MY final score at Lausanne 1999 of +1=6-1, plus a full-point bye, was a Fide rating performance of 2353.
To what can my success be attributed?
1) The format, which I am fairly sure was two rounds a day for four days, with a single round on either the first or last day? Perhaps I was in better shape than most of my opponents to handle this.
2) A clear head. I took no computer or chess books with me to Lausanne, and so was unable to prepare for any opponent or work on my game.
3) Varying my openings. Every game saw me play an opening or variation that was either completely new or very new to my repertoire, so no opponent could successfully prepare for me.
4) Luck. I am not a great believer in luck in chess, at least not over the course of a whole tournament. But consider this: in round one a grandmaster failed to spot a win in a pawn-ending; in rounds two, three and nine, I was material down early on, but all three games were drawn; in round seven a much-higher-rated opponent found himself in an unfamiliar opening with the white pieces and then allowed himself to be bluffed by my tournament performance instead of rationally taking my relatively low rating into account.
5) Sensible living. I limited myself to four units of alcohol a day - two with lunch and two with dinner (I managed to keep to this rule for every day bar one). I did not tire myself out by going on overlong walks (there was no time to), and I had enough with me to read (chiefly one of German historian Hans Delbrück's books, I believe) to avoid getting bored.
I suspect my success may have been a combination of all these things.
So what of the future?
1) Tournaments with the same or a similar format as Lausanne 1999 are rare. But it may well be that, 21 years later, any advantage this format gave me would no longer apply.
2) Mikhail Botvinnik was a great believer in having a clear head. He would apparently stop studying, or at least dramatically cut back, in the two weeks or so before a tournament. It is easy enough not to take chess material to a tournament, although I need my computer to update my blog, and anyway would be loathe not to look at a game before playing the next one. Back in 1999 it seems I and my opponents postmortemed after a lot, if not all, of the games. PMs are rarer these days, so perhaps annotating a game for my blog in 2020 will not be so very different from having a postmortem in 1999.
3) Magnus Carlsen plays lots of different variations - many of them not only not sharp, but regarded as innocuous (at least in anyone else's hands). But it is possible they are chosen with specific opponents in mind, which brings us back to an argument for preparation. I already change my openings fairly frequently - too frequently, many would say. Is it really realistic trying to introduce more change?
4) Can anything be done to improve one's luck? Perhaps I should reread David LeMoir's How To Be Lucky In Chess.
5) Sensible living. A tall order, but I may try it ...
Showing posts with label Lausanne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lausanne. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Monday, 3 February 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part eight)
MY opponent did not turn up in round eight, so I went into the last round on +1.
I was paired with an International Master, and decided to play for a draw from the start.
Spanton (2096) - Viesturs Meijers (IM 2418)
Lausanne Round 9
Philidor Defence
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3
Hoping to transpose to a Scotch or possibly a Scotch Gambit - I can no longer recall which.
3...d6 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bc4 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Bf4
Among more-popular moves is 8.Nxc6, which damages Black's pawn-structure but strengthens his centre and gives him a half-open b file.
8...Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Nd7!?
Stockfish10's choice. Black gets to put his dark-square bishop on f6, but it will not last there long.
10.Nd5 Bf6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Qxf6 Nxf6 13.Rfe1 Be6 14.Bb5 a6 15.Ba4 Ng4 16.e5?
In my original notes I called this "a bad case of rating-itis." If I had not been so focussed on drawing at all costs, I would have avoided further exchanges that lose the bishop-pair.
16...Nxe5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.Rxe5 Rad8 19.Re2!?
The choice of Stockfish10 and Komodo10, but it drops a pawn. 19.a3 saves the pawn, but Black invades with 19...Rd2.
19...Bxa2 20.b3 b5 21.f3 bxa4 22.Rxa2 axb3 23.cxb3 Rd6 24.Re7 Rc6 25.Rd2 Rc3 26.Rdd7 Rxc3 27.Rxc7 Rb6 28.Ra7 h6 29.Kf2 Rf6
Freeing his other rook. Black is a pawn up but White clearly has drawing chances.
30.h4 Rb8 31.g4!?
The engines are not keen on this, preferring 31.Re2.
31...Rb2+ 32.Re2 Rxe2+ 33.Kxe2
The remaining notes are taken from a post I made earlier this month: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2020/01/when-it-paid-to-trade-down-to-pawn.html
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33...Rb6
The analysis engines Komodo10 and Stockfish10 reckon Black should start with 33...g5!?, but I do not see how this helps Black after the obvious 34.hxg5 hxg5 (but read on to see why they are probably right).
Latvian IM - now GM - Meijers tries a different approach.
In general it can be said that if the black rook were defending the extra pawn from somewhere on the a file, this position would be drawn (at least if I am reading Reuben Fine correctly in Basic Chess Endings).
However, James Howell says in Essential Chess Endings that the situation can be very different if the extra pawn is being defended from the side. "The key to success," he writes, "is to arrange his pieces so that his rook is not only defending the passed pawn but also the base of his pawn-chain on the other wing. [White] might try to create counterplay by advancing his king and pawns but in principle there shouldn't be anything stopping the [black] king coming over to shepherd the pawn home."
That would suggest Black should start here with 33...Kf8. But 34.Ra8+ Ke7 35.Ra7+ Kd8 is met by 36.g5, forcing the black rook to give up defending either f7 or a6. Now I understand why the engines recommend 33...g5.
34.h5 Kf8
In my original notes to the game, I suggested Black should try 34...g6. I suspect my idea was that 35.hxg6 fxg6 would give Black hope of creating a second passed pawn. However, the engines reckon the position is dead drawn, presumably because the black king is cut off on the back rank. They reckon Black gets a slight edge by recapturing with 35...Rxg6, although it is hard to see this position being seriously dangerous for White.
35.Kd3 g6 36.hxg6 fxg6
The engines still prefer ...Rxg6, but give Black little chance of converting.
37.Rh7
Ruling out any possibility of the black h pawn becoming passed.
37...g5 38.Kc4 a5 39.Ra7 Rf6 40.Rxa5 Rxf3
My annotation to this move 20 years ago reads: "Fritz5 now has Black at plus over minus, verging on winning, and yet the position looks very drawish." I was right, according to Komodo10 and Stockfish10.
41.Ra6 Rf4+ 42.Kd3 Kg7
White has a much easier draw after 42..Rxg4 43.Rxh6.
43.Ra7+ Kg6 44.Ra6+ Rf6 45.Rxf6+!
VM's body language suggested he was very surprised by this move - he presumably took it as granted White should keep rooks on.
In my original notes I point out that 45.Ra4? h5 46.Ke3 hxg4 47.Rxg4 Kh5 46.Ra4 g4 "is a win according to Fine," and this is confirmed by Nalimov (at least after 46...hxg4 or 45.gxh5+). But it is quite possible other rook moves, eg 45.Ra8, also draw.
45...Kxf6
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The first point is that if the black king can ever get to e5, the white king must be able to oppose it by occupying e3. The second point is that if Black organises the sequence ...h5, gxh5+ Kxh5, Black only wins if his king can get to f3, g3 or h3.
46.Ke4
From the above, it can be seen 46.Ke2 also draws, but 46.Ke3?? is a gross blunder as the black king gets to e5 with White to move.
46...Kg6 47.Kf3 Kf7
Or 47...h5 48.gxh5+ Kxh5 49.Kg3=.
48.Ke3 Ke7 49.Ke4 Ke6 50.Kd4
The only move to draw. Note that the sequence 50.Kd3?? Ke5?? 51.Ke3 also draws, but in this case Black wins with 50...Kd5.
50...Kf7 51.Ke3 Kg7 52.Ke4 Kf6 53.Kf3
Another only move. Note that this time Kd3?? loses to 53...Kg6 54.Ke3 h5 55.gxh5+ Kxh5 56.Kf3 Kh4 57.Kg2 Kg4 as the black king gets to h3 or f3.
The similar blunder 56.Kd4?? (the position was reached with three more moves on the scoresheets) was played in Murat Eren Aytekin (2063) - Georgi Petrov (2207), EU Amateur U2300 Championship 2007. The game finished 56...Kg6 57.Ke4 h5 58.gxh5+ Kxh5 59.Kf3 Kh4 60.Kg2 Kg4 61.Kh2 Kf3 62.Kh1 Kg3 63.Kg1 g4 0-1.
53...Ke5
This position, but with Black to move, was reached in Friedrich Dicks - Ludger Lautenschütz, Recklinghausen 2002, and Omran Al Hosani (2101) - R Ashwath (2250), Sharjah Masters 2018. In both games, Black won quickly by outflanking White with ...Kd4.
54.Ke3 Kd5
In Vladimir Anchikov - Lazar Ivic (1648), World Schools U9 2013, Black tried 52 ...Kf6 (the position was reached with two fewer moves having been played), when White blundered with 53.Kd4??, either forgetting, or being unaware, that Black could win down the h file. The game concluded 53...Kg6 54.Ke3 h5 55.gxh5+ Kxh5 56.Kf2 Kh4 57.Kf1 Kh3 58.Kf2 g4 59.Kg1 Kg3 60.Kh1 Kf2 61.Kh2 g3+ 62.Kh1 g2+ 63.Kh2 g1=Q+ 64.Kh3 Qg3#.
