GM Alexander Shabalov (2624) - GM
Hikaru Nakamura (2580);
|
|
|
A.J.'s "Game of The Month" for July, 2004. (From TWIC # 502.)
[ My website for this feature is {now} located at: http://www.ajschess.com/thegotmman/index.html. ]
**********************************************************************************
For the last few years, GM A. Shabalov has definitely been on a roll. He has won just about every tournament there is ... in addition to capturing the U.S. Championship. He seems to be at his best when playing in the big money events. He always seems to turn it up a notch. (Once more we see this ability in action.)
*******
The $ 100,000.00 Chicago Open was
held May 28th through May 31st, 2004.
(I wish I could have been there!!)
"There were 22 GM's in the field of
773 entries." - Mark Crowther, from
'The Week In Chess,' # 502.
(There were also 5-7 IM's and about
a dozen FM's, or at least this is what
I could glean from various
on-line
sources of information.)
Two of my favorite players, Shabalov and GM Jaan Ehlvest tied for first with 6-1 scores.
*******
Here is a game where
Alexander Shabalov beats
a key competitor, {a young and much
bally-hooed GM};
in a very long and
difficult struggle.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
{The ratings are accurate and are
these player's current ELO values.
They were the ratings that were
assigned to this game
when I downloaded it from TWIC ... of course it was
completely UN-annotated then.}
1.d4 Nf6;
2.c4 g6; 3.Nc3 d5;
{See
the diagram ... just below.}
The Grunfeld Defense, an opening
not seen much (lately) in a lot of
"GM-vs.-GM" encounters.
(But this
does not mean the opening is no
good, in fact ... it used to be a
regular staple of Garry Kasparov's
opening repertoire. And of course
Bobby Fischer used to employ this
system a great deal as well.)
******************************
|
|
******************************
[ This opening line was originated
by GM Ernest Franz Grunfeld. {Grüenfeld?}
{1893 - 1962.} He was a fair player,
and for a brief period in the 1920's,
he may have even been in the
select group of ... "The Ten Best
Players" in the world. He won clear
first at Meran, 1924; ahead of many
of the best players of that chess era,
to include Spielmann and Rubinstein.
He also finished near the top of
over
a dozen {more} international chess
tournaments and played for Austria
in four Olympiads from
1927-1935. ]
The aggressive Grunfeld is a truly
hyper-modern opening, in the main
line Black completely abandons the
middle of the board and allows the
first player to set up a strong pawn
phalanx there. {But of course the
second player then tries to target
White's Pawns for destruction ...
and also wishes to exploit distant
majorities and passed Pawns in
the endgame. The opening is also
extremely complex ... having over
a dozen major pathways and
branches that the first party can
choose
from. This makes it too
difficult an opening for beginners
to try and tackle.}
The Grunfeld Defense ... for nearly
20 years (or more), ... used to be
the ONLY opening I used to play
against 1.d4. I had great success
using this system, and I {also}
defeated many masters with this
opening.
(I have not given it up, but
simply expanded my repertoire - to
{try and} make it more difficult for
possible
future opponents to prepare
openings against me.)
I also own just about every book on
the Grunfeld that has come out in
the last 30 years. It is only a TINY
bit dated, (having come out in 1999);
but probably one of the BEST chess
books (!!!) of the last 25 years
(on this
opening) has got to have been: <<
Understanding The Grunfeld
{Defence} >>
By GM Jonathan Rowson. Copyright (©) 1999, by the
author. Published by Gambit
Publications, Ltd;
of London. (UK) ISBN: # 1-901983-09-9.
************************************************************
[ After the moves:
3...Bg7; 4.e4 d6;
5.Nf3 0-0; 6.Be2 e5; 7.0-0 Nc6; 8.d5 Ne7;
{Diagram?}
we reach another favorite opening
of Bobby Fischer's.
(The King's
Indian Defense; The "Mar del Plata
Variation.")
Of course dozens of GM's played
this line since Bobby Fischer. (And
Fischer was not the pioneer
of this
opening, that honor belongs mostly
the greatly respected player from
the country formerly
referred to
as Yugoslavia ...
