For anyone who wants more information on this opening setup
by Black, there is a book out titled The Black Lion by Leo Jansen and
Jerry van Rekom.
4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Bc4 Be6 7.Bxe6 fxe6
4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Be7 6.Be2
So far this is standard opening theory in this line.
White controls the f5 and d5 squares while Black controls the c5 and e5
squares.
The typical plans, tactics, and maneuvers associated with
the various lines of the Philidor are relatively few and easy to learn, yet
the opening also presents the second player with "hidden dynamism",
flexibility, and a wealth of original ideas.
6...Nbd7 7.g4! Novelty
I remember hearing somewhere that Shirov was playing g4 vs.
the Pirc defense and I figured I would try this idea in my game.
However, I was unaware that Shirov's line was 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7
4.g4, so I have no idea as to what I was playing at this point in the game.
I
guess I recalled the Shirov idea of playing g4 vs. the Pirc because like I
said earlier, I was in an aggressive mood and didn't want to play
positionally.
What is the point of this g4 move? First, Black is
going to have to do something to answer the g5 advance threat.
Secondly, White bolsters his control over f5, where the white knight may
like to be deployed, initiating some kingside attack.
White has a slight advantage here but it is typical of what
White should expect from having the first move. However, in a tight
position having less space, little inaccuracies by Black can lead to a
positional collapse.
It is easy to fall into this trap because it is hard to
separate the transformation of a positional game into a tactical game when
the White player throws out the move g4!
7...Nc5
A very good move by Jim to slow down White's initiative.
Black attacks the e4 pawn and opens up the light-squared diagonal c8-g4 for
his bishop.
8.f3
I fix my pawns but in the meantime I do expose the h4-e1
diagonal.
8.Nf5 I believe this to be best
but I couldn't see anything concrete after Black would castle:
(8...0-0 9.Qd4 Ne6 10.Qe3 Nd7 11.h4
)
8...Bxf5 9.exf5 0-0 10.g5
Nfe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12.Qd5±
8...Nfd7
Threatening ...Bh4+
9.Nf5
For some reason when I played this move I believed that I
was preventing Black from playing Bh4+ since I had the square covered twice.
I was lucky that the position didn't become a disaster because of this
blackout that I had.
Black will have to start doing something with his pieces
otherwise they are going to become misplaced at some point.
9...Bh4+ 10.Kf1!
Keeping pieces on the board is best. Why exchange a
well-posted knight for a potentially misplaced bishop?
10.Nxh4 Qxh4+ 11.Kf1 h5! 12.Nd5 Ne6
Black
is in business and White's king looks awkward. White has lost the
initiative.
10...g6?!
The first mistake I think that Jim made. This is
positionally weakening to the dark squares around the black king.
10...Ne6 Defending the g7-pawn and controlling the
squares d4 and f4. 11.g5! A pawn sacrifice that begins to give
White a very fast initiative. 11...Bxg5 12.Bxg5 Qxg5 13.Rg1 Qf6 14.Nd5 Qxb2
15.Rb1
Analysis Diagram: after
15.Rb1
This position reminds me of some Danish Gambits, where White
sometimes gives up two and even three pawns for quick development, mainly in
having the bishop-pair. Here, White has the knight-pair!
15...Qe5 16.f4 Nxf4 17.Nxc7+ Kd8 18.Nxa8 Nxe2 19.Qxe2 g6
20.Ng3
11.Ng7+
Rybka-3 takes a long time to find this move and even more
time to realize it's importance. I was very happy that I was able to
calculate moves in this variation because it is not easy to live with
potentially misplaced pieces.
However, I was able to recall some ideas from my early days
when I would play 1.e4 and meet the Sicilian Schevenigen with g4 and Rg1 (Keres
Attack) and I really thought I was in no risk.
This
is what chess is about.
In addition, I remembered Danny King of one of his PowerPlay
Fritz Trainer DVDs mentioning a line in the 6.Qe2 Sicilian Nadjorf where
after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qe2 e5 7.Nf5 e5 8.Nh6
might be an idea instead of the usual 8.Ne3.
I am playing something for the first time, purely off ideas
from different systems. In the past when I was weaker (2000 or below)
I would never think like this.
