[Event "EU-Cup 27th"]
[Site "Rogaska Slatina"]
[Date "2011.09.27"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Inarkiev, Ernesto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2627"]
[BlackElo "2692"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[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 "Novy Bor"]
[BlackTeam "Tomsk 400"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. Be3 Re8 13. Rad1 Qc7 14. g3 a6 15. a3
c5 16. d5 c4 17. Nh4 g6 18. Bg5 Kg7 19. Qc1 Ng8 20. Be3 Nc5 21. Qc2 Nf6 22. Ng2
Bc8 23. f4 exf4 24. Bd4 Nb3 25. Bxf6+ Kxf6 26. gxf4 Kg7 27. Kh1 f6 28. Bf3 Bh3
29. Qf2 Bxf4 30. Bg4 Bxg4 31. Nxf4 Bxd1 32. Rxd1 Rad8 33. Nh5+ Kh8 34. Qxf6+
Kg8 35. Qxa6 Rf8 36. Qe6+ Kh8 37. Nxb5 Qb8 38. Qe7 gxh5 39. Rg1 Rd7 40. Qxd7
Qe5 41. Nd6 Qf6 42. Nf5 Nc5 43. Qe7 Qxe7 44. Nxe7 Nxe4 45. a4 h4 46. a5 h3 47.
Rg8+ Rxg8 48. Nxg8 Nc5 49. d6 Kxg8 50. a6 1-0

[Event "Moscow Aeroflot op-A 11th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.02.12"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Sasikiran, Krishnan"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D30"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2658"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2012.02.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c6 4. Qc2 {This sideline has its fans even among the
elite.} ({Sasikiran until now used to play mainly} 4. Nbd2 {when Black has 2
main reactions:} {In a later game Bartel preferred the Stonewall with} f5 (4...
Nf6 5. g3 Qa5 (5... Nbd7 $142 6. Bg2 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2 Re8 9. b3 e5 10.
cxd5 cxd5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Bb2 Nc6 13. e3 Bg4 14. Rac1 Qe7 {Here White misses
his knight on c3 and Black with his isolated Pd5 has sufficient counterplay.
Simplification} 15. Nd4 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Ba3 17. Bc5 Bxc5 18. Qxc5 Qxc5 19. Rxc5
Rac8 20. Rfc1 Rxc5 21. Rxc5 Rc8 22. Rxc8+ Bxc8 23. Nb1 Bd7 24. Nc3 {1/2,Bareev,
E (2660)-Anand,V (2725)/Biel izt/1993/ led only to a quick draw.}) 6. Qc2 dxc4
7. Qxc4 b6 8. Bg2 Ba6 9. Qc2 Nbd7 {is an original try, but after} 10. Ne5 $1
Rc8 11. Nec4 Bxc4 12. Qxc4 b5 13. Qd3 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 (14... Nxc5 $142 $5) 15.
O-O Ne5 16. Qb1 Neg4 17. e3 Qb6 18. Nb3 O-O 19. Bd2 b4 20. Nxc5 Rxc5 21. a3 $14
{[%csl Gd2,Gg2] White has a pleasant pull with his bishops.} b3 $5 22. Bb4 Rc2
23. Bxf8 Nxe3 24. fxe3 $5 (24. Bb4 Nfg4 25. Qe1 Nxf1 26. Ba5 Qc5 27. Rd1 h5 28.
Bb4 Qb6 29. Ba5 Qc5 30. Bb4 Qb6 31. Ba5 Qc5 {1/2,Dziuba,M (2593)-Bartel,M 
(2608)/POL-chT Wroclaw/2011/}) 24... Qxe3+ 25. Kh1 Qe2 26. Qxc2 bxc2 27. Bc5
$16) 5. g3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Bd6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. b3 b6 (8... O-O {is more solid}) 9.
cxd5 cxd5 10. Ng5 Qe7 11. Nc4 Bb4 12. a3 Bc3 13. a4 (13. Bf4 $5) 13... Bb4 14.
Ba3 Bxa3 15. Nxa3 O-O 16. Qc2 Bb7 17. Rfc1 Rfc8 18. Qb2 h6 19. Nf3 Qb4 20. Nc2
Qd6 {1/2,Steingrimsson,H (2562)-Bartel,M (2627)/Bundesliga/2011/}) ({The most
popular move is} 4. Nc3 {, when Black plays} Nf6 {, reaching the basic
Semi-slav position} ({, or} 4... dxc4 $5 {, leading to the sharp Noteboom
variation.})) 4... dxc4 {Black takes at a moment, when White can recapture
only with his queen.} ({However, he can wait with this Meran move and play} 
4... Nf6 {instead.} 5. g3 (5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nc3 {is the most popular Anti-Meran
line nowadays.}) (5. Bg5 dxc4 {will probably only tranpose into the game, as
the gambit} 6. e4 b5 {is very rare - here Black is not yet forced to weaken
his kingside with h6 and g5 as in the sharp Anti-Moscow gambit.}) 5... dxc4 ({
For} 5... Nbd7 6. Bg2 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbd2 {see the previous note with 4.
Nbd2.}) 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qc2 Bb7 {has a good reputation, as Black usually gets in
the important c5 advance:} 8. Bg2 (8. Nbd2 Nbd7 9. Nb3 Qb6 10. Bg2 Rc8 11. O-O
Be7 12. Be3 Nd5 13. Bg5 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Rac1 O-O 16. Bxe7 Nxb3 17. Qxb3
Nxe7 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qb7+ 20. Qf3 Nd5 $11 {Aseev,K (2533)-Klimov,S (2416)
/St Petersburg/1999/}) 8... Nbd7 9. Ne5 $5 (9. a4 a6 10. O-O c5 11. axb5 axb5
12. Rxa8 Qxa8 13. Na3 b4 14. Nc4 Be7 15. Bf4 Be4 16. Qc1 O-O 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18.
Bxd6 Rc8 19. dxc5 Nxc5 20. Bxc5 Qd5 21. Rd1 Rxc5 22. Qa1 Ra5 {1/2,Svidler,P 
(2739)-Nielsen,P (2680)/Copenhagen rpd/2010/}) 9... Qb6 $5 (9... Nxe5 10. dxe5
Nd7 (10... Nd5 $142 $5 $13) 11. O-O {je riskantne, po} Be7 12. Rd1 Qb6 13. Bf4
c5 14. Bxb7 Qxb7 15. Nc3 O-O 16. Qd3 Rfd8 17. Qxb5 Qxb5 18. Nxb5 g5 19. Be3 a6
20. Nd6 Nxe5 21. Bxc5 $16 {Anand,V (2817)-Grigoryan,A (2614)/Bastia rpd/2011/})
10. Nxd7 (10. Be3 c5 $11 (10... Nxe5 11. dxe5 c5 $132)) 10... Nxd7 11. Nc3 c5
12. d5 Nf6 13. e4 b4 ({More modest, but also playable is} 13... Be7 14. O-O O-O
15. Re1 exd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bd6 18. b3 Rae8 19. Bb2 Bc8 20. Be4 h6 21.
Bh7+ Kh8 22. Bd3 Bd7 23. Bf5 Qc7 $11 {Bouddha#77,R (2473)-Auryn (2618)/
playchess.com/2007/}) 14. Na4 Qb5 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. b3 c4 17. bxc4 Rc8 18. cxb5
Rxc2 19. O-O Bxe4 20. Be3 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rc7 22. Rac1 Nd5 23. Bd4 Kf7 24. b6
axb6 25. Nxb6 Bd6 $14 {/=,Fressinet,L (2696)-Bartel,M (2627)/Bundesliga/2011/})
5. Qxc4 Nf6 6. Bg5 {White doesn't commit his b1-knight yet.} (6. Nc3 b5 7. Qd3
a6 {doesn't currently pose Black too serious opening problems:} 8. e4 (8. Bg5
c5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 (9... Qxf6 $143 10. Ne4 Qf5 11. Nxc5 Bxc5 12. Qc3 $1 $36)
10. d5 Bb7 11. O-O-O (11. e4 Nd7 12. O-O-O c4 13. Qc2 Qb6 14. Kb1 O-O-O 15. g3
Kb8 16. Bh3 Nc5 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. Rd1 Qb6 $15 {Gyimesi,Z (2595)
-Erdos,V (2576)/HUN-chT/2011/}) 11... b4 12. Na4 Qxd5 13. Qxd5 Bxd5 14. Nb6
Bxf3 15. gxf3 Ra7 16. e3 Rb7 17. Nc4 Rg8 18. f4 f5 19. Be2 Be7 20. Bf3 $44 {
Grischuk,A (2752)-Bacrot,E (2714)/EU-chT Porto Carras/2011/ White has
compensation, but it's enough only for endgame equality.}) 8... c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5
$5 (9... Qxd3 10. Bxd3 Bxc5 11. e5 Nfd7 12. Be4 Ra7 {possibly also equalises,
taking immediately is more ambitious.}) 10. Qxd8+ (10. e5 Ng4 11. Ne4 Bb4+ 12.
Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 14. Nexd2 {leads to the same position as in the main
line, only here Black can still castle.}) 10... Kxd8 11. e5 Ng4 12. Bg5+ Ke8
13. Ne4 (13. O-O-O $6 Nd7 14. Ne4 Bb7 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. Bh4 Ne4 17. Rd4 Rc8+
18. Kb1 Nexf2 19. h3 Nxh1 20. hxg4 h5 21. g5 g6 22. Be2 Ke7 $17 {Navara,D 
(2672)-Kramnik,V (2788)/Prague rpd/2008/}) (13. Bh4 Nd7 14. Bg3 Bb7 15. Be2 Rb8
{mal biely starosti so slbym Pe5, Chalifman - Stefanova, Drammen 2004.}) 13...
Bb4+ 14. Bd2 (14. Ke2 Bb7 15. Rd1 {Chiburdanidze,M (2514)-Munguntuul,B (2261)/
Ulaanbaatar/2010/} Bd5 $1 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. exd6 Nc6 $15 {[%csl Rd6][%cal
Re8d7]}) 14... Bxd2+ 15. Nexd2 Nd7 (15... Nc6 $5 16. a4 Rb8) 16. a4 bxa4 17.
Nc4 Ke7 18. h3 Nh6 19. Rxa4 Bb7 20. Be2 Rhc8 21. O-O Bd5 22. Rfa1 Rab8 $11 {
Hernandez Carmenates,H (2580)-Jakovenko,D (2737)/Dresden olm/2008/}) 6... b5 {
Now White will deploy his knight to d2 in an attempt to slow down c5.} 7. Qc2 {
The standard retreat.} (7. Qb3 Bb7 8. Nbd2 Nbd7 9. e3 a6 10. a4 Qa5 11. Ra2 Qb4
12. Bd3 Nd5 13. Ra1 h6 14. Bh4 Qxb3 15. Nxb3 Nb4 16. Bb1 c5 17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18.
dxc5 Bxc5 19. axb5 O-O 20. Ke2 axb5 21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Rc1 Rc8 23. Nd4 Bxd4 24.
Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. exd4 Nd5 26. Be4 Bb7 27. Bg3 Nc3+ {1/2,Konopka,M (2451)-Haba,P 
(2524)/AUT-chT/2004/}) 7... Bb7 8. e3 {White keeps e4 free for his minor
pieces.} (8. e4 Nbd7 9. Nbd2 (9. e5 h6 10. Bd2 (10. Bh4 $6 Qa5+) 10... Nd5 11.
