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A
good game by the eventual
winner of the tournament.
(This might be the best game of
the entire tournament.)
A note on opening references:
I have close to 100 CD-ROM's,
{chess stuff} and many of these
are chess DB's.
(data-bases)
I always try to use a fairly recent/current game to illustrate any
opening line I comment on.
***
Note:
The analysis and annotation, (and preparation of the html code); took almost 2 weeks
to complete.
Many
of the comments I made on the Internet ... WHILE THE GAME WAS ACTUALLY
BEING
PLAYED! ... turned out to be correct and accurate.
(I suggested Nf5 at one point, and no on else seemed to grasp the point of
this move!)
Click HERE to see some of the more common symbols that I employ while annotating a game.
1.e4 e6; 2.d4 d5; 3.Nc3!?, {Diagram?}
This is not a bad move, in fact
it is quite good. It is just that for
many years
a lot of GM's shied
away from this and played Nd2,
instead.
[ The move, 3.Nd2!?,
{Diagram?}
leads to the line called:
"The Tarrasch Variation."
(This line was dormant for a
long time, but resuscitated by
none other
than GM A. Karpov ...
when he was the {reigning} World Champion.) ]
3...Nf6; {Diagram?}
Again, this is a straight-forward
developing move, and therefore
there
can be nothing wrong with it.
It is just it is a rather infrequent guest
at the GM-level, ... and this game will
do
nothing to improve its reputation,
either!
[ The main line
would have to be: 3...Bb4; 4.e5 c5; 5.a3 Bxc3+;
6.bxc3,
{Diagram?} which is called the "Winawer
Variation."
(Dozens of books have been
written about the various lines
that arise from this one
variation.) ]
4.Bg5, {Diagram?}
This pin is pretty much the main
line here and normally leads to
the lines known as ...
"The French Defence,
Main-Line/Classical Variation."
(The title of a book I have.)
[ Another possibility is: 4.e5!? Nfd7;
5.f4 c5; 6.Nf3 Nc6;
7.Be3 cxd4;
8.Nxd4, "+/=" {Diagram?}
White has maintained a very
small advantage.
(Over 3,500 games have been
played in this position, according
to one DB I have on CD-ROM.)
{Some of these are
computer and Internet games.}
See the interesting encounter:
GM G. Timoschenko -
B. Itkis; Romanian Championship,
Herculane, ROM. 1996.
(White won in 29 sharp moves.) ]
4...Bb4!?; {Diagram?}
Another VERY infrequent guest
at the GM level ...
"The MacCutcheon Variation."
This was very popular during the
nineteen-thirties, and saw (a little)
use in several U.S. Championships.
(Bobby Fischer crushed
Nicholas Rossolimo
when he used this line
in the U.S.
Championship in New York in 1965.)
It has had several brief flurries of
limited popularity since ... but never
has really seen much use at the
highest levels of master play.
{I think Panno once played it against
Spassky, in the Amsterdam Candidates
Tournament in 1956. Petrosian
would use it occasionally - mainly as
a surprise
weapon against lower-rated players.}
[ The continuation of:
4...dxe4; 5.Nxe4, {Diagram?}
is a modified form of the
Rubinstein Variation.
("The Burn Variation," I believe.)
***
The MAIN LINE of the
Classical
Variation runs something like:
4...Be7;
5.e5 Nfd7; 6.Bxe7 Qxe7; 7.f4 0-0; 8.Nf3 c5;
9.Qd2,
"+/=" {Diagram?}
and White maintains a small
but clear advantage.
There have been literally
HUNDREDS of master-level
games in this line.
(Almost 600 according to the
ChessBase on-line data-base.)
{One of the very first games
was the historic encounter:
A. Rubinstein -
G. Levenfish; Karlsbad/GER/1911.}
See the exciting contest:
GM Sergey Dolmatov (2588) -
IM Rufat Bagirov (2470);
Aeroflot Open, Moscow/RUS/2002.
(White won a very nice game
in only 31 moves.) ]
Both players march down main
line for quite a few moves ...
(until move 11).
5.e5 h6; 6.Bd2! Bxc3; 7.bxc3 Ne4; 8.Qg4! g6;
{Diagram?}
The main line. The only other real choice here is ...Kf8.
[ Maybe 8...Kf8!?;
"~" {Diagram?}
This avoids the weakness on
the dark squares, but gives the
second player problems with his
King-side.
