Relentless
One of the USA's most critical matches in their bronze-medal performance
at the 1996 Olympiad in Yerevan, Armenia, was against a tough team from
Georgia. Nick deFirmian's effort against Zurab Azmaiparashvili was a
classic example of relentless pressure on a cramped position. Reasonably,
Azmaiparashvili sacrificed a pawn to obtain space and a little positional
compensation; when deFirmian overrode this, Azmaiparashvili parted with 2
knights for a rook to arrive at an endgame, where, again, he had reasonable
drawing chances ...
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!?
DIAGRAM
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
DIAGRAM
14...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
DIAGRAM
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.
DIAGRAM
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
DIAGRAM
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
DIAGRAM
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
> [Event "US Championship (Gp. 2)"]
> [Site "Chandler"]
> [Date "1997.08.27"]
> [Round "4"]
> [White "DeFirmian, Nick"]
> [Black "Dzindzichashvili, Roman"]
> [Result "1/2-1/2"]
> [ECO "B01"]
> [WhiteElo "2575"]
> [BlackElo "2540"]
> [PlyCount "72"]
> [EventDate "1997.08.23"]
>
> 1. e4 d5
>
> The Center Counter, a solid defence which received a big boost
> when Anand used it to
> get a good position against Kasparov in Game 14 of their 1995 World
> Championship match.
>
> 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6
>
> The Kasparov - Anand game continued with the much more popular 3
> .. Qa5 and then 4
> d4 Nf6 5 Nf3 c6. Dzindzi’s move is designed to avoid main line theory.
> A good point about the
> retreat to d6 is that if White goes out of his way to attack the queen
> again, the queen can just
> retreat to d8.
>
> 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 6. Be3
>
> 6 Bg5 would be a good reaction to Black’s last, as then Black
> would have to think twice
> about 6 ... e6 as it allows the doubling of Black’s f-pawns, and 6 ...
> h6?! 7 Bh4 allows the bishop
> to drop back to g3 with effect.
>
> e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O-O b5
>
> In my view, 9 ... Nc6, with the idea of hassling White with ...
> Nc6-b4, is a better
> equalizing try.
>
> 10. Ng5
>
> White’s superior development and central control seem to be
> grounds for optimism in a
> race to attack the opponent’s king. But a simpler method was 10 Ne4
> Nxe4 11 Bxe4 c6 12 Ne5
> with a clear advantage.
>
> Bb7 11. Bf4 Qd8 12. h4 Nbd7 13. Qe2 b4
>
> Initiating a series of exchanges which force easy equality
> against White’s increasingly
> diffused forces.
>
> 14. Nce4
> Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Nf6 16. Be5 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Bd6 19. Qg4 Bxe5
> 20.
> dxe5 Qe7 21. Qc4 a5 22. Rd4 Rad8 23. Rhd1 Rxd4 24. Rxd4 h5 25. g3 Rd8
> 26. Qd3
> Rxd4 27. Qxd4 a4 28. c3 bxc3 29. Qxc3 Qd7 30. Qc4 f6 31. exf6 gxf6 32.
> Kc2 Kg7
> 33. b3 axb3+ 34. Kxb3 Qd1+ 35. Qc2 Qd5+ 36. Kb2 c5 1/2-1/2