Reply #14: E. Atalik - Cmilyte, Round 1

[Jack Rabbit]

Ekaterina Atalik
Photo: from the official website of the Isbank Ataturk Women Masters' Tournament (Turkey)

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Ekaterina Atalik - Viktorija Cmilyte
Baltic Queen Tournament, Round 1
St. Petersburg, 11 August 2009

West India Game: Tal-Indian Defense (Catalan Opening)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 exd5 6.cxd5 g6 7.g3

• The usual move is 7.e4.

7...Bg7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 Re8 10.a4 a6 11.Re1

• If 11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.h3 Rb8 13.Nc4 then:
• If 13...Ne5 14.Na3 Nh5 15.e4 then:
• 15...Bd7 16.a5 Qxa5 17.g4 Nf6 18.f4 Nexg4 19.hxg4 Nxg4 20.Bf3 h5 21.Nc2 Qd8 22.Kg2 b5 23.Ne3 b4 24.Na4 Qh4 25.Bxg4 hxg4 26.Rh1 Qf6 gives Black the initiative (Vasilevich-Peng, Euro ChW, Plovdov, 2008).
• 15...Rf8 16.Kh2 f5 17.f4 b5 18.axb5 axb5 19.Naxb5 fxe4 20.Na7 Nf3+ 21.Bxf3 exf3 22.Nxc8 Qxc8 23.Rxf3 Bd4 24.Qf1 gives White an extra pawn (Brunner-Marzolo, Op, Nancy, 2007).
• If 13...Nb6 14.Na3 Bd7 15.e4 Qc7 then:
• 16.Be3 Nxa4 17.Nxa4 Nxe4 18.Nc2 b5 19.Nc3 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Bxc3 21.Rxa6 b4 22.Bf4 Rb6 23.Rxb6 Qxb6 24.Bd2 Be5 25.Ne3 Bd4 26.Re1 gives White tha material advantage (Mikhalevski-Cebalo, Euro Ch, Budva, 2009).
• 16.Re1 Nxa4 17.Nxa4 b5 18.Nxc5 Qxc5 19.Be3 Qc8 20.Rc1 Qb7 21.Bf4 Qb6 22.Be3 Qd8 23.Bf4 Bc8 24.Rc6 gives White the initiative (Olsson-Brynell, Nordic Ch, Bergen, 2001).

11...Nbd7 12.e4


• If 12.h3 Rb8 13.Bf4 Qc7 14.e4 Nh5 then:
• 15.Be3 b5 16.axb5 axb5 17.Bf1 b4 18.Nb5 Qb6 19.Nd2 Ne5 20.Na7 Bd7 21.g4 Nf6 22.f4 Nexg4 23.hxg4 Nxe4 24.Nc6 Bxc6 25.Ra6 Qc7 26.Rxc6 gives White the initiative and a material edge (Razuvaev-Panchenko, Soviet Ch FL, Minsk, 1985).
• 15.Bd2 b5 16.axb5 axb5 17.g4 Nhf6 18.Bf1 c4 19.b4 cxb3 20.Qxb3 Nc5 21.Qb4 Na6 22.Nxb5 Nxb4 23.Nxc7 Rxe4 24.Rab1 gives White a tactical edge (Christiansen-Mestel, Ol, Lucerne, 1982).

12...Qc7

• 12...c4 13.Bf1 Nc5 14.Nd2 Nd3 15.Bxd3 cxd3 16.Nc4 Bh3 17.Qxd3gives White an extra pawn (Ligterink-Lobron, Op, Wijk aan Zee, 1986).

13.Bf4!?

• 13.Bf1 Ne5 14.Nxe5 Rxe5 15.Bf4 Re8 16.e5 dxe5 17.d6 is equal (Sosonko-Rechlis, IT, Jerusalem, 1986).

13...Ng4

• The game is equal.
• 13...Nh5 14.Bd2 Nhf6 15.Rc1 b6 16.b4 Bb7 17.Bf4 is equal.

14.Rc1 c4

• Black lays a claim on d3.
• 14...Nde5 15.Qc2 b6 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Re2 is equal.

15.Nd2 Nde5 16.h3!?

• White will allow the Knight to come to d3, forking the Rooks.
• 16.Re2 Qc5 17.Qc2 h6 18.b4 Qd4 19.Nf3 Nxf3+ remains equal.

16...Nxf2!

• The immediate 16...Nd3 is premature.
• If 16...Nd3?! 17.hxg4 then:
• 17...Nxc1 18.Qxc1 Bxg4 19.Bf1 b5 20.axb5 Bxc3 21.Qxc3 axb5 22.b3 assures White of a material advantage.
• 17...Bd4!? 18.Be3 Bxe3 19.Rxe3 Nxc1 20.Qxc1 Bxg4 21.Bf1 wins a pawn for White.

17.Kxf2 Nd3+ 18.Kg1!?

