Table of Contents

Title page
Key to symbols
Introduction

Game 1. Gata Kamsky —Nick de Firmian (2004) [B53]

Game 2. Gata Kamsky — Boris Gulko (2005) [B63]
Game 3. Gata Kamsky — Julio Granda Zúñiga (2005) [B90]
Game 4. Gata Kamsky — Magnus Carlsen (2005) [B33]
Game 5. Gata Kamsky — Viswanathan Anand (2006) [D20]
Game 6. Gata Kamsky — Peter Svidler (2006) [B83]
Game 7. Gata Kamsky — Vladimir Kramnik (2006) [D02]
Game 8. Etienne Bacrot — Gata Kamsky (2007) [A81]
Game 9. Gata Kamsky — Sergei Tiviakov (2007) [A47]
Game 10. Gata Kamsky — Magnus Carlsen (2007) [C43]
Game 11. Gata Kamsky — Alexei Shirov (2007) [B30]
Game 12. Gata Kamsky — Vasily Ivanchuk (2008) [C18]
Game 13. Gata Kamsky — Sergey Karjakin (2009) [D02]
Game 14. Gata Kamsky — Veselin Topalov (2009) [C92]
Game 15. Gata Kamsky — Varuzhan Akobian (2011) [C11]
Game 16. Veselin Topalov — Gata Kamsky (2011) [D90]
Game 17. Veselin Topalov — Gata Kamsky (2011) [A16]
Game 18. Gata Kamsky — Levon Aronian (2011) [C84]
Game 19. Alexander Grischuk — Gata Kamsky (2012) [B04]
Game 20. Gata Kamsky — Peter Svidler (2013) [A29]
Game 21. Gata Kamsky — Hikaru Nakamura (2013) [C03]
Game 22. Gata Kamsky — Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2013) [B82]

2
 GATA KAMSKY
CHESS GAMER

Volume 2: Return (2004–2013)

by
Gata Kamsky

Thinkers Publishing 2019

www.thinkerspublishing.com

Editor in Chief
Romain Edouard

Consulting Editor
Daniël Vanheirzeele

Proofreading
Ian Marks

Graphic Artist
Mieke Mertens

3
Cover design
Philippe Tonnard

Typesetting
i-Press ‹www.i-press.pl›

First edition 2019 by Thinkers Publishing

Gata Kamsky — Chess Gamer: Volume 2

Copyright © 2019 Gata Kamsky

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-94-9251-058-7
D/2019/13730/9

All sales or enquiries should be directed to Thinkers Publishing, 9850 Landegem, Belgium.

e-mail: info@thinkerspublishing.com
website: www.thinkerspublishing.com

4
 KEY TO SYMBOLS

! a good move
? a weak move
!! an excellent move
?? a blunder
!? an interesting move
?! a dubious move
™ only move
= equality
∞ unclear position
© with compensation for the sacrificed material
² White stands slightly better
³ Black stands slightly better
± White has a serious advantage
µ Black has a serious advantage
+– White has a decisive advantage
–+ Black has a decisive advantage
‚ with an attack
ƒ with initiative
„ with counterplay
… with the idea of
¹ better is
≤ worse is
N novelty
+ check
# mate

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This book is dedicated to my loving wife, Vera Nebolsina, whose support and encouragement
were among the key factors that allowed me to complete the work.
G. K.

INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader,
This is the second volume of my memorable games collection. Here you will find games that
I played after my return to chess back in 2004. It had been eight years since my last
tournament, and so much had changed for me. I had entered my first marriage and just
graduated from Touro Law Center with an eye on my favorite subject, Intellectual Property,
and on another new development at the time called cyber law, which dealt with issues related
to the internet and international jurisdiction.
At the same time it represented an opportunity for me to return to something that I had
devoted so much time and energy to, the game of chess. For the first time in my life I was
free to pursue directions of my own choosing.
The decision was a difficult one, but finally I decided to return to chess, feeling that I could
somehow positively influence both FIDE and the chess world in general. They were still split
and had different world champions, the FIDE one, and the PCA one, which was the more
prestigious of the two. The PCA World Champion was Mr. Kramnik, who had succeeded
Mr. Kasparov as World Champion in the long line of world championship matches.
Clearly there were some triumphs and failures during this period of my chess career, but
ultimately I feel that I have left a certain mark on the generation from which the world’s
current top players have emerged.
Once again, in the games that follow, I try to share my vision of chess as a great intellectual
battlefield where many factors play a role, including psychology and the science of computer
home preparation. For me, there still exists the exciting journey to find the great truth of what
is happening on the chess board, and the search for an even greater objective, the beauty of
the game. With these in mind, I have selected these games, to share with you the knowledge
that I have acquired so far.
I must also caution that some of the views and comments expressed on subjects other than
chess will sometimes be found to be quite controversial and not ‘correct’, in which case I
would invite the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.
With regard to the structure of the games, I must warn the reader that this book is not

6
intended as a light read; it contains lots of lines and variations that need to be gone over on
an actual chess board to understand the point I am making.
Some of the lines are intended to encourage the reader, especially if he’s an advanced or
aspiring player, to pursue further research on his own.
There are quite a few places where I invite the reader to put himself into the shoes of one of
the players and try to calculate some of the lines by himself.
Above all, it is important to remember that chess is an instrument in your hands, and
whatever you shape with it can be limited only by your imagination.

Gata Kamsky

7
 GAME 1
Gata Kamsky
Nick de Firmian
San Diego 2004
Officially, this was the first serious tournament that I played in since my return to chess in
the summer of 2004. While the event took place in December 2004, it was called the 2005
US Championship, and offered qualifying spots for the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk later
that year. My opponent was Nick de Firmian, one of the top US GMs, and someone I had
played against several times before in the early years after my arrival in the US in 1989. Mr.
de Firmian had played chess only occasionally in 2004. Overall, the organization in San
Diego was good and I was happy to visit California, which I hadn’t had a chance to do since
the 1990s. I selected this game because it shows how a simple and standard plan can prove
very effective right from the opening.

1.e4

The tournament situation required me to play aggressive chess, since in a Swiss system
event, the ability to win games is more important than anything else. My goal for the
tournament was to play solid chess and get some feel for what it was like to play on a real
chess board against strong opponents. Between 1996 and 2004, I had played only two other
classical games, in the FIDE knockout World Championship in Las Vegas in 1999, losing in
the first round tie-breaks to the eventual winner of the event, GM Khalifman. Other than that
I played a lot of blitz games on the Internet Chess Club (ICC), including hundreds against
young up-and-coming stars whose names everyone knows today, since they all reached the
top — Morozevich, Aronian, Radjabov, Mamedyarov, Nakamura and Grischuk amongst
others. Hundreds of games and sleepless nights!

1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4

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For many years my opponent’s main weapon against 1.e4 had been the Sicilian Najdorf. I
decided to go for my pet sideline, which I had analyzed and continued to improve for the
next couple of years.

4...Nc6

Black goes for the old main line.

These days 4...a6 and 4...Nf6 are played just as often.

5.Bb5 Bd7

Alternatives are 5...a6 and 5...Qd7.

6.Bxc6 Bxc6

Recapturing with 6...bxc6 is also possible.

7.Nc3

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The alternative 7.c4 leads to quieter positions resembling the Maroczy bind in the
Accelerated Dragon.
The plan in the game is more ambitious, as typically White intends to castle long and proceed
with an attack on the kingside.

7...Nf6

So far we have been following the old main line. The more modern alternatives include
7...h6, preventing the development of White’s c1-bishop to g5, and therefore any potential
exchange of that bishop for Black’s only knight.
7...e5 is usually combined with the plan of ...h7–h6, but has a more forcing nature, since
Black declares his structure in the center. In general, in this structure, both sides attempt to
emphasize their advantages. For example, because of Black’s potentially strong pair of
bishops, he wants to complete development and open up the center with the ...b7–b5, ...e7–e5
and eventually ...d6–d5 breaks. White, on the other hand, wants to keep those bishops under
wraps and at the same time transfer his f3-knight to a more useful location such as the d4-
square, and, if that is not possible, then potentially to c4 or f5, probing for potential
weaknesses in Black’s camp before starting his programmed f2–f3, g2–g4, h2–h4 advance.
For now, White has a small lead in development and intends to use it to maximum effect
before Black completes his own development.

8.Bg5 e6 9.0-0-0

It was more accurate to start with 9.Qd3 for reasons I’ll mention later.

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9...Be7 10.Qd3

White’s idea is to put the f3-knight on d4, where it will be perfectly placed, both preparing
the advance f2–f4–f5 and protecting the queenside. I first saw this plan employed by Judit
Polgar versus Alexei Shirov back in 1994, and it made quite an impression on me.

10...0-0?!

A couple of years later, in a tournament in Canada, Sutovsky would employ the correct
counter to White’s plan, playing 10...Qa5 to tie White’s f3-knight to the defense of the g5-
bishop and following up with ...Qa5–a6 next move in order to trade White’s strongly placed
queen, exploiting the fact that it is limited in its movements. I had looked at possible
improvements for White after that game, and, not liking the types of positions arising, I
stopped playing the 4.Qxd4 variation. In modern times, though, the line has experienced
some sort of renaissance, with lots of games played at all levels.

11.Nd4²

White has achieved a superior version of the similar structure arising in various lines of the
Rauzer variation, as Black will have to spend a tempo to remove his c6-bishop if he wants to
push his b-pawn. White is ready to push his pawns on the kingside.

11...Qa5

This was still considered the main line at the time. Black is attempting to bring his f8-rook

11
over to the queenside, in the spirit of the Dragon. His queen is actively placed on a5, hitting
White’s g5-bishop and a2-pawn, as well as potentially helping promote the thematic ...b7–b5
advance.
11...h6

In general this move is not considered to be good in situations with opposite-side castling as
it gives White a potential target for the eventual g4–g5 pawn break. In this particular case,
White’s reaction is standard. 12.h4! As in the Rauzer, this move offers a thematic sacrifice of
White’s bishop, which, if accepted, would open the h-file for a direct attack. The analysis
here can be very extensive and possibly Black can defend, but he cannot hope for more than
that.
[12.Bxf6?! Bxf6 13.f4 (13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Qxd6 Qa5µ Black gets more than sufficient
compensation for the sacrificed pawn due to his very strong dark-squared bishop on f6 and
open b-file which give him great attacking chances. White’s attack is gone and he will have
to focus on defense.) 13...Qb6 14.g4 Rad8 15.h4 Qxd4 16.Qxd4 Bxd4 17.Rxd4 e5=]
12...hxg5 13.hxg5 Ng4 14.Qg3! Nxf2 15.Qxf2 Bxg5+ 16.Kb1

12
16...Bf6 17.Nxc6 bxc6 18.Qg3 Be5 19.Qh3 f5 20.Qh7+ Kf7 21.exf5 with a strong attack.

12.f4

And the race with opposite wing attacks is on!

12...Rfd8?!

Slightly passive and played with the idea of opening the center, which, however, does not
work out well.

13
a) 12...Rfe8 13.Kb1 Rac8 14.f5 and now a sample line could go 14...Qe5 15.Rhe1! Bd8
16.Bh4! Ba5 17.Bg3 Qc5 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.e5 Qf8 20.exf6 Bxc3 21.fxg7 Qxg7 22.Qxc3
Be4 23.Qd2 exf5 24.Ka1!± with a certain advantage for White, thanks to his safe king and
superior pawn structure.
b) 12...Rac8 has been played most often, however after the logical sequence 13.Kb1 Rfd8
14.f5 Bd7

15.g4 a6 16.Bd2 Qc7 17.g5 Ne8 18.f6± Black found himself on the brink of destruction in
Karjakin-Grischuk, World Blitz Championship 2010. Obviously Black’s play can be
improved, but if he can fall into a much inferior position without playing any obviously bad
moves, then it speaks volumes about the opening.

13.f5

14
A thematic pawn advance which hits Black’s e6-pawn. White wants to provoke Black into
playing ...e6–e5, after which he will attempt to transfer his knights to the d5-square,
dominating the center.

13...e5?!

13...Bd7 14.Kb1! This standard prophylactic move is quite useful. (14.g4 b5! is a possible
improvement for Black.) 14...Rac8 15.g4

15...Qa6! (15...b5 16.Ndxb5 h6 17.h4±) 16.Bh4! Qxd3 17.Rxd3 h6 18.Ndb5!ƒ and White
keeps the initiative, even in the endgame.

15
14.Nb3 Qc7 15.Bxf6!

Simple and strong. White removes any hopes of the ...d6–d5 break and prepares to advance
on the kingside.

15...Bxf6 16.h4 Rac8 17.Kb1 b5 18.Nd2!

A pleasing move to find. White’s idea is to play Nc3–d5 and if it is captured, to recapture on
d5 with the e-pawn, freeing the e4-square for the second knight, where it would be ideally
placed, blocking Black’s e5-pawn and by extension, his f6-bishop from entering the game.

18...h5!?

Black attempts to stop White’s advance on the kingside, but merely postpones the inevitable.

19.Nd5 Qa5?!

Inaccurate. Black loses an important tempo, as he still has to exchange White’s d5-knight
later.
19...Bxd5 20.exd5 Kf8

16
21.c3!? (21.Ne4 Ke7 22.Rd2 b4 23.Rc1! is also clearly better for White. Now that the
kingside has been blocked and Black’s king has transferred its residence to the center, White
switches his attention to the queenside. Thanks to his greater maneuvering space and
dominating e4-knight, White can move freely, choosing the moment to strike to his
advantage. Black is pretty much without counterplay and has to wait passively for White to
declare his intentions. 23...Qc4 24.Qf3 Rh8 25.b3±) 21...Qb6 22.Ne4

22...Ke7 (22...a5 23.g4 hxg4 24.h5 Ke7 25.h6 Rh8 26.hxg7 Rxh1 27.Rxh1 Bxg7 28.Qg3±
and the attack continues) 23.Qe2
[23.g4?! hxg4 24.Rdg1 (24.Qe2 Rh8 25.h5 Rc4 26.b3 Rcc8 27.Qxg4 Rh6∞ is not so clear as

17
Black manages to blockade the kingside.) 24...Bxh4 25.Rxg4 Bf6= Black manages to hold.]
23...Rh8 24.g3 a5 25.Rhe1 Qb7 26.Ka1 This position is much easier to play for White as
Black is forced to play waiting moves.

20.g4!?

Following through with the plan, however 20.Qe2 was more forcing:

20...Bxd5 21.exd5 Qb4 22.Ne4 Rc4 23.Rhe1! Bxh4 24.c3 Qa4 (24...Qa5 25.Qxh5 Bxe1
26.Ng5 Qc7 27.Rxe1+–) 25.b3 Rxe4 26.Qxe4 Qxe4+ 27.Rxe4 Bf2! Transferring the bishop
to a better location along the a7–g1 diagonal, however White’s position is much better due to
a simple material advantage in the endgame. 28.a4!±

20...hxg4

18
21.Rhg1?

Unnecessarily giving up the h4-pawn. 21.Rdg1 was simple and strong: 21...Kf8 22.Rxg4
Bxd5 23.exd5 Ke7 24.h5 Rh8 25.a3 Qb6 26.Ne4 Rh6

27.Nxf6! This sudden exchange forces Black to recapture on f6 with the g-pawn, giving
White a potentially strong passed h-pawn. In addition, White is going to focus on attacking
Black’s weak queenside pawns, using his spatial advantage for maneuvering between the two
flanks for the right moment to get the winning advantage. 27...gxf6 28.Rb4 Rc5

19
29.Rhh4! a5 30.Rb3 Qb7 31.c4 b4 32.Qd2 Rh7 33.axb4 axb4 34.Rxb4 Qd7 35.Qf2 Rc8
36.h6+– with a completely dominating game.

21...Bxd5 22.exd5 Bxh4!

A correct decision by Black. White will have a difficult time breaking through Black’s
fortress on the kingside.

23.Rxg4 Bf6 24.Ne4 Kf8 25.Qf3

At this point, my opponent was getting low on time. The idea behind 25.Qf3 is to have the

20
potential Rxg7 sacrifice, followed by the f5–f6 pawn push.

25...Rc4?!

This time trouble-related move with the intention of provoking White’s queenside pawns to
move only makes things easier for White.
a) 25...Ke7? 26.Rxg7!+– and Black is suddenly lost.
b) 25...Ke8! is the correct defense, giving Black hope of defending successfully: 26.Nxf6+
(26.Qg3 Kd7 27.Nxf6+ gxf6 28.Qh4 Kc7 29.Qxf6 Rd7=) 26...gxf6 27.Rg7!?

Setting another trap. 27...Rc7 (27...Ke7?? This careless move results in mate: 28.Rxf7+!
Kxf7 29.Qh5+ Kf8 30.Qh8+ Kf7 31.Qh7+ Ke8 32.Rg1+–) 28.Qh5 Re7 29.Qh6 e4 30.Rg2
Kd7 31.Qxf6 Qc7 32.a4!?ƒ Black still has to be careful since his king is quite vulnerable,
even if it gets to the queenside.

26.c3?!

Trying to limit Black’s ability to think in my time, however this move is inaccurate. White
needs to get rid of Black’s c4-rook immediately.
26.b3 Rc7 27.c3 Qb6 28.Rh1!

21
and White is going to infiltrate on the seventh rank with his rooks, causing serious damage to
Black’s pawn chain on the kingside. 28...Ke8 29.Rh7 Kd7 30.Nxf6+ gxf6 31.Rxf7+ Kc8
32.Rxf6 Qc5 33.Rh6 Qxc3 34.Qxc3 Rxc3 35.Rg7 Rc7 36.f6+–

26...Qb6?!

Black misses a computer resource.

26...Ra4! A remarkable move. Black’s rook finds a safe haven on a4 while continuing to
exert pressure on White’s e4-knight. 27.a3 Ke7

28.Rxg7 This attempt to get to the black king tactically ends in an equal position. (28.Rh1 A

22
more logical choice, taking control of the h-file with the option of placing the rook on h7 to
exert pressure along the seventh rank. The game seems to be balanced with correct defense
by Black.) 28...Rxe4 29.Rxf7+ Kxf7 30.Qh5+ Ke7 31.Qh7+ Kf8 32.Rg1 Re1+™ 33.Rxe1
Qa4! 34.Qh6+ (34.Rg1 Qe4+ 35.Ka1 Qxd5–+) 34...Ke7 (34...Bg7? 35.Qg5) 35.Qh7+ Kf8=
with a draw.

27.b3

Both sides now had to play quickly, though White’s game is a bit easier to play.

27...Rxe4?!

Perhaps Black thought that he could hold his fortress in the center and on the kingside, but
White will slowly improve his position and create a breakthrough on the queenside.
It was more advisable for Black to retreat his rook and run with his king to the queenside.
27...Rc7! 28.Rh1 b4! 29.c4 Ke8

23
30.Rg2! A much stronger idea than the alternative below. White prepares for action on the
queenside to make sure that Black’s king does not feel secure there.
[30.Rh7 Kd7 31.c5!? (31.Nxf6+ gxf6 32.Rxf7+ Kc8 33.Rxf6 Rh8! 34.Rfg6 Rh2„ and
White’s king is a bit too open compared to the line mentioned above.) 31...dxc5 32.d6 Rc6
33.Nxf6+ gxf6 34.Rxf7+ Kc8 35.Rxf6 Kb8! 36.Qd5 Rcxd6 37.Qxe5 Kc8 38.Rxd6 Qxd6
39.Qxd6 Rxd6= and Black equalizes.]
30...Kd7 31.Rc2 a5 32.c5!

White sacrifices a second pawn in order to open up the position, since Black’s bishop is
completely shut out on f6. 32...Rxc5 (32...dxc5? 33.d6 Rc6 34.Rd1 a4 35.Qd3 axb3

24
36.Qxb3+–) 33.Rxc5 dxc5 34.d6! Qb5 35.Rc1 (35.Nxc5+?! Qxc5 36.Qb7+ Kxd6 37.Rd1+
Qd4 38.Rxd4+ exd4 39.Kc2 Rh8= Black gets a superior version of this endgame with much
stronger coordination among his pieces which help his d4-pawn.) 35...Rc8 36.Rc2!!

A very patient move which maintains White’s advantage. 36...Kd8 (36...c4 37.bxc4 Rxc4
38.Qd3+–) 37.d7 Rb8 (37...Rc7 38.Nxf6+–) 38.Rxc5 Qa6 39.Rc1 a4 40.Nc5 Qa8 41.Qd3
axb3 42.Qxb3 Ke7

43.Ne6! Qe4+ 44.Ka1 Rd8 (44...Qxf5 45.d8=Q+ Rxd8 46.Rc7++–) 45.Nxd8 Kxd8 46.Qa4
Qd4+ 47.Kb1 Qd3+ 48.Qc2 Qxc2+ 49.Kxc2 Kxd7 50.Kd3+– and White should win this
endgame.

25
28.Rxe4±

White gets a material advantage with a comfortable game and, with Black’s bishop out of the
game, can make progress at his leisure.

28...Rc8 29.Kb2 Ke7 30.Rd2 Qc5 31.Qd3 a6 32.Rc2

White prepares for the b3–b4 and c3–c4 pushes, which will open the c-file for his rooks and
create a passed pawn on the queenside.

32...Qb6

32...Rh8 33.b4 Qg1 34.c4 Rh1

26
35.Ka3!± Forcing Black to exchange queens or face a c4–c5 break. 35...Qa7 36.c5 a5
37.bxa5 Qxa5+ 38.Kb2 dxc5 39.d6+ Kd8 40.Rxc5 Rh2+ 41.Rc2 Rxc2+ 42.Qxc2 Qb6
43.Qd3 Kd7 44.Kb3!+– White simplifies into a winning endgame.

33.a4

33...Rc5?!

An inaccuracy. Black wants to retain his rook to have some measure of control of the c-file
when it opens, however he would be better off looking for active counterplay.

27
33...Rh8! 34.b4! Rh1 35.axb5 axb5 36.Rc1! An important move to take control of the first
rank. 36...Rh2+ 37.Re2 Rh4 38.Kb3

White obtains a winning advantage after transferring his c1-rook to a5, hitting Black’s weak
b-pawn. 38...Rc4 39.Ra1 Rc7 Otherwise White just plays Ra1–a5xb5 and Qxc4. 40.Rea2!
Rb7 41.Ra6 Qf2 42.Ra8 (42.R6a5 Qb6±) 42...e4 (42...Qb6 43.R1a6 Qg1 44.Rc8 Bg5 45.Rg8
Bf6 46.Raa8+–) 43.Qxe4+ Be5 44.Qd3 Kf6 45.R8a2!

Having forced Black to open the center, White now switches his rooks back to the kingside.
The approach White utilizes in this game to convert his advantage is slow, but instructive.
One shouldn’t rush things. 45...Qb6 46.Qe4 Ke7 47.Qh4+!+–

28
34.b4 Rc7 35.a5 Qg1

36.c4

36.Ka2!+– would have been better, moving White’s king off the a1–f6 diagonal. The c3–c4
break would follow, when Black is lost.

36...bxc4 37.Rcxc4 Rxc4 38.Qxc4 Qf2+?

An important inaccuracy. Black could have posed more technical problems for White had he
realized that his queen is ideally placed on d1, controlling of a lot of important squares.
38...Qd1!

29
39.Re2!! Probably the only move to keep winning chances alive. White needs to take control
of the second rank to make progress. (39.Qxa6? Qd2+ 40.Kb3 Qd1+=) 39...e4+ Obvious
and best. (39...Bg5 40.Qc7+ Ke8 41.Rc2 e4 42.Qc6+ Ke7 43.Qb7+ Kf6 44.Qxa6 Ke5
45.Qe2 Qd4+ 46.Kb3 Qxd5+ 47.Ka4 Qd4 48.a6 Be3 49.Rc7!+–) 40.Ka3!

The point. White’s rook is going to protect the king. The plan is to improve the position
slowly and eject Black’s queen from its ideal location on d1 in order to prepare for the b4–b5
break. White should win, but it would require a lot of technical finesse. 40...Qa1+ 41.Qa2!
(41.Ra2 Qe1 42.Rc2 Be5 is less easy) 41...Qc1+ 42.Kb3! Qc3+ (42...Qd1+ 43.Qc2 Qxd5+
44.Ka3 Qxf5 45.Qxe4+ Qxe4 46.Rxe4+ Kd7 47.Ka4 d5 48.Re1 Kc6 49.Rc1+ Kb7 50.b5

30
axb5+ 51.Kxb5 d4 52.Rc5!+– and White should win) 43.Ka4 Qd4 (43...e3 44.Qa3!+– Qc4
45.Qxe3+ Be5 46.Qe4+–) 44.Qb1 e3

45.Qg1!!+– The only move that allows White to capture Black’s e-pawn and avoid perpetual
check, thus leading to a won game. I am pretty sure that I would not have found these correct
sequences for White!! And that is the price of the one inaccuracy on my 36th move!!

39.Qc2!

White frees the c4-square for the rook to infiltrate into the black camp, after which the game
is easily won as the rook both protects the white king and creates threats to the black

31
monarch.

39...Qf1

39...Qxf5 40.b5!! The key move that my opponent probably missed. White creates a deadly
passed pawn which decides the game. 40...Qd7 (40...axb5 41.a6 Qd7 42.Qc6 Qa7
43.Qb7++–) 41.b6! The simplest. 41...Qb5+ 42.Qb3 Qxb3+ 43.Kxb3 Kd7 44.Rc4 Bd8
45.Rc6 g5 46.b7 Bc7 47.Rxa6

47...g4 (47...Bb8 48.Rc6 g4 49.Rc8+–) 48.Ra8 g3 49.b8=Q Bxb8 50.Rxb8 f5 51.a6+– White
queens first.

40.Qc7+ Ke8

32
41.Qc6+?!

The start of a dubious pawn sacrifice. 41.Qc4! is much cleaner: 41...Qxf5 42.Re2
[42.b5!? axb5 (42...Qf2+ 43.Re2 e4+ 44.Kc2 Qg3 45.bxa6+–) 43.Qxb5+ Kf8 44.Qb8+ Ke7
45.Qc7+ Kf8 46.Rc4! e4+ 47.Ka3+– White avoids the checks, while winning material with
his outside passed a-pawn. 47...e3 (47...Qf3+ 48.Kb4 g5 49.a6+–) 48.Qb8+ Ke7 49.Rc7++–]
42...e4+ 43.Kb3 Qf3+ 44.Ka4 Bd4 45.Qxa6 e3 46.Qc4 g5 47.b5 Bc5 48.b6 Kd8

49.Kb5! Qf5 (49...g4 50.a6+–) 50.Rh2 Qd7+ 51.Ka6 A fantastic position. White’s king is

33
surrounded by enemy pieces, but the connected pawns protect it from danger and guarantee
victory. 51...Qe8 52.Qb5+–

41...Ke7 42.b5?! Qd3

Black could have posed more problems by simply taking on b5, forcing White to find only
moves to keep his winning advantage.
42...axb5 43.Qc2!!

The only move to win.

[43.a6 Qf2+ 44.Qc2 Qb6 45.Qc8 Qf2+ 46.Kb1 Qg1+ 47.Qc1 Qb6

34
48.Re2!!² Needless to say, I would not have seen this resource which keeps White’s chances
alive thanks to a small tactical motif. 48...e4 (48...Qxa6 49.Qc7+ Ke8 50.Rh2+–) 49.Ra2
Qa7 50.Ra3! With the idea of exchanging queens via Qc1–e3. 50...Kd8 51.Qe3 Qxe3
52.Rxe3 Kc7 53.Rxe4 Kb6 54.Ka2 Kxa6 55.Kb3 Kb6 56.Kb4 Be5= Black reaches the
draw.]
43...Qg1
[43...Bg5 44.a6+–; 43...Kd8 44.Qe2! White cuts off the black queen’s protection of the b5-
pawn. 44...Qg1 (44...Qh1 45.a6 Kc7 46.a7+–) 45.Qxb5 Qf2+ 46.Qe2 Qc5 47.a6+–]
44.Qc7+ Ke8 45.Qc6+ Ke7 46.Qb7+ Kf8 47.Qxb5+–

35
White has managed to achieve his goal of capturing Black’s b-pawn and keeping his king
safe from checks. With accurate play, the a-pawn will decide the game. 47...Qf2+ 48.Re2
Qd4+ 49.Kb3 Qd1+ 50.Rc2 e4 51.Qb8+ Ke7 52.Qc7+ Ke8 53.a6 Qb1+ 54.Ka3 Qa1+
55.Ra2+–

43.Qc7+!

It is necessary to force Black’s king to the eighth rank before proceeding with the next stage
of the plan.
43.Qc4 Qd2+ 44.Kb3 Qd1+ 45.Ka3 axb5=

36
43...Ke8

43...Kf8 44.Qc4 Qd2+ 45.Qc2 Qxa5 46.Qc8+ Ke7 47.bxa6!+– White captures the a6-pawn
and keeps everything protected.

44.Qc4!

Finally! Black can no longer stop the advance of White’s b5-pawn.

44...Qd2+ 45.Qc2 Qxd5 46.b6! Bd8

a) 46...Qb5+ 47.Qb3+–
b) 46...Qb7 47.Rc4+–

47.Qa4+ Ke7 48.Qb4!

A final finesse. White’s queen is ideally located on b4. Here it helps to promote the b-pawn,
and protects both the e4-rook and a5-pawn, as well as taking care of crucial dark squares
around the white king.

37
48...Kd7 49.Rc4!

Not allowing the black king to block the b-pawn.

49.b7? Bxa5 50.b8=Q Bxb4 51.Qxb4 Ke7± would have created another complete mess as
Black’s pawns provide sufficient compensation for the rook, while the presence of queens
keeps the position complicated.

49...Ke7

49...Qg2+ 50.Rc2 Qb7 51.Qa4+ Ke7 52.Qc6 Qb8 53.b7 Qa7 54.Qc8 Qd4+ 55.Qc3 Qa7
56.Qb4+– After the queens have finished their waltzes, White’s b-pawn fulfills its destiny.

50.b7 Bxa5 51.Qb3

The simplest. Black cannot stop the b-pawn.

38
51...Qd2+ 52.Rc2

Black resigned. 1–0

Quite a complex endgame, given the limited material, thus resulting in mutual mistakes.
Nevertheless it is necessary for a player to master converting an advantage flawlessly in such
positions to reach the top level. I would recommend the reader, especially if he is an aspiring
player himself, to play over the lines in this game after White’s 36.c4 to appreciate the
richness of the possibilities for both sides.

39
 GAME 2
Gata Kamsky
Boris Gulko
Buenos Aires 2005
Boris Gulko (Photo by Jos Sutmuller)

After failing to qualify for the 2005 World Cup from

the 2005 US Championship, I went to the American
Zonal in Argentina, which provided a record seven
qualifying places for the World Cup for the
representatives from both North and South America.
Needless to say the event was very strong with a
number of leading GMs from both American
continents participating. The following game was
crucial for my overall standing in the tournament,
sharing 2nd-8th places. Cuban GM Bruzon was clear
first. The rest of us had to play a huge rapid playoff at
the end of the tournament, but more about that after
the game. My opponent needs no introduction. He is a
very famous Soviet-era refusenik whose requests to
emigrate from the Soviet Union were denied, despite
his winning the national title. Many years later, after
emigrating to the US, GM Gulko won the US
Championship twice, in 1994 and 1999. To this date
he holds the unique record of having won both the Russian and US national chess titles. He’s
also one of the very few people who has a positive score against the legendary Mr. Kasparov.

1.e4

To qualify for the World Cup, I needed to get into the top placings, and in order to achieve
that in such a strong event, an aggressive mindset was required. Hence my decision to start
most of my white games in accordance with the well-known Bobby Fischer comment about
1.e4: ‘Best by test’. Of course, at that time, not many people were willing to adopt Kramnik’s
infamous Berlin Wall defense, and even fewer dared dream about Kramnik’s own anti-Berlin
opening for White, the long-forgotten Italian game, currently all the rage in 2017–18.

1...c5

40
The Sicilian Najdorf was my opponent’s main opening, and frankly it was welcome, since it
meant we were going to fight. A draw would have benefited neither my nor my opponent’s
chances of qualification.

2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4

Previously in the tournament I had also played the less-analyzed 4.Qxd4, but given my
opponent’s lack of recent tournament practice I felt that the sharpest main line was in order.

4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6

But this was a surprise for me. I hadn’t had a chance to play against the Sicilian Rauzer in
quite some time, but fortunately some old ideas came back to me from analysis done in the
’90s.

6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7

Black decides to go for an older main line. The Rauzer is experiencing a resurgence in
popularity these days, thanks in large part to the very complex and dramatic last round
Candidates game between Karjakin and Caruana in 2016 which White won in spectacular
attacking style. These days Black usually employs the 7...a6 8.0-0-0 Bd7 line, which
involves massive analysis and leads to complex, sharp strategic play, where both sides have
chances for success. The move in the game leads to opposite-side castling, thus the race to
attack the enemy king will ensure an exciting battle.

41
8.0-0-0 0-0

9.Nb3

Along with 9.f4, one of the two main moves. The idea of the text move is to create temporary
confusion among the black pieces by targeting the central d6-pawn. In addition White
removes his d4-knight before Black gets the chance to exchange it and to develop his c8-
bishop to the standard e6-square after the programmed ...e6–e5.

9...Qb6

The main move.

9...a6?! 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 (After 10...gxf6 White has the option of continuing with 11.h4 or
11.Qh6, with a good score in both lines.) 11.Qxd6 Qb6 12.Qc5!

42
This move demonstrates another point behind White’s 9.Nb3: the black queen is chased from
its excellent spot on b6. Black retains some compensation in view of his pair of bishops,
especially the strong one on f6, but whether this is sufficient compensation for the pawn
remains an open question. 12...Qc7 13.Qe3 b5 14.f4 (14.Kb1 Bb7 15.Be2?! Rac8„)
14...Bxc3 15.bxc3 (15.Qxc3 Qxf4+ 16.Kb1 Bb7 17.Nc5 Rfd8 18.Be2 Qc7 and Black is
fine) 15...Na5 16.Kb2 Bb7 17.Be2 Rfc8 18.Nxa5 Qxa5 19.Rd4!² and it is difficult to see
how Black can hope for anything more than a difficult defense for a draw.

10.f3

10.Kb1 Rd8

43
11.h4!? is an interesting computer suggestion, barely tested in tournament practice. 11...d5
(11...a6 12.g4 Rb8 13.Be2 Qc7 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.g5 with strong attacking chances) 12.exd5
Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Rxd5 14.Bd3 Bf8 (14...h6?! In general Black must be careful playing such
moves on the side where his opponent is attacking, as it gives White a target in Black’s h6-
pawn. 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.g4 e5 17.Qe2 Be6 18.g5ƒ and White is pressing.) 15.Qe2 a5 16.a3!
±

An important prophylactic move. White is getting ready to fight in both the center and on the
kingside, thanks to Black’s under-developed queenside. I have to agree here with the
computer’s evaluation that White is much better prepared for the coming fight.

44
10...Rd8 11.Kb1

Both sides are following old theory. However recent developments show that White’s c3-
knight is ideally placed on d4, where it is not exposed to Black’s potential ...b5–b4 and also
helps to prevent Black’s central ...d6–d5 break by simply closing it down with e4–e5, leading
to superior French Defense structures for White. So, following the comments above, White
achieves better results with 11.Nb5!. I leave the reader to acquaint himself with the theory
here, as it is still growing.

11...Qc7

Both sides now start their standard pawn avalanches on opposite wings. Each tempo is
critical, as is the placement of the minor pieces. Around the time of this game I recalled
looking at some games from the ’90s and, quite paradoxically, it was established that White’s
queen is better placed on g2 than on d2, as from there it directly protects the center and helps
open lines on the kingside. The only question remaining is what to do with White’s bishop
on g5, as it can be placed usefully almost anywhere along the c1–h6 diagonal.

12.Bf4

The decision to prevent Black from opening the center with ...d6–d5 prevails. The next
moves are a logical follow-up.

12...a6 13.g4 Ne5!?

45
My opponent decides to fight for control of the center. The other option was simply to push
the queenside pawns, retaining the chance of opening the center with the ...e6–e5 and ...d6–
d5 breaks. In this case the analysis would have been extensive and more suitable for
theoretical investigation, which is not the intention of this book. Surprisingly, this position
has rarely been played in tournament practice, with only one game played after this one.

14.Qg2?!

A small inaccuracy that gives Black more options.

14.g5 immediately would have been preferable: 14...Nfd7 This has been Black’s exclusive
choice in the few games played in this line. (14...Nh5 seems to be a viable alternative,
although on h5 Black’s knight will be unable to participate in the fight for the center or on
the queenside. 15.Be3 b5 16.f4 Nc4 17.Bxc4 bxc4 18.Nd4 Rb8 19.Ka1² and White’s
chances seem preferable to me, as the simple plan of pushing the f-pawn seems very strong.)

14...b5 15.g5

46
15...Nfd7

Played automatically, transposing into a position along the lines of previously played games.
However, given White’s inaccuracy on the previous move, 15...Nh5!? in this particular
position would have been quite interesting: 16.Be3 b4 17.Na4 (17.Ne2 Nc4 18.Bc1 d5!
19.exd5 Rxd5³ with the superior position for Black, thanks in part to White’s misplaced
queen on g2.) 17...Rb8 18.Qf2! Bd7 19.Nb6 Bc6 20.Be2 Ng6!!³

Black has successfully neutralized White’s pawn advance on the kingside, while his own
chances on the queenside and in the center are superior. The control over the f4-square by the

47
black knights is also important, as he prepares for the liberating ...d6–d5 central break which
will give him the initiative.

16.h4 Nb6!?

My opponent embarks on a thematic transfer of cavalry to the a4-square, but this is quite
speculative, since it uses a lot of tempi without much by way of return at the moment.
16...b4 17.Ne2 a5 18.Nbd4 a4

19.h5 (19.Nb5?! This thematic maneuver is a bit too early. 19...Qc5 20.Ned4 Ba6µ leads to
an advantage for Black, since the white knights are quite tangled up.) 19...Nc5 (19...Rb8!?
Prevents White’s Nd4–b5 maneuver which would allow him to block the b-file by
establishing a knight set-up on b5 and d4. 20.g6 Nc5!∞ and again the position is highly
unclear.) 20.Nb5 Qb6 21.Ned4∞

48
The resulting position is a complete mess which requires serious analysis to evaluate
properly, however it seems that it is dynamically balanced with chances for both sides.

17.h5

17...Na4?!

Following an incorrect plan. White’s pawn advance is very close to opening the black king’s
defenses, so Black would have been better advised to push his own pawns on the queenside.

49
17...b4! 18.Ne2 Nec4! 19.g6 Bf6!

Black has achieved the perfect balance between offense and defense. His f6-bishop is very
strong, which is the reason why White usually attempts to exchange it with Bf4–g5 as soon
as possible. 20.Ned4!?
[20.gxf7+?! releases the tension too early. 20...Qxf7 21.Bc1 a5 22.f4 a4 23.Nbd4

23...b3!? (Or 23...Bb7³ and Black’s pieces are better placed than White’s: 24.f5 exf5
25.Nxf5 Kh8 26.Ned4 b3 27.cxb3 axb3 28.axb3 Ne5 29.Rh3 d5!µ) 24.cxb3 axb3 25.Nxb3
(25.axb3 e5!µ Black gets to his prize first.) 25...Qa7! 26.Nc3 Bb7‚]

50
20...fxg6! An important and thematic defensive resource for Black. It is vital for him not to
allow White to play g6xh7 followed by the exchange of dark-squared bishops via Bf4–g5,
when Black’s defenses on the kingside become critically insufficient.
[20...e5? 21.gxh7+

21...Kh8 (21...Kxh7 22.Bd3! This allows White to proceed with his attack as Black cannot
move his e5-pawn for fear of White opening up his d3-bishop after e4–e5. 22...a5 23.Bg5
Rg8 24.Rdg1+– White’s attack is decisive.) 22.h6 g6? 23.Bg5±]
21.Bg5!?° At first glance it seems that White has sufficient compensation for the sacrificed
pawn, however, on deeper analysis, we can see that White has to play extremely accurately
to keep the balance.
[21.hxg6?! In general White should not capture on g6, as it allows Black to block the
kingside. In this line we’ll see why. 21...h6 22.Bc1 e5 23.Nf5 Bxf5 24.exf5 d5µ

51
Black has a better structure and a simple attacking plan. 25.Bxc4? Passive defense won’t
work. (25.Bd3? Playing for a direct attack doesn’t quite work either. 25...a5 26.Qh2 Rac8
27.Rdg1 a4 28.Bxh6 gxh6 29.g7 Kf7 30.Qxh6 Rg8–+) 25...Nxc4 26.Qe2 Rac8 27.Qd3 a5
28.Nd2 Na3+ 29.bxa3 bxa3–+]
21...Bxg5 22.Qxg5 Rf8!

Immediately getting the rook back into action. 23.h6!? (23.hxg6 h6 24.Qc1 e5µ) 23...Ra7! A
key defensive idea. Black’s queenside rook joins the defense, fending off White’s attack and
leaving Black with a healthy extra pawn for some minor compensation. 24.hxg7 Qxg7
25.Na5! Rc7! 26.Bxc4 Nxc4 27.Nxc4 Rxc4 28.Nb3 Qc7 29.Rdg1 Qf7 30.Rd1! d5 31.exd5

52
exd5 32.Nd4 Bf5 33.b3 Rc7 34.Qg3 Qe7!³

and while White has a strong central knight on d4, Black’s extra pawn and the limited
number of pieces on the board make Black’s chances superior.

18.Bd2!

This move serves two important functions. First, it protects White’s c3-knight; second, and
more importantly, White’s f3-pawn is now ready to join the battle on the kingside.

18...Bd7

53
a) 18...Bb7 19.Nxa4 bxa4 20.Ba5! The third and very sneaky point behind White’s 18.Bd2.
Black cannot give up the exchange because of the open nature of the position. Rooks here are
clearly stronger than any bishop that Black can potentially employ. 20...Qc8 21.Bxd8 Bxd8
22.Nd4 a3 23.f4 Nd7

24.g6 (24.Qh3 axb2 25.Nxe6 Bxe4 26.Rh2 Be7 27.h6 g6 28.Qe3 d5 29.Qd4!+– is a
computer and totally inhuman line which I’m not even going to comment on.) 24...Nc5
[24...Bf6 25.gxf7+ Kxf7 26.Qh3 Nc5 27.e5! Bxh1 28.exf6 Be4 29.Qxa3 gxf6 30.h6 Rb8
31.Bc4 d5 32.Rg1 Bg6 33.Bb3 f5 (33...Qc7 34.f5+–) 34.Ba4!+–]
25.gxf7+ Kxf7 26.Rg1 Bf6 27.Qh3

54
27...Bxe4 (27...axb2 28.e5 dxe5 29.fxe5 Bxe5 30.Bc4+– Decisively opening up black’s king,
while Black’s b2-pawn thematically protects the white monarch.) 28.Qxa3 Rb8 29.Rg3 Qc7
30.Bg2!±
b) 18...Nxb2?! is the computer’s first line, however after the following forced sequence,
White’s advantage is indisputable. 19.Kxb2 Nc4+ 20.Bxc4 bxc4 21.h6! (21.g6? Bf6∞)
21...g6 22.Qf2! White prepares to set up a Bc3/Qd4 battery along the a1–h8 diagonal. The
f3–f4–f5 push also remains a threat, since the opening of the f-file will create additional
problems for the black king.

22...cxb3 (22...a5 23.Nd5!!+–) 23.cxb3 Rb8 24.Nd5 exd5 25.Qd4 f6 26.gxf6 Bf8 27.f7+

55
Kxf7 28.Bc3 dxe4 29.Rde1 Bb7 30.fxe4 Ke8 31.Rhf1 Be7 32.Qh8+ Kd7 33.Qxh7!

Despite his extra piece, Black is doomed. In addition to the mating threats White’s mega-
strong passed h-pawn is ready to bag a whole black rook.

19.f4

19.Nxa4 bxa4 20.Ba5 Qb7 21.Bxd8 Rxd8 22.Nd4 a3 23.b3 Qb4 24.c4 Rb8 was not
something I wanted to see in the game.

Despite his material advantage, White’s entire initiative has dissipated, transferred in fact to
Black. White’s weak dark squares around his king should make anyone considering this line

56
pause for thought.

19...Nc4

20.Bxc4!

While I wanted to keep the f1-bishop for potential deployment on d3, Black’s c4-knight was
just too active and had to be exchanged.

20...Qxc4

20...bxc4 21.Nxa4

57
21...cxb3
[21...Bxa4?! is worse since it allows White to keep his beautiful knight. With the d2-bishop
coming to c3, Black’s hopes for an attack on the queenside will come to an end, while that
same c3-bishop will tear apart the black king’s defenses on the kingside. 22.Nd4 d5

23.g6 With a decisive attack. 23...dxe4 (23...Bf8 24.Bc3 Rab8 25.h6 hxg6 26.Nxe6 fxe6
27.Qxg6 Re8 28.hxg7 Bxg7 29.Rdg1 e5 30.Rh7 Rb7 31.Qh6 Kf8 32.Bb4+ Rxb4
33.Rgxg7+– with mate in six) 24.gxh7+ Kh8 (24...Kxh7 25.Nxe6!+– fxe6 26.Qg6+ Kg8
27.Qxe6+ Kh8 28.h6 g6 29.Bc3++–) 25.h6 g6 26.Nxe6 Qc6 27.Bc3+ Kxh7 28.Nxd8 Rxd8
29.Rxd8 Bxd8 30.Rd1

58
30...Bf6 (30...Be7 31.f5+–) 31.Bxf6 Qxf6 32.Qxe4 Bb5 33.a4 Bxa4 34.Qxc4 Bb5 35.Qd4+–
with an easy technical win.]
22.axb3 (22.cxb3 is just as good) 22...Bxa4 23.bxa4 Rab8 24.Bc1 Qc6 25.b3!

The bishop is transferred to b2 with a decisive dual effect. 25...d5 26.f5 Qxa4 27.f6 Bf8
28.exd5 (28.g6? Qxe4±) 28...Rxd5 29.Rxd5 exd5 30.Qxd5 Qb5 31.Qf3 Qb7 32.Qxb7 Rxb7
33.Rd1+– With an easy technical win since Black’s kingside is boxed in.

21.f5±

59
At this point I felt pretty confident about my chances. It seems that Black has spent too much
time ‘horsing’ around with his knight, while White’s kingside pawns are knocking on the
black king’s door.

21...Bc6

a) 21...exf5 22.Nd5 Bf8 (22...Re8 23.Nf6+ Bxf6 24.gxf6+–) 23.Nf6+! Kh8 24.Nxd7 Rxd7
25.exf5 Rc8 26.Bc1! Re7 27.Nd4

and White is just winning. Here is a sample line: 27...Rce8 28.g6 (28.f6!?) 28...Re2 29.Nxe2
Rxe2 30.Qa8 Qxc2+ 31.Ka1 Kg8

60
32.h6!! White mates first, despite the visually strong Black threats on the queenside.
32...Nc3 33.gxh7+ Kxh7 34.hxg7+ Kxg7 35.Rhg1+ Kf6 (35...Kh7 36.Bd2 Nxd1
37.Qh1++–) 36.Qd8+ Kxf5 37.Qd7+ Kf6 38.Bg5+ Kg6 39.Bd2++–
b) 21...Nxc3+ 22.Bxc3

22...b4 (22...e5 23.f6 Bf8 24.g6 Bc6 25.fxg7 Bxg7 26.gxf7+ Kh8 27.h6 Bf6 28.Qf3 Qxf7
29.Na5! Be8 30.Rhf1+– Black cannot avoid heavy material losses.) 23.Bxg7+– (23.Bf6!? is
a cute solution too.)

22.f6!

61
A final accurate move. White’s attack is going to net material gains.
22.Rhe1? would be a big mistake.

22...exf5 23.g6 (23.Na5 Nxc3+ 24.Bxc3 Bxe4 25.Nxc4 Bxg2 26.Rxe7 bxc4 27.g6 hxg6
28.hxg6 f6µ) 23...Bf6 24.Na5 Nxc3+ 25.Bxc3 Bxe4 26.Bxf6 gxf6!= (26...Bxg2? 27.Bxd8
Rxd8 28.Nxc4 bxc4 29.Rxd6+–)

22...Nxc3+ 23.Bxc3 Bxe4

24.Qf2

62
24.Qg3!? Bxh1 25.fxe7 Rd7 26.Rxh1 is a lot simpler. White’s bishop is a monster that
decides the game.
[26.g6!? Flashy. 26...fxg6 27.hxg6 h6 28.Rxh1

28...Qd5 (28...e5 29.Qg2 Re8 30.Na5 Qe6 31.Nc6+–) 29.Qh4 Qg5 (29...Rxe7 30.Bxg7!+–)
30.Qd4!+– Rxe7 31.Qxd6 Ree8 32.a3 Qxg6 33.Nc5‚ Despite Black’s heroic defensive
measures, White’s attack continues. White is much better.]
26...e5 27.h6 g6 28.Qf3+–

24...Bxh1

24...Bf8 25.Nd2! Qc6 26.Nxe4 Qxe4 27.fxg7 Bxg7 28.Bxg7 Kxg7 29.Qf6+ Kg8 30.Rhf1

63
30...Rd7 (30...Qe5 31.Qxf7+ Kh8 32.g6 Qg7 33.Qxe6 Rf8 34.Qxd6+–) 31.Rde1 Qd5
32.h6+–

25.fxe7

25...Rdc8

25...Rd7 26.Rxh1 (26.g6!? fxg6 27.hxg6 hxg6 28.Rxh1 Rxe7 29.Qh2 Rf8 30.Nd2! Qd5
31.Qh8+ Kf7 32.Rf1++–) 26...e5 27.h6 Rxe7 28.hxg7 Qe4 29.Qh2 Qg6 30.Nd2 Rae8

64
31.Nf1! The transfer of the knight to the weakened black kingside decides the game. 31...d5
32.Ng3 d4 33.Bb4 Re6 34.Nh5 e4 35.Nf6+ Rxf6 36.gxf6 e3 37.Be7+–

26.Rxh1

a) 26.Bxg7? Too much fantasy can be a bad thing! 26...Be4 27.Bc3

27...b4! (27...Bf5? 28.Nd4 Qc5 29.Nxf5 Qxf5 30.Qd4 Qe5 31.Qxd6 Qxd6 32.Rxd6 Re8
33.Bf6 h6 34.g6! fxg6 35.hxg6 h5 36.Rxe6+– Black’s forces are spectacularly boxed in,
paving the way for White’s triumphant king march to the queenside to collect Black’s
pawns.) 28.Rd4 Qc6 29.Rxb4 Bf5∞ and the fight is just starting.

65
b) 26.g6!? is possible, but why seek an immediate win that involves a certain element of risk,
when White holds all the trumps!? 26...e5 (26...f6 27.gxh7+ Kxh7 28.Rxh1 e5 29.h6+–)
27.gxh7+ Kxh7 28.Qf5+ Kg8 29.Rxh1 b4

30.Rg1! Qh4 (30...bxc3 31.h6+–) 31.Bd2 Qxe7 32.Bh6!+–

26...e5

26...b4

27.Bxg7!+– Simplest. 27...Kxg7 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.e8=Q+! Deflection. (29.h6?? It’s not too
late to make a mistake. 29...Qxc2+ 30.Ka1 Qg6=) 29...Rxe8 30.h6 Kf8

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31.g6! hxg6 (31...Qe4 32.Qxf7#) 32.h7+–

27.h6

Black cannot avoid the exchange on g7 which is going to seriously weaken his king.

27...b4 28.Rh4

Considering the importance of the game for the tournament standings, I wanted to keep the
position under control as much as possible.
28.hxg7! was of course stronger. 28...Qe4 (28...bxc3 29.Qf5+–) 29.Rf1 Qg6 30.Bxb4

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30...Rc4!? A last trick. 31.Qd2! (31.Bxd6?? Rf4µ) 31...Rf4 32.Rxf4 exf4 33.Qxf4+–

28...Qe6 29.Bxb4 Qxe7 30.Qd2

Both protecting the g5-pawn and attacking Black’s d6-pawn.

30.Nd2 was also possible: 30...a5 31.hxg7 Qe6 32.Ba3 d5 33.Nf1!+–.

I have to admit that I hadn’t seen this idea of transferring the knight to the f6-square. 33...Rc4
34.Rh1 Qg6 35.Ne3 Rf4 36.Qh2 d4 37.Nd5+–

30...Qe6

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30...Rd8 31.hxg7+–

31.hxg7 Qf5 32.Qd3!?

Not the strongest move, but practical. The decision to exchange queens leaves Black with no
hope of defending his position.

32...Qxd3 33.cxd3 Rc6

33...d5 34.Be7 Kxg7 35.Bf6+ Kg6 36.Bxe5 Re8 37.Bf4 Re1+ 38.Kc2 Rc8+ 39.Kd2 Rb1
40.Be5 Kxg5 41.Rxh7+– White’s strong bishop guarantees the win.

34.Rh6 Rd8 35.Nd2?!

A bit careless. 35.Na5! Rb6 36.a3 Rb5 37.Nc4 Rd5 38.Bxd6+–

35...Rdc8

Black is now able to save his d-pawn.

36.Bc3 Kxg7

36...d5!? offered some practical chances.

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37.Rxc6 Rxc6 38.Bxe5 h6 39.gxh6 Rxh6 40.Bc3 f6 41.Nb3 Kxg7 42.Nc5 Kg6 43.Nxa6 f5
44.Nb4 f4 45.Kc2 Rh2+ 46.Kd1 Kf5 47.Bd4+–

37.Ne4 d5

38.Bxe5+

38.Nd6!+– was an instant win: 38...d4 39.Nxc8 Rxc8 40.Bd2.

38...Kf8 39.Rxc6 Rxc6 40.Nf6 Ke7 41.Nxh7 Ke6 42.Bf4 Kf5 43.Bd2+–

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Despite the previous inaccuracies, White has managed to achieve a good winning defensive
set-up for his minor pieces.. The knight is coming back into the game and his huge material
advantage of two minor pieces + pawn vs. Black’s rook is an easy technical win.

43...Ke5 44.Be3

The last accurate move. Black cannot attack any of White’s pawns.

44...Rc8 45.Nf6 Rh8 46.d4+ Ke6 47.a4 Rh3 48.Bf4 Rb3

48...Rf3 49.Be5 Rf1+ 50.Kc2 Rg1 51.Ne8 Kd7 52.Nc7+–

49.Be5 Rb4

49...a5 50.Ka2 Rd3 51.Ne8 Kd7 52.Nd6 Rf3 53.Nb7+–

50.Ne8!?

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Played with a study-like idea. I have to thank all those many hours of solving studies when I
was a kid which gave me both a sense of beauty and the ability to convert technically won
endgames.

50...Rxa4

50...Kf5 51.Nc7 Kxg5 52.Nxd5+– is a transposition.

51.Nc7+ Kf5 52.Nxd5 Kxg5 53.b3 Ra5 54.Nc3!

Black’s rook is trapped! If he gives it up for the bishop, the endgame of White’s K+N+pawn

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vs. Black’s K+2 pawns is a textbook win.

54...Kf5

Loses immediately, but other moves can only prolong resistance, not affect the outcome of
the game.
54...Rxe5 55.dxe5 Kf5

56.Na4! White’s knight now begins its adventure tour, managing to stop both of Black’s
pawns. (56.Nd5 Kxe5 57.Nb4 also works) 56...Kxe5 57.Nc5 Kd4 (57...f5 58.Kc2 f4
59.Nxa6 f3 60.Nb4 followed by 61.Nd3+–) 58.Nxa6 Kc3 59.Ka2 f5 60.Nc5

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60...Kd4 (60...f4 61.Ne6 f3 62.Ng5!+– and White wins Black’s last remaining pawn)
61.Ne6+ (61.b4?? It’s still not too late to allow Black to escape with a draw: 61...f4=)
61...Ke5 62.Ng5 Kf4 63.Nf7!+–

55.Bc7

Black resigned.

1–0

I was quite happy after this game, since it showed me that I had realistic chances to qualify
for the World Cup. There are several things worth mentioning about the location of the
tournament. Argentina is an amazing country, which I was lucky enough to visit on several
occasions prior to this event. One was the Najdorf Memorial back in the ’90s, and it is quite
amusing now to recall the moments when the grand old maestro himself would walk along
the boards in the tournament bearing his name, and sometimes even sit in a chair to the
amazement of a player contemplating his move. And if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Najdorf
would even accept an incoming phone call!! Clearly, a fantastic memory. Other memories
bring forth visions of the famous Polugaevsky and Najdorf events in 1994, with the tango
show created for the players during the opening ceremony. However that vision is even
surpassed by the follow-up when the players were invited to try to repeat the moves of the
just-completed show with professional partners! I’ll leave the ensuing mayhem to the
reader’s imagination, including the massive press interest and the poor elite players trying to
dance the tango. Now, back to the tournament. In the last round, I was paired with the local

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sensation of the event, a boy called Gaston Needleman, who succeded in escaping with a
draw against me, thus forcing seven players to fight for the remaining six qualifying spots in
a rapid round robin event later the same night. It turned into something of a scandal, after it
became apparent that almost all the grandmasters had played very cautiously amongst
themselves, mostly drawing their games, but trying to beat the boy, who took last place as a
result. Those interested in the accusation of conspiracy amongst the GMs and the scandal that
followed may wish to consult the following two links: <https://en.chessbase.com/post/-
checkmate-for-great-aspirations> and <http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic563.html#3>.
Fortunately the situation resolved itself when Mr. Needleman was offered a wild card in the
2005 World Cup by the FIDE President, Mr. Ilyumzhinov.

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 GAME 3
Gata Kamsky
Julio Granda Zúñiga
Buenos Aires 2005
Julio Granda Zúñiga (Photo by Jos Sutmuller)

This game was selected for two reasons. One, my

opponent is a well-known and talented GM from
South America, who was just as enigmatic as famous
for his lack of studying chess when he was younger,
and two, at the last tournament before my retirement
in 1996, he inflicted a particularly painful defeat on
me. Given the above, I was going for a very solid
game to prevent him from steering it into unclear
tactical skirmishes. Also, as I mentioned in the game
vs. Gulko, this tournament had great practical
significance as the official qualifier for the 2005
World Cup.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6

And so the Sicilian Najdorf.

6.a4

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I first started playing this quiet system when I was a kid, and it would crop up in my
repertoire at all stages of my chess career. Even these days I still employ it from time to time
as its major benefit is the removal of tons and tons of theory from one’s preparation. Granted,
it doesn’t eliminate preparation completely, but Black must invest quite a lot of time and
resources on analyzing this rare line, something that not every top GM is willing to do when
there are more important theoretical lines to check.

6...g6

Played after some thought. Black decides to transpose into Dragon-like structures, given that
White can no longer employ the sharp opposite-side castling attacking plan that is standard in
the mainline Dragon. Still, I was quite satisfied with this choice, as I was getting what I
wanted, a safe, quiet game where I had some idea of what I was going to do in the
middlegame.

7.Be2 Bg7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3

Another relic from my chess childhood. I have also used this system against the Classical
Dragon, without the inclusion of a2–a4 for White and ...a7–a6 for Black. Of course, it
doesn’t pose too many problems for the opponent, but if he misplays the position, he can end
up in a lot of trouble. I have quite a collection of memorable wins in these structures. We’ll
take a closer look at one of them later.

9...Nc6 10.Qd2

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White completes his development and actually wants to play on the queenside after reaching
the following set-up: Rf1–d1, potentially Nc3–d5 and a4–a5. He also wants to block Black’s
g7-bishop by establishing the b2/c3 pawn barrier. As a result, White will have an advantage
in space both in the center and on the queenside, while Black will be stuck with weak pawns
on b7 and e7 and left without much counterplay. Of course there are a lot of variables in this
plan, depending on how Black chooses to develop his queenside pieces.

10...Ng4?!

The problem with this move is that White’s e2-bishop is not really that great and its
exchange for Black’s knight favors White for a number of reasons.
First, the position is semi-closed and well-placed knights are better than bishops at probing
for and exploiting potential weak squares. Second, the bishops here don’t have targets and
require care in their placement. Finally, now that its counterpart has abandoned the d5-
square, White’s c3-knight has a clear goal in mind, viz. to head to b6 after a4–a5, taking the
c8-square and the whole c-file away from Black. Black’s ...Ng4 idea has been considered
thematic in such positions since long before I was born!! However, in this particular position,
given the weakness of the b6-square, it is not to be recommended.
a) 10...d5

This is the main line in the Classical Dragon version that leads to approximate equality. Here,
the inclusion of the moves a4 and ...a6 slightly favors White. 11.Rfd1 A well-known idea,
which will become clear in a moment. 11...e6!
a1) 11...dxe4?? allows White to demonstrate the point. 12.Nxc6 Qxd2 13.Nxe7++– This

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intermediate check is the key. White is left with an extra piece.
a2) 11...Nxd4?! 12.Qxd4 Nxe4 13.Qxd5 Nd6 (13...Nxc3?? 14.Qxd8 Nxe2+ 15.Kf1+– Now
the reason behind the f1-rook moving to d1 becomes clear; the white king joins the game.)
14.Qb3 Be6 15.Nd5±

and White gets a much better version compared to the Classical Dragon since the bishop
finds an excellent post on b6 after 15...Nf5 16.Bb6 Qd6 17.c4 Bxd5 18.Rxd5 Qe6 19.Bd3±
with a serious advantage for White due to his strong pair of bishops, pawn majority on the
queenside and strong influence in the center.
12.exd5 exd5 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Bf3∞ with a balanced game.
b) 10...Nxd4 This move has been played a lot and is a solid alternative to 10...d5. 11.Bxd4

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11...Qa5! Not allowing White’s a-pawn to reach a5 is Black’s best option. (11...a5 12.Rad1!²
with some advantage to White due to his better structure. 11...Be6 12.a5 Rc8 13.Rfd1 Nd7
14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Qc7 17.c4² is the kind of position that White wants.)
12.Rfd1 (12.Qe3?! is a waste of a tempo: 12...Be6 13.Bb6 Qb4=) 12...Be6

13.b4!? An interesting positional idea. White weakens his c2-pawn, but gets a grip on the rest
of the queenside pawn formation by getting his a-pawn to a5. 13...Qc7 14.a5 Rac8 15.Ra3

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15...Bc4 (15...Nd7?! 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qd4+ Kg8 18.Rc1! and White follows his main plan
of Nc3–a4, followed by c2–c4 fixing the structure in his favor. 18...Bc4 19.Nd5! Bxd5
20.exd5 Rfe8 21.g3 Nf6 22.Re3² Again White has reached the ideal set-up, where his
chances are clearly superior thanks to his better pawn structure, more space and potential
targets to attack on both flanks.) 16.Bf3 Nd7 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qd4+ Kg8 19.Rd2 b5
20.axb6 Qxb6 21.Bg4

21...Be6! 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Qxb6 Nxb6 24.Rxa6 Rxc3 25.Rxb6 Rfc8= and Black equalizes.

11.Bxg4 Bxg4 12.Nd5!

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Of course. Black is not in time to stop White’s knight reaching its destination on b6.

12...Rc8

12...e6? 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Nb6 Rb8 15.a5±

Now Black’s a6-pawn is extremely exposed, and with his g4-bishop under threat of being
trapped, he has no time to capture the b2-pawn, and his bad pawn structure ensures a
strategically much inferior game. 15...e5 (15...Bxb2? 16.Rab1 Bg7 17.f3 Bh5 18.g4+–
simply wins the bishop) 16.Qd3 Be6 17.Rfd1 d5 18.Bc5 Re8 19.Qxa6 Qh4 20.Bd6+– In
addition to a decisive material advantage, White’s outside passed a-pawn is going to bring

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him victory.

13.a5!²

At this point I was quite satisfied with my position, having achieved an advantage without
doing anything drastic.

13...Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bxd4

14...Rxc2 15.Qxc2 Bxd4 16.Ra4 Bg7 17.Rb4±

15.Qxd4

15...Rc6?

After this careless move Black gets into a bind and is in big trouble. My opponent was
hoping to be able to hold White off by building a defensive wall in the center, however it was
necessary to attack White’s d5-knight while the c2–pawn was unprotected.
15...Be6!² 16.Ne3! White needs to keep his knight alive. In general, the combination of
Q+N, of which I am very fond, is stronger than Q+B. (16.c4 Bxd5 17.exd5 e5 18.dxe6 fxe6²
is known to give Black very good drawing chances.) 16...Qc7

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17.Ra4! I prefer this move, since the rook will potentially be able to transfer to the kingside
after the f2–f4–f5 pawn push. The rook move also prepares for doubling on the a-file should
Black attempt to break open the position with ...b7–b6. (17.Qb4!?² One possibility amongst
others. Black is still very passive and has to await White’s decision as to where to focus the
game. White can slowly build up his position and mostly puts his pieces on dark squares
since Black’s e6-bishop is hitting empty air. Black’s position is quite defensible, but he’ll
have to be on constant guard and play accurately, which is not an enviable task. 17...Rb8
18.Ra4 b5 19.axb6 Rxb6 20.Qa5 Qa7 21.b3 Bd7 22.Ra3² is one possible line.) 17...Qc5
18.Qd2! White’s queen is perfectly placed here, defending the a5-pawn, eyeing a potential
invasion on the kingside via the h6-square and stepping behind the potential rook lift a4–d4.
Black is doomed to passivity. 18...b5 19.axb6 Qxb6 20.b3 Ra8 21.Rfa1 Rfc8 22.Qd3 Qb7!

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23.Ra5 (23.Rxa6?? Bc4!³ Suddenly Black is better!) 23...Bd7 24.Qd4 Bc6 25.f3± White’s
advantage becomes more obvious with each improvement. Black’s attempted ...b7–b6 break
only worsened his situation by giving White a direct target, the a6-pawn.

16.Qd2

A waste of a tempo, though White keeps his large positional and spatial advantage.
16.Rac1!

Simple and strong. White achieves the desired pawn formation on the queenside. My a5-
pawn is untouchable due to the threat of Nd5xe7+. 16...e5!? (16...Be6 17.Nb6±) 17.Qb4

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(17.Qd2?! Be6 18.Nb6 f5 19.Rfe1! f4 20.c4² with advantage to White, although Black has
achieved a measure of counterplay on the kingside.) 17...b5! An interesting computer attempt
to avoid being strangled on the queenside. (17...Be6 18.Qxb7 Rc5 19.b4 Bxd5 20.exd5 Rb5
21.Qxa6 Rxb4 22.c3 Rb8 23.Ra1± with a large advantage for White. ) 18.c4!

An important idea; White manages to break open and take control of the c-file. (18.axb6?!
Be6 19.Nc7 Bc4 20.Rfd1 Qb8!=) 18...Rc5 (18...Be2 19.cxb5 Bxb5 20.Rfd1 Re8 21.Rxc6
Bxc6 22.Ne3 Re6 23.Qb6!± with a huge advantage for White, since Black is unable to
protect his weaknesses on a6 and d6. 23...Qa8 24.f3 Kg7 25.Qc7 Qb7 26.Qxb7 Bxb7
27.Nc4+–) 19.cxb5 Rxb5 20.Qd2!

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A key move. Black cannot take on a5 because of Nd5–f6+, but otherwise White takes over
the c-file. 20...Be6 (20...Rxa5? 21.Nf6+ Qxf6 22.Qxa5 Be2 23.Rfe1 Bb5 24.Rc7+– Black
clearly has insufficient compensation for the exchange.) 21.Nc7! Rc5 (21...Rb7 22.Nxe6
fxe6 23.Rc6 d5 24.Rxe6± and the only question remaining is whether White will be able to
convert his large advantage.) 22.Nxe6 fxe6 23.b4! Rxc1 24.Rxc1 Qd7 25.Qd3 Rc8 26.Rd1
Rc6 27.b5 axb5 28.Qxb5 Qc8 29.g3 Kf7 30.Kg2±

Thanks to the outside passed a-pawn White has a clear advantage and great winning chances.

16...Be6 17.Nb6±

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Now begins a long maneuvering phase with White attempting to slowly improve his position
and break through Black’s defenses at an opportune moment.

17...Qc7

The start of a curious plan involving the centralization of Black’s c6-rook. Given the
situation, I would have recommended Black to start opening up the position immediately
with 17...f7–f5, since passive defense doesn’t really work.
Thus 17...f5! is what I felt Black should have done both during the game and even now while
annotating it. Obviously Black opens up lines for White’s rooks in the center, and creates
structural deficiencies in his pawn structure, but at least he’ll have some active play. 18.exf5
Rxf5 19.Rfe1 Bf7 20.h3 Qc7 21.Rac1!

White makes progress by means of little preparatory steps. 21...d5

a) 21...g5?! Much too weakening. 22.c4! The idea behind the previous move. 22...h6
(22...Bxc4 23.g4! Rf4 24.Nxc4 Rcxc4 25.Rxc4 Qxc4 26.Rxe7! and suddenly Black’s king is
wide open.) 23.b3 Rcc5 24.b4 Rc6 25.Rc3 e5 26.h4!±

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Finally, by combining threats in the center and on both flanks, White achieves a
breakthrough. 26...Qe7 27.Rd3! Rf4 28.b5+–
b) 21...Rcc5?! 22.b4 Rc3 23.Rxe7 Rxc2 24.Rxc2 Qxe7 25.Nc8±
22.c3 h5 23.b4 g5 24.f3 Kg7 25.Re2!

White has to be careful, as any slight inaccuracy might spoil all the previous hard work.
25...e6 (25...h4 26.Rce1 e5 27.Na4! White exploits Black’s loss of control over the c5-square
to transfer his knight to a better location with great effect. Black’s decision to move so many
pawns both in the center and on the kingside exposed them to danger. 27...Rc4 28.Nc5±)
26.Re3! Now that Black has closed access to the sixth rank for his c6-rook, White can

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rearrange his rooks, with the idea of improving the passive rook on c1 to the d4-square with
Rd1–d4.

18.c3?!

Again, too timid. White should have played 18.Rac1, preparing the c2–c4 space-grabbing
pawn push.

18...Rc5 19.Rfe1 Re5 20.b4!

White has connected his queenside pawns and, more importantly, taken control of the c5-
square which disables the coordination amongst Black’s heavy pieces.

20...Qc6 21.Qd4

I was curious to see what my creative opponent would come up with next.

21...g5!?

A bit exotic, but Black wants to try to maintain his rook on e5. In addition, he starts to place
his pawns on squares of opposite color to his bishop, a smart strategy overall.

22.Re3

White is in no rush to make unprepared pawn moves and prepares to move his a1-rook to e1,
then decide whether to play c3–c4 or prepare for the f2–f3–f4 break.

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22.f3 f5 23.exf5 Rfxf5 would give Black some measure of counterplay, though after the
following sequence, White is still better:

24.c4 Rf4 (24...Qe8 25.c5 Qc6 26.h4 h6 27.Rxe5 Rxe5 28.Rd1±) 25.Qc3 Rff5 26.Rad1 Bf7
27.Qd4 h6 (27...Rf4? 28.Rxe5!+– The point behind White’s last move.) 28.Rxe5 Rxe5 29.h4
Be6 (29...Qc7? 30.f4 gxf4 31.Qxf4+– Opening the kingside is decisive, since Black’s queen
is out of play.) 30.c5 g4 31.cxd6 exd6 32.fxg4 Qe4 33.Qxd6 Qxg4 34.Qxe5 Qxd1+ 35.Kh2
Kf7

36.Nc4! Bxc4 37.Qc7+ Kg6 38.Qxc4 Qd6+ 39.Kh3± with strong winning chances for
White.

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22...f6?

A serious inaccuracy.
22...g4!?

Giving Black’s e5-rook some breathing space was a possible improvement over the game
move. 23.Nd5! I would have had to find this tactical nuance, and I’m not sure I would have!
(23.c4?! f6 24.g3 Qe8 25.Rc1 Kg7 26.h4! An important idea in this position. White prevents
Black’s threat of transferring his queen to h3 for an attack on White’s slightly open king.

26...h5 27.Nd5 Bxd5 28.exd5² While White’s advantage is indisputable, Black’s solid rock

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of a rook on e5 and White’s open king make the successful conversion of White’s advantage
a risky proposition.) 23...Qd7
a) 23...Bxd5? 24.exd5 Qxd5 25.Qxg4+ Rg5 (25...Kh8 26.Rg3+–) 26.Rd1 Rxg4 27.Rxd5 Rc8
28.h3 Rf4 29.Rxe7 Rxc3 30.Rxb7 Rc1+ 31.Kh2 Rxf2 32.b5!+–
b) 23...Re8 24.Rg3 f5 25.exf5 Bxf5 26.Ne3 Re4 27.Qd2+–
24.Rg3!

The idea behind White’s previous move; Black is forced to make concessions due to the
strong threat of f2–f4. 24...Bxd5 (24...h5?? 25.f4+–) 25.exd5 f5 26.f4 Re2 (26...Re4
27.Rxg4++– Kf7 28.Rg7+ Ke8 29.Qa7 Qc8 30.Rxh7 Qxc3 31.Qb8+ Kd7 32.Qxb7+ Kd8
33.Qa8+ Kd7 34.Qa7+ Kd8 35.Rf1 Re1 36.Qa8+ Kc7 37.Qxa6+–) 27.Qd3 Rb2 28.Re1 Rf7
29.h3 h5 30.hxg4 hxg4 31.Rge3±

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31...Qd8 32.Re6 Qf8 33.Rg6+ Rg7 34.Rh6 Qf7 35.Qc4 Qf8 36.Ree6‚ and even with perfect
play, Black is still under a lot of pressure.

23.f3!

Now Black cannot play ...g5–g4 anymore and White can continue with his plan of slow
improvement while Black is relegated to the role of onlooker.

23...Qe8 24.Rae1 Qh5 25.c4 Kf7!?

During the game I was quite impressed with my opponent’s originality and resourcefulness.

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Given his attacking prowess, and being an aggressive player in general, he finds a potential
plan of attack even in this very blocked and passive position!! Black is going for the creative
plan of ...Rf8–g8–g6–h6 which he can follow up with a bishop sacrifice on h3.

26.Na4!?

After deducing my opponent’s intention and spurred by his last move, I decided just to go
and grab the e5-rook by transferring my knight to d3.
26.c5!? was also possible, but I was afraid of spoiling my advantage by breaking the
structural bind.

26...Rd8 (26...dxc5 27.bxc5 Kg8 28.Na4 Qe8 29.Nb2 Qd7 30.Qc3 Bf7 31.Nd3 Re6 32.f4
gxf4 33.Nxf4 Re5 34.Rg3+ Rg5 35.e5ƒ) 27.Qd2 Kg8 28.Rd3±

26...Rc8

26...Rg8 27.Nb2 Rg6 28.R1e2! Rh6 29.g3

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After this move it becomes clear that Black’s attacking ideas are just an illusion. 29...Bd7
30.Nd3 Re6 31.Rf2+– and White follows up with the f3–f4 break, winning material.

27.Nb2

27...Kg7?

Despair. Black could still have posed tactical problems with the fantastic computer resource
27...Qh6!. Black threatens to open the position with ...g5–g4, while simultaneously vacating
the h5-square for his rook! 28.g3

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28...Kg8
[28...g4 29.f4 Rh5 Black has managed to extricate his rook from being trapped. 30.R3e2 Rc6
31.f5!

The decisive approach. White finally severs Black’s connection between the flanks, and most
importantly between his heavy pieces, while sending Black’s key defender, the e6-bishop,
back home. 31...Bc8 32.Nd3 Qf8 33.b5 Rc7 34.Qb6! Qd8 (34...Rxc4 35.bxa6 bxa6
36.Qb3+–) 35.Nf4 Rg5 36.Nd5 Rd7 37.Qe3!!+–

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White’s next moves are doubling rooks on the c-file and going for the c4–c5 pawn break,
which will allow him to penetrate with his rooks to the seventh rank, getting to Black’s weak
e-pawn.]
29.Rc3 Bf7 30.Nd3 Re6 31.Qa7 d5

32.Nc5! d4 33.Rd3 Rd6 34.Qxb7 Qf8 35.e5 fxe5 36.Rxe5 Rb8 37.Rxg5+ Bg6 38.Qe4 Qf6
39.Qg4 Rxb4 40.Ne4 Qe6 41.Qxe6+ Rxe6 42.Rxd4 Kf8 43.Rc5!+– And despite some
technical difficulties, White should win this, for example 43...Rb2 44.h4 Ra2 45.Kf1 h6
46.g4 Kg7 47.h5 Bh7 48.Nd2 Ra3 (48...Ra1+ 49.Kf2 Ree1 50.Rc6 Bc2 51.c5 Rec1 52.Rxa6
Ra2 53.Kg3+–) 49.Kf2+–

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White manages to stabilize his position and the win should not be in doubt, since in addition
to White’s two extra pawns, what remains of Black’s pawn formation is full of weaknesses,
albeit they are temporarily compensated for by his active rook.

28.Rc1 Bf7 29.Nd3 Re6 30.f4

Black had had enough and resigned.

1–0

Obviously my opponent could still have put up a lot of resistance after losing the exchange,

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but the result would not have been in doubt, and the time saved might have come in useful
for preparation for the next game!

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 GAME 4
Gata Kamsky
Magnus Carlsen
Khanty-Mansiysk 2005

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5

And so the Sveshnikov. I first faced this system in a childhood game played in private in our
communal apartment in St. Petersburg. My father had invented a rather original system of
inviting strong candidate masters and even masters to play a game against me — for money!
If they won a game, they were paid ten rubles (close to $5 in 1985), if they drew it was five,
and if they lost they got nothing. Of course I lost many games at first, before starting to make
draws. Father was always very demanding and had tried whatever methods were necessary to
make me work hard since I was two years old. I soon grew to absolutely resent and hate my
father, though my fear of his absolute control and threats grew just as much. The only thing I
could do to oppose him was to refuse his demands, hence my progress in chess was almost
non-existent. Also, because of this relationship, I never had much choice in my decisions in
life before I was thirty years old, and all the prizes and money that I made were absolutely
under his control. He would grant me occasional requests and would later pay for some of
my education, but everything else was out of my control. At around thirty years of age,
thanks to my first wife, we left home after barely two months of marriage and I never
returned.
But back to my early years of chess training. One of my regular opponents was a young

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master called Agapov, whose life was to take a tragic turn about five years later. He
successfully destroyed my amateurish attempts to build up some sort of fantasy opening set-
up, due to my father’s insistence on studying Panov’s opening books and my complete
rebellion not to. This led to my playing different openings with spontaneous adventures over
the board leading into the unknown. Eventually, and thanks to Mr. Agapov’s opening choices
against me, I came to understand that chess can be very complicated and even theory can be
incomplete, as I kept getting mated with White in the Marshall Attack in the Spanish game.
There were a couple of games which featured the Sicilian Defense, and that was the first time
I faced the Sveshnikov. Somehow, and very carefully, I was trying to follow the logical
course of the first moves, thus actually opening myself up to theory for the first time, but of
course all the theoretical lines had been well known for decades! In one of those games
against Mr. Agapov, I finally managed to obtain a winning position, but at that moment my
experienced opponent introduced me to the last psychological trick. He offered me a draw in
a lost king and pawn endgame in which he would lose his last pawn and the game after a
forced sequence of about ten simple moves. I thought for a long time, but finally ‘trusted’
him and agreed, whereupon he immediately told me that of course he was lost and I should
trust my instincts!! My father was also informed, but he was happy enough that I had drawn
with a very strong master, so it was one of the rare occasions when I did not get reprimanded.
Ever since that game, I have remembered fondly the system which occurred in it, and made a
point of analyzing it to the best of my abilities. It also suits my chess style perfectly as it
allows for a maneuvering game, probing for weaknesses in the opponent’s camp, while
giving White significant defensive capabilities in case things go wrong. I have scored very
successfully as White in this system, including important wins in various tournaments, so
I’m still content with my choice to this day. Years later, many people would adopt a similar
approach, thus almost eliminating the Sveshnikov Variation from tournament practice, as it
seemed that Black had no hope of anything more than a draw here, however Magnus
returned to it in his 2018 World Championship match against Fabiano Caruana, and when he
used it again to great effect in his victory in the Gashimov Memorial in 2019, it had clearly
become one of his favorite weapons as Black.

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 Magnus Carlsen (Photo by Frans Peeters)

6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3

The other major alternative of course is 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Na3, leading to very sharp theoretical
lines which I was not very fond of for either side.

8...b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6

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11.c3

With the text move, White gets a very pretty knight on d5, and a very logical follow-up plan
in the development of the f1-bishop to e2 and then to either f3 or g4, while the a3-knight will
join its comrade on d5 via the e3- or b4-square. Furthermore, in terms of the structure,
Black’s d6-pawn is weak, and so potentially are those on a6 and b5, since White will be
attempting an a-pawn breakthrough with a2–a4, leading to an isolated a-pawn for Black. In
compensation, Black has a pair of bishops and a temporary lead in development, however
these are not easy to use and Black’s previously thematic plan with ...f7–f5 does not quite
work, since the white king’s defenses are super-solid and White is a lot faster breaking
through on the queenside and creating pressure on the d-file against the d6-pawn. Through a
lot of trial and error, it is now well established that Black must eliminate White’s d5-knight
and then attempt to go for the ...b5–b4 break, forcing White to decide whether to play c3–c4,
weakening the dark squares, especially d4 and c5, or stay put and allow Black to take on c3,
which would create certain targets for the black bishops and rooks. In addition, Black’s dark-
squared bishop is considered to be ideally placed along the a7–g1 diagonal. If Black manages
to get all of the things mentioned above, then he can be considered at least equal, but in
practice it’s not quite so easy. My first round match against the Chinese GM Zhao Jue was a
win vs. the Sveshnikov where I demonstrated White’s resources. I’m pretty sure my
opponent had based his preparation on that game, amongst others.
11.c4 is another main line which, however, leads to entirely different structures.

11...Bg5 12.Nc2

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12...Ne7!

One of the older main moves was 12...0-0, however back in the ’90s I had prepared some
pretty wild and novel concepts, some of which I was able to demonstrate during my
extensive time playing blitz on the ICC (Internet Chess Club).
One of the ideas was later used in tournament practice and became one of the main lines that
runs as follows:
12...0-0 13.a4 bxa4 14.Rxa4 a5 15.Bc4 Rb8 16.Ra2!

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This looks a mysterious move, the purpose of which will soon become clear. 16...g6 17.Nce3
Kh8 18.h4! Seems inconsistent with White’s play on both the queenside and in the center.
Where is the white king planning to go? 18...Bxh4 19.g3 Bf6 20.f4 exf4 21.gxf4 Bh4+
22.Kf1 f5

23.b3! fxe4 24.Rah2!!∞ I’m quite proud to say that I had analyzed (quite possibly
incorrectly!) this far back in the ’90s when the idea was played just once or twice at amateur
level. After I had revealed this in a blitz game on ICC, suddenly it became all the rage in
tournament practice at the very top level. The idea was of course modified and improved
upon in various ways, but to my fans I say this: the London System is, of course, the primary
opening system where I have managed to leave a substantial mark, but there are other
openings where I felt I managed to influence modern opening theory, the Sveshnikov being
one of them.

13.Ncb4

Choosing the most solid approach. Having lost a really wild first game as Black, where the
position changed rapidly from worse to much better to a blunder, I wanted to keep total
strategic control over this second game. Of course other moves pose Black more serious
challenges, for example 13.a4, or even the inclusion of 13.h4. I leave the investigation of
these lines to the reader.

13...0-0 14.a4

White challenges the black queenside pawn structure and liberates the c4-square for his f1-

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bishop. This is by far the most popular move in this position.

14...bxa4 15.Qxa4

15.Rxa4!? is quite playable too.

15...a5?!

A slight inaccuracy. Black wants to move his a-pawn to a dark square to eliminate White’s
pressure on it, and also wants to take the b4-square away from White’s control, leaving the b-
file as a potential playground for his a8-rook. However, as Carlsen himself demonstrated
several years later, it is more accurate for Black to exchange on d5 immediately.
15...Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Bd7

17.Qd1! In some lines it is useful for White to retain the option of playing Qh5 or Nd5–b4,
hitting Black’s weaknesses on f7 and d6 respectively. 17...a5 18.Bc4 a4 19.0-0 Rb8 20.Nb4
Qb6 21.g3 g6 22.Qe2 Kg7 23.Bd3∞ with a very complex game.

16.Bb5

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White played this automatically, as it allows him to get the bishop to c6 followed by the b2–
b4–b5 pawn push, where the pawn and the bishop would be perfect for each other.
However the simple 16.Bc4 deserves attention as well: 16.Bc4!? Bd7 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7
18.Nd5! Qd8 19.Qd1 a4 20.0-0 leading to a transposition to 15...Nxd5.

16...Nxd5 17.Nxd5

Again, checking the database, this looks like an automatic move. The computer suggests that
17.exd5 is also quite interesting, though counterintuitive. White’s b4-knight lodges itself on
c6 instead.

17...Be6 18.Bc6

18.Bc4?! would be a waste of a tempo, compared to the positions we have discussed earlier.
18...Bd7 19.Qa2 a4 20.0-0 g6 (20...Qa5?! 21.Qa3!±) 21.Qb1 (21.Rfd1 Kg7∞) 21...Kg7
22.Qd3 f5 23.exf5

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23...Bxf5 (23...gxf5?! 24.f4!± A thematic idea for White in these structures, stopping the
black f-pawn on f5, where it limits Black’s own coordination. Black cannot capture on f4
because it would ruin his pawn structure, give White’s knight a perfect post on f4 and, at the
same time, force Black to abandon all hopes of aggression on the kingside. He has to remain
passive and await White’s preparations for play against his numerous pawn weaknesses.
White has the advantage.) 24.Qe2 Ra7∞

18...Rb8

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19.Ra2!?

A very subtle move.

I do not want to open the position and make life easy for Black. The obvious 19. b4 has been
played more often, but Black almost equalizes after the sequence below. Most importantly,
after the text move, my opponent had to start thinking on his own. Magnus’s body language
suggested that he was not too happy with his position here.
a) 19.b3 Kh8 20.0-0 Bd2!= A very important move. White cannot prevent Black’s dark-
squared bishop from joining the game on the queenside.
b) 19.b4 Bxd5 20.Bxd5 axb4 21.cxb4 Qb6 22.Rb1

22...Be3! (22...Qd4 23.0-0 Bd2 24.Rfd1 Rxb4 25.Qd7! The initiative is more important than
a pawn here, especially the weak d-pawn. 25...Qb6 26.Rxb4 Qxb4 27.g3 Bc3 28.Kg2 Bd4
29.Rc1 Qb8 30.Rc7 Kh8 31.h4!² and Black will still have to suffer a little before he can
equalize fully.) 23.0-0 (23.fxe3 Qxe3+ 24.Kf1 Qd3+ 25.Kf2 Rfc8 26.Rhf1 Rc2+ 27.Kg1
Qd2 28.Qxc2 Qxc2 29.Rxf7 Kh8 30.Rbf1 g6= leads to a draw) 23...Bd4 24.Qd7 g6 25.b5
Kg7 26.Bc6 Qd8!= and Black equalizes, thanks to his strong bishop on d4.