55.Kd3 Ke5 ½–½
I was paired with an International Master, and decided to play for a draw from the start.
Spanton (2096) - Viesturs Meijers (IM 2418)
Lausanne Round 9
Philidor Defence
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3
Hoping to transpose to a Scotch or possibly a Scotch Gambit - I can no longer recall which.
3...d6 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bc4 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Bf4
Among more-popular moves is 8.Nxc6, which damages Black's pawn-structure but strengthens his centre and gives him a half-open b file.
8...Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Nd7!?
Stockfish10's choice. Black gets to put his dark-square bishop on f6, but it will not last there long.
10.Nd5 Bf6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Qxf6 Nxf6 13.Rfe1 Be6 14.Bb5 a6 15.Ba4 Ng4 16.e5?
In my original notes I called this "a bad case of rating-itis." If I had not been so focussed on drawing at all costs, I would have avoided further exchanges that lose the bishop-pair.
16...Nxe5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.Rxe5 Rad8 19.Re2!?
The choice of Stockfish10 and Komodo10, but it drops a pawn. 19.a3 saves the pawn, but Black invades with 19...Rd2.
19...Bxa2 20.b3 b5 21.f3 bxa4 22.Rxa2 axb3 23.cxb3 Rd6 24.Re7 Rc6 25.Rd2 Rc3 26.Rdd7 Rxc3 27.Rxc7 Rb6 28.Ra7 h6 29.Kf2 Rf6
Freeing his other rook. Black is a pawn up but White clearly has drawing chances.
30.h4 Rb8 31.g4!?
The engines are not keen on this, preferring 31.Re2.
31...Rb2+ 32.Re2 Rxe2+ 33.Kxe2
The remaining notes are taken from a post I made earlier this month: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2020/01/when-it-paid-to-trade-down-to-pawn.html
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| Position after 33.Kxe2 |
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33...Rb6
The analysis engines Komodo10 and Stockfish10 reckon Black should start with 33...g5!?, but I do not see how this helps Black after the obvious 34.hxg5 hxg5 (but read on to see why they are probably right).
Latvian IM - now GM - Meijers tries a different approach.
In general it can be said that if the black rook were defending the extra pawn from somewhere on the a file, this position would be drawn (at least if I am reading Reuben Fine correctly in Basic Chess Endings).
However, James Howell says in Essential Chess Endings that the situation can be very different if the extra pawn is being defended from the side. "The key to success," he writes, "is to arrange his pieces so that his rook is not only defending the passed pawn but also the base of his pawn-chain on the other wing. [White] might try to create counterplay by advancing his king and pawns but in principle there shouldn't be anything stopping the [black] king coming over to shepherd the pawn home."
That would suggest Black should start here with 33...Kf8. But 34.Ra8+ Ke7 35.Ra7+ Kd8 is met by 36.g5, forcing the black rook to give up defending either f7 or a6. Now I understand why the engines recommend 33...g5.
34.h5 Kf8
In my original notes to the game, I suggested Black should try 34...g6. I suspect my idea was that 35.hxg6 fxg6 would give Black hope of creating a second passed pawn. However, the engines reckon the position is dead drawn, presumably because the black king is cut off on the back rank. They reckon Black gets a slight edge by recapturing with 35...Rxg6, although it is hard to see this position being seriously dangerous for White.
35.Kd3 g6 36.hxg6 fxg6
The engines still prefer ...Rxg6, but give Black little chance of converting.
37.Rh7
Ruling out any possibility of the black h pawn becoming passed.
37...g5 38.Kc4 a5 39.Ra7 Rf6 40.Rxa5 Rxf3
My annotation to this move 20 years ago reads: "Fritz5 now has Black at plus over minus, verging on winning, and yet the position looks very drawish." I was right, according to Komodo10 and Stockfish10.
41.Ra6 Rf4+ 42.Kd3 Kg7
White has a much easier draw after 42..Rxg4 43.Rxh6.
43.Ra7+ Kg6 44.Ra6+ Rf6 45.Rxf6+!
VM's body language suggested he was very surprised by this move - he presumably took it as granted White should keep rooks on.
In my original notes I point out that 45.Ra4? h5 46.Ke3 hxg4 47.Rxg4 Kh5 46.Ra4 g4 "is a win according to Fine," and this is confirmed by Nalimov (at least after 46...hxg4 or 45.gxh5+). But it is quite possible other rook moves, eg 45.Ra8, also draw.
45...Kxf6
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| What are the keys to White's defence? |
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The first point is that if the black king can ever get to e5, the white king must be able to oppose it by occupying e3. The second point is that if Black organises the sequence ...h5, gxh5+ Kxh5, Black only wins if his king can get to f3, g3 or h3.
46.Ke4
From the above, it can be seen 46.Ke2 also draws, but 46.Ke3?? is a gross blunder as the black king gets to e5 with White to move.
46...Kg6 47.Kf3 Kf7
Or 47...h5 48.gxh5+ Kxh5 49.Kg3=.
48.Ke3 Ke7 49.Ke4 Ke6 50.Kd4
The only move to draw. Note that the sequence 50.Kd3?? Ke5?? 51.Ke3 also draws, but in this case Black wins with 50...Kd5.
50...Kf7 51.Ke3 Kg7 52.Ke4 Kf6 53.Kf3
Another only move. Note that this time Kd3?? loses to 53...Kg6 54.Ke3 h5 55.gxh5+ Kxh5 56.Kf3 Kh4 57.Kg2 Kg4 as the black king gets to h3 or f3.
The similar blunder 56.Kd4?? (the position was reached with three more moves on the scoresheets) was played in Murat Eren Aytekin (2063) - Georgi Petrov (2207), EU Amateur U2300 Championship 2007. The game finished 56...Kg6 57.Ke4 h5 58.gxh5+ Kxh5 59.Kf3 Kh4 60.Kg2 Kg4 61.Kh2 Kf3 62.Kh1 Kg3 63.Kg1 g4 0-1.
53...Ke5
This position, but with Black to move, was reached in Friedrich Dicks - Ludger Lautenschütz, Recklinghausen 2002, and Omran Al Hosani (2101) - R Ashwath (2250), Sharjah Masters 2018. In both games, Black won quickly by outflanking White with ...Kd4.
54.Ke3 Kd5
In Vladimir Anchikov - Lazar Ivic (1648), World Schools U9 2013, Black tried 52 ...Kf6 (the position was reached with two fewer moves having been played), when White blundered with 53.Kd4??, either forgetting, or being unaware, that Black could win down the h file. The game concluded 53...Kg6 54.Ke3 h5 55.gxh5+ Kxh5 56.Kf2 Kh4 57.Kf1 Kh3 58.Kf2 g4 59.Kg1 Kg3 60.Kh1 Kf2 61.Kh2 g3+ 62.Kh1 g2+ 63.Kh2 g1=Q+ 64.Kh3 Qg3#.
55.Kd3 Ke5 ½–½
Sunday, 2 February 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part seven)
Laurent Jacot (2250) - Spanton (2096)
Lausanne Round 7
Sicilian Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.d3 d6 6.f4
The first time I had reached this position with either colour. I see from my original notes that I strongly considered setting up a Reversed Botvinnik formation with 6...e5. LJ told me in the postmortem he had only just taken up the Closed Sicilian, and was only prepared for a Reversed Botvinnik!
6...e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Bf2!?
The main idea of this move, which has been played by Boris Spassky and Michael Adams, is to enable White to capture on d4 with his king's knight. Most popular is 10.e5.
10...Rb8
Anatoly Karpov has pre-empted White's idea by playing 10...Nxf3+!?
11.Nxd4 cxd4 12.Ne2 Nc6 13.c3 dxc3 14.Nxc3!? Nd4!?
This apparent-novelty is liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
15.Ne2 ½–½
LJ explained that he offered the draw because my results showed, in his view, I was much stronger than my rating, and he was playing an opening with which he was unfamiliar.
Lausanne Round 7
Sicilian Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.d3 d6 6.f4
The first time I had reached this position with either colour. I see from my original notes that I strongly considered setting up a Reversed Botvinnik formation with 6...e5. LJ told me in the postmortem he had only just taken up the Closed Sicilian, and was only prepared for a Reversed Botvinnik!
6...e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Bf2!?
The main idea of this move, which has been played by Boris Spassky and Michael Adams, is to enable White to capture on d4 with his king's knight. Most popular is 10.e5.
10...Rb8
Anatoly Karpov has pre-empted White's idea by playing 10...Nxf3+!?
11.Nxd4 cxd4 12.Ne2 Nc6 13.c3 dxc3 14.Nxc3!? Nd4!?
This apparent-novelty is liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
15.Ne2 ½–½
LJ explained that he offered the draw because my results showed, in his view, I was much stronger than my rating, and he was playing an opening with which he was unfamiliar.
