|
deFirmian - Azmaiparashvili
Yerevan (Ol) 1996
1.e4 d5 For many years Azmaiparashvili has been one of the leading exponents of the Pirc / Modern Defense; in this game he
decides to get deFirmian off the beaten track. 2.exd5 Nf6 In Game 14 of their 1995 World Championship Match, Anand played the main line 2 ... Qxd5, later getting a good position against Kasparov. 3.d4
On 3 c4 c6, White should transpose to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack against the Caro-Kann with 4 d4 cxd5 5 Nc3, as holding the pawn with 4 dxc6 gives Black full compensation after 4 ... Nxc6. Another unimpressive way to
keep the extra pawn is 3 Bb5+ Bd7 4 Bc4 Bg4 5 f3 Bf5 and Black has a satisfactory game. 3...Nxd5 4.Nf3 g6 The point of White's move order is that 4 ... Bg4 can be met by 5 c4 Nb6 (5 ... Nf6 does not
put any pressure on White's center) 6 c5! as 6 ... Nd5 7 Qb3! is good for White, and on 6 ... N6d7 7 Bc4 e6 8 Nc3 followed by 9 h3, White keeps a nice space advantage. Azmaiparashvili's move is a good alternative. The
position is now the same as one that can arise via the Alekhine's Defense with 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 dxe5 5 Nxe5 g6, except that in our game White's knight is on f3 rather than e5! This may be in White's
favor, as on e5 the knight is more subject to an equalizing exchange. 5.c4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.c5!? The main alternative here was 7 h3, stopping Black from turning up any heat against d4 with ...
Bc8-g4. 7...N6d7?! I believe this move is unnecessarily passive. In an analogous position in the note to Black's fourth move, ... Nb6-d5 was met strongly by Qd1-b3 because there Black's b-pawn was
weak. Here 7 ... Nd5 8 Bc4 Nxc3 - better than 8 ... c6 9 Qb3 - looks ok for Black. 8.Bc4 0-0 9.0-0 c6 Solid. This is better than 9 ... b6 10 Be3 Bb7 11 Rc1 and White has secured his queenside wedge.
Also bad would be 9 ... e5? 10 Bg5. 10.Re1 Nf6 11.h3 b5 Not bad, but double-edged, as c6 can become a target. To be considered was 11 ... Na6 as White would sorely miss his light-squared bishop on 12
Bxa6, and on 12 Qe2, Black can still try the pawn sacrifice 12 ... Nc7!? 13 Qxe7 Be6, similar to the game continuation. 12.Bb3 a5 13.a3 Na6 14.Qe2 Nc7! Pitching the e-pawn, but otherwise climbing back into
the game. If 14 ... Ra7 15 Ne5 and Black is severely disorganized. And 14 ... e6 would be positionally moribund. 15.Qxe7 Be6 16.Qxd8 Rfxd8 17.Bf4! A nice interpolation. On the plain 17 Bxe6 Nxe6 18
Be3, Black would be very active with 18 ... b4 winning the square d5 for his knight. 17...Nfe8 It would be harder to generate counterplay with the light-squared bishop after 17 ... Bxb3 18 Bxc7
as White's grip on the dark squares is stifling. 18.Bxe6 Nxe6 19.Be5! Bxe5 Too weakening is 19 ... f6 20 Bh2 Kf7 (not 20 ... Nxd4? 21 Rxe8+ Rxe8 22 Nxd4) 21 Rad1 and White has 22 Ne4 in the
offing. 20.Rxe5 Nf6 21.Rd1 White is a clean pawn up, but Black has good drawing chances as the extra pawn is backward. 21...b4 22.Na4 Nd7?! More stable resistance is afforded by keeping
thematic with 22 ... Nd5, occupying the key square. Then Black's only weakness is the c6 pawn, which can easily be defended when it gets attacked by a knight arriving on e5. Meanwhile, White's a4 knight is kept on
the sidelines, and it is not easy to see how White would make progress. Moreover, there is no reason to drive the White rook off e5. 23.Ree1 Rab8 It could be that 23 ... Nf6 is Black's best here, but it
would take a lot of courage to make such an admission. 24.d5 Liquidating the backward pawn to obtain a healthy passer on the c-file. 24...cxd5 Very unclear was 25 c6!? and then 25 ...
Ndf8 (not 25 ... Nf6? 26 Rxe6! fxe6 27 c7) can be answered by 26 Nd4! while 25 ... Nb6 runs into 26 Nc5! 25.Rxd5 Ndxc5! Best. Black takes his chances in a rook vs. 2 knights ending. Of course not 25
... Rbc8? 26 Red1. 26.Rxc5 Nxc5 27.Nxc5 Rb5 28.axb4 Rxb4 29.Re2 Rb5 A better way was 29 ... Rdb8! 30 Nd3 (there is no point to 30 Na6? Rxb2) Rb3 31 Nfe1 a4 and White is kept passive while Black
eliminates the queenside. 30.Na4 Rb4 31.Nc3! Rdb8 32.Re5 Rxb2 33.Rxa5 Rc2 34.Ne4 Re2 35.Ra4 The White rook takes up a convenient lateral defensive position; from this angle Black cannot set up any crosspins.
f5 Azmaiparashvili felt that he needed to lash out before White sets up g2-g4-g5 with a bind on the Black king; the relative defensive merits of the two setups are not clear. 36.Nf6+ Kg7 37.Nd5 Rb7 On
37 ... Rb1+ 38 Kh2 Rxf2 39 Ra7+ Kf8 (if 39 ... Kh6 40 Nf6 g5 41 Ne5) 40 Ng5, White's mating ideas take priority. 38.h4 Beginning to weave threats around the king. deFirmian's task is to keep f2 readily
defensible while inching his knights forward. Rd7 39.Ra5 Kh6 40.g3 Rb7 41.Nf4 Ree7 42.Ne5 Rb6 It would actually be safer for Black's king if he hung out on g7. 43.Kg2 Reb7 44.Nc4 Rc6 If 44 ... Rb5 45 Ra6 and
White's control of the sixth rank, including the jumping point e6, is decisive. 45.Ne3 Rcb6 Overlooking what Nick has been angling for. Real resistance was still possible with 45 ... Kg7! 46.Rxf5!
Rb5 Shellshocked. 47 Ng4+ It's mate in a couple. 1 - 0
 |
