Reply #9: Bronnikova - Pogonina, Women's League, Round 6

[Jack Rabbit]

Natalija Pogonina
Photo: Ajedrez (Argentina)


Elizaveta Bronnikova (Chigorin St. Petersburg) - Natalija Pogonina (AVS Krasnoturynsk)
Russian Team Championships, Round 6
Woemn's League Sochi, 8 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

• Kasparov would not allow any opponent of his to play the Marshall Gambit against him. This and 8.h3 were his favorite moves after Black threatened to play the Marshall after 7...0-0.
• See also Maszaros-Steingrimsson, Op, Reykjavik, 2009) and Hou Yifan-Yildiz, Grand Prix W, Istranbul, 2009.

8...Bb7 9.axb5

• If 9.d3 d6 then:
• If 10.Nc3 Na5 11.Ba2 b4 12.Ne2 c5 then:
• If 13.Ng3 then:
• 13...Bc8 14.h3 Rb8 15.Bd2 Be6 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Be3 Nd7 18.c3 bxc3 19.bxc3 d5 20.Qc2 Qc7 21.exd5 exd5 22.c4 e4 23.dxe4 d4 24.Bd2 gives White an extra pawn (Kupreichik-Tseshkovsky, Soviet Ch, Vilnius, 1980).
• 13...Rb8 14.Nd2 Bc8 15.h3 Be6 16.Nc4 Nxc4 17.Bxc4 Bxc4 18.dxc4 Ne8 19.Qg4 Kh8 20.Be3 gives White the advantage in space (Kissinger-Andresen, Cyberspace, 1998).
• If 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 c4 15.Ng3 then:
• 15...cxd3 16.Qxd3 Bc8 17.Bg5 Nb7 18.Nd2 Nc5 19.Qc2 Bd7 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Bd5 Rb8 22.Nc4 Qc7 is equal (Ljubojevic-Karpov, London, 1982).
• 15...Nd7 16.Ba3 g6 17.d4 Qc7 18.Rb1 Rab8 19.Qe2 Rfc8 20.d5 Nc5 21.Bxc5 Qxc5 22.Rb4 gives White a slight advantage in space (Pasierb-Weissleder, Cyberspace, 1997)
• If 10.Nbd2 h6 then:
• 11.Nf1 Re8 12.Bd2 Bf8 13.Ng3 Nb8 14.Qb1 Qd7 15.c4 bxc4 16.Bxc4 c5 17.b4 cxb4 18.Bxb4 White seeks to build pressure on Black's d-pawn (Hou Yifan-Yildiz, Grand Prix W, Istanbul, 2009).
• 11.axb5 transposes to the text after 11...axb5 12.Rxa8 Bxa8 13.c3 Qd7.
• 10.c3 transposes to the text after 10...h6 11.axb5 axb5 12.Rxa8 Bxa8.

9...axb5 10.Rxa8 Bxa8

• 10...Qxa8 11.d3 d6 12.c3 Na5 13.Bc2 c5 14.Nbd2 g6 15.Nf1 Re8 16.Ng3 Bf8 17.Nh4 d5 18.Qf3 Re6 19.Bg5 dxe4 20.dxe4 Bg7 is equal (SherbakovBorisenko, Soviet Ch, Moscow, 1955).

11.d3!?

• 11.c3 d5 12.d3 Qd6 13.Bg5 Na5 14.Bc2 h6 15.Bh4 dxe4 16.dxe4 Qe6 17.Nbd2 c5 18.Qe2 is equal (Blau-Penrose, Ol, Varna, 1962).

11...d6

• The game is equal.
• 11...Bb4 12.c3 Bd6 13.d4 Qe7 14.Qd3 exd4 15.cxd4 gives White a small advantage in space.

12.c3

• White fortifies her d4 square in anticipation of a pawn advance; another strategem is to pressure the center with pieces.
• If 12.Nc3 then:
• 12...Na5 13.Ba2 b4 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 remains equal.
• If 12...b4 13.Nd5 Na5 14.Ba2 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 then:
• 15...c6 16.Ba2 is equal.
• If 15...Bxd5?! then after 16.exd5 Qa8 17.c4! bxc3 18.b4 the Knight must retreat to the inferior square b7.

12...h6 13.Nbd2 Qd7

• 13...Re8 14.Ba2 Qd7 15.Qb3 Nd8 16.d4 exd4 17.cxd4 remains equal.

14.Nf1 Re8 15.Ng3 Bf8

• 15...Bb7 16.d4 Ra8 17.d5 Nd8 18.Qd3 remains equal.

16.d4 Na5 17.Bc2

• 17.dxe5 dxe5 18.Qxd7 Nxd7 19.Bc2 remains equal,

BLACK: Natalija Pogonina
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WHITE: Elizaveta Bronnikova
Position after 17.Bb3c2

17...Nc4!?

• White has established a broad pawn center. Black has several playable ways of countering this.
• 17...exd4 is a typical and effective way of countering this kind of center: if now18.cxd4 c5 19.Qd3 then:
• If 19...cxd4 20.Nxd4 Nc6 then:
• 21.Nxc6 Qxc6 22.Bd2 Nd7 23.b4 Ne5 24.Qc3 remains equal.
• 21.Qxb5? drops a piece to 21...Nxd4 22.Qxd7 Nxd7 23.Ba4 Nc6.
• 19...c4!? 20.Qc3 Nc6 21.d5 Ne5 22.Nd4 gives White the better center and more freedom.
• Black is trying something else. She plans to sweep White's c- and d-pawns away without sacrificing her own e-pawn and then playing ...d6d5, supplanting White's classic center duo with her own.

18.b3!?

