Lausanne (Switzerland) 1999
Philidor Defence
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3
I remember I wanted to play some kind of Scotch, while avoiding a Latvian or Elephant Gambit, but instead VM transposes into a Philidor.
3...d6 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bc4 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Bf4!?
Not a popular choice but liked by the analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1.
8...Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Nd7!?
Another far-from-popular choice. One idea, presumably, is to hit the white queen with 10...Bf6, although this is easily countered.
10.Nd5 Bf6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Qxf6 Nxf6
The exchanges have taken pressure off the black position, but the white bishop-pair should be worth something.
13.Rfe1 Be6 14.Bb5
Anatoly Ozgibcev (2368) - Alexandr Ponomarenko (2231), Russian Team Blitz Championship 2018, saw 14.Bd3 (Stockfish13's choice) Nd7!? 15.b3 Ne5 16.Bf1 with a slight edge for White (1-0, 61 moves). Komodo12.1.1 prefers the text.
14...a6 15.Ba4 Ng4 16.e5?!
I was fixated on drawing.
16...Nxe5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.Rxe5 Rad8 19.Re2!?
This allows a little combination, but worse, according to the engines, is 19.a3?! Rd2.
 |
| Position after 19.Re2!? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
19...Bxa2
The engines prefer 19...c5 20.c3 g6, giving Black a slight edge.
20.b3 b5 21.f3 bxa4 22.Rxa2 axb3 23.cxb3 Rd6
Black is a pawn up but his weaknesses mean White has equality, according to the engines.
24.Re7 Rc6 25.Rd2 Rc3 26.Rdd7 Rxb3 27.Rxc7 Rb6 28.Ra7 h6
Stockfish13 reckons the position is dead-equal, but Komodo12.1.1's verdict of a slight edge for Black makes more sense to me.
29.Kf2 Rf6 30.h4 Rb8 31.g4 Rb2+ 32.Re2!?
As a general rule, two rooks are better than one when it comes to converting an extra pawn, but that is not so clear here as the white rooks were well-coordinated.
32...Rxe2+ 33.Kxe2 Rb6 34.h5 Kf8 35.Kd3 g6 36.hxg6 fxg6 37.Rh7 g5 38.Kc4 a5 39.Ra7 Rf6 40.Rxa5 Rxf3
The position is a tablebase draw, although older engines, eg Fritz5, tend to reckon Black's advantage is almost winning.
41.Ra6 Rf4+ 42.Kd3 Kg7 43.Ra7+
The only move to maintain the draw, but pretty obvious.
43...Kg6 44.Ra6+ Rf6 45.Rxf6+!?
VM's body language suggested he was surprised at this exchange, but I had correctly calculated the pawn-ending as drawn. According to the Syzygy tablebase, White also draws with 45.Ra1 and 45.Ra8.
45...Kxf6 46.Ke4 Kg6
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
47.Kf3!
The only drawing move.
47...Kf7
Or 47...h5 48.gxh5+ Kxh5 49.Kg3=
48.Ke3 Ke7 49.Ke4 Ke6 50.Kd4
Again an only-move, but not a difficult one.
50...Kf7 51.Ke3 Kg7 52.Ke4 Kf6
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
53.Kf3
Komodo12.1.1 incorrectly gives 53.Ke3? as also drawing, but White is lost after 53...Ke5.
53...Ke5 54.Ke3 Kd5 55.Kd3 Ke5 ½–½
More detailed notes to this ending can be found at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2020/01/when-it-paid-to-trade-down-to-pawn.html
*VM, who is Latvian, became a grandmaster in 2004.
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