19...Qc8

Not so much a simple tactical threat of ...Bxd5 and ...Rxb2, but more a solution of how to
bring Black’s temporarily bad g5-bishop to the queenside.
The other option was of course to rush the ...f7–f5 breakthrough, followed by the thematic
...e5–e4 push, which would result in a position where both sides have chances, since White’s

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bishop is not that well placed for that structure. It should be on d5, controlling the d5 and e4
squares.

20.0-0 Bd8²

Black has achieved his goal of bringing his bishop to the queenside, however the
coordination of his heavy pieces is not yet developed, and it’s not clear whether he is
prepared to let go of his bishop pair by exchanging on d5.

21.b4

The logical follow-up; since White is stronger on the queenside, that is exactly where he
should play.

21...Kh8

A rather strange move. I was expecting the logical 21...axb4:

21...axb4 22.cxb4 Bxd5 23.Bxd5 Qc3 (23...Bb6 24.Rc2 Qd8 25.g3 Bd4 26.Kg2 g6

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27.Rc6! with advantage to White, thanks in part to the loss of time involved in the black
queen moving to c8 and back to d8. White has managed to lodge his rook on c6, which is an
improvement compared to the position where White’s pawn is on b5 and Black’s bishop
moves to c5 to deny White’s rooks entry into Black’s camp. 27...Kh8 28.b5 f5 29.exf5 gxf5
30.f4 Qe7 31.Qc4 Bb6² White has a certain advantage, thanks to the passed b-pawn. In
addition, the presence of opposite-colored bishops guarantees an exciting life for both sides,
since they make potential attacks all the stronger.) 24.Rb1 Bb6 25.b5 Kh8 26.Rc2 Qd3
27.Qb3 Qxb3 28.Rxb3 f5 29.exf5 Rxf5 30.g3 g6² Even in the endgame Black still has to
suffer for a long time, a prospect that was quite helpful to me in a must-win match situation.

22.Rd2!?

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Another logical response. I now intend to recapture on d5 with the rook, rather than the
bishop, in order to prevent Black’s queen from entering my camp.

22...Qa6?!

A not-so-obvious inaccuracy that gives me some concrete targets. Black, of course, should
have taken on b4 and d5, going for a slightly inferior position.
22...Bxd5 23.Rxd5 axb4 24.cxb4 f5! This timely breakthrough allows Black to escape the
bind and equalize. 25.b5 (25.Rxd6 fxe4 26.Bxe4 Qc4=) 25...fxe4 26.Qxe4 Bb6

27.Rd2 (27.Rxd6 Rxf2! 28.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 29.Kh1 Rxb5!=) 27...Rf4 28.Qd5 Bc5 29.g3 Rb4

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30.Kg2 Qg8!= and Black gets a superior version of the endgame, thanks to his well-placed
rook on b4.

23.b5

Of course! Now, with just one move, Black gets into serious trouble.

23...Qa7 24.Qa3!

The point: Black is simply losing a pawn. At the same time, the non-exchange on b4 favors
White, since Black’s a-pawn is more of a liability than a strength, or so I thought...

24...Bxd5

Forced.
a) 24...Bg5 This allows Black to save his d-pawn, but dooms his a-pawn. 25.Rd3 Rfd8
26.Ra1± White is clearly better. Here is one way the game could develop: 26...f5 27.Qxa5
Qxa5 28.Rxa5 fxe4 29.Rd1 Bxd5 30.Rxd5 e3

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31.f3! Bf6 32.Ra4! e4 33.Rxe4 Bxc3 34.Rxe3 Bb4 35.Re7 Bc5+ 36.Kf1+– Black has
managed to bring his bishop back to the a7–g1 diagonal, but he’s a pawn down, facing
White’s strong passed b-pawn and with limited mobility for his rooks. It’s very unlikely that
Black can save this endgame.
b) 24...Qc5?! 25.Qxc5 dxc5

26.Rb1 (26.c4 g6 27.f3 f5 28.exf5 Bxf5 29.Ne3 Bg5 30.Kf2±) 26...g6 27.Ne3 Bg5 28.Bd5
Rfd8 29.c4 Bxe3 30.fxe3 f5 31.Ra2 Bg8 32.Bxg8 Kxg8 33.exf5 gxf5 34.Rxa5+– leaves
White with a winning endgame.

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25.Qxd6

Thanks to 21...Kh8, Black’s f8-rook is no longer protected, which allows White to play this
intermediate move.

25...Be7 26.Qxd5 Rfd8 27.Qa2 Rxd2 28.Qxd2

28...a4

Given the presence of opposite-colored bishops and Black’s own passed a-pawn it seems that

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the situation is not that bad for him. However, as we all know, appearances can be deceptive.
Black would have been well advised to play 28...g6 to cover his back rank and the f7-pawn,
the better to protect his king.
28...g6! 29.Qd5

29...Kg7 (29...f6 30.Qe6 Kg7 31.g3 Qc7 32.Kg2 Bc5 33.Rd1 Rd8 34.Bd5 Qb6 35.Qc6
Qxc6 36.bxc6 Bd6 37.Rb1 Rb8 38.Rb7+ Rxb7 39.cxb7 a4± but Black can probably draw
this) 30.Qxe5+ Bf6 31.Qf4 Bxc3 32.Rd1 Rf8 33.Rd7 Qc5 34.Bd5 Bf6 35.g3 Qxb5
36.Qc7!+– This line demonstrates well how White’s attack can suddenly become vicious and
strong, given that his bishop on d5 has no counterpart.

29.Qa2

29.Qd5 would transpose to the game after 29...a3.

29...a3!?

Quite correct. Black’s a-pawn is more important for his counterplay than any of his other
pawns combined.
29...Kg8 30.Rd1 Rd8 31.Bd5 Rf8 32.b6!?

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It was my intention to exchange the pawns. Black has to accept, otherwise my b-pawn would
be more dangerous than his a-pawn. 32...Qxb6 33.Qxa4 g6 (33...Qb2 34.Qc4) 34.g3 Kg7
35.Kg2 Bc5 36.Qa2! With the threat of Rd1–b1–b7. 36...Qa7 37.Qxa7 Bxa7 38.Ra1 Bb6
39.Ra6 Rb8± and despite White’s extra pawn, Black has very good chances to defend
successfully.

30.Qxf7

30...Rf8??

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Just when the game was starting to get interesting, Black commits a losing blunder. Of
course, at this point, Black was also short of time and looking very tired after having to
defend for so long, so in retrospect this move is understandable.
a) 30...a2? 31.Ra1+–
b) 30...Qc5! This move would have required a lot of work from White to prove that he has a
hint of advantage. Black relocates his forces to attack White’s f-pawn, while blockading
White’s pawn avalanche on the queenside with his dark-squared bishop and queen. 31.Bd5!
White needs to regroup his forces to control Black’s increasing activity. The bishop must
cover the a2-square. 31...Rf8 32.Qe6 Bd8 33.Qc6 Bb6 34.h4

34...g6 (34...Rxf2? leads to a won endgame for White: 35.Qxc5 Rxf1+ 36.Kxf1 Bxc5
37.Ke2 g6 38.Bb3 Kg7 39.Kd3 Bb6 40.Kc4 Ba5 41.Kd5 Bxc3 42.b6 Bd4 43.b7 Ba7
44.Kxe5 Bb8+ 45.Ke6+–) 35.g3 (35.Qe6?! Kg7 36.Qxe5+ Kh6 37.Qg3 Kg7!!²

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and despite White’s three [!!!] extra pawns, it is not clear how he can make progress!!)
35...Rf3! and Black manages to transpose into an endgame where he should make a draw
with relative ease. 36.Kh1!

White tries to set this last trap. 36...Rxf2! (36...Qxc6? 37.bxc6 Rxc3 38.Rb1± This endgame
is quite dangerous for Black though. The presence of rooks gives White additional
resources.) 37.Qe8+ Kg7 38.Qxe5+ Kh6 39.Rxf2 Qxf2 40.Qf4+ Qxf4 41.gxf4 Be3!= with a
draw.

31.b6!

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The trick that my young opponent missed. Now there’s no escape and he resigned. After this
game, we went on to play the rapid tie-breaks which were quite tough. I thought my chances
were greater, but in the end, I won simply because I kept pressing in a completely equal
endgame, even at the risk of losing, just like in an earlier tie-break versus GM Smirin.
Fortunately fate was on my side that day and I managed to spring a tactical trick on my
opponent which led to victory. However, after the match, it became quite obvious that the
‘kid’ was a major rising talent who would one day even become a champion. It would take
quite some time though before Magnus became our current World Champion in 2013, and
back in 2005 I still had rather serious aspirations of my own for the world title.

1–0

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 GAME 5
Gata Kamsky
Viswanathan Anand
Wijk aan Zee 2006
Wijk aan Zee. The premier annual elite chess tournament of the year is held in a small Dutch
village approximately an hour by train from Amsterdam. If anyone among the elite had a
claim to the crown, he had to prove that he was worthy by winning this elite round-robin
event. It was also my first super-tournament after returning to chess in the summer of 2004.
Upon my return, in my mind I had set a goal for myself, first to reach elite level within the
first three years and then enter the fight for the World Championship. Being invited to the
absolute top elite level event within one and half years of my return gave me a sense that I
was right on schedule.
Of course, being older now and more attuned to my surroundings, I must say that while the
chess atmosphere in Wijk is very good, the cold, dreary weather and the realization that you
have to spend two weeks alone within the four walls of your room in a depressing
environment quickly led to a loss of fighting spirit and spending a lot of my time playing
video games on my computer. This had been my addiction since moving to the US and
seeing how computer technology there was years ahead of computer development in Russia.
I must say that my gaming addiction was the only thing that kept me alive and sane
throughout the years until the moment when I obtained freedom from my father. But it had a
huge negative effect, since after being an addict for a couple of decades, I could no longer
stop and, honestly, it damaged everything from personal relationships to my chess hopes. To
this day, I sometimes lose track of time and can play non-stop for days, however, thanks to
my very supportive partner in life, I am able to curb the effect somewhat compared to the
past, when I could simply go for weeks and even months playing everything from Everquest,
Age of Wonders, Dota and League of Legends to anything with a strategical element that can
be played on a PC.
Of course you can wonder what might have been if I hadn’t spent years playing games, but
instead focused entirely on chess, but that is nonsense. There are no ifs and buts, no changing
the past or timelines, so even thinking about it is a waste of time. What’s done is done. But
enough of that; this book is more about my selected games than my personal life.

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 Viswanathan Anand (Photo by Frans Peeters)

1.d4

The Wijk tournament was not going well for me at this point. I had lost more games than I
had won, but my games vs. Anand are always very special and make me concentrate fully on
attempting to defeat my opponent. This is quite unusual for me, since although I consider the
sporting/fighting element of chess to be important, I consider it less so than the search for
something creative, beautiful and artistic. The scientific approach of studying theory for
many hours does not particularly appeal to me either. The old memory of how my opponent
behaved on the sidelines while Kasparov was dictating the conditions and timing of my final
PCA match still triggered a sense of resentment, and I still felt that his silent acceptance of
his privilege was shameful, therefore I no longer had any respect for him as a person. After
my return to chess, this feeling only got stronger, seeing him using his privileged position to
focus only on top level tournaments, trying to keep his high rating by which he could skip all
the rigorous qualifications that most of the ‘mortals’ (who number in the millions) have to
take part in to get to the Candidates. Having said that, the reader will now think that I spent
the whole evening and night before preparing for the game. Nope. Being quite depressed and

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considering the state of chess in the world, I played my fantasy games and went to the board
ready to fight until either I got mated or my opponent resigned. The only sensible thing I
decided to do was to avoid my opponent’s famous preparation. Hence the first move.

1...d5 2.c4

This move probably came as a surprise for both of us. Me, because I did not want to play the
London System, which I still did not analyze quite as well as in modern times; my opponent,
probably because he expected the London. In terms of psychology I think it is an interesting
idea to make your opponent spend many hours preparing theoretical lines, wasting his mental
energy and concentration, only for you play something completely different, having
conserved some of that vital intellectual energy. Of course, in a perfect scenario, you should
also analyze your own selected theoretical lines, but that’s where I was lacking.

2...dxc4

A surprise for me. Now I was desperately trying to remember some lines that I had looked at
in the ’90s.
I only remembered vague ideas in the 3.e4 line that I played versus GM Short in my PCA
semi-finals in Spain. To relate everything connected to that match would take a separate
novel.

3.e4

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An attempt to bluff that I had seriously prepared something here....

3...Nf6

And I more or less succeeded.

One of the very sharp theoretical lines here is 3...e5. There is a LOT of stuff on it that must
be memorized in order to play it well. The move in the game leads to a more strategically-
oriented battle.

4.e5

4.Nc3 is possible, but then Black has two good alternatives: 4...Nc6 and 4...e5. Both lines
give Black a good game according to theory.

4...Nd5 5.Bxc4

5...Nb6

The curious move 5...Nc6 is sometimes played. Many games have ended in a short draw
after 6.Nf3 Nb6 7.Bb3 Bg4 8.Ng5 Bxd1 9.Bxf7+ Kd7 10.Be6+ Ke8 11.Bf7+= but of course
there are plenty of other moves to avoid this result.

6.Bd3

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Or 6.Bb3. The idea is to prevent Black’s c8-bishop developing to e6, from where it can be
transferred to either c4 or d5, solving Black’s standard problem in 1.d4 openings of this
bishop’s development. There is too much theory to cover here; I just mention it and other
possibilities for the reader to keep in mind.

6...Nc6 7.Ne2

7...Be6

A rarely played sub-line.

Black probably feared my prep from the ’90s in the main line after 7...Bg4 with the standard
plan ...Qd8–d7, ...e7–e6, ...0-0-0 and ...Bf8–e7, followed by expansion on the kingside.
Many games have been played here, with a lot of interesting ideas. The verdict is still open.
7...Nb4!? was popular in the ’90s. 8.Be4 f5! The point. Now White has the choice of
allowing his e4-bishop to be closed out of the kingside, or exchanging his e5-pawn in the
hope of using the weak light squares in the black camp. Since Black has stopped playing this
line, it suggests that White’s chances must be preferable here.

8.Nbc3 Qd7

Black has successfully employed the immediate 8...Bc4, but after 9.Bxc4 Nxc4 10.Qb3 Nb6
11.e6 fxe6 the computer’s suggestion 12.0-0!² makes a lot of sense. The doubled e-pawns
restrict Black’s own development. Furthermore, White potentially threatens to recapture on

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e6 with his knight, rather than queen. White should hold a certain advantage here. (12.Qxe6?
This automatic recapture leads to a good game for Black after 12...Qd7=.)

9.Ne4

At this point, I realized that I had entered a position completely unknown to me and started to
think. The first thing when you reach a position you have not seen before is to calm down
and take a prolonged think, as there are many considerations to weigh up. What follows is
my thinking on how to correctly approach decision making in a chess game in general.
1. Count the pieces that are developed and undeveloped.
2. Look for immediate threats.
3. Take a look at the pawn structure and the potential squares, strengths and weaknesses the
structure offers.
4. Evaluate to the best of your ability who is playing for an advantage and who is fighting for
equality.
5. Based on the above observations, decide on the optimal plan of achieving the goal in no. 4
by looking at the ideas suggested by the structure and piece placement. Here we also employ
the famous GM Kotov’s method of looking for the complete list of candidate moves to
accomplish the goals and ideas. (I have always recommended his book, Think Like a
Grandmaster, to beginners and intermediate level players who want to become better.)
6. Attempt to calculate each candidate move and its branches (based on your opponent’s
replies) to a logical conclusion as deeply as you possibly can, always ending with a concrete

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evaluation of the position.
This seems quite difficult and time-consuming, however if you have been doing this at the
top level for at least several years, it becomes second nature. I’m not even going to mention
what happens when you have played chess for decades! The only concern at such levels is
that when trying to look too deeply into the position, especially if the variations reveal great
beauty and geometry, even the most experienced players can become caught up in its
timeless grasp, when short time controls start to become a critical factor. In addition, there
are considerations that are unique for each chess player.
There are many techniques and variations that characterize the choice-making process of
each player as belonging to a certain chess school of thought. The absolute top players are
highly proficient in playing any and all kinds of positions: strategic, tactical, dynamic,
attacking, defensive, complex and simple middlegames and endgames. However, given this
wide range, each player develops his own specialty where he is strongest, thus striving to
steer the course of the game into the positions where he excels. My style is akin to Lasker’s
approach to the game, which quite incidentally can be seen in my other non-chess-related
games. Lasker was among the first to recognize the importance of psychology. He would, on
purpose, make the objectively worst move on the board, knowing that this move would have
a stronger effect on his opponent than the best move would have done. Thus a move which
might lose against a strategic player might be considered highly advantageous against a
tactical player, and so on. Former World Champion Petrosian was famous for his
prophylactic approach, which is a method of merging Lasker’s approach with a more general
and circumspect level of play versus an opponent of any style.
To show how this works in this game, I looked at the potential plans for Black and realized
that his plan hinges almost entirely on the ability to develop his e6-bishop to c4, in order to
play ...e7–e6 to open up his f8-bishop. For a player who has ever played the Grünfeld
Defense on a high level, it becomes apparent that the development of the f8-bishop to g7 via
...g7–g6 is inconceivable due to the fact that White’s d4/e5 pawn chain is known to
effectively block such a g7-bishop in the first place. The move in the game forces Black to
abandon his plan of playing ...Be6–c4 and put the bishop on d5, taking away this square from
his knights, which, again, has more of a psychological effect. The game remains balanced,
but by denying Black his optimal development, he is forced into an uncomfortable situation
where he has to work out how to untangle his pieces.

9...Bd5

Not too many games have been played in this line since this game. It would be safe to say
that Black does not like the resulting positions much.

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a) 9...Bc4? cannot be played: 10.Nc5 Qc8 11.Bxc4 Nxc4 12.e6! fxe6 13.Nf4 e5 14.Nfe6 b6
15.Na6!+–

A nice picture!
b) 9...Nb4 The computer’s suggestion. 10.Bb1

10...Bc4 (10...N4d5?! 11.Nc5 Qc8 12.0-0 g6 13.h4!± A thematic response by White in such
structures. The central d4/e5 pawn chain allows White to create potential attacking threats
against Black’s king should he castle kingside. Furthermore Black is quite cramped due to
the unnatural development of the bishop on e6. White clearly has more space and the
initiative, while Black has serious problems deploying his pieces.) 11.Nc5

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11...Qg4!
[11...Qc6? 12.Bd2 a5 13.a3 Na6 14.Be4 Bd5 15.Bxd5 Nxd5 (15...Qxd5 16.Rc1! Qxg2?!
17.Rg1 Qf3 18.Nxa6 Rxa6 19.Rxc7+– and White’s incoming attack is lethal.) 16.Ne4 e6
17.0-0 b6 18.Rc1 Qd7 19.N2g3± and given how badly Black’s knight is placed on a6, White
has a clear advantage.]
12.h3 Bxe2 13.Qxe2

13...Qxe2+ (13...Qxd4?! 14.Be3 Qxe5 15.Qb5+ Nc6 16.Be4 f5 17.Bxc6+ bxc6 18.Qxc6+
Kf7 19.0-0 e6 20.Nd3 Qd6 21.Qc2 Nd5 22.Rfe1‚ with a very strong attack for White)
14.Kxe2 0-0-0 15.Rd1 (15.e6 Nc6! 16.Be3 Nxd4+ 17.Bxd4 Rxd4 18.exf7 g6=) 15...e6

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[15...Nc6 16.Be4 (16.Nb3 e6 17.Be4 Nd5 18.Be3 Be7 19.g3 h6 20.Rac1² with very
comfortable play for White) 16...Nxd4+ 17.Rxd4 Rxd4 18.Bxb7+ Kb8 19.Be3 e6 20.Bxd4
Bxc5 21.Bxc5 Kxb7 with approximate equality]
16.Bg5 Re8 17.Be4 Bxc5 18.dxc5 N6d5

19.Bd2 (19.Be3 Rd8 20.g3 Nc6 21.f4= A very close to equal position. However White is still
slightly better, giving him some hope, while Black can cherish no hope at all.) 19...Nc6 20.f4
Rd8² with a minimal advantage for White.
Back to 9...Bd5.

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10.Be3

10.0-0! This move is slightly more accurate as Black has fewer options here. 10...e6 11.a3
Bc4 12.Bxc4 Nxc4 13.Be3 Be7 14.Rc1 Nb6 15.Nf4 0-0-0 16.Qc2²

White has the better chances as Black does not really have any attacking chances on the
kingside. The thematic pawn push, ...f7–f6, only makes his e6-pawn vulnerable. White also
has a very clear plan of pushing his queenside pawns and maneuvering a knight to c5.

10...0-0-0

a) 10...Nc4 11.Qc1! Nb4 12.Bb1 e6 (12...Qc6?! 13.0-0 f5 14.exf6 exf6 15.N4c3 Bxg2 16.d5
Bxd5 17.Nd4 Qa6 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Bd3± and White is much better for obvious reasons)
13.0-0 Be7 14.Nf4 Nxe3 15.fxe3! 0-0 16.Qd1!²

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An important move to consolidate White’s advantage. Black has no time for the ...c7–c5
break, allowing White to maintain his superior center and piece activity. 16...Bxe4 (16...c5?
17.Nf6+!+– A thematic bolt from the blue. 17...Bxf6 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Qh5+ Kg8
20.exf6+–) 17.Bxe4 Nd5 (17...c5? 18.Bxh7+ Another thematic sacrifice. 18...Kxh7 19.Qh5+
Kg8 20.Rf3+–) 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Qf3 Rad8 20.Qg3² with a strong attack.
b) 10...e6 11.a3! A thematic restricting move. Taking the b4-square away from Black’s
minor pieces is important in disrupting their coordination and eliminating the possible
redeployment of the c6-knight to d5 via b4. 11...0-0-0 12.Rc1!²

White has achieved his restrictive set-up on the queenside. The game is quite balanced but

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with the slightly better chances for White, since his goals, viz. the attack on the black king,
are more concrete.

11.a3?!

A bit slow and not noticing that Black’s e-pawn is still on e7, which gives him an additional
option.
11.0-0 More obvious and logical.

11...e6 (11...Bc4? 12.Nc5 Qg4 13.h3 Qh5 14.Bxc4 Nxc4 15.Rc1 Nb6 16.Qc2!± Nb4
17.Qe4 N4d5 18.Nf4+–) 12.a3 Be7 (12...Bc4 Black achieves the desired exchange of
bishops, but has spent an extra tempo on playing ...Be6–d5 first, which is kind of critical in
such positions, given how fast White’s potential attack on the queenside can come. 13.Bxc4
Nxc4 14.Qc2 Nb6 15.Rfc1 Kb8 16.b4±) 13.Qc2 f6 14.Nc5!

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And here is the critical difference compared to the main lines where Black’s d5-bishop is
somewhere along the d1–h5 diagonal: Black cannot capture on c5, since his knight on b6
does not have access to the d5-square!! 14...Bxc5 15.dxc5 Na8 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Nf4 Ne7
18.Rfd1! This rook! The other rook is needed for the attack! 18...c6 19.b4 Nc7 20.a4 e5
21.Nxd5 Ncxd5 22.Rab1! Each tempo here is critical. White’s e3-bishop is good, but we
must stay focused on our main goal!! 22...Nxe3 23.fxe3 Kb8 24.b5 Qe6 25.bxc6 Nxc6
26.Be4± and it becomes clear that White opens up lines to Black’s king first.

11...Qe8

Black sidesteps the advance of White’s e4-knight to c5 with tempo and prepares his ...f7–f6
push. However he is spending a lot of time on these little nuances.
a) 11...Qg4!?

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This sudden move looks very strange at first, but is not easy to refute, if at all. Black makes
use of White’s temporary uncomfortable piece placement in the center for a strike. 12.0-0!?
A possible alternative that makes the game very sharp.
a1) 12.N4g3!? creates a mess that is hard to evaluate and requires more analysis. However,
in general, I dislike such decentralizing moves. 12...e6 (12...g6! and Black should be fine)
13.h3 Qh4 14.0-0.
a2) 12.Qc2!? Possibly White’s best response. He too prepares to castle queenside and then
push Black’s queen back to her camp with additional tempi at the cost of the pawn.
12...Qxg2 13.0-0-0 with a strong initiative for the sacrificed pawn.
12...Bxe4 (12...Nxe5?! 13.dxe5 Bxe4 14.f3 Rxd3 15.fxg4 Rxd1 16.Raxd1 Nc4 17.Bd4± is
bad for Black) 13.f3 Bxf3 14.Rxf3

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The point is the threat of check on f5. However White’s central pawns look vulnerable and,
taken in conjunction with the open position of the white king, Black should be OK here as
well. 14...g6 15.Qc2 f6! (15...Nxd4?! This exchange sacrifice, aiming to build a strong
fortress on the dark squares, is not to be recommended. 16.Nxd4 Rxd4 17.Rxf7! Rd8 18.Be2
Qe6 19.Raf1° White clearly has compensation in view of Black’s underdeveloped kingside,
the powerful rook on f7 and strong pair of bishops, but whether it’s enough for more than
equality needs investigation. My intuition tells me that White’s chances should be slightly
preferable. 15...Nd5?! Looks strong, but actually an inferior move as this knight was better
placed on b6, helping with the protection of the king. 16.Bf2 f6 17.Bb5 Qe6

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18.Nc3! An important move. White needs to eliminate Black’s strong defender, the d5-
knight. Furthermore, White welcomes the potential opening of the central lines and
diagonals, as his bishops will become true monsters and masters of the board. Here is one
way the game could develop: 18...Bg7 19.Bc4 Kb8 20.Nxd5 Rxd5 21.Rb3! Na5 22.Bxd5
Qxd5 23.Rc1 Rc8 24.Rc3 Bh6 25.Rxc7 Nc6 26.Rxc8+ Kxc8 27.Qc4 e6 28.Qxd5 exd5
29.Rc5 fxe5 30.dxe5+– The potential superior energy of the white pieces has transformed
into a stable material advantage in the endgame. White is winning.) 16.Bb5!

White has to use his advantage in development to go for concrete gains. In this case, the
threat of White’s heavy pieces doubling on the c-file forces Black to concede a worsening of
his queenside pawn structure. 16...fxe5 17.Rc1 exd4 18.Bxc6 bxc6 19.Qxc6 Qd7!= with an
approximately balanced position.
b) 11...Bc4 12.Nc5 Qe8 13.Bxc4 Nxc4 14.Qc2 Nb6 15.e6± An important little line. White
is just in time to prevent Black from closing the center and getting a great position by playing
...e7–e6.
c) 11...f6?

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The move that I was very concerned about during the game. It seems that Black is seriously
weakening his light squares, however White’s king has not completed his journey to safety
yet, so Black should be just in time, or so I thought. However closer analysis of the position
allows White to find a way to refute this move. 12.Nc5 Qe8 13.e6!!± The strongest. White
splits Black’s position in two at the cost of the g2-pawn. White will follow up by castling
long, and since Black can no longer support the d5-square with ...e7–e6, White will attempt
to remove any of Black’s pieces currently residing there to push d4–d5. This will open up
White’s e3-bishop and create monstrous threats on the queenside to Black’s king.
[13.Nf4?

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Logical, and a move I looked at during the game, but it is not the best move in the position. It
does lead to wild complications though! 13...fxe5!? (13...e6 looks more natural: 14.exf6 gxf6
15.0-0∞ probably leading to a balanced but very complicated position. Black has achieved
coordination among his pieces and opened some lines to White’s king as well.) 14.Nxd5
Nxd5 (14...Rxd5 15.Be4 exd4 16.Bxd5 e5 17.Qg4+ Kb8 18.Bxc6 Qxc6 19.Ne4 dxe3 20.0-0
exf2+ 21.Rxf2± and despite approximate material equality, White clearly has the better
chances, since rooks here are more powerful than minor pieces and Black’s pawns are
fragmented, leaving them vulnerable to attack.) 15.Bf5+ Kb8 (15...e6 16.Nxe6±) 16.Qb3

16...b6 This unnatural-looking move seems to hold Black together. (16...Nb6? 17.dxe5±;
16...Na5? 17.Na6+ Ka8 18.Qxd5!+– The point behind White’s 15th move, giving check on
f5.) 17.Ne6 Rd6 18.dxe5 Nxe5 19.0-0 Qh5 20.Qc2∞ with very complex play.]
13...Bxg2 14.Rg1 Bd5 15.Nc3

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15...g6 (15...Rd6 16.Rc1! White’s attack is becoming stronger by the move. Black has a
difficult defensive task ahead of him.) 16.a4! The threat of a4–a5 forces Black to make
defensive pawn moves on the queenside. 16...a5 17.Bb5 f5 18.b4!!+–

But now White uses Black’s a5-pawn as a hook to open up lines for a direct attack on the
black king. Black is lost.

12.Qc2!

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Probably the best square for White’s queen in this structure as it does so many things here,
starting with taking control of the c4-square, taking aim at Black’s c7-pawn, avoiding the X-
ray of Black’s rook on d8 etc.

12...f5!?

A strange sequence of backwards and forwards moves, but possibly Black’s best chance
given the situation. 12...f6?! 13.Rc1! Simplest and best. Black cannot capture on e5, but is
now tied to the defense of his f6-pawn, so he cannot really play ...e7–e6 without exchanging
on e4 first. In effect this would be suicide as White’s bishop on e4 will control the whole
board.
[13.f4?! A possible supportive move, however not the strongest as it allows Black to open
lines on the kingside, creating the counterplay he seeks. 13...g5 (13...g6 14.0-0 Bh6 15.b4
Qf7 16.b5 Na5 17.Rac1 c6 18.Nd2) 14.Rc1! Bg7 15.0-0 gxf4 16.Bxf4 fxe5 17.dxe5 Kb8∞
reaching an unclear position.]

13.N4c3!

The strongest. At this point I was quite happy with my position, and having identified
Black’s d5-bishop as his strongest piece, I started looking for ways to destroy it.
13.Nc5?! looks active and is possible, however it would not be easy to break down Black’s
queenside defense since his d5-bishop is so strong. Also, White must be careful on the
kingside, since both Black’s d5-bishop and f5-pawn make the push of his g-pawn a reality,
going for the initiative there. 13...e6 14.Nf4

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14...Kb8! A wonderful little move that does a lot. Black evacuates the c8-square for the b6-
knight from where it will go to e7 then possibly to d5 or f5.
[14...Bxc5?! 15.dxc5 Nd7 16.Nxd5

16...Ndxe5 (16...exd5 17.f4 Ndxe5 18.fxe5 Qxe5 19.Kd2! f4 20.Bf2 Qg5 21.Rag1! f3+
22.Be3 Qe5 23.gxf3 Rhe8 24.Re1 d4 25.Bf2+–) 17.Bxf5! exf5 (17...Kb8 18.Nxc7 Kxc7
19.Be4+–) 18.Qxf5+ Kb8 19.0-0-0±]
15.h4 Bxc5 16.dxc5 Nc8 17.Qc3 N8e7 18.f3 h6

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Black starts his own plan. 19.h5 g5 20.hxg6 Nxg6³ and in this blocked position, the black
knights are superior to White’s dumb bishops!

13...Bxg2

Attempting to destroy the white king’s safety.

13...e6

This dooms Black to passive defense. With the computer at my disposal, it becomes very
easy to play for White. 14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.Bd2! Nb6 16.Rc1 Qf7 17.Be3 h6 18.Bb5! Nb8
19.Nf4 c6 20.Bd3! g6 21.0-0 N8d7 22.Qb3 Re8 23.Be2!! Preventing an immediate ...g6–g5

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due to Be2–h5.

23...h5 24.a4 g5 25.Nh3!+– With a series of beautiful computer moves, White completely
destroys Black’s attempt at a defense based on blockade and counter-attack on the kingside.

14.Rg1 Bf3 15.Bxf5+ e6

16.Bh3!?

During the game I was very proud of this move, which I had to see before going through

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with 12.N4c3. The idea is to keep Black’s e6-pawn under attack, so it is a strong attempt to
keep Black’s kingside pieces underdeveloped.
16.Bxh7! The computer thinks this materialistic pawn grab is much stronger, and it’s right!!
16...g5 (16...Qh5? 17.Bg6 Qxh2 18.0-0-0 Be7 19.Be4! Again, an exchange of Black’s best
piece, the f3-bishop, and at the same time, Black’s weak g-pawn is targeted, with the e-pawn
being a potential target next. 19...Bxe4 20.Qxe4 According to the computer White’s
advantage is decisive.) 17.Rxg5 Bh6 18.Rg3 Bxe2 19.Nxe2 Bxe3 20.fxe3 Qd7 21.Be4 Rxh2
22.0-0-0± and despite some technical difficulties, White’s extra pawn should prevail.
However Black has a very clear course of defensive play, while White has a slight margin for
error if he wants to win the game.

16...Kb8 17.Rg3!

A very human move. I want to force Black to make some uncomfortable decision, starting
with his bishop on f3. The rook is also excellently placed here for the potential attack on the
queenside.

17...Bxe2?!

After this inaccuracy, it will be very difficult for Black to defend his position. 17...Bh5! is
unnatural, but keeps the important bishop alive. 18.Rc1
a) 18.Qb3 Bf7 19.0-0-0 Na5 20.Qb5 Nc6 21.Bg2

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21...Ne7 (21...a6?! 22.Bxc6 axb5 23.Bxe8 Bxe8 24.Nf4 Bd7 25.Nh5²) 22.Qxe8 Rxe8
23.Be4 g6= and Black manages to set up some kind of fortress, keeping his weaknesses
covered.
b) 18.0-0-0 Bg6 19.Qb3 Na5!

Black has serious counterplay. 20.Qxe6 Nbc4! 21.Rxg6 Nxe3 22.Qxe8 Rxe8 23.Rgg1 Nxd1
24.Rxd1 g6 25.f4 Nc4 26.Rd3 Bh6=.
18...Be7 19.Bg2 (19.Nf4?! Nxd4 20.Bxd4 Rxd4 21.Nxe6 Bg6µ; 19.Qb3? Bh4 20.Rxg7
Qf8µ) 19...Bg6!

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[19...g5?! A bit slow. 20.b4! a6 21.Ne4 Bg6 (21...Bxe2?! 22.Kxe2 Nd5 23.Kf1! The king
runs back to its original safe location. 23...Rf8 24.Kg1 Nf4 25.Bf1 h5 26.b5‚ With his king
safe, White now starts aggressive actions against his counterpart on the opposite side!)
22.Qb3 h6 23.Rxc6!?

A thematic resource. White drastically changes the character of the position in terms of the
structure. I want to make the point about how an exchange sacrifice to ruin your opponent’s
pawn structure can turn the whole game around! One thing about computers is that they still
don’t quite understand how important a deficient pawn structure can be in the long-term
evaluation of the whole position. The advantage can only be with White here. 23...Qxc6!
Seems to be Black’s best defense which equalizes. (23...Bxe4?! 24.Bxe4 bxc6 25.Bd2 Rf8
26.Rc3 Nd5

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27.Qc4! Time is more important than material here. Now if 27...Nxc3 then 28.Bxc6 Nxe2
29.Bxe8 Nxd4 30.Bc6 Rf5 31.Qxa6 Nxc6 32.Qxc6 Rxe5+ 33.Be3±.) 24.Nxg5 Qd7
25.Nxe6 Bf7 26.Bh3

26...Bh4 (26...Rdg8? 27.N2f4±) 27.Rg2 Rdg8 28.N2f4 Rxg2 29.Bxg2 Bg5 30.d5 Bxe6
31.dxe6 Qg7

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32.Bd4! Bxf4 33.Qf3 c5 34.Bxc5 Qxe5+ 35.Be3 Qa1+ 36.Ke2 Qa2+= Drawn by perpetual.]
20.Qb3 Na5 21.Qxe6 Nac4

22.Qg4!?∞ A more interesting option. White keeps the queens on and now starts the battle
for Middle Earth ☺ with the outcome unknown, since his strong central pawn formation and
slightly better piece activity seem to be well countered by Black’s extra pawns on the
queenside and good control over key squares. (22.Nf4 White’s strong pawn center
guarantees him at least equality in any potential endgame. 22...Bh4 23.Qxe8 Rhxe8 24.Nxg6
Bxg3 25.hxg3 hxg6 26.b3 Nxe3 27.fxe3 c5 28.Rd1 A very complex, but approximately
balanced, endgame has arisen.)

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18.Nxe2

18...Nd5?!

A bit too early. Black wants to liquidate into an opposite-colored bishops endgame where he
hopes to reach the draw. However patience is required.
18...g6!? 19.0-0-0 Qf7 20.Qb3 Nd5 21.Nc3 Nce7 22.Bg5 Re8

23.Bxe7

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[23.Bxe6 Qxe6 24.Bxe7 Bxe7 25.Nxd5 Rhf8 26.Nxe7 Qxe7 (26...Qxb3 27.Nc6+±) 27.Qe3
Rf5 28.Rd2 Qe6= with a strong blockade that gives Black excellent chances to hold the
game, despite being a pawn down.]
23...Rxe7 24.Nxd5 exd5 25.Rf3 Bh6+ 26.Kb1 Qg8 27.Rf1 c6 28.Rf6 Qe8 29.f4 Rf8 30.Rxf8
Qxf8 31.Qg3² Black still has to solve some problems before he can reach equality.

19.Nc3!

Not giving Black the time needed to bring the c6-knight to e7.
19.0-0-0?! A bit slow. 19...Qf7 20.Kb1 Nce7

21.Nc3 Nf5 22.Nxd5 Rxd5 23.Rf3 g6 24.Bf1 Be7 25.Bc4 Rhd8! 26.Bxd5 Rxd5= At the cost
of the exchange, Black has managed to eliminate White’s best piece, the light-squared
bishop, allowing him to set up an almost impregnable fortress on the light squares.

19...Nxe3?!

During the game I thought that this was dubious, since it fixes White’s structural problems
and makes his pawn center really strong.
19...Qf7 This looks more natural.

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20.Nxd5 (20.Qe4?! allows Black to bring in a replacement for his d5-knight. 20...Nce7
21.Rf3 Qg8 22.0-0-0 g6 23.Bg5 h6) 20...Rxd5 (20...exd5 21.0-0-0 g6 22.Kb1 Bg7 23.Bg5
Rde8 24.Qa4 Nd8 25.Rb3 Ka8 26.Bxd8 Rxd8 27.Rxb7!+–) 21.Bg2 (21.0-0-0 Ne7 22.Bg2
Rd8 23.Bg5 c6 24.Be4 Rd7² Black has managed to set up a sort of fortress.) 21...Ne7!? This
Petrosian-like exchange sacrifice is also quite possible. In return Black gets a superb central
knight and better pawn structure in a semi-closed position. White will also be stuck with a
really dumb bishop on e3, however the question of whether White’s large material advantage
will prevail over the positional factors will rest on how fast his h-pawn will be able to ram
Black’s kingside, opening lines for the white rooks. It seems that Black is not in time.
[21...Nxd4 22.Bxd4 Rxd4 23.Rb3 looks a total disaster for Black, however...

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23...c6 24.Bxc6 Bb4+! keeps him alive. 25.axb4 bxc6 26.b5 c5 27.b6 a6 28.Qxc5 Rd5
29.Qc7+ Qxc7 30.bxc7+ Ka7 (30...Kxc7?? 31.Rc1++– wins the rook) 31.f4 Rc8 32.Rba3±]
22.Bxd5 Nxd5 23.Qe4 g6 24.0-0-0 Be7 25.Rf3! A mega-important move to deny Black
control of the f-file.

25...Qe8 26.h4 Threatening the exchange of bishops. 26...a6 27.Bg5 c6 28.Kb1 Rg8 29.Qg4
Bf8 30.Rg1 Ka7 31.Bd2 Rg7 32.Rxf8 Qxf8 33.Bh6 Qf7 34.Bxg7 Qxg7 35.h5 Qf7 36.hxg6
hxg6 37.f3 g5 38.Qe4+– and White should win.

20.fxe3

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At this point I realized that I had never had such a good position after the opening against
Anand in classical chess, and it was a good sign of things to come, hopefully!!

20...Qh5 21.Qe2!±

Paradoxically I am the one who invites a transposition to the endgame!!

Of course I had to solve the problem of my king on e1 and this is the perfect way to do so, as
Black cannot avoid the exchange.

21...Qxe2+

21...Qh6 22.Qg4 g6 (22...Be7 23.Qxg7 Qh5 24.Qg4 Qh6 25.0-0-0 Bh4 26.Qg7 Qh5 27.Bg4
Qe8 28.Rh3 Rg8 29.Qxh7+–) 23.Bg2 Qxh2 (23...Na5 24.Rh3 Qg7 25.b4 Nc4 26.Qxe6+–)
24.0-0-0 h5 25.Qxg6 Rh6 26.Qg5 Be7 27.Qxh6 Qxg3 28.Bxc6 Bg5 29.Qxe6 bxc6 30.Qxc6
Bxe3+ 31.Kc2 Bxd4 (31...Rxd4 32.Nd5!+–) 32.e6+–

22.Kxe2

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Now the following sequence of moves is forced, otherwise Black loses his e-pawn.

22...Re8 23.Rf1 Nd8 24.Ne4 g6 25.Ng5

25.Rgf3 was a slower way to play the position, and might actually have been an improvement
as Black’s knight on d8 is absolutely terrible, while White can slowly improve his position
and use the opposite-colored bishops to create some threats against the black king after
opening the queenside. 25...Be7 26.Nf6 Bxf6 27.Rxf6 (27.exf6? Nf7 would be a mistake;
with Black’s knight blockading the pawn, it would be doubtful if White could win the game.)

27...Rhg8 28.b4 Rg7 29.Bg2 c6 30.a4 Kc7 31.Be4 Kd7 32.b5 Kc7 33.Bd3± with a very

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sizable advantage for White, which he should be able to convert due to the great difference in
mobility between the two sides’ pieces.

25...Re7 26.Rgf3 Bh6 27.Nf7 Nxf7 28.Rxf7 Rhe8

29.R1f6?!

An inaccuracy based on a false evaluation of the opposite-colored bishops endgame. 29.d5!!

Considering the opposite-colored bishops endgame is a draw, this would be preferable.
29...exd5 (29...Bg7 30.dxe6 c6 31.R7f6! Rd8 32.Bg4 a6±

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Despite White’s impressive tripled e-pawns, some technical difficulties can arise in
converting. One possible plan involves ramming the h-pawn down the kingside, followed by
the active involvement of White’s king in attacking the blockading black rook on e7.) 30.Bd7

30...Rxe5! (30...Rxf7 31.Rxf7 Rxe5 32.Rxh7+– Rxe3+ 33.Kf2 c5 34.Rxh6 Rb3 35.Rxg6
Rxb2+ 36.Kg3 c4 37.h4 c3 38.h5 Kc7 39.Bf5+– It was difficult to analyze this forced line
after the 29th move. I was afraid to enter such long forced lines, only to discover that my
opponent had some study-like trick near the end. In some ways this endgame looks very
similar to the one that could have arisen in the first game of my ’94 match vs. Kramnik,
where I couldn’t calculate a similar long, complicated line.) 31.Bxe8 Rxe3+ 32.Kd1 Rxe8

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33.Rxh7 Bg5 34.h4 Bd8 35.Rg1 Bf6 36.b3 Bb2 37.a4 a5 38.Rxg6 c6 39.h5 Re3 40.h6

40...Rxb3 (40...Rh3 41.Rgg7!!+–) 41.Kc2 Rb4 42.Rd7 Ba1 43.h7 Rxa4 44.h8=Q+ Bxh8
45.Rg8+ Ka7 46.Rxh8 Rc4+ 47.Kb3 Rb4+ 48.Ka3± I find it difficult to evaluate this
position. Perhaps White can win.

29...a5 30.Rxe7 Rxe7

31.Rxe6?

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An error that forces matters. Again, I thought that the bishop endgame was winning for me.
31.Bxe6! Bg7 (31...c6? 32.Bg8 Bg5 33.Rf8+ Ka7 34.Rf3! White attacks Black’s h-pawn to
create points of entry for his king. 34...Kb6 35.Rh3 h6 36.Rf3 Rg7 37.Bf7 Be7 38.Be6 Bh4
39.Kd3+– White should win this position, as Black doesn’t have any real counterplay and
must await White’s slow preparation for his central pawn push.) 32.Bd5!!

Inviting Black to play the losing ...c7–c6. 32...Bxf6 (32...c6 33.Rf7! We will see below that
these endgames are lost for Black if he has moved his c-pawn from c7.) 33.exf6 Re8 34.e4
Kc8 35.e5 Rf8 36.Be6+ Kd8 37.d5+–.

31...Rxe6

31...Bg5 32.Rxe7 Bxe7 33.d5 During the game, I considered this move to be absolutely
critical. I also thought that White cannot allow Black to push ...c7–c6, followed by bringing
his king to the center. Now the black king is cut off from the center and White can continue
his own plan of advancing his king and central pawns to victory. However the computer says
that the game is won anyway as White creates connected passed pawns in the center.
[The only thing White should not do is allow Black to bring his king to e7 and keep his pawn
on c7: 33.Be6 h6 (33...c6? loses — see also note to 33.Bg8) 34.Kf3 Bg5 35.Bf7? Kc8!
36.Bxg6 Kd7 37.a4 Ke6 38.Ke4 Ke7 and as I will explain below (see the 33.Bg8 option in
the game), this is a drawing set-up.]
33...Ka7 (33...b5 34.Be6 a4 35.Kf3 b4 36.axb4 Bxb4 37.Kf4 Bd2 38.Bd7+–) 34.Kf3 Kb6
35.Be6 Kb5 36.Ke4 and White should win this.

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32.Bxe6 Bg5

33.d5

33.Bg8 h6 34.Bh7 Kc8!

[34...c6? This loses. Black’s entire plan of pushing his queenside pawns only simplifies
matters for White. 35.Bxg6 b5 (35...Kc7 36.a4 Kd8 37.Kf3 Kd7 38.Bf5+ Kd8 39.Bg4 b6
40.b3 b5 41.e4 bxa4 42.bxa4 c5 43.d5 c4 44.Kg3 Kc7 45.Bd1 Kb6 46.Kg4 Kc5 47.Kf5+–)
36.Kf3 a4 37.Be8 Kc7

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38.h4!! The winning move. Black’s bishop is deflected from the critical c1–g5 diagonal.
(38.e4? Bc1 39.d5 Bxb2=) 38...Bxh4 39.e4 Bg5 40.d5 Bc1 41.d6+ Kd8 42.Bxc6 Bxb2
43.e6+–]
35.Bxg6 Kd7 36.Bf5+ Ke7=

and Black achieves his drawing set-up.

33...Ka7 34.Bg8 h6 35.Bf7

35...Kb6?

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Black deploys his king in the wrong direction. Now he should lose as his king cannot get to
the key e7-square in time and White breaks through the defensive set-up that Black is
attempting to build.
35...Kb8!! would have allowed Black to reach the draw. 36.Bxg6 (36.Be6 An attempt to
keep Black’s king away from the center will not work, and White will be forced to take on g6
anyway: 36...Be7 37.a4 Bf8 38.Kd3 Bc5 39.Ke4 Bb4 40.Bd7 Be7 and White is forced to
take on g6 in order to improve his position.) 36...Kc8 White now has two extra pawns,
however two of them are doubled. It seems that Black can set up a fortress on the dark
squares.

37.Bf5+ Kd8 38.a4 Ke7 39.b3 b6 40.Kf3 Bh4 41.Bg4 Bg5 42.e4 Kd8 43.Bh5 Ke7 44.Kg3
Be3 45.Kg4 Bd4 46.Kf5 Be3 47.Bg4 Bf2 48.h3 Bg3 49.e6 Bf2 50.e5 Bg3= White has
reached the maximum potential of his position and cannot break down Black’s defense, so
it’s a draw.

36.Bxg6 Kc5 37.Bf7 h5 38.Kd3 h4 39.h3 b5 40.Ke4

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40...b4

40...a4 41.Kf5 Bxe3 42.d6!+–

41.axb4+ axb4 42.b3 Bh6 43.Bh5

Unnecessary theatrics. 43.Kf5 was winning.

43...Bg5 44.Be2 Bh6 45.Bc4 Bg5 46.Kf5!

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Finally. Black cannot escape the pawn breakthrough.

46...Bxe3 47.d6

Black resigned.

1–0

Now we can see why the black king should have been on e7: White would not have had this
e5–e6–e7 run. This was the only game that Mr. Anand lost in the entire tournament. He won
six games to share 1st-2nd places with Mr. Topalov. As for me, my result was a catastrophic
eight losses; along with my four wins and solitary draw this made me the most combative
participant in the tournament. However the experience of playing the very top elite players
was invaluable for me as I felt that I was capable of defeating any one of them in a single
game or match, given sufficient time and preparation. I marked the following year, 2007, as
the year to make my ascent to fight for the world championship title.

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 GAME 6
Gata Kamsky
Peter Svidler
Sofia 2006
The Sofia M-Tel Masters super-tournament was organized in May 2006 and strangely — or
so I thought — I was invited. I had underestimated Mr. Danailov, who was looking far ahead
to assess potential threats to his protégé, GM Topalov, who was current FIDE World
Champion at the time. It now seems pretty obvious that, while Topalov hadn’t faced me
much in the ’90s, he wanted to defeat me in tournament games to establish the psychological
advantage that might have come in handy in the future. As for the tournament, I didn’t
prepare much, maybe an hour or two before the game. My favorite thing was to go
sightseeing at night in Sofia, then come back and play my games. After the Wijk super-
tournament, however, I did decide on a selection of openings to study and employ as my
main weapons. The Chebanenko Slav and Spanish Breyer were among those and they came
under heavy scrutiny in this event.
The tournament was a double round-robin and I felt that a great deal of luck had been
bestowed upon me as I drew a very difficult position against former FIDE World Champion,
Mr. Ponomariov, in the first round. Then in the second round, in a drawn rook endgame, I
managed to swindle my younger opponent, French GM Bacrot, to win the game. In the third
round I was somehow given an incredible chance to defeat Mr. Anand in yet another slightly
better rook endgame, but I decided not to include it in this selection as it was merely a win
due to my opponent’s blunder. And now, riding the wave of success, I decided to play some
swashbuckling chess against my future regular opponent, the eight-time Russian champion,
GM Svidler.
Ironically, it seems incredible and far-fetched that, back when I was just starting to learn
chess at the Pioneers Palace in St. Petersburg, sitting seriously at the board in a third-
category tournament at the age of eight, a kid a year younger called Peter Svidler was
running around the hall, playing practical jokes on the other kids while still managing to play
chess. Nevertheless, as some wise people in the past said, life can be more incredible than
anything we can imagine in our wildest dreams. For a little glimpse into the future, my
encounters with Peter Svidler would always have a very dramatic effect for one or the other
of us, especially our future World Cup battles in 2007 (which I won) and in 2009 (which he
won). But that was all in the future. Right now, it was just another super-tournament game. I
suspect that none of the players, except GM Topalov, were really that motivated to study
super-hard and were trying mostly to play some creative and fun chess.

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Childhood picture. Leningrad Pioneer Palace, circa 1984. Gata’s chess group taking part in
a simul.

1.e4 c5

In future games, Peter would choose the super-solid Spanish against my 1.e4. For now, given
how badly I had scored at Wijk, my opponents were motivated to try to beat me, which I
welcomed of course, as that gave opportunities to both sides.

2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6

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A little surprise, but the Sicilian Scheveningen is something we both studied as kids based on
the games of the legendary Karpov-Kasparov matches. This particular move order was
known to avoid the infamous and very scary Keres Attack that starts with White’s g2–g4
pawn push.

6.Be2

Going for the main Scheveningen lines. I recalled some games I had played here, including
the game vs. Kasparov himself and the game vs. Khalifman in 1999 at my brief appearance
in the Las Vegas FIDE knockout World Championship. In both games I scored well. I was
also in the process of switching to the Qd1–e1–g3 system for White, so I felt quite happy
with my opponent’s opening choice.

6...Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Be3 0-0 9.f4

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9...e5!?

At this point I realized that my opponent must have based his preparation on the above-
mentioned game vs. Khalifman. In general, this line is pretty rare, as Black is considered to
be fine in the main lines after 9...a6 or 9...Bd7.

10.Nxc6

Considered not to be dangerous for Black, but I wanted to see what kind of improvement my
opponent had prepared.
a) 10.fxe5?! dxe5 11.Nf5 Bxf5 12.Rxf5 Rc8= is considered to be quite good for Black as he
achieves good squares, especially d4, for his knights. In addition he has no weaknesses,
while White’s pawn structure is something to be concerned about. The d5-square is
potentially useful for White’s pieces, but cannot be used immediately. Theory considers this
line to be more dangerous for White than for Black.
b) 10.Nb3 is considered to be the main line. I vaguely remembered the following line until a
certain point, but did not want to go for mass exchanges: 10...exf4 11.Bxf4 Be6 12.Kh1 d5
13.e5 Nd7 14.Nxd5 Ndxe5

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15.Nxe7+ (15.c4 Bg5 16.Bg3 Bh4=) 15...Qxe7 16.Na5! (16.Qe1 f6=) 16...Rad8 17.Qe1 Bd5
18.Nxc6 Bxc6 19.Qg3 f6 20.Rae1 Qc5 21.c3 Kh8= and with strong minor pieces, his e5-
knight and c6-bishop, Black should be OK, despite White’s potentially strong pair of
bishops.

10...bxc6 11.Kh1!?

11...exf4!?

And here is the surprise. GM Khalifman played 11...Be6, but after allowing me to play f4–f5,

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followed by g2–g4–g5, and some inaccuracies, White’s attack became too strong. The
exchange in the center is far more logical. Black gains access to the important e5-square for
his minor pieces, while controlling the surrounding squares. White will need to redeploy his
c3-knight to a better location, ideally either d4 or f4. Black’s idea is to have his knight on e5,
and transfer his e7-bishop to g7 after ...g7–g6. Black’s rooks on b8 and e8 will target White’s
pawns. I needed to do something to counter that plan.

12.Bxf4 Be6

13.Bf3?!

a) 13.Qd4?! The move that I analyzed after the game as a possible improvement. I’ll leave
the lines I looked at to posterity. In general, in this book I try to include a lot of the analysis I
did after a game in the annotations with modern corrections, but not always! 13...d5
(13...Qb6!? Black is completely OK. 14.Rad1 Rfd8 15.b3 Qxd4 16.Rxd4 a5 17.Rfd1 d5
18.exd5 cxd5!∞ and the game’s being played for all three results.) 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Be5

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15...Bf6 (15...f6 Such aesthetically unpleasant moves always make me hesitate for a minute.
However in this particular position it seems that this move is not bad, as Black wins a tempo
to exchange White’s strongest piece, the dark-squared bishop which was controlling the
important b8-square. 16.Bg3 Bd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Ne4 Qc7 19.Bd3 Bf7 20.Rae1 Rad8=)
16.Nxd5 Bxe5 17.Ne7+ Qxe7 18.Qxe5 Rfe8 19.Bd3 g6 20.b3 Rad8=.
b) 13.Qe1 is considered to be White’s main move in modern times. White wastes no time
with his e2-bishop, as it might go to g4 in one move to exchange its black counterpart in
order to create potentially influential light squares. In addition White intends to bring his a1-
rook to d1 to immediately pin Black down to the defense of his d-pawn. The game is
approximately balanced, but requires a lot of analysis and testing.

13...Qb6

13...Qb8 is a move that would be employed by GM Zhou against me in the 2009 World Cup,
where he equalized and drew with no problems.

14.b3

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14...Rfd8?!

One of my opponent’s greatest strengths is his creativity and vision of possible ideas.
However, as the wise men say, a source of strength can be also a source of weakness. The f8-
rook clearly belongs on the e-file; it is the a8-rook that should be on d8.
14...Rad8! was correct. Let’s take a look at various possible scenarios following this move.
15.Qe1
a) 15.Na4 Qa5 16.Qe1 Qxe1 17.Raxe1 d5 18.exd5 cxd5 19.c3

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19...d4!? Opening the position also seems OK. (19...Rc8 20.Be3 Rc7 21.Bd4 Rd8² leaves
White with a pleasant endgame where his advantage is minimal but lasting, thanks to the
tremendously powerful bishop on d4.) 20.cxd4 Rxd4 21.Be3 Rd7 22.Nc5 Bxc5 23.Bxc5 Rc8
24.Rc1 h6 25.Be3= Possibly Black didn’t like this position on general principles. White has a
pair of bishops (though by playing ...Be6–d5, Black is likely to exchange one of them) and a
pawn majority on the queenside, which, if given time and support by the rooks, might
become dangerous.
b) 15.Qe2

15...d5 (15...Rfe8!? 16.Rad1 Qb4 17.Qe1 d5 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Be5 Bf8 20.Nxd5 Qxe1
21.Rfxe1 Bxd5= with approximate equality) 16.exd5
[16.Rad1 This attempt to keep tension in the position is possible as the resulting positions are
tough to evaluate. Clearly both sides will have competing strategic plans, while the position
remains objectively balanced, meaning that it needs further analysis!! 16...d4 17.Na4 Qa5

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18.Qf2 (18.e5?! Too early. 18...Nd5 19.Rxd4 Nxf4 20.Rxf4 Bg5 21.Re4 Rd2 22.Qe1 Rfd8
23.Bg4 Bd5 24.Re2 Rxe2! 25.Qxe2 Re8= Black has a strong pair of bishops, especially the
dark-squared one, and open files. White’s extra pawn is going to be lost soon and he must
start seeking ways to prepare for defense and look for a draw.) 18...c5 19.Qg3 Ne8 20.Bd2
Qa6∞ Black is going for ...c5–c4, trying to eliminate the potential transfer of White’s a4-
knight to c4 via a4–b2–c4.]
16...Nxd5 Simplest. Black just exchanges pieces, going for equality.
[16...cxd5 17.Rad1 Rfe8 18.Be5 Rc8

19.Rd3! White keeps slightly better chances, thanks to Black’s recently created weakness on

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d5 and the difference in the strength of the bishops. (19.Qe1 Bd6 20.Bd4 Qc6=)]
17.Be5 Bb4

18.Nxd5 (18.Ne4?! This attempt to avoid exchanges could prove costly for White. 18...Ne3
19.Rfc1 f5 20.Ng5 Bd5 21.Bxd5+ cxd5 22.c3 Rde8!³ and Black takes over the initiative.)
18...Bxd5 19.c3 Bd6 20.Bxd5 cxd5 21.Bd4 Bc5 22.Rad1= The game is very close to equal,
although White keeps a certain pressure on the black d-pawn.
15...Ng4!? Probably best.
a) 15...Nd7?!

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A bit passive. 16.Nd5 Similar to the game continuation. (16.Na4 Qc7= This gives rise to
typical balanced positions in this structure. 16.Rd1 Ne5 17.Na4 Nxf3 18.Rxf3 Qa6 19.Qg3∞
Black’s bishop is not quite as well placed on e6 as on g6. The game is balanced, although for
practical purposes it is probably easier to play for White as he has clear targets for his
pieces.) 16...cxd5 (16...Bxd5?! This, however, is a riskier proposition. 17.exd5 Bf6 18.dxc6
Bxa1 19.Qxa1 Ne5 20.Bxe5 dxe5 21.Qxe5 Rfe8 22.Qg3² White’s powerful f3-bishop has
the very strong idea of planting itself on d5, where it will be supported by the c-pawn and be
a serious cause of concern for Black.) 17.exd5 Ne5 18.dxe6 fxe6

19.Bg4! Rf6 20.Bxe5 Rxf1+ 21.Qxf1 dxe5 22.Re1² Black’s doubled e-pawns provide White
with hopes of an advantage, but the presence of opposite-colored bishops and the lack of a
serious defensive pawn wall around both kings suggests a peaceful outcome as most
probable.
b) 15...d5?! 16.Qg3

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White is just in time to stop Black from initiating massive exchanges in the center, thanks to
the strong Qg3/Bf4 battery. Advantage to White. 16...Qc5 (16...dxe4 17.Nxe4 Nxe4
18.Bxe4±) 17.Be5 d4?! In general, such moves releasing the tension are not recommended
for Black.

Now White gets great outposts for his knight on c4 and d3, ensuring that he will keep the
center under his control, and with it the initiative. 18.Na4 Qb5 (18...Qxc2? 19.Bxf6 Bxf6
20.Bd1! The point. Black loses his f6-bishop due to the pin. 20...Qxe4 21.Rxf6 d3 22.Rf1 d2
23.Bf3 Qb4 24.Be2±) 19.Rae1 d3 20.c4 Qa6 21.Bd1± and Black’s far advanced d-pawn is
too far away from the rest of his pieces and is likely to be captured.

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16.Rd1 (16.Nd5

If White continues as in the game, the difference soon becomes clear. 16...cxd5 17.exd5
Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Bf6 19.Rd1 Bd4!∞ The difference between the position of Black’s knight on
g4 and its position on d7 becomes obvious. 16.Qg3 Ne5=; 16.Bxg4? looks like a good
solution, however. 16...Bxg4 17.Qg3 Bh5!µ Black manages to find the optimal place for his
light-squared bishop on g6, where it will both protect the king and hit White’s weak e-pawn.
Black now has a clear advantage, and his pair of bishops may potentially become
devastating.) 16...Ne5

17.Bh5 g6 18.Be2 Rfe8 19.Na4 Qc7 20.Bd2 Rd7 21.Ba5 Qc8 22.Qg3 Bf8 23.c4 Bg7 24.Bc3

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Qc7= with a balanced game.

15.Qe1!²

White finds the absolutely best square for his queen. On e1 it watches over the important
queenside squares a5 and b4 while keeping an X-ray on the pieces on the e-file; it is also
ready to jump to g3 where it will exert pressure on both the kingside and in the center. The
white lady is taking her job seriously and managing to accomplish it in spectacular fashion!

15...Nd7?

And just like that, in one move, Black loses the game!! I cannot award the move two
question marks as it is not an obvious blunder, however Black clearly underestimated
White’s threats.
a) 15...d5!? 16.Qg3 Rac8 17.Rad1

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White has some pressure in the center. Black may hold his own, but he’s still slightly worse.
17...dxe4 18.Nxe4 Rxd1 19.Rxd1 Nxe4 (19...Rd8 20.Re1²) 20.Bxe4 Bf6 21.h3 Rd8 22.Rf1²

White maintains the pressure, thanks to targets on the kingside and Black’s weak c-pawn, as
well as his very strong centralized bishops. The position is, in fact, quite unpleasant for Black
to defend as one inaccurate move can easily lead to major problems.
b) 15...Re8!? It is not too late to admit the mistake and return the rook to the correct path!!
16.Rd1 Rad8 17.Qg3 Qb4 18.Bd2 Qc5 19.Bh6 g6 20.Na4 Qa5 21.Bd2 Qa6 22.Bc3 Nd7

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23.Qf2!! This very subtle move reveals how incredibly hard the game can be. White has to
be acutely aware of not only strategic and structural nuances, but also the small tactics which
make each move worth its weight in gold! 23...Ne5 24.Be2 Qb7 25.Nc5! and Black is forced
to make structural concessions. 25...dxc5 26.Bxe5² Although White’s advantage is now
obvious, Black’s defensive resources are far from depleted.

16.Nd5!!±

Sudden and very strong. Here I recall my opponent finally realized the full danger to his
position and started spending a lot of time thinking, however it was too late, as some of the

182
lines are quite forced.

16...cxd5

The sturdiest defense.

16...Bxd5?! 17.exd5 Bf6 18.dxc6 Ne5 (18...Bxa1? 19.cxd7+–) 19.Bd5 Nxc6 20.Be3! The
key thematic move in this position. White’s dark-squared bishop opens the f-file for the rook
with tempo, allowing the exchange sacrifice that blows the black king’s defenses wide open.

20...Qc7 21.Rxf6 gxf6 22.Qg3+ Kf8 (22...Kh8 23.Qf3+–) 23.Qf3 Ne5 24.Qxf6 Ke8
25.Bg5+–

17.exd5

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17...Bg4!?

A creative attempt to confuse me. I needed some time to figure out my opponent’s intentions
before I realized that he simply wants to take over the e-file to obtain some sort of
compensation for the missing pawn. However it does not work.
17...Bf5 18.Qxe7 Nf6 19.c4± White’s strong pair of bishops and extra pawn make this
position a technical win with no hope for Black.

18.Qxe7 Bxf3 19.Rxf3 Nf6

19...Qd4 20.Qxf7+! Kxf7 21.Be5+ is a nice tactical trick to obtain two extra pawns.

20.Be3!!

An important and accurate move that I had to calculate before going for 16.Nd5. Black has
no defense against the coming exchange sacrifice on f6, which severely compromises his
king’s defenses. With this move, White takes neither prisoners nor pawns!
20.c4 Rd7 21.Qe2 Re8 22.Re3 Rxe3 23.Qxe3 Qxe3 24.Bxe3+– is most likely winning too,
but in a very boring way! I felt that there must be something more.

20...Qa5 21.Rxf6 gxf6 22.Qxf6+–

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I was worried at first about the weakness of my back rank, but Black’s heavy pieces are
completely disorganized and unable to stage an effective defense.

22...Re8 23.Qg5+ Kf8 24.Bd2!!

And this is the final and key move of White’s combination that started with his 16th move.
White defends his back rank and his bishop joins the mating attack.

24...Qc5

24...Qd8 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Bc3 Re5 27.Bxe5 dxe5 28.d6 Qd7 (28...Rc8 29.c4+–) 29.Qg5++–
leads to three extra pawns.

25.Qf6!

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25...Re2

25...Re5 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qxa8 Qf2 28.Qb7+ Kf8 29.Qb8+ Ke7 30.Ba5+–

26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Bg5++–

Black resigns.

1–0

186
 Peter Svidler (Photo by Frans Peeters)
After this game I was suddenly in the lead by a wide margin with only one game left in the
first half of the tournament. Unfortunately for me, I thought that my good fortune would last
and decided to skip entirely my preparation for the next round. However Caissa, the goddess
of chess, dispenses justice fairly. My opponent, GM Topalov, came well prepared for my
Chebanenko Slav and played a masterful game with a great exchange sacrifice that put me in
an uncomfortable defensive position which I failed to defend precisely, losing the game. I
still kept the lead, but there was little comfort. In the second half of the tournament, GM
Topalov lost one game and then won four in a row (!), including in the penultimate round
against me. I bluffed with 1.e4, but was completely unprepared for his Najdorf. I went for my
usual Bg5 set-up that I had played earlier in the 2005 World Cup against GM Smirin. Despite
getting worse positions in the opening, and being unable to find any improvement, I still
went for it in an attempt to mix things up. My opponent had found an improvement and I got
absolutely slaughtered. Today, I’m quite amazed at my brazen attitude and lack of discipline
with preparation at that time. After the loss, Topalov and I were tied for first, however in the
last round I drew, while he won, taking clear first as a result. Of course, to be fair, when one
scores 0–2 versus the winner of the tournament, one doesn’t deserve to win it! But at that
moment I still did not quite realize how seriously Topalov took his games against me. The

187
following year, when I was invited again, I was more practical and drew both games against
him, but my overall result was far from being as spectacular as in the 2006 event. Putting
things into perspective, I must say that my progress from 2004 to 2007 was quite good, in
spite of my lack of serious chess study.
These days, I consider myself quite fortunate for all the good results I achieved and games I
managed to play without preparation, using only my own intuition, calculation and positional
understanding. I often left a lot of things, both in chess and in life, in the hands of fate and
quite possibly otherworldly higher-level beings. It is quite incredible that I achieved so much
with so little work. One of the theories I had is that while it is well known that a top player
cannot be everything, e.g. a great theoretician, a great practical player and a fitness fanatic all
at the same time, he can achieve two out of three. To be a great practical player, you must be
able to keep your head fresh and cool, as well as keep track of all the psychological nuances
and factors during the game. This would be quite difficult to do if you spent a lot of time
studying theory, as your head would be full of different lines, and you’d be trying to keep
track of them all when you weren’t even studying. It’s kind of tough to sum it up, but in
terms of physics, it’s like the Heisenberg particle! You can never point out its location
because, by the time you do, it’s already moved!! ☺ Something like that. Anyway, this is
why, as I have mentioned in my previous annotations, the player who wants to become world
champion must have a team that comprises all three elements!!

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 GAME 7
Gata Kamsky
Vladimir Kramnik
Turin 2006
The following game is included for several reasons. First, 2006 was an exciting year for the
chess world. The reunification world title match was scheduled for October, between my
opponent, the ‘classical’ World Chess Champion (because of his match victories over former
World Champion Garry Kasparov in 2000 and successful title defense against GM Peter
Leko in 2004) and Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov, who won the 2005 FIDE World
Championship in a tournament format. The match resulted in GM Kramnik becoming
undisputed champion, holding the unified title. However the match would also bring chess,
as a whole, a great measure of infamy for its many protests and counter-protests. I’m not
going to write any more about it, since so much has been published already.
Second, this game was played in my first Olympiad since returning to chess in 2004. My
performance on first board was lacklustre, however, with the help of our team captain, IM
John Donaldson, our team bonded well and performed above everyone’s expectations to take
the bronze medals. GMs Onischuk and young Nakamura, playing on second and third board
respectively, carried the team with their tremendous personal results. The venue of the
Olympiad was the city of Turin in Italy, which had hosted the winter Olympics earlier in the
year. As a result, the whole event was very festive, since almost everyone lived in the
Olympic village and every night there were celebrations and parties. Of course I must also
mention that around this time the infamous poker wave, which would last for quite some
time, had started in the USA, as a result of which many strong and titled players quit chess
and transferred their talents to poker. In the evenings, quite a lot of chess players could be
seen playing poker in the public computer halls.
The last memorable event that took place during the Olympiad was the FIDE presidential
election, which saw the incumbent president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, square up against none
other than the man who helped create the GMA back in the ’90s, the one and only Mr. Bessel
Kok. Of course we can only speculate how different things might have been if the latter had
won the campaign, however, despite numerous accusations against Kirsan, he won re-
election and the chess world was firmly set to run under his rule until the present. (At the
time of this book’s editing, FIDE has a new president, Mr. Dvorkovich.)
The following game was important in terms of the traditional match-ups between our two
countries, the USA and Russia. The American team always seems to be especially motivated
for this match. For me personally it was an opportunity to see how I would fare against my
former rival, an opponent who had reached the highest title in chess during the time I was

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absent from the game. The other pairings saw Onischuk draw with Black on second board vs.
Svidler. Third board was a really wild game between Nakamura, with White, and Grischuk,
with incredible swinging evaluations during mutual time trouble. Nakamura’s win was the
only decisive game in the match. Board four saw the game between the veterans, Kaidanov
and Bareev. While Kramnik showed the absolute best result of the Olympiad in terms of
rating performance, scoring 6½ points out of 9 for a 2847 performance, the Russian team did
not win the Olympiad or even get anywhere near the medals, thanks in part to this loss
against the USA in the eleventh round.
The main sensation of the event was the Armenian team, led by GM Aronian, who took the
gold medals two match points ahead of their nearest rivals, Team China. The Armenian team
would take more gold medals in future Olympiads, but this was their first.
To say that tensions were high during these last rounds of the event is an understatement, as
words can’t describe the atmosphere of something as big as the Chess Olympiad. I can only
suggest that the young chess enthusiast push him or herself really hard to reach the level
where he or she can join the national team and go to the Olympiad. It is one of the most
amazing and addictive experiences in life, prompting chess players of many levels and ages
to come again and again to this festival of nations every second year.

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 Vladimir Kramnik (Photo by Frans Peeters)

1.d4

One thing was sure in such an important match: I had to play an opening I was familiar with
and play solid chess. Board one in a team is the leader, and the other team members often
look up to him to inspire or boost team spirit with his game. And so I went for my trusty
London System.

1...d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c6

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But this came as a surprise. I had very few games, even to this day, where my opponents
employed the set-up which Kramnik chose in this game.

4.e3

The most natural and common move in the position. The attempt to protect the b2-pawn after
4.Nbd2 Qb6 5.Rb1 is quite awkward and places the rook in the line of sight of Black’s c8-
bishop once it is developed to f5.

4...Qb6!?

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Despite the fundamentals we are taught when we start learning chess, an early queen move
like ...Qb6, grabbing the ‘poisoned’ b2-pawn, is not as bad as it looks. For example, the
famous ‘Poisoned Pawn’ variation of the Sicilian Najdorf is still considered sound for Black.
The advent of strong computer programs and the overall increase in the level of defense have
helped players to reconsider lines that were previously thought of as too risky. I myself often
employed an early ...Qb6 in the Slav Defense, before I finally fully switched to the
Chebanenko variation. So it was both heart-warming and a bit ironic to see this sort of
confirmation of my earlier choice from the World Champion himself. With regard to the
particular situation on the board, Black has kept his c-pawn on c6, thus keeping the position
closed, another factor in support of this early queen sortie.

5.Qc1

As this was an important team event, I was inclined to keep my game so solid as to actually
be ready to draw rather than play aggressively for a win. I suspect that White has plenty of
compensation for the pawn if he just continues his development. The following line seems
quite natural:
5.Nbd2 Qxb2 6.Bd3

6...Qb6 (6...Qc3?! A dubious attempt to prevent White’s expansion on the queenside with
c2–c4. 7.Rb1 g6 8.0-0 Bg7? But this simply loses. 9.Bc7!+– Suddenly the black queen is
encircled and cannot avoid capture.

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9...b6 10.Rb3 Qa5 11.Qc1 e6 12.c4 0-0 13.Bd6 Threatening to capture the queen after Rb3–
a3. Black is losing a lot of material, giving White a decisive material advantage. 13...dxc4
14.Nxc4 Qh5 15.Bxf8 Bxf8 16.Nce5 Bb7 17.Be2 Qh6 18.Rd1 Nfd7 19.a4+–) 7.c4 e6
(7...g6?! I don’t like this move in this position. 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.Rb1 Qd8 10.Qc2 11.Bc7 is a
threat. 10...Nc6 11.Ne5 Bg7 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Qxc6+ Bd7 14.Qb7 0-0 15.0-0± White has a
large advantage.) 8.0-0 Be7 9.Qc2 0-0 10.Rab1 Qd8 11.e4°

White clearly has compensation due to his huge lead in development and threats on the
kingside. 11...h6 (11...Na6? 12.e5±) 12.Rfe1 b6 13.Qc3! A tricky move to find. White is
planning to reorganize his queen and bishop battery for the attack. 13...Bb7 14.Bc2‚

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5...Bf5 6.c4

At this point I was getting quite optimistic, as the position of Black’s queen on b6 can
potentially give White a tempo to play c4–c5, followed by the standard expansion on the
queenside. I did not fear any ideas with ...Bf5xb1, followed by check along the a5–e1
diagonal, as my experience has taught me that White’s strong pair of bishops is more
important than his loss of castling rights.

6...e6 7.Nc3 Nbd7 8.c5!?

This looks a bit too early.

Black’s queen is not ideally placed on b6 and there is no reason for White to help him move
it to a better location. I wanted to avoid the potential exchange on c4, however, as I felt that
if Black takes and puts his rook on the c-file, then the ...c6–c5 break might be unpleasant for
White, with my queen passively placed on c1.
8.h3

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A standard and obvious alternative. White provides his f4-bishop with a safe spot on h2 as it
is extremely important in supporting future queenside expansion and influencing the center,
especially the e5-, d6- and c7-squares. Black usually attempts to break free with ...e6–e5, but
it requires a lot of preparation. In this case, however, Black has an additional resource which
deserves attention, the 8...c5 pawn push: 8...c5! 9.cxd5 Nxd5! The point. Black exchanges a
lot of pieces during the opening of the center, and despite the creation of an isolated pawn on
d5, his piece activity, including the now well-placed queen on b6, will give him sufficient
counterplay to balance the game. 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.dxc5 It is necessary to prevent ...c5–c4,
giving Black a superior structure and pawn majority on the queenside. 11...Bxc5 12.a3 0-0
13.Be2 Be7!

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After this standard rerouting of the bishop to f6, followed by the transfer of the d7-knight to
c5, Black will be fighting for an advantage.

8...Qd8

9.Be2

Not wasting time on moves like 9.h3. 9.h3 Ne4 10.Be2 g5 is possible immediately, but it
might be even better to wait for White to castle kingside first. 11.Bh2

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11...Bg7! Slightly more precise, not allowing White to exchange his inferior f3-knight for
Black’s good defensive d7-knight via the e5-square. (11...h5?! We reach a position which
can arise with colors reversed in the Chebanenko Slav. White’s h2–h3 gives Black a target
for pushing his kingside, especially given the closed center. The threat of ...g5–g4 is quite
strong, as the white king will be unable to castle on either side. Most likely the game will end
in a draw after a lot of exchanges. 12.Ne5! Bg7 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.f3 Nxc3 15.Qxc3² with a
small advantage for White, thanks to his strong dark-squared bishop.) 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Bd6
h5 14.Qc3 Bf8 (14...Bxf3?! This pretty standard exchange of White’s f3-knight to facilitate a
later ...e6–e5 doesn’t quite work here. 15.gxf3! Now Black’s kingside is exposed and
White’s bishop pair becomes very strong, while the white king will be perfectly safe on the
queenside. White’s game plan will shift from expansion on the queenside to action on the
kingside. 15...Bf8 16.Bg3 Bg7 17.Rg1±) 15.Bg3 a5!

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A complex strategic battle is taking shape. Black’s last move is very important in preventing
White’s queenside castling, as then Black will open the entire queenside with ...b7–b6. Black
is also ready to play ...g5–g4 if White castles kingside, which logically results in a position
where both kings must stay in the center! The game will now run on nuances of the pawn
structure, and will probably be decided by the side with the superior preparation for the wing
pawn expansion.

9...Be7

9...Nh5!? was interesting.

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10.0-0!
a) 10.Bg5 Be7 In general, such an exchange is quite OK for Black, because his f5-bishop
will be exchanged at some point and he will equalize after an eventual ...e6–e5.
b) 10.Be5 The idea behind this move is to provoke Black into capturing this bishop, when
White can recapture with either pawn or knight, both giving White additional tempi as Black
is forced to make a quick decision about bringing his awful h5-knight back into play.
10...Nhf6! This simple retreat now forces White’s e5-bishop to return, since Black now
threatens to capture it, leaving him with a strong pair of bishops.
[10...Nxe5? 11.Nxe5 (11.dxe5? But not this time. 11...Bg4! 12.b4

12...g6! White’s e5-pawn falls. 13.Nd4 Bxe2 14.Ncxe2 Qg5! 15.b5 Qxe5 16.bxc6 bxc6
17.Nxc6 Qc7 18.Qc3 Rg8! 19.Ncd4 Qxc5 20.Qd3 Qa5+ 21.Kf1 Bd6 22.g3 Kf8µ) 11...Nf6
12.g4 Bg6 13.h4 Another standard Slav or Caro-Kann set-up, where the threat to capture the
bishop on g6 forces Black to ruin his pawn structure. 13...h6 14.Nxg6 fxg6 15.Qc2+– White
has an almost decisive advantage.]
10...Nxf4 11.exf4=

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We have reached a pawn structure which was quite in vogue at the time in the Nimzo-Indian
and would later become a very hot topic in the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Because of the
closed character of the position, White’s knights are slightly superior to Black’s bishops. In
addition, Black’s f5-bishop will be exchanged, leaving White with possibilities of expansion
on both flanks. The overall idea for White, however, is to exchange all the heavy pieces and
transpose into an endgame, where his superior space and advanced pawns will give rise to
many potential winning pawn breaks and piece sacrifices.
Back to 9...Be7.

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10.h3

White has to play this move sooner or later. In addition, since this is basically a reversed
Chebanenko Slav, I wanted to avoid castling short before Black has declared his intentions
on the kingside.
10.0-0 Ne4 11.Nxe4 Bxe4 12.b4 g5! 13.Bg3 h5‚ was obviously something that I wanted to
avoid.

10...Ne4 11.0-0?!

After some thought I decided to castle anyway. I wanted to see if my opponent would go for
aggressive kingside expansion, given that it was a team match. There were alternatives of
course.
11.b4 Perhaps White’s most obvious and best choice. 11...0-0
[11...g5?! 12.Bh2 h5 13.Nd2! Nxd2 (13...Nxc3 14.Qxc3 g4 15.hxg4 hxg4 16.0-0-0± and
since Black is unable to open the queenside, White has a nice spatial advantage. In addition,
the h-file will come under White’s control as Black faces problems developing his queen.)
14.Qxd2 Bf6!?

The most logical; Black prepares for the ...e6–e5 push. 15.f3 (15.Bd3!? This alternative
deserves attention, since after the exchange of light-squared bishops, the f5-square will
become weak, thanks to Black’s earlier ...g7–g5.) 15...e5 16.0-0² I feel that White is better
prepared for the middlegame. Black should be careful how he continues as White has the
option of either expanding on the queenside or striking at the exposed black kingside pawns.]

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12.0-0 Bf6 This seems to be Black’s most reasonable way of playing. He simply prepares his
standard freeing ...e6–e5 pawn push. 13.Rd1 Re8 14.Qb2! White prevents ...e6–e5 for as long
as he can.

14...Nxc3 15.Qxc3 Be4! 16.Nd2 Bg6 17.Bd6 e5= with equality. These are not conclusive
illustrations, of course.

11...g5!?

Kramnik goes for it. 11...0-0 would be the more solid approach mentioned earlier.

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12.Be5!

This is why I played my previous move. Black has to make a decision which will influence
the game. He can take the bishop, but then his ...g7–g5 might potentially become a weakness
and a target for a future f2–f4. His compensation of the bishop pair will be temporary, since
his bishop on f5 can be exchanged by Be2–d3. If Black ignores White’s bishop on e5, then
he must decide whether or not to play ...f7–f6, shutting in his own e7-bishop and weakening
the light squares on the kingside. No top player would play such an ugly move without clear
compensation. Alternatively, Black can opt for either ...Be7–f6 or ...Rh8–g8. Tough choices
in a tournament game.
12.Bh2 h5 is clearly not something White wants after a mere twelve moves.

12...Nxe5

A natural move, but my opponent played it after quite some thought. As mentioned earlier,
there were choices available.
a) 12...Bf6!?

13.Nxe4 (13.Bxf6?! Ndxf6 14.Nd2 h5= looks fine for Black, as he has got rid of all his bad
pieces and has actually gained space with his kingside pawn expansion, preparing for the
central ...e6–e5 push, and possibly even later ...f7–f5.) 13...Bxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe4 15.f3 Bg6

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16.Nxd7 (16.f4?! This is the sort of double-edged ‘active’ move that I naturally try to avoid,
simply because it surrenders control of e4 to my opponent, who can now lodge a piece there.
16...gxf4 17.exf4 Be4 18.Bh5 Rf8 19.Qe3 Qh4 20.Bf3 f5³ Black gets a monster bishop on e4
and starts to play for a win.) 16...Qxd7 17.b4 Qc7 18.a4 0-0 19.Qc3 f6 20.b5²

with the slightly better game for White because of his more advanced pawn chain on the
queenside.
b) 12...Rg8 13.Bh2 h5 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Nd2 Bg6

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16.Qd1! This is a move I would play, as I prefer to err on the side of caution, especially
when my king is facing an enemy attack. The game is very complex and requires extensive
analysis to reach a correct evaluation of this line.
[16.b4?! doesn’t look right, despite the computer’s vigorous suggestion 16...g4 17.hxg4 hxg4
18.Bxg4 (18.b5?! Bf5 19.Qa3 Rh8 20.bxc6 bxc6 21.Qa4?

This attempt to force Black on to the defensive backfires. 21...Bd6!! 22.g3 Qf6 23.f4 Rxh2
24.Kxh2 Qh8+ 25.Kg1 Qh3 26.Kf2 Qh2+ 27.Ke1 Qxg3+ 28.Kd1 Be7 29.Qxc6 Rd8
30.Qb5 Qxe3–+ and White’s central pawns fall like a house of cards.) 18...Bd3 19.Bf3 Bxf1
20.Qxf1 Rh8∞

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White’s speculative exchange sacrifice for the pawn results in an unbalanced position. On the
one hand White obtains the bishop pair and strong prospects on the queenside; on the other
Black has an active rook on the h-file with the possibility of transferring the rest of his heavy
pieces to the kingside for an attack. Black’s chances look superior to me. 21.Bg4 (21.b5??
Bxc5!µ) 21...a6 22.a4 f5 23.Bh3 Nf6 24.Be5 Rh7 25.g3 Ne4 26.Nf3 Bf6 27.Bg2 Bxe5
28.Nxe5 Kf8!

Black’s king finds shelter amongst his guards on the kingside. Clearly White is worse.]
16...Nf6 (16...Rh8 17.b4 g4?! 18.hxg4 hxg4 19.Bxg4 Bf8 20.Bh3!±; 16...g4?! This pawn sac
is now dubious. 17.hxg4 hxg4 18.Bxg4²

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It is very unlikely that Black’s attack on the kingside can succeed, simply because he lacks
coordination among his pieces and White’s king can easily escape to the center, keeping the
extra pawn. Nevertheless his chances should not be underestimated.) 17.b4

17...g4 18.hxg4 hxg4 19.a4 Bf5 20.b5 Rh8 21.Qb3 Nd7 22.Rfc1 Bh4 23.Nf1 Qf6 24.Bf4 e5
25.dxe5 Nxe5 26.Ng3 Be6 27.Rab1 Bg5 28.bxc6 bxc6 29.Qb4!²

208
and White has achieved a superior balance between his kingside defense and offense on the
queenside. White has the advantage.

13.Nxe5 Bf6

Transferring this bishop to the superior a1–h8 diagonal.

13...Nxc3 14.Qxc3 h5 15.Bd3! is obviously part of White’s plan to reduce the strength of
Black’s kingside attack. In addition White gains a useful Q+N vs. Q+B, and, most
importantly, the game remains quiet and steady, with White enjoying a miniscule but safe
advantage!

14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Qc3

Solid chess. White improves his least-functioning piece, the queen on c1, and asks Black for
clarification of his intentions on the kingside.

15...Bg7 16.b4

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Clearly, without his dark-squared bishop that was so well placed on the b8–h2 diagonal,
White’s expansion on the queenside seems to have lost its sharp edge. However, now that
Black has played ...g7–g5 and weakened his kingside, he will have to play a careful game
and watch both flanks for potential white pawn breaks. In addition, the closed nature of the
position means that Black is faced with passivity, which could be an additional psychological
factor in the mind of the World Champion, should he find himself in an unpleasant defensive
situation.

16...0-0 17.b5!?

Faced with ...f7–f6 followed by ...e6–e5, I rushed with my b-pawn. Usually White plays a2–
a4 first, but in this case White has set a nice little trap.
17.a4 f6 18.Nd3 e5 19.b5 a5!³ Black is slowly starting to dictate the course of the game, as
the power of his bishop pair becomes more evident.

17...cxb5

a) 17...f6? would have been a mistake, as White’s passed pawns will become very
dangerous.