GM Svetozar Gligoric.)
But Bobby was the main champion
of this line, he used it at nearly
every opportunity, and without him,
this opening would probably not be
as popular as it is today. ]
4.Nf3,
A Classical response - - - the first
player simply chooses to develop a
piece. This is more than adequate,
and White has MANY (!!) good and
viable sub-systems from which to
choose from in this opening.
************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************
In fact ... this line is so complex and
difficult, that I do NOT recommend any
player try it (from the Black side),
unless he has a really good, local
{chess} coach; and also has a couple
of good books on this line. (AND has
taken at least six months to learn all
the major branches.)
One of my Internet students decided
to completely disregard this advice a
couple of years ago. (He was solidly
rated in the 1600's, and all set to
break into the "Top 30" {or so} in his
age group.) In his first three
tournaments,
he got one very difficult
draw, and one win - - - and this
victory was only against an opponent
that he out-rated
by over five hundred
points!!
I figure this little adventure cost him
close to 200 rating points and set back
his chess progress close to a year.
**************************************************************************************
**************************************************************************************
[ One of the main lines (systems) of this particular opening is ... << The EXCHANGE Variation. >>
In this line, the first player exchanges
on d5, in order to be able to quickly
erect a large pawn center.
For example:
(>/=) 4.cxd5 Nxd5; 5.e4 Nxc3; 6.bxc3 Bg7;
7.Bc4, ('!') {Diagram?}
One of the older systems, and still
one of the most difficult lines that
the second player can face.
(White concentrates on a rapid and
effective development, but his first
priority is to protect his
bulwark of
foot soldiers in the middle of the
board.)
( Another {newer} system for White
is to play the move: 7.Nf3!?, "+/=" {Diagram?}
in this position, to be rapidly
followed by the move, Rb1. )
7...0-0;
8.Ne2 c5; 9.0-0 Nc6; 10.Be3,
"+/=" {Diagram?}
White has a small, but very
significant advantage. This
position was first seen in the
Championship
of the U.S.S.R.
in the year, 1939.
The most recent example that
I could find - between GM's
rated at least 2600 - was the
following contest:
Alexander Beliyavsky - Peter
Svidler;
ICT / European Champ. {team}
Plovdiv, BUL; 2003.
*************************************************************************************
*************************************************************************************
The student should also see ...
(AND STUDY!!); the following
games:
GM Vladimir Kramnik - GM A.
Shirov;
WCC Candidates Match
(Gm. # 01) Cazorla, Spain, (ESP); 1998.
GM Larry Christiansen
- GM Vicktor Korchnoi; ICT / Masters Section {end-of-year
event}
Reggio Emilia, Italy; 1987-1988.
*************************************************************************************
[ See also MCO-14, page # 622; columns # 01 through 06 ... and all applicable notes. ] ]
4...Bg7;
{Diagram?}
The most consistent way of playing
this opening, Black simply plays to
develop his KB on the long diagonal.
Black could play other moves here, like ...c6; but then it would no longer be a true Grunfeld.
[ Also possible was:
4...c6!?;
{Diagram?}
with a formation that is often
referred to as a "Neo-Grunfeld."
{Especially when White quickly
fianchetto's his King's Bishop.} ]
5.Qb3,
(Maybe - '!')
{See the diagram - - - just below.}
The first move of ... "The Russian System," a line
that features an early Qb3.
******************************
|
|
******************************
The whole idea of this system is
to place a great deal of pressure
on the second player and perhaps
force Black to give
up control of
the d5-square.
This line has been played by nearly
all of the great Russian players, most
notably by Mikhail Botvinnik. {I think
that
Botvinnik was the first major
Russian player to use this weapon
at the highest levels. He used it
several times against
Smyslov in
their - seemingly constant - World Championship Matches ... of the 1950's.}
[ White can also choose:
5.e3,
{Diagram?}
In this system, White simply passes
on taking the Pawn, choosing
instead to develop.
While a relatively
simple system, if Black plays
passively or does not know the
lines -
the second player can very
quickly find himself in real
difficulties.
