This week's Canadian Tactic comes from the first round of the PRO Chess League playoffs. GM Aryam Abreu Delgado of the Miami Champions has just played e4 against GM Razvan Preotu of the Toronto Dragons. Black to play.
[Event "PRO Chess League playoffs"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2017.03.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Abreu Delgado, Aryam"]
[Black "Preotu, Razvan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2456"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[Annotator "John Upper"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2017.03.01"]
[EventType "team-schev (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[SourceTitle "chess.com"]
[WhiteTeam "Miami Champions"]
[BlackTeam "Toronto Dragons"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 e5 {A rare response to the non-standard
Qxd4. Much more popular Black moves are ...Nc6, ...a6, and ...Bd7, aiming to
gain a tempo off the Q or snag the B pair.} 5. Bb5+ Nd7 $1 6. Qd3 h6 $1 (6...
Ngf6 $6 7. Bg5 $14) 7. O-O Ngf6 8. c4 Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 Nb6 (10... a6 11.
Ba4 Nb6 12. Bb3 (12. Bc2 $146 Be6 13. b3) 12... Be6 13. Rfd1 Rc8 14. c5 Bxb3
15. axb3 dxc5 16. Nxe5 $14 {0-1 (41) Hendriks,W (2417)-Guliyev,N (2562) Vienna
2013}) 11. a4 Be6 (11... a6 12. a5 axb5 $2 13. Bxb6 $16) 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5
{White has more queenside space and the B-pair, Black plays to trade one of
the Bs.} Ng4 14. a5 (14. Bxb6 $5 Qxb6 15. a5 Qd8 16. a6 $14 {with a definite
queenside initiative.}) 14... Nxe3 15. fxe3 $5 {White doesn't have to accept
doubled e-pawns, but it's hard to see how Black might be able to exploit them
any time soon... the problem for White is that these double pawns can't go
anywhere, so Black doesn't have to try to exploit them anytime soon.} (15. Qxe3
Nd7 16. Rfc1 $14 {is safer and better for White.}) 15... Nd7 16. b4 a6 17. Ba4
Nf6 18. Nd2 Rc8 19. Nc4 Rc7 20. Nb6 {[#] The Nb6 and Ba4 dominate the
queenside and cut Black's Rs apart. During the game I thought Black was
getting squashed here -- just imagine trading one R on the c-file then playing
Rc1-c8. But White has to defend the doubled e-pawns and so doesn't get going
before Black manages to stir up play on the kingside.} g6 21. h3 Kg7 22. Rac1
h5 23. Rc4 Rxc4 24. Qxc4 h4 $132 25. Rc1 $6 {After this it will be Black's
kingside threats vs White's quenside play, and the prize is on g1.} (25. Bd1 {
stops ...Nh5-g3, but Black relieves queenside pressure with} Nd7 $11) 25... Nh5
$1 26. Qd3 (26. Qc7 $6 Bg5 $1 27. Qxd8 Bxe3+ 28. Kf1 Ng3+ 29. Ke1 Rxd8 30. Rc7
Nxe4 31. Rxb7 Bd2+ $19) 26... Bg5 27. Rc3 f5 $1 $17 {Notice how Black made all
the preparatory moves for kingside play before playing ...f5.} 28. exf5 Rxf5 (
28... e4 $142 $1 {this gains a tempo to create the mating net we see in the
game without allowing White his only saving resource.} 29. Qxe4 (29. Qd4+ Bf6
$19 {skewers the Rc3.}) (29. Qd2 Ng3 $19) 29... Rxf5 {and ...Ng3 is coming
with a tempo on the Q, and White can't save himself with} 30. Qe8 Qxe8 31. Bxe8
Ng3 32. Rc7+ (32. Rc1 Bxe3+ $19) 32... Kh6 33. Rf7 Bf6 {and the R mates.}) 29.
Bd1 $2 (29. e4 $1 Rf7 30. Bd1 {Only move.} Ng3 31. Bf3 $1 $15) 29... Ng3 30. Be2 (30. Bf3
e4 {Only move.} $19 31. Bxe4 Bxe3+ $1 32. Kh2 Rf1 $19) 30... Qf6 31. e4 {[#]} Rf1+ $3 (
31... Be3+ {is also good enough to win,} 32. Kh2 Rf1 33. Rc7+ Kh6 34. Qxe3+ g5
{Only move.} 35. Rc1 Rxc1 36. Qxc1 Nxe2 $19 {Black wins because threats against the K
combine with picking up pawns; the game line is clearly a cleaner win.}) 32.
Bxf1 Be3+ {Only move.} 33. Kh2 Nxf1+ (33... Qf2 $19) 34. Kh1 Qf2 (34... Qf4 {threatens
mate on h2 and also wins.}) 0-1