Saturday, 1 February 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part six)
Spanton (2096) - Thorsten Cmiel (2260)
Lausanne Round 6
Sicilian Irregular/English Symmetrical
1.e4 c5 2.c4!?
Sticking with the system I lost with in the previous round, but I felt the loss had little or nothing to do with the opening.
2...g6 3.Ne2 Nc6 4.d4 Bg7!?
4...cxd4 is much more popular.
5.d5 Nd4 6.Nxd4
Vladimir Georgiev (2555) played 6.Nbc3!? in a win over a 2365 in a Danish open eight years ago, but I would be very surprised if the text is not better.
6...cxd4
Vasily Smyslov's choice in a 1962 draw with Ludek Pachman.
7.Bd3 e5?!
Smyslov preferred 5...d6. The problem with the text is it creates a lever for a white kingside attack.
8.0-0 d6 9.f4 exf4?!
From my original notes: "Helping White's development, weakening Black's pawns and making room for White to play e5 cannot be right."
Jan Timman once lost an Olympiad game as White after his Argentine opponent here played 9...f6. The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 9...Nh6!?, which was played by an unrated in 1986.
10.Bxf4 Nf6 11.e5
Even stronger may be 11.Qa4+, going after the d6 pawn.
11...Nh5 12.exd6?!
Almost certainly better is 12.Qf3, one point being 12...dxe5 can be met by 13.Bxe5. So instead Black should probably play 12...Nxf4 13.Qxf4 0-0, when 14.exd6 transposes to the game, as does 12...0-0 13.exd6 Nxf4 14.Qxf4.
12...0-0?!
Probably better was 12...Nxf4 (however, Komodo10 only comes to prefer this after being shown it on the board) 13.Qe1+ Ne6 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Qg3 with a roughly level position.
13.Qf3 Nxf4 14.Qxf4 Qb6!?
The engines slightly prefer the more cautious (read: passive, if Black goes on to lose) 14...Qe8.
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15.Nd2!
15.b3 Bf5 gives Black a small edge, according to the engines.
15...Qxb2
The engines approve, but now White gets a strong attack.
16.Rab1
16.Rfb1?! hands the initiative to Black after 16...Qc3.
16...Qa3
This is better than 16...Qxa2 17.Ra1 Qb2 18.Ne4, according to the engines. My original notes have Frtiz5's recommendation of 17.d7?! Bxd7 18.Rb7, which Frtiz5 reckoned was slightly better for White, but the modern engines rate it as level. Note that here 16...Qc3 is well-met by 17.Rf3 or 17.Rb3.
17.Rb3 Qa5
If 17...Qxa2, the engines reckon White is much better after 18.c5, eg 18...Qa5 19.Rc1 b6 (best, according to the engines) 20.c6! Qxd5 21.Rb5 Qe6 22.Nf3 (22.Ne4!?) with strong play despite being two pawns down.
18.Rb5?!
My notes show I was hoping for 18...Qd8? 19.c5, which is indeed strong for White. However, the engines come to very much prefer 18.d7!? Bxd7 19.Rxb7 with an initiative.
18...Qa3
18...Qxa2!? 19.Rbb1!? leaves White with more than enough compensation for his pawn deficit, according to Stockfish10, but Komodo10 reckons the position is balanced.
19.Rb3 Qa5
Clearly TC was ready to acquiesce to a draw.
20.Ne4!?
Komodo10's second choice (behind 20.d7!?, as in the note at White's move 18).
20...Qxa2
Correct, according to the modern engines.
Fritz5 reckoned 20...f5 21.Ng5 b6 22.Qh4 h6 23.Ne6 Bxe6 24.dxe6 Qe5 is equal, but Stockfish10 and Komodo10 continue 25.e7 Rfe8 26.c5! bxc5 27.Bc4+ Kh7 28.Qg3! Qxg3 29.Rxg3 Be5 30.Bf7 Bxd6 (or 30...Bxg3 31.Bxe8 Bxd6 32.Bc6) 31.Bxg6+ Kh8 32.Bxe8, when Black has a pawn for the exchange but little hope of saving a half-point. This is a long line, but much of it is forced.
21.Rbb1 b6?!
This stop's White central attack beginning with 22.c5, but now White gets time for a kingside attack. The engines reckon White's advantage is smaller after 21...Bf5!? 22.Rxb7.
22.Nf6+ Bxf6
Not 22...Kh8? 23.d7, eg 23...Bb7 24.Rf3 etc.
23.Qxf6 Qa3?!
This could have worked out well for Black, but objectively better is the engines' 23...Bd7 24.Rbe1 Qd2, although White is well on top after the simple 25.Qxd4.
24.Bxg6?
I originally gave this an exclamation mark, even though my engines at the time thought it loses.
Today's engines reckon the calm 24.Rf3 is much better, eg 24...Qa2 25.h3 (this is more about preventing …Bg4 rather than creating a bolthole for the white king, I believe) Qd2 26.Qe7.
24...hxg6 25.Rf4 Bh3?
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 25...Bg4! 26.Rxg4 Qe3+ leaves White the equivalent of just half-a-pawn or so better. Probably coming to the same thing is 25...Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Bg4, but then White has the extra option of 27.Rbf1!?
26.Rh4 Qe3+ 27.Kh1 Bxg2+ 28.Kxg2 1-0
Lausanne Round 6
Sicilian Irregular/English Symmetrical
1.e4 c5 2.c4!?
Sticking with the system I lost with in the previous round, but I felt the loss had little or nothing to do with the opening.
2...g6 3.Ne2 Nc6 4.d4 Bg7!?
4...cxd4 is much more popular.
5.d5 Nd4 6.Nxd4
Vladimir Georgiev (2555) played 6.Nbc3!? in a win over a 2365 in a Danish open eight years ago, but I would be very surprised if the text is not better.
6...cxd4
Vasily Smyslov's choice in a 1962 draw with Ludek Pachman.
7.Bd3 e5?!
Smyslov preferred 5...d6. The problem with the text is it creates a lever for a white kingside attack.
8.0-0 d6 9.f4 exf4?!
From my original notes: "Helping White's development, weakening Black's pawns and making room for White to play e5 cannot be right."
Jan Timman once lost an Olympiad game as White after his Argentine opponent here played 9...f6. The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 9...Nh6!?, which was played by an unrated in 1986.
10.Bxf4 Nf6 11.e5
Even stronger may be 11.Qa4+, going after the d6 pawn.
11...Nh5 12.exd6?!
Almost certainly better is 12.Qf3, one point being 12...dxe5 can be met by 13.Bxe5. So instead Black should probably play 12...Nxf4 13.Qxf4 0-0, when 14.exd6 transposes to the game, as does 12...0-0 13.exd6 Nxf4 14.Qxf4.
12...0-0?!
Probably better was 12...Nxf4 (however, Komodo10 only comes to prefer this after being shown it on the board) 13.Qe1+ Ne6 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Qg3 with a roughly level position.
13.Qf3 Nxf4 14.Qxf4 Qb6!?
The engines slightly prefer the more cautious (read: passive, if Black goes on to lose) 14...Qe8.
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| How should White proceed? |
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15.Nd2!
15.b3 Bf5 gives Black a small edge, according to the engines.
15...Qxb2
The engines approve, but now White gets a strong attack.
16.Rab1
16.Rfb1?! hands the initiative to Black after 16...Qc3.
16...Qa3
This is better than 16...Qxa2 17.Ra1 Qb2 18.Ne4, according to the engines. My original notes have Frtiz5's recommendation of 17.d7?! Bxd7 18.Rb7, which Frtiz5 reckoned was slightly better for White, but the modern engines rate it as level. Note that here 16...Qc3 is well-met by 17.Rf3 or 17.Rb3.
17.Rb3 Qa5
If 17...Qxa2, the engines reckon White is much better after 18.c5, eg 18...Qa5 19.Rc1 b6 (best, according to the engines) 20.c6! Qxd5 21.Rb5 Qe6 22.Nf3 (22.Ne4!?) with strong play despite being two pawns down.
18.Rb5?!
My notes show I was hoping for 18...Qd8? 19.c5, which is indeed strong for White. However, the engines come to very much prefer 18.d7!? Bxd7 19.Rxb7 with an initiative.
18...Qa3
18...Qxa2!? 19.Rbb1!? leaves White with more than enough compensation for his pawn deficit, according to Stockfish10, but Komodo10 reckons the position is balanced.
19.Rb3 Qa5
Clearly TC was ready to acquiesce to a draw.
20.Ne4!?
Komodo10's second choice (behind 20.d7!?, as in the note at White's move 18).
20...Qxa2
Correct, according to the modern engines.
Fritz5 reckoned 20...f5 21.Ng5 b6 22.Qh4 h6 23.Ne6 Bxe6 24.dxe6 Qe5 is equal, but Stockfish10 and Komodo10 continue 25.e7 Rfe8 26.c5! bxc5 27.Bc4+ Kh7 28.Qg3! Qxg3 29.Rxg3 Be5 30.Bf7 Bxd6 (or 30...Bxg3 31.Bxe8 Bxd6 32.Bc6) 31.Bxg6+ Kh8 32.Bxe8, when Black has a pawn for the exchange but little hope of saving a half-point. This is a long line, but much of it is forced.
