Bologan - Nadanian

The 1st Aeroflot Open in 2002 was probably one of the strongest open tournaments of all time, since among the total of 132 players there were more than 80 grandmasters and almost all remaining participants were IM's.  With a rating Elo 2407 I was seeded 127th, as in the tournament only players with Elo more than 2400 were allowed to participate.  I finished in 35th place and over-fulfilled by a half point my first GM norm.

First two rounds I won against GM Zviad Izoria (2547) and Victor Bologan (2651), then came five consecutive draws against GM Vladislav Tkachiev (2630), GM Bu Xiangzhi (2593), GM Sergey Dolmatov (2588), GM Alexander Onischuk (2655), and GM Sarunas Sulskis (2579).

By this time I had achieved the GM norm, as I had +2 with a very high average ratings of opponents.  In round eight I played GM Andrei Kharlov (2638) and "finally" lost.  The ninth round saw a draw against GM Alexander Lastin (2630).

Today I would like to annotate the most interesting of my games from this tournament, my game against Bologan.  Still today he is the highest rated player I have ever beaten.

A year after our game he won the famous Dortmund tournament ahead of Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, and Peter Leko.  GM Bologan, in fact, was also the winner, on tiebreaks, of the 2003 Aeroflot Open!

It was my second game against Moldovan grandmaster.  The first time we played against each other was in the Soviet Union Junior championship of 1989.  I won that game as well, but Bologan nevertheless achieved a very good result and finished in 4th place.  I guess he very much wanted to take revenge in our second game, but apparently I had become for him an uncomfortable opponent.

Editor's Note: Play over the game first, using ChessFlash, below.
Then read through the notes by IM Nadanian below that.
 

Victor Bologan - Ashot Nadanian
Moscow (Aeroflot Open), 2002

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5!?

The Basman-Sale Variation. I have included this line into my repertoire after reading Croatian IM Srdjan Sale's article in New in Chess Yearbook.

5.Nb3

According to Sale, the strongest is 5.Be3 Qb6 6.c3! Nc6 7.Nd2.  Kiril Georgiev played this way against me in the European Championship of 2002.  He told me after the game that he also read Sale's article.  Georgiev got an advantage and confidently won that game.

5...Bb6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Bc4

White is trying to prevent d7-d5.  Later White is going to occupy the d6 square with his Bishop, hammering a seemingly fatal wedge into Black's position.

7...0-0 8.Bf4 f5!

This is a key idea in this variation.  Black is opening f-file in order to pressure, with bishop and rook, the f2-pawn.

9.Bd6 fxe4 10.Nxe4

It may seem that Black now has a strategically lost position.  However, the next move dispels this illusion.

10...Nf5!!

After this unexpected outburst, Bologan fell into thought, and it gave me reason to doubt that he was familiar with my game against GM Stanislav Voitsekhovsky (Novgorod 1999), in which I played this move.

Using a nice tactical idea Black neutralizes the d6-bishop and solves his opening problems.

11.0-0

After 11.Bxf8 Qxf8 Black's idea became clear.  He threatens 12...d5with a fork.  It seems that White can easily defend against it by removing one by one bishop and knight from c4 and e4.

But the fact is that as soon as the bishop leaves the c4 square, there will follow the spectacular ...Nf5-g3 move with a double attack on h1 and f2.  Here are the lines that demonstrate the possibility of the both sides:

12.Bd3!? (12.Be2? d5 13.Ng5 Ng3! 14.Qd3 Qxf2+ 15.Kd1 Nxh1! 16.Qxh7+ Kf8 17.Qh8+ Ke7 18.Qxc8 Qg1+ 19.Kd2 Qe3+ 20.Ke1 Qxg5 21.Qxb7+ Nd7 22.Qxa8 Qh4+ 23.Kd2 Qf4+ 24.Ke1 Qxh2 25.Qg8 Qg3+ 26.Kd1 Nf2+ 27.Kc1 Qxg2 and Black wins.  Or 13.Nc3 Ng3! 14.fxg3 Qf2+ 15.Kd2 Be3+! 16.Kd3 Bg5 17.Nxd5 exd5 18.Kc3 Qe3+ 19.Qd3 Bf6+ 20.Nd4 Bxd4+ 21.Kb3 Qe5 with the same result.) 12...d5 13.Ng5 Ng3! 14.Bxh7+ Kh8 15.Nh3 Bxf2+! (15...Nxh1? 16.Qh5) 16.Nxf2 Nxh1 17.Nxh1 Kxh7 with equal chances.

Also possible was 12.0-0 d5 13.Bxd5 exd5 14.Qxd5+ Kh8 with an unclear position.

11...Nxd6 12.Nxd6

Now, to get a full-fledged game, Black must quickly unlock the d7-pawn.  There are sufficient resources for it, namely: Qer, Bc7, Nc6-e5 (d8)-f7.

However, to carry out this plan it is necessary to play a very exact order of moves, otherwise White will be able to break it with retaliatory countermeasures.

12...Nc6?!

I agree with the Ukrainian master Bronznik, who annotated this game in his Sizilianisch fur Mussigganger book and recommended as the strongest 12...Qe7!, not only stopping White's knight maneuver from b3 to e4, but also 13.Qe2 move following by 14.Rad1.

Here is Bronznik's analysis: 13.Qd3 (13.Qd2 Nc6 14.Rad1 Ne5 15.Be2 Nf7! with equality) 13...Nc6 14.Qg3 Nd8! 15.Bd3 Nf7 16.Nc4 Bd8!? with a good position.

