GOTW: Abrahams - Kanarek, Reykjavik 2019

[Event "GAMMA Reykjavik Open"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2019.04.08"]
[Round "1.26"]
[White "Abrahams, Daniel"]
[Black "Kanarek, Marcel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A38"]
[WhiteElo "2143"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "John Upper"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CAN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "POL"]

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O c5 7. a3 Nc6 8. Rb1 {
[#]} a5 (8... d5 $1 {Spending the tempo to break in the center now that White
has spent two on the flank seems to equalize, and has been played by Anand and
Ivanchuk. The downside for the higher-rated player as Black is that the game
can simplify much more quickly.} 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. d3 b6 12. Nd2
Qd7 13. b4 cxb4 14. axb4 Bb7 15. b5 Nd4 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 $11 {Donchenko,A (2572)
-Ragger,M (2694) Karlsruhe 2016}) 9. d3 Bd7 10. Bg5 (10. Ne1 Ne8 11. Nc2 Nc7
12. Bd2 Rb8 13. b4 axb4 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Nxb4 cxb4 16. Rxb4 b5 17. cxb5 Nxb5
18. Nxb5 Rxb5 19. Rxb5 Bxb5 20. Qb3 Bd7 {and White has an itty-bitty
development advantage in a position that is nearly always drawn between strong
players.}) 10... h6 11. Bd2 Ne8 12. Ne1 Nc7 13. Nc2 a4 14. Ne3 Na5 15. Nxa4
Nxc4 {[#]} 16. dxc4 (16. Nxc4 Bxa4 17. Qc1 Rb8 (17... Kh7 $5 18. Nb6 Ra7 19.
Bxb7 $6 Rxb7 20. Nxa4 Qa8 21. Nc3 {Black's queenside pressure is worth at
least a pawn.}) 18. Bxh6 Ne6 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. b4 cxb4 21. Rxb4 Bc6 22. Qb2+
Kg8 23. Rb1 $16 {1/2-1/2 (37) Ristic,N (2379)-Mijailovic,Z (2414) Kraljevo 2011
}) 16... Bxa4 17. Qc1 Bc6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 {I think this makes White's game easier.
Defending h6 might have been more challenging.} 19. cxd5 {I don't see any
future for Black's N, but Black has no weaknesses either.} h5 20. f4 Nb5 (20...
b5 {Doesn't actually help Black, since (unlike Benonis) ...b5-b4 won't kick a
Nc3, and Black doesn't have the half-open e-file to pressure e4 anyway.}) 21.
e3 Qd7 22. Qc2 Rfc8 $6 (22... f5 {stops what happens next, but gives White a
comfortable choice of continuations involving e3-e4, perhaps preceeded by a4
to prevent ...Nd4.}) 23. f5 $1 $16 {[#]Black's kingside is suddenly a problem.}
g5 (23... Kh7 $2 24. Be4 $1 $18 Qe8 {temporarily saves g6, but White has a
choice of fast or slow wins} 25. fxg6+ fxg6 26. Rf2 $1 (26. g4 $1 {is the
computer's flashier first choice.})) 24. Qd1 {White goes after Black's exposed
pawns.} (24. f6 $1 {is a nice positional pawn sac, which Black has to accept}
Bxf6 (24... exf6 25. Be4 $16) 25. Be4 Bg7 26. Bh7+ (26. Bf5 e6 27. dxe6 fxe6
28. Bh7+ Kh8 29. Qg6 Qe8 30. Rf7 $18) 26... Kf8 27. Rxf7+ $18 (27. Qg6 $18))
24... g4 25. h3 $1 c4 $1 {Black has to get counterplay before his kingside
collapses.} 26. hxg4 hxg4 $2 (26... c3 {Only move.} 27. bxc3 Nxc3 28. Bxc3 Rxc3 {Only move.} {
with counterplay along the third rank.}) 27. Qxg4 c3 $1 28. bxc3 Nxc3 29. Rb3 {
26.... hxg4 was worse than 26...c3! for two reasons: bringing the Q to g4
means the Nc3 doesn't fork the Q and R, so White doesn't have to take it;
second, it means the Bg7 is already pinned, which it wouldn't be with White's
Q on h5.} Ra4 30. Qh5 $2 (30. e4 $1 {threatens Bh6;} Kf8 31. Qh4 $18 {
threatening both f6 (double attack on Nc3 and Bg7) and Qh6 followed by Bh6.})
30... Ne4 $1 31. Bxe4 Rxe4 32. Rfb1 $16 Qa4 33. Rxb7 Qxa3 34. Rb8 $1 {or f6!,
transposing.} Rec4 {[#] Critical Position} 35. f6 {Only move.} exf6 (35... Bxf6 36. Rxc8+
Rxc8 37. Qg4+ $18 {forks the K and R.}) 36. R1b7 {Only move.} Qa1+ (36... R4c7 {defends
f7, but because of the pins, White can take either R and then take on f7.}) 37.
Kf2 f5 38. Qxf7+ Kh8 39. Rb1 $1 {Nice use of the whole board. White threatens
both the Q and Rh1 mating.} Rxb8 40. Rxb8+ Kh7 41. Qxf5+ {With a discovered
mate next. This is Daniel's second excellent start in Reykjavik: in 2014 he
drew in round 1 with 2700 rated Li Chao.} 1-0