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18.bxc6 fxe5 19.cxb7 Rb8 20.c6 Qc7 21.Rac1 exd4?! The idea of opening up the g7-bishop
is actually going to help White. 22.exd4 e5 23.Qg3

23...Rf7! Black sets up a defense along the seventh rank. (23...h6? 24.Bd3!+– Suddenly
White’s far-advanced pawns on the queenside win the game for him, as they tie up Black’s
most powerful pieces. Furthermore, after the exchange of light-squared bishops, Black’s d-
pawn becomes extremely vulnerable, and once it falls the white rooks will infiltrate to the
seventh rank with decisive effect.) 24.Bh5 Re7 25.Rfe1! exd4 26.Qxg5± Black has to be very
careful here. 26...Re5 (26...d3 27.Qxe7 Qxe7 28.c7!+– The point.) 27.Qg4 Rd8 28.Red1 d3
29.Qd7!!+–

211
A fantastic position. A piece down, White sends his most powerful piece straight into the
most heavily defended spot in the black camp so that his queenside pawns can promote.
b) 17...Qc7?! This is too slow, given how valuable each tempo is in a position with pawn
races on opposite wings. 18.a4 f6 19.Nd3!

19...a5!? Just in time, as Black can recapture on a6 with his rook, thanks to White’s d3-
knight temporarily closing off the bishop on e2.
[19...e5?! Automatic moves lose games! Always try to keep attuned to the changing pawn
landscapes in the position. 20.Nb4! White is just in time to meet ...a7–a5, which Black must
still play or face his queenside pawn chain being destroyed by a4–a5–a6. 20...Rae8 (20...a5?!

212
Not to be recommended, as Black is playing on the flank where his opponent is stronger.
21.bxa6 bxa6 22.a5 Qc8 23.Ra2 Bg6 24.Rb2 exd4 25.exd4 f5 26.Nd3!± The knight transfers
to e5 to great effect. The outpost on b6 is going to be taken by the b2-rook with a great
impact on the weak black pawns.)

21.a5! (21.Rfe1? Too slow. White loses the race between his queenside pawn march and
Black’s attack on the kingside. The rook is also needed on the f-file to cover the important
f2-square. 21...f5 22.a5 g4 23.a6 gxh3 24.axb7 Bf6! 25.g3 exd4 26.exd4 Qg7 27.Kh2 Bxd4–
+) 21...f5 22.a6 And now great complications arise, where White’s queenside expansion
should be easier to play than Black’s kingside attack. Both sides have their chances!

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22...g4 (22...f4 23.axb7 fxe3 24.fxe3 exd4 25.exd4 Bxg2 26.Rxf8+ Kxf8 27.Nxc6+– White
wins the race. 22...exd4 23.exd4 Bxg2 24.Rfe1!± with great complications where White’s
chances should be better.) 23.axb7 gxh3 24.g3 f4 (24...cxb5 25.c6 exd4 26.exd4 f4 27.Kh2!
±) 25.Nxc6±]
20.Bh5!

An important move to take away the e8-square from the black rooks. 20...Bxd3 (20...h6 21.f3
Bh7 22.f4 e5 23.f5² with a small advantage to White.) 21.Qxd3 f5 22.Rab1 e5 23.bxc6 bxc6
24.Rb6 exd4 25.exd4 Kh8 26.Qe3!

And now it is clear how useful White’s bishop is on h5. Black’s ...g7–g5 has enabled White

214
to use h5 as an outpost for the bishop, hindering Black from taking over the e-file. Despite
these strategic factors, with good defense Black should still be OK, of course. 26...Bf6
27.Qe6 Rac8 28.Rd1 Bg7!∞ (28...Qe7?! 29.Qxe7 Bxe7 30.Kf1±; 28...Qg7? 29.Rxc6 Rxc6
30.Qxc6 Qh6 31.Be2 g4 32.hxg4 fxg4 33.g3+–)

18.Bxb5

18...Qc7

a) 18...Bxe5!? This exchange seems perfectly playable as it destroys the connection between
White’s queenside pawns. 19.dxe5 Rc8 20.Rac1 Qe7 21.Qd4 Kg7 22.Rc3 Bg6 23.Rfc1 h5
24.Be2 Rc7 25.a4 Rfc8 26.a5 a6=

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The game is balanced as White cannot improve his position further. 27.c6? This attempt to
force the creation of a passed a-pawn by brute force fails. 27...Rxc6 28.Rxc6 Rxc6 29.Rxc6
bxc6 30.Bxa6 Qa3–+ Black’s queen infiltration is decisive.
b) 18...f6 19.Nd3 e5 This plan with ...f6/...e5 is not looking good now that Black’s d5-pawn
has lost the support of its colleague on c6. It doesn’t lose, but an elite player would frown
upon making such voluntary concessions on the light squares.

19.Rac1 f6?!

Quite suddenly, after this move, my opponent offered me a draw. This brought recollections
of previous games and Kramnik’s habit at that time of offering draws in inferior positions. I
started thinking that I might be missing something! That’s another insight into psychology!
Don’t offer draws, unless for a really, really good reason! After the move in the game, I sank
into prolonged thought and discovered the possible reason behind my opponent’s offer,
however it seemed quite counterintuitive and required both serious calculation and evaluation
of the resulting positions.
19...Bxe5 20.dxe5 Rac8= would keep the game balanced.

20.Nd7!!

216
Absolutely spectacular. The white knight heads deep into enemy territory with the intention
of disrupting the coordination amongst the enemy forces. A quiet retreat was feasible, but
wouldn’t have yielded anything special, leading most likely to a lifeless draw. However, as I
recall, this move had an encouraging effect on my team mates and the opposite effect on my
opponent’s. It’s not every day that you refuse a draw offer from the World Champion!!
However I felt that my resulting position was objectively superior and analysis with the
computer has confirmed this.

20...Rfd8 21.c6

The only but sufficient move to protect the cavalry unit. Black cannot allow this pawn to
live, so he is forced to trade into an endgame where his pair of bishops is almost ready to
have a say in matters, but because of tactics and White’s knight wreaking havoc, White
obtains the initiative.

21...bxc6 22.Qxc6 Qxc6 23.Bxc6 Rac8 24.Bb5!²

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The move that had to be seen before committing to my 20th move. Here White’s bishop
denies Black’s e4-bishop the d3-square, which could otherwise have been used to deploy that
bishop to c4. In addition White wants to take over the c-file and threatens to post his d7-
knight back to c5, attacking both black’s e4-bishop and weak e6-pawn.

24...Bg6?!

This loss of an important tempo will prove to be almost fatal.

24...e5. I was more worried about this direct push as Black seeks mass exchanges and
liquidation into an endgame with opposite-colored bishops. 25.Nc5 exd4 26.exd4 Rb8 27.a4!

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White’s bishop and knight are key to the plan of taking over the c-file and playing for an
advantage. 27...Bf5! It seems unnatural to shut in its brother on g7, but Black needs to take
control of the e6-square. (27...f5 28.Ne6+–; 27...Rd6?! 28.Rfe1 Bg6 29.Re7!± After this
move, White’s e7-rook becomes a powerful force that will keep Black constantly tied to the
defense of his weak a-pawn. 29...f5 30.Rd1 Bh5 31.Rd2 Ra8 32.Rc7 Bf6 33.Nd7 Bd8 34.Rb7
a6 35.Bd3 Bg6 36.Rc2±) 28.Rfe1 Bf8 29.g4 Bg6

30.Nd7 (30.Re6?! Rbc8! 31.Rxf6 Bg7 32.Rc6 Rxc6 33.Bxc6 Bf7! At the cost of his f6-pawn,
Black has finally managed to open up both his bishops and bring the vulnerability of the d4-
pawn to White’s attention. White keeps his small plus, but the game is very close to equal.)
30...Rxb5 31.Nxf8 Rb4 (31...Rb7? This attempt to protect the seventh rank is too passive.
32.Nxg6 hxg6 33.Re6 Kg7 34.a5!±

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This endgame is extremely unpleasant for Black, since his kingside pawns do not provide
cover for the king, while White has a very active pair of rooks and an obvious plan of
encircling and capturing Black’s d-pawn which cannot be defended because of White’s
doubling rooks on the sixth rank.) 32.Nxg6 hxg6 33.Rc6!

Sets a nice trap. 33...Rf8! Black reaches a draw.

[33...Rxa4? 34.Re7 Rf8 35.Rcc7! Gaining a crucial tempo that wins White the game. 35...Rd8
36.Rg7+ Kf8 37.Rh7 Kg8 38.Rh6!!

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38...Rxd4 (38...Rd6?? 39.Rc8+ Kg7 40.Rch8! The point of having the d-pawn alive! Black is
mated!) 39.Rxg6+ Kh8 40.Rxf6 a5 41.Rh6+ Kg8 42.Rh5 a4 43.Rxg5+ Kf8 44.Rh5 Kg8
45.Rch7 Rf8 46.Rh8+ Kg7 47.R5h7+ Kg6 48.Rxf8 Kxh7 49.Kg2 Rb4

50.Kf3!!+– King activity is more important than a pawn. (50.Ra8? d4 51.Kf3 d3 52.Ke3
Rd4! 53.Kd2 Rf4=) 50...Rb3+ 51.Kf4 Rxh3 52.f3 Rh1 53.Rd8 a3 54.Ra8 Ra1 55.Kf5 d4
56.Kf6 d3 57.Ra7+ Kg8 58.g5+–]
34.Rc7 Rf7 35.Re8+ Kg7 36.Ree7 Rxe7 37.Rxe7+ Kf8 38.Rxa7 Rxd4=

25.Nc5

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The black rooks come under threat. Around this time I took a glance at the other boards and
saw that all was quiet, except in Nakamura’s game, where the whole board was on fire with a
very unbalanced position and time trouble was looming for both players.

25...Rd6

25...Bf7?! 26.Nb7 Rf8 27.a4! It is important to support the b5-bishop before continuing the
knight dance. 27...f5 28.Nd6 Rcd8 29.Rc6 a5 30.Rfc1±

All the white pieces have been deployed to maximum effect and are exerting great pressure
on Black’s weakened pawns. Black faces material losses and will be hard-pressed in the fight
for a draw, for example 30...f4 31.Nxf7 Kxf7 32.Bd3 h6 33.Be2 Ke7 34.Bg4 Rd6 35.Rc7+
Rd7 36.R1c6 Rf6 37.Rc5! The point of all the maneuvering; Black’s a-pawn falls. 37...Rxc7
38.Rxc7+ Kf8 39.Rc5+–

26.a4!

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White is very patient and I am proud of how precisely I played this part of the game, finding
these extremely unpleasant moves for my opponent. However the time spent on finding them
had brought me closer to time trouble, so mistakes started to creep in.
26.Na6 is less accurate. 26...Rf8 27.Rc7 e5! This was the line I was worried about during the
game. 28.Nc5 exd4 (28...Rf7 29.Bd7!±) 29.exd4 f5 30.Rd1 g4!

Black continues to open the position with further pawn exchanges, bringing him closer to
getting his bishops working and equality. 31.Rxa7 gxh3 32.Rd7! Rxd7 33.Bxd7 hxg2
34.Kxg2 Be8! White’s bishop was controlling too many vital squares and had to be traded.
(34...Rb8?! 35.a4 Rb2? 36.a5+–) 35.Be6+ Bf7 36.Bxf5 Rb8! 37.Rd3! (37.a4 Rb4 38.a5

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Bxd4=) 37...Rb2
[37...Rb4 38.Rb3 Rxb3 (38...Rxd4 39.Rb8+ Bf8 40.Nd7+–) 39.Nxb3± and Black still has
some work to do to reach the draw.]
38.a4 Ra2 39.Rg3! The point of White’s 37th move. Black is very close to reaching a draw,
but still has to play precisely.
After the text move 26.a4, 27.Nb7 becomes a threat.

26...Bf8

26...e5?

27.Nb7! Rxc1 28.Rxc1 Rb6 29.Rc8+ Bf8 30.Nc5 exd4 31.exd4 a6 32.Nd7 Rd6 33.Nxf8
axb5 34.Nxg6++–

27.Na6!

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Keeping Black’s a-pawn vulnerable.

27...Rc2!?

My opponent finds a great resource in my time trouble.

28.Rxc2?!

Inaccurate, though fortunately it doesn’t spoil the whole advantage. However it was
unrealistic for me to find 28.Nb8!.
28.Nb8!!

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28...Rd8 (28...a5 29.Rxc2 Bxc2 30.Rc1 Bb3 31.Rc8 Bc4 32.Nc6+–) 29.Nc6 Rd7 30.Rxc2
Bxc2 31.Rc1 Bg6 32.Na5 Re7 33.Rc8 a6!

This allows Black to activate his rook. 34.Nc6 Rb7 35.Bxa6 Rb1+ 36.Kh2 Rb2 37.a5! Kg7
38.Rd8! A very important move that takes away the d6-square from Black’s dark-squared
bishop. 38...Rxf2 39.Kg1

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39...Rb2 (39...Ra2 40.Bb5 Be4 41.a6!+– White’s a-pawn decides the game. 41...Ba3!? Black
attempts to capture as many of White’s kingside pawns as possible before giving up his rook
for White’s coming queen. However it will not be sufficient. 42.a7 Bc1 43.a8=Q Bxe3+
44.Kf1 Bxg2+ 45.Ke1 Bf2+ 46.Kd1 Rxa8 47.Rxa8 Bxh3 48.Ke2 Bg1 49.Ra7+ Kg6
50.Bd3++–) 40.Bf1 Rb1 41.Kf2 Rb2+ 42.Kg3 Rb1 43.a6 Rxf1 44.a7 Ra1 45.a8=Q Rxa8
46.Rxa8 Bd6+ 47.Kf2±

and White should be able to win this endgame thanks to the weakness of Black’s e-pawn and
weak seventh rank.

28...Bxc2

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29.Nc5!

29.Rc1?? Bxa4! I almost blundered into this little tactic.

29...e5 30.Rc1 Bf5?!

Another move caused by time trouble that gives me the chance to play the useful g2–g4.
It was better to play 30...Bg6 immediately, although White obviously keeps his advantage
and plays along the lines of the game, but without the inclusion of g2–g4.

31.g4 Bg6 32.Nd7! Be8!

Black was also running short of time, but finds a good practical shot.
32...a6?! 33.Nxf8 axb5 34.Nxg6 hxg6 35.axb5+– would lead to an easily won game for
White.

33.Nxf8 Bxb5

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34.axb5??

In the little time I had left I saw the correct move and some of the lines, but couldn’t decide
whether the risk was too great, so decided on a safer continuation with a small advantage. It
is frustrating that one such mistake can spoil all one’s previous efforts, but that is chess! My
opponent should be commended for defending resourcefully and tenaciously.
34.Nxh7!! Of course I should have played this regardless, as only White can win here.
34...Bxa4
[34...exd4 35.axb5 dxe3 36.Nxg5 fxg5 37.fxe3 Rd7 (37...Rb6 38.Rc5+–) 38.Kf2 Kf7 39.Rc6
Rb7 40.Rc5 Rd7 41.Ke2 Ke6 42.Rc6+!+–]
35.dxe5 fxe5 36.Nxg5 d4 This was the line I was concerned about as it seemed that Black’s
R+B supporting his passed a- and d-pawns would create problems for me, however it
becomes clear that White’s pieces and three connected passed pawns on the kingside are
much more dangerous.

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37.exd4 exd4 38.Rc8+ Kg7 39.Ne4 Rd5 40.f4 d3 41.Rc7+ Kf8 42.Nd2 a5 43.Kf2 Bc2
44.Ra7 a4

45.Ke3 (45.h4 Rd6 46.g5 Re6 47.h5 Re2+ 48.Kg3!! is an inhumanly crazy line that was
impossible to play in such an important team game. White wins immediately though!)
45...Rd8! This is what stopped me in the game. I saw that the black rook is infiltrating to e2,
attacking my knight and threatening the advance of the d-pawn. However I did not realize
that my f- and g-pawns would be just in time to create mating threats for the black king, thus
indirectly protecting my key d2-knight and winning me the game. 46.f5 Re8+ 47.Kd4

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47...Rd8+ Black attempts to drive the white king further away from the knight. (47...Re2
48.Kc3 Rh2 49.g5 Rxh3 50.g6 Rg3 51.Ne4!+– The knight triumphantly joins the kingside
expansion and helps to organize the mating attack against Black’s king. 51...Rg2 52.Ra8+
Kg7 53.f6+ Kxg6 54.Rg8++–) 48.Kc3 Rc8+ 49.Kb4 Rb8+ 50.Ka3!+–

The perfect shelter for the white king. White’s knight is doing an impressive job of
blockading Black’s d-pawn and taking away a lot of squares from both the black rook and
bishop!! 50...Re8 51.f6 Re2 (51...Bd1 52.g5 Bh5 53.Kb4! Re3 54.h4 Rh3 55.Kc3 Rxh4
56.Rh7!+– A decisive pin.) 52.g5 Rg2 (52...Rxd2 53.g6+–) 53.h4 Bd1 54.Nc4 d2 55.Ne5!+–

34...Kxf8

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35.dxe5

35.Rc8+ allows Black to equalize fully after 35...Ke7 36.Rh8! exd4 37.Rxh7+ Kf8 38.Rxa7!?
(38.exd4 Rb6 39.Rxa7 Rxb5=) 38...Rb6 39.Ra5 dxe3 40.fxe3 Ke7 41.Kf2 Kd6 42.Kg3 Kc5

43.h4 gxh4+ 44.Kxh4 Rxb5 45.Rxb5+ Kxb5 46.Kh5 Kc4 47.Kg6 Kd3 48.Kxf6 Kxe3 49.g5
d4 50.g6 d3 51.g7 d2 52.g8=Q d1=Q=

35...fxe5 36.Rc7

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36...d4!

Correct defense. Black starts to push his own d-pawn.

36...h6 37.Rxa7 Rb6 38.Ra6 Rxb5 39.Rxh6 This results in a position where Black has to
defend precisely. 39...Kf7 40.Kg2 (40.Rd6?! Ke7 41.Rg6 d4=) 40...Rb2 41.Rd6 Rd2 42.Kf3
e4+ 43.Kg3

43...Kg7 (43...Rd1? 44.h4 Rg1+ 45.Kh3 Rh1+ 46.Kg2 Rxh4 47.Kg3+–) 44.Re6 Kf7 45.Re5
Kf6 46.Rf5+ Kg6 47.h4 gxh4+ 48.Kxh4 d4²

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37.exd4?

A final mistake, after which a draw is inevitable. 37.Rxa7 gave more chances to play on.

37...d3 (37...dxe3? would be a clear error, giving up his trump, the passed pawn. 38.fxe3 e4
39.Rxh7 Rb6 40.Rc7 Rxb5 41.Rc4 Re5 42.Kf2 Kf7 43.Kg3 Kf6 44.h4+–) 38.Ra1 Rb6
(38...e4? 39.Rb1 Ke7 40.Kf1 Rb6 41.Rb4 Kf6 42.Rxe4 Rxb5 43.Rd4+–) 39.Rb1 Ke7

40.f3! and Black faces problems. (After 40.Kg2? Kd6 41.Kf3 Kd5µ Black would even get
the upper hand!) 40...Kd7! Probably the only move. (40...Kd6? 41.Rd1! The point. The
black king cannot cross the d-file to capture White’s b-pawn. With this response, White

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maintains a material advantage and with it, hopes of victory. In time trouble, I missed this
resource. 41...Rxb5 42.Rxd3+ Ke6 43.Rd8; 40...Ke6 41.Kf1 Kd5 42.Ke1 Kc4 43.Kd2+–
White is just in time and Black’s position is lost.) 41.Kf2 Rf6! 42.Rb3 e4 43.f4! gxf4 44.exf4
Rxf4+ 45.Ke3 Rf1! 46.Kxe4 d2 47.Rd3+ Ke6! 48.Rxd2 Rb1 49.Rf2 Rxb5 50.Rf5!

Black still has to be careful. 50...Rb7 51.Kf4 Ke7!! Another important defensive resource for
Black. The white king is not allowed to come into close proximity to Black’s h-pawn.
(51...h6? 52.Rh5 Rh7 53.Ra5!+–; 51...Rg7? 52.Ra5+–) 52.Kg5 Rb3 53.h4 Rb6=

37...exd4 38.Kf1 d3 39.Ke1 Rd5

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40.Rxa7 Rxb5 41.Rxh7 Rb1+ 42.Kd2 Rf1 43.Kxd3 Rxf2 44.Ke4 Rf4+ 45.Ke5 Rf3 46.Ke6
Kg8 47.Rh5 Kf8 48.Rxg5 Rxh3 49.Kf6 Ra3 50.Kg6 Kg8

I took a glance at Nakamura’s position, saw that the evaluation had suddenly shifted in his
favour, and decided to draw the game.

½–½

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 GAME 8
Etienne Bacrot
Gata Kamsky
Elista 2007
Gata and his Uncle Rinad at the Elista
Candidates in 2007

After the massive experiment that was the 2005

World Cup, FIDE had encountered great difficulty in
finding sponsorship for the next stage of the world
championship cycle, the Candidates matches. Finally,
with time moving on, FIDE President Mr.
Ilyumzhinov decided to organize the event himself in
the city of Elista, the capital of the Kalmyk republic in
Russia. The fact that I had played my world
championship match vs. Karpov there in 1996 was not
lost on me. Now, eleven years later, I found myself
fighting for the world championship title again, a
much different person, a free man, at the prime age of
33, with energy and ambition to learn and beat the best. I was very happy to bring along my
Uncle Rinad, who had helped me qualify for this event at the World Cup, and he and my
cousin helped me tremendously during the Elista event.
My first match was versus Mr. Bacrot of France, and in my preparation, which I had done
alone (and not quite as thoroughly as I would have liked, given other major distractions), I
wanted to focus on winning the first match, leaving thoughts of the second match as
impractical. Thus was born the decision to adopt a new pet opening for Black against
White’s 1.d4, as everyone now knew that I was employing the Chebanenko Slav as my main
defense.
The new opening, the Dutch Defense, came as the result of a decision to employ something
that would be familiar to me from my previous experience with the Grünfeld and King’s
Indian, yet differ significantly in shaping the strategy of the opening. The new opening
served me faithfully and has given me a number of important victories from 2007 to the
present day. I’ve grown quite fond of it actually, and would employ it when I thought my
opponents were least likely to expect it.
A few words about the match vs Mr. Bacrot. In the first game, I was White and played 1.d4,
only to be faced with the Chebanenko Slav myself!! Quite a shocker, and I was glad to get
away with a draw. The following game, the second, turned out to be critical for the match, as

237
victory in this one enabled me to win two more, effectively ending the match ahead of
schedule.

1.d4 f5!

The exclamation mark is for the surprise value. I thought it would be extremely difficult for
my opponent, even with help, to master a whole new opening during the match.

2.Nf3

Some brief notes on the opening. White decides to go for a solid main line with g3. In my
opinion, Black faces a more difficult life after the more natural 2.c4, e.g.
2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3

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And now Black usually plays 3...d6 if he wants to continue with his ...g6 set-up, or has to
play 3...e6, going into more of a Nimzo/Queen’s Indian set-up. 3...e6 also gives Black the
option of attempting to build Stonewall structures. 3...g6?! is considered dubious because of
the immediate 4.h4!, for example 4...Bg7 5.h5 Nxh5 6.e4!

6...fxe4 7.Rxh5 gxh5 8.Qxh5+ Kf8 9.Bh6 d6 10.Nxe4 with an unpleasant game for Black as
his king faces a direct attack.

2...Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.b4!?

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The Dutch Defense is quite old and over its long existence White has tried so many plans and
combinations of plans it’s quite impossible to list them all. However, when employing the
plan with White’s bishop developed on g2, the experts all agree that White must expand on
the queenside, trying to keep the position open, especially the light squares, since that’s
where Black’s weaknesses are. Black’s task therefore is to keep the queenside rather closed,
and organize the equalizing ...e7–e5 push, or at least force White into playing d4–d5, after
which Black can play ...e7–e5 and get a King’s Indian-type structure with the main
difference (which I strongly believe is advantageous for Black) that his f-pawn, which
remains on f7 in the King’s Indian, is on f5 here. This helps prevent White’s massive central
grip which is so typical of King’s Indian structures. In this particular case, White shrewdly
decides to employ a rare sub-line to counter my surprise, judging correctly that I would not
feel the nuances of the position, despite studying the opening for a few weeks. After White’s
fifth move I was on my own, guided only by general principles and ideas from similar
structures. It seems that when faced with the unknown, human nature, on a subconscious
level, tends to revert to the known, in my case the Schlechter Slav, hence my reaction.
Luckily for me, it turns out to be not bad at all!!

240
 Etienne Bacrot vs Gata Kamsky (Photo by Anastasiya Karlovich)

5...c6 6.c4 d5

This set-up basically goes against most of the rules that we teach beginners, like not creating

241
weaknesses, being careful with pawn moves as they can’t go back, and lack of development.
While all this is true, and Black’s dark squares look atrocious, the over-riding principle in
this position is to make sure that White’s g2-bishop is shut in as well!! The one important
difference with the ‘main’ Stonewall is that the e6-square is still available for the black minor
pieces and the e7-pawn controls the vital d6-square.

7.Nbd2

White continues natural development and his plan of developing the c1-bishop to b2. Other
plans were also possible, but I’ll leave them to the opening specialists.

7...Ne4!

An important move. Black needs to open up his g7-bishop as soon as possible, so that it can
fight for control of the central squares. In addition, White will be forced to close the access of
his c1-bishop to the kingside by playing e2–e3 at some point in order to keep his d4-pawn
protected.

8.Bb2 a5!

Another important move. White is forced to declare his pawn structure on the queenside
before he has castled and can make use of his superior development. Although he has
developed four minor pieces compared to Black’s two, Black has been preparing the set-up
with ...Bc8–e6 followed by ...Nb8–d7, completing his queenside development, following up
by castling short, when his position would be very close to equal.

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9.bxa5

a) 9.b5 This natural advance is also quite possible, but gives rise to a lot of tactical
possibilities.

9...dxc4! This is very strong, but I would most likely not have played it in the game, as some
of the tactics are impossible to see at this stage.
a1) 9...a4 is another interesting idea. Black thematically disrupts White’s queenside pawns
and gains the a5-square for his pieces. The game is still very complex and both sides have
their chances in the middlegame. 10.bxc6 Nxc6!? is an extremely interesting computer
suggestion. It’s quite likely the game is balanced here as well, but White’s structure certainly
looks better. Again, I will leave the analysis of these opening lines to the reader, as my
purpose here is to explain the ideas and plans in the position that occurred in the game.
(10...bxc6?! An inferior recapture. 11.Ba3!² An important moment. In these structures, a3 is
a perfect square for White’s bishop. From there it takes aim at the important squares c5 and
d6, stays out of the way of the heavy pieces and fixes Black’s a4-pawn.

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11...0-0 12.0-0 Nd7 13.Qc2 Ba6 14.Rab1 Re8 15.Rfc1 e6± Both sides have completed their
development. White’s position looks preferable as the numerous holes in the black structure
are exposed and the presence of White’s heavy pieces on the b- and c-files is indicative of a
future assault. Black must be really careful here.)
a2) 9...Be6 Most likely the move I would have played, but it is objectively inferior to
9...dxc4. Black attempts to complete natural development before further commitments. 10.a4
0-0

11.cxd5 Bxd5! (11...cxd5 is also possible, but passive. 12.Qb3 Qb6! 13.0-0 Nd7= Black has
managed to complete his development without making any major concessions to White, so

244
the game is close to equal, as neither side has full control of the center or the c-file, while the
queenside is almost deadlocked.) 12.bxc6 Nxc6 13.e3 Nb4 14.0-0 Rc8= and Black has at
least equalized.
10.Nxc4
a1) 10.bxc6? Not good. 10...c3 11.Bxc3 Nxc3 12.cxb7 Bxb7 13.Qb3 Bxf3

14.Nxf3 (14.Bxf3 Ra7! 15.Rc1 Bxd4 16.Rxc3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 0-0 18.0-0 Rc7 19.Qe5 Rf6!µ
After the fireworks, Black keeps a serious material advantage.) 14...Ne4 15.Ng5 Nxg5
16.Bxa8 Qxd4! 17.0-0 (17.Qxb8+ Kf7 18.Qb3+ Ne6–+) 17...Qa7!–+
a2) 10.Nxe4?! fxe4

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11.Nd2 (11.Ng5? cxb5µ is obviously good for Black) 11...cxb5 12.a4! Nc6 13.e3 Nb4 14.0-
0 Nd3 15.Qb1 b4 16.Nxc4 Bf5 17.Nd2 e5! 18.dxe5 Nxb2 19.Qxb2 Qd5 20.Rad1 leads to an
extremely messy position, where most likely Black’s chances are at least equal.
10...cxb5

11.Ncd2! The only way for White to fight. He has to get rid of Black’s best piece, the e4-
knight. (11.Nce5? Be6µ leaves White with no compensation for the missing pawn) 11...a4
12.a3 Nc6 13.e3 Nxd2 14.Qxd2 0-0 15.0-0 Be6³ and Black is more than comfortable.
b) Another option for White is the attempt to keep his queenside pawn formation intact: 9.a3
0-0 10.0-0 Be6 11.Qc2 Qb6!

246
12.Rfb1
[12.Nxe4?! White should only exchange on e4 when he’s ready to challenge Black’s e4-
pawn with f2–f3, otherwise Black’s central pawn chain is quite strong. 12...fxe4 13.Ng5
Bf5! 14.Qb3 (14.b5 h6 15.Nh3 g5µ) 14...e6³]
12...axb4 13.axb4 Rxa1 14.Bxa1 Nd7= The game is balanced and both sides must be careful.
15.b5?! Ra8! Now Black is ready to fight for an advantage, since White’s bishop is shut in on
a1. 16.Nxe4 fxe4 17.Ng5 Bf5 18.bxc6? Qxc6µ

9...Qxa5 10.0-0

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10...0-0

10...Qa4?! While this move looks pretty, blocking White’s a2–a4 advance and exerting some
pressure on the center with the idea of transposing into an endgame, it would remove all the
tension and very likely lead to a draw. I wanted to play the Dutch with aggressive intentions,
to fight for a win! 11.cxd5 (11.Qb3 e6 12.Rfc1 0-0 13.e3 Nd7=) 11...cxd5 12.e3 0-0 13.Qb3
e6 14.Rfc1 Nc6 15.Qxa4 Rxa4 16.Nb3²

White keeps a small advantage, thanks to Black’s weak pawn on e6 and hole on e5 which
can potentially be used to White’s benefit. Black has to fight for a draw here.

11.a4 Be6

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12.cxd5

White decides to eliminate the pressure on his c4-pawn and steer the game into a solid, static
state. It also makes sense for White to wait a little longer with this exchange, so that he can
station his queen on c2 without the danger of being harassed by the black rooks.
12.Qc2 Nd7 13.Rfb1

13...Nb6! Again, this forces White to declare his pawn structure. (13...Rfb8?! Waiting too
long. 14.e3 Bf6 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.Nb3 Qd8 17.a5² allows White to reach his desired set-up
with a small advantage thanks to his better pawn structure.) 14.cxd5 Bxd5! 15.Nb3 (15.Nxe4

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Bxe4 16.Qb3+ Nd5=) 15...Qb4! 16.Nc5 Qc4!

Black manages to remove his queen from all the danger with tempo! He is out of danger
now. 17.Qd1 Nxc5 18.Nd2 (18.dxc5?? Bxb2 19.Rxb2 Nxa4 20.Rxb7 Nc3–+) 18...Qb4
19.dxc5 Bxb2 20.cxb6 Bxg2 21.Qc2 (21.Kxg2?? Rfd8–+) 21...Bd5 22.Rxb2 Qg4 23.f3
Qd4+ 24.Kf1 f4∞

and with such a magnificent bishop on d5, Black cannot be worse, though White retains his
trumps on the queenside, including the far advanced pawn on b6. The position is very
complex, as the following lines illustrate, and one wrong move on either side could make a
huge difference to the overall evaluation. 25.g4 Kg7 26.a5 (26.Nb3 Bxb3! Avoiding Nc5.

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27.Qxb3 Rfd8! Avoiding Rd1. 28.a5 Rd5 29.a6? Rb5–+) 26...h5‚ 27.gxh5 Rf5 28.Ra4 Qe3∞

12...cxd5

12...Bxd5 is quite possible, but I wanted to keep the center symmetrical.

Also I was not sure whether the b7/c6 pawn chain would be a strength or a weakness. It
seems that I worried too much, as the game is quite balanced and now that Black’s ‘bad’
light-squared bishop is fully in the game, Black cannot stand worse. 13.Nxe4 Bxe4 14.Qb3+
Qd5! 15.Ra3
[15.Qxb7 Going pawn-grabbing can sometimes be a risky business... 15...Nd7 16.Qb4
(16.Qc7? g5!µ) 16...Rfb8 17.Qd2 Nb6 18.Bc3 Nxa4 19.Bb4 Bf6! 20.h4!

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This move, preventing ...g6–g5, is important! 20...Nb6 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.Rc1 Ra2 23.Qe1
Qb5 24.e3 Nd5 25.Bd2 (25.Bc5? Careless. 25...Qb2!µ 26.Ng5 Bxg2 27.Kxg2 Bxg5
28.hxg5 Kf7 29.Kg1

29...Nc3!!–+) 25...Qb2 26.Rxc6 e6!

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27.Qf1 (27.Rxe6? Ra1–+) 27...Bxf3 28.Bxf3 Qxd2 29.Bxd5 exd5 30.Rxf6 Rc2 31.Qg2 Qe1+
32.Qf1 Qd2= and finally we have reached a repetition.]
15...Nd7 16.Qxd5+ Bxd5 17.a5 Ra6 18.Rfa1 Rfa8 19.Ng5=

with a balanced endgame where Black’s chances are very slightly preferable, thanks to his
pawns being on light squares.

13.Nb3

If White attempts to develop his queen to a more active square, the tactics work in Black’s
favor: 13.Qb3? Nxd2 14.Nxd2 Qxd2 15.Bc3 Qg5 16.Qxb7 Na6µ.

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13...Qa6!

Black is just in time to take the c5-square away from White’s b3-knight. After fighting for
the win, I was now aware that I was looking to equalize!! Arriving at this position, I was
quite optimistic of achieving equality as White will have no choice but to play a4–a5 at some
point, exchanging the last queenside pawn, leading to massive heavy piece exchanges and a
draw. My opponent, however, had other plans...

14.Ne5!?

White decides that he has had quite enough of my knight on e4, and puts his own knight in
the center. He now has the option of kicking my knight out with f2–f3, something that I
cannot respond to symmetrically!

14...b6

14...Nd7 would have been more accurate. 15.Nxd7 Bxd7

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16.f3 (16.Bxe4?! White should not give up his g2-bishop so carelessly, even if the position
looks closed enough for a knight to be better than the bishop. 16...fxe4 17.Nc5 Qc6 18.Qb3
Bg4 19.Rfc1 Bxe2 20.Nxe4 Bc4 21.Qb4 Qe6) 16...Nd6 17.Nc5 Qc6 18.Qb3 Nc4 19.f4 b6

20.Qxc4!? An impressive looking move! 20...e6!! would have been even more impressive,
had I seen it!!! (20...dxc4 leads to an equal opposite-colored bishops endgame: 21.Bxc6
Bxc6 22.Ne6 Rfc8 23.Nxg7 Bd7! 24.Bc3 Kxg7 25.Rfb1 Rxa4 26.Rxa4 Bxa4 27.Rxb6 Kf7
28.d5 Rc5 29.d6 exd6 30.Rxd6 Rc7=) 21.Rfc1 bxc5 22.Qxc5 Qxc5 23.Rxc5 Rfb8 24.Bc3
Rxa4 25.Rxa4 Bxa4 26.e3=

255
and after mutual annihilation, the game is completely equal.

15.Qd3

15...Nd7

15...Rc8 is perhaps a tiny bit more accurate. White is forced to play 16.Rfc1 leading to
massive exchanges. 16.Rfc1 Nd7 17.Qxa6 (17.Nc6 Kf7 18.a5 bxa5 19.Rxa5 Qb6 20.Rb5
Qa6=) 17...Rxc1+ 18.Rxc1 Rxa6 19.Rc8+

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19...Bf8! My personal preference. (19...Nf8?! is a bit too passive for my taste. 20.Rb8 Now
Black has to find the correct move in order to keep equality. 20...Bxe5! 21.dxe5 Kf7 22.Nd4
Bd7! 23.f3 Nc5 24.f4 Ne4 25.e3 Rxa4 26.Rxb6 Ne6 27.Nxe6 Bxe6= with a completely
equal game.)

16.a5?!

White has been playing some inspired chess, but at the cost of time. Now he is faced with a
situation where he is low on time but has to consider each exchange with great care. As a
result, he wants to exchange pawns and reach safety, but such decision making starts a

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process which is only one step away from disaster.

16...Rfc8!

Of course Black takes his rook to the all-important open c-file!! Now White has to be very
careful!
16...bxa5 This option too would have the potential to pose problems for White. 17.Rxa5 Qb6
18.Rb5 Qd6! 19.Na5?! Rfc8! 20.f4 g5 21.e3? Qa6!³ This line illustrates how hard it is to
play such positions, with so many pieces on the board, and despite limited structural
mobility, for both sides!!

17.Qe3?!

In view of his rapidly diminishing time, White admits to losing the ‘face off’ battle of the
queens, but it’s actually a lot more than that. White’s minor pieces, the b2-bishop and b3-
knight, are badly placed. All Black has to do is open the b-file and line up on them. In
addition, by placing his queen on e3, White leaves his d4-pawn without the possible
protection of e2–e3.
17.f4! would have kept the balance.

17...bxa5!

Correct.
17...Qb5

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Looks pretty and sets a trap for White, but I didn’t want to provoke him into taking back his
last bad move. 18.Qd3! Now Black has to enter murky tactics to avoid the repetition.
[18.f3? Rc2! Strongest by far, but I was getting low on time too, making it difficult to
calculate all the tactical lines correctly. (18...Nd6?! is also better for Black, but after
19.Nxg6 hxg6 20.Qxe6+ the position is messier.) 19.fxe4 Rxb2 20.Rfb1 Rxb1+ 21.Rxb1
dxe4–+]
18...Rc4 19.axb6 Rxa1 20.Bxa1 Qxb6 21.e3. White has reached what he wanted, an equal,
super-solid position.

18.f3

18...Nef6?

Playing safe, thus destroying the previous hard work .

18...Nd6! The knight should go to c4!! This would create immense problems for White,
especially in his time trouble. 19.Nc5 Pretty much the only move!! (19.Rxa5? Qb6 20.Nxd7
Bxd7 21.Qxe7 Rxa5 22.Nxa5 Be8 23.Ba3 Nf7! 24.Qb4 Qxd4+ 25.Kh1 Qxb4 26.Bxb4 Rb8!
27.Be1 Nd6!µ Not only is White stuck with his awful knight on a5, it is potentially trapped,
since his rook cannot help it as a1 is firmly under the control of Black’s g7-bishop. 19.Nxd7?
Nc4! I had missed this simple intermezzo. The black queen on a6 protects the e6-bishop,
leading to an extra pawn and winning position.) 19...Nxc5 20.dxc5 f4!!

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Another fantastic move that I missed. Black prevents f3–f4, which would have opened up the
g2-bishop and protected the e5-knight. Now if White takes on f4, his central pawns are
seriously compromised, presenting valuable targets and, if his pawn is captured, making the
game a technical win for Black. 21.gxf4 (21.Qf2 Rab8 22.Bd4 Nf5 23.gxf4 Nxd4 24.Qxd4
Qa7! 25.Rfc1 Rb5 26.e3 Rbxc5 27.Rxc5 Rxc5 28.Bf1 Qc7 29.Bd3 Bf6 30.Kf2 Rc3 31.Ra2
Kg7 32.Kg2 Rc1–+ The game is technically won for Black because he has an extra pawn —
the strong passed a-pawn — and the much superior pawn structure and strong bishop pair.
White can only await his impending doom. 21.Qxf4 Rxc5µ) 21...Nf5 22.Qf2 d4!

Now a series of very strong computer moves accentuates the pleasing geometrical motifs of

260
separating White’s flanks and shutting White’s g2-bishop completely out of the game.
23.Rfc1 Bf6! Improving the position of the bishop and indirectly protecting the d-pawn.
24.Qe1 Qb5 25.Ba3 Ne3 26.Qd2 Rab8! 27.c6 Bxe5

28.fxe5 (28.Rc5 Qb6 29.fxe5 Rxc6µ) 28...Rxc6 29.Rxc6 Qxc6 30.Bxe7 Qc3!µ As a result of
this incredible display by Black, he reaches an endgame that will be extremely difficult for
White to hold, even with best defense.

19.Nxa5?!

White does not want to commit his rook and leave his minor pieces lined up on the b-file.
19.Rxa5 Qb6 20.Rxa8 Rxa8 21.Nd3!

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and White successfully manages to do with his e5-knight something that I should have done
with mine!! Black is still equal here though, as his heavy pieces control the open files on the
queenside. 21...Bf7 22.Nbc5 Qd6 23.Rc1
[23.Ne5 Qb6! White still has to be careful, since f2–f3 opened up quite a lot of potential
tactics on the central dark squares. 24.Ned3= (24.Bc3? Nxe5 25.dxe5 Ra3!–+)]
23...Nb6

24.Ra1! (24.Ne5? illustrates well yet another danger of White’s position: 24...Nc4 25.Nxc4
dxc4µ) 24...Rxa1+ 25.Bxa1 Nc4 26.Qc1 Qb6 27.Bc3 e5 28.dxe5 Nd7 29.Bd4 Ndxe5
30.Qa1!

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30...Nxd3 31.Qa8+ Bf8 32.Qxf8+! Kxf8 33.Nd7+ Ke7 34.Nxb6 Nc1 35.Kf2 Nb3 36.Nxc4
Nxd4 37.Ne5=

19...Qb6!

Black correctly lines up his main weapon along the dark-squared diagonals for the potential
...e7–e5 pawn break.

20.Nd3?!

Really short of time, White attempts to remove his pieces from any potential danger.

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However going into an endgame was his only chance to keep the balance.
a) 20.Nec6? only entangles White’s minor pieces further. 20...Kf7!–+
b) 20.Nxd7 Bxd7 21.Qd2 (21.Bc3? Ne4 22.Nc4 The only move not to lose immediately.
22...dxc4 23.fxe4 Rxa1 24.Rxa1 e5 25.exf5 exd4 26.Qf2 Bxf5–+) 21...Bh6! 22.f4 Ne4

and White is forced to create light-square weaknesses around his king, which, taken with the
awful position of his knight on a5, will create major problems for his king. 23.Bxe4 fxe4
24.Bc3 Bh3 25.Rfc1 Rab8!–+ Keeping White’s knight locked out of the game. It is very
unlikely that White will be able to save this.
c) 20.Qb3!! A very difficult move to see, especially in time trouble. It seems
counterintuitive, especially given how vulnerable White’s minor pieces will be on the b-file,
but the computer shows that White can defend. 20...Qxb3 21.Nxb3 Rab8 22.Ra3

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22...Ne8! The only real chance. (22...Rc2 23.Ba1 Rxe2 24.Nc5! Nxc5 25.dxc5 Nd7 26.Nc6!
Bxa1 27.Rfxa1 Rbb2 28.Bf1 Red2 29.Re1 Nxc5 30.Rc3 Ne4 31.fxe4 dxe4 32.Nxe7+ Kf7
33.Nc6 Rxh2 34.Nd8+ Ke7 35.Nxe6 Kxe6=; 22...Nxe5?! 23.dxe5 Nd7 24.f4 Nb6 25.Bd4
Nc4 26.Ra6²) 23.f4 Nd6 24.Ba1
[24.Nxd7? Opening up Black’s g7-bishop is a no-no. 24...Bxd7 25.Ba1 (25.Bxd5+?? e6)
25...Nb5 26.Ra2 Nc3 27.Bxc3 Rxc3 28.Rd1™ 28...Rcxb3 29.Bxd5+ Kf8 30.Bxb3 Rxb3µ
and White is looking at a long and difficult defense.]
24...Ne4! 25.Ra6 Bf7 26.Nxd7 Rxb3 27.Nc5 Rb4 28.Rd1=

20...Bf7µ

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Suddenly Black’s ...e7–e5 push is unstoppable, and with it, White’s d3-knight will lose its
square as well after the follow-up with ...e5–e4.

21.Qd2! e5 22.Qb4!

While technically not the best move, White realizes that having queens on the board greatly
complicates the defense.
22.Rfb1 e4 23.Nf4 g5 24.Nh3 h6 25.Bc3 Qe6 26.Nb3 Rxa1 27.Bxa1 Ne8µ White still has
lots of work to do before he can equalize.

22...e4 23.Qxb6 Nxb6 24.Nc5

24.Ne5 Rc2 25.Rfb1 Rxe2 26.Nac6 Rxa1 27.Bxa1 Nfd7 28.f4 Bf8 29.Bf1 Rc2 30.Bb5
Be8!!–+

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Achieving piece coordination! Black’s extra pawn and superior rook give him a winning
advantage.

24...Nfd7 25.Nab3?

A tactical oversight.
25.Rfb1! Nxc5 26.dxc5 Rxc5 27.Bxg7 Kxg7

28.Rxb6 (28.Nb3?! Rxa1 29.Rxa1 Rc2 30.Bf1 Nc4 31.Nd4 Rd2 32.Nb3 Rb2 33.Nd4 Kf6
34.f4 Be8 35.Kf2 Ke7 36.Ra7+ Kd6 37.Ra6+ Kc5 38.Ne6+ Kb4–+) 28...Raxa5 29.Rxa5
Rxa5 30.Kf2 Ra3 31.fxe4 dxe4µ A difficult position to judge, but Black has more chances to

267
win than White has to draw. The limited number of pieces, however, suggests that White’s
chances are quite good.

32.e3? A not very obvious mistake. 32...Ra2+ 33.Kg1 Re2–+

25...Nxc5 26.Nxc5

26...Nc4??

Absolutely terrible.

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26...Rxa1! was winning of course: 27.Bxa1
[27.Rxa1 Rxc5! 28.dxc5 Bxb2 29.Ra5 Bd4+ 30.Kf1 Nc4 31.Ra8+ Kg7 32.c6 Bb6! 33.Rb8
Kf6 34.Rb7 h5 and now it should be a clear win for Black:

35.Bh3 (35.c7 Be6–+) 35...Be6 36.Ke1 Ba5+ 37.Kd1 (37.Kf2 e3+) 37...Ne3+ 38.Kc1 exf3
39.exf3 d4!–+ White’s offside bishop on h3 is the cause of his doom.]
27...Ra8

Threatening ...Rxa1. 28.Kh1 (28.Bc3? Ra3–+) 28...Nc4 29.Rc1 Ra2–+ Black achieves
complete domination of the board and, with material losses for White inevitable, a decisive

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advantage.

27.Bc3??

Returning the favor.

27.Rxa8 Rxa8 28.Ra1! Rxa1+ 29.Bxa1 Ne3

30.Bc3 (30.Nb3?! Be8 31.Kf2 Bh6! would keep Black’s chances alive, but most likely it’s a
draw.) 30...Nd1 31.Ba1 Bh6 32.f4 Bg7 33.Kf1 Ne3+ 34.Kf2 Nc2 35.Bb2 Nxd4 36.e3 Nc2
37.Bxg7 Kxg7 38.Nb3³ and the resulting endgame should be a draw.

27...Rxa1??

Another mistake in mutual time trouble. Black gives up the file with no clear benefit in
return. 27...Ra3! would have kept a huge advantage.

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28.Rxa3 Nxa3 29.e3 (29.Rc1 Nb5 30.e3 Rxc5 31.dxc5 Nxc3 32.Kf2 Be8–+) 29...Nc4
(29...Rxc5? 30.Bb4³) 30.Kf2 Rxc5 31.dxc5 Bxc3 32.c6 (32.Rb1 Be8–+) 32...Be6 33.Rb1
Kf7 34.Rb7+ Kf6 35.c7 Ba5 36.Bf1 Nd6–+

28.Bxa1?

Yet again, White returns the favor!!

28.Rxa1!³ h5!

Creating a luft for the king and attempting to wall in White’s g2-bishop. 29.Rc1 (29.Kf2
Rxc5 30.Ra8+ Kh7 31.dxc5 Bxc3 32.c6 Be5µ) 29...Ra8 30.Ra1 Rxa1+ 31.Bxa1 Ne3 32.Nb3

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Be8 33.Kf2 Bh6!

Despite material equality, the difference in the effectiveness of the minor pieces is so great
that Black has realistic chances of winning the game, as White’s d-pawn is quite vulnerable.
34.f4 Ng4+ 35.Kg1 Bb5 36.Bf1 Kf7 37.Bc3 Bg7 38.h3 Ne3 39.Bd2 Nxf1 40.Kxf1 Bc4
41.Na5 Bxd4 42.Nc6 Bf6 43.Kf2 h4!? (43...d4 44.e3 d3 45.Ne5+=) 44.e3 hxg3+ 45.Kxg3
Bb5 46.Nd4 Bd7µ Black keeps his winning chances alive.

28...Bf8??

Another beginner’s mistake. Taking control of an open file is Beginners Class 101 endgame

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technique!
28...Ra8!–+

Obvious and strong. Black simply wins here. I am not sure what happened to both of us
during this game, but it seems that we both blacked out for the last five moves or so. 29.Kh1
Ne3 30.Rb1 Nc2 31.Bc3 Bxd4 32.Bxd4 Nxd4–+

29.fxe4?

29.Bc3 Sending the rook to the a-file is clearly superior: 29...Ne3 30.Ra1 Nc2 31.Rc1 Na3³
32.Bd2=

29...dxe4 30.Bc3 Ne3 31.Ra1

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31...Nc2??

With both of us down to seconds, I finally decide to take that pesky white knight on c5. ☺
31...Bg7 is obviously much stronger and again the position is technically won as White is
unable to keep his d-pawn alive.

32.Rc1 Bxc5?

Tantamount to agreeing that Black has very small winning chances. However it was quite
unreal to find the line starting with 32...Bb3 with only seconds left on the clock.
32...Bb3!!

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33.Rb1 (33.Nxb3? Rxc3 34.Na1 Nxd4! The point. Black saves the rook and captures
White’s central pawns with a winning endgame.) 33...Bd5 34.Rc1 Ne3 35.Bh3 Bg7 White is
in zugzwang. 36.Kf2 Bh6 37.Rb1 Nc2 Leads to the capture of the d-pawn and big winning
chances with the resulting 4 vs. 3 on the kingside. 38.Rb2 Be3+ 39.Kf1 Nxd4 40.Bd2 Bxd2
41.Rxd2 Rxc5 42.Rxd4 Bc6 43.Kf2 Rc3µ

33.dxc5 Bb3 34.Bb2 Rxc5

35.e3??

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35.g4! Finally getting a chance to activate that g2-bishop would have given White a very
close to equal position.

35...Kf7??

35...Rd5µ After this move, White cannot save his e-pawn. The number of ridiculously
terrible moves shows how badly even elite players can play with only a few seconds left and
no increments for, say, ten or fifteen moves each to the time control. Watch the fun then!! ☺
36.Bf1 Nxe3

37.Rc3 (37.Rc8+ Kf7 38.Rc7+ Ke6 39.Ba6 Rd1+ 40.Kf2 Ng4+ 41.Ke2 Rh1 42.Rxh7 Bd1+
43.Kd2 e3+ 44.Kc3 e2–+) 37...Nxf1 38.Kxf1 Ba4 39.Bc1 Kf7 40.Rc7+ Ke6 41.Bf4 Bd7
42.Rb7µ Despite being two pawns down, White has very good chances to save the game, as
the dark-square blockade is impossible to break.

36.Kf2??

36.Bf1 Rd5?!

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37.Rxc2! Bxc2 38.Bc4=

36...Ke6?

36...Rd5! 37.Bc3 Rd3 38.Ba5 Nxe3–+

37.Bf1 Rc6 38.Be2 Bd5 39.Bd1 Nb4

And quite suddenly, at this point, when White is clearly out of danger and had only one
move to make to reach the time control... his clock reached zero and he lost on time. A truly
incredible finale!

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0–1

It is reasonable to assume that when he got home that day and analyzed the game, my
opponent must have fallen into a state of shock. Otherwise it is difficult to explain the next
two games which I won, but where my opponent played carefully, probably afraid to make a
blunder just like in this game.

278
 GAME 9
Gata Kamsky
Sergei Tiviakov
Montreal 2007

1.d4

Despite having lived in the United States (at the time of this game) for more than fifteen
years, I had never been to Canada. Deciding to fill that void, I agreed to take part in the 2007
Montreal Invitational. The list of participants promised exciting competition and in the end it
was won by the ever-young Vassily Ivanchuk, with second place going to my opponent in
the following game.
I lost in the last round to GM Eljanov, thanks to his vastly superior opening preparation, and
therefore all chances of third place, which was taken by the up-and-coming star from India,
GM Harikrishna.
After my return to chess, Sergei and I had met just once, in Wijk in 2006, where I lost on the
white side of his pet Scandinavian Defense. I was therefore looking forward to playing my
own pet opening, the London System, something we had discussed on the board at the USSR
junior championships, where we had both played several times earlier in our chess history.
(Fate was later to send my opponent to reside permanently in the Netherlands, while I went
to the USA.) I was quite curious to see my opponent’s opening set-up twenty years later.

279
 Sergei Tiviakov (Photo by Frans Peeters)

1...Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Be7

Quite reserved, but at the same time a normal piece development by Black, attempting to
steer the game into a Nimzo-Indian type structure. Black does not advance his d-pawn to d5,
but instead places it on d6 with a sort of Hedgehog.

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5.c3 b6 6.h3

The standard move in this system. White provides his f4-bishop with a hiding place on h2,
safe from any attempt by the black f6-knight to attack it.

6...Bb7 7.Nbd2 cxd4

Black exchanges on d4 only after White has developed his b1-knight.

I would later improve on White’s opening set-up by delaying c2–c3 to keep the option of
playing c2–c4 in one move.

8.exd4

8.cxd4 is quite playable as well, leaving White with a small advantage, thanks to his better
control of the center and greater space for maneuvering. The following lines serve as an
illustration of typical ideas in this type of structure. 8...0-0 9.Bd3

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9...Ba6!? Even though Black has already played ...Bc8–b7, this move makes sense, as the
exchange of light-squared bishops is good for Black.
a) 9...Nd5 10.Bh2 f5!? 11.0-0 Na6 12.a3 (12.Rc1 Nab4 13.Bb1 Ba6=) 12...Nac7 13.Rc1

13...Ne8 (13...d6?! 14.Re1 Qd7 15.e4 fxe4 16.Nxe4 Rac8 17.Qd2² Black has some
difficulties because of the awkward position of his knight on c7 and slightly weakened
kingside. White’s chances are clearly preferable.) 14.Re1 Rc8 Black needs to exchange heavy
pieces to eliminate the potential danger to his center after White’s eventual e3–e4. 15.e4
Rxc1 16.Qxc1 fxe4 17.Nxe4 Ndf6² White has a small advantage thanks to his superior piece
coordination, but Black’s position remains very solid.

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b) 9...d6 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Qe2 Rc8?! I don’t really like this move as the black queen’s
movement is now limited. (11...a6!? This move comes with the idea of preparing the ...b6–b5
pawn push, followed by the development of the d7-knight to b6. 12.e4 h6 13.Rfd1 Re8 14.a3
Bf8 Black achieves his standard minor piece set-up and, despite his slightly passive position,
White is hard pressed to claim the advantage as there are no clear targets. A long game in the
spirit of the Ruy Lopez will ensue with chances for both sides.) 12.a3 h6 13.Rfe1 Qc7 14.e4
e5

15.Bh2² It is quite important to note that White should not automatically capture on e5 when
Black plays the thematic ...e6–e5. White’s d4-pawn is important, and may usefully shut out
Black’s b7-bishop with d4–d5. The game is fairly balanced though, with lots of possible
plans and improvements for both sides.
10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.0-0 Qc8=

8...d6

Perhaps the immediate 8...0-0 9.Bd3 Ba6 10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.0-0 Nc7= is even more accurate.

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With approximately equal play, thanks to the possibility of Black meeting White’s c3–c4
with ...d7–d5, forcing White to live with the prospect of playing a hanging pawns structure.

9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.0-0 0-0

We have reached the standard position for this line. I have tried different plans with White
here and everything is playable! White’s main advantage is that he controls more space in the
center. In addition, he can hope to advance his queenside pawns as far as possible to create
potential targets in the endgame! The interested reader can look up my games in this line in
the chess databases. In this game I wanted to play solid positional chess with very few

284
concessions. One of Black’s most obvious plans is to prepare for the ...e6–e5 pawn push,
thanks to his central majority. Both sides need to play carefully, as the position is quite
complex and it is easy to slip from better to worse and vice versa.

11.Re1 Re8 12.a4

The standard move that threatens to gain more space on the queenside by advancing the
pawn to a5 and possibly a6. In addition it is important to note that in such structures, if Black
manages to get his b-pawn to b5 and fix White’s c3 pawn, Black manages to solve all his
problems because of the strong outpost on d5 for his minor pieces.

12...a6 13.Bh2

A prophylactic move. There are different theories on the best location for White’s dark-
squared bishop, but I believe it really belongs on the b8–h2 diagonal in support of White’s
queenside expansion.

13...Qc7

Black is planning to complete the transfer of his queen to b7, like a Reti opening with colors
reversed, where it will be ideally placed to exert influence along the major a8–h1 diagonal, to
protect the a6-pawn and prepare the ...b6–b5 break. In addition the black rooks are now
connected and it will be easier for him to prepare ...e6–e5.

14.c4!?

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The first critical moment of the game. White decides to proceed with brute force expansion
on the queenside, instead of the more typical wait-and-see tactic of hopping around the center
with his knight from d2–c4–e3 etc. Given my opponent’s classical chess upbringing I felt
that it was psychologically important to force him to make an irrevocable decision with
regard to his queenside pawn structure. Black must decide now whether he wants to allow
White’s subsequent b2–b4, potentially followed by a4–a5 and c4–c5, or stop it at once.
14.Qe2?! is a non-committal move, with the idea of keeping Black’s b7-bishop tied to the
defense of the a6-pawn, thus preventing Black’s queen from reaching b7. However this
move, by itself, does not promote any particular plan or improve White’s position much, and
is therefore more useful for Black than White. 14...Bf8

15.a5!? The improvement that I used in later games. White exploits the fact that the exchange
of his a-pawn for Black’s b-pawn favors him as Black’s a-pawn becomes isolated and a
potential target of attack. However, if Black responds by by-passing the a5–pawn, then
White, just like in a Sicilian Defense, opens the queenside with his c-pawn and has the b6-
square as a potential outpost for his pieces. Such a plan usually presents a source of real
danger for Black. The game becomes even more complex.
a) 15.Rac1 Qc6= and it’s not clear what White has achieved.
b) 15.Ng5 With the idea of exchanging Black’s f6-knight, hoping to create some weaknesses
in the black king’s defenses. However Black’s kingside is quite solid. 15...g6 (15...h6
16.Ngf3 White has managed to provoke Black into playing ...h7–h6 which could potentially
weaken g6 and other light squares, but since White’s play is mainly focused on the
queenside, it’s not clear what benefit White has achieved after his knight detour.) 16.Nge4

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Nxe4 17.Nxe4

17...Qc6! Black threatens to continue with ...f7–f5 and possibly ...e6–e5 to get his central
pawn majority moving. In addition, his Bb7/Qc6 battery forces White to take care of his own
king’s defenses, in particular the g2-pawn. (17...e5 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.Rad1± White is better
prepared for the opening of the center, thanks to Black’s weakened a6-pawn.) 18.Qf3 Qc7
19.Qe3 Qc6! with complications.
15...b5 16.c4!

16...bxc4 (16...e5!?∞ is also quite messy and requires further analysis) 17.Nxc4∞ This
position is crucial for the evaluation of the line starting with 15.a5. Like a lot of opening

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positions, the game is very closely balanced, yet offers numerous opportunities for both
sides.

14...a5?!

I believe this is an inaccuracy, as it allows White to transfer his d2-knight to the superior c3-
square with a tempo. Both 14....e5 and 14....Bf8 were slightly better alternatives.
a) 14...e5

15.Qc2
[15.b4 Bf8 (15...exd4?! 16.Nxd4 Bf8 17.Rxe8 Rxe8 18.N2b3 Ne5 19.Bf1 g6 20.a5 Nxc4
21.b5! Qc8! 22.axb6 axb5 23.Nxb5 d5 24.Bc7 Ne4² White should keep a certain advantage
thanks to his advanced b6-pawn.) 16.Bf1 a5 17.c5!

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After this thematic pawn break, the position is very complex, with one imperceptible error
enough to change the course of battle. 17...e4 18.Ng5 Bd5! (18...axb4? 19.Bc4!ƒ would be a
good example) 19.Rc1 (19.Nc4 h6 20.Nxd6 Bxd6 21.Bxd6 Qb7 22.Nxf7 Kxf7 23.b5°
White’s strong bishop pair and connected passed b- and c-pawns give him a certain
compensation for the missing knight.) 19...bxc5

20.dxc5 (20.bxc5?! h6 21.cxd6 Qd8 22.Nxf7 Bxf7 23.Bb5 Qb6 24.Nc4 Bxc4 25.Bxc4+
Kh8 26.Rb1 Qa7µ and it seems that White does not have sufficient compensation for the
missing minor piece) 20...h6 (20...axb4 21.cxd6 Qa7 22.Bb5 e3 23.fxe3 Rxe3 24.Kh1 Rxe1+
25.Qxe1 b3 26.Ngf3∞) 21.cxd6 Qd8 22.Nxf7 Bxf7 23.bxa5 Qxa5 24.Bb5 Qb4 25.Nc4

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Rec8 White’s compensation seems to be insufficient.]
15...Bf8

16.c5! (16.Ne4?! Nxe4 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 f5 19.Re2 e4=) 16...bxc5 17.dxe5 dxe5
18.Ng5 g6 19.Bc4 Bd5 20.Rad1ƒ White gets a certain initiative for the sacrificed pawn.
b) 14...Bf8!?

Probably the best move; Black prepares for possible hostilities. 15.a5
[15.b4?! This immediate push is not sound. 15...a5 16.b5 e5 17.c5!? (17.d5?!³ White gains
nothing by creating a weak pawn on c4.) 17...e4 (17...bxc5? would be a strategic mistake:

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18.dxe5 Nxe5 19.Nxe5 dxe5 20.Nc4±) 18.Nxe4 (18.c6 exd3 19.cxb7 Qxb7 20.Nc4 Rxe1+
21.Nxe1 Qd5 22.Qxd3 Rc8 23.Ne3 Qe6= and clearly only Black can play for an advantage
here, thanks to his uncontested control of the open c-file.) 18...Bxe4 19.c6!?

A nice intermediate move that helps White equalize. Black cannot keep his extra minor
piece, as retreating the knight to b8 would not only lock it out of the game, but also create
problems for the development of the rook on a8. 19...Bd5 (19...Nb8? 20.Ng5 Bxd3 21.Rxe8
Nxe8 22.Qxd3 Nf6 23.d5 Ra7 24.Re1 Qd8 25.Bf4 Re7 26.Ne4 Nxe4 27.Rxe4 Rxe4
28.Qxe4±) 20.Rxe8 Rxe8 21.cxd7 Qxd7 22.Rc1 g6 23.Bf4= with a balanced game.]
15...bxa5

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16.c5
a) 16.Nb3?! e5 17.Be2 exd4 18.Nfxd4 a4! Black ensures that White recaptures his a-pawn in
the worst-case scenario, leaving the rest of the white pieces disorganized. 19.Rxa4 Qb6
20.Na5 Nc5 21.Ra1 Be4!³
b) 16.Qa4 e5 17.Bf1 exd4 18.Rxe8 (18.Nxd4? Nc5 19.Qa3 Rxe1 20.Rxe1 a4µ leaves Black
with an extra pawn for no compensation) 18...Rxe8 19.Nxd4 Qc5 20.Qxa5 Qxa5 21.Rxa5
Re1= Black has clearly solved all his problems.
16...Qc6! 17.cxd6 Bxd6 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Nc4 Qc7 20.Nxa5

White is stuck with an isolated d-pawn and Black starts to play for an advantage. 20...Bd5³
(20...Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Nd5= is a bit too timid.)

15.Nb1!

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I was quite proud of this move. White retreats his already-developed knight to its starting
position in order to provide it with a better future! In the later course of the game, this knight
will blaze an epic trail, heavily influencing the outcome of the game.

15...Qd8

Black removes his queen from the pin by White’s bishop on h2, but leaves his minor pieces
without much room to breathe. Still, thanks to his solid wall of central pawns, his position
remains very close to equal.
a) 15...Nb8!? Black might attempt to mirror White’s intentions by sending his own d7-knight
to b4, however, compared to White’s knight on b5, Black’s steed would have no targets to
hit. 16.Nc3 Na6 17.Nb5 Qd7 18.Rc1 Nb4 19.Bb1 Bf8 20.b3 Rac8 21.Qe2 g6 22.Qe3!

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The white queen arrives on its best square. From here, it protects the knight on f3 and takes
control of the h6-square, which might have been used by Black’s dark-squared bishop to
deprive a white rook of the c1-square. It must still be mentioned though that despite White’s
obvious advantage, Black’s position remains very difficult to break.
b) 15...Rac8 16.Nc3 Qb8 17.Nb5²

White prevents Black from setting up a battery with Qa8/Bb7. The game is complex but
White has more space to operate in, and Black’s queen on b8 might prove to be too far from
the kingside, where White might launch an attack after due preparation. White’s thematic
d4−d5 might also feature in the program.

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16.Nc3 d5!

Correct. Black immediately latches on to White’s vulnerable c4-pawn and opens up his e7-
bishop.

17.b3 Bb4 18.Rc1 Rc8

19.Re3

A solid human move to escape from the pin. The computer alternative 19.Nb5 did not even
enter my head, to be honest, though it is certainly viable: 19.Nb5!? A fantastic positional
sacrifice. 19...Bxe1 (19...Nf8?! 20.Re3 Ng6 21.Ne5ƒ White’s active pieces make Black’s
life quite problematic, especially in a tournament game.) 20.Nxe1!

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20...Re7 (20...dxc4 21.bxc4 e5 22.Nd6 Bc6 23.Nxe8 Qxe8 24.d5 Bb7 25.Nc2 Nc5 26.Ne3!
ƒ This position rather favors White, with his strong central pawn chain and possible action
against the enemy king.) 21.Nd6 Rc7 22.c5!

22...bxc5 (22...Ba8? 23.Nb5! The point. White regains his sacrificed exchange with interest.)
23.Nxb7 Rxb7 24.dxc5 Nb8 (24...Ra7? 25.Bb5 e5 26.Nf3± White’s strong bishop pair,
combined with the dangerous c-pawn, are stronger than the black rooks.) 25.c6 Ra7 26.Bb5
Ne8 27.Nd3 Na6 28.Be5 f6 29.Bd4 Ra8 30.Nc5 Nxc5 31.Bxc5 Nc7!

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Simplest. Black gives up his extra exchange, but establishes an unbreakable blockade of
White’s queenside pawns. All three results are now possible.

19...Nf8?!

Played to demonstrate that Black’s position is very solid.

However this knight has nowhere to go to on the kingside and will soon have to return to d7.
It was more prudent for Black to eliminate White’s c3-knight before it can pose significant
problems.
19...dxc4 20.bxc4

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20...Bxf3!
[20...Bxc3?! The correct sequence actually matters!! 21.Rxc3 Bxf3 22.Rxf3! (22.Qxf3?!
Nb8!= A thematic maneuver for Black. 23.Be5 Nc6 24.Qf4 Nxe5=) 22...e5! (22...Nb8
23.Bf1 Nc6 24.Rcd3!± Advantage to White as he has achieved his goal of keeping his strong
central pawns intact and his bishops active.) 23.dxe5 Nxe5 24.Re3!

A very strong move that preserves White’s advantage of the bishop pair. 24...Ned7
(24...Nxd3?? Falling into White’s trap. 25.Rcxd3+– Suddenly Black’s queen is trapped in the
middle of the board!!) 25.Bf5 Rxe3 (25...Rc5? 26.Bxd7 Nxd7 27.Rcd3+–) 26.Rxe3 g6
(26...Nc5 27.Qe2±) 27.Bxd7 Qxd7 28.Rd3 Qe7 (28...Qf5 29.Rd8+ Rxd8 30.Qxd8+ Kg7

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31.Qxb6+–) 29.Bd6!

An important transfer of the bishop to the a1–h8 diagonal. 29...Qe6 30.Ba3!±]

21.Qxf3 (21.Rxf3? e5µ now gives Black a big advantage, thanks to the presence his of dark-
squared bishop.) 21...Bxc3!

Eliminating White’s hopes of planting this knight on b5 where it would be an incredible

piece of work, serving a multitude of useful functions. 22.Rxc3 Nb8! Returning to the
position we looked at above. Black equalizes now. 23.Bxb8 Rxb8 24.Qf4 Rc8 25.Rb3

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25...Nh5 (25...Re7?! 26.d5! Immediately taking advantage of Black’s last move. 26...exd5
27.Rxe7 Qxe7 28.Rxb6² The presence of White’s bishop in the coming endgame gives him
the better chances.) 26.Qe5 Nf6! With a standard repetition in such positions. Black forces
the white queen on to an uncomfortable square, from which it can be chased with tempo in
preparation for...e6–e5, undermining White’s d4-pawn and giving Black access to the c5-
square for his knight.

20.Nb5²

White has achieved his goal of completing the knight transfer. Now the only thing left is to

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figure out how to take advantage of the significant pressure by the b5-knight and h2-bishop
on Black’s queenside. The c7-square looks supremely attractive for the invasion.

20...Ne4?!

Trying to make an active move is generally considered a standard psychological error when
one is under pressure and in a passive situation. What is really needed is to find a way to
activate one’s least functioning piece. In this case Black’s f8-knight clearly needs to be
relocated.
20...Ng6! The knight has the e7-square available from which it can go either to the queenside
via c6, or to protect the kingside by standing guard on f5. 21.Rc2! White prepares to double
on the c-file, with the idea either to proceed with c4–c5 or invade Black’s camp via c7.
21...Ne7! 22.Qc1

22...Nc6 This move makes more sense as Black prepares to move his knight to b4, while
shutting out White’s invasion on the c-file. The game is very complex, however my
preference lies with White, due to his slightly better piece coordination.
[22...dxc4?! Giving up the center can hardly be recommended, despite the computer’s
proclamations. 23.bxc4 Nf5 24.Bxf5 exf5 25.Rxe8+ Nxe8 26.d5²

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This position is quite obviously to White’s liking, given the strong passed central pawn that
shuts out Black’s b7-bishop and gives a white knight a strong outpost on c6. I would say
Black is in serious trouble. The computer, however, disagrees. 26...Nd6 27.Nfd4 g6 28.Na7
Rc7 (28...Ra8 29.Nac6±) 29.Nac6± with a strategically winning position for White.]
23.c5 bxc5 24.dxc5² with better prospects for White.

21.Rc2!

Very strong. I am quite astounded nowadays that I was able to find the Nb1–c3–b5 transfer
followed by this doubling on the c-file. It seems that I was somehow inspired during the
game! Black is in serious trouble.

21...Re7 22.Qc1!±

Black is running out of moves. White prepares to play Re3–e2, connecting the rooks with the
option of either opening the c-file or moving his knight from f3 to e5 and getting rid of
Black’s e4-knight. If Black attempts to control the e5-square by playing ...f7–f6, his whole
kingside and center become vulnerable on the light squares that his b7-bishop is unable to
control.

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22...Nd7?

Missing my next move, though to be fair it was hard to suggest something constructive for
my opponent at this point.
22...Ng6 23.Ree2 Re8 24.Na7 Ra8 25.Nb5 Rc8 26.Ne5!

26...dxc4 (26...Nxe5 27.Bxe5 Nd6 28.c5 Nxb5 29.axb5+– is just losing) 27.bxc4 (27.Bxe4?
Falling for the trap. 27...Bxe4 28.Rxe4 cxb3 29.Rxc8 Qxc8 30.Qb1 Qc2!=) 27...Nxe5
28.Bxe5 Nd6 (28...Nc5 29.dxc5 Qxd3 30.Nd6+–) 29.Qf4 Nxb5

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30.cxb5!! White finally gets access to the c7-square and from there to Black’s weak b-pawn.
30...Qd5 (30...Qd7 31.Bc7±) 31.Be4 Qd7 32.Bxb7 Qxb7 33.Bc7! Be7 34.Rc6 Bd8 35.Rec2
g5 36.Qc1!

Building the infamous ‘Alekhine’s Gun’!! Probably not the only move, but by far the
prettiest. White’s win is by no means a certainty, as there is a lot of technical work ahead, but
clearly Black will be hard-pressed to defend this much worse position.

23.Na7!

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White suddenly switches targets from the dark squares to the light squares!! Black’s b7-
bishop is exchanged, after which the light squares, including the very important c6-square,
will fall under White’s control, and from there the black queenside pawns will be under
constant threat of capture.

23...Ra8 24.cxd5 exd5

24...Rxa7 25.Bxe4 Nf6 26.d6+– is probably the line that Black missed in his time trouble.
This is why Black usually plays ...g7–g6 or ...h7–h6, depending on the situation, earlier in
the middlegame.

25.Nc6 Bxc6 26.Rxc6±

At this point my opponent was looking very sad, as we both realized how unpleasant Black’s
position is, with White controlling the c-file and his bishops criss-crossing the board with
their X-rays. Technically, the position can be declared won, as the black pawns on b6 and d5
cannot expect to survive the attack.

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26...Qf8

This attempt to bring harmony to the heavy pieces is commendable, however, as mentioned
before, perhaps passive defense was the better option, as Black could have hoped to achieve
some sort of opposite-colored bishops endgame a pawn down, with chances of a draw.
26...h6!? 27.Re2 Re8 28.Bb5

28...Rc8? (28...Nef6 29.Bc7 Qc8 30.Rec2!+– Alekhine’s Gun is an unstoppable weapon. The
white rooks enter on the seventh. 30...Qb7 31.Bf4 Nf8 32.Rc7) 29.Rxc8 Qxc8 30.Rc2 Nc3
31.Bf4! An important intermediate move that spells doom for Black’s stranded knight on c3.

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27.Re2 Rae8

28.Rec2?!

Inaccurate.
28.Bb5! Tying up Black’s pieces was much stronger. 28...f6 29.Rc7 Qf7 30.Qc6!+– White
wins material. 30...Rd8 (30...Nf8 31.Qxe8 Qxe8 32.Bxe8 Rxe8 33.Rc6+–) 31.Rxe4 Rxe4
(31...dxe4 32.Bc4+–) 32.Rxd7 Rxd7 33.Qxd7 Qxd7 34.Bxd7 Kf7 35.Bc6 Ke6 36.Bb5 Kf7
37.Bc7+–

28...h6?!

28...f6! was more tenacious. Black is just in time to remove his d7-knight from deadly pins.
29.Bf4 (29.Bb5 Ng5! The point. White’s kingside pieces are all tangled up. 30.Rc8 Nxf3+
31.gxf3 Re1+ 32.Qxe1 Rxe1+ 33.Kg2

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33...Re7!! The only move to keep the game balanced. This is probably what we both missed.
34.R2c7! Qxc8 35.Rxc8+ Kf7 36.Bc6 Ke6 37.Ba8! f5 38.h4 Nf6 39.Rc6+ Kf7 40.Rxb6 Re2
41.Be5± White still has technical issues to convert his advantage.) 29...Qf7 30.Rc7 Nf8
31.Bb5 Rd8 32.Rxe7 Qxe7

33.Rc7 (33.Bc7 Rc8 34.Bxb6 Rc3 35.Rxc3 Nxc3 36.Bc5 Bxc5 37.Qxc3 Bb4 38.Qc8± Black
still faces serious problems.) 33...Qe6 34.Rc6 Bd6! 35.Qc2 Qe7 36.Bxd6 Rxd6 37.Rc7 Qd8
38.Rc8 Qe7 39.Re8 Qb7 40.Nh4!

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40...Re6 (40...g6 41.f3+–) 41.Nf5 Rxe8 42.Bxe8 Ne6 43.Bc6 Qc7 44.Ne3!+– And after this
series of spectacular defensive and offensive moves, White’s advantage remains close to
winning, thanks in large part to the weakening of the light squares around the black king
caused by that fateful ...f7–f6 pawn push.

29.Bf4

White needs to free h2 for his king in case of back rank issues.

29...g5 30.Bc7 Nef6?

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The final mistake.
a) 30...Qg7 31.Bxb6 Nxb6 32.Rxb6

32...Nd6 An attempt to prevent White from playing Rc2–c8 with the idea of neutralizing
potential threats from Black’s doubled rooks on the e-file. (32...h5 33.Rc8 g4 34.hxg4 hxg4
35.Ne5+– Despite Black’s active pawn pushing on the kingside, his king is more vulnerable
than its counterpart; 32...Qf8 33.Rcc6 h5 34.Bxe4+–) 33.Rcc6 Qf6 34.Ne5+–
b) 30...f6! 31.Bxb6 h5!

32.Re2! (32.Bc7 g4 33.Nh4 Nec5!± would have enabled Black to pose me some problems.)

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32...g4 33.Nh4! Nd2 34.Rxe7 Qxe7 35.hxg4 hxg4 36.Nf5 Qe1+ 37.Qxe1 Rxe1+ 38.Kh2
Nxb6 39.Rxb6 Kf7 40.Kg3 Nxb3 41.Kxg4+–

With an active king, superior knight, and opposite-colored bishops creating mating threats
around the vulnerable black king, White’s position is close to winning .

31.Bf5!

Black’s threat of ...Re1+ is illusory. White’s d3-bishop moves to a much better spot on f5.

31...Qg7

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31...Re1+ 32.Nxe1 Rxe1+ 33.Qxe1 Bxe1 34.Bd6 Qg7 35.Rc8++–

32.Bd6!

Eliminating Black’s bishop, his last active piece. Black’s extensive weaknesses on the
queenside, the d-pawn and open kingside are too much to hope for a successful defense.

32...Bxd6 33.Rxd6+– Nf8 34.Rc8

The last important move. White exchanges one pair of rooks to both reduce Black’s central
defenders and clear the way for the patiently waiting queen on c1 to decisively enter the
battle.

34...Rxc8 35.Qxc8 Ne8

35...h5 36.Qd8+–; 35...Re8 36.Qc6 Ne6 37.Bxe6 fxe6 38.Rxe6 Rxe6 39.Qxe6+ Qf7
40.Qxb6+–

36.Rxb6 h5 37.Qd8 Re2 38.Bd3

Heavy losses are inevitable, so Black resigned.

1–0

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 GAME 10
Gata Kamsky
Magnus Carlsen
Khanty-Mansiysk 2007
When I returned to chess in 2004, my plan was to bring my level of play up to a par with the
best players in the world within a few years, and after that to start fighting for the title, as I
felt that my mental faculties were sufficient to compete with the best. After my Candidates
experience in Elista in 2007 I felt ready. However I must admit that, a lot of times in my life,
fate seems to have taken a hand in shaping events. For example, since I have always had a
huge distaste for studying openings, I concentrated mainly on the quality of my play in the
middlegame and endgame to compensate for that weakness, but given the modern heavy
emphasis on a detailed knowledge of theory I knew I had almost no chance, so I had to get
help somewhere! Fate led me to the Montreal event the same year, from which I have just
shown my game vs. Tiviakov. However it was another player, the Israeli GM Emil Sutovsky,
who was fated to make an important contribution to the next stage of my life devoted to
fighting for the world title. We had met briefly in Canada, taking a look at the game we had
just finished, where Emil had managed to equalize with ease against my favorite anti-Sicilian
setup. I took note of his wide range of knowledge.
The 2007 World Cup was staged in Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia, where it had been held in
2005, so it was nice to be back in the same place. Knowing how important it was to get into
shape and shake off the rust before such an important competition, I accepted the kind
invitation of the organizers of the Tal Memorial in Moscow, where most of the world elite
were also taking part. Among them was a slightly older Magnus Carlsen. After playing him, I
realized how much the young man had improved in the couple years since we had last met.
Immediately after the tournament, the World Blitz Championship took place, for which I
managed to prepare by practicing on the Internet Chess Club for a few days, playing the
infamous Hippo system with both colors. My thinking went that in blitz it’s quite important
to play positions that you know well, with moves that can be played quickly and easily. The
Hippo, the opening with a funny name, became my favorite choice in blitz, especially when
practicing against computers. I only found out recently that it had actually been played at the
very highest level by GM Spassky vs. the reigning World Champion, GM Petrosian, two of
my role models, in the 1966 World Championship match!! Since then, though, it had been
largely forgotten, and I was happy to resuscitate it, starting with the World Blitz
Championship in 2007. Another advantage of the opening in blitz is that it doesn’t give too
many targets to the opponent, and, if practiced well, allows a smooth transition into the
middlegame, with clear plans. Knowing your plans well into the middlegame, coupled with a

313
significant time advantage while your opponent struggles with the evaluation of novel
positions, has a certain appeal. As a result, despite my notable lack of success in blitz, I
managed to finish near the top places, and, quite elated with my result, departed the next day
with a lot of the other players straight to Khanty-Mansiysk for the World Cup.
In the first round, I was paired with GM Ahmed Adly from Egypt, who was the World Junior
Champion and considered to be a promising young star and who became Egypt’s first
grandmaster. My first game with White was a disaster, as I managed to get a worse position
in the Sicilian after just eight moves. I recalled that one of my opponent’s weaknesses was
his skill in the endgame. I managed to reach an inferior endgame and even take over the
initiative, but my opponent defended well and reached the draw. This game showed me that I
really needed help with my openings. After winning the second game, I recalled my meeting
with GM Sutovsky in Montreal and, upon learning about his match loss, approached him
with regard to his helping me in the rest of the tournament. I told him honestly about my
ambitious intentions of winning the whole event. ☺ Thankfully, after some thought, Emil
agreed to help, and after quick financial negotiations we started our mutual cooperation and
formed a close friendship that lasted until the end of 2013. To this day, I’m grateful to Emil
for playing a major part in my life between 2007 and 2013.
In the second round, I faced Emil’s compatriot, GM Boris Avrukh from Israel. Thanks to
Emil’s influence and opening suggestions, my preparation was a success and in game one I
managed to convert a small endgame plus into a win, thus needed only a draw in the second
game to qualify for the next round.
In the third round my opponent was Bulgarian GM Kiril Georgiev. Again, with the help of
Emil’s insight into the Ruy Lopez Delayed Exchange Variation, plus a middlegame nuance
and mention of a Kasparov game, I was able to confuse my opponent and win the game and
the match.
My fourth round opponent, however, was GM Peter Svidler from Russia. As I have noted
previously, my matches vs Mr. Svidler were always very hard-fought and with a lot at stake.
The classical match was a tie, forcing us to take our chances in the rapid playoffs, which
were also tied, and then in the blitz playoffs, which I was able to win, thanks to a little detail
that I had noted in my opponent’s opening repertoire. Lasker’s approach was a success and
my opponent, despite obtaining a large advantage with White in the opening, blundered in
unfamiliar territory, giving me victory in the game and the match.
My next opponent was the former FIDE World Champion, Ukrainian GM Ruslan
Ponomariov. A fateful episode occurred just before the start of the first game. After each
knockout round is completed, a new color pairing usually has to be determined. For some
reason, both Emil and I assumed that we automatically changed color for the next match and

314
had prepared for the first game vs Mr. Ponomariov as White. However, upon arriving in the
hall, I was surprised to find that I was actually playing the black pieces. About three minutes
before the start of the round I called Emil and we started to discuss possible strategy, but
what could we possibly prepare during that time! ☺ I was on my own and had to come up
with something. However fate was on my side that day, and I somehow managed to break the
iron grip that my opponent had on the position, and barely escape with a draw. This success,
and having a second day to prepare as White, gave me much confidence. The game went
along the lines of my preparation and I managed to win it quite spectacularly, thus winning
the match.
And so we come to the following game, against Magnus Carlsen, who had greatly improved
in the previous couple years and managed to beat world-class players, including GM Michael
Adams from England, rising Cuban star, GM Leinier Dominguez and Bulgarian GM
Cheparinov, the creative force in GM Veselin Topalov’s team. The stakes in my match vs.
Carlsen were quite serious, as the recent changes to the world championship cycle announced
by FIDE right before the start of the World Cup (which was a serious violation of the
regulations) forced the winner of the World Cup to play a special match vs. the loser of the
Kramnik-Topalov world championship match. The overall top four finishers in the World
Cup were to take part in the 2008–2010 FIDE Grand Prix series. These new regulations
effectively superseded the previous ones, which allowed the winner of the 2007 World Cup
the right to challenge the World Champion directly. At this point, I was more focused on
winning the tournament, so all other considerations were secondary.
Since Emil had joined our two-man squad, I had been given a brief update on all the major
changes that had happened in the openings since 1996. ☺ It is quite a memory to recall Emil
coming into the room with his computer, which apparently never left his side, and proclaim
that he had several interesting suggestions for me to play. Also worthy of note was how far
computers had advanced since the ’90s; the possibility of the computer becoming the gold
standard of chess was getting quite real. The world-famous matches between the human
World Chess Champion and the super computers were well remembered and the terrible
losses inflicted on other elite GMs by super computers like Hydra had not been forgotten.
But let’s return to the game. The first game had been drawn and I had White in this one. We
had foreseen my opponent’s opening choice and had come up with a plan to achieve a small
advantage with White, which was basically all I needed. ☺ I felt like I could beat anybody in
the world at the time, given a decent position to play with.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

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The Petroff or Russian Defense, considered to be one of the most solid openings in the world
for Black. It requires a prodigious memory in a lot of lines, and Black has to play only moves
to keep the balance. My opponent, despite his great progress, had not yet had the benefit of
former World Champion Garry Kasparov’s training. This would start after the 2007 World
Cup, and would lead Magnus to great heights in chess and finally the world crown, winning
almost every tournament he takes part in, and being an ambassador for the game in general.
However that was yet to come, and, given my own ambition to fight for the world title, I
wanted to beat the teenager in front of me as he was in my way, Petroff Defense or not. I also
think that my opponent’s opening choice was a mistake, as it takes quite a long time to
master and feel the tiniest nuances of the resulting positions, something that my younger
opponent simply did not have yet.

3.d4

I had played this only once before, in my match vs. Karpov back in ’96.

3...Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.dxe5!?

But this was rarely played at the time. Against Karpov I went for the automatic 5.Nxe5. The
position after 5.dxe5 is, in fact, still among the main lines in the Petroff. Compared to the
static pawn structures arising after 5.Nxe5, here the position is fluid with contrasting pawn
majorities and dynamic piece interaction. After arriving on the central outpost on e4 Black’s
knight no longer feels secure thanks to the possible c2–c4 pawn break undermining his d5-
pawn. As a result, Black has to decide what to do with the knight. These days 5...Nc5 is

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considered the main move, with Black going for the more solid pawn formation with ...c7–
c6, supporting the center, followed by the ...f7–f6 break, preventing White from capitalizing
on his superior kingside space advantage by quickly pushing the f2-pawn. In this game,
however, Black adopts the plan that is usually played in structures where White’s e5-pawn
remains on d4, but the difference, of course, is quite large.

5...Be7 6.0-0

6...Bg4?!

Again, 6...Nc5 would have been preferable. Black hopes instead to put pressure on the e5-
pawn by pinning White’s f3-knight.

