Group 1: Double King-Pawn Openings

Alexander Shabalov - Patrick Wolff Eastern Open Boston (3), 13.03.1994 [Rohde, M.: Vienna Game]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bb4 An unusual but solid move. The famous long line of the Vienna starts with 3 ... Nxe4 4 Qh5 Nd6 5 Bb3 (5 Qxe5+ is equal) Nc6 6 Nb5! Typically with openings which are no longer seen too often there are many routes to equality. For example, in this line 5 ... Be7, not even mentioned in ECO, is sufficient after 6 Qxe5 O-O 7 Nge2 c6, or 6 Nf3 O-O 7 Nxe5 Bf6 8 O-O Nc6. 4.f4 On the logical 4 Nge2, 4 ... Nxe4 is still OK; 5 Nxe4 d5 6 c3 Be7 7 Bd3 White has only a small edge. With the text White's idea is to get a King's Gambit position where Black's bishop is not on the a7-g1 diagonal; although Black has pressure on e4, any exchange on c3 will help White's development. 4...Nxe4 Probably an improvement on Mieses-Pillsbury, Hastings 1895, which continued in maniacal fashion 4 ... d6 5 Nf3 O-O 6 Nd5 Nxd5 7 Bxd5 Nc6 8 c3 Bc5 9 f5 Ne7 10 Bb3 d5 11 d4 exd4 12 f6. 5.Qh5 After 5 Nxe4 d5, White's f2-f4 stands out as a liability. 5...0-0 5 ... Nd6 6 Qxe5+ is good for white, as Black loses the right to castle. 6.fxe5 For the first time threatening the knight on e4. White would not have enough compensation on the developing 6 Nf3 Bxc3 7 dxc3 exf4. 6...d5 Removes the threat and allows Black to create his own. For experienced players such central counter-sacrifices for development are instinctive. 7.Nxd5 Nc6 8.Nf3 Be6 9.Ne3 White's position would be trashed after 9 Nxb4? Nxb4. 9...g6 10.Qh6 Nxe5 A diversion motif. Wolff had to act quickly before the initiative dissipates, and begins to play va banque. 11.Nxe5 Bxd2+ 12.Ke2 Qf6 Somewhere around here, Patrick graciously commented to me that he would like to see how I would conduct the attack. I'm sure the text move would barely have occurred to me and I would have played the normal 12 ... Bxc1. Then after 13 Raxc1 Qd2+ 14 Kf3, Black has a unique problem. He would like to get to the position after 14 ... Bxc4 15 N5xc4 Qf2+ 16 Kxe4 Rad8, when Black is two pieces down but mate is imminent, e.g. 17 g4 Rfe8+ 18 Ne5 f6. Unfotunately, Whatever move order Black chooses, White can sidestep taking the second piece and run to safety. On 14 ... Bxc4 15 N5xc4 Qf2+ White has 16 Kg4!!, whereas first 14 ... Qf2+ 15 Kxe4 Bxc4 is met by 16 Kd4!! (not 16 N3xc4? Rad8). Probably best is 14 ... Bxc4 15 N5xc4 Qf2+ 16 Kg4!! f5+ 17 Kh3 Rf6! (if 17 ... g5 18 Qe6+ Rf7 19 Nxf5 and White may survive to draw, but he can be ambitious with 19 g3). 13.Bxe6 Qf2+ 14.Kd1 Also possible was 14 Kd3. Then after 14 ... Nc5+ 15 Kc4 Nxe6 White has the defensive shot 16 a4!! preparing a retreat and covering the possible checking square b5. Therefore, Black should instead take a draw with 15 ... Bxe3! 16 Qxe3 Qxc2+ 17 Qc3 Qe4+ 18 Qd4 Qc2+ (19 Kb4?? a5+ 20 Ka3 b5). 14...Rad8 15.Bd7 Trying to save all the pieces. On 15 Nd3 fxe6 looks tempting, but after White takes the queen, Black will not be able to recover enough material. The desperate 15 ... Rxd3 16 cxd3 fxe6 fails to 17 Rf1 Bxe3 18 Qxf8+. The correct way is 15 ... Bxc1 16 Kxc1 Qd2+ 17 Kb1 fxe6!! (not 17 ... Qxd3+ 18 Nc2 fxe6 19 Qe3!). Now the threat is 18 ... Rf2. If 19 Rd1! Rf1!! draws after 20 Rxf1 Qxd3+. If 19 a3? Nc3+! 20 bxc3 Rf2 wins. If 19 Rc1? Rf2 20 Rc2 Qe1+ 21 Rc1 Nd2+ 22 Kc2 Nc4+ wins. If 19 Ng4 Qxd3+ 20 Kc1 Rf1+ is good for Black. 15...Rfe8 Now it is getting hard for Shabalov to hold the whole thing together. 16.Nd3! Much better than 16 Rf1?. Then if 16 ... Bxe3? 17 Rxf2 Nxf2+ 18 Ke2 Bxh6 19 Bxe8 and White comes out on top. On 16 ... Qxe3 White has 17 Qxe3 Bxe3 18 Nd3!! which unpins the bishop on d7 and protects the knight. But Black has 16 ... Qxf1+! 17 Nxf1 Bxh6 18 Nd3 Bxc1 19 Bxe8 Bxb2 and wins. 16...Rxd7 17.Nxf2 Bxe3+ 18.Nd3 Shabalov probably overlooked Black's 19th. Better was 18 Ke2 Bxh6 19 Bxh6. Then Black has 19 ... Nd2+!! (White would be doing very well after 19 ... Ng3+ 20 Kf3) 20 Be3 Nc4 21 Ng4 (with the saving threat of 22 Nf6+) and the position is still very complicated after 22 ... Rd6 or 22 ... Kg7, in each case threatening both 23 ... Nxe3 and 23 ... h5. 18...Nf2+ 19.Ke2 Bxc1+ 20.Kxf2 Bxh6 Black emerges from the fracas a pawn ahead. Alas, to paraphrase Dr. Tarrasch, "After the middlegame, the Gods have placed the Endgame". Now would have been a good time to conference in guys like Pal Benko or Edmar Mednis. 21.Rhe1 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Kf8 23.Re4 Bg5 24.g4 Shabalov beings the process of placing all of his own pawns on White. Also, it was necessary to prevent Black from gaining space with h7-h5. 24...Rd5 Black should probably relocate the bishop to d6 where it keeps the knight at bay, then oppose rooks on the e-file, and push the kingside forward. 25.Rb4 b6 The more aggressive 25 ... b5 was possible, but Wolff wanted to avoid any unnecessary exchanges of pawns. 26.Ra4 a5 27.Rc4 c5 28.a4 f5 Shabalov has arranged for a favorable queenside pawn structure, put his pieces are seriously restricted. 29.gxf5 gxf5 30.Ke2 Rd6 Threatening 31 ... Rh6, but bringing the king up would have been very effective now. 31.h4 Re6+ 32.Kf3 Re3+? A careless move suddenly giving White an opportunity. 33.Kf2 Bh6 34.Nxc5 bxc5 35.Rxc5? Suddenly White has chances too. 35...f4 36.Rxa5 Rh3 37.Rc5 Rxh4 38.a5 Rh1 39.a6 Ra1 40.Rc6 Bg5 41.b4 Ra3 42.c3 Ke8 43.Kf3 Kd7 I have no idea of what is going on, and evidently, neither did the players, after 44 b5. 1/2-1/2