1984-04-05 - Ojaroo, Ivan 0-1 Kendall, Richard
A Grunfeld Defence where it seems the D&F player has it all his way until White sacrifices a Pawn in the ending. Some surprises in this one!
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE"] [Site "?"] [Date "1984.04.05"] [Round "?"] [White "Ojaroo, Ivan"] [Black "Kendall, Richard"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D85"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "80"] {Richard Kendall was a D&F regular during the 60s, 70s and early 80s. Ivan Ojaroo was a Keynsham player in the 80s. This game looked like a straightforward win for the higher-graded player. Deep Rybka proves it wasn't! The opening is a Grunfeld Defence. There is a lot here that will be of interest to both White and Black exponents of this hypermodern system.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be2 c5 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Bg4 {"Most of the Black moves are fairly regular. He has allowed White to build up the centre, and now he starts to attack it. White normally plays Bc4, Ne2 and f3, but now he finds that the g4 Bishop is putting additional pressure on d4. He should now play 12 d5 and if 12...Bxa1 13 Qxa1 and he has the constant threat of Bh6 which ensures that he has sufficient compensation for the Exchange. By playing e5 instead White leaves his d-Pawn backward and weak while his centre loses its mobility." In fact this is a main line position which has been reached many times before. After 12 d5 Bxa1 13 Qxa1 the threat to the c6 Knight ensures that White can regain his Exchange after 14 Bh6 because he threatens mate and the Rook. Indeed this line is so good for White that 12...Bxa1 is almost unknown in master chess.} 12. e5 $2 {To my surprise I found six games on my database with this poor move. The most high-profile was Smejkal-Sax, Rio de Janeiro Interzonal 1979. In five of the six games Black replied with 12...Qd7 and scored 3-1 with one draw, that being Smejkal-Sax. In one other game Black played an immediate 12...Qd5 and after 13 Ng5 and 14 Bf3 discovered that he'd occupied d5 too early and went on to lose. Richard's reply takes us away from theory but I stand by my criticism of 12 e5 and, judging by the lack of games with it, so does chess opening theory. Deep Rybka has an opinion also. It rates 12 d5 as +0.36 for White and 12 e5 as completely equal.} Qa5 13. h3 { Pushing the Bishop back towards the d5 outpost but reducing the pressure on d4 somewhat.} Be6 14. Qd2 $2 {"It is difficult for White to find a useful plan. If 14 Ng5 Bd5 15 f4 f5! stops him cold. However, the move he chooses goes into a bad endgame." Deep Rybka gives after 14 Ng5 Bd5 15 f4 both 15...Rac8 and 15. ..Rfd8. The latter is an indication that it doesn't fear play down the f-file and indeed after 16 f5? it plays 16...Qc3! and says Black is +1. That was useful but when it comes to 14th move alternatives for White the engine suggests 14 a3 and 14 Qb1. I'm sure readers with more Grunfeld experience, from both sides of the board, than me can come up with more constructive ideas. I can recognise a bad endgame when I see one but I've never played a Grunfeld from either side.} Rfd8 15. Qxa5 Nxa5 16. Nd2 Rac8 17. Bg4 {"17 Rac1 can be met by 17...b6 threatening 18...Bxa2. White seeks relief in exchanging Bishops but leaves more weak squares, especially in conjunction with his 19th move." After either Rook to c1 Black can swap and either play 18...Nc6 or 18...Bxa2. White's Ra1 is always met by ...Rc2 and the Rook can go to b2 if necessary. Unfortunately 17 Bd3 to stop 17...Rc2 just allows 17...Bxe5 because of the newly-created pin.} Bxg4 18. hxg4 Rc2 19. f4 $2 {I didn't add a comment to this move originally. Deep Rybka says that after 17 Rfc1 the position is almost equal. This can't be right when one factors in Black's Queenside majority, his more active pieces and White's weak Pawns. At least the engine agrees that the text is poor and Richard's reply is obvious enough.