[Event "London Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke J"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "McShane,L"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2010.12.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 140"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. d4 $5 {With
this interesting idea, White voluntarily gives up the bishop pair in order to
increase his lead in development.} (7. b3 {was played in Flores-Carlsen at the
Khanty Mansiysk-Olympiad in 2010}) 7... cxd4 8. Bxh6 Bxh6 9. Nxd4 Ne5 {[%csl
Gc8,Gg2,Gh6][%cal Yg2a8] An ambitious decision, refusing to simplify the
position.} 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Rfd1 {[%csl Rd8,Rh6][%cal Yc4c5,Yd4f5,Yd1d8] The
position is calm on the surface, but the situation is tense. Black's queenside
is under pressure, but if Black can catch up in development then his pair of
bishops will give him an advantage, so it's important for White to keep up the
momentum and create threats. This move creates the idea of c4-c5, and if d6xc5
then Nd4-f5 with a discovered attack.} Nd7 12. Qa3 a5 13. b4 $5 {[%csl Ga3]
[%cal Ya3a8,Yc4c5] A brave decision which took some time. I wanted to seize
the initiative before my opponent had a chance to unravel his queenside. The
immediate threat is to advance c4-c5 which would break through the queenside
defences.} Ra6 {[%csl Ga6][%cal Ya5b4,Yb7a6]} (13... Nb6 {was the critical
response, hitting c4 and protecting the rook on a8 so that axb4 becomes
possible. Now after} 14. c5 Nc4 15. Qb3 Nd2 $5 {is a surprising shot. During
the game I thought White had good chances in the tactical melee which arises
after 16.Qd5!?, but perhaps} 16. Qa4 {is the correct follow up after all.}) 14.
b5 Ra8 {It's not obvious who has gained from the pawn's advance to b5. If
White can break through, the advanced pawn will be an asset, but if Black can
get a grip on c5 then the c4-pawn will be a long term weakness.} 15. e3 a4 16.
Rab1 Bg7 17. Ne4 {[%cal Yc4c5] White is threatening c4-c5 again, which would
open the floodgates for the rest of my pieces. It's correct to prevent that,
but I had foreseen the nice maneouvre with the other knight.} Qb6 18. Nc6 $1 {
[%csl Gc6,Gd5,Re7][%cal Yc6e7,Yc6b4,Yb4d5]} Re8 ({Capturing the knight wasn't
a great option:} 18... bxc6 19. bxc6 Qc7 (19... Qxc6 20. Nf6+ {wins the queen.}
) 20. cxd7 Bxd7 21. c5 {and White will probably pick up a pawn.}) 19. Nb4 {
[%csl Rb6,Gd5,Ge4][%cal Yb4d5,Yc4c5] Heading for a nice square on d5.} f5 {
Certainly ugly, but both of us thought this was a necessary evil. Perhaps
though, moving the queen away was the best bet.} 20. Nc3 $6 (20. Nd5 $1 Qd8 21.
Ng5 $1 {was the strongest continuation, threatening to hop into the hole on e6.
After} Nc5 22. b6 {threatens a fork on c7. If both the rooks flee then} Rf8 23.
Nc7 Rb8 24. Rb5 $1 {is incisive, and Black has no good answer to Rxc5.}) 20...
Qc5 $2 (20... e6 $1 {was the best defence. I was looking at some ideas with}
21. Na6 $5 {but the position remains messy. Retreating the knight to d3 should
preserve an edge though.}) 21. Nxa4 Qa7 22. Na6 $3 {[%csl Ga6,Ra7,Gg2][%cal
Yg2a8,Yb5b6,Ya6c7] Certainly Magnus missed the force of this knight sacrifice.
The threat is Na6-c7 and taking the knight comes with its own problems.} bxa6 (
22... Rf8 23. c5 $1 Nxc5 24. N4xc5 dxc5 25. Qxc5 {and the knight still can't
be taken:} bxa6 26. b6 Qb8 27. Qd5+ $18) 23. b6 Nxb6 24. Rxb6 $1 (24. Nxb6 Rb8
{is less convincing.}) 24... Rb8 25. c5 $1 Be6 {Black faced an unappealing
choice.} ({The alternative was} 25... dxc5 26. Qxc5 Rxb6 27. Nxb6 Be6 28. Qc6
Bf7 29. Bd5 {and Black is in huge trouble.} e6 $2 {allows a pretty finish:} 30.