Nc3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nb6 13. Bd3 a6 14. Be4 Qc7 15. Be3 Be7 16. O-O Nc4 17. Nd2
Nxd2 18. Qxd2 c5 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. a4 cxd4 21. Bxd4 O-O 22. Rfb1 Qc6 23. axb5
axb5 24. Rxa8 $11 {1/2,Hammer,J (2610)-Richter,M (2488)/Gothenburg/2011/}) 9...
a6 10. a4 h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. e5 Qd8 13. Bd3 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Ne4 c5 16.
axb5 axb5 17. dxc5 Rxa1 18. Rxa1 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Nxc5 20. g3 Qb6 $11 {1/2,Karpov,
A (2679)-Grischuk,A (2663)/Linares/2001/}) 8... Nbd7 9. Nbd2 {It makes little
sense to postpone this move.} (9. Be2 a6 10. a4 b4 $5 11. O-O c5 $132 12. a5
Rc8 13. Qa4 h6 $6 (13... Bc6 $5 14. Qd1 Bb7 $11) 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nbd2 cxd4
16. exd4 (16. Nxd4 $142 {[%cal Ye2f3] is pleasant for White}) 16... Rg8 17.
Rac1 $6 ({Passive, White should consider} 17. d5 $5) 17... Be7 18. g3 Kf8 19.
Bd3 f5 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qd1 Qc6 22. Qe2 Bg5 $17 {Bu Xiangzhi (2702)
-Nepomniachtchi,I (2632)/Sochi blitz/2009/}) 9... a6 {Black can't well do
without this move, after} (9... Qb6 10. a4 {he still has nothing better than}
a6) 10. a4 h6 {Provocative, but possibly not best.} ({More solid is finishing
development first with} 10... Rc8 11. Be2 Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. Qb3 (13. Bxf6
gxf6 14. Rfc1 c5 15. axb5 cxd4 16. Qd3 Rxc1+ 17. Rxc1 dxe3 18. Qxe3 axb5 19.
Bxb5 Nb6 20. Bc6 $11 {1/2,Nyback,T (2571)-Zhigalko,S (2485)/Hengelo/2005/})
13... Nb6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 ({Again justified and positionally almost forced.} 
14... Bxf6 $6 15. Ne4 $36 {[%csl Rc5,Rc6]}) 15. Ne4 Qd5 ({An interesting
computer suggestion is} 15... Nxa4 $5 16. Rxa4 Qd5 17. Qxd5 (17. Qb4 c5 18.
Nxc5 Bxc5 19. dxc5 bxa4 20. Rd1 Qe4 $15) 17... cxd5 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Ra2 $11)
16. Qa3 (16. Qc2 $5 {/\} Nxa4 17. b4 $1 $44) 16... Bxa3 17. Nxf6+ Kg7 18. Nxd5
cxd5 19. axb5 $5 (19. Rxa3 Nxa4 $11) 19... Bd6 ({An attempt to play for a win.
} 19... Bxb2 20. Ra2 Bc3 21. bxa6 Ba8 22. Rc2 {and Black has hardly anything
better than repetition after} Bb4 23. Rb2 Ba5 24. Ra2 $11) 20. bxa6 Bc6 21.
Rfc1 Kf6 22. Nd2 (22. b4 $142 $1 $13 {/\b5}) 22... Ke7 23. Nb3 Nc4 $1 24. Bxc4
dxc4 25. Rxc4 Bd5 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. a7 Ba8 28. Nc5 Bxc5 29. Rc1 Rc7 30. Rxc5
Rxa7 $15 {Iljushin,A (2551)-Zhigalko,S (2668)/Moscow/2010/}) (10... Qb6 11. Be2
(11. Qb3 $5 $14) 11... c5 (11... Bb4 $5) 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8+ Bxa8 14. O-O
Bb7 15. Rc1 Be7 (15... Nd5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Nb3 Be7 18. Bxe7 Kxe7 19. Qd2 h6
20. Qa5 b4 21. e4 Qxa5 22. Nxa5 Nf4 23. Bb5 $36 {Harika,D (2461)-Dworakowska,J
(2363)/Beijing rpd/2008/}) 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Ne4 Be7 $2 (18...
Bb4 $14) 19. Nd4 $6 (19. Bxb5 $142 $1 Qxb5 20. Qc8+ $1 Bxc8 21. Rxc8+ Bd8 22.
Nd6+ $16 {wins the pawn under much better circumstances.}) 19... O-O 20. Bxb5
Rc8 21. Nc3 Ne5 $14 {[%csl Gb7,Ge7] Huzman,A (2574)-Chekhov,V (2464)/Ashdod/
2003/ Here converting the extra pawn is seriously complicated by Black's
bishop-pair.}) 11. Bxf6 gxf6 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] Although we have seen this
recapture in the previous notes, in this concrete position it's new. The idea
is clear - Black wants a firmer control of c5. The drawbacks are just as
obvious: he will have long-term problems with king safety.} (11... Qxf6 12. Bd3
(12. Be2 Bb4 13. O-O O-O 14. Ne4 Qe7 15. Rfc1 bxa4 16. Rxa4 a5 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18.
dxc5 Rfd8 19. Nd4 Rd5 20. Nb3 $14 {[%csl Rb7] Xu Jun (2589)-Visweswaran,K 
(2297)/Singapore/2004/}) 12... Bb4 13. O-O O-O 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Be4 Qe7 16.
axb5 axb5 17. Rfc1 f5 18. Bd3 Bd6 19. e4 g6 20. Rxa8 Bxa8 21. Re1 Qf7 22. Qb3
Bf4 23. Qc3 Qf6 24. exf5 exf5 25. Nb3 $36 {Lysyj,I (2330)-Geller,J (2417)/
Vladimir/2002/ In both examples Black had serious problems with his passive
light-squared bishop.}) 12. Be2 Rc8 13. O-O Be7 {Development is important, it
was premature to play} (13... c5 $143 14. d5 $5 (14. axb5 cxd4 15. Qd3 $14)
14... Bxd5 15. axb5 $32 {|^}) 14. Rfd1 {A natural move, activating the rook.} (
{After} 14. e4 c5 15. d5 c4 {the forcing} 16. axb5 axb5 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. e5 f5
19. Nd4 Qb6 20. Bh5+ Kf8 21. Nxf5 Nxe5 22. Nxe7 Kxe7 $13 {[%csl Re7][%cal
Ye5d3,Yc8f8,Yh8g8] /=/+ exposes Black's king, but also seriously activates his
forces}) 14... Qb6 15. e4 {[%mdl 64] White develops his central play after all,
which leads to a very tense double-edged position, full of various tactical
motifs.} (15. Qd3 {prevents c5 for the time being, but after} f5 {[%cal Ye8g8,
Yh8d8,Gb5a4,Gb5b4,Gc6c5] Black can gradually consolidate and get in c5 after
preparation with b4, or even bxa4.}) 15... c5 16. d5 c4 ({Bartel probably
didn't consider} 16... exd5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Nf1 $5 $44 {[%cal Rf1e3,Re3f5]
too seriously - the f5 hole is a welcome target for White's knight.}) 17. axb5
axb5 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Nh4 Bc5 $1 {[%cal Ye8d8,Yd8c7] Initially the king heads
for the queenside.} (19... Ne5 $143 20. Bh5+ Kf8 21. Ndf3 Nxf3+ 22. gxf3 $1 $36
{[%csl Rf8]}) 20. Bh5+ Kd8 21. Ng6 (21. Ndf3 Kc7 {[%cal Yh8d8] is OK for Black
- White's minor pieces can't threaten his king from the opposite flank.
Therefore Sasikiran sacrifices a pawn. However, this gives Black counterplay,
as White's king will become more vulnerable as well.}) 21... Bxf2+ 22. Kh1 Rg8
(22... Rh7 $142 $5 $13 {[%cal Yd8c7] seems stronger, preparing to evacuate the
king.} 23. Nf8 $2 Nxf8 24. Nxc4+ Nd7 $19) 23. Nf3 Bc5 (23... Kc7 $6 24. Ne7 $16
) 24. Nf4 {[%cal Rh5f7] Once again Black faces a direct threat and must lose a
tempo.} Ke7 (24... Rg7 25. Qc3 (25. b3 $44) 25... Kc7 26. e5 $5 Bxf3 (26... f5
27. Rd6 $1 Bxd6 28. Nxe6+ $36) 27. Bxf3 fxe5 28. Ra7+ Qxa7 29. Nxe6+ Kb8 30.
Nxg7 $13 {As the king is exposed also on the queenside, Bartel decides to face
the storm in the centre after all.}) 25. Ng6+ Kd8 26. Qd2 ({White spurns} 26.
Nf4 $11 {and plays for a win.}) 26... Rc7 27. Qxh6 Kc8 28. Nf4 (28. Qh7 Rd8 29.
Bg4 Rc6 $1 $13 {[%csl Ge6][%cal Rc6d6]} (29... Bxe4 $2 30. Ne7+ Bxe7 31. Qxe4
f5 32. Bxf5 exf5 33. Qxe7 $18 {[%csl Rc8]}) {Forcing the issue with} 30. Nf4
Be3 31. Nxe6 Rxe6 32. Rxd7 Rxd7 33. Qg8+ Rd8 34. Bxe6+ Kb8 35. Qg3+ Qc7 $44 {
[%csl Gb7,Ge3] gives Black enough play for the pawn.}) 28... Bxe4 $6 {[%mdl
8192] Playing such a position faultlessly in a practical game is almost
impossible.} ({Bartel seeks activity and tactics, but the computer indicates
the stronger} 28... Be3 $142 29. Bf7 Rd8 30. Bxe6 (30. Qh4 Rc6 $13) 30... Qxe6
(30... Bxf4 31. Qxf6 $5 (31. Rxd7 Bxh6 32. Rd6+ Kb8 33. Rxb6 Rc6 $11) 31... Bd6
32. Bf5 $40) 31. Nxe6 Bxh6 32. Nxd8 Kxd8 33. Nd4 {vedie} Rc8 (33... b4 $5 34.
Ne6+ Kc8 35. Nxc7 Kxc7 $44) 34. Nxb5 Bf4 $132) 29. Bf7 Rxg2 $5 {Black probably
relied on this blow, which is his best practical chance.} ({White's attack is
too strong after} 29... Bf8 30. Qh5 $1 Rc5 (30... Rxg2 31. Bxe6 $5 Rxh2+ 32.
Kxh2 Qf2+ 33. Ng2 Bxf3 34. Bxd7+ $18) 31. Qh3 Bf5 32. Qh4 Rg7 ({Aj po} 32...
Rg4 33. Qh8 $1 Rxf4 34. Ra8+ Kc7 35. Rxd7+ Kxd7 36. Qxf8 Kc6 37. Rb8 $1 $18)
33. Rxd7 Kxd7 34. Qxf6 $18) 30. Kxg2 (30. Qh8+ Bf8 31. Kxg2 Qe3 (31... Bxf3+ $2
32. Kxf3 Ne5+ 33. Ke2 Rxf7 34. Ra8+ $18) 32. Qh3 Rc5 33. Nxe6 Qe2+ 34. Kg3 (34.
Kg1 Bxf3 35. Rxd7 Qe3+ $11) 34... Rf5 $3 (34... Qxf3+ 35. Kh4 Qf2+ 36. Qg3 $13
{/+/=}) 35. Ra8+ Bxa8 36. Qxf5 Qxd1 37. Nxf8 Qd6+ 38. Kf2 Qxf8 39. Be6 Qd6 $11
{Here a draw is the most likely result.}) 30... Bxf3+ 31. Kxf3 Ne5+ 32. Ke2
Nxf7 33. Qg6 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Misses a great chance.} (33. Qxf6 $6 Qc6 34. Qg6
Kb7 35. Qg2 Qxg2+ 36. Nxg2 Ne5 $44) (33. Qg7 $142 $1 Re7 (33... Kb7 34. Qg8 $18
) 34. Ng6 $18 {nets White another exchange and should win.}) 33... Re7 34. Ra8+
(34. Nh5 $5) 34... Kc7 35. Rf8 (35. Qg8 $6 Qb7 $36) (35. Qg3 Nd6 36. Qg8 Qb7
37. Qd8+ Kc6 38. Rda1 Bb6 $13) 35... Ne5 $132 {After the mistake on move 33
Black is very much back in the game and the position remains complex.} 36. Qxf6
({After} 36. Qe4 Qc6 37. Qxc6+ Nxc6 38. Rxf6 Bd4 39. Rxe6 Rh7 40. Rxc6+ (40. h3
Bxb2 $11) 40... Kxc6 41. Rxd4 Rxh2+ $11 {the tension dissipates into a drawn
endgame, but White still wants more.}) 36... Nd7 37. Rxd7+ Kxd7 38. Ng6 Qb7 $1
39. Ne5+ $2 {Possibly in serious time-trouble, White falters.} ({He should
have resigned himself to the perpetual after} 39. Nxe7 Qe4+ 40. Kd2 Qd3+ (40...