21.Rbb1 b6?!
This stop's White central attack beginning with 22.c5, but now White gets time for a kingside attack. The engines reckon White's advantage is smaller after 21...Bf5!? 22.Rxb7.
22.Nf6+ Bxf6
Not 22...Kh8? 23.d7, eg 23...Bb7 24.Rf3 etc.
23.Qxf6 Qa3?!
This could have worked out well for Black, but objectively better is the engines' 23...Bd7 24.Rbe1 Qd2, although White is well on top after the simple 25.Qxd4.
24.Bxg6?
I originally gave this an exclamation mark, even though my engines at the time thought it loses.
Today's engines reckon the calm 24.Rf3 is much better, eg 24...Qa2 25.h3 (this is more about preventing …Bg4 rather than creating a bolthole for the white king, I believe) Qd2 26.Qe7.
24...hxg6 25.Rf4 Bh3?
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 25...Bg4! 26.Rxg4 Qe3+ leaves White the equivalent of just half-a-pawn or so better. Probably coming to the same thing is 25...Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Bg4, but then White has the extra option of 27.Rbf1!?
26.Rh4 Qe3+ 27.Kh1 Bxg2+ 28.Kxg2 1-0
Friday, 31 January 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part five)
Spanton (2096) - Marco Sbarra (2269)
Lausanne 1999 Round 5
Sicilian Maroczy Bind/English Symmetrical
1.e4 c5 2.c4!?
The idea is to proceed, depending on Black's response, with a Maroczy Bind or a Botvinnik formation in the English.
2...Nc6 3.Ne2 Nf6 4.Nbc3 e6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4?!
Black does not usually bring White's queen to d4 in the Sicilian if its position cannot be challenged with tempo. Normal is 6...Bb4.
7.Qxd4 d6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.0-0-0!?
Emphasising development, but it is very unusual for White to castle long in a Maroczy.
9...Bd7 10.f4 Qb6 11.Bxf6 gxf6?!
Probably better is 11...Bxf6, and if 12.Qxd6, then 12...Bc6 with very promising compensation for a pawn.
12.Qxb6 axb6 13.Kb1 Rg8 14.Rd2 Bc6 15.Bd3 0-0-0 16.Rhd1 Rg7
MS said in the postmortem he should have dispensed with this, at least in the short-term, and played 14...h5. The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 agree.
17.Bc2!?
The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 15.g3.
17...h5 18.b4 f5 19.b5 Bxe4 20.Bxe4
Possibly better was 20.Nxe4.
20...fxe4 21.Nxe4 Kc7 22.Kc2
I spent a long time trying to make 22.f5 work but, after 22...Rg4 could not see 23.Re2. Having said that, there is nothing special about 22.f5 anyway.
22...f5 23.Nc3 Bf6 24.Re1 Re7 25.Rde2 Bxc3 26.Kxc3 Kd7 27.Kd4
I offered a draw.
27...Rg8
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
28.a4?!
I was oblivious to the danger posed to the white position by the undefended f pawn being on the same rank as the king.
28...Ree8
Black can start to pressurise with 28...Rg4 29.Ke3 e5, when then position is, if nothing else, easier for Black to play.
29.Ra1?!
Prophylaxis on the a file, but prophylaxis over f4 was more important, calling for a move such as 29.g3.
29...Ra8?!
This accomplishes nothing; again, ...Rg4 was better.
30.Ra3?!
Correct was 30.Rae1, and if 30...Rge8, then 31.Ra1.
30...Rg4 31.g3?!
Almost certainly a better defence was provided by 31.Ke3.
31...e5+ 32.Ke3?
Other king retreats were better as now Black's next comes with check.
32...exf4+ 33.Kf3?
A fingerslip - I meant to play 33.gxf4.
33...fxg3 34.hxg3?
Yet another mistake. Better is first 34.Rae3, threatening mate-in-three.
34...Rxc4?
Stronger is 34...Rag8, but by now Black's advantage is so large that the text is probably good enough.
35.Rae3 Re4 36.Rxe4 fxe4+ 37.Rxe4 Rf8 38.Kg2?!
Centralisation with 38.Ke3 is almost certainly better.
38...Rf5 39.Kh3?
Further decentralisation!
39...d5 40.Rd4 Kd6 41.g4 hxg4+ 42.Kxg4 Rf7 43.Rd1 Kc5 44.Rc1+ Kb4 45.Rd1 Rd7 46.Rd4+
46.Kf5 Kxa4 47.Ke6 Rd8 48.Ke7 Rc8 49.Rxd5 Rc5 50.Rd7 Kxb5 also wins for Black, as the Nalimov endgame tablebase confirms.
46...Kc3 47.Rd1 d4 48.Kf3 d3 49.Ke3 d2 0-1
Lausanne 1999 Round 5
Sicilian Maroczy Bind/English Symmetrical
1.e4 c5 2.c4!?
The idea is to proceed, depending on Black's response, with a Maroczy Bind or a Botvinnik formation in the English.
2...Nc6 3.Ne2 Nf6 4.Nbc3 e6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4?!
Black does not usually bring White's queen to d4 in the Sicilian if its position cannot be challenged with tempo. Normal is 6...Bb4.
7.Qxd4 d6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.0-0-0!?
Emphasising development, but it is very unusual for White to castle long in a Maroczy.
9...Bd7 10.f4 Qb6 11.Bxf6 gxf6?!
Probably better is 11...Bxf6, and if 12.Qxd6, then 12...Bc6 with very promising compensation for a pawn.
12.Qxb6 axb6 13.Kb1 Rg8 14.Rd2 Bc6 15.Bd3 0-0-0 16.Rhd1 Rg7
MS said in the postmortem he should have dispensed with this, at least in the short-term, and played 14...h5. The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 agree.
17.Bc2!?
The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 15.g3.
17...h5 18.b4 f5 19.b5 Bxe4 20.Bxe4
Possibly better was 20.Nxe4.
20...fxe4 21.Nxe4 Kc7 22.Kc2
I spent a long time trying to make 22.f5 work but, after 22...Rg4 could not see 23.Re2. Having said that, there is nothing special about 22.f5 anyway.
22...f5 23.Nc3 Bf6 24.Re1 Re7 25.Rde2 Bxc3 26.Kxc3 Kd7 27.Kd4
I offered a draw.
27...Rg8
 |
| White to make his 28th move |
*****
*****
*****
*****
28.a4?!
I was oblivious to the danger posed to the white position by the undefended f pawn being on the same rank as the king.
28...Ree8
Black can start to pressurise with 28...Rg4 29.Ke3 e5, when then position is, if nothing else, easier for Black to play.
29.Ra1?!
Prophylaxis on the a file, but prophylaxis over f4 was more important, calling for a move such as 29.g3.
29...Ra8?!
This accomplishes nothing; again, ...Rg4 was better.
30.Ra3?!
Correct was 30.Rae1, and if 30...Rge8, then 31.Ra1.
30...Rg4 31.g3?!
Almost certainly a better defence was provided by 31.Ke3.
31...e5+ 32.Ke3?
Other king retreats were better as now Black's next comes with check.
32...exf4+ 33.Kf3?
A fingerslip - I meant to play 33.gxf4.
33...fxg3 34.hxg3?
Yet another mistake. Better is first 34.Rae3, threatening mate-in-three.
34...Rxc4?
Stronger is 34...Rag8, but by now Black's advantage is so large that the text is probably good enough.
35.Rae3 Re4 36.Rxe4 fxe4+ 37.Rxe4 Rf8 38.Kg2?!
Centralisation with 38.Ke3 is almost certainly better.
38...Rf5 39.Kh3?
Further decentralisation!
39...d5 40.Rd4 Kd6 41.g4 hxg4+ 42.Kxg4 Rf7 43.Rd1 Kc5 44.Rc1+ Kb4 45.Rd1 Rd7 46.Rd4+
46.Kf5 Kxa4 47.Ke6 Rd8 48.Ke7 Rc8 49.Rxd5 Rc5 50.Rd7 Kxb5 also wins for Black, as the Nalimov endgame tablebase confirms.
46...Kc3 47.Rd1 d4 48.Kf3 d3 49.Ke3 d2 0-1
Thursday, 30 January 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part four)
Martin Herzog (2260) - Spanton (2096)
Lausanne Round 4
Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Tarrasch
1.d4 d5
My original notes say: "A change from my usual 1...Nf6, brought on by a desire to keep open the option of setting up a Stonewall." However, I cannot recall against which lines I planned to erect a Stonewall (pawns on c6, d5, e6 and f5).
2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5
Magnus Carlsen has played this potentially-sharp move, but he has also played all of the four more-popular moves: 4...Nbd7, 4...Bb4, 4...c6 and, most popular of all, 4...Be7.
5.cxd5 cxd4!?
