Not having played for a while, I jumped into the "action" event at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City on July 22 and immediately became embroiled in a messy position against the talented master Lewis Eisen. I provoked this by embarking on a dubious excursion to win Eisen's b-pawn which allowed him multiple chances for a sustained attack. Eisen overprepared his attacking plans and gave me just enough time to recover. ... 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 The Taimanov Variation of the Sicilian Defense.

5.Nc3 Qc7 A move-order finesse which avoids the line [5...a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 a favorite line of GM Gyula Sax, which I also think is pleasant for White. After the text, 6 Ndb5 is no problem as after 6 ... Qb8, the knight will be removed from b5 with no harm done. ] 6.Be3 a6 [6...Nf6 is playable as again 7.Ndb5 Qb8 (but note - had White played 6 g3, then 6 ... Nf6? 7 Ndb5! and Bc1-f4 is on the way); however 6 ... Nf6 invites 7 f4 obligating 7 ... d6 with a slow type of Scheveningen for Black. ] 7.Bd3 A line popularized by Kasparov. 7 f4 b5 with quick queenside play has proven to be reliable for Black. But the key point about 7 Bd3 is to take advantage of the early posting of the Black queen on c7 which removes d-file influence. If instead Black had played ... Ng8-f6 rather than ... Qd8-c7, then a quick ... d7-d5 would now be in order. 7...Nf6 8.0-0 Ne5 A little trick to get the bishop to c5. Not 8 ... Bc5? right away due to 9 Nxe6! And on 8 ... d6, Black has allowed himself to be tricked into a Scheveningen where White has gotten his bishop from f1 to d3 in one move (rather than the Classical Scheveningen where White plays Bf1-e2 on his sixth move, and later re-positions it to d3). After the text, Black threatens ... Ne5-g4. 9.h3
Bc5

10.Qe2 [The main line is 10.Kh1 d6 11.f4 Ned7 (and then possibly 12 Qf3 b5, Tal - Najdorf, Belgrade 1970) - not 11 ... Nc6, which got splattered in the game Kasparov - Anand, Tilburg, 1991 after 12 e5!! [A comparable situation, in which White ignores a piece on d4 in order to get in the push e4-e5 arises after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cd 4 Nd4 e6 5 Nc3 a6 6 g3 Qc7 7 Bg2 Nf6 8 0-0 h6 9 Re1 Nd4 10 e5!, as in DeFirmian - Rohde, New York Open 1988.] Nxe5 [A tough move to play, as it temporarily sacs a piece while leaving White with options as to how to throw it back.

But Anand clearly saw the alternatives were demoralizing: 12 ... dxe5 13 Ndb5! axb5 14 Bxc5 Nd4 15 fxe5 Qxc5 16 exf6 0-0 17 Ne4 Qe5 18 Qg4 is grisly; 12 ... Nxd4 13 exf6 gxf6 14 Ne4 f5 15 Bxd4! Bxd4 16 Bb5+ axb5 17 Qxd4 0-0 18 Nf6+ Kh8 19 Ne8+ wins; 12 ... Bxd4 13 Bxd4 and now 13 ... Nxd4 14 exf6 gxf6 15 f5! or 13 ... dxe5 14 fxe5 Nd7 15 Ne4! with the amusing triad 15 ... Ndxe5 16 Bc5 and 17 Nd6+ is unstoppable, 15 ... Nxd4 16 Nd6+ wins - if 16 ... Ke7 or 16 ... Kf8 then 17 Rf7+ and 18 Qg4, or 16 ... Kd8 17 Nxf7+, and 15 ... Ncxe5 16 Qh5 with a continuing attack: 16 ... 0-0? 17 Bxe5 followed by 18 Nf6+, or 16 ... H6 17 Ng5 0-0 18 Bh7+! Kh8 19 Nxf7+ Rxf7 20 Rxf7 Kxh7 21 Raf1! threatening 22 Rxg7+ and if 21 ... Nxf7 22 Rxf7 e5 23 Qf5+.] 13 fe de 14 Bb5+! [Much better than 14 Ndb5? axb5 15 Nxb5 Qb6 which is not special.] ab [Black cannot delay the recovery of the piece. If 14 ... Bd7 15 Bxd7+ Nxd7 16 Nxe6! fxe6 17 Bg5 and Black's king is cut off, e.g. 17 ... Nb6 18 Ne4, or 17 ... Be7 18 Bxe7 Kxe7 19 Qh5. On 14 ... Kf8 15 Rf6 hurts: 15 ... gxf6 16 Bh6+ Ke7 17 Nf5+! wins, or 15 ... exd4 16 Bf4 Qe7 (16 ... Bd6 17 Nd5 Qd8 18 Bxd6+ Qxd6 19 Qh5!) 17 Ne4 axb5 18 Be5 (Kasparov) with a crushing bind - if 18 ... b6 19 Qg4 Bb7 20 Raf1. On 14 ... Ke7 15 Rxf6! wins - 15 ... gxf6 16 Nf5+, 15 ... Kxf6 16 Qg4, or 15 ... exd4 16 Bf4 Qa5 (16 ... Bd6 17 Nd5+) 17 Qh5.] 15 Ndb5 Qb6 16 Bc5 Qc5 17 Nd6+ Ke7 18 Rf6! [Only this thematic shot retains the attack.] gf 19 Nce4 Qd4 [Not 19 ... Qe3? 20 Nf5+!] 20 Qh5 Rf8 21 Rd1 [Better than 21 Qh4 Ra6 22 Nc8+ Kd7!] Qe3 22 Qh4 Qf4 23 Qe1! [A pretty switch. Now 23 ... f5 24 Qb4 is devastating.] Ra4 24 Qc3 Rd4 25 Rd4 Qf1+ [Necessary. Not 25 ... ed 26 Qc7+ Bd7 27 27 Nc8+.] 26 Kh2 ed 27 Qc5 Kd7 28 Nb5 Qf4+ 29 g3 [29 ... Qe5 30 Nf6+! Qf6 31 Qc7+ Ke8 and mate is delivered on the key d6 square.] 1 - 0 ] 10...d6 11.f4 In a previous action tournament, Eisen had played the quiet 11 Nb3 against me. 11...Nc6 Black's bizarre maneuver has accomplished the positionally useful trade of dark-squared bishops. Other moves unnecessarily leave the d4 knight unmarked. 12.Nf3 Bxe3+ [12...Nh5 misses the mark because of the simple 13.Kh2] 13.Qxe3 Nd7 Quite an important precaution. [13...0-0 looked unsavory due to 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Nd7 16.Bxh7+ with a quick attack against the king. ] 14.Kh1 [Also reasonable was 14.a4 Qb6 15.Qxb6 Nxb6 where White has a spatial edge, but Black's king will be both comfortable and useful on e7.] 14...Qb6 A strange "double attack", both hitting the b-pawn and offering the queen trade which White has already announced, with Kg1-h1, that he is not interested in. Alternatives were 14 ... b5 and 14 ... O-O. 15.Qe2 Qxb2 I was in a "show me" kind of mood. 16.Nd5

16...0-0 I played this nonchalant retort fairly quickly. However, because an attack is brewing in all cases, it would have been better to analyze [16...exd5 17.exd5+ Ne7 18.Rae1 Qf6 19.g4! (if 19 Ng5 Kd8! 20 Ne4!? Qh6 holds) when 19 ... h6? loses to 20 g5! anyway, so Black should play 19 ... O-O 20 g5 (the position is about equal on 20 Qxe7 Qxe7 21 Rxe7 Nc5) Qxf4 21 Qxe7, when 21 ... Nc5? loses to 22 Bxh7+! Kxh7 23 Qxf8 and if 23 ... Bxh3 then 24 g6+!, but instead Black can play 21 ... g6! with an unclear position. ]

17.Rfb1 Played hastily. There was no reason to use the f-rook for this job. Correct was: [17.Rab1 Qa3 (definitely not (17...Qxa2? 18.Ra1 Qb2 19.Rfb1) 18.e5!! with a strong-looking attack although White has to invest in it heavily after 18 ... exd5 19 Bxh7+!! Kh8 (better than 19 ... Kxh7 20 Ng5+ Kh6 - 20 ... Kg8 21 Qh5 - 21 Qf2!) 20 Ng5 g6 and then 21 Qg4! is very dangerous. ] 17...Qa3 18.Rb3 Still 18 e5! was the right way. 18...Qa5 19.Ne3 Now I was not so worried about 19 e5 due to 19 ... g6! and if 20 Nf6+ Nxf6 21 exf6 Qd8 picks off the f-pawn. 19...Nc5 Rushing to get rid of that horrible light-squared bishop. 20.e5 On other moves White is getting pushed back too much. 20...Nxd3 I wanted no part of 20 ... Nxb3 21 Bxh7+ Kh8 (White's attack is also too explosive after 21 ... Kxh7 22 Ng5+) 22 Ng5 g6 23 Qg4 Kg7 24 Qh4 and the extra attacking piece - the White knight on e3 - will arrive on g4. 21.Rxd3 dxe5 22.Nc4 Qc5 To be considered was 22 ... Qc7. It has the advantage of assisting the Black bishop in getting out of the starting gate, but has the disadvantage that no pressure is placed on the White knight on c4. Play would continue 23 fxe5 Bd7 24 Nd6 Ne7 and White still has compensation for the pawn. 23.Ncxe5 Nb4

Figuring that my knight was more useful. Black would have trouble developing after 23 ... Nxe5 24 Nxe5 Qc7 Rad1. 24 Rd2 Nd5 24.Ng5! A very good move to confuse the issue. 24...f6 On 25 ... Nxf4 26 Qe4 Ng6 27 Nxg6 Qxg5! 28 Nxf8 Qxd2 should be good for Black, but during the game I could not tell. 25.Nxh7 Again Eisen poses the maximum problems. 25...Kxh7 Allowing White's queen and other knight to take up strong positions, but in lines where I was winning two pieces for a rook, such as 26 ... fxe5 27 Nxf8, I did not know if I was better. 26.Qh5+ Kg8 27.Ng6 White is a piece down and there is no immediate perpetual in sight, but it is very difficult to get of White's menacing pieces. 27...Bd7 28.Re1 Rfc8?? Clearly indicated was 29 ... Rfe8. Then White can create a discovery with 30 Qh8+ Kf7 31 Qh5, and Black does not seem to be making progress. 29.Rd5 exd5 30.Re7 White is getting his material back with interest. 30...Qxe7 31.Nxe7+ Kf8 32.Nxc8 Rxc8 33.Qxd5 Bc6 Establishing an easy fortress on the queenside, with rook and bishop against queen, and everything mutually protected. 34.Qd2 Re8 35.Kh2 Eisen graciously offered a draw here, with both of our clocks down to the sudden death wire. White has some winning chances based on the march of his h-pawn which may undermine Black's own kingside pawn formation