Nc8 Qb8 31. Bxe6 $1 Rxe6 32. Rd8+ Bf8 33. Ne7+ $1 Kg7 34. Rxb8 Rxc6 35. Nxc6 {
with an easy win.}) 26. Rdb1 dxc5 27. Rb7 Rxb7 28. Rxb7 Qa8 29. Nxc5 Qc8 (29...
Bf7 30. Rxe7 $1 {is winning comfortably, as a6 will also drop off after the
exchange of rooks.} Qb8 31. Rxe8+ Qxe8 32. Qxa6 {etc.}) 30. Qxa6 Bf7 (30...
Qxc5 31. Qxe6+ Kh8 32. Bc6 {[%csl Re7] wins the e7-pawn as well.}) 31. Bc6 Rd8
32. Nd7 $1 {[%csl Gd7][%cal Yb7c7,Ya6b6,Yb7b8] The neatest way to finish. The
threat is simply to play Qb6 followed by Rc7 or Rb8 to trap the queen, and
there is no good response.} Rxd7 (32... Be6 33. Qb6 Rxd7 34. Rb8 $1 {wins with
a pin.}) 33. Bxd7 Qc1+ 34. Qf1 Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 Bc4+ 36. Kg1 Bxa2 37. Ba4 $1 {
[%cal Ya4b3] Forcing off a pair of bishops makes the technical task much
simpler.} e5 38. f3 $1 {A final accurate move. After exchanging bishops, White
will play e3-e4 to fix a weakness on e5 before advancing the king.} Bh6 39.
Bb3+ 1-0

[Event "London Classic 3rd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2011.12.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "McShane, Luke J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 Bb6 8. Nc4
Ne7 9. Ba4 Ng6 10. h3 Be6 11. Bc2 h6 12. a4 c5 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. d4 Qc8 15. Re1
b5 16. Bd2 bxa4 17. Rxa4 Rxa4 18. Bxa4 Bxh3 19. Nh2 Bd7 20. Bb3 Be6 21. d5 Bd7
22. Nf1 b5 23. Qf3 Nh7 24. Ng3 Ne7 25. Qh5 f5 26. f4 Nf6 27. Qe2 c4 28. Bc2
fxe4 29. fxe5 dxe5 30. d6 Qc5+ 31. Be3 Qxd6 32. Nxe4 Nxe4 33. Bxe4 Bf5 34. Rd1
Qg6 35. Bxf5 Rxf5 36. Rd7 Rf7 37. Bf2 Qb1+ 38. Be1 Ng6 39. Rd6 Kh7 40. Kh2 Qf5
41. Bg3 Nf4 42. Qf3 Qc2 43. Re6 Rf5 44. Bxf4 Rxf4 45. Qh5 Rf2 46. Qg4 Qd3 47.
Rxe5 Rxb2 48. Qf4 Qg6 49. Qf3 Rd2 50. Rxb5 Qd6+ 51. Kg1 Rd1+ 52. Kf2 Qd2+ 53.
Kg3 Qe1+ 54. Kg4 Rd6 55. g3 Rf6 56. Rf5 Qe6 57. Qd5 h5+ 58. Kg5 Rxf5+ 59. Qxf5+
Qxf5+ 60. Kxf5 Kh6 61. Kf4 Kg6 0-1

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.06.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "McShane, Luke J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[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. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 a6 5. Bg5 {White has tried basically every
legal move in this position, but Bg5 has never been that popular.} dxc4 (5...
Ne4 {is more popular, but the move in the game scores far better.}) 6. a4 h6 7.
Bh4 (7. Bxf6 exf6 8. e3 {regains the pawn but promises no advantage.}) 7... b5
{This move is new in grandmaster games, but the idea behind it is common for
this variation.} 8. axb5 cxb5 9. Nxb5 (9. e4 Bb7 10. e5 g5 11. Bg3 Ne4 12. e6 {
is very messy and quite unforced.}) 9... axb5 10. Rxa8 Bb7 11. Ra1 g5 12. Bg3
e6 {The point of Black's exchange sacrifice is that there is no good way of
meeting ...Bb4+. White is already forced to forego castling and that will make
his development quite awkward.} 13. e3 Bb4+ 14. Ke2 Nc6 {From a practical
persepective this position is very hard for White. Black has all the options,
the better development, the pair of bishops, the targets, the safer king.
