5 Kg7 24. Kg2
Rb1 25. Bb5 Ra1 26. Rc3 Rb6 27. Bf4 Rb7 28. Kf3 Rd1 29. Be3 Rb1 30. Kg4 Rh1 31.
h4 Kg6 32. Bd3+ f5+ 33. Kf3 Rd1 34. g4 1-0

[Event "Belgrade GMA op"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pigusov, Evgeny"]
[Black "Naumkin, Igor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "Pigusov,E"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "1988.12.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "TD"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.03.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.03.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Qa4 $6 {N} Bd6 $1 (10... Bb4 $11) 11. Qxc4 a5 $1 12.
Ne5 (12. Nc3 Ba6 13. Nb5 (13. Qa4 Nd5 $17) 13... a4 $1 $17) (12. Bg5 Nd5 {
 f5-f4, h5}) 12... c5 13. Nf3 $8 Ba6 14. Qc2 Rc8 $15 15. Nc3 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Be5
$5 (16... Bc5 $1) 17. Rd1 Rc4 $6 (17... Nd5 $15) 18. Nf3 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Qc8 20.
Bb2 Qc5 21. Nd2 $2 (21. Rd4 $11) 21... Ng4 22. Rf1 Qh5 23. h4 Rc6 $2 (23... g5
$1 24. Nxc4 gxh4 25. Nd2 hxg3 26. Nf3 Qh3 $19) 24. c4 $14 Rfc8 25. Rac1 f6 26.
Qe4 Nh6 27. Rfe1 Nf7 28. c5 $1 Rxc5 29. Qxe6 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 31. Bxc1 Qxe2
32. Ne4 $1 $16 h6 $8 33. Qe8+ Kh7 34. Nxf6+ Kg6 35. Qxe2 Bxe2 36. Nd5 Bc4 37.
Nc3 Nd6 38. a3 Kf5 39. f3 Nb5 40. Ne4 $5 (40. Nd1 $16) 40... Bd5 41. g4+ (41.
Nd2 Nd4 42. Kf2 Nb3 $11) 41... Ke5 42. Bb2+ Kf4 43. a4 $1 Nc7 (43... Kxf3 44.
Nd2+ Ke2 45. axb5 $18) 44. Kg2 Bxe4 $2 (44... Ne6 $16) 45. Bc1+ Ke5 46. Bb2+
Kf4 47. Bc1+ Ke5 48. fxe4 Kxe4 49. h5 $18 Ne6 50. Kg3 Kd5 51. Bb2 Kd6 52. Bc3
Kd7 53. Bxa5 Nc5 54. Bb6 Nxa4 55. Bd4 1-0

[Event "Rostock-A 15th"]
[Site "Rostock"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Poldauf, Dirk"]
[Black "Pieniazek, Artur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2375"]
[BlackElo "2345"]
[Annotator "Poldauf,D"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1989.08.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DDR"]
[EventCategory "6"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2002"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rae1 $5 Bd5 $5 (12... Nb4 13. e4 Nd7
14. Ra1 (14. Re2 $1 Nb6 15. Qb3 Kh8 $14) 14... Bd6 15. Be3 Nc2 $1 16. Bg5 $13 {
Kortchnoi,V-Hjartarson,J/Saint John (m/8) 1988 -45/611}) 13. Qd3 (13. Nxd5 exd5
14. Qb5 Qc8 {/\ c6}) 13... Nb4 14. Qb1 Bb3 {Verhindert 15.e4 wegen Bc2 nebst
Bd3} 15. Rc1 Nbd5 (15... Nfd5) 16. Be5 $1 {Behält den Bauern c7 im Auge und
droht gelegentlich Ng5.} Bd6 $1 {Der einzige Zug, der Schwarz vor
Schwierigkeiten bewahrt. Schlecht wäre z.B.} (16... c6 {wegen} 17. Nd2 Nxc3 18.
bxc3 Bxa4 19. Qxb7) 17. Bxf6 $5 {Weiß läßt sich auf eine ziemlich forcierte
Variante ein, die mit einer schwer einschätzbaren Stellung endet.} gxf6 {
Sonst Materialverlust.} (17... Qxf6 18. e4) (17... Nxf6 18. Nd2) 18. Nd2 Nxc3
19. bxc3 Bxa4 20. Qxb7 Rb8 21. Qa7 $6 {Diese Stellung hatte Weiß auf Grund der
schlechten schwarzen Bauernstruktur als vorteilhaft für sich bewertet. Schwarz
indes versucht einfach, die weiße Dame einzukreisen. Deshalb war} (21. Qf3 {
mit etwas Vorteil vorzuziehen.}) 21... c6 $1 {Es droht jetzt die
Dauerverfolgung der Dame Ra8,Rb8. Da ich aber noch gewinnen wollte, plante ich
ein Damenopfer.} 22. Ra1 Ra8 23. Qb7 Bb5 24. Bxc6 Rb8 25. Qxb5 Rxb5 26. Bxb5 {
Die Abwicklung war berechtigt. Der Bauer a5 ist schwach, und der c-Bauer ist
ein potentieller Trumpf. Allerdings muß Weiß rechtzeitig Maßnahmen am
Königsflügel ergreifen.} Qc7 $1 27. c4 Bb4 28. Nb3 $6 (28. Nf3 $142 f5 29. e3
$1) 28... f5 29. Ra4 $2 {Gefährdet die Königsstellung. Unerläßlich war} (29. e3
{z.B.} h5 30. h4 {nebst Nc1-d3}) 29... f4 30. Rfa1 h5 31. R1a2 {/\ Nxa5} Bc3
32. Rc2 Bb4 33. Rca2 Bc3 34. Rc2 Bb4 35. Rca2 {Schwarz erkannte nicht, daß er
gute Angriffschancen besitzt, z.B.} (35. Rca2 fxg3 36. hxg3 h4) 1/2-1/2

[Event "RUS-chT 18th"]
[Site "Olginka"]
[Date "2011.04.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Ponomariov,R"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2011.04.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Moscow ShSM-64"]
[BlackTeam "Tomsk 400"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 ({Last time in Wijk aan Zee 2011
against Aronian and Giri I played} 4... Bb4+ {So now I wanted to surprise
Gelfand with something else. But it's not so easy :)}) 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4
7. Qc2 ({Of course White can play} 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4 {, but then there is no
extra option 8.a4}) 7... b5 $5 {I saw that this idea had recently become very
popular. In the Russian league it was tried by Ukrainian GM Zontakh. So after
some quick analysis I decided why not?} 8. a4 b4 9. Nfd2 {But Boris played the
next moves very quickly. So he had analysed this for sure. Well in Olginka he
played only 4 games - so he had lots of time for training there :)} ({Maybe
the same} 9. Ne5 Qxd4 10. Nxc4 c6 ({But here I can have extra options} 10...
Nd5) ({or} 10... Ba6)) 9... c6 10. Nxc4 Qxd4 11. Rd1 ({After} 11. Be3 {I
planned to retreat back home with my queen} Qd8 {I think here my queen
protects more squares.}) 11... Qc5 12. Be3 Qh5 ({I didn't like} 12... Qf5 13.
Qxf5 exf5 14. Nbd2 {because here White has very easy play. In principle, I
think Boris likes to play safe positions without queens.}) 13. Nbd2 Ng4 14. Nf3
Nxe3 {I spent quite a lot of time here looking for some active counterplay.
But in the end I didn't find anything better then this exchange.} ({Maybe} 
14... e5 {was interesting:} 15. Bd2 b3 $5 {trying to provoke some
complications.} {But after} 16. Qxb3 Bc5 17. Be1 e4 18. h3 Nxf2 19. Bxf2 Bxf2+
20. Kxf2 exf3 21. Qxf3 Qc5+ 22. Ne3 {maybe anyway White's position is slightly
preferable and easier to play.}) 15. Nxe3 {I didn't like the fact that now
Gelfand could play just natural moves. But well it's not so easy to complicate
things without taking a big risk with Black and maybe first I must think about
equality.} a5 16. Nc4 Ba6 17. Rac1 Ra7 18. Nfe5 Bxc4 {I started to worry about
my queen on h5 and that's why give up my pair of bishops.} ({but probably} 
18... Bf6 $5 {was ;possible:} 19. Bf3 Qf5 {and after} 20. Be4 Qh5 {it's just a
repetition}) 19. Nxc4 Bf6 20. Qe4 Qc5 21. h4 ({In view of my next option} 21.
b3 $5 {was probably safer, but of course after it I receive the c3-square for
my bishop. And the position of my queen on c5 becomes more stable.}) 21... Qe7
$2 {I think this is a big mistake.} ({After} 21... b3 $1 {Black gets good
counterplay against White's pawns on the queenside. For some reason I thought
that I can lose my pawn on b3. But it's not true because I can protect it with
my queen from b4 and my rook from b7.}) 22. Qe3 $1 {With an idea (23.Qb6)
which is quite unpleasant} c5 23. Qf4 Rd8 24. b3 Nd7 25. Kh2 $2 {Amnesty!} ({
After the correct} 25. Rd3 Nf8 26. Rcd1 Rxd3 (26... Rd4 27. Qb8) 27. Rxd3 $16 {
I think it could be very difficult for Black to save this game.}) 25... Nf8 26.
Rxd8 Qxd8 27. Qd6 Qxd6 28. Nxd6 Nd7 29. Nb5 Ra6 30. Bb7 Rb6 31. Bc8 Ne5 32.
Rxc5 {Boris told me that when he played 25.Kh2 he missed this exchange of
rooks.} Rc6 33. Rxc6 {and a draw was agreed because all active pieces have
been exchanged} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Fagernes Norsk op-A"]
[Site "Fagernes"]
[Date "2014.04.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Postny, Evgeny"]
[Black "Boruchovsky, Avital"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2492"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2014.04.13"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Before the 8th round I had 5.5 points and got paired against my young
compatriot Avital Boruchovsky, who had half a point less. In order to retain
good chances for the first place I had to try to make the most of my last game
as White in this tournament.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O
6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Preventing the advance b7-b5.} (8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2
Bb7 {has an immense amount of theory.}) 8... Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Bg5 $5 {
This move is very rare, but I'd already played it in the recent European
championship and was satisfied with the position I got after the opening and
the outcome of the game. So, I decided to give it another try. Depending on
Black's reply, White's queenside knight will be developed to c3 or d2
respectively.} (10. Nc3 {is the main move here, which I've played several
times also. Here is how the play continues:} Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6
13. a5 Rb8 (13... Qb8 14. Bg5 Qb3 15. Qxb3 cxb3 16. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 17. Bxe7 Rfe8
18. Ba3 e5 19. Rac1 exd4 20. Rxd4 c5 21. Rd7 Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. f3 Nd6 24.
Bxc5 $14 {1/2-1/2 (45) Postny,E (2628)-Rozentalis,E (2607) Trieste 2013}) 14.
Ra4 Rb4 15. Na2 Rxa4 16. Qxa4 Qb8 17. Qxc4 Qb7 $11 {1/2-1/2 (30) Leko,P (2737)
-Aronian,L (2816) Istanbul 2012}) 10... b5 $146 {A principled novelty. Black
wishes to keep his extra pawn, at least for a while.} (10... a5 11. Nbd2 Na6
12. Nxc4 Nb4 13. Qb3 Bd5 14. Nfe5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 c6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. e4 Be7 18.
Rac1 $14 {1-0 (37) Postny,E (2635)-Simonian,T (2425) Yerevan 2014}) 11. Bxf6 {
This knight is an important defender of Black's position.} Bxf6 12. Nc3 Qe7 (
12... Nd7 $2 {falls to} 13. Ng5 {This, basically, was the point of 11.Bxf6.}) (
12... Qe8 {is the first choice of an engine, but looks awkward. After} 13. e4 {
White should have fairly good compensation.}) 13. e4 (13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8
Bxa8 15. Nxb5 Qb4 16. Na3 c5 $11) 13... g6 {Securing the dark-squared bishop.}
14. axb5 axb5 15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16. Nxb5 {So, White got back the pawn and keeps
the strong centre. However, Black's powerful bishops yield him sufficient
counterplay.} Qb4 {So far my opponent played very quickly; he had definitely
come well prepared.} 17. Nc3 (17. Nxc7 Bc6 {[%csl Rc7]} 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Qxc4
Qxc4 20. Rxc4 Rxc7 21. d5 Bxb2 22. dxc6 Bg7 $11) (17. Na3 Rd8 18. Nxc4 Bxe4 19.
Qxe4 Qxc4 $11) 17... Nd7 18. Ra1 {I wasn't sure what to do here, so decided to
put the rook on the only opened file. Now 19.Ra4 is sort of a threat, trying
to get the Pc4.} Nb6 (18... Bc6 {was also perfectly playable.}) 19. Qd2 {
The queen is heading to the kingside.} Rd8 (19... c5 {was a serious
alternative, undermining White's centre.} 20. d5 (20. e5 Bg7 21. Ne1 Bxg2 22.
Nc2 $1 Qb3 (22... Qxb2 $6 23. Rb1 {trapping the queen}) 23. Kxg2 Nd7 24. f4 {
The position is balanced.}) 20... exd5 21. exd5 Rd8 22. d6 Nd7 (22... Bxf3 23.
Bxf3 Bd4 24. Ra7 Rxd6 25. Rb7 Kg7 26. Qe2 $1 Bxc3 27. Qe8 Rf6 28. Rb8 Rxf3 29.
Qf8+ Kf6 30. Qd6+ Kg7 $11) 23. Re1 Kg7 {Here the Pd6 might be a weakness in
the long term.}) 20. Ra7 (20. Qf4 $6 Qxb2 21. Rb1 Qxc3 22. Qxf6 Rf8 {I was
trying to make this line work, but White simply doesn't have enough attacking
resources. Meanwhile, the passed c-pawn is a serious factor.}) 20... e5 $1 ({
After} 20... c5 $2 21. d5 {White is crushing through.} Bxc3 (21... exd5 22. e5
Bg7 23. e6 $1 $18) 22. Qf4 $1 {[%csl Rf7] An important intermezzo.} Rd7 23.
bxc3 Qb1+ 24. Bf1 e5 (24... Rxa7 25. Qb8+ Kg7 26. Qxa7 Qxe4 27. Ng5 Qf5 28.
Nxe6+ Kh6 29. Nc7 $18) 25. Rxa8+ Nxa8 26. Nxe5 Ra7 27. d6 $18) 21. d5 (21. Rxc7
$2 exd4 22. Qf4 Qd6 {is in Black's favour.}) 21... c6 {If Black manages to
ruin White's centre successfully, he will have the upper hand. So, I really
have to create some threats, to keep the initiative going.} 22. Ng5 Be7 ({
I expected} 22... Rd7 23. Rxd7 Nxd7 {and thought that I might be even slightly
worse here, but perhaps it's just equal.}) 23. Qe3 Nd7 24. Bh3 Nf6 25. Be6 $1 {
The best, at least from a practical point of view. I saw that against the
correct defence it does not give any more than a draw, but on the other hand I
was worried about just getting worse without any prospects.} (25. dxc6 Bxc6 26.
Rc7 {was, actually, okay for White, but during the game I was less optimistic
about this position.}) 25... fxe6 26. Nxe6 Re8 {It was also possible to put
the rook on another square.} (26... Rb8 27. Qh6 Ne8 28. h4 {An attempt to
reinforce the attack a bit.} (28. Rd7 cxd5 29. exd5 Rb7 30. Ng5 Nf6 31. Ne6 Ne8
$11) 28... Bb7 29. dxc6 (29. h5 Bf8 30. Qg5 Be7 $11) 29... Bxc6 30. Ng5 (30. h5
gxh5 31. Qxh5 Rb7 32. Ra8 Rb8 $11) 30... Nf6 31. Nxh7 $1 Nxh7 32. Qxg6+ Kh8 33.
Qxc6 Qc5 34. Qd7 Rf8 35. Nd1 Rd8 36. Qxe7 Rxd1+ 37. Kg2 Qxe7 38. Rxe7 Nf6 39.
Rxe5 Rd2 40. Rc5 Rxf2+ 41. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 42. Ke3 Nxc5 43. Kd4 Na4 44. Kxc4 Nxb2+
$11) 27. Qh6 Bf8 28. Qg5 Qb8 $2 {This was a pleasant surprise. Instead Black
had two logical options, both could lead to a draw, with optimal play.} (28...
Nh5 29. Qxe5 (29. g4 Ng7 30. Qh6 Rxe6 $1 31. dxe6 Bb7 32. Qg5 Nxe6 33. Qxe5 Nc5
34. Na4 $1 Nxa4 35. Qe6+ Kg7 36. Qd7+ Kh6 37. Rxb7 Qe1+ 38. Kg2 Qxe4+ 39. f3
Qe2+ 40. Kg3 Qe1+ $11) 29... Qd6 30. Qd4 cxd5 31. Nc7 Bg7 32. Qd2 Qc5 33. Rxa8
Rxa8 34. Nxa8 Bxc3 35. bxc3 Nf6 {The knight on a8 is not doomed, but Black's
compensation for the pawn is, definitely, sufficient for equality.}) (28... Be7
29. Qxe5 (29. Qh6 Bf8 $11) 29... Qd6 (29... Qb6 $1 30. Qc7 Qxb2 31. Rxa8 Qxc3
32. Qxe7 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 Qxe4+ $11) 30. Qd4 cxd5 31. Nc7 {Compared to the line 28.
..Nh5, here Black doesn't have the resource Bf8-g7.} Rc8 32. e5 Qc5 33. Qxc5
Bxc5 34. Rxa8 Rxa8 35. Nxa8 Ng4 36. Nxd5 $14) 29. Rxa8 Qxa8 30. Qxf6 {Now it's
clear that White is on top. He has a pawn for the exchange, but more
importantly, an overwhelming initiative. The powerful duo queen + knight
interact perfectly.} Qa1+ $6 (30... Qb7 31. Nd8 Qc7 32. Nxc6 $16) 31. Kg2 Qxb2
$2 {Consequently continuing the wrong idea.} (31... Qa7 $16) 32. d6 $2 {
I had a strong feeling that I should be winning here fairly easily, but mixed
up the order of moves.} (32. Ng5 $1 Qb7 (32... Re7 33. d6 Ra7 34. Qe6+ Kh8 35.
d7 $18) 33. dxc6 Qg7 34. Nd5 {and it's over. The second knight joins the
battle at the right moment.}) 32... Qb7 33. Nc7 Rb8 $2 (33... Qc8 $1 34. Nxe8
Qxe8 {The knight is restricted, the Pd6 will fall soon, so Black is back in
the game.}) 34. Qxe5 $2 {Too greedy.} (34. Qe6+ Kh8 35. Ne8 $1 {would win
without too much of a drama.}) 34... Qc8 $2 (34... Qb4 $1 35. Ne8 Rxe8 36. Qxe8
Qxd6 {would keep Black alive.}) 35. Qd4 Bg7 36. Qxc4+ Kh8 37. Ne6 ({Now it was
a better timing to be greedy:} 37. Qxc6 $18) 37... Bf6 $1 38. Nc5 Qg8 39. Qxg8+
{The most practical decision, considering the time scramble. I should also
mention that the time control in this specific tournament didn't include any
increment of thirty seconds after each move.} Rxg8 40. N3a4 $18 Be5 41. d7 {
My play in time trouble was far from convincing, but the advantage is still
sufficient for a win.} Rd8 42. f4 Bc7 43. e5 Kg8 44. Nb2 $1 {I figured out the
most effective setup. The knight goes to d3 where it will protect the other
knight and the Pe5. After that the advance of the pawn phalanx is easy.} Kf7 (
44... Ra8 45. Nbd3 Ra2+ 46. Kf3 Rxh2 47. Nb4 $18) 45. Nbd3 {The idea Nd3-b4 is
also on the agenda.} Bb6 46. g4 h5 47. gxh5 gxh5 48. Kf3 Rg8 49. f5 {It's
always nice to have three connected passed pawns, especially in the endgame.}
Rg4 50. e6+ Kf6 51. Ne4+ 1-0

[Event "FRA-ch playoff"]
[Site "Epinal"]
[Date "1986.09.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Renet, Olivier"]
[Black "Miralles, Gilles"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2360"]
[Annotator "Primel,D"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "1986.09.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2008"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {RENET mène d'un point avant cette dernière ronde et
il choisit de continuer le duel théorique sur la Catalane pour prendre peu de
risque.} d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 (8. a4 {
l'alternative}) 8... b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 {[%csl Rc7] Duel théorique sur
cette variante dans ce match de départage} (10. Bd2 $142 {[%csl Rc7][%cal
Gd2a5,Ga5c7,Gb2b4] Une idée popularisée par le GMI SOSONKO et qui a donné
beaucoup de points précieux récemment а KRAMNIK.}) (10. Bg5) 10... Nc6 (10...
Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 {[%csl Ge5]} Nd7 (12... Nc6 13. Rfd1 Nb4 14. Qc1 Qb8
15. a3 Nd5 16. Ne5 $13 {[%csl Ge5]}) 13. Rfd1) 11. Rd1 (11. Nc3 Nb4 (11... Nxd4
$6 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Rfd1 $40 {[%cal Gd1d8,Gd4e6,Gg1g2]})) 11... Nb4 12. Qc1
Nbd5 13. Bg5 $6 $146 {Une tentative d'amélioration sur la 2ème partie du match.
} (13. Nbd2 $142 Nxf4 14. gxf4 c5 15. dxc5 Qc7 16. c6 $1 (16. Nb3 {[%cal Gb3c5]
;Renet,O (2480)-Miralles,G (2360) FRA-ch playoff Epinal 1986 (2) 1/2}) 16...
Qxc6 17. Qxc6 Bxc6 18. Ne5 $1 {[%csl Ge5] Malgré la paire de B, le Ne5 et la
faiblesse de la case "c6" laissent un avantage durable aux blancs. La 8ème
rangée des noirs est souvent aussi un thème tactique exploitable par les
blancs.} (18. Rac1) 18... Bxg2 (18... Bd5 19. a4 $1 Rac8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rdc1
$14) 19. Kxg2 Rfc8 {[%csl Rc6];Csom,I (2500)-Parma,B (2500) Rome 1981 1/2})
13... Rc8 14. Nc3 c5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Qf4 Qc7 $5 {Un moment critique de la
partie: MIRALLES doit absolument gagner cette partie et il choisit pourtant la
suite la plus technique} 17. Qxc7 Rxc7 18. Bf4 Rcc8 19. dxc5 Rxc5 20. Ne1 Bxg2
21. Kxg2 Nd5 22. Rac1 Rfc8 23. Bd2 f5 24. Rxc5 Rxc5 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Bxc1 Nb4
$1 27. a3 {Un gain de temps important pour recycler le N sur une case plus
active et créer une faiblesse blanche sur cases noires а l'aile dame. La
finale est encore relativement égale mais l'ajournement doit permettre de
trouver un plan de gain pour les noirs.} Nc6 28. Nd3 Kf7 $15 {[%csl Rc1]} 29.
f3 Bf6 $1 {[%csl Rb2]} 30. Bd2 Ke7 31. Bb4+ Kd8 (31... Nxb4 $2 32. axb4 $11 {
[%csl Ra6]}) 32. Kf2 a5 33. Bc5 a4 {[%csl Rb2]} 34. Ke3 Kc7 35. Kd2 Na5 {
[%csl Rb3]} 36. Kc2 Kc6 37. Be3 g6 38. Bd2 Nc4 39. Bc1 {[%cal Gb2b3]} Na5 40.
h3 Nb3 41. Be3 Kd5 42. Nf4+ Kd6 43. Nd3 e5 44. Nc1 Nc5 {Ajournement} 45. Na2 (
45. b3 e4 46. bxa4 Nxa4 47. Na2 {[%csl Rc3]}) 45... Ne6 46. Nc3 Kc6 47. Kd3 h5
48. Nd1 Be7 49. Bd2 Bd6 50. e4 f4 51. gxf4 exf4 52. Ke2 Nd4+ 53. Kf2 Be5 54.
Bc3 $6 {Après Kc5, la position blanche devient critique} (54. Bb4 {[%csl Gc5]}
Bd6 55. Bd2 Kc5 56. Bb4+) (54. Be1) 54... Kc5 $1 $40 55. Bxd4+ Bxd4+ 56. Ke2
Kc4 57. Kd2 Kb3 $19 58. Kd3 Be5 $1 59. Kd2 g5 {[%cal Gg5g4,Gh5h1]} 60. Kc1 b4
61. axb4 g4 $3 62. fxg4 hxg4 63. hxg4 f3 64. Kd2 Bxb2 $1 {La pointe finale qui
donne le titre а Miralles а cause de son meilleur départage dans le tournoi.}
65. Nxb2 Kxb2 {[%cal Ga4a1][%mdl 4096]} 0-1

[Event "CHN-chT 2nd"]
[Site "China"]
[Date "2006.11.14"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Wang, Yue"]
[Black "Zhao, Zong Yuan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2598"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[Annotator "Primel,D"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2006.04.04"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.10.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.10.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Tianjing"]
[BlackTeam "Shandong"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CHN"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (
8. Qxc4 {L'alternative} b5) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 (10. Bf4 a5 11. Nc3
Na6 12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Rfe1 $14 {[%cal Ge2e4]}) 10... Bd5 (10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6
12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 $14) 11. Qc2 Be4 {Le thème de la variante et les Noirs
tentent de retarder indirectement le développement du Nc3} 12. Qd2 {Une ligne
secondaire un peu douteuse} (12. Qd1 $142 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bg6 15. a5
Nd7 16. Qb3 Rb8 17. Rfd1 Qe8 18. Qc4 c6 19. Nd2 Be7 20. b4 Nf6 21. e4 b5 22.
Qb3 Rd8 23. Ne2 Qd7 24. Qc3 Qa7 25. f3 e5 26. Nb3 Nd7 27. Kh1 f6 28. dxe5 fxe5
29. f4 Bf7 30. fxe5 Nxe5 31. Qxe5 Rxd1+ 32. Rxd1 Bxb3 33. Rc1 Bc4 34. Rxc4 bxc4
35. Qe6+ Rf7 36. Qxc4 Qf2 37. h4 Bxb4 38. e5 Bxa5 39. Bxc6 Kh8 40. Bg2 Bb6 41.
Qxa6 Qc5 {Almasi,Z (2689)-Kryvoruchko,Y (2717) Reykjavik 2015 1/2-1/2}) (12.
Qc1 $142 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. e3 a5 17. Ne4 Na6 18.
Qc4 $14 {Ilincic,Z (2557)-Abramovic,B (2474) SCG-chT Budva 2003 (3.42) 1/2})
12... h6 (12... c5 {Le Champion du Monde avait fait une démonstration
technique dans une partie fameuse jouée en 2001.} 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8
15. Nbd2 $14 {Kramnik,V (2797)-Gelfand,B (2712) Astana 2001 (1) 1-0}) (12...
Nc6 {Il faut peut-être tenter d'économiser le coup "h6"} 13. Nc3 (13. Rd1)
13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Nxd4 (14... Qxd4 15. Qxd4 Nxd4 16. Bxb7 Rab8 (16... Ra7 17.
Bg2 {[%csl Gg2]} c5 18. Rfd1 Rb8 $132 {[%csl Rb2]}) 17. Bxa6) 15. Bxb7 Nb3 16.
Qxd8 Raxd8 17. Rad1 {[%csl Ra6,Rc7]} Nc5 $1 $132 {[%cal Gc5b7,Gc5a6]}) 13. Bxf6
Bxf6 14. Rd1 {Une nouveauté dans cet ordre de coups} (14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6
16. e3 a5 17. Ne4) 14... Nc6 (14... a5 $5 15. Nc3 Bc6 16. e3 Na6 {La position
Noire est solide mais un peu passive}) 15. e3 e5 $6 $146 (15... Be7 16. Qe2 Bb4
17. Bf1 Na5 18. Nbd2 Bxf3 19. Nxf3 Qe7 20. Ne5 Rfd8 21. Nd3 Bd6 22. Rab1 e5 23.
dxe5 Bxe5 24. Qh5 Nc6 25. Bg2 Bf6 26. Bd5 Rab8 27. Rbc1 Qe8 28. Nc5 Nb4 29.
Bxb7 Bxb2 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Rb1 Rd2 32. Be4 a5 33. Nb3 Rd6 34. Bf3 Nd3 35. Qxa5
Rb6 36. Qd5 Qxa4 37. Qd8+ Kh7 38. Qxd3+ {1-0 (38) Fyllingen,R (2390)-Ogaard,L 
(2440) Norway 1998}) 16. d5 $1 Ne7 17. Nc3 Bxf3 (17... Bh7 18. e4 $14 {[%csl
Rh7]}) (17... Bf5 18. e4 Bg4 19. h3 $14) 18. Bxf3 Nc8 {[%cal Gc8d6]} 19. Rac1 (
19. Ne4 Nd6 20. Rac1 $14) 19... Nd6 (19... Be7 $5 {[%cal Ge7d6]}) 20. Qc2 Rb8
21. a5 $1 {[%cal Gc3a4,Ga4c5,Gc2c7]} Be7 22. Be2 (22. Na4 Ne8 23. Nc5 $36)
22... Ne8 23. Ne4 Bd6 24. Nc5 Qe7 25. b4 $1 {[%csl Gc5] La position Noire est
très passive} Nf6 26. Bf1 Rfd8 27. e4 Qe8 28. Qb1 Qe7 {Les Noirs doivent
attendre une faute adverse} 29. Rc4 $1 $16 {[%cal Gd1c1,Gc4b4]} Qe8 30. Rdc1
Nd7 31. R4c3 Qe7 32. h4 $1 {Il faut tenter de créer une seconde faiblesse et
l'avantage d'espace des Blancs permet au chinois de manoeuvrer} Nf6 33. Qc2 (
33. Bh3 $5) 33... Qe8 34. Rb1 $1 Qf8 35. Rc4 $5 {Les Noirs sont privés de
contre-jeu et la poussée b4b5 peut attendre} (35. b5 axb5 36. Rxb5 {[%csl Rb7]
}) 35... Nd7 36. Kh2 Nf6 37. f3 g5 $6 {Les Noirs perdent patience face à la
torture Catalane} 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. Be2 $1 {[%cal Gb1h1]} g4 $2 (39... Qh6+ $1
40. Kg2 Kg7 41. Rh1 Qg6 $13 {[%cal Gd8h8]}) 40. fxg4 Qh6+ 41. Kg2 Qg6 42. g5
Nh7 (42... Qxg5 43. Rf1 {[%cal Gf1f5]}) 43. Bg4 $1 {[%cal Gg4f5]} Nxg5 $2 (
43... Qxg5 $8 {Un moindre mal mais la finale est assez pénible à jouer pour
les Noirs} 44. Bf5 Nf6 45. Qc1 Qxc1 46. Rbxc1) 44. Bf5 $40 Qf6 45. Qe2 {
[%cal Ge2h5,Gb1h1]} Kh8 (45... Kg7) 46. Rcc1 (46. Rh1+) 46... Qe7 47. Rh1+ Kg8
48. Nxb7 1-0

[Event "Canadian op"]
[Site "Winnipeg"]
[Date "1997.07.19"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Psakhis, Lev"]
[Black "Stefansson, Hannes"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[Annotator "Psakhis,L"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1997.07.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 060 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.11.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.11.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 8]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Ne5
c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 Bxc5 10. O-O Bxf2+ (10... Rd8 11. Bf4 Qe7 12. Qc2 Nc6
13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Bg5 Bd4 15. Ne4 Ba6 16. e3 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 Bxb2 18. Rab1 $14 {
1-0 Vaulin,A-Stanojevic,B/YUG-ch op Nis 1996 (33)}) 11. Rxf2 Qxc4 12. Rxf6 $1
gxf6 13. Bh6 Nd7 $1 {N} (13... Nc6 14. e3 $1 Rd8 15. Qh5 e5 16. Ne4 Qe6 17. Qh4
Kh8 18. Nxf6 Ne7 19. Rf1 Ng6 20. Qh5 $18 {0-1 Thinius,M-COMP Mephisto/Berlin
1992 (32)}) (13... Qc5+ 14. e3 f5 15. Rc1 (15. g4 f4 16. Kh1 fxe3 17. Ne4 Qe7
18. Qd4 e5 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. Qxe3 Be6 21. Qh6+ Ke8 22. Rd1 $40 {1-0 Poutiainen,
P-Van,d/Reykjavik 1975 (27)}) 15... Qe7 16. Qd4 f6 17. Bxf8 Qxf8 18. Nb5 Nd7 (
18... Nc6 $5) 19. Nc7 Rb8 20. Nxe6 Qe7 21. Rc7 Kh8 22. Nc5 {1-0 Gheorghiu,
F-Varabiescu,G/Romania 1969}) 14. Ne4 (14. Bxf8 Kxf8 (14... Nxf8 15. Qd8 $36)
15. Qd6+ Ke8 16. Rd1 Qc5+ 17. Qxc5 Nxc5 18. Nb5 Ke7 19. Rc1 Nd7) 14... Qb4 $1 (
14... Rd8 15. Nxf6+ Kh8 16. e3 e5 $5 17. Qh5 Qe6 (17... Nxf6 $2 18. Qg5 Ne8 19.
Qxd8 $18) 18. Nxh7 $1 Qg6 19. Qh4 (19. Qxg6 $5 fxg6 20. Ng5 Re8 21. Rc1 $16)
19... Re8 20. Rf1 $1 Qxh7 21. Be4 f5 22. Bxf5 $18) 15. Rc1 f5 (15... Rd8 $2 16.
Nxf6+ Kh8 17. Qd3 $1 Qb6+ 18. Be3 Nxf6 19. Qc3 Qd6 20. Qxf6+ Kg8 21. Rf1 $1 Rd7
22. Rf4 Kf8 23. Rg4 $18) 16. Nd6 (16. e3 Qxb2) (16. Bxf8 $1 Qxf8 (16... Kxf8
17. Qd6+ Qxd6 18. Nxd6 Nb6 19. Rc7 Bd7 20. Rxb7 $16) (16... Nxf8 17. Nf6+ Kg7 (
17... Kh8 18. Qd8 Qb6+ 19. Qxb6 axb6 20. Rc7 $36)) 17. Nd6 Qd8 18. e4 $14)
16... Ne5 $1 (16... Rd8 17. Nxc8 (17. Rxc8 $2 Raxc8 18. Nxc8 Qc5+ 19. Kf1 Qxc8
20. Qd4 f6 $19) 17... Rdxc8 (17... Qxb2 18. Rc2 Qf6 (18... Qb4 19. Qc1 $1) 19.
Qc1 $18) 18. Rxc8+ Rxc8 19. Qxd7 Qb6+ 20. Kf1 Rd8 21. Qa4 $16) 17. Bxf8 Qb6+
18. e3 $1 (18. Kh1 Ng4 19. Nxc8 Nf2+ 20. Kg1 Nh3+ 21. Kh1 Nf2+ $11) 18... Qxe3+
19. Kh1 Ng4 20. Rc2 (20. Ne4 Kxf8) 20... Kxf8 $1 (20... Nf2+ 21. Rxf2 Qxf2 22.
Bh6 $18) 21. Nxc8 Nf2+ 22. Rxf2 Qxf2 23. Bxb7 (23. Qc1 $5) 23... Rb8 24. Qd8+
Kg7 25. Qg5+ Kh8 $1 (25... Kf8 $2 26. Qh6+ Ke8 (26... Kg8 27. Ne7+ Kh8 28. Qf6#
) 27. Bc6+ Kd8 28. Qf8+ Kc7 29. Qd6+ Kxc8 30. Qd7#) 26. Qd8+ Kg7 27. Qg5+ Kh8
1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2011.11.24"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. Rac1 h6
15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e3 Qe7 17. Ne4 Rb4 18. Qe2 Rxa4 19. Rxc4 Rxc4 20. Qxc4 e5 21.
Qxa6 exd4 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxd4 Rb8 24. b4 Qe7 25. Qc4 Rb6 26. Qd3 Rb8 27.
Qc4 Rb6 28. Kg2 Rb5 29. e4 $6 (29. Qxc6 Rxb4 30. Rd7 $14) 29... g5 $11 30. f3
Kg7 31. Qc3 Qf6 32. Kf2 Qe5 33. Qd2 Qf6 34. Rc4 Rb8 35. Ke3 Qe7 36. Qc3+ Kh7
37. Rc5 Rb6 38. Rf5 Kg8 39. Re5 Qf8 40. Rc5 Qb8 41. Qf6 Qf8 42. Qc3 Qb8 43. Qf6
Qf8 44. Qc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bundesliga 1112"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2011.11.19"]
[Round "4.8"]
[White "Medvegy, Zoltan"]
[Black "Thesing, Matthias"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[BlackElo "2404"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[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 "Eppingen"]
[BlackTeam "Katernberg"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 Bb7 14. Bf4 Bd6 15.
Rd1 Qe7 16. Nbd2 Nbd7 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rac8 19. Nc6 Qe8 20. Bg5 e5 21.
Bxf6 Nxf6 22. e4 Nd7 23. d5 Nb6 24. Qc2 Kh8 25. Nf3 f6 26. b3 Ra8 27. a4 bxa4
28. bxa4 Nd7 29. Rab1 Nb8 30. Rb7 Nd7 31. Rb3 Qh5 32. h3 Rae8 33. Re1 f5 34.
exf5 Qxf5 35. Qxf5 Rxf5 36. Nfd4 Rff8 37. Ne6 Rg8 $6 (37... Rf5 38. a5 e4 $14)
38. Rb7 $18 Rc8 39. a5 h6 40. Reb1 Nf6 41. Na7 Ra8 42. Nxc7 Bxc7 43. Rxc7 Nxd5
44. Rd7 Nf6 45. Re7 Nd5 46. Rd7 Nf6 47. Rdb7 Rge8 48. Nc6 Rac8 49. R1b6 Ne4 50.
Rb8 $6 (50. Rf7 Kh7 51. h4 $18) 50... Rxb8 $14 51. Nxb8 Rf8 52. f3 Nd2 53. Nd7
Rxf3 54. Rxa6 Ra3 55. Nxe5 Ra2 56. Nc6 Nc4+ 57. Kf3 Ra3+ 58. Kf4 Ra4 59. Kf5
Kh7 60. h4 Ra3 61. g4 Ne3+ 62. Kf4 Ng2+ 63. Ke4 Nxh4 64. Ra8 Ra4+ $2 (64... Rc3
65. Nd4 Ng6 $16) 65. Kd5 $18 Rxg4 66. a6 Nf5 67. a7 Ra4 68. Re8 1-0

[Event "URS-chT Cup 11th"]
[Site "Rostov on Don"]
[Date "1980.05.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Palatnik, Semon"]
[Black "Kuzmin, Gennadi P"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2500"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1980.05.23"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Country Societies"]
[BlackTeam "Avangard"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "URS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "URS"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {Cette
ligne secondaire a perdu aujourd'hui beaucoup de sa popularité en faveur de Qc2
} (7. Qc2 {la grande ligne}) 7... Qd6 $6 {un coup bizarre mais les deux
joueurs font un duel théorique sur cette ligne en rejouant une partie} (7...
Nc6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 (9. e3 $44) 9... Bxa3 10. bxa3 Nd5) 8. Na3 Rd8 9. Naxc4
$146 {essayant d'améliorer la partie jouée deux ans auparavant} (9. Nb5 {
Palatnik,S (2490)-Kuzmin,G (2535) Kiev 1978 (3) 0-1}) 9... Qa6 {[%csl Ra6]} (
9... Qxd4 $143 $6 10. Qc2 {[%csl Rd4]}) 10. Qb3 $5 (10. b3 c5 {[%cal Gd8d1]}) (
10. Bg5 c5 11. e3 cxd4 12. exd4 Nbd7 13. Qb3 h6 14. Nxd7 Rxd7 15. Be3 $11 {
[%csl Rd4]}) 10... Rxd4 11. Be3 Rd8 12. Rad1 $44 Nd5 13. Bc1 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Nd7
14. e4 $44 N5b6 15. Bf4 Nc5 16. Rxd8+ Bxd8 17. Qb4 (17. Qd1 $5 {[%cal Gd1d8]}
Be7 18. Bg5 $3 f6 $2 (18... Bxg5 19. Qh5 {[%cal Gh5f7,Gh5g5]} g6 20. Qxg5 {
[%csl Ra6] Les noirs vont avoir du mal а terminer le développement de
l'aile-dame}) 19. Qh5 {[%csl Gf7][%cal Gh5e8]}) 17... Be7 18. Rd1 f6 19. Na5 $6
{[%cal Gg2f1] avec l'idée d'enfermer la Q mais les noirs auront des ressources
étonnantes} (19. Be3 {plus simple}) 19... fxe5 20. Bf1 Nd5 $1 {la pointe de la
défense!} 21. exd5 Qb6 $17 {[%cal Ge7b4]} 22. Qe1 exf4 23. Nc4 Qa6 24. b4 Na4
$6 (24... b5 $19) 25. Qe5 Bf8 26. d6 b5 $2 {Les noirs étaient probablement en
zeinot car ils font plusieurs coups faibles laissant une chance aux blancs de
revenir dans la partie.} (26... cxd6) 27. dxc7 Qc6 28. Na5 Qc3 29. Qxc3 (29.
Qxf4 $142) 29... Nxc3 30. Rd8 f3 {[%csl Rg1]} 31. Nc6 Nd5 32. Bd3 g6 33. Be4
Kg7 34. Bxf3 $2 (34. Nb8 $1 {[%cal Gd8c8]} Bb7 35. Bxf3 $132) 34... Nxc7 35.
Na5 Be7 36. Rd1 Nd5 0-1

[Event "World Women-ch"]
[Site "Tirana"]
[Date "2011.11.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Koneru, Humpy"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2578"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "159"]
[EventDate "2011.11.14"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ALB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. a4 {This move has rarely been played
before, but the more I analyze it the more I like it. White is trying to
encourage Black into pushing the b-pawn forward, which will restrict her dark
square bishop and create a weakness in c4. The more common move and the one
recommended by theory nowadays is 12. Bf4. Seeing that Humpy only spent 30
seconds in playing a4, it is safe to assume that she is well inside her
preparation.} b4 {A natural response, but the weakness on c4 will be a problem
later. Interestingly enough, this is every engine's top choice - a fact that
can be verified easily by using Fritz 13's "Let's Check" feature.} 13. Bf4 Nd5
{This unnatural but typical dance with the bishop is done to try to trade off
the dark squared bishop. This will greatly reduce Black's chances to push c5,
which is the thematic break in the position. So much for not moving the same
piece twice in the opening!} 14. Bg5 Nd7 (14... Bxg5 15. Qxg5 $1 {Keeps a
slight edge for white, as she will be able to swing the f1 rook to c1 and
pressure down that file.}) (14... f6 {is a weakness no one wants to commit to,
but it might be the best move.}) 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne5 $1 {Humpy shows a very
strong understanding of the position. Her compensation for the doubled e-pawns
will be in strong pressure along the c-file and an uncomfortable pin with the
g2-bishop on its b7 counterpart.} Nxe5 17. dxe5 a5 18. Nd2 Ba6 19. Nc4 (19. Nb3
$1 {Humpy plays a very natural move. However I think that this really strong
move would have given her an advantage. I do have to admit I hadn't considered
it until I turned on the "Let's Check" option on Fritz 13. A fellow analyst's
Fritz 13 and someone else's Rybka 4.1 had found this powerful move, and it
intrigued me that the evaluation was so high despite the loss of a pawn.
Further analysis proves that the pawn is more than compensated!} Bxe2 20. Re1
Bh5 (20... Bd3 $2 21. Rd1 Bg6 22. Nd4 $16) 21. Nd4 $44 {The out of place
bishop on h5, combined with the central pressure, control of c6, weak a5 pawn,
and overall lack of plan for Black gives White an incredible amount of
compensation, if not an outright advantage!}) 19... Qc5 20. Ne3 Qe7 (20... Qxc1
$2 21. Rfxc1 {and the N on d5 is pinned, giving White a huge edge.}) 21. Rd1
Rad8 22. Nxd5 exd5 23. Qc6 Bxe2 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. Qxd5 {White stlil holds some
pressure, as her strong Q is hitting a lot of weaknesses. However, the
simplification of the Ns definitely favors Black.} c5 26. Re1 (26. Qd6 Qxd6 27.
exd6 Rd8 28. Re1 Bc4 {Followed by Be6 is not that scary.}) 26... Bg4 27. Rc1
Rc8 (27... Rd8 {was a tad more accurate, but it is clear that Black is very
near equality either way.}) 28. Qc4 h5 29. Bd5 Qd7 30. Re1 Rd8 31. e6 {These
simplifications are forced, as otherwise Black would have gotten too active.} (
31. Bg2 $2 Qd2 {and it's obvious the pendulum swung the other way.}) 31... fxe6
(31... Qxd5 $4 32. e7 $18 {is the pretty trick that allows White to play e6.})
32. Bxe6+ Bxe6 33. Rxe6 Qf7 34. h4 Rf8 35. Qe2 Qf3 {Black sacrifices a pawn to
reach a relatively safe rook endgame. Although white will have the only
chances to win, they are quite slim. Yifan shows how to easily draw this rook
endgame.} 36. Qxf3 Rxf3 37. Re5 (37. Rc6 {Was more accurate but after} Rb3 38.
Rxc5 g6 (38... Rxb2 $2 39. Rxh5) 39. Rc2 {the game is probably drawn, as
White's rook is too passive.}) 37... c4 38. Rxa5 Rb3 39. Rc5 Rxb2 40. Rxc4 Kf7
41. Kg2 b3 42. Rb4 g6 43. Kf3 Ra2 44. Rxb3 Rxa4 {This exchange had to happen
sooner or later, and this game is a theoretical draw. Black already has her
pawns in the ideal situation, which eases her task.} 45. Re3 Kf6 46. Re4 Ra3+
47. Kf4 Ra2 48. f3 Ra5 49. Rc4 Rf5+ 50. Ke3 Re5+ 51. Re4 Ra5 52. Rf4+ Kg7 53.
Rc4 Ra6 54. Rc5 Kf6 55. Rd5 Ra3+ 56. Ke4 Ra6 57. Rd4 Re6+ 58. Kf4 Ra6 59. Rb4
Rc6 60. g4 {Making no progress whatsoever with pure rook moves, Humpy tries to
trade some pawns. However every pawn trade simplifies the defender's task.}
hxg4 61. Kxg4 {Interestingly, this rook endgame should be drawn even without
the pawn on g6. With it, defending this endgame is elementary.} Rc5 62. Rb6+
Kg7 63. Re6 Kf7 64. Re4 Ra5 65. f4 Ra1 66. Re3 Kf6 67. Rb3 Rg1+ 68. Rg3 Ra1 69.
Rg2 Rb1 70. Rh2 Rg1+ 71. Kf3 Kf5 72. h5 gxh5 73. Rxh5+ Kf6 74. Ra5 Rf1+ 75. Ke3
Re1+ 76. Kf2 Rb1 77. Kg3 Rg1+ 78. Kf3 Rf1+ 79. Kg4 Rg1+ 80. Kf3 {And the game
was finally drawn. An interesting opening that could have been more for Humpy,
and an extremely boring endgame in which you cannot blame her for not trying.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 43rd"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2015.06.27"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Meier, Georg"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2654"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2015.06.27"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nbd2 Bc6
15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd7 17. Rc1 Nxe5 18. Rxc5 Ned7 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Qc2 Rc8
21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Rc1 Qd7 23. Nf3 Rd8 24. Qb3 h6 25. Rc4 Qe7 26. e4 e5 27. Qc3
Re8 28. a5 Qe6 29. Rb4 Rc8 30. Qxe5 Qxe5 31. Nxe5 Rc5 32. f4 Rxa5 33. Kf3 b5
34. Rd4 g5 35. Rd6 Kg7 36. Nd3 Ra4 37. e5 Ne4 38. Rd7 gxf4 39. gxf4 Kg6 40. Ke3
f5 41. Rb7 Ra1 42. Rb6+ Kg7 43. b4 h5 44. Rb7+ Kg6 45. Rb6+ Kg7 46. h4 Ra3 47.
Rb7+ Kg6 48. Kd4 Ng3 49. Rd7 Ne2+ {Black is clearly in problems. White has a
protected passed pawn on e5 and his king is very active.} 50. Ke3 $2 {
Inexplicably going backwards. Much stronger was} (50. Kc5 {trying to take all
of Black's pawns on the queenside. The plan is simply Kb6 and Nc5.}) 50... Nc1
51. Kd2 Nxd3 52. Rxd3 Ra2+ 53. Ke3 Rb2 54. Rd6+ Kg7 55. Rxa6 $2 (55. Rf6 Rb3+
56. Kd2 Rxb4 57. Rxf5 {still gives White great winning chances because his
pawns are faster. If it is completely winning remains to be analyzed.}) 55...
Rb3+ 56. Ke2 Rxb4 {Now this is simply a draw. White must keep defending his f4
pawn.} 57. Ke3 Rb3+ 58. Ke2 Rb4 59. Ke3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Paris FIDE GP"]
[Site "Elancourt"]
[Date "2013.09.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2731"]
[BlackElo "2756"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2013.09.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 157"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "2:00:00"]
[BlackClock "2:00:00"]

1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} e6 {
[%emt 0:00:31]} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} Be7 {[%emt 0:01:55]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:03:28]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:14]} 6. d4 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 7. Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:
39]} 8. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 9. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:02]}
Qe8 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 10. Nxe7+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qxe7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 11. Qc2 {
[%emt 0:00:36]} c5 {[%emt 0:02:31]} 12. Qxc4 {[%emt 0:03:06]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:
32]} 13. Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} e5 {[%emt 0:01:17]} 14. Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Ba6
$146 {[%emt 0:19:05]} (14... Rb8 15. b3 Qe6 16. Bg5 Nd5 17. e4 Nb4 18. Be7 Re8
19. Bxb4 Rxb4 20. Nc3 Bb7 21. Rac1 Rd4 22. Rfe1 Bc6 23. Qg5 h6 24. Qe3 Red8 25.
Qe2 R8d6 26. Qb2 Rd2 27. Qa3 Qd7 28. Qc5 f6 29. b4 a6 30. Qa5 Kh7 31. a4 Rb2
32. Rcd1 Rdd2 33. Rf1 Rxd1 34. Rxd1 Qb7 35. Nd5 Qa7 36. Rf1 Qd4 37. Qxa6 Bxd5
38. exd5 Rxb4 39. Qe6 Rxa4 40. Qf5+ Kg8 41. Qc8+ Kh7 42. Qf5+ {1/2-1/2 (42)
Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2660)-Onischuk,A (2667) Tromso 2013}) 15. Bg5 {[%emt 0:
24:12]} Bxe2 {[%emt 0:05:29] In another Catalan in the Ukrainian duel it was
impossible to say that White obtained anything from the opening. The variation
is well known; White wins a pawn but the opposite colored bishops and the easy
play for Black give him compensation. However on top of this Ponomariov was
able to quickly regain his pawn and secure full equality.} 16. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:
08]} Bd3 {[%emt 0:16:42]} 17. Nc3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Qe6 {[%emt 0:02:58]} 18.
Bxf6 {[%emt 0:21:18]} gxf6 {[%emt 0:22:14]} 19. Ne4 {[%emt 0:01:10]} Bxe4 {
[%emt 0:00:47]} 20. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:07:07]} Rac8 {[%emt 0:04:34]} 21. b3 {
[%emt 0:01:32]} Rfd8 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 22. Rad1 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:
00:28]} 23. Qe3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 24. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Rxd1 {[%emt 0:05:55]} 25. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:22]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 26. Qd3 {
[%emt 0:03:05]} h6 {[%emt 0:04:38]} 27. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Rc5 {[%emt 0:01:
07]} 28. Qd6 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Rc2 {[%emt 0:01:26]} 29. Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:10]}
fxe6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 30. Rd6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rxa2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 31. Rxe6 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} e4 {[%emt 0:01:08]} 32. g4 {[%emt 0:01:51]} fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:
38]} 33. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 34. Re6 {[%emt 0:00:36]} a5
{[%emt 0:02:55]} 35. Ra6 {[%emt 0:06:02]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 36. h3 {[%emt 0:
00:18]} gxh3+ {[%emt 0:00:44]} 37. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rxb3 {[%emt 0:00:34]}
38. Rxa5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 39. Rxh5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rxf2+
{[%emt 0:00:04]} 40. Kxh3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 12th"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2011.03.31"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2688"]
[BlackElo "2619"]
[Annotator "Reeh,O"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[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. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Bxf4 14. gxf4 Nbd7
15. Nb3 Be4 16. Qe3 Nb6 17. Nc5 Nc4 18. Qc3 Bd5 19. Rfd1 Ne4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21.
Ne1 Bxg2 22. Nxg2 Nb6 23. Rac1 Nd5 24. Qf3 f5 25. Ne3 Qd7 26. Rc5 c6 27. Rdc1
Rac8 28. Nxd5 exd5 29. Qa3 Qe8 30. e3 Rf6 31. Kf1 h6 32. Qxa6 Kh7 33. a3 Rg6
34. R1c2 Re6 35. Ke2 Ra8 36. Qb7 Qh5+ 37. Kd3 Ra4 38. Kc3 $6 {This allows
Black's queen to invade the white camp. Erlaubt der schwarzen Dame, in die
weiße Stellung einzudringen.} (38. Rc1 $1 {would have given White excellent
winning chances, e.g. hätte Weiß ausgezeichnete Gewinnchancen verschafft, z.B.}
Rc4 39. Rg1 $1 Rg6 40. Qf7 (40. Rxg6 $4 Qd1#) 40... Rg5 {[%tqu "En","Black is
trying to escape into a rook ending. Which kind of liquidation do you suggest
for White?","A pure pawn ending would be won, since White can quickly create a
distant passed a-pawn with b3 followed by a4. How can White exchange all major
pieces?","","f4g5","Super assessment!  White wins back the queen through the
pawn fork 42.g6+ and follows up by exchanging the black Rc4 too with b3.  
Then he creates a passed a-pawn with a4 and has a simply won pawn ending.",25,
"f7h5","Not so strong -White still has some work to do in the rook ending.",5,
"De","Schwarz versucht, sich in ein Turmendspiel zu flüchten. Weiß hat einen
Mehrbauern - welche Abwicklung schlagen Sie für ihn vor?","Ein reines
Bauernendspiel wäre auch bei gleicher Bauernanzahl für Weiß gewonnen, da er
mit b3 nebst a4 schnell einen a-Freibauern bilden kann. Wie kann Weiß
sämtliche Schwerfiguren tauschen?","","f4g5","Super eingeschätzt!  Weiß
gewinnt durch die Bauerngabel 42.g6+ die Dame zurück und tauscht anschließend
auch noch durch b3 den schwarzen Rc4.  Anschließend bildet er mit a4 einen
freien a-Bauern und hat ein leicht gewonnenes Bauernendspiel.",25,"f7h5",
"Nicht so stark - im Turmendspiel muss Weiß trotz des Mehrbauern auf jeden
Fall noch arbeiten.",5]} 41. fxg5 $1 {Simplest - White exchanges all major
pieces and liquidates into a won pawn ending. Am einfachsten - Weiß tauscht
sämtliche Schwerfiguren und wickelt in ein gewonnenes Bauernendspiel ab.} (41.
Qxh5 Rxh5 {would be less clear. wäre weniger klar.}) 41... Qxf7 42. g6+ Qxg6
43. Rxg6 Kxg6 44. b3 $1 Rxc5 45. dxc5 Kf6 46. a4 bxa4 47. bxa4 {and thanks to
the passed a-pawn the ending is simply won for White: und dank des
a-Freibauern ist das Endspiel leicht für Weiß gewonnen:} Ke6 48. Kd4 g5 49. a5
Kd7 50. Ke5 {etc. usw.}) 38... Qd1 $1 {His active queen guarantees Black at
least a draw now. Seine aktive Dame garantiert Schwarz nun zumindest das Remis.
} 39. Qd7 Rf6 40. Rd2 Qb1 41. Rc2 Rc4+ 42. Rxc4 bxc4 43. Qb7 Qe1+ 44. Rd2 Rg6
45. Qf7 Qb1 46. Rc2 Rf6 47. Qb7 Rf8 48. h4 Re8 $3 {Ein little move of
incredible power!  Ein kleiner Zug von unglaublicher Kraft!} 49. h5 {Allowing
a rapid finish, but the alternatives were no joy either. Erlaubt ein schnelles
Ende, aber die Alternativen waren auch keine Freude.} (49. Qxc6 {(or 50.Qd7
Rb8 - the check on f5 is not dangerous due to the simple ...Kh8) (oder 50.Qd7
Rb8 - das Schach auf f5 ist nicht gefährlich wegen einfach ...Kh8)} {leaves
the b-file and allows verlässt die b-Linie und erlaubt} Rb8 {and there is no
defence against the threat 50...Rb3+. und es gibt keine Verteidigung gegen die
Drohung 50...Rb3+.}) (49. b3 {[%tqu "En","What do you suggest for Black?",
"Black needs open lines in the centre. What if there were no white pawn on
e3?","","c6c5","Forcing open the centre!  After 50.dxc5 Black follows up with
the energetic d4+!, and after 51.exd4 comes which point?",30,"De","Was
schlagen Sie für Schwarz vor?","Schwarz braucht offene Linien im Zentrum. Was
wäre, wenn kein weißer Bauer auf e3 stünde?","","c6c5","Hebelt das Zentrum
auf!   Nach 50.dxc5 setzt Schwarz energisch mit d4+! fort, und nach 51.exd4
kommt dann welche Pointe?",30]} c5 $3 {The key idea - Black forces open the
centre and gets the e-file for his rook. Die Schlüsselidee - Schwarz bricht
das Zentrum auf und erobert die e-Linie für seinen Turm.} 50. dxc5 (50. Qxd5
Qxb3+ 51. Kd2 c3+ {and 52...Qxd5. und 52...Qxd5.}) 50... d4+ $1 51. exd4 {
[%tqu "En","Black to play and win.","","","e8e2","Conquering the d3-square for
the queen - White gets checkmated or loses his queen!",15,"De","Schwarz zieht
und gewinnt.","","","e8e2","Kämpft das Feld d3 für die Dame frei - Weiß wird
matt oder verliert seine Dame!",15]} Re2 $1 52. Rxe2 Qd3+ 53. Kb2 (53. Kb4
Qxb3+ 54. Ka5 Qxb7) 53... c3+ 54. Kc1 Qxe2 {and Black checkmates. und Schwarz
setzt matt.}) ({while während} 49. Qb6 {(49.Kd2 Qf1-+) prevents the game
continuation, but loses too: die Partiefortsetzung verhindert, aber ebenfalls
verliert:} {[%tqu "En","With 49.Qb6 White has parried Black's threat 49...Qe1+
50.Rd2 Rxe3+.  What do you suggest now?","Does 49.Qb6 really prevent ...c5? 
Open lines!","","c6c5","That's it again!  If the queen captures, 50...Rb8
decides, and after 50.dxc5 comes again 50...50...Qe1+!, intending which point
after 51.Rd2?",30,"De","Mit 49.Qb6 hat Weiß die schwarze Drohung 49...Qe1+ 50.
Rd2 Rxe3+ entschärft.  Was schlagen Sie jetzt vor?","Verhindert 49.Qb6
wirklich ...c5?  Öffnen Sie Linien!","","c6c5","Das ist es wieder!  Wenn die
Dame schlägt, entscheidet 50...Rb8, und nach 50.dxc5 kommt erneut 50...Qe1+,
mit welcher Pointe nach 51.Rd2?",30]} c5 $3 {(again!) (wieder!)} (49... Qe1+ {
not sufficient is nicht ausreichend ist} 50. Rd2 Rxe3+ 51. fxe3 Qc1+ 52. Rc2
Qxe3+ 53. Kb4 Qb3+ 54. Kc5 Qxc2 55. Kxc6) 50. dxc5 (50. Qxc5 Rb8) 50... Qe1+ $1
51. Rd2 {[%tqu "En","What now?","","","d5d4","...and after 52.exd4 (Kxd4 Qxd2+)
Re2 White loses his rook.",10,"De","Was nun?","","","d5d4","...und nach 52.
exd4 (Kxd4 Qxd2+) Re2 verliert Weiß seinen Turm.",10]} d4+ $1 52. exd4 (52.
Kxd4 Qxd2+) 52... Re2 {and game over. und game over.}) 49... Qe1+ 50. Rd2 Qc1+
$1 ({The immediate Das sofortige} 50... Rxe3+ {would be weaker due to wäre
schwächer wegen} 51. fxe3 Qc1+ 52. Kb4 $1 Qxd2+ 53. Kc5 {and White is alive.
und Weiß lebt.}) 51. Rc2 {[%tqu "En","Deliver the final touch!","","","e8e3",".
..and 52.fxe3 Qxe3+ costs White his queen on b7!",10,"De","Versetzen Sie Weiß
den Gnadenstoß!","","","e8e3","...und 52.fxe3 Qxe3+ kostet die weiße Dame b7!",
10]} Rxe3+ $1 52. Kb4 (52. fxe3 Qxe3+ 53. Kb4 Qb3+ {costs the queen as well.
kostet ebenfalls die Dame.}) 52... Qxc2 {and White resigned in view of 53.fxe3
Qxb2+ followed by 54...Qxb7. im Hinblick auf 53.fxe3 Qxb2+ nebst 54...Qxb7 gab
Weiß sich geschlagen.} 0-1

[Event "FIDE World Cup 9-16"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2005.12.09"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2005.11.27"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 111"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Diese Fortsetzung ist heutzutage wieder populär, die Alternative ist 8.a4.} b5
9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nbd7 {Das ist ein natürlicher Entwicklungszug, aber der
prophylaktische Turmzug 10...Ra7 ist ebenfalls spielbar.} 11. Ba5 Rc8 12. Nbd2
Nb8 {Die Idee des Springermanövers ist 13...Nc6 zu ziehen und den a5-Läufer zu
verjagen.} 13. Nb3 {Der Springerzug ist gegen c7-c5 gerichtet, aber nach
meiner Meinung bietet 13.a3! Weiß mehr Chancen Eröffnungsvorteil zu erlangen.}
(13. a3 $5 Nc6 14. Bc3 (14. Nb3 $2 Nxa5 15. Nxa5 Be4 {/\ c5=/+}) 14... b4 (
14... Nd5 15. Nb3 {/\ Bd2} (15. b4 Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Ra8 17. Nb3 $14) 15... Nxc3
16. Qxc3 $14) 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Qb3 (16. Qa4 Nbd5) 16... Bd5 17. Qa4 Bc6 (17...
Rb8 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 $14 {><a6}) 18. Qa5 Rb8 19. Ne5 $1 $14 {1/2-1/2
Almasi,I-Lauber,A/Gyula 1997/}) 13... Be4 {Jetzt sehen wir den Nachteil des
Zuges 13.Nb3; der schwarze Läufer steht gut auf e4.} 14. Qc1 (14. Qd2 Nc6 15.
Rfc1 b4 16. Ne5 (16. Rxc6 Bxc6 17. Bxb4 Bxb4 18. Qxb4 Qd6 19. Qa5 {[%csl Ra6]
[%cal Ra5a6]} Bd5 {[%csl Gd5]} 20. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7]} Qb6 $15 {. 1/2-1/2
Nielsen,P-Polgar,J/Las Vegas 1999/CBM 72/[Ribli] (58)}) 16... Nxa5 17. Nxa5
Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 $15 {0-1 Koneru,H-Mahesh Chandran,P/Calcutta 2002/(41)}) 14...
Nc6 {[%csl Gc6,Ge4][%cal Gc6a5,Gc6d4][%mdl 2048] Schwarz hat ausgezeichnetes
Figurenspiel; der c6N kontrolliert das Feld d4, während der Läufer auf a5
unsicher steht.} 15. Bd2 (15. Rd1 Nxa5 16. Nxa5 c5 $17) 15... Bxf3 16. Bxf3
Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Qxd4 $15 {Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr. Da Weiß das Läuferpaar
besitzt, erhält er positionelle Kompensation, jedoch muss er noch um das Remis
kämpfen.} 18. Be3 (18. Bb7 {[%cal Rb7a6,Rb7c8]} Rcd8 $15) 18... Qd6 19. Rd1 {
[%csl Gd1,Ge3,Gf3]} Nd5 20. Bf4 Qb4 21. a3 {Weiß verteidigt sich gut und
verjagt die aktive Dame von b4.} (21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Rxd5 Bf6 23. Rb1 (23. Be5
$2 Qe4 $19) 23... Qa4 24. a3 Rfe8 $15) 21... Qa4 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Rxd5 c5 (
23... Bf6 24. Rc5) 24. Bd6 Rfd8 (24... Bxd6 25. Rxd6) 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Bxc5
Rc8 27. Qe3 $1 {[%mdl 256] Auf diese Weise kann Weiß Ausgleich erreichen.} (27.
b4 Bxc5 28. bxc5 Qd4 29. e3 Qxc5 (29... Qd5 30. Qc2 Rxc5 31. Rd1 Rxc2 32. Rxd5
$11) 30. Qxc5 Rxc5 31. Rd1 $11) 27... Bxc5 28. Rc1 $11 {[%cal Gc1c8]} g6 29.
Rxc5 Qd1+ 30. Kg2 Rxc5 31. Qxc5 Qxe2 32. Qd4 (32. Qc8+ Kg7 33. Qxa6 Qxb2 $11 (
33... Qe4+ $11)) 32... h5 1/2-1/2

[Event "WchT 6th"]
[Site "Beersheba"]
[Date "2005.11.05"]
[Round "5.4"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Quesada Perez, Yuniesky"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2005.11.01"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 110"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Israel"]
[BlackTeam "Cuba"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CUB"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Heutzutage ist diese Fortsetzung wieder in der Mode -
die Alternativen sind 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4.} Ra7 11. Rc1 $1 {Der Turm gehört auf
die c-Linie, da Weiß den Befreiungszug c7-c5 verhindern muss.} (11. Rd1 Nbd7
12. Ba5 Qa8 13. Nbd2 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 Bb6 16. Rac1 Bd5 {1/2-1/2
Nielsen,P-Anand,V/Bundesliga 2004/05 (24)}) 11... Be4 12. Qb3 Nbd7 (12... Bd5
13. Qe3 Nbd7 14. Ba5 Qb8 15. Nbd2 Rc8 16. b4 Bd6 17. Qd3 Qa8 18. Ne1 Bxg2 19.
Nxg2 e5 20. Ne3 exd4 21. Nf5 Bf8 22. Qf3 {1/2-1/2 Horvath,J-Senff,M/Triesen
LIE 2005/(22)}) 13. Ba5 Qa8 {Dieser starke Damenzug war die Neuerung von Leko
im Dortmunder Superturnier.} (13... Qb8 14. Nbd2 (14. Qe3 $5 b4 15. Nbd2 Ba8
16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Rc2 Be4 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 $1 {1-0 Rotstein,A-Boensch,U/
Fuerstenfeld 2005 (32)}) 14... Ba8 15. Bb4 c5 $1 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Rc8 18.
Qe3 Nd5 19. Qe5 Rac7 (19... Qxe5 $5) 20. Ne4 Qa7 21. Nd4 h6 22. Nb3 {1-0
Avrukh,B-Votava,J/Gothenburg 2005/(33)}) 14. Nbd2 $146 {Eine Neuerung des
israelischen Großmeisters; im Falle von 14.Nc3 wird der e4B vertrieben, aber
jetzt kann Weiß mit 15.Qe3 fortsetzen und möglicherweise Nb3 spielen und die
Befreiung c7-c5 verhindern.} (14. Nc3 Bc6 15. a3 {[%cal Ga5b4,Gb4e7]} Bd6 16.
Bb4 Qb7 {[%cal Ga6a5]} 17. Rc2 a5 18. Bxd6 cxd6 $11 {0-1 Nielsen,P-Leko,P/
Dortmund 2005/CBM 108/[Ribli Zoltan] (60)}) 14... Bd5 15. Qe3 (15. Qd3 c5 $11 (
15... Rc8)) 15... Bd6 (15... Rc8 $5 {[%cal Gc7c5]} 16. Nb3 (16. b4) (16. Rc2 c5
17. Rac1 c4) 16... Ne4 17. Nc5 (17. Ne5) (17. Rc2 Nd6 18. Nbd2 c5 19. dxc5))
16. Bh3 {Weiß verläßt die Diagonale h1-a8, da er seinen weißfeldrigen Läufer
auf dem Brett halten will. Sein Plan ist z.B. 17.Ne1 gefolgt von 18.f3 um
später mit e4 eine starke Zentrumstellung aufbauen.} Ne4 (16... Nb8 17. Ne5 Nc6
18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. f3 $14) (16... Rc8 17. Nb3 Ne4 18. Nc5) 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Ne1
Nb6 19. Bxb6 $1 {Weiß gibt das Läuferpaar auf, aber er bekommt die
Bauernmehrheit im Zentrum.} (19. b3) 19... cxb6 20. Bg2 $1 {In ein paar Zügen
hat sich die Stellung geändert; jetzt ist es wichtig, die weißen Läufer zu
tauschen.} Bxg2 21. Nxg2 Rd7 22. Rd1 Rfd8 23. Rd3 Be7 24. Nf4 Bf6 (24... Bg5 $5
{Nach diesem Zug kann Schwarz den Springer tauschen.}) 25. Rad1 g6 26. h4 $1
Qc6 (26... Qb7) 27. b3 b4 $2 (27... Rd6) {[#]} 28. d5 $1 {[%mdl 32] Mit diesem
temporären Bauernopfer möchte Weiß eine starke Springerstellung auf d5
aufbauen.} exd5 29. Qf3 {[%csl Rd5][%cal Gf4d5]} Kg7 30. Nxd5 a5 31. h5 {
Es droht 32.h6+ mit sofortigem Gewinn.} Rd6 32. Kg2 Re8 33. e4 $16 {[%csl Gd5]
Der d5N dominiert auf dem Brett.} Rde6 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Rh1 {[%csl Rg7][%cal
Gh1h8]} Kg8 36. Qf4 Bg7 37. Rf3 Qb7 (37... f5 38. exf5 Re4 39. Qg5 Qxd5 40.
Qxg6 $18) 38. Qc7 $1 Qxc7 39. Nxc7 $18 {[%cal Rc7e8,Rc7e6] Weiß gewinnt die
Qualität und die Partie.} Rxe4 40. Nxe8 Rxe8 41. Rd1 {[%cal Rd1d7,Rd7f7][%mdl
4096]} Re7 (41... Re2 42. Rd7 f5 43. Re3 $18) 42. Rd6 Rb7 43. Rfd3 a4 44. Rd7 (
44. bxa4 $18) 44... Rxd7 45. Rxd7 axb3 46. axb3 Bf8 47. f4 Kg7 48. Kf3 Bc5 {
Die schwarze Stellung ist zwar sicher, aber früher oder später befindet er
sich in Zugzwang.} 49. Ke4 Kf6 50. Kd5 Bf2 51. g4 Kg7 52. Ke5 Bg3 53. g5 Be1
54. f5 gxf5 (54... Bc3+ 55. Ke4 $18) 55. Kxf5 Kf8 56. Rd6 Bc3 (56... Bf2 57.
Kf6 $18) 57. Rxb6 Kg7 58. Rb7 Kf8 59. Rd7 Kg8 60. Rd6 Kg7 61. Rb6 {[%cal Gb6b4,
Gb6g6] Der schwarze König ist vom Spielgeschehen abgeschnitten. Die weiße
Drohung ist einfach: der König wandert nach c4 mit Bauerngewinn durch Rxb4.}
Bd2 62. Ke4 Be1 63. Kd3 1-0

[Event "Goodricke op 12th"]
[Site "Kolkata"]
[Date "2001.02.10"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Villamayor, Buenaventura"]
[Black "Barua, Dibyendu"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2494"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2001.02.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {GM Barua wählt,
wie sein Landsmann Anand, gerne die Klassische Variante.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5
9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {Dieser Zug wurde seinerzeit vom schwedischen GM Andersson
gespielt. Er verspricht Weiß jedoch wenig Hoffnung auf Eröffnungsvorteil - die
Alternativen (10.Bf4 und 10.Bd2) sind gefährlicher.} Nbd7 11. Bxf6 (11. Nbd2
Rc8 (11... c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Rfd1 Qb6 15. Nd4 Rac8 $13) 12.
Bxf6 Nxf6 {Das ist nur eine Zugumstellung zur Partiefortsetzung.} 13. Nb3)
11... Nxf6 12. Nbd2 {Weiß bereitet Nb3-c5 vor.} Rc8 13. Nb3 Be4 (13... c5 14.
dxc5) 14. Qc1 (14. Qc3 Nd5 15. Qd2 Bb4 16. Qd1 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Rxc5
19. Rc1 Qc7 20. Rxc5 Qxc5 $11) 14... c5 {Schwarz muss so spielen, ansonsten
kann Weiß den Springer auf c5 platzieren.} 15. dxc5 a5 (15... Qc7 $5 16. Qf4
Qxf4 17. gxf4 Bxc5 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bd6 20. Nd3 Nd5 21. e3 Nb6 $11) 16. a4
(16. Rd1 Qc7 17. a4 Bxc5 18. Qxc5 (18. axb5 Bxf2+) 18... Qxc5 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20.
Ne1 Bg6 $1 21. Rac1 {1/2-1/2 Krivonosov,O-Veingold,A/Tallinn (zt) 73/(557)
1998/Inf 73/[Veingold,A] (21)}) 16... Qd5 17. Nxa5 Bxc5 $6 {Man möchte nicht
glauben, dass dieser natürlich wirkende Läuferzug schon ein Fehler ist. Nach
17...Rxc5 kann Schwarz das Remis forciert erreichen.} (17... Rxc5 18. Qd1 Qxd1
19. Rfxd1 bxa4 20. b4 (20. Rxa4 Bc2 $19 {[%cal Rc2a4,Rc2d1]}) 20... axb3 {
1/2-1/2 Antunes,A-Kotronias,V/Pula 1997/CBM 57 ext (20)}) 18. Qd1 Qxd1 (18...
Bb6 19. Qxd5 exd5 20. axb5 Rc2 21. Nc6 $14) 19. Rfxd1 bxa4 20. Ne5 $14 {
[%mdl 2048]} Bc2 (20... Rb8 21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. Nd3 $16 {[%csl Ra4,Gd3]}) (20...
Bb6 21. Nac4 Bc5 22. Bxe4 Nxe4 23. e3 Ra8 24. Nd7 Rfd8 25. Ncb6 Bxb6 26. Nxb6
$16 {[%csl Ra4]}) 21. Rdc1 Bd4 (21... Bb3 $2 22. Nec6 {[%csl Gc6]} Bd6 23. Nb7
$18) 22. Nec4 {Das ist interessant: in dieser konkreten Variante ist das
Springerpaar stärker als das Läuferpaar.} Bb3 (22... Be4 23. e3 Bc5 24. Rxa4
$16) 23. e3 Bc5 24. Nxb3 axb3 25. Na5 {[%csl Rb3] Nun kann Schwarz seinen
Bauern nicht mehr verteidigen.} Bd6 $5 {Ein schlauer Zug - nach dem sofortigem
Schlagen des Bauern könnte Schwarz das Spiel ausgleichen.} 26. Nc6 (26. Nxb3
Rb8 27. Na5 Be5 28. Nc6 Bxb2 $11) (26. Rxc8 $5 Rxc8 27. Rd1 Be7 (27... Be5 28.
Nc6 $1 $18 {[%cal Rc6e7,Re7g8,Re7c8,Rc6e5]}) 28. Nxb3 Rc2 29. Rd2 $16) 26...
Nd5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Das passiert häufig: in einer etwas passiven Stellung
verliert Schwarz die Geduld und spielt einen "aktiven" Zug.} (26... Rc7 $5 $14)
27. Bxd5 exd5 28. Ra5 {[%csl Rd5]} Rfe8 (28... Rfd8 29. Rxd5 Kf8 30. Rc3 {
[%csl Rb3]}) 29. Rxd5 $16 {Weiß hat schon einen Bauern mehr und obwohl das
Material bereits reduyiert ist, hat er gute Gewinnchancen, da der Pb3 schwach
ist.} Bf8 30. Rd3 Rc7 31. Rxb3 {Mit zwei Mehrbauern ist der Sieg von Weiß
nurmehr eine Frage der Zeit.} Ra8 32. Rcc3 (32. Rbc3 $18) 32... g6 33. Nb4 (33.
Nd4 $18) 33... Ra1+ 34. Kg2 Rca7 (34... Rxc3 35. bxc3 $18) 35. Nd5 Kg7 36. Rc7
Rxc7 37. Nxc7 $18 Rb1 38. Rb7 {[%cal Rc7e6,Re6g7]} Kf6 39. Nd5+ (39. b4 $5 $18)
39... Ke6 40. Nf4+ Kf6 41. Rb6+ Kg7 42. Kf3 h5 43. h4 Be7 44. Ke2 (44. Ke4 $18)
44... Bf6 45. Nd3 {Natürlich hat Weiß hier viele Möglichkeiten, die Partie zu
gewinnen. Ich möchte nur anmerken, dass der Springer in dieser Variante
gewöhnlich sehr gut auf d3 steht.} (45. b4 $18) 45... Bc3 46. Rb3 (46. Rc6 Bf6
(46... Bxb2 47. Rb6 $18) (46... Rxb2+ 47. Nxb2 Bxb2 $18) 47. b4 $18) 46... Bf6
47. e4 Bd4 48. Rb4 Ba7 49. e5 Kf8 50. Ra4 Bb6 51. Ra6 Bd4 52. Kf3 Rf1 53. Ke4 (
53. Ke4 Bxf2 54. Rf6 $18) 1-0

[Event "GER-ch 77th"]
[Site "Osterburg"]
[Date "2006.02.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Gustafsson, Jan"]
[Black "Baramidze, David"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2554"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2006.02.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 112"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {Eine
seltene Fortsetzung, der Hauptzug ist 7.Qc2. Übrigens gibt es auch eine
ähnliche (aber andere!) Variante mit 6.Nc3 dxc4 7.Ne5.} Nc6 {Diese Fortsetzung
gibt Schwarz ausreichendes Gegenspiel.} (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 $14) 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 c5 12. Qa3 {[%cal Ga3e7] Weiß
nimmt nicht den c4-Bauern, er möchte die Fesselung ausnutzen und auf c5 nehmen.
} Bb7 {Das ist eine neue Idee - bis jetzt wurde die Alternative 12...e5 in
vielen Partien gespielt.} (12... e5 13. Qxc5 Qb7 (13... Qxc5 14. dxc5 Bh3 15.
Rd1 Rfc8 16. Na3 Be6 17. f3 Rab8 18. Kf2 Rxc5 {1/2-1/2 Horvath,Ju-Bauer,T/
Szekszard 1993/EXT 98 (34)}) 14. Rd1 Bh3 15. d5 (15. f3 e4 16. d5 exf3 17. exf3
Rfe8 18. Nc3 Nd7 19. Qc6 Qxc6 20. dxc6 Ne5 21. Kf2 h5 22. c7 Rac8 23. Bf4 Nd3+
24. Rxd3 cxd3 25. Ne4 {1/2-1/2 Borsuk,A-Vasiliev,O/Ramat Aviv 2004/(46)}) 15...
Rac8 16. Qa5 Ne4 17. f3 Rc5 (17... Nd6 18. Nc3 f5 19. Be3 f4 20. Bc5 Rf6 21.
Bxd6 Rxd6 22. Ne4 Rb6 23. d6 {1/2-1/2 Horvath,C-Zelcic,R/Medulin 2002/[8/4/4] 
(38)}) 18. Qe1 Nd6 19. Nc3 f5 20. Be3 Rc7 21. Qd2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Bauer,C-Lutz,C/
Plovdiv 2003/ (82)}) 13. Bg5 Rfc8 14. Nc3 Kf8 $5 {[%mdl 4]} (14... Qd7 15. Bxf6
cxd4 16. Bxd4 Qxd4 17. Rad1 Qb6 18. Rd6 Bc6 19. Rfd1 {1-0 Ehlvest,J-Kraai,J/
Berkeley USA 2005/(29)}) 15. Rfd1 (15. Bxf6 gxf6 (15... Qxf6 16. dxc5 Qe7 17.
Rfd1 Qxc5 18. Qxc5+ Rxc5 19. Rd7 Rb8 20. Rad1) 16. Rfd1 cxd4 17. Qxe7+ Kxe7 18.
Rxd4 Ba6 (18... e5 19. Rh4) 19. Rad1 (19. Rh4 Rab8) 19... Rd8 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21.
Rxd8 Kxd8 {In der Partie bekommen wir ein ähnliches Endspiel, wo auf den
ersten Blick Weiß besser steht, aber in Wirklichkeit hat er nichts Konkretes.})
15... cxd4 16. Qxe7+ Kxe7 17. Rxd4 e5 18. Rd2 (18. Rh4 $6 h6) 18... Rd8 19.
Rad1 Rxd2 20. Rxd2 Rd8 21. Rxd8 Kxd8 $11 {[%mdl 4096] Wir haben ein Endspiel,
wo die weiße Bauernstruktur besser ist, da der c4P eine theoretische
Schwächung der schwarzen Stellung ist, aber Schwarz kann diese einzige
Schwäche überleben und das Gleichgewicht halten.} 22. Nd1 Bd5 23. Kf1 Kd7 {
[%cal Gd7d6,Gd6c5]} 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Ke1 {[%cal Ge1d2,Gd2c3]} Kd6 26. Kd2 f5
27. Kc3 Kc5 28. f4 f6 29. Ne3 1/2-1/2

[Event "POL-ch 58th"]
[Site "Warsaw"]
[Date "2001.03.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Markowski, Tomasz"]
[Black "Jaracz, Pawel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2477"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "2001.03.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. g3 {Ernst} d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {
Dieser Zug wird heutzutage selten gespielt - auf Großmeisterebene wird
eigentlich immer die Variante 7.Qc2 gewählt.} Nc6 {'!' Ernst. Ernst: 'This
variation has been known for many years. Black gives a pawn to obtain good
pieceplay.'} (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 $14) 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6
Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {Das ist die alternative Variante, in der Schwarz
den Pc4 geben muss, aber nach 11...c5 bzw. 11...e5 Gegenspiel bekommt.}) 8...
bxc6 9. e3 {Weiß hat einen Bauern weniger, aber die schwarzen Bauern auf der
c-Linie sind allesamt schwach.} (9. Na3 {Ernst} Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 11. Bxc6 Rb8
12. Qa4 Rb6 $11 {White's bishop pair is compensated by black's better pawn
structure.}) 9... Nd5 (9... Ba6 10. Bxc6 Rb8 (10... c3 11. Bxa8 cxb2 12. Bxb2
Bxf1 13. Bf3 $14 {Weiß hat die bessere Bauernstruktur.}) 11. Qa4 $1 $16) 10.
Qa4 Nb6 (10... a5 11. Rd1 Qd6 12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Qc2 Nb4 14. Qd2 e5 15. a3 Nd3
16. Be4 Nxc1 17. Rxc1 exd4 18. exd4 Bf6 19. Rxc6 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nc3 {
1/2-1/2 Ippolito,D-Gormally,D/London 1999/CBM 70 ext (21)}) 11. Qc2 Rb8 (11...
Qd7 12. Nd2 Ba6 13. Rd1 Rfd8 14. b3 cxb3 15. Qxc6 Qxc6 16. Bxc6 Rab8 17. axb3
Bb7 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ba3 Bxa3 20. Rxa3 e5 21. Ne4 {1/2-1/2 Horvath,C-Yu
Shaoteng/Gyula 2000/CBM 76/[Ribli] (21)} (21. Nf3 exd4 22. Rxd4 Rxd4 23. Nxd4
$14)) 12. Rd1 (12. Bxc6 Nd5 (12... Bb7 $11) 13. Qxc4 Rb6 14. Rd1 Ba6 15. Qa4
Qd6 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Nc3 Bc8 18. Qc2 Bg4 19. Rf1 Qd7 {1/2-1/2 Arsovic,
Z-Jovanovic,Z/Nis 1993/EXT 97 (72)}) 12... a5 $6 {Dieser Zug ist nicht
schlecht, aber 12...Qe8 und 13...c5 scheinen mir viel logischer. Der Textzug
bereitet 13...Ba6 vor.} (12... Qe8 13. Nd2 Ba6 (13... c5 $5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15.
Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Qb5 17. Qxb5 Rxb5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Adams,M/Wijk aan Zee
2000/CBM 75/[Ribli] (30)}) 14. b3 c5 15. Bb2 cxd4 16. Bxd4 Bb5 {1/2-1/2
Arsovic,Z-Cvetkovic,S/Kladovo 1994/EXT 2000 (37)}) (12... Qe8 $1 $11 {Ernst As
given by ECO.}) 13. Nd2 Ba6 14. b3 {Jetzt wir die Folgen des Zuges 12...a5 -
ohne diesen Zug wäre 14...cxb3 15.axb3 stärker, denn in unserer Partie steht
der Ba6 unsicher. - Der Textzug von Weiß zeigt ein für solche Stellungen
typisches Motiv: Weiß tauscht den Pc4, gewinnt dafür aber den Pc6.} (14. Bxc6
Nd5 15. a3 Qd6 16. Ba4 Nb6 17. Ne4 Qd5 18. Nc3 Qf3 19. e4 Bb7 20. Re1 Bf6 21.
Be3 c5 {1/2-1/2 Amura,C-Van Riemsdijk,H/La Plata 1998/CBM 67 ext (36)}) 14...
cxb3 15. Nxb3 {[%csl Ra5,Rc6,Rc7][%mdl 32]} (15. axb3 Bb4 16. Bxc6 $14) 15...
Bb5 (15... Nc4 16. Bxc6 $14 (16. Bf1 a4 17. Na5 Nxa5 18. Bxa6 a3 $11)) 16. a4 {
'!' Ernst. Ernst: 'This elementary combination gives white a big positional
advantage.' Dieser Zug ist interessant, führt aber zu Vereinfachungen. Ich
halte 16.Nxa5 daher für aussichtsreicher.} (16. Nxa5 $5 Ba4 17. Nb3 Nd5 18. Bd2
$14) 16... Bxa4 (16... Nxa4 17. Nxa5 Nb6 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Bxc6 $14 {Eine
ähnliche Stellung bekommen wir in unserer Partie.}) 17. Rxa4 Nxa4 18. Nxa5 {
[%cal Rc2a4,Ra5c6,Rc6b8,Rc6d8] Diese kleine Kombination ist schön - Weiß
gewinnt dasMaterial zurück.} Nb6 19. Nxc6 {'+/-' Ernst.} Qd7 20. Nxb8 Rxb8 {
Weiß hat das Läuferpaar und die bessere Bauernstruktur. Da das Material jedoch
reduziert ist, hat Schwarz gute Remischancen - seine einzige Schwäche, den Pc7,
kann er verteidigen. Andererseits verfügt Schwarz über keinerlei Gegenspiel,
so dass Weiß die Partie ohne Risiko bis zum Ende spielen kann.} 21. Bd2 $14 Bd6
22. Ra1 h5 23. h4 Qe7 24. Qc6 {Weiß übt zwar spürbar Druck, hat aber keine
konkreten Drohungen.} Qd8 25. Ba5 g6 26. Bf3 Nd7 27. Bc3 (27. Rc1 Nb6 $14)
27... Nb6 28. Kg2 {Weiß spielt, wie man in solchen Stellungen spielen muss:
erst kleine Wartezüge und Zugwiederholungen und erst danach den Hauptplan .}
Bf8 29. Be1 Nd7 30. Rc1 Bd6 31. Ba5 Nb6 32. e4 $1 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] Droht 33.e5,
wonach ein wichtiger Verteidiger des Pc7 (der Bd6) seinen Platz räumen muss.}
e5 33. dxe5 (33. d5 $14) 33... Bxe5 34. Rd1 Qe7 (34... Qe8 $14) 35. Be2 {
Nach 32.e4 war der Bf3 eingeschlossen, daher sucht Weiß eine neue Diagonale
für ihn.} Bg7 36. Rc1 {Ernst: 'With the threat Qxc7.'} Na8 $6 {'?' Ernst.
Ernst: 'This knight will never come into play again.' Der Na8 verteidigt zwar
den Pc7, steht aber schrecklich schlecht in der Ecke.} (36... Be5 37. f4 Bd4
38. e5 $14) 37. Bc4 {[%csl Ra8,Gc4] Die weiße Stellung wird Schritt für
Schritt verbessert. Dennoch bleibt die Frage, ob man diese Stellung wirklich
gewinnen kann?} Kh7 38. Bd2 {[%cal Gd2f4,Gd2g5,Gc4d5]} Bh6 {Schwarz möchte
mindestens einen Läufer abtauschen.} 39. Bxh6 Kxh6 40. Be2 $6 (40. Bd5 $16)
40... Rd8 41. Rc5 Qd6 42. Qb5 {Droht 43.Bxh5 gxh5 44.Rc6.} Kg7 43. e5 Qe7 44.
Qc6 {'+-' Ernst.} (44. Bf3 Nb6 $14) 44... Rd2 (44... Nb6 {Ernst} 45. Qxc7 Qxc7
46. Rxc7 Nd5 47. Rb7 $18 {White wins by moving the bishop to the diagonal
a2-g8 and attacking f7.}) 45. Bf3 Ra2 $6 (45... Rd8 $14) 46. Bd5 $16 {[%csl
Ra2,Gd5][%cal Rd5a2,Gd5f7]} Ra1 47. Bb3 $6 {Eine gute Idee, aber eine
schlechte Zugfolge. Weiß muss zuerst 47.Rc3 ziehen und kann nur im Falle von
47...Nb6 48.Bb3 spielen.} (47. Rc3 $1 Qxe5 (47... Nb6 48. Bb3 Ra3 (48... Qxe5
49. Bxf7 Kxf7 50. Re3 Qd5+ 51. Rf3+ Kg7 52. Qf6+ $18 {[%cal Rf6g7,Rf6a1]}) 49.
Bxf7 $1 Kxf7 (49... Rxc3 50. Qxg6+ $18) 50. Qf3+ $18 {[%cal Rf3a3,Rf3f7]}) 48.
Rf3 Qd6 (48... f5 49. Re3 Qf6 50. Re6 $18) 49. Qc3+ $18 {[%cal Rc3a1,Rc3g7]})
47... Ra3 48. Rc3 Qxe5 {Ernst: 'There was no defence, f7 is too weak.'} 49. Rf3
Rxb3 $8 50. Rxb3 {[%mdl 4096] Ernst: 'White has won the exchange and now
follows a long technical phase.' Schwarz hat N+P für den R - das ist kein
ausreichender Ersatz.} Nb6 51. Rd3 Kf8 52. Kh2 Kg7 53. Re3 {Weiß verfolgt
dieselbe Strategie wie zuvor in dieser Partie - er steht besser, aber möchte
nicht direkt spielen, sondern zieht zunächst den Manöverkampf vor.} Qf6 54. Qc2
(54. Qxf6+ $6 Kxf6 $14 {Anschließend kann Schwarz Nd5 spielen, danach steht
Weiß zwar immer besser, aber ich bin mir keineswegs sicher, dass er dieses
Endspiel auch gewinnen kann.}) 54... Nd5 55. Rb3 c6 56. Kg2 Qe6 57. Ra3 Kh7 58.
Ra4 Qd6 59. Rc4 Ne7 60. Kh2 {Weiß offenbart seinen Gewinnplan noch nicht -
oder vielleicht hat er auch einfach keinen. Da heutzutage in vielen Turnieren
Partien am Ende ausgeblitzt werden, erscheint die von Weiß praktizierte
Wartestrategie noch logischer.} Kg8 61. Qb2 {[%cal Gb2h8]} Nd5 62. Ra4 {
[%cal Ra4a8,Ra8g8]} Nf6 (62... Qf6 63. Qxf6 Nxf6 64. Rc4 Ng4+ 65. Kg2 Ne5 66.
Rc5 f6 67. f4 $18) 63. Ra8+ Kh7 64. Qb3 Qd7 65. Kg2 Kg7 (65... Qd5+ $2 66. Qxd5
Nxd5 (66... cxd5 67. Rd8 Kg7 68. Rd6 $22 $18 {Schwarz muss den Pd5 aufgeben,
danach ist der Sieg von Weiß nur eine Frage der Zeit.}) 67. Ra6 Nb4 (67... Ne7
68. Ra7 $18) 68. Rb6 c5 69. Rb7 Kg7 70. Rc7 Nd3 71. Kf1 $18) 66. Ra5 Nd5 67.
Qb2+ f6 (67... Nf6 68. Qc3 $18 {[%cal Ra5c5,Rc5c6]} (68. Rc5 {Ernst} Qd6 69.
Qc3 $18 {White wins the c-pawn.})) (67... Kh7 {Ernst} 68. Ra8) 68. Qd4 {
[%cal Ra5a7,Ra7g7] Ernst: 'To invade on the seventh.'} Qe6 69. Ra7+ Ne7 70. Kh2
(70. Qd8 Kf7 71. Qh8 Qe4+ 72. Kh2 Qe2 73. Qh7+ Ke8 $14) 70... Kf7 71. Qc5 Qe2
72. Rb7 Qe6 73. Rb2 Qe4 74. Qa5 Qe5 75. Qa2+ Qd5 (75... Kg7 76. Re2 Qd6 77. Qe6
Qxe6 78. Rxe6 Kf7 79. Rd6 $16 {[%csl Gd6]}) 76. Qa6 Qd7 77. Re2 Qd1 (77... Nd5
{Ernst} 78. Qa8 Kg7 79. Re8 $18 {With a winning attack.}) 78. Qc4+ {Ich sehe
keinen konkreten Gewinnweg für Weiß, wahrscheinlich verlor Schwarz die Partie
nach Zeit.} (78. Qc4+ {Ernst: 'And black gave up, but he could still play on
with Qd5.'} Qd5 79. Qf4 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Rf4h6]} Qd7 $16) 1-0

[Event "Solin 8th"]
[Site "Solin/Split"]
[Date "2000.12.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Zelcic, Robert"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2457"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2000.12.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 081"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.03.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 {Das ist die sogenannte klassische
Variante - Schwarz möchte den Pc4 nicht gewinnen, sondern strebt allein die
normale Entwicklung seiner Figuren an.} 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {6...c6 oder 6..
.Nbd7 führen zur geschlossenen Variante. Die (wohlbekannte) Idee des Textzugs
besteht darin, dass Weiß Zeit für die Rückeroberung des Pc4aufbringen muss,
während Schwarz die Entwicklung des Damenflügels beendet.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 {
Diese alte Fortsetzung wird heutzutage seltener gespielt.} (8. a4) 8... b5 9.
Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 {Das ist in der gegebenen Stellung m.E. die beste Fortsetzung
für Weiß. Die anderen Läuferzüge - 10.Bd2 und 10.Bg5 - sind auch spielbar.} Nc6
{Dieser Zug ist stärker als 10...Nd5, denn danach kommt 11.Nc3 Nxf4 12.gxf4
mit kleinem positionellen Vorteil für Weiß. In dieser Variante muss Schwarz
den Ausgleichszug c7-c5 - vorbereitet durch Nb4 - anstreben.} 11. Rd1 (11. Nc3
Nb4 (11... Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Rfd1 $5 (13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Kxg2 c5 $11)) 12.
Qb1 $5 (12. Qc1 Rc8 13. a3 Nbd5 14. b4 Nxf4 15. Qxf4 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 $11)
12... Nbd5 (12... c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Be5 Ng4 15. Ne4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 f5 17. Qf4
Nd5 18. Qd2 $14) 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Rd1 Qc8 $11) (11. Nbd2) 11... Nb4 12. Qc1
Nbd5 (12... Qc8 13. Bg5 c5 (13... Nbd5 14. Nbd2) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 (14... gxf6) 15.
dxc5 a5 16. Na3 Bc6 $1 $11 {Weiß hat einen Mehrbauern, aber Schwarz besitzt
aktives Figurenspiel. Er kann nun auch Ra7-c7 spielen.}) (12... Rc8 13. Nc3
Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 $11 (14... Nxd5 15. Bg5 c5 16. dxc5 Qe8 $11)) 13. Nbd2 {
Dieser Zug ist - meiner Meinung nach - weniger natürlich als 13.Nc3, aber in
der Folge kann Weiß durch Nd2-b3 das Schlüsselfeld c5 unter Kontrolle nehmen.}
(13. Nc3 $5 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Bd6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qb8 17. Qf3 $14) 13... Nxf4
14. gxf4 Bd6 (14... c5 15. dxc5 Qc7 16. e3 (16. Nb3 Rfc8 (16... Rac8 17. Ne5
Bxg2 18. Kxg2 a5 {Renet,O-Miralles,G/Epinal (m/2) 1986 (18)} (18... Bxc5 19.
Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Qxc5 Rxc5 21. Rac1 {1-0 Nielsen,P-Kristensen,J/Aars 1995/CBM 50/
[Ftacnik] (27)})) 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 a5 19. Nd3 a4 20. Nd4 Bxc5 21. Nxc5
Qxc5 22. Qxc5 Rxc5 23. b4 Rd5 24. e3 g5 {1/2-1/2 Grebenkin,A-Kiriakov,P/Orel
1992/EXT 97 (34)}) 16... Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Nb3 Be7 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2
Rfc8 21. Rac1 Nd5 22. Kf3 Kf8 23. e4 Nb6 24. Nd7+ Nxd7 25. Rxc8+ Rxc8 26. Rxd7
Rc2 {1/2-1/2 Illescas Cordoba,M-Lautier,J/Madrid 1993/CBM 36 (46)}) 15. Ne5 $6
{Dieser scheinbar natürliche Zug verspricht Weiß keinen Vorteil. Die
Alternative scheint mir besser.} (15. Nb3 $5 Bd5 (15... Qe7 16. e3 Nd7 17. Na5
Be4 18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Nxg2 f5 20. Nc6 Qe8 21. Rd2 Nf6 22. f3 Qh5 23. Ne1 Nd5 24.
Rg2 Rac8 25. Qd2 Rf6 26. Qf2 Rg6 27. Rxg6 Qxg6+ 28. Kh1 Kh8 29. Nd3 {1-0
Gyorkos,L-Eusebe,A/Bagneux 1998/EXT 99 (42)}) 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 18. e4
Nb6 19. Nc5 Qe8 20. b3 f6 21. Ned3 f5 22. f3 Qh5 23. Rf1 Rf6 24. Kh1 fxe4 25.
fxe4 Bxc5 26. Nxc5 Raf8 27. Qe3 a5 28. Rf2 Qf7 29. Nd3 {1-0 Illescas Cordoba,
M-Campora,D/Cordoba 1995/EXT 2000 (64)}) 15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nd5 $11 {Weiß hat
einen starken Springerposten auf e5 und etwas Übergewicht im Zentrum, dafür
ist jedoch seine Königsstellung ein wenig geschwächt.} 17. Ndf3 (17. e3 Qh4 (
17... Bxe5 18. fxe5 f6 $36 (18... f5)) 18. Ndf3 Qh5 $11) 17... Qf6 {[%csl Gf6]}
18. e3 Qf5 {Die Dame steht aktiv auf f5, das ist gefährlich für den weißen
König.} 19. h3 $6 {Weiß bereitet das Springermanöver Ng4-Nh2 vor, die
Aktivierung der Dame mittels Qb1 ist aber wahrscheinlich vorzuziehen.} (19. Qb1
Qh5 20. Qe4 f5 21. Qc2 Rac8 22. Qe2 Bxe5 23. dxe5 c5 24. a4 b4 25. h3 c4 26.
Rac1 Qg6+ 27. Kh2 Qh5 28. Kg2 Qg6+ 29. Kh2 Qh5 {1/2-1/2 Spiridonov,N-Spassov,L/
Sofia 1982/EXT 99 (29)}) 19... f6 20. Ng4 (20. Nd3 g5 $1 $17 {[%cal Gf8f2]})
20... h5 21. Ngh2 g5 $1 {[%mdl 128]} 22. Rg1 $6 {Weiß ist optimistisch und
möchte die g-Linie öffnen. Es wäre besser die Qf5 abzutauschen.} (22. Qb1 $1
gxf4 $2 (22... Qxb1 23. Raxb1 gxf4 24. e4 Nb6 $15) (22... g4 23. hxg4 hxg4 24.
Nh4 Qxb1 25. Raxb1 f5 26. Ng6 Rf7 $15 {[%cal Gf7h7,Gh7h2]}) 23. e4 Qg6+ 24. Kh1
$18) 22... Kf7 $1 $17 {Ein ausgezeichneter Zug - der schwarze König geht
Motiven auf der g-Linie aus dem Wege.} 23. Kh1 $6 (23. Qb1 g4 24. hxg4 hxg4 25.
Nd2 (25. Nh4 {Bei Königsstellung auf f7 bekommt Weiß nie das Feld g6.} Qh5 26.
Rh1 Rh8 27. Nf1 Bxf4 $19) 25... Qh5 $17) (23. fxg5 fxg5 24. Qb1 g4 25. Qxf5+
exf5 $17) 23... gxf4 24. e4 Qxe4 {[%mdl 1024] Schwarz hat schon zwei
Mehrbauern, und ich erkenne keine Kompensation für das Material.} 25. Qc6 Rg8
26. h4 (26. Rxg8 Rxg8 27. Qxa6 Qe2 $19) 26... Qf5 {Schwarz befreit den Nd5 und
droht entweder 27...Ne7 oder 27...Nb4.} 27. Rxg8 (27. a3 Ne7 $19) 27... Rxg8
28. Qxa6 Nb4 $19 {Droht 29...Nd3, und der weiße König befindet sich im
Mattnetz. Schwarz hat nur einen Bauern mehr, aber die weiße Königsstellung ist
sehr schwach und die weiße Dame steht weit ab vom Hauptkriegsschauplatz.} 29.
Qb7 {[%cal Rb4d3,Rd3f2,Rf2h1]} Nd3 30. Rf1 Qg6 (30... Qg6 31. Nd2 (31. Rg1
Nxf2#) 31... Nxf2+ 32. Rxf2 Qg1#) 0-1

[Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 28th"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1998.06.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2675"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1998.05.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BIH"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 066"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.09.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.09.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 {Statt der Partiefortsetzung kann Schwarz 3...
dxc4 mit Übergang ins angenommene Damengambit spielen. Er vermeidet auf die
Weise die gefährliche Variante 3.e4 (1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4!?). Ribli.} 4. g3
Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Diese Variante ist heutzutage viel
beliebter als die Alternative 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2. Die Partiefortsetzung schwächt
zwar das Feld b4, gewinnt aber gleichzeitig Raum und verhindert, daß sich der
schwarze Damenläufer mit ...b7-b5 nebst ...Bc8-b7 entwickelt.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6
10. Bg5 Bd5 (10... a5 $5) 11. Qd3 c5 12. Bxf6 $6 $146 {Dieser Zug gefällt mir
nicht. Es ist zwar für die Variante typisch, daß der Weiße sein Läuferpaar
aufgibt, aber in dieser konkreten Stellung ist Schwarz schon gut entwickelt
und sollte mindestens gleiche Chancen haben.} (12. Nc3 $5) (12. dxc5 Nbd7 13.
Nc3 Nxc5 14. Qe3 {[%csl Yb3,Rd5]} Qa5 (14... Rc8) 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qa3 Bxg5
17. Nxg5 h6 18. Rfc1 Nd7 19. Ne4 $14 {[%csl Yd6,Gg2]}) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 (13.
Nc3 cxd4 $5 (13... Bc6 $11) 14. Nxd5 (14. Nxd4 Bxg2 $19) 14... Qxd5 15. Nd2 {
[%cal Gg2a8]} Qd7 16. Ne4 Be7 $15) 13... Bc6 14. Rd1 (14. e5 $6 Be7 $15 {
[%csl Gc6,Yd5,Ye4] Schwarz besitzt das Läuferpaar, während der Weiße Problemen
im Zentrum gegenübersteht. Nach folgendem 15...Nd7 wird der Bauer e5 schwach.})
14... cxd4 (14... Bxd4 15. Nxd4 cxd4 16. Qxd4 Qxd4 17. Rxd4 Nd7 $11 {[%cal
Gd7c5,Gc5b3] Die Bauernstellung ist eigentlich symmetrisch. Schwarz hat
mindestens gleiche Chancen, vielleicht steht er wegen der weißen
Felderschwächen am Damenflügel sogar etwas besser.}) 15. e5 (15. Nxd4 Qb6 $17 {
[%csl Rb2,Gb6,Rd4,Gf6]} (15... Bxd4 16. Qxd4 Qxd4 17. Rxd4 Nd7 $11)) 15... Be7
(15... Bxf3 $6 16. Qxf3 Bxe5 17. Qxb7 Nd7 18. Qxa8 Qxa8 19. Bxa8 Rxa8 20. Nd2
$14) 16. Nxd4 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd5+ {[%csl Gd5,Re5]} 18. Nf3 (18. Qf3 Rd8 19. Nc3
Qxf3+ 20. Nxf3 (20. Kxf3 Nd7 $15 {[%csl Re5]}) 20... Nc6 $15 {[%csl Re5]})
18... Qxd3 19. Rxd3 Nc6 20. Rd7 (20. Nc3 {Leider kann Weiß mit diesem normalen
Entwicklungszug nicht in eine ausgeglichene Stellung gelangen.} Rfd8 21. Rad1
Rxd3 22. Rxd3 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $15 {[%csl Re5][%cal Gd8c7,Gc7e5]}) 20... Rab8
21. Nd4 (21. Nc3 Rfd8 22. Rad1 $5 $11) 21... Nxd4 (21... Rfd8 22. Nxc6 Rxd7 23.
Nxb8 Rd8 (23... Rd1 {[%cal Gd1a1]} 24. Kf3 $14 (24. Ra3 $2 Bxa3 (24... Rxb1 $2
25. Rb3 $2 {[%csl Gb3,Rb7]}) 25. Nxa3 Rd8 $17)) 24. Nxa6 bxa6 $14) 22. Rxd4
Rfd8 $15 {Schwarz beherrscht die d-Linie und der weiße Bauer e5 ist dauerhaft
schwach.} 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nc3 Rd2 {[%csl Gd2][%cal Gd2h2,Gd2b2] Der
schwarze Turm steht auf d2 ausgezeichnet.} 25. b3 Kf8 $6 (25... Bc5 {[%csl Rf2]
[%cal Rc5f2,Rd2f2]} 26. Ne4 $11 {[%cal Ge4f2,Re4c5,Re4d2]}) (25... f5 $5 {
Schwarz möchte dem Springer das Feld e4 nehmen.} 26. exf6 gxf6 $15) 26. Ne4 Re2
{[%csl Re4,Re5]} (26... Rd3 27. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c8]} Ke8 28. Rc8+ Rd8 29. Rc7 $11
) (26... Rd4 27. Rc1 Ke8 (27... Rxe4 28. Rc8+ Bd8 29. Rxd8+ Ke7 {ist mit
Zugumstellung die Partiefortsetzung.}) 28. Rc4 Rxc4 29. bxc4 Kd7 30. Nd2 Kc6
31. Nb3 $11 {[%csl Yb5,Yc5,Yd5][%cal Gb3c5,Gc4d5,Gc4b5] und der schwarze König
kann nicht eindringen.}) 27. Rc1 $8 $11 Rxe4 (27... Ke8 28. Nd6+ $5 (28. Kf3
Rb2 29. Rc3) (28. Rc4 b5 29. axb5 axb5 30. Rd4) 28... Bxd6 29. exd6 $132 {
[%csl Gc1,Gd6]}) 28. Rc8+ Bd8 29. Rxd8+ Ke7 30. Rd6 $6 (30. Rh8 h6 31. Rh7 Rxe5
(31... Kf8 32. Rh8+ $11) 32. Rxg7 $11) (30. Rb8 $2 Rb4 $15 {[%csl Gb4][%cal
Rb4b3,Gb4b7]}) 30... Rb4 $15 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Rb4b3] Der schwarze Turm
beherrscht das Brett.} 31. Rd3 g5 $5 {Schwarz gewinnt Raum am Königsflügel und
verhindert den weißen Verteidigungszug f2-f4.} 32. h3 h5 (32... Re4 33. Rc3 {
[%cal Rc3c7,Rc7b7,Rc7e7]} (33. Re3 Rxe3 34. fxe3 f6 (34... Kd7 35. Kf3 $11 {
[%csl Re5,Rg5]}) 35. exf6+ Kxf6 36. Kf3 $11) 33... Kd7 34. Rf3 $11 {[%csl Rf7]}
(34. Rc5 $2 b6 $17 {[%csl Re5]})) 33. Kf3 a5 {In kleinen Schritten verbessert
Schwarz seine Stellung. Weiß hat kein Gegenspiel.} 34. Ke3 Kf8 35. Kd2 h4 36.
g4 (36. gxh4 gxh4 $15 (36... Rxh4 37. Rg3 Rh5 {[%csl Rh5]})) 36... b5 37. axb5
Rxb5 {[%csl Rb3,Re5,Rh3] Der schwarze Turm kontrolliert zwei weiße Schwächen.}
38. Re3 Ke7 39. Kc3 {Weiß hat eine etwas passive, aber verteidigungsfähige
Stellung. In Turmendspielen ist die Remisbreite stets groß.} Rb4 40. f3 Kd7 41.
Re4 $1 Rb5 (41... Rxe4 42. fxe4 Kc6 43. b4 $1 (43. Kc4 Kb6 44. Kd4 Kb5 45. Kc3
Kc5 46. Kd3 Kb4 47. Kc2 a4 48. bxa4 Kxa4 49. Kc3 $11) 43... axb4+ (43... a4 44.
Kb2 Kb6 (44... Kb5 45. Ka3 $22 $18) 45. Ka2 (45. Ka3 Kb5 $22 $19) 45... Ka6)
44. Kxb4 $11) 42. Rd4+ Ke7 43. Re4 Rc5+ 44. Kd2 Rd5+ {Das ist ein typischer
Manöverkampf. Die schwarze Stellung ist nur theoretisch besser, in
Wirklichkeit er hat nichts Konkretes.} 45. Kc2 Ke8 46. Re1 (46. Kc3 Rd1 {
[%cal Gd1h1,Gh1h3]}) 46... Kd7 47. Re4 Kc6 48. f4 $1 {Das ist ein guter Moment
für f3-f4.Schwarz kann nämlich den Bauern f7 nicht mit dem König verteidigen.}
gxf4 49. Rxf4 {[%csl Re5,Rf7]} Rxe5 50. Rxf7 Re3 {[%csl Rb3,Ge3,Rh3,Gh4]} 51.
Ra7 {[%csl Ra5] Das Material ist reduziert und der minimale schwarze Vorteil
dürfte kaum zu verwerten sein.} Rxh3 52. Rxa5 Rg3 53. Rg5 $1 $11 {[%csl Gg5]} (
53. g5 $2 {Dieser Zug ist schlecht, denn er nimmt Weiß die Möglichkeit zu 54.
Rh5.} h3 $17 {[%csl Gg3,Gh3]}) 53... h3 (53... Kd6) 54. Rh5 Rg2+ 55. Kc3 h2 56.
b4 e5 57. b5+ Kb6 (57... Kxb5 58. Rxe5+ Kc6 59. Rh5 Kd6 60. Kd3 Ke6 61. Ke3 $11
) 58. Kd3 Rxg4 {Schwarz kann seinen Materialvorteil nicht behaupten und
willigte ins Remis ein.} (58... Rxg4 59. Rxh2 Kxb5 60. Rh5 Rd4+ 61. Ke3 Rd5 62.
Ke4 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2006.01.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2006.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 111"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Die beliebte Variante des israelischen Großmeisters,
die seinerzeit von GM Sosonko oft gespielt wurde.} Nbd7 {Das ist die
natürliche Fortsetzung, aber trotzdem eine kleine Überraschung, da Leko früher
die moderne Alternative 10...Ra7 spielte.} (10... Be4 11. Qc1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Rc8
13. Nbd2 Ba8 14. Qc2 Nb8 15. a3 Nc6 16. Bc3 a5 17. Nb3 a4 18. Nbd2 Na7 {
1/2-1/2 Boensch,U-Lutz,C/Fuerstenfeld 2003/(57)}) (10... Ra7 11. Rc1 Be4 12.
Qb3 Nbd7 13. Ba5 (13. Bb4 Bd5 14. Qa3 c5 $5 15. Bxc5 (15. dxc5 a5) 15... Nxc5
16. dxc5 Ne4 17. Ne1 Nxc5 18. Qe3 Bxg2 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Anand,V/Calvia (ol)
2004/(18)}) 13... Qa8 $5 {[%csl Ga8,Ge4][%cal Ga8g2]} 14. Nc3 (14. Nbd2 $5 Bd5
15. Qe3 Bd6 16. Bh3 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Ne1 Nb6 19. Bxb6 cxb6 20. Bg2 {
1-0 Avrukh,B-Quezada,Y/Beer Sheva 2005 (63)}) 14... Bc6 15. a3 {[%cal Ga5b4,
Gb4e7]} Bd6 16. Bb4 Qb7 {[%cal Ga6a5]} 17. Rc2 a5 18. Bxd6 cxd6 $11 {0-1
Nielsen,P-Leko,P/Dortmund 2005/CBM 108/[Ribli Zoltan] (60)}) 11. Ba5 Rc8 12.
Nbd2 Nb8 {Ein bekanntes Springermanöver in dieser Variante: Schwarz bereitet
13...Nc6 vor, wonach der Läufer auf a5 weg gehen muss.} 13. a3 (13. Nb3 Be4 14.
Qc1 Nc6 15. Bd2 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Qxd4 18. Be3 Qd6 19. Rd1 {1/2-1/2
Carlsen,M-Lautier,J/FIDE World Cup 2005/CBM 111/[Ribli Zoltan] (32)}) 13... Nc6
14. Bc3 (14. Nb3 $2 Nxa5 15. Nxa5 Be4 {/\ c5=/+}) 14... b4 (14... Nb8 15. b4 $1
) 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Qa4 (16. Bxb4 Bxb4 17. Nb3 c5 18. dxc5 Qe7 $11) (16. Qb3
Bd5 17. Qa4 Bc6 (17... Rb8 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 $14 {><a6}) 18. Qa5 Rb8 19.
Ne5 $1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Almasi,I-Lauber,A/Gyula 1997/}) 16... Nbd5 (16... Bc6 {
Auf diese Weise bekommen wir, mit Zugumstellung, die Variante 16.Qb3 Bd5 17.
Qa4 Bc6.}) 17. Ba5 Qd7 18. Ne5 (18. Qxd7 Nxd7 19. Rfc1 (19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. dxe5)
19... c5 $11) 18... Qxa4 19. Rxa4 c5 {Wenn Schwarz in solcher Stellung diese
Fortsetzung ausführen kann, so ist das Spiel ausgeglichen. Aber hier verfügt
Weiß über einige Initiative.} 20. e4 Nc7 (20... Nb4 21. Rc1 Nc6 22. Nxc6 Bxc6
23. Rac4 $16) 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Rc1 $14 Nb5 23. Rac4 {[%mdl 2048]} Nd4 (23...
Bd4 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Nc6 $14) 24. Kf1 (24. Rxc5 $2 Ne2+ 25. Kf1
Nxc1 $19) 24... Bd6 (24... Be7) 25. Nd3 (25. Bc7 $5 Bxc7 (25... Bxe5 26. Bxe5
$16) 26. Rxc7 Rxc7 27. Rxc7 Rc8 28. Rxc8+ Bxc8 29. Ndc4) 25... Rxc4 26. Rxc4 (
26. Nxc4 Bxe4 27. Bxe4 Nxe4 28. Nxd6 Nxd6 29. Bb4 N4b5 30. Rc6 $14) 26... Nc6
27. Bc3 Be7 28. Nb3 {[%cal Gb3c5,Gd3c5]} (28. Nc5 Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Nd7 30. Rc4 (
30. Rh5 $6) 30... Nb6 31. Rc5 $11) 28... Nd7 29. Na5 Nxa5 30. Bxa5 Rc8 31.
Rxc8+ Bxc8 32. e5 {[%mdl 4096] Nach Vereinfachungen ist eine Stellung erreicht,
in der Weiß einen kleinen, aber dauerhaften Vorteil besitzt.} Nc5 33. Nb4 (33.
Nxc5 Bxc5 $11) 33... Nb3 34. Nc6 Bc5 35. Bc3 (35. Bb4) 35... Kf8 36. f4 Bb7 37.
Nb8 (37. Nb8 Bc8 (37... Bxg2+ 38. Kxg2 a5 39. Nd7+ Ke7 40. Nxc5 Nxc5 41. Bxa5
$16) 38. Ke2 $14) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 28th"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1998.06.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Nikolic, Predrag"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1998.05.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BIH"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 066"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.09.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.09.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Hecht} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist
die klassische Variante der Katalanischen Eröffnung. Schwarz öffnet die
Stellung, nimmt den Bauern an und möchte seine Entwicklung beenden. Ribli.} 7.
Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Diese Fortsetzung ist heutzutage sehr populär, aber auch die
Alternative 8.Qxc4 ist gut.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Weiß hat den Plan,
Bg5xf6, Nb1-c3 nebst e2-e4 mit Raumvorteil im Zentrum zu spielen.} Bd5 11. Qd3
c5 {Es sei angemerkt, daß Kozul diese weniger starke Fortsetzung in der
fünften Runde desselben Turnieres bereits gegen Georgiev gespielt hatte. In
jener Partie war die schwarze Stellung nach 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.e4 Bc6 O.K.} (11...
Be4) 12. Nc3 Bc6 (12... cxd4 $5) 13. Rfd1 (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. dxc5 Nd7 15. Qc4
Qe7 16. b4 a5 17. Nd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 axb4 19. Ne4 Rfc8 20. a5 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Nxc5
$11 {1/2-1/2 Nikolic,P-Boensch,U/Munich 1990 (37)}) 13... cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2
15. Kxg2 h6 {Dieser Zug, der ein Tempo veliert,gefällt mir nicht. Seine
Alternativen scheinen mir geeigneter.} (15... Qa5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 Nd7 (
17... Bxd4 18. Qxd4 Nc6 19. Qc5 Rac8 $6 20. Qxa5 Nxa5 21. Nd6 Rc2 22. b4 Nc4 $2
(22... Nc6 $1 23. b5 Na5 24. Nxb7 $5 {Beliavsky,A} Nxb7 25. bxa6 Na5 $1 26.
Rab1 Rc6 27. a7 Ra6 28. Rb8 Nc6 $1 29. Rd6 Rxa7 $10) 23. Nxb7 Rxe2 24. Nc5 $1 {
1-0 Tukmakov,V-Beliavsky,A/Portoroz 1996 (40)}) 18. Nb3 Qb4 19. Rac1 Qxa4 20.
Nbc5 Nxc5 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Rxc5 Rac8 23. Rh5 Qc2 24. Qf3 f5 25. Rd4 Qc6 26.
e4 $44 {1-0 Akesson,R-Wells,P/Antwerp op 1995 (36)}) (15... Nbd7 $5) 16. Bxf6
Bxf6 17. Ne4 $14 {Weiß hat Entwicklungsvorsprung und starke Kontrolle über die
d-Linie.} Bxd4 (17... Nd7 $2 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Qxd7 $16) 18. Qxd4 Qxd4 19. Rxd4
{[%csl Gd4,Ge4] Die Stellung ist fast symmetrisch, aber Weiß hat das viel
bessere Figurenspiel, viele Möglichkeiten einzudringen.} Nc6 20. Rd7 {[%csl
Rb7,Gd7]} Rab8 21. Nc5 Rfc8 (21... Ne5 22. Rxb7 Rxb7 23. Nxb7 Rb8 24. Nc5 Rxb2
25. Nxa6 Rxe2 {Weiß hat einen kleinen Vorteil dank seines a-Freibauern, aber
das Material ist reduziert, so daß Remis wahrscheinlich ist.} 26. Nc7 Rc2 (
26... Ng4 27. Kf3 Rc2 28. Kxg4 Rxc7 29. a5 $14 {[%csl Ga5]}) 27. Nb5 Ng4 {
[%csl Gc2,Rf2,Rg2,Gg4]} 28. a5 {[%csl Ga5][%cal Ra5a6,Ra6a7,Ra7a8]} (28. Rf1 $2
Ne3+ {[%cal Re3f1,Re3g2,Gc2g2]}) 28... Rxf2+ 29. Kg1 Rd2 $1 {Mit dem Turm auf
d2 gibt es Dauerschach als Remismotiv.} 30. a6 Ne5 31. Ra3 {[%cal Ga3f3]} (31.
a7 Nf3+ $11 32. Kf1 (32. Kh1 $4 Rxh2#) 32... Nxh2+ 33. Ke1 Nf3+) 31... Nd7 32.
a7 Nb6 33. a8=Q+ (33. Ra6 Na8 34. Rc6 Rd8) 33... Nxa8 34. Rxa8+ Kh7 $14 {
Schwarz hat zwei Bauern für die Figur und eine feste Stellung.}) 22. Rxb7 Rxb7
23. Nxb7 Rb8 24. Rc1 {[%cal Rc1c6]} Rxb7 $6 {Nikolic ist überzeugt, daß das
Turmendspiel Remis ist.} (24... Nd4 25. Rc7 Nxe2 $11) 25. Rxc6 Rxb2 {[#] Hecht:
Der a-Bauer ist von v o r n gedeckt. Die Gewinnchancen steigen, je mehr Bauern
am Königsflügel an Bord sind. Das Endspiel ist von Takrtik (Bauerndurchbrüche
zwecks frontaler Bloßstellung des Königs) und Technik geprägt.} 26. Kf3 (26.
Rxa6 Rxe2 $11 {In der Großmeisterpraxis ist die Stellung trotz des kleinen
weißen Vorteils nicht zu gewinnen.}) 26... Rb3+ 27. e3 {Schwarz kann seinen
a-Bauern nicht halten, aber für gewöhnlich kann man solche Turmendspiele
retten.} g5 {Schwarz verhindert Raumgewinn am Königsflügel.} (27... h5 28. Rxa6
g6) (27... Ra3 28. Rxa6 h5) 28. Rxa6 Kg7 29. g4 Ra3 {[%csl Ga3] Der Turm steht
normalerweise gut hinter dem Freibauern. Er kontrolliert jetzt nicht nur den
a-Freibauern, sondern auch den weißen Königsflügel.} 30. h3 Ra2 {[%cal Ga2a4,
Ga2f2]} 31. Ra8 Kg6 32. Ra7 {Der Kampf der Manöver beginnt. Weiß hat keinen
konkreten Gewinnplan.} Kf6 33. a5 Kg6 34. a6 Kf6 35. Ra8 Ke5 {Schwarz hat
natürlich keine Drohungen, demonstriert aber Aktivität.} 36. Ra7 Kf6 37. Kg2 {
Weiß möchte keine verpflichtende Entscheidung vor der Zeitkontrolle treffen.}
Kg6 38. Kg3 Kg7 39. Ra8 Kf6 40. Kg2 Ke5 41. Kg3 Kf6 42. a7 {Normalerweise muß
der Angreifer den Bauern auf a6 (oder a3) lassen, um sich auf a7 vor
Turmschachs von hinten verstecken zu können. Strebt allerdings in unserer
Partie der weiße König zum Damenflügel, so kann der schwarze Turm die weißen
Bauern am Königsflügel nehmen. Mit dem Textzug bindet der Weiße den schwarzen
Turm ewig an den Freibauern a7.} Ke5 43. f3 Ra3 44. Kf2 Ra2+ 45. Ke1 {[#]} Kf6
{Hecht:Was passiert, wenn Schwarz seinen König im Zentrum zu halten versucht?
Es folgen einige Impressionen, die zudem unvollständig sind.} (45... Ra6 {Hecht
} 46. Kd2 (46. f4+ gxf4 47. exf4+ Kxf4 48. h4 Ke3 49. Kd1 f6) 46... Ra3 47. f4+
gxf4 $2 (47... Ke4 $1 {vermeidet jede Linienöffnung und ist deshalb ist die
passende Antwort!!}) 48. exf4+ Kxf4 (48... Ke4 49. g5 h5 50. f5 Kxf5 51. g6 Kf6
52. gxf7 Kxf7 53. Rh8 $18) 49. h4 e5 50. g5 hxg5 (50... h5 51. g6 fxg6 52. Rf8+
Kg4 53. a8=Q Rxa8 54. Rxa8 Kxh4 55. Ke3 g5 56. Re8 $18) 51. h5 $18) 46. f4 Ra3
(46... gxf4 47. exf4 $16 {und Weiß hat Möglichkeiten mit g4-g5.}) 47. Kd2 Ra2+
48. Kc3 (48. Kd3 Ra3+ 49. Ke2 {Dies ist die Partiestellung nach 55.Zug von
Weiß.}) 48... Ra3+ 49. Kc4 Ra4+ 50. Kc5 (50. Kb5 Ra1 {[%csl Rb5] und der weiße
König kann sich den Schachgeboten von hinten nicht entziehen.}) 50... Ra1 51.
Kc6 Ra2 (51... Rc1+) 52. Kc5 Ra6 (52... Ra5+ $2 53. Kb6 $18 {Und Weiß gewinnt
das entscheidende Tempo, der a8-Turm ist frei.}) 53. Kd4 Ra4+ 54. Kd3 Ra3+ 55.
Ke2 $16 Ra5 {Hecht:Erlaubt die Eroberung von h6 und g5, wonach der Rest eine
Sache der Technik ist.} (55... Kg7 56. f5 $1 {[#] Variantendiagramm} exf5 (
56... e5 {Hecht} 57. e4 f6 (57... Kh7 58. f6 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Ye2d2,Yd2c2,
Yc2b2,Yb2b3,Yb3b4,Yb4b5,Yb5c6,Yc6d7,Yd7e7]}) 58. Kd2 Kh7 59. Kc2 Kg7 60. Kb2
Ra6 61. Kb3 Kh7 62. Kb4 Kg7 63. Kb5 Ra1 64. Kb6 Rb1+ 65. Kc6 Rc1+ 66. Kd6 Ra1
67. Ke6 Ra6+ 68. Ke7 Ra4 69. Rd8 Rxa7+ 70. Rd7 Ra6 71. Rd6 Ra4 72. Ke6 Rxe4 (
72... h5 73. Rd7+ Kh6 74. Kxf6 hxg4 75. hxg4 Rxe4 76. Rd8 Kh7 77. Kxg5 $18) 73.
Rd7+ Kg8 74. Kxf6 $18 {[%cal Rf6g6,Rf5f6]}) 57. gxf5 Kf6 (57... h5 58. e4 f6
59. e5 fxe5 60. f6+ Kf7 (60... Kh7 61. f7 $18 (61. Re8 Rxa7 62. Re7+ Rxe7 63.
fxe7 $18)) 61. Rh8 Rxa7 62. Rh7+ $18 {[%cal Rh7a7] Das ist das in
Turmendspielen typische Umgehungsmotiv.}) 58. e4 h5 59. e5+ Kxf5 60. e6 $1 Kf6
(60... Kxe6 61. Re8+ $18 {[%cal Ra7a8]}) (60... fxe6 61. Rf8+ $18 {[%cal Rf8f5,
Ra7a8]}) 61. exf7 Kxf7 62. Rh8 Rxa7 63. Rh7+ {[%cal Rh7a7]}) 56. Rh8 {[%csl
Ga7,Rh6][%cal Ra7a8]} Rxa7 57. Rxh6+ Kg7 58. fxg5 {Weiß besitzt zwei
Mehrbauern. Die Verwertung ist allerdings wegen der schwachen Bauern nicht so
leicht.} Ra2+ 59. Kf3 Ra5 60. h4 Rb5 61. Rf6 {Weiß muß zuerst seinen Turm
befreien.} Ra5 {und Schwarz gab gleichzeitig auf.  Weiß kann den Plan Kf3-f4,
h4-h5-h6 durchführen, dann folgt g5-g6 mit sehr guten Gewinnaussichten.} (61...
Ra5 {Hecht} 62. Kf4 Ra1 63. h5 Rf1+ 64. Ke5 Rg1 65. g6 $18) 1-0

[Event "RUS-chT 05th"]
[Site "Maikop"]
[Date "1998.06.07"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Iljushin, Alexei"]
[Black "Kiriakov, Petr"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1998.06.03"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 066"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.09.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.09.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Saratov GShK"]
[BlackTeam "Tomsk 400"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. d4 {Hecht} e6 2. c4 (2. e4 $5) 2... Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6.
O-O dxc4 {Schwarz spielt das klassisches System. Seine Hauptidee ist, während
Weiß den Bauern zurückgewinnt, die Entwicklung zu beenden. Ribli.} 7. Ne5 {
Eine heutzutage selten gespielte Fortsetzung. Weiß öffnet dem Läufer g2 die
Diagonale, aber meiner Meinung ist es besser, eine neue Figur zu entwickeln,
wie z.B. 7.Qc2 oder 7.Nc3.} Nc6 $5 {Das ist eine scharfe Fortsetzung. Schwarz
hat keine Angst vor den struturellen Schwächen in der c-Linie. Er strebt nach
sofortigem Gegenspiel.} (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 Qxc5 10. b3 $14 {[%csl
Rc5][%cal Gg2a8]}) 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5
$44 {[%cal Yb7h1] Schwarz opfert einen Bauern. Er hat gutes Spiel auf den
weißen Feldern und ist besser entwickelt.}) 8... bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Nd5
(10... Ba6 $5 11. Bxc6 (11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Bxc6 (13. Qa4 Bb5 14. Qa5
c3 $10) 13... Rab8 14. Qa4 Rb6 15. Rfd1 Rd8 16. Bf3 $1 c6 $1 17. Kg2 Qe7 18. e3
Rc8 $1 19. h4 Bb5 20. Qb4 c5 $15 {Antunes,A-Karpov,A/Tilburg 1994/0-1 (73)})
11... Rb8 12. Qa4 Rb6 13. Bd2 Qd6 14. Bf3 Nd5 15. Rfb1 Rfb8 16. Rxb6 Qxb6 17.
Rc1 Qxd4 18. Qxa6 Qxd2 19. Qxc4 g6 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Qxc7 Re8 22. Rc2 Qd1+ 23.
Kg2 Rxe2 24. Rxe2 Qxe2 25. Qd8+ Kg7 26. Qxd5 a6 {1/2-1/2 Antunes,A-Janjgava,L/
Moscow olm 1994 (37)}) 11. Qa4 Nb6 12. Qa5 {[%csl Ra2,Ra3,Ga5,Rc4,Rc6,Rc7,Rd4]
[%cal Gg2a8] Die Bauernstrukturen beider Kontrahenten sind schwach. Weiß hat
Doppelbauern in der a-Linie, Schwarz sogar drei Bauern in der c-Linie. Die
weiße Dame blockiert den schwarzen Damenflügel, während das Läuferpaar
ausreichende Kompensation für den geopfereten Bauern bietet.} (12. Qxc6 Rb8 13.
Qc5 Ba6 $5 (13... Bb7 $6 14. e4 $1 (14. Bxb7 $6 Rxb7 15. Bf4 Qd7 16. Rab1 Rd8
17. Rb4 h6 18. Rc1 Qxd4 19. Qxd4 Rxd4 20. Be3 Rd5 21. Bxb6 cxb6 22. Rbxc4 Rbd7
{1/2-1/2 Umanskaya,I-Zatonskih,A/Yalta opW/1995/ (50)}) 14... Qd6 15. Bf4 Qxc5
16. dxc5 Na4 17. Rfc1 Ba6 18. Bf1 Nxc5 19. Bxc4 Bxc4 20. Rxc4 Na6 (20... Nd3
21. Bxc7 Rb2 22. f3 f5 $132) 21. Rac1 $14 {Raetsky,A-Ulfarsson,M/Reykjavik op
1996/1/2-1/2 (49)}) 14. Bf4 Nd5 15. Qxa7 (15. Bxd5 Qxd5 16. Qxa7 Bb7 17. f3 Ra8
18. Qc5 Qxc5 19. dxc5 Rfc8 {Inkiov,V-Prandstetter,E/Warsaw zt-A 1979/1/2-1/2 
(52)}) 15... Nxf4 (15... Rb6 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17. Bxc7 Bb7 18. f3 Ra6 19. Qc5 Rc8
20. Qxd5 Bxd5 21. Bf4 {1/2-1/2 Ftacnik,L-Kurajica,B/Dortmund 1981}) 16. gxf4
Qd6 {= Sveshnikov,E-Balashov,Y/USSR (ch) 1979}) 12... Rb8 $13 (12... Qxd4 13.
Be3 Qd7 (13... Qb2 14. Bxc6 Rb8 15. Qxa7) (13... Qd6 $2 14. Bc5 {[%cal Rc5f8]})
14. Bc5 $44 {[%csl Rc4,Gc5,Rc6,Gg2][%cal Gf1d1,Gd1d7,Gg2a8]}) 13. Rd1 {Weiß
verteidigt den d-Bauern und bereitet den Vorstoß e2-e4, der ihm Raumvorteil im
Zentrum sichert, vor.} (13. Qxa7 $4 Ra8 $19) 13... Nd5 14. a4 $6 {[%cal Gc1a3,
Ga3f8] Weiß verhindert 14...Rb5 und schafft sich die Möglichkeit zu Bc1-a3,
aber mir scheint der Zug etwas zu langsam zu sein.} (14. e4 $5 $14) 14... Qd6 {
[%csl Yb4][%cal Gd6a3] Jetzt ist 15.Ba3 verhindert und Schwarz droht, mit ...
Qd6-b4 die Damen zu tauschen.} 15. e4 Qb4 16. Bd2 $5 (16. Qxa7 $6 Rb7 {[%csl
Ra7]} 17. Qc5 Qxc5 18. dxc5 Nc3 $15 {[%csl Gc4][%cal Rc3d1,Rc3a4]}) (16. Qxb4
Nxb4 $15) 16... c3 (16... Qxa5 17. Bxa5 Nb6 18. Rac1 $44 {[%cal Gc1c7]}) 17.
Qxb4 Rxb4 (17... Nxb4 18. Bxc3 $14 {[%csl Gc3,Rc6,Rc7,Gd4,Ge4,Gg2] Weiß steht
wegen seines Läuferpaares etwas aktiver.}) 18. Be1 {[%cal Ge1b4]} Nb6 (18... c2
$2 19. Rdc1 $16 {[%cal Re1b4,Rc1c2,Re4d5]}) 19. Bxc3 Rxa4 20. a3 $44 {[%csl
Ra4,Gc3,Rc6,Rc7,Gg2] Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr, aber Weiß verfügt über
eine gesunde Struktur und das Läuferpaar, während die schwarzen c-Bauern
schwach sind.} Rd8 21. Bb4 Ba6 (21... a5 22. Bc5 $44) 22. Rac1 {[%cal Rc1c7]}
Be2 (22... Bb5) 23. Rd2 Bb5 24. Bf1 $5 {Der Läufer auf b5 ist die Stütze des
schwarzen Damenflügel. Logisch, daß Weiß ihn tauschen möchte.} Rd7 25. Bc5 e5
$15 {[%cal Ga4e4,Gd7d2] Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr und ich zweifle, ob der
verbliebene weiße Druck ausreichend ist.} (25... h6 $5) 26. Rcd1 Bxf1 (26...
exd4 27. Rxd4 Raxd4 28. Rxd4 Rxd4 29. Bxd4 $15) 27. Kxf1 exd4 28. Rxd4 Raxd4
29. Rxd4 Rxd4 30. Bxd4 {Schwarz besitzt die Bauernmehrheit am Damenflügel (3:1)
, aber dieser quantitative Vorteil ist nur von theoretischer Bedeutung, denn
die Doppelbauern in der c-Linie sind kaum zu mobilisieren. Die weiße 4:
3-Mehrheit am Königsflügel ist hingegen gesund.} f6 31. Ke2 Kf7 32. Kd3 Ke6 33.
Bc5 {[%csl Gc5] Der weiße Läufer steht auf c5 sehr wirksam und ich kann nicht
erkennen, wie Schwarz seinen materiellen Vorteil verwerten soll.} g5 34. f3 (
34. f4 gxf4 35. gxf4 f5 $15) 34... a6 35. Kd4 (35. Bxb6 $2 {Dieses
Bauernendspiel kann Weiß natürlich nicht halten.} cxb6 $19 {[%csl Ga6,Gb6,Gc6]}
) 35... Nd7 36. h3 $5 h5 (36... Nxc5 $2 37. Kxc5 {[%csl Gc5,Rc6,Rc7] Der weiße
König steht aktiv und blockiert die schwarzen Damenflügelbauern, während die
weiße Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel einen Freibauern zu bilden droht.} Kd7 38.
f4 gxf4 39. gxf4 h6 40. h4 h5 41. a4 a5 42. f5 $22 $18) 37. Bb4 c5+ {Diese
Vereinfachung führt endlich zum Remis, aber Weiß muß noch vorsichtig sein.} (
37... Ne5 38. f4 $11) 38. Bxc5 Nxc5 39. Kxc5 {[#] Hecht: Bei Abfressen der
Bauern und Einziehen der dabei entstehenden Freibauern sind beide Seiten
gleichschnell, egal welcher Weg beschritten wird.} Ke5 $1 {[%csl Re4,Ge5,Rf3,
Rg3,Rh3] Die schwarze Drohung ist einfach. Er möchte 40...h4 ziehen, um via f4
in den Königsflügel einzudringen.} 40. Kc6 h4 (40... g4 {Hecht} 41. fxg4 hxg4
42. hxg4 Kxe4 43. Kxc7 Kf3 44. Kb6 Kxg4 45. Kxa6 Kxg3 46. a4 f5 47. a5 f4 48.
Kb6 $11) (40... Kd4 {Hecht} 41. Kxc7 Ke3 42. Kd6 Kxf3 43. Ke6 Kxg3 (43... Kxe4
44. Kxf6 g4 $2 45. hxg4 hxg4 46. Kg5 Kf3 47. Kh4 a5 48. a4 $18) 44. Kxf6 g4 45.
hxg4 hxg4 46. e5 Kf3 47. e6 g3 48. e7 g2 49. e8=Q g1=Q $11) 41. gxh4 (41. g4 $2
{Dieser Zug verliert ein entscheidendes Tempo.} Kf4 42. Kxc7 Kg3 43. Kd6 (43.
Kb6 Kxh3 44. Kxa6 Kg3 45. a4 h3 $19) 43... Kxh3 44. Ke6 Kg3 45. Kxf6 h3 $19)
41... gxh4 42. a4 Kf4 43. Kxc7 Kxf3 (43... Kg3 44. f4 $8 Kxf4 (44... Kxh3 $2
45. e5 fxe5 46. fxe5 Kg3 47. e6 h3 48. e7 h2 49. e8=Q h1=Q 50. Qg6+ $16 {
[%cal Rg6g3,Rg6a6]}) 45. Kb6 Kxe4 46. Kxa6 f5 {Das ist die Partiefortsetzung.})
44. Kb6 $11 Kxe4 (44... Kg3 45. Kxa6 Kxh3 46. a5 Kg3 47. Kb6 h3 48. a6 h2 49.
a7 h1=Q 50. a8=Q $11) 45. Kxa6 f5 46. Kb6 f4 47. a5 f3 48. a6 f2 49. a7 f1=Q
50. a8=Q+ {[%cal Ra8e4]} Ke3 (50... Kf4 $4 {[%cal Rf4g3,Rg3h3]} 51. Qf8+ $18 {
[%cal Rf8f1]}) 51. Qe8+ Kf3 (51... Kf2 $5 {[%csl Rh3][%cal Rf2g3]} 52. Qe6 $11)
52. Qh5+ {und es wurde Remis vereinbart. Die Stellung ist völlig gleich.} (52.
Qh5+ Kg3 53. Qg4+ Kh2 54. Qxh4 Qxh3 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Corus-C"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2006.01.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Atalik, Ekaterina"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2399"]
[BlackElo "2514"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2006.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 111"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nbd7 11. Ba5 Rc8 12. Nbd2 Qe8 {Die schwarze Dame geht
aus der Fesselung auf der a5-d8 Diagonale, um c7-c5 vorzubereiten.} (12... Nb8)
13. b4 Bd6 (13... Nd5) (13... Nb8 14. a3 Nc6 15. Nb3 Bd6 {[%cal Ge6e5]}) 14.
Rac1 {Dieser Zug scheint mir ein wenig schablonenhaft, der direkte Vorstoss im
Zentrum mit 14.e4 bietet Weiß die Möglichkeit, das Zentrum zu beherrschen.} (
14. e4 e5 15. Rae1 g6 16. Nb3 Nh5 17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Bh3 (18. Nxe5 $5) 18... f5
19. exf5 Bxf3 20. Re3 Ba8 21. Nc5 Nb6 22. fxg6 Qc6 {0-1 Ivanisevic,
I-Maksimenko,A/Jahorina 2003/(39)}) (14. Rfe1 Qe7 15. a3 Rfe8 (15... g6 16.
Rac1 Rfe8 17. Qb2 Ba8 18. e4 e5 19. Bh3 Rcd8 20. d5 {1-0 Podzielny,
K-Chudinovskih,A/Schwaebisch Gmuend 1998/EXP 62 (34)}) 16. Rac1 Ba8 17. Qb1 (
17. e4 $5 e5) 17... e5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Bxe5 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 21. Nf3 Rac8
22. Rc6 {0-1 Fomichenko,E-Moiseenko,A/Krasnodar 1999/(33)}) 14... e5 {[%mdl 4]
Da c7-c5 von Weiß verhindert wurde, muss Schwarz nun einen anderen Plan wählen.
} (14... Qe7 15. a3 e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qxe5 19. Nf3 Qe6 {
0-1 Angskog,K-Ahlander,B/Stockholm 2001/(59)}) (14... Nd5 15. a3 e5 16. dxe5
Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Ne4 Rfe8 19. Rfd1 Nb6 20. Nf6+ Qxf6 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22.
Bxb6 Rxb7 23. Qc6 Reb8 24. Be3 {1-0 Murugan,K-Hunt,H/London Lloyds 1994/EXP 43
(36)}) 15. dxe5 $6 {Mit diesem Tausch verbessert Weiß das gegnerische
Figurenspiel.} (15. e3 Qe7 (15... exd4 16. exd4 $14 {[%cal Gf1e1,Ge1e8]}) 16.
a3) 15... Nxe5 16. Bh3 (16. Nxe5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qxe5 18. Nf3 Qh5 $15 {[%csl Ra5]
[%cal Gc7c5]}) 16... Nc6 $5 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Gc6a5][%mdl 512] Schwarz
beschäftigt sich nicht mit der Verteidigung des Turms, sondern opfert die
Qualität. Im Gegenzug beherrscht er die weißen Felder.} (16... Neg4) 17. Bxc8
Qxc8 $44 {[%cal Gc8h3,Gb7h1]} 18. e4 (18. a4 Nxa5 19. bxa5 b4 20. Nc4 Bc5 21.
Nce5 Bd6 22. Nc6 (22. Nc4) 22... Re8 $44) 18... Qh3 {[%csl Rg1,Gh3][%cal Gf6g4]
Nach 18....Dh3 droht 19.... Sg4.} 19. Rfe1 Ng4 {Nach diesem Zug muss Weiß mit
20...Nd4 rechnen.} 20. Nf1 f5 $6 {Dieser interessanter Zug führt zu großen
Komplikationen, jedoch bietet er Weiß "überflüssige" Gegenchancen. Nach meiner
Meinung wäre es besser auf b4 zu nehmen.} (20... Nxb4 21. Bxb4 (21. Qb3 Nc6 $36
) 21... Bxb4 22. Qxc7 Bxe1 23. Rxe1 Ba8 $11) 21. Qb3+ (21. Ng5 $5 Qh5 22. f4)
21... Kh8 22. Ng5 Qh5 23. Ne6 (23. f4 fxe4 24. Nxe4 Be5 $1 $36 {[%csl Rg1]
[%cal Ge5d4,Gd4g1]} (24... Nxa5 25. bxa5 Bxe4 26. Rxe4 Bc5+ 27. Kg2 Nf2 28.
Rxc5 Qxc5 29. Re5 Qd4 30. Rd5 $18) 25. fxe5 Nd4 26. Qb2 Nf3+) 23... Nxa5 24.
bxa5 Rf6 25. f4 $2 (25. Nc5 Bxe4 (25... Nxh2 $2 26. Nxh2 Bxc5 (26... Rh6 27.
Nxb7 Qxh2+ 28. Kf1 $18) 27. Rxc5 Rh6 28. Qf3 Qxh2+ 29. Kf1 $18) 26. h4 $44 (26.
Nxe4 $2 fxe4 $17 {[%csl Rf2][%cal Rf6f2,Rg4f2,Gd6c5,Gc5f2]}) 26... Ne5 27. Nd2
Bc6) 25... fxe4 26. Ng5 e3 (26... Nf2 $1 27. Kxf2 Qxg5 $40) 27. Qc2 Nf2 28.
Rxe3 Qxg5 29. Kxf2 (29. fxg5 $4 Nh3#) 29... Qd5 30. a3 $6 (30. Qd2 $142) 30...
Rf8 31. Ke1 b4 {[%csl Ra3,Ra5,Gb7,Gd5,Gd6,Re1][%cal Gd5a5] Schwarz hat
ausgezeichnete Figurenspiel, sein Läuferpaar ist stark. Die beiden weißen
Bauern am Damenflügel sind angegriffen. Das Hauptproblem von Weiß besteht
jedoch in der zentralen Stellung seines Königs.} 32. Rd1 (32. Qc4 Qxa5 33. axb4
Bxb4+ 34. Kf2 Bd6 $36) 32... Qxa5 33. axb4 $6 (33. Rxd6 cxd6 34. Qd2) 33...
Bxb4+ 34. Ke2 (34. Kf2 Bc5) 34... Qh5+ $19 {[%csl Gb4,Gb7,Gh5][%cal Rh5e2]} 35.
Kf2 Bc5 {[%csl Re3][%cal Rc5f2]} 36. Rdd3 Be4 0-1

[Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 33rd"]
[Site "Havana"]
[Date "1998.05.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nogueiras Santiago, Jesus"]
[Black "Morovic Fernandez, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1998.05.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 065"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.08.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 {Das ist eine sichere Fortsetzung. Die
Alternative 4...dxc4 wird häufig gespielt. Ribli.} 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 (7... b5 $2 8. a4 c6 9. axb5 cxb5 10. Ng5 $18 {Eine bekannte Falle: Weiß
steht auf Gewinn, denn auf 10...Nd5 folgt 12.Qxh7#.}) 8. Qxc4 {Diese
natürliche Antwort ist heutzutage selten. 8.a4 ist in Mode.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 {
Das ist die schwarze Hauptstrategie. Er hat einen guten Läufer auf b7 und
möchte mit ...c7-c5 Ausgleich erreichen.} 10. Bf4 (10. Bd2 {[%cal Gd2a5]}) (10.
Bg5) 10... Nd5 {Meines Erachtens bietet die Alternative 11...Nc6 mit der Idee
12...Nb4 und 13...c5 dem Schwarzen bessere Ausgleichschancen.} 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12.
gxf4 {[%csl Yc5,Ye5] Auf den ersten Blick scheint Schwarz mit dem Läuferpaar
und gegen die weißen Doppelbauern ausgezeichnet zu stehen, aber in
Wirklichkeit kann Weiß die weißfeldrigen Läufer tauschen, wonach
Felderschwächen am schwarzen Damenflügel zurückbleiben.} Nd7 13. Rfd1 {[%csl
Gd1,Rd8][%cal Gd1d8]} Qc8 (13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Rb8 15. e3 Nf6 16. Rac1 Qd6 17.
Ne2 Rfc8 18. e4 Qd7 19. d5 exd5 20. e5 Ne8 21. Rxd5 Qh3 22. Bg2 Qh4 23. Nd4
Qxf4 24. Nc6 {1-0 Kramnik,V-Svidler,P/Linares 1998 (28)}) 14. Rac1 $14 {
[%csl Gc1,Gc2,Yc5,Ye5] Das ist eine seltene, aber keineswegs schlechte
Fortsetzung.} (14. Ne4 f5 (14... c5 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5
18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rfc8 20. Rac1 Rc7 21. e3 Rac8 22. Rd7 a5 23. b3 f6 24.
Rxc7 {1/2-1/2 Gavrikov,V-Azmayparashvili,Z/USSR 1981 (41)}) 15. Nc5 Nxc5 16.
dxc5 Be4 17. Qb3 c6 18. Ne5 Bd5 19. Qe3 Bf6 20. Rd2 Qc7 $10 {Ricardi,P-Granda
Zuniga,J/Buenos Aires 1991}) (14. a4 bxa4 15. Nxa4 Rb8 16. Rac1 Bd6 17. e3 Nf6
18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Qxc5 Bd5 20. Qxc7 {1/2-1/2 Sosonko,G-Rausis,I/Viking op 1997})
(14. f5 exf5 15. Qxf5 Nf6 16. Qxc8 Raxc8 $11) 14... Ra7 $146 {Ein nur auf den
ersten Blick unnatürlicher Zug, denn Schwarz kann nach eventuellem ...c7-c5
mit ...Rc7 fortsetzen.} (14... c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Qb1 Rd8 17. b4 Na4 18.
Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. Nxa4 bxa4 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rc8 22. Rxc8 Qxc8 23. Qe4 Bd6
24. Nc4 Bf8 25. a3 {1-0 Kurajica,B-Gavric,M/Banja Luka 1985 (38)}) 15. Ne5 (15.
Ne4 $14 {[%csl Yc5]}) 15... Bxg2 (15... c5 $2 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. dxc5 $16 {
[%cal Rd1d7]}) 16. Kxg2 c5 (16... Nxe5 17. fxe5 (17. dxe5 c5 $13) 17... c5 18.
dxc5 {bedeutet nur Zugumstellung.}) (16... Qb7+ 17. Qe4 Nxe5 18. fxe5 $14) 17.
dxc5 Nxe5 (17... Bxc5 $2 18. Rxd7 Rxd7 19. Ne4 $18 {[%csl Gc1,Gc2,Rc5,Rc8]
[%cal Rc1c5,Re5d7]}) 18. fxe5 Bxc5 19. Ne4 {[%csl Gc1,Gc2,Yd6,Ge4]} Qa8 {
[%cal Ga8g2]} (19... Qb7 {[%csl Ra7]}) 20. Kg1 (20. Kg3) (20. Kf3 $6 Rc7 $15 {
[%cal Gc7c1]}) (20. f3 $2 Be3 $15 {[%csl Rc1,Ge3]}) 20... Be7 21. Qc6 $1 Qxc6
22. Rxc6 {[%csl Gc6,Gd1,Ge4,Ge5] Weiß kontrolliert die beiden offenen Linien,
sein Springer steht aktiv und das Feld d6 ist schwach. Andererseits weist die
schwarze Stellung noch keine besonderen Schwächen auf.} Rfa8 23. Nd6 {[%csl
Gc6,Gd1,Gd6]} Kf8 (23... Rd8 {[%cal Gd8d1]}) 24. Nc8 {[%csl Ra7,Ra8,Gc6,Gc8]
Der weiße Springer legt den schwarzen Damenflügel lahm.} Rb7 25. Kg2 {[%cal
Rg2f3,Rf3e4]} Ke8 26. Rdc1 {[%csl Gc1,Gc6,Gc8]} (26. Kf3 Rd7 27. Rdc1 $14)
26... a5 27. Kf3 {[%csl Gc1,Gc6,Gc8,Ge5,Gf3] Der weiße König strebt ins
Zentrum.} Rab8 28. Ke4 Rd7 {[%cal Gd7d2,Gd2a2,Gd2h2]} 29. Nd6+ (29. R1c2) 29...
Bxd6 (29... Kf8 30. Rc8+ Rd8 31. Rxb8 Rxb8 32. Rc7 $14) (29... Kd8 $2 30. Rc8+
Rxc8 31. Rxc8#) 30. exd6 {[%csl Gc1,Gc6,Gd6]} f6 $8 {Schwarz muß so spielen,
sonst kommt 31.Ke5.} 31. Kd4 b4 32. f4 Rdb7 (32... Rb5 {[%cal Rb5d5,Rd6d4,
Rd5d6]} 33. e4 $16 (33. Rc8+ Kf7 {[%csl Rd4,Rd6]} (33... Rd8 34. e4 $11) 34.
R1c7 Rd5+ {[%csl Rd6]} 35. Kc4 R5xd6 $15)) 33. e4 Rb5 34. R1c5 $16 {[%csl Gc5,
Gc6,Gd4,Gd6] Weiß kontrolliert die einzige offene Linie und entfaltet so
gewaltigen positionellen Druck.} (34. e5 {[%csl Gd6,Ge5,Gf4]} Rd5+ 35. Ke4 Rd2
(35... fxe5 36. fxe5 Rbb5 37. Rc8+ Kf7 38. R1c7+ Kg6 39. d7 Rxe5+ 40. Kf3 (40.
Kd4 Rbd5+ 41. Kc4 Re4+ 42. Kb3 Red4 $17 {[%csl Rd7]}) 40... Rf5+ 41. Kg2 Rg5+
42. Kh1 Rbf5 43. Rc1 $18) (35... f5+ 36. Ke3 $16) 36. R1c2 $14) 34... Kd8 35.
Rc8+ $6 {Es ist nicht logisch, daß Weiß freiwillig die Türme tauscht.} (35. e5
$16 {[%csl Gd6,Ge5,Gf4]}) (35. h4 $16 {und Weiß gewint Raum am Königsflügel.})
35... Rxc8 36. Rxb5 Rc2 $132 {[%csl Gc2][%cal Rc2h2,Rc2a2]} 37. e5 fxe5+ 38.
fxe5 Rxb2 39. Rxa5 Rxh2 40. Ra7 $14 {[%csl Ga7,Gd4,Gd6,Rd8,Ge5] In
Turmendspielen ist die Qualität der Bauern zwar in der Tat bedeutender als
ihre Anzahl und die weißen Figuren stehen äußerst aktiv, aber im Turmendspiel
muß stets mit Remiswendungen gerechnet werden.} Rd2+ 41. Kc5 g5 $8 {Schwarz
mobilisiert die letzten Reserven.} (41... Rd5+ $2 42. Kc6 {und Weiß gewinnt,
denn es gibt kein Turmschach von hinten.} Ke8 (42... Rxe5 43. Ra8#) 43. Ra8+
Kf7 44. d7 $18) 42. Rxh7 (42. Kxb4 Rd5 $11 {[%csl Gd5,Re5]}) 42... Rxa2 43.
Kxb4 Re2 {[%csl Re5]} 44. Kc5 g4 (44... Rxe5+ $2 45. Kc6 $18 {[%csl Gc6,Gd6,
Rd8,Re5,Gh7][%cal Rh7h8,Rh8d8]}) 45. Rg7 (45. Kc6 Rc2+ {Und Weiß kann nichts
erreichen.}) 45... Re4 $11 {[%csl Ge4,Gg4] Weiß entfaltet große Aktivität und
Schwarz muß praktisch "ohne König " spielen, aber mit präzisem Spiel er kann
das Remis noch erreichen.} (45... Rxe5+ $2 46. Kc6 $18 {[%csl Rd8][%cal Rg7g8,
Rg8d8]}) 46. Kb5 Rf4 (46... Rxe5+ $2 47. Kc6) 47. Kc5 Re4 48. Kb5 Rd4 (48...
Rf4 $11) 49. Rg6 (49. Kc6 Rc4+ $11) 49... Kd7 (49... Rd5+ $2 50. Kc6 $18) 50.
Rg5 Kd8 (50... Re4 $11) 51. Kc5 Re4 52. Rh5 (52. Rg7 Rf4 $11) 52... Kd7 53.
Rh7+ Kd8 {Wir haben eigentlich die gleiche Stellung wie vor 8 Zügen.} 54. Ra7 (
54. Re7 $2 Rxe5+ 55. Kc6 Re1 {[%csl Re7]}) 54... Re1 $1 (54... g3 $6 55. Rg7 (
55. d7 $2 {[%cal Rc5d6,Rd6e6]} g2 56. Ra1 (56. Kd6 Rd4+ 57. Kxe6 g1=Q 58. Ra8+
Kc7 $19) 56... Kxd7 $19 {[%csl Rc5,Re5]}) 55... Re3 56. Kd4 Ra3 57. Ke4 Ra4+
58. Ke3 Ra3+ 59. Kf4 $16) (54... Rxe5+ $2 55. Kc6 $18) 55. Ra8+ Kd7 56. Ra7+
Kd8 57. Kd4 (57. Rg7 Re4 $11) 57... g3 (57... Re2 58. Rg7 Rg2 59. Ke4 $16) 58.
Rg7 Rg1 {[%csl Gg1,Gg3] Schwarz droht 59...g2 nebst 60...Rd1+.} 59. Ke3 Re1+
60. Kf4 (60. Kd4 Rg1 $11) 60... Rf1+ 61. Ke4 (61. Kxg3 $4 Rg1+ $19 {[%cal
Rg1g7]}) 61... Re1+ {und in gleicher Stellung wurde remis gegeben.} (61... Re1+
62. Kf4 (62. Kf3 Rxe5 63. Kxg3 Rd5 $11) 62... Rf1+ $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2006.01.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2006.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 111"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 {Dieser prophylaktische Turmzug ist heutzutage
modern; ebenfalls spielbar ist 10...Nbd7, wie in der Partie Gelfand,B - Leko,P
im gleichen Turnier (1. Runde).} 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nc6 (12... Nbd7 13. Ba5
Qb8 14. Qe3 (14. Nbd2 Ba8 $1 15. Bb4 c5 $1 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Rc8 18. Qa3
Rac7 $1 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Vescovi,G/Bermuda 2005/(22)}) 14... Ba8 (14... b4
15. Nbd2 Ba8 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Rc2 Be4 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Kxg2 Qb5
21. Rac1 $14 {1-0 Rotstein,A-Boensch,U/Fuerstenfeld 2005 (32)}) 15. b4 $14 {
[%csl Gb4,Yc5]} Bd6 16. Nbd2 {[%cal Gd2b3,Gb3c5]} Nb6 {[%cal Gb6c4]} (16... Re8
{Ftacnik} 17. Qb3 Bd5 $11) 17. Rc2 Bd5 18. Rac1 {[%cal Gc1c8]} Qb7 19. Ne1 Bxg2
20. Nxg2 {1-0 Johannessen,L-Vaganian,R/Germany 2005/CBM 106/[Ribli] (37)}) 13.
e3 Qa8 $146 {[%cal Ga8g2][%mdl 4] Schwarz besitzt eine starke Batterie auf der
a8-h1 Diagonalen.} (13... b4 14. Be1 Bd5 15. Qd1 Qa8 16. Nbd2 {1/2-1/2 Pieper
Emden,C-Flear,G/Buende 1985/EXT 2001 (16)}) 14. Qd1 Nb8 $1 {[%mdl 32] "Der
Mohr hat seine Schuldigkeit getan, der Mohr kann gehen". Die Idee des Zuges 12.
..Nc6 war die Provozierung von 13.e3. Der Plan ist nun, den Springer nach d7
zu ziehen, um den Zug c7-c5 zu unterstützen wonach Schwarz Ausgleich erlangt.}
15. Ba5 (15. Nc3 Bb7) 15... Rc8 16. Nbd2 Bd5 17. Nb3 {[%cal Gb3c5]} (17. Bb6
Rb7 18. Bc5 Bxc5 19. Rxc5 (19. dxc5 $5) 19... Nbd7 20. Rc2 c5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22.
Rxc5 Nxc5 $11) 17... Nbd7 {[%cal Gc7c5]} 18. Rc2 (18. Nc5 $6 Nxc5 19. dxc5 Rd8
20. Qe2 Ne4 {[%cal Ge4g5,Ge4c5]}) 18... Be4 (18... c5 19. dxc5 Nxc5 20. Rac1
Nfd7 21. Nbd4) 19. Rc3 Nd5 20. Rcc1 N5f6 21. Rc3 Nd5 22. Rcc1 N5f6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Donetzk zt"]
[Site "Donetsk"]
[Date "1998.11.04"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kopylov, Michael"]
[Black "Mikhaletz, Lubomir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2385"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1998.11.02"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 068"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Das ist die alte Fortsetzung. Heutzutage wird 8.a4 häufiger gespielt. Ribli.}
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {[#]Meines Erachtens bietet dieser Zug dem Weißen keinen
Eröffnungsvorteil.} Nc6 $6 {[%csl Rc6] Der Springer steht ein wenig
unnatürlich auf c6. Die Alternative ...Nbd7 scheint mir besser.} (10... Nbd7 $5
11. Nbd2 Rc8 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Nb3 c5 14. dxc5 Bd5 $11) 11. Bxf6 {Das ist
weiße Hauptidee in der 10.Bg5-Variante. Weiß gibt den Läufer auf und kann mit
folgendem Nb1-d2-b3 die Ausgleichmöglichkeit ...c7-c5 verhindern.} (11. Rd1 Nb4
12. Qc1 Rc8 13. Nc3 (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. a3 Nd5 15. e4 Nb6 16. Nc3 Qe8 17. b4 {
1/2-1/2 Quinteros,M-Velimirovic,D/Moscow 1982/IZT (49)}) 13... Nbd5 14. Nxd5
Bxd5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Qf4 Qd6 17. Qxd6 cxd6 18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rc4 {
1/2-1/2 Hansen,L-Blatny,P/Groningen 1986/EXT 97 (46)}) 11... Bxf6 12. Rd1 {
[%cal Gd1d8]} (12. e3) 12... Nb4 {Schwarz aktiviert seinen Springer, kommt
aber nicht zum Ausgleichszug ...c7-c5.} (12... Qd6 13. Nc3 {[%cal Gc3e4,Ge4d6,
Ge4c5]} (13. e4 Rad8 $1 {[%csl Rd4][%cal Rd8d1]} (13... Bxd4 14. e5 {[%csl Rb7,
Gd1,Rd4,Rd6,Gg2][%cal Rd1d6,Rg2b7]} Qb4 (14... Qc5 15. Nxd4 $18) 15. a3 Qxb2
16. Nxd4 $16)) 13... Nb4 14. Qb3 $14 (14. Qb1)) 13. Qb3 Nd5 (13... Qe7 14. a3 (
14. Nc3 c5 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Rac1) 14... Nc6 15. Nc3 Rfd8 16. e3 Na5 17. Qc2 c5
18. Ne4 cxd4 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Nxd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rac8 22. Qe4 Nc4 23. b3 Nd6
24. Qf3 e5 25. Qxf6 gxf6 26. Ne2 Ne4 {0-1 Brezovar,M-Samaritani,F/Bled 1998/
EXT 99 (62)}) 14. Nbd2 $14 {[%csl Yc5][%cal Gd2e4,Ge4c5] Weiß hat eine bequeme
Stellung. Er hat Übergewicht im Zentrum und kann es mit dem Plan Nd2-e4-c5
nutzen. Schwarz kann die Stellung nicht für sein Läuferpaar öffnen.} Nb6 {
Schwarz verhindert sofortiges 15.Ne4.} 15. Qc2 {[%cal Gc2h7]} g6 {Schwarz
verhindert die eventuelle Drohung Ng5.} (15... Rc8 $2 16. Ng5 {[%cal Rc2h7,
Rg2b7]} Bxg5 17. Bxb7 $16 {[%cal Rb7c8,Rb7a6]}) 16. Nb3 {[%csl Yc5][%cal Gb3c5,
Gb3a5]} a5 17. Nc5 {[%csl Gc5] [#]} Bxf3 $8 {Schwarz hat nichts besseres, er
muß den Läufer abgeben.} (17... Bc6 $2 18. Nxe6 $16 {[%cal Rc2c6]}) 18. Bxf3 {
[%csl Gc5,Gf3]} Ra7 (18... Nd5 $2 19. e4 Nb4 (19... Nb6 20. e5 $18 {[%cal
Re5f6,Rf3a8]}) 20. Qc3 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Re4e5,Rf3a8,Re5f6]} Bg7 21. a3 Na6 (
21... Nc6 22. e5 $18 {[%csl Rc6][%cal Rf3a8]}) 22. e5 {[%cal Rf3a8]} Ra7 23.
Qxa5 $16) 19. Bc6 {[%csl Rb5,Gc5,Gc6] Weiß entfaltet starken positionellen
Druck am Damenflügel.} b4 20. Rac1 Qe7 (20... Bg7) 21. Bg2 Rd8 {[%csl Ra7]
[%cal Rd8d4] Der a7-Turm steht schrecklich schlecht, so aktiviert Schwarz den
anderen Turm.} 22. e3 Bg7 23. Qe2 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Gc5a6,Ga6c7] Weiß bereitet
den Springerzug Na6 vor, um den schwachen Bauern c7 zu belagern.} e5 24. d5 $16
(24. dxe5 $6 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Bxe5 $14 {Weiß hat noch positionellen Druck, aber
Schwarz etwas Gegenspiel dank seines Läufers.}) 24... Nc8 25. Na6 {[%csl Ga6,
Gc1,Rc7][%cal Gc1c7]} e4 $6 {[%cal Gg7b2]} (25... Nd6 26. Rc6 $16 {Und Weiß
droht Rdc1 und Qc2 zu spielen.}) 26. Nb8 {[%csl Rc6][%cal Rb8c6,Rc6e7,Rc6a7]
Nach diesem Zug gewinnt Weiß die Qualität.} Rd6 27. Nc6 {[%cal Rc6e7,Rc6a7]}
Rxc6 28. Rxc6 $18 {[%csl Rc7]} (28. dxc6 $6 Nd6) 28... f5 (28... Nd6 29. Rdc1 {
[%csl Rc7][%cal Re2c2,Rc1c7]}) 29. Qb5 {[%cal Rb5b8,Rb8c8,Rb8a7]} Bf8 30. Qb8 {
[%csl Gb8] Die weiße Dame bindet alle schwarzen Figuren.} Qe8 31. Rdc1 {
[%csl Rc7] Schwarz muß aufgeben, denn er verliert weiteres Material.} (31. Rdc1
Bd6 32. Rxd6 Nxd6 (32... cxd6 33. Rxc8 $18) 33. Qxa7 $18) (31. Rxc7 Rxc7 32.
Qxc7 Nd6 33. Qxa5 $18) 1-0

[Event "ARM-ch"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "1999.10.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nalbandian, Tigran"]
[Black "Sargissian, Gabriel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2470"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1999.10.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 074"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 5120]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {
Das ist die klassische Variante der Katalanischen Eröffnung. Mit dem Nehmen
des Bauern kann Schwarz wichtige Tempi bekommen und die Entwicklung des
Damenflügels beenden.} 7. Na3 {Eine selten gespielte Variante - der Zug 7.Qc2
wird häufiger gespielt.} Bxa3 8. bxa3 Bd7 {[%cal Gd7c6,Gc6g2]} 9. Ne5 Bc6 10.
Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 {Weiss hat das Läuferpaar und eine starke Zentrumstellung,
aber Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr.} Nd5 12. Rc1 {Das ist die natürliche
Fortsetzung, aber der Turm steht vielleicht besser auf b1.} (12. Rb1 $5 Nb6 13.
e3 Qd6 14. Qc2 Rfd8 15. Rfd1 Rab8 16. e4 e5 $1 17. d5 Nd4 18. Bxd4 exd4 19.
Rxd4 c6 $132 {Khalifman,A-Portisch,L/Reykjavik/1991/0,5 (33)}) 12... Nb6 13. e3
(13. e4 Ne7 (13... Qd7 14. Qh5 (14. Qd2 Rad8 15. Rfd1 Na4 16. d5 Nxb2 17. Qxb2
Na5 18. Bh3 b6 19. Qe5 Qa4 20. Qxc7 exd5 21. exd5 Qxa3 22. d6 {1-0 Krasenkow,
M-Naumkin,I/Moscow 1992/EXT 97 (42)}) 14... Rad8 15. Rfd1 Ne7 16. Qg5 Ng6 17.
h4 f6 18. Qa5 Qa4 {0-1 Haburdzania,N-Berzinsh,R/Alma-Ata 1991/TD (37)}) 14. Qc2
Qd7 15. Ba1 Rad8 (15... f5 $5 $13 {Illescas Cordoba,M}) 16. Qc3 f6 17. Rcd1
Nec8 (17... Qe8 $14) 18. Rfe1 $14 {1-0 Illescas Cordoba,M-Kosashvili,Y/Holon
1986/EXT 97 (33)}) (13. g4 Qd6 14. e3 Rab8 15. g5 Ne7 16. Qh5 Ned5 17. Rc2 Na4
18. Bc1 b5 19. f4 f5 20. gxf6 Nxf6 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,Z-Arlandi,E/Reggio Emilia
1993/EXT 97 (73)}) 13... Qd6 (13... Qd7 14. Qc2 Rab8 15. Rfd1 Ne7 16. Ba1 Rfd8
17. h4 a6 18. Rb1 Ned5 19. e4 Nf6 20. d5 Qe7 21. d6 {1-0 Romero Holmes,
A-Garcia,N/Cala Galdana 1994/EXT 97 (37)}) 14. Qc2 {[%csl Gc2] Die Dame steht
gut auf c2. Sie gibt das Feld-d1 fuer den Turm frei und kontrolliert das
Feld-a4.} (14. Qg4 f6 15. Rc2 Na4 $1 16. Qh5 f5 17. Qf3 (17. Ba1 b5 $17) 17...
Ne7 18. Qe2 b5 $1 $17 {0-1 Romanishin,O-Razuvaev,Y/Moscow 1983/URS-ch/[Chekhov]
(33)}) 14... Rab8 15. Rfd1 {Weiss hat Kompensation für den Bauern und alles
ist für e3-e4 vorbereitet.} f5 {Dieser Zug schwächt den e6-Bauern, aber Weiss
kann nicht (so leicht) e3-e4 ziehen.} 16. Bf1 Ne7 17. a4 $5 ({Nach} 17. Bxc4 $6
Nxc4 18. Qxc4 {hat Schwarz die bessere Bauernstruktur und die weissen Felder
in der weissen Stellung sind schwach.} Rbc8 19. Qc5 b6 20. Qc4 Qd5 21. a4 Rfd8
22. Ba3 Kf7 23. Qe2 g6 24. f3 Qa5 25. Rc4 Nd5 26. Bb2 Nf6 27. e4 Rd7 28. Rc6
Qxa4 29. d5 Re8 30. exf5 gxf5 31. Rxe6 Rd6 32. Rxe8 Qxe8 33. Qc4 Qe7 34. Kf2
Kf8 35. Re1 Qf7 36. Re5 Ne8 37. Qf4 {Zü!. 0-1 Roos,T-Schlamp,F/Neuwied 1993/
GER (37)}) 17... Qb4 $5 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt Schwarz den a-Bauern und kann
die Damen tauschen.} (17... a5 18. Bxc4 $5 (18. Bc3)) 18. Bc3 Qxa4 19. Qxa4
Nxa4 20. Bxc4 {[%csl Re6][%cal Rc4e6]} Nd5 21. Ba1 $44 {Weiss hat das
Läuferpaar und ein starkes Bauernzentrum. Es ist jedoch fraglich, ob diese
Kompensation genügend ist, aber Schwarz hat zumindestens grosse
Schwierigkeiten mit der Verwertung des Materialsvorteils.} Nab6 22. Bd3 (22.
Bb3 $44) 22... Nc8 23. Kf1 {[%cal Gf1e2] Weiss verbessert zuerst seine
Königsstellung.} (23. f3 $44) 23... Nd6 24. Ke2 c6 25. f3 {[%cal Ge3e4] Weiss
möchte 26.e4 ziehen und die Stellung für das Läuferpaar öffnen.} Nf6 26. Rc5 {
[%csl Gc5][%cal Gc5e5,Ge5e6]} Kf7 27. Rb1 {[%csl Ga1,Gb1,Gc5,Gd3][%cal Gb1b7]
Weiss hat positionellen Druck am Damenflügel.} Ke7 28. Ra5 a6 29. h3 {[%cal
Gg3g4]} Kd7 (29... h5) 30. g4 g6 31. Bc3 {[%cal Gc3b4,Gb4f8]} Ra8 $5 {Schwarz
bereitet den Zug b7-b5 vor und verteidigt den a6-Bauern.} (31... Nd5 32. Bd2
$44 {[%cal Ge3e4]}) 32. Bb4 Rf7 {[%cal Gf7b7]} 33. Bd2 (33. Bxd6 Kxd6 34. e4
$15) 33... b5 34. a4 {[%cal Ga5a8]} Rff8 {Schwarz verbindet die Türme. Der
Bauer ist schon nicht mehr auf b7, so wäre der Turm überflüssig auf f7.} (34...
Nb7 $6 35. axb5 Nxa5 36. bxa6 $36 {[%csl Ra5,Ga6,Gd2,Gd3][%cal Gd3a6,Rd2a5]})
35. axb5 (35. Ra1 $2 Nb7 36. axb5 Nxa5 $19) 35... axb5 (35... cxb5 $2 36. Rba1
$14 {[%csl Ra6][%cal Ra1a6]}) 36. Rba1 Rxa5 37. Rxa5 {Weiss hat die offene
Linie-a und es ist schwer vorzustellen, wie Schwarz seinen Materialvorteil
verwerten kann.} Nb7 (37... Nc4 $2 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Ra7+ Ke8 40. Ra4 $14) 38.
Ra7 {[%csl Ga7]} Kc7 39. e4 {Endlich kann Weiss den Durchbruch e4 ausführen.}
fxe4 40. fxe4 {[%csl Gd2,Gd3,Gd4,Ge4]} Nd7 {[%cal Ge6e5]} 41. e5 Kb6 (41... Nb6
42. Ba5 $44 {[%csl Ga5,Ga7,Rb6,Rb7,Rc7] Am Damenflügel ist alles -
beiderseitig - gefesselt.}) 42. Ra1 c5 $6 {Endlich mobilisiert Schwarz seine
Mehrheit am Damenflügel, aber die Stellung wird geöffnet, was Weiss hilft.} (
42... Nb8 43. Be3 $44 {[%cal Ge3b6,Gd4d5]}) 43. Be3 cxd4 (43... c4 44. Be4 $44)
44. Bxd4+ Nbc5 45. Rb1 {[%csl Rb5][%cal Rb1b6]} Kc7 46. Bxb5 $11 {Die Stellung
ist theoretisch etwas besser für Weiss, da er das Läuferpaar hat und etwas
Aktivität, aber das Material ist reduziert und es gibt keine Schwächen in der
Stellung.} Rb8 $1 {[%cal Gb8b1] Schwarz fesselt den b5B und erzwingt praktisch
den Turmtausch.} 47. Rb2 Kd8 48. Bc4 Rxb2+ 49. Bxb2 {Der weisse theoretische
Vorteil ist kaum zu verwerten - die Springer verteidigen alles.} Nb6 50. Ba2
Nd5 {[%csl Gc5,Gd5] Das Springerpaar ist gar nicht schlechter in dieser
konkrete Stellung als das Läuferpaar.} 51. Kf3 (51. Bxd5 $6 exd5 $15 {[%csl
Ye6][%cal Gc5e6]}) 51... Nd3 52. Bd4 g5 {[%cal Gd3f4]} (52... N3f4 53. h4) 53.
Bc4 N3f4 {[%csl Gd5,Gf4,Gg5] Jetzt ist alles verteidigt in der schwarzen
Stellung.} 54. Bf1 Ke7 55. Ke4 Kf7 56. Bf2 Ng6 {Schwarz lässt Weiss nicht 57.
h4 ziehen.} (56... Ke7 57. h4 h6 $11) 57. Be1 h6 58. Bd2 Ndf4 59. Be1 Nd5 (
59... Ke7 60. h4 gxh4 61. Bxh4+ Nxh4 $11) 60. Bd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Yerevan zt 1.5"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2000.06.09"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anastasian, Ashot"]
[Black "Asrian, Karen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2606"]
[BlackElo "2572"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2000.06.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 078"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.10.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.10.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 {Nach diesem Zug
kommen wir in die Grundstellung der Klassischen Variante der Katalanischen
Verteidigung. Die Alternative 6.b3 hingegen führt zu komplexem Spiel.} dxc4 7.
a4 {Ist dieser Zug wirklich gespielt worden, oder handelt es sich um einen
Fehler in der Partienotation? Dieser Zug wird sehr selten gespielt und ist
auch nicht besonders gut.} (7. Qc2 $1 a6 8. a4 Bd7 {Siehe die Partie!}) 7...
Bd7 (7... Nc6 $5 8. a5 Rb8 9. Qc2 b5 (9... Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Be3 $44) 10.
axb6 axb6 11. Qxc4 Bb7 12. Nc3 Na5 $11) 8. Qc2 a6 {Auf diese Weise entsteht
die Grundstellung der Klassischen Variante der Katalanischen Eröffnung. Der
Zug a4 schwächt einerseits den Punkt b4, andererseits sichert er Weiß
Raumvorteil.} 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 (10... a5) (10... Nbd7) 11. Qd3 c5 (11...
Be4) 12. dxc5 Nbd7 (12... Bxc5 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Ne5 (14. Qc4 Be7 15. b4 Nbd7 16.
b5 Bd5 {1/2-1/2 Akopian,V-Adams,M/Las Vegas 1999/CBM 72 (16)}) 14... Qxd3 15.
Nxd3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Bd4 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Ne4 Nd7 19. Rac1 Rfc8 20. Nd6 Rxc1 21.
Rxc1 {1-0 King,D-Barry,C/Dublin 1991/TD (42)}) (12... Ne4 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc3
Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Rc8 16. Rac1 b6 17. Ne5 bxc5 18. Rfd1 (18. e4 $142 Bb7 19. Rfd1
$16 {פb8, c5}) 18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Ra7 20. Qf3 (20. Nc4 $5 $14) 20... Rac7 21.
Nc4 Nc6 22. e3 h6 23. Qf4 {1/2-1/2 Nogueiras,J-Zarnicki,P/Cascavel 1996/EXT 98
(44) Nogueiras,J.}) 13. Nc3 Nxc5 14. Qe3 {Die weiße Drohung ist 15.Bxf6. Wegen
des Nc5 müsste Schwarz darauf mit gxf6 antworten.} Qa5 $1 {[%cal Ga5b4] Die
Dame steht gut auf a5 und zielt das geschwächte Feld b4 an.} (14... Rc8 15.
Rfd1 Re8 16. Ne5 Qb6 17. Bh3 {1-0 Smyslov,V-Nogueiras,J/Graz 1984/MCD (41)})
15. Nxd5 (15. Rad1 Bc6 16. Rd4 Nb3 17. Rc4 Rad8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20.
Rxe4 Nd2 {1/2-1/2 Gulko,B-Beliavsky,A/Amsterdam 1989/CBM 14/[ChessBase] (38)})
(15. Rfd1 Bc6 16. Qf4 Nb3 17. Rab1 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Nc5
21. Qe3 Qb4 {1/2-1/2 Adianto,U-Short,N/Beijing 2000/CBM 78_02 (31)}) 15... Nxd5
16. Qa3 Bd6 {Schwarz möchte die schwarzfeldrigen Läufer wegen der schlechten
Stellung der weißen Dame auf dem Brett halten. Durch Abtausch der Läufer
konnte Schwarz das Spiel leicht ausgleichen.} (16... Bxg5 $5 17. Nxg5 h6 18.
Rfc1 Nd7 (18... Rac8 $2 19. Nxf7 $1 {/\ Bd5, b4+-}) 19. Bxd5 (19. Ne4 b5 20. b4
Qxa4 21. Qxa4 bxa4 22. Nc5 N7b6 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. Nxa4 Nxa4 25. Rxa4 Rab8 {
1/2-1/2 Gulko,B-Pigusov,E/Moscow 1990/TD (86)}) 19... Qxd5 20. Rd1 Qxg5 21.
Rxd7 b5 22. Rad1 Rfd8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. axb5 Qd1+ 26. Kg2 Qd5+
27. Qf3 {1/2-1/2 Portisch,L-Ribli,Z/Hungary 1997/EXT 2000 (27)}) 17. Bd2 $2 {
[%mdl 16384] Weiß gewinnt zwar ein Tempo mit dem Textzug, aber diese
Fortsetzung gefällt mir nicht. Das Feld d2 ist für den Springer reserviert.} (
17. Nd2 $1 {[%cal Gd2c4,Gc4a5,Gc4d6]} Ne4 18. Nc4 Bxa3 19. Nxa5 Nxg5 20. Rxa3
$14 {Gulko}) 17... Qb6 $11 18. Rad1 (18. a5 Qb5 19. b4 Ne4 (19... Nd7 20. e4
$14) 20. Nd4 Qc4 21. Bxe4 Qxd4 22. Qd3 Qxd3 23. exd3 $11) 18... Rfd8 19. Qa2 {
Die Opposition zwischen der Qa3 und dem Bd6 war unangenehm für Weiß, deshalb
zieht die Dame weg. Weiß besitzt das Läuferpaar, aber das ist hier nicht von
großer Bedeutung. Die schwarzen Springer stehen ausgezeichnet im Zentrum.} Ne4
{[%csl Yb4,Gd5,Ge4]} 20. Qb1 (20. Bg5 Nxg5 21. Nxg5 Be7 $15 {[%cal Ge7f6,Gf6b2]
}) (20. Bc1 Bc5 $15) 20... Nxd2 21. Nxd2 Be7 $15 {[%cal Ge7f6,Gf6b2] Aufgrund
des geschwächten weißen Damenflügels steht Schwarz etwas besser. Sein Läufer
soll auf die Diagonale h8-a1 plaziert werden.} 22. Nc4 Qb4 {[%csl Gb4][%mdl 32]
} 23. Bxd5 {Der Nd5 ist stark, deshalb gibt Weiß seinen katalanischen Läufer
her.} (23. b3 b5 $15 (23... Nc3 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Qc2 b5 26. axb5 Nxb5 $11 (
26... axb5 27. Ne5 $14))) 23... exd5 {Für gewöhnlich sind isolierte Bauern
schwach - in unserer Stellung aber ist der Isolani stark, denn er kann nach d4
vorrücken.} 24. Ne3 d4 {[%csl Re3]} (24... Qxa4 $2 25. Nxd5 $14) 25. Nf5 Bf6 {
[%cal Gf6b2]} 26. b3 b5 27. Qe4 $6 {Weiß spielt gegen den Pd4 und aktiviert
die Dame. Dadurch verliert er aber einen Bauern.} (27. axb5 axb5 $15 (27...
Qxb5) 28. Rd3 $15) 27... Qxb3 (27... bxa4 28. bxa4 a5 $15 (28... Qxa4 29. e3
$11)) 28. axb5 Qxb5 {[%cal Gb5e2]} (28... axb5 29. Nxd4 $11) 29. Nxd4 Bxd4 30.
Rxd4 Re8 {[%csl Re2] Ich vermute, dass Weiß diesen Zug übersehen hatte, als er
27.Qe4 spielte. Schwarz gewinnt jetzt einen Bauern.} 31. Qf3 Qxe2 32. Qf4 $2 (
32. Qxe2 Rxe2 33. Ra1 $15 {Aufgrund des reduzierten Materials hat Weiß hier
Remischancen. In einem reinen Doppelturmendspiel fällt die Verteidigung
leichter.}) 32... Rad8 $17 {Mit Damen auf dem Brett fällt Weiß die
Verteidigung schwer - das Damenendspiel mit dem Freibauern auf der a-Linie ist
für Schwarz gewonnen .} 33. Rxd8 Rxd8 34. Qc7 Re8 {Die schwarze Grundlinie ist
schwach. Deshalb kann er nicht 34...Rd1 spielen, was ansonsten von Vortiel
wäre.} 35. h4 h5 36. Qa5 Re5 37. Qd8+ Kh7 38. Qc7 Rf5 {[%csl Ge2,Gf5][%cal
Ga6a5] Der Turm steht aktiv auf f5 - er verteidigt den Königsflügel und
bereitet den Vormarsch des a-Bauern vor.} 39. Qb6 g6 (39... a5) 40. Rc1 Qd2 41.
Ra1 a5 {Endlich hat der schwarze Freibauer das Feld a5. erreicht. Weiß bleiben
nur passive Verteidigungszüge.} 42. Kg2 Qc3 $1 {[%cal Rc3a1,Gc3f3]} (42... Qb4
$6 43. Qxb4 axb4 44. Ra7 Rb5 45. Rxf7+ Kh6 46. Rd7 b3 47. Rd1 b2 48. Rb1 $15)
43. Ra2 (43. Rb1 Qf3+ 44. Kg1 Re5 $19) 43... Qf3+ 44. Kh2 Re5 {[%cal Re5e1,
Re1h1]} 45. Qb1 Re2 $19 {Auf diese Weise erzwingt Schwarz das leicht gewonnene
Damenendspiel.} (45... Re2 46. Rxe2 Qxe2 47. Kg2 a4 $19) 0-1

[Event "ARM-ch"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2000.08.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anastasian, Ashot"]
[Black "Asrian, Karen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2571"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "176"]
[EventDate "2000.08.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 079"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Dieser Zug ist auf Großmeisterebene in letzter Zeit sehr beliebt. Die
klassische Fortsetzung 8.Qxc4 verschafft Schwarz die Möglichkeit 8...b5 und 9..
.Bb7 mit guten Ausgleichschancen.} c5 {Dieser Zug wird nur selten gespielt -
die Alternative 8...Bd7 (mit der Idee 9...Bc6) ist die Hauptvariante.} 9. dxc5
Nc6 10. Na3 (10. Nbd2) 10... Bxc5 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Bg5 {Dieser Zug ist nicht
schlecht, bessere Chancen jedoch bieten die Springerzüge 12.Nce5 und 12.Nfe5.}
(12. b3 Nd5 13. Bb2 Rd8 14. Rac1 Ndb4 15. Qc3 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 Rxd4
18. Bxd4 Nc6 19. Be3 e5 20. Nb6 Rb8 21. Bc5 Qf6 22. Nd5 $44 {1/2-1/2 Aronian,
L-Bick,J/Ubeda 2000/CBM 75 (37)}) (12. Nfe5 Nxe5 (12... Nd4 13. Qd1 Rd8 14. e3
(14. Bd2 Ne8 15. Nd3 Nd6 16. Ba5 Re8 17. Nce5 Ba7 18. Rc1 Qg5 19. Bc7 Qe7 20.
e3 N4f5 21. Qb3 {1-0 Gurevich,D-Schwarz,P/Biel 1991/EXT 2000 (37)}) 14... Nf5
15. Qc2 $14) (12... Nb4 $5 13. Qb3 a5 14. Bd2 Nfd5 15. Rfd1 b6 $1 16. Bxb4 axb4
17. Nd3 Ba6 18. Rdc1 Rac8 19. Rc2 $1 {1/2-1/2 Nogueiras,J-Petursson,M/Aosta
1990/Inf 50/[Petursson,M] (37)}) 13. Nxe5 Qc7 14. Be3 Bd6 15. Qxc7 Bxc7 16. Nc4
{1-0 Neverov,V-Sarwinski,M/Poznan 1986/EXT 97 (40)}) (12. Nce5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5
Nd5 14. Nd3 Bd6 15. Bd2 Nf6 16. Rfc1 e5 17. Nc5 {1-0 Stohl,I-Cech,P/Prague
1992/TD (33)}) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Rfd1 (14. Rac1 a5 15. Nfd2 Ra6 16.
Ne4 Qe7 17. Rfd1 Ba7 18. e3 Nb4 19. Qd2 e5 20. Ned6 Be6 21. Bxb7 Bxc4 22. Rxc4
Rxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxb7 24. Rc7 Qa8 25. Rd7 Bb8 26. Qc5 Qf3 27. Qxa5 Nc6 28. Qd5 {
1-0 Lein,A-Tisdall,J/New York 1981/MCD (36)}) 14... e5 15. e3 $6 {Damit
beabsichtigt Weiß, den Wirkungsradius des Bc5 einzuschränken und das Feld d4
zu kontrollieren. Zugleich schwächt er damit jedoch auch seine Stellung.} (15.
Rac1 $11) (15. Ncd2 $11) 15... Bf5 16. Qb3 (16. Qc3 Bb4 17. Qb3 Bg4 $17 {
[%csl Rf3]}) 16... e4 17. Nfd2 (17. Nh4 Bh7 {[%csl Rh4]} 18. Qxb7 Ra7 19. Qb3
g5 $17) 17... Qe7 {Alles in der schwarzen Stellung ist verteidigt. Zudem hat
er das Läuferpaar und dank seines starken Pe4 Raumvorteil. Alles in allem eine
durchaus bequeme Stellung.} 18. Qc2 (18. Nb6 Rad8 19. Nd5 Qe6 20. Nf4 Qxb3 21.
Nxb3 $11) 18... Nb4 $15 {[%csl Rc2][%cal Gb4d3]} 19. Qc3 Rac8 {[%cal Gc8c3]
Weiß hat Problemen bei der Plazierung der Dame. Die Opposition von Dame und
Turm kann unangenehm für Weiß werden.} 20. Qe5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Weiß möchte die
Damen tauschen, übersieht dabei aber die folgende Kombination.} (20. Nb3 Ba7 (
20... Nd3 $15) 21. Nd4 $15) 20... Qxe5 21. Nxe5 Nc2 {[%csl Ra1]} 22. Rab1 (22.
Rac1 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Bxe3+ $19) {[#]} 22... Nxe3 $1 $17 {[%mdl 64] Mit dieser
schönen Kombination nutzt Schwarz die schlechte Stellung der weißen Figuren
aus.} 23. fxe3 Bxe3+ 24. Kf1 Bxd2 25. Rxd2 e3 {[%cal Re3d2,Rf5b1] Nach dieser
Kombination bekommt Schwarz R + PP für N + B. Was aber noch wichtiger ist:
Schwarz behält dauerhaft die Initiative. So ist es nicht leicht für Weiß, den
sofortigen Verlust der Partie zu vermeiden.} 26. Rd3 (26. Rdd1 $2 e2+ 27. Kxe2
Bxb1 28. Rxb1 Rfe8 $19) 26... e2+ $1 27. Kf2 (27. Kxe2 Rfe8 $19) 27... Bxd3 $6
(27... Rfe8 28. Re1 Rxe5 29. Rd2 $17) 28. Nxd3 $15 Rfd8 29. Ke3 $6 (29. Kxe2 $2
Rc2+ $19) (29. Rc1 $5) 29... Rc2 30. Re1 (30. Bxb7 $6 Rxd3+ (30... Re8+ 31. Kd4
Rd2 {[%csl Rd3]} 32. Re1 Rd8+ 33. Bd5 Kf8 34. b4 Rxd5+ 35. Kxd5 Rxd3+ $17) 31.
Kxd3 Rxb2 32. Re1 Rxb7 33. Rxe2 Rb4 $17) 30... Re8+ 31. Kf2 Rd2 32. Nc5 (32.
Nf4 Rxb2 33. a5 (33. Rxe2 Rexe2+ 34. Nxe2 b5 $17)) 32... Rxb2 33. Nxb7 {
Weiß hat zwei Leichtfiguren für Turm und zwei Bauern. Natürlich hat Schwarz
hier Gewinnchancen, aber da das Material reduziert ist, ist es nicht leicht
für Schwarz, seinen Vorteil umzusetzen.} Re5 {Mit diesem Zug beginnt Schwarz,
den Wirkungsradius des Springers einzuengen.} 34. Bf3 Rb4 35. a5 (35. Rxe2
Rxe2+ 36. Kxe2 Rxa4 $17) 35... Rb2 (35... Rf5 36. Nd6 Rxa5 37. Rxe2 $15) 36. g4
(36. Nd6 {[%cal Gd6c4,Gc4b2,Gc4e5]} Rc2 $15) 36... g6 37. Nd6 Rc2 38. Nb7 (38.
Rxe2 Rcxe2+ 39. Bxe2 Rxa5 $17) 38... Re7 39. Nd6 Rc5 40. Nb7 Rc2 {In Zeitnot
geht Schwarz kein Risiko ein, er hält lediglich die Stellung. Jetzt kann er in
Ruhe einen konkreten Spielplan suchen..} 41. Nd6 Re6 42. Nb7 Re7 $2 {Objektiv
betrachtet wäre dieser Zug gar nicht schlecht, aber hier konnte Weiß das Remis
wegen dreimaliger Stellungswiederholung reklamieren - wir haben dieselbe
Stellung nach dem 38.,40., und dem 42. Zug von Schwarz.} 43. Nd6 Ra2 44. Nb7
Kg7 45. Nd8 Ra3 (45... Rxa5 $2 46. Nc6 $14) 46. Bxe2 (46. Rxe2 Rxe2+ 47. Bxe2
Rxa5 $17) 46... Rc7 {Schwarz vermeidet das Motiv Nc6 - der Pa5 ist nicht zu
halten.} 47. Rb1 Rxa5 $17 {[%csl Rd8] Der schwarze Freibauer auf der a-Linie
stellt eine potentielle Gefahr dar. Der weiße Springer steht passiv auf d8.}
48. Rb6 Rc2 49. Nc6 Ra4 $1 {[%cal Ra4g4,Ra4e4,Re4e2] Die schwarzen Türme sind
aktiv. Wegen der Fesslung des Be2 hängt der Pg4, es droht 50...Re4.} 50. Ke3
Ra3+ 51. Kf2 Rh3 (51... a5 $17) 52. Nd4 (52. Kg2 $2 Rd3 $1 53. Kf1 (53. Kf2
Rdd2 $19) 53... Rd6 54. Bf3 Rf6 $19) 52... Rxh2+ 53. Ke3 Rc3+ 54. Ke4 (54. Kd2
Ra3 $17) 54... a5 $19 {Schwarz hat nun schon R + PPP für B + N.} 55. Ra6 Ra3
56. Ra7 Rf2 $6 (56... h5 $1 57. gxh5 Ra4 $19 {Droht 58...Rxd4 nebst 59...Rxe2
und auch 58...Rh4+. Weiß hat eine hoffnungslose Stellung.}) 57. Bc4 Rg3 (57...
a4 $19) 58. Be2 a4 59. Bf3 $1 $17 (59. Rxa4 Rxe2+ 60. Nxe2 Rxg4+ 61. Nf4 g5 $19
) 59... Rfxf3 60. Nxf3 Rxg4+ 61. Ke3 {Schwarz hat nicht weniger als vier
Bauern für die Figur, aber der a-Bauer ist kaum zu halten. So behält Weiß noch
Rettungschancen.} g5 (61... Rb4 62. Ne5 Kf6 63. Nxf7 h5 64. Nd6 $17) 62. Ne5
Rf4 63. Nd3 {Schwarz muss entweder den Pf7 oder den Pa4 geben.} Rf1 64. Rxa4 h5
65. Nf2 {Die schwarze Bauernmasse ist gefährlich, aber wenn die Bauern an
einem Flügel konzentriert sind, ist der Springer immer eine gute Figur.} Re1+
66. Kf3 f5 67. Nd3 (67. Ra7+ Kf6 68. Ra6+ Re6 69. Rxe6+ Kxe6 $19) 67... Re6 68.
Nf4 $5 {Weiß opfert den Springer, das anschließende Turmendspiel mit f- und
h-Bauer bietet Weiß bessere Remischancen.} gxf4 69. Kxf4 Kg6 70. Ra8 Re4+ 71.
Kg3 h4+ 72. Kh3 (72. Kf3) 72... Kf6 73. Rf8+ Ke5 74. Ra8 Rd4 75. Re8+ Kf4 76.
Ra8 (76. Kxh4 $6 Rd7 {[%csl Rh4]} 77. Kh3 Kf3 $19) 76... Rd7 77. Kg2 Rd3 78.
Ra4+ Kg5 79. Ra8 Rg3+ 80. Kh2 (80. Kf2) 80... Kg4 81. Rg8+ Kf3 82. Rh8 $2 (82.
Ra8) 82... f4 83. Ra8 (83. Rxh4 Rg7 {[%csl Rh2,Rh4] Beide weißen Figuren
stehen passiv - das Endspiel ist verloren.}) 83... Rg2+ 84. Kh3 Re2 85. Ra3+
Re3 86. Ra2 Re8 87. Ra3+ $6 (87. Kh2 Re2+ $19) (87. Rb2 $1) 87... Kf2 88. Kg4
h3 $1 $19 (88... h3 $1 89. Rxh3 (89. Kxh3 Re3+ $19) 89... Kg2 90. Ra3 f3 91.
Rxf3 Rg8+ 92. Kf4 Rf8+ $19) 0-1

[Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "1999.08.04"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1999.07.31"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 5120]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 {Die stärkste Dame der Welt spielt
eigentlich gerne die Königsindische Verteidigung, aber sie hat die erste
Partie in diesem Miniwettkampf gewonnen, ist daher mit Remis zufrieden und
wählt eine sichere Eröffnung. Ribli.} 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {
Die klassische Variante ist eine gute Wahl, denn die Aussicht auf Ausgleich
ist für Schwarz gut.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 {Das ist der
Grundstellung der alten Variante (8.Qxc4) der Katalanische Eröffnung. Das
schwarze Hauptziel ist ...c7-c5 mit Ausgleich durchzusetzen. Weiss sollte dies
wenn möglich verhindern.} 10. Bd2 (10. Bf4 {Meines Erachtens bietet dieser Zug
Weiss die besten Aussichten auf Vorteil.}) (10. Bg5) 10... Be4 (10... Nc6 11.
e3 Nb4 12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 Bd6 $11) 11. Qc1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 {[%csl Rc7][%cal
Ra5d8] Der Läufer steht auf den ersten Blick sehr unangenehm, aber in
Wirklichkeit kann Schwarz die Drohungen leicht parieren.} Rc8 13. Nbd2 (13. Nc3
Ba8 $11) 13... Ba8 $5 14. Qc2 {Weiss verbessert die Damenstellung und wenn
möglich möchte er e2-e4 ziehen.} (14. Nb3 Qe8 15. Ne5 (15. Qe3 c5 16. dxc5 Nxc5
17. Nxc5 Bxc5 {0-1 Barlov,D-Morovic Fernandez,I/Vrsac 1985/EXT 99 (51)}) 15...
c5 $11) (14. Rd1 Qe8 15. b4 Bd6 16. Qc2 e5 17. Nxe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nxe5 19. dxe5
Qxe5 20. Nf3 Qe7 21. Nd4 c5 22. Nf5 Qb7+ 23. Kg1 Be5 {1/2-1/2 Suba,M-Morovic
Fernandez,I/Dubai (ol) 1986/Inf 42 (48)}) (14. Re1 Qe8 15. b4 Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4
17. Qf4 f5 18. Rac1 Bd6 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nf6 21. Qf3 Nd5 22. a3 {1/2-1/2
Polugaevsky,L-Geller,E/Moskva 1985/Inf 39 (22)}) (14. Qb1 Qe8 15. b4 Nb8 16. a3
Nc6 17. Nb3 Nd7 18. e4 e5 19. d5 Nxa5 20. Nxa5 c6 {1/2-1/2 Marin,M-Wells,P/
Odorheiu Secuiesc 1993/CBM 36 (53)}) 14... Nb8 {[%cal Gb8c6,Gc6a5] Schwarz
bereitet den Zug 15...Nc6 vor, um den Läufer a5 zu vertreiben. Auch die
Alternative ist für Schwarz gut spielbar.} (14... Qe8 15. b4 Nd5 16. a3 f5 17.
Rac1 (17. e3 Qh5 18. Rac1 Bd6 19. Qd1 Qh6 20. Qe2 N7f6 21. Rfd1 Ne7 $5 {
. 0-1 Galdunts,S-Vaganian,R/Moskva 1991/Inf 51/[Vaganian,R] (36)}) 17... Qh5
$11 18. Rfe1 N5f6 19. Ne5 $1 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Ng4 21. h3 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Nxe5 23.
Qa2 Qf7 24. Bxc7 Ng6 $2 {1/2-1/2 Andersson,U-Lutz,C/Pamplona 1997/Inf 71/[Lutz,
Ch] (79)} (24... Bf6 $11)) 15. Nb3 {[%cal Gb3c5] Weiss verhindert vorerst den
Zug ...c7-c5, möchte selbst Nc5 mit spürbarem positionellen Druck spielen.} Be4
$5 $146 {Mit diesem Zug muss Weiss immer rechnen, wenn sein Springer nicht das
Feld e4 kontrolliert.} (15... Nc6 16. Bd2 Nb4 17. Bxb4 Bxb4 18. Rfc1 Bd6 19.
Nc5 a5 20. e3 Re8 {1/2-1/2 Van Dop,A-Kuijpers,F/Leeuwarden 1980/MCD (20)}) 16.
Qd2 (16. Qc1 $6 Nc6 17. Bd2 (17. Rd1 Nxa5 18. Nxa5 c5 $17) 17... Bxf3 18. Bxf3
Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Bb7 {[%cal Rb7a6,Rb7c8]} Rcd8 21. Be3 Qd6 $17) 16... Nc6
$15 {[%csl Ra5] Schwarz ist harmonisch entwickelt, während die weissen Figuren
schlecht koordinieren.} 17. Rfc1 (17. Bc3 b4 $19 {[%csl Rc3]}) 17... b4 {
[%csl Ra5][%cal Gd8d5,Gd5a5]} 18. Rxc6 {Früher oder später muss Weiss die
Qualität opfern, denn der Läufer a5 ist in schwerer Not.} Bxc6 19. Bxb4 Bxb4
20. Qxb4 {Weiss hat nur einen Bauern für die Qualität, aber seine
Bauernstruktur ist gesund.} Qd6 21. Qa5 {[%csl Ra6][%cal Ra5a6]} (21. Qxd6 cxd6
$17) 21... Bd5 {[%csl Gd5]} 22. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7]} (22. Nc5 Bxf3 23. Bxf3 Qxd4
$17) 22... Qb6 23. Nfd2 Rb8 (23... Qxa5 24. Nxa5 $15 {Schwarz steht wegen
seines Materialvorteils natürlich besser, aber Weiss hat etwas positionellen
Druck.}) 24. Qc5 a5 $1 {Der Marsch des a-Bauers ist gefährlich für Weiss.} (
24... Qxc5 25. Rxc5 $15) 25. Bxd5 (25. Qxa5 Qxa5 26. Nxa5 Rxb2 $17 {[%cal
Rb2a2,Rb2e2]}) (25. Nxa5 Qxc5 26. Rxc5 Rxb2 $17 {[%cal Rb2a2,Rb2e2]}) 25...
exd5 26. a4 {[%cal Gb8b2]} Qb4 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Rb4a4]} (26... Qxc5 27. Rxc5
$15) 27. Qxc7 (27. Qxb4 Rxb4 28. Rxc7 Rxa4 $17) 27... Qxa4 $17 {Nach
Vereinfachungen hat Schwarz klaren Materialvorteil. Weiss müsste, um im
Turnier nicht auszuscheiden, gewinnen, aber es ist eigentlich nicht mal Remis
in Sicht.} 28. Qc2 (28. Qxa5 Qxa5 29. Nxa5 Rxb2 30. Nab3 Rb8 $17) 28... Qb5 {
[%cal Gb8b2]} 29. e3 h6 (29... a4 30. Nc5 Qxb2 $17) 30. Qd1 Rfc8 31. Ra1 a4 (
31... Ne4 32. Nxe4 (32. Rxa5 Qd3 $17 {[%cal Gd3d1,Ge4d2] Die Fesselung der
Dame ist sehr unangenehm.}) 32... Qxb3 33. Qxb3 Rxb3 34. Nc5 Rxb2 35. Rxa5 $15)
32. Nc5 Qxb2 33. Nxa4 (33. Rxa4 Ra8 34. Nd3 Qc3 $17) 33... Qc2 34. Nc5 Rb2 (
34... Qxd1+ 35. Rxd1 Rb2 $15) 35. Qxc2 Rxc2 36. Ndb3 $15 {[%csl Gb3,Gc5] Weiss
hat eine Qualität weniger, aber er hat keine Schwächen und Schwarz hat wenig
Raum für seine Türme.} Rb8 37. h3 Rb2 38. Nc1 {[%cal Gc1d3]} (38. Ra3 Ne4 39.
Nxe4 dxe4 $17) 38... Rb1 39. Rxb1 Rxb1 40. N5d3 Ne4 41. Kg2 {Schwarz hat eine
schwere technische Aufgabe in der Verwertung der Mehrqualität. Die weisse
Stellung weist keine Schwächen auf.} Kf8 42. Ne2 {[%cal Ge2f4,Gd3f4]} g5 {
Schwarz lässt Nf4 nicht zu.} 43. g4 {[%cal Ge2g3,Gg3f5]} Ke7 44. Ng3 Nxg3 (
44... Nd6 $15) (44... Ke6 45. Nxe4 dxe4 46. Nc5+ Kd5 47. Nd7 {[%csl Re4][%cal
Rd7f6,Rf6d5,Rf6e4]} Ke6 48. Nc5+ $11) 45. Kxg3 Rb3 46. Ne5 {[%csl Ge5]} Rc3 (
46... f6 47. Nf3 Ke6 48. h4 $15) 47. h4 {Natuerlich möchte Weiss soviel
Material wie möglich tausch, aber meines Erachtens ist der schwarze
Materialvorteil hier kaum noch zu verwerten.} Ke6 48. hxg5 hxg5 49. Nf3 f6 50.
Nh2 Rc8 51. Nf1 f5 (51... Rc1 52. Nh2 $15) 52. gxf5+ Kxf5 53. Nh2 Rc1 54. f3 (
54. Ng4 $4 Rg1+) 54... Ra1 55. Ng4 $11 {Weiss hat eine Festung. Alles ist
verteidigt und Schwarz kann nicht vorankommen.} Rg1+ (55... Ra2 56. Kh3 $11)
56. Kf2 (56. Kh3 $2 Rxg4 57. fxg4+ Ke4 $19) 56... Rxg4 57. fxg4+ Ke4 (57...
Kxg4 58. e4 dxe4 59. Ke3 Kf5 60. d5 g4 61. d6 $11) 58. Ke2 $8 {[#]Patt - Eine
Seltenheit auf dem Brett in der GM-Praxis.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "MK Cafe Cup-A"]
[Site "Koszalin"]
[Date "1999.08.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Filippov, Valerij"]
[Black "Sulskis, Sarunas"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2521"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "158"]
[EventDate "1999.08.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 073"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 5120]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {
Grossmeister Sulskis spielt gerne die klassische Variante der Katalanischen
Eröffnung. Schwarz nimmt den c4-Bauern, kan diesen zwar nicht halten, nutzt
aber die Zeit, die Weiss zum Rückgewinn braucht, für die Entwicklung. Ribli.}
7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Heutzutage spielt man in der Grossmeisterpraxis diese
Variante lieber als die alte Fortsetzung 8.Qxc4, wonach Schwarz 8...b5 9.Qc2
Bb7 ziehen kann. Der Textzug schwächt das Feld b4, aber verhindert die
schwarze Entwicklungsaktion mit ...b7-b5.} c5 9. Nbd2 {Eine Nebenvariante. 9.
dxc5 wird häufiger gespielt.} (9. dxc5 $5 Nc6 10. Na3 Bxc5 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Bf4
$5 Nd5 13. Bd2 Ndb4 14. Qb3 a5 (14... f6 15. a5 Kh8 16. Nb6 Bxb6 17. axb6 {
1-0 Tkachiev,V-Bryson,D/Cappelle 1994/EXT 99 (26)}) 15. Nce5 b6 16. Bg5 Qa7 17.
Nxc6 Nxc6 18. Be3 Ba6 19. Ng5 Rac8 20. Qc2 g6 21. Qe4 {0-1 Kamsky,G-Speelman,J/
Linares 1991 . [Ribli Zoltán] (46)}) (9. Rd1 Nc6 10. Na3 Nb4 11. Qb1 b5 (11...
Bd7 12. dxc5 Qc7 13. Nxc4 Bxc5 14. Nce5 Be8 15. Bf4 {1-0 Krivoshey,S-Krajcovic,
B/Prievidza 1998/EXT 99 (28)}) 12. axb5 axb5 13. Nxb5 Bb7 14. Bg5 Rxa1 15. Qxa1
Qb6 16. Na3 Bd5 17. Ne5 Qb7 18. Bxd5 exd5 19. dxc5 Qc7 20. Nf3 Ne4 21. Be3 Bxc5
$13 {Zeit. 1-0 Podzielny,K-Goehring,K/BL 1983/BL 80 (47)}) 9... cxd4 10. Nxc4 {
[%csl Rd4,Ye5][%cal Gf1d1,Gd1d8] Weiss hat einen Bauern weniger, aber der
d4-Bauer ist Angriffspunkt des weissen Spiels und Schwarz kann ihn nicht
nachhaltig verteidigen.} Nc6 11. Rd1 Nd5 {Schwarz strebt mit dem Springer nach
b4.} (11... Bc5 12. Nfe5 $44 (12. e3 Nb4 13. Qb3)) 12. Nxd4 $5 {Das ist
eigentlich ein Qualitätsopfer und wurde bisher nie gespielt.} (12. Bf4 Nxf4 13.
gxf4 Bf6 14. Nfe5 Bxe5 15. fxe5 Bd7 16. Ra3 f5 17. f4 Rc8 18. Qd2 Rc7 19. Nd6
Kh8 20. b4 b6 21. b5 axb5 22. axb5 Na5 23. Qxd4 {1-0 Bator,R-Nielsen,P/
Copenhagen op 1991/TD 91\06 (43)}) (12. a5 Bd7 13. Qb3 Bc5 14. Kh1 Qe7 15. e3
dxe3 16. fxe3 {1/2-1/2 Ioseliani,N-Ciuksyte,D/Pula 1997/EXP 57/[GEO - LTU] (16)
}) 12... Ndb4 13. Nxc6 (13. Qc3 e5 $19 {[%csl Rd1,Rd4][%cal Rd8d1]}) 13... Nxc2
14. Nxd8 Nxa1 15. Nxb7 {[%cal Gg2a8]} Bxb7 (15... Nb3 16. Nba5 Nxa5 17. Nxa5
Rb8 18. Nc6 Rb7 19. b4 $44 {[%csl Gc6]} Bxb4 20. Nxb4 Rxb4 21. Ba3 $11) (15...
Rb8 16. Bf4 Bxb7 (16... Rxb7 17. Bxb7 Bxb7 18. Rxa1 Rd8 $44) 17. Bxb8 Rxb8 18.
Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Rxa1 Rb4 20. Rc1 Rxa4 21. Kg2 $11 (21. Nb6 Rd4 $11)) (15... Ra7
16. Be3 Rxb7 17. Bxb7 Bxb7 18. Rxa1 Rd8 $44) 16. Bxb7 $44 {Weiss hat einen
Bauern, Läuferpaar und gutes Figurenspiel für die Qualität.} Rad8 (16... Rab8
17. Bxa6 $14) 17. Rf1 (17. Rxd8 Rxd8 {[%cal Rd8d1,Rd1g1,Rd1c1]} 18. Bf4 $44)
17... Nb3 (17... Nc2 18. Bxa6) 18. Bxa6 {Weiss hat schon zwei Bauern für die
Qualität. Seine Damenflügelbauern sind eine potentielle Gefahr für Schwarz.}
Ra8 19. Bb5 Nd4 {[%cal Gd4b5,Rd4e2,Re2g1]} 20. Be3 {Weiss beschäftigt sich
nicht mit dem e2-Bauer, denn die Annahme wäre für Schwarz sehr gefährlich.}
Nxb5 (20... Nxe2+ 21. Kg2 {[%csl Re2]} Rad8 22. Bb6 $14 {[%csl Ga4][%cal Ga4a5]
}) 21. axb5 $11 {[%csl Gb5,Gc4,Ge3] Die Stellung ist materiell in dynamischem
Gleichgewicht. Weiss hat zwei Bauern für die Qualität. Seine Bauern sind
schwach (Doppelbauern), aber gleichzeitig stark (Freibauern).} Rfb8 (21... Ra4
22. Ne5 {[%csl Yc6][%cal Ge5c6]}) 22. b6 {[%csl Gb6,Ge3]} Rb7 23. Rb1 {Weiss
möchte 24.b4 mit der Idee 25.Na5 oder 25.Bc5 ziehen.} Bb4 {[%csl Gb4]} 24. Bf4
{[%cal Gf4c7]} h5 25. Bc7 h4 $6 {Schwarz möchte soviel Material wie möglich
tauschen. Meines Erachtens hilft dieser Zug nur Weiss.} (25... g6 $11) (25...
Rc8 $11) 26. gxh4 {Der Bauer ist ein Bauer.} Rc8 {Früher oder später muss
Weiss mit dem Qualitätsopfer rechnen, denn der b7-Turm eingeschlossen.} 27. Rd1
$14 Kh7 28. Kg2 (28. Rd7 $5 $16) 28... Be7 {[%cal Ge7h4]} 29. h5 $6 (29. Rd7
$16 {[%csl Gd7][%cal Rd7h7]}) 29... Rcxc7 $8 {Das ist die einzige praktische
Gegenchance für Schwarz. Er opfert die Qualität zurück.} 30. bxc7 Rxc7 31. b3 {
Weiss hat zwei Mehrbauern, aber die h-Bauern sind schwach und der b-Bauer noch
weit hinten.} Rb7 32. Rd3 Kh6 {[%csl Rh5]} 33. f4 (33. Rh3 $14 {[%csl Rh3] Auf
diese Weise kann Weiss beide Bauern verteidigen, aber das wäre ein sehr
passiver Platz für den Turm.}) 33... f6 {[%cal Gf6e5]} (33... Kxh5 34. Ne5 {
[%csl Rh5][%cal Re5f7] Es droht 35.Rh3+ Bh4 36.Nf3 mit Figurengewinn.}) 34. Re3
{[%csl Re6]} Bc5 35. Rxe6 Rxb3 $16 {Weiss hat vier Bauern gegen zwei am
Königsflügel. Schwarz muss sehr genau spieln, um den Partieverlust zu
verhindern.} 36. Rc6 Rb5 37. Rc7 Bb4 (37... Kxh5 38. Rxg7 $16) 38. e4 Rc5 {
Das ist die beste Möglichkeit für Schwarz. Nach dem Turmtausch er kann den
h5-Bauern gewinnen und hat wegen des reduzierten Materials Remischancen.} (
38... Rxh5 39. Ne3 {[%cal Ge3f5]} Bf8 40. Rf7 {[%csl Rf8]} Bd6 41. Nf5+ Rxf5
42. exf5 Bxf4 43. h4 Kh5 44. Rxg7 Kxh4 45. Kf3 $18) 39. Rxc5 Bxc5 40. Kf3 Kxh5
$14 {Bei Bauern auf einem Flügel ist der Springer gewöhnlich die bessere
Leichtfigur, aber mit zwei gegen drei Bauern hat Schwarz Remischancen.} 41. Ne3
Kg6 (41... Bxe3 $2 42. Kxe3 $18 {Schwarz darf nie die Leichtfiguren tauschen.})
42. Nf5 Kf7 43. Kg4 Bg1 44. h3 Bc5 {Schwarz kann nur abwarten.} 45. Nh4 {
Weiss verbessert seine Springerstellung und möchte den Springer nach f5, e6
oder g6 bringen.} Bf2 46. Nf3 Bc5 47. Ne1 {[%cal Ge1d3,Ge1c2]} Bf2 48. Nd3 {
[%csl Gd3]} Be3 49. f5 {[%cal Gd3f4,Gf4g6,Gf4e6]} Bb6 (49... g6 50. Nf4 gxf5+
51. Kxf5 $14 (51. exf5 $14)) 50. Nf4 Bc7 {[%cal Gc7b8,Gc7h2] Das ist die
ideale Diagonale für Schwarz.} 51. Kf3 Bd6 52. Ke3 Be5 53. Ng6 Bc7 54. Kd4 Bb8
55. Kc5 {Das Eindringen des Königs scheint gefährlich zu sein.} (55. e5 fxe5+
56. Nxe5+ Kf6 57. Nd7+ {[%cal Rd7b8,Rd7f6]} Kxf5 58. Nxb8 Kf4 $11 {[%cal Rf4g3,
Rg3h3] Schwarz holt den letzten weissen Bauern.}) 55... Bg3 56. Kd5 Bh2 57. Kc6
Ke8 (57... Bg3 $14) 58. Nh4 Ke7 59. Nf3 Bf4 60. Nd4 Be3 61. Ne6 g6 (61... Kf7
62. Kd7 g6 $14) 62. Nc7 {[%cal Rc7d5,Rd5e7,Rd5e3]} Kf7 63. Kd7 {[%csl Gd7]
Endlich ist der weisse König auf d7, aber Schwarz kann weiteres Material
tauschen.} gxf5 64. exf5 Bd4 65. Nb5 Bb2 66. Nd6+ Kf8 (66... Kg7 67. Ke6 $14)
67. Ke6 Bd4 (67... Kg7 $2 68. Ne8+ {[%cal Re8f6,Re8g7]}) 68. Nb5 Bb2 69. Nc7
Be5 70. Nd5 Kg7 71. Ne3 Bc3 72. Ng4 Bd4 73. h4 {[%csl Gh4][%cal Gh4h5,Gh5h6]}
Bc3 74. h5 Bb2 75. Nxf6 (75. h6+ Kh7 76. Nxf6+ Kxh6 $11 {Weiss hat einen
Bauern mehr, aber die Stellung ist theoretisch Remis. Der f-Bauer allein ist
nicht genug zum Gewinn.}) 75... Kh6 76. Ng4+ (76. Kf7 Kg5 $11) 76... Kxh5 $11
77. Ne5 {[%cal Rf5f6,Rf6f7,Rf7f8]} (77. f6 Bxf6 $11) 77... Kh6 78. f6 Kh7 {
Dieses Endspiel ist immer Remis, wenn der König des Verteidigers in der Nähe
des Bauern ist.} 79. f7 Kg7 {Und hier wurde Remis vereinbart.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Monarch Assurance 08th"]
[Site "Port Erin"]
[Date "1999.11.12"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Parker, Jonathan"]
[Black "Baburin, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2523"]
[BlackElo "2593"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1999.11.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "IOM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 074"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 10240]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7.
Ne5 {Nach meiner persöhnlichen Meinung ist dieser Springerzug besser als 7.Na3,
aber ich glaube trotzdem, dass die Hauptvariante 7.Qc2 Weiss die beste Chancen
auf Eröffnungsvorteil bietet.} Nc6 {Ähnlich wie in der Nc3-Variante (wir haben
dieselbe Stellung, aber statt Rochade ist Nc3 gespielt) opfert Schwarz einen
Bauern für aktives Gegenspiel.} 8. Bxc6 (8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 $13)
8... bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qd7 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {[%csl Rc4,Yg2,Yh3] Der c4P ist
nicht zu halten, aber Schwarz bekommt Spiel auf den weißen Feldern und gegen
die geschwächte weiße Königsstellung.} e5 {Dieser Zug ist nicht schlecht, aber
der andere Bauernzug scheint mir logischer.} (11... c5 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4
Rd8 $5 14. Qh4 Rb8 15. b3 Ba6 16. Nc3 (16. Ba3 Qc7 17. Bb2 e5 $44) 16... Qc5
17. Ne4 (17. Bb2 Qf5 $1 $44 {Ribli,Z}) 17... Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rb4 19. Qe3 Qc2 $1
20. Ba3 Re4 21. Rfc1 Qxe2 {1/2-1/2 Krasenkow,M-Ribli,Z/Deutschland 72/(444)
1998 (21)}) 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 14. Qc2 (14. Qa6 Bh3 15. Re1 Qd5 16. f3
Ng4 17. Nc3 Qc5+ 18. e3 Ne5 19. Qe2 Rad8 20. Rd1 h6 21. Bd2 f5 22. Be1 Qc6 23.
Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Kf2 f4 25. Bd2 Nxf3 26. Rd1 Nd4 {0-1 Spiridonov,N-Geller,E/Novi
Sad 1978/Inf 26 (26)}) (14. Qd3 $5 Rad8 (14... Nd5 $5 15. Nc3 Nxc3 16. bxc3
Rad8 $44 {Ziatdinov,R}) 15. Qe3 Qh5 16. f3 Nd5 (16... Rfe8 17. Qg5 Bc4 18. Qxh5
Nxh5 19. Re1 $1 Rxe2 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. Kf2 Bc4 22. Nc3 $16 {Pigusov,E-Raecky,A/
USSR 1988/Inf 46 (22)}) 17. Qg5 $2 (17. Qc5 $1 $14) 17... Qh3 18. Bd2 h6 $6 (
18... Rfe8 $1 $15) 19. Qh4 Qxh4 20. gxh4 Rfe8 21. Kf2 $8 Nb6 22. b3 Bc8 23. Rg1
Ba6 24. e4 f5 $5 25. Bxh6 fxe4 26. Nc3 $8 e3+ 27. Bxe3 $1 Rxe3 28. Kxe3 Rd3+
29. Kf2 Rxc3 30. Rac1 Rxc1 31. Rxc1 $11 {Teplicky-Ziatdinov,R/USSR 1988/Inf 46
(31)}) 14... Bf5 (14... Nd5 15. Re1 Nb4 16. Qa4 Nd3 17. Rf1 Qxe2 18. Nc3 Qf3
$13 {1-0 Gruenenwald,J-Wagman,S/Mendrisio 1988/EXT 97 (74)}) 15. Qd2 $146 {
[%cal Gd2e3] Das ist die Abweichung von der Theorie und vom das Remis.} (15.
Qc4 Be6 {1/2-1/2 Kirov,N-Geller,E/Sochi 1976/Inf 23 (15)}) 15... Bh3 $44 (15...
Rad8 16. Qe3 Qa5 17. Nc3 Rfe8 $44) 16. Re1 $5 (16. Rd1 Rfe8 {[%cal Re8e2]} 17.
Nc3 Ne4 18. Qe3 Nxc3 19. bxc3 Qh5 $36) 16... Rad8 17. Qe3 Qd5 $6 {[%csl Rg2]
[%cal Rd5g2]} (17... Qh5 $5 18. Nc3 (18. f3) 18... Rfe8 $36 {[%csl Gd8,Ge8,Gh3,
Gh5]} (18... Ng4 $6 19. Qg5 $14) 19. Qf4 (19. Qg5 Qf3 $19 {[%csl Rg2][%cal
Rf3g2]}) 19... Nd5 20. Qh4 Qxh4 21. gxh4 Nxc3 22. bxc3 Rxe2 23. Bf4 $11) 18. f3
Ng4 $6 (18... Rfe8 $44) 19. Qc3 (19. Qxa7 $6 Rfe8 $44) 19... Rfe8 20. Na3 $1 {
Der Springer steht nicht besonders gut auf a3, aber wichtiger ist, dass Weiss
so schnell wie möglich die Türme verbindet.} (20. e4 Qb7 21. Na3 (21. fxg4 Rxe4
$19 {[%csl Gb7,Ge4,Rg1,Rg2,Gh3][%cal Rb7g2] Schwarz hat überlegenen Angriff -
Weiss kann die vielseitige Drohungen nicht verteidigen.}) 21... Ne5 $44 {
[%csl Yd3]}) 20... Rxe2 $2 {Diese Kombination ist schön, aber letztlich
schlecht.} (20... Ne5 21. Bf4 $14) 21. Rxe2 Qxf3 22. Bh6 $6 $16 {[%csl Rg7]
[%cal Ga1g1,Rc3g7] Weiss möchte sich nicht mit passiver Verteidigung aufhalten,
er möchte die Damen tauschen und das Endspiel gewinnen.} (22. Qe1 $5 $18 {
Es ist schwer vorzustellen, was Schwarz für den Turm hat.}) (22. Qxf3 Rd1+ $19
{[%csl Rg1][%cal Rd1g1]}) 22... Qxc3 23. bxc3 gxh6 (23... Nxh6 24. Rae1 Be6 25.
Nb5 $18) 24. Nb5 {[%cal Rb5c7,Rb5a7,Gb5d4]} Rd5 25. a4 (25. Nxc7 Rc5 26. Ne8
$18) 25... a5 26. Nxc7 Rc5 27. Nb5 $18 {[%csl Gb5] Schwarz hat eine klare
Qualität weniger und die Leichtfiguren am Königsflügel haben keine Drohungen.}
Ne5 {[%cal Ge5f3,Gf3g1]} 28. Re3 Nc4 29. Re4 Nd2 30. Rf4 {[%csl Gf4] Der Turm
steht ausgezeichnet auf f4 und verteidigt die ganze Stellung.} Re5 31. Rd1 Ne4
32. Re1 {[%csl Re4,Re5][%cal Re1e5]} f5 33. Rh4 {[%csl Rh3][%cal Rh4h3]} Bg4
34. h3 {[%csl Rg4] Schwarz gab auf, da er weiteres Material verliert - der
Läufer hat keinen Platz.} (34. h3 Bf3 35. Nd4 $18 {[%csl Rf3][%cal Rd4f3]}) 1-0

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2000.01.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2633"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2000.01.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 075"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.04.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 {Der englische Großmeister spielt
gerne geschlossene Stellungen, aber die Alternative 4...dxc4 bietet auch gute
Chancen auf Ausgleich.} 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {Eine seltene Variante -
man bevorzugt generell 7.Qc2.} Nc6 {Gewöhnlich ist dies das Rezept gegen den
Zug 7.Ne5. Ich möchte anmerken, dass Schwarz auch nach Nc3 statt 0-0 mit 7...
Nc6 reagieren muss.} (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 $14) 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9.
Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {Das ist die andere Hauptvariante - Schwarz
muss entweder 11...e5 oder 11...c5 ziehen. In beidem Fällen bekommt er
Kompensation für den Bauern (er verliert den Pc4).}) 8... bxc6 9. e3 (9. Na3)
9... Nd5 (9... Ba6 10. Bxc6 c3 11. Bxa8 cxb2 12. Bxb2 Bxf1 13. Bf3 $14 {
Dank der besseren Bauernstruktur steht Weiß etwas besser.}) 10. Qa4 (10. Qe2 a5
11. e4 Nb4 12. Be3 Ba6 13. Nc3 Rb8 14. Rab1 Nd3 15. Rfd1 c5 16. dxc5 Bf6 17. h4
Qe7 18. c6 Qb4 {0-1 Niklasch,O-Van Voorthuijsen,P/Taastrup 1997/EXT 99 (39)}) (
10. Qc2 $6 Ba6 11. a3 c3 12. Rd1 cxb2 13. Bxb2 Rb8 14. e4 Nf6 15. Nc3 Bc4 16.
Rd2 Qc8 17. Re1 Qa6 {1-0 Mertens,M-Richter,S/Leipzig 1998/EXT 99 (27)}) 10...
Nb6 (10... a5 11. Rd1 Qd6 12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Qc2 Nb4 14. Qd2 e5 15. a3 Nd3 16.
Be4 Nxc1 17. Rxc1 exd4 18. exd4 Bf6 19. Rxc6 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nc3 {
1/2-1/2 Ippolito,D-Gormally,D/London 1999/CBM 70 ext (21)}) 11. Qc2 (11. Qa5
Rb8 (11... Qd6 12. a3 Rb8 13. Nd2 f5 14. b3 c5 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. bxc4 Qb6 17.
Qxb6 cxb6 18. e4 Ba6 19. Bf4 Rbd8 20. exf5 exf5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 {1/2-1/2
Hassabis,D-McDonald,N/London 1994/CBM 43 ext (62)}) 12. Na3 Bd7 13. Bd2 $44 Bd6
14. Rfc1 Qe7 15. Rab1 c5 $11 {0-1 Wells,P-Arlandi,E/Escaldes 1998/CBM 68/
[Ribli] (18)}) (11. Qxc6 Rb8 {/\ Bb7=}) 11... Rb8 {Schwarz hat schlechte
Bauern auf der c-Linie, aber Weiß kann nur einen von ihnen gewinnen. Schwarz
bekommt Gegenspiel auf der halboffenen b-Linie.} 12. Rd1 (12. Bxc6 Nd5 (12...
Bb7 $11) 13. Qxc4 Rb6 14. Rd1 Ba6 15. Qa4 Qd6 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Nc3 Bc8 18. Qc2
Bg4 {1/2-1/2 Arsovic,Z-Jovanovic,Z/Nis 1993/EXT 97 (72)}) 12... Qe8 {Das ist
die beste Fortsetzung für Schwarz - die Dame verteidigt den Pc6, entfernt sich
aus der d-Linie und bereitet so den Zug c6-c5 vor.} (12... a5 13. Nd2 Ba6 14.
Bxc6 Nd5 15. a3 Qd6 16. Ba4 Nb6 17. Ne4 Qd5 18. Nc3 Qf3 19. e4 Bb7 20. Re1 Bf6
21. Be3 c5 {1/2-1/2 Amura,C-Van Riemsdijk,H/La Plata 1998/CBM 67 ext (36)}) 13.
Nd2 c5 $5 {[%mdl 4] Schwarz kümmert sich nicht um die Verteidigung des Pc4,
sondern gibt den Mehrbauern zurück, um auf Ausgleich zu spielen.} (13... Ba6
14. b3 $1 c5 15. Bb2 $1 cxd4 16. Bxd4 Bb5 $1 17. Qe4 $1 c5 18. Be5 f5 $1 19.
Qc2 Rd8 (19... Rc8 $5 {Cvetkovic,S}) 20. bxc4 Bc6 21. e4 $1 $14 {Arsovic,
Z-Cvetkovic,S/Jugoslavija (ch_open) 1994/Inf 60 (21)}) 14. dxc5 (14. Nxc4 cxd4
15. Rxd4 (15. exd4 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Bd6 $11) 15... Bf6 $11) 14... Bxc5 15. Nxc4
Nxc4 16. Qxc4 {Weiß besitzt dank der besseren Bauernstruktur einen
mikroskopisch kleinen Vorteil. Der Bc7 ist theoretisch schwach.} Qb5 17. Qxb5 (
17. Qc2 Bb7 $11) 17... Rxb5 $11 18. b3 {Auf diese Weise kann Weiß das schwarze
Spiel auf der halboffenen b-Linie neutralisieren.} Bb7 19. Bxb7 (19. Rd7 $6 Bd6
20. Bxb7 Rxb7 {Der Rd7 steht unglücklich, so dass Schwarz mit Rfb8 - Kf8-Ke8
fortsetzen kann.}) 19... Rxb7 20. Bb2 Bd6 {Weiß hat einen sehr kleinen Vorteil,
aber durch die Aktivierung seines Königs kann Schwarz das Spiel ausgleichen.}
21. Rac1 {Die weiße Drohung lautet 22.Bd4 (im Falle von 22...e5 folgt 23.Bc5)
nebst 23.Rc6 mit positionellem Druck.} (21. Bd4 e5 $11) 21... Rb6 $1 22. e4 f6
(22... e5 23. Rd5 $14) 23. Bd4 (23. f4 $5 $14) 23... Ra6 24. Rc2 Rb8 25. Kf1
Rb5 26. Ke2 Kf7 {Der schwarze König strebt in die Nähe des Pc7 - danach wird
die Stellung völlig ausgeglichen.} 27. Rd3 Ke8 28. a4 Rb7 29. Rc4 {Der
schwarze Turm steht etwas unglücklich auf a6.} Be7 {Schwarz bereitet den
Befreiungszug c6 vor.} (29... Kd7 $6 30. e5 fxe5 31. Bxe5 $14) 30. e5 {Und in
ausgeglichener Stellung wurde Remis gegeben.} (30. e5 f5 $11 {Schwarz kann
Ra5-Rd5 spielen, mit Ausgleich.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Perenyi Memorial"]
[Site "Gyula"]
[Date "2000.01.30"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Horvath, Csaba"]
[Black "Yu, Shaoteng"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2519"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2000.01.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 076"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.05.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.05.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {Das ist
eine heutzutage relativ selten gespielte Nebenvariante. Die Huptfortsetzung 7.
Qc2 verspricht Weiß bessere Chancen auf Eröffnungsvorteil.} Nc6 {Das ist die
prinzipielle Antwort. Schwarz hat keine Angst vor einer schlechten
Bauernstruktur, er möchte seinen Damenflügel um jeden Preis entwickeln.} (7...
c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 $14) (7... Qd6 8. Nxc4 Qa6 9. Nba3 $14) 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6
bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {Auf diese Weise kann Weiß zwar einen
Bauern gewinnen, weil der Pc4 nicht zu verteidigen ist, aber mit
anschließendem 11...e5 oder 11...c5 bekommt Schwarz genügend Kompensation -
die weißen Felder am weißen Königsflügel sind schwach.}) 8... bxc6 9. e3 {
Weiß muss sich nicht beeilen, den Bauern zurück zu gewinnen, zuerst verstärkt
er seine Zentrumsstellung.} (9. Na3) (9. Bxc6 Rb8 $11) 9... Nd5 10. Qa4 Nb6 (
10... a5 11. Rd1 Qd6 12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Qc2 Nb4 14. Qd2 e5 15. a3 Nd3 16. Be4
Nxc1 17. Rxc1 exd4 18. exd4 Bf6 19. Rxc6 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nc3 {1/2-1/2
Ippolito,D-Gormally,D/London 1999/CBM 70 ext (21)}) 11. Qc2 (11. Qa5 Rb8 12.
Na3 Bd7 13. Bd2 $44 Bd6 14. Rfc1 Qe7 15. Rab1 c5 $11 {0-1 Wells,P-Arlandi,E/
Escaldes 1998/CBM 68/[Ribli] (18)}) 11... Qd7 (11... Rb8 12. Bxc6 (12. Rd1 Qe8
13. Nd2 Ba6 14. b3 c5 $13) 12... Nd5 (12... Bb7 $11) 13. Qxc4 Rb6 14. Rd1 Ba6
15. Qa4 Qd6 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Nc3 Bc8 18. Qc2 Bg4 {1/2-1/2 Arsovic,Z-Jovanovic,
Z/Nis 1993/EXT 97 (72)}) 12. Nd2 Ba6 (12... a5 $6 13. Nxc4 $5 (13. Rd1 $44)
13... Nxc4 14. Qxc4 Ba6 15. Qxc6 Qxc6 16. Bxc6 $16) 13. Rd1 Rfd8 (13... Rad8
14. b3 c5 15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. bxc4 Qa4 17. Qxa4 Nxa4 18. Ba3 Bd6 19. Rac1 cxd4
20. Bxd6 cxd6 21. exd4 Rc8 22. Rd3 Rc7 23. Ra3 Nb6 24. c5 {1-0 Scarella,
E-Zarnicki,P/Buenos Aires 1994/TD (40)}) 14. b3 {Das ist ein typisches Motiv -
Weiß tauscht den schwarzen Mehrbauern und spielt auf der c-Linie.} cxb3 (14...
Rab8 15. Nxc4 (15. bxc4 c5 $15) 15... Nxc4 16. bxc4 c5 17. Ba3 (17. d5 $2 Bf6
$17) 17... cxd4 18. Rxd4 Qe8 $11) 15. Qxc6 (15. axb3 $6 Be2 $5 (15... Bb5 $15)
16. Re1 Bb5 $15) 15... Qxc6 16. Bxc6 Rab8 17. axb3 Bb7 18. Bxb7 (18. Be4 Bxe4
19. Nxe4 f5 $11) 18... Rxb7 {[%mdl 4096] In dieser Stellung hat Weiß dank der
besseren Bauernstruktur theoretisch Vorteil, aber Schwarz kann seine Stellung
mit c7-c6 oder e6-e5 befreien.} 19. Ba3 Bxa3 (19... Kf8 20. Ne4 $14) 20. Rxa3
e5 $132 {[%mdl 64]} 21. Ne4 {Und hier einigte man sich - in ausgeglichener
Stellung - auf Remis.} (21. dxe5 c5 {[%cal Gb7d7,Gd8d1]} 22. Kf1 Rbd7 23. Ke2
c4 $36 {Schwarz hat spürbar Aktivität, er steht keineswegs schlechter.} 24.
Raa1 cxb3 (24... Nd5 $5) 25. Nxb3 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Rxd1 27. Kxd1 Nc4 $15) (21. Ne4
Nc8 $11 {[%cal Gb7b4,Gb4e4] Die Bauern sind auf beiden Seiten gleichermaßen
schwach.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2000.01.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2658"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2000.01.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 075"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.04.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 {Das ist eine sichere Fortsetzung, aber Schwarz
kann auch 3...b6, 3...c5 oder 3...b5 spielen.} 4. c4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4
7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Es hat den Anschein, dass dieser Zug Weiß bessere Chancen
bietet als die traditionelle Fortsetzung 8.Qxc4.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5
11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Na6 {Schwarz hat das Läuferpaar und einen guten
Stützpunkt für den Springer auf b4. Trotzdem steht Weiß aktiver und kann im
folgenden mit e2-e4 sein Spiel im Zentrum aufziehen.} (12... Ra6 13. e3 Rb6 14.
Qe2 Rb4 15. Rfd1 g6 16. Qc2 Bg7 17. Rac1 Na6 18. b3 Bd5 19. Nd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2
Rb6 21. Nc4 Nb4 22. Qe4 $14 {1-0 Yudasin,L-Aseev,K/Kostroma 1985/MCD (39)}) 13.
e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 (14. Rad1) 14... g6 {Mit der Partiefortsetzung bereitet
Schwarz dem Läufer ein sicheres Plätzchen auf g7. Das Problem der schwarzen
Stellung ist, dass ein aktiver Spielplan nicht leicht zu finden ist.} (14... b6
15. h4 (15. Ne1 g6 16. Nb5 Bg7 17. Rac1 Rc8 18. Nd3 Nxd3 19. Rxd3 Bxb5 20. axb5
Qe7 21. e5 f6 22. Bh3 Rce8 23. d5 fxe5 24. dxe6 Kh8 25. Rd7 {1-0 Beliavsky,
A-Rozentalis,E/Batumi 1999/CBM 74 (31)}) 15... Bb7 16. Rd2 Qc8 17. Qe2 c5 $2
18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. e5 Be7 20. Nd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Nd5 22. Rc1 $1 {1-0 Lputian,
S-Asrian,K/Armenia (ch) 73/560 1998/Inf 73/[Lputian,S] (43)}) (14... Ra6 $6 15.
Rac1 (15. h4 $5) 15... Rb6 16. h4 h6 $2 17. Qe2 Re8 18. Rd2 Qd7 $2 19. Qd1 Qd8
20. Nh2 Be7 21. Ng4 Rf8 22. Ne5 Be8 $2 23. Bf1 $16 {1-0 Lputian,S-Sadler,M/
Luzern 1997/Inf 71/[Lputian,S] (37)}) (14... Rb8 15. Rac1 Qd7 16. b3 Rfd8 17.
Qe2 $1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Karpov,A-Polgar,J/Dos Hermanas 1997/Inf 69/[Karpov,An] (60)
}) 15. h4 {Das ist ein für solche Stellungen typischer Raumgewinnzug.
Anschließend kann Weiß eventuell Ng5 ziehen.} (15. Qe2 Bg7 16. h4 Qe7 17. e5 (
17. Qd2 Rad8 18. Rac1 f5 $1 $15 {1/2-1/2 Akesson,R-Stefansson,H/Reykjavik 1997/
CBM 62/[Ribli] (41)}) 17... Rad8 18. Ne4 b6 19. b3 Rd7 20. Rac1 Bd5 21. Qe3
Rfd8 {1/2-1/2 Poluljahov,A-Lobzhanidze,D/Krasnodar 1997/EXT 99 (21)}) 15... Rc8
(15... b6 {[%cal Gc6b7]}) 16. Rd2 Bg7 17. Rad1 $14 {Weiß übt spürbar
positionellen Druck aus und möchte früher oder später mit d4-d5 weiteren
Raumvorteil gewinnen.} Qe7 18. Ng5 {Weiß muss nicht eilen, zuerst provoziert
er die Schwächung des schwarzen Königsflügels.} h6 (18... Rfd8 $14) 19. Nf3 b6
20. d5 Bd7 (20... exd5 21. exd5 Bd7 22. Re1 $14 (22. Nd4 $14 {Mit
Zugumstellung wir haben die Partiefortsetzung.})) 21. Nd4 (21. dxe6 $6 Bxe6 22.
Nd5 Qe8 $13) 21... exd5 22. exd5 Bg4 23. Nc6 $1 {Nach diesem Zug kann Schwarz
das Läuferpaar nicht halten.} (23. Rc1) 23... Nxc6 24. Qxg4 Ne5 25. Qe2 {
Weiß hat Raumvorteil und gute Kontrolle auf den weißen Felder, aber die
schwarze Stellung ist solide.} h5 $5 {Schwarz sichert das Feld g4 für den
Springer und kann eventuell Bh6 ziehen.} 26. Nb5 {[%csl Gb5][%cal Gd2c2,Gd1c1,
Gc1c8] Weiß verfügt über einen klaren Plan - Turmverdopplung auf der c-Linie.}
(26. f4 $2 Qc5+ $15) 26... Qb4 27. Rd4 Qc5 28. Re4 Rce8 29. Qe3 $5 {[%mdl 32]
Auf diese Weise kann Weiß die Damen tauschen, in dem daraus entstehenden
Endspiel hat er die besseren Chancen.} Qxe3 {Das ist erzwungen - 29...Qe7 geht
nicht wegen 30.f4.} 30. Rxe3 Nc4 $8 (30... Ng4 31. Rxe8 Rxe8 32. Nxc7 $16) (
30... Re7 31. Rc1 $16) 31. Rxe8 Rxe8 32. Nxc7 Rc8 33. d6 (33. Nb5 $6 Nxb2 $15)
33... Rd8 (33... Nxd6 $5 34. Rxd6 Rxc7 35. Bd5 $14 {Weiß hat das bessere
Figurenspiel, aber da das Material reduziert ist hat Schwarz gute Remischancen.
} (35. Rxb6)) 34. Nb5 Nxb2 35. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7,Gc7f7]} Nxa4 36. Rc7 $44 {
Schwarz hat einen Mehrbauern, dafür ist der weiße d-Bauer stark und die weißen
Figuren harmonieren besser miteinander.} Bf8 (36... Be5 37. Bd5 $44) 37. Bd5
Bxd6 38. Rxf7 Kh8 39. Be4 Be5 (39... Bc5 40. Bxg6 Nb2 $13) 40. Bxg6 Rd5 $13 41.
Na7 {[%cal Ga7c6,Gc6e7]} (41. Rh7+ Kg8 42. Bf7+ Kxh7 43. Bxd5 Nc3 $11) 41...
Rc5 {Schwarz schränkt den Spielraum des Na7 ein.} 42. Rb7 Bd4 (42... Bc7 $13)
43. Be8 Rc1+ 44. Kg2 Nc3 45. Nc6 Bc5 46. Ne5 $36 {[%csl Rh8] Schwarz hat zwar
zwei Freibauern, aber sein König steht schlecht auf h8.} a4 47. g4 $1 Re1 (
47... hxg4 48. Ng6+ Kg8 49. h5 $16) 48. Ng6+ Kg8 49. Bf7+ Kg7 50. gxh5 Ne4 $4 {
[%mdl 8192]} (50... Kh6 $1 $13 {[%csl Gh6]}) 51. Be8+ $18 Kh6 (51... Kf6 52.
Rf7+ Ke6 53. Nf4+ Kd6 54. Rd7+ Ke5 55. Nd3+ $18 {[%cal Rd3e5,Rd3e1]}) (51...
Kg8 52. h6 $18) 52. Ne7 {[%cal Re7f5,Rf5h6]} Kh7 (52... Bxe7 53. Rxe7 {[%csl
Rh6]}) (52... Kg7 53. h6+ Kh7 (53... Kxh6 54. Nf5#) 54. Nf5+ Kh8 55. Bg6 $18)
53. Bg6+ Kg7 54. Nd5+ Kf8 55. h6 Nd6 56. Rb8+ Ne8 57. Nf6 {Mit diesem Zug
gewinnt Weiß die Figur.} (57. Ne3 $18) 57... Bd4 58. Nxe8 Ke7 59. Ng7 Kf6 60.
h7 {Schwarz kann nichts gegen die Umwandlung des Bauern ausrichten.} 1-0

[Event "Japfa Classic"]
[Site "Bali"]
[Date "2000.04.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Milos, Gilberto"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2000.04.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "INA"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 077"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.07.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.07.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {Karpov spielt in erster Linie entweder 3.Nf3 oder
den Textzug.} d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 {
Das ist interessant, auch Karpov spielt diese Variante mit Schwarz.} 9. Qxc4
Bc6 {Der Läufer steht gut auf c6, denn zieht der Nf3, so kann Schwarz den
"katalanischen" Läufer abtauschen. In einigen Varianten findet das
Verteidigungsmotiv Bxf3 nebst c6 Anwendung.} 10. Bg5 a5 {[%csl Yb4][%cal Gb8a6,
Ga6b4]} 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 {Das ist die beste Fortsetzung für Weiß. Er gibt
das Läuferpaar freiwillig auf und bekommt dafür ein starkes Zentrum.} (12. Rac1
Bd5 $5 (12... Qd6 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 c6 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nf3 $14 {Diese
Stellung entstand in der Partie Kasparov,G - Karpov,A Moskau (Match/22) 1984.})
) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 {Schwarz hat in der Tat eine feste Stellung und sein
Springer hat einen "ewigen" Stützpunkt auf b4. Dennoch hat Weiß - dank seines
Zentrumsvorteils - die Initiative.} 14. Rfd1 b6 {Schwarz versucht -
verständlicherweise - die Stellung des weißfeldrigen Läufers zu verbessern.} (
14... Rb8 15. Rac1 Qd7 16. b3 Rfd8 17. Qe2 Rbc8 18. h4 Qe8 19. Bh3 $14 {
1/2-1/2 Karpov,A-Polgar,J/Dos Hermanas 1997/CBM 59/[Ribli] (60)}) (14... Ra6 $6
15. Rac1 $14 {1-0 Lputian,S-Sadler,M/Luzern 1997/CBM 62/[Ribli] (37)}) 15. Rd2
(15. Rac1 Qc8 16. Ne1 Rd8 17. Nb5 Qb7 18. e5 Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Bg5 20. f4 c6 21.
Nd6 {1-0 Kaidanov,G-Murzin,L/New York USA 2000/The Week in Chess 288 (43)}) (
15. Ne1 g6 16. Nb5 Bg7 17. Rac1 Rc8 18. Nd3 Nxd3 19. Rxd3 Bxb5 20. axb5 Qe7 21.
e5 f6 22. Bh3 Rce8 23. d5 fxe5 24. dxe6 Kh8 25. Rd7 Qf6 26. Qe2 e4 27. Rcxc7 {
1-0 Beliavsky,A-Rozentalis,E/Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO 1999 (31)}) (15. h4 Bb7 16.
Rd2 Qc8 17. Qe2 c5 $2 (17... c6 $5) 18. dxc5 Qxc5 (18... bxc5 19. Nb5 Ba6 20.
Rc1 Rb8 21. b3 $14) 19. e5 {1-0 Lputian,S-Asrian,K/Armenia (ch) 73/560 1998/
Inf 73/[Lputian,S] (43)}) 15... Bb7 16. Qe2 $5 {Das ist ein Vorschlag von
Großmeister Bagirov in Informator 73 (nach seiner Partie gegen Zueger - siehe
16.Rad1), es ist die beste Fortsetzung für Weiß. Die Dame bekommt ein gutes
Feld auf e3.} (16. Rad1 c6 (16... Ba6 $1 17. Qb3 Qc8 $5 18. Rc1 (18. d5 exd5
19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Be7 $1 21. d6 $5 Bxd6 22. Ng5 Rb8 23. Qc2 g6 24. Ne4 Qe6
{1/2-1/2 Zueger,B-Bagirov,R/Biel 73/(560) 1998/(24)}) 18... Nd3 $1 19. Rcd1 Nb4
$11) 17. Ne5 Ba6 18. Qb3 Qc7 19. Ng4 Bg5 20. f4 Be7 21. e5 Rad8 22. Ne4 c5 23.
dxc5 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 bxc5 25. Ngf6+ Bxf6 26. exf6 Rd8 {0-1 Akesson,R-Leitao,R/
Cappelle La Grande FRA 2000 (53)}) 16... Ba6 {Der Läufer steht auf a6 viel
aktiver als auf der großen Diagonale.} (16... g6 17. h4 Qe7 18. Qe3 Rac8 19.
Rad1 h5 20. Ne1 Bg7 21. f4 Rfd8 22. e5 Bxg2 23. Nxg2 Qd7 24. Kh2 Nd5 25. Qf3
Nxc3 26. bxc3 Qxa4 27. g4 $36 {1/2-1/2 Foisor,C-Bagirov,R/Cappelle La Grande
FRA 2000 (35)}) 17. Qe3 c6 {[%mdl 4] Wieder wählt Schwarz den besten Plan -
Schwarz muss abwarten. Prinzipiell wäre der Zug c5 gut, aber er muss damit
nicht eilen.} 18. h4 $14 {Weiß kontrolliert mehr Raum, und dieser typische Zug
bietet Weiß die Möglichkeit Nh2-g4 zu spielen und seinen Gegner am
Königsflügel zu provozieren.} Qc7 19. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7]} Rad8 20. e5 {Weiß hat
schon alle Vorbereitungszüge ausgeführt, jetzt startet er seine Aktion. Dieser
Zug gibt Schwarz zwar die Kontrolle über das Feld d5, aber wenn Schwarz das
Feld mit seinem Springer besetzt, kann Weiß den Springer abtauschen.} Be7 21.
Ng5 {Dieser Springerzug ist auch eine Idee von 18.h4.} Rd7 (21... Bc4 $5 {
[%cal Gc4b3,Gc4d5]}) (21... h6 $6 22. Nh3 $14 {[%cal Gh3f4]}) (21... Bxg5 $6
22. hxg5 $36 {Weiß übt spürbar positionellen Druck am Königsflügel aus.}) 22.
Be4 g6 23. b3 {Richtet sich gegen den Zug Bc4.} Qd8 {[%cal Gc6c5][%mdl 32] Mit
dieser Fortsetzung bereitet Schwarz den Ausgleichszug 24...c5 vor. Nach 24...
c5 kann Schwarz - dank des Läuferpaares - mehr als Ausgleich erreichen.} 24.
Rcd1 (24. Bg2 c5 25. Rcd1 cxd4 26. Rxd4 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Qc7 $15) 24... Nd5 25.
Nxd5 cxd5 $11 {Die Bauernstellung ist symmetrisch, und auch wenn Weiß leichten
Raumvorteil hat, ist die Stellung doch ausgeglichen.} 26. Bd3 {Es ist logisch,
dass Weiß den aktiven schwarze Läufer abtauscht.} Bxd3 27. Rxd3 Rc7 {[%cal
Gc7c1]} 28. Rc1 {Weiß scheint etwas besser zu stehen, weil er sich die
Herrschafft über die c-Linie verschaffen kann.} b5 $5 {Mit diesem
vorübergehenden Bauernopfer beginnt Schwarz, die Bauern am Damenflügel
abzutauschen.} (28... Bb4 $11) 29. axb5 Bxg5 30. hxg5 Rxc1+ 31. Qxc1 Qb6 32.
Qc6 (32. Qc5 Rb8 $11) 32... Rb8 33. Rf3 (33. Rc3 Qxb5 $11) 33... Qxb5 34. Qc7 {
Die weiße Stellung erscheint aktiver, aber Schwarz kann sich leicht
verteidigen.} Rf8 35. Kg2 a4 36. bxa4 Qxa4 {Die Stellung wirkt totremis, aber
der Exweltmeister spielt gern solche langweilige Endspiele.} 37. Rf4 Qb4 38.
Qa7 Kg7 39. Qa1 Qe7 {[%cal Re7g5]} 40. Qc1 {[%cal Gc1g5]} Ra8 (40... Qxg5 $4
41. Rxf7+ $18 {[%cal Rc1g5,Rf7g7]}) 41. Rh4 Rd8 42. Qf4 (42. Qh1 Rh8 $11) 42...
Kg8 43. Rh1 Qf8 $8 (43... Kg7 $2 44. Qf6+ (44. Qh4 Rh8 45. Qh6+ Kg8 46. Ra1 $36
) 44... Qxf6 45. exf6+ Kg8 46. Ra1 $16) 44. Qh4 Qg7 45. Qh6 Rb8 (45... Qxh6 $2
46. gxh6 $16) 46. Ra1 Qf8 47. Qh4 Ra8 48. Rh1 (48. Rxa8 Qxa8 $11) 48... Qg7
1/2-1/2

[Event "Cannes m1"]
[Site "Cannes"]
[Date "2000.04.26"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tkachiev, Vladislav"]
[Black "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "2000.04.18"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "8"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 077"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.07.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.07.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 {In der zweiten und vierten Matchpartie wählte
Piket die Slawische Verteidigung, von daher ist diese Eröffnung eine kleine
Überraschung.} 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist der - in der
Großmeisterpraxis oft gespielte - klassische Aufbau. Schwarz öffnet die
Stellung und während Weiß das Material zurückgewinnt, kann er die Entwicklung
des Damenflügels beenden.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Die Variante 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7
bietet Weiß weniger Chancen, weil Schwarz früher oder später durch c7-c5
Ausgleich erreichen kann.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Rd1) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5 {In einigen
Varianten nimmt Weiß auf f6 und bekommt nach Nc3 und e4 aktives Spiel im
Zentrum.} Bd5 11. Qc2 (11. Qc1 Nc6 12. e3 Nb4 (12... Na5 13. Nbd2 Ne4 14. Bxe7
Qxe7 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Ra3 Nc6 17. Rc3 Rac8 18. Rc5 Nb4 19. Qd2 b6 20. Rc4 a5 {
1/2-1/2 Shumiakina,T-Geller,E/Moscow 1992/CBM 33 (44)}) 13. Bxf6 (13. Nc3 a5
14. Rd1 Rc8 {1/2-1/2 Mikhalevski,V-Khalifman,A/St Petersburg 1999/CBM 72 (14)})
13... Bxf6 14. Nbd2 a5 15. e4 Bc6 16. Qc3 Qd7 17. b3 Rfd8 18. e5 Be7 19. Rfd1
Rac8 20. Nc4 b6 {0-1 Giardelli,S-Zarnicki,P/Buenos Aires 1995/EXT 97 (27)}) (
11. Qd3) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 (12. Qd1 c5 13. Nbd2 Bc6 $11) 12... Nc6 (12... Nbd7
$5 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qc2 Bb4 15. Rfe1 Bxf3 (15... h6 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. e4 a5 18.
Re2 Qd7 19. Bh3 Qd8 20. Rd1 {1/2-1/2 Ruck,R-Yu,S/Perenyi memorial 2000 (60)})
16. Bxf3 c6 17. Red1 Qa5 18. Bf4 (18. Na2 Bd6 19. Bd2 Qc7 20. Bg2 a5 21. Rac1
Rfd8 22. h3 Bf8 23. e4 e5 {1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Almasi,Z/Senec 1998/EXT 99 (73)})
18... e5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Bg2 Rad8 21. Na2 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Re8 23. Nxb4 Qxb4
24. Bd2 Qc4 25. Qxc4 Nxc4 26. Bc3 {1-0 Filippov,V-Gutov,A/Omsk/Perm 1998/EXT
2000 (49)}) (12... a5 13. Nbd2 $6 (13. Nc3 $5 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. Rd1 $14)
13... Bc6 $11 14. Nc4 Bd5 $13 {1-0 Mikhalevski,V-Aseev,K/St Petersburg 1999/
CBM 72/[Ribli] (35)}) 13. Nbd2 $5 {Weiß verteidigt nicht den Pd4, sondern
attackiert sofort den Be4..} (13. e3 Nd5 (13... Nb4 $5 14. Nc3 Bc6 {1/2-1/2
Pigusov,E-Liang Jinrong/Beijing 1997/CBM 61/[Ribli] (37)}) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15.
Nc3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Na5 17. Nd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 19. Qb2 Rac8 20. Qb6 Qc7 21.
Rfb1 {1-0 Foisor,C-Amura,C/Jakarta 1993/EXT 97 (44)}) 13... Nxd4 (13... Bf5 $5
14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e4 Bg4) (13... Bd5 $2 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e4 $18) 14. Nxd4 Bxg2
15. Nxe6 {Dieser Zwischenzug ist die Pointe des weißen Spiels.} fxe6 16. Kxg2 {
Nach Vereinfachungen behält Weiß die etwas bessere Bauernstruktur.} Qd5+ (16...
c5 17. a5 $5 {[%csl Ga5] Nach diesem Zug bekommt Schwarz Probleme am
Damenflügel - das Feld b6 ist schwach und der Pc5 ein guter Angriffspunkt} Qd5+
18. Nf3 Rad8 19. Qc2 Qc6 20. Qa4 Qxa4 21. Rxa4 Rd5 22. Rc1 h6 23. Be3 {1-0
Kaidanov,G-Bauer,C/New York USA 2000/The Week in Chess 288 (49)}) 17. Nf3 c5
18. Rd1 (18. a5 $5 $14) 18... Qc6 19. Qc2 (19. a5 $14) 19... h6 20. Bf4 (20.
Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Rac1 Bg5 22. Rb1 Rad8 $11) 20... Rfd8 $6 {Dieser mechanische Zug
ist nicht die beste Wahl für Schwarz. Er erlaubt es dem Gegner, mit 21.a5 Raum
zu gewinnen.} (20... b6 $142 $5 21. Qg6 Qe4 22. Qxe4 Nxe4 $11) 21. a5 $1 $14 {
[%csl Ga5][%mdl 32] Dieser Zug verschafft Weiß kleinen, aber dauerhaften
Vorteil. Dank seines Pa5 übt Weiß positionellen Druck am Damenflügel aus.} Rxd1
22. Rxd1 Rd8 (22... Nd5 23. Be5 $14 {[%csl Ge5]}) 23. Rc1 Bf8 24. Qg6 {[%csl
Gg6] Droht auf h6. Mit diesem Zug erzwingt Weiß quasi den Damentausch.} Qe4 (
24... Qe8 25. Qxe8 Rxe8 26. Be3 $14) 25. Qxe4 Nxe4 26. Be3 {[%csl Rc5] Der Pc5
ist der Angriffspunkt in der schwarzen Stellung.} Rd5 27. Ne1 {[%cal Ge1d3]}
Nf6 {Der Springer räumt das Feld e4 von selbst, denn nach f3 oder Kf3 muss er
ohnehin weichen.} 28. Nd3 Nd7 29. Nf4 Rd6 (29... Re5 $2 30. Rd1 $16) 30. Ng6 {
[%csl Gg6]} b6 $6 {Psychologisch ist es verständlich, dass sich Schwarz am
Damenflügel befreien möchte - dieser Zug aber hilft nur Weiß.} (30... Rd5 $5
$14) 31. Bf4 Rc6 (31... Rd5 32. axb6 Nxb6 33. Ra1 $16) 32. Rd1 {[%csl Gd1]
[%cal Rd1d7]} Kf7 33. Nxf8 (33. Rxd7+ Kxg6 34. axb6 Rxb6 35. Be5 $14) 33...
Nxf8 {[#]} 34. Rd6 $1 {Ein sehr starker Zug! Der Turmtausch ist nun erzwungen,
und Weiß bekommt ein chancenreiches Endspiel.} Rxd6 35. Bxd6 {[%mdl 4096]} bxa5
36. Bxc5 $16 {Weiß hat eigentlich einen Bauern mehr - weil die schwarzen
Bauern auf der a-Linie weniger wert sind.} Nd7 37. Ba3 e5 38. Kf3 Ke6 39. e4 h5
40. Ke3 g5 $8 {Sonst spielt Weiß 41.f4.} 41. f3 Nb6 42. h3 Na8 $6 {[%cal Ga8c7]
} (42... Nd7 $142 $16) 43. Bc5 $1 {[%csl Ra8]} (43. g4 hxg4 44. hxg4 Nb6 $14)
43... Kd7 (43... Nc7 44. Bb6 $18) (43... a4 44. Kd3 $16 {[%csl Ra4][%cal Gd3c4,
Gc4b4,Gb4a4]}) 44. Kd3 Nc7 45. Bb6 {Dieser Zug gewinnt einen Bauern, weil
Schwarz um jeden Preis das Bauernendspiel vermeiden muss.} Ne6 (45... a4 $2 46.
Bxc7 Kxc7 47. Kc4 $18) 46. Bxa5 h4 47. Be1 $5 (47. gxh4 Nf4+ 48. Ke3 gxh4 49.
Be1 Nxh3 50. Bxh4 Nf4 $16) 47... Nd4 48. Ke3 hxg3 (48... Nc2+ 49. Ke2 hxg3 (
49... Nxe1 50. Kxe1 hxg3 51. Kf1 $18) 50. Bxg3 $16) 49. Bxg3 Nc6 50. Kd3 Ke6
51. Bf2 (51. Kc4 Nd4 52. f4 $16) 51... Ne7 {[%cal Ge7g6,Gg6f4]} 52. Be3 Kf6 53.
Bb6 $1 {[%cal Rb6d8,Rd8g5]} Nc8 (53... Ng6 54. Bd8+ $18) 54. Bc5 $18 {[%csl
Rc8] Das Bauernendspiel ist immer verloren für Schwarz, aber nun kann er
nichts mehr dagegen tun, weil der Bc5 alle Felder des schwarzen Springers
abdeckt.} Kg6 55. Kc4 Kh5 56. Kd5 Kh4 57. Kxe5 Kxh3 58. Kf5 Kg3 59. Kxg5 Kxf3
60. Kf5 Ke2 61. Ke6 Kd3 62. e5 (62. Kd7 Kxe4 63. Kxc8 $18) 62... Ke4 63. b4 Kf4
64. Kd7 Kxe5 65. Kxc8 1-0

[Event "Vidmar Memorial 13th"]
[Site "Portoroz"]
[Date "1999.06.22"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Black "Stohl, Igor"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2573"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1999.06.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 36]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {
Die klassische Variante der Katalanischen Eröffnung ist eine sichere
Möglichkeit für Schwarz. Er nimmt den c4-Bauern und während Weiss ihn
zurückgewinnt, bekommt er Zeit für die Entwicklung des Damenflügels. Ribli.} 7.
Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Dieser Zug schwächt das Feld b4, aber lässt Schwarz nicht ...
b7-b5 ziehen. Heutzutage ist dieser Zug ist viel populärer als das klassische
8.Qxc4.} Bd7 9. Rd1 {Die Alternative ist 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bg5. Die
Partiefortsetzung führt zu taktischem Spiel.} Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 $5 {Das ist die
prinzipielle Entscheidung.} (10... Bb4 11. Bg5 Bxc3 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qxc3 Qe7
14. Qxc4 Nd7 15. Rac1 Rfd8 16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 c6 $11) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6
bxc6 13. a5 {Eine alte Fortsetzung, aber das moderne 13.Bg5 bietet Weiss
nichts, wie Beliavsky (mit Schwarz!) nachgewiesen hat. Weiss legt die Bauern
am Damneflügel fest und kann Ra4 oder Qa4 folgen lassen. In vielen Varianten
wird allerdings der Bauer a5 schwach.} (13. Bg5 Rb8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ne4 Rb4
16. e3 Qd5 $1 $146 {[%csl Ga5,Gb5,Gc4,Gc5,Ge4,Gf3] 1/2-1/2 Illescas ,
M-Beliavsky,A/Madrid 1998/CBM 65/(41)}) 13... Qb8 14. Qa4 (14. Ra4 Qb3 $1 (
14... c5 15. Rxc4 cxd4 16. Rdxd4 $14) 15. Qxb3 cxb3 16. Rc4 c5 $5 (16... Rfb8
17. Rxc6 (17. Bf4 Nd5 18. Rxc6 Nxf4 19. gxf4 Bb4 $11) 17... Bb4 18. Rxc7 Bxa5
$11) 17. dxc5 Rfd8 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Rb4 (19. Be3 Nd5 $11) 19... Bxc5 20. Rxb3
h6 21. Kg2 Bd4 22. Rb7 {In der Partie Horvath,C - Stefansson,H Bischwiller
1999 wurde hier Remis gegeben.}) 14... c5 (14... Qb3 $6 15. Qxc6 Bb4 16. Bd2
Rad8 17. Qxa6 (17. e3 e5 18. Ne2 Bxd2 19. Rxd2 Rd6 20. Qa4 c5 $11) 17... Ra8
18. Qb7 Bxa5 19. Qxb3 cxb3 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxa5 Ra7 22. Bb4 $14) 15. Qxc4 (15.
dxc5 $146 Bxc5 16. Qxc4 Qa7 17. e3 Rfd8 18. Bd2 Rab8 19. Be1 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Bd6
21. Ne2 e5 22. Bb4 Ne8 23. Bxd6 Nxd6 {1/2-1/2 Van der Sterren,P-Kalinin,A/Wijk
aan Zee II 1997/Inf 68 (30)}) 15... cxd4 16. Rxd4 c5 {Das ist noch Theorie.
Weiss hat etwas Raumvorteil und seine Bauernstruktur ist besser, aber der
a5-Bauer ist schwach und Schwarz hat Gegenchancen über die halboffene b-Linie.}
17. Rd3 $146 (17. Rd1 Qb4 18. Ra4 (18. Ra4 {1/2 Razuvaev-Geller, Moskva 1982})
18... Qxc4 19. Rxc4 Rfd8 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Be3 {1/2-1/2 Gorelov,S-Khalifman,A/
Minsk 1985/MCD-ch (21)}) 17... Qb4 $11 {[%csl Gb4] Die schwarze Dame steht
ausgezeichnet auf b4. Schwarz hat gleiche Chancen.} 18. Ra4 (18. Qxb4 $6 cxb4
19. Na4 Rad8 $15) 18... Qb7 (18... Qxc4 19. Rxc4 Rfd8 $5 $11) 19. Ra3 Qb4 20.
Ra4 (20. b3 Rfd8 $11) 20... Qb7 21. Ra3 Qb4 22. Qa2 {Nach 22.Ra4 könnte
Schwarz dreimalige Stellungswiederholung reklamieren.} Rab8 {[%cal Gb8b2]
Schwarz kontrolliert die b-Linie. Er kann mit dem Eröffnungsergebnis zufrieden
sein.} (22... Rfd8 $5 $11) 23. Ra4 (23. Bf4 Rb7 24. Bd6 Bxd6 25. Rxd6 Ra8 $11 (
25... Qxb2 26. Qxb2 Rxb2 27. Rxa6 $14 {[%csl Ga5] Der weisse ernfernte
Freibauer auf a5 ist gefährlicher als der schwarze c-Bauer.})) 23... Qb7 (23...
Qb3 $6 24. Qxb3 Rxb3 25. Nd5 $1 {[%csl Rb3][%cal Rd5e7,Re7g8,Rd3b3]} Rb7 26.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 27. Rc4 $14) 24. Rc4 {[%csl Gc4]} Rfd8 {Mit einfachen Zügen hält
Schwarz die Stellung.} 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 {[%cal Gd8d1]} 26. Qa4 (26. e4 Ng4 $15 {
[%csl Yd4][%cal Gg4e5,Ge5c4,Ge5c6,Gc6d4]}) 26... h6 (26... Nd7 $5 $15) 27. Be3
Nd7 $15 {[%cal Gd7e5,Ge5c4,Ge5c6,Gc6b4,Gc6d4,Gc6a5] Der schwarze Springer
strebt nach e5. Weiss hat hingegen Probleme mit der Figurenkoordination.} (
27... Qxb2 28. Bxc5 Bxc5 29. Rxc5 $11) 28. Qc2 {Weiss verteidigt den b-Bauern
und macht das Feld a4 für den Turm frei.} Ne5 29. Ra4 Nc6 {[%csl Gc6][%cal
Gc6a5,Gc6b4,Gc6d4]} 30. Ne4 {[%csl Rc5][%cal Ge4c5,Ge3c5]} Nb4 31. Qb1 Qd5 {
[%csl Gd5][%cal Gd8d1]} (31... Qb5 32. Nc3 Qc4 $15) 32. Ra1 {Weiss verteidigt
sich gegen 32...Qd1+.} (32. Nc3 Qc4 $15) 32... Qc4 {[%cal Rc4e2,Gb4d5] Es
hängt e2 und der Springer strebt nach d5.} 33. Nc3 Nd5 34. Nxd5 exd5 {Schwarz
hat ein sehr starkes Bauernzentrum.} (34... Rxd5 $5 $17 {[%cal Gc4c1,Gd5d1,
Ge7f6,Gf6a1] Dieser Zug scheint mir chancenreicher als die Partiefortsetzung.})
35. Qd1 d4 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt Schwarz Raum, aber die Diagonale h8-a1 wird
geschlossen.} (35... Qb5 36. b3 $15) (35... Bf6 {[%cal Rf6a1]} 36. Rc1 $11 {
[%cal Rc1c5]}) 36. Bf4 {[%cal Gf4c7,Gc7b6]} Bd6 {Schwarz verhindert das
eventuelle Laufermanöver Bf4-c7-b6 und tauscht die Läufer.} (36... Rd7 $5 $15)
37. Bxd6 Rxd6 38. b3 Qb5 39. Qd3 $1 $11 {Weiss hat ausgezeichnete Gegenchancen.
Die schwarze Stellung weist auch Schwächen auf.} Qxd3 (39... Qb4 40. Qc4 $11)
40. exd3 Rd7 {[%cal Rd7b7,Rb7b3]} 41. Rc1 Rb7 {Und in gleicher Stellung wurde
Remis vereinbart.} (41... Rb7 42. Rxc5 Rxb3 43. Rc6 Rxd3 44. Rxa6 Ra3 45. Rd6
Rxa5 46. Rxd4 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Festival comtois 3rd"]
[Site "Belfort"]
[Date "1998.12.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Hauchard, Arnaud"]
[Black "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2500"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "136"]
[EventDate "1998.12.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 069"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 (4... dxc4 $5 {Es ist immer schwierig,
die verschiedenen Varianten und Eröffnungen zu vergleichen, aber meines
Erachtens ist diese Variante für Schwarz chancenreicher als der Textzug, mit
dem Schwarz die Katalanische Eröffnung spielt. Der große Unterschied ist, daß
Weiß nach der sofortigen Annahme des c4-Bauern viel Zeit mit seiner Dame
verlieren muß, während Schwarz die Entwicklung beenden kann. Ribli.}) 5. O-O
O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 {Die klassische Fortsetzung. Heutzutage wird
lieber der Zug 8.a4 gespielt, der Schwarz den Vorstoß ...b7-b5 nimmt.} b5 9.
Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 {Stattdessen kann Weiß auch 10.Bd2 oder 10.Bg5 spielen, aber
ich kann den Partiezug empfehlen.} Nc6 (10... Nd5 {Dieser Zug wirkt auf den
ersten Blick gefährlich, aber in Wirklichkeit kann sich Weiß auf f4 tauschen
lassen und bekommt dann positionellen Druck.} 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 $14) 11.
Rd1 (11. Nc3 $5 Nb4 (11... Nxd4 $6 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Kxg2 $14)
12. Qb1 Nbd5) 11... Nb4 12. Qc1 Qc8 $6 {Das ist die alte Fortsetzung, mit der
Schwarz nicht ausgleichen kann. Die Alternative 12...Rc8 scheint mir besser zu
sein.} (12... Rc8 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Be3 {Der Läufer steht ein
wenig unglücklich auf e3, aber Weiß verhindert um jeden Preis den
Ausgleichszug 15...c5.} c6 16. Ne1 Qb6 $11) 13. Bg5 {Die weiße Strategie ist
klar: 14.Bxf6 und im folgenden Nb1-d2-b3, um den Ausgleichzug ...c7-c5 zu
verhindern.} (13. Nbd2 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 Be7 16. Qxc8 (16. Na5 Bd5 $11)
16... Rfxc8 17. a3 Bd5 18. Nfd4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nbd5 20. Rac1 Nxf4+ 21. gxf4 g6
22. Nc6 Bf8 23. Ne5 Nd5 {1/2-1/2 Gausel,E-Rozentalis,E/Reykjavik op 1996/CBM
52 (61)}) 13... Nbd5 (13... c5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 (14... gxf6 15. Nc3 Rd8 16. a3 Nd5
17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 $14) 15. dxc5
a5 16. Na3 (16. Nc3 Qxc5 17. Nd5 Qxc1 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Rdxc1 Rfc8 20. Rxc8+
Rxc8 21. a3 Bxf3 22. Bxf3 Nd5 23. Be4 Rc5 24. Rd1 Nb6 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,
Z-Rozentalis,E/BL9495 1995/BL 90 (35)}) 16... Bc6 (16... Bd5 17. e4 Bxe4 18.
Nxb5 Bc2 19. Rd2 Bg6 20. Qc4 Rb8 21. a4 Rd8 22. Rad1 {1-0 Vera,R-Sisniega,M/
Mexico 1984/Inf 38 (41)}) 17. Nc2 Ra7 18. Ncd4 Rc7 19. a3 Na6 20. Qe3 Bxf3 21.
Bxf3 Rxc5 22. Nb3 Rc2 23. Nxa5 Qc7 24. Nb7 Bxb2 25. Rab1 Rc8 26. Qb3 Be5 27.
Qxb5 Nc5 28. Na5 h6 29. Nc6 Rc3 30. Rbc1 {1-0 Splosnov,S-Berzinsh,R/Open,
Trinec CZE 1998 (30)}) 14. Nbd2 h6 (14... c5 $6 15. e4 $16) 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 (
15... Bxf6 16. Ne4 $14) 16. Nb3 Nd7 $146 {Schwarz spielt auf ...c7-c5, aber
Weiß kann das leicht verhindern. Auch nach der Alternative 16...Bd6 hat Weiß
bessere Aussichten.} (16... Bd6 17. Nc5 (17. Qe3 Bd5 18. Ne5 Qb7 19. Na5 Qb6
20. Nec6 Rfe8 21. Rac1 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 e5 23. Rc2 Nd7 24. a3 exd4 25. Qxd4 Qxd4
26. Rxd4 Nb6 27. e4 g5 28. Nb7 Bf8 29. Nc5 Nc4 {1/2-1/2 Petrosian,T-Najdorf,M/
Bugojno 1982/MCD-r8 (29)}) 17... Bd5 18. Ne5 $1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 a5 20. Qe3 Bxc5
21. dxc5 Qa6 22. Qd3 {1-0 Smyslov,V-Olafsson,F/Belgrade URS-World [06] 1970/
MCL 01 (67)}) 17. Na5 Bd5 (17... c5 18. Nxb7 Qxb7 19. Ne5 $18) 18. Nc6 $14 {
[%csl Gc6] Der weiße Springer steht ausgezeichnet auf c6 und Schwarz hat keine
Hoffnungen auf baldigen Ausgleich.} Bd6 19. Nfe5 (19. Qc2 Nf6) 19... Bxg2 20.
Kxg2 {[%csl Gc6,Ge5] Die weißen Springer stehen für Schwarz sehr unangenehm.}
Nb6 (20... Nxe5 $2 21. dxe5 $18) (20... Bxe5 $2 21. Ne7+ {[%cal Re7g8,Re7c8]})
21. Qc2 {[%cal Ga1c1,Gc1c8]} Qb7 22. Qe4 {[%cal Rc6e7,Re4b7]} Nd5 (22... Kh8)
23. Rac1 a5 24. Rd2 (24. Rc2) 24... Ra6 25. Rdc2 Qa8 (25... Bxe5 26. dxe5 $14 {
Und Weiß kann im folgenden e2-e4 vorbereiten. Dann wird die letzte aktive
schwarze Figur vertrieben.}) 26. a3 b4 (26... Nb6 27. Qf3 $14) 27. Qf3 (27. a4
b3 $132) (27. axb4 Bxe5 28. dxe5 axb4 {[%cal Ga8a1]}) 27... bxa3 28. bxa3 a4 {
Schwarz hat etwas Aktivität am Damenflügel, aber die weißen Figuren
beherrschen das Brett.} 29. Nd7 Re8 (29... Rc8 30. e4 Ne7 31. Nxe7+ Bxe7 32.
Rxc7 Rxc7 33. Rxc7 $16) 30. e4 {[%csl Gc6,Gd4,Gd7,Ge4]} Ne7 31. Nxe7+ Rxe7 32.
Nc5 Rb6 (32... Bxc5 33. Rxc5 Qd8 34. R1c4 $14 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Gf3c3,Gc3c7]})
33. e5 {Das ist ein guter Moment für Vereinfachungen. Der schwarze Turm steht
sehr passiv auf e7, die Bauern a4 und c7 sind schwach und Weiß kann seinen
König aktivieren.} Qxf3+ 34. Kxf3 {[%csl Gf3]} Bxc5 35. Rxc5 {[%csl Rc7]} Rd7 (
35... Rb3+ 36. R1c3 Rd7 37. Ke3 $16) 36. Ke3 g5 (36... Rb3+ 37. R1c3 $16) 37.
R5c4 {[%csl Ra4]} Rb3+ 38. R1c3 Rd5 39. Rxc7 (39. Rxb3 $6 axb3 40. Rb4 c5 41.
dxc5 Rxc5 42. Kd4 Rc2 $132) 39... Rb1 (39... Rdb5) 40. R7c4 Re1+ (40... Ra5 $5)
41. Kf3 Ra5 42. Rb4 {[%cal Gb4b8,Gc3c8,Gc3c4,Gc4a4]} Ra8 43. Rb7 $5 (43. Rcc4
Ra1 44. Rxa4 Rxa3+ 45. Rxa3 Rxa3+ 46. Ke4 $14) 43... Ra1 44. Kg4 {[%csl Gg4]}
Rd1 (44... Kg7 45. Rf3 $16) 45. Rd7 Kg7 46. Rf3 Rf8 47. h3 {Ein Wartezug, denn
Weiß muß nicht beeilen, da Schwarz kein Gegenspiel hat. Eventuell kann jetzt
Weiß nach ...Rh1 den h-Bauer mit g3-g4 verteidigen.} Ra1 48. Kh5 $1 $16 {
[%csl Gh5] das Eindringen des weißen Königs ist sehr unangenehm.} Ra2 (48...
Rh1 49. g4 $16 (49. h4 $16)) 49. Rf6 {[%csl Gf6][%cal Rf6e6,Rf6h6] Statt auf
a3 zu decken, nimmt Weiß den schwarzen König unter Beschuß.} Rxa3 50. Rxe6 {
[%csl Rg7] Weiß hat den Schlüsselbauern e6 gewonnen. Jetzt sind seine d- und
e-Bauern stark und er hat das Motiv e5-e6.} Rf3 51. Rg6+ Kh7 52. Rxh6+ {
Alles kommt mit Tempo.} Kg8 53. Ra6 Rxf2 {Schwarz kann den a-Bauern nicht
halten.} (53... a3 54. Kg4 Rxf2 55. Rxa3 $16) 54. Rxa4 Rh2 55. Kg4 {Die beiden
Mehrbauern sollten den weißen Erfolg garantieren, wenngleich im Turmendspiel
die Remisbreite für gewöhnlich recht groß ist.} Rb8 56. Raa7 {[%csl Rf7]} Rf2
57. Rab7 Ra8 58. Kxg5 $18 {Weiß steht auf Gewinn.} Ra3 {[%cal Ra3g3]} 59. Kh4 (
59. g4 $5 Rxh3 60. Rd8+ Kg7 61. Rbb8 $18 {[%csl Rg7]}) 59... Re3 {Schwarz
verhindert den Zug 60.e6.} (59... Rff3 60. Rb8+ Kg7 61. e6 Rxg3 62. Rxf7+ $18)
60. Rb8+ Kh7 61. Rdd8 {[%csl Rh7]} Rff3 62. Rh8+ Kg6 63. Rb6+ (63. Rbg8+ Kf5)
63... Kg7 64. Rbb8 Kg6 65. Rh5 {[%csl Rg6]} f6 (65... Re4+ 66. g4 $18) (65...
Rxg3 66. Rg8#) 66. exf6 Re4+ (66... Rxf6 67. d5 $18) 67. g4 Rxd4 68. Rg8+ Kf7 {
Endlich gab Schwarz auf.} (68... Kxf6 69. Rf8+ $18) (68... Kf7 69. Rhh8 $18 {
[%mdl 36]}) 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-34"]
[Site "Istanbul"]
[Date "2000.10.30"]
[Round "3.3"]
[White "Anastasian, Ashot"]
[Black "Timoscenko, Gennadij A"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2571"]
[BlackElo "2529"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "2000.10.28"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2001"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Armenia"]
[BlackTeam "Slovakia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SVK"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 (4... dxc4) 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7.
Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Schwarz sichert den Stützpunkt für
seinen Springer.} (10... Bd5) 11. Nc3 Na6 {[%cal Ga6b4]} 12. Bxf6 $5 {Weiß
trennt sich freiwillig von seinem Läuferpaar und möchte ein starkes
Bauernzentrum aufbauen.} Bxf6 13. e4 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4]} Nb4 14. Rad1 {Der andere
Turmzug - 15.Rfd1 nebst Rac1- scheint mir natürlicher.} (14. Rfd1 b6 15. Rd2
Bb7 16. Qe2 $5 Ba6 17. Qe3 c6 18. h4 $14 Qc7 19. Rc1 Rad8 20. e5 {1/2-1/2
Karpov,A-Milos,G/Bali 2000/CBM 77/[Ribli] (48)}) 14... b6 {Schwarz möchte den
Läufer auf b7 platzieren.} (14... Qb8 15. h4 Rd8 (15... g6) 16. Nh2 Ra6 17. Ng4
Be7 18. Qe2 Be8 $1 19. e5 Qa7 20. Ne3 {1/2-1/2 Fridman,D-Janjgava,L/Linares
1997/CBM 58/[Ribli] (30)}) 15. d5 {Dieser Zug ist zu direkt und bietet Weiß m.
E. keinen Vorteil. Es wäre besser, zuerst Rfe1 und h4 zu ziehen und die
Spannung im Zentrum aufrecht zu erhalten.} exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Nd4 {[%cal
Gd4c6]} Bxd4 {Schwarz muss den Läufer gegen den gefährlichen Springer tauschen.
} 18. Rxd4 Qd7 (18... Ba6 19. Nb5 Qd7 20. Rc1 Rac8 21. Bf3 Kh8 22. Re1 Rcd8 23.
Rc1 Qf5 24. Kg2 Qf6 25. Rcd1 Bxb5 26. axb5 Qd6 {1/2-1/2 Taylor,G-Rozentalis,E/
Toronto 1995/EXT 97 (50)}) 19. Rfd1 Rae8 $11 {Schwarz hat keine Probleme - der
Nb4 steht stark und der Bb7 kann später über a6 aktiviert werden. Andererseits
hat Weiß dank seines Pd5 etwas Raumvorteil.} 20. h4 Re5 {[%cal Gf8e8,Ge8e1]}
21. Nb5 (21. d6 Bxg2 (21... c5 22. Rf4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rfe8 $11) 22. Kxg2 c6 $11
{Das ist dieselbe Stellung wie nach dem 24. Zug.}) 21... Na6 22. d6 Bxg2 (22...
c6 23. Nc3 b5 $13) 23. Kxg2 (23. dxc7 $4 Qh3 $19) 23... c6 24. Nc3 {Der Pd6
ist nur scheinbar sehr stark, aber in Wirklichkeit kann Schwarz ihn gut
blockieren.} Nb4 $5 {Die große Frage ist: wie soll Weiß weiterkommen? Kann er
überhaupt noch weiter kommen? Dazu müßte er die Dame von d7 verjagen. Und
sobald der Nc3 wegzieht, kommt Nd5 mit Bauerngewinn.} (24... Nc5 25. b4 axb4
26. Qxb4 Rb8) 25. Re4 (25. R4d2 Rfe8 $11 {[%csl Gd7]}) 25... Rxe4 26. Qxe4 Re8
27. Qd4 Nc2 (27... c5) 28. Qd2 (28. Qxb6 Ne1+ 29. Kh2 Nf3+ 30. Kg2 Ne1+ $11)
28... Nb4 29. Kg1 {Weiß verbessert seine Königsstellung und möchte wieder Qd4
ziehen. Zudem vermeidet er damit für später mögliche Springerschachs auf e1.}
h6 30. Qd4 c5 {Der Pb6 hängt, dehalb muss Schwarz den Bauernzug machen. Die
Partiefortsetzung schwächt die Felder d5 und b5, aber das ist nicht von
Bedeutung.} (30... Rb8 $6 31. Qe3 $14 {[%cal Ge3e8]}) 31. Qf4 Re6 {Der Turm
kontrolliert den Pd6 und wird auf der sechsten Reihe aktiv.} 32. Nb5 Nc6 {
[%cal Gc6d4][%mdl 256]} 33. Rd5 (33. Kg2 Nd4 34. Nxd4 $2 Rxd6 $17) 33... Rf6
34. Qd2 Nb4 35. Re5 Nc6 {Wir haben ein typisches Gleichgewicht vor uns - der
Pd6 ist gleichzeitig stark und schwach - man kann daher vermuten, dass die
Partie mit Remis durch Zugwiederholung enden wird.} 36. Rd5 Nb4 37. Rh5 $6 {
[%csl Rh5] Der weiße Turm ist weit vom Hauptkriegschauplatz entfernt. Statt
für die Partiefortsetzung hätte sich Weiß besser für die Punktteilung
entscheiden.} (37. Re5 $11) 37... Nc6 {Die schwarze Drohung ist wieder Nd4,
wonach der Pd6 schwächer wird.} (37... Re6) 38. Qe3 Nd4 $15 {[%csl Rd6]} 39.
Rd5 (39. Nxd4 cxd4 40. Qxd4 Rxd6 41. Qe4 (41. Qf4 Rd1+ 42. Kh2 Qc6 $19 {
[%csl Rh2]}) 41... Rd4 42. Qa8+ Kh7 43. Qf3 (43. b3 f5 $19 {[%csl Rh5]}) 43...
Rxa4 44. Rf5 $17) 39... Re6 40. Qd3 Qc6 $1 {[%csl Rd5,Rd6]} (40... Nxb5 $6 41.
Qxb5 Re1+ 42. Kh2 Qe6 43. Qd3 Qd7 44. b3 $14) 41. Qc4 (41. Nc3 Rxd6 $17) 41...
Nf3+ 42. Kg2 (42. Kf1 $2 Nd2+ $19) 42... Ne5 {[%cal Gc6g2]} 43. Qe4 f5 44. Rxe5
{Weiß opfert die Dame für Turm und Springer.} (44. d7 Nxd7 45. Qf3 (45. Qxf5
Nf6 $19) 45... Re5 $17 (45... Ne5)) 44... fxe4 45. Rxe6 e3+ $17 46. Kg1 exf2+
47. Kxf2 Qd5 {[%csl Gd5][%mdl 1024] Die schwarze Dame ist wirksam. Weiß hat -
wie in dieser ganzen Partie - das Problem, dass er mit dem Pd6 nicht
vorankommt.} 48. Re3 (48. Re7 Kf8 $17) 48... Qf5+ 49. Kg2 Qc2+ 50. Kh3 {
Der König kann nicht auf die Grundlinie ziehen, denn dann verliert Weiß auch
noch den Pb2 mit Schach.} (50. Kg1 Qc1+ $17) 50... h5 $1 {Das engt den
Freiraum des Kh3 ein. Weiß muss nun auch mit Mattmotiven rechnen.} 51. Nc3 (51.
d7 $2 Qf5+ $19) 51... Qc1 {[%cal Rc1e3,Rc1h1]} 52. Re2 Qh1+ 53. Rh2 Qf1+ 54.
Rg2 Qd3 {[%csl Gd3,Rg2] Der Turm steht sehr passiv auf g2.} 55. Nb5 Kf7 {
Der schwarze König nähert sich dem Pd6 und befreit die Dame von dieser Aufgabe.
} 56. Kh2 Ke6 57. Rf2 Qd1 {[%cal Rd1a4] Dieser Zug gewinnt einen weiteren
Bauern.} 58. b3 Qxb3 $19 59. Re2+ Kf6 60. Kg2 (60. Rf2+) 60... Qd3 61. Kf2 c4 {
Auch Schwarz hat seinen Freibauern.} 62. Re3 Qd2+ 63. Re2 Qd3 64. Re3 Qd2+ 65.
Re2 Qd1 {[%csl Ra4][%cal Rd1a4]} 66. Re3 Qxa4 67. Nc3 (67. d7 Qd1 $19) 67...
Qd7 68. Re2 (68. Re7 Qxd6 69. Ne4+ Kxe7 $19) 68... Qf5+ (68... b5 $19) 69. Kg2
Qd3 70. Re3 {Das ist der letzte Trick von Weiß in dieser Partie.} Qd2+ (70...
Qxe3 $2 71. Nd5+ Ke6 72. Nxe3 b5 $17) 71. Kf3 Kf5 72. Ne4 Qd5 0-1

