[Event "12th ch-EUR"]
[Site "Aix-les-Bains FRA"]
[Date "2011.03.28"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Pantsulaia, L."]
[Black "Polgar, Ju"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2011.03.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.28"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Qc2 c5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nb3 Nc6 8. Bg2
Nb4 9. Qd1 dxc4 10. N3d2 Bf5 11. Na3 b5 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 13. Nf3 Nd3+ 14. exd3
Bxd3 15. Nxb5 Bb4+ 16. Nc3 O-O 17. Rg1 Ne4 18. Bd2 Rd8 19. Rc1 Nxc3 20. bxc3
Ba3 21. Be3 Bxc1 22. Bxc1 Rb8 23. Nd2 Qd5 24. Qa4 a5 25. Qd1 h6 26. Qf3 Rb1 27.
Kd1 e4 28. Qf4 Ra1 29. Qb8+ Kh7 30. g4 Qd7 31. Qe5 e3 32. fxe3 Qa4+ 33. Ke1
Rxc1+ 34. Kf2 Rxg1 0-1

[Event "12th ch-EUR"]
[Site "Aix-les-Bains FRA"]
[Date "2011.04.01"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Polgar, Ju"]
[Black "Iordachescu, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2626"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2011.03.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.04.04"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nd2 e6 5. Nb3 Nd7 6. Nf3 Bg6 7. Be2 Nh6 8. O-O
Nf5 9. c3 Rc8 10. Bf4 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. Bb5+ Nd7 14. Bg5 Qc7
15. c4 a6 16. cxd5 axb5 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Qb3 Nf8 20. Qxb5+ Kf7 21.
Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Rc1 Qb8 23. g4 Nh6 24. Qb4 Kg8 25. Bxh6 gxh6 26. Qe7 Qe8 27. Qxb7
Qa4 28. b4 Be8 29. Qe7 Qd7 30. Rc7 Qxe7 31. Rxe7 Bc6 32. Nd4 Bd5 33. b5 Ng6 34.
Rc7 Nxe5 35. f4 Nf7 36. f5 exf5 37. Nxf5 Be6 38. b6 Bxf5 39. gxf5 Kg7 40. b7
Rb8 41. a4 Kf6 42. a5 Nd6 43. a6 Kxf5 44. a7 Rg8+ 45. Kf2 Nxb7 46. Rxb7 Ra8 47.
Ke3 Ke5 48. Rxh7 Rc8 49. Kd3 Kd5 50. Rxh6 Kc5 51. Ra6 Ra8 52. h4 Kb5 53. Ra1
Kb6 54. Ke4 1-0

[Event "Hoogovens"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1998.01.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Khalifman"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "1998.01.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.04.09"]