11.Nxh4 might be the quickest way to realizing a positional
advantage: 11...Qxh4 12.Kg2 h5 13.h3 hxg4 14.hxg4 Qxh1+ 15.Qxh1 Rxh1 16.Kxh1
c6 17.Be3± The bishop pair and the pawn structure favors White here.
Note that after White plays g4-g5 the one pawn (g5) controls
Black's f7 and g6 pawns. If Black ever wants to break this tension
with ...f7-f6 for an exchange then Black is left with an isolated g6-pawn.
11...Kf8 12.Bh6
Threatening the double-check Ne6, picking up the queen.
12...Kg8 13.Rg1!
The last few moves were blitzed out and I think that Jim
didn't consider this move. I am allowing my knight an escape to either
h5 or f5 at some point since opening of the g-file, even for a white knight
will be disastrous to Black.
13.Qd2 Bf6 14.Nf5 gxf5 15.gxf5 Ne5 16.Rg1+ Ng6 17.Bc4± is
probably how the famous "Magician of Riga", Mikhail Tal would have played
it.
13...Bf6
13...Bg5 is best, and probably why 13.Qd2 should be played
to keep a persistent initiative. 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Nf5 h6 16.Nd5 Qd8 17.b4 but
even here White is pushing forward and starting to regain some initiative.
17...Ne6 18.Qd2
14.Nh5
14.Nf5 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Ne5 16.Qd2
14...Ne6?!
The beginning of a positional collapse. I think that
Black didn't recognize the potential transformation - that White could go
from a tactical game to a positional game - because the pressure of
defending was beginning to take it's toll psychologically.
14...Bg5 is what I thought Jim was going to do and my
longest calculation of the night determined the line was an advantage for
White, later confirmed by Rybka-3: 15.Bxg5 Qxg5 16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Qd4 Ne6
18.Ndf6+ Nxf6 19.Nxf6+ Kg7 20.Nh5+ Kg8 21.Qc3.
Black is playing without the h8-rook and White will continue
his development of either advancing the f pawn or getting the queen-rook
into the game.
15.Nxf6+!
I knew I would have the advantage of the bishop pair, where
Black is left weakened on the dark squares.
15.f4 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Nf6 17.f5 Nxh5 18.fxe6 Qf6+ 19.Kg2 g5
20.exf7+ Kxf7 21.gxh5 Qxh6 22.Qd5+ Ke7 23.Raf1+-
15...Nxf6
15...Qxf6 16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Qd2+- Black is positionally
suffering, and White will continue with Kg2 and the opening of the f-file
with f3-f4.
16.Nd5
Rushing in too fast even though White keeps an initiative.
16.Qd2 ±
16...b6
I don't know about this move.
I thought that Black was weakening some light squares on the
queenside:
I was thinking at some point if I could get pressure on the
e-file I might have a shot of Bb5, controlling the e8-square if Black was to
try to contest it with Rad8 at some point.
However, this was a case of looking too far because Black
can always play ...a6 to control the b5 square.
16...c6 17.Ne3 and again there are threats of Nf5 at some
point. Note that the d6-pawn of Black's might not be easily defended
after Qd2 and Rad1.
17.Qd2 Bb7
Black has found a way to gain some space. I give Jim a
lot of credit for continuing to fight in this very stagnant position.
18.Rd1 Nxd5
18...Nd7 Black might have ideas
of ...Bxd5 with ... g5 and threaten ... Qf6 to trap the white bishop on h6.
19.g5 I was having problems during the game
deciding if I should lock in my bishop on h6.
However, Black's king is stuck, and this means the rook on
h8 might be eternally doomed. A trapped rook is worth more than a
trapped bishop!
19...Bxd5 20.exd5 Ng7
Part of my reasoning was this idea - I thought Black would get a nicely
posted knight on f5 and capture on h6. 21.f4 Nf5
22.Bg4!
Analysis Diagram: after 22.Bg4
This is the idea that I missed. I never thought about
forcing matters in any of the lines where I would play g5 at some point,
with f3-f4 and Bg4. 22...Nxh6 23.gxh6.