[Event "GER-ch 70th"]
[Site "Bremen"]
[Date "1998.11.13"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gutman, Lev"]
[Black "Fuhrmann, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2315"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[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"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 (3... c6 $5 {Diese Variante scheint mir besser
als die Partiefortsetzung zu sein. Ribli.}) 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7.
Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {Theoretisch ist dieser Zug weniger
gefährlich für Schwarz als seine Alternativen, aber in der entstehenden
einfachen Stellung kann Schwarz mit gutem Spiel maximal Remis erreichen.} (10.
Bd2) (10. Bf4) 10... Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. Nbd2 {[%cal Gd2b3,Gb3c5] In dieser
Stellung ist das Läuferpaar nicht wichtig. Der weiße Springer strebt nach c5.}
Rc8 13. Nb3 Be4 (13... c5) 14. Qc1 (14. Qc3) 14... c5 {Ohne diesen Zug kommt
Schwarz nicht aus.} 15. dxc5 Qc7 {[#]} (15... a5 $5 16. a4 Qd5 17. Nxa5 Rxc5
18. Qd1 Qxd1 19. Rfxd1 bxa4 20. b4 axb3 {1/2-1/2 Antunes,A-Kotronias,V/Pula
1997/CBM 57 ext (20)}) (15... Qd5 16. Rd1 Qh5 17. h3 Rfd8 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19.
Qe3 Qd5 20. Rc1 Rc8 21. Ne1 {1-0 Chilingirova,P-Heintze,M/Wuppertal 1990/EXT
97 (51)}) 16. Rd1 {Weiß kann den Mehrbauern nicht behaupten und bereitet sich
aufs Endspiel vor.} (16. a4 {[#]} Bxc5 (16... bxa4 17. Rxa4 Qb7 18. Nbd2 Bxc5
19. Qa1 Bc6 20. Rh4 Rfd8 {1-0 Hulak,K-Findlay,I/Toronto 1989/EXT 97 (33)}) 17.
axb5 axb5 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Rxc5 20. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 21. Rxc1 Bxf3 22. Bxf3 b4
23. Rc7 Rb8 24. Kf1 {1-0 Bosboom,M-Raetsky,A/Hafnarfjordur 1997/CBM 62 ext (46)
}) (16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. gxf4 Bxc5 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bd6 20. Nd3 Nd5 21. e3 Nb6
$1 $11 {[%cal Gb6c4]}) 16... Bd5 (16... Bxc5 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. Qxc5 (18. Qf4 h6
19. Rac1 Qb6 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Qb7+ 22. Qf3 Qxf3+ 23. Kxf3 {1-0 Miralles,
G-Flear,C/FRA-chT 1989/TD (47)}) 18... Rxc5 19. Rac1 Rcc8 (19... Rxc1 20. Rxc1
$14 {[%csl Gc1]}) 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 g6 22. Kf3 {1-0 Bernard,C-Ghafari,R/
FRA-chT 1989/TD (54) Die Bauernstellung ist symmetrisch, aber Weiß entfaltet
große Aktivität.}) 17. Nfd4 (17. Qe3 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Rxc5 $11)
17... Bxc5 (17... Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Bxc5 19. Nxc5 (19. Qxc5 Qb7+ 20. Nc6 Rxc6 21.
Na5 Rxc5+ 22. Nxb7 Rc2 $17 {[%csl Rb2,Gc2,Re2][%cal Rc2a2,Rc2h2]}) 19... Qxc5
20. Qxc5 Rxc5 21. Rac1 $14 Rfc8 $2 22. Rxc5 Rxc5 23. Nxb5 $16 {[%cal Rd1d8,
Rd8g8]}) 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Rxc5 20. Bxd5 $5 (20. Rac1 Rfc8 21. Rxc5 Rxc5
$11) 20... Rxd5 $6 {Das Nehmen mit dem Springer scheint mir natürlicher, denn
jetzt bekommt Weiß freie Hand am Damenflügel.} (20... Nxd5 21. Rac1 Rxc1 (21...
Rfc8 22. Rxc5 Rxc5 23. e4 Nf6 24. Nxb5 $16 {[%cal Rd1d8,Rd8g8,Gb5c3]}) 22. Rxc1
h6 23. Rc6 Rd8 24. e3 Nb4 25. Rb6 e5 26. Nc6 Nxc6 27. Rxc6 Rd2 28. Rxa6 {
1/2-1/2 Schmidt,B-Stern,R/BL9394 1994/GER-chT (28)}) 21. Nc6 {[%csl Gc6][%cal
Rc6e7,Re7g8,Re7d5]} Rxd1+ (21... Kh8 22. Rxd5 (22. Nb4) 22... Nxd5 23. a4 $14)
22. Rxd1 {[%csl Gc6,Gd1] Weiß hat dauerhaften Vorteil. Seine Figuren stehen
sehr aktiv.} g6 23. Rc1 $1 {Auf der d-Linie gibt es keine Einbruchsfelder,
daher besetzt Weiß die andere Linie.} Nd7 (23... Rc8 $4 24. Ne7+ $18 {[%cal
Re7g8,Re7c8,Rc1c8]}) 24. Na5 {[%csl Ga5,Gc1][%cal Gc1c7]} Rb8 25. Rc7 (25. Rc6
Rb6) 25... Ne5 $5 (25... Nb6 26. Nc6 $14 (26. Ra7 Ra8 (26... Nc4 $6 27. Nc6 $14
) 27. Rb7 Nc4 28. Nxc4 bxc4 29. Kf1 Rc8 $11)) 26. f4 (26. Ra7 Rc8 $11 {[%cal
Gc8c1]} (26... Rb6)) (26. Nc6 Nxc6 27. Rxc6 Rd8 $11 {[%cal Rd8d2]}) 26... Nc4
27. Nc6 (27. Nxc4 $6 bxc4 28. Rxc4 Rxb2 29. Ra4 $11) 27... Rb6 28. b3 Nd6 29.
Ne5 {[%csl Rb6,Gc7,Rd6,Ge5] Die weißen Figuren sind viel aktiver als ihre
Gegenüber.} b4 (29... f6 $2 30. Nd7 $18 {[%cal Rd7f6,Rd7b6]}) 30. Kg2 a5 31.
Ra7 (31. Kf3) 31... Rb5 32. Kf3 {[%csl Ga7,Ge5,Gf3] Der aktive König ist eine
neue Gefahr für Schwarz.} (32. Nc6 Rc5 33. Nxa5 Rc2 $132) 32... Rc5 33. g4 Nb5
{[%cal Gb5c3,Gc3a2]} 34. Ra8+ (34. Rxa5 $4 Nd4+ {[%cal Rd4f3,Rc5a5]}) 34... Kg7
35. g5 {[%csl Yf6,Rg7,Yh6][%cal Ge5d7,Gd7f6] Mit dem Textzug gewinnt Weiß Raum
am Königsflügel und droht eventuell das Mattnetz mit z.B. ...Ne5-d7-f6 / ...
Rg8#.} Nc7 (35... Nd4+ 36. Ke4 Nxe2 (36... Nc6 37. Rc8 $18 {[%cal Rc8c5]}) 37.
Nd7 {[%cal Rd7c5,Rd7f6]} Nc3+ 38. Kf3 Rf5 39. Nf6 Rxf6 40. gxf6+ Kxf6 41. Rxa5
$16) 36. Ra7 {[%csl Ra5,Ga7,Ge5][%cal Re5c4,Rc4a5] Schwarz hat eine schwerige
Stellung. Jetzt geht 36...Nb5 nicht wegen 37.Rxf7+ und es droht der
Bauerngewinn mit Nc4.} Rc3+ 37. Kf2 (37. e3 $6 Nd5 38. Rxf7+ Kg8 {[%csl Re3]})
37... Rc5 38. h4 {Weiß muß sich nicht beeilen. Schwarz hat kein Gegenspiel.} h6
39. Nd3 {[%csl Ra5]} Rc3 40. Rxa5 $16 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr und sein
b4-Bauer ist auch schwach. Jetzt bekommt Schwarz ein wenig Freiheit, aber der
weiße Vorteil muß sich früher oder später durchsetzen.} Nd5 41. Ra7 {[%csl Rf7]
[%cal Gd3e5,Ge5f7,Ga7f7]} hxg5 42. hxg5 Kf8 43. Rb7 {[%csl Rb4]} (43. Ne5 $5 {
[%cal Ra7f7]} Nc7 44. e4 $16) 43... Ke8 44. Kf3 Kf8 45. Ke4 {[%csl Rb4,Ge4]
Jetzt hängt b4.} Rc2 {[%cal Rc2e2,Rc2a2]} 46. e3 Nc3+ (46... Rxa2 47. Nxb4 Nxb4
48. Rxb4 $16 {[%csl Gb3,Gb4,Ge4] Weiß hat beste Gewinnaussichten. Sein König
ist aktiv und der Freibauer muß die Partie entscheiden.}) 47. Kf3 Rxa2 48. Nxb4
(48. Ne5 $16 {[%csl Gb7,Ge5,Rf7][%cal Rb7f7]}) 48... Ra1 49. Rb8+ Ke7 $6 {
Dieser Zug hilft dem Weißen.} (49... Kg7 $5 50. Nd3 $16 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Rd3e5]
}) 50. Nc6+ Kd6 51. Ne5 $18 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Re5f7] Der Springerzug
entscheidet die Partie. Der "aktive" schwarze König steht in Wirklichkeit sehr
schlecht.} Ra7 52. Rd8+ {Und Schwarz gab auf, denn er verliert weiteres
Material.} (52. Rd8+ Kc5 (52... Kc7 53. Rd7+ Kb6 54. Rxa7 Kxa7 55. Nxf7 $18) (
52... Ke7 53. Nc6#) 53. Rc8+ {[%cal Rc8c3]} Kb4 54. Nc6+ $18) 1-0

[Event "La Roche sur Yon"]
[Site "La Roche sur Yon"]
[Date "2006.03.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Bauer, Christian"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2627"]
[BlackElo "2514"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2006.03.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 112"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Heutzutage ist dieser Zug in Mode - die Alternativen
sind 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4.} Be4 11. Qc1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nbd2 Ba8 14. Re1 {
Das ist eine logische, aber selten gespielte Fortsetzung, Weiß möchte e2-e4
ziehen. Die Alternativen werden mehr gespielt.} Ne4 {Der Springer besetzt das
e4-Feld, auf diese Weise verhindert Schwarz die Ausführung des Zugs e2-e4. Die
Alternative 14..Qe8!? kommt stark in Betracht.} (14... Qe8 $5 15. b4 Ne4 16. a4
(16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Qf4 (17. Qe3) 17... f5 18. Rac1 Bd6 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2
Nf6 21. Qf3 Nd5 22. a3 {1/2-1/2 Polugaevsky,L-Geller,E/Moskva 1985/Inf 39 (22)}
) 16... f5 {[%csl Ra5,Ge4][%cal Ge8h5]} 17. axb5 axb5 18. e3 {1/2-1/2
Kasimdzhanov,R-Lutz,C/Essen 2002/CBM 90[Ribli Zoltán] (33)}) 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16.
Qe3 Nf6 (16... Bd5 17. Qd3 f5 18. a4 $14) 17. Rec1 Qd6 18. a3 {[%cal Ga5b4,
Gb4f8,Yb2b4][%mdl 32] Ein guter Vorbereitungszug - Weiß kann entweder b4 oder
Bb4 ziehen.} Ba8 (18... c5 19. Rxc5 $1 Rxc5 20. Bb4 $16 {1-0 Suba,M-Garcia
Vicente,N/Las Palmas 1995/EXT 98 (35) Mit dieser kleinen Kombination gewinnt
Weiß einen Bauern.}) 19. Bb4 Qd8 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. Ne5 $14 {[%csl Yc5,Yc6]
[%cal Ge5c6,Gc1c8] Weiß hat einen kleinen, aber dauerhaften Positionsvorteil -
die Punkte c5 und c6 sind schwach am schwarzen Damenflügel.} (21. b4 $14) 21...
Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Nd5 23. Qf3 f6 (23... c5 $2 24. dxc5 Rxc5 25. Rxc5 Qxc5 26. Nd7)
24. Nc6 {[%csl Gc6][%cal Gc1c8] Der c6N steht ausgezeichnet und paralysiert
die schwarze Stellung, er kann nicht das gewöhnliche Ausgleichsmotiv c7-c5
ziehen.} Qd6 25. Rc2 {[%cal Ga1c1,Gc1c8]} (25. Rc5 $1 $14) 25... Ra8 (25... Nb6
{[%cal Yb6c4,Ye6e5]}) 26. e3 (26. e4 Nb6 27. Rd1 $14) 26... a5 {Auf diese
Weise möchte Schwarz b5-b4 vorbereiten.} 27. Rac1 b4 28. Rc5 {[%csl Ra5]} bxa3
29. bxa3 a4 30. e4 Nb6 31. Qe3 Qd7 32. h4 $1 Rf7 33. Nb4 Rd8 34. d5 (34. Rxc7
$5 Qxc7 35. Rxc7 Rxc7 36. d5 Nc4 37. Qc3 $16) 34... Rc8 (34... e5 $2 35. Rxc7
$18) 35. dxe6 Qxe6 36. Rc6 {[%csl Gb4,Gc1,Gc6,Rc7][%cal Gc1c8]} Qg4 37. Qf3 Qd7
(37... Qxf3+ 38. Kxf3 $16) 38. Na6 (38. Qf5 $16) 38... Na8 {Eine schrecklich
passive Stellung für den Springer, aber Schwarz muss den c7-Bauern verteidigen.
} 39. R6c4 {[%cal Ga6c5,Gc5a4,Gc5d7]} (39. Qd1 {[%cal Gd1a4]} Qxd1 40. Rxd1 $16
{[%csl Ra4]}) (39. R1c4) 39... Qb5 (39... f5 $1) 40. Nb4 {[%cal Gb4d5]} Nb6 41.
Rc6 Nd7 42. Nd5 Ne5 43. Qf5 Qb7 44. Rb6 Qa8 45. Re6 Rcf8 46. Rxc7 (46. Ne7+ Kh8
47. h5 {[%cal Ge7g6,Gg6h8]} Qd8 48. Ng6+ Nxg6 49. hxg6 Re7 50. Rxe7 Qxe7 51.
gxh7 Re8 52. Rc4 $16) 46... Rxc7 47. Nxc7 $16 Qc8 48. Nd5 (48. Re7 Qxf5 49.
exf5 Rf7 50. Re8+ Rf8) 48... Kh8 49. h5 Nd3 50. Re7 Ne1+ 51. Kh3 Qxf5+ 52. exf5
Nc2 53. Re4 {[%mdl 4096]} (53. Ra7) 53... Nxa3 (53... Ra8 $2 54. Nb6 $18) 54.
Rb4 (54. Nc7 Rc8 55. Rxa4 $16) (54. Rxa4 $16) 54... h6 55. Rxa4 Nb5 56. Nf4 {
[%cal Gf4e6,Gf4g6]} Rc8 57. Ra5 Nd6 58. Ne6 Rb8 59. g4 {Die Verwertung des
Materialvorteils ist noch nicht leicht, da das Material reduziert ist, aber
Weiß hat ausgezeichnete Gewinnchancen, seine Stellung (mit Bauern mehr) ist
sehr aktiv.} Rb3+ 60. Kg2 Rb8 61. Ra7 Rg8 (61... Ne8 $142) 62. Rd7 Nc4 63. f4 {
[%cal Gg4g5]} Nb6 64. Re7 Nc4 65. Kf3 Nd6 66. Rd7 Nb5 67. Ke3 Nc3 68. Kd3 Nd1
69. Ke2 Nc3+ 70. Kd2 Ne4+ 71. Ke3 Nc3 72. Kf3 Nb5 73. g5 $18 fxg5 74. fxg5 hxg5
75. h6 Rc8 (75... gxh6 76. f6 $18) 76. hxg7+ Kh7 77. f6 Kg6 78. f7 Nd4+ 79. Kg4
(79. Nxd4 Kxg7 80. Ne6+ $18) 1-0

[Event "Escaldes zt"]
[Site "Escaldes"]
[Date "1998.11.11"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Wells, Peter K"]
[Black "Arlandi, Ennio"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2440"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[EventDate "1998.11.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 068"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 {Das ist eine schlaue Zugfolge. Weiß
spielt noch nicht d4 und vermeidet so die Variante ...Bb4, die nach 1.d4 d5 2.
c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4 möglich wäre. Ribli.} Be7 (4... dxc4 $5 {Das wäre die
prinzipielle Fortsetzung für Schwarz.}) 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {Die
Alternative 6.Qc2 wird sehr oft gespielt.} Nc6 $5 (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4
Qxc5 10. b3 $14) 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5
$44 (11... a5 $44 {[%cal Gc8a6,Ga6e2]})) 8... bxc6 {[#]Schwarz hat drei Bauern
in der c-Linie, aber er gute Ausgleichschancen. Weiß verliert Zeit mit dem
Rückgewinn des Materials.} 9. e3 (9. Na3) 9... Nd5 10. Qa4 (10. Qe2 a5 11. e4
Nb4 12. Be3 Ba6 13. Nc3 Rb8 14. Rab1 Nd3 15. Rfd1 c5 16. dxc5 Bf6 17. h4 Qe7
18. c6 Qb4 {0-1 Niklasch,O-Van Voorthuijsen,P/Taastrup 1997/EXT 99 (39)}) 10...
Nb6 11. Qa5 {Weiß gewinnt nicht den Bauern zurück, sondern hält den Druck am
Damenflügel aufrecht.} (11. Qxc6 Bd7 12. Qf3 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 $11 {Schwarz hat
keine Probleme.} 14. Nc3 Qc7 15. e4 Bc6 16. Be3 {1-0 Tirabassi,M-Horvath,Z/ITA
1993/EXT 99 (39)}) (11. Qc2 Rb8 12. Bxc6 Nd5 13. Qxc4 Rb6 14. Rd1 Ba6 15. Qa4
Qd6 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Nc3 Bc8 18. Qc2 Bg4 {1/2-1/2 Arsovic,Z-Jovanovic,Z/Nis
1993/EXT 97 (72)}) 11... Rb8 $146 {[%cal Gb8b1] Der Bauer auf a7 hängt nicht.}
(11... Qd6 12. a3 Rb8 13. Nd2 f5 14. b3 c5 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. bxc4 Qb6 17. Qxb6
cxb6 18. e4 Ba6 19. Bf4 Rbd8 20. exf5 exf5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 {1/2-1/2 Hassabis,
D-McDonald,N/London 1994/CBM 43 ext (62)}) 12. Na3 (12. Bxc6 Qd6 (12... Bb7 13.
Bxb7 Rxb7 14. Nc3) 13. Bg2 (13. Qxa7 $2 Qxc6 14. Qxb8 Bb7 $19 {[%csl Rb8,Rg1]
[%cal Rb7h1,Rf8b8]}) 13... Bb7 14. Bxb7 Rxb7 $11) 12... Bd7 13. Bd2 $44 {
Weiß hat einen Bauern weniger, aber die schwarzen Bauern am Damenflügel sind
schwach.} Bd6 {Schwarz verbessert seine Läuferstellung und plant nach
folgendem ...Qe7 ...c6-c5 zu ziehen.} 14. Rfc1 {[%csl Gc1][%cal Gc1c7]} Qe7 15.
Rab1 (15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Rxc4 Rxb2 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Rxc6 Qf6 $11) 15... c5 $11
(15... Bxa3 $6 16. bxa3 $14 {[%cal Rd2b4,Rb4f8]}) 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. b4 {
[%cal Gc1c5]} (17. Nxc4 Nxc4 18. Rxc4 Bb5 $11) 17... Bd6 (17... cxb3 $2 18.
Qxc5 $18) 18. Qxa7 $4 {[#]Ein unglaublicher Fehler!} (18. Nxc4 Nxc4 19. Rxc4
Bb5 $11) (18. e4 {[%cal Re4e5]} e5 $11) 18... Ra8 {[%cal Ra8a3] Und Weiß gab
auf, denn er verliert Material.} (18... Ra8 19. Bxa8 Rxa8 20. Qb7 Rxa3 $19 {
[%csl Ga3,Gc4] Und Schwarz steht mit zwei Leichtfiguren für den Turm auf
Gewinn.}) 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 0001"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2001.03.10"]
[Round "10.4"]
[White "Stangl, Markus"]
[Black "Buhmann, Rainer"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2479"]
[BlackElo "2416"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2000.10.14"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Tegernsee"]
[BlackTeam "Baiertal/Schatthausen"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 {Diese
klassische Variante bietet Schwarz gute Ausgleichschancen - Schwarz will die
Zeit, in der Weiß mit der Rückeroberung des Bauern beschäftigt ist, für die
Entwicklung seines Damenflügels nutzen.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Die Variante - 8.
Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 - ist ein seltener Gast in der modernen Turnierpraxis.} Bd7 9.
Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Nbd7 {Dieser natürliche Springerzug wird selten gespielt - 10.
..Bd5 und 10...a5 sind populärer.} 11. Nc3 Nd5 (11... h6 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Rfe1
(13. a5 Qd6 14. Rfc1 Rfd8 15. e3 Rac8 16. Qb3 Rb8 17. Qc2 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 c5 19.
Ne2 {1/2-1/2 Romanishin,O-Ivanovic,B/Belgrade 2000/CBM 80 no vc (37)}) 13...
Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. a5 Rc8 16. e3 Qc7 17. Qb3 {1-0 Onischuk,A-Shneider,A/
Bastia 2000/EXT 2001 (67)}) (11... a5) 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nxd5 exd5 {Dieser Zug
gefällt mir nicht - der Bc6 wird eingeschlossen, und Weiß bekommt dank seiner
Initiative am Damenflügel kleinen, aber dauerhaften Vorteil. Schwarz sollte
besser den Pc7 durch 13...Bxd5 für ausreichende Kompensation opfern.} (13...
Bxd5 $5 14. Qxc7 Rac8 15. Qf4 Qb4 {[%csl Gb4]} (15... Rc2 16. e4 Bb3 17. Qe3
Qb4 18. Ne1 Rc4 19. Nd3 Qb6 20. Nc5 Nxc5 21. dxc5 Qb4 22. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 23. Rxc1
Bxa4 {1/2-1/2 Van Voorthuijsen,P-Comp Chessmaster 5000/The Hague 1997/EXT 98 
(50)}) 16. e4 Bc4 17. Rfc1 Qxb2 18. Qd2 Qxd2 19. Nxd2 Bd3 20. Bf1 Bxf1 21. Kxf1
Rxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Rb8 {1/2-1/2 Davies,N-Korneev,O/Hamburg 1993/EXT 97 (22)}) 14.
Qc2 Nf6 {[%cal Gf6e4] Der Springer strebt nach e4 und räumt das Feld d7 für
den Läufer.} (14... a5 15. e3 g6 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Bh3 f5 18. Bg2 Qd6 19. b3
Nf6 20. Ne5 Bd7 21. Qc5 {1/2-1/2 Lein,A-Kogan,B/South Bend 1981/MCD (53)}) 15.
Rfc1 Bd7 16. b4 $1 $14 {Das ist der für das Damengambit so typische
Minoritätsamngriff. Weiß beherrscht die halboffene c-Linie. In der Folge setzt
er seinen Angriff mit b4-b5 fort.} c6 (16... Qxb4 17. Rcb1 Qc4 18. Qxc4 dxc4
19. Ne5 $14) 17. e3 Ne4 $1 {[%cal Ge4d6] Der Springer strebt das Feld d6 an.} (
17... Qxb4 18. Rab1 $16 {[%csl Rb4,Rb7][%cal Rb1b7]}) 18. Ne5 Nd6 {[%csl Gd6]
Der schwarze Nd6 steht ausgezeichnet - von hier aus kontrolliert er das Feld
c4 und unterbindet den weißen Vorstoß b4-b5.} (18... Bf5 $5 $11 {[%cal Ge4d6]})
19. Qc5 $6 (19. Bf1 Bf5 20. Qc5 f6 $11 {Der stolze Ne5 muss sich zurückziehen.}
) (19. Nxd7 $1 Qxd7 20. Bf1 Rfc8 21. Bd3 g6 22. Qb3 b5 23. Rc5 $14) 19... f6
20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Rab1 {Droht 22.b5 axb5 23.axb5 Nxb5 24.Bxd5+ mit Vorteil für
Weiß.} (21. Bf1 $5 Rfc8 22. Qb6 $14) 21... Rfc8 22. Bf1 (22. Qb6 $2 Nc4 23.
Rxc4 (23. Qc5 b6 $19) 23... dxc4 24. Rc1 $15) 22... b5 {Schwarz bereitet Nc4
vor, zudem muss er nun nicht mehr den Zug b4-b5 befürchten.} 23. axb5 axb5 24.
Ra1 Nc4 (24... Rxa1 $2 25. Rxa1 Nc4 26. Ra7 Rc7 27. Rxc7 (27. Bh3 $4 Qxh3 28.
Rxc7 Nd2 $19) 27... Qxc7 28. Bxc4 dxc4 (28... bxc4 29. b5 $18) 29. d5 $18) 25.
e4 $1 {[%mdl 64] Weiß öffnet die Stellung.} dxe4 $6 (25... Rxa1 $5 26. Rxa1 Nd2
{[%cal Rd2b3,Rb3a1,Rb3c5,Gd2f1,Gd2e4]} 27. exd5 (27. Ra7 Qe6 28. Re7 Qg4 $17)
27... cxd5 28. Qxb5 (28. Bxb5 Qe6 29. Qa7 Nf3+ 30. Kg2 Qe4 $17) 28... Nf3+ 29.
Kg2 Qxb5 30. Bxb5 Nxd4 31. Bf1 $14) 26. Bxc4+ bxc4 27. Qxc4+ Kf8 (27... Qd5 28.
Rxa8 Rxa8 29. Qxc6 $16) 28. Ra5 (28. Rxa8 Rxa8 29. Qxc6 Qxc6 30. Rxc6 Ra1+ 31.
Kg2 Rb1 32. Re6 (32. Rc4 Rb2 $14) (32. Rb6 Rd1 $14) 32... Rxb4 33. Rxe4 $14)
28... Rab8 (28... Rxa5 29. bxa5 $16 {[%csl Ga5]}) 29. Rc5 (29. Qc5+ Qe7 $11)
29... Rd8 30. Rd1 (30. Rxc6 Qxd4 $11) 30... Qb7 31. Rb1 (31. Rxc6 Qxb4 32. d5
$14) 31... Rd6 (31... Qd7 32. Rxc6 Qxd4 33. b5 $14) 32. b5 Qd7 {[%cal Gb8b1]}
33. b6 $6 $13 {Weiß opfert den Pd4 und hofft darauf, dass sein Pb6 stark wird.}
(33. Kg2 $5 cxb5 34. Rcxb5 Rxb5 35. Rxb5 Rxd4 $2 36. Rb8+ Ke7 37. Qg8 $18 {
[%csl Re7]}) 33... Rxd4 34. Qc2 e3 $1 35. fxe3 (35. Rxc6 e2 $19) 35... Rd2 36.
Qxh7 Rd1+ 37. Kg2 (37. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 38. Kg2 Qe2+ 39. Kh3 Rxb6 $13) 37... Rd2+ $2
(37... Rxb1 $1 38. Qxb1 Qd2+ 39. Kh3 Qxe3 $13) 38. Kf3 $5 (38. Kg1) 38... Qd6 (
38... Re8 $142) 39. Qf5 $2 (39. Ra5 $1 {[%cal Ra5a7,Ra7g7] Droht 40.Qh8+ nebst
41-Ra7+ mit Gewinn. Schwarz hat dagegen keine Verteidigung.}) 39... Re8 40. Rc4
Rd3 $6 (40... Re5 $142 41. Qc8+ Re8 42. Qf5 $11 (42. Qxc6 $2 Rxe3+ $1 43. Kg4 (
43. Kxe3 Qd3+ 44. Kf4 Rf2+ 45. Kg4 Qf5+ $19) 43... f5+ 44. Kxf5 Qd3+ 45. Kg4
Qxb1 46. Qc5+ Kg8 47. Qxe3 Qg6+ 48. Kf3 Rd3 $17)) 41. Re4 $16 {Nach Ende der
Zeitnotphase hat Weiß einen Bauern mehr und eine aktive Stellung. Die
Verwertung des Vorteils ist aber nicht einfach, weil auch die weiße
Königsstellung geschwächt ist.} Rb8 42. Re6 (42. Rh4) 42... Qa3 (42... Qd5+ 43.
Qxd5 cxd5 44. b7 $16 (44. Rc6 $16)) 43. b7 (43. Qf4 $1 {[%csl Gf4]} Rdd8 44.
Rxc6 $18) 43... Qc3 44. Qf4 Rdd8 45. Qe4 (45. Rd6 Re8 46. Rd7 Qc2 47. Rb6 Qxh2
48. Qb4+ Kg8 49. Qc4+ Kh8 50. Qh4+ Qxh4 51. gxh4 $18) 45... Qc5 {[%cal Gc5h5,
Gh5f3]} 46. g4 Qg5 47. Rxc6 $18 {Nun hat Weiß schon zwei Bauern mehr und gute
Gewinnchancen.} Qh4 48. Qf4 Qh3+ 49. Kf2 (49. Qg3 Qh7 50. Rb3 $18) 49... Qh4+
50. Ke2 Qh7 51. Rb3 (51. Rd1 $18) 51... Qh3 52. Qg3 Qh7 (52... Qxg3 53. hxg3
$18) 53. Qf4 (53. Rc8 $1 Rbxc8 54. bxc8=Q Rxc8 55. Qd6+ Ke8 56. Qe6+ $18 {
[%cal Re6e8,Re6c8]}) 53... Qh3 54. Rd6 $6 (54. Qg3) 54... Qg2+ 55. Kd3 $2 (55.
Ke1 Qg1+ 56. Kd2 Qg2+ 57. Kc3 Rbc8+ 58. bxc8=Q Rxc8+ 59. Kd4 Qc2 60. Rxf6+ Kg8
61. Rfb6 $16) 55... Qc6 $1 {[%mdl 256]} 56. Rd4 (56. Rxd8+ Rxd8+ 57. Ke2 Qg2+
58. Ke1 Qd2+ 59. Kf1 Qd1+ $19) 56... Qa6+ 57. Kc3 (57. Kc2 Qa2+) 57... Qa1+ 58.
Kc2 Qa2+ $14 59. Kc3 Qa1+ 60. Kc2 Qa2+ 61. Rb2 Rbc8+ $1 {Dieses schöne
Turmopfer bedeutet eigentlich einen Bauerngewinn für Schwarz.} 62. bxc8=Q Rxc8+
63. Kd3 Qa3+ 64. Ke4 Qa8+ (64... Qxb2 65. Qd6+ $18 {[%csl Rc8,Rf8] Und Weiß
gewinnt den Turm.}) 65. Kd3 Qa3+ 66. Ke2 {Das ist die einzige Chance.} Qxb2+
67. Kf3 Qb7+ 68. Kg3 Kg8 69. g5 $6 {Das Material ist bereits reduziert, daher
ist ein Remis das wahrscheinlichste Ergebnis. Dieser Tausch hilft jedenfalls
nur dem Gegner.} (69. Rc4 $14) 69... fxg5 70. Qxg5 Re8 71. h3 Qb3 1/2-1/2

[Event "FIDE World Cup KO"]
[Site "Shenyang"]
[Date "2000.09.12"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2000.09.07"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 079"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 {Das größte Problem der schwarzen Stellung ist die Entwicklung des
weißfeldrigen Läufers. Durch 8.a4 hat Weiß die Entwicklung des Läufers mittels
b5-Bb7 unterbunden, deshalb wählt Schwarz das Manöver 8...Bd7 und 9...Bc6.} 9.
Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Der weiße Plan ist klar - er möchte Nc3 spielen und nach
Bxf6-Bxf6 mit e2-e4 das Zentrum besetzen.} Bd5 11. Qc2 (11. Qc1 Nc6 12. e3 Nb4
13. Bxf6 (13. Nc3 a5 14. Rd1 Rc8 {1/2-1/2 Mikhalevski,V-Khalifman,A/St
Petersburg 1999/CBM 72 (14)}) 13... Bxf6 14. Nbd2 a5 15. e4 Bc6 16. Qc3 Qd7 17.
b3 Rfd8 18. e5 Be7 19. Rfd1 Rac8 20. Nc4 b6 {0-1 Giardelli,S-Zarnicki,P/Buenos
Aires 1995/EXT 97 (27)}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 h6 $5 {Das ist eine interessante
Idee - Schwarz forciert von sich aus den Tausch des Läufers gegen den Springer.
} (12... Nc6 13. Nbd2 {Das ist bislang das letzte Wort in der Variante mit 12..
.Nc6.} (13. e3 Nb4 $5 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. Qb1 (15. a5 Rc8 16. Rd1 Bxf3 17. Bxf3
Nfd5 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Na4 b6 20. Qd2 Rb8 21. Rdc1 Rfd8 22. Nc3 Nf6 23. Na2
Nxa2 24. Rxa2 e5 25. Qc3 exd4 26. exd4 h6 27. axb6 Rxb6 $11 {Pigusov,E-Liang,J/
Beijing 1997/Inf 70 (27)}) 15... h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Rd1 g6 18. h4 Qe7 19. e4
Rfd8 20. Qc1 Bg7 21. Rd2 Be8 22. Qd1 Rd7 {1/2-1/2 Maksimenko,A-Kruppa,Y/
Ordzhonikidze UKR 2000/The Week in Chess 295 (22)}) 13... Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2
15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Kxg2 Nd5 (16... Qd5+ 17. Nf3 c5 18. Rd1 (18. a5 $5 $14) 18...
Qc6 19. Qc2 {1-0 Tkachiev,V-Piket,J/Cannes 2000/CBM 77/[Ribli] (65)}) (16... c5
17. a5 $5 Qd5+ 18. Nf3 Rad8 19. Qc2 Qc6 20. Qa4 Qxa4 21. Rxa4 Rd5 22. Rc1 h6
23. Be3 {1-0 Kaidanov,G-Bauer,C/New York USA 2000/The Week in Chess 288 (49)})
17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nf3 Qf6 19. Ra3 Rad8 20. Qc2 Rd6 21. Rb3 {1-0 Bauer,
C-Bellini,F/Mondariz ESP 2000/The Week in Chess 305 (34)}) (12... Nbd7 13. Nc3
Bc6 14. Qc2 Bb4 15. Rfe1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Red1 Qa5 18. Bf4 (18. Na2 Bd6 19.
Bd2 Qc7 20. Bg2 a5 21. Rac1 Rfd8 22. h3 Bf8 23. e4 e5 24. Be3 exd4 25. Bxd4 h5
26. Qc3 Re8 27. Re1 Nh7 28. e5 Ng5 29. f4 Ne6 {1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Almasi,Z/
Senec 1998/EXT 99 (73)}) 18... e5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Bg2 Rad8 21. Na2 Rxd1+ 22.
Rxd1 Re8 23. Nxb4 Qxb4 24. Bd2 Qc4 25. Qxc4 Nxc4 26. Bc3 {1-0 Filippov,V-Gutov,
A/Omsk/Perm 1998/EXT 2000 (49)}) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 {
[%mdl 4] Schwarz hat eine sehr solide Stellung erreicht. Es trifft zu, dass
Weiß Raumvorteil hat, aber das Feld b4 stellt eine positionelle Schwäche dar.}
16. e3 (16. Rd1 a5 {[%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4]} 17. Ne4 (17. e4 $2 Bxd4 18. Ne2 e5 $17)
17... Na6 $11) 16... a5 {[%csl Yb4][%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4] Schwarz bereitet das
typische Springermanöver Na6-b4 vor.} 17. h4 {Auch das ist ein für diese
Variante typishes Motiv - Weiß gewinnt Raum am Königsflügel.} Na6 $11 {[%mdl
32] Schwarz hat eine bequeme Stellung erreicht - er kann das Feld b4 besetzen.}
18. h5 Qe7 (18... e5 $6 19. d5 $14) 19. Rd1 Rfd8 20. Qc2 (20. Ne4 Nb4 $11)
20... Nb4 21. Qb3 Rac8 (21... Rd7 $11 {[%cal Ga8d8]}) 22. Rac1 c5 23. dxc5 (23.
d5 $6 c4 24. Qa3 exd5 (24... Bxc3 25. bxc3 Qf6 $1 (25... Nxd5 $6 26. Qxe7 Nxe7
27. Bxb7 $14) 26. dxe6 (26. Be2 Nxd5 $17) (26. cxb4 Qxf3 $17) 26... Nd3 $17)
25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Rxd5 Qxa3 27. bxa3 b6 $15) 23... Rxd1+ (23... Rxc5 24. Rxd8+
Qxd8 25. Bxb7 $14 Nd3 26. Rd1 $18 {[%csl Rd3][%cal Rd1d8]}) 24. Qxd1 Rxc5 25.
Ne4 Rc7 {Natürlich tauscht Schwarz nicht von sich aus die Türme.} (25... Rxc1
26. Qxc1 $14 {[%cal Gc1c8]}) 26. b3 b6 27. Be2 (27. Rxc7 Qxc7 28. Nxf6+ gxf6
$11 {Die schwarze Bauernstruktur am Königsflügel wirkt sich nicht nachteilig
aus.}) 27... Rxc1 28. Qxc1 Qd8 29. Qc4 Be7 30. Qb5 Nd5 31. Bc4 Bb4 {[%cal
Rf7f5,Rf5e4] Schwarz beraubt den Ne4 des Feldes c3 und droht 32...f5 mit
Springerfang.} 32. g4 (32. Bxd5 $4 exd5 $19 {[%csl Re4]}) 32... Nf6 33. Nxf6+ (
33. Nxf6+ gxf6 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Vidmar Memorial 13th"]
[Site "Portoroz"]
[Date "1999.06.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1999.06.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 10242]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 {Der kroatische Grossmeister
wählt die Katalanische Eröffnung, die Beliavsky allerdings mit beiden Farben
spielt. Ribli.} Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Beliavsky spielt gern die
sogenannte klassische Variante. Schwarz nimmt den Bauern und entwickelt seinen
Damenflügel, während Weiss ihn zurückgewinnt.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Heutzutage
wird die alte Fortsetzung 8.Qxc4 weniger gespielt.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {
Weiss ist bereit, in einigen Varianten den Läufer gegen den Springer f6 zu
tauschen, um dann das Zentrum mit Nc3 nebst e2-e4 zu besetzen.} Bd5 (10... a5)
11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 (12. dxc5) 12... Bc6 (12... cxd4 $5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxe7
Qxe7 15. Nxd4 Nc6 $11) 13. Rfd1 (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. dxc5 Nd7 15. Qc4 Qe7 16. b4
a5 17. Nd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 axb4 19. Ne4 Rfc8 20. a5 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Nxc5 $11 {
1/2-1/2 Nikolic,P-Boensch,U/Munich 1990 (37)}) 13... cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15.
Kxg2 Nbd7 $1 {Die Stellung Beliavsky wohlbekannt, denn er hat sie schon
gespielt. Der Textzug ist die beste Möglichkeit für Schwarz, denn er kann
jetzt eventuell mit dem Springer auf f6 zurückschlagen.} (15... Qa5 16. Bxf6 $1
(16. Ne4 Nbd7) 16... Bxf6 17. Ne4 Bxd4 (17... Nd7 18. Qb3 (18. Nb3 Qb4 19. Rac1
Qxa4 20. Nbc5 Nxc5 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Rxc5 Rac8 23. Rh5 Qc2 24. Qf3 f5 25. Rd4
Qc6 26. e4 $44 {1-0 Akesson,R-Wells,P/Antwerp op 1995 (36)}) 18... Bxd4 19.
Rxd4 Nc5 20. Nxc5 Qxc5 21. Rc4 $14) 18. Qxd4 Nc6 19. Qc5 Rac8 $6 (19... Rfd8)
20. Qxa5 Nxa5 21. Nd6 {1-0 Tukmakov,V-Beliavsky,A/Portoroz 1996/Inf 66/
[Tukmakov,V] (41)}) (15... h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 Qxd4 19. Rxd4
$14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] 1-0 Kozul,Z-Nikolic,P/Sarajevo 1998/CBM 66/[Ribli] (61)
Die Stellung ist fast symmetrisch, aber Weiß hat das viel bessere Figurenspiel,
viele Möglichkeiten einzudringen.}) 16. f4 $6 {Dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht,
denn er schwächt die weisse Königsstellung. Die Alternative 16.Qf3 scheint mir
am besten zu sein, aber Schwarz hat auch dann keine Problemen.} (16. Qf3 Rb8 (
16... Qb8 17. Rac1 {1/2-1/2 Garcia Ilundain,D-Wells,P/Escaldes 1998/CBM 68_07 
(17)}) 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Ne4 Qb6 19. Qe3 Rfd8 20. Rd2 Be7 21. Rad1 Qc7 22. Nb3
Qc6 23. Nd4 Qc7 24. Nb3 Nb6 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Nec5 {1/2-1/2
Wojtkiewicz,A-Georgiev,K/Metz 1997/EXT 99 (42)}) (16. e4 Rc8 $11) 16... Rc8 $11
{Schwarz ist harmonisch entwickelt und seine Stellung weist keine Schwächen
auf, während beim Weissen, der mehr Raum kontrolliert die Felder e4 und b4
schwach sind.} 17. e4 h6 18. Bh4 Qb6 19. Qe2 $6 (19. Rab1 $5 Bc5 $11 (19... Bb4
$11) (19... Rfd8 20. e5 {[%csl Re7][%cal Gh4e7]} g5 {[%csl Rh4]} 21. exf6 Bxf6
22. a5 Qc7 23. Nxe6 Qc6+ 24. Qe4 Qxe6 25. Qxe6 fxe6 26. Ne4 gxh4 27. Rxd7 Bd4
$14)) 19... Bb4 20. Na2 (20. Rab1 $5 $11) 20... Bc5 21. a5 $2 {Ich kann diese
Fortsetzung nicht verstehen. Weiss opfert einen Bauern für nichts.} (21. Nf3
$11) 21... Qxa5 $17 22. e5 (22. b4 {[%cal Rb4c5,Rb4a5]} Bxb4 23. Nxb4 Qxb4 24.
Rab1 Qc4 $19) 22... Bxd4 $1 (22... Nd5 $17 {[%csl Gd5]}) 23. exf6 (23. Rxd4 Nd5
{[%csl Gd5]}) 23... Qd5+ 24. Kh3 (24. Qf3 Rc2+ $19) 24... Nxf6 25. Rd3 (25.
Bxf6 Qf5+ $19) 25... Ne4 26. g4 f5 $19 {Schwarz hat zwei gesunde Mehrbauern
und entscheidenden Angriff.} 27. Nc3 Nxc3 28. bxc3 Rxc3 29. Rxc3 Bxc3 30. Rb1
fxg4+ {Und Weiss verliert weiteres Material und gab daher auf. Eine schlechte
Partie von Kozul.} (30... fxg4+ 31. Kg3 (31. Kxg4 Qf5+ $19 {[%cal Rf5g4,Rf5b1]}
) (31. Qxg4 Qd3+ $19 {[%cal Rd3h3,Rd3b1]}) 31... g5 $19) 0-1

[Event "Najdorf Memorial 11th"]
[Site "Buenos Aires"]
[Date "2000.09.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Milos, Gilberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2699"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2000.09.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARG"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 080"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Statt dieser Fortsetzung spielte Schwarz gegen
denselben Gegner. (Karpov,A - Milos,G Japfa Clssic 2000 CBM 77) 10...a5 11.Nc3
Na6} Bd5 11. Qd3 (11. Qc2) 11... c5 (11... Be4) 12. dxc5 Nbd7 (12... Bxc5 13.
Nc3 Bc6 14. Ne5 (14. Qc4 Be7 15. b4 Nbd7 16. b5 Bd5 {1/2-1/2 Akopian,V-Adams,M/
Las Vegas 1999/CBM 72 (16)}) 14... Qxd3 15. Nxd3 Bd4 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Rac1 Rd8
18. Rfd1 Bxc3 19. Bxc6 Nxc6 {1/2-1/2 Stohl,I-Lutz,C/Istanbul TUR 2000/The Week
in Chess 313 (19)}) 13. Nc3 Nxc5 14. Qe3 Qa5 $5 (14... Rc8 15. Rfd1 Re8 16. Ne5
Qb6 17. Bh3 {1-0 Smyslov,V-Nogueiras,J/Graz 1984/MCD (41)}) 15. Bxf6 $5 $146 {
[%mdl 4] Eine interessante Idee - Weiß gibt freiwillig den Läufer für den
Springer, um gegen den isolierten Bauern zu spielen.} (15. Rfd1 Bc6 16. Qf4 Nb3
17. Rab1 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Nc5 21. Qe3 Qb4 22. Ne5 Rad8
23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Rxd3 Qxa4 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Bxb7 {1/2-1/2 Adianto,U-Short,N/
Beijing 2000/CBM 78 (31)}) (15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qa3 Bxg5 $5 (16... Bd6 17. Nd2 $1
(17. Bd2 $2 Qb6 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Qa2 Ne4 20. Qb1 {0-1 Anastasian,A-Asrian,K/
Yerevan 2000/CBM 78/[Ribli] (45)}) 17... Ne4 18. Nc4 Bxa3 19. Nxa5 Nxg5 20.
Rxa3 $14) 17. Nxg5 h6 18. Rfc1 Nd7 19. Bxd5 Qxd5 20. Rd1 Qxg5 21. Rxd7 b5 22.
a5 Qe5 23. Rd2 Rad8 24. Rad1 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Qc7 26. Qc3 Qxc3 27. bxc3 Rc8 28.
Rd6 {1/2-1/2 Stohl,I-Ribli,Z/Germany 1998/GER-chT (28)}) (15. Rad1 Bc6 16. Rd4
Nb3 17. Rc4 Rad8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Nd2 {1/2-1/2 Gulko,
B-Beliavsky,A/Amsterdam 1989/CBM 14/[ChessBase] (38)}) 15... Bxf6 16. Nxd5 exd5
17. Qa3 {Ein vielseitiger Zug. Er verteidigt den Pb2, verhindert Qb4 und droht
b4.} Qb6 (17... Ne4 18. Rad1 $14) 18. Rab1 (18. b4 Ne4 (18... Bxa1 19. bxc5 Bb2
20. Qa2 Qf6 21. Rb1 Bc3 22. Qxd5 $11) 19. Rac1 Rac8 $11 {[%csl Yc3]}) 18... Nb3
(18... a5 $5) 19. Rfd1 Rfe8 20. e3 Rac8 21. Nd2 $1 $14 {[%mdl 32] Weiß muss
die stärkste schwarze Figur abtauschen.} (21. Rxd5 Be7 (21... Rc2 $2 22. a5 $18
) 22. a5 (22. Qa2 Nc1 23. Qa1 Nb3) 22... Qg6 23. Qa2 Nc1 24. Qa1 {Das ist ein
schreklich passives Feld für die Dame.} Nb3 25. Ne5 Qc2 26. Qa2 Nc1 $11) 21...
Nxd2 22. Rxd2 d4 {Schwarz hat seine Probleme scheinbar gelöst.} 23. exd4 Bxd4
24. a5 Qg6 (24... Qa7 25. Qb4 $16) 25. Rbd1 Bc5 26. b4 Bf8 27. Bxb7 $16 {
Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, und auch der Pa6 ist schwach.} Rc2 28. Rd4 {
Weiß umgeht den Turmtausch und verteidigt den Pb4.} Rce2 (28... Ree2 29. Rf4
Ra2 30. Qd3 Re1+ 31. Kg2 $18) 29. Qf3 Re1+ 30. Kg2 Rxd1 31. Qxd1 {[%csl Ra6]}
Rb8 32. Qf3 Be7 33. b5 $1 {Weiß gibt den Mehrbauern zurück und bekommt
deutlichen Positionsvorteil.} axb5 34. a6 {[%csl Ga6,Gb7] Der weiße
a-Freibauer ist in der Nähe des Verwandlungsfeldes, das verschafft Weiß großen
Vorteil.} Bc5 35. Rd5 Qc2 (35... Ba7 36. Rd7 Qe6 (36... Rf8 37. Bd5 $18) 37.
Rxf7 $1 $18 {[%cal Rb7d5,Rd5g8]}) 36. Rd7 $18 {Das ist ein gutes Beispiel
dafür, dass die Anwesenheit ungleichfarbiger Läufer dem Angreifer zugute kommt.
Weiß hat deutliche Drohungen auf den weißen Felden.} Kh8 37. Be4 Qa2 38. Qf5 (
38. Qf5 g6 39. Qe5+ $18 {[%cal Re5b8,Re5h8]}) 1-0

[Event "Boskovic Memorial"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "2000.10.11"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanisevic, Ivan"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2000.10.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 080"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Beliavsky
spielt gerne die sogenannte klassische Variante. Schwarz schlägt den Pc4 und
während Weiß sich um dessen Rückeroberung bemüht, kann er die Entwicklung des
Damenflügels abschließen.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Die weiße
Strategie ist klar - er möchte anschließend Nc3 spielen und e4 durchsetzen.} (
10. Nc3 $2 b5) 10... Bd5 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 (12. Qd1) 12...
Nc6 {Gegen einen schwächeren Spieler möchte Beliavsky die Partie
verkomplizieren. Natürlich kennt er das "letzte Wort" in dieser Variante - 12..
.Bxf3 nebst 13...c6 bietet einfaches Spiel und gute Ausgleichschancen.} (12...
h6 $5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bh7 (14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. e3 a5 17. h4 Na6
18. h5 Qe7 19. Rd1 Rfd8 20. Qc2 Nb4 21. Qb3 Rac8 22. Rac1 c5 23. dxc5 Rxd1+ 24.
Qxd1 Rxc5 {1/2-1/2 Bareev,E-Anand,V/Shenyang CHN 2000/The Week in Chess 306 
(33)}) 15. Rd1 c6 16. Ne5 Nd7 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Ne4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 {1/2-1/2
Ricardi,P-Short,N/Buenos Aires 2000/CBM 80_02 (19)}) (12... Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6
14. Qc2) 13. Nbd2 Bg6 {Das Schalgen des Pd4 führt zu einem Endspiel, in dem
Weiß einen kleinen aber dauerhaften Vorteil besitzt.} (13... Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2
15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Kxg2 Qd5+ 17. Nf3 Qe4 18. Qe3 Qxe3 19. Bxe3 Nd5 20. Bd2 Rfd8
21. Rfc1 c6 22. Rc4 {1-0 Dorfman,J-Onischuk,A/Cap d'Agde 2000/CBM 80_02 (79)})
14. Nb3 {Der Springer strebt das Feld c5 an. Der schwarze Springer steht
unglücklich auf c6, er verhindert die Wirkung des c-Bauern.} (14. Rd1) 14... h6
(14... Ne4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Nh4 $14) 15. Bxf6 (15. Bf4 $6 Nd5) 15... Bxf6 {
Weiß hat einen kleinen Zentrumsvorteil, aber Schwarz besitzt hat Läuferpaar
und Weiß ist weit von der Durchsetzung von e2-e4 entfernt. Dennoch, Weiß
kontrolliert mehr Raum und hat eine freie Stellung.} 16. Rd1 Nb4 {[%cal Rg6c2,
Rc2b3,Rc2d1]} (16... a5 17. Ne5 $14 {[%cal Gd1d8]}) 17. Ne1 c6 18. a5 $1 {
[%mdl 32] Weiß muss so spielen, sonst zieht Schwarz 18...a5.} Bh5 19. Qd2 Nd5
20. Nd3 $14 {Weiß hat keine konkreten Drohungen, aber Schwarz kommt weder zu
c6-c5 noch zu e6-e5.} Re8 21. h3 $6 (21. Rf1) 21... Qb8 $5 {Eine tiefe
großmeisterliche Idee - die Dame räumt das Feld d8 für den Turm, und Schwarz
bekommt Gegenspiel mit Qa7.} 22. Rf1 {Weiß löst sich endlich aus der Fesslung
auf der Diagonlae h5-d1 und möchte nun e2-e4 ziehen.} (22. g4 $6 Bg6 $132 {
[%cal Gf6g5,Gg5d2]}) 22... Bg6 (22... e5 23. e4 Nc7 24. dxe5 Bxe5 25. Nxe5 Rxe5
26. f4 $14 {Weiß kann seine Mehrheit am Königsflügel mobilisieren, während der
schwarze Damenflügel blockiert ist.}) 23. e4 Nc7 24. Ndc5 (24. e5 Be7 $11)
24... Rd8 $1 {[%cal Gd8d2]} (24... e5 25. Nd7 (25. d5 Rd8 $13) 25... Qd8 26.
dxe5 Bxe5 27. Nbc5 $14) 25. Qe3 Nb5 $6 (25... e5 $5 26. Rad1 Qa7 {[%cal Ga7e3]}
(26... exd4 27. Nxd4) 27. d5 cxd5 28. exd5 Bc2 29. Rc1 (29. Rd2 Bg5) 29... Bxb3
30. Qxb3 Bg5 31. Rc2 Nb5 $13) 26. Rfd1 Qa7 27. e5 {Weiß muss so spielen, denn
die schwarze positionelle Drohung war e6-e5.} Be7 28. Rac1 $11 Nc7 {[%cal
Gc7d5]} 29. Na4 {Dieser Springer strebt nach b6, der andere nach c5.} (29. Nxb7
$6 Qxb7 30. Bxc6 Qa7 31. Bxa8 Rxa8 $15 {[%csl Yd5][%cal Gc7d5]}) 29... Rab8 (
29... Re8 $5 30. Nb6 Rad8) 30. Nbc5 Re8 31. Nb6 {[%csl Ra7,Gb6,Gc5]} Rbd8 32.
Rc4 (32. h4 $5) 32... Nd5 33. Bxd5 (33. Nxd5 cxd5 (33... exd5 34. Rc3 Qb8) 34.
Rc3 b6 35. axb6 Qxb6 36. Rb3 Qc6 37. Rc1 Rb8 $11) 33... exd5 (33... cxd5 34.
Rc3 $14) 34. Rc3 Qb8 35. b4 {Weiß hat positionellen Druck am Damenflügel, und
seine beiden Springer haben sichere Stützpunkte. Das schwarze Läuferpaar auf
der anderen Seite hat keine große Wirkung. Wenn die Stellung aber geöffnet
werden sollte, werden die Läufer starker sein.} Qc7 36. g4 (36. f4 Bxc5 37.
bxc5 Be4 {[%csl Ge4]}) 36... Bxc5 $1 37. bxc5 f6 $13 38. f4 Be4 {[%csl Ge4]} (
38... fxe5 39. fxe5 (39. dxe5 Be4) 39... Rf8) 39. Qg3 fxe5 40. dxe5 (40. fxe5
Rf8 $36 {[%csl Ge4]}) 40... g5 $5 41. f5 (41. fxg5 hxg5 $17 {[%csl Re5]}) 41...
Rxe5 (41... Qxe5 42. Qxe5 Rxe5 43. Nc4 Re7 44. Nd6 $44 {Weiß hat einen Bauern
weniger, aber der Springer steht ausgezeichnet auf d6 und die schwarzen Bauern
am Damenflügel sind blockiert.}) 42. Re3 {[%cal Gg3c7]} Qg7 (42... Rde8 43.
Rxe4 dxe4 44. Rd7 Qb8 45. Qb3+ $18) (42... Rf8 43. Nd7 $16) (42... Qb8 43. Nc4)
43. Nc4 $1 {Das ist der Schlüsselzug für Weiß. Er hat einen Bauern weniger,
aber der Pf5 ist stark und er bekommt einen starken Springerposten auf d6.} Re7
44. Nd6 Rf8 45. Qe1 Qe5 46. Qd2 h5 (46... Kg7 47. Qd4 $11) 47. Qd4 hxg4 (47...
Qxd4 48. Rxd4 $11) (47... Qf4 48. Rf1) 48. Qxe5 (48. hxg4 $2 Qf4 {[%csl Rg4]})
48... Rxe5 49. hxg4 Kg7 (49... Bc2 $5 50. Rxe5 Bxd1 51. Re6 Bxg4 52. Rg6+ Kh7
53. Rxg5 Bd1 54. Nxb7 Bc2 $11) 50. Rh3 Re7 51. Kf2 Rg8 $6 (51... Kf6) 52. Rd2
Kf6 53. Rh6+ {Nun muss Schwarz mit dem König vorrücken, so daß Weiß starke
Initiative bekommt.} Ke5 (53... Kg7 $2 54. f6+ Kxh6 55. fxe7 Bg6 56. Rb2 $16)
54. Ke3 $1 $16 {[%csl Re5][%mdl 4096]} Rf8 55. Nxe4 dxe4 56. Rd4 {Droht 57.
Rxe4+ mit Turmgewinn!} Rf6 57. Rh8 (57. Rxe4+ Kd5 58. Rxe7 Rxh6 59. Rxb7 $16) (
57. Rh5 $1 Rg7 58. Rh8 Re7) 57... Rff7 58. Rhd8 {Droht 59.Rd6 und 60.Rxe4 Matt.
} Kf6 (58... Rh7 59. Rxe4+ Kf6 60. Rf8+ Ref7 61. Re6+ Kg7 62. Rd8 $16) 59.
R8d6+ Kg7 60. Rg6+ Kf8 61. Rd8+ Re8 62. Rxe8+ Kxe8 63. Rxg5 Rd7 (63... Re7 64.
f6 Re6 65. Rf5 Kf7 66. g5 $18) 64. f6 $18 {Mit zwei verbundenen Freibauern
steht Weiß auf Gewinn. Das ist ein gutes Beispiel dafür, dass die Qualität der
Bauern wichtiger ist als ihre Quantität - denn die Stellung ist jetzt
materiell ausgeglichen.} Rd5 65. Rg7 (65. Rxd5 $2 cxd5 $11) 65... Rxc5 66. g5 {
[%csl Gf6,Gg5]} Kf8 67. Kxe4 Rxa5 68. Kf4 {Die weißen verbundenen Bauern -
unterstützt durch Turm und König - gewinnen leicht.} 1-0

[Event "Boskovic Memorial"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "2000.10.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg M"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2000.10.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 080"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 {Großmeister Romanishin spielt gerne diese Zugfolge.}
d5 {Das ist eine natürliche Antwort, aber es gibt Alternativen - 3...c5 und 3..
.b5.} 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 {Beliavsky spielt diese Variante gerne
- und zwar mit beiden Farben.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Heutzutage bevorzugt man diese
Fortsetzung. Die alte Spielweise ist 8.Qxc4, aber in diesem Fall kann Schwarz
relativ einfach mit 8...b5 nebst 9...Bb7 ausgleichen.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 {
Schwarz kontrolliert mit dem Bc6 die wichtigen Zentrumsfelder e4 und d5.} 10.
Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 {Diese Stellung kann auch mit der Zugfolge 11.Qd3
Be4 12.Qd1 erreicht werden.} (12. Qc1 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6
$11) 12... c5 $1 {Wenn Schwarz in der Katalanischen Eröffnung zu diesem Zug
kommt, hat er für gewöhnlich Ausgleich.} (12... Nc6 13. Nbd2 Bg6 14. Rc1 h6 15.
Bf4 Nd5 16. Nb3 Nxf4 17. gxf4 Be4 18. e3 Rb8 19. Nc5 $14 {Ljubojevic,
L-Ivanovic,B/Bugojno 1982/Inf 33 (19)}) (12... Bc6 13. Nc3 Nbd7 14. Qc2 h6 15.
Bf4 Bb4 16. a5 Rc8 17. Rfe1 Bd6 18. Bd2 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 c6 20. Bg2 Re8 {1/2-1/2
Jussupow,A-Almasi,Z/Groningen 1994/CBM 45 (28)}) (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14.
Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Qb3 Ra7 17. Rfd1 a5 18. Ne4 Be7 19. Nc5 Qc7 20. Rac1
Na6 21. Ne4 Nb4 {1/2-1/2 Stamenkovic,Z-Tosic,M/Vrnjacka Banja 1996/EXT 2000 
(38)}) 13. dxc5 (13. Nbd2 Bc6 (13... Bd5 14. dxc5 Nbd7 15. b4 a5 16. Qb1 {
1/2-1/2 Miles,A-Ribli,Z/Szeged 1997/CBM 62 (16)}) 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Qc2 (15.
Nb3 Be7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 Bd5 (17... Be4) (17... Bb4 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Rfd1
$14) 18. Ne5 $1 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Donev,I/Austria 1996/CBM 57 ext/[Donev] (53)})
15... Nbd7 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nb3 Rc8 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. Qxc5 Bxf3 20. Qb4 Bxg2
21. Kxg2 Qd5+ 22. Kg1 Rc4 23. Qe7 Kg7 {1/2-1/2 Timoshchenko,G-Pigusov,E/
Irkutsk 1983/MCD (35)}) 13... h6 $5 $146 {Das ist eine - zweifellos
vorbereitete - Neuerung. Schwarz ist nicht zufrieden mit den alten Varianten 
(in denen er keine besonderen Probleme hat). Er nimmt den Pc5 nicht sofort,
sondern möchte die Stellung des Bg5 klären.} (13... Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bxc5 15. Nc3
$14 {1/2-1/2 Khalifman,A-Kramnik,V/Dortmund GER 2000/78 multimedia (15)}) (
13... Bxc5 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Qxd8 (16. Kxg2 h6 17. Qxd8 {1/2-1/2
Polugaevsky,L-Geller,E/Leningrad 1977/URS-ch (17)}) 16... Rxd8 17. Kxg2 h6 (
17... Nbd7 18. Nxd7 Rxd7 19. Rfd1 Rad8 20. Rxd7 Rxd7 21. Rd1 Rxd1 22. Nxd1 Nd5
23. Bd2 f6 24. Nc3 Nxc3 25. Bxc3 {1/2-1/2 Korzubov,P-Kharitonov,A/Lvov 1985/
MCD (25)}) 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Ng4 f5 20. Ne5 Bd4 21. Rfd1 Nc6 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23.
Rd3 Be5 24. Rad1 Rdb8 {1/2-1/2 Fridman,D-Zarnicki,P/Yerevan 1996/EXT 97 (50)})
14. Be3 (14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nc3 Bxc3 (15... Bc6 $5 16. Qc2 Nd7 17. b4 a5 18. b5
Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Nxc5 $11) 16. bxc3 Nd7 (16... Qa5 17. Qd4 $14) 17. Qd4 Bxf3 18.
Bxf3 Qc7 19. Qd6 {Weiß muss so spielen, sonst bekommt Schwarz mit 19...Nc5
eine ausgezeichnete Springerstellung.} Rac8 20. Qxc7 Rxc7 21. Bxb7 Nxc5 22. Bf3
Nb3 $11) 14... Nd5 15. Qc1 (15. Qd4 Bf5 16. Ne5 $13) 15... Qa5 16. Na3 {
[%cal Ga3c4]} (16. Nbd2 Nxe3 17. Nb3 (17. fxe3 Bd5 $15 {[%csl Rc5,Re2,Re3]})
17... Qb4 18. Qxe3 Nd7 $11) (16. Nc3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Bxc5 19. Qf4
Nc6 $11) 16... Nd7 (16... Qxa4 $5) 17. Nc4 Qb4 {[%csl Gb4][%mdl 32] Die
schwarze Dame steht ausgezeichnet auf b4. Weiß kann seinen Mehrbauern nicht
verteidigen.} 18. Ne1 (18. Qe1 Qxe1 (18... Qxc4 19. Nd2 Qb4 (19... Nxe3 20.
Nxc4 Nxg2 21. Qc3 $16 {[%csl Rg2]}) 20. Nxe4 Qxe1 21. Rfxe1 Nxe3 22. fxe3 Nxc5
$15) 19. Rfxe1 Nxe3 20. Nxe3 Bxc5 $15) 18... Nxe3 19. Nxe3 Nxc5 $15 {[%cal
Rc5b3,Rb3a1,Rb3c1] Schwarz hat eine solide Stellung - keine Schwächen. Der
weiße Damenflügel hingegen ist schwach.} 20. N1c2 (20. Bxe4 Qxe4 $15) 20... Qb6
21. a5 {Weiß gewinnt damit zwar Raum, aber später, im Endspiel, kann der Bauer
schwach werden.} (21. Bxe4 Nxe4 $15) 21... Qc7 {Schwarz hat eine gesunde
Stellung, während die weißen Figuren nicht gut miteinander harmonieren.} 22.
Bxe4 Nxe4 {[%csl Rc1,Rc2,Re3]} 23. Ra4 (23. Nd4 Rac8 $15) 23... Nd6 {[%cal
Gd6b5]} 24. Na3 (24. Nd4 Rac8 $15) 24... Rac8 25. Qxc7 Rxc7 {[%csl Rh6][%cal
Gf8c8,Gc8c1] Schwarz hat einen kleinen aber dauerhaften Vorteil - der Pa5
stellt eine potentielle Schwäche dar (er steht auf der Farbe des gegnerischen
Läufers), zudem kontrolliert Schwarz die c-Linie.} 26. Rd1 Rfc8 27. Kg2 {
Es ist nicht leicht für Weiß, seine Stellung zu verbessern.} Rc5 28. Rd3 Kf8 {
Schwarz verbessert seine Königsstellung. Seine Idee ist nach Ke8 den Nd6 zu
befreien und z.B. Nf5 zu ziehen.} 29. Nb1 $6 (29. Rad4 Nb5 (29... R8c6 $6 30.
b4 $11) 30. Nxb5 Rxb5 {[%csl Ra5,Rb2]} 31. Rc4 Rb8 (31... Rxc4 32. Nxc4 Bb4 33.
Rd7 $11) (31... Rcc5 32. Rxc5 Rxc5 33. Rd7 Rb5 34. Nc4 Ke8 $15 (34... Bb4) 35.
Rc7 $2 Kd8 $19) 32. Rd7 Ke8 33. Rcc7 Bd8 34. Rxf7 Bxc7 35. Rxc7 Rxb2 36. Nc4
$15) 29... Rb5 30. b3 (30. b4 Nc4 31. Nxc4 Rxc4 32. Na3 Rcxb4 $17) 30... Nf5
31. Nxf5 Rxf5 {[%mdl 4096]} 32. Nd2 (32. Rd7 Rb5 33. Nd2 $15) 32... Rd8 $1 33.
Rxd8+ Bxd8 34. Nc4 Rb5 $17 {Schwarz gewinnt einen Bauern. Denn Weiß kann nicht
gleichzeitig seinen Pa5 und Pb3 verteidigen.} 35. Ra2 (35. Ra3 Be7 $17) 35...
Rxb3 {Schwarz hat einen gesunde Mehrbauern, und der Pa5 ist nach wie vor ein
Schwachpunkt.} 36. Rd2 Ke7 {[%csl Gb3,Gd8,Ge7] Bei aktivem Figurenspiel steht
Schwarz aussichtsreich.} 37. Ne5 {Dieser Zug hilft nicht, aber guter Rat ist
schon teuer.} Bxa5 38. Rd7+ Ke8 39. Rxf7 Rb5 $19 {Das gewinnt eine Figur - die
weiße Stellung ist völlig hoffnungslos.} 40. Rxg7 Rxe5 41. Rxb7 Rxe2 42. h4 0-1

[Event "New York op"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1998.03.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anastasian, Ashot"]
[Black "Granda Zuniga, Julio E"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2540"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[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. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 (3... dxc4 $5) 4. Nf3 Be7 (4... dxc4 $5 {Dieser
Zug bietet Schwarz gute Ausgleichschancen, weil d2-d4 noch nicht gezogen wurde
und Weiß gezwungen ist, mit 5.Qa4 und späterem Qxc4 Zeit zu verlieren. Schwarz
hingegen kann in der Zwischenzeit seine Entwicklung beenden.}) 5. O-O O-O 6. d4
dxc4 7. Nbd2 $6 {In dieser Variante steht der Springer unnatürlich auf d2.
Meiner Meinung nach ist diese Fortsetzung sehr riskant für Weiß und verschafft
ihm keineswegs Vorteil.} b5 8. b3 $6 $146 {Mit dem Textzug gibt Weiß die
Hoffnung auf, den Bauern zurückzugewinnen - nach 8...cxb3 9.axb3 hat er einen
Bauern weniger. Schwarz hat aber -anstelle des Tausches- eine noch viel
bessere Möglichkeit.} (8. a4 c6 9. axb5 cxb5 10. Ng5 (10. Ne5 Nd5 11. e4 Nb4
12. Ndf3 Bb7 13. Ne1 N8c6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Be3 Qd7 16. Qe2 Qb7 17. Bd2 Rfd8 {
0-1 Longo,E-Geller,E/Woerishofen chs 1992 (23)}) 10... Nd5 11. Ndf3 h6 12. e4
Nb4 13. Nh3 Bb7 14. Ne5 N8c6 15. Be3 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd3 {0-1 Celis,S-Minasian,A/
Erevan olm 1996 (34)}) (8. Qc2 Bb7 9. e4 (9. b3 cxb3 10. Nxb3 Be4 11. Qb2 Nbd7
12. Rd1 Qb8 13. Bf4 Qb6 14. Rac1 Rac8 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Nd7 {
0-1 Carless,D-Zarnicki,P/Erevan olm 1996 (33)}) 9... Nc6 10. e5 Nb4 11. Qb1
Nfd5 12. Ne4 Nd3 13. b3 Rb8 14. a3 Nb6 {0-1 Casagrande,H-Fauland,A/AUT-ch 1993
(33)}) 8... c3 $1 (8... cxb3 9. axb3 $44 {Ich bin nicht sicher, ob Weiß
ausreichende Kompensation für den Bauern hat, aber mit späterem Qc2 und e2-e4
bekommt er etwas Spiel für das Material.}) 9. Nb1 b4 $15 {[%csl Rb1,Gb4,Gc3]}
10. a3 Bb7 {Mit Hilfe natürlicher Entwicklungszüge verbessert Schwarz seine
Stellung.} (10... c5 11. Ne5 $13 {[%csl Gg2][%cal Rg2a8]}) 11. axb4 Bxb4 12.
Bg5 (12. Ba3 c5 13. Bxb4 (13. dxc5 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 c2 $19 {[%csl Gc2][%cal Rc2d1,
Rc2b1]}) (13. Qc2 Be4 14. Qa2 Nc6 $17) 13... cxb4 $17 {[%csl Rb1,Gb4,Gc3] Weiß
hat in dieser Partie große Probleme, seinen Nb1 zu entwickeln.}) 12... c5 13.
Qd3 {Weiß hat nicht nur einen Bauern weniger, sondern auch große
Entwicklungsprobleme, das bedeutet: seine Eröffnungswahl war schlecht.} (13.
dxc5 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 c2 $19) 13... Nc6 14. Bxf6 (14. dxc5 Qxd3 15. exd3 Rad8 $15
(15... Nd5 $15 {[%csl Rb1,Gb4,Gc3,Gd5]}) (15... Bxc5 $6 16. Nxc3 {In dieser
Variante kann Weiß fast ausgleichen, Schwarz behält aber wegen der Schwäche
auf d3 einen kleinen Vorteil.})) (14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qxd3 16. exd3 Bxg2 17.
Kxg2 (17. exf6 $2 Bxf1 $19) 17... Nd5 $17 {[%csl Rb1,Gb4,Gc3,Gd5]}) (14. Nxc3
Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qxd4 $17) 14... Qxf6 (14... gxf6 15. Nxc3 Nxd4 16.
Nxd4 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qxd4 18. Qxd4 cxd4 19. Nb5 $15) 15. Ne5 {Mit dem Partiezug
versucht Weiß, im Trüben zu fischen.} (15. Nxc3 Bxc3 (15... Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Bxg2
17. Kxg2 Qxd4 $17) 16. Qxc3 cxd4 $17 17. Nxd4 $2 Nxd4 18. Bxb7 Nxe2+ $19) 15...
Nxd4 $1 {Schwarz opfert eine Qualität. Aufgrund der beiden Mehrbauern, des
Freibauern auf c3 und des starken Zentrums besitzt er die besseren Karten.} (
15... Rfc8 $5 16. Bxc6 (16. Nxc3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 cxd4 $19) (16. Nd7 Qxd4 $19)
16... Bxc6 17. Nxc3 cxd4 18. Qxd4 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 Bg2 $17) 16. Nd7 (16. Bxb7 Qxe5
17. Bxa8 Nxe2+ 18. Kg2 Rxa8 $17 19. Re1 Nf4+ $19 {[%cal Re5e1,Rf4g2,Rf4d3]})
16... Qd8 17. Nxf8 (17. Bxb7 Qxd7 18. Bxa8 Rxa8 $17 19. Nxc3 $2 (19. e3 Nf3+
$19 {[%cal Rd7d3]}) (19. Re1 c2 {[%cal Rb4e1,Rc2b1]} 20. Nd2 Bxd2 21. Qxd2 Nf3+
22. exf3 Qxd2 $19) 19... Bxc3 20. Qxc3 Nxe2+ $19) 17... Bxg2 18. Kxg2 (18.
Qxh7+ Kxf8 $17) 18... Nxb3 $1 $17 {Jetzt hat Schwarz einen ganzen Turm weniger,
aber es hängen Nf8 und Ra1. Außerdem besitzt Schwarz inzwischen drei
Mehrbauern.} (18... Qxf8 19. Nxc3 Nxb3 $15 (19... Bxc3 $2 $14 20. Qxc3 Nxe2 21.
Qc4 Nd4 22. b4)) 19. Qxh7+ Kxf8 20. Ra2 (20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Qxd8+ (21. Qh4+ f6
$17) 21... Kxd8 22. Ra2 a5 $17) 20... Nd4 {[%cal Rd8d5,Rd5a2,Rd5g2] Schwarz
verfügt über sehr gefährliches Figurenspiel. Sein Pc3 entscheidet den Kampf.}
21. e4 g6 {Schwarz muß nicht eilen. Es ist nicht zu sehen, wie Weiß seine
Stellung verbessern könnte.} 22. Qh8+ Ke7 23. Qe5 Nb5 24. Rc1 Qd4 25. Qf4 (25.
Qxd4 cxd4 $19 {[%cal Rd4d3,Rd3d2,Rd2d1,Rc3c2,Rc2c1]}) 25... Rd8 {[%csl Ra2,Rb1,
Gb4,Gb5,Rc1,Gd4,Gd8,Rf4]} 26. Re2 a5 {Weiß hat keine Hoffnung mehr, diese
Partie noch zu retten. Die schwarze Bauernmasse am Damenflügel ist nicht
aufzuhalten.} 27. Re3 Qf6 28. Qg4 Qd4 {Natürlich strebt Schwarz keine
dreimalige Zugwiederholung an. In Zeitnot ist Zugwiederholung ein gutes Mittel,
um etwas Bedenkzeit zu sparen.} 29. Rf3 Qe5 30. Qh4+ {Der weiße Angriff hat
nur symbolischen Wert, in Wirklichkeit hat er nichts Konkretes.} g5 31. Qh5 {
[%cal Rh5f7,Rf3f7]} Rf8 32. h4 Qxe4 $19 {[%csl Ge4,Rg2][%cal Rb5d4,Rd4f3]} 33.
Kg1 (33. Qxg5+ f6 34. Qg7+ Rf7 $19) 33... c2 {[%csl Gc2]} 34. Na3 Bxa3 {
Jetzt hat Schwarz großen Materialvorteil.} 35. Re3 Qf5 {Und in dieser völlig
hoffnungslosen Stellung gab Weiß auf. Ribli.} 0-1

[Event "Pulvermuehle 2nd"]
[Site "Pulvermuehle"]
[Date "2004.02.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Bezold, Michael"]
[Black "Prusikin, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2456"]
[BlackElo "2519"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2004.02.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 100"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 {Dieser Läuferzug ist natürlich nicht
schlecht, aber nach meiner persönlichen Meinung bietet 4...dxc4 Schwarz
bessere Ausgleichschancen.} 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4
Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Die Alternative ist 10...Bd5, wonach Schwarz auf c7-c5 spielt.
Mit dem Textzug möchte Schwarz den Springer mit Na6-Nb4 ins Spiel bringen.} 11.
Nc3 Na6 12. Rad1 (12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 {Diese Variante führt zu
einer ähnlichen Stellung wie unsere Partiefortsetzung, aber hier steht der
andere Turm auf d1. In der Tat, es gibt zwei wichtige
Turmstellungsmöglichkeiten - Rfd1 und Rac1, oder Rad1 und Rfe1.}) 12... Nb4 13.
Bxf6 {Das ist die weiße Hauptstrategie in dieser Variante - Weiß tauscht den
Läufer gegen den Springer und möchte im folgenden mit e2-e4 eine starke
Zentrumsstellung bekommen.} Bxf6 14. e4 b6 15. Rfe1 {Die Alternative 15.d5 ist
sehr populär in dieser Stellung, aber mit guter Verteidigung kann Schwarz
Ausgleich erhalten. Mit dem Textzug bringt Weiß den Turm ins Spiel.} (15. d5
exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Nd4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Ba6 (18... Qd7 19. Rc1 (19. Rfd1 Rae8
20. h4 Re5 21. Nb5 Na6 22. Kh2 Nc5 23. Qc2 Ba6 24. Nc3 Qd6 25. Rf4 Rfe8 {
0-1 Thorfinnsson,B-Kristjansson,S/Strandgotu ISL 2001/ (56)}) 19... Rfd8 20. h4
Na6 21. Ne4 Nb4 22. Rcd1 h6 23. Kh2 Qe7 24. Nc3 Na6 25. R4d3 Qc5 {1/2-1/2
Anastasian,A-El Arousy,A/Dubai UAE 2002/ (35)}) 19. Nb5 Qf6 20. Rfd1 Rac8 21.
Qc3 $5 Bxb5 22. axb5 Qd6 23. Rg4 $1 $36 {1/2-1/2 Vaganian,R-Ribli,Z/Germany
2002/(28)}) (15. Rd2 {[%cal Gf1d1]}) 15... Bb7 {[%cal Gb7a6,Ga6c4] Schwarz
verbessert seine Läuferstellung und möchte eventuell Ba6 spielen.} 16. Qb3 c6 {
Auf diese Weise möchte Schwarz die potenzielle Drohung d4-d5 verhindern, aber
dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht, weil Schwarz den b7-Läufer von selbst
einschließt.} (16... g6 $5 {[%cal Gf6g7]}) 17. h4 {Das ist ein typyscher
Raumgewinnzug in dieser Variante.} Qb8 $6 (17... h6 18. Rd2 Qc7 19. Nh2 Rfd8
20. Red1 Be7 21. Ng4 Bf8 22. Ne3 Rd7 23. f4 Rad8 24. Kh2 Bd6 25. Ne2 Bf8 26.
Nc4 {1-0 Kurajica,B-Zelic,Z/Tucepi 1996/EXT 97 (51)}) (17... g6 18. e5 Bg7 19.
Ne4 $14) 18. e5 Be7 19. Ng5 h6 $2 {Dieser Zug ist unvorsichtig. Schwarz
provoziert das Opfer auf e6, was hier klar vorteilhaft für Weiß ist.} (19...
Bxg5 20. hxg5 c5 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. dxc5 bxc5 23. Ne4 $14) {[#]} 20. Nxe6 $1 {
[%mdl 512] Mit diesem Springeropfer bekommt Weiß nur zwei Bauern für die Figur,
aber im folgenden wird sein Angriff gewinnbringend.} fxe6 21. Qxe6+ Rf7 22. Be4
$16 {[%csl Ge4,Ge6,Yg6,Rg8,Yh7] Die Mehrheit der schwarze Figuren steht am
Damenflügel, wähend Weiß tödlich 23.Qg6 droht; die weißfarbigen Felder am
schwarzen Königsflügel sind zu schwach.} Bc8 (22... Qc8 23. Qg6 Kf8 24. Qh7 Ke8
25. Bg6 $18) 23. Qg6 Kf8 24. Qh7 Ke8 25. Bg6 {[%csl Re8,Rf7][%cal Rg6e8]} Be6
26. Qxg7 $18 {[%mdl 128] Das ist schon der dritte Bauern für die Figur, aber
was wichtiger ist: Schwarz hat keine Verteidigung gegen die vielen Drohungen.}
Qc8 27. Ne4 1-0

[Event "Solin 9th"]
[Site "Solin/Split"]
[Date "2001.12.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kurajica, Bojan"]
[Black "Zelcic, Robert"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2542"]
[BlackElo "2547"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2001.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 087"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {Dieser
Zug wird selten gespielt - in der Großmeisterpraxis spielt man gewöhnlich 7.
Qc2. Aber man dard diesen Zug nicht unterschätzen - Weiss öffnet die Diagonale
des g2-Läufers und möchte den c4-Bauern mit dem Springer nehmen.} Nc6 {Wie in
der Variante 6.Nc3 (nach den Zügen 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3
0-0 6.Nc3 dxc4), ist auch hier dieser Springerzug - der eigentlich ein
Bauernopfer darstellt - eine Möglichkeit für Schwarz.} 8. Bxc6 (8. Nxc6 bxc6 9.
Na3 (9. Bxc6 Rb8 10. Nc3 Nd5 $13) 9... Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 (10... Nd5)) 8... bxc6
9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 {Dieser Zug ist auch spielbar, aber nach
meiner persönlichen Meinung scheint mir der andere Bauernzug ( 11...c5) besser
zu sein. In meiner Partie gegen Krasenkow spielte ich selbst diese Alternative.
} (11... c5 $5 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 Rd8 $5 (13... e5) 14. Qh4 Rb8 15. b3 Ba6
16. Nc3 Qc5 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rb4 19. Qe3 Qc2 $1 20. Ba3 Re4 21. Rfc1 Qxe2
{1/2-1/2 Krasenkow,M-Ribli,Z/Deutschland 72/(444) 1998 (21)}) 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13.
Qxc4 {Der Anziehende hat einen Bauern mehr, aber seine weißen Felder am
Königsflügel sind geschwächt und Schwarz hat Entwicklungsvorteil. Die große
Frage ist - kann Schwarz konkrete Drohungen und konkrete Gegenchancen kreieren
rufen oder nicht.} (13. Nc3 Qe6 (13... Ne4 14. Qxc4 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Qxe2 16. Re1
Qb5 17. Re5 Qd7 18. Bf4 Bb7 19. Rg5 f6 20. Qb3+ $14) 14. Bf4 Ne4 15. Rfe1 $11)
13... Be6 14. Qd3 (14. Qa6) (14. Qc2) 14... Rad8 (14... Nd5 $5 15. Nc3 Nxc3 16.
bxc3 Rad8 $44 {Ziatdinov,R}) (14... Rab8) 15. Qe3 Qh5 16. f3 {Wegen der
Drohung Ng4 muss Weiß so spielen.} Rfe8 (16... Bc4 17. Nc3 Rfe8 18. Qg5 $1 $16)
17. Qg5 Qh3 (17... Bc4 18. Qxh5 Nxh5 19. Re1 (19. Nc3 $5 Bxe2 20. Rf2 Ba6 21.
Bg5 $36) 19... Rxe2 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. Kf2 Bc4 22. Nc3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Pigusov,
E-Raetsky,A/Voronezh 1988/EXT 99 (29)}) 18. Nc3 {Dieser Entwicklingszug ist
ganz gut, aber die Alternative 18.Qc5 kommt auch stark in Betracht.} (18. Qc5
$5 Bd5 19. e4 Nxe4 (19... Rxe4 20. fxe4 Ng4 21. Rf2 Nxh2 (21... Bxe4 22. Nc3
Nxh2 23. Qxc7 {1-0 Stohl,I-Oral,T/Olomouc 1997/CBM 61 (23)}) 22. Qxc7 Rc8 23.
Rxh2 Rxc7 24. Rxh3 Rxc1+ 25. Kf2 {1-0 Gelfand,B-Timoscenko,G/Sverdlovsk 1987/
TD (41)}) 20. fxe4 Bxe4 21. Qf2 Bb7 22. Nc3 Re7 23. Bf4 Rde8 24. Rad1 h6 25.
Rd4 Qe6 26. Rfd1 Qc6 27. Rd5 Rd7 28. Qc5 Rxd5 29. Rxd5 Qg6 {1/2-1/2 Lima,
D-Leitao,R/Sao Paulo 2000/CBM 76 ext (39)}) 18... Bc4 19. Rf2 Rxe2 (19... Bxe2
20. Be3 Ba6 21. Bxa7 $14 Rd6 22. b4 Rde6 23. Qc1 h5 24. b5 Bb7 25. Qf1 Qf5 26.
a4 h4 {0-1 Kachiani Gersinska,K-Bojkovic,N/Belgrade 1990/TD (36)}) 20. Be3 $14
{[%mdl 4] Schwarz hat scheinbar eine sehr aktive Stellung, aber Weiß
kontrolliert die wichtigsten Punkte und die weiße Bauernstruktur ist besser.} (
20. Nxe2 $4 Rd1+ $19) 20... Rxf2 21. Bxf2 Ba6 (21... a6 $142 $5 22. Ne4 Qe6 $14
) 22. Ne4 {[%cal Gg5d8] Der f6N ist gefesselt, so kann Weiß die Bauernstruktur
des Gegners noch mehr verschlechtern.} (22. Bxa7 $5 Bb7 23. Qf4 $14) 22... Qe6
23. Bxa7 $16 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, aber die Verwertung des Vorteils ist
gar nicht leicht - wegen der Anwesenheit der ungleichfarbigen Läufer auf dem
Brett.} Kh8 {Schwarz möchte 24...Rd5 spielen und vermeidet den Zug 24.Nxf6 mit
Schach.} 24. Nxf6 (24. Rc1 Rd5) 24... gxf6 (24... Qxf6 25. Qxf6 gxf6 26. Be3
$16) 25. Qf4 {[%csl Gf4] Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr und seine Bauernstruktur
ist viel besser.} Rd5 $6 (25... Qe5) 26. Bd4 {[%csl Gd4][%cal Gd4h8] Mit
diesem Zug verbessert Weiß seine Läuferstellung.} Kg7 27. Bc3 {[%csl Gc3]} Qd6
28. Qxd6 Rxd6 29. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7][%mdl 4096]} Re6 $6 (29... c6 $16) 30. Bd4 {
[%cal Gc1c7] Dank 29...Re6?! kontrolliert Weiß jetzt die c-Linie.} c6 (30...
Rd6 31. Be3 $16) 31. g4 {[%cal Rg4g5,Rd4g7]} Kg6 32. Rc5 {[%csl Gc5][%cal
Gc5a5,Gc5h5]} Bd3 33. h4 {Weiß spielt dieses Endspiel sehr stark - zuerst
mobolisiert er seine Reserven am Königsflügel und mit dem a-Bauern kommt er
nur später, im entscheidenden Moment.} Rd6 34. h5+ Kg7 35. Bc3 {Jetzt droht 36.
g5 mit sofortigem Gewinn.} Kf8 36. Ra5 {[%cal Ga5a7,Ga7h7]} Ke8 37. Kf2 Kd7 38.
Ra7+ Ke8 39. Ke3 {[%csl Ge3] Weiß verbessert seine Königsstellung - Schwarz
kann praktisch nichts machen, nur warten.} Bc4 40. Ra8+ Kd7 41. Ra5 Re6+ 42.
Kf4 Bd5 43. Ra7+ Ke8 44. a4 $18 {[%csl Ga4] Der a-Freibauer entscheidet die
Partie.} f5 45. gxf5 (45. g5 $18) 45... Re2 46. Bf6 c5 47. a5 Kf8 48. Rc7 (48.
Rc7 c4 49. a6 $18) 1-0

[Event "Santa Monica"]
[Site "Santa Monica"]
[Date "2004.05.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Yudasin, Leonid"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2553"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2004.05.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 102"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Diese Spielweise ist besonders populär in letzter Zeit - Weiß nimmt nicht
sofort den c4-Bauern (wonach 8...b5 und 9...Bb7 kommen würde), denn es
verhindert die Möglichkeit b7-b5.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 {Gewöhnlich spielt
Weiß 10.Bg5, mit der Idee Bxf6 und in vielen Varianten (nach Vorbereitung)
kann Weiß das Zentrum mit e2-e4 besetzen.} a5 {Schwarz folgt einem logischen
Plan - er spielt gegen das schwache b4-Feld.} 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rac1 (12. Rfe1)
12... Nb4 {Nach 10...a5 und 11...Na6 ist das die konsequente Fortsetzung - die
Alternative 12...Bxf3 und 13...c6 bietet Schwarz eine sehr feste Stellung,
aber in diesem Fall bleibt er ohne Gegenspiel und Weiß kann mit e2-e4 das
Zentrum besetzen und bekommt freie Hand.} 13. Rfe1 {[%cal Ge2e4] Weiß bereitet
14.e4 vor. Ich merke an, dass in dieser Variante bei f4-Läuferstellung die
Türme gut auf c1 und auf e1 stehen.} Nfd5 {Dieser Springerzug wurde in einige
Partien gespielt, aber die Alternative 13...Bd6 kommt auch stark in Betracht.}
(13... Bd6 14. Bg5 (14. e3 Nfd5 15. Qe2 Nxf4 16. gxf4 f6 17. Kh1 Qe8 18. b3 e5
19. fxe5 fxe5 20. d5 e4 {1/2-1/2 Lautier,J-Beliavsky,A/Belgrade 1995/CBM 51 
(49)}) 14... Bd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb3 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. e3 Rae8 19. Qd1 Re7
20. Rc3 Rfe8 21. Qb1 c6 22. Rd1 Qe6 23. Nd2 Na6 {1-0 Kasparov,G-Gelfand,B/
Moscow 1996/CBM 52 ext (57)}) 14. Nxd5 (14. e4 $6 Nxf4 15. gxf4 b6 16. Nb5 Bxb5
17. axb5 Rc8 18. f5 exf5 19. Bh3 fxe4 20. Bxc8 exf3 21. Bg4 Bd6 22. Bxf3 Qh4
$44 {1/2-1/2 Mikhalevski,V-Minero Pineda,S/San Salvador ESA 2003/(29)}) 14...
exd5 (14... Qxd5 15. Qxd5 Nxd5 16. Ne5 Nxf4 17. Nxc6 Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 bxc6 19.
Bxc6 Rad8 20. d5 Bb4 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Bb5 c5 23. Bc4 {1/2-1/2 Delchev,A-Flear,
G/Creon 2001/EXT 2002 (42)}) 15. Qb3 b6 $6 {Die schwarze Idee ist nach 16.Ne5
den Läuferzug 16...Bb7 zu spielen, aber dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht.} (15...
Bd6) (15... f6 $5 {Einerseits schwächt dieser Bauernzug ein wenig die schwarze
Stellung,anderseits kontrolliert er das e5-Feld.}) 16. Rc3 {[%cal Ge1c1,Gc1c7]
Dieser Zug ist natürlich nicht schlecht, aber der Springerzug 16.Ne5 bietet
Weiß einfach bessere Chancen.} (16. Ne5 Bb7 17. Nd3 (17. Nd7 $1 $16) 17... Nxd3
18. Qxd3 Bd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. Rc2 f5 21. Rec1 Rf7 22. Qb5 Rd8 23. b4 axb4 24.
a5 $36 {1-0 Grivas,E-Nyysti,S/Rethymnon 2003/CBM 98 (43)}) 16... Bd6 (16... Qe8
17. Ra1 $14) 17. Bxd6 (17. Ne5 $14) 17... cxd6 $6 {Auf diese Weise kann
Schwarz das e5-Feld kontrollieren, aber seine Bauernstruktur wird ganz
schlecht.} (17... Qxd6 18. Rec1 Rac8 19. Ne5 Bb7 20. Bh3 (20. e3 c5 $11) 20...
f5 21. Bg2 c5 $11) 18. Ra1 {Mit diesem positionellem Zug verteidigt Weiß
zuerst den a4-Bauern.} Re8 19. e3 $14 {Weiß verstärkt seine Bauernstruktur und
im Folgenden möchte er die beste schwarze Figur, den b4-Springer tauschen.} b5
20. axb5 Bxb5 21. Ne1 {[%csl Ge1][%cal Ge1c2,Gc2b4,Gg2d5] Weiß öffnet die
Diagonale des g2-Läufers und möchte Nc2 spielen.} Bc4 22. Qd1 Qb6 23. Bf3 $1 {
[%cal Ge1g2,Gg2f4][%mdl 32] Weiß lässt den b4-Springer, er bereitet das
Springermanöver Ng2-Nf4 vor.} (23. Nc2 a4 24. Nxb4 Qxb4 25. Rca3 Bb3 $11) 23...
h6 24. Ng2 Qb5 25. Nf4 {Jetzt ist die weiße Drohung 26.b3, so dass Schwarz 25..
.a4 ziehen muss.} a4 26. Bg2 Nc6 27. Rca3 Ne7 (27... Qxb2 $6 28. Nxd5 $16) 28.
Rxa4 Bb3 {[%cal Rb3a4,Rb3d1]} 29. Qxb3 $1 {[%mdl 512] Das ist die weiße Idee -
Weiß opfert die Dame für Läufer und Turm und wegen der schlechten schwarzen
Bauernstruktur kann er im Folgenden weiteres Material bekommen.} Qxb3 30. Rxa8
Kf8 (30... Rxa8 31. Rxa8+ Kh7 32. Ra7 Ng6 33. Nxg6 Kxg6 34. Rd7 Qb4 35. Bxd5
$16) 31. R8a5 {[%csl Rd5]} Qxb2 32. Nxd5 Nxd5 33. Bxd5 $16 {[%csl Ga1,Ga5,Gd5,
Rd6,Rf7] Nach Vereinfachungen haben wir eine Stellung, wo Weiß R+B+P gegen
eine Dame hat, aber Weiß dank seiner Aktivität klar die bessere Stellung hat.
Jetzt ist die weiße Drohung 34.Ra7 und nach 34...Re7 35.Rxe7 und 36.Ra7+.} g5
34. Kg2 f6 35. R1a2 Qb4 36. Ra6 Re7 37. Rc6 {[%csl Rf8][%cal Ra2a8,Ra8f8]} f5 (
37... Qb5 38. Rxd6 $18) 38. Ra8+ Kg7 39. Rg8+ Kh7 40. Rcc8 (40. Rcc8 Qa5 41.
Rh8+ Kg6 42. Bc6 g4 43. h3 gxh3+ 44. Kxh3 $18) 1-0

[Event "Hastings 0102 77th"]
[Site "Hastings"]
[Date "2001.12.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Wells, Peter K"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2502"]
[BlackElo "2517"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "179"]
[EventDate "2001.12.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 087"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Der englische
Großmeister spielt praktisch immer diese Variante gegen der katalanische
Eröffnung.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Dieser auf den ersten
Blick genügsame Läuferzug ist in Wirklichkeit eine gute Möglichkeit für Weiß -
im folgenden kann rt Ba5 ziehen und den c7-Bauern fesseln. Die anderen
Läuferzüge - 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4 - sind auch möglich.} Be4 {Dieser Läuferzug
wird oft gespielt, aber 11...Nc6 (mit der Idee 12.e3 Nb4) ist auch spielbar.}
11. Qc1 Nbd7 (11... Bb7 {Das ist kein "Tempoverlust", da die Dame weniger gut
auf c1 als auf c2 steht.}) 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nc3 Ba8 14. a4 {Der weiße Spieler
spielt gern diese Variante - Weiß hat Initiative am Damenflügel und es ist
nicht leicht für Schwarz c7-c5 zu spielen, was gewöhnlich das schwarze
Gegenspiel wäre.} b4 $6 {Nach dieser scheinbar aktiven Fortsetzung wird der
schwarze Damenflügel geschwächt.} (14... Rb8 15. Na2 (15. axb5 axb5 16. b4 Bd6
17. Qc2 Qe7 18. Rab1 e5 19. e4 g6 20. Rfe1 c6 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,A-Vaganian,R/
Brussels 1988/CBM 07 (29)}) 15... Nb6 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rd1 Nc4 18. Bb4 Bxb4
19. Nxb4 Qd6 20. Na6 Rbc8 21. Nc5 $14 {[%csl Gc5]} Nb6 22. Qc2 Nbd7 23. Rac1 {
1-0 Harikrishna,P-Mishra,N/Nagpur IND 2002/The Week in Chess 376 (48)}) (14...
bxa4 15. Nxa4 Qe8 16. b4 Nb6 17. Nc5 Qb5 18. Qc2 Bxc5 {1/2-1/2 Smejkal,
J-Lobron,E/Reggio Emilia 1985/MCD (18)}) 15. Na2 $14 {[%mdl 32]} Nd5 (15... b3
16. Nb4 $14 {Der b3P ist eine potentielle Schwäche.}) 16. Qc4 {[%csl Ra6,Rb4,
Gc4]} N5b6 (16... N7b6 17. Qxa6 (17. Qb3 Rb8 $13 (17... c5 18. dxc5 $14)) 17...
Bc6 18. Bxb6 Nxb6 {Mit Zugumstellung das ist unsere Partiefortsetzung.}) 17.
Qxa6 (17. Bxb6 Nxb6 18. Qxa6 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Qxd4 20. a5 $14) 17... Bc6 (17...
Nxa4 18. b3 Nab6 19. Nxb4 $16) 18. Bxb6 (18. Nxb4 $1 Be4 (18... Bxa4 19. Rxa4
Nxa4 20. Nc6 Qe8 (20... Nb8 21. Qxc8 Nxc6 22. Qxd8 Rxd8 23. Bxc7 $18) (20...
Ra8 21. Qb5 Qe8 22. Qxa4 $18) 21. Qxc8 $18) 19. Qb5 c6 20. Qh5 $16) 18... Nxb6
19. b3 Be4 {[%cal Gd8d5,Gd5b3,Gd5g2] Schwarz möchte die sonderbare
Damestellung auf a6 ausnutzen und lässt Weiss nicht Qd3 spielen.} (19... Bxf3
20. Bxf3 Qxd4 21. a5 $14) 20. a5 (20. e3 Qd5) 20... Ra8 (20... Nd5 21. Qc4 $16)
21. Qb5 Nd7 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, aber der a-Bauer ist in einigen
Varianten schwach und die Dame steht etwa unsicher.} (21... Qd5 22. Qxd5 Nxd5
23. Ne5 {[%cal Ge5c6,Gc6e7,Gc6a5]} Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Rxa5 25. Nc6 Ra6 26. Naxb4
Nxb4 27. Nxe7+ Kh8 28. Rxa6 Nxa6 29. Ra1 $18) 22. a6 (22. Nc1 c6 23. Qa4 Nb6
24. Qa2 Nd5 $44) 22... c6 23. Qa4 Qb6 $132 {[%csl Ra6] Schwarz hat den
b4-Bauern verteidigt und der weiße a6P ist schwach - Schwarz droht im
folgenden Ra7 und Rfa8 zu ziehen.} 24. Nc1 Ra7 25. Qa5 (25. Ne5 Nxe5 26. Bxe4 (
26. dxe5 Bxg2 27. Kxg2 Rfa8 $15) 26... Qxd4 $15) 25... Qxa5 (25... Rfa8 26.
Qxb6 Nxb6 27. Ne5 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Rxa6 29. Rxa6 Rxa6 30. Nxc6 $16) 26. Rxa5 Rfa8
27. Nd2 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Rxa6 29. Rxa6 Rxa6 30. Nd3 $11 {[%csl Yc4] Nach
Vereinfachungen haben wir eine Stellung, in der Schwarz die einzige offene
Linie kontrolliert. Anderseits gibt es einige Punkte für die weißen Springer -
z.B. das Feld c4.} Ra2 31. Rd1 g6 (31... Kf8 $11) 32. Kf1 {Weiß verteidigt den
e2-Bauern und befreit den d2-Springer. Die weiße positionelle Drohung ist 33.
Ne4 oder 33.Nc4.} c5 $2 {Schwarz wartet nicht auf 33.Ne4(33.Nc4) und 34.Rc1,
und opfert sofort einen Bauern.} 33. dxc5 Nxc5 (33... Bxc5 34. Ne4 Be7 35. Nxb4
Bxb4 36. Rxd7 $16) 34. Nxb4 (34. Nxc5 Bxc5 35. Ne4 Be7 36. Rd7 Kf8 $11) 34...
Rb2 35. Nc6 $16 (35. Nd3 Nxd3 36. exd3 Bb4 $11) 35... Bf8 36. b4 $5 {Weiß
beschäftigt sich nicht mit dem b-Bauern, er möchte seine Figuren aktivieren.} (
36. Na5 $16) 36... Na6 37. Nc4 Rc2 38. N4e5 {[%csl Gc6,Ge5][%cal Gd1d8]} Nxb4 (
38... f6 39. Nd4 $16) 39. Nxb4 Bxb4 40. Rd8+ Kg7 41. Rd7 $16 {[%csl Rf7]} Kf6
42. Nxf7 $2 {Nach diesem natürlichem Zug kann Schwarz noch kämpfen.} (42. f4
Be7 $2 (42... Kf5 43. Rxf7+ $18) 43. Ng4+ Kf5 44. Ne3+ {[%cal Re3f5,Re3c2]})
42... g5 $1 {[%mdl 4096]} 43. Nh6 Kg6 44. Ng4 {Weiß hat einen klaren Bauern
mehr, aber das Material ist reduziert, und das gibt Schwarz einige
Rettungchancen.} Rc5 45. Kg2 h5 46. Ne3 Re5 47. Nc2 Bc5 48. e3 {Stufenweise
verbessert Weiß seine Stellung.} Rf5 49. Ne1 {[%cal Ge1f3]} Bf8 50. Nf3 Bg7 51.
Rd6 Kf7 52. h4 gxh4 (52... g4 $2 53. Ng5+ $18) 53. Nxh4 Rb5 54. Rd7+ Kf6 (54...
Kg8 55. Ng6 $18 {[%cal Rg6f4,Rf4e6,Rf4h5]}) 55. Nf3 {[%csl Gf3] Wenn die
Bauern nur auf einem Flügel sind, ist der Springer viel stärker als der Läufer.
} Rb6 56. Nd2 Rc6 57. Ne4+ Kg6 58. Rd6 $5 {Sonst geht es für Weiß nicht leicht
weiter.} Rxd6 59. Nxd6 Be5 60. Ne4 Kf5 61. Nd2 Kg4 62. Nf3 Bf6 63. Nd4 e5 (
63... Bxd4 $2 64. exd4 Kf5 65. Kf3 $18) 64. f3+ Kg5 65. Ne6+ Kg6 (65... Kf5 66.
Nc5 $16) 66. Nf8+ Kf7 67. Nd7 Bg7 68. e4 {[%csl Yd5] Weiß kann nun den Punk d5
mit dem Springer besetzen.} Kg6 69. Kh3 Kg5 70. Nc5 {Droht 71.Ne6+ - das
Bauernendspiel wäre für Weiß leicht gewonnen.} Bf6 71. Nd3 Kg6 72. Nb4 Bd8 73.
Nd5 {[%csl Gd5]} Kg5 74. f4+ exf4 (74... Kg6 75. fxe5 $18) 75. gxf4+ Kg6 76.
Kg3 Ba5 77. Kf3 (77. f5+) 77... Bd8 78. Kg3 Ba5 79. f5+ Kg5 80. f6 {[%csl Gf6]}
Kg6 81. e5 {[%csl Ra5,Gd5] Alles ist verteidigt in der weißen Stellung -
Schwarz kann nicht tauschen, er kann nicht opfern. Der zentralisierte
d5-Springer lässt dem schwarzen Läufer wenige Möglichkeiten.} Bd8 82. Kf3 {
Droht 83.Re4 und 84.Nf4+.} h4 83. Kg4 {[%csl Rh4]} h3 84. Kxh3 $18 Kf7 85. Kg4
Ke6 86. Kf4 Kxd5 87. Kf5 Ba5 88. e6 {[%csl Ge6,Gf6]} Kd6 89. e7 Kd7 90. Kg6 1-0

[Event "Corus-B"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2002.01.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Black "Yu, Shaoteng"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2451"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2002.01.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 087"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 {Das ist eigentlich ein indirektes
Remisangebot - Schwarz möchte die Züge wiederholen. Anderseits steht die Dame
weniger glücklich auf c1, da sie nicht das e4-Feld kontrolliert, und im
folgenden kann Weiß nicht so leicht Rc1 spielen.} (11... Nc6 12. Be3 Rc8 13.
Nbd2 Bd5 14. Rd1 $14) 12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 {Es scheint, dass Weiß zufrieden ist
mit einem freundlichen Ergebnis der Partie.} Nbd7 {Es ist Schwarz, der nun von
der Zugwiederholung mit 14...Bb7 abweicht.} 14. Ba5 Rc8 {Wir haben eine
normale theoretische Stellung, aber mit zwei Plustempo, in theoretischen
Büchern wäre der 12. schwarze Zug gespielt.} 15. Nbd2 (15. Nc3) (15. a4) 15...
Ba8 16. Nb3 {[%csl Yc5][%cal Gb3c5] Weiß kontrolliert das Schlüsselfeld c5.} (
16. Re1 Qe8 {[%cal Gc7c5]} 17. b4 Ne4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Qf4 f5 $11) (16. Rd1
Qe8 {[%cal Gc7c5]}) (16. Qc2) 16... Qe8 {Dieser Zug ist typisch in dieser
Variante - Schwarz möchte den Ausgleichszug 17...c5 ausführen und verbessert
seine Damestellung.} (16... Nb8 17. Rd1 Bd5 18. Bd2 Nbd7 19. Nc5 Nxc5 20. dxc5
Qe8 21. Be3 b4 22. a3 a5 23. axb4 axb4 24. Nd4 $14 {Fominyh,A-Zhang Zhong 2001
Open Ubeda}) 17. Nc5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 4] Weiß lässt Schwarz nicht c7-c5 spielen,
er (sie) spielt selbst 17.Nc5. Nun kommt der weiße Bauer nach c5, was Weiß
Raumvorteil gibt.} (17. Qe3 c5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Qf4 b4 $13 {
Barlov,D-Morovic Fernandez,I 1985Vrsac}) 17... Nxc5 18. dxc5 Nd7 $6 {Dieser
Springerzug gefällt mir nicht - nach meiner Meinung muss Schwarz 18...Bd5
spielen.} (18... Bd5 $5 $11 {Auf diese Weise verbessert Schwarz seine
Läuferstellung und er kann c7-c6 spielen.}) 19. Bb4 (19. b4 $2 Bf6 (19... Nb6
$5 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Gb6c4,Gc4a5]} 20. cxb6 cxb6 $15) (19... Nb8 {[%csl Ra5]
[%cal Gb8c6,Gc6a5]}) 20. Rb1 Be4 $15) 19... a5 {Schwarz gibt seinen a-Bauern
und bekommt den c5-Bauern.} 20. Bxa5 Bxc5 (20... Nxc5 21. Rd1 $14) 21. Rd1 $14
{Droht 22.Rxd7 und 23.Qxc5 - Weiß hat das bessere Figurenspiel.} Bb6 (21... Bd6
$14) 22. Bxb6 Nxb6 23. Qc5 {[%csl Gc5]} Na4 24. Qc2 Qc6 (24... c5 $2 25. Ng5 g6
26. Bxa8 Rxa8 27. b3 $16) 25. Qd2 {[%cal Gd1d8]} (25. Rac1 Qxc2 26. Rxc2 c5 $11
) 25... Qa6 26. b3 Nc5 $6 (26... Nb6 $14) 27. Qc2 Ne4 28. Ne5 Nd6 (28... Nf6
29. Nc6 $14) 29. Nc6 Bxc6 30. Bxc6 $16 {[%csl Gc6][%mdl 32] Der c6B steht
ausgezeichnet - Schwarz kann nicht Re8 oder Ra8 spielen - der c6B paralysiert
das schwarze Figurenspiel.} Rfd8 31. e4 $1 {Mit diesem Zug beabsichtigt Weiß
e4-e5 zu spielen und verteidigt sich gegen das Springermanöver Nd6-f5-d4 oder
Nd6-f5-e7.} Qb6 32. a4 $1 bxa4 33. bxa4 {[%csl Ga4] Der entfernte a-Freibauer
ist eine große potenzielle Gefahr für Schwarz.} Qa5 {Schwarz möchte den
a-Bauern so früh wie möglich blockieren.} 34. Rdc1 Rb8 35. Qc3 Qa6 (35... Qxc3
36. Rxc3 $16 {[%cal Ga4a5]}) 36. a5 h6 37. Qe1 $6 {Dieser Zug gefällt mir
nicht - Weiß lässt den schwarzen Turm auf b2 eindringen.} (37. Rab1 $5 $16)
37... Rb2 $132 {[%cal Gb2h2]} 38. Qf1 Qa7 {[%cal Ga7g1,Gb2f2]} (38... Qxf1+ 39.
Kxf1 {[%cal Ga5a6]} Nc8 40. Rab1 $16) 39. a6 Ne8 {[%cal Rd8d2,Rb2f2]} 40. Rd1 (
40. Rcb1 $5) 40... Rxd1 41. Rxd1 Nd6 $14 42. e5 Nf5 (42... Nc4 43. Rd8+ Kh7 44.
Qd3+ g6 45. Qf3 f5 (45... Nxe5 46. Qf6 $18) 46. exf6 $18) 43. Rd8+ (43. Be4 $14
) 43... Kh7 44. Be8 {Weiss moöchte den f7-Bauern nehmen, aber der Läufer
verlässt die große weiße Diagonale, was Schwarz einige taktische Gegenchancen
gibt.} (44. Be4 $14) 44... Nd4 (44... Qb6 $2 45. Bxf7 Rb1 46. Bg8+ Kg6 47. Rd1
$18) (44... Ne3 45. Qd3+ Nf5 46. Qf3 $14) 45. Bxf7 Ne2+ $2 (45... Nf3+ 46. Kh1
Nxe5 47. Bg8+ Kg6 48. Bxe6 (48. Re8 Qxf2 49. Qxf2 Rxf2 50. a7 Nf3 $19 {[%csl
Gf2,Gf3,Rh1][%cal Rf2h2,Rh2h1]}) 48... Rxf2 49. Qb1+ Kg5 $14) 46. Kg2 Qxa6 47.
Qd1 $1 {[%csl Gd1,Gd8,Gf7,Rh7] Jetzt ist die weiße Dame sehr aktiv - Schwarz
hat keine konkrete Drohungen, weil seine Königstellung sehr schwach ist. Es
droht 48.Rh8+! Kxh8 49.Qd8! und Matt im nächsten Zug.} Qc6+ 48. Kh3 g6 49. Be8
Ng1+ {49...Nf4+ ist nicht gut, da nach 50.gxf4 das Schach auf f3 von der d1Q
verhindert ist.} 50. Qxg1 $18 Qe4 51. Qd1 h5 52. Qd3 Qxd3 53. Rxd3 Rxf2 54.
Rd7+ Kh6 55. Re7 (55. Rxc7 g5 56. g4 $18) 1-0

[Event "Pamplona"]
[Site "Pamplona"]
[Date "2003.12.22"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Romero Holmes, Alfonso"]
[Black "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2544"]
[BlackElo "2604"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2003.12.20"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 099"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.03.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.03.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. d4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist die
Klassische Variante der Katalanischen Verteidigung - Schwarz nimmt den
c4-Bauern und während Weiß den Bauern zurückgewinnt, kann er die Entwicklung
des Damenflügels beenden.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 {Das ist die natürliche Antwort,
aber heutzutage ist die Variante 8.a4 populärer.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 (
10... Nd5) 11. Nbd2 {Dieser Zug wird selten gespielt - die Hauptfortsetzung
ist 11.Rd1.} Rc8 {Dieser Turmzug zeugt an, dass Schwarz das Spiel komplizieren
möchte und nicht einverstanden ist mit den möglichen Vereinfachungen nach 11...
Nxd4.} (11... Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Kxg2 c5 (14... Nd5 $11) 15.
Nf3 Qb6 (15... Nd5 16. Be5 Qe8 17. Qe4 Qf7 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Rd2 c4 20. a3 h6
21. Rfd1 {1/2-1/2 Nogueiras,J-Ehlvest,J/New Delhi/Theran 2000/CBM 80 (21)}) 16.
Rad1 Rad8 17. b3 Rd5 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. e4 Rdd8 20. Bg5 Qb7 21. Qe2 h6 22. Bxf6
Bxf6 {0-1 Romero Holmes,A-Palo,D/Istanbul 2003/CBM96 (57)}) 12. Rad1 Nb4 (12...
Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bxg2 14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. Kxg2 c5 $11) 13. Qb1 Qe8 {Ein typisches
Motiv in der Katalanischen Verteidigung - Schwarz geht weg von der d-Linie und
bereitet den Befreiungszug 14...c5 vor.} (13... Nfd5 14. a3 Nxf4 15. gxf4 Nd5
16. e3 {1/2-1/2 Bischoff,K-Leitao,R/Dortmund 1998/EXT 99 (16)}) (13... Nbd5 14.
Be5 Nd7 15. Nb3 Qe8 $1 16. e4 N5b6 {[%cal Yb6c4]} 17. Rfe1 (17. Na5 Ba8 18. b4
Bd6 $11) 17... Bb4 $6 (17... Nc4 $5 18. Bf4 c5 19. dxc5 (19. d5 e5 $36 {
[%csl Rb1,Re1]}) 19... Nxc5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Ne5 $11) 18. Re2 Bd6 19. Bxd6
cxd6 20. d5 $5 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Lautier,J/Wijk aan Zee 1997/CBM 57/[Lautier] 
(62)}) 14. e4 $14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] Weiß hat ein starkes Bauernzentrum und die
e8Q steht passiv, so dass Weiß über einen kleinen Positionsvorteil verfügt.} (
14. a3 Nbd5 15. Bg5 h6 (15... c5 16. e4 $36) 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. b4 Bd6 $11)
14... c5 15. a3 Nc6 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. e5 (17. b4 Be7 (17... Bb6 18. Bd6 Ne7 19.
e5 $16) 18. Nb3 $14) 17... Nd5 (17... Nd7 18. Ng5 g6 19. Nde4 {Weiß hat einige
Drohungen, unter anderem 20.Rxd7 und 21.Nf6+.} Be7 20. Nf3 $18) 18. Ng5 $36 g6
19. Nde4 {[%csl Yd6,Yf6] Die dunklen Felder in der schwarzen Stellung neigen
zur Schwäche.} Be7 20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. exd6 Nb8 (21... Nxf4 $2 22. d7 {[%cal
Rd7c8,Rd7e8]} Ne2+ 23. Kh1 Qe7 24. dxc8=Q Rxc8 25. Nf3 $18) 22. Ne4 {[%cal
Rd1d5] Die weiße Drohung ist 23.Rxd5 und 24.Nf6+.} f5 (22... Nxf4 $4 23. Nf6+
$18) 23. Ng5 {[%mdl 2048] Weiß hat ausgezeichnetes Figurenspiel, während
Schwarz Probleme mit der Figurenkoordination hat.} h6 (23... Nxf4 $2 24. Bxb7
$18) (23... Bc6 24. Rfe1 (24. Nxe6 Qxe6 25. Rfe1 Nxf4 26. Rxe6 Nxe6 $17) 24...
Nxf4 25. gxf4 $16) {[#]} 24. Nxe6 $1 Qxe6 (24... Nxf4 25. Nxf4 $16) 25. Rfe1 {
[%csl Rd5,Re6][%cal Re1e6]} Qf7 (25... Qd7 26. Bxd5+ Bxd5 27. Rxd5 $16) 26.
Bxd5 Bxd5 27. Re7 $16 {[%csl Rd5,Rf7]} Be4 (27... Ba2 28. Rxf7 Bxb1 {Mit
Zugumstellung haben wir die Partiefortsetzung.}) 28. Rxf7 Bxb1 29. Rxf8+ Rxf8
30. Rxb1 (30. Bxh6 Bc2 (30... Rd8 31. Rxb1 Rxd6 32. Bf4 Rd8 33. Rc1 $16) 31.
Rd2 Rc8 32. d7 Nxd7 33. Rxd7 Be4 $14) 30... g5 31. Bd2 {Weiß hat einen Bauern
mehr und die schwarzen Bauern am Königsflügel sind schwach. Andererseits ist
das Material reduziert und Schwarz kann den d6-Bauern blockieren.} Kf7 32. Re1
(32. h4 Rg8 33. hxg5 hxg5 34. Re1 Nc6 35. Kg2 $16) 32... Re8 33. Rxe8 Kxe8 {
[%mdl 4096]} 34. h4 Nc6 (34... gxh4 35. gxh4 h5 36. Kg2 $16 {[%cal Gg2f3,Gf3f4]
}) 35. hxg5 hxg5 36. Bxg5 {Weiß hat schon zwei Bauern mehr, aber der schwarze
Springer hat aktives Spiel.} Ne5 {[%csl Ge5][%cal Ge5c4,Gc4b2,Gc4a3,Re5f3,
Rf3g1,Rf3g5] Es droht 37...Nf3+ und 37...Nc4.} 37. Kg2 Nc4 38. Bc1 (38. Kf3
$142 Nxb2 39. Kf4 Kd7 40. Kxf5 Nc4 41. Bc1 Nxd6+ 42. Ke5 $16) 38... Kd7 39. b3
$6 {Mit diesem Zug reduziert Weiß seine Gewinnchancen. Es wäre besser den
König zu aktivieren.} (39. Kf3 $142 Kxd6 40. Kf4 Ke6 $16) 39... Na5 40. b4 Nc4
$14 {[%csl Gc4]} 41. Kf3 Kxd6 42. Kf4 Ke6 43. f3 Ne5 {[%cal Re5d3,Rd3c1,Rd3f4]
Die Aktivität des Springers kompensiert den Bauern - jetzt droht 44...Nd3+.}
44. Ke3 Kd5 45. Ke2 Ke6 46. Bf4 Nc4 47. Kd3 (47. Bc1 Ne5) 47... Nxa3 $11 48.
Bd2 Nc4 49. Bc3 Kd5 50. g4 fxg4 51. fxg4 Ke6 (51... Ne5+ $4 52. Bxe5 Kxe5 53.
g5 $18) 52. Ke4 (52. Ke4 Kf7 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.01.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2004.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 099"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.03.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.03.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 {Statt dieser Fortsetzung kann Weiß auch 10.Bg5 und 10.
Bd2 spielen.} Nc6 11. Rd1 (11. Nc3) (11. Nbd2) 11... Nb4 12. Qc1 Nbd5 {Dieser
Zug ist nicht schlecht, aber die Alternative 12...Rc8!? kommt stark in
Betracht.} (12... Rc8 $5 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 $11 (14... Nxd5 15. Bg5 c5
16. dxc5 Qe8 $11)) 13. Nbd2 {Jetzt kann Weiß den Springer nach d2 entwickeln,
was weniger gut nach 12...Rc8!? 13.Nbd2 c5! ist.} Nxf4 14. gxf4 {Auf den
ersten Blick hat Weiß eine schlechte Stellung wegen des Doppelbauern auf der
f-Linie. Aber in Wirklichkeit kontrolliert er stark das e5-Feld und Schwarz
kann die geschwächte Bauernstruktur nicht ausnutzen.} c5 (14... Bd6 15. Nb3 (
15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nd5 17. Ndf3 Qf6 18. e3 Qf5 19. h3 $6 f6 20. Ng4 (20. Nd3
g5 $1 $17 {[%cal Gf8f2]}) 20... h5 21. Ngh2 g5 $1 {0-1 Kozul,Z-Zelcic,R/Solin/
Split 2000/CBM 81/[Ribli] (30)}) 15... Bd5 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 18. e4 Nb6
19. Nc5 {1-0 Illescas Cordoba,M-Campora,D/Cordoba 1995/EXT 2000 (64)}) 15. dxc5
Qc7 16. c6 Qxc6 17. Qxc6 Bxc6 18. Ne5 (18. Rac1 Rac8 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nd5
21. Nd3 Rfd8 22. Nb3 Kf8 23. Kf3 Ke8 24. Na5 Nb4 25. Nxb4 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Bxb4
27. Nb3 {1-0 Harikrishna,P-Kristjansson,S/Goa IND 2002 (105)}) 18... Bd5 $11 {
[%mdl 4];Ribli,Z (2610)-Karpov,A (2725) IBM Amsterdam 1980 1-0 Scheinbar steht
Schwarz etwas besser wegen der geschwächten weißen Bauernstruktur. Aber es
gibt auch einige Felderschwächen am schwarzen Damenflügel. (Ein gutes Beispiel
zu diesem Thema ist meine Partie gegen Karpov:)} (18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rfc8 20.
Rac1 Kf8 21. Kf3 Ke8 22. Nb3 Nd5 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Rc1 {0.5/Csom,I-Parma,B/
Roma/1981/}) 19. a4 (19. Bxd5 Nxd5 20. e3 $11) 19... Rac8 (19... Rfc8 $11) 20.
axb5 axb5 21. Rdc1 (21. Ra5 b4 $11) 21... h6 {[%cal Gg7g5] Schwarz öffnet die
Grundlinie und bereitet 22...g5 vor.} (21... g6 $11) 22. Ndf3 Bd6 23. Nd4 b4
24. Nd3 Bc4 25. Ne5 Bd5 (25... Bxe5 26. fxe5 Nd5 27. b3 $16) 26. Nb5 Bxe5 (
26... Be7 $11) 27. fxe5 Ng4 (27... Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Ng4 29. f4 Ne3+ 30. Kf3 Nc2
31. Nd6 $14) 28. e4 {[%csl Rd5] Nach diesem Zug muss der früher sehr starke
d5B weggehen, aber er findet keine guten Stützpunkte mehr.} Rxc1+ 29. Rxc1 $14
{[%csl Gc1][%cal Gc1c7][%mdl 4096]} Ba2 30. f4 f6 $2 (30... Ne3 31. Bf3 (31.
Nd6 $5) 31... g5 32. fxg5 Nc4 {[%cal Gc4e5]} 33. Be2 Nxe5 34. Rc5 Nd7 35. Rc7
Ne5 $11) 31. Bf3 Ne3 (31... h5 32. h3 Ne3 (32... Nh6 33. Bxh5 fxe5 34. fxe5 $16
) 33. Kf2 Nc4 34. Be2 Nb6 35. exf6 Rxf6 36. Ke3 $16) 32. Kf2 Nc4 33. Be2 Nd2 (
33... Nxb2 $2 34. Rc2 {[%cal Rc2a2]} Nd1+ 35. Bxd1 Bb3 36. Rd2 Bxd1 37. Rxd1
fxe5 38. Rb1 Rxf4+ 39. Ke3 Rh4 40. Rxb4 Rxh2 41. Nd6 $18) (33... Nb6 34. exf6
Rxf6 35. Ke3 $16) 34. Ke3 Nb3 (34... Rd8 35. exf6 gxf6 36. Rd1 Nc4+ 37. Bxc4
Rxd1 38. Bxa2 $18) 35. Rc7 $1 {[%csl Ra2,Rb3,Gb5,Gc7] Weiß hat aktives
Figurenspiel, während Schwarz Schwerigkeiten mit der Figurenkoordination hat.}
(35. Rc6 $16) 35... fxe5 36. fxe5 Na1 37. Nd4 {[%csl Ra1,Gd4][%cal Gd4b3,Gd4c2]
Der weiße Springer steht ausgezeichnet auf d4: Der schwarze Kollege befindet
sich plötzlich in großer Not.} Ra8 (37... Rf7 38. Rc1 Nb3 39. Rc8+ Rf8 40.
Rxf8+ Kxf8 41. Nxe6+ Kf7 42. Nd8+ Ke8 43. Nc6 $18) 38. Bg4 {[%csl Re6]} (38.
Bd1 $16) 38... Ra6 39. Be2 Ra5 (39... Ra8 40. Bc4 $16) 40. Bc4 Bxc4 41. Rxc4 b3
(41... Rxe5 42. Rc8+ Kh7 43. Ra8 $18 {[%csl Ra1] Diese Stellung ist ein gutes
Beispiel zum Thema, wie schlecht der Springer in der Ecke steht.}) 42. Rc8+ Kf7
43. Rc7+ Kg6 44. Kf4 Ra6 45. Re7 $18 {[%csl Re6] Hier hängt der
e6-Schlüsselbauer und Schwarz hat keine Verteidigung.} Kh5 (45... Nc2 46. Nxe6
$18) 46. Nxe6 g5+ 47. Kf5 Nc2 48. Ng7+ Kh4 49. e6 {[%csl Ge6] Der weiße
e-Bauer entscheidet die Partie.} Ne3+ 50. Kg6 Kh3 51. Kxh6 g4 52. Kg5 Kxh2 53.
Nf5 Nc4 (53... Nxf5 54. exf5 g3 55. Rh7+ $18) 54. Re8 1-0

[Event "RUS-ch qual 57th"]
[Site "Tomsk"]
[Date "2004.05.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Lastin, Alexander"]
[Black "Novikov, Maxim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2622"]
[BlackElo "2426"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2004.05.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 102"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Dieser Läuferzug erscheint auf den ersten Blick nicht
so aktiv wie 10.Bg5 oder 10.Bf4, aber in einigen Varianten kann der Läufer auf
a5 erscheinen.} Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 {Der Läuferzug ist eigentlich ein indirektes
Remisangebot (Weiß kann mit 12.Qc2 die Züge wiederholen). Interessant wäre es
anzumerken, dass diese Fortsetzung in der Partie Kasparov, G - Karpov, A
Moskau 1984 in der achten Wettkampfpartie das erste Mal gespielt wurde.} 12.
Bf4 (12. Rd1 Qc8 {[%cal Gc7c5]}) 12... Nd5 (12... Bd6 13. Nbd2 Nbd7 14. Nb3 $14
) 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 c5 {Das ist die direkte Fortsetzung, aber ich glaube,
dass Schwarz mit 14...Nbd7!? bessere Ausgleichschancen hat.} (14... Nd7 $5 15.
Rfd1 Bd6 16. Qe3 Qe7 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Kxg2 Rae8 20. Rac1 f5 21.
f4 Qe7 (21... Re7 22. Qf3 b4 23. Nb1 Qa4 24. Nd2 Qxa2 25. Nc4 Qa4 26. Ra1 Qb5
27. b3 Qd5 28. Ra5 Qxf3+ 29. Kxf3 Ra8 30. Rda1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Haba,P-Palo,D/Bled
2002/EXT 2003 (63)}) 22. Nb1 g5 23. Nd2 gxf4 24. gxf4 Qg7+ 25. Kh1 Qh6 26. Qg3+
{1/2-1/2 Jaracz,P-Klovans,J/Cappelle la Grande 2003/CBM 92 ext (26)}) 15. dxc5
Bxc5 16. Rfd1 {Dieser Turmzug ist natürlich und gut, aber 16.Rac1 kommt auch
stark in Betracht.} (16. Rac1 Qb6 17. Ng5 $5 (17. Ne5)) 16... Qe7 (16... Qb6
17. Ne5 Ra7 18. Bxb7 $1 Rxb7 19. Ne4 Be7 20. Rac1 f6 21. Nd3 Nd7 22. Qf3 $5 Kh8
23. b4 Rc7 24. Rxc7 Qxc7 25. Rc1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Polugaevsky,L-Andersson,U/
Haninge 45/610 1988/[Makarichev,S] (47)}) 17. Rac1 Ra7 {Dieser Turmzug
erscheint mir etwas unnatürlich. Die Alternativen kommen auch in Betracht.} (
17... Rc8 {/\ Nd7}) (17... Nc6 $5) 18. a4 $5 (18. Ne4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rc7 20. b4
Bd6 21. Rxc7 Bxc7 22. h4 h6 23. e3 (23. h5 $14) 23... Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25.
Nd4 Qd6 26. Qb7 g6 27. Nc6 Nxc6 28. Bxc6 a5 $5 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Karpov,A/
Dortmund 64/445 1995/[Piket,Je] (67)}) 18... b4 (18... bxa4 19. Nxa4 Bxf3 20.
Bxf3 Bb4 21. Nb6 $14 (21. Rc4 $14)) 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 $14 {Wir haben eine
ähnliche Stellung, wie in der Partie Piket,J - Karpov,A Dortmund 1995 - siehe
Anmerkung 18.Ne4 -, mit dem Unterschied des Zugpaares 18.a4 b4, welches
vorteilhaft für Weiß ist, weil der schwarze Damenflügel schwächer ist.} Rc7 (
20... a5 21. Ne5 $14) (20... Nd7 21. a5) 21. e3 {Weiß hat einen
Entwicklungsvorteil (der b8N steht noch in seiner Grundstellung) und
offensichtlichen positionellen Druck am Damenflügel.} Rd8 (21... Rfc8 $5) 22.
h4 Rcd7 23. Re1 $5 {Weiß möchte das Spiel komplizieren und die Türme auf dem
Brett halten.} (23. Rxd7 Nxd7 {[%cal Gd7f6]} 24. Qb7 Qd6 $11) 23... h6 24. Bf1
{[%csl Gf1][%cal Gf1a6] Der katalanische Läufer verlässt die h1-a8-Diagonale,
jetzt kontrolliert er den a6-Bauern und (nach Vorbereitung) muss Schwarz auch
mit Bd3 rechnen.} (24. Ne5 Rd5 $11) 24... Bd6 25. Nd4 Qf6 26. Rc4 (26. Bd3 g6
$11 (26... Kf8 27. Qh7 Be5 $13)) 26... Bf8 27. Rec1 {[%csl Gc1,Gc4][%cal Gc1c8]
} Rd5 28. Rc8 Rxc8 29. Rxc8 Nd7 {Endlich entwickelt Schwarz seinen Springer.}
30. Rc6 {[%csl Ra6][%cal Gc6f6,Rc6a6]} Nc5 {[#]} 31. Qxd5 $1 {[%mdl 64] Dieser
Zug führt zu Vereinfachungen, wonach Weiß ein vorteilhaftes Endspiel bekommt.}
exd5 32. Rxf6 gxf6 33. a5 $1 $16 {[%csl Ra6] Mit diesem Zug befestigt Weiß die
Schwäche auf a6, aber es gibt andere Schwächen in der schwarzen Stellung -
seine Bauernstruktur ist ganz schlecht.} (33. b3) 33... Bd6 34. Nc6 (34. Bg2
Ne6 35. Nf5 $16 (35. Bxd5 Nxd4 36. exd4 Bc7 37. Bc4 Bxa5 38. Bxa6 Bb6 39. d5
Bc5 $14)) 34... Be5 (34... b3 35. Bg2 $16 {[%cal Rg2d5,Gd5b3]}) 35. Nxb4 Bxb2
36. Bxa6 (36. Nxa6 $2 Nxa6 37. Bxa6 Bc3 38. Bb7 Bxa5 39. Bxd5 Kg7 $14) 36...
Nb3 (36... Bc3 37. Nxd5 Bxa5 38. Nxf6+) {[#]} 37. Bc4 $3 {Ein ausgezeichneter
Zug - droht 38.a6, mit sofortigem Gewinn, so dass Schwarz auf a5 nehmen muss,
aber in diesem Fall muss er praktisch ohne Springer weiterspielen!} (37. Nxd5
Nxa5) 37... Nxa5 (37... dxc4 $2 38. a6 $18) 38. Bxd5 {[%csl Ra5,Gd5][%mdl 4096]
Ich sehe keine Möglichkeit, wie der a5N ins Spiel kommen kann.} f5 39. Nd3 Bc3
(39... Ba3 40. Ne5 $18 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Re5f7]}) 40. Kg2 Kg7 41. Kf3 Kf6 42.
Kf4 Ba1 43. h5 $1 {[%csl Rh6]} Bc3 44. g4 fxg4 45. Kxg4 Ba1 46. f4 {[%csl Ge3,
Gf4][%cal Ge3e4,Ge4e5]} Bc3 47. e4 Ba1 48. e5+ Kg7 (48... Ke7 49. Nf2 f6 50.
Kf5 $18 {[%csl Rh6][%cal Rf2g4,Rg4h6]}) 49. Nc5 Bc3 (49... Bb2 50. Ne4 Kf8 51.
Nd6 f6 52. e6 $18) 50. Ne4 Bd4 51. Nd6 $18 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Rd6f5,Rf5g7,Rf5d4]}
Bc3 52. Nf5+ Kh7 53. Bxf7 Nc6 54. Bg6+ 1-0

[Event "UKR-ch 73rd"]
[Site "Kharkov"]
[Date "2004.08.27"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Miroshnichenko, Evgenij"]
[Black "Korobov, Anton"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "2004.08.03"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 103"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4
{Das ist die traditionelle Fortsetzung, welche aber heutzutage weniger
gespielt wird. Die Alternative 8.a4 ist beliebter.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {
Eine der zwei Möglichkeiten, Weiss kann auch 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4 spielen.} Nc6
11. e3 Rb8 {Mit diesem Wartezug verteidigt sich Schwarz gegen 12.Ne5. Eine
andere Idee des Turmzugs ist aber schwer zu finden. Früher oder später wird
Schwarz trotzdem Nb4 ziehen müssen.} (11... Nb4 12. Bxb4 Bxb4 13. a3 $5 (13.
Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Qd5+ 15. f3 Bd6 16. Nc6 Ng4 17. Re1 f5 18. Nd2 e5 19. Qb3
Qxb3 20. Nxb3 $18 {1-0 Ulibin,M-Krivonosov,O/Biel 2003/CBM 95 ext (33)}) 13...
Bd6 (13... Ba5 14. b4 Bb6 15. Nbd2 a5 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd5+ 18. Kg1 Ra6
19. Nc6 Qh5 20. a4 bxa4 21. Qc4 Raa8 22. b5 {1-0 Fominyh,A-Vaidya,C/Chennai
IND 2004/(40)}) (13... Be7 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. b4 a5 16. Qb2 axb4 17. axb4 Qd6 18.
Rab1 Ra8 19. Ne5 {1-0 Rotstein,A-Muir,A/Triesen LIE 2004/(61)}) 14. Nbd2 Rc8
15. e4 (15. Nb3 Be4 16. Qc3 Bd5 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. dxc5 Qe7 19. Rac1 c6 20. Rfd1
Qc7 21. Qe5 Qe7 22. Nd4 {1-0 Borges Mateos,J-Toloza Soto,P/Elista 1998/CBM 66
ext (40)}) 15... Be7 16. e5 Nd7 17. b4 a5 18. Nb3 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 axb4 20. axb4
Bxb4 21. Qc6 Be7 22. Ra7 b4 23. Rc1 $44 {1-0 Iskusnyh,S-Babu,N/Mumbai IND 2004/
(30)}) (11... Qb8 12. a3 $5) (11... Ra7 12. Rc1 Qa8 13. Ne1 $5) 12. Rd1 Nb4 13.
Bxb4 Bxb4 14. a3 Be7 15. Nbd2 {[%csl Yc5][%cal Gd2b3,Gb3c5][%mdl 32] Weiss
möchte mit dem Springer auf das Feld c5.} Rc8 16. Nb3 (16. b4 $5 {[%cal Gd2b3,
Gb3c5]} a5 {Ansonsten bekommt Weiss mit 17.Nb3 klaren Positionsvorteil} 17. Ne5
(17. bxa5 c5 $11) 17... Bxg2 18. Kxg2 axb4 19. Nc6 Qd7 20. axb4 $14) 16... Be4
17. Qc1 (17. Qc3 $5 Bd5 18. Ne5 $14) 17... Bd5 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Qxc5 (19. dxc5
$6 Qe7 $11) 19... Ne4 20. Qc2 (20. Qb4 c5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 $2 (21... Nxc5 22. Rac1
Qe7 23. Ne5 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qb7+ $11) 22. Ne5 {[%csl Rc5,Re4]} Qc7 23. Bxe4 a5
24. Bxh7+ $16) 20... c5 $11 {Schwarz konnte mit dem Ausgleichszug c7-c5 seine
strategische Hauptidee durchführen.} 21. dxc5 Nxc5 (21... Rxc5 22. Qe2 $11) 22.
Rac1 Na4 23. Qb1 (23. Qe2 Qf6 24. Nd4 $11) 23... Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Qa8 $6 {[%cal
Ga8g2] Damit verschafft sich Schwarz zwar die Kontrolle über die Diagonale
a8-h1, lässt aber den Königsflügel unverteidigt.} (24... Qe7 $11) 25. Ng5 $1 (
25. Ne1 Bxg2 26. Nxg2 Qd5 $11) 25... g6 26. Ne4 $4 {Wurde dieser Zug wirklich
in der Partie gespielt?} (26. e4 Bb7 27. b3 Nb6 28. Qd3 $14) 26... Bxe4 $4 (
26... f5 $1 $19 {[%csl Re4,Rg2][%cal Ra8g2]}) 27. Bxe4 $14 {[%csl Ge4][%cal
Gc1c8] Weiss hat das bessere Figurenspiel und sein Läufer kontrolliert die
wichtigsten Felder am Damenflügel.} Qb8 28. b3 Nb6 29. Rc6 {[%csl Rb6,Gc6,Ge4]
Der b6N steht nicht gut und die weissen Figuren dominieren auf dem Brett.} Rc8
30. Qc2 Rxc6 31. Qxc6 {[%mdl 4096] Es ist wahr, dass die weisse Stellung
aktiver ist, er hat aber keine direkten Drohungen und Schwarz kann seine
Stellung stufenweise verbessern und das Spiel ausgleichen.} Qa7 32. Qd6 (32.
Qc5 Qb8 $14) (32. a4 bxa4 33. bxa4 a5 $11) 32... Nd7 {[%cal Gd7f6]} 33. h4 Nf6
{Der Springer steht auf f6 viel sicherer als auf b6, die schwarze Dame jetzt
hat mehr Freiheit.} 34. Bf3 h5 35. b4 {Weiss setzt die schwarzen Bauern am
Damenflügel auf den weissfarbigen Feldern fest.} Nd7 36. Kg2 Kg7 37. g4 (37.
Qe7 Qc7 $14) 37... hxg4 38. Bxg4 Qb7+ 39. Bf3 Qc8 40. h5 g5 $1 {Danach hat
Schwarz auch seine Gegenchancen, der h5P könnte schwach werden.} (40... gxh5
41. Bxh5 $14) 41. Qd4+ (41. Qe7 Nf6 42. Qc5 Qxc5 43. bxc5 Ne8 $11 {[%cal Ge8c7]
}) 41... Kh7 42. Qd6 Kg7 43. Be2 Qb7+ 44. Bf3 Qc8 {Weiss hat einigen
Positionsvorteil - Schwarz könnte nun Remis wegen dreifacher
Stellungswiederholung reklamieren, wir haben dieselbe Stellung nach dem 40.,
42. und dem 44. schwarzen Zug.} 45. Qd4+ Kh7 46. Qa7 (46. Qd6) 46... Ne5 $2 (
46... Kh6 $142) (46... f6 $142) 47. Be4+ (47. Qe7 $1 {[%csl Rg5]} Qc2 48. Qxg5
Nxf3 49. Kxf3 Qc1 $16) 47... Kh6 48. Qc5 Qb8 $15 {[%csl Gh6] Schwarz hat eine
feste Stellung und sein König steht auf h6 in Sicherheit.} (48... Qxc5 49. bxc5
{[%cal Gc5c6,Gc6c7]} a5 50. c6 Nc4 51. c7 Nd6 52. Bb7 $16) 49. f4 gxf4 50. exf4
Qg8+ 51. Kf1 Nc4 (51... Ng4 $15) 52. Qd4 Qg7 (52... e5 $5 53. fxe5 Qg4 $36 {
[%csl Gc4,Gg4,Gh6] Der c4N steht ausgezeichnet, Weiss hat keine guten
Möglichkeiten, Schach zu geben.}) 53. Qxg7+ Kxg7 54. Bb7 Nxa3 55. Bxa6 Kh6 56.
Kf2 Kxh5 {Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr.} 57. Kf3 Kg6 58. Ke4 Nc2 (58... Kf6 $5
) 59. Bxb5 Nxb4 {Mit einem Mehrbauern kann Schwarz natürlich versuchen, weiter
auf Gewinn zu spielen, aber die Stellung ist wegen des reduzierten Materials
Totremis, d.h. Schwarz kann seinen Materialvorteil nicht verwerten.} 60. Bc4
Kf6 61. Bb3 Nc6 62. Ba4 Ne7 63. Be8 Nf5 64. Ba4 Ke7 65. Bd1 Kd6 66. Ba4 {
Mit einfachen Wartezügen kann Weiss das Remis ganz leicht sichern.} f6 67. Bb3
Ne7 68. Ba2 Nd5 69. Bb3 Nc7 70. Ba2 Nb5 71. Bc4 Nc3+ 72. Kf3 f5 73. Bb3 Nd5 74.
Ba4 Kc5 75. Bd7 {Schwarz kann nicht weitergehen, er muss den e6-Bauern immer
verteidigen.} Nc7 76. Ke3 Kd5 77. Bc8 Nb5 78. Bb7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Abu Dhabi op 14th"]
[Site "Abu Dhabi"]
[Date "2004.08.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anastasian, Ashot"]
[Black "Mahjoob, Morteza"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2571"]
[BlackElo "2461"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2004.08.14"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 103"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 {Mit dieser Fortsetzung wählt Schwarz
die klassische Variante gegen die Katalanische Eröffnung, ganz gut spielbar
ist aber auch 4...dxc4 5.Qa4+ Nbd7, wonach Schwarz ausgezeichnete
Ausgleichschancen hat.} 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Dieser Zug
schwächt das Feld b4 in der weissen Stellung, verhindert aber die Möglichkeit
8...b7-b5 und 9...Bb7. Diese Spielweise ist in der modernen Spielpraxis
besonders populär.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 {Mit diesem Zug bereitet
Schwarz den Vorstoß c7-c5 vor, aber die andere Möglichkeit mit 10...a5 und 11..
.Na6 ist auch interessant, worauf Schwarz auf Beherrschung des Felds b4
spielen kann.} (10... a5) 11. Qd3 c5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Nxc5 (13... Bc6 14.
b4 a5 15. b5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Nxc5 17. Rfd1 Qc7 18. Bf4 Qb6 19. Be3 Rac8 20. Rac1
Qa7 21. Qf4 b6 22. Bc6 h6 23. h4 Rfd8 {1/2-1/2 Vaganian,R-Zelcic,R/Istanbul
2003/CBM 96 (80)}) 14. Qe3 Qa5 (14... Ncd7 15. Rfd1 Re8 16. a5 h6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6
18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Qb3 Qc7 20. e3 Rac8 21. Nd4 {1-0 Aronian,L-Kritz,L/Deizisau
2002/CBM 87 ext (63)}) 15. Qf4 (15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qa3 Bd6 (16... Bxg5 $5 17.
Nxg5 h6 18. Rfc1 Nd7 19. Bxd5 Qxd5 20. Rd1 Qxg5 21. Rxd7 b5 {1/2-1/2 Stohl,
I-Ribli,Z/Germany 1998/GER-chT (28)}) 17. Bd2 $2 (17. Nd2 $1 Ne4 18. Nc4 Bxa3
19. Nxa5 Nxg5 20. Rxa3 $14 {Gulko}) 17... Qb6 $11 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Qa2 Ne4 {
0-1 Anastasian,A-Asrian,K/Yerevan 2000/CBM 78/[Ribli] (45)}) (15. Rfd1 Bc6 16.
Qf4 Nb3 17. Rab1 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Nc5 21. Qe3 Qb4 22. Ne5
Rad8 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Rxd3 Qxa4 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Bxb7 a5 {1/2-1/2 Adianto,
U-Short,N/Beijing 2000/CBM 78 (31)}) (15. Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Qa3
Ne4 $1 (17... Qb6 18. Rab1 Nb3 (18... a5 $5) 19. Rfd1 Rfe8 20. e3 Rac8 21. Nd2
$1 $14 {1-0 Karpov,A-Milos,G/Buenos Aires 2000/CBM 80/[Ribli] (38)}) 18. Rad1
Rfd8 19. e3 Rac8 20. Nd4 Rc4 21. b3 Rcc8 22. b4 Qb6 23. a5 Qd6 24. Rc1 g6 25.
Qb2 Qd7 26. b5 Bxd4 27. Qxd4 Qxb5 28. Bxe4 dxe4 {1/2-1/2 Karpov,A-Gelfand,B/
Monte Carlo 2001/CBM 81 ext (28)}) 15... Bb3 {[%mdl 4] Eine interessante Idee,
Schwarz räumt das Feld d5 und verhindert die Möglichkeit 16.R ad1.} (15... Nb3
16. Rad1 Bc6 17. Qc4 Qb4 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qxc4 20. Nxc4 Rac8 21. Nb6 Rc6
22. Nd7 Rfc8 23. Nxf6+ Bxf6 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Rd7 Nc5 26. Rd4 f5 {0-1 Stangl,
M-Zelcic,R/Jenbach AUT 2004/(67)}) (15... Qb6 16. Rab1 h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18.
Nxd5 (18. a5 $5) 18... exd5 19. a5 Qb5 20. Nd4 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Ne4 22. Rbd1 Nf6
23. Bxd5 Rad8 24. e4 Qxa5 {1/2-1/2 Thorfinnsson,B-Upton,T/Leon 2001/CBM 86 (30)
}) 16. Nd2 Rfe8 $6 {Dieser Wartezug kostet ein sehr wichtiges Tempo, besser
wäre es, sofort 16...h6 zu ziehen.} (16... h6 $142 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxb3 (18.
Ra3 Bg5 19. Nxb3 Nxb3 20. Qg4 Qb6 $11 (20... Nd2 21. Rd1 f5 22. Qh5 Qb4 $15)) (
18. Nce4 Nxe4 19. Nxb3 Qb6 20. Qxe4 Qxb3 21. Qxb7 Qxb7 22. Bxb7 Ra7 23. Bf3 Rb8
$11) 18... Nxb3 19. Rad1 Bxc3 (19... Rab8 20. Rd7 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Qxc3 22. Rxb7 (
22. Rxf7 Nd4 23. Rxf8+ (23. Bf3 $2 Qxf3 $17 (23... Nxf3+ 24. exf3 e5 25. Rxf8+
Rxf8 26. Qe4 Qxf3 27. Qxe5 $11)) 23... Rxf8 24. Qd6 Nxe2+ 25. Kh1 Qc4 $15)
22... Rxb7 23. Bxb7 $11) 20. bxc3 Qxc3 21. Rd3 (21. Bxb7 Rab8 22. Bxa6 Rb4 $11)
21... Qc2 22. Bxb7 Rab8 23. Bxa6 Nc5 (23... Qxe2 $4 24. Rxb3 $18) 24. Rd2 Qxa4
$11) 17. Nxb3 Nxb3 18. Rad1 $14 {[%csl Gd1,Gg2][%cal Gg2a8,Gd1d8] Weiss hat
ein gutes Figurenspiel, sein katalanischer Läufer steht ausgezeichnet auf g2
und sein Turm ist schon auf der d-Linie. Weiss hat einen kleinen
Positionsvorteil.} h6 $6 (18... Nh5 $142 19. Qc4 Qxg5 20. Qxb3 $14) 19. Bxf6
Bxf6 20. Rd7 {[%csl Rb7][%mdl 2048] Schwarz hat Probleme mit der Verteidigung
des b7-Bauern.} Rad8 21. Rxb7 {Weiss hat einen Bauern mehr, und obwohl Schwarz
einige Aktivität am Damenflügel hat, ist das keine ausreichende Kompensation.}
Nd4 {Die schwarze Drohung ist 22...Qxc3 und 23...Nxe2+.} (21... Nd2 22. Rc1 Rd4
23. Qc7 Qxc7 24. Rxc7 Rb8 25. Rc2 $16) 22. Qe4 (22. b4 $5 Qh5 23. e3 $16) 22...
Qc5 23. e3 Nf5 24. Qc6 $16 {Dieser Zug führt zu einem für Weiss vorteilhaften
Damentausch.} Qxc6 25. Bxc6 Rb8 26. Ra7 (26. Rxb8 $2 Rxb8 $11) (26. Ne4 $16)
26... Rec8 27. Rxa6 Rxb2 28. Ne4 (28. Nb5 $16) 28... Bd8 29. Bd7 Rcb8 30. Bb5 {
[%csl Ga4,Gb5] Der b5-Läufer paralysiert die schwarzen Figuren am Damenflügel
und der weisse a-Bauer wird die Partie früher oder später für Weiss gewinnen.}
(30. Rxe6 {Dieser Zug wäre zwar unerwartet, aber gleichzeitig überflüssig,
Weiss spielt in der Partie einfacher und besser.} fxe6 31. Bxe6+ Kf8 32. Bxf5
$16) 30... Bb6 31. Rd1 Rb4 32. Nd2 {[%csl Rb6][%cal Gd2c4] Der Springer strebt
nach c4 und Weiss nutzt aus, dass der schwarze Läufer keine sicheren Felder
hat.} Ne7 33. Nc4 Bc5 34. Ne5 {[%csl Ge5][%cal Re5d7,Rd7c5,Rd7b8,Re5d3,Rd3b4,
Rd3c5] Weiss hat plötzlich viele konkrete Drohungen - es droht 35.Nd7 und 35.
Nd3 mit Materialgewinn, und Schwarz hat keine Verteidigung.} Nd5 (34... Rb2 35.
Nd7 Rc8 36. Rc1 Bb4 (36... Ba7 37. Rxc8+ Nxc8 38. Rc6 Ne7 39. Rc7 $18) 37.
Rxc8+ Nxc8 38. Ra8 Rc2 39. Ba6 $18) 35. Nc6 $18 {[%cal Rc6b8,Rc6b4]} R8xb5 36.
axb5 Rxb5 37. Ra5 Rxa5 38. Nxa5 {Das Endspiel mit der Qualität mehr ist für
Weiss leicht gewonnen.} g5 39. Nc4 Kg7 40. h3 Kf6 41. Kg2 Kg7 42. Rb1 1-0