7.h3

This move is almost always useful in such positions, as it gives White the extra option of
playing g2–g4, shaking off the pin along the d1–h5 diagonal. In addition, Black’s bishop will
not find it easy to return to the queenside once it has moved to h5.
7.c4 is often played, however during our preparation we focused on the middlegame where
the position could be kept semi-closed with a lot of maneuvering, since I was likely to have
more experience playing such positions than my opponent. 7...Nc6

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8.Bc2 (8.cxd5?! Qxd5 9.Bc2?! This simply doesn’t feel right. 9...Qxd1 10.Rxd1 Nc5 11.Nc3
Nb4 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Rxd5 c6 14.Rd4 h5³ with a comfortable game for Black.) 8...Nc5
9.cxd5 Nxe5 10.Re1 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Ng6 12.f4

12...f5!! 13.Bxf5 0-0 14.Qg4 Bd6 15.Nc3 Qh4!= and Black seems to equalize.

7...Bh5 8.Re1

8.Nc3! immediately would have been accurate. I can’t recall exactly why now, as my
analysis from that time is heavily mixed up with modern stuff, but it would be safe to say that
I got the move order wrong! Which is critical!! Here Black does not get the tempo to play

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...Nc6. 8...Nxc3 (8...Nc5? would be a blunder. 9.Nxd5±; 8...Nc6? 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Bxe4
Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Nxe5 12.g4 Bg6 13.Bxb7 Rb8 14.Nxe5 Rxb7 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Kg2+–
White is simply a healthy pawn up with a technically won position.) 9.bxc3

9...Na6! A fantastic computer resource. Black still manages to put his knight on c5 to
dislodge White’s powerful d3-bishop. The doubled pawns on c2 and c3 are a double-edged
sword. On the one hand, they provide a means of undermining Black’s d5-pawn twice (!) and
provide the semi-open b-file for White’s rook; on the other, the black knight gets a free and
uninterrupted stay at any square on the c-file since it cannot be harassed there. (9...Nd7?!
10.g4! Bg6 11.Bxg6 hxg6 12.Qxd5 c6 13.Qd3! Rxh3 14.e6±) 10.g4 Bg6 11.Nd4 Nc5∞ and
the resulting middlegame is best left for analysts to study!

8...Nc6?!

A slightly inaccurate move order. It was best to castle first, as Black’s b8-knight might have
other possible destinations for development, for example via the a6-square as noted above.

9.Nc3!?

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This was pretty much the plan that Emil and I had prepared. Black is forced to consider that
this position had been heavily analyzed and any tactics, even if favorable for him, must be
regarded as possible traps. Psychologically the situation Black found himself in must have
been extremely uncomfortable, besides if Black does not play the most challenging moves
positionally, he faces the real threat of ending up in an inferior position.

9...Bg6?!

Another inaccuracy, a bit more significant this time. Understandably, Black did not want to
take on c3, as the c6-knight then is not optimally placed, however it was quite possible to
take on e5.
9...Bxf3 10.Qxf3 (10.gxf3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qd7 12.Rb1 0-0-0! 13.Kg2 Na5!=

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Despite the presence of White’s bishops and seemingly strong central pawn, Black seems to
be no worse, simply due to his superior pawn structure and excellent knight on a5 which
controls vital squares on the queenside. White’s doubled c- and f-pawns do not give cause for
optimism in future endgames. The position is complex, but probably balanced.) 10...Nxe5

11.Qe2! The point behind White’s pawn sacrifice. White manages to keep the black king in
the center. He definitely has sufficient compensation for the pawn; the only question is
whether it is enough. 11...Nxd3 (11...0-0? Attempting to get his king to safety by returning
the material does not work. 12.Nxd5! wins material.) 12.cxd3 Nf6 (12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Kf8
14.Rb1 b6 15.c4‚ with a strong attack for White) 13.Nb5!

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The knight is heading for the d4-square, from where it might jump to f5. Here is a short
illustration of some possibilities in the position: 13...Kf8 14.Bf4 c6 15.Nd4ƒ Bd6 16.Bxd6+
Qxd6 17.Qd2!‚.

10.Bd2!?

A move that I am very fond of to this day. White does not think in terms of the bishop pair,
but rather his whole structure. This little move serves the functions of developing and
protecting the knight on c3. If Black exchanges on c3, he has to face the bishop there instead,
which would restrict his c6-knight. In addition, White will open the d-file to create pressure

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against Black’s d-pawn that cannot be so easily alleviated. Furthermore, on c3 the bishop
will be able to provide additional support for the push of White’s f-pawn. At first the
computer doesn’t quite see the full benefits of this little bishop move, but given time and
depth, it does. ☺ This, of course, is nice for the human race, since human foresight and
intuition cannot quite be artificially duplicated, at least not yet!
a) 10.Bf4?! Bb4

11.Bxe4 This materialistic and anti-positional exchange of White’s good bishop is not worth
it, as the following line suggests: 11...dxe4 12.Ng5 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qxd1 14.Raxd1 Rd8!
15.Rxd8+ Kxd8 16.Nxe4 Kc8!³

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Quite possibly, this was the trap that my crafty opponent had prepared. White’s queenside
pawn structure is ruined and Black’s h8-rook joins the game with ...Rh8–d8–d5 with the
better endgame for my opponent.
b) 10.Qe2 This computer suggestion also gives White some advantage. 10...Bb4 11.Bxe4
dxe4 12.Rd1! Qc8 13.Nh4 Bxc3 14.bxc3 0-0 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Qxe4 Qe6 17.Bf4 Rae8!
Forcing White to give up the d-file in order to keep his extra e5-pawn. 18.Re1 Rd8!

Despite his extra pawn, White’s advantage is probably insufficient to win, as Black has a
very strong Q+N vs. Q+B, and some strong blockading outposts for his knight.

10...Nxd2

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Black goes for White’s d2-bishop, however White now gets a very comfortable positional
and developmental advantage. In addition, Black now must decide how to protect his d-
pawn.

11.Qxd2±

Somewhat ambitiously I have evaluated this as a big advantage, but there is no intermediate
sign between small and big, and it is quite obvious that White’s advantage is on the large
side, as Black faces some serious problems.

11...d4

Black has several other options here.

a) 11...Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Nb4!?

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This is a computer suggestion and I admit that it is the most solid for Black, as his d-pawn is
better placed on d5 than on d4. However this correction of Black’s earlier development of his
knight is time-consuming, which White can exploit, so let’s take a look at the following
illustrations: 13.Qe2 c6 14.Nd1! Now that White’s c3-knight is restricted by Black’s pawn
chain, it’s time to relocate it to an improved position with more functions. (14.e6 A very
straightforward idea. White wants to open up the central files for his pieces. 14...0-0 15.Rad1
Rb8!? 16.Nd4 g6! and it’s not quite clear how White can make further progress.) 14...0-0
(14...Bc5? This attempt to sour White’s intentions backfires. 15.e6+–) 15.Ne3 Qc8 16.Rad1
Bc5 17.Nd4 Re8 18.Qh5!‚

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And White’s expansion on the kingside has great potential to yield dividends. 18...g6
19.Qg5‚
b) 11...Bb4?! Black cannot make use of the pin along the a5–e1 diagonal, since his king is
still in the center. 12.Bxg6 hxg6 13.Rad1 Qe7 14.Qxd5 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Rd8 16.Qb5 Rxd1
17.Rxd1 0-0

18.e6! Qxe6 19.Qxb7 Ne5 20.Nd4 Qc4 21.f4± White keeps a material advantage.

12.Ne4

12.Bxg6?!

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An attractive-looking intermediate move, however the initiative for the sacrificed piece is
only sufficient for equality. 12...dxc3 13.Bxf7+ Kxf7 14.Qf4+ Kg8 15.Qc4+ Kf8 16.Qf4+
White must accept the repetition as pushing for more would only bring worse. (16.Rad1?!
Qe8 17.Re4 g5 18.Qxc3∞ Rd8µ)

12...0-0

12...Bb4?!

This attempt to open up the position and exchange Black’s weak d-pawn is insufficient,
given the black king’s lack of safety. 13.c3 Ba5 Black has nothing to be happy with as

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White’s forces are gathering ominously around his monarch, but there was hardly a better
move. (13...dxc3 14.bxc3± White manages to break the pin and Black has lost a lot of time
with his dark-squared bishop.) 14.Qc2!

14...0-0 (14...dxc3 15.bxc3±) 15.Neg5!+– Suddenly the black king is under direct attack and
it is not easy to see how to meet it without losing material. 15...dxc3 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Rad1
Qe7 Now either 18.e6 or 18.Qe4, bringing White’s queen in for a mating attack, wins the
game.

13.a3!

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This little prophylactic move was probably the hardest to find in the whole game. As I have
mentioned before, such pawn moves can be very effective in limiting the opponent’s plans
and therefore become strong precursors to victory. Black’s bishop pair is now rendered
useless, especially since one will soon be exchanged, leaving the e7-bishop whose function
and use will be extremely limited. In addition, Black’s knight is now terribly placed on c6, in
front of its queenside pawns, proving the claim by the famous French 18th century player
Philidor that pawns are the soul of chess.

13...Qd5 14.Qf4 Rfe8

I remember how unhappy my opponent was with his position. With the following moves he
attempts to stabilize and develop his pieces to optimal squares, regrouping, in a way, the e7-
bishop. However White has a clear plan of action on the kingside, opening up the black
monarch’s defenses and going for the kill.

15.Re2

15.Ng3!? This computer suggestion is quite strong, however the course of the game changes
drastically from the kingside to the center, where play will revolve around Black’s d-pawn. I
wanted to keep both psychological pressure on my opponent and chess pressure on his king.
15...Bf8 16.Rad1 Rad8 17.c4!

The point. White now attempts to encircle and capture Black’s d-pawn, which he manages
after 17...Qd7 18.Bxg6 fxg6 19.b4 Qe6 20.Qc1!.

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15...Bf8 16.Ng3 Bxd3 17.cxd3

17...Re6?

Probably Black’s only big mistake, but one that costs him the game. The rook is not the best
blockader, and once I have figured out how to remove it (by re-routing the knight from g3 to
h5), it will only help White accelerate his initiative on the kingside.
17...Qb3! was perhaps the only move to stop White’s ambitious plans. Black gives up his
weak d-pawn in order to open up the position for the rest of his pieces, especially the
blocked-in f8-bishop, thus making the rest of his pieces much more effective. 18.Qd2! I
recall that this was my calculated response to ...Qb3. (18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Rad8
20.Qxa7 Rxd3 21.Rc1 c6 22.Qa5= would keep some advantage for White, because of his
extra pawn on e5, but perhaps not enough to win the game.) 18...Rad8 19.Rae1²

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White’s pieces are like a coiled spring that has incredible potential energy, ready to be
translated into something concrete once freed. In this case, White prepares to move his
knights to attacking spots on f4, f5 and h4, potentially followed by the advance of the f-
pawn, although he would have to take care with this as it would give Black’s knight a
potential outpost on e3. For his part, Black needs to improve his c6-knight which is doing
nothing at the moment. 19...Ne7 20.e6!? A straightforward and good alternative. Black
cannot allow the exchange of pawns, so must leave White’s dangerous e6-pawn on the board.
a) 20.Nh2!? is another possibility for White. 20...c5 21.Ng4 Nd5 (21...c4?? 22.Nf6++–)
22.Re4 Kh8

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23.Kh2! White makes final preparations for the kingside attack. (23.f4? c4; 23.Nh5 b5
24.Nf4 Nxf4 25.Qxf4 Qe6= and Black equalizes at least.) 23...b5 24.f4 All is ready. White
is willing to sacrifice his entire queenside for the attack to succeed. 24...b4 25.f5 bxa3
26.bxa3ƒ

and I believe that White’s attack should succeed; merely comparing the effectiveness of the
pieces, it is clear that White’s are far more active.
b) 20.Nh4 c5 21.Ne4

21...Ng6 (21...Nd5 22.Qg5 Qxd3 23.Nf5 Kh8 24.Ned6+–) 22.Nxg6 hxg6 23.Ng5 Be7
(23...c4 24.Qf4+–) 24.e6 f6 (24...Bxg5 25.Qxg5 fxe6 26.Qxg6±) 25.Nf7 Rd5 26.Re4 f5

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27.R4e2 Bf6 (27...c4 28.dxc4 Qxc4 29.Ne5±) 28.Qf4 Qxd3 29.Nd6 Re7 30.Nc8 Re8
31.Qc7 Kh7 32.e7 Qb5 33.Nd6 Rxd6 34.Qxd6 c4

35.Re6! d3 36.Rxf6 gxf6 37.Qxf6 d2 (37...Qd5 38.Re6+–) 38.Rd1 Qd7 39.Qh4+ Kg7
40.Qxc4 Rxe7 41.Qc3+ Kh7 42.Rxd2± and after all the complications, White is a pawn up.
☺
20...f6 21.h4!

The threat of h5–h6, followed by an attack on the f6-pawn/square, forces Black to make
further concessions. 21...Rd5 22.h5 h6 23.Nh4! The main choice for White by the computer
and probably best. A lot of play is ahead, and it must be noted that Black’s position is still

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formidable and hard to break down.
a) 23.Qf4 Qxd3 (If Black attempts to defend passively with 23...c5, then 24.Rd2 Qb6
25.Qg4 Qa6 26.Ne2! b5 27.Nf4 Rd6 28.Nh4 c4 29.Nf5 Nxf5 30.Qxf5 and White has
achieved his dream position. 30...c3 31.Rde2

31...Be7 — or 31...Qb7 32.e7! Rxe7 33.Rxe7 Bxe7 34.Ng6, winning for White. — 32.Qg6
Rf8 33.Qf7+!!+–

Superb! White’s attack breaks through.) 24.Rd2 Qc4 25.Rxd4 Rxd4 26.Qxd4 Qxd4 27.Nxd4
Rd8 28.Ndf5 Rd5 29.Nh4=

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b) 23.Re4

This is a more human move, attempting to improve the position of the rook to the g4-square.
However it seems that with perfect computer defense Black is able to defend. 23...Nc6
24.Rg4 Ne5 (24...Kh8? 25.Nh4 White gets what he wants. 25...Ne5 26.Rge4 With advantage
to White, since his far-advanced e-pawn becomes a strong force.) 25.Nxe5 (If 25.Qxh6!?
Black should just take on e6, and not play 25...Nxg4? 26.Qg6 Re7 27.Qxg4 Qxd3 28.Ne4
Kh8 29.Nh4+–.) 25...Rxe5 26.Rxe5 fxe5 27.Rg6

27...Kh8! An important defensive move which allows Black to hold his position
successfully. (27...Rxe6 28.Qxh6 Rxg6 29.Qxg6± Despite the reduced material, White’s

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attack continues just as strongly!) 28.Qe2 Rxe6 29.Rxe6 Qxe6 30.Qf3 Qc8! 31.Qf7 Bd6
32.Nf5 Qf8 33.Qe6 b6=
23...Rg5 24.Qf4

White is quite likely better in this complicated position. 24...Qxd3 25.Qxc7 Qb5 26.Ne4±

18.Nh5!

The knight heads for f4 with devastating effect. Black’s position is critical.

18...Rae8!?

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It doesn’t help that Black’s e6-rook will be unable to return to e8. 18...Ne7!? was an
alternative, as Black wants to transfer the knight to g6 to cover the vital f4-square. However,
as the following lines illustrate, it is not enough: 19.Ng5‚

(19.Qg4? Ng6!„) 19...Rh6

a) 19...Rg6? 20.Qg4+–
b) 19...Rb6 20.Qg4 Ng6 21.f4 Re8 (21...Rb3 22.Rae1 Rxd3 23.f5 Ne7 24.f6 Ng6 25.fxg7
Bxg7 26.Nf6+ Bxf6 27.exf6+–) 22.Rae1 Rb3 23.Ne4 Kh8 24.Nhf6 gxf6 25.Nxf6 Qd8 26.f5
Rxe5 27.Rxe5 Qxf6 28.fxg6 hxg6 29.Qd7

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White is winning, e.g. 29...Rxd3 (29...Kg8 30.Rf1 Qg7 31.Re8 Rxd3 32.Qxc7+– Black’s
bishop and pawn for the exchange is not enough by far.) 30.Re8 Kg7 (30...Kg8 31.Qc8 Qg7
32.Rxf8+ Qxf8 33.Re8+–) 31.Rf1+–
20.Qg4 Ng6 21.Rae1

21...Be7 (21...Re8 22.f4 c5 23.Re4 Ne7 24.Ng3 g6 25.Rf1+– White’s attack is unstoppable.)
22.Re4! Preparing the f2–f4 push. (22.f4? Bxg5 23.fxg5 Rxh5! 24.Qxh5 Nf4=) 22...Qb3
23.f4 Qxd3 24.f5+–

19.Rae1±

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19...a5

This seemingly careless move brought memories back to me when I played a somewhat
strange ...h7–h5 in our later game at the 1st Sinquefield Cup in 2013. Here, though, none of
Black’s pieces can be improved from their current squares, so Black makes the pawn move.
a) 19...f6 20.Qg4+–
b) 19...Qb3 20.Qf5 g6 21.Nf6+ Rxf6 22.Qxf6 Bg7 23.Qf4 Qxd3 24.e6+–

20.Qg4

Forcing matters.

20...Rg6 21.Nf4+–

The game now transposes into an ending where White has a decisive advantage, which,
however, I almost spoiled!

21...Rxg4 22.Nxd5 Rg6

23.g4?!

White is playing to capture Black’s rook on g6, but there was nothing wrong with just
capturing the c-pawn and playing a superior position.
23.Nxc7 Rd8 24.Re4 Be7 (24...Rh6 25.e6 fxe6 26.Nxe6 Rd7 27.Nxf8 Kxf8 28.Re8+ Kf7

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29.Ng5+ Kg6 30.f4+–) 25.Nb5 Bc5 26.Rc1 Bb6 27.Nbxd4+–

23...Rd8

23...Nd8 An attempt to save the rook is possible, but brings no relief: 24.Nxc7 Re7 25.Nd5
Rd7 26.Nf4 This is a healthy extra pawn for White, e.g. 26...Rb6 (26...Rc6 27.e6 Nxe6
28.Nxe6 Rxe6 29.Rxe6 fxe6 30.Rxe6+– This endgame is absolutely hopeless for Black.)
27.Rc2 Rc6 28.Rec1 g6 29.Kg2 Bh6 30.g5 Bf8 31.h4 Rxc2 32.Rxc2 Nc6 33.h5 Be7 34.Kg3
Kf8 35.Kg4+– White slowly improves his position and his extra pawn will decide the game.
It is only a matter of time.

24.Nf4 Rh6 25.g5 Re6 26.Nxe6 fxe6

Black is down a whole exchange, but his structure looks very solid, and if he somehow
manages to reroute his knight to f5, while building a strong pawn blockade on the queenside,
he might stand a chance. However White is an exchange up, which means he only needs to
open one file for his rooks to infiltrate to win the game. And that is something that Black
cannot prevent.

27.Rc1

I first attempt to thwart Black’s plans before committing to a plan of my own.

27...Rd5 28.Rc4

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The idea is to lure and then tie down Black’s bishop to a less optimal diagonal than the one
where it is now by using Black’s d-pawn as a target.

28...Bc5 29.h4

Finally, I decided on a plan of action. Seeing that it is impossible to prevent Black’s knight
from going to e7, eyeing the f5 square, I decided to take f5 under control by moving my own
knight to h4. In addition, h4−h5 will prevent Black from playing ...g7–g6, since this would
allow the opening of the h-file for my rooks. On the other hand, if Black waits passively,
then White can think of going for the g5–g6 advance himself, severely restricting the black
king’s movements and establishing a strong potential passed pawn on g6. Furthermore, in
case of a future rook endgame, and after a possible f4–f5, White’s g6-pawn will allow his
rook access to the powerful f7-square, a plan Black is unable to prevent.

29...Bb6 30.Kg2 Ne7 31.h5 Rd8 32.Re4 Nf5 33.Nh4 Ne7 34.Kg3 g6?!

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All according to plan. With his last move though, Black makes life easier for White, as White
simply transfers his rooks to the h-file. But, as said before, Black’s position has been
hopeless since losing the exchange for no compensation.

35.Kg4 Rd5

35...Kg7 with the idea of ...Nf5 doesn’t give Black much more hope: 36.hxg6 hxg6 37.Rc1
Nf5 38.Rh1 c6 39.Ng2 Re8 40.Ree1 Bc5 41.Nf4 Bf8 42.Rh3 Re7 43.Reh1 Kf7 44.Rh8 Bg7
45.R1h7 Rd7 46.Ra8 b6 47.Kf3 Rc7 48.Ke4 Rb7 49.Rc8 c5 50.Rc6+– and White breaks
through.

36.a4

Putting the final touches to the position, and demonstrating that I am in no hurry.

36...Rd8 37.Rc1 Kg7

37...Rf8 38.hxg6 hxg6 39.Rf4 Rxf4+ 40.Kxf4 Kg7 41.Ke4 Nd5 42.Nf3+–

38.hxg6 hxg6 39.Rh1 Nf5

39...Rh8 40.Ree1 Bc5 41.Nf3 Rf8 42.Rh3+–

40.Ng2 c6 41.Nf4 Re8 42.Rh3 c5 43.Re1

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Black resigns.

1–0

This whole game is a pretty good illustration of how vital it is to get a good position from the
opening and the dangers of falling into an inferior one. At the very top level, games are
practically decided in the opening, as errors by a strong opponent in strategic positions are
almost nil.

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 GAME 11
Gata Kamsky
Alexei Shirov
Khanty-Mansiysk 2007
Alexei Shirov (Photo by Harry Gielen)

And so we come to the final match of the 2007 World

Cup where I met my old acquaintance from the Soviet
junior championships, GM Alexei Shirov, who was
representing Spain at the tournament. Both of us were
fighting for the prestige of winning the event, and all
four games were hard fought, but I won the only
decisive game in the second round, so here is the
game which made me overall winner of the 2007
World Cup.

1.e4 c5

The great thing about playing Mr. Shirov is that there

will be no boring chess. The Sicilian it is!

2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3!?

The line starting with this move was Emil’s suggestion, as we wanted to avoid potential
preparation in the Sveshnikov.

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3...e5

As we expected. Black goes for the type of structure that is more often found in the Spanish
game, with one important difference: he has already got a pawn on c5, so doesn’t have to
spend two tempi with his c6-knight.

4.Bc4

White of course develops his bishop here.

4...Be7

Black plays this before ...d7–d6 in order to avoid lines where White plays a2–a3 and b2–b4,
attacking Black’s queenside pawn formation.

5.d3 d6

6.Nd2!?

The idea behind this move is to transfer the knight to the e3-square before castling to save a
tempo on having to play Rf1–e1 later.
6.0-0 would be the main line, where my opponent had played a number of games and
therefore had some experience in the resulting structures, compared to none on my side.
6...Nf6 7.Ng5 0-0 8.f4 Bg4! 9.Qe1 exf4 10.Bxf4 Nd4 11.Qd2 h6 12.Nf3

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with a minor advantage to White thanks to his better development and slightly better control
of the central squares.

6...Bg5!?

The idea is to get rid of the ‘bad’ e7-bishop, but later practice would show that Black does
not experience many problems after 6...Nf6, e.g. 6...Nf6 7.Nf1 Bg4 8.f3 Be6 9.Ne3 Nd7
10.0-0 0-0 11.Ned5 Nb6². White’s opening advantage is minimal as Black has comfortable
development and no weaknesses in his structure, aside from the d5-square. Black plans to
play ...Be7–g5, exchanging his problem bishop and equalizing completely.

7.Qh5!?

Still in my preparation. The idea was to provoke Black into playing the weakening ...g7–g6,
after which White would potentially be able to exploit the resulting weak dark squares on the
black kingside by playing h2–h4 with an attack. However in modern times 7.Nf1 and 7.h4
have been adopted as White’s main choices.
a) 7.h4 Bxd2+ (After 7...Bh6?! 8.Qh5² White would reach a superior version of the game
continuation.) 8.Bxd2 N9f6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nd5 Qd8 12.c3 Be6

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leaving White with only a minimal advantage, thanks to the strong d5-knight.
b) 7.Nf1 Bxc1 8.Rxc1 Nge7 9.Ne3 0-0 10.0-0 Be6 11.Ncd5 Kh8 12.f4²

leaves White with a minimal advantage which, however, is quite unpleasant for Black
because of the lack of firm squares for his knights to occupy.

7...Nh6!?

I recall that my opponent went into a long think here and came up with this brilliant move
that starts an unorthodox plan of sudden attack on the kingside. White cannot avoid the
exchange of dark-squared bishops, after which Black will be two moves away from castling,

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followed by ...Kg8–h8 and ...f7–f5. The knight on h6 would not stand in the way of Black’s
f-pawn.
7...g6?!

As in the game Kasparov-Sutovsky, where White obtained a comfortable advantage in the

opening: 8.Qd1 Nf6 9.h4 Bh6 10.Nf1 Bxc1 11.Qxc1 Be6 12.Ne3 Qd7 13.Ncd5 Bxd5
14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 0-0-0 16.c3 f5 17.Qe3 Ne7 18.Bb3 Qc7?! 19.h5±

19...d5?! 20.Bxd5 Nxd5 21.exd5 gxh5 22.c4+– and White went on to win the game.

8.h3

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White will be forced to play this sooner or later anyway because of the threat of ...Bc8–g4,
however Black has won a precious tempo to complete his development and is now equal.

8...Nd4 9.0-0 0-0

a) 9...Nxc2? 10.Nb3 Bxc1 11.Raxc1 Nd4 12.f4 Be6 13.Nd5‚ White has a very strong
attack for just a mere pawn.
b) 9...Be6 10.Nf3 Bxc1 11.Raxc1 Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3 0-0 13.Qe3! White is slightly better; the
difference between the knights is obvious and Black is further prevented from playing ...f7–
f5 thanks to the poorly placed bishop on e6.

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13...Bxc4?! (13...Qd7! 14.b3! f5 15.f4 Bxc4 16.bxc4 fxe4 17.Qxe4 exf4 18.Rb1 b6
19.Rxf4²) 14.dxc4 f5 15.f4!± Black’s d6-pawn is very weak, which gives White a lasting
advantage.

10.Nb3

So far, so logical, White is trying to get in f2–f4, which would give him the initiative and
pressure after the opening of the f-file.

10...Bxc1 11.Raxc1 Ne6!

Unexpected and strong. Why would Black wish to allow the exchange of his superior d4-
knight for the terribly misplaced white knight on b3? No reason whatsoever!! In fact Black’s
e6-knight now spoils White’s chances of playing f2–f4 in the short term and threatens to
occupy the f4-square, something that White simply cannot allow.

12.Ne2

Forced, and also renewing the plan of pushing f2–f4.

12.Nd5?! This would be an inaccuracy, since White voluntarily shuts in his c4-bishop and
creates the possible exchange of Black’s light-squared bishop for this knight, followed by
...Ne6–f4. 12...Bd7 13.Nd2 b5 14.Bb3 a5 15.a3 Kh8

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16.f4 (16.g3? would be an unnecessary weakening of White’s king and a critical loss of
tempo in a position where both sides are trying to expand on the kingside. 16...f5µ 17.f4 exf4
18.Nxf4 Nxf4 19.Rxf4 c4 20.dxc4 a4 21.Ba2 Qb6+ 22.Kg2 Qd4!µ) 16...exf4 17.Ba2!
(17.Nxf4 c4 18.dxc4 Qb6+ 19.c5 Nxf4 20.Rxf4 dxc5 21.Bd5 c4+ 22.Kh1 Rad8= with a
roughly balanced position, since White has managed to keep his b3-bishop from being
locked in.) 17...f5 18.Nxf4 Nxf4 19.Rxf4 c4!

Thanks to tactics, Black is able to entertain such moves in an attempt to shut in White’s a2-
bishop. 20.Rcf1 Qb6+ 21.Kh2 d5! 22.exd5 cxd3 23.cxd3 Rac8 and the position is
approximately balanced.

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12...Qf6!

No f2–f4 for you!!

13.Nd2

I started to realize that playing f2–f4 would be next to impossible and that I needed to get my
wayward b3-knight back into the game. At this point I still thought that I might have some
minimal advantage, thanks to the strong bishop on c4, but these illusions were soon dashed
as Alexei uncorked his plan.
Going for the immediate d3–d4 break with 13.c3! was preferable as White would have the
additional threat of taking over the d-file. 13...Bd7
[13...Kh8?! In a position where each tempo is critical, this is too slow. 14.d4 b6

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15.Rcd1 (15.dxe5!? deserves attention: 15...dxe5 16.Bd5 Rb8 17.Nd2 Ba6 18.c4² would give
White slightly preferable chances, thanks to his better placed minor pieces) 15...Bb7 16.Bd5
Rab8! (16...Bxd5?! 17.exd5 Nf4 18.Nxf4 exf4 19.dxc5 bxc5 20.Rfe1 g5 21.Nd2 Rg8 22.Ne4
Qg6 23.Qxg6 Rxg6 24.Nd2² leaves White with a superior pawn structure in the endgame.
Black must organize counterplay on the kingside or risk being much worse. 24...g4!„)
17.Bxb7 Rxb7 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.Nd2! White keeps his small advantage thanks to his control
of the only open line, the d-file.]
14.d4 b6 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.Rcd1 Rad8=

With a roughly balanced position, since White’s b3-knight is too far from the d5-square and

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Black’s position has no weaknesses. Black’s only problem is his h6-knight, but he should be
able to transfer it to a better location later in the game.

13...Kh8

I thought that Black played this to move his king out of a pin by White’s c4-bishop in
preparation for...f7–f5. Also Black’s h6-knight might now be rerouted via g8 to other
locations. However my opponent had something else in mind.

14.c3

A useful move in any case.

14...g5!?

The incredible start of an imaginative plan. Black wants to expand further with ...Rf8–g8 and
...Ne6–f4, opening the g-file with a direct path to the white king’s residence. Given the
closed nature of the position, it works! Having started to see the dangers, it was now my turn
for a long think!

15.d4!

Following the rule taught to all beginners: if your opponent starts a flank attack, counter in
the center!
15.b4 was a good alternative.

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Now Black has several options. 15...cxb4
a) 15...b6?! This attempt to keep the center closed allows White to open the b-file. 16.bxc5
bxc5 17.Rb1 Bd7 18.Bxe6! White should eliminate Black’s best piece. 18...Bxe6 (18...fxe6
19.Ng3² The black pawn formation has too many potential weaknesses which makes the
game easier to play for White.) 19.Rb7 Rg8 20.Ng3 g4 21.h4 Rg6 22.Nc4±

and White has the advantage, thanks to his control of the b-file. Black’s attempts to capture
White’s queen should not be successful, as White’s knights are targeting and controlling a lot
of squares. In addition, White’s possible doubling of rooks on the b-file will keep the option
of playing Rb7–b8, which should stop any potential black action on the kingside.

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b) 15...Rg8 16.bxc5 dxc5 17.Rfd1 g4 18.h4 Rg6 19.d4!

Just in time. 19...cxd4 20.cxd4 g3! Black must play this to keep his kingside attacking
chances alive. (20...exd4?! 21.g3!±; 20...Nxd4?! 21.Nxd4 exd4 22.g3² White saves his
queen and blocks the kingside against any potential black aggression. White’s advantage
shouldn’t be too large here, because his king has become slightly vulnerable as well and
Black temporarily has an extra pawn.) 21.f3 Nxd4 22.Nxd4 exd4 23.Qd5!

23...Ng4 24.fxg4 (24.Nf1?! Nf2 25.Rd2 Qxh4 26.Qxd4+ f6 27.Qd8+ Kg7 28.Nxg3 Nh3+
29.Kf1 Nf4=) 24...Qf2+ 25.Kh1 Bxg4 26.Qxf7∞ with major complications.
16.cxb4

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16...Rg8
[16...Nf4?! 17.Nxf4 exf4 (17...gxf4?! 18.Kh1 Rg8 19.Nf3 Rg6 20.d4± White manages to
destroy the central e5-pawn which holds Black’s position together.) 18.Bb3!± With the
position becoming open, Black’s kingside expansion is turning more into a weakness than a
strength.]
17.Bxe6! Again, White must eliminate Black’s e6-knight before it starts creating real
problems for White’s kingside. 17...Bxe6 18.Nc4 g4 19.h4 Rgd8! 20.Ne3 Rac8 21.Nc3 Qg6

22.Qg5 f6 23.Qxg6 hxg6 24.Ncd5 Kg7= Black is very close to equal thanks to his strong
center and good e6-bishop.

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15...Rg8

15...exd4?!

Black cannot really open the center because of his earlier ...g7–g5. 16.cxd4 cxd4 17.Qf3 Qg7
18.Qa3 Rd8 19.Rfd1 Nf4 20.Nxf4 gxf4 21.Kh1± and White has a solid advantage, since
Black’s pawn structure is completely ruined.

16.dxe5 dxe5

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17.Nf3?!

White needs this knight on f3 as it covers some critical squares such as g5 and especially
Black’s e5-pawn, however 17.Rcd1 first was preferable, preparing for the coming
complications.
17.Rcd1 Rg6
[17...Nf4? Too early and not too good as it allows White to exchange his inferior e2-knight
for its better counterpart. Black needs to develop his queenside before starting the attack.
18.Nxf4 gxf4 (18...exf4? 19.e5!±) 19.Kh1±]
18.Bxe6! Counterintuitive. It doesn’t look very natural to exchange such a strong bishop and
help Black develop his own bishop at the same time, however the knight was starting to
cause real problems for White on the kingside.
[18.Bb3? g4

19.Bxe6 The only move to avoid falling into a losing position. (19.h4?? Ng7! The other
point behind 17...Rg6: the white queen is suddenly trapped! 19.hxg4? Ng7 20.Qh1 Nxg4–+)
19...Bxe6 20.h4 Ng8!µ]
18...Bxe6 19.Qf3

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19...Qxf3 (19...Qg7? 20.g4!± The point behind White’s last several moves. White
completely shuts down Black’s kingside attack and prepares to take over the d-file, along
with his knights heading for strong outposts on d5 and f5. 19...g4 20.Qxf6+ Rxf6 21.hxg4
Nxg4 22.c4 Rg6 23.Nc3 Nf6„ with a very complex endgame where White has strong
knights and the better pawn structure, while the semi-open g-file offers Black real
counterplay.) 20.Nxf3

Now though it looks like Black is really close to equalizing, but it’s not in fact so easy,
because of White’s potential access to the strong outposts on d5 and f5. Black has to play
accurately. 20...Bxa2!

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[20...f6?! 21.Ng3 Kg8 (21...Bxa2 22.Rd7 Rg7 23.Rd6±) 22.h4! (22.Rd6 Kf7 23.Rfd1 Rgg8=)
22...Nf7 23.b3 Kf8 24.Nf5 h6 25.h5 Rg8 26.g4! Black still has to solve some unpleasant
problems, mostly due to his awkward f7-knight.]
21.Rd2!
[21.Nc1?! Bb1! (21...Be6?! 22.Nxe5 Rgg8 23.g4!² Despite the reduced material, Black’s h6-
knight is finally showing signs of misplacement, causing him problems. 23...b6 24.f4 Rae8
25.Rd6 gxf4 26.Ncd3 f5 27.Nxf4 Bb3 28.Rxh6 Rxe5 29.exf5 Rxf5² With precise play, Black
has managed to keep White’s advantage to a minimum.) 22.Nxe5 (22.Nd3 Bxd3 23.Rxd3
Rb6!= and Black finally reaches full equality) 22...Re6 23.Nf3 Rg8=]
21...f6 22.Ra1 Be6 23.Rd6ƒ White keeps a certain pressure in exchange for the sacrificed
pawn.

17...Rg6

18.h4?!

During the game I thought this was very strong, as it hits Black at the strongest point in his
entire formation, but it actually allows him to equalize by force.
18.Nh2!? looks like a good alternative at first, until White realizes that he hasn’t prevented
...g5–g4 at all!! 18...g4!
a) 18...Nf4 19.Nxf4

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19...exf4 In general such a change in the structure favors White as the resulting black
kingside pawn chain becomes rigid and vulnerable. Black should only play such moves if he
gets sure benefit. (19...Qxf4 20.Rcd1 Kg7 21.Nf3± Black’s attack is going nowhere.
21...Ng8 22.g3 Qf6 23.h4!±) 20.Nf3! (20.e5?! isn’t so good here because of the unfortunate
location of White’s h2-knight. 20...Qg7 21.Rcd1 Bf5 22.Rd6 Rg8=; 20.Rcd1 g4 21.e5 Qe7
22.Rd6 Nf5 23.Rxg6 fxg6 24.Qxg4 Ne3 25.Qxf4 Nxf1 26.Nxf1 Be6 27.Bxe6 Qxe6 28.Ne3
Re8 29.Ng4 b6² White has definite compensation for the missing exchange, but whether he
has more is questionable.) 20...g4 Not a good move, but Black is much worse anyhow.
(20...Qg7? 21.Rfd1 Be6 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Rd6 g4 24.hxg4 Nxg4 25.Rcd1+–) 21.Ne5 Rg7

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22.h4! White takes control of the vital g5-square and fixes Black’s h6-knight, freeing up his
pieces to take control in the center and leading to a large advantage. 22...Be6 23.Rcd1±.
b) 18...Rb8 is an attempt to develop the queenside, but it allows White to keep a strong grip
on the center and also doesn’t fit in well with Black’s previous play. 19.Rcd1 b5 20.Bd5 Qe7
21.Qf3 Bd7² with advantage to White thanks to his control of the open d-file.
19.Nxg4 (19.hxg4? Ng7 20.g5 Rxg5 21.Qf3 Qg6‚) 19...Nxg4 20.hxg4 Ng7 21.g5

21...Qe7! A key move. (21...Rxg5? 22.Qxf7±) 22.Qh2 (22.Qh4 Rxg5 23.Ng3 Be6 24.Bxe6
Nxe6 25.Rfd1 Rag8 26.Rc2 Qf6ƒ The activity of Black’s heavy pieces and pressure against
White’s king more than compensate for the deficiencies in his pawn structure.) 22...Rxg5
23.Rcd1 Rh5! It is important to push White’s queen in front of the g-pawn. 24.Qg3 Be6
25.Bxe6 Nxe6 26.Qg4 Rg5 27.Qf3 Rag8 28.g3= This position is roughly balanced, but
obviously there is a lot of play on both sides. Because of Black’s worse pawn formation, he
must seek active and constant counterplay to prevent White from exchanging into a superior
endgame.

18...Qg7!

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Black’s best move which I missed during the game. Now that the white pawn has moved
from h3, Black renews the threat of ...Bc8–g4 in many lines, creating tactical possibilities.

19.Bxe6?!

Slight panic.
a) 19.Kh1?! I really don’t like this move, moving White’s king from the g-file. Each tempo
here is worth its weight in gold. 19...Nd4!? This line took up a lot of my time during the
game. Even now it is not completely clear. (19...Nf4? 20.Nxf4 exf4 21.hxg5 Bg4 22.Qh2
Bxf3 23.gxf3 Rxg5 24.Rg1 Rg8 25.Rxg5 Qxg5 26.Rd1²; 19...gxh4? 20.Nxe5 Rg5 21.Qxh6±;
19...b5! 20.Bd5 Nc7! seems to be Black’s strongest response. White has no time to protect
his main asset, his light-squared bishop on d5. 21.hxg5 Bg4 22.Qh2 Nxd5 23.exd5

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23...f6!! The crucial move, allowing Black to cement his e-pawn and ensure that his kingside
attack is unstoppable. White is much worse here. 19...Ng4!? A computer suggestion which
accentuates the unfortunate location of White’s king on the h-file. 20.Qxg4 Nf4 21.Qg3
gxh4 22.Qh2 Rxg2 23.Qxh4 Bg4 24.Ng5! Bxe2 25.Nxf7+ Kg8 26.Bxe2 Qxf7 27.Rg1 Rg6
28.Bh5 Nxh5 29.Qxh5 Rd8=) 20.Nxe5!

A fantastic move (which I didn’t look at) leading to an even more fantastic position. White
not only declines Black’s piece sacrifice, but boldly offers his own knight to free the royal
lady on h5. White’s king on h1 looks particularly vulnerable, nevertheless the game is
balanced! 20...f6!? (20...Qxe5 21.cxd4 Qxe4 22.f3! Qe3 23.hxg5 cxd4 24.Rcd1 Be6 25.Bxe6

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Qxe2 26.Bh3 Ng8 27.Qh4±) 21.Nf7+ Nxf7 22.cxd4 cxd4

23.Nxd4
[23.Bxf7?! Rh6 24.Qf3 Rxh4+ 25.Kg1 Bg4! A critical intermediate move! (25...Qxf7
26.Nxd4 Qe7 27.Rfe1 Qe5 28.g3± leaves Black with a ruined position) 26.Qd3 Bxe2
27.Qxe2 Qh6 28.g3 Rh1+ 29.Kg2 Rh2+ 30.Kg1 Rh1+= with a draw by repetition.]
23...Nd6
[23...Ne5?! looks natural but isn’t good. 24.Be6! Bxe6 25.Nxe6 Qh6 (25...Qe7?? 26.Rc7+–)
26.Qxh6 Rxh6 27.h5! Rxh5+ 28.Kg1 Rg8 29.Rfd1 g4 30.Rc7 Nf3+ 31.Kf1 Rh1+ 32.Ke2
Rxd1 33.Kxd1± and White gets a large advantage thanks to his superior structure and piece
coordination.]
24.hxg5 (24.Be6?! doesn’t work here: 24...Rh6 25.Qf3 Bxe6 26.Nxe6 Qe7ƒ) 24...Rxg5
(24...fxg5? 25.Qf3!±; 24...Nxe4 25.Be6² fxg5 26.Nf5+–) 25.Qh2!

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25...Nxc4 26.Rxc4 Bg4! 27.Rc7 (27.Nf5?! is a difficult line for White: 27...Qg8 28.Rc3 Rh5
29.Nh4 Qxa2 30.f3 Qxb2 31.fxg4 Rxh4 32.Qxh4 Qxc3 33.Rxf6=) 27...Qg6 28.Qf4 Rg8
29.g3 Qh6+ 30.Kg1 Bh3

31.Rxb7! (31.Re1?? Rxg3+ 32.Qxg3 Rxg3+ 33.fxg3 Qd2–+) 31...Bxf1 32.Kxf1 Qh1+
33.Ke2 R5g7 34.Rxg7 Rxg7 35.b3= After all the complications, White’s superior structure
and Q+N combo balance Black’s Q+R material advantage.
b) 19.Rcd1

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The most natural continuation of course. 19...Nd4 The line I tried to calculate during the
game and the one which gave me the most trouble. It seems that I correctly feared it, since it
is indeed the computer’s top line and White has to play precisely to avoid falling into a worse
position.
[19...gxh4?! 20.Nxh4! Looks strange, given the next few moves. (20.Nxe5?! Rxg2+ 21.Kh1
Rg5 22.Qxh6 Qxe5 23.f3 Rg6 24.Qxh4 Qg7 25.Rd5 Bd7 26.Rg1 Rxg1+ 27.Nxg1 Rg8
28.Qh2 Bc6 29.Rf5 Ng5ƒ and Black has the initiative.) 20...Rg5 21.Qf3 Rg4 22.Nf5 The
only way to save the h4-knight. 22...Nxf5 23.exf5 Rxc4

Now if White takes on e6, Black completes his development and is clearly not worse.

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However... 24.Ng3!! An unbelievable intermediate move which changes the evaluation of
the position completely!! Black’s undeveloped queenside is apparently more important than
material parity at the moment! White intends to recapture Black’s e6-knight at his
convenience, going for piece improvement instead! 24...Rf4 25.Qd5! (25.fxe6?! Again,
trying to restore material equality leads to an equal game. 25...Bxe6 26.Qxb7 Rg8 27.Nh5
Qg5 28.Nxf4 exf4 29.Rfe1 Bh3 30.g3™ 30...fxg3 31.f3™

31...Qh6!! and Black equalizes. 32.Re2 Bf1!! 33.Rxf1 g2 34.Rxg2 Rxg2+ 35.Kxg2 Qg5+
36.Kf2 Qd2+= An incredible draw!!) 25...Rg4 26.Rfe1! Nf8 27.Nh5 Qg5 28.Qxe5+ f6
29.Qxf6+ Qxf6 30.Nxf6 Rg5 31.Rd8 Rxf5 32.Ne4! Kg8 33.Re3+– White has only one pawn
for the missing minor piece, however Black is completely tied up and helpless. White is very
close to winning here.]
20.Nexd4

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20...exd4
[20...Bg4? This is too materialistic in this almost spiritual position of competing plans:
White’s central attack versus Black’s on the flank. 21.Qxg4!! Even more spectacular. White
gets massive positional compensation for the sacrificed queen. (21.Nf5 also leads to some
advantage.) 21...Nxg4 22.Nf5 Qg8 23.Rd7 Rf8 24.Ne7 Qg7 25.Nxg6+ Qxg6 26.Nxg5+–]
21.hxg5
[21.Nxg5?! Bg4 (21...f6!? 22.Ne6 A queen sac on h6 was possible, but the black king would
run to f8 and the position would be complicated. 22...Rxg2+ 23.Kh1 Qg4 24.Qxg4 Rxg4
25.f3 Bxe6 26.Bxe6 Rxh4+ 27.Kg2 Re8 28.Bd5 dxc3 29.bxc3 Re7 30.Rh1 Rxh1 31.Rxh1
Nf7= and a very close to equal endgame arises.) 22.Qxh6 Rxh6 23.Nxf7+ Qxf7 24.Bxf7
Bxd1 25.Rxd1

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25...Rxh4 (25...dxc3?! 26.bxc3 Rxh4 27.f3² leads to a slightly better endgame for White
because of White’s strong central passed pawns and the lack of coordination between Black’s
rooks.) 26.f3 Kg7 27.Bd5 dxc3 28.bxc3 Rd8³ Black has an extra exchange and White will
have to defend precisely to hold the draw.]
21...Bg4 22.gxh6 Qf6

23.Ne5!! The only move to equalize. 23...Bxh5 24.Nxf7+ Kg8 25.Ne5+ Kh8 26.Nf7+ Kg8
[26...Qxf7?! 27.Bxf7 Bxd1 28.Bxg6 Be2 29.Bf7 (29.Re1?? d3–+) 29...Bxf1 30.Kxf1 Rf8
31.Bd5 dxc3 32.bxc3 Rf6 (32...b5? 33.g4±) 33.Bxb7 Rxh6 34.f4 Rb6 35.Bd5 Rb2 36.f5 Kg7
37.e5 Rd2² The game is close to equal, though it is Black who has to be precise this time

372
with an extra exchange.]
27.Ne5+ Draw by repetition.

19...Bxe6

Now starts the forced sequence which I evaluated as almost equal.

20.hxg5 f6!

21.gxf6?!

21.Ng3 fxg5 (21...Nf7? 22.Nf5+–) 22.Rcd1 Bg4 23.Qh2 Rf8³ Clearly with White’s queen
trapped on h2, only Black can play for a win, so I rejected this line during the game.

21...Rxg2+

21...Rxf6 was also possible, though less exciting!! 22.Ng3 Bg4 23.Qg5! Qxg5 24.Nxg5 Rg8
25.Nf3 Bxf3 26.gxf3 Rxf3 27.Kg2 (27.Rcd1 Ng4³ Black successfully brings his knight into
the game and with the superior pawn structure and continuing pressure against the white
kingside has the better prospects) 27...Rd3 28.Rcd1 Rgd8 29.Rxd3 Rxd3 30.Nh5!

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This fine attempt to keep black’s king restricted in the corner allows White to equalize.
30...Kg8 (30...Ng4 31.Rg1! preparing f2–f3) 31.f4 exf4 32.Rxf4 Rd2+ 33.Rf2 Rxf2+
34.Kxf2 Kf7 35.Kf3 Ke6 36.Kf4=

22.Kh1

22...Qxf6?

Although not very obvious, to call this my opponent’s first inaccuracy, as I originally wanted
to, would not be correct. It is in fact a serious error, not only because it suddenly turns the

374
tables and gives White a clear game plan, but also because of the inertia factor. In a position
where his pieces are optically superior, Black will, purely for psychological reasons, pursue
his ‘attack’, when he should be starting to think about equalizing. To be fair to my opponent
though, it was necessary to foresee and properly evaluate the position arising after my 29th
move, which I did before entering the whole sequence beginning with my 19th move.
22...Qg4! 23.Qxg4 Rxg4 24.Ng3 Nf7=

Black has a very slight advantage thanks to his strong bishop which, in combination with
rooks and an open position, can be very dangerous, however White holds the balance
because of his strong counterplay on the h-file. The ensuing endgame has a lot of play in it,
so we are not going to analyze it, suffice it to say that both sides have fair chances. 25.Kg2
Rag8 26.Rh1 Rf4 27.c4 Bg4 28.Rc3 Rxf6 29.Rd3=.

23.Qxe5!

Given the chance of trading queens and transposing into an endgame where my king would
be much safer was a proposition that I didn’t have to think too long about!!
23.Ng3?! would be an overambitious option to pursue an advantage that White has already
lost. 23...Rg8 24.Qxe5 Qxe5 25.Nxe5 Bh3!

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And now, despite White’s temporary material advantage, Black’s Rg2/Bh3 combination ties
up almost all of White’s resources to the defense of the f-pawn and g3-knight, while keeping
White’s king from playing any role in the game. Advantage to Black.

23...Qxe5

23...Rh2+!? is a spectacular possibility (though it only transposes into the game)!!

It’s not every day that a player can put his rook on a square that his opponent has covered
three times!! 24.Kg1 (24.Qxh2? Qxf3+ 25.Qg2 Qxe2 26.f3 Qe3µ) 24...Rg8+ 25.Ng3 Qxe5
26.Nxe5² Rh4 27.Rfe1±.

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24.Nxe5 Rg5

During the game I was struck by the way this endgame plays out (and still am, even now),
almost in perfect harmony with one of the deadliest kung fu styles, the praying mantis. First
the opponent is provoked into aggression, then defeated in a swift counterattack before he
realizes what is going on. One of the all-time chess greats who was a supreme master of this
style was the one and only GM Viktor Korchnoi, who, quite coincidentally, was among the
first chess students of my childhood chess coach, Vladimir Grigorievich Zak. Amazing really
how fate makes these connections... With regard to the position on the board, it seems
incredible that the white king, seemingly so exposed in the corner and one move away from
being mated, is nevertheless able to survive, in fact not just survive... Black makes a logical
attempt to force White to play f2–f4, depriving White of the defensive f2–f3, which would
take the important g4-square away from Black’s h6-knight. However...

25.f4 Rh5+ 26.Kg1 Rg8+?

Thanks to the complexities of the middlegame, we both had only minutes left to make the
next fourteen moves. As a result, most natural and developing moves like this one are played
almost automatically. Yet it is a serious error, after which Black’s position becomes critical.
Black keeps chasing the White king almost on autopilot, but it was time to finally include his
h6-knight in the game.
26...Ng4!

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Black exchanges White’s powerful centralized e5-knight and creates enough counterplay for
equality, despite being a pawn down. 27.Nxg4 Bxg4 28.Ng3 Rh3! 29.Kg2 Rd8! The point.
Black’s second rook enters White’s camp, chasing away the defensive g3-knight. In addition,
White has no time to exchange a pair of rooks, which would give him a decisive advantage.
Black’s activity compensates for the missing pawn. 30.Rf2 Rd3 31.Nf1 Rh4

32.Re1 (32.Nh2? Bh3+ 33.Kh1 Re3µ) 32...Bh3+ 33.Kg1 Rg4+ 34.Kh1 Rh4!= (34...Kg7
35.Ne3 Rg3 36.Nc4!± The most vital mission: the knight goes to its perfect square, e5,
where it will control a lot of vital squares and help its king.) 35.Kg1= (35.Nh2? The knight
is terribly placed here. White should have contented himself with a draw by repetition.

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35...Kg7∞ White’s pieces are tied up and he has to look for a way to equalize.)

27.Kf2 Rh2+ 28.Ke3

28...Rgg2?

Still chasing illusions. However, after this mistake, Black’s game is almost surely lost.
28...Ng4+ 29.Nxg4 Bxg4 30.Ng1!±

The knight is surprisingly well placed here, controlling the e2- and h3-squares, and can

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follow up by going to f3, while White’s king is perfectly placed to support the advance of his
connected central pawns, which will lead to victory. Still, Black can pose significantly more
problems compared to the game. 30...Rxb2 31.Rf2 Rxf2 32.Kxf2 Re8 33.Re1 b5 34.Nf3 a5
35.Ne5 Be6 36.Ke3 Kg7 37.Rh1 h6 38.Rg1+ Kh7 39.Rd1 a4 40.a3

40...b4 41.axb4 cxb4 42.cxb4 a3± and White still has to prove that his advantage is decisive.

29.Ng1!!±

The move of the game! The white knight goes back to protect its king!! White is ready to put
his rook on d1 and start pushing his central pawns.

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29...Rxb2?

I cannot call this the final mistake, since it seems that Black’s position is very close to lost
anyway, but it hastens things. Black has just realized that his activity is an optical illusion,
and does not put up a fight in the remaining seconds on his clock.
29...Ng4+! Getting his knight into the game was absolutely necessary. 30.Nxg4 Bxg4 31.f5

We are reaching a critical position with Black having several options. 31...Bh5!
a) 31...h5 32.b4!! A very important move that attempts to open the file for the rooks, since
Black’s g4-bishop is controlling the d1–square. 32...b6 (32...c4? But this allows White to get
access to the decisive d4-square, which makes the win trivial. 33.Nf3 Re2+ 34.Kd4+–)
33.bxc5 bxc5 34.Rb1

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The white rooks enter the game with devastating effect. 34...Kg7 35.f6+ Kf8 36.Rb8+ Kf7
37.Rb7+ Kf8 38.Nf3 Re2+ 39.Kd3 (39.Kf4?? It’s never too late to spoil a winning position!!
39...Rhf2=) 39...Rhf2 40.Ne5!+– White’s mating threats win him the game.
b) 31...Kg7 32.Nf3! Just in time, before Black manages to protect his bishop with the h-
pawn. (32.e5? White’s passed pawns need the protection of all the pieces before they can
carry the day. Here they are getting a bit too far from the rest of White’s forces. 32...Rxb2
33.Nf3 Rbe2+ 34.Kf4 Bxf3 35.Rxf3 Rh4+ 36.Kg3 Rh5 37.Kf4 Rh4+=) 32...Bxf3 (32...Re2+
33.Kf4 The point. Black’s bishop is under attack and he has no time for ...Rhf2. 33...Bxf3
34.Kxf3 Kf6 35.Rcd1 Rxb2 36.Rd6++– Black’s king is chased away from its ideal square
where it prevented White’s king from reaching the critical e5-square.) 33.Kxf3 Kf6
34.Rcd1+– And White wins thanks to all his pieces supporting the central connected passed
pawns.
32.Rce1! Preparing Nf3. 32...Kg7 33.Nf3 Rh3 34.Kf4

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34...Rg4+ (34...Kf8 35.Rd1 Ke7 36.Rd5 b6 37.Re5+ Kf8 38.Re6!+– White finally gets a way
to advance with his king into Black’s camp, followed by advancing the pawns.) 35.Ke5 Rg2

36.Ke6!!+– The knight that so valiantly guarded its king now sacrifices itself so that the
white pawn soldiers can triumphantly promote under the personal supervision and protection
of their monarch. 36...Rxf3 (36...Bxf3 37.Ke7 Bh5 38.f6+ Kh8 39.e5 Rg8 40.f7 Bxf7
41.Rxf7 Rh2 42.e6 Rxb2 43.Kd6 Rd2+ 44.Kc7 Re8 45.e7 Kg8 46.Ref1+–) 37.Rxf3 Bxf3
38.Ke7 Rf2 39.f6+ Kg6 40.f7 Bxe4

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41.Rg1+! An important intermediate check to force the black king to the side. 41...Kh5
42.f8=Q Rxf8 43.Kxf8 Kh4 44.Kg7 h5 45.Kf6 Kh3 46.Rg5 h4 47.Ke5 Bg2 48.Kf4 Kh2
49.Rxc5 h3 50.Rh5 Bc6 (50...Kg1 51.Kg3+– White wins in similar fashion to the line
below.) 51.Re5 Kg1 52.Kg3 Bg2

53.Re2! (53.Re1+?? Bf1=) 53...Kf1 54.Rc2 Ke1 55.c4 Kd1 56.Rf2 a5 57.b3 Kc1 58.a3+–
and White’s queenside pawns win him the game.

30.f5 Bxa2 31.Rcd1+–

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White’s pieces are all gathered together and now with their king’s call to arms they rush
forward on to the enemy. Black is lost.

31...Rbc2

31...Rhg2 32.Ngf3 Ng4+ 33.Nxg4 Rxg4 34.Ne5 Rh4 35.f6 Rg2 36.c4+–

32.Rd8+ Ng8 33.Ngf3 Rxc3+ 34.Kf4 Rh6 35.Rg1

The final piece joins the attack.

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35...Rf6 36.Ng5 h6 37.Ngf7+!

Black resigned as he is losing a lot of material.

1–0

At the Leningrad Championship in 1987. In the foreground, Gata’s father. Over his left
shoulder, his twelve-year-old son in play against Taimanov.
After this game I was ecstatic! The tremendous battle of plans, with mutual positional and
tactical fighting all over the board, including the final march of the white king, made quite an
impression on me. I felt that, at this point in the tournament, I was perhaps in the absolutely
best and greatest form of my life, and could win the event! Despite many people saying that
it’s ‘just’ the World Cup, or ‘just’ another knockout event, this competition truly tests your
entire chess ability — your preparation, endurance, physical and mental condition and the

386
ability to play well not only in classical chess, but also in rapid and blitz tiebreaks. Only the
truly great — and lucky — players manage to win the event which features almost the entire
world chess elite.
Immediately after winning the tournament, I was approached by FIDE officials who told me
that I now had to play a match against Topalov, something that I bitterly curse them for. In
fairness to the rest of the chess world Topalov could have played in the World Cup, just like
the rest of the players, but preferred to sit it out and let his manager conduct all the behind-
the-scenes negotiations to get the best deal. I further believe that such was the strength of the
event he would not have reached the final. Bear in mind that the reigning World Champion,
Magnus Carlsen, generally considered the greatest world champion after Garry Kasparov,
was eliminated in spectacular fashion from the 2017 World Cup by the former Chinese
prodigy, Bu Xiangzhi. In other words, nobody is guaranteed to win the event. To win it is an
achievement on a par with winning the Candidates tournament, so when FIDE officials tried
to lessen it, I was very angry. They stole my shot at the world championship title.
More than that, I had made the mistake of trying to make amends in my relationship with my
father, giving him the rights to be my agent in speaking to potential organizers of the match
with Topalov. However more than a year passed, and nothing came of it except the blame
that my father’s efforts to find organizers had failed and that my team was responsible for the
lateness of the match. As a result, it was decided during negotiations with FIDE at the
Dresden Olympiad in 2008 that the Bulgarians would be given the right to organize the
match in Sofia in 2009. What very few people know is that FIDE wanted GM Topalov to
win. How do I know that? Simple. When I was in contact with the organizers of the US
Championships in 2005 and 2006, they informed me that there was a clause in the FIDE
organizers’ contract giving the Bulgarian organizers the option of matching any other
organizers’ offer to obtain a decision in their favor. How fair is that?? The whole FIDE
special challengers match Kamsky vs. Topalov was a farce.
Since aspects of Topalov’s relationship with Danailov reminded me of my own past
relationship with my father, I thought it was a bit ironic how life finds a way of making
things come back to you. I, too, was very silent on some matters, fearing for my safety, but I
had an excuse: I had no education and was under the complete domination, in both body and
soul, of my father. He literally threatened to kill me many times, including chasing me with a
knife on numerous occasions after a terrible tournament, most memorably the Manila
Interzonal in 1990, or the qualification tournament for the USSR Championship First
League, where he put me on a fifth or sixth floor window ledge when I was just twelve or
thirteen. Or the time when he was sitting next to me in a dark room, his hand on a heavy
barbell, after I had lost my home match to a Leningrad IM called Sergey Ivanov, talking

387
about how this loss had ruined his plans for me to improve on the way to winning the world
championship and, that since life is a failure, he should kill me right there, musing about how
he would do it. I had a sinking feeling of being absolutely powerless to do anything.
When I came home from the one and only occasion I went to the authorities for help, my
father burned my hand to the bone and told me that if I told the authorities about him again,
he would kill me. Being physically beaten was an everyday occurrence; it was the
psychological attack with his words that made me feel very old and not want to live. My
father invented many other punishments, some too horrible to admit, to get me to win
games... He kept me in a constant state of fear. The fact that he kept a gun illegally in our
house and many years later shot our beloved family dog when it got too sick showed me that
my father was still quite mad.
I still have nightmares about those horrible years, but thankfully, these days, that time seems
like it happened in another past life.
But again, that was just me, when I was basically just a kid and was afraid to speak out
against any crazy action that my father wanted to undertake. For example I had always felt
bad about my dad saying terrible things to Nigel in Linares in 1994, or shouting out in the
playing hall at the US Championship during my game vs. Joel back in 1991. Since I
accustomed myself to try to remain absolutely still during my father’s outbursts and try to
survive by not attracting his attention, it took me many years to find the courage to admit
guilt and apologize to both of the players mentioned.
But in 2007, both Topalov and I were in our thirties and a man in his thirties is responsible
for both his actions and those of his team. He can’t hide behind his manager’s back and say
nothing; he has to impose his personality and his views, especially if he wants to go for the
world championship title, which is a very public ‘office’.
Needless to say I would never again look with respect upon GM Topalov and especially not
upon his manager, Mr. Danailov. I considered not playing the match at all, as a form of
protest, but unfortunately at that moment my personal life severely interfered and, faced with
financial difficulties, I had no alternative but to accept. My ‘preparation’ consisted of only a
couple of weeks’ sessions just prior to the start.

388
 GAME 12
Gata Kamsky
Vasily Ivanchuk
Dresden 2008
This game was played in the last round of the Dresden Olympiad in 2008. The last round was
extremely important in deciding the final medal standings. Our opponents, the Ukrainian
team, also needed to win to secure medals, so there was plenty of fighting spirit. My
opponent, the now legendary GM Vasily Ivanchuk, was someone whom I had met many
times over the board, especially back in the ’90s when we were both younger and going for
the world title. His vast experience, coupled with broad theoretical knowledge and practical
psychological approach, always made the game exciting.

Vasily Ivanchuk (Photo by Harry Gielen)

1.e4

Demonstrating my aggressive intentions.

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1...e6

We had played many different openings in the past against each other, so my opponent
decides to try the French Defense.

2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3

6...Ne7

6...Qa5 is a more modern approach. 7.Bd2 Qa4!? with very complex theory.

7.Qg4

We have reached the tabiya of the old main line starting with 3.Nc3 Bb4. Now Black has a
choice of whether to play the lines with short castling, or go for a complex middlegame after
7...cxd4.

7...Kf8!?

A rare and interesting line. Black wants to keep his options open and his structure flexible,
however this move introduces a slight discoordination amongst his pieces, due to the loss of
castling rights.

390
8.Bd2

With the idea of preventing Black’s standard ...Qd8–a5–a4, attempting to exchange the light-
squared bishops after ...b7–b6 and ...Bc8–a6. White’s other main moves here include 8.a4
with the idea of keeping the option of developing the c1-bishop to a3.

8...Qc7

8...b6!? immediately is also possible. White has several different plans at his disposal,
making for a difficult choice. One is simply to develop with Nf3, followed by short castling
and Nf3–g5, going for a kingside attack. Another is Ng1–h3, with the idea of transferring
this knight later via f4 to h5, creating pressure on Black’s weakest point, the g7-pawn. Yet
another is to meet Black’s coming ...Bc8–a6 with 9.a4 so that after 9...Ba6 White can go
10.Bb5, offering Black the chance to bring White’s a-pawn closer to the center should he
exchange bishops on b5. However, in this case, White’s dark-squared bishop usually remains
on c1 to be ready to be deployed on the a3–f8 diagonal. In general, there is no single plan
that promises White a big advantage in the opening because of the closed nature of the
position, where Black keeps his pawn structure flexible and without weaknesses. White’s
main advantages in this position are his lead in development and more space in which to
maneuver his pieces.

9.Bd3 b6 10.Nf3

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10...Ba6

Both sides have now played their plans out, and I went into a think on how to proceed into
the middlegame. The first order of business was to figure out what Black’s plan was and how
to stop it. Clearly I did not want to exchange the light-squared bishops by taking on a6
myself, as that would give the black knights a formidable outpost on the c4-square,
something that I learned about way back in the ’90s in the Tilburg tournament against the
legendary American GM Yasser Seirawan. On the other hand, if White allows Black to take
on d3 and then play ...c5–c4, he would still obtain the c4-square. With these thoughts in
mind, it occurred to me that, given White’s large advantage in development, it would be
important for me to open some file to create a threat of invasion while Black’s rooks were
not yet connected, and Black’s king had not yet managed to arrive at his destination on h7.
Thus was born the next move with which I was quite happy.

11.dxc5!

After this move and this game the whole already rare variation almost entirely disappeared
from tournament play. Black doesn’t get what he wanted out of the opening, while he has
lost castling rights.

11...Qxc5

One of the first critical decisions. During the game I thought that Black should have
recaptured on c5 with the pawn, however, after looking over the game with plenty of time to

392
think, I believe my opponent chose wisely, as it is much easier for him to make decisions on
how next to develop his pieces.
11...bxc5?! 12.Bxa6! It is desirable to put Black’s b8-knight on the awkward a6-square so
that he will have to lose tempi to reposition it.
[12.0-0 Bxd3 13.cxd3 Nd7 14.Rab1

14...h6 (14...Rb8 15.Rxb8+ Qxb8 16.Qa4 Qb7 17.d4 c4 18.Qc2 f6 19.Rb1 Qa6 20.exf6 gxf6
21.Nh4 Kf7 22.Qd1 h5 23.a4 Ng6 24.Nxg6 Kxg6² White has a certain advantage, thanks to
his control of the open b-file and slightly better pawn structure, but the conversion of this
advantage into something concrete is not obvious.) 15.Rb5 Rb8 16.c4!? d4 17.Ba5 Qc8
18.Rfb1 Rxb5 19.Rxb5 Nc6 20.Bd2 Kg8 21.Qe4 Qc7 22.h4!² White makes sure the black
king doesn’t get pawn cover on the kingside.

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22...g6 23.Rb1! White prepares to bring his rook back for the kingside attack. (23.h5?! A bit
early. 23...g5 24.Nh2 Ncxe5 25.f4 Nc6 26.Rb1! Rh7 27.Re1 Ne7 28.Qf3 Qc6 29.fxg5 hxg5
30.Bxg5 Qxf3 31.Nxf3 f6 32.Bd2 Kf7 33.g4² and the endgame is quite complex, but
approximately balanced, with chances for both sides) 23...Kg7 24.h5 g5

25.Nh2! An important central pawn sacrifice that allows White to keep his initiative.
25...Ncxe5 26.f4 Nc6 27.Rf1‚]
12...Nxa6 13.c4!² This move is important as it does several useful things. One, it fixes
Black’s c5-pawn on a dark square, two, it opens up the d2-bishop and three, it deprives Black
of the idea of playing ...c5–c4, followed by the transfer of the a6-knight to the useful c5-

394
square. White’s advantage is certain.
[13.0-0 is also possible, but it seems that the immediate 13.c4 is preferable. 13...c4 14.Be3
Nc5 15.Bxc5 Qxc5 16.Nd4

16...Kg8 (16...Rb8?! 17.Rfb1 Rb6 18.a4 Ng6 19.Qg5 Qc7 20.a5±; 16...Nc6 is another
alternative: 17.Rab1 Nxd4 18.cxd4 Qc7 19.Rb4 Rb8 20.Rfb1 Rb6 21.h4² with an unpleasant
position for Black, although White’s advantage is not too great, thanks to few pieces being
left on the board.) 17.Rab1 White needs his f-rook to stay in place for the potential advance
of the f-pawn. 17...Qc7 18.f4 h6 19.f5ƒ]
13...h5 Black has to be careful playing this move as it gives White access to the g5-square,
possibly denying Black the possibility of moving his king to h7. (13...h6 14.0-0 Kg8 15.Rfe1
Kh7? 16.cxd5 Nxd5

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17.Qe4+!+– This important check ensures that Black does not complete the evacuation of
his king without paying a price, by forcing him to compromise his pawn structure and create
dark-squared weaknesses around his king. Strategically this is a terrible position for Black.
17...g6 18.Qh4! Kg7 19.c4±) 14.Qf4 Ng6 15.Qe3 Re8 16.0-0

16...Nb8 (16...Qc6 17.Rfe1 Nc7 18.Rab1 dxc4 19.Qe4 Nd5 20.Qxc4± and Black suffers
serious problems due to his misplaced king and h8-rook) 17.Rfe1 Nd7 18.Rab1 Nb6 19.cxd5
exd5 20.Rb5± with much better piece coordination and the better game for White. Black
retains counter-chances though, and if he could somehow manage to develop his h8-rook it
could become anyone’s game.

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12.0-0

12...Bxd3?!

This move repairs White’s pawn structure, but it was difficult for Black to complete his
queenside development, while leaving White with his strong bishop pair, especially the d3-
bishop, would have been disastrous.
12...Qc8!? seems to be a very interesting idea. Despite Black’s lack of development, he’s
willing to invest in yet another move with his queen in order to keep White’s doubled c-
pawns fixed. Black protects his a6-bishop to prepare the development of his b8-knight to a
comfortable location on c4. White has two different plans now. One is to play for a kingside
attack and the second is to go for the a3–a4–a5 pawn break, opening the game on the
queenside. Both plans seem to offer White chances of some advantage. 13.Rfb1 seems to be
a slightly preferable option for White.
[13.Rfe1?! Nd7 14.Nd4 Nc5

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15.Qf3! and White is forced to focus his energies on the queenside. (15.Re3?! This direct
attempt to get the attack going on the kingside doesn’t seem to work. 15...Kg8 16.Rg3 Ng6
17.Re1 h5 18.Qg5 Bxd3 19.cxd3 Qd8 20.Qe3 Qd7!= and it’s not clear how White can make
progress as Black has set up a great defense on the light squares.) 15...Bxd3 16.cxd3 Kg8
17.a4 Nc6 18.Nxc6 Qxc6 19.Reb1 Nd7 20.Qe2 h6 21.d4 a5∞ with slightly better chances
for White to achieve something on the kingside.]
13...Kg8
[13...Nbc6 14.Qa4 Bxd3 15.cxd3 h6 16.c4!

White needs to break Black’s blockade in the center before he completes his king run to h7

398
and establishes full coordination among his heavy pieces. 16...dxc4 17.dxc4 Kg8 18.Qc2!
(18.c5 bxc5 19.Rc1 Nb8! 20.Be3 Nd7 21.Bxc5 Nxc5 22.Qb5 Rb8 23.Qxc5 Qxc5 24.Rxc5
Rb7! Black is just in time to protect his seventh rank from invasion by White’s rooks. Black
can now start looking for counterplay. 25.Rac1 Kh7=) 18...Qc7 19.Bb4 Nf5 20.Qe4 Rc8
21.Rc1 h5 22.h3² Black still has to solve the problem of finding a place for his monarch as
...g7–g6 creates a great potential outpost for White’s minor pieces on f6. 22...g6 23.Bd2!
Nb8 24.c5! It is important to play this before Black manages to block this pawn with his
knight. 24...bxc5 25.Rab1± White recaptures his material and can start looking for ways to
exploit Black’s dark-squared weaknesses on the kingside.]
14.a4 Nbc6 15.c4 h5 16.Qf4 Bxc4 17.Bxc4 Ng6 18.Qe3 dxc4 19.a5! h4 20.h3 Rh5

21.Ng5!² An important finesse. White is willing to sacrifice his central pawn in order to
keep Black’s h5-rook from joining the game via f5. 21...Nxa5 (21...Ncxe5 22.Qe2 Rh8
23.axb6 axb6 24.Rxa8 Qxa8 25.Rxb6±) 22.Qf3 Rxg5 23.Bxg5 Nxe5 24.Qe4 Ng6 25.Bd2
Nc6 26.Qxc4 Qd7 27.Bg5 Rc8 28.Qa4 e5 29.c3 Qf5 30.Bxh4 Nf4 31.Re1± and White keeps
some advantage despite Black’s activity.

13.cxd3 Nbc6

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14.a4?!

A little more space, no pronounced weaknesses despite his worse structure and a lead in
development indicate that White has some advantage from the opening. With this move, he
envisions the potential a4–a5 pawn push that will break open the queenside and allow him to
invade Black’s queenside on the seventh with his heavy pieces before Black manages to
consolidate. However objectively this is not the strongest move. Given such a huge lead in
development and Black’s loss of castling rights, it was logical to look for ways to open the
position up immediately.
14.Rfc1! This looks more natural. White intends to open the c-file and start piling up along it
for invasion, so it deserves attention. 14...Kg8
[14...Nf5?! 15.Qa4! White suddenly prepares to play c3–c4 followed by Bd2–b4. 15...Kg8
16.c4 Ncd4 (16...d4? 17.Bb4 Nxb4 18.axb4 Qc7 19.c5+– and White obtains a technically
winning position) 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Kf1! Nf5 19.cxd5 Qxd5 20.Qe4!± White forces
transposition into a favorable endgame with full control of the only open file. 20...h5
21.Qxd5 exd5 22.Rc7 Nd4 23.Be3 Ne6 24.Rd7 Kh7 25.d4 Kg6 26.Rxd5 Rhd8 27.Rxd8
Rxd8 28.Rd1 Rd5 29.Ke2 Kf5 30.f3 f6 31.exf6 Kxf6 32.Kd3 Ra5 33.Bc1 Ra4± Black faces
a long defensive task trying to compensate for his missing pawn.]
15.c4! Simple chess. Black is forced to deal with concrete problems.
[15.Qa4!? h6 (15...Ng6?? 16.Be3+–) 16.Rab1 Qa5 17.Qxa5 Nxa5 18.c4 Nac6 19.cxd5 exd5
20.Bb4 Nxb4 21.axb4 g5 22.Rc7² White obtains a certain advantage in the endgame.
22...Ng6 23.h4!? Nf4 (23...g4 24.h5!± Nf4 25.Nh2±) 24.b5! (24.hxg5 hxg5 25.Nxg5? Ne2+

400
26.Kf1 Nc3!µ; 24.g3 Ne6 25.Rd7 Kg7 26.hxg5 hxg5 27.Ra1 a5 28.bxa5 bxa5 29.Rxd5 a4
30.Ra3 Rhb8 31.Nd4 Rb4!= and Black finally achieves equality) 24...Ne6 25.Rd7 Kg7
26.Ra1! with a slight advantage for White which Black should be able to neutralize with
accurate defense.]
15...dxc4

(15...d4? This attempt to keep the position closed doesn’t work. 16.Qe4+–) 16.Bb4! The key
intermediate move that I missed in my calculations. White gets his bishop to the critical d6-
square with tempo! (16.Rxc4?! A bit too straightforward. 16...Qd5 17.Rac1 h6! and it is not
clear how White can break through Black’s defenses. 18.Bb4 Nxb4 19.axb4 Kh7 20.Qf4
Rhf8 21.Rc7 Qd8! Black manages to install his knight on the perfect d5-square, and can start
to play for an advantage.) 16...Nxb4 (16...Qd5 17.dxc4 Qd7 18.Rd1 Qc7 19.Bd6 Qb7
20.Qe4 Rc8 21.Rd3 h6 22.Rad1±) 17.axb4 Qxb4

401
18.Qe4!± An important intermediate move that allows White to recapture the sacrificed
material. 18...Rc8 19.Rxa7 Nd5 20.h4! Yet another example of a pawn move that has a great
influence on the evaluation of the position. White is now ready to take on c4 with his rook,
exchanging the defender of Black’s back rank, the c8-rook. 20...h6 21.Rxc4 Qf8 22.Nd4!
This knight is heading to d6 with decisive effect. White has a winning advantage now.

14...h5

Black decides to place his e7-knight on f5.

402
15.Qg5

15.Qf4?! would be a loss of tempi. 15...Ng6 16.Qg3 h4 17.Qh3 Kg8

18.d4 (18.Rfe1 Rc8 19.Qg4 h3 20.g3 Rc7!∞ White faces problems improving his position, as
he cannot capture Black’s far advanced h3-pawn simply, yet that pawn creates weak light
squares around his king. 21.d4?! Qc4 22.Ng5? Ncxe5µ) 18...Qc4= and Black very nearly
equalizes.

15...Nf5²

15...Ng6 16.Bc1! White is just in time to prevent Black’s queen from reaching e7 and
forcing the white queen from the kingside. 16...Kg8 17.Ba3 Qa5 18.Rfc1±

403
White succeeds in keeping the game under control on both flanks. His initiative is quite
dangerous as the following lines illustrate: 18...Qxa4 19.c4 Ngxe5 (19...Qb3? 20.Qe3+–)
20.Nxe5 f6 21.Qe3 Nxe5 22.f4 Ng4 23.Qxe6+ Kh7 24.Be7 Qe8 25.cxd5 Qg6 26.h3! (26.d6
Qxd3=) 26...Nh6 27.d6 Nf5 28.d7±.

16.Rfb1

White proceeds with his plan. At this moment, I saw the very interesting idea of transferring
the bishop to a more active location, however, given the match situation, I wanted to play
solid chess, without unclear sacrifices.
16.Bc1!?

404
Very interesting. Black must play very accurately to face this switch. 16...Kg8 (16...Qxc3?
17.Ba3+ Nce7 18.Rfc1 Qxd3 19.Nh4+– Black is just lost. 19...Ke8 20.Nxf5 Nxf5 21.Rc7
winning; 16...Nce7 17.Ba3 Qc7 18.Rfc1 Kg8 19.c4 Qd7 20.Bxe7 Nxe7 21.c5! Rh6 22.Rab1
Re8 23.cxb6 axb6 24.Qf4 Rg6 25.h3 Qa7 26.Rb4+– Time and time again, we see how
Black’s lack of coordination between his rooks makes his position critical. 26...Rf8 27.Rcb1
d4 28.Rxd4 Nd5 29.Qh4+–) 17.Ba3 Qa5

18.Rfc1 (18.Qd2?! d4= getting that key d5-square) 18...Rh6! A more patient and probably
better move. Black seems to be doing fine here though, since White did not achieve much
with his tempi-consuming bishop transfer.

405
[18...Qxa4?! Taking this pawn is possible, although it allows White’s rooks to become
useful. 19.c4∞ Qb3 (19...dxc4? 20.Rxc4 Qb5 21.Rac1±) 20.Qd2 dxc4 21.Rc3! Qb5 22.dxc4
Qa5! 23.Qe1° White gets very active pieces in compensation for the sacrificed pawn.]
19.Qf4 Rg6 20.h3 Rd8 21.g3 Qa6 22.Qd2 f6!? and Black finally achieves full counterplay.

16...Kg8 17.Rb5?!

Too hasty. At this point I saw a tactical possibility and could not resist setting a trap. It was
much better to play h2–h3 immediately.
17.h3! Rc8?!
[17...Qe7?! 18.a5! A tactical shot that I didn’t calculate correctly. (18.Qf4?! Rd8= and it is
not easy to see how White can make progress here, as both the a4–a5 and c3–c4 pawn breaks
give the black knights great outposts.) 18...bxa5 (18...Nxa5? 19.c4 Nc6 20.cxd5 Qxg5
21.Nxg5 exd5 22.Rxb6 Nxe5 23.Rxa7 Rf8 24.Ra5± White wins a pawn with good winning
chances) 19.Qf4±

White keeps the queens on the board and plans to double on the b-file. 19...Qd7 Black
prepares for a possible c3–c4 break. 20.Qa4 Kh7 21.Ng5+ Kg8 22.d4! f6 23.Nf3 Kf7
24.Rb5 Rhd8 Black needs to protect his queen, otherwise White just takes on a5 with his
rook. 25.Rc5 Rac8

406
26.Bf4! and in this very complex position, White’s chances are superior, thanks to a number
of weak black pawns that can become targets. 26...Kg8 27.exf6 gxf6 28.Ne1 e5 29.dxe5 fxe5
30.Bg5 Rf8 31.Qd1!±]
18.g4 hxg4 19.hxg4 Nh6 (19...Nfe7 20.Rb5+–) 20.Kg2 Qe7 21.Qxe7 Nxe7 22.Kg3±
Black’s position is now extremely uncomfortable due to the terrible location of the h6-
knight.

17...Qe7

407
18.Qf4

a) 18.Qxe7?! Exchanges usually favor the defensive side, besides, with Black’s structure
having no weaknesses, the exchange of queens clearly favors Black. 18...Nfxe7 19.a5 bxa5!
(19...Nxa5 20.c4 Nac6 21.Rxb6 Kh7 22.Rba6 Rhc8 should also equalize) 20.c4 dxc4
21.dxc4 Kh7 22.Bxa5 Nxa5 23.Rbxa5 Nc6= with equality.
b) 18.h3 Qxg5 19.Bxg5 h4 Again Black is fine.

18...Qd7 19.Rab1 Rc8

Around here, I realized that Black had managed to consolidate his position. Glancing at the
other boards, I saw that the games were very tough and that the match could go either way,
so I decided to play more solid chess.

20.h3!?=

A useful wait-and-see move which might have encouraged Black to try something active for
the first time. However it also sets a trap against the very possibility that Black plays on his
next move.

20...Rh6??

A bad mistake which misses the tactics and practically decides the game. Black just needed
to sit tight and shuffle his pieces around, for example 20...Qd8 21.g3 Qd7 (21...Rh6?! The
rook does not really belong on g6, since it will be cut off by White’s d2-bishop. 22.Kg2 Rg6
23.Re1 Qe7 24.c4 dxc4 25.Qxc4 Qd7 26.Rc1 Nce7 27.Qe4 Rxc1 28.Bxc1 Nd5 29.Bd2)
22.Kg2 Rc7 23.Rc1

408
White has improved his position to the maximum and now attempts his last resource, the c3–
c4 pawn break. 23...Rc8
[23...f6!? is a possible attempt to take over the initiative, however White is somewhat better
prepared for the tactics ahead. 24.c4 g5 25.Nxg5! fxg5 (25...fxe5 26.Qf3 Ncd4 27.Qd1
Nxb5 28.axb5∞ leads to an extremely complicated, unbalanced position) 26.Qxg5+

26...Ng7 (26...Qg7? 27.cxd5 Qxg5 28.Bxg5 exd5 29.Rxd5 Kf7 30.g4 hxg4 31.hxg4 Ke6
32.Rd8! Rhh7! 33.gxf5+ Kxf5 34.Rf8+ Kxg5 35.f4+ Kg4 36.Kf2+–) 27.cxd5 exd5 28.e6
Qxe6 29.Rxd5 Rf7 30.Bf4 Rh6 31.Rd6 Qxd6 32.Bxd6 Rxd6 33.Rc4 Rdf6=]
24.c4 dxc4 25.Qxc4 Nce7 26.Qe4 Rxc1 27.Bxc1 Nd5 28.Bd2 g6!

409
Finally Black is ready to bring his h8-rook into the game after playing ...Kg7, with his d5-
knight covering the weakness on f6. 29.Rb1 Kg7 30.Rc1 Rc8 31.Rc4∞ This position is
difficult to evaluate as both sides have clearly pronounced weaknesses.

21.a5!±

White springs the trap. It is incredible how one mistake can decide a game, but sometimes it
happens and Black is almost certainly lost.

21...bxa5?!

410
Black decides to save the exchange, but this gives White everything on the queenside.
21...Nxa5 22.Qa4 The double threat of capturing Black’s h6-rook and Rxa5 attacking his
unprotected queen wins material. 22...Rc7 23.Bxh6 Nxh6 24.Qc2 Nf5 25.R5b2! (25.Qd2?!
Qc6„) 25...Qc8 26.Rc1 Nb7 27.Qd2 Nc5 28.Ra1± would have given Black a certain
measure of counterplay.

22.Qa4!

White’s heavy pieces are ideally placed for an invasion of the queenside.

22...Rg6 23.Rxa5

White is now going to hit Black’s last and key queenside defender, the c6-knight, which is
holding his position together. Once the knight is gone, his entire position will collapse.

23...Rc7

23...f6!? was the last chance for Black to attempt to free his g6-rook. 24.Rc5 Rc7

25.Qd1!! I’m not sure if I would have found this move which removes Black’s last hope.
White’s central pawn is untouchable because of the weaknesses of the eighth rank and the
h5-pawn. (25.Bf4? Nxe5=) 25...Kf7 26.exf6 gxf6 27.Ne1!+– The white queen infiltrates to
h5, where it will add to the attack, forcing Black to suffer material losses. 27...Ng7 28.d4
Ne7

411
29.Rcb5! It is absolutely critical for White to keep both rooks on the board, as the threat of
Bd2–f4 will remove Black’s c7-rook from protecting the seventh rank. 29...e5 30.dxe5 Qxh3
31.exf6 Kxf6 32.Bf4!‚ and Black’s threats to White’s king are obviously no match for
anything White can do.

24.Rab5 Qc8

25.Bf4!+–

Patience is a virtue! This move is necessary to prevent Black’s last hope of gaining freedom

412
with ...f7–f6 and any attempts to rescue his g6-rook. Black can only wait to see how White
will prepare for the final blow.

25...Kh8 26.Kh2 Kg8 27.Kh1 Kh8 28.Rc5

After shuffling some pieces around, I came up with a plan to eliminate Black’s defensive c6-
knight.

28...Kg8 29.d4 Qd7

30.Qb5

30.c4 was also possible: 30...Ncxd4 31.Rb8+ Kh7 32.Qxd7 Rxd7 33.Rcc8 Rh6 34.Nxd4
Nxd4 35.c5+– winning.

30...Qc8 31.Ra1! Kh7 32.Ra6 Nce7

32...Nfe7 33.Nh4 Rh6 34.Kh2 Qe8 35.Qd3+ Rg6 36.Qe2 Rh6

413
37.Qc2+! Improving the queen to an ideal square, jumping from the kingside to the
queenside with decisive effect. 37...Rg6 38.Nxg6 Nxg6 39.Bg5 Qc8 40.Qa4+–.

33.Ng5+

Black must give up the exchange or face White’s heavy pieces on the eighth rank.

33...Rxg5

33...Kh8 34.Rxc7 Qxc7 35.Qe8++–

414
34.Bxg5

Leaving White with a decisive material advantage. Black played on only because this was a
team match.

34...Rxc5 35.dxc5 Ng6 36.c6 Nxe5 37.Qb7

White’s moves are like small finishing touches here and there. One of the best ways to
convert a material advantage is to go into an endgame, ending your opponent’s hopes of a
potential counterattack.

37...Nd6

37...Qf8 38.c7 Qc5 39.c8=Q Qxf2 40.Qb1 g6

415
41.Bh4!! Qxh4 (41...Nxh4 42.Ra2+–) 42.Ra2 Qf4 43.Qc5 Ng3+ 44.Kg1+–

38.Qxc8 Nxc8 39.Be3

Black’s a-pawn falls and with it any hope of resistance.

39...Kg6

39...Kg8 40.f4 Nc4 41.Bxa7 Kf8 42.Bd4 Ke7 43.Bxg7 Kd6 44.Be5+ Kc5 45.c7 Kb5
46.Ra8 N4b6 47.Rb8 Kc6 48.g4 h4 49.Kg2 Kd7 50.g5 Nc4 51.Kf3 Nxe5+ 52.fxe5 Kxc7
53.Rxc8+ Kxc8 54.Kg4 Kd7 55.Kxh4+–

416
40.c7

Black resigned.

1–0

The US team was clearly struck with an infusion of enthusiasm, leading to an incredible 3½–
½ win, allowing us to take the bronze medals on tie-breaks. The memorable controversy,
however, arose immediately after the game, as both Vasily and I were approached by the
arbiter for an anti-doping test. Vasily, clearly distraught, basically fended the arbiter off and
declined to take the test, which caused him certain problems later on. I took the test and had
to wait an agonizing hour before learning that our team had won the match with a big score.
During the Olympiad, Emil and I went to a meeting with FIDE officials, where we struck a
deal regarding my match with Topalov. I agreed to play the match in Sofia on their terms in
exchange for FIDE giving me the right to participate in the next Candidates cycle should I
lose the match. I didn’t like dealing with FIDE, but given that the alternative would have
been a prolonged lawsuit in the Sports Arbitration Court in Lausanne, which would have cost
me a lot of money and time with no guarantee of a favorable outcome, this was an offer that I
could not refuse. Of course, I felt kind of dirty by agreeing to the deal, but my personal life
and financial situation were still in deep crisis, and given the lack of support for either from
the outside, I felt that my priorities to my family came first. Clearly, the world is run by
money these days. It has gotten a lot harder for the up-and-coming new youngster to become
world champion than before.

417
 GAME 13
Gata Kamsky
Sergey Karjakin
Wijk aan Zee 2009
After a three-year period, I was invited again to the elite round robin tournament in Wijk. I
decided to accept the invitation, since my special FIDE Candidates match vs. Topalov was to
take place shortly after the tournament and I needed practice to feel how the pieces move. In
the middle of the tournament, I met my second team member whom Emil had asked to join
us. The Ukrainian GM Andrei Volokitin was a notable theoretician and a highly promising
young player who created a very favorable impression on me. We struck up a friendship
which still endures, even though we are less in touch with each other at present. I’m very
thankful to Andrei for his ideas and all his help throughout the years.
Going into the tournament, I wanted to keep the risk of preparation leaks to the minimum, so
the age-old question was which openings to pick. My opponent was another talented player
who had transferred from Ukraine to Russia to improve his chances of fighting for the world
championship. In retrospect, it seems to have been the right idea, as GM Karjakin battled
GM Magnus Carlsen for the world championship title in New York in 2016 and, just
recently, narrowly missed qualifying for another world championship match. Needless to
say, he’ll play an important part in further world championship cycles in the future. But at
that moment, back in 2009, I wanted to take revenge for my 2006 loss at the same
tournament, so what better way to confuse a very solid GM with excellent opening
preparation than to play something I know quite well, but with colors reversed!! For this
reason the game made it into my memorable games collection, so without further ado, here it
is!

418
 Sergey Karjakin (Photo by Frans Peeters)

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6

My opponent was probably expecting the London System, however I decided to throw him a
little curveball.

3.c3!?

419
The Slav Defense reversed!! Quite a few of the players came over to see what was going on
on our board and went away smiling for various reasons. Obviously this is not the way to
play for an advantage, but if Kramnik played ...c7–c6 followed by ...Qd8–b6 against me at
the Turin Olympiad, why could I not go for something similar! The move also makes a
subtle distinction between the reversed colors version of the Slav and the normal Slav
Defense. My opponent, quite unperturbed, boldly went for a standard set-up.

3...c5?!

Already an inaccuracy! The pawn can actually be taken, giving White a comfortable
advantage.
3...Bf5 4.Qb3 Qc8 5.Bf4 e6 6.Nbd2 h6 7.e3 Nbd7 8.c4!? would have been a more logical
way to play the position, though White has obviously managed to dodge Black’s opening
preparation and steer the game towards the standard positions with a miniscule advantage
thanks to better control in the center.

4.dxc5 g6?!

This set-up is also not quite accurate, as Black’s g7-bishop will be limited in effectiveness by
White’s c3-pawn. It was better to try to recapture the pawn on c5 right away.
4...e6

420
5.Be3!? A better attempt to defend the pawn. Now, of course, Black has numerous ways to
attempt to recapture the pawn or develop. (5.b4?! a5 6.Nbd2 axb4 7.cxb4 b6 8.cxb6 Bxb4
9.Rb1 Qxb6 10.a3 Bxd2+ 11.Bxd2 Qa7 12.e3 0-0 13.Bb4 Re8 with a roughly equal game)
5...a5 (5...Nbd7 6.b4 a5 7.Nbd2 Qc7 8.a3 Be7 9.g3 b6 10.cxb6 Nxb6 11.Bg2 0-0 12.0-0²
White has managed to keep his extra, though weak, pawn. 5...Be7 6.g3 0-0 7.Bg2 Ng4 8.Bd4
Nc6 9.h3 Nf6 10.Nbd2 Nd7 11.b4² White keeps his extra pawn, but Black has certain
counterplay in the center) 6.c4 Na6 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd4 Nxc5 9.e3 f6 10.Bc4² With ...f7–f6
Black created a weakness in his kingside pawn chain, especially the e6-pawn and
surrounding light squares, which might become important in a later middlegame.

5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0²

421
I evaluated my opening experiment as a success, since I not only gained an extra pawn on c5,
which my opponent might or might not be able to recapture, but also because the structure is
similar to the g3-Grünfeld exchange variation, with colors reversed, where I had extensive
experience, whereas my opponent’s experience of 1.d4 was rather limited, since he was a
1.e4 player at the time. In this position, if White manages to finish his queenside
development and keep his extra pawn, Black will have big problems fighting for a draw.
Black now embarks on a plan of expanding in the center, gaining space for maneuvering.
However expansion with ...e7–e5 carries risk as it leaves Black’s d-pawn vulnerable to
attack.

7...Nc6?!

Black is still playing somewhat carelessly. 7...a5 is a standard way to play in such a Slav
Rubinstein system (with colors reversed). The idea is to surround the c5-pawn indirectly and
then attack via ...Nb8–a6, ...Nf6–e4 and possibly ...Qd8–c7, since White cannot really play
b2–b4 until his queenside is developed. 8.h3 Na6 9.Be3 Qc7 10.Na3 Nxc5 11.Nb5 Qc6
12.a4 b6 13.b4 Nce4 14.Rc1²

422
would be an illustration of possible play in such a case. By playing ...a7–a5 Black gives up
control of the b5-square, which is usually promptly occupied by a well-placed white knight.
White, furthermore, will be preparing for the eventual c3–c4 pawn break in an attempt to
open up his g2-bishop. The game becomes very complex and analysis of this structure is
outside the scope of the book.

8.Qb3

A standard move in such positions. Firstly, the queen frees the d1-square for a rook to target
Black’s d5-pawn; secondly, the queen starts to target Black’s queenside pawns, forcing him
to consider how to develop his c8-bishop. Of course other alternatives were quite possible:
a) 8.Nbd2 a5 9.Qa4 Bf5 10.Nd4 Bd7 11.Qb3 e5 12.Nb5 a4 13.Qa3 e4! 14.c4

423
White has spent a lot of time moving his queen and it seems that Black’s superior
development should give him sufficient counterplay for the missing pawn.
b) 8.b4?! Ne4 9.Qb3 a5 10.Bb2 b6 11.cxb6 a4 12.Qc2 Qxb6 13.a3 Bf5 14.Qc1 Rac8ƒ
definitely looks too passive for White.
c) 8.Nd4!

This is the computer’s first suggestion. It makes sense because White opens up his g2-
bishop. In addition White is thinking about trading knights on c6, closing off potential
pressure by Black’s heavy pieces on the c5-pawn and fixing the pawn chain on the
queenside. So this move is stronger than the one played in the game! 8...Qc7 (8...Ne4?!

424
9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qa4 Bf5 11.Nd2 Nxd2 12.Bxd2 Rb8 13.b4 Qc7 14.Rad1± Clearly after all
the knights have been exchanged, Black has almost no compensation for the missing pawn.
White is planning to play e2–e4 at some point, which will clear the technical hurdles. 8...e5?
9.Nb5! However, now that Black’s e7-pawn has moved and given White a potential outpost
on d6, the knight keeps hopping! White has a clear advantage, as he not only keeps his extra
pawn, but Black’s d-pawn now becomes the next possible target.) 9.Nd2 Rd8 10.b4 b6
11.Nxc6 Qxc6 12.Nb3 Bf5 13.Be3±

With a clear advantage for White who has successfully completed his development and kept
his extra pawn.
Back to 8.Qb3.

425
8...Qa5?!

Black was clearly in unfamiliar waters. White’s queen will actually be quite well placed on
a3.
8...h6! This is pretty much a standard move. Black takes the g5-square under control, in
preparation for central expansion with ...e7–e5, denying White the possibility of exchanging
his ‘bad’ c1-bishop for Black’s ‘good’ f6-knight. Interestingly enough, my opponent and I
would continue our discussion of a similar structure, but without reversed colors, a few years
later in the FIDE Grand Prix event in Zug in Switzerland, a spectacular game which I won,
but which didn’t meet the criteria selection for this book.

9.Qa3 Qc7

426
10.Bg5

Played without hesitation, given my experience of the structure. It seems that White is losing
a tempo, inviting Black’s f6-knight to jump to a central square attacking the bishop. However
that knight on e4 would then be attacked in turn once White’s b1-knight was developed, and
as all exchanges would favor White with his extra pawn, Black would be stuck with the
difficult decision of what to do with his e4-knight. Having said all of that, however, White
had a slightly better option.
10.Nd4!? would again be a superior move, since White will be able to open up his g2-bishop
before Black plays ...e7–e5, hemming in both White’s f3-knight and therefore the g2-bishop.

10...Ne4

Black needs this knight, or White simply plays Nb1−d2, followed by e2–e3, then exchanges
his g5-bishop for Black’s f6-knight, after which he just has to play Ra1–c1, preparing to push
his queenside pawn chain, since that’s the side where he is stronger and should therefore
play.
10...Ng4!? deserved attention, with the idea of taking away the e3-square from White’s dark-
squared bishop, and to prepare for ...h7−h6, followed by ...e7−e5, keeping the knight.

11.Be3 e5

427
12.Nbd2

12.Rd1 is of course a possible intermediate move. In many situations it is quite useful, as

White can then often play Nf3–e1 in an attempt to maneuver the knight to a better location
like b4 or d3, opening up the g2–bishop and without shutting in the rook on f1. However I
felt it was a bit too slow and it seems that my intuition was correct this time. 12...Ne7!
[12...Be6 13.Nbd2 h6

14.c4! (14.Rac1?! A bit slow. 14...f5 Black is just in time to create a dangerous advance of
his pawn mass on the kingside.) 14...Nxd2 15.cxd5 Nc4 16.Qc3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 e4! 18.Ne1

428
Bf5 19.dxc6 Qxc6= and Black’s strong pair of bishops, including the newly opened monster
on g7, give him full compensation for the pawn.]
13.Nbd2 Nf5

14.c4 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Nxd2 16.Nxd2 d4 17.Qa3 Bg4 18.Re1 f5 19.Bd5+ Kh8 20.b4 e4„
Black finally gets some real counterplay as his strong pair of bishops starts to come into play.

12...f5

13.Rad1!?

429
The correct rook move, however there is some doubt as to whether it is a bit too slow. I’m
still not certain. White needs to expand on the queenside soon, before Black starts his
kingside pawns rolling on the opposite wing.
a) 13.Rfd1?! Qe7 14.b4 f4 15.gxf4 exf4 16.Bd4 Nxd4

17.cxd4 (17.Nxd4? Nxf2µ This line demonstrates the need for the f1-rook to protect White’s
kingside.) 17...Kh8 18.Rac1 g5 19.Ne5! By giving up his extra pawn, White manages to
deflect Black’s kingside attack. If Black recaptures on e5, he’ll be stuck with several weak
pawns, especially the d5-pawn, therefore he must try to keep the center closed and continue
pushing his g-pawn. 19...Bf5 20.e3

430
An important defensive resource. White manages to stop the advance of Black’s g-pawn.
20...a6 21.Qb2 Rae8 22.Re1! Now that White has an outpost on e5, he switches play to the
center with the idea of opening the e-file by playing f2–f3. 22...Qe6 23.f3 Nxd2 24.Qxd2
Bxe5 25.dxe5 Bh3 26.e4 dxe4 27.Rxe4 Bf5 28.Ree1 Rg8 29.Kh1 Rd8 30.Qf2 Rge8² Black
maintains sufficient counterplay, thanks, in part, to the limited effectiveness of White’s g2-
bishop.
b) 13.b4!? Be6 This leads to crazy lines. (13...f4 may potentially be Black’s healthiest move.
14.gxf4 exf4 15.Bd4 Nxd4 16.cxd4 Bf5 17.Qb3 Kh8!

The point. Black’s strong pair of bishops are hitting White’s central pawn formation, and
since White cannot really play e2–e3, which would open all sorts of files and diagonals for
Black’s pieces, White’s queenside expansion comes to a sudden halt. White will have to
consider giving up his pawn by playing Nf3–e5 at some point, hoping to liquidate into a
superior endgame, but the game becomes very complex, with chances for both sides. 18.Rad1
Rad8 19.Ne5 White must attempt the same trick as mentioned above, inviting Black to
recapture his pawn at the cost of opening the center. 19...Qe7!

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Very strong. Black just ignores White’s offering and transfers his queen closer to the action
on the kingside. It is a very double-edged position. 20.e3?! Bxe5 21.dxe5 Ng5! and Black
potentially has a very strong attack on the kingside.) 14.Rad1
[14.c4!?

White’s key resource, and the standard pawn break in this structure. White needs to
undermine Black’s central pawn chain to allow the sleepy g2-bishop to show its full potential
in support of the queenside pawn advance. 14...d4 (14...Nxd2?! 15.Bxd2 dxc4 16.Ng5²
allows White to eliminate one of Black’s strong bishops, leaving him with a certain
advantage.) 15.Nxe4 dxe3 16.Nfg5!

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This knight! The other knight has to go to the d6-square! 16...exf2+ 17.Rxf2 Bd7 (17...Bxc4?
18.Nd6 e4 19.Raf1 Bd5 20.Rd1 Bf6 21.Rxd5 Bxg5 22.Bxe4± The tactics have worked in
White’s favor, leaving him with a close to winning advantage.) 18.Nd6 e4 19.Rd1 Ne5
20.Nh3 Ng4 21.Rff1 b6!„

Black has achieved full counterplay thanks to his powerful dark-squared bishop, White’s
closed-in bishop on g2 and weak dark squares on the kingside.]
14...h6 15.b5

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15...Na5
[15...Ne7 16.Ne1 g5 17.Nc2 a6 18.b6 Qc8 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Rd6 Rf6 21.Rfd1² and thanks
to the far advanced queenside pawns and the extra, though doubled, c-pawn, White has better
chances for the advantage. 21...Bf8 22.Bc1 Nc6 (22...Ng6 23.c6!±) 23.Nb4!

Black’s dark-squared bishop is more important than White’s rook because of the potential
weakness of Black’s e5-pawn, and in its absence the black king would become vulnerable to
pressure along the a1–h8 diagonal. 23...Bxd6 24.Rxd6 Nd8 25.Nd5 Bxd5 26.Rxf6 Kg7
(26...Be6 27.c6!+– The white queen joins in with decisive effect. 26...Ne6 27.Rxf5+–)
27.Rd6 Bc6 28.c4 Nf7 29.Bb2 Nxd6 30.Bxe5+ Kg6 31.cxd6 Qe6 32.Qc5 Re8 33.Bc3 Rd8

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34.Bb4 Qf6 35.e3 Bd7 36.Qd4!±]
16.Qb4 g5 17.Nxe4! Now that Black’s g-pawn has moved further from the supportive g6-
square, White can exchange on e4, with the idea of a possible g3–g4 break, undermining
Black’s central pawn formation, specifically the e4-pawn. In such complex closed positions,
every pawn move is important and can affect the evaluation of the entire position.

17...dxe4 18.Nd2 Rfc8 This megacomplex position is hard to evaluate. It seems that White’s
chances are better, as he can potentially open up the position on the kingside with a knight
sacrifice, starting a dangerous attack, while Black’s knight is stuck on the rim on the
queenside. (18...Rfd8 19.c6 b6 20.f4 g4 21.fxe5 Qxe5 22.Bd4 Rxd4 23.cxd4 Qxd4+ 24.Qxd4
Bxd4+ 25.Kh1 Be5

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26.Nb3!± Nxb3 27.axb3 Kg7 28.e3 a5 29.bxa6 Rxa6 30.Rc1 Ra7 31.b4 h5 32.Rfd1 Rc7
33.Bf1 White will slowly improve his inactive pieces into better roles, when his large
material advantage will eventually have its say. 33...h4 34.gxh4+–) 19.f4! exf4 (19...exf3?!
20.Bxf3 Bf8 21.Kh1±) 20.gxf4 g4

21.Bd4 (21.a4 Bf8 22.Nxe4 Nc4 23.Rd7! Nxe3 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Rxc7 Rxc7 26.Ne4 Nd5
27.Qd4+ Bg7 28.Qd3 fxe4 29.Bxe4 Rxc5 30.f5 Bf7 31.c4 Nf6 32.Bxb7∞ with an extremely
messy position) 21...Bf8 22.Kh1 (22.e3 b6 23.Nxe4 fxe4 24.Qb1) 22...b6 23.Qb1! Black’s
position is quite dangerous as the following lines illustrate: 23...bxc5 (23...Bxc5? 24.Nxe4
fxe4 25.Qxe4 Bf7 26.f5+–) 24.Be5 Qf7 25.Nxe4 fxe4 26.Qxe4

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26...Bf5!?
[26...Rd8 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.f5 Bc4 29.Qxg4+ Kh7 30.Qg6+! Qxg6 31.fxg6+ Kg8
(31...Kxg6?? 32.Be4+ Kh5 33.Rf5+ Kg4 34.h3+ Kxh3 35.Rh5+ Kg4 36.Bf3# Mate!)
32.Bc7 Re8 33.Bxa5 Rxe2 34.a4± The attack has transposed into an endgame with extra
material for White.]
27.Qa4 Nc4 28.Bd5 Qxd5+ 29.Rxd5 Be4+ 30.Kg1 Bxd5 31.Qa6!

31...Nxe5 (31...Nb6 32.a4±) 32.fxe5 Re8 (32...Bg7?! 33.Rd1! Bc4 34.Rd7 Rd8 35.e6± and
White keeps pressing Black hard) 33.Rxf8+ Rxf8 34.Qg6+ Kh8 35.Qxh6+ Kg8 36.e6²
White keeps the advantage, even with a sole queen left!

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13...Nf6?!

13...a5!

This deserved attention and would have been my first choice in candidate move
consideration. Black needs to stop White’s b2–b4 advance. White now has a choice of
several moves, however it seems that Black gets enough counterplay in each line. 14.Nxe4!?
a) 14.Qb3 Nf6 15.a4 (15.Ng5 Rd8 16.Nc4!? Flashy, but insufficient. 16...a4 17.Qb6 Qe7
18.Nd6 Ra6 19.Qb5 e4= White cannot prevent Black from chasing his queen with ...Ra5–a6–
a5, forcing a repetition.) 15...h6 16.Nb1 Be6 17.Na3 Qe7‚ Black has managed to build a
very strong potential kingside attack. White has to be very careful here.
b) 14.b4?? axb4! The point. White’s queen is going to be trapped after taking Black’s a8-
rook. 15.Qxa8 Nxc3µ The tables have turned.
14...dxe4 15.Nd2 Be6∞ The structural change seems to be in Black’s favor as White’s g2-
bishop is effectively locked out of the game. In comparison Black’s light-squared bishop is a
powerful player that exerts a great influence on the light squares in the center and on the
queenside. I would say that it’s probably easier to play this position as Black. (15...f4?
16.gxf4 exf4 17.Bd4 Nxd4 18.cxd4 Bxd4 19.Nxe4±) 16.Qa4!

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16...Ne7 (16...Qf7?! 17.f3! White can play this now that the black queen is on the f-file.
17...f4 18.fxe4 g5 19.Bf2 Rad8 20.gxf4 gxf4 21.Bh4 Bf6 22.Bxf6 Qxf6 23.Nf3±) 17.Nc4
Nd5 18.Rxd5 Bxd5 19.Nb6 Rad8 20.Bg5

20...Qxc5 (20...Bf6 21.Nxd5 Rxd5 22.Qb3 Qxc5 23.Rd1±) 21.Bxd8 Rxd8 22.Nxd5 Qxd5
23.g4! Kh8 24.e3 Bf6= and the game is very close to equal, thanks to Black’s control of the
only open file.

14.b4

After this move Black will be hard pressed to find sufficient defense against White’s simple

439
plan of queenside expansion.

14...Re8

a) 14...Ng4 15.Qb3!± Qd7 16.Bg5 h6 17.h3 e4 18.hxg4 exf3 19.Nxf3 hxg5 20.Nxg5 Kh8
21.Bxd5 Qe7 22.Nf7+ Kh7 23.Kg2 Bf6 24.Rh1+ Kg7 25.Rh2+– with an almost decisive
attack.
b) 14...a5 15.Nb3!? Ne4 16.b5

16...f4 (16...Ne7 17.c6!? bxc6 18.b6± White foregoes his extra pawn in favour of the

440
excellent c5-square for his knights and extremely powerful far advanced b-pawn; 16...Nxc3
17.bxc6 Nxe2+ 18.Kh1 bxc6 19.Nc1! Ba6 20.Rfe1 Nxc1 21.Qxc1± with insufficient
compensation for the missing minor piece) 17.Bd2 (17.Bc1? Nxc3 18.bxc6 Nxe2+ 19.Kh1
bxc6µ Now Black gains everything, including a dangerous central pawn mass, at the cost of
a mere minor piece.) 17...Nd8 (17...Ne7? 18.c4!± Following the standard procedure
established earlier. 18...dxc4 19.Bxa5 Qb8 20.Nbd2! Nxd2 21.Nxd2 Qa7 22.Nxc4 Be6
23.Qb4 Nf5 24.Rd2 Kh8 25.Bc7+–) 18.Be1!!

White keeps his important dark-squared bishop alive and defends the important c3-pawn,
thus retaining his advantage.
c) 14...h6 15.b5 Ne7 16.c6!

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16...bxc6 (16...b6 17.Bxb6+–; 16...Re8 17.b6 Qxc6 18.Nxe5±) 17.Bc5 Re8 18.Bd6 Qd8
19.Nxe5 cxb5 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Qxe7 Rxe7 22.Nxg6 Rxe2 23.Nf4 Re8 24.Nxd5 Rb8 25.c4
bxc4 26.Nxc4 Ba6 27.Nd6 Bxf1 28.Nxe8 Rxe8 29.Kxf1± White’s chances of winning this
endgame are higher than Black’s of saving it.

15.Nb3!?

White continues to slowly build up his presence on the queenside.

15...Ne4 16.b5

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16.Qc1? a5 17.b5 a4 18.Nbd2 Na5³ The point! White’s advanced queenside pawns are now
weaknesses that present clear targets for Black. 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Nd2 Be6³ with a clear
advantage for Black.

16...Ne7 17.Qc1±

White has achieved almost everything he wanted. Now he only has to open up the center
with c3–c4 to obtain a winning position. His last move also prepared Be3–h6 in the event of
Black’s ...d5–d4.

17...b6?

Getting low on time, my opponent overlooks the tactics, however, given the potential power
of White’s g2-bishop when it becomes active, Black should have been a bit more careful,
though to be honest his position looks very difficult, even with best defense.
a) 17...a6 18.b6 Qc6 19.c4 d4 20.Bh6 Qf6 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.e3 dxe3 23.Qxe3 Nc6 24.Nfd2
Ng5 25.f4 Nf7 26.Bd5!?

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26...Nfd8 (26...e4 27.Nf3+–; 26...Bd7 27.Ne4!+–) 27.Nf3 e4 28.g4! Finally opening up the
kingside. White’s pieces are all prepared for the coming attack. 28...fxg4 29.Ne5 Bf5
30.Bxc6 Nxc6 31.Nxc6 bxc6 32.Rd6 Re6 33.Rfd1+–
b) 17...Be6 18.Ng5! Qc8 19.c4

The now well known way to break up Black’s central pawn mass. 19...d4 20.Nxe4 fxe4
21.Bg5 a6 22.Nd2!± The knight reroutes to the e4-square with decisive effect.
c) 17...Bd7 18.c4 d4 19.Bh6 Be6

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20.Ng5! Nxg5 21.Bxg5 Rad8 22.e4 dxe3 23.fxe3 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 e4 25.Bf4 Be5 26.Bf1+–

18.Ng5!

The a8–h1 diagonal opens up with decisive effect. White is winning.

18...bxc5 19.c4?!

Objectively not the strongest move, but in a practical sense quite a logical one.
19.Nxe4! was more accurate, but my move is technically sound as well. 19...fxe4 (19...dxe4

445
20.c4+–) 20.Bxc5 Be6 21.c4 dxc4 22.Bd6 Qc8 23.Nc5

with a decisive advantage for White, e.g. 23...Nf5 24.Nxe4 Nd4 25.Rfe1 Bg4 26.Bb4! Nxb5
27.Rd5 Rb8 28.Rc5 Qa6 29.Ng5 Nd4 30.Bd5+ Kh8 31.Nf7+ Kg8 32.Nd6+ Kh8 33.Nxe8
Rxe8 34.Qxc4+–.

19...d4 20.Nxe4 fxe4 21.Bg5

White wins the e4-pawn, and has an extra protected passed pawn on the queenside, along
with a strong outpost on e4.

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21...Bb7

21...Bg4 22.Rfe1 d3 23.exd3! This exchange ‘sacrifice’ decides the game as White’s light-
squared bishop becomes a true monster. In addition, Black’s weak c5-pawn and weak light
squares around his king leave him with no counterplay. 23...Bxd1 24.Qxd1 Rad8 25.Bxe4+–

22.Bxe7

The most precise, getting rid of Black’s last active piece. Black is now stuck in a much worse
position with no counterplay.
22.Qa3 Nf5 23.Qxc5 Qf7 24.Qb4 h6 25.Bc1 Rab8 26.c5 Bd5„

22...Rxe7 23.Qc2+– Rf8 24.Bxe4 Bc8

25.Kg2

25.Bd5+ Kh8 26.Nd2 Bh3 (26...e4 27.Nxe4 Bf5 28.f3 Bh6 29.Rd3 Re5 30.a4 Be3+ 31.Rxe3
dxe3 32.Qc3+–) 27.Rfe1 Bf5 28.Ne4+– would have been stronger, but I was getting low on
time as well.

25...Bh6 26.Rd3!?

An attempt to close the f-file, or trade a pair of rooks, which would severely diminish
Black’s possible offensive chances on the kingside. White defends his kingside to the

447
maximum before turning his attention to his queenside pawn majority.

26...Kg7 27.Rf3 Rd8 28.h3 Be6 29.a4 a5!

Black smartly closes the queenside and White’s advantage doesn’t look quite as impressive.

30.Bc6 Qb6 31.e4?!

A serious inaccuracy played in an attempt to improve my position by closing the d-file

completely, transferring the bishop back to d5 and later bringing the knight to d3, preparing
to open the kingside with f2–f4! Now the battle suddenly switches from the queenside to the
kingside! The only drawback to this move is that I should have played Rf1–e1 first, to keep
an eye on the important e4-square. I missed Black’s possible response.

31...dxe3??

The last mistake. Black should have kept the position closed until the very last moment.
31...Rc8!

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Temporarily preventing White’s plan of Bc6–d5. 32.Re1 Reinforcing the threat of Bc6–d5,
since Black will not be able to push ...e5–e4 after ...Bxd5 exd5. This forces Black to sacrifice
the exchange: 32...Rxc6!
[32...Bg5? A waste of time which allows White to complete his plan. 33.h4 Bh6 34.Bd5 Bg4
35.Rd3 Rf8 36.f3 Bc8 37.Qe2 Kh8 38.Rh1 Rg7

39.Kf1! It’s time for the white king to march to safety on the queenside before the kingside
opens. (If 39.Qe1 Ra7 40.Nc1 a funny line would go 40...Rg7 41.Rf1 g5 42.h5 Re7 43.Rb3
Bg7 44.g4 h6 45.Ne2 Rf4 46.Nxf4 exf4 47.Rf2 Be5= reaching Black’s ideal set-up.

449
The position is completely closed and despite the computer’s optimistic evaluation of +3,
even a human beginner can see that it’s an obvious deadlocked draw.) 39...g5 40.hxg5 Bxg5
41.Ke1! Rg6 42.Kd1 Be3 43.Nd2! Rh6 44.Rxh6 Qxh6 45.Kc2 Bg5 46.Nb3 Qh1 47.f4 exf4
48.e5 Qg1 49.e6 with a clear win.]
33.bxc6 Qxc6 34.Nxa5 Qc8! 35.Rh1 Qa6 36.Nb3 Rc7 37.Nd2 Bxd2 38.Qxd2 Bxc4²

and suddenly Black gets some real hope! Obviously White still has the advantage, but there’s
nothing better than an eventual transposition into a rook endgame with four vs. three pawns
on the same flank, which will give Black excellent chances of a draw. I’m not going to give
lines here because the position is highly technical.

450
32.fxe3+–

Now Black loses control of the f-file and White gets to put his bishop on d5 anyway.

32...Kg8

32...e4!? should have been played in an attempt to open the diagonal for the h6-bishop.
33.Bxe4 Kh8 34.Qc3+ Bg7 35.Qxa5+–

33.e4 Rd6 34.Bd5 Bxd5 35.cxd5 Rc7 36.Rc3 Rf6

Black makes a final time trouble attempt to steal access to an open file, but I was on guard.

37.Rxf6 Qxf6 38.Nxc5 Rf7

451
39.Qe2!

The last defensive move which removes any hopes Black had of saving the game.

39...Bd2 40.Rf3 Qg5 41.Ne6

Black resigned.

1–0

452
 GAME 14
Gata Kamsky
Veselin Topalov
Sofia 2009
Veselin Topalov (Photo by Jos Sutmuller)

This was game four of the special FIDE Challengers

match that finally took place in Sofia, the capital of
Bulgaria, in 2009, almost one and a half years after
the 2007 World Cup. A lot was going on in my
private life which took precedence over preparation
for the match, however I spent a couple of week-long
training camps with Emil in 2008, where the French
Defense underwent close scrutiny as I intended to
play it as Black for the first time in my life in this
match. Despite my participation at Wijk aan Zee
earlier in 2009, I felt that my practical skills were
lacking, which was confirmed in the second game,
where, as White, I faced a surprise opening choice by
my opponent. Having spent a lot of time trying to
refute the line, I got into absolutely terrible time
trouble with something like only fifteen minutes for
more than twenty moves. Needless to say I lost. In
games one and three my opponent employed 1.d4;
both were Grünfelds where I successfully solved the opening problems and drew. So, going
into this game, I felt that it was important to try to even the score, as my opponent’s one-
point lead would be difficult to overcome in a short eight-game match.
A lot could be said about the circumstances surrounding the match, including the sudden
appearance of guards near rooms in the hotel given to us by the organizers. We had brought a
technical ‘specialist’ to cover any possible attempts to interfere with our preparation,
however playing music during preparation was a first in my life, and I had not considered its
effects before the event started. Other considerations, like suddenly changing the rules with
regards to the allocation of colors (after the first half of the match, we were supposed to
reverse colors so that I was due White in the fifth game) amongst other things, showed me
that the organizers really wanted their guy to win. These days, I feel just as I did at the time,
that I tried my best and came really close. The final score of +2 for my opponent doesn’t
really tell the story of how he almost lost the seventh game, but in the course of two moves in

453
time trouble I missed first the win, then the miracle draw. It’s hard to say what would have
happened had I won that game, and to this day I sometimes have nightmares, seeing the
position and knowing that I missed the win. But let us go back to game four of the match,
where I felt I played really well and which became memorable to me as a symbol that,
despite all the circumstances, I could beat my opponent and deserved my status as one of the
top three players in the world in 2007–09.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6

No early surprises this time. My opponent goes into the Spanish mainline.

4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4

10...Re8

And so it’s the legendary Zaitsev Variation, which saw its first huge surge in popularity
during the famous Karpov vs. Kasparov matches, with Kasparov attacking brilliantly on the
white side. I was present at one of those fantastic games, just a child starting to learn chess.
It’s hard to imagine now, the huge auditorium filled with people, all watching two guys on
center stage playing chess. Aside from the players, there were only two large wooden
demonstration boards, where the tallest young first category students would be invited to
replay the moves from the players’ board. One of the students from my chess teacher
Vladimir Grigorievich Zak’s class was selected, and that’s how I and other students were
sometimes able to get into the hall.

454
As for the opening, I had quite a few memories. I used it in the 1990s to defeat Judit Polgar
with Black and played it again with Black in my unfortunate match vs. Anand in 1995. The
line would go out of vogue later, as other openings took front of stage, but back in 2009 it
seemed to enjoy a resurgence in popularity, for instance at the tournament in Wijk aan Zee.
The line is played quite often these days and, just like most theory, requires a good deal of
memorization. I didn’t feel comfortable entering the depths of my opponent’s analysis and
used an idea that one of my seconds, Andrei Volokitin, had told me about briefly during
Wijk. Unfortunately it was discussed in purely strategic terms, but I was happy, as it meant
that my opponent and I would be playing on even terms this time. ☺

11.Nbd2 Bf8

12.Ng5!?

This was Andrei’s idea, to provoke Black into playing ...h7–h6, potentially weakening his
kingside pawns. Instead of the game continuation, White’s main moves are 12.a3, 12.a4 and
12.Bc2. Each move carries with it a distinct and separate plan.

12...Re7 13.d5

Forced. White has no time to transfer his knight to g3. In general White gets a structure
similar to the line where he plays 9.d4 instead of the preparatory move 9.h3. Since I had
played that line on occasion, and continue to do so to the present day, I felt that I was luring
my opponent on to my turf, where he would not be familiar with the nuances of the structure.

455
13.Nf1?! h6 14.d5 Na5 15.Nf3 c6!= ...16.dxc6 Bxc6 17.Bc2 Nc4³

13...Nb8

Black can also play 13...Na5, which was actually played by GM Ponomariov against me
much later in the 2013 FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki. I would play that game very
aggressively for a win, but was to end up in a lost position which I managed to draw only
thanks to a tactical oversight by my opponent. Statistically White seems to be doing quite
well in this particular line.

14.Nf1 Nbd7

Played quickly, even though Black seems to have a myriad of options of developing his
pieces.

15.Ng3

Also played quickly, but of course it was possible to delay the development of this knight,
although putting it on e3 does not seem logical in view of the now poorly placed knight on
g5 which seems to be the only defender of White’s e-pawn.
a) 15.Ne3?! A bit early as it allows Black to sacrifice an exchange for White’s central e-
pawn. 15...h6 16.Nf3 Nc5 17.Nf5

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17...Re8 (17...Nfxe4!? A positional exchange sacrifice which I felt would give Black strong
counterplay in the center. 18.Bc2 Nf6 19.Nxe7+ Bxe7∞ with a complex battle ahead.)
18.Bc2 a5! Protecting against b2–b4, and preparing the ...c7–c6 pawn break. White has a
very strong f5-knight, which, especially given Black’s h6-pawn, cannot be easily chased. A
complex battle lies ahead.
[18...c6?! 19.b4 Na4 (19...Ncd7?! 20.Nxd6!±) 20.Bxa4 bxa4 21.c4² with a balanced game
where White’s solid queenside pawn chain and Black’s doubled a-pawns probably give
White slightly superior chances.]
b) 15.Bc2!? seems to be the most logical alternative. 15...Rc8 (15...Re8 16.b3 c6 17.c4²

457
This position is more often reached via the Breyer line and is generally considered to offer
White a very slight edge, based on his greater space and more comfortable piece
development.) 16.a4 (16.b3 This attempt to protect and maintain White’s d5-pawn allows
Black to equalize comfortably. 16...c6 17.c4 bxc4 18.bxc4 a5 19.Ba3 cxd5 20.cxd5 Nc5
21.Qd2 Ba6 22.Ng3 g6 23.Nf3 Rb7 and Black has absolutely no problems in this position.)
16...c6

17.dxc6 Rxc6 The point of 15...Rc8. Black is able to recapture on c6 with the rook,
protecting his vital d6-pawn. 18.Ng3 with a very complex middlegame ahead.

15...g6

A logical move that prepares the standard fianchetto of Black’s f8-bishop.

15...Nc5!? This option also deserves attention, as Black now goes for another standard pawn
break in such structures, ...c7–c6. 16.Bc2

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16...h6
[16...a5?! Here this move would now be weakening. 17.a4! c6 18.axb5 cxb5 (18...cxd5?
19.exd5 h6 20.N5e4 Ncxe4 21.Nxe4 Nxd5 22.Qd3+– with a devastating attack) 19.b4!
White’s standard reaction. He takes the c5-square under control and Black’s b5-pawn
becomes a potential target. Black also needs to regroup his pieces, especially the now-
blocked b7-bishop. Taken together with White’s space advantage, these factors give White
the superior game. 19...axb4 20.Rxa8 Qxa8 21.cxb4 Na4 22.Bd3²]
17.Nf3 c6 18.b4

18...Na4! Another standard idea by Black, who is ready to even give up a pawn, as long as

459
he takes White’s ‘Spanish’ bishop out of the game. 19.Bxa4 bxa4 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.c4!? Rc8
22.Bb2 Rec7 23.Rc1 Bd7 24.Nd2 g6 25.a3 h5 26.Ngf1 Bh6 27.Rc3 Bc6!= and it seems that
Black has at least equalized.

16.Bc2

The idea of this move was to prepare b2–b3 and c3–c4, cementing White’s central d5-pawn,
and to move the bishop before Black attacks it with ...Nd7–c5. It’s quite curious, but the
position before White’s sixteenth move has arisen in only very few games.
a) 16.Be3!?

deserved serious consideration as White directly targets the c5-square. 16...Nb6!? seems to
be a logical alternative. On b6 the knight takes control of the vital a4- and c4-squares.
a1) 16...h6?! is now dubious as it gives White a potential free tempo to attack this pawn with
the developing move Qd1–d2. In general, given the current structure, White’s d5-pawn
breaks the Black camp into two, which is to White’s benefit. White furthermore needs to play
actively and proceed with the a2–a4 and c3–c4 pawn breaks which would underscore the
weakness of Black’s a6/b5 chain. If White manages to open the c-file as a result of c3–c4,
then Black’s c7-pawn will become a weakness. 17.Nf3 Nc5 18.Bc2 c6 19.b4 Na4 20.Bxa4
bxa4 21.c4 cxd5 22.exd5! Now that White’s c1-bishop is already developed and he can
protect his c4-pawn with his a1-rook, it is better to recapture on d5 with the e-pawn rather
than the c-pawn.

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22...Qd7 (22...Rc8 23.Nd2² with advantage to White, and play very similar to the line above)
23.Nd2 Rc8 24.Rc1 Bg7 25.a3! White seems to have some advantage due to his mobile
center and Black’s weakness on a4, which he is unable to save. Black must aim to expand on
the kingside as quickly as possible to try to counter White’s growing advantage. 25...Ne8
26.Nge4 f5 27.Nc3 Nf6 28.Qxa4 Qd8

29.f3! Black’s attack seems to lack strength, mainly due to his blocked b7-bishop. 29...Nd7
30.Qb3!± White goes for his main thematic idea, the c4–c5 pawn push. (30.Nb3?! This
attempt to improve White’s d2-knight with Nb3−a5−c6 is too slow. 30...e4! 31.Na5 Ne5„
and Black has sufficient counterplay, given how uncoordinated the white pieces are.) 30...Rf7

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(30...Kh7?! 31.c5 dxc5 32.d6 Re8 33.bxc5+–) 31.Na4 Nf6 32.Nb6 Rb8 33.a4 g5 34.a5 Qe8
35.c5

35...dxc5 36.d6!? g4 37.hxg4 fxg4 38.Rxc5 gxf3 39.Nxf3 Bxf3 40.gxf3 Kh8 41.Rc7 Rf8
42.Re2!+– and White’s strategy of pushing his central and queenside pawns has succeeded
this time.
a2) 16...Nc5 17.Bc2 Rc8!?

As mentioned previously, Black can attempt to play his standard ...c7–c6 break on almost
every move with different piece set-ups, but the results will differ as well! This is why this
type of structure is so complicated and difficult to master fully.

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17.a4

Likewise, a logical response. Black now has a big choice among equally deserving plans; I’ll
give only some rough lines demonstrating the possibilities for both sides. 17...Nxa4
a1) 17...h6 18.Nf3 c6 19.dxc6 Bxc6 20.axb5 axb5 21.Rxa8 Bxa8 22.Qd2 Kh7 23.Qd3

23...Nc4 (23...Nc8 24.Qxb5 Nxe4 25.Nxe4 Bxe4 26.Bg5 hxg5 27.Nxg5+±) 24.Bxc4 bxc4
25.Qxc4 d5 26.exd5 Nxd5 27.h4! White is just in time to prevent Black’s kingside pawn
expansion. 27...f5 28.h5 f4 29.hxg6+ Kh8 30.Bc5 fxg3 (30...Rc7 31.Ne4+–) 31.Bxe7 gxf2+
32.Kxf2 Bxe7 33.Rxe5 Bf6 34.Re6+–

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a2) 17...Nc4!? 18.Bxc4 bxc4 19.Qe2 c6 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.Qxc4 Qc7 22.a5 Qb7°

Black has the bishop pair, particularly his very strong light-squared bishop, as compensation
for the sacrificed pawn. The game seems balanced and could go either way. 23.Rad1 Rc7
24.Bb6 Rcc8 25.Qe2 Rab8 26.Rb1 Bb5 27.Qd2 Bc6∞ It’s very unclear who’s better here.
a3) 17...Qd7?! This apparent developing move is too slow. 18.axb5 axb5 19.Qf3 Bg7
20.Rxa8+ Bxa8 21.Ra1±

White takes over the open a-file with tempo. 21...Bb7 22.Bxb6 cxb6 23.Qe2!± And Black is
hard pressed to protect his weak doubled b5-pawn, as White’s knights and b3-bishop will
soon be going after it. 23...Re8 24.Bc2 Ra8 25.Rxa8+ Bxa8 26.Bd3 b4 27.cxb4 Qa4 28.Qe1

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Bb7 29.Qc3 Bh6 30.Nf3±
18.Bxa4 bxa4 19.c4 c6 20.Qxa4 cxd5 21.exd5²

with a complex battle ahead where White’s chances should be slightly better, thanks to
Black’s bishop shut in on b7.
b) 16.h4!? This move was played by a very talented young American GM, Jeffrey Xiong, in
2017. White is planning to play h4–h5 to cement his g5-knight in place, as ...h7–h6 will
disrupt Black’s pawn chain, something that I played in the present game, well, eight years
before!! It’s always nice to see how my chess influences others.
Back to the game.

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16...h6?!

My opponent’s active character is not easily contained, and he pushes my well-placed g5-
knight away. However, as the later course of the game will suggest, this pawn move is in
White’s favor.
16...Nb6 17.a4 c6 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.axb5 axb5 20.Rxa8 Bxa8 21.Qe2

21...Bc6 (21...h6?! 22.Nf3 Bc6 23.Rd1 Qc7 24.h4!² and White is better, yet again thanks to
the h4–h5 pawn break that will damage Black’s kingside pawn structure and, most
importantly, prevent him from playing ...d6–d5, as it would leave the e5-pawn isolated,

466
giving White both a great outpost on e4 for his minor pieces and the superior pawn
structure.) 22.Rd1 Qc7 23.h4 d5 24.h5 Rd7 25.exd5 Nbxd5 26.Bb3∞ and clearly it’s more
fun to play this position as White, as the black king is facing a potential minor piece attack.

17.Nf3 Nb6 18.h4!

I am quite proud of how I was able to find this idea during the game. White has finally got a
real target, Black’s g6-pawn, to latch on to. Black was planning to prepare his standard and
thematic ...d6–d5 pawn break, but now this plan will have to undergo some modifications as
after h4–h5, ...d6−d5 will be met with an exchange of pawns on g6, allowing White to take
control of the e4-square with a comfortable game. The alternative plan for White involves
starting queenside action with a2−a4, but in this case White would have to expect to
surrender his bishop pair, which could be double-edged. During the game, however, given
my opponent’s unique chess traits, I felt that it was necessary to attempt to keep the position
closed in order to keep him under maximum discomfort.

18...Qd7

18...h5 was still possible, although White will definitely get additional squares for his minor
pieces. 19.a4 is a more logical alternative, as it allows White to retain the threat of Bc1–g5.
[19.Bg5 Re8 20.a4 Nxa4 (20...c6?! 21.dxc6 Bxc6 22.axb5 axb5 23.Rxa8 Nxa8 24.Bb3 Nb6
25.Qd2 with some pressure for White) 21.Bxa4 bxa4 22.Qxa4 Bg7

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23.Nf1! White transfers his restricted g3-knight to the optimal d2-square, from where it will
protect the important c- and e-pawns as well as the f3-knight. In addition, White can also put
it on e3, keeping an eye on the slightly weak g4-square. 23...Bc8! 24.Qc4! with a very
complex game.]
19...Nxa4! Black must go for these types of positions.
[19...c6?! 20.a5 Nc4

21.b3! Nxa5 22.Bg5 Bg7 23.Qd2! cxd5 24.exd5 Bc8 25.c4 Nb7 26.cxb5 a5 27.b4 Bd7
28.bxa5± with a certain advantage for White, thanks to the great pin by the g5-bishop.
(28.Qe2?! axb4 29.Ne4 Rxa1 30.Rxa1 Nxe4 31.Qxe4 f6 32.Qxg6 fxg5 33.Nxg5 e4!∞ and it

468
looks like White has no more than a perpetual at this point.)]
20.Bxa4 bxa4 21.Qxa4 Ng4∞

Again, these positions are very difficult to evaluate properly at such an early stage, so let’s
call them unclear as both players have opportunities to outplay each other.

19.Nh2!?

Patiently played. The immediate 19.h5 looked interesting, but I didn’t like 19...Qg4 in reply,
and it seems that I was correct.
19.h5!? Qg4!

469
forces White to capture on g6, creating the necessary space for Black’s kingside pieces.
Despite the computer’s claim that White has an advantage, I think the pawn exchange on g6
actually favors Black. 20.hxg6 (20.Nh2 Qxd1 21.Bxd1 c6 22.dxc6 Bxc6 23.Ng4 Nxg4
24.Bxg4 Rc7= is close to equality) 20...fxg6 21.b3!? (21.a4!? bxa4 22.Bxa4 Nxa4∞ 23.Rxa4
Bg7 24.c4 Rf7 25.c5 Raf8 Black’s mobilization of his pieces on the kingside is very strong
and White should proceed with caution.) 21...Bc8 22.Bd3 Nh5! 23.Nxh5 gxh5

24.Be3 (24.Nd2!? Now that Black’s g6-pawn has moved to the h-file White’s knight heads
for f5. 24...Qg6 25.Nf1 Rg7 26.Ne3 Be7ƒ Black improves his ‘bad’ f8-bishop and cannot be
worse, something the computer finally seems to understand!) 24...Rg7 25.Bf1 Kh7 and Black

470
has clearly obtained enough activity that might more than compensate for his structural
deficiencies.

19...Bg7?!

Black continues to develop as though he has all the time in the world, but he should have
considered not allowing White to get a grip on the kingside with h4–h5.
19...h5!? deserved attention.

20.Bg5 (20.Nf3?! c6³ shows why White cannot spend so much time moving his pieces back
and forth) 20...Bg7 21.Qf3 With this move White wins an exchange, but loses his important
dark-squared bishop and, more importantly, his h4-pawn. (21.a4?! gives White absolutely
nothing: 21...bxa4 22.Bxa4 Nxa4 23.Rxa4 Ree8=) 21...Nh7 22.Bxe7 Qxe7 23.a4 bxa4
24.Bxa4 Qxh4° 25.Bc6! Bxc6 26.dxc6 a5!„

20.h5!²

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Now Black cannot avoid having his pawn structure ruined if he continues with his planned
...c7–c6 break.

20...Rf8?!

Looks like an aggressive developing move, but in reality is a waste of an important tempo.
20...c6 21.dxc6 Qxc6 (21...Bxc6 22.b3 d5 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.exd5 Qxd5 25.Qxd5+ Nfxd5
26.Bxg6 e4 27.Rxe4+–) 22.Bb3 Nc4 23.a4 Rd8 24.axb5 axb5 25.Ng4 Nxg4 26.Qxg4 d5
27.exd5 Qxd5

28.Qh3!! Bc8 29.Qh2!! This amazing queen maneuver shows the importance of having a

472
good structure. Despite voluntarily moving his queen to an inferior square, White is making
sure that Black’s kingside pawn structure is ruined. 29...Qc6 (29...g5?? 30.Bxg5 hxg5
31.Rad1! The point. Black is losing material.) 30.hxg6 Qxg6 31.Qh4!± The white queen
comes out of hiding and it is clear that Black’s numerous weak pawns and squares give
White a very solid advantage and dangerous initiative.

21.Nhf1

I wanted to get the unemployed h2-knight back into the game as soon as possible, especially
after spotting an excellent outpost on e3, from which it would be able to control both the d5-
and f5-squares.
a) 21.b3!? An interesting alternative. If White can get c3–c4 in, then Black is hemmed in and
stuck for space all over the board. 21...c6 22.Be3 Qc7 23.dxc6 Qxc6 24.Ng4! Nxg4
25.Qxg4 Bc8! (25...Qxc3? 26.hxg6 fxg6 27.Rac1+–) 26.Qe2 f5! 27.Bxb6

27...f4! (27...Qxb6?! 28.hxg6 f4 29.Nf5 Bxf5 30.exf5 d5 31.Rad1 Rd8 32.Qf3± Black’s
artificial central pawn chain crumbles) 28.Be3! fxg3 29.fxg3 Qxc3 30.Bd3 gxh5 31.Rec1!
Qa5 32.Qxh5 Be6 33.a4ƒ and in this complex position White should be better.
b) 21.Qf3! seems to be the best move. White develops his queen aggressively. 21...Ne8?
22.Ng4 Kh7?

473
23.Bxh6!! Bxh6 24.Nxh6 Kxh6 25.hxg6 and Black’s ‘developed’ rooks actually hinder the
defense of his king. White’s attack is unstoppable.

21...c6

Black has to play this move sooner or later, as any plans of playing ...f7–f5 are no longer
realistic in view of White capturing on g6, creating an outpost on e4.

22.dxc6 Qxc6 23.Ne3²

At this point I felt very confident about the result of the game, as it had become obvious that

474
Black was uncomfortable with his position.

23...Kh7

Unsure of his position, Black decides to play cautiously. However his king on h7 only helps
White as a potential exchange on g6 will be with check.
a) 23...d5?! Let’s take a look at this attempt by Black to open up the whole board by force.
24.hxg6 fxg6 25.exd5 Nbxd5 26.Nxd5 Nxd5 27.Be4² So far, very logical, however it is
clear that White gets a strategic advantage, though it is not that large and Black gets
maneuvering space for his pieces.

27...Rd7 (27...h5 28.Bg5 and clearly White is well placed to counter any attack on the
kingside by Black. 28...Rd7 29.Qc2 Bf6 30.Rad1! An important intermediate move! 30...Qe6
31.Bxf6 Rxf6 32.c4! Forcing a favorable pawn exchange which sets up a future passed pawn
on the queenside and guarantees White an advantage in a view of the coming exchanges and
transposition to an endgame. 32...bxc4 33.Qxc4 Kg7 34.Rd2 Qb6 35.Bf3 Rc7 36.Qh4 Nf4
37.Bxb7 Qxb7 38.Ne4 Rff7 39.Qg5 Rf5 40.Qg3 Qc6 41.Qe3 h4 42.Red1 h3 43.g3±) 28.a4
h5 29.axb5 axb5 30.Ra7 Rff7 31.Qc2 h4 32.Nf1 Qc5 33.Rxb7 Rxb7 34.Rd1 Rbd7

475
35.Rxd5!! This second consequent exchange sacrifice wins the game for White. 35...Rxd5
36.b4 and Black loses his d5-rook. 36...Qd6 37.Ne3+–
b) 23...Bc8 This attempt to improve Black’s light-squared bishop loses vital time. 24.a4 Be6
25.axb5 axb5 26.hxg6 fxg6 27.Ra6 Qc7

28.Nd5! Nfxd5 29.exd5 Nxd5 30.Bxg6 Nf4 31.Bxf4 exf4 32.Nf1 Be5 33.Be4 Kh8 34.Nd2
Rg7 35.Qh5 Rf6 36.Nf3+– White has managed to reorganize his pieces in optimal fashion
and Black’s numerous weaknesses will lead to his downfall.

24.Qf3!

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White continues to improve his pieces to optimal squares.
24.a4?! was tempting, but Black should equalize. 24...Nxa4 25.Bxa4 bxa4 26.Rxa4²
[26.Qxa4 Nxe4 27.Qxc6 Bxc6 28.hxg6+ fxg6 29.Nxe4 Bxe4 30.Rxa6 d5 31.Ra5 (31.f3 Bd3
32.Nxd5 e4 33.Nxe7 exf3 34.gxf3 Bxa6 35.Re6∞) 31...d4! 32.Nc4 Bd3 33.Nxe5 dxc3
34.bxc3 Rf5 35.f4 g5= with total liquidation leading to a draw.]
26...Rd7 27.Qb3 d5 28.exd5 Nxd5 29.Nxd5 Rxd5 30.hxg6+ fxg6 31.Ne4 a5„ Black’s
strong light-squared bishop gives him certain counterplay.

24...Bc8!?

Black decides to transfer his bishop to the e6-square where it will be able to counter the
possible appearance of White’s c2-bishop on b3.

25.Rd1 Be6

A critical moment. It’s difficult for White to improve further without drastically changing the
character of the position. Bc1−d2 fails to ...Nb6−c4 and White’s prize stallion would be lost.
I decided it was necessary to introduce an element of activity and pressure on Black’s
position, even at the cost of a pawn, and figured it would be at least enough for a draw. ☺

26.b3!?

26.Bb3?! seems very natural, however since White does not really want to exchange on e6,
it’s not clear what can be done further. 26...Nc4!? allows White to put the e3-knight on d5,

477
but Black has a counter to it. 27.Nd5 Bxd5 28.exd5 Qc7

29.Qe2! (29.Bc2?! e4! With this pawn sacrifice Black finally manages to unleash his mass of
pieces on the kingside, with enough activity to compensate for the sacrificed pawn. 30.Bxe4
Nxe4 31.Nxe4 Rfe8 32.hxg6+ fxg6 33.Re1 Qc8!„) 29...e4 30.Bxc4 Qxc4 31.Qxc4 bxc4
32.hxg6+ fxg6 33.Bf4 Rd7 34.Nf1² White should have slightly better chances in this
endgame because of the vulnerability of Black’s c- and e-pawns. 34...Ng4 35.Bg3 e3!
(35...Be5 36.Bxe5 Nxe5 37.Nd2!±) 36.Nxe3 Nxe3 37.fxe3 Re8 38.Kf2

38...h5! Preparing the following amazing rook transfer to an optimal square. After 39.Re1
Re4 40.Kf3 Rg4!= it becomes obvious that Black has the initiative and White should think

478
about switching to defense.

26...Qxc3

Forced, otherwise White would simply develop his dark-squared bishop on the a3–f8
diagonal with advantage.

27.Bd2 Qc7

27...Qc5? During the game I thought this was an interesting, though risky, alternative,
however the computer shows that Black’s move in the game is much safer. 28.Rac1 Rc8
29.Bb1 Qa3

479
30.Qe2!!± This move I did not see. White transfers his queen to e1!! 30...Rec7 31.Rxc7 Rxc7
32.hxg6+ fxg6 33.Qe1! Suddenly the black queen finds itself trapped, and the only way to
free it would come at huge material expense. 33...Qb2 34.Ba5 Rc6 35.Ne2 d5 36.Bb4 d4
37.Rd2+–.

28.Ba5 Qb8

A human move, intending to get the queen away from the pin, but 28...Rc8 immediately was
also possible.

29.Rd2!?

How drastically the position has changed in the course of the last few moves. At the cost of a
mere pawn, White’s entire army is taking part in the game, restricting Black to passivity. The
computer, incorrigible materialist that it is, claims that Black’s position is slightly better,
however under the conditions of a match game, with valuable minutes ticking away on the
clock, and faced with the prospect of having to sit and defend passively, I would not envy
Black’s task. With his last move White doubles rooks on the d-file to tie Black’s rooks to the
defense of the d-pawn.

480
29...Nc8?!

I was counting on the idea of giving this knight a more active role. The ambitious plan of
rerouting the knight towards the c6-square, eyeing the outpost on d4, cannot be allowed.
29...Rc8!? 30.Rad1 Rd7 31.Bb1 Kh8= This would have been the correct approach, as it
seems that White can’t make any further progress. 32.Ngf5?! A fighting, but incorrect,
alternative, attempting to exploit the limited mobility of Black’s e6-bishop. Under match
conditions, it might have had a chance! (32.Nef5? gxf5 33.exf5 Bd5 34.Qe3 Rc6–+ White
has nothing to show for his sacrificed piece; 32.Bxb6 Qxb6 33.Nd5 Qd8; 32.Qe2 Re8
33.Bb4 Red8 34.Ba5 Re8= leads to a draw by repetition.) 32...gxf5 33.exf5

481
33...Bc4!? Possibly a safer continuation. (33...Bd5 34.Nxd5 Nbxd5 35.Rxd5 Nxd5 36.Qxd5
Bf6 37.Bd2 Kg7 38.Be4 Rc5 39.Qd3 d5 40.Bxh6+ Kh7 41.Be3µ White is objectively
worse; Black’s f6-bishop does a great job defending the black king from any possible threat.)
34.Bxb6 Qxb6 35.bxc4 bxc4 36.Nd5 Nxd5 37.Rxd5 Bf6 38.Be4 c3 39.Bc2 Rc4 40.Qd3 Rf4
41.Qe3 Qxe3 42.fxe3 Rb4 43.Rxd6 Rxd6 44.Rxd6 Kg7

45.Bb3 Rc4! and obviously only Black is playing for a win here.

30.Rad1 b4?

Continuing the plan started with the previous move, but it’s a serious error and the beginning

482
of difficulties for Black. The move makes Black’s queenside vulnerable to attack and opens
it up for invasion. Clearly my opponent wanted to play ...Nc8–a7–c6, but fortunately my
piece coordination was so good that it’s possible to switch targets a.s.a.p. if necessary.
Almost any other move was better, for example ...Rfe8.
30...Rd7! Intending to transfer the knight to the e7-square was preferable. 31.Nd5 Bxd5
32.exd5 Ne7 33.a4 Kg8 34.axb5 axb5 35.Bb4 Qb6 36.Bb1 Ra7 37.Re2 Kh8 38.Ree1°

And while White has a strong bishop pair and more space, it’s most likely only enough to
compensate for the sacrificed pawn, as the black camp has no weaknesses.

31.Qe2

31.Bd3 is possible, but more difficult, e.g. 31...Na7

483
32.Rc2! (32.Bc4? Nc6 33.Bxe6 Rxe6 34.Nc4 Nd4 35.Qd3 Qb7µ) 32...Rc8 33.Rxc8 Qxc8
34.Nd5! Bxd5 35.exd5±

31...Kh8?!

I suspect that my opponent was starting to feel more uncomfortable with his position, hence
this move, which is a waste of another important tempo.
31...Rd7!

This was now almost mandatory. 32.Bd3 Ne7!? This move, however, is a lot stronger, as the
knight on e7 fulfils a lot of useful functions: it protects the g6-pawn, supports ...d6–d5 and

484
eyes the transfer to the d4-square, all with just one move!!
[32...Na7?! 33.Rc1?! (33.Rc2 Nb5 34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Bxb4 Qb6 36.Nd5 Bxd5 37.exd5 Qb7
38.Qd3±) 33...Nb5 34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Bxb4 Rfd8 36.Rc6 Bf8 would result in a slightly better
version of the game for Black.]
33.Rc2! This attempt to keep tension in the position is a double-edged sword. (33.hxg6+ In
general, it’s not a good idea to release the tension in such a way, as it only helps Black.
33...fxg6 34.Bc4 Bxc4 35.Qxc4 h5!∞ Black gets the counterplay he always wanted and now
all three results are possible!) 33...d5 34.hxg6+ fxg6 35.Rdc1 with an incredibly complicated
game ahead.

32.Bd3 Na7

33.Rc1

During the game I wasn’t sure which rook should go to c-file, then I felt that it should have
been the other one, leaving the d1-rook protected. Fortunately, the difference is not that
great.
33.Rc2 Nb5 34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Bxb4 Rd8 36.Rc6 Ne8 37.Nd5 Rb7 38.Nf1± Transferring the
second knight to e3 with a dominating position.

33...Nb5

Practically forced.

485
33...Rc8 34.Rxc8+ Bxc8 35.Nd5!±

An important move that forces Black to exchange on d5, when White’s d5-pawn would take
the vital c6-square away from Black’s a7-knight and open up White’s monster d3-bishop for
the kingside attack. 35...Nxd5 36.exd5 With several of Black’s pieces stuck on the
queenside, his kingside is under heavy pressure. 36...e4 37.hxg6 fxg6 38.Bxe4 Bf5 39.Qd3
Bxe4 40.Nxe4 Qb5 41.Qxb5 Nxb5 42.f3 Bc3

It seems that Black has managed to solve the problem of his weak queenside pawns. 43.Rd3±
White threatens Kg1–f1, followed by a2–a4, throwing a wrench into Black’s queenside piece
coordination.

486
34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Bxb4 Rd7 36.Rc6 Rfd8

37.Qd1

Quite possibly a waste of an important tempo, but I was growing short of time and wanted to
make solid moves, while it seemed reasonable to take over the c-file.
37.Nd5! is much stronger. 37...Bxd5 (37...Ne8 38.Ba5 Rc8 39.Rxc8 Qxc8 40.Qxb5±)
38.exd5 Kh7 39.Ba5 Re8

40.Ne4!± The idea that I missed during the game.

487
37...Bf8 38.Qc2±

Eyeing Black’s g6-pawn in preparation for Ne3–d5. Also Black can no longer challenge
White on the c-file.

38...Kh7

39.Ba5!?

39.Nd5!? As pointed out by many commentators, this was indeed stronger, but some of the
resulting positions didn’t seem clear enough to me. ☺ It seems that Black keeps certain
defensive resources. 39...Bxd5 40.exd5 Be7 41.Qd3 Kg7 42.Ba5 (42.Rdc2 Rb7 43.hxg6 fxg6
44.Ne4 Nxe4 45.Qxe4 Rf8 46.Bd2 Qa7 47.Be3 Qa5± with quite a lot of work yet) 42...Rf8
43.Rdc2 Bd8 44.Bb4 Bb6 45.Ne4 Nxe4 46.Qxe4 f5 47.Qd3 g5 48.g4!± Black’s king is more
vulnerable than its White counterpart.

39...Re8 40.hxg6+ fxg6 41.Bc7!

488
Having passed the time control I spent a lot of time on this move and the tactics involved. If
White hesitates and doesn’t play forcefully, then Black has good chances of slowly
equalizing, now that White’s h5-pawn is gone.

41...Qb7 42.Bxd6!± Bf7?

A bad move, even after all this thinking. Black should indeed have gone for ...Be6−c4 to
prolong resistance, but alas, my form in the match continued on a downward spiral and I was
unable to see the winning move.
42...Bc4!? 43.Rc7!

489
Probably the reason why my opponent rejected this line. The resulting positions are highly
technical in nature, and I felt that I had an advantage playing such positions compared to my
opponent, who excelled in complicated dynamic play. 43...Rxc7 44.Bxc7 Qxc7 45.bxc4 b4
(45...bxc4 46.Qxc4 Qxc4 47.Nxc4 Bc5 48.Kf1 Bd4 49.f3 h5 50.Ne2±) 46.Nd5 Qc6 47.Qb3
Bc5 48.Nxb4±.

43.Bb4?!

This move doesn’t spoil the advantage, but I could have won the game on the spot. I recall
spending a lot of time, leaving myself with no more than fifteen minutes to reach the second
time control.
I saw, of course, that 43.Bxf8! was winning, and after 43...Rxd2 I had also foreseen the key
move 44.Qc1!!,

however I couldn’t find White’s amazing ideas in the following lines: 44...Rxf8 45.Rxf6 Rfd8
(45...Qd7 46.Ngf1! Preparing the following move. 46...Rd6

490
47.Nf5!!+– A fantastic move whereby White wins by force. I missed this, even though I had
seen Ng4 with almost the same idea and decided not to take any risks and play Bb4. Silly!)
46.Ngf1!! White forces Black’s rook out of the way of the white queen’s path to the black
king. 46...R2d6 47.Nf5!!+– with an easily won game.

43...Bxb4 44.Rxd7 Qxd7 45.Rxf6±

At this point I realized that I still had a large advantage, despite Black’s bishops starting to
take lots of squares under control. I also realized that I could play Ne3–d5 and even give up
my extra pawn in order to get Q+N vs Q+B, but leaving Black with a ruined pawn structure,
therefore a technical win for me.

45...Re6?!

An important inaccuracy. Every tempo in this position counts. If Black could exchange
rooks, his defensive task would of course be so much easier, but he should have started with
another move, since he cannot really prevent my rook from invading his camp.
45...Be6 46.Nd5! Be7 (46...Bf8 47.Qc7±) 47.Nxe7 Qxe7 48.Rf3 b4 49.Rd3 Ra8 50.Nf1±

491
White’s position is close to a technical win. Once the knight gets to e3, it’ll be almost
impossible for Black to hold his defenses, given his open king, weak seventh rank and weak
b- and e-pawns.

46.Nd5 Bf8

47.Rf3!!

The rook will soon be back amongst the black ranks, thanks mainly to the threat of Nd5−f6+.

492
47.Rxe6 Qxe6 48.Qc7 Kg8 49.Qb8± is also close to winning. Seeing this position,
something clicked: in the fourth game of my 2011 Candidates match, my opponent and I had
the exact same piece package: he had Q+2Bs and I had Q+2Ns, though in that game he had
an extra pawn, but I managed to draw a lost position. Fate can certainly seem to be a playful
thing.

47...Kg7 48.Rc3+–

The rook transfers back to the c-file and enters the seventh rank with decisive effect. The
game is effectively decided.

48...Ra6 49.Rc7

At this point I felt that my position was close to winning and I just had to find a couple of
good moves.

49...Qd6 50.Qe2!

This is one. It creates the double threat of Qxb5 and Qg4 with an unstoppable attack.

50...Kg8

50...h5 51.Nf1+– White has managed to keep at least one knight on the d5-square, which in
turn supports the c7-rook!! Internal communication!!

51.Qxb5 Rxa2 52.Qb7!

493
And this is another, forcing Black to give up his pair of bishops.

52...Ra1+

52...Be8?? loses instantly to 53.Qc8+–.

53.Kh2

53...Bxd5

53...Qd8 fails to 54.Ne7+ Kg7 55.Nh5+ gxh5 56.Nf5+ Kh8 57.Rxf7+–.

54.exd5!

Of course 54.Qxd5+ was also winning, but being able to make this move gave me the
satisfaction of facing the fear of leaving my king protected by only a handful of pawns and
the brave knight on g3.

54...Qf6

494
55.Qc8!!

The key move of course. Now due to the threat of Qe6, Black has to accept an inferior
version of the endgame after the following exchange of queens.

55...Qh4+

55...e4 56.Kh3! wins easily. (56.Qe6+ Qxe6 57.dxe6 Bd6 58.Rd7 Ra6 59.Kh3 e3 60.fxe3
Ba3² and suddenly it’s not so easy anymore.) 56...Rd1 57.Qd7+–

56.Qh3 Qxh3+ 57.Kxh3 Rd1 58.Ne4

495
Now White is completely winning. During the game I remembered that it was important to
relax and not rush the position, therefore the first order of business was to bring in the
mightiest endgame piece, the king, to help the rest of the army, which is how Michael Adams
played a similar type of position against me in one of Sofia’s Mtel Masters tournaments. That
game was extremely unpleasant for me to defend as Black, as all the maneuvering
backwards, forwards and sideways brought on an inexorable sense of doom and a very
depressing feeling...

58...Ba3 59.Ra7 Bb4

59...Rd3+ This fails to the next neat trick... which I hadn’t actually seen, but surely would
have managed to find at the board. 60.f3 Rxb3 61.d6 Rd3 62.Nf6+ Kf8 63.Nd7+ Ke8
64.Nxe5+–

60.Rb7+–

496
Finally the second time control was passed and I could start to bring in my king.

60...Ba3 61.f3 Kf8 62.Rb5 h5 63.Kg3 Rc1 64.Rb8+ Kf7 65.Rb7+ Kf8 66.Kf2 Rc2+ 67.Kf1
Rc1+ 68.Ke2 Rc2+ 69.Kd3 Rxg2 70.Ra7 Be7 71.d6

At the cost of the g2-pawn, to get Black’s bishop to an uncomfortable square and create an
additional resource of Kc4–d5–e6.

71...Bd8

71...Bh4 72.Kc4 Rb2 73.b4 Ke8 74.b5+–

497
72.Nc5

72.Ra8! Ke8 73.Nf6+ Kf7 74.Rxd8 Kxf6 75.Re8 would of course have won on the spot.

72...Ke8

72...Bf6! was a tougher defense, but would still have lost: 73.Kc4 Rd2 (73...h4 74.Kd5 h3
75.Rh7+–) 74.Ne4 Rd4+ 75.Kc5 Bh4 (75...Bd8 76.Ra8 Ke8 77.Nf6+ Kf7 78.Nd7!+–) 76.b4
Be1 77.b5 Bb4+ 78.Kc6 h4 79.b6+–

73.Rh7

Black resigned.

1–0

This was the only memorable positive moment in the match. It marked the end of the first
half and the even score gave me hopes of overall victory. In the next game, I employed my
long-prepared French Defense, but my opponent played a completely different line, and in
that line, a sub-line which I could not remember. As a result, I spent a lot of time trying to
figure out how to equalize and got an inferior structure and passive position. This time, my
opponent kept up masterful pressure on me and I blundered in time trouble, allowing him to
regain the lead. The match was decided in the seventh game, and the drama around that game
is too much for me to describe in this book. I would, however, recommend the reader to go
over that game and attempt to read between the moves.
Personally, I was quite devastated after the match, even though I knew, before going to Sofia,
that I would probably lose it. I swore an oath that I would remember the injustice done to me
by Mr. Danailov and Mr. Topalov and would make sure to remind them of it in the next
battle. Fate was kind to me: I only had to wait two years for my revenge.

498
 GAME 15
Gata Kamsky
Varuzhan Akobian
St. Louis 2011
The following game was played in the 2011 US Championship in St. Louis, which has
become the chess ‘capital’ of the United States. Before 2009, the US Championships were
held thanks to the great efforts of various organizers in different cities. However all of that
changed in 2009, when, for the first time — and ever since — the US men’s and women’s
championships were both organized to the highest standards by the St. Louis Chess Club,
thanks to the great efforts of the Sinquefield family. Rex and Jenny have developed the chess
scene and made all this possible, with national junior championships, resident GM programs,
chess programs in schools and universities and even the World Chess Hall of Fame.
Nowadays a top junior talent from any country in the world can apply to pursue their further
education and develop their chess in the city of St. Louis. GMs Wesley So and Fabiano
Caruana call the city home, and, with the support of the likes of former World Champion
Garry Kasparov, who personally coaches selected top US juniors, results will come fast. For
example in 2016 the US team took the gold medal for the first time in decades at the
Olympiad in Baku.
The national championships though are the premier events, with the participation of all the
top US GMs and WGMs, and there is a hard-fought battle to stay up to date with ratings and
the various qualification events to get into this highly coveted championship. Formerly run in
different formats, including knock-outs and giant Swiss events, lately the organizers have
stuck to the more traditional round-robin format. My opponent in this game is a well-known
veteran and many times member of the US Olympiad squad. In 2014, after tying for first
place with Varuzhan, we played a tie-break where luck helped me win my fifth and last US
Chess Champion title.

499
 Varuzhan Akobian (Photo by Spectrum Studios and Saint Louis Chess Club)

1.e4 e6

My opponent has played the French Defense his whole life and obviously knows the ins and
outs of this opening.

2.d4 d5 3.Nc3

Returning to the system that I have played since my childhood and feel comfortable with.

3...Nf6!?

While the system with 3...Bb4 takes the game into a highly strategic maneuvering battle, my
opponent’s choice moves the fight into sharp, double-edged positions, with kings often
castled on opposite wings.

4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3

500
The main move. I have also experimented with 7.Ne2, with the idea of protecting the center
with c2–c3, followed by g2–g3 and castling short, planning for a future f4–f5 with the
initiative on the kingside. One of my rare losses as White in this system was a really wild
game played a few years ago at one of the Aeroflot Opens vs. the very strong young Chinese
talent GM Ding Liren, now a member of the world elite. The interested reader can find the
game in the database.

7...Qb6!?

A very old system that was played before I was even born!! It is not played often these days,
and perhaps my opponent wanted to use the element of surprise here. Other moves are in
vogue at present.
a) 7...a6 is another old line that is not played often these days either. Black’s intention is to
play ...b7–b5–b4 as soon as possible to disrupt White’s hold on to the central d4-square, and
to prepare the freeing ...a6–a5 and ...Bc8–a6, exchanging his bad French bishop. White
sometimes coolly meets this plan with a2–a3, with which hundreds of games have been
played.
b) 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 is a more modern version, which forces White to sacrifice his b-
pawn in exchange for a lead in development. This line is still played at the top level, and GM
Sutovsky once gave me an idea that I used in the 2013 World Cup to defeat GM Shimanov in
one of our classical games. This line requires massive memorization, and the risk of falling
prey to a heavily analyzed novelty by one’s opponent is quite high.
c) 7...Be7!? The ultra-modern approach which has been heavily contested for the past several

501
years. Black is not scared of White’s potential kingside aggression, so is willing to keep the
tension in the center, preparing for a timely thematic ...f7–f6 pawn break. Lots of games are
being played here with mixed results.

8.Qd2!?

Luckily I had looked at this curious move a while before the game and judged that it was an
interesting and playable idea. The most principled continuation is of course the old line’s
main move, 8.Na4.
a) 8.Na4 Qa5+ 9.c3

9...c4 This move was the specialty of the famous Armenian GM Rafael Vaganian. Now the
banner of this line’s main defender has transferred to the former Russian, now Canadian, GM
Bareev. Black closes the structure and baits White’s a4-knight to jump to c5, where Black
often trades it, as recapturing with either the b- or d-pawn gives Black concessions for an
asymmetrical response with either the ...f7–f6 or ...b5–b4 pawn break. The battle becomes
quite complex and requires deep strategic understanding. (9...cxd4?! 10.b4 Nxb4 (10...Qc7
11.Nxd4² leaves White with a clear advantage as Black cannot gain access to the c5-square)
11.cxb4 Bxb4+ This piece sacrifice was quite popular in the ’80s but it was doomed with the
emergence of computer analysis, and nobody plays it anymore. 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ (12...b6?!
13.Nb2±) 13.Nxd2 0-0 14.Bd3 b6 15.0-0 Nc5 16.Nb2!±)
b) 8.a3?! was an unfortunate over-the-board experiment by me in the first game of my match
against a young Wesley So at his debut in the World Cup in 2009 in Khanty-Mansiysk. I
quite underestimated my young opponent and lost. The second game was drawn and so I was

502
knocked out of the competition. The move is not as bad as I make it sound, but White can
claim no opening advantage after it.

8...Qxb2

Forced, otherwise 7...Qb6 has no point.

9.Rb1 Qa3

10.Bb5!?

White invites Black to play 10...cxd4 which would transpose into the main line with 7...cxd4
8.Nxd4 Qb6, however the presence of the pawns is in Black’s favor and no doubt my
opponent felt this, hence his long think on the next move. Originally I was planning to play
10.Nb5 with the idea of denying the black monarch his castling rights at the cost of the
additional a2-pawn, and this would have led to crazy complications. I believe that I actually
saw the line being tested in some recent computer championships.
10.Nb5 Qxa2 11.Rd1 cxd4 12.Nfxd4° White has the initiative thanks to his lead in
development, but whether it is sufficient for the two sacrificed pawns is the real question. I
will leave further analysis of this line to the reader!

10...Qa5

Black decides to bring his queen back to safety.

503
10...a6 seems to be the most principled reaction, as Black’s doubled c-pawns deny White
control of the important d4-square, though Black is spending a whole tempo to cement his
solid central pawn formation. White will undoubtedly use this time to castle and go for the
f4–f5 break in an attempt to checkmate Black before he can fully organize his defenses. Here
are some brief demonstration lines: 11.Bxc6 bxc6

12.0-0 Be7 (12...cxd4 13.Nxd4 c5 14.Rb3 Qa5 15.Nxd5±; 12...c4 Trying to close the
position, as in the game. 13.f5! Bb4 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Rxb4! Qxb4 16.Ng5ƒ with the initiative
for White) 13.Rb3 Qa5 14.Nxd5!

A thematic idea in this line. 14...Qxd2 15.Nc7+ Kf8 (15...Kd8 16.Bxd2 Ra7 17.Ba5 Rxc7

504
18.dxc5 Nxc5 19.Rd1+ Ke8 20.Rb8 Nd7 21.Bxc7 Nxb8 22.Bxb8 f6 23.Bd6 Kf7 24.c4 c5
25.Nd2±) 16.Bxd2 Ra7 17.Ba5 g6 18.c4

18...cxd4 (18...Kg7 19.d5²) 19.Nxd4 Bc5 20.Rd1 Kg7 21.Kf1±

11.0-0

11...c4?!

While Black’s idea of closing the center is understandable, the loss of time spent on this

505
pawn move is too great. White will not allow him to finish development and realize his extra
pawn so easily.
11...cxd4! was required, when a lot of complications arise. I will give only a few lines to
illustrate how the game might have developed: 12.Nxd4
[12.Bxd4? Giving up this bishop is a terrible idea. 12...Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Bb4 14.Rxb4 Qxb4
15.f5 0-0

White’s attack fails, e.g. 16.Bxd7 (16.f6 Nxe5–+) 16...Bxd7 17.f6 Rfc8 18.Qg5 Qf8
19.Nce2 g6 20.Rf3 Rc4 21.Rh3 Rac8 22.c3 Ra4 23.Rh6 Rxc3 24.Qh4 Rxd4 25.Nxd4 Rc1+
26.Kf2 Qb4!–+ and Black is just in time with a mating counterattack.]
12...Nxd4

506
13.Bxd4
[13.Qxd4 a6 14.f5! A very interesting piece sacrifice. The position requires further analysis.
(14.Bxd7+?! doesn’t pose any problems for Black whatsoever: 14...Bxd7 15.Rxb7 Rc8
16.Qa7 Qxc3 17.Rxd7 Bc5 18.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 19.Qxc5 Rxc5=) 14...axb5 15.fxe6 fxe6
16.Nxb5 Bc5 17.Nd6+ Kd8 18.Qf4! Bxe3+ 19.Qxe3 Kc7 20.Rb5!

with a very messy position. 20...Qa6!∞ (20...Qa7?! 21.Rxb7+! Bxb7 22.Nb5+ Kb8 23.Nxa7
Rxa7 24.Rf7² isn’t very clear either, but Black is losing important kingside pawns.)]
13...a6 14.Bxd7+ (14.Bd3?! Bc5 15.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 16.Kh1 0-0 17.Ne2 g6µ and Black is
simply a pawn up) 14...Bxd7 15.Rxb7

507
returning to positions similar to those we have seen earlier, with a balanced game. 15...Bc5
16.Qf2 Bxd4 (16...Rc8? It only takes one move to completely ruin the game: 17.Nb5 Bxb5
18.Bxc5 Bxf1 19.Bb4!±) 17.Qxd4 Rc8 18.Ne4 0-0! 19.Nd6

19...Rxc2! (19...Bc6? 20.Nxc8 Bxb7 21.Ne7+ Kh8 22.f5+–) 20.Rxd7 Qxa2 21.Rf2 Rc1+
22.Rf1 Rc2= with a draw by repetition.

12.f5!

Of course.

508
12...Nb6!

Now it is clear why Black wasn’t worried about White’s previous move. If White exchanges
his f-pawn for Black’s e-pawn, the latter would be replaced by the c8-bishop. Now it was my
turn to go into a long think.

13.Qe1!!

Played with the idea of freeing the d2-square for the e3-bishop, after which Black’s queen
will be exposed to all sorts of tactical tricks, given that his own b6-knight has just closed the
door on her majesty’s return home. In addition, on e1 White’s queen eyes the coming
opening of the e-file and can potentially join a kingside attack via g3 or h4. A true multi-
purpose move that I was really pleased with during the game.
a) 13.f6!? was very tempting, to create dark-squared weaknesses in Black’s kingside,
however the resulting mega-closed nature of the position didn’t suit me as Black would have
had the option of sacrificing material to get a draw thanks to the locked pawn chains. 13...g6
14.Qe1 Bd7 15.a4 Nc8 16.Bd2 Qc7 17.a5! a6 18.Ba4 h6!= and Black seems fine.
b) 13.fxe6 Bxe6 14.Ng5 This obvious line was another option to consider. It also sets a nice
trap!

509
14...Be7! seems to be Black’s best defense.
b1) 14...Bb4?? 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Bg5!! Preventing Black from castling long and indirectly
protecting the c3-knight. 16...h6 17.Rxb4! Qxb4

18.Ne4!!+– The point. Suddenly Black has to give up a lot of material to avoid getting
mated! 18...Qxd2 19.Nd6+ Kd7 20.Rf7# A very pretty mate in the center of the board!!
b2) 14...0-0-0?! 15.Nxf7 Bxf7 16.Rxf7 Bb4 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18.Qf2 Bxc3

510
19.e6!! The move that I missed during the game. White has sacrificed a whole minor piece
and now this little pawn opens up the deadly b8–h2 diagonal and inches closer to the
promotion square, giving White more than sufficient compensation. 19...Qxa2 20.Rf1 Bb4
(20...Qa3 21.Qg3 Qd6 22.Bf4 Bxd4+ 23.Kh1 Qb4 24.Be3!! Qd6 25.Bxd4 Qxg3 26.hxg3+–

Despite his extra two pawns, Black is completely paralyzed by White’s dominating d4-
bishop, f7-rook and the advanced passed e-pawn. 26...Rde8 27.Rxa7 c5 28.Bxc5 Rxe6
29.Rff7 Rc6 30.Bd4 Rd8 31.Rxg7 Rd7 32.Rg8+ Rd8 33.Rg5 h6 34.Rf5 White restores the
material balance, but Black’s pieces are just as awful as before, which allows the inexorable
march of the white king to collect the weak black pawns on d5 and h6, winning the game.)

511
21.Qg3 Bd6 22.Bf4 Bxf4 23.Qxf4 Na8 24.Rxg7 Qb2 25.Rxa7 Qb8 26.Qf7 Nc7 (26...Rhe8
27.e7+–) 27.Rfa1 Rhe8

Now, in this picturesque position, how can White proceed? 28.g4! (28.e7?! Rd7 29.Ra8
Rdxe7 30.Qf5+ Kb7 31.Rxb8+ Kxb8±) 28...h6 (28...Qb6 29.Ra8+ Kb7 30.R1a7+ Qxa7
31.Rxa7+ Kxa7 32.Qxc7+ Ka6 33.Qxc6+ Ka5 34.e7 Rc8 35.Qxd5+ Kb4 36.Qe5 Kc3
37.d5+ Kxc2 38.d6+–) 29.h4 Black is in zugzwang! 29...c3 (29...Rg8 30.e7 Rde8
31.Qf5++–) 30.Kg2 h5 31.g5 c5 32.dxc5 Rxe6 33.Rxc7+ Qxc7 34.Ra8+ Kb7 35.Ra7+ Kxa7
36.Qxc7++–
15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Qe1 0-0-0 17.Bd2 Qa3 18.Bxc6 bxc6 19.Rf7 Rd7 (19...Rhf8 20.Rxg7±)
20.Rf3 Qa5

512
White now has several options, but it seems that Black is OK. 21.a3!? Taking the b4-square
away from Black, while the pawn cannot be captured due to the pin on the a-file. White
clearly has compensation for the sacrificed pawn.
[21.Qg3 Rf8! 22.Rxf8+ Bxf8 23.Qh3 Bb4 24.Qxe6 Bxc3 (24...Kb7? 25.Ne2!± The point.
Black cannot take on d2, as his d7-rook is no longer protected.) 25.Qe8+ Kc7

26.Bf4! Bxd4+ 27.Kh1 g5 28.Bg3 Qxa2 29.e6+ Kb7 30.Re1 Rg7 31.e7 Ka6 32.Qxc6 Rxe7
33.Rxe7 Qb1+ 34.Re1 Qxc2 35.h3° and this highly unbalanced position is most likely
equal.]
21...Re8 (21...Qa6?! 22.Qg3 Bd8 23.Qh3±) 22.Rh3 Bd8 23.Ne4 Qa4 24.Nd6+ Rxd6

513
25.exd6 Qxc2∞

This position is difficult to evaluate. Both sides have chances.

13...exf5

There is really nothing else to do.

14.a4!

Taking away the last available square from Black’s queen.

514
14.Bd2 Qa3 15.Bc1 Qa5! (15...Qe7 16.a4 Be6 17.a5 Nc8 18.a6 Qc7 19.axb7 Qxb7 20.Bxc4
Qd7 21.Bb5 h6 22.Ne2 a6 23.Bd3 a5 24.Nf4 Nb4 25.Be2ƒ giving White a strong initiative)
16.a4! transposes to the game.

14...Be6 15.Bd2 Bb4

16.Rxb4!!

A highly intuitive, albeit quite obvious, exchange sacrifice, since control of the dark squares
is more important than the rook in this position.

16...Qxb4 17.Ne4!

a) 17.a5!? Qxa5 (17...Nc8?? 18.Nxd5+–) 18.Nxd5 Qa2 19.Nb4 Qa5!= and White has
nothing better than a repetition.
b) 17.Nxd5?! Pawn grabbing is also possible, though aesthetically less pleasing. 17...Qb2
18.Bc1 Qxc2 19.Nc7+ Kd7 20.Nxe6
[20.Nxa8? Nd5!!µ (20...Rxa8 21.Qb4!= Qe4™ 22.Qd6+ Kc8™ and White has at least a
draw with 23.Qf8+= as if 23...Nd8?? 24.Bg5+–)]
20...fxe6 21.Qb4 Rad8 22.Bg5 Kc8 23.Bxc6 bxc6 24.Bxd8 Rxd8 25.Qc5 Kb7 26.a5 Nd5
27.a6+

515
27...Kb8™ 28.Qxc6 Qb2™ 29.Nd2! (29.Qxc4?? Ne3–+) 29...Nc3 (29...Rc8? 30.Qd6+ Ka8
31.Qd7 Rc7 32.Qe8+ Qb8 33.Qxe6+–) 30.Nxc4 Ne2+™ 31.Kh1 Nxd4 32.Qc5

32...Qb5! 33.Qe7 Qd7 34.Qb4+ Qb5= and after all the fireworks the game ends in a draw!