{Diese Partie ist Anand völlig mißlungen.} 1. e4 {Baburin} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4
cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Be6 {
Baburin: A fashionable line, where both sides fight for control over the
critical d5-square.} 10. Qe2 ({Baburin: Often White plays} 10. Bb3 {here. It ma
y lead to similar positions as in the game, but White rejects the possibility
of developing his queen to d3. On the other hand, Black may try to play
without ...b5. Here are some examples:} Nc6 (10... b5 11. Qd3 Nc6 12. Rfd1 Qc7
13. Bg5 Rfd8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 Rac8 17. c3 $14 {
Kotronias-De Firmian, OL Yerevan 1996}) 11. Qe2 (11. Bg5 Na5 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13.
Nd5 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bg5 15. Qd3 Bh6 16. Rad1 Rc8 17. Nd2 b5 18. c3 Kh8 19. b4 Ra8
20. Nb3 f5 21. Na5 Rc8 {~~ Ivanchuk,V-Kasparov,G/New York (rapid) 1995}) 11...
b5 12. Rfd1 Qc8 13. Bg5 Na5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Bd8 16. c3 Nxb3 17. axb3 Qb7
18. Rd3 f5 {
with good play for Black, as in the game Isupov-Dvoirys, RUS-Cup9 1997.}) 10...
b5 11. Bb3 Bxb3 $2 {Baburin: This gives White more control in the centre and
must therefore be considered very risky strategically. Ein schlimmer
positioneller Fehler, nachdem Schwarz ohne jedes Spiel bleibt. Auf b3 tauscht
man nur, wenn man sofort d6-d5 spielen kann.} (11... Nbd7 $4 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13.
Ng5 $18) (11... h6 12. Rfd1 (12. Ne1 {Baburin} Nbd7 13. Nd3 Qa5 14. a3 Rfc8 15.
Qf3 Qd8 16. h3 Rab8 17. Nb4 Bxb3 18. cxb3 a5 19. Nbd5 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21.
Nxf6+ Nxf6 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. exd5 Bg5 $11 {
Xie Jun-De Firmian, San Francisco 1995}) 12... Nbd7 13. a3 (13. Nh4 b4 14. Na4
Nxe4 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Ng6 Rf6 17. Qg4 d5 18. f3 Ng5 19. Bxg5 hxg5 20. Qxg5 Bd6
21. c4 Qe8 22. Nh4 e4 23. fxe4 Bf4 24. Qg4 Ne5 25. Qe2 Qxa4 $19 {
Smirin-Sadler, Ischia 1996}) 13... Qe8 14. Ne1 Rc8 15. f3 Nc5 16. Ba2 Bxa2 17.
Rxa2 Ne6 18. Nd3 a5 19. Nc1 Nd4 $6 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. Nxb5 d5 22. e5 $1 d3 $1
23. Qxd3 Bc5+ 24. Kh1 Qxe5 25. Nb3 Be3 26. Re1 Rfe8 27. N3d4 Bxd4 $2 (27... Nh5
$1 {Boensch,U}) 28. Rxe5 Rxe5 29. Ra1 $6 {
1/2-1/2 Short,N-Kasparov,G/Horgen 1995/CBM 50/[Boensch,U] (36)} (29. g3 {
Boensch,U} Re1+ 30. Kg2 Bb6 $16) (29. Qf1 {Boensch,U Vogt} Be3 30. c3 Bd2 31.
Ra1 Rce8)) 12. axb3 $16 Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Qc7 14. Bg5 {Baburin: Continuing the
same strategy - fight over the outpost on d5. If White will manage to get rid
of Black's knight and place his knight to d5, her advantage will be great.
This is what actually happened in the game.} Rfc8 15. Ne1 {Pressure along the
c-file against the c2-pawn is Black's common form of compensation for some
strategic concessions he has made by playing ...e5; the text denies Black that
kind of counterplay.} Qb7 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Rxd5 Rc5 19. Rad1 Rxd5
20. Rxd5 Rc8 ({Baburin: Perhaps, Black should try to fix the c2-pawn by playing
} 20... b4 {although this move would weaken the light squares further.}) 21. c3
b4 {Sieht seltsam aus} ({aber nach} 21... Rc5 {kommt auch einfach} 22. Rd1) 22.
c4 g6 23. g3 Rc5 24. Rd1 {
Baburin: On d5 White needs a piece, not a pawn! Thus, Polgar avoids ...Rxd5.}
a5 25. Nc2 Kg7 26. Qd3 Rc6 27. Ne3 Qc8 28. Kg2 Qe6 29. Qe2 Bd8 30. Nd5 $18 {
Baburin: With precise play Judit Polgar has achieved her strategic goal -
White has the 'eternal' knight on d5 vs. Black's rather poor bishop. As the
knight should not just sit on d5, White needs to organise an attack, in which
the knight can take part.} Rc5 31. Qe3 Be7 32. Rd3 Bd8 33. Qd2 Rc6 34. Qd1 Kg8
35. h4 Kg7 {Baburin: This 'sit & wait' policy is faulty, as White will always
find ways to get through.} ({Baburin: Black should have stopped the further
advance of White's h-pawn by playing} 35... h5) 36. h5 {Baburin: Now there is
tension on the kingside. Entsprechend Nimzowitsch's Regel: Die zweite Schwäche
entscheidet.} Bg5 37. Qf3 Rc8 38. Rd1 Rc6 39. Qe2 Rc8 40. Rh1 Kg8 41. f3 {
Baburin: White vacates the f2-square, from where White's queen will threaten
both flanks (Qf2-a7 and Qf2-g1-h2).} Rb8 42. Qf2 Rb7 43. hxg6 fxg6 ({
Alas, recapturing with the h-pawn -} 43... hxg6 {
Baburin is prohibited, as after} 44. Qg1 f5 ({or} 44... Bf6 45. Qh2 Bg7 46. Qh4
) 45. Qh2 Bf6 46. Qh6 Bg7 47. Qg5 Rd7 48. Ra1 {
Black cannot cope with the attack going on both flanks.}) 44. c5 {Baburin: Once
the position of the black king has been weakened, White does not mind opening
the c-file.} dxc5 45. Qxc5 Bd8 46. Rc1 Kf7 47. Qe3 Kg7 48. Rc4 Rd7 49. Qc1 h5
50. Rc6 Rd6 51. Rc8 Qd7 52. Qc5 Kh6 53. Rb8 Bf6 54. Qe3+ Bg5 55. f4 exf4 56.
Rh8+ {Die Schlusskombination ist sehr hübsch.} (56. Rh8+ Kg7 57. Qd4+ Bf6 58.
Qxf6+ Rxf6 59. Rh7+ Kxh7 60. Nxf6+ Kg7 61. Nxd7 $18) 1-0