White does have an extra exchange but it's very hard to play with it.} 15. Ne1
Na5 (15... Nd5 {with the idea of f5-f4 is worth considering.}) 16. Be5 (16. Nc2
Be7 17. f3 O-O 18. Kf2 {right away was preferable. At least White's bishop
might go to e2 one day.}) 16... O-O 17. h4 {White is lashing out, hoping for
some activity. But there really is nothing to create. The king on e2 makes
everything uncoordinated. I also believe that the pawn on g4 actually helps
Black, since White can never successfully open the g-file, which means that f3
is not a possibility.} g4 18. Nc2 Be7 19. Ke1 Nb3 20. Ra2 (20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21.
Qxg4+ Kh8 22. Ra7 Qb6 $17 {gives White more material but does not help his
position.}) 20... h5 21. Be2 {After spending a considerable amount of time in
this position, I've come to the conclusion that White has no good moves. Be2
is far from ideal, but the alternatives might just be worse.} (21. f3 gxf3 22.
gxf3 Ng4 $36) 21... Bd6 $1 {A very strong move. Black eliminates that active
bishop and emphasizes the weakness on g2. There was no need to take the pawn
immediately, this is much stronger. After this Black is simply better.} 22. f3
(22. Bxf6 Qxf6 {leaves white helpless against the threats on the kingside.}) (
22. Bxd6 Qxd6 23. Kf1 Ne4 {with a clear black initiative.}) (22. Ra7 {was
maybe the last chance to bail out, but Black doesn't have to cooperate.} Bxg2 (
22... Be4 $1 {is better.}) 23. Rg1 Be4 24. Bxg4 Nxg4 25. Rxg4+ hxg4 26. Qxg4+
Bg6 27. h5 Bxe5 28. hxg6 Bg7 29. Qh3 {and White seems to achieve a draw.})
22... Nd5 (22... Bxe5 23. dxe5 Nd5 24. fxg4 Qb6 $1 {transposes to the game,
but was a more accurate move order.}) 23. fxg4 (23. Ra7 Bc6 24. f4 $13) 23...
Bxe5 24. dxe5 Qb6 25. Bf3 Nxe3 26. Nxe3 Qxe3+ (26... Rd8 $5 {was also a strong
move. The point is that Qe2 is not possible and that is the only move that
defends the knight. Without it White must give up the queen and the rest is
easy.} 27. Kf2 (27. Qe2 Nc1 $19) 27... Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Bxf3 29. gxf3 Nd4 $19 {
McShane might have seen this position and thought that the two rooks more than
compensated for the queen. However, Black's superior activity and plethora of
targets gives him a near decisive advantage.}) 27. Qe2 Qc1+ 28. Qd1 Qe3+ 29.
Qe2 Qc1+ 30. Qd1 Bxf3 {Black's attack is winning, no need to repeat again. The
queens cannot be traded so the attack continues.} 31. gxf3 Qe3+ 32. Qe2 Qc1+
33. Qd1 Qe3+ 34. Qe2 Qf4 {Once the rook joins the fray there will be no
stopping Black. Aronian keeps hitting the queen but this game is over.} 35. Qh2
(35. Kf2 Rd8 36. Rd1 Qh2+ 37. Ke3 Qxe5+ 38. Kf2 Qh2+ 39. Ke3 Qxh4 $19 {Black
has recuperated his material and White's king is quite sad on e3.}) 35... Qxf3
36. Rf1 Qe4+ 37. Kf2 Nd2 38. Rg1 Qf3+ (38... Qf3+ 39. Ke1 Qe3+ 40. Kd1 Nb3 {
and mate will follow shortly after White's spite check. A very powerful and
convincing show my McShane. As I said in the notes, I'm not even sure where
Aronian went decisively wrong. Maybe the entire Be5 and h4 idea was wrong, but
to be honest his position was unpleasant from the start. This lines overall
are dangerous for White at best.}) 0-1

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.06.16"]
[Round "7"]
[White "McShane, Luke J"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "187"]
[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. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {This line usually leads to
slightly freer white play, without too many real chances for an advantage,
however.} Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 ({In my article for CBM 124 I analysed} 7. Nc3
O-O 8. Bd3 {, which aims for active piece play. The main merit of the game
continuation is that it leaves the path free for the d-pawn.}) 7... Nxe5 8.
Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 ({Both players had some experience with Black
against} 10... Nf5 11. d5 {Gaining space in the centre and hoping to take
advantage of the relative instability of Black's developed minor pieces.} (11.
c3 {is too passive to cause Black any problems:} d5 12. Bf4 c6 13. Nd2 Nh4 14.
Bg3 Bf5 15. Nb3 b6 $11 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2690)-Kramnik,V (2785)/Moscow (blitz)
2007/EXT 2008 (1/2, 37)}) 11... d6 12. Nd2 Nh4 13. g3 Ng6 14. a4 Ne5 15. Ra3 a5
16. Ne4 Be7 17. f4 $14 {With considerable space advantage for White in Anand,V
(2804)-McShane,L (2645)/London 2010/CBM 140 (1/2, 41)}) 11. Bf4 $5 {A new
trend, bringing some life into a static position. Other moves leave Black with
no trouble equalising.} (11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Nf5 13. Bd3 ({In a preclassic
game, White played the provocative} 13. Bf4 d6 14. Nd2 {In Steinitz,
W-Zukertort,J/USA 1886/MainBase/[ChessBase] (0-1, 39), Black could have
reacted with} g5 15. Bg3 h5 $132 {Of course, Steinitz would evaluate the
position as completely winning for White, because of the black kingside
weaknesses.}) 13... d5 14. Bf4 c6 15. Nd2 Nh4 16. Qe2 Bf5 17. Bxf5 Nxf5 18. Nf3
Qe7 19. Re1 Qxe2 20. Rxe2 {1/2 Nakamura,H (2751)-Kramnik,V (2784)/Wijk aan Zee
2011/CBM 141. In fact, Nakamura needed a draw in this game to ensure his
overall win in the tournament, so the game is not relevant for White's chances
for an advantage.}) (11. Rxe8+ Nxe8 {This helps the knight to get closer to
the f6-square.} 12. d5 d6 13. Nd2 Bf5 14. Nc4 Bg5 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 Bd7 17.
Qd4 a5 18. c3 Nf6 19. Re1 Qb8 20. Bd3 Qa7 21. Qxa7 Rxa7 22. f3 Kf8 {1/2 Polgar,
J (2701)-Kramnik,V (2791)/Hoogeveen 2011/CBM 145}) 11... Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 (
12... Bxd4 {would most likely transpose:} 13. Nc3 (13. Bxd6 $44 {is also
possible, since} Bxb2 $2 {loses to} 14. Bxc7 $1 $18) 13... g6 $6 (13... Ne8 {
leads to the game position.}) 14. Nd5 $36) 13. Nc3 {The most ambitious move,
aiming for rapid piece development.} (13. c3 {allows Black to complete his
development and exchange his passive queen's bishop.} d5 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nd2 Ng7
16. Nf3 (16. Qe2 c6 17. Nb3 b6 18. Re1 Bf5 $11 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2711)
-Riazantsev,A (2688)/Khanty-Mansiysk 2011/CBM 145 (1/2, 88)}) 16... c6 17. Qd2
Bf5 18. Re1 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Qd7 20. Be5 Bxe5 21. Nxe5 {White's advantage is
purely symbolic.} Qf5 22. Qxf5 Nxf5 23. Nd3 Kf8 24. Nc5 Nd6 $11 {Salgado Lopez,
I (2621)-Bruzon Batista,L (2694)/Quito 2012/CBM 148 (1/2, 30)}) 13... Bxd4 {
This pawn was important, since it threatened to gain space in the centre.
Besides, the black dark-squared bishop experienced some space problems.} (13...
c6 14. d5 $14) 14. Nd5 d6 {Development above all!} (14... Bxb2 $2 {loses to
some active moves with the heavy pieces:} 15. Qb4 $1 Bf6 (15... Bxa1 $2 16.
