1985-01-01 - Taheri, A 0-1 Palmer, Richard
A tip of the hat to the then BCT editor. In the National Club Richard plays a model Sicilian Najdorf aided by his opponent optimistically giving up a Pawn just out of the opening. White fails to resign on time but don't let that spoil your enjoyment of a well-executed Queenside breakthrough.
[Event "NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP PLATE"] [Site "?"] [Date "1985.01.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Taheri, A"] [Black "Palmer, Richard"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "70"] {A game from the quarter-final of the National Club Championship Plate competition, played and annotated by the then editor of BCT Richard Palmer. His comments marked as RP.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Bg5 Nbd7 9. f4 Be7 $6 10. Nd2 $2 {"Threatening to win a piece by 11 f5." RP. By looking at the subsequent play I can only assume White has a bias towards Knights over Bishops, otherwise the immediate 10 f5 gaining the advantage of the two Bishops after 10...Bxb3 is quite desirable. In this Pawn formation there is usually a fight over the d5 square. Right now the b3 Knight has no connection to d5 while the e6 Bishop clearly has, so if you want to go for control of d5 then 10 f5 is the move to play. In this line 9 Bxf6 was the most popular move in the database while the slightly unusual 9 f4 is best answered by 9...exf4 with the Black Knight on b8 going to e5 via c6.} h6 11. Bxf6 {Sometimes in Sicilians the reply to ...h7-h6 of Bg5-h4 can my met by ...Nf6xe4 because the h4 Bishop is no longer defended. Here 11 Bh4 can be met by that freeing move but even better is simply 11... exf4 winning a Pawn. Hence White is reduced to giVing up the Bishop pair in worse circumstances that he could have done on move 9.} Nxf6 12. f5 {Richard gives this an ? and comments "White proceeds to give himself a bad Bishop by putting his Pawns on light squares." RP. In conjunction with White's 13th and 14th move this is definitely true, but White should consider 13 a4 and then 14 Bc4 with a fine diagonal for said Bishop and the chance to place it on d5 as appropriate. Deep Rybka also suggests 13 Nc4 going to e3 with enhanced control of d5. By itself 12 f5 is okay.} Bd7 13. g4 $2 {This is simply a weakening move. With no dark-squared Bishop White has little chance of ever playing g4-g5 effectively and Richard doesn't castle until he has that square firmly under control. Constructive options here were given in the previous note.} Bc6 14. Bf3 {Yet again Richard gives this an ? and remarks "The Bishop is completely blocked in here." Actually this move is almost forced as Black was intending 14...d5 with a great position. Even now 14...d5 15 exd5 Nxd5 16 Nxd5 Bxd5 17 Ne4 0-0 gives Black a plus of over 0.5 according to Deep Rybka. Nevertheless Richard has other options here and by choosing one of them he benefits immediately.} Nh7 $5 {My !? - TM. "Intending to prevent White castling by 14...Bh4+. [White] decides to sacrifice the h-Pawn but he never gets any play on the h-file."} 15. h4 $4 {This sacrifice is pure desperation is an already poor position. With Black's superior position of the dark squares and of g5 in particular White never has a chance of doing anything on the h-file and leaving a Rook on that file for so long, as White does, means the Rook does nothing. Also to compromise one's own King position in such a way can not be recommended, even though the centre remains closed there is sufficient space behind the centre Pawns for Black to aim at. To understand the importance of the square g5 in this and analogous positions I commend to the reader the game Barden-Rossolimo, Hastings 1950-51, which is included in the highly acclaimed book 'The Most Instructive Games Of Chess Ever Played' by Irving Chernev.} Bxh4+ 16. Ke2 b5 {Now the battle for the d5 square begins in earnest.} 17. Nd5 Bg5 18. Nb1 Nf6 19. Nbc3 a5 20. a3 Rb8 21. b4 {"Black had tried to dislodge the Knight from c3 [thereafter] intending to exchange the Knight on d5. White prevents this [...b5-b4] but leaves weaknesses on the c-file which Black soon exploits after exchanges on d5." RP. What happens in the next few moves is a mass swap on d5 which leaves the opposite coloured Bishops as the only minor pieces left. It is well-known that in the middle-game opposite coloured-Bishops favour the attacker. Here the Black Bishop is much superior to the White one. In particular there is a target square on e3 that Richard would like to land his Queen on. Also the Bishop controls c1, preventing a White Rook going there to protect the c-pawn. The c-file is wide-open for Black's Rooks with all of c4, c3 and c2 being targets. The Black Queen on b6 is very effective co-ordinating nicely with the Bishop and the Rooks. By contrast the White Queen retreats from the d5 outpost, the White Rooks flounder to defend the numerous weak squares in their camp - note that Richard carefully avoids swapping Pawns on b4 as this may give White counterplay down the a-file - and the Bishop on f3 is not a good piece. All in all Black is doing very well with no counterplay coming back at him.} Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Qxd5 {At first 23 exd5 made no difference in the evaluation by Deep Rybka - +1.56 to Black - but it does give Black a passed e-Pawn. Upon reconsideration the engine does to +1.71 for Black after 23...0-0 and White would have Bf3-e4 to guard the c2 Pawn. I wouldn't necessarily guarantee how solid its posting would be after Black plays ...Rc4, as he will.} Qb6 { "Threatens to win the Bishop after 24...Qe3+." RP.} 24. Qd3 O-O {Done late but in complete safety.} 25. Bg2 {Getting the Bishop off a vulnerable square and allowing the h1 Rook to have some influence when it gets to h3. Even so Deep Rybka has Black at +2 here.} Rbc8 26. Rh3 Rc4 {As predicted and the plus goes up to 2.39.} 27. Rb1 $2 {"If 27.c3 Rfc8 28.Rb1 Bh4! [threat 29...Qf2+. TM] a) 29.Rxh4 Rxc3 is crushing [+10.20 by Deep Rybka says it all. TM]; b) 29.Qe3 Qxe3+ 30.Kxe3 Rxc3+; c) 29.Rf1 Qc7 30.Rc1 [30.Rxh4 Rxc3 again. TM] 30...Qa7 31.Rf1 axb4 32.axb4 Qa2+ 33.Qd2 Qa3 34.Rff3 Rxe4+ with a winning attack." RP. Accurate analysis by Richard with just one tweak to me made by me. In variation c) after 30 Rc1 Black can insert 30...Bg5 - safeguarding the Bishop which hanging in the rest of the variation although White may not be able to take it. However, we reduce White's options anyway. - 31 Rc2 before playing 31. ..Qa7, while 31... d5!? and 31...axb4 32 axb4 Rxb4 are other tries. The contrast in activity between the two armies is marked, and Black already has an extra Pawn courtesy of White's generous 14th move. However, Deep Rybka says that Black's plus goes up to over 5 after his next move so White should play 27 c3 regardless.} Rd4 {"Stronger is 27...Rfc8. If 28 Rb2 (28 c3 transposes to the note above.) 28...Rd4 29 bxa5 Qxa5 30 Rxb5 Qd2+ 31 Qxd2 Rxd2+ 32 Kf1 R8c2 wins. " RP. Deep Rybka says the text move is stronger. However, after 27... Rfc8 if 28 Rb2 Qg1! 29 Bf3 Qc1 forces a winning breakthrough on c2, so the engine suggests 28 c3. After the text if White's Queen goes to f3 or g3 Black has 28...Rd2+ and at the very least 29...Rxc2. White throws in an alternative hoping to confuse Black and succeeds!} 28. bxa5 {"Stronger is 27... Rfc8. If 28 Rb2 (28 c3 transposes to the note above.) 28...Rd4 29 bxa5 Qxa5 30 Rxb5 Qd2+ 31 Qxd2 Rxd2+ 32 Kf1 R8c2 wins. " RP. Deep Rybka says the text move is stronger. However, after 27...Rfc8 if 28 Rb2 Qg1! 29 Bf3 Qc1 forces a winning breakthrough on c2, so the engine suggests 28 c3. After the text if White's Queen goes to f3 or g3 Black has 28...Rd2+ and at the very least 29... Rxc2. White throws in an alternative hoping to confuse Black and succeeds!} Qxa5 {Richard must have had this recapture in mind all the time. However, 29... Qc5! is better because if now 30 Rxb5 Rxd3 31 Rxc5 Rd2+ and then 32...dxc5 is the difference. Black's Queen is defended on c5. Alternatively 30 Qc3 Rd2+ 31 Qxd2 - else 31...Qf2 is mate - 31...Bxd2 32 Kxd2 Qf2+ picks off the Bishop as well.} 29. Rxb5 {Both 30 Qc3 or Qb3 are answered by 30...Rd2+ and then 31... Qb6 or a7. The dark squares are caving in.} Qa8 {30...Qa7 continuing to gaze at f2 is more accurate. However, now the possibility of ...Rxe4+ limits White's options.} 30. Qb3 Rd2+ {30...Rxe4+ isn't bad but this is so much better.} 31. Kf3 {"No better for White is 31 Kf1 Qa7 32 Qf3 (32 Rf3 Qd4! wins [33 Rb1 Rc8 anyway. TM]) 32...Rc8 with a winning attack." RP. In the line 31 Kf1 Qa7 32 Qf3 Rc8 Deep Rybka says it's mate in 16 while 32...Rxc2 is a mere +16 or so. This is the difference between playing draughts and chess!} Qa7 {Back on the right diagonal.} 32. Rb6 Bd8 {"Wins material but more clear-cut was 32...Rc8 and White is powerless against the threat of ...Rcxc2 and ...Rf2+ etc. [If] 33 Bf1 Rcxc2 34 Rh1 Rf2+ 35 Kg3 Bf4+ 36 Kh4 Qe7+ 37 Kh3 Rh2 mating. " RP. This is completely correct. The only variation Richard doesn't give is 33 c4 which is casually met by 33...Rxc4. I suppose If I'd known my opponent wasn't going to resign after 32...Bd8 then I'd have played 32...Rc8 as well!} 33. Qe3 Rxg2 34. Rxd6 Qxe3+ 35. Kxe3 Rxc2 {"And White resigned after 48 moves." RP.} 0-1
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