Bxe7 41. Rf7 $11) 41. Ke1 Qb1+ $11) 39... Kc7 $19 40. Nf3 ({White's prospects
were grim - he faces either a hopeless endgame after} 40. Qf3 Qxf3+ 41. Nxf3 (
41. Rxf3 Bd4 $19) 41... Rg7 $19 {, or a mating attack. Sasikiran goes for the
latter...}) 40... Qe4+ 41. Kf1 (41. Kd1 Rd7+) 41... Qd3+ 42. Kg2 (42. Ke1 Qe3+)
42... Qe2+ 43. Kg3 Bd6+ (43... Bd6+ 44. Kh3 Qf1+ 45. Kg4 Qg2+ $19 {[%cal Re7h7]
}) 0-1

[Event "Moscow Aeroflot op-A 11th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.02.13"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2658"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "Bartel,M"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2012.02.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{In round 6 I managed to beat GM Sasikiran. In that game I was very lucky - my
opponent overplayed me, but in time trouble he spoiled his win and eventually
lost. I was on a very pleasant +3, but to win the tournament that would not be
sufficient. However, I didn't expect to go to +4 as easily as I did in the
following game - first I was still shaking after the game vs. Krishnan,
secondly my opponent was Fabiano Caruana...} 1. d4 d5 {This came as a surprise,
as I expected the Grьnfeld.} 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 {I had only decided
that in the event of the Slav I should play e3.} Bg4 5. Nc3 e6 6. h3 Bh5 (6...
Bxf3 {was probably too calm for my opponent.}) 7. Qb3 Qc7 ({The alternative is
} 7... Qb6) 8. Nh4 $146 {It's funny, but I was sure that we are still in a
very popular line and Nh4 is one of White's options. The truth is different -
Nh4 has been played only once in the past! I didn't know that, so I could play
quickly and probably my opponent, who surely knew the theory much better than
I did, was a bit afraid of my "preparation". The line I thought we are in is:
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5.Nc3 e6 6.Qb3 Qb6 7.Nh4. So, it's similar
but different. The idea of Nh4 also exists with the queen on c7, so later on
we - in fact - will enter some more known positions, but at this moment, we
are a bit out of theory.} Nbd7 ({It was possible to play} 8... g5 9. g4 gxh4
10. gxh5 {, but I think it's not something you are dreaming about when playing
Black.}) 9. Bd2 {According to my database - it's a novelty, although very soon
we will be again in a position which has appeared in the past. White's idea is
simple - not to play g4 as long a possible. In the game White gained a lot
from delaying (and in fact avoiding) g4.} Nb6 $6 {A strange move. Engines, of
course, will say that this is not that bad, but I see absolutely now reason to
place knight on such a bad pleace.} ({I think that} 9... Be7 {was very much in
the style of the line, as after} 10. g4 (10. Rc1 $2 Ne4) 10... Bg6 11. Nxg6
hxg6 12. Bg2 {we have a quite typical position. There are some players who
prefer White, some who think that Black is absolutely fine.}) 10. cxd5 {
A key moment of the game from the psychological point of view. There is no
point hiding the fact that I offered a draw here. As I mentioned before, I was
still a bit shocked after the game vs. Sasikiran, so a draw would make me a
bit calmer. In fact a draw offer was very tempting in itself - nowadays you
can't make a quick draw, as it's usually forbidden. So, I thought that if an
opponent accept the offer it's ok - I was in fact a bit tired, as I had played
Moscow Open before Aeroflot, and a quick game would allow me to save some
precious energy. But, Fabiano, after thinking for about 20 minutes, decided to
reject my offer. I must say I wasn't disappointed - I already had much better
time (some 40 minutes up), my position was - in my opinion - slightly better
and solid. So, ok - let's play!} exd5 $6 {I think after this move Black is
worse - it's obvious that the knight on b6 is misplaced.} (10... Nbxd5 {
was better, but after} 11. g4 Bg6 12. Bg2 {I still prefer White. Anyway, I
think this was better than what Fabiano did.}) 11. Rc1 {This ooks a bit
strange, but White can exert some unpleasant pressure exploiting the fact that
queen is not feeling very comfortable on c7 and has no other good square.} Bg6
{Probably you must play this, as in the event of ...Be7 or ...Bd6 White can
play Nf5.} 12. Nxg6 hxg6 {This position is a big success for White - I had won
the pair of bishops without playing g4. Now the plan is very easy - push e4,
open the centre and press.} 13. Bd3 Be7 14. O-O {I spent some time over this
move as I was afraid of some direct attack.} Kf8 $2 {Many spectators were very
surprised by this move. Of course, this time it absolutely does not work, but
the whole idea is not so unfamilar - Black didn't want to put the king on the
a2-g8 diagonal and wanted to keep the rook on the h-file.} ({At the beginning
I was considering} 14... Ng4 {, but it's pointless as after} 15. f4 Nf6 16. a4
a5 17. e4 {White is better.}) ({Then I calculated} 14... g5 15. e4 g4 {, but
it's bad for many reasons:} 16. Nxd5 ({I saw only} 16. e5 gxh3 17. g3 {and
White should be better}) 16... Nbxd5 17. exd5 gxh3 18. g3 {with a big plus for
White.}) ({The most natural - and the best - was} 14... O-O {but anyway after}
15. e4 dxe4 16. Nxe4 Nfd5 {(this is probably the most logical, to avoid
problems with the g6-pawn)} 17. Rfe1 {White is better.}) 15. a4 {If White can
force Black to play ...a5 and Black weren't able to play ...Bb4 - then a4 is a
must-play continuation.} a5 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 {So, after 17 moves White is
visibly better. Not only the white king is safer than the black one, not only
White is better developed and controls the centre, but also - there are some
tactical problems in Black's position. Anyway, I couldn't have expected that
the game would finish in 5 moves!} Rh5 {The rook on h5 would be great - it
prevents d5 (what actually could be some kind of threat after Nxf6) and also
defends the a5-pawn. The problem is that the rook is very unsafe there.} 18.
Rfe1 {A calm move - the rook was the only piece which hadn't entered the
action yet, so - when there was no direct attack - it's a good move.} Nxe4 $2 {
The losing move. Black was already in a difficult situation, though not lost.}
({Both after} 18... Nfd5 19. Be2 Rh8 20. Bf3 {and after}) (18... Rd8 19. Ng3
Rhd5 20. Ne2 {White would be significantly better, but the game would be in
progress. Especially the second option seems to be pretty stubborn, as only a5
is a weak spot in Black's position. Ok, Black is probably paralysed, but it's
not easy to find a decisive plan.}) 19. Bxe4 {Now the 5th rank is too short
for the black rook.} Bd6 {After this move my opponent... offered a draw. Well,
the position is so much better for White, that I simply couldn't agree and,
moreover, White has a trick after which he wins material.} ({After} 19... Rd8
20. Bf3 Rf5 21. g4 Rxf3 ({after} 21... Rfd5 {engines suggest that even} 22. Re2
{(and only later Bxd5) is completely winning}) 22. Qxf3 {and there is no hope
for Black.}) 20. Qf3 $1 {I spend some minutes, as I didn't see this move
immediately. At the beginning I wanted to put one of my rooks on f3, but as
after both Rc3 (because of ...Bb4) and Re3 (because of ...Bf4) there is
nothing, I started to look for some other moves. I even started to analyse the
move... g3 to take f4 under control and prepare Re3-f3... Luckily, I finally
realised that Qf3 is not simply attacking on g6, but also on c6.} Nxa4 ({
The "normal"} 20... Kg8 {was better, but there is a more or less engine-like
defence:} 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. Rxc6 Rf5 23. Qe4 Bh2+ {(move order of last 3 black
move could be also another)} 24. Kh1 Qb7 25. Rxb6 Qxe4 26. Rxe4 Rxf2 27. Kxh2
Rxd2 28. Rb7 {and White is only pawn up in a rook endgame, so Black still
would have some (slight) chances for a draw.}) 21. Bxg6 {Not it's totally over.
The next move of Black does not help.} Rh8 $2 (21... Rd5 22. Bf5 $5 (22. Bc2
Nb6 23. Re4 $18) 22... Kg8 23. Qxd5 cxd5 24. Rxc7 Bxc7 25. Re7 Bb6 26. b3 Nb2
27. Bc3 $18) 22. Bg5 {and due to many threats, especially putting some pieces
on e7 (after f6 there is a good idea to use the e8-square by playing Re2-Rce1),
Black resigned. I think it was one of the worst games in Fabiano's career, so
I was a bit lucky to meet him when he was playing below his normal, very high,
standard.} 1-0

[Event "POL-ch"]
[Site "Warsaw"]
[Date "2012.02.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2658"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2012.02.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.04.24"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.04.24"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. a4 b4 6. Na2 Nf6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Bxc4
Bf5 9. Ne2 e6 10. Ng3 Bg6 11. h4 h6 12. h5 Bh7 13. O-O Qh4 14. a5 Be7 15. Bxd5
exd5 16. Be3 O-O 17. Qa4 f5 18. exf6 Rxf6 19. Nxb4 Bd6 20. Nxd5 Rf5 21. Ne7+
Qxe7 22. Nxf5 Bxf5 23. d5 cxd5 24. Rfe1 Qe5 25. g3 Bd7 26. Qb3 Qxh5 27. Rad1
Bc6 28. Bd4 Qf7 29. Qc3 Bb7 30. Bc5 Bxc5 31. Qxc5 Nd7 32. Qe7 Bc6 33. Rc1 Bb5
34. a6 Bxa6 35. Rc7 Bb5 36. Qxf7+ Kxf7 37. Re5 Rc8 38. Rxa7 Rc1+ 39. Kh2 Bc6
40. Rc7 d4 41. Re4 d3 0-1

[Event "POL-UKR m 4th"]
[Site "Lublin"]
[Date "2012.05.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Efimenko, Zahar"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2689"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2012.05.24"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.06.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.06.22"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 d6 7. c3 O-O 8. Nbd2
Nd7 9. Bc2 Nb6 10. d4 Bf6 11. d5 Ne7 12. c4 c6 13. Rb1 Ng6 14. b4 cxd5 15. cxd5
Bd7 16. a4 Rc8 17. a5 Na8 18. Ba4 Be7 19. Qb3 Nf4 20. Bb2 Nc7 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22.
h3 Nb5 23. Kh2 f5 24. Nxe5 dxe5 25. d6+ Kh8 26. dxe7 Qxe7 27. g3 Ne2 28. exf5
Qg5 29. Ne4 Qxf5 30. Nc5 Nbd4 31. Bxd4 Nxd4 32. Qe3 Rc6 33. f4 Rh6 34. h4 Qg4
35. Qxe5 Nf5 36. Rb3 Nxh4 37. Kg1 Nf5 38. Ne4 Qh3 39. Kf2 Qh2+ 40. Ke1 Qc2 41.
Rc3 Qa2 42. g4 Re6 43. Qxf5 Ree8 44. Qc5 Rxe4+ 45. Re3 Rd8 46. Qc3 Rc4 0-1

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 40th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2012.07.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2674"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[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. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 d6 7. c3 O-O 8. Re1
b5 9. Bc2 Nd7 {Despite the lack of tension in the centre, Black starts
regrouping in the spirit of the Keres Variation.} 10. d4 {A rare continuation.