This is what makes the variation sharp. Normal are 5...Nxd5 and 5...exd5.
6.Nxd4
This move should not cause Black any problems. Critical are 6.Qxd4 and 6.Qa4+ (followed by Qxd4), but MH explained in the postmortem he wanted to avoid "losing a tempo" to an attack on his queen after it arrives on d4.
6...Nxd5 7.Bd2
The main move, but it hardly creates a good impression.
7...Bc5 8.Nb3 Bb6 9.e3!?
The least popular of four moves in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database - 9.Nxd5 is most popular, followed by 9.g3 and 9.e4 - but it is liked by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
9...0-0
This was a new move at the time, or at least it does not appear in Mega20 until 2004. 9...Nc6 had been played by a 2210 in 1993. The two moves can easily transpose.
10.Rc1!?
I gave this a question mark in my original notes, writing: "Frtiz5 likes this, but to me (and to MH after the game) it seemed premature when White still has his king's bishop to develop." It seems to me now the move is perfectly viable, if a little unusual.
10...Nc6 11.Be2 Ndb4 12.0-0 Nd3 13.Bxd3 Qxd3 14.Qe2 Rd8 15.Rfd1?!
The engines much prefer 15.Qxd3 Rxd3 16.Rfd1 and if, as in the game, 16...e5, then 17.Na4 or 17.Ne4 with approximate equality.
15...Qxe2 16.Nxe2 e5 17.Nc5
"MH's initial comment in the pm was that this was bad, but we could not find anything better." The engines give 17.Bc3 but much prefer Black after, for example, 17...Be6 18.Ng3 Rxd1+!? (I do not understand this - can anyone explain?) 19.Rxd1 f5.
17...Bxc5 18.Rxc5 Be6 19.Nc3 Rd7 20.Kf1 Rad8 21.Ke2
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
21...f6
Preparing ...Nb4. But I could have played 21...Nb4! as 22.Rxe5? fails to 22...Bc4+ 23.Kf3 (23.Ke1?? Nc2#) Nc6 24.Rc5 (24.Re4 Bd3 and ...Bc2) Rxd2 25.Rxd2 Rxd2, and White cannot continue 26.Rxc4? because of 26...Ne5+.
22.b3
22.a3? stops ...Nb4, but the cure is worse than the disease as Black replies 22...Bb3.
22...Nb4 23.Be1 Nxa2 24.Rxd7 Nxc3+ 25.Bxc3 Rxd7 26.b4
Black has emerged a pawn up, but the opposite-coloured bishops give White fair hopes of salvaging a draw.
26...Kf7 27.Bd2 Ke7 28.Rc3 b5?
Positionally hopeless. It was already difficult for Black to make progress on the queenside, but this makes it next-to-impossible.
29.Rc5?!
The rook is awkwardly placed here. A better way to highlight Black's mistaken 28th move is 29.Ra3.
29...Bc4+ 30.Kd1 Kd8 31.Kc2 Rd3 32.g3 Kd7 33.Bc3 a6 34.h4 h5 35.Bd2 Ke6!? 36.Rc7 g6?!
Effectively conceding the draw. The engines show 36...Rd6!? can be tricky for White, eg 37.Rxg7 Bb3+ 38.Kc3 Bd5! 39.Rc7?! Be4 40.Rc5 Kf5 (the point of playing ...Ke6 in the first place), when White is hard-pressed defending his kingside. However, the engines reckon 39.e4! Bxe4 40.Be3 gives decent drawing chances.
37.Rc6+ Rd6 38.Rxd6+ Kxd6 39.e4 f5 40.Kc3 fxe4 41.Be3 Ke6 42.Bb6 Kf5 43.Bc5 Kg4 44.Be3 Kf3 45.Bc5 Ke2 46.Be3 Kf3 ½–½
Lausanne Round 4
Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Tarrasch
1.d4 d5
My original notes say: "A change from my usual 1...Nf6, brought on by a desire to keep open the option of setting up a Stonewall." However, I cannot recall against which lines I planned to erect a Stonewall (pawns on c6, d5, e6 and f5).
2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5
Magnus Carlsen has played this potentially-sharp move, but he has also played all of the four more-popular moves: 4...Nbd7, 4...Bb4, 4...c6 and, most popular of all, 4...Be7.
5.cxd5 cxd4!?
This is what makes the variation sharp. Normal are 5...Nxd5 and 5...exd5.
6.Nxd4
This move should not cause Black any problems. Critical are 6.Qxd4 and 6.Qa4+ (followed by Qxd4), but MH explained in the postmortem he wanted to avoid "losing a tempo" to an attack on his queen after it arrives on d4.
6...Nxd5 7.Bd2
The main move, but it hardly creates a good impression.
7...Bc5 8.Nb3 Bb6 9.e3!?
The least popular of four moves in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database - 9.Nxd5 is most popular, followed by 9.g3 and 9.e4 - but it is liked by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
9...0-0
This was a new move at the time, or at least it does not appear in Mega20 until 2004. 9...Nc6 had been played by a 2210 in 1993. The two moves can easily transpose.
10.Rc1!?
I gave this a question mark in my original notes, writing: "Frtiz5 likes this, but to me (and to MH after the game) it seemed premature when White still has his king's bishop to develop." It seems to me now the move is perfectly viable, if a little unusual.
10...Nc6 11.Be2 Ndb4 12.0-0 Nd3 13.Bxd3 Qxd3 14.Qe2 Rd8 15.Rfd1?!
The engines much prefer 15.Qxd3 Rxd3 16.Rfd1 and if, as in the game, 16...e5, then 17.Na4 or 17.Ne4 with approximate equality.
15...Qxe2 16.Nxe2 e5 17.Nc5
"MH's initial comment in the pm was that this was bad, but we could not find anything better." The engines give 17.Bc3 but much prefer Black after, for example, 17...Be6 18.Ng3 Rxd1+!? (I do not understand this - can anyone explain?) 19.Rxd1 f5.
17...Bxc5 18.Rxc5 Be6 19.Nc3 Rd7 20.Kf1 Rad8 21.Ke2
 |
| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
21...f6
Preparing ...Nb4. But I could have played 21...Nb4! as 22.Rxe5? fails to 22...Bc4+ 23.Kf3 (23.Ke1?? Nc2#) Nc6 24.Rc5 (24.Re4 Bd3 and ...Bc2) Rxd2 25.Rxd2 Rxd2, and White cannot continue 26.Rxc4? because of 26...Ne5+.
22.b3
22.a3? stops ...Nb4, but the cure is worse than the disease as Black replies 22...Bb3.
22...Nb4 23.Be1 Nxa2 24.Rxd7 Nxc3+ 25.Bxc3 Rxd7 26.b4
Black has emerged a pawn up, but the opposite-coloured bishops give White fair hopes of salvaging a draw.
26...Kf7 27.Bd2 Ke7 28.Rc3 b5?
Positionally hopeless. It was already difficult for Black to make progress on the queenside, but this makes it next-to-impossible.
29.Rc5?!
The rook is awkwardly placed here. A better way to highlight Black's mistaken 28th move is 29.Ra3.
29...Bc4+ 30.Kd1 Kd8 31.Kc2 Rd3 32.g3 Kd7 33.Bc3 a6 34.h4 h5 35.Bd2 Ke6!? 36.Rc7 g6?!
Effectively conceding the draw. The engines show 36...Rd6!? can be tricky for White, eg 37.Rxg7 Bb3+ 38.Kc3 Bd5! 39.Rc7?! Be4 40.Rc5 Kf5 (the point of playing ...Ke6 in the first place), when White is hard-pressed defending his kingside. However, the engines reckon 39.e4! Bxe4 40.Be3 gives decent drawing chances.
37.Rc6+ Rd6 38.Rxd6+ Kxd6 39.e4 f5 40.Kc3 fxe4 41.Be3 Ke6 42.Bb6 Kf5 43.Bc5 Kg4 44.Be3 Kf3 45.Bc5 Ke2 46.Be3 Kf3 ½–½
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part three)
Josef Gheng (FM 2326) - Spanton (2096)
Lausanne 1999 Round 3
Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.Bc4 e6 5.0-0 Ne7 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nc3!?
This move makes its first appearance in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database in 2001. Two previous, high-level, games saw 9.Bg5, with both games ending in quick draws.
9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.Qe2 b6?
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
12.Qe4 Ba6 13.Qxa8 Bxc4 14.Qxa7!?
Komodo10 comes to rate this equally with 14.Rd1, but Stockfish10 reckons White should keep the exchange. Generally speaking, in my opinion, Komodo10 gives greater weight to positional considerations over material ones when compared with Stockfish10's evaluations.
14...Nc6 15.Qa4 b5 16.Qd1 Bxf1 17.Qxf1 Qd5!?
My original notes show Fritz5 preferred 17...b4 18.cxb4 Nxb4, and Komodo10 comes to agree with this. Stockfish10 prefers the text, but both modern engines reckon best for Black, albeit by a small margin, is 17...Qa5.
