Reply #4: Grischuk - Riazantsev, Round 5

[Jack Rabbit]

Alexander Grischuk
Photo: Russian Chess Federation


Alexander Grischuk - Alexander Riazantsev
Russian National Championship, Round 5
Moscow, 24 December 2009

Moorish Game: Horseman Defense (Alekhine's Defense)

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5

• If 4...Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.0-0 Be7 7.c4 Nb6 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Be3 then:
• If 9...d5 10.c5 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Nc8 12.f4 Nc6 then:
• 13.f5 exf5 14.Bf3 Bg5 15.Nxd5 f4 16.Bxf4 Bxf4 17.Nxf4 Nxd4 18.Bxb7 Rb8 19.Bxc8 Rxc8 20.Qg4 gives White a healthy initiative and an extra pawn (Sypnicki-Krainski, Op, Bydgoszcz, 2001).
• 13.b4 a6 14.Rb1 f6 15.Bd3 Qe8 16.Qg4 f5 17.Qh3 a5 18.b5 gives White the advantage in space and the initiative (Short-Alburt, Match, Foxboro, 1985).
• If 9...Nc6 10.exd6 cxd6 then:
• If 11.b3 d5 12.c5 then:
• If 12...Nc8 13.b4 a6 14.Rb1 Bf6 15.a4 N8e7 16.b5 then:
• 16...Na5 17.h3 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Nc4 19.bxa6 Nxe3 20.fxe3 bxa6 21.Qd3 Qc7 22.Rb6 Nc6 23.Bxd5 exd5 24.Nxd5 Black resigns (Rodríguez-Sawyer, Corres, 1995).
• 16...axb5 17.axb5 Bxf3 18.bxc6 Bxe2 19.Qxe2 bxc6 gives Black more activity (Hoellrigl-Baburin, Op, Oberwart, 1991).
• 12...Nd7 13.b4 f5 14.b5 Na5 15.Qa4 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Nf6 17.Be2 b6 18.c6 Qc7 19.Rac1 gives White the advantage in space (Bouwmeester-Sefc, TMatch, Rotterdam, 1955).
• If 11.d5 exd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 Bf6 then:
• 14.Qd2 Qa5 15.Rfd1 Rfe8 16.Qc2 Bf5 17.Qb3 is equal (Gufeld-Grigorian, Soviet Ch, Baku, 1972).
• 14.Rfd1 Rc8 15.Rd2 Qa5 16.Qxa5 Nxa5 17.Rc1 Be6 18.b3 d5 is equal (Asomaeki-de Carlos, Cyberspace, 2002).

5.Nxe5 g6

• If 5...c6 6.Be2 then:
• If 6...Bf5 then:
• If 7.0-0 Nd7 then:
• If 8.c4 then:
• 8...N5f6 9.Bf4 Qb6 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.Qd2 e5 12.dxe5 0-0-0 13.Nc3 is equal (Smeets-Short, Staunton Mem TM, London, 2009).
• 8...Nb4 9.Nd3 Nxd3 10.Bxd3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 e6 12.Bf4 Nf6 13.Nc3 Bd6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 is equal (Dragun-Degraeve, Op, Cappelle la Grande, 2009).
• If 8.Nf3 e6 then:
• 9.a3 Bd6 10.Re1 0-0 11.c4 N5f6 12.Nh4 Qc7 13.g3 Bh3 14.Nc3 Rfe8 15.Be3 e5 is equal (Wang Hao-Gonzales, Ol, Dresden, 2008).
• 9.c4 Nb4 10.Nc3 Nc2 11.Bg5 f6 12.Rc1 fxg5 13.Rxc2 Bxc2 14.Qxc2 wins the exchange for Black (Zelcic-Rozentalis, Ol, Dresden, 2008).
• If 7.g4 Be6 8.c4 then:
• If 8...Nb6 9.b3 f6 10.Nd3 Qxd4 11.Bb2 Qd8 12.Nc3 Na6 then:
• 13.Qd2 Qc7 14.Qe3 Bf7 15.Rc1 Nd7 16.Ne4 e5 gives Black an extra pawn (Cheparinov-Narciso, IT, Montcada, 2009).
• 13.f4 Bf7 14.Bf3 e6 15.Qe2 Nd7 16.0-0-0 Qa5 gives Black a little more freedom (Brenjo-Bogdanovski, IT, Belgrade, 2008).
• 8...Nc7 9.Rg1 Nd7 10.Nf3 g6 11.Nc3 Bg7 12.Be3 0-0 13.Qd2 b5 14.cxb5 cxb5 15.Nxb5 Nxb5 16.Bxb5 Bd5 is equal (Anand-Carlsen, Tal Mem Blitz, Moscow, 2007).
• 6...Nd7 7.Nf3 g6 8.c4 Nc7 9.Nc3 Bg7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Be3 b6 12.Rc1 Bb7 13.Qd2 c5 14.d5 gives White an advantage in space (Weatherly-Benjamin, New York StCh, Colonie, 2006).

