The 2016 Toronto Closed is a round-robin event played over two months, with one game per week. After five rounds, the leader is Mike Ivanov, with 4.5/5. Here is his first round win (featuring the Schliemann Attack) with the Black pieces against newly-minted IM Michael Barron.
[Event "2016 Toronto Closed"]
[Site "Annex Chess Club, Toronto"]
[Date "2016.04.04"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Barron, Michael"]
[Black "Ivanov, Mike"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C63"]
[WhiteElo "2262"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 {The Schliemann allows Black to play for the win
straight out of the opening but it involves major risks} 4. Nc3 {not as common
as it once was} (4. d3 fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. O-O $14 {has been the choice of a
number of top players. White gets a comforable position with a small edge
while avoiding some fairly dangerous theory} Bc5 7. Qd3 (7. Bxc6 {the
positional approach} bxc6 8. Nxe5 {led to a convincing win at the highest
level back in 2013} O-O 9. Nc3 d6 10. Na4 Qe8 11. Nd3 Nxe4 12. Naxc5 Nxc5 13.
Nxc5 dxc5 14. Be3 Qg6 15. Qd3 Bf5 16. Qc4+ Be6 17. Qe2 c4 18. f3 a6 19. Bd4
Rae8 20. Kh1 Bd5 21. Qd2 Re6 22. Bc3 h6 23. Rf2 Kh7 24. Raf1 Rf5 25. Re1 Rd6
26. Be5 Rd7 27. Qc3 Qg5 28. Rfe2 Rdf7 29. Re3 h5 30. R1e2 Qg6 31. h3 Qg5 32.
Kh2 h4 33. Qd4 Re7 34. Qg4 Kg8 35. Bc3 Rxe3 36. Rxe3 Kf7 37. Be1 Qf4+ 38. Qxf4
Rxf4 39. Ra3 Rd4 40. Rxa6 g5 41. Ra7 Rd1 42. Rxc7+ Ke6 43. Bb4 c3 44. Bxc3 Rc1
45. Rg7 Bxa2 46. Rxg5 Rxc2 47. Rg6+ Kd7 48. Rg4 Bd5 49. Kg1 Rc1+ 50. Kf2 Rc2+
51. Kf1 Be6 {1-0 (51) Caruana,F (2772)-Radjabov,T (2793) Zug 2013})) 4... fxe4
5. Nxe4 d5 {the critical test} (5... Nf6 6. Qe2 d5 7. Nxf6+ gxf6 8. d4) 6. Nxe5
dxe4 7. Nxc6 Qg5 (7... Qd5 8. c4 Qd6 9. Nxa7+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Qh5+ g6
12. Qe5+ Kf7 13. Nb5 (13. Qxh8 Nf6 14. Nb5 Rd8 15. O-O Bc5 $13 {and the Queen
is trapped})) 8. Nd4+ {A good move, but perhaps not as testing as the
alternative} (8. Qe2 $1 Nf6 (8... Qxg2 $4 {loses on the spot} 9. Qh5+ Qg6 (9...
g6 10. Qe5+) 10. Ne5+) 9. f4 (9. Nxa7+ $5 {very wild but needing more testing,
as the main line doesn't feel extremely convincing to me anymore}) 9... Qxf4
10. Ne5+ c6 11. d4 {is another popular continuation, in which White scores an
impressive 65%} Qh4+ 12. g3 Qh3 13. Bc4 Be6 {An unclear situation arises where
it seems Black is doing OK - as can be seen in the following game. In
Nisipeanu's analysis, he mentions that the evaluation of this line depends on
the strength or weakness of the e4 pawn...} 14. Bg5 O-O-O 15. O-O-O Bd6 16.
