00038.5.24
Analyzed by National Master Corey Russell
1. e4
e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6
{
Everything
is going fine so far. Both sides are
concentrating
on
developing their pieces, controlling the center, and
getting
their kings into safety (with the exception of black's
prophylactic...h6).
}
6. Nc3
{
The
last move is certainly playable and logical, but should
lead to
an equal game. 6. c3 would keep more of
the pieces
on the
board and retain greater flexibility, and hence
generate
more winning chances for white than the text.
Grandmasters
and masters alike, if they assay the Guicco Piano
(3.
Bc4) will almost invariably choose 6. c3.
}
6...
Nf6 7. Be3 Nd4
{
A good
move by black. This prevents 8. d4 by
white, which
is both
line-opening and space grabbing. In
addition, black
can now
boot any white piece that tries to plant itself at
d5 by
playing his pawn to c6, and last but not least, white
will
have to remove his dark squared bishop to get rid of
the
black knight on d4, since 8. Nxd4?? exd4 would lose a piece.
}
8. Na4
Bg4
{
Good. This completes development while pinning
white's
knight
on f3 to the white queen. 8. ... Bg4
also shows
that
black is paying attention, as white was threatening
to win
a pawn with 9. Nxc5 dxc5 10. Nxe5.
}
9. Bxd4
Bxd4 10. c3 Bb6 11. Nxb6
{
?!
Since black's bishop wasn't going anywhere, there was
no need
to rush this capture. Instead, white
has a chance
to
break the pin by playing 11 Qb3!?. If
black takes white's
knight
with ...Bxf3, then white replies Bxf7+ (check!) K moves
and
gxf3. It's true white's pawns are
doubled, but they
reinforce
white's center, plus of course white has the pawn
plus. And at any convenient time, white can
eliminate that
bishop
on b6.
}
11...
axb6 12. Re1 O-O 13. Re3 c6 14. d4 b5 15. Bb3 Qd7
{
Playable,
but both 15. ... Nd7 and 15. ... Qe7 were worthy
alternatives,
since the queen would be preserved. A
queen
trade
goes into an endgame where black has doubled-pawns,
which
may favor white slightly.
}
16.
dxe5 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 dxe5 18. Rd1 Qe7
{
A good
place for the queen. It reinforces
black's pawns
on e5
and f7, gets the queen out of danger, and leaves open
the
option to post the queen to c5, if convenient.
}
19. Qf5
{
considering
the black knight guards d7, this move does nothing.
White
may have been worried by ...Nd7-c5, but a3 would be a
better
response. a3 would allow the white Bishiop
to move
(now
that it isn't tied down), which could allow Bc2 in some
lines
to defend the e-pawn. Also, the general
rule is: keep
pawns
the opposite color of your bishop, if possible.
}
19...
Rfd8 20. Red3 c5
{
! A
nice move which takes advantage of white's dubious Qf5.
Clearly,
white cannot try to win a pawn with 21. Rxd8 Rxd8
22.
Rxd8 Qxd8 23. Qxe5?? as 23. ... c4 24. Bc2 Qd2 threatens
the
bishop and mate, and there is no way to defend against
both,
and white has no perpetual checks.
}
21. c4
{
If
white has to play this (which he does), then clearly
something
went wrong. after black plays ...b4,
then white's
c-pawn
is a potential target, d4 is opened up as a potential
outpost
for the black pieces, and the pawn blocks white's
own
light squared bishop. Notice that if
white had played
a3
earlier, then in response to ...c5 he could have simply
played
Bc2, with an even game.
}
21...
b4 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Qxe5 Qd2
{
! Now
due to the inaccuracy of white's play, black will
enter a
superior ending because of black's more mobile knight.
}
25. g3
Qe1+ 26. Kg2 Qxe4+ 27. Qxe4 Nxe4 28. Bc2 Nd6 29. b3
{
Putting
yet another pawn on a light square. 29.
Bd3 was
to be
recommended.
}
29...
f6 30. f4 b5 31. cxb5
{
? Very
bad. Allows the black knight great
activity and outposts
(c3 an
d4). Far superior was 31. Bd3 bxc4 32.
Bxc4+! Nxc4 33. bxc4 =
}
31...
Nxb5 32. Bd3 Nc3 33. Kf3 Kf7
{
Good. It's important the black king get into the
game as soon
as
possible. Besides, white's a-pawn isn't
going anywhere.
}
34. Ke3
Nxa2 35. Bc4+ Ke7 36. Ke4 Nc3+ 37. Kf5 Nd1 38. Ke4
{
Dubious. This allows black to consilidate. Better was
39. Kg6
Ne3 40. Bd3 (Kxg7?? 40. ... Nxc4 wins for black) Kf8
41. h3,
and it's hard to see how black will make progress.
}
38...
Kd6 39. g4 g6 40. h4 Nc3+ 41. Kf3 Nd5 42. Ke4 Nb6 43. Kd3
{
?? 43.
Bf7 still offers white chances to draw.
For example,
if 43.
... c4 44. bxc4 b3 45. c5+ Kxc5 46. Bxb3 trades off
the
queenside, and 43. ... g5 44. fxg5 fxg5 45. hxg5 hxg5
46.
Kf5, white picks up the g-pawn, with a draw the likely
result. The text should lose immediately, as 43. ...
Nxc4
wins on
the spot.
}
43...
g5 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. fxg5 fxg5 46. Bg8 Ke5 47. Bf7 Nd7
48. Kc4
Kd6 49. Bh5 Ne5+ 50. Kb5 Kd5 51. Ka4 Kd4
{
Now
black's superior king + knight will decide the game.
}
52. Kb5
Nd7 53. Bf7 Ne5 54. Be6 Nd3 55. Bf7 Nc1 56. Ka4 Kc3
57. Be6
Nd3 58. Bf7 Ne5 59. Be6 c4 60. bxc4 Nxc4 61. Kb5 Ne3
62. Kc5
b3 63. Bxb3 Kxb3 64. Kd4 Nxg4 65. Ke4
Nf6+ 66. Kf5 g4
67. Kf4
Kc3
{
Black
is clearly winning here...only a blunder by black
could
lose/draw this.
}
68. Ke3
Nh5 69. Kf2 g3+ 70. Kg2 Kd2 71. Kg1 Ke2 72. Kg2 Ke3
73. Kg1
Kf3 74. Kh1 g2+ 75. Kg1 Ng7 76. Kh2 Kf2 77. Kh3 g1=Q
78. Kh4
Kf3 79. Kh3 Qh1#
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