Árpád Soós (2409) - János László (2319)
Hungarian Team Championship 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nc6
Reaching the starting point of the Semi-Italian via a Philidor move-order.
4.h3!?
The simple point of this popular move - more than 1,000 examples in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, narrowly behind 4.c3 - is to prevent the pinning ...Bg4.
4...g6!?
Normal is 4...Be7, played in the stem game in 1903 by Adolf Albin, but the text has attracted the attention of some strong players.
5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4
6.c3!? is not in Mega21 but might tempt attacking players. Komodo11.01 wants Black to accept the gambit; Stockfish12 prefers 6...d3.
6...Bg7 7.Nxc6
Stockfish12 narrowly prefers this to 7.Be3, but Komodo11.01 fluctuates between both moves and the strange-looking 7.Nf3!? After 7.Be3 Nf6 8.Nc3 0-0 9.0-0 Re8, Komodo11.01 rates the position as equal although Stockfish12 gives a tiny edge (less than a fifth of a pawn) to White.
7...bxc6 8.0-0 Nf6
8...Ne7!?
9.e5!?
It would be interesting to know if László had overlooked this energetic thrust.
9...Nd5
9...dxe5?! 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Bxf7 seems to leave Black with too many weaknesses.
10.exd6 Qxd6 11.Nd2?!
The natural 11.Re1+ Be6 is better for White after 12.Nd2!? h6!?, according to the engines, eg 13.Ne4 Qe7 14.Rb1 0-0 15.Bd2.
11...0-0 12.Nf3 Nb6 13.Qxd6 cxd6 14.Bd3 Na4!?
Black has an extra pawn-island but has the only central pawn and has a slight initiative against the white queenside.
Black has an extra pawn-island but has the only central pawn and has a slight initiative against the white queenside.
15.c3 Rb8 16.Rb1 Be6 17.Bc2 Nb6 18.Bf4 Rfd8 19.Rbd1 Nd5 20.Bc1 Nb6!?
A tacit draw-offer?
 |
| Position after 20...Nb6!? How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
21.a4?!
This makes defending the queenside problematic. The engines prefer 21.Bb3, eg 21...Bxb3 22.axb3 a5 23.Bg5, after which the white knight can, if necessary, defend the b3 pawn from d2.
21...c5!?
This keeps the white knight off the d4 square and indirectly threatens the a2 pawn. Note that 21.Nd4!? could have been met by 21...Bxd4 22.Rxd4 c5 23.Rdd1 Bxa2, when 24.b3 c4 25.bxc4 Bxc4 leaves Black a pawn up but only slightly better, according to the engines, as White has the bishop-pair and targets in the shape of weak black pawns. However, the engines point out an improvement for White, namely 24.Bg5! Rd7 25.b3, which they reckon gives equal chances.
22.Bg5 Rd7 23.Bf4 Nc4 24.b3
The engines slightly prefer the sharp 24.Ng5!?, when they reckon best-play goes 24...Bf5 25.Bxf5 gxf5 26.Nf3 Rxb2 27.Rd5 Bxc3 28.Rc1 Nb6 29.Rxd6 Rb4 30.Rxc3 Rxf4 31.Rxc6 Nxa4 32.Ra3 Rb4 with an unclear position. This long line is very tactical, with many sharp alternatives along the way.
24...Na3 25.Be4 Rxb3 26.Bxd6 Rxc3 27.Bc6 Rd8 28.Ng5?
The engines suggest 28.Be7 Rb8 29.Ng5 Bd4 30.Bf3, although Black retains his pawn-plus.
28...Bb3
Soós must have missed this - White is losing a piece.
29.Bd5 Bxd5 30.Rxd5 Nc4 31.Ne4
Not 31.Rfd1? Rxd6 32.Rxd6 Nxd6 33.Rxd6 Rc1+ 34.Kh2 Be5+ 35.g3 Bxd6.
31...Ra3 32.Rfd1 Ra1 33.Rxa1 Bxa1 34.g4 f5 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.Rxf5 Nxd6 37.Rd5 Nb7 38.Rg5+!?
Arguably, objectively better is 38.Rxd8+ Nxd8 39.Nxc5, but that makes the win straightforward for Black, not that it is difficult after the game continuation.
38...Bg7 39.Nxc5 Nxc5 40.Rxc5 Bd4 41.Rc2 Bb6 42.Kg2 Kf7 43.Kg3 Rd4 44.Ra2 Rd5 45.Rc2 Kg6 46.Rc6+ Kg5 47.Rc2 h5 48.Rc8 Rd3+ 49.Kg2 Ra3 50.Rg8+ Kh4 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment