Game of the Day
The Positional Pawn Sacrifice
The following game was played at the recently concluded TradeWise Gibraltar Chess Festival in the 6th round between former World Champion Challenger Boris Gelfand and the talented young International Master Nitzan Steinberg from Israel.
The game is in many ways typical of the modern style of playing the Catalan Opening : White sacrifices a pawn in order to create positional pressure, trying to prevent Black from achieving a ‘normal’ development. Hardly a perfect game by either player, but this only serves to demonstrates the enormous practical chances that such a style of play can give way to.
This game is also one of my favourite games from the Gibraltar tournament. I hope you enjoy it also. I use the RPB-plugin
GM Gelfand,B – IM Steinberg,N
Gibraltar 20-01-2017
[Annotator "Spraggett"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3{[#]} dxc4 {[#]}
({The solid} 4...e6 {has never gone out of style and has an immense following amongst the elite. However, there is no reason not to take the pawn. It is really just a question of style.} )
({Very popular today amongst the young Russians is} 4...Bg4$5 5.Bg2 ( 5.Ne5 Bf5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.f3 Rc8 9.Bg2 Qb6! {<strong style="color: red;">Rodshtein,M – Rublevsky,S , Sochi RUS 4- 5-2016 TCh-RUS</strong>} ) e6 6.Qb3!{ With an interesting game for both sides} )
5.Bg2 e6{[#]
I don’t like this variation for Black, and as this game shows, atleast with respect to the opening, Black is better off playing one of the suggested alternatives.}
({Risky is} 5...b5 6.b3! cxb3 7.axb3!$14 e6 8.O-O Be7
9.Ne5 Bb7 10.Nc3 a6 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bf4 O-O 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4
Qc8 15.Qc2 c5 16.dxc5 Nc6 17.Rac1 Nxe5 18.Bxe5 Bc6 19.Rfd1 Rd8
20.Bd6 Bf6 21.Bxc6 Qxc6 22.e4 g6 23.h4 a5 24.Rb1 a4 25.bxa4 Rxa4
26.e5 Bg7 27.Qb3 Re4 28.Re1 Ra8 29.Qd3 Raa4 30.Qf1 Rxh4 31.Qg2
Qxg2+ 32.Kxg2 Rhc4 33.Rxb5 Ra2 34.Rb8+ Kh7 35.Rb7 Kg8 36.Rbb1
Raa4 37.Rb5 Ra8 38.Rb7 Rc8 39.Re3 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Mamedyarov,S – Beliavsky,A , Reykjavik ISL 14- 3-2016 Reykjavik Open</strong> }
)
( {More to be recommeded is }5...g6 6.a4 Bg7 7.Na3$5 )
( {And even more solid is}5...Bf5 6.O-O e6 )
6.Ne5!{[#]
This cuts down Black’s options and is therefore probably the most precise move order. However, there are dissenting opinions and the final word might yet surprise us all.}
b5
( 6...Nbd7$6 7.Nxc4 {is just so pleasant to play for White} )
( {Very risky and not be recommended to the light hearted is}6...Bb4+$6 7.Bd2 Qxd4 8.Bxb4 Qxe5 9.Na3! {with promising compensation for White} )
( 6...c5$5 7.Be3!$14 {though there is plenty of work to still be done in this line and I would not be surprised if it is one day shown to be OK for Black})
7.a4{[#]}
( {Ofcourse}7.Nxc6 Qb6 8.Na5 Nd5 {is just a messy game and nothing special for White} )
Nd5 8.O-O Bb7
({Wrong is} 8...f6$6 9.e4! Ne7 10.Nf3 Bb7 11.b3!$16 {<strong style="color: red;">Rodshtein,M – Rublevsky,S , Sochi RUS 4- 5-2016 TCh-RUS</strong>}
)
({Often transposing into positions similar to the main line in this game is} 8...a6 9.b3! ( {Or} 9.e4$5 Nf6 10.Nc3 Bb7 11.d5 cxd5 12.exd5 exd5 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Bxa8 15.Nxb5 Qa5 16.Nd4 Bb4 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bxf6
gxf6 19.Qh5 Qa7 20.Nb5 Qe7 21.Nxc4 dxc4 22.Bxa8 Qe5 23.Qg4 Qxb5
24.Qc8+ Ke7 25.Qxh8 Bd2 26.Qc8 Qxb2 27.Qc5+ Ke8 28.Qxc4 Nd7 29.Bc6
{<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Sosonko G – Bouwmeester Hans , Netherlands 1973</strong>} ) )
