Reply #9: Atalik - Arakahmia-Grant, Round 8

[Jack Rabbit]

Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
Photo: Official website of the Baltic Queen International Tournament


Ekaterina Atalik - Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
Baltic Queen Tournament, Round 8
St.Petersburg, 19 August 2009

West India Game: Tal-Indian Defense (Czech Variation)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5

• The Main Line is 3...e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6.

4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Be7 6.Bd3

• If 6.g3 0-0 7.Bg2 Ne8 8.Nge2 Nd7 9.0-0 then:
• 9...g6 10.Bh6 Ng7 11.Qd2 Nf6 12.h3 Kh8 13.Be3 Nd7 14.Rad1 f5 15.Bh6 Nf6 16.f4 gives White the advantage in space (Topalov-Monolov, IT, Burgas, 1992).
• 9...a6 10.a4 g6 11.Bh6 Ng7 12.Qd2 f5 13.f4 exf4 14.Nxf4 Ne5 15.Qe2 Bf6 16.h3 gives White the advantage in space (Iotov-Chatalbashev, Bulgarian Ch, Sofia, 2004).

6...Nbd7

• If 6...0-0 7.Nge2 Nh5 8.Be3 Bg5 9.Qd2 Bxe3 10.Qxe3 then:
• 10...Qf6 11.g3 a6 12.0-0-0 b5 13.f4 bxc4 is equal (Dlugy-I. Ivanov, Op, New York, 1983).
• 10...g6 11.0-0-0 a6 12.g3 b5 13.f4 Qa5 14.fxe5 bxc4 15.Bxc4 Nd7 16.exd6 gives White two extra pawns (Tal-Mora, IT, Uppsala, 1956).

7.h3

• 7.Nf3 0-0 8.h3 a6 9.Be3 Rb8 10.Nd2 Ne8 11.h4 Ndf6 12.Be2 Qd7 13.a4 Ng4 14.Nf1 Nxe3 15.Nxe3 g6 16.g4 Ng7 17.Kd2 h6 18.Qg1 Qd8 19.Qg3 g5 20.h5 is equal (Szabo-Gasztonyi, Hungarian Ch, Budapest, 1964).

7...0-0

• 7...Nf8 8.Nf3 Ng6 9.g3 h5 10.h4 a6 11.a3 Bd7 12.b4 b5 13.Bd2 bxc4 14.Bxc4 cxb4 15.axb4 Qb6 16.b5 Ng4 17.Qe2 a5 18.Bd3 0-0 19.Na4 Qb7 20.Rc1 Rab8 is equal (Syre-Knaak, East German Ch, Potsdam, 1974).

8.g4 a6

• transposes to Katchiani-Schoene, below.

9.a4 Ne8

• 9...Rb8 10.Be3 h6 11.Nf3 Nh7 12.Ne2 Re8 13.Ng3 Ndf8 14.Nf5 Ng6 15.Kf1 Bf6 16.Qd2 Ng5 gives Black the initiative (M. Gurevich-Anand, IT, Brussels, 1991).

10.Nf3 g6!?

• 10...Nc7 11.Bd2 Re8 12.a5 Rb8 13.Na4 Na8 14.b4 b5 15.axb6 Naxb6 16.Nxb6 Qxb6 17.b5 axb5 18.cxb5 Qb7 19.Ba5 Bd8 20.Nd2 Bxa5 21.Rxa5 Nb6 22.Nc4 Nxc4 23.Bxc4 Bd7 24.0-0 Ra8 is equal (Kachiani-Schoene, Budesliga 9899, Germany, 1999).

11.Qd2

• White has the advantage in space.
• If 11.a5 Bf6 12.h4 then:
• If 12...b6 13.g5 Bh8 14.h5 then:
• 14...Ng7 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.Rh4 Rb8 is equal.
• 14...bxa5 15.Bd2 Rb8 16.Ra2 Ng7 17.hxg6 fxg6 is equal.
• 12...b5 13.axb6 Qxb6 14.g5 Bh8 15.h5 gives White the advantage in space.

11...Ng7

• 11...Bf6 12.a5 Bg7 13.h4 Ndf6 14.g5 Nh5 15.Na4 is equal.

12.Qh6 f6 13.Bd2 Rf7 14.Rg1

• 14.h4 b6 15.Qe3 Bf8 16.h5 g5 17.Bc2 gives White the advantage in space.