17...Qb2!

Precise defense by my opponent.

17...Qe7? 18.Nd6+ Kd7 (18...Kf8 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Nxf5!+–) 19.a5 Nc8 20.Nxb7 Kc7
21.Nc5 a6 22.Ba4 Ra7 23.Bg5 Qe8

516
Now White has to find the following plan to improve! 24.Qb1!! h6 25.Bc1+– Black is
completely tied up and helpless. He can only watch as White prepares to double on the b-file
for the decisive mating attack.

18.Nd6+ Kf8

19.Bc3?!

With so many tempting possibilities, it was easy to lose track.

517
White’s position is so strong that even with slow moves he keeps a strong enough initiative
to balance the game.
a) 19.c3? is also possible, although very, very slow. 19...Ne7 20.g4! White attempts to open
the f-file for the attack. 20...Kg8 21.Ng5 h6 22.gxf5 Nxf5 23.Ngxf7 Qc2

Black is just in time to bring his queen to the defense. 24.Nxh8 Kxh8 25.Nxf5 Bxf5 26.e6
(26.a5? a6! 27.Bc6 bxc6 28.axb6 Be6µ With his king reaching safety, the extra material and
the suddenly open, vulnerable white king, Black has completely reversed the course of the
game and should now win.) 26...a6! 27.e7 axb5 28.Bxh6!!= The only move to equalize.
b) 19.a5? Nc8 20.Bc3 Qxc2 21.a6 Nxd6 22.exd6 Nd8!

518
23.Ng5!
[23.axb7 Rb8 24.Qh4 (24.Nh4? Rxb7–+) 24...f6 (24...Nxb7!? 25.Qe7+ Kg8 26.Qc7 Rf8 is
strong as well) 25.Ba5 Nxb7 26.Bc7 Qb2! 27.Ba4 Qb4–+ and Black manages to keep his
material advantage.]
23...h6 24.Nxe6+ fxe6

25.Bd7 (25.Rf2? Qe4 26.Re2 Qf4µ) 25...Kf7 (25...Qe4 26.Qxe4 dxe4 27.d5!± exd5
28.Rxf5+ Kg8 29.Re5!+–) 26.Rf2 Qe4 27.Re2 Qf4 28.Rxe6ƒ
c) 19.Bc1!!

519
The best move. I should have remembered my game vs. Kramnik in 1994 where a similar
bishop transfer won me the game. 19...Qxc2?! (19...Qa2? 20.Nxb7+– Ne7 21.Qb4 h6
22.Qd6+–) 20.Nxb7 Nd8! (20...Ne7? allows White to tie this knight up permanently.
21.Ba3± Qb3 22.Bd6 Nxa4 23.Bc6! Rc8 24.Na5! The point. Black’s queen is overloaded in
trying to protect so many squares and the a4-knight at the same time. 24...Qb6 25.Bxa4+–
White gains a material advantage in addition to a decisive initiative.; 20...Rc8 21.Nd6 Ne7
22.Nxc8 Nbxc8 23.Qa5+–) 21.Rf2 Qe4

(21...Qb3? 22.Nc5+–) 22.Qb4+

[22.Re2?! Qg4 23.Nxd8 Rxd8 24.Qb4+ Kg8 25.Qe7 Ra8 26.Bc6 h6 27.a5 Rf8 28.h3

520
(28.Ba3 Kh7∞ and Black manages to escape just in time, as the position becomes very
messy) 28...Qg6 (28...Qh5?! 29.axb6 axb6 30.Bd7! The correct attempt to remove Black’s
key defender of the entire pawn structure. 30...Qg6 31.Nh4 Qh5 32.Bxe6 Qxe2 33.Kh2!!+–
and it seems that White has managed to break open Black’s box.) 29.Qxa7! White’s a-pawn
is more important than Black’s b6-knight. (29.axb6?! axb6 30.Bd7?! doesn’t work here:
30...Bxd7 31.Qxd7 Qe6µ) 29...Nc8 Forced, but on c8 the knight hinders access by the black
rooks to the queenside. Nevertheless Black’s extra exchange and pawn give him a balanced
game. 30.Qb7 Kh7 31.a6 Rhg8 32.Bf4 (32.Ba3 Rd8„) 32...Qh5 33.Bxd5 Bxd5 34.Qxd5 c3
35.Qc5 g5 36.Bc1 g4 37.hxg4 fxg4 38.Ne1 g3 39.Re3 Qg6 40.Qxc3 Qxa6∞

Suddenly the game turns around with Black starting to play for an advantage.]
22...Kg8 23.Nxd8 Rxd8

521
24.Ng5!!+– The key move that I missed in my calculations, after which White’s attack is
unstoppable. 24...Qh4
[24...Qxd4 25.Qe7 Rf8 26.Ba3 Qa1+ (26...Rb8 27.Be8!+–) 27.Rf1+– forcing Black to give
up his queen or be mated.]
25.Qe7 Rc8 26.Be8!! The point. White manages to get to the weakest link in Black’s
defenses, the f7-pawn.

19...Qxc2

522
20.Nxb7

20.Rf2?! Qb3 21.Rb2 Qa3 22.Nxb7

[22.Bxc6?! bxc6 23.Bb4 Qxb2 (23...Qxa4?? 24.Ne4++– Ke8 25.Nc5 Qb5 26.Ba3 a6
27.Rxb5 axb5 28.Bb4∞) 24.Nxc4+ Qxb4 25.Qxb4+ c5 26.Qxc5+ Kg8∞ and White has to
start looking for the draw.]
22...Nxa4 23.Bxa4 Qxa4 24.Nc5 Qa3 25.Qd2 (…Ra2) 25...Qa1+ 26.Ne1! The black queen
is trapped.

26...h6 27.Rb7 Qa3 28.Nc2 Qa2 29.Rb2 Qxb2 30.Bxb2 Kg8± Black’s two rooks and three
pawns give him chances to defend against White’s queen and knight.

20...Nxa4

Black decides to go pawn grabbing at the wrong moment.

Still, there is a famous saying that says if you are going to suffer, then suffer for something in
return!
20...Nd8 21.Nc5

523
21...f4
[21...a6? 22.Rf2 Qxf2+ 23.Kxf2 axb5 24.axb5 Ra2+ 25.Kg1 Ke8 26.Ba5 Nd7 27.Na6 Nb7
(27...Nf8 28.Bd2 Nb7 29.Nc5 Nd8 30.Qb1±) 28.Nc7+ Ke7 29.Qh4++–]
22.Nh4! This was probably the line my opponent didn’t like, as White’s entire assembly of
pieces is ready to launch action against both Black’s queen and king. (22.a5 a6 23.Bb4 Kg8
24.Be8 Nc8 and now both 25.Qh4 [stronger] and 25.Nh4 continue White’s initiative, with
many crazy variations that I invite my reader to explore on his or her own as calculation
practice!!) 22...h5 23.Rxf4 Rh6 24.Rf2 Qh7 25.Bd2± and although Black is suffering, there is
no decisive blow.

21.Bb4+

524
21...Kg8

21...Nxb4 22.Qxb4+ Kg8 23.Bxa4 Qd3 24.Nc5 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Qh6 (25...h6 26.Nxe6 fxe6
27.Qe7 Kh7 28.Qxe6 Rhf8 29.Bc2+– is clearly winning for White.) 26.Qb7 Rf8 27.Qe7+–

22.Bxc6+–

White restores the material balance with a winning position, however, given how much time
I had spent to get this far, I started making mistakes in time trouble.

22...Rc8 23.Rf2 Qb3 24.Na5 Rxc6!?

525
The best practical chance for Black. He only has a rook and three pawns as compensation for
my queen, however his b-pawn will become a force to be reckoned with.

25.Nxc6?!

Instead of taking the queen, I take the rook, which still gives me an extra minor piece, and
decide to go for an attack!! However Black now gets three pawns for the missing piece,
which means that if he somehow manages to fight off my attack, he’ll have sufficient
compensation for equality.
25.Nxb3! cxb3 26.Bc5! Somehow this simple move had escaped my attention. 26...b2
27.Qb4 a5 28.Qb3 h6 29.Rf1! Nxc5 30.dxc5 Rxc5 31.Nd4 Kh7 32.Qxb2 Re8 33.Qb6 Rcc8
34.Qxa5+– and this position is a technical win.

25...h6

526
26.Ne7+?!

Having calculated the following forced sequence, I went for it.

Instead other, more materialistic, moves were better:
a) 26.Na5! Qd3 27.Ra2 Nb6 28.Nb7! Nd7 29.Ra3 Qc2 30.Nd8 Kh7 31.Nxe6 fxe6 32.Rxa7
Nb6 33.Rb7 Na4 34.Bd2+– with a simple win.
b) 26.Nd2 Qd3 27.Qa1 Nb6 28.Rf3

28...Qe2 (28...Qc2 29.Qxa7 Nc8 30.Qc7 Kh7 31.h3+– Black’s pawns are neutralized, and

527
his c8-knight is on the rim. The game is won.) 29.Qxa7 Nc8 30.Qc7 Kh7 31.h3+–

26...Kh7 27.Ng5+ hxg5 28.Rf3

28...g6

28...Rb8 29.Rxb3 cxb3 30.Qg3! with a double attack on the b3-pawn and threat of mate on
the h-file. 30...g6 31.Qxb3+– was an obvious line.

29.Rxb3 cxb3 30.Ba3!

At least I was able to find this move, which gives White victory, but things could have been
much less complicated!

30...Rb8

528
31.Qg3

This time trouble inaccuracy almost allows my opponent to defend, but as he too was in time
trouble, his response was also an error, but a fatal one.
31.h4!? b2 (31...g4 32.h5 gxh5 33.Qh4+–) 32.Bxb2 Nxb2 33.hxg5 Kg7 34.Qa5 Nc4
35.Qxa7 Rh8 36.Nc6 Re8 37.Nb4 Nd2

38.Na6! Ne4 39.Nc7 Re7 40.Qb6 Rxc7! 41.Qxc7 Nxg5 and White has some technical
issues to resolve to win the game.

529
31...g4??

An absolutely horrible blunder, after which White wins immediately.

31...b2! Of course! 32.Bxb2 Rxb2

reaching a very tricky position which holds a lot of nuances. I’ll try to bring some sense to
this mess. 33.h3! Making sure that Black’s g5-pawn won’t get to g3 later on.
[33.h4?! g4 34.h5 gxh5

(34...g5? 35.Qd3+– An important move. White simply grabs Black’s very important f5-
pawn.) 35.Kh2!! Another critical prophylactic move preparing for Black’s ...Na4–c3–e4.

530
(35.Qh4? Nc3 36.Qxh5+ Kg7 37.Nxf5+ — or 37.Kh2 g3+ 38.Kxg3 Ne4+ 39.Kh2 Rf2= —
37...Bxf5 38.Qxf5 g3=) 35...Rb7 36.Qh4 Rxe7 37.Qxe7 Nc3 38.Kg3 Ne4+ 39.Kf4 a6
40.Qa7 h4 41.Qxa6 h3 42.gxh3 gxh3 43.Qd3 h2 44.Qh3+ Kg7 45.Qxh2 Kf8 46.Qh8+
Ke7±

I’m not sure if White can break Black’s fortress here, though it looks likely.]
33...Rb6!? This attempt to prevent White’s knight from reaching d8 will not work.
a) 33...Kh6?!

34.Qa3 (34.h4?! g4 35.Qe3+ Kg7 36.h5 f4!! An important defensive resource as now

531
Black’s knight joins the game with the threat of ...Nc3–e2+, with the possible follow-up of
...g4–g3+ and mate on the first rank!! 37.Qxf4 Nc3 38.Qf6+ Kh6 39.Qh4! Rb1+ 40.Kh2
g3+ 41.Qxg3 Ne4 42.Qa3 gxh5± and Black has succeeded in establishing a defensive set-
up.) 34...Rb1+ 35.Kh2 Nb6 36.Nc6 Kg7

37.Nd8!!+– A key winning idea in this position. White eliminates Black’s defensive bishop
and the black pawn chain starts to fall. 37...Nc4 38.Nxe6+ fxe6 39.Qe7+ Kh6 40.Qf8+ Kh7
41.Qf7+ Kh6 42.Qg8 Rb7 43.Qxe6 Ne3 44.Qc8 Rg7 45.Qh8+ Rh7 46.Qf8+ Rg7 47.e6+–
b) 33...g4 34.hxg4 (34.Qh4+? Kg7 35.Qf6+ Kh7 36.hxg4 fxg4=) 34...fxg4 35.Nc6!

White needs to keep the black knight away from the c3-square before bringing his own

532
knight to d8, destroying Black’s bishop. 35...Kg7 (35...Rc2 36.Nd8 Nc3 37.Qh4+ Kg8
38.Nxe6 Ne2+ 39.Kf1 fxe6 40.Qxg4 Kf7 41.Qf3+ Kg7 42.Qf6+ Kh6 43.Qxe6 Nxd4
44.Qh3+ Kg7 45.Qd7+ Kh6 46.e6 Nf5 47.e7 Nxe7 48.Qxe7+–) 36.Qa3 g3 37.Qxg3 Nb6
38.Nd8± and White probably manages to break through Black’s defenses.
34.Qa3 Ra6 35.Kh2! Kg7 36.Qb3 Nb6 37.Qb5 Nc8!? The only way to prevent White from
playing Qb5–e8 with a mating attack. 38.Nxf5+ Bxf5 39.Qxa6 Be6 40.Kg1+– White’s huge
material advantage and presence of many pawns promises him a sure, albeit slow, win.

32.Qh4+ Kg7 33.Qf6+ Kh7

34.Bc1!!

The point. Black cannot avoid getting mated, so resigned. If he plays 34...Rh8 to defend
against Qh4–h6, then White plays 35.Bh6+!! Kxh6 36.Qxh8+ Kg5 37.g3!! and there is no
defense against 38.Qh4#.

1–0

A fantastic game with tempting and very complicated variations, deep defensive moves by
my opponent and — again — time trouble!!

533
 GAME 16
Veselin Topalov
Gata Kamsky
Kazan 2011
And so we finally come to the 2011 Candidates Matches in Kazan. The format was rather
strange, with four classical games followed by four rapid tie-breaks if necessary, and, if still
tied, by two blitz games and a decisive Armageddon tie-breaker. One of the players, GM
Grischuk, came up with the really smart strategy of quickly drawing his games with White to
get his second round opponent, ex-World Champion GM Kramnik, to the blitz tie-breaker,
where Mr. Grischuk’s blitz skills prevailed. But let’s go back to my matches.
In the first round, fate had paired me vs. GM Topalov, and, having just competed in the US
Championship for both practice and to boost my morale, I felt ready to take revenge for the
lost match in 2009. The match was very tough, with my opponent arriving very well
prepared with several new ideas. The first game was a draw in the Sicilian Najdorf, where
my team (which included my friends GM Emil Sutovsky and GM Andrei Volokitin) had
prepared a novelty on the seventh move in a well-known variation.
The opening was a success, however at one point I decided to play a solid move instead of a
risky one and the game ended in a draw. The following game was played in the second
round, and was the only decisive game of the match.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4

With this move order White sidesteps the direct lines of the Grünfeld by delaying moving his
d-pawn.

2...g6 3.Nc3

White threatens to play 4.e4 with a transposition to the King’s Indian, so Black’s response is
forced.

3...d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5

534
5.Qb3!?

This line was just starting to be tested in tournament play and GM Sutovsky had quite
extensive analysis which was difficult for me to memorize correctly, as the move orders in
different positions had to be very precise. The idea behind White’s last move is to force
Black’s d5-knight away from the center, as exchanging it for White’s c3-knight would allow
White to recapture with his d-pawn, blocking Black’s g7-bishop out of the game in a
structure favoring White.
5.Qa4+ is another main line. 5...Nc6! At the time, a newly discovered move. (5...c6 The old
main line. 6.Qd4 f6 7.e4 e5 8.Nxe5!? This position has been played in lots of games, so there
is huge theory, with White considered to have an advantage. 5...Bd7 6.Qb3²) 6.Ne5 Qd6
7.Nxc6

535
7...Qxc6! The point. Black does not fear the doubling of his c-pawns, as the threat of ...Nd5–
b4 allows him to get sufficient activity in compensation for the ruined structure. 8.Qd4 Nxc3
9.dxc3 (9.Qxh8?? Nxa2!–+) 9...f6 10.e4 e5= leads to complete equality.

5...Nb6 6.d4

White’s plan in this position is to develop his pieces and complete his domination in the
center, which would give him a big advantage. Black must do something quickly to counter
White’s central pawn formation before White’s development is complete. White’s whole set-
up is popular to this day and sometimes played at the top level.

536
6...Bg7 7.Bf4

The point of this move is to retain the option of putting White’s e-pawn on e3 instead of the
traditional e4. In that case, White’s d-pawn will be solidly protected and allow White to
expand on the queenside.
a) 7.e4 This line requires a lot of memorization as Black can start a forced sequence which
results in highly unbalanced and heavily analyzed positions. 7...Bg4 8.Bb5+ An important
check to take the c6-square away from Black’s b8-knight. 8...c6 9.Ng5 0-0 10.Be2 Bxe2
11.Nxe2

Ready for a queen lift to h3. 11...Na6 12.Qh3 h6 13.Nf3 h5 14.Rg1!? Even something crazy
like this has to be evaluated carefully.
b) 7.Bg5 is another main line, with heavy analysis.

7...Be6

The c8-bishop has to be developed here, so it is better to do so immediately.

7...0-0 8.Rd1!

537
Now Black’s main goal, preparing the freeing ...c7–c5 pawn break, just got a lot harder. Still,
to understand all the nuances of this structure requires a lot of analysis which needs to be
updated on an almost daily basis, as hundreds of games are being played all over the world.

8.Qa3

8...Nc6

A slightly outdated move.

538
8...c5! The jury is still out on this seemingly impossible sacrifice which is being contested at
elite level to this day. White seems to have the slightly better statistics here. 9.Qxc5 Nc6
10.0-0-0 Rc8 with a very complicated game.

9.0-0-0!?N

A shocking novelty.
It seems that my opponent is attempting to repeat the strategy that brought him success in our
previous match. By changing opening lines in every game, he throws me off my preparation,
and, having superior preparation, he enjoys a serious practical advantage during the game, as
I am forced to find solutions with limited time.
9.e3 0-0 is a quieter main line where White keeps a small advantage, but Black has good
chances to equalize eventually.

9...Nd5!?

Seems logical, now that White has declared the location of his king. In addition, Black needs
to create space for the advance of his queenside pawns to storm the white king’s defenses.
9...0-0?

This natural move and, at the same time, fatal error, would reveal the full force of White’s
idea: 10.d5! Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Bxd5 12.e4 e6 13.exd5 exd5 14.Qb3+– White has an extra
minor piece and the initiative.

539
10.Bg3

White now intends to simply expand in the center with e2–e4 and d4–d5 with the much
superior position.
10.Bd2?! Qd6= would let Black transpose into a very comfortable and most likely equal
endgame.

11.Qxd6 (11.Qa4? Nb6 12.Qc2 Nb4 and White should go for a worse endgame with Ne4 or
Nb5 since 13.Qb1 c5 is just winning for Black) 11...cxd6 12.e4 Nxc3 13.Bxc3 (13.bxc3
Na5³) 13...d5 14.Ng5 Bh6 15.f4 Bxg5 16.fxg5 0-0 17.Bd3 f6!= and Black can start playing

540
for an advantage, given how perfectly his minor pieces are placed, and how terrible White’s
dark-squared bishop is on c3.

10...Bh6+!?

I decided on this move after thinking for a very long time. Using Lasker’s method, I was
looking for a move that could both throw a wrench into White’s plans and that he had most
likely missed in his preparation. At the cost of another move by his already developed dark-
squared bishop, Black stops White’s e-pawn from going to e4. Of course the move cannot
really be good and White gets an advantage with precise play, however it seems that my
opponent either did not expect it or couldn’t remember the lines.
a) 10...Bf5

I considered this move, but, fearing my opponent’s preparation, I decided not to go that way.
I was, once again, placing my trust in Lasker’s method of finding a move that might
potentially have fallen off my opponent’s radar, yet still serve a useful function on the board.
Several months later, one of the premier experts in the Grünfeld Defense, French GM
Vachier-Lagrave, would utilize it to draw against the Dutch GM Anish Giri. 11.e4 Nxc3
12.bxc3 Bxe4 13.d5 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Ne5 15.Bb5+ Kf8 and Black seems to be able to set up a
very strong fortress on the dark squares as White lacks knights.
b) 10...0-0?! Ignoring White’s ambitions in the center was not an option. 11.e4 Nxc3
12.bxc3 Bg4 13.h3 Bxf3 14.gxf3ƒ This is not something that a Grünfeld player would want
to test. White’s pair of bishops and clear plan of using his h-pawn as a battering ram to open
up the black king’s defenses are scary enough for any human thinking of playing this with

541
Black.

11.e3

11.Kb1? Bf5+

12.Ka1 (12.e4?! Nxc3+ 13.Qxc3 Bxe4+ 14.Bd3 Bd5µ is clearly something that White does
not want) 12...Ndb4 13.Ne1 Bc2! Black picks up the exchange with a winning position.

11...a5!

542
I wanted to delay castling kingside, given how fast White’s h-pawn could run. In addition, I
wanted to set up the b4-square as a nice outpost for my knights, in case White somehow
managed to get in e3–e4. And last but not least, Black prepares the advance of his own pawn
mass on the queenside after ...Nc6–b4, ...c7–c6 and ...b7–b5.

12.h4?!

White attempts to continue his plan of attack on the kingside, however the black king’s
staying in the center negates the power of White’s attack. He should have pursued his e3–e4
break by moving the king away.
12.Kb1!? seems to retain some advantage for White: 12...Bf5+!? The move I was planning to
play.
[12...Nxc3+

13.bxc3! The correct recapture. White improves both his queenside pawn structure and safety
of his king. This move is also the reason why I decided not to play this line in the game if it
arose. (13.Qxc3?! Nb4 If White pushes a3 Black will take a draw with ...Bf5+ followed by
...Nc2+ and ...Nb4+. If he doesn’t, and plays 14.Bc4, then after 14...Bf5+ 15.Kc1 0-0 with
the idea ...b7−b5, Black has a dangerous initiative.) 13...0-0 14.e4 Bg7 15.Be2 Bd7 16.h4 b5
17.Qc1 b4 18.d5 Na7 19.c4‚ and White’s attacking chances on the kingside look greater
than any potential black counterattack on the opposite wing.]
13.Bd3

543
Now Black has a difficult choice. 13...Bxd3+!? (13...Ncb4!? 14.Bxf5 gxf5 Black has
managed to prevent White’s e3–e4 pawn push for the moment, but at the cost of doubling his
f-pawns. 15.Rc1! c6 16.Qb3± White now switches to a positional battle, targeting Black’s
weak f5-pawn and vulnerable monarch. Advantage to White. 13...Nxc3+ 14.Qxc3 Qd5 15.a3
Be6?! Going e6–f5–e6–f5 with the bishop so many times cannot be good. 16.Rc1± Simple
chess. White neutralizes Black’s threats on the queenside and prepares for the superior
endgame after Bd3–c4.) 14.Rxd3

14...0-0 (14...Ncb4? 15.e4!± but not 15.Rdd1 Nxc3+ 16.bxc3 Nd5 17.e4 Nf6 18.Rhe1 0-0
19.Ne5 Ra6∞) 15.e4 (15.h4?! Ncb4 16.Rdd1 Qd7 17.e4 Qg4!=) 15...Nxc3+ 16.Qxc3 Bg7

544
17.h4 h5 18.Rc1 e6 19.Bf4 White gets serious pressure in the center.

12...Ncb4

13.h5?!

A waste of time. White’s threats on the h-file are illusory.

13.Ng5! would have been much better, with the threefold purpose of blocking Black’s h6-
bishop, preparing e3–e4 and attacking the e6-bishop on its best location. 13...Bg4!
[13...Qd7?! Too passive. 14.Nxe6 (14.e4 f6! 15.exd5 Bxd5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Kb1 fxg5
18.hxg5 Bxg5 19.Bxc7 Black is at least fine, e.g.

545
19...Qc6! 20.Qc3 Qxc3 21.bxc3 Nd5 22.Be5 Nxc3+ 23.Kc2 Nxd1 24.Bxh8 Nxf2 25.Rxh7
0-0-0 26.Be2 Bf6 27.Bxf6 exf6 28.Bf3 Rxd4 29.Rxb7 Ne4 30.Rb6= After a brief tactical
skirmish, the endgame is equal.) 14...Qxe6 15.Nxd5 Qxd5 16.Kb1 c6 17.h5!²

and White has a certain advantage, thanks to his bishop pair and potentially grabbing the
center with e3–e4.]
14.f3 Bc8! This seems to be the most principled line. Black puts his important light-squared
bishop out of danger, even if it means going back to the original square. If White had castled
kingside we could say that he is strategically winning, however the white king’s vulnerable
location on the queenside and awful placing of the queen on a3 give Black close to equal

546
chances. 15.Qb3!? would be something I would consider for White, since the reader already
knows how I like to improve badly placed pieces. 15...f6 This would be a human’s first
choice of candidate move.
[15...Bxg5!? Such an exchange, opening the h-file for White’s rook and giving up the
important dark-squared bishop while creating a mass of dark holes on Black’s kingside, can
only come from a computer’s cold mind. 16.hxg5 Nxe3

17.Be5 (17.Re1? Definitely too slow. 17...Nxf1 18.Rhxf1 Qxd4µ; 17.Nb5 Probably the most
aggressive move. 17...Ned5 18.Be5 0-0! 19.Bc4 h5 Preventing the deadly Rxh7. 20.g4 c6
21.Nc3 a4 22.Qa3 Nc2!? 23.Kxc2 Ne3+ 24.Kd3 and I really don’t like Black’s position,
although the computer suggests it’s equal.) 17...Nxd1 18.Bxh8 Nxc3 (Simpler than
18...Ne3.) 19.bxc3 Be6

547
20.Qa4+ (20.Bc4? Bxc4 21.Qxc4 Qd5µ; 20.Qa3 Nc6³; 20.c4? b5µ) 20...Qd7 21.Qxd7+
Kxd7 22.Be5 Nd5 23.c4 Ne3 24.d5 Nxf1 25.Rxf1 Bf5=]
16.e4
[16.Nxd5?! White shouldn’t really trade this knight as it both protects his king and targets
the d5-square. 16...Nxd5 17.e4 (17.Bc4? c6µ) 17...fxg5 18.Kb1 gxh4 19.Rxh4 Bg5 20.Rh2
Bf4 21.Bxf4 Nxf4 22.Rxh7 Rxh7 23.Qg8+ Kd7 24.Qxh7 Qf8³ and Black obviously is
better.]
16...fxg5

548
17.h5!!‚ Suddenly, despite missing a clear minor piece, White’s attack is getting
somewhere. This move is extremely difficult to foresee, and I think we both completely
missed it. 17...g4+ 18.Kb1 Bf4! It is absolutely vital to close off White’s monster g3-bishop.
[18...Ne3? 19.hxg6 hxg6 (19...Nxd1? 20.Rxh6 Qxd4 21.Nb5+–) 20.Be5! Kd7 21.Na4!+–
and White’s attack is decisive.]
19.Nxd5 (19.Bxf4 Nxf4 20.hxg6 (20.fxg4? Bxg4–+) 20...Nxg6 21.Bc4 Qd6! 22.a3 and in
this mess it’s hard to say who’s better. 22...Na6 23.Rh6 Qf6! 24.Nd5 Qg7 25.Rdh1 Kd8
26.fxg4‚) 19...Nxd5 20.Bb5+!

20...c6 (20...Kf8 21.fxg4+–) 21.exd5 Bf5+ 22.Ka1 a4 23.Bxa4 Bxg3 24.dxc6 Rxa4 25.Qxa4
bxc6 26.Qxc6+ Bd7² 27.Qc5 Bd6 28.Qg5 Rg8 and Black has good chances to survive.

13...c6!=

549
Black starts to consolidate his pieces, supporting the central d5-knight, taking away the b5-
square from the white pieces, preparing ...b7–b5 and slowly improving the position, as White
cannot really do much with his queen being so badly placed on a3. At about this point in the
game I realized that I was out of danger and could relax bit, seeking to improve and build up
my position before starting the counterattack.

14.hxg6 hxg6 15.Rd2?

Not knowing what to do, White attempts the e3–e4 pawn push by brute force, but uses a
wrong approach. He had the option of trying to develop his f1-bishop immediately, followed
by doubling rooks on the only open file available, the h-file. The other option was to sac the
exchange to eliminate Black’s h6-bishop.
a) 15.Bc4!? The idea is to put the bishop on b3, where it would control c2, perhaps allowing
the white king to head for safety in the a1-corner. That’s a long road though, and Black can
chase the bishop with the simple ...a5–a4. 15...Kf8 Black moves the king to g7, where it will
protect the bishop and complete his development, leaving the heavy pieces connected.
16.Bb3 b5! (16...Kg7?! 17.Rxh6! Rxh6 18.e4 Nc7 19.Be5+ Kg8 20.Bxc7 Qxc7 21.Bxe6
fxe6 22.Qb3ƒ and White gets a very strong initiative) 17.Ne5
[17.Ne4

550
17...Nd3+! 18.Rxd3 b4 19.Qa4 Bxe3+ 20.fxe3 Rxh1+ 21.Kd2 (21.Kc2?? Nb6 wins the
queen, thanks to the location of the white king on the c-file.) 21...Rb1! 22.Nc5 Rxb2+
23.Kc1 Rxg2 24.Nxe6+ fxe6 25.Bf4∞ The position has become another mess, but with
slightly better chances for Black.]
17...Bf5! seems to be best. Black makes it impossible for the white king to escape to the a1-
corner.
[17...Kg7!?

18.Kb1 Bf5+ 19.e4 (19.Ka1?? a4 20.Nxd5 axb3–+) 19...Nxc3+ 20.bxc3 Bxe4+ 21.Kb2
Nd5

551
22.Qc5 (22.f3?? b4 23.Qa4 bxc3+ 24.Ka1 Bf5 25.Qxc6 c2–+) 22...Bd2!! Pure computer
tactics — which doesn’t make the position any easier to understand! (22...Qd6 seems the
most logical and human move here, however the complications arising are quite inhuman!!
23.Nxc6 — 23.Qxd6? exd6 24.Nxc6 Nb6 is awful for White — 23...Qxc5 24.dxc5 Nxc3
25.Rd7 Na4+ 26.Bxa4 Bxc6 27.Be5+ Kg8 28.Rxe7 Bg7 29.Rxh8+ Kxh8 30.Bxg7+ Kxg7
31.Rc7 Bxg2 32.Bxb5 Bd5 33.c6 Kf6² with superior chances for White because of his strong
c-pawn. Black should hold the draw though with accurate defense.) 23.Nxc6 (23.Rxd2 Rxh1
The threat of ...Rb1+ makes this winning for Black; 23.Rxh8? Bxc3+ 24.Qxc3 Nxc3
25.Rxd8 Nxd1+ 26.Bxd1 Rxd8µ) 23...Rxh1!

552
24.Rxh1 (24.Nxd8 Rxd1 25.Bxd1 Bxc3+ 26.Kc1 Rxd8 27.Bf3 Bb4 28.Qc6 Ba3+ 29.Kd2
Bb4+ 30.Kc1 Ba3+!!=) 24...Qb6 25.Bxd5 Qxc5 26.dxc5 Bxd5 27.Nxe7 Bxg2 28.Rg1 Bf3
29.Be5+ Kf8 30.Bd6 Ke8² and this exciting endgame seems very close to balanced.]
18.Rxh6 Rxh6 19.e4

19...Qc8!! The key move! 20.exf5 (20.exd5 cxd5 21.Kd2 f6 22.Nf3 Qd7 23.Re1∞ with a
balanced position, as the tangled mass of pieces on the queenside seems to be in the chess
composer’s favorite mode of mutual zugzwang) 20...Qxf5µ This allows Black to keep
White’s queen on a3 locked out of the game, giving him a large advantage.
b) 15.Rh2 White wants to develop his bishop to e2 and then double rooks on the h-file.
15...Kf8 16.Be2 Kg7 17.Rdh1

553
17...Nxe3! This small tactic gives Black a large advantage. 18.fxe3 (18.Rxh6? Rxh6 19.Rxh6
Nec2!–+) 18...Bxe3+ 19.Kd1 Rxh2 20.Rxh2 Bxd4 21.Nd2 Bf5 22.Bf4 Bf6 23.g4 Bc2+
24.Ke1 Qd4!–+ and yet again Black locks White’s queen out of the game, playing in effect
with an extra queen.
c) 15.Rxh6!?

This seemed to be in keeping with my opponent’s style, and must have been his original
intention. By sacrificing the exchange, White finally seems to get a lot of play in the center.
That impression is false, however, as Black limits White’s central counterplay. 15...Rxh6
16.e4 Nb6 17.Be2

554
[17.b3?! Rh1!µ

A very important move. Black needs to exchange White’s last rook to reduce his attacking
potential, especially the power of the potential d4–d5 break. 18.d5 Bg4 19.Kb2 (19.dxc6??
Rxf1 20.Rxf1 Qd3–+ loses instantly.) 19...Rxf1!? Releasing the tension, leaving Black with
the much better position, again thanks to White’s offside queen. 20.Rxf1 cxd5 21.Rh1 Bh5
22.exd5

22...Qc8!–+ The queen goes to c5, where it will dominate the board.]
17...Nc4 18.Bxc4 Bxc4 19.Ne5 Be6µ

555
and the vulnerability of White’s own king prevents him from getting compensation for the
sacrificed material. 20.d5 cxd5 21.Qa4+ Kf8 22.exd5 Bf5µ

15...f6!

Black simply deprives the White pieces of the e5-square. Furthermore, his king will be better
placed on f7.

16.Ne4?!

556
Another strange move, but I could see by my opponent’s expression that he was very
unhappy with his passive position and did not know what to do. I simply deprive his minor
pieces of available squares, before starting to squeeze them in true ‘udav’ (the Russian word
for ‘boa constrictor’, and one of my original ICC nicknames) fashion.
16.Rxh6 Rxh6 17.e4 Rh1–+ The exchange sac doesn’t work as it gives Black several extra
tempi compared to a similar line we looked at previously.

16...b6!

A demonstration of strength and also a prelude to the ...c6–c5 break, instead of the ...b6–b5
push.

17.Be2

Finally White goes back to the standard plan of doubling on the h-file and completing his
development.

17...Qc8?!

An unnecessary finesse. I didn’t play 17...Kf7!? because of the following line: 18.Rxh6!?
(18.Rh2 Qd7 Queen here to play [a play on words on a memorable chess movie called Queen
to Play] seems to be a lot more logical than developing it to c8, as the c8-square should be
taken by the rook! 19.Nc3 Rac8µ And Black is ready for the direct assault. 20.Kd1 g5
21.Ne1 g4 22.Nc2 c5 23.dxc5 Nxc2 24.Kxc2 Rxc5 25.Kd1 Qc8–+) 18...Rxh6 19.Nfg5+
fxg5 20.Nxg5+ Kg8 21.Nxe6 Qd7³

557
22.Nf4 (22.Bg4 c5! 23.Rd1 cxd4 24.Kb1 An attempt to tuck the king away to safety.
24...Nf6!–+ But the tactics work in Black’s favor.) 22...c5!! An unbelievable move, as it
goes against the chess rule that if your opponent has a strong bishop pair, you don’t open the
center. However this rule is overridden by the goal of opening lines for Black’s heavy pieces
towards the white king. 23.dxc5 (23.Rd1 cxd4 24.Nxd5 Qxd5–+ with a winning advantage)
23...Rh1+

24.Bd1 (24.Rd1 Rxd1+ 25.Bxd1 Nxf4 26.Bxf4 Rd8 27.Qb3+ e6–+ and White is unable to
withstand Black’s direct assault on the d-file) 24...Rc8 25.Nxd5 Nxd5 26.Qb3 Rxc5+
27.Kb1 Qe6–+

558
18.Rh4 Kf7 19.Rd1

19...g5

Played because my opponent had been slipping into time pressure, which was quite unusual
for him. However Black’s position could have been further improved. What I did, though,
was calculate an almost forced sequence, resulting in a position that I evaluated as close to
winning, so despite this move being inferior to 19...Bf5, it is still good enough!
19...Bf5! 20.Nc3 Qe6 21.Rdh1 (21.Bc4 b5 22.Bb3 Kg7! Black is finally ready for a full-
scale attack on White’s king.) 21...Bxe3+! 22.fxe3 Qxe3+ 23.Kd1 Rxh4 24.Rxh4

559
24...Bd3!! The move that I missed in my calculations and which completely destroys White’s
defenses.

20.Rh2 g4 21.Nfd2

21.Ne5+ fxe5 22.Bxe5 c5! 23.Ng5+ (23.dxc5 Qc6! Black keeps both the extra material and
the initiative. 24.Bxh8 Nf4! 25.Rxh6 Nxe2+ 26.Kd2 Qxe4–+) 23...Bxg5 24.Rxh8 cxd4+
25.Rxc8 Rxc8+ 26.Kb1 Bf5+ 27.Bd3 Nxd3–+

21...c5!

It’s time.
White’s poor queen on a3 has had to watch almost the entire game from the sidelines and is a
perfect lesson for beginners of the importance of developing your most powerful piece
normally.

22.dxc5 f5

560
The following sequence is forced.

23.Rxh6!?

23.Nc3 Qxc5 (23...Nxc3 24.bxc3 Qxc5 is also crushing) 24.Kb1 Bg7 (24...f4 is also
possible, but returning ‘home’ with the h6-bishop to join in on the just-opened a1–h8
diagonal with decisive effect seems much more logical) 25.Rxh8 (25.Rc1 Rxh2 26.Bxh2
Nxc3+ 27.bxc3 Nxa2 28.Qxc5 Finally the white queen gets a chance to play, but the cost is
too high. 28...bxc5 29.Rc2 Nxc3+–+) 25...Nxc3+ 26.bxc3 Bxa2+ 27.Kb2 Rxh8–+

23...Rxh6 24.Ng5+

561
24...Kf8!

Putting the black king on the optimal square where it will not run the risk of being checked
or pinned along the a2–g8 diagonal.

25.Nxe6+

25.Kb1 f4! Opening the b1–h7 diagonal with decisive effect. 26.exf4 Bf5+ 27.Nde4 Qxc5

28.Bd3 (28.Rc1 seems logical until you see Black’s reply: 28...Rc8!! This move is just too

562
pretty to ignore. White’s weak back rank decides the matter. 29.b3 Nc3+ 30.Kb2 Qd4
31.Rxc3 Rxc3–+) 28...Qd4 29.Bc2 Qc4–+

25...Qxe6–+

The threat of 26...f4 leaves White no time to move his king to safety.

26.Bc4 Rc8

The rook comes into play just in time to recapture White’s c5-pawn, leaving Black with a
clear extra exchange and the attack. White is lost.

27.Bf4 Rf6 28.e4

28.Kb1 Rxc5 29.Bb3 (29.Qb3 b5–+) 29...Qc8 30.Rh1 Qa6–+ The invasion on the b1–h7
diagonal is fatal for White.

28...Rxc5!

Simplest.
White is unable to prevent Black from regaining the material and breaking through on the
open c- or d-file.

29.exd5 Qxd5 30.b3 Qd4! 31.Be3

563
31.Qb2 Nd3+–+

31...Qc3+

White resigned.

0–1

His offside queen, the biggest reason for his loss, is still a complete outsider. I was in great
spirits with this win, especially as Black. However, in the next game, on the White side of a
Sicilian Najdorf, I ran into strong preparation by my opponent and barely managed to escape
with a draw. The stage was set for the fourth and last classical game of our match. If I won or
drew, my opponent was out. If I lost, we went to tie-breaks, where the loss would bear a
certain negative psychological factor.

564
 GAME 17
Veselin Topalov
Gata Kamsky
Kazan 2011
And so we come to game four, the final classical game of the match, where my opponent was
in a must-win situation.
Needless to say, the night before the game, our team was checking and rechecking different
lines, while I was remembering all our previous contests, trying to glean some psychological
insight into the struggle ahead. Since the match was being played in Kazan, the capital of the
Tatar Autonomous Republic, and I am part Tatar on my father’s side, quite a lot of locals
came to see the match. The glass wall between the stage with the players on one side and the
darker hall with the spectators on the other created the impression of being submerged in a
submarine in the depths of the ocean. The tension on stage was so great as to be almost
palpable. Coming to the game, I knew only that there was a score to settle and if my
opponent won, I’d do everything possible to win the tie-breaks. We expected some sort of
audacious novelty by my opponent as a matter of course. The only question was where.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3

My opponent returns to the same system which he used in game two. As a professional
player that surprised me because of the well-known superstition amongst elite players about
playing the same opening after losing a game with it because of the bad luck it can
supposedly bring. In hindsight, both of us were correct, as my opponent, as White, got a
winning position, while I, as Black, managed to draw thanks to a miracle.

3...d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5

565
5.Qc2!?

And here it is, the super-mega-novelty prepared by my opponent’s team for the must-win
situation. I must admit that it was perfectly timed, as the complications in this particular line
are simply impossible for even a top GM to navigate without prior analysis, and so I felt as
though I was fighting a great tide, while my opponent looked quite smug, almost with a
smirk of satisfaction on his face. It becomes quite obvious that the purpose of the white
queen on c2 is to promote rapid expansion in the center by pushing both the d- and e-pawns,
while avoiding the potential queen exchange if Black plays ...Nd5xc3 and White recaptures
with his d-pawn, the main purpose behind the delay of pushing said pawn. The only prior
game in my database had been played just the year before, however the present game
attracted mass attention, and therefore a lot of games have been played since. It is still
popular to this day, thanks to extensive analysis. One mistake in the opening can lead to a
lost game for Black.

5...Bg7?!

This natural move is already an inaccuracy. The database and practice confirm 5...Nc6 as
Black’s main move, but I will leave its exploration to the theory fanatics.

6.e4 Nb6

I’m playing normal moves, but it seems that White gets a large advantage without my
making a single obvious mistake. The knight is badly placed on b6 though, and will give me

566
a lot of trouble, hindering the advance on the queenside and having no obvious possibility of
being repositioned.
a) 6...Nxc3?! looks unnatural as it helps White to develop comfortably while blocking in
Black’s g7-bishop. 7.dxc3 0-0 and now either 8.Bf4 or even 8.h4 seems to give White a
comfortable edge.
b) 6...Nb4, moving the knight with tempo, looks the most logical, and must have been
extensively analyzed by my opponent. 7.Qa4+ N4c6 8.d4!

In many lines in this structure, White is willing to sacrifice his d-pawn as he gets his a1-rook
to the d-file with a valuable tempo. 8...0-0 (8...Bxd4? Pawn grabbing invites trouble. 9.Bh6!ƒ
Simple and strong. Black can’t castle short and his dark squares on the kingside are severely
weakened. White gets a massive initiative for the sacrificed pawn. 8...Bd7 9.Bb5! a6 10.Be3!
± White has an obvious advantage here, thanks to Black’s absolutely terrible knights on b8
and c6. 10...0-0 11.Rd1 Qc8 12.Qa3!±) 9.Be3 Nd7 10.d5 with a complicated game where
White’s chances look preferable.

7.d4±

567
After a mere seven moves White has a sizable advantage thanks to his strong center, greater
maneuvering space, superior knights and lack of serious counterplay by Black.
Black’s hopes lie in the potential pawn breaks ...c7–c5 or ...e7–e5 and an attempt to force
White’s d-pawn forward to d5 by playing ...Bc8–g4, hitting White’s f3-knight. If White plays
d4–d5, then Black can play the thematic ...c7–c6, undermining White’s center and giving
Black a much easier game, now that his g7-bishop can operate freely on the long diagonal
again.

7...0-0

a) 7...Bg4?! 8.Ne5 Be6 9.Be3 c6 10.Rd1 N8d7 11.Be2 Nxe5 12.dxe5 Qc8 13.f4±

568
In this structure White’s doubled e-pawns are a strength, since they completely lock out
Black’s g7-bishop. At the same time Black has to watch out for White’s potential f4–f5–f6,
starting a kingside attack. Black’s pieces are very passive, leaving White great freedom in
choosing his targets. 13...Bg4 14.0-0 0-0 15.Bc5 Bxe2 16.Nxe2 Re8 17.Rd3 Qc7 18.e6! fxe6
19.Qb3±
b) 7...Nc6?! is a thematic idea by Black to force White’s d-pawn to advance to d5, however,
in this particular situation, White’s queen is perfectly placed on c2 for the upcoming battle.
8.d5 Ne5 9.Nxe5 Bxe5

10.Bh6! has been played in tournament practice and is perhaps strongest.

569
a) 10.Be3 A solid alternative. 10...0-0 (10...c6?! 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.f4 Bg7 13.Be2 0-0 14.Rd1
Qc7 15.0-0±) 11.f4 (11.Bh6 Re8 12.0-0-0!? deserves serious study as White’s attack on the
kingside, once started, will develop very quickly) 11...Bg7 (11...Bxc3+ 12.Qxc3 f5 13.Bxb6
cxb6 14.e5±) 12.0-0-0 Qe8!

seems to be the only move to offer Black chances of counterplay. The game is complex and
requires further analysis. 13.Kb1 c6 14.dxc6 Qxc6 15.Bb5 Qc7„
b) 10.h4!? is another obvious suggestion that might be interesting for White.
10...Qd6 This move has been seen in tournament practice, but 10...e6 seems to be a better
alternative, though it doesn’t equalize either. 11.Qd2 c6 12.f4 Bxc3 13.Qxc3 f6 14.a4!ƒ with
a large initiative for White, thanks to his strong pair of bishops.

8.Be3

570
8...Bg4

After a long think, and being unable to find a plan that would give me even a hint of
counterplay, I decided to go for simplification in an attempt to reduce White’s attacking
potential. The possibility of landing in time trouble was particularly alarming, as I had
basically lost the 2009 match because of terrible blunders in time trouble, so I started to feel
great discomfort and tension.
a) 8...f5 was of course the move I considered in the game, but I ultimately discarded this
opening of my king in view of White’s superior development, especially versus the famed
attacker that was my opponent. 9.Rd1!

571
This and 9.0-0-0 were the moves I was particularly afraid of, as White’s plan is very obvious
— just push the kingside pawns against Black’s opened king — while Black has to play very
precisely not to lose immediately. (9.0-0-0 fxe4 10.Qb3+ e6 11.Ne5 Nd5 12.h4 Nxe3
13.fxe3 c5 14.Bc4 cxd4 15.exd4 Qb6² gives White an advantage in the resulting endgame,
however Black keeps defensive resources.) 9...fxe4 (9...f4?! Strategically this is a terrible
move, and should not be played unless Black gets immediate compensation for voluntarily
creating a weak f4-pawn and allowing White’s pawn center to become stronger than ever.
10.Qb3+ Kh8 11.Bd2 Bg4

12.Ne2!! reveals the purpose of retreating White’s bishop to d2 rather than c1: the bishop is

572
heading for the optimal b4/c3-squares.) 10.Ng5 (10.Qxe4?! Nc6 11.Bb5 Bf5 12.Qh4 e5
13.Bg5 Qc8 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Nxe5 Qa6!„) 10...Bf5 11.Be2 Nc6 12.Qb3+ Kh8 13.d5! Ne5
14.Ncxe4±

White’s strategic advantage has reached almost decisive levels, thanks to the extremely weak
light squares in the black camp and Black’s really bad b6-knight.
b) 8...Nc6 9.d5 (9.0-0-0 Bg4 10.d5 Na5 11.h3 Bxf3 12.gxf3 Nac4„) 9...Ne5 (9...Na5
10.Rd1! Stronger than castling long as White now switches towards expanding his central
control, leaving Black’s minor pieces in an awkward state. 10...Nac4? 11.Bd4±) 10.Nxe5
Bxe5 11.Bh6 (11.f4!?² transposes to a variation we saw earlier, where White has a
comfortable structural advantage and Black faces quite an unpleasant game. 11...Bg7 12.Rd1
c6 13.dxc6 Qc7 14.Bb5 a6 15.Be2 Qxc6 16.0-0 Be6 17.Bf3 Nc4 18.Bf2 with a certain
advantage for White, but Black keeps chances of equalizing eventually.) 11...Re8 12.f4
(12.0-0-0?! Qd6 13.h4 Bd7 14.h5 c6 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.dxc6 Qxc6 17.Bb5 Qe6 18.Bxd7
Nxd7 19.Kb1 Rac8 20.Be3 Nb6 21.Bd4 Bxd4 22.Rxd4 Kg7=) 12...e6!? 13.fxe5 Qh4+
14.Qf2 Qxh6 15.Nb5

573
15...Bd7! An absolutely fantastic resource that had to be seen before playing 12...e6,
however even here White keeps the advantage. (15...exd5 16.Nxc7 Be6 17.Nxe8 Rxe8
18.Bb5 Rc8 19.0-0 dxe4 20.Rae1±) 16.Nxc7 Rac8 17.Nxe8 (17.d6 Rf8= White’s weak e5-
pawn will be recaptured, leading to an approximately equal game) 17...Rc1+ 18.Rxc1 Qxc1+
19.Ke2 Qxb2+ 20.Kf3 Qc3+ 21.Qe3 Qxe5 22.dxe6 Qxe6 23.Be2 Bxe8 24.Rd1± Only
White can play for a win here, but Black gets some compensation for the missing exchange
with the potential knight transfer to e5.

9.Ne5!

574
Of course White prevents Black from exchanging his useless light-squared bishop.

9...Bxe5

I was debating whether to make this exchange immediately or retreat the bishop to e6, but I
was starting to run dangerously low on time and decided to leave the bishop on g4 so it
would take the d1-square away from White’s a1-rook, at least temporarily. In retrospect both
lines seem to lead to a similar position.
9...c5?! is an interesting tactical possibility which I didn’t consider seriously, and ultimately
proves to be of dubious value. 10.Nxg4 cxd4 11.Nh6+ Kh8 12.Rd1 (12.0-0-0?! Nc6„)
12...Nc6 13.Nb5! (13.Bc1?! Rc8 14.Qb3 Nd7!„; 13.Bg5?! Rc8 14.Qb3 Nd7 15.Nb1 Nce5!
Black gets counterplay, since it is not simple for White’s h6-knight to get back to its camp.
16.Rxd4 Qa5+ 17.Nc3 Nc5 18.Qc2 Nc6ƒ) 13...Rc8 14.Qb3 e6 15.h4

15...a6 (15...Na5?! 16.Qd3!±) 16.Bg5! (16.Na3? Nd7 17.Bd2 Nc5 18.Qc2 Ne5µ Suddenly
Black takes over the initiative) 16...f6 (16...Qd7 17.Na7!+– The point; Black’s counterplay
is an illusion.) 17.Qxe6!

575
The threat of smothered mate gives White an additional tempo. 17...Qe8 (17...fxg5??
18.Qg8+ Rxg8 19.Nf7#) 18.Qxe8 Rcxe8 19.Nd6 fxg5 20.Ndf7+ Rxf7 21.Nxf7+ Kg8
22.Nxg5 h6 23.Nf3 Rxe4+ 24.Kd2+– and White gets an easily won technical endgame.

10.dxe5 Nc6 11.h3

White begins a slow but methodical way of chasing my pieces to uninspiring locations.

11...Be6 12.Rd1!?

Slightly more accurate than the immediate 12.f4 as the black queen is forced to an inferior

576
square.
12.f4 Nb4 (12...f5 13.Rd1 Qe8!² The queen is better placed here than on c8; 12...Nd4
13.Qf2 c5 14.Rd1 Qc7 15.Bd3 Rad8 16.b3!± and Black is quite helpless) 13.Qf2

13...Qd3!? (13...Nd3+? 14.Bxd3 Qxd3 15.Rd1 Qa6 16.f5 Bc4 17.b3 Bb5 18.Bh6 Rfd8
19.Rxd8+ Rxd8 20.e6+– and the black king is completely unprotected against White’s
coming mating attack. Notice how terribly placed all Black’s pieces are on the queenside.)
14.Rc1 Bc4! 15.b3 Ba6

would allow me to transpose into a much worse endgame, however the presence of opposite-
colored bishops gives Black some hope. 16.Bc5 Qxf1+ 17.Qxf1 Bxf1 18.Bxb4 Bxg2 19.Rh2

577
Bf3 20.Bxe7 Rfe8 21.Bf6 c6 22.Rd2+–

It becomes obvious that White is technically winning; his pieces control the entire board and
Black has absolutely no counterplay.

12...Qc8

12...Qe8 13.Bh6+– would result in a technical win for White.

13.f4 Rd8!?

Low on time, I keep following my earlier decision of exchanging to reduce White’s attacking
potential.
a) 13...Nb4 14.Qb1 c5 15.a3 Nc6 16.Bxc5 Bb3 17.Rc1 Rd8 18.Be2 Qe6 19.0-0± I felt that
Black had sacrificed his pawn for nothing, as his pieces remain ‘ugly’ and White’s strong
pair of bishops will activate shortly with terrible consequences for Black.
b) 13...Bc4 14.Bxb6 Bxf1 15.Bc5 Ba6 16.Nd5 Re8 17.a4!±

578
Black is paralyzed. 17...b6 18.Ba3 Qb7 19.Kf2 b5 20.Rc1 b4 21.Qxc6 bxa3 22.bxa3 Qb2+
23.Qc2+– White is really close to winning thanks to his material advantage and superior
structure.

14.b3!

Another strong prophylactic move, continuing to take squares away from the black pieces.
14.Be2? Nb4

15.Rxd8+ [15.Qb1? Rxd1+ 16.Qxd1 (16.Bxd1 Nc4 17.Bc1 Qd7³) 16...Nxa2 17.Nxa2 Bxa2
18.Qc2 Qe6!= Black manages to free himself.] 15...Qxd8 16.Qc1 Bc4² and Black almost

579
manages to equalize, after eliminating one of White’s strong bishops.

14...Nb4

14...a5?!

This would be a loss of time, since Black cannot really succeed in breaking White’s blockade
on the queenside due to White’s very strong bishop pair, especially the dark-squared one.
15.Bb5 Nb4 16.Rxd8+ Qxd8 17.Qb1 a4? (17...c6 18.Be2 a4? 19.bxa4+–) 18.bxa4+–

15.Rxd8+ Qxd8

580
16.Qb1!

White needs to keep the queens on to retain attacking chances.

16.Qd2 Qxd2+ 17.Kxd2 Rd8+ 18.Kc1 c5! 19.Bxc5 Nxa2+ 20.Nxa2 Rc8 21.b4 Bxa2
22.Kb2 Be6 23.Bxb6 axb6 24.Bd3 Bc4 25.Rc1 b5!²

Black is just in time to prevent White from locking his bishop out on e6. The game should be
about balanced, with a very small advantage to White due to his doubled e-pawns being
stronger than Black’s doubled b-pawns.

581
16...f5!

My only remaining resource.

The threat of getting the d5-square for my pieces, if allowed to exchange White’s e4-pawn,
forces my opponent to exchange pawns en passant instead, giving me some breathing space.
However White’s structure is improved and the weak dark squares around the black king are
becoming more pronounced. Furthermore Black has not solved the problem of finding
squares for his queenside knights.

17.exf6 exf6 18.Be2

Simple chess. White concludes his development and stabilizes his opening success.

18...Qe7

Starting to aim for the central d4-square with my c6-knight, so that the a8-rook can go to the
d-file and, if possible, to follow up with ...c7–c5 and ...Nb4–c6–d4, which would vastly
improve my situation.

19.0-0 Bf7

19...Rd8 This and the game move lead to the same position. 20.Rd1 Rxd1+ 21.Qxd1 c5 with
a transposition to the game.

20.Bf2!?

582
White is very careful not to fall for Black’s potential ...Nb4–d5 tricks.

20...Rd8 21.Rd1

White is forced to exchange the remaining rooks, as he is not ready to open the position on
the kingside yet, given that his queen is slightly offside on b1.

21...Rxd1+?!

A miniscule inaccuracy.
21...Rd7! 22.Qc1 a5 23.Rd2 Rxd2 24.Qxd2 Qd7! 25.Qe3 Qd6 26.g4! White pursues his
advantage, as he should, on the flank where he has a pawn majority. 26...Nd7 27.h4 b6
28.g5± and thanks to the reduced material, Black keeps chances of a successful defense.

22.Qxd1 c5!?

For obvious reasons Black attempts to take the d4-square away from White’s dark-squared
bishop. In addition, he prepares for further exchanges after the possible ...c5–c4.

23.Bf1!?

583
White plays a slow game, removing his bishops as far from harm as possible, while awaiting
my mistake.

23...Kg7 24.g3

a) 24.Bh4?! Qd7²
b) 24.Qd2 Nc6 25.Be3!? h5 26.Kh2 (26.Qf2 Nd7 27.Bb5 a6 28.Bxc6 bxc6=) 26...Nd7
27.Bb5 Nf8!± Black faces a tough battle to equalize.

24...Nc6?!

24...c4!

584
This is a very interesting alternative that took up quite a chunk of my remaining time, but
ultimately I was afraid of opening the a1–h8 diagonal for my opponent’s dark-squared
bishop and decided to play a safer move. 25.a3
[25.bxc4 Nxc4 26.Bxa7 (26.Qa4 Nd2 27.Bg2 b6 28.Qd1 Nc4= Black has managed to
coordinate his pieces and keep White’s dark-squared bishop from reaching the a1–h8
diagonal.) 26...b6 27.Bxc4 Qc5+ 28.Kg2 Qxc4= Equalizing immediately.]
25...Nd3 26.Bd4 Qd6! (26...Qxa3?! 27.bxc4 Nb2 28.Qf3 N2xc4 29.e5± White manages to
clear the a1–h8 diagonal with a very strong attack.) 27.Nb5 Qd7 28.Bxd3

28...Qxh3! The move that had to be seen before playing 24...c4, which, obviously, I did not,

585
given the limited time. At this point I had less than five minutes to make the time control and
was trying not to feel depressed about it. (28...cxd3 29.Qxd3± Qxh3? 30.Bxf6++– with a
mating attack to follow shortly.) 29.Bf1 (29.Bxf6+ Kxf6 30.Qa1+ Ke7 31.Qe5+ Kf8=)
29...Qxg3+ 30.Bg2 Qxf4 31.b4 a6 32.Nc3 Nd7²

The position is very close to being materially balanced, but Black needs to keep the queens
on due to the white king’s limited protection from checks.

25.Bg2 h5!?

Played with the intention of exchanging White’s g-pawn, should it advance, and giving my

586
king a potential escape square on h7.

26.Nb5?!

White starts to rely on my time trouble a bit too much.

a) 26.Kh2! This waiting move is stronger. 26...c4 27.Nd5!±
b) 26.Nd5? Nxd5 27.exd5 Qd6! would be the point of Black’s defense. White has lost his
advantage as Black sets up a nice dark-squared blockade and White’s d-pawn becomes
vulnerable.

26...Nc8?!

In time trouble I was playing purely reactive chess. Instead I should have thought about
simplifying the position.
26...c4!!

Black sacrifices the pawn, but eliminates one of White’s most dangerous pieces, the knight!
In the resulting pawn-up position, White has limited chances to win, thanks to the greatly
reduced material on the board. 27.Nxa7 (27.Nd4 Nxd4 28.Bxd4 cxb3 29.axb3 Qb4 30.e5
Bxb3 31.Qa1 Bd5! 32.exf6+ Kf7= and Black reaches equality) 27...Nxa7 28.Bxb6 cxb3
29.axb3 Nc6² and it seems very difficult for White to convert his advantage.

27.Qd2

587
27...c4?!

Now this is too late, and, with my knight on c8, simply not good.
27...b6!? was possible, though I was afraid of letting my opponent open up his bishops after
28.e5 Be8! 29.exf6+ Qxf6 30.Nc3 N8e7 31.Ne4 Qe6.

It seems that White has a lot of work to do before he can break Black’s defense. 32.g4!
(32.Qc3+ Kg8 33.Ng5 Qd6 34.a3! a5 35.Qc4+ Kg7±) 32...hxg4 33.hxg4 Kf8 (33...Qxg4?
34.Qc3+ Kf8 35.Qh8+ Ng8 36.Qxg8+ Kxg8 37.Nf6++–) 34.Qc3 Ng8 35.Bf3 Nce7!
36.Ng5 Qd6 37.Qc4 Nf6 38.Ne6+ Kg8 39.Nxc5+ Bf7 40.Qd4 Qxd4 41.Bxd4 Nfd5

588
42.Nd3 Nc6 43.Be5 Nxe5 44.fxe5

44...g5! 45.Kf2 Nc3 46.Nc1 Kf8 47.Ke3 Ke7 48.Kd3 Nd5 49.Ke4 Be6 50.Ne2 Nb4
51.Nc3 Bc8!±

And White still has technical problems converting his extra pawn, e.g. 52.a3? Nc2=
27...Be8! is perhaps best. Black protects his c6-knight before consolidating his queenside
pawn chain with ...b7–b6, after which White would have been hard-pressed to improve his
position. 28.g4 hxg4 29.hxg4

589
29...Qd7! [29...b6 30.Bh4! The only way left for White to play for an advantage by targeting
Black’s only weakness, the f6-pawn. Black has an arduous defensive task ahead of him.
(30.Nc3 Qd6²) 30...Qd7 31.Qb2 Nd4 32.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 33.Qxd4 cxd4 34.Kf2 Bd7 35.f5
Nd6 36.Bg3 Nf7±] 30.Qxd7+! (30.Qe2?! a6 31.Nc3 Nd4 32.Qd1 Ne7

White should be better, but amazing complications may arise, e.g. 33.Na4 b6! 34.Nxb6 Qc7
35.b4! Qxf4 36.bxc5 Ndc6 37.Nd5 Nxd5 38.exd5 Ne5 39.c6 Nxg4 40.Qf3 Qc1+ 41.Bf1
Ne5„

590
and it seems that the open location of White’s king gives Black sufficient chances of a
perpetual.) 30...Bxd7 31.Bxc5 Bxg4 32.Kf2± and White keeps strong winning chances.

28.bxc4 Bxc4 29.Nd4!

Of course. White immediately grabs the chance to exchange Black’s c6-knight that was
controlling the d4-square.

29...Qb4

591
Played with the idea of winning a tempo to connect the other knight.
a) 29...Nb4? 30.Qc3 b5 31.Nxb5 Bxb5 32.Qxc8+–
b) 29...Nxd4 30.Bxd4 Kf7 31.f5 gxf5 32.Qh6 fxe4 33.Qxh5+ Ke6 34.Bxe4 Nd6 35.Bg2 b6
36.h4± and White probably has better chances to win this position than Black has to draw.

30.Qc1!

Very accurate. White keeps the tension.

30...N8e7 31.a3!?

An important move that forces the black queen to give up control of b2.

31...Qa4 32.Qb2?!

White now embarks on a series of queen moves that help Black solidify his queenside.
32.Kh2! b6 33.Qc3 Kf7 34.g4! Nxd4 35.Bxd4 hxg4 36.hxg4 f5! 37.exf5 gxf5 38.g5

38...Qb3! Black needs to exchange queens to keep his drawing chances alive. 39.Qxb3 Bxb3
40.Kg3 Nd5 41.Bf3 Kg6!± and a long maneuvering game ensues, where Black will
continually be tortured by having to find precise defensive moves, an unenviable task.

32...b6 33.Kh2

592
White plays this part of the game well, although the evaluation of the position decreases,
with the black pieces finally obtaining full coordination.

33...Kf7

Played with the obvious desire to get the king out of the dangerous pin.
33...Qd1 34.Bf3 Qa4 (34...Qf1 35.Nxc6 Nxc6 36.e5+–) 35.Qc3 Nxd4 36.Bxd4 Ng8 37.g4
(37.e5 Qb3!„) 37...hxg4 38.hxg4

38...Qb3 (38...Kf7 39.Kg3!±) 39.Qxb3 Bxb3 40.Be2 (40.g5 Kf7²) 40...Kf7 41.Kg3 Ne7
42.Bb5 Be6 43.Bc3 Nc8 44.f5 gxf5 45.gxf5 Bb3 46.Kf4 Nd6 47.Bc6 Ke7 48.Bb4±

593
and White’s mega-strong bishop pair keeps posing problems for Black, even in this much
simplified position.

34.Qc3

White prevents Black’s queen from leaving the sidelines, as the c4-bishop has to be
protected, however this allows Black to bring the queen to c4 with tempo.
34.Qd2!? Nxd4 35.Bxd4 (35.Qxd4 Qc2=) 35...Qxa3

36.Bxf6 Kxf6 37.Qd4+ Ke6 38.Qxc4+ Kd7!² and Black should be able to hold this
endgame, but it doesn’t look fun for him.

594
34...Ba2?

Played with the idea of using the c4-square for the queen, but the bishop is badly placed in
the corner of the board. In my defense I can only say that I had completely overlooked
White’s next move, and with only a few minutes left on my clock the difference between
34...Ba2 and 34...Ba6 seemed non-existent.
34...Ba6!? would have been better:

35.f5! White’s best resource to open files on the kingside, creating targets for his bishops.
(35.Nxc6? Qxc6 36.Qxc6 Nxc6 37.e5 Ne7=; 35.e5?! Nxd4 36.Bxd4 fxe5 37.Bxe5 Qc4
38.Qf3 Qc5 and Black brings his bishop back to c4, protecting his king. White’s advantage
now is minimal.) 35...Qc4!

595
However, after this good defensive move, Black almost entirely neutralizes White’s
advantage. 36.Qd2 (36.Qb2 gxf5 37.Nxf5 Nxf5 38.exf5 Ne5 39.Bd4 Qe2=) 36...Qd3! Black
successfully prevents White’s queen from infiltrating his kingside. 37.fxg6+ Kxg6 38.Qb2
Bc4!=

35.f5!

White shows his true intentions at just the right time. With Black’s king now on f7, he cannot
sidestep with ...g6–g5, as his h5-pawn would be captured, and the a2-bishop cannot come to
the rescue with ...Ba2–f7. As a result Black is now forced to open the position.

596
35...Qc4?!

Another inaccuracy.
a) 35...gxf5?! 36.Nxf5 (36.Nxc6 Qxc6=; 36.exf5?! Nxd4 37.Bxd4 Nxf5 38.Bxf6 Qc4=)
36...Nxf5 37.exf5 Ne7
[37...Ne5 38.Bd4! h4 (38...Qb5 39.Qc7+ Nd7 40.g4 hxg4 41.hxg4 Ke7 42.g5!+–; 38...Qc4
39.Bxe5 fxe5 40.Qxe5 h4 41.g4+–) 39.g4+–]
38.Qd3 h4?! Leaves Black’s h4-pawn permanently weak. 39.g4 Qf4+ 40.Kg1 Qc1+ 41.Qf1
Qxa3 42.Qa1 Qb3 43.Bxh4 Qb1+ 44.Qxb1 Bxb1 45.Bf2!±

Fixing Black’s queenside pawns while preparing the advance of White’s own connected
kingside pawn mass. Most likely this position is winning in a practical game.
b) 35...Ne5! was a must. 36.Nf3 (36.Qc7 Qd7±) 36...N7c6 37.Nxe5+ Nxe5 38.Bd4 Nd7
39.h4! Qc4 40.Qd2 Bb1!

597
This ingenious defense saves Black. 41.Bb2! [41.fxg6+ Kxg6² 42.Bh3? Bxe4!! (42...Ne5?
43.Bxe5 fxe5 44.Qg5++–) 43.Bxd7 Qf1!µ] 41...Bd3 42.fxg6+ (42.Qh6 Bxe4=) 42...Kxg6
43.Qf4! (43.Bh3 Bxe4=) 43...Qc5 44.g4! Ne5 (44...Be2? 45.Qf5+ Qxf5 46.exf5+ Kf7
47.g5+–) 45.gxh5+ (45.Qf5+? Kg7=) 45...Kf7! 46.h6 Qd6!±

and Black keeps defensive chances. Of course it would have been quite unrealistic to find all
these precise moves, especially in time trouble.

36.Qb2!

The exclamation mark is for my opponent’s ability to find moves that cause me maximum

598
discomfort.
a) 36.Qd2 Nxd4 37.fxg6+ Nxg6 38.Bxd4 h4!²
b) 36.fxg6+!? (the computer’s suggestion) 36...Kxg6 37.Qb2 Ne5² would have made my
defensive task easier.

36...Ne5?

This ‘centralizing’ move is a serious time trouble mistake, as it leaves White’s most
dangerous piece, the d4-knight, free from possible exchange.
36...gxf5!

37.Nb5! (37.Nxf5 Nxf5 38.exf5 Ne5² almost equalizes completely; 37.exf5 Nxd4 38.Bxd4
Nxf5 39.Bxf6 Qe6 40.Be5 Bd5=) 37...Qb3 38.Qe2 Kg7! 39.exf5 (39.Nd6 Qe6 40.Ne8+
Kf8 41.Nxf6 Qxf6 42.Qxa2 fxe4 43.Bxe4 h4!² and the reduced material should give Black
sufficient defensive resources, despite White’s magnificent pair of bishops) 39...Qc4!
40.Qb2 Qb3

599
41.Qxb3 Bxb3 42.Bf3!± White keeps winning chances, thanks to his bishop pair and the
presence of the knights. (42.Nd6 Bd5=)

37.Qd2!

Now White threatens to infiltrate with a decisive advantage, thanks to the possibility of his
knight jumping to the e6-outpost. I had barely a minute to make the final moves in this
critical position.

37...g5!

600
37...Bb1?! 38.Qh6 Qa2 39.Kg1 gxf5 40.Qxh5+ Kf8 41.Qh8+ Kf7 42.Qh7+ Ke8 43.exf5

43...Bxf5 44.Nxf5 Qb1+ 45.Kh2 Qxf5 46.Qxf5 Nxf5 47.g4 Nd6 48.a4± I’m not sure if
White can win this, but Black faces a daunting defensive task.

38.Ne6?

White goes for a final gamble!

a) 38.Qd1?!

38...Qd3!! This was my intention. (38...g4 39.Qd2! White has managed to provoke a

601
weakness in the black kingside and now the vulnerable position of Black’s king and weak
h5-pawn give White close to winning chances. 39...gxh3 40.Kxh3 Ng4 41.Bg1 Bb3 42.Kh4!
±) 39.Qxh5+ Kg7! 40.Qe8 Qxa3= Black is just in time to restore the material balance and
protect his king. The game is completely equal, thanks to White’s closed-in bishop on g2.
b) 38.Nf3!

A much stronger and more dangerous idea! White threatens to trade Black’s best piece, the
e5-knight, which will make Black vulnerable along the seventh rank, however Black’s
defenses should be sufficient. 38...Nd3!
[38...N7c6?! 39.Nxe5+ Nxe5 40.Bd4!

602
The point. Black’s queen cannot protect both the e5-knight and a2-bishop. 40...Nd7
(40...Nd3 41.Ba1! Bb3 42.Qe2 Ke7 43.Qxh5 Ne1 44.Qh7+ Qf7 45.Qxf7+ Kxf7 46.e5
Nxg2 47.Kxg2 fxe5 48.Bxe5 Bd5+ 49.Kf2+–) 41.Bc3 Ke8 42.Bf3 h4 43.Bh5+ Ke7
44.Bb4+

44...Kd8 (44...Nc5? 45.gxh4 gxh4 46.e5! fxe5 47.f6+ Kxf6 48.Qd6+ Kg7 49.Qxe5+ Kg8
50.Bc3+– and the power of the two bishops is finally revealed) 45.gxh4 gxh4 46.Be2! Qxe4
47.Qxa2 Qf4+ 48.Kh1 Qe4+ 49.Kg1 Qe3+ 50.Kf1 Qxh3+ 51.Ke1 Qxf5 52.Qc4 Nc5
53.Qxh4 Nd3+

603
54.Kd2! Keeping the correct bishop to promote the a-pawn. 54...Nxb4 55.Qxb4± It might
take forever, but White should be able to win this.]
39.Bf1 Bb1!

40.Nd4! Qc1 41.Qxc1 Nxc1 42.Bc4+ Ke8 43.Nb5!± with plenty of play in this endgame.

38...N7c6??

And here is the fatal blunder which came as a result of mega-tension and having to play
precise defense for the last ten moves with only a few minutes on the clock. I had less than a
minute left at this point, and, despite wasting precious seconds, I simply could not find a

604
defense. But there was one, though well hidden!
38...Bb3!!=

Removes the bishop from the gaze of White’s queen and eliminates the d1-square from
White’s choices. White cannot improve. 39.Qd6 (39.Qd8 Qc8³ and Black is even better!!)
39...Qe2!= This counterattack forces White to accede to the queen trade, after which, with
Black’s wonderful e5-knight, it is White who will have to be careful not to fall into the
inferior position.

39.Qd6!+–

Of course!! Now Black is completely lost.

605
39...Ke8

A last-ditch attempt to confuse my opponent.

At this point I saw his winning line — and also that he was rushing to win the game before I
could make the time control.
39...Ne7 40.Nxg5+ fxg5 41.Qxe5+– is completely hopeless for Black.

40.Nc7+?!

Doesn’t spoil the win, but in order to win immediately, White only had to spot that Black’s
position is holding only because of the e5-knight, so if White manages to exchange it, he
wins immediately.
a) 40.Bd4!+– There is no defense, as Black cannot capture the bishop in view of instant
mate. 40...Qd3 41.Qf8+ Kd7 42.Qxf6 Nf3+ 43.Bxf3 Qxf3

606
44.Qf7+! The most accurate. 44...Ne7 45.Nf8+ Kd8 46.Qxa2+–
b) 40.Qf8+ Kd7

41.Qg7+
[41.Qxf6 is not so simple: 41...Qe2! 42.Qg7+ Ke8 43.Qg8+ Kd7 44.Qh7+ Ne7 (44...Ke8?
45.Qxh5+!+–) 45.Qg7 (45.f6? Nf3+ 46.Bxf3 Qxf2+ 47.Bg2 Qxf6µ) 45...Bxe6 (45...Nf3+
46.Bxf3 Qxf2+ 47.Bg2 Bxe6 48.fxe6+ Kxe6 49.Qxg5 Qc5 50.Qh6+ Kd7 51.h4+– should
be sufficient to win for White) 46.Qxe5 (46.fxe6+? Kd6=) 46...Nxf5 47.Bd4 Ne3! 48.Qg7+
Kc6 49.Bxe3 Qxe3 50.Qh6 Kd7 51.Qh7+ Kd8 52.Qxh5 Qc5± and White might experience
some technical difficulties in converting his advantage.]

607
41...Ne7 42.Qxf6 (42.Bd4+– also wins) 42...Qc3 43.Nd4 N7c6

44.Kh1!!+– Moving the king away from possible discovered checks wins the game.

40...Kf7

Immediately after playing this move, I remembered my old rule of standing up and walking
away from the board, giving my opponent the chance of a long think resulting in a mistake, a
common occurrence. There is also a related psychological phenomenon. When both players
are sitting at the board, they become so attuned to each other’s thought processes that
sometimes one player’s ideas can intuitively be sensed and transferred to the opponent.

608
Perhaps a study could be made one day to formally confirm this theory. So, having realized
that my position was completely lost, I started to tell myself that it’s only one game, I had
fallen victim to a very strong opening novelty and there’s no shame in losing to such an
opponent, especially after the cunning and brilliant way he utilized my awful time trouble.
The best thing to do now would have been to figure out my opponent’s move in advance,
walk up to the board, take only enough time to confirm my decisions, play the move and
walk away again.
If the game lasts longer than the first time control, a player who continues to sit at the board
in an attempt to calculate the lines until the very end risks suffering another well-known
phenomenon, the ‘blind spot’, where, in a calculation involving many moves, he blunders
something on the very first or second move. So it was my hope that by walking away from
the board, I’d give my opponent a chance to make a mistake — and also give myself the
opportunity to pray for forgiveness about my terrible defense in this game.

41.Nd5?!

After a long think, my opponent centralizes the knight and goes for the pawn. However the
immediate danger is now gone and the game continues!! White could of course return with
41.Ne6 and proceed to win with 42.Bd4.

41...Qe2!

Following the principle that attack is the best form of defense. Black has nothing better
anyway, but at least White now has a huge selection of moves with no clear win sight.

42.Qxf6+ Ke8

609
43.Qe6+?!

After this move, it became clear to me that my opponent, despite his famous ability to
calculate many moves deep, could not find the win. White would win if he could find a way
to trade Black’s e5-knight with tempo, but it is no longer easy to do.
43.Qh8+! Kf7 (43...Kd7 44.Qg7+ Ke8 45.Qg8+! Kd7 46.Qe6+ Kd8 47.Qd6+ Ke8

48.Nf6+! Kf7 49.Nd7!!+– and White achieves his goal of exchanging Black’s e5-knight
with tempo) 44.Qh7+ Kf8

610
45.Qh6+! An important check to keep Black’s king on the inferior f7-square so that his h-
pawn can be captured with check! 45...Kf7 (45...Ke8 46.Qxh5++–) 46.Bg1!! Now it wins.
46...Bxd5 Forced. (46...Nd4? 47.Qh7+ Kf8 48.Qe7+ is mate in two) 47.exd5 Nd4 This
doesn’t work anymore. 48.Qh7+ Ke8 (48...Kf6 49.Bxd4+–) 49.f6 Nef3+ 50.Kh1 Qe1
51.f7+ Ke7 52.d6+! Ke6 53.Qg6+ Ke5 54.Bxf3 Nxf3

55.Qf6+!! The simplest. 55...Kxf6 56.f8=Q+ Ke6 57.Qe7+ Kd5 58.Qxe1 Nxe1 59.d7+–

43...Kf8

611
44.Kg1? Qd1+ 45.Bf1??

And my prayers were answered.

It is hard to believe, but after this move White no longer has a win! He could still win if he
returned with his king to h2 and went for the winning plan mentioned above.

45...Bxd5!

Black removes White’s key piece, leaving himself with Q+2Ns vs. Q+2Bs, except that

612
White’s bishops are very passive, and, knowing my opponent’s love of active piece play, this
must have been a factor when White made his erroneous 44th move.

46.exd5?

White should have exchanged queens, keeping a material advantage and the bishop pair
which would leave him with at least some chances of a win.
46.Qxd5! Qxd5 47.exd5 Ne7 48.Be2 Nxf5 49.Bxh5 Ke7 50.Kg2 Kd6 51.Bf3 Ne7 52.Be3
g4! 53.hxg4 Nxf3 54.Kxf3 Nxd5² Black should be able to draw this, due to White’s extra g-
pawn being doubled. He only needs to blockade the pawn on a light square and exchange his
queenside pawns for White’s a-pawn.

55.Bd4 Ke6 56.Ke4 Nc7 57.g5 Nb5 58.Bb2 Nd6+ 59.Kf4 Nc4 60.Bc1 b5 61.Ke4 a6=

613
White cannot make progress as Black’s queenside pawns are in a self-protecting formation.

46...Nd4!

A picturesque position, and the one I was aiming for in my thoughts while walking about
between moves. Black’s activity is sufficient to draw.

47.Qf6+ Kg8 48.Qxg5+

White decides to grab another pawn with check.

614
48.Bxd4 Qxd4+ 49.Kh1 Qxd5+ 50.Bg2 Qd1+ 51.Kh2 Nf3+ 52.Bxf3 Qxf3= White cannot
keep his extra pawn and avoid the perpetual at the same time.

48...Kf7!=

White has two extra pawns, but no more checks, and it’s my turn to create threats to his king!

49.Qd8

A last effort to bring the queen to the defense of the king.

a) 49.Kg2 Qf3+ 50.Kg1 Qd1= repeats the position.
b) 49.Qe3 Ndf3+ 50.Kg2 Qxd5!

615
White is unable to avoid the perpetual. 51.Qh6 (51.Be2? Nh4+ 52.Kf1 Qh1+–+) 51...Ne1+
52.Kg1 N5f3+ 53.Kh1 Nh4+=

49...Qc2!!

The last study-like move which was very difficult to find. Black takes the c7-square away
from the white queen, preventing further checks, and now threatens to start a sequence of
knight checks. Furthermore, his d4-knight is indirectly protected.

50.Bg2

At this point my opponent sat shaking his head in total disbelief, and I started to pity him.
With the game going to end in a pretty certain draw, I could feel a tingle of satisfaction at my
revenge being complete.

616
50...Qc1+ 51.Kh2 Qc2!

White cannot capture on d4 because of mate and Black actually threatens mate himself.
White can repeat moves, but chooses to give up the bishop instead.

52.Bg1 Ndf3+ 53.Kh1 Ne1!

54.Bf2

617
54.Bf1?? was too much to hope for: 54...Qe4+ 55.Kh2 N5f3+ 56.Kh1 Nd2+ 57.Kh2 Nxf1#

54...Qxf2

Forcing White to take the perpetual.

55.Qc7+ Kf6 56.Qd6+ Kf7=

Draw agreed.

½–½

After the game we were ushered to the press conference to face the typical questions about
the game etc. To his credit, although with a little too much fatalism, my opponent admitted
that with play such as his, he didn’t deserve to be playing a match for the world
championship. With the closure of this match, I thought that my personal saga with Mr.
Topalov would be over, however it was not, and I’ll mention the details in a later game.
Regarding the rest of my performance, I was paired in the next round with the Israeli GM
Boris Gelfand, who had stopped me once before in the Candidates matches, in the second
round at Elista in 2007. This time the match was far better contested, however several non-
chess-related considerations influenced my play.
My long-time second and friend, GM Emil Sutovsky, was also from Israel and had a friendly
relationship with GM Gelfand. It was difficult for me to imagine what would have happened
to that friendship had I managed to draw the fourth rapid tie-break game, needing only to

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draw with White to win the match. As it happened though, I lost the fourth rapid game, and
did not manage to pull myself together before the blitz tie-breaks, where I played absolutely
terribly and lost both games, thus losing a match to GM Gelfand for the second time. As
small consolation, however, GM Gelfand went on to win the final Candidates match vs. GM
Grischuk and qualified for the world championship match versus GM Anand in Moscow in
2012. I didn’t pay much attention to that match, and it is not my story to tell, so I’ll stop by
just adding that it too, rather ironically I may say, required rapid tie-breaks to decide the
classical World Champion.

619
 GAME 18
Gata Kamsky
Levon Aronian
Ningbo 2011
The Armenian super-GM has traditionally been a very difficult opponent for me and this is
my only win against him in classical chess, compared to many losses over the years.
One important psychological factor helped me get into an optimistic mood: winning the
unofficial World Rapid Championship in Mainz in 2010. In one of the crucial games, I
managed to beat Levon for the first time in spectacular fashion on the black side of my pet
Chebanenko Slav. Unfortunately this was the final year of this annual fun mega-event (which
included both rapid and Fischerandom chess) in that format, but I would always retain fond
memories of it.
As this game was played in an important event, the World Team Championship, it inspired
me, as is typical in team events, to greater motivation. The city of Ningbo is not far from
Shanghai. Something about it which struck me as curious was the numerous construction
projects in progress, yet with no population to inhabit the skyrises. In fact it sort of reminded
me of a spooky horror movie called The Silent Hill, set in an abandoned city somewhere in
the USA.
Getting back to the chess, it was the tournament of a few firsts, as I scored another first
classical chess victory over another traditionally difficult opponent, Azerbaijani super-GM
Radjabov, and it was also the starting experience of some top level tournaments in China. I
would go on to play in a few Mind Game events in Beijing, along with yet another FIDE
Grand Prix event there. Of course, being a fan of oriental culture and philosophy, it is always
a pleasurable experience to visit China, however there is one critical factor that has made me
decline some recent events there: the absolutely horrendous — and worsening — levels of air
pollution, with people wearing face masks throughout the day. The city of Ningbo had a
better air quality, but the humid heat in the summer made it impossible to go out in the
daytime. Fortunately for the players, the hotel was great and there were quite a number of
ping-pong enthusiasts among us, so there was never a dull moment during the entire event.
Our American team was generously sponsored by the St. Louis Chess Club, but managed
only to tie for fourth to sixth place, with the first three places taken by Armenia, China and
Ukraine.

620
 Levon Aronian (Photo by Frans Peeters)

1.e4

The Marshall Attack in the Spanish game was quickly rising to the peak of popularity again,
and was a welcome change from the unbreakable Berlin Wall variation.
My opponent has always been and remains to this day one of the world’s top experts on the
Marshall and its side lines, so I had decided to deviate early.

1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7

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6.d3!?

A rare move in those days, however, shortly afterwards, GM Kramnik was to resurrect the
Italian game, which started to dominate elite and top-level tournament games. There are
similarities between the two openings in terms of structure and plans, however move order
and other nuances are the crux of chess opening preparation, and make or break the living of
the very top players. With the move played I take the game into less forcing lines, in the hope
of surviving the opening, something which I had not managed to do in most of my losses
versus my opponent.

6...b5 7.Bb3 d6

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Black decides to switch to the classical Ruy Lopez without the fast ...d7–d5 pawn break in
the center.
In general, White wants to keep his ‘Spanish’ light-squared bishop alive and there are several
ways to do this. 6.d3 also allows White to save a tempo on Rf1–e1, which can be disputed, of
course, since White’s main idea is to build a c3/d4 pawn chain, meaning he just wasted a
tempo with d2–d3. This theoretical structural reasoning goes back many years as the opening
is one of the oldest known to chess history.

8.a4

An older move that is still popular among the elite, however it is no longer the main line.
8.a3!? This move is all the rage at present. White’s intention is to keep the b4-square under
control while giving his b3-bishop a hiding spot on a2. In addition, White’s aim is to develop
his b1-knight to c3, and from there, typically to d5. The merits of this line are still being
debated in tournament play.

8...b4!?

Black’s second most popular response. Usually he postpones the decision on fixing his
queenside pawn structure, however my opponent goes for a more aggressive approach.
8...Bd7 is considered to be the main move, but since d7 is not the ideal location for Black’s
light-squared bishop, it’ll have to be moved somewhere else later in the game. White usually
proceeds with his typical Spanish set-up of 9.c3 followed by Bb3−c2.

623
9.Bg5?!

Played with the idea of exchanging the bishop for the f6-knight, leaving me with a pair of
knights in a closed position, but the idea is dubious and has not found any followers. Either
9.a5 or 9.Nbd2 followed by a4–a5 and c2–c3 leads to complex middlegame battles with
closed pawn formations.

9...0-0

Trying to annotate each move in an enormously complex opening like the Spanish is fraught
with danger, as there are many nuances and possibilities, and, even more so, important
transpositions, which weigh heavily on the memory of the top player.

10.Nbd2

Seems natural, but takes away the d2-square as a possible retreat for the g5-bishop, as in
many structures of this kind, when White’s dark-squared bishop is placed on d2 it helps
prevent Black from going for the thematic pawn sacrifice after...Nc6–a5 and ...b4–b3.
However the good news is that the database now had fewer than ten games with this
position!!! An obvious success for my strategy of deviating from my opponent’s famed
preparation!

10...h6

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A useful move which forces White to declare his priorities for his g5-bishop, whether it’ll
remain on the c1–h6 diagonal or move to the side.