• White should overprotect his King's Rook.
• 18.Kf1 Bd7 19.Qc2 Nxe1 20.Rxe1 gives White the advantage in space.

18...Nxb2!

• The game is equal.
• If 18...Nxc1!? 19.Qxc1 Bd7 20.a5 then:
• 20...Rac8 21.Qa1 b5 22.axb6 Qxb6+ 23.Kh2 gives White the more active game.
• 20...Qxa5 21.Nxc4 Qc5+ 22.Ne3 h6 23.g4 Rac8 24.Qd2 leaves White with the advantage in space.

19.Qf3 Nd3 20.Kh2?

• White wastes a tempo on a move she perhaps thought was prophylactic.
• If 20.Red1 Nxc1 21.Rxc1 Qc5+ 22.Kh2 b6 23.Qf1 then:
• 23...b5 24.axb5 axb5 25.Nxb5 Qxb5 26.Nxc4 gives White an acvtive game for the exchange.
• 23...Bxc3 24.Rxc3 b5 25.Qb1 Bd7 26.a5 Qc7 27.Qb4 assures White of winning the pawn at d6.

BLACK: Viktorija Cmilyte
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WHITE: Ekaterina Atalik
Position after 20.Kg1h2

20...Bxc3!

• This should have won the game for Black.

21.Nxc4!?

• When asked why he made a particularly risky move on one occasion, Dr. Lasker replaied that he had examined all the other moves and, in his judgment, they were all bad; in other words, because he had a lost position and had nothing to lose (indeed, he won the game).
• If 21.Bxd6 then:
• 21...Qd7!! 22.Bf4 Nxe1 23.Rxe1 Ba5 24.Qf1 b5 wins for Black.
• Black aslo has a better game, but not one that's outright won, after 21...Qxd6 22.Rf1 Ne5 23.Qxc3 b5 24.Rb1 Bd7.
• 21.Rxc3 Nxe1 22.Qf2 Nxg2 23.Rxc4 Qe7 24.Qxg2 g5 gives Black the exchange and a won position.

21...Nxf4?!

• White is seeking complications, and Black did not find the best reply.21...Qxc4! 22.Red1 Nxc1 23.Rxc1 f5 24.Qxc3 Qxc3 25.Rxc3 wins for Black.

22.Qxf4

• 22.Rxc3 Nxd5 23.Rcc1 Nb6 24.Ne3 Qd8 25.Rf1 Be6 also cuts into Black's positional advantage.

22...Qxc4 23.Re3 Bd7?!

• Simpler and better is to just take the pawn.
• 23...Qxa4 24.Rexc3 Rd8 25.Qf6 Qe8 26.Kg1 a5 gets Black on the road to again making something of a superior position.

BLACK: Viktorija Cmilyte
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WHITE: Ekaterina Atalik
Position after 23...Bc8d7

24.Rexc3!

• White has a clear initiative.

24...Qxa4 25.Qxd6 Rad8 26.Qf6 Qb4

• If 26...b5 27.Rc7 Qa3 28.Ra1 then:
• 28...Qe7 29.Rxa6 Qxf6 30.Rxf6 Kf8 31.Rd6 Re7 32.Bf1 b4 33.Bb5 gives White a much superior position.
• 28...Qf8? 29.Rxa6 Re7 30.e5 b4 31.Rb6 leaves White with an easy win.

27.Rc7 a5

• If 27...b5 then White should win after 28.Ra7 Qe7 29.Qxe7 Rxe7 30.Rcc7.

28.Rf1 Rf8?

• This is the point of no return.
• 28...Qe7 29.Rxb7 Qxf6 30.Rxf6 Kf8 31.Ra7 a4 leaves Black with some fight, but her prospects are grim.

BLACK: Viktorija Cmilyte
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WHITE: Ekaterina Atalik
Position after 28...Re8f8

29.h4!

• Also good is 29.Rf4 h5 30.e5 Qb2 31.Rf2 Qb3 32.e6 Bxe6 33.dxe6.

29...Qd2

• If 29...Qb5 30.e5 Qa6 31.e6 then:
• 31...Bxe6 32.dxe6 Qxe6 33.Rxb7 Rd2 34.Qf3 gives White an overwhelming position.
• If 31...fxe6 then after 32.Qe7 Rxf1 33.Qxd8+ Black is soon mated.

30.Qe7 Rc8

• Like the text, 30...Qb2 drops a piece to 31.Rxd7 Rxd7 32.Qxd7.

31.Qxd7 Rxc7 32.Qxc7 b5

• The queenside pose a false hope for White.

33.e5 a4 34.e6 1-0

• If 34.e6 then after 34...f5 35.e7 Re8 36.d6 Kg7 37.d7 White queens on the next move.
• If 34...Qe3 then after 35.Rxf7 Qh6 36.d6 b4 37.d7 a3 38.d8Q Black is soon mated.
• Ms. Cmilyte resigns.