Reply #7: Peng - Haast, Round 4

[Jack Rabbit]

Peng Zhaoqin won the women's championship of her adopted country for the twelfth straight year and the thirteenth time since coming to Holland.

Here, Mw. Peng takes down Anne Haast, who finshed a distant second.



Peng Zhaoqin
Photo by Stefan64 from Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)


Peng Zhaoqin - Anne Haast
Dutch Championship (Women's Group), Round 4
Boxtel, 29 June 2011

West India Game: Tal-Indian Defense (Benko Gambit)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Qc2

• The gambit is usually accepted, but Mw. Peng seems to be in an odds-giving mood.
• For the usual 4.cxb5, see Dautov-Schebler, Bundesliga 0910, Baden-Baden, 2010.

4...e6 5.e4 bxc4

• If 5...exd5 6.cxd5 c4 7.Nc3/i] then:
• 7...Bb4 8.Be2 0-0 9.Nf3 Re8 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.0-0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 gives White a center duo and a file available to his Rook open to a backward Black pawn (Nisipeanu-A. Tate, Masters, Gibraltar, 2011).
• 7.a4 Bc5 8.axb5 Qb6 9.Nc3 Ng4 10.Nh3 Ne5 11.Na4 Bb4+ gives White an extra pawn and a center duo; Black has the initiative for the moment (Moskalenko-Randazzo, Op, Barbera del Valles, 2005).

6.Bxc4 exd5

• If 6...Bb7 7.Nc3 exd5 8.exd5 d6 then:
• If 9.Nge2 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Ng3 then:
• 11...Nbd7 12.b3 Nb6 13.Rd1 Ne8 14.Bb2 gives White the advantage in space (Malakhatko-Simonet, Ol, Istanbul, 2000).
• 11...g6 12.Bg5 Nbd7 13.Rae1 Re8 14.f4 h6 15.Bxh6 gives White the advantage in space (Mamedyarov-Galstian, Euro ChU18, Peniscola, 2002).
• If 9.Bf4 Be7 10.0-0-0 0-0 then:
• 11.Kb1?! 11...Nbd7 12.Qf5 Nb6 13.Be2 g6 gives Black the initiative and he will soon have an extra pawn (Antonsen-M. Nielsen, Politiken Cup, Helsignør, 2009).
• 11.Qb3 Bc8 12.Nf3 Nbd7 13.Rhe1 Rb8 14.Qc2 Nb6 gives Black a slight initiative.

7.exd5 Bd6!? (N)

• If 7...d6 8.Nc3 Be7 then:
• If 9.h3 0-0 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.0-0 Nb6 12.b3 Nxc4 13.bxc4 Rb8 14.Bf4 Ba6 is equal (Kempinski-Miton, Poish ChT, Zakopane, 2000).
• If 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Rd1 Nb6 then:
• If 12.Be2!? Bb7 13.Qb3 Rb8 14.Qa3 Nfxd5 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 Black retains the gambit pawns, although she has more pawn weaknesses (Schuurman-Sebag, Euro ChW, Varna, 2002).
• 12.Bd3! c4 13.Bf5 Re8 14.Bxc8 Qxc8 15.Be3 returns the pawn to White with equality.

8.Nc3

• White is slightly better because the placement of Black's Bishop at d6 will present Black developing her queenside pieces.

8...0-0 9.Nge2 Ba6 10.b3

• White sees that she will have a permanent advantage in space if the Bishops are exchanged and a pawn recaptures on c4.
• If 10.Qa4 Bxc4 11.Qxc4 Qb6 12.Bg5 then:
• 12...Be5 13.0-0 h6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Rab1 Na6 16.Ng3 gives White a small advantage in space; Black's queenside is developed.
• 12...Ne8?! 13.0-0!! Qxb2 14.Rab1 Qc2 15.Be3 Qg6 16.Ne4 gives White command of the center in return for the pawn.
• If 10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.Qf5 Rb8 then:
• If 12.Rb1 Qc7 13.Bg5 then:
• 13...Be5 14.f4 Bxc3+ 15.Nxc3 Rfe8+ 16.Kf2 gives White a better center and Black more space.
• 13...Ne8 14.h3 f6 15.Be3 Nb4 16.0-0 Bh2+ 17.Kh1 gives White a little more space, but Black has developed her queenside.
• 12.b3 Re8 13.Bg5 Be5 14.0-0 Qe7 15.Rac1 gives White a slight advantage in space, but the isolated pawn must be defended.

10...h6

• 10...Re8 11.Qd3 Bxc4 12.Qxc4 Be5 13.0-0 d6 14.Bg5 is equal and White can complete normal development of her queenside.

