Tactics School,  GAME SIX (# 6) 

Click  HERE  to see an explanation of the symbols that I use. 

A training game played on the Internet. (Against John_Anderson) 
(On Chess-dot-net)

The time control was like 10 minutes for the game, with like a 5 second delay. 

A beginner might be confused by this opening. We start off with d4, then 
appear to be heading for a Nimzo-Indian. Then White opts for a fianchetto. 

***

1.d4 Nf6;  2.Nf3 e6;  3.g3,   
I wanted to reach the Catalan Opening. 

I experimented with this opening as a teen-ager, but my initial tries were ... 
er ... well, let us say - much less than successful!   

I have been really enamored of this opening ever since I saw a game where 
a GM used it, (The Catalan); to crush a top-rated IM. He did it in 30-something 
moves, and he hardly seemed to break a sweat. 
 (Around the mid-1980's.) 

     [ If  3.c4 d5;  and we have reached a normal Q.G.D. ]   

3...d5;  4.Bg2 c5!?;   
Black attacks the center. 

This is a little dangerous, White would have the opportunity to blow 
the game wide open. 

I would prefer the simple ...Be7;  followed by castling, before undertaking 
any such operations. 

**********

     [  The main line would be a continuation something like: 
          4...Be7;  5.c4 0-0;  6.0-0 dxc4;  {Diagram?}  
          A delayed form of the Open Variation. 

***

            ( Black can also play the  "Closed Variation"  with: 6...Nbd7!?; 
               7.Qc2 c6;  8.Nbd2 b6!?;  9.b3!?,  {Diagram?} 
               This slow method used to be much in vogue, but the pawn 
                break on e4 was worth a look. 

                 (Possibly another option for White was: 9.e4!?, "/\"  {Diag?}     
                   with at least a very small edge. "+/=")     

               9...Bb7;  10.Bb2 Rc8;  11.e4!? c5!;  12.exd5 exd5;  13.dxc5 dxc4!; 
               14.Nxc4 b5!;  15.Nce5 Rxc5;  "~"  {Diagram?}   
               Several books - which include ECO and two of my books on the 
               Catalan - consider this position to be equal.  
               (I think Black might have the better chances, or it is at least unclear.)   

               GM V. Smyslov - GM P. Benko;  Monte Carlo, 1968. 

               See the book:  "(The) Catalan Opening,"   
               by  Oleg Moiseyev  and also  Grigory Ravinsky. 
               [ (c) 1984. ACP / Batsford. ]  
                Chapter # 16, (Line # B2.); beginning on page # 133. )   

***

          7.Qc2 a6;  8.Qxc4, "+/="  {Diagram?}  
          This position is slightly better for White, he has more space and an 
           extra center pawn. 

          This has occurred in hundreds of master-level games. One of the 
           more recent games, featuring two really strong players, is: 
           GM U. Andersson - GM A. Beliavsky;  Reggio Emilia, ITA; 1990. 

*****

            ( "Modern Chess Openings"  gives the continuation {instead} of:  
              8.a4!? Bd7;  9.Qxc4 Bc6;  10.Bg5,  {Diagram?} 
              Probably the most thematic move. 

                ( Bad for White is: 10.Nc3?! b5!; 11.axb5?? axb5;  {Diagram?}    
                   and the first player must lose material. ("-/+") )    

              10...a5!?;  {Diagram?}  
               All the books give this move here.  (And I am not sure why.)  
               It permanently weakens the b5-square for Black. 
               (Black wishes to put a Knight on the b4-square, but I am not sure 
                 this solves all of his opening problems.) 

                   (Maybe 10...b5!?; "~")   

              11.Nc3 Na6; 12.Rac1 Nb4;  13.Rfd1 Rc8;  14.Bxf6 Bxf6;  
              15.e4, "+/="  15...b6;  {Diagram?}  The end of the column. 
              16.d5!?,  {Diagram?}   A rather predictable pawn push. 
               (And probably fairly strong!)   

                   (16.Ne5!?;  Or 16.Ne1!?)   

              16...exd5;  17.exd5 Bb7;  18.Nd4 Ba6;  19.Ncb5!? Bxd4;  {Diag?}   
              Black does not wish to allow the move, Knight-to-c6.  
              20.Rxd4, "~"   (Maybe - "+/=")  {Diagram?}  
              "This is slightly more favorable for White in a complex position." 
                  - GM Nick de Firmian.  

              V. Mikhalevsky - E. Rozentalis;  Beersheba, 1997. 

              [ See  MCO - 14,  page # 512, column # 1,  
                and notes # (a.) through note # (d.). ]  )   ]   

**********

After castling White decides to really open the game up.  
5.0-0 Nc6;  6.c4!? dxc4;  7.Qa4 Bd7;   
This is probably a fairly wise precaution, as Black is behind in development. 

     [  Possibly dangerous is: 7...cxd4!?;  8.Nxd4!?,  "/\"   
        White has an initiative.   (8.Ne5!?)   ]   

Both sides will now finish their development, Black is especially clever in 
almost neutralizing White's advantage. (I had a growing sense of deja-vu 
during this game, I was sure I had seen something like it before.)   
8.Qxc4 cxd4;  9.Nxd4 Rc8;  10.Nc3 Nxd4;  11.Qxd4 Bc5;  12.Qh4 Bc6;  
13.Bxc6+ Rxc6;  14.Rd1 Rd6;   
Apparently this is probably an inaccuracy, although I went through this game 
close to ten times before I picked up on it. 

     [ Apparently Black had to play:  14...Qb6;  15.Bh6 Bf8;  
        16.Rd2 e5!?;  17.Be3,  "+/="  {Diagram?}  
        Apparently this had all been played before ... in a very famous game. 
        (This answers why I felt I had seen this game before, I am sure I had 
          played through this game in some book, somewhere.) 