5...0-0; 6.Be2 c6!?;
{Diagram?}
A line that is played quite often
in modern tournaments.
( Another option is: 6...dxc4!?; "~" with a fair game for Black. )
7.0-0,
"+/=" {Diagram?}
White maintains a small ...
but effective ... edge here.
For example - see the game:
GM M. Krasenkow
(2585) -
GM Stuart Conquest (2560);
ICT / E.C.C. {European Cup Champ.}
Rethymnon, GRE; 2003.
(1-0, in 35 crisp moves.);
********************************************************************
********************************************************************
Another very popular line is:
5.Bf4!? 0-0; 6.e3,
{Diagram?}
A standard, 'book' line.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
( The continuation of: 6.Qb3!? dxc4!; 7.Qxc4 c6!?; {Diagram?}
transposes to a very famous game ... the celebrated brilliancy
between Donald Byrne and a very
young Bobby Fischer,
{from the
Rosenwald Tournament}; in the
year, 1956. )
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
6...c5; 7.dxc5,
{Diagram?}
White does not have to take the
Pawn in this position.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
( Another possibility would be:
7.Be2!? cxd4!; 8.Nxd4 dxc4!; 9.Bxc4 a6;
10.0-0 Nbd7!;
11.Nf3!? b5; 12.Be2 Bb7; 13.h3!? Qb6!;
14.Bh2 Rfd8;
15.Qd4 Qxd4; 16.Nxd4 Rac8; "~" ("=/+")
{Diagram?}
Black offered a draw here ... (1/2); which was immediately accepted.
FM S.A. Mohammed (2450)
-
NM A.J. Goldsby I (2235);
PCC {summer} Quarterly Tournament /
Pensacola, FL (USA); 08,2000.
(The player playing the White
pieces was formerly known as
Stephen A. Booth.) )
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
7...Qa5!?;
"~" {Diagram?}
when practice has shown that
the second player has more
than sufficient piece
activity to compensate for any possible
material loss.
I found literally hundreds of master-level games in the database with
this exciting,
tension-filled position.
For example, see the contest:
IM GB Prakash
(2440) -
GM Krishnan Sasikiran (2664);
National Championship Tournament
/
Mumbai, India; 2003. (0-1, in 57 well-played moves.)
]
The next couple of moves are close
to being forced, and are probably
best, (for both sides).
5...dxc4;
6.Qxc4 0-0; 7.e4, ('!')
(center)
The most direct response, White
gobbles up the middle of the board.
[ White could also play:
(</=)
7.g3!? c6!?; 8.Bg2 Nbd7;
9.0-0 Nb6; 10.Qd3 Nfd5;
"~" {Diagram?}
when Black has fairly good play,
but White has the slightly better
center here.
GM
Zoltan Ribli - GM Jan Smejkal;
ICT / Masters
/ Vrbas, Yugoslavia; 1977.
(Drawn in under 40 moves.) ]
7...Na6!?;
(hmmm)
{See the diagram - - - just below.}
Believe it or not, this is one of the
main lines here for Black. (The Prins System?)
[ See MCO-15, page # 639; columns # 13 - 15 ... and all applicable notes.] {A.J.G. Note added: Friday; May 8th, 2015.}
******************************
|
|
******************************
This system was a virtual footnote
in most opening books {for years} ...
until Garry Kasparov started using
this line - repeatedly.
Black has won several nice / sharp
games in this line, and I am sure that
all of these helped to popularize this
variation.
[ Probably one of the nicest
games was when Garry Kasparov,
(2810); quickly defeated Vishy Anand,
(2775); in the
"Siemen's Giants"
{rapid} Tournament of 1999.
(0-1, 26 moves.) ]
**************
[ The other main try is: 7...a6!?; "~" {See any good reference book.} I.e, MCO-15, page #639; columns # 16-18 & all notes. ]
Both sides march straight down the
main line here of book.
{Of course,
both sides finish their development,
and also hammer away at the center.}
8.Be2 c5;
9.d5 e6; 10.0-0 exd5; 11.exd5 Bf5!?;
This is good, Black gets active
piece play in this line.
