Continued from the April-June issue.
White: Krasik, I (2188)
Black: Shver, E (2175)
[D31] Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 Here I took my time, because White has several fundamentally different continuations. 4.e4! The Marshall Gambit! As a friend of mine likes to say, “You gotta play like a mang...” At the same time I could tell by my opponent's body language that he wasn't too happy. [Other possibilties are 4.Nf3 ; 4.e3] 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 Na6 9.Bc3 [9.Ba5 or; 9.Bd6 are more principled continuations, but there you also have to know more.] 9...Ne7 10.Bxg7 Rg8 11.Bf6 [11.Bc3 Qxg2 12.Qd2 Qxh1 13.0-0-0 Nd5 14.Nf3 is what I vaguely remembered... but I didn't know what the evaluation was, so it was best to avoid it.] 11...Rg6 12.Bxe7 Kxe7 13.Qd2 e5 14.Nf3 Bf5 15.Rd1 Kf8! I think it’s safe to say that I didn’t get any advantage out of the opening. 16.g3 [16.0-0?? Bh3-+] 16...Bg4 17.Qe3 The only move. [17.Qc3?? Rf6-+] 17...Bxf3 [17...Qxe3 18.fxe3 Bxf3 (18...Re8 19.Nh4+/=) 19.Bxf3 Ke7=] 18.Qxf3 Qxf3 19.Bxf3 e4?! 20.Bg2 Nc5 21.0-0 a5 22.b3! Re6 23.Rd4 [23.f3 e3 24.Rfe1 Rae8~~] 23...Rae8 24.Re1 Kg7 25.Re3 f5 26.f3 Kf6 27.fxe4 fxe4 28.a3! I knew my opponent had missed this idea. 28...a4?! [I mostly considered as the critical try 28...h6 The idea is just to tuck the pawn away from the bishop thereby saving an important tempo after White plays b4 and trades rooks on e4. 29.b4 axb4 30.axb4 Na6; 28...Ke5 is an improvement suggested by my opponent in the postmortem. 29.Rd1 Rd6 30.Rde1 (30.Rxd6 Kxd6 31.b4 axb4 32.axb4 Na6 33.Rxe4 Rxe4 34.Bxe4 h6=) 30...Kf6 31.b4 axb4 32.axb4 Nd3 33.Rf1+ Kg7 34.Rd1 (34.Rxe4 Rxe4 35.Bxe4 Nxb4 36.Rb1 c5 37.Bxb7+/=) ] 29.b4 Nb3 30.Rdxe4 Rxe4 31.Rxe4 Rxe4 32.Bxe4 Nd2
The key moment of the game. 33.Bd3!! I killed almost all my remaining time on this move, trying to make Bxh7 work, which only leads to a draw. (2 min left) [33.Bxh7 Nxc4 34.Bc2 b5 35.Be4 Nxa3 36.Bxc6 Nc2 37.Bxb5 a3 38.Bc4 Nxb4= This variation convinced me that the trick is to wait a bit for the black king to commit before starting to push the queenside pawns.] 33...Ke5 34.h4?! At first I thought this is best but... [34.Kf2! (Ivanov, A) - must be winning, he said, when I showed this position to him on the plane. 