Spanish Team-Ch underway
Considered one of Europe’s strongest team leagues, the Spanish team championships are taking place right now in Linares (14 to 20 August). Both the Honor division title and the 1st division title are at stake. You can find more information HERE . In addition, numerous LIVE sites carry the event (check my side bar for links)
I present two games today from this event. Game-1 features Canada’s Eric Hansen (GM,2614) against Russia’s Mikhail Antipov (GM, 2580). An exciting tactical crush.
Game-2, however, is more of a positional grind, between France’s superstar Etienne Bacrot (GM 2715) and the Ukrainian star Alexander Areschenko (GM 2652). Very instructive, even the mutual mistakes in time trouble!
Game-1 gm Hansen,E – gm Antipov,MLinares 14.8.2017 1st Division
Game-2 gm Bacrot,E – gm Areshchenko,ALinares 15.8.2017 Honor Division
{
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-127534" src="http://www.spraggettonchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Chess_Brau-275x300.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="300" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Eric Hansen is also known by his handle on the ‘net. </strong></span></div>
}
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c6$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Unusual. Seems to be a weird cross between the French and the Caro-Kann. Tastes apart, I would not play this way against such a strong 1.e4 player as Eric.</strong></span></div>
} 4.Nf3 Bb4$5{[#]} ({<strong style="color: black;">A recent disaster for Black was</strong> } 4...Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxf6
Bxf6 7.Qd2 Nd7 8.O-O-O Qa5 9.Kb1 b6 10.Qf4 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Qxa6 12.exd5
cxd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Rhe1+ Kd8 15.Ne5 Rf8 16.Nc6+ Kc8 17.Qd6
Qb7 18.Rd3 Rd8 19.Rc3 Bxd4 20.Ne7# {1-0, <strong style="color: red;">Muzychuk,A 2560 – Gunina,V 2508 , Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 27/ 4/2014 World Blitz Women</strong> }
) 5.e5$5{[#]<strong style="color: black;"> There are serious alternatives</strong>}
({<strong style="color: red;">A:</strong>} 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bd3 {<strong style="color: red;">Nimzowitsch, A- Duras, O 1904 Coburg </strong>} )
({<strong style="color: red;">B:</strong>} 5.Bd3 dxe4 6.Bxe4 Nf6 7.Bd3 {<strong style="color: red;">Steinitz W – Czarnowski J , Paris 1867</strong>}
)
b6 6.Bd3 Ba6 7.O-O{[#]} Bxd3{[#]<strong style="color: black;"> Logical, if nothing else.</strong>}
({<strong style="color: red;">A:</strong>} 7...c5$5 8.Bxa6 Nxa6 9.Nb5$5 cxd4 10.Nfxd4
Bc5$6 11.Qg4! Kf8 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.c4 dxc4 14.Rad1 Ne7 15.Qf3 Rc8 16.Nd6
Bxd6 17.exd6 Nd5 18.Nxe6+ Qxe6 19.Rxd5 f6 20.Bd2 Qd7 21.Bc3 Qf7
22.Re1 Re8 23.Rxe8+ Qxe8 24.d7 Qd8 25.Rd6 Kf7 26.Qd5+ Kg6 27.g4
h6 28.Qxc4 Nc5 29.b4 {1-0, <strong style="color: red;">Siegel G – Funk Volker, 1987 Frankenthal-Zahringe</strong>}
)
({<strong style="color: red;">B:</strong>} 7...Ne7$6 8.Ne2! )
8.Qxd3 Bxc3{[#]} ( {<strong style="color: black;">Also known is</strong>}8...h5 9.Nd1 Nh6 10.Ne3 g6
11.b3 Nd7 12.c4$14 {<strong style="color: red;">Frolochkin V – Smirnov L St. Petersburg/2007</strong>} )
9.bxc3 Ne7{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Black’s game is beginning to look like a Winawer gone wrong.</strong>} 10.Ba3{[#]} ({<strong style="color: black;">Also reasonable is the slower</strong>} 10.a4 Nd7 11.Ba3 h6 12.c4 O-O 13.Rfb1$14 {<strong style="color: red;">Srebrnic V – Ivanovic U , Bled 2008</strong>}
) h6{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Necessary if Black ever plans to castle</strong> }
( 10...O-O$6 11.Ng5 g6 12.Qh3 h5 13.g4$16 ) 11.Nh4$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Hansen’s treatment of the middle game is worthy of close study. There are more positional plans available, letting Black castle and then building up an attack. But Eric prefers to prod and provoke weaknesses, not worrying about losing time with his Knight move.</strong></span></div>
} c5$5{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Black decides to sacrifice a pawn to try to shut out the White Bishop</strong>}
({<strong style="color: red;">A:</strong>} 11...g5$5 12.Nf3 Nd7 13.c4!$14 )
({ <strong style="color: red;">B:</strong>}11...Nd7 12.f4! g6 13.Bd6 {<strong style="color: black;">is very uncomfortable for Black, who can barely find a decent move</strong>} )
({<strong style="color: red;">C:</strong>} 11...O-O$6 12.f4 g6 13.Bxe7$5 ( 13.g4 c5 14.f5$16 ) Qxe7 14.Nxg6 fxg6
15.Qxg6+$16 )
12.f4!
