Vicary - Cheng Edmonton International

(216) Vicary,Elizabeth - Cheng ,Bindi [B40]
Edmonton (1), 21.08.2008
1.e4 c5

2.Nf3 e6

3.b3 Nf6

4.e5 Nd5

5.c4

An alternate way to play, more flexible since I'm not fixing the central pawn structure: 5.Bb2 Be7 6.g3 0–0 7.Bg2 f5 8.0–0 Nc6 9.c4 Nc7 10.Re1 b6 11.d4 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Bb7 13.Nc3 Rc8 14.Ndb5 Nxb5 15.Nxb5 a6 16.Nd6 Bxd6 17.Qxd6 Qc7 18.Rad1 Rf7 19.f4 Nd8 20.Qxc7 Rxc7 21.Bd4 Bxg2 22.Bxb6 Rc8 23.Kxg2 Nb7 24.Re2 Kf8 25.Red2 Ke8 26.Kf3 Rc6 27.Be3 Nc5 28.Bxc5 Rxc5 29.Rd6 Ra5 30.R1d2 g5 31.Rb6 gxf4 32.gxf4 Rg7 33.Rb8+ Ke7 34.a4 h5 35.Rxd7+ Kxd7 36.Rb7+ Kc6 37.Rxg7 Kc5 38.Rb7 Kd4 39.Rb6 Kc3 40.Ke3 1–0 Kasparov,G (2815)-Williams,A/London 1998/EXT 2000

5...Nc7

6.Bb2 Nc6

So I had a long think here. I felt like my oppponent was going to play ...d6 or ...d5, and then if I took, he would recapture with the queen or bishop, and quickly set up his ideal Rubinstein structure: e6-e5, Be7, Be6, f6, Qd7, possibly Rb8 and b5, maybe f5, maybe Nd4.

On the other hand, if I don't take his d pawn and he gets to play d4, I might have permanent space problems.

I felt like I must stop all this. I think the idea of Bd3 was to meet ...d6 with Qe2 and try to not take the pawn, but my thinking around this point was changing a lot, plus it was a long time ago so I don't remember too well. Anyway, I was trying to castle quickly and do something disruptive... ummm.. the details are fuzzy.

7.Bd3

My alternatives were 7.g3 and 7. Nc3, but I excpected he would just play d5 and do his thing as above.

7...d5 But of course I don't want to deal with ...d4, so Qe2 is stupid.

8.exd6

8.0–0 d4 9.Na3 Be7 10.Nc2 0–0 (10...g5?!) Beastie thinks I'm ok here. I guess black is just as cramped as I am.

8...Qxd6

9.Qe2

9.Be4 for some reason I wanted to play this move, and Rybka suggests it, but I can't for the life of me remember why. It looks absurd, but I remember spending a lot of time trying to make it work. I didn't play it in the end because I thought black could win the bishop: 9...f5 10.Bc2 Nb4 wwas what I saw, but check out the Rybka line: 10.Bxc6+! Qxc6 11.0–0 Bd6 12.Ng5 (12.Bxg7 Rg8) 12...0–0 (12...e5 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qh4) 13.Qh5 h6 14.Qg6

9...f6 10.0–0

10.Nh4! is a great move here, as the threat of 11.Qh5+ is super-annoying.

10...Be7

11.Nc3 e5

12.Nh4 0–0

13.Ne4 Qd8 threatens f5

14.Ng3 Ne6

15.Qe4 Ng5

16.Qe3 g6

17.Rae1
Fun Rybka line: 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.Nxg6 Rf7 19.f4 exf4 20.Qxf4; I had looked only at 17.Nxg6? hxg6 18.h4 Ne6 19.Qh6 Qxd3

17...Bd6 17...f5! is great, sort of shielding the light squares, mostly shielding g6.

18.Ne4 Nxe4

19.Bxe4 Ne7

20.b4 We were both in quite serious time pressure at this point-- move 30 is time control.

20...Qb6

21.b5 a6

22.Qh6 Rf7

But 22...Qc7 is better--black needs the queen on the kingside

23.f4! exf4

24.Bd5??

I should go all in: 24.Bxg6 Nxg6 (24...hxg6 25.Nxg6 Nxg6 26.Qxg6+ Rg7 27.Qxf6) 25.Nxg6 hxg6 26.Re8+ Bf8 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.Qxg6+ Kh8 29.Rxf4

24...Nxd5

25.cxd5 c4+

26.Kh1 At this point I had no time left and was just using the 30 second increment to get to move 30.

26...Be5? This allows a tactic. Smug beastie would play 26...Qxb5.

27.Rxf4! Bf5

28.g4?

Oh no! I can simply take: 28.Bxe5 fxe5 29.Rxf5 Rxf5 30.Nxf5 and the g pawn is pinned across the 3rd rank.

analysis diagram

28...Bd3

29.Nxg6

Still winning: 29.Bxe5 fxe5 30.Rxf7 Kxf7 31.Qxh7+ Kf8 32.Re3 and the threat is 33.Rf3+ Ke8 34.Qf7+ Kd8 35.Qf8+ Kc7 36.Rf7#

29...Bxg6 0–1