Lausanne Round 4
Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Tarrasch
1.d4 d5
My original notes say: "A change from my usual 1...Nf6, brought on by a desire to keep open the option of setting up a Stonewall." However, I cannot recall against which lines I planned to erect a Stonewall (pawns on c6, d5, e6 and f5).
2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5
Magnus Carlsen has played this potentially-sharp move, but he has also played all of the four more-popular moves: 4...Nbd7, 4...Bb4, 4...c6 and, most popular of all, 4...Be7.
5.cxd5 cxd4!?
This is what makes the variation sharp. Normal are 5...Nxd5 and 5...exd5.
6.Nxd4
This move should not cause Black any problems. Critical are 6.Qxd4 and 6.Qa4+ (followed by Qxd4), but MH explained in the postmortem he wanted to avoid "losing a tempo" to an attack on his queen after it arrives on d4.
6...Nxd5 7.Bd2
The main move, but it hardly creates a good impression.
7...Bc5 8.Nb3 Bb6 9.e3!?
The least popular of four moves in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database - 9.Nxd5 is most popular, followed by 9.g3 and 9.e4 - but it is liked by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
9...0-0
This was a new move at the time, or at least it does not appear in Mega20 until 2004. 9...Nc6 had been played by a 2210 in 1993. The two moves can easily transpose.
10.Rc1!?
I gave this a question mark in my original notes, writing: "Frtiz5 likes this, but to me (and to MH after the game) it seemed premature when White still has his king's bishop to develop." It seems to me now the move is perfectly viable, if a little unusual.
10...Nc6 11.Be2 Ndb4 12.0-0 Nd3 13.Bxd3 Qxd3 14.Qe2 Rd8 15.Rfd1?!
The engines much prefer 15.Qxd3 Rxd3 16.Rfd1 and if, as in the game, 16...e5, then 17.Na4 or 17.Ne4 with approximate equality.
15...Qxe2 16.Nxe2 e5 17.Nc5
"MH's initial comment in the pm was that this was bad, but we could not find anything better." The engines give 17.Bc3 but much prefer Black after, for example, 17...Be6 18.Ng3 Rxd1+!? (I do not understand this - can anyone explain?) 19.Rxd1 f5.
17...Bxc5 18.Rxc5 Be6 19.Nc3 Rd7 20.Kf1 Rad8 21.Ke2
 |
| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
21...f6
Preparing ...Nb4. But I could have played 21...Nb4! as 22.Rxe5? fails to 22...Bc4+ 23.Kf3 (23.Ke1?? Nc2#) Nc6 24.Rc5 (24.Re4 Bd3 and ...Bc2) Rxd2 25.Rxd2 Rxd2, and White cannot continue 26.Rxc4? because of 26...Ne5+.
22.b3
22.a3? stops ...Nb4, but the cure is worse than the disease as Black replies 22...Bb3.
22...Nb4 23.Be1 Nxa2 24.Rxd7 Nxc3+ 25.Bxc3 Rxd7 26.b4
Black has emerged a pawn up, but the opposite-coloured bishops give White fair hopes of salvaging a draw.
26...Kf7 27.Bd2 Ke7 28.Rc3 b5?
Positionally hopeless. It was already difficult for Black to make progress on the queenside, but this makes it next-to-impossible.
29.Rc5?!
The rook is awkwardly placed here. A better way to highlight Black's mistaken 28th move is 29.Ra3.
29...Bc4+ 30.Kd1 Kd8 31.Kc2 Rd3 32.g3 Kd7 33.Bc3 a6 34.h4 h5 35.Bd2 Ke6!? 36.Rc7 g6?!
Effectively conceding the draw. The engines show 36...Rd6!? can be tricky for White, eg 37.Rxg7 Bb3+ 38.Kc3 Bd5! 39.Rc7?! Be4 40.Rc5 Kf5 (the point of playing ...Ke6 in the first place), when White is hard-pressed defending his kingside. However, the engines reckon 39.e4! Bxe4 40.Be3 gives decent drawing chances.
37.Rc6+ Rd6 38.Rxd6+ Kxd6 39.e4 f5 40.Kc3 fxe4 41.Be3 Ke6 42.Bb6 Kf5 43.Bc5 Kg4 44.Be3 Kf3 45.Bc5 Ke2 46.Be3 Kf3 ½–½
No comments:
Post a Comment