The Philadelphia International is a 9-round Swiss with plenty of international players, and so it is a regular stop for Canadians hoping to score FIDE Norms. This year, 13 Canadians played in the top section. None finished in the prize money, but FM Rohan Talukdar scored an IM Norm with 6/9 (+3 =6 -0), topped by a last-round win over GM Denes Boros. Alan Montalbo (BC) finished =7th in the Expert section, winning $300 US.
[Event "13th Philadelphia International"]
[Site "Philadelphia"]
[Date "2019.06.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Talukdar, Rohan"]
[Black "Barbosa, Oliver"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2384"]
[BlackElo "2543"]
[Annotator "John Upper"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2019.06.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 {[#]}
Bd6 ({The final game of the Kasparov – Deep Blue match was the following
fiasco:} 7... h6 $6 8. Nxe6 $1 Qe7 $2 (8... fxe6 9. Bg6+ Ke7 10. Bf4 Qa5+ 11.
c3 Kd8 $16 {Black is in trouble, but less congested than the game.}) 9. O-O
fxe6 10. Bg6+ Kd8 11. Bf4 b5 12. a4 Bb7 13. Re1 Nd5 14. Bg3 Kc8 (14... Qf6 15.
Bh4 $18) 15. axb5 cxb5 16. Qd3 Bc6 17. Bf5 exf5 18. Rxe7 Bxe7 19. c4 {1-0 (19)
Comp Deep Blue-Kasparov,G (2785) New York 1997}) 8. Qe2 h6 (8... O-O $2 9. Nxe6
$18) 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 (10... Nf6 {gains a tempo on the Q but concedes
White control over e5.} 11. Qe2 {Stockfish rates this position as close to
equal, but even Caro-Kann players find it uncomfortable for Black, who will
have to cope with an eventual Ne5.}) 11. O-O b6 12. Qg4 {[#]} Kf8 (12... g6 $2
13. Bxg6 $1) (12... g5 $5 {threatens ...Nf6 and ...g4, but} 13. Qh3 $1 Rg8 14.
Re1 $3 {preparing to detonate Black's exposed K.} (14. Qxh6 $4 {has a pretty
refutation:} Bf8 {only move.} $19 {and there's no save the Q without allowing a
piece-winning fork with ....g4:} 15. Qh7 Nf6 16. Qh3 g4 $19) 14... g4 (14...
Bf8 15. Qf5 $16 {1-0 (36) Anand,V (2774)-Bologan,V (2650) Dortmund 2003}) 15.
Qxh6 gxf3 16. Rxe6+ fxe6 17. Qxe6+ $18 {shows the point of Re1.}) 13. b3 Bb7
14. Bb2 (14. Re1 {keeping the Bc1 to guard f4 a little longer is the move
recommended in Negi's award-winning 1.e4 repertoire series.}) 14... Nf6 15. Qh4
(15. Qh3 {Negi: "I like to put my queen here to guard the knight against ...c5
ideas. Putting the queen on h4 also leaves her slightly vulnerable against ...
Be7 or even ...g5 ideas in the future."} Nd5 {"Now the threat of ...Nf4 more
or less forces 16.g3, after which Black gets another annoying jump with 16...
Nb4" - Negi.}) 15... Nd5 {[#]} 16. Rfe1 $5 {White is prepared to
trade his LSB to dominate the dark squares.} Nf4 (16... Bb4 17. c4 $1 {is a
fine exchange sac which Black can't afford to accept.} Bxe1 $2 18. Rxe1 (18.
cxd5 $16) 18... Nf4 19. Bb1 $18 {and Black has no good defence to d4-d5, which blows open the center and threatens to win the Nf4 with Be5.}) 17.
Ne5 g5 (17... Bxe5 18. Rxe5 Nxd3 19. cxd3 {and White gets both Rs into the
game first.}) 18. Qg4 Rd8 19. Rad1 {[#] White's Q is short of squares, but it
can't be exploited so long as White's other pieces chip in:} (19. g3 h5 $1 20.
Qf3 c5 {gives Black the initiative.}) 19... f5 (19... h5 $2 {goes for a tactic
that doesn't work:} 20. Qxg5 Nh3+ 21. gxh3 Rg8 22.Ng6+ {giving the piece back with an overwhelming advantage.}) (19... Rg8 20. Qf3 c5 21. Be4
Bxe4 (21... Bxe5 22. dxe5 Bxe4 23. Qxe4 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Ke7 (24... Ng6 25. h4 $5)
25. h4 Rd8 26. Re1 Ng6 27. hxg5 h5 28. g3 Qd7 29. Bc3 $14 {1-0 (66) So,W (2669)
-Harikrishna,P (2657) Guangzhou 2010}) 22. Qxe4 f5 23. Qf3 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Kf7 {
and Black's K is safe and minor piece is no worse than White's in Pruijssers,R
(2529)-Rasmussen,A (2499) Rhodes 2013 (1/2-1/2, 40).}) 20. Bxf5 $146 {A
Novelty. With best play it is probably not good, but now Black definitely has
to start thinking for himself, and almost immediately goes wrong.} (20. Qg3 {
meets with an unusual equalizing combo:} Bxe5 $1 21. Rxe5 (21. dxe5 c5 $15)
21... Qxe5 $1 22. dxe5 Rxd3 23. Qxd3 (23. cxd3 Ne2+) 23... Nxd3 24. Rxd3 $11 {
1/2-1/2 (24) Horwitz,D (2358)-Ballow,J (2383) ICCF email 2013}) 20... exf5 21.
