Wrocław B
Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4
This is arguably the critical test of Black's 2...g6 move-order. It is less popular than 4.Nxd4, but scores five percentage points better in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.
4...Nf6 5.Nc3
This is the main alternative to 5.e5.
5...Nc6 6.Qa4 Bg7?!
Ruslan Ponomariov is among grandmasters who have played the text, but it is probably too provocative. Normal is 6...d6, when the mainline in Mega21 runs 7.e5 dxe5 8.Nxe5 Bd7 9.Nxd7 Qxd7, when the bishop-pair gives White a slight edge, according to Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1.
7.e5 Ng8
Three games in Mega21, including one featuring a 2105 with the black pieces, saw the unfortunate 7...Ng4?? 8.Qxg4.
8.Bf4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.0-0-0
Sergei Rublevsky (2667) - Ponomariov (2721), Izmailov Memorial Rapid (Tomsk, Russia) 2006, saw 10.Bc4 Qa5 11.Qb3 d5 12.Bb5 0-0 with an unclear position. Stockfish14 at first gives White a slight edge, while Komodo12.1.1 gives a slight edge to Black, but they come to agree the position is level (0-1, 63 moves).
10...a6?
A novelty, and a bad one, not least because the a pawn is pinned against the queen's rook and so does not prevent a white piece landing on b5. Having said that, the engines like White after the mainline 10...0-0 11.Bc4+ Kh8, with Stockfish14 claiming White is positionally winning.
11.Ng5
The immediate threat is Ne6 (or Qb3 followed by Ne6).
11...Qa5 12.Qb3
Keeping queens on looks natural, but the engines point out 12.Qxa5 Nxa5 13.Na4!?, which seems very strong.
12...e6 13.Nge4
The engines reckon inserting 13.h4!? h6 makes Nge4 stronger.
13...0-0 14.Bd6
14.Nd6? Ng4 turns the tables and gives Black the advantage, according to the engines.
14...Nxe4 15.Nxe4
Not 15.Bxf8?? as Black has several ways to get a winning advantage, eg 15...Nxc3 16.Bxg7 Nxd1 wins a piece.
15...Nd4 16.Qb4!
This is best as after 16.Qa3 Qxa3 17.Bxa3 the bishop is less in play.
16...Qxb4
There is nothing for Black in 16...Qxa2?? 17.Rxd4 Bh6+ 18.f4.
17.Bxb4 Rf4 18.f3
Not 18.Bd3? d5 with ...Rxf2 to come.
18...d5 19.Bd6 Rf7 20.Nf2?!
This is probably too passive. The engines give 20.Ng5 Rf5 21.h4 h6 22.Nh3 with an equal position.
20...Nf5 21.Bc5
The engines prefer 21.Bb4!? but reckon Black's more-active pieces more than compensate for having an extra pawn-island.
21...Bh6+?!
The engines much prefer 21...Rc7 22.Nd3 d4.
22.Kb1 Rc7 23.Nd3 Bd7 24.c3 Rac8
Black can claim a slight edge after 24...Ba4!? 25.Re1 Rac8, according to Stockfish14, although Komodo12.1.1 reckons the position is equal.
25. Bb6 Rc6 26.Bf2 Ne3 27.Re1 d4!
This pawn sac seems best, although the engines only marginally prefer it to 27...Nc4. However they agree 27...Nxf1 is better for White after either rook recapture as Ne5 is an unpleasant threat.
28.Ne5!
The best reply.
Not 28.Nb4? Rb6 with ...a5 to come.
Black is also slightly better, according to the engines, after 28.cxd4 Nxf1 29.Rhxf1 R6c7!, despite being a pawn down. Their main line continues 30.Nc5 (trying to prevent ...Rc2) Bb5 31.Rg1 b6! 32.a4 (32.Nxe6? Bd3+ 33.Ka1 Rc2 wins for Black, eg 34.Bg3 Bc1!) Bc4 33.Ne4 Bd3+ 34.Ka2 Rc4 with mounting pressure.
28...R6c7 29.Bxe3
Also equal is 29.Nxd7 Rxd7 30.cxd4 Nc2 31.Rd1 Ne3 as 31.Rxe6? loses to 31...Nxd4 32.Re1 (defending against a mate at c1) Nc2.
29...Bxe3 30.Bc4 Rxc4 31.Nxd7 R4c7 32.Nb6
The engines slightly prefer 32.Nf6+ although after 32...Kg7 (32...Ke7 33.Ne4 Ke7 is also equal) 33.Ne4 e5 Black has consolidated the bishop at e3 with an equal position, according to the engines.
32...Rd8!
Better than the obvious 32...Re8 as 33.cxd4 Bxd4 34.Nd5 Rd7 35.Nf4 Kf7 is level, according to the engines.
33.cxd4 Bxd4
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
34.Rxe6?
Better is 34.Rd1, although the lack of coordination between the white pieces means Black has a small pull, according to the engines.
The text loses the exchange.
34...Kf7 35.Rhe1 Bf2
A pawn is nowhere enough for the exchange in a position with open files for the rooks.
36.b3 Bxe1 37.Rxe1 Rd2 38.Nc4 Rxg2 39.Nd6+ Kf8
The king has to go to the back rank as otherwise the c7 rook is lost to a knight fork.
40.Re8+ Kg7 41.Rb8 Rd7
The game finished:
42.Rxb7 Rxb7 43.Nxb7 Rxh2 44.Nc5 h5 45.Nxa6 h4 46.Nc5 Re2 47.Nd3 h3 48.Nf4 h2 49.Nxe2 h1=Q+ 50.Kc2 Qxf3 51.Kd2 g5 52.b4 Qa3 53.b5 Qxa2+ 54.Ke3 Qb3+ 55.Kf2 Qxb5 56.Ng3 Kg6 57.Kf3 Qd5+ 58.Kg4 Qd1+ 59.Kh3 Qf3 60.Kh2 g4 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment