[Event "Palma de Mallorca FIDE GP"] [Site "Palma de Mallorca"] [Date "2017.11.17"] [Round "2"] [White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E73"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex"] [PlyCount "74"] [GameId "294913478457"] [EventDate "2017.11.16"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 182"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,74,19,34,29,4,37,34,36,37,44,44,44,24,39,11,15,-6,-10,-30,-32,-36,-18,-17,-12,16,27,18,34,33,49,30,56,17,30,40,18,28,17,7,52,53,70,26,58,13,13,72,25,8,-34,-12,-30,-26,-18,-27,-52,-106,-96,-128,-135,-166,-129,-138,-138,-197,-122,-122,-200,-202,-242,-242,-202,-357,-396,-1104,-694]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Be3 {A version of the King's Indian Averbakh} ({that is similar to the} 6. Bg5 h6 7. Be3 {line.}) 6... e5 7. d5 a5 8. g4 {This powerful pawn thrust has been giving King's Indian devotees headaches since the 1950's. White combines a restrictive strategy of preventing f7-f5 with direct attacking ideas on the h-file.} ({White can also try the immediate} 8. h4 Na6 9. h5 Nc5 10. Qc2 {Rapport-Al Sayed, 2016.}) 8... Na6 9. h4 ({Another participant in this tournament, the Russian Alexander Riazantsev, may be acknowledged as the best expert on this line. He actually prefers} 9. g5 Nd7 10. h4 {leaving White with a chance to open the h-file at an appropriate moment.}) 9... Nc5 10. f3 h5 $1 {This is the only way to stop White's offensive. Radjabov knows his King's Indian, that's for sure.} 11. g5 Nh7 12. Kd2 $6 {This extravagant move is not so bad. Vallejo had his ideas, but he underestimated the importance of maintaining pressure on the d-file to fight against c7-c6.} ({The routine} 12. Qd2 {accomplishes just that. As Black goes for} f6 {he finds himself a bit short of counterplay after} (12... c6 13. O-O-O Bd7 14. dxc6 Bxc6 15. Qxd6 Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Ne6 {offers insufficient compensation.} 17. Bf1 Nd4 18. Nge2 Nxf3 19. Bg2 Nd4 20. Nxd4 exd4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. Rxd4) 13. O-O-O fxg5 14. hxg5 Bd7 15. Nh3 Qe7 16. Kb1 Rf7 17. Nf2 Raf8 18. Rdg1 {He can try the thematic} Rf4 {seen in the abbreviated game Riazantsev-Amonatov, 2015 where a draw was agreed at that moment, but White need not take him up on the offer and simply continue with} 19. Rg2 {inviting} Nxg5 $6 20. Bxc5 $1 dxc5 21. d6 $1 cxd6 22. Nd5 Qd8 23. Nxf4 Rxf4 24. Qxd6 {with a winning advantage.}) 12... Bd7 (12... f6 13. gxf6 Bxf6 14. Qe1 {was the idea of the king move. Then White would indeed have had a great game with his queen emerging on the kingside.}) 13. Nh3 c6 $1 {I became acquainted with then very young Teimour's King's Indian skills during our one and only encounter at the chess board at the World Cup, Hyderabad, 2002. I don't recall many other occasions when I got outplayed on the white side of the KID in such a resolute manner. Radjabov simply has a great feel for these structures. Too bad the strength of the opposition he faces and tournament standings concerns prevent him from employing the KID in every game.} 14. Nf2 cxd5 15. exd5 (15. Nxd5 {looks good structure-wise, but what will happen to White's position once his proud ?d5 is traded? For example,} f6 16. gxf6 Nxf6 17. Kc2 Nxd5 18. Qxd5+ Be6 19. Qd2 b5 $1 {White is already on the back foot and might be content with defending in the endgame:} 20. Bxc5 dxc5 21. Qxd8 Rfxd8 22. cxb5 Rd4 {etc.}) ({It takes quite a nerve to calmly recapture the usual way,} 15. cxd5 $5 {and continue with} a4 16. Nd3 Nxd3 17. Bxd3 b5 18. a3 {Perhaps, the remote position of the other black knight will help White.}) 15... f5 16. gxf6 Nxf6 17. Bxc5 {Forced, as White needs to establish control over the e4-square.} dxc5 18. Kc2 a4 $1 19. Qd2 (19. a3 {only seems safe. Black will proceed with} e4 20. fxe4 Qb6 {where the weakness of the b3-square is telling.}) ({The right move was} 19. Nfe4 {and soon we will see why.}) 19... a3 20. b3 e4 $1 {For a true KID player this move comes naturally. It's all about activating the ?g7!} 21. fxe4 Ng4 22. Nxg4 hxg4 23. h5 {The passive position of the white pieces makes this counter-attacking attempt irrelevant.} ({All the same,} 23. Rag1 {was useless. After} Qe7 {[#]} 24. Bxg4 $2 {loses to} Bxc3 25. Kxc3 Bxg4 26. Rxg4 Qg7+ 27. Kc2 Rf2 $1 {Nice tactical motif.}) 23... Rf2 24. h6 (24. hxg6 Qe7) 24... Be5 25. Raf1 g3 26. Rxf2 ({On} 26. Nd1 {Black had} Rh2 27. Rxh2 gxh2 $19) 26... gxf2 27. Nd1 Qf6 28. Rf1 ({At least, White could have resisted longer after} 28. Qe3 Bd4 29. Qf3 Qxf3 30. Bxf3 Rf8 31. Bg2 Kh7) 28... Bd4 $19 29. Nxf2 {What else?} Bxf2 30. e5 {But it's easy to spot a refutation.} Qxe5 31. Rxf2 Bf5+ 32. Kd1 Qa1+ 33. Qc1 Qxa2 {That pawn didn't make it all the way to a3 for nothing!} 34. Rxf5 Qxb3+ 35. Kd2 Qa2+ 36. Ke1 Qb2 $1 37. Qf4 Qb1+ 0-1