Reply #11: Ehlvest - Shabalov, Round 6

[Jack Rabbit]

Jaan Ehlvest
Photo: Unites States Chess League


Jaan Ehlvest - Alex Shabalov
18th Open, Round 6
Chicago, 25 May 2009

English Game

1.c4 b6 2.Nc3 Bb7 3.e4 e6 4.d3 Bb4 5.Qg4 Qf6 6.Nge2!?

• Theory on this opening doesn't go any further than this.
• 6.Bd2 Nc6 7.0-0-0 Qg6 8.Qh4 Nf6 9.Nh3 Qg4 10.Qxg4 Nxg4 11.f3 Nf6 12.Nb5 Bxd2+ 13.Rxd2 0-0-0 14.d4 a6 15.Nc3 is equal (Razuvaev-Barle, Pirc Mem, Maribor, 1996).

6...Qg6

• 6...e5 7.a3 Bc5 8.f4 h5 9.Qf3 Nc6 is equal.

7.Qh3 Ne7 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Nxc3 f5

• 9...Nbc6 10.Be3 e5 11.Be2 0-0-0 12.Bh5 Qf6 is equal.

10.Qg3

• If 10.Bf4 then:
• 10...Na6 11.Be2 h5 12.0-0 0-0-0 13.Qh4 gives White the advantage in space.
• If 10...Kd8 11.Nb5 Na6 12.e5 Kc8 13.d4 solves White's development problems with the King's Bishop and gives Black some over the Queen's Rook.

10...Qxg3 11.hxg3 Nbc6 12.Be3 0-0-0

• 12...0-0 13.b4 e5 14.b5 Nd4 15.Bxd4 exd4 16.Ne2 is equal.

13.0-0-0 h6

• The game is equal.

14.f3

• 14.g4 fxg4 15.d4! Rde8 16.Be2 g3 17.f4 gives White the advantage in space.

14...d5 15.cxd5

• White will be plagued through much of the game by his inability to develop his King's Bisahop/
• Better is 15.exd5 exd5 16.d4! Ba6 17.Nb5 dxc4 18.Bxc4 with equality./li]

15...exd5 16.Bf2 Rhf8 17.exf5!?

• 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.d4 Nce7
• White plays to the Wrong side, winning a pawn but . . .

BLACK: Alex Shabalov
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WHITE: Jaan Ehlvest
Position after 17.ef5:p

17...d4!

• . . . making a lasting problem of his inability to complete his development.

18.Ne4 Nxf5

• The game remains equal.
• 18...Rxf5 19.g4 Rff8 20.Re1 Kd7 21.g5 hxg5 22.Nxg5 is also equal.

19.Re1 Na5 20.g4!?

• White wins a pawn after after 20.b4 Nb3+ 21.Kc2 Bd5 22.g4 Ne3+ 23.Bxe3.

20...Nd6 21.Nd2

• White would like to lift the blackade against his d-pawn, but if there is a way to do it, this isn't it.
• Better is 21.Nxd6+ Rxd6 22.b4 Nb3+ 23.Kc2 Bd5 24.Re7 gives White more activity in spite of playing virtually a piece down.

21...c5 22.Rh5 Rf7 23.Bg3

• 23.b4 cxb4 24.axb4 Rc7+ 25.Kb2 Nc6 26.Nb3 remains equal.

23...Kd7 24.b3 Re8

• 24...Rc8 25.Kc2 Nb5 26.Nc4 Nxc4 27.dxc4 remains equal.

25.Rxe8 Nxe8 26.b4 Nf6!?

• The Black Knight is hampered on the queenside among so many White pawns.
• The solution to such a problem is to exchange pawns: 26...cxb4 27.axb4 Nc6 28.b5 Nb4 29.Nc4 Re7 30.g5 remains equal.

27.Rh1!?

• White in turn misses the best continuation in a complex situation.
• 27.bxa5! Nxh5 28.gxh5 Rf5 29.Bb8 Rxh5 30.Bxa7 gives White more activity, but he is yet to liberate his King's Bishop.

27...cxb4 28.axb4 Nc6

• The game is equal.

29.b5 Nd8 30.Nc4 Re7 31.Nd6 Ke6

• There is a latent threat to Black's d-pawn; this gives Black the flexibility to meet it.
• 31...Nd5?! fails against 32.Nf5 Rf7 33.Nxd4, giving White an extra pawn.

32.Nf5 Rd7 33.Bf2 Ke5 34.Be2 g6

• 34...Ne6 35.Bd1 Nd5 36.Re1+ Kf6 37.Bb3 gives White more activity.