( 12.dxc5 Nd7 ) g6 13.dxc5{[#]} Nd7 14.cxb6 axb6 {[#]}( 14...Qxb6+ 15.Kh1
Nc5 16.Qd4 Ne4 17.Rab1 ) 15.Bb4 Nc5{[#]}
( {<strong style="color: red;">A:</strong>}15...Rc8 16.a4! )
( {<strong style="color: red;">B:</strong>}15...Qc8$5 16.a4 Qa6 17.Qb5!$16 )
16.Qb5+!{[#]} Kf8 ( 16...Qd7 17.Qxb6
Ne4 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 19.Qb4+ Ke8 20.Nf3$16 ) 17.a4!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Very strong! Hansen does not give Black a chance to relax for even one moment. Worse still, Black’s queenside collapses in just a few short moves.</strong></span></div>
} Kg7 18.a5 Ne4{[#]}
( 18...Nd7 19.a6! ) 19.axb6 Rb8 20.Ra6!{[#] <strong style="color: black;">Very precise!</strong>}
( 20.b7$6 Qc7!$15 21.Ra7 Nc6 )
Nc8 21.b7! Qxh4{[#]} 22.Rxe6!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Brilliant! And relentless. Did I mention that it is also very well calculated? Black is simply helpless against the enslaught against his King, his pieces totally lacking coordination. The only thing he can hope for is an error from his opponent, but Eric is not going to let that happen.</strong></span></div>
} Na7{[#]} ( 22...fxe6 23.Qd7+ ) 23.Rxg6+!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Not necessarily the fastest way to win, but convincing just the same!</strong></span></div>
}
( 23.Qxd5$5 Rhd8 24.Qxe4 fxe6 25.Bd6 ) Kxg6 ( 23...fxg6 24.Qd7+ )
( 23...Kh7 24.Qxd5 ) 24.Qxd5 Nd2 ( 24...f5 25.Qe6+ Kg7 26.Qxf5 )
25.f5+{[#]} ( 25.Qxd2$5 Rxb7 26.Qd5 ) Kg7 26.f6+ Kg6 27.Qd3+{[#]}
( 27.Qxd2$5 Rhd8 28.Bd6 Kh7 29.Qd3+ Kg8 30.e6! ) Ne4 28.g3{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone wp-image-127531 size-full" src="http://www.spraggettonchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Hansen_Antipov.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="233" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>The precise moment in the game! Black can resign, but continues the fight. After all, it is a team championship and you have to consider your team mates. I give the rest of the moves as the game no longer has any interest. A GREAT game by Eric!</strong></span></div>
} Qg4 29.Rf4!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-127541" src="http://www.spraggettonchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/DHANKThUIAAmj0Z-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></div>
}
Qxf4 30.gxf4 Kf5 31.Qa6 ( 31.e6 fxe6 32.f7 ) Kxf4 32.Kf1
( 32.Qxa7 Rhd8 33.Bd6 ) Kf3 33.Bd6 Rbg8 34.Qd3+ Kf4 35.e6+ Nxd6
36.Qxd6+ Kf5 37.exf7 Rb8 38.c4 Kg6 39.Qb6 Nc8 40.Qg1+ Kxf6 41.Qd4+ 1-0
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Was there ever a time when the Najdorf Variation was not popular?</strong>} 6.Be2 e5 7.Nf3$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>This move has never been popular, but recently the French players have done some work on it. One needs only recall that last week Vachier_Lagrave used it in the last round of the Sinquefield Cup and managed to win the tournament with it!</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-127551" src="http://www.spraggettonchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Sinquefield_cup_2017_winner-300x201.png" alt="" width="300" height="201" /></div>
}
Be7
({<strong style="color: black;">Perhaps the best move is</strong>} 7...h6$5 {<strong style="color: red;">Carlsen,M – Vachier Lagrave,M , Paris FRA 25/ 6/2017 GCT Blitz</strong>}
)
8.Bg5!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>White’s plan is clear: be willing to exchange his Bishop for Black’s Knight and try to dominate on d5. For this reason, especially, Black might be advised in the future to play an early h6.</strong></span></div>
} Be6$5{[#]} ({<strong style="color: black;">Trying to improve on the Sinquefield Cup game:</strong>} 8...Nbd7 9.a4 O-O 10.Nd2 Nc5 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Nc4
Be7 13.a5 Rb8 14.Nb6 Nd7 15.Ncd5 Nxb6 16.Nxb6 Be6 17.Bc4 Qc7
18.Qd3 Bd8 19.c3 Qc6 20.Bd5 Qe8 21.Bxe6 Qxe6 22.Nd5 f5 23.O-O