[ Also played is:
11...Re8!?;
{Diagram?}
with a fair game for Black. ]
12.Be3!?,
(Maybe - '!')
{Diagram?}
An extremely logical move, White
develops his Bishop to the center
of the board -
where it is both
flexible and well-posted.
[ One opening book offers instead:
12.Bf4!? Re8; 13.Rad1 Ne4;
14.Nb5 Qf6!?; 15.Bd3 Rad8;
{Diagram?}
The end of the column here.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
( For the move: 15...Nb4!?; {Diagram?}
see the game:
GM A. Karpov - GM G. Kasparov;
(FIDE) World Championship Match / {Game No. # 19}
London, U.K. / Leningrad, USSR
/ 1986. )
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
16.Rde1 Qxb2; 17.Nc7!? Nxc7;
18.Bxc7 Nd2!;
"=/+" {Diagram?}
Black already had an edge here.
Dzhandzhava - GM G. Kasparov;
{Simultaneous Exhibition Game}
Baku, U.S.S.R; 1987.
[ See MCO-14, page # 626; column # 13, and also note # (f.). ] ]
12...Qb6!?;
This appears to be a fairly
reasonable move for Black, and
it appears to be as good - or bad
- as
anything {else} that the second
player had in this position.
****************************************************
[ Another possibility for Black was:
12...Re8!?; 13.Rad1 Qb6;
14.d6!? Be6; 15.Qb5 h6!?;
{Diagram?}
The end of the column here.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
( Maybe better is: >/= 15...Bd7!?; {Diagram?}
but White still holds a solid
edge here. (At least "+/=")
GM B. Gulko - GM J. Horvath; Nova Gorica, 1997. )
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
16.Ne5 Red8; 17.Nc4 Qxb5;
18.Nxb5 Nd5; 19.Bc1 Ndb4!?;
20.a3,
"+/=" (ending)
{Diagram?}
"White's d6-Pawn is very
bothersome." (in the end-game)
-
GM Nick de Firmian
[ See MCO-14, page # 626; column # 014, & also note # (i.). ]
MCO does NOT give a {game}
quote here, but this has to be
the encounter:
GM Alexander Beliyavsky
(2655) -
GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili (2620);
ICT / Master's, (year-end event)
/
Reggio Emilia, ITA; 1995-1996.
(White won fairly quickly ...
1-0, in only 33 moves.) ]
****************************************************
The next few moves appear to be
fairly reasonable here.
13.b3!? Rfe8;
14.Rad1 Ng4; 15.Bd2 Rad8; 16.Rfe1 Bd4;
{See
the diagram ... just below.}
This must be Nakamura's big
improvement for Black. (TN?)
******************************
|
|
******************************
This would be a good place for a
diagram.
[ The older continuation was:
</= 16...Nb4?!;
17.Na4! Qd6; 18.Bf4!?,
('?!') {Diagram}
Not really the best move here.
( Better was: >/= 18.h3!, '±' {Diagram?}
with a huge edge for White. )
18...Qf8!?; 19.Bc7!?,
{Diagram?}
This is ineffective.
( The box says that: 19.Nxc5!, "+/=" {Diagram?}
leads to a solid edge for White.
(Watch it! It is VERY tricky!!) )
19...Rd7; 20.d6!? b6!?;
"~" (Maybe "=/+") {Diagram?}
Black should have no real
problems in this position ...
but White went on to win a
long and messy game ...
in over 60 moves.
GM Hans Ree
(2465) -
GM Murray Chandler (2540);
(FIDE) {men's} Olympiad {TT}
/
Thessaloniki, GRE / (Rd. 9);
/ Fall, 1984. ]
White's response is virtually forced.
(The next few moves -also - all
seem to be relatively forced.)
17.Nxd4 cxd4;
18.Na4 Qc7; 19.Bxg4 Qxc4; 20.bxc4 Bxg4; 21.f3 Bd7!?;
This looks OK ... the only other
try in this position was the move,
21...Bf5.
[ Apparently the other move would
not have significantly changed things.