The loss of one tempo is relative. Black has retreated with his bishop
directly to c2, which can be useful sometimes. For instance if White plays
d4-d5 he does not need to fear ...Na5. Having saved on h2-h3 is not a big
achievement, since the pawn is useful on h3 anyway (in fact, White will play
that move at a slightly later stage of the game).} ({White usually delays the
occupation of the centre in order to keep Black in some confusion about his
real plans. True, it could all lead to a transposition.} 10. Nbd2 Nb6 (10...
Bf6 11. Nf1 Ne7 12. d4 {Now that Black has released the pressure against the
d4-square, this looks logical.} Ng6 13. Ne3 Nb6 14. a4 $14 {Sivokho,S (2469)
-Orlov,A (2367)/St Petersburg 2000/EXT 2001 (1-0, 80)}) 11. d4 {White has at
least waited until Black committed his knight.} (11. h3 $5 {deserves attention,
but the following game is not too relevant, since Black played poorly:} Re8 12.
Nf1 h6 13. Ng3 Bf8 14. d4 g6 15. b3 Bg7 16. Be3 exd4 17. cxd4 d5 18. Qd2 h5 19.
e5 $16 {Hanley,C (2418)-Boudre,J (2325)/Donostia San Sebastian 2006 (1-0, 32)})
(11. Nf1 f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. d4 Bxc2 14. Qxc2 Bf6 $132 {Romanov,E (2500)
-Howell,D (2471)/Yerevan 2006/CBM 114 ext (1-0, 54)}) 11... Bf6 12. Nf1 exd4 (
12... Bg4 13. d5 Ne7 14. h3 Bd7 15. Ng3 g6 16. Bh6 Re8 17. Qd2 c6 18. dxc6 Bxc6
19. Rad1 Nc4 20. Qc1 Qc7 21. Rd3 d5 22. Ng5 $36 {Zaitsev,I (2450)-Lukacs,P 
(2385)/Szolnok 1975/MCD (1-0, 39)}) 13. Nxd4 (13. cxd4 $6 Bg4) 13... Bd7 14.
Ng3 g6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Qc1 Nc4 $11 {Kobalia,M (2672)-Beliavsky,A
(2619)/Aix-les-Bains 2011/CBM 142 (1-0, 41)}) 10... Bb7 11. Nbd2 ({If} 11. d5 {
as in Horstmann,B-Banik,N/Wewelsburg 1994/EXT 2002 (1/2, 46), the best way to
maintain the flexibility is} Ncb8 12. a4 c6 $132) 11... Bf6 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ne3
$146 {[%cal Ge3g4,Ge3d5,Ge3f5] Targetting several important squares.} (13. Ng3
{is less active.} g6 14. a4 Na5 15. axb5 axb5 16. Bd3 exd4 17. cxd4 b4 18. Bf4
Nc6 {1/2 Bouaziz,S (2379)-Malupande,L (2338)/Cairo 2001/CBM 084 ext}) 13... Nb6
(13... Ne7 14. Ng4 Ng6 {is likely to transpose above to Sivokho,S (2469)-Orlov,
A (2367)/St Petersburg 2000/EXT 2001 (1-0, 80).}) 14. Ng4 {Quite consistent,
but not the only plan.} (14. d5 $5 {Blocking the centre is always an important
option.} Ne7 15. Ng4 Nd7 (15... Ng6 $2 16. Nxf6+ $16 Qxf6 $2 17. Bg5 $18) 16.
a4 Ng6 17. g3 Be7 18. h4 $5 $14 {Black has serious problems finding good
squares for ALL his minor pieces.}) 14... Bc8 15. h3 {So, White has played
this typical move anyway.} ({Exchanging at once allows Black complete his
development:} 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. h3 Qg6 17. Kh2 Bd7 {Black's position is quite
solid. For White, it is not easy to put his bishop pair to work.}) 15... Bxg4 {
Relatively best.} ({If} 15... Bd7 16. d5 $5 {the knight could not go to e7
already.}) 16. hxg4 $14 {White has the bishop pair, a strong centre and space
advantage on the kingside. In the long run, he might get an attack along the
h-file.} g6 (16... h6 17. d5 Nb8 (17... Ne7 18. g5 $36) 18. a4 $14) 17. d5 Ne7
18. g3 {In the next phase of the game, Ponomariov will dedicate too much
attention to the kingside, where his attacking chances are not too concrete
yet.} ({The absence of Black's light-squared bishop would have made itself
felt after a2-a4, now or slightly later:} 18. a4 $5 $14 {[%cal Gd1e2,Gc2d3]
Apart from weakening the b5-pawn, White would solve the problem of his
queenside development.}) 18... Qd7 19. g5 Bg7 20. Kg2 (20. a4 $5) 20... c6 21.
dxc6 Qxc6 22. Nh2 d5 $132 {Black has improved his position a lot over the past
few moves. He has gained space in the centre and got rid of the backward
d6-pawn. At the same time, White's development is not complete yet.} 23. exd5 (
23. Ng4 {may have been more consequent with the initial plan, although the
position remains unclear after} Rad8 24. Qf3 d4 25. Rh1 $13) 23... Nexd5 24.
Be4 Rad8 25. Qf3 Qe6 {Black's harmonious development compensates for the
slight strategic problems on the kingside.} 26. Ng4 Na4 27. Rd1 Nc7 28. Rxd8
Rxd8 29. Bc2 Nc5 (29... Nd5 $5 {would have made it harder for White to develop
his queenside.}) 30. Be3 {At last White makes some progress with his
development, but this does not guarantee him an advantage since Black is very
active.} Nd3 31. Rd1 e4 32. Nf6+ Bxf6 33. Qxf6 Qxf6 34. gxf6 Nd5 35. Bd4 (35.
Bxd3 Nxe3+ 36. fxe3 Rxd3 $1 $15 37. Rxd3 $2 exd3 38. Kf2 h5 39. Ke1 g5 $19)
35... Nxb2 36. Re1 e3 $5 37. Be4 (37. fxe3 Nxf6 $5 $13 38. Bxf6 $2 Rd2+ $17)
37... exf2 38. Kxf2 h5 $15 {White's bishop pair looks active, but Black's
knights have good squares, too. Black's structure is better not only from the
qualitative point of view, but also numerically!} 39. Kf3 Nc7 40. Bb7 Rb8 41.
Re7 Rxb7 42. Be5 Rb6 43. Rxc7 Nc4 $17 44. Bd4 Re6 45. Kf4 Nd6 46. Ra7 Nf5 47.
Be5 Nxg3 48. Re7 Nf5 49. Rd7 Nh6 50. Re7 Ng4 51. Bd4 Kf8 0-1

[Event "EU-Cup 29th"]
[Site "Rhodes"]
[Date "2013.10.23"]
[Round "4.6"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Riazantsev, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B11"]
[WhiteElo "2638"]
[BlackElo "2697"]
[Annotator "Bartel,M"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 157"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Novy Bor"]
[BlackTeam "Malachite Sverdlovsk Region"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

{This game was played in the important match between my club Novi Bor, which
eventually won the whole European Cup and Malakhite (with Grischuk, Karjakin,
Morozevich, Shirov and so on), whic was seeded 2nd and finally took 2nd place.
The match was absolutely crazy, with a lot of fight in it!} 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5
3. Nf3 Nf6 {A good option for Black, if he wants to have a slightly more
interesting game.} ({The main move is, of course,} 3... Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3
{, but Black is usually a bit passive.}) 4. e5 Ne4 {The point - tactical
nuances make this brave move possible.} 5. Ne2 Qb6 6. d4 e6 7. Nfg1 $5 {
In order to trap the knight. This move is not new and the first GM who used it
was Ivan Saric and later also Leinier Dominguez used it.} f6 8. f3 Ng5 9. exf6
gxf6 10. f4 Nf7 {This is protecting the king from checks from h5.} ({It seems
that because of possible checks} 10... Ne4 {is slightly worse:} 11. Ng3 $14)
11. Nf3 Be7 $146 {Up to this moment both Riazantsev and I had played qucikly.
However, the move made by my opponent was new to me. It seems to me, that this
is not a great move - the bishop on e7 is not doing as much as on g7, but on
the other had it shouldn't be bad either.} ({The logical} 11... Bg7 {has been
played in the past and the plan of 0-0 combined with e6-e5 seems to be enough
for equalisation.}) 12. c4 $5 {Being surprised by my opponent's choice, I
decided to play something, which he probably wasn't prepared for. At the same
time, I did not want to make not the most stupid move. After some minutes, I
decided that 12.c4 was the perfect choice. Firstly, it's very unlikely to be
the computer choice, as it seems quite suspicious, and on the other hand, it
makes some sense - if the pawn remains on c4, Black hardly can play c6-c5
which (apart from e6-e5) should be one of the main possibilities and if Black
collects the pawn on c4, then White should have at least a decent initiative.}
({I didn't like the natural} 12. Ng3 {, because of} c5 {and it's hard to say
how White should proceed, while Black has a clear plan - Nc6, Bd7 and 0-0-0.})
12... dxc4 {The most natural.} ({I think that White is better after} 12... O-O
13. Nc3 {, but it was interesting to play}) (12... e5 $5 {with a crazy position
}) 13. Nc3 Nd6 14. Nh4 $2 {A big mistake. White should have realised that the
key factor in this position is the c4-pawn and exchange it.} ({After} 14. b3 $1
cxb3 15. axb3 {White's prospects are good - he will play Bd3 and 0-0, while
Black has a serious problem with his king. Unfortunately, I missed the whole
b2-b3 idea.}) 14... Na6 {This move isn't bad, but there was absolutely nothing
wrong with} (14... O-O $1 {as after} 15. Qg4+ $2 (15. f5 $5 {, blocking f6-f5,
is offering some initiative after} exf5 16. Be2 Na6 17. O-O {, but I am not
sure if it's enough for 2 pawns}) 15... Kh8 16. Qh5 {Black can play simply} Rg8
$1 $17) 15. Qh5+ (15. Be2 {is suggested by engines, but it was not why I
played Nh4 for...}) 15... Nf7 $2 {That move surprised me, as I considered it
to be far too passive.} ({The best was} 15... Kd8 $1 {after which I didn't see
anything better than} 16. Bd2 (16. Ng6 Re8 17. Nxe7 Rxe7 18. Bd2 Qxb2 19. Rb1
Qa3 $17) (16. Be2 {is probably best practical chance, as after} Qxd4 17. Bd2 {
with 0-0-0 next White will have chances to complicate matters. But, 2 pawns
are 2 pawns...}) 16... Qxb2 17. Rb1 Qa3 18. Ng6 Re8 19. Qxh7 {, but it seems
that Black is almost winning after} b5 {.}) 16. Bxc4 {Now White is not only
back in the game, but also - in my opinion - has the upper hand.} Nb4 (16...
Qxd4 {was an alternative, but I believe that after} 17. Bxa6 bxa6 18. Qe2 {
White is better, as Black's pawn's structure is really damaged. However, maybe
the pair of bishops and the active position of the queen would allow Black to
keep up the pressure on the white pieces.}) 17. Nf5 $1 {A very good resource
which was, most likely, missed by my opponent. I wasn't sure if it was correct,
but at the same time - there was nothing better, so why not create some chaos?!
} ({After} 17. Qe2 Qxd4 (17... Nd6 $5) 18. Nf3 Qc5 19. Ne4 Qh5 {I prefer Black.
}) 17... Nc2+ 18. Kd1 Nxd4 {The most practical decision.} ({After} 18... Nxa1
19. Re1 $1 {Black is under serious pressure. Engines indicate a forced draw,
but it's not so obvious:} Qb4 (19... Bd7 20. Rxe6 $5 (20. Bxe6 Bxe6 21. Rxe6
O-O-O 22. Rxe7 Nd6 23. Nxd6+ Rxd6) 20... Bxe6 21. Bxe6 Rf8 22. Qxh7 {and with
rook and exchange up Black is... really paralysed. It seems to me, that White
has nothing to worry about, e.g.:} Qa6 23. Ke1 Nc2+ 24. Kf2 Nxd4 25. Nxd4 Rd8
26. Nf5 {and it's not clear what Black can do now - probably perpetual by
Qb6-a6 is best.}) 20. Ng7+ Kf8 (20... Kd8 21. Bxe6 Qxd4+ 22. Bd2 Nd6 23. Bxc8
Kxc8 24. Rxe7 $13) 21. Nxe6+ Bxe6 22. Bxe6 Qxd4+ 23. Bd2 Nd8 24. Qh6+ Ke8 25.
