[Event "FSGM February"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2012.02.07"]
[Round "4.6"]
[White "Lizak, P."]
[Black "Varga, Zo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2418"]
[BlackElo "2452"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2012.02.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.02.13"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. O-O {This line has had a revival
lately, not least because of Marin's work on it in the Grandmaster Repertoire
series.} Nbd7 6. Na3 Nb6 7. Qc2 Qd5 8. b3 $5 {The new trend.} (8. Ne1 {was
Marin's move, which GM Jan Timman (see below) also considers promising.}) 8...
cxb3 9. axb3 {It looks very likely that White has sufficient compensation for
the pawn here. Why not?} Qf5 ({A wonderful recent game by Timman (as White)
continued:} 9... Be6 10. b4 $146 Qb3 11. Qxb3 Bxb3 12. b5 c5 13. d3 $44 {White
doesn't need a queen to build an attack...} Nfd7 ({In New in Chess, Timman
suggested} 13... g6 {but then} 14. Ng5 {looks promising. e.g.} h6 $6 (14... Bg7
15. Bxb7 Rb8 16. Bc6+ Nfd7 17. Bf4 Rc8 18. Rac1 $14) 15. Bxb7 hxg5 16. Bxa8
Nxa8 17. Nc4 $1 $16 {For the moment, White has only a rook for two minor
pieces, but with g5 and a7 hanging, some pawns will soon be added to the kitty.
In particular, Black is in trouble on the queenside where the
soon-to-be-passed b5-pawn is a monster.} {Note that} Nc7 $6 18. Bxg5 Nxb5 $6
19. Rfb1 Nd4 20. Rxa7 $18 {is crunching.}) 14. Nd2 Bd5 15. e4 Be6 16. f4 f6 17.
e5 Bd5 18. e6 $1 {Beautiful; losing the e-pawn is the key idea.} Bxe6 19. Bxb7
Rb8 20. Bc6 g6 21. Nac4 Nc8 22. Ne4 Kf7 23. Ne5+ $1 {Exploiting the vacated
e5-square.} Nxe5 (23... fxe5 24. Ng5+) 24. fxe5 Bf5 25. Nxc5 Bg7 26. d4 Rd8 27.
Rxf5 $1 gxf5 28. e6+ Kg6 29. Nd7 Nd6 30. Nxb8 Rxb8 31. Rxa7 Nxb5 32. Rxe7 Bh6
33. Be8+ {1-0 Timman - S.Ernst, Wijk aan Zee 2012.}) 10. d3 e5 11. Bb2 $14 Bd6
$6 {Stepping in front of a pawn roller is A Bad Idea. As Marin mentions in his
books, 1.c4 may be a flank opening, but White would still love to slam his d-
and e-pawns straight through the middle (Mihail probably phrased it more
elegantly).} ({Safer was} 11... Nfd7 12. e4 $36 {but White still has plenty of
play.}) 12. e4 Qh5 13. d4 $16 Nfd7 {Black goes into full grovel mode, as} (
13... exd4 14. e5 Bxa3 15. Bxa3 {traps his king in the centre.}) 14. d5 cxd5
15. Nb5 Bb8 16. Ba3 {The black king now has the same problem as in the
previous variation, but at least he has two pawns for the trouble. Now there
is some pressure on White not to botch his winning attack; he passes the test
with plenty to spare.} dxe4 17. Qxe4 Nf6 18. Qb4 $1 $18 Nbd5 19. Qc5 Be6 20.
Rfe1 {Everything wins:} (20. Rad1) (20. Nc3) (20. Nd2) 20... a6 21. Nfd4 ({A
punchy finish was} 21. Nxe5 $1 Bxe5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Rad1) 21... Ba7 {Now
it's all over at once, but it was going anyway. e.g.} (21... axb5 22. Nxe6 fxe6
23. Qc8+ Kf7 24. Qxh8 $18) 22. Nc7+ (22. Nc7+ {Black resigned as} Kd8 23. Qd6+
Bd7 24. Nxd5 {wins a few pieces and then mates.}) 1-0

[Event "Bunratty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Short, N."]
[Black "Jones, G."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B20"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "11"]