***
But not: </= 8...Rg8?;
9.Bxh6, "+/= {Diagram?}
or </=
8...0-0??; 9.Bxh6,
"+/-" {Diagram?} ]
9.Bd3, "+/=" 9...Nxd2; 10.Kxd2 c5; 11.h4!?, {Diagram?}
This is not the main line - so far as I know, but it is not a new move either.
Does this mean Leko has a new
idea, or at least a new way of
handling
this whole variation?
[ I believe the main line is: 11.Nf3 Nc6;
12.h4!?, {Diagram?}
The line that is now most often
played, at least according to the
many data-bases I have.
(MCO gives the line here of: 12.Qf4 Qa5; 13.dxc5 Qxc5; {Diagram?}
The end of the column. 14.Nd4 Nxd4; 15.Qxd4!? Qxd4; 16.cxd4 Bd7;
17.a4 Bc6; 18.a5, "+/=" {Diagram?} ... "with a distinctly better
endgame for White here." - GM Nick de Firmian.
Tischbierek -Stock; Munich/GER/1992.
[ See MCO-14; page # 206, column # 13, and also note # (h.). ])
12...Qa5!?; 13.Qf4 b6!?; 14.h5 gxh5;
15.Rxh5, "+/=" {Diagram?}
when White maintains a very
distinct and persistent advantage
in
this position.
A. Kovalev - I. Glek; National league
(Bundesliga 9394),
Germany, 1993. (Drawn in under 30 moves.)
***
White could also play: 11.Qf4 Nc6; 12.Nf3 Bd7;
13.Rab1 c4!?;
14.Be2 b6;
15.h4! Qe7!?; 16.h5, "+/=" {Diagram?}
White has a small edge, and
won a solid game in a little less
than fifty moves here.
Uusi - Christiakov; Moscow/RUS/1956.
[ See the book: "The French Defence,"
by Gligoric and Uhlmann;
Chapter # 7, beginning on
page # 153. ] ]
Now Black develops - albeit a
tad passively, while the first
player
continues to try and make
inroads on the King-side.
11...Bd7!?; {Diagram?}
This leaves a strange impression,
I think more usual for Black is
a Queen sortie to a5.
[ Black could try to close the
position with: 11...c4!?; 12.Be2 Nc6;
13.Qf4,
"+/=" {Diagram?} but White maintains a slight
edge. ]
12.h5! g5!?; 13.f4! Nc6!?; 14.fxg5 Qa5!?; {Diagram?}
Did 'Rady' suddenly have
second thoughts? Or was
this
whole line a part of his opening
preparation?
[ In any case, the ending after
the continuation of:
14...Qxg5+;
15.Qxg5 hxg5; 16.Ke3, "+/=" {Diagram?}
is clearly in White's favor. ]
15.dxc5 d4; 16.Nf3 0-0-0!?; {See the diagram just below.}
Black decides to evacuate his King to a place of reasonable safety.
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The position just after Black castled on the Queen-side.
***
[ After the moves: 16...Qxc3+;
17.Ke2 Qxc5; 18.gxh6, "±" {Diag?}
White is still (much) better.
]
17.Rab1 dxc3+!?; 18.Ke2 Rhg8!?; {Diagram?}
I am not sure about this.
Maybe ...hxg5 was better?
[ 18...hxg5!?; 19.Qc4, "~" ]
19.Qe4 Qc7!?; {Diagram?}
This retreat gives me the
impression that (maybe)
Black had one plan,
and suddenly
switched to another idea.
In any case, it looks somewhat
passive and timid.
[ It would appear that Black
had to play: 19...hxg5!?; {Diagram?}
in this position. ]
Now White continues to improve
his position. Most notable is the
quick use
that Leko makes
of the half-open b-file.
20.g4! Ne7!?; 21.Bb5!? hxg5;
22.Rb3 Nd5; 23.Rhb1 Bc6!?;
(Maybe / probably - '?!')
{Diagram?}
This looks very one-dimensional,
and several annotators ...
{like IM Malcolm Pein} ... have
labeled this as the losing move.
('?')
(But this looks rather knee-jerk to me, I think White was already
much better. MUCH better!)
[ The only hope of defense may have been the continuation:
23...f5;
24.exf6 Nxf6; 25.Qe5 Bxb5+; 26.Rxb5 Qxe5+;
27.Nxe5 Rd2+;
28.Kf3 Rg7; 29.Nc4 Rxc2, {Diagram?}
This is probably forced.
(29...Ne8??; 30.Nxd2, "+/-")
30.Nd6+ Kd8; 31.Nxb7+ Ke7; 32.Nd6,
"±" (Maybe "+/-") {Diag?}
but this still might have been
a little better than the game.
