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[Jack Rabbit]

17. Tikkanen - Grover (Group C), Round 11

Reigning Swedish national champion Hans Tikkanen finished second in Group C. Hans has been very impressive since winng the GM title in 2010.
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[/center][center]Hans Tikkanen
[/center][font size="1"]font size="1"]Photo by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stefan64 Stefan64 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HansTikkanen11.jpg Wikimedia Commons (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike) [/font]
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Hans Tikkanen - Sahaj Grover
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1654843
Tata Steel (Group C), Round 11
Wijk aan Zee, 27 January 2012

Slav Queen's Gambit: Tikhi Opening

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.Nc3 e6 7.Qb3

• For alternatative lines in the Tikhi Opening, see Jakovenko-Vitiugov, Russian Ch, Moscow, 2009.
• If [font color="red"]7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.Nxg6 hxg6[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]10.Bg2 dxc4 11.Qe2 Nb6 12.0-0 Be7 13.Rd1[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]13...g5 14.a4 a5 15.e4 Nfd7 16.Be3 e5 17.d5 Qb8 18.b3[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]18...f6 19.bxc4 Bc5 20.Bxc5 Nxc5[/font] is equal (Hebden-L'Ami, EU Ch, Liverpool, 2008).
• [font color="burgundy"]18...cxb3 19.Rab1 Nc5 20.Bxc5 Bxc5 21.Rxb3 Qd6[/font] is equal.
• If [font color="darkred"]13...Nfd7[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]14.e4 e5 15.dxe5 Qc7 16.e6 fxe6 17.g5[/font] gives Black an extra pawn (Stefanova-Predojevic, Op, Chalkida, 2009).
• [font color="magenta"]14.Ne4 Rc8 15.a4 a5 16.Nd2 Bd6 17.Nxc4 Nxc4 18.Qxc4[/font] regains the pawn with equality.
• If [font color="darkred"]10.Bd2 Bb4[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]11.Rc1 Qc7 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Ne4 14.Bg2 Nxc3 15.Rxc3 Nb6[/font] is equal (Bareev-Najer, Op, Philadelphia, 2009).
• [font color="magenta"]11.Qb3 a5 12.g5 Ne4 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Bxb4 axb4 15.h4[/font] gives White a small advantage in space (Vallejo Pons-Najer, Op, Baku, 2011).

7...Qb6 8.Ne5

• If [font color="red"]8.Nh4[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]8...Be7 9.g4 Bg6 10.Nxg6 hxg6[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]11.Bg2 g5 12.Bd2[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]12...Nbd7 13.0-0-0[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]13...0-0-0 14.Qa4[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]14...Kb8 15.c5 Qc7 16.b4 Rc8 17.Kb1 Nf8[/font] is equal (Miroshnichenko-Rapport, Euro Club Cup, Ohrid, Macedonia, 2009).
• [font color="burgundy"]14...dxc4 15.Qxc4 Nf8 16.Qa4 Kb8 17.Ne4 Nxe4 18.Bxe4 Qb5 19.Qxb5[/font] draw (Houska=E. Pähtz, Euro ChTW, Porto Carras, Greece, 2011).
• If [font color="darkred"]13...Qxb3 14.axb3 Nb6[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]15.c5 Nbd7 16.f4 gxf4 17.exf4 b6 18.cxb6 axb6[/font] gives Black a slight edege in space (Kovalyov-T. Burg, ).
• [font color="magenta"]15.e4 dxc4 16.bxc4 Nxc4 17.Bxg5 Nd5 18.Bxe7[/font] is equal (A. Rahman-J. P. Gomez, Asian Games TT, Guangzhou, 2010).
• [font color="burgundy"]12...Na6 13.Qa4 Qb4 14.Qc2 Qd6 15.c5 Qc7 16.f4[/font] is equal (Eljanov-Smeets, Euro ChT, Novi Sad, 2009).
• If [font color="darkred"]11.g5 Nfd7 12.f4 Na6 13.Bd2[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]13...Qxb3 14.axb3 Nb4 15.Ke2 f6 16.h4 Kf7 17.Bg2[/font] is equal (Mozevich-Kramnik, Amber Rapid, Nice, 2009).
• [font color="magenta"]13...dxc4 14.Bxc4 Nc7 15.Qc2 Nd5 16.a3 Rc8 17.0-0-0[/font] gives White slightly better pawns and a small advantage in space (Shulman-Akobian, Blitz Match, Upper Lake, California, 2009).
• If [font color="darkred"]8...g5 9.Nf3 h6[/font] then:
• If [font color="darkred"]10.Bd3 Rg8 11.Qc2[/font] then:
• [font color="darkred"]11...dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nbd7 13.Bd2 Bb4 14.a3 Bg6[/font] is equal (Nyback-Tikkanen, IT, Porto Carras, 2011).
• If [font color="magenta"]11...Nbd7 12.Bd2[/font] then:
• [font color="magenta"]12...Bb4 13.a3 Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Qc7 15.Nd2[/font] gives White a slight advantage in space (N. Vitiugov-Ni Hua, Rpd TM, Ningbo, 2010).
• [font color="darkorange"]12...Qc7 13.cxd5 exd5 14.g4 Bg6 15.Bf5[/font] gives White a slight advantage in space (Stefanova-Cramling, Grand Prix W, Istanbul, 2009).
• If [font color="magenta"]10.Ne5 Nfd7[/font] then:
• [font color="magenta"]11.Nd3 Bg6 12.Bd2 Na6 13.Rc1 Qxb3 14.axb3 Nb4[/font] is equal (Wang Yue-Atronian, Ol, Dresden, 2008).
• [font color="darkorange"]11.Nxd7 Nxd7 12.Bd3 Rg8 13.cxd5 Qxb3 14.axb3 exd5 15.Bd2[/font] gives White a slight advantage in space (Barrett-Genutis, Euro Club Cup, Rogaska Slatina, 2011).

8...Nbd7

• If [font color="red"]8...Nfd7 9.Nd3[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]9...Bg6 10.Qd1 h6 11.Nf4 Bh7 12.Nh5[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]12...Nf6 13.Nxf6+ gxf6 14.Bd3 Bxd3 15.Qxd3 Qa6 16.b3[/font] is equal (Houska-Hovhannisyan, Euro Ch, Aix-les-Bains, 2011).
• [font color="magenta"]12...Bg6 13.Be2 Bxh5 14.Bxh5 Nf6 15.Be2 Nbd7 16.0-0[/font]is equal (Efimenko-Shaw, Ol, Khanty-Mansiysk, 2010).
• [font color="darkred"]9...Na6 10.Qxb6 axb6 11.Nf4 Bg6 12.Nxg6[/font] gives White a slight advantage after Black retakes the Knight, spoiling his kingside pawns (Parligras-Najer, Bundesliga 1011, Emsdetten, 2010).

9.g4

• [font color="red"]9.Nd3 Bg6 10.Qxb6 axb6 11.Nf4 Bd6 12.Nxg6 hxg6[/font] is equal (Azmaiparashvili-Morozevich, FIDE Knock Out, Moscow, 2001).

9...Bg6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Bg2 g5

• If [font color="red"]11...Qc7 12.Bd2[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]12...Nb6 13.cxd5 exd5 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.Kb1[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]15...Nc4 16.Bc1 Nd6 17.f3 Qb6 18.Qxb6 axb6 19.e4[/font] gives White stronger pawns and more space (Shaidullina-Shadrina, Russian ChW HL, Chelyabinsk, 2008).
• [font color="magenta"]15...Kb8 16.Bc1 Bd6 17.g5 Nh5 18.e4 dxe4 19.Bxe4[/font] is equal (Serper-Akobian, Op, Bellevue, Washington, 2006).
• [font color="darkred"]12...Bd6 13.Rc1 dxc4 14.Qxc4 Rc8 15.Qb3 Qb8 16.f4[/font] gives White a fair advantage in space (Zhukova-Galojan, Euro ChW, St. Petersburg, 2009).

12.c5 Qc7 13.e4 dxe4!? (N)

• [font color="red"]13...Nh7?! 14.exd5 exd5 15.0-0 0-0-0 16.Qa4 f5 17.Qxa7[/font] gives White an extra pawn, stronger pawns and a significant advantage in space (Shimanov-Ponkratov, Russian ChT, Dagomys, 2010).
• [font color="blue"]13...0-0-0 14.exd5 exd5 15.Qc2 Re8+ 16.Kf1[/font] is equal.

14.Bxg5!

• White has a slight advantage in space.

14...e5 15.Bxf6 gxf6

[center]BLACK: Sahaj Grover[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Hans Tikkanen[/center][center]Position after 15...gf6:B[/center]

16.0-0-0!?

• White has an opportuity to take a pawn, but sacrifices one instead.
• [font color="red"]16.Nxe4 0-0-0 17.0-0-0 exd4 Rxd4[/font] continues to give White a slight advantage in space.

16...exd4 17.Rxd4

• If [font color="red"]17.Nxe4 0-0-0 18.Rxd4[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]18...Nxc5 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 20.Qe3 Nxe4 21.Qxe4 Bh6+ 22.Kb1[/font] gives White a slight advantage in space.
• [font color="darkred"]18...Bxc5? 19.Rxd7!! Qxd7 20.Nxc5 Qe7 21.Qc4[/font] gives White two minor pieces for a Rook and stronger pawns.

17...Nxc5

• White has a slight advantage in space; Black has an extra pawn.

18.Qc4 Ne6 19.Rdd1

• [font color="red"]19.Nxe4!? Nxd4 20.Nxf6+ Kd8 21.Qxd4+ Qd6 22.Qc3 Qf4+[/font] gives Black a small advantgage in space.

19...Qf4+ 20.Kb1 Qxf2?

• This move look logical, but the Queen is about to be put in an awkward spot.
• If [font color="red"]20...Bd6[/font] then [font color="red"]21.Ne2 Qe5 22.Bxe4 Qc5 23.Qc3 Qxc3 24.Nxc3[/font] gives Whitenothing more than a small advantgage in space.

[center]BLACK: Sahaj Grover[/center]

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[center]WHITE: Hans Tikkanen[/center][center]Position after 20...Qf4f2:p[/center]
21.Nxe4!!

• White proffers the Bishop.
• [font color="red"]21.Bxe4?! Qc5! 22.Qb3 Qb4 23.Qc2 Rd8 24.Bf5[/font] gives White only a small advantage in space.

21...Qxg2

• Black takes the Bishop, but now how is the Queen going to extricate itself from g2?

22.Rhg1!

• This is the only productive continuation at White's disposal.
• If [font color="red"]22.Rde1?[/font] then Black wins after [font color="red"]22...0-0-0! 23.Qf1 Qxf1 24.Rexf1 Bg7.[/font]

22...Qh2 23.Nxf6+ Ke7

[center]BLACK: Sahaj Grover[/center]

[center][/center]

[center]WHITE: Hans Tikkanen[/center][center]Position after 23...Ke8e7[/center]

24.Rd7+!!

• White sacrifices a second piece to bring the King into the open.

24...Kxf6 25.Rf1+ Kg5

• If [font color="red"]25...Kg6[/font] then White gives mate soon after [font color="red"]26.Qe4+ Kg5 27.Rf5+ Kh6 28.g5+ Kh5 29.g6+.[/font]

26.Rf5+!

• Black is toast.

26...Kh6 27.Rdxf7 Ng7

• The Black King is on a grim forced march.
• If [font color="red"]27...Qh1+ 28.Rf1[/font] then:
• If [font color="red"]28...Ng5 29.h4 Qe4+[/font] then:
• [font color="red"]30.Ka1 Nxf7 31.Qxf7 Be7 32.g5+[/font] White wins easily.
• [font color="magenta"]30.Qxe4 Nxe4 31.R1f5[/font] is crushing.
• If [font color="darkred"]28...Bg7[/font] then White wins after [font color="darkred"]29.Qxe6+ Kh7 30.Qf5+.[/font]

28.g5+ Kh7 29.g6+ Kxg6 30.R7f6+ 1-0

• White soon gives mate.
• Sri Grover resigns.