| 1.e4
c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3
g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0
Nxd4
Basically the only choices for Black
here are this exchange followed by
landing the bishop on e6, and playing
the pawn sacrifice 9 ... d5. This
is because 9 ... Bd7 followed by ...
Ra8-c8 and routing the c6 knight to
c4 is too slow, as White will just
exchange on c4 without having spent
any time on Bf1-c4-b3.
10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7
A skip-step with the queen on the
way to a5, as the immediate 11 ..
Qa5? runs into 12 Nd5.
12.h4 Rfc8 13.g4 Qa5 14.Qg5
This move has arisen out of dissatisfaction
with the old line 14 a3 Rab8 15 h5
b5 and White generally feels obliged
to bail out with Nc3-d5 rather than
allow the mutual attacks with Black
getting in ... b5-b4.
b5
Black does not do well with 14
... Qc7 15 h5 h6 16 Qe3.
15.Qxb5 Qc7 16.Qa4 Rab8 17.Ba6 Bd7
18.Qa3?
In Ashley - Kalikshteyn from Round
6 of this event, White found his way
to a better endgame with 18.Nb5 Qc6
(it appears that 18 ... Bxb5 19 Bxb5
Nxe4 does not work after 20 fxe4 Bxd4
21 Rxd4 Qb6 22 Rb4 a6 - better is
22 ... Rc5 23 c4 a6 24 Rc1 - as White
has 23 Bd7!) 19.Bxc8 Rxc8 (on 19 ...
Qxc8 20 Nxa7! and White will also
have the Exchange and two pawns for
two minor pieces in the endgame) 20.Bxa7
Qb7 (Kalikshteyn avoids exchanging
queens with 20 ... Qxb5 and wins back
a piece a different way) 21.c4 Ra8
22.Rd3 Bxb5 23.Qxb5 Qxa7 24.Ra3 Qb8
25.Rc1 and White has consolidated
his advantage - a fine theoretical
performance by Ashley.
Nxe4!19.fxe4 Bxd4 20.Rxd4
Qxc3 21.Qxc3 Rxc3 22.e5!
Otherwise, White's pawns are looser
in this even-material endgame.
Rg3 23.exd6 exd6 24.g5 Rb6
25.Bd3 Kg7 26.b3 h6 27.gxh6+ Kxh6
28.a4 Rg4 29.Rxg4 Bxg4 30.a5
Ivanov starts getting too ambitious
on the queenside. Correct was 30 Kc1
with no problems at all.
Rb7 31.a6 Re7 32.Bc4?
A time-wasting step in the wrong direction,
in time pressure. It was high time
for 32 Kc1.
f5 33.Kb2 Bf3 34.Rf1 Be4 35.Rd1 f4!
Suddenly, the f-pawn is a monster.
36.Rxd6 Kh5 37.Rf6 Bf5 38.Bd3
Kg4 39.b4 f3 40.Kc3 f2 41.b5 Re3
|
