My attention was drawn to IM Andy Martin’s choice of BCM Game of the Month for February 2016. That’s a link to a YouTube video of Andy going through the game – I haven’t had time to watch the video yet. But what’s this got to do with Quality Chess? The game uses, with devastating effect, a novelty IM Richard Pert suggested in Playing the Trompowsky.
White: IM Nigel Povah Black: Pavel Asenov
4NCL Division 2, Birmingham, 23.01.2016
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3 Qxb2 5.Bd2 Qb6 6.e4 e5 7.f4 d6 8.Rb1
Pert’s move order was 8.Nf3, transposing to this game after 8…Nbd7 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.Rb1.
8…Qc7 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.Nb5 Qb8
Quite possibly Asenov was still in his “prep” as this line was recommended for Black by Dembo in “Fighting the Anti-King’s Indians”, as Richard mentioned. IM Nigel Povah has been playing the Trompowsky consistently for at least 20 years, so it is unlikely that the promising young English player playing Black was surprised by the choice of opening.
11…Qb6 is safer.
12.d6!
A novelty when Richard suggested it in 2013. It was played in a correspondence game in 2014.
12…Bxd6 13.Ba5 Nxe4
“I think it unlikely that Black would play this in tournament play.” Richard Pert
The correspondence game continued: 13…Ke7 14.Ng5 Nb6 15.Nxd6 Qxd6 16.Qxd6+ Kxd6 17.Nxf7+ Kc7 18.Nxh8 Be6 19.a3 Rxh8 20.Bd3 when Black was a little worse, as he has only a pawn for the exchange, and White has the bishop pair, but Balutescu – Seben, ICCF 2014, was eventually drawn.
14.Ng5 Ndf6 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Qd5 a6! 17.Nxd6+ Nxd6 18.Rd1!?
Finally varying from our book.
18.Qxc5 Nf5 19.Bc7 Qa7 20.Rb6 “leaves the queen shut out.” Pert
18…Ke7??
Trying to hang on to the knight, but sacrificing his king. Black had to give up the piece with one of the lines below. They all look advantageous for White, but at least the black king is not getting mauled.
18…b6 19.Bc3 Bg4 20.Rd2 0–0 21.Qxd6
18…Be6 19.Qxd6 Qxd6 20.Rxd6 Bxa2
18…0–0 19.Qxd6
19.Qxc5+–
With Bc7 in mind.
19…b6 20.Bxb6 Kd7 21.Bd3
White could win by moving the f1-bishop to any not-en-prise square, so also e2 or c4 or even 21.g3 planning Bh3+.
21…e4 22.Bxe4 Re8 23.Qc6+ Ke7 24.Rxd6 Bb7 25.Rd7+ Kf8
26.0–0
Everything was winning but this is fastest and the most stylish.
26…Bxc6 27.Rfxf7+
Black resigned rather than play out: 27…Kg8 28.Rxg7+ Kh8 29.Rxh7+ Kg8 30.Rdg7+ Kf8 31.Bc5+ Qd6 32.Bxd6+ Re7 33.Bxe7+ Ke8 34.Bxc6#
So was 18.Rd1!? a novelty from Pavel Asenov’s viewpoint? I vaguely remember some study from the 1970s about how quickly a GM would become disoriented after a novelty in a known opening — something like within 2 moves. (Unlike me, who becomes disoriented while still in book.) Thus a novelty doesn’t even have to be “better” to be effective over the board. Anyway here black seems to have lost his balance immediately.
@An Ordinary Chessplayer
I’m guessing, of course, but I suspect Asenov did not know 12.d6. I doubt anyone would intentionally reach Black’s position after 17…Nxd6, as White has various good moves, not just 18.Rd1. So if my guess is right, Black found 6 decent moves in a row after being surprised by 12.d6, then slipped up.
With the move order as it was, 10…a6 comes to mind.
### NImzo Indian ###
Hello,
Any news on Nimzo Indian repertoire? Somebody wrote that Roiz is writing it….
What do you guys think about Sielecki Christof “Opening Repertoire Nimzo and Bogo Indian”?