Reply #9: Nisipeanu - Ivanchuk, Round 1

[Jack Rabbit]

Vassily Ivanchuk
Photo: ChessBase.com


Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu - Vassily Ivanchuk
Third Kings' Tournament, Round 1
Bazna, 14 June 2009

Spanish Gran Royal Game: Zaitsev Defense

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Re8 10.d4 Bb7 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Bc2

• If 12.d5 Nb8 13.Nf1 Nbd7 then:
• If 14.N3h2 then:
• If Rc8 then:
• 15.Bg5 h5 16.a4 g6 17.Nf3 Nc5 18.axb5 axb5 19.Bc2 gives White the advantage in space (Ni Hua-León Hoyos, IT, Reggio Emilia, 2008-09).
• 15.Ng4 Nxg4 16.Qxg4 Nc5 17.Bc2 c6 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Ne3 g6 20.Rd1 Bh6 21.b4 Ne6 22.Bb3 Kh8 23.Nd5 Bxc1 24.Raxc1 Rf8 25.Rc2 f5 is equal (Leko-Ivanchuk, Tal Mem, Moscow, 2008).
• If 14...Nc5 15.Bc2 c6 16.b4 Ncd7 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.Bg5 then:
• 18...h6 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng4 Nxg4 21.Qxg4 Bd7 22.Qf3 Rc8 23.Bb3 Be6 24.Red1 Re7 25.Qd3 Rec7 26.Rac1 Qg5 27.Rc2 d5 28.Ng3 draw (Gashimov-Inarkiev, IT, Poikovsky, 2008).
• 18...Qc7 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng4 Nxg4 21.hxg4 Bb7 22.Re3 Be7 23.Bb3 Bg5 24.Rf3 Rf8 25.Qe2 Bc8 26.Rd1 Be6 27.Ne3 Bxe3 28.Rxe3 a5 29.Bxe6 fxe6 is equal (Carlsen-Navara, Grand Prix, Baku, 2008).
• 14.Ng3 g6 15.Be3 Nc5 16.Bc2 c6 17.b4 Ncd7 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Bb3 Nb6 20.Qd3 Rb8 21.Rad1 Rb7 22.Nh2 Bd7 23.Bxb6 Rxb6 24.Ngf1 Bh6 25.Ne3 Bxe3 26.Qxe3 Be6 27.Nf3 Kg7 28.Rd3 Qc7 is equal (Short-Ivanchuk, Euwe Mem, Amsterdam, 1994).
• If 12.a3 g6 then:
• If 13.Ba2 Bg7 14.b4 a5 15.d5 Ne7 then:
• 16.Bb2 Nh5 17.Nb3 axb4 18.axb4 Bc8 19.Na5 Nf4 20.c4 g5 21.cxb5 g4 22.Nh2 gxh3 23.g3 Neg6 24.Bb1 Qg5 25.Bc1 is equal (Adams-Grischuk, Corus A, Wijk aan Zee, 2002).
• If 16.Nb3 axb4 17.cxb4 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 Bxd5 19.Nfd2 then:
• 19...Bxe4 20.Nxe4 h6 21.Bb2 Kh7 22.g4 Rf8 23.Rc1 f5 24.gxf5 Nxf5 is equal (Iordachescu-Nikolic, IT, Valjevo, 2007).
• 19...f5 20.Re1 e4 21.Na5 Qd7 22.Bxd5+ Nxd5 is equal (T. Kosintseva-Shen Yang, TMatch, Ningbo, 2008).
• 13.Bc2 Bg7 14.d5 Nb8 15.c4 c6 16.b4 Qc7 17.Bb2 bxc4 18.dxc6 Nxc6 19.Nxc4 Rad8 20.Ba4 Nxe4 21.Qc2 d5 draw (Sax-Short, Intrznl, Biel, 1985).
• If 12.Bc2 g6 13.d5 Nb8 14.b3 c6 15.c4 then:
• 15...Nbd7 16.a4 Qc7 17.Ba3 Rec8 18.Bd3 cxd5 19.cxd5 Qb6 20.b4 Rc3 21.Nb1 Rcc8 22.Bc1 bxa4 23.Qxa4 Qd8 24.Bg5 gives White the advantage in space (Smyslov-Gligoric, IT, Bugojno, 1984).
• 15...a5 16.dxc6 Bxc6 17.cxb5 Bxb5 18.Nc4 Na6 19.Bg5 Nb4 20.Bb1 Bxc4 21.bxc4 h6 22.Be3 Qc7 23.a3 Na6 24.Nd2 Nc5 25.Bc2 Reb8 26.Rb1 Qc6 27.Qf3 Bg7 28.Rec1 Nfd7 29.Qd1 is equal (Ljubojevic-Karpov, Euwe Mem, Amsterdam, 1991).

12...h6 13.d5

• If 13.a4 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 c5 16.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3 then:
• If 17...f5 18.Nh2 Nf6 19.Rf3 Re5 20.Rxf5 Rxf5 21.exf5 Bxd5 22.Ng4 then:
• 22...Bf7 23.Ne4 Nxg4 24.Qxg4 d5 is equal (Morozevich-Grischuk, Grand Prix, Dubai, 2002).
• 22...Ra7 23.Nxf6+ Qxf6 24.Ne4 Bxe4 25.Bxe4 Re7 is equal (Haba-Dervishi, Austrian ChT, 2003).
• 17...c4 18.axb5 axb5 19.Nd4 Qb6 20.Nf5 Ne5 21.Rg3 g6 22.Nf3 Ned3 23.Be3 Qd8 24.Nxh6+ Bxh6 25.Bxh6 Qf6 is equal (Timofeev-Inarkiev, Russian Ch HL, Novokuznetsk, 2008).

13...Ne7 14.b3 c6 15.c4 cxd5 16.cxd5 Nd7 17.a4!?

• 17.g4 Ng6 18.Nf1 Nf4 19.Kh2 Rc8 20.Bd2 h5 21.Ne3 hxg4 22.hxg4 Nf6 23.Rg1 g6 is equal (Ivanchuk-Morozevich, Amber Blind, Nice, 2009).
• 17.Nf1 f5 18.exf5 Nxd5 19.b4 N7b6 20.Be4 Qd7 21.N1h2 Rac8 22.Ng4 Rc4 23.Bd2 h5 24.Ngh2 Nc3 gives Black the advantage in space and the initiative (J. Polgar-Morozevich, Rpd Op, Mainz, 2008).

17...f5

• The game is equal.

18.axb5

• 18.exf5 Nxd5 19.Bb2 b4 20.Rc1 remains equal.

18...axb5 19.Rxa8 Qxa8 20.Bd3 Nf6!?

• 20...b4 21.Nh4 fxe4 22.Nxe4 Bxd5 23.Nxd6 Rd8 24.Ne4 remains equal.

21.Bxb5 Rc8 22.Bc4

• Black was threatening to win a pawn with 22...fxe4 23.Nxe4 Nexd5.

22...fxe4 23.Nxe4 Nxe4 24.Rxe4 Bxd5 25.Rg4

• White threatens 26.Bxh6!.

25...Kh8 26.Be3?

• 26.Ne1 Bxc4 27.Rxc4 d5 28.Rxc8 Qxc8 29.Bb2 Qe6 remains equal.

BLACK: Vassily Ivanchuk
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WHITE: Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu
Position after 26...Bc1e3

26...Bxf3!

• Black's plan suggests itself after White's mistake: weaken White's kingside pawns roll forward with the center pawns.

27.gxf3 d5 28.Bd3 Rc3!

• 28...d4!? 29.Bd2! Rb8 30.Be4 Qa2 31.f4 leaves Black better, but White has a lot more fight than he gets in the text.

29.Bb1 d4 30.Be4!?

• White gets a more stubborn defense from 30.Bd2 Qxf3 31.Qxf3 Rxf3 32.Bc2 g5.

BLACK: Vassily Ivanchuk
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WHITE: Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu
Position after 30.Bb1e4

30...Qa2!

• Lights out!

31.Bd2 Rxb3 32.Kg2

• If 32.Bc1 Rc3 33.Bd2 Ra3 then:
• If 34.f4 Qb2 35.Bc1 Ra1 then:
• If 36.Bxb2 Rxd1+ 37.Kg2 d3 38.fxe5 d2 then:
• 39.Bc2 Rc1 40.Ba4 d1Q Black is a piece up.
• If 39.Bf3 Rb1 40.Rb4 Kh7 41.Bc3 d1Q Black is a piece to the good.
• If 36.Kg2 then after 36...Rxc1 37.Qf3 Rc3 38.Bd3 Nf5 39.fxe5 Qa3 Black wins material.
• 34.Bc1 Qa1 35.Kg2 Rc3 36.Bc2 Nd5 37.Re4 Nb4 wins for Black.

32...Rb2 33.Be1 Nd5 34.Kg1 0-1

• 34.Bxd5 Qxd5 35.Qd3 Be7 36.Qg6 Bf6 is a more stubborn defense, but it won't change the final outcome.
• After the text, 34...Nf6! 35.Rh4 Nxe4 36.Rxe4 Rb1 37.Qd3 Qa1 is lights out.
• Dl. Nisipeanu resigns without waiting for Vassily Mikhailovich to reply.