Qh5+ {with perpetual check.}) 19. Nxe7 Kxe7 20. b3 Nb5 $2 {A mistake which
allows White to take the initiative.} ({I was expecting} 20... Nd6 {after
which I wanted to play} 21. Bd3 {and I thought that the initiative I was
getting for just one pawn was a big one. For example} (21. Ba3 N4f5 {seemed
dangerous to me, but maybe after} 22. Kc2 Ne3+ 23. Kd3 $1 Nd5 24. Kc2 Ne3+ {
it's simply perpetual - but it's engine stuff...}) 21... Bd7 $1 22. Ba3 Be8 23.
Qh6 c5 24. Rc1 {with an unclear game in which I strongly prefer White, because
of the black-squared bishop.}) 21. Nxb5 cxb5 22. Qxb5 Qd4+ $2 {Being short of
time, Alexander seriously blunders.} ({It was much better to play} 22... Nd6
23. Ba3 Bd7 24. Qxb6 (24. Qb4 Qxb4 25. Bxb4 a5 26. Bxd6+ Kxd6 $11) 24... axb6
25. Bb4 b5 26. Bd3 $14 {where White is better, but there is no guarantee that
there is enough to win.}) 23. Kc2 Nd6 24. Ba3 Qe4+ 25. Kb2 Qd4+ 26. Kc2 Qe4+ {
At this moment of the game the situation in the match was unclear, so I
thought a bit about repetition. Later on I came to the conclusion, that I must
be better, because I am much better developed, so I started to look for other
options.} 27. Bd3 $1 {The winning move - the point is that the pin on the
a3-f8 diagonal is a deadly one, so it's enough to stop the opponent's checks!}
Qxf4 $2 {That's another blunder, after which White's task is very easy.
However, it's also understandable, that being low on time Alexander didn't
want to open the g-file for my rooks.} ({After} 27... Qxg2+ {I wanted to play}
28. Be2 $1 (28. Kc3 {is probably not winning} Bd7 29. Bxd6+ Kxd6 30. Qb4+ Kc7
31. Be4 $1 {(actually I totally missed this move)} Qf2 32. Qxb7+ Kd8 33. Qxa8+
Ke7 34. Qxh8 Qc5+ {with a perpetual}) 28... Qe4+ 29. Qd3 $1 Qxd3+ 30. Bxd3 {
and Black is hopeless, because he can't protect both the knight on d6 and the
g-file.}) 28. Rhf1 Qxh2 29. Rad1 {Now all my pieces are in play, so the rest
is just a question of time} Bd7 30. Qxb7 Rac8+ 31. Bc4 {Now it's over - White
wins material.} Rc6 32. Rxd6 Rxd6 33. Rd1 1-0

[Event "HUN-POL m"]
[Site "Budapest"]
[Date "2014.06.12"]
[Round "5.6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B57"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2641"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2014.06.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Hungary"]
[BlackTeam "Poland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "POL"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Nb3 e6 8.
Bf4 Ne5 9. Be2 a6 10. Be3 Qc7 11. f4 Nc4 12. Bxc4 Qxc4 13. Qd3 Qxd3 14. cxd3
Bd7 15. Bb6 Be7 16. Na5 O-O 17. Rc1 Rfc8 18. a3 Be8 19. b4 d5 20. e5 Nd7 21.
Bd4 b6 22. Nb7 f6 23. O-O fxe5 24. fxe5 Bg6 25. Na4 Bxd3 26. Rfe1 Rxc1 27. Rxc1
Bc4 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29. exd6 Rb8 30. Re1 Kf7 31. Re3 Bb5 32. Nc3 Re8 33. Rf3+ Kg8
34. Re3 e5 35. Nxd5 Rf8 0-1

[Event "EU-Cup 30th"]
[Site "Bilbao"]
[Date "2014.09.17"]
[Round "4.6"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B57"]
[WhiteElo "2636"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2014.09.14"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Novy Bor"]
[BlackTeam "SOCAR"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "AZE"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 Bd7 7. O-O g6 8.
Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Bg5 Bg7 10. Nd5 O-O 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nxf6+ exf6 13. Qd3 Qb6 14.
Bb3 Rad8 15. Rfe1 Rfe8 16. Rad1 a5 17. Qc4 Rd7 18. a4 Kg7 19. h3 d5 20. exd5
Rxd5 21. Rf1 Ree5 22. Rd3 Rg5 23. g4 Rge5 24. Rfd1 Re2 25. Rf1 Ree5 26. Rfd1
Re2 27. Rf1 Rxd3 28. Qxf7+ Kh6 29. cxd3 Qd4 30. Bd1 Rxb2 31. Qf8+ Kg5 32. h4+
Kf4 33. Qh6+ Ke5 34. Qxh7 Kd6 35. Qxg6 Rd2 36. Qg8 Kc7 37. Qc4 Rxd3 38. Qxd4
Rxd4 39. Kh2 f5 40. h5 fxg4 41. Kg3 Kd8 42. h6 Rd6 43. h7 Rh6 44. Bc2 Ke7 45.
Kxg4 Kf6 46. Rd1 Kg7 47. Rd8 Rxh7 48. Bxh7 Kxh7 49. Kf5 Bxa4 50. f4 Kg7 51. Rb8
b5 52. Kg5 b4 53. Rb7+ Kf8 54. Ra7 Bc6 55. Rxa5 b3 56. Ra6 Bd5 57. Kf6 Ke8 58.
Ke5 Bc4 59. Rc6 Bd3 60. Rb6 Bc4 61. Rb7 Kd8 62. Rb4 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 1415"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2014.10.18"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C51"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2014.10.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Baden-Baden"]
[BlackTeam "Dresden TU"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bd6 6. d4 Qe7 7. O-O f6 8. Re1
g6 9. Nbd2 Na5 10. Bd3 b6 11. Nc4 Nxc4 12. Bxc4 Bb7 13. a4 a5 14. Qd3 Qg7 15.
Rb1 Bc6 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Nd4 Ne7 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Ba3 Ne7 20. Rbd1 Rd8 21.
Ba2 g5 22. Qc4 Ng6 23. g3 d6 24. Rd3 Qd7 25. Bc1 h5 26. Rf3 h4 27. Bxg5 fxg5
28. Qf7+ Qxf7 29. Bxf7+ Ke7 30. Bxg6 Rdf8 31. Rxf8 Rxf8 32. c4 Rf3 33. gxh4
gxh4 34. Re3 Rxe3 35. fxe3 Kd7 36. h3 Kc6 37. Kf2 Kc5 38. Ke2 Kxc4 39. Be8 Kc3
40. Bc6 Bg3 41. Kd1 Kd3 42. Kc1 Be5 43. Kd1 Bf6 44. Kc1 Bg7 45. Kb1 Kxe3 46.
Kc2 Kd4 47. Bd5 Kc5 48. Bf7 b5 49. axb5 Kxb5 50. Kd3 a4 51. Be6 c6 52. Bc4+ Kc5
53. Ba2 d5 54. exd5 cxd5 55. Ke3 Be5 56. Kd3 Bc7 57. Ke3 Bb6 58. Kf4 d4 59. Ke4
Kb4 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 1415"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2015.02.22"]
[Round "11.3"]
[White "Saric, Ivan"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C97"]
[WhiteElo "2678"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2014.10.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Hockenheim"]
[BlackTeam "Dresden TU"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 Be6 13. Nf1 Rfc8 14. Ne3 cxd4 15.
cxd4 Nc4 16. Nxc4 Bxc4 17. b3 Be6 18. Bd3 Qc3 19. Rb1 Qa5 20. Bb2 Qxa2 21. dxe5
dxe5 22. Bxe5 Nd7 23. Ba1 Nc5 24. Nd4 Rd8 25. Bc2 Rac8 26. Qe2 b4 27. Nf5 Bxf5
28. exf5 Bf8 29. Be5 Na4 30. Rbc1 Nc3 31. Qg4 Rc6 32. f6 g6 33. h4 Rd2 34. Qf3
Rxc2 35. Qxc6 Rxc1 36. Rxc1 Ne2+ 37. Kh2 Nxc1 38. Qxc1 Qxb3 39. Qc7 Qd5 40. f4
a5 41. Qb8 a4 42. Bc7 a3 43. Bd8 Qd6 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 1415"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2015.03.15"]
[Round "13.3"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2652"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2014.10.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Dresden TU"]
[BlackTeam "Schwaebisch Hall"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ne7 8. O-O
Nbc6 9. Bb5 Bg6 10. c4 a6 11. Ba4 dxc4 12. Na3 Bd3 13. Rc1 Bxf1 14. Qxf1 Rc8
15. Qxc4 Qc7 16. Qc2 Qxe5 17. Nc4 Qc7 18. Nb6 Rd8 19. Qe4 e5 20. Nxc6 Nxc6 21.
Rxc6 bxc6 22. Bxc6+ Ke7 23. Bc5+ Kf6 24. Qf3+ Ke6 25. Bd5+ Rxd5 26. Qxd5+ Kf5
27. Nd7 Kg6 28. Nxe5+ Kf6 29. Nd7+ Kg6 30. g4 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 16th"]
[Site "Jerusalem"]
[Date "2015.03.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Navara, David"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C07"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2631"]
[Annotator "Bartel,M"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2015.02.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 {First surprise. I have been playing French
Defence for all my life, but I had never played 3...c5 before this game.} 4.
Ngf3 cxd4 5. exd5 ({Another option is} 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Nxc6 Bxc6 8.
Bxc6+ bxc6 {which was lately tried in Naroditsky - Vitiugov, Gibraltar 2015,
but it can't offer White anything.}) 5... Qxd5 6. Bc4 Qd7 ({Of course, the
main move is} 6... Qd6 {, but the move in the game also makes sense.}) 7. Nb3
Nc6 8. Nbxd4 ({Another, more aggressive, attempt is} 8. O-O Nf6 9. Qe2 a6 10.
a4 {, but that's another story.}) 8... Nxd4 9. Nxd4 ({In his last game in that
line, David went for} 9. Qxd4 Qxd4 10. Nxd4 {, but couldn't win his game
versus Alexander Riazantsev. This time he tried a more aggressive path.}) 9...
a6 10. O-O Nf6 11. Bf4 ({My preparation has finished here, as I only knew that
after} 11. Re1 Bc5 12. Be3 ({or} 12. c3 b5 13. Bb3 Bb7) 12... O-O {Black is
doing fine. The move played by David is much more concrete - White is trying
to place his bishop on e5, where it may become a very powerful piece. However,
at the same time, the black bishop on c5 won't be neutralised along the g1-a7
diagonal.}) 11... b5 12. Bb3 Bc5 13. Be5 Bb7 $2 {A horrible mistake! I thought
that the rook on a8 may be hanging in some lines, so it's better to play ...
