Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 g6 3.Bc4!?
This move, a speciality of Ilya Smirin, is more popular than might be expected, ranking third in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database behind 3.d4 and 3.c3 but well ahead of 3.Nc3 and 3.g3.
3...Bg7 4.c3
Smirin's choice, and preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 over the more-popular 4.0-0.
4...e6 5.0-0
Smirin played 5.d4 in wins against fellow grandmasters Monika Soćko and Gadir Guseinov. The main line after 5.d4 continues 5...cxd4, when Smirin likes the slightly unusual 6.Nxd4!?
5...Ne7 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4!? 0-0 8.Qb3?!
This seems to be a novelty, and is probably not a good one, not least because it does not stop the threatened ...d5. The main line, as far as there is one, goes 8.Bg5 a6, reaching a position in the Smirin - Soćko game where 9.Nd2 was played, which the engines reckon gives White a small edge.
8...d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Bd3 Nbc6 11.Nxc6
The engines prefer 11.Be3.
11...bxc6 12.Be3 Bf5 13.Qc2 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Nf5 15.Bc5 Re8 16.Nd2 Qc7 17.Nf3 Rab8 18.b3
This is not strictly necessary as the b2 pawn is taboo after 18.Rfe1!?
18...Re4 19.Rfe1 Rbe8 20.Qc2
Not 20.Rxe4? dxe4 21.Qe2 Bxc3.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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20...a6
Putting the pawn on a square where it is not attacked by the white bishop, the point being that 20...Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 22.Nxe1 Qe5?! 23.Nf3 Qxc3 24.Qxc3 Bxc3 25.Bxa7 favours White, who has the outside passed pawn.
However, better is 20...Nh4!? I rejected it because of 21.Rxe4? Nxf3+ 22.gxf3 dxe4 23.Re1, missing that 23...Re5 is very strong. The engines give 21.Qd2, claiming only a small edge for Black after 21...Nxf3+ 22.gxf3 R4e5.
Possibly even a tad stronger, according to the engines, is 20...Qa5!?, eg 21.Rxe4 Rxe4 22.Bb4 Qb6 with continuing pressure.
21.Rxe4 Rxe4 22.Re1?!
The engines prefer 22.Rc1 or 22.h3.
The text looks as if it fully justifies 20...a6, but after ...
22...Rxe1+ 23.Nxe1 Qe5 24.Nd3! Qxc3 25.Qxc3 Bxc3 26.Bb4
... the engines reckon the position is dead-equal.
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| Dead-equal? Maybe, but I think it is easier for Black to play |
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26...Bd4
I felt this move kept most play in the position, but not 26...Bxb4? 27.Nxb4, which is good for White.
27.Kf1
This is almost certainly better than 27.Bc5?! a5.
27...Kg7 28.Bc5?!
The engines reckon White keeps equality, despite being a pawn down, after both 28.Ba5!? and 28.g4!?
28...Kf6?!
Black has a slight edge after 28...a5 and possibly after 28...h5, according to the engines.
29.Bxd4+?
Equal is 29.g4 Bxc5 30.Nxc5, after which White will recover his pawn but Black's pieces are active enough to hold the draw. White also regains his pawn after the text, but in much less-favourable circumstances.
29...Nxd4 30.Nc5 a5 31.Nb7
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| What is Black's best continuation? |
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31...a4
This gives an advantage, but even stronger seems to be the engines' surprising 31...Ke6!? 32.Nxa5 Kd7, the point being the awkward position of the white knight, eg 33.Ke1 c5 34.Kd2 Kc7 35.Kd3 Kb6 36.b4 Nb5 etc.
32.bxa4 Ke6 33.Ke1?!
Probably stronger is pushing the a4 pawn as quickly as possible, eg 33.a5 Kd7 34.a6 Kc7 35.Nd6!? Kb6 36.Nxf7, when White is, at least temporarily, a pawn up, but after 36...c5 Black's connected passers seem strong.
33...Kd7 34.Kd2 Kc7 35.Nc5
PM offered a draw.
35...Ne6 36.Nb3
The engines reckon 36.Nd3 f6 37.Nb4 prolongs resistance.
36...Kb6 37.g3 c5 38.Kc3 c4 39.Nd2
Not 39.Nd4?? Nxd4 40.Kxd4 Ka5 etc.
39...Ka5 40.f4 f5?
40...Kxa4 wins easily.
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| White to play and draw |
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41.Nf3
The time is right to sac the knight, ie 41.Nxc4+! dxc4 42.Kxc4, when Black's win has vanished, according to the engines.
Note that after 40...Kxa4 the sac does not work, eg 41.Nxc4+?! dxc4 42.Kxc4 Ka3 43.Kd5 Ng7! 44.Ke5 Ne8 etc.
41...Kxa4 42.Ne5 Kb5 43.Nf3 Kc5 44.Ne5 d4+ 45.Kc2 Kd5 46.Nd7 c3 47.Nb6+ Kc5 48.Nd7+ Kb4 49.Ne5 Ka3
White has to either allow a second pawn to fall or retreat the king.
The game finished:
50.Nc6 Kxa2 51.Nb4+ Ka3 52.Nd3 Ka4 53.Nc1 Nc5 54.Ne2 0-1
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