{"The last couple of times I've played Nigel he has chosen the English but
this time he reverted to 1.e4. I responded with the Sicilian and he surprised
me with 2.b3. I couldn't really remember any theory on this other than a line
recommended by Peter Heine-Nielsen in the Experts vs the Anti-Sicilians book.
Therefore I chose 2...g6 and we had a crazy game! I was lost at various points
but with little time Nigel failed to find the most convincing path and in the
end I managed to grovel a draw in another rook and pawn endgame a pawn down."
GM Gawain Jones on his blog gawainjones.co.uk} 1. e4 c5 2. b3 g6 3. Bb2 Nf6 4.
Qf3 Bg7 $146 {A novelty suggested by GM Peter Heine Nielsen in Experts on the
Anti-Sicilians.} 5. e5 Ng8 6. e6 Nf6 7. exf7+ Kxf7 8. g4 h6 9. Nc3 ({The line
in the book continued:} 9. h4 Nc6 (9... d5 {might also be interesting}) 10. g5
hxg5 11. hxg5 Rxh1 12. Qxh1 (12. gxf6 Bxf6 $1) 12... Nh5) 9... d5 10. h3 {With
g4 defended White looks to be threatening Nxd5.} e6 (10... Nc6 $2 {allows the
trick:} 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. Bc4 {Black is not quite dead, though after} Be6 $8
13. Bxd5 Bxd5 14. Qe2 Bxh1 15. f3 $16) (10... Bd7 $5 {is a logical try,
planning} 11. O-O-O Bc6 $13) 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. Re1 Nd4 (12... Rf8 $5) 13. Qg2
Bd7 14. Nf3 Nxf3 15. Qxf3 Bc6 16. Bd3 Qd6 17. h4 g5 18. Qe2 a6 19. f4 gxf4 20.
g5 Ne4 $2 ({A better defence was} 20... hxg5 21. hxg5 Rxh1 22. Rxh1 Ne8) {
Short has played superbly, and now has his first big chance:} 21. g6+ {Good
but not best:} (21. Qh5+ $1 Kf8 22. gxh6 Rxh6 23. Nxe4 $1 $18) 21... Ke7 ({The
ugly} 21... Kg8 $16 {was required}) 22. Nxd5+ $1 {Now Black's position should
be falling apart; Jones holds it together with will power.} Bxd5 23. Bxg7 Ng3
24. Qg4 Nxh1 25. Be5 Qd8 26. g7 (26. Qxf4 Rf8 27. Qxh6 $18) 26... Rg8 27. Qxf4
Kd7 28. c4 Bc6 29. Be4 (29. Bf5 $1 Qe7 30. Bc3 $18) 29... Qe7 30. Bxc6+ Kxc6
31. Rg1 (31. d4 $1) 31... Qd7 32. Qf3+ Kb6 33. Qxh1 Rad8 34. Qh2 Qf7 35. Qe2
Qf5 36. h5 Rd7 37. Rg6 Ka7 38. Rxh6 Rdxg7 39. Bxg7 Rxg7 {A nasty decision for
move 40: can White take on e6?} 40. Qe3 ({The answer is "Yes". The white king
escapes after} 40. Qxe6 $1 Rg1+ 41. Kb2 Qb1+ 42. Ka3 Qc1+ 43. Ka4 {Black has a
clever try but it's not enough:} Rg8 $1 44. Qxg8 Qxd2 {With threats on b4 and
h6:} 45. Rxa6+ $1 Kxa6 (45... bxa6 46. Qf7+ Kb6 47. Qe6+ Ka7 48. a3 $18) 46.
Qe6+ Ka7 47. a3 $18) 40... Rg5 41. Rxe6 Rxh5 42. Kb2 Rh1 43. Ka3 Rh3 44. Qe5
Qxe5 45. Rxe5 Rh2 46. Rd5 Kb6 47. b4 cxb4+ 48. Kxb4 Kc6 49. a4 b6 50. a5 b5 51.
Rc5+ Kb7 52. Kc3 (52. cxb5 Rxd2 53. b6 {looks passive for Black, but White has
no way to improve his position:} Rd4+ 54. Kc3 Rd7 {The black rook "passes" by
chosing semi-random squares on the 7th.}) 52... bxc4 53. Rxc4 Rh5 54. Kb4 Rd5
55. d4 Kb8 56. Ka4 Kb7 57. Rb4+ Kc7 58. Rc4+ Kd7 {Don't be fooled by all the 
(computer-assisted) improvements above: both players fought brilliantly,
especially considering the rather quick time control.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival 2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.01"]
[Round "9.22"]
[White "Molner, Mackenzie"]
[Black "Parligras, Mircea-Emilian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 Qc7 8.
Qf3 h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f5 Qc5 11. O-O-O g5 12. e5 $5 {This pawn sacrifice
continues to interest the masses.} Qxe5 13. g3 g4 14. Qd3 h5 $2 {This is too
slow. It was necessary to violate all known principles in order to fight for
the h1-a8 diagonal.} (14... Nd5 $1 $146 15. Nxd5 (15. f6 Nxf6 16. Bg2 Bg7 17.
Rhe1 Qg5+ 18. Kb1 d5 $13 {looks better for Black, but needs further
investigation.}) 15... Qxd5 16. Qa3 $1 {Protecting a2 and preparing Bb5+.} Rb8
17. Qb4 (17. Be2 h5 $15) (17. Bb5+ axb5 18. Qa7 Qc5 19. Qxb8 Bg7 20. Nb3 Qe3+
21. Kb1 O-O 22. Qc7 Bxf5 23. Rhe1 Qa7 $1 $15) 17... Qc5 18. Qxc5 dxc5 19. Nb5
Bd7 20. Nc7+ Kd8 21. Ne6+ Kc8 $5 (21... Ke8 $11) 22. Nxf8 Bc6 $1 23. Nd7 Bxh1
24. Nxb8 Bf3 25. Rd7 Kxb8 26. Rxe7 Rd8 $11) 15. Bg2 Bh6+ 16. Kb1 Be3 $6 (16...
Qc5 $14) 17. Nc6 $1 Qc5 $6 {Better, but entirely unattractive in practice was:}
(17... bxc6 18. Bxc6+ Kf8 19. Bxa8 Bxf5 20. Qxa6 Kg7 21. Rhe1 $16) 18. Nxe7 $6
({White missed his chance to win the game quickly with:} 18. Na4 $1 Qxf5 (18...
Bxf5 19. Nxc5 Bxd3 20. Nxd3 {and wins.}) 19. Qxe3 bxc6 20. Bxc6+ Bd7 21. Bxa8
Bxa4 22. b3 O-O 23. Rhf1 {and the rest is over.}) 18... Kxe7 19. Rhe1 Bxf5 20.
Rxe3+ Kf8 21. Qxd6+ Qxd6 22. Rxd6 $16 {White still has big chances in the
ending.} Ne8 23. Rd4 Rb8 24. Re5 Be6 25. Ne4 (25. Ne2 $1) 25... b6 26. Ng5 Rh6
27. h3 gxh3 28. Bxh3 Bxh3 29. Nxh3 $14 Rb7 30. Nf4 Re7 31. Rxe7 Kxe7 32. Nd5+
Kf8 33. c4 Ng7 34. Kc2 (34. Rf4 $5) 34... Nf5 35. Rd3 $11 Rc6 36. b3 b5 37. Kc3
bxc4 38. bxc4 Nd6 39. Nf4 Nxc4 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Rh8 Nd6+ 42. Kd3 Nf5 43. Nxh5
Rg6 44. Ke4 Nxg3+ 45. Nxg3 Rxg3 46. Rh2 Ke6 47. Kf4 Ra3 48. Rd2 Ra4+ 49. Kf3
Ke5 50. Re2+ Kf5 51. Rc2 Ra3+ 52. Kf2 Kg4 53. Rc4+ Kg5 54. Rc2 f5 55. Kg2 Kg4
56. Kf2 f4 57. Kg2 a5 58. Kf2 a4 59. Kg2 Rd3 60. Kf2 a3 61. Ke2 Rh3 62. Kf1
Rh1+ 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "www.qualitychess.co.uk/blog"]
[Date "2012.01.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "From the blog"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D12"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