{[#]} 9.b3!{[#]
I really like this move and it appears to be one of the key ideas (if not the key theme) for White in this line. Black is not given a chance to consolidate and castle and must busy himself to prevent his position disintegrating on the Queenside}
( 9.e4$5 {Is more often played and has a good practical record also} )
cxb3 ( 9...c3$6 10.e4! {just helps White} ) 10.axb5{[#]
Cuts down Black’s options and is probably best because of this. Chess theory should be about reducing your work load while increasing the effectiveness of your preparation.}
( 10.Qxb3 {Often just transposes but why give Black options?} )
cxb5 11.Qxb3
a6 12.e4 Nf6{[#]}
({No better but also no worse is} 12...Nc7 13.d5! {The same shot against other Knight moves!} Bd6 14.Nc4 bxc4 15.Qxb7 O-O 16.Nd2
exd5 17.exd5 Nd7 18.Nxc4 Rb8 19.Qc6 Ne5 20.Qxd6 Nxc4 21.Qc5 Nd6
22.Bf4 Ncb5 23.Rxa6 Rc8 24.Rc6 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Iskusnyh Sergei – Sarana Alexey , Samara 8- 7-2013 Memorial L.Polugaevski</strong>}
) 13.d5!$16{[#]
Thirty years ago I bought the two-volume series on the Catalan by Neishtadt (which still today ranks as one of the best references for the Catalan) and even then this position was considered unplayable for Black. Thirty years later (today) nothing has changed. Black’s position is VERY difficult, if not already lost. To be even more brutal, more than 40 years ago all this was ALREADY known, atleast to correspondence players.}
Bc5
({The move played by Steinberg is not good, but there are only BAD alternatives} 13...exd5 14.exd5 Bd6 ( 14...Bxd5 15.Qe3 Qe7 16.Nc3
Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Qb7+ ( 17...Nbd7 18.Nxd7 Nxd7 19.Qf3 ) 18.Nc6+ Be7
( 18...Kd7 19.Rd1+ Kxc6 20.Qf3+ Kc7 21.Bf4+ Kc8 22.Rd8+ ) 19.Qxe7+
Qxe7 20.Nxe7 Kxe7 21.Nxb5 ) ( 14...Bc5 15.d6 ) 15.Nc6 Qb6 16.Re1+
Kf8 17.Ba3 b4 18.Nd2 Qb5 19.Nxb4 Kg8 20.Nc6 Qxb3 21.Nxb3 Bxa3
22.Rxa3 g6 23.Nc5 Bc8 24.d6 Kg7 25.Nd4 Ra7 26.Nb5 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Nesis Gennadij – Zelinsky Yuri 1975 Ch URS (corr.)</strong>}
)
( 13...Qb6 14.Nc4! Qc7 ( {somewhat better is}14...Qd4 15.Ra4 Qc5 16.Na5 Bxd5 17.exd5
bxa4 18.Qb7 Qxa5 19.Bf4 {but nobody doubts that Black has problems} ) 15.Na5 e5 16.Be3 Bd6 17.Rc1 Qe7 18.f3
Qd7 19.Bc5 Bxc5+ 20.Rxc5 Bc8 21.Qc3 O-O 22.Rc7 Qe8 23.Nd2 Nbd7
24.Nc6 Kh8 25.Nb3 Ng8 26.Rc1 f6 27.Na7 Nb6 28.Qc6 Nc4 {<strong style="color: red;">1-0, Agzamov Georgy T – Foisor Ovidiu Doru , Sochi 1985</strong>}
)
14.Nc4$6{[#] Even though this move is in many ways a logical move,it is infact a serious imprecision that allows Black back into the game! All the more surprising because normally Gelfand kills his opponent when the first opportunity to do so arises}
( {Correct is }14.dxe6! fxe6 ( 14...O-O 15.Bb2$18 ) 15.Nd3! {Perhaps Gelfand did not see this move, or if he saw it then he underestimated it}
( 15.Qxe6+ Qe7 {and Black is still kicking} ) Nbd7 16.Qxe6+ Qe7 17.Nxc5 Nxc5 18.Qxe7+ Kxe7
19.Ba3 Nfd7 20.Nc3 {and Black has a HORRIBLE position} ) Bc8$5{[#]} ({The same this is} 14...O-O 15.Na5 Bc8 ) 15.Na5 O-O 16.Bb2{[#]
Despite the hick-ups in the opening, we now have a complex and dynamic middlegame where Black has an extra pawn but White has excellent compensation with his well placed pieces. Objectively the game is balanced, but in practice in these kinds of positions it is usually much easier for Black to go wrong than White!}
Qb6 ( 16...Ra7$5 ) 17.Nd2$6{[#] Logical, but not the most precise.} ( {Correct was first }17.Qc2! {and if then} Ng4 18.Nb3! ) Ra7{[#] Not so bad, but let’s slip an opportunity to radically mix things up} ( 17...Ng4!
