Reply #3: Alekseev - Jakovenko, Premiere League, Round 4

[Jack Rabbit]

Dmitry Jakovenko
Photo: Bundesliga (Germany)


Evgeny Alekseev (Sartov) - Dmitry Jakovenko (Tomsk)
Russian Team Championships, Premier League, Round 4
Sochi, 7 April 2009

Spanish Grand Royal Game: Anti-Marshall Line (Kasparov Variation)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 b4 9.d4!?

• The most common move here is 9.d3. It's nice to see a top ranked player go with the more aggressive line.

9...d6 10.dxe5

• 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 Bg4 12.Be3 exd4 13.cxd4 d5 14.e5 Ne4 15.h3 Bh5 16.Nbd2 Bb4 17.Qc2 Na5 18.Rec1 Nc3 19.Qd3 Bg6 20.Qf1 gives Black the advantage in space (Tolush-Furman, Soviet Ch, Riga, 1958).

10...Nxe5 11.Bf4

• If 11.Nxe5 dxe5 then:
• If 12.Qf3 Bb7 13.Nd2 Kh8 14.Qf5 Bc5 15.h3 Qd4 16.Ba2 Bb6 17.Nb3 Qc4 18.Na5 Bxe4 19.Nxc4 Bxf5 20.Nxe5 Bxc2 21.Nxf7+ Kg8 22.Nh6+ Kh8 23.Nf7+ Kg8 draw (Akopian-Pashikian, Euro Ch, Budva, 2009).
• 12.Bg5 Bb7 13.Nd2 Nd7 14.Be3 Bc5 15.Qh5 Bxe3 16.Rxe3 Nf6 17.Qe2 a5 18.Bc4 Qe7 19.Nb3 Rfd8 gives Black a small advatage in space (Kupreichik-Razuvaev, Soviet Ch, Minsk, 1979).

11...Ng6 12.Bg3 Bb7 13.Nbd2 Nh5!

• Black introduces a new move.13...Qd7 14.Nd4 d5 15.e5 Ne8 16.e6 fxe6 17.Nxe6 Rf6 18.Qe2 a5 19.c4 bxc3 20.bxc3 c5 21.Nf3 gives White the advantage in space (Dubinin-Tolush, Soviet Ch, Leningrad, 1947).

14.Nc4?!

• If 14.Bd5 Qc8 15.Bxb7 Qxb7 16.Nf1 Bf6 then:
• If 17.Nd4 Nxg3 18.Nxg3 c5 19.Ndf5 Bxb2 20.Ra2 Be5 leaves Black a pawn to the good.
• 17.Ra2 Rfe8 18.N3d2 Nxg3 19.Nxg3 d5 20.Qf3 Rad8 leaves White's position a little too loose.

14...Nxg3 15.hxg3 a5 16.e5

• If 16.c3 Re8 17.cxb4 axb4 then:
• 18.a5 Bf6 19.Qd3 Re7 20.Re3 Qe8 give Black pressure on White's e-pawn.
• 18.Qd3 Bf6 19.Ra2 Qe7 20.Ncd2 Ne5 gives Black the initiative.

16...Bxf3 17.Qxf3 d5

• 17...dxe5!? 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Rxe5 Bf6 20.Rd5 is equal.

18.Ne3 c6 19.Qh5 Bc5

• 19...Re8 20.Ng4 Qd7 21.c4 bxc3 22.bxc3 Rab8 23.Bc2 is equal.

20.Rad1!?

• This move is somewhat risky.
• 20.c3 bxc3 21.bxc3 Re8 22.Ng4 Rb8 23.Rab1 Qe7 remains equal.

20...Qb6 21.Ng4 Rae8

• If 21...Bd4 22.Rb1 Rae8 then:
• 23.c3 bxc3 24.bxc3 Bxc3 gives Black an extra pawn.
• 23.Qf5 Qc7 24.Qd3 Bxe5 gives Black an extra pawn.

22.Kf1 Bd4 23.f4?!

• If White protects the b-pawn with 23.Rb1 Re6 24.Re2 Qa6! then:
• 25.f4 f5 26.Nf2 Bxf2 27.Kxf2 Qb6+ gives Black more activity, but White's game is still playable.
• 25.c4 bxc3 26.bxc3 Bxc3 27.Bc2 Bxe5 puts Black two pawns up.

23...f6 24.exf6 Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Qa6+

• Black forces White into a self-pin.

26.Re2 Re8 27.Nf2

• My silicon sidekick suggests the sacrifice 27.Bxd5+ which seems to have some merit after 27...cxd5 28.Qxd5+ Kh8 29.fxg7+ Bxg7 30.Qb5, but after the exchange of Queens Black's extra Bishop looks stronger than White's extra pawns.

BLACK: Dmitry Jakovenko
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WHITE: Evgeny Alekseev
Position after 27.Ng4f2

27...Qxe2+!?

• Black judges that he wins after a general liquidation.
• The text is better toward that end than 27...Bxf6 28.Nd3 Rxe2 29.Qxe2 Nf8.
• If 27...gxf6?! 28.Nd3 Rxe2 29.Qxe2 then:
• If 29...Qc8 30.c3 bxc3 31.bxc3 then:
• 31...Bb6 32.c4 Qd7 33.cxd5 cxd5 is equal.
• 31...Bxc3? 32.Qc2 Bd4 33.Bxd5+! gives White the better game.
• 29...Kf8 30.Qh5 Qa7 31.f5 equalizes.
• While Black may have deterimined his chances are better with fewer pieces on the board, we are not so certain.

28.Qxe2 Rxe2 29.Kxe2 Bxb2 30.fxg7 Kxg7 31.Kd3!