6.Bc4 Be6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.Re1

• If 8.Qe2 0-0 9.Bb3 c6 then:
• 10.c4 Nc7 11.Rd1 Nd7 12.Nf3 Bg4 13.h3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Ne6 15.Qe3 Gives White the advantage in space (Mullon-Corvi, Euro Club Cup, Kallithea, 2008).
• 10.Rd1 Nd7 11.c4 N5b6 12.Nf3 a5 13.a4 Bg4 14.h3 gives White the advantage in space (Ioselani-Arakhamia, ITW, Gronigen, 1997).

8...0-0 9.Nd2

• If 9.Bb3 c6 then:
• If 10.Nd2 then:
• 10...Nc7 11.Ndf3 Bxb3 12.axb3 Nd7 13.Ng4 h5 14.Ne3 Nb6 15.Nc4 Ne6 16.c3 Bf6 17.Bh6 Bg7 18.Qd2 gives White the advantage in space (deFirmian-Alburt, Op, Reykjavik, 1984).
• If 10...Nd7 then:
• 11.Nef3 Nc7 12.Ne4 Bxb3 13.axb3 Ne6 14.c3 Nf6 15.Nxf6+ Bxf6 16.b4 Ng7 17.h4 h5 18.g3 Nf5 19.Qe2 a5 20.bxa5 draw (Andreev-Sikula, IT, Alushta, 2001).
• If 11.Ndf3 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 a5 13.c3 Qc7 14.Nd3 Bf5 15.Bg5 Rfe8 16.Qd2 a4 17.Bxd5 cxd5 18.Nb4 Rad8 19.Bf4 Qc4 is equal (Adams-Agdestein, Match, Oslo, 1994).
• If 10.h3 Nd7 11.Nf3 Nc7 12.c4 Nb6 13.Qe2 a5 14.a4 Ne8 15.Rd1 Nc8 16.Ba2 Ned6 17.Nc3 Nf5 18.Ne4 b6 19.Neg5 Bd7 20.g4 gives White the advantage in space and the initiative (S. B. Hansen-Soppe, Ol, Istanbul, 2000).

9...Nd7 10.Nef3 N7f6

BLACK: Alexander Riazantsev
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WHITE: Alexander Grischuk
Position after 10...Nd7f6

11.Rxe6!?

• Grischuk introduces an exchange sacrifice to opening theory,
• 11.Bf1 c6 12.c4 Nc7 13.b3 Nce8 14.Bb2 Nd6 15.Ne5 Nd7 16.Ndf3 f6 draw (G. David-Adams, 1990).

11...fxe6 12.Ng5

• 12.Qe2 Nf4 13.Qe1 Kh8 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Qd6 gives White enough compensation for the exchange for an equal game.

12...Qd6

• 12...Qd7 13.Qe2 e5 14.Qxe5 c6 15.Ne6 also gives White equality.

13.Qe1 b5!?

• 13...c6 14.Qxe6+ Qxe6 15.Nxe6 Rf7 16.c3 b5 17.Bd3 remains equal.

14.Bb3!

• White keeps the pressure on the center and his Bishop is specifically aimed at the hapless pawn at e6.
• If 14.Bd3!? then after 14...Nb4! 15.Qxe6+ Qxe6 16.Nxe6 Nxd3 17.cxd3 Rfc8 any compensation White had for the exchange lays in the dust. He has a doubled pawn on an open file and his minor pieces in the rear need to be untangled.

14...a5 15.a4 bxa4

• 15...c6 16.Qxe6+ Qxe6 17.Nxe6 Rfc8 18.Nf3 bxa4 19.Rxa4 gives White the better game; the Knight on e6, although not protected by any White pawn or piece, will not be easy to dislodge.

16.Nc4!

• White has successfully created several weaknesses in Black position and goes about expoiting them.

16...Qc6 17.Rxa4 Ra6

• 17...e5? 18.dxe5! Nh5 19.Ne3 Rfd8 20.Nxd5 Rxd5 21.Rd4 wins for White.

