Reply #4: Negi - Sangma, Round 6

[Jack Rabbit]

Parimarjan Negi
Photo by rorkhete from Wikipedia (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)


Parimarjan Negi - Rahul Sangma
9th Parsvnath International Open, Round 6
New Delhi, 11 January 2011

Grand Spanish Royal Game: Clam Opening (Bronstein Defense)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0

• For an overview of this opening, see Stefansson-Nataf, Op, Reykjavik, 2010.

5...Qd6 6.d3

• If 6.Na3 Be6 7.Qe2 f6 8.Rd1 then:
• If 8...Bg4 9.c3 then:
• If 9...c5 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Ne7 12.d4 cxd4 13.cxd4 exd4 14.Bf4 Qd7 15.Rac1 then:
• 15...Nc6 16.Nc2 Rd8 17.Qg3 Qf7 18.Bxc7 Rd7 is equal (Solzhenkin-I. Ibragimov, Russian Ch, St. Petersburg, 1998).
• 15...Rc8 16.Nc4 Ng6 is equal (Swinkels-Ragger, Bundesliga 0809, Wattenscheid, 2008).
• If 9...Qe6 10.Nc2 Bd6 11.Ne3 then:
• 11...Ne7 12.d4 Ng6 13.Nxg4 Qxg4 14.h3 Qe6 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 fxe5 17.Be3 0-0 18.b3 gives White the advantage in space (C. Balogh-Olszewski, Najdorf Mem, Warsaw, 2008).
• 11...Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Ne7 13.Qg4 Qf7 14.d4 0-0 15.Nf5 Nxf5 16.Qxf5 Rfe8 17.Bd2 Rad8 18.b3 a5 19.g3 gives White the advantage in space (Rozentalis-Roamnishin, Op, Bad Godesberg, 1994).
• If 8...0-0-0 9.d4 Bg4 then:
• If 10.Be3 Qe6 11.dxe5 then:
• 11...Rxd1+ 12.Qxd1 Bxa3 13.bxa3 Ne7 14.Nd4 Qd7 15.f3 fxe5 16.fxg4 Rd8 17.c3 c5 18.Bg5 exd4 19.cxd4 cxd4 gives Black fewer pawn weaknesses (Kejo-Ivanchuk, Tal Mem Blitz, Moscow, 2008).
• 11...Re8 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Bxa3 14.bxa3 fxe5 is equal (Naiditsch-Krasenkow, Euro Ch Playoff (Rpd), Antalya, 2004).
• If 10.c3 Qe6 11.Nc2 Re8 then:
• If 12.Re1 exd4 13.Ncxd4 Qd7 14.h3 Bh5 15.Bf4 Ne7 16.Rad1 c5 17.Nb3 Qc6 18.Bh2 Bf7 19.Qd2 b6 20.e5 then:
• 20...Bg8 21.exf6 gxf6 22.Qd3 c4 23.Nbd4 cxd3 24.Nxc6 gives White the advantage in space (Fester-Sorota, Corres, 2000).
• 20...Ng6 21.e6 Bxe6 22.Nbd4 cxd4 23.Nxd4 Qd7 24.Rxe6 Rxe6 25.Nxe6 Bd6 26.Qe2 gives White more freedom and a huge advantage in space (Gessler-Piccoli, Corres, 2002).
• 12.Qe3 exd4 13.Nfxd4 Qd7 14.Rd3 c5 15.Ne2 Qa4 is equal (Howell-Wells, Op, Gibraltar, 2004).

6...Ne7

• 6...f6 7.Be3 c5 8.Nbd2 Be6 9.Qe2 Ne7 10.c3 Nc6 11.Nb3 Bxb3 12.axb3 Rd8 13.Rfd1 gives White a slight advantage (K. Georgiev-Short, IT, Plovdiv, 1982).

7.Be3

• 7.Nbd2 Ng6 8.Nc4 Qf6 9.d4 exd4 10.Bg5 Qe6 11.Nxd4 Qd7 12.Nf5 gives White the advantage in space (Vi. Gurevich-Curdo, New England, 1992).

7...c5

• If 7...Ng6 8.Nbd2 then:
• 8...Be7 9.d4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Ne5 11.h3 c5 12.N4b3 b6 13.f4 Nc6 14.Qf3 Bb7 is equal (Socko-Gyimesi, EU Ch, Cork, 2005).
• 8...c5 9.a4 b6 10.Nc4 Qe6 11.Ng5 Qf6 12.Qh5 h6 13.Nh3 Bxh3 14.Qxh3 Bd6 15.Qg4 gives White the advantage in space (Kasimdzhanov-Adams, FIDE Knock Out, Tripoli, 2004).

8.Nbd2 Nc6 9.Nc4 Qf6 10.h3 (N)

• 10.c3 Bg4 11.Ncd2 Be7 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Nxf3 0-0 14.Qe2 Rfd8 is equal (Sekulic-Blagojevic, TT, Jahorina, 2001).

10...Bd6

• The game is equal.
• 10...Be6 11.b3 h6 12.a4 0-0-0 is also equal.

11.Kh1 0-0 12.c3

• 12.a4 (slowing Black's queenside expansion) 12...Be6 13.Nxd6 cxd6 14.a5 h6 remains equal.