[Event "Schachbundesliga 2011-12"]
[Site "Dresden GER"]
[Date "2012.02.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Harikrishna, P."]
[Black "Gajewski, G."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2011.10.14"]

{This game was played in the current German Bundesliga shortly after Tata.} 1.
d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 c5 8. Bd3
Qa5 9. O-O c4 10. Bc2 $5 {10.Bf5 is seen more often in this line. Now Black
must make a choice, whether or not to capture on c3 or retain the dark-squared
bishop. Taking twice on c3 is not to be recommended - the bishop pair and
e3-e4 break give White excellent play.} O-O 11. Ne2 {I've played this line
with Black before and haven't seen this plan for White, although usually by
this time I've played ...Bxc3. Keeping these extra minors on is an interesting
idea.} Ne4 12. Bh4 Re8 13. a3 Bd6 14. Bxe4 dxe4 {
14...Rxe4 15.Bg3 gives White a small edge. The text is more ambitious.} 15. Nd2
Nb6 16. Nc3 f5 17. Qh5 {DIAGRAM} Be6 $1 18. Bg3 {18.Ndxe4!? Bf7 19.Qxf7+ Kxf7
20.Nxd6+ and 21.Nxe8 is possible, but pretty unclear.} Bf7 19. Qe2 Bf8 20. f3
Nd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. fxe4 fxe4 23. Nb1 $1 b5 24. Nc3 Qd7 25. Be5 Bg6 26. h4 {
White has a clear initiative. Black's hanging in there, but his pawns are
coming under constant pressure.} h6 27. Rf4 {White's handli ng of the position
is very simple and powerful. All pieces are slowing improving.} Rac8 {
Perhaps 27...a6 is necessary. The floating b5-pawn becomes a problem shortly.}
28. Raf1 {Now there are ideas like h4-h5 and an invasion on f7 or f8 after Qf2,
say. This explains Black's next.} h5 {DIAGRAM} 29. g4 $1 hxg4 30. Qxg4 Qxg4+
31. Rxg4 {Double attack on g6 and b5.} Bh5 32. Rg5 Bf3 33. Nxb5 Rc6 $5 34. d5
Rc5 {34...Rh6 runs into 35.Nd4! and the capture of the light-squared bishop.
Black's choice ties White down temporarily to the d-pawn, and avoids 35.Nd4.}
35. Nc3 Ra5 36. Bd4 Ra6 {DIAGRAM} 37. Nb1 $1 {Again this move! White's knight
will target all of Black's vulnerabilities from d2.} Be2 38. Rf4 g6 39. Nd2 Bd3
40. Rfg4 {With Black's bishop lured away from the K-side, White is able to
setup a breakthrough.} Kh7 41. h5 gxh5 42. Rxh5+ Rh6 {
Only move. 42...Bh6 is mated quickly after 43.Rg7+.} 43. Rhg5 Be2 44. Rg7+ {
It's either mate in 2 after 44...Kh8 45.Rg8+, or White wins a piece in the
line 44...Bxg7 45.Rxg7+ and 46.Re7+. Another nice win for Harikrishna, who
will be an interesting addition to next year's A-group in Tata. Playing first
board in the Bundesliga provides a lot of strong opposition - good training
for next year!} 1-0