This position might be technically winning for White.
19.exd5 Ng7+-
Black's knight has no good squares to go to.
20.Qc3 Ne8 21.Be3?
Giving up just about every ounce of initiative that I once
had.
21.Rd4+- f6 (21...g5 22.h4 f6 23.Qe3) 22.Kf2
21...f6?
Both sides begin to make inaccuracies due to time troubles.
21...h5 22.g5 Kh7
Black finally exhales as he has lifted the tensions that were once causing
him so many problems. White is slightly better now.
22.Bc4!
I had to do something here. I realized I had to start
to switch plans. This was not easy to do with time winding down.
I remembered GM Mikhalchishin comment that sometimes you
just have to look and say, "What is my worst-placed piece?" I did that
here and I realized I had to get some play down the e-file.
22...Qd7 23.Rd4
Heading to e4 to start the battery.
23...Kg7 24.Re4
White's initiative is rolling now. I hate to use
computer numbers or evaluations but Rybka-3 does have White + 1.24 and the
material is even.
24.h4 Rf8 25.h5±
24...Rf8? 25.Ke2?
The wrong plan. I wanted to get my king to d2 but
there was no need for this.
25.Bh6+! Kxh6 26.Qe3+ Kg7 27.Re7+ Qxe7 28.Qxe7+ Kg8 29.Kg2
Rf7 30.Qe3+-
25...b5 26.Bb3 a5 27.a3 Kg8!
Getting off the dark-squared diagonal.
28.Kd2 Rf7
White still has an advantage but time is beginning to play a
role here and Jim is still making very good defensive moves. I have to
admit that I was really happy to see Jim continuing to hold on because I
kept trying to find ways to break through.
29.Re1
29.h4 f5 30.Re6 fxg4 31.fxg4 a4 32.Ba2 Ng7 33.h5 White
has a huge edge.
I was trying to play for the idea of keeping my rook on e6
in later lines since it cannot be captured if Black keeps the rook on f7 and
the queen on d7. This is why I did like the idea of playing my Bc4
earlier on when I commented that I improved my worst-placed piece.
29...f5 30.Re6 fxg4
30...f4?? 31.Bxf4
31.fxg4 Rf3
Staying active defensively.
32.Qd4!
Getting out of the pin and potentially relocating the queen
to the e-file.
32...Qf7 33.Qe4
33.Bh6!! Black is getting close to being in Zugzwang.
33...Rf2+ 34.Kc1 Rf1 35.Rxf1 Qxf1+ 36.Kd2 Qf7 37.Qe3+-
33...Ng7 34.Re7 Qf8 35.Bd4
35.Rxc7+- works just as well: 35...Re8 36.Rxg7+ Kxg7 37.Bd4+
35...Rf7 36.Re3 Rf2+ 37.Kc3
37.Kc1 Rf1+ 38.Re1 Rf7 39.c3
37...Rf7
Jim still keeps on finding 'only' moves.
38.h4 b4+ 39.axb4 axb4+ 40.Kxb4
I had calculated this all out. Jim had only two
seconds left to my nine.
40...Bxd5 41.Qxd5 c5+ 42.Bxc5 dxc5+ 43.Qxc5 Rb8+ 44.Kc3
Rc8 45.Bxf7+ Kh8 46.Qxc8 Qxc8+
White went on to win as Black's flag fell. White is
clearly winning due to the overwhelming material advantage and back-rank
problems that Black's king is experiencing.
I want to comment that this was definitely my best game of
the entire season and it was very rich in many areas of chess strategy.
I was very pleased to play fairly well in a new opening system that I tried
for the first time, using combined ideas from different styles of play.
In some aspects, I remember after the game I was
disappointed because I felt I wasn't calculating enough. I was pleased
to be able to recognize the key transformation, going from a tactical game
to a positional game, especially when I intentionally planned to play
something sharp before the round even began.
I give Jim a lot of credit for being able to defend as well
as he did. I know many players his strength that would have easily
folded somewhere during the course of the game.
1-0
I
have some experience in this Philidor line from playing 1.e4 in the past, as
well as a few battles with FM Privman at the Marshall Chess Club.