18.Qf3 exd5 19.Nab3 ( 19.exd5 Qh6!$17 ) Be7$6 ( 19...Qh6! 20.h3 Bxf2+!
21.Rxf2 Nxf2 22.Kxf2 ( 22.Qxf2 Bxh3 ) a5 23.exd5 {with a position impossible to evaluate and offering chances for both sides} ) 20.Rac1$14 )
18.Qc2{[#] Not as good as the move before} exd5 ({Black should seriously investigate} 18...Rc7 19.Ndb3 Ba3 20.Qd2 Bxb2 21.Qxb2 exd5 22.exd5
Re8 {and atleast White will not be able to double Black’s pawns on f6 as in the game continuation} ) 19.exd5 Rc7 20.Ndb3 Bb4 21.Qd3 Qd6{[#]} 22.Rac1{[#]
How to evaluate this position correctly, let alone play it well? The game is completely chaotic and asymmetric. White has a good placement of his pieces and just plays the game as though the material is equal! The passed pawn on the d-file, especially, offers good chances of creating a crisis for Black should White find the opportunity to advance it} Rxc1 23.Rxc1
Re8 24.h3 h6 25.Nc6$5 Nxc6 26.Rxc6{[#]} Qd8 27.Bxf6$5{[#]
Doubling the pawns is a double-edged sword. Black now gets the Bishop pair.} gxf6 28.d6$5{[#]} Bb7$6{[#]
Black naturally can not play perfectly for ever in this kind of position, and here he misses the strongest continuation.}
({Correct was} 28...Re1+! 29.Kh2 Bb7 30.d7 Bxc6 31.Bxc6 { when White has compensation for the exchange, but not more. Objectively the game should be a draw} ) 29.Rc1$5{[#] Gelfand smells his opportunity coming}
({White can force an immediate draw with} 29.Bd5 Bxc6 ( 29...Kg7 30.Rc7 ) 30.Qg6+{but an experienced player like Gelfand realizes that there is no need for this yet. He allows his young opponent the opportunity to go wrong} ) Qa8$2 {[#] After this move, Gelfand is unforgiving} ( {The only hope was} 29...Bxg2! 30.d7
Bb7! 31.dxe8=Q+ Qxe8 {and instead of Black being up the exchange he finds himself down an exchange. However, his Bishop pair combined with White’s weakened King position gives him good chances to save the game. Now, however, the game quickly ends.}) 30.Bxb7! Qxb7 31.Qd4 {[#]} ( 31.d7 Rd8 32.Qd4 {is the same thing} )
a5 ( 31...Re4 32.Qxf6! {does not solve any of Black’s problems} ) 32.d7!{[#]} Rd8 33.Rc8!{[#]
<h2 class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000; font-size: 18pt; font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;"><strong> Crushing! Black resigns</strong></span></h2>
<h2 class="custom_attn_box"><span style="color: #800000; font-size: 18pt; font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;"><strong> 1-0</strong></span></h2>
} Be7 ( 33...Rxc8 34.Qg4+
Kh7 35.dxc8=Q ) 34.Nxa5 Qf3 35.Nc6 1-0
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