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 13th"]
[Site "Leon"]
[Date "2001.11.09"]
[Round "4.4"]
[White "Golubovic, Boris"]
[Black "Upton, Timothy J"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2458"]
[BlackElo "2303"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[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 "Croatia"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CRO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Heutzutage ist die alte Variante - 8.Qc2 - ein seltener Gast in der
Turnierpraxis. Der Textzug schwächt das b4-Feld, aber er lässt Schwarz nicht
den Befreiungszug b7-b5 ziehen.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12.
Qc1 a5 {[%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4] Dieser Zug ist nicht schlecht, aber die Alternative
12...h6!? kommt auch in Betracht.} (12... h6 $5) 13. Nc3 {Dieser Springerzug
scheint mir natürlicher als die schablonenhafte Entwicklung mit 13.Nbd2.} (13.
Nbd2 Bc6 $11 14. Nc4 Bd5 $5 15. Nfe5 $5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 {1-0 Mikhalevski,V-Aseev,
K/St Petersburg 1999/CBM 72/[Mikhalevski,V] (35)}) 13... Bd5 {Der Läufer steht
aktiver auf d5 als auf c6 - im folgenden kann Schwarz eventuell Bc4 ziehen.} (
13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. Rd1 $14) (13... Bc6 14. Qc2 (14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e4
Bxd4 $2 (15... Na6 16. Qe3 Nb4 17. Rad1 Qe8) 16. Rd1 $18) 14... h6 (14... Na6
15. e4 Nb4 16. Qe2 $14 Nxe4 $4 17. Bxe7 Nxc3 18. bxc3 $18) 15. Bxf6 (15. Bf4
Bd6 $11) 15... Bxf6 16. e4 Na6 17. Rfd1 Nb4 18. Qe2 $11) 14. Bxf6 (14. Re1 Nc6
15. e4 Bc4 16. Nb5 Bd3 17. Qd1 Nb4 18. Nc3 h6 19. Bf4 c5 20. e5 Nfd5 21. Nxd5
Qxd5 22. Re3 Bc2 23. Qd2 {1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Bauer,C/Enghien-les-Bains FRA
2001/(23)}) 14... Bxf6 15. e4 (15. Nxd5 exd5 16. e3 Na6 $11 {[%cal Ga6b4]})
15... Bc4 16. Rd1 {Ein typisches Bild in der Variante 8.a4 - Weiß hat
Übergewicht im Zentrum, aber Schwarz hat das Läuferpaar.} Nc6 (16... Na6) 17.
Qe3 Nb4 18. Rd2 (18. Rac1) 18... c6 19. h4 {Ein typischer Zug in solchen
Stellungen - Weiß hat Chancen auf die Initiative am Königsflügel und eventuell
kann er Ng5 ziehen.} Qc7 (19... Qb6 $5 {Dieser Zug scheint mir aktiver und
logischer als die Partiefortsetzung.} 20. Bf1 $5 Bxf1 21. Rxf1 Rad8 22. Rfd1
Rd7 23. g4 $36 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Zaja,I/Bled SLO 2001/(45)}) 20. Bf1 $5 {
Weiß möchte den katalanische Läufer tauschen. Es ist wahr, dass der Läufer auf
g2 weniger aktiv war.} Bxf1 21. Rxf1 Rad8 $11 22. Rfd1 Qb6 {[%csl Gb6][%cal
Gb6d4] Die Dame steht aktiv auf b6, aber es wäre wahrscheinlich besser gewesen
schon statt 19...Qc7 den Zug 19...Qb6 zu ziehen.} 23. Qf4 c5 $2 {[%mdl 16384]
Dieser Zug kommt zu früh für mich - nach Vorbereitung kann Schwarz diesen Zug
spielen, aber jetzt ist Weiß ist viel aktiver im Zentrum.} (23... Rd7 $11) 24.
d5 $14 exd5 25. exd5 (25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. exd5 Qd6 $11) 25... Rd7 (25... Qd6 26.
Qxd6 Rxd6 27. Ne4 $16) 26. Ne4 {Weiß hat großen positionellen Druck am
Damenflügel.} Re8 27. d6 $16 {[%csl Gd6] Der d6P ist sehr stark und es droht
28.Nxf6+.} Bd4 28. Nxd4 cxd4 29. Nf6+ $1 $18 {[%mdl 64] So schön wie einfach -
Weiß gewinnt Material und die Partie.} (29. Rxd4 $16) 29... gxf6 30. Qg4+ {
[%cal Rg4d7,Rg4g8]} 1-0

[Event "ASEAN GM 1st"]
[Site "Bangkok"]
[Date "2004.06.07"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Villamayor, Buenaventura"]
[Black "Aung, Thant Zin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2469"]
[BlackElo "2466"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2004.06.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "THA"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 102"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Heutzutage wird dieser natürliche Zug relativ selten gespielt, die
Alternative 8.a4 ist populärer.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {Mit diesem Zug möchte
Weiß den f6-Springer tauschen und im Folgenden Nbd2-Nb3 ziehen und das c5-Feld
kontrollieren. Die Alternativen sind 10.Bf4 und 10.Bd2.} Nbd7 11. Bxf6 (11.
Nbd2 Rc8 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Nb3) 11... Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 Be4 (13... c5 {
Dieses zeitwelige Bauernopfer ist die andere gute Ausgleichsmöglichkeit für
Schwarz.}) 14. Qc3 (14. Qc1) 14... b4 $6 {[%mdl 16384] Dieser Zug kommt mit
Tempo, aber Schwarz schwächt von selbst sein Damenflügel. Es wäre besser die
Dame von c3 mit dem Springer (14...Nd5!?) zu verjagen, wonach Schwarz
ausgezeichnete Ausgleichchancen hat.} (14... Nd5 $5 15. Qd2 (15. Qc1 Nb4 16.
Qc3 Nd5 17. Qd2 Bb4 18. Qd1 c5 19. a3 c4 20. axb4 cxb3 21. Qxb3 Qd6 22. Ne5
Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Nxb4 $11 {1/2-1/2 Navara,D-Aronian,L/Antalya TUR 2004/(58)})
15... Bb4 (15... c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Nxc5 Rxc5 18. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 19. Rxc1 Qa8 20.
Ne1 Bxg2 21. Nxg2 Rd8 22. Qd4 {1/2-1/2 Burgos,M-De Souza,M/Sao Paulo BRA 2004/
(49)}) 16. Qd1 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 19. Rc1 Qc7 20. Qd2 Rc8 21. Rxc5
Qxc5 22. Rd1 h6 {1/2-1/2 Psakhis,L-Zatonskih,A/St Petersburg 2002/CBM 86 ext 
(26)}) 15. Qc4 {[%csl Ra6,Gc4,Yc5] Die Dame steht aktiv auf c4, weil es am
schwarzen Damenflügel einige Angriffspunkte gibt - und vor allem
Bauernschwächen.} a5 (15... Qd5 16. Rfc1 Qxc4 17. Rxc4 Bd5 18. Rc2 Be4 19. Rcc1
Bd6 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 e5 22. dxe5 Bxe5 23. Nd3 Rfe8 24. e3 Bd6 25. Rc6 $14
{1-0 Jackelen,T-Kebbekus,T/Germany 1989/GER-chT2 (61)}) 16. Rfc1 $14 {[%csl
Gb3,Yc5][%cal Gc1c8,Gb3c5,Gb3a5][%mdl 4] Weiß nimmt nicht den a5-Bauern,
sondern bringt eine neue Figur ins Spiel und erhöht seinen positionellen Druck
am Damenflügel.} (16. Nxa5 $6 c5 $13) 16... Bd5 (16... a4 17. Nc5 $14) 17. Qb5
{[%csl Ra5]} c6 18. Qxa5 $16 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr und Schwarz hat keine
Kompensation.} Bxb3 19. Qxd8 (19. axb3 $16) 19... Rfxd8 20. axb3 c5 21. e3 Nd7
(21... cxd4 22. Nxd4 $16 {[%csl Yc6][%cal Gd4c6]}) 22. Ra7 Bf8 23. d5 $1 {
Dieser Durchbruch ist sehr stark - im Folgenden bekommt Weiß aktives Spiel auf
dunkelfarbigen Feldern.} Ra8 (23... exd5 24. Bh3 $18 {[%csl Rd7][%cal Rh3c8]})
24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. dxe6 fxe6 26. Ng5 {[%csl Re6] Mit einem Bauer weniger hat
Schwarz eine neue Schwäche in seiner Stellung.} Ra2 (26... Ra6 27. Bh3 $18) 27.
Bh3 $18 Ne5 28. Bxe6+ Kh8 29. f4 h6 (29... Be7 30. Ne4 $18) 30. Ne4 Ng6 31.
Nxc5 Ra8 (31... Rxb2 32. Na4 Re2 33. Rc8 Rxe3 34. Bf7 $18) (31... Bxc5 32. Rxc5
Rxb2 33. Rc8+ Kh7 34. Bf5 $18) 32. Nd7 Be7 33. e4 Nf8 34. Nxf8 Bxf8 35. Kg2 Bd6
36. Rc6 (36. e5 $18) 36... Rd8 37. Kf3 g5 38. e5 Bf8 39. Ke4 1-0

[Event "RUS-ch qual 57th"]
[Site "Tomsk"]
[Date "2004.05.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Maletin, Pavel"]
[Black "Kiriakov, Petr"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2423"]
[BlackElo "2568"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2004.05.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 102"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {Diese
Variante ist relativ populär in der letzten Zeit - Weiß öffnet die Diagonale
des g2-Läufers und möchte den c4-Bauern zurücknehmen.} Nc6 {Das ist die
prinzipielle Fortsetzung für Schwarz - er strebt schnelle Figurenentwicklung
um jeden Preis an.} (7... c5 {Das ist die positionelle Alternative.}) 8. Bxc6
bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt Weiß einen
Bauern.} e5 {Das ist die bekanntere Fortsetzung, aber die Alternative 11....c5
ist auch spielbar.} (11... c5 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 Rd8 $5 14. Qh4 Rb8 15. b3
Ba6 16. Nc3 Qc5 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rb4 19. Qe3 Qc2 $1 20. Ba3 Re4 21. Rfc1
Qxe2 {1/2-1/2 Krasenkow,M-Ribli,Z/Deutschland 72/(444) 1998 (21)}) 12. dxe5
Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 {Schwarz hat einen Entwicklungsvorteil und die weißfarbigen
Felder sind schwach am weißen Königsflügel.} 14. Qd3 (14. Qc2 Bf5 15. Qc4 Be6)
14... Rad8 (14... Nd5 15. Nc3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Rad8 $44) 15. Qe3 Qa5 {Der
russische Großmeister spielt gern diesen Damezug, aber die theoretische
Hauptfortsetzung ist 15...Qh5, welche Schwarz ausgezeichnete Ausgleichschancen
bietet. Die Idee des Zuges 15...Qa5 ist, dass Schwarz in einigen Varianten den
Damentausch vermeiden kann, während in der Variante 15...Qh5 Weiß gewöhnlich
das Damentauschmotiv Qg5 hat.} 16. Nc3 Bh3 17. Re1 Rfe8 18. Qf3 (18. Qg5 Rd5
19. Qf4 Ne4 20. Be3 Rf5 21. Qh4 Rh5 22. Qf4 Rf5 23. Qh4 Rh5 24. Qf4 Rf5 {
1/2-1/2 Evdokimov,A-Kiriakov,P/Sochi RUS 2004/(24)}) 18... Bg4 $44 {[%mdl 2048]
} 19. Qc6 (19. Qg2 $6 Ne4 $36) (19. Qb7) 19... Re6 20. Qb5 Qxb5 21. Nxb5 Rxe2
$11 {Schwarz hat den Bauern zurückgewonnen, die Stellung ist gleich, es gibt
beiderseitige Schwächen am Damenflügel.} 22. Bf4 (22. Be3 Rxb2 23. Nxa7 $11)
22... Rxb2 23. Nxa7 Bf3 24. Rab1 (24. Bxc7 Rdd2 25. Be5 Rxa2 26. Rxa2 Rxa2 27.
Bxf6 (27. Nb5 Ne4 28. Nc3 $11) 27... gxf6 28. Nb5 $11) 24... Rxa2 25. Bxc7 {
[%mdl 4096] Die Bauernstellung ist symmetrisch, die Stellung ist gleich.
Schwarz hat theoretisch einen sehr kleinen Vorteil, da sein f3B sehr stark ist,
aber Weiß kann das Remis leicht halten.} Ra8 26. Bb6 h6 {Schwarz muss seine
Grundlinie öffnen - jetzt droht schon 27...R2xa7.} 27. Ra1 Rd2 (27... Rxa1 28.
Rxa1 $11) 28. Be3 (28. Nb5 Rxa1 29. Rxa1 Rb2 30. Nd4 $11) 28... Rd3 29. Nb5
Rad8 30. Ra3 Rd1 31. Ra1 R1d3 32. Na3 {Es ist schwer zu sagen, wer "auf
Gewinn" spielt - die Stellung ist gleich. Wegen des aktiven f3-Läufers hat
Schwarz einen scheinbaren Vorteil, aber das hat keine Bedeutung.} (32. Ra3 {
Mit diesem Zug könnte Weiß die Züge wiederholen.}) 32... Ng4 33. Nc4 R8d5 {
[%cal Rg4h2] Die schwarze Drohung ist 34...Nxh2 und im Falle von 35.Kxh2 kommt
35...Rh5+.} (33... Nxe3 34. Nxe3 $11) 34. h4 (34. h3 $11) 34... f6 35. Ra2 {
[%cal Ga2d2,Gd2d5]} Rd1 36. Ra1 R1d3 37. Ra2 Rd8 38. Rd2 {Endlich kann Weiß
ein Turmpaar tauschen.} g5 39. hxg5 hxg5 40. Rxd3 Rxd3 41. Bc1 $1 (41. Nd2 Bd5
42. Nf1 Ne5 43. Nh2 $15) 41... Rd7 42. Nd2 Bb7 43. Ne4 Rc7 44. Bb2 Kf7 45. f3
Bxe4 (45... Bxe4 46. Rxe4 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Solin 9th"]
[Site "Solin/Split"]
[Date "2001.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2569"]
[BlackElo "2564"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2001.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 087"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
In letzter Zeit ist dieser Bauernzug populärer als das sofortige 8.Qxc4,
wonach Schwarz mit 8...b5 und 9...Bb7 fortsetzen kann.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5
Bd5 (10... a5) (10... Nbd7) 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3) 11... Be4 12. Qd1 (12. Qc1) 12...
c5 13. dxc5 Nbd7 {Schwarz muss sich nicht mit der Rücknahme des c5-Bauern
beeilen - zuerst beendet er die Entwicklung.} (13... Bxc5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15.
Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nb3 Bb4 17. Rfc1 Nbd7 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Nfxd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rdc8 (
20... Ne5 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Rxc4 Ne8 23. Rac1 Kf8 24. Rb4 Rab8 25. Nc5 {1-0
Savchenko,S-Stefansson,H/2 IECC, Ohrid 2001 (38)}) 21. Nc4 Rab8 22. Nca5 g5 23.
Kf1 Kf8 24. Ke1 {1/2-1/2 Savchenko,S-Pigusov,E/Ohrid 2001/CBM 84_01 (24)}) (
13... Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bxc5 15. Nc3 Bc6 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 b6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19.
Nd7 Nxd7 20. Rxd7 Rfd8 21. Rad1 Rxd7 22. Rxd7 Kf8 23. Ne4 Be7 24. Rb7 f5 {
1/2-1/2 Pigusov,E-Kruppa,Y/Panormo GRE 2001/The Week in Chess 360 (31)}) 14.
Nc3 Bc6 (14... Nxc5 15. b4 Ncd7 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nd4 $14) 15. b4
a5 16. b5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxc5 {[%csl Gc5] Weiß hat Raumvorteil am Damenflügel
und das Läuferpaar, aber der schwarze c5N ist sehr stark.} 18. Be3 $5 (18. Rc1
Rc8 19. Qc2 Nfd7 20. Be3 Bg5 $1 {Schwarz möchte den dunkelfarbigen Läufer
tauschen, wonach der c5N noch sicherer wird.} 21. Bxg5 Qxg5 22. Ne4 Qe7 23.
Rfd1 Nxe4 24. Qxe4 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Nc5 $15 {[%csl Gc5] 0-1 Kozul,Z-Ribli,Z/Cro
Cup 2001/[1/1] (65)}) 18... Rc8 $11 (18... Nfd7) 19. Qb1 (19. Bxc5 Rxc5 20. Ne4
Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Qc7 $11) 19... Bd6 {[%cal Gd8e7] Mit diesem prophylaktischem Zug
macht Schwarz Platz auf e7 für die Dame.} (19... b6 $6 20. Bc6 $14 {[%csl Gc6]}
) (19... Nfd7 20. Rd1) 20. Ne4 Ncxe4 21. Bxe4 Qe7 (21... Nxe4 22. Qxe4 Qe7 $11
{Weiss hat einen kleinen Raumvorteil am Damenflügel, aber Schwarz hat keine
Schwächen.}) 22. Bg2 Bc5 23. Bd2 {[%csl Gc5]} (23. Bxc5 Rxc5 $11) 23... b6 24.
Qb3 (24. Bc6 Rfd8 $11) 24... Rfd8 25. Rad1 h6 26. e3 {Mit diesem Zug
beschränkt Weiß den Wirkungskreis des c5-Läufers.} (26. Bc6 Rd6) 26... Rd6 {
[%cal Gc8d8,Gd8d1] Schwarz möchte die Türme auf der d-Linie verdoppeln.} (26...
Nd5) 27. Bc3 Rcd8 28. Rc1 $1 {[%mdl 32] Weiß tauscht nicht - er möchte die
Türme auf dem Brett halten.} (28. Rxd6 Rxd6 $11 (28... Qxd6 $11)) 28... Ng4 (
28... Nd7) 29. Bxa5 $13 {Ein mutiger Zug - Weiß nimmt den a5-Bauern, während
der Gegner Gegenspiel am Königsflügel hat. Aber ich sehe keine Widerlegung des
Zugs 29.Bxa5.} Rd3 $132 (29... Bxe3 30. fxe3 bxa5 31. b6 $14 {[%csl Gb6,Gg2]})
30. Rc3 (30. Bc3 $2 Nxf2 31. Rxf2 (31. Kxf2 Rxe3 $19 {[%csl Rf2][%cal Rc5f2]})
31... Bxe3 $19) 30... Nxf2 {[%mdl 64]} (30... R3d7 $5) 31. Rxf2 (31. Kxf2 Rd2+
32. Kg1 bxa5) 31... Rd1+ 32. Bf1 (32. Rf1 Rxf1+ 33. Bxf1 bxa5 $11) 32... bxa5
33. b6 {Weiß muss so spielen, sonst kommt 33...Bb6 und Schwarz blockiert den
b-Bauern. Die weiße Idee ist Bg2 und b6-b7.} Bb4 34. Rc6 R1d6 35. Qc4 $5 (35.
Rxd6 Rxd6 $17) 35... Rxc6 36. Qxc6 Bc5 {[%cal Gc5b6,Gc5g1] Auf diese Weise
gewinnt Schwarz einen Bauern, aber der e3P hat keine große Bedeutung.} 37. Rc2
Bxe3+ 38. Kg2 {[%csl Gb6]} Qb4 (38... Rb8 39. Qc7 Qf8 (39... Qd8 40. b7 (40.
Qxd8+ Rxd8 41. b7 Ba7 42. Rc8 Rf8 43. Kf3 $18) 40... Qd5+ $19) 40. b7 Ba7 $14)
39. b7 $14 {[%csl Gb7] Der weiße b-Bauer ist sehr stark. Weiß hat mehr als
ausreichende Kompensation für den Minusbauern.} Ba7 40. Kh3 {[%csl Gh3] Der
weiße König steht in voller Sicherheit auf h3.} h5 {[%cal Gb4g4,Gg4h3]} 41. Be2
Rb8 42. Bd3 g6 (42... Qg4+ 43. Kg2 $14) 43. Be4 Kh7 $2 {Der König lässt den
f7-Bauern unverteidigt, was Weiß deutlichen Vorteil gibt.} (43... Kg7 44. Qc3+
Qxc3 45. Rxc3 f5 $14 {Und obwohl Schwarz einen Bauern mehr hat, sind die
weißen Chancen etwas besser, weil der b7P so stark ist.}) 44. Rc4 Qd2 (44...
Qe7 45. Qa6 Qf6 46. Rc8 $16) 45. Qc7 Rf8 (45... Kg7 46. Qe5+ Kh7 47. Rc8 $18) (
45... Kg8 46. Qe7 $16 (46. Qxb8+ Bxb8 47. Rc8+ Kg7 48. Rxb8 Qb2 {[%csl Rh3]
[%cal Rg6g5,Rg5g4]})) 46. Qe5 $16 {[%csl Gc4,Ge4,Ge5] Weiß hat gute
zentralisierte Figuren, während die schwarze Figurenkoordination schlecht ist.}
Bb8 47. Qc3 Qe2 (47... Qxc3 48. Rxc3 $16 {[%cal Gc3c8]}) 48. Bd3 Qd1 (48... Qf3
49. Rc8 $18) 49. Qd4 Kg8 50. Rc8 Qf3 (50... Qg4+ 51. Qxg4 hxg4+ 52. Kxg4 $18)
51. Qc5 $18 1-0

[Event "BIH-chT"]
[Site "Neum"]
[Date "2004.06.02"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Lekic, Dusan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2627"]
[BlackElo "2389"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2004.05.29"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BIH"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 102"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.09.23"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Sarajevo Bosna"]
[BlackTeam "Banja Luka"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "BIH"]
[BlackTeamCountry "BIH"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 {Der kroatische Großmeister spielte schon öfters die
Variante 10.Bg5, jetzt möchte er etwas unbekannteres spielen.} Nd5 {Mit dem
Springerzug möchte Schwarz den f4-Läufer tauschen. Die schwarzen Alternativen
sind 10...Bd6, 10...Nbd7 und hauptsächlich 10...a5.} 11. Bd2 {Weiß möchte den
Läufer auf dem Brett halten und im Folgenden kann er auf e2-e4 spielen.} (11.
Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 a5 13. Rfd1 Bd5 14. Qb5 Na6 15. e4 Bc6 16. Qc4 (16. Qh5 Nb4
17. Rac1 $14) 16... Nb4 17. Ne5 Be8 18. d5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Rxd5 Bd6 21.
Nf3 Bc6 22. Rd3 Qc8 23. e5 Be7 24. Ne1 Ra6 $1 $13 {0-1 Hulak,K-Psakhis,L/
Zagreb 1993/CBM 35/[Ftacnik] (37)}) 11... Bb5 $6 {Das ist wirklich eine
interessante taktische Idee, aber nach dieser Partie wird das fraglich sein.
Meiner Meinung nach wäre es besser mit 11...Nd7 fortzusetzen, mit ruhigem
positionellen Spiel.} (11... Nd7 12. Re1 $5 $146 {[/\ 13.e4, 13.a5]} (12. Qc2
Nb4 13. Bxb4 Bxb4 14. Rd1 (14. e4 $6 Nf6) 14... Nf6 15. Nbd2 Rc8 16. e3 {
1/2-1/2 Meduna,E-Ftacnik,L/Trnava 1980/MCD (16)}) 12... a5 (12... N5f6 $5) 13.
e4 Nb4 14. Qb3 Bd6 15. Bg5 Qe8 16. Nc3 e5 17. Qd1 exd4 18. Nxd4 Ne5 {Dlugy,
M-Morovic Fernandez,I/Tunis (izt) 39/(593) 1985/[Morovic Fernandez,I] (18)} (
18... Ne5 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 $14)) 12. axb5 $5 $146 {Weiß hat keine Angst vor dem
Damenopfer und nimmt die Einladung an.} (12. Qb3 Bxe2 13. Qxb7 Bxf1 14. Qxa8
Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qd6 16. Nc3 Nd7 17. Qa7 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Qc6 19. Rb1 Bd6 20. a5 Qc4
21. Rb2 h6 $13 {1-0 Birnboim,N-Bruk,O/Israel 1999/EXT 2000 (30)}) 12... axb5 {
[%cal Ra8a1,Rb5c4]} 13. Qxd5 Qxd5 (13... exd5 14. Rxa8 c6 $16) 14. Rxa8 {
[%mdl 1024] Weiß hat R+N+B gegen die Dame und Bauern, was einen
Materialvorteil für Weiß bedeutet.} Nc6 15. Rxf8+ (15. Ne5 $5 Qb3 (15... Qxd4
16. Bc3 $18) 16. Nxc6 Rxa8 17. Nxe7+ Kf8 18. Bxb7 Ra7 19. Nc6 Rxb7 20. Na5 $18)
15... Bxf8 16. e3 (16. Nc3 Qc4 17. e3 b4 18. Nd1 $16) 16... Qb3 17. Bc1 {
Weiß muss natürlich den b2-Bauern verteidigen. Weiß hat offensichtlichen
materiellen Vorteil, aber er muss seine Figurenkoordination verbessern.} Na5 (
17... Nb4 18. Nfd2 Qc2 19. Na3 Qa4 20. b3 (20. Bxb7 $2 c6 $132 {[%csl Rb7]})
20... Qa6 21. Nab1 $16) 18. Nfd2 Qb4 19. Nc3 c6 {Der Wirkungskreis des
g2-Läufers ist beschränkt. Weiß muss die Stellung für seine Figuren öffnen.}
20. Bf3 f5 $6 {Dieser Zug schwächt die schwarze Königsstellung und im
Folgendem kann Weiß mit e3-e4 sprengen. Meiner Meinung nach wäre es besser die
Stellung geschlossen zu halten.} (20... h6) 21. h4 g6 22. Bd1 {[%cal Gc3a2,
Ga2b4] Die weiße positionelle Drohung ist 23.Na2, wonach die aktive Dame weg
gehen muss.} Nc4 23. Nxc4 bxc4 (23... Qxc4 24. Bf3 $16) 24. Bf3 {Alles ist
verteidigt in der weißen Stellung und wegen des starken f3-Läufers kann
Schwarz seine Bauern am Damenflügel nicht mobilisieren.} Bd6 25. e4 $1 {
Endlich kann Weiß die Stellung öffnen und die Aktivität den Figuren erhöhen.}
e5 (25... fxe4 26. Nxe4 $16) 26. dxe5 $6 (26. d5 $1 $16) 26... Bxe5 $132 {
Der c3N hängt und dank seiner gefährlichen Bauern am Damenflügel bekommt
Schwarz Gegenspiel. Andererseits bekommt Weiß mit dem Läuferpaar
Angriffschancen am Königsflügel.} 27. exf5 Bxc3 (27... gxf5 28. Nd1 $16) 28.
bxc3 Qxc3 29. Be3 Qf6 {[%cal Gf6f3]} (29... gxf5 30. Rb1 {[%csl Rb7][%cal
Rb1b7]} f4 (30... Qg7 31. Bxc6 bxc6 32. Rb8+ $18) 31. gxf4 Qg7+ 32. Kf1 $16)
30. Re1 (30. Rb1 $4 Qxf5 $19 {[%cal Rf5b1,Rf5f3]}) 30... Qxf5 31. Bh6 Kf7 (
31... Qxf3 32. Re8+ Kf7 33. Rf8+ $18) 32. Kg2 c3 {[%csl Gb7,Gc3,Gc6]} 33. Be4
Qe6 34. Re3 Qc4 (34... b5 $142 $5) 35. Bd3 Qc5 (35... Qb3) 36. Bc2 $1 {[%csl
Gc2][%cal Gc2b3,Gb3f7] Weiß blockiert den c-Bauern und droht eventuell Bb3+.}
Qc4 (36... Qd5+ $5) 37. Bg5 {[%csl Gc2,Ge3,Gg5][%cal Re3e7,Re7f7]} h5 38. Re7+
$18 {[%mdl 128]} Kf8 39. Rh7 (39. Rxb7 $18) 39... b5 40. Bxg6 {[%csl Rf8]} c2
41. Bh6+ Kg8 42. Rd7 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 4th"]
[Site "Istanbul"]
[Date "2003.05.30"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Tkachiev, Vladislav"]
[Black "Zelcic, Robert"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2643"]
[BlackElo "2540"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2003.05.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 096"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 {Dieser Zug wird selten gespielt - die Hauptvariante
ist 10.Bg5, mit der Idee Bxf6, Nc3, e4 und Beherrschung des Zentrums.} a5 {
Das ist ein typisches Motiv - nachfolgend kann Schwarz den Springer über a6
nach b4 entwickeln.} (10... Nd5) (10... Bd6) (10... Nbd7) 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rae1
{[%cal Ge2e4] Dieser Zug wurde seinerzeit von Kortschnoj in die Turnierpraxis
eingeführt (Kortschnoj,V. - Hjartarson,J. Saint John 1988). Weiß bereitet
damit 13.e4 vor.} Ne4 $6 {Es ist zwar verständlich, dass Schwarz e2-e4 nicht
zulassen möchte, aber in der Folge bekommt Weiß die besseren Chancen. Schwarz
sollte besser die Dame mit 12...Bd5!? vertreiben (vgl. die Partie
Tkachiev-Delchev im gleichen Turnier vier Runden später).} (12... Nb4 13. e4
Nd7 14. Qe2 (14. Ra1 Bd6 15. Be3 Nc2 16. Bg5 Nb6 17. Qd3 Nb4 18. Qe2 Qe8 19. b3
f5 {0-1 Kortschnoj,V-Hjartarson,J/Saint John 1988/Candidates (38)}) (14. Re2 $5
Nb6 15. Qb3 Kh8) 14... Nb6 15. b3 Bd6 16. Be3 Qe8 17. Ne5 f5 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19.
f4 Rb8 20. Rc1 Nd7 21. Rfe1 {1-0 Kachiani Gersinska,K-Bojkovic,N/Belgrade 1991/
EXT 2002 (57)}) (12... Bd5 $5 13. Qb5 (13. Qd3 Nb4 14. Qb1 c5 (14... Bb3 15.
Rc1 Nbd5 (15... Nfd5) 16. Be5 $1 Bd6 $1 17. Bxf6 $5 gxf6 18. Nd2 Nxc3 19. bxc3
Bxa4 20. Qxb7 Rb8 21. Qa7 $6 (21. Qf3 $5) 21... c6 $1 22. Ra1 Ra8 23. Qb7 Bb5
24. Bxc6 Rb8 25. Qxb5 Rxb5 26. Bxb5 Qc7 $1 {1/2-1/2 Poldauf,D-Pieniazek,A/
Rostock 1989/EXT 2002/[Poldauf,D] (35)}) 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Nxd5 Nbxd5 17. Ne5
Nxf4 18. gxf4 Qb6 19. Rc1 Rac8 20. b3 Rc7 21. e3 Rfc8 22. Rc4 Nd7 23. Nf3 Bf8 {
1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Gelfand,B/Cap d'Agde 2002/CBM 92 (35)}) (13. Nxd5 exd5 14.
Qb5 Qc8 {/\ c6}) 13... Bc6 14. Qb3 Nb4 15. Rc1 {1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Delchev,A/
Istanbul 2003/CBM96 (15)}) (12... Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Rd1 Nb4 15. e4 Rc8 16.
Rd2 Qd7 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. h4 {1/2-1/2 Kachiani Gersinska,K-Petronijevic,Z/Pula
1990/EXT 2000 (69)}) (12... Bb4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. e4 Rfd8 16. Kh1
Be8 17. Rd1 Rac8 18. h3 Qe7 19. Rfe1 Nb8 20. Ne5 {1-0 Bareev,E-Short,N/Geneve
1996/CBM 54 ext (53)}) 13. Ne5 $1 $14 {[%csl Rc6][%cal Gg2a8]} Bd5 (13... Nxc3
$2 14. Nxc6 $16) (13... Nd6 14. Nxc6 Nxc4 15. Nxd8 Raxd8 16. b3 $16) 14. Nxd5 (
14. Qb5 Nd6 $11) 14... exd5 15. Qb5 {[%csl Gb5,Re4,Ge5,Gf4] Weiß hat aktives
Figurenspiel und Schwarz hat große Probleme bei der Koordination seiner
Figuren.} Nb4 $6 {Dieser Zug führt zu großen Komplikationen. Der ruhige
Verteidigungszug 15...Ra7 wäre besser gewesen.} (15... Ra7 $142 16. Rc1 (16.
Qxa5 Bb4 $17 {[%cal Rb4a5,Rb4e1]}) 16... c6 $14) 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Qxb7 Qxd4 (
17... f5 18. Rc1 Qxd4 19. Qxc7 $16) 18. Rd1 (18. Qxc7 Bf6 $132) 18... Qxb2 19.
Qxc7 (19. Qxe4 Bf6 $14 (19... Bd6 20. Nc4 Qb3 21. Bxd6 cxd6 22. Rxd6 Qxa4 23.
Nb6 Rae8 24. Qf5 $16)) 19... Bf6 20. Nd7 {[%csl Gc7,Gd7,Gf4][%cal Gd7f6,Rd7f8]
[%mdl 2048] Weiß hat aktives Figurenspiel.} Rfe8 (20... Rfc8 21. Qb7 Re8 22.
Nb6 Rad8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 (23... Bxd8 $2 24. Qd7 Rf8 25. Nc4 Qc3 26. Bd6 $18) 24.
Qxe4 $16) 21. Rd2 Qc3 (21... Qb3 22. Nxf6+ gxf6 23. Qd7 Qe6 24. Qb5 $16) 22.
Rc1 Qxc7 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Rxc7 {[%csl Gc7,Gd2,Re4,Gf4,Rf6,Rf7]} Na6 (24...
Rac8 25. Rdd7 Rxc7 26. Bxc7 Nc6 (26... Ra8 27. Rd8+ Rxd8 28. Bxd8 Nc6 29. Bxf6
$16) 27. Rd6 Re6 28. Rd5 Re7 29. Bxa5 Ra7 30. Bc3 Rxa4 31. Bxf6 $16) 25. Rc4
Kg7 (25... Rac8 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Rd4 f5 28. Bd2 Nb4 29. Bxb4 axb4 30. Rxb4 $16
) 26. Rdd4 Rac8 (26... f5 27. Rd5 $16) 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Rxe4 $16 {[%mdl 4096]
Weiß hat einen Mehrbauern und die bessere Bauernstruktur.} Rc2 29. Be3 h5 (
29... Rxe2 $4 30. Bh6+ $18) 30. Rf4 Kg6 (30... Rxe2 31. Rf5 $16 {[%cal Rf5a5,
Rf5h5]}) 31. Bb6 Rxe2 32. Bxa5 {[%csl Ga4] Der weiße Freibauer auf der a-Linie
ist gefährlich} Nc5 33. Bb6 Ne4 34. Kf1 Rb2 35. Rxe4 Rxb6 36. Ke2 (36. Re1 $16
{[%cal Ge1a1,Ga1a4]}) 36... Rb2+ 37. Ke3 Ra2 38. Rf4 $18 {[%csl Gf4][%cal
Gf4f2,Gf4a4] Der Turm verteidigt zugleich den Pf2 und den Pa4. Das Endspiel
ist klar gewonnen. Weiß braucht nur seinen König zu aktivieren.} Rc2 39. Kd3
Rc1 40. Rc4 Ra1 41. Kc3 Ra2 42. Rf4 h4 43. Kb3 (43. Rg4+ $1 Kf5 44. Rxh4 Rxf2
45. Rf4+ Rxf4 46. gxf4 Kxf4 47. a5 $18) (43. Kb3 $18) 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 4th"]
[Site "Istanbul"]
[Date "2003.06.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anastasian, Ashot"]
[Black "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2561"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2003.05.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 096"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 (11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 c5 {Das ist die
andere Hauptvariante, die zu ungefähr ausgeglichenem Spiel führt.}) 11... c5 (
11... Be4 12. Qe3 (12. Qd1)) 12. Nc3 (12. dxc5 {Das ist eine wichtige
Alternative.}) 12... Bc6 (12... cxd4 $5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 (13... Nxd5 14. Bxe7 Nxe7
15. Nxd4 $14) 14. h4 $5) 13. dxc5 (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. dxc5 Nd7 15. Qc4 Qe7 16.
b4 a5 17. Nd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 axb4 19. Ne4 Rfc8 20. a5 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Nxc5 {
1/2-1/2 Nikolic,P-Boensch,U/Munich 1990/CBM 18 (37)}) (13. e4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 h6
15. Bf4 Nbd7 16. Qc4 Rc8 17. Qe2 Bc5 (17... Bb4 $5 18. Nd4 Bxc3 19. bxc3 e5 20.
Nxc6 Rxc6 21. Bd2 $13) 18. Nd2 e5 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. Qxe3 Qa5 $1 {0-1 Beliavsky,
A-Georgiev,K/Ulcinj 1998/CBM 65/[Kostakiev,D] (45)}) (13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 (
14. Qxd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd7 17. e4 Rac8 18. f3 h6 {0-1 Rustemov,
A-Bauer,C/Hamburg 1999/EXT 2001 (43)}) 14... Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nbd7 $5 16. Qf3 (16.
f4 Rc8 17. e4 Qb6 18. e5 Qxb2+ 19. Nce2 Nc5 {1/2-1/2 Ong Chong Ghee-Bagirov,R/
Istanbul 2000/EXT 2001 (41)}) (16. e4 Qa5 (16... Rc8 $11) 17. Bd2 Ne5 18. Qe2
Qc5 19. Bf4 Rfd8 20. Nf3 Nc6 {1/2-1/2 Bogdanovski,V-Bauer,C/Batumi 1999/CBM 74
(36)}) 16... Rb8 (16... Qb8 17. Rac1 {1/2-1/2 Garcia Ilundain,D-Wells,P/
Escaldes 1998/CBM 68 (17)}) 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Ne4 Qe7 (18... Qb6 19. Qe3 Rfd8
20. Rd2 Be7 21. Rad1 Qc7 22. Nb3 Qc6 23. Nd4 Qc7 {1/2-1/2 Wojtkiewicz,
A-Georgiev,K/Metz 1997/EXT 99 (42)}) 19. Qa3 Rfd8 20. Nxf6+ Qxf6 21. Nf3 Ne5 {
1/2-1/2 Kachiani Gersinska,K-Bojkovic,N/Leon 2001/EXT 2002 (21)}) 13... Bxc5 (
13... Nbd7 14. b4 a5 15. b5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 (16. Bxf3 Nxc5 17. Qe3 Nfd7 $11)
16... Nxc5 17. Rfd1 Qb6 18. Be3 $14) 14. Qc4 (14. Ne5 Qxd3 15. Nxd3 Bd4 $1 $11
(15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Be7 17. Ne4 Nbd7 18. Rac1 $14)) 14... Nbd7 {Schwarz hat
Ausgleich in bequemer Stellung erreicht. Die Bauernverteilung ist symmetrisch.}
15. b4 (15. Rfd1 $6 Qb6 $15) 15... Be7 16. b5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 (17. exf3 $6 Rc8
$15) 17... Ne5 {[%cal Re5c4,Re5f3] Mit dem Textzug beraubt Schwarz seinen
Gegner des Läuferpaars.} 18. Qf4 Nxf3+ 19. Qxf3 $11 axb5 20. axb5 Rxa1 (20...
Qb6 21. Be3 Qc7 22. Bf4 $11) 21. Rxa1 Qb6 22. Be3 Qc7 23. Rc1 (23. Bf4 Qb6 $11)
23... Rc8 24. Ne4 Qd7 25. Nxf6+ Bxf6 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 {[%mdl 4096] Weiß hat
aufgrund des Pb6 mikroskopisch kleinen Raumvorteil, aber man kann sich bei
dieser Stellung schwer ein anderes Ergebnis als Remis vorstellen.} 27. b6 {
Der Pb6 garantiert Weiß zwar etwas Raumvorteil, dafür kann er später aber
selbst zum Ziel eines Angriffs werden.} Qd7 28. h4 Qd5 {[%csl Gd5]} 29. Qf4 {
[%cal Rf4b8,Rb8g8]} (29. Qxd5 exd5 30. Bc5 $11) 29... h5 {[%csl Gb7,Gh5]
Schwarz spielt konsequent und richtig: Er stellt seine Bauern allesamt auf die
weißen Felder.} 30. Qc7 Bd8 (30... g6 $11) 31. Qc2 Bf6 32. Qa4 {[%cal Ra4e8,
Re8g8,Re8f7]} Kh7 (32... g6 $11) 33. f3 (33. Qe8 Kg6 $11) 33... g6 34. Bf2 Kg7
35. Kg2 Be5 36. Qc2 Bf6 37. Qc8 Be7 38. Be1 $6 {[%cal Ge1c3,Gc3g7] Weiß möchte
den Läufer nach c3 stellen. Sicherer wäre es jedoch, den Läufer auf f2 zu
belassen.} Bc5 $1 {[%csl Rb6,Gc5][%cal Rd5d4,Rc5g1] Jetzt hat Schwarz neue
Drohungen - der Pb6 hängt, und es droht 39...Qd4.} 39. Bc3+ e5 40. Qe8 $2 {
[%csl Re8]} (40. e4 Qa2+ (40... Qd6 41. Qc7 Qxb6 42. Bxe5+ Kg8 $11) 41. Kh3 Bd4
42. Bxd4 exd4 43. Qxb7 Qb1 44. g4 Qh1+ 45. Kg3 Qg1+ 46. Kf4 $4 (46. Kh3 hxg4+
47. fxg4 Qe3+ 48. Kg2 d3 49. Qd5 d2 50. b7 $11) 46... Qh2+ 47. Kg5 Qe5#) 40...
f6 $17 {[%csl Rc3,Ge5,Gf6] Der Wirkungsradius des Bc3 ist nunmehr
eingeschränkt, und der Pb6 ist schwach.} 41. Qb5 Qd6 42. f4 $4 {[%mdl 8192]
Ein unglaublicher Fehler - Weiß lässt gänzlich de Sicherheit seines Königs aus
den Augen.} (42. Ba5 e4 (42... Qd4 43. e3 Qd5 $17 (43... Qxe3 44. Qd7+ $132 Kh6
$4 45. Bd2 $18)) 43. fxe4 Qd4 44. Qb1 Qf2+ 45. Kh3 Qxe2 $17) 42... Qd5+ $19 {
[%csl Gc5,Gd5,Rg2][%cal Rd5g2]} (42... Qd5+ 43. e4 (43. Kh2 Bg1+ $19) 43...
Qxe4+ 44. Kh2 Qc2+ $19) 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 0203"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2003.03.30"]
[Round "15.1"]
[White "Buhmann, Rainer"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2527"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2002.10.19"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 095"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.07.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.07.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Stuttgart"]
[BlackTeam "Porz"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Das ist die natuerliche Fortsetzung, die heutzutage jeodch weniger gespielt
wird als 8.a4. Diese Alternative 8.a4 ist popular, weil auf diese Weise der
Zug 8...b5 radikal verhindert wird.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 {Statt dieser
Fortsetzung sind auch die anderen Lauferzuege 10.Bd2 und 10.Bg5 moeglich.} Nc6
(10... Nd5) 11. Rd1 (11. Nc3 Nxd4 $6 (11... Nb4 12. Qb1 Nbd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14.
Rd1 $11) 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Rfd1 $16 {[%cal Gd1d8]} (13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Kxg2 c5))
11... Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 {[%cal Gc7c5] Schwarz moechte im folgenden mit c7-c5 das
Spiel ausgleichen.} 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 (14. Bg5 c5 $11) (14. Be3 c6 15. Ne5
Qb6 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qd2 b4 $11) 14... Bxd5 15. Be3 c6 {Die sofortige
Ausfuehrung des Zugs c7-c5 geht noch nicht. Mit dem Textzug moechte Schwarz
Qb6 vorbereiten.} 16. Ne1 {[%cal Ge1d3,Gd3c5]} Bxg2 (16... Ng4 17. Bf3 Nxe3 18.
Qxe3 Bf6 19. Qa3 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qb6 21. Rac1 (21. b4 $1 $14) 21... Rfd8 22. b4
g6 23. e3 Qb7 24. Nd2 Rd5 25. Ne4 {1/2-1/2 Atalik,S-Vaganian,R/Manila 1992/TD 
(41)}) (16... Qb6 17. Nd3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nd5 19. Nf4 Nxf4+ 20. Bxf4 c5 21. Qe3
c4 22. d5 Qxe3 23. Bxe3 Rfd8 24. dxe6 fxe6 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rc1 Bf6 {0-1
Dizdarevic,E-Huzman,A/Pula 1997/CBM 57 ext (52)}) 17. Kxg2 (17. Nxg2 Nd5 18.
Ne1 Bf6 19. Qd2 Qb6 20. Bg5 Rfd8 21. Rac1 h6 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. Nf3 a5 24. Qc2
c5 {1/2-1/2 Shvidler,E-Gerzhoy,L/ISR 2002/EXT 2003 (47)}) 17... Nd5 18. Nd3 (
18. f3 Nxe3+ 19. Qxe3 Qd5 20. Qb3 Rfd8 $11) 18... Nxe3+ 19. Qxe3 Qd5+ 20. f3 (
20. Kg1 Rfd8 (20... c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Qxc5 Rxc5 24. Rac1 Rxc1
25. Rxc1 Rd8 26. Rc6 Kf8 27. Rxa6 Rd2 {1/2-1/2 Ftacnik,L-Lutz,C/Germany 1998/
GER-chT (41)}) 21. Nf4 Qd6 22. Rd3 g6 23. Rad1 Bg5 24. Qe5 Bxf4 25. Qxf4 Qxf4
26. gxf4 c5 {1/2-1/2 Haba,P-Lutz,C/Koenig Plauen GER 2002/(31)}) 20... Rfd8 {
[%mdl 4] Schwarz - mit 118 Elo-Punkten mehr - ist nicht zufrieden mit den
Vereinfachungen, die nach 20...c5 käemn. Nach meiner persoenlichen Meinung
bietet 20...c5 Schwarz jedoch bessere Chancen als die Partiefortsetzung.} (
20... c5 {Dieser Zug fuehrt zum Ausgleich.} 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23.
Qxc5 Rxc5 24. Rac1 Rcc8 (24... Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Rd8 26. Rc6 Kf8 27. Rxa6 Rd2 28.
Kf2 Rxb2 29. a4 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Adams,M/Amsterdam 1994/CBM 43 (29)}) 25. b4 g6
26. Kf2 Kg7 27. a3 a5 28. Ke3 Kf6 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. bxa5 Ra8 {1/2-1/2
Khalifman,A-Lutz,C/Wijk aan Zee 1995/CBM 45 (34)}) 21. Nf4 (21. Ne5 c5 $15)
21... Qd6 22. Rac1 h6 $11 (22... Qb4 23. Rc2 $11) 23. Rd3 Qb4 24. Rc2 Qa4 (
24... c5 $2 25. dxc5 $16) 25. b3 Qb4 26. h4 Bf6 27. Qe4 Qd6 28. Nh5 Be7 29. Nf4
Bf6 30. e3 $1 $14 {Weiss hat Raumvorteil und es ist nicht leicht fuer Schwarz
die Ausgleichsmoeglichkeit c6-c5 auszufuehren.} e5 $5 {Mit diesem Zug Schwarz
opfert eigentlich einen Bauern, aber bekommt ein haltbares Endspiel.} (30...
Be7 $14) 31. dxe5 Qxe5 32. Qxe5 Bxe5 33. Rxc6 (33. Rxd8+ Rxd8 34. Ne2 $14 {
[%csl Gc2][%cal Gf3f4,Ge3e4]}) 33... Bxf4 34. exf4 Rxc6 (34... Rxd3 35. Rxc8+
Kh7 36. Rc2 a5 {Diese Variante fuhrt zu ahnlichen Stellungen wie in der Partie.
}) 35. Rxd8+ {[%mdl 4096]} Kh7 36. Rd2 Rc3 {[%csl Gc3] Weiss hat einen Bauern
mehr, aber das hat keine grosse Bedeutung - Weiss kann seinen Doppelbauern
nicht verwerten.} 37. h5 a5 $1 {Schwarz moechte so viel Material wie moeglich
tauschen.} 38. g4 f6 39. Kg3 a4 40. bxa4 bxa4 41. f5 Ra3 {[%cal Ga3a2,Ga3g3]
Der schwarze Turm steht aktiv auf a3 und fesselt den weissen Turm an die
Verteidiung des Pa2.} 42. Kf4 Kg8 {[%cal Gg8f7,Gf7e7]} 43. Ke4 Kf7 44. Rf2 {
Weiss verteidigt den f3-Bauern und sein Koenig marschiert zum Damenfluegel.}
Ke7 45. Kd4 Kd6 46. Kc4 Re3 47. Rd2+ (47. Kb4 a3 48. Kc4 Ke5 $11 {[%csl Ge3,
Ge5]}) 47... Ke5 48. Rd7 Rxf3 49. Rxg7 Ra3 50. Rg6 Rxa2 51. Kb4 (51. Rxh6 $6
Rg2 52. Rg6 a3 $15) (51. Kb4 Kf4 52. Rxh6 (52. Rxf6 Kxg4 53. Rxh6 $11) 52...
Kxg4 53. Rxf6 Kxh5 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 33rd"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "2003.05.26"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2601"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2003.05.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BIH"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 096"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Heutzutage wird in der Großmeisterpraxis praktisch immer die Textfortsetzung
gespielt, aber die alte Fortsetzung 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 ist auch gut spielbar.} Bd7
9. Ne5 {Dieser Springerzug ist die Lieblingsvariante des kroatischen GMs.
Meiner Meinung nach bietet sie Weiß allerdings keinen Eröffnungsvorteil.} (9.
Qxc4) 9... Bc6 (9... Nc6) 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 (11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qxc4 (12. Na3
Qd5 13. Nxc4 Qh5 $11) 12... Qd5 $11) 11... Na5 12. Nd2 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt
Weiß den Bauern zurück und öffnet zugleich die Diagonale des Bg2. Andererseits
bekommt Schwarz starkes Gegenspiel am Damenflügel.} c5 13. dxc5 Rc8 14. b4 cxb3
15. Nxb3 Nd5 {Schwarz schließt die Diagonale des Bg2 und hält die Spannung
aufrecht. Die Alternative 15...Nxb3 führt zu Vereinfachungen und erhöht die
Wahrscheinlichkeit eines Remis.} (15... Nxb3 16. Qxb3 Nd7 17. Ba3 (17. c6 bxc6
18. Bd2 (18. a5 Nc5 19. Qc4 Qd3 20. Qxd3 Nxd3 21. Bd2 Rfd8 22. Rfb1 Nf4 23.
gxf4 Rxd2 24. Bf1 Bh4 (24... Ra8 $10 {Pigusov,E}) 25. Bxa6 Bxf2+ {1-0 Kozul,
Z-Pigusov,E/Biel 1993/CBM 37/[ChessBase] (37)}) (18. Rd1 Qb6 19. Qc2 Rfd8 20.
a5 Qc5 21. Qb1 Bf6 22. Ra2 Ne5 23. Bb2 Qb5 24. Bxe5 Qxe5 25. Rc1 Rb8 26. Qe4
Qxe4 27. Bxe4 Rd6 28. Bf3 Bd8 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,Z-Begovac,F/Makarska 1994/EXT 97 
(28)}) 18... Nc5 19. Qc2 Nb3 20. Qxb3 Qxd2 21. a5 Rb8 22. Qa4 c5 23. Qc4 Rb5
24. Rfd1 Qb4 25. Bf1 Rc8 26. Qa2 c4 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,Z-Van der Sterren,P/Moscow
1994/CBM 44 ext (26)}) 17... Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19. Qxb7 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,
Z-Beliavsky,A/Maribor 1996/CBM 55 (19)}) 16. Bd2 (16. Ba3 Qc7 (16... Nxb3 17.
Qxb3 Bxc5 18. Bxc5 Rxc5 19. Qxb7 Qa5 20. Bxd5 Rxd5 {1/2-1/2 Urban,K-Rozentalis,
E/Augustow 1996/CBM 57 (25)}) 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. e4 Nf6 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Nxa5
Qxa5 21. e5 Nd5 22. Rb1 Qc7 23. Qb3 Bxc5 24. Bxc5 Qxc5 25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Qxb7
g5 {0-1 Pavlovic,M-Beliavsky,A/Cetinje 1992/EXT 97 (36)}) 16... Nc6 $11 {
[%mdl 4] Schwarz tauscht nicht auf b3, sondern strebt eine feste Stellung an.
Weiß hat das Läuferpaar und etwas positionellen Druck am Damenflügel, aber die
schwarze Bauernstruktur ist gesund. Zudem kann der jetzt scheinbar starke Pc5
später zur Schwäche werden} (16... Nxb3 17. Qxb3 Rxc5 18. Qxb7 Qc8 19. Qxc8
Rfxc8 20. a5 Bf6 21. Ra3 Nc3 22. Bf3 Rd8 23. Bxc3 Rxc3 24. Ra2 Be5 25. Bb7 Rc5
{1/2-1/2 Cifuentes Parada,R-Winants,L/Wijk aan Zee 1994/CBM 40 (25)}) 17. Rab1
(17. Rfd1 Qc7 18. Bxd5 (18. e4 Ndb4 19. Qc4 a5 $11) 18... exd5 19. Bc3 Rfd8 20.
Qf5 Qd7 21. Qxd7 Rxd7 22. Rd3 Nd8 $11 {[%cal Gd8e6,Ge6c5]}) 17... Qc7 18. Rfc1
{[%cal Gb1b7,Gc1c5]} Rfd8 19. Qc4 Rd7 20. Be1 $6 {Dieser Läuferzug scheint mir
etwas zu passiv - Weiß täte besser daran, den Nd5-Springer zu verjagen.} (20.
e4 $5 Nf6 21. f4 $11) 20... Bf6 21. e4 Nde7 {[%csl Gc6,Yd4,Ge7]} 22. Rd1 (22.
f4 Bd4+ $11) 22... Rcd8 23. Rxd7 Rxd7 24. f4 g5 $5 $13 {Dieser Zug ist eine
große Überraschung - Schwarz schwächt freiwillig seinen Königsflügel, bekommt
dafür aber im Gegenzug taktische Gegenchancen.} (24... Bd4+ 25. Kh1 e5 $11 {
[%csl Gd4]}) 25. e5 Bg7 26. Nd2 $6 (26. Qe2 Nd5 27. Bd2 $13) 26... gxf4 27.
gxf4 Rd4 (27... Nd5 $13) 28. Qf1 (28. Rxb7 Qa5 (28... Qxb7 29. Qxd4 Nxd4 30.
Bxb7 $16) 29. Qc2 Rxf4 $13) 28... Nd5 {[%csl Gd4,Gd5,Rf4][%mdl 2048] Schwarz
hat aktives Figurenspiel - der Pf4 ist schwach.} 29. Ne4 Nce7 (29... Rxa4) 30.
Kh1 (30. a5 $142 $5 Ng6 $13) 30... Rxa4 31. Bd2 (31. Qg1 $5) 31... Ng6 32. Qf2
Rc4 33. f5 $6 {Weiß öffnet die Stellung, ohne jedoch über ein Übergewicht am
Königsflügel zu verfügen.} (33. Qg3 $13) 33... Nxe5 34. f6 (34. fxe6 fxe6 $15)
34... Ng4 $17 {[%csl Gg4][%cal Rg4f2,Rc7h2]} 35. Qg1 Ndxf6 (35... Ngxf6 36.
Nxf6+ (36. Rxb7 $2 Qxb7 37. Nxf6+ Kh8 $19) 36... Nxf6 37. Rxb7 Qxc5 38. Rb8+
Bf8 39. Bh6 Qxg1+ 40. Kxg1 Nd7 41. Ra8 e5 $17) 36. Rxb7 $1 {[%cal Gg2b7]} Qe5 (
36... Qxb7 $4 37. Nxf6+ $18) 37. Nxf6+ Bxf6 (37... Qxf6 $17) 38. h3 Qe2 $1 {
[%csl Rd2][%cal Rg4f2,Rf2h1]} (38... Rc2 $17) 39. Bh6 $2 (39. Bf1 $8 Qf3+ 40.
Qg2 Qxg2+ 41. Kxg2 Rxc5 42. hxg4 Rc2 43. Rd7 Bg5 $19 {[%csl Rd2][%cal Rc2g2]})
39... Nf2+ $19 {[%csl Rg1,Rh1]} 40. Qxf2 (40. Kh2 Be5+ $19) 40... Rc1+ (40...
Qxf2 $4 41. Rb8+ $18) (40... Rc1+ 41. Bxc1 Qxf2 $19) 0-1

[Event "Asia-ch 4th"]
[Site "Doha"]
[Date "2003.02.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kotsur, Pavel"]
[Black "Bakre, Tejas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2464"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2003.02.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "QAT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 094"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.05.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.05.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 {
Das ist die prinzipielle Fortsetzung, aber 7...c5 ist auch moeglich.} (7... c5
8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Nxc4 $14) 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 (
11... c5) 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 {Weiß hat einen Bauern gewonnen, aber Schwarz
hat Kompensation, weil der "katalanische" Läufer auf g2 fehlt und Schwarz ein
Gegenspiel am Koenigsfluegel wegen der geschwaechten weißen Felder aufziehen
kann.} Be6 (13... Bh3 14. Re1 Qh5 15. Qh4 Qxh4 16. gxh4 Nd5 17. f3 Nb4 18. Na3
Be6 19. Bd2 Nxa2 20. b3 Bxb3 21. Reb1 Rfb8 22. Rxb3 Rxb3 23. Rxa2 a5 {0-1
Paunovic,D-Perez,R/Elgoibar ESP 2002/(49)}) 14. Qd3 (14. Qc2 Bf5 (14... Nd5 15.
Re1 Nb4 16. Qa4 Nd3 17. Rf1 Qxe2 18. Nc3 Qf3 $13 {1-0 Gruenenwald,J-Wagman,S/
Mendrisio 1988/EXT 97 (74)}) 15. Qd2 Bh3 $44 (15... Rad8 16. Qe3 Qa5 17. Nc3
Rfe8 $44) 16. Re1 $5 Rad8 17. Qe3 Qd5 $6 (17... Qh5 $5 18. Nc3 Rfe8 $36 19. Qf4
Nd5 20. Qh4 Qxh4 21. gxh4 Nxc3 22. bxc3 Rxe2 23. Bf4 $11) 18. f3 Ng4 $6 (18...
Rfe8 $44) 19. Qc3 (19. Qxa7 $6 Rfe8 $44) 19... Rfe8 20. Na3 $1 {1-0 Parker,
J-Baburin,A/Port Erin 1999/CBM 74/[Ribli] (34)}) 14... Bh3 $6 {Diese
Fortsetzung gefaellt mir nicht. Es ist logisch fuer Schwarz Bh3, oder Bc4 zu
ziehen, aber zuerst kann er mit Rad8 ein wichtiges Tempo bekommen. Nach dem
Textzug kann er nicht mehr Rad8 ziehen.} (14... Rad8 15. Qe3 Qh5 16. f3 Bc4 (
16... Rfe8 17. Qg5 Bc4 18. Qxh5 Nxh5 19. Nc3 $5 Bxe2 20. Rf2 Ba6 21. Bg5 $14 {
1-0 Georgiev,K-Karpov,A/Dubai 2002/CBM 89/[Ribli] (43)}) (16... Bh3 17. Re1
Rfe8 18. Qf2 Nd5 19. Bd2 f5 20. Nc3 {1-0 Akesson,R-Engqvist,T/Stockholm 1997/
EXT 98 (32)}) 17. Nc3 Rfe8 18. Qg5 Qh3 19. Rf2 (19. Be3 {1/2-1/2 Horvath,
J-Senff,M/Chambery 2002/CBM 89 ext (19)}) 19... Rxe2 20. Be3 $14 {1-0 Kurajica,
B-Zelcic,R/Solin/Split 2001/CBM 87(48)}) (14... Rfd8 $6 15. Qe3 Qh5 16. f3 $14)
(14... Nd5) 15. Rd1 $14 {[%cal Gd1d8] Weiß kontrolliert stark die d-Linie.} Qh5
(15... Rad8 $2 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Rxd8+ Ne8 18. Nc3 $18) 16. f3 {Das ist ein
gewoehnlicher Zug in dieser Variante - Weiß verhindert die Moeglichkeit Ng4.} (
16. Nc3 $14) 16... Bf5 17. Qc4 (17. e4 $5 Be6 (17... Nxe4 $2 18. fxe4 Bxe4 19.
Qf1 $18) 18. Nc3 $14) 17... Be6 (17... Rad8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Nc3 $16) 18. Qd4
{[%cal Gd4f2]} c5 19. Qf2 {[%mdl 256] Schwarz hat Entwicklungsvorteil, aber
ich kann nicht sehen, wie kann man das ausnutzen will. Alles ist verteidigt in
der weißen Stellung.} Rfd8 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Nc3 Rb8 (21... Nd5 22. Qxc5 $16)
22. e4 {[%cal Gc1e3,Gf2a7]} (22. b3 $14) 22... Nd7 23. Bf4 Rb7 24. Rd1 $16 {
[%csl Gc3,Gd1,Gf4] Jetzt alles in Ordnung mit der weißen Entwicklung - er hat
einen klaren Bauern mehr, Schwarz hat keine Kompensation.} f5 {Schwarz
verteidigt sich gegen 25.g4, aber dieser Zug schwaecht die schwarze
Koenigsstellung.} (24... c4 25. g4 $16) 25. Qe2 {[%cal Re2a6,Ra6b7,Ra6e6]
Droht 26.Qa6 mit Materialgewinn.} (25. exf5 Qxf5 26. Ne4 $16 {[%cal Ge4d6,
Gd6f5,Gd6b7]}) 25... Qf7 (25... fxe4 $2 26. Qxe4 {[%cal Re4b7,Re4e6]} Rb6 27.
Bc7 Ra6 28. Qb7 $18) 26. exf5 Bxf5 27. b3 {Alles ist verteidigt in der weißen
Stellung und er hat die bessere Figurenkoordination.} Nf8 28. Ne4 {[%cal Re4d6,
Rd6b7,Rd6f7][%mdl 2048]} (28. Bd6 $16) 28... Bxe4 (28... Re7 29. Rd8 $18) 29.
Qxe4 Rd7 (29... h6 30. Rd8 $16) 30. Rxd7 Qxd7 31. Qc4+ Ne6 (31... Kh8 32. Qxc5
$18) 32. Be3 Qd6 33. Kg2 Kf8 34. Qe4 {[%cal Re4a8,Ra8f8,Re4h7,Ra8a7]} Nd4 35.
Qa8+ Kf7 36. Qxa7+ $18 Kg6 37. Qb7 Nf5 38. Qe4 Kf6 39. Bf2 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-31"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1994.12.08"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan S"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1994.12.01"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 045"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Hungary"]
[BlackTeam "England"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. Nf3 {Speelman} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2
(7. Ne5 $5) 7... a6 8. Qxc4 (8. a4 $5) 8... b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 (10...
Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 Nd7 13. Rfd1 Qc8 14. Ne4 $1 c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Nxc5
Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Rac1 Rfc8 19. Ne5 $14 {Ribli,Z-Karpov,An/Amsterdam/1980/
INF30,504/}) 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 (12... Qc8 13. Bg5 $5 c5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15.
Nc3 Rd8 16. a3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21.
Kxg2 $14 {Agzamov,G-Karpov,An/USSR/1983/INF35,583/}) 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5
(14... Bxd5 15. Be3 c6 16. Ne1 Qb6 $1 (16... Ng4 17. Bf3 $1 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Bf6
19. Qa3 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 $14 {Atalik,S-Vaganian,R/Manila olm/1992/}) 17. Nd3 Bxg2
18. Kxg2 Nd5 19. f3 c5 20. dxc5 Nxe3+ 21. Qxe3 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Qxc5 Rxc5
24. Rac1 Rcc8 25. b4 g6 $10 {Khalifman,A-Lutz,C/Wijk/CBM45/1995/}) 15. Bg5 c5
16. dxc5 Qe8 (16... Rxc5 $2 17. Qxc5 $18) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne5 Rxc5 19. Qd2
Nc3 (19... Qc7 20. Nd3 Rc2 21. Qe1 Nf6 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Rac1 Rxc1 (23... Rfc8
$2 24. Nc5 $1 R2xc5 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Rd8+ $18) 24. Rxc1 Rc8 25. Rxc8+ Qxc8 26.
Qb4 Qc7 27. Qc5 Ne8 28. f3 f6 29. Kf2 $10 {Ribli,Z-Gligoric,S/Novi Sad/1982/})
(19... Nf6 {Speelman} 20. Nd7 $1) 20. Nd3 (20. bxc3 Rxe5 (20... Bxg2 $2 21. Nd3
$18)) (20. Nd7 {Speelman} Nxd1 21. Bxb7 (21. Nxc5) 21... Nxf2 22. Kxf2 Rd5 $1)
20... Nxd1 21. Nxc5 (21. Bxb7 Nxf2 (21... Rd8 {Speelman} 22. Bg2 e5 $2 (22...
Nxf2 23. Kxf2) 23. Rxd1 e4 24. Nxc5 $1 $18 (24. Qe3 $2 Re5 25. f4 exf3 26. Qxf3
Rxe2)) 22. Kxf2 (22. Nxc5 Qxc5 $17) 22... Rh5 $13 (22... Rh5 23. Bf3 Rxh2+ 24.
Kg1 Rh6 25. Rc1 {xRh6}) (22... Rf5+ 23. Bf3 e5 24. e4 Rf6 25. Nb4)) 21... Qxc5
22. Rxd1 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 h6 24. Rc1 Qe7 25. Qf4 (25. Rc6 $4 Qb7 26. Qd6 Rc8 $19)
25... Qd7 26. b3 Rc8 $1 27. Rxc8+ Qxc8 28. Qd6 Qc2 29. Qxa6 (29. Qd8+ {Speelman
} Kh7 30. Qd3+ Qxd3 31. exd3 {Is an unclear pawn ending but almost certainly
drawn.} g6) 29... Qe4+ 30. Kg1 (30. Kh3 {Speelman} Qf5+ (30... Qxe2 $2 31. Qa8+
Kh7 32. Kg2 e5 33. Qf3 $1 Qxa2 34. Qxf7 Qe2) 31. g4 $6 (31. Kg2 $10) 31... Qxf2
32. Qa8+ (32. Qxb5 Qe3+ 33. Kg2 Qe4+ 34. Kf1 Qf4+ 35. Ke1 Qc1+ 36. Kf2 Qf4+ $10
) 32... Kh7 33. Qf3 $2 Qxf3+ 34. exf3 b4 $19) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Budapest Hunguest Hotels"]
[Site "Budapest"]
[Date "2003.04.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Berkes, Ferenc"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2578"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2003.04.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 095"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.07.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.07.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Grossmeister
Short - der Sieger des Turniers in Budapest - ist konsequent: Er spielt immer
diese (sogenannte klassische) Variante gegen die Katalanische Eroeffnung.} 7.
Ne5 {Dieser Springerzug ist popular in der letzten Zeit. Die Hauptvariante ist
7.Qc2.} Nc6 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 $44 {
Das waere die andere populare Variante.}) 8... bxc6 9. e3 Ba6 (9... Nd5 10. Qa4
Rb8 (10... Nb6 11. Qc2 Rb8 12. Rd1 Qe8 13. Nd2 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nxc4 Nxc4
16. Qxc4 Qb5 17. Qxb5 Rxb5 18. b3 {1-0 Berkes,F-Izoria,Z/Heraklio GRE 2002/(59)
}) 11. Qxc4 c5 12. dxc5 Nb4 13. Qb3 Na6 14. Qc2 Nb4 15. Qb3 {1/2-1/2 Krasenkow,
M-Pigusov,E/Halkidiki 2002/CBM 92 no vc (15)}) 10. Nc3 (10. Qe2 Rb8 11. Rd1 Qc8
12. Nc3 Nd5 13. e4 Nb4 14. Be3 Rd8 15. h4 Nd3 $13 {1-0 Rogers,I-Rozentalis,E/
Germany 2000/CBM 74 ext (32)}) 10... Rb8 11. Bxc6 Qd6 $5 {In der
Grossmeisterpraxis ist dieser Zug neu. Die schwarze Strategie ist einfach - er
verjagt den Laufer von c6 und spielt c7-c5, wonach er sich von seinem
Doppelbauern befreit.} (11... Nd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Qf3 Bb7 14. Bxb7 Rxb7 15.
b3 cxb3 16. axb3 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Ba3 Bxa3 19. Rxa3 Qd6 20. Rfa1 g6 21. Qd1
Rfb8 {1/2-1/2 Seirawan,Y-Ivanchuk,V/ Tilburg 1992/CBM 32 (69)}) 12. Qa4 (12.
Bf3 Nd5 (12... c5 $5) 13. e4 Nb4 14. Bf4 Qd7 15. Rb1 Nd3 16. Qd2 Qxd4 17. Be3
Ne5 18. Qe2 Nxf3+ 19. Qxf3 Qf6 {1/2-1/2 Ullrich,M-Peters,I/Hessen 2000/EXT
2002 (48)}) 12... Rb6 13. Bg2 c5 $11 {[%mdl 4] Schwarz hat eine bequeme
Stellung. Es ist nicht leicht fuer Weiss den Bc1 zu entwickeln.} 14. dxc5 (14.
Rd1 $5 cxd4 15. Rxd4) 14... Qxc5 15. e4 Qh5 {[%csl Gh5][%cal Gf6g4,Gg4h2,Gg4e5,
Ge5d3,Ge5f3] Die schwarze Dame steht aktiv auf h5 - jetzt droht 15...Ng4.} 16.
Qd1 (16. h3 Bc5 (16... Rd8 $2 17. Be3 Bc5 18. g4 Qe5 19. Qa5 $16) 17. Qd1 Qg6
18. Kh2 (18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 exd5 20. Qxd5 c3) 18... Rd6 19. Qe2 e5 20. Be3 Bd4
$15) 16... Qa5 (16... Qg6) 17. Qe2 (17. Qa4 Qxa4 18. Nxa4 Rb4 19. Nc3 Nd7 $15 {
[%csl Yd3][%cal Gd7c5,Gc5d3,Gd7e5,Ge5d3]}) 17... Nd7 $1 {[%csl Yd3][%cal Gd7c5,
Gc5d3,Gd7e5,Ge5d3][%mdl 32] Der Springer zielt auf das geschwaechte d3-Feld.}
18. Rd1 Ne5 19. Be3 Rb7 20. Qd2 {[%cal Gd2a5,Gc3d5] Weiss moechte 21.Nd5
spielen.} Qb4 (20... Nd3 $5 21. Nd5 Bd8 $17) 21. Rab1 h6 22. Qc2 Rc8 {[%csl
Gc4,Ge5][%cal Gc8c2,Gb7b1] Schwarz hat fuehlbaren positionellen Druck am
Damenfluegel.} 23. Bd2 {[%cal Gd2b4]} Qc5 24. Be3 Qa5 25. Bd2 Qc7 {Endlich
kmmt die schwarze Dame auf c7 zur Ruhe.} 26. Qa4 Rb6 27. Be3 Bc5 28. Bxc5 Qxc5
{Eine ungewoehnliche Stellung in der Katalanischen Verteidigung - der
"katalanische" Laufer auf g2 steht passiv und das d3-Feld ist schwach. Die
weisse Eröffnungsanlage ist gescheitert und er steht praktisch auf Verlust.}
29. Qc2 Rb4 30. Rd2 (30. Bf1 Nf3+ (30... Rcb8 31. Be2) 31. Kg2 Nd4 32. Qd2 e5
33. Nd5 $132) 30... Rcb8 $17 31. Rbd1 $2 $138 {[%csl Rb2]} (31. Ne2 $17) (31.
Nd1 $17) 31... Nd3 {[%csl Rb2,Gd3,Rf2]} 32. Rb1 (32. b3 cxb3 33. axb3 Rxb3 34.
Rxd3 Bxd3 35. Rxd3 Rb2 36. Rd8+ Kh7 $19) 32... Rxb2 $19 33. Rxb2 Rxb2 (33...
Rxb2 34. Qd1 Nxf2 $19) 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 0203"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2003.03.15"]
[Round "13.1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2002.10.19"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 094"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.05.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.05.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Wattenscheid"]
[BlackTeam "Porz"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 {Das ist die natuerliche Antwort, aber bei dieser
Zugfolge sind auch 3...c5, oder 3...b5 interessant.} 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6.
c4 dxc4 {Das ist die sogenannte Klassische Variante - Schwarz nimmt den
c4-Bauern und waehrend Weiß den Bauern zurueckgewinnt, kann er die Entwicklung
beenden.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Heutzutage dieser Zug ist in der Mode, aber die
traditionelle Fortsetzung 8.Qc4 ist auch spielbar.} Bd7 {Ribli: Winants: 'La
méthode consacrée : Les Noirs y projettent de contrecarrer l'action du Bg2
puis d'éliminer le pion central via c5.'} 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Die weiße
Strategie ist - den Bg5 gegen den Nf6 zu tauschen und nach Nc3, e4 eine starke
Zentrumsstellung aufzubauen. Schwarz hat dagegen zwei gewoehnliche
strategische Ideen - 1. den weißfarbigen Laufer gegen den f3-Springer zu
tauschen und mit a5, c6- Na6 -Nb4 eine feste Stellung aufzubauen. 2. den
weißfarbigen Läufer nicht zu tauschen und stattdessen mit 10...Bd5 und 11...
Be4 im Zentrum aktiv zu spielen.} Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 (12. Qc1 $5) 12... c5
{Ribli: Winants: 'Tout cela figure dans les manuels théoriques. Les Noirs ont
pratiquement égalisé.'} 13. dxc5 {Die andere Möglichkeit für Weiß wäre 12.Nbd2,
aber der Textzug scheint mir chancenreicher.} Bxc5 14. Nbd2 {Dieser
Springerzug erscheint mir besser, als 14.Nc3 - der Springer kann von d2 nach
b3 gehen und spaeter eventuell weiter nach a5; im im Falle von 14.Nc3 hat Weiß
demgegenüber keinen aktiven Spielplan mit dem Springer zur Verfügung.} Bc6 15.
Nb3 Be7 (15... Ba7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 Bd5 18. Ne1 Nc6 19. Bxd5 Nxa5 20. Bg2
{1-0 Davies,N-Shabtai,R/Tel Aviv 1989/EXT 97 (50)}) (15... Bb4 $5) 16. Qxd8 {
Gewoenlich ist es unlogisch von selbst zu tauschen und den gegnerischen Turm
auf die Linie zu bringen, aber mit dem Textzug kann Weiß - als strategische
Pointe - 17.Na5 ziehen.} Rxd8 17. Na5 {[%csl Ga5][%cal Ga5c6,Gg2a8] Der a5N
verhindert die Entwicklung des schwarzen Damenfluegels.} Bd5 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19.
Kxg2 Nbd7 20. Nd3 {[%csl Ga5,Gd3] Das d3-Feld ist ein Schluesselfeld fuer den
Springer in vielen Varianten der Katalanischen Eroeffnung. Jetzt kontrolliert
der d3N die wichtigsten Zentrumsfelder und verteidigt den b2-Bauern. Jetzt
droht 21.Nxb7 und Schwarz kann den Bauern nicht mit Rdb8 zurueckgewinnen.} e5
$146 {[%cal Ge5e4] Dieser Zug ist eine theoretische Neuerung. Die Idee des
Zugs ist - mit e5-e4 den d3-Springer zu verjagen.} (20... h6 $5 21. Bf4 (21.
Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Nxb7 Rdb8 23. Na5 Bxb2 $11) 21... g5 22. Nxb7 (22. Be3 $5 Rdb8 (
22... Nd5 23. Nxb7 Rdb8 24. Na5 $16) 23. Rfc1 Nd5 $13) 22... gxf4 23. Nxd8 Rxd8
24. gxf4 a5 $1 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Donev,I/Austria 1996/CBM 57 ext/[Donev] (53)} (
24... Nc5 25. Ne5 Rd2 26. b4 $1)) (20... Rdc8 21. Nxb7 Rab8 22. Na5 Bd8 23. b4
Bxa5 24. bxa5 $16) (20... b6 21. Nc6 Re8 22. Nxe7+ Rxe7 23. Rfc1 $14) 21. Bxf6
Nxf6 (21... Bxf6 $2 22. Nxb7 Rdb8 (22... e4 23. Nxd8 exd3 24. Nc6 dxe2 25. Rfe1
Re8 26. Rac1 Bxb2 27. Rc2 $18) 23. Nd6 $16) 22. Nxe5 $1 (22. Nxb7 Rdb8 (22...
Rd7 23. Na5 (23. Nbc5 Rd5 24. b4 e4 25. Nf4 Rd4 $36) 23... e4 24. Ne5 Rd2 25.
Nac6 $16) 23. Ndc5 (23. Na5 e4 24. Ne5 Rxb2 25. Nac6 Kf8 26. Nc4 Rc2 (26...
Rxe2 $2 27. Nd4 $16 {[%csl Re2]}) 27. Rfc1 $11) 23... Ra7 24. Rac1 h6 (24...
Raxb7 25. Nxb7 Rxb7 26. Rc8+ Bf8 27. Rd1 $36) 25. Na5 Rxb2 $11) 22... Rd2 23.
Nd3 b6 (23... Rxe2 24. Rfe1 Rxe1 25. Rxe1 Kf8 26. Nxb7 $16) 24. Nc4 {[%cal
Rc4b6,Rc4d2]} Rxe2 25. Nxb6 $16 {[%mdl 1024] Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr und
ich sehe keine besondere Kompensation fuer Schwarz.} Rd8 (25... Rb8 26. Rae1
Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Kf8 28. Nc4 $16) 26. Rae1 Rc2 (26... Rxe1 27. Rxe1 $16) 27. Rxe7
Rxd3 28. Rfe1 $1 (28. Ra7 h5 29. Rxa6 Ng4 30. Kg1 Rdd2 $132) 28... h5 29. R7e2
Rc6 (29... Rxe2 30. Rxe2 $16) 30. a5 Rc5 (30... Rb3 $16) 31. Re5 (31. b4 Rb5
$132) 31... Rxe5 {Ich glaube, der Turmtausch hilft Weiß. Es waere besser, die
Tuerme auf dem Brett zu behalten.} (31... Rc2 $142) 32. Rxe5 Rd2 {[%mdl 4096]}
33. Nc4 Rc2 34. b3 Ng4 {[%cal Rc2f2,Rg4f2,Rg4e5]} 35. Rf5 g6 36. Rf4 f5 37. h3
{Nach diesem Zug muss der Stolz der schwarzen Stellung, der g4N, weichen.} Nf6
38. Ne5 Kg7 39. Rc4 {[%csl Gc4][%cal Gc4c7,Gc7g7]} Ra2 (39... Rxc4 40. bxc4 $16
) 40. Rc7+ Kg8 41. b4 g5 (41... Ne4 42. Rc6 (42. Nd3 Rd2) 42... Rxf2+ 43. Kg1
$16) 42. Nd3 Ne4 (42... Rd2 43. Nc5 $18) 43. Kf3 Ra3 44. Ke3 Nc3 (44... Nxf2
45. Kxf2 Rxd3 46. b5 axb5 47. a6 $18) 45. Rc5 $18 {[%cal Rc5h5]} 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0304"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2004.03.06"]
[Round "10.1"]
[White "Ftacnik, Lubomir"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2613"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2003.11.01"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 100"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Hamburger SK"]
[BlackTeam "Porz"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Der deutsche
Großmeister spielt praktisch immer diese Variante gegen die Katalanische
Verteidigung. Die schwarze Strategie ist klar, er nimmt den Bauern und während
Weiß ihn zurückgewinnt, möchte er die Entwicklung des Damenflügels beenden.
Ich muss anmerken, dass diese Partie die dritte zu diesem Thema zwischen
denselben Großmeistern ist.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Heutzutage ist das die
populärste Fortsetzung in der Großmeisterpraxis, die frühere Hauptvariante ist
8.Qxc4, wonach Schwarz 8...b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 spielen kann, wonach er ausgezeichnete
Ausgleichschancen hat.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 c5 13.
dxc5 {Das ist die chancenreichste Fortsetzung - im folgenden bekommt Weiß
einige Initiative.} (13. Nbd2 Bc6 $11 (13... Bd5 $11)) 13... Bxc5 14. Nbd2 {
Dieser Zug ist nicht schlecht, aber in vielen Partien erreicht Weiß die
Partiestellung mit 14.Qxd8.} (14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nb3 Bb4 {Auf
diese Weise - mit Zugumstellung - haben wir die Partiefortsetzung.} (16... Be7)
(16... Ba7) (16... Nbd7)) 14... Bc6 15. Nb3 Bb4 (15... Be7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17.
Na5 Bd5 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nbd7 20. Nd3 e5 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nxe5 $1 Rd2 23.
Nd3 b6 24. Nc4 Rxe2 25. Nxb6 $16 {1-0 Aronian,L-Lutz,C/Germany 2003/CBM 94/
[Ribli] (45)}) 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Ne5 (17. Rfc1 Nbd7 18. Bd2 (18. Bxf6 gxf6 19.
Nfd4 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rac8 21. Rc2 Rxc2 22. Nxc2 Be7 23. Ne1 Rc8 24. Rd1 Rc7 25.
Nd3 f5 {1/2-1/2 Schandorff,L-Dutreeuw,M/Hamburg GER 2002/(60)}) 18... Bxd2 19.
Nfxd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rdc8 (20... Ne5 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Rxc4 $14) 21. Nc4 Ne8 $5
22. Nca5 b6 {1/2-1/2 Flumbort,A-Koneru,H/Budapest HUN 2002/(22)}) 17... Bxg2
18. Kxg2 h6 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Nd3 {[%csl Gd3] In dieser Variante der
Katalanischen Verteidigung steht der Springer gut auf d3 und kontrolliert die
wichtigsten Zentrumsfelder.} Nc6 21. Rfc1 a5 22. Nxb4 $146 {Das ist die erste
Abweichung von der theoretischen Variante. Früher spielte Weiß 22.Rc4, aber -
dort auch - hat Schwarz gute Ausgleichschancen.} (22. Rc4 Ne5 23. Nxe5 fxe5 24.
Rac1 Rab8 (24... b5 $5 25. axb5 Rab8) 25. Nc5 Kf8 $2 (25... Rd2) 26. Re4 Rd2
27. Rxe5 Bxc5 28. Rcxc5 Rxb2 29. Rxa5 $16 {1-0 Kozul,Z-Ribli,Z/Bled 2002 (58)})
22... Nxb4 23. Rc7 {[%mdl 4096] Wir befinden uns sehr schnell von der
Eröffnung im Endspiel.} b6 24. Rac1 {Weiß kontrolliert stark die c-Linie und
er hat die bessere Bauernstruktur. Aber im folgenden kann Schwarz f6-f5 ziehen
und das Spiel ausgleichen.} Nd5 $11 {[%csl Gd5] Der Springer steht
ausgezeichnet auf d5.} 25. Rb7 Rdb8 {[%mdl 256] Schwarz verteidigt sich gut -
er möchte den aktiven Turm des Gegners tauschen.} 26. Rxb8+ (26. Rd7 b5 $11 (
26... Rd8 $11)) 26... Rxb8 27. Nd4 {[%cal Gd4b5,Gd4c6]} (27. e4 $5 Nb4 28. Rd1)
27... f5 {[%csl Ge6,Gf5,Gf7] Mit diesem Zug sichert Schwarz sich seine
d5-Springerstellung.} 28. Rc4 (28. h3 $5 {[%cal Gg3g4]}) 28... Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd6
30. Ne5 Rd8 (30... Kg7 31. Rc8 $14) 31. Rc6 Kg7 {[%cal Gg7f6,Gf6e5]} 32. b3 Kf6
33. f4 Ke7 {Der schwarze König ist schon im Zentrum, was gewöhnlich
vorteilhaft in Endspielstellungen ist.} 34. Rc1 {[%cal Re5c6,Rc6d8,Rc6e7]} Rg8
{[%cal Gg8g2,Rd5f4,Rf4g2]} 35. Kf3 h5 36. Nc6+ (36. e4 fxe4+ 37. Kxe4 h4 38.
Kf3 $11 (38. gxh4 Rh8 39. Nf3 Rh5 $11)) 36... Kd6 37. Ne5 Ke7 38. Nc6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 32nd"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "2002.05.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kozul, Zdenko"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2002.05.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BIH"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 090"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.09.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.09.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Diese
klassische Variante bleibt immer populär. Schwarz nimmt den c4-Bauern und
wärend Weiß ihn zurück gewinnt, kann Schwarz die Entwicklung (des Damenflügels)
beenden.} 7. Na3 {So wird heutzutage selten gespielt und - ich glaube - das
gibt keine Chancen auf weißen Eröffnungsvorteil.} Bxa3 8. bxa3 Bd7 9. Ne5 Bc6
10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bb2 Qd7 $6 {Dieser Damenzug ist - nach meiner Meinung -
nicht die beste Fortsetzung für Schwarz. Ich glaube, 11...Nd5 gibt
vollwertiges Spiel für Schwarz.} (11... Qd6 12. Rc1 (12. e4 e5 13. d5 Ne7 14.
Qa4 c6 15. Qxc4 cxd5 16. exd5 Nexd5 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Rfe1 Rfe8 {1/2-1/2
Gasimov,R-Estrada Nieto,J/Paranana 1993/EXT 97 (25)}) 12... b5 (12... b6 13. e4
e5 14. f4 Rad8 15. d5 exf4 16. gxf4 Rfe8 17. Qc2 Nb8 18. Kh1 {1-0 Krasenkow,
M-Madl,I/Balatonbereny 1988/TD (35)}) 13. e4 e5 14. f4 Rad8 15. d5 exf4 16.
gxf4 Rfe8 17. Qc2 Ne7 18. Qf2 Ng4 19. Qg3 f5 {0-1 Alburt,L-Geller,E/New York
1990/CBM 16 ext (58)}) (11... Nd5 $5 12. Rc1 Nb6 13. g4 Qd6 14. e3 Rab8 15. g5
Ne7 16. Qh5 Ned5 17. Rc2 Na4 {1/2-1/2 Kozul,Z-Arlandi,E/Reggio Emilia 1993/EXT
97 (73)}) 12. Qa4 (12. e4 $6 {N} Rad8 13. d5 exd5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. exd5 Ne5
16. f4 (16. Qd4 $5) 16... Nd3 17. Rb1 b6 18. Qc2 Qe7 19. a4 Rfe8 20. h4 Qe3+
21. Kh2 Qd4 $17 {Ftacnik. 0-1 Miralles,G-King,D/Luzern 1989/CBM 16/[Ftacnik] 
(32)}) 12... Nxd4 $146 (12... b5 13. Qxb5 Rab8 14. Qxc4 Rxb2 15. Bxc6 Qd6 16.
Bf3 Qxa3 17. Qxc7 Rxa2 18. Qc1 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 Qe7 20. Rb1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Glek,
I-Timoscenko,G/Frunze 1988/TD (32)}) 13. Qxc4 $14 {[%csl Gb2,Gg2] Weiß hat
einen Bauern weniger, aber es hängt der d4N und der b7P. Das weiße Läuferpaar
ist stark, während die geschwächte weiße Bauernstellung (wegen des
Doppelbauern auf der a-Linie) keine große Bedeutung hat.} Rad8 14. Bxb7 (14.
Rfd1 $142 e5 (14... Qb5 15. Qxb5 Nxb5 16. Bxb7 $16) 15. e3 Qe6 16. Qxe6 Nxe6
17. Bxe5 $14 {[%csl Ge5,Gg2]}) 14... c5 $1 {Mit diesem Zug befestigt Schwarz
seine Springerstellung auf d4 und es hängt der b7B.} 15. Bg2 Qb5 16. Qxb5 Nxb5
17. Rfc1 (17. Rfd1 $1 c4 18. a4 c3 19. axb5 cxb2 20. Rab1 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Rc8
22. Bc6 Nd5 23. Rb1 Nb4 24. Rxb2 Nxc6 25. bxc6 Kf8 $14) 17... Rd2 18. Bxf6 gxf6
19. Rxc5 Nxa3 $132 {[%csl Gd2][%cal Ga3c2,Gc2d4,Gd4e2][%mdl 4096]} 20. Ra5 Nc2
21. Rf1 (21. Rb1 Nd4 22. e3 $1 (22. Rxa7 Nxe2+ 23. Kf1 Nc3 24. Ra1 Rb8 $17 {
[%cal Rb8b2,Rb2h2]}) 22... Ne2+ 23. Kf1 Nc3 24. Rc1 $11 (24. Ra1 $2 Rb8 $17 {
[%cal Rb8b2,Rb2h2]})) 21... Rxe2 22. Rxa7 Rd8 23. a4 Rdd2 24. Bf3 Re5 25. Bc6
$6 (25. a5 Nd4 26. Bb7 Ra2 27. a6) 25... Nd4 26. Be8 Kf8 $1 {Das ist die
Pointe! Wenn Weiß auf f7 nimmt, wird sein Läufer eingeschlossen.} 27. Ra8 (27.
Bxf7 Nc6 28. Rc7 (28. Rb7 Nd8 $19 {[%cal Rd8f7,Rd8b7]}) 28... Nd8 {[%csl Rf7]}
(28... Ne7 29. Rb1) 29. Rb1 Nxf7 30. Rb8+ Nd8 $17) 27... Nf3+ (27... Kg7 28.
Ra7 Kf8 {Auf diese Weise kann Schwarz die Züge wiederholen.}) 28. Kh1 (28. Kg2
Ne1+ 29. Kg1 Nf3+ $11) 28... Ke7 29. Bc6 $6 Nd4 30. Bb7 Ra2 $15 {Der weiße
a-Freibauer ist gar nicht stark, weil die schwarzen Figuren gut zentralisiert
sind.} 31. Kg2 f5 32. Rd1 Nc2 {[%cal Rc2e3,Re3d1,Re3g2] Droht 33...Ne3+ mit
Turmgewinn.} (32... Ree2 $2 33. Rxd4 Rxf2+ 34. Kg1 Rfb2 {[%cal Rb2b1,Rb1g1,
Rb2b7]} 35. Bf3 Rb1+ 36. Bd1 (36. Rd1 Rxd1+ 37. Bxd1 Ra1 38. Ra7+ Kd6 39. Rxf7
Rxd1+ $11) 36... e5 37. Ra7+ $16) 33. Kg1 f4 34. Bc6 (34. gxf4 Rf5 $15) 34...
fxg3 35. hxg3 Nb4 36. Rd7+ $1 Kf6 37. Bf3 {[%csl Gf3]} (37. Bb7 Re1+ 38. Kg2
Ree2 $17) 37... Rf5 38. Raa7 Kg7 (38... Rxf3 $2 39. Rxf7+ $18) 39. Bg4 $8 $11 {
[%mdl 256]} Rfxf2 {Schwarz hat eine sehr aktive Turmstellung auf der zweiten
Reihe, aber das ist nicht genug - Weiß kann die Stellung halten.} (39... Rf6
40. f4 $11) 40. Bxe6 Rg2+ 41. Kh1 (41. Kf1 $4 Raf2+ 42. Ke1 Nc2+ 43. Kd1 Rg1#)
41... Rh2+ 42. Kg1 Rag2+ 43. Kf1 Kf6 {Natürlich! Schwarz ist nicht zufrieden
mit dem sofortigen Remis - er bringt seinen König ins Spiel.} 44. Bb3 $1 {
Nun hängt der f7P mit Schach und der b4N kann nicht ins Spiel kommen.} Rxg3 45.
Rxf7+ Ke5 46. Rae7+ Kd4 47. Rf4+ Kc3 48. Rc7+ $5 (48. Rb7 Nd3 49. Rc4+ Kb2 50.
Bc2+ Ka1 $11) 48... Kxb3 49. Rb7 $11 {[%csl Rb4] Eine interessante Stellung -
Schwarz hat eine Figur mehr, aktive Türme, und er hat nicht mehr als Remis.}
Rc3 50. Rbxb4+ Ka3 51. Rbc4 (51. Kg1 $11) 51... Rb3 52. Kg1 $8 Rd2 53. a5 Rb1+
54. Rf1 Rxf1+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Julian Borowski-A 4th"]
[Site "Essen"]
[Date "2002.05.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2674"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2002.05.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 090"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.09.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.09.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Heutzutage ist in der Großmeisterpraxis die Fortsetzung 8.a4 populärer.} b5 9.
Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Die anderen Läuferzüge - 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4 - sind auch
spielbar. Mit dem Textzug möchte Weiß in einigen Varianten Ba5 ziehen.} Be4 {
Das Feld e4 hat große Bedeutung in dieser Variante. Jetzt kontrolliert Schwarz
dieses Zentrumsfeld sehr stark.} (10... Nc6) 11. Qc1 Nbd7 (11... Bb7) 12. Ba5
Rc8 13. Nbd2 {Das ist die weiße Abweichung von der früheren Partie derselben
Spieler. Dort hat Weiß nach 13.Nc3 letzlich die Partie gewonnen (nach der
Eröffnung war die Stellung gleich), aber der Springerszug nach d2 scheint mir
trotzdem logischer.} (13. Nc3 Bxf3 (13... Ba8) (13... Bb7) 14. Bxf3 Nb6 15.
Bxb6 cxb6 {[%cal Gc8c1,Rd8d4]} 16. Qe3 (16. Qd2) 16... b4 17. Ne4 Nxe4 (17...
Nd5 $11) 18. Bxe4 Rc7 19. Rfd1 (19. Rac1) 19... g6 20. Rac1 Bg5 21. f4 Bf6 22.
Rxc7 Qxc7 23. Qd3 b5 24. e3 Qc4 $6 {1-0 Kasimdzhanov,R-Lutz,C/Batumi 2001/CBM
86/[Ribli] (62)} (24... Rc8 $5 $11)) 13... Ba8 14. Re1 {Weiß will 15.e2-e4
spielen, mit Zentrumsvorteil.} (14. Nb3 Nb8 {Dieses Motiv ist typisch in
dieser Variante - Schwarz möchte den a5-Läufer mit Nc6 verjagen. Aber dieser
Springerzug ist logischer, wenn Weiß schon b2-b4 gespielt hat.} 15. Rd1 Bd5 16.
Bd2 Nbd7 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Qe8 19. Be3 b4 20. a3 a5 21. axb4 axb4 22. Nd4 {
1/2-1/2 Fominyh,A-Zhang Zhong/Ubeda ESP 2001/(69)}) (14. Qc2 Qe8 15. b4 Nd5 16.
a3 f5 17. Rac1 Qh5 18. Rfe1 N5f6 19. Ne5 $1 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Ng4 21. h3 Bxg2 22.
Kxg2 Nxe5 23. Qa2 Qf7 {1/2-1/2 Andersson,U-Lutz,C/Pamplona 1997/Inf 71/[Lutz,
Ch] (79)}) 14... Qe8 {Das ist ein typisches Motiv - Schwarz bereitet den
Ausgleichszug c7-c5 vor und später (nach eventuellem f7-f5) kann die Dame nach
h5 kommen.} (14... Ne4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Qe3 Nf6 17. Rec1 Qd6 18. a3 c5 19.
Rxc5 $1 Rxc5 20. Bb4 {1-0 Suba,M-Garcia Vicente,N/Las Palmas 1995/EXT 98 (35)})
(14... Nb8 15. a3 Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Qf4 f5 18. Bb4 Nc6 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20.
Rac1 Qd6 21. e3 h6 22. h4 Ne7 23. Qe5 Nc6 24. Qc5 {1-0 Nielsen,P-Yu Shaoteng/
Cappelle la Grande 2001/CBM 80 ext (48)}) 15. b4 (15. e4 $2 c5 $15) 15... Ne4 {
Dieser Zug ist logisch - Schwarz verhindert e2-e4.} (15... Nb8 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17.
Kxg2 $14) 16. a4 {Das ist die Abweichung von der klassischen Partie
Polugaevsky-Geller/Moscow 1985, in der Weiß nach dem Springertausch keinen
Vorteil erreichen konnte. Mit dem Textzug öffnet Weiß die a-Linie, aber sein
a5B steht immer etwas passiv.} (16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Qf4 (17. Qe3) 17... f5 18.
Rac1 Bd6 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nf6 21. Qf3 Nd5 22. a3 {1/2-1/2 Polugaevsky,
L-Geller,E/Moskva 1985/Inf 39 (22)}) 16... f5 $11 {[%csl Ra5,Ge4][%cal Ge8h5]
[%mdl 32] Mit diesem Zug verstärkt Schwarz seine Kontrolle über das Feld e4.
Weiß hat positionellen Druck am Damenflügel, aber sein a5B ist eingeschlossen.}
(16... bxa4 $5 {Dieser Zug ist etwa unnatürlich, da Schwarz seine
Bauernstellung schwächt, aber er bekommt Gegenchancen am Damenflügel.} 17. Nxe4
(17. Rxa4 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Ne5 $15) 17... Bxe4 18. Rxa4 Nb6 $11) 17. axb5 axb5 18.
e3 (18. Nb3 $11 {[%cal Gb3c5]}) 18... Bd6 (18... Bd5 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 $11) 19. Ra2
$6 {[%cal Ga2c2,Gc2c7]} (19. Nb3) 19... Bd5 {Natürlich befreit Schwarz zuerst 
(mit Tempo) seinen weißfeldrigen Läufer, und später kann er c7-c6 ziehen.} 20.
Rc2 c6 {[%csl Gd5,Gd6,Ge4] Schwarz hat starke Kontrolle über das Zentrum,
währends es ist nicht leicht für Weiß ist, seinen a5-Läufer zu befreien.} 21.
Nxe4 Bxe4 $15 {Schwarz hat eine sehr bequeme Stellung - sein e4B steht
ausgezeichnet - in der "katalanische" Diagonale!} 22. Rb2 Qe7 {[%cal Gd7f6,
Gf6d5] Schwarz hat verschiedene gute Möglichkeiten - mit dem Partiezug
verbessert er seine Damenstellung und Weiß muss immer den b4-Bauern
verteidigen. Der andere mögliche Spielplan ist e6-e5.} (22... e5 $15) 23. Nd2 {
Weiß muss den starken Läufer e4 tauschen.} Bxg2 24. Kxg2 e5 {Die schwarze
positionelle Drohung ist entweder 25...exd4 26.exd4 Qf7 (und Weiß muss mit dem
isolierten Bauern d4 spielen) oder 25...e4 mit Raumvorteil.} 25. Rc2 $5 {
[%cal Gc1c6] Weiß beschäftigt sich nicht mit der Verteidigung des Bauern b4,
er möchte im Trüben fischen. In der praktische Partie ist das eine gute
Entscheidung - Weiß opfert einen Bauern für etwas Gegenspiel.} (25. dxe5 Nxe5
$15 {[%csl Yc4,Yd3,Yd5,Ye4,Yf3] Die weißfeldrigen Punkten sind schwach in der
Stellung des Anziehenden.}) 25... Bxb4 26. Bxb4 Qxb4 {[%mdl 1024] Weiß hat
keine (ausreichende) Kompensation für den Bauern, aber es ist nicht leicht für
Schwarz seine Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel zu mobilisieren.} 27. Rd1 {
Weiß verteidigt zuerst den Springer d2, jetzt hängt schon der c6P.} (27. Rxc6
$4 Rxc6 28. Qxc6 Qxd2 $19) 27... exd4 28. Rxc6 (28. exd4 Qd6 $17 (28... Qxd4 $6
29. Nf3 Qa7 30. Rxc6 $132)) 28... Rxc6 29. Qxc6 dxe3 30. Nf3 (30. Qxd7 exd2 31.
Rxd2 Qe4+ $17) 30... Nf6 31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Qxe3 {Das Material ist reduziert und
der schwarze b5-Plusbauer ist nicht besonders stark, weil die schwarze
Königsstellung ein wenig geschwächt ist.} Ne4 $6 (32... Re8 33. Qb6 $132) 33.
Qb6 $132 {[%csl Gb6]} Qe7 (33... Qe7 34. Qxb5 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament Gp1"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2002.07.08"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2002.07.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 090"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.09.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.09.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nbd2 Ba8 14. Qc2 {
Mit diesem logischem Damezug bereitet Weiß den Zug e2-e4 vor.} Qe8 {Die Dame
verschwindet aus dem Wirkungskreis des Läufers a5; es soll c7-c5 folgen - mit
vollem Ausgleich.} (14... Nb8 {Dieser Springerzug kommt auch in Betracht -
Schwarz bereitet den Zug 15...Nc6 vor, um den Läufer a5 zu vertreiben.} 15. a3
$1 (15. Nb3 Be4 $5 (15... Nc6) 16. Qd2 (16. Qc1 $6 Nc6 17. Bd2 (17. Rd1 Nxa5
18. Nxa5 c5 $17) 17... Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Bb7 Rcd8 21. Be3
Qd6 $17) 16... Nc6 {[%csl Ra5]} 17. Rfc1 b4 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Gd8d5,Gd5a5]} 18.
Rxc6 Bxc6 19. Bxb4 Bxb4 20. Qxb4 Qd6 21. Qa5 {[%csl Ra6][%cal Ra5a6]} Bd5 {
[%csl Gd5]} 22. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7]} Qb6 23. Nfd2 Rb8 24. Qc5 a5 $1 $15 {1/2-1/2
Nielsen,P-Polgar,J/Las Vegas 1999/CBM 72/[Ribli] (58)}) 15... Nc6 16. Bc3 b4
17. axb4 Nxb4 18. Qa4 $14 (18. Qb1 $14)) 15. b4 Nd5 (15... Bd6 16. a4 e5 17. e3
h6 18. axb5 axb5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Nd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 c5 22. bxc5 Bxc5 23. Qf5
Bxd4 24. exd4 Nc4 25. Rfb1 {1/2-1/2 Disconzi da Silva,R-Van Riemsdijk,H/Sao
Paulo 1997/EXT 2001 (25)}) (15... Nb8 $5 {Nach meiner Meinung ist dieser
Springerzug logisch, wenn b2-b4 schon gespielt wurde.} 16. a3 Nc6 17. Nb3 Bd6
18. Rac1 e5 19. e3 Nxa5 20. Nxa5 e4 21. Nd2 Bd5 22. Nb1 c6 23. Bh3 Rc7 24. Nc3
Qe7 {1/2-1/2 Harikrishna,P-Beliavsky,A/Moscow 2001/CBM 86 (33)}) 16. a3 f5 17.
Rae1 $1 $146 {[%cal Ge2e4][%mdl 8] Eine wichtige theoretische Neuerung,
interessant, dass dieser logische Turmzug noch nie zuvor gespielt wurde. Weiß
möchte einfach e2-e4 spielen, wonach der schwarze e6P schwach wird.} (17. e3
Qh5 18. Rac1 Bd6 19. Qd1 Qh6 20. Qe2 N7f6 21. Rfd1 (21. Rfe1 Ne4 (21... Ne7 $5)
22. Nxe4 fxe4 23. Ne5 Ne7 24. a4 bxa4 25. Nc4 $36 {1-0 Budnikov,A-King,D/
London 1993/TD (35)}) 21... Ne7 22. Ne1 Bd5 23. Nd3 Ne4 24. Nxe4 fxe4 25. Nc5
Bxc5 26. Rxc5 c6 {0-1 Galdunts,S-Vaganian,R/Moscow 1991/TD (36)}) (17. Rac1 Qh5
18. Rfe1 N5f6 19. Ne5 $5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Ng4 21. h3 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Nxe5 23. Qa2
Qf7 24. Bxc7 Ng6 {1/2-1/2 Andersson,U-Lutz,C/Pamplona 1997/CBM 63 (79)} (24...
Bf6 $11)) 17... Qg6 (17... Qh5 $5 18. e4 fxe4 19. Rxe4 (19. Nxe4 $2 Rxf3 20.
Qe2 Rf5 $1 (20... Rcf8 21. Nd2 R3f5 22. Qxe6+ R5f7 23. Qxd7 Bxb4 $17) 21. g4
Qh4 22. gxf5 Nf4 23. Qe3 Nxg2 24. Kxg2 exf5 $19 {[%csl Rg2][%cal Ra8g2]}) (19.
Qxe4 $2 Nf4 $36) 19... Qf5 20. Qb3 Rce8 21. Rfe1 Bd6 22. R4e2 $14) 18. e4 fxe4
19. Qxe4 $1 $14 {[%csl Re6] Der a5B steht zwar unglücklich, aber der e6P ist
eine klare Schwäche in der schwarzen Stellung.} (19. Rxe4 $2 N5b6 $17) (19.
Nxe4) 19... Rf6 (19... Qxe4 20. Rxe4 Rf6 21. Rfe1 Nf8 22. Ne5 $14 {[%csl Ge5]})
20. Qxg6 Rxg6 21. Ne4 {[%csl Yc5,Rg6][%cal Ge4c5] Der e4N strebt nach c5. Der
g6R steht sehr passiv.} Rf8 22. h4 $1 {Mit diesem Zug bereitet Weiß 23.Nfg5 
(oder 23.Neg5) vor; außerdem kann mit 23.h5 der g6-Turm verjagt werden.} (22.
Nc5 Bxc5 (22... Nxc5 23. dxc5 Nf4 24. Ne5 Nxg2 25. Nxg6 hxg6 26. Rxe6 $16) 23.
dxc5 Nf4 24. Nh4 Nxg2 25. Nxg2 $14 (25. Nxg6 Nxe1 26. Nxf8 (26. Rxe1 hxg6 27.
Rxe6 Bd5 $17) 26... Nf3+ $17)) 22... Bd6 23. h5 (23. Nfg5 Re8 24. Nc5 $16 (24.
f4 $16)) 23... Rh6 24. Nc5 {[%csl Gc5][%cal Re1e6] Weiß hat eine aktive
Stellung, während Schwarz große Schwerigkeiten hat - der e6P ist sehr schwach
und er hat kein Gegenspiel.} N5b6 (24... N7b6 25. Nxe6 Rff6 26. Nfg5 Rxh5 27.
f4 $16) 25. Ng5 $16 Bxg2 (25... e5 26. Bxb6 Nxb6 27. dxe5 $16) 26. Kxg2 Rxh5 (
26... e5 27. Bxb6 Nxb6 28. dxe5 $16) 27. Ngxe6 {[%csl Gc5,Ge1,Ge6][%mdl 2048]
Weiß hat schönes Figurenspiel - endlich kommt der a5B auch ins Spiel.} Rc8 28.
Nxd7 (28. Bxb6 Nxb6 29. Nxa6 $16) 28... Nxd7 29. Rc1 {[%csl Rc7]} c6 30. Rfe1 (
30. Nd8 Nb8 31. Rfe1 h6) 30... Rd5 (30... h6) 31. Nd8 Rxd4 $2 {Dieser
Bauerngewinn verliert, aber guter Rat ist schon teuer.} (31... Nb8 32. Re8+ Bf8
33. f4 $16 Rxd4 $2 34. Rxf8+ Kxf8 35. Ne6+ $18 {[%cal Re6d4,Re6f8]}) 32. Red1 {
[%cal Rd1d7] Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr, aber es droht Figurenverlust auf
der d-Linie.} Be5 33. Rxd4 Bxd4 34. Rd1 $18 {[%csl Rd4,Rd7]} c5 35. bxc5 Nxc5
36. Rxd4 Nb3 37. Re4 $1 (37. Re4 $1 Nxa5 38. Re8#) 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup-D"]
[Site "Hyderabad"]
[Date "2002.10.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2551"]
[BlackElo "2684"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2002.10.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 092"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.02.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.02.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist die
sogenannte Klassische Variante der Katalanischen Verteidigung. Schwarz nimmt
den Bauern und waehrend Weiss diesen zurueckgewinnt, kann er die Entwicklung
des Damenfluegels beenden.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 (8. a4 {Heutzutage ist diese
Fortsetzung ist populärer als die sofortige Annahme des Bauern.}) 8... b5 9.
Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Dieser Lauferzug ist ebenso stark, wie die Alternativen 10.
Bg5, oder 10.Bf4.} Ra7 {Der Turmzug scheint mir ein wenig sonderbar. Die
Alternativen sind 10...Nc6, oder 10...Be4.} 11. Rd1 (11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qd1 (12.
Qb3 Nc6 13. e3 b4 14. Be1 Bd5 15. Qd1 Qa8 16. Nbd2 {1/2-1/2 Pieper Emden,
C-Flear,G/Buende 1985/EXT 2001 (16)}) 12... Nbd7 13. Ba5 Qb8 14. Nbd2 Bd5 15.
Qe1 c5 16. e4 Ba8 17. Qe2 Rc8 {1-0 Smejkal,J-Brueckner,T/Berlin West 1984/MCD 
(52)}) 11... Qc8 {[%cal Gc7c5]} (11... Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qb8 (12... Qc8 13. b4 Qa8
14. Nbd2 Nb6 15. Rac1 Ne4 16. Ne5 Nxd2 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Rxd2 Bd6 19. Bxb6 cxb6
20. Nc6 {1/2-1/2 Marin,M-Hergott,D/Sitges 1993/EXT 98 (66)}) 13. b4 Be4 14. Qc1
Bd6 15. Nc3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nb6 17. a4 Nc4 18. axb5 axb5 19. Bc6 Nxa5 20. bxa5
Bb4 21. a6 Qb6 22. Bb7 {1-0 Palatnik,S-Tolnai,T/Voronez 1987/EXT 97 (67)}) 12.
Bg5 (12. Nc3 c5 (12... b4 13. Na4 Be4 14. Qc1 Nbd7 15. Nc5 Nxc5 16. dxc5 $14)
13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Rac1 $14) (12. Bf4 $5) 12... c5 13. dxc5 $6 {[%mdl 16384]
Nach diesem Zug befindet sich Weiss - wegen seiner Damenstellung auf der c-
Linie - in Not. Es waere viel besser den Bauern auf c5 zu lassen.} (13. Bxf6
gxf6 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. e3 $11) (13. Nc3) 13... Bxc5 {[%csl Rc2][%cal Gc8c2]
Jetzt droht 14...Bxf2+. Schwarz hat sehr bequeme Stellung.} (13... Qxc5 $6 14.
Qxc5 Bxc5 15. Nbd2 {[%cal Gd2b3]} Nbd7 $11) 14. Rc1 {Wenn Weiss nach 11.Rd1
den Zug 14.Rc1 spielen muss, bedeutet das, dass Weiss vorher nicht immer den
besten Zug gefunden haben kann.} (14. Nc3 $2 b4 $19 {[%cal Gc8c2]}) 14... Ne4
$15 {Droht 15...Bxf2+ und Schwarz kann sich nach Nxg5 den Läuferpaar
verschaffen.} 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. fxe3 {Die Bauern auf e2 und e3 sind schlecht -
Schwarz hat Positionsvorteil.} Nd7 17. Qxc8 (17. Nbd2 Qa8 $15 (17... Ra8 $2 18.
Qxe4 $16)) 17... Rxc8 18. Nbd2 (18. Rxc8+ $6 Bxc8 19. Nbd2 Nxd2 20. Nxd2 Rc7
$17 {[%csl Gc7][%cal Gc7c1]}) 18... Raa8 19. Ng5 (19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Nd4 Bxg2
21. Kxg2 Kf8 $15) 19... Nec5 20. Rc2 {[%cal Ga1c1,Gc1c8]} (20. b4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2
Na4 $15) 20... h6 $17 21. Rac1 (21. Ngf3 Na4 22. Rac1 Nxb2 23. Rc7 Nb6 $17) (
21. Bxb7 Nxb7 $17) 21... Bxg2 (21... hxg5 $4 22. Bxb7 $18) 22. Kxg2 hxg5 23.
Ne4 Nxe4 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. Rxc8+ Kh7 {[%csl Gd7,Ge4][%mdl 4096] Schwarz hat
Materialvorteil - er hat zwei wirksame Springer gegen den Turm.} 26. Ra8 Ndc5 (
26... Nec5 27. Ra7 b4 $17) 27. b4 Na4 28. Rxa6 Nec3 {[%csl Ga4,Gb5,Gc3] Alles
ist verteidigt in der schwarzen Stellung. Jetzt haengen Bauern auf e2 und a2.}
29. Ra5 (29. a3 g4 $17 (29... Nxe2 $4 30. Rxa4 bxa4 31. b5 $18 {[%csl Gb5,Re2]}
)) 29... g4 {Schwarz nimmt ( natuerlich) nicht auf e2, sondern gewinnt Raum am
Koenigsfluegel.} (29... Nxe2 $4 30. Rxa4 bxa4 31. b5 $18) 30. h3 gxh3+ 31. Kxh3
Kg6 {[%csl Gg6][%cal Gg6f5,Gf5e4]} 32. Kg4 f5+ 33. Kf3 Kf6 34. a3 g5 (34... Ke5
$19) 35. g4 Nb2 36. Ra8 (36. e4 fxe4+ 37. Kf2 Ke5 $19) 36... Nc4 {[%cal Rc4e5,
Re5f3,Re5g4]} 37. gxf5 exf5 38. Rf8+ Ke6 39. Rc8 g4+ $19 40. Kg3 (40. Kf2 Ne4+
41. Kg1 Nxa3 $19 (41... Nxe3 $19)) 40... Nxe2+ 41. Kh4 Kd7 42. Rc5 g3 43. Kh3
Nxe3 0-1

[Event "Rostock GM"]
[Site "Rostock"]
[Date "2002.08.29"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Boensch, Uwe"]
[Black "Baramidze, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2540"]
[BlackElo "2351"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2002.08.25"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 091"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.11.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.11.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Mit dieser Fortsetzung bereitet Schwarz den Plan
Na6-Nb4 vor.} 11. e3 {Früher spielte Großmeister Boensch den Zug 11.Nc3, aber
in folgendem bekommen wir eine ähnliche Stellung. Nach meiner persönlichen
Meinung ist dieser Plan nicht die beste Möglichkeit für Weiß, weil er später
mit e3-e4 ein Tempo verlieren muss.} (11. Nc3 Na6 12. e3 (12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Rfd1
Rc8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e4 b6 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Bd7 18. Nd4 Bxd4 19. Qxd4 Bf5
20. Be4 {1/2-1/2 Hoffmann,M-Boensch,U/Germany 1997/GER-chT (20)}) 12... Nb4 13.
Qe2 h6 (13... Nd7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. Rd2 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 c6 18. Bg2
e5 19. d5 {1-0 Boensch,U-Wells,P/Bad Woerishofen 1995/CBM 47 ext (34)}) (13...
b6) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Rfd1 Bxf3 (15... b6) 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Ne4 Be7 18. Rac1 Qc7
19. Bg2 Rfd8 20. f4 Nd5 21. Nc5 Nb6 22. b3 Nd7 23. Nxd7 Rxd7 24. Qc4 Qb6 {
1-0 Boensch,U-Arlandi,E/Montecatini Terme 1997/CBM 61 ext (66)}) 11... Na6 {
[%cal Ga6b4]} 12. Qe2 Nb4 13. Rd1 b6 {Das ist eine beliebte Strategie für
Schwarz - er bereitet Bb7 vor.} 14. Nc3 h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rac1 Rc8 17. h4 {
Dieser Zug ist typisch in solchen Stellungen - Weiß gewinnt Raum am
Königsflügel.} Re8 18. e4 $11 {Endlich spielt Weiß diesen Raumgewinnzug. Er
kontrolliert dadurch mehr Raum, aber die schwarze Stellung ist fest und er hat
das Läuferpaar.} Bb7 19. Qe3 Be7 20. Bh3 {[%cal Gh3c8] Nach diesem Zug muss
Schwarz mit dem Durchbruch d4-d5 rechnen.} Bf8 {[%cal Ge8e3]} 21. Rd2 (21. d5
exd5 22. Bxc8 Qxc8 $15 {[%csl Re4][%cal Ge8e3]}) (21. Ne5 $11) {[#]} 21... c5
$1 $13 {Schwarz opfert einen Bauern, um die Stellung für das Läuferpaar zu
öffnen.} 22. Rcd1 (22. dxc5 Qf6 23. cxb6 Bc5 24. Qf4 Qxf4 25. gxf4 Bxb6 $44)
22... Qf6 (22... c4 $5) 23. d5 $6 {Konsequent, aber nicht gut - im folgenden
bekommt Schwarz gutes Spiel.} (23. Nb5 cxd4 24. Nfxd4 Bc5 $15) 23... exd5 $1 {
[%mdl 64]} (23... Rb8 24. dxe6 fxe6 $13) 24. Bxc8 d4 {[%cal Rd4c3,Rd4e3]} 25.
Nxd4 cxd4 26. Qxd4 (26. Rxd4 Rxc8 $17) 26... Qxd4 27. Rxd4 Rxc8 $15 (27... Bxc8
28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Rxd8 $15) 28. Rd7 Ba6 29. Kg2 (29. Rd8 Nc6 30. Rxc8 Bxc8 $15)
29... Bc5 {[%csl Gc5]} 30. Nb5 Nc6 31. f4 f6 {Natürlich verhindert Schwarz den
Raumgewinn mit 32.e5.} 32. h5 Kf8 33. Kf3 Be7 34. b3 Rd8 {Die weißen Türme
sind so schwach auf der d-Linie, dass man einen Turm tauschen muss.} 35. Rxd8+
Nxd8 36. Nc7 Bc8 (36... Bb7) 37. Na8 $6 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt Weiß
zeitweilig einen Bauern, aber der Springer verliert zu viel Zeit.} (37. g4 $5)
37... Bb7 38. Nxb6 f5 {[%csl Re4][%cal Rb7f3]} 39. Nd5 Ne6 {Jetzt droht 40...
fxe4+ 41.Kxe4 Nc7.} 40. Nxe7 (40. exf5 Nc7 41. Ke4 Nxd5 42. Rxd5 Bf6 43. g4 Ke7
$22 $19) 40... Kxe7 (40... Bxe4+ 41. Ke3 Kxe7) 41. Ke3 Bxe4 $17 {[%csl Ge4,Ge6]
[%mdl 4096] In diesem Endspiel stehen die schwarzen Leichtfiguren sehr aktiv -
der Turm hat keine Angriffspunkte.} 42. Kd2 Nd4 43. Kc3 Ne2+ {[%cal Re2g3,
Re2c3]} 44. Kc4 Nxg3 45. Kb5 Bc2 {[%cal Rc2b3,Rc2d1]} 46. Re1+ Kd6 47. Kxa5
Nxh5 (47... Bxb3 $2 48. Re3 {[%cal Re3b3,Re3g3]} Nxh5 49. Rxb3 Nxf4 50. Kb6 $18
) 48. b4 {Die weißen Bauern am Damenflügel sind scheinbar aktiv, aber Schwarz
wird schneller am Königsflügel sein.} Nxf4 49. b5 Ne6 50. Rc1 Be4 51. Kb6 {
[%csl Rb6] Es scheint, dass der weiße König die Bauern am Damenflügel
unterstützt, aber in Wirklichkeit steht er schlecht: Weiß muss mit dem König
einige Tempi verlieren, weil die schwarzen Bauern sehr schnell sind.} g5 {
[%csl Ge4,Gf5,Gg5]} 52. a5 g4 $19 {Die schwarze Bauern am Königsflügel
entscheiden die Partie.} 53. Rd1+ Ke7 54. Rg1 h5 55. a6 h4 56. Re1 h3 57. Ka7
Nd4 (57... h2 58. b6 g3 59. b7 g2 60. b8=Q g1=Q+ 61. Rxg1 hxg1=Q+ $19) 58. b6
Nc6+ 59. Ka8 h2 60. b7 h1=Q 61. Rxh1 Bxh1 0-1