For example:
21...Bf5!?; 22.Bg5! Rxe1+;
23.Rxe1 Rc8; 24.Nb2 Nc5;
25.Rd1 d3; 26.g4 Bd7;
27.Be7, '±' (Maybe "+/-")
{Diagram?}
and White's edge is very close to
being a winning one, here. ]
22.Nb2 b5?!;
I am sure that blowing the game
wide open was very appealing to
Black in this position ...
Nakamura has probably won a lot of games
with such tactics against lesser
mortals.
Here Black must hang on tight. The
d-pawn is almost certainly doomed,
Black's real drawing
chance is to
play conservative chess ... and try
to steer the game into an ending
where the
"Bishops-of-opposite-colors" will play a role.
Here the wild advance of the b-Pawn only hastens the second player's defeat in this game.
[ Better is the stodgy line of:
>/= 22...f6;
23.Rxe8+ Rxe8; 24.Kf1 Kf7; 25.Bf4,
"+/=" {Diag?}
and although White is clearly
better here, (maybe - '±'); a
forced
win is still a fairly long
way off. ]
23.Ba5,
(hmmm)
{Diagram?}
The computer (Fritz 8.0) says that
it is better to play Bg5 here. But I am
not sure if I fully trust this, as many
of the lines are at least 7-10 moves
in length. (Not sure if Fritzy has any
business running around ... ... ...
- on his
own - more than 15 ply deep!)
Here - in view of the fact that there
is no concrete line proving otherwise -
I prefer the GM's move over the
choice(s) of the silicon monster.
[ Also good for White was:
23.Bg5!? Rxe1+; 24.Rxe1 Re8;
25.Rxe8+ Bxe8; 26.Bf6 d3;
27.cxb5 Bxb5; 28.a4 Bd7;
29.Kf2!, '±' {Diagram?}
when Black's d-pawn must fall,
but there are a lot of drawing
lines as well. ]
The next few plays/moves look to
be forced (or best) for both sides.
23...Rxe1+;
24.Bxe1! bxc4; 25.Nxc4 Bb5; 26.Rxd4! Bxc4;
27.Rxc4 Rxd5; 28.Bc3!,
{See
the diagram - - - just below.}
So natural ... White commands the
long diagonal and also threatens a
mate as well. In the meantime, Black
finds it impossible to cover all the
threats that the first player can
generate from this position.
******************************
|
|
******************************
You should note as well ... the flagrant
inferiority of the Black Knight {on a6}
to White's Bishop ...
in this particular
endgame, that we have now reached.
[ Also good was:
28.Rc6!?,
'±' {Diagram?}
(White is much better.) ]
28...Rd8;
{Box!} {Box!}
Sad, but true, this sorry-looking
retreat is completely forced.
******************************
[ Of course NOT:
</= 28...h5??;
29.Rc8+ Kh7!?; 30.Rh8#.
********************************************************
Black also loses after:
28...Kf8; 29.Rc6 Rd1+;
30.Kf2 Rc1; {Diagram?}
The only real try here.
(Incidentally - setting a cute trap
as well.)
( </= 30...Nb8?!; 31.Rc8+ Ke7; 32.Rxb8 Rc1; 33.Bb4+, ("+/-") )
31.Ke2!,
{Diagram?}
One guy told me chess is a lot
like boxing ... the trick is knowing
when to
anticipate ... and also
when it is time to duck!
( After the moves: </=
31.Bb4+? Nxb4!; 32.Rxc1 Nd3+; 33.Ke3 Nxc1; ("-/+")
{Diag}
Black has turned the tables. )
Now after the best line:
31...Ke8!; 32.Kd2! Nb4!?;
33.Rc8+! Kd7; 34.Kxc1! Nxa2+!;
35.Kb2 Kxc8[]; 36.Kxa2,
"+/-" {Diagram?}
there is nothing left for Black
to do here - except maybe
offer his hand.
********************************************************
Also insufficient was:
</= 28...Rd1+?!; 29.Kf2 f5;
30.Rc8+ Kf7; 31.Rh8!,
("+/-") {Diagram?}
when Black's position is quickly
falling apart. ]
******************************
29.Bf6! Re8[];
The box verifies that this is
Black's only move here.
