(1) CC-IM Ilia Christov (Europe2) (2466) - Junior Tay (NAPZ) (2413) [B22]
ICCF Interzonals 2000 Board 7 Singapore, 28.04.2001
[Junior Tay]
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 e6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 b6 7.Bc4!?
not a very popular line. A year ago, I had walked into this variation and got a bad opening against Ed Limayo [7.Nc3 main line; 7.Bd3; 7.a3] 7...Bb7 8.0-0 now to change tack... 8...d6! [8...Na6!? 9.Bg5!² Limayo-Tay, !CCF EM/M/A071] 9.Bxd5 Bxd5 10.Nc3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 d5= This variation is not very promising for White. Black's bad "French"bishop and a pair of Knights has been traded off so Black has a structural plus. White however, does have a big lead in development. The semi-closed nature of this position would mean this factor is not so crucial. 12.Qg4 [12.Bg5 Qd7 13.Rac1 Nc6 14.Rfd1 Be7 15.Nb5 0-0 16.Bf6 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Bxf6 18.exf6 Qxb5 19.Qg4 g6 20.Qf4 Kh8 21.Qh6 Rg8 22.Rc7 Qe2 23.Rdc1 Raf8 24.Qg5 d4 25.h3 Qxb2 26.Rd7 e5 27.Rcc7 Qxa2 28.Qxe5 d3 29.Kh2 d2 30.Qd4 Qe6 31.Rd6 Qf5 32.Qd3 Qe5+ 33.Kh1 ½-½ McDonald,N-Annakov,B/Hastings ENG 2000/The Week in Chess 273 (33)] 12...Nc6 13.Be3 Qd7 14.f4 h5! of course, f4-f5 cannot be allowed. One way of looking at this position is to assume Black has a mirror image King's Indian Defence. For the KID player, the ideas will come flowing naturally! 15.Qe2 g6 16.Rac1 Be7 17.Qb5 White is using his big developmental edge to start some tactics. 17...Rc8 18.Rf2 Christov had been following the Kleinert-Volkac game up till now. Why would he enter a game which White had virtually nothing and got positionally throttled? 18...Na5!N Well, he was planning 18...0-0 19.Rfc2! with the forced win of a pawn, which Kleinert missed! With 18...Na5. I offered him a queen trade as well as to plant my Knight onto the excellent c4 square. [18...0-0 19.Rfc2! (19.Rcf1?! Rfd8 20.Qe2 Bb4 21.Nd1 Bf8 22.g4 hxg4 23.Qxg4 Ne7 24.h4 Nf5 25.h5 Kg7 26.Rh2 Be7 27.Rg2 Rh8 28.hxg6 Rh4 29.Qe2 fxg6 30.Kf2 Rch8 31.Ke1 Rh3 32.Rfg1 R3h6 33.Kf1 Kf7 34.Nf2 Qa4 35.b3 Qc6 36.Ng4 Rh3 37.Bf2 Qc1+ 38.Qe1 Qxf4 39.Qd1 Rc8 40.Ke2 Qf3+ 0-1 Kleinert,J-Vokac,M/Prague 1989/EXT 97 (40)) 19...Rc7 (19...Qe8 20.Nxd5+-; 19...a6 20.Qxb6 Nb4 21.Rd2+-) 20.Nxd5! exd5 21.Rxc6+-] 19.Qe2 [19.Qa6 0-0³; 19.Rfc2 Nc4³; 19.Qf1 might be preferable but White wanted the possibility of g2-g4, hxg4, Qxg4, once Black castles.] 19...Nc4 20.b3?! I don't like this move because it gives away a key Queenside square on c2 which prevents White from doubling on the c file. Moreover, the Queenside dark squares are unnecessarily weakened. In any case, Black would welcome Rook trades as the difference in the Bishops would become more telling. 20...Na3 21.g3 a waiting move, which attempts to lull Black into castling Kingside but... 21...b5! Castling at any point would have been imbecilic with all those White pieces poised to attack. This move reduces the scope of the White Knight and Queen considerably.
22.Rff1 Qb7! [Bad would be 22...0-0? as 23.f5! would lead to 23...exf5 24.Qf3 Rcd8 (24...Rfd8 25.Nxd5±) 25.Ne2! intending Nf4 with Nxh5, e5-e6, Nxd5 attacking ideas.] 23.h3 Kd7! now the point of b5 and Qb7 is revealed. Black completes development without providing White with a Kingside target. Now, White has no good incentive to aim for the g3-g4, f4-f5 pawn breaks without a target. 24.Kg2 Rc6 and Black prepares to annex the c-file completely... 25.Nb1 Nxb1 26.Rxb1 [26.Rxc6 Qxc6 27.Rxb1 Ba3µ] 26...Rhc8 27.Rbc1 Ba3µ and the c file belongs to Black for good! 28.Rxc6 Qxc6 [Normally, one would prefer the Rook to be in front of the Queen when doubling but in this case, there is a tactical refutation. 28...Rxc6 29.f5! 29...exf5 30.g4! Suddenly, it's the Black king that feels insecure!] 29.Bd2 a6 30.Ba5? White logically tries to get his Bishop to work on some dark squares. However, this move fails tactically... 30...Be7! attempting to trap the Ba5 with b5-b4. Black also introduces the threat of h5-h4, weakening the White Kingside. [30...Qc2 31.Qxc2 Rxc2+ 32.Rf2 Rc1 33.Bd2 Rd1 34.Bc3³] 31.Qd2 [31.Be1! Qc1µ] 31...h4! This looks like a patzer move, mobilizing White's Kingside pawns which with f4-f5 to follow, will pose an extremely serious threat to Black's King. 32.g4? White obliges...but this is the losing move! The weakening of the g3 square is the point fo h5-h4 and White will pay dearly for it. [32.Rf2 is the only move but Black still has a clear advantage after 32...hxg3 33.Kxg3 Qc1 34.Qxc1 Rxc1 35.Bd2 Rd1 and Black will push b5-b4, walk his King to b5 and push a5-a4, creating a 3rd weakness (besides d4 and h3) on b3 or a2. ] 32...b4!! Snap! And the trap shuts. In order to free the errant Bishop, White must relinquish control of the 2nd and 3rd ranks and the Black Queen gets to mop up the Kingside pawns. 33.Bxb4 [33.Qd3 Rb8-+] 33...Bxb4 34.Qxb4 Qc2+ 35.Kg1 [35.Rf2 Qd3 36.Qa4+ Ke7 37.Qb4+ Ke8 38.Qa4+ (38.Qd2 Qg3+ 39.Kf1 Qxh3+ 40.Kg1 Qxg4+ 41.Rg2 Qf3-+) 38...Kf8 And the Black king finds sanctuary on g7.] 35...Qd3 Upon finding no way to rescue his Kingside pawns as well as preventing the Black rook's invasion, Christov resigned here [35...Qd3 36.Qe1 Rc2-+ 37.g5 (37.Qxh4 Qxd4+ 38.Kh1 Qe4+ 39.Kg1 Qg2#) 37...Qxh3 38.Rf2 Qg3+ 39.Kf1 Qd3+ 40.Kg1 Qxd4-+] 0-1