11.h3 Re8 12.0-0 Be5 13.Bd2

• If 13.Bf4 Bxc4 14.bxc4 Qa5 15.Rab1 then:
• If 15...Na6 16.Rb5 Qc7 17.Bxe5 Rxe5 then:
• 18.Qa4 Nb4 19.a3 Na2 20.Qa6 d6 21.Rb7 gives White a significant advantage in space and activity on Black's queenside.
• If 18.a3 Rae8 19.Rfb1 then:
• 19...Qc8 20.Ra5 d6 21.Re1 gives White the advantage in space.
• 19...R5e7 20.Rb7 Qa5 21.Rxa7 gives White an extra pawn.
• 15...Bxf4 16.Nxf4 Na6 17.Rb5 Qc7 18.Nd3 gives White the advantage in space.

13...d6 14.Rae1

• If 14.f4 Bxc3 15.Nxc3 Bxc4 16.bxc4 Qd7 then:
• 17.Rab1 Na6 18.a3 Rab8 19.Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1 gives White a slight advantage in space.
• 17.a3 Na6 18.Be1 Rab8 19.Bh4 Nh7 20.Rae1 gives White greater activity and more space; Black has solved her problem of lagging development on the queenside.

14...Nfd7?!

• Although White has only a slight advantage in space, Black is nevertheless having trouble finding room to develop her pieces. This move leave the KInight at b8 nowhere to go, and thus leaving the Queen's Rook undeveloped at a8.
• Better is to initiate a series of exchanges by 14...Bxc4! 15.bxc4 Nbd7 16.f4 Bxc3 17.Nxc3 Rxe1 18.Rxe1 Rb8 19.Nb5 gives White the advantage in space.
• 16.Qd3 Rb8 17.f4 Bxc3 18.Nxc3 a6 19.g4 gives White a clear advantage in space; it remains to be seen whether she can steamroll Black with pawns on the kingside or whether those pawns render the White King unsafe.

15.Ne4!?

• White gambles that she can gain more by postponing the advance of the f-pawn.
• 15.f4! Bf6 16.Ne4 Bh4 17.N2g3 Bxc4 18.bxc4 gives White a fine game with a grip on the center and more space.

15...Nb6?

• Better is to first exchange Bishops, when the Knight can come to g6 attacking a pawn.
• If 15...Bxc4! 16.bxc4 then:
• 16...Na6 17.N4g3 Rb8 18.f4 Bf6 19.a3 is equal.
• 16...Nb6?! 17.f4! Bf6 18.N2g3 Bd4+ 19.Be3 Bxe3+ 20.Rxe3 gives White a significant advantage in space.
• If 15...Nf6?! then:
• If 16.N4g3! Nfd7 17.Nf5 then:
• 17...Bxc4 18.bxc4 Nb6 19.f4 Bf6 20.Neg3 Rxe1 21.Rxe1 gives White a commanding advantage in space and Black still hasn't developed her queenside.
• 17...Nb6 18.f4 Bf6 19.Neg3 Nxc4 20.bxc4 Bd4+ 21.Kh2 gives White a significant advantage in space.
• 16.N2g3?! Nxe4 17.Rxe4 Bxc4 18.bxc4 Bxg3 19.fxg3 gives White more piece activity and a huge advantage in space.

BLACK: Anne Haast



WHITE: Peng Zhaoqin
Position after 15...Nd7b6

16.f4!

• The delay in advancing the pawn has paid off nicely.

16...Bf6

• Black's only other worthwhile move won't save her, either.
• If 16...Bb2 17.N2g3 Bd4+ 18.Kh2 then:
• 18...g6 19.Bc3 Bxc4 20.bxc4 N8d7 21.f5 breaks up Black's kingside.
• 18...Bxc4 19.bxc4 g6 20.Bc3 Na6 21.f5 g5 22.f6 leaves Black's King position fatally weak.

17.Nxf6+ Qxf6

• 17...gxf6 then White wins easily after 18.Ng3 Rxe1 19.Rxe1 Bxc4 20.bxc4 Qf8 21.Nf5.

18.Ng3 Rxe1 19.Rxe1 Qd8

• If 19...Qg6 20.Nf5 Kh7 21.Re3 Nxc4 then:
• 22.Rg3! Nxd2 23.Rxg6 fxg6 24.Nxd6 leaves Black no activity other than the Bishop at a6.
• 22.bxc4? Bc8 23.g4 Bxf5 24.Qxf5 Qxf5 25.gxf5 Nd7 gives White greater activity, but Black has stronger pawns and, most importantly, her queenside is coming to life and that gives her bona fide drawing chances.

20.Nf5 Nxc4 21.bxc4 Nd7 22.Bc3 Nf6

• This shortens's Black's agony.
• If 22...Bxc4 then White wins after 23.Nxg7 Bxd5 24.Qd3 Nf6 25.Nf5 Kf8 26.Qg3.

23.Ne7+ Kh8 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Qf5 Kg7

• If 25...Qc8 then 26.Qxf6+ Kh7 27.Qxf7+ Kh8 28.Ng6#.

26.Re3 Qh8 27.Rg3+ Kf8 28.Qd7 1-0

• If 28...f5 29.Qxd6 Qd4+ 30.Kh2 Qxf4 31.Ng6+ wins the Queen and mate is stil inevitable.
• Mw. Haast resigns.