} Rdc8 20. Rfd1 {"Richard notes that 20 f5 R8c3 21 f6 is insufficient." This looks like an unfinished comment but it is quite obvious that after 21...exf6 - to avoid any trouble with the Pawn on e7 - 22 exf6 Rxe3 23 fxg7 Rxd2 Black is just a piece up with a better position.} R8c3 21. Bf2 Rd3 $6 {"Black should restrain the d-Pawn with 21...e6." This seems like sensible practical advice but Deep Rybka prefers Black's move. After 21...e6 it likes 22 Ne4 with designs on the f6 square, with the Bishop as well as the Knight. Nevertheless as we'll see it's worth restraining a central Pawn duo.} 22. Nb3 $1 {"With this Pawn sacrifice White manages to exchange Knights, but 22 Ne4 is probably better." This is a matter of taste. Ojaroo is trying to get active, his a-pawn is weak and his Knight is not a good piece. So he gets rid of two problem units with one move, but Black's Knight was probably his worst piece, although it was doing good work! All swings and roundabouts. However, the more I look at this move then the more I like it. In the game Ojaroo creates some useful counterplay and it only takes two or three small errors from Richard to put his advantage, let alone the win, in doubt.} Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rxa2 24. Nxa5 Rxa5 25. d5 {There is a definite case for 25 Rc1 first, threatening to fork two pawns with 26 Rc7. Ojaroo decides to get d4-d5 in while the going is good and the White Bishop is now looking at the a7 Pawn. Objectively the White Pawns are better than the Black ones because they are much further advanced.} Kf8 26. e6 $2 {"If 26 d6 exd6 27 exd6 Ra1! ensures that White cannot promote his pawn and if he plays 28 Rxa1 Bxa1 29 Ba7 b5 then Black has good winning chances. White should play 26 Rc1 Ke8 27 Rc7 b6 28 d6 when it requires great accuracy for Black to win. After the text move ...Ra1 wins now or next move by transposing into the above-mentioned Bishop ending." Unfortunately most of this is not correct. After 26.d6 exd6 27.exd6 Ra1 28.Rxa1 Bxa1 29.Bxa7 b5 30. Bc5 Ke8 31.Kf2 Kd7 32.Ke3 f5 - otherwise the White King gets to useful squares - 33.gxf5 gxf5 34.Kf3 Bg7 35.g4 fxg4+ 36.Kxg4 Bf8 37.Bb4 Bxd6 38.Bd2 White can draw this by giving up his Bishop for the b-Pawn because Black has the wrong Bishop to go with his h-Pawn. If instead 32...Kc6 34 Bb4 Bg7 35 Ke4 Bf8?? 36 d7 is an embarrassing way to lose. The Bishop ending is not winning after the text move either: 26...Ra1 27.Rxa1 Bxa1 28.Bxa7 b5 29.Bc5 Bc3 30.Kf2 b4 31 Ke3 b3 32 Kd3 Bg7 33 g5!. The point is that Black's King is tied down to defending the e7 Pawn and can't get active. The only reason why 26 e6 gets a ? is because there is an obvious and better move. That's 26.Rc1 and it is Black that has to be careful. After 26...Ke8 27.Rc7 b6? (27...Rxd5 is better but probably drawn) 28.d6 is good for White but 28.Bh4! is even better - if 28. ..f6 then 29.d6 is very strong. However, after 26 Rc1 Ke8 White has an improvement with 27.Rc8+ Kd7 28.Rg8! Bh6 29.g5 winning the Bishop but after 29. ..Bxg5 30.fxg5 Rxd5 Black has three Pawns for it, every chance of a fourth and little chance of losing.} Bf6 $2 {This seems to be a simple loss of a tempo. There's nothing wrong with 26...b5 getting the extra Pawn moving. The play at this point has all the hallmarks of mutual time-trouble which is why critical decisions - exchanging Rooks or pushing the d-pawn - have been deferred. No time for accurate judgement of the resulting positions. However, this error will come back to haunt Black.} 27. g5 Bb2 28. Rd2 $2 {Deep Rybka prefers 28 Rb1 although it's difficult to see why. After 28...Rb5 White can't play either 29 Bxa7 or 29 Bd4 because of 29...Bxd4 check so 29 Kf1 a6 and Black stands better. However, regrouping will be a problem and that's not apparent at first sight so maybe the engine is right. After the text it seems as though White gets pushed around.} Ra1+ 29. Kh2 Bc1 30. Rc2 {"Hoping for Rc8+ and Bd4+". The threat is easily countered but Black needs to be accurate. If instead 30 Rd4 b5 followed by 31...a5 and the Pawns start rolling. It is easy for Black to be lulled into a false sense of security here. He has a temporary initiative but the text is a move White wants to play. Occupation of the c-file has been on his agenda for a while now.