{One of our blog readers shared the following game he won as Black.} 1. d4 d5
2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 (4... Bg4 5. Nc3 e6 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. Nh4 Bh5 8. h3 {
is an Avrukh main line, which since has been played 100s of times.}) 5. Nc3 e6
6. Nh4 Bg4 $6 {This mixes up two ideas and leads to an inferior position.} 7.
Qb3 Qb6 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 {White is a tempo up on the Avrukh line and should be
said to have won the opening battle, but certainly not the game!} Bg6 10. Nxg6
hxg6 11. g5 {Apparently this is what Avrukh gives. I think it is a bit too
direct, but there you go. We think differently.} (11. Bg2 {is a bit more
flexible and would be my choice, but the text move is the favourite of the
computer.}) (11. Be2 {is not liked by R4, but would probably be my choice over
the board. I want to play h4-h5 and when gxh5 comes, I want to play g5 and
Rxh5. This is just a plan and probably not best. I am just sharing my spur of
the moment thoughts.}) 11... Nh5 {The knight cannot easily rejoin the game
here, but White also no longer has any h4-h5 plans. This is one reason I would
not have advanced the g-pawn too early. It loses flexibility.} 12. c5 {Again I
don't like this move. It was better to keep the options open with} (12. Bd2)
12... Qc7 13. e4 {White is neglicting his development - and weakening the
f4-square.} Nd7 14. exd5 exd5 15. Ne2 $6 {Finally White is losing it. When are
the pieces supposed to get out. The position might still be equal, but Black
has taken over the initiative with his next move.} b6 $1 16. Qe3+ $2 {Who does
this check help?} Be7 17. b4 $6 {Creates another aim for the black attack.
White is handling his pawns awfully.} (17. cxb6 axb6 18. Bd2 {was more prudent.
A typical positional idea here is: What is the worst placed piece? For Black
it is the king, but castling is not easy. So we need to protect the bishop.
This can be done with two ideas. ...b5 and ...Nb6 or ...Nf8-e6. Our other
positional question - where are the weaknesses? - would help us decide there.
The knight should be at e6 to target d4 and f4 as well as prepare ...c5. On
the other hand the advance of the b-pawn would ruin the flexibility of the
black pawns and make c6 a weakness.   R4 is not much help here. After some
minutes it is still rating ...Qd6 and the two other options within 0.07 of
each other, all with even chances. In reality ...Nf8! should be the best move
for positional reasons, and the position already greatly in Black's favour.})
17... a5 $1 {Black is better. White's pawn structure is falling apart.} 18. b5
bxc5 19. bxc6 $6 (19. Bg2 {was better. Why should White clarify the situation
in the centre?} cxb5 $6 20. Nc3 $1 Nb6 21. O-O {would give White some activity
and a chance to fight for equality.}) 19... Qxc6 20. Ba3 $6 (20. Bg2 {was
better, but Black has a clear advantage already. Note that White is made a
fool of after} O-O $1 {because of} 21. Qxe7 $2 Rae8 {trapping the queen.})
20... Qe6 $1 {Black is now a pawn up and White's position is falling apart.}
21. Bg2 cxd4 $5 {Objectively this is the best move, but Black would have been
better off playing safe with} (21... Qxe3 22. fxe3 Bxg5 23. Bxd5 Rc8 {and
Black should win with his extra pawn.}) 22. Qxe6 $6 {This enters a plea of
no-contest.} (22. Qxd4 $1 {would have demanded Black play accurately to keep
his advantage.} Bxa3 $1 23. Bxd5 Ne5 $3 (23... Qa6 $6 24. Qe4+ Kd8 25. Bxa8 Re8
26. Bb7 Qd6 $1 {and ...Nf4 is also better for Black, but not to the same
extent.}) 24. Bxa8 (24. Qe4 f5 25. gxf6 Nxf6 26. Qa4+ Qd7 27. Qxd7+ Kxd7 28.
Bxa8 Rxa8 {and Black should win}) 24... Bb2 25. Qd5 Bxa1 26. O-O Qxh3 27. Rxa1
Nf4) 22... fxe6 23. Bxe7 Kxe7 24. Nxd4 Nf4 25. Bf1 e5 {Black is just winning.}
26. Nf3 Rab8 27. Rd1 Rhc8 28. a4 Rb2 29. Bb5 Rcc2 30. Nd2 Nc5 31. h4 Ncd3+ (
31... Nb3 $1 {was a nice finish, but the game is quite simple of course.} 32.
Nxb3 Ng2+ 33. Kf1 Rxf2+ 34. Kg1 Ne3 35. Rh3 Rg2+ 36. Kh1 Nxd1 {and wins
everything.}) 32. Bxd3 Nxd3+ 33. Ke2 Nxf2 34. Kxf2 Rxd2+ 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.01.31"]
[Round "8.8"]
[White "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2704"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]

{This game reminded me of Chess Tactics from Scratch and the work we did for
it on candidate moves and calculation. There is a very nice tactical moment
that Howell calculated accurately and won a pawn. Subsequently Laznicka did
not play the best way and drifted into a worse position.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3.
Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Nbd7 8. e3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10.
Rd1 Ne4 11. Qe2 Qb6 12. Nc3 Rfd8 13. Ne1 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bg6 15. e4 c5 16. Be3
Qa5 17. Nd3 Qxc3 18. dxc5 Rac8 19. Rab1 {This is the moment I was thinking of.
Black would love to take on c5, but there appears to be various variations
with Rc1, attacking the queen and winning material. However, Howell looked
deeper and saw the refutations to both of them.} Nxc5 $3 20. Rbc1 {Played
without full control of the tactics, it turns out.} (20. Nxc5 Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1
Bxc5 {gives us another important moment. Here White apparently is winning after
} 22. Rc1 $2 {, but Black has a brilliant riposte in} Qxe3 $3 {, winning a
piece. Instead White can exchange on c5 and take on b7 with a quick draw.
Probably this was the way he should have played.}) 20... Na4 $3 21. Nf4 $1 (21.
Rxc3 $2 {would give White a worse position after} Nxc3 22. Qe1 Nxd1 23. Qxd1
Rc3 $1 {where the two rooks are better than the queen, not to speak of the
extra pawn.}) 21... Qb4 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Nxg6 $6 ({Laznicka starts drifting.
The way to prove compensation for the pawn was to penetrate with the queen to
c7. For my book on calculation I am working on the method of comparison, among
others. Here it appears that the Qc2-c7 manoeuvre is worse when there are no
back rank mate ideas.} 23. Qc2 $1 {was the strong move (candidates!). The
threat of Rb1 helps create sufficient counterplay. The amusing best play of
both seems to be:} Nb6 24. Qc7 Na8 25. Qc2 Nb6 $11) 23... hxg6 24. e5 $6 ({
White was still in a position to play} 24. Qc2 Nb6 25. Qb3 $1 {with the idea
of exchanging queens and then take on b6 to enter a drawish ending a pawn down.
Notice that} (25. Qc7 {is no longer very good. Black takes the initiative
after:} Rc8 26. Qxb7 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Qe1+ 28. Bf1 Bc5 $1 $15)) 24... Bc5 $15 25.
Bg5 Rd7 26. Qc2 b5 27. h4 a6 28. Bf3 Rd4 29. Qb3 Qa5 30. Kg2 Qb6 31. Rh1 Rb4
32. Qd3 Rb2 33. Kh3 Rxf2 34. Be4 Qc7 35. h5 Qxe5 36. Qd8+ Bf8 37. Rd1 f6 38.
Bxg6 fxg5 39. Rd7 Rf3 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.01"]
[Round "9.4"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Akobian, Varuzhan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2617"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "207"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]

{When I was playing the European Team Championship in Greece I talked to a
friend about the Tarrasch. He was very surprised that we had relied on ...
h6-lines instead of "his" ...Qa5 move, which he found to be fully ok. We both
had some concrete reasons (given in the book) and a bad feeling in general.
The following game is the kind of thing I did not want to experience with
Black - nor convince others that they should endure.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3
c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 c4 10. Ne5
Be6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. b3 Qa5 (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. bxc4 dxc4 15. e3 Qa5 {
is the main line from Grandmaster Repertoire 10 - The Tarrasch Defence.}) 13.
Qd2 Bb4 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Rfc1 Rad8 (15... Rac8 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. a3 Bxc3 18.
Qxc3 Qxc3 19. Rxc3 Rfd8 20. e3 c5 21. d5 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 Rxd5 23. Rxc4 $14 {Zhou
Jianchao - Akobian, Beijing 2008, is probably something Black should draw,
even if it is a bit uncomfortable.}) 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. e3 c5 (17... f5 $6 {has
a bad reputation:} 18. Bxc6 f4 19. a3 fxe3 20. Qxe3 Bxc3 21. Rxc3 Rd6 22. Be4
Rfd8 23. d5 Bxd5 24. Qg5+ Kf8 {So - Akobian, Wijk aan Zee 2010.} {Here So for
some reason did not play:} 25. Rxc4 $1 $16) 18. d5 Bxc3 19. Rxc3 $1 {The
ending is more dangerous for Black with the queens on the board.} Bxd5 20. Bxd5
Rxd5 21. Qc2 Rb8 22. Rxc4 Rb4 23. Rb1 Rxb1+ 24. Qxb1 Qb6 25. Qc2 $14 f5 {This
is the position Black has been happy to enter. I am not really sure about the
last move. Personally I would never advance the f-pawn unless it was
absolutely forced. Still I think it is fair to say that White is a bit better
and can press on for another 79 moves should he think so.} 26. Rf4 Qc6 27. h3
h6 28. Kh2 a6 29. a4 Kg7 30. a5 Qe6 31. Qc3+ Qe5 32. Qc4 Qe6 33. h4 Kg8 34. Qc2
Kg7 35. e4 fxe4 36. Rxe4 Qf5 37. Qb2+ Rd4 38. Rxd4 cxd4 39. Qxd4+ f6 40. Qb6 h5
41. Kg1 Qd3 42. Qb7+ Kg6 43. Kg2 Qc4 44. Qb1+ Kg7 45. Qf5 Qc6+ 46. Kh2 Kh6 47.
Kg1 Qc1+ 48. Kg2 Qc6+ 49. Qf3 Qd6 50. Kf1 Kg6 51. Qe4+ Kg7 52. Qf5 Qc6 53. Kg1
Kh6 54. Kh2 Qd6 55. Kh3 Qc6 56. f3 Qc3 57. g4 hxg4+ 58. Kxg4 Qb2 59. Qf4+ Kg7
60. Qc7+ Kg6 61. h5+ Kh6 62. Kf5 Qb5+ 63. Kxf6 Qg5+ 64. Ke6 Qe3+ 65. Kd7 Kxh5
66. f4 Kg4 67. Kc8 Qb3 68. Qe5 Qb4 69. Kc7 Qb3 70. Kc6 Qb4 71. Qg5+ Kf3 72.
Qh5+ Kg3 73. Qg5+ Kf3 74. Kc7 Qb3 75. Qf6 Qb4 76. Qe5 Kg4 77. f5 Kg5 78. Kc6
Qb3 79. Qc5 Qb8 80. Kd7 Qb7+ 81. Ke6 Qb3+ 82. Kd7 Qb7+ 83. Kd6 Qb3 84. Kc7 Qf7+
85. Kb6 Qe8 86. Kxa6 Qa8+ 87. Kb6 Qb8+ 88. Kc6 Qc8+ 89. Kd5 Qd7+ 90. Kc4 Qa4+
91. Kc3 Qa1+ 92. Kb4 Qb2+ 93. Ka4 Qa2+ 94. Kb5 Qb3+ 95. Kc6 Qa4+ 96. Kc7 Qf4+
97. Kb7 Qe4+ 98. Ka7 Qe8 99. Qd5 Qe7+ 100. Kb8 Qe8+ 101. Kc7 Qe7+ 102. Kc8 Qa7
103. f6+ Kxf6 104. Qd8+ 1-0