13.Qe2

Perhaps, in the aforementioned game Voitsekhovsky - Nadanian, the Russian grandmaster played stronger: 13.Nd2!? followed by 14.Nde4.  Black then managed not only to equalize the position, but to get a better game.  But it happened thanks only to his opponent's mistakes. Objectively, after 13.Nd2!, White should be better.

13...Bc7?!

Again an inaccuracy.  Black had better continuations, e.g. 13...Qf6 14.c3 Qe5 15.Rad1 Bc7 16.Qxe5 Nxe5 17.Be2 g5! with a satisfactory position.

Another move I like even more: 13...Rf6!?  Very interesting and original maneuver.  Black wants to place his queen on f8, from where he simultaneously attacks the d6-knight and pressures along the half-open f-file, while being invulnerable to the opponents forces.

For example, 14.Nd2 (Or 14.Rad1 Qf8) 14...Nd4 (Less precise is 14...Qf8 15.N2e4 Rf4 because of 16.Bd3 and Black's Rook feels uncomfortable.) 15.Qd3 Qf8! 16.N2e4 Rf4 with an unclear position.

14.Rad1 Bxd6

But not 14...Qe7? 15.Nxc8 Raxc8 16.Rxd7! and White wins.

Also, the aforementioned idea with 14...Rf6 does not work because of 15.Nc5 and then 16.Nce4.

15.Rxd6 Qc7 16.Rfd1

16... Nd8!

16...Ne7? would be wrong: 17.Rxd7! Bxd7 18.Rxd7 Qxd7 19.Bxe6+ Qxe6 20.Qxe6+ Rf7 21.Nc5 and White is almost winning.

17.Bd3 Nf7 18.Qh5 h6

Of course not 18...g6?? 19.Bxg6 hxg6 20.Qxg6+ Kh8 21.R1d3 with checkmate.

19.Rd4

19...Qe5?

With the end of the occupation of the d6-square, which is - within the space of ten moves - alternately occupied by White's bishop, knight and then rook.  Still, the problems of Black's position are not completely resolved.  Black has not yet developed his queenside, while white squares around the king have been weakened.

Black's choice of such a risky continuation is related to miscalculation.  I got carried away a beautiful idea and did not notice the refutation.  My position demanded greater accuracy.

I should have first and foremost covered the g6-square by 19...Ne5.  White in response can inhibit the d-pawn "e" with 20.c4!  Then it is difficult for Black to finish the development of queenside.  For example if 20...b6?! then very strong is 21.Be4 Rb8 22.f4!

Black will have to try some roundabout ways, such as 20 ... a5, with the idea after 21 ... a4 to develop Rook on a5.  In any case, the position would remain alarming, but not as bad as after 19...Qe5?

20.Qg6 Ng5

21.f4!?

No less strong was 21.h4!? Rf6 22.Qe8+ Rf8 23.Qe7 Rf7 (23...Nf7 24.Bh7+!) 24.Qd6 Qxd6 25.Rxd6 Nh7 26.Bxh7+ Kxh7 27.Nc5 winning a pawn.

21...Qe3+

Immediately losing is 21...Rxf4? 22.Rxf4 Qxf4 23.Rf1.

22.Kh1

22...Nh3?!

While playing 19...Qe5? I counted on this (un)expected blow, mistakenly believing that Black can achieve a draw.  I still had not seen a refutation, otherwise I would have gone in for the line 22...Rf6 23.Qe8+ Rf8 24.Qh5 Nh7 (24...Nf7 25.Qh4) 25.Qh4 Nf6 26.Re1 g5 27.Qxg5+ (27.Rxe3 gxh4 28.Rh3) 27...hxg5 28.Rxe3 where White is pawn up but there is a lot of fight ahead.

23.Qh7+

Wrong is 23.gxh3? Qf3+ 24.Kg1 Qxd1+ 25.Kg2 Rf6 26.Qe8+ Rf8 27.Qg6 with repetition.

23...Kf7

24.Bg6+!

Again, wrong is 24.gxh3? Qf3+ 25.Kg1 Qxd1+ 26.Kg2 Qh5 27.Nd2 Ke7! and White should be able to force a draw after 28.Bg6 Qe2+ 29.Kg3 Qe1+ 30.Kg2

24...Kf6

25.R4d2!

Here is the refutation!

Black only counted on 25.gxh3? Qf3+ 26.Kg1 Qe3+ 27.Kg2 Qe2+ 28.Kg3 Qe3+ 29.Kg4 Qe2+ 30.Kh4 Qf2+ 31.Kh5 Qf3+ with "dead" perpetual check.

25...Nxf4

I could win an exchange after 25...Nf2+ 26.Rxf2 Qxf2 but did not like it because of 27.Nd2! (27.Bh5? Qxf4) 27...d5 28.Bh5 Qd4 (28... Qxf4 29.Rf1) 29.c3! and White wins.

Also 25...b6 does not help, for example 26.Be4 d5 27.Qg6+ Ke7 28.Nd4! Bd7 29.Nf5+!! Rxf5 (29...exf5 30.Bxd5) 30.Bxf5 exf5 31.Qxg7+.

26.Rf1 b6

Here Bologan long pondered what to do.  It was evident that he is trying to find the clearest path to victory, but could not find it.  What he finally "invented", became a great gift for me, fallen from the sky.

27.Re2??

Massive miscalculation, which is difficult to explain even by approaching time trouble and possible fatigue.  The easiest way to win was 27.Rd4 e5 28.Re4.

27 ...Qxe2 28.Rxf4+ Kg5

As Bologan explained after the game, he blundered with this move, thinking that mandatory was 28...Ke5?? 29.Qxg7+ Kxf4 30.g3+ with checkmate in three moves.
 
White resigns.

0-1

With warmest regards, Ashot Nadanian

Ashot Nadanian

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