Lausanne 1999 Round 3
Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.Bc4 e6 5.0-0 Ne7 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nc3!?
This move makes its first appearance in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database in 2001. Two previous, high-level, games saw 9.Bg5, with both games ending in quick draws.
9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.Qe2 b6?
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| I completely missed White's threat |
*****
*****
*****
*****
12.Qe4 Ba6 13.Qxa8 Bxc4 14.Qxa7!?
Komodo10 comes to rate this equally with 14.Rd1, but Stockfish10 reckons White should keep the exchange. Generally speaking, in my opinion, Komodo10 gives greater weight to positional considerations over material ones when compared with Stockfish10's evaluations.
14...Nc6 15.Qa4 b5 16.Qd1 Bxf1 17.Qxf1 Qd5!?
My original notes show Fritz5 preferred 17...b4 18.cxb4 Nxb4, and Komodo10 comes to agree with this. Stockfish10 prefers the text, but both modern engines reckon best for Black, albeit by a small margin, is 17...Qa5.
18.Rb1 Ra8 19.Qxb5 Qxb5 20.Rxb5 Rxa2 21.Bb2?!
JG suggested 21.Bd2 in the postmortem, and this does seem to leave White less tied-up.
21...Na5?!
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 21...Bf8 equalises, eg 22.g3 Nb4! 23.cxb4 Rxb2 etc.
22.Rb8+ Bf8 23.Ne5
Walking into a pin with 23.Nd2! is better, according to the modern engines. The point is that after 23...Nc6 24.Rb6 Nb4, White does not have to capture the black knight, with a line similar to the previous note, but can instead play 25.Nc4, with advantage.
23...Kg7 24.Nd3 Nc4 25.g3 Bd6 26.Rb5 Kf6 27.Kg2 h5 28.h4
As my original notes say: "All Black's pieces are better than White's, so there really should be good drawing chances."
28...e5 29.Bc1
Best, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
29...Rc2 30.Bg5+ Ke6 31.Nc5+ Bxc5 32.Rxc5 Rxc3 33.dxe5 Rc2 34.Bf4 Kf5
Not 34...Ne3+?? as White's rook is protected after 35.Bxe3.
35.Kh3
Not 35.Rc7?? as now ...Ne3+ works.
35...Na3 36.Ra5
36.Rxc2? allows an easy draw as White cannot hold on to the e pawn.
36...Nc4 37.Ra7 Nxe5 38.Bxe5 Kxe5 39.Rxf7
White has maintained an extra pawn, but the position is one of the easier pawn-down book draws. Having said that, Stockfish10 reckons White has the upper hand, while Komodo10, whose endgame evaluations I tend to trust more, has White the equivalent of 0.62 pawns ahead.
39...Rc4 40.Rf8 Ra4 41.Kg2 Rb4 42.Ra8 Kf6 43.Ra6+ Kf5 44.Ra5+ Kf6 45.Kh3 Rc4 46.Rg5 Rc2 47.Kg2 Rc4
There was a lot more like this until JG conceded the draw after 82 moves.
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