Ne7+ Kh8 17. Nc6 $1 $18 {[%cal Gb4f8]}) 16. Re1 d6 17. Rxe8+ Qxe8 18. Nxc7 $18)
15. Bg5 Bf6 {Aiming for piece exchanges.} (15... f6 {leaves White with a
dangerous initiative.} 16. Be3 $5 Bxb2 (16... Bxe3 17. Qxe3 c6 18. Re1 $40) (
16... Be5 17. f4) 17. Rb1 c6 (17... Ba3 18. Qc3 Bc5 19. Bxc5 dxc5 20. Re1 $32)
18. Bc4 Be5 19. Nc7+ d5 20. Nxa8 dxc4 21. Rd1 Qe7 22. Bxa7 $14 {White ensures
the knight's retreat via b6. With his knight on the back rank Black does not
seem to have entirely adequate compensation, although the position remains
complicated.}) 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 (16... gxf6 17. Bh4 $5 $16 {[%csl Rf6][%cal
Ge1c3]}) 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Qe4 $5 $146 ({Slightly earlier, White obtained some
advantage with} 18. Bd3 f5 19. Qe3 Be6 20. Qf3 c6 21. Bxf5 $14 {Najer,E (2640)
-Bacrot,E (2706)/Plovdiv 2012/CBM 148 (1/2, 69)}) 18... f5 (18... d5 19. Qf4 $5
{[%csl Rd5,Rg8][%cal Ga1d1,Gd1d3]}) 19. Qe3 Be6 {It may seem that White has
simply lost a tempo (Bf1-d3 is missing) with respect to the last quoted game.
McShane seems to have thought that the bishop stands well enough on f1, and
that the third rank should be left available for the attack.} 20. Qg3+ Kf8 {
The start of a deep plan. The king abandons the weakened kingside and seeks
refuge under the compact pawn shelter from the queenside.} (20... Kh8 21. Qc3+
Kg8 22. Re1 {[%cal Ge1e3,Ge3g3]} c6 (22... d5 23. Qg3+ Kh8 24. Qe5+ Kg8 25. Re3
$16) 23. Re3 f4 24. Re4 Qg5 25. Qb4 $36 {[%csl Gb7,Gd6,Gf4]}) 21. Qc3 Ke7 $1 (
21... Kg8 {would transpose above.}) 22. Re1 Kd7 23. Bc4 {Exchanging an
important defensive piece (Be6), which kept Black's wings together.} Qh8 24.
Bxe6+ fxe6 25. Qb3 Re8 26. Qxb7 Rb8 27. Qxa7 Qxb2 {White has retrieved the
pawn and the black king is in the centre. However, there is no real danger for
His Majesty. Black's superior piece activity and his more compact structure
make his position slightly preferable.} 28. Qa4+ Qb5 29. Qh4 Qa5 30. Qxh7+ Kc6
31. Rc1 (31. Rf1 $5) 31... Qxa2 (31... Qd2 32. Rf1 Qxc2 33. Qg6 Kd5 $5 $15 {
Of course, during the game it is not easy to decide upon such an exotic
regrouping.}) 32. Qh5 Qb2 33. Qd1 Kd7 34. g3 e5 35. c4 {At last some activity
for White. The threatened c4-c5 will weaken the enemy king's defence.} Ke7 36.
Qe1 Rb3 37. c5 $132 d5 {Tempting, but maybe not best. Less than ten moves
later, White will have the initiative already.} (37... e4 38. cxd6+ cxd6 $13 {
would keep the king better defended. In the game, the king will be vulnerable
along the seventh and sixth rank.}) 38. Rd1 c6 39. Qa5 {Suddenly, the king
does not feel so comfortable any more. From a practical point of view, Black's
position starts being more difficult to play. I cannot help remembering the
fifth game of the 1910 Lasker-Schlechter match, where the material situation
was similar to that in the current game. The then reigning World Champion
played in similar style to Kramnik, using his king for active purposes, but
then lost the thread and eventually came under decisive threats. A similar
scenario as in the Moscow 2012 game.} Kd7 40. Qa4 Rb5 41. Qh4 Rxc5 42. Qh7+ Kd6
43. Qg6+ Kc7 44. Qxf5 e4 45. h4 $36 {Black's initiative has come to a dead end,
while the h-pawn has started running. In a practical game, things remain
complicated, which explains some of White's hesitations in the next phase of
the game.} Rc3 46. Qe5+ Kb7 47. h5 Rb3 48. Qe7+ Kb6 49. Qd8+ Kb7 50. Qd7+ (50.