       GM Z. Ribli - GM L. Ljubojevic;  The Olympiad,  (A FIDE tt).  
       Buenos Aries, ARG; 1978.  
       (White won a nice game in around 50 moves.)  ]    

***

15.Bf4 Rxd1+;  16.Rxd1 Qb6;  {See the diagram just below.}  KEY   
The key position and the main reason I annotated this game.  

17.Bg5!,  (Maybe - '!!')  {Diagram?}   
This is very, very sharp, but is it all really sound?  
 (Apparently it is.) 

 --->  Note: June, 2005. I ran this game by both Shredder and ChessMaster 10th edition  
        a few weeks ago. Apparently both machines find 17.Bh6!!, which is probably a little 
        superior to the move actually played in the game. 

*****

     [  Another alternative is: </= 17.e3!? 0-0;   Probably the safest move.   

           (Probably too risky is: 17...Qxb2?!; 18.Be5, "--->"  {Diagram?}    
             White has an attack/initiative, that is very dangerous for the    
             second player here.)     

        18.b3, "="    The position is very balanced. 

***

        Interesting was:  17.Na4!? Bxf2+;  18.Kg2 Qb5;  19.Kxf2 Qxa4;  
         20.Rd8+! Kxd8;  21.Bc7+ Kxc7;  22.Qxa4,  "+/="   
         White is clearly a bit better in this position. ]   

*****

17...Be7;   
Black chooses a "safety first" option here. 

     [  Black runs into serious trouble after taking on f2: 
        17...Bxf2+?!;  (Maybe - '?')   {Diagram?}  
        Much too risky. 

        18.Kf1!,   
        Probably the best move. 

          (Also good for White is: 18.Kg2 Bc5; 19.Bxf6 gxf6;    
            20.Ne4, "+/="  {Diagram?}   with a fairly sizable advantage   
            for the first player here.)     

        18...Bg1!?;   
         This was the threat that really concerned me the most. 

          (Black also loses after: 18...Bc5; 19.Bxf6 gxf6; 20.Qxf6 0-0;     
            21.Na4 Qc6; 22.Qg5+ Kh8; 23.Qxc5 Qh1+;  24.Qg1, "+/-")      

        19.Qa4+ Kf8;  20.e3! h6;   
        This is just about forced.  

                                                           *******   

          ( But not 20...Qxb2?; 21.Rd8+ Ke7; 22.Qd7#!       

           Also bad for Black is:  </= 20...Bx33?;  21.Bxe3 Qxe3;  
           22.Qb4+ Ke8;  23.QxP/b7, ("+/-")  with an easily won game. )  

                                                           *******   

        21.Qa3+ Kg8;  22.Rd6 Qc7;  23.Bxf6 gxf6;  
        24.Kxg1,  "+/-"   with a won game.  (For White.)  

***

        Even worse is the capture on the b2-square.  
        For example: 17...Qxb2?;  18.Bxf6 gxf6;  19.Qxf6,   
        White threatens a mate on d8. His Queen guards c3, and he threatens 
        the Rook on h8.  If Black castles, simply  Qg5+;  picking off the Bishop 
        on c5. 

          (19.Qa4+!?)    

        19...Bxf2+;  This is pretty much forced. 

         20.Kxf2 0-0;  21.Rd4,  "+/-"   and Black can resign.  ]  

*****

18.Qa4+ Kf8;  19.b3!?, "+/="  {Diagram?}  
A simple move that gives White a small advantage.   

     [  Much better was: >=  19.Qc4! Qc6;  20.Qf4, "+/="   
         with a considerable edge. ]    

Now Black feels he is forced into giving up an exchange. 
(The rest really needs no comment.) 
19...h6;  20.Be3 Bc5;  21.Bxc5+ Qxc5;  22.Rd8+ Ke7; 
23.Rxh8 Qxc3;  24.Qxa7!?,   
This is OK ... but maybe even better was the move, Qa3+. 

     [  An improvement was: >/=  24.Qa3+! Kd7;  25.Rf8, "+/-"   
         and Black falls apart. ]  

24...Qe1+;  25.Kg2 Qxe2;  26.Qxb7+,    
I saw Qc5+, but I was growing a little short of time. 

I was also already feeling fatigued, from the calculating effort 
of the earlier mountain of complications. 

     [  White wins simply after: >/=  26.Qc5+! Kd7;  27.Qc8+ Kd6;   
         28.Rd8+ Ke5;  29.Qc5+! Nd5;  This is forced.  

          (29...Ke4??; 30.Rd4#)     

         30.Rxd5+!,  ("+/-")  
         and now if Black captures the Rook, White wins Black's 
         Queen with the skewer attack of Qe7+. 
         (This is the tactic I actually missed during the game!) 

          (I.e., 30.Rxd5+! exd5;  31.Qe7+ Kd4;  32.Qxe2, "+/-")    ]   

26...Nd7;  27.Ra8!?,  
This is nice, but it might have been much easier to simply push 
the QRP up the board. 

     [ >/=  27.a4, "+/-" ]   

27...Kf6;  28.Qf3+,  ("+/-")   Black Resigns.   

(With the Queens off, his game is hopeless. Plus he was nearly out of time.)  

Copyright (c)  A.J. Goldsby I. 

     [  But definitely not:  28.Qxd7?? Qe4+;  29.f3 Qxa8;  "<=>"  {Diagram?} 
         with some drawing chances for Black in the Q+P ending. ]   

  (Analysis initially)  Generated with  ChessBase 8.0   

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