14...Nf8 15.h4 Bd7 16.Nd1 b5!?

• Black finds the moment opportune to open the a-file, since White will then be forced to exchange Rooks giving Black command of the file.
• If 16...a5 then after 17.Bc3 Qe8 18.Bc2 Bd8 19.Kd2 White continues to enjoy the advantage in space.

17.axb5 axb5 18.Rxa8 Qxa8 19.cxb5 Qa4!?

• Black is a pawn down and eschews the opportunity to regain it.
• 19...Bd8 20.h5 g5 21.Bc3 Qa4 22.Nd2 Bxb5 23.b3 is equal.

BLACK: Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
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WHITE: Ekaterina Atalik
Position after 19...Qa8a4

20.Nc3!

• White, already with an extra pawn, seizes the initiative and maintains her advantage in space.
• 20.h5 g5 21.Nc3 Qb4 22.Nb1 Qxb2 23.Bc3 Qa2 is equal.

20...Qb4 21.Qe3 Bd8 22.Nd1

• If 22.h5 g5 23.h6 Ne8 24.Be2 Ba5 then:
• If 25.Nd1 Qa4 26.Qa3 Bxd2+ 27.Nxd2 Bxb5 then:
• 28.Nc3 Qxa3 29.bxa3 Bxe2 30.Kxe2 gives White the remote passer.
• 28.Rg3 Bd7 29.Nc3 Qxa3 30.bxa3 gives White the remote passer.
• 25.Kf1!? Qxb2 26.Kg2 Bxg4 27.Rb1 Qa3 28.Bc4 Ng6 is equal.

22...Qa4 23.Nc3!?

• If 23.Qe2 Bc7 24.h5 then:
• If 24...g5 25.Bc3 Ba5 26.Nd2 Ne8 27.Ne3 gives White an extra pawn and more freedom.
• 24...Ba5 25.Bc3 g5 transposes.

23...Qb3!

• Black eats into White's spatial plus.
• 23...Qb4 invites a draw by repetition, but Black thinks she can get more.

24.Bc1 Ba5 25.Nd2

• 25.h5!? Bxb5 26.hxg6 Nxg6 27.Bxb5 Qxb5 28.Nd2 Qb4 gives Black the advantage in space.

25...Bxc3 26.bxc3 Qxc3 27.Ke2?

• White should use the King in its own defense rather than running to the kingside.
• 27.Kd1 Qb4 28.Nc4 Bxb5 then:
• 29.Nxd6 Bxd3 30.Qxd3 Rd7 31.Nc4 Ra7 32.Ba3 Qb5 33.Ke2 is equal.
• If 29.Qe2 then Black stands better after 29...Ra7 30.Rg3 Bxc4 31.Bxc4 Ra4 32.Bb5 Ra1 but White has some fight left.

27...Bxg4+!

• The sham sacrifice removes the guard from the Bishop at c1 and Black begins to decimate White's queenside.

28.Rxg4 Qxc1 29.Nc4

• The White King is exposed on the queenside.
• 29.f3 Ra7 30.Rg1 Qc3 31.b6 Rb7 32.Nc4 Nh5 gives Black the advantage in space and an extra pawn.

BLACK: Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
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WHITE: Ekaterina Atalik
Position after 29.Nd2c4

29...Qa1!!

• White sacrifices a pawn for time to bring the Rook into the attack on the White King through the a-file.

30.Nxd6

• Declining the pawn to give the King time to seek refuge is useless.
• 30.Kf3 f5 31.exf5 gxf5 32.Rg5 e4+ wins a piece.

30...Ra7 31.b6 Ra2+!

• Black wins. She can attack the King and then get her Rook behind the b-pawn.

32.Kf3 Qh1+ 33.Rg2 Nh5 34.b7 Nf4!

• If White queens, then Black delivers mate.
• Even stronger is 34...Qh3+! 35.Rg3 Nxg3 when:
• 36.Bc2 Rxc2 37.Qg5 Nh1+ 38.Qg3 Rxf2+ 39.Ke3 Qxg3#.
• 36.b8Q Nh5#.
• 36.Be2 Nh5#.

35.Qxf4 Qd1+ 36.Kg3 exf4+ 37.Kxf4 Qd2+ 0-1

• 38.Kg4 h5+ 39.Kg3 Qxd3+ 40.f3 Ra3 41.Rf2 Rb3 puts an end to White's hopes of queening the b-pawn.
• Mrs. Atalik resigns.