With White against the Bulgarian International Master Ilja Christov, I decided to pick up a suggestion of GM Tony Kosten who advocated the Catalan-like c pawn sacrifice in a Slav-Meran type Black structure (in his great book "The Dynamic English (Gambit"). I had seen similar motifs of such sacrifices in the Czech Slav Defence, the Open Catalan and even in the Fianchetto King's Indian Defence. One example is the position after move 17 in the game beneath

Cekro,E (2350) - Martinovic,S (2475) [E62]
Sarajevo Sarajevo (13), 1981

in CM Navin Salawani- Junior Tay, National (OTB) Interclubs 1998, White self-destructed here with 17.d5? and lost in 23 moves 17.e3 Qb4 18.a4 Qd6

Here, we get a position with similar motifs to my stem game 19.a5 a6 20.Na4 Re8 21.Nc5 Bc8 22.Rab1 Nd7 23.Ne4 Qe6 24.Qd2 h6 25.Ba3 Rd8 26.Qc2 Kh8 27.Rd1 f5 28.Nc5 Nxc5 29.Qxc5 Bf6 30.d5 cxd5 31.Bxd5 Qd7 32.Bb3 Qe8 33.Rxd8 Qxd8 34.Rd1 Qe8 35.Qc7 Kg7 36.Rd8 Qc6 37.Qxc6 bxc6 38.Be6 Bb7 39.Rd7 Bc8 40.Rd8 Bb7 1/2-1/2

Three years ago, after my game against Navin, I was quite certain that White had sufficient compensation for the pawn. Upon finding the above-mentioned game, I was still not sure if Cekro had blundered or sacrificed the pawn. When I asked my Cairnhill Chess Club team mate OTB IM Hsu Li Yang about the pawn sacrifice idea, he said White had just about enough compensation with his Queenside pressure.

Even that was not good enough a reason to try out in a must-win game so I decided to try the pawn sacrifice motif in 3 and 4 minutes blitz chess on the FICS (Free Internet Chess Server). I offered the c pawn (with a b2-b3 pawn exchange follow up) in various dubious opening experiments such as the Czech Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dc 5.g3!?), Grunfeld! (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.c4 c6 6.Nc3 d5 7.0-0!? dc) and of course the Catalan Opening. I won about 70% of those games, often because Black had difficulty finding active moves after munching the pawn. Finally, I decided to play into the line. I felt "vindicated" when I later (after I have reached about move 18 in my game) saw OTB GM Nigel Davies' "Sacrifice the little guys" article which featured a game with similar motifs.

See http://www.checkerwise.co.uk/Artic001.htm for more details.

Indeed, Christov also found it difficult to mobilize his pieces after the opening and decided to return it for some space. However, his lack of development proved too telling as his position deteriorated under the suffocating pressure of the White rooks on the Queenside. Christov threw in the towel after 29 moves.

Junior Tay (2413) - IM Christov,I (2466) [A13]
ICCF Interzonal 2000

1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 e6 3.Bg2 d5 inviting White to step into the Catalan waters... 4.Nf3 no thank you... 4...dxc4 5.0-0 a6 6.Nc3!?

introducing a pawn sacrifice idea suggested by Tony Kosten in his superb book "The Dynamic English". 6...c6 [Clinging on to the pawn is asking for trouble as evidenced by 6...b5 7.d3 cxd3 8.Ne5 Ra7 9.Be3 c5 10.Qxd3 Qc7 11.Rfd1 Be7 12.a4 0-0 13.axb5 Qxe5 14.Bf4 Qh5 15.Bxb8 Rd7 16.Qc4 axb5 17.Qxb5 Qg6 18.Rxd7 Bxd7 19.Qb7 Qc2 20.Be5 Rd8 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 22.Be4 Bc8 23.Qb5 Qd2 24.Rd1 Qxd1+ 25.Nxd1 Rxd1+ 26.Kg2 Rd8 27.Qxc5 Bxb2 28.Bxh7+ Kxh7 29.Qc2+ Kg8 30.Qxb2 Bd7 31.Qb7 Be8 32.h4 Rd7 33.Qb8 Re7 34.g4 f6 35.f4 Kf7 36.h5 Bc6+ 37.Kf2 e5 38.Qd6 Bd7 39.g5 fxg5 40.fxg5 1-0 Kuzmin,G-Beliavsky,A/Kiev 1978/EXT 99 (40)] 7.b3!? This idea should be familiar with exponents of the Grunfeld Defence. This thematic pawn sacrifice dislodges Black's centre pawn thus freeing the White centre pawns, opens Queenside files for White and puts pressure on the Black Queenside. What more can you ask for? Interestingly, during the (OTB) Civil Service Teams Championships Rd 5 Bd 1 encounter between National Master Koh Kum Hong and 1, Koh had the chance to play this sacrifice with Black. The game went 1.c4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.a3 e6?! 6.b4! 0-0!? 7.bc?! Qa5 8.Bb2 0-0 9.e3 and now Black should seriously consider 9...b6!? Tay-Koh, Civil Service Teams Ch 2001, 1-0 (52 moves) 7...cxb3 8.Qxb3 At this point, I responded to TCCMB's "Gambiteers' Guild" headed by "Gambit Geezer Gary Good", asking whether I could secure membership to the guild with this pawn sacrifice. His response was in the affirmative as I had given up a pawn for 3 developing moves. Black's problems stem from the following factors: 1. If he plays for b7-b5, c6 would be weakened and the g2 bishop's diagonal would be lengthened. 2. The Bc8 has absolutely no scope. 3. Black's rooks have no good files to go to whereas White's has a plethora of good choices...eg a1, b1,c1, d1 or even e1! 4. White would eventually aim for a d5 break and it is extremely difficult for Black to overprotect that square sufficiently. 8...Be7 9.d4 0-0 10.Rd1!