18.Rxa5 Rfa8

• If 18...Ng4?! 19.Rxa6 Qxa6 20.Nxe6! then:
• 20...Rf5 21.Nxg7 Kxg7 22.f3 Ngf6 23.Ne3 Nxe3 24.Qxe3 gives White a powerful position up the middle.
• 20...Rxf2? 21.Nxg7! Kxg7 22.h3 Rxc2 23.hxg4 Rxc4 24.Qe5+ wins for White.

19.Bd2!

• White has his part of the a-file covered so that penetration by Black's Rooks is too costly.

19...Bh6 20.h4

• If 20.Ba4 then:
• 20...Qxa4 21.Rxa4 Rxa4 22.Na3 Rxd4 23.Qxe6+ exploits the pawn weakness created by the sacrifice on White's 11th move.
• 20...Qxc4!? 21.Bb5! Qxc2 22.Bxa6 Bxg5 23.Bxg5 gives White the advantage up the middle.

20...Bxg5?

• The Bishop could have been preserved to defend the dark squares around the Black King.
• 20...R8a7 21.f4 then:
• 21...Bxg5 22.hxg5 Ng4 23.Ra3 Rxa3 24.bxa3 Qd7 25.Qe2 e5 26.Nxe5 allows White's minor pieces to storm through the center.
• 21...Bg7 22.Qxe6+ Qxe6 23.Nxe6 Rxa5 24.Nxa5 Kf7 25.Nc5 allows Black to fight on a bit longer.
• 20...Rxa5 21.Nxa5 Qd7 22.Nc4 Ra7 23.Nxe6 then:
• 23...Bxd2 24.Nxd2 c6 25.Nf3 Qd6 26.c3 leaves White in domination of the darksquare on Black's kingside.
• If 23...Bg7 24.Nxg7 Kxg7 25.Ne5 then:
• If 25...Qd6 then:
• 26.c4! Rb7 27.Ba2 Qa6 28.Bb1 Rxb2 29.cxd5 wins for White.
• Also good is 26.Bh6+ Kg8 27.c4 Qb6 28.Qd1.
• If 25...Qb5? then 26.Nd3 Qd7 27.Nc5 Qc6 28.c4! is crushing.
• The immediate 20...Bg7? proves premature after 21.Nxe6! Rxa5 22.Nxa5 Qd7 23.Qe5 c6 24.Ba4 giving White a won game.

21.hxg5 Nd7

• If 21...Nh5 then after 22.Ne5 Qd6 23.Rxa6 Qxa6 24.c4 Nb6 25.Kh2 Black's queenside initiative is not enough to overcome White's dominance on the kingside.

BLACK: Alexander Riazantsev
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WHITE: Alexander Grischuk
Position after 21...Nf6d7

22.Rxa6!

• Any thing that resembles a good plan wins for White.
• 22.Ba4 Qxc4 23.Bxd7 Qxd4 24.Bxe6+ Kf8 25.c3 also wins.

22...Qxa6 23.Na5 c5

• Black attempts to undermine White's center.
• 23...Rf8? 24.Ba4! Nb8 25.Qe4 Qc8 26.b4 Kf7 27.c4! leaves White even more dominant.

24.Ba4 Ra7

• If 24...Rd8 then after 25.Nc6 Qxa4 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Nxd8 Whtie is two pawns to the good with a mating attack.

25.Bxd7 Rxd7 26.dxc5 Nc7

• 26...e5 27.Qxe5 e6 28.b4 Rd8 29.b5 Qxb5 30.Qxe6+ wins for Whtie.

27.c4

• 27.b4 e5 28.c4 Qe6 29.b5 Rd3 30.b6 leaves White's queenside pawn mass unstoppable.

27...Qa8

• 27...e5 28.b4 Qd6 29.b5 transposes into the previous note.

28.c6 Rd3 29.Bc3 Qf8

• 29...Kf7 30.Qe5 Ne8 31.Qh8 wins for Whtie.

30.Qe5 Rd1+ 31.Kh2 1-0

• Black's last move was merely a spite check.
• If 31...Na8 32.Qh8+ Kf7 33.Qxh7+ Ke8 34.Qxg6+ then:
• 34...Qf7 35.Qxf7+ Kxf7 36.b4 White's queenside pawn mass cannot be stopped.
• If 34...Kd8 35.Be5 Nc7 36.Qc2 Ra1 37.Qd2+ then:
• 37...Ke8 38.Qd7+ Kf7 39.Qxc7 gives White a prohibitive material advantage and pawns that cannot be stopped.
• 37...Kc8 38.Qd7+ Kb8 39.Qxc7+ Ka8 40.Qb7#.
• Grandmaster Riazantsev resigns.