Bb7 first... It's exactly the opposite - it's the black king which can be in
trouble!} ({Black was forced to play} 13... O-O {and now} 14. Bxf6 {would lead
to a worse game for White:} (14. c3 {is much better and after} Bb7 {we have
the position which appeared in the game.}) 14... gxf6 15. Qg4+ Kh8 16. Qf3 Bxd4
17. Qxa8 Rg8 $1) 14. c3 $2 ({White could have won the game on the spot by
playing} 14. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 15. Bxe6 $1 {This is what I saw, but I missed that
after} Qxd4 (15... fxe6 {is losing to} 16. Qh5+) 16. Qh5 O-O ({A more stubborn
move is} 16... Rf8 {, but after} 17. Rae1 (17. Bh3 $5) 17... Be7 18. Re3 $1 {
Black also has no hope.}) 17. Bf5 {White is winning.}) 14... O-O {Taking on f6
is never really possible, as the g-file would be much more useful for the
black pieces.} 15. Qe2 Qe7 {There were some threats of taking on e6 in the air,
so it was better to hide the queen.} 16. Rad1 Rad8 17. Rfe1 {Pretty logical,
as the rook should join the game at some stage.} Ba8 $5 {I really like this
move, which is very practical - at many points Black can use - with tempo -
the b7-square to attack the g2-spot with the queen. It's never very pleasant,
so White has to keep taking it into account all the time. The only negative
result of it may be the hanging pawn on a6, but it's hard to exploit it.} ({
Another option was} 17... g6) 18. Rd3 {I expected David to play this, but it's
possible that it's a bit misplayed.} ({As the worst white piece is the bishop
from b3,} 18. Bc2 {was the move to think about. The most natural} Qb7 ({
probably better would be} 18... Bd6) 19. f3 Nd7 20. Bg3 {gives White better
chances, as Black - in order to weaken the white king - lost coordination of
its pieces.}) 18... g6 $1 {This is, of course, very typical, but played at
exactly the right moment. White can't make a use of the weakened dark squares,
while Black is about to play some active moves, such as ...Qb7 or even ...Ne4.}
19. Qd2 ({This move also came as expected, but maybe it was better to play the
simple} 19. h3 {, in order to take g4 under control. Probably, David still
wanted to mate me on the h-file and didn't want to block the h3-square by a
pawn, but it was a logical move. At the same time Black would be just fine -
there are many moves to think about, but maybe the smart} Rfe8 {is a nice idea
- just to prepare Nd7-e5 or something similar.}) 19... Ng4 {This is the
consequence of Qd2 - now the knight can make active attempts to fight for the
central squares.} 20. Bg3 ({The other option was} 20. Bf4 {and after several
forced moves:} e5 21. Bg5 Qb7 22. f3 exd4 23. cxd4 (23. Bxd8 $4 dxc3+) 23...
Rxd4 24. Rxd4 Qb6 25. Kh1 Bxd4 26. fxg4 {the game would be balanced.}) 20... e5
$1 {I don't know if David saw this strong move or maybe he saw it, but
underestimated it - but the fact is, that he has panicked here. Actually,
Black is not threatening to take on d4, as the queen is hanging, but both ...
Qb7 and ...Qf6 may be very unpleasant.} 21. Bd1 $2 {After this move I was
shocked, as I totally missed this idea, but... it's just a big mistake.} ({
David should have played} 21. h3 Qf6 22. hxg4 exd4 {and here White can go for
the interesting} 23. Qh6 (23. cxd4 Bxd4 {should be worse for White.}) 23...
Rfe8 $1 (23... dxc3 {is just bad because of} 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Bh4 Bxf2+ 26.
Bxf2 cxb2 {, but you would have to be a computer to find best move for White
here which is...} 27. a3 $3) 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. cxd4 Bxd4 {with an equal game.}
) 21... Qf6 $1 {This simple move forces White to go into a worse position.} 22.
Bxg4 $2 ({Well, engines suggest the strange looking} 22. b4 $1 Bb6 23. h3 {
and claim that White is just slightly worse after} (23. Bxg4 exd4 24. h3 {
is possible as well}) 23... exd4 24. Bxg4 h5 25. Bf3 dxc3 26. Qxc3 Qxc3 27.
Rxc3 Rd2 {. This is true, but for a human it's hard to play such strange moves.
}) ({The immediate} 22. h3 {does not give much:} exd4 23. Bxg4 dxc3 24. Qxc3
Qxc3 25. Rxc3 Bb4 {- in this line we can see why b4 is so important.}) 22...
exd4 23. cxd4 $2 ({White should have tried} 23. Qf4 Qxf4 24. Bxf4 dxc3 (24...
h5 $5 25. Bd1 dxc3 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. bxc3 $15) 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. bxc3 {, and
there are decent drawing chances.} f5 (26... Bd5 $2 27. Bc7 $1 Ra8 28. Re5) 27.
Bd1 Bd5 $15) 23... Rxd4 ({Much worse was} 23... Bxd4 $2 24. Rd1 Bb6 25. Rd6 {
with equal chances, but now Black is dominating thanks to his pair of powerful
bishops.}) 24. Qc3 Qb6 $6 ({I completely missed the fact that} 24... b4 $1 {
was much simpler:} 25. Qc2 (25. Qxc5 Rxd3 {should rather be hopeless}) 25...
Rxd3 26. Qxd3 Qxb2 27. Qxa6 Bd5 {and it is just about winning.}) 25. Rxd4 Bxd4
{Ok, now Black is much better anyway, but it's still not the end of the day
for White.} 26. Qc2 Qf6 27. b3 h5 28. Bd7 ({After the more passive} 28. Bh3 {
Black may try many moves, but I like} Rd8 {best, as it's very active. The idea
is to bring the rook into the game. After} 29. Bc7 {Black can play} Rd5 $1 {
and White can't take the bishop on a8, because of his problem with the 1st
rank:} 30. Re8+ Kh7 31. Rxa8 Bxf2+ $1) 28... Rd8 ({After executing this move,
I thought it was mistake. I considered} 28... h4 {to be stronger, as in the
very first moment after playing ...Rd8 I spotted this idea:} 29. Bc7 Qg5 30.
Bh3 Rc8 {. However, it turns out, that after} 31. Qc1 $1 {White may save the
game and I was right to play ...Rd8.}) 29. h4 ({This move means that White
loses his g2 pawn, but there was nothing better as after} 29. Bh3 {Black can
play many different moves, e.g.} b4 {with a total positional domination.})
29... Bxg2 30. Kxg2 Rxd7 {Now Black is a pawn up and the position must be just
winning, as White has also a very poor structure and the pawn on h4 is very
weak.} 31. Qe4 Rd8 32. Rc1 {After this move I panicked for a moment, as I
couldn't find any move to stop the white rook from penetrating the f-file.
After spending some time on cooling my head down, I realised that I have one
strong resource.} Bc3 $1 {That's it - the bishop can block the rook, so Black
is still winning. The threat is to play b5-b4.} 33. b4 Kh7 $1 {A prophylactic
move, with the idea to play ...Rd4.} 34. a3 Rd4 35. Qf3 Qxf3+ ({It was also
possible to play} 35... Rc4) 36. Kxf3 Rc4 37. Ke2 Kg8 {I think this is a nice
technical move, based on the fact that Kd3 is not possible yet.} ({There was
also an option to play} 37... g5 38. hxg5 Kg6 {, but I thought that it's
rather against endgame rules - 1st of all you shouldn't exchange too many
pawns and also I saw no reason to exchange the weak h4-pawn that early.}) 38.
Rc2 ({The trick is that after} 38. Kd3 {Black can play} Bxb4 $1 {winning a
second pawn.}) 38... Bd4 39. Rxc4 bxc4 40. Kf3 ({There was also an easy win
for Black after} 40. a4 Kf8 41. b5 axb5 42. axb5 Ke7) 40... f5 $1 {The last
precise move in the game - Black is stopping the white king from getting
active and can now do what he wants to, step by step making use of his extra
pawn.} 41. Bf4 Kf7 42. Bg5 Ke6 43. Ke2 Kd5 44. f3 Kc6 45. a4 Bc3 46. Be7 Kd7
47. Bc5 Bf6 48. Bf2 Be7 49. b5 ({There was also no hope after} 49. Be1 Kc6 50.
Kd1 g5 51. hxg5 Bxg5 {and sooner or later the black pawn would win the game.})
49... axb5 50. axb5 Kc7 51. Kd2 Bb4+ 52. Kc2 Kd6 53. Kb2 Kd5 54. Ka2 f4 {
I thought that this move was nice, as it limits the area for the white bishop
and may be useful in a pawn endgame.} 55. Kb2 Bc5 56. Be1 Bd4+ 57. Ka3 Kc5 58.
b6 (58. Ka4 {was losing in the same manner:} c3 59. Kb3 Kxb5 60. Bxc3 Bxc3 61.
Kxc3 Kc5) 58... Kxb6 59. Kb4 c3 60. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 61. Kxc3 Kc5 {With the black
pawn on f5 this endgame would be drawn after the move f4. But now it's easily
winning.} 62. Kd3 Kd5 63. Kc3 g5 {And Black can stop the white pawn (on g5),
while the h-pawn will be unstoppable.} 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 16th"]
[Site "Jerusalem"]
[Date "2015.03.08"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2631"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "Bartel,M"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2015.02.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This game was played in the last round of EICC 2015 in Jerusalem. For both
players a draw would mean qualification for the World Cup 2015, but winning
would mean a high place and possibly a medal. Having a lot of time to think,
as the game was played after the free day, both players came in quite
ambitious mood, at least compared to other players with the same number of
points, who mostly drew their games, some in just few minutes.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3
d6 3. Bb5+ {I don't go into the main Najdorf too often. During my preparation
I had idea of playing 3.d4 just for few minutes - then my friends Grzegorz
Gajewski and Radek Wojtaszek told me that I should rather play something more
solid. So, I went for the Rossolimo.} Nc6 ({Surprise, as Ian has never tried
it, according to my database. He has played both} 3... Bd7) ({and} 3... Nd7 {
. If he used the bishop to cover his king, it would be a signal that he was
happy with a drawish outcome. Using the knight - both to d7 or c6 meant that
he wanted to play a sharper game.}) 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 a6 $6 {This move made me
a bit concerned. Theory says that's it's not accurate. I'm not sure, if Ian
had prepared this or maybe being slightly surprised by my 3.Bb5+ he decided to
improvise over the board.} (5... Nf6 {is the main move in order to play a6
only after c3:} 6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 ({to exchange now is not that strong, as after
} 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 {the pawn on e4 is hanging. You can sacrifice it by} 8. d4 {
, but after} Bxe4 {it's a normal game for Black}) 7... Bg4 {and it's a very
topical position.}) 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. d4 {This is the problem of an early ...a6
- White can play d4, not thinking about the e4-pawn.} cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 $6 {
A very strange move, as taking on c6 wasn't a threat.} ({A more logical try
would be something like} 8... Rc8 9. Nc3 e6 {and it's not that easy for White
to make use of his superior development.}) 9. Bg5 ({During the game I thought
this is the most logical and at the same time the most provocative move. It
makes some sense, as it prevents ...Nf6, but it was better to play normal
moves, e.g.} 9. c4 Nf6 (9... Rc8 10. b3 g6 11. Bb2 Nf6 (11... Bg7 12. Nc6) 12.
Nc3 Bg7 13. Nd5 $14) 10. Nc3 g6 11. Bg5 Bg7 12. Qb3 O-O 13. Rad1 $14) 9... Nf6
$2 {I was shocked when Ian played this move - I hadn't expected such a big
positional mistake from such a great player as he is. I don't know what made
him play this...} ({I think he regretted after the game that he didn't try the
most obvious move, which I actually expected him to execute:} 9... h6 $1 10.
Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 h5 {and now the game gets very concrete and unclear, e.g.:} 12.
h3 g4 13. h4 e5 14. Nf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 {and, though I prefer White, Black is
doing fine.}) 10. Bxf6 {Of course! Now White is, using big words, positionally
winning. After just 10 moves!} gxf6 11. Nc3 e6 12. Qh5 {White has made natural
moves all the time and is ... 3 tempi up in developent. Such an advantage must
be decisive.} Bg7 $2 {This move hurries the process, but there was already no
fun for Black in any line.} ({I expected something like} 12... Be7 13. Re3 (13.