Rc8 24.Rfd1 fxe4 25.Qxe4 Qf5 26.Qe2 Kh8 27.c4 Bh4 28.g3 Bg5 29.Ra3
Rce8 30.h4 Bd8 31.b4 Qg6 32.h5 Qf5 33.Ne3 Qe6 34.Rad3 Be7 35.Nd5
Bd8 36.Rf3 Rxf3 37.Qxf3 Kg8 38.Kg2 e4 39.Qe2 Qe5 40.Ne3 Bg5 41.Rd5
Qf6 42.Nf5 Re6 43.c5 dxc5 44.Qc4 Qf7 45.Rxc5 h6 46.Rc8+ Kh7 47.g4
Re7 48.Qd4 Re6 49.Qd5 g6 50.hxg6+ Kxg6 51.Rf8 Qxf8 52.Qxe6+ {1-0, Vachier Lagrave,M 2791 – Nepomniachtchi,I 2742 , Saint Louis USA 11/ 8/2017 5th Sinquefield C}
) 9.Bxf6$5{[#]} Bxf6 10.O-O Be7 11.Nd5 Nd7 12.Bc4$5 {[#]} ({<strong style="color: black;">A logical move, but curiously never played before in this position!</strong>} 12.a4{<strong style="color: black;">is more common</strong>} ) Rc8 13.Qe2
Nb6 ( 13...O-O 14.Rfd1 ) 14.Nxb6 Qxb6 15.Bb3 O-O 16.Rfd1{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>White is slightly better, but Black must be careful of not ending up with a bad Bishop as in the Vachier-Lagrave game from the Sinquefield Cup.</strong></span></div>
} Qc6$6 {<strong style="color: black;">Black seems to play unconvincingly here</strong>}
( 16...Rc6! 17.Bxe6 fxe6 18.c3 {<strong style="color: black;">with only the slightest of edges for White</strong>} ) 17.c3{[#]} Qb6$6{[#]} ( 17...b5! ) 18.Qc2
Rc5 19.Ne1 Rb5 20.Bxe6!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Bacrot finds a concrete plan that causes Black problems. Soon Black is thrown on the defensive.</strong></span></div>
} fxe6 ( 20...Rxb2$4 21.Rab1! ) 21.b4!{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Black must now lose time to save his Rook while White expands on the Queenside</strong>} Qc7 22.Qb3
Rf6 23.c4! Rb6 24.Nd3{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>The difference between a smooth positional game like this one as opposed to Eric’s chaotic game (on the left) is that the annotator does not need to give concrete variations. The game flows naturally from one plan to the next, each time trying to improve the position.</strong></span></div>
} Rc6 25.Rac1 b5$5{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>What else? If Black stands still then White will simply advance his pawns on the Queenside unhindered.</strong></span></div>
} 26.cxb5 axb5 27.a4!{[#]} Qb7 28.axb5
Rb6$5{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Trying to slow White down. It makes little difference.</strong>} 29.Rc4$5 Rxb5 30.Qc2 Bf8 31.h3!{[#]
<div class="custom_attn_box" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Black has no threats, so White takes the opportunity to make luft – always a good idea when you have a pleasant edge but no direct way to make progress.</strong></span></div>
} d5$6{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Black lacks patience and unnecessarily weakens his position</strong>} 32.Rc7 Qb6 33.Rc8{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Now Black must watch out for back-rank blows</strong>} Qb7 ( 33...dxe4$4 34.Nc5!$18 ) 34.Nxe5$6{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Bacrot gives Black a bit of a breather. Probably both players are short of time here.Soon both players lose control and the game becomes chaotic</strong>} ({<strong style="color: red;">White is well on his way to winning with</strong>} 34.Rd8!$16 h6$6 35.Ra1! )
Rxb4 35.exd5 exd5$6{[#]} ({<strong style="color: black;">Black can still resist with</strong>} 35...Rb2! 36.Qc5 Rf5 {<strong style="color: black;">though it is not so simple to play</strong>}
) 36.Rc7 Rb2!{[#]} 37.Ng4$2{[#]} Rd6$2 ( 37...Qb6$17 ) 38.Qc1 Qb6 39.Rc8 h5$2{[#]}
40.Qf4!{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Now White has a winning position and does not let Black slip out!</strong>} Rd8 41.Rxd8 Qxd8 42.Qe5!{[#]} d4 43.Qxh5{[#]} Rb6 44.Qa5 Rd6 45.Qa2+
Kh7 46.Qc4 g6 47.Ne5 Qe7$4{[#]} 48.Rxd4!{[#]<strong style="color: black;">Black now realizes that he can not take the Knight because of a check on f7 followed by a check on the h-file with his Rook</strong>} 1-0
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