[Event "Montreal 3rd"]
[Site "Montreal"]
[Date "2002.08.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ftacnik, Lubomir"]
[Black "Kotronias, Vasilios"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2602"]
[BlackElo "2578"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "156"]
[EventDate "2002.07.25"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 091"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.11.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.11.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 {Großmeister Ftacnik spielt gern die
Katalanische Eröffnung.} Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Bg5
{Man spielt gewöhnlich 9.Qxc4 und nur nach 9...Bc6 kommt der Läuferzug 10.Bg5.}
Bc6 10. Qxc4 Bd5 11. Qd3 Be4 (11... c5) 12. Qd1 (12. Qe3 Bc6 13. Nc3 Nbd7 14.
Qd3 Bb4 15. Rfe1 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 c6 $11) 12... c5 13. Nbd2 {Dieser Springerzug
scheint mir chancenreicher, als 13.dxc5.} Bd5 (13... Bc6 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3
(15. Qc2 Nbd7 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 (16... gxf6 17. Nb3 Rc8 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. Qxc5 Bxf3
20. Qb4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Qd5+ 22. Kg1 Rc4 {1/2-1/2 Timoscenko,G-Pigusov,E/Irkutsk
1983/MCD (35)}) 17. Ne4 Qe7 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19. Rfc1 Qxc2 20. Rxc2 Rfd8 21. a5
Kf8 22. Ng5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rac8 (23... h6 24. Ne4 Nf6 25. Nc5 Rab8 26. Rac1 Ke7
27. Na4 Ne8 28. Nb6 {1/2-1/2 Kurajica,B-Sibarevic,M/Banja Luka 1979/EXT 2001 
(53)}) 24. Rac1 Rxc2 25. Rxc2 h6 26. Ne4 Ke7 27. Rc7 f5 28. Nd2 Rb8 29. Nf3 Kd6
30. Rc2 b6 31. Rd2+ Ke7 32. Rc2 {1/2-1/2 Kobylkin,E-Tunik,G/Voronezh 2001/EXT
2002 (32)}) 15... Bb4 $5 (15... Be7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 Bd5 18. Ne5 $1 $14 {
1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Donev,I/Austria 1996/CBM 57 ext/[Donev] (53)}) (15... Ba7 16.
Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 Bd5 18. Ne1 Nc6 19. Bxd5 Nxa5 20. Bg2 {1-0 Davies,N-Shabtai,
R/Tel Aviv 1989/EXT 97 (50)}) 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 h6 18. Qxd8 Rxd8 19. Bxf6
gxf6 20. Nd3 Nc6 21. Rfc1 a5 22. Nxb4 Nxb4 23. Rc7 b6 24. Rac1 f5 {1/2-1/2
Sorokin,M-Pigusov,E/Dubai UAE 2002/(24)}) 14. dxc5 Nbd7 15. Qc2 $5 {[%mdl 4]
Das ist die - vorbereitete - Neuerung von Weiß. Im folgenden möchte er e2-e4
ziehen, mit Raumvorteil Im Zentrum.} (15. b4 a5 16. Qb1 {1/2-1/2 Miles,A-Ribli,
Z/Szeged 1997/CBM 62 (16)}) (15. c6) 15... Rc8 (15... Bxc5 $6 16. e4 Bc6 (16...
Rc8 $2 17. Qb1 (17. Qd3 Bc6 18. e5 h6 19. exf6 hxg5 20. fxg7 Kxg7 21. b4 Bb6 (
21... Bxb4 22. Qd4+ $18 {[%cal Rd4b4,Rd4g7]})) 17... Bc6 18. b4 $18) 17. e5 h6
18. exf6 hxg5 19. fxg7 (19. Nxg5 Nxf6 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. Nde4 (21. Qxc5 Qxd2 $15
) 21... Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Bd4 $132) 19... Kxg7 (19... Re8 20. Ne4 $36) 20. Ne4 $36)
(15... Nxc5 $5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. b4 Nd7 18. e4 Bc6 $11) 16. e4 $14 Bc6 (16...
Bxc5 $2 17. Qb1 Bc6 18. b4 $18) (16... Rxc5 $6 17. Qb1 (17. Qd3 Bc6 18. b4 Rxg5
19. Nxg5 Bxb4 $44) 17... Bc6 (17... Bc4 18. Re1 $14) 18. b4 $16) 17. b4 b6 {
[%csl Rc5][%cal Gc8c2] Schwarz muss so spielen, sonst bleibt er ohne
Gegenspiel.} 18. Rfb1 $1 {Ein starker positioneller Zug - im Falle von bxc5
kann Weiß immer b4-b5 ziehen.} (18. Nd4 Bb7 $13) (18. cxb6 Qxb6 $132) 18... Ba8
(18... bxc5 19. b5 axb5 20. axb5 $14 {[%csl Gb5]}) 19. e5 Nd5 (19... Ng4 $5 20.
Bxe7 Qxe7) 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. Nc4 {[%csl Gc4][%cal Gc4d6] Der Springer steht
ausgezeichnet auf c4.} bxc5 22. b5 {[%csl Gb5,Gc4] Das ist ein großer
strategischer Erfolg für Weiß - der Pc5 ist blockiert und sein Pb5 - Freibauer
ist stark. Weiß hat einen kleinen, aber dauerhaften Vorteil.} Nb4 23. Qe2 (23.
Qc3 $14) 23... Bd5 $132 {[%csl Gd5]} (23... f6 24. exf6 Qxf6 25. Nfe5 $14 (25.
Nfd2 Nc2 $132)) 24. Nfd2 {Weiß befestigt seine c4-Springerstellung.} Nc2 25.
Ra2 Nb4 {Dieser Springerzug ist eigentlich ein indirektes Remisangebot - es
wäre möglich nach d4 zu springen.} (25... Nd4 $5 $11) 26. Rab2 axb5 27. axb5
Qd8 $6 (27... Rb8 $142 28. Ne4 (28. Nd6 $2 Bxg2 29. Kxg2 Nxe5 30. Qxe5 (30.
Rxb4 Qxd6 $17 (30... cxb4 31. Qxe5 $18)) 30... Nd3 $19) (28. f4 Bxg2 29. Kxg2
Rxb5 30. Ne4 $44) 28... Rxb5 29. Ncd6 $44 {[%csl Gd6]}) 28. f4 $14 Rb8 29. Nd6
{[%csl Gd6] Steinitz hat mal gesagt, dass der gut verteidigte d6N (und e6N
auch) als Vorposten immer sehr stark ist. In unserer Partie paralysiert der
d6N das schwarze Spiel.} f6 {Schwarz möchte die d6-Springerstellung sprengen.}
30. Bxd5 (30. exf6 Qxf6) 30... Nxd5 (30... exd5 31. e6 Nb6 32. e7 (32. Nf5 $36)
32... Qxd6 33. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 34. Re1 $14) 31. exf6 Qxf6 32. N2e4 {[%csl Gb5,Gd6,
Ge4] Weiß hat die bessere Bauernstruktur und aktives Figurenspiel.} Qg6 {
[%cal Gg6g1]} 33. Kh1 h6 34. Rc1 (34. Re1 $14) 34... Rfd8 35. Nc4 {[%cal Ge4d6]
} Kh8 {Der Textzug und der Zug 33...h6 bedeuten, dass Schwarz keinen aktiven
Spielplan hat: Er muss abwarten.} 36. Rd2 Ra8 (36... Rxb5 37. f5 $1 exf5 (37...
Qxf5 38. Ncd6 $18) 38. Rxd5 fxe4 39. Ne5 Qe6 (39... Qe8 40. Nxd7 $18 (40. Qxb5
Nxe5 41. Qxe8+ Rxe8 $13)) 40. Rxd7 Rxd7 41. Qxb5 $16) 37. Ned6 N5b6 38. Rcd1 {
[%cal Gd1d8] Weiß hat deutlichen positionellen Druck: seine Türme stehen sehr
aktiv auf der d-Linie.} Rf8 39. Re1 Rf6 40. Ne4 (40. Qe4 $1 Qxe4+ 41. Nxe4 $16)
40... Rf5 41. Nxb6 (41. Rd6 $16) 41... Nxb6 42. Rd6 $16 {[%csl Gd6,Re6] Weiß
hat aktive Figuren und der e6P ist sehr schwach.} Rb8 43. Nf2 c4 44. Rxe6 {
[%cal Ge1e6] Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr und starken Druck auf der e-Linie.} Qf7
45. Rb1 (45. Re8+ $6 Rxe8 46. Qxe8+ Qxe8 47. Rxe8+ Kh7 48. Re5 Rxe5 49. fxe5
Kg6 $132) 45... Qd7 46. Re7 Qd5+ 47. Kg1 (47. Qe4 $16) 47... Qc5 {[%csl Gc5]
[%cal Gc5g1]} 48. Re8+ (48. Qe3 Qxe3 49. Rxe3 Nd5 50. Ree1 Nc3 51. Rbc1 Nxb5
52. Rxc4 $16 {In der Partie bekommen wir dieselbe Stellung - aber mit zwei
Türmen auf dem Brett hat Weiß mehr Gewinnchancen.}) 48... Rxe8 49. Qxe8+ Kh7
50. Qe4 Kg8 51. Kf1 c3 $14 52. Nd3 Qd5 53. Qxd5+ Rxd5 {[%mdl 4096] Es ist wahr,
dass Weiß in diesem Endspiel einen Bauern mehr hat, aber das Material ist
reduziert und - mit gutem Spiel - kann Schwarz seine Stellung retten.} 54. Ke2
g5 $1 {Das schwarze Ziel ist klar - so viel, wie möglich Material tauschen.} (
54... c2 55. Rc1 Rxb5 56. Rxc2 $14) 55. fxg5 (55. Rc1 gxf4 (55... Na4 56. Ra1
Nb2 57. b6 Rb5 $11 (57... Nxd3 58. b7 Rb5 59. Kxd3 (59. Ra8+ $2 Kf7 60. b8=Q
Rxb8 61. Rxb8 c2 $19) 59... Rxb7 60. Kxc3 $14)) 56. gxf4 Rxb5 57. Rxc3 $14)
55... hxg5 56. Rb3 Kg7 57. Ke3 (57. Rxc3 Rxb5 $14) 57... c2 58. Rc3 Rxb5 59.
Rxc2 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, deshalb muss er das Endspiel weiterspielen.
Andererseits ist es schwer vorstellbar, dass in einer Großmeisterpartie
Schwarz diese Stellung noch verlieren kann.} Nd5+ 60. Kd4 Nf6 {[%csl Gf6] Der
Springer steht gut auf f6 und verteidigt die wichtigste Punkten.} 61. Rc7+ Kg6
62. h3 (62. Ne5+ Kf5 $14) 62... Rd5+ 63. Ke3 Rd6 64. Rc5 (64. Rc6 Rxc6 (64...
Rd5 $14) 65. Ne5+ Kf5 66. Nxc6 Nd5+ 67. Kf3 Nf6 $14) 64... Nd7 65. Rb5 Re6+ 66.
Kf3 Rd6 67. Nf2 Nf6 68. g4 Ra6 69. Rb3 Re6 {Mit einfachen Wartezügen hält
Schwarz seine Stellung.} 70. Ra3 Nd7 71. Ra5 Ne5+ (71... Nf6) 72. Kg2 Nd7 73.
Ra2 Nf6 74. Nh1 Nd5 $11 {[%csl Yf4][%cal Gd5f4] Der Springer strebt nach f4.}
75. Ng3 Nf4+ 76. Kh2 Rb6 77. Ne4 Re6 78. Ra4 Rb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "North Sea Cup 16th"]
[Site "Esbjerg"]
[Date "2001.07.12"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2593"]
[BlackElo "2588"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2001.07.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 085"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Eine seinerzeit beliebte, heutzutage nur noch selten gespielte Fortsetzung.}
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {[%cal Gd2a5]} (10. Bf4) (10. Bg5) 10... Be4 (10... Nc6)
11. Qc1 c6 {Rozentalis spielt gerne diese Variante - Weiß scheint den Pd4
verteidigen zu müssen.} (11... Bb7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Nbd7 (13... Bxf4 14.
gxf4 Qd6 15. Nb3 Nbd7 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 c5 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 19. dxc5 Qc6+ 20.
f3 Rfc8 21. Qe3 {1-0 Lalic,B-Piza,D/Valencia op 1990/EXT 90op (32)}) 14. Nb3 (
14. Re1 Rc8 $1 $10) 14... Bd5 15. Rd1 Qe7 (15... Qb8 $5 16. Be5 Qb6 $1 17. Qf4
Ne4 18. Bxd6 $1 cxd6 19. Ne1 Nef6 $10 {1-0 Bareev,E-Lalic,B/Sotchi 1987/
Fedorov,V) (41)} (19... f5 $5 $15)) 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 18. Nc6 Nxf4+ 19.
Qxf4 Qe8 20. Qf3 e5 {1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/London ENG 2000/(38)}) 12.
Nc3 $146 {[%mdl 4] Eine (wahrscheinlich vorbereitete) Neuerung. Weiß kümmert
sich nicht um die Verteidigung des Pd4, sondern strebt schnelle Entwicklung an.
} (12. Be3 Nbd7 13. Nc3 (13. Nbd2 Bd5 14. Rd1 Rc8 15. Nb3 Qc7 16. Ne1 Bxg2 17.
Kxg2 Nd5 18. Nd3 e5 {0-1 Fiedler,B-Rozentalis,E/Toronto op 1995/EXT 95op (38)})
13... Bd5 14. Rd1 Rc8 15. Qc2 b4 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qd3 Qa5 18. Bd2 Ne4 19. a3
$6 Nxd2 20. Qxd2 Qb5 {0-1 Summermatter-Rosentalis/Chiasso 1991 (61)}) 12...
Bxf3 {Eine konsequente Fortsetzung - Schwarz nimmt die Einladung an.} (12...
Bd5 $5) 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. Be3 Qd8 (14... Qc4 15. b3 Qb4 $13) 15. a4 b4 (15...
bxa4 16. Rxa4 $44 {[%csl Ge3,Gf3]}) 16. Ne4 Nd5 (16... Nxe4 17. Bxe4 $44) 17.
Bd4 (17. Bc5) 17... Qc7 18. Nc5 $44 {[%csl Gc5] Weiß hat positionellen Druck
und das Läuferpaar - das bedeutet ausreichende Kompensation für den Bauern.}
Rd8 (18... e5 $5 19. Nd3 exd4 20. Bxd5 $44) 19. Qc4 (19. e4 e5 (19... Nf4 $13)
20. exd5 exd4 21. Nd3 $44) 19... Nd7 (19... e5 20. Be3 Nxe3 21. fxe3 Qb6 22.
Rac1 {Weiß hat aktives Figurenspiel.} Bg5 23. Bh5 $1 Bxe3+ 24. Kg2 Bxc5 (24...
Qxc5 $4 25. Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Rxc5 $18) (24... Kh8 25. Rxf7 Bxc1 26. Qxc1 {Weiß
hat Qualität und Bauern weniger, aber dank seiner aktiven Leichtfiguren
bekommt er Drohungen am Königsflügel.} Rg8 27. Ne6 Qa5 {[%cal Ra5d5,Rd5f7,
Rd5g2]} 28. e4 Qxa4 29. Bg6 $1 Nd7 30. Qh6 $3 (30. Bxh7 $1 $18) 30... Qc2+ 31.
Kh3 Nf6 32. Rxg7 $18) 25. Bxf7+ Kh8 26. Qxc5 $44) 20. Nxd7 Rxd7 (20... Qxd7 21.
Bc5 $44) 21. Bc5 a5 (21... Bxc5 22. Qxc5 Qd6 23. Rac1 $44) 22. Rac1 Bxc5 23.
Qxc5 Rd6 24. Rc2 {[%cal Gf1c1,Gc1c7]} Rad8 25. Rfc1 {Weiß hat zwar keine
konkreten Drohungen, aber sehr starken positionellen Druck am Damenflügel.
Zudem kann er in der Folge e2-e4 nebst e4-e5 ziehen und den Bauern - mit
besserem Spiel - zurück gewinnen.} g6 26. Kg2 {Weiß verbessert seine Stellung
mit ein paar stillen Zügen. Es ist nicht leicht für Schwarz, einen Spielplan
zu finden.} R8d7 27. Qc4 Qd8 (27... Qc8) 28. Qa6 Qg5 {[%cal Gg5a5] Die Qg5
verteidigt indirekt den Pa5, allerdings befndet sie sich auch weit ab vom
eigentlichen Ort des Geschehens.} (28... b3 29. Rc5 $14) 29. h4 (29. Qxa5 $4
Ne3+ $19) 29... Qe5 30. Rxc6 Kg7 31. Rxd6 Rxd6 32. Qa8 $14 Nb6 33. Qb8 Nd7 (
33... Nxa4 $2 34. Rc8 $40 {[%cal Rc8g8,Rg8g7]}) 34. Qa8 Nb6 (34... Qxb2 35. Rc8
Ne5 36. Rh8 Rd1 37. g4 Nxf3 38. exf3 Qe2 39. Qf8+ Kf6 40. g5+ Ke5 (40... Kf5
41. Qxf7+ Ke5 42. Qc7+ $18) 41. Qc5+ Rd5 42. Qc7+ Kd4 (42... Rd6 43. Ra8 $1 $18
) 43. Rc8 $18 {Droht 44.Qb6+ und 45.Qa6+ - der schwarze König befindet sich im
Mattnetz.}) 35. Qe8 $1 {Weiß gibt sich nicht mit Zugwiederholung zufrieden -
seine Drohungen am Königsflügel sind gefährlich.} Qxb2 36. Rc7 {[%mdl 2048]}
Qf6 37. Rb7 {[%cal Rb7b8,Rb8f8,Rf8g7] Droht 38.Rb8.} Rd8 38. Qb5 Nd5 39. Qxa5
$16 {Die Stellung ist zwar materiell ausgeglichen, aber die weißen Figuren
sind viel aktiver. Auch der Freibauer auf a4 ist sehr stark. Schwarz hingegen
findet keinerlei Gegenspiel - alles in der weißen Stellung ist verteidigt.} h5
40. Qb5 {[%cal Ra4a5,Ra5a6,Ra6a7,Ra7a8]} Qa1 41. Qc6 {Droht 42.Qxe6.} Qe5 42.
a5 {[%csl Ga5]} Nc3 43. Rxb4 Rd1 44. a6 {Der a-Bauer entscheidet die Partie.}
Ra1 45. Rb7 $18 Ra2 46. Qd7 Qf6 47. a7 Nxe2 48. Bxe2 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 6th"]
[Site "Warsaw"]
[Date "2005.06.30"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Sakaev, Konstantin"]
[Black "Stefansson, Hannes"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2573"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2005.06.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 108"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.09.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.09.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Der isländische
GM spielt immer die klassische Variante mit Schwarz.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 {
Heutzutage ist dieser Zug wieder in Mode. Vor ein paar Jahren war die Variante
8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bg5 sehr populär.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 c6
{Die Alternativen sind 11...Nbd7, 11...Qc8 und 11...Bb7.} 12. Be3 {Weiß
verteidigt den d4-Bauern, aufgrund der schwarzen Drohung 12...Bxf3 13.Bxf3
Qxd4.} (12. a4 b4 13. Be3 (13. Bg5 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 Bd5 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5
17. Nc6 Qe8 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Bxf6 {1/2-1/2 Huzman,A-Rozentalis,
E/Montreal CAN 2004/The Week in Chess 509 (20)}) 13... Nbd7 14. Nbd2 Bd5 15.
Rd1 Rc8 16. Qb1 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Qd3 Qb6 {1/2-1/2 Rotstein,A-Vaganian,R/
Port Barcares 2005/ (55)}) (12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. Be3 Qd8 15. a4 b4
16. Ne4 Nd5 17. Bd4 Qc7 18. Nc5 $44 {[%csl Gc5] 1-0 Nielsen,P-Rozentalis,E/
Esbjerg 2001/CBM 85/[Ribli] (48)}) 12... Nbd7 13. Nc3 {Diese
Springerentwicklung scheint mir natürlicher, als die Alternative 13.Nbd2.} (13.
Nbd2 Bd5 14. Rd1 Rc8 15. Nb3 a5 16. Ne5 a4 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 19. dxc5
Qe7 20. Qc3 f5 21. b3 Ra8 22. b4 Rae8 {0-1 Stamenkov,V-Rozentalis,E/Athens
2003/(32)}) 13... Bd5 14. Qc2 (14. Rd1 Rc8 15. Qc2 b4 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qd3 Qa5
18. Bd2 Ne4 19. a3 $6 Nxd2 20. Qxd2 Qb5 {0-1 Summermatter-Rosentalis/Chiasso
1991 (61)}) 14... Rc8 (14... b4 15. Nxd5 (15. Na4 Be4 $11 (15... Qa5)) 15...
cxd5 16. Rfc1 $14) 15. Bg5 {Weiß verbessert seine Läuferstellung und droht
jetzt 16.e4.} Bxf3 (15... b4 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qa4 $14) (15... c5 $5 16. Nxd5
Nxd5 17. Bxe7 Qxe7) 16. Bxf3 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Qb3 $14 {[%csl Gf3][%cal
Gf3a8] Die Bauernstellung ist symmetrisch, aber dank des Läuferpaares hat Weiß
einen kleinen, aber dauerhafte Positionsvorteil. Der f3B steht besonders gut.}
Qb6 19. a4 Ne5 (19... b4 $5 20. Ne4 (20. a5 Qc7 21. Na4 (21. Ne4 Nxe4 22. Bxe4
Qe5 23. Qd3 Qxg5 24. Qxd7 Qe5 $17) 21... Qxa5 (21... Be7 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Qxb4
Rb8 $11) 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Bxf6 Nxf6 24. Rxa6 Qc4 $11) 20... Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Bd4
$11) 20. Bg2 (20. axb5 Nxf3+ 21. exf3 axb5 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qxb5 Qxb5 24. Nxb5
Rb8 $11) 20... Rb8 (20... Neg4 21. e3 b4 22. a5 $14) 21. axb5 axb5 22. Bf4 Bd6
23. Be3 (23. Rfd1) 23... Bc5 24. Bf4 (24. Bxc5 Qxc5 25. Ra5 Nc4 {[%cal Rc4a5,
Rc4d2,Rd2b3,Rd2f1]} 26. Rxb5 Nd2 27. Rxc5 Rxb3 $11) 24... Bd6 25. Rfd1 Nc4 (
25... Nfg4 $6 26. Ne4 $16) 26. Bxd6 Nxd6 27. Qb4 {[%csl Gb4][%mdl 32] Die Dame
steht ausgezeichnet auf b4, blockiert den b5-Bauern und kontrolliert die
wichtigsten Felder.} Rfd8 28. b3 {[%csl Rd6] Mit diesem Zug beschränkt Weiß
die Bewegungsfreiheit des Springers auf d6, der nicht besonders gut
positioniert ist.} (28. Rd3 Nc4 $132) 28... h6 29. Rd3 {[%cal Ga1d1,Gd1d8]}
Nde8 30. Rxd8 (30. Rad1 Rxd3 31. Rxd3) 30... Qxd8 31. Rd1 Qb6 32. Bf3 $1 {
[%cal Gg1g2] Weiß besitzt zwar keine konkreten Drohungen, aber eine bequeme,
freie Stellung, die er mit kleinen Zügen stufenweise verbessern kann. Nach 32.
Bf3 ist Kg2 geplant.} Nc7 $6 (32... Qc7 $142 33. Kg2 Qe5 $14) 33. Rd6 $1 {
Das Eindringen des Turms auf der 6. Reihe ist sehr stark.} Qa7 34. Kg2 Qa1 (
34... Nfe8 35. Rc6 $16) 35. Rc6 {[%csl Gc6][%mdl 2048] Weiß hat aufgrund
seiner aktiven Figurenstellung ausgezeichnetes Spiel.} Ncd5 {Dieser Zug
verliert eigentlich einen Bauern, aber Schwarz will sich vom weißen Druck
befreien und die Stellung vereinfachen.} 36. Nxd5 Nxd5 (36... exd5 37. Rc5 $16)
37. Bxd5 exd5 38. Qd6 {[%csl Gd6][%cal Rd6b8,Rd6d5]} Qa8 39. Qxd5 $16 {Weiß
hat einen Bauern mehr, aber die technische Verwertung des Vorteils ist nicht
leicht.} Re8 (39... Rd8 40. Qf3 Rd2 41. Rb6 $16) 40. e4 Qb7 41. Rc5 Qe7 (41...
Qxd5 42. exd5 $18) 42. e5 (42. Rxb5 $2 Qxe4+ 43. Qxe4 Rxe4 $14) 42... Rd8 (
42... b4 43. Rb5 $16) 43. Qc6 b4 44. Rb5 Rd4 45. Qc8+ (45. Rb8+ Kh7 (45... Rd8
46. Qb6 Rxb8 47. Qxb8+ Kh7 $16) 46. Qc2+ g6 47. Qc8 $18) 45... Kh7 (45... Rd8)
46. h4 $1 Rd2 (46... h5) 47. Qf5+ g6 48. Qe4 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Re4b4,Re4h7] Es
"hängt" der b4P und gleichzeitig droht 49.h5 mit Schwächung des schwarzen
Königsflügels.} Qa7 49. Qf3 Qe7 50. h5 $18 Rd7 51. hxg6+ fxg6 52. Qe4 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 2nd"]
[Site "Ohrid"]
[Date "2001.06.12"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Romanishin, Oleg M"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2559"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2001.06.01"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 084"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 {Ich möchte hier anmerken, dass der ukrainische
GM Romanishin anstelle des Textzuges die originelle Idee 3...a6 in seinem
Repertoire führt.} 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4
Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Meiner Meinung nach ist das die beste Fortsetzung für Schwarz.
In der Folge erreicht der schwarze Springer sein angestammtes Feld auf b4 
(über a6).} 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 b6 $5 15. Rd2 {
Dieser Zug ist logisch - Weiß kann nun mit Rad1 seine Türme verdoppeln.} (15.
Rac1 Bb7 16. Qe2 g6 17. Qe3 Bg7 18. Nb5 c6 19. Na3 Qb8 20. Nc4 Ba6 21. b3 Ra7 {
1/2-1/2 Romanishin,O-Wilhelmi,C/Bled 1999/CBM 69 ext (38)}) 15... Bb7 {[%cal
Gb7a6,Ga6c4] Der Läufer steht natürlicher auf b7 als auf c6. Nun kann Schwarz
eventuell auch Ba6 ziehen.} 16. Qe2 {Weiß verbessert die Stellung seiner Dame.
Im Falle von Ba6 kann er Qe3 spielen.} (16. Rad1 Ba6 17. Qb3 Qc8 18. d5 (18.
Rc1 Nd3 $1 19. Rcd1 Nb4 $11) 18... exd5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Be7 21. d6 Bxd6
22. Ng5 Rb8 23. Qc2 g6 24. Ne4 Qe6 {1/2-1/2 Zueger,B-Bagirov,R/Biel 1998/EXT
99 (24)}) 16... g6 $5 {Dieser Zug ist sehr logisch. Schwarz verfolgt damit
eine ähnliche Idee wie mit 15...b6 - dort bekam der Bc6 ein sicheres Feld auf
b7, hier findet der Bf6 sein Rückzugsfeld auf g7.} (16... Ba6 17. Qe3 c6 18. h4
$14 Qc7 19. Rc1 Rad8 20. e5 Be7 21. Ng5 {1/2-1/2 Karpov,A-Milos,G/Bali 2000/
CBM 77/[Ribli] (48)}) 17. Qe3 (17. h4 Qe7 18. Qe3 {Das ist eine Zugumstellung
zu unserer Partie.}) 17... Qe7 18. h4 Rad8 $5 $146 {[%mdl 4] Auch dieser Zug
ist logisch - Schwarz bereitet c7-c5 vor.} (18... Rac8 19. Rad1 h5 20. Ne1 Bg7
21. f4 Rfd8 22. e5 Bxg2 23. Nxg2 Qd7 24. Kh2 Nd5 25. Qf3 Nxc3 26. bxc3 Qxa4 27.
g4 hxg4 28. Qxg4 c5 29. d5 exd5 30. Rxd5 Re8 {1/2-1/2 Foisor,C-Bagirov,R/
Cappelle la Grande 2000/CBM 74 ext (35)}) 19. Rad1 c5 $1 $11 {Dieser Zug kommt
zur rechten Zeit - Schwarz öffnet die Stellung für sein Läuferpaar und greift
das weiße Zentrum an.} 20. e5 (20. dxc5 Qxc5 21. Qxc5 bxc5 $11) 20... Bg7 21.
dxc5 Bxf3 (21... Rxd2 22. Nxd2 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 bxc5 (23... Qxc5 24. Qxc5 bxc5 25.
Nc4 $16) 24. Nc4 $14 {[%csl Gc4]}) 22. Rxd8 (22. Bxf3 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Qxc5 24.
Qxc5 bxc5 25. Ne4 $11) 22... Rxd8 (22... Bxd1 23. Rxd1 (23. Rxf8+ Bxf8 24. Nxd1
(24. cxb6 Qd8 25. b7 Na6 $17) 24... Qxc5 $11) 23... Qxc5 24. Qxc5 bxc5 25. f4
$14) 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Bxf3 bxc5 {Nach großen Vereinfachungen ist eine
Stellung entstanden, in der Schwarz zwar seinen Pc5 verliert, aber auch der
weiße Pe5 nicht mehr zu halten ist.} 25. Qxc5 Nd3 {[%csl Gd3]} 26. Qd6 Bf6 $1 {
[%mdl 256]} (26... Qxd6 27. exd6 Kf8 28. Bc6 Nxb2 29. Ne4 Nd3 30. Bb5 $14) 27.
Ne4 (27. Qxd8+ Bxd8 $11 {[%cal Rd3b2,Rd3e5]}) 27... Be7 28. Qxd8+ (28. Qc6 $6
Nxe5 29. Qc3 Nxf3+ 30. Qxf3 Qd4 $15) 28... Bxd8 {Weiß hat momentan zwar einen
Bauern mehr, aber nun hängt sowohl der Pe5 als auch der Pb2.} 29. Nf6+ Kg7 (
29... Bxf6 30. exf6 {[%csl Gf6]} Nxb2 31. Bc6 Nd3 32. f4 Nb4 33. Be4 $14) 30.
Nd7 Bc7 31. Be2 (31. Be2 Nxe5 (31... Nxb2 $6 32. Bb5 $14) 32. Nxe5 Bxe5 33. b3
$11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Belgrade Investbank"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "1997.11.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1997.11.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 062"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nf6 (3... c5 $5 {Meiner Meinung nach ist das eine
interessante Zugfolge für Schwarz. Auf diese Weise kann er die klassische
Katalanische Verteidigung vermeiden und eine Art "halb-katalanisch,
halb-englische" Variante spielen.Ribli.} 4. Bg2 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. c4 e5 7.
Nf3 d4) 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10.
Bg5 a5 11. Nbd2 $146 {Meines Erachtens war das nicht eine gut vorbereitete
Variante von Ljubojevic, sondern eine Idee in der Partie. Auf diese Weise
umgeht Weiß zwar die Theorie, aber der Springer steht nicht sehr glücklich auf
d2.} (11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Ra6 13. e3 Rb6 14. Qe2 Rb4 15. Rfd1 g6 16. Qc2 Bg7
17. Rac1 Na6 18. b3 Bd5 19. Nd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rb6 21. Nc4 Nb4 22. Qe4 Ra6 23.
Qxb7 {1-0 Yudasin,L-Aseev,K/URS-ch sf 1985/MCD-ch (38)}) (11. Nc3 $5) 11... Na6
{Der schwarze Springer strebt -wie in der Variante mit 11.Nc3 - nach b4, wo er
einen festen Punkt einnimmt.} 12. Bxf6 {Weiß gibt sein Läuferpaar für
Zentrumsvorteil.} Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfc1 {Jetzt zeigt sich der Nachteil des
11.Zuges von Weiß. Mit dem Springer auf c3 wäre der Pa4 verteidigt und die
normale Aufstellung mit Rac1-Rfd1 möglich.} Qb8 $5 $11 {Interessante Idee.
Schwarz kommt mit der Dame am Damenflügel ins Spiel.} 15. h4 {Ein für diese
Variante typischer Raumgewinnzug. Eventuell ist nun Ng5 möglich.} Rd8 16. e5 {
Weiß kompromittiert die Stellung seiner Zentrumsbauern, aber das war
angesichts der Drohung 16...Qa7 praktisch erzwungen.} Be7 (16... Bd5 $2 17.
Qxc7 $16) 17. Qe2 (17. Ng5 $6 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 {[%csl Gd8][%cal Gd8d2]}) 17...
Qa7 {Droht 18...Qa6 und möglicherweise das Eindringen der Dame mit 19...Qd3.} (
17... Bd5 $5 {[%csl Gb4,Gd5]} 18. Nc4 Nc6 {[%csl Rd4]}) 18. Bf1 Rd7 (18... Qa6
19. Qe3 (19. Qxa6 Nxa6 $15 {[%csl Rd4]}) 19... Qb6 20. Nc4 Qa7) 19. Ne4 Rad8
$15 {Weiß hat eine ewige Schwäche auf d4 zu beklagen, während Schwarz gutes
Spiel hat. Trotzdem ist es nicht leicht entscheidenden Vorteil zu erreichen,
weil Weiß diese einzige Schwäche halten kann.} 20. Qe3 Qb6 21. Bc4 h6 {Es gibt
noch nichts Konkretes. Schwarz verbessert seine Stellung.} (21... Bxe4 22. Qxe4
Nc6 23. Bb5 {[%cal Gb5d7]}) 22. Qe2 Bd5 (22... Nd5 {Der Springer steht
wirklich schön auf d5 - die Frage ist nur, wie Schwarz hier weiter vorankommt.}
) 23. Bxd5 Rxd5 24. Nc3 R5d7 25. Qb5 Qa7 (25... Qxb5 26. axb5 $5 (26. Nxb5 c5 (
26... c6 $15) 27. dxc5 Nd3 28. c6 bxc6 29. Rxc6 Nxb2 $15)) 26. Qc4 c6 27. Ne4 {
Schwarz besitzt theoretischen Vorteil wegen der Schwäche auf d4, aber es ist
nicht leicht, den Druck zu erhöhen. Das Problem ist, daß drei schwarze Figuren
den Punkt d4 attackieren, aber eine einzige weiße Figur -der Nf3- ausreicht,
um den Punkt wirksam zu verteidigen.} Qb6 28. Rc3 Rc8 {Schwarz verbessert
seine Figurenstellung und bereitet das mögliche c6-c5 vor.} 29. Kg2 Qd8 30. Rh1
{Das ist nur eine Pseudoangriff (eventuell mit Ng5), aber Weiß hat keine
reelllen Chancen am Königsflügel.} b6 31. Qe2 Rcc7 32. Rc4 Qa8 {[%cal Ga8g2]
Es ist klar, daß Schwarz früher oder später c6-c5 ziehen möchte. Jetzt beginnt
ein typischer Manöverkampf ohne konkrete Varianten.} 33. Rhc1 Rc8 34. b3 Rcd8 (
34... Qa6) 35. Ra1 {Weiß kann den Zug c6-c5 nicht unterbinden. Wegen des
Gabelmotivs Nd3 sucht er einen anderen Platz für den Turm.} (35. R4c3 c5 36.
dxc5 bxc5 37. Nxc5 Bxc5 38. Rxc5 Nd3 {[%cal Rd3c5,Rd3c1]}) (35. Kg1 c5 36. dxc5
Bxc5 37. Nxc5 bxc5 38. R4c3) (35. Rb1) 35... c5 36. dxc5 Bxc5 37. Nxc5 bxc5 38.
Qe4 $8 (38. Rxc5 $2 Rd2 {[%csl Ga8,Gd2,Gd8,Rg2]} 39. Qe3 Nc2 {[%cal Rc2a1,
Rc2e3]}) 38... Qxe4 39. Rxe4 {Schwarz besitzt starke Kontrolle auf der d-Linie,
jedoch ist das Material reduziert und er hat auch Schwächen am Damenflügel.}
Rd3 40. Rb1 Rc3 (40... R8d5 41. Rc4 {[%csl Rb3,Rc5]}) 41. Rb2 Nd3 $6 {Dieser
scheinaktive Zug kommt nur dem Anziehenden entgegen.} (41... Rdd3 $5 42. Ne1 (
42. Nd2 $15) 42... Rd1 43. Nf3 $15) 42. Re3 {[%cal Ge3c3] Schwarz kann sich
nicht von dieser Feßlung befreien, und das bedeutet einen erneuten Abtausch.}
Rd5 (42... Nxb2 43. Rxc3 Rd5 44. Rc2 (44. Ne1 $5) 44... Nd3 45. Re2) 43. Ne1
Nxe1+ $6 (43... Nxb2 44. Rxc3 Rxe5 45. Kf1 {Schwarz muß vorsichtig sein. In
einigen Varianten droht Weiß mit Springerfang.} c4 $1 $15 (45... Rd5 46. Ke2 e5
$2 47. Rc2 Nd1 48. Rc1 Nb2 49. Rb1 $16)) 44. Rxe1 Kf8 {Theoretisch steht
Schwarz noch besser, weil er zwei offene Linien besitzt, aber zum einen ist
das Material reduziert und zum anderen gibt es in Turmendspielen immer ein
hohe Remisbreite.} 45. Re4 Ke7 46. Rc4 $11 Rdd3 (46... Rxc4 47. bxc4 Rxe5 (
47... Rd4 48. Rb5 Rxc4 49. Rxa5 $11) 48. Rb5 $11) 47. Rc2 $5 (47. Rxc3 Rxc3 48.
Kf1 c4 (48... Kd7 49. Ke2 Kc6 50. Kd2 Rf3 51. Ke2 $11 Rf5 52. f4 {[%csl Rf5]})
49. bxc4 Rxc4 50. Ra2 $15) 47... Rxc2 48. Rxc2 Rd5 (48... Rxb3 $2 49. Rxc5 $14)
49. Re2 Kd7 50. Re3 Kc6 51. Kf1 h5 {Und in dieser ausgeglichenen Stellung
einigte man sich auf remis.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "WchT 4th"]
[Site "Luzern"]
[Date "1997.11.02"]
[Round "9.3"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Sadler, Matthew D"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1997.10.25"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 062"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Armenia"]
[BlackTeam "England"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

{Stohl: This game was the only decisive encounter in the Armenia-England match
in the last round and gave the Armenians the bronze medal. Ribli: Es ist
interessant, daß der armenische GM seinen Lieblingszug l.d4 verschmähte.
Vielleicht hatte er vor etwas Bestimmtem im Damengambit Angst.Ribli.} 1. Nf3 {
Ftacnik Lputian Stohl} d5 2. g3 {Lputjan seemingly doesn't want to test Sadler
in a Queen's Gambit Accepted.} Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 {Natürlich ist das ein ganz
normaler Zug, aber 3...c6 scheint mir besser.} 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4
{Jetzt haben wir den offenen Katalaner auf dem Brett. Die Idee von Schwarz ist,
die Entwicklung zu beenden, während Weiß den Bauern zurückgewinnt.} 7. Qc2 {
Stohl: The main move.} ({Alternatives, such as} 7. Na3 {Stohl or}) (7. Ne5 $5 {
Stohl Stohl: have their periods of popularity, but on the whole are played
less often.}) 7... a6 8. a4 {Diese Variante ist sehr populär in der
Turnierpraxis.} ({Stohl: According to current theory less ambitious is} 8. Qxc4
{Stohl} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 $11) 8... Bd7 (8... c5 {Stohl} 9. dxc5 Nc6 10. Na3 $1 $14
) 9. Qxc4 (9. Rd1 $143 {Stohl} Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13.
Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 Nd7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne4 Rb4 17. Nd2 c5 18. Nxc4 Rfb8 19. Rac1
h6 20. dxc5 Nf6 21. Ne5 Rxb2 22. Qc4 Nd5 23. e4 Ne3 $1 24. fxe3 Qg5 $17 {
Dizdar,G-Sadler,M/EU-chT Pula/1997/}) (9. Ne5 {Stohl} Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3
(11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qxc4 Qd5 $1 $10) 11... Na5 12. Nd2 c5 $11) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5
(10. Nc3 $6 b5 $15 (10... b5 {Stohl} 11. Qd3 b4 12. Nb1 Be4 13. Qd1 c5 $36))
10... a5 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4] Stohl: The first important theoretical
crossroad. Das ist die Hauptidee von Schwarz. Sein Springer zielt nach b4, wo
er einen ewigen Stützpunkt einnimmt.} ({Stohl: A solid and viable alternative
is} 10... Bd5 {Stohl} 11. Qd3 Be4 (11... c5 $5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Nxc5 14.
Qe3 Qa5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qa3 Bxg5 17. Nxg5 h6 18. Rfc1 Nd7 19. Bxd5 Qxd5 20.
Rd1 Qxg5 21. Rxd7 b5 22. Rad1 Rad8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. axb5 Qd1+
$11 {Portisch,L-Ribli,Z/HUN-chT 9798/1997/}) 12. Qe3 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3
Bb4 15. Rfe1 Bxf3 $1 16. Qxf3 c6 17. Red1 Qa5 18. h4 h6 19. Bd2 e5 20. Be1 Rfe8
21. e3 Rad8 $132 {Beliavsky,A-Almasi,Z/Ubeda/1997/}) 11. Nc3 Na6 ({Stohl: An
original idea was tested by Granda:} 11... Ra6 $5 {[%csl Rb4] Stohl} 12. e3 Rb6
13. Qe2 Nbd7 14. Rfd1 Ne4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qc2 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bd5 18. Rab1 Rxb1
19. Rxb1 $13 {1/2,Salov,V-Granda,J/Wijk/1997/ Stohl: But in most cases Black
exploits the weakened b4-square by occupying it with his N.}) (11... Ra6 $5 {
Lputian Salov-Granda Zuniga (Wijk aan Zee 1997; Schach plus 97/3)}) 12. Bxf6 $5
{Stohl: Keeping the ^^ doesn't promise White anything tangible. Weiß gibt sein
Läuferpaar auf, bekommt dafür aber freie Hand im Zentrum. Es ist fraglich, was
Schwarz mit seinem Läuferpaar in dieser eher geschlossenen Stellung
auszurichten vermag.} (12. Rac1 Qd6 (12... Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 (13... c6 14. e4
Nd7 15. Be3 Bg5 $132)) (12... Bd5) (12... Nb4 {Stohl} 13. Rfd1 Rc8 14. Ne5 $6
Bd5 $1 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb5 c6 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qa7 Ra8 19. Qb7 $11 {1/2,
Stohl,I-Rozentalis,E/BL 199495/1995/})) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 {
Stohl: A well balanced position typical for many modern openings. White
controls the [+] and has a space advantage, on the other hand Black's set-up
is very solid and his ^^ can be potentially strong.} Ra6 $6 {Stohl: Sadler
tries to copy Granda's maneuver, but with the N already on b4 the R will be
misplaced. Dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht. Meiner Meinung nach hat der schwarze
Turm keine Zukunft auf a6 oder b6.} (14... g6 $5 {Ich empfehle diesen Zug, s.
Akesson - Stefansson,Reykjavik 1997. Die Idee dieses Zuges ist klar: Schwarz
möchte Bg7 und möglicherweise f7-f5 ziehen, mit aktivem Gegenspiel.}) (14...
Rb8 15. Rac1 Qd7 16. b3 Rfd8 {Karpov,A. - Polgar,J. Dos Hermanas 1997, mit
späterem Remisschluß, aber mit kleinem Vorteil für Weiß.}) (14... b6 {Mit der
Idee l5...Bb7 ist auch möglich.}) (14... Rc8 $142 {Stohl} 15. Rac1 b6 16. d5
exd5 17. exd5 Bb7 18. Nd4 Ba6 19. Ncb5 Qd7 20. Qb3 Bg5 21. Rc4 Rfd8 22. Bf3 g6
23. Nc6 Nxc6 24. dxc6 Qe6 $11 {Yevsejev,A-Bojkovic,N/Groningen op/1995/}) ({
Stohl: Also possible is the immediate} 14... b6 $5 {Stohl} 15. Rac1 Bb7 $13)
15. Rac1 $14 {Weiß hat Raumvorteil und eine starke Zentrumsstellung. Der
stolze Nb4 steht wirklich schön, aber es fehlen ihm die rechten Zielpunkte.} (
15. Rd2 Rb6 16. Qc5 Be7 17. Qc4 Bf6 18. Qe2 Qe8 19. Qe3 Na6 20. Bf1 Bd7 21. Qf4
c5 22. e5 Be7 23. Bb5 $1 Nb8 24. d5 $1 exd5 25. Nxd5 Rh6 26. Re1 Bd8 27. Nf6+
Bxf6 28. exf6 Qc8 29. fxg7 Kxg7 30. Bxd7 {1-0 Badea,B-Brumen,D/CRO-chT2 1995/
EXT 97}) (15. h4 $142 $5 {Lputian} Rb6 16. Rd2 Na6 17. Qe2 Rb4 18. Qd1 $16)
15... Rb6 16. h4 {Weiß gewinnt mit diesem Zug Raum am Königsflügel und
bereitet das eventuelle Springermanöver Nh2-g4 oder -falls möglich - Ng5 vor.}
(16. Qe2 $142 $5 $36 {Stohl}) 16... h6 {Stohl: Black will regret this
weakening later on.} ({More consistent was} 16... Na6 $142 $5 {Stohl} 17. Rd2 (
17. e5 Be7 18. d5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Qe8 $132) (17. d5 $5 {Lputian}
Rb4 18. Qa2 exd5 19. e5 Be7 20. Nd4 Nc5 (20... Bc5 21. Nc2 d4 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23.
Ne4 $16) 21. Nc2 $1 d4 (21... Nb3 22. Rb1) (21... Rb6 22. Bxd5) 22. Bxc6 bxc6
23. Nxb4 axb4 24. Ne2 b3 25. Qb1 (25. Qa3 Nd3 26. Qxb3 Nxc1 27. Nxc1 $16) 25...
d3 26. Rd2 dxe2 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Re1 Rd2 29. a5 $16) 17... Rb4 18. Qe2 $142 (
18. Qa2 Bxd4 $1 19. Rcd1 e5 20. Nxe5 Qf6 21. Ng4 (21. Nxc6 bxc6 $36) 21... Qg6
$11) 18... Bxa4 (18... Bxd4 $6 19. Qd1 $1 (19. Rcd1 $143 e5 20. Nxe5 Bxa4 $1
$13) 19... e5 20. Nxe5 Qf6 21. Nd7 $1 Bxd7 22. Nd5 $16 {Stohl: wins an
exchange.}) 19. e5 Be7 20. d5 $5 $44 {[%csl Gd5,Ge5] [+]}) (16... h5 $5 {
Lputian >< g4}) 17. Qe2 {Die Dame stand auf c4 zu exponiert.} Re8 (17... Na6 {
Stohl} 18. Rd2 Rb4 19. Qd1 Qe8 20. b3 $16 {leads nowhere.}) (17... Ra6 $142 $5
{Stohl Stohl: attempting to get the R back into the game before it's too late.}
) 18. Rd2 {Weiß möchte 19.Rcd1 oder 19.Qd1 spielen und den Bauernvorstoß d4-d5
vorbereiten. Schwarz findet zu seinem Unglück kein Gegenspiel.} Qd7 (18... Qb8
19. b3 Rd8 $14 {Der Plan 19...Qa7, 20...Qa6 wäre wegen des späteren Bf1nicht
so gut .}) 19. Qd1 {/\d5 Stohl: Model strategy by White. He consolidates his
position in the center before starting action anywhere else.} Qd8 {Dieses
"Damenmanöver" Qd8-d7-d8 weist darauf hin, daß Schwarz Probleme hat.} (19...
Rd8 {Ftacnik} 20. b3 $11) 20. Nh2 {[%cal Gh2g4] Es ist bemerkenswert, daß der
weiße Springer einen langen Marsch beginnt.} (20. Ne5 $6 {Stohl} Bxe5 {Stohl:
would help Black. Lputjan gets his N to e5 in a cleverer way.}) 20... Be7 (
20... g6 $143 {Stohl} 21. h5 g5 22. Ng4 Bg7 23. f4 $36 (23. e5 $5 $40 {[%csl
Rf6,Rg6,Rg8,Rh6] ע,>>}) (23. e5 $16 {Lputian})) 21. Ng4 Rf8 {Stohl: Looses
time to create a passive retreat for the B. Schwarz räumt das Feld e8 für
seinen Läufer und befolgt das Prinzip: "Es ist nicht wichtig, daß das
Läuferpaar zur Wirkung kommt, wichtig ist, daß es sich auf dem Brett befindet."
} (21... Ra6 $142 $16 {Stohl}) (21... Bd6 $5 $16 {Stohl}) 22. Ne5 (22. Ne3 {
Lputian} Ra6) 22... Be8 (22... Ra6 {Lputian}) 23. Bf1 {Stohl: Dominates
Black's R.} Rd6 {/\c6} (23... f6 $6 {Dieser Zug wäre wegen der Schwächung des
Königsflügels schlecht.}) (23... c6 $6 {Stohl Stohl: prevents the central
break, but completely immobilizes Rb6.}) 24. Nc4 {[%csl Ra5,Rd6]} Ra6 {Ich
habe den Eindruck, daß der schwarze Turm auf der sechsten Reihe keine Ruhe
findet.} (24... Rd7 $2 {Stohl} 25. Nxa5 $18) 25. Ne3 Ra8 (25... Rd6 $5 {Stohl}
26. f4 $5 $36 {()} (26. d5 exd5 27. e5 Rd7 28. Bh3 c6 $1 $44)) 26. d5 $1 e5 {
Der einzige Zug, aber jetzt befindet sich Schwarz in einer sehr passiven
Stellung.} (26... exd5 27. Ncxd5 Nxd5 28. Nxd5 $16 {[%csl Gd5][%cal Gd2d8]} (
28. Nxd5 {Stohl} Bc6 (28... c6 {Ftacnik} 29. Nf6+ Bxf6 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Qc2
$16) 29. e5 $1 $16 (29. Nb6 cxb6 $1 $132) (29. Nf6+ Bxf6 30. Rxd8 Rfxd8 $44)) (
28. Rxd5 $5 {[%cal Re3f5] /\Nf5->})) (26... Qc8 {Stohl} 27. Bh3 $1 $16) (26...
Qd6 {Lputian} 27. Bb5) 27. Nf5 {[%csl Gf5]} Bc5 (27... Bd7 {Stohl} 28. d6 cxd6
29. Nxd6 {[%cal Rd6b7,Rd6f7] /\Nf7,Nb7 Stohl: loses at least a pawn.}) (27...
Bd6 {Stohl} 28. Qg4 (28. Bb5 {Lputian}) 28... Qf6 29. Bb5 $36 {is very passive.
}) ({Stohl: Black's last chance was} 27... Kh7 $5 {Stohl} 28. Bb5 g6 $16) 28.
Bb5 $1 $16 {Ftacnik: Exchange of the white squared bishop is the key to
success, black will be vulnerable on the squares he used to cover. Ein sehr
starker positioneller Zug. Der katalanische Läufer erscheint auf b5, und nach
dem folgendem Abtausch wird der Zug d5-d6 sehr stark. Ich möchte darauf
hinweisen, daß der schwarze Nb4 nichts leistet, während sein weißer Kollege
auf f5 die Partie entscheidet. Ftacnik: Der Abtausch der weissfeldrigem Läufer
ist entscheidend, weil Schwarz auf den weissen Feldern nun zu schwach ist.} Kh7
(28... b6 {Stohl} 29. Bxe8 Rxe8 30. Nb5 {[%cal Rd5d6,Rd1g4] Stohl: /\Qg4,d6->+-
} (30. Nb5 {Lputian} g6 31. Nxh6+ Kg7 32. Ng4 f5)) (28... Qf6 {Ftacnik} 29.
Bxe8 Raxe8 30. Nb5 $16) 29. Bxe8 Rxe8 (29... Qxe8 $2 {Stohl} 30. Nb5 $18 (30.
Nb5 {Ftacnik} Bb6 31. Nxc7 Bxc7 32. Rxc7 $18)) 30. Nb5 $5 {[%cal Gb5d6,Rb5c7]}
b6 $6 (30... Bd6 $8 31. b3 (31. Qg4 g6 32. Nfxd6 cxd6 33. Rc7 Re7)) (30... Bb6
{Stohl} 31. d6 c6 32. Nc7 $1 Bxc7 33. dxc7 Qxc7 (33... Qf6 34. Rd6 Re6 35. Rd8
Re8 36. Rxa8 Rxa8 37. Qd7 Qe6 38. Qxe6 fxe6 39. Nd6 $18) 34. Rd7 Qb6 35. Rxf7
$18 {->}) (30... Na6 $142 {Stohl} 31. d6 Bb4 $5 32. Rd3 $40) 31. d6 $1 {
Nach diesem natürlichen und dem folgenden, pointenreichen Zug findet sich
Schwarz in einer verlorenen Stellung wieder.} cxd6 (31... c6 32. Nc7 $18) (
31... Bxd6 {Ftacnik} 32. Nbxd6 cxd6 33. Rxd6 Qb8 34. Qh5 Kg8 35. Rxh6 $1 $18)
32. Rxc5 $1 {Stohl: This tactical solution wins by force Ein schönes
Qualitätsopfer von Lputian. Das Erscheinen des Turms auf der sechsten Reihe
und die leichte Kavallerie entscheiden die Partie im direkten Angriff.} (32.
Nbxd6 $143 {Stohl} Re6 33. Nxf7 Qf6 $16 (33... Qf6 {Ftacnik} 34. Rd7 $18))
32... bxc5 33. Rxd6 {[%csl Gd6,Rh7]} Qc8 (33... Qb8 34. Qh5 $18 (34. Qh5 {
Ftacnik} f6 (34... Kg8 35. Rxh6) 35. Rd7 $18)) 34. Qh5 $18 {/\Rh6 Black king
is obviously helpless against so many white pieces. Die Drohung ist 35.Rxh6
gxh6 36.Qxh6 nebst 37.Qg7 Matt. Ftacnik: Der schwarze König ist gegen den
Angriff so vieler weisser Figuren machtlos.} Ra6 (34... Re6 35. Qxf7 $18 {
[%cal Rf7e6,Rf7g7]}) (34... f6 35. Rxf6 gxf6 (35... Qd7 36. Qg6+ Kh8 37. Rf7
$18) 36. Qf7+ Kh8 37. Qg7#) (34... Kg8 {Stohl} 35. Rxh6 $1 gxh6 36. Qg4+ $18 (
36. Qxh6 {Lputian} Qxf5 37. exf5 $18)) 35. Qxf7 Rg8 36. Qg6+ Kh8 37. Rxa6 {
Und Schwarz muß aufgeben, denn es folgt 38.Nbd6 mit Gewinn.Ribli.} (37. Rxa6
Qxa6 (37... Nxa6 38. Nbd6 $18) 38. Nbd6 $18 (38. Nbd6 {Ftacnik} Qa7 39. Nf7+
$18)) 1-0

[Event "Poikovsky Karpov 06th"]
[Site "Poikovsky"]
[Date "2005.03.04"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2683"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "156"]
[EventDate "2005.02.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 106"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Grischuk spielt diese Variante mit beiden Farben.} Be4 (
10... h6 11. a3 Ra7 12. Rc1 Be4 13. Qb3 Bd5 14. Qe3 Nbd7 15. Ba5 Qb8 16. Nbd2
Bd6 17. Rc2 Re8 18. Qd3 Qa8 19. Rac1 Rc8 20. b4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Grischuk,A-Polgar,
J/Wijk aan Zee NED 2005/The Week in Chess 533 (44)}) 11. Qc1 Qc8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 {
Schwarz wartet nicht die weiße Verstärkung ab; er kennt die Partie Beliavsky,A
- Grischuk,A Tripoli 2004.} (12... c5 13. dxc5 Qxc5 14. Nbd2 Bb7 15. Qxc5 Bxc5
16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rfc1 Bb6 18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nd7 20. Nd3 Rfc8 21. a4 (21.
Ne4 Kf8 22. g4 Ke7 $11 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Grischuk,A/Bastia 2003/(53)}) 21...
Rxc1 22. Rxc1 bxa4 23. Ra1 Nc5 24. Nxc5 Bxc5 25. Rxa4 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,
A-Grischuk,A/Tripoli LBA 2004/(67)}) 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Nb3 c5 {Für gewönlich
erhält Schwarz mit diesem Zug gute Ausgleichchancen.} (14... Re8 15. Rd1 Bd5
16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Qc2 a5 18. e4 Bxb3 19. Qxb3 c6 20. Rac1 Qa6 21. Rd2 a4 22.
Qe3 Rac8 23. Rdc2 Rc7 24. e5 Be7 25. Nd2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Lastin,A-Korotylev,A/
Moscow 2004/(40)}) 15. Bxf6 (15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qh6 Nxb3 18. axb3
Rd8 19. Rac1 Qd7 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Nxg2 {1/2-1/2 Legde,G-Ballo,E/Germany 1998/
EXT 99 (35)}) 15... gxf6 16. Qf4 (16. Na5 Bd5 17. Qf4 f5 (17... Qb8 $5) 18.
dxc5 Qxc5 19. Nb3 Qb6 20. Rfd1 Rad8 21. Nbd4 Bxf3 22. Nxf3 Bf6 23. Rd6 Qa7 24.
Qh6 {1-0 Hausrath,D-Halasz,T/Recklinghausen 2002/(43)}) 16... Qb8 $146 (16...
c4 17. Na5 Ra7 18. Nxb7 Rxb7 19. Rac1 Rc7 20. e3 Rd8 21. Qg4+ Kh8 22. Qh5 Kg7
23. Rc2 Nf8 24. Rfc1 Qd7 25. Nd2 Rdc8 26. a4 Ng6 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ra1 f5 {
0-1 Comp Mephisto Vancouver-Sybor,P/Polanica Zdroj 1993/EXT 97 (37)}) 17. Qh4
cxd4 18. Rad1 (18. Qxd4 $5) 18... Ra7 (18... e5 $4 19. Qg4+ $18) 19. Rxd4 Bxf3
$1 $11 {[%cal Ga7c7] Schwarz tauscht seinen Läufer, um auf diese Weise seinen
Ra7 in Spiel zu bringen.} 20. exf3 (20. Bxf3 Ne5 21. Bg2 f5 $11) 20... Ne5 {
[%cal Ge5g6,Ge5c4]} 21. Qh6 f5 {[%csl Ge7,Gf5][%mdl 256] Die schwarze
Königsstellung ist sicher: Be7 und Pf5 verteidigt alles.} 22. h3 Rd8 23. Rfd1
Rxd4 24. Rxd4 Rc7 (24... Rd7 $11) 25. f4 Nc4 $5 $13 {[%cal Gc4b2] Mit diesem
Zug will Schwarz auf Gewinn spielen. Die folgende Alternative scheint mir
sicherer und besser.} (25... Ng6 $11) 26. g4 $1 Qf8 (26... Nxb2 27. gxf5 Qf8
$13) 27. Qh5 Bf6 28. Rd3 {[%cal Gd3g3,Gg3g8]} Nxb2 29. Rg3 Kh8 30. gxf5 e5 $1 (
30... exf5 31. Qxf5 Qh6 32. Nc5 $36) 31. fxe5 Bxe5 32. Rg4 Bf6 33. Nd2 $1 {
[%cal Gd2e4] Der Springer zielt auf das Feld e4.} Rc1+ $1 34. Bf1 Rc6 $1 35.
Bg2 (35. Ne4) 35... Rc1+ 36. Bf1 Rc6 37. Ne4 h6 38. Bg2 Nc4 $5 39. Ng5 {
[%cal Rg2c6,Rg5f7]} Rc7 40. Ne4 Rc6 41. Kh1 $6 {Weiß ist nicht zufrieden mit
der Zugwiederholung, aber er hat nichts besseres.} (41. Ng5) 41... Ne5 42. Rg3
Nd7 {[%cal Gd7c5,Gc5e4] Schwarz bereitet 43...Nc5 vor, um den weißen Springer
zu verjagen oder zu tauschen.} 43. Qd1 Nc5 44. Nxf6 (44. Qd5 Nxe4 45. Qxc6
Nxg3+ 46. fxg3 Kg7 47. Qxa6 Qc5 $11) 44... Rxf6 45. Rc3 $5 {Weiß opfert einen
Bauern für aktives Figurenspiel} (45. Qd4 Qd6 $11) 45... Rxf5 {Schwarz besitzt
einen Mehrbauern, aber er hat auch einige Schwächen in seiner Stellung.} 46.
Qc2 Re5 47. f4 Re1+ 48. Kh2 Na4 49. Qd2 $2 (49. Rc8 Re8 50. Rc6 Re6 51. Rc8 $11
) 49... Rd1 $3 $17 50. Qxd1 Nxc3 51. Qd4+ Qg7 {[%mdl 4096] Beide
Königsstellungen weisen Schwächen auf} 52. Qd8+ Kh7 53. a3 Qg6 54. Qd4 Qg3+ $1
55. Kh1 (55. Kxg3 Ne2+ 56. Kf2 Nxd4 $17) 55... a5 {[%csl Ga5,Gb5]} 56. Qf6 Qg7
57. Qf5+ Qg6 58. Qe5 b4 $2 (58... Qd3 59. Qc7 Kg6 60. Qxa5 Qe3) 59. Kh2 $2 (59.
Qxa5 Qb1+ 60. Kh2 Ne2 61. Qa7 $11) 59... Qb6 60. f5 Qb5 61. Qf6 Qc4 62. axb4
axb4 63. Qe5 Nb5 64. Bd5 Qc1 $4 {Mit diesem Zug vergibt Schwarz seine
Gewinnchancen.} (64... Qc2+ 65. Kh1 Qc3 $19) (64... Qd4 $19) 65. Bxf7 Qc7 66.
Qxc7 Nxc7 $11 {Aufgrund seines Freibauern steht Schwarz etwas besser, aber
Weiß kann das Remis leicht erreichen.} 67. Bc4 Kg7 68. Kg3 Ne8 69. Kf4 Kf6 70.
Bb3 Nd6 71. Be6 Nb7 72. Ke3 Nc5 73. Bg8 Kxf5 74. Kd4 Ne6+ 75. Kc4 {Weiß muss
den b4-Bauern vernichten.} Nf4 76. Kxb4 Nxh3 77. Bf7 Nf4 78. Kc4 Ke5 1/2-1/2

[Event "RUS-Cup01 Chigorin Memorial"]
[Site "St Petersburg"]
[Date "1997.11.05"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Polovodin, Igor A"]
[Black "Asrian, Karen"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2440"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1997.11.01"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 062"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das sogenannte
offene Katalanisch.Ribli.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 {Eine
relativ seltene Fortsetzung. Üblicher -und meiner Ansicht nach chancenreicher-
ist die Alternative 10.Bg5.} a5 {Das ist ein natürlicher und guter Plan für
Schwarz. Der Springer strebt das gute Feld b4 an.} 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Rfd1 {
Ich glaube, daß der Turm nach e1 gehört. Wenn Weiß die Variante mit 10.Bg5 und
11.Bxf6 spielt, dann ist die richtige Turmaufstellung in der Tat Rac1 und Rfd1,
aber ohne e2-e4 hat Weiß nichts davon.} (12. Rac1 Nb4 (12... h6 13. Rfe1 Bb4
14. Be5 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Red1 Qe7 $10 {= Kramnik,V-Lautier,J/Dortmund 1995}
) 13. Rfe1 Bd6 14. Bg5 (14. e3 Nfd5 15. Qe2 Nxf4 16. gxf4 f6 17. Kh1 Qe8 18. b3
e5 19. fxe5 fxe5 20. d5 e4 {Lautier,J-Beliavsky,A/Beograd 1995/1/2-1/2 (49)})
14... Bd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb3 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. e3 Rae8 19. Qd1 Re7 20.
Rc3 Rfe8 21. Qb1 c6 22. Rd1 Qe6 23. Nd2 Na6 24. Nb3 Bb4 25. Rcc1 Qd6 26. Qc2 {
Kasparov,G-Gelfand,B/Moscow PCA-GP 1996/EXP 52/1-0 (57)}) (12. Rfe1 Bd5 (12...
Nb4 13. Rac1 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. e4 Qb6 16. Rcd1 Rfd8 17. Rd2 Rd7 18. h3 Rad8
19. Red1 h6 {1/2-1/2 Hulak,K-Kotronias,V/Pucarevo zt 1987 (36)}) 13. Qd3 Nb4
14. Qd1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Nfd5 16. Bc1 c6 17. e4 Nb6 18. Be2 c5 19. Be3 Rc8 20. Rc1
cxd4 21. Qxd4 Qxd4 22. Bxd4 Bc5 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Red1 Rfc8 {1/2-1/2 Gabriel,
C-Arlandi,E/Makarska 1996 (57)}) (12. Rae1 Bb4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. e4
Rfd8 16. Kh1 Be8 17. Rd1 Rac8 18. h3 Qe7 19. Rfe1 Nb8 20. Ne5 Nc6 21. Nxc6 Bxc6
22. Kh2 Qd7 23. b3 b6 24. Re3 Bxc3 25. Qxc3 Bb7 26. h4 c5 27. d5 exd5 28. exd5
Qd6 29. Rde1 Qf6 30. Qc2 g6 31. Re5 h5 32. f4 Rd6 33. Qd2 Rcd8 34. f5 {Bareev,
E-Short,N/Geneva Credit Suisse 1996/1-0 (53)}) 12... Nb4 $146 {Es ist
interessant, daß dieser natürliche Zug noch nicht gespielt wurde.} (12... Bd5
13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb3 Bb4 15. Ne5 h6 16. g4 c6 17. Kh1 Nd7 18. Qg3 g5 19. Bc1
Bd6 20. f4 f6 21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. e4 {1/2-1/2 Sygulski,A-Sobura,H/POL-chT 1986/
EXT 86ch}) (12... h6 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. Be5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qe7 17.
Nd3 Rfd8 18. e3 Nb4 {1/2-1/2 Stoll,F-Gerigk,E/BL2-S9697 1997/BL2-S}) {Das
Hauptproblem von Weiß besteht darin, daß er nicht so leicht e2-e4 durchsetzen
kann} 13. Ne5 {Wenn Weiss tauscht seinen katalanische Laeufer,er hat keine
Hoffnungen fuer Eroffnungsvorteil.Ribli.} (13. Rac1 $5) 13... Bxg2 14. Kxg2
Nfd5 $11 15. Nxd5 (15. e4 $5 Nxf4+ (15... f6 $5 16. Nf3 (16. exd5 exd5 17. Qb5
fxe5 $13) 16... Nxf4+ 17. gxf4 Qd6) (15... Nxc3 $2 16. bxc3 Na6 17. Rab1 $14)
16. gxf4) 15... Qxd5+ (15... exd5 $11) 16. Qxd5 Nxd5 (16... exd5 $11 {Schwarz
hat eine bequeme Stellung, er spielt c7-c6 nebst f7-f6 und bekommt in einigen
Varianten aktives Spiel am Damenflügel.}) 17. Bd2 Rfd8 18. Nc4 (18. e4 Nf6 {
[%csl Rd4,Re4]} 19. Bg5 h6 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nf3 $11) 18... Bb4 19. e4 Bxd2 20.
Rxd2 $14 {Dank seines Übergewichts im Zentrum -trotz der Schwäche auf b4- hat
Weiß einen kleinen Vorteil. Mit guten Zügen gelingt es Schwarz jedoch, die
Stellung zu halten.} Nb4 21. f3 {Bereitet den Königsmarsch ins Zentrum vor und
festigt die Bauernkette.} f6 22. Kf2 Rd7 23. Rad1 b6 {Schwarz muß seinen Ra8
befreien.} 24. d5 $5 exd5 (24... e5 $2 {Dieser Zug wäre ein gravierender
positioneller Fehler.} 25. d6 cxd6 26. Rxd6 Rxd6 27. Rxd6 {[%csl Rb6]}) 25.
exd5 Rad8 26. d6 {Es ist besser für Weiß, diesen Zug sofort auszuführen, sonst
kann der d-Bauer schwach werden.} (26. Ne3 Kf7) 26... cxd6 27. b3 $1 {Weiß hat
keine Eile. Zuerst einmal verbessert er seine Bauernstellung.} (27. Nxb6 Rc7
28. Rxd6 Rc2+ 29. Kg1 Rxd6 30. Rxd6 Rxb2 $11) (27. Rxd6 $6 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 $2 (
28. Nxd6 $15 {Die Feßlung auf der d-Linie ist unangenehm für Weiß.}) 28... Rxd6
29. Nxd6 Nd3+ 30. Ke3 Nxb2 $17) 27... d5 28. Nxb6 {Weiß hat die bessere
Bauernstruktur, aber da die schwarzen Türme aktiv werden, kann sich Schwarz
den Ausgleich sichern.} Rd6 29. Nc4 Rc6 $6 {Schwarz opfert einen Bauern für
Aktivität. Ich bin mir aber nicht ganz sicher, ob er vollwertiges Spiel dafür
bekommt.} (29... Ra6 30. Ne3 Rad6 31. Nf5 $14) 30. Nxa5 Rc3 31. Nc4 $6 (31. Rd4
Rc2+ (31... Ra8 32. Rxb4 $16) 32. R1d2 $16) (31. h3 Ra8 32. Rd4 Rxa5 33. Rxb4
Rc2+ 34. Ke3 $5 $16) (31. g4 Ra8 32. Rd4 Rxa5 33. Rxb4) 31... Rxb3 32. Ne3 d4
$5 (32... Ra3 33. Nxd5 Nxd5 34. Rxd5 Rxd5 35. Rxd5 Rxa4 $11) 33. Nf5 (33. Rxd4
$2 Nd3+ 34. R1xd3 Rxd3 $17) 33... d3 34. Rc1 {[%cal Gc1c7,Gc7h7]} g6 35. Ne3
Nd5 {Und in dieser völlig ausgegleichenen Stellung wurde remis gegeben.Ribli.}
(35... Nd5 36. Nxd5 Rxd5 37. Rcd1 Ra3 38. Ke3 Re5+ 39. Kf2 Rd5 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 2nd"]
[Site "Ohrid"]
[Date "2001.06.06"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Black "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2584"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2001.06.01"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 084"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 (3... dxc4) 4. Nf3 Be7 (4... dxc4) 5. O-O O-O 6.
d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Interessanterweise spielt
GM Lputian diese Variante mit beiden Farben.} 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4
Nb4 14. Rfd1 b6 {Damit stärkt Schwarz seine Bauernstellung am Damenflügel und
verschafft dem Bc6 das Rückzugsfeld b7.} 15. Ne1 {Weiß beabsichtigt, den
gegnerischen Nb4 abzutauschen. Gleichzeitig öffnet er die Diagonale des Bg2,
so dass Schwarz nun mit e4-e5 rechnen muss.} (15. h4 Bb7 16. Rd2 c6 17. Qe2 Ra7
18. Rad1 Ba6 19. Qe3 Bc4 {1/2-1/2 Lputian,S-Arlandi,E/Reggio Emilia 1998/CBM
63/[Hecht] (61)}) (15. Rac1) (15. d5) 15... Qd7 $5 (15... g6 $6 16. e5 Bxg2 17.
Nxg2 Bg7 (17... Be7 $5) 18. Ne3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,A-Shneider,A/Tivat 1995/
CBM 48 ext/[Belov] (36)}) (15... Rc8) 16. Nb5 (16. e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 (17. exf6
Bd5 $17) 17... Be7 $11) 16... Rfc8 {Schwarz verteidigt im voraus den Pc7 und
befreit damit den Bc6.} (16... Rac8 $5 17. Nd3 (17. Na7 Bxa4 $17) 17... Nxd3
18. Rxd3 $11) 17. Nc2 (17. Rac1) 17... Nxc2 18. Qxc2 Be7 $11 {[%cal Ge7b4]
Jetzt hängt schon etwas auf b5; zudem bekommt der schwarze Läufer ein starkes
Feld auf b4.} (18... Bxb5 $6 19. axb5 {[%cal Gg2a8]} Bxd4 $2 (19... Qxb5 $2 20.
e5 $16) (19... Rab8 20. e5 $16) 20. e5 $18) 19. Bh3 $5 {[%csl Rc8,Rd7][%cal
Gh3c8] Der katalanische Läufer steht etwas ungewöhnlich auf h3, aber da sich
die schwere Artillerie von Schwarz auf der Diagonale h3-c8 befindet, droht
d4-d5.} (19. Nc3 $11) 19... Bxb5 20. axb5 c6 (20... Qxb5 21. d5 Qc5 22. Qxc5
Bxc5 23. dxe6 Rd8 24. Rd7 $14) 21. Qe2 (21. bxc6 Qxc6 $11 (21... Rxc6 22. Qb3
Rd6 23. d5 $36)) 21... Rf8 $1 {[%mdl 32] Schwarz entfernt seinen Turm aus der
bedrohten Diagonale. Im weiteren Verlauf wird der Rf8 eine wichtige Rolle
einnehmen.} (21... cxb5 22. d5 $36) 22. d5 (22. bxc6 $5 Qxc6 23. d5 exd5 24.
exd5 (24. Rxd5 Rad8 $11) 24... Qd6 25. Rac1 $14) 22... cxd5 23. exd5 Bc5 {
[%csl Gc5][%cal Gc5g1] Schwarz muss einen Bauern geben, aber sein Bc5 steht
stark.} 24. dxe6 Qe8 25. b4 $6 {Mit diesem Bauernopfer vertreibt Weiß den
Läufer von c5.} (25. exf7+ Rxf7 26. Qxe8+ (26. Be6 $2 Kh8 $17 {[%cal Ge8e2]})
26... Rxe8 27. Rd2 $14) 25... Bxb4 (25... axb4 $2 26. Rxa8 Qxa8 27. exf7+ Kh8
28. Be6 $16 {[%csl Ge6,Gf7]}) 26. Bg2 (26. Rd7 fxe6 27. Bxe6+ Kh8 $11) 26...
Rd8 27. Rxd8 Qxd8 28. exf7+ Rxf7 $11 29. Rd1 (29. Qa2 Kf8 30. Qc2 Bc5 31. Qxh7
Rxf2 32. Kh1 $11) 29... Qe7 30. Qxe7 Rxe7 {[%mdl 4096]} 31. Rd8+ $2 {Dieser
scheinbar aktive Zug ist ein Fehler - der schwarze König gelangt nun schneller
ins Zentrum.} (31. Kf1 $11) 31... Kf7 $15 32. Bd5+ Kf6 33. f4 Re1+ (33... Re2
$17) 34. Kg2 Ke7 35. Rb8 Kd6 36. Bg8 Kc5 {[%csl Rb5,Gc5] Der schwarze König
ist aktiv, und der weiße Pb5 ist nicht zu halten. Nun wird der schwarze
Freibauer auf a5 sehr gefährlich für Weiß.} 37. Rb7 Kxb5 38. Rxg7 a4 $17 {
[%csl Ga4]} 39. Rxh7 a3 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, aber der schwarze a-Bauer
ist sehr stark. Daher wird Weiß mindestens eine Figur geben müssen.} 40. Kf3
Re8 41. Ba2 (41. Bf7) 41... Rc8 {[%cal Rc8c2,Rc2a2]} 42. Rh5+ Ka4 43. Be6 Rc3+
44. Kg4 Rc2 45. Bd7+ (45. Rh8 a2 46. Bxa2 Rxa2 $17) 45... Kb3 46. Be6+ Rc4 $1
47. Rd5 (47. Bxc4+ Kxc4 48. Rh8 a2 49. Rc8+ (49. Ra8 Ba5 $19) 49... Kb3 50. Rc1
Kb2 51. Rf1 a1=Q 52. Rxa1 Kxa1 $19) 47... a2 48. Rd1 b5 $19 49. Bd7 (49. Bxc4+
bxc4 $19 {[%csl Ga2,Gc4]}) 49... Kb2 50. Bxb5 Rc1 51. Rd4 Kb3 $5 (51... a1=Q
52. Rxb4+ Kc3 53. Rc4+ Kd2 $19) 52. h3 0-1

[Event "EU-Cup 21st"]
[Site "Saint Vincent"]
[Date "2005.09.24"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Johannessen, Leif Erlend"]
[Black "Zagorskis, Darius"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2543"]
[BlackElo "2478"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2005.09.18"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 110"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Oslo"]
[BlackTeam "Vilnius NSEL"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "LTU"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Die beliebte Fortsetzung des norwegischen Großmeisters;
die Alternativen sind 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4.} Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 12. Bg5 c5 13. Nbd2
Bb7 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Qxc5 Bxc5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rac1 Bb6 (17... Nd7 18. Rfd1
Rfd8 19. Nb3 Bb6 {Mit Zugumstellung wird in die Variante 16.Rac1 übergeleitet.}
) 18. Ne1 {[%cal Ge1d3,Gg2b7][%mdl 32] Weiß folgt der bekannten Strategie: er
tauscht die weißen Läufer und der Springer zielt auf das Schlüsselfeld d3.}
Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nd7 20. Nd3 Rfc8 $11 {[%cal Gg8f8,Gf8e7] Schwarz hat eine
ausgegleichene Stellung erreicht: auch wenn seine Bauernstruktur schwach ist,
so kontrolliert er die wichtigsten Felder und sein König gelangt mittels f8-e7
ins Zentrum.} (20... f5 21. Rc6 Rfc8 22. Rfc1 Rxc6 23. Rxc6 $14) 21. Ne4 Kf8 (
21... f5 22. Nd6 Rc7 $11) 22. g4 {Mit diesem Zug möchte Weiß seine
Springerstellung auf e4 befestigen.} (22. Nd6 Rc7 $11) 22... Ke7 23. Rfd1 (23.
Nb4 Ne5 $15 (23... Nc5)) 23... h5 $5 {Auf diese Weise möchte sich Schwarz von
seinem h-Bauern befreien.} (23... a5 $11) 24. gxh5 (24. h3) 24... f5 {Endlich
verjagt Schwarz den e4-Springer und der weiße Mehrbauer auf h5 hat keine
Bedeutung.} 25. Ng3 a5 26. e4 (26. e3) 26... fxe4 27. Nxe4 Bd4 {[%csl Gd4] Der
Läufer steht aktiv auf d4.} 28. b3 (28. b4) 28... Nf6 29. Nxf6 (29. Ng3 Nd5)
29... Kxf6 30. Kf3 Kf5 (30... Kg5) 31. Nf4 Be5 32. Ne2 Kg5 33. Ng3 (33. Rd7
Rxc1 34. Nxc1 f5 $11) 33... Bxg3 34. hxg3 Kxh5 35. Rxc8 Rxc8 36. Rd7 {[%mdl
4096] Weiß besitzt ein aktives Turmendspiel, aber Schwarz kann das Remis
einfach halten.} Kg6 37. Ra7 Rc3+ (37... a4 38. bxa4 Rc3+ 39. Ke2 (39. Ke4 Ra3
$11) 39... Ra3 $11) 38. Kg2 a4 39. bxa4 Ra3 40. a5 Rxa2 41. a6 b4 42. Rb7 Rxa6
43. Rxb4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Poikovsky Karpov 02nd"]
[Site "Poikovsky"]
[Date "2001.05.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Obodchuk, Andrei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2607"]
[BlackElo "2419"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2001.05.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 084"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Meiner Meinung nach ist dieser Zug eine gute und
logische Möglichkeit für Schwarz - Schwarz kann anschließend Na6 und Nb4
spielen und die Schwächung des Feldes b4 ausnutzen.} (10... Bd5) 11. Nc3 Na6 {
[%cal Ga6b4]} 12. Bxf6 {Weiß tauscht freiwillig den Läufer ab, um e2-e4
durchsetzen zu können.} (12. Rac1) (12. Rfd1) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 {Weiß hat
in der Tat ein sehr starkes Bauernzentrum aufgebaut, und das schwarze
Läuferpaar ist kaum aktiv. Aber wenn Weiß mehr erreichen will, muss er die
Stellung öffnen und damit wird auch das Läuferpaar stärker werden.} 14. Rfd1 (
14. Rad1 b6 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Nd4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Qd7 (18... Ba6 19.
Nb5 Qd7 20. Rc1 Rac8 21. Bf3 Kh8 22. Re1 Rcd8 23. Rc1 Qf5 24. Kg2 Qf6 25. Rcd1
Bxb5 26. axb5 Qd6 {1/2-1/2 Taylor,G-Rozentalis,E/Toronto 1995/EXT 97 (50)}) 19.
Rfd1 Rae8 $11 {0-1 Anastasian,A-Timoscenko,G/Istanbul 2000/EXT 2001/[Ribli] 
(72)}) 14... b6 $5 (14... g6 15. h4 (15. Rac1)) 15. d5 {Dieser Zug kommt zwar
mit Tempo, aber er gefällt mir nicht. Weiß täte besser daran, zunächst einmal
seine Stellung mit kleinen Zügen - z.B. 15.Rd2 - weiter zu verbessern und erst
danach mit konkreten Aktionen zu beginnen.} (15. Rd2 Bb7 16. Qe2 $1 (16. Rad1
Ba6 17. Qb3 c6 $11 (17... Qc8)) 16... Ba6 (16... g6 17. h4 Qe7 18. Qe3 Rac8 19.
Rad1 h5 20. Ne1 Bg7 21. f4 $14)) (15. Ne1) (15. Rac1) 15... exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 {
[%csl Gb4,Gb7,Gf6] Weiß hat Raumvorteil, aber das schwarze Läuferpaar ist
aktiver als zuvor. Zudem steht der Nb4 sehr solide.} 17. Rd2 Ba6 (17... Qd7 18.
Rad1 Rad8 19. h4 Rfe8 $15 20. Kh1 h6 21. Nd4 Nxd5 22. Ndb5 c6 23. Nxd5 cxd5 24.
Qc7 Qxc7 25. Nxc7 Re7 {1/2-1/2 Panno,O-Adams,M/Buenos Aires 1991/CBM 24 (25)})
18. Qb3 Re8 {[%cal Ge8e1]} 19. h4 (19. d6 $6 cxd6 20. Rad1 Qc7 21. Rxd6 $2 Bc4
$19 {[%csl Rb3]}) 19... Qd7 $15 {Mit einfachen Entwicklungszügen hat Schwarz
eine sehr bequeme Stellung erreicht.} 20. Rad1 (20. Nd4 Rad8 $15) 20... Rad8
21. Nd4 Be5 (21... Be7 {[%cal Ge7c5]} 22. Nc6 Nxc6 23. dxc6 Qxd2 24. Rxd2 Rxd2
$15) 22. Ndb5 (22. Nc6 $2 Nxc6 23. dxc6 Qxd2 24. Rxd2 Rxd2 $17 {[%csl Gd2]
[%cal Ge5d4,Gd4g1]}) (22. Ne6 Rb8 $15 (22... fxe6 23. dxe6 {[%cal Gb3g8]} Qxd2
(23... Qe7 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Rxd8+ Qxd8 26. e7+ $18 {[%cal Re7d8,Rb3g8]}) 24.
e7+ {[%cal Rb3g8,Re7d8]} Kh8 25. Rxd2 Rxd2 26. Qf7 $18)) 22... h6 (22... Re7
23. Re2 $15 (23. d6 $6 Bxd6 24. Nxd6 cxd6 25. Rxd6 Qxd6 26. Rxd6 Rxd6 $17)) 23.
Re2 Bd6 {[%cal Gd6c5]} 24. Qc4 (24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Nxd6 Qxd6 (25... cxd6) 26.
Ne4 Qd7 27. d6 c5 $15 {Der weiße Pd6 ist nur scheinbar stark - in der Folge
kann er durchaus schwach werden.}) 24... Rxe2 25. Qxe2 (25. Nxe2 Re8 $15) 25...
Re8 26. Qd2 Bc5 {[%csl Gc5][%cal Gc5g1][%mdl 2048] Der Bc5 steht ausgezeichnet
- die schwarzen Felder in der weißen Stellung sind schwach .} 27. Kh2 {Ein
prophylaktischer Zug - Weiß geht den Motiven auf der Diagonale a7-g1 aus dem
Wege.} Re5 {[%csl Ge5] Schwarz bereitet 27...Qe7 vor.} 28. Qf4 (28. Re1 $2 Rxe1
29. Qxe1 Nd3 $19) 28... Qe7 (28... Rf5 $2 29. Qxc7 Bxb5 30. Nxb5 Qxc7 31. Nxc7
Rxf2 32. d6 $18 {[%csl Gd6]}) 29. Rd2 (29. Nd4 g5 $36 (29... Nd3 30. Rxd3 Bxd3
31. Nc6 $18 {[%cal Rc6e7,Rc6e5]}) (29... Bxd4 30. Qxd4 $11)) 29... Bxb5 30.
Nxb5 (30. axb5 Bd6 $15 {[%cal Gd6h2]}) 30... Re2 (30... Bd6 $15) 31. Rxe2 Qxe2
32. Qxc7 Qxf2 $13 {[%csl Rh2]} 33. Nc3 $2 (33. d6 $1 Nd3 {Droht 34...Qg1+ 35.
Kh3 Nf2#.} 34. Kh3 Qf5+ 35. Kh2 Qf2 $11) 33... Nc2 $6 (33... Qg1+ $1 34. Kh3
Nd3 35. Qc8+ Bf8 $19 (35... Kh7 $4 36. Qf5+ {[%cal Rf5d3,Rf5h7]})) 34. Qb8+ Kh7
35. Qf4 Qg1+ (35... Qxf4 36. gxf4 $11) 36. Kh3 Ne3 {[%csl Gc5,Ge3,Gg1,Rh3]} 37.
Be4+ Kg8 38. d6 $4 {[%mdl 8192]} (38. Ne2 Qe1 $40) 38... Bxd6 $1 $17 39. Qxd6
$2 (39. Ne2 Bxf4 40. Nxg1 Be5 $17) 39... Qf1+ $19 (39... Qf1+ 40. Kh2 (40. Bg2
Qxg2#) 40... Ng4#) 0-1

[Event "Linares 15th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1998.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1998.02.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 064"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.06.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.06.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 {Ftacnik Donev Das ist Kramniks Lieblingszug. Ribli.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3
d5 4. d4 {Meines Erachtens bietet dieser Zug bessere Chancen auf
Eröffnungsvorteil als z.B. 4.Bg2, worauf Schwarz 4...dxc4 mit besseren
Ausgleichschancen antworten kann.} Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Der sogenannte
klassische Aufbau. Schwarz öffnet das Spiel und nimmt den Bauern. Die
Zurückeroberung des Bauern kostet Weiß Zeit, die Schwarz für die Beendigung
seiner Entwicklung nutzen möchte.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 {In letzter Zeit ist die
andere Variante mit 8.a4 populär.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 (10. Bg5) (10. Bd2 {
[%cal Yd2a5,Ya5c7]}) 10... Nd5 {Mit dem Textzug verteidigt Schwarz seinen Pc7
und droht gleichzeitig, auf f4 zu nehmen. Der andere Springerzug ist jedoch
aussichtsreicher.} (10... Nc6 $5 11. Nc3 Nb4 {In dieser Variante besitzt
Schwarz gute Ausgleichschancen. Sein Plan ist klar: Er will nach Möglichkeit
c7-c5 durchsetzen.}) 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 {[%csl Yc5,Ye5] Weiß hat einen
Doppelbauern auf der f-Linie, beherrscht aber das Feld e5. Das schwarze
Läuferpaar ist nicht von großer Bedeutung. Weiß übt zudem starken Druck im
Zentrum aus.} Nd7 13. Rfd1 Bxf3 $6 {Ftacnik: Dubious exchange, the defender
hopes to exploit opposite colour bishops. His problem are connected with a6-b5
pawn structure and weakness of c6 square. Dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht, weil
er die Kontrolle über die weißen Felder aufgibt. Nach diesem Abtausch wird der
schwarze Damenflügel spürbar schwach. Donev: Schwarz entscheidet sich für
diese theoretische Fortsetzung, weil Weiß im nächsten Zug Ne5 oder e2-e4
spielen will. Doch nach dem Textzug hat Weiß klarenVorteil. Wahrscheinlich
wird die Variante mit 13...Bf3 nach dieser Partie in Vergessenheit geraten.} (
13... Qc8 $5 14. Ne4 (14. a4 bxa4 (14... b4 15. Ne4 Bd5 16. Rac1 Ra7 17. Ne5
Nxe5 18. fxe5 Qa8 19. Qd3 f5 20. exf6 gxf6 21. Bf3 Rd8 22. Qe3 Kh8 23. Kh1 Rg8
24. Rg1 c6 25. Nd2 {Sosonko,G-Dutreeuw,M/Brussels zt 1993/1-0 (53)}) 15. Nxa4
Rb8 16. Rac1 Bd6 17. e3 Nf6 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Qxc5 Bd5 20. Qxc7 $11 {1/2-1/2
Sosonko,G-Rausis,I/Viking op 1997} (20. Rc2 $2 Bb3 $17) (20. Qc2 $2 Bb3 $17) (
20. Rd2 $2 Ne4 {[%cal Re4d2,Re4c5]})) (14. Rac1 {Ftacnik} c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16.
Qb1 Rd8 17. b4 Na4 18. Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. Nxa4 bxa4 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rc8 {
1-0 Kurajica,B-Gavric,M/Banja Luka 1985/ (38)}) 14... c5 (14... f5 15. Ned2 (
15. Nc5 Nxc5 16. dxc5 Be4 17. Qb3 c6 18. Ne5 Bd5 19. Qe3 Bf6 20. Rd2 Qc7 $10 {
= Ricardi,P-Granda Zuniga,J/Buenos Aires 1991} (20... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 21. Nf3 {
0-1 Ricardi,P-Granda Zuniga,J/Buenos Aires Najdorf 1991/ (35)})) 15... Bd6 16.
Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qb7+ 18. Ndf3 Nf6 19. e3 g5 20. fxg5 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Ne4 22.
Rd7 Nxg5 23. e4 Nxf3 24. Kxf3 Rad8 25. Rg1+ {1/2-1/2 Nielsen,P-Hansen,S/
Copenhagen op 1995}) 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Rac1 (18.
Ne5 {Ftacnik} Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rfc8 20. Rd7 f6 21. Nd3 {1/2-1/2 Kirov,N-Guseinov,
A/Baku 1983/ (42)}) 18... Rfc8 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 f6 21. Nf3 Bf8 (21... Kf8
{Ftacnik} 22. Rd7 Be7 23. Rcc7 Rxc7 24. Rxc7 Bd6 25. Rd7 Bxf4 26. e3 Be5 27.
Nxe5 fxe5 28. Rb7 {1/2-1/2 Novak,I-Prandstetter,E/Bohemians 1981}) 22. e3 g6
23. b3 Bb4 24. h3 Kf8 25. Nd4 Kf7 26. a4 $14 {1-0 Ribli,Z-Karpov,A/IBM 1980 
(54)}) (13... Nf6 {Ftacnik} 14. Ne5 (14. a3 Qd6 15. e3 c5 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. Qb3
Qh5 18. Ne5 Ng4 19. h3 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nxe5 21. fxe5 Qxe5 {Biosvert,J-Barrios,R/
Erevan olm 1996/1/2-1/2 (54)}) 14... Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Bd6 16. e3 (16. Rac1 Qc8 17.
Qd3 g6 18. Qf3 Nh5 19. Ne4 Qd8 20. e3 f6 21. Nc6 Qe8 22. Kh1 {Orseth,
D-Kristiansen,E/NOR-ch 1982/1-0 (69)}) 16... Qc8 17. Ne4 Nd5 18. Rac1 f6 19.
Nc6 Qe8 20. f5 Qh5 21. Ng3 Qg4 22. fxe6 Qxe6 23. Qf5 {Bohm,H-Luczak,A/
Rubinstein mem 1980/1-0 (56)}) (13... Qb8 $5 {Ftacnik}) 14. Bxf3 {[%csl Gf3]}
Rb8 15. e3 $14 {Weiß kontrolliert mehr Raum, sein Läufer ist besonders stark.
Schwarz hat viele Schwächen am Damenflügel zu beklagen, zumal es kaum
Befreiungschancen mit c7-c5 oder e7-e5 gibt.} (15. Ne4 Bd6 16. e3 Qh4 17. Kh1
$14 Nf6 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Rg1 Qe7 20. Bc6 f5 21. Rg5 Rf7 22. Rag1 g6 23. h4
Kh8 24. h5 Rg7 25. R1g2 Qf6 26. Bf3 a5 27. Qc6 b4 28. Qa6 {Smyslov,V-Barczay,L/
EU-chT Kapfenberg 1970/1-0 (58)}) 15... Nf6 (15... c5 $2 16. dxc5 Bxc5 (16...
Qc7 {Ftacnik} 17. b4 $16) 17. Bc6 $18) 16. Rac1 {[%cal Yc1c7]} Qd6 {Ftacnik:
Queen's desire to cover all important weaknesses (a6,c6,c7) is quite
understandable, but at the same time she becomes exposed.} (16... h6 {Ftacnik}
17. Ne2 Ne8 18. d5 $14) 17. Ne2 {Weiß hat starken positionellen Druck auf der
c-Linie. Der Punkt c6 sowie der Pc7 sind schwach.} Rfc8 (17... Nd5 {Ftacnik}
18. Bxd5 Qxd5 19. Qxc7 Bf6 20. b3 $14) 18. e4 $5 {[%cal Re4e5,Re5f6,Re5d6]} Qd7
19. d5 $1 {Dieser Zentrumsdurchbruch bietet Weiß die besseren Perspektiven.
Donev: Das weiße Spiel läuft mit der Präzsion eines Uhrwerks.} (19. Qc6 Rb6 $14
(19... Qxc6 $6 20. Rxc6 $16 {[%csl Gc6][%cal Rc6a6]})) 19... exd5 {Ftacnik:
Svidler was already facing a very difficult choice. His solution with hope for
counterplay will be convincingly refuted.} (19... Bf8 $5 {Ftacnik} 20. Bg2 (20.
dxe6 Qxe6 21. e5 Ne8 22. Nd4 Qh6 23. Nc6 Qxf4 24. Be4 g6 25. Nxb8 Rxb8 $13)
20... exd5 21. e5 Ng4 22. Rxd5 Qe7 23. Nd4 $16) 20. e5 Ne8 {Donev: Der arme
Springer. Sein Schicksal ist es, die ganze Partie über am Rand zu bleiben.} (
20... Ng4 {Ftacnik} 21. Rxd5 Qe6 22. Nd4 $18) 21. Rxd5 {[%csl Gd5,Rd7] Die
schwarze Dame findet keinen guten Platz. Weiß erfreut sich nicht nur großen
Raumvorteils, sondern auch der besseren Figurenkoordination. Donev: Weiß hat
eine überlegene Stellung - er hat den besseren Bf3 (als Be7), den besseren Ne2
(als Ne8) und dazu noch Druck auf den schwachen Pc7.} Qh3 (21... Qe6 22. Nd4
$16 {[%csl Gd4,Gd5,Re6]}) 22. Bg2 Qh4 (22... Qg4 {Ftacnik} 23. h3 Qh4 24. Nd4
$1 $16) {[#]} 23. Nd4 $1 $16 {Ftacnik: Impressive manouver, white knight aims
for the best square on the board. Black's pieces will face enemy in top
coordination. Weiß stellt mit diesem Zug sehr unangenehme Drohungen auf, z.B.
24.Nf5 und 24.Nc6. Donev: Die vielseitigen Drohungen von Nc6 und Nf5 lassen
Schwarz keine große Wahl. So findet Schwarz keine Zeit für den befreienden Zug
c7-c5.} (23. Qe4 {Ftacnik} c5 24. f5 Qxe4 25. Bxe4 Rd8 $1 $14) 23... Qxf4 (
23... c5 $2 {Ftacnik} 24. Nf5 $18) 24. Nc6 {[%csl Gc6,Gd5,Rf4][%cal Rc6e7,
Rc6b8]} Bh4 (24... Bg5 25. Rcd1 Rb6 26. R5d4 $18 {[%csl Rf4][%cal Rd4f4] Und
die schwarze Dame hat kein Feld!} (26. R1d4 {Ftacnik} Rxc6 27. Qxc6 Qc1+ 28.
Qxc1 Bxc1 29. Rd8 $18)) 25. Rcd1 $1 {Donev: Die schwarzen Figuren stehen sehr
schlecht, und Kramnik nützt dies in blendender Manier aus. Denn nun stehen
auch noch die schwarze Qf4 und der Bh4 schlecht.} (25. Rd4 $4 Bxf2+ 26. Qxf2
Qxc1+ $17) (25. Nxb8 {Ftacnik} Rxb8 26. Rcd1 $16) 25... Rb6 (25... Ra8 26. R5d4
Qh6 (26... Qg5 27. Qe4 $18 {[%csl Rh4][%cal Rd4h4]}) 27. Qe4 {[%csl Rh4][%cal
Rd4h4]} Bg5 28. h4 $18 {[%csl Rg5]}) 26. R5d4 Rxc6 {Ftacnik: Black was in
danger of beeing punished by the strong kingside attack.} (26... Qg5 27. Qe4 {
[%csl Rh4][%cal Rd4h4]} (27. Qe4 {Ftacnik} Qh6 28. e6 Bf6 29. exf7+ Kxf7 30.
Qd5+ Kf8 31. Qc5+ Nd6 32. Rxd6 cxd6 33. Qxd6+ $18)) (26... Qh6 27. Qf5 {
[%csl Rc8]} Ra8 28. Ne7+ (28. Rf4 $18 {[%cal Yf5f7] Donev}) (28. Rf4 $18 {
Ftacnik}) 28... Bxe7 29. Bxa8 $18) 27. Bxc6 (27. Qxc6 {Ftacnik} Bxf2+ 28. Kh1
Bxd4 29. Qd7 Bxe5 $19) 27... Qxe5 (27... Qg5+ {Ftacnik} 28. Kh1 $18) 28. Bd7
$18 (28. Rxh4 $4 Qg5+ $17 {[%cal Rg5h4,Rg5g1]} (28... Qg5+ {Ftacnik} 29. Bg2
Qxh4 $19)) 28... Rd8 (28... Qg5+ {Ftacnik} 29. Rg4 $18) 29. Rxh4 {Und Schwarz
gab in verlorener Stellung auf. Ribli.} (29. Rxh4 Rxd7 (29... Nf6 {Ftacnik} 30.
Bc6 Qg5+ 31. Kh1 Rxd1+ 32. Qxd1 Qxh4 33. Qd8+ $18) 30. Qxh7+ (30. Rxd7 Qg5+ 31.
Kf1 $16) 30... Kf8 31. Rxd7 Qg5+ 32. Kf1 Qc1+ 33. Kg2 Qg5+ 34. Kh3 $18) 1-0

[Event "EU-Cup 21st"]
[Site "Saint Vincent"]
[Date "2005.09.24"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "Ftacnik, Lubomir"]
[Black "Borriss, Martin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2596"]
[BlackElo "2424"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2005.09.18"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 110"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Ansfelden"]
[BlackTeam "Berlin SF"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "AUT"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Der slowakische Großmeister wählt den klassischen Aufbau; die andere
Möglichkeit ist 8.a4.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Qc8 {[%cal Gc7c5] Die
Idee des schwarzen Damenzuges ist den Zug 12...c5 zu unterstützen.} 12. Bg5 c5
13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Qxc5 Bxc5 16. Rac1 (16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rfc1 Bb6
18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nd7 20. Nd3 Rfc8 21. a4 (21. Ne4 Kf8 22. g4 Ke7 23. Kf3
Bd4 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. a4 Rc2 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Grischuk,A/Bastia 2003/(53)})
21... Rxc1 22. Rxc1 bxa4 23. Ra1 Nc5 24. Nxc5 Bxc5 25. Rxa4 a5 26. Nc4 Rb8 27.
e3 Bb4 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,A-Grischuk,A/Tripoli 2004/(67)}) 16... Nbd7 17. Bxf6
gxf6 {Weiß besitzt eine bessere Bauernstruktur wegen der Doppelbauern auf der
f-Linie und es gibt einige Schwächen am schwarzen Damenflügel, aber die
Stellung ist nahezu ausgeglichen; Schwarz kontrolliert die wichtigsten Punkten.
} 18. Rfd1 {[%cal Gd1d7]} Rfd8 (18... Bb6 19. Nc4 Rad8 20. Nxb6 Nxb6 21. Nd4 (
21. Ne1 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 $14) 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 $14) 19. Nb3 Bb6 20. Rd6 Kf8 (
20... Rac8 21. Rxc8 $14 (21. Rcd1 Nb8 $11) 21... Bxc8 22. Nfd4) 21. Nfd4 {
[%cal Gg2b7][%mdl 32] Der Tausch der weißfarbigen Läufer ist eine übliche
Strategie in dieser Variante.} Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Bxd4 23. Rxd4 (23. Nxd4 Ne5 24.
Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. e3) 23... Ne5 $11 {[%cal Ge5c4,Gc4b2,Gd8d4] Schwarz möchte die
Türme tauschen und sein Springer das c4-Feld okkupieren.} 24. Rc7 Nc4 25. Rh4
Rac8 26. Ra7 (26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Rxh7 Ke7 28. Rh5 f5 $11) 26... Ra8 27. Rb7 (27.
Rxa8 Rxa8 28. Rxh7 Ke7 $11) 27... Rab8 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. Nc5 $14 {[%csl Gc5,
Gh4][%cal Rc5d7,Rd7f8,Rd7b8,Rc5a6][%mdl 4096] Der Material ist reduziert, aber
die weißen Figuren stehen aktiver: der c5N steht stark und es "hängt" immer
noch der h7P.} Rc8 $1 (29... Ke7 30. b3 (30. Nxa6 Ra8 31. a4 Rxa6 (31... bxa4
32. Nc7 $18) 32. axb5 Ra2 33. Rxc4 Rxb2 34. Rh4 Rxb5 35. Rxh7 f5 $14) 30... Nd6
31. Nxa6 Ra8 32. Nb4 $16) 30. Nxa6 Ra8 (30... Nxb2 31. Rb4 Rc2 32. Rxb5 Rxe2
33. Kf1 Rd2 34. Nc5 $14) 31. Nc7 (31. a4 bxa4 32. Rxc4 (32. Nc7 Nxb2 $1 33.
Nxa8 a3 $19) 32... Rxa6 $11) 31... Rxa2 32. Nxb5 Rxb2 33. Nc3 Nd6 34. Rxh7 Rc2
$11 {Nach diesem Zug gewinnt Schwarz den Bauern zurück.} 35. Rh8+ Ke7 (35...
Kg7 36. Rd8 Nc4 $11) 36. Nd1 Rxe2 {Die Stellung ist materiell ausgeglichen.
Auch wenn Weiß einen mikroskopischen Vorteil besitzt aufgrund seines
potentiellen Freibauern auf der h-Linie, kann Schwarz das Remis einfach halten.
} 37. h4 {[%csl Gh4]} (37. Kf1 Rd2 38. Ke1 Rc2 39. h4 $11) 37... f5 (37... Rd2
38. Nc3 (38. Ne3 Ne4 39. Kf3 f5) 38... Rc2 39. Nd1 Rd2 $11) 38. h5 Rd2 39. Nc3
(39. h6 f6 (39... Rxd1 40. Ra8 $18) 40. Ra8 Nf7 $11) 39... f6 {[%cal Gd6f7]} (
39... Rc2 $2 40. h6 $18) 40. Ra8 Nf7 41. Nb5 (41. Ra7+ Kf8 $11) 41... Rd7 42.
Na7 Rc7 43. Nc8+ Kf8 44. Nd6+ Ke7 (44... Kg7 $4 45. Ne8+ $18) 45. Nb5 (45. Nxf7
Kxf7 $11) 45... Rd7 46. Ra6 Ng5 47. Rc6 Kf7 48. Rc7 Rxc7 49. Nxc7 e5 50. f3 Nh7
(50... Kg7 $11) 51. Nd5 Kg7 52. Ne3 Kh6 53. Nxf5+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Astana"]
[Site "Astana"]
[Date "2001.05.20"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2797"]
[BlackElo "2712"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2001.05.20"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "KAZ"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 084"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 36]} 1. d4 {Winants. Ftacnik} Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 {Das ist eine kleine
Überraschung - Kramnik spielt selten die Katalanische Verteidigung.} d5 4. Bg2
Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Auf Großmeisterebene wird dieser Zug oft gespielt.
Er bringt Schwarz in die Nähe des Ausgleichs.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Winants:
'L'une des grandes variantes du début catalan. Les Blancs contrôlent la grande
diagonale vers b7 et disposent d'un avantage d'espace.'} Bd7 {Winants: 'La
méthode consacrée : Les Noirs y projettent de contrecarrer l'action du Bg2
puis d'éliminer le pion central via c5.'} 9. Qxc4 (9. Rd1) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5 {
Natürlich spielt ein so starker Spieler wie Kramnik nicht 10.Nc3?. Danach
könnte sich Schwarz mit 10...b5! bereits Vorteil verschaffen, denn nach dem
Zug der Dame würde b5-b4 mit Tempo folgen.} Bd5 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3 c5) 11... Be4
12. Qd1 {Es ist schwer zu beurteilen, welcher Zug besser ist - 12.Qc1 oder der
Textzug.} (12. Qc1) 12... c5 {Winants: 'Tout cela figure dans les manuels
théoriques. Les Noirs ont pratiquement égalisé.'} 13. dxc5 (13. Nbd2 Bc6 14.
dxc5 (14. Nb3 Nbd7 $11) 14... Bxc5 15. Nb3 Be7 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 Bd5 18.
Ne5 $1 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Donev,I/Austria 1996/CBM 57 ext/[Donev] (53)}) 13...
Bxc5 {Dieser Zug ist - natürlich - viel logischer als der Damentausch auf d1.
Es ist interessant, dass Kramnik in dieser Stellung selbst schon einmal 13..
Qxd1?! gespielt hat.} (13... Qxd1 $6 14. Rxd1 Bxc5 15. Nc3 $14 {1/2-1/2
Khalifman,A-Kramnik,V/Dortmund 2000/CBM 78 (15)} (15. Nc3 Bc6 16. Ne5 $14)) (
13... h6 $5) 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 {Winants: 'La partie semble s'acheminer vers une
nullité ennuyeuse, mais il n'en est rien car les Noirs doivent encore résoudre
quelques problèmes de développement.'} 15. Nbd2 {Mit diesem Springerzug
gewinnt Weiß ein Tempo.} Bc6 {Winants: 'Ce Fou prend la case naturelle du Nb8'}
(15... Bd5 $2 16. e4 Bc6 17. e5 h6 18. Bh4 $16) 16. Nb3 Nbd7 {Ftacnik:
'Achieving any advantage for white in this tough variation is quite a
challenge.'} (16... Bb4 $5 17. Rfc1 Nbd7 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Nfxd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2
Rdc8 $1 (20... Ne5 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Rxc4 Ne8 23. Rac1 Kf8 24. Rb4 Rab8 25. Nc5
$14 {1-0 Savchenko,S-Stefansson,H/2 IECC, Ohrid 2001 (38)}) 21. Nc4 Rab8 22.
Nca5 g5 23. Kf1 Kf8 24. Ke1 {1/2-1/2 Savchenko,S-Pigusov,E/Ohrid 2001/CBM
84_01 (24)}) (16... Be7 $5 17. Na5 ({Supposons :} 17. Rfc1 {Winants} Bd5 18.
Nfd4 Nc6 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Na5 {Et les Blancs conservent quelques atouts.})
17... Bd5 18. Ne1 {'?!' Winants.} Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Nc6) 17. Rfc1 (17. Nxc5 Nxc5
$11 {Weiß hat zwar das Läuferpaar, aber der Pa4 ist schwach; zudem
kontrolliert Schwarz die wichtigsten Felder.}) (17. Bxf6 {Ftacnik} gxf6 18.
Rfd1 (18. Nxc5 {Ftacnik} Nxc5 19. a5 Nb3 20. Ra3 Bd5 $15) 18... Bb4 $11) 17...
Bb6 (17... Bb4 $5 {[%csl Gb4]}) (17... Ba7 $5) 18. Nfd2 $5 {'!' Winants. Weiß
hat nichts besseres - er muss seinen katalanischen Läufer gegen den starken
Bc6 abtauschen.} (18. a5 {Ftacnik} Ba7 19. e3 h6 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. Nfd4 Bxg2
22. Kxg2 Nd5 23. Nc5 Rdc8 $15) 18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 $11 {Weiß hat nur eine
mikroskopische kleine Initiative - Schwarz hat keine Schwächen. Ich möchte
aber an dieser Stelle darauf hinweisen, dass Kramnik in solch "langweiligen"
Stellungen vielleicht der stärkste Spieler der Welt ist. Winants: 'Menaçant
déjà de s'infiltrer sur la septième traverse via a5, puis Rc7.'} Rdc8 {Winants:
'[#]'} (19... Rac8) 20. Bxf6 {'!' Winants. Winants: 'Kramnik prépare le siège
des pions de l'aile Dame (b7 et a6) : Donc cet échange qui permet de jouer
avec deux pièces mineures contre une sur les cases blanches.'} Nxf6 (20... gxf6
21. Ne4 $14) 21. Nc4 Bc7 22. Nc5 {[%csl Gc4,Gc5]} Rab8 $6 {Dieser Zug ist ein
wenig passiv. Winants: 'Un choix difficile :'} (22... b5 $5 $11 23. Nd2 Bd6 24.
Ndb3 Kf8) (22... b6 {Winants échouait sur le sacrifice du Cavalier :} 23. Nxa6
$3 {On voit de quelles pointes sont émaillées des coups d'apparences anodines.}
Rxa6 24. Nd6 Bxd6 ({Si} 24... Rd8 {Winants} 25. Rxc7 Rxd6 26. Rc8+ {et le mat
du couloir}) ({ou} 24... Raa8 {Winants} 25. Nxc8 Rxc8 26. Rc6 {avec un clouage
décisif.}) 25. Rxc8+ Bf8 26. Rd1 h5 27. Rdd8 Nh7 28. Ra8 Rxa8 29. Rxa8 Nf6 30.
b4 {Et le pion passé gagnera bientôt une qualité.}) ({Cependant} 22... b5 $5 {
Winants valait peut-être mieux.}) 23. b4 {Winants: 'Les Noirs sont réduits а
l'expectative. Remarquez comment les Cavaliers blancs parviennent а dominer le
Fou des Noirs.'} Kf8 24. Rab1 {Winants: 'Pour effectuer une percée sur b5.'}
Ke7 (24... b5 25. Nxa6 {'!?' Ftacnik.} bxc4 26. Nxb8 Bxb8 27. b5 $16 {[%csl
Ga4,Gb5]}) 25. b5 Bd8 {Winants: 'Il ne lui reste que la huitième rangée !'} (
25... axb5 26. Rxb5) 26. Nd3 {Winants: 'Vers l'avant-poste e5.'} axb5 27. Rxb5
$14 {[%csl Gb5,Gc1,Gc4,Gd3] Weiß hat eine aktive Figurenstellung und
Initiative am Damenflügel.} b6 $6 (27... Nd7 $1 28. a5 Rc7) (27... Nd7 {
Winants Offrait de meilleures possibilités. Le coup choisi affaiblit c6
inutilement.}) 28. Nde5 {Winants: 'La tâche des Noirs se complique : Il faut
maintenant tenir compte de toute une série de petites menaces désagréables :
Le doublement des Tours sur la colonne -b-, le sacrifice sur f7, la fourchette
sur c6 etc.'} Kf8 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Ftacnik: 'Gelfand makes a serious mistake
and the punishment will be severe. In the endgame without a pawn black 's
chances for survival are not great.' Winants: 'Une faute dans une position
difficile. [#]'} (28... Ne4 $5 29. Rd1 {[%cal Rd1d7,Rd7e7]} f6 (29... Rb7 30.
Rd4 $16) 30. Rd7+ Ke8 (30... Kf8 31. Rxd8+ Rxd8 32. Nc6 $16) 31. Rd4 Nc3 32.
Nd6+ Ke7 (32... Kf8 $4 33. Nd7+ $18) 33. Nxc8+ Rxc8 34. Rd7+ $5 (34. Rc4 Rxc4
35. Nxc4 Nxb5 36. axb5 $11) 34... Ke8 35. Rb4 g5 $132 (35... fxe5 36. Rxg7 $36)
36. Rxd8+ Kxd8 37. Nd3 $11) 29. Nxb6 $1 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt Weiß einen
Bauern. Winants: 'Première récolte !'} Rxc1 {Winants: 'Le moindre mal : Si'} (
29... Bxb6 {Ftacnik} 30. Rxb6 Rxb6 31. Rxc8+ Ke7 32. Ra8 $16) 30. Nbd7+ {
[%cal Rd7b8,Rd7f8]} Nxd7 (30... Ke8 {Ftacnik} 31. Nxb8 Bc7 32. Nd3 $16) 31.
Nxd7+ Ke8 32. Nxb8 $16 {[%mdl 4096] Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, und sein
a-Freibauer ist stark. Aber die Realisierung des Materialvorteils ist nicht
leicht, weil Schwarz mit seinen Turm und Läufer einige Gegenchancen hat.} Rc8
33. Na6 Rc2 {Winants: 'Pour conduire la Tour derrière le pion passé.'} (33...
Ra8 {Ftacnik} 34. Nc5 $16) 34. e3 Ra2 {[%csl Ga2][%cal Ga2h2,Ga2a4] Der
schwarze Turm steht aktiv auf a2. Er kontrolliert gleichzeitig den a-Bauern
und die weißen Bauern am Königsflügel. Ohne Springer und Läufer wäre dieses
Endspiel übrigens theoretisch Remis.} 35. Nc5 {Winants: 'Sans les pièces
mineures, les Noirs auraient encore de bonnes chances nullité. D'ailleurs la
façon dont Kramnik parvient а forcer le gain en harcelant continuellement le
Fou se révèle particulièrement instructive.'} Bc7 (35... Be7 $2 36. Rb8+ Bd8
37. Nb7 $18) 36. Rb7 Kd8 (36... Bd6 37. Ne4 Be7 38. Ra7 $16) 37. Rb4 Ke7 (37...
Bd6 38. Nb7+ Kc7 39. Nxd6 Kxd6 40. Rb7 $18 {[%cal Rb7h7]} Rxa4 41. Rxf7 Rg4 42.
f4 $18) 38. Ne4 f5 39. Rb7 {Winants: 'Voilà : la Tour doit abandonner la case
a2.'} Rc2 (39... fxe4 40. Rxc7+ Kf6 41. Rc4 (41. Ra7 $16) 41... Kf5 42. h3 $16)
(39... Kd7 $2 {Winants} 40. Nc3 Rc2 41. Nb5 {Et gagne.}) 40. Ng5 h6 41. Nf3 {
[%cal Gf3d4] Winants: 'Vers d4 puis b5'} Kf6 42. Nd4 Rc4 43. Nb5 (43. Nb3 $16 {
[%cal Ga4a5]}) 43... Be5 (43... Bd8 {Ftacnik} 44. Rf7+ Kg6 45. Ra7 $18) 44. f4
(44. a5 $16) 44... Bc3 {Winants: '[#]'} (44... Rc2+ {Ftacnik} 45. Kf3 Ba1 46.
h4 $18) 45. Rf7+ $1 {Ftacnik: 'Kramnik is right to exchange rooks, with light
pieces the proces of advantage conversion will be much easier.'} Kxf7 (45...
Kg6 46. Ra7 $16 (46. Rc7 $18 {Ftacnik})) 46. Nd6+ {[%cal Rd6c4,Rd6f7]} Ke7 47.
Nxc4 {[%csl Ga4] Wenn sich an beiden Flügeln Bauern befinden, ist der Läufer
gewöhnlich wertvoller als der Springer. Hier aber hat Weiß einen Mehrbauern
und dank seines entfernten Freibauerns gute Gewinnchancen.} Kd7 48. Kf3 Kc6 49.
e4 {Winants: 'Ouvre un second front pour prendre la défense а contre-pied.'}
Kc5 50. Ne5 fxe4+ (50... Kb4 51. Nd7 Kxa4 52. Nc5+ $16) (50... Bxe5 {Ftacnik}
51. fxe5 fxe4+ 52. Kxe4 Kc4 53. a5 Kb5 54. Kd4 $18) 51. Kxe4 Kb4 52. Nc6+ Kxa4
{Winants: 'Les Noirs ont éliminé le danger а l'aile Dame, mais les problèmes
surgissent de l'autre côté de l'échiquier.'} 53. Nd4 Kb4 (53... Bxd4 54. Kxd4
$18) 54. Nxe6 {[%csl Rb4] Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, aber das Material ist
reduziert. Das Hauptproblem für Schwarz besteht darin, dass sein König
hoffnungslos weit von seinen Bauern entfernt ist.} Kc4 (54... Kb5 55. Kf5 Kc6
56. Kg6 $18) 55. g4 Bf6 56. h3 {Winants: 'Zugzwang !'} Bb2 (56... Kb5 {Winants}
57. Kd5) (56... g6 {Winants} 57. g5 hxg5 58. fxg5 Be7 59. h4 {puis Nf4}) 57. h4
Bc3 58. f5 Bb2 {Winants: '[#]'} 59. Nxg7 $1 $18 {Ftacnik: 'The march of white
pawns is unstoppable, due to their ability to queen they are more valuable
than the knight.' Nach diesem Springeropfer ist Schwarz verloren - die weißen
Bauern gewinnen. Winants: 'Une conclusion élégante !'} (59. g5 $18 {Ftacnik})
59... Bxg7 60. g5 1-0

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 33rd"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2005.07.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2005.07.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 108"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.09.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.09.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Heutzutage ist diese Fortsetzung wieder in der Mode -
die Alternativen sind 10.Bg5 und 10.Bf4.} Ra7 {Das ist die moderne Fortsetzung.
Die Alternativen sind 10...Nbd7 11.Ba5 Rc8 oder 10...Nc6.} 11. Rc1 (11. Rd1
Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qa8 13. Nbd2 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 Bb6 16. Rac1 Bd5 {1/2-1/2
Nielsen,P-Anand,V/Bundesliga 2004/05 (24)}) 11... Be4 12. Qb3 (12. Qd1 Bxf3 $5
13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. Be3 Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 c5 16. a4 bxa4 17. Rxa4 Nbd7 18. Na3 Rb8
19. Nc4 h6 {1/2-1/2 Nielsen,P-Short,N /2nd Internet EUR-ch blitz 2004 (44)})
12... Nbd7 {Das ist ein guter Platz für den Springer - Schwarz möchte mit
c7-c5 die Partie ausgleichen.} (12... Bd5 13. Qe3 Nc6 $2 14. Rxc6 Bxc6 15. d5
$18) (12... Ba8 13. Bb4 $5 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 Bd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qc2 Rc8 17. a4
b4 18. e4 Ba8 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 $14 {0-1 Beliavsky,A-Almasi,Z/HUN tt 2002/(39)
}) 13. Ba5 (13. Bb4 Bd5 14. Qa3 (14. Bxe7 $142 Qxe7 15. Qe3 Rc8 16. Nc3 c5 $11)
14... c5 $5 15. Bxc5 (15. dxc5 a5) 15... Nxc5 16. dxc5 Ne4 17. Ne1 Nxc5 18. Qe3
Bxg2 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Anand,V/Calvia (ol) 2004/(18)}) 13... Qa8 $1 $146 {
[%csl Ga8,Ge4][%cal Ga8g2][%mdl 4] Eine starke Neuerung von Leko, die die
Batterie Qa8-Be4 sehr angriffsstark werden lässt.} (13... Qb8 14. Qe3 $1 (14.
Nbd2 Ba8 15. Bb4 c5 $1 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Rc8 18. Qa3 (18. Qe3 Nd5) 18...
Rac7 19. b4 a5 $1 20. Qxa5 Ra7 21. Qb6 Rb7 22. Qa5 Ra7 $11) 14... b4 (14... Ba8
15. b4 $14 Bd6 16. Nbd2 Nb6 17. Rc2 Bd5 18. Rac1 Qb7 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Nxg2 Nfd5
21. Qb3 f5 {1-0 Johannessen,L-Vaganian,R/Germany 2005/CBM 106/(37)}) 15. Nbd2
Ba8 (15... Bd5 16. Nb3 $5 Rc8 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 19. Kxg2 Qb5 20. Rc2
c5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 23. Rxc5 Nxc5 24. Rc1 Qxa5 25. Rxc5 Qd8 26. Qd4
Qb8 {1/2-1/2 Johannessen,L-Tallaksen,G/Sandnes 2005/(47)}) 16. Nb3 Rc8 $2 17.
Rc2 $1 Be4 18. Ne5 $1 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Kxg2 Qb5 21. Rac1 c6 22. Qf3 Nb8
23. Rc4 Rd7 24. e3 h6 25. Qe2 Re8 26. Qe1 {1-0 Gelfand,B-Harikrishna,P/Bermuda
2005/CBM 106/[Gelfand] (38)}) 14. Nc3 (14. Rxc7 Rxc7 15. Bxc7 Rc8 16. Bf4 Nd5
$44) 14... Bc6 15. a3 {[%cal Ga5b4,Gb4e7]} (15. Bb4 $142 $5 Bd6 16. Qa3 Ne8 17.
Nb1 a5 18. Bxd6 cxd6 19. Nbd2) 15... Bd6 16. Bb4 Qb7 {[%cal Ga6a5] Mit diesem
prophylaktischen Zug verteidigt Schwarz den b5-Bauern, um anschließend 17...a5
zu ziehen.} 17. Rc2 {Auf den ersten Blick eine logische Fortsetzung: Weiß
möchte auf der c-Linie seine Türme verdoppeln. Aber der weitere Spielverlauf
zeigt, dass der Rc2 unglücklich steht.} (17. Nb1 a5 18. Bxd6 cxd6 19. Nbd2 $11)
17... a5 18. Bxd6 cxd6 $11 {Jetzt ist die Bauernstellung symmetrisch und
Schwarz hat eine bequeme Stellung.} 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Nxg2 b4 $1 21. Na4 $6 (21.
axb4 axb4 22. Rxa7 Qxa7 23. Qxb4 Qa1+ $19) (21. Nd1 $5) 21... Qe4 $15 {[%csl
Ge4] Die schwarze Dame steht ausgezeichnet auf e4.} 22. Rd1 Rb7 {[%csl Ra4,Rb3,
Rc2][%cal Gb7b2]} 23. Ne3 (23. f3 bxa3 24. Qc3 $1 {Diese Fortsetzung ist sehr
schwer auf dem Brett zu finden.} Qd5 (24... Qg6 25. Nf4) (24... Qf5 25. e4) 25.
Qxa3 Rb3 26. Nc3 $1 $11) 23... bxa3 (23... Rfb8 $5) 24. Qxa3 Ng4 $1 {[%csl Rc2,
Re3,Ge4,Gg4]} 25. Qd3 (25. Rdc1 Nxe3 26. Qxe3 Qxe3 27. fxe3 Nf6 $15) 25... Qxd3
26. Rxd3 Nxe3 27. Rxe3 $1 {Weiß opfert den d4-Bauern und strebt zu aktivem
Gegenspiel.} (27. fxe3) 27... Rb4 {[%cal Rb4a4,Rb4d4]} 28. Ra3 (28. Rc7 Nf6 $1
$17) 28... Rxd4 {Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr, aber die technische Verwertung
des Materialsvorteil ist gar nicht leicht, da sowohl der Bauer auf a5 ist als
auch das Material reduziert ist.} 29. Nc3 Ra8 30. Nb5 {[%csl Gb5]} Rd5 (30...
Rd1+ 31. Kg2) 31. Nc7 $2 (31. Nc3 Rc8 (31... Rc5 32. b4) (31... Re5 32. f4) (
31... Rh5 32. b4 {[%cal Gc2a2,Ga2a8]} Nb6 33. Ne4 Rb5 (33... d5 $2 34. Rxa5 $16
) (33... a4 34. Nxd6 $132) 34. bxa5 Rbxa5 35. Rxa5 Rxa5 36. Nxd6 $11 (36. Rc6
$11)) 32. b4 Rd1+ (32... axb4 $2 33. Nxd5 $1 $18) 33. Nxd1 Rxc2 34. bxa5 Rc1 (
34... Rxe2 $1 35. a6) 35. a6 Rxd1+ 36. Kg2 Kf8 37. a7 Nb6 38. Rb3 Ra1 39. Rxb6
Rxa7 40. Rxd6 $11) 31... Rc8 $1 $17 {[%csl Rc2,Rc7][%cal Gc8c2] Das ist der
Schlüsselzug für Schwarz, wonach er gute Gewinnchancen hat.} 32. Nxd5 Rxc2 33.
Nc3 Rxb2 34. Rxa5 g6 {[%mdl 4096] Der schwarze Mehrbauern und eine gute
Spieltechnik sollten zur Verwertung des schwarzen Vorteils ausreichen.} 35.
Ra8+ Rb8 36. Ra7 (36. Rxb8+ Nxb8 $17) 36... Nf6 37. f3 d5 38. Kf2 g5 $1 39. Na4
(39. h3 $5 $17) 39... g4 $1 {Schwarz spielt das Endspiel (wie gewöhnlich) sehr
stark. Schwarz tauscht seinen g-Bauern und bekommt im Zentrum einen Freibauern
.} 40. Nc5 gxf3 41. Kxf3 {[%csl Gd5,Ge6]} (41. exf3 Rb2+ $17) 41... Rb1 42.
Ra8+ Kg7 43. Ra7 Rb6 (43... Kg6) 44. Nd3 Ne4 45. Ne5 Nd6 46. Kf2 Rb7 $1 47. Ra2
(47. Rxb7 Nxb7 $17) 47... Kf6 48. Nd3 Ne4+ 49. Kg2 Nc3 50. Rc2 d4 $1 51. Kf3 (
51. e3 Nd1 $19) 51... Rb3 $1 52. Nc5 Ra3 53. Kg2 Ke7 54. Rd2 Kd6 55. Nb7+ Kd5
$19 {[%csl Ga3,Rb7,Gc3,Gd4,Gd5] Die Zentrumsstellung des schwarzen König
entscheidet die Partie. Der Nb7 steht sehr weit entfernt vom Spielgeschehen.}
56. Nd8 f5 57. e3 e5 58. exd4 exd4 59. Rf2 d3 60. Rxf5+ Kc4 0-1

[Event "Poikovsky Karpov 02nd"]
[Site "Poikovsky"]
[Date "2001.05.06"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Lputian, Smbat G"]
[Black "Leitao, Rafael Duailibe"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2607"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2001.05.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 084"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 {Die Hauptidee
dieses Zuges ist, die Entwicklung des Damenflügels zu beenden, während der
Gegner mit der Rückeroberung des Bauern beschäftigt ist.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Heutzutage ist dieser Zug viel beliebter, als die alte Fortsetzung 8.Qxc4,
wonach Schwarz 8...b5 ziehen und sich nach 9...Bb7 bessere Ausgleichschancen
verschaffen kann als nach 8.a4. Der Textzug schwächt zwar das Feld b4, aber
das hat keine sonderliche Bedeutung. Wichtiger ist, dass Schwarz nicht mit
Tempo b7-b5 ziehen und seinen Läufer nach b7 entwickeln kann.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6
10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 (12. Qd1) 12... h6 {Schwarz lässt die weitere
Entwicklung seines Damenflügels noch offen, zuerst möchte er den Bg5 verjagen
oder abtauschen.} (12... c5) (12... a5) (12... Nc6) 13. Bxf6 {Dieser Tausch
sieht natürlich aus, aber 13.Bf4 ist auch gut spielbar.} (13. Bf4 Nd5 (13...
Nc6 14. Rd1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Nxd4 16. Kg2 c5 17. e3 Nb3 18. Rxd8 Nxc1 19. Rxa8
Rxa8 20. Bxb7 Ra7 21. Bc6 Nb3 22. Bb8 {1-0 Tkachiev,V-Adams,M/Cannes FRA 2001/
The Week in Chess 332 (45)}) 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Rd1 Nxf4 17. Qxf4 Nd7
(17... a5 $5) 18. a5 Rc8 19. Ra4 Qc7 20. Qc1 Rfd8 21. Qa1 Nf6 22. Rc4 {1-0
Sulava,N-Arlandi,E/2 IECC, Ohrid 2001 (58)}) 13... Bxf6 14. Nc3 (14. Rd1 c6 15.
a5 (15. Nbd2 Bxf3 16. Nxf3 a5 17. e4 Na6 18. h4 Nb4 {1/2-1/2 Ivanisevic,
I-Markovic,Z/Herceg Novi YUG 2001/(42)}) 15... Be7 16. Qe3 Bxb1 17. Rdxb1 Nd7
18. Qb3 Rb8 19. Rc1 Bd6 20. Nd2 Bc7 21. Qc3 Qe7 22. e3 Rfc8 {1/2-1/2 Savchenko,
S-Kruppa,Y/Ohrid MKD 2001/(39)}) 14... Bh7 {Dieser Läuferzug gefällt mir nicht.
Schwarz möchte den Läufer nicht tauschen, aber in der ganzen Partie nimmt der
Bh7 die Rolle eines passiven Zuschauers ein. Viel einfacher und besser scheint
der Plan 14...Bxf3 und 15...c6 mit einer "Stonewallstellung".} (14... Bxf3 $5
15. Bxf3 c6 16. e3 a5 17. h4 Na6 $11 18. h5 Qe7 19. Rd1 Rfd8 20. Qc2 (20. Ne4
Nb4 $11) 20... Nb4 {1/2-1/2 Bareev,E-Anand,V/Shenyang 2000/CBM 79/[Ribli] (33)}
) 15. Rd1 c6 (15... a5 {[%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4]}) 16. a5 {[%mdl 4] Weiß gewinnt
weiter Raum am Damenflügel. In der Folge kann der Springer über a4 nach c5
oder b6 ziehen.} (16. Ne5 Nd7 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Ne4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 {1/2-1/2
Ricardi,P-Short,N/Buenos Aires 2000/CBM 80_02 (19)}) 16... Nd7 (16... Qc7 {
Mit diesem - ein wenig - sonderbaren Zug kann Schwarz 17.Ne5 verhindern.} 17.
d5 $5 cxd5 (17... Rd8 18. dxe6 Rxd1+ 19. Qxd1 fxe6 20. Qb3 $14) 18. Nxd5 Qxc1
19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. Raxc1 Nc6 21. Nd4 Nxa5 22. b4 Nc6 23. Nxc6 bxc6 24. Rxc6 $14
) 17. Ne5 Qc7 (17... Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qc7 19. f4 $14) 18. Nxd7 (18. Nc4 $5) 18...
Qxd7 19. Na4 $14 {[%csl Yb6,Yc5][%cal Ra4b6,Rb6a8,Rb6d7] Der Na4 steht
ausgezeichnet. Der schwarze Damenflügel ist blockiert. Die Hoffnung von
Schwarz muss nun im Plan e6-e5 liegen.} Qc7 20. Nc5 {[%csl Gc5]} Rfd8 (20... e5
$2 21. dxe5 Bxe5 22. Rd7 $16) 21. Qc4 Rd6 (21... e5 22. d5 cxd5 23. Bxd5 $14 {
[%csl Gd5]}) 22. Qb4 {[%csl Gb4,Gc5]} Rb8 23. e3 Be7 {[%cal Ge7b4]} (23... e5
$5) 24. Qc3 Qd8 25. Bf3 {Weiß hat Raumvorteil und die bessere Figurenstellung.
Da er keinen konkreten Plan findet, verbessert er zunächst in kleinen
Schritten seine Stellung.} Bf6 26. Kg2 {Dieser prophylaktische Zug ist immer
nützlich in solchen Stellungen - Weiß geht eventuellen Schachs auf der
Grundlinie aus dem Wege.} Qc7 27. Ra4 {[%cal Ga4b4] Weiß bereitet seinen
Angriff auf den Pb7 mit Qb3-Rb4 vor.} Rdd8 (27... e5 28. dxe5 Rxd1 29. exf6 $14
{Dank des Zuges 26.Kg2 hat Weiß diese Möglichkeit.}) 28. Qb3 Be7 (28... e5 29.
Rb4 exd4 30. exd4 $14) 29. Rc1 e5 {Endlich kommt Schwarz zu seinem ersten
aktiven Zug in dieser Partie.} (29... Bxc5 30. Rxc5 Rd7 31. h4 $14 {Schwarz
hat zwar in der Tat keine Schwächen, aber seine Stellung ist passiv. Er hat
keine Hoffnung auf Gegenspiel.}) 30. Rb4 exd4 31. exd4 Bxc5 {Der Pb7 hängt.
Schwarz muss jetzt den Nc5 abtauschen.} 32. Rxc5 (32. dxc5 $2 Rd3 $132) 32...
Re8 (32... Bg6) 33. Rb6 {[%mdl 32] Weiß hat ein starkes positionelles
Übergewicht am Damenflügel.} (33. d5 Qe7 34. Rc3 cxd5 35. Bxd5 $14) 33... Qd7
34. Rcxc6 $5 (34. Bxc6 Qxd4 (34... Be4+ 35. Bxe4 Rxe4 36. Rd5 $16) 35. Bxe8
Rxe8 36. Rc1 Be4+ 37. Kg1 Bc6 38. Rxb7 Bxb7 39. Qxb7 $16) 34... Bf5 $1 {
[%cal Rf5h3,Rh3g2]} (34... Qxd4 35. Rc7 $18) 35. h4 Qxd4 36. Rc7 Re6 (36... Be6
37. Qc3 $16) 37. Rxe6 (37. Rbxb7 $16) 37... Bxe6 38. Qb6 Qe5 (38... Qd2 39.
Rxb7 Rxb7 40. Bxb7 $16) 39. Rxb7 $16 Rxb7 40. Bxb7 {Weiß hat endlich einen
Bauern gewonnen. Auch der Pa6 ist schwach.} Bc4 (40... Bd5+ 41. Bxd5 Qxd5+ 42.
Kh2 $16) 41. b4 Qe2 {Die Dame sieht gefährlich aus auf e2, aber sie droht
nichts. Schwarz hat nicht mehr als ein Schach auf f1.} 42. Bc6 {[#]} h5 43. b5
$1 {Dieses vorübergehende Bauernopfer ist sehr stark - der weiße a-Bauer wird
nun freigesetzt.} Qf1+ 44. Kh2 Qe2 45. Qc5 {[%cal Rb5b6] Droht 46.b6, deshalb
muss Schwarz auf b5 nehmen.} Bxb5 46. Bxb5 axb5 47. a6 $18 {[%csl Ga6]} Qf3 48.
Kg1 Qd1+ 49. Kg2 {Und in hoffnungsloser Stellung gab Schwarz auf - er kann
weder seinen Pb5 verteidigen noch den weißen a-Bauern aufhalten.} 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0405"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2005.01.30"]
[Round "9.2"]
[White "Johannessen, Leif Erlend"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2519"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2004.11.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 106"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Wattenscheid"]
[BlackTeam "Porz"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

{[%mdl 1]} 1. d4 {Ftacnik} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O
dxc4 {Vaganian spielt die Klassische Variante. Schwarz nimmt auf c4 und
während Weiß den Bauern zurück gewinnt, kann Schwarz die Entwicklung seines
Damenflügels beenden.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 {Heutzutage ist dieser Zug wieder in
Mode gekommen; die Alternative 8.a4 ist ebenfalls spielbar.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10.
Bd2 $5 {Mit dieser Fortsetzung bereitet Weiß präventiv Ba5 vor, sollte Schwarz
Nbd7 spielen. Die Alternativen 10.Bf4 und 10.Bg5 sind weniger populär.} Ra7 {
Ein profilaktischer Zug; auf jeden Fall kontrolliert Schwarz nochmal den
c7-Bauern. Jetzt wäre 11.Ba5 nicht sinnvoll wegen 11...Nc6.} 11. Rc1 Be4 12.
Qb3 Nbd7 {Die Eröffnungstheorie entwickelt sich sehr schnell: dieser Zug wurde
zuerst in der Partie Gelfand,B - Anand,V Calvia (ol) 2004 gespielt.} (12... Ba8
13. Bb4 $5 Nbd7 (13... Bxb4 14. Qxb4 Qd6 15. Qc3 Bd5 16. Nbd2 Nc6 17. e3) 14.
Nbd2 Bd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qc2 Rc8 17. a4 b4 18. e4 Ba8 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 $14
{0-1 Beliavsky,A-Almasi,Z/HUN tt 2002/(39)}) (12... Bd5 13. Qe3 Nc6 $2 14. Rxc6
Bxc6 15. d5 Nxd5 16. Qxa7 Nb6 17. Qxa6 Bf6 18. a4 Qd7 19. axb5 Bd5 20. Qa3 Ra8
21. Ba5 $18 {1-0 Nielsen,P-Landa,K/Bundesliga 0405/(53)}) 13. Ba5 $5 {Die
Schlüsselfrage in dieser Variante ist, ob Weiß den Ausgleichszug c7-c5
verhindern kann oder nicht.} (13. Bb4 Bd5 14. Qa3 $2 (14. Bxe7 $142 Qxe7 15.
Qe3 Rc8 16. Nc3 c5 $11) 14... c5 15. Bxc5 (15. dxc5 a5) 15... Nxc5 16. dxc5 Ne4
$15 17. Ne1 Nxc5 18. Qe3 Bxg2 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Anand,V/Calvia 2004/(18)})
13... Qb8 14. Qe3 {[%csl Ge3] Die Dame geht weg von b3, um b2-b4 zu ziehen.} (
14. Nbd2 Ba8 15. Bb4 c5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Rc8 18. Qa3 Rac7 19. b4 a5 $1
20. Qxa5 Ra7 21. Qb6 Rb7 22. Qa5 Ra7 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Vescovi,G/Bermuda BER
2005/(22)}) 14... Ba8 $6 (14... b4 15. Nbd2 (15. a3 $143 bxa3 16. Nxa3 Qxb2 17.
Nc4 Qb7 18. Ncd2 Bd5 19. Rxc7 Qa8) 15... Ba8 (15... Bd5 16. Rc2 (16. Nb3 $5 Bd6
17. Rc2 Qb5 18. Nfd2 Ng4 19. Qd3 Qxd3 20. exd3 $14) 16... Rc8 17. Rac1 $14) 16.
Nb3 Rc8 $2 (16... Nd5 17. Qd2 $1 (17. Qd3 Qb5 18. Nfd2 $1 (18. Ne1) 18... Qxd3
19. exd3 $14) 17... Qb5 18. e4 N5f6 19. d5 $1 exd5 20. Nfd4 Qb8 21. exd5 $16)
17. Rc2 $1 Be4 18. Ne5 $1 Bxg2 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Kxg2 Qb5 21. Rac1 c6 22. Qf3
Nb8 23. Rc4 Rd7 24. e3 h6 (24... Qa4 25. Qd1 Rd5 26. Bxb4 Bxb4 27. a3 $18 {
1-0 Rotstein,A-Boensch,U/Fuerstenfeld 2005 (32)}) 25. Qe2 Re8 26. Qe1 Qa4 27.
Bxb4 $18 {1-0 Gelfand,B-Harikrishna,P/Bermuda BER 2005/(38)}) (14... Nb6 15.
Nbd2 Bd5) (14... Bd6 {Ftacnik} 15. Nbd2 (15. Nc3 Ba8 16. b4 Nb6) 15... Bd5 16.
b4 Re8 $11) 15. b4 $14 {[%csl Gb4,Yc5][%mdl 4] Nach diesem typischem Zug
erhält Weiß positionellen Druck am Damenflügel, der die schwarzen Hoffnung auf
c7-c5 zunichte macht und auch wenn der Ba5 sonderbar, weil abgeschieden steht,
kann Schwarz dies nicht ausnutzen.} Bd6 16. Nbd2 {[%cal Gd2b3,Gb3c5]} Nb6 {
[%cal Gb6c4] '?!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Black is losing the good coordination of
pieces, more chances for the equality were offered by the natural move 16...
Re8.' Der Nb6 zielt auf das Feld c4, somit muss Weiß seinem Springer auf d2
belassen.} (16... Re8 {Ftacnik} 17. Qb3 Bd5 $11) 17. Rc2 Bd5 18. Rac1 {[%cal
Gc1c8]} Qb7 (18... Nc4 19. Nxc4 Bxc4 20. Ne5 {'+/-' Ftacnik.} (20. Nd2 $14)
20... Bxe5 21. Qxe5 $14) 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Nxg2 Nfd5 (20... Re8 $5 {[%cal Ge6e5]
} 21. Qd3 {Ftacnik} e5 22. dxe5 Rxe5 23. Bxb6 Qxb6 24. Rc6 Qb8 25. Nf3 $14) 21.
Qb3 {[%cal Ge2e4]} f5 (21... Nf6 {Ftacnik} 22. Qd3 $14) 22. f3 $16 {[%cal
Ge2e4] Weiß möchte den stolzen d5-Springer mit e2-e4 verjagen.} f4 23. gxf4
Nxf4 (23... Bxf4 24. e4 Bxd2 25. Rxd2 Nc4 26. Rxc4 $1 bxc4 27. Qxc4 {[%csl Rd5]
'+/-' Ftacnik.} Nf6 28. Nf4 $16) 24. Nxf4 Bxf4 25. e3 Bd6 26. Bxb6 $1 {Endlich
kann Weiß seinen Läufer von a5 befreien.} Qxb6 27. Ne4 {[%csl Ge4,Re6][%cal
Gc1c7,Ge4g5] Weiß verfügt über deutlichen Positionsvorteil; es droht 28.Rc6,
28.Ng5 und es "hängt" der Pe6 mit Schach.} Kh8 28. Rc6 (28. Qxe6 $4 Bxh2+ $19)
28... Qb7 29. Qxe6 {Ftacnik: 'Johannessen can claim complete success, apart
from spare pawn all his pieces are better.'} Raa8 (29... Bxb4 30. Ng5 $18) 30.
Ng5 h6 31. Nf7+ Kh7 32. Qf5+ (32. Qd7 $18) 32... Kg8 33. Nxh6+ $1 $18 {[%mdl
64]} gxh6 (33... Kh8 34. Qh5 $18) 34. Qg6+ Kh8 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Qg6+ Kh8 37.
Kf2 {[%csl Rh8][%cal Rc1g1,Rg1g8]} (37. R1c5 $18) 1-0

[Event "Linares Anibal op 04th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Fridman, Daniel"]
[Black "Janjgava, Lasha"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1997.02.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 058"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Heutzutage ist dieser Zug in Mode. Ein paar Jahre zuvor spielte jedermann mit
Weiß 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bf4 oder 10.Bd2. Ribli.} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {
Weiß spielt auf ein starkes Zentrum. Mit dem späteren Bxf6 nebst e2-e4 erhält
er Initiative. Aber der Nachziehande hat eine feste Stellung und das
Läuferpaar, was ein wichtige Faktor ist, wenn sich später die Stellung öffnet.
Ribli.} a5 11. Nc3 Na6 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Ga6b4] Schwarz spielt "slawische"
Motive. Im Slawischen Damengambit nach 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.
a4 haben wir ähnliche Schwächen im weißen Lager. Auf b4 er hat einen ewigen
Festpunkt für seine Springer. Ribli.} 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rad1 {
Die bessere Turmaufstellung wäre Rfd1.Ribli.} (14. Rfd1 b6 15. Ne1 (15. Rac1 $5
) 15... g6 (15... Rc8 $5) 16. e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Bg7 18. Ne3 $14 {Beliavsky,
A-Schneider,A/JUG-chT Tivat/1995/}) 14... Qb8 $146 {Obwohl Schwarz zwei Läufer
hat, verfügt er über keinerlei Aktivität. Er hat einige Schwerigkeiten mit
seinem Figurenaufbau. Die Dame steht nicht besonders gut auf b8, aber auf d8
steht sie im Wege. Ribli.} (14... b6 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Nd4 Bxd4 18.
Rxd4 Ba6 19. Nb5 Qd7 20. Rc1 Rac8 $13 {Taylor,G-Rozentalis,E/Toronto op/1995/})
15. h4 {Eine normaler Zug in solchen Stellungen, er beschränkt die
Moeglichkeiten des Bf6 und gewinnt Raum am Königsflügel. Ribli.} Rd8 (15... g6)
16. Nh2 Ra6 (16... g6 17. Ng4 Bg7 18. e5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 h5 20. Nf6+ (20. Ne3 c6)
20... Bxf6 21. exf6 Nd5 22. Ne4 $13) 17. Ng4 Be7 18. Qe2 Be8 $1 {Schwarz macht
die 6. Reihe frei, und bereitet c7-c6 vor.Ribli.} 19. e5 Qa7 {Die Pointe des
früheren Qb8. Schwarz hat Angriff gegen den weißen Schlüsselbauern d4. Ribli.}
20. Ne3 c6 (20... Rxd4 $2 21. Nb5 $1 Bxb5 22. axb5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rb6 24. Rd7
$18 {[%cal Rd7f7,Rd7c7]}) 21. Qg4 h5 22. Qf4 (22. Qxh5 Rxd4) 22... Nd5 23.
Nexd5 cxd5 24. Bf3 Rb6 $5 (24... g6 25. g4 $36) 25. Rd2 Rb4 {[%csl Ra4,Rb2,Rd4]
} 26. Bxh5 {Weiß hat einen Bauern erobert, aber er kann nicht völlig zufrieden
sein, weil das schwarze Gegenspiel den kleinen Materialverlust voll
kompensiert. Ribli.} Qb6 {[%cal Rb4b2]} 27. Qe3 (27. Rb1 Rc8 $44 {[%cal Rc8c3,
Yb4b1]}) 27... Rc8 (27... Rxb2 $6 28. Rxb2 Qxb2 29. Rb1 Qc2 30. Rxb7 {[%csl
Re7,Rf7][%cal Rb7f7]}) 28. Be2 Rxb2 29. Nb5 Rxd2 30. Qxd2 Bxb5 {[%cal Yb6c7,
Yc7c3] Und hier wurde remis vereinbart. Nach 31.Bxb5 Weiss hat eine
"theoretische" Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel, weil der schwarze b-Bauer
blockiert ist. Aber nach 31...Qc7 hat Weiß keinen Gewinnchancen. Ribli.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Dos Hermanas"]
[Site "Dos Hermanas"]
[Date "1997.04.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1997.04.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 059"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Weiß möchte eine starke Zentrumsposition aufbauen mit
nachfolgendem 11.Nc3, 12.Bxf6 und 13.e4. Er hat Raumvorteil, aber Schwarz hat
eine feste, obwohl ein wenig passive Stellung. Ribli.} a5 (10... Bd5 11. Qd3 c5
12. Nc3 cxd4 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nxd4 Nc6 16. Rfc1 Nxd4 17. Qxd4
Rfd8 18. a5 h6 19. Rc4 Rd7 $11 {Beliavsky,A-Almasi,Z/Budapest,1997.}) 11. Nc3
Na6 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Ra6b4]} 12. Bxf6 (12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Rfd1 Rc8 (13... Bxf3
14. Bxf3 c6 15. e4 Nd7 16. Be3 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Bg2 e5 19. d5 Rfd8 20.
dxc6 bxc6 21. Bf1 Qe7 {1/2-1/2 Gabriel,C-Siegel,G/Bad Woerishofen op 1996}) 14.
Bxf6 (14. Ne5 Bd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb5 c6 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qa7 Ra8 19. Qb7 {
1/2-1/2 Stohl,I-Rozentalis,E/BL9495 1995}) 14... Bxf6 15. e4 b6 16. e5 Be7 17.
Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Qd7 $10 {Kaidanov,G-Dautov,R/URS/1989/0,5/44/}) 12... Bxf6
13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 {Natürlich. Weiß muß die Türme auf d1 und c1 stllen. Ribli.
} (14. Rad1 b6 (14... Qb8 15. h4 Rd8 16. Nh2 Ra6 17. Ng4 Be7 18. Qe2 Be8 19. e5
Qa7 20. Ne3 c6 21. Qg4 h5 {1/2-1/2 Fridman,D-Janjgava,L/Anibal op 1997 (30)})
15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Nd4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Ba6 19. Nb5 Qd7 20. Rc1 Rac8 {
Taylor,G-Rozentalis,E/Toronto op 1995/1/2-1/2 (50)}) 14... Rb8 (14... b6 15. d5
(15. Rac1 Bb7 16. e5 (16. Qe2 Rc8 17. h4 c6 18. Qe3 Qc7 19. e5 Be7 20. Ng5 {
Sorokin,M-Servat,R/San Luis Clarin-GP 1995/1-0 (96)}) (16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Ba6
18. Qb3 Nd3 19. Rb1 Nc5 20. Qc2 Re8 21. h4 Qd6 22. Nd4 Bxd4 23. Rxd4 Re7 {
1/2-1/2 Hjartarson,J-Rozentalis,E/Tilburg blitz 1994 (35)}) 16... Be7 17. Ne1 {
1/2-1/2 Kaidanov,G-Karpov,A/Tilburg 1993}) (15. Ne1 g6 $6 (15... Rc8 $32) 16.
e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Bg7 (17... Be7 $5) 18. Ne3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,A-Shneider,
A/JUG-chT Tivat 1995 (36)}) 15... exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Rd2 Qd7 18. Rad1 Rad8
19. h4 Rfe8 20. Kh1 h6 {1/2-1/2 Panno,O-Adams,M/Buenos Aires Najdorf 1991 (25)}
) 15. Rac1 Qd7 (15... Bxa4 16. Nxa4 b5 17. Qb3 (17. Qxc7 bxa4) 17... bxa4 18.
Qxa4 c6 19. Rc5) 16. b3 Rfd8 (16... Rbd8 17. Qe2 Qc8 18. h4 $14 {Dank seines
Raumvorteils steht Weiß etwas aktiver. Ich möchte auch bemerken, daß in
solchen Stellungen das Läuferpaar weniger wirksam ist. Ribli.}) 17. Qe2 Rbc8
18. h4 {Das ist ein typischer Versuch, mit dem Weiß Raum am Königsflügel
gewinnt. Nach eventuellem 18...g6 kann er mit 19.h5 die Königstellung des
Gegners schwächen. Ribli.} (18. Bh3) 18... Qe8 19. Bh3 $14 {[%cal Gh3c8]} Bd7
20. Nb5 Bxb5 $8 21. axb5 c6 22. bxc6 Rxc6 23. Rc4 h6 24. Bf1 b5 $2 {Judit
möchte - wie gewöhnlich - aktiv spielen, aber dieser Zug schwächt nur die
ganze Stellung. Ribli.} (24... Rxc4 $142 25. bxc4 e5) 25. Rxc6 {[#]} Qxc6 26.
d5 $1 {Ein schöner und typischer positioneller Durchbruch. Karpov erreicht
eine gute Angriffsstellung. Ribli.} exd5 27. e5 {[%csl Yd4] Natuerlich ist das
die Idee von Weiß. Er hat eine gute Springerposition auf d4 und droht e5-e6.
Der schwarze d5-Bauer bleibt schwach, weil Weiß ihn gut blockieren kann. Ribli.
} Be7 28. Nd4 {[%csl Gd4]} Qd7 (28... Qe8 29. Qg4 {[%cal Rd4f5]}) 29. e6 fxe6
30. Bh3 {[%cal Rh3e6,Re6g8,Re6d7] Weiss hat direkten Angriff gegen den
schwarzen König. Ich möchte bemerken, daß Schwarz Schwierigkeiten auf den
weissen Feldern hat. Ribli.} Qe8 31. Qxe6+ Qf7 32. Qb6 {[%csl Ra5,Rb5]} Kh8 $8
33. Qxb5 $138 Ra8 {Weiß hat eine aktive Dame, die bessere Figurenstellung,
einen besonders starken Läufer auf h3, aber er ist in Zeitnot.  Schwarz hat
Verteidigungschancen, der Springer auf b4 hält die Stellung. Ribli} 34. Re1 (
34. Be6 $14 Qe8 35. Bxd5 (35. Bd7) 35... Qxb5 36. Nxb5 Rd8 37. Bf3 {Wegen der
ungleichfarbigen Läufer ist die weiße Königsflügel-Majorität schwer zu
verwerten. Ribli.}) (34. Ne6 $5 {[%cal Ye6f4]}) (34. Qb7 Rf8) 34... Bf6 35. Nf5
Qf8 36. Re6 $6 d4 $13 {In Zeitnot riskiert Karpov zu viel. Sein Turm ist nur
scheinbar aktiv, in Wirklichkeit bekommt Schwarz seine Chancen, weil er den
d-Bauern vorrücken kann. Ribli.} 37. Bg4 {[%cal Gg4d1]} d3 38. Bh5 d2 {[%csl
Gd2]} 39. Rd6 Rd8 $6 (39... g6 $142 $1 {Nach diesem Zug gewinnt Schwarz
Material. Die Frage lautet allerdings, wie gesund seine Bauern sind. Ribli.}
40. Rxd2 (40. Bf3 gxf5 41. Rxd2 $17) (40. Bxg6 $2 Qxd6 $1 41. Nxd6 d1=Q+ $19)
40... gxh5 41. Rd7 Rd8 $17) 40. Rxd8 Qxd8 {In dieser Stellung steht Schwarz -
trotz seines starken Bauern auf d2 - etwas schlechter. Die weißen Felder am
Königsflügel sind schwach. Dieser Nachteil ist aber mikroskopisch, und die
Partie muß remis enden. Ribli.} 41. Ne3 Nd3 {[%cal Rd3b2,Rd2d1]} 42. Nd1 Ne5
43. Ne3 Nd3 {[%csl Gd3]} 44. Qf5 Nb2 $11 {Nach dem Springertausch ist die
Stellung gleich. Ribli.} 45. Nd1 Nxd1 46. Bxd1 {Weiß hat den folgenden Plan:
Er kann den gefährlichen schwarzen d2-Bauen mit Ke2 halten, und eine Aktion
gegen den schwarzen Koenig mit Bc2 beginnen. Ribli.} Kg8 47. Qe6+ Kf8 48. Kg2
Qe7 49. Qc8+ Qd8 {Nach Damentausch ist die Stellung sofort remis. Wegen seines
d2-Bauern hat nun Schwarz einen mikroskopischen Vorteil. Ribli.} 50. Qc5+ Kg8
51. Qc4+ Kh8 52. Qe4 Qe7 53. Qf5 Qd8 54. Kf1 {[%cal Gf1e2]} Qa8 55. Ke2 Qa6+ $1
{Judit gibt auf seinen d2-Bauern,und fuehrt die Partie zum Remis.Ribli.} (55...
Qd8 56. Bc2 $36 {[%cal Rc2h7]}) 56. Kxd2 Qd6+ 57. Kc1 (57. Ke2 Qe5+ 58. Qxe5
Bxe5 $11) 57... Qa3+ 58. Kd2 (58. Kb1 $4 Qb2#) 58... Qd6+ {Weiß kann nicht
abweichen. Er muß die Damen tauschen, was zum sofortige Remis führt. Ribli.}
59. Ke2 Qe5+ 60. Qxe5 Bxe5 {Dieses Endspiel mit ungleichfarbigen Läufern ist
leicht haltbar. Am einfachsten stellt Schwarz seinen König nach f8 und zieht
auf der Diagonalen z.B.a5-e1 mit seinem Läufer. Weiß kann - trotz seines
Bauernvorteil - nicht vorankommen. Ribli.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bundesliga 0405"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2004.11.28"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Landa, Konstantin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2571"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2004.11.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 105"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.04.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Wattenscheid"]
[BlackTeam "Muelheim Nord"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Heutzutage ist die Alternative 8.a4 populärer, diese klassische Fortsetzung
wird weniger gespielt.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 {Dieser Zug ist in der
letzten Zeit beliebt geworden, da Schwarz mit dieser Fortsetzung
Angriffsmotive auf der Diagonale h1-a8 vermeidet und anschließend Nbd7 und Qa8
spielen kann.} 11. Rc1 (11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. Ba5 Qa8 13. Nbd2 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15.
Nb3 Bb6 16. Rac1 Bd5 {1/2-1/2 Nielsen,P-Anand,V/Bundesliga 2004/05 (24)}) 11...
Be4 12. Qb3 (12. Qd1 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. Be3 Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 c5 16. a4 bxa4
17. Rxa4 Nbd7 18. Na3 Rb8 19. Nc4 h6 {1/2-1/2 Nielsen,P-Short,N/playchess.com
INT 2004/(44)}) 12... Bd5 {Natürlich geht 12...Bxf3?! 13.Bxf3 Qxd4?? nicht, da
Weiß sofort mit 14.Be3 gewinnt. Die Alternative 12...Nbd7!? kommt in Betracht.}
(12... Nbd7 $5 13. Bb4 Bd5 14. Qa3 c5 $5 15. Bxc5 Nxc5 16. dxc5 Ne4 17. Ne1
Nxc5 18. Qe3 Bxg2 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Anand,V/Calvia 2004/}) 13. Qe3 $5 {
[%cal Ge3a7] Die Dame steht sonderbar auf e3, aber Weiß möchte Nc3 und
möglicherweise Qd3 spielen, mit der Idee e2-e4.} Nc6 $4 {[%mdl 8192] Ein
unglaublicher Fehler - das weiße Kombinationsspiel ist zwar nicht typisch,
aber ganz einfach.} (13... Nbd7 14. Nc3 Ba8 15. a3 (15. d5 Bc5) 15... c5 $11) {
[#]} 14. Rxc6 $1 Bxc6 15. d5 {[%csl Ra7,Rc6][%cal Re3a7,Rd5c6]} Nxd5 16. Qxa7 {
Schwarz hat nur einen Bauern für den Springer.} Nb6 17. Qxa6 $16 {Die weiße
Dame steht etwas unglücklich auf a6, aber Schwarz kann das nicht ausnutzen.}
Bf6 (17... Qd6 18. Qa3 $18) 18. a4 $1 {Mit diesem Zug befreit Weiß seine Dame.}
Qd7 {[%cal Rf8a8,Ra8a6] Jetzt droht schon 19...Ra8 mit Damenfang, aber es ist
zu spät.} (18... bxa4 19. Qa5 Bxb2 20. Ra2 $16) 19. axb5 Bd5 (19... Ra8 20.
bxc6 Rxa6 21. Rxa6 Qxc6 22. Nc3 $18) (19... Bxb5 20. Qa3 Bxe2 21. Bc3 Ra8 (
21... Qd1+ 22. Ne1 Nc4 23. Qa7 Nxb2 24. Nd2 $18) 22. Qxa8+ Nxa8 23. Rxa8+ Bd8
24. Nd4 $18) 20. Qa3 Ra8 21. Ba5 Nc4 (21... Qxb5 22. Nc3 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Nc4 24.
Qb4 $18) 22. Qb4 Bxb2 23. Ra2 Bf6 24. e4 $1 Bxe4 25. Qxc4 Qd1+ (25... Bd5 26.
Qd3 $18) 26. Qf1 Qxf1+ 27. Kxf1 Bxb1 28. Nd2 $18 {[%cal Rg2a8,Rd2b1][%mdl 2048]
Nach dieser Vereinfachung hat Weiß einfach eine Figur mehr und steht auf
Gewinn.} (28. Ra3 $18) 28... Bd3+ (28... Bxa2 29. Bxa8 $18) 29. Kg1 Ra7 30. Bf1
Bxf1 31. Kxf1 h5 32. Ne4 Be7 33. Nc3 Bf6 34. Bb4 Rb7 {Schwarz ist total
verloren und ich glaube, in einem Einzelturnier hätte er die Partie aufgegeben.
Aber in der Bundesliga spielt man für die Mannschaft weiter.} 35. Ra5 Kh7 36.
Ne4 Bd4 37. Bc5 Bb2 38. Ke2 Kg6 39. Kd3 Kf5 40. f3 g5 41. Bd4 (41. Bd6 $1 Kg6 (
41... cxd6 42. Nxd6+ $18) 42. Nc5 $18) 41... Bxd4 42. Kxd4 Rb6 43. h3 h4 44.
gxh4 gxh4 45. Ke3 (45. Kc5 Kf4 46. Ra7 $18) 45... Ke5 46. Nc3 Kd6 47. Ra6 Kc5
48. Ra7 (48. Rxb6 cxb6 49. Kf4 Kd4 50. Kg4 Kxc3 51. Kxh4 $18) 48... Kd6 49. Ra4
f5 50. Kd4 Ke7 51. Kc5 Kf6 52. Rxh4 Rd6 53. Rd4 1-0