Rad1 $5) 13... Qb6 14. Nb3 O-O-O 15. Qxf7 Rde8 {where White would be a pawn up,
but there would remain sufficient practical chances for Black.}) 13. Rad1 Rc8 (
{In the event of} 13... O-O {White would play} 14. Re3 {intending to play Red3
(pressing later on d6) or just to move the rook to the kingside, creating some
sort of storm on Black's king area.}) 14. Nf5 $1 {Such moves are always easy
to play - one don't really need to calculate, as in the resulting structure
Black is, in fact, okay without the rook on h8 and bishop from g7.} exf5 15.
exf5+ Kf8 16. Ne4 {The key move - the knight is going to d6, what is simply
killing.} Bc6 17. Nxd6 Qc7 (17... Rc7 {lost even quicker because of} 18. Nxb7)
18. Nxc8 Qxc8 19. Rd4 {At this moment of the game I got nervous - you can only
do badly here. Winning is so easy that it brings no glory, while losing or
drawing would be more than just painful. I tried to calm down, but I think I
didn't until the very last move.} ({Here the most precise was} 19. Re3 $1 Qc7 (
{after} 19... Bb5 {White can follow the path from the game, as the rook on e3
is a big improvement:} 20. Rd4 Qc7 21. Qd1 Bh6 22. Rd8+ Kg7 23. Rg3+ {now we
see, why the rook here is a big thing:} Bg5 24. Rxg5+ fxg5 25. f6+) 20. Qh4 {
looking both to b4 and g3} Kg8 21. Qg3 $1 Qc8 22. Red3 {and the queen is lost.}
) 19... Qc7 20. Qd1 $2 {I played this move being sure, that it was just
curtains. Actually, it gives Black some air to breath.} ({I saw the correct
and easiest} 20. Red1 Be8 21. Rd8 Qe5 {, but - knowing that it must be easily
winning - I couldn't find a direct way. There is, however, an easy and very
pretty solution:} 22. Kf1 {(idea Re1)} Ke7 23. R8d5 Bb5+ 24. Kg1 Qe4 {and now}
25. Qh4 $1) 20... Bh6 21. h4 {I thought that now the game is over, since White
is about to check on d8 and g4 and collect the bishop. However, Ian started to
fight for real:} Qa5 $1 {The only move.} 22. Rd8+ Kg7 23. Qg4+ Bg5 24. Rdd1 {
Luckily, White has this and is still winning.} h6 $1 {Another strong,
practical move. Taking on g5 is dubious, as it weakens the white king, so you
should look for something safer.} 25. a3 {There is no hurry, so why not defend
the pawn?} Qc7 26. Qg3 Qa5 27. f4 $5 {A brave decision. Objectively, there was
no reason to play so sharply, but I thought that it won easily. I was both
wrong and lucky.} Qc5+ 28. Re3 Bxg2 $1 {This move I missed. Ok, I saw that it
was possible, but I didn't think it could be that dangerous.} 29. fxg5 hxg5 30.
hxg5 Rh1+ $2 {Luckily, Ian went for an easily losing line.} ({The correct move
was} 30... Be4 $1 {which would require from me some correct decisions:} 31.
gxf6+ Kxf6 32. Rd6+ $1 (32. Qd6+ {is worse:} Qxd6 33. Rxd6+ Kxf5 {as it can be
close to a draw, e.g. :} 34. Re2 Ke5 35. Rd7 f5 {and it's hard to say how
White should continue.}) 32... Ke7 33. f6+ Ke8 34. c3 $1 Rh1+ $8 35. Kf2 Qf5+
$8 36. Rf3 Qxf3+ (36... Bxf3 37. Qg8#) 37. Qxf3 Bxf3 38. Kxf3 {and probably
this is still winning:} a5 39. Rb6 a4 40. Ke4 Rf1 41. Ke5 {However, it's quite
possible that I'd make some mistake on they way.}) 31. Kxg2 {Now White is
winning by force.} Qc6+ (31... Rxd1 32. gxf6+ $18) 32. Rf3 Rxd1 33. gxf6+ Kxf6
34. Qh4+ Kg7 ({After} 34... Ke5 35. Qe7+ {the rook from d1 is quickly being
trapped:} Kd4 (35... Kd5 36. c4+ Kd4 37. Qe3+ Kxc4 38. Qe2+) 36. c3+ Kd5 (36...
Kc4 37. Qe2+) 37. c4+ Kd4 38. Qe3+ Kxc4 39. Qe2+) 35. f6+ Kg8 ({In the event of
} 35... Kg6 {the easiest is} 36. Qg4+ Kh6 37. Qg7+ Kh5 38. Qxf7+ Kg4 39. Qg7+
Kh5 40. Qh7+ Kg5 41. Qf5+ Kh6 42. f7) 36. Qg3+ Kf8 37. Qb8+ ({This wins in an
elegant way, but also the simple} 37. Qg7+ Ke8 38. Qg8+ Kd7 39. Qxf7+ {was
decisive.}) 37... Qe8 38. Rh3 {Not the most complicated, but very aesthethic.}
Rd2+ 39. Kf3 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2015.09.13"]
[Round "1.6"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Sargissian, Gabriel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2679"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[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. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. h3
O-O 9. Bd2 Rb8 10. Re1 Nd7 11. a4 Nc5 12. Bd5 Bd7 13. axb5 axb5 14. b4 Ne6 15.
c3 Bf6 16. Na3 Ne7 17. Bb3 Ng6 18. g3 Ng5 19. h4 Ne6 20. Nc2 Ra8 21. Rxa8 Qxa8
22. Ne3 Re8 23. Nh2 Qd8 24. Nhg4 Be7 25. Qf3 Bf8 26. Ra1 Ne7 27. Nd5 Nxd5 28.
exd5 Nf4 29. gxf4 Qxh4 30. Nh2 g6 31. Qg3 Qh5 32. fxe5 dxe5 33. Bd1 Qh3 34.
Qxh3 Bxh3 35. Bg4 Bxg4 36. Nxg4 Bg7 37. Ra7 f5 38. Nh6+ 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 1516"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2016.04.09"]
[Round "12.7"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Ragger, Markus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2015.09.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Dresden TU"]
[BlackTeam "Solingen"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nb3 Nbd7 7. g4 h6 8. a4
Qc7 9. Bg2 Ne5 10. h3 g5 11. f4 gxf4 12. Bxf4 Bg7 13. Qe2 Bd7 14. O-O Rc8 15.
Rf2 Qc4 16. Qd2 Qc7 17. Raf1 Nc4 18. Qe2 Be6 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Bd7 21. c3
Be5 22. Bc1 f6 23. Nd4 Nb6 24. Qe4 Nxa4 25. Qg6+ Kd8 26. Be3 Qc4 27. Qe4 Qc7
28. Qg6 Qc4 29. Qe4 Qc7 30. Ra1 Nb6 31. b3 h5 32. g5 f5 33. Rxf5 Nxd5 34. Rxe5
Nxe3 35. Rxe7 Qxc3 36. Rxd7+ Kxd7 37. Qe6+ Kd8 38. Qf6+ 1-0

[Event "POL-ch"]
[Site "Poznan"]
[Date "2016.04.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2713"]
[Annotator "Bartel,M"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2016.03.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Before this game, which was played in round 4, Radek was leading with 3.5 out
of 4, while I had drawn all of my games. So, if I wanted to join the battle
for the highest places, I must have started winning. Therefore, I was in a
fighting mood.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {The
Najdorf. Not a big surprise when facing Radoslaw.} 6. Nb3 $5 {It was already
the 3rd time I had played this move and Radek should have been well prepared
for that. He wasn't, however. The trick is that I usually play a lot of
different "unimportant" lines and my opponent didn't expect me to repeat this.
This time, I decided it was a nice idea to play Nb3 once again, as earlier,
playing agaimst 2 specialists in the Najdorf (Gelfand and Artemiev) I had got
fantastic posistions out of the opening. This time I got a nice game again!
The line itself is not new anyhow - it has been played almost 100 times. At
the same time, there were very few games played by a GM, so looking at things
from that angle, it's kind of fresh air in this area. The first (if I am not
misaken) GM who tried it was Vladimir Onischuk, but while commenting on this
game I had already played 5 games, so I am getting quite experienced in his
line. What's the point of this strange move, which looks like retreat from a
nice place, without visible reason? Well, the simplest explanation is that now,
after 6...e5, White may play 7. Bg5. The other pluses aren't that clear, but
also the line from the game shows that the early Nb3 made some sense.} e6 {
One of the most natural reactions.} ({Both Gelfand, after} 6... Nc6 7. Be3 e6
8. g4 b5 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. g5 Nd7 11. f4 Nb6 12. Qe2 Nc4 13. O-O-O Nxe3 14. Qxe3
$14 {1/2 (77) Bartel,M (2625)-Gelfand,B (2735) Moscow 2016}) ({and Artemiev
after} 6... g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. g4 h6 $2 9. Be3 Nc6 10. f3 b5 11. Qd2 Be6 12.
O-O-O Rc8 13. Kb1 Ne5 14. h4 $16 {1-0 (40) Bartel,M (2625)-Artemiev,V (2674)
Moscow 2016, didn't get good positions, so people started to play flexibly.}) (
6... Nbd7 $5 {There were already 3 games after that and in all of them Black
got a decent game:} 7. g4 h6 8. Bg2 (8. a4 $5 Qc7 $5 9. Bg2 Ne5 10. h3 g5 11.
f4 gxf4 12. Bxf4 $13 {1-0 (38) Bartel,M (2623)-Ragger,M (2695) Germany 2016})
8... b5 9. h4 b4 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Ne5 12. g5 $5 (12. f3 $6 g6 13. Be3 Bg7
$15 {0-1 (45) Kanarek,M (2532)-Wojtaszek,R (2713) Poznan 2016}) 12... hxg5 13.
Bxg5 Bg4 14. f3 Bh5 15. Qe2 $13 {1/2 (60) Bartel,M (2625)-Swiercz,D (2665)
Poznan 2016}) 7. g4 {One of the main ideas of 6.Nb3. With the knight on b3
e6-e5 is now unsound.} b5 $6 {This is probably not a correct move, as the game
shows that Black gets into trouble.} (7... h6 {is probably the move should be
tried here, which would make it quite similiar to the Keres Attack.}) 8. Bg2
Bb7 9. g5 b4 ({A better move is} 9... Nfd7 {, but White would still be
satisfied with that position.}) 10. Nd5 $1 {At this point Radek felt into deep
thought. It was kind of a personal victory, as this is a man who is usually
very well prepared. This time he was not only surprised, but his position is
just very unpleasant.} Nxd5 {A human's reaction.} ({The crucial line is of
course} 10... exd5 11. gxf6 dxe4 {. Radek rejected it because of} 12. Qd4 ({
Since Qxf6 is not a lot of fun, because of Na5, White can try a lot of moves
here. Engines suggest at least 4 interesting options:} 12. Qg4 $5) (12. Qh5 $5)
(12. Rg1 $5) (12. Be3 $5 {and all of them need to be checked. The position is
very complicated, but it's Black whose task is the more demanding.}) 12... Qxf6
13. Qxb4 Bc6 {, but actually here, Black, being a pawn up, may be just fine.})
11. exd5 e5 12. a3 {This is where my preparation ended. White is already much
better, mainly because of the fact that he can start quick action on the
queenside, where the black pieces are very uncoordinated.} Be7 ({During the
game I expected rather} 12... bxa3 13. Rxa3 a5 {where White can, at least, go
for} 14. Bd2 a4 15. Qa1 $5 axb3 16. Rxa8 Bxa8 17. Qxa8 bxc2 18. Qa4+ Qd7 19.
