Aeroflot Open-A
Moscow’s super-Open saw some exciting play in round 2, with only four draws on the top ten boards. Going into round 3, there are only 6 players with 2-points: Khalifman , Bologan, Korobov, Artemiev, Petrosyan (T) and Sethuraman. First prize is 18,000 euros.
gm Khalifman,A – gm Schevchenko,K
Moscow 21-2-2018
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>The sharpest continuation. Khalifman is one of the best prepared players in the world. He is also author of many important opening series, and so it pays to follow his lead in the opening phase of the game.</strong></span></div>
} d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.e5 Ne4 6.Nf3 Bf5{[#]} 7.d3$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>According to the theoretical texts, this move is not the most challenging. However, last year saw some very strong players experiment with it. Khalifman is very up to date!</strong></span></div>
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}
Nxc3 8.bxc3 c5 9.d4$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>By playing d4 in two moves instead of one move, White has side-stepped the simplification that the ‘main’ lines often see. Does this mean that Black has more difficulty? That is for the theoreticians to figure out! Only more praxis can shed light on this.</strong></span></div>
} Nc6 ( 9...Qa5 10.Bd2 c4 11.Nh4 Be6 12.Qb1
Nd7 13.f4 g6 14.f5 gxf5 15.Nxf5 O-O-O 16.Be2 f6 17.exf6 Re8 18.Ng7
Bxg7 19.fxg7 Rhg8 20.Qxh7 Re7 21.Qh6 Bg4 22.O-O Rexg7 23.Rf2
Rg6 24.Qe3 Re6 25.Qg3 Reg6 26.Bxg4 Rxg4 27.Qh3 Qa3 28.Raf1 b5
29.Qh7 R4g7 30.Qf5 Qd6 31.Bf4 Qc6 32.Bg3 Kb7 33.Qb1 Ka6 34.Qb4
Nb6 35.Rf6 Qd7 36.Rd6 Qe7 37.Rb1 Qe3+ 38.Kh1 Qe8 39.a4 Rxg3 40.Qxb5+
Qxb5 41.axb5+ Kb7 42.hxg3 Rxg3 43.Rf1 Rg7 44.Rdf6 Na4 45.R1f3
{1-0, Lippstreu G – Warta A, corr. 1993 cr VI-BSTT/1} ) 10.Bd3
Be4$6{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>This ambitious move does not look right It was probably better just to exchange Bishops and and then try to quickly castle.</strong></span></div>
} ( 10...Qd7 11.Bxf5 Qxf5 12.O-O Be7 13.dxc5 Rd8 14.Be3 O-O
15.Rb1 Rd7 16.Bd4 Rc8 17.Re1 Rdc7 18.Rb2 Nd8 19.Qa4 a6 20.Rb6
Ne6 21.c6 bxc6 22.Rxa6 Nf4 23.Be3 Nd3 24.Rf1 c5 25.Qc2 d4 26.cxd4
cxd4 27.Nxd4 Qe4 28.Qb1 Bc5 29.Ra4 Rb7 30.Nf3 Qd5 31.Qc2 Rbc7
32.Qb3 Qxb3 33.axb3 Bxe3 34.fxe3 h6 35.h3 Rc3 36.Ra7 Rb8 37.e6
fxe6 38.Nd4 Ne5 39.Nxe6 Rc6 40.Nxg7 Rxb3 41.Nh5 Ng6 42.Ra8+ {1-0, Vitiugov,N 2720 – Elsness,F 2466 , Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 21/ 6/2017 11th World Teams 2017}
) 11.O-O cxd4 ( 11...Qd7$5 12.Re1$5 ) ( 11...Be7$5 12.Rb1 Qd7 13.Re1 )
12.Nxd4!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>The most precise! Taking with the pawn would have lead to a less critical game. The problem facing Black now is that with the centre in a very unstable state, his King can easily become a target.</strong></span></div>
} ( 12.cxd4$14 ) Bxd3{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>It is hard to criticize this move. The game is surprisingly difficult for Black, who has a shortage of good alternatives.</strong></span></div>
}
({<strong style="color: red;">A</strong>} 12...Nxe5$4 13.Bb5+ )
( {<strong style="color: red;">B</strong>}12...Nxd4$6 13.cxd4 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Qd7 15.Bd2 Be7 16.Qg3!$16 )
({<strong style="color: red;">C</strong>} 12...Be7$2 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Bxe4 dxe4 15.Qg4! )
13.Qxd3 Qd7 14.Bg5$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Good enough for the initiative and a solid plus, something that an experienced grandmaster like Khalifman could hardly turn down. However, the computer found something with a bit more sting in it…</strong></span></div>
}
({ <strong style="color: red;">Stronger would be </strong>} 14.Nf5! g6 15.Nd6+! Bxd6 16.exd6 Qxd6 17.Re1+ Kd7 18.Qf3!{<strong style="color: red;">when the Black King could hardly survive long without some significant concession from the Black side</strong>} ) Be7
15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.f4!{[#]} g6$6 ({<strong style="color: red;">While it is not pretty, Black had to brave </strong>} 16...O-O! 17.f5 f6 {<strong style="color: red;">and pray!</strong>}) 17.f5!$16 {[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Decisive! Now the Black King can find no peace and it is just a question of time before the position collapses like a house of cards.</strong></span></div>
} Nxf5$6
( 17...gxf5 18.Nxf5 Nxf5 19.Rxf5{would be transpostion into the game continuation} ) 18.Nxf5 ( 18.e6! fxe6 19.Nxe6
Kf7 20.Rxf5+ gxf5 21.Qxf5+ Ke7 22.Re1! ) gxf5 19.Rxf5 Rc8 20.Raf1{[#]}
Rg8 ( 20...Rf8 21.e6 Qxe6 22.Rf6 Qe7 23.Qb5+ Qd7 24.Rd6 Qxb5
25.Re1+ ) 21.Rxf7! Qxf7 22.Rxf7 Kxf7{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Despite the relative material balance, Black will not be able to avoid losing one of his Rooks. The game quickly ends as soon as Black realizes his fate.</strong></span></div>
} 23.Qf5+ Ke7 24.Qf6+ 1-0
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