[Event "ACROPOLIS XXXVII - Round 3"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2020.08.22"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul H."] [Black "ryszard52"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B25"] [WhiteElo "2017"] [BlackElo "1957"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2020.??.??"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.12.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "1/259200:0"] {[%evp 0,127,19,18,50,5,26,12,43,-4,10,-4,35,20,31,24,18,18,27,15,27,9,-9,-8, -8,-18,40,-12,-5,-9,23,3,35,-5,11,17,17,-26,20,15,33,19,20,18,-5,-5,14,-21,165, 160,174,167,167,186,335,236,295,201,201,245,276,296,282,287,310,317,308,280, 329,342,401,415,412,423,423,423,427,423,422,414,499,442,458,470,525,577,633, 652,759,766,777,801,803,865,1007,1017,1069,1089,1157,950,950,959,1003,980,1162, 1406,1406,954,1107,994,1002,1038,1112,1002,1090,1219,1325,1746,1746,1706,29991, 1410,29993,29994,29995,29996,29997,29998,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 e5 6. Nc3 d6 7. O-O Nge7 8. Nd2 Be6 9. Nc4 O-O 10. Nb5 $6 {[%eval -88,27] B25: Closed Sicilian: 3 g3, lines without early Be3. Trying to get cute by pressuring the d6 pawn but this move comes too quickly. Black now has the option to liquidate his weakeness (which he does) by playing d5 immediately.} (10. Ne3 $11 {[%eval -23,28]}) 10... d5 $17 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nbd6 $2 {[%eval -139,24]} (12. a4 $15 {[%eval -66,28]}) 12... b6 $6 {[#] Weakening the light squares and the c6 knight en prise.} (12... Qe7 {protects b7 and starts to give problems for the d6 knight.} 13. a4 f5 14. Bd2 Rad8 15. Nb5 Ndb4 16. Nba3 e4 17. dxe4 Qf7 $19) 13. a4 $146 {Played to provide an escape square for the d6 knight. But look how much work was needed to facilitate this. Instead, I should have played c3, developed my c1 bishop and prepared to centralize my rooks.} ({Predecessor:} 13. Ne4 h6 14. Ne3 Nde7 15. a4 Rb8 16. Nd2 Qd7 17. Nec4 f5 18. Re1 Rbd8 19. Ra3 {0-1 (38) Rakesh,K (2385) -Erigaisi,A (2517) Abu Dhabi 2018}) 13... Rb8 {The centralized nature of the knights look promising but without a pawn to secure their outpost, they are vulnerable to attack. Time to move them.} 14. Ne4 f5 {[%eval -41,29] Ambitious but too weakening. The dark squares become very weak around the king.} ({ Black should try} 14... h6 $17 {[%eval -111,26]}) 15. Ng5 $15 Bc8 16. f4 (16. Re1 h6 17. Nf3 Re8 18. c3 Ba6 19. Nfd2 $15) 16... Re8 {[%eval -24,30]} ({ Better is} 16... exf4 $17 {[%eval -103,23]} 17. gxf4 Re8) 17. Re1 Bb7 18. Nh3 { [%eval -144,24] [#]} (18. c3 $15 {[%eval -53,29] A normal and important move in the KIA to defend b4 and d4 from knight occupation.} h6 19. Nh3 $11) 18... a6 {[%eval 0,31]} ({Black should play} 18... Ndb4 $1 $17 {[%eval -144,24] Strongly threatening ...Nd4.} 19. Bd2 Re7) 19. c3 $11 b5 {[%eval 43,29]} (19... Qd7 $11 {[%eval 0,31]}) 20. axb5 $14 axb5 21. Nxe5 {[%eval 8,30]} (21. Ne3 $1 $14 {[%eval 49,29] was preferrable.} Nce7 22. fxe5 Nxe3 23. Bxe3 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 b4 25. d4 $11) 21... Nxe5 $11 22. fxe5 Bxe5 23. Bg5 Bf6 $4 {[%eval 440,26] [%mdl 8192] White stays focused until the end.} (23... Qd6 $11 {[%eval 0,37] and Black is okay.}) 24. Rxe8+ $18 {[%mdl 64] Overworked Piece} Qxe8 25. Bxd5+ Bxd5 26. Bxf6 {White has an extra piece and is winning. However, Black has an excellent light-squared bishop that wreaks havoc on the light squares. White will have to consolidate his pieces and defend against any counterplay.} Qe3+ { Harmless but scary nonetheless.} 27. Nf2 Rf8 28. Ra6 Re8 {[#] ( -> ...Qe1+)} 29. Ra1 $1 Kf7 30. c4 $1 {The only move to hold the advantage.} Bf3 {[#]} 31. Bg5 $1 {[%CAl Rg5e3][%mdl 512] A very hard move to find and the strongest.} Bxd1 (31... Qxg5 32. Qxf3) 32. Bxe3 Rxe3 33. Rxd1 {With less pieces on the board, the extra piece is more pronounced.} bxc4 34. dxc4 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRN-KR} Re2 35. Nd3 Rc2 36. b3 Kf6 37. Nxc5 {Black should resign here but the thought of blundering a piece probably weighed heavy on his mind. Perhaps he was hoping I would return the favor.} Ke5 38. Rd5+ (38. Nd3+ Ke6 39. c5 Rc3 40. b4 $18) 38... Kf6 39. Nd7+ {[%csl Yb6,Yc5,Ye5,Yf6] Keeping the Black king away from my passers.} Kg5 40. Rd4 {Maneuver completed. My knight covers the f6 square so my plan is to play c5 followed by Rc4 and secure the passer for queening.} Rb2 41. c5 Rb1+ 42. Kg2 Rb2+ 43. Kh3 Rxb3 44. Rc4 Rb7 45. c6 Rc7 46. Nb6 h5 47. Nd5 Rc8 48. c7 Kh6 49. Nb6 Re8 50. c8=Q Rxc8 51. Rxc8 Kg5 {Playing for a possible stalemate? This is e-mail chess so time trouble not a factor here.} 52. Nd5 Kh6 53. Kg2 Kg7 54. Kf3 g5 55. Rc6 Kh7 56. Ne3 f4 57. gxf4 gxf4 58. Kxf4 {White mates.} Kg7 59. Kf5 h4 60. Ng4 h3 61. Rc7+ Kf8 62. Ke6 Kg8 63. Nf6+ Kf8 64. Rf7# 1-0