I spent a lot of time deciding where to place the rooks. Rooks on b1,c1 is another good setup. The advantaqge of this move is that it prevents any Queenside break with c5 for a long time. Moreover this facilitates the future e2-e4, d4-d5 pawn break. 10...Nbd7 11.Rb1 Nd5! Exchanging pieces is a good method of alleviating cramped positions [11...c5!? 12.Ne5 cxd4 13.Rxd4 Qe8² a typical Open Catalan squeeze ] 12.e4 Nxc3 13.Qxc3

This position is already critical for Black though he might not have realised it at this stage 13...Nf6?! Relinquishing control of e5 as well as extinguishing Black's last chance of freeing his pieces [13...f5! Black must return the gambitted pawn to reach a reasonable position 14.Qb3 (14.exf5 exf5 15.Qb3+ Kh8 16.Ne5 Qe8©) 14...fxe4 15.Qxe6+ Kh8 16.Qxe4 Nf6 17.Qe1²] 14.Ne5 Ne8 15.Ba3!±

attempting to remove Black's only active piece. However, if Black gives up his Be7, chronic dark square weakenesses will appear on c5 and especially d6 after an eventual e4-e5. Although Black declined the exchange, White still takes over the dark squares [15.a4 is a serious alternative] 15...Nd6 16.Bc5 f6 [16...Qc7 17.Bb6 Qb8 18.f4 f6 19.Nd3 Nb5 20.Qb3 Ba3 21.Nb2± enroute to c4 (xd6 and a5)] 17.a4!

Now Black is really devoid of counterplay and is doomed to suffer a cramped game without the possibility of a queenside break 17...Qe8 [17...fxe5 18.dxe5 Nxe4 19.Bxe4 Qe8 20.a5± Extreme suffocation] 18.Nd3 Qh5? Probably disillusioned by the hopelessness of the situation, Black allows the Nd3 its ideal square on f4 where it threatens d4-d5, attacks e6 and supports Bh3. On the other hand, he might be angling for a trick... [18...Kh8 19.f4±] 19.Nf4± Qe8 The only move [19...Qf7 20.d5! exd5 (20...cxd5 21.exd5 e5 22.Ne6+-) 21.exd5 Bf5 22.dxc6 bxc6 23.Bxd6 Bxd6 (23...Bxb1 24.Bxe7 Qxe7 25.Rxb1+-) 24.Qxc6+-; 19...Qg5 20.Qb3 Kf7 21.h4 Qh6 22.Bh3+-; 19...Qh6 20.Qb3 Kf7 21.Bh3+-] 20.Qb4!

luring the a pawn forward, thus discouraging Black from freeing his position with a future b7-b5 which will result in the loss of a pawn [Black was probably hoping for the obvious 20.Qb3 when 20...Nf7! takes a lot of wood off the board after 21.Nxe6 Bxe6 22.Qxe6 Bxc5 23.Qxe8 Rfxe8 24.dxc5 Rad8= That was probably his purpose for luring Nf4...hoping that I eye his e6 weakness too eagerly.] 20...a5 losing control over b5...but what choice does he have? [20...Qd7 21.Bh3+-; 20...Qd8 21.e5+-] 21.Qa3 Nc4 22.Qb3 b5?