h6 $1 e3 {The only possible counterplay.} 51. Qe7+ Kb6 52. fxe3 Qe2 53. Ra1
Qxe3+ {The only way to parry the threatened attack with Qa7+.} 54. Qxe3+ Rxe3
55. Kf2 Re8 56. g4 $18 {White's pawns are far more advanced than Black's.})
50... Kb6 51. Qd8+ Kb7 52. Qe7+ Kb6 53. Qe8 Kb7 $6 (53... e3 $5 {may have
complicated the game a bit.}) 54. h6 Rf3 55. Qe7+ Ka6 {The king has to stay
away from the g1-a7 diagonal.} ({After} 55... Kb6 56. Rf1 e3 57. h7 Rxf2 {
White has} 58. Qxe3+ {with check.}) 56. Qc5 (56. Rf1 e3 {is harder to meet now.
}) 56... Kb7 57. Qe7+ (57. h7 $1 e3 58. h8=Q $1 Qxh8 59. Rb1+ $18 {with a
decisive attack.}) 57... Ka6 58. Qc5 Kb7 59. Rc1 Rf6 60. h7 Rh6 61. Kg2 $2 {
Only this seems to be a real mistake; the other inaccuracies had not spoiled
anything for White.} (61. Qe7+ Ka6 62. Rf1 $18 {Black cannot resist against
the threats on the opposite wings for too long.}) 61... Qb3 $2 ({Missing his
chance with:} 61... Qf6 $1 {[%cal Gf6f3,Gh6h7]} 62. Qb4+ Kc8 63. Qa3 Qf3+ 64.
Qxf3 exf3+ 65. Kxf3 Kc7 {and Black seems to be able to reach a draw.}) 62. Qe7+
Kb6 63. Qd8+ Kb7 64. Qd7+ Kb6 65. Rxc6+ {Not the only win, but a natural one.}
Rxc6 66. Qd8+ Ka7 67. Qd7+ Kb6 68. Qd8+ Ka7 69. h8=Q Qf3+ 70. Kh3 Rh6+ 71. Qxh6
Qh1+ 72. Kg4 Qxh6 73. Qxd5 {The forced sequence has come to an end and the
ending is technically won.} Qf6 74. Qf5 Qd4 75. Qf4 Kb7 76. Kf5 Qd5+ 77. Qe5
Qf7+ 78. Qf6 ({According to the tablebases, the ending after} 78. Kxe4 Qxf2 {
is also won, but who would give up one of the connected pawns in a practical
game?!}) 78... Qd5+ 79. Kf4 Qd2+ 80. Kxe4 Qe2+ 81. Kd5 Qa2+ 82. Kd6 Qa3+ 83.
Ke6 Qa2+ 84. Ke7 Qe2+ 85. Kf7 Qh5+ 86. Kg7 Qg4+ 87. Qg6 Qd4+ 88. Qf6 Qg4+ 89.
Kh6 Qe2 90. Kg5 Kc7 91. f4 Qf3 92. Qe5+ Kd7 93. f5 Qf1 94. f6 1-0

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.06.17"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "McShane, Luke J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[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 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. gxf3 ({
The sharp line} 8. Qxf3 e5 $1 {is gradually losing its popularity from White's
perspective.}) 8... Nbd7 9. Bg2 $5 {Before practically everybody automatically
played 9.f4 followed by 10.c5 closing the centre. Morozevich keeps the centre
under a certain tension, at least for a while.} ({The following game is a
typical example for this line. The position is closed, White has a bit more
space, but Black builds a fortress.} 9. f4 e6 10. c5 Ne4 11. Bd2 Nxc3 12. Bxc3
a5 13. Bd3 f5 14. h4 Nf6 15. h5 Ne4 16. Bb2 Be7 17. Qc2 a4 18. b4 Kf7 $11 {
1/2-1/2 Ivanchuk,V (2786)-Gelfand,B (2719)/Dresden 2008/CBM 128 (31)}) 9... e6
({Here opening up the centre would be suicide for Black:} 9... e5 $2 10. dxe5
Bb4 11. Bb2 Nxe5 12. f4 $16) 10. Bd2 Be7 11. f4 O-O 12. O-O (12. Rc1 Ne8 {
[%cal Gf7f5]} (12... bxc4 13. bxc4 Nb6 14. c5 Nc4 15. Bf1 Nxd2 16. Qxd2 $14)
13. f5 Nd6 14. fxe6 fxe6 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Ne2 Nf6 17. Nf4 Qd7 18. Nd3 Nfe4
$132) 12... bxc4 13. bxc4 Nb6 {McShane takes the opportunity to activate his
knight. For this purpose he had to open the b-file which should be easier to
seize by White as he has a spatial superiority on the queenside.} 14. c5 Nc4 {
In this opening line Black rarely gets a chance to place the knight in his
opponent's camp.} 15. Be1 Kh8 $1 {Black is intending to play 16...Rg8 followed
by 17...g5, opening the line against White's monarch. An excellent plan!} 16.