35.Bg3+ Kd5 36.Nxh6!?

• White takes an extra pawn, but the Knight has no good escape route.
• Better is 36.Rxh6 gxf5 37.Rxf6 fxg4 38.fxg4 Kc5 39.Rf5+ when White has more activity.

36...Kc5

• Black can take this pawn at his leisure. White can do nothing about it.

37.Kd2

BLACK: Alex Shabalov
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WHITE: Jaan Ehlvest
Position after 37.Kc1d2

37...Ne6

• The intent of this move is to restrain White's kingside pawns.

38.Be5

• On the other hand, White would like to move those pawns.

38...Nd5 39.Ng8 Nef4

• The Knight reports for Blockade duty.

40.Nf6

• White destroys the Blackade with an indirect exchange.

40...Nxf6 41.Bxf4 Nd5 42.Be5 Nc3

• 42...Re7 43.f4 Nc3 44.Rc1 Kxb5 45.Bf1 is equal.
• If 42...Rf7 43.Rc1+ Kxb5 44.Bxd4 a5 then:
• 45.Be5 a4 46.d4+ Ka5 47.g5 Nf4 48.Bc4 gives White more activity.
• 45.Bb2 a4 46.d4+ Ka5 47.Bd3 g5 gives White an extra pawn, but Black's pawns have more freedom.

43.Rh6 Kxb5!?

• Black sacrifices a pawn in hopes of reaching a Bishops of opposite color ending.
• 43...Re7 44.f4 Re6 45.g5 Nxe2 46.Kxe2 Kxb5 47.Rh7 gives White more freedom.

44.Rxg6 Nxe2

• The Knight was almost a desperado who had little better to do than exchange itself for a Bishop of which White could make no use.

45.Kxe2 a5

• 45...Kc5 46.g5 b5 47.Re6 Bd5 48.Re8 Bf7 49.Ra8 gives White more activity.

BLACK: Alex Shabalov
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WHITE: Jaan Ehlvest
Position after 45...a7a5

46.Rg7!?

• White's chances are probalby better with Rooks on the board.
• 46.g5 Kc5 47.Re6 Bd5 48.Re8 Bf7 49.Rc8+.

46...Rxg7 47.Bxg7 Kc5 48.g5

• Black cannot prevent this pawn from advancing all the way to the seventh rank.

48...Kd5 49.g6 b5 50.Bf6 Bc8 51.Bd8 a4

• If 51...b4? then 52.Bxa5 b3 53.Kd2! Be6 54.g4 Ke5 55.Bc7+ wins for White.

52.g7!

• White forces Black to move his Bishop to e6, and to confine its move to the b2/g8 diagonal thereafter.

52...Be6

• White must contend with the mobility of Black's queenside pawns.
• If 53.g4?? then 53...a3! wins immediately.

BLACK: Alex Shabalov
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WHITE: Jaan Ehlvest
Position after 52...Be6

53.Be7!

• Suddenly, Black's queenside pawns have much less freedom.

53...Bg8 54.g4

• Now there is time to advance the pawns.

54...Ke5 55.Kf2!

• The White Bishop stops the queenside pawns in their tracks; the White King moves to assist with the pawn advance on the kingside.
• 55.Kd2?! Kf4 56.Bd6+ Kxf3 57.Bc5 Kxg4 58.Bxd4 is a likely draw.

55...Ke6 56.Bf8

• Also good is 56.Bc5 Kd5 57.Ba3 Ke5 58.Kg3 Bb3 59.Bb2, giving White time to advance his kingside.

56...Kf6 57.f4 Bd5?

• A more stubborn defense might come from 57...Bb3 then:
• 58.Ke2 Bf7 59.f5 Ke5 60.Kd2 Bg8 61.Bc5, but White remains a pawn to the good.
• If 58.f5 Ke5 59.Ke2 Kf4 60.f6 Kxg4 then White recovers the extra pawn after 61.Bc5!.

58.Bc5!

• Black's pawns still cannot move.

58...Kxg7 59.Bxd4+ Kg6

• No better is 59...Kf7 60.Bc5 Kf6 61.f5 Ke5 62.Ke3.

60.Bc5 Bb3 61.d4 Bd1 62.Kg3 1-0

• Black's pawns are stopped and White's cannot be. This is an unusual sitiuation in a Bishops of opposite color ending that the win is so clear with the pawns no further advanced than they are.
• Mr. Shabalov resigns.