[Event "74th Tata Steel GMB"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2012.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nyzhnyk, I."]
[Black "Harikrishna, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2568"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 {The Queen's Gambit Declined - a bit
funny given my comments on this opening choice in the intro, but it's the
current mainstay of Aronian's repertoire at the moment, and you certainly
argue with his success in this event. Of course it has a deserved reputation
as a solid opening choice. Realistically one shouldn't expect to win or lose
too many games with it, so experience becomes a real factor in the results.
Harikrishna also has some experience with Slav and Semi-Slav structures, and
the latter is probably his choice when playing more directly for a full point.
This game was played in Round 9, and Harikrishna was already +5. I suspect he
was playing it a bit closer to the chest, but willing to take chances if the
opportunities arose.} 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Rc1 Ne4 {Lasker's simplifyin g
variation - tried and true. Theoretically, the long main lines tend to give
White a small edge, but one that is very difficult to prove much in theory.
Generally, White tries something else along the way, hoping to generate a bit
more life.} 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. g3 {
Rather ambitious compared to the more usual 9.cxd5 or 9.e3.} Qb4 10. Qc2 {
10.Qb3 Qxb3 11.axb3 c6 looks very solid for Black, the doubled b-pawns
providing comp for the small lack in development.} Qxc4 11. Nxe4 Qxc2 12. Rxc2
dxe4 13. Nd2 {DIAGRAM White pretty well offered this position with 10. Qc2.
Black's next is very interesting and may have come as a surprise.} e5 $5 {
Opening lines just before White gets safely castled. Capturing on c7 may just
open the c-line favourably for Black as ...Rc1+ or even mate becomes a
possibility. Meanwhile the ...c8-bishop is ready for action, so White has
choices to make now.} 14. Nxe4 {Allowing the e-file to open might be an error,
but everything's a bit murky here. In that sense, 13...e5 was a great choice
by Black.} exd4 15. Rxc7 Na6 16. Rc1 Bd7 17. Bg2 Bc6 {Black looks to stand
well here, fully caught up in development and with pressure coming against e2.
White opts to keep his King defending e2, but this has real issues as well.}
18. Rg1 Rfe8 19. Nc5 {DIAGRAM} Bb5 $3 {A beautiful tactical shot, highlighting
the drawback of White's uncastled King position. Despite simplification, Black
whips up a a nasty initiative now - unbelievably White may simply be lost.} 20.
Bxb7 {Pretty much forced as 20.Bf3? Bxe2! 21.Bxe2 Nxc5, with ...d3 coming is
not a viable option.} Rxe2+ 21. Kd1 Rb8 22. Bxa6 Bxa6 23. Nxa6 {So White has
picked up a piece, but it's really not doing much on a6 and meanwhile Black's
rooks are on a terrible rampage.} Rbxb2 24. Rc8+ Kh7 {DIAGRAM I would be
shocked if White can hold this position - it's uncoordinated, there's no
counterplay, and Black's plan is too easy - threaten mate and/or win material.}
25. Nb4 Rxf2 26. a3 a5 27. Nd5 Ra2 28. Re1 d3 {Black's attacking with only
three units, but it's more than enough! White's task is hopeless. All in all,
a rather remarkable game, and if Black was able to win such games in under 30
moves with such a solid opening choice, it's not surprising that he ended up
winning the division. 0-1} 0-1

[Event "74th Tata Steel GMB"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2012.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Motylev, A."]
[Black "Vocaturo, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {One of many lesser
alternatives to the main line Ruy Lopez. Motylev appears to be a 1.e4 player,
so it may be simply his personal choice to avoid the highly theoretical
Marshall Gambit, which not many players seem to allow these days.} d6 {
6...b5, before White can opt to drop the bishop back to c2 in one move, seems
a decent option. But I'm admittedly no expert in the subtle nuances of the
Lopez.} 7. c3 O-O 8. Re1 b5 9. Bc2 Re8 10. a4 Bd7 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. Nf1 g6 13.
Bg5 Bg7 14. Qd2 {Achieving this bind on the dark squares looks like an
accomplishment for White. Black's game is solid, but White looks to have more
plans available.} Qc8 15. Ng3 Qb7 {Connecting rooks and bolstering b5.} 16. b4
$1 {
This looks strong, gaining space and limiting Black's potential Q-side play.}
Bg4 17. Bb3 {White does nothing to prevent 17...Bxf3, and appears to be right
in his judgment.} Nd8 18. d4 Bxf3 {18...exd4 19.Nxd4!, and the e-pawn is
immune due to R/a1-e1-e8 after all the exchanges on e4. If Black doesn't
capture at some point on f3, there would be arguably little point to having
played ...Bg4.} 19. gxf3 Ne6 20. Be3 {DIAGRAM I used to joke when players
asked why I didn't have many 1.e4 e5 games, that in my opinion both players,
White and Black, had bad positions when it was one of my games, because I
couldn't figure out what was supposed to be a good plan. This is one of those
positions for me. Black is probably doing OK here, but what should he play?
Trade on d4 or not, keep pressure on e4, try to bring the a8-rook into the
game while watching for a Ra7 infiltration? There's a lot going in, and
middlegame planning is going to be key over the next few moves. Somehow I
think Vocaturo's difficulties stemmed from not coming up with a better plan
here.} Nd7 21. f4 {With less pressure against e4, this advance seems fine.}
exf4 22. Bxf4 Nxf4 23. Qxf4 {Better centre, pressure on f7, and a ready-made
battering ram on the h-file - White's game is certainly easier to play now.}
Nf6 24. h4 Re7 25. h5 Rae8 26. axb5 axb5 27. Re3 $1 {This is a nice move,
preparing to double if necessary, but also guarding the rook for tactical
operations.} Qc8 28. h6 Bh8 29. e5 dxe5 {29...Qg4? allows a winning Queen sac
with 30. exf6 Qxf4 31.Rxe7!, and White's activity will force a win quite
quickly.} 30. dxe5 Ng4 $2 {DIAGRAM Losing immediately, but White is also for
choice after 30...Nd7 31.Nf5! gxf5 32.Rg3+ (another point of Re3) Kf8 33.Qxf5,
with serious threats. Black likely has to return material with 33...Nf6, say,
and accept a markedly worse position.} 31. e6 f5 32. Nxf5 gxf5 33. Rg3 $1 {
Again a key move. Black's next is simply a blunder, but the position is
already gone.} Be5 $4 34. Qxe5 Rf8 35. Rxg4+ 1-0