(At least Black has some chances,
especially if White were to make
an error.) ]
24.Bxc6 Qxc6; 25.Nd4, {See the diagram just below.}
White centralizes his Knight ... with a gain of time.
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The position after Nd4, White's edge is already very large. ("+/")
***
25...Qa6+!?;
{Diagram?}
After this Black is pretty much
losing.
[ Was 25...Qxc5!?;
{Diagram?}
worth a try?
(Maybe ... and then again,
maybe not.) ]
Now Leko wraps things up.
26.Ke1 Rd7!?; (Maybe - '?!')
{Diagram?}
IM Malcolm Pein criticizes this as
the losing move ...
(and assigns a whole
question mark here.); ... but ANY
good chess
analysis engine will
reveal that Black already has a lost
position.
[ Maybe better is: 26...Rgf8!?;
{Diagram?}
(The emphasis here is on the
word, "maybe.") ]
27.c6 Rc7; 28.Rxb7 Rxb7;
29.Rxb7 Nb6; 30.Qh7! Rf8;
31.Qg7, {Diagram?}
This is strong, (maybe - '!') but
did Grand-Master Leko miss
something even better here?
[ Probably a big improvement
is the continuation:
>/= 31.Nf5!! Qxb7;
{Diagram?}
This could be forced.
(The alternatives are clearly worse.)
***
a). 31...exf5?;
32.Qxf5+ Kd8; 33.c7+ Ke7; 34.c8Q+ Qxb7;
35.Qf6#;
b). 31...Qa3?;
32.Nd6+ Qxd6; {Diagram?}
This is forced.
(32...Kd8??; 33.c7+ Ke7; 34.c8Q+ Nd7; 35.Qxd7#)
33.exd6, "+/-"
{Diagram?}
White has an obviously
won position here.
c). </=
31...Rd8??; {Diagram?}
This stops Nd6+, but ... 32.Ne7#.
***
32.Nd6+ Kb8; 33.cxb7, "+/-"
{Diagram?}
with an easy win for White from this position.
(Everyone seems to have missed
this line here, and the fact
that
White could have played Nf5 on
the previous move as well.) ]
31...Qa3; {Box?} {See the diagram just below.}
Black is just barely hanging on
(to the edge of a cliff), ...
by only his fingertips.
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The actual game position just after Black played ...Qa3.
***
32.Qxf8+, {Diagram?}
(Several annotators gave this move an exclam.)
Black Resigns.
If Black captures the Queen, White has a fairly simple win.
An extremely smooth and impressive
win by Mr. Leko. He played nearly
flawless and very accurate chess ... and pursued his initiative with great
energy. Well done!
(IM M. Pein's analysis of this game,
in LCC's "Chess Express," leaves
a lot to be desired - at least, IMOHO.)
{See the link below, if you
would like to go over his analysis of this game.}
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I. Copyright (c) A.J.G; 2003.
[ After the continuation: 32.Qxf8+ Qxf8;
33.Nb5 Qc5[];
34.Nd6+ Kd8; 35.c7+ Qxc7;
{Diagram?}
This is forced.
( 35...Ke7??; 36.c8Q+, ("+/-") )
36.Rxc7 Kxc7; 37.h6, ("+/-")
{Diagram?}
it appears that Black cannot
catch the wayward White h-pawn.
***
White could also win with: >/= 32.Rc7+! Kb8;
{Diagram?}
This might be best.
( </= 32...Kd8?!; 33.Qxg5+ Kxc7; 34.Nb5+ Kxc6;
35.Nxa3, "+/-" {Diagram?} with a relatively easy
win for
White here. )
33.Rxf7 Rxf7; 34.Qxf7 Qa6; 35.h6!,
("+/-") {Diagram?}
with a totally won game for
the first player here.
(This line looks a little better than
the game continuation.)
(Leko probably did not play
this line because it is much more
complicated and allows
the second player a greater
amount
of counter-play.)
***
Probably also winning for White
was the continuation of:
= 32.Qxg5!?
Qc5; 33.Qg7 Nc4; 34.Rxa7, "+/-"
{Diagram?}
with the obviously better game (winning) for White.
]
Copyright, (©) A.J. Goldsby I. Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby, 2003 & 2004.
(All games - Code initially generated with the program, ChessBase 8.0.)
If
you would like to see the analysis of this game by the London
Chess Center
commentator, IM Malcolm Pein
... please click here.
Click HERE to go to (or return) to my re-play page for this game.
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This page was last updated on 01/04/13 .
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