34...Kd4 (34...h6 35.Ke3 Nb3 36.Bc2 c5 37.g4 cxb4 38.axb4 b6 39.h4+-) 35.Bxh7 Nxc4 36.g4 a)36.h4 Nxa3 37.h5 (a)37.g4 Nc4 38.h5 a3 39.Bb1 Nd6 40.h6 Nf7 41.h7 Ke5 42.g5 Nh8 43.Ke2 b6 44.Ke3 c5 45.b5! Ke6 46.Kd2 Kf747.Kc3 Kg7 48.Kb3 Nf7 49.g6 Nd6 50.Kxa3 Nxb5+ 51.Kb3 Nd6 52.Bd3 b5 53.Bf1) 37...Nc4 38.h6 Ne5 39.Bf5 a3 40.Be6 Ng6 41.h7 Ke5 42.Bf7 Nh8 43.Ba2 Kf6 44.Ke3 Kg7 45.Kd4 Kxh7 46.Kc5 Kg6 47.Kb6 Nf7 48.Kxb7 Ne5=; b)36.Bc2 b5 37.h4 Nxa3 38.h5 Nxc2 39.h6 a3 40.h7 a2 41.h8Q+ Kd3 42.Qd8+ Kc3 43.Qf6+ Kd2 44.Qf4+ Kc3 45.Qf6+ Kd2=; 36...Ke5 (36...Nxa3 37.g5 Ke5 38.h4 Nc4 39.h5 a3 40.Bb1 Nd2 41.Kg3 Nxb1 42.h6+-) 37.g5 Nxa3 38.h4 Nb5 39.h5 a3 40.Bb1 Nc3 41.Kf3 Nxb1 42.h6 a2 43.h7+-] 34...Kd4? [34...h6 35.Kf2 (35.c5 Kd4 36.Bc2 Nc4 37.Bxa4 Nxa3 38.g4 Nc4 39.Kf2 Ne5 40.Kg3 Kc3 41.b5 Kb4 42.bxc6 bxc6 43.Bxc6 Nxc6 44.g5 hxg5 45.h5 Kxc5 46.h6 Ne5=) 35...Kd4 36.Ke2 Nb3 (36...Nxc4 37.Bxc4 Kxc4 38.g4 Kd5 39.g5 (39.Kd3 b6 40.g5 hxg5 41.hxg5 Ke5 42.Kc4 Kf5 43.Kd4 Kxg5 44.Ke5 c5 45.bxc5 bxc5 46.Kd5 Kf5 47.Kxc5 Ke5=) 39...hxg5 40.hxg5 Ke5 41.Kd3 Kf5 42.Kd4 Kxg5 43.Kc5 Kf5 44.Kb6 Ke5 45.Kxb7 Kd6 46.Ka6 Kc7 47.Ka5 Kb7 48.Kxa4 Kb6 49.Kb3 c5 50.Kc4 cxb4 51.axb4 Kc6=) 37.Bb1 c5 (37...h5 38.c5! Nc1+ (38...Ke5 39.Bg6 Nd4+ 40.Kd3 Nb5 41.Bxh5 Nxa3 42.Bd1+-) 39.Kf2 Ke5 40.Ke3) 38.bxc5 Nxc5 39.g4 Kxc4 (39...Ke5 40.Ke3 Ne6 41.Bc2 Nc5 42.g5 hxg5 43.hxg5 b6 44.Kd2 Ke6 45.Kc3+-) 40.g5 hxg5 41.hxg5 Kd4 42.g6 Ne6 43.Kd2 b5 44.Bd3 b4 45.axb4 a3 46.Kc2 a2 47.Kb2 Kxd3 48.b5+-] 35.Bxh7 Nxc4 36.Bc2 b5 37.h5 Ke5 38.h6 Kf6 39.g4!+- A brutal move which settles the dust, the point of White’s play: the pawns are unstoppable. 39...Ne3 [39...Ne5 40.Be4+-; 39...Nxa3 40.g5+ Kf7 (40...Kxg5 41.h7+-) 41.g6+ Kg8 42.Bf5] 40.g5+ Kf7 41.Be4 After the game a funny conversation took place... My opponent said, “Why did you play the gambit? It didn’t seem like you knew it too well.” I said, “True, but I figured you also didn't really know it”. “So why the hell did you play it?” he asked. “I thought I’d wing it,” I said. “I thought you were trying to bluff me and I gambled... this is Vegas, after all.” After this he looked at me very angrily, and didn't say any more. He ended up withdrawing, suffering only this one loss. 1-0
White: Luaces, J (2176)
Krasik, I (2188)
[A07] King’s Indian Attack
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Bg4 4.Ne5 Bh5 5.c4 e6 [5...Nd7!] 6.cxd5 exd5 7.0-0 Bd6 8.d4 Nf6 [8...Nd7 9.Bf4 (9.Nxd7 Qxd7=) 9...Qe7 10.Nd3 Ngf6 11.Nc3 0-0] 9.Nc3 0-0 [9...Nbd7] 10.h3 Bg6 [10...Nbd7 11.f4 looked unpleasant as well] 11.Bg5+/- Black got into a very unpleasant position - not a pretty sight in the “money round.” 11...Re8 [11...Nbd7 12.f4 Re8 13.f5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Rxe5 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.fxg6 Qxg6] 12.Nxg6 [12.f4 Nbd7 13.f5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Bxe5 15.fxg6 hxg6 and Black probably doesn't have enough for the piece.] 