• White keeps his King in the center, from where it can battle against Black's pawn mass at it advances.
• If 31.Nd3 Bd4 32.g4 h6 then:
• 33.Ba2 Kf7 34.g3 Nf8 35.Ne1 Ne6 36.Nd3 leaves Black slightly better; White could stir up counterplay on the kingside if Black presses.
• If 33.g3 then after 33...Nf8 34.g5 hxg5 35.fxg5 Ne6 Black wins a pawn.

31...Bc3 32.Nd1

• 32.Ke3 Ne7 33.g4 c5 34.Nd1 c4! all but entombs White's Bishop.

BLACK: Dmitry Jakovenko
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WHITE: Evgeny Alekseev
Position after 32.Nf2d1

32...Be1!

• Black wins a pawn.

33.Kd4

• There is no way to stop Black from taking the pawn.
• If 33.g4 then Black wins and maintains the pawn after 33...Nxf4+ 34.Kd4 Ne6+ 35.Ke5 Kf7 36.Kd6 Nd4.

33...Bxg3 34.Kc5 Nxf4 35.Kxc6 d4 36.Kc5

• If 36.Kb5 Nxg2 37.Kxa5 then:
• If 37...Bd6 38.Kb6 Ne3 39.Nb2 h5 gives Black the advantage of the remote passed pawn.
• 37...Be1 38.Kb5 h5 39.a5 is equal.

36...Nxg2!

• Black obtains a remote passer.

37.Kxd4 Kf6

• In spite of all the accumulated small advantages, Black has not won this game.
• The factor working hardest in White's favor is that the remaining Bishops are of opposite color. They operate almost unaware of each other, each effecting points the other never sees.
• If 37...h5 then after 38.Bd5 Nf4 39.Bh1 h4 40.c3 h3 41.Kc4 Black can go no further wis his h-pawn and even finds that his queenside is threatened.

38.Ke4 Bb8 39.c3!

• This stabilizes the queenside. White does not want to move all of his forces to defend against the advance of the h-pawn while leaving anything unresolved here.

39...bxc3 40.Nxc3 h5!

• Black does not need to queen the h-pawn to win. It will suffice to make White surrender a piece to stop it, preferrably exchanging off the other piece, leaving Black a piece up as the theatre shifts back to the queenside with an easy win for Black.

41.Nd5+ Kg5 42.Ne3 Nf4 43.Bc4!?

• White's chances of winning this game are, at least for the moment, slim and none. This is a simple attack (Black)/defend (White) situation. Black plan is to advance the pawn as far as possible and force Black to sacrfice a piece to stop it. White's plan to to stop the pawn without sacrificing a piece, in which case the game is probably drawn.
• The text move allows the pawn to advance.
• If 43.Kf3 h4 44.Nd5 then:
• If 44...Nd3 45.Kg2! then:
• If 45...Ba7 then after 46.Bc4 Nc5 47.Bb5 Ne4 48.Bd7 Bb8 Black is making no progress.
• 45...Bf4 46.Bc4 Nc5 47.Bb5 Kg4 48.Be2+ foces the Black King back.
• If 44...Nxd5 45.Bxd5 h3 46.Bc6 Kh4 47.Bd5 then:
• 47...Be5 48.Be4 Bg7 49.Bg6 etc. and so long as Black does not permit the Black King to advance to g3, the game is drawn.
• 47...Bg3? 48.Be6 h2 49.Kg2 draws.

BLACK: Dmitry Jakovenko
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WHITE: Evgeny Alekseev
Position after 43.Bb3c4

43...h4 44.Bf1 Bc7 45.Kf3

• If 45.Nd5 then after 45...Nxd5 46.Kxd5 Kg4 47.Kc6 Bd8 48.Bg2 h3 White will be forced to give up the Bishop for the pawn.

45...h3 46.Ng4

• Black needs to bring the King into contact with g2.
• If 46.Nc2 then 46...Kh4 47.Nd4 h2 48.Bg2 Nh5 49.Bh1 Ng3 50.Kg2 doesn't quite get it done.

46...Ng2 47.Nf2 Nh4+ 48.Ke4 h2 49.Nh1 Nf5

• White need two tempi to win: One to to drive the Knight out of the promotion point and the other to get the King in contact with the critical g2 square.

50.Bh3?

• White has several good moves here, but he made this one instead.
• 50.Kf3 Bd6 51.Ba6 Nh4+ 52.Ke4 Ng6 53.Kf3 Nf4 the Black King cannot get in to support the h-pawn.
• If 50.Bg2 Bb6 51.Kf3 Kh4 52.Bf1 then:
• If 52...Ne3 53.Bd3 then:
• 53...Bc5 54.Be4 Ba7 55.Bd3 reaches entropy.
• 53...Kh3 54.Nf2+ Kh4 55.Nh1 invites repetition.
• 52...Ba7 53.Bd3 Ne3 54.Bg6 Bd4 55.Bf7 is going nowhere.

BLACK: Dmitry Jakovenko
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WHITE: Evgeny Alekseev
Position after 50.Bf1h3

50...Ng3+!!

• Two tempi coming right up. That's one.

51.Nxg3 Kh4!

• And that's two.

52.Kf3

• After 52.Bg2 Kxg3 53.Bh1 Kf2 54.Bf3 Kg1 the pawn promotes and the White Bishop falls.

52...Kxh3 53.Nh1 Bb6!

• So the King cannot go to f2, blocking the White King's access to g2.

54.Ng3 Bd8 55.Nh1

• If 55.Kf2 then 55...Bh4! wins the Knight, making the win very easy.

55...Bh4 56.Ke4 0-1

• Alekseev resigns without waiting for Jakovenko to reply.