18.Rb1 Ra8 19.Qxb5 Qxb5 20.Rxb5 Rxa2 21.Bb2?!
JG suggested 21.Bd2 in the postmortem, and this does seem to leave White less tied-up.
21...Na5?!
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 21...Bf8 equalises, eg 22.g3 Nb4! 23.cxb4 Rxb2 etc.
22.Rb8+ Bf8 23.Ne5
Walking into a pin with 23.Nd2! is better, according to the modern engines. The point is that after 23...Nc6 24.Rb6 Nb4, White does not have to capture the black knight, with a line similar to the previous note, but can instead play 25.Nc4, with advantage.
23...Kg7 24.Nd3 Nc4 25.g3 Bd6 26.Rb5 Kf6 27.Kg2 h5 28.h4
As my original notes say: "All Black's pieces are better than White's, so there really should be good drawing chances."
28...e5 29.Bc1
Best, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
29...Rc2 30.Bg5+ Ke6 31.Nc5+ Bxc5 32.Rxc5 Rxc3 33.dxe5 Rc2 34.Bf4 Kf5
Not 34...Ne3+?? as White's rook is protected after 35.Bxe3.
35.Kh3
Not 35.Rc7?? as now ...Ne3+ works.
35...Na3 36.Ra5
36.Rxc2? allows an easy draw as White cannot hold on to the e pawn.
36...Nc4 37.Ra7 Nxe5 38.Bxe5 Kxe5 39.Rxf7
White has maintained an extra pawn, but the position is one of the easier pawn-down book draws. Having said that, Stockfish10 reckons White has the upper hand, while Komodo10, whose endgame evaluations I tend to trust more, has White the equivalent of 0.62 pawns ahead.
39...Rc4 40.Rf8 Ra4 41.Kg2 Rb4 42.Ra8 Kf6 43.Ra6+ Kf5 44.Ra5+ Kf6 45.Kh3 Rc4 46.Rg5 Rc2 47.Kg2 Rc4
There was a lot more like this until JG conceded the draw after 82 moves.
Lausanne 1999 Round 3
Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.Bc4 e6 5.0-0 Ne7 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nc3!?
This move makes its first appearance in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database in 2001. Two previous, high-level, games saw 9.Bg5, with both games ending in quick draws.
9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.Qe2 b6?
 |
| I completely missed White's threat |
*****
*****
*****
*****
12.Qe4 Ba6 13.Qxa8 Bxc4 14.Qxa7!?
Komodo10 comes to rate this equally with 14.Rd1, but Stockfish10 reckons White should keep the exchange. Generally speaking, in my opinion, Komodo10 gives greater weight to positional considerations over material ones when compared with Stockfish10's evaluations.
14...Nc6 15.Qa4 b5 16.Qd1 Bxf1 17.Qxf1 Qd5!?
My original notes show Fritz5 preferred 17...b4 18.cxb4 Nxb4, and Komodo10 comes to agree with this. Stockfish10 prefers the text, but both modern engines reckon best for Black, albeit by a small margin, is 17...Qa5.
18.Rb1 Ra8 19.Qxb5 Qxb5 20.Rxb5 Rxa2 21.Bb2?!
JG suggested 21.Bd2 in the postmortem, and this does seem to leave White less tied-up.
21...Na5?!
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 21...Bf8 equalises, eg 22.g3 Nb4! 23.cxb4 Rxb2 etc.
22.Rb8+ Bf8 23.Ne5
Walking into a pin with 23.Nd2! is better, according to the modern engines. The point is that after 23...Nc6 24.Rb6 Nb4, White does not have to capture the black knight, with a line similar to the previous note, but can instead play 25.Nc4, with advantage.
23...Kg7 24.Nd3 Nc4 25.g3 Bd6 26.Rb5 Kf6 27.Kg2 h5 28.h4
As my original notes say: "All Black's pieces are better than White's, so there really should be good drawing chances."
28...e5 29.Bc1
Best, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
29...Rc2 30.Bg5+ Ke6 31.Nc5+ Bxc5 32.Rxc5 Rxc3 33.dxe5 Rc2 34.Bf4 Kf5
Not 34...Ne3+?? as White's rook is protected after 35.Bxe3.
35.Kh3
Not 35.Rc7?? as now ...Ne3+ works.
35...Na3 36.Ra5
36.Rxc2? allows an easy draw as White cannot hold on to the e pawn.
36...Nc4 37.Ra7 Nxe5 38.Bxe5 Kxe5 39.Rxf7
White has maintained an extra pawn, but the position is one of the easier pawn-down book draws. Having said that, Stockfish10 reckons White has the upper hand, while Komodo10, whose endgame evaluations I tend to trust more, has White the equivalent of 0.62 pawns ahead.
39...Rc4 40.Rf8 Ra4 41.Kg2 Rb4 42.Ra8 Kf6 43.Ra6+ Kf5 44.Ra5+ Kf6 45.Kh3 Rc4 46.Rg5 Rc2 47.Kg2 Rc4
There was a lot more like this until JG conceded the draw after 82 moves.
Tuesday, 28 January 2020
My Best Ever Tournament (part two)
Spanton (2096) - Vladimir Tukmakov (2581)
Lausanne 1999 Round 2
Caro-Kann Panov-Botvinnik
Vladimir Tukmakov is a Ukrainian grandmaster whose best results, according to Wikipedia, were in the days of the Soviet Union when he finished second to Bobby Fischer at Buenos Aires 1970, second to Anatoly Karpov at Madrid 1972 and first ahead of Tigran V Petrosian at Vilnius 1978.
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nxd5 6.d4 e6 7.Nf3 Bb4 8.Bd2
By a slightly unusual move-order, we have reached one of the main variations of the Panov-Botvinnik. I had just bought Jacob Aagaard's Easy Guide To The Panov-Botvinnik Attack - it had been published by Cadogan in the previous November - and had started playing the opening to learn how to use an IQP.
8...Nc6 9.Bd3 Nf6 10.0-0
Aagaard only covers 10.a3, which turns out for quite some time to be Stockfish10's top choice, narrowly ahead of the mainline text.
10...0-0
White seems to get more than enough compensation for a pawn after 10...Nxd4?! 11.Nxd4 Qxd4 12.Be3.
11.Qe2!?
However this move is labelled a "reckless pawn sacrifice" in Karpov & Mikhail Podgaets' 2006 Batsford book, Caro-Kann Defence: Panov Attack. Normal is 11.Bg5.
11...Be7
Critical is 11...Nxd4!? 12.Nxd4 Qxd4, when Larry Christiansen (2563) - Yasser Seirawan (2647), USA Championship 2000 (Seattle), quickly finished 13.Rfd1 Qg4 14.Qxg4 Nxg4 15.Be2 Nf6 16.Bf3 Bxc3 17.Bxc3 Nd5 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Rxd5 Bxe6 ½–½.
12.Rad1
Here the main move is 12.Ne4, but the text scores a better percentage in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
12...Nb4
Again Black can try grabbing the pawn. After 12...Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qxd4, Stockfish10 and Komodo10 suggest 14.Bg5, which has been seen in three high-level games, with all three possible results having occurred.
13.Bb1 b6 14.Ne4!?
14.Rfe1 was played in Mihai Suba (2500) - Petrosian (2605), Interzonal 1982 (Las Palmas), which continued 14...Bb7 15.Ne5 Rc8 16.Qe3, transposing to a position that had been reached by Petrosian as White in 1967 against Miguel Najdorf. The latter played ...Nfd5 and lost; Petrosian, against Suba, played ...g6 and drew.
14...Ba6?!
This natural-looking move may be a mistake. My move 14.Ne4!? only appears once in Mega20, in the game Petra Papp (2256) - Pal Kiss (2362), Hungarian team championship 2011, and was met by 14...Nbd5 15.Ne5 Bb7 (½–½, 26 moves).
15.Nxf6+ gxf6
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
16.Bxh7+?
In playing my 14th move, I had missed that 16.Qe4 is met by 16...f5. I thought the bishop sacrifice gave me my best chance of saving the game, but the engines point out 16.Qe3, when 16...Bxf1? leaves White on top after 17.Bxb4 Bc4 (17...Bxb4?? 18.Qh6) 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Nd2, eg 19...Bd5 20.Qg3+ Kh8 21.Qh4. Best for Black, according to the engines, is 16...Nd5, when 17.Qh6 f5 18.Rfe1 is slightly better for White, they reckon.
16...Kxh7 17.Qe4+ f5 18.Qf4 Rh8
Best, according to the engines.
19.Ne5 Kg8 20.Rfe1 Nd5?!
The engines much prefer 20...Kf8.
21.Qg3+ Kf8 22.Ng6!
My notes show Crafty - I do not know which version - did not like this move, but it is definitely White's best shot, according to modern engines.
22...fxg6 23.Qxg6 Qd6?
I recall being worried about 23...Bc8, which is indeed better than the text. But best, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10, is 23...f4, blocking White's bishop from the kingside. They continue 24.Rxe6 Bc8 25.Re5, and now 25...Qd6!? or 25...Qe8!? to get queens off at the cost of returning some material, eg 25...Qd6!? 26.Qxd6 Bxd6 27.Rxd5 Ke7, when Black's extra bishop is worth much more than White's extra three pawns, according to Stockfish10, although Komodo10 is not so sure.