12...b5 13.Nxd6 Qxd6

• If 13...cxd6 14.Re1 then:
• 14...Re8 15.a3 a5 16.b3 Qg6 17.Nh4 is equal.
• 14...Bb7 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 17.Nxd4 Ne5 is equal.

14.Qe2 f5 15.exf5!?

• Perhaps White is atempting to rope a dope, but he surrenders the center and opens lines for Black's pieces.
• Objectively better is 15.Rfd1 f4 16.Bc1 when:
• 16...Rb8 17.b3 b4 18.cxb4 cxb4 19.Bb2 Nd4 20.Bxd4 exd4 is equal.
• If 16...h6!? 17.b3 then:
• 17...Be6 18.Bb2 Rae8 19.Qc2 Bf7 20.d4 Bh5 is equal.
• 17...b4 18.Qc2 Qg6 19.cxb4 Nd4 20.Nxd4 cxd4 21.Rg1 gives White a weak extra pawn..

15...Bxf5!

• Black assumes a small advantage in space.

16.Rfd1 Qd5!?

• This is an obvious attempt to control e4.
• Better is 16...Rad8 17.Ne1 Be6 18.Nf3 h6, maintaining Black's advantage.

17.Ng5

• The game is again equal.

17...h6 18.Ne4 c4 19.f3 cxd3 20.Rxd3 Qe6 21.Bg1 Qg6

• 21...Bxe4!? 22.Qxe4 Rad8 23.Rad1 Rxd3 24.Rxd3 gives White a minute advantage in space.

22.Rad1 Bxe4 23.fxe4 Rad8 24.Rd5 Rde8!?

• Black cedes command of the open file to White.
• 24...Rb8 25.Bc5 Rf4 26.Re1 Kh7 27.Rd7 Rc8 28.Qd3 remains equal.
• If 24...Rxd5?! then 25.exd5! Nd8 26.c4 c6 27.Bc5 Re8 28.d6 gives White a menacing passed pawn.

BLACK: Rahul Sangma



WHITE: Parimarjan Negi
Position after 24...Rd8e8

25.a4!

• White takes a small advantage in space.

25...bxa4

• If 25...Rf4?! 26.axb5 axb5 27.Re1 b4 28.Qc4 Kh7 29.cxb4 gives White an extra pawn.

26.Qc4

• Slightly better is 26.Ra1! a5 27.Rxa4 then:
• 27...Kh7 28.Bc5 Rf4 29.Kh2 Rd8 30.Rxd8 Nxd8 31.Qd3 gives White a slight advantage in space.
• If 27...Rb8?! 28.Qc4! Kh7 then:
• 29.b4! axb4 30.cxb4 Qe8 31.b5 Nd4 32.Bxd4 exd4 33.Qd3! wins the d-pawn while the b-pawn remains safe.
• 29.b3!? Rf6 30.Ra1 Rf4 31.Rc5 Rb6 32.Rd1 gives White a slight advantage in space.

26...Kh7 27.Rd7!?

• White goes pawn hunting and misses a better line.
• Better is 27.Qxa4 Rf4 28.Qxa6 Re6 29.Qd3 Rxe4 30.b4, giving White a small advantage in space.

27...Rd8 28.Qxa4 Rxd7 29.Rxd7 Nd8?!

• Black gives White an opportunity to break the game open.
• 29...Rd8 30.Rxd8 Nxd8 31.Bh2 Qd6 32.Qc4 Ne6 is equal.

.

BLACK: Rahul Sangma



WHITE: Parimarjan Negi
Position after 29...Nc6d8

30.Qc4?!

• White misses an opportunity that may not be immediately obvious.
• If 30.Kh2 Qe8 31.Be3 Rf7 32.Rd4! then:
• 32...Qxa4 33.Rxa4 Rf6 34.Ra5 Nf7 35.Rc5 wins a pawn.
• If 32...exd4?? comes up one move short after 33.Qxe8 dxe3 34.Qxd8 when:
• If 34...Rf2 then the pawn falls after 35.e5! Rxb2 36.Qd3+.
• 34...e2 35.Qd2 wins for White.

30...Ne6!

• White must be content with a small advantage in space.

31.Qxa6 Rf6 32.Qe2 Ng5 33.Bh2 Nxe4 34.Bxe5 Re6?!

• Since the White Bishop cannot be prevented from taking on c7, the move is a self-pin.
• Correct is 34...Rf5! 35.Bxc7 Rf2 36.Qg4 Rf1+ 37.Kh2 then:
• 37...Rh1+ 38.Kxh1 Nf2+ 39.Kh2 Nxg4+ 40.hxg4 Qxg4 gives Black a small advantage.
• 37...Nf2?? 38.Qxg6+! Kxg6 39.c4 Rh1+ 40.Kg3! leaves White up by two connect remote passed pawns.

35.Qb5 c6 36.Qb8 Re8??

• This blunder loses immediately.
• Black is still in the game, if barely, after 36...Nf6 37.Bxf6 Qxf6 38.Kh2 c5 39.Rd8 Rb6 40.Rh8+.

BLACK: Rahul Sangma



WHITE: Parimarjan Negi
Position after 36...Re6e8

37.Qxe8!!

• White sacrifices his Queen to cap off the game.

37...Ng3+ 38.Kh2 1-0

• If White takes the Queen, 38...Qxe8, then White emerges a whole Rook to the good after 39.Rxg7+ Kh8 40.Re7+.
• Sangma resigns.