Chigorin
1.Nf3 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.c4
Via a slightly unusual move-order we have reached the starting point of what is arguably the mainline of the Chigorn Defence to the Queen's Gambit. There are 11,191 games with this position in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database.
3...Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxe5 6.e3 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3
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| This is probably the first point at which either player had to think |
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9...Nf6!?
Mikhail Chigorin in his games never seems to have never reached the diagram position, which first occurs in Mega23 in Siegbert Tarrasch - Emanuel Schiffers, Nürnberg 1896. That continued 9...exd4, which remained the main reply for the best part of a century. However, it came to be felt, by some masters at least, that exchanging helps White's bishop-pair. Nevertheless it is not until 1971 that another move, 9...Qd6, appears in Mega23 in the game Oscar Panno - Albin Planinc, Mar del Plata (Argentina). The idea of the queen retreat is, at the cost of a tempo, it prevents White immediately expanding in the centre. The queen move quickly overtook capturing in popularity, and there are now almost twice as many games in Mega23 with 9...Qd6 as there are with 9...exd4. But a new twist was added in 2007 when Alexander Morozevich, in The Chigorin Defence According To Morozevich (New In Chess) recommended the text. I have played all three moves, with my record, prior to this game, being +1=0-2 with the capture, +4=1-4 with the queen retreat and +0=1-1 with the knight development. Rating-wise, my best performance has undoubtedly been with the queen retreat, which seems marginally preferred by Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 over capturing, albeit their evaluations do fluctuate.
10.c4
The time control at Graz is 90 minutes with a 30-second increment. SL's clock was down to 86 minutes before he arrived at the board, but after the text it was back up to 89 minutes, suggesting he had seriously prepared for me.
10...Qd6 11.d5 Ne7
A major alternative is 11...Nb8!?, intending redeployment at c5.
12.Rb1 b6
White is winning after 12...0-0-0? 13.Qb3 b6 14.Bb4, according to the engines.
13.e4?!
This may be a novelty. The mainline in Mega23 runs 13.Bb4 c5 14.dxc6 Qxd1+ 15.Rxd1 Nxc6, as in Anish Giri (2642) - Nigel Short (2685), Euwe Memorial Match 2010. That continued 16.Ba3 Rd8 17.Bd6?! (17.Rc1 and 17.Bd3 give White at least the upper hand, according to the engines) Nd4! 18.c5 bxc5 19.Rxd4!? cxd4 20.Bb5+ Nd7 21.Rg1 a6 22.Ba4 g6 23.Ke2 f6, after which the engines reckon White has full compensation for his material deficit (1-0, 41 moves). The text gains space in the centre but leaves White's pawn-structure less flexible, which makes it harder for White to open the position for the bishops.
13...0-0 14.a4?!
Now another pawn becomes fixed. Probably better is 14.Bb4.
14...a5
Even stronger, according to the engines, is to start using the knight-pair, eg by aiming to occupy the f4 outpost created by White's 13th move.
15.Qc1 Nd7
One of the points of playing 11...Ne7, rather than 11...Nb8!?, is to redeploy the king's knight to c5, so making possible ...f5 to develop the king's rook. This is particularly attractive now ...f5 would create a lever against e4.
16.Rg1 Nc5 17.Ra1?
Correct is 17.Qc2, but Black is on top, according to the engines. Note 17.Bh6? is easily met by 17...Ng6, with ...Nxa4 to follow.
17...Nb3 18.Qb2 Nxa1 19.Qxa1
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| Slovak grandmaster Ján Markoš, in a recent ChessBase article, states that an active bishop-pair can "often" match rook and knight, so the position is not a trivial win |
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19...Rae8 20.h4 f5 21.Bc3?!
Consistent is 21.h5. The text is easily met in such a way that the white king is in the not-so-distant sights of Black's heavy pieces.
21...Ng6 22.h5 Nf4
This knight covers all the possible development squares of the king's bishop, so White has little hope of playing with an active bishop-pair.
23.Bb2 Rf7 24.Rh1 fxe4 25.fxe4 Qf6 26.Rh2 Nxh5! 27.Qd1 Nf4 28.Bc1 Rd8 29.Be3 Qd6 30.Qb3 Qb4 (0-1, 41 moves)
It is easy to critique the moves of a player rated 700+ elo lower. But I think this game is an example of preparation leading a player into a position he did not understand, For better or worse, SL probably should have stuck to an opening with which he was more familiar.
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