Analysis Center.

Rohde - Shliperman, Bradley (Connecticut) Open 1996 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 b6 White's move order allows 3 ... b5 to be played here as a very respectable alternative, but Shliperman is content with the regular Queen's Indian Defence. But because the move c2-c4 has not yet been played, the variations based on ... Bc8-a6 will not be possible. 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.c4 Be7 The move 5 ... c5, which would have gotten Black into a Hedgehog had White not played 5 c4, is probably not adivsable not because of 6 d5 exd5 7 Nh4. 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Bd2 The point of this modern treatment is to both avoid double pawns on c3, and to retain chances of shutting out Black's bishop on b7 with the advance d4-d5 (which would have been forfeited by 8 Qc2). 8...f5 A much quieter method is 8 ... Bf6 9 Rc1 d6 10 d5 Nxd2 followed by ... e6-e5: White gets a space advantage, but Black has a solid position and the two bishops. 9.d5 Bf6 10.Rc1 Na6 11.Ne1 Nd6 A strong move, empahsizing Black's active play in the center. On the knight exchange 11 ... Nxd2 12 Qxd2, Black would have little compensation for White'c central wedge, as 12 ... e5 13 e4 is very good for White, for example, 13 ... f4 14 gxf4! exf4 15 Nf3. 12.b3 Qe7 13.Nd3 [DIAGRAM] 13...c6 It is admirable to fight for the center, but the continuation shows that this move is positionally very dangerous. Much better was 13 ... Rae8! threatening ... Bf6xc3. After 14 e3, White stands a little better. 14.dxe6 dxe6 15.c5 Strong, but also forced. Otherwise Black plays 15 ... c5 with a great position. 15...bxc5 16.Na4 c4 17.Ndc5 The thematic move, stopping ... c6-c5. I barely considered 17 bxc4, but that might have been better - if then 17 ... c5 18 Bxb7! (Black is fine on 18 Naxc5 Nxc5 19 Nxc5 Bxg2 20 Kxg2 Rac8 21 Be3 Bb2! 22 Rc2 Ba3) Nxb7 (on 18 ... Qxb7? 19 Naxc5 is good) and now 19 Rb1 with a significant pull. 17...Nxc5 18.Nxc5 Bb2 Eliminating White's control of c5. Black would be in all kinds of trouble after 18 ... cxb3? 19 Qxb3. 19.Rc2 Ba3 20.Nxb7 Qxb7 21.bxc4 Bc5 [DIAGRAM] Shliperman has covered the weakling on c6 and coordinated his minor pieces. What now? 22.Qa1! Rae8 Best. My threat was the double attack 23 Qe5. No remedy was 22 ... Nf7 due to the powerful 23 Bc3. 23.Rb1 This was a tough decision. On the alternative 23 Qe5, 23 ... Ba3? loses to 24 Qa5, so the precarious-looking 23 ... Qb6 must be played. Then 24 Rb2 is met by the rude 24 ... Nxc4. I could have prepared this with 24 Bc3 Rf7 25 Rb2 Nxc4 26 Rxb6 Nxe5 27 Ra6, but I wanted "more" out of the position. 23...Qe7! Good judgment. Shliperman simply ditches the pawn on c6, so that 24 Qe5? can now be rejected with 24 ... Nf7, and the strong position of the bishop on c5 is maintained. I have nothing better than taking the pawn. 24.Bxc6 Rc8 25.Bg2 Not an inspired decision. Of course I saw that 25 Bf3 would better dissuade the advance ... f4, but I thought that 25 ... f4 would be no good anyway, and in the variation 25 ... Ne4 26 Be1 (or 26 e3), I did not want the bishop to get hit by the move ... Ne4-g5. 25...f4 26.Bxf4 Suddenly it became clear that 26 gxf4 Qh4 27 e3 Rf6 was way too dangerous.. 26...Bxf2+ DIAGRAM 27.Kh1 I was very uncomfortable with the concept of 27 Kxf2 e5 28 e3 exf4 29 exf4 Nf5 and the queen threatens to visit both c5 and e3. After the text, I am still a pawn up, as 27 ... Nxc4? runs into 28 Rbc1 Nb6 29 e3, yet Black has real dark-square counterplay. 27...Bb6 28.Rbc1 Nf5 Shliperman consistently moves forward to attack, yet this move lets White activate also. Perplexing would have been the simple 28 ... Bc5 and White has to think about ... Bc5-a3, trying to pick off the c-pawn. 29.Qe5 Bc5 30.Qe4 Finally the queen settles on a nice post in the center. 30...Rcd8 31.Rc3 Rd4 32.Qc6 Rfd8 DIAGRAM 33.Rd3 In serious time pressure here, I decided to throw the pawn back, as I thought, with only one pair of rooks on the board, I would wrest the intiative. One normal defence was 33 e4! Rd1+ 34 Bf1 Nd4 35 Qa4. 33...Rxd3 34.exd3 Rxd3 35.Re1 Bb4 The threat was 36 Be4. No good was 35 ... Nd4 36 Qe4 Ra3 37 Be5 with an overwhelming position. 36.Rb1 h6 Overlooking my idea, but White has a lot of pressure on 36 ... Rd8 37 Be4 Nd4 38 Qc7. 37.Be4 Clearing the first rank with tempo. 37...Rd8 38.Rxb4 Qxb4 More problems would be posed by 38 ... Nxg3+! By comparison to the game, the move wins a pawn, but loses the tempo that White spends capturing the knight on f5. But since the White queen may be headed to f5 anyway, the despreado move was clearly the only chance. 39.Qxe6+ Kh8 40.Qxf5 Qe1+ On 40 ... Rd1+ 41 Kg2 Qb2+ 42 Kh3 there are no more checks. 41.Kg2 Qe2+ 42.Kh3 Qf1+ 43.Kh4 g5+ 44.Kh5 Qe2+ 45.g4  1 - 0