Ne2 {The knight on c3 is not very useful, so White is transferring it to g3 to
block the g-file. An alternative could be to fight for the g-file by a similar
plan that Black adopted.} (16. Kh1 Rg8 (16... Qc7 $6 17. Rg1 Rfb8 18. Bf1 $14)
17. Rg1 g5 18. fxg5 Rxg5 19. Rb1 Qd7 (19... Qf8 $6 20. Rb7 $14) 20. Qb3 Rag8
21. Qb7 Qe8 22. Ne2 (22. Qxa6 $2 e5 $17) 22... Qf8 23. Qxc6 Qg7 24. Ng3 Nxe3 $1
25. Qb7 Nf5 26. Rb3 Ne4 27. Bxe4 dxe4 {The "Houdini" engine shows here 0.00,
but I am sure that Black's initiative is very dangerous.}) 16... Rg8 {I would
prefer Black already, even though the position is double-edged.} 17. Ng3 g5 18.
Qf3 $6 {It's very risky to allow Black to open the g-file.} (18. f5 $1 g4 (
18... Qd7 19. Qd3 g4 20. h4 {leads to the same position as after 18...g4.}) 19.
h4 Qd7 20. Qd3 {This position is very rich for both sides. From White's
perpective the idea of sacrificing the exchange is promising. Here are a few
sample lines:} Ne8 {[%csl Rh4]} 21. h5 Rg5 (21... Ng7 22. Rc1 Nxf5 23. Nxf5
exf5 24. Rxc4 dxc4 25. Qxc4 $44) 22. Rc1 Nf6 23. Rxc4 dxc4 24. Qxc4 Nxh5 25.
Bc3 $44) 18... g4 $1 19. hxg4 Nxg4 20. Rc1 (20. Bh3 f5 21. Kg2 (21. Bxg4 Rxg4
22. Kg2 h5 23. Rh1 h4 24. Kf1 Rb8) 21... h5 22. Rh1 h4 23. Kf1 Rb8 {In both
cases Black is better.}) 20... Qf8 $2 {Trying to get the queen to h6, but now
White gets a chance to drive away the annoying knight.} (20... Bh4 $1 {was
very strong, but the lines are very messy, for a human player extremely
difficult to calculate.} 21. Rxc4 (21. Nh5 Rb8 $17) (21. Bh3 Nxf2 $1 22. Bxf2
Nd2 23. Qg2 Ne4 24. Nxe4 dxe4 $19) 21... dxc4 22. Bc3 (22. Ne4 f5 23. Nd6 Ra7
$19 {[%cal Ga7g7]}) 22... Nxf2 $1 23. Nh5 $1 Ng4 24. d5+ f6 25. Qh3 Nxe3 $1 26.
Qxe3 (26. Qxh4 Rxg2+ 27. Kh1 Qxd5 28. Qxf6+ Rg7+ {Black wins, not White, just
to avoid misunderstanding.}) 26... Qxd5 27. Qf3 Qf5 28. Kh2 Rg6 29. Bh3 Qc2+
30. Kh1 Rh6 31. Rg1 Rd8 $17) 21. Bh3 Nf6 22. Kh2 {The position is now unclear
again.} Rb8 23. e4 $2 {Not good timing for this breakthrough.} (23. Bc3 Qh6 24.