[Event "Glasgow League"]
[Site "New in Chess"]
[Date "2012.01.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "McKay, Roddy"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D34"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

{The following game was played on board one in the local league where I live.
Rod is a talented IM who decided to just play for fun on rare occasions. Many
times I have been in trouble with him, just to make up for it in time trouble.
Recently I seem to have gotten the best of him. The game was played with 1
hour for 30 move and another 15 to the end. I played a bit fast while Roddy
got into time trouble, accelerating his downfall. Most of the game it was just
unclear, I think.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. d4 Nf6 5. O-O e6 6. c4 Be7
7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Be3 c4 10. Ne5 Bf5 (10... h6 {is interesting, in
order to play ...Bf5, but I was ready for the main line a moment ago and I am
ready now. Such options are more important for people who wants to play 9.Bg5
cxd4. The main point is to avoid}) (10... Be6 $6 11. Nxc4 $1 dxc4 12. d5 $14 {.
}) 11. Bg5 Be6 12. e3 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. f4 Ne7 15. Rf2 {This has been
played twice in the database. My response is obvious, but still a novelty.
Knowing the typical ideas of the positions helped me a lot during this game.} (
15. g4 {is Khalifman's idea, but is neutralised with:} b5 $1 $146 {as can be
seen in Chapter 4 of Grandmaster Repertoire 10 - The Tarrasch Defence.}) 15...
Rb8 $1 $146 16. Qh5 g6 $1 ({I could not resist the temptation of hitting the
queen back and playing this standard regrouping. Especially after calculating
the consequences of Qxh6 accurately. However, in the cold light of day, one it
tempted to ask what the White idea is after} 16... b5 {. Maybe it was} 17. f5 {
planning  planning 17...Bc8 18.Ng4. But what about} Bxf5 18. Rxf5 g6 {. Here
the computer gives the amazing line:} 19. Nxd5 $5 Nxd5 $1 (19... gxh5 20. Nxf6+
Kh8 21. Rxh5 Kg7 22. Rf1 {with compensation.}) 20. Nxg6 Nxe3 21. Rf3 Qxd4 22.
Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Rb1 {and allegedly the position is equal - though I prefer Black
in a practical setting.} Nd1+ 24. Kh1 Re8 25. Qf5 Re1+ 26. Bf1 Kg7 $44) 17. Qe2
(17. Qxh6 $6 {is refuted by} Nf5 18. Qh3 Bxe5 $1 {The move order is important.}
(18... Nxd4 $6 19. Ng4 $1) (18... Nxe3 $6 19. g4 Bxe5 $2 (19... Nxg4 $1 $13)
20. Qxe3 $16) 19. fxe5 Nxe3 $15 20. g4 $2 Nxg4 21. Rf4 Nxe5 22. Qh6 Ng4 $1 $17)
17... Bg7 18. g4 f5 {This is not how you normally play and here it is just a
bit inaccurate I think.} ({I played quite quickly throughout the game, not
wasting time on seeing that} 18... b5 {was ever so slightly more accurate and
that White did not have} 19. f5 gxf5 20. gxf5 {because of} Nxf5 $1 21. Nc6 Qg5
$36 {.}) 19. h3 {A bit slow.} (19. gxf5 $1 Bxf5 20. Qf3 (20. e4 $5 dxe4 21.
Qxc4+ Kh7 $13) 20... Be6 21. Qg3 Bf5 22. Qf3 $11) 19... b5 20. Bf3 b4 $5 {
Preparing to sacrifice the exchange, if allowed.} (20... Qd6 21. Rg2 $13) 21.
Na4 Rc8 22. Rg2 (22. Nc5 Rxc5 23. dxc5 Bxe5 24. fxe5 Qc7 $44) 22... Bxe5 23.
fxe5 f4 (23... Qa5 24. b3 c3 $13 {was also possible. The computer says Black
is just better, but I personally find the position rather unclear. I was only
too happy to protect my queen a bit.}) 24. Qd2 (24. Nc5 $2 {certainly does not
work now. After} Rxc5 25. dxc5 fxe3 26. Qxe3 d4 $17 {White's position is
unbearable.}) 24... Qd7 {I quite liked this move, even if the details were
lost on me. There are other good moves such as} (24... c3 $5 {, but the main
question is of course why I did not play}) (24... Qa5 {. What I saw was that
my usual idea does not work here:} 25. Nc5 Rxc5 26. dxc5 fxe3 $2 (26... g5 $5
$44) 27. Qxe3 d4 {fails to get compensation on account of} 28. Qxd4 $1 Rxf3 29.
Qd6 Kf7 30. Rf1 $16 {and White keeps his extra exchange without having to face
an avalanche of pawns.}) 25. b3 ({I did not have full control over} 25. Qxb4
fxe3 26. Rf1 Nc6 27. Qc3 Nxe5 28. dxe5 Qxa4 29. Qxe3 Kh7 $15 {, but Black is
doing ok here.}) (25. Nc5 {is still met with} Rxc5 26. dxc5 fxe3 27. Qxe3 d4
$44 {, although the position is not nearly as clear as I imagined during the
game (and I still found it pretty unclear). The main point is that it is
unpleasant for White.}) 25... c3 26. Qe1 $2 ({I expected} 26. Qd3 {which I
found stronger because of the ...Ne7-h4 manouevre. It was to become apparent
that my opponent had not anticipated this idea at all.}) 26... g5 $1 {The
attraction of putting the knight on h4 is just too great to miss.} (26... Nc6
$5 $17 {with the point of} 27. Nc5 $6 Nxe5 $1 {was something I did spot during
the game, but I did not see the point of it. The point is to play ...Qe7-g5,
force White to take on f4 and with the d4-pawn. Too deep for my wrists I must
say.}) 27. a3 {Seeking counterplay.} (27. h4 $2 Ng6 28. hxg5 hxg5 {would only
favour Black as he is the one on the attack.}) 27... bxa3 $5 ({I refrained
from playing} 27... Ng6 $1 $17 {, because I did not see what to do after} 28.
axb4 $2 Nh4 29. Rf2 Nxf3+ 30. Rxf3 Bxg4 31. hxg4 Qxg4+ 32. Kf2 fxe3+ 33. Qxe3 {
Admittedly I did not look very hard either. Or I would have seen} Rxf3+ 34.
Qxf3 Rf8 {winning at once. Again I was a bit restless and playing too fast.})
28. Nxc3 {Maybe there is some difficult improvement here, but practically
there was nothing better for him with 40 seconds on the clock.} Ng6 $17 29.
Rxa3 $2 $138 ({After} 29. Bd1 Nh4 30. Rf2 {my intention had been to play 30...
Qe7, which is actually quite a good move it turns out. But even stronger would
have been} h5 $1 31. exf4 hxg4 {with a devastating attack.}) 29... Nh4 30. Be2
({I was expecting} 30. Rf2 Nxf3+ 31. Rxf3 Bxg4 32. hxg4 Qxg4+ 33. Kf2 fxe3+ 34.
Qxe3 {Here I had looked at ideas such as ...Qxf3 and ...Rxc3 afterwards, but
the computer points to a simple solution I would have found for sure, had I
gathered my thoughts.} Rxf3+ $1 35. Qxf3 {and now either 35...Qxd4+ or} Rf8 {
, but winning.}) 30... Nxg2 (30... f3 {also won of course, but I saw a simple
way to win a rook and went with it.}) 31. Kxg2 f3+ $1 32. Bxf3 Qf7 {White
resigned. The point is of course that after} 33. Be2 {Black wins with} Rxc3 $1
34. Qxc3 Qf2+ 35. Kh1 Qxe2 36. Ra1 Rf2 {and mate is near.} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "New in Chess"]
[Date "2012.01.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "The Kaufman Repertoire"]
[Black "for Black and White"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D34"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