[Event "Gausdal Classic"]
[Site "Gausdal"]
[Date "2004.09.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Johannessen, Leif Erlend"]
[Black "Sammalvuo, Tapani"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2538"]
[BlackElo "2445"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2004.09.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 104"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.01.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 (12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 Bb7 14. Bf4
Nd5 15. Rd1 Nd7 16. Nc3 c5 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Ne5 Rc8 20. Bxd5
exd5 21. Qd2 Ne6 22. Rac1 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 Bc5 24. Nd3 $14 {1-0 Almasi,I-Kaunas,K/
Gyula 1993/EXT 97 (82)}) 12... Nd5 13. Rd1 $146 {[%cal Gd1d8] White has not
yet developed his b1-knight. he would like to prevent the advance c7-c5 if
possible. Later White can perhaps bring his knight into play via d2-b3.
However, the natural developing move of the knight 13.Nc3 seems better to me. 
Weiß entwickelt noch nicht den b1-Springer. Er möchte den Durchbruch c7-c5
wenn möglich verhindern. Später kann Weiß vielleicht seinen Springer über
d2-b3 ins Spiel bringen. Trotzdem, der natürliche Springerentwicklungszug 13.
Nc3 erscheint mir besser.} Nxf4 14. gxf4 {A common motif in this variation -
White has doubled pawns on the f-file, but the f4-pawn controls the important
central square e5. Ein wichtiges Motiv in dieser Variante - Weiß hat einen
Doppelbauern auf der f-Linie, aber der f4P kontrolliert das wichtige
e5-Zentrumsfeld.} (14. Qxf4 c5 (14... Qd6) 15. Nc3 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Qb6 $11) 14...
c5 {[%mdl 4] In this variation, Black must practically always aim for c7-c5 to
free his position. In dieser Variante muss Schwarz praktisch immer c7-c5
spielen und seine Stellung befreien.} (14... Nd7 $5 {[%cal Gc7c5]}) 15. dxc5 (
15. Nc3 cxd4 (15... b4 16. Na4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qd5+ 19. Kg1 Qa5 20.
b3 Rd8 $13) 16. Nxd4 Qb6 $11) 15... Qc7 16. Ne5 (16. b4 $2 a5 $15) 16... Bxg2
17. Kxg2 Bxc5 $11 18. Nc3 Ra7 $6 (18... Bd6 $11) 19. Ne4 $14 Be7 (19... Qb7 20.
f3 Bb6 21. Rd6 $14 (21. Nd6 Qc7 $11)) 20. Qe3 {[%csl Ge4,Ge5][%cal Ga1c1,Gc1c7]
White has a strong central knight and gets into the game with 21.Rac1, whereas
Black has problems co-ordinating his pieces.  Weiß hat einen starken Springer
im Zentrum und er kommt mit 21.Rac1 ins Spiel, während Schwarz Schwierigkeiten
mit der Figurenkoordination hat.} Rb7 21. Rac1 {[%csl Rb8] All White's pieces
are actively posted, whereas the future does not look rosy for the knight on
b8.  Alle weißen Figuren stehen aktiv, aber der b8N hat keine rosige
Perspektiven...} Qa5 22. Ng5 (22. a3 $14) 22... Bxg5 (22... Qxa2 $2 23. Qe4 $18
{[%cal Re4b7,Re4h7]}) (22... Rc7 23. Nexf7 $1 Rxf7 24. Qxe6 Bxg5 25. b4 $1 Rxc1
26. Rxc1 Qd8 27. Rc8 Bf6 28. Rxd8+ Bxd8 29. Qc8 $18) 23. fxg5 Qxa2 $2 (23...
Rc7 $142) 24. Qe4 {[%csl Rb7][%cal Re4b7]} Ra7 (24... Rb6) 25. Rc3 $40 {
[%cal Rc3h3,Re4h7]} Qxb2 {Black has two extra pawns, but that is of no
importance since White has a decisive attack on the kingside.  Schwarz hat
zwei Bauern mehr, aber das hat keine Bedeutung, weil Weiß einen überlegenen
Angriff am Königsflügel hat.} 26. Rh3 f5 (26... g6 27. Ng4 {[%cal Rg4f6,Rf6g8]}
f5 28. Qxe6+ $18) 27. gxf6 gxf6 28. Rg3+ (28. Rd7 $1 $18) (28. Qg4+ $1 Rg7 29.
Rg3 Rxg4 30. Rxg4+ Kh8 31. Nf7+ $18) 28... Kh8 29. Rd4 $1 $18 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4,
Ge5,Gg3,Rh8][%mdl 128] Threatens 30.Ng6+ with a winning attack. With this
continuation, White restricts the sphere olf activity of the black queen on
the a1-h8 diagonal. Droht 30.Ng6+ mit siegreichem Angriff. Mit dieser
Fortsetzung beschränkt Weiß den Wirkungskreis der Dame auf der a1-h8 Diagonale.
} Qc1 (29... fxe5 30. Qxe5+ $18) 30. Qh4 (30. Ng6+ hxg6 31. Qxg6 Qg5 32. Rxg5
fxg5 33. Qh6+ Kg8 34. Qxe6+ $18) 30... Rg7 31. Rxg7 (31. Qxf6 $1 $18) 31...
Kxg7 32. Rg4+ Kh8 33. Ng6+ Kg7 34. Nxf8+ 1-0

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 13th"]
[Site "Leon"]
[Date "2001.11.08"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2643"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "140"]
[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 "Germany"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SLO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist die
klassische Variante der Katalanischen Eröffnung. Schwarz nimmt den c4-Bauern
und während Weiß ihn zurückgewinnt, kann er die Entwicklung (des Damenflügels)
beenden.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 {Großmeister Beliavsky spielt diese
Variante mit beiden Farben.} 10. Bg5 Bd5 (10... Nbd7) (10... a5) 11. Qc2 (11.
Qd3) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 {Die Hauptidee des Textzuges ist, dass Weiß das d1-Feld
für den Turm reserviert und die Dame verhindert die Ausgleichsmöglichkeit
c7-c5.} h6 (12... Nc6 13. e3 Nb4 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. a5 $14) (12... a5 13. Nc3 Bd5
(13... Bc6) 14. Re1 Nc6 15. e4 Bc4 16. Nb5 Bd3 17. Qd1 (17. Nc3 Bc4) 17... Nb4
18. Nc3 h6 19. Bf4 c5 20. e5 Nfd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Re3 Bc2 23. Qd2 $11) 13.
Bxf6 (13. Bf4 Nd5 (13... Nc6 14. Rd1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Nxd4 16. Kg2 c5 17. e3 Nb3
18. Rxd8 Nxc1 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Bxb7 Ra7 21. Bc6 {1-0 Tkachiev,V-Adams,M/
Cannes 2001/CBM 82/[Ribli] (45)}) (13... Bd6 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. a5 Nbd7 16. Re1
Bxf4 17. Qxf4 Nd5 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Rac1 Nf6 20. h4 Ne8 21. Ne5 Bb5 22. e4 Nd6
23. exd5 {1/2-1/2 Mikhalevski,V-Kruppa,Y/Panormo GRE 2001/(37)}) 14. Nc3 Bxf3
15. Bxf3 c6 16. Rd1 Nxf4 17. Qxf4 a5 (17... Nd7 18. a5 $1 Rc8 19. Ra4 Qc7 20.
Qc1 Rfd8 21. Qa1 Nf6 22. Rc4 {1-0 Sulava,N-Arlandi,E/2 IECC, Ohrid 2001 (58)})
18. h4 Nd7 19. Qe4 {1/2-1/2 Khalifman,A-Bologan,V/Panormo GRE 2001/(19)}) 13...
Bxf6 14. e3 (14. Nc3 Bxf3 (14... Bh7 $6 15. Rd1 c6 $2 (15... a5 $1 16. Ne5 c6
17. Ne4 (17. Be4 $5 $14) 17... Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Nd7) 16. a5 $1 Nd7 17. Ne5 Qc7 18.
Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Na4 $16) 15. Bxf3 c6 16. e3 a5 {1/2-1/2 Cebalo,M-Ribli,Z/Cro Cup
2001/[2/1] (16)}) (14. Rd1 c6 (14... a5 $5) 15. Nbd2 (15. a5 Be7 16. Qe3 Bxb1
17. Rdxb1 Nd7 18. Qb3 Rb8 19. Rc1 Bd6 20. Nd2 Bc7 21. Qc3 Qe7 22. e3 {1/2-1/2
Savchenko,S-Kruppa,Y/Ohrid MKD 2001/(39)}) 15... Bxf3 16. Nxf3 a5 17. e4 Na6
18. h4 Nb4 19. Qc4 Qb6 20. Rd2 Rac8 21. Rad1 Rfe8 {1/2-1/2 Ivanisevic,
I-Markovic,Z/Herceg Novi YUG 2001/(42)}) 14... a5 {[%cal Gb8a6,Ga6b4] Mit
diesem Zug verhindert Schwarz die Raumgewinnungsmöglichkeit a4-a5 und bereitet
den Plan Na6-Nb4 vor.} 15. Nc3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 {Weiss hat Raumvorteil im
Zentrum, aber die schwarze Stellung ist sehr fest.} 17. Rd1 (17. h4 Na6 $11 18.
h5 Qe7 19. Rd1 Rfd8 20. Qc2 Nb4 21. Qb3 Rac8 {1/2-1/2 Bareev,E-Anand,V/
Shenyang 2000/CBM 79/[Ribli] (33)}) (17. Ne4 Na6 18. Nc5 Nxc5 19. Qxc5 Be7 20.
Qc2 Qb6 21. Rfd1 Rfd8 22. Rd3 Rd7 23. Rad1 Rad8 24. b3 g6 25. Bg2 Bf6 26. Qc4
Kg7 27. Be4 {1/2-1/2 Koskinen,H-Arlandi,E/Bratto ITA 2001/(27)}) 17... Na6 {
[%cal Ga6b4]} 18. Qc2 Nb4 $11 {[%csl Gb4] Der Springer steht ausgezeichnet auf
b4.} 19. Qe4 (19. Qb3 $11) 19... Qe7 20. Rd2 (20. Rac1 $11) 20... Rad8 21. Rad1
{Weiss verdoppelt die Türme auf der d-Linie, aber mit (nach Vorbereitung)
d4-d5 kann er nicht im Zentrum sprengen, da Schwarz auch sehr stark auf der
d-Linie steht.} Rd7 22. Qg4 (22. h4 $11) 22... Rfd8 {Schwarz verdoppelt die
Türme auch auf der d-Linie und möchte später entweder e6-e5 oder (lieber)
c6-c5 spielen.} 23. Ne4 {[%cal Ge4c5]} b6 24. Be2 (24. Nxf6+ $6 Qxf6 $15 {
[%cal Gc6c5]}) 24... g6 {Schwarz möchte seine Läuferstellung verbessern.} 25.
Bc4 Bg7 26. Qe2 {Endlich kommt die Dame nach Hause.} Nd5 $1 {[%csl Yb4][%cal
Ge7b4][%mdl 32] Mit diesem Zug befreit Schwarz das b4-Feld für die Dame.} (
26... c5 27. dxc5 Rxd2 28. Rxd2 Rxd2 29. Qxd2 bxc5 30. b3 $14 {Die weiße
Bauernstruktur ist ein wenig besser und die weiße Dame kontrolliert die
einzige offene Linie.}) 27. Nc3 Qb4 (27... Nxc3 28. bxc3 $11) 28. Rc2 Nc7 29.
Rdc1 (29. Rcd2 c5 30. dxc5 Rxd2 31. Rxd2 Rxd2 32. Qxd2 Qxc4 (32... Qxc5 $11)
33. Qd8+ Bf8 34. Qxc7 Qxc5 $11) 29... c5 $15 {Mit diesem Zug übernimmt Schwarz
die Führung - der g7B wird aktiver als der weiße Läufer auf c4.} 30. dxc5 Qxc5
31. h4 {[%cal Gd8d1]} (31. Nb5 Qb4 $15) 31... Qf5 {Die schwarze positionelle
Drohung ist 32...Bxf3 und nach 33.Rxc3 kann Schwarz 33...Rd2 spielen, weil
nach 33.bxc3 die weißen Bauern am Damenflügel schlecht sind.} 32. Qe1 Qg4 {
[%csl Gg4]} 33. Be2 (33. Qe2 Qxe2 34. Bxe2 Rd2 35. Ne4 Rxc2 36. Rxc2 Nd5 $15)
33... Qb4 {Die schwarze Dame ist viel aktiver als die weiße Kollegin.} 34. Bf3
(34. Nb5 Nd5 $15) 34... Na6 {[%cal Ga6c5]} (34... Bxc3 35. Rxc3 Nd5 36. Bxd5
Rxd5 $15) 35. Bc6 Rd6 36. Nb5 Qxe1+ 37. Rxe1 Rd2 {Schwarz hat das bessere
Figurenspiel.} 38. Rxd2 (38. Re2 Rxc2 39. Rxc2 Nb4 $17) 38... Rxd2 39. b3 Nc5 {
[%csl Gc5,Gd2][%cal Gg7a1]} 40. Rb1 Nd3 {[%csl Gd2,Gd3,Gg7][%mdl 2048]} (40...
Rd3) 41. Rf1 Bf8 {[%cal Gf8c5,Gc5g1]} 42. Nd4 Bc5 {Die schwarze Drohung ist 43.
..Bxd4 44.exd4 Nb4, mit Bauerngewinn.} 43. Bb5 (43. Nf3 Rxf2 44. Rxf2 Bxe3 45.
Kf1 Bxf2 (45... Nxf2 $19) 46. Ke2 Nb4 47. Kxf2 Nxc6 $19) 43... Ne5 {Jetzt ist
die Drohung 44...Bxd4 und 45...Nf3+.} (43... Bxd4 44. exd4 (44. Bxd3 Rxd3 $19)
44... Nb4 $17) 44. Ne2 Rb2 45. Rd1 (45. Bc4 $4 Nxc4 $19) 45... Rxb3 $17 {
Schwarz hat einen Bauern mehr, aber der b5B blockiert gut die schwarzen Bauern
am Damenflügel, so ist die Verwertung des Vorteils noch nicht leicht.} 46. Nf4
Rb2 47. Kf1 Ra2 48. Nd3 Ng4 {Droht 49...Bxe3.} 49. Rc1 Kg7 (49... Bxe3 $6 50.
fxe3 Nh2+ $11) 50. Nxc5 bxc5 51. Be2 Nf6 52. Rxc5 (52. Bb5 Ne4 $19) 52... Rxa4
{[%csl Ga5] Der entfernte schwarze a-Bauer muss die Partie entscheiden.} 53.
Rc7 Ra1+ 54. Kg2 Ra2 55. Kf3 (55. Kf1 Ne4 $17) 55... h5 56. Bd1 Ng4 {[%csl Gg4]
} 57. Bc2 a4 58. Ke2 a3 59. f3 Ne5 60. f4 Rb2 (60... Ng4 $1 $19) 61. fxe5 a2
62. Ra7 Rxc2+ 63. Kf3 (63. Kd3 Rg2 $19) 63... Kh6 64. Ra8 g5 65. hxg5+ Kxg5 66.
e4 f6 67. exf6 Kxf6 68. Ra5 e5 69. Ke3 (69. Ra6+ Kg5 (69... Ke7 70. Ke3 Kd7 71.
Kd3 Rg2 72. Kc4 Kc7 73. Kd5 (73. Kb3 Rxg3+ 74. Kxa2) 73... Kb7 74. Ra3 Kb6 75.
Kxe5 Kb5 76. Kf4 Kb4 77. Ra8 Kb3 78. e5 Rg1 $19) 70. Ra5 Rc3+ 71. Kf2 Kg4 72.
Rxa2 Rxg3 73. Ra8 h4 $19) (69. Ra8 $5 Rb2 70. Ke3 Ke6 (70... Kg5 71. Rg8+) 71.
Kd3 Kd6 72. Kc3 Rg2 $19) 69... Rb2 70. Kd3 Kg5 (70... Kg5 71. Rxe5+ Kg4 72. Ra5
Kxg3 73. e5 h4 74. e6 h3 75. e7 Rb8 76. Rxa2 h2 77. Ra1 Re8 $19) 0-1

[Event "WchT 5th"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2001.10.12"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Akopian, Vladimir Eduardovic"]
[Black "Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2660"]
[BlackElo "2513"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2001.10.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 086"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Armenia"]
[BlackTeam "Iran"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IRI"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 {Dieser natürliche Zug ist gut und
führt zu ruhigem Spiel, aber 4...dxc4 kommt auch in Betracht und Weiß muss mit
Hilfe der Dame den c4-Bauern zurückgewinnen.} 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6
8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Rd1 {Diese Möglichkeit ist auch interessant, wird aber
seltener gespielt. Weiß beschäftigt sich nicht mit der sofortigen Zurücknahme
des c4-Bauern, sondern möchte so schnell wie möglich mit Nc3 und e4 eine
starke Bauernstellung im Zentrum aufbauen.} Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12.
Bxc6 bxc6 $11) 9... Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 Be4 {Dieser Läuferzug ist auch
spielbar, aber bei der d3-Damestellung scheint mir der Zug 11...c5 besser als
die Partiefortsetzung.} (11... c5 $5) 12. Qe3 {Hängt der e4B, so steht die
Dame aktiv auf e3. Ich muss anmerken, dass statt 12.Qe3 Weiß auch 12.Qd1
spielen kann, was zum Übergang zur Variante 11.Qc2 (statt 11.Qd3) Be4 12.Qd1
führt.} Nbd7 (12... Bc6 13. Nc3 Nbd7) 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3 (14. a5) 14... Rb8 $6
{Möchte Schwarz wirklich 15...b7-b5 ziehen? Aber in diesem Fall gäbe es viele
Punktschwächen am Damenflügel. Dieser Plan ist nicht gewöhnlich und nach
meiner Meinung auch nicht besonders gut.} (14... Bb4 15. Rfe1 (15. Rfd1 h6 16.
Bf4 a5 17. Nb5 Be4 18. Qc4 c6 19. Nc3 Bc2 20. Rdc1 Nb6 21. Qa2 Bh7 22. Qb3 {
1/2-1/2 Anastasian,A-Yu Shaoteng/Elista 1998/CBM 66 ext (88)}) 15... h6 (15...
Bxf3 16. Qxf3 c6 17. Red1 Qa5 $1 18. h4 h6 19. Bd2 e5 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,
A-Almasi,Z/Ubeda 1997/CBM 58/[Beliavsky] (58)}) 16. Bf4 Rc8 17. Qc2 b6 18. e4
Bb7 19. Rad1 Re8 20. Ne5 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 (21. dxe5 Nd7 22. Re3 Qe7 23. Na2 Bc5
24. Red3 Nb8 {1/2-1/2 Akesson,R-Lindberg,B/SWE-chT 9596 1996/EXT 98 (62)})
21... Nd7 22. Bf4 Qe7 23. Re2 c5 24. d5 $5 (24. Red2 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Nf6 26. Bd6
Bxd6 27. Rxd6 b5 28. axb5 axb5 29. Qb3 Bc6 30. Qb4 Qb7 31. h3 Rb8 32. Kh2 {
1/2-1/2 Jussupow,A-Portisch,L/Linares 1989/CBM 11 (32)}) 24... e5 25. Be3 Qd6
26. Bh3 Rc7 27. Nb1 Bc8 28. Nd2 b5 29. Nf3 c4 $6 30. Nh4 g6 $1 31. Bxh6 Nc5 32.
Bxc8 Rexc8 33. axb5 axb5 34. Nf3 $14 {1-0 Khalifman,A-Lautier,J/Biel 1993/CBM
37/[Khalifman] (57)}) 15. Qc2 (15. e4 $2 Nc5 $17 {[%csl Re4][%cal Gd8d3]})
15... b5 {Schwarz ist konsequent und spielt einen "aktiven" Zug, aber im
folgenden wird das c5-Feld schwach.} (15... h6 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. e4 Bb4 18.
Rfe1 $14) 16. axb5 axb5 17. Ne5 $1 {[%mdl 4] Weiß tauscht den g2-Läufer und
hat keine Angst vor dem Doppelbauern auf der e-Linie. Aber was wichtig ist für
Weiß: er bekommt starken Druck auf der c-Linie.} (17. Rac1 $11) 17... Bxg2 18.
Kxg2 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Nd5 (19... Nd7 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. f4 $14) 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21.
Ne4 $14 {[%csl Yc5,Ge5][%cal Ge4c5][%mdl 32] Weiß kontrolliert den c5-Punkt
und Schwarz muss entweder mit Nc5 oder mit Ng5 rechnen.} b4 22. Rfc1 {Droht
noch nichts Konkretes, aber später muss Schwarz mit dem Zug e2-e4 rechnen, was
den d5-Springer verjagt.} b3 23. Qc5 Qd7 (23... Qxc5 24. Nxc5 $14) 24. Qc6 Qe7
{Schwarz muss - wenn möglich - die Damen auf dem Brett halten, im Endspiel
bleibt er ohne Hoffnungen auf Gegenspiel.} (24... Qxc6 25. Rxc6 $16) 25. h4 h6
26. Ra7 {Jetzt droht schon 27.Nc3 und Weiß gewinnt den c7-Bauern.} Qb4 27. Qc4
{Nach diesem Zug muss Schwarz die Damen tauschen, was den weißen
Positionsvorteil erhöht .} (27. Rc4 $2 Qe1 $132) 27... Rfd8 (27... Qe7 28. Nc3
$16) (27... Qb6 28. Qc5 $14) 28. Qxb4 Rxb4 29. Nc5 {[%csl Gc5] Jetzt droht
schon 30.e4 mit Bauerngewinn, und Schwarz kann nicht den c7-Bauern verteidigen.
} Rd4 30. Nd3 {Alles ist verteidigt in der weißen Stellung und jetzt droht 31.
Rb7 mit Bauerngewinn.} (30. Nxb3 Rb4 31. Nc5 Rxb2 32. e4 Ne3+ 33. Kf3 Nd1 $17)
30... Rb8 (30... h5 $5) (30... g6 $5) 31. h5 $1 {Mit diesem Zug gewinnt Weiß
Raum am Königsflügel.} g6 (31... Kh7 32. Rca1 $16 {Die weiße positionelle
Drohung wäre 33.R1a4 und nach dem Turmtausch kann Weiß den früher so stolzen
Springer mit e2-e4 verjagen.}) 32. hxg6 fxg6 33. Rc6 Rb6 (33... Kf7 34. Nc5 $16
) 34. Raxc7 $16 {Mit dieser kleiner Kombination gewinnt Weiß einen Bauern.}
Rxc6 (34... Nxc7 35. Rxb6 $18 {[%cal Rb6b3]}) 35. Rxc6 Kf7 36. Rd6 {[%cal
Gd6d4] Schwarz hat nicht nur einen Bauern weniger, sondern seine
Bauernstruktur ist auch schwach und seine Figuren sind gefesselt.} g5 (36...
Ke7 37. Nc5 $18 {[%cal Rc5b3,Rc5e6]}) 37. Rd7+ Kg6 38. Rb7 {[%csl Rb3]} Rc4 39.
Rxb3 $18 Rc2 40. Kf1 (40. Kf3 h5 41. e4 g4+ 42. Kg2 Ne3+ 43. Kg1 $18) 40... h5
41. e4 Ne7 42. Rc3 Rxc3 (42... Rd2 43. Ke1 $18) 43. bxc3 h4 44. gxh4 gxh4 45.
Kg2 1-0

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 11th"]
[Site "Pula"]
[Date "1997.05.??"]
[Round "5.4"]
[White "Dizdar, Goran"]
[Black "Sadler, Matthew D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1997.05.05"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 057 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.05.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.05.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Croatia"]
[BlackTeam "England"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CRO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. Nf3 {Petursson} d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O (5... dxc4 {
Das führt zur Reti-Eröffnung, denn Weiß kann nicht so leicht d2-d4 spielen.
Ribli.}) 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Früher spielte jedermann 8.Qxc4.
Heutzutage ist der Partiezug in Mode. Mit ihm vermeidet Weiß den Zug 8...b7-b5,
schwächt aber das Feld b4. Ribli.} Bd7 9. Rd1 {Ein seltener Zug. Weiß schlägt
noch nicht den Bauern zurück. Ribli.} (9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {Die Hauptvariante})
9... Bc6 10. Nc3 (10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc2 Be4 13. Qc1 h6 14. Bxf6
Nxf6 15. Nc3 Bc6 16. Qc2 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Almasi,Z/Tilburg Fontys 1996 (23)})
10... Bxf3 $8 {Sonst kann Weiß e2-e4 spielen mit mehr als ausreichender
Kompensation. Ribli.} (10... Bb4 11. Bg5 Bxc3 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. bxc3 Nd7 14.
Qa2 Rfd8 15. Qxc4 Nb6 16. Qb3 Bd5 17. Qc2 Qg6 18. Qxg6 hxg6 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20.
Kxg2 Nd5 21. Rdc1 a5 22. Rab1 b6 23. h4 {Dizdar,G-Almasi,Z/CRO-Cup Pula 1995/
1-0 (56)}) 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 {[%csl Rb4,Rc4,Rc6][%cal Ya8b8,Yb8b2]}
13. Bg5 (13. a5 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Yc2a4,Ya4c6,Ya4c4]}) (13. e4 Qb8 {1/2-1/2
Quinteros,M-Zarnicki,P/Acasusso Valle op 1994}) 13... Rb8 (13... c5 14. dxc5
Qb8 15. Ne4 Qb3 16. Qxb3 cxb3 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Ra3 Rfb8 20. Rd3
Rb4 21. Raxb3 Rc4 22. Rb7 Rxc5 23. Rc3 {1-0 Kochyev,A-Blauert,J/Groningen op
1990 (52)}) (13... Nd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne4 Qb4 16. Rdc1 Rfb8 17. Ra2 a5 18.
Qxc4 Qe7 19. b3 Rb6 20. Nc5 h5 21. e3 h4 22. Qe2 Qg5 23. Rac2 Rd8 24. Rc4 g6
25. Qf3 {Dizdar,G-Ostojic,N/EUCup f Budapest 1996/1-0 (53)}) 14. e3 {Weiß
verbessert seine Stellung. Er hat keine Eile, den Bauern zurückzugewinnen.
Ribli.} (14. a5 Rb4 15. Ra4 Qb8 16. Rxb4 Qxb4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Na2 Qb5 {
1/2-1/2 Kochyev,A-Aseev,K/Leningrad 1989 (38)}) (14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e3 Be7 16.
Rac1 Rb7 17. Ne4 Qd5 18. Nd2 c5 19. Nxc4 cxd4 20. Rxd4 {1-0 Piket,J-Lautier,J/
Monaco rapid 1996 (61)}) 14... Nd7 $1 {Der Springer verteidig die wichtigen
Felder. Schwarz hat auch seine positionelle Chancen, er hat die Herrschafft
über die b-Linie. Ribli.} (14... Nd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne4 {[%csl Rc5][%cal
Re4c5]}) 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Ne4 Rb4 {[%csl Gb4] Der Turm steht gut auf b4, er
deckt seinen Bauern auf c4 und bereitet die Turmdoppelung auf der b-Linie vor.
Ribli.} 17. Nd2 c5 18. Nxc4 $11 {[%csl Gc4] Weiss hat endlich den Bauer
zurueckgewonnen,und nach meiner Meinung - als die Schwachungen sind
beiderseitig - die Stellung ist etwa gleich.Ribli.} Rfb8 (18... Nb6 19. Ne5 {
[%csl Rc5][%cal Re5c6,Rc6b4,Rc6e7]}) 19. Rac1 h6 20. dxc5 $6 (20. d5 $142 {
Dies war der logische Zug. Die schwarzen Doppelbauern verbleiben auf der
c-Linie. Ribli.} exd5 21. Rxd5 Nb6 (21... Rxc4 22. Qxc4 Nb6 23. Qxc5 Nxd5 24.
Qxd5 Rxb2 25. Qa8+ Kh7 26. Qxa6 $14) 22. Nxb6 cxb6 23. Rcd1 $14 {[%cal Rd5d7]})
20... Nf6 $1 $13 (20... Nxc5 21. Na5 {[%csl Rc5][%cal Ra5c6,Rc6b8,Rc6e7,Rc6b4]}
) 21. Ne5 (21. c6 Qc5 {[%csl Gc5,Rc6]}) 21... Rxb2 22. Qc4 (22. Nc6 $2 Qe8 23.
Qxb2 Rxb2 24. Rd8 Qxd8 25. Nxd8 Ne4) 22... Nd5 {Setting a devious trap thagt
White falls for} 23. e4 (23. Nc6 Qf6 24. Rf1 Qf3 25. Nxb8 Nxe3 $19 {[%csl Rg2]}
) (23. Rc2 $15 {[%cal Gc2h2,Gc2a2]}) (23. Nd3 $1 $14 {Petursson}) {[#]} 23...
Ne3 $1 $17 {Ein schöner unerwarteter Schlag. Die schwarze schwere Artillerie
ist so stark, daß Schwarz nun gewaltigen Angriff hat. Ribli.} 24. fxe3 Qg5 {
[%cal Rg5e5,Rg5e3]} (24... Qf6 $2 {Petursson} 25. Nd3 Qf3 26. Nxb2 Rxb2 27. Qf1
Qxe3+ 28. Kh1 Qxe4+ 29. Kg1 Qe3+ $11) 25. Qc3 (25. Nd3 Qxe3+ 26. Kh1 Qf3+ $19)
25... Qh5 {[%cal Rh5e2,Re2h2,Rh5h2]} (25... R8b3 {Petursson} 26. Qd4 Qh5 $1 {
was also strong}) 26. Rd8+ (26. h4 $2 {Petursson} Qe2 $19) 26... Kh7 $8 (26...
Rxd8 $2 27. Qxb2 $18) 27. Rd2 Rxd2 28. Qxd2 Qxe5 {[%csl Gb8,Ge3,Re4,Ge5]
Schwarz hat klaren Positionsvorteil. Weiss hat nur Bauernschwächen in seiner
Stellung. Die schwarze Dame und der Turm stehen sehr aktiv. Ribli. The Black
position is strategically won. Whites' pawn formation has been ruined and his
king position is also insecure.} 29. Qd4 Qg5 $1 {Natuerlich,Schwarz verbessert
nicht die weise Bauernstellung.Ribli.} (29... Qxd4 $2 30. exd4 Rb4 31. Rd1 {
[%cal Rd4d8]}) 30. Rf1 e5 {Blockiert die weißen Bauern auf e4 und e3. Ribli.}
31. Qc3 f6 32. Kg2 Qg4 {[%csl Re4] There is now no way for White to guard all
his weaknesses.} 33. Qc4 a5 {[%csl Rb4]} 34. h3 Qd7 35. Qc2 (35. c6 Qd2+ 36.
Rf2 (36. Kf3 Rb2 $19) 36... Qxe3 $17) 35... Qc6 {[%csl Gc6] Die schwarze Dame
hat einen idealen Platz. Sie blockiert den c-Bauern und kontrolliert die
Felder a4 und e4. Ribli.} 36. Rd1 Rb4 $19 {[%cal Rb4e4,Rb4a4]} 37. Rd8 Rxa4 38.
Rc8 (38. Qb3 Qxe4+ 39. Kf2 Qc4 $19) 38... Rb4 $1 {[%cal Rb4b5,Rb5c5] Weiß gab
auf. Er hat nichts für den Bauern, er verliert entweder c5 oder e4. Ribli.} (
38... Rxe4 $6 39. Rxc7 Qxc7 40. Qxe4+ $15) 0-1

[Event "Tan Chin Nam Cup 3rd "]
[Site "Beijing"]
[Date "1997.08.18"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Pigusov, Evgeny"]
[Black "Liang, Jinrong"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2425"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1997.08.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 061"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.11.23"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.11.23"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 {Natürlich ist das ein guter und normaler Zug.
Aber 3...c6 scheint mir noch besser.Ribli.} 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7.
Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 (10. Nc3 $2 b5) 10... Bd5 11. Qc2 {
Üblicher ist der andere Damezug 11.Qd3, aber die Partiefortsetzung hat auch
ihre Vorteile.} (11. Qd3 Be4 (11... c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 $5 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4
Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qa5 (15... Nbd7 $5) 16. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 17. Ne4 {1-0 Tukmakov,
V-Beliavsky,A/Portoroz 1996 (40)}) 12. Qe3 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3 Bb4 15.
Rfe1 (15. Rfd1 $5) 15... Bxf3 16. Qxf3 c6 {Beliavsky,A-Almasi,Z/Ubeda 1997/CBM
58/[Beliavsky]/1/2-1/2 (58)}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 (12. Qd1 c5 13. Nbd2 (13. dxc5
Bxc5 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Kxg2 {1/2-1/2 Fridman,
D-Zarnicki,P/Erevan olm 1996 (50)}) 13... Bc6 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 Be7 16.
Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Na5 {Ribli,Z-Donev,I/AUT-chT96/97 1997/EXP 57/1/2-1/2 (53)})
12... Nc6 13. e3 (13. Rd1 $2 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Nxd4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e3 Nb3 $19 {
.. 0-1 Vadasz,L-Kabatenski,A/Budapest FS03 IM-B 1994}) 13... Nb4 $5 $146 {
Eine völlig logische Neuerung. Schwarz nutzt die Schwächung des Feldes b4 aus
und schafft zugleich Platz für seinen Läufer. Der Springer war auch nicht gut
auf c6 platziert.} (13... Nd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nc3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Na5 17. Nd2
Bxg2 18. Kxg2 c5 19. Qb2 Rac8 20. Qb6 Qc7 21. Rfb1 {Foisor,C-Amura,C/Jakarta
iztW 1993/EXT 93/1-0 (44)}) (13... a5 $6 14. Nc3 {Weiß hat Raumvorteil und ein
starkes Zentrum, während die Schwächung des Punktes b4 nicht ins Gewicht fällt.
}) 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. a5 {Weiß gewinnt Raum am Damenflügel und verhindert den Zug
a6-a5. Jetzt steht der Nb4 nicht so überzeugend.} (15. Rd1 $5) (15. Bxf6 Bxf6
16. e4 Bxd4 17. Rd1 Bxf2+ (17... e5 18. Nxe5 Re8 (18... Qe7 $2 19. Rxd4 Qxe5
20. Rxb4 $18) 19. Nf3 Bxf2+ 20. Kxf2 Nd3+ 21. Rxd3 Qxd3 $11) 18. Kxf2 Nd3+ 19.
Rxd3 Qxd3 $15) 15... Rc8 16. Rd1 Bxf3 (16... h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. e4 $14 {
[%csl Rb4,Gd4,Ge4] Das schwarze Läuferpaar ist nicht von Bedeutung, der weiße
Zentrumsvorteil macht sich hingegen bemerkbar.}) 17. Bxf3 $14 Nfd5 18. Bxe7
Qxe7 19. Na4 $6 {Dieser Zug gefällt mir nicht. Auf den ersten Blick findet der
weiße Springer einen guten Stützpunkt auf c5, aber Schwarz hat keine Probleme,
diesen Springerzug zu unterbinden.} (19. e4 Nxc3 20. bxc3 $14 Nc6 21. e5 {
[%csl Gf3][%cal Gf3b7] Weiss hat aktive "katalanische" Laeufer,und Druck am
Damenfluegel.Ribli.}) 19... b6 $8 20. Qd2 (20. e4 Nf6 (20... Qf6 $6 21. Bg2))
20... Rb8 (20... bxa5 $6 21. Nc5 {[%csl Ga1,Ra5,Ra6,Gc5][%cal Ga1a5]}) (20...
Rfd8 21. e4 Nf6 22. axb6 cxb6 23. Nxb6 Rc2 24. Qe3 Rxb2) 21. Rdc1 Rfd8 22. Nc3
{Dieser Springerzug räumt ein, daß es von a4 aus kein Fortkommen gibt.} (22.
axb6 cxb6 23. e4 Nf6 24. Bg2 $14) 22... Nf6 23. Na2 (23. axb6 cxb6 $14 (23...
Rxb6 {[%cal Gb6b2]} 24. Na4 Rb5 25. Nc5 $4 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 (26. Qxb4 Rxc1+ 27.
Rxc1 Qxb4) 26... Qxc5 27. dxc5 Rxd2)) 23... Nxa2 24. Rxa2 e5 $11 {Mit diesem
Zug erreicht Schwarz eine ausgeglichene Stellung, da die weißen Bauern am
Damenflügel ebenfalls geschwächt sind.} 25. Qc3 exd4 26. exd4 h6 27. axb6 (27.
Qxc7 Qxc7 28. Rxc7 Rxd4 29. axb6 Rxb6 $11) 27... Rxb6 28. Ra4 Nd5 {Der
Springer steht so gut auf d5, daß Weiß seinen Stolz, den Bf3, hergibt.} 29.
Bxd5 Rxd5 30. Rc4 (30. Qxc7 Qxc7 31. Rxc7 Rxb2 32. Rxa6 Rxd4 33. Ra8+ Kh7 34.
Rxf7 $14 {Weiß hat einen Mehrbauern, aber die Punktteilung ist wahrscheinlich.}
) 30... Rd7 31. Re1 (31. Rxc7 Rxc7 32. Qxc7 Qxc7 33. Rxc7 Rxb2 $11) 31... Re6
32. Re3 Qd6 33. Rxe6 Qxe6 34. Rc5 (34. Rxc7 Rxc7 35. Qxc7 Qe1+ 36. Kg2 Qe4+ 37.
Kh3 Qxd4 38. Qc8+ Kh7 39. Qxa6 Qxb2 $11) 34... Qe4 35. Rxc7 Rxd4 (35... Rxc7
36. Qxc7 Qxd4 $11) 36. Rc8+ Kh7 37. Qc2 Qxc2 {Und in ausgeglichener Stellung
wurde Remis gegeben.Ribli.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Asia-ch"]
[Site "Kolkata"]
[Date "2001.08.15"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Donguines, Fernie"]
[Black "Villamayor, Buenaventura"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2411"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2001.08.09"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 085"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {
Weiß schwächt das Feld b4, verhindert damit aber b7-b5. Dieser Zug erfreut
sich in Großmeisterkreisen heutzutage sehr großer Popularität. Die frühere
Hauptvariante 8.Qxc4 wird schon vergleichsweise selten gespielt.} Bd7 9. Rd1 {
Das ist eine seltene Fortsetzung - die Idee dieses Zuges ist, den Pc4 noch
nicht zu erobern, sondern mittels Nc3 und e2-e4 ein starkes Zentrum aufzubauen.
} (9. Qxc4) 9... Bc6 10. Qxc4 {Im Zusammenhang mit 9.Rd1 ist dieser Zug
weniger logisch. Wenn Weiß schon 9.Rd1 spielt, sollte er nach 9...Bc6 mit 10.
Nc3 fortsetzen. Entscheidet er sich hingegen für 9.Qxc4, dann ist auf 9...Bc6
die Fortsetzung 10.Bg5 zu empfehlen.} (10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6
13. a5 $11 (13. Bg5 $11)) 10... Bd5 11. Qc2 (11. Qc3 Nc6 12. b3 Nb4 13. Ba3 {
1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Ree,H/Amsterdam IBM 1978/MCL 08 (13)}) (11. Qd3 Nc6 12. Nc3 Nb4
13. Qb1 Bb3 14. Rd2 Qc8 15. Ra3 Bd5 16. e4 Bc6 17. Ne5 Rd8 18. Ra1 Be8 19. Rd1
b5 {1/2-1/2 Tukmakov,V-Vaganian,R/Leningrad 1987/CBM 03 (24)}) 11... Nc6 (11...
Be4 $5 {Hätte Weiß anstelle von 9.Rd1 9.Bg5 gespielt, dann könnte er nun mit
12.Qc1 oder 12.Qd1 fortsetzen.} 12. Qd2 c5 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. dxc5 Qxd2 15. Nxd2
Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd7 17. b4 a5 18. bxa5 Bxc5 {1/2-1/2 Ftacnik,L-Lutz,C/Frankfurt
op activ 1996 (26)}) 12. Nbd2 {Dieser Springerzug sieht zwar ein wenig
unnatürlich aus, aber Weiß muss sich gegen 12...Bxf3 und 13...Nxd4 verteidigen.
Andererseits bereitet Springerzug auch 13.e4 vor. Der wesentliche Nachteil des
Zuges ist aber, dass der Bc1 nun passiv steht.} (12. Nc3 $2 Bxf3 $17) 12... Nb4
{Die Schwäche des Feldes b4 wird nun offensichtlich.} 13. Qb1 c5 {Das ist die
typische Methode, um Ausgleich herzustellen: Schwarz bereitet mit dem Textzug
den Abtausch des c-Bauern gegen den Pd4 vor.} (13... Bxf3 $6 14. Nxf3 a5 15. e4
c5 16. Be3 Ng4 17. Bd2 cxd4 18. h3 Nf6 19. Bxb4 Bxb4 20. Rxd4 Qe7 21. e5 Nd5
22. Qc2 Rac8 23. Rc4 Nb6 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Qe2 {1-0 Larsen,B-Zarnicki,P/Santa
Clara del Mar 1993 (43)}) 14. e4 Bc6 15. e5 Nd7 $1 $146 {[%mdl 4] Wie in der
Slawischen Verteidigung des Damengambits ist dieser Springerzug nachhaltiger
als die scheinbar aktive Fortsetzung 15...Nfd5. Jetzt bleibt die Diagonale des
Bc6 offen, und der Nd7 attackiert den Pe5.} (15... Ne8 16. Ne4 c4 17. Be3 {
1/2-1/2 Giardelli,S-Hoffman,A/Buenos Aires 1988/EXT 88 (17)}) (15... Nfd5 16.
Ne4 $14) 16. Ne4 (16. dxc5 Nxc5 $15) 16... h6 {Schwarz sichert seine
Königsstellung und verteidigt sich gegen Bg5 oder Neg5.} (16... c4 $5 $13 {
[%cal Gb4d3] Bereitet den 16...Nd3 vor, ohne sich um 17.Neg5 zu kümmern.}) 17.
b3 (17. dxc5 Qc7 $11 (17... Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Nxc5 19. Rxd8 Nxe4 20. Rxa8 Rxa8 $11)
) 17... Bd5 {Ein vielseitiger Zug - Schwarz kann anschließend entweder 18...c4
oder 18...Nc6 ziehen. In beiden Fällen bekommt er gutes Spiel im Zentrum.} (
17... Qc7 $11) 18. Nc3 Bxf3 (18... Rc8 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 $11) 19. Bxf3 cxd4 20.
Rxd4 Qc7 $15 {[%cal Rc7c3,Rc7e5]} 21. Rc4 (21. Bf4 $2 Qxc3 22. Rxd7 Qxf3 23.
Rxe7 Rfd8 {[%csl Re7] Jetzt droht 24...Nd5.} (23... Nd5 24. Rd7 (24. Rxb7 Nxf4
$19) 24... Nxf4 $19) 24. Rc7 Nd5 $19) 21... Qa5 $5 (21... Nc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23.
f4 Nb6 24. Re4 Nd5 $15) 22. Bxb7 Rab8 23. Bg2 Nxe5 {[%csl Rc4] Schwarz schlägt
den wichtigen Zentrumsbauern auf e5. Der weiße Rc4 steht nun schlecht.} 24. Bf4
(24. Rd4 Nbc6 25. b4 Bxb4 $19) (24. Re4 Nbd3 $17) 24... Nxc4 25. Bxb8 Nd2 $1
$17 (25... Rxb8 26. bxc4 Bf6 $17) 26. Qd1 Rxb8 (26... Nxb3 27. Qxb3 Rxb8 $17)
27. Qxd2 Rd8 28. Qe2 (28. Qc1 Bf6 $19) 28... Bf6 29. Qc4 (29. Rc1 Nd3 $19)
29... Nd5 (29... Nd3 30. Rd1 $1 Qxc3 31. Qxc3 Bxc3 32. Be4 $11) 30. b4 $8 {
Dieser Zug verliert zwar einen Bauern, aber es ist die einzige Chance für Weiß
zu überleben.} Qxb4 (30... Nxb4 $17) 31. Qxb4 Nxb4 32. Rd1 Rxd1+ 33. Nxd1 Bd4
$1 {[%csl Gb4,Rd1,Gd4][%mdl 4096] Nun ist der Nd1 vollständig eingeschränkt.}
34. Kf1 Kf8 35. Ke2 Ke7 36. Kd2 (36. Ne3 Bxe3 {Dieser Tausch ist günstig für
Schwarz - die einzige (wenn auch nicht reale) Hoffnung für Weiß bestünde im
Tausch Springer gegen Springer, mit einem ungleichfarbigen Läuferendspiel.} 37.
Kxe3 Kd6 $17) 36... Kd6 37. Bf1 a5 38. Bb5 (38. h4) 38... g5 {Schwarz
mobilisiert seine Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel.} 39. h3 f5 40. Be8 Ke7 (40...
Kd5) 41. Bb5 Kd6 42. Be8 {Weiß hat nichts anderes - er muss abwarten.} Kd5 43.
Bd7 {Weiß verhindert 43...e5, aber der Läufer kann nicht immer auf d7 bleiben.}
Na6 {[%cal Ga6c5]} 44. Bb5 (44. Ke2 Nc5 45. Bc8 $2 Kc6 $19 {[%csl Rc8][%cal
Rc6c7]}) 44... Nc5 45. Ke2 e5 46. Be8 Kc4 {Es droht ein weiterer Bauerngewinn
durch 47...Kb3.} 47. f4 {Der Pa4 ist nicht zu halten, deshalb muss Weiß so
viel Material wie möglich am Königsflügel tauschen.} (47. Bg6 f4 $19) 47...
exf4 48. gxf4 gxf4 49. Bg6 Nxa4 50. Bxf5 Kd5 (50... Nc5 $19) 51. Bg4 Nc5 52.
Bf3+ Ke5 53. Kd2 a4 $19 {[%csl Ga4] Schwarz hat schon zwei Bauern mehr, sein
entfernter a-Bauer ist besonders stark.} 54. Kc2 a3 55. Kb1 Ne4 56. Ka2 Bc5 {
[%csl Rd1] Ich möchte darauf hinweisen, dass dies seit 33...Bd4 der erste
schwarze Läuferzug ist. Jetzt, da die Zielfelder b2 und c3 des weißen
Springers kontrolliert sind, kann der Läufer das Feld d4 räumen.} 57. Bg4 (57.
Bxe4 Kxe4 58. Nc3+ Kd3 $19) 57... Kd4 58. Be2 Nc3+ $19 59. Nxc3 Kxc3 {Mit
seinen zwei Mehrbauern gewinnt Schwarz leicht - Weiß muss seinen Läufer für
den f-Bauern geben.} 60. Bf3 Kd3 61. Kb1 Ke3 62. Bd5 f3 63. Kc2 Ke2 0-1

[Event "Nordic-ch VISA"]
[Site "Reykjavik"]
[Date "1997.10.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Akesson, Ralf"]
[Black "Stefansson, Hannes"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1997.10.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "ISL"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 062"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ftacnik} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 8. a4 {Weiß überläßt Schwarz den Punkt b4, unterbindet damit jedoch die
"normale" Entwicklung des Damenflügels mit b7-b5 und Bc8-b7.} (8. Qxc4 {
Diese klassische Variante ist heutzutage weniger populär.} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10.
Bd2 (10. Bf4) (10. Bg5)) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Bxf6
$5 (12. Rac1) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 {Was ist wichtiger? Der weiße Zentrums- und
Raumvorteil, oder das schwarze Läuferpaar? Ich glaube, daß Weiß einen kleinen,
aber dauerhaften Vorteil hat, weil Schwarz über kein aktives Gegenspiel
verfügt und darüber hinaus das Läuferpaar in einer geschlossenen Stellung
nicht so zur Geltung kommt.} Nb4 14. Rfd1 (14. Rad1 Qb8 $5 (14... b6 15. Rfe1
$1 (15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Nd4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Ba6 19. Nb5 Qd7 20. Rc1 Rac8
$13 {Taylor,G-Rozentalis,E/Toronto op/1995/}) 15... Bb7 16. Qb3 c6 17. h4 h6
18. Rd2 Qc7 19. Nh2 Rfd8 20. Red1 Be7 21. Ng4 Bf8 22. Ne3 Rd7 23. f4 Rad8 24.
Kh2 {Kurajica,B-Zelic,Z/CRO-chT 1996/1-0 (51)}) 15. h4 Rd8 (15... g6) 16. Nh2
Ra6 17. Ng4 Be7 18. Qe2 Be8 $1 19. e5 Qa7 20. Ne3 c6 21. Qg4 h5 22. Qf4 Nd5 23.
Nexd5 cxd5 24. Bf3 Rb6 $5 {1/2-1/2 Fridman,D-Janjgava,L/Anibal op4th 1997 (30)}
) 14... g6 $5 $146 {Eine interessante Idee. Schwarz postiert seinen Läufer auf
g7, von wo aus er das Zentrum kontrolliert.} (14... b6 15. Rac1 (15. Ne1 g6 16.
e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Bg7 18. Ne3 $14 Qe7 19. Rac1 (19. f4 $5 Rfd8 20. d5 exd5 21.
Ncxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Qe6 23. Rac1 $14) 19... Rfd8 20. Ne4 {1/2-1/2 Beliavsky,
A-Shneider,A/JUG-chT 1995 (36)}) 15... Bb7 16. Qe2 (16. e5 Be7 17. Ne1 {
1/2-1/2 Kaidanov,G-Karpov,A/Tilburg 1993}) 16... Rc8 17. h4 c6 18. Qe3 Qc7 19.
e5 Be7 20. Ng5 c5 21. d5 Nxd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Bxg5 25.
hxg5 {Sorokin,M-Servat,R/San Luis Clarin GP 1995/EXT 95/1-0 (96)} (25. hxg5 {
Ftacnik} Rcd8 26. Rcd1 Rxd5 27. Rxd5 Qc6 28. Rd6 Qxa4 29. Rxb6 {Sorokin,
M-Servat,R/San Luis Clarin GP 1995/1-0 (96)})) (14... Rb8 {Ftacnik} 15. Rac1
Qd7 16. b3 Rfd8 17. Qe2 Rbc8 18. h4 Qe8 19. Bh3 Bd7 20. Nb5 Bxb5 21. axb5 c6
22. bxc6 Rxc6 23. Rc4 {Karpov,A-Polgar,J/Dos Hermanas 1997/1/2-1/2 (60)}) 15.
Qe2 {Das ist ein typischer Damenzug. Die Dame steht auf e2 elastischer.} Bg7
16. h4 (16. Ne5 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Qe7 $11) (16. Rd2 Bh6 17. Rdd1 Bg7) (16. Rac1 Bh6
17. Rb1 Bg7 18. Qe3) 16... Qe7 $11 {In Stellungen mit Be7 - statt Bg7 - hat
Schwarz immer Probleme mit seiner Dame. Jetzt setzt Schwarz mit Rad8 und f7-f5
fort und befindet sich in einer angenehmen Stellung.} 17. Qd2 {Weiß findet
keinen Plan. Es wäre viel besser für den Anziehenden, die Türme auf d1 und e1
platziert zu haben.} (17. Rd2 Bh6 18. Rdd1 Bg7 $11) 17... Rad8 18. Rac1 f5 $1
$15 {Natürlich öffnet Schwarz die Stellung für sein Läuferpaar.} (18... Rfe8 {
Ftacnik} 19. Qf4 f5 $5) 19. exf5 (19. e5 $2 Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Bxe5 $17) (19. Qe2 $2
fxe4 20. Nxe4 Bxa4) (19. Qg5 $2 Bf6) 19... gxf5 {Ftacnik: It's difficult to
explain this move, since the control of the f- file with rooks was much
stronger. Es ist schwierig diesen fehlerhaften Zug zu erklären, weil die
Kontrolle der f-Linie mit den Türmen klarerweise vorzuziehen war.} (19... Rxf5
$5 20. Qe3 (20. Qe2 {Ftacnik} Rdf8 21. Ne4 Bxa4 $17) 20... Bxf3 (20... Rdf8 21.
Ne4 Bxa4) 21. Bxf3 Bxd4 22. Rxd4 Rxd4 23. Qxd4 Rxf3 $17) 20. Qe2 Bxf3 21. Qxf3
(21. Bxf3 Bxd4 22. Bxb7 c6 {[%csl Rb7]}) 21... Bxd4 {Der Partiezug scheint
auch vorteilhaft für Schwarz zu sein, aber der ruhige positionelle Bauernzug
bietet ebenfalls bessere Chancen.} (21... c6 $15 {[%csl Rd4]}) 22. Qxb7 f4 {
[%csl Rf2][%cal Gd4f2,Gf8f2]} (22... Bxf2+ $6 23. Kxf2 Nd3+ 24. Rxd3 Rxd3 25.
Ne2 $14) 23. Rxd4 $5 {Dieses Qualitätsopfer eröffnet Weiß Rettungschancen. Das
Opfer war praktisch erzwungen, sonst hätte er die Probleme auf den schwarzen
Feldern nicht lösen können.} (23. Qf3 {Ftacnik} Kh8 $15) 23... Rxd4 24. Ne2 Rd7
(24... fxg3 25. Nxd4 Qxh4 26. Nf3 $14) (24... Rd2 {Ftacnik} 25. Rxc7 Qf6 26.
Qe4 $11) 25. Nxf4 {Weiß hat einen Bauer für die Qualität, aber alle vier
schwarzen Bauern sind isoliert, und Weiß hat einen guten Stützpunkt für seinen
Nf4. Wenn Schwarz hier - wie in der Partie - 25...e5 spielt, bekommt er noch
eine neue Schwäche hinzu.} e5 (25... c6 {Ftacnik} 26. Qb6 e5 27. Nh3 Qd8 $15)
26. Nh3 (26. Nd5 {Ftacnik} Nxd5 (26... Qf7 27. Rxc7 Qxf2+ 28. Kh2 Rxc7 29. Nxc7
$13) 27. Bxd5+ Kh8 $15) 26... Nd3 (26... Rfd8) 27. Rc4 (27. Rd1 {Ftacnik} Rfd8
$15) 27... Qf7 {[%cal Rf2d3,Rf8f2]} (27... c5 28. Qc6 (28. Qb5)) 28. Rc2 Ne1 (
28... Rfd8 29. Ng5 $13) 29. Ng5 $1 Qf6 (29... Qf5 30. Be4) (29... Qe7 {Ftacnik}
30. Bd5+ Kh8 31. Re2) 30. Bd5+ Kh8 31. Re2 $44 {[%csl Gd5,Gg5] Die weißen
Leichtfiguren sind so lebendig, daß ich -trotz des schwarzen Materialvorteils-
nicht sehe, wie Schwarz seine Stellung verbessern könnte.} Nd3 {[%csl Rf2]} 32.
Qb5 {[%cal Rb5d7]} Qd6 (32... Nxf2 $2 33. Qxd7 Nh3+ 34. Qxh3) 33. Be6 (33. Bc4
{Ftacnik} c6 34. Qxa5 Nxf2 $13) (33. Ne6 {Ftacnik} Nf4 34. gxf4 Rg8+ 35. Bg2
Qxe6 36. Qxe5+ Qxe5 37. fxe5 Rd1+ 38. Kh2 Rd4 $13) 33... Re7 (33... c6 34. Qxa5
) (33... Rdd8 34. Nf7+ Rxf7 35. Bxf7 $16) 34. Rd2 {[%cal Gd2d7]} e4 $8 35. Qc4
{Ftacnik: The complex position led very likely to time trouble that will turn
into comedy of errors. Ftacnik: Die komplexe Stellung hat sicher zu Zeitnot
geführt, die dem Zuschauer nun eine Komödie von Fehlern vorführt..} (35. Bf5 $5
Re5 36. Nxe4 Rxb5 37. Nxd6 Rxb2 38. Rxd3 cxd6 (38... cxd6 {Ftacnik} 39. Rd5 Re8
40. Rxa5 Ree2 $11)) 35... Qb4 36. Nxe4 $2 (36. Re2) (36. Qxb4 axb4 37. Bc4 Ne5
$15) (36. Re2 {Ftacnik} Qxc4 37. Bxc4 Nc5 $15) 36... Qxc4 (36... Ne5 $1 37.
Qxb4 (37. Qd5 Nf3+ 38. Kg2 c6 $19 (38... Nxd2 39. Qe5+ Rg7 $19)) 37... Nf3+ 38.
Kg2 axb4 $19 {[%csl Rd2,Re6,Gf3]} (38... axb4 {Ftacnik} 39. Bg4 Ne1+ 40. Kf1
Rxe4 $19)) 37. Bxc4 Ne1 $6 (37... Rxe4 38. Bxd3 Rxa4 $15) (37... Nxb2 38. Rxb2
Rxe4 39. Bb5 $15 {Schwarz hat eine Qualität mehr, aber die Realisierung dieses
Vorteils ist technisch sehr schwierig, weil Weiß über eine solide Stellung
verfügt.} (39. Rc2 {Ftacnik} c6 $15)) 38. Re2 Nf3+ (38... Rfe8 39. Rxe1 Rxe4
40. Rxe4 (40. Rc1 Re1+ 41. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 42. Kg2 $11) 40... Rxe4 41. b3 $11) 39.
Kg2 Nd4 40. Re3 Nc2 41. Re2 (41. Rc3 $4 Ne1+ $19) 41... Nd4 {Remis durch
Zugwiederholung.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Drury Lane"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "1997.06.22"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Dunnington, Angus J"]
[Black "Parker, Jonathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1997.06.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 060"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{8. a4 is more popular at the moment, but I don't like the weak b4-square!} b5
9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {Weiß verfolgt eine einfache Strategie. Er tauscht den
Springer auf f6 und spielt Nd2-b3. Schwarz hat Schwächen am Damenflügel.
Besonders das Feld c5 ist schwach.} (10. Bf4 $5) (10. Bd2) 10... Nbd7 11. Bxf6
(11. Nbd2 c5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 $132) 11... Nxf6 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 {[%csl Rc5]
[%cal Rb3c5]} c5 {Schwarz opfert einen Bauern und er bekommt etwas aktives
Spiel.Wenn Weiß Nc5 spielen kann, hat er eine positionell klar überlegene
Stellung.} (13... Be4) 14. dxc5 a5 {Schwarz spielt gegen den weißen Springer
und attackiert so den c5-Bauern.} (14... Bd5 15. Rfd1 Bxb3 (15... Qc7 16. Rac1
Bxb3 17. Qxb3 Bxc5 18. e3 Qb6 19. Rc2 (19. Ne5 Rfd8 (19... Rc7 20. Rc3 Rfc8 21.
Rdc1 Nd7 22. Nd3 Bf8 23. Bf3 {1/2-1/2 Har Zvi,R-Soffer,R/Tel Aviv-B 1992}) 20.
Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Bf3 Nd5 22. Kg2 Ne7 23. Rc2 {1/2-1/2 Shipov,S-Kiriakov,P/RUS-ch
Elista 1994}) 19... Nd5 20. Ne5 Nf6 21. Rdc1 Kh8 22. a4 h6 23. a5 Qd6 24. Nd3
Nd7 25. Nxc5 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 Nxc5 27. Qa3 {1-0 Spiridonov,N-Sehrt,J/Lugano op
1989}) 16. Qxb3 Qc7 17. a4 Qxc5 18. axb5 axb5 19. Ne1 (19. Nd4 b4 20. e3 Rfd8
21. Rd2 Qb6 {1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G-Karpov,A/Wch33-KK3 ENG\URS 1986}) 19... Qb6 20.
Qa2 Rfd8 21. Rxd8+ Qxd8 22. Nd3 b4 23. Qa7 Nd7 24. Bf3 g6 25. Kg2 Bf8 26. Ra5 {
1-0 Dizdarevic,E-Rivas Pastor,M/Bor 1986 (40)}) (14... Be4 $5 15. Qc3 Bd5 16.
Rfd1 (16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Bxc5 (17... Ne4 18. Qf3 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Nd3
Bd4 21. a4 {1/2-1/2 Rogers,I-Almasi,Z/BL9697 Dresden-Delmenhorst 1997 (27)})
18. Nxc5 Qd5+ 19. Qf3 Rxc5 20. Qxd5 Nxd5 21. Nd3 Rc2 22. Kf3 Rfc8 23. Rac1 Kf8
24. Rxc2 Rxc2 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Nxc1 Ke7 $11 {Rogers,I-Almasi,Z/Linz 1997/0-1 
(72)}) 16... Ne4 {A natural, but seldomly played move.} 17. Qe3 (17. Qe1 Qc7
18. Nfd2 Bxb3 (18... Nxd2 $5 19. Rxd2 Bxb3 20. axb3 Bxc5 21. Rd3 Qb6 $11) 19.
Nxb3 Nxc5 20. Rac1 Qb6 {1/2-1/2 Andersson,U-Beliavsky,A/It, Ubeda ESP 1997 (41)
}) 17... Qc7 18. Nfd4 Nf6 19. Rac1 Rfd8 20. c6 g6 {0-1 Neckar,L-Donev,I/Lenk
op 1991 (37)}) 15. a4 Be4 16. Qc3 b4 17. Qe3 Bd5 (17... Qd5 18. Rfd1 Qh5 19.
Rdc1 $1 (19. Rac1 Bd5 20. Nbd4 Ng4 21. Qf4 Bxf3 22. Nxf3 Bxc5 23. e3 Nf6 24.
Qe5 Qxe5 25. Nxe5 Bb6 26. Bf3 {1-0 Schlosser,P-Braun,M/BL8889 1989 (30)}) 19...
Bd5 20. h3 Bxb3 21. Qxb3 Bxc5 22. e3 Nd7 23. Rc4 Ne5 24. Nxe5 Qxe5 25. Rac1 Rc7
26. Qc2 Rfc8 27. Bb7 b3 28. Qc3 Qxc3 29. R1xc3 Rxb7 30. Rxc5 Rxc5 31. Rxc5 Kf8
32. Rxa5 {1-0 Hulak,K-Lalic,B/Pula tt 1989 (49)}) (17... Qc7 18. Rfc1 Bd5 19.
Nfd4 Rfd8 20. Bxd5 Nxd5 21. Qf3 Bf6 22. Rc2 {1-0 Pecorelli Garcia,H-Sieiro
Gonzalez,L/Villa Clara op 1995 (38)}) 18. Rfd1 (18. Nfd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nd5 20.
Qd3 Bxc5 21. Qb5 Bb6 22. e4 Nf6 23. Rac1 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Ng4 25. Rf1 f5 {1/2-1/2
Beil,Z-Arlandi,E/Reggio mem Chicco 1991 (34)}) (18. Rfc1 Nd7 19. Nfd2 {1/2-1/2
Baburin,A-Wells,P/Ubeda op 1996}) 18... Qc7 {[%csl Rc5]} 19. Nfd4 (19. Rac1 $5
Bxb3 20. Qxb3 Bxc5 21. e3 $14 {Wir haben eine symmetrische Bauernstruktur,
aber Schwarz hat einige Schwächen am Damenflügel sein Läufer hat keine Wirkung.
}) 19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bxc5 21. Rac1 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Qb7+ 23. Kg1 Qa6 {[%cal
Ra6e2]} 24. Rxc8 $6 $146 {Interessant, erst mit diesem Zug weicht Weiß von
bekannten Vorbilderna ab.} (24. Qe5 Nd5 25. e4 $1 $146 Nb6 26. Rxc8 Qxc8 27.
Rc1 (27. Qxa5 $1 Qc2 28. Rd4 $1 Qxb3 29. Qxb6 $16 {Aagaard}) 27... Qd7 28. Qxa5
Qxa4 29. Qxb6 Qxb3 30. Qd4 $14 {1-0 Hansen,L-Hansen,S/DEN-ch 1996 (40)}) 24...
Rxc8 $11 {In dieser symmetrische Stellung hat Weiß nur theoretischen Vorteil.
Der Punkt b5 ist schwach und der Bauer auf a5 auch, aber Schwarz hat zum
Ausgleich ausreichendes aktives Figurenspiel.} 25. Qd8+ {Ein schöner Zug, der
aber nur zum Ausgleich führt.} Ne8 (25... Rxd8 $4 26. Rxd8+ $18) 26. Qxa5 Qxe2
27. Rd8 {Weiß hat nichts besseres als den Partiezug, der zur sofortigen
Punkteteilung führt.} Qe1+ 28. Kg2 Qe4+ 29. Kg1 (29. Kh3 Rxd8 30. Qxd8 Qf5+ $11
) 29... Qe1+ 30. Kg2 Qe4+ 31. Kg1 Qe1+ {Und remis mit Dauerschach.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linz"]
[Site "Linz"]
[Date "1997.05.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Rogers, Ian"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "1997.05.17"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 059"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
{Dieses natürliche Zurückschlagen wird heute selten gespielt. Der Zug 8.a4 ist
in Mode. Ribli. 8. a4 is more popular at the moment, but I don't like the weak
b4-square!} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bg5 {Ich möchte bemerken, daß es noch zwei
andere Läuferzuege gibt : 10.Bd2,und 10.Bf4. Die weiße Strategie ist klar, er
gibt seinen Läufer mit Bxf6 auf und spielt Nd2-b3. Wenn er den Vorstoß c7-c5
vermeiden kann, hat er großen Positionsvorteil wegen der schwachen schwarzen
Felder c5 und c6. Ribli.} (10. Bf4) (10. Bd2) 10... Nbd7 11. Nbd2 {[%csl Rc5]
[%cal Rd2b3,Rb3c5]} Rc8 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Nb3 {[%csl Ra5,Rc5]} c5 $8 {Mittels
zeitweiligen Bauernopfers kann Schwarz die Stellung ausgleichen. Ribli.} 14.
dxc5 Be4 (14... Bd5 15. Ne1 Bxg2 (15... Bxb3 16. Qxb3 Bxc5 (16... Rxc5 17. Nd3
Rc8 18. a4 Qa5 19. axb5 Qxb5 20. Qxb5 axb5 21. Ra7 Bd6 22. Rb7 Rb8 23. Rxb8
Rxb8 24. Ra1 {1-0 Konopka,M-Maros,M/SVK-ch 1993 (42)}) 17. Nd3 Bd6 18. a4 e5
19. axb5 axb5 20. Bh3 Rb8 21. Nb4 {1-0 Konopka,M-Breyther,R/BL2-N 1994 (38)})
16. Nxg2 Qc7 (16... Nd7 17. Rfd1 Qc7 18. Nf4 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Qe4 Qc6 {
Larsen,B-Shneider,A/Aars 1995/1/2-1/2 (57)}) 17. Rfd1 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Qxc5 19.
Qxc5 Rxc5 20. Rac1 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Rd8 22. Nf4 {Konopka,M-Harasta,V/SVK-chT 1995/
1-0 (75)}) (14... a5 15. a4 Be4 16. Qc3 b4 17. Qe3 Bd5 18. Rfd1 (18. Rfc1 Nd7
19. Nfd2 {1/2-1/2 Baburin,A-Wells,P/Ubeda op 1996}) 18... Qc7 19. Nfd4 (19.
Rac1 $5 Bxb3 20. Qxb3 Bxc5 21. e3 $14) 19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bxc5 21. Rac1 Bxd4
22. Qxd4 Qb7+ 23. Kg1 Qa6 24. Qe5 Nd5 25. e4 $1 $146 (25. Nc5 Qc6 26. Rd2 Nb6
27. Rdc2 Rcd8 28. Nb3 Rd1+ $1 29. Rxd1 Qxc2 {Andersson,U - Petursson,M/ Reggio
Emilia/1989/ (34)}) 25... Nb6 26. Rxc8 {1-0 Hansen,L-Hansen,S/DEN-ch 1996 (40)}
) 15. Qc3 Bd5 16. Ne1 (16. Rfd1 Ne4 {A natural, but seldomly played move.} 17.
Qe1 (17. Qe3 $5) 17... Qc7 18. Nfd2 Bxb3 19. Nxb3 Nxc5 20. Rac1 Qb6 21. Qa5 {
1/2-1/2 Andersson,U-Beliavsky,A/It, Ubeda ESP 1997 (41)}) 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2
Bxc5 $11 {Wir haben eine symmetrische Bauernstellung, in der Weiß nur
symbolische Vorteil hat. Die schwarze Bauern am Damenflügel sind ein wenig
schwach. Ribli.} (17... Qd5+ 18. Qf3) 18. Nxc5 Qd5+ 19. Qf3 Rxc5 (19... Qxc5
20. Nd3 $11) 20. Qxd5 Nxd5 (20... Rxd5 21. Nd3 e5 $5 22. Nb4 Rd2 $15) 21. Nd3 {
[%csl Gd3] Das ist ein typisches Motiv in der Katalanischen Verteidigung. Der
Springer steht sehr fest auf d3, und hält die wichtige Punkten. Ribli.} Rc2 22.
Kf3 {Weiss hat aktiven Koenig,was ist immer vorteilhaft im Endspiel.Ribli.}
Rfc8 23. Rac1 Kf8 24. Rxc2 Rxc2 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Nxc1 Ke7 27. e4 Nb6 28. e5 $14
{Weiß hat geringen Vorteil. Die schwarzen Bauern sind ein wenig schwach am
Damenfluegel, und Weiß hat auch Raumvorteil. Aber ich glaube, daß der weiße
Vorteil so minimal ist, daß die Partie mit Remis enden muß. Ribli.} Kd7 (28...
Nc4 29. Nd3) 29. Ke4 a5 {Ein Verteidigungszug, der gegen das mögliche Nb3
gerichtet ist. Ribli.} 30. Kd4 Kc6 31. Nd3 Nc4 32. h4 {Weiss will mit
folgendem 33.h5 mehr Raum gewinnen.Ribli.} h5 33. b4 Kb6 $5 {Schwarz hält die
Spannung aufrecht und nimmt den Bauern noch nicht. So vermeidet er
Springerschachs. Ribli.} (33... axb4 34. Nxb4+ Kb6 35. Nd3 Kc6 36. a4 $5 (36.
Nf4 g6 37. Nh3 $5)) 34. Nf4 g6 35. Nh3 $13 axb4 36. Ng5 {[%cal Rg5f7]} Na5 $8 {
Schwarz verteidigt sich ausgezeichnet. Der Springer stand ästhetisch schön auf
c4, aber in Wirklichket leistete er dort nichts. Ribli.} 37. Nxf7 Nc6+ 38. Ke4
Ka5 (38... Kc5 39. Nd6 {[%csl Rc5] Und der schwarze König kann nicht vorrücken.
Ribli.}) 39. Ng5 Nd8 40. Kd4 Nc6+ $1 (40... Ka4 41. Kc5 $16) 41. Ke4 Nd8 42.
Kd4 Nc6+ $8 {Weiß riskiert einiges, aber es gibt keine realen Gewinnchancen.
Ribli.} 43. Ke4 {Es scheint, daß die Partie mit Zugwiederholung endet. Ribli.}
Nd8 44. f4 Ka4 $15 45. Kd4 b3 46. axb3+ Kxb3 47. Kc5 b4 48. Ne4 Nf7 $1 {
Schwarz verhindert, daß der weiße König auf d6 eindringt und hält die Stellung.
Ribli.} (48... Ka3 49. Nd2 b3 50. Kd6 b2 51. Kd7 Nb7 52. Kxe6 Nc5+ 53. Kd5 Nb3
54. Nc4+ $18) 49. Kc6 $2 (49. Kb5 Nd8 50. Kc5 $11) (49. Ng5 $5 Nd8 (49... Nxg5
50. hxg5 Kc3 51. f5 $13) 50. Ne4 $11) 49... Kc4 {Schwarz hat eine schlaue Idee,
die Weiß übersieht. Ribli.} 50. Kd7 Kd5 {[%csl Gd5]} 51. Nd2 Nxe5+ $1 {Das ist
eine Überraschung für Weiß. Schwarz übernimmt die Führung der Partie. Es
scheint, daß der früher aktive weiße Künig von seinen Bauern abgeschnitten ist.
Ribli.} 52. fxe5 Kxe5 {[%csl Rg3,Rh4][%cal Re5f5,Rf5g4,Rg4g3,Rg3h4] Weiß kann
praktisch nichts machen gegen den siegreichen schwarze Königsmarsch. Ribli.}
53. Kc6 (53. Ke7 Kf5 54. Kd6 Kg4 55. Kxe6 Kxg3 56. Kf6 Kxh4 57. Kxg6 Kg4 {
Weiß kann nicht den b- und h-Bauern gleichzeitig halten. Ribli.}) 53... Kf5 54.
Kb5 Kg4 55. Kxb4 Kxg3 56. Kc3 Kxh4 57. Kd3 Kg3 (57... g5 58. Ke2 {Das wäre
nicht so leicht. Schwarz schließt den weißen König aus. Ribli.}) 58. Ke2 h4 59.
Kf1 g5 60. Nc4 Kf4 $1 {Der schwarze König spielt eine aktive Rolle. Jetzt
hilft er dem e-Bauer. Ribli.} 61. Nb2 g4 62. Nd3+ Kf5 $1 {[%csl Rd3] Schwarz
engt den weißen Springer ein, und bereitet gleichzeitig den Marsch des
e-Bauern vor. Ribli.} 63. Kf2 e5 {[%cal Ge5e2,Re5e1,Rg4g1,Rh4h1] Das Vorrücken
des e-Bauern entscheidet den Kampf. Ribli.} 64. Ke3 g3 (64... h3 $2 65. Kf2 {
Und Weiß kann mit nachfolgendem Kg3 blockieren. Schwarz muß diese
Blockadestellungen vermeiden. Ribli.}) 65. Nc5 (65. Kf3 e4+ $19) 65... h3 66.
Kf3 g2 67. Kf2 e4 $19 {Es ist interessant, daß der Springer keinen Platz
findet. Ribli.} 68. Kg1 Kf4 69. Kh2 (69. Ne6+ Kg3 $19) 69... Kf3 70. Kg1 e3 71.
Kh2 e2 72. Nd3 Ke3 (72... Ke3 73. Ne1 Kf2 74. Nd3+ Kf1 $19) 0-1

[Event "Najdorf Memorial 8th"]
[Site "Buenos Aires"]
[Date "1997.05.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Adianto, Utut"]
[Black "Zarnicki, Pablo Adrian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "137"]
[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. Nf3 {Hecht} Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. c4 e6 {In dieser Zugfolge scheint mir 3...dxc4
besser zu sein mit guten Ausgleichchancen.} 4. Bg2 Be7 (4... dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7)
5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 (8. a4 $5) 8... b5 9. Qc2 {Weiß hat
ein Paar Tempi "verloren" mit 7.Qc2, 8.Qxc4, 9.Qc2, aber Schwarz hat einen
schwachen Damenflügel. Beseonders der Punkt c5 ist eine Schwächung. Gelingt es
Schwarz c7-c5 zu spielen, kann er ausgleichen.} Bb7 10. Bf4 {Das ist mein
Lieblingszug. Weiss riskiert nichts. Bei gutem Spiel kann Schwarz ausgleichen,
aber nicht mehr.} (10. Bd2) (10. Bg5) 10... Nc6 (10... Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12.
gxf4 Nd7 13. Rfd1 Qc8 14. Ne4 $1 c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5
18. Rac1 Rfc8 19. Ne5 $14 {Ribli,Z-Karpov,An/Amsterdam/1980/INF30,504/}) 11.
Rd1 (11. Nc3 $5 Nb4 (11... Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Nxe6 $16) 12. Qb1) 11... Nb4
12. Qc1 Rc8 {Natürlich möchteSchwarz den Zug c7-c5 durchsetzen.} (12... Qc8 13.
Bg5 $5 c5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nc3 Rd8 16. a3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19.
Qxc5 Bxc5 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 $14 {Agzamov,G-Karpov,An/USSR/1983/INF35,583/})
13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 (14. Be3 $5 c6 (14... Qd6 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bg5 c5 17.
Bxe7 Qxe7 18. dxc5 Rxc5 19. Qd2 Nf6 (19... Rfc8 20. Ne1 h6 21. Rac1 Rxc1 22.
Rxc1 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 Nf6 24. Nd3 $14 {Andersson,U-Georgiev,Kir/Sarajevo (15)/
1985/1-0 (45)}) 20. Rac1 (20. Qd6 Qxd6 21. Rxd6 Rfc8 (21... Rc2 $2 22. Nd4 Rc7
23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Rxa6 $16) 22. Ne1 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 {1-0 Horvath,J-Wells,P/
Odorheiu Secuiesc 1993 (37)}) 20... h6 21. Rxc5 Qxc5 22. Rc1 Qb6 23. Ne5 Bxg2
24. Kxg2 Qb7+ 25. f3 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 {1/2-1/2 Andersson,U-Beliavsky,A/
EU-chT Debrecen 1992 (32)}) 15. Ne5 Qb6 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Qd2 b4 18. Bg5 Rc7
19. Rac1 Rfc8 20. Rxc7 Rxc7 21. Rc1 {Andersson,U-Beliavsky,A/Reggio Emilia8990
1989/1-0 (62)}) 14... Bxd5 {[%csl Rc5,Gd5] Schwarz hat einen guten Läufer auf
der großen Diagonalen. Sein einziges Problem ist der geschwächte Damenflügel.}
(14... Nxd5 15. Bg5 c5 16. dxc5 Qe8 (16... Rxc5 $2 17. Qxc5 $18) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7
18. Ne5 Rxc5 19. Qd2 Nc3 (19... Qc7 20. Nd3 Rc2 21. Qe1 Nf6 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23.
Rac1 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Rc8 25. Rxc8+ Qxc8 26. Qb4 Qc7 27. Qc5 Ne8 28. f3 f6 29. Kf2
$10 {Ribli,Z-Gligoric,S/Novi Sad/1982/}) 20. Nd3 Nxd1 21. Nxc5 Qxc5 22. Rxd1
Bxg2 23. Kxg2 h6 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z-Speelman,J/Moscow olm 1994 (29)}) 15. Be3 {
Der weiße e-Bauer ist nicht mehr beweglich nach diesem Zug. Wichtiger aber ist,
daß Weiß den Zug c7-c5 verhindert.} Be4 (15... Bd6 16. Ne1 Qe7 17. Nd3 h6 18.
Rd2 c6 19. Rc2 Qb7 20. Qf1 Rc7 21. Bf4 Bxf4 22. Nc5 Qb6 23. gxf4 {1/2-1/2
Steckner,J-Korneev,O/Hamburg op 1992 (41)}) (15... c6 16. Ne1 (16. Ne5 Bxg2 17.
Kxg2 Qd5+ 18. Nf3 Ng4 19. h3 Nxe3+ 20. Qxe3 c5 21. dxc5 Qxc5 {1/2-1/2
Zimmerman,Y-Estrada,N/Budapest FS12 IM 1994 (31)}) 16... Qb6 $5 (16... Ng4 17.
Bf3 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Bf6 19. Qa3 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qb6 21. Rac1 (21. b4 $1) 21... Rfd8
22. b4 g6 (22... Bxd4 23. Nxd4 Rxd4 24. Rxd4 Qxd4 25. Qxa6 Qd7 26. Rc3 $14) 23.
e3 {1/2-1/2 Suat,A-Vaganian,R/Manila olm 1992 (41)}) (16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 (
17... Qd5+ 18. f3 e5 19. dxe5 Qxe5 20. Nd3 Qf5 21. Bc5 Bxc5 22. Qxc5 Qxc5 23.
Nxc5 {Nielsen,P-Hansen,S/Aars 1995/1/2-1/2 (81)}) 18. Nd3 Nxe3+ 19. Qxe3 Qd5+
20. f3 c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Qxc5 Rxc5 24. Rac1 Rxc1 (24... Rcc8
25. b4 g6 $10 {Khalifman,A-Lutz,C/Wijk/CBM45/1995/}) 25. Rxc1 Rd8 26. Rc6 Kf8
27. Rxa6 Rd2 28. Kf2 Rxb2 29. a4 {1/2-1/2 Piket,J-Adams,M/Amsterdam Donner
mem-A 1994}) 17. Nd3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nd5 19. Nf4 Nxf4+ 20. Bxf4 c5 21. Qe3 c4 22.
d5 Qxe3 23. Bxe3 Rfd8 24. dxe6 fxe6 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rc1 Bf6 27. Rc2 Rd1 {
Dizdarevic,E-Huzman,A/EU-chTM 1997/0-1 (52)}) (15... Ng4) (15... Nd7) 16. Ne1 {
[%cal Ye1d3,Yd3c5] Der schwarze Läufer ist so stark auf e4, daß Weiß ihn
tauschen muß. Der Springer zielt nach c5.} Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd5+ (17... Nd5) 18.
f3 $14 {Der Läufer steht unnatürlich auf e3. Deshalb bereitet Weiß Bf2 vor,
und möglicherweise e2-e4.} Nd7 19. Bf2 f5 {Schwarz verhindert 20.e2-e4,aber
auf diese Weise erschwacht seine Stellung.Ribli.} (19... c5 20. dxc5 Qc6 21. b4
) 20. Nd3 e5 (20... c6) (20... Bf6 21. Nb4 {[%csl Ra6,Rc6]} Qb7 22. Qc6 Qxc6
23. Nxc6 {[%csl Gc6] Weiß hat einen kleinen aber dauerhaften Vorteil. Schwarz
hat Bauern- und Felderschwächen.}) 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. Nc5 Qc6 (22... Qa8 $14 {
Die Dame steht passiv auf a8.}) 23. Nd7 {Nach der Eröffnung kommt sofort das
Endspiel. Jetzt hat Schwarz keine Hoffnungen mehr auf aktives Gegenspiel.} Qxc1
24. Raxc1 Nxd7 25. Rxd7 {[%csl Gd7]} Bf6 (25... Bd6 26. Bd4 {[%csl Rg7]} Rf7
27. Rxd6) 26. b3 Rfd8 {Schwarz verteidigt nicht seinen c7-Bauern, sondern
strebt nach Gegenspiel.} (26... Be5 27. f4 Bd6 28. Bd4 {[%csl Rg7]} Rf7 29.
Rxd6 $18) 27. Rxd8+ (27. Rcxc7 Rxc7 (27... Rxd7 $2 28. Rxc8+) 28. Rxc7 Rd2 $132
{[%csl Gd2][%cal Rd2e2,Rd2a2]}) 27... Rxd8 28. Be1 {Weiß überdeckt das
mögliche Einbruchsfeld d2. außerdem droht 29.Ba5.} (28. Be3) 28... Be5 (28...
Rd7 29. Rc6) 29. Ba5 {[%csl Rc7]} f4 30. Rc6 {[%csl Ra6,Gc6]} (30. Bxc7 $2 Rc8
31. Bxe5 Rxc1 32. Bxf4 Rc2 $17) 30... Ra8 31. Bd2 $5 (31. Bxc7 $2 Rc8) 31...
fxg3 {Schwarz muß auf g3 nehmen. Das stärkt die weiße Bauernphalanx.} (31... g5
32. Kh3) 32. hxg3 Kf7 33. f4 Bd6 34. Ba5 {Jetzt droht 35.Bxc7. Auf 35...Rc8
folgt dann 36.Rxc6.} Ra7 $8 35. e4 Ke8 36. e5 $16 {[%csl Ga5,Ra7,Gc6] Weiß hat
einen aktiven Turm, einen aktiven Läufer und die weißen Bauern sind auch
gefährlich.} Kd7 37. Rc2 Be7 38. f5 {[%csl Ge5,Gf5]} Rb7 (38... c5 39. Bb6 Rb7
40. Bxc5 Rc7 41. Rd2+ $16 (41. b4)) 39. b4 {Weiß verhindert den mögliche
Befreiungszug c7-c5.} c5 $8 {Schwarz war praktisch in Zugzwang.Mit diesem
Bauernopfer bekommt er ein wenig Freiheit.} 40. bxc5 Kc6 {[%csl Gc6]} 41. e6 {
Verhindert 41...Rd7.Ribli.} Rb8 (41... g6 42. fxg6 (42. g4 h5 43. gxh5 (43.
fxg6 hxg4 44. g7 Rb8 45. Kg3 {[%csl Gg7]}) 43... gxf5) 42... hxg6 43. Bb6 (43.
Kf3)) 42. Rd2 Kxc5 43. Bc3 $1 {[%csl Gc3]} (43. Rd7 Bf6 {[%csl Gf6]}) 43... Bf6
(43... g6 44. f6 $18) (43... Rg8 44. Rd7 {[%csl Gd7]}) 44. Bxf6 gxf6 45. Rd7 {
In diesem Turmendspiel hat Weiß gute Gewinnchancen. Der gedeckte e6-Freibauer
und der aktive Turm auf d7 machen die schwarze Position kritisch.} a5 46. Rf7
b4 47. Rxf6 Kd6 (47... a4 48. e7 b3 (48... Re8 49. Re6 b3 50. axb3 axb3 51. f6
$18) 49. axb3 axb3 50. Rf8 $18) 48. Rf7 a4 49. e7 Re8 (49... b3 50. axb3 axb3
51. Rf8 $18) 50. f6 b3 51. axb3 axb3 52. Rf8 Kd7 (52... b2 53. Rxe8 b1=Q 54.
Rd8+ $18) 53. f7 $8 (53. Rxe8 $4 Kxe8 $19) 53... Rxe7 54. Rd8+ Kxd8 55. f8=Q+ {
[#] Hecht Dame gegen Turm bei 1-1 Bauern nach dem Fall von b3 verspricht einen
leichten Gewinn. Plan für Weiß. Marsch des Königs längs der h-Linie bis h6.
Danach Eroberung von h7 durch Zugzwang bzw. Opfer der Dame gegen den Turm.
Einfache Technik! Ribli: Mit forcierten Zügen haben wir eine Stellung erhalten,
in der Weiß großen Materialvorteil besitzt. Prinzipiell gewinnt die Dame gegen
den Turm, aber es gibt einige Remisstellungen.} Kd7 {Schwarz kann nicht seinen
b-Bauern halten.Ribli.} (55... Re8 56. Qd6+ Kc8 57. Qc6+ Kd8 58. Qb6+ $18) 56.
Qb8 Ke6 (56... Re3 57. Qa7+ $18) (56... Re2+ 57. Kf3 Rb2 58. Qb7+ {Ribli: Und
es kommt 59.Qxh7 mit weißem Gewinn.}) 57. Qxb3+ Kf6 58. Qg8 Rg7 59. Qf8+ Kg6
60. Kh3 $18 {[#] Hecht Man bedenke, daß es sehr wohl Remisstellungen o h n e
den Bg3 gibt, beispielsweise mit sTg5 gedeckt vom Bh6 und dem sK am Bauern.
Doch m i t dem Bg3 verliert Schwarz stets durch Zugzwang respektive das Opfer
der Dame gegen den Tum. Die Übung ist leicht. Man folge einfach den Zügen in
der Partie.   Ribli: Der Königsvormarsch entscheidet den Kampf.} (60. Kf3 $4
Rf7+ $11) 60... Rf7 61. Qg8+ Kf6 62. Kh4 Rg7 63. Qf8+ Kg6 (63... Rf7 64. Qd6+
Kg7 65. Kg5 $22 $18) 64. Qf4 Rg8 $8 (64... Rf7 65. Qg5#) (64... Re7 65. Qg5+
Kf7 66. Kh5 $18) (64... Ra7 65. Qe4+ Kh6 (65... Kf6 66. Qd4+ $18) (65... Kg7
66. Qd4+) 66. Qe3+ $18) 65. Qg5+ Kf7 66. Qf5+ Kg7 67. Kh5 Rf8 (67... Kh8 68.
Qf6+ Rg7 69. Kh6 $18) 68. Qg5+ Kf7 (68... Kh8 69. Qe5+ (69. Kh6 $18) 69... Kg8
70. Kh6 Rf6+ 71. Kh5 (71. Qxf6 $11)) 69. Kh6 {Ribli: Und Schwarz gab auf, er
verliert den h-Bauern.} 1-0

[Event "RUS-Cup9"]
[Site "Novgorod"]
[Date "1997.06.17"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Yevseev, Denis"]
[Black "Zagrebelny, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2370"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "Ribli,Z"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "1997.06.11"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 060"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {Das ist die
klassische Variante der Katalanische Verteidigung. Schwarz beendet zuerst die
Entwicklung des Königsflügels und nimmt den Bauern auf c4. Wenn Weiß den
Bauern zurückgewinnt, kostet das Zeit. Inzwischen entwickelt Schwarz seinen
Damenflügel.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 {Die andere Hauptfortsetzung ist 8.Qxc4.} Bd7 9.
Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Bxf3 {Schwarz folgt einer einfachen Strategie. Er
gibt seinen weißfarbigen Läufer auf, dann schränkt er die Möglichkeiten des
weißen Läufers mit c7-c6 ein. Er behält immer Kontrolle über das Feld b4.
Trotzdem, Weiß hat dasLäuferpaar, Ueberlegenheit im Zentrum und insgesamt die
etwas besseren Chancen.} (11... Na6 12. Rfd1 (12. Rac1 Bxf3 (12... Nb4 13. Rfd1
Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. e4 Nd7 16. Be3 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Bg2 e5 19. d5 Rfd8
20. dxc6 bxc6 21. Bf1 Qe7 {1/2-1/2 Gabriel,C-Siegel,G/Bad Woerishofen op 1996})
13. Bxf3 c6 14. e4 Nd7 15. Be3 Bg5 16. e5 Nb4 $13 {~~ Quinteros,M-Panno,O/
Termas de Rio Hondo 1987}) (12. Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 Rb8 (14... b6
15. Ne1 (15. Rac1 Bb7 16. e5 Be7 17. Ne1 {1/2-1/2 Kaidanov,G-Karpov,A/Tilburg
1993}) 15... g6 16. e5 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Bg7 18. Ne3 $14 {Beliavsky,A-Schneider,A/
JUG-chT Tivat/1995/}) (14... Re8 15. Rac1 Qd7 16. b3 Rad8 17. Qe2 Qc8 18. h4
Qa8 19. Qe3 b6 20. Bf1 Rd7 21. Bh3 Bb7 22. d5 {1-0 Shumiakina,T-Blauert,J/
Pardubice op 1994 (38)}) 15. Rac1 Qd7 16. b3 Rfd8 17. Qe2 Rbc8 18. h4 Qe8 19.
Bh3 Bd7 20. Nb5 Bxb5 21. axb5 c6 22. bxc6 Rxc6 23. Rc4 {1/2-1/2 Karpov,
A-Polgar,J/Dos Hermanas 1997 (60)}) 12... Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. e4 Nd7 15. Be3
Bg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5 17. Bg2 Nb6 18. Qe2 Rad8 19. e5 Nb4 20. Ne4 Qe7 21. b3 N6d5
22. Rac1 b6 23. h4 Rd7 24. h5 Rfd8 25. Nd6 Qg5 {Quinteros,M-Van Riemsdijk,H/
Buenos Aires 1990/1/2-1/2 (66)}) 12. Bxf3 c6 13. e4 Na6 14. Rfd1 Nb4 {[%csl
Gb4] Der Springer steht wirklich schön auf b4, aber er hat keine konkreten
Zielpunkten.} 15. Rac1 {Weiß spielt die richtige Züge. Die beste
Turmplazierung ist Rfd1 und Rac1.} Rc8 16. Qe2 (16. b3) 16... h6 17. Be3 Re8 (
17... Qd7 $5 18. Bg2 Rcd8) 18. e5 {Ein agressiver Zug. Weiss hat Initiative am
Königsflügel, aber die Herrschafft über den Punkt d5 ist auch wichtig.} (18.
Kg2 $14) (18. h4 $14) 18... Nd7 {Schwarz reserviert das Feld d5 für den
b4-Springer.} (18... Nfd5 19. Ne4 b6 $11 (19... Nxe3 $2 20. fxe3 $14 {Und das
weise Zentrum ist besonders stark.Ribli.})) 19. Be4 {[%csl Ge4][%cal Ge4h7]
Der weiße Läufer hat keinen Gegenpart und steht sehr aktiv auf der Diagonale.}
Bf8 $6 {Dieser Zug gefaellt mir nicht.Nach meiner Meinung der Laeufer muss auf
e7 bleiben,und der Springer kann nach f8 kommen.Ribli.} (19... Nd5) (19... Nf8
20. Qg4 Kh8) 20. h4 $36 Be7 (20... g6 21. h5 $16) 21. Bb1 Nf8 22. Qg4 {[%cal
Gg4g8] Droht 23.Bxh6.Ribli.} Kh8 23. Ne4 Nd5 24. Kg2 {[%cal Gd1h1] Weiß
verbessert seine Stellung. In einigen Varianten kann der Turm nach h1 kommen.}
Rc7 25. Qh5 Kg8 26. Bg5 $5 {Die weiße strategische Idee besteht darin, den
Läufer auf e7 zu tauschen und auf dem Feld d6 mit dem Springer einzudringen.} (
26. Rh1 $5 {Mit der Idee 27.Bg5.Ribli.}) (26. Bxh6 $6 gxh6 27. Qxh6 f5 28. exf6
Bxf6 $15 {Die schwarze Königsstellung ist schwach, aber Weiß hat trotzdem
keinen vollwertigen Ersatz für das geopferte Material.}) 26... hxg5 27. hxg5
$44 {[%csl Rg8]} Ng6 $8 28. Kf3 {Wilhelm Steinitz wäre über einen solchen
Königszug stolz gewesen.} (28. Rh1 $2 Ngf4+ 29. gxf4 Nxf4+ $19) 28... Bb4 {
[%csl Gb4] Der Läufer hat ein Feld auf b4, und was noch wichtiger ist, er
schafft Felder für den König.} 29. Rh1 Kf8 30. Qh7 {Es gibt keine konkrete
Drohung, aber es ist nicht leicht einen Plan für Schwarz zu finden. Schwarz
entscheidet sich, einen Bauern zu geben und kann dafür die Damen tauschen.} Ke7
$5 31. Qxg7 Rg8 32. Qh7 Rh8 33. Qg7 Qf8 $1 $15 (33... Rg8 $11 {Schwarz kann
die Züge wiederholen.}) 34. Qxf8+ Kxf8 35. Rxh8+ Nxh8 36. Rh1 Ng6 37. Nf6 $13 {
[%csl Gf6] Der weiße Springer hat einen sehr starken Punkt auf f6. Er hat nur
zwei Bauern für die Figur, aber seine Königsflügel-Bauern sind gefaehrlich.}
Nxf6 $6 {Nach diesem Zug hat Weiß eine gefährliche Bauernmasse.} (37... Nde7) (
37... Nge7 38. Rh8+ Kg7 39. Rd8 $18 {[%csl Rg7] Und der schwarze König
befindet sich in Mattnetz.}) 38. gxf6 Ke8 $8 (38... c5 39. Bxg6 fxg6 40. Rh8+
Kf7 41. Rh7+ $18) (38... Kg8 39. Ke4 Rd7) 39. Bxg6 (39. Ke4 c5) (39. Rh7 Rd7)
39... fxg6 40. Rh6 (40. Rh8+ Bf8) 40... g5 (40... Kf7 $2 41. Rh7+ $18) 41. Kg4
(41. Rh8+ Bf8) 41... Bf8 42. Rh8 Rd7 43. Kxg5 Rxd4 {Weiß hat zwei Bauern für
die Figur, und der schwarze Turm ist aktiv. Trotzdem hat Weißt Gegenchancen
mit seiner Bauernphalanx am Königsflügel. Der schwarze König und der Läufer
sind passiv.} 44. f4 b5 (44... Rxa4 $5 45. f5 Re4 {Das ist der Schlüsselzug
für Schwarz.} 46. fxe6 (46. Kg6 Rg4+ 47. Kh5 exf5 48. e6 Rxg3 49. e7 Rh3+)
46... Rxe5+ $19) 45. Kg6 (45. f5 Re4 (45... exf5 $2 46. e6 Re4 47. Kxf5 $16)
46. fxe6 (46. Kg6 Rg4+ 47. Kh5 exf5 (47... Rxg3) 48. e6 Rxg3 49. e7 Rh3+ $19)
46... Rxe5+ 47. Kg6 Rxe6 48. g4 bxa4) 45... Rd3 (45... Re4 46. Rh7 (46. f5 Rg4+
(46... exf5 47. Kxf5) (46... Rxe5 $2 47. f7+ Ke7 48. f6+ $18)) (46. g4 Rxf4 47.
g5)) 46. g4 Rd4 47. g5 Rxf4 48. Rh7 {[%cal Rh7a7,Ra7a8]} Rf5 49. axb5 (49. f7+
Ke7 $17) 49... cxb5 50. Ra7 Bb4 51. Ra8+ (51. f7+ Kd8 52. Kh6 Bd2 53. Ra8+ Ke7
$19) 51... Kd7 52. Kf7 (52. Ra7+ Kc6) 52... Rxg5 53. Ra7+ Kc6 54. Kxe6 {
Weiß hat nur einen Bauern für die Figur, aber das Material ist reduziert.
Leider für Weiss ist der schwarze Läufer auf b4 stark und verhindert den
Bauernvormarsch.} a4 55. f7 Rg2 $17 {Schwarz kann seinen Läufer für die
gefährliche weißen Bauern opfern und mit dem aktiven König Gewinnchancen am
Damenflügel suchen.} 56. Kf6 Rf2+ 57. Kg7 Kd5 (57... Rxb2) 58. Rb7 Kc6 {
Schwarz muss den b5-Bauern verteidigen.} 59. Ra7 Rxb2 60. e6 Rg2+ 61. Kf6 Rf2+
62. Ke5 a3 {[%csl Gb4][%cal Gb4f8,Gb4a3] Der Läufer leistet viel, er hält die
gegnerischen und verteidigt die eigenen Bauern.} 63. e7 Bxe7 64. Rxe7 Kc5 $1
$19 {Im Turmendspiel ist es sehr wichtig einen aktiven Turm und eine aktiven
König zu haben.} (64... a2 65. Ra7 Rxf7 (65... Kc5 66. Rxa2 Rxf7 (66... Rxa2 {
Mit der schönen Idee 67...Re2 und Schach auf der f-Linie. Der weiße Bauer geht
aber mit Schach zur Dame.} 67. f8=Q+)) 66. Rxa2) 65. Ra7 b4 66. Ke6 Kc4 67. Ra8
Kc3 68. Ra5 (68. f8=Q Rxf8 69. Rxf8 a2 70. Ra8 b3 71. Kd5 b2 72. Ra3+ Kb4 (
72... Kc2 $4 73. Rxa2 $11) 73. Rxa2 b1=Q $19) 68... Rxf7 $1 (68... Kb2 $2 69.
Rf5 Rxf5 70. Kxf5 a2 71. f8=Q a1=Q 72. Qxb4+ $11) 69. Kxf7 Kb2 70. Ke6 b3 71.
Kd5 Ka2 {Und Weiss gab auf. Er muß für den b-Bauern den Turm abgeben, und
Schwarz gewinnt mit dem a-Bauern.} 0-1

[Event "Bazna Kings 4th"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2010.06.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wang, Yue"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Rogozenco,D"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2010.06.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 137"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The Chinese Grandmaster is still visibly tired after the long flight from
China, followed by a very tough game in the next round. So his choice of the
variation is not surprising.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O
6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Qc2 Be4
13. Qc1 Bb7 14. Rd1 Qc8 15. Ba5 c5 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Nbd2 {
White's hopes for advantage in such type of endgames are connected with
Black's slightly weakened queenside pawn structure. For that purpose White
exchanges the light-squared bishops and tries to find a way to use the weak
light squares in Black's camp.} Rc8 19. Rac1 Nbd7 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Nxd7 Nxd7
22. Kxg2 Nf6 (22... Kf8 $2 {would be a blunder in view of} 23. Nb3 ({or} 23.
Ne4)) 23. Rc2 Be7 24. Rdc1 Rxc2 25. Rxc2 Kf8 {The control of the c-file
secures White at least a slight advantage and the question is whether he will
be able to use it in order to create a real pressure. In the game Wang Yue
failed to do it.} 26. f4 {Although this move was criticized by the Chinese
Grandmaster, it looks natural. White's plan is Kf3 and g4.} (26. Rc7 Ke8 {
brings White nothing, since Black already threatens 27...Bd8.}) ({Wang Yue
suggested} 26. a3 {instead, and only then f2-f4.}) 26... Nd5 27. Rc1 ({After} 
27. Kf3 {Black can choose which piece to place on b4. However, in both cases
White still keeps chances for advantage.} Bb4 ({or} 27... Nb4 28. Bxb4 Bxb4 29.
Ne4) 28. Nb3 $1 Bxa5 29. Nxa5 Nb4 30. Rc7 Nxa2 31. Nc6 {with activity for the
pawn.}) 27... Ke8 ({With the rook on c1} 27... Bb4 {is not the same any longer}
28. Bxb4+ Nxb4 29. a3 Nd5 30. Kf3) 28. Kf3 f5 29. e4 fxe4+ 30. Nxe4 Kd7 {
Now that Black covered all important squares on the c-file the position became
equal. White's slightly better pawn structure is not enough for advantage.} 31.
Nc3 Nf6 32. Ne4 Nd5 33. Nc3 Nf6 34. Rd1+ Ke8 35. Bc7 Rc8 36. Be5 Bf8 37. g4 Nd7
38. Bd6 {White seems to have managed to create some pressure, but the next two
precise moves from Ponomariov show that Black easily keeps the balance.} Be7 $1
39. Re1 Rc6 $1 ({Not} 39... Bxd6 40. Rxe6+ Be7 41. Nd5) 40. Bxe7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bazna Kings 4th"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2010.06.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Rogozenco,D"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2010.06.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 137"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {When asked to make few comments about the present game, Ponomariov
started with the following: "It was very difficult to concentrate on chess in
this game because it was very hot in the playing hall". Indeed, the Ukrainian
was visibly disturbed by the high temperature and looked really happy that he
got out of the playing area to reach some cooler places.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3
d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 h6
11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Rad1 a5 15. e4 Nd7 16. e5 Be7 17.
Be4 Qb6 18. f4 {White's aggressive plan looks strong, but it is far from
simple to break through. His main problem is the weak pawn on d4. Notice that
due to the pin on the a7-g1 diagonal White does not threat to advance f4-f5
yet. Actually a closer look will reveal some weak dark squares in White's
position.} Rad8 19. Qe2 {Carlsen: "I was very happy with my position here".
However, after Ponomariov's strong answer it seems that Black faces no
particular problems.} (19. f5 $2 {runs into} Nxe5) 19... Nb8 $1 {Opens the
d-file for the rook and transfers the knight to a better position. Actually
with this move backwards the knight is heading for square d5.} 20. Qf2 (20. f5
{The mentioned by Carlsen 20.f5 is an interesting, but of course risky pawn
sacrifice.}) 20... Na6 21. Kh1 ({Again} 21. f5 {is premature due to the very
strong answer} f6 $1 {and Black's pieces are better placed for the opening of
the position.}) 21... f5 $1 22. Bb1 ({Both players agreed that better was} 22.
Bf3 {preventing 22...h5 and preparing 23.g4.}) 22... h5 $1 23. h3 g6 24. Ba2
Nc7 {Right in time to protect everything.} 25. g4 {Black is very solid and has
no troubles at all to face this advance.} hxg4 26. hxg4 Kf7 27. Kg2 Rh8 28. g5
$1 {A common quality for many strong players is to feel the danger and switch
from their initial aggressive intentions to a more realistic approach. The
position started to become dangerous for White and Carlsen rightly leaves
aside his ambitions, trying to keep the balance now.} Rh7 29. Rh1 Rxh1 30. Kxh1
Rh8+ 31. Kg2 Qa6 {"I was happy that we passed the limit of 30 moves and I
could finally offer a draw" said Ponomariov immediately after the game.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge 4th"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2015.02.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2015.02.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 {Vladimir goes for an old-fashionable and solid way
to handle this position. Black allows White to seize the centre, relying on
their pair of bishops.} ({In the following top-level game White was able to
secure some stable edge:} 10... Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14.
Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 Nc6 18. Qc5 Qc7 19. Ne4 $14 {
1/2-1/2 Wang Yue (2752)-Jakovenko,D (2725)/Astrakhan 2010}) 11. Nc3 Na6 12.
Bxf6 {The most ambitious - White immediately seizes a lot of space.} ({The
deviations are hardly dangerous for Black:} 12. Rac1 Bd5 13. Qd3 (13. Nxd5 exd5
14. Qb5 Nb4 $11) 13... Nb4 14. Qb1 Bc4 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bf4 c6 17. b3 Ba6 $11 {
1/2-1/2 (34) Meier,G (2648)-Sanikidze,T (2585)/Istanbul TUR 2012}) (12. e3 Nb4
13. Rfd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Rac1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 17. h4 Qb6 18. Ne4 Be7 19.
Nc5 Qc7 20. e4 Rad8 21. Kg2 e5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Bareev,E (2675)-Shneider,A (2530)/
Moscow 1995}) 12... Bxf6 13. e4 Nb4 14. Rfd1 g6 {A useful prophylactic move -
the bishop gets a safe square for retreat.} ({The common} 14... b6 {can be
strongly met by:} 15. Ne1 $1 (15. Rac1 Bb7 16. e5 Be7 17. Ne1 {1/2-1/2
Kaidanov,G (2640)-Karpov,A (2760)/Tilburg 1993/CBM 039}) 15... Be7 (15... Qd7
16. e5 Be7 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 18. Nb5 Rfc8 19. Nc2 $14) 16. Nb5 (16. d5 exd5 17.
exd5 Bd7 18. d6 Bxd6 19. Bxa8 Qxa8 $44) 16... Qd7 17. Rac1 Rad8 18. Nc2 Bxb5
19. axb5 $14) 15. h4 {Accordingly to his spectacular style, Levon chooses the
most aggressive continuation.} ({After} 15. Rac1 Bg7 {Black often manages to
solve their space problems, while the d4-d5 advancement usually leads to
simplifications. For instance,} 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Bd7 18. Nd4 Qc8 (18... Re8
$5 19. Ncb5 Bxb5 20. Nxb5 Bxb2 21. Nxc7 Rc8 22. Bh3 Rxc7 23. Qxc7 Bxc1 24. Qxc1
Qd6 $11) 19. b3 c6 20. d6 Bg4 21. Rd2 Qd7 22. Ne4 b6 $132 (22... Nd5 $2 23. Nc5
Qxd6 24. Nxb7 $16 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B (2701)-Svidler,P (2686)/Moscow 2001 (92)})
) 15... Bg7 16. Rd2 ({Levon deviates from his previous successful game in this
line:} 16. h5 b6 ({Possibly,} 16... Rc8 $5 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. e5 Qe7 {offers
Black an adequate play}) 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Nh2 Qd7 (18... Rc8 19. e5 Bd5 20.
Nxd5 exd5 21. Qe2 c5 $132) 19. e5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 c5 21. dxc5 Qc6+ 22. Nf3 Rfd8
23. Qh4 $40 {1-0 (38) Aronian,L (2773)-Alekseev,E (2725)/Ohrid 2009/CBM 133/
[Ftacnik,L]}) 16... Rc8 {Vladimir Kramnik has a rich experience of Catalan. He
deviates from the standard b7-b6 advancement, keeping his pawn sturcture more
flexible.} 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. d5 $146 {This novelty doesn't seem very dangerous,
but Black has some concrete problems to solve.} (18. Ng5 h6 19. Nf3 Rfd8 (19...
b6 20. d5 Bd7 21. Nd4 exd5 22. exd5 Bg4 23. Nc6 Nxc6 24. Qxg4 Ne5 25. Qe2 $14 {
1-0 Lputian,S (2605)-Polgar,J (2658)/Wijk aan Zee 2000 (60)}) 20. Bh3 b6 21. d5
exd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. exd5 Rb8 24. h5 g5 $11) 18... Bd7 $6 {Vladimir's
decision looks natural from human point of view - opening up the e-file should
basically suit White. However, the text move has a tactical drawback.} ({
It looks like after} 18... exd5 $142 19. exd5 Bd7 20. Re1 Qd6 {Black's strong
dark-squared bishop should guarantee an easy equality. For isntance,} 21. Nd4
Rfe8 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Ndb5 Bxb5 24. Nxb5 Qe7 25. Rd1 Be5 $11) 19. Bh3 $1 exd5
{Releasing the pressure in the centre is practically forced.} (19... Bxc3 20.
Qxc3 exd5 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Ne5 Qd6 23. exd5 $36) 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Bxd7 Nb6 ({
Black would have faced even more problems after} 21... Qxd7 $6 22. Rxd5 Qg4 23.
Kg2 Rce8 24. Qxc7 Qxe4 25. Rxa5 Rc8 26. Qb6 Rc2 27. Rd8 $16 {White has a heavy
extra pawn.}) 22. Qc2 Rcd8 (22... Nxd7 23. Rxd7 Qb4 24. e5 $16) 23. Qxc7 Nxa4
24. e5 $14 {White's pieces are much more active now, but Black has no real
weaknesses.} Nc5 25. Rd5 b6 {It looks like White's bishop is pinned, but
actually it restricts all Black's forces. White is firmly in a control here,
but it's not easy to make progress.} 26. Qc6 {Unpinning the bishop looks most
reasonable.} ({The quiet} 26. Kg2 $5 Rb8 27. Nd4 Rfc8 28. Qxc8+ Rxc8 29. Bxc8
$14 {looks also unpleasant for Black.}) 26... Rxd7 {Vladimir is looking for
simplifications, but it doesn't really solve his problems.} ({Possible, the
lesser evil would be} 26... Rb8 27. Qb5 Nxd7 28. Rxd7 Qc5 29. Qe2 $14) 27. Rxd7
Nxd7 28. Rxd7 Qe8 {After that move Black's pieces desperately lack space.} ({
The more natural} 28... Qc5 {could be strongly met by:} 29. Qe4 $1 ({After} 29.
Qxc5 bxc5 30. Rc7 f6 $1 {Black gets an excellent drawish chances due to a
reduced material ballance. For instance,} 31. Rxc5 fxe5 32. Nd2 (32. Ng5 h6 33.
Ne6 Rb8 34. Rxa5 Rxb2) 32... Rb8 33. Rxa5 Rxb2 34. Ra8+ Kf7 35. Ra7+ Kg8 $14)
29... h6 (29... Qc1+ 30. Kg2 Qxb2 31. h5 Qb4 32. Nd4 $40) 30. b3 Re8 31. Kg2
$14 {with strong pressure.}) 29. Qd5 h6 (29... a4 30. Ra7 Qd8 31. Qxd8 Rxd8 32.
Rxa4 $16) 30. Rb7 ({The patient} 30. Kg2 $5 {deserved a serious attention as
well:} Qa8 31. Rb7 Qd8 32. Qb5 $16) 30... Qd8 31. Qb5 ({Dubious is} 31. Qxd8 $2
Rxd8 32. Rxb6 Rd5 $11) 31... g5 {Being under strong pressure, Vladimir doesn't
mind to complicate the matters.} ({After} 31... Re8 32. Rxb6 Bxe5 33. Nxe5 (33.
h5 $5) 33... Rxe5 34. Rxg6+ fxg6 35. Qxe5 $16 {the arising edngame is rather
difficult for Black in view of vulnerablity of their king.}) 32. hxg5 {This
decision is double-edged. The g-pawn is getting weak now, but any exchange is
definitely in Black's favoure.} ({White would keep an excellent winning
chances after} 32. Rxb6 Qd1+ 33. Kg2 g4 34. Nh2 Qd4 (34... h5 35. Qxa5 Qd4 36.
Rb4 Qxe5 37. Qxe5 Bxe5 38. Nf1 $16) 35. Qc6 Bxe5 36. Rb5 Bg7 37. Rxa5 $16)
32... hxg5 33. Rxb6 (33. Qc4 Qc8 34. Qe4 Re8 35. Ra7 $16) 33... g4 34. Nh4 $6 {
This move doesn't create an immediate threat and spoils the lion's part of
advantage.} ({The more concrete approach was} 34. Nh2 $142 Qd2 35. Kg2 Qd4 36.
Qc6 Bxe5 37. Rb5 Qd6 38. Qxd6 Bxd6 39. Nxg4 $16) 34... Qd1+ 35. Kg2 Qd4 36. Qc6
({Levon is deviating from} 36. Qxa5 Qe4+ 37. Kh2 Qd4 38. Kg1 Rc8 39. Rc6 Re8
40. Qc5 Rxe5 41. Qxd4 Re1+ 42. Kg2 Bxd4 $14 {Indeed, it looks like the
activity of Black's pieces promises an excellent drawish chances. However, it
still could be White's best try.}) 36... Qxe5 37. Qc4 $6 {An unsuccessful
choice.} ({After} 37. Rb5 Qe6 38. Qb7 Qc8 39. Qxc8 Rxc8 40. Nf5 Rc2 41. b3 Ra2
$14 {Black is able to exchange the last q-side pawn.}) ({Possibly, the best
practical chance was} 37. b3 Rb8 38. Rxb8+ Qxb8 39. Qd5 Qb4 40. Nf5 Bf8 41. Ne3
$14) 37... Qd4 $6 {Returning the favoure.} ({Black could have solved all their
problems after} 37... Re8 38. Rb5 Qe4+ 39. Qxe4 Rxe4 $11) 38. Qxd4 {White
manages to win a pawn, but Black's defensive task becomes much easier.} ({
The correct} 38. Qc6 $1 Rd8 39. Nf5 Qe5 40. Ne3 $14 {would allow Levon to
maintain the pressure.}) 38... Bxd4 39. Rb5 Ra8 40. Nf5 Bg7 41. Ne3 a4 {
Finally the Pg4 is lost, but there are not many pawns left on the board.} 42.
Nxg4 Rd8 43. Ra5 Rd4 44. Ne3 Rd2 45. Nf1 ({Avoiding the rook ending:} 45. Rxa4
Bd4 46. Kf3 Bxe3 47. Kxe3 Rxb2 $11) 45... Rd4 {Having such passive pieces,
White hardly may pose Black any serious problems here.} 46. Rb5 Bf8 47. Ne3 Rb4
48. Rg5+ (48. Rxb4 Bxb4 49. Nd5 a3 50. bxa3 Bxa3 {is also pretty much drawish.}
) 48... Kh7 49. Rh5+ Kg8 50. Ra5 Rxb2 51. Rxa4 Bc5 52. Nd1 Rd2 53. Ra1 {
Now White cannot make any progress.} Kg7 54. Kf1 Kg6 55. Rb1 f5 $11 56. Ke1 Rc2
57. Rb8 Kf6 58. Rh8 Bb4+ 59. Kf1 Rd2 60. Ne3 Bc5 61. Rh6+ Kg5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hastings 9697"]
[Site "Hastings"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Flear, Glenn C"]
[Black "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2435"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "Rozentalis,E"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1996.12.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 057"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Soffer,R Ftacnik} e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O
dxc4 7. Nc3 Bd7 $146 {Soffer,R: english only. A rare move, which has not been
tried before by top grandmasters} (7... Nc6) (7... Nbd7) 8. Ne5 Bc6 9. e4 (9.
Nxc6 Nxc6 $11) 9... b5 $1 {The only logical move. In return for his broken
pawn structure Black will have active piece play and good posts for his knights
} (9... Be8 {Ftacnik} 10. Nxc4 c6 11. Bf4 Na6 12. Rc1 b5 13. Ne5 Qb6 14. Be3
Rd8 15. Qe2 c5 16. d5 Nc7 17. Rfd1 b4 18. Nc4 Qa6 19. Bf4 bxc3 20. Bxc7 cxb2
21. Qxb2 Rc8 22. d6 {Petursson,M-Barbero,G/Lugano op (08)/1989/1-0 (54)}) (9...
Bb4 {Ftacnik} 10. d5 Bxc3 11. dxc6 Bxe5 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. cxb7 Nbd7 14. bxa8=Q
Rxa8 15. Rd1 c5 16. Rb1 Bd4 17. Be3 e5 18. Rdc1 Nb6 19. Bd2 Ne8 20. Kf1 Nd6 21.
Ke1 Na4 22. b3 c3 23. Be3 Nb2 24. Ke2 {1-0 Edel,T-Konieczka,F/BL2-N 9091/1991 
(38)}) 10. Nxc6 (10. d5 $5) 10... Nxc6 11. e5 Nd5 12. Nxb5 Qd7 (12... Rb8 13.
Qa4 (13. Nc3 {Ftacnik} Ncb4 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. b3 cxb3 16. axb3 c5 17. Be3 Qb6
18. Rc1 Rbc8 19. Qg4 Rfd8 20. Rfd1 g6 21. h4 {1-0 Hausner,I-Jirovsky,M/CZE-ch 
(07)/1991 (45)})) 13. Nc3 Rab8 $11 14. Ne2 $6 {An aimless move, after which
Black quickly achieves a very good position} (14. Nxd5 $142 exd5 15. b3 (15. b3
{Ftacnik} c3 $13 (15... Rfd8 {Soffer,R} 16. f4 Nb4 17. f5 c5 (17... Bf8) 18. f6
Bf8 $13)) (15. f4 $13 {with a race between White's kingside attack and Black
queenside/central activity})) (14. Be4 $5 {Soffer,R covering d3 was also
interesting}) 14... Ncb4 $15 15. Bd2 c5 16. dxc5 (16. b3 {Ftacnik} cxd4 17.
bxc4 Nb6 18. Bxb4 Bxb4 19. Qxd4 Qc7 (19... Qxd4 $6 20. Nxd4 Bc3 21. Rad1 Nxc4
22. Nc6 $16) 20. Rfc1 Nd7 $15) 16... Nd3 {xf2,b2,e5  Already White is
struggling to equalise} (16... Bxc5 17. Bxb4 $11) 17. b3 (17. b4 {Ftacnik}
N5xb4 18. Bxb4 Rxb4 $17) 17... Bxc5 $1 (17... cxb3 18. axb3 Bxc5 19. Qc2) (
17... Nxe5 $5 $15 {Soffer,R} 18. Bf4 $140 Nxf4 19. gxf4 Qxd1 (19... Nd3 20. c6)
20. Rfxd1 Nd3 21. c6 Bc5 22. c7 Rbc8 23. bxc4 Nxf2 24. Rd7 Ng4+ 25. Kh1 Nf6 $19
) 18. bxc4 Nb6 19. Bc3 (19. Qc2 {Ftacnik} Rbc8 (19... Nxe5 20. Bf4 Qc7 21. Rfc1
$10 (21. Qe4 Bd6 22. Rac1)) (19... Rfc8 {Soffer,R} 20. Be4 Nxe5 21. Bxh7+ Kh8
22. Be4 Nbxc4 23. Bc3 $15) 20. Be4 Nxe5 $15) 19... Rfd8 {Not bad, but perhaps
too sophisticated} (19... Nxc4 {Soffer,R was more direct} 20. Be4 (20. Bc6 $2
Qxc6 21. Qxd3 Rfd8 $19) 20... Ncxe5 (20... Rfd8 21. Bxd3 Qxd3 22. Qxd3 Rxd3 $15
) 21. Nf4 (21. Bxe5 Nxe5 22. Qc2 f5 23. Qxc5 Rb5 24. Qd4 fxe4 25. Qxd7 (25.
Qxe4 Nf3+ 26. Kh1 Nd2) 25... Nxd7 $17) 21... Nxf4 22. Bxe5 Qxd1 23. Raxd1 (23.
Rfxd1 $2 Nh3+ 24. Kf1 Nxf2) 23... Ne2+ 24. Kg2 Rb4 $17) 20. Qc2 (20. Nc1 {
Soffer,R} Nxf2 $1 (20... Nxc4 21. Nxd3 Qxd3 22. Qxd3 Rxd3 23. Rac1 $15) 21.
Qxd7 Nd3+ (21... Ng4+ 22. Kh1 Rxd7 23. Nb3 Rc8 $17) 22. Qd4 Rxd4 23. Bxd4 Bxd4+
24. Kh1 Nf2+ 25. Rxf2 Bxa1 $17) (20. Rb1 $5 {Soffer,R} Nxc4 (20... Qa4 21. Qxa4
Nxa4 22. Rxb8 Rxb8 23. Bd4 Bxd4 24. Nxd4 Nxe5 25. Rc1 Rb4 26. Bf1 $11 (26. Nc6
Rxc4 27. Rxc4 Nxc4 28. Nxa7 Nc3 $15)) 21. Rxb8 Rxb8 22. Be4 Ndxe5 23. Qc2 $44)
20... Qa4 $1 (20... Nxc4 21. Rad1 (21. Be4 {Ftacnik} Na3 22. Qxd3 Qxd3 23. Bxd3
Rxd3 24. Rac1 $15) (21. Rad1 {Soffer,R} Na3 22. Qd2 Qa4 (22... Nxe5 $4 23. Qg5
$18) 23. Nf4 Nc4 24. Qe2 Nxf4 25. gxf4 $15) (21. Nc1 Nxf2 22. Rxf2 Qd1+ 23.
Qxd1 Rxd1+ 24. Bf1 Nd2 25. Bxd2 Rxd2 $17)) 21. Qxa4 {This leads to a very
unpleasant endgame} (21. Qb3 {Ftacnik} Qxc4 22. Rad1 Rbc8 $15 (22... Qg4 {
Soffer,R} 23. Qc2 Qg6 24. Ba1 Rbc8 25. Nf4 Nxf4 (25... Bxf2+ $2 26. Qxf2) 26.
Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. Qxc5 Nxg2 28. Qe7 Qd3 29. Kxg2 $15)) 21... Nxa4 22. Rad1 (22.
Ba5 {Ftacnik} Rdc8 23. Nc3 Nab2 $17) 22... Nxc3 (22... Nxf2 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.
Rxf2 $13) 23. Nxc3 Nxe5 $17 {xc4,f2} 24. Rxd8+ (24. Ne4 Rdc8) 24... Rxd8 25.
Ne4 {For the time being White prevents the loss of a pawn, but he cannot rid
himself of all his weaknesses, in particular f2} (25. Rc1 {Ftacnik} Bxf2+ $1
$19) 25... Be7 $1 $17 26. Rb1 (26. Rc1 {Ftacnik} f5 27. Nc3 Rd2 $17 (27... Nxc4
{Soffer,R} 28. Nb5)) (26. c5 {Soffer,R} f5 $17) 26... f5 27. Rb7 Kf8 28. Nc3
Bc5 29. Rb5 (29. Na4 {Ftacnik} Rd1+ 30. Bf1 Bd4 31. c5 Rd2 $19) 29... Nd3 {
Ftacnik: english and german. Black pieces block c pawn, attack f2 weakness and
cooperate well with own pawn structure. Ftacnik: deutsch und englisch. Die
schwarzen Figuren blockieren den c-Bauern, greifen den schwachen Pf2 an und
wirken mit den eigenen Bauern zusammen.} 30. Nd1 a6 31. Rb1 (31. Ra5 Rd6 {/\Bb4
} (31... Rd6 {Ftacnik} 32. Bb7 (32. Bf1 {Soffer,R} Bb4 33. Ra4 a5 34. Bxd3 (34.
a3 Be1 35. c5 (35. Bxd3 Rxd3 36. Ne3 Rd2 $19) 35... Nxc5 36. Rc4 Rxd1 37. Rxc5
Rd2 $19) 34... Rxd3 35. Ne3 Rc3 $1 {paralysing White} (35... Ke7 36. Nc2 Bd2
37. Na1 $1 {/\Nb3}) (35... Rd2 36. c5) 36. Kf1 g5 37. Ke2 f4 $19) (32. a3 Ba7
$1) 32... Rb6 $19) (31... Rb8 $2 32. Bf1 $11)) 31... Ne5 32. Ne3 (32. Bf1 {
Ftacnik} Rd2 33. a4 Ng4 $17) 32... Rd2 $19 (32... Bxe3 {Ftacnik} 33. fxe3 Nxc4
34. e4 $17) 33. Rb8+ Ke7 34. Rc8 Bxe3 35. fxe3 Rxa2 {With his excellently
placed pieces, Black has no trouble in realizing the extra pawn} (35... Ng4 $17
{Ftacnik}) 36. Bb7 (36. c5 Ra1+ 37. Kf2 Ng4+ $19) 36... a5 (36... Ng4 {Ftacnik}
37. e4 $17) 37. c5 Rc2 38. c6 Ng4 39. Rg8 (39. c7 {Ftacnik} Nxe3 40. Bf3 e5 41.
Ra8 Rxc7 42. Rxa5 e4 $19) 39... Kf7 40. Ra8 Rc1+ 41. Kg2 Nxe3+ 42. Kf3 (42. Kf2
{Ftacnik} Ng4+ 43. Ke2 Ne5 $19) 42... Nc4 $1 43. h4 (43. c7 Ne5+ $19 44. Kf4
Ng6+ 45. Ke3 Rxc7) 43... Ne5+ 44. Ke3 (44. Kf4 Nxc6 45. Rc8 Rc4+ $19 46. Ke3 (
46. Kf3 Nd4+) 46... Ne5) 44... a4 (44... Nxc6 45. Rc8 (45. Rc8 {Ftacnik} Rc3+
46. Kd2 Rxg3 47. Bxc6 Rg4 $17)) (44... a4 45. Rxa4 Nxc6 $19) 0-1

[Event "Danzhou 7th"]
[Site "Danzhou"]
[Date "2016.07.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wang, Hao"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2016.07.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 $5 {
This move is becoming a more popular choice among Catalan practicioners as
Black is recently finding ways to equalize in the mainline 7.Qc2.} Nc6 8. Bxc6
bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qc2 $1 {This move came into the limelight
after Kramnik used it against Carlsen in the 2013 World Candidates
Championship.} c5 (11... e5 12. Rd1 $1 {the point, which won't be possible if
White had played 11.Qa4.} exd4 13. Rxd4 {with good chances to obtain an edge.
As of writing/annotating, the most recent game here goes:} Be6 14. Nc3 h6 15.
Be3 a6 16. Rad1 Rfd8 17. f3 Rxd4 18. Bxd4 Rd8 19. e4 $16 {1-0 (38) Levin,F 
(2511)-Naumkin,I (2431) Llucmajor ESP 2016}) 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 14. Qh4
Rb8 ({The most recent attempt here is} 14... Qb7 $5 $146 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Bg5
Ng4 $1 17. h3 Qxb2 $11 {0-1 (41) So,W (2770)-Kramnik,V (2812) Leuven BEL 2016.
Black has fully equalized and even won in the end.}) 15. b3 Qe6 16. Na3 $146 {
I have a hunch that this novelty was created otb, but if it was prepared, I
doubt it'll be repeated as it doesn't give Black any problems equalizing.} ({
Other moves tried here are} 16. Bg5 Nd5 17. e4 Nb4 18. Be7 Re8 19. Bxb4 Rxb4
20. Nc3 Bb7 $44 {1/2-1/2 (54) Lubbe,N (2490)-Antonsen,M (2469) Kolding DEN
2016, and Black's activity and White's slightly weakened king give Black
enough compensation for the pawn.}) (16. Qc4 Qd7 (16... Qxc4 17. bxc4 Ba6 18.
Na3 Rb4 (18... Rfc8 19. Be3 $14) 19. Rd1 $14) 17. Na3 Bb7 18. f3 Rfc8 19. Qd3
Qe6 $44 {1/2-1/2 (41) Tomashevsky,E (2747)-Jakovenko,D (2759) Chita RUS 2015})
16... Rd8 ({Even the natural} 16... Ba6 {works:} 17. Bb2 (17. Nc4 $2 Rfc8) (17.
Re1 h6 18. Bb2 Rfd8 $11) 17... Rfd8 (17... Bxe2 $2 18. Rfe1) 18. Rfe1 Rd2 19.
Bc3 Rxe2 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. Re1 Ba6 22. Rxe5 (22. Bxe5 Ng4 23. Bc3 Qf5 $36)
22... Qc6 23. Re3 Bb7 24. f3 Nd5 25. Rd3 Re8 $44) 17. Qc4 (17. Nc4 Ba6 18. Be3
Rd7 19. Rfd1 Nd5 (19... Rbd8 20. Rxd7 Rxd7 21. Rc1 h6 22. f3 e4 $1 $44 (22...
Nd5 23. Bf2)) 20. Bd2 Rc8 21. Rac1 h6 22. Be1 e4 $44) (17. Bb2 Ba6 $1 $44 {
transposes to note from move 16} (17... Rd2 $2 18. Rfd1)) (17. Be3 Ba6 18. Nc4
Rd7 {transposes to note from move 17.}) 17... Qh3 {Black clearly has enough
compensation for the pawn, as in Tomashevsky-Jakovenko game from move 16. It
is easier to play Black from a practical point of view as White always have to
watch out for threats at his weak kingside.} 18. f3 $8 Bb7 $6 (18... e4 $1 19.
Bg5 (19. fxe4 $2 Ba6 $1 (19... Ng4 $4 20. Qxf7+ Kh8 21. Qf8+) 20. Qxa6 Ng4 $19)
19... Be6 20. Qc2 Qf5 $1 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Qxe4 Re8 23. Qc2 (23. Qd3 Rbd8 24.
Qc2 Qd4+ 25. Kg2 Rc8 $11) 23... Rbc8 24. Nc4 Bxc4 25. bxc4 Qd4+ 26. Kg2 Rxc4
$11) 19. Qc2 $2 ({I'm not sure why White didn't play the natural} 19. Bg5 {
maybe he was concerned of the tactical ideas after} Nd5 (19... Rbc8 20. Qh4 $1)
20. e4 $1 {I'm sure Wang Hao saw this possibility but he must have missed or
misassessed something in the line:} (20. Bxd8 $4 Ne3 $19) 20... Nf4 {this
seems to be more concerning} (20... Rdc8 21. Qe2 Nc3 22. Qe1 Ba6 23. Rf2 {
[%csl Rc3]} Nb5 (23... Rc7 24. Nc4 $1 Bxc4 25. Qxc3 $18) 24. Nxb5 Bxb5 25. Rd1
$16 {and White can make his extra pawn count in the end, but there are still
technical difficulties, of course.}) 21. Qc2 $1 {this cold-blooded defense can
be easily missed} (21. Bxf4 exf4 22. gxf4 Rd2) (21. gxf4 Rd2 22. Rf2 Rxf2 23.
Kxf2 Qxh2+ 24. Ke3 Rc8 $13 {and it's hard to assess this type of position
during play}) 21... Rbc8 22. Nc4 {All Black's pieces are active but there's no
way to breakthrough, and White eliminates the f4-knight he will trade Rs on
the d-file.} f6 23. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 24. gxf4 exf4 25. Rad1 $16) 19... e4 $1 {
A timely break, opening up lines of attack while the rest of White's army on
the queenside are still sleeping.} 20. Nc4 (20. f4 e3 $19) (20. Bg5 Ng4 $1 21.
fxg4 e3 22. Rf3 Bxf3 23. exf3 Rd2 $19) 20... Rbc8 {[%cal Gc8c2,Gf6g4,Gb7g2,
Gh3g2,Gd8d2] Bringing the last piece to the party!} (20... Ng4 {doesn't work
yet} 21. fxg4 e3 22. Nxe3) 21. Rf2 {Preventing the ...Ng4-threat} (21. Bg5 Ng4
$1 22. fxg4 e3 23. Rf3 Bxf3 24. exf3 Rd2 $1) 21... Qh5 (21... h5 $5 22. Bg5 (
22. Bf4 h4 23. Raf1 Nh5 $40) 22... h4 $1 23. Bxh4 (23. g4) (23. gxh4 exf3 24.
exf3 Bxf3 $40) (23. Bxf6 e3 24. Rg2 Rd2 $17) 23... e3 $1 24. Rg2 Rd2 $19) 22.
Be3 $2 {This is the only blunder of the game, and it usually only takes one to
lose to a World Champion.} ({The best defense was} 22. Bb2 $1 e3 (22... exf3
23. exf3 Bxf3 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Raf1 Qc5 {[%cal Gh2h4,Gg1h2] it's still easier
to play Black but White has good chances to hold.}) 23. Rg2 Rd2 (23... Ng4 $6
24. Rd1 $1 $13 {another cold-blooded move that keeps White in the game} (24.
fxg4 Qh3 $19) (24. h4 $5)) 24. Qc3 Rxe2 25. Rf1 $1 Rxg2+ 26. Kxg2 Bd5 $44 {
White is still under pressure, but there's no forcing win for Black in sight.})
22... exf3 23. exf3 Bxf3 24. Bg5 (24. Raf1 Be4 25. Qc1 (25. Qb2 Bd3 26. Re1 Ng4
$19) 25... Bd3 26. Re1 Ng4 27. Rg2 Ne5 {and White will suffer huge material
loss.}) 24... Be4 25. Qc1 Ng4 26. Re2 (26. Rb2 Rd3 {[%cal Gd3g3,Gh5h1,Gh2g3]}
27. Qf4 Re8 $19 {and something will eventually give.}) 26... Bf3 {With more
Black pieces invading and material losses coming, White resigned. An
impressive dynamic play from the reigning Women's World Champion!} 0-1