Qxc2 $16) 13. axb4 Bxg5 14. Na5 ({The move in the game isn't wrong, but even
stronger was} 14. c4 {with the very trivial idea of c4-c5, trying to go with
the pawn as far as possible. Black should be almost out of hope around here.})
14... Bc8 15. Bxg5 $2 {Having a very wide choice, I started to play very
slowly here, giving Black a chance to build up a very solid position.} ({
Again, the simple} 15. c4 {was very strong.}) 15... Qxg5 16. Qf3 (16. O-O $5 {
was an interesting option, but I wasn't sure if castling short was good.})
16... O-O 17. Qg3 Qe7 18. O-O-O {When this position appeared on the board, I
was more than satisfied. I thought that Black can do just nothing, while I can
slowly prepare progress on the queenside. This feeling was shared by Radek,
who also thought he was worse (but at the same time he felt that maybe there
was some way to defend). However, looking at this position with engines, gives
you a slightly different impresion - Black is only slightly worse, if at all!}
f5 {.} 19. f4 {The only logical move, as allowing f5-f5 would be too much.} e4
{The structure here is very untypical. At first sight it looks like only the
black side has weaknesess, but when you take a deeper look you realise that
the advantage on the kingside gives Black some options too. It shouldn't be
forgotten that now, when the bishop from g2 has been limited by the e4-pawn,
the knight's option of moving to c6 isn't that real any longer. There is no
clear plan for White, but pressing on the g-file, while building up something
on the queenside seems quite unpleasant for Black.} 20. h4 $6 ({A bit
pointless, as there is no direct plan connected with this move. A more logical
way of playing would be something like} 20. Rhg1 Nd7 21. Bf1 ({actually, the
strongest is} 21. Nc6 Qf7 22. Bh3 $1 Nf6 23. Nd4 {with real pressure, but this
would never cross my mind.}) 21... Nf6 22. Be2 Bd7 23. Kb1) 20... Nd7 21. Bf1 {
The bishop was useless on the h1-a8 diagonal, and it must change location. e2
seems to be the most reasonable square.} Nf6 22. Qe3 $6 {Probably a bit too
careful, as e4-e3 was never an option. That's why I could have played h4-h5 or
Bf1-e2 here.} Bd7 23. Be2 Be8 $6 ({Starting from here, Radek plays too solidly.
It was better to look for some active counterplay like} 23... Rfc8 24. h5 h6
25. Rhg1 Bb5 26. c4 {and now there is a strange forced line:} Qa7 $1 27. Qc3
Nxd5 $1 28. Rxg7+ Qxg7 29. Rxd5 {with a very complicated, unbalanced position.
It must be said, however, that Radek didn't believe that he could achieve
anything on the queenside, as he thought White was very solid there.}) 24. h5
h6 25. Rh3 $5 {I thought that this move might be very flexible - I can try to
double rooks on the g-file and at the same time can think about something like
Rh3-c3 or Rh3-a3 sometimes.} Kh7 26. Qd4 Bf7 27. c4 {With the bishop on f7
Black is not as dangerous as with the bishop on the queenside. Still, Black's
position is very solid, though I believe it is not so in the long run - it's
rather difficult to hold it.} Qd7 28. Kb1 {So, up till now, I had done almost
everything I wanted to do when I catled long. The last thing is to prepare
pressure on the g-file and later I may start to shuffle pieces - for example
the knight from a5 can start some random moving and sooner or later some
tricks should begin to appear.} Qe8 29. Rdh1 Rg8 $6 ({It's difficult to find
something for Black, but probably a better try was} 29... Qb8) 30. Nc6 $2 ({
Being focused on the g-file and on improving the position of my knight, I
completely forgot that there was a move like} 30. Qb6 $1 {with the idea of
trading the queens. Without ladies on the board, White is close to winning.})
30... Qd7 31. Rg1 $6 ({It was better to pla Rg3, as the rook on h3, as
happened in the game, may be a tactical weakness. Also, from g3 the rook can
move somewhere along the 3rd rank.} 31. Rg3 $1) 31... Qb7 32. Qd2 {The threat
was Be8.} Be8 33. Nd4 {The knight on a5 was a nice piece, but on d4 it had to
be much better!} Rb8 34. Rhg3 ({With the rook on g3 Black would be able to
play this plan, as I'd play} 34. Nxf5 {which now is impossible because of both}
Qd7 (34... Bd7)) 34... Qxb4 $2 ({Being tired of defending this "boring"
position, Radek decides to change the character of the position, hoping that
in a concrete endgame a blunder is more possible. It was possible to play the
simple} 34... Bd7 {, but after} 35. Nc2 {White is slightly better and should
be able to improve the position, step by step.} ({Actually, during the game I
also thought that} 35. Bd1 {trying to push the queen into the attack might be
a wise idea, but it does not work:} Qxb4 36. Qg2 Qxc4 (36... Kh8 $2 37. Rb3 (
37. Rxg7 $4 {but not} Qxb2+ $1) 37... Qxc4 38. Rxb8 $18) 37. Rxg7+ Kh8 38. Nc6
Bxc6 39. dxc6 Ng4 40. c7 Rbc8 41. Be2 Qe6 42. Rxg8+ Qxg8 43. Rc1 {with
"typical" 0.00 by the engines.})) 35. Qxb4 Rxb4 36. Nxf5 Nxh5 ({At the
beginning Radek wanted to play} 36... Bxh5 37. Rxg7+ Rxg7 38. Rxg7+ Kh8 39.
Bxh5 Nxh5 {, but he rejected it because of} 40. Rg4 {with a strong idea of Rh4.
}) 37. Bxh5 Bxh5 38. Rxg7+ Rxg7 39. Rxg7+ Kh8 40. Rc7 {Simple and strong.
White is completely winning now, but I started to be fighting with ghosts...}
Be2 {The only practical chance - Black is trying to create mating net.} 41.
Nxd6 Bd3+ (41... e3 42. Kc2 $18) 42. Ka2 $2 ({The simple} 42. Kc1 $1 e3 (42...
Ra4 43. Kd2) 43. Nf7+ $1 {(this idea I had missed)} Kg8 44. Ne5 {was a trivial
win, as there is no mating net now, as the king (after Ra4 later) can always
go to d1.}) 42... e3 43. b3 Bc2 (43... e2 44. Re7) 44. Re7 $6 ({Another simple
win was} 44. Nf7+ Kg8 45. d6) 44... Bxb3+ (44... Rxb3 45. c5) 45. Ka3 ({
There was the much simpler} 45. Kb2 Bd1+ 46. Kc3 Rb3+ 47. Kd4 e2 48. c5) 45...
a5 {Here I understood that things were going in the wrong direction and
started to calculate variations more carefully. Luckily, there was still a way
to win this game.} 46. Nb7 ({This is winning, but also a rook endgame would
give the full point. I failed , however, to calculate it to the end. It's also
always risky to go into rook endgames...} 46. Rxe3 Bxc4 47. Nxc4 Rxc4 48. Rd3
Rxf4 (48... Rc8 49. d6 Kg7 50. d7 Rd8 51. Ka4 Kf6 52. Kb5 Ke6 53. Kc6) 49. d6
Rf8 50. d7 Rd8 51. Ka4 Kg7 52. Kb5 (52. Kxa5 $4 Kf6 $11) 52... Kf6 53. Kc6 $18)
46... Bd1 ({The point is that after} 46... Bxc4 47. Nxa5 {Black loses material.
}) 47. d6 Ra4+ 48. Kb2 Bg4 49. c5 {The connected pawns are unstoppable now.} e2
50. c6 Rd4 51. f5 $1 {The point. Now Black's coordination is destroyed.} Bxf5
52. Rxe2 Kg7 53. d7 Bxd7 54. Re7+ Kf6 55. Rxd7 Rc4 56. Rd6+ Ke5 57. Rxh6 a4 58.
Na5 Kd5 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 1920"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2020.02.23"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Amin, Bassem"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C00"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2636"]
[PlyCount "156"]
[EventDate "2019.11.23"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 195 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.05.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.05.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Viernheim"]
[BlackTeam "Dresden TU"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 b6 5. g3 Bb7 6. Qe2 Be7 7. Bg2 c5 8. O-O
Nc6 9. Re1 Nb4 10. e5 Nxc2 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. Nb3 Nxe1 13. Qxe1 O-O 14. Ne5 Bg5
15. f4 Be7 16. d4 c4 17. Nd2 b5 18. h4 Qe8 19. Bh3 Bc8 20. Nf1 a5 21. a3 Bd8
22. Kh2 f6 23. Nf3 Qf7 24. Bd2 Bc7 25. Bc3 Bd7 26. Ne3 Rfb8 27. Qd2 Qe7 28. Re1
Qd6 29. Nc2 Re8 30. Re2 Re7 31. Qe1 Kf8 32. Bd2 Be8 33. Rxe6 Rxe6 34. Qxe6 Bg6
35. Qxd6+ Bxd6 36. Nfe1 b4 37. axb4 axb4 38. Bxb4 Bxb4 39. Nxb4 Rb8 40. Nxd5
Rxb2+ 41. Kg1 Rb3 42. Bf1 c3 43. Ne3 Rb1 44. N1c2 Bxc2 45. Nxc2 Rc1 46. Ne3 c2
47. Nxc2 Rxc2 48. Bg2 Rd2 49. Be4 h6 50. d5 Ke7 51. Kf1 Kd6 52. Ke1 Rb2 53. Kf1
Kc5 54. Bf3 Kc4 55. Ke1 Kc3 56. Kf1 Rd2 57. d6 Rxd6 58. Kf2 Rd2+ 59. Ke3 Rd3+
60. Kf2 Kd4 61. Bc6 Rb3 62. Ba8 Rb6 63. Ke2 f5 64. Kf2 g6 65. Ke2 Ra6 66. Bb7
Ra7 67. Bc6 Kc5 68. Bf3 Ra2+ 69. Ke3 Ra3+ 70. Kf2 Rxf3+ 71. Kxf3 Kd4 72. Kf2
Kd3 73. Kg2 Ke3 74. Kh3 h5 75. Kg2 Ke2 76. Kg1 Kf3 77. Kh2 Kf2 78. Kh3 Kg1 0-1

[Event "Prague Challengers 2nd"]
[Site "Prague"]
[Date "2020.02.16"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Abasov, Nijat Azad"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2020.02.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 195"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.04.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.04.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. Ne5 Qd6 8.
Nxc4 Qa6 9. b3 Rd8 10. a4 Bb4 11. Bd2 Rxd4 12. Qc1 Bd7 13. Be3 Nc6 14. O-O Bxc3
15. Qxc3 Nd5 16. Qb2 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Rg4 18. Rad1 Be8 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qa3 Qb7
21. Rd3 Rg5 22. Qe7 h6 23. e4 Kh7 24. Rf4 Rg6 25. Ne5 Rg5 26. Nf3 Rg6 27. e5
Qb6+ 28. Kg2 c5 29. h4 Bc6 30. Qxf7 Bxf3+ 31. exf3 Qa5 32. Rf6 Rxg3+ 33. Kxg3
Qe1+ 34. Kg4 Qxe5 35. Qg6+ Kg8 36. Rxe6 1-0

[Event "EU-ch Online 2300+ Final"]
[Site "Chess.com INT"]
[Date "2020.05.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Melkumyan, Hrant"]
[Black "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A80"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2648"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2020.05.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "8"]
[EventCountry "NET"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 196 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.07.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.07.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 c6 5. Nf3 Be6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. Ne2 g6 8. O-O
Bg7 9. Rc1 Ne4 10. c4 dxc4 11. Nf4 Nf8 12. Bxe4 fxe4 13. Nd2 Bf7 14. Bh4 Ne6
15. Nxe6 Bxe6 16. Nxe4 b5 17. b3 O-O 18. Nc5 Bf7 19. bxc4 bxc4 20. Qa4 Qd6 21.
Bg3 Qd5 22. Na6 Rac8 23. Qa3 Bf6 24. Nc5 h5 25. h3 h4 26. Bh2 Rfd8 27. Rfd1 Kh7
28. Bf4 Qf5 29. Bh2 g5 30. e4 Qg6 31. Qe3 g4 32. hxg4 Qxg4 33. f3 Qg6 34. Be5
Rg8 35. Qf2 Bg5 36. Rc2 Qh5 37. Kh1 Rg6 38. f4 Bh6 39. f5 Rg4 40. f6 e6 41. Re2
Rcg8 42. Rf1 Rg3 43. Nd7 c3 44. d5 cxd5 45. exd5 exd5 46. Rc2 Rd3 47. Bh2 Rd2
48. Rxd2 cxd2 49. Qg1 h3 50. g4 Rxg4 51. Qf2 Rg2 52. Qd4 Qe2 53. Nf8+ Bxf8 0-1