{"The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White" was published by New in Chess just
a few days ago. The book has some interesting features in it, but also some I
doubt that have come to stay (here I specifically talk about having a front
page in each end, so you have to turn the book over to read the 'other' half
of the book. Beyond the first 10 seconds light appreciation of this gimmick, I
just found the idea annoying.). We quite like his approach to the repertoire,
based on simplicity, which we think a lot of readers will like. This is also
what we are aiming for in our Playing 1.d4 and Playing 1.e4 books out this
spring.    I would personally be a bit afraid to play some of the very sharp
lines he recommend with only 1-2 games in my memory database. But for many
this is exactly the place to start.     Obviously the most interesting aspect
for us is how the book reacts against our recent publications. It was with
delight I noticed that we were clearly ahead when it comes to the Tarrasch.} 1.
d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. a3 $1 {Nikos and I suggested this move as the most
dangerous in our book: Grandmaster Repertoire 10 - The Tarrasch Defence. We
also came up with a very interesting and non-compliant way to meet it:} {
Kaufman's main attantion is drawn to the following line:} Be6 $2 {This is a
very passive move. I am surprised that Kaufman did not realise that this is
not how Black wants to play this opening.} (10... Ne4 $1 {was our reaction.
The fight for the e4- and d4-squares are in general the positional topics of
this opening. If Black takes on d4 without controlling the square, White
appears to be better. And in this line (as other places), White will be better
if he controls the e4-square comfortably, as it prevents activity.} 11. Qxd5 (
11. Nxd5 $146 Be6 12. Nc3 {is the other critical variation. We claim that
Black has enough compensation for the pawn in more than one way. This has yet
to be tested it seems.}) 11... Nxc3 12. Qxc5 Nxe2+ 13. Kh1 Nxc1 14. Raxc1 Qf6
15. b4 (15. Rc3 Re8 16. Qb5 {Tokarev - Bezgodova, Kazan 2010.} h6 $1 17. Rd1
Rb8 $11) 15... Bg4 16. Ng5 Rad8 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. f3 Bf5 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. fxe4
Qb2 $132 {1/2-1/2 Hiarcs 13.1 T4-Thinker 5.4D x64 T4, Antalya 2010.}) 11. b4
Be7 12. Bb2 Rc8 {I cannot remember exactly what we had against Kaufman's
suggestion} 13. Rc1 ({because we ditched the entire variation for Black on
account of} 13. Qb1 $3 $16 {, which controls the e4-square. Only one game was
played with this and it was a pure smacking:} Qd7 14. Rd1 Rfd8 15. Ng5 d4 16.
Nb5 Bf5 17. Qa2 $16 Nd5 $2 18. Nxd4 $18 Bxg5 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. Rxd5 Rxd5 21.
Qxd5 Qxd5 22. Bxd5 b5 23. f4 Bf6 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Rc1 Ne7 26. Rxc8+ Nxc8 27.
Kf2 f5 28. Ke3 Kf8 29. Kd4 Ke7 30. Kc5 Nd6 31. Bc6 a6 32. Kb6 Nc4+ 33. Kxa6
Nxa3 34. Bxb5 Nc2 35. Ka5 Ne3 36. Bd3 Nf1 37. Bxf5 {1-0 Wieczorek - Olenderek,
Suwalki 1999.}) 13... h6 ({The other line given by Kaufman is:} 13... Qd7 14.
e3 Rfd8 15. Ne2 Ne4 16. Nf4 a6 17. Qe2 Bd6 18. Nxe6 $5 $146 ({The computer's
suggested improvement on} 18. Rfd1 Bxf4 19. exf4 $14 {Mikhalchishin - Halkias,
Terme Zrece 2003, though it should be said that White was close to winning
this game as well.}) 18... fxe6 {Slightly unnatural to me, I would take with
the pawn, but it is fair to say White is a bit better anyway.} 19. Nd4 $14) 14.
Nd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 $14 a5 $2 16. Nxd5 $1 $16 {and so on, Hera - Kostic, Graz
2011.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan analysis"]
