Reply #9: Otten - Muhren, Dutch Championships, Round 3, Hiversum

[Jack Rabbit]

Bianca Muhren
Photo: Rocha de Kuppenheim (Germany)

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Colleen Otten vs. Bianca Muhren
Dutch National Championships, Round 3
Hilversum, June 2007

Open Sicilian Game: Najdorf-Boleslavsky Defense

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3!?

• White plays a rare line used mainly to get out of the books quickly.

6. -- e5

• 6. -- e6 usually leads to a draw: 7. g4 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nde2 Bb4 10. Bd2 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 Bxc3+ 13. Nxc3 Bd7 14. Bg2 Bc6 15. Bxc6+ Nxc6 draw agreed (Fontaine-Fressinet, French Ch, Val d'Isere 2002).

7. Nde2 Be7 8. g4 Be6

• If 8. -- 0-0 9. Ng3 then:
• 9. -- Ne8?! 10. Nd5 Bh4 11. Be3 Nc6 12. Qd2 Nd4 13. 0-0-0 Nf6 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. c3
• 15. -- Qa5 16. cxd4 Qxa2 17. Qb4 Bd7 18. Bd3 exd4 19. Bf4 White has a Knight for two pawns and a lot more space (Kupreichik-Dvoirys, Op, Leeuwarden 1993).
• 15. -- Nc6 16. Qxd6 Be6 17. Qxd8 Rfxd8 18. a3 Rxd1+ 19. Kxd1 Rd8+ 20. Ke1 isn't much better than the red line.
• Better is 11. -- Bxg3 12. fxg3 Nc6 13. Nb6 Rb8 14. Bg2 Be6 15. 0-0 but White still holds all the cards.
• 9. -- Be6 10. Bg2 Nc6 11. Nf5 b5 12. Nxe7+ Nxe7 13. Bg5 b4 gives Black a much more satisfactory game.

9. Bg2 h6!?

• Black throws the book away in case White had an improvement over existing theory.
• 9. -- Nbd7 10. Ng3 0-0 11. Nf5 Nb6 12. 0-0 Ne8 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. b3 Rc8 15. Ne2 Nd7 16. Ng3 Nc5 17. c4 b5 18. cxb5 axb5 19. Be3 Qb7 20. Rc1 is level (R. Byrne-Donner, Lugano 1970).

10. Ng3

• Black's novelty is as harmless as White's sixth move. There are many ways to proceed.
• 10. Be3 Qa5 11. 0-0 Nbd7 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 0-0 14. a3 is equal in space, but White's minor pieces look to have more potential.

10. -- g6 11. Bf3 Nc6 12. Be3?!

• White misses an early opportunity for lasting initiative.
• 12. Nd5! Nd4 13. Bg2 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bd7 15. c3 Nb5 16. a4 Nc7 17. Be3 would give White a healthy advantage in space.

12. -- Rc8

• Black asserts control of the c-file.
• 12. -- Na5 13. b3 Rc8 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Bd7 16. Qd2 gives White a comfortable advantage in space, but she is hard pressed to find good squares for her minor pieces.

13. h4 Na5 14. h5 Nc4 15. Bc1

• White eschews the pawn exchange at g6. She won't have another opportunity.
• 15. hxg6 fxg6 16. Bc1 Qa5 17. g5 Ng8 18. gxh6 Nxh6 19. Rb1 is level.

15. -- g5 16. 0-0 Nb6

• The Knight has no place else to go.
• 16. -- 0-0 17. Nd5 Re8 18. b3 Nb6 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. c4 Nbd7 21. Qe2 gives White the edge in space, but neither player has good minor pieces in this position.

17. Re1

• White is overprotecting her e-pawn. This discourages Balck from palying --d5.
• If 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. gxf5 g4 19. Bxg4 Rg8 20. f3 Nxh5 21. Bxh6 Nf6 22. Kf2 Nc4 23. Qc1 Qb6+ gives Black an edge in space and a chance for her Bishop to come to life.
• Black is comfortable after 19. Bg2 Nxh5 20. Qxg4 Nf6 21. Qf3 d5 22. exd5 Bb4 23. Rd1 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Qd6 with a small edge in space.

Black: Bianca Muhren
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White: Colleen Otten
Position after 17. Rf1e1

17. -- Rxc3!?

• Black goes looking for adventure with a Sicilian exchange sacrifice.
• 17. -- Qc7 18. a3 0-0 19. Nf5 Bxf5 20. gxf5 Nc4 21. Bh1 b5 is level.

18. bxc3 Qc7 19. Be3 Na4 20. Bd2 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Qxc3

• Black enjoys a considerable spatial advantage in compensation for her material deficeit. The question is whether or nat she can keep it.

Black: Bianca Muhren
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White: Colleen Otten
Position after 21. -- Qc7c3:p

22. Nf1?!

• White misses an opportunity to improve her game enormously.
• After 22. Nf5Black spatial advantage vanishes:
• 22. -- Qc7 23. Ng7+ Kf8 24. Nxe6+ fxe6 25. Qd3 Nd7 26. a4 Kg7 27. a5 Black will have a more difficult time advancing.
• After 22. -- Bxf5 23. exf5 b5 24. Re3 Qc4 25. a4 0-0 26. axb5 axb5 27. Ra7 White's Bishop awakes.

22. -- 0-0

• Black has retained her spatial advantage and, by bringing her Rook into play, can now enhance it.

23. Ne3 Rc8 24. Qb1 b5 25. a3

• White slows the advance of Black's pawns. Black has a significant spatial advantage that could crush White.

25. -- Bd8

• Black tries to improve the position of her dark-bound Bishop. Her light-bound Bish is easily the best minor piece on the board.

26. Rd1?

• This removes some protection from the Knight, making Black's position more vulnerable.
• If 26. a4 Bb6 27. axb5 axb5 then:
• 28. Kg2 Bxe3 29. Rxe3 Qxc2 30. Qxb5 Nxg4 gives Black the edge, but not a winning one.
• After 28. Ra6 Bxe3 29. Rxe3 Qd2 30. c3 Rxc3 31. Rxc3 Qxc3 Black will have to work longer to win.

26. -- Bb6!

• Black threatens the better of White's two minor pirces.

27. Rd3

Black: Bianca Muhren
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White: Colleen Otten
Position after 27. Rd1d3

27. -- Qc6!!

• The masked attack on White's unprotected Bishop is the key to Black's winning attack.

28. Qd1 Nxe4 29. Nd5

• After 29. Bxe4 Black wins by 29. -- Qxe4 30. a4 Bxe3 31. Rxe3 Qxg4+ 32. Qxg4 Bxg4 33. axb5 axb5 34. Ra6 Rxc2 leaving her with three pawns in compensation for the exchange.

29. -- Bxd5 30. Rxd5 Nxf2 31. Qe2 Ne4+ 32. Kh2

• After 32. Kg2 Nc3 33. Qd3 Nxd5 34. Bxd5 Qxc2+ 35. Qxc2 Rxc2+ Black is four pawns to the good.

32. -- Qxd5 33. Bxe4 Qd4 34. Rf1 Qe3 35. 0-1

• Black is three pawns up.
• Mw. Otten resigns.