24.Bh6+ Rxh6 25.Qxh6+ Kf7 26.Qh7+ Kf6 27.Qh6+ Kf7 28.Qh7+ Kf6 29.Qh6+ ½–½
Tukmakov could have played on with 25...Ke8, but Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 26.Rxe6 Qf4! (this seems an only-move) 27.Qh8+ Kf7! 28.Rxe7+! Nxe7 (it is important that the knight protects the black king from a check at a7) 29.Qxa8 Be2 is dead-level despite the unbalanced material (White has rook and three pawns for bishop and knight).
Lausanne 1999 Round 2
Caro-Kann Panov-Botvinnik
Vladimir Tukmakov is a Ukrainian grandmaster whose best results, according to Wikipedia, were in the days of the Soviet Union when he finished second to Bobby Fischer at Buenos Aires 1970, second to Anatoly Karpov at Madrid 1972 and first ahead of Tigran V Petrosian at Vilnius 1978.
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nxd5 6.d4 e6 7.Nf3 Bb4 8.Bd2
By a slightly unusual move-order, we have reached one of the main variations of the Panov-Botvinnik. I had just bought Jacob Aagaard's Easy Guide To The Panov-Botvinnik Attack - it had been published by Cadogan in the previous November - and had started playing the opening to learn how to use an IQP.
8...Nc6 9.Bd3 Nf6 10.0-0
Aagaard only covers 10.a3, which turns out for quite some time to be Stockfish10's top choice, narrowly ahead of the mainline text.
10...0-0
White seems to get more than enough compensation for a pawn after 10...Nxd4?! 11.Nxd4 Qxd4 12.Be3.
11.Qe2!?
However this move is labelled a "reckless pawn sacrifice" in Karpov & Mikhail Podgaets' 2006 Batsford book, Caro-Kann Defence: Panov Attack. Normal is 11.Bg5.
11...Be7
Critical is 11...Nxd4!? 12.Nxd4 Qxd4, when Larry Christiansen (2563) - Yasser Seirawan (2647), USA Championship 2000 (Seattle), quickly finished 13.Rfd1 Qg4 14.Qxg4 Nxg4 15.Be2 Nf6 16.Bf3 Bxc3 17.Bxc3 Nd5 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Rxd5 Bxe6 ½–½.
12.Rad1
Here the main move is 12.Ne4, but the text scores a better percentage in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
12...Nb4
Again Black can try grabbing the pawn. After 12...Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qxd4, Stockfish10 and Komodo10 suggest 14.Bg5, which has been seen in three high-level games, with all three possible results having occurred.
13.Bb1 b6 14.Ne4!?
14.Rfe1 was played in Mihai Suba (2500) - Petrosian (2605), Interzonal 1982 (Las Palmas), which continued 14...Bb7 15.Ne5 Rc8 16.Qe3, transposing to a position that had been reached by Petrosian as White in 1967 against Miguel Najdorf. The latter played ...Nfd5 and lost; Petrosian, against Suba, played ...g6 and drew.
14...Ba6?!
This natural-looking move may be a mistake. My move 14.Ne4!? only appears once in Mega20, in the game Petra Papp (2256) - Pal Kiss (2362), Hungarian team championship 2011, and was met by 14...Nbd5 15.Ne5 Bb7 (½–½, 26 moves).
15.Nxf6+ gxf6
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
16.Bxh7+?
In playing my 14th move, I had missed that 16.Qe4 is met by 16...f5. I thought the bishop sacrifice gave me my best chance of saving the game, but the engines point out 16.Qe3, when 16...Bxf1? leaves White on top after 17.Bxb4 Bc4 (17...Bxb4?? 18.Qh6) 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Nd2, eg 19...Bd5 20.Qg3+ Kh8 21.Qh4. Best for Black, according to the engines, is 16...Nd5, when 17.Qh6 f5 18.Rfe1 is slightly better for White, they reckon.
16...Kxh7 17.Qe4+ f5 18.Qf4 Rh8
Best, according to the engines.
19.Ne5 Kg8 20.Rfe1 Nd5?!
The engines much prefer 20...Kf8.
21.Qg3+ Kf8 22.Ng6!
My notes show Crafty - I do not know which version - did not like this move, but it is definitely White's best shot, according to modern engines.
22...fxg6 23.Qxg6 Qd6?
I recall being worried about 23...Bc8, which is indeed better than the text. But best, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10, is 23...f4, blocking White's bishop from the kingside. They continue 24.Rxe6 Bc8 25.Re5, and now 25...Qd6!? or 25...Qe8!? to get queens off at the cost of returning some material, eg 25...Qd6!? 26.Qxd6 Bxd6 27.Rxd5 Ke7, when Black's extra bishop is worth much more than White's extra three pawns, according to Stockfish10, although Komodo10 is not so sure.
24.Bh6+ Rxh6 25.Qxh6+ Kf7 26.Qh7+ Kf6 27.Qh6+ Kf7 28.Qh7+ Kf6 29.Qh6+ ½–½
Tukmakov could have played on with 25...Ke8, but Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 26.Rxe6 Qf4! (this seems an only-move) 27.Qh8+ Kf7! 28.Rxe7+! Nxe7 (it is important that the knight protects the black king from a check at a7) 29.Qxa8 Be2 is dead-level despite the unbalanced material (White has rook and three pawns for bishop and knight).
Monday, 27 January 2020
My Best Ever Tournament
MY rating has taken a hammering in recent weeks.
At the start of December I was 1951 - my highest rating in almost a year.
Now I am 1854 and fast approaching my all-time low of 1821 from July 2017.
It has got me thinking about better times, and specifically how to recapture those times.
I do not know if I have the answers, but my musings reminded me of a tournament where everything, or almost everything, went right.
I guess we all have occasional tournaments like that, but, for me, Lausanne 1999 was something really special.
In a way it should not have been special at all as I was feeling off chess when I flew to the French-speaking city on the Swiss shore of Lake Geneva.
The tournament was a nine-round swiss over five days, but I was so uninterested that I did not bother to take my computer or any chess books.
My results soon rekindled my enthusiasm.
Jānis Klovāns (GM 2465) - Spanton (2096)
Lausanne 1999 Round 1
Sicilian Accelerated Dragon
Klovāns' Wikipedia entry shows he was a nine-tine Latvian champion, being awarded his grandmaster title for winning the 1997 world senior championship. He was to win the world seniors again in 1999 and 2001, the latter year also seeing him become a correspondence GM. His elo peaked at 2530 three years before my game against him, and the entry speculates that his position as a career officer in the army of the Soviet Union reduced his chances to travel abroad and earn Fide norms. Klovāns died in October 2010, aged 75.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.0-0 0-0 9.Bb3 b6!?
I was certainly out of theory by now, and probably had been for some time as the Accelerated Dragon was a new part of my repertoire. My notes at the time show the analysis engine Rybka3 "quite likes my choice; Stockfish4 doesn't." Stockfish4's modern descendant, Stockfish10, at first rates ...b6 equally with the normal ...d6, but very quickly agrees with Komodo10 that the move is not good.
10.Nd5!?
9...b6!? first features in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database in 2008, played by a 2238, and again last year, played by an 1196. Both games saw White reply 10.f4 and win.
10...Nxd5 11.exd5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Bb7
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 quickly come to prefer my other major thought of 12...e5, when after13.dxe6 dxe6 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Qd4+ my notes say White is better "thanks to his superior bishop and safer king." However, the modern engines reckon Black is fine after 15...e5 or 15...Kg8.
13.Re1 e6
Immediately on moving, I realised White has a possible combination.
14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Qd4+ Kg8
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
16.Rad1
Klovāns thought for some time here, presumably looking at 16.dxe6 dxe6 17.Rxe6!? Qg5 (after 17...fxe6? 18.Bxe6+ Rf7 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qd7+, White emerges two pawns up) 18.g3 fxe6 19.Bxe6 Rf7 20.Qd7 Qf6 21.Qxb7 Qxf2+ 22.Kh1 Raf8, and now 23.Bxf7+ Rxf7 24.Qe4 leaves White up a pawn, but Black has full compensation, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10. This is a long line, but most of it is forced and I was able to calculate it at the board. What I missed is that White has alternatives at move 23, with the modern engines reckoning 23.Rd1 or 23.Qe4 gives White a slight edge. However, they are not sure about this, and anyway the edge is small, so no wonder Klovāns did not go down this line.
16...Bxd5!?
Swopping off into an ending I hoped to hold.
17.Bxd5 Qxd5 18.Qxd5 exd5 19.Rxd5
In going for the ending, I had judged that 19.Re7 Rfe8 20.Rxd7 Re2 gives Black sufficient counterplay. The modern engines' 20...Rac8 is probably even better.