11.Bh4

Since I later had to trade this bishop for the f6-knight anyway, it would have made sense to
save myself some tempi by doing so immediately.
11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.a5!? In a lot of cases, White usually plays this move with the general idea
of disrupting a link between Black’s a6- and b4-pawns. The pawn also provides White with a
potential b6-outpost should Black push his c-pawn to c5 to reconnect his b4-pawn with the
central pawn chain. However it is quite obvious that White cannot claim any hint of an
opening advantage, and in fact will have to consider how to prevent Black’s potential
kingside expansion with the ...f7–f5 pawn push.

11...Rb8 12.Re1

a) 12.h3?! Na5 13.Ba2 Nd7! The knight goes to c5, from where it’ll be able to keep an eye
on White’s pawns, both in the center and on the queenside. (13...Nh5? 14.Nxe5! This
famous trick wins White a pawn.) 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Re1 Nc5 16.Nc4 Nc6 17.Ne3 Be6
Black has completed the development of his pieces and can look forward to the middlegame
with at least equal chances.

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18.Bc4 Nd4!? 19.Nd2 Qg5 20.c3 bxc3 21.bxc3 Bxc4 22.cxd4 Bb3 23.Qe2 exd4 24.Nf3 Qf6
25.Ng4 Qg6 26.Nxd4 Bxa4 27.Ne3°
b) 12.c3?!

12...Nh5! The trade of the dark-squared bishops favors Black, and the threat of the knight
hopping from h5 to f4 is serious enough to force White to create light-squared weaknesses
around his king. White’s thematic Nxe5 counter to this move does not work in this case,
which makes the timing of the move ideal.
[12...Na5 is a standard way of playing this position, however Black has something better:
13.Ba2 c5 14.d4

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14...Qc7!? suddenly leads to massive complications. (14...exd4 15.cxd4 g5 16.Bg3 b3!?
17.Bb1 Nh5 18.h3 Nxg3 19.fxg3 c4 20.Qe2 Rb4 21.Rc1 g4 22.hxg4 Bg5!?∞ creates a mess
of a position) 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.Nxe5 bxc3 17.bxc3 Qxe5 18.Bg3 Qxc3 19.Bxb8 Bg4 20.f3
Rxb8 21.fxg4 Rb2 22.Nf3 c4ƒ with a roughly balanced game.]
13.Bxe7 (13.Nxe5?? Nxe5 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Qxh5 Bg4–+) 13...Qxe7

14.g3 (14.Re1? Nf4 15.Re3 Na5 16.Ba2 Qf6 Black’s powerful f4-knight gives him superior
chances.) 14...Na5 15.Ba2 Bg4 (15...Kh8 16.d4=) 16.Re1 Nf6³ With White’s light-squared
bishop away on the queenside, Black’s g4-bishop is extremely dangerous and White will
have to play carefully to avoid falling into an inferior position.

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12...Na5

12...Nh5!? seems more logical, with a balanced game.

13.Ba2

13.d4!? A typical computer suggestion which a classically trained human player would have
great difficulty in even starting to consider, based on the ingrained belief that White must
keep his ‘Spanish’ b3-bishop alive.

13...exd4 14.e5! The point of White’s previous move. 14...dxe5 (14...Ng4 15.Bxe7 Qxe7
16.exd6 Qxd6 17.Ne4 Qb6 18.Qxd4 Nxb3 19.cxb3 Bb7 20.Qxb6 cxb6 21.a5 bxa5 22.Rxa5
Rbd8= might not be a position to everyone’s taste, though objectively the endgame seems
balanced) 15.Nxe5!²

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It seems that White has full compensation for the sacrificed central pawn in view of his
powerfully placed e5-knight. 15...Bb7 (15...c5 16.Ba2 Rb6!?∞ with complications) 16.Ng6
(16.Nxf7 Rxf7 17.Bxf7+ Kxf7 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Qxa5 d3 21.Qxb4 Bxg2
22.Qc4+ Bd5 23.Qxd3 Bxb2 24.Rad1 Qg5+ 25.Qg3 Qh5= Black’s strong pair of bishops
and White’s weakly guarded king should make this position evenly balanced.) 16...Re8

17.Rxe7! Rxe7 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qg4! Kh7! 20.Nxe7 Qxe7 21.Qf5+ Kh8 22.Qxa5 Rg8

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and Black’s counterattack on the kingside equalizes the game. 23.Qh5 (23.g3?? White falls
for it!! 23...Rg5!–+ The less obvious trap.) 23...Rxg2+ 24.Kf1 Rg5 25.Qxh6+ Kg8

26.Qh3 (26.Bc4? Bg2+ 27.Kg1 Qe5–+; 26.f3?? Qe3–+) 26...Bg2+ 27.Qxg2 Rxg2 28.Kxg2
Qe2

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29.Nc4! And in this materially unbalanced position, both sides must play each move
precisely to keep the game balanced. (29.Nf3? d3!µ) 29...d3 30.Ne3!=

13...c5

Again, 13...Nh5 was possible.

14.Nc4

At this point, I was starting to get my hopes of an optimistic result up as I had finally
managed to complete my development, thus the opening phase of the game was officially

631
over. One obvious plan for White is to somehow get his knights to the magic d5-square, a
thematic ‘nightmare’ square for Black in the Spanish.

14...Nc6

A bit careless, though in the style of my opponent, who could be brilliant one moment and
quite carefree the next.
14...Nxc4 15.Bxc4 Nh5!? 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.g3

17...Bg4 (17...Nf6 18.Nh4 Qc7 19.a5=) 18.a5 (18.Qe2 Kh7 19.Qe3 a5 20.Nd2 g6 21.c3
Bh3 22.d4= with a complex battle ahead) 18...Kh8 19.Re3 f5 20.exf5

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20...Qf6 (20...Bxf5? 21.Nxe5+–; 20...Rxf5? 21.Nxe5!±) 21.Qe1 Bxf5 22.Nh4 Bh7 23.Qe2
g5 24.Rf1 Ng7 25.Rf3! Qe7 26.Rxf8+ Rxf8 27.Nf3 Bg6 28.Nd2 Nf5 29.c3= Black’s king is
a little too open, but is compensated by his piece activity.

15.Ne3

15.c3 This standard plan is also possible, but I wanted to keep my options open for as long as
possible.

15...Be6 16.Nfd2!?
[16.h3?! Nh5! With White’s h-pawn on h3, the invasion of Black’s h5-knight to f4 threatens

633
to become a huge problem for White, so he is forced to seek tactical solutions. 17.Bxe7 Qxe7
18.Nfxe5 Nxe5 19.Nxe5 Nf4!ƒ

Now let’s see how the game could develop. 20.Bxe6 (20.Nc6 Qg5 21.Qf3 bxc3 22.Bxe6
cxb2 23.Rab1 Nxe6 24.Nxb8 Rxb8 25.Qg3³ Nf4 Black’s strong passed b-pawn guarantees
him at least equality.) 20...fxe6 21.Nf3 Qf7 22.Re3 Qg6 23.Nh4 Qg5 24.Qg4 Qxg4 25.hxg4
bxc3 26.bxc3 Rb3 27.c4 Rfb8 28.Rd1 Rb1

29.Rxb1 (29.Ree1? Rxd1 30.Rxd1 Rb3µ) 29...Rxb1+ 30.Kh2 Rd1 31.e5 d5 32.cxd5 Nxd5
33.Rf3 Ne7 34.Re3³ g5 35.Nf3 Nd5 36.Re2 Rxd3 37.Rc2 Rc3 38.Rxc3 Nxc3 39.a5 Kf7

634
with an advantage for Black in the endgame.]
16...d5 (16...g5?! 17.Bg3 h5 18.h3 h4 19.Bh2 g4 20.Ne3 gxh3 21.gxh3‚) 17.exd5 (17.Bxf6
Bxf6 18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Ne4 Be7 20.Ng3∞ Now Black has to decide whether he wants to
repeat the position or sacrifice his e-pawn for the initiative. Both possibilities obviously
indicate the success of his opening choice.) 17...Nxd5

18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Rxe5 bxc3 21.Bxd5 cxd2 22.Bxe6 Rxb2!= with mass
liquidation into an equal heavy piece endgame.

15...Be6

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15...Ng4!?

This move would lead to exchanges and rapidly head towards the drawing zone, however it
seemed likely that my opponent had his mind firmly set on adding this game to his collection
of previous wins. 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Bd5 Na5 (17...Nxe3?! 18.fxe3 Nd8 19.a5 Ne6 20.Rf1
with a comfortable game for White) 18.Rf1!? In view of the coming opening of the f-file,
White’s e1-rook will obviously be better placed on f1. 18...Be6 19.Nd2 Qh4 (19...Nxe3?!
20.fxe3 Bxd5 21.exd5 f5 22.Qh5 Qd7 23.b3 Rf6 24.Rf3 Rbf8 25.Raf1 Nb7 26.g4!±)
20.Nxg4 (20.h3 Nxe3 21.fxe3 Bxh3 22.gxh3 Qg3+=) 20...Bxg4 21.Qe1 Qf6 22.Qe3 Be6=

16.Bxf6!?

Played with the idea of getting a firm grip on the d5-square, however I underestimated
Black’s rapidly approaching expansion on the queenside, given that I would not be able to
open the center (as in my game vs. Shirov from the 2007 World Cup annotated above)
because of Black’s total control of the vital d4-square.
16.Bc4 a5 17.Nd2

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17...Nh7 (17...Nd7 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.c3 Nb6 20.Bb5 f5 21.exf5 Nxf5 22.Nxf5 Rxf5 23.d4²
and the game is starting to look favourable for White, thanks to the superior placement of his
minor pieces) 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.c3 Qc7 20.h4 Bd7∞ and this balanced position will lead to a
very complex strategic battle.

16...Bxf6

17.Bc4

17.Bd5?! allows Black to win a tempo compared to the game, since his c6-knight is going to

637
e7 anyway, to keep an eye on the important d5- and f5-squares. 17...Ne7 18.Bc4 a5 19.c3 g6
20.h4 Bg7 21.Bxe6 fxe6 22.Nd2 h5 23.g3 Bh6= Black has a comfortable game with a strong
potential attack on the kingside, since the white knights have no outposts.

17...Qc8

At this point it had become crystal clear that Black was planning on continuing with ...g7–g6
and ...Bf6–g7, followed by ...f7–f5, with a very dangerous attack against White’s king. I
realized that it was going to be Black’s g-pawn that would threaten to do the most damage,
since once it reaches g4, White’s position would become extremely passive and without any
counterplay. White needs to come up with a plan fast, so I recalled my game vs. Topalov
from the 2009 match and decided to go along a similar route. White’s h-pawn surges forward
to undermine Black’s pawn when it arrives on g6, which is needed to support ...f7–f5, as
without it, White can exchange on f5 and get the e4-square as a strong outpost for his pieces.
Even if White is late in stopping ...f7–f5, then the second purpose behind the push of the h-
pawn becomes useful, which is to exchange Black’s g-pawn before Black’s f- and g-pawns
reach the fourth rank.
17...a5 is a move that a human player would be cautious about, since it irrevocably gives up
control of the b5-square and makes Black’s a5-pawn vulnerable to a potential white knight
on c4. Again, both these factors would potentially become significant in the endgame.

18.h4 Ne7

A necessary preparatory move.

18...g6?! 19.h5 Bg7 20.Nd2 Kh8 (20...Kh7 21.Bxe6 fxe6 22.hxg6+ Kxg6 23.Nec4 Qc7
24.Re3 Kh7 25.Rh3² White has managed to position his rook on the best location on the h-
file and his king is safer than its black counterpart.) 21.a5 f5 22.hxg6 f4 23.Bxe6 Qxe6
24.Nf5

638
24...Nd4 (24...Qxg6 25.c3± Black’s attack is stopped and White’s queen is heading for h3,
while the d2-knight is going to c4. The white king can always find safety in the center, on e2,
while Black’s g7-bishop is locked in by its own pawns. All these factors taken together give
White a comfortable advantage.) 25.Nxd4 cxd4 26.Qf3 Rf6 27.Kf1 Rxg6 28.Ke2!

28...Rg8 (28...b3?! 29.cxb3 Rxb3 30.Nxb3 Qxb3 31.Rec1+– Black has no compensation for
the exchange, as White’s rooks are going to start a major invasion on the queenside,
potentially leading to a mating attack.) 29.Rh1 Bf6 30.b3 Kh7 31.Rh2 Bd8 32.Nc4 R8g7
33.Rah1 Rb7 34.Rh5 Bg5±

639
and it can clearly be seen that Black’s kingside attack has been stopped, and White, thanks to
his magnificent horse on c4, stands clearly better. The only question remaining is whether
White’s positional advantage is enough for a win.

19.g3

The standard pawn formation in such structures. White’s e3-knight is placed on its best
location and the g3/h4 pawn chain lets White bring his king to g2 or h2, allowing the e1-rook
to swing over to the kingside, assisting White’s h-pawn. This slow but methodical process of
improving one’s position is required in order for a player to improve his understanding of

640
locked pawn chain positions. Also, this type of position was something I intended reaching in
my game against Levon, because it was my understanding that he had a certain dislike for
such positions, as they seem to hinder his creative nature.

19...g6 20.Kg2

20.Qe2?! During the game I felt that this move was a bit slow, but was not sure why.
20...Bg7 21.h5!? f5 Now White has a choice. 22.Nh4 The thematic counter by White,
precision targeting Black’s f5/g6 chain.
[22.hxg6 f4 23.Bxe6+ Qxe6 24.Nc4

24...b3! An important intermediate move, designed to fix White’s b2-pawn and undermine
his central pawn chain. (24...Nxg6 25.Nh2! An extremely important defensive resource, as
White can now play Qe2–g4, going for a favorable queen exchange, which Black, however,
can refuse. 25...Rf6 26.Qh5 Rbf8 27.Ng4 R6f7 28.Rf1!

641
I feel that such positions are generally favorable for White, as he has not exhausted the
possibilities of further improving his position, whereas Black’s pieces seem to have reached
their maximum potential effectiveness.; 24...Qg4? 25.Nh4²) 25.c3 fxg3 26.fxg3 Qg4 27.Rf1
Qxg3+ 28.Qg2 Qxg2+ 29.Kxg2 Nxg6 30.Nxd6 Rbd8 31.Nf5 Nf4+ 32.Kg3 Nxd3 33.Nd2!
Nxb2 34.Nxb3 Nd3³

and despite Black having an extra pawn, White’s powerful knights, compared to Black’s bad
g7-bishop, should give White sufficient counterplay for equality.]
22...f4 23.Qg4!!

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This move is only possible because of the black king’s location on g8, which is why it is
logical for Black to move his king elsewhere before going for ...f7–f5. 23...Bxc4
a) 23...d5? 24.Nxd5±
b) 23...Rf6?! 24.Nxg6 Nxg6 25.Bxe6+ Qxe6 26.Nf5! Rbf8 27.hxg6 Rxf5 It seems that Black
simply has no choice but to give up the exchange for this strong knight. (27...Rxg6??
28.Qxg6+–) 28.exf5 Rxf5 29.Re2 h5 30.Qh3 Qxg6 31.Kh1 Qg4 32.Qxg4 hxg4 33.Kg1 d5
34.gxf4 Rxf4 35.Kg2² White has a material advantage in this endgame.
24.Qxc8 Rbxc8 25.Nxc4 g5! Just in time before White manages to get the f5-square for his
knights. 26.Ng2 Rcd8 27.g4! Nc6 28.Red1! Nd4 29.Ne1!² With yet another locked pawn
chain endgame coming, which I feel should once again be favorable for White, thanks to
Black’s absolutely terrible dark-squared bishop which is now locked in behind the pawns.
White’s advantage is minimal for now though, as he has to break open the queenside first.

20...Bh3+!?

A slight surprise for me. Obviously I had to see this possibility for Black, however it did not
occur to me that my opponent would play it. It certainly showed his aggressive intentions.
20...Bg7 21.h5

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21...g5! Very simple chess, but quite good here because of the presence of the queens. Black
simply closes the game to equalize. (21...f5?! 22.Nh4 Rf6?? doesn’t work here: 23.hxg6 f4
24.Nef5+–) 22.Bxe6 fxe6 Black obviously cannot hope for more than equality here.
(22...Qxe6? 23.g4²) 23.Nd2 Nc6 24.Ng4 Qe8 25.Rh1 Qf7

26.Rb1 Nd4 27.c3 bxc3 28.bxc3 Rxb1 29.Qxb1 Nf3 30.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 31.Kh3 Qf7 32.Kg2=

21.Kh2 Bd7!?

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Black now reveals his adapted new plan. On h2 White’s king has taken a valuable square
from the f3-knight. Black has also managed to disengage his light-squared bishop from its
white counterpart and hopes to make White’s c4-bishop irrelevant after ...Kg8–h8, ...Bf6–g7
and...f7–f5, when Black’s light-squared bishop will play a tremendous role in attacking
White’s weakened kingside. This I could not allow.

22.Rg1!?

Whether White really wants to play g3–g4 is a task that my opponent had to keep in mind,
but the fact is that White is ready to play this move whenever Black threatens to play ...f7–f5.
One of the few benefits of playing this move is that the rook can protect White’s king along
the second rank with Rg1–g2!
a) 22.Rh1! deserved attention. 22...h5
[22...Bg7?! 23.h5! (23.Kg2?! Kh8 24.h5 g5 25.Nxg5

645
If Black takes the knight with the pawn, then 26.h6 Bf6 27.Qf3 wins — but he doesn’t!
25...d5!! When I saw this move, I had to grimly remind myself of how tricky my opponent
was. One of his famed and feared specialties is in the area of well-crafted and masterfully
masked traps. I have fallen into quite a number of such traps over the years, so I was cautious
this time. 26.Bxd5 hxg5 27.h6 Bf6 28.Qf3 Rb6!µ) 23...g5 24.Nd2 Kh8 25.g4²

White locks the kingside down completely, however now the question is whether his
advantage can allow him to break through decisively on the queenside. It does seem that he
can shuffle and regroup his pieces quite comfortably.]
23.Kg2 Kg7 24.Nd2∞ with a lot of maneuvering ahead. I would rank White’s chances as

646
slightly superior, thanks to his more mobile cavalry.
b) 22.h5!? was an obvious attempt.

22...Kh7!?
b1) 22...Kh8 should also be fine for Black if he gives a check on h3 after 23.Kg2. If he
doesn’t, he’s likely to end up worse: 23...Bg7 24.hxg6 (24.Rh1?! g5!µ One mistake and
Black gets the advantage as White is not in time to stop the ...f7–f5 break. 25.Nd5 Nxd5
26.Bxd5 f5 27.Nd2 f4µ with a strong attack for Black.) 24...fxg6 25.Rh1ƒ with slightly
preferable chances for White, since his activity along the h-file seems more dangerous than
Black’s on the f-file.
b2) 22...g5?! 23.Kg1 Kh7 24.Nh2 Bg7 25.g4!± White gets a dream King’s Indian structure.
Black is completely boxed in.
b3) 22...gxh5 23.Rh1! [23.Nh4?! Bxh4 24.gxh4 Kh7 25.Rg1 Ng6

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26.Nd5 (26.Qxh5?? Nf4µ Suddenly it is Black who is going to checkmate White. 27.Qf3
Qd8–+) 26...Qd8 27.Qxh5 Be6!∞] 23...h4! (23...Ng6 24.Nd2 h4 25.Qh5 Kg7 26.Nf5+ Bxf5
27.exf5 Ne7 28.Qg4+ Kh8 29.Ne4!± White is just in time.) 24.Nxh4 Bxh4 25.gxh4 Kh7

26.Qf3 f5 27.Rhg1 Be6 28.exf5² and White is better prepared for action on the kingside,
leading to a dangerous initiative.
23.Kg2 (23.Rh1 g5 24.Nd2 g4! followed by ...Bg5 would suddenly look awkward for White)
23...Bh3+!

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Black must repeat the position as he cannot allow White to reach his ideal set-up with Kg2
and Rh1. This is something that I was afraid my opponent might do, and since I wanted to
avoid the draw as well, I decided to play something quite shocking, but a very interesting
idea of regrouping my pieces. 24.Kh2 Bd7=

22...Bg7

22...h5

I would probably play this move as Black, although it seems counter-intuitive, having just
seen White play his rook to g1. 23.c3 Kg7 24.Nd2 Kh7 25.Nd5 Nxd5 26.Bxd5 Qd8 27.Rg2

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a5 28.Nc4 Qc7 29.f3 Bg7

30.Qe2= (30.g4? Bh6µ) 30...Bh6= with a balanced game. (30...f5?! allows White to regroup
his central pieces to maximum benefit: 31.exf5 Rxf5 32.Be4 Rff8 33.Ne3! Bh6 34.Nd5 Qd8
35.cxb4! cxb4 36.d4! exd4 37.Qd3 Bf5 38.Re1² and White finally manages to exploit
Black’s bad dark-squared bishop.)

23.h5

23.g4?!

White needs to keep this square unoccupied. 23...Kh8 24.Rg3 a5 25.b3 Qd8 26.Qd2 Bc8

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27.Rh1 Nc6 28.Kg2 Nd4 29.h5 g5! Blocking the position entirely and reaching a strategic
draw, as neither side can break through to win.

23...Kh8

24.Rg2!!

I wasn’t sure of this move during the game, but now I’m quite proud of it. White fianchettoes
his rook (!!) in order to transfer it to the h-file!! Quite an audacious concept! My opponent’s
facial expression when he returned to the board and saw this move was priceless. However
the computer humbles me by almost immediately offering it among the top candidate moves.
How dare he/she/it... grrr!!!
24.a5! is another viable suggestion, as even if Black somehow manages to capture this pawn,
it will open the a-file for the white rook to attack Black’s weak a6-pawn.

24...f5?!

Black follows through with his plan, but it is a serious error which gives White a large
advantage.
a) 24...g5!? 25.g4

651
Seems logical, but runs into a brilliant response by Black. 25...d5!! I think my opponent had
seen this move, but decided against giving up the pawn as it would have undermined his e-
pawn even further, especially in connection with his planned ...f7–f5 break.
[25...Bc6 26.Nd2 Qb7 27.Qf3 Rbd8 28.Rg3! With a difficult position to assess, as Black
should probably not play ...d6–d5, but wait instead for White to declare his intentions.
(28.a5?! Too early and creating a potential target for Black’s dark-squared bishop in the
endgame. 28...d5 29.exd5 Nxd5 30.Nxd5 Bxd5 31.Bxd5 Qxd5 32.Qxd5 Rxd5 33.Ne4 f5
34.gxf5 Rxf5 35.b3 Rf4 36.Rg3 Kg8 37.Kg2 Kf7 38.f3 Ke6 39.Re1 Bf8 40.Rg4 Rf7
41.Nd2=)]
26.Bxd5 (26.exd5? f5 27.d6 Nc6 28.gxf5 Bxf5 29.Bd5 Be6µ Black’s advantage is obvious,
as White’s kingside is in ruins.) 26...Nxd5 27.exd5 f5!

652
28.gxf5 Bxf5 29.Nxf5 Qxf5 30.Nd2 Qd7 31.Ne4 Qxd5 32.b3 Rf4 33.Qe2 Rbf8

34.Re1 (34.Rh1 c4! A thematic pawn sacrifice to break White’s grip in the center. 35.bxc4
Qd4³ Black further threatens ...Rf4–f3 followed by ...b4–b3 at an opportune moment.)
34...Rh4+ 35.Kg1 Qf7 36.Rh2 Rf4∞ This position is strategically even, though I would start
by considering marching White’s king to a safe location on the queenside before further
attempts to simplify on the kingside. (36...Qf4? Black cannot allow further exchanges as
White’s knight will completely dominate him in the endgame. 37.Rxh4±)
b) 24...Bh3? 25.Bxa6!± An important trick, not letting Black repeat the position.

653
25.Nh4!?

After carefully calculating the lines following this move, I played it with a great deal of
anxiety. Around this time I took a look at what was happening on the other boards, and it
looked like the match was going to be a close one.
25.hxg6! was also possible, as thanks to White’s rook on g2 his king is safe and it takes only
a queen move to bring the second rook over to the kingside to help with the coming mega-
action. 25...f4

26.Nd5!

654
[26.gxf4?! can hardly be recommended since it opens up Black’s g7-bishop. 26...exf4
(26...Rxf4? 27.Qe2 followed by Rag1, or 27...Qf8 28.Bf7 Be8 29.Bxe8 Rxe8 30.Rg3±)
27.Nd5 Nxd5 28.Bxd5 Be6!=]
26...Nxd5 (26...Nxg6 27.Nh4!!± A fantastic resource that shows the true nature of things on
the kingside.) 27.Bxd5 Bg4 28.Bf7 h5 29.gxf4 exf4

30.d4!!ƒ I simply missed this resource. White prepares for the next combo.
[30.Rxg4!? hxg4 (30...Qxg4? 31.Qe2+– White develops a winning attack.) 31.Qh1!

The white queen joins the king hunt, but it seems that Black can survive. 31...Bxb2

655
(31...Rxf7 32.Kg2+ Kg8 33.Qh7+ Kf8 34.gxf7 gxf3+ 35.Kxf3 Kxf7 36.Rg1 Qg8 37.Qg6+
Ke7 38.Qxg7++–) 32.Kg1+ Kg7 33.Qh7+ Kf6 34.e5+ Bxe5 35.Qh4+ (35.Nd2?? Rh8–+)
35...Kg7 36.Qh7+ Kf6=]
30...Bxd4?? (30...cxd4 31.Qd3+–) 31.Nxd4!+–

25...Bc6

Best defense by my opponent. He could not allow me to play Ne3–d5, exchanging the only
defender of the g6-weakness.
25...Bf6 26.Nxg6+ Nxg6 27.hxg6+– would be too simple.

26.hxg6!

Although I really wanted to capture on g6 with my knight, I realized that it was going to be
more useful alive, as the fight now revolves around the f5-square.
26.Nd5!? looks like a serious alternative. 26...Bxd5 27.Bxd5±

This was also tempting, leaving White with a clear strategic advantage on the light squares,
but 27...g5!? is the reason why I rejected it. The position becomes closed with reduced
material and opposite-colored bishops on the board. I felt that White’s advantage might be
insufficient and the following incredible lines can only be found with the computer’s help.
(27...fxe4?! 28.dxe4 gxh5 29.Bc4±; 27...gxh5 28.Bc4 White needs his light-squared bishop
to keep those weak light squares in the black camp under pressure.) 28.Ng6+ Nxg6 29.hxg6
g4 30.Bf7! Bf6 And now the critical regrouping move!

656
31.f3 (31.Qh1!? I did not even consider this move. White manages to bring his queen to h5,
when Black’s kingside pawn chain will fall. 31...Bg5 32.Kg1 Kg7 33.Re1 Rb7 34.Qh5
Rbxf7 35.gxf7 Rxf7 36.f4! gxf3 37.Qxf3± with advantage for White.) 31...h5 32.fxg4 hxg4
33.Qd2 Kg7 34.Rh1 Rh8+ 35.Kg1 Rh3 (35...Qd7 36.Rgh2+–) 36.Rgh2 f4

37.Qg2!!+– If 37...Rxg3? then 38.Rh7+ Kf8 39.Qxg3 fxg3 40.Bd5! Bg7 41.Kg2+– followed
by Rf1+, game over.

26...f4

26...fxe4?! Not good, as it opens a direct line of attack for White against Black’s weak d-

657
pawn, and Black cannot recapture on e4 and protect his d-pawn at the same time.

27.dxe4 Bxe4 28.f3 Nf5 (28...Bb7 29.Qxd6+–) 29.Nexf5 Bxf5 30.Qxd6 e4 31.Re1 exf3
32.Rd2 Bg4 33.Re7!+– White eliminates Black’s defender, the dark-squared bishop, after
which the black position collapses.

27.Nd5 Nxd5 28.Bxd5 Bxd5 29.exd5 c4!

Black’s only chance is to try to open the game for his g7-bishop.

30.g4!!

658
The second-hardest move to find in the game. White ignores Black’s attempts to muddy the
waters on the queenside and sets about establishing the f5-square as a future outpost for his
knight, which would allow him to threaten g4–g5, breaking down Black’s kingside defenses.

30...f3!?

a) 30...e4!? would have been a picturesque position. So many pawn breaks in this game!!

31.dxe4 Bxb2
a1) 31...f3 32.Rg3 Qe8 33.Nf5 Bxb2 34.Rb1 Be5 35.g7+ Bxg7 36.Qxf3± Qxa4 37.Rc1

659
37...Qd7 (37...b3 38.cxb3 cxb3 39.Rc7 b2 40.Rxg7 b1=Q 41.Qe3+–) 38.Rh3 Kg8 39.g5
hxg5 40.Rg1+– and White’s attack breaks through. 40...Rxf5 41.exf5 Bf6 42.Rh6 Qf7
43.Qh3 Kf8 44.Rh8+ Bxh8 45.Qxh8+ Qg8 46.Qf6++–
a2) 31...Qe8 32.Qf3 Bf6 33.g5 Bxg5 34.Qh5 Kg7 35.Rxg5 hxg5 36.Qh7+ Kf6 37.g7 Rh8
38.gxh8=Q+ Qxh8 39.Qg6++–
32.Rb1 Be5 33.Kh1

33...Qd8 (33...Kg7 34.Nf5+ Kf6 35.g5+ hxg5 36.Qg4+–) 34.g5! The main point behind
White’s play, going for a direct mating attack on the kingside.
b) 30...cxd3?! 31.Qxd3 Qc5 32.g5+–

31.Rg3!

31.Nxf3 Qc5 32.Qe2 Qxd5 33.Nh4 cxd3 34.cxd3 e4 35.dxe4 Qe5+ 36.Kh3 Qxb2± would
give Black some hopes.

31...b3?

Hereabouts I was starting to get low on time, so my opponent tried to play faster to give me
an opportunity to err in my time trouble. However this pawn move allows me to block the
queenside completely, leading to a simplified position.
31...Rf4!? 32.Nf5 Qd7 33.Qf1!

660
The transfer of the queen to h3 forces Black to give up the exchange. 33...cxd3 (33...Rxf5
34.gxf5 Qxf5 35.Qh3 Qxh3+ 36.Kxh3 e4 37.dxc4 Rc8 38.Re1 Rxc4 39.Rg4 Rxc2
40.Rexe4+– Suddenly White’s g6-pawn, which has been on the verge of being captured the
whole game, decides the outcome, thanks to the newly opened files. 33...Qe8 34.Nxd6 Qxg6
35.Nxc4 Rxg4 36.Qh3 Rxg3 37.Qxg3 Qh5+ 38.Qh3 Qf7 39.Ne3+–) 34.cxd3 Qe8 (34...Rc8
35.Rc1+–) 35.Qh3 Qxg6 36.Rc1+–

32.c3

661
32...Rf4

32...Qc5 33.Rxf3 Qxd5 34.Nf5 e4 35.dxe4 Qxe4 36.Re3 Qf4+ 37.Kg2 Rf6 (37...Qg5
38.Nxg7+–) 38.Qf3 Qxf3+ 39.Kxf3 Rxg6 40.Rae1 Be5 41.Re4 Rc8 42.Ke2!

White clears the road for his f-pawn that will remove Black’s bishop, his only defender,
opening the e-file like a dam breaking. 42...Rc7 43.f4 Bg7 44.Kf3 d5 45.Re8+ Kh7
46.R1e7+– with a winning endgame.

33.Nf5 cxd3

33...Qc5 34.Rxf3 Rxg4

662
35.Nxg7! The only move to win, showing how thin the line sometimes is between a win and
equality. 35...Rg8 (35...Kxg7 36.Rf7+ Kxg6 37.Qxg4+ Kxf7 38.Qf5+ Ke7 39.Rg1+– is an
important line) 36.Nf5 R8xg6 37.Ng3+–

34.Qxd3 e4

34...Qc5 35.Kg1 e4 36.Qxa6 Qxd5 37.Qa7!

This double attack decides the game. 37...Qb7 38.Qxb7 Rxb7 39.Nxd6 Rd7 40.Nf5!! The
tangled mess of black and white pieces on the kingside makes a great impression of a chess
sandwich!!

663
40...Rd2 41.a5 Rxb2 42.Rd1 Bf6 43.Rd6! Bg5 44.Rb6+– and it is the black king that is in
danger.

35.Qe3 Rxf5!

Black manages to retake the initiative briefly, at the cost of an exchange. Should White play
inaccurately, Black will connect his central pawns, making them very strong, and his dark-
squared bishop, now finally opened up, could become a lethal threat. I had to calculate
precisely here with very little time available.

664
36.gxf5 Qxf5 37.Re1!

It seemed to me that Black is unable to protect either his e- or f-pawn, however in time
trouble I finally miscalculated.

37...Re8

37...Qxd5

38.Kg1!!
[38.Qxe4? allows Black to equalize: 38...Qxe4 39.Rxe4 Bxc3 40.bxc3 (40.g7+ Bxg7 41.Re6
Rb7 42.Rxd6 Kh7 43.Rd2 Be5) 40...b2 41.Rg1 b1=Q 42.Rxb1 Rxb1 43.Re6 Ra1=]
38...Qe5 (38...Kg8 39.Rg4+– is simplest) 39.Qxe4 (39.Qa7 Rf8 40.Qxa6 d5±) 39...Qxe4
40.Rxe4 Bxc3

665
41.Re3! A very tricky move to find. (41.Rxf3 Bxb2 42.Ree3 Bc3!=) 41...Bxb2 42.Rexf3!!
Only this capture wins. 42...Bc3

43.g7+!! An intermediate check that decides the game. 43...Bxg7 (43...Kg8 44.Rf8+! Rxf8
45.gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 46.Rxc3+–) 44.Rxb3+– Black’s weak a-pawn will decide the game.
Back to 37...Re8.

666
38.Rxf3??

A terrible blunder that almost entirely destroys White’s previous fantastic play.
a) 38.Qxf3? Qxf3 39.Rxf3 Be5+ 40.Rg3 Bxg3+!? (40...Kg7! is stronger: 41.Ree3 h5 42.Kg2
Bxg3 43.Rxg3 Rc8!=) 41.Kxg3 Kg7

42.f3 (42.Re3? Kxg6 43.c4 Kf5=) 42...e3 43.Re2 Kxg6 44.Kf4 h5 45.Rxe3 Rf8+ 46.Kg3
Kg5!=
b) 38.Qa7!? is definitely a move that no human player with several minutes left on his clock

667
would even consider.
c) 38.Kg1! Objectively the strongest move, but in time trouble it is hard to resist capturing
Black’s seemingly strong and far advanced f-pawn. 38...Re5 39.Qb6 Qf8 40.a5

and Black’s activity on the kingside is limited by White’s g-pawn. 40...h5 41.Qxa6 Bf6
42.Qb7 Re7 43.Qb4!+–

38...Be5+!

I saw this move, but judged this position to be safer than the one leaving Black’s f-pawn
alive.

39.Rg3 Qxg6?!

Not a terrible blunder, but it restored some hopes for me. My opponent must have hoped that
I would blunder again, and so decided to leave his bishop alive for one more move.
a) 39...Bf4 40.Qa7 Bxg3+ 41.fxg3 Qh5+ 42.Kg1 Qxg6 43.Re3 Qf5 44.Qxa6 Qxd5 45.Qe2
Qc6 46.a5 d5= was one of the ways for Black to equalize.
b) 39...Bxg3+ was another: 40.fxg3 Kg7 41.c4 Kxg6 42.Kg1 Qe5 43.Re2 h5 44.Kg2 a5
45.Rf2 Re7=

40.Kg2 Bxg3 41.fxg3²

668
Now, having reached the time control, I was able to calm down and evaluate the position.
Despite my terrible blunder, the position remains uncomfortable for Black, since his
queenside pawns are weak and he must spend an additional tempo bringing his king to the g7
to relieve his queen of guard duty. This, in turn, should give me time to activate my rook.

41...Kg8

41...Kg7 42.Rf1 Qg5! 43.Qa7+ Re7 (43...Qe7? 44.Qxa6 e3 45.Qd3 e2 46.Re1±) 44.Qf2!

must be the line my opponent disliked, however White has nothing better than a perpetual.
44...Qe5 45.Qf8+ Kg6 46.Rf4 h5 47.Kf2! e3+ 48.Ke2 a5 49.Qg8+ Rg7 50.Qe6+ Black must

669
still be quite precise though to draw this complicated rook endgame.

42.Rf1!

It is vital to take over the f-file before the black rook does. Now my opponent is faced with
an unpleasant choice.
42.c4!?

42...h5!? (Simpler is 42...Qg4 43.Rf1 Qg5 44.Rf4 Qg7 45.Rf2 Qg5 46.Re2 Qg4!=, keeping
the balance.) 43.Qxb3 h4 44.Qe3 (44.Re3 Rf8°) 44...Rf8! [44...Re5?! 45.Rh1! Rh5 (45...Rf5
46.Rxh4 Rf3 47.Qe1+–) 46.Rh3 a5 47.Kh2±] 45.Qxe4 Qxg3+ 46.Kh1

670
46...Kh8!! (46...Qh3+ 47.Kg1 Kh8 48.Qg6 Rg8 49.Re8±) 47.Qd4+ Kh7 48.Re7+ Kh6!
49.Qe3+ The only try. 49...Qxe3 50.Rxe3 Rf1+ 51.Kg2 Rb1 52.Re2 Rc1 53.b3 Kg5 54.Re6
Rc2+=

42...Rf8?

Another careless move. In this highly technical position such an inaccuracy only makes
Black’s life harder.
42...h5! Logical and strong. 43.a5!? (43.Rf4 a5! 44.c4 Qg7 45.Rf5 Re5 46.Rf4 Re8 47.Rf2
h4=) 43...h4 44.Kh3 Qxg3+ 45.Qxg3+ hxg3 46.Kxg3 Kg7 47.Kg4 Kg6 48.Re1 Kf6 49.Kf4

671
49...Re5!!= 50.Rxe4 (50.c4?? Rf5+–+) 50...Rxd5=

43.Rxf8+ Kxf8

44.Qf4+

44.c4 a5 45.Qxb3 Qg4 46.Kf2 Kg7 47.Qe3 h5 48.Ke1 Kf6 49.Kd2 Kg6 50.Kc3 Kf5

51.c5 (51.b4? Qf3–+) 51...dxc5 52.Kc4 h4! 53.gxh4 Qxh4 54.Kxc5 Qe7+ 55.Kc6 Qe8+
56.Kb6 Qd8+=

672
44...Ke8?

Black must have thought his position was lost, but this is his only fatal error in the game.
44...Kg7

45.Kf2 (45.a5 e3! 46.Qd4+ Kg8 47.Qxe3 Qc2+ 48.Qf2 Qe4+=) 45...Qh5! This activation of
the queen saves the game for Black. 46.Qxe4 Qh2+ 47.Qg2

47...Qxg2+!! 48.Kxg2 Kf6 49.Kf3 Ke5= 50.Kg4 Kxd5 51.Kf5 Kc4 52.Ke4 h5 53.Ke3
Kc5 54.Kd3 Kd5 (54...d5?? 55.a5+–) 55.c4+ Kc5 56.Kc3 a5=

673
57.Kd3 A last attempt to trick my opponent. 57...Kb6! with a draw. (57...Kb4?? 58.Kd4
Kxa4 59.Kc3!+– Zugzwang!! 59...d5 60.cxd5 Kb5 61.Kxb3 Kc5 62.Ka4+–)

45.Kf2±

Now the position becomes easy to play for White, since the position of Black’s king allows
White the possibility of capturing Black’s weak a- or b-pawn with check. But the first order
of business is Black’s e-pawn. The black queen is forced to guard it, while counter-attacking
White’s g-pawn, but such a task leaves the queen in a very passive position with limited
mobility, which is very dangerous in the endgame.

674
45...h5 46.Ke3 Kd7 47.a5!

An important move to fix Black’s a-pawn and also bring White’s own a-pawn a little bit
closer to the promotion square.

47...Kc8 48.Kd4!

White is now ready to capture Black’s e-pawn since his king will be able to avoid the black
queen’s checks on the queenside.

48...Kc7 49.Qxe4 Qxg3 50.Qh7+ Kd8 51.Qh8+

51.Qxh5 Qf4+ 52.Kd3 Qf1+ 53.Qe2 Qf4 54.Qe3 Qf1+ 55.Kd4+– wins a bit more easily.

51...Kc7 52.Qxh5 Qf2+

675
53.Kc4?

In this seemingly simple position, I start to err.

53.Kd3! The correct retreat! 53...Qxb2 54.Qf7+ Kd8 55.Qf6+

55...Ke8 (55...Kc8 56.Qe6+ Kb7 57.Qd7+ Ka8 58.Qc6+ Ka7 59.Qb6+) 56.Qe6+ Kf8
57.Qxd6+ Kg7 58.Kc4+– and White captures Black’s b-pawn, leaving him with an extra
pawn and connected central pawns, giving him an easy win.

53...Qc5+ 54.Kxb3 Qb5+ 55.Kc2 Qa4+ 56.Kd2 Qxa5

676
57.Qf7+??

Careless and a very serious error that could have cost me the game.
57.Qh7+ Kb8 (57...Kb6 58.Qe4!+– This centralization gives White an easy win.) 58.Qh8+!
Kc7 59.Qg7+

White finally forces the black king to move to b6, which will allow him to centralize his
queen with tempo and an important check. 59...Kb6 (59...Kc8 60.Qf8++– White wins a
second pawn, and with it the game.) 60.Qd4+ Kc7 61.Qc4+ Kd8 62.Qc6 Ke7 63.Kc2!+–

677
Zugzwang. On c6 White’s queen takes away the critical a4-square from its black counterpart,
which is a major difference between this line and what happened in the game.

57...Kb6 58.Qg8

An important moment.
In such positions, it is sometimes very important to allow your opponent to make the first
decision — and the opportunity to make an error.

58...Qb5??

After this move the game ends almost immediately as Black ends up in zugwang.
a) 58...Qa4!! The only move to defend. It seems that it allows Black to hold the balance.
59.b4 Qa2+ 60.Ke3 Kc7 61.Qf7+ Kb6 62.Qe6 Qh2! 63.Kd3 White must attend to the
safety of his king before proceeding with the transfer of his queen to c6. He is better, but if
Black defends accurately, it’s not easy to break through, if at all possible. 63...Kb7
(63...a5!?) 64.Qd7+

678
64...Kb8!! and it’s not clear if White can make progress here. (64...Kb6?? 65.Qe7!!+– forces
zugwang, as the black queen must leave the ideal h2-square, from which it could check
White’s king from a2 and c4 and protect the d-pawn. Black stands to lose the d-pawn
anyway, since any queen move along the b8–h2 diagonal runs into the counter-check Qe3,
exchanging queens and leaving White with a winning pawn endgame.) 65.Qe8+ Kb7
66.Qc6+ Ka7 67.Qc7+ Ka8 68.Qc8+ Ka7 69.Qg4 Kb8 70.Qe2 Qf4 71.Qe8+ Kb7 72.Qc6+
Ka7 73.Kc2 Qe4+ 74.Kb2 Qe2+ 75.Ka3 Qe1=
b) 58...Kc7? 59.Qg7+ Kb6 60.Qd4+

60...Kc7 The only way to avoid the exchange of queens. (60...Kb7 61.Qb4+! Trading into a

679
pawn endgame wins. 61...Qxb4 62.cxb4 Kb6 63.Kc3 Kb5 64.Kb3 a5 65.bxa5 Kxa5 66.Kc4
Ka6 67.Kb4 Kb6 68.b3 Ka6 69.Ka4 Kb6 70.b4 Ka6 71.b5+ Kb6 72.Kb4+–; 60...Qc5
61.Kd3 a5 62.b3 Qxd4+ 63.Kxd4 Kb5 64.Kd3 Kb6 65.Kd4 Kb5 66.Ke3 Kb6 67.Kf4+–)
61.Qa7+ Kd8 62.Qa8+ Ke7 63.Qb7+ Kf6 64.Qc6 Ke5

65.Qe8+!! Kf4 (65...Kxd5? 66.Qh5++–) 66.Qf7+ Kg5 67.Qe7++– winning the d-pawn.

59.b4!

Now the game is finally lost.

680
59...Kc7 60.Qf7+ Kd8 61.Qf6+ Kc8 62.Qxd6+–

Black only played on because it was a team competition, and if he had drawn, his team
would have won the match. As it was, I won this game and we drew 2–2.

62...Qf1 63.Qe6+ Kb7 64.Qe4

A defensive position in the center to reduce the black queen’s activity.

64...Qf2+ 65.Kd3 Qg1 66.Kc2 Qf1 67.Qd3 Qa1 68.Kb3

White has reached a fortress and is now ready to push his pawns.

68...Kc7 69.c4 a5 70.Qh7+ Kd8 71.Qg8+ Kc7

681
72.d6+!

The final touch; Black’s king is deflected out of the way of the white pawns.

72...Kxd6 73.Qd5+ Ke7

73...Kc7 74.Qxa5++–

74.bxa5 Qb1+ 75.Ka4 Kf6 76.a6 Kg6 77.Ka5

682
Black resigns.

1–0

A quite memorable game for me with imaginative play by both sides, fantastic resources,
grand strategic concepts and megablunders — an eventful game with everything that an
enthusiast could wish for. Hopefully my readers found it just as entertaining!

683
 GAME 19
Alexander Grischuk
Gata Kamsky
Istanbul 2012
Following the fantastically well-organized Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2010, the
event was hosted by Turkey two years later in the historical city of Istanbul. To even start to
describe Istanbul is impossible, but some of the US team members ventured on a tour on the
rest day. The match vs. Russia took place in the ninth round, when the Russians were leading
the event. As usual the American team was highly motivated and, although we drew on third
board and lost on fourth, we won on both first, where Hikaru managed to swindle Kramnik,
and second, where I managed to grind down Grischuk’s defense. Despite this victory, the
American team only managed to share 4th-5th places, while Russia took the bronze medals.
One little detail that might be of interest to the reader: during the morning before the round,
our team leader, GM Nakamura, came to each of us to help with our preparation. Hearing of
my idea of playing Alekhine’s Defense against Grischuk, Hikaru thought for about three
seconds, then said “OK, that’s fine”!! The idea of playing Alekhine’s came from an earlier
game of my own as White at an open tournament in the USA against former US Champion,
GM Joel Benjamin, who completely equalized against me with the opening.
There is some history between Joel and me that goes all the way back to the 1991 US
Championship, where I won my first title, because of the huge incident of my father walking
into the playing room and loudly accusing GM Fedorowicz of supplying hints to my
opponent. The resulting pandemonium could not be imagined, but it clearly threw my
opponent off his game, and he blundered shortly afterwards in a wildly tactical position,
allowing me to win the game and with it the title. I had always felt bad about that, and it was
only many years later that I finally managed to apologize to Joel when I won the US
Championship in Saint Louis.
Speaking of apologies, I also apologized to Nigel Short a few years back for my father’s
behavior in our 1994 PCA Candidates match in Linares. There are a lot of incidents that I
regret in my life, but related to my chess career, these were the most important and
memorable.
Anyway, let’s go back to 2012 and round nine of the Chess Olympiad where we were
playing Russia. The decision to play Alekhine’s Defense was made partly because I did not
want to play my pet Sicilian Kan against Alexander, as he is one of the world’s leading
experts in the Sicilian, and partly because I did not want to play the Spanish, as it requires
heavy theoretical knowledge where I felt mine didn’t compare with my opponent’s much

684
more extensive research. In addition, I knew that my opponent would prepare a lot, and when
I say a lot, I mean about four or five hours. So, by avoiding that preparation, I was giving
myself a lead, firstly in being much more rested and fresh for exercising my intellectual
abilities during the game, and secondly, the opening would give me a head start in some
lines, whereas my opponent would have to spend time refreshing his memory. Together these
factors gave me some confidence, although nothing is ever certain, especially when it comes
to opening preparation, as it was quite possible that my opponent might have looked at the
opening recently in preparation for another opponent.

Alexander Grischuk (Photo by Jos Sutmuller)

1.e4 Nf6!

To understand the full effect of this move, you had to see my opponent’s face when I played
it. His mixture of emotions was apparent, and clearly he was not at all happy to see it.

685
2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6

4.Nf3

White goes for a very solid set-up. The Four Pawns variation after 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 is not
recommended for an important event without adequate preparation.

4...dxe5!?

Black has a number of other moves that have been seen more frequently in tournament
practice.
a) 4...Bg4 5.Be2 e6 is considered to be one of the main lines.
b) 4...g6 is another old main line. 5.Bc4 c6 This is something that I have played on occasion
and is, perhaps, the most flexible approach by Black. (5...Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Ng5! This move
caused one of the world’s former top specialists in Alekhine’s Defense, GM Lev Alburt, to
almost quit playing the opening. Other moves give White no opening advantage.)

5.Nxe5

686
5...c6!?

The point. Black invited White’s f3-knight to e5, where it will be attacked with tempo by
...Nb8−d7. But first Black protects his d5-knight. 5...Nd7? is known from ancient theory to
be bad: 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qh5+ Ke6 8.c4± with 18th century attacking motifs!

6.Be2

The main move, and very solid.

6.c4?! Nb4!= The threat of 7...Qxd4 makes it impossible for White to shoo Black’s knight
away from b4. Black is also planning on playing ...Bc8–f5, threatening ...Nb4–c2+, thus
forcing White’s b1-knight to a3, hindering his ability to play a2–a3. As a result, Black gets
comfortable development and equalizes completely.

6...Bf5!?

This is a relatively new idea.

The earliest sources I can find in the database point to games from 2001. Previously Black
tried 6...g6 or 6...Nd7, leading to quite passive positions for him. After the text move, Black
intends to develop in the spirit of the Caro-Kann, and although he spends a number of tempi
doing so, it is not easy for White to exploit his early lead in development. After this move,
my opponent sank into prolonged thought. I decided to get up from the board and walk
around the tournament hall, trying to not to hinder his infamous tendency to fall into

687
horrendous time trouble. Thankfully, with the event being the Olympiad, there were plenty of
interesting games in both the open and women’s sections.

7.0-0

7.g4!? was an original idea played by former World Champion Garry Kasparov vs. Nigel
Short, and after 7...Be6!

now that White has expanded and therefore weakened his kingside, Black retreats his bishop
to this square, where it’ll be able to better protect his king. 8.c4 (8.f4 g6! The position
transposes into a sort of Grünfeld, very hard to evaluate. I would occasionally play
something similar as Black to lure much younger and less experienced opponents away from
well-known opening paths.) 8...Nb6 9.b3 f6! an exciting battle followed.

7...Nd7 8.Bg4?!

Again, played after some thought, and while in general the exchange of light-squared bishops
gives White a small but comfortable advantage, it is only true in positions where Black has
played ...e7–e6 and developed his f8-bishop classically.
a) 8.Ng4!? was my own attempt to be original in the above-mentioned game vs. Joel
Benjamin. The sequence 8...e6 9.c4 N5f6 10.Ne3 Bg6 11.f4!? led to a very complex battle.
b) 8.Nf3! has become the main line since this game. It becomes clear that after the following
moves White keeps an advantage: 8...e6 9.c4

688
9...N5f6 Sadly, Black has to go back, as jumping to b4 is no longer viable, as White is much
better prepared for any tactical skirmish.
[9...Nb4 10.a3 Na6 (10...Nc2? 11.Ra2 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Bxb1 13.Bg5±) 11.Bf4! An important
intermediate move as White takes over the b8–h2 diagonal. 11...Be7 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Qd2±
and clearly the white pieces are much better developed than their black counterparts.
Eventually White is going to use his spatial advantage to either launch a direct kingside
attack, using the e5-square as the launch pad, or go for the thematic d4–d5 pawn break,
where his superior piece placement will give him a much better game.]
10.Nc3 Bd6 11.Nh4! Bg6 12.g3+= This position is the main line at the moment. White gets
a certain advantage, thanks to his strong pair of bishops and great spatial control of the
center.

8...Bxg4 9.Qxg4 g6!=

689
A very important move. Black fianchettoes his dark-squared bishop, leaving his e-pawn in
place so it will be able to guard the important d6-square. I felt that this development was
much more active than the standard 9...e6, which would give White a comfortable advantage.
In fact, during the game I felt that I had completely equalized and started to play for an
advantage. The statistics in this line are very good for Black, so it is no surprise that 8.Bg4
has disappeared from practice.

10.c4

A standard move, grabbing space in the center, however now White’s d-pawn will come
under fire.

10...Nc7

The knight is heading for the e6-square, a thematic maneuver in this structure.
a) 10...Nxe5 was also possible, but I did not want to take the tension out of the position so
soon, as the pawn structure after the knight exchange makes the game very difficult to win
for either side. 11.dxe5 Nc7 12.Nc3 Bg7 13.Qe4

690
13...0-0 (13...Ne6?! 14.Be3 Qa5 15.f4²) 14.Be3 f5! Black must get rid of White’s e-pawn, as
it blocks his g7-bishop. 15.exf6 exf6 16.Rad1 Qc8 Black needs to leave the e8-square for his
rooks. (16...Qe8?! 17.Qxe8 Black can’t recapture with the a8-rook as the a-pawn would
hang. 17...Nxe8 18.Rd7 Rf7 19.Rfd1²) 17.Rfe1 Re8 18.Qh4 f5=
b) 10...Nb4?! I don’t like this computer suggestion. Black’s pieces lose their connectivity,
and the knight has a very uncertain future on b4. 11.Qe2 Bg7?!

12.Nf3! Best. Black has problems finding adequate squares for his pieces. (12.Bf4²) 12...0-0
13.a3 Na6 14.Nc3 Re8 15.Bf4²

691
11.Rd1 Bg7 12.Nc3

12.Nf3 looks like a more natural way to play, as White’s f3-knight is superior to either of
Black’s knights. 12...0-0 13.Nc3?! b5! Another thematic and very strong response that forces
White to deal with serious structural issues in the center. Since White cannot play c4–c5,
giving Black total control over the perfect d5-square for his knights, he is forced to watch his
c4-pawn being attacked. The other option is to trade, which would result in Black obtaining
control over d5 anyway, though in a much inferior version.

14.Bg5!? (14.b3 Nb6!) 14...bxc4 15.Ne5!? Nxe5 16.dxe5 Qc8 17.Qxc4 Re8 18.Qxc6 Bxe5=
with an approximately equal game.

12...Qc8!?

692
A rather cunning move. Black moves his queen away from the X-ray of White’s d1-rook, at
the same time creating an X-ray of his own towards White’s queen and forcing White to
make a choice about his e5-knight. White is invited to trade both his queen and knight on d7,
transposing into an endgame which should, however, be very safe for Black, since his pawn
structure is flexible and White’s d4-pawn requires support.

13.f4!?

A very committal move. Now it was my turn to sink into thought and, judging that both sides
are about equal in development, I decided to undermine White’s e5-knight right away.
a) 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.Qxd7+ Kxd7 15.Bf4 Rhd8 16.Rac1 Rac8=
b) 13.Nf3 Nb6! was the follow-up idea to Black’s previous move. White is forced to trade
into an endgame, since his c4-pawn is under attack.

693
14.Qxc8+ Rxc8 15.b3 0-0 16.Bg5 Rfe8 17.Re1 Ne6 18.Be3 Red8 19.Rad1 Rd7 20.d5 Nd8!
Something that I would choose. (20...Bxc3 21.dxe6 fxe6 22.Rxd7 Nxd7 23.Rd1 Nf8=)
21.dxc6 (21.Bxb6?! Bxc3³) 21...Rxd1 22.Nxd1 Nxc6=

13...c5!

13...Nxe5 14.Qxc8+ Rxc8 15.dxe5 f6 16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Be3 b6 18.Rac1 0-0 19.b3 Rcd8
20.Ne4 Ne6= would result in an uneventful draw.

14.Ne2?!

Too passive.
a) 14.Be3?! cxd4 15.Bxd4 Ne6!

694
16.Be3 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Nd5 Nc7! (18...Bxb2?! 19.Rab1 Ba3 20.Bh6 with dangerous
compensation) 19.Qe4 Qe6! 20.Nxc7+ Bxc7 21.Qxe6 fxe6³ and Black manages to keep his
extra, albeit doubled, e-pawn.
b) 14.dxc5! should have been played. 14...Nxe5 15.Qxc8+ Rxc8 16.fxe5 Bxe5 17.Be3 Ne6
18.Na4 f6∞

I evaluated this position as slightly favorable for Black because of White’s doubled c-pawns
which make Black’s central pawns look potentially much stronger. Objectively the position
is still balanced, as the white rooks get a great outpost on d5, and Black’s e6-knight needs to
spend more time moving to a more effective location.

695
c) 14.Qxd7+? Qxd7 15.Nxd7

15...Bxd4+!³ An important intermediate move. 16.Kf1 Kxd7 17.Ne2 Ne6 18.Be3 Rhc8
19.b3 Ke8 20.Bxd4 cxd4 21.g3 (21.Nxd4 Nxf4µ) 21...Rd8µ and Black keeps his extra pawn.

14...f5!?

The idea behind this move is to surround White’s e5-pawn after the mass exchanges in the
center. 14...Ne6! was much stronger, of course.

15.d5

696
a) 15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.d5 Nd4 17.Qxd7+ Kxd7 18.Nc3 Rab8 Preparing the ...b7–b5 break
which will create massive problems for White on the queenside. 19.Ne4 (19.a4?! This
attempt to stop Black’s pawn break is going to fail. 19...Nb3 20.Ra3 Bd4+ 21.Kf1 Na5!µ)
19...Rhc8 20.a4³ Black still has a slight advantage.
b) 15.Be3 cxd4 16.Nxd4 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Nxe6

18...f5! Only now!! 19.Qe2 Qxe6³ White cannot make use of the pin on the e-file because of
the open location of his king on g1. 20.Re1 (20.Bf4? Bd4+µ) 20...Bf6µ Black keeps his extra
pawn.
15...Nxf4

697
16.Nxf7?! During the game I had some doubts about my king’s safety after this move, but of
course White’s attack is an illusion. 16...Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 Kxf7 18.Qe6+ Ke8 19.Re1 Bf6
20.Bh6 Kd8! 21.Rad1 Nb6!

22.Qe2 (22.Qf7 Qf5 Black is just in time. The threat of capturing White’s queen after the
discovered check ...Be5–d4+ gives Black an important tempo to relocate his b6-knight to the
much better d6-square. 23.Kh1 Nxc4 24.Rf1 Nd6–+) 22...Qd7 23.Bf4 Re8 24.b3 Bd4+
25.Kh1 Nc8–+

698
The simplest. Black blockades White’s d5-pawn with his knight and then simply transfers his
king to b7 after ...b7–b6, whereupon his huge material advantage will become a decisive
factor.

15.Qg3

15.Qf3?! cxd4 16.Nxd4 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Bh6 Kf7!

The black king is perfectly safe here. 19.c5 Rd8 20.Qb3+ Ne6 21.Nf3 Rxd1+ 22.Rxd1 Bf6
23.Be3 Kg7µ

699
15...cxd4 16.Nxd4 Nxe5

16...0-0?! 17.Nxd7 Qxd7 18.Be3 Rad8 19.Qf3=

17.fxe5 Ne6!?

Consistent play. My plan was now to trade into an endgame where White’s e-pawn would be
especially vulnerable to attack. At this point I saw that on board one Hikaru’s position was
quite bad, but with no clear plan of improvement for Kramnik, so I felt happy with my
position, as White must clearly take care not to fall into a much inferior position.

18.Nxe6

a) 18.b3 Nxd4 19.Rxd4 Qc5 20.Qf2 Bxe5 21.Bb2!? An interesting attempt to invite Black to
capture White’s rook, however, if Black accepts the invitation, White’s dark-squared bishop
will become an absolute monster and the black king’s safety will come into question.
21...Kf7! 22.Re1 Bf6µ
b) 18.Qb3!? Nxd4 19.Rxd4 Kf7!

700
It is important to note that, in many lines, it is much better for Black to develop his king to f7
instead of castling, as it will be closer to the center in the upcoming endgame! (19...Bxe5??
20.Qb5++; 19...0-0 20.Bf4 Qc5 21.Qe3= allows White to consolidate his position) 20.Bf4
Qe6 21.Re1 Rhd8 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Qxb7 Qxc4 24.Bg5

24...Qe6! The most ambitious move.

[24...Qc5+ 25.Kf1 Bxe5 26.Qxe7+ (26.Bxe7?? Qc4+ 27.Kg1 Qd4+ 28.Kh1 Rd7–+)
26...Qxe7 27.Bxe7 Rd5 28.Bg5=]
25.Qxa7 h6

701
26.Bf4 (26.Bc1 Bxe5 27.Kh1 Bd4! 28.Qa5 Qd5µ Black’s central passed pawns are much
more dangerous than White’s on the queenside, given the vast difference in strength of the
bishops.) 26...g5 27.Bg3 f4 28.Bf2 Rd5 29.b4 Rxe5 30.Rxe5 Bxe5 31.h3 Bd6!³

And again the difference in strength between the two sides’ bishops allows Black to keep
some hopes for an advantage, as he will combine his central pawn push with potential mating
threats to the white king.

18...Qxe6 19.Rd5

White needs just one more move — developing his c1-bishop — to consolidate his position,

702
however I saw what I had to do before I went for the mass exchanges in the center on the
fifteenth move.

19...b5!

Although the computer is not impressed, this aesthetic move is still within its top three
candidate moves, as Black undermines White’s best-placed piece at the moment, the d5-rook.

20.Rxb5

20.b3?! The attempt to keep White’s rook on the d5-square creates an additional weakness
for him. 20...bxc4 21.bxc4

703
21...0-0!
[21...Rc8?! Less accurate, as the black rooks need to be placed on c8 and b8. 22.Qb3 0-0
23.Bf4 (23.Bg5 h6 24.Be3 Bxe5 25.Re1 with a complex middlegame where it will be
difficult for White to find compensation for the missing pawn) 23...Qc6 24.Rc1 (24.Rad1
Qxc4 25.Rd7! Rfe8 26.Rxa7 Kf8!µ) 24...e6!³]
22.Bf4 Rfc8 23.Qd3 Rab8 24.Rc1 Rb2!³ with the initiative for Black.

20...Qxc4

704
21.Qb3!

White senses that his position is starting to drift and decides to transpose into an endgame
where his chances of successful defense are much increased. Black is forced to exchange,
allowing White to activate his a1-rook at the cost of doubling pawns on the b-file.
21.Ra5?! Qd4+! An important check which further forces the delay of the development of
White’s c1-bishop. 22.Kf1 (After 22.Qe3? Qd1+ 23.Kf2 Rc8 24.Rc5 0-0‚; 22.Be3 Qxb2
23.Rd1 0-0 24.Qf3 Rad8µ White has no compensation for the missing pawn.) 22...Rb8!µ
This move serves two functions: one, to take away the b3-square from White’s queen, and
two, to keep the pressure on White’s b2-pawn.

21...Qxb3 22.axb3= a6!

The white rook was perfectly placed on b5, as it was protecting the e5-weakness and
preventing Black’s rooks from doubling on the b-file.
During the game I was very proud of this little pawn move.
22...Kf7 23.Bd2! White is threatening to achieve his ideal set-up of placing the bishop on c3,
where it will do a marvelous job of protecting the entire queenside pawn chain and the e-
pawn. Once this is achieved White can actually start thinking about playing for a win!!
23...Rhb8 24.Rxb8 Rxb8 25.Bc3 Ke6 26.Rxa7=

23.Rba5 Rd8!!³

The critical move. As mentioned in the note to 22...Kf7, I simply cannot allow White’s c1-
bishop to arrive on c3.

705
24.Kf2?!

Inaccurate, as White needs to develop his c1-bishop.

24.Bf4!? 0-0 (24...h6 25.h4 Rd4 26.g3 Kf7 27.Rxa6 g5 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Bxg5 Bxe5 30.Re1
Rd6=) 25.Rxa6

25...Rd3
[25...Rb8 26.Ra7 Rfe8 (26...Kf7?? 27.e6+!+–) 27.R1a3=]
26.Ra7 Re8 27.Rb7 h6 28.h4 Rd4 29.Bg3 Re4 30.Rb5 Rd8 31.Re1 Rdd4! 32.Bf2 Rb4

706
33.Rxb4 Rxb4 34.Bc5 Rxb3 35.Bxe7 Kf7 36.Bc5 Ke6 37.Bd4 Rb4= and in this game of cat
and mouse White manages to equalize.

24...Kf7³ 25.Bg5

25.Ke2 must have been my opponent’s original idea, to help regain control of the d2-square
for the bishop, however it’s a bit slow. 25...Rd4! 26.R1a4 Rhd8!

27.Be3 (27.Rxd4 Rxd4 28.Bd2 Re4+ 29.Kd3 Bxe5 30.Bc3 Bxh2 31.Rxa6 Rg4µ leads to a
massive material advantage for Black) 27...Rd3 28.Ra3 R3d5! 29.Bf4 Rd4! 30.R3a4

30...R8d5! After the previous intricate play, Black finally forces White to give up his e-pawn

707
in exchange for Black’s a-pawn. The resulting structure with Black’s connected central
passed pawns versus White’s doubled b-pawns clearly gives Black high hopes of victory.

25...Rhe8!

Black needs to protect his e-pawn against the possibility of White’s temporary pawn sacrifice
with e5–e6, followed by Ra1–e1.

26.Re1 Rb8?!

Black switches to a frontal attack on White’s b3-pawn, but the patient 26...Rd3 was stronger:
26...Rd3! 27.Re3 (27.b4 Rb3 28.Re2 Rxb4 29.Rxa6 h6!µ) 27...Rd2+ 28.Re2 Rxe2+ 29.Kxe2
Rb8 30.Bd2 Rxb3 31.Bc3 Rb5! 32.e6+ Kf8 33.Rxa6 Bxc3 34.bxc3 Rb2+ 35.Kf3 Kg7µ

27.Ra3?!

White was starting to get into time trouble, and while it is a natural reflex to protect your
stuff in such circumstances, it gives the opponent a chance to improve.
27.Bd2 Rxb3 28.Bc3 Rb6 29.Rea1 Rb5! 30.Rxb5 axb5 31.Ke3 Rb8 32.Ra6 g5!µ keeps
Black’s extra pawn and chances to win quite strong.

27...Rb5!

708
Now White will be unable to transfer his bishop to c3 because it will be tied to the defense of
the e-pawn.

28.e6+!?

White decides to give up his weak e-pawn in exchange for increased activity for the rest of
his pieces.

28...Kg8

28...Kf8 is also possible, but as I was getting low on time myself, I started to see ghosts
related to White’s potential Bg5/h6 checks.

29.Re2

29.Rxa6 Rxb3 30.Kf1 h6! 31.Bc1 Kh7 32.Ra3 Rb5 33.b3 g5µ and White is very likely to
lose either of his weak b- or e-pawns.

29...Rb6?!

The first inaccuracy. 29...Bd4+! allows Black to bring his king into the game:

709
30.Kf1! (30.Be3 Bxe3+ 31.Rxe3 a5–+ This rook endgame is hopeless for White.) 30...Kg7!
31.h3 Bf6 (31...h6 32.Bd2 Rd8 33.b4 Rd6 34.Bc3 Bf6µ) 32.Bd2! (32.Bf4 Rd8µ) 32...Bxb2
33.Ra2 Bf6 34.b4 Rb6 35.g4! fxg4 36.hxg4 h6 37.Re4 Rd8 38.Be3 Rc6 39.Bc5 g5µ and
White keeps drawing chances.

30.g3 h6

Forcing White to make a decision with his bishop.

31.Be3!

710
The correct practical decision. White activates his bishop and removes Black’s active b6-
rook at the cost of his e-pawn.
a) 31.Bf4?! Rc8–+
b) 31.Bd2 Bxb2 32.Ra2 Bd4+ 33.Kg2 Kh7!µ Black keeps his extra pawn, which should be
enough for a win, since White’s weak e-pawn is going to be captured sometime soon.

31...Rxe6 32.Bc5

32...Rc6?

Miscalculation.
32...Rxe2+! 33.Kxe2 Rc8 34.b4 Rc6–+ kept the extra pawn, since White cannot capture
Black’s e-pawn. 35.Ra2 (35.b3 Kf7 36.Kd3 e5 37.Kc4 Ke6–+) 35...Bf6 36.Kd3 Kf7
37.Kc4

711
37...Re6!! Preventing White from undoubling his b-pawns immediately and forcing him to
spend more time preparing b4–b5. In the meantime, Black starts to roll his pawn majority on
the kingside. Considering all of these factors, White’s position should be lost for practical
purposes. 38.b3 h5 39.Ra5 h4 40.b5 axb5+ 41.Kxb5 Re2 42.gxh4 f4 43.b4 Rxh2 44.Kc4 f3–
+

33.Bxe7!

Of course. Now the best Black can do is get 3 vs. 2 on the kingside. I was quite disappointed
at this turn of the events, however, since Black still has at least some advantage, I got into a
‘let’s keep playing’ frame of mind!

33...Kf7 34.Bb4 Rxe2+ 35.Kxe2 Bxb2 36.Ra2

712
The game has simplified and my opponent easily makes the rest of his required moves for the
first time control.

36...Be5 37.Bd2 g5 38.b4 Ke6 39.Kd3 Bf6?!

I wanted to start pushing my kingside pawns, but did not know the most accurate way.
39...Kf6 40.Be3

40...Rd6+ (40...f4 41.gxf4 gxf4 42.Bc5 Kf5 43.Ra5 Kg4 44.Ke4 Bc7 45.h3+! Kxh3 46.Ra1
Kg4 47.Rg1+ Kh5 48.Kf5 Kh4 49.Ke4 Re6+ 50.Kf3 Kh5 51.Rg8 Bd6!µ) 41.Ke2 h5
42.Ra5 g4!µ This is how Black can make progress. He indirectly targets White’s h-pawn,

713
using the fact that his e5-bishop is perfectly placed. Next, Black’s h-pawn is going to proceed
to h3, which will create additional opportunities for Black to both create a potential mating
net around White’s king, which will be stuck on the first rank, and, if allowed, transfer his
rook to h1 via the first rank. White has a very tough defensive task ahead of him. (42...Re6
43.Kd3 f4 44.gxf4 gxf4 45.Bf2 Kg6 46.b5=) 43.b5 axb5 44.Rxb5 Ra6 45.Rd5 h4 46.Bf2
Ra2+ 47.Rd2

47...Rxd2+!! White is not in time to bring his king to the drawing h1-corner. 48.Kxd2 h3!
49.Ke2 f4 50.gxf4 Bxf4–+ Black is just in time, before White can protect his h-pawn with
his king. 51.Bg1 Kf5 52.Kd3 Bc7 53.Ke2 Ke4 54.Kf2 Kf4! 55.Ke2

714
55...g3! 56.hxg3+ Kxg3 57.Kf1 Kf3–+

40.Be3 Be7

Preventing the arrival of the white bishop on c5. However Black’s bishop is now more
passively placed, and furthermore, White can now safely exchange his last queenside pawn,
leading the game to a pure 3 vs. 2 on the same flank.

41.Rb2! h5 42.b5 axb5 43.Rxb5 g4

At last I hit on the right plan!

Though obviously the game is objectively drawn, White needs to defend precisely, quite
difficult to do, since he has already had to defend accurately the whole game. If we factor in
the many hours my opponent had to spend on opening preparation and a human’s finite
resources, I expected my opponent’s energy reserves to break down at some point.

715
44.Bf4?!

His first inaccuracy.

White can draw almost immediately by going for the rook exchange, since his king cannot be
removed from the safe h1-corner.
44.Rb6! Rxb6 45.Bxb6 Bd6 46.Ke3

46...Kd5
[46...h4 47.Kf2 h3 48.Be3 Kd5 49.Kg1 Ke4 (49...Bc5 50.Bxc5 Kxc5 51.Kh1 is also a

716
draw) 50.Bf2 Kf3 51.Be1 Bc5+ 52.Kf1 Be3 53.Ba5 f4 54.Bc7! fxg3 55.Bxg3 Bf4 56.Bxf4
Kxf4 57.Kg1 Kf3 58.Kh1= with an obvious draw.]
47.Kf2 Ke4 48.Kg2 h4 49.Bf2 h3+ 50.Kg1 Kf3

51.Be1 (51.Kf1?? f4–+) 51...Bc7!? Black sets his last trap.

[51...Bc5+ 52.Kf1 Bb6 (52...Be3 53.Ba5 f4 54.Bc7=) 53.Bd2 Bc7 54.Be1 Bb8 55.Kg1=]
52.Bf2 and Black cannot make progress. (52.Bd2?? Bxg3!! Thanks to the outside passed h-
pawn, Black’s three pawns easily overwhelm White’s lone bishop.)

44...Bf6 45.Rb7 Ra6?!

45...h4! immediately was better. 46.gxh4 Rc3+ 47.Ke2 Bxh4µ This is practically lost for
White. 48.Rb6+ Kd5 49.Rb5+ Rc5 50.Rxc5+ Kxc5 51.h3 (51.Kf1 Kd4 52.Kg2 Ke4 53.Bb8
f4 54.Bc7 f3+ 55.Kg1 Bg5 56.Bd6 Be3+ 57.Kh1 Kd3–+) 51...gxh3 52.Kf3 Kd5

717
I am not 100% sure, but this should be a theoretical win for Black. 53.Bb8 Bf6!–+

46.Rh7 Ra3+

46...h4 47.gxh4 Ra3+ 48.Ke2 Ra4!

Black manages to remove White’s blockading f4-bishop. During the game, of course, it is
not easy to see that White’s passed h-pawn is going to be easily stopped. 49.Bg5 Be5
50.Re7+ Kd6 51.Re8 f4 52.h5 Kd5! 53.h6 Ra2+ 54.Kd3 Ra3+ 55.Ke2 Rh3!–+

47.Ke2

718
47.Kc4 h4 48.Rh6 Kf7 49.Rh7+ Kg6 50.Rb7 Ra4+

51.Kd5 (51.Rb4 Rxb4+ 52.Kxb4 Bg5! and then ...Be3 would be an easy win for Black)
51...Ra5+ 52.Ke6 Ra2 53.gxh4 Re2+! 54.Kd5 Bxh4–+ and Black should eventually win this
endgame.

47...Ra2+ 48.Kf1

48...Kd5??

719
My opponent was fast approaching the second time control and I could not resist an attempt
to start a ‘mating’ attack.
a) 48...Rxh2! would have led to a decisive material advantage for Black. My fear was that
my rook was going to be trapped on h3, however it is not so. 49.Kg1 Rh3 50.Rh6 (50.Kg2
Be5!–+ Black wins easily with a subsequent ...h5–h4 in the resulting rook endgame.)
50...Kf7 51.Rh7+ Kg6 52.Rb7 h4 53.Rb6

53...Rxg3+!! The move that I missed. 54.Bxg3 (54.Kh1 Rh3+ 55.Kg2 Kf7!–+) 54...hxg3–+
This, of course, is an easy win for Black, as there’s no defense against the simple push of the
f- and g-pawns.
b) 48...h4!? My original idea, however, after the following forced sequence, I realized to my
horror that White can hold the draw. 49.Rh6! (49.gxh4 Bd4! The threat of ...Rf2+ deflects the
white king further from the h-pawn. If White moves his bishop, ...f5–f4 comes. 50.Ke1
Be5!! Now that White’s king cannot protect the h-pawn, the rook endgame is a trivial win.)
49...Kf7 50.Rh7+ Kg6 51.Rh6+! Kg7 52.Rh5!! Rxh2 53.Rxf5 h3µ

720
This seems to win, however I don’t see a way to break White’s blockade along the fifth rank.
While the bishop endgame is an obvious win, it is not easy to see how Black can exchange
White’s rook. 54.Kg1 Rg2+ 55.Kh1 Kg6 56.Rd5 Rc2 57.Rb5

57...Be7 (57...Bd4 58.Rg5²) 58.Re5! (58.Rd5? Rc5 59.Rxc5?? Bxc5 60.Kh2 Kf5 61.Bb8
Bd4 62.Bc7 Be5 63.Bb6 Ke4 64.Bd8 Kf3 65.Bh4 Bd6–+ zugzwang is a demonstration of
how Black wins this endgame) 58...Bd8 59.Rd5=

49.Rxh5

Of course.

721
49...Ke4 50.h3!=

Somehow I managed to miss this simple move.

50...gxh3 51.Rxh3 Bd4

51...Kf3 was my original intention, but I completely overlooked that the white king can
simply move to the queenside! 52.Ke1! Be5 Black has nothing better. 53.Bxe5 Re2+ 54.Kf1
Rxe5 55.g4+ Kxg4 56.Rb3=

52.Rh5

a) 52.Ke1!? Kd3 53.g4+ Ke4 54.gxf5 Kxf4= results in the famous R+B vs. R endgame.
b) 52.Bd6! Be3 (52...Kf3 53.g4+ Kxg4 54.Rg3+ Kh5 55.Rd3=) 53.Rh5 Rf2+ 54.Ke1 Rc2
(54...Kd3 55.Bf4!=) 55.Kf1= and Black cannot improve.

52...Rf2+ 53.Ke1 Rg2 54.Kf1?

54.Bc7= or any other bishop move would draw easily.

54...Kf3

722
55.Be3?

Not losing, but a completely unnecessary sacrifice. I think fatigue and panic from the
approaching time trouble finally caused my opponent to hallucinate just when an obvious
draw was so near.
55.Ke1 Bf2+ 56.Kd1 Bxg3 57.Bxg3 Kg4 58.Rxf5=

55...Bxe3

Needless to say I was very happy to get into the R+B vs. R endgame after my elementary
blunder a few moves before.

56.Rxf5+ Kxg3

I think my opponent missed this simple capture, hence his immediate collapse, as White
manages to lose this theoretically drawn, albeit very difficult, endgame.

57.Re5

57.Rf8 Rc2 58.Ke1 Bf4 leads to approximately the same.

57...Rf2+

The only move, otherwise White plays Re5–e2 and draws immediately.

723
58.Ke1 Kf4! 59.Re8 Ra2 60.Kd1 Kf3

61.Re7??–+

This move shows how dangerous these notorious endgames are. Just one bad move and the
game is lost immediately.
I spent some time on this position, not believing my luck, but finally realized that it was
indeed true and White had just committed a fatal blunder.

61...Rd2+ 62.Ke1 Rd8!

The threat of ...Be3–f2+ forces White’s next move.

63.Rf7+ Bf4

724
The potential threat of ... Bf4–g3+ causes the white rook to move to a much inferior square
on the f-file, since the black rook has taken the f8-square away from it. Whatever square the
white rook moves to, it will be unable to stop the flanking mate.

64.Rf6 Rc8

White resigned as the d6-square has been taken from his rook and there is no way to stop
mate.

0–1

A very dramatic game, full of accurate and nuanced play in the middlegame and early
endgame, then followed by two mutual incredible game-changing blunders. I remember
Hikaru, normally a very reserved guy, gave me a comradely slap on the back, then returned
to his own game, where he was slowly overcoming Kramnik’s resistance, to net the second
point, notching up a victory for our team. It is quite curious to see in the database that several
other people tried to play Alekhine’s Defense against my opponent in later years, but this
time he was ready!

725
 GAME 20
Gata Kamsky
Peter Svidler
Thessaloniki 2013
The following game was played in the FIDE Grand Prix at Thessaloniki in Greece in 2013.
During my chess career spanning several decades, I have been lucky enough to visit
numerous countries, but Greece and Norway are very special to me (and I happily
recommend the reader to take a vacation there sometime). Everyone knows, of course, about
the ancient Greek myths and legends, and your writer was a big fan in his school days,
reading anything and everything that he could find related to them. As an adult, I still have
very fond memories of that time, and when I came to Greece, I recalled a short story I read
years ago.
In this story, a local wise man says that it is not necessary to buy a time machine to see the
past, that only desire and imagination are enough to restore the monuments to their full
splendor. And it’s true! In my humble opinion the human imagination has always been the
major force behind our greatest achievements. I’m not going to pretend that this tournament
was the greatest event in my chess career — it wasn’t — but, on a personal level, I was
deeply inspired by the place and the local people. I would go out to see the city in the
evening, to mingle with the locals, to hear the sounds of the language and, especially, that
beautiful, melodic traditional Greek music.
In the first round I was paired against the eventual winner of the event! GM Leinier
Dominguez was not in top form at the start, and blundered a rook against me in an admittedly
tough R+B endgame. That win told me that my luck was in. Summer in general is a good
time of year for me as I feel more energy. Quite often I thought about how smart the world
champions of the past were, scheduling their world championship matches for the time of
year when they played their best chess. In these modern times, the champions no longer have
such a luxury, with such a competitive schedule between the top events, qualifiers, rapids and
various online and non-official events. But let’s go back to the tournament.
In the sixth round I was paired with GM Peter Svidler, whom we met earlier in one of the
games at a Sofia M-Tel event, and he has been mentioned several times for his tremendous
chess achievements. In this particular event though it was clear that Peter was not in his best
form. Given GM Svidler’s extensive and world-class theoretical opening knowledge, my
opening preparation required me to play something to avoid well-known and forcing lines,
while preserving the tension, as my opponent’s creativity in such situations can be a double-
edged sword. Finally I settled on the English Opening that I had previously employed against
him in the 2007 World Cup tie-breaks, partly in an attempt to remind him of that match,

726
partly hoping to gain a certain psychological advantage on my part!

Peter Svidler (Photo by Anastasiya Karlovich)

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3

White delays the development of his g1-knight, inviting Black to go for the 3...c6 line which
is well-known for its unbalanced and unorthodox structures, similar to Alekhine’s Defense
with colors reversed.

727
3...d5

Black goes for the most principled main line, heading for a reversed Sicilian Dragon. The
next several moves are very logical developing moves.

4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.d3

Sometimes White does not play this move automatically and castles immediately, with the
idea of playing e2–e3 followed by d2–d4, however this plan has not found many followers.

7...Be7 8.0-0 0-0

We have reached the tabiya position, where White has two ways of developing his c1-bishop.
One is to play a2–a3, followed, if allowed, by b2–b4 to put the bishop on the long a1–h8
diagonal. The second is more common, where White usually develops the bishop to e3,
where it will add pressure to Black’s queenside and help him carry out the d3–d4 central
break.

728
9.Be3 Be6

Black has more options in this position than White! 9...Re8, with the idea of playing ...Be7–
f8 followed by ...Nc6–d4, is one of the main plans. Other moves like 9...Kh8 and even 9...f5
have been played; statistically Black has a good score in each and every one of these lines.
They often transpose into one another, adding more confusion to the mess.

10.Rc1

a) 10.Ne4 has been tried here, however after the sequence 10...f5 11.Nc5 Bd5 12.Rc1 f4
13.Bd2 Bxc5 14.Rxc5 Qd6∞ Black seems fine.
b) 10.a3 seems to be the main move. Having less than a day to prepare for this game was not
enough time to educate myself on all the intricacies of the opening, given that Black could
have played other major responses versus my opening selection. 10...a5 (During the game I
was worried about 10...Nd5, however it seems that after 11.Nxd5 Bxd5 12.Qa4! White
manages to keep a certain advantage as most recent games, as at summer 2018, suggest.)
11.Rc1 a4 12.Nd2 f5∞ is a whole branch of theory that I will not go into here. This line alone
requires at least a week of 3–4 hours of analysis daily.

10...f5 11.a3

729
White is making all the usual moves, preparing to start the thematic expansion on the
queenside.

11...Bf6

Looks natural, but I did not like this move for Black, as White’s e3-bishop now gets access
to the c5-square. Black also deprives himself of the option of putting this bishop on d6,
where it would be able to protect both the c7- and e5-pawns, thus creating a strong chain.
11...Kh8 is a useful intermediate move that has been played with success recently: 12.b4
(12.Na4 Bd5 13.Bc5 Nxa4 14.Qxa4 Bd6∞ with complex strategic play) 12...a6

730
13.Bc5 (13.Na4 Nxa4 14.Qxa4 Bd5 15.Bc5 Bd6=) 13...Bxc5 14.bxc5 Nd7 15.d4 e4 16.d5
exf3 17.Bxf3 Nxc5 18.dxe6 Nxe6 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.e3=

12.Nd2

An attempt to stop Black from playing his own thematic ...Nc6–d4 followed by ...c7–c6 set-
up. If Black reaches that set-up, he’ll have comfortable development, no pawn weaknesses
and a certain spatial advantage that would make his position, on the whole, preferable.
a) 12.Bc5!? Rf7 13.e4 This is one of White’s thematic ideas in this line.White creates a
strong outpost on the e4-square for his pieces, in exchange for a weak d-pawn. However,
given that my preparation ended several moves ago and I was on my own, I did not want to
force matters so early, as I was not sure that in the position arising after White’s fifteenth
move in this line I would have a slight advantage. 13...Rd7 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Ne1² It seems
that White’s chances should be preferable here, thanks to his very strong fianchettoed bishop.
b) 12.b4 Nd4 13.Nd2 c6 was something I wanted to avoid.

12...Kh8

In later games Black tried to improve with 12...Rb8, preparing ...Nc6–d4, however after
13.Nb3!

13...Nd4? is still impossible. (13...Bf7 14.Nc5 Nd5 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.b4² White has
managed to get everything he wanted from the opening with a slight advantage, thanks to his
better-placed minor pieces and potential queenside minority attack that might lead to the
creation of weak black pawns on the queenside.) 14.Nc5 Bc8 15.Bxd4 exd4 16.Nb5! a6

731
17.Qb3+ Kh8 18.Nxc7 Qxc7 19.Na4!±

13.b4

13.Nb3 Bxb3 14.Qxb3 Nd4 15.Qa2 c6 16.b4 a6 17.a4

17...Qe8! 18.Rfe1 Qh5! 19.Qb2 f4! Black is just in time to stop White’s b4–b5 pawn break.
In view of the potential ...f4–f3 push, White is forced to give up his bishop pair. 20.Bxd4
exd4 21.Ne4∞ with a very double-edged game ahead.

13...Rb8?!

This looks slightly unnatural and feels not quite right.

13...a6!? A useful little pawn move that temporarily stops White’s queenside expansion plans
and prepares ...Nb6–d5.

732
14.Nb3 (14.Bxc6!? This very daring exchange by White is sometimes played in similar
structures. White gives up his best piece and defender of his king to ruin Black’s queenside
pawn formation, in the hope of exploiting those weaknesses before getting mated. Such a
plan is possible, but requires nerves of steel and very precise calculation. 14...bxc6 15.Nb3
Qe8 16.f3 with a complex game ahead.) 14...Bxb3 15.Qxb3 Nd4 16.Qd1 c6 17.Bd2 Qe7
and Black is very close to being equal.
Back to the game.

14.Bc5

733
Played with the idea of preventing Black from locking my dark-squared bishop out with
...Nc6–d4.
a) 14.Bxc6 is again possible, but knowing my opponent’s dangerous attacking skill, I
dropped it from my considerations. 14...bxc6 15.Nb3 Qe8∞
b) 14.b5 Nd4 15.a4 Nc8 16.f4 exf4 17.Bxf4 Ne7 18.Kh1 g5 19.Be3 c5 20.bxc6 Nexc6∞
and the position is hard to evaluate, as both sides have clear trumps.

14...Ne7 15.b5

15.a4 Nbc8 16.b5 leads to the game continuation.

15...Nbc8!?