[Event "74th Tata Steel GMB"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2012.01.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "L'Ami, E."]
[Black "Tiviakov, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2596"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2
f5 9. Ne5 {This game, from Round 1 of Tata, must have featured heavily in
preparation. Both league play and closed tournaments allow for this, and
Tiviakov is well-known for sticking to his repertoire. l'Ami appears a very
classical player, and this opening probably suited him fine as well.} Nxc3 10.
Bxc3 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 Bf6 12. Qd3 d5 13. Rfd1 Qd6 14. Qf3 c6 15. Rac1 Nd7 {
DIAGRAM Both sides have developed sensibly, with naturally a few alternatives
along the way. l'Ami sharpens the battle tactically with his next move.} 16.
Bb4 $5 Nxe5 {This commits to an Exchange sacrifice for a pawn and active
position. The alternative 16...Qxb4 gives White a riskless plus, and a dry
position for Black with White in control of the only open file.} (16... Qxb4
17. Nxd7 Rf7 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. cxd5 cxd5) 17. Bxd6 Nxf3 18. Bxf8 Nxd4 19. e3
Ne2 20. Rc2 Kxf8 {
20...Nxg3? runs into a counter desperado sacrifice of 21.Bxg7!} 21. Rxe2 Ke7 $5
{I don't really care for 21...dxc4 22.Rd6, so centralizing the King makes a
lot of sense. White has a tiny material edge, but Black is very solid.
Objectively I suspect the position is tenable, but a lot depends on the styles
of the players. While this position might be a bit easier to play than the one
after 16...Qxb4, it's again a pretty riskless proposition for White. And from
what I've seen stylistically, l'Ami does not mind technical positions.} 22. Rc2
Kd6 23. b4 {Removing the b-pawn from the bishop's range.} a5 24. cxd5 {
White wants to target c6, the b-pawn went to b4 to hinder ...c5.} exd5 25. Rdc1
Rc8 26. bxa5 bxa5 27. Rb1 {Some progress. White's rooks need open lines, so
occupation of the b-file is a positive step forward.} d4 {If Black waits, it's
unlikely he can hold both c6 and a5. Playing for activity looks right.} 28. Kf3
dxe3 29. Kxe3 Re8+ 30. Kf4 Bd4 $5 {30...g6 is too hopeful. 31.Rc1 Rc8 32.Rd1+
Kc7 33.Rd5 Kb6 34.Rd6! looks like slow but steady progress for White. The text
hopes to anchor the bishop in the centre with ... c5 and free the rook for
active duty.} 31. Kxf5 Bxf2 32. Rd1+ Kc7 33. Rdd2 $1 Bb6 34. Re2 {A neat trick
to invade along the e-file. Black certainly does not want to trade rooks.} Rf8+
35. Kg4 Bd4 {Recentralizing and guarding g7.} 36. Re6 c5 37. Ra6 {Definitely
re progress. It's starting to look like Black may have been too optimistic
when he offered the Exchange. Or improvements will need to be found earlier.}
Kb7 38. Rxa5 Kc6 39. a4 Kd5 40. Ra7 Ke4 41. a5 Rc8 {There probably isn't much
to do for Black here. I considered 41...Kd3 as more useful, perhaps, but there
is a similar problem. After 42.Ra2, say, the minute Black advances the c-pawn,
White plays Rd7 and the bishop becomes unstable. If Black tries something like
...Rd8 to prevent this, White can always go behind the c-pawn with Rc7 if he
feels it's becoming a bit dangerous. Meanwhile the passed a-pawn will
eventually force Black to cope with it.} 42. a6 c4 43. Rd7 c3 44. a7 Ra8 45.
Ra2 Ke3 46. Ra3 h6 {Black is running into zugzwang. ...Kd3 always fails to Ra4,
and White's King will be on the move shortly.} 47. Ra2 Bf6 48. Kf5 Bd4 49. Ke6
Bf6 50. Kf5 {Changing tack but White has plenty of time now. The one thing
White wants to avoid if possible is a trade of a-pawn for c-pawn.} Bd4 51. g4
Bf6 52. h3 Bd4 53. h4 {Zugzwang. Black's out of useful moves.} Bf6 54. g5 hxg5
55. hxg5 Bd4 56. Kg6 Be5 57. Re7 {
Winning the bishop. A nice technical win by l'Ami.} 1-0

