GOTW: Hambleton - Ivanisevic, Biel Masters 201

[Event "Biel Masters"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2017.07.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hambleton, Aman"]
[Black "Ivanisevic, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2471"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "John Upper"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.28"]

1. c4 {Aman has broadened his repertoire in his effort to get his last GM Norm.
He used to be a predictable 1.d4 player, but has recently played both 1.e4 and
now 1.c4 against 2600+ players.} e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 f5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. e3 e4 (
5... Bc5 6. d3 f4 {is a reversed Grand Prix Attack, and was first played in
Saidy,A-Fischer,R New York 1969 (0-1, 36).}) (5... d5 {gains space, but Black
has to be careful about becoming overextended} 6. Nxd5 Nxd5 7. cxd5 (7. Bxd5 $2
Nb4 8. Bg2 Qd3 $19) 7... Nb4 8. d3 Nxd5 9. Nf3 Bb4+ (9... Bd6 $5) 10. Bd2 Bxd2+
11. Qxd2 Qd6 12. O-O O-O 13. e4 $1 $14 {Black would be happier if his f-pawn
was back on f6;} Ne7 14. d4 fxe4 15. Nxe5 {and White eventually won the e-pawn
and the game in Kramnik,V (2799)-Bartel,M (2674) Dortmund 2012 (1-0, 50).}) 6.
d3 (6. f3 Bb4 $1) 6... Bb4 7. Nge2 d5 {[#] This position has been reached a
half-dozen times, including last month's Capablanca Memorial in Cuba. Those
games have all continued cxd5. Aman's Novelty leaves Black scrambling.} 8. O-O
$1 $146 ({Two very high-level games continued:} 8. cxd5 Qxd5 9. dxe4 Qxd1+ 10.
Kxd1 O-O (10... Bxc3 11. Nxc3 fxe4 12. Nxe4 Bg4+ 13. Kd2 $2 (13. Ke1 Nb4 {
the computer says White is OK, but would anyone walk into this without
computer prep?}) 13... O-O-O+ 14. Kc3 Nd5+ 15. Kb3 Na5+ $2 (15... Ndb4 $1 16.
Bd2 (16. Nc5 Rhf8 {with a huge lead in development.}) 16... Be6+ 17. Ka4 Nd3
$17) 16. Ka3 Nc4+ 17. Kb3 Na5+ 18. Ka3 Nc4+ 19. Kb3 Na5+ {1/2-1/2 (19) Hammer,
J (2677)-Nisipeanu,L (2654) Helsingor 2015}) 11. f4 (11. exf5 Bxf5 12. e4 {
computers rate this as =, but grovelling just to get poorly developed is not a
skill many players enjoy exercising.}) 11... fxe4 12. a3 Rd8+ 13. Ke1 Bxc3+ 14.
Nxc3 Bf5 15. Bf1 Be6 16. b4 a5 17. b5 $13 {Black has comp, and eventually won
in: Shankland,S (2676)-Sasikiran,K (2669) Matanzas 2017 0-1 (59).}) 8... dxc4 (
8... exd3 9. Qxd3 Ne5 $6 10. Qd4 Nxc4 $2 11. Nxd5 $18 {and Black will lose one
of his minor pieces.}) 9. dxe4 Qxd1 (9... fxe4 10. Nxe4 Bg4 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 (
11... Qxf6 12. Qc2 O-O-O 13. Qxc4 Bf3 {is the cave-man route.}) 12. Qxd8+ Rxd8
13. Nf4 Kf7 14. Bd5+ Rxd5 $1 15. Nxd5 Rd8 (15... Be2 16. Nxb4 Nxb4 17. Bd2 Bxf1
18. Kxf1 {should be better for White, but he'll have to work harder than in
the game to create a passed pawn.}) 16. e4 Bf3 17. Nxb4 Nxb4 18. Bf4 {Black is
down a whole exchange, but has comp since White can't activate his Rs, e.g.}
Nc2 19. Rac1 Nd4 {and the mate threat on e2 gets the exchange back immediately.
}) 10. Rxd1 fxe4 11. Nxe4 (11. Bxe4 $2 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Bg4 13. Kf1 O-O {White's
position stinks.}) 11... Bg4 (11... Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Bg4 13. f3 {Material is
equal, but White has more center pawns and a passed pawn on e3.}) 12. Nxf6+ {
Keeping the f-file closed.} gxf6 13. Bxc6+ $5 bxc6 {[#] It's not often you see
a position where one player has six isolated pawns.} 14. Bd2 $1 {An exchange
sac! I imagine Black spent a LONG time thinking here. His problem is that if
he takes the exchange with ...Bxe2 he will have at best no winning chances in
a position which is very easy for White to play, but if he doesn't take the
exchange then he has to hope to outplay his lower-rated opponent from a
slightly worse position.} (14. Kf1 Bh3+ 15. Kg1 Bg4 {would be a way for boring
players to draw.}) (14. f3 $2 Bxf3 15. Kf2 {and Black is just better after any
sensible Bishop retreat.}) 14... a5 {Defending the B and hoping White
"unisolates" his pawns.} (14... Bxe2 {goes up an exchange, but after} 15. Bxb4
Bxd1 16. Rxd1 Rd8 (16... a5 {looks "active" but actually makes Black's
position worse,} 17. Bc3 a4 18. a3 $1 {keeping the files closed! White is
clearly better: ...Rd8 loses a piece to the fork on f6, the c4-pawn will fall,
and Black will be left with targets on the c-file and a4.}) 17. Rc1 $14 {
There aren't enough open files for Black to get his Rooks working together
while White will win at least one pawn and has stable squares for his B. Only
White has winning chances there.}) 15. Kf1 $14 O-O-O 16. Ke1 Rd3 {[#]} 17. a3 (
17. Bxb4 $5 Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 axb4 {and White can go after Black's pawns with
Rd4-f4 or even a3!?}) 17... Bd6 (17... Bxd2+ 18. Rxd2 Rhd8 (18... Rxd2 19. Kxd2
Rd8+ 20. Ke1 {and White will win the c4-pawn by attacking it with his R and N.}
) 19. Rc2 $16) 18. Bxa5 Be5 19. Rxd3 cxd3 20. Nc3 Kb7 (20... Rd8 21. Kd2 $16)
21. Ne4 Bf5 (21... Bxb2 22. Rb1 Ka6 23. Rxb2 Kxa5 24. Nxf6 $18) 22. Nc5+ Ka7
23. Kd2 Bxb2 24. Ra2 Be5 25. e4 Bg6 26. Bc3 {[#]The rest of the game requires
no comment.} Bxc3+ 27. Kxc3 Kb6 28. Nd7+ Ka5 29. Nxf6 Rb8 (29... Rf8 30. e5 $18
) 30. f4 Ka4 31. Kxd3 Kb3 32. Ra1 Rf8 (32... Kb2 33. Re1 $18) 33. Ng4 Rd8+ 34.
Ke3 Kb2 35. Rf1 c5 36. Ne5 Kc2 37. f5 Be8 38. f6 Bb5 39. Rf2+ Kb3 40. f7 Rf8
41. Nd3 Bxd3 42. Kxd3 c4+ 43. Kd2 c3+ 44. Kc1 Kxa3 45. Kc2 (45. e5 Kb3 46. e6
Ra8 47. Kb1 $18) 45... Kb4 46. g4 Kc5 47. g5 Kd6 48. h4 Ke7 49. h5 {Black can
take the f7-pawn, or White can force him to if Black moves his rook, but the
Kp ending is a trivial win for White.} 1-0