[ Or
</= 29...Rb8!?; ('?!')
30.a3,
'±' {Diagram?}
and Black will probably lose
from this position. ("+/-") ]
30.Bd4!,
It is entirely possible - especially if
he had not analyzed this line with
a computer's help - that Black had
missed this little "stutter-step" of
the Bishop in his analysis.
Now Black is lost ... and any further
comment would be superfluous. But
please go over the rest of the
game,
GM Shabalov's technique is very good.
[ Or, simply the move:
30.Kf1!?,
'±' {Diagram?}
which also might have been good
enough to win. ]
30...Nb8?!;
(Probably - '?')
{Diagram?}
This is a mistake - the box says
Black must play ...f5 here.
(But it is
easy to sympathize with Black, at
least in this position.
The second
player's position certainly looks
to be lost.)
[ An improvement over the game
was the continuation:
>/=
30...f5[]; 31.a3,
'±' ("+/-") {Diagram?}
{White is probably winning here.}
]
31.Bxa7 Nd7!?;
32.Bd4 Ra8; 33.Rc7 Nf8; 34.Ra7 Rd8; 35.Be3,
35...Kg7; 36.a4 Ne6;
{Diagram?}
Now would have been a good time
to throw in the towel, but Black
stubbornly defends as long as he
can.
37.a5 Rd3;
38.Kf2 Ra3; 39.Bb6!?, {Diagram?}
{More than ...} Good enough.
[ Maybe >/= 39.g4!, instead? ]
During the next phase of the game,
White decides to centralize his King.
(While this might not be the method
chosen by the box, it is very strong,
and reduces Black's position to
nothing but rubble.)
39...Rb3;
40.Ke2!? Kf8!?; 41.Kd2 Ke8; 42.Kc2 Rb4; 43.Kc3 Rb1;
44.Be3 Ra1;
45.Kb2! Ra4!?;
46.a6 Kd8!?; 47.Ra8+ Kd7; 48.a7 h5!?; 49.Rb8 Nc7; 50.Kb3,
50...Ra1;
51.h4!?,
I like this - many wins have been
blown by trying to do too much.
(The box finds a quicker way.)
[ Better was:
>/= 51.Bb6! h4; 52.Kb2 Ra6;
53.Bxc7 Rxa7; 54.Be5,
"+/-" {Diag?}
winning as in the game ...
but a couple of tempo faster.
(This only proves that Shabalov
is not a machine ... or infallible.) ]
51...Ra6;
52.Bf2 Ra1; 53.Bb6 Kc6!?; 54.Bxc7 Rxa7;
An unfortunate choice for Black to
play here. (But its forced.)
{Black should probably resign here,
the only way I would continue from
this position
was if Shabalov was
in desperate time trouble.}
[ </= 54...Kxc7??; 55.a8Q, "+/-" ]
Now all that is left are a few
finishing touches by Shabalov.
55.Bf4 Kd7;
56.Rb6 Ra1; 57.Kc3 Rg1; 58.Rb2 f6; 59.Kd3 Rh1; 60.g3 Ke6;
61.Rb6+ Kf5;
62.Bd2! Rd1; 63.Ke2, ("+/-") {Diagram
below.}
[Black Resigns]
Black - {finally!} - gives up the
struggle here.
******************************
|
|
******************************
An excellent display of technique by Alexander Shabalov ... to refute what had to be a prepared line.
A very interesting and complex game. But it is doubtful that Nakamura was very pleased with his performance ... or his TN in this game.
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I.
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 2004.
All rights reserved.
1 - 0
For an alternative opinion and look at this game, see the story on the Chicago Open on pages 14-15 of the 'Chess Life' magazine. There is an excellent look at the games and events of this event. (Written by IM John Donaldson.) This game is also examined in that piece. Good stuff, check it out!
Associated
game: For further research & study, please see Game
# 10 of the 2014 W.C.S. Match between Carlsen and
Anand. (Carlsen was Black in this game.)
My
YT video on this game.