Black goes for it anyway, and as a result, allows the White rooks to zip around with impunity [better is 22...Bxc5 23.dxc5 Ne5 24.Bh3 Qe7 25.Bxe6+ Kh8 26.Rd6 Re8 27.Bxc8 Raxc8 28.Rbd1± Rcd8 29.Kg2 Rxd6 30.cxd6 Qd7 31.Qc3±] 23.axb5 cxb5 24.Qxb5 Qxb5 25.Rxb5 Bxc5+- [25...Re8 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.Rc5 Nb6 28.e5 Ra6 29.exf6 gxf6 30.Rb1+-] 26.Rxc5 Nb2 [26...g5 27.Nh5+-] 27.Rb1 Na4 28.Rc7!

[28.Rc4 is probably winning too but I wanted to disconnect his rooks too] 28...e5 [28...Rf7 29.Rc4 Bd7 30.Bh3 Ra6 31.Rb8+ Rf8 32.Rb7+- mission accomplished!] 29.Nd5!

A picturesque end... as Black ends up with a dim Knight on the rim, all his other pieces undeveloped in a virtual zugzwang. All Black moves will result in loss of material without compensation. Who says the English Opening is staid and boring? Chalk one up for the Gambiteers' Guild! I therefore dedicate this win to Gary Good! [29.Nd5 A) 29...exd4 30.e5 Kh8 31.exf6 gxf6 32.Be4 f5 33.Nf6+-; B) 29...Rd8 30.dxe5 fxe5 31.f4 exf4 (31...Ba6 32.Bf1!!) 32.Ne7+ Kf8 33.e5+-; C) 29...h6 30.f4+-; D) 29...Ba6 30.Bf1!! Bxf1 31.Rbb7

with a mate in 6!] 1-0

Some supplementary material...

Illustrative game 1

A parallel opening can be seen in Pigusov-Sveshnikov with White effecting a square squeeze. The "2529 GM" (as Sveshnikov is now named due to his efforts to wipe his games off chess databases) managed to wriggle out of Pigusov's dark square squeeze.

Pigusov,E (2565) - Sveshnikov,E (2525) [A11]
Helsinki op Helsinki (9), 1992

[6.a4 -Informant 36/13] 6...e6 7.b3 cxb3 8.Qxb3 a6 9.d4 Be7 10.Bg5 0-0 11.Rac1 h6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Ne4 Be7 14.Rfd1 Ra7 15.Ne5

with compensation for material-Informant 55 15...Bd7 16.Nc5 Be8

with an impressive grip on the dark squares but Black manages to wend his way out... 17.Be4 Bd6 18.Bb1 Qe7 19.Qd3 g6 20.h4 h5 21.Qe3 Kg7 22.Be4 Rc7 23.Bf3 f6 24.Ned3 Bf7 25.Rc2 Rd8 26.Rdc1 a5 27.Qd2 Bxc5 28.Nxc5 b4 29.Nb3 e5 30.Nxa5 Rxd4 31.Qe3 c5 32.Nb3 Bxb3 33.Qxb3 Nd7 34.e3 Rd6 35.a3 e4 36.Be2 Rb7 37.axb4 Rxb4 38.Qa3 Rdb6 39.Kg2 Rb8 40.Qa2 R4b6 41.Rd2 R6b7 42.Qa5 Rc8 43.Rd5 Rcc7 44.Rc2 Qe6 45.Qd2 Rb6 46.Bc4 Qc6 47.Ba2 Ra7 48.Rc1 Qb7 49.Rc2 Qc7 50.Rc1 Rc6 51.Bc4 Rb7 1/2-1/2

Illustrative game 2

Here's one of my test FICS blitz games which demonstrates how Black can get suffocated when playing without a plan...

jrt - Evl [E06]
FICS Blitz game freechess.org, 01.01.2001

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 c6 6.0-0 dxc4 7.b3 cxb3 8.Qxb3 0-0 9.Nc3 Nbd7 10.Rd1 Nb6 11.a4 Nbd7 12.e4 Ne8 13.Rb1 a6 14.Bf4 Ndf6 15.Ne5 Nd6 16.Nd3 Nde8 17.Nc5 Bxc5 18.dxc5 Qe7 19.Bd6 Nxd6 20.cxd6 Qd7 21.e5 Nd5 22.Ne4 b6 23.a5 Rb8 24.Nc5 Qa7 25.Be4? mouseslip [25.Bxd5+-] 25...Bd7 26.Bxd5 cxd5 27.axb6 Qa8 28.Nxd7 Rb7 29.Nxf8 Kxf8 30.Rdc1 Qb8 31.Rc7 g6 32.Rxb7 Qxb7 33.Qb4 d4 34.d7+ Kg7 35.Qd6 Qe4 36.Rf1 d3 37.d8Q Qf5 38.Q8f8# Evl checkmated 1-0