[Black "GM Rep 1"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "E04"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "11"]

{It was pointed out to us that the following line is less clear than was first
thought in Grandmaster Repertoire 1 - 1.d4 Volume 1.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3
Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 b5 6. a4 c6 7. axb5 cxb5 8. Ne5 Nd5 9. Nc3 f6 {The
critical move, though more common is} (9... Bb4 {when White scores heavily
after} 10. O-O) 10. Ng4 Bb7 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Be7 (12... Bd6 $5) 13. Nh6 {
Avrukh's spectacular idea.} ({White could play in simple dull style with} 13.
O-O O-O 14. Ne3 {and plausibly claim his centre compensates for the missing
pawn.}) 13... a6 14. Qh5+ Kd7 $1 $146 {A wild idea that makes sense the more
one looks at it: the king steps away, creating the threat of ...Qe8,
exchanging queens.} (14... g6 {is the move mentioned in the book} 15. Qe2 e5 $5
{A new idea suggested by a reader, but...} 16. O-O $1 {White should keep the
centre open and thus avoid d4-d5. The question is: what happens if Black grabs
the pawn?} exd4 (16... Nd7 17. Rd1) 17. cxd4 Qxd4 (17... Nc6 18. Rd1 $44) 18.
Bf4 $44 {Black's passed queenside looks impressive, but his king will face the
wrath of White's entire army. We shall offer a few lengthy but sensible sample
lines:} Nd7 (18... Qd3 19. Qg4 Qd7 20. Nf5 Qc8 21. Rad1 Kf7 22. Qh4 gxf5 23.
Qh5+ Kg8 24. Bh3 $1 Bxe4 25. Rfe1 $18) 19. Rfd1 $1 {The other rook is needed
to take on a6 in some lines.} (19. Rad1 Qb6 (19... Qa7 20. Rxd7 Kxd7 21. Qg4+
Ke8 22. Qe6 Qd4 23. Bf3 $1 $18) (19... Qc3 20. Rxd7 Kxd7 21. Rc1 Qa3 22. Rd1+
Ke8 23. e5 $18) 20. e5 (20. Nf5 Ne5) 20... Bxg2 21. exf6 (21. Rxd7 Kxd7 22.
exf6 Qxf6 23. Rd1+ Ke8 24. Rd6 Bf3 25. Qxf3 Bxd6 26. Qxa8+ Qd8 $11) 21... Qxf6
22. Kxg2 O-O-O 23. Rxd7 Rxd7 24. Qf3 Ra7 25. Re1 $132) 19... Qb6 20. e5 Bxg2
21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Kxg2 Kf8 23. f3 Re8 24. Qb2 Qc6 (24... Kg7 $2 25. Rd7) 25.
Rxa6 (25. Rd6 c3 26. Qb3 Qc4 $15) 25... Qxa6 26. Rd6 Qxd6 27. Bxd6 Kg7 28. Ng4
Rhf8 29. Bf4 $14) 15. Ng4 {Saving the knight allows Black to play
chase-the-queen, but sacrificial ideas simply do not work:} (15. Bh3 gxh6 16.
O-O (16. Qf7 f5 17. d5 Qg8 18. dxe6+ Kd8 $17) 16... Kc7 17. Bxe6 Bd6 $17) (15.
Nf7 Qe8 16. d5 g6 17. Qh3 Qxf7 18. Be3 Bd8 $19) 15... Qe8 16. Qh3 h5 17. Ne3 g5
$1 {Two large pieces could be in trouble: the white queen and the black king.
One "star" move could change everything, but so far it seems roughly level in
a messy difficult position.} 18. f3 {The best defence.} ({The problem with} 18.
g4 hxg4 {is that recapturing looks bad:} 19. Qg3 (19. Qxg4 $6 Rh4 {and ...Bxe4}
) 19... Nc6 $17) (18. Ba3 $2 {allows Black to demonstrate his threat:} g4 19.
Qh4 Bd8 $19) 18... Kc7 $1 19. Qxe6 (19. O-O Qg8 (19... Bc8 $5) 20. f4 Nd7 {
slightly favours Black.}) 19... Bb4 20. Qxf6 $1 {White must go for it.} ({The
simplifying} 20. Qxe8 Bxc3+ 21. Bd2 Bxd2+ 22. Kxd2 Rxe8 {leaves White "just" a
pawn down, but it's a big pawn.}) 20... Bxc3+ 21. Ke2 Bxa1 {White has decided
to be a rook down rather than a pawn down, and yet he seems to be equal this
way!} 22. Bd2 $1 {This leads to a draw. I tried and failed to find a win with
two alternatives. I will mention the troublesome defences in case someone else
can do better:} (22. Ba3 Bc3 23. Bd6+ Kc8 24. Qxg5 Bc6) (22. Nxc4 bxc4 23. Bxg5
Bc6 24. Rxa1 Nd7) 22... c3 ({There is no time for} 22... Bb2 $4 23. Ba5+ Kc8
24. Bh3+ g4 25. Nxg4 hxg4 26. Bxg4+ Nd7 27. Qd6 $18) 23. Qxg5 cxd2 24. Qc5+ Nc6
$8 25. Nd5+ Kb8 26. Qd6+ Ka7 27. Qc5+ Kb8 $11 {A dull and disappointing draw...
} *