12...hxg6 13.e4 dxe4 14.Nxe4 Be7 15.Nc5?! [15.Nc3!?; I was mainly concerned with 15.Nxf6+ Bxf6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Qb3 Re7 18.Rfe1] 15...b6 [15...Bxc5 16.dxc5 Na6 17.Qc2 Qe7 18.Rac1+/=; 15...Qb6 16.Qb3 (16.Re1 Na6!) ] 16.Bxf6? [16.Nd3! Nd5 (16...Qxd4 17.Re1! and White’s initiative is hard to extinguish.) 17.Bxe7 Rxe7 18.Ne5+/-] 16...Bxf6 17.Nb3 a5! The only move. 18.a4 Ra7 19.Rc1 Rd7!= Black has managed to consolidate. 20.Bxc6?! Nxc6 21.Rxc6 Rd5! Black’s compensation is clear: 1. Black has play along White’s weak light squares; 2. The passive position of White’s knight on b3; 3. The permanent weakness on d4. [21...Bxd4 22.Nxd4 Rxd4 23.Qc2= leads to a dry, drawn position, but I wanted to try to win first place.] 22.Rc4 Rh5 There is something special about these rook lifts as rooks tend to be quite clumsy pieces. 23.Qg4 Qd5 24.Nd2 Bg5! [24...Rg5 25.Rc8 Rxg4 26.Rxe8+ Kh7 27.hxg4] 25.f4 Bf6 26.f5? [Better is 26.Kh2 ] 26...Rxf5 27.b3 Rg5?! A mistake in time pressure. [27...Rxf1+ 28.Nxf1 Re1-+] 28.Qf4 Rf5 29.Qg4 Rg5 [29...Rxf1+ 30.Nxf1 Re1-+] 30.Qf4 Re2 31.Rf2 Re8? [31...Re1+ 32.Nf1 (32.Rf1 Rf5 33.Qb8+ Kh7 34.Rxe1 Bxd4+- +) ] 32.g4! Qe6 33.Nf3 Rd5 34.Rf1 g5 35.Qd2 Qd6 36.Kg2 b5! 37.axb5 Rxb5 38.Qc2 Qd5 39.Rc5 Rxc5 40.dxc5? [Better is 40.Qxc5 ] 40...Re3! I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew I had missed winning blows earlier, but despite time pressure craziness I had managed to carry a big advantage into the second time control. 41.c6? I don't know what my opponent was thinking but perhaps he didn't understand my previous move, or just got discouraged by his position in general. 41...Rc3-+ 42.Qf5 Qxf5 There is no need to complicate matters. 43.gxf5 Rxc6 44.Rf2 Rb6 45.Nd2 Bc3 46.Kf3 Bxd2 47.Rxd2 Rxb3+ 48.Kg4 f6 49.Rd8+ Kh7 50.Rd5 Ra3 51.Rb5 Ra1 52.Kg3 Kh6 53.Rb8 Kh7 54.Rb7 Rg1+ 55.Kf2 Rc1 56.Rb5 a4 57.Ra5 Rc4 58.Kg3 Rf4 59.Ra8 Rd4 60.Kg2 Rd2+ 61.Kg3 Ra2 62.Ra7 a3 63.Kf3 Ra1 64.Kg3 Kg8 65.Kg2
What’s the best way to win in this position? 65...g6! Pretty and simple. 66.fxg6 a2! 67.Kh2 f5 68.g7 f4 69.Ra8+ Kxg7 White resigned. [ Black will play f4-f3-f2 and either queen or win a rook., e.g. 69...Kxg7 70.Kg2 f3+ 71.Kf2 Rh1 72.Rxa2 Rh2+ As the other two guys who had 4.5/5 drew, I had won clear first U2200 and took home almost $4,000. My unofficial rating was already above 2200, and later climbed above 2300. This was my last chance to win in patzerland and I didn’t miss it.] 0-1
NM Ilya Krasik is offering private or group lessons. Contact info: 978-394-4100 cell or ilya_krasik@yahoo.com.
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