Qxf5+ Kg8 22. Ng6 $1 {[#]} Qf7 $6 (22... Nxg6 $2 23. Qxg6+ Qg7 24. Qxg7+ Kxg7
25. d5+ $18) (22... Rh7 $1 $17 {I can't imagine why Black chose not to play
this move, which saves the R and activates Black's worst piece.} 23. Nxf4 Bxf4
24. Re6 (24. d5 $2 {attacks g7, but Black is in time with} Qf7 $1 25. dxc6 Rxd1
$1 $19) 24... Bc8 (24... Qf7 25. Rg6+ Rg7 26. Rxg7+ (26. Rf6 Qd5 $19) 26...
Qxg7 $19) 25. Qg6+ (25. Rg6+ Rg7 $19) 25... Qg7 $17) 23. Qxf7+ Kxf7 24. Nxh8+
Rxh8 25. g3 $13 {White has Rpp for BN, but no useful open files (yet) and
Black has the B pair.} Nd5 26. c4 Nf6 27. Re3 Re8 ({I think it makes more
sense strategically and tactically to make White keep the two Rooks with} 27...
Rd8) 28. Rxe8 Nxe8 29. Bc1 Ng7 30. f4 $2 (30. h3 $1) 30... g4 $1 {White's B is
now blocked and Black has an excellent outpost on f5.} 31. Kf2 h5 32. Bb2 Be7
33. a4 Bb4 34. Rc1 Nf5 35. Rd1 (35. d5 $4 {trying to force open a file fails
after} cxd5 36. cxd5 Bc5+ 37. Ke2 a5 $1 {stabilizing the Bc5 before going
after the d5-pawn.}) 35... Bc8 36. Ke2 Nd6 (36... h4 $1 37. Kf2 (37. gxh4 Nxh4
$17) 37... h3 $1 {and the threats of sacrifices on g3 will keep the White R on
the back rank indefinitely.}) 37. d5 $1 Bf5 $5 (37... cxd5 38. Rxd5 Bf5 39. Be5
$14) (37... c5 $11 {will keep the R out, but shutting in the Bb4 concedes any
chances to play for more than a draw.}) 38. dxc6 Be4 {[#]} 39. Rd5 $5 {Bold,
tricky, and sound...} (39. c7 $4 Bf3+ $19) (39. Ra1 {is Leela's choice;} Bf3+
40. Kd3 Be4+ 41. Kd4 Bc2 $13 (41... Ke6 $2 42. Ba3 $16)) 39... Bxd5 40. cxd5 {
White has three pawns for the piece, but Black has the dark squares well
blockaded, and can potentially attack the pawn chain at h2. With best play, it
seems to be a draw.} Bc5 41. Be5 Ke7 42. Kd3 a6 (42... Bg1 $2 43. c7 Nc8 44. b4
$1 {preventing the B from getting back} Kd7 (44... b5 45. d6+ Kd7 46. a5 $18)
45. f5 Bxh2 (45... Ne7 46. Ke4 $18) 46. f6 $1 h4 47. f7 Ke7 48. d6+ {only move.} Kxf7 49.
d7 $18) 43. Bd4 $1 a5 44. Be5 Nf5 $4 (44... Ba3 $1 {passing should be a
positional draw.} 45. Bxd6+ Bxd6 {only move.} 46. Ke4 Kf6 {only move.} 47. Kd4 Kf5 $4 (47... Ke7 $1
$11) 48. Kc4 $1 Ke4 49. Kb5 Bc7 50. d6 $18) 45. Ke4 Nd6+ 46. Kd3 $2 {game
drawn... but White had a win!} (46. Bxd6+ $1 $18 Kxd6 (46... Bxd6 47. Kf5 Bc7
48. Kg5 $18 Kd6 49. Kxh5 Kxd5 50. Kxg4 Kxc6 51. Kf5 $18 {White's K supports
the h-pawn to promote.}) 47. Kf5 (47. f5 $1 $18) 47... Bg1 48. Kg5 Bxh2 {[#]}
49. Kh4 {only move.} (49. Kxh5 $2 Bxg3 50. Kxg4 Bh2 $1 51. Kg5 Bg3 52. Kg4 (52. f5 $4 {
allows the B to defend both passers} Kxd5 $18) 52... Bh2 $11 {keeping the B on
the h2-b8 diagonal prevents White from pushing the f-pawn, resulting in a
positinal draw.} (52... Bf2 53. f5 $18)) 49... Kc7 50. f5 $18 {the B will have
to get back to stop the pawns, allowing White to win h5 and g4.}) 1/2-1/2