[Event "Schachbundesliga 2011-12"]
[Site "Muelheim GER"]
[Date "2011.10.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "L'Ami, E."]
[Black "Miroshnichenko, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2011.10.14"]

{A game from the German Bundesliga, and another fine win for the Dutch GM.} 1.
d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 dxc4 {A main alternative to the ...
Nbd7 featured in an earlier game. Queen's Gambit with early ...Bb4 systems
have become quite popular again recently.} 6. e4 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Bxc4 c5 9.
e5 Qd8 10. O-O O-O 11. Ne4 cxd4 12. Qe2 $5 {An interesting gambit. Strangely,
if you consider just the central pawn structure: White e5-pawn, Black d4 and
e6, it's very much like the Motylev win we've already looked at. Again, White
hopes to use the cramping effect of the e-pawn to build initative.} Bd7 13.
Rad1 Nc6 14. Ng3 {14.Nxd4 Nxe5.} Bc5 15. Qe4 {And again w e see White's Queen
take up a strong post on e4 - possible threats along b1-h7 diagonal, access to
the K-side. Black definitely has some problems for his pawn.} Ne7 {Black decide
s things are heating up too much on the K-side to hang onto the d-pawn.} 16.
Qg4 $5 {And White doesn't take it, preferring to continue to play for
initiative over material. Now this is precisely the situation of was speaking
of in the intro. If the team captain wants you to play for a win with White,
this might be the time to spurn 16.Nxd4 in favour of something sharper. Of
course, these decisions crop up in individual games as well, but team
considerations play a big part in league and team events.} Bc6 17. Ne4 Bxe4 18.
Qxe4 Qb6 19. Bd3 g6 {DIAGRAM} 20. h4 {Again an advancing h-pawn to cause
trouble. Recognizing similar motifs in related positions goes a long way
towards middlegame planning.} Kg7 21. h5 Qc6 22. Qg4 {
Naturally White keeps Queens on.} Nf5 23. Rc1 Qb6 24. Nh4 $1 {I like this move
a lot, removing the best defender of Black's K-side. I also like the fact that
Black's d-pawn is more of a hindrance than asset at the moment as it is
blocking any lines for potential counterplay.} Nxh4 25. Qxh4 {White's strategy
has paid off. Black can't hold his K-side together now because ...Qd8 leaves
his bishop hanging.} f5 {25...g5 26.Qe4 Rh8 27. f4! is natural and very scary
looking. I don't like the text much either, but there aren't many
alternatives!} 26. exf6+ Rxf6 27. hxg6 {Finally White has gained his pawn back,
while Black's King is still not out of the fire. l'Ami conducts the technical
phase of exploiting his advantage very well.} Qd6 28. Qe4 Rb8 29. g3 a5 30. Kg2
{Black's d-pawn continues to be a nuisance, and White is calmly setting about
pressuring the obvious weakness on h6.} b6 31. Rh1 Rbf8 32. f4 Qd5 33. Qxd5 {
Finally acquiescing to the Queen trade, but in a markedly different set of
circumstances.} exd5 34. Rce1 Rd8 {DIAGRAM} 35. Rh5 $1 {Pressuring d5, and
intending to double on either h- or e-file, or 5th rank! Too many threats to
parry.} Bf8 36. Ree5 Rxg6 37. Bxg6 Kxg6 38. Rxd5 Rc8 39. Rh2 {
Guards the 2nd rank: 39...Rc2+ 40.Kh3. Black has no comp for the Exchange.} 1-0