• It might be better to use the fortified pawn center.
• 18.d5 c6 19.b3 then:
• 19...Nb6 20.Be3 Qc7 21.dxc6 Bxc6 22.Qe2 d5! is equal.
• 19...Na5 20.Qd3 Nb7 21.c4 Nc5 22.Qe2 bxc4 23.bxc4 makes White's pawn at d5 a permanent feature of the landscape.

18...Nb6 19.h3

• White thinks her position is good as it is and plays a waiting move.
• If 19.Bb2 c5 20.Qa1 c4 then:
• 21.b4 Bb7 22.Qd1 Ra8 23.dxe5 dxe5 gives Black the advantage in space.
• 21.Qa5 cxb3 22.Bxb3 Nc4 remains equal.

19...Qc6 20.Bb2 Nbd7 21.d5

• White tries brute force to precent ...d5.
• 21.Qe2 Qb6 22.d5 c6 23.dxc6 Bxc6 then:
• 24.Rd1 Qb7 25.Nd2 Ra8 26.Ra1 Rxa1+ 27.Bxa1 d5! is equal.
• 24.Qd2 Qb7 25.Qd3 d5! is equal.

21...Qb6 22.Qe2

• If 22.Nd2!? c6 23.c4 Rc8 24.Re3 then:
• Black frees herself in the center after 24...bxc4! 25.Nxc4 Qb8 26.dxc6 Bxc6 27.Qe2 d5!.
• 24...Bb7 25.dxc6 Qxc6 remains equal.

22...c6!

• Black's plan is to strike back with a timely ...d5. Obviously, she can't have her opponent fortifying the White pawn at d5.

23.dxc6

• The pawn exchange is virtually forced because of the masked attack by the Black Queen on the hanging Bishop.
• 23.c4?! bxc4 24.dxc6 Bxc6 25.Qxc4 d5! gives Black the initiative.

23...Bxc6 24.Rd1

• White does what she can to make Black's planned pawn advance difficult.
• 24.Qd2!? might be the better way to go: if now 24...Ra8 25.b4 Qb7 then:
• 26.Qd3 26...Ra2 27.Bc1 Ra1 28.Bb1 Nb6 29.Bb2 Black has still not enforced ...d5 and the game remains equal.
• If 26.Bd3!? then after 26...d5! 27.Nxe5 Nxe4 28.Bxe4 Nxe5 29.Bc2 Nc4 Black stands better.

24...Qb7

• In order to advance the pawn, Black must first apply as much force as she can to the d5 square.

25.Nd2?!

• White voluntarily cute the line of attack from the Rook to Black's d-pawn.
• If 25.b4 x 25...d5 26.Nd2 Nb6 then:
• 27.exd5 Nbxd5 28.Nde4 Nxe4 29.Bxe4 Rd8 is equal.
• If 27.Bc1 then:
• 27...Be7 28.Qf3 Nc4 29.Nf5 Nd6 30.exd5 Bxd5 is equal.
• If 27...dxe4?! 28.Ngxe4 Nxe4 29.Nxe4 f5 30.Nd6 then:
• If 30...Bxd6 then:
• 31.Rxd6! Nc4 32.Rg6 f4 33.Qg4 gives White the initiative.
• 31.Bb3+?! Nd5 32.Qa2 Ra8 is equal.
• 30...Qc7? 31.Nxe8 Bxe8 32.Bxf5.

25...Nc5!

• 25...d5!? would now be premature; if now 26.exd5 Bxd5 27.Nde4 Qc6 28.Qd3 Kh8 29.Ra1 then the game is equal.

26.f3 Ne6 27.Ndf1?

• White has no time for pedestrian maneuvering, although she almost committed herself to it with her 25th move..
• If 27.Nf5 d5 28.exd5 Nf4 29.Qf2 Bxd5 30.Kh2 Ra8 then:
• 31.Ra1 Rxa1 32.Bxa1 Qa8 33.Qe1 Qa2 34.Qb1 is equal.
• If 31.c4 bxc4 32.Bxe5 cxb3 33.Nxb3 then:
• If 33...Ng6! 34.Nc5 Bxc5 35.Qxc5 Rc8 gives Black a clear advantage.
• 33...Bxb3 34.Bxf4 Ra2 35.Rd2 is equal.

BLACK: Natalija Pogonina
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WHITE: Elizaveta Bronnikova
Position after 27.Nd2f1

27...d5!

• At last.

28.Bc1

• 28.exd5 Nxd5 29.Ne4 Ra8 gives Black the active game.

28...d4 29.cxd4 Nxd4 30.Qf2

• If 30.Qd3 Rd8 31.Nf5 Bc5 then:
• 32.Kh1 b4 33.N5e3 Bb5 Black continues to enjoy the fierce initiative.
• 32.Nxd4?? then 32...Rxd4! wins the Queen.

30...Rc8 31.Be3

• White must start to lose material.
• Perhaps best is 31.Bd3 Nxb3 32.Be3 Qd7 33.Nf5 Qe6 which "only" loses a pawn.

31...Nxc2 32.Qxc2 Bxe4!

• Black plays an obvious tactical shot.

33.Qb2 Rc2 34.Qa1

• If 34.Qxe5 then after 34...Rxg2+ 35.Kxg2 Bxf3+ 36.Kg1 Bxd1 Black continues to enjoy a material advantage.

34...Bxf3 35.Rd2

• Black concedes to allow a series of exchanges before resigning.
• 35.Nd2 Bxd1 36.Qxd1 Qc6 37.Ngf1 Qc3 gives Black a probitive material advantage, in addition to everything else.

35...Rxd2 36.Nxd2 Bxg2 37.Qxe5 Bxh3 38.Nde4 Nxe4 39.Nxe4 f5 40.Qe6+ Kh7 0-1

• Black is three pawns to the good.
• Bronnikova resigns.