GAME 011 - VS Gary List - Rapid 30 0

Gary List - Edward Davies
Portsmouth Chess Club Summer Rapid, 25.07.2007

My opponent plays a sacrificial opening to suit his attacking style. It is my job to defend the position correctly.

1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 [A popular line is 3...Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 after which there are two main moves 5...e6 (5...Nf6) 6.d3 (6.d4 Nf6 7.Bd3) 6...Nf6 (6...Nd7) 7.Bd2 (7.a3) ] 4.Nxe4 Bf5 I was out of book and played this after some thought, realising it may transpose into or continue in a similar way to the classical. 5.Bc4? This attack is unsound. It may be able to trip up some opponents though. DIAGRAM A [5.Ng3 Bg4 (5...Bg6 6.d4 Transposing back into a classical main line, e.g. 6...Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3) 6.Bc4 e6 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nf6 This looks solid enough for black.] 5...Bxe4 6.Ng5? This is not the way to justify white's sacrifice. At this point Fritz gives a -3 pawn evaluation. [The only critical try to justify white's sacrifice. 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Ng5+ Ke8 8.Nxe4 Nf6 9.f3 e5 10.0–0 Kd7 Black must priotise moving his king to safety artificially. 11.d4 Kc7 12.Be3 Qd5 13.dxe5 Qxe5 14.Bd4 Qf4 The black rooks are still completely out of the game and blocked in by minor pieces, however white does not seem to have many threats at his disposal with the attacking force on the board. 15.Qe2 Nbd7 16.Rad1 Re8 17.Bxa7 Bc5+! 18.Bxc5 Nxc5 Black now looks to be totally comfortable and can look forward to a winning endgame. 19.Qc4 Ncxe4 20.Rde1 Qf5 21.fxe4 Rxe4 22.Rxf5 Rxc4 23.Re7+ Kc8 24.c3 Rg4 25.h3 Rg6 26.c4 Re8 27.Rxe8+ Nxe8 28.Rf7 Nd6 29.Rf8+ Kd7 30.c5 Ne4 31.b4 Re6 32.a3 Nc3 33.g3 Re2 34.Kf1 –+] 6...Bd5 7.Bb3 [7.Qe2 is no better 7...Bxc4 8.Qxc4 Qd5] 7...Bxb3 Keeping it simple and looking forward to what should be an easy game. [F1: 7...Qa5 8.c3! Nd7 (if 8...Bxb3 9.Qxb3 Qe5+ (not 9...Qxg5 10.Qxb7 which gives white unnecessary counterplay 10...Qe5+ 11.Kd1 e6 12.Qxa8 Qh5+ 13.f3 Bd6 14.Qxa7 Nf6 15.Qd4 Bc7 16.Kc2 0–0 Black's task is a lot harder than it should have been.) 10.Kd1) ] 8.axb3 Nf6 [or 8...e6 ] 9.d3 [F1: 9.0–0 e6 10.d3 Bd6 11.Ne4 Be5 12.Qe2 0–0 13.c3 Nbd7 14.f4 Bc7 15.Rf3 Nxe4 16.dxe4 Bb6+ 17.Be3 Bxe3+ 18.Rxe3 Black's position is flawless and he has a happy technical task ahead of him. DIAGRAM B] 9...e6 10.c3 [F1: 10.0–0 ] 10...Be7 11.0–0 0–0 12.d4 [F1: 12.Be3 ] 12...Nbd7 [F1: 12...Qc7 13.b4 Nbd7 14.Qc2 a6 15.f4 Rfe8 16.Bd2 Rad8 17.b3 Qd6 18.Nf3 Qd5 19.Qd1 Qf5 20.Ra5 Qd3 21.Ne1 Qg6 22.Rg5 Qe4 23.Rg3 h6 24.Nd3 Qf5 25.Re3 Nb6 26.Rff3 Ne4 27.Qe1 Nxd2 28.Qxd2 Bf6 29.Nc5 Nd5 30.Re5 Bxe5 31.fxe5 Qb1+ 32.Rf1 Qg6 33.Nxb7 Rb8 34.Nc5 Qg5 35.Qe1 Nf4 36.g3 Nd5 37.Qf2 Re7 38.Ne4 Qg4 39.Re1 Rd7 40.Kh1 Rbd8 41.Qg2 Qh5 42.Rf1 Ne3 43.Qf3 Qxf3+ 44.Rxf3 Nd5 45.h3 Ra7 46.Kg2 Kf8 47.Kf2 Ke7 48.Ke2 f6 49.Nd6 Rad7 50.Nc4 Rf8 51.Kd2 Rdd8 52.Na5 Rc8] 13.Qc2 [F1: 13.f4 a5 14.Qc2 c5 15.f5 exf5 16.Rxf5 cxd4 17.cxd4 Rc8 18.Qf2 Bb4 Black shouldn't have any problem defending any suicidal attack from white.] 13...h6 [F1: 13...c5 14.Be3 cxd4 15.Bxd4 Qc7 16.Ra4 b5] 14.Nf3 c5 [F1: 14...Qc7 ] 15.Be3 [15.dxc5 Nxc5 16.Rd1 Qc7 17.b4 Nce4] 15...Qc7 16.Qe2 [F1: 16.Rfd1 Rfd8 17.Qe2 Nd5] 16...Nd5 [or F1: 16...Rfd8 ] 17.Bxh6? An unsound sacrifice. An attempt to complicate the position to create swindling opportunities. It is at the cost of another couple of pawns in evaluation objectively. [17.Bd2 cxd4 18.Nxd4] 17...gxh6 18.Qd2 Qf4! 19.Qd3 Qf5 Trying to keep things simple. [19...Qg4! threatening Nf4 threatening NxQ and Qxg2# 20.Rfd1] 20.Qb5 [20.Qxf5 exf5 21.Rad1 Rfd8 22.dxc5 Nxc5 23.Nd4 Bg5] 20...N5b6 21.Rad1 [F1: 21.Rfe1 a6 22.Qe2 Nd5 23.Ne5 Rfd8 24.Rad1 cxd4 25.Ng4 Kg7 26.Rxd4 N7f6 27.g3 Bc5] 21...cxd4 [21...Rfd8 22.Rfe1 Qc2 23.Rd2 Qg6 24.d5 Kh8 25.dxe6 fxe6 26.Rde2 Rg8 27.g3 Rae8 28.Qa5 Qf5] 22.Qe2 dxc3 23.bxc3 Rfd8 24.Nd4 Qg6 [F1: 24...Qf6 ] 25.Qf3 [25.Rd3 Kh8 26.Rg3 Qh7 27.f4 Rg8 28.Rh3 Nd5 29.Qf3 Bc5 30.Rh4 Qg7 31.Qh3 Kh7 32.Kh1 Ne3 33.Rxh6+ Qxh6 34.Qxe3 Nf6 35.Rf3 Rg4 36.g3 (36.Rh3 Rh4) 36...Rd8 37.Qe5 Bb6 38.Kg2 a5 39.Qb5 Nd5 40.h3 Rg7 41.Qf1 Nxc3 42.Qd3+ Kg8 43.Qxc3 Rxd4 44.Qc8+ Rd8 45.Qc1] 25...Ne5 26.Qxb7 Rd7 DIAGRAM C 27.Qa6 Rxd4 28.Rxd4 Nf3+ 29.Kh1 Nxd4 30.Qb7 Nf5 0–1