[Event "Canadian Open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.07.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vettese, Nicolas"]
[Black "Tarjan, Jim"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[Annotator "James Tarjan"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.11"]
{In this event I faced quite a number of talented, very young players.
Clearly they had me, and my old man rating points, in their bombsites. Well
then, turnabout is fair play and I prepared for them and researched them
carefully. I learned that Vettese at age ten had become the youngest national
master in Canadian history, though, if I am not mistaken, by the time of our
game he had matured to the age of 12. He beat me there by a few years: I
think I must have been 14 before I was master strength. A late bloomer, by
today's standards.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 {Really an odd idea, moving the
c pawn twice. 3. ...Bf5 of course is the more common, and more logical
approach. As opposed to the French, Black gets his bishop out in front of his
pawn chain, where, presumably at least, it is better placed. However, if
these matters were so simple and straightforward, chess would be a much more
trivial game, and we wouldn't be so willing to spend our time on it. If you
go back, you will see Botvinnik using 3. ...c5 against Tal in their second
world championship match.} 4. Nf3 {Not the only move of course, but a popular
one in this tournament. 4.dxc5 also makes sense, as does 4.c4.} cxd4 5. Nxd4
e6 ({Against Kaiqi Yang in the fourth round, I played the alternative:} 5...
Nc6 6. c4 e6 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Qa4 {and then the interesting pawn
sacrifice} Rb8) 6. c4 {After 5. ...e6 White has a great deal of leeway. He
could play practically any developing move. His 6.c4 is logical. 6.Bd3; or 6.
Nd2 with the idea 6. ...Nc6 7.Nd2-f3.} Bb4+ 7. Nc3 ({Sharper here would be} 7.
Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Qxd2 Ne7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O-O) 7... Ne7 {It is pleasant for Black
that he has delayed ...Nc6, and is already set to castle. Now 8.Qa4+ makes
little sense because after 8. ...Nc6 9.Nxc6 Black can play 9. ...Nxc6.} 8. Qb3
Nbc6 9. Nxc6 Nxc6 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Qxb4 Nxb4 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Bb5+ {I
believe that had if we had played this game in another year or two, Vettese
would not even consider this move. The exchange of bishops resolves the
position in Black's favor. His remaining bishop is classically bad, blocked
by his own pawns, especially after an Pf4. Black's N has promising outposts.
The passed d pawn is a plus, and Black still has a lead in development,
getting his rook to the open c file first. 13.Kd1 is much more double edged
and unclear. White keeps his two bishops. There are still enough pieces on
the board that White's king on d1 might be uncomfortable; but things could
also swing the other way and the centralized king could end up well positioned
for the endgame.} Bd7 14. Bxd7+ Kxd7 15. O-O Rac8 16. Bd2 Nc6 17. Bc3 Ke6 18.
Rfd1 Rhd8 19. f4 d4 20. Bd2 d3 21. Kf2 Nd4 22. Rac1 Rc2 23. Rb1 h5 24. Ke3 Nf5+
25. Kf3 Rd5 {White is clearly in trouble. He comes up with a nice trap.} 26.
Bc3 Nh4+ 27. Kg3 Nf5+ (27... Nxg2 $2 28. Bd2 $1 {Trapping the N.}) ({After the
game Vettese pointed out the possibility of} 27... g5 28. fxg5 Nxg2 29. Bd2
Rxe5 $19 {Seems convincing, though I don't see how he holds the position
anyway, as the game went.}) 28. Kf3 Nh4+ 29. Kg3 Ng6 30. Rd2 Rxd2 31. Bxd2 Rc5
32. Rc1 Rc2 33. Rxc2 dxc2 34. Kf2 Kf5 35. g3 ({The only hope is to keep
Black's king out of e4 with} 35. Kf3 {but after} Ne7 {it is lost anyway}) 35...
Ke4 36. Ke2 h4 37. Bc1 h3 38. b4 $6 b5 39. a3 Ne7 40. g4 Nc6 41. Kd2 {I gather
that young players now are trained never to resign, or at least not until
things are very very over. It was annoying the first time, seemed
disrespectful, but now I am OK with it. And I have come around to agree that
it is a good practice for them. After all, it was Tartakower, was it not, who
said, "No one ever won a game by resigning." And people will indeed blunder...
but not this time.} Kxf4 {Various ways to win I am sure, but always good in
practice to choose the way that offers the opponent absolutely no chance
whatsoever.} 42. Kxc2+ Kxg4 43. Be3 Kf3 44. Kd2 a6 45. Bc5 Nxe5 46. Bf8 g5 0-1
..