[Event "Sakkelet"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bakshi, Gyorgy"]
[Black "Mate in 3"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "n7/B2p3K/2PP3R/1P1k1p2/3N1P1p/1P1RpP2/3r4/4nbbQ w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

{White to play: mate in 3}  *

[Event "Chervony Girnik"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Berezhnoi, Yuri"]
[Black "Selfmate in 2"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/5p1p/2p2Ppr/2P3Pp/5RnK/2Q2BNP/5k1b w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]

{White to play. Selfmate in 2   (that is, White forces Black to mate him,
while Black tries to avoid mating White)}  *

[Event "Sakkelet"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bakshi, Gyorgy"]
[Black "Mate in 3"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "n7/B2p3K/2PP3R/1P1k1p2/3N1P1p/1P1RpP2/3r4/4nbbQ w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

{It is natural to look for some way to use the set-up on the d-file. This will
involve White moving the knight with discovered check, in reply Black captures
the checking rook, and then the knight delivers mate. There are three obvious
routes for the knight: e2-c3 or c2-b4 or f5-e7. However at present all of
these fail: 1.Ne2+ Rxd3 defends c3; 1.Nc2+ Nxd3 defends b4; and 1.Nxf5+ Bxd3
pins the knight. But if White can entice one of these three black pieces away..
.} 1. Qg2 {White threatens 2.Qg8#.} Bxg2 {The other variations are} (1... Nxg2
2. Nc2+ Rxd3 ({or} 2... Bxd3) 3. Nb4#) (1... Rxg2 2. Ne2+ Nxd3 3. Nc3#) (1...
Nc7 {Many solvers failed to include this defence against Qg8# in their
solutions, thereby dropping a point.} 2. Ne6+ Rxd3 (2... Bxd3) (2... Nxd3) 3.
Nxc7#) (1... Nb6 2. Qg8+ Kc5 3. Qc4#) 2. Nxf5+ Rxd3 ({or} 2... Nxd3) 3. Ne7# *

[Event "Chervony Girnik"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Berezhnoi, Yuri"]
[Black "Selfmate in 2"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/5p1p/2p2Ppr/2P3Pp/5RnK/2Q2BNP/5k1b w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "4"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]

{Many players have difficulty getting their heads around this type of problem,
in which White's task is to force Black to deliver mate, while Black tries to
avoid doing so.  Here Black's only move with the bishop, 1...Bxg2, would be
mate, so White's aim is to somehow force that. Black has just three other
legal moves (with the knight), although currently White is ready for them.
After any of 1...Ne2 2.Qd3 or 1...Ne4 2.Qxe4 or 1...Nxf5 2.Rxf5, Black is
forced to play 2...Bxg2#. However, there is no white first move which
maintains these variations. Instead, after the solution, the response to each
of the three knight moves is changed.} 1. Re3 Ne2 (1... Ne4 2. Rxe4 Bxg2#) (
1... Nxf5 2. Qxf5 Bxg2#) 2. Rxe2 Bxg2# *