Black has decided on his piece configuration and proceeds with the plan.
15...Nd7 16.Bb4 a6!?

is an attempt by Black to minimize the number of potential weaknesses on the queenside.

17.a4 axb5 18.axb5 Rf7² Clearly White has an advantage, but choosing the right plan will
not be simple. Most likely, sooner or later, White will have to go with his thematic e2–e4
pawn break, to create additional targets for his pieces to attack.

16.a4

I’m following the ‘push first, ask questions later’ policy. ☺

734
16...b6!?

A very committal move as Black considerably weakens both his c7-pawn and the c6-square.

17.Ba3 Nd6²

We have reached the first critical position of the game. White has extracted a big concession
from Black in the form of the weak c7-pawn. White’s bishop pair also looks very impressive,
but it is not easy to get to the c7-pawn, and Black is ready to start playing on the kingside
and in the center. In addition he might consider going for the ...c7–c5 break if White is not
careful.

18.Rc2!?

Played in caveman style. White is simply going to double on the c-file.

a) 18.e4!? was very tempting, however I had difficulty in evaluating the position after
Black’s obvious response. 18...f4 (18...Bg5!? 19.f4 exf4 20.gxf4 Bh6 21.e5 Nb7! 22.Bxe7
Qxe7 23.d4 Qb4 24.Ne2 Rfd8 25.Rxc7 Nc5! The point behind Black’s knight retreat to the
b7-square in the first place. 26.Nf3 Bb3„ White seems to keep an advantage, but Black’s
minor pieces have easy targets as White’s a4-, f4- and potentially d4-pawns require
protection.) 19.Nd5 The most logical follow-up to White’s previous move, but he should be
prepared for the doubling of his d-pawns. (19.gxf4!? To play this move, removing the white
king’s guardian pawn, was something I was not prepared to do. 19...exf4 20.Nf3 Ng6 21.d4
Be7∞ and White is probably better, but this position is far from easy to play.) 19...Nxd5

735
20.exd5 Bf5 21.Ne4 Be7 22.Bb2!

White immediately transfers his dark-squared bishop to target Black’s weakened e-pawn.
22...Nf7 23.Qd2 Bxe4 24.dxe4 Bd6„ and it seems to me that with the blocked center, Black
might even get good chances of an attack on the kingside! The computer disagrees, of course.
25.Rc3!?

25...Qg5!
[25...Qe7 26.Rfc1 Nd8 27.Qc2 Nb7 (27...Rf7 28.gxf4! Rxf4 29.Rxc7 Qg5 30.Rc3 Nb7
31.Rg3 Qh5„) 28.Rxc7 Bxc7 29.Qxc7±]

736
26.Qc2 Rbe8 27.Ba3! Re7 28.Rc1 Qf6∞ and I’m not sure if White can break through Black’s
defenses, since the g2-bishop is really not that great.
b) 18.Nf3!? This move has the idea of adding the option of d3–d4 to the already existing
thematic e2–e4 break. 18...g5 19.d4 e4 20.Ne5 Qe8

21.f3!? (21.g4 Rd8! and the game becomes a total mess) 21...Rd8! 22.Qc2 exf3 23.Bxf3
Bxe5 (23...f4 24.g4 h5 25.h3² White’s central presence is likely to give him better chances in
the coming tactical battle.) 24.dxe5 Nc4 25.Qb3! Rd7 26.Rfd1 Rf7 27.Rxd7 Qxd7 28.Rd1
Nxa3! (28...Qc8 29.Bxe7 Rxe7 30.Qb4 Rg7 31.Nd5 Nxe5 32.Nf6±) 29.Qxa3 Qe8² and the
game seems to be balanced, with White having great piece activity for his doubled e-pawns.

18...Qd7 19.Qc1?!

I suddenly changed my mind about doubling rooks on the c-file.

a) 19.Qb1 was my original intention: 19...Rbc8 20.Rfc1 Black is prevented from playing
...c7–c5. 20...Rfd8 The most solid choice. Black waits until the moment White has to move
his c3-knight away from the center to start his counterplay.
[20...Bg5 Not the strongest move, though very tempting. 21.e3 (21.Qa1 Rfd8 22.Nf3! Bf6
23.Bb2 Bb3 24.Rd2 Nf7 25.Re1 c5 26.e4 Ng5!∞) 21...Rfd8

737
22.Ne2! (22.Na2?! seems like a logical idea, to transfer one of White’s knights to the glaring
hole that is the c6-square, however Black has a very strong piece presence in the center that
offsets his single weakness, the c7-pawn. 22...f4! 23.exf4 exf4 24.Nf3 Bf6 25.Nb4 a5!
26.Na6 Bg4! 27.Rxc7 Rxc7 28.Rxc7 Qf5ƒ Black takes over the initiative thanks to White’s
pieces being all over the board, lacking coordination.) 22...Bd5 (22...a6? 23.bxa6 Qxa4
24.Bxd6 cxd6 25.Bb7+–) 23.Bxd5 Nxd5 24.Bxd6 cxd6 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 26.Rxc8+ Qxc8
27.Nc4 Qc5 28.Qb3² White gets a clear advantage in this endgame.; 20...c5?? would be a
terrible mistake, as White’s whole plan was to prevent this pawn advance. 21.bxc6 Nxc6
22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.Nb5+–; 20...h5!? Now that the white forces are far away on the queenside,
Black launches a direct pawn storm on the kingside. White now has to be extremely careful
in his choices.]
21.Na2 Bg5! 22.Qb2

738
22...e4 (22...Bxd2 23.Rxd2 c5 24.bxc6 Nxc6 25.Rdc2 Na5 26.Rxc8 Rxc8 27.Rxc8+ Nxc8
28.Nc3² White’s powerful pair of bishops guarantees him a certain advantage, though Black
keeps good defensive chances.) 23.Bxd6 (23.dxe4?! Nxe4 24.Nxe4? Bxc1µ) 23...Qxd6
(23...Bxd2 24.Rxd2 Qxd6 25.Rcc2 e3 26.fxe3 Bd7 27.d4 c6 28.Nc3 Qh6 29.Rd3 Be6
30.Nd1!² White manages to stabilize his position, while keeping an extra, though doubled,
pawn on the e-file.) 24.dxe4 Bf6 (24...Bxd2 25.Rd1±) 25.Qb1 c5 26.Nc4

26...Qc7 (26...Qb8 27.Bh3 Rd4 28.exf5 Nxf5 29.e3 Rdd8 30.Nc3±) 27.Bh3! Rd4 28.exf5
Nxf5 29.Nb4! White’s a2-knight finally gets to where it was aiming to go, the c6-square,
which should give White at least some advantage.

739
b) 19.e3!? Rfd8 20.Qe2 Nf7 21.d4 exd4 22.exd4 Re8 23.Re1 Rbd8 24.Nf3 Ng6∞ with yet
another difficult-to-evaluate position.
c) 19.Qa1! Probably the strongest move. Later in the game I realized that now that Black’s
c6-knight had been transferred elsewhere, Black’s e5-pawn had become a good potential
target, so it makes sense for White to start building his Qa1/Bb2 battery to push for the
exchange of the dark-squared bishops, as Black’s bishop on f6 is now the strongest piece in
the game. 19...Rbc8 20.Rfc1 Rfd8 21.Bb2± with a clear advantage for White as he has
deployed all his pieces in the optimal manner.

19...Rbc8 20.Re1

An attempt to use the old trick ‘the threat is stronger than its execution’. White prepares the
thematic e2–e4 opening of the position. As the reader might notice, with each move, both
sides attempt to improve their position, preparing for the coming battle which must happen
sooner or later to release all the tension that is present in the pieces.

20...Rfd8 21.e4

21.e3 This move, followed by d3–d4, is possible, however after the sequence 21...Nf7 22.d4
e4 23.Bxe7 Qxe7 24.f3 exf3 25.Bxf3 Nd6 White can hardly make any progress because of
the absence of his dark-squared bishop, as any further central pawn move will not only open
up Black’s strong f6-bishop, but will also give him a great outpost on the dark squares.
26.Bd5 Bd7 27.Bg2 Be6= Black will of course refrain from allowing the exchange of his
light-squared bishop.

740
21...Bg5?!

A mistake, though neither my opponent nor I understood why.

21...c5!?

This is even stronger immediately compared to the game. Black has managed to consolidate
his position and White’s advantage that was so clear just a few moves ago is completely
gone!! Such is the nature of a game of chess. He who has the advantage has to take care in
finding ways to exploit it. 22.bxc6 Nxc6 23.Bxd6 Qxd6 (23...Nd4 leads to a forced draw,
however it’s not easy to calculate it during the game, and I didn’t see it either!! 24.exf5 Bxf5
25.Bxe5 Bxe5 26.Rxe5 Nxc2 27.Qxc2 Bxd3 28.Qb3 Qd4 29.Rd5 Rxd5 30.Nxd5 Rc1+
31.Nf1 Bc4 32.Qb4 Qc5! 33.Qd2 Rxf1+ 34.Bxf1 Qxd5=) 24.Nb5 Qxd3 This position
breathes with tactical possibilities. 25.exf5 Probably White’s best choice, since with his safe
king and slightly better structure, it seems that his game is easier to play than Black’s.
[25.Re3 Qd7 26.exf5 Bd5! (26...Bxf5? 27.Bxc6+–) 27.Bxd5 Qxd5 28.Ne4 Be7!= and in this
unbalanced position, the game should be equal.]
25...Ne7! (25...Bxf5 26.Be4 Bxe4 27.Nxe4 Ne7 28.Rc7 Rxc7 29.Qxc7 Nd5! 30.Qxa7
Be7=) 26.Rxc8 Rxc8 27.Qb1 Qxb1 28.Rxb1 Bxf5 29.Nxa7 Rd8 30.Ne4 Rd4 31.Re1 Rxa4
32.Nb5 Nc8 33.h4 Ra5 34.Nbd6 Nxd6 35.Nxd6 Be6 36.Rb1=

22.Qa1!?

Thanks to my opponent’s last move, I can now correct the inaccuracy I committed when I
moved the queen to c1 some moves before.

741
22.f4!! Tempting, but leading to a position with which I was not comfortable, or so I thought.
The computer shows the brilliant resource that I missed. 22...exf4 23.Nf3 Bh6

24.exf5!! The move we both missed. (24.Ne5?! Qe8 25.gxf4 Ng6 26.Nxg6+ Qxg6 27.e5
Ne8 28.Qe3 c5! 29.bxc6 Rxc6 30.Rcc1 Bg8 31.d4 Nc7∞ and while the position is
objectively close to equal, White’s central pawns are both a strength and a weakness, with
the f-pawn requiring particular care) 24...Ndxf5 (24...Nexf5 25.g4 Ne3 26.g5 Nxc2 27.Qxc2
Bxg5 28.Nxg5 Re8 29.Nxe6 Rxe6 30.Rf1 Nf5 31.Nd5 c5 32.Qf2!²; 24...Bxf5 25.Ne5 Qe8
26.g4 f3 27.g5 fxg2 28.gxh6+– White’s pieces are much better placed than their black
counterparts, leading to a decisive mating attack on the black king.) 25.g4!

742
The point. White captures Black’s wayward h6-bishop. 25...Nd4 (25...Ne3 26.g5 Nxc2
27.Qxc2± White gets a material advantage and superior position.) 26.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 27.Rf2!
f3 28.g5+– and in this free-for-all, White captures more pieces.

22...c5 23.Nf3 Bf6?!

A very natural move, to get the good bishop out of danger, but not the best in this particular
situation where every tempo is important.
23...Nf7! 24.exf5 Nxf5 25.Ne4 Bh6!=

Black’s bishop is actually better placed here as it does the same job of protecting the black
king while staying out of the white knight’s reach.

24.Bb2!²

743
During the game I was quite happy, as I felt that I had managed to regain some of my
advantage as Black must go into defensive mode to prevent White’s forces from opening the
center with devastating effect.

24...Ng6?!

24...Nf7! offered the best resistance. 25.exf5 Nxf5 26.Ne4 Qxd3 27.Rd2 Qc4 28.Nxe5
Nxe5 29.Bxe5 Bxe5 30.Qxe5ƒ Nd4 31.Nd6 Qb4 32.Rxd4 cxd4 33.Nxc8 Bxc8 34.Qe8+
Qf8 35.Qxf8+ Rxf8 36.Re7! White manages to get his rook to the seventh first.

Black loses a pawn, though the game is very close to a draw after 36...d3 37.Bf3 a6 38.bxa6

744
Bxa6 39.Rd7 g6 40.Be4 Re8 41.Bxd3 Bxd3 42.Rxd3 Re4 43.Rb3 Rxa4 44.Rxb6=.

25.h4!?

Played with the calculated psychological intention of maintaining the tension in the coming
mutual time trouble. It is obvious that White’s position is much easier to play, given his
attacking potential.
25.Nd5!? may be objectively stronger, however the position then becomes much easier to
play for Black. 25...Bxd5 26.exd5 Re8

27.Nd2 (27.Nxe5 Nxe5 28.Bxe5 Bxe5 29.Rxe5 Rxe5 30.Qxe5 Re8= is something that no
white player would consider, given Black’s strong blockading knight on d6 and White’s
meaningless extra doubled d-pawn.; 27.Rce2?! c4=) 27...Rf8 28.Nc4 Nxc4 29.dxc4 e4
30.Bxf6 Rxf6² and Black has very good chances to equalize, especially if he manages to
transfer his knight to the d6-square.

25...h5?

Another inaccuracy as Black creates even more targets for White’s pieces.
25...c4!?

745
A ‘must’ for Black, as he is able to release the tension without making any concessions.
26.Rd2! Probably White’s best alternative, as he removes his rook from the pin along the c-
file and only afterwards prepares his play on the kingside.
a) 26.exf5 Bxf5 27.Nd5!? Trickier than 27.Ne4 (see below), with the difference that White’s
d5-knight is not under attack and White can play h4–h5 before having to exchange his knight
for Black’s f6-bishop.
[27.Ne4?! is possible, with the trap below: 27...cxd3 28.Rxc8 Rxc8 29.Nxf6 gxf6 30.h5
Nc4! The only move, however sufficient! Black gets very strong compensation for the
missing piece. (30...Nf8?? 31.Bxe5!+– is the point. Black cannot accept White’s piece
sacrifice, leading to even more material losses.) 31.hxg6 d2 (31...hxg6 32.Nxe5 fxe5
33.Bxe5+ Kg8∞ Black’s advanced passed d-pawn may become quite difficult for White to
deal with.) 32.Rd1 hxg6 33.Bc3 Bc2 34.Rxd2 Nxd2 35.Bxd2 g5 36.Be3 Qd1+ 37.Qxd1
Bxd1 38.a5 bxa5 39.Bxa7 a4 40.b6 a3 41.b7 Re8 42.Nxe5! a2 43.Bd4 fxe5 44.Bxe5+ Kh7
45.Be4+ Kh6 46.Bd5 Rxe5 47.b8=Q Re1+ 48.Kg2 a1=Q 49.Qb6+ Kg7 50.Qb7+ Kf6
51.Qf7+ Ke5

746
52.Ba2!! The only move to draw.]
27...cxd3 28.Rxc8 Qxc8 (28...Rxc8? 29.h5!± Nc4 30.hxg6 Qxd5 31.Nxe5 Qc5 32.Nf7+
Kg8 33.Bxf6 d2 34.Rd1 Bxg6 35.Bd4 Qh5 36.Nd6 Nxd6 37.Rxd2±) 29.h5 Nc4 30.Nxf6
(30.hxg6 Rxd5–+) 30...gxf6 31.hxg6 d2 32.Rd1 Bc2 33.Bxe5! Nxe5 34.Rxd2 Rxd2 35.Nxd2
hxg6 36.a5 Bd3 37.axb6 axb6 38.Nf3!= draws as well.
b) 26.d4 fxe4 27.Nxe5 Nxe5 28.dxe5 Bxe5 29.Nxe4 Bxb2 30.Qxb2 Nxe4 31.Bxe4 Bg8
32.Bc6 Qd6=
26...cxd3 27.Rxd3 Qf7

747
28.h5 (28.Ng5?! Bxg5 29.hxg5 f4‚; 28.exf5!? Bxf5 29.Rd2! e4 30.Ng5 Bxg5 31.hxg5 Ne5
32.Nxe4 Nxe4 33.Rxd8+ Rxd8 34.Bxe5 Nxg5 35.Rd1 Rc8 and Black still has some
problems to solve as White’s bishop pair is very strong) 28...Nf8 29.h6 Nc4! Forces White
to go with the mass exchanges which will make Black’s defensive task much easier. 30.Rxd8
Rxd8 31.exf5 Bxf5 32.hxg7+ Qxg7 33.Ne4 Bxe4 34.Rxe4 Nxb2 35.Qxb2 Ne6! 36.Qc2 Nc5
37.Re2

37...Qg6!? Probably the simplest as Black forces White to exchange further into an endgame,
where White will have an extra pawn, but the presence of opposite-colored bishops will
make it very difficult for him to convert that advantage. 38.Qxg6 hxg6 39.Nxe5 Kg7 40.Nc6
Rd1+ 41.Kh2 Nxa4 42.Ra2 Ra1 43.Rxa1 Bxa1 44.Nxa7² and the game continues, with
White having an extra pawn in this opposite-colored bishops endgame. White’s hopes are
kept alive by the presence of knights on the board.

26.Nd5!

748
Of course, as White gets a much better version of this move compared to the line mentioned
to his 25th move.

26...Nf7?!

26...Bxd5! should still have been played, though Black must play precisely to avoid falling
into a lost position. 27.exd5 Re8

28.Qd1
[28.Nxe5?! Nxe5 29.Bxe5 Bxe5 30.Rxe5 Rxe5 31.Qxe5 Re8 32.Qf4² Kh7! (32...Re1+?
33.Kh2 Kh7 34.Bf3! g6 35.d4 c4 36.Be2!±) 33.Bf3 g6 34.Re2 Rxe2 35.Bxe2 Qe7 36.Kf1

749
Qf6² and it’s unlikely that White can make any progress here, despite his extra pawn.]
28...Qf7! 29.Nd2 (29.Rce2?! c4! 30.Nxe5 Bxe5 31.Bxe5 Nxe5 32.Rxe5 Rxe5 33.Rxe5 c3!
„) 29...Nf8 30.Nc4 Nxc4 31.dxc4 Nd7 32.Bh3 g6 33.f3! Ra8 34.Rg2!ƒ

White keeps some chances for the advantage, with potential pawn breaks like a4–a5 and g3–
g4.

27.Qd1!

White immediately switches to the attack on Black’s h-pawn, forcing Black to accede to an
unfavorable change of structure.

750
27...f4

27...fxe4 28.dxe4 Bg4 29.Rd2 Qe6 30.Qb3! Now White has the threat of Nf3–h2, forcing
Black’s light-squared bishop off the g4-square. Once the bishop has gone, the h-pawn has no
protection, which will make Black’s position critical. 30...Ne7 (30...Qe8 31.Nh2 Be6
32.Qf3+–) 31.Nh2

31...c4 (31...Bh3 32.Bxh3 Qxh3 33.Nxf6+–) 32.Qc2 Bh3 33.Bxh3 Qxh3 34.Nxf6 Rxd2
35.Qxd2 gxf6 36.Qe2 Kg7 37.Qxh5 c3 38.Bc1 Qe6 39.Ba3! White transfers his knight to
e3, followed by the exchange of Black’s key defender, the e7-knight. Black’s only hope lies
in his far-advanced c-pawn, but it should be insufficient to compensate for White’s extra
material and dangerous attack.

28.Nh2

28.Ng5?! Bg4 29.Nxf7+ Qxf7 30.Bf3 Bxf3 31.Qxf3 Kg8 32.Qxh5 Ne7 33.Nxf6+ gxf6
34.Qe2 Rc7„ Black achieves a certain measure of counterplay, given the limited scope of
White’s b2-bishop and weak d-pawn.

28...Bg4 29.Nxg4 hxg4

751
30.gxf4!!

Perfect timing.
With White having the bishop pair, he needs to open up the position. During the game, just
as in my above-mentioned game vs. Aronian, I was afraid of Black’s f- and g-pawns closing
in around my king, yet there is no alternative, for Black is simply going to play ...f4–f3,
shutting my g2-bishop down completely with a large advantage.

30...Nxh4?

A fatal mistake in time trouble.

a) 30...exf4 31.Nxf6 gxf6 32.Bxf6+ Kh7 33.e5 Qe6 34.Be4! White manages to activate his
pieces, gain material and avoid getting mated! 34...Kh6 35.Bxg6 Kxg6 36.Bxd8 Rxd8
37.Rc4 Qf5 38.Rce4 f3 39.e6+–
b) 30...Nh6! The best defense available.

752
31.Nxf6 would have been my first candidate move for consideration.
[31.f5?! Nf4! 32.Nxf4 exf4 33.e5 Bxh4 34.Be4! f3 35.f6 Qe6 36.Qd2 Rc7 37.Qf4 g5
38.Qe3±; 31.Qd2!? A computer choice. White first takes the f4-square under control before
further pushing the f-pawn. 31...Qf7 32.fxe5 (32.f5 Nxh4 33.Nxf6 Qxf6 34.Qe3 Rd6
35.Qg3 Re8 36.Re3 Kg8 37.Bh1 Kf7!∞ with a huge mess where Black seems to be quite
OK) 32...Nxe5 (32...Bxe5?? 33.h5!+–) 33.Qe3 (33.d4 Nf3+ 34.Bxf3 Rxd5!! 35.exd5 gxf3ƒ
and the white king stands wide open to the incoming black attack) 33...Nf3+ 34.Bxf3 Bxb2
35.Rxb2 gxf3∞]
31...gxf6 32.fxe5 Nxe5 (32...fxe5 33.h5+–) 33.Re3! Kh7 34.Rg3±

753
White manages to protect his king and keep his extra pawn, together with the pair of bishops.
However, knowing my games vs. Topalov, the strength of Black’s pair of knights plus queen
should not be underestimated! Especially the central e5-knight! Black keeps chances of
counterplay!

31.f5! Nh6

32.f3!+–

A critical move.
White needs to eliminate Black’s potential outposts for his knights on the kingside. At the
same time, White’s long-dormant rook on c2 is potentially able to swing over to the kingside
in a show of force, as the black king suddenly becomes quite vulnerable.
32.f4 is a move with a similar idea, however I wanted to make sure I got rid of Black’s g4-
pawn. 32...Qe8 33.Bh1 Qh5 34.fxe5 Bg5 35.Rf2! Rxd5 36.exd5 N6xf5 37.Re4 Be3
38.Qxg4+– and White manages to beat back Black’s temporary activity on the kingside.

32...gxf3

a) 32...Nxf3+ 33.Bxf3 gxf3 34.Rh2 Qd6 35.Bc1! The bishop joins the rest of White’s pieces
in a direct and unstoppable attack on the black king.
b) 32...N6xf5 33.Nxf6 gxf6 34.exf5 c4 35.fxg4 cxd3 36.Rxc8

754
36...Rxc8 (36...Qxc8 37.Bc6+–) 37.Re3! Rc2 38.Be4!! Rxb2 39.Rxd3‚ Suddenly White’s
counterattack is decisive.

33.Bxf3 Qf7

Black’s chances lie in his doubled knights on the h-file and their potential to create forks.
In addition, he creates the possibility for the positional exchange sacrifice of his d8-rook for
White’s wonderful and irreplaceable d5-knight.

34.Bh5 Qg8

34...Qf8!? 35.Ne3 White’s idea is to deny Black the exchange sac, however the knight on d5
serves a vital function, which is to close the d-file for Black’s heavy pieces. (35.Bc1! Rxd5
36.exd5 Rd8 37.Rh2 Rxd5 38.Bf3 Rd6 39.Be4 Qf7 40.Qe2 Kg8 41.Rf1!+– White is slowly
encircling Black’s h4-knight. It seems that Black is unable to prevent White capturing it.)
35...Qd6

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36.Rh2 (36.Be2 Qe7 37.Kh1 Bg5 38.Bf1 Bf4 39.Qh5 Nf3 40.Ra1 Nd4„) 36...Qxd3
37.Qxd3 Rxd3 38.Nd5! Rg8 39.Kf2! Rd2+ 40.Re2 Rxd5 41.exd5 N4xf5 42.Bxe5 Bxe5
43.Rxe5 g6 44.Bg4 Kg7 45.Bxf5 Nxf5 46.Ke2 a6 47.bxa6 Ra8 48.Kd3 Rxa6 49.Rg2! Kf7
50.Rg4+– After precise play by both sides, White’s material advantage is decisive.

35.Ne3?

Fortunately this doesn’t forfeit the win. With minutes left on the clock, I was trying to make
solid moves. ☺
35.Nxf6! wins immediately: 35...gxf6+ 36.Kh1

756
Black has no defense against White capturing the h4-knight. 36...Qb3 (36...c4 37.Rg1 Qh7
38.Rh2 Rxd3 39.Qe2+–) 37.Rh2 Rxd3 38.Qxb3 Rxb3 39.Bc1 N6xf5 40.exf5 Rb4 41.Be3
Kg7 42.Rg1+ Kf8 43.Bg4+–

35...Qb3

35...Rc7 36.Nc4 Re7 37.Rh2 g5 38.fxg6 Nxg6 39.Bxg6 Qxg6+ 40.Kh1 Rg8 41.Rf1 Rgg7
42.Qf3 Re6 43.Qh3+–

36.Rd2

White offers to transpose into an endgame.

36...c4!?

A typical time trouble move.

a) 36...Qxd1 37.Rdxd1 A human’s first choice!! No pins of White’s e3-knight with ...Bf6–g5
are allowed!!
[37.Rexd1?! The computer’s first choice, but not mine!! 37...g6 (37...Bg5 38.Kf2 Bf4 39.Rc2
Kh7 40.Ke2! g6 41.fxg6+ Nxg6 42.Nd5 Rd6 43.Rg1 Rg8 44.Kf1!+–

757
Clearly I had not seen all of these lines, but the endgame is in White’s favor by far.) 38.fxg6
Kg7 39.Rf2 Rh8 40.Rdf1 Ng8 41.Bg4 Rd8 42.Nd5+–]
37...Rg8 38.Kh2 White is much better, e.g. 38...g6 39.fxg6 Nxg6 40.Nd5 Rcf8 41.Rf1 Bd8
42.Bxg6 Rxf1 43.Rxf1 Rxg6 44.Rf8+ Rg8 45.Bxe5+ Kh7 46.Rxg8 Nxg8 47.Bb8+–.
b) 36...Qb4 37.Nc4 Rc7 38.Qc2!+– The point. White simply threatens to capture the Black
queen.

37.dxc4 Qb4

37...Qxd1 38.Rdxd1 Bg5 39.Kf2!

758
39...Ng8 40.Rxd8 Rxd8 41.Rd1 Rxd1 42.Bxd1 Nf6 43.Bc2 Nd7 44.Nd5 g6 45.a5!+–
Black’s main problem, the stranded h4-knight, makes the game won for White. 45...bxa5
46.Ba3+– White’s c-pawn is an unstoppable force that wins him the game.

38.Nd5 Rxd5

a) 38...Qxc4? 39.Nxf6 Rxd2 40.Qxd2 Qb3 41.Re3+–

b) 38...Qd6 39.Qe2 Qc5+ 40.Kh1 Qxc4 41.Nxf6 Qxe2 42.Rexe2 Rxd2 43.Rxd2 gxf6
44.Rh2+–

39.cxd5 Bg5 40.Rf2

759
A last safe move.
I heaved a sigh of relief as I now had time for a proper evaluation of what was going on on
the board. After a thorough examination, it became clear that Black has no chances of an
attack as his knights are completely stranded. He goes for an aesthetic double exchange
sacrifice for visual domination of the dark squares.

40...Rc3

Tantamount to resignation.
He had to play 40...Bf4, still forcing White to solve some difficult problems. It was obvious
though that Peter was very unhappy with this game.
40...Bf4! would have put up stronger resistance. 41.Rxf4! (41.d6?! Rd8 42.Ree2 Rxd6
43.Qc2 Ng8„ and White still has some problems to solve) 41...exf4 42.Re2

760
42...f3 (42...Qe7 43.f6 gxf6 44.Rh2 Qg7+ 45.Kh1 Qg5 46.Qg1! Kh7 47.Qxg5 fxg5
48.d6+–) 43.Qd2!! I obviously did not see this move that does absolutely everything —
defends White’s second rank, threatens to capture Black’s h6-knight, offers the exchange of
queens etc. 43...Qd6 44.Qg5 Rc1+ 45.Bxc1 fxe2 46.Bxe2 Qb4!

47.Kf2! Qxe4 48.f6 N4f5 49.fxg7+ Kg8 50.Qf4! Qc2 51.d6 Nf7 52.d7 Kxg7 53.Qg4+ Kf6
54.Bg5+ Ke6 55.d8=Q+–

41.Bxc3 Qxc3 42.Rh2 Bf4 43.Qe2

761
Black resigned as his limited forces are insufficient to overcome White’s decisive material
advantage.

1–0

762
 GAME 21
Gata Kamsky
Hikaru Nakamura
Thessaloniki 2013
This game is from the same tournament as the previous one. It is also my only tournament
win over fellow top American GM Hikaru Nakamura.
Hikaru has been at the top of world chess for many years now. The first time I played him
was during my semi-retirement period of 1996–2004, when we played hundreds of blitz
games on the ICC when he was still a teenager. Hikaru won his first US Championship title
in 2005, and starting from then we had an unofficial rivalry for American number one. After
my Challengers match loss to Topalov in 2009, he overtook me in the rankings and became
the US number one, apart from briefly in 2013 when I retook the number one position for a
month.
However our friendly rivalry ended with the arrival on the scene of the new and talented
GMs Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana, who have both risen swiftly in the US and world
rankings, showing me that it was their time to fight for the world’s top spots.
2013 was my swansong year, and I played some great games, including this one. Although
Hikaru and I were competing against each other in the Grand Prix series, it was nice to play
against a compatriot, especially one I had spent a lot of time playing alongside on the
Olympiad team.

763
 Hikaru Nakamura (Photo by Frans Peeters)

1.e4

At this point, surprisingly to everyone and especially to myself, I was starting to lead the
tournament. One of the reasons, perhaps, was my willingness to play 1.e4 as White, with the
intention of going for a fight, no matter who was sitting in front of me! I must add that in
quite a lot of games I got lucky, which was another good sign!!

1...e6

My opponent had started to play the French Defense on occasion and Emil and I had decided
upon a quieter main line for White. However we should have known that when you’re facing
GM Nakamura, you can basically forget about playing a solid positional game.

2.d4 d5 3.Nd2

This came as a surprise to my opponent, since I had been playing 3.Nc3 my whole life.

764
3...Be7!?

This move had been played a lot by our former Olympiad teammate and later coach, GM
Yury Shulman. I was lucky to visit him back in 2008, to study the French Defense before my
fateful match with Topalov. Yury’s hospitality, friendliness and openings expertise made a
great impression on me. In modern times, this and the old main line 3...c5 are still played
most often.

4.c3

If White wants to reach the game position, it is more accurate to play 4.e5 immediately as it
would deny Black the possibility of exchanging on e4, leading to an almost equal game.

4...c5

4...dxe4! 5.Nxe4 Nf6 6.Nxf6+ Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7 (7...b6 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qc2 Bc6 10.Bd3 Nd7
11.Bf4 h6² with a standard position where White has a small spatial advantage) 8.Bd3 c5
9.0-0 cxd4 10.Nxd4² Reaching another typical position in the French, where Black is closer
to equality than White is to having a small advantage.

5.e5 Nc6 6.Bd3!?

The prepared surprise, although the move had been played before, but not at the top level.
White intends to develop his knights to e2 and f3, which is considered best in this structure.
He also indirectly protects his d-pawn as Black cannot capture twice because of the

765
possibility of Qd1–g4 with a double attack on the d4-knight and g7-pawn.

6...cxd4 7.cxd4 Nh6!?

Thematic development for Black in this particular French structure. Black usually does not
fear the doubling of his h-pawns after Bxh6 gxh6 as his dark-squared bishop becomes strong
on the long a1–h8 diagonal if he manages to play the ...f7–f6 pawn break.
7...Qb6 is an alternative. 8.Ndf3 Bb4+ 9.Kf1!²

It is important to note that White should refrain from exchanging dark-squared bishops as it

766
would make life much simpler for Black, given his slightly cramped position. In addition, if
Black manages to transpose into an endgame, and to break open White’s center with the
thematic ...f7–f6, then he equalizes completely and starts playing for a win, as I found out in
my game vs. GM Ramirez some time later. After 9.Kf1, White’s king is going to g2, where it
will be very safe. White enjoys a stable advantage with a choice of either focusing on a
kingside attack or grabbing even more space on the queenside.

8.Ndf3 f6!?

This move is in keeping with my opponent’s style and took me out of my preparation. Black
wants to undermine White’s central d4/e5 pawn chain immediately. He also wants to retain
the option of castling, as White’s king is limited to ‘castling’ on the kingside, potentially
giving Black the chance to castle long, followed by an attack on the kingside.
8...Nf5 is considered to be the main move in this position: 9.Ne2 Qb6 10.0-0 Bd7 11.Bxf5
exf5 12.Bg5! An important finesse. White attempts to deny Black the power of the two
bishops before he can play ...h6 and ...g5, taking the vital f4-square away from White’s
knights.

12...Bxg5 (12...Bf8!? deserves serious analysis) 13.Nxg5 h6 14.Nh3 g5 15.f4! Another

important finesse. Black is prevented from playing ...f5–f4, which would have allowed him
to equalize by opening up his light-squared bishop. Now Black is left with an inferior
structure and potentially weak d5- and f5-pawns. White has a very comfortable advantage.
15...g4 16.Nf2²

9.Bxh6

767
9.exf6

While the computer likes this choice, I did not want to help Black reposition his e7-bishop to
a much better location on the main a1–h8 diagonal. 9...Bxf6 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Ne2 Qa5+!
This line has been played by another great French Defense expert, GM Vitiugov. It seems
that Black has very good compensation for his doubled h-pawns.

9...gxh6 10.Ne2

The idea is to keep the white pawn on e5 for as long as possible, as it limits both black
bishops. White can also sacrifice this pawn, as the opening of the position gives him serious

768
attacking chances against the black king.

10...Qb6

Developing the black queen to b6 is quite standard in the French Defense, but here it serves
no purpose.
a) 10...Qa5+?! I was more worried about this move, as White is now forced to either lose
castling rights or move the knight further away from the ideal f4-square by playing Ne2–c3.
However the computer shows that White has an advantage here as well: 11.Nc3 Bd7 12.Bb5!
²

The key move that keeps White’s advantage by securing his control of the e5-square. Black’s
c6-knight is a powerful piece that is exerting serious pressure on White’s central pawn chain,
thus it needs to be exchanged. 12...0-0 (12...0-0-0?! 13.0-0 fxe5?! 14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.Nxe5±
is clearly in White’s favor as his knights are much better than Black’s bishops) 13.0-0 Nxe5
14.Bxd7 Nxd7 15.Re1!± White recaptures the pawn with the much better game, thanks to his
superior structure.
b) 10...Bb4+ 11.Nc3 fxe5 12.Nxe5 0-0 13.0-0 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Qg5 15.Qe2 Bd7∞ seems the
best alternative for Black.

11.0-0

Not hanging around to give Black another chance!!

11...Bd7

769
a) 11...fxe5?! This resolves the tension too early and allows White to get almost everything
he could ever dream of in this position. 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.dxe5

13...Bd7 (13...0-0 14.Kh1! is great for White: 14...Rxf2? 15.Qa4!+–) 14.Rc1! Prevents the
black king’s escape to the queenside. (14.Qd2?! 0-0-0„) 14...0-0 15.Rc2 Rf7 16.Ng3!
(16.Kh1 Rxf2 17.Rxf2 Qxf2 18.Nd4 Qf4 19.Rc7 Rd8 20.Rxb7 Bg5 21.b4 Qxe5° with a
complicated game) 16...Raf8 17.Nh5±

White’s d3-bishop and h5-knight combo takes away most of the black rooks’ squares on the
kingside. White is now preparing to push f2–f4, after which Black will be faced with a
strategic disaster. 17...Kh8 18.Kh1 Be8 19.f4 Rg8 20.Qe2 Rff8 21.g3 Bg6 22.Rfc1±

770
b) 11...0-0?! would be a mistake since Black cannot protect his h6-pawn. 12.Qd2 fxe5
(12...Kg7? 13.Nf4+–) 13.dxe5

13...Rxf3 Forced, otherwise White transfers his e2-knight to h5 with a devastating attack.
14.gxf3 Nxe5 15.Kh1 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 Bd7 17.Rg1+ Kh8 18.Rg3± and White’s advantage is
getting larger.

12.b4!!±

A move I am quite proud of. The brave little white pawn advances to a square where it is
attacked by three (!!!) of Black’s pieces — and cannot be captured! It serves several

771
important functions: one, and most importantly, White threatens to dislodge Black’s
powerful c6-knight; two, it prepares for White’s assault on the queenside, should Black
decide to hide his king there, and three, it is fully in the spirit of White’s play in this
particular line, although usually White prepares b2–b4 by playing a2–a3 first. Here, however,
I realized that I don’t have the luxury of spending an extra tempo, as Black is almost ready to
castle and start his attack.
12.exf6 Again, I did not consider this seriously for the same reasons mentioned above, as it
only helps Black bring his dark-squared bishop into the game. 12...Bxf6 13.Rc1 Bg7 14.Qd2
0-0

15.Rc3! The computer line, which, I must admit, is quite intriguing. White’s rook on c3 is
going to do some magic on the third rank, where it will be able to both push Black’s queen
away from its standard post on b6, and have the possibility of swinging over to the kingside,
should it be needed. 15...Be8 16.Rb3 Qc7 17.Rc1! Bh5 18.Ne5² White keeps a certain
advantage. Although these lines illustrate the power of a superior structure and centralized
minor pieces, I prefer my move to the computer’s choice, as it creates immediate practical
difficulties for Black.

12...a6

a) 12...fxe5!? This capture is still possible, as Black keeps some defensive resources with
best play. 13.b5!

772
The point. At the cost of two central pawns, White brings his f3-knight to the dominating
central position on e5, from where it will assist his continuing attack. 13...Nxd4 14.Nxe5
Qd6 (14...Bf6?? 15.Nxd4 Qxd4 16.Bg6++–; 14...Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2± The threat of Qe2–h5+
catches the black king unguarded in the center. The coming attack is almost unstoppable.)
15.f4! (15.Nxd7?! is possible, but why should White give up his central knight while gaining
no immediate benefit from the exchange? 15...Nxe2+ 16.Bxe2 Kxd7 17.Re1 Rhg8 18.Bg4
Rg6 19.g3²) 15...Nf5 (15...Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 0-0 17.Qg4+ Kh8 18.Qh5!+– The double threat
of Ne5–f7+ and Qh5xh6, threatening mate on h7, decides the game. 18...Bxb5 19.Bxb5
Qb6+ 20.Kh1 Qxb5 21.Ng6+! Kg7 22.Nxe7 Rae8 23.Rf3!+– Qb2 24.Rg3+ Kf6 25.Nxd5+
exd5 26.Qxh6+ Ke7 27.Rg7++–) 16.Bxf5 exf5

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17.Nc3!± 0-0 (17...0-0-0 18.Rc1 Kb8 19.Nf7 Qc5+ 20.Kh1 d4 21.Ne2 Qxb5 22.Nxh8 Rxh8
23.Qxd4 Rg8 24.Nc3 Qc6 25.Nd5 Qd6 26.Rcd1 Bc6 27.Qe5 Qxe5 28.fxe5±; 17...Qc5+?
18.Kh1 Qxc3 19.Qxd5+– The simplest.) 18.Nxd5 Be6 19.Nxe7+ Qxe7 20.Qh5 Qf6±

And while White’s advantage is obvious due to his much better pawn structure and mega-
knight on e5, material is even and Black has managed to protect all his immediate
weaknesses.
b) 12...Nxb4? 13.Rb1

774
Black is unable to protect all his weaknesses and survive the pin at the same time. 13...Qa5
(13...fxe5 14.Nxe5 Qa5 15.Nxd7 Kxd7 16.a3! A second deflection of the overloaded black
queen. 16...Qxa3 17.Nf4!+– White breaks through Black’s defenses on the weakest link, the
e6-pawn. 17...Qa5 18.Qe2 Qb6 19.Bb5+ Kc8 20.Rfc1++–) 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Qd2 Nc6
16.Qxh6 Rf8 17.Rxb7+– with an unstoppable attack.
c) 12...Qxb4? 13.Rb1 Qa3 14.Rxb7± White’s attack is now proceeding on all three fronts,
leaving the black monarch with no escape.

13.Qd2

I thought this move would be psychologically more unpleasant for my opponent, as an

attacking player usually dislikes being under attack himself. Most importantly, it prevents
Black from castling kingside, and while castling queenside looks like suicide, nevertheless
that’s the part of the board the black king must retreat to.
13.exf6!? deserved attention: 13...Bxf6 14.Rb1 0-0 15.Qd2 Bg7 16.b5 axb5 17.Rxb5 Qc7²

775
I thought that this position left me with no advantage, but after the following sequence White
maintains his edge. 18.Qc2! Kh8 19.Bxh7 Be8
[19...Rxf3?! 20.gxf3 Rc8 21.Rb3 (21.Bg6?? Nxd4µ) 21...Qd6 22.Qd3± and White is simply
the exchange up.]
20.Bg6 Bxg6 21.Qxg6 Rxa2 22.Qxe6 Qf7 23.Qxf7 Rxf7 24.Re1! Re7 25.Kf1±

In this endgame White has good chances to convert his advantage, thanks again to Black’s
numerous weak pawns.

13...fxe5 14.dxe5

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14...Qxb4?

A serious inaccuracy, after which Black finds himself in deep water. Black helps White to
open lines for the white rooks on the queenside.
a) 14...0-0?! 15.Qxh6 Rf7 16.a3!? This move shows that White’s kingside initiative is a
permanent factor and Black’s possible doubling of rooks does not solve his defensive
problems. (16.Nf4!? Nxb4 17.Bb1 Bf8

18.Qg5+! Rg7 19.Bxh7+!! Of course I did not see this tactical trick during the game, but
once you do, it makes sense. 19...Kxh7 20.Qh4+ Kg8 21.Nh5 Qd8 22.Nf6+ Kf7 23.Ng5+

777
Rxg5 24.Qxg5 Bg7 25.Rab1± and the weakness of Black’s b-pawn gives White a decisive
advantage.) 16...Raf8

17.Rae1! Rg7 18.Nf4± and White’s initiative takes a dangerous turn as his knights,
especially the one on f4, are heading to h5 and, potentially, f6.
b) 14...Rf8!! A very difficult move to find.

Black seems to spend an important tempo on moving his rook for no reason. However he
actually now threatens to destroy White’s f3-knight by sacrificing the exchange. If Black
manages to castle long and capture White’s central pawns, then White will have a lot of
problems, since his king will no longer be safe and his kingside pawn structure will be

778
ruined, with the pawns potentially becoming targets for Black’s strong bishop pair. 15.b5!
The move that I would consider, but probably not play, since it requires very precise
calculation.
[15.Qxh6 0-0-0 (15...Rxf3?! 16.gxf3 0-0-0 17.f4!± After this consolidating move, White
keeps his decisive material advantage) 16.Qh5!² (16.Rab1? Rxf3! 17.gxf3 Nxe5 18.Qxh7
Bf6 19.b5 a5‚ and it is obvious that it is Black who is starting to play for a win) 16...Qxb4
17.Rfc1ƒ Qa3 18.Rc3 Qa5 19.Rb1 Kb8 20.Rcb3 Ka8 21.Qh6! and the game becomes very
double-edged.]
15...axb5 16.Qxh6

16...Kd8!! The black king finds perfect safety on c7, while keeping the a8-rook on the
important semi-open a-file. This position is hard to evaluate, considering all the possibilities,
but I believe this is the way Black should have played in the game. I would recommend
young players to set this position up and to try to solve it to the best of their ability under
timed conditions as practice.
a) 16...Ra3?! 17.Rad1 Rxf3 18.gxf3 Nxe5 19.Qh5+ Nf7 20.Bxh7± Black’s exchange
sacrifice doesn’t work here, as his king is stuck in the center, where it might come under
heavy fire from the white forces.
b) 16...b4?! 17.Nf4 0-0-0
[17...Nd4 18.Nxd5 Nxf3+ 19.gxf3 Qc5 (19...Qd4? 20.Nc7+ Kd8 21.Nxe6+ Bxe6
22.Qxe6+–) 20.Nxe7 Qxe7 21.Rac1! Bc6 22.Be4! (22.Rxc6?! Too optimistic. 22...bxc6
23.Be4 Rg8+ 24.Kh1 Ra6∞) 22...Bxe4 23.fxe4 Qf7 24.f3 Qg6+ 25.Qxg6+ hxg6 26.Rf2!±
and White has strong chances to win this rook endgame.]

779
18.Nxe6 Nxe5 19.Nxe5 Qxe6 (19...Bxe6? 20.Nc6!!±) 20.Qe3! Kb8 21.Rfe1± and White’s
superior structure remains the major factor in his advantage. In addition, his safer king makes
this advantage a sizeable one. However Black’s pair of bishops gives him considerable
chances to escape unscathed in some opposite-colored bishops endgame.

15.Qxh6± Qa3?

The fatal error.

a) 15...Qg4 The only move that I could see for my opponent during the game. However,
even here, it becomes obvious that Black’s queenside is going to be a prime target for
White’s heavy artillery. 16.h3 Qg8 17.Rab1

17...Nb4 (17...0-0-0?? 18.Qe3+– The white queen reaches b6 with decisive effect.) 18.Rfd1
Qf8 19.Qd2 b5 20.Rbc1! Rg8 21.Nfd4 Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Qg7 23.Nf4!± with a close to
winning attack for White.
b) 15...0-0-0?! 16.Rab1 Qa5 (16...Qg4?! Going too far from the black king, leaving it open.
17.Qe3! White creates the very unpleasant threat of transferring his queen to b6, as the black
king is coming under fire from most of White’s pieces.) 17.Ned4!±

780
White is attacking Black’s Achilles heel, the e6-pawn. 17...Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Bf8 19.Qe3 Kb8
20.Nb3! Qc7 21.Rfc1+– White’s entire army is going to crash through the black king’s
limited defenses.

16.Bg6+ Kd8 17.Bf7!

White targets Black’s weakest link and with the black king stuck in the center, White
converts his advantage into an extra pawn.

17...Rf8

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17...Kc7 18.Bxe6 Bxe6 19.Qxe6 Rad8 20.Rfc1+– White has an extra pawn and a dangerous
attack that seems unstoppable.

18.Bxe6 Rxf3!?

Black’s best resource under the circumstances.

19.gxf3 Qxf3

Upon reaching this position I had to calm myself down a bit, as I felt that my king should be
quite safe from any black attack and I had a decisive material advantage. The only question
was how to convert this position, and if the reader remembers my methods of conversion and
thinks that I’m going to look for a transposition into an endgame, he’s absolutely right!!

20.Ng3!? Nxe5 21.Rae1?!

Forcing Black to exchange queens, transposing into a technically won endgame. Not the
fastest way, but probably the safest.
21.Rad1! was even stronger. 21...Bc6 22.Qxh7!+– Black is completely tied up and White is
going to capture his d-pawn and continue the attack.

21...Qf6 22.Qxf6 Bxf6 23.Bxd5 Bb5

782
24.Rd1!

An important finesse that allows White to keep his extra exchange, as Black is unable to
capture the f1-rook due to White’s threat of Bd5xb7 with discovered check and capturing
Black’s rook. White now gets a material advantage of a clear exchange, which, taken with
the strong coordination of all his pieces, leaves the win a matter of technique and making no
errors. I’ll make fewer comments from now on, as White is attempting to activate his pieces
to the maximum while restricting Black’s activity to the minimum.

24...Kc7 25.Rc1+ Kb6 26.Rfd1+–

783
26...Nc6 27.Be4

With the idea of activating the rook on the seventh rank, where it will hit both Black’s b- and
h-pawns.
27.Rb1 Ka5 28.Ne4 Be7 (28...Be5 29.Nc5+–) 29.a4!+–

27...h6 28.Rd7 Rb8 29.Rb1 Ka5 30.Kg2

30.Bd3! The exchange of light-squared bishops would have made a lot of sense. 30...Nd4
(30...Ne5?! 31.Bxb5+–) 31.Bxb5 Nxb5 32.Rb3! b6 33.Ne4 Be5 34.Rd5 Re8 35.Nd2 Ka4
36.Kg2 Re6 37.Nc4 Bd4 38.Nb2+ Bxb2 39.Rxb2 Ka3 40.Rc2+–

30...Bh8 31.Rh7

Going after Black’s weak h-pawn.

31...Nb4 32.a3 Na2 33.Rxb7 Rxb7 34.Bxb7

784
34...Ka4

34...Nc3 35.Rb4 Bg7 36.Rg4 Bf8 37.Rg6 Bxa3 38.Rxh6+–

35.Ne4 Kxa3

35...Nc3 36.Nxc3+ Bxc3 37.Bd5! Keeps White’s a-pawn. 37...Bf6 38.Rb3+–

36.Nc5 Nc3 37.Rb3+ Ka2 38.Bxa6

785
White takes Black’s last hope, the a-pawn. The rest is inertia.

38...Bc6+ 39.Kg1 Bd5 40.Rb4 Ka3 41.Rh4 Bg7 42.Bc4 Bf3 43.Ne6 Be5 44.Rxh6 Kb2
45.Nc5 Bd4 46.Nd3+ Kb1 47.Rd6 Ba7 48.Rd7 Bb6 49.Ne5 Ba8 50.h4

Black resigns.

1–0

Going into the last round I was half a point ahead of my nearest rival, Cuban GM Leinier
Dominguez, who was playing GM Topalov. A point behind me was GM Fabiano Caruana
who had White against me. In a dramatic turn of events, and with a huge crowd gathering
around my table, I mishandled my counterplay and erred in time trouble, giving my opponent
a win. Even a share of 1st-3rd places would have shared the Grand Prix points amongst the
winners, however GM Topalov managed to lose an equal rook endgame, thus making the
Cuban GM the sole winner of the event.
Thus the tournament gave rise to a rare situation which underscored the deficiency of such a
qualification system as the Grand Prix. Topalov lost a position a player of his standard could
have drawn, however simple calculation showed that a loss was actually his best result in
terms of the overall GP ranking. The reason was simple: as a result of that loss, his last round
opponent, who did not have any serious chances of winning the series, won the Thessaloniki
leg. He thus scored the most points there, reducing the amount of points those following got.
And some of them, like me, did have chances to catch him in the general ranking, depending
on the results of the last two tournaments — but these chances became much smaller after

786
Topalov failed to draw that rook endgame. This very point would in fact be raised by Mr.
Topalov himself at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Grand Prix a couple of months later,
but that was the extent of the matter and the system remained in effect until the end of the
Grand Prix cycle.
An obvious and logical alternative seems more practical. Several factors, including lack of
motivation when stuck in a bad tournament, facing a difficult defense, and finally simply
fatigue from playing so much, were enough to cause miscalculation and therefore loss of the
game, especially in such a complicated rook endgame.
While there will always be conspiracy theories, and I admit that I had very strong doubts on
the matter, with the passage of the years I think that perhaps I was a bit paranoid at the time
☺, but that’s what big sport does to you.

787
 GAME 22
Gata Kamsky
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Tromsø 2013
The 2013 World Cup was organized in Tromsø in Norway and was the most expensive
World Cup event in my memory, not least because everything is expensive in Norway. The
ten-minute ride from the tournament hotel to the city center cost around fifty euros, and a
simple sandwich would have cost you around eight or nine euros. OK, to the event.
This World Cup was effectively my last half-hearted attempt to fight for the world top spots,
and I managed to get to the fifth round of this knockout event needing only to get past my
next two opponents to get to the finals, where the top two finishers would qualify for the
2014 Candidates. However, in the fifth round, I was stopped by the fast-rising Russian GM
Tomashevsky, for whom this World Cup was probably one of the best tournaments of his
career. The first game was drawn; in the second I went for the sharp anti-Marshall variation
of the Spanish game, and, just like in the 2011 World Cup, when I lost with White in a
Spanish to GM Svidler, I lost to Tomashevsky by declining a repetition and taking
unnecessary risks. Afterwards I criticized myself heavily for this decision, as going into the
rapid playoffs would have made a lot of sense, considering how rapid chess suits my style
perfectly. Nevertheless, I considered my overall performance in the tournament a reasonable
success, with several memorable moments, including missing mate in two vs. GM Shimanov,
which would have ended our match in the classical games.
The following game was played in the fourth round, my opponent being the experienced
Azerbaijani and member of the world elite, GM Mamedyarov. Our games in the past had
always been hard fought, with both of us scoring great wins. Since this game was the first in
a series of two classical games, it was important for me to play for a win.

788
 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Gata Kamsky (Photo by Anastasiya Karlovich)

1.e4 c5

And so it is the Sicilian Defense.

2.Nf3 e6

Something of a surprise, however I recalled that my opponent had played a similar line
against me few years earlier in Moscow, where he defeated me in a Scheveningen with the
help of an opening nuance.

3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7

789
6.f4!?

6.Be3 is by far the most popular main line here. White keeps the choice of going for either
Scheveningen main lines, or for a line that is in a lot of ways similar to the famous English
Attack in the Najdorf variation, where White castles long and goes for the standard f3/g4/h4
attack.

6...d6

Not a bad move, but an inaccuracy, after which White manages to get his ideal set-up. 6...a6
is considered to be Black’s main response.

7.Be3

Ever since my earliest chess days in the class back in the Pioneers Palace in Leningrad, I
learned that one of the optimal places for White’s queen in the Sicilian Defense is the f3-
square, where it supports the center, helps to push White’s kingside pawns and is ready to
swing to either wing of the board.

7...Nf6 8.Qf3 Be7

Now White is faced with the choice of whether to castle long, followed by opposite wing
attacks, or go with a safer approach. I decided to take the safer short castling route.

790
9.Bd3

Compared to the main line Scheveningen where White spends a tempo on Bf1–e2, and then
has to spend an additional one on Be2–d3 in the middlegame, the possibility of developing
the f1-bishop to d3 seems sensible.
9.0-0-0 is White’s main line by far.

9...a6

9...0-0 10.0-0 Bd7∞ has been played on occasion.

10.0-0

10.0-0-0!? deserves serious analysis.

10...0-0

791
11.Kh1

A prophylactic move to remove the king from the a7–g1 diagonal, however it could also be a
waste of an important tempo.
a) 11.a3!? deserved attention, since White has to play this move later anyway.
b) 11.Qg3!? is possibly White’s strongest move, as the g3-square is the white queen’s final
destination in a lot of lines in this variation. This move also prevents Black from exchanging
on d4 and playing his thematic ...e6–e5 break.

11...Bd7

Black completes his development and prepares his ...b7–b5 push on the queenside.

12.Rae1

Sometimes it is better to develop the a1-rook to d1. However I decided to play this move,
feeling that the rook would be more useful on the e-file instead.
Again, 12.Qg3 was a serious alternative: 12...Nh5?!

792
Not the strongest, but I want to show some thematic lines in this structure. 13.Qh3!? Nxf4!?
The thematic temporary piece sacrifice by Black in these structures.
[13...Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Nxf4? doesn’t quite work here: 15.Rxf4 e5 16.Bb6! Qc8 (16...Qxb6
17.Qxd7 exf4 18.Nd5 Qxb2 19.Nxe7+ Kh8 20.Rf1 Rad8 21.Qh3± with a strong attack for
White) 17.Rf5+–]
14.Bxf4 e5
[14...Nxd4? 15.e5 Nf5 (15...g6 16.exd6 Bxd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Ne4+– wins immediately
for White in view of the coming Ne4–f6+) 16.Bxf5 exf5 17.Nd5 Qd8 18.exd6 Bh4
19.Rad1± with an obvious advantage for White.]
15.Nf5 exf4 16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Rxf4 (17.e5?! Kh8!=) 17...Bg5 18.Qg3

793
18...Ne5 (18...Kh8 19.Rff1 Bxf5 20.exf5 f6!? 21.Bc4!² Black’s weak isolated d-pawn will
give him problems in the long run.) 19.Rff1 Be6!? and Black seems to almost equalize — but
not yet. 20.Nde7+! Kh8 21.Qxg5 Bxf5 22.exf5 f6 23.Ng6+ Nxg6 24.Qd2

24...Ne5 (24...Ne7!? seems a bit passive, however Black will be able to play ...d6–d5, which
is extremely important. I recall a game that I lost with Black to Ivanchuk at one of the Wijk
tournaments where we both had a similar structure and piece arsenal. Black’s defensive task
is extremely unpleasant. 25.Bc4 d5 26.Bb3²) 25.Be4 Qb6 26.b3² and we see that Black’s d-
pawn remains a problem in a lot of lines.

12...b5

794
13.a3

Surprisingly, this position has not been seen in tournament practice more often.
White seems to score well here. The idea of this move is to prevent Black’s queenside pawns
from advancing too far, robbing White’s c3-knight of its good position. The additional
benefit of the move is to fix Black’s a6/b5 pawn chain for possible targeting by White’s
light-squared bishop.
13.Qg3!? As we see, this thematic move can be played at almost any time. 13...b4 14.Nce2

795
14...a5!
[14...e5?! A thematic push in the Sicilian, but here White is better prepared for the opening
of the center. 15.fxe5 Nxe5 (15...dxe5?! 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5 Kh8 18.Ref1‚) 16.Nf4 Rae8
17.Bd2 a5 18.c3 Qb7 19.Bc2 Kh8 20.b3 Bd8 21.c4 Bb6 22.Nf3²]
15.Nxc6 (15.Nb5 Qb8 16.c4 bxc3 17.Nbxc3 a4=) 15...Bxc6 16.f5 exf5!

17.Nd4!? A very entertaining sacrifice which, however, leads to an equal position. (17.exf5
Kh8 18.Bd4 Rae8 19.Nf4 Bd8 should be reasonable for Black. A sample line: 20.c3 Qb7
21.h3 bxc3 22.Bxc3 Rxe1 23.Rxe1 Rg8 24.Qe3 d5 25.Re2 Bb6 26.Bd4 Bxd4 27.Qxd4 Rb8
28.b3 h6 29.Qc5 Qb4 30.Qxb4 Rxb4 31.g3 a4=) 17...Nxe4 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.Bh6 g6
20.Nxf5 Bxf5 21.Rxf5 Rfe8 22.Rxf7!

796
22...Bh4!! The only move to keep the game balanced. 23.Rxc7 Rxe1+ 24.Qxe1 Bxe1
25.Rg7+ Kh8 26.Rd7 Bf2 27.Rxd6 Re8 28.g3 Be3 29.Bxe3 Rxe3=

13...Rab8

So far, so natural. White prevents ...b5–b4; Black reinforces the idea.

14.Nxc6?!

An inaccuracy, but at this point we were both on our own. 14.Qg3 should have been played:
14...b4

797
[14...Nxd4 15.Bxd4 b4?! 16.e5!

16...Nh5 (16...dxe5 17.Bxe5 Qd8 18.Ne4 bxa3 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Bxb8 Qxb8 21.bxa3 g6
22.Bxa6 Qa8 23.Be2 Rc8 24.c4 Bc6 25.Rc1±) 17.Qh3 g6 (17...bxc3 18.Qxh5 g6 19.Qh6+–)
18.Ne4 d5

19.Nf6+! Much stronger in my opinion. (19.Nd6 f5 20.axb4 Rxb4 21.Qe3 a5 22.Rc1!±

White’s strong d6-knight is going to support the coming c2–c4 break on the queenside,
where Black has a lot of targets, including the weak a5- and e6-pawns. Black will be forced
to give up the exchange to stage some sort of defense.) 19...Bxf6 20.exf6 e5 21.Bxe5 Qxe5
22.fxe5 Bxh3 23.gxh3 This is close to winning since Black’s knight on h5 is completely cut

798
off.

23...bxa3 24.bxa3 Rb6 (24...a5 25.Kg2 Rfe8 26.Kf3 Rb2 27.Re3+–) 25.a4 Re8 26.a5 Rbe6
27.Rb1 Rxe5 28.Bxa6 Ra8 29.Rb5+–]
15.Nxc6 Qxc6 16.axb4 Rxb4 17.Bc1!

White has managed to keep his knight on c3 and Black’s a-pawn is weak. White is ready for
e4–e5, which will mark the start of his entire army’s attack on the kingside. Having said that,
Black’s position remains solid, and since he hasn’t made any bad moves, he should be able to
equalize eventually. 17...Qb7! (17...a5?! 18.e5 Nh5 19.Qh3 g6 20.Ne4 d5 21.Ng5‚) 18.e5
(18.b3!? is also possible. White now has the additional option of switching his forces to

799
target Black’s weak a-pawn. 18...Rc8 19.Bd2 Bc6 20.Qe3!? d5 21.exd5 Nxd5 22.Nxd5
Bxd5 23.Re2!± The simplest. White’s structure and coming f4–f5 will create serious
problems for Black’s center.) 18...dxe5 19.fxe5 Nh5 20.Qe3 Bc6 21.Ne4 g6 22.c3 Ra4 with
a complex game.

14...Bxc6 15.Qh3

White prepares e4–e5 and temporarily prevents Black’s plan of ...b5–b4. This is the point of
the previous exchange on c6.

15...Rfd8

An inaccuracy that gives White what he wants and weakens the defense of the black king,
especially the vital f-pawn, which will become important in several lines.
a) 15...e5 Now this is good since Black’s light-squared bishop is located on the a8–h1
diagonal and is ready to capture White’s c3-knight should it jump to d5. 16.fxe5 (16.Nd5?
Bxd5 17.exd5 e4 18.Be2 Nxd5µ; 16.g4? Qd7 17.f5 b4µ) 16...dxe5 17.Bg5

800
17...Qd6! The move that I missed during my calculations and which allows Black to defend
against White’s kingside attack. (17...Ne8 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.exd5 g6 20.Bh6! A critical move
that denies Black the opportunity to put his e8-knight on the perfect blockading square, d6, à
la Nimzowitsch. 20...Ng7 21.g4² This was my idea during the game. Black’s badly placed
knight on g7 gives White the advantage.) 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.exd5 g6

20.Qf3
[20.Qh4?! makes life much easier for Black. 20...Nxd5 21.Bxe7 Nxe7 22.Rf6 Qc7 23.Rxa6
Nd5! The simplest. Black improves his knight to the f4-square, forcing White to start mass
exchanges. 24.Qe4 Rfd8 (24...Nf4 25.Bf1 Rfe8 26.Qc6²) 25.Qxe5 Qxe5 26.Rxe5 b4!

801
White’s weak back rank allows Black to liquidate the queenside. 27.g3 (27.a4?? b3–+)
27...b3 28.Rc6 bxc2 29.Rxc2 Nb4 30.axb4 Rxd3 31.b5 Rb3=]
20...Nd7 21.Bh6

The most principled. White wins the exchange, but Black gets very strong connected central
pawns, which, together with potential threats to the white king on the dark squares, should
give him plenty of compensation. The real game only starts now. 21...f5 22.Bxf8 Rxf8°
b) 15...Rbd8!? would have been the correct rook move, although it was probably not easy for
Black to switch his mind from his original mission, to get in his ...b5–b4 break.

802
16.Bd2 (16.Bd4 e5 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.Nd5!? Bxd5 19.exd5 exd4 20.Rxf6 g6 21.Rc6 Qb7
22.Qg3!ƒ White keeps some initiative.) 16...e5=

16.Bd2!²

A great move (and, incidentally, the first choice of the computer) which fulfils a few tasks.
First, it allows White to remove the dark-squared bishop from its bad position, where it was
obstructing the e1-rook’s support of the e4–e5 push; second, the bishop is removed from
potential harm to the square where it again prevents Black’s ...b5–b4 break and can be
transferred to the long diagonal on c3, where it will not come under immediate attack after

803
Black’s ...e6–e5 push. Naturally, at this point I had to see Black’s coming ...d6–d5 break and
spent a lot of time trying to figure out my game plan. It was obvious that since my pieces
were massed on the kingside, I had to attack, but how!?
16.Bd4?! e5 17.fxe5 dxe5

18.Nd5! Bxd5 19.Bxe5! (19.exd5 Rxd5∞) 19...Qxe5 20.exd5 Qxd5 21.Rxf6 (21.Rxe7?!
Qd4! 22.b3 Re8³) 21...Qxd3! The defensive resource that saves Black. 22.cxd3 Bxf6² Black
sets up a defensive fortress that he should be able to hold with relative ease.

16...d5

Probably the best move.

Black’s pieces are all well placed and ready for action. Now comes the battle for Middle-
chess-earth!! ☺
16...e5?! Not the losing move, but it makes life very difficult for Black. 17.Nd5! Bxd5
18.exd5

804
18...e4!?
[18...g6 19.f5ƒ Now Black’s unprotected f-pawn becomes important, as Black has no time to
capture White’s d-pawn. 19...Qd7 (19...Nxd5 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.Bxg6!+– with an unstoppable
attack) 20.Qf3 Re8 21.g4±]
19.Rxe4! Nxe4 20.Bxe4 h6

21.Qf5± A critical move. First White provokes the weakening ...g7–g6 in order to exploit it
for the coming, lethal, f4–f5 break.
[21.Bc3!? Qd7 (21...Rbc8?? 22.Qg4 Bf8 23.Qf5+–) 22.Qg3 Bf8 23.f5 Qe7 (23...Rbc8??

805
24.Bxg7 Bxg7 25.f6+–) 24.Bxg7 Qg5 25.Qxg5 hxg5 26.Bc3 Re8 27.Bd3 Rbc8 28.f6 Rc5
29.Rf5 Rxc3 30.bxc3 Re1+² with good chances for Black to defend this worse endgame.]
21...g6 22.Qh3 Qd7 23.f5 (23.Qxh6 Bf8 24.Qg5 Qe7 25.Qxe7 Bxe7 26.f5ƒ White keeps his
initiative, even in the endgame, thanks to his superior pair of bishops and much better
structure.) 23...Bg5

24.Bc3!
a) 24.Ba5 Qe7 25.Bd3 Rf8 26.Re1 Qd7 27.Bc3 Rfe8 28.Rf1 Re3 29.Qg4 Rc8 30.Qd4 Rxc3
31.Qxc3 gxf5 32.Qc6 Qe7± although Black keeps good defensive resources in such lines.
b) 24.Bxg5!? hxg5 25.Qh6 f6 26.fxg6 Qg7 27.Qh3 Re8 28.Bf5 Kf8 29.b3 Re5 30.Be6 Re8
31.Qh5 White clearly keeps the advantage, but it might not be enough to convert to a win.
24...Rbc8 25.Bd4 Rc4 26.Qd3 Rf8 27.b3 Rxd4! 28.Qxd4 Qe7 29.Bd3 Bf6 30.Qb6 Be5 31.g3
h5±

17.e5

The most obvious and principled response.

17...Ne4

806
Forced.
Now White has a choice. My original intention was to treat this position as structurally
similar to the French where White attempts to gain a hold on the central d4-square, playing
on the limited activity of Black’s light-squared bishop. However, in this position, Black is
ready to follow up with ...b5–b4 which will help him to exchange said bishop via the b5-
square. If he does so, Black can hope for an advantage. So I must do something quickly
before Black opens up the queenside.

18.f5!

The reply I had prepared when I played 16.Bd2. Now Black is forced to switch to accurate
defense, which is not something my opponent enjoys.
18.Ne2 b4!? A fighting option for Black. (18...g6 is a purely defensive option: 19.Bb4 d4!
Just in time before White jumps to d4 with his knight. 20.Ng3 Nxg3+ 21.Qxg3 Bd5=) 19.f5
exf5 20.Qxf5 bxa3

807
Black’s strong e4-knight is disrupting White’s piece coordination to the maximum, as now
White’s bishops and e1-rook are shut in. The game seems to be balanced, and White can
hope for no advantage at this point. 21.bxa3 (21.Qxf7+ gives Black more options: 21...Kh8
22.bxa3 Rf8 23.Qh5 Rxf1+ 24.Rxf1 g6 25.Qh6 Nxd2 26.Qxd2 Qxe5= 27.Bxg6!? hxg6
28.Qh6+ Kg8 29.Qxg6+ Kh8 30.Qxc6 Qxe2 31.Qc3+ d4!=) 21...Bc5 22.e6 fxe6 23.Qxe6+
Kh8 24.Bf4 Bd6 25.Bxd6 Rxd6 26.Qe5

and White is still a tiny bit better, thanks to his slightly superior heavy pieces and light-
squared bishop.

18...Nxd2

808
Forced. 18...exf5? 19.Qxf5 Rf8 20.e6 fxe6 21.Qxe6+ Kh8 22.Nxe4 dxe4 23.Bxe4 Bxe4
24.Qxe4± leaves White with a healthy extra pawn and good chances to win this technical
position.

19.fxe6 Ne4 20.exf7+ Kh8

21.Nxd5! Bxd5 22.Rxe4!

Also forced.
Now we reach a critical position where Black has a strong pair of bishops, especially the
dark-squared blockading e7-bishop, and White has three pawns for the sacrificed bishop.
However he has strong attacking chances, thanks to his far-advanced f-pawn and the
possibility of playing e5–e6, creating a very strong central pawn chain. In addition, White
now threatens to hit Black’s weak h-pawn, so my opponent’s next move is forced.

22...g6

809
Here I spent quite some time before deciding to take the gamble.

23.Ref4?!

A gamble that is objectively not the best move, but in practical terms during a game it is not
easy for Black to handle this position precisely. The move also has the advantage of creating
an additional resource for White, namely to prepare yet another sacrifice, of an exchange, by
means of Rf4–f6, targeting Black’s king and with the idea of eliminating Black’s very strong
defensive piece, the dark-squared bishop. (Which almost sounds like my favorite card, the
Dark Magician, the main hero in one of my all-time favorite animes, Yu-Gi-Oh, the other
one being the ’90s X-Men of course! I have to say though that I really dislike the way X-Men
were translated into big movies, with The Apocalypse maybe a rare exception, since the
Logan movie is obviously outside that era altogether, and a standalone hit by itself. ☺)
a) 23.Rg4?! Kg7 (23...Rb6 24.Rxg6 Rxg6 25.Bxg6 Bxg2+! An important defensive resource
for Black that should be noted. 26.Qxg2 hxg6 27.Qxg6 Qb7+ 28.Qg2 Qxg2+ 29.Kxg2
Kg7³ and Black starts playing for an advantage, thanks to his strong R+B endgame combo.)
24.Bxg6!
[24.Qg3? This move has a trick in mind, however White should now be worried about
making a draw, which he still can. 24...Rb6

810
25.Rf6!? The point of Qg3. 25...Kf8!³ Very cool defense after which Black exposes White’s
limited attacking potential and starts to play for a win. (25...Bxf7? 26.e6!±)]
24...hxg6

25.Rxg6+! Kxg6 26.Qg4+ Kh6 27.Qh3+ Kg6 28.Qg4+ Bg5 29.Rf6+ Kg7 30.Qxg5+=
b) 23.Re2 This was my original intention and probably the strongest move. White simply
goes for the planned e5–e6 push, creating a pawn chain that will deny Black any hopes of
taking over the game. The one serious drawback of this move is that White no longer keeps
any real attacking options, and such a factor can become decisive when playing a strong
attacking player like my opponent who really dislikes being attacked himself. 23...Kg7 24.e6

811
Rb6 And now, compared to the game, Black is able to stop White’s deadly threat of check
along the a1–h8 diagonal. 25.Qg4

25...Bc4= This move forces the draw. (25...Qc5!? 26.h4 Rc6 27.h5 Rxe6 28.h6+ Kxh6
29.Rxe6 Bxe6 30.Qxe6 Qh5+=; 25...Qd6 Probably the easiest move to show that White’s
threats are empty and the best he can do is draw. 26.Qd4+ Kh6 27.Qe3+ Kg7 28.Qd4+
Kh6= White cannot improve his position further and must take the perpetual.) 26.f8=Q+!
Rxf8 27.Rxf8 Bxf8 28.Qd4+ Kg8

29.e7 Bxe7 30.Rxe7 Qxe7 31.Bxc4+ bxc4 32.Qxb6 Qe2! 33.c3 Qd1+ 34.Qg1 Qc2= Black’s
activity is sufficient for the missing pawn as White’s queenside pawn formation is weak.

812
c) 23.Re3 was another move that I wanted to play. The idea is to keep the possibility of
swinging this rook over to the h-file, should White be successful in delivering a check to the
black king along the a1–h8 diagonal.

23...Kg7!
[23...Qc6?! 24.e6 Kg7 25.Qg4 Bc4 26.Qg3 Qd6 27.Qe1 Qd4 28.b3 Bd5 (28...Bxd3??
29.Rxd3 Qb2 30.Rd7!+–) 29.c3?! (29.Qe2 Rbc8 30.Rh3 Suddenly White has a threat of Rxh7
followed by Qh5–g6. 30...Rh8 31.Qd2 Kf8! 32.Qh6+ Qg7 33.Qe3 h5 34.c4!∞ Now that the
black king is protected on the kingside, White attempts to open up the queenside for his
rooks to enter the enemy camp. The game becomes very double-edged.) 29...Qg4 30.Be4!=]
24.e6 Bc4!

813
25.Ref3
[25.Qf3? Rd5!µ Once Black manages to bring both of his rooks into play, White’s prospects
are gloomy, as his far-advanced pawns become weak targets. (25...Bxd3 26.cxd3 Rd4∞)]
25...Rf8! White’s queen on h3 is stranded and has no easy access to the main a1–h8 diagonal.
26.Rf4 Qe5³ and Black starts taking over the game.

23...Kg7?

Luckily for me, my opponent falls for the trap with this natural move.
a) 23...Qc6!? A much stronger defensive move that I eventually found during the game.
Afraid that my opponent would also discover it, I stood up and walked back and forth on the
stage, awaiting his reply. After this brilliant defensive move, Black successfully defends and
can start to hope for the win. 24.Rf6!

814
My intuition was correct though and White manages to hold the game, thanks to this
exchange sacrifice. 24...Bxf6 (24...Bxg2+ 25.Qxg2 Qxg2+ 26.Kxg2 Bxf6 27.Rxf6 Kg7
28.Rxa6 Kxf7 29.Ra7+ Ke6 30.Rxh7=) 25.Rxf6 Qb7! 26.e6 Kg7

27.Rf4!!= The only move that allows White to escape unharmed after his sacrificial spree.
Black cannot prevent White’s queen reaching the a1–h8 diagonal, which would guarantee
him a draw. (27.Rf2?! Qb6! 28.Qh4 Bxg2+ 29.Kxg2 Qxe6µ) 27...Qc8!? A last attempt to
trick White. (27...Qb6? 28.e7±; 27...Qe7 28.Bxg6! White achieves his goal of drawing by
perpetual. 28...hxg6 29.Qc3+=) 28.Bc4!!

815
The only idea that allows White to draw. White can play this now, or after 28.Rh4. (28.Qe3
Qxe6 29.Qd4+ Kf8 30.Qh8+ Ke7 31.Qxh7 Rf8–+) 28...Qxe6 29.Qc3+ Kh6 30.Rh4+ Kg5
31.Qg3+ Kf6 32.Rf4+ Ke7 33.Qh4+ Kd6 34.Bxd5 Kxd5 35.h3!!=

An incredible position. Black’s king bravely ventures forth right into the center of the board,
however it is this little white pawn move that keeps the game balanced!! White’s far-
advanced f-pawn allows him to equalize.
b) 23...Qb6!

816
This is probably Black’s strongest option of all. Black’s queen on the sixth rank is very
effective! 24.Qh6?! (24.Rf6? Bxf6 25.Rxf6 Qd4 26.Rxg6 Be4! The only move, but sufficient
to deflect White’s attack and win the game for Black) 24...Rf8 25.h3!? Preparing Rf4–f6.
(25.Rf6?? Bxf6 26.Rxf6 Qd4 The weakness of the back rank ruins White.) 25...Rbd8

26.R1f2! A strong waiting move that shows the position is closely balanced, but both sides
must be very accurate with their calculations. The rook on f2 both protects the g-pawn and is
placed in such a way that Black cannot capture it with check.
[26.Rf6? Bxf6 27.Rxf6 Bxg2+ 28.Kxg2 (28.Kh2 Qd4!µ) 28...Qb7+ 29.Kg1 Rxf7µ
Successfully defending against White’s attack.; 26.Rf5 Qe6! 27.Rh5 Rxf7 28.Rxf7 Qxf7

817
29.Bxg6 Qf1+! The point. Black mates first.]
26...Ba8! (26...Qe6? 27.Rg4!±) 27.Rf5! Qe6 28.Kh2! Rxd3 29.cxd3 Bd5³

and White must work hard to defend this. This position reminds me of my game as White vs.
GM Bocharov in the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, which I managed to draw with a
similar structure and piece assortment.

24.e6!

Of course!
Now Black is not in time to attack White’s e-pawn because of the coming f7–f8=Q+,
followed by the deadly Rf4–f7+, which is the point behind White’s doubling of rooks on the
f-file in the first place.

818
24...Rf8 25.Qe3±

Now Black faces a difficult defense, since any single white queen check along the a1–h8
diagonal can immediately prove critical for him.

25...Bc5

a) 25...Qc5 26.Qe5+ Kh6 27.Be4!

27...Rbd8 (27...Bxe4 28.Rh4+ Bxh4 29.Qxc5+–) 28.R4f3!+– The threat of mate along the h-

819
file forces Black to give up one of his bishops, leaving White with a decisive material
advantage. 28...Bxe6 29.Qxe6 Kg7 30.Bd3+–
b) 25...Rbd8 26.Qd4+ Kh6 27.Rh4+

White eliminates Black’s key defender, the e7-bishop, leading to a lethal attack. 27...Bxh4
28.Qxh4+ Kg7 29.Qf6+ Kh6 30.Rf4! Qxf4 31.Qxf4+ Kg7 32.Qd4+ Kh6 33.e7+–

26.Qe1!

From e1 the queen has access to both the c3- and e5-squares. Black has very few options
now.

820
26...Bd6??

A final mistake, albeit in a very difficult position.

26...Be7! had to be played, to prevent White’s f4-rook from reaching the h-file. The
following move is forced. 27.b4!? A very tricky move that makes Black’s defense very
difficult. I also saw this move during the game, and couldn’t decide whether to play it or b2–
b3.
a) 27.Rd4 Rbd8=
b) 27.Rg4? Rb6³
c) 27.b3!? This was my original intention, however it seems that Black has a defense:
27...Rb6! 28.Qa1+ Kh6 29.Qd4 Bxe6 30.Rh4+ Bxh4 31.Qxh4+ Kg7 32.Qf6+ Kh6= with a
draw, but not 33.Rf4?? Bg4!!–+. The only move, which not only allows Black to defend, but
to win!!
d) 27.c4!? The computer likes this move a lot at first, but I don’t particularly like opening
lines for Black’s rooks. 27...bxc4 28.Qc3+ Kh6 29.Bxc4

29...Bxc4 (29...Rbd8?? 30.Qe3!! The hidden threat behind White’s last move. The
discovered check forces Black to give up more material. 30...Kg7 31.Qd4+ Kh6 32.Bxd5+–)
30.Rxc4 Qd6 31.Rc6 Qd5 32.b4

821
And we reach the critical position that will decide the game. I believe Black should hold with
best play. 32...Rbd8± Now White must somehow deflect Black’s key defender, the e7-
bishop, in order to make progress. (32...a5!? also makes sense) 33.Qe3+!? (33.Re1!?
Preparing the very simple Rc6–c7 that will force Black to guard his e7-bishop.) 33...Kg7
(33...Qg5 34.Qxg5+ Bxg5 35.Rxa6± White now has four pawns for the bishop, and the e6/f7
pawns almost guarantee him the win. 33...Bg5 34.Qh3+ Kg7 35.Qc3+ Kh6²) 34.Rc7

34...Qg5 (34...Qd6 35.Qc3+ Kh6 36.Re1!+– forces Black into zugwang) 35.Qxg5 Bxg5
36.e7 Bxe7 37.Rxe7 Rd3 38.a4 Rb3 39.Ra7 Rxb4 40.Rxa6 Rxf7 41.Rxf7+ Kxf7±

822
I am not sure how to evaluate this position, so I will refer my reader to the expert on rook
endgames and leading endgame trainer, Mark Dvoretsky. He is definitely the world’s
authority on the rook endgame with an extra a-pawn.
27...Qd6! Probably Black’s best defense.
a) 27...Rb6?! It’s not obvious why this isn’t good, but the following sequence is powerful:
28.Qa1+ Kh6 29.Qc1 Kg7 30.Qb2+ Kh6 31.c4 bxc4 32.Qd2 Kg7 33.Qc3+ Kh6 34.Bxc4
Bxc4 35.Rxc4± White wins a crucial tempo compared to the 27.c4 line. Here, White’s pawn
is already on b4 and he’s ready to move his c4-rook to the d-file. 35...Qd8 36.Qe3+ Kg7
37.Rd4 Rd6 38.Qe5+ Kh6 39.Rfd1! Rxd4 40.Rxd4 Qc8 41.Qe3+ Kg7 42.Rd7 Bf6 43.h3
Qc6 44.Kg1!± and White is finally ready to push e6–e7. 44...h5 45.e7 Qxd7 46.e8=Q+–
b) 27...Rbd8!?

823
28.Rg4!! Very strong. White now goes for a direct king hunt. 28...Qd6 (28...Bf6 29.Rxf6
Kxf6 30.e7 Kxf7 31.exd8=Q Rxd8 32.h4!± and White should have very good chances of
winning this position, thanks to his healthy extra pawn) 29.Qc3+ Kh6 30.Rf6!!+– The
sneaky and most powerful point behind White’s 28th move.
28.Qa1+ Kh6 29.Qc1 Kg7 30.Re1!

30...Bxe6 (30...Rb6? 31.Qa1+ Kh6 32.Rd4 Qc6 33.Be4 Bxe4 34.Rdxe4+– With the coming
transfer of White’s rook to the h-file, Black’s position becomes critical.) 31.Qa1+ Kh6
32.Rfe4 Rb6 33.Rxe6 Qxe6 34.Rxe6 Rxe6 35.g3 Rxf7 36.Qa2 Ref6 37.Kg2 Rf2+ 38.Kh3
Bg5 39.a4±

824
and while Black’s position is obviously worse, he keeps good drawing chances, thanks to his
powerful rooks and the presence of opposite-colored bishops.

27.Rh4!!

Suddenly Black is lost, as he cannot prevent White’s queen from access to the a1–h8
diagonal or the threat of the queen going for a direct king hunt via the c1–h6 diagonal.

27...Be7 28.Qe3!

Demonstrating a pretty triangular geometrical motif.

825
28...h5

28...Bxh4 29.Qd4+ Kh6 30.Qxh4+ Kg7 31.Qf6+ Kh6 32.Rf4 Qxf4 33.Qxf4+ Kg7 34.Qe5+
Kh6 35.Qxd5+– White eliminates almost the entire black army thanks to his queen and pair
of pawns.

29.Qd4+ Kh6 30.Rxh5+

Black resigns because of inevitable mate.

1–0

After this win I had to face my opponent with Black in our second game, where he managed
to shock me in the opening with a novelty on the fifth move of the Grünfeld Defense! I invite
the reader to look up the game in a database such as www.chessgames.com as it is quite
something to see White play h2–h4 on the fifth move of a well-known opening!! Having
drawn that wild game, I went on to my match vs. GM Tomashevsky, which was mentioned
earlier. After being eliminated by him, I sadly concluded that my fight for the world
championship crown had effectively ended.
It was already 2013, and I had returned to chess in 2004 at the age of thirty, so, now almost
forty, and with the coming bunch of much younger and very strong GMs like So, Caruana
and others, I felt that my pro chess career was now over. I was no longer invited to the top
elite events, and started to play in the numerous open tournaments in the USA just to make
financial ends meet. Of course that didn’t help my rating, as facing very strong opponents

826
and 2400–2500 players who would play for a draw with White against me ensured my rating
eventually slid below the 2700 mark.
Around this time I was invited to play for the Russian Kazan team, thanks to both my
father’s Tatar lineage, which made me feel a longing for the country of my birth, and an old
friend, GM Ibragimov, one of the main organizers of Kazan Chess Club. I had started to feel
that my presence in American chess was no longer welcome, as despite my many years of
living in the USA, I was still considered by many to be a Russian, not a true American.
Needless to say, if we continue with such logic, the only true Americans are the native
Indians, and in that case I’m much closer to being a true American, since not many people
know that by my mother’s birth line, I’m Shor, one of the great predecessors of the American
Indians. Those who love history should read up on the great people’s migration from Siberia
to the Americas via the northern route. Many stayed in North America; some moved even
further to South America.
Being brought up by my father (who divorced my mother before I could walk) definitely
deprived me of things, including the knowledge of my lineage from my mother’s line.
Thankfully, during the past year, when I moved back to Russia, I managed to reconnect with
my mother and was able to learn a lot of things which my father did not want me to know.
This was also part of the reason why he kept me mostly on my own, disconnected from the
rest of my family and under his full control, for the first thirty years of my life, something
that causes me extreme rage every time I think about it.
But let’s return to chess now. The games in volume 3 are going to be some memorable
games from my later period where I start to play chess mostly for fun and to teach others
about what made my own chess successful enough to be at the world’s top for several years.

827
Table of Contents
Title page 3
Key to symbols 5
Introduction 6
Game 1. Gata Kamsky —Nick de Firmian (2004) [B53] 8
Game 2. Gata Kamsky — Boris Gulko (2005) [B63] 40
Game 3. Gata Kamsky — Julio Granda Zúñiga (2005) [B90] 76
Game 4. Gata Kamsky — Magnus Carlsen (2005) [B33] 101
Game 5. Gata Kamsky — Viswanathan Anand (2006) [D20] 122
Game 6. Gata Kamsky — Peter Svidler (2006) [B83] 166
Game 7. Gata Kamsky — Vladimir Kramnik (2006) [D02] 189
Game 8. Etienne Bacrot — Gata Kamsky (2007) [A81] 237
Game 9. Gata Kamsky — Sergei Tiviakov (2007) [A47] 279
Game 10. Gata Kamsky — Magnus Carlsen (2007) [C43] 313
Game 11. Gata Kamsky — Alexei Shirov (2007) [B30] 345
Game 12. Gata Kamsky — Vasily Ivanchuk (2008) [C18] 389
Game 13. Gata Kamsky — Sergey Karjakin (2009) [D02] 418
Game 14. Gata Kamsky — Veselin Topalov (2009) [C92] 453
Game 15. Gata Kamsky — Varuzhan Akobian (2011) [C11] 499
Game 16. Veselin Topalov — Gata Kamsky (2011) [D90] 534
Game 17. Veselin Topalov — Gata Kamsky (2011) [A16] 565
Game 18. Gata Kamsky — Levon Aronian (2011) [C84] 620
Game 19. Alexander Grischuk — Gata Kamsky (2012) [B04] 684
Game 20. Gata Kamsky — Peter Svidler (2013) [A29] 726
Game 21. Gata Kamsky — Hikaru Nakamura (2013) [C03] 763
Game 22. Gata Kamsky — Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2013) [B82] 788

828