Rhf1 Rhe8 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rxf6 Bxe5 19. Rxe6 Rxe6 20. Bxe6+ Qxe6 21. dxe5
Qh6+ 22. Rd2 Rxd2 23. Qxd2 e3 24. Qe2 Qg5 25. Kd1 Kc7 26. Qd3 Qh5+ 27. Kc1 Qh6
28. Kd1 Qh5+ 29. Ke1 Qxh2 30. Qd6+ Kc8 31. Qf8+ Kc7 32. Qe7+ Kc8 {1/2-1/2 (32)
Carlsen,M (2813)-Nisipeanu,L (2672) Medias 2010 CBM 137 [Nisipeanu,L]}) 8... c6
9. Bf1 Qe5 10. c3 Bc5 (10... Nf6 11. d3 exd3+ 12. Be3 {and White should have
some edge, but Black has enough activity that he has compensation for his pawn
deficit} Nd5 13. Qxd3 g6 $44) 11. Nb3 $146 (11. d3 $5 Bxd4 (11... exd3+ 12. Be3
Nf6 13. Bxd3 O-O (13... Ng4 14. Qe2 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 16. fxe3 $14)) 12. cxd4
Qxd4 13. Qb3 {offers White dynamic play with his two Bishops} Nf6 14. Be3 Qe5
15. dxe4) 11... Bd6 12. d4 $1 exd3+ 13. Be3 Nf6 14. Qxd3 Bg4 15. h3 {a useful
move, as now Black does not have g4 for his Knight} Bh5 16. Qd4 {White tries
to exchange Queens, as he is up a pawn} Qe7 17. g4 (17. Bd3 Rd8 18. Qh4 Be5 {
and White needs to move the d3 Bishop. This line was a valid alternative,
however. The Bishop likely belongs on the b1-h7 diagonal as opposed to h1-a8
in order to put some pressure on Black's King, which will be castled shortly})
(17. Bc4 Rd8 $1 {a7 is immune due to ...Qe4}) 17... Bg6 (17... Bf7 {seems a
little more natural}) 18. Bg2 Rd8 19. O-O-O $1 O-O 20. Rhe1 $14 {When first
browsing through this game, I was quite happy with White's position here. He
has played the opening phase well, and Black must try and prove compensation
for his sacked pawn.} Be5 $6 (20... Bb8) 21. Qxa7 Ra8 (21... Nd5 22. Bxd5+ cxd5
23. Qc5 $16) 22. Qb6 $2 {and, just like that, White's advantage has disappeared
} (22. Qc5 $1 Qxc5 {Black doesn't have a good way to avoid the Queen trade} (
22... Qc7 23. a3 {and White is now up two pawns}) 23. Bxc5 Bf4+ 24. Be3 Bxe3+
25. Rxe3 Rxa2 26. f4 $16 (26. Rd4)) 22... Rxa2 23. Nd4 $2 {Mistakes come in
bunches} (23. Bc5 Bf4+ 24. Re3 $1 {the point - White is not afraid of losing
this exchange since he will pick off the f8 rook} Bxe3+ 25. fxe3 Qe5 26. Bxf8
Qg3 $8 ({otherwise} 26... Kxf8 27. Qb4+ Kg8 28. Qc4+ Kf8 29. Qf4 $16) 27. Qxb7
Qxe3+ 28. Rd2 Qe1+ 29. Rd1 Qe3+ $11) 23... Ra1+ 24. Kd2 Ne4+ $6 (24... Ra6 $1
25. Qb3+ Bf7 $17 26. c4) 25. Bxe4 Rxd1+ 26. Kxd1 Bxe4 27. Bd2 $11 Bxd4 28. Qxd4
Bf3+ 29. Kc2 Qf7 30. Re5 Qg6+ 31. Qd3 $4 {My guess is that White was very low
on time here due to the complex game.} (31. Kc1 Ra8 32. Ra5 Rxa5 33. Qd8+ Kf7
34. Qxa5 $14) 31... Bd1+ {and the Queen drops. I found the game exciting and
felt White had the upper hand out of the opening, but just when the position
was getting critical (move 22) he went wrong and allowed Black some big
counterplay. Mike Ivanov could have obtained a very nice position with 24...
Ra6 which would have put White under serious pressure. After missing this
chance, the game probably should have been a draw; however, IM Barron
blundered leading to his defeat.} 0-1