[Event "TCh-RUS Premier"]
[Site "Olginka RUS"]
[Date "2011.04.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Motylev, A."]
[Black "Maletin, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2584"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2011.04.12"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 {This game was played in the
Premier Division of the Russian Team Championship, analogous to League play.
White's opening choice is a fairly popular one against the Caro-Kann these
days - a less violent, but potentially venomous setup in the Advance variation.
} Ne7 6. O-O c5 7. c4 {A not uncommon reaction to an early ...c5 by Black,
blowing open the centre and opening lines before Black can safely castle.} Nbc6
8. dxc5 d4 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Ng6 11. Qe4 {The central tension has mostly
dissipated, but White retains the cramping e5-pawn - similar positions can be
found in the Advance French. White will try to use his space advantage to
provide extra maneuvering room for his pieces. Black will try to pressure e5
and prevent White from coordinating effectively.} Bxc5 12. Nbd2 Qc7 13. Nb3 Be7
14. Re1 Rd8 15. Bd2 O-O {DIAGRAM Black finally castles, and is solid but
continues to be cramped by the e-pawn. White's next is also a regular feature
in such positions and is particularly inconveniencing in this game - the White
Queen on e4 is extremely well placed.} 16. h4 $1 h5 $6 {The most direct way to
prevent the h4-h5 advance, but this is also the most dangerous solution as it
provides an immediate target. The solid 16...Rfe8 17. h5 Nf8 looks a better
option, but is rather passive. Even 16...h6 17.h5 Nh8 is possibly better, but
not many would be able to play ...Nh8 with a straightface.} 17. Rad1 a6 18. Nc1
$1 {Highly logical, heading to blockade d4 and overprotect e5 - Nimzovich
would be proud!} b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Nd3 Rd5 {The battle surrounding e5
continues. Black has succeeded in bringing another piece to bear on e5 by
eliminating White's c4-pawn, but White has just brought in another defender as
well.} 21. Rc1 Rc8 {DIAGRAM} 22. g4 $1 {With the pin along the c-file, White
is able to make his move on the other flank.} hxg4 {22...Qd8!? is more
stubborn, targeting h4. White is still better, but his advantage in the game
becomes much more serious.} 23. Qxg4 Kh8 24. Kh1 $1 {The long diagonal is
rather crowded and not as dangerous for White's King as one might first think.
With even more pressure coming along the g-file, Black's defences are starting
to creak.} Qb7 25. Rg1 Bf8 26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Ng5 {
Splat! The rest is misery for Black.} Be7 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Nxe6+ $1 Ke8 30.
Nxg7+ Kd7 31. e6+ Kd6 32. exf7 Nce5 33. Rxg6+ 1-0

[Event "New York Open"]
[Site "New York, USA"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Ivanov, Igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B88"]
[Annotator "Cohen, David"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

{Sicilian Sozin B88} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6.
Bc4 {Blackburne, 1882.} e6 7. Bb3 {P. Bergeron - C. Nguye, Quebec, 1929.} Be7
8. Be3 O-O 9. f4 {Vasiukov, 1955. Announcing a kingside attack.} a6 {
Queenside counterplay.} 10. Qf3 {1961.} Bd7 11. O-O-O {1968.} Rc8 12. f5 Nxd4 (
{N Varying from} 12... Na5 {
Hugh Brodie - Robert Gagnon, Montreal, 1973 to also play in the centre.}) 13.
Bxd4 e5 14. Be3 Rxc3 {
Breaking through on the queenside against the White king...} 15. bxc3 Bc6 16.
Kb2 Nxe4 {... and in the centre ...} 17. Qg4 d5 18. Rd3 Qa5 19. Bh6 Bf6 20. Rg3
Nxg3 21. Bxg7 Bxg7 22. f6 Nh5 23. Rf1 Nxf6 {... while White's kingside attack
comes to nothing. Black is up material, is still attacking the weakness on c3
(B+R will join in), and can continue play in the centre by pushing the passed
e-pawn.} 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar Open-2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator ",Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2012.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2
Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 h6 11. Bh4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. e6 Bxe6
15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be2 Be7 17. Bh5+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. O-O Nd7 20. Rxb7 Qc5+
21. Kh1 Rb8 22. Rxb8+ Nxb8 23. Qe2 Qb5 24. Qxb5 axb5 25. Rf7 Nc6 26. Rxg7 Rf8
27. Kg1 Nb4 28. Rb7 Nxc2 29. Rxb5 Ke7 30. a4 Ra8 31. Rb2 Ne3 32. Kf2 Nc4 33.
Rb7+ Kd6 34. Bd1 e5 35. Rh7 Nb2 36. Rxh6+ Kc5 37. Bc2 Nxa4 38. h4 Nc3 39. Bf5
Ra2+ 40. Kf1 Ra1+ 41. Kf2 Ra2+ 42. Kf1 Nd1 43. g4 Ne3+ 44. Ke1 Kd4 45. Bc8 Ng2+
46. Kd1 e4 47. h5 e3 48. Ba6 Nf4 49. Rb6 Nd3 50. Bxd3 Kxd3 51. Rb3+ Ke4 52. h6
d4 53. h7 Rh2 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar Open-2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Sasikiran, Krishnan"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A62"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[Annotator ",Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2012.02.28"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nf3
O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. a4 h6 11. Qc2 Qe7 12. Ra3 a6 13. Nd2 Rb8 14. a5 b5 15. axb6
Nxb6 16. b3 Ng4 17. Bb2 f5 18. e3 g5 19. Raa1 Bb7 20. Rae1 Rbe8 21. h3 Ne5 22.
f4 Ng6 23. Kh2 gxf4 24. gxf4 Kh7 25. Nc4 Nxc4 26. bxc4 Bc8 27. Rf3 Rg8 28. Rg1
Bf6 29. Bh1 Ne5 30. Rfg3 Rxg3 31. Rxg3 Nxc4 32. Bc1 Bh4 33. Rf3 Qg7 34. Ne2 Nb6
35. e4 Rxe4 36. Rb3 Re8 37. Bf3 Bf2 38. Bg4 Qg6 39. Rxb6 fxg4 40. Qxg6+ Kxg6
41. Rxd6+ Kf7 42. Ng3 Re1 43. Bd2 Rg1 44. Rf6+ Kxf6 45. Ne4+ Kf7 46. Nxf2 Ra1
47. hxg4 Ra2 48. Be3 Bxg4 49. Kg3 Bf5 50. Bxc5 Ra5 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar Open-2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator ",Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2012.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Bf4 Ng6 8.
Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bd6 Bxd6 10. Qxd6 Qe7 11. O-O-O Qxd6 12. Rxd6 Ke7 13. Rhd1 Nf4 14.
Bf3 Rb8 15. R6d2 g5 16. Na4 d5 17. g3 Ng6 18. Re1 Kf6 19. Bh5 Rb4 20. Nc3 d4
21. e5+ Nxe5 22. Ne4+ Ke7 23. Nxg5 h6 24. Nxe6 Bxe6 25. Rxe5 Rd8 26. f4 Rb5 27.
Rde2 Kf6 28. Bf3 c5 29. a4 Rb4 30. Rxc5 Rxa4 31. b3 Rb4 32. Be4 Bg4 33. Re1 Rd6
34. Bd3 Bd7 35. Ree5 Be6 36. Kd2 Rbb6 37. Ra5 Rbc6 38. Ra4 Rb6 39. Re4 Bf5 40.
Rexd4 Re6 41. Bc4 Rec6 42. Ra5 Bc8 43. Bd3 Be6 44. Rd8 Bc8 45. Rad5 Be6 46. Rh5
Kg7 47. f5 1-0