} Bxf4+ $6 {A small inaccuracy that has big consequences shortly afterwards. Best is to first of all play 30.. .fxe6 and after 31 dxe6 then go 31...Bxf4+.} 31. g3 Be5 $4 {Deep Rybka says that 31...Rc1 is correct. After 32 Rb2 Bxg5 33 Rxb7 Rd1! Black abandons the Queenside and heads for positions with a 3-1 Kingside Pawn majority. The text has a problem.} 32. Rc8+ Kg7 {Have a good look!} 33. Be3 $4 {"Making Black's task much easier by blundering a second Pawn. White's play has been affected by time trouble. Now Black makes his Pawn move since move 10." There's a lot to say here. First of all Black is already two Pawns up so the counting is a bit awry. However, the very fact that he is making his first Pawn move in 23 goes speaks for itself. The extra Pawns haven't yet gone anywhere so they aren't yet dangerous, This is in direct contrast to the White foot soldiers. One of the points to playing on in lost positions is to ensure that your pieces are as active as possible. It helps if you have useful Pawns too. The whole point of White's game strategy has been the forward march of his mobile Pawn centre. At this point even though he is two Pawns down White has a lot of pluses. First of all there is the obvious try 33 Re8. Black ignores the threat of 34 Rxe7 followed by 35 Rxf7+ at his peril. Hence 35...fxe6 Now 34. Rxe7+ Kf8 - if 34...Kg8 35 dxe6 leaves two other Pawns forked - 35.Rxe6 Ra2 36 Kg1 Bc3 37 Bc5+ and White has at least a draw already. Deep Rybka says White is slightly better. One of the features of the position is the way the g5 Pawn restricts the Black King. Remember that lost tempo with 26...Bf6? Secondly, and worse, the thematic advance 33 d6!! wins on the spot. If 33...Bxd6 34 Bd4+ forks as White intended earlier while 33...exd6 34 e7 promotes. If the d6 Pawn is not captured then one of the dynamic duo is going to promote winning at least a Rook. Deep Rybka gives Black's best as 33...Ra6 34 dxe7 Rxe6 35 e8=Q winning said Rook. If Black had paused to swap Pawns on move 30 then this winning line would not have available to White. The culprit here is time trouble. I suspect Ojaroo was concerned about the horizontal pin 33...Ra2 because 34 Kg2 is answered by 34...Bd4 but 34 Kg1 is the accurate reply. Defensive-mindedness makes him overlook not just a winning move, which is to some extent concealed, but also a drawing continuation which was far more obvious. Why did Richard allow him these opportunities? Again, time trouble is partly the answer but we can also point at the omission of 21...e6 - restraining the Pawns - , the tempo loss with 26...Bf6 and missing the interpolation of 30...fxe6. These are all small items that add up to a certain lack of technique, and this could have led to the loss of the game had Ojaroo found 33 d6!! When your opponent is down keep them down. No unnecessary counterplay! On the other hand when you are down make the most of what you've got, and use your imagination!} fxe6 34. dxe6 Ra6 35. Re8 $2 {An amusing moment right on the time control. Ultimately the text just loses a whole tempo. Deep Rybka gives 35.Rc5 Rxe6 which at first you dismiss because Black has defended the Bishop while White has blocked his Bishop capture on a7. Then you spot the riposte 36.Rxe5 Rxe5 37.Bd4 winning a piece - that Pawn on g5 again. But after 38... Kf7 38.Bxe5 Ke6 you realise that Black has three very good Pawns for his Bishop and all the winning chances. I wanted to suggest 35 Ra8 but that's no good after 35...Rxe6 36 Rxa7? Bxg3+ 37 Kxg3 Rxe3+ and 38...Rb3 with three good extra Pawns again. This line proves that 33 Be3 was really poor!} Rxe6 36. Bxa7 Kf7 37. Rc8 Rc6 38. Ra8 $2 {"A final blunder but White was clearly lost."} Ra6 39. Bb8 Bxg3+ $1 {The Grunfeld Bishop's last cheeky word.} 40. Bxg3 Rxa8 0-1
The games viewer used here was developed by
http://chesstempo.com
and is licensed under
CC BY 2.0.