Rh1 Qh4 25. Kg2 Ne4 26. Bxe6 {In this irrational position it is actually
important to get rid of your own queen!} fxe6 $3 (26... Qf6 $2 27. Qxe4 $1 dxe4
(27... Rxg3+ 28. fxg3 dxe4 29. Bxc4 $16) 28. d5 fxe6 29. Bxf6+ Bxf6 30. Rxc4
exd5 31. Ra4 $16) 27. Rxh4 Bxh4 28. Be1 Rb2 29. Kh1 Rxf2 $1 30. Bxf2 Bxg3 31.
Bxg3 Ncd2 32. Qd1 Rxg3 33. Qh5 Rg4 $1 34. Qe5+ Rg7 35. Qb8+ Rg8 36. Qe5+ $11)
23... Rxg3 $1 {[%mdl 640] A great exchange sacrifice. Black ruins White's
centre and keeps the initiative.} 24. fxg3 dxe4 25. Qc3 Nb2 $2 {Seems like the
only square for the knight, but in fact Black missed the tactical opportunity.}
(25... Qh6 $1 26. Rh1 (26. Qxc4 Ng4+ 27. Kg1 Qxh3 $19) 26... Ne3 $1 27. Kg1
Nfd5 28. Qd2 Rg8 $17) 26. Rb1 Nd5 27. Qd2 Nc4 28. Rxb8 Qxb8 29. Qe2 ({It was
possible to "blunder" an exchange by} 29. Qc2 $5 Nce3 30. Qxe4 Nxf1+ 31. Bxf1
Qb2+ 32. Kh3 {[%cal Gf1d3] and White is not worse.}) 29... Nce3 30. Rh1 Bf6 {
[%csl Rd4]} 31. Bg2 $2 ({It was necessary to protect the Pd4 by} 31. Bc3 $1)
31... Bxd4 32. Bxe4 {This is losing by force, but I wouldn't be so harsh as to
put a question mark to this move, as White's position is bad anyway.} (32. Qd2
$2 Ng4+ 33. Kh3 Qf8 $3 {Allowing White to take the bishop with check!} 34.
Qxd4+ Kg8 35. Kxg4 f5+ 36. Kg5 Qe7+ $1 37. Kh5 (37. Kh6 Qf7 $19) 37... Qf7+ 38.
Kh4 Qg6 39. Qd1 Qf6+ 40. Kh5 Ne3 41. Qe2 Qg6+ 42. Kh4 Ng4 {and mate on the
next move. Amazing line!}) (32. Bh3 {was objectively the only way to prolong
the resistance, but it's psychologically difficult for a human player to make
such a move, as White just played Bh3-g2.}) {[%tqu "En","How Black should
continue his attack?","","","d5f4","Now Black is crushing through.",5]} 32...
Nxf4 $1 {Now Black is crushing through.} 33. gxf4 Qxf4+ 34. Bg3 Qxe4 35. Re1
Qf5 36. Bd6 Ng4+ 37. Kg2 Ne3+ {Gaining some seconds in time-trouble is always
useful.} 38. Kh2 e5 39. Rg1 Qf4+ 40. Kh3 Qh6+ {An exciting game!} (40... Qh6+
41. Kg3 Nf5+ 42. Kg2 Qg5+ {mating.}) 0-1

[Event "Netanya Masters"]
[Site "Netanya"]
[Date "2019.06.30"]
[Round "7"]
[White "McShane, Luke J"]
[Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2688"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2019.06.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 191"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.08.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.08.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bf4 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Nc3 Bxd4 14.
Nd5 d6 15. Bg5 f6 16. Bh4 Bxb2 17. Rb1 Be5 18. f4 c6 19. fxe5 cxd5 20. exf6
Nxf6 21. Bd3 Bd7 22. Qg3 Bc6 23. Bg5 Kh8 24. Qh4 h6 25. Bxh6 gxh6 26. Qxh6+ Kg8
27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Rb4 Ne4 29. Bxe4 dxe4 30. Rb3 e3 31. Rb4 Bd7 32. Qh6+ Kg8 33.
Qg6+ Kh8 34. Qh6+ Kg8 35. Rh4 Qxh4 36. Qxh4 Re8 37. Kf1 e2+ 38. Ke1 Re6 39.
Qd8+ Be8 40. g4 b5 41. h4 Kg7 42. h5 Bf7 43. Qg5+ Kh7 44. Qxb5 1-0