[Event "11th Aeroflot Open A"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2012.02.14"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Iordachescu, V."]
[Black "Korobov, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2651"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.02.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.02.21"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. c3 Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bc2 Bb7 8. O-O
e6 9. d4 Be7 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Nbd2 e5 13. d5 c4 14. Bc2 Rfb8 15. Nf1
a5 16. Ng3 g6 17. h4 b4 18. h5 Nc5 19. Ng5 Ba6 20. Qf3 Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22.
Bd2 bxc3 23. Bxc3 Bd8 24. hxg6 hxg6 25. Nf1 Qe7 26. Nh3 Bb6 27. Nd2 Kg7 28. Nb3
Bc8 29. Qxd3 Bxh3 30. gxh3 Rh8 31. Bd2 Qd7 32. Kg2 Nxe4 33. Rf1 a4 0-1

[Event "Edmonton Championship-2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sequillion, Aaron"]
[Black "Pechenkin, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Annotator ",Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2012.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 Bb4 7. Nde2 Nf6 8.
Bg2 Be7 9. O-O d6 10. a4 Nc6 11. h3 O-O 12. g4 b6 13. Ng3 Bb7 14. g5 Nd7 15. h4
Rfe8 16. b3 Nb4 17. Bb2 Qc5 18. Kh1 Ne5 19. Rc1 Ng6 20. Qg4 f5 21. exf5 Bxg2+
22. Kxg2 exf5 23. Nxf5 Qxf5 24. Qxb4 Nf4+ 25. Kg3 Qh3+ 0-1

[Event "NAO - 2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Yam, Alex"]
[Black "Porper, Edward"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B02"]
[WhiteElo "2326"]
[BlackElo "2441"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2008.04.21"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. Nc3 Nxc3 4. bxc3 d6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Qd5 7. d4 Bf5 8.
Be3 Nd7 9. Nf3 Qe4 10. Kd2 Qd5 11. Bd3 e6 12. Ke2 Nb6 13. Qb1 Be7 14. Qb3 Bxd3+
15. cxd3 Qc6 16. a4 a5 17. Qb5 Nd5 18. Bd2 Kd7 19. Rhf1 Ra6 20. c4 Nb4 21. d5
Qxb5 22. axb5 Raa8 23. Nd4 Rhf8 24. Rxf7 Rxf7 25. dxe6+ Ke8 26. exf7+ Kxf7 27.
Rf1+ Kg8 28. Nf5 Bf8 29. d4 c6 30. b6 Rd8 31. Bxb4 Bxb4 32. c5 Kf7 33. Ke3 Rd7
34. Nd6+ Ke6 35. Ke4 Bc3 36. Kd3 Bb4 37. Kc4 1-0