[Event "Moscow FIDE GP"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2017.05.13"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "163"]
[EventDate "2017.05.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {This is
one of the popular mainlines of the Catalan Opening.} Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6
Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. b3 $5 {Vallejo uses a rare variation, first played in
1999, to surprise Harikrishna in the hopes of giving him problems over the
board.} ({More common moves are} 11. Qc2) ({and} 11. Qa4) 11... Rd8 ({A safer
move is} 11... cxb3 12. Qxb3 Rd8 13. Rd1 e5 $5 (13... Ba6 14. Ba3 (14. Nc3 $6
Nd5 {Black suddenly develops an initiative} 15. Rd2 (15. Ba3 Qg5 $1 {[%cal
Gg5g4,Gg4h3,Gg4e2]}) 15... Rab8 16. Nxd5 $2 (16. Qc2 {is more stubborn but
White still has to be careful.} Qg5 17. Ne4 Qh5 $36) 16... exd5 17. Qf3 Re8 18.
e3 Qb4 $1 19. Qf5 Qc3 20. Rb1 g6 {0-1 (20) Csala,I (2226)-Bodiroga,P (2353)
Gyula 2001}) 14... Qe8 15. Nc3 Nd5 $1 (15... Rab8 16. Qc2 Nd5 17. Ne4 {is
slightly unpleasant to play for Black.}) 16. e4 Rab8 17. Qc2 Nb4 18. Bxb4 Rxb4
$11 {and White's d4 pawn is just as weak as c7.}) 14. d5 c6 15. Ba3 Qd7 16. d6
Qh3 17. Nd2 Be6 $44 {The presence of the opposite-coloured bishops and White's
unsafe king always secures Black compensation for the pawn.}) 12. bxc4 c5 13.
Ba3 Qc7 14. Bxc5 Ne4 15. Qb3 {I'm sure this was still part of Vallejo's prep
which here can already be called a success as he will keep a pawn and go on
"plus-equals mode."} Bb7 16. Qa3 (16. Qe3 $5 {is another way to keep the
advantage} Nxc5 17. dxc5 Rac8 18. Na3 $1 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 Rxc5 20. Rfd1 $16) 16...
Rdc8 17. Rd1 e5 (17... Nxc5 {doesn't allow Black to equalise either} 18. dxc5
Qxc5 19. Qxc5 (19. Rd8+ $4 {This typical trick doesn't work} Rxd8 20. Qxc5 Rd1#
) 19... Rxc5 20. Nd2 Ba6 21. Rac1 Rac8 22. Rc3 $16) 18. Nc3 Nxc3 19. Qxc3 exd4
20. Bxd4 Qc6 21. f3 {Black has no counterplay on the squares around the white
king and will now face a daunting defensive task in the endgame.} Qxc4 22. Qxc4
Rxc4 23. Rac1 Ba6 24. Kf2 {The next moves will consist of both sides improving
their respective pawn structures and activating their pieces.} h5 25. a3 f6 26.
Rxc4 Bxc4 27. Rc1 Bf7 28. h3 a5 29. Rc5 ({More accurate is probable setting up
pressure-play on the enemy kingside.} 29. Rc7 a4 30. g4 $1 $16 {[%cal Gd4g7,
Gc7g7,Gg4g5,Gh3h4]}) 29... a4 30. Bc3 Be8 31. g4 hxg4 32. hxg4 Ra7 33. g5 $1 {
Pawn breaks open lines and help clarify targets.} Kf7 34. e4 Bd7 35. Ke3 Rb7
36. Bb4 Ra7 37. f4 fxg5 ({If Black keeps waiting, White will eventually push
his passed pawn.} 37... Rb7 38. Ra5 Kg6 (38... Be6 39. g6+ $1) 39. Rd5 Rc7 40.
Rd6 {[%csl Rf6][%cal Re4e5]} Kf7 41. e5 fxe5 42. fxe5 Be6 43. g6+ Ke7 44. Ra6+
Kd7 45. Rd6+ Ke7 46. Kf4 $18 {[%csl Ra4,Rg7][%cal Gf4g5,Rd6a6] not rushing as
the king and bishop aren't really going anywhere!}) 38. Rxg5 {White has made
plenty of progress since the queens were traded off--he has pushed down his
pawn majority and created a passed pawn. Now Vallejo has to find a plan to
break through the enemy defences.} g6 39. Rc5 Ra6 40. Rc7 Ke8 41. Kd4 Kd8 42.
Rc1 $1 {After luring the king so far away from the kingside, Vallejo correctly
swings it to the h-file where it can be more powerful on the 7th rank.} Rc6 43.
Bc5 Be6 44. Rh1 Bb3 45. Rh7 Ke8 46. Re7+ Kd8 47. Rh7 Ke8 48. Re7+ Kd8 49. Rg7
Ke8 50. e5 Bf7 51. Rh7 Bb3 52. Re7+ Kd8 53. Rg7 Ke8 54. Bd6 {Vallejo finally
hits on the most dangerous idea: to post the bishop on d6 and transfer his
king to f6. But it's trickier in practice as Black's pieces can make it
difficult for the white king to cross over the border.} Bf7 55. Bb4 $6 {
Missing a chance to execute the plan.} (55. Ke4 $1 Rc1 56. Kf3 (56. e6 $2 Re1+)
56... Bd5+ (56... Rg1 57. e6 $1) 57. Kg4 Rg1+ 58. Kh4 Kd8 59. Bc5 Rg2 60. Kh3 {
[%cal Ge5e6,Gh3g2]} Rc2 61. Be7+ Ke8 (61... Kc8 62. Rxg6) 62. Bd6 Rg2 63. e6
$18) (55. Ke3 {leads to the same thing.}) 55... Bb3 56. Ke4 {Blowing his
chances to execute the winning plan as Black is allowed to set up a defensive
barrier.} (56. Bd6) 56... Kd8 {avoiding the e5-e6 tricks later.} 57. Kf3 Be6 $1
58. Be7+ (58. Kg3 Rc1 59. Kh4 $2 Rg1 $11 {[%csl Rh4]}) (58. Rxg6 $4 Bd5+ $19)
58... Kc8 $1 (58... Ke8 59. Bd6 Bf5 60. Kg3 {[%cal Gg3h4,Gh4g5,Gg5f6]} Rc1 61.
e6 $18 {[%cal Gf5e6,Gg7e7] the winning trick.}) 59. Bb4 Bf5 60. Ra7 Rc4 $1 {
Harikrishna sacrifices another pawn to gain time to activate his pieces and
cause White to lose his coordination.} 61. Rxa4 Kb7 62. Ra5 Kb6 63. Kg3 (63.
Ra8 $4 Be4+) 63... Be6 64. Ra8 {The only way to make progress.} (64. Kf3 Bd7
65. Kg3 Be6) 64... g5 $1 {Fastastic defensive play from Harikrishna as trading
more pawns brings the game closer to a draw.} 65. fxg5 Rg4+ 66. Kf2 Rxg5 67.
Rb8+ Kc6 68. Bd6 Rg4 {While White may be two pawns up, Black has set up an
ideal blockade on both passed pawns. I'm sure both players already knew it was
a dead draw but Vallejo tries a few more moves to see if there's any chances
to make progress or create some sort of trick.} 69. Re8 Kd5 70. Kf3 Rh4 71. Rb8
Bd7 72. Rb1 Bc6 73. Ke3 Re4+ 74. Kd3 Rd4+ 75. Kc3 Rc4+ 76. Kb2 Ba4 $1 {locks
the white king up in the queenside corner which seals the draw.} 77. Re1 Rc2+
78. Kb1 Rd2 79. Kc1 Rc2+ 80. Kb1 Rd2 81. Kc1 Rc2+ 82. Kb1 {and the players
agreed to a draw.  An interesting battle that started with effective opening
prep by Vallejo which netted him a pawn. While White wasn't able to find the
right path at a critcal moment in the ending, credit has to be given to
Harikrishna who fought hard, finding good defensive moves and eventually
managing to survive a tortuous endgame situation.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-Cup 32nd"]
[Site "Novi Sad"]
[Date "2016.11.08"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Black "Oparin, Grigoriy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2621"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "159"]
[EventDate "2016.11.06"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "SRB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Novy Bor"]
[BlackTeam "Zhiguli"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b6 $5 {
This line is still young and came to popularity after the late Ivan Bukavshin
effectively used it in the 2015 Russian Championships.} 8. Bg5 ({Other ways
the game could develop from here are:} 8. Ne5 Nd5 9. Qxc4 (9. Nxc4 Bb7 10. a3
Nc6) 9... Ba6 10. Qc2 Bf6 {and}) ({and} 8. Qxc4 Bb7 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. Bg5 Rc8 {
with enough counterplay for Black in both lines.}) 8... Nd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10.
Qxc4 (10. Nbd2 b5 $1 (10... c5 $5 $146 11. dxc5 (11. Nxc4 {[%cal Ge2e4]} Ba6
12. Rac1 (12. a3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 $2 Rc8) (12. e4 Nb4 13. Qb3 (13. Qc3 $6 cxd4 14.
Nxd4 Rc8 $36) 13... cxd4 14. Nxd4 (14. Rfd1 Rd8 (14... N4c6 15. e5) 15. Nxd4
N8c6 16. Nxc6 Nxc6 17. Qa4 Bxc4 18. Qxc4 Ne5 $11) 14... Qc5 $36) 12... Rc8 13.
Qd2 Nc6 14. dxc5 bxc5 {White has a more pleasant position but Black should be
able to hold it with accurate play.} 15. Rfd1 Rd8 $1 (15... Rab8 16. b3 f6 17.
Qc2) 16. Qe1 Rac8 {with a defensible position.}) 11... Ba6 12. cxb6 axb6 $11) {
In a recent game, White played} 11. Ne4 (11. a4 {a typical response} c6 12.
axb5 cxb5 13. b3 Nb4 14. Qb2 cxb3 15. Ne5 (15. Nxb3 Bb7 16. Na5 Bd5 17. Rfb1
N8a6 $11) 15... Bb7) (11. b3 $5 {another typical undermining move, after which
the critical test is} c3 (11... cxb3 12. Nxb3 $44 {with normal Catalan
compensation on the q-side.}) 12. e4 (12. Ne4 b4 13. a3 f5 $1 14. Nc5 Nc6 15.
axb4 Rb8 $1 (15... Ncxb4 16. Qc1 Bd7 17. Ne5 Bb5 18. Re1 $36 {[%cal Ge2e4]})
16. e4 fxe4 17. Qxe4 Rxb4 18. Ng5 Qxg5 19. Nxe6 Qf5 $1 20. Qxd5 Qxd5 21. Bxd5
Bxe6 22. Bxe6+ Kh8 $15) 12... cxd2 13. exd5 exd5 14. Qxd2 (14. Nxd2 c6) 14...
a5 $5 (14... Qd6 15. Ne5 Bb7 16. Rfc1 a5 $5 {[%cal Ga8a7,Gc7c6,Ga7c7]} (16...
Nd7 $6 17. Qc3 $1 c6 (17... Rfc8) 18. Nxc6 Rac8 19. Bxd5 Rfe8 20. Qf3 Nf6 21.
Ne7+ Rxe7 22. Bxb7 Rb8 23. Bc6 Qxd4 24. Rd1 $14) 17. Qc3 (17. a4 b4 18. Nd3 Nd7
$11) 17... c6 $11) 15. Ne5 c6 (15... Be6 16. a4 b4 17. Rac1 {White has strong
compensation here.}) 16. a4 bxa4 $1 (16... b4 17. Rac1 Qd6 18. Qc2 Bb7 19. Rfe1
$14) 17. Rxa4 Qb7 $132) 11... Nc6 12. b3 {after which Black had no problems
and even took over the initiative after} f5 $1 13. Nc3 Rb8 14. bxc4 bxc4 15.
Rfc1 {and here the best move is the simple} Ba6 $5 (15... Bd7 16. Nd1 $44 {
1/2-1/2 (26) Fantinel,T (2429)-Borgo,G (2365) Bratto 2016}) (15... Rd8 $5 16.
Na4 Bd7 17. Qd1 $13) 16. Na4 $1 (16. Qa4 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Bb5) (16. a3 $2 Rb3) (
16. e3 Ncb4 17. Qa4 Nxc3 18. Rxc3 c5 $36) (16. Nd1 $2 Qd6 17. a3 (17. e3 Ndb4)
17... Na5 $17) 16... Rfe8 17. Nb2 (17. Nc5 $2 Nxd4 $17) 17... Nb6 $15 {[%cal
Ge6e5]}) 10... Bb7 11. Nc3 c5 $146 {A logical improvement over what was tried
before.} ({The only move tried before this game was played is:} 11... Na6 12.
Ne5 Rad8 13. Nc6 (13. Rac1 $5 $14) 13... Bxc6 14. Qxc6 Nab4 15. Nxd5 exd5 16.
Qa4 $14 {½-½ (41) Carlsen,M (2127)-Arngrimsson,D (2094) Lysaker 2002}) 12.
dxc5 Rc8 $5 {An interesting choice. Black gives up a pawn for activity and
simplification of the position, a common defensive technique to achieve
equality.} (12... bxc5 13. Ne5 Nb6) 13. c6 Nxc6 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Qxd5 Na5 (
15... Nb4 $5 16. Qb3 Bd5 17. Qa4 Bc6 18. Qa3 a5) 16. Qh5 Rc5 {playing for more
activity} ({The other natural move may be better} 16... Rc2 $1 {and I don't
think there's a reason why it shouldn't be played.} 17. Nd4 (17. b4 Nc4 18. Ng5
(18. Nd4 Bxg2 19. Nxc2 (19. Kxg2 Qe4+ 20. Qf3 Qxf3+ 21. exf3 Rd2) 19... Bxf1
20. Rxf1 Qe4 $1 (20... Nd2 21. Rd1 Rd8 22. Ne3) (20... Rd8 21. Rc1 Qe4 22. Qg5
$1 Rd5 (22... f6 23. Qf4 $1) (22... Rd2 23. Ne3) 23. Qf4 $1) 21. Rc1 g6 22. Qf3
(22. Qg5 Qxe2 $2 (22... Rf8 $1 23. e3 (23. Qf4 Qxe2 24. Nd4 Qd3 $11) 23... Nd2)
23. Qd5 Rc8 24. Ne3 $18) 22... Qxf3 23. exf3 Rd8 $11) 18... h6 19. Bxb7 Qxb7
20. Rac1 $1 Na3 $1 21. Rxc2 (21. Nf3 Qe4 22. Ne5 Rf8 $11) 21... Nxc2 22. Nf3
Qe4 $11) 17... Rxb2 18. Bxb7 Nxb7 19. Nf5 Qf6 {and White has nothing.}) 17. Qh3
$1 (17. Qh4 $5 Qxh4 18. gxh4 {the point of course} (18. Nxh4 Rc2 $11) 18... Rc2
19. b4 Nc6 (19... Nc4 20. Rfc1) 20. b5 Na5 21. Nd4 Rc5 22. Rac1 $14) 17... g6 (
{Now} 17... Rc2 {isn't as good anymore:} 18. b4 Nc4 $4 (18... Nc6 19. b5 Na5
20. Nd4 Rc5 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Rac1 $14) 19. Nd4 Rd2 (19... Bxg2 20. Qxg2) 20.
Nf5 Qd7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Qg4 $18) 18. b4 Rh5 19. Qg4 Nc6 20. Rab1 Ne5 $1 {
This time going for major simplifications in the hopes of reaching a drawish R
or Q ending later.} 21. Nxe5 Rxe5 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. e3 a5 {Trying to trade all
the queenside pawns.} 24. Rfd1 (24. b5 Qd5 25. Qe2 Rc8 26. a4 (26. Rb2 Qe4)
26... Qe4 {Black's piece activity fully compensates for the lost pawn.}) (24.
a3 axb4 25. axb4 h5 (25... Qe4 26. Qxe4 Rxe4) 26. Qh4 (26. Qd4 Re4) (26. Qf4
Qe4) 26... Qf3 $44) 24... h5 25. Qe2 ({Maybe a better way to create problems is
} 25. Rd7 $5 Qc6 26. Qd4) 25... axb4 26. Rxb4 Rea5 27. Rd2 Qc6 28. Rc4 Qe6 $1
29. Kg2 b5 (29... Ra3 $5 30. Rb2 b5 31. Rd4 Rxa2 {leads to a similar type of
game.}) 30. Rcc2 b4 31. Rb2 Ra3 32. Rxb4 {The only way for White to make
progress.} Rxa2 33. Rxa2 Rxa2 34. Qf3 Kg7 $14 {This is objectively better for
White on paper, but if Black is careful it's already a practically a drawn
game.} 35. Rf4 Ra5 36. Rd4 Rc5 37. e4 Qf6 38. Qe3 Rc2 39. Rd2 Rc3 40. Rd3 Rc4
41. Rd5 Rc3 42. Qe2 h4 43. Rd3 Qa6 ({Another forcing way to steer the game to
a dead drawn position is:} 43... h3+ $1 44. Kxh3 (44. Kf1 Rc1+ 45. Rd1 Rc3 $1
$11 46. f4 $2 (46. Kg1 Qc6) 46... Qb6 $40) (44. Kg1 $4 Qa6) 44... Rxd3 45. Qxd3
Qxf2 $11 46. Qd5 Qe2 (46... Qf1+)) (43... Rxd3 44. Qxd3 h3+ 45. Kf1 $5) 44. Re3
Qxe2 45. Rxe2 hxg3 46. hxg3 Kf6 {White plays on only for practical purposes
but Black shouldn't have trouble drawing. Oparin probably hesitated too many
times, got in time trouble or became nervous and later cracked in a simpler R
ending position.} 47. Ra2 Ke5 48. Ra4 Rc2 49. Kf3 Rb2 ({The simplest way is to
trade more pawns!} 49... f5 $1 50. Ra5+ (50. exf5 gxf5 51. Ke3 Rc3+) 50... Kf6
51. Ra6+ (51. e5+ Ke6 52. Ke3 g5 53. f4 Rc3+ $11) 51... Ke5 52. Rxg6 Rc3+ $1
53. Kg2 fxe4 $11) 50. Ra5+ Ke6 51. Ke3 Kf6 52. f3 Rb3+ 53. Kf4 Kg7 54. e5 Rb4+
55. Kg5 Rb3 56. Kg4 Rb7 57. Ra6 Re7 58. f4 Re8 59. Kg5 Re7 60. Rf6 Re8 61. Rb6
Re7 62. Ra6 Re8 63. g4 (63. Ra7 Re6 64. g4 Re8 65. Rb7 Re6 {I don't see a
clear way for White to make progress.}) 63... Re7 64. Kh4 Rb7 65. Ra5 Kh6 66.
Ra6 Kg7 67. Rc6 Ra7 68. Kg5 Re7 69. Rc5 Re6 70. Kh4 Ra6 71. Rc7 Rb6 72. Kg5 Re6
73. Kh4 Rb6 74. f5 {Transforming into a simple R ending situation.} gxf5 75.
gxf5 Rb5 76. Re7 Kf8 $2 {Black can probably hold this but the situation
becomes difficult due to his unsafe king position.} (76... Kh6 $1 77. Kg4 (77.
e6 Rxf5 78. exf7 Kg7) 77... f6 $1 78. e6 (78. exf6 Rb4+ 79. Kf3 Kg5 80. f7 Rf4+
81. Ke3 (81. Kg3 Rg4+ (81... Rxf5 $4 82. Re5) 82. Kh3 Rh4+) 81... Rxf5 $11)
78... Rb4+ 79. Kf3 Kg5) 77. f6 Rb1 78. Ra7 Kg8 $4 {Missing a simple tactical
trick.} (78... Ke8 79. Kg5 Rg1+ 80. Kf5 Rf1+ 81. Ke4 Re1+ 82. Kd5 (82. Kd4 Rd1+
83. Kc3 Rc1+ 84. Kd2 Rc5 85. Ra8+ Kd7 86. Rf8 Ke6 87. Re8+ Kf5 $11) 82... Rd1+
83. Kc6 Rc1+ 84. Kb5 (84. Kb7 Kd7) 84... Rb1+ {I don't see a winning plan for
White yet.}) 79. Ra8+ Kh7 80. e6 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Tbilisi"]
[Date "2017.09.13"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2701"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2017.09.03"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GEO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 181"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {This is considered the modern mainline.} h6 11. Bxf6
Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 {This trade is almost forced because the bishop on c6 will
become bad after e2-e4 next move.} 13. Bxf3 c6 14. e3 ({The other way for
White to fight for an edge here is} 14. Qb3) 14... a5 15. b4 axb4 16. Qxb4 Ra7
(16... Qc7 17. Rfb1 Ra7 18. a5 $14 {continues a similar path as in the game.})
17. a5 Na6 ({Other ways Black has continued here are} 17... Nd7 18. Rfb1 Be7
19. Qc4 $14 {½-½ (23) Gustafsson,J (2643)-Matlakov,M (2603) Sestao 2010, and
White still keeps a comfortable edge.}) ({A better way to fight for equality
could be} 17... Be7 $5 {as it limits White's possible retreats} 18. Qb3 (18.
Qb6 Qxb6 19. axb6 Ra3 $1 20. Rxa3 Bxa3 21. Ne4 Nd7 $11 {[%csl Rb6]}) (18. Qc4
$2 Rxa5) 18... Na6 $1 (18... Nd7 19. a6 $1 $146 (19. Rfb1 Qc7 {1/2-1/2 (47)
Zatonskih,A (2469)-Khotenashvili,B (2507) Bilbao 2014}) 19... bxa6 20. Bxc6 Qc7
{the following forcing line is the only test, otherwise White has a long-term
edge due to his better pawn structure.} 21. Be4 $5 (21. Bg2 Rb8 22. Qc2 Bb4 23.
Rfc1 Rc8 24. Qd3 $1 Bxc3 25. Ra3 $14) 21... Rb8 22. Qc2 Bb4 23. Rfc1 Rc8 $2 {
now this counter-idea isn't even possible} 24. Nb5 $16) 19. Qb6 (19. Ra4 Nc7
20. Rb1 Nd5 $11 21. Nd1 Qd7 (21... Qa8 $5) 22. Nb2 Rfa8 23. Nc4 Bd8 24. Rba1
Bc7 25. R4a3 Qd8 26. Kg2 Bd6 27. R3a2 Bc7 28. Qb2 {1/2-1/2 (28) Zemlyanov,S 
(2359)-Bendana Guerrero,G (2440) ICCF email 2014}) 19... Qa8 20. Rfb1 Nb8 $1
$132 21. Na4 Nd7 22. Qb2 $5 {the idea is to make the a5-a6 idea work in the
future.} (22. Qb3 Bd8 23. a6 $6 b5 24. Nc3 Rxa6 $15 {[%csl Ra1]}) 22... Bd6 $1
{while it may still be easier to play White, Black is solid.} (22... Bd8 23. a6
$1 b5 24. Nc3 Rxa6 25. Nxb5 $16 {[%csl Ga1] now the a1-rook is defended.}) 23.
Nb6 (23. a6 $2 b5 24. Nc3 Rxa6 25. Nxb5 $4 Rb8 $19) (23. Nc3 Rb8 $11) 23...
Nxb6 24. axb6 Ra5 {and Black is holding.}) 18. Qb6 Qa8 19. Ne4 Bd8 20. Qb2 Nb8
(20... Nc7 {is also not enough to relieve White's pressure} 21. Nd6 Nb5 $2 (
21... Be7 22. Nc4 $14) 22. Nxb5 cxb5 23. Qxb5 Rxa5 24. Rxa5 Qxa5 25. Qxb7 $16 {
1-0 (36) Tkachiev,V (2649)-Gundavaa,B (2516) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013; and White
is simply a pawn up for nothing.}) 21. Nd6 Bxa5 22. Nxb7 {When I was watching
this game, I thought Liren used a novelty in the mainline of the 6...dxc4
Catalan to obtain an edge, but it turns out all of the moves we have so far
have been been played before!} Qxb7 $6 {Choosing the worse of the two
unpleasant endings.} ({The only other game here went} 22... Rxb7 23. Rxa5 Rxb2
24. Rxa8 {an ending which could be very unpleasant to face over the board,
especially if one isn't prepared. However, GM Bauer shows that it is actually
holdable after} c5 $1 25. dxc5 Rc2 26. Rb1 (26. Ra5 Nd7 (26... Rc8 27. Rb1 $1)
27. c6 Nb8 $1 $11 {and White has no way to hold on to his extra pawn.}) 26...
Nd7 27. Rxf8+ Kxf8 28. c6 Ne5 29. Be4 Rc4 $1 30. Rb8+ Ke7 31. Rb7+ Kd6 32. f4
Rxe4 33. fxe5+ Kxc6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (46) Tkachiev,V (2644)-Bauer,C (2682) Pau 2012
}) 23. Qxb7 Rxb7 24. Rxa5 Rc8 25. Rc1 Rbc7 26. Ra8 {Now the only thing Black
can do is to pretty much sit and wait.} Kf8 27. h4 Ke7 28. h5 $1 {Fixing a
potential second weakness on the kingside.} Kd6 29. e4 Ke7 30. e5 Rd8 31. Kg2
$1 {Liren uses the principle of "Do not rush" and simply improves the position
of his king.} Rb7 {Now Black threatens to take on d4.} 32. Rc4 f6 {Black
decides to do something such as trading pawns and activating his rooks in some
way.} 33. Be4 $1 {But Liren calmly and patiently improves his position, and
this time by taking his bishop to the outpost g6.} fxe5 34. dxe5 Rb2 35. Bg6
Nd7 36. Ra7 {Of course, White should keep his rooks which are more active.} Re2
{This is the critical moment and Liren himself said after the game that he had
many good-looking options here.} 37. Re4 $1 {The most important move (and
decision!) in winning this game, according to Liren. Looking at it without
much calculation, it makes sense as it removes enemy counterplay on White's
e5-pawn and trades off the enemy's only active piece!} ({Of course not} 37.
Rxc6 $2 Rxe5 $14 {The more pawns gets traded the better chances Black gets of
achieving a draw.}) (37. Be4 Kf8 38. Rd4 (38. Bf3 Rd2 39. Rxc6 Nxe5 40. Rxe6
Nxf3 41. Kxf3 $14) 38... c5 $1 39. Rdxd7 Rxd7 40. Rxd7 Rxe4 {and once again
only Black gained something here.}) (37. Rf4 Rxe5 38. Rf7+ Kd6 39. Rxg7 Re2 40.
Rh7 Ne5 $1 {[%csl Rf2][%cal Ge5g4,Rg4f2] is also not convincing as Black gets
to activate his pieces, and along with it use some small tactics.}) 37... Rxe4
(37... Rd2 38. Rf4 Rf8 39. Rxf8 Kxf8 40. Ra8+ Ke7 41. Re8#) 38. Bxe4 Rc8 39. f4
Kd8 40. Kf3 c5 41. Ke3 {[%csl Ga7,Rc5,Rc8,Rd7,Rd8,Ge3,Ge4,Re6,Rg7][%cal Ga7g7,
Ge4c6,Ge4g6,Ge3d3,Gd3c4,Gd3c3,Gg3g4,Gf4f5] Despite the material balance, it is
clear that White is winning. His pieces are more active and his pawns are
healthier than Black's crippled and weakened pawns.} Rc7 42. Ra8+ Rc8 43. Ra6
$1 {[%csl Re6] This move gains time for White.} Ke7 44. Ra7 c4 (44... Kd8 45.
Kd3 $18) 45. Kd2 c3+ 46. Kc2 {After securely blockading it, White's next plan
is to pick off this pawn.} Kd8 47. Bd3 Rc5 48. Ra8+ Ke7 ({Similar to what will
happen in the game, the minor piece ending is simply winning not only because
of the material advantage but also of Black's remaining weaknesses.} 48... Rc8
49. Rxc8+ Kxc8 50. Kxc3 Kc7 51. Bc4 $18) 49. Ra7 Kd8 50. Ra3 Nb6 51. Rxc3 Rxc3+
52. Kxc3 Nd5+ ({Black cannot stop White's king from coming in:} 52... Kc7 53.
Kd4 Kc6 54. Bc4 Kd7 55. Bb5+ Ke7 56. Bc6 $18 {[%cal Gd4c5]}) 53. Kd4 Ke7 54.
Be4 Nb4 55. Kc5 Na2 56. Kc4 {And now Black's knight is even trapped!} Nc1 57.
Bd3 {Black will be forced to go into a lost king ending, therefore he resigned.
A great choice of opening line and impeccable endgame technique by Ding Liren!}
1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.27"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {Kramnik
uses a line that became popular at the top level several years back,
especially after he used it in the 2013 Candidates.} Qd6 $5 {A rare but
playable move. In fact, it has already been played a few times in tournament
practice in 2017 with decent results for Black.} 8. Na3 {Kramnik thought for
about 8 minutes here which means that he had never studied it deeply before or
he was recalling his prep.} Rd8 9. Naxc4 Qa6 (9... Qxd4 $2 {is too risky as
the queen gets too exposed after} 10. Qb3 {[%cal Rc1e3]} Qc5 (10... c6 11. Be3
$18) 11. Bxb7 Bxb7 12. Qxb7 Nbd7 13. Be3 $16) 10. Qc2 $5 $146 {A novelty,
either produced during the game or at home!} ({Another queen move was tried
years back by another player in the Candidates-Wesley So:} 10. Qb3 Rxd4 11. Bf4
(11. a4 Nbd7 12. Be3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Rd8 14. Qb5 {with compensation but nothing
more.}) 11... Rd8 (11... Nbd7 12. Rac1 c6 $44 {1/2-1/2 (67) So,W (2674)
-Ljubojevic,L (2572) Amsterdam 2010}) 12. Rfd1 Nd5 $11) 10... Rxd4 11. Bg5 ({
The main point of the novelty would have been revealed if White had followed
up with} 11. a4 $1 Nbd7 $2 (11... Rd8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Nxe5 14. Rxd8+ Bxd8
15. Nxe5 $14 {White has more than enough compensation simply because he has a
better version of what happened in the game.}) 12. Be3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 {[%csl
Rc7,Rd4][%cal Rc2c7] now White has a double attack.} Rd8 (13... Rb4 14. Qxc7
$16 (14. Rfc1 $5)) 14. Qxc7 Qd6 15. Qxd6 Bxd6 16. Rfd1 $14) 11... Nbd7 12. Rfd1
Rxd1+ 13. Rxd1 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Qa5 $1 {Mamedyarov defends actively and
accurately, not giving Kramnik a chance to obtain an intiative.} (14... c6 $2
15. Be4 $1 $40 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Bh7+ Kf8 18. Qc5+ Ke8 19. Ng6 $1 {with
mate to follow next move.}) (14... Qb6 $2 15. Ng4 $1 $36 {[%csl Re7,Rf6]}) 15.
Bf4 Nd5 16. Be4 (16. Bd2 Qc5 $11) 16... g6 (16... h6 $6 {doesn't look right as
it allows ideas connected with check on h7 followed by a sac on f7 in the
future.}) 17. Bh6 Qc5 18. Qd2 Qb4 19. Qc2 Qc5 {Mamedyarov silently offers a
draw.} 20. Qd3 {True to style in this event, Kramnik keeps the game going and
tries to fight for more!} Qd6 21. Nc4 Qc5 $1 {Accurate again! On c5, the queen
avoids being pinned and keeps watch over the central squares especially d4.} (
21... Qd8 $2 22. Bf3 $1 {[%csl Rd5,Rd8][%cal Ge2e4]} Qe8 23. e4 Nf6 24. Qc3 $1
$40 {[%csl Rc7,Rg7,Rg8]}) 22. Qf3 $5 {White tries to slow down Black's
completion of development by making use of nice tactics.} c6 {Safe and solid.}
({Black could also consider a dynamic solution, but that requires taking
positional risks after:} 22... Nf6 $5 23. Bxb7 Rb8 $1 (23... Bxb7 24. Qxb7 Re8
25. Rc1 (25. b3 Qh5) 25... Qh5 26. Be3 Qxe2 27. Qxc7 $11) 24. Bxc8 Qxc4 25. Bb7
(25. b3 $2 Qb5) 25... Qxa2 {and it is now White who has to play more
accurately.}) ({In the press conference, Kramnik gleefully shared his plan
after} 22... Qxc4 $6 23. Rxd5 c6 $1 (23... f5 24. Rd1 fxe4 (24... Qxe4 25. Qc3
$18) 25. Rd8+ Bxd8 26. Qf8#) 24. Qa3 $5 c5 25. Rd1 (25. Rd2 Qxe4 26. Qxc5 Qb1+
27. Kg2 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 (28. f3 $4 Qxe2+ $19) 28... Qb1+ $11) 25... Qxe2 $1 {
and he admitted that this was the problem with this line, after which he
wasn't sure if White can continue the attack. Black is actually already the
choice of the engine:} (25... Qxe4 26. Qxc5 $18) 26. Bf3 (26. Qa4 b5 $19) 26...
Qb5 $1 27. Qc3 (27. Qe3 Bd7 $17) 27... f6 $17) 23. Bd3 Nf6 $1 {Patient and
careful. Mamedyarov doesn't rush to bring out his bishop but instead prepares
to develop it in the most active way possible.} (23... Bd7 $6 {allows us to
see Kramnik's idea} 24. e4 Nf6 25. Be2 $5 {and White has a pleasant initiative
which Kramnik himself pointed out after the game.} (25. Be3 $1 {retreat moves
are often easy to miss} Qh5 26. Qxh5 Nxh5 27. e5 Be8 28. g4 (28. Be2 Ng7 29.
Nd6) 28... Ng7 29. Be4 $14 {[%csl Ra7][%cal Gc4d6,Ga2a4,Ga4a5]})) 24. e4 e5 {
[%csl Ge6,Gg4][%cal Gc8g4] The point. White is now forced to engage in a
forcing line to avoid being worse.} 25. Be3 Qb4 26. Nxe5 Qxb2 27. Bf4 (27. Nxf7
$6 Kxf7 {is "too much" according to both players.} 28. Qf4 (28. Bc4+ Ke8 $19)
28... Qb4 $1 $19) 27... Be6 ({Maybe Mamedyarov saw} 27... g5 $5 {but probably
thought it's too risky} 28. Nc4 (28. Bc4 gxf4 29. Nxf7 Kg7 30. Qxf4 $13) 28...
Bg4 $1 29. Qxg4 (29. Qe3 gxf4) 29... Nxg4 30. Nxb2 gxf4 31. gxf4 Bc5 32. Rd2
$13) 28. Rb1 Qxa2 29. Rxb7 {Here Kramnik felt that he already has a good
position or has better chances.} Bc5 30. Kg2 $1 {Without any clear counterplay
and counter-tactics involving back-rank checks, White's position is now indeed
easier to play.} Re8 $6 ({The only way to hold the balance for Black was to
tie down White's pieces as much as possible:} 30... Bd4 $1 31. Re7 $5 {[%cal
Ge5c6,Gg3g4] with a messy position in which the better calculator will prevail!
} (31. h3 $2 Bxh3+ $1 32. Kxh3 Qe6+ $17) (31. Nxc6 $4 Bg4 $19)) 31. h3 $5 {
Kramnik likes this slow, controlled move a lot but it underestimates Black's
defensive resources.} ({White must act energetically now with} 31. Bg5 $1 Nh5
32. Nxc6 $16 {Black is in a dangerous position as he cannot stop White's
kingside attack.}) (31. g4 $5 h5 (31... Nd5 32. Bh6 $1 $16 (32. exd5 Bxd5 33.
Be4 Bxe4 34. Qxe4 Qxf2+ 35. Kh3 Qf1+ $19)) 32. h3 $13) 31... Bxf2 $1 {This
tactical sequence is the easiest way to neutralise White's initiative,
something which Kramnik missed.} (31... Nh5 32. Bh6 $16) 32. Qxf2 Bxh3+ 33. Kg1
Qxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Rxe5 35. Bxe5 (35. g4 Nxe4+ $1 (35... Nxg4+ $5 36. Kg3 Rc5) 36.
Kf3 Bxg4+ 37. Kxg4 Nf2+ 38. Kf3 Nxd3 39. Bxe5 Nxe5+ 40. Kf4 f6 $17) 35... Ng4+
36. Kg1 Nxe5 {The forcing moves are over and Black has no problems holding the
subsequent complex ending due to his pawns.} 37. Be2 Kg7 38. Rxa7 Kf6 39. Ra5
Bd7 40. Kf2 Ke6 41. Ke3 Kd6 42. Ra1 h5 43. Rd1+ Ke7 44. Kd4 f6 45. Kc5 Bh3 46.
Ra1 Bg2 47. Ra4 Ke6 48. Rd4 Nf3 49. Rd8 Ng5 50. Bc4+ Ke7 51. Rg8 Nxe4+ 52. Kxc6
Nd6+ 53. Kc5 (53. Bd5 $6 Bxd5+ 54. Kxd5 Nf5 55. Rxg6 $4 (55. Ra8 Nxg3 56. Ra7+
Kf8 57. Ke6 Ne4 58. Kd5 f5 {and it's White who has to be careful.}) 55... Kf7
$19 {Kramnik & Mamedarov}) 53... Nxc4 54. Kxc4 Kf7 {A nice fighting game by
both players in the last round! The rare 7...Qd6 line seems to hold against
the popular 7.Ne5 and we can expect it to be tested out more in future
tournaments.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Aviator op 2nd"]
[Site "Dayton"]
[Date "2016.07.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Sadorra, Julio Catalino"]
[Black "Azarov, Sergei Nikolaevich"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2596"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2016.07.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 {I was a little surprised by this as I prepared more against
QGA, my opponent's main Black weapon.} 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g3 {Lately,
I've been fond of using this delayed Catalan and it has brought me good
practical results as I can usually play for a small edge with little risk.} O-O
6. Bg2 dxc4 $5 ({Another common move here is the more quiet} 6... c6 {see my
annotated game vs. Sukandar.}) 7. O-O ({I though of using the popular line} 7.
Ne5 {but I couldn't remember all my prep there and decided to save it for
future games.} Nc6 (7... c5 8. dxc5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 Bxc5 10. Nxc4 Nc6 11. Be3 {
and White can go "plus-equals mode." 1-0 (46) Wang Hao (2734)-Fressinet,L 
(2687) Almaty KAZ 2016}) (7... Qd6 $5 {has also been tested at the top-level}
8. Nxc4 Qa6 9. Qb3 Nc6 {with mutual chances, 0-1 (45) Svidler,P (2727)-Kramnik,
V (2777) Skopje MKD 2015. See Roiz's annotations from CBM 169.}) 8. Bxc6 bxc6
9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 {is the mainline, and it's still popular
even at the top-level.}) 7... Nc6 {This essentially leads to an Open Catalan 5.
..Nc6 Variation only with an early Nc3 for White. It generally gives rise to
complex positions.} 8. e4 a6 9. Qe2 b5 ({In my general preps, I recall that
White gets compensation if Black takes the pawn, but not more.} 9... Nxd4 10.
Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Rd1 Qc5 12. Be3 Qa5 $44) 10. Rd1 Bb7 (10... Nb4 11. Ne1 Bb7 12.
Bf4 $44) 11. Bg5 $6 {With the idea of preparing d4-d5.} ({Of course I also
considered} 11. d5 {but then I recalled the idea of sacing a piece for a
strong central phalanx from Black when I was studying Avrukh's Catalan manual
a long time ago.} exd5 12. e5 d4 $5 13. exf6 (13. Nxd4 $5 {I forgot to check
this in my analysis during the game} Nxd4 14. Rxd4 Qxd4 15. exf6 Bxf6 (15...
Bxg2 16. fxe7 Rfe8 17. Kxg2 Qc5 18. Qf3 Qxe7 19. Bf4 $14) 16. Bxb7 Rad8 17. Be3
$14) 13... Bxf6 14. Ne4 Re8 $44 {and I thought that Black's position is easier
to play. But upon closer look, with the help of the best analyst in the world,
White can create play on the kingside!} 15. Re1 Be7 16. Nfg5 $1 h6 (16... g6
17. Qf3 Rf8 18. Qf4 $40) (16... Ne5 17. Qh5 h6 18. Ne6 $1 fxe6 19. Qxe5 Qd7 20.
Qh5 $1 $40) 17. Nxf7 $3 Kxf7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Bxh6 {with a winning attack.})
11... Qe8 $1 {This strong move was played after a long think by Sergei.} (11...
h6 12. Bxf6 $1 ({My original intention was} 12. d5 exd5 (12... hxg5 13. dxc6)
13. Nxd5 {but after checking it, I saw a nice resource from Black:} (13. e5
hxg5 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. Nxd5 Re8 {White has nothing}) (13. exd5 Nb4 $17) 13...
hxg5 $3 ({but also possible is} 13... Nxd5 14. exd5 Nd4 $1 {a strong
intermediate move that I missed} 15. Nxd4 Bxg5 $17) 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Rxd8
Raxd8 $17 {and Black has very strong compensation for the queen.}) 12... Bxf6
13. e5 Be7 14. d5 exd5 15. Nxd5 $44) 12. e5 $2 {This move/decision gave me
problems for the rest of the game.} (12. Ne1 $142 $5 {aiming for a better
square on e3 or d4 (after d5) while keeping my center mobile} Nd7 13. Be3 {
keeping pieces and more tension on the board} (13. Bf4 Rc8 (13... e5 14. dxe5
Ncxe5 15. Nd5 Bd6 16. Be3 $132 {with the idea of f2-f4}) 14. Rac1 $15 (14. Nc2)
) 13... Rd8 14. Rac1 Nb6 15. d5 Na5 (15... exd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Na5 18.
Bd2 $13) 16. dxe6 fxe6 17. Rxd8 Bxd8 18. f4 $132) 12... Nd7 $1 (12... Nd5 13.
Ne4 $44 {[%csl Rc5,Re7,Rf6][%cal Ge4c5,Ge4g5,Gf3g5,Gg5e7]}) 13. Qe4 (13. d5 Nb4
14. Bxe7 Qxe7 {and I didn't achieve anything from the central break.} 15. d6 $2
{only creates more weaknesses.} cxd6 16. exd6 Qf6) (13. Ne4 h6 $1 {eliminating
all sorts of tricks around his king.} (13... Nb6 $6 14. Nf6+ $1 $132) 14. Bxe7
Nxe7 $1 $17 {and I cannot do anything to stop him from improving his pieces
and playing c7-c5!}) 13... Nd8 14. Qf4 ({My other option is} 14. Qh4 {but I
didn't think I would gain anything after the normal} f6 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Re1 (
16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nf7) 16... h6 $17) 14... f6 $1 ({If} 14... h6 {during
his thinking time, I was toying with the idea of} 15. Bxh6 $5 (15. Bxe7 Qxe7
16. a4 $5 b4 $1 (16... c6 17. Ne4)) 15... gxh6 16. Qxh6 ({I also noticed
another idea but I didn't know how strong it was:} 16. d5 $3 {is the best way
to continue as pointed out by the best analyst} Kh7 (16... exd5 $2 17. Qxh6 Ne6
18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 $40) (16... f6 $2 17. d6) 17. Qe4+ Kh8 (17... Kg7 18.
Qg4+) 18. Qf4 $11) 16... f6 (16... f5 17. d5 $1) 17. Nh4 (17. d5 Nxe5 18. Nxe5
fxe5 19. dxe6) 17... Bxg2 18. Kxg2 {and I could create unpleasant threats
around his king. But there's probably a defense somewhere.} Rf7 19. Qg6+ Kh8
20. Qh5+ $11) (14... Nb6 15. Bf6 $1) (14... Bxg5 15. Nxg5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rc8 (
16... h6 $4 17. Qe4) (16... Rb8) 17. Nce4 $132 {and at least I can pieces are
coordinated to create some pressure on the kingside.}) 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Qxc7 {
I may have gotten back the pawn, but pieces start to lose coordination. Alas,
I didn't have much choice, either go into this or play a pawn down the rest of
the game.} Rc8 17. Qa5 Ng4 $1 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. d5 {This was forced otherwise
Black breaks through on the f-file.} exd5 $2 {This is where Black started to
get technical problems. During the game, I saw various possibilities for him 
(and I'm sure he did too!) and I felt that he should have something more
decisive due to my wayward queen and my weak kingside.} ({The most convincing
is:} 19... Nxf2 $1 20. Kxf2 Qc5+ 21. Kf1 (21. Ke2 exd5 22. Nd4 Ne6 $1 $19 (
22... Nc6 23. Bxd5+ Kh8)) (21. Ke1 exd5 $1 $40) 21... Qe3 22. Ne2 Rxf3+ 23.
Bxf3 Qxf3+ 24. Ke1 exd5 (24... Bxd5) 25. Qc3 Qf7 {and Black has more than
enough for the exchange, if not a winning advantage.}) 20. Nxd5 (20. Qb6 $5 {
was more stubborn} Qc5 21. Qxc5 Rxc5 22. a3 $1 Ne6 23. Nd4 Nxd4 24. Rxd4 Nf6
25. Rad1 {but it's difficult to find this concept otb.}) 20... Qc5 21. Qd2 Nxf2
$4 {Forcing things at the wrong time. This could be attributed to an oversight
in analysis which gave me a chance to come back in the game.} ({After the
simple and strong} 21... Ne6 {White cannot do anything to defend} 22. b4 (22.
h3 Bxd5 $1 $19) 22... cxb3 23. axb3 Bxd5 24. Qxd5 Qxf2+ $19) 22. Qxf2 Bxd5 23.
Qxc5 Rxc5 24. Ne5 $1 {This tactical idea is most probably what he missed.} Bxg2
25. Nd7 Bf3 26. Nxc5 Bxd1 27. Rxd1 Nc6 28. Rd6 ({I also considered} 28. Nxa6
Ra8 29. Nc7 Rxa2 30. Nxb5 Rxb2 {I didn't like this situation as Black can
press for as long as he wants} 31. Rd5 Na7 $1 32. Nc3 (32. Nxa7 c3 $19) 32...
Rc2 33. Nd1 Nc6 $17) 28... Rc8 29. Nxa6 {After a long think, I decided this
was the best practical chance to equalize.} (29. Kf1 a5 30. Ke2 (30. Ke1 b4 (
30... Nb4) 31. Kd2 Ne5) 30... b4 (30... Nd4+ 31. Rxd4 Rxc5 32. Kd2 Kf7 33. Rd7+
{with drawing chances}) 31. Kd2 Ne5 $17) 29... b4 30. Nc5 (30. Kf2 $2 c3 31.
bxc3 bxc3 32. Ke2 c2 33. Kd2 Nb4 $19) 30... Ne5 $1 {Continuing to keep the
tension and giving me problems. Unfortunately, he had less time on the clock
so I wasn't the only one under pressure!} (30... c3 31. bxc3 bxc3 32. Nd3 c2
33. Nc1 {sticking the knight here followed by Rd2 and bringing the king to d3
convinced me that this line starting with Nxa6 should lead to a draw.}) 31. Rd5
Ng4 32. Ne4 Ne3 33. Rc5 {Trading Rs is the easiest way to kill his intitiave.}
Rd8 (33... Rf8 34. Nd2 $1 {the only way to hold.} (34. Nf2 $2 h6 $1 (34... Ra8
35. Re5 Nc2) 35. h4 (35. Re5 Rxf2 $1 $18) 35... Rf3 $17 (35... Ra8 $17)) 34...
Rd8 35. Nxc4 Nxc4 36. Rxc4 Rd1+ 37. Kg2 Rd2+ $11) 34. a4 $1 {For a few minutes,
I check my options and decided on this to distract his rook and give me time
to create threats myself.} (34. h4 h6 $1 {there's still danger for White} (
34... Rd1+ 35. Kf2) 35. a4 $2 Rd4 $17) 34... bxa3 (34... Rd4 35. Ng5 $1 {
the tricky knight keeps Black from making progress} Rd8 (35... g6 $4 36. Rc8+
Kg7 37. Ne6+ $19) 36. Nf3 $11) 35. bxa3 Ra8 36. Nd6 Rf8 37. h4 Rf1+ {Here a
draw was offered and was accepted due to:} (37... Rf1+ 38. Kh2 Rf2+ 39. Kg1
Rf1+ 40. Kh2 Rf2+ 41. Kh3 (41. Kg1 Rf1+ $11) 41... Rf1 (41... h5 $5 42. Rxh5 $4
(42. Nxc4 Rc2 43. Rc8+ Kh7 44. Nd6 Ra2) 42... c3 43. Rc5 Rf1 44. Kh2 c2) 42.
Rc8+ Rf8 $11 {I must admit that Black played a robust system against the
delayed Catalan, and handled the early part of the middlegame well.
Unfortunately, he failed to strike well at the critical moments which allowed
me to come back in the game, create problems and escape a much worse position.
This only goes to show that chess is a difficult game, and it takes a lot more
to win in today's chess!}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Palma de Mallorca FIDE GP"]
[Site "Palma de Mallorca"]
[Date "2017.11.23"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2692"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "143"]
[EventDate "2017.11.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 182"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 dxc4 {Aronian plays
the mainline of the Open Variation against the Catalan, which is probably
still the most respectable and effective way to equalise against this solid
opening.} 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Rd1 {This move prioritises development and
central control over taking back the pawn on c4.} ({The more popular move here
is} 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 {for more details, see my annotated games in CBM 178.})
9... Bc6 10. Bg5 {Rapport chooses a less common move but one that Aronian also
had to face in a recent game, which could help make one's prep more specific.}
({The most popular continuation here is} 10. Nc3 {which Aronian has faced
before in tournament practice} Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. a5 Rb8 14.
Ra4 Rb4 15. Na2 Rxa4 16. Qxa4 Qb8 (16... h6 17. Qxc4 Qd5 {1/2-1/2 (37) Gelfand,
B (2741)-Aronian,L (2783) Leon 2010 CBM 136 Extra [CB]}) 17. Qxc4 Qb7 $11 {
1/2-1/2 (30) Leko,P (2737)-Aronian,L (2816) Istanbul 2012}) 10... a5 11. Nbd2
Na6 12. Nxc4 Nb4 {Aronian had this position on the board in one of his World
Cup matches.} 13. Qb3 ({One of Russia's strong and young grandmasters Daniil
Dubov chose here} 13. Qc1 h6 14. Bxf6 (14. Bd2 $5 {Keeping more pieces may be
worth investigating for White.}) 14... Bxf6 15. Nfe5 Bd5 16. Qc3 b6 $1 $11 {
½-½ (36) Dubov,D (2666)-Aronian,L (2802) Tbilisi GEO 2017,  and Black had no
problems, and can even fight for more than equality later in the game.}) 13...
Nd7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Qa3 $6 {This doesn't give Black any problems.} ({The
best way to obtain an edge is to fight for control of e4 and expand in the
centre:} 15. Ne1 $1 {This move also aims to remove Black's best piece on b4.}
Bxg2 (15... Bd5 16. e4) 16. Kxg2 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Ge1c2,Ge1d3]} Nb8 {Preparing
to meet White's intention to remove the knight on b4.} (16... c6 $2 17. Nd3 $14
) 17. Nd3 N8c6 18. Nxb4 Nxb4 (18... Qxb4 19. Rd3 $5) 19. Rac1 c6 20. e4 $14 {
White has a very slight edge but Black is very solid.}) 15... Rfd8 16. Rac1 Nd5
17. Qa1 {Rapport wants to keep more pieces to make the most of his space
advantage.} (17. Qxe7 Nxe7 18. b3 f6 $11) 17... N5f6 (17... Nb4 {is more solid
and may be objectively better, but Aronian wants to avoid any type of
repetition and goes for more.}) 18. b3 Qb4 $6 {Clarifying his intentions by
playing actively despite the risk involved of the black queen becoming a
future target for White's pieces.} 19. Ncd2 Rac8 20. e3 {Rapport doesn't see
any real threat from Black and decides to take it slow.} (20. Ne1 $1 {[%cal
Ge1d3,Ge2e4] is once again possible, for the same reasons!}) 20... Ne4 21. Nc4
{Once again avoiding exchanges to keep things tight and uncomfortable in
Black's camp.} (21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22. Nd2 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 c5 24. Ne4 $1 cxd4 25. Rxc8
Rxc8 26. Rxd4 Qe7 27. Qd1 $36) 21... Nd6 22. Ne1 {Rapport finally allows a
trade but only if Aronian helps him improve his structure.} (22. Ncd2 Ne4 23.
Nc4 Nd6 $11) 22... Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Nxc4 24. bxc4 Qe7 {Aronian plans the pawn
break c7-c5 next move freeing his pieces and giving him counterplay in the
centre.} 25. Nd3 ({The best way to stop or meet this break is} 25. c5 $1 {
I'm sure Rapport examined this but he might have been concerned with the other
break} e5 {[%cal Ge5e4,Ge5d4,Gd7f6,Gf6d5] with the idea of e4 or exd4 followed
by manoeuvring a knight to d5.} 26. Nf3 {Only a deeper look at the position
can enable one to see why the ensuing position give White better chances.} (26.
Nd3 exd4 27. exd4 Nf6 $1 $11) (26. c6 $5 {looks tempting but it only leads to
some simplification where Black has counterplay.} bxc6 27. Rxc6 exd4 28. Rxd4
Ne5 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Rc2 Qd6 $132) 26... exd4 {The most natural continuation.
} (26... e4 27. Nd2 Nf6 28. Rb1 Rb8 29. Rb5 $1 b6 30. cxb6 cxb6 31. Qb1 $16 {
[%csl Rb6,Re4]}) 27. exd4 Nf6 28. Re1 $1 Qf8 (28... Qd7 29. c6 $1 bxc6 30. Rc5
$16 {[%csl Ra5,Rc6,Rc7]}) 29. Qb2 {Now we see that the queenside pawns can
cause problems for Black.} (29. Qb1) 29... Rb8 (29... Nd5 {A nice blockade on
d5 isn't enough compensation for the pawn and queenside weaknesses.} 30. Qxb7
c6 31. Ne5) 30. Qb5 b6 31. cxb6 cxb6 32. Ne5 $36 {White's pieces have gained
much activity and energy from the transformation of the pawn structure, and
Black is under heavy pressure.}) 25... c5 26. Qa3 Kf8 {Aronian defends
actively.} (26... b6 27. Rb1 {[%csl Rb6]}) 27. Qb3 (27. Rb1 $6 cxd4 28. Qxe7+
Kxe7 29. Rxb7 dxe3 30. fxe3 Ke8 $11) 27... b6 28. Qb5 cxd4 29. exd4 Qd6 30. Nf4
$6 ({With Black's king slightly exposed, I think it's worth considering
keeping queens on the board. In general, it's also good to hang on to pieces
in hanging pawns structures where there's plenty of dynamic possibilities that
can happen.} 30. Kg1 $5 Qc6 31. Qb3 {But then again maybe Black can afford to
use some time to get his king back to safety!} Kg8 $5 32. d5 $1 (32. Nf4 $5)
32... Nc5 $1 {This concrete idea allows Black to hold.} (32... exd5 33. cxd5
Qd6 34. Rc6 $1 Rxc6 35. dxc6 Qxc6 36. Ne5 $18) 33. Nxc5 Qxc5 34. dxe6 fxe6 $11)
30... Qc6+ 31. Qxc6 (31. Kg1 Qxb5 32. axb5 Nf6 $15) 31... Rxc6 {Now I think
it's much easier to play Black due to the existing targets in White's position.
} 32. d5 Rd6 33. dxe6 Nc5 $1 34. e7+ {A way to keep Black's pieces from
invading.} ({If White continues normally with} 34. Rxd6 Rxd6 35. exf7 (35. Ra1
fxe6 {[%csl Ra4,Rc4]}) 35... Nxa4 $15 {White has a tough defensive task ahead
of him.}) 34... Kxe7 35. Nd5+ Kf8 36. Ra1 Rc8 {Simple and strong.} 37. Rdb1 Nd7
38. Ne3 (38. Rc1 Ne5 39. Ne3 Rd2 {transposes to the game.}) 38... Ne5 39. Rc1
Rd2 40. Rcb1 Nd3 $1 {Aronian continues to play energetically.} 41. Rf1 (41.
Rxb6 Rxf2+ 42. Kh3 (42. Kg1 Re8 43. Nd5 Rc2 $17) 42... Re8 43. Nd5 h5 $1 {
And Black must have a winning attack against the white king.}) 41... g6 $1 {
Aronian shows his great technique - he doesn't rush, but slowly improves his
pawn structure and king safety before taking any further action.} (41... Ne5
42. Rab1) (41... Nb2 42. Rfc1 Nd3 43. Rf1 {neither makes any progress.}) 42.
Ra3 Rc6 $1 {[%csl Gb6,Rf2,Gf6][%cal Gc8c6,Gc6f6,Rf6f2,Gf6b6] I like this idea.
Aronian places his rook on a position where it can both defend his pawn and
attack the enemy's!} 43. Rb3 Nc5 44. Ra3 Ne4 45. Raa1 Rf6 $17 46. Ng4 Rfd6 47.
Ne3 Rf6 48. Ng4 Rf5 49. Rfd1 Rc5 (49... Rb2 $5 {I like this idea of using the
b4-square.} 50. Rab1 Rb4 51. Rxb4 (51. f3 Nc3 52. Rxb4 axb4 $19) 51... axb4 52.
Rb1 h5 53. Re1 $1 Nc3 54. Ne3 Re5 $1 (54... Ra5 55. Nd5 Nxd5 (55... Rxa4 56.
Nxb6 Ra5 57. c5 $132) 56. cxd5 Rxd5 57. Re4 $11) 55. Rc1 Ra5 $17) 50. Rxd2 Nxd2
51. Nf6 $1 Ke7 $6 ({Aronian had to play solid and simple chess here to keep
his advantage} 51... Kg7 $1 52. Ne8+ Kh8 {But to be honest, it's difficult to
play like this during the game as it looks like it's allowing White
counterplay. Nevertheless, the engine shows that White has nothing even after
the rook joins the knight.} 53. Rd1 Nxc4 54. Rd7 (54. Rd8 h5 $17) 54... Rc8 55.
Nf6 Kg7 56. Nd5 Rc5 57. h4 h5 $17) 52. Nd5+ Kd6 53. Rd1 $1 Nxc4 54. Nxb6+ Kc6
55. Nd7 Rd5 56. Rc1 Rd4 57. Ne5+ Kc5 58. Nxf7 {Rapport's resourcefulness with
his accurate calculation has allowed him to obtain good counterplay in this
unpleasant ending. However, the ensuing positions still hold danger for White
and he has to stay resourceful!} Kb4 59. Ng5 $5 Nd2 {Preventing White's tricky
idea.} (59... Kxa4 $4 60. Ne6 Re4 61. Nc5+ $18) 60. Ne6 Rc4 61. Ra1 Kb3 62. f4
Kb2 63. Re1 $2 (63. Rd1 $1 {I'm sure Rapport noticed this} Kc2 64. Ra1 Nb3 {
But he may have missed the following idea} 65. Ra2+ Kb1 66. Rf2 $1 Rxa4 67. g4
{[%cal Gf4f5,Gf5f6,Gf6f7] and White should have enough play to hold the game.})
63... Rxa4 64. Re5 Kc3 65. f5 Nc4 $1 {An important intermezzo.} 66. Rc5 gxf5
67. Kh3 (67. Rxf5 $4 Ne3+) 67... Ra2 68. Rxf5 a4 69. Nc7 Rd2 70. Rf8 Rd7 $2 (
70... Nd6 $1) 71. Nb5+ Kb4 72. Rb8 {The game was agreed drawn here, as White
will just sacrifice his knight for the a-pawn then trade his kingside pawns
for Black's h-pawn. This game must have been disheartening for Aronian as he
knew he had great chances to convert an advantage that he obtained from the
middlegame and slowly increased in the complex ending. But this result is not
merely due to his what he did, but also to Rapport's resourceful and tenacious
efforts to hold the game. Overall, the opening line played in the Open
Variation of the Catalan is still in good shape for Black and the better
player will usually come out on top in the subsequent middlegames!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Tbilisi"]
[Date "2017.09.24"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2017.09.03"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GEO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 181"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {Ding Liren's first move comes as no surprise.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {
It's a question to me why Ding Liren begins with 3.g3. Is he afraid of Levon
Aronian's Queen's Indian? It's true Levon used to play it quite a bit until
2008, but since then he hasn't really tried it out.} d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O
6. O-O {No b3-ideas this time around. Ding Liren sticks to the normal Catalan.}
dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (8. Qxc4 {There was a time when White players would go
for this move. But these days it is all about 8.a4.}) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10.
Bg5 {Ding Liren sticks to the move that gave him success against Wang Hao. But
Aronian's experience in this line is immense. He has played 20 games in this
position - 15 with White and 5 with Black.} a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. e3 {This is
relatively rare. In fact only 13 games have been played with this move. Ding
Liren took nine minutes to play this. After the game he said that he wanted to
play 12.Rfd1 but was afraid of 12...Bd5. With 12.e3 he makes a square for his
queen on e2.} (12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 {is the main line.}) (12. Rfd1 Bd5 {
This is the move that Ding was afraid of} 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb5 Nb4 $11) (12.
Rac1 {is also possible.}) 12... Nb4 13. Rfd1 Nd7 $146 {Although Levon took six
minutes to make his move, it's quite possible that he had prepared it. Earlier
Black players would go for the move ...h6 and then White would take on f6.
Levon feels that his knight is much more important than the bishop. And hence,
plays 13...Nd7.} (13... h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Rac1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 {is a
normal position where White usually has a small edge.}) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. e4
Rfd8 16. Rd2 $6 {Later Ding began to regret this move. Not only does he lose
co-ordination between his rooks, the piece is not ideally placed on d2.} (16.
Qe2 $5 Nb6 17. b3 Be8 18. Rac1 c5 19. Qe3 {is a much superior version to what
happened in the game.}) 16... Nb6 17. Qe2 Be8 $1 {If it were not for this move,
White would be clearly better. Black retreats his bishop and prepares the move
...c5.} 18. b3 c5 $1 {Levon had prepared the opening well and now breaks the
centre with ...c5. White has to be careful, not to land in a worse position.}
19. Qe3 Rac8 $5 {Black is all ready to play ...c4. His idea is to meet d5 with
...Qc5!} (19... c4 {was possible, but Ding had prepared} 20. d5 {This might be
enough to scare Black, but I think he is fine after} Qc7 $1 $15 21. dxe6 Rxd2
22. Qxd2 cxb3 $15) 20. Rc1 (20. Rad1 $6 c4 $1 21. d5 Qc5 $17) (20. dxc5 Rxd2
21. Qxd2 Rd8 $1 22. Qe2 Nd7 (22... Qxc5 $15) 23. c6 Nxc6 $15) 20... c4 21. d5
Qc5 $1 22. Qxc5 Rxc5 23. dxe6 Rxd2 (23... Rdc8 {was an interesting move.} 24.
Nb5 fxe6 $13) 24. Nxd2 fxe6 25. Bf1 cxb3 26. Nxb3 Rc7 27. Nxa5 Nxa4 28. Na2
Rxc1 29. Nxc1 Nc5 {It seemed as if the players were ready to call it a day.
Handshakes were expected, but Ding Liren's next move gives his opponent a
glimmer of hope to get a small advantage.} 30. Ncb3 $6 (30. f3 $11 {should
give White a fine position.}) 30... b6 $1 31. Nxc5 bxa5 {At this point Ding
put in a lot of thought. Out of nowhere he was suddenly in a position where he
might have to suffer. The a-pawn is very strong and he has to find accurate
ways to not let it queen.} 32. Bc4 (32. Nxe6 a4 33. Nd4 a3 34. Nb3 Bf7 35. Na1
Kf8 $15) 32... a4 33. Kf1 (33. Nxa4 Bxa4 34. Bxe6+ Kf8 35. f4 Ke7 36. Bc4 Bc6
37. e5) 33... a3 34. Nb3 (34. Ke2 a2 35. Nb3 Nc2 36. Kd2 Ba4 $1 37. Bxe6+ Kf8
38. Na1 $1 {The only move to keep the game going.} Nxa1 39. Bxa2 Nc2 $15 {
Black has decent chances to win this position.}) 34... Ba4 35. Nc1 (35. Na1 Nc2
36. Bxe6+ Kf8 37. Nxc2 Bxc2 38. Ba2 (38. f3 Bb1 $17) 38... Bxe4 $19 {The
bishop goes to f7 and it is all over.}) 35... Bc2 (35... Kf7 36. Ke2 Bc2 37. f3
Bb1 38. Kd2 a2 39. Nb3 $17) 36. Ke2 Bxe4 37. Bxe6+ Kf8 38. Kd2 Ke7 (38... Nd5
$5 {This move stops the white king from ever approaching the pawn on a3. This
was the best move, putting maximum pressure on White.}) 39. Bb3 Nd5 40. Ne2 Kd6
41. f3 Bb1 (41... Bxf3 42. Nd4 Bg4 43. Nb5+ Kc5 44. Nxa3 $11) 42. Kc1 (42. Nd4
a2 43. Bxa2 Bxa2 44. Nf5+ $19 {winning the g7-pawn. But the knight would be
precariously placed and Black wins the game with a few accurate moves.}) 42...
Bg6 43. Nd4 Nc7 44. Ne2 $2 {A key mistake by Ding.} (44. Bc2 $1 {would have
ensured the draw.} Kc5 (44... Bf7 45. Bxh7 $11) 45. Bxg6 hxg6 46. Nc2 Nb5 47.
Kb1 $11) 44... Kc5 (44... Nb5 $1 {was stronger.}) 45. Nf4 Bf5 46. g4 Bd7 47. g5
$6 (47. Nh5 g6 48. Nf6 Bc6 49. f4 $11) 47... Nb5 48. Bg8 Bf5 49. Nh5 g6 50. Ng3
(50. Nf6 Nd4 $19) 50... Bd3 51. Bxh7 Nd4 52. Ne4+ Kb4 53. Bg8 {The critical
position of the game. Aronian could have scored a win if instead of taking the
pawn on f3, he would have gone for ...Nb3+.} Nxf3 (53... Nb3+ 54. Bxb3 Kxb3 55.
Nd2+ {This looks like the only move.} (55. Nc5+ Kc3 56. Nxd3 (56. Na4+ Kb4 57.
Nb6 Kb3 $19) 56... a2 $1 $19) 55... Kb4 (55... Kc3 56. Nb1+ Kb4 57. Nxa3 Kxa3
58. Kd2 Bf5 (58... Bb1 59. Kc3 (59. Ke3 Kb3 60. Kf4 Kc4 61. Ke5 Kd3 62. Kf6 Ke3
63. h4 Kxf3 64. Kg7 Kg4 65. Kh6 Kxh4) 59... Bf5 60. h4) 59. h4 Kb3 60. Ke3 Kc4
61. Kf4 Bc2 62. Kg4 $11) 56. h4 $1 {The best try to trick Black.} (56. Ne4 Kc4
57. Nd2+ Kd4 $1 {The king comes over to the other side and takes all the white
pawns.} (57... Kc3 $4 58. Nb1+ $1 Kb3 (58... Bxb1 59. Kxb1 Kd3 60. Ka2 Ke3 61.
h4 Kxf3 62. h5 $18) 59. Nxa3 Kxa3 60. Kd2 Bb1 (60... Bf5 61. h4 Kb4 62. Ke3 Kc5
63. Kf4 Bb1 (63... Kd5 64. h5 $11) 64. Kg4 $11) 61. Kc3 $3 Ka4 62. h4 Kb5 63.
Kd4 Kc6 64. Ke5 Kd7 65. Kf6 Ke8 66. Kg7 Bf5 67. Kh6 $11) (57... Kd5 58. Nb1 $1
Bxb1 59. Kxb1 Ke5 60. Ka2 Kf4 61. h4) 58. h4 (58. h3 Ke3 59. h4 a2 60. Nb3 Bc4
(60... Kxf3 61. Kb2 Kg4 62. Nd4 Kxh4 63. Nf3+ Kg4 64. Ne5+) 61. Na1 Kxf3 62.
Kb2 Kg4 63. Nc2 Kxh4 64. Ne3 Be6 $19) (58. Nb3+ Kc3 59. Na1 a2) 58... Ke3 59.
Nb3 Bf5 $1 (59... Kxf3 60. Kd2 Bc4 (60... Bf5 61. Kc3 Kg4 62. Nd4 Kxh4 63. Nf3+
Kg4 64. Ne5+ $11) 61. Nd4+ (61. Na1 Kg4 62. Kc3 Bf7 63. Nc2 a2 64. Kb2 Kxh4 65.
Nd4 Kxg5 $19) 61... Kg4 62. Kc3 Bd5 (62... Bf7 63. Ne2 Kxh4 64. Nf4 $11) 63.
Nc2 a2 64. Kb2 Kxh4 65. Nb4 Be6 66. Nc6 Kxg5 67. Ne7 $11) (59... Bc4 60. Na1
Kxf3 61. Nc2 a2 62. Kb2 Kg3 63. Nb4 Kxh4 64. Nc6 Kxg5 65. Ne7 $11) 60. Nc5 (60.
Na5 Kxf3 (60... Kd4 61. Nb3+ Kc3) 61. Nc4 Kg4 62. Nxa3 Kxh4 63. Kd2) 60... Kxf3
$19) 56... Kc5 $1 (56... Kc3 {This would be a blunder as shown in the above
variation.}) 57. Ne4+ Kd4 58. h5 (58. Nd2 Ke3 {converts}) 58... gxh5 59. g6 h4
60. g7 Bc4 61. Nf6 Ke5 62. g8=Q Bxg8 63. Nxg8 Kf4 (63... h3 $4 64. Nh6 Kf4 65.
Ng4 Kxf3 66. Nh2+ Kg2 67. Ng4 $11) 64. Nh6 Kxf3 $19 {and wins}) 54. Nf6 Kc5 55.
h3 (55. Ba2 $17) 55... Kd4 {Levon tries to be too subtle. A simple win could
have been achieved with} (55... Nxg5 $1 56. h4 Ne4 57. Nxe4+ Bxe4 58. Bf7 Kd4
59. h5 g5 60. Be6 Bh7 $19) 56. Ba2 (56. h4 $5) 56... Nxg5 57. h4 Ne4 58. Nd7
Nc5 (58... Nc3 $1 59. Bf7 Ne2+ (59... a2 60. Kb2 $11) 60. Kd2 Ng1 61. Ne5 Be4
62. Ng4 Nf3+ 63. Kc1 Nxh4 $19) 59. Nf6 Ke5 $6 {The last mistake. Now the game
has entered the phase of 30 seconds per move and it is not easy to play such
an endgame with a high level of accuracy.} (59... Ne4 {Repeating with a chance
of improving was a better possibility.}) 60. Nd5 Bf5 61. Ne3 Nd3+ 62. Kc2 $1 {
White has managed to co-ordinate his forces and is able to make a draw from
here.} Nb4+ 63. Kb3 Nxa2 64. Kxa2 Ke4 65. Nc2 Kf4 66. Nd4 Kg4 67. Kxa3 Kxh4 68.
Kb2 Kg3 69. Kc3 Kf2 70. Kd2 Bg4 71. Nc2 g5 72. Ne3 Be2 73. Nd5 Bg4 74. Nf6 Bf5
75. Kd1 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.12"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2803"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah/CB Website"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 11. Ng5 $5 {The main idea of this move is to get in
e4.} (11. Re1 {is the main move here.}) 11... Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Nbd7 13. e4 e5 14.
dxe5 Nxe5 15. f4 Nc4 {Until this point we have been following some top level
games. Most notably Eljanov-Carlsen and Ponomariov-Karjakin. Both games
continued with 16.b3 but Caruana had a new idea up his sleeve.} 16. Bc1 $1 $146
(16. e5 $6 h6 $1 17. Nf3 Ng4 $1 18. Re1 Bc5 $15) (16. b3 Nxd2 17. Nxd2 h6 18.
Ngf3 Bb4 {Black has a perfectly fine position.}) 16... h6 17. Nf3 Ng4 {A huge
fork is threatened on e3.} 18. Re1 Bc5 19. Nc3 {Caruana was still very much in
his preparation. Now Anand could have won an exchange with ...Ne3+ but decided
against it.} Qd6 (19... Nge3+ 20. Bxe3 Nxe3+ 21. Rxe3 Bxe3 22. Nd5 Bb6 23. Ne5
$44 {[%cal Ge5c6] The knights in the centre should not be underestimated.
White has sufficient compensation for the exchange. What is very useful to
learn from this example is the fact that Caruana does not always follow the
best moves of the computer when preparing specific lines. He goes for ideas
and then the computer more often than not changes its evaluation.}) 20. Nd1
Rad8 21. h3 Qxd1 22. Qxd1 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nge3+ 24. Bxe3 Nxe3+ 25. Kh2 Nxd1 26.
Rxd1 {White has the slightly more pleasant endgame but nothing disastrous has
occurred for Black. With accurate play he can still hold.} Re8 {.} 27. e5 f6
28. Rd5 Bf8 29. Kg2 c5 30. Kf2 fxe5 31. Nxe5 {White's forces are centralised
and the king is coming into the game. Black has to be quick to get his
counterplay rolling with the queenside majority.} c4 32. Ke3 Bb4 33. Ke4 (33.
Kd4 Be1 34. g4 Bg3 35. Ke4 g5 $1 $15) 33... Be1 34. g4 c3 35. bxc3 Bxc3 36. h4
{By systematic play Caruana is increasing the pressure on Vishy.} b4 37. h5 a5
$1 {Anand knows that he cannot just sit around doing nothing. He tries his
best to create a passer even at the cost of giving up a pawn.} 38. Rxa5 b3 39.
Ra7 b2 40. Rb7 Ra8 41. Kd3 Bxe5 42. fxe5 Rxa2 43. Ke4 Ra1 {It is unclear what
symbol this move should be given. It can be given a dubious mark as Black
could have drawn even without giving up that pawn. But it is also a move
worthy of an exclamation mark, because Anand accurately assessed the endgame
where he was a pawn behind.} (43... Kf8 44. Kf5 Ke8 45. Kg6 (45. e6 Ra5+ 46.
Kg6 Rg5+ 47. Kh7 Rxg4 48. Rxb2 $11) 45... Ra6+ $1 46. Kxg7 $2 (46. Kh7 Ra4 47.
Rxb2 Rxg4 $11) 46... Ra7 $1 $17) 44. Rxb2 Kf7 45. Rb7+ Ke6 46. Rb6+ Kf7 47.
Rb7+ Ke6 48. Rxg7 Ra4+ $1 49. Kf3 Kxe5 50. Re7+ (50. Rg6 Ra3+ 51. Kf2 Kf4 $11)
50... Kf6 51. Rh7 Kg5 52. Rg7+ Kh4 53. Rg6 Rb4 54. Rxh6 Rb3+ 55. Kf4 Rb4+ 56.
Ke5 Kxg4 57. Rh8 Rb5+ 58. Ke4 Rxh5 59. Rxh5 Kxh5 {A high class game in all
respects.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "FRA"]
[Site "France"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Salov, Valery"]
[Black "Rotstein, Arkadij"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2470"]
[Annotator "Salov,V"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 037"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. e3 Ra7 12. Rc1 Qa8 13. Ne1 Nb8 14. Bxb7 Qxb7 (
14... Rxb7 {Budnikov-Pigusov/St.Petersburg/1993/}) 15. Ba5 c5 $1 16. dxc5 Rc8
17. Nd3 Nc6 18. Bb6 Raa8 19. a4 bxa4 20. Rxa4 Nd7 21. Nc3 Nxb6 22. cxb6 Qxb6
23. Rc4 Na7 $1 24. Na4 Qb5 25. Nac5 h6 26. h4 Rab8 27. Ne4 Rxc4 28. Qxc4 Rc8
29. Qxb5 Rxc1+ 30. Nxc1 Nxb5 31. Nd3 Kf8 $10 32. Kf1 Ke8 33. Ke2 Nc7 34. h5 Kd7
$2 $138 35. Ne5+ Ke8 36. Kd3 f5 37. Nd2 Nd5 38. f3 Nf6 39. g4 fxg4 40. fxg4 Bd6
41. Ndc4 $14 Bc5 42. Ke2 Nd7 43. Nc6 Nb6 44. N4e5 Nd5 (44... Nd7 $1 45. Nxd7 $2
Kxd7 46. Nb8+ Kc8 47. Nxa6 Bd6 48. b4 Kb7 49. Nc5+ Bxc5 50. bxc5 Kc6 $10) 45.
e4 Nf6 46. Kf3 Nh7 47. Nc4 Ng5+ 48. Kf4 Bg1 49. b3 Bh2+ 50. Ke3 Bg1+ 51. Kd3
Nh3 52. e5 $1 Bc5 $8 (52... Nf2+ 53. Ke3 $1 (53. Ke2 Ne4 $132) 53... Nxg4+ $2
54. Kf3 $1 $18 {white king diminates the enemy's minor pieces!}) 53. b4 (53.
Nb8 $1 Nf2+ 54. Ke2 Nxg4 55. Kf3 Nh2+ (55... Nf2 $2 56. b4 $1 Bd4 57. Nc6 $18)
56. Kf4 $1 $16 {another example of domination}) 53... Bf8 54. Kd4 Nf2 55. Ke3
Nd1+ $1 (55... Nxg4+ $4 56. Kf3 Nh2+ 57. Kg2 Ng4 58. Kg3 $18) 56. Kd4 Nf2 57.
Ne3 Be7 $1 58. Nxe7 Kxe7 59. Ng2 $5 Nxg4 60. Nf4 Kd7 $2 {[#]} (60... Kf7 $1)
61. Nd3 $1 Kc6 62. Nc5 Kb5 63. Nxe6 Kxb4 (63... Nxe5 64. Nc7+ $1 Kc6 (64...
Kxb4 65. Nxa6+ $1 $18) 65. Kxe5 Kxc7 66. Ke6 Kb6 67. Kf7 Kb5 68. Kxg7 Kxb4 69.
Kxh6 a5 70. Kg6 a4 71. h6 $18) 64. Nc7 $1 $18 {Black loses the game because of
the very unfortunate position of his knight} Ka5 $8 (64... a5 65. e6 Nf6 66.
Nd5+ $18) (64... Nxe5 65. Nxa6+ Ka5 66. Kxe5 Kxa6 67. Kf5 Kb6 68. Kg6 Kc6 69.
Kxg7 Kd6 70. Kxh6 Ke7 71. Kg7 $18) 65. e6 Nf6 66. e7 $1 {zugzwang!} Ka4 $8 (
66... Kb6 67. Nd5+ $18) 67. Nxa6 Ne8 (67... Kb5 68. Nc7+ Kc6 69. e8=Q+ Nxe8 70.
Nxe8 Kd7 71. Nxg7 Ke7 72. Ke5 $18) 68. Kc5 $1 {now black king is off the play}
g6 (68... Kb3 69. Kc6 Kc4 70. Nc7 Nf6 71. Nd5 Ne8 72. Kd7 $18) 69. hxg6 h5 70.
Kc6 h4 71. Nc5+ Kb4 72. Ne4 h3 73. Nf2 h2 74. Kd7 Nf6+ 75. Ke6 Ne8 76. Kf7 Nd6+
77. Kf8 1-0

[Event "Passau op 4th"]
[Site "Passau"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Bezold, Michael"]
[Black "Votava, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2485"]
[BlackElo "2540"]
[Annotator "Schlosser,P"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1996.04.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 052"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. Rfe1 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Rad1 h6
$6 {Wie der weitere Partieverlauf zeigt eine äußerst provokante Entscheidung.}
(14... Qb6 15. e4) 15. Bc1 Qb6 16. e4 $14 Rfd8 17. Qe2 Qb4 $6 {Wahrscheinlich
wieder gespielt, um Weiß zu reizen. Objektiv ist aber wohl die Alternative 17..
.e5 besser, wonach es Weiß schwer fällt, Vorteil zu behaupten:} (17... e5 18.
dxe5 Nxe5 19. Bg2 Bc5 20. h3 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Kh1 $14) 18. e5 Nd5 19. Be4
$5 {Vielleicht eine unnötig romantisch zumal auch eine einfache Fortsetzung zu
einer guten Stellung führt:} (19. Bxd5 $1 {Obwohl Weiß damit seinen guten
Läufer aufgibt, ist seinem Angriff am Königsflügel nur schwer Einhalt zu
gebieten:} cxd5 (19... exd5 20. Bd2 Qc4 21. Qg4 Kh8 (21... Kf8 22. Qf5 {
/\ 23.Qh7->}) 22. Qf5 f6 (22... Kg8 23. e6 $18) 23. Qh5 $40) 20. Qg4 Kh7 21. f4
Nf8 (21... g6 22. f5 exf5 (22... gxf5 23. Qh5 $18) 23. Qf3 Nb6 24. g4 $40) 22.
f5 $16) 19... Nxc3 20. bxc3 Qxc3 21. Qg4 {Mit aktiver Dame und starkem
Läuferpaar verfügt Weiß über eine gefährliche Angriffsstellung, zumal er über
die vierte oder dritte Reihe seine Türme mit einbeziehen kann.} Kf8 22. Bh7 {
Bei einer "gemütlichen Biergartenanalyse" mit Passauer Teamkollegen zeigte
sich, daß die Sache gar nicht so einfach ist, wie es die Optik glauben macht.
Grund an diesem Eindruck zu zweifeln, habe ich neben dem Bier in einer anderen
Partie dieses Magazins gefunden. Laden Sie in einem anderen Fenster die Partie
Kasparov - Anand, Amsterdam 1996: Sehen Sie, worin die weiße Kompensation für
den geopferten Bauern besteht, wenn Anand statt 20...Bd7 20...Nxe5 21.dxe5 Bg5
gespielt hätte? Ich nicht, Kasparov vermutlich schon - wäre er sonst vorher
der Zugwiederholung ausgewichen? Nehmen Sie die folgenden Varianten also mehr
als Anregung, sich eigenständig mit einer komplexen Stellung auseinander zu
setzen!} (22. Re3 Qc4 23. Qh5 (23. Rf3 $2 Nxe5) 23... Qxa4 24. Rdd3 (24. Kg2
Nxe5 25. dxe5 Rxd1 26. Rf3 Ke8 27. Qxf7+ Kd8 28. Bg6 Rxc1 $17) 24... Qa1 $132)
22... Bb4 23. Re3 (23. Re4 Qc2 $1) 23... Qc4 24. Bd3 (24. Kg2 Qd5+) 24... Qb3
25. Be2 $6 (25. Kg2 Qxa4 26. Qh5) (25. Bg6 $1 Nxe5 (25... Qxa4 26. Qf3 f6 27.
exf6 Nxf6 28. Rxe6 $40) 26. Rxe5 (26. Qe2 Qxd1+ 27. Qxd1 Nxg6 $17) 26... fxg6
27. Rxe6 $40) 25... Qxa4 26. Kg2 (26. Rf3 $2 Nxe5 27. dxe5 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 Qxd1+
29. Kg2 Rd8 $19) 26... Be7 27. Qh5 Kg8 28. Rf3 g6 29. Qxh6 Nxe5 30. Rf4 Qa2 31.
Rd2 $2 $138 {Bis zu diesem Punkt ein von beiden Seiten auf hohem Niveau
gespieltes Duell!} (31. dxe5 Qxe2 32. Rxf7 Qe4+ 33. f3 Qc2+ 34. Kh3 Kxf7 35.
Qh7+ Ke8 36. Qg8+ Bf8 37. Qxe6+ Be7 38. Qg8+ $10) 31... Qd5+ 32. Kg1 Bg5 $1 33.
Qh3 Bxf4 34. gxf4 Nd7 35. f5 exf5 36. Rd3 Re8 37. Bf1 Nf6 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 15th"]
[Site "Caleta"]
[Date "2017.01.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Black "Schroeder, Jan Christian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2689"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "Schroeder,J"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GGB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 177"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 {After having won the first two games quite luckily, I was paired
against the former winner of Gibraltar Masters Ivan Cheparinov.} d5 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 {This was expected. Cheparinov mainly plays the Catalan and
after checking his games before the round I felt that he has analysed his
lines pretty deep.} Be7 (4... Bb4+ {is the other move on the top level, but 4..
.Be7 is considered to be most solid.} 5. Bd2 Be7 (5... Bd6)) 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O
dxc4 7. Qc2 (7. Ne5 {is the other main move. Kramnik introduced many ideas in
this line but still Black seems to be fine.} Nc6 8. Nxc6 $5 {Maybe this line
is most dangerous for Black. So could beat Nakamura thanks to his impressive
preparation although the line should be OK.} (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10.
Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qc2 (11. Qa4) (11. Na3 {all those three moves have already been
tried})) 8... bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 11. Qd2 $5 Rb8 12. Qa5 {and a long
theoretical battle is going to start.}) 7... a6 8. a4 (8. Qxc4 {The old main
move is not fashionable anymore because Black has too many ideas which lead
more or less to equality, for instance:} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 c6
$5) 8... c5 $6 {I am not sure about this move, it looks a bit dubious. Before
the tournament I checked out whether there are new ideas in the Catalan. 8...
c5 has been played by strong players like Kramnik or Topalov but only in blitz.
Still, I decided to have a look at it but could not equalise completely.
Nevertheless I wanted to try this move and find out what my opponent had
analysed but I experienced an unpleasant surprise...} 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Nbd2 $5
(10. Qxc4 {I only analysed this move because it was the only one which was
tried by the top top players.} b6 11. Ne5 $1 Ra7 12. Nc3 (12. Nd3 Be7 (12...
Bb7 {is Stockfish's recommendation, though it looks a bit strange to a human
being. That's why I prefer 12...Be7} 13. Nxc5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 bxc5 $13) 13. Bf4
Bb7 14. Bxb7 Rxb7 15. Nd2 Nd5 $11) 12... Bb7 13. Bxb7 Rxb7 14. Ne4 $1 {very
strong and unpleasant for Black} (14. Bg5 $6 Qd4 $1 $15) 14... Qd4 (14... Rc7
15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qe4 {[%csl Rb8] It is not too easy to develop the knight.
White has a long term advantage.} Qe7 (16... Nd7 $6 17. Bf4 $1 $16) 17. Bf4 $14
) (14... Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Qd5 16. Qxd5 exd5 17. Rd1 $14) 15. Nxf6+ (15. Nxc5 bxc5
16. Qxd4 cxd4 17. Rd1 Nbd7 18. Nc6 e5 19. e3 dxe3 20. Bxe3 Rxb2 21. Ne7+ Kh8
22. Rd6 Ra8 $11) 15... gxf6 16. Qxd4 Bxd4 17. Nf3 $5 (17. Nd3 Kg7 18. Rd1 Rd8
$13) 17... Nc6 {This is what I intended to play. Though White is better Black
has good drawing chances I think.}) 10... b5 $1 {Played after 35 minutes of
thinking. It was not too easy to find out that this move is necessary and
moreover that it does not lose immediatley!} (10... Bd7 11. Nxc4 Bc6 12. Rd1
Qe7 13. Bg5 $14) (10... Nc6 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Nfe5 $1 $14 {[%csl Rc8]}) 11. axb5
(11. Ng5 $5 Ra7 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bb6 (13... Bd4 14. Ng5 g6 (14... f5 $6
15. Rd1 $16 {[%cal Rd1d4,Rc1e3]}) 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxa7 Bxa7 17. b3 (17. Ne4
$6 f5 18. Bg5 Qb6 19. Nf6+ Kg7 20. Qc3 Qd4 21. Qa5 Qb6 $11) 17... Nd7 18. bxc4
Qc7 {[%csl Rf6,Rg7,Rh6,Rh7] Maybe still a bit unpleasant but should be drawish}
) 14. Bf4 {[%cal Ye4d6]} (14. Ng5 f5 $1 $13) 14... e5 $1 15. Bxe5 Nc6 16. Rad1
Rd7 $13) 11... Bb7 12. Nh4 {Came again as a huge surprise to me. I expected
two different moves which pose Black some problems.} (12. Nxc4 $5 axb5 13. Rxa8
Bxa8 14. Nce5 {[%csl Rb5] looks like nothing but after analysing this position
a bit I feel that Black has to play pretty accurately to draw.}) (12. bxa6 Nxa6
13. Nxc4 (13. Qxc4 Bd5 14. Qf4 Bd6 15. Qh4 Be7 $11) 13... Nb4 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15.
Qc3 Ne4 16. Qa3 (16. Qe5 $5 Qa2 $1) 16... Qxa3 17. bxa3 Na2 {This move is not
too easy to find. The knight looks like out of play} (17... Nd5 18. Nfd2 $14)
18. Bb2 Ba6 $1 $11 {[%csl Re2]} 19. Nfd2 Nxd2 20. Nxd2 Rd8 21. Nb3 Bf8 22. Ra1
Rb8 23. Rxa2 Rxb3 $11 {[%csl Ra2,Ga6,Rb2,Gb3,Gf8]}) 12... Nd5 (12... Qd7 $5)
13. bxa6 Bxa6 $6 {This move is a bit stupid. Black has to play accurately to
equalise.} (13... Rxa6 $1 {is most normal. I was afraid of Rb1 which is
accordning to Stockfish not dangerous at all for Black.} 14. Rxa6 Bxa6 15. Nxc4
Nc6 16. Ne3 Bxe3 $11) 14. Nxc4 Nc6 15. Ne3 Nd4 (15... Bxe3 16. Qxc6 Bxc1 17.
Bxd5 (17. Rxa6 Rxa6 18. Qxa6 Bxb2 19. Qa2 Bf6 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Ng2) 17... Bxb2
18. Ra2 Qxd5 19. Qxd5 exd5 20. Rxb2) 16. Qxc5 Nxe2+ 17. Kh1 Nxg3+ 18. hxg3 Bxf1
19. Rxa8 Bxg2+ 20. Nhxg2 (20. Kxg2 Qxa8 (20... Nxe3+ 21. Bxe3 Qxa8+ 22. Nf3 $13
) 21. Nxd5 Rd8 $1 $11 (21... Rc8 $4 22. Qxc8+ Qxc8 23. Ne7+)) 20... Qxa8 21.
Nxd5 exd5 (21... Qxd5 {Computer suggestion, though I was convinced that this
ending is favourable for White during the game. But Black can find a very
solid setup which restricts White's pieces allowing him to save a draw.} 22.
Qxd5 exd5 23. Nf4 $1 d4 24. Kg2 {[%cal Rf4d3,Rc1d2,Rb2b4,Rg2f3,Gf7f6,Gg7g5,
Gh7h5,Gg8f7,Gf7g6,Gg6f5,Gf8e8]} Re8 25. Nd3 f6 26. Kf3 h5 27. Bd2 g5 28. b4 Kf7
{It is not possible to push the b-pawn. White's pieces have to keep an eye on
the kingside due to the potential strong h-pawn.} 29. Nc5 (29. b5 Rb8 {[%csl
Rb5]}) 29... Ra8) 22. Be3 {Obviously White does not want to give up the b-pawn
but he cannot hold it.} (22. Kh2 Rc8 23. Qe3 Qa1 $11) (22. Qb6) (22. Qd4 Qa1
23. Qc3 d4 24. Qc4 d3 25. Kh2 d2 26. Bxd2 Qxb2 $11) 22... Qa1+ 23. Kh2 Qxb2 {
This position is slightly better for White but absolutely defendable. It is
very difficult to suggest a way for White to improve his position.} 24. Nf4 (
24. Bd4 Qe2 (24... Qb7 25. Ne3 {[%cal Re3d5] Almost similar to the game}) 25.
Qxd5 Qg4 26. Nf4 h6) 24... Qb7 (24... Qe5 $5 25. Nxd5 Re8 26. Bd4 Qh5+ 27. Kg2
Qg5 $1 $11 {[%csl Gg5][%cal Rg5e7]}) 25. Nxd5 Rd8 26. Ne7+ Kh8 27. Nf5 f6 28.
Bd4 Qd7 29. Qb6 Rf8 30. Bc5 Rg8 {Although it looks like Black has played
pretty stupidly - putting his rook to the passive g8-square and allowing some
mating threats - his position is still absolutely fine.} 31. Nd6 Qe6 32. Qb7 h6
33. Qb1 (33. Nf7+ {Was the last try} Kh7 34. Qb1+ f5 35. Nd6 Rf8 36. Qd3 Rd8
$11 37. Kg2 {[%cal Yg3g4]} (37. g4 $6 Qe5+ 38. Qg3 Qxc5 39. Nb7 {White still
draws this but it was not his intention to go for a line like this.}) 37... Kg8
{[%cal Yd8d7,Yd7d8]}) 33... Rd8 34. Qb6 Rd7 35. Qb8+ Kh7 36. Qb1+ Kh8 37. Qb8+
Kh7 38. Qb1+ Kh8 39. Qb8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "BCF-chT 1314 (4NCL)"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "2014.01.12"]
[Round "4.151"]
[White "Wells, Peter K"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2479"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "Schulz,Andre"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2013.11.16"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2015"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "White Rose"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green Hilsmark"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 ({Die
Alternative ist} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2) 7... Nc6 8. Bxc6 ({Nach} 8. Nxc6
bxc6 9. Bxc6 Rb8 10. Nc3 Bb7 {hat Schwarz in der Praxis gute Ergebnisse
erzielt.}) 8... bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 ({Auch} 11... c5 {
wird an dieser Stelle häufig gespielt.} 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 14. Qh4 Rb8
15. b3 Qe6 16. Bb2 Nd5 17. Nd2 Ba6 18. Ne4 Qg6 19. Rfd1 Nf4 20. Rd6 Qxe4 21.
gxf4 Qxe2 22. Bxe5 f6 23. Rxa6 fxe5 24. Ra4 Rb6 {1/2-1/2 (24) Malakhov,V (2670)
-Anand,V (2755) Hyderabad 2002}) 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 {Schwarz hat einen
Bauern weniger. Aber das freie Figurenspiel und das Fehlen des weißfeldrigen
weißen Läufers bietet genügend Kompensation.} ({Oder} 13. Nc3 Ne4 14. Qxc4
Nxc3 15. bxc3 Be6 16. Qd3 Rfd8 17. Bf4 Rxd3 18. Bxe5 Rd2 19. a3 Rxe2 20. Bxc7
Rc8 21. Ba5 Re5 22. Bb4 a5 23. Bd6 Rd5 24. Rfd1 {1/2-1/2 (24) Onischuk,A (2667)
-Bologan,V (2672) Poikovsky 2013}) 13... Be6 14. Qd3 (14. Qc2 Bf5 15. Qd2 Bh3
16. Re1 Rad8 17. Qc3 Qd5 18. f3 Rfe8 19. Na3 Qb7 20. Qb3 Qa6 21. Qb5 Qe6 22.
Qb3 Qa6 23. Qb5 Qe6 24. Qb3 {1/2-1/2 (24) Meier,G (2644)-Leko,P (2730)
Dortmund 2012}) 14... Ng4 {Tatsächlich ein neuer Zug.} ({Bisher spielte man
meist} 14... Rad8 {zum Beispiel.} 15. Qe3 Qh5 16. f3 Bc4 17. Nc3 Rfe8 18. Qg5
Qh3 19. Rf2 Bxe2 {und nun verlor Mlakhov gegen Grischuk völlig den Faden:} 20.
Be3 $2 (20. Bf4 $11 Bd1 21. Be5 h6 22. Qf4 Nd5 23. Nxd5 Rxd5 24. Bc3 Rd3 25.
Qxc7 Rxf3 26. Qc6 Rc8 27. Qd5 Rxf2 28. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 29. Qg2 Qh5 30. Qe4 Rc5 31.
Kg2 Rg5 32. b3 Rg6 33. Rc1 Re6 34. Be5 Re8 35. Rc5 Bg4 36. Qd5 Bh3+ 37. Kf2
Qf5+ 38. Kg1 Rxe5 {0-1 (38) Kraai,J (2513)-Gerzhoy,L (2399) Edmonton 2008})
20... Bxf3 21. Rxf3 Ng4 22. Rf2 f6 23. Qf5 Re5 24. Qf4 Rxe3 25. Qxc7 Rde8 26.
Qc4+ Kh8 {0-1 (26) Malakhov,V (2694)-Grischuk,A (2717) Moscow 2006}) 15. Nc3
Rad8 16. Qb5 (16. Qa6 $5) 16... c5 17. Bf4 Qh5 18. h4 Rd4 {Mit der Drohung
Txf4.} 19. Qc6 h6 20. Qg2 (20. Rfd1 $5) 20... Rfd8 21. f3 Nf6 ({Schwarz will
mehr als} 21... Rxf4 22. gxf4 Ne3 23. Qg3 Nxf1 24. Rxf1 $11) 22. Be3 Rb4 23.
Rad1 (23. Rab1 $5 Nd5 24. Rfd1 Kh7 (24... Nxe3 25. Rxd8+ Kh7 26. Qf2 $18) 25.
Nxd5 Rxd5 26. Qf1 Rxd1 27. Qxd1 Bxa2 28. Qc2+ Qg6 $11) 23... Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rxb2
{Nun hat Schwarz seinen Bauern zurück gewonnen und seine Initiative behalten.}
25. Qf2 Nd7 26. Bc1 $2 (26. Rd2 $11) 26... Rc2 27. Ne4 Rxa2 {Und jetzt ist
Schwarz materiell schon im Vorteil.} 28. Bf4 Qf5 (28... c4 $15) 29. Qe3 c4 30.
g4 Qa5 31. Bxh6 {Weiß verliert die Nerven.} ({Nach} 31. Kf2 {kann Weiß mit
g4-g5 am Königsflügel spielen mit gleichen Chancen.}) 31... gxh6 32. Qxh6 {
Es droht noch nicht einmal etwas konkretes. Vielleicht plante Wells Txd7, Sf6
mit vagen Angiffschancen. Allerdings ist der weiße König ja auch gefährdet.}
Ra1 (32... Rxe2 {war auch gut:} 33. Rxd7 Qe1#) 33. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 34. Kg2 Qe5 {
Rien ne va plus.} 0-1

[Event "Match/Team URS-World 20,5-19,5"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "1970.04.04"]
[Round "4.6"]
[White "Smyslov, Vassily V"]
[Black "Olafsson, Fridrik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "Smyslov/Olafsson"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "1970.03.29"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Soviet Union"]
[BlackTeam "World"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "URS"]
[TimeControl "40/9000:16/5400:0"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 (4... dxc4 5. Na3 $1 {Olafsson=:O}) 5.
O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 (7... b5 $2 8. a4 c6 9. axb5 cxb5 10. Ng5 $1 {O})
(7... e5 $1 {O}) 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nc6 (10... Bd6 $142 {Smyslov=:S/
O}) (10... Nd5 $142 11. Nc3 {O} (11. Bd2 Nd7)) 11. Rd1 (11. Nc3 Nb4 (11... Nxd4
12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Rfd1 $1 $16) 12. Qb1 c5 {O}) 11... Nb4 12. Qc1 (12. Qxc7 $2
Qxc7 13. Bxc7 Nc2 {O}) 12... Qc8 13. Bg5 $1 {S/O} (13. Bxc7 $2 {O} Nfd5) 13...
Nbd5 (13... c5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 {S/O} (14... Bxf6 15. dxc5) 15. Nc3 {P 16. h6 +- O
}) 14. Nbd2 $1 {O} h6 $2 (14... c5 $5 {The best fighting chance! O} 15. e4 Nb4
16. e5 Nfd5 17. Bxe7 Nxe7 18. Qxc5 Qxc5 19. dxc5 Nd3 20. Nb3 {O} Nxb2 21. Rd7
$16 {S}) 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Nb3 $18 {O} Bd6 17. Nc5 Bd5 18. Ne5 $1 {P 19.e4 O}
Bxg2 19. Kxg2 a5 20. Qe3 Bxc5 21. dxc5 Qa6 22. Qd3 Nd5 23. e4 Nf6 $2 {S} (23...
Nb4 24. Qd7 f6 25. a3 {S}) 24. f3 c6 25. Qe3 Rad8 26. Rd6 Rxd6 27. cxd6 c5 28.
Qxc5 b4 29. Re1 Rd8 (29... Rc8 30. Qd4 Rc2+ 31. Kg1 Re2 32. Rd1 Rc2 33. d7 $18
{S}) 30. Nc6 Ra8 31. Ne7+ Kh7 32. e5 Nd7 33. Qc2+ g6 34. f4 Nb6 35. Qe2 Qb7+
36. Qf3 Qa6 37. Rc1 Nc4 38. Qe2 (38. Rxc4 Qxc4 39. Qxa8 Qe2+ $10 {S}) 38...
Qb7+ 39. Kg1 Nxd6 40. exd6 Qb6+ 41. Qf2 Qxd6 42. Nc8 $1 {S} Qd3 (42... Rxc8 43.
Rxc8 Qd1+ 44. Kg2 Qd5+ 45. Qf3 Qd2+ 46. Kh3 $18) 43. Nb6 Rd8 44. b3 Qf5 45. Nc4
Rd3 46. Ne5 Rc3 47. Qd2 Rxc1+ 48. Qxc1 g5 49. Qd2 Kg7 50. Qd3 Qf6 51. Qd4 Qf5
52. Qd3 Qf6 53. Qe4 Qd8 54. Nf3 Qd1+ 55. Kf2 Qc1 56. Qe3 $2 {S} (56. fxg5 hxg5
57. Qe3 $18 {S}) 56... Qb1 $1 {S} 57. Qe2 g4 58. Ne5 h5 59. Kg2 f6 60. Nd3 Kf7
61. Nf2 Ke7 62. h3 f5 63. hxg4 fxg4 64. Nd3 Kf7 65. Kh2 $1 {S} Qa1 66. Ne5+ Kf8
67. Qd2 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2015.09.18"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2793"]
[BlackElo "2707"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2015.09.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (
{The once ubiquitous} 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {is losing its adherents
nowadays. After} Bd6 $5 11. Nh4 ({More usual and testing is} 11. Re1 Be4 12.
Qc1 Bb7 13. Bg5 {Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Alekseev,E (2700) Havana 2010 See
the notes to this game in CBM 137.}) ({or} 11. Ng5 $5) 11... Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc8
(12... Nbd7 13. Ba5 Qc8 14. Qc6 e5 15. e3 exd4 16. exd4 Rb8 17. Nd2 Nb6 18.
Rac1 Re8 19. Rfe1 g6 20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21. Qxe8+ Nxe8 22. Rc6 Kf8 23. Nhf3 $14 {
Gupta,A (2662)-Alekseev,E (2691) New Delhi 2012}) 13. Rc1 (13. e4 Qb7 14. Re1
Nbd7 15. Nf3 Be7 16. Bg5 c5 $1 17. d5 $6 (17. e5 Nd5 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. dxc5
Rfc8 $11) 17... c4 18. Nbd2 Bb4 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. b3 Ng4 (20... c3 $5) 21. bxc4
Nde5 $36 22. Nxe5 Rxf2+ 23. Kg1 Qa7 24. Nxg4 Rxd2+ 25. Be3 Rxc2 26. Bxa7 Bxe1 {
0-1, Mamedyarov,S (2735)-Zhigalko,S (2654) Kocaeli 2015}) 13... Qb7+ 14. Nf3
Rc8 15. a4 bxa4 16. Rxa4 Nbd7 17. Qc6 Rcb8 (17... Qxb2 $5 $13 {Sumets}) 18. Na3
Ne4 19. Qxb7 Rxb7 20. Nc4 Bf8 21. Be3 c5 22. Nfe5 (22. Ra2 $142) (22. Nce5 $5)
22... cxd4 23. Nxd7 dxe3 24. Nxf8 Kxf8 $11 {Caruana,F (2786)-Karjakin,S (2775)
Tashkent 2012/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 152 by
Sumets.}) 8... Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 ({Currently more popular than the
alternative} 10. Bf4 Bd6 {and now:} 11. Bg5 (11. Qc1 $5 Bxf4 $5 (11... Nbd7 12.
Nc3 b5 $5 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Qc8 15. axb5 Qb7+ 16. f3 axb5 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18.
Rd1 c6 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Bg5 Nd5 21. Ne4 Bf8 22. Nc5 Qa7 23. e4 Nb6 24. b3 Nd7
$11 {Donchenko,A (2567)-Fridman,D (2639) Dresden 2015}) (11... a5 12. Nc3 (12.
Bd2 Nbd7 13. Rd1 Qe8 14. Bc3 Ne4 15. Nfd2 f5 16. Nxe4 fxe4 17. Be1 Qh5 18. Nc3
Nf6 19. h3 Rf7 20. e3 Raf8 $132 {Giri,A (2752)-Kramnik,V (2783) Stavanger 2014.
For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 161 by Marin.}) 12... Na6
13. Rd1 (13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 Bxf3 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Rd1 Rad8 18. Kg2
Bc7 19. e3 Qe7 20. Qc2 Nb4 21. Qb3 Rd7 22. Rac1 Rfd8 23. Ne4 Bb6 24. Nd2 Bc7
25. Ne4 Bb6 26. Nc3 Kh8 27. h4 f5 28. h5 Bc7 29. Na2 e5 $132 {Fridman,D (2600)
-Boruchovsky,A (2472) Warsaw 2013}) 13... Nb4 14. Be5 (14. Bg5 $5) 14... Nbd5 (
14... Nfd5 15. e4 Nb6 $132) 15. Qb1 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Nd5 (16... Ne4 $5 $13) 17.
Qb3 Nb6 18. c4 Bb4 19. d5 exd5 20. cxd5 Bxd5 21. Qc2 Bd6 22. Rab1 Bxe5 23. Nxe5
Qe7 24. Bxd5 Qxe5 25. Bxb7 $36 {Monroy,C (2436)-Egorov,K (2190) Vienna 2015})
12. Qxf4 Qd6 {seems simpler and quite adequate.} 13. Nc3 (13. Qxd6 cxd6 14.
Nbd2 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 d5 16. Rfc1 Nc6 17. e3 {Nowak,I (2330)-Bielavsky,J Warsaw
1979} Nb4 $11) 13... Qxf4 14. gxf4 a5 $11 {/+/=}) 11... Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13.
Bxf6 Nxf6 14. a5 (14. Nd2 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 a5 (15... c5 $5 $11) 16. Nde4 Nxe4 17.
Nxe4 Bb4 18. Rac1 c6 19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Qc7 21. Rfd1 {1/2, Kuzubov,Y (2638)
-So,W (2779) Kocaeli 2015}) 14... Qe7 15. Nh4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rfd8 17. e4 Bb4 18.
e5 Nd5 19. Nf5 Qd7 20. Ne3 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Qb5 22. Qxb5 axb5 23. Rfc1 c5 24. Nxd5
Rxd5 25. Rcb1 cxd4 26. cxd4 Rc8 27. Rb4 Rc4 $11 {Adams,M (2738)-Anand,V (2797)
Baden Baden 2015}) 10... Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 (12. Qc1 {prevents c5 for the
time being and seems to pose more opening problems. The most notable recent
example is} h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rd1 a5 15. Nbd2 Bh7 $5 16. Nb3 c6 17. Qc3 Be7
18. Nc5 Qc7 19. Ne5 Na6 20. Nxb7 $5 Qxb7 21. Bxc6 Qc7 $2 (21... Qa7 $1 22. Bxa8
Bb4 $14 {/~~}) 22. Bxa8 Qxc3 23. bxc3 Rxa8 24. Nc6 Bd8 25. Nxd8 Rxd8 26. f3 Rc8
27. Ra3 Bg6 28. Kf2 Rb8 29. Rd2 f6 30. Raa2 Rb3 31. Rab2 Rxc3 32. Rb5 $16 {
Eljanov,P (2717)-Nakamura,H (2814) WCup Baku 2015}) 12... c5 (12... h6 13. Bxf6
Bxf6 14. Nc3 (14. Nbd2 Bxf3 (14... Bh7 $5 $132) 15. Nxf3 Nd7 16. Qb3 Rb8 17.
Rfd1 c6 18. a5 Qc7 19. e4 Rfd8 20. Bf1 Nf8 21. h4 Rd7 22. Bc4 Rbd8 23. e5 Be7
24. Kg2 h5 25. Rd3 $14 {Kozul,Z (2576)-Shariyazdanov,A (2592) Sibenik 2005})
14... Bh7 $5 (14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. e3 a5 17. Rc1 Na6 18. h4 Nb4 19. Be4
Nd5 20. Bb1 Nxc3 21. bxc3 e5 22. f4 exd4 23. Qd3 Re8 24. exd4 Kf8 25. Rce1 g6
26. h5 gxh5 27. Qf5 $14 {Prohaszka,P (2508)-Szabo,K (2510) Szombathely 2008})
15. Qb3 (15. e4 Nc6 16. e5 Be7 17. d5 exd5 18. Nxd5 Be4 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Re1
Rad8 21. Qc1 Bd5 22. Qc3 Rfe8 23. Rac1 Rd7 24. Bh3 Be6 25. Bxe6 Qxe6 26. b4
Red8 27. Qc4 Rd3 $15 {Bachmann,A (2589)-Lysyj,I (2661) Iasi 2014}) 15... Nc6
16. e3 (16. Rfd1 Na5 17. Qa2 Qe7 18. Qa3 Qxa3 19. Rxa3 Rfd8 20. e3 c5 21. Ne2
e5 $17 {Baumegger,S (2205)-Wells,P (2530) Oberwart 1995}) 16... Na5 17. Qa3 Be7
18. Qa2 Nc6 19. Qc4 (19. Rfd1 $142 $5) 19... Na5 20. Qe2 c5 21. d5 exd5 $2 (
21... c4 $13) (21... Qb6 $5) 22. Rad1 d4 23. exd4 c4 24. Ne5 $36 {Bogdanovich,
S (2590)-Wojtaszek,R (2734) Berlin rpd 2015}) 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nbd2 (14. Qxd8
Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 {was the move order in Nakamura-Anand, we will get to this
game yet by transposition.}) 14... Bc6 15. Ne5 ({Leko must have been well
prepared for the more usual continuation} 15. Nb3 Be7 $5 (15... Bb4 16. Ne5 $14
) 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 {and we are back in Nakamura-Anand:} 17. Na5 h6 18. Be3 Nd5 ({
Black did well in email games after} 18... Bd5 $5 19. Ne5 Nbd7 20. Nd3 e5 21.
Rfd1 (21. Nxb7 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rdb8 23. Na5 e4 24. Nc6 exd3 25. Nxe7+ (25. Nxb8
dxe2 26. Rfe1 Rxb8 $15) 25... Kf8 26. Nf5 dxe2 27. Rfe1 Rxb2 28. Bc1 Rc2 29.
Ne3 Rc7 30. Rxe2 Re8 31. h3 Nb6 32. Ba3+ {1/2, Pereverzev,A (2373)-Bykov,E 
(2199) email 2006}) 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rdc8 23. b3 Nd5 (23... Rc3 24. Rac1
Rxc1 25. Nxc1 b6 26. Nc6 Bf8 27. Nd3 $14 {Lohmann,H (2554)-Nowak,I (2367) ICCF
email 2007}) 24. Nc4 Nc3 25. Rd2 Nxa4 26. Rxa4 b5 27. Ncxe5 Nxe5 28. Re4 Nc6
29. Nf4 Bf8 30. Nd5 Rd8 31. Bb6 Rd6 32. Bc5 Rdd8 33. Bxf8 Kxf8 34. b4 a5 $11 {
Marquardt,G (2270)-Schilling,F (2331) email 2007}) 19. Bd2 Nb6 20. Bf4 Nd5 21.
Ne5 g5 (21... Nxf4 $142 $5 22. gxf4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Nd7 $11) 22. Bd2 Bf6 23. Nd3
(23. Nexc6 $5 Nxc6 24. Nxc6 bxc6 25. Rab1 Rab8 26. Rfc1 Nb4 27. Be1 $14 {Marin}
) 23... b6 24. Nc4 b5 (24... Nd7 $142 {Development is preferable, Black is
close to equality.}) 25. Bxd5 (25. axb5 $142 Bxb5 26. Ba5 $1 {/\} Bxc4 $6 27.
Bxd8 Bxd8 28. Rfc1 Bxd3 29. Rc8 Bb5 30. Rxd8+ Kg7 31. Rc1 $16 {[%csl Rb8][%cal
Rc1c8]}) 25... bxc4 26. Bxc4 Bxb2 27. Ra2 Bg7 28. Rc1 Be8 29. Nc5 Bf8 30. Bd3
Nc6 31. Be4 Rdc8 32. Kf1 Ra7 33. Nb3 Rac7 34. Rac2 {Nakamura,H (2814)-Anand,V 
(2816) Saint Louis 2015} Ba3 $1 35. Ra1 Bd6 $11) 15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Be7 $146 {
A novelty. Black wants to finish development without any concessions, but the
text move is rather passive. Other alternatives deserving full attention are:}
(16... Nbd7 17. Rc1 Nxe5 18. Rxc5 Ned7 19. Bxf6 (19. Rc1 h6 20. Bf4 e5 (20...
Rc8 $1 21. Nc4 b5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Nd6 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Qb6 $132) 21. Be3 Ng4 22.
Qb3 Ndf6 23. Rfd1 Qd5+ 24. Qxd5 Nxe3+ 25. fxe3 Nxd5 26. Nc4 $36 {Aronian,L 
(2808)-Karjakin,S (2776) Monte Carlo rpd blindfold 2011}) 19... Nxf6 20. Qc2
Rc8 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Rc1 Qd7 (22... Qxc2 $142 23. Rxc2 Rd8 $11) 23. Nf3 Rd8
24. Qb3 h6 25. Rc4 Qe7 26. e4 e5 27. Qc3 $14 {Meier,G (2654)-Hou,Y (2676)
Dortmund 2015}) (16... Bd4 $5 17. Ndf3 Bxb2 18. Rb1 Bxe5 19. Nxe5 Nc6 $6 (19...
h6 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Ng4 Kg7 23. Rxb7 Nc6 $132) (19... b5 $5 20.
Qxd8 Rxd8 21. axb5 axb5 22. Rxb5 Nbd7 23. Nc6 Re8 $11) 20. Bxf6 Qxd1 21. Rfxd1
gxf6 22. Nd7 Rfd8 23. Rxb7 f5 24. Rc1 Rac8 25. Rc5 $36 {Li,C (2686)-Xiu,D 
(2534) Xinghua 2013}) 17. Rc1 Nbd7 (17... h6 $143 18. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 19. Ndf3 {
[%csl Rb8]} Nc6 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. Rxc6 Qxd1 22. Rxd1 Bxb2 23. Rb1 $14 (23. Rd7
$14)) 18. Nxd7 (18. Nd3 Qa5 $11 {[%cal Ya8c8,Yf8d8]}) (18. Bxf6 gxf6 $5 (18...
Nxf6 19. Ndc4 Rc8 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. Na5 $11 {/+/=}) 19. Nd3 Rc8 $132) 18...
Qxd7 19. Nf3 (19. Nc4 Qc7 $5 (19... Qc6+ 20. f3 Rfc8 21. Bxf6 gxf6 $11 {
should also hold}) 20. Bf4 Qc6+ 21. f3 Nd5 $11) 19... Qxd1 (19... Rfd8 20. Qxd7
Rxd7 21. Ne5 ({or} 21. Rc2 {is very similar to the game - almost equal, but
Black must still play accurately.})) 20. Rfxd1 Rfc8 21. Ne5 $11 {[%mdl 32] /+/
= White has a tiny edge due to his more active pieces - it may well evaporate
after good defence. His strategy will be to further improve his pieces, to
gain more space if allowed - and try to provoke further positonal concessions.}
h6 22. Bd2 Rd8 23. Nd3 Rdc8 (23... Rac8 24. Ba5 {forces a minor one, but
nevertheless a concession:} Re8 (24... Rxc1 25. Rxc1 {[%cal Gc1c8]} Rd7 26. Bb6
$14) 25. Ne5 $14) ({Komodo prefers} 23... Nd5 $5 {[%cal Yf7f5,Ya8c8] /\} 24. e4
Nf6 $132 {[%csl Re4][%cal Gd8d1]}) 24. f4 Kf8 $6 {This inconcrete move allows
White to gain some more space.} (24... Nd5 $142 25. Kf3 (25. e4 Nf6 26. Kf3
Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rd8 $132) 25... f5 $1 $11) (24... Ne4 $5 25. Be3 f5 $132 {
[%cal Ye7f6,Yg8f7]}) 25. Kf3 $14 {[%cal Yg3g4,Yh2h4,Ye2e4] ()} Nd7 26. Be3 Ke8
(26... Bf6 27. a5 (27. b3 $5) 27... Bd8 28. b4 $14) (26... f5 27. g4 $5 $14)
27. Bd4 Bf6 (27... g5 28. e4 f6 $14 {is still quite solid, but Black's minor
pieces remain passive.}) 28. Bxf6 Nxf6 29. Ne5 {[%csl Ge5] The drawback of the
bishop swap is the dominant Ne5, which can be chased away only by a weakening
pawn move.} Ke7 30. e4 Rxc1 (30... b5 $6 31. a5 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Rc6]}) (30... g5
$5 $14 {is more active - if the timing is right, Black can consider opening
the g-file for his own counterplay.}) 31. Rxc1 Ne8 32. Nd3 a5 (32... g5 33.
fxg5 $5 hxg5 34. h4 $14) (32... Rd8 33. Ke3 Rd7 34. a5 $14) 33. Rc5 Kd6 $6 ({
Far more resilient was} 33... Rd8 $142 $1 34. Ke3 b6 35. Rc6 Rd6 36. Rc4 (36.
Rc8 Rd8 $14) 36... f6 $14) 34. Rc3 $1 {[%cal Yd3c5,Yc3b3] Keeps the king cut
off from the queenside and creates new threats.} ({Leko hardly could have
reckoned with the cooperative} 34. Rb5 $6 Kc7 $14 {[%cal Ye8d6,Yb7b6] /=})
34... Ra6 $6 {This doesn't help, but Black was already under serious pressure
and it's difficult to find a substantial improvement.} (34... Ke7 35. Rb3 Ra7
36. e5 $16) (34... b6 35. Ne5 $16) 35. e5+ Ke7 (35... Kd5 $2 36. Rc8 $18 {
[%csl Re8]}) 36. Nc5 Rb6 37. Rd3 $1 {[%csl Re8] Suddenly Black can't prevent
the penetration of White's R to the 7th rank, moreover his knight is
absolutely dominated.} Rxb2 38. Rd7+ Kf8 39. Nxb7 {[%cal Rb7d8,Rb7a5]} Rb3+ (
39... Rc2 40. Nxa5 Nc7 41. Rd8+ Ke7 42. Rd6 $16 {/+-}) 40. Kg4 Rb4 41. Nd8 $18
{The time-trouble is over, but Black's position is beyond salvation.} Kg8 42.
Re7 $1 f5+ (42... Kf8 43. Rxf7+ Kg8 44. Re7 Kf8 45. Ra7 $18) 43. Kh5 Kh7 ({
Desperation, but after} 43... Kf8 {Black is paralysed and White has more than
one way to win:} 44. Ra7 (44. Rxe6 Rxa4 45. Kg6 $18) 44... Rb6 45. Kg6 Kg8 46.
Nb7 $1 {[%cal Ra7a8,Rb7d6]} Nc7 (46... Kf8 47. Nc5 $18) 47. Nd6 Rc6 48. Nb5 Ne8
49. Ra8 $18) 44. Rxe8 Rb2 45. h3 $8 Rh2 46. Kh4 $8 {[%csl Re6] Again forced,
but fully sufficient - Black's mating dreams are busted and the extra material
counts.} 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.05"]
[Round "1"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {This
line has had its ebbs and flows of popularity. Right now even the top players
are willing to use it in the ongoing fight for a workable edge in the Catalan.}
({The main line is still} 7. Qc2 {and now:} {However,} a6 {is still definitely
the main reaction.} ({No one has yet comprehensively refuted Bukavshin's} 7...
b6 8. Bg5 (8. Ne5 Qxd4 9. Bxa8 Qxe5 10. Bf3 (10. Bg2 Nd5 11. Qxc4 Ba6 12. Qe4
Bf6 13. Qxe5 Bxe5 14. Rd1 Nc6 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Rxd5 Bxe2 17. Nc3 Bc4 18. Rd1
Nb4 19. Bf4 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Nd5 21. Bd2 f6 22. Re1 Kf7 23. Re4 b5 $14 {Michalik,
P (2570)-Hansen,S (2568) Germany 2016}) 10... Nd5 11. Qxc4 Ba6 12. Qa4 c5 13.
Nd2 Rc8 14. Rd1 c4 15. Nf1 b5 16. Qc2 Nc6 17. Qe4 Qf6 $6 (17... Qb8 $5 $44 {/\}
18. Ne3 Nf6) 18. Ne3 Nxe3 19. Qxe3 Ne5 $2 20. Bg2 $6 (20. Qxa7 $1 Nxf3+ 21.
exf3 Qxf3 22. Rd7 $18) 20... Bc5 21. Qf4 b4 22. Be3 Qxf4 23. gxf4 Bxe3 24. fxe3
$16 {Nyback,T (2608)-Pihlajasalo,A (2442) Finland 2015}) 8... Ba6 9. Nbd2 (9.
Rd1 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Ne5 Rc8 12. Nc3 c6 13. Ne4 Nd7 14. Nxc4 c5 15. dxc5
Nxc5 16. Ned6 Rc7 17. e4 Nb7 18. Qa4 Nxd6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. exd5 Bb7 21. dxe6
Qxe6 22. Re1 Qd7 $11 {Vitiugov,N (2728)-Brkic,A (2585) Biel 2016}) 9... Nd5 10.
Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nxc4 Nd7 12. Rac1 (12. Nfe5 $5) 12... c5 13. Qa4 Bb7 14. Qa3 N5f6
15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. Nfe5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Qb7+ 19. f3 Ne8 20. e4 Qc7
21. Qa4 h6 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rc2 Kf8 $11 {Aronian,L (2792)-Fressinet,L (2687)
Paris blitz 2016}) 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 {was the topic of an opening survey
in CBM 169. Some more recent examples show Black is gradually neutralising
White's pressure:} 10. Bg5 (10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Nc3 Bxf4 12. gxf4 a5 13. e3 Na6 14.
Rac1 Nb4 15. Rfd1 Ra6 16. Qe2 Nbd5 17. Nb5 Ne7 18. Nd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nfd5 20.
Nc4 Ng6 21. Kh1 Qe7 22. b3 Rd8 23. Rd2 Raa8 24. Rdc2 Nb4 25. Rd2 Nd5 $11 {
Ivanchuk,V (2710)-Dominguez Perez,L (2723) Capablanca mem Varadero 2016}) 10...
Bd5 (10... Nbd7 11. Nc3 (11. Nbd2 a5 12. Rfd1 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15.
Kxg2 Qd5+ 16. f3 c5 17. e4 Qxd4 18. Qxd4 cxd4 19. Nb3 Rfd8 20. Rxd4 Rxd4 21.
Nxd4 Rd8 22. Nb3 {Aronian,L (2792)-Kramnik,V (2812) Leuven blitz 2016} Nd7 $11)
11... h6 12. Bd2 ({A rare idea, previously White played mostly} 12. Bxf6 Nxf6
13. b4 Bd5 $5 $11) 12... a5 13. Rfd1 Bb4 14. Qd3 Qe7 15. Be1 Rfd8 16. Qc2 Nb6
17. b3 Rac8 18. Rac1 Ba3 19. Ra1 Bb4 20. Rac1 Be8 21. Qb1 c5 22. dxc5 Rxc5 23.
Rxd8 Qxd8 24. Na2 Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Bxe1 26. Nxe1 Nbd5 $11 {Aronian,L (2792)
-Kramnik,V (2812) Paris blitz 2016}) 11. Qc2 (11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1
cxd4 14. Nxd4 (14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nc6 $5 (16... Bxd4 17. Qxd4
Nc6 18. Qc5 Qa5 $146 (18... Qc7 19. Ne4 $14) 19. Ne4 Rfd8 20. Qxa5 Nxa5 21. Nc5
Rxd1 22. Rxd1 h6 23. Rd7 b5 24. b3 Rc8 25. Nxa6 bxa4 26. bxa4 Rc4 27. Ra7 Rxa4
28. Nc5 Ra1 29. Ra8+ Kh7 30. Nd7 g5 31. Ne5 Nb3 32. Rxa1 Nxa1 33. Nxf7 $16 {
Aronian,L (2792)-Nakamura,H (2787) Paris blitz 2016}) 17. Nxc6 Qxd3 18. Rxd3
bxc6 19. Rb1 Rab8 20. b3 Rfd8 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. Ne4 Be7 23. Nd2 f5 24. Rc1 c5
25. f4 g5 26. Rc3 Rd8 $11 {Jenkins,R (1934)-Varlamov,F (2255) email 2012})
14... Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nbd7 16. Qf3 (16. Rac1 $146 Qa5 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qf3 Qb4
19. Rc2 Rac8 20. Rcd2 h6 21. h3 Rc7 22. e3 Rfc8 23. Qe2 Qb6 $11 {Vachier
Lagrave,M (2789)-Nakamura,H (2787) Paris blitz 2016}) 16... Qb6 17. a5 Qa7 18.
Be3 Qb8 19. Nb3 Rc8 20. Ra4 Rc6 21. Bg5 Qe8 22. Rad4 h6 23. Bxf6 Nxf6 24. e4 e5
25. R4d3 Rac8 $11 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2819)-Nakamura,H (2791) chess.com blitz
2016}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 (12. Qd1 h6 (12... c5 $11 {Nakamura,H (2814)-Anand,V 
(2816) Saint Louis 2015 This thrust should be sufficient for equality, see the
notes to the game by Marin in CBM 168.}) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6
16. e3 a5 17. Qe2 Na6 18. Rfd1 Nb4 19. Ne4 Qe7 20. Rac1 Rfd8 21. Rc5 g6 22. Bg2
Bg7 23. f4 Rd5 24. Rcc1 Rc8 25. b3 Rdd8 26. h4 {1/2, Matlakov,M (2684)
-Andreikin,D (2733) Poikovsky 2016} h5 $11) 12... h6 (12... c5 13. dxc5 Nbd7
14. Nbd2 Bc6 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxc5 18. Rd1 Nd5 19. Qxc5 Bxc5 20.
Bxd8 Rfxd8 21. Nb3 Bb6 22. Rac1 Kf8 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. e3 g6 25. Kf1 Ke7 26. Nc5
$14 {Ipatov,A (2648)-Stefansson,H (2581) Gjakova 2016}) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rd1
a5 15. Nbd2 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 c6 17. Nb3 Na6 18. h4 Qb6 19. Qc4 Rfd8 20. Rd2 Qb4
21. Rc1 Be7 22. e3 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 Nb4 24. Rc1 Na2 25. Ra1 Nb4 $11 {Markus,R 
(2617)-Wojtaszek,R (2734) Skopje 2015}) 7... Nc6 8. Nxc6 {An important
crossroads. So is not interested in material and wants to fight for the
initiative with his bishop pair.} ({The alternative is} 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6
Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 {and now:} 11. Qa4 ({A fashionable and interesting move is} 
11. Na3 Rd8 $5 (11... c5 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Be3 Qh5 (13... Qc6 14. Rc1 Ba6 (
14... Bb7 15. f3 Ba6 16. Nxc4 Bxc4 17. Qd4 Rfc8 18. b3 Qa6 19. bxc4 Qxa2 20.
Kf2 $14 {Kramnik,V (2783)-Adams,M (2745) Shamkir 2015 See the notes to this
game by Havasi in CBM 166.}) 15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. b3 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 Qe4 18. Rc4 Qe5
19. Qf3 Rfd8 20. Bd4 Qd5 21. Qxd5 Nxd5 22. Rfc1 f6 23. Ra4 a5 {Rozum,I (2559)
-Moskalenko,A (2464) Kazan 2016}) (13... Qb4 14. Qd4 $5 (14. Qc1 Ba6 15. Bd4
Rfd8 16. Rd1 Rac8 17. Qc3 Qa4 18. Qc2 Qxc2 19. Nxc2 c3 20. Bxc3 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1
Bxe2 $11 {Aronian,L (2797)-Nakamura,H (2767) Saint Louis 2014}) 14... Ba6 15.
Rfd1 Nd5 16. Bd2 Qb6 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. e4 Nf6 19. f3 Rfd8 (19... c3 $5 20. Bxc3
Be2 21. Re1 Bxf3 $132) 20. Bc3 Rd3 21. Kf2 Rad8 22. Ke2 Nd7 23. Nc2 $14 {
/=, Ju,W (2559)-Zhao,X (2508) Sharjah 2014}) 14. f3 c3 15. bxc3 Qa5 16. Qc1 Ba6
17. c4 Rac8 18. Bxa7 (18. Rd1 $142 $5 Nd5 19. Rd4 {perhaps gives White a small
plus}) 18... Bxc4 19. Nxc4 Qxa7+ 20. Qe3 Qa6 21. Ne5 Rc2 $11 {Kramnik,V (2787)
-Anand,V (2770) Khanty-Mansiysk ct 2014}) 12. Qc2 Ba6 13. Nxc4 (13. Qa4 Rd6 14.
Nxc4 Qd7 15. Qxd7 Rxd7 16. b3 Bxc4 17. bxc4 Rxd4 18. Bf4 Rxc4 19. Rfc1 Ra4 20.
Bxc7 Nd5 21. a3 Nxc7 22. Rxc7 h5 23. Rd1 Rxa3 24. Rdd7 Rf8 $11 {Yuffa,D (2502)
-Popov,I (2648) Kolomna 2016}) 13... c5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. b3 Bxc4 16. Bb2 Rac8
17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rfc1 Qe5 $1 19. bxc4 Rd4 20. Rab1 Rdxc4 21. Qxc4 Rxc4 22.
Rxc4 Qxe2 23. Ra4 a6 24. Kg2 Qe5 25. Rd1 h5 $11 {Wei,Y (2696)-So,W (2770)
Bilbao 2016}) (11. Qc2 e5 ({The main move, but even} 11... c5 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13.
Qxd4 e5 14. Qh4 Qb7 $5 $146 {deserves attention:} 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Bg5 Ng4 17.
h3 Qxb2 18. Rfc1 h6 19. hxg4 hxg5 20. Qxg5 f6 21. Qe3 Bxg4 22. Rab1 Qa3 23. Rb3
Qa5 {So,W (2770)-Kramnik,V (2812) Leuven blitz 2016}) 12. dxe5 (12. Rd1 {
was introduced by Kramnik. White ignores the P and continues his development,
but subsequent practice has shown, how Black should handle this idea:} Bb7 $142
$1 {This was recommended already by Illingworth in CBM 157:} (12... Re8 13. d5
(13. Nc3 $5) 13... c6 14. d6 Qe6 15. Bg5 Nd5 16. Qxc4 Qxd6 17. Nc3 {1/2,
Mastrovasilis,A (2510)-Rusev,K (2516) Skopje 2012} (17. e4 Ne3 18. Rxd6 Nxc4
$11) 17... Be6 $11) (12... Rb8 13. Nc3 h6 14. dxe5 Qxe5 15. Bf4 Qe7 16. Rd4 Be6
17. Rad1 Rb6 18. Qd2 Kh7 19. f3 Rfb8 20. Qe3 Rxb2 21. Rxc4 R2b7 22. Ra4 Re8 $1
23. Rxa7 Rxa7 24. Qxa7 Qb4 25. Be5 (25. Qd4 $142 $5 c5 26. Qd3+ $14) 25... Nd5
26. Nxd5 Bxd5 27. Qxc7 Qc4 $14 {/=, Kramnik,V (2810)-Carlsen,M (2872) London
ct 2013}) 13. Nc3 (13. Bg5 Rad8 14. Qxc4 exd4 15. Nd2 Rfe8 16. Rac1 h6 17. Bxf6
Qxf6 {Li,C (2686)-Xiu,D (2556) Shenzhen 2013} 18. Nb3 Ba6 19. Qc6 $11) 13...
Qe6 14. dxe5 Qh3 15. e4 Ng4 16. f4 Rad8 17. Rxd8 (17. Qg2 Qxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Bxe4+
19. Kg1 Rxd1+ 20. Nxd1 h5 21. h3 Nh6 22. Be3 a6 23. Rc1 Rd8 24. Nf2 Bd5 25. g4
hxg4 26. hxg4 Rb8 27. Rc2 Bf3 $11 {Percze,R (2334)-Kovacs,A (2471) email 2012})
17... Rxd8 18. Qg2 Qh6 19. h3 Qb6+ (19... Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Qb6+ 21. Be3 Nxe3 22.
Na4 Qd4 $132) 20. Kf1 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 Rd1+ 22. Ke2 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Qe3+ 24. Kd1
Qd3+ 25. Ke1 Qe3+ 26. Qe2 Qxc1+ 27. Qd1 Qe3+ 28. Kf1 Nh2+ 29. Kg2 Qxe4+ 30.
Kxh2 Qd3 31. Qc1 h5 $11 {Wang,Y (2705)-Wei,Y (2557) Shenzhen 2013}) 12... Qxe5
13. Bf4 Qh5 (13... Qe6 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. Rfd1 h6 16. f3 g5 17. Bxc7 Rac8 18. Ba5
Rfe8 19. Qd2 Rc5 20. Bd8 Nd5 $13 {Schmuecker,M (2213)-Hausrath,D (2488)
Oberhausen 2013}) (13... Qc5 14. Nd2 Ba6 15. Rac1 Nd5 16. Nxc4 Nxf4 17. gxf4
Rfe8 18. Rfe1 Qh5 19. f3 Re6 20. Ne5 Rae8 21. Qb3 Qh4 22. e3 h5 {Horvath,C 
(2512)-Prohaszka,P (2617) Bol 2015} 23. Qc2 {/\} f6 24. Ng6 Qh3 25. Qf2 $16)
14. Nc3 Nd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. Rd4 Bh3 18. f3 Be6 19. Rad1 Qb6 20.
Qc3 f6 21. Kg2 Rae8 22. R1d2 a5 23. g4 a4 24. Bg3 Qc5 25. Re4 Rf7 26. Qe3 Qxe3
27. Rxe3 Rfe7 $14 {/=, Tomashevsky,E (2749)-Nakamura,H (2799) Khanty-Mansiysk
2015 Although nominally this endgame is slightly better for White due to the
resulting pawn structure, the opposite coloured bishops are a strong
neutralising factor. Black held the game without any serious problems.}) 11...
e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Qxc4 Be6 14. Qd3 (14. Qc2 Bf5 15. Qd2 Rfe8 16. Re1 Bg4 17.
Nc3 Ne4 18. Nxe4 Qxe4 19. Qc3 Bxe2 20. Be3 Qf3 21. Rac1 a6 22. Bd4 Qg4 23. Be5
f6 24. Bxc7 Kh8 $44 {[%csl Rf3,Rg2,Rh3] Kramnik,V (2790)-Leko,P (2734)
Dortmund 2010}) 14... Rad8 15. Qe3 Qh5 (15... Qa5 16. Qa3 Qb5 $5 $146 (16...
Qh5 17. f3 Rfe8 18. Nc3 Bc4 19. Rf2 h6 20. Bf4 Nd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Re1 Bxa2
23. Qxa7 c6 24. e4 Qe6 25. Kg2 $14 {Kramnik,V (2812)-Aronian,L (2792) Paris
blitz 2016}) 17. Nc3 Qb7 18. f3 Bh3 19. Re1 (19. Rf2 $142 $1 $13) 19... Qb6+ $1
20. e3 $8 Rd3 21. Qa4 Rfd8 22. Qh4 Bc8 23. g4 Bb7 24. Rf1 h6 $1 25. Qf2 Nd7 $1
26. Qg3 Qc5 27. Kg2 Ne5 $44 {|^, Kantor,G (2416)-Rydl,J (2398) Celje 2016
Black has excellent piece play; for White it's very difficult to fully
consolidate his setup once his pawn was forced to leave e2.}) 16. f3 Bc4 $1 17.
Nc3 Rfe8 18. g4 $5 $146 (18. Qg5 Qh3 19. Be3 Nd5 20. Bd4 f6 21. Qc1 Nxc3 22.
Qxc3 Bxe2 23. Rf2 a6 24. b3 Qd7 25. Re1 Bb5 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Kg2 $11 {
1/2, Filippov,V (2639)-Grischuk,A (2719) Tripoli 2004}) (18. Qf2 Nd5 19. Re1
Nxc3 20. bxc3 Qb5 21. e4 Rd3 22. Bf4 Rxc3 23. a4 Qa6 24. Rec1 Rxc1+ $11 {
1/2, Papaioannou,I (2628)-Beliavsky,A (2656) Novi Sad 2009}) 18... Qg6 19. Qf2
Nd5 20. Nxd5 Rxd5 21. Re1 h5 22. g5 f6 23. h4 Rde5 24. e4 f5 25. Bf4 R5e7 26.
Rac1 Bxa2 27. Qxa7 Bf7 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. Qxc7 fxe4 30. Rxe4 Rxe4 31. fxe4 Qxe4
$11 {Kramnik,V (2812)-Nakamura,H (2787) Paris blitz 2016}) 8... bxc6 9. Na3 {
The only way to fight for an edge. Other moves promise Black rather easy
equality:} (9. e3 Nd5 (9... Ba6) ({and} 9... Rb8 $5 {are playable alternatives
as well.}) 10. Qa4 Nb6 11. Qc2 Rb8 12. Rd1 Qe8 13. Nd2 Ba6 14. b3 c5 15. Bb2
cxd4 16. Bxd4 f6 17. Bxb6 cxb6 18. Nxc4 Qc8 (18... Rc8 $11) 19. Rac1 Bxc4 (
19... Rd8 $5) 20. Qxc4 Ba3 21. Bh3 f5 22. Rc2 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 a5 24. Rc6 Rf6 25.
Bf1 Bc5 26. Bc4 Re8 27. Rd7 Kf8 28. h4 Rf7 29. Rd1 Rfe7 $11 {1/2-1/2 (60)
Berkes,F (2596)-Magalashvili,D (2448) Istanbul 2005}) (9. Bxc6 Rb8 10. Nc3 Bb7
11. Bxb7 (11. Qa4 Qxd4 12. Be3 Bxc6 13. Qxc6 Qd6 14. Qxc4 Rb4 15. Qd3 Qxd3 16.
exd3 Rxb2 17. Bxa7 Ra8 18. Be3 Bb4 $36 {Shipov,S (2625)-Lautier,J (2653)
Moscow 2001}) 11... Rxb7 12. Rb1 Qd7 13. Be3 Rfb8 14. Qc2 Nd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16.
Rfc1 Bd6 17. Qxc4 Rxb2 18. Rxb2 Rxb2 19. Qxd5 exd5 20. Bf4 Kf8 $1 $11 {/=/+,
Sloth,J (2610)-Rittner,H (2601) corr 1999}) 9... Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 {This was
Illingworth's preference in his aforementioned article in 2013 (CBM 157).
Let's check the alternatives:} (10... a5 $5 {might well become more popular in
the near future:} 11. Bxc6 (11. Qa4 Ba6 12. Bxc6 Rb8 13. Qxa5 Bb7 14. Bxb7 Rxb7
15. Qc3 Qd5 16. f3 Rd8 17. e4 Qxd4+ 18. Qxd4 Rxd4 19. Be3 Rd6 20. Rab1 (20.
Rfc1 Rd3 $132) 20... Rxb1 21. Rxb1 h6 $11 {Gelfand,B (2747)-Aronian,L (2770)
Tsaghkadzor 2015}) 11... Rb8 12. Qc2 Ba6 13. Rd1 Nd5 (13... Qe7 $5 $13) 14. e4
Ne7 (14... Nb6 15. a4 Bb7 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. Ba3 Re8 18. Rab1 Qd7 19. Rb5 Rbb8
20. Rxa5 Ra8 21. Bb4 Nxa4 22. Rc1 Rxa5 23. Bxa5 Ra8 24. Bb4 Qxd4 25. Qxc4 Qxc4
26. Rxc4 c5 $14 {Hirneise,T (2471)-Kovacs,G (2460) Budapest 2016}) 15. Ba4 f5
16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Rf7 18. Be3 f4 19. Bxf4 Ng6 20. Be3 Ne5 21. Qe4 Qe7 22.
Bf4 Qxa3 23. Bxe5 Qxa4 $14 {/<=>, Kramnik,V (2777)-Bruzon Batista,L (2659)
Baku 2015}) (10... Rb8 11. Qa4 $1 (11. Qd2 Qd6 12. Qc3 c5 13. dxc5 Qa6 14. Bf4
Bb7 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. Rfc1 Nd5 17. Qxc4 Qxa3 18. Bd2 c6 19. e4 Nf6 20. Kg2 h6
21. Rc2 Rd8 22. Re1 Qd3 23. Qxd3 Rxd3 $11 {Fridman,D (2620)-Ladva,O (2453)
Riga 2016}) 11... Qxd4 (11... Rb6 12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Qc2 Qd6 (13... Qxd4 14. Be3
Rb2 (14... Qb2 15. Rfc1 $16 {Vogel,R (2191)-Wiegner,D (2176) Bayern 2007}) 15.
Qc1 (15. Qxh7+ Kxh7 16. Bxd4 Rxe2 17. Rfc1 Bb5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Bxc6 Bxc6 20.
Rxc6 Rb8 21. Rxc7 Rbb2 22. Rf1 Kg7 23. Rxa7 Rxa2 $11 {Roy Chowdhury,S (2494)
-Kunal,M (2323) Kanpur 2014}) 15... Qe5 16. f4 Qb5 17. Bxc6 Qb8 18. Bd4 Rxe2
19. Bf3 $36) 14. Rd1 Rfb8 15. Bf3 Qd8 16. e4 $36 {Anthonius B,R (2569)-Tambora,
R (2768) 3m + 0s, rated 2006}) 12. Be3 Qb2 13. Qxc4 Nd5 14. Bxa7 Ra8 15. Bd4 (
15. Bc5 Ba6 16. Qe4 Rfe8 17. Rfe1 Bb5 18. e3 Ra4 19. Qf3 Rc4 20. Rab1 Qc2 21.
Bd4 Nc3 22. Bxc3 Rxc3 23. Qf4 Rxa3 24. Rbc1 Qb2 25. Rb1 Qc2 26. Rbc1 Qb2 27.
Rb1 Qc2 {1/2, Ju,W (2500)-Lhamsuren,U (2115) Olongapo City 2010}) 15... Qb5 16.
Qxb5 cxb5 17. Bc5 (17. Rfc1 Ra4 18. Bc5 Re8 19. e4 Nb6 20. Rab1 (20. Bb4 $14)
20... Bd7 21. Bxb6 cxb6 22. e5 Rb8 23. Bf1 Rxa3 24. Bxb5 Bxb5 25. Rxb5 $11 {
½, Ftacnik,L (2475)-Geller,E (2565) Valetta olm 1980}) 17... Re8 18. Rfc1 c6 (
18... Ra4 19. e4 Nb6 {transposes to Ftacnik-Geller}) 19. e4 Nf6 20. f3 Bb7 21.
Rd1 Red8 22. Kf2 Rd7 23. Ke3 $14 {Wang,Y (2697)-Nielsen,P (2693) Beijing
blindfold rpd 2011}) (10... Nd5 {is the most popular move, but probably not
the best. After} 11. Qa4 {Black has to fight for equality:} Nb6 (11... Nc3 12.
Qc2 Nb5 13. e3 Nd6 14. a4 Qg5 15. Qc3 Qf5 16. Ba3 Rd8 (16... Qd3 17. Qxd3 cxd3
18. Rfc1 Bd7 19. Bxc6 d2 20. Rc2 Bxc6 21. Rxc6 Rfc8 22. Rd1 g5 23. g4 Rab8 24.
Rxd2 $16 {Andersen,M (2479)-Bekker Jensen,S (2451) Svendborg 2016}) 17. Rab1
Bd7 18. Rfe1 Ne4 19. Qc2 Nd6 20. e4 Qg6 21. Rbc1 Be8 22. Qc3 f6 23. e5 Nf5 24.
Bc5 fxe5 25. dxe5 a5 26. Qxc4 $16 {Stupak,K (2514)-Pileckis,E (2447) Tromso
olm 2014}) {However, White doesn't have to take the pawn immediately,} 12. Qa5
$5 $44 {is a serious alternative:} (12. Qxc6 Rb8 13. Qc5 Qd6 $5 (13... Bb7 14.
e4 Qd6 15. Bf4 $1 (15. Rb1 Qxc5 16. dxc5 Na4 17. Rb4 Bc6 18. Bf4 a5 $6 (18...
Nc3 $1 $132) 19. Rxc4 Bb5 20. Rcc1 Bxf1 21. Bxf1 $16 {[%csl Ra4,Rc7] Schlosser,
P (2509)-Abergel,T (2457) Pardubice 2016}) 15... Qxc5 16. dxc5 Na4 17. Rfc1 Ba6
18. Bf1 Nxc5 19. Bxc4 Bxc4 20. Rxc4 Na6 21. Bxc7 Nxc7 22. Rxc7 g5 23. Rd1 Rb2
24. Kg2 Kg7 25. h3 Re2 26. Kf3 Rxa2 27. Rxa7 $14 {Ftacnik,L (2470)-Liberzon,V 
(2545) Hastings 1980}) 14. Rb1 $5 (14. Bf4 Qxc5 15. dxc5 Nd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17.
Bxc7 Rb2 18. Rfd1 Rxe2 19. Rxd5 Be6 20. Re5 Rb2 21. Re3 Re8 22. Bf4 {K64,R 
(2673)-Super_GM,R (2621) 3m + 0s, rated 2006} Rc8 $11) 14... Bb7 $142 $5 (14...
Ba6 15. Qa5 Nd5 16. Rxb8 Rxb8 17. e4 Rb5 $2 (17... Qb6 18. Qe1 Nf6 $13) 18. Qa4
Nc3 19. Qxc4 Qxd4 20. Qc6 Ne2+ 21. Kh1 Qd6 22. Qa8+ Qf8 23. Qxa7 Ra5 24. Be3
Qxa3 25. Qb8+ Qf8 26. Qxc7 Rxa2 27. Rd1 $18 {Mihajlovskij,S (2451)-Ivanov,A 
(2458) St Petersburg 2007}) 15. Bf4 (15. e4 {- see Schlosser-Abergel above})
15... Qxc5 16. dxc5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 $132) 12... Rb8 13. e3 (13. Rd1 Nd5 14.
a4 (14. e4 $14 {Ribli}) 14... Qd6 15. e4 Qb4 16. Bd2 c3 17. Qxb4 Rxb4 18. Be1
Nb6 19. Bxc3 Rxa4 20. a3 Rd8 21. Bb4 Ba6 22. Rac1 Be2 23. Rd2 Bb5 24. Bf1 Rd7
25. Bc5 e5 $132 {Iljushin,A (2460)-Kiriakov,P (2495) Maikop 1998}) 13... Bd7 $6
14. a4 Qe7 15. Bd2 Nd5 16. Rfc1 Rb7 17. e4 c3 18. Be1 Nf6 19. Bxc3 $16 {
Lorparizangeneh,S (2478)-Yuan,Q (2366) Bhubaneswar 2016}) 11. Qd2 {White's
more recent attempts to breathe life into this branch are connected with the
text move. He wants to coordinate his forces first and just as in some lines
from the above note, ignores the offered Pc6.} (11. Bxc6 Rb8 12. Qa4 Rb6 13.
Bd2 (13. Bf3 Nd5 14. Qa5 c3 15. Re1 Qf6 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Qxc3 Rc6 18. Qb3 Qxd4
19. Be3 Qe4 20. Rad1 Rc4 21. Bxa7 c6 22. Qe3 $11 {½, Beliavsky,A (2620)
-Geller,E (2615) Moscow 1981}) 13... Qd6 14. Bf3 Nd5 15. Rfb1 Rfb8 16. Rxb6
Qxb6 17. Rc1 Qxd4 18. Qxa6 Qxd2 19. Qxc4 g6 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Qxc7 Re8 22. Rc2
Qd1+ 23. Kg2 Rxe2 24. Rxe2 Qxe2 25. Qd8+ Kg7 26. Qxd5 a6 27. a4 h6 28. h4 h5
$14 {/=, Antunes,A (2510)-Janjgava,L (2500) Moscow 1994}) (11. a4 Qd6 12. Qd2
Rfb8 13. Qa5 Rb6 14. Re1 Bb7 15. Qc3 Qb4 16. Qxb4 Rxb4 17. Bd2 Rb2 18. Bc3 Rc2
19. Rec1 Rxc1+ 20. Rxc1 Nd5 21. Be1 Ba6 22. e4 Nf6 23. f3 Rd8 24. Bc3 Nd7 25.
Bf1 c5 $11 {Wang,Y (2734)-Zhou,J (2660) Xinghua Jiangsu 2011}) 11... Rb8 (11...
Qc8 12. a4 (12. Qa5 $5 {transposes into the game after} Rb8 (12... Nd5 13. e4
Nb6 14. a4 $5 c3 15. Re1 $14)) 12... Rd8 13. Rb1 Rb8 14. Ba3 Nd5 (14... Rxb1
15. Rxb1 e5 $5 16. Be7 Rxd4 17. Qa5 Nd7 18. Bxc6 c3 19. Qxc3 Bxe2 20. Qxd4 exd4
21. Bxd7 Qa8 22. Bc6 Qc8 $11 {is a typical computer suggestion}) 15. Bc5 Rb7
16. Be4 (16. Qc2 $1 $14) 16... c3 17. Qc2 h6 18. Bf3 Bc4 19. h4 Rxb1 20. Rxb1
Qa6 21. Kh2 Nb6 {Jumabayev,R (2607)-Gundavaa,B (2517) Abu Dhabi 2016} 22. Rb4
Nd5 23. Rb1 $11) (11... c3 12. Qxc3 Bxe2 13. Re1 $14 {/\} Bb5 14. a4 $1 {
and White wins an exchange after} Bxa4 15. Qb4 Bb5 16. a4 Ba6 17. Ba3 Re8 (
17... Qc8 18. Qxf8+ Qxf8 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. Rec1 Rc8 21. Rab1 Bd3 22. Rb7 a6 23.
Rxc6 $18 {Lenderman,A (2614)-Tang,A (2416) Philadelphia 2016}) 18. Bxc6 $16)
12. Qa5 Qc8 (12... Rb6 13. a4 Qe7 (13... Qc8 14. Ba3 Rd8 15. Bc5 Rb2 16. e3 (
16. e4 Nd7 17. Be7 Re8 18. Ba3 Rb8 19. Rfd1 c5 20. Bxc5 Nxc5 21. dxc5 Bb7 {
Ortiz Suarez,I (2578)-Lenderman,A (2614) San Salvador 2016} 22. c6 $5 Bxc6 23.
Rd4 $14) 16... Nd7 17. Be7 Re8 18. Ba3 Rb6 19. Bc5 Rb2 20. Qc3 Qb7 21. Ba3 Rb6
22. Rad1 Nf6 23. e4 Qc8 24. Bc5 Rb7 25. Rfe1 $14 Nd7 26. e5 Nb8 27. Be4 Rd8 28.
g4 Nd7 29. Qh3 h6 30. Ba3 Nf8 31. g5 $40 {Melkumyan,H (2632)-Fridman,D (2627)
Reykjavik 2015 This game illustrates the dangers of a passive wait-and-see
approach.}) (13... Qd6 14. e4 (14. Qc3 Nd5 15. Bxd5 Qxd5 16. Ba3 Re8 17. Bc5
Rbb8 18. f3 e5 19. e4 exd4 20. Bxd4 Qg5 21. Rad1 {Li,C (2669)-Ganguly,S (2627)
Ningbo 2011} Rbd8 22. Bxa7 c5 $132) 14... Qe7 15. Rd1 Rfb8 16. a3 c3 $2 (16...
Nd7 $132 {[%cal Yc6c5,Ye6e5]}) 17. Qxc3 Rb3 18. Qxc6 Bb7 19. Qc2 Ba8 20. d5 $16
{Ozturk,K (2277)-Olsarova,K (2255) Baku olw 2016}) 14. Qc3 Rfb8 (14... Nd5 $142
$5 15. Bxd5 cxd5 16. Ba3 Rd6 17. Rab1 Rc8 $13) 15. Ba3 Qe8 16. Bc5 Rb2 17. Bxa7
(17. e4 $142 $5 $36) 17... R8b7 18. Bc5 Nd5 19. Qa5 Qa8 20. Rfc1 Rb8 21. Qe1 c3
22. e4 Re2 23. Qd1 Rd2 24. Qe1 Re2 25. Qd1 Rd2 $11 26. Qg4 {Wen,Y (2618)-Xiu,D
(2563) Zaozhuang 2015} Nb6 $15 (26... Nb4 $5 27. Rxc3 Nd3 $36)) 13. a4 (13. e4
Rd8 14. Rd1 Rb5 15. Qc3 c5 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Qf5 18. Bf4 Nxd5 (18... Ne8 $2
19. Qxc4 Nd6 20. Qa4 Rb6 21. Re1 g5 22. Be3 Re8 23. Rac1 Rb2 24. g4 Qf6 25.
Bxc5 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 $16 Bc4 $2 27. Qxc4 Nxc4 28. Re8+ Kg7 29. Bf8+ {1-0, Li,C 
(2751)-Wang,H (2717) Huaian blitz 2016}) 19. Bxc7 (19. Qxc4 c6 $11) 19... Rd7
20. Qe5 Qxe5 21. Bxe5 Bb7 22. Rac1 Rb6 $11 {/\} 23. Rxc4 $4 Ne3 $1 $19) (13.
Bxc6 Rb6 14. Bg2 Rd8 15. Bg5 Rb5 16. Qd2 c5 17. a4 Rb8 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Qh6
cxd4 20. Qxf6 c3 $15 {nightfarmer,h (2319)-vendlindja,h (2698) Engine Room 2011
}) 13... Rd8 14. Ba3 {[%mdl 512] White sacrifices a pawn to target Black's
weaknesses as fast as possible.} (14. Rd1 Nd5 (14... e5 $5 15. Qxe5 Nd5 $132 {
Illingworth} (15... Re8 $11)) (14... c3 15. Qxc3 Bxe2 $11 {Kavalek}) 15. Ba3 f5
16. Bc5 Rb6 (16... c3 17. e4 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Bc4 $11 (18... Be2 19. Re1 Qa6 $11))
17. e4 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Rb2 19. Ba3 Rb6 20. Re1 c3 21. Qc5 Qd7 22. Bg2 Rdb8 $2 (
22... Bd3 $1 $11) 23. Bh3 Re8 {Li,C (2751)-Harikrishna,P (2753) Huaian blitz
2016} 24. Bxe6+ $1 $18) 14... Rxd4 (14... c3 $5 15. Qxc3 Bxe2 16. Rfe1 Qa6 17.
Rac1 Nd5 $132) 15. Rfb1 $5 $146 {[%cal Ra5a6][%mdl 8]} (15. Rab1 Rb6 16. Bc5
Rd5 (16... Rd8 17. Bxb6 cxb6 18. Qc3 Nd5 19. Qc2 c5 20. Rfd1 g6 21. a3 f5 22.
e4 Ne7 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Rd1 Qc7 25. Qd2 Nc6 26. exf5 Nd4 27. fxg6 hxg6 28.
Qg5 Kg7 29. Be4 Qf7 30. Qe5+ Kh7 {1/2, Kohlweyer,B (2440)-Grochal,J (2170)
Vlissingen 2013} 31. Re1 c3 32. Re3 $16 {/\} c2 33. Bxc2 Nxc2 34. Re4) (16...
Rd7 $5 {/\} 17. Rfd1 Qd8 $1 $15 {So puts his other rook on b1 to prevent this
idea.}) 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Qb4 (19. Qe1 d4 $132) 19... Nd7 20. a5
b5 21. Qe7 c5 22. f4 d4 23. f5 e5 24. f6 gxf6 25. g4 h6 26. Rf5 {1/2, Efimenko,
Z (2689)-Sakaev,K (2607) Vrnjacka Banja 2010} Qc6 $44 {<=>}) (15. Bc5 Rd5 $1 {
/\} 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Rab1 Ra8 $1 $15 {[%cal Yf6d7]}) 15... Rb6 {Nakamura
prepares a sacrifice of his own, this rook will shield the b-file even against
the Bc5.} ({Possibly he was inspired by Sakaev's game, but Kavalek suggests
the more mundane} 15... Rxb1+ 16. Rxb1 Nd7 17. Bc5 (17. Bxc6 h6 18. Qc3 e5 $132
{and Black seems to be holding the balance here.}) 17... Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Rd8 19.
Qxa7 c3 20. Qc5 Bxe2 21. Qxc3 h6 22. Bxc6 $11 {/+/= Material is equal again,
White is very slightly better.}) 16. Bc5 Rd7 ({Here Sakaev's idea} 16... Rd5 $6
{is dubious due to} 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Qd2 {/\} Nd7 20. a5 bxa5 (
20... b5 21. a4 $16) 21. e4 $1 (21. Qxa5 c5 $14) 21... c6 22. Qxa5 $16) 17. Rd1
$1 {So is in no hurry to take the exchange and improves his position first.
With the rooks on a1 and d1 Black doesn't have the aforementioned Qd8 motif.} (
17. Bxb6 $143 $6 cxb6 18. Qc3 Nd5 {and contrary to the game Black retains the
major pieces and with them very good compensation and counterplay.}) 17... h6
$2 {Now White can advantageously cash in.} (17... Rb2 18. Rxd7 Nxd7 19. Bd4 $1
Rb8 (19... Rxe2 20. Bf3 Rc2 21. Be4 Re2 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 (22... Kf8 23. Qg5 g6
24. Rd1 e5 25. Bc3 c5 26. Bxg6 fxg6 27. Qxg6 $18 {->}) 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qxe2
$16) 20. Bxa7 (20. Bxc6 Bb7 $132) 20... Ra8 21. Bd4 $14) ({A better
alternative is the simple} 17... Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Rb8 19. Bxa7 (19. e4 $5 h6 20.
Bd4 $44) 19... Ra8 20. Bd4 Bb5 21. Qc3 Bxa4 22. Rd2 Nd5 23. Qxc4 Bb5 $11) ({
Another interesting try is the refined} 17... Nd5 $5 18. e4 Nf6 {This locks in
the Bg2 for the time being, after} 19. Rxd7 Nxd7 20. Bxb6 cxb6 21. Qd2 Nc5 22.
Qd6 ({Analogous with the game} 22. Rd1 $6 {runs into} Nd3 $1) 22... c3 (22...
Nxa4 $2 23. Rd1 {[%cal Rd6e7]}) 23. e5 c2 24. Rc1 Bd3 25. Qxc6 Qf8 26. a5 bxa5
27. Qc7 h6 28. Bf1 Be4 $44 29. Qxa7 a4 {[%csl Gc2] Black should hold, the Pc2
is annoying.}) 18. Rxd7 Nxd7 19. Bxb6 cxb6 (19... axb6 20. Qc3 c5 21. Rd1 Nf6
22. a5 $16 {/\} b5 23. Qe5) 20. Qd2 c5 (20... Nc5 $5 21. Rd1 Nxa4 22. Qd8+ Qxd8
23. Rxd8+ Kh7 24. Kf1 $5 (24. Bxc6 Nc3 25. Rd2 $16) 24... Bb5 25. Rd7 f5 (25...
c3 26. Ke1 Kg6 27. Rxa7 $16) 26. Rxa7 (26. Ke1 a6 27. Rd6 $16) 26... c3 27. Ke1
Nb2 28. Ra3 Na4 (28... c2 29. Rc3 Ba4 30. Kd2 (30. Bxc6 $2 Nd1 31. Rc4 Nb2 $11)
30... c5 31. Kc1 Nd1 32. Rc4 Be8 33. Rxc2 Nxf2 34. Rd2 $18 {[%cal Rd2d6]}) 29.
Kd1 c5 30. Rb3 Bc4 31. Kc2 $1 e5 $5 (31... Bxb3+ 32. axb3 Nb2 33. f3 b5 34.
Kxc3 Nd1+ 35. Kd2 Nf2 36. Ke1 {[%csl Rf2]} c4 37. bxc4 b4 38. c5 b3 39. Kd2 b2
40. Kc2 Nd1 41. c6 $18) 32. Rb1 e4 33. f3 b5 34. a3 e3 35. f4 Bxe2 36. Bf1 Bxf1
37. Rxf1 b4 38. Re1 bxa3 39. Rxe3 a2 40. Re1 $16 {[%cal Ye1a1,Ya1a2]}) 21. Rd1
Nf6 22. Kf1 Kh7 23. Qc2+ $6 (23. Qd8 $142 {-25.Qd8!}) 23... Kg8 ({A more
resilient try was} 23... g6 $142 $1 24. Qc3 Kg7 25. Bf3 (25. Qe5 $6 Qe8) 25...
Qc7 $16 {/+/=}) 24. Qd2 Kh7 25. Qd8 $1 {Forces a queen swap, which effectively
decides the game. White's remaining active forces (R+K) will cope with Black's
pawns, while the Kh7 remains out of the game.} Qxd8 (25... e5 26. Qxc8 Bxc8 27.
Rd8 c3 28. Ke1 Be6 29. Ra8 $5 Bxa2 30. Rxa7 $18) 26. Rxd8 $18 c3 27. Ke1 {
[%csl Ra7,Gd8,Ge1]} Bc4 28. Kd1 Bxa2 29. Kc2 Bc4 30. e3 (30. e4 $5 e5 31. Kxc3
Be6 32. f3 $18 {[%cal Yd8a8,Yg2f1]}) 30... b5 31. Kxc3 a6 (31... Bd5 32. Bxd5
Nxd5+ 33. Kd2 bxa4 34. Ra8 $18 {and White will pick up all the queenside pawns
and convert the extra exchange with ease.}) 32. Ra8 Nd5+ 33. Bxd5 exd5 (33...
Bxd5 34. Rxa6 bxa4 (34... b4+ 35. Kb2 {/\} c4 36. Rb6 $18) 35. Rxa4 {[%cal
Re3e4]} f5 36. Ra5 c4 37. Kd4 Kg6 (37... h5 38. Ke5 Kg6 39. h4 Kh7 40. Ra7 Kg6
41. Rc7 Kh7 42. f3 $5 Bxf3 43. Kxe6 $18) 38. g4 $5 fxg4 39. e4 Bb7 40. Ke5 h5
41. Rc5 $18 {[%cal Rc5c7]}) 34. a5 $1 {After forcing Black's pawns forward,
the lone potential passed pawn will secure White's victory.} b4+ 35. Kd2 Bf1
36. Rc8 c4 37. Rb8 b3 (37... c3+ 38. Kc2 {[%csl Rb4,Rc3]} Bb5 39. Rxb5 axb5 40.
a6 $18) 38. Kc3 {Black's pawns lack effective support and will soon start
dropping off, so Nakamura resigned.} (38. Kc3 Bd3 39. Rb6 (39. Rd8 {[%cal
Rd8d5]} Be4 40. Rd6 $18) 39... h5 (39... g5 40. g4 $18) 40. h4 $1 (40. Rxa6 $2
b2 41. Rb6 b1=Q 42. Rxb1 Bxb1 43. a6 Be4 44. Kd4 c3 45. Kxc3 d4+ $11) (40. f3
$5 g5 41. Rxa6 b2 42. Rb6 b1=Q 43. Rxb1 Bxb1 44. a6 g4 45. fxg4 $1 Be4 46. Kd4
c3 47. Kxc3 d4+ 48. Kxd4 Ba8 49. gxh5 $18) 40... f6 41. f3 Kg6 42. Rxa6 b2 43.
Rb6 b1=Q 44. Rxb1 Bxb1 45. a6 $18) 1-0