19...Rac8 20.c3 Rfe8 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Kf1
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Komodo10 and Stockfish10 reckon White's edge is worth less than half a pawn (much less in Komodo10's case). However, even though this is a rook-and-pawn ending, I was not expecting to be offered a a draw anytime soon …
22...Re7 23.a4 Kf8 24.a5 Ke8 265axb6 axb6
The number of pawn-islands remains the same, but now Black has two isolanis.
26.Rd6 Re6
Black has no choice but to allow a pawn-ending.
27.Rxe6+ fxe6!
My notes show Fritz5 "narrowly prefers" 28...dxe6, as does Stockfish10 and, given enough time, Komodo10, but I was not about to allow White a farside pawn-majority.
Having typed this, and so given Komodo10 and Stockfish10 more time to consider the position, I am chuffed to find they have come to prefer my move, and so I have upgraded ...fxe6 from !? to !
28.Ke2 d6!?
My thinking here was that the text, as opposed to the more obvious 29...Ke7, would allow me to meet Kd3-c4 with …Kd7-c6.
29.Ke3 Ke7 30.Kf4 Kf6 31.h4 h5?!
Komodo10 and Stockfish10 at first much prefer 31...d5, and if 32.g4, then 32...e5+, but come to view the text as also good enough to hold. Nevertheless, my move makes matters trickier.
32.c4 d5?
Any king retreat is correct. The text loses.
33.cxd5 exd5 34.f3?
Missing the win, which the engines show is to be had by, for example, 34.b4 (34.b3 also seems to win) b5 35.Ke3 Ke5 36.Kd3, when Black will run out of tempi and so lose the d pawn, one line going 36...Kf5 37.Kd4 Ke6 38.f3 Kd6 39.g4 Ke6 40.g5 Kd6 41.f4 Ke6 42.Kc5 Kf5 43.Kxd5 Kxf4 44.Ke6 Kg4 45.Kf6 Kxh4 46.Kxg6 Kg4 47.Kf6 etc.
34...Ke6 35.g4
The push b4 is no longer a major threat as it can be met by, among other moves, ...Kf6. But trickier is 35.Ke3!? when, according to the engines, Black has to find 35...Kf5! as 35...Ke5 sees Black end up in zugzwang again after 36.g3, eg 36...b5 37.b4 Ke6 38.Kd4 Kd6 39.g4, as in the previous note.
35...Kd6 36.gxh5 gxh5 37.Kf5 Kc5 38.f4 Kc4 39.Ke5 d4 40.Ke4 d3
Also drawing is 40...b5 41.f5.
41.Ke3 d2 42.Kxd2 Kd4 43.f5 Ke5 44.Ke3
Or 44.f6 Kxf6 45.Ke3 Ke5=.
44...Kxf5 45.Kf3 Ke5 ½–½
Afterwards, Klovāns complained that the ending had been too simple to create winning chances, but, as we have seen, that was not the case.
At the start of December I was 1951 - my highest rating in almost a year.
Now I am 1854 and fast approaching my all-time low of 1821 from July 2017.
It has got me thinking about better times, and specifically how to recapture those times.
I do not know if I have the answers, but my musings reminded me of a tournament where everything, or almost everything, went right.
I guess we all have occasional tournaments like that, but, for me, Lausanne 1999 was something really special.
In a way it should not have been special at all as I was feeling off chess when I flew to the French-speaking city on the Swiss shore of Lake Geneva.
The tournament was a nine-round swiss over five days, but I was so uninterested that I did not bother to take my computer or any chess books.
My results soon rekindled my enthusiasm.
Jānis Klovāns (GM 2465) - Spanton (2096)
Lausanne 1999 Round 1
Sicilian Accelerated Dragon
Klovāns' Wikipedia entry shows he was a nine-tine Latvian champion, being awarded his grandmaster title for winning the 1997 world senior championship. He was to win the world seniors again in 1999 and 2001, the latter year also seeing him become a correspondence GM. His elo peaked at 2530 three years before my game against him, and the entry speculates that his position as a career officer in the army of the Soviet Union reduced his chances to travel abroad and earn Fide norms. Klovāns died in October 2010, aged 75.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.0-0 0-0 9.Bb3 b6!?
I was certainly out of theory by now, and probably had been for some time as the Accelerated Dragon was a new part of my repertoire. My notes at the time show the analysis engine Rybka3 "quite likes my choice; Stockfish4 doesn't." Stockfish4's modern descendant, Stockfish10, at first rates ...b6 equally with the normal ...d6, but very quickly agrees with Komodo10 that the move is not good.
10.Nd5!?
9...b6!? first features in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database in 2008, played by a 2238, and again last year, played by an 1196. Both games saw White reply 10.f4 and win.
10...Nxd5 11.exd5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Bb7
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 quickly come to prefer my other major thought of 12...e5, when after13.dxe6 dxe6 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Qd4+ my notes say White is better "thanks to his superior bishop and safer king." However, the modern engines reckon Black is fine after 15...e5 or 15...Kg8.
13.Re1 e6
Immediately on moving, I realised White has a possible combination.
14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Qd4+ Kg8
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
16.Rad1
Klovāns thought for some time here, presumably looking at 16.dxe6 dxe6 17.Rxe6!? Qg5 (after 17...fxe6? 18.Bxe6+ Rf7 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qd7+, White emerges two pawns up) 18.g3 fxe6 19.Bxe6 Rf7 20.Qd7 Qf6 21.Qxb7 Qxf2+ 22.Kh1 Raf8, and now 23.Bxf7+ Rxf7 24.Qe4 leaves White up a pawn, but Black has full compensation, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10. This is a long line, but most of it is forced and I was able to calculate it at the board. What I missed is that White has alternatives at move 23, with the modern engines reckoning 23.Rd1 or 23.Qe4 gives White a slight edge. However, they are not sure about this, and anyway the edge is small, so no wonder Klovāns did not go down this line.
16...Bxd5!?
Swopping off into an ending I hoped to hold.
17.Bxd5 Qxd5 18.Qxd5 exd5 19.Rxd5
In going for the ending, I had judged that 19.Re7 Rfe8 20.Rxd7 Re2 gives Black sufficient counterplay. The modern engines' 20...Rac8 is probably even better.
19...Rac8 20.c3 Rfe8 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Kf1
 |
| Black's extra pawn-island means White is better, but by how much? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Komodo10 and Stockfish10 reckon White's edge is worth less than half a pawn (much less in Komodo10's case). However, even though this is a rook-and-pawn ending, I was not expecting to be offered a a draw anytime soon …
22...Re7 23.a4 Kf8 24.a5 Ke8 265axb6 axb6
The number of pawn-islands remains the same, but now Black has two isolanis.
26.Rd6 Re6
Black has no choice but to allow a pawn-ending.
27.Rxe6+ fxe6!
My notes show Fritz5 "narrowly prefers" 28...dxe6, as does Stockfish10 and, given enough time, Komodo10, but I was not about to allow White a farside pawn-majority.
Having typed this, and so given Komodo10 and Stockfish10 more time to consider the position, I am chuffed to find they have come to prefer my move, and so I have upgraded ...fxe6 from !? to !
28.Ke2 d6!?
My thinking here was that the text, as opposed to the more obvious 29...Ke7, would allow me to meet Kd3-c4 with …Kd7-c6.
29.Ke3 Ke7 30.Kf4 Kf6 31.h4 h5?!
Komodo10 and Stockfish10 at first much prefer 31...d5, and if 32.g4, then 32...e5+, but come to view the text as also good enough to hold. Nevertheless, my move makes matters trickier.
32.c4 d5?
Any king retreat is correct. The text loses.
33.cxd5 exd5 34.f3?
Missing the win, which the engines show is to be had by, for example, 34.b4 (34.b3 also seems to win) b5 35.Ke3 Ke5 36.Kd3, when Black will run out of tempi and so lose the d pawn, one line going 36...Kf5 37.Kd4 Ke6 38.f3 Kd6 39.g4 Ke6 40.g5 Kd6 41.f4 Ke6 42.Kc5 Kf5 43.Kxd5 Kxf4 44.Ke6 Kg4 45.Kf6 Kxh4 46.Kxg6 Kg4 47.Kf6 etc.
34...Ke6 35.g4
The push b4 is no longer a major threat as it can be met by, among other moves, ...Kf6. But trickier is 35.Ke3!? when, according to the engines, Black has to find 35...Kf5! as 35...Ke5 sees Black end up in zugzwang again after 36.g3, eg 36...b5 37.b4 Ke6 38.Kd4 Kd6 39.g4, as in the previous note.
35...Kd6 36.gxh5 gxh5 37.Kf5 Kc5 38.f4 Kc4 39.Ke5 d4 40.Ke4 d3
Also drawing is 40...b5 41.f5.
41.Ke3 d2 42.Kxd2 Kd4 43.f5 Ke5 44.Ke3
Or 44.f6 Kxf6 45.Ke3 Ke5=.
44...Kxf5 45.Kf3 Ke5 ½–½
Afterwards, Klovāns complained that the ending had been too simple to create winning chances, but, as we have seen, that was not the case.
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