Despite playing for almost 50 years, I continue to be amazed how when great players lose it almost always has to do with beginner basics. Witness the following game played recently in the Chinese Team Championship, where Black neglects to make luft…
gm Xu,Xiangyu – gm Eljanov,PTCh-China 24.8.2018
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Nd2 c5 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Qxd2 cxd4 7.Nf3
b6 8.Bg2 Bb7 9.O-O Bxf3 10.exf3 Nc6 11.f4 Rc8 12.b3 O-O 13.Bb2
d5 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.Rfd1 Nc3 16.Bxc3 dxc3 17.Qxc3 Na5 18.Qe3 Qf6
19.Rac1{[#]<strong style="color: red;">After some interesting opening play, worthy of further study, we have now arrived at an imbalanced, but equalish,middlegame position. White has the powerful Bishop, Black the agile Knight. Given the weakened White pawn structure, I prefer the Knight! In anycase, neither side is threatening anything serious, and this is a good time for Black to play g6 (luft) and await further developments.</strong> } Qb2$2{[#]<strong style="color: red;">A subtle but serious error that White does not forgive. I suppose that Eljanov did not sense any danger on his back rank when he played his last move, and White’s continuation must have completely escaped his radar.</strong>} ( 19...g6! {<strong style="color:red;">and not worry about the Knight being attacked:</strong>} 20.b4 Nc4! 21.Qc3 Qe7 22.Bf1
b5 {<strong style="color:red;">with a tough fight ahead for both sides</strong>} ) 20.Rxc8! Rxc8 21.b4!{[#]<strong style="color: red;"> All of a sudden Black realizes that his Knight does not have a fully satisfactory square to move to. As an aside, one often wonders how strong grandmasters can lose games? The answer is not that they make big mistakes but rather they sometimes lose because of small, often very subtle mistakes.</strong>} Nb3 {[#]}
( 21...Nc6$4 22.Bxc6 Rxc6 23.Rd8# )
( 21...Nc4$2 22.Qd3!
g6 23.Bb7! ) 22.Bf1!{[#]<strong style="color: red;">A very strong move that decides the game! It threatens nothing yet, but its strength is that it kills all of Black’s hopes of counterplay. Now Black has little better than creating luft, but it is too late to prevent White’s Rook from infiltrating Black’s game and create serious problems.</strong>} ( 22.Bb7$6 Rc1!$11 ) g6 23.Rd7{[#]} ( 23.Rd3!{<strong style="color: red;">Apparently the computer likes this move a tad bit more, but it must be admitted that White’s move is pretty strong!</strong>} Nc1
( 23...Na1 24.Rd7 Nc2{<strong style="color: red;">the Knight is looking for something useful to do, but there is nothing. That is why Knights need to be firmly planted on good squares early in the game.</strong>} 25.Qe4 Nxa3 26.Rxf7$3 Kxf7 27.Qb7+ Kf6 28.Qxc8
Kf7 29.Qb7+ Kg8 30.Qb8+ Kf7 31.Qxa7+ ) 24.Rd7 ) a5$6{[#]<strong style="color: red;">This turns out to accelerate Black’s defeat, but the truth is that nothing can stop White in anycase.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color: red;">The natural </strong>}23...Qxa3 {<strong style="color: red;">allows the pretty</strong>} 24.f5$3 exf5 25.Qe7 Rf8 26.Kg2 Qc1 27.Rc7 Qd2 28.Bc4 {<strong style="color: red;">etc</strong>} )
24.Qxb6{[#]} Rc1{[#]} ( 24...axb4 25.Rxf7$3 Kxf7 26.Qb7+ Kf6 27.Qxc8 Kf7
28.Qb7+ Kf6 29.Qxb4 ) 25.Kg2!{[#]<strong style="color: red;">Another strong move that limits Black’s tricks (Qe2)</strong> } axb4 26.Qxb4{[#]} ( 26.Rd8+!{<strong style="color: red;">Apparently is even faster.</strong>} Kg7 27.Qd6 )
Qc2 27.Qb8+ ( 27.Rd8+ Kg7 28.Qf8+ Kf6 29.Qh8+ ) Kg7 28.Qe5+{[#]<strong style="color: red;">Black throws in the towel. He either loses lots of material or gets mated. Or both. A painful lesson for the Ukrainian superstar, and one which the reader should take note of: making luft is never a bad idea!</strong> } 1-0
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