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Brest"]
[Date "2018.05.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Kryvoruchko, Yuriy"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2018.05.26"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2019"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.10.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.10.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Clichy Echecs 92"]
[BlackTeam "Grasse Echecs"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:
00:08]} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 4. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7
{[%emt 0:00:45]} 5. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:05]} 6. O-O {[%emt 0:
00:08]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 8.
Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 9. Na3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bxa3 {
[%emt 0:00:46]} 10. bxa3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ba6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 11. Qd2 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:03:52]} 12. Qa5 {[%emt 0:03:48]} Qc8 {[%emt 0:02:
38]} 13. a4 {[%emt 0:19:48]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 14. Rd1 {[%emt 0:05:33]} c3
$146 {[%emt 0:08:03]} (14... e5 15. Qxe5 Re8 $11 (15... Nd5 $132)) (14... Nd5
15. Ba3 {Li,C (2751)-Harikrishna,P (2753) China Elite Mind blitz 2016 (14) 1-0}
) 15. Qxc3 {[%emt 0:04:17]} Bxe2 $11 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 16. Re1 {[%emt 0:17:30]}
Qa6 {[%emt 0:14:20]} 17. Bg5 {[%emt 0:09:05]} Qc4 {[%emt 0:12:31]} 18. Rac1 {
[%emt 0:04:02]} Qxc3 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 19. Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Rb2 {[%emt 0:
02:49]} 20. Rxc6 {[%emt 0:06:49]} h6 {[%emt 0:14:19]} 21. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:02:04]}
gxf6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 22. Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} a6 {[%emt 0:06:04]} 23. d5 {
[%emt 0:03:17]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 24. Bf1 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Bxf1 {[%emt 0:
03:40]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 45th"]
[Site "Havana"]
[Date "2010.06.20"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Black "Alekseev, Evgeny V"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2010.06.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 137"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 {Dominguez Perez,L (2712)-Tiviakov,S (2662) Corus
Wijk aan Zee 2010 (6) 1-0 Dominguez is obviously in the process of widening
his repertoire. Apart from 1.e4 he started playing the Catalan as well, his
first outing with this opening was annotated in CBM 135:} (3... c5 4. Nf3 cxd4
5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Nc3 a6 7. Bg2 Qxc4 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nb3 d5 10. Bf4 Be7 (10... Qb4
11. Re1 Be7 12. e4 dxe4 (12... d4 13. Nd5 $1 $32) 13. Bc7 $1 e3 14. Rxe3 O-O
15. h3 Na7 16. Rc1 Nb5 17. a3 Nxc3 18. Rcxc3 Qa4 19. Qc1 Qd7 20. Be5 Nd5 21.
Red3 Nxc3 22. Qxc3 Qb5 23. Bxg7 Qxd3 24. Qxd3 Kxg7 25. Nc5 $36 {[%csl Rg7]
->ע,Kasparov,G (2838)-Kramnik,V (2802)/Moscow blitz m/2001/}) 11. a3 d4 12.
Nd2 (12. Bxc6+ $5 Qxc6 13. Nxd4 $14) 12... Qc5 13. Nce4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Qb6 15.
Nd6+ Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Kd7 (16... Ne7 17. Be5 Nf5 18. Qc2 $1 $44) 17. Bf4 Ke7 (
17... f6 $5 $13) 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Be5 c5 20. b4 f6 21. bxc5 Qxc5 22. Bxd4 Qd5
(22... Qd6 $142 $1 23. Rc1 Kf7 $14) 23. Rc1 (23. e4 $1 $36 Qd7 (23... Qxe4 $2
24. Rc1 $1 $18 {[%cal Rc1c7] /\Rc7}) 24. e5 $16) 23... Rd8 24. Rc7+ Rd7 $6 (
24... Ke8 $5 25. Qc2 (25. e3 Rd7 26. Qa4 Bb7 27. f3 Qb5 $11) (25. e4 Qxd4 26.
Qh5+ g6 27. Qxh7 Bd7 28. Qxg6+ $44) 25... Qxd4 26. Qxh7 Bd7 27. Qg8+ Ke7 28.
Qxg7+ $44) 25. Bc5+ $6 (25. e4 $1 $40) 25... Kf7 26. Qxd5 exd5 27. Rxd7+ $11 {
1/2,Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Short,N (2685)/Havana/2010/}) 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2
O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 ({The other main move is} 8. a4 {, but the
most recent examples confirm Black can hold his own here:} Bd7 9. Qxc4 (9. Rd1
Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 a5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6
16. Rac1 c5 17. dxc5 Qe7 18. Nb5 c6 19. Nd4 {Laznicka,V (2637)-Bologan,V (2692)
/WCup Khanty Mansiysk/2009/} Qxc5 20. Qxc4 Qxc4 21. Rxc4 Rfd8 $11) 9... Bc6 10.
Bf4 (10. Bg5 h6 $5 (10... Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Bxf6
Bxf6 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 Nc6 18. Qc5 Qc7 19. Ne4 Rfd8 20. b4
h6 21. b5 Qe5 22. f3 Qxc5 23. Nxc5 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 axb5 25. axb5 $14 {Wang Yue 
(2752)-Jakovenko,D (2725)/Astrakhan/2010/}) 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3
c6 14. Rad1 a5 15. e4 Nd7 16. e5 Be7 17. Be4 Qb6 (17... Nb6 18. Qb3 Bb4 19. Bb1
Nd5 20. Qc2 g6 21. h4 h5 22. Ne4 Kg7 23. Kg2 Be7 24. Qe2 Rh8 25. Qf3 Qb6 26. b3
Rad8 27. Rd2 Rd7 $11 {Ponomariov,R (2739)-Leko,P (2752)/Moscow WCh blitz/2009/}
) 18. f4 Rad8 19. Qe2 Nb8 20. Qf2 Na6 21. Kh1 f5 22. Bb1 h5 23. h3 g6 24. Ba2
Nc7 25. g4 hxg4 26. hxg4 Kf7 $1 $11 {Carlsen,M (2813)-Ponomariov,R (2733)/
Medias/2010/}) 10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Ne5 (12. Rad1 h6 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2
Nd5 15. Bc1 Bb4 16. Qb3 Nb6 17. Nc4 Nxc4 18. Qxc4 c6 19. e4 Rc8 20. Be3 Qe7 21.
Ne2 Bd6 22. Nc1 Nb4 $11 {1/2,Khairullin,I (2617)-Corrales Jimenez,F (2590)/
Havana-B/2010/}) (12. Rac1 Nb4 13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Nfd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bd2
Bb4 17. Bxb4 Nxb4 18. e4 c6 19. f4 Kh8 20. Rfd1 f6 21. Nf3 Qd7 22. b3 Rad8 23.
Rd2 Rfe8 24. h4 Qf7 25. Re1 Qh5 26. Re3 h6 27. Kh3 Qf7 $132 {Topalov,V (2813)
-Jakovenko,D (2742)/Nanjing/2009/}) 12... Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nd5 14. Rad1 Nxf4+ ({
Black doesn't have to hurry with this swap and can play the more restrained} 
14... Nab4 $5 15. Bc1 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Nd5 17. Qb3 Nb6 18. Ba3 Bxa3 19. Qxa3 Qd6
20. Ra1 f6 21. Nd3 Qxa3 22. Rxa3 Nc4 23. Ra2 e5 24. Nc5 b6 25. Ne4 Rad8 26. Nd2
Nxd2 27. Rxd2 Rd6 $11 {Gelfand,B (2761)-Topalov,V (2805)/Linares/2010/}) 15.
gxf4 Bd6 16. e3 Qh4 (16... Nb4 $132) 17. Qe2 Bxe5 (17... f6 18. Nc4 g5 19. d5
e5 20. f5 Nc5 21. e4 Rf7 22. Kh1 Nb3 23. Nb5 $14 {Ivanchuk,V (2749)-Karjakin,S
(2720)/Wijk aan Zee/2010/}) 18. fxe5 f6 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. f4 Nb4 21. Kh1 Rg6
22. Rg1 Rxg1+ 23. Rxg1 Qe7 24. Rg5 h6 25. Rb5 c6 26. Re5 Qf7 27. Ne4 Nd5 28. f5
exf5 29. Nd6 Qf6 $13 {Eljanov,P (2736)-Karjakin,S (2725)/RUS-chT Dagomys/2010/}
) 8... b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Played already in the Kasparov - Karpov duels,
this was subsequently taken up by Kramnik and currently remains the only
continuation, which can cause Black any problems.} (10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Nxf6
12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 c5 14. dxc5 Bd5 15. Ne1 Bxg2 16. Nxg2 Nd7 17. Rfd1 Qc7 $11
) (10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qc1 Rc8 13. Nc3 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Be3 Ng4
16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Qd5 18. f3 Nxe3 19. Nxe3 Qb7 20. Kg2 c5 $15 {Bruzon
Bautista,L (2652)-Anand,V (2803)/Turin olm/2006/}) 10... Bd6 {One of the less
usual reactions, which has nevertheless mostly worked quite fine for Black.} ({
Even more rare is the alternative} 10... h6 11. a3 $5 Re8 $5 12. b4 Nbd7 13.
Nc3 Nb6 14. Rfd1 Nc4 15. Be1 Qb8 16. e4 Rd8 17. Bf1 (17. h3 $142 $5 {was
recommended by Short afterwards - it keeps the tension and perhaps a slight
edge.}) 17... a5 $1 18. Bxc4 bxc4 19. Rab1 axb4 20. axb4 Ra3 21. Ne5 Rb3 22. b5
Rxb1 23. Qxb1 Qa7 24. Rd2 $1 $13 (24. Nc6 Bxc6 25. bxc6 Rxd4 26. Qb7 Bc5 $17 {
Nyback,T (2655)-Short,N (2674)/Malmo/2009/}) 24... Qa5 (24... Rxd4 $2 25. b6
$18) 25. Rd1 Qa7 $11) ({The most popular and arguably most reliable
continuation is} 10... Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 (11... Nbd7 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nbd2 Ba8 14.
a3 $5 Qe8 15. b4 Bd6 16. Re1 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Qe3 Bd5 19. Rac1 f5 20. Ne5
Nf6 21. f3 Nd7 22. Rc2 $36 {Huzman,A (2591)-Wells,P (2499)/EU-ch Dresden/2007/}
) 12. Bf4 Nd5 ({The main alternative is} 12... Bd6 13. Nbd2 Nd5 $5 (13... Nbd7
14. Nb3 Bd5 15. Rd1 Qe7 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd5 18. Na5 $5 Nxf4+ 19. Qxf4 f6
20. Nec6 Qf7 21. Qf3 e5 22. a4 exd4 23. Rxd4 Ne5 24. Qc3 $14 {Avrukh}) 14. Nb3
(14. Be5 Nd7 15. Nb3 a5 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Ra6 18. Rd1 (18. a4 $5) 18... Qe7
19. e4 N5f6 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. Nd2 e5 $11 {Nielsen,P (2680)-Hou,Y (2584)/
Amsterdam/2009/}) (14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. e4 Ne7 16. Qc3 Nd7 17. a4 {Inarkiev,E 
(2674)-Aronian,L (2741)/WCup Khanty Mansiysk/2007/} Nf6 $1 18. Rfe1 d5 $132 {
Inarkiev}) 14... Nxf4 15. gxf4 Nd7 16. Rd1 $5 {Avrukh} (16. e3 Rc8 17. Rd1 c5
18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Bxf3 $1 20. Bxf3 Rxc5 21. Qxc5 Bxc5 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23.
Rc1 $11 {1/2,Ftacnik,L (2553)-Dydyshko,V (2564)/CZE-chT/2007/}) 16... Qf6 17.
e3 Rad8 $13 {/\Bf3, g5<=>>>}) 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Nd7 (14... Qd6 15. Ne5 Bxg2
16. Kxg2 Nd7 $5 $146 ({Black ignores the more usual} 16... c5 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18.
Rfd1 $14 {and strives for a similar position as in line B.}) 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18.
Rfd1 Rac8 19. Qf3 Rfd8 20. Rac1 h6 21. e3 b4 22. Ne4 Qa4 23. Ra1 Rd5 24. b3 Qa5
25. Nd2 Rcd8 26. Nc4 Qb5 27. Rac1 Bf6 {Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Carlsen,M 
(2813)/Nice blindfold rpd/2010/} 28. Nd2 $11) 15. Rfd1 Bd6 16. Qe3 Qe7 (16...
Nb6 17. Ne1 $5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 b4 19. Ne4 Nd5 20. Qb3 f5 21. Nd2 c5 22. dxc5 Bxc5
23. Nd3 Be7 24. Rac1 Rc8 25. Qa4 $14 {Maletin,P (2584)-Kravtsiv,M (2546)/New
Delhi/2010/}) 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Kxg2 f5 20. f4 (20. Rac1 Rae8 21.
f4 g5 $1 22. fxg5 b4 23. Nb1 f4 24. Qe4 Rf5 $132 {Bocheva,M (2387)
-Dambrauskaite,V (2286)/corr/2006/}) 20... b4 21. Nb1 c5 (21... Qc6+ $1 {
/\Qd5,c5=}) 22. dxc5 Qc6+ 23. Qf3 Qxf3+ 24. Kxf3 Bxc5 25. Nd2 $11 {/+/=, Leko,
P (2752)-Karpov,A (2619)/WCh blitz Moscow/2009/}) ({Black still hasn't fully
solved his opening problems after} 10... Ra7 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. e3 Qa8
14. Qd1 b4 15. Qf1 Rd8 (15... Bd5 16. Be1 Rc8 17. Nbd2 Na5 18. Ne5 c5 19. dxc5
Bxc5 20. Nd3 Bf8 (20... Be7 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Rxc8+ (22. e4 Nf6 23. f3 $14)
22... Qxc8 23. e4 Nf6 24. Qe2 Rc7 25. f3 Nc4 26. Rc1 Nxd2 27. Qxd2 a5 $11 {
Laznicka,V (2610)-Petrik,T (2489)/CZE-chT/2008/}) 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. e4 Nb6 23.
Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Nf3 Qb7 25. Nxb4 $5 Qxe4 26. Qd3 Qxd3 27. Nxd3 Nac4 28. b3 Nd6
29. Rc1 $14 {Kramnik,V (2785)-Leko,P (2755)/Moscow/2007/ - see notes by Marin
in CBM 122.}) 16. Be1 a5 17. a3 Bd6 18. Nfd2 Bxg2 19. Qxg2 Ra6 20. Nc4 Nd5 21.
Nbd2 bxa3 22. bxa3 Be7 {Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V (2792)/Mainz rpd/2007/} 23.
Qe4 $5 a4 24. Qc2 Rb8 25. Rab1 h6 26. f3 $14 {[%cal Ye1f2] /\Bf2+/= Avrukh})
11. Re1 $5 ({Thematic, but insufficient for an advantage is} 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12.
Ba5 Qb8 13. b4 e5 {This is the main point of Black's 10th move - he gets in an
important liberating advance, soon followed by another one on move 16 and
achieves full equality} 14. Nbd2 exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17. bxc5 Bxc5
18. N2b3 (18. N2f3 Qb7 19. Nf5 Rfe8 20. Rac1 {Bauer,C (2634)-Hammer,J (2402)/
Heraklio/2007/} Ba3 $5 $132) 18... Ba3 19. e4 Ne5 20. Nf5 {1/2,Gelfand,B (2733)
-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/ - see notes by Marin in CBM 120.} g6 $5
$11 {/=/+}) (11. Be3 Nbd7 12. Nbd2 Qe7 13. Nb3 Be4 14. Qc1 e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16.
Nxe5 Bxg2 17. Nc6 Bxc6 18. Qxc6 Ng4 19. Bd4 Qxe2 20. Rfe1 Qd3 21. h3 Nh6 22.
Be5 Bxe5 23. Rxe5 Nf5 24. Rae1 g6 25. Rd5 Qc4 26. Rc5 Qd3 27. Rd5 Qc4 28. Rc5
Qd3 29. Rd5 {1/2,Carlsen,M (2765)-Onischuk,A (2664)/Foros/2008/ was only
barely equal for White and again shows the positive side of Black's idea.}) (
11. a3 Nbd7 12. b4 Ra7 $5 (12... Be4 13. Qb2 Nb6 14. Qc1 Nfd5 $132 {Horvath,C 
(2537)-Van Ketel,R (2295)/Leiden/2008/}) 13. a4 (13. Nc3 $142) 13... bxa4 14.
Rxa4 Qa8 15. Na3 Ne4 16. Rb1 Nxd2 17. Qxd2 Rb8 18. Nc4 Nb6 19. Nxb6 cxb6 $11 {
Gelfand,B (2756)-Granda Zuniga,J (2644)/ESP-chT Lugo/2009/}) (11. Bg5 Nbd7 12.
Nbd2 Rc8 13. Nb3 c5 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Nxc5 Be4 16. Qc3 e5 $1 17. e3 Bxc5 18.
dxc5 Qd5 19. Rad1 Qa8 20. Nh4 Bxg2 21. Nxg2 Ne4 22. Qxe5 Rxc5 23. Qd4 Rc4 24.
Qd3 Ng5 $44 {Kramnik,V (2785)-Carlsen,M (2714)/Moscow/2007/ - see notes by
Marin in CBM 122.}) ({Apart from the text-move, the only other ambitious try,
recommended by Avrukh in his Catalan "bible", is} 11. Ng5 $5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc8
$5 (12... h6 13. Nf3 Nbd7 14. e4 e5 15. Nc3 c5 16. d5 c4 17. Nh4 Nc5 18. f3 Re8
19. Nf5 Bf8 20. Nd1 Rc8 21. Nf2 $13 {/+/=, Hillarp Persson,T (2586)-Szabo,K 
(2508)/EU-ch Budva/2009/}) (12... Nbd7 13. e4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. f4 Nc4 16.
b3 Nxd2 17. Nxd2 h6 18. Ngf3 Bb4 19. Rf2 $5 (19. Rfd1 Qe7 20. e5 Nd5 21. Nf1
Rad8 22. a3 Bc5 23. b4 Bb6 24. Rd2 Qd7 25. f5 Rfe8 26. Rad1 c6 $11 {/<=>,
Eljanov,P (2687)-Carlsen,M (2765)/Foros/2008/ - see notes by Marin in CBM 125.}
) 19... Qe7 20. e5 ({Avrukh recommends} 20. Re2 Rad8 21. Rc1 Ba3 22. Rf1 {
, but the position remains rather unclear after} Rfe8 $13) 20... Nd5 21. Re2
Bc5 22. Rae1 Nb4 23. Qb1 Rad8 24. Ne4 Bb6 25. f5 Nd3 26. Rf1 Qd7 27. f6 g6 $15
{[%csl Re5] ><e5,Ponomariov,R (2737)-Karjakin,S (2725)/Nice rpd blindfold/2010/
}) 13. e4 Qb7 14. Re1 (14. f3 Nc6 15. Be3 h6 16. Nh3 e5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Nd2
c5 19. Nf2 Rfd8 {/=/+,Ponomariov,R (2739)-Carlsen,M (2801)/WCh blitz Moscow/
2009/}) 14... Nbd7 15. Nf3 e5 16. Bg5 exd4 17. Nxd4 Rfe8 18. Nd2 c5 19. Nf5 Bf8
20. b3 Re6 21. f3 Rae8 $11 {Caruana,F (2646)-Short,N (2663)/Wijk aan Zee/2009/}
) 11... Be4 (11... Nbd7 $6 12. Ba5 $1 Qe8 13. e4 e5 14. Nbd2 c5 (14... Rc8 15.
b4 $36) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 (15... Bxe5 $5 $14) 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Nf3 Rc8 (17... Qe7
18. Nxe5 Qxe5 19. Rad1 $36) 18. Rad1 $16 b4 19. Bh3 Rc6 20. a3 Bc7 21. e5 $1
Bxa5 22. exf6 b3 23. Qxb3 $18 {Landa,K (2613)-Melkumyan,H (2541)/EU-Cup
Kallithea/2008/}) 12. Qc1 Bb7 ({Black should again refrain from} 12... Nbd7 $6
13. Ba5 $1 Qe7 (13... Rc8 14. Nbd2 Ba8 15. e4 e5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Qc2 Qe7 18.
Bh3 c5 19. Rad1 Bc7 20. Bxc7 Rxc7 21. e5 Ne8 22. e6 fxe6 23. Bxe6+ Kh8 24. Bg8
$18 {Sandipan,C (2611)-Khusnutdinov,R (2506)/Kolkata/2009/}) 14. Nbd2 Bxf3 15.
Nxf3 Rac8 16. e4 e5 17. Nh4 g6 18. f4 exf4 19. e5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Bc5+ 21. Kf1
Ng4 22. Qxf4 Nxh2+ 23. Ke2 $16 {Volokitin,A (2684)-Onischuk,A (2664)/Foros/
2008/ - see notes by Marin in CBM 125.}) 13. Bg5 (13. a3 {is too soft:} Nbd7
14. b4 (14. Ba5 Qb8 15. b4 e5 $132) 14... Qc8 15. Nc3 Ne4 16. Nxe4 (16. Qc2
$142 f5 $13) 16... Bxe4 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Qc2 f5 19. Kxg2 Nb6 20. e4 h6 21. Nf3
Qb7 22. Re2 Nc4 $15 {Cheparinov,I (2696)-Jakovenko,D (2737)/Elista/2008/ - see
notes by Marin in CBM 128.}) (13. Qc2 Be4 {is just a way to make a draw, or
two extra moves towards possible tim trouble.}) 13... Nbd7 14. Nbd2 $1 {
This patient developing move is the new trend, which has superseded the
impetuous} (14. e4 Be7 15. Nbd2 c5 16. e5 (16. Bxf6 Bxf6 (16... gxf6 $5 $132)
17. dxc5 Rc8 18. b4 $5 (18. Nb3 Qc7 19. e5 Be7 $15) 18... Bxa1 19. Qxa1 $44
Nxc5 20. bxc5 Rxc5 21. Nb3 Rc8 22. e5 Qb6 23. Ng5 Rc2 $2 24. Qd4 $1 Qxd4 25.
Nxd4 Rc7 26. Ndxe6 $16 {/+-,Harikrishna,P (2659)-Pashikian,A (2611)/EU-Cup
Kallithea/2008/}) 16... Nd5 17. Ne4 cxd4 18. Qd2 Bxg5 19. Nexg5 h6 20. Ne4 Ne3
21. fxe3 Bxe4 22. exd4 (22. Qxd4 Bxf3 23. Bxf3 Rc8 24. a4 Qc7 25. axb5 Nxe5 26.
Be4 Rfd8 27. Qa4 axb5 28. Qxb5 Rb8 29. Qe2 Qc4 $17 {Rahman,Z (2564)-Xiu,D 
(2410)/Kuala Lumpur/2008/}) 22... Bd5 23. Nh4 Nb6 24. Be4 Rc8 25. Ng2 Bxe4 {
1/2,Gelfand,B (2737)-Anand,V (2799)/Wijk aan Zee/2008/}) 14... c5 $146 {
[%mdl 8] We are entering uncharted waters and this natural move is already a
novelty. Black is willing to allow a break-up of his >> to get in this
liberating thrust as soon as possible.} (14... h6 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 (15... Qxf6 $2
16. Ne5 $18) 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Rd1 $1 ({But} 17. Nc5 {is too soft:} Bxc5 18. Qxc5
Ne4 19. Qa3 c5 20. dxc5 Rxc5 21. Rac1 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Qb6 23. e3 b4 24. Qa4 Rd8
25. Qc2 Rc8 26. Qb1 Rxc1+ 27. Qxc1 Nc5 28. Qd2 Bxf3 29. Bxf3 a5 $11 {Wang Yue 
(2738)-Carlsen,M (2770)/Leon rpd/2009/}) 17... Bd5 (17... Qe7 18. Nc5 $5 Bxc5
19. Qxc5 Qxc5 20. dxc5 {/\Ne5+/=}) 18. Ne1 Qe7 19. Nd3 Bxb3 20. axb3 c5 21.
dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 (22... Rxc5 23. Qb1 $1 $14) 23. Bb7 $1 Qxc1 24. Rdxc1
Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Rb8 26. Bxa6 Rb6 27. Rc8+ Kh7 28. Ra8 $14 {/+/-,Giri,A (2642)
-Hammer,J (2610)/Malmo/2010/}) 15. Bxf6 {The only consistent try.} (15. e4 Be7
{just transposes to the 14.e4 line.}) 15... gxf6 $8 (15... Qxf6 $6 16. Ne5 Nxe5
17. Bxb7 (17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxb7 Bxb2 19. Ne4 Qe5 20. f4 Bxc1 21. fxe5 Be3+ $44
) 17... cxd4 18. Ne4 $16) 16. Nb3 $5 ({Marin mentions the plausible} 16. Qc3
Rc8 (16... f5 $5) 17. Qe3 {, but Black should be doing fine after} Qb6 $132)
16... Qb6 {A difficult decision. Black retains the [+] tension, but also} (
16... c4 $5 {deserves attention:} 17. Nbd2 Qc7 $13 {/\Rfc8,c3<=>} (17... f5 18.
e4 fxe4 19. Nxe4 $14) (17... Nb6 18. e4 Rc8 $132)) 17. Qh6 {For the time being
White ignores a possible tactical solution.} (17. Ne5 Bxe5 (17... fxe5 18. Bxb7
Qxb7 19. dxc5 $36 {/\} Nxc5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 $2 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Qxe5+ $16) 18.
Bxb7 Qxb7 19. dxe5 Qe4 20. exf6 c4 (20... Rfc8 $5) 21. Na5 Nxf6 22. a4 Nd5 $132
) 17... Rfd8 (17... c4 18. Nbd2 {is still not clear, but now it's less logical
after White has activated his Q.}) 18. Rad1 (18. dxc5 Nxc5 $11 {/\} 19. Qxf6 $2
Ne4 $17) 18... Bf8 19. Qh5 (19. Qh4 Rac8 $11) 19... a5 ({Safer is} 19... Rac8
$142 $5 {/\} 20. Nh4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 c4 $132) 20. dxc5 Nxc5 21. Ng5 $5 {[%mdl 64]
White wants to fight for an advantage and goes for tactical complications.} (
21. Nxc5 Bxc5 (21... Qxc5 22. Qh4 (22. Qxc5 Bxc5 $11) (22. Ne5 Qxe5 23. Qxe5
fxe5 24. Bxb7 Rab8 $11) 22... Bg7 $5 $11 (22... Qe7 23. Nd4 $14)) 22. e3 Rxd1
23. Rxd1 Rd8 $11) 21... fxg5 22. Qxg5+ Kh8 (22... Bg7 $5 23. Nxc5 Bxg2 24. Kxg2
h6 $1 25. Qh5 Bxb2 $13) 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 (23... Bxg2 24. Nd7 Rxd7 $5 (24... Qb7
25. Nxf8 Rxf8 (25... Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Rxf8 27. Qh6 (27. f3 Bh3 28. Qh6 Qb6+ 29.
Kh1 Rc8 30. Qxh3 Qe3 $44) 27... Rc8 28. f3 Bxf3 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30. exf3 Qc6 31.
Qg5+ Kf8 32. Kg2 $5 $14 {White is slightly better, as his K is less vulnerable
(it has a relatively safe haven on h3).}) 26. e4 Bxe4 (26... Bh3 $2 27. Qf6+
Kg8 28. Qh6 $16) 27. Qe5+ f6 28. Qxe4 Qxe4 29. Rxe4 e5 30. f4 $14) 25. Rxd7 Bd5
26. Rxf7 Qd4 27. e4 Bxa2 28. e5 (28. Qxb5 $5 $14) 28... Bd5 29. Rc7 Qd3 {
seems very dangerous for Black, but objectively is probably just equal/unclear.
}) 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Bxb7 Bxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Qxb7 27. Qf4 {[%mdl 4096] The dust has
settled down and just as in some of the above lines, White has some initiative
due to his better K.} (27. Qf6 Rd5 $5 (27... Qb6+ 28. Kg2 Qb7+ 29. Kh3 Rd5 30.
e4 $14) 28. Rxd5 Qxd5 29. Rc1 Rd8 $1 {[%cal Yd5d4] /\Qd4=} (29... Qxa2 30. Rc5
Qb1+ 31. Kf2 Qe4 32. Rxb5 $40)) 27... Qe7 (27... Qb6+ 28. e3 (28. Kg2 Qc6+ 29.
Kh3 Qc5 $132) 28... Qc5 29. Rc1 Qf5 $5 30. Qxf5 exf5 31. Rc5 (31. Re2 Rac8 $11)
31... Rd2 32. Rxb5 Rc8 $132) 28. Qe5 b4 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 (29... Qxd8 $5 30. Rf1
Rc8 {seems playable, after} 31. Rf4 Rc1+ 32. Kf2 Qd5 33. Qf6 (33. Qxd5 exd5 34.
a3 b3 $11) 33... Qh5 34. Qd8+ Kg7 35. Qd4+ Kf8 36. Qh8+ Ke7 37. Qf6+ Ke8 38.
Rh4 Qf5+ 39. Qxf5 exf5 40. Rxh7 Ke7 41. Rh5 Ke6 {Black should save the
nominally worse R_|_.}) 30. Qxa5 Rd5 (30... Rd2 $142 $5 {is more forcing:} 31.
Qe5 (31. b3 Rc2 {/\Qb7}) 31... Qa7+ 32. Kh1 Qd4 $1 33. Qxd4 Rxd4 34. a4 b3 (
34... bxa3 35. bxa3 Rd2 36. Ra1 Rxe2 37. a4 Rb2 $14) 35. a5 Ra4 36. Rd1 Rxa5
37. Rd3 Rc5 $5 38. Rxb3 Rc2 $44) 31. Qb6 Rd2 32. Rc1 h6 (32... Qg5 $1 $132 33.
Qxb4 (33. Rc4 h5 $5 $44 (33... Rxe2 34. Qd4 Re5 35. Qg4 b3 $14)) 33... Qe3+ 34.
Kh1 Qxe2 35. Rc8+ Kg7 36. Qf8+ Kg6 (36... Kf6 $2 37. Qh6+ Ke5 38. Qf4+ $18) 37.
Qg8+ Kh6 (37... Kf6 38. Qh8+ Kf5 39. Rc5+ e5 40. g4+ Ke6 $11) 38. Qf8+ Kg6 $11)
33. Qe3 Qg5 34. Qe4 Kg7 $2 ({Only, this is a mistake, after} 34... Qf5 $1 $44 {
Black's activity is sufficient to hold the game.}) 35. Rc2 $1 $14 {/+/- Chases
away the powerful R, which enables White to consolidate his position and
finally get winning chances.} Rd1+ {Probably more resilient was the R swap,
but this is difficult to evaluate objectively - the extra P gives White a
riskless advantage.} (35... Rxc2 36. Qxc2 h5 37. a4 $14) 36. Kg2 h5 37. Qf3 (
37. Qf4 Qxf4 38. gxf4 Re1 $14 {<=>}) (37. Rc4 $142 $5 $16) 37... Qe5 38. b3 (
38. Qf4 {-37.Qf4}) 38... Rd4 39. e3 Rd3 (39... Re4 $5 40. Rc5 (40. Rf2 f6 41.
Re2 Kg6 $14) 40... Qxc5 41. Qxe4 Qa5 $14) 40. Rf2 Rd7 $6 {Alekseev is dejected
and gradually eases White's task by allowing him to coordinate his forces.} (
40... f5 $142 $14) 41. Qf4 $16 Qc5 (41... Qxf4 42. gxf4 $16 {/\Kf3, Rc2} (42.
exf4 h4 $5 43. g4 Rd3 44. Re2 Kg6 45. Re4 Rd2+ 46. Kh3 Rxa2 47. Rxb4 Rf2 $14))
42. e4 (42. Qf6+ $5 Kg8 (42... Kh7 43. e4 $16) 43. Kh3 $1 {/\Rf4-c4->}) 42...
Qe7 43. e5 Rd3 (43... Rd5 $5 $16) 44. Kh3 Rc3 $6 (44... Rd5 $142) 45. Qd2 $1
$40 {[%cal Rf2f6] /\Rf6} h4 46. Rf4 $18 hxg3 47. hxg3 {[%csl Rb4,Rg7] \/עg7,
b4} Kf8 48. Rh4 Qc7 49. Qg5 Ke8 50. Qg8+ Ke7 51. Rf4 (51. Rh8 $1 $18) 51...
Qxe5 52. Rxf7+ Kd6 53. Qb8+ Kd5 54. Qb5+ Ke4 (54... Kd4 55. Rf4+ $18) 55. Rf4+
$1 (55. Rf4+ Qxf4 56. Qxb4+ $18) 1-0

[Event "Biel GM 43rd"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2010.07.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Rodshtein, Maxim"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2609"]
[BlackElo "2672"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2010.07.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 138"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
({The most recent examples with} 8. a4 {seem to confirm this alternative as
rather harmless:} Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 h6 (10... Bd5 {is also good enough:}
11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. Rfd1 Qa5 14. Qc4 cxd4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxd4 Bxd4
17. Rxd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nc6 19. Rd7 Rab8 20. Qf4 Qb6 21. Rb1 Ne5 $1 $11 {
1/2,Meier,G (2648)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2699)/ESP-chT Sestao/2010/}) 11. Bxf6 Bxf6
12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Qb3 ({White tries to prevent, or at least delay
Black's a5, but it doesn't seem worth the trouble. Perhaps somewhat more
promising is} 14. e3 a5 15. b4 $5 axb4 16. Qxb4 Ra7 17. a5 Nd7 18. Rfb1 Be7 19.
Qc4 Nf6 20. a6 bxa6 21. Bxc6 Qc8 22. Rb6 a5 $132 {Gustafsson,J (2643)-Matlakov,
M (2603)/ESP-chT Sestao/2010/}) 14... Ra7 (14... Qc7 15. Rfd1 Rd8 $5 (15... a5
16. Rac1 (16. Ne4 Be7 17. Rac1 Na6 18. e3 Nb4 19. Qc4 g6 20. Nc5 Kg7 21. Nd3 h5
22. h4 Rfd8 23. Kg2 Ra6 24. b3 Nxd3 25. Rxd3 Rb6 26. Qc2 Ra6 $11 {Ghaem
Maghami,E (2604)-Karpov,A (2644)/Teheran blitz m/2009/}) 16... Rd8 $6 (16...
Nd7 17. d5 Nc5 18. Qc4 Qb6 $132) 17. Ne4 (17. d5 $1 $36 {/\} Bxc3 18. d6 $1
Rxd6 19. Rxd6 Qxd6 $2 20. Qxb7 Bxb2 21. Rb1 $18) 17... Be7 18. d5 exd5 19. Rxd5
Rxd5 20. Qxd5 Nd7 21. Qb3 Qb6 22. Qxb6 Nxb6 23. b3 Nd5 $11 {Aronian,L (2739)
-Leko,P (2753)/Nice rpd/2008/}) 16. Ne4 Nd7 17. a5 Be7 18. e3 Rab8 19. Nd2 Nf6
20. Nc4 Ne8 21. Nb6 Nd6 22. Rac1 Nb5 23. Be2 Qd6 24. Qa2 Bf6 25. Bc4 Qb4 26.
Bb3 Nd6 27. Kg2 Kh8 28. Bc2 Nc8 29. Nc4 Nd6 $11 {/+/=(),Aronian,L (2783)-Wang
Hao (2724)/Shanghai/2010/ and it's very difficult for White to make any
inroads despite his space advantage, as Black's setup is very solid.}) 15. Ne4
(15. a5 Bxd4 16. Rfd1 b5 17. e3 Qf6 18. Nxb5 Bxb2 19. Nxa7 Bxa1 20. Kg2 Bc3 21.
Qb7 Qe5 22. Nxc6 Nxc6 23. Qxc6 {1/2,Gelfand,B (2739)-Giri,A (2672)/Amsterdam/
2010/} Qxa5 24. Be2 $11) 15... Bxd4 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. Qd3 c5 18. e3 Be5 19. Rac1
Nc6 20. Nxc5 Rd8 21. Nd7 Qxb2 22. Qc4 Rxd7 $1 (22... b5 $2 23. axb5 axb5 24.
Qxc6 Raxd7 25. Qxd7 $1 Rxd7 26. Rc8+ Kh7 27. Rxd7 Kg6 28. h4 $36 {->,Nielsen,P
(2700)-Giri,A (2672)/Amsterdam/2010/}) 23. Rxd7 b5 24. axb5 axb5 25. Qxc6 Rxd7
$11) 8... b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {Nowadays White rarely plays anything else in
this position - other seemingly more active B moves} (10. Bf4 {and}) (10. Bg5 {
are too soft and allow Black to get in a quick, effective and equalising ...c5.
}) 10... Be4 {Although Black still plays this more often than anything else,
recently} (10... Bd6 {has also become popular even on the highest level:} 11.
Re1 (11. Ng5 $5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc8 (12... h6 13. Nf3 Nbd7 14. e4 e5 15. Nc3 c5
16. d5 c4 17. Nh4 Nc5 18. f3 Qd7 19. Nd1 Rfc8 20. Nf2 Na4 21. Nf5 Bf8 22. Rac1
b4 23. b3 $14 {Hillarp Persson,T (2581)-Skovgaard,P (2279)/Bronshoj/2010/}) 13.
Nc3 $5 (13. e4 Qb7 14. Re1 Nbd7 15. Nf3 e5 $132 {Caruana,F (2646)-Short,N 
(2663)/Wijk aan Zee/2009/ is complex and far from clear.}) 13... Qb7+ 14. f3
Nbd7 15. Rac1 Rac8 (15... e5 $5 $13) 16. Rfd1 c5 17. Nce4 Be7 (17... Nxe4 $2
18. Qxe4 Qxe4 19. Nxe4 Be7 20. dxc5 Nxc5 21. Bb4 $18) 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Bc3
Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Qxe4 21. Nxe4 Be3 22. Rb1 $6 (22. Bd2 $14) (22. Nd6 Rc6 23. Bd2
$14) 22... Nb6 23. Bb4 Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Bc5 Nd5 26. Bxe3 Nxe3+ 27. Kg1
Rc8 28. Nc3 Kf8 29. Kf2 Nc4 $11 {Grandelius,N (2476)-Hammer,J (2610)/Malmö/
2010/}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 Bb7 13. Bg5 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 c5 $5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nb3
c4 $1 $146 (16... Qb6 17. Qh6 Rfd8 18. Rad1 Bf8 19. Qh5 a5 20. dxc5 Nxc5 21.
Ng5 fxg5 22. Qxg5+ Kh8 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Bxb7 Bxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Qxb7
27. Qf4 $14 {/=,Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Alekseev,E (2700)/Havana/2010/ For
more details about the whole line see the notes to this game in CBM 137.}) 17.
Nbd2 Rc8 18. a3 (18. Nh4 Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Bb4 20. Rd1 f5 21. Nf3 Nf6 22. d5 Nxd5
23. Ne3 c3 24. Nxd5 exd5 25. Qh6 Qe7 26. bxc3 Bxc3 27. Rac1 Qe6 {1/2,Volokitin,
A (2661)-Sakaev,K (2607)/SRB-chT Vrnjacka Banja/2010/} 28. Qg5+ Kh8 29. Rd3 h6
30. Qe3 Bg7 $11 {/=/+}) 18... Qa5 19. Nh4 Bxg2 20. Nxg2 c3 21. Ne4 cxb2 22.
Nxf6+ (22. Qxb2 Be7 {[%cal Yd7b6,Yb6c4] /\Nb6-c4=/+|^<<}) 22... Nxf6 23. Qg5+
Kh8 24. Qxf6+ Kg8 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Qf6+ {1/2,Caruana,F (2697)-Zhigalko,S (2656)
/ESP=chT Sestao-2010/}) 11. Qc1 Bb7 {Removes the B from its exposed outpost.
Introduced by Karpov in the 1980s, this is still Black's main continuation.} ({
Another line, in which Black is very close to equality, but must navigate
through some pitfalls, is} 11... Qc8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 (12... c5 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14.
dxc5 Qxc5 15. Qxc5 (15. Nb3 Qb6 16. Be3 Qd8 17. Rd1 Bd5 18. Ne5 Qe8 19. Bg5
Bxg2 20. Kxg2 h6 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Ng4 Bg5 23. f4 Be7 24. Ne5 Bf6 25. Ng4 Be7
26. Ne5 {1/2,Avrukh,B (2642)-Roiz,M (2579)/Beer-Sheba rpd/2005/}) 15... Bxc5
16. Rfc1 Bb6 (16... Nbd7 17. Ne5 Bxg2 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Rxc5 Rad8 20. Kxg2 $5
Rxd2 21. Kf3 $36 {/\} Rxb2 $2 22. Nd3 Rd2 23. Ke3 $16) (16... Bd6 17. Bxf6 gxf6
18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bb4 20. Ne4 Bxe1 21. Rxe1 f5 {Avrukh,B (2641)-Jenni,F 
(2481)/Biel/2006/} 22. Nc5 $14 {Avrukh}) 17. a4 $5 (17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Ne1 {
1/2,Ehlvest,J (2597)-Bruzon Bautista,L (2648)/Merida/2006/}) 17... Nbd7 18. a5
Bd8 19. Nb3 Ne4 20. Bf4 Bd5 21. Nfd2 Nxd2 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Bxd2 $14 {[%csl
Ra6,Rd5] ק,Avrukh}) 13. Qf4 Bb7 14. Rc1 Bd6 15. Qh4 h6 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Nbd2
Re8 18. e4 (18. Rc2 e5 19. dxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxg2 $1 $132 {/\} 21. Nxf7 $2 Qf5
$1 $19) 18... Nd7 19. Nb3 a5 20. a4 $1 (20. Nc5 Be7 21. Qf4 {Kramnik,V (2769)
-Leko,P (2751)/WCh Mexico City/2007/} Nxc5 22. dxc5 e5 $1 $15 {- see notes by
Marin in CBM 120.}) 20... bxa4 21. Rxa4 Qb8 $5 (21... Bb4 22. Qf4 c5 $5 23.
Nxc5 Nxc5 24. dxc5 Re7 $1 25. Ne5 Rc7 $11 {Kramnik}) 22. Rxa5 (22. Nxa5 c5 $44)
22... Rxa5 23. Nxa5 c5 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. Nxb7 Qxb7 26. Rd1 Be7 27. Qh5 Qxb2 28.
Ne5 g6 29. Nxg6 fxg6 30. Qxg6+ Kf8 31. Qxh6+ Qg7 $13 {Ruck,R (2561)-Prohaszka,
P (2508)/HUN-ch Szeged/2009/}) (11... Nbd7 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nbd2 Ba8 14. Qc2 ({
or} 14. a3 $5 {, as in Huzman-Wells below.}) {has fallen out of favour with
the elite. One of the reasons is the following example:} 14... Qe8 15. b4 Nd5
16. a3 f5 17. Rae1 Qh5 18. Qb3 Rce8 19. e4 fxe4 20. Nxe4 Qg6 21. Nc5 Nxc5 22.
bxc5 Bf6 23. Bd2 Re7 24. Re2 h6 25. Rfe1 Qf7 26. h4 Bb7 27. g4 Ree8 28. g5 $36
{Ftacnik,L (2533)-Ribli,Z (2603)/Bundesliga 0405/2005/}) 12. a3 $5 {[%csl Rc7]
[%cal Yd2b4,Yb2b4][%mdl 32] A rare idea, of which we could see more in the
near future. White's strategic plan can be fixing the ><c7 with b4 (possibly
even Bb4) without having to isolate his B on a5. Once he has achieved this, a
possible way to further increase the pressure is Ra2-c2.} ({The text move
might become popular also because after the more usual continuation} 12. Bf4
Nd5 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Qd6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 {Black has lately been
doing fine with} Nd7 $5 ({The older move} 16... c5 {gives White a long-lasting
pull after} 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Rfd1 Ra7 19. Rac1 Qb6 20. Ne4 f6 21. Nd3 Rd7 22.
Qf3 a5 23. Nf4 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 f5 25. Nc3 Rc8 26. e4 b4 27. Nce2 $14 {Georgiev,K
(2660)-Iordachescu,V (2587)/Valjevo/2007/}) 17. Rac1 (17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Rfd1
Rac8 19. Qf3 Rfd8 20. Rac1 h6 21. e3 b4 22. Ne4 Qa4 23. Ra1 Rd5 $11 {Dominguez
Perez,L (2713)-Carlsen,M (2813)/Nice blindfold rpd/2010/}) 17... Nxe5 18. dxe5
Qb6 19. Ne4 Rad8 20. Rfd1 c5 21. Nd6 c4 22. b3 cxb3 23. axb3 a5 24. Rd3 a4 25.
bxa4 bxa4 26. Qxa4 Bxd6 27. Rb3 Qxb3 28. Qxb3 Bxe5 $11 {Le Quang Liem (2681)
-Kramnik,V (2790)/Dortmund/2010/ With P only on the >> White can't convert his
small material advantage.}) (12. Rd1 {is rather insipid:} Qc8 13. b4 Nc6 14. a3
(14. Qb2 a5 $1 15. bxa5 Nxa5 16. Bxa5 (16. Qxb5 Ba6 {/\Be2}) 16... Rxa5 17.
Nbd2 Bd6 18. Nb3 {Chetverik,M (2397)-Kreindl,H (2219)/Zalakaros/2004/} Ba3 19.
Qd2 Ra4 $11) 14... a5 15. Nc3 axb4 16. axb4 Rxa1 17. Qxa1 Nxb4 18. Nxb5 c5 19.
Qb2 Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Qd7 21. dxc5 Qxb5 22. Qxb4 Qxc5 23. Qxc5 Bxc5 24. Bc3 Be7 25.
Bxf6 Bxf6 $11 {1/2,Mamedyarov,S (2763)-Ponomariov,R (2733)/Astrakhan/2010/})
12... Qc8 (12... Nc6 13. Rd1 Bd6 14. Bg5 Na5 15. Nbd2 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qc3
Nc6 {Suba,M (2532)-Pilgaard,K (2413)/Burgas/2001/} 18. Ne4 Qe7 19. Ne5 $1 $16)
(12... Bd6 13. Rd1 Qe7 14. Bf4 (14. b4 $5 Nbd7 15. Nc3 {is more in keeping
with White's 12th move and gives him some chances for a small advantage.})
14... Rc8 15. Nc3 (15. b4 a5 $1) 15... c5 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. e4 cxd4 18. Nxd4 (
18. e5 Qc5 19. Nxd4 Bxg2 20. exf6 Bb7 21. fxg7 Rd8 $132) 18... Qe5 19. f4 Qc5
20. e5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Nd5 22. Ne4 Qf8 23. Qd2 Nc6 24. Nxc6 Rxc6 25. Rac1 Rxc1
26. Rxc1 Rc8 27. Nd6 Rxc1 28. Qxc1 Qa8 $132 {David,A (2622)-Batsiashvili,N 
(2383)/Paleochora/2010/}) (12... Nbd7 13. Ba5 (13. b4 Nb6 {[%csl Rc4][%cal
Rb6c4] /\Nc4<=>}) 13... Rc8 (13... Bd6 14. Nbd2 Qc8 15. b4 e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17.
Nxe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Bxe5 19. Ra2 Bd6 20. Rc2 Qb7+ 21. Kg1 Rac8 22. Nb3 Rfe8 23.
Rd1 Ne4 24. f3 Nf6 25. e4 Rcd8 26. Nc5 Qc8 27. Kg2 h5 28. Nd3 Qa8 29. Nf2 $16 {
Kachiani Gersinska,K (2416)-Seps,M (2173)/EU-chTW Gothenburg/2005/ A model
game from White's viewpoint.}) {is very similar to the 11...Nbd7 line
mentioned above and can in fact even transpose into it later on. White
retained pressure after} 14. Nbd2 Qe8 15. b4 Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Qe3 Bd5 18.
Rac1 Bd6 19. Ne5 f5 (19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bxe5 21. dxe5 c6 22. Rfd1 f6 23. exf6
Nxf6 24. f3 Nd5 25. Qb3 Qg6 26. e4 Nf4+ 27. Kh1 Nh3 28. Bb6 Ng5 29. Rd3 $16 {
Donnelly,M (2460)-Pedersen,E (2416)/corr/2004/ White effectively neutralised
Black's >> tactical chances.}) 20. Rfe1 (20. Bxd5 exd5 21. f4 Nf6 22. Rc2 c6
23. Rfc1 h5 24. Bb6 Bxe5 25. dxe5 Ne4 26. Bd4 Qg6 27. Kh1 Rfe8 28. a4 Re6 29.
axb5 axb5 30. Ra2 Rc7 31. Qf3 Kh7 32. Rg1 Qf7 33. h3 Rh6 $132 {Suba,M (2525)
-Psakhis,L (2605)/Andorra/1994/}) (20. f3 $5 {/\Rc3, Rfc1}) 20... Nf6 (20...
Bxg2 $5 21. Kxg2 Nf6) 21. f3 Nd7 22. Rc2 Nb6 23. Bxb6 cxb6 24. Rec1 Rxc2 25.
Rxc2 a5 26. f4 Bxg2 27. Kxg2 axb4 28. axb4 Bxb4 29. Rc6 Qe7 30. Qb3 $16 {
Huzman,A (2591)-Wells,P (2499)/EU-ch Dresden/2007/ This game actually featured
the 11...Nbd7 move-order.}) 13. b4 (13. Bb4 $5 {is also interesting, White is
willing to sacrifice a P for a << bind:} Bxb4 14. axb4 Nc6 15. Nbd2 Nxb4 16.
Qc5 Nbd5 17. Rfc1 Qd8 18. Nb3 (18. Ne5 $5 $44) 18... Ne4 19. Qc2 Nb4 20. Qxc7
Bd5 21. Ne5 Rc8 22. Qxd8 Rfxd8 23. Bxe4 Bxb3 24. e3 Bd5 25. Bxd5 exd5 26. Rc3
f6 27. Nf3 Ra8 $1 $14 {/<=>,Cmilyte,V (2498)-Xu Yuhua (2479)/RUS-chTW Dagomys/
2009/}) 13... Nc6 $6 $146 {Black's reaction is a novelty, but it seems dubious.
} ({More to the point is} 13... Nbd7 $142 {Here White has tried more moves
with mixed results, but there is still not enough practical material to give
any categorical evaluations:} 14. Ra2 $5 (14. Bc3 Ne4 15. Nbd2 Bd5 16. Qc2 Nxd2
17. Bxd2 Qb7 18. Rac1 Rac8 19. e4 Bxe4 20. Ng5 Bxc2 21. Bxb7 Bd3 22. Rfe1 Bc4
23. Bxc8 Bxg5 24. Bxg5 Rxc8 25. f3 f6 $11 {Aronian,L (2750)-Carlsen,M (2776)/
Linares/2009/ Black's light-squared fortress is invincible.}) (14. Bf4 Bd6 15.
Nc3 Bc6 16. Re1 Qb7 17. Bxd6 cxd6 18. Qf4 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 d5 20. Na2 Nb6 21. Nc1
Nc4 22. Nb3 Qb6 23. g4 Ra7 24. h4 Nd7 $11 {Rodshtein,M (2517)-Magalashvili,D 
(2459)/WChJ Yerevan/2006/}) (14. Rd1 Bd6 15. Bc3 Ne4 16. Nbd2 Nxd2 17. Nxd2
Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 f5 20. Nb3 Rae8 21. Nc5 Qc6 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. Qc2 f4
24. Qe4 Qe7 25. Rac1 fxg3 26. hxg3 Qg5 27. Be1 Rf6 28. e3 Ref8 29. f4 Qd5 30.
Qxd5 exd5 31. Rc6 Ra8 $11 {[%csl Re1] /+/=,Hillarp Persson,T (2581)
-Kjartansson,G (2391)/Reykjavik/2010/ Black's setup is passive, but very solid
and White has problems activating his B to create any inroads.}) 14... Bd6 (
14... Nb6 $5) 15. Bf4 Re8 (15... a5 $142 $13) 16. Nbd2 (16. Nc3 e5 $132) 16...
e5 $6 (16... a5 $5 {was still a better choice}) 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19.
Rc2 Bd6 20. Nd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 a5 22. N2f3 Qb7 23. Qg5 Be5 24. Nc6 h6 25. Qf5 g6
{Soors,S (2222)-Nijs,N (2242)/Brasschaat/2009/} 26. Qd3 $16) 14. Qb2 a5 (14...
Rd8 15. Rc1 $14 {is pleasant for White, but this was not Giri's intention.})
15. bxa5 $5 {Rodshtein accepts the challenge.} ({Although} 15. Nc3 axb4 16.
axb4 Nxb4 17. Nxb5 c5 18. Rxa8 Bxa8 19. Rc1 Na6 20. dxc5 Nxc5 21. Be3 {looks
dangerous, after} Nfd7 ({or} 21... Qc6 {White still doesn't have anything
concrete and Black can gradually untangle.})) 15... Nxa5 16. Qxb5 Bc6 (16... c5
17. Bxa5 (17. dxc5 Bc6 18. Qb2 Bxc5 {[%cal Ya5c4,Ya8b8] /\Rb8, Nc4 gives Black
more play for the P.}) 17... Bc6 18. Qb6 Nd5 19. Qb2 Rxa5 20. Nbd2 $14 {
and although Black's forces are active, he can hardly claim full compensation
for the P.}) 17. Qb2 Rb8 18. Bb4 $1 {[%csl Gb1] The only way to retain the
tension - White must develop his Nb1.} (18. Qc3 Nb3 (18... Nd5 $5) 19. Qxc6 (
19. Ra2 Be4 20. Ne5 c5 $36 {/\} 21. dxc5 Nd5 22. Qc4 Bxb1 23. Rxb1 Nxd2 24.
Rxb8 Qxb8 25. Rxd2 Qxe5 26. Bxd5 exd5 27. Rxd5 Qc7 $17) 19... Nxa1 20. Qc4 Nb3
21. Bb4 c5 22. dxc5 Nxc5 23. Nd4 Nd5 24. Bxd5 (24. Nc3 Nxb4 25. axb4 Qa6 26.
Qxa6 Nxa6 27. Nc6 Rb7 (27... Bxb4 28. Nxb8 Rxb8 $11) 28. Nxe7+ Rxe7 29. b5 Nc5
$11 {/=/+}) 24... exd5 25. Qxd5 Rd8 26. Nc6 Rxd5 27. Nxe7+ Kh8 28. Nxc8 Rxc8
29. Nc3 $11) 18... Bd5 (18... Nd5 19. Qc2 Nxb4 (19... Bxb4 20. axb4 Nxb4 21.
Qc3 Qa6 22. Nbd2 $16) 20. axb4 Bxf3 $8 (20... Bxb4 $2 21. Ng5 $18) 21. bxa5 (
21. Bxf3 Bxb4 22. Nc3 $36 {/\} c5 23. Na2 $1 $16) 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 c5 (22...
Bf6 23. Ra4 $16) 23. dxc5 Rb5 24. a6 $16) 19. Nc3 Nc6 (19... Nc4 20. Qc2 (20.
Nxd5 exd5 21. Qc2 Bxb4 22. axb4 Rxb4 23. Ne5 Qe6 $14) 20... Bxb4 21. axb4 Rxb4
(21... Bxf3 22. Bxf3 Rxb4 $2 23. Na2 $18) 22. e4 Bc6 23. Rfb1 $1 $36) (19...
Bxb4 20. axb4 Nc4 21. Qc2 {-19...Nc4}) ({Interesting is} 19... c5 $5 20. dxc5
Bxc5 $14 {, when Black has chances to win back the P, or at least simplify
into an _|_ with 4:3P on the >>.}) 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 $6 (20... exd5 $5 21. Qa2 Nxb4
22. axb4 Rxb4 23. Ne5 $14 (23. Rfc1 $36)) 21. Rfc1 Ncxb4 22. axb4 Rxb4 (22...
Nxb4 23. Qc3 $36 {/\} c5 24. dxc5 Rb5 25. c6 Rc5 26. Qxc5 Bxc5 27. Rxc5 $16
Nxc6 28. Ne1 $18) 23. Qc2 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Ye2e4,Yf3e5,Ye5c6] /\e4, Ne5-c6,
><c7 Black has regained the P, but White is still clearly better due to his
superior P-structure.} c5 24. e3 $5 {[%csl Rc5]} ({This is even more
convincing, than the similar} 24. dxc5 Rb5 (24... Bf6 25. Ra4 Rb2 26. Qc4 $16)
25. c6 Rc5 26. Qxc5 $36) 24... Rb8 (24... c4 25. Ne5 $16 {[%csl Rc4]}) ({
It's difficult to suggest an improvement, as, e.g.,} 24... Qe8 25. dxc5 Rb5 26.
c6 Rc5 27. Qxc5 {runs into the same motif we have already mentioned.}) 25. dxc5
Rb5 26. c6 {[%csl Gc6]} Rc5 {Otherwise White has just a strong extra o^.} 27.
Qxc5 $1 {[%mdl 512]} (27. Qa4 $2 Nc3 $13 {only causes White problems, but we
have already mentioned this natural sacrifice, which is very convincing.})
27... Bxc5 28. Rxc5 $18 {[%csl Gc6] /+/- The o^ is fully supported by all
White's pieces and will cost Black more material in the long run.} Qb8 29. Nd4
Nc7 30. Rcc1 Qb4 31. Rcb1 Qc5 ({More resilient is} 31... Qd6 {, but after} 32.
Nb5 $1 {White gradually wins anyway.} (32. Rb7 Rc8)) 32. Rb7 Nd5 $6 {Without
the blockading N White quickly wraps up the game.} 33. Bxd5 Qxd5 (33... exd5
34. c7 h5 35. Nb5 $18 {[%cal Rb7b8] /\Rb8}) 34. Rc1 Rc8 35. Rcb1 {Exchanges
the R as well, the o^ marches through.} g6 36. Rb8 Qd8 37. Rxc8 Qxc8 38. Rc1
Kg7 (38... Qc7 39. Nb5) 39. c7 {[%cal Rd4b5,Rb5a7] /\Nb5-a7} 1-0

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP 2nd"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2012.11.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2786"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "Sumets,A"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2012.11.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 152"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 $5 {
If you are not a fan of the 7 Qc2 a6 8 a4 line this is the the most accurate
move order} (7. Qc2 b5 $5 8. a4 b4 {This position has become very popular over
the last 2 years} 9. Nfd2 $5 c6 10. Nxc4 Qxd4 11. Be3 Qd8 (11... Qg4 12. Nbd2 (
12. Ne5 Qh5 13. Nxc6 $6 (13. Bd4 Ba6 14. Bf3 Qf5 15. e4 Qh3 16. Rd1 $44) 13...
Nxc6 14. Qxc6 Ng4 15. h3 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Rb8 17. Qc7 Ba6 (17... Qc5 $1 18. Qxc5 (
18. Qxb8 $2 Bd6 $19) 18... Bxc5 $17) 18. Qxe7 Qxe2 19. Qxa7 Ra8 20. Qb6 Rab8 {
1/2 Golichenko,I - Vysochin,S 10th Nabokov memorial 2012}) 12... Ba6 13. Ne5
Qh5 (13... Qf5 $5 14. Qxf5 exf5 15. Nxc6 Nxc6 16. Bxc6 Rac8 17. Bb5 Bxb5 18.
axb5 Bc5 19. Bxc5 Rxc5 20. Rxa7 Rxb5 21. Nc4 $14) 14. Ndf3 Ng4 $6 (14... Nd5 {
is a bit risky} 15. Bc1 (15. Bd4 $6 c5 $17) 15... f5 (15... b3 16. Qxb3 f6 (
16... Bxe2 $4 17. g4 $18) 17. Nd3 Rd8 18. Nd4 Qf7 19. Bh3 $16)) 15. Nxg4 Qxg4
16. Rfd1 Qc4 17. Rac1 (17. Qb1 $1 b3 (17... Rd8 $2 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 19. Ne5 Qb3 (
19... Qxe2 20. Bf3 $18) 20. Qc1 Bb7 21. Nc4 Bf6 22. Na5 Qxb2 23. Qxb2 Bxb2 24.
Rb1 $18) (17... Qxe2 $2 18. Rd2 Qc4 19. Ne5 Qb3 20. Be4 Bf6 21. Bc2 $18) 18.
Rd2 Qb4 19. Qd1 $16) 17... Qxc2 18. Rxc2 b3 19. Rcd2 $44) 12. Rd1 Nd5 13. Bd4
Nd7 (13... Ba6 14. e4 Bxc4 15. Qxc4 Nb6 (15... Nf6 16. Nd2 Qc7 17. e5 Nd5 18.
Rac1 Rc8 19. Nb3 Nd7 20. Qe2 $44) 16. Qe2 Qc8 $6 (16... Qc7 17. a5 N6d7 18. e5
Bc5 19. Bxc5 Nxc5 20. Nd2 Nba6 21. Qe3 Rfd8 22. Nc4 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Nd6)
17. a5 N6d7 18. e5 {Gagunashvili,M - Shabava,K 71th ch-GEO 2012 1-0 (41)} Bc5
19. Bxc5 Nxc5 20. Nd2 Nba6 21. Nc4 Qc7 22. Nd6 $16 {If we compare with the
line after 16...Qc7 Black lost one tempo}) 14. e4 N5b6 15. Nbd2 (15. Na5 $5 c5
16. Be5 Qe8 17. Bc7 $44) 15... c5 16. Be3 Ba6 17. a5 (17. Bf4 Nxc4 18. Nxc4
Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Qc8 20. Rac1 $44) 17... Nxc4 18. Nxc4 Qc7 19. Bf4 e5 $15 {
Gagare, S - Kravtsiv,M NIT Nagpur GM Open 2012 0-1 (73)}) 7... a6 (7... Qd5 $6
{2700 players haven't played this yet} 8. Nc3 Qc6 9. Qc2 $1 (9. Qa5 Qb6 10. Qa4
Qc6 11. Qa5 Qb6 12. Qa4 Qc6 {1/2 Colovic,A -David,A 4-th Rethymno Open 2012})
9... Qa6 10. e4 (10. a4 Nc6 11. Nb5 Nb4 (11... Qb6 $5 12. Qxc4 a6 13. Nc3 Na5
14. Qd3 Nb3 15. Rb1 Rd8 $13) 12. Qb1 (12. Qxc4 c6 13. Na3 Qxc4 (13... Qxa4 14.
Bd2 Ne4 15. Be1 f6 16. Ne5 Nxg3 17. hxg3 fxe5 18. dxe5 $14) 14. Nxc4 Rd8 15.
Bd2 Ne4 $11) 12... Qb6 13. Bf4 Nfd5 14. Bd2 c5 15. e4 Nf6 16. e5 Nfd5 17. Na3
cxd4 18. Nxc4 Qa6 19. Rc1 d3 20. Ne1 Rd8 21. Bf1 b5 $6 (21... Nc2 $1 22. Nxc2
Qxc4 23. Ne3 Qd4 24. Nxd5 Qxd5 25. Bc3 Bd7 26. Qxd3 Qxd3 27. Bxd3 Bc6 $11) 22.
axb5 Qxb5 23. Nxd3 Qb8 24. Na5 $14 {Brunello,S - Vaisecchi,A 11-th Bergamo
Open elite 2012 1/2 (68)}) 10... Nc6 11. Qe2 Nb4 12. Rd1 Bd7 (12... Nd3 13. Bg5
h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. b3 Qa5 16. e5 Be7 17. Ne4 $14) 13. Ne5 Rad8 14. Be3 (14.
Nxc4 $5 c5 15. dxc5 Bb5 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Nxb5 Qxb5 18. a4 Qa6 19. b3 Bxc5 20.
Bb2 $14) 14... Nd3 15. Nxc4 Qxc4 16. Rxd3 e5 17. Rc1 $14 {Le Quang,L -
Megaranto,S FIDE World Cup 2011 1-0 (58)}) 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {
Sergey Karjakin used to play 10....Ra7 but for last 3 years he has preferred
10...Bd6} Bd6 (10... Ra7 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nc6 (12... Bd5 13. Qe3 Ng4 14. Qd3
Bc4 15. Rxc4 bxc4 16. Qxc4 Nf6 17. Nc3 Nbd7 18. b4 c6 19. Na4 Qb8 20. Nc5 (20.
Rc1 $5 Rc8 21. Nc5) 20... Qb5 21. Rc1 {Sakaev,K - Karjakin,S Russia 2008 1/2 
(32)}) 13. e3 Qa8 14. Qd1 Nb8 15. Ba5 Bd6 (15... Rc8 16. a3 Bd6 17. Nbd2 Bd5
18. Qf1 Nbd7 (18... c5 $2 19. Bb6) 19. b4 e5 (19... h6 20. Rc2 e5 21. dxe5 Nxe5
22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23. Bxd5 Qxd5 24. Rac1 c6 25. Qg2 $14) 20. dxe5 Bxe5 (20... Nxe5
21. Nxe5 Bxe5 22. Ra2 $14 {Marin,M}) 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. f3 Nc4 (22... Nc6 $5 23.
e4 Be6 24. Qf2 $14) 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Qf2 Re8 25. e4 $14 {Kramnik,V - Anand,V
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007 1-0 (53)}) 16. a3 Nbd7 17. Nbd2 Bd5 18. Qf1 c5 19. dxc5
Bxc5 20. Rc2 Qb7 21. Rac1 {Aronian,L - Karjakin,S Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007 1-0 
(47)}) 11. Nh4 $146 {I'm not sure that this idea will gain many followers, but
it's clear that for one game this is a good try.} (11. Ng5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Nbd7
13. e4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. f4 Nc4 16. b3 (16. e5 $6 h6 17. exf6 (17. Nf3 $6
Ng4 18. Qe4 Bc5 $17) 17... hxg5 18. fxg7 $2 Re8 $1 19. Nc3 $2 (19. Qd1 Bc5 20.
Bc1 Kxg7 $40) 19... Qd7 $1 (19... Bc5 $2 20. Rad1 $11 g4 21. Bc1 Qf6 22. h4
Qc6+ 23. Kh2 Rad8 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Qf5 $4 Nd2 {0-1 Szabo,G - Baratosi,D
ROM-ch Sarata Monteoru 2011}) 20. fxg5 Qc6+ 21. Kh3 Kxg7 22. Rf6 Rh8+ 23. Rh6
Be7 24. Re1 (24. Nd1 Qd7+) 24... Bxg5 25. Bxg5 Rxh6+ 26. Bxh6+ Qxh6+ 27. Kg2
Ne3+ $19) 16... Nxd2 17. Nxd2 h6 18. Ngf3 Bb4 19. Rf2 (19. Rfd1 Qe7 20. e5 Nd5
21. Nf1 Rad8 22. Nd4 c5 23. Nf5 (23. Nc6 $4 Qb7 24. Nxd8 Nxf4+ 25. Kf2 Qg2+ $19
) 23... Qb7 24. Kh3 Qc8 25. Kg2 Qb7 26. Kh3 Qc8 27. Kg2 Qb7 {1/2
Miroshnichenko,E - Djukic,N EU-Cup 25th Ohrid 2009}) 19... Qe7 $11 {Ponomariov,
R - Karjakin,S Amber-blindfold 19-th rapid 2010 0-1 (71)}) (11. a4 Nbd7 12. Ba5
Qb8 13. b4 e5 (13... Be4 14. Qc1 Qb7 15. Re1 Bd5 16. Nc3 Ne4 17. Nxd5 exd5 18.
Ng5 Nxg5 19. Qxg5 c6 20. axb5 (20. Rec1 $5 Rfe8 21. Qd2 Nb6 (21... Re6 22. Qc2
Bf8 23. e4 $14) 22. Bxb6 Qxb6 23. e3 Qb7 24. Qc2 Rac8 25. Qb3 $14) 20... axb5
21. Rac1 Nb6 22. e4 dxe4 23. Bxe4 Nc4 24. d5 c5 $11 25. bxc5 Rxa5 26. cxd6 Qd7
27. Qf4 Nxd6 28. Rc6 Nxe4 29. Qxe4 b4 30. Qxb4 Rxd5 {1/2 Caruana,F - So,
Wesley New Delhi AAI 2011}) 14. Rd1 (14. axb5 axb5 (14... exd4 $6 15. bxa6 Rxa6
16. b5) 15. Nc3 Rc8 16. Qd2 (16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Qf5 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3
Be5 $11 20. Rac1 $6 c5) 16... exd4 17. Nxd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Be5 19. e3 c5 $11)
14... Rc8 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 $11 17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Ra3 Bd6 19. Rad3
Bf8 20. Qb3 c5 21. bxc5 Bxc5 22. Bc3 Qb6 {1/2 So,Wesley - Karjakin,S FIDE
World Cup 2011}) 11... Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc8 13. Rc1 Qb7+ 14. Nf3 Rc8 15. a4 (15.
b4 $6 e5 $1 (15... a5 16. bxa5 b4 {Golubev,M} 17. a3 b3 $5 (17... Rxa5 18. Qb2
Nc6 19. axb4 Rxa1 20. Qxa1 Rb8 21. b5 Qxb5 22. Nc3 Qf5 23. Qa4 {it seems that
White has the better chances}) 18. Qb2 Ne4 19. Bb4 Nc6 20. Qxb3 Nxd4 21. Qd3
Be5 22. Nc3 Nxc3 23. Bxc3 Nxf3 24. exf3 Bxc3 25. Rxc3 Rxa5 $11) 16. dxe5 Bxe5
17. Bc3 Bxc3 18. Qxc3 (18. Nxc3 c5 19. bxc5 Nbd7 $11) 18... Nbd7 19. Qc6 Qxc6
20. Rxc6 Nd5 21. a3 a5 $11) 15... bxa4 16. Rxa4 Nbd7 17. Qc6 {Black's position
seems to be unpleasant. However, by playing precisely, Black can level the
game.} Rcb8 (17... Qxb2 $1 {I would recommend this brave move as the most
precise one} 18. e4 $5 {the only way to play for an advantage} (18. Rxa6 Rxa6
19. Qxa6 Rb8 20. Nc3 Qb7 21. Qxb7 Rxb7 $11 {followed by c5}) 18... Nb6 19. Ra5
Bb4 {a normal solid move} (19... Qb3 $5 {if you prefer computer style moves,
here is your choice} 20. e5 Nfd5 21. Nc3 (21. exd6 $2 cxd6 22. Qb7 Rxc1 23.
Bxc1 Qxb1 24. Rxa6 Rf8 25. Bd2 Qb2 $17) 21... Bf8 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Rxa6 Rxa6
24. Qxa6 Rb8 $11) 20. Bxb4 Qxb4 21. Qc5 (21. Ra1 a5 22. Na3 a4 23. Rcb1 Qe7 24.
Nb5 Qd7 25. Ne5 Qxc6 26. Nxc6 Kf8 {White has compensation for a pawn, which is
sufficient for equality. For example} 27. f3 (27. Nba7 Nxe4 28. Nxc8 Rxc8 {
Black has nothing to worry about}) (27. Nca7 Rcb8 28. Nc6 Rc8 $11) 27... Ra6
28. Nb4 Ra5 29. Nc6 Ra6 30. Kf2 Ke8 31. Ke3 Nc4+ 32. Ke2 Nd6 {White needs to
be careful} 33. Nb4 Nxb5 34. Nxa6 Nc3+ 35. Kd3 Nxb1 36. Rxb1 Nd7 37. Rb4 Nb6
38. Nxc7+ Rxc7 39. Rxb6 Ra7 $11) 21... Qxc5 22. dxc5 Nbd7 23. c6 Nb6 (23... Nb8
$6 24. Nbd2 $16) 24. Nbd2 Rd8 25. Rca1 Ne8 26. Nb3 f6 27. Nc5 Kf7 28. Rxa6 Rxa6
29. Nxa6 Rd6 $11) 18. Na3 Ne4 $5 {Perhaps this line is the best practical
choice.} (18... Qxb2 $6 19. Rb1 $1 (19. Nc4 $2 Qb5) 19... Qa2 20. Rxb8+ Rxb8
21. Nc4 Qb3 22. Rxa6 $14) (18... Nb6 19. Ra5 Ne4 20. Be1 Bxa3 21. Rxa3 Nd5 22.
Qxb7 Rxb7 23. b3 $14) 19. Qxb7 $1 (19. Qxd7 $6 Nxd2 20. Qc6 Nxf3 21. Kxf3 Qxb2
22. Rb1 Qa2 {This doesn't look attractive for White.}) 19... Rxb7 20. Nc4 Bf8
21. Be3 c5 22. Nfe5 $6 {[%emt 0:00:22] After this move a draw seems almost
inevitable. I think White should have chosen between Nce5 or prophylaxis with
22.Ra2.} (22. Nce5 $5 cxd4 (22... Nb6 23. Ra5 cxd4 24. Bxd4 f6 25. Nd3 e5 26.
Be3 Nd7 27. Rc6 Nd6 28. Nd2 $14) (22... Nxe5 $6 23. dxe5 f5 24. exf6 Nxf6 25.
Rc2 (25. Ng5 $5 Rxb2 26. Nxe6 Rxe2 27. Nxf8 Rxf8 28. Rxc5 h6 29. Rf5) 25... Nd5
26. Bd2 h6 27. Ne5 $16) 23. Rxd4 $1 Nxe5 24. Nxe5 Nd6 25. Rd2 f6 26. Nd3 e5 27.
Rc6 {the position is drawish but not a draw yet}) (22. Ra2 cxd4 (22... f6 23.
Na5 Rb4 24. dxc5 Bxc5 25. Bxc5 Ndxc5 26. Nc6 Rb6 27. Nfd4 e5 28. Nf5 Kf8 29.
Nce7 $14) 23. Nxd4 Rc7 24. b3 Rac8 25. Rac2 Nef6 26. Bf4 Rc5 27. f3 Re8 (27...
e5 $2 28. Nxe5 $16) 28. Be3 Nd5 29. Bf2 $14 {perhaps the position is drawish
but Black still needs to play precisely.}) 22... cxd4 $1 {Black is out of
danger now.} (22... Nef6 23. Nd3 cxd4 24. Bxd4 Nd5 25. Na5 Rc7 26. Rxc7 Nxc7
27. Nc6 $14) 23. Nxd7 (23. Bxd4 $6 Ndc5 24. Ra2 Nb3 25. Rd1 f6 26. Nc6 Rc8 27.
N4a5 Nxa5 28. Nxa5 Rd7 {White needs to be precise otherwise he gets into
troubles:} 29. f3 $1 (29. Rd3 $6 Rc2 30. Kf3 e5 31. Kxe4 (31. Be3 Rxd3 32. exd3
Nc3 33. Ra1 Rxb2 $17) 31... exd4 32. Kf3 Re7 33. e3 dxe3 34. Rxe3 Rxe3+ 35.
fxe3 (35. Kxe3 Bc5+ $17) 35... Rxh2 36. Nb3 h5 37. Rxa6 Rxb2 38. Nd4 Bc5 $17) (
29. Raa1 $6 Rc2 30. Rd3 e5 31. Be3 Rxd3 32. exd3 Bc5 $1 $15) 29... Nxg3 (29...
Ng5 $13) 30. hxg3 e5 31. Nb3 exd4 32. Rxd4 Rb7 $11) 23... dxe3 24. Nxf8 Kxf8
25. Nxe3 Nf6 26. Nc4 Ke7 27. Rd1 Rc7 28. Nb6 Raa7 29. Rc4 (29. Rda1 Rc2 30.
Rxa6 Rxa6 31. Rxa6 Rxe2 32. Ra7+ Kf8 33. b4 h5 34. h3 Rb2 35. Nc4 Rxb4 36. Nd6
Rd4 $11) 29... Rxc4 30. Nxc4 $11 Rc7 31. b3 Nd7 32. Ra1 Nc5 33. Nd2 Rb7 34. Ra5
Nxb3 35. Nxb3 Rxb3 36. Rxa6 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.10"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2793"]
[BlackElo "2788"]
[Annotator "Sumets,A"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. c4 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 a5 (10... Bd5 {is the main line} 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 ({
White can repeat the position after} 12. Qc4 Bd5 13. Qc2 Be4) (12. Qd1 c5 13.
dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nb3 Be7 17. Na5 h6 18. Be3 Nd5 19. Bd2
Nb6 20. Bf4 Nd5 $11 {Nakamura,H (2814)-Anand,V (2816) 1-0 (43) Saint Louis USA
2015}) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rd1 a5 15. Nbd2 Bh7 16. Nb3 c6 17. Qc3 Be7
18. Nc5 Qc7 19. Ne5 Na6 20. Nxb7 Qxb7 21. Bxc6 Qc7 {Probably Black should have
kept queens on the board.} (21... Qb8 22. Bxa8 Qxa8 23. Qxa5 Rb8) 22. Bxa8 Qxc3
23. bxc3 Rxa8 $14 {1-0 (58) Eljanov,P (2717)-Nakamura,H (2814) Baku AZE 2015})
11. Nc3 Ra6 12. e3 (12. Bxf6 {is a slightly weird continuation. Usually in the
Catalan White doesn't mind trading the dark-squared bishop but why did he
hurry to do so? I do not consider ...Ne4 to be a threat.} Bxf6 13. e3 Rb6 14.
Qe2 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c5 $2 (15... c6 16. Rfd1 Nd7 17. Rac1 g6 18. Qc2 Qe7 {
with a very solid position}) 16. dxc5 Rb4 17. Rac1 ({White could have got a
big advantage after the computer's move} 17. Rfb1 $1 {the b2-pawn is
well-protected and White wants to trap the opponents's rook by means of Na2
and Qb5 or Qc2.} Nc6 18. Na2 Rxa4 19. Qb5 Ne5 $8 20. Be2 Qd7 21. f4 $18) 17...
Nd7 18. Rfd1 Qe7 19. Ne4 $6 (19. c6 bxc6 20. Bxc6 Nc5 21. Qc2 $16) 19... Bxb2
20. Rb1 {1/2 (20) Kunte,A (2568) -Barua,D (2494) Kolkata 2001}) ({I think that
the strongest continuation is} 12. Qd3 $5 Rb6 13. Qc2 {It is not clear what
should we recommend for Black.} Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Rb4 (14... Qxd4 $2 15. Be3 $18) (
14... Nc6 15. e3 Nb4 16. Qe2 $14 {this is a normal Catalan position with an
unusual black rook on b6.}) 15. Rfd1 c6 16. Be3 $5 {Now White prefers to keep
his bishop on the board.} Nd5 17. Bc1 Rb6 18. e4 Nb4 19. Qe2 Re8 20. Bg2 $16 {
Ruck, R (2535)-Moor,O (2377)1-0 (40) Zuerich 2005}) 12... Rb6 13. Qe2 Nbd7 (
13... Ne4 {A premature move. After natural moves such as} 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Ne5
Nxc3 16. bxc3 {Black has got some problems.} Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nd7 18. Nc4 Ra6 19.
Rab1 $14 {Kozul,Z (2595)-Brumen, D (2359) 1-0 (45) Rijeka 2010. In this game
the idea, connected with a5, Ra6, Rb6, became ridiculous.}) 14. Rfd1 Bxf3 $1 (
14... Ne4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qc2 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bd5 18. Rab1 $2 ({White could
have got a big advantage after 18 c4} 18. c4 Rc6 ({The continuation} 18... Bxf3
19. Bxf3 Rb4 20. c5 $16 {can't be very tempting for Black}) 19. c5 f5 20. Qd3
b6 21. Qb5 bxc5 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. dxe5 Rb6 25. Qxa5 Qxe5 26. Qxc5
$16) 18... Rxb1 19. Rxb1 {1/2 (19) Salov,V (2665)-Granda Zuniga,J (2620) Wijk
aan Zee 1997}) 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Qc2 ({Unfortunately White can't play 16 e4} 16.
e4 $2 {due to} Nxe4 17. Bxe7 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Qxe7 $17) (16. Bxf6 $5 Nxf6 17. Rac1
Qd6 18. e4 $11 {White has no advantage but the position remains complicated.})
16... Ne8 $1 {Just in time. White is forced to trade bishops and Black's rook
on b6 becomes really strong.} 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Na2 (18. Ne4 {White can get
control over the d-file after} Nef6 19. Nc5 Nxc5 20. dxc5 {but it doesn't
bring him an advantage.} Rb4 {Black has a comfortable position. I think White
should take a draw after} 21. Rd6 Ne8 22. Rd2 Nf6 (22... Nc7 $5 23. Kg2 (23.
Rd6 $2 Qf6 $17) 23... g6 24. h4 Rd8 25. Rad1 $11) 23. Rd6 $11 (23. Rad1 e5 24.
Rd6 Ne8 25. Rd7 Qe6 26. Kg2 Nf6 $11)) 18... Nef6 19. Qc3 Ra8 $11 20. Rd2 e5 {
Levon prefers to simplify the position. He could have continued 20...Nd5 or 20.
..h6.} (20... Nd5 21. Qc1 Rd8 $11) (20... h6 21. Rb1 e5 22. dxe5 Qxe5 23. Qc2
Nc5 $11) 21. dxe5 Qxe5 22. Rad1 Qxc3 23. Nxc3 Nf8 24. Be4 $6 {Intending to
play Bc2, b3 but what would he do if Black played 24...g6?} Nxe4 {This leads
to a draw.} (24... g6 $1 25. Bd3 (25. Bf3 $5) 25... Rb4 (25... Rd8 26. Bc4 Rxd2
27. Rxd2 Ne6 28. b3 $11) 26. Rb1 Rd8 27. b3 Ne6 28. Rdd1 Kf8 29. Bc4 Rxd1+ 30.
Rxd1 Ke7 $15 31. Na2 Rb6 32. b4 $5 Ng5 33. bxa5 $2 Rb2 $17) 25. Nxe4 Rb4 26.
Nc5 g6 27. Rc2 b6 28. Nd3 Rd8 $1 ({Of course Levon shouldn't play} 28... Rxa4
$2 29. Rxc6 b5 30. Rb6 b4 31. Rb5 Rd8 32. Kf1 Ra2 33. Ke2 $16 {Black's rook on
a2 is out of play and he needs to be very cautious. White's king is heading
for the queenside.}) 29. Rxc6 Ne6 $11 {Black goes for a draw by means of a
temporary pawn sacrifice .} 30. Kg2 (30. Kf1 Nc5 31. Nxb4 Rxd1+ 32. Ke2 Rb1 $11
) 30... Nc5 31. Nxb4 Rxd1 32. Rc8+ Kg7 33. Nc6 Nxa4 34. b3 Nb2 35. Ne5 (35. Rb8
Nd3 36. Rxb6 Rd2 $11) 35... Nd3 36. Nxd3 Rxd3 37. b4 $1 axb4 38. Rc6 b5 39. Rc5
Kf6 40. Rxb5 Rb3 41. g4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.01.24"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2797"]
[Annotator "Sumets,A"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2015.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bd6 11. Re1 (11. a3 Nbd7 12. Ba5 (12. b4 Ra7 13. Nc3 {
Carlsen,M - Aronian,L/FIDE candidates London 2013 (M. Marin)} (13. Bc3 {
Caruana,F - Karjakin,S/Wijk aan Zee 2014 (M. Marin)})) 12... Qb8 13. b4 e5 $1
14. Nbd2 (14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nbd2 Nc6 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Bh3 (17. Rfd1 $5 Nxa5 18.
Nxa5 Be4 19. Qd2 {preventing c5} Rd8 20. Rac1 $14) 17... Re8 18. Rac1 Qa7 19.
Rfd1 Re4 20. Bg2 Rc4 21. Qd3 Ng4 22. Nfd4 Nge5 23. Qd2 {1/2-1/2 (23) Ganguly,S
(2630)-Shyam,S (2484) Kolkata 2012}) 14... exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 17.
bxc5 (17. Nf5 Re8 18. bxc5 Bxc5 19. Nf3 Qb7 20. Bc3 $11) 17... Bxc5 18. N2b3
Qb7+ 19. Kg1 Bxd4 20. Nxd4 Rac8 $11 {Le,Q (2703)-Aronian,L (2803) Beijing 2013
0-1 (78)}) ({Up to the moment, 11.Rc1 is not dangerous continuation:} 11. Rc1
Nbd7 12. Ba5 $6 (12. b4 Nb6 13. a3 Be4 14. Qd1 Bd5 $6 (14... Nfd5 15. Be1 Nc4
16. Nbd2 Nxd2 17. Nxd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 f5 $11) 15. Bg5 a5 16. Nbd2 h6 17. Bxf6
gxf6 18. e4 Bb7 19. Rab1 $13 {Cvitan,O (2521)-Stigar,P (2297) Vienna 2009 1-0 
(26)}) 12... Qe7 13. Nbd2 c5 {Black played ...c5 so White's dark-squared
bishop on a5 is useless. Black has better chances.} 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Nd4 Rac8
16. Qd1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qb7+ 18. N2f3 Nce4 $6 (18... Nfe4 $1 19. Kg1 g6 $15) 19.
Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Rc1 Rxc1 21. Qxc1 $11 {1/2-1/2 (78) Kovalyov,A (2617)-Panjwani,R
(2468) Santa Clara 2014}) (11. Nh4 {Caruana,F - Karjakin,S/Tashkent FIDE GP
2012}) (11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Nbd2 Rc8 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Nb3 c5 {leads to an equal
game:} (14... Be4 $6 15. Qc3 Qe7 16. Rac1 Nd7 17. Qe3 (17. Nc5 $1 Bxc5 18. dxc5
Rfd8 19. Rfd1 $14) 17... f5 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bxe5 20. dxe5 c5 21. Rfd1 Nb6
22. Nxc5 $2 Nc4 23. Rxc4 bxc4 24. Rd6 Qa7 $1 $17 {0-1 (40) Bauer,C (2571)
-Bologan, V (2652) Belfort 2002}) 15. dxc5 Ne4 16. Rad1 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Rxc5 18.
Qxc5 Bxc5 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Kf8 22. Rc1 Bd6 23. Nd3 $11 {
Bacrot,E (2749)-Navara,D (2705) Warsaw 2013 1/2-1/2 (41)}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1
Bb7 13. Qc2 Be4 14. Qc1 Bb7 15. Bg5 Nbd7 {The main continuation.} ({Onischuk
tried 15...h6 and didn't have any problems:} 15... h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Nbd2
Qe7 18. e4 ({One might recommend as an improvement:} 18. Nb3 $5 a5 19. a4 bxa4
20. Rxa4 Bb4 21. Rd1 $14) 18... Nd7 19. Nh4 Rfc8 20. Qd1 Qd8 $11 {Kaidanov,G 
(2569) -Onischuk,A (2678) Saint Louis 2011 1/2-1/2 (51)}) 16. Nbd2 ({Probably
White has better chances to get an advantage after} 16. e4 Be7 $8 17. e5 Nd5
18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Ng5 c5 20. Nc3 $1 cxd4 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. e6
fxe6 24. Nxe6 Rfe8 25. Qc6 {Sandipan,C (2628)-Vidit,S (2513) Moscow 2012 1/2-1/
2 (44)} Rac8 26. Qxd5 (26. Qxa6 $6 d3 27. Rad1 (27. Qa5 Qf6 28. Nf4 Ne5 29.
Red1 g5 $17) 27... Rc1 $3 28. Rxc1 d2 29. Rcd1 dxe1=Q+ 30. Rxe1 Nf8 $15) 26...
Qf7 $11) 16... c5 {After this move the position becomes double-edged.} (16...
h6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Nb3 Rc8 (18... Bd5 $5 19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Rc8 21. Rac1
Ne4 22. Qa3 Qd6 $11) 19. Nc5 (19. Rd1 Bd5 20. Ne1 Qe7 21. Nd3 Bxb3 $6 (21...
Rfe8 22. Nbc5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 e5 24. dxe5 Bxe5 25. e3 Bd6 $11) 22. axb3 c5 23.
dxc5 Bxc5 24. Nxc5 Qxc5 25. Bb7 $14 {Giri,A (2642)-Hammer,J (2610) Malmo 2010
1-0 (60)}) 19... Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Ne4 21. Qa3 c5 22. dxc5 Rxc5 23. Rac1 $11 {
Wang,Y (2738)-Carlsen,M (2770) Leon 2009 1/2-1/2 (38)}) 17. e4 {This is a bit
risky; after the reply White's centre is under attack.} (17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Nb3
c4 19. Nbd2 Rc8 (19... Qc7 20. Nh4 Rfd8 $13) 20. a3 Qa5 21. Nh4 Bxg2 22. Nxg2
c3 23. Ne4 cxb2 24. Nxf6+ Nxf6 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Qxf6+ Kg8 27. Qg5+ Kh8 28. Qf6+
{1/2-1/2 (26) Caruana,F (2697)-Zhigalko,S (2656) Sestao 2010}) 17... Be7 18. e5
{Mostly forced. Black has at least equal chances.} Nd5 19. Bxe7 (19. Ne4 cxd4
20. Qd2 Bxg5 (20... Qb6 $5 {It isn't obvious if White has compensation for the
pawn.} 21. Bxe7 Nxe7 22. Rad1 Bd5 23. Qxd4 (23. Nxd4 Nxe5 $17) 23... Qxd4 24.
Nxd4 Nxe5 25. Nc5 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Nc4 27. b3 Nb6 $17) 21. Nexg5 h6 22. Ne4 Ne3
23. fxe3 Bxe4 24. exd4 Bd5 25. Nh4 Nb6 26. Be4 Rc8 27. Ng2 Bxe4 {1/2-1/2 (25)
Gelfand,B (2737)-Anand,V (2799) Wijk aan Zee 2008}) 19... Qxe7 20. Ne4 cxd4 21.
Qd2 Rad8 (21... Ne3 $5 22. fxe3 Bxe4 23. exd4 Bd5 24. Qg5 Qd8 25. b3 Qb6 26.
Rad1 Rad8 $15 {Delchev,A (2618)-Ubilava,E (2525) Benasque 2008 1/2-1/2 (45)})
22. Rac1 {This is logical, White is trying to keep pressure in the centre.} (
22. Qxd4 $6 Nb4 23. Rac1 Nc6 24. Qc3 b4 25. Qe3 Ncxe5 26. Rc7 Bxe4 27. Qxe4 Qd6
$15 {White doesn't have enough compensation for the pawn.}) 22... Qb4 $1 23.
Qd3 $5 (23. Qxd4 Qxd4 24. Nxd4 Nb4 25. Rc7 Ba8 $1 $15 {Black will take the
e5-pawn and will get an advantage.}) 23... Qxb2 24. a3 ({Another possible
continuation is not better:} 24. Neg5 g6 25. Nxd4 (25. Qxd4 Qxd4 26. Nxd4 Rc8
$17) 25... Nxe5 26. Qe4 Nb4 $1 27. Qxb7 (27. Qh4 h5 $19) 27... Nbd3 $19) 24...
Nc3 $6 (24... Rc8 $1 25. Rb1 Qc2 {White has nothing better than trading queens
and playing an endgame.} 26. Qxc2 Rxc2 27. Nxd4 Rc4 $17) 25. Neg5 g6 26. Nxd4
Bxg2 27. Kxg2 Na4 $1 (27... Nxe5 $2 28. Qxc3 Qxc3 29. Rxc3 Rxd4 30. Rxe5 f6 31.
Rxe6 fxg5 32. Rxa6 $11) 28. Rcd1 Ndc5 29. Qe3 Qc3 30. Qf4 Nd3 $6 ({The only
way to continue the game is} 30... Qc4 $1 31. Qh4 h5 32. Nxf7 $1 Rd7 $1 (32...
Kxf7 33. Qf6+ Ke8 34. Qxg6+ Rf7 35. Qg8+ Rf8 36. Qg6+ $11) 33. Nd6 $8 Qd5+ 34.
Kg1 Nb2 35. Qg5 (35. Rd2 Nbd3 36. Re3 Nxe5 37. Qg5 Ng4 $17) 35... Nxd1 36. Rxd1
Rg7 $17) 31. Qh4 $1 $11 Nxe1+ 32. Rxe1 h5 33. Ne4 (33. Ne4 Qxd4 34. Nf6+ Kg7 (
34... Kh8 35. Qg5 $11) 35. Nxh5+ $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Mordechay Porat Memorial"]
[Site "Rehovot"]
[Date "2001.11.23"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mikhalevski, Victor"]
[Black "Tsesarsky, Ilya"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2501"]
[BlackElo "2442"]
[Annotator "Tsesarsky,I"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2001.11.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 086"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 Nc6 (12... h6 13. Bf4 Bd6 (
13... Nc6 $5) 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. a5 Nbd7 16. Re1 Bxf4 17. Qxf4 Nd5 18. Nxd5 exd5
19. Rac1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Mikhalevski,V-Kruppa,Y/Panormo GRE 2001/The Week in
Chess 360 (37)}) 13. Rd1 {Except of this move, White has next possibilities:} (
{1.} 13. Nbd2 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Kxg2 Qd5+ (16... Nd5 17.
Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nf3 (18. a5 Qb4 19. Kg1 Rad8 20. Nc4 Qc5 21. Ra3 Nb4 22. Ne3 Qxc1
23. Rxc1 Nc6 24. Kf1 Rd2 $11 {1-0 Pigusov,E-Bagirov,R/Dubai UAE 2001/The Week
in Chess 338 (57)}) 18... Qf6 19. Ra3 Rad8 20. Qc2 Rd6 21. Rb3 Rc6 22. Qe4 Nb6
23. a5 Nc4 24. Rxb7 Nxa5 25. Rb4 Rc5 26. Ra4 $14 {1-0 Bauer,C-Bellini,F/
Mondariz 2000/CBM 79 no vc (34)}) 17. Nf3 Qe4 (17... Bd6 18. Qc2 Qe4 19. Rfc1
Qxc2 20. Rxc2 Nd5 $11 {1-0 Georgiev,K-Brenjo,S/Herceg Novi YUG 2001/The Week
in Chess 358 (85)}) (17... c5 18. a5 (18. Rd1 Qc6 19. Qc2 h6 20. Bf4 {-see
commented game 1-0 Tkachiev,V-Piket,J/Cannes 2000/CBM 77 [Ribli,Z](65)}) 18...
h6 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qc2 $11 {1/2-1/2 Georgiev,K-Beliavsky,A/Castrop Rauxel
GER 2001/The Week in Chess 362 (67)}) 18. Qe3 Qxe3 19. Bxe3 Nd5 20. Bd2 Rfd8
21. Rfc1 c6 22. Rc4 Bf6 $11 {1-0 Dorfman,J-Onischuk,A/Cap d'Agde FRA 2000 (79)}
) ({2.} 13. e3 Nb4 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. Qb1 (15. a5 Rc8 16. Rd1 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nfd5
18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Na4 {-see commented game 1/2-1/2 Pigusov,E-Liang Jinrong/
Beijing 1997/CBM 61 [Ribli,Z](37)}) 15... h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Rd1 g6 $132 {
1/2-1/2 Maksimenko,A-Kruppa,Y/Ordzhonikidze 2000/CBM 78 (22)}) 13... h6 14. Bf4
Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Nxd4 16. Kg2 c5 17. e3 Nb3 18. Rxd8 Nxc1 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Bxb7
Ra7 21. Bc6 Nb3 22. Bb8 Rd7 23. Bxd7 Nxd7 24. Ra3 c4 $11 {Here V.Mikhalevsky
first time started to think. I felt, he knows something, because for me theory
was finished after 12...Nc6...} 25. Bc7 ({After our game Viktor tell me about
this position, it already was played by strong grandmasters...} 25. Ba7 Ne5 $1
(25... Bxa3 $2 26. Nxa3 Nd2 (26... Ne5 27. f4 Nc6 28. Bb6 Nd2 29. Kf2 c3 30.
Ke2 Nb1 $1 31. Bc5 Nxa3 32. bxa3 e5 33. Kd3 f5 34. Kxc3 Kf7 35. Kc4 Ke6 36. Bf8
$16) 27. Bd4 $16 {[%csl Rc4][%cal Gd4c3]}) 26. Rxb3 cxb3 27. Nd2 Nd3 28. Bd4
Nc1 $1 $132 (28... Bf6 $6 29. Bxf6 gxf6 30. Nxb3 Nxb2 31. a5 Nc4 32. Kf3 Nd6
33. Nc5 Nc4 34. Nb7 Kf8 35. Ke4 Ke7 36. Kd4 Ne5 37. Kc5 Nd3+ 38. Kb6 Nxf2 39.
Kxa6 Nd1 40. e4 Nc3 41. Nc5 $18 {1-0 Tkachiev,V-Adams,M/Cannes FRA 2001/The
Week in Chess 332 (45)})) 25... Bxa3 $5 {Possible capture!} ({Interesting was} 
25... Ndc5 $5 26. a5 Nd3 27. Ra4 Nxb2 28. Ra2 Bf6 $44) 26. Nxa3 Ndc5 27. Nxc4
Nxa4 28. Kf3 f6 ({Or} 28... Nac5 29. g4 Kh7 30. h4 h5 $1 $11) 29. g4 g5 $2 $16
({Right was} 29... Kh7 $1 30. h4 h5 31. gxh5 Kh6 32. Kg4 f5+ 33. Kg3 Nac5 34.
f3 Kxh5 $11) 30. Ke2 Kf7 31. Kd3 Kg6 32. Bd6 h5 33. h3 $2 $11 ({After the game
Mikhalevsky said, he thought about} 33. Kc2 $1 {but he was not able to
calculate next variations precisely:} Na1+ 34. Kb1 Nb3 35. Ka2 Nac5 36. gxh5+
Kxh5 37. Ka3 a5 38. Nxa5 Nxa5 39. Bxc5 Nc4+ 40. Kb3 Nd2+ 41. Kc3 (41. Kb4 Kg4
42. Bd6 $16) 41... Ne4+ 42. Kd4 Nxf2 43. b4 Ng4 44. b5 $18) 33... Nbc5+ 34.
Bxc5 {NN endgame is drawn.} Nxc5+ 35. Kd4 Nb3+ 36. Kc3 Nc1 $1 37. Kd2 Nb3+ 38.
Kc2 Nc5 39. f3 f5 40. b4 Nd7 41. Kd3 hxg4 42. hxg4 Kf6 $22 43. Kc3 $1 (43. Kd4
$2 e5+ 44. Kd5 e4 45. fxe4 fxg4 $17) 43... Ne5 ({Or} 43... fxg4 44. fxg4 Ke7
45. Kd4 Nf6 46. Ne5 Nd5 47. Nd3 Nf6 48. Ne5 $11) 44. Nxe5 Kxe5 45. Kd3 fxg4 46.
fxg4 Kd5 47. e4+ Ke5 48. Ke3 Kd6 49. Kd4 e5+ 50. Kd3 Kd7 51. Kc2 Kc6 52. Kc3
Kb6 53. Kb2 Kc7 54. Ka3 Kb7 55. Kb3 Kc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danzhou 10th"]
[Site "Danzhou"]
[Date "2019.07.07"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2707"]
[BlackElo "2737"]
[Annotator "Vidit,S"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2019.06.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 191"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.08.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.08.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,12,19,31,25,-16,-12,-23,-6,-7,12,17,-6,18,-7]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 (7. Qa4 a6 {1/2-1/2 (85)
Caruana,F (2828)-Dominguez Perez,L (2739) Saint Louis USA 2019}) 7... a6 8.
Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 c6 {This line, introduced at the high
level in the game Giri-Kramnik, used to be considered equal in the past few
years. However, recently many players with White came up with micro ideas to
test Black. I had one such idea for this game.} 12. a4 Nbd7 13. Nc3 Bg6 14. Nh4
Bh5 15. h3 {A rare move. This was played in Caruana-Dominguez in the USA
Championship 2019.} Nd5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Nxd5 $5 $146 {A new concept. The
resulting positions look quite harmless. But as the game shows, White's idea
does have some poison.} (17. Rxa8 Qxa8 18. e4 Nb4 19. Bg5 Qd8 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21.
Qe3 Rd8 22. Rc1 Nf8 23. Bf3 Bxf3 24. Nxf3 $14 {1/2-1/2 (85) Caruana,F (2828)
-Dominguez Perez,L (2739) Saint Louis USA 2019}) 17... cxd5 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19.
Nxf3 Qb6 20. Qc2 {It might look harmless for Black, and it could actually be.
Before the game, I didn't see a clear way to neutralize the pressure on both
the c-file and the a-file. It felt a little uncomfortable for Black. My theory
was approved by Wang Hao as he thought for more than 35 mins!} Rac8 21. Qd3 Ra8
{Looks strange!} 22. Rxa8 $1 Rxa8 23. Rc1 {Taking complete control over c-file.
Whereas black can't make much use of the open a-file. Also it's hard for black
to come up with a plan. Whereas white just plays Bf4 and puts the major pieces
on the c-file} h6 24. Bf4 g5 {A very committal decision. But I understand the
reasoning. The threats of Rc7 were quite annoying.} (24... Bd6 {doesn't really
work.} 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 26. Qxb5 Rb8 27. Qa4 Rxb2 28. Rc8+ Kh7 29. Rd8 $18) 25.
Ne5 $5 {Straightforward and tempting!} (25. Be3 Nf6 26. Kg2 Ne4 27. Ne5 {
followed by ideas of h4 was also an idea.}) 25... Nxe5 $2 {A pleasant surprise!
} (25... Nf6 {Looked more compact.} 26. Rc6 (26. Be3 $14) 26... Qb7 $1 27. Be3
Ne4 28. Qc2 Bd6 {Keeps things together concretely!}) 26. Bxe5 $16 b4 $6 (26...
Bf8 {and Bg7 next is more tenable. Wang Hao clearly seemed frustrated at his
position as he started to blitz out the moves from now on.}) 27. Qf3 $6 {
It's very tempting to attack on the kingside. The move itself is not bad as
such, but in hindsight it seems like a step in the wrong direction.} (27. h4 $1
{The queen on d3 is ideally placed as Black can't play f6. At the same time
it's not easy to see how Black can possibly avoid the opening up of the
kingside.}) 27... Qd8 $1 (27... f6 28. Rc7 Bd8 29. Rd7 Qc6 30. Rxd8+ $1 {
was the point!} Rxd8 31. Qxf6 $18) 28. Qh5 Bf8 (28... Qf8 29. Rc7 $18 {Black's
completely paralyzed.}) 29. Rc7 Qe8 30. h4 $2 {The big mistake! This throws
away the entire advantage. I actually thought for over 20mins at this point.
Probably the theory that if you think over 20mins you are more likely to make
a mistake has some sense to it!} (30. Kg2 {Apparently just keeping the status
quo was the way.} Bg7 31. Bxg7 Kxg7 32. f4 $1 gxf4 33. Qg4+ Kf8 34. Qxf4 Kg7 {
There are many good moves, but I like the Engine's suggestion of Kf3 :D} 35.
Kf3 $16) 30... f5 31. Qf3 g4 $2 {The decisive error. As soon as I had played
h4, I realized that instead of the automatic g4, Black can take on h4, with
the concrete of idea of exchanging the queens. The logic behind this mistake
could be that the entire game Black was trying to close up the kingside! He
chose the wrong moment to do so.} (31... gxh4 $1 32. gxh4 Qg6+ 33. Kh2 Qg4 $1 {
The point! Black is now completely fine.}) 32. Qe3 Rc8 33. Ra7 $1 {Probably
Black thought that he could keep challenging the rook on the 7th rank.} (33.
Rb7 $2 Qc6 34. Ra7 Qc1+) 33... Qc6 (33... Ra8 34. Rb7 $1 Qc6 35. Rc7 $1 {
The clever rook dance evades the exchange.}) 34. Bf4 $1 {Protecting c1 and
avoiding the queen exchange.} Qb6 35. Qe5 $1 {Very precise! There was another
tempting option, which leads to a study like draw.} (35. Rd7 {Initially I was
tempted to go in this direction.} Qc6 36. Rd6 {This flashy move looked quite
tempting!} Qc1+ $1 (36... Bxd6 37. Qxe6+ $18) 37. Qxc1 Rxc1+ 38. Bxc1 Bxd6 39.
Bxh6 {It looks like White is pawn up and he should be winnning, but in fact
Black saves the game.} b3 $1 40. Bd2 {The only idea for white is to try to
attack the b3 pawn with the King.} e5 41. Bc3 (41. dxe5 Bxe5 42. Bc1 Kh7 {
is easy draw.}) 41... e4 42. e3 {The plan seems simple. Bring the king to d2
and then play Ba5 and Kc3.} Kf7 43. Kf1 Kg6 44. Ke2 Be7 45. Kd2 {[#]} f4 $3 {
Absolutely brilliant defense} 46. exf4 Bf6 $1 $11 {Surprisingly, There is no
way to improve!}) 35... h5 36. Qf6 Rc1+ 37. Bxc1 Qxa7 38. Qxe6+ Qf7 39. Qc8 $18
{Now the win is technical and White has more than one way to convert.} Kh7 40.
Bf4 Kg6 41. Be5 Be7 42. Qc6+ Kh7 43. e3 Bf8 44. Bd6 Bxd6 45. Qxd6 $18 b3 46.
Qb6 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 9th"]
[Site "Plovdiv"]
[Date "2008.04.24"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Black "Wells, Peter K"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2607"]
[BlackElo "2521"]
[Annotator "Wells,P"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2008.04.21"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 124"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.05.28"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 {With the
notable exception of games against Vladimir Kramnik, the Open Catalan remains
a viable weapon for Black!} 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {The
apparent modesty of this development is quite deceptive and whilst I was once
more concerned about the alternative bishop developments to f4 or g5, I have
now experienced enough problems with the text move that my respect for it has
grown considerably.} Be4 {It feels to me intuitively as if there should be two
decent ways to combat 10 Bd2. Either Black can take measures to prevent the
intended sortie to a5, or he can allow this move but then prove that the piece
is not so comfortable there.} ({But a direct implementation of the first
strategy has some problems -} 10... Nc6 11. e3 {does not fit well with the
goal of 'freeing' Black's game with ...c5.}) ({It is better to try and keep
the move ...Nc6 in reserve, to which end Nigel Short's waiting move} 10... h6 {
is ingenious, but appears well met by the 'counter-waiting'} 11. a3 $5 {but}) (
10... Ra7 $5 {[%cal Gb8d7,Gd8a8,Gc7c5] is much less artificial than it looks.
This keeps ...Nc6 in reserve as an answer to a premature Ba5, but there will
soon be elements of strategy (2) as well, where Black can aim at ...Nbd7/...
Qa8 and ...c5.}) 11. Qc1 Nbd7 {This line introduces the 'purest' example of
the second strategy. Black all but sends the bishop a written invitation to a5
with the intention later to threaten ...c5, positionally 'forcing' b4 and then
to prove that the bishop on a5 is out on a limb. But I must say this game adds
a bit to my growing disillusion with the line - there is usually enough going
on in the centre that Black does not get time to hassle this piece. Moreover,
so long as the bishop is secure its status is highly interesting - immobile,
but very influential in its control of key squares such as c7 and d8.} (11...
Bb7 $5) 12. Ba5 Rc8 13. Nbd2 ({Harikrishna once caused me some problems with
the direct attack on b5 by} 13. Nc3 $5 Ba8 14. a4 {but I don't think this
should be a long-lasting threat to Black's play. It is more thematic to play
to restrain ...c5.}) 13... Ba8 14. Qc2 ({Last year I faced} 14. a3 Qe8 15. b4
Bd6 16. Re1 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Qe3 Bd5 19. Rac1 f5 20. Ne5 Nf6 $6 21. f3 $1
{1-0 Huzman,A-Wells,P/EICC Dresden 2007. Black's 20th does not help - it is
better to exchange bishops on g2 - but it is not my main aim in playing this
line to end up in this slightly questionable 'Dutch-type' structure and the
frequency of this outcome seems to be sending a message!}) 14... Qe8 {[%cal
Gc7c5]} 15. b4 Nb8 {The direct way to try and target the a5 bishop. In fact, I
was already consuming a good deal of time around here for the simple reason
that - having guessed incorrectly Yannick's choice of opening - I was
struggling to remember my preparation.} ({I am convinced that in principle
Black would like to handle this position by playing for ...e5 which holds out
the hope of deflecting his opponent's d-pawn and thereby making the hugely
liberating ...c5 break a reality again. Unfortunately after} 15... Bd6 16. e4
$1 e5 17. Rae1 {[%cal Yg2h3,Yh3c8] Black has difficulties ever threatening to
take on d4.} Qe7 {[%csl Ga5,Rd6,Rf6][%cal Yf3h4,Yh4f5,Yf2f4] runs into Nh4 and
f4 ideas while there is the additional worry that White may apply pressure on
the h3-c8 diagonal. Given all this, it seems that he really doesn't miss the
dark-squared bishop's presence in the heat of battle too decisively!}) 16. Ne5
$5 {[%mdl 8] Technically a novelty, presumably because the exchange of
light-squared bishops is seen by White as something of a concession. But
preventing ...Nc6 is a worthy goal and White retains some tangible space
advantage.} (16. Nb3 Nc6 17. a3 Bd6 {[%cal Ge8e7,Ge6e5] looks quite playable
for Black to me.}) 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Bd6 18. Rac1 Nd5 {Heading reluctantly
for the good old 'Dutch-style' structure I mentioned above. Of course I was
desperate to make some brutal freeing idea work (based upon the idea that for
the moment the possibility of ...Bxe5 wakens White's hold on the c5 square).
But these all seemed to weaken d6 too much and bring the a5 bishop back to
life on the b4-f8 diagonal.} (18... c5 19. bxc5 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qc6+ 21. Kg1 Nfd7
22. Ne4 Nxe5 23. Nd6 {is a typical failure in this regard}) 19. Nd3 f5 20. e3 (
20. Rfe1 $5) 20... Qh5 $5 21. Qd1 (21. Rfe1 $5) 21... Qe8 {[%cal Gb8c6]
Looking to play ...Nc6. I think this is the right approach although there is
no doubt that the knight pair will be quite adept at probing Black's several
potentially weak points. Moreover, the knight on a5 is in no realistic sense a
'weakness'.} 22. Nb3 Nc6 23. a3 g5 24. Kg1 Rf6 $138 {It must be right to seek
chances against the White king and such decisions come very naturally in
time-trouble too. My opening indecisions had cost me dear on the clock which
in general was more of a problem for m in Plovdiv than of late. Yannick's
strategy around here is interesting too. I had been expecting him to consider
a timely e4 break with the serious weakness of the e6 pawn as the prize of a
successful execution. I guess he felt that the tactical chances which I could
hope for on the king-side were best avoided and that keeping ultra-solid would
encourage me to over stretch, especially given the clock situation. Events
could have proved him right!} 25. Qd2 (25. Re1 $5 Rh6 $140 26. e4 $16) 25...
Rh6 26. f4 gxf4 27. exf4 Bf8 $1 28. Rfe1 Nxa5 $6 ({I am quite pleased that the
sensible reorganisation 27...Bf8 was my first thought, but this is not a very
consistent follow-up. Black is never going to exert massive pressure on d4,
but might at least force White to bear the threat in mind after} 28... Bg7 29.
Ndc5 (29. Ne5 {makes less sense since e6 is the primary weakness and shielding
it something of a relief.} Nxe5 (29... Bxe5 30. fxe5)) 29... Qf7 $5 {(Fritz!)}
30. Nxa6 $140 e5 $132 {[%cal Gh6a6] Of course, with care Black's job remains a
difficult and unpleasant one.}) 29. Nxa5 Nf6 30. Qg2 Ng4 $5 {Technically, it
might be provable that the h3 tempo helps White, since advancing with g4
represents one of his most threatening approaches. Practically, it is
difficult to see how Black can make any trouble without provoking some kind of
a weakness, however small.} 31. h3 Nf6 32. Qc6 $2 {A very poor move and a
hugely welcome surprise. There is logic in that Black's weaknesses are
permanent while his potential counterplay is directed against White's king.
But my assessment of the latter was and remains 'largely illusory' and the
fact that Black can now exchange the h3 pawn for one of his weaknesses eases
his defensive task. Moreover, I end up with one active piece at least, which
is one more than I expected! Furthermore, in practical terms the player in
time-trouble tends to gain from any clarification of the position.} (32. g4
fxg4 (32... Rg6 33. Ne5 Rg7 34. Rc6 (34. Nac6 Bd6 35. g5 Qh5)) 33. hxg4 Rh4 34.
Ne5 Bd6 (34... Nd5 35. Qg3) 35. Qg3 $1) (32. Nc6 Ne4) 32... Rxh3 33. Qxe8 ({
The attempt to win e6 immediately with} 33. Kg2 $6 {fails to} Qh5 $1 34. Qxe6+
Kg7 35. Nf2 Rh2+ 36. Kg1 Rxf2 $1 37. Kxf2 Ng4+ 38. Kf3 Ne5+ 39. Kg2 $8 Qf3+ 40.
Kh3 Qh5+ 41. Kg2 Qf3+ $11 {I cannot claim to have 'seen' all of this with
little time on the clock. But this is in any case precisely the sort of clear
cut sequence which is easy for a player with any sort of feeling for the
initiative to find in time-trouble. In the language of the Wild West, a man
just does what he has to do.}) 33... Rxe8 34. Kg2 Rh6 35. Rxc7 Ng4 $1 36. Re2
$6 {Another small surprise. Having given me an active piece, Yannick should
probably have tried to exchange it off.} ({After} 36. Rh1 $1 Ne3+ (36... Rxh1
37. Kxh1 Bg7 38. Ne5) 37. Kg1 Rxh1+ (37... Nd5 38. Rc6 Rg6 39. Kg2 Bg7 40. Nb3
$14) 38. Kxh1 Bg7 (38... Rd8 39. Nc6 Rd6 40. Nde5 $16) 39. Ne5 {and White
retains more of a bind than I appreciated at the time.}) 36... Rh2+ 37. Kf3 Rh1
38. Ne1 h5 $1 {Now there are no more problems. The play against the White king
which results from ...h4 is as serious as I have had all game!} 39. Kg2 (39.
Rc6 h4 {will leave White worse if he refuses to allow the immediate draw by
capturing the h-pawn.}) 39... Rh2+ 40. Kf3 Rh1 41. Kg2 Rh2+ 42. Kf3 Rh1 1/2-1/2

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2017.04.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2674"]
[BlackElo "2822"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2017.03.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Rd1 Bc6 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 {
Standard issue Catalan, one of those positions where White doesn't seem to be
trying for much. Yet, "careful play" is required from Black, which in this day
and age means computer-approved preparation.} c5 $5 {Wesley shows he'd done
his homework.} (14... a5 {is considered automatic.}) 15. dxc5 Qe8 16. Rd4 (16.
Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 Be5 18. Rab1 Rb4 19. f4 f5 20. Nd2 Bf6 21. Nxc4 Rxa4 {
is roughly balanced.}) 16... Nd7 $1 {An improvement over one long-forgotten
game} ({which went} 16... Rb4 17. Na2 Qxa4 18. Nxb4 Qxa1+ 19. Kg2 Qa5 20. Nc6
Qxc5 $14 {Sjugirov-Smirnov, 2012}) 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. c6 {It's hard to tell if
Jeffery was still looking for an advantage or was ready to bail out.} ({
An attempt to take away e5 from the black knight} 18. f4 {meets with} e5 19.
Rxc4 exf4 20. exf4 Qe3+ 21. Kg2 Nf6 {White gets to keep his extra pawn, but
his king is weak. Lines such as this give bad vibes and usually are declined
as long as there are some other options.}) ({The next move to think of is} 18.
Rf1 {anticipating} Ne5 19. f4 Nc6 20. Rxc4 {but then comes} Na5 21. Rd4 Qxc5 {
and once again, having weakened his position with the f-pawn move, White finds
himself on the defensive end of it.}) ({In the meantime, the "simple"} 18. Rxc4
Ne5 19. Re4 Qxc5 {is really awkward for White.}) 18... Ne5 19. Qe4 Qc5 20. Nd5
{A logical continuation of the previous move. Moves from both sides become
forced.} Nd3 21. Nxc7 Nxf2 $1 {Wesley had to have seen this shot from afar.
Did Jeff completely miss it?} 22. Kxf2 {A quick reply, but possibly, Xiong was
bluffing.} ({Instead of playing mind games, he should have paid attention to
the board. Maybe, then he would have found} 22. Nxa6 {which happens to be a
good enough move to continue the game:} Qg5 {appears to be Black's best.} (
22... Nxe4 23. Nxc5 Nxc5 24. Rxc4 {and White's pawns are more than enough to
offset Black's extra knight.}) (22... Qh5 $4 23. Qc2 {and White even wins.})
23. Qf3 $1 {A beautiful move that consolidates everything.} ({no need to flirt
with disaster after} 23. Kxf2 Rxb2+ 24. Ke1) ({and} 23. Qc2 {is now bad on
account of} Nd3) 23... Rxb2 24. c7 Nd3 (24... Nh3+ $145 $1 25. Kh1 h6 $3 26.
Rxc4 (26. Rf1 Qa5 $3 $19) 26... Rf2 $1 27. Qb7 Qxe3 28. c8=Q Rxc8 29. Rxc8+ Kh7
$19) 25. Rf1 {Suddenly White has a threat of his own: Qxf7+!, his pieces are
all participating and the c7-pawn is alive. Game on!}) 22... Rxb2+ 23. Kf1 Qh5
24. Qg4 Qxh2 25. Qf3 c3 $1 {Only this move made clear how difficult White's
task is going to be.} 26. Rc1 e5 $1 {Wesley took about 20 minutes on this one.
He just wanted to make sure.} 27. Rh4 $2 {Another error from Jeffery ends the
game on the spot.} ({The right move was} 27. Rc4 {If anything, it would force
Black to seek ways of getting his other rook involved. Without breathing space,
calculating the resulting variations could be unnerving. Would So be up to the
task?} Rfb8 {is the right move.} (27... Qd2 28. Rd1 Rd8 {same as in the game,
but here White does have a miracle line} 29. Nd5 $3 (29. Rxd2 Rdxd2 30. Kg1
Rb1+ 31. Qf1 c2 32. Nxa6 {is not enough to save White:} Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Rd1+ 34.
Ke2 c1=Q 35. Rxc1 Rxc1 36. Nb8 Rc5 37. Kd3 f5 $19) 29... Rxd5 30. Rxd2 Rdxd2 {
and now} 31. Qe2 $3 Rxe2 32. c7 {forcing Black to take the perpetual.}) 28. Nd5
(28. Nxa6 Qd2 29. R4xc3 e4) 28... Rf2+ 29. Qxf2 Qh1+ 30. Qg1 (30. Ke2 Rb2+)
30... Qxd5 31. R4xc3 Rb2 $19) 27... Qd2 28. Rd1 Rd8 $1 29. Nd5 Rxd5 30. Rd4
Rxd4 (30... exd4 $4 31. c7 $18) 31. exd4 Qxd1+ {Fresh out of tactical tricks
Xiong resigned.} 0-1

[Event "Sharjah FIDE GP"]
[Site "Sharjah"]
[Date "2017.02.27"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2017.02.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 177"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Qc1 a5 12. Nc3 Na6 13. Bd2 Nb4 14. Qb1 Bxf3 15.
Bxf3 c6 16. Rd1 Qe7 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Rfd8 19. Bc3 Rd7 20. Rd2 Qd8 21. Rad1
Be7 22. h4 Rb8 23. e3 Nd5 24. Qc2 Qc7 25. Kg2 g6 26. h5 Bf8 27. e4 Nb4 28. Qb3
{A pretty routine play up this point kept a small advantage for White, but
here Aronian, who was for sure frustrated with the way this tournament had
gone for him, lashed out with the uncharacteristic} c5 $2 {opening up the
d-file and the light squares for the opponent.} 29. dxc5 Rxd2 30. Rxd2 Qxc5 31.
Rd7 b5 32. axb5 Qxb5 33. Qd1 {The threat of Qd4 appears for the first time,
and it won't be the last.} Nc6 34. Be2 Qb6 35. Bc4 Rb7 36. b3 Qa7 37. Rd6 $3 {
How about that} ({instead of the standard} 37. Rd3 Qc5 38. Qf3 Qe7 39. Rd1)
37... Bxd6 ({The idea is visible in} 37... Qc5 38. Rxc6 Qxc6 39. Qd4) ({
so, Black's best was} 37... Rc7) 38. Qxd6 Qb6 ({The bishops rule the roost in
case of} 38... Rc7 39. Bf6 Qb8 40. hxg6 hxg6 41. Bb5 $1 Qc8 {and it will be
over once the white queen finds her way to the h-file:} 42. Qc5 Ne7 43. Qg5 Qf8
44. Qh4) 39. Qf4 Kf8 ({No salvation was to be found in} 39... gxh5 40. Qf6 Kf8
(40... e5 41. Bd5 Rc7 42. Bxe5) 41. Bxe6 Nd8 42. Qg7+ Ke7 43. Bd5) 40. Bxe6 Nb4
41. Qf6 Nd3 (41... Qxe6 42. Qd8+ Qe8 43. Bg7+) 42. Bd4 Qd6 43. Be3 Ne1+ 44. Kf1
{A nice note for Ding to finish the tournament he started with the
disheartening loss with White to Rapport. We all know the Chinese star is
going to be a contender for the top places in the entire Grand Prix series,
while Levon's army of fans once again are left scratching their heads.} 1-0

[Event "Moscow FIDE GP"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2017.05.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Yuffa,D"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2017.05.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Boris is a famous Catalan specialist and it shows in this game.} 1. d4 Nf6 2.
c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 ({The first point.
It looks like suicide, but it's difficult to prove even a slight advantage for
White:} 7... b5 8. a4 b4 9. Nfd2 (9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Nxc4 c5 11. Rd1 Nbd7 {
Black is OK there, having a very easy plan to develop the pieces (Rc8 etc.)
while White has to be patient}) (9. Ne5 Qxd4 $44 {Black has serious
compensation here, White's queenside is stuck}) 9... c6 10. Nxc4 Qxd4 11. Rd1
Qc5 12. Nbd2 Ba6 13. b3 Nbd7 14. Bb2 Rad8 15. Rac1 Nb6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Ne4
Qf5 18. Nxb6 axb6 19. Qxc6 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Rc8 21. Qxb6 Bxe2 22. Qb7 Bxd1 23.
Qxc8+ Bf8 24. Qd8 Bxb3 25. a5 Kg7 26. a6 Qe5 27. h4 Bd5 28. Nxf6 Qxf6 29. Qxf6+
Kxf6 30. Bxd5 Bc5 {1/2 (30) Aronian,L (2797)-Nakamura,H (2767) Saint Louis
2014. This game looks like a battle of analysis}) 8. a4 $5 (8. Qxc4 {is a bit
more common in this position} b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 {and sometimes the a-pawn
is useful on a3, but that is a different and absolutely unclear position.})
8... Bd7 {The most popular of late in games of top GMs.} 9. Bg5 (9. Qxc4 Bc6
10. Bf4 {Vladimir Kramnik drew the consequences after the game against So and
just a few days later he beat Eljanov} Nbd7 (10... a5 11. Nc3 Na6 (11... Nbd7 {
Amazingly but this move had been made just twice before Kramnik's game} 12. Qd3
Bb4 13. Rfe1 Re8 14. Qc2 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Rad1 $14 {This position has
occurred in So-Kramnik, 1-0, 2017. A bishop pair and a pawn centre take
control of the board}) 12. Ne5 (12. Rac1 Nb4 $11) 12... Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nd5 {
Black's position looks very cramped}) 11. Nc3 Bd6 12. e3 (12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6
Nxf6 14. Qd3 Bb4 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 {Black was not at risk in
Bykov-Lugovskoy, 2017}) 12... Nb6 13. Qb3 Bxf4 14. gxf4 a5 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16.
Kxg2 Nbd5 $13 {any result can happen there.}) 9... Bc6 10. Rd1 {A very artful
move, White does not rush to eat the pawn on c4.} ({A pragmatic solution would
be} 10. Qxc4 Bd5 11. Qc2 {I prefer this move} ({instead of} 11. Qd3 {the
d-file is intended for the rook}) 11... Be4 12. Qc1 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rd1 {
the most flexible} a5 15. Qf4 Bh7 16. Nbd2 c6 17. e4 Na6 18. Nc4 $13 {The PC
says it's equal, but from my point of view it's easier to play with White as
was proved in Xiong-Swiercz, 1-0, 2017.}) 10... Nbd7 ({The most important is
to understand the consequences of} 10... b5 {The game between Postny and
Boruchovsky has shown that Black's queenside configuration is not so solid:}
11. Bxf6 (11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. e4 h6 (12... b4 $5 13. d5 Bb7 14. dxe6 fxe6 15. Bxf6
Bxf6 16. Ne2 Qe7 17. Qxc4 Rae8 18. Qxc7 Nc5 $13 {Like a puzzle}) 13. Bxf6 Nxf6
14. d5 $5 exd5 15. e5 {a typical Catalan idea} Ng4 (15... Nd7 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17.
Rxd5 c6 18. Rdd1 Qe8 19. e6 $5 (19. axb5 cxb5 20. Ng5 Bxg5 21. Bxa8 Nxe5 22.
Rxa6 Nd3 {threating Nb4, and seems like} 23. Rxd3 cxd3 24. Qxd3 $11 {is the
best continuation}) 19... fxe6 20. Nd4 Rc8 21. Bxc6 Bc5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Bxb5
Qf7 $11 {Black got away with being almost killed, but it remains complicated}))
11... Bxf6 12. Nc3 Qe7 13. e4 g6 (13... Qe8 14. d5 exd5 15. exd5 Bb7 16. Nd4
$36 {and White has a lot of compensation for the pawn}) 14. axb5 axb5 15. Rxa8
Bxa8 16. Nxb5 Qb4 17. Nc3 Nd7 18. Ra1 {and I'd prefer White's position.}) 11.
Nbd2 h6 (11... b5 $5 12. b3 Nd5 13. bxc4 (13. axb5 Nb4 14. Qc1 axb5 15. Rxa8
Bxa8 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. bxc4 bxc4 18. Qxc4 c5 19. dxc5 Qxc5 $11) 13... Nb4 14.
Qc3 Bxg5 15. axb5 axb5 16. Nxg5 Bxg2 17. Qxb4 Qxg5 18. Kxg2 bxc4 19. Rxa8 Rxa8
20. Qxc4 Qa5 21. Ne4 Qa2 22. Rc1 {with minimal chances of success. A draw is
the most probable result there.}) 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Nxc4 Be4 14. Qc1 $146 ({
A novelty. Recently Alexander Grischuk played} 14. Qb3 a5 15. Nfe5 Bd5 16. Rac1
Re8 17. Qc2 c6 18. e4 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Qb6 20. d5 cxd5 21. exd5 Bd6 $11 ({instead
of} 21... Bb4 {that Adams had played}) 22. dxe6 Rxe6 {opposite-coloured
bishops and a symmetrical pawn structure tell us all we need to know about the
result of the game.}) 14... a5 ({Now Black is under pressure.} 14... Rc8 {
looks more principled} 15. Nfe5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c6 17. a5 Qd5+ 18. f3 Qb5 19. e4
Rfd8 {leaves the position complicated and unclear.} ({After} 19... c5 $5 {
it all becomes forced:} 20. d5 exd5 21. exd5 Rcd8 (21... Rfd8 $4 22. d6 Bxd6
23. Rxd6 Rxd6 24. Nxd6 Qe2+ 25. Kh1 $18 {and the rook is hanging}) 22. d6 Bxd6
23. Nxf7 Rxf7 24. Rxd6 Rxd6 25. Nxd6 Qe2+ 26. Kg1 Nd5 27. Qe1 $11)) 15. Nfe5
Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c6 17. Qc2 Qc7 18. Rac1 Rfd8 19. Qb3 Bf8 20. Qf3 Rac8 21. e4 b5
22. Ne3 Qb7 23. b3 c5 $2 {Harikrishna could not stand the pressure.} ({It was
important to get the bishop out of the cage:} 23... Bb4 24. g4 ({Probably
Penteala didn't like} 24. h4 $5 h5 25. g4 bxa4 26. bxa4 hxg4 27. N3xg4 {
But there is} Nxe4 $5 (27... Nxg4 28. Qxg4 Rf8 29. h5 f5 30. exf5 c5+ 31. f3
exf5 32. Qg3 cxd4 33. h6 Rxc1 34. Rxc1 Bd2 35. Rh1 $16) 28. Qxe4 f5 29. Qf3
fxg4 30. Qxg4 c5+ 31. Kh3 Qe7 $14 {looks dangerous but does not lose
immediately}) 24... Nh7 25. h4 f6 26. Nd3 bxa4 $13 {Very unusual and
non-typical play for Black, but the engine endorses it.}) 24. d5 exd5 25. Nxd5
Rd6 26. axb5 Qxb5 27. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 28. e5 Re6 29. exf6 g6 (29... Qe2 30. Qc3 $1
{No mercy!} Qe4+ 31. Kg1 gxf6 32. Nf4 Re5 33. Rd7+ Kg8 34. Qxa5 $18 {Like salt
in a wound. White is a pawn up and close to destroying the remainder.}) 30. Re1
Qc6 31. Rxe6 Qxe6 32. Ra1 (32. h4 {is a bit more tidy if Black plays} Rd8 33.
Rd1) 32... Qf5 (32... Rd8 33. Rd1 Rd6 34. Qd3 {with ideas of h4 or Qb5 just
reaching the surface.}) 33. Rxa5 Qxf3+ 34. Kxf3 Rb8 35. Ke4 Rxb3 36. Ra7+ Ke6
37. Nf4+ (37. Ra6+ {could make Boris' performance perfect.} Kf7 38. f4 c4 39.
Ne3 $1 c3 40. Ng4 {and the knight reaches the best place on the board.}) 37...
Kxf6 38. Ra6+ Kf7 39. Ra7+ Kf6 40. Ra6+ Kf7 41. Nxg6 Bg7 42. f4 Rb2 43. h4 Rg2
(43... c4 44. h5 c3 (44... Re2+ 45. Kf3 Rh2 46. Ra7+ Kg8 47. Ne7+ Kh8 48. Rc7 {
a technical position}) 45. Ra7+ Kf6 46. Ne5 $18) 44. Kf3 Rg1 45. h5 c4 46. Ra7+
Kg8 47. Ne7+ Kf8 48. Ng6+ Kg8 49. Rc7 Rc1 50. Ne7+ Kf8 51. Nf5 Bb2 52. Rc8+ {
An amazing game by Boris Gelfand. He increased the pressure move by move and
deserved to win. Surprisingly the PC evaluates most Catalan positions as equal
and Black can even breathe normally despite his lack of space.} 1-0

[Event "Moscow-B"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1986.03.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Azmaiparashvili, Zurab"]
[Black "Zaitsev, Igor A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "Zaitsev,I"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1986.03.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2002"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Inf.41/571} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7.
Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Ra7 $5 (11... Bb7 {- Inf.40/
609}) (11... Nc6 {- Inf.40/(609)}) (11... Qc8 12. Be3 $5 (12. Bg5 {- Inf.39/
(592)}) 12... Nd5 (12... Nbd7 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Nb3 Nd5 15. Na5 $14) 13. Nc3
Nxe3 (13... Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Nd7 15. Rac1 $16) 14. Qxe3 Bb7 15. Ne4 Nd7 16. Rac1
Qd8 17. Rfd1 Bd5 18. Rc2 $1 $14 {Zlochevsky-Kozurov/URS 1986}) 12. Rd1 Nbd7 13.
Ba5 Qa8 14. Nc3 (14. Nbd2 Bd5 15. b4 e5 $2 (15... Nb6 $11) 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17.
Nxe5 Bxg2 18. f3 $16 {><c6}) 14... Bb7 $11 {[/\ c5]} 15. a4 (15. b4) 15... b4
16. Na2 c5 17. b3 (17. dxc5) 17... Rc8 (17... Bd5 $5 18. Qb2 cxd4 19. Rxd4 Bc5
20. Rdd1 Ng4 $15) 18. Qb2 cxd4 19. Qxd4 (19. Rxd4 $5 Bc5 (19... Nd5 $13) 20.
Rdd1 Bd5 21. Bxb4 (21. Nxb4 Bxb4 22. Bxb4 Rb7 $15) (21. Rac1 $11) 21... Rb7 $15
) 19... Rc2 $1 $15 20. Qd3 Be4 $1 21. Nd4 $1 Rxa2 $1 (21... Bxd3 22. Bxa8 Bxe2
23. Nxc2 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 Rxa8 25. Naxb4 $14) 22. Bxe4 Nxe4 23. Rxa2 Ne5 $1 (23...
Nc3 24. Rc2 Nxd1 25. Nc6 $16) 24. Qe3 (24. Qc2 Nc3 (24... Nxf2 25. Kxf2 Ng4+
26. Kg1 (26. Ke1 Qh1+ 27. Kd2 Bg5+ 28. e3 $8 Bxe3+ 29. Kd3 $16) 26... Ne3 27.
Nc6 Nxc2 $11) 25. Raa1 Bc5 $15) 24... Ng4 25. Qf3 Ngxf2 $1 (25... Ne5 26. Qf4 (
26. Qg2 Nc3) 26... g5 $6 27. Qxe5 Bf6 28. Nc6 Bxe5 29. Rd8+ Qxd8 30. Bxd8 $18)
26. Rc1 (26. Rf1 Nh3+ $17) 26... g5 $5 $138 27. Nc6 g4 28. Qe3 Rd7 29. Qb6 Nh3+
30. Kf1 Bc5 $1 (30... Bd8 31. Nxd8 $2 (31. Qb8 Qxc6 $1 $19) (31. Qxb4 $1 $16)
31... Nxg3+ $1 $19) 31. Qb8+ $8 Qxb8 32. Nxb8 Rd5 (32... Rd2 33. Rxd2 Nxd2+ 34.
Kg2 (34. Ke1 Nxb3 35. Rc4 Bf2+ $13) 34... Nxb3 35. Rc4 Nxa5 36. Rxc5 b3 37.
Nxa6 b2 38. Rb5 Nc4 39. Nc5 Ne3+ 40. Kh1 Nf2+ $11) 33. e3 $1 Nc3 $2 $138 (33...
Bd6 34. Nc6 (34. Rc8+ $2 Kg7 35. Nc6 Rd1+ 36. Ke2 Nc3#) 34... Nd2+ 35. Rxd2 $1
Rxd2 36. Bxb4 Rxh2 37. Rc4 Rf2+ 38. Ke1 Bxb4+ 39. Nxb4 h5 40. Nxa6 f5 {/\ h4-/+
}) 34. Nxa6 Bf8 $2 (34... Nxa2 $11) 35. Rxc3 $1 $16 bxc3 36. Bxc3 Rd3 37. Rc2
Rxe3 38. b4 Ng5 39. Bd2 Rf3+ 40. Ke2 Ne4 41. Be3 f5 42. Nc5 $18 Nxg3+ 43. hxg3
1-0

