[Event "NATO Chess Championship 2024"] [White "Jeselson,Andrew"] [Black "Casteleijn,Diederick"] [Site "Rhodes, GR"] [Round "4"] [Annotator "PF"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "2024.10.23"] [WhiteElo "1858"] [BlackElo "2128"] [PlyCount "79"] {[%evp 0,79,25,29,65,52,52,40,67,31,31,33,35,33,34,31,42,33,35,29,38,16,16,-2,2,-2,-3,-4,-5,-11,0,-26,-18,-51,-45,-43,-37,-36,17,0,39,-25,-18,-2,25,25,28,37,92,70,51,51,51,81,74,50,64,63,78,-20,90,74,75,85,140,152,175,205,205,180,180,162,215,205,222,202,376,347,536,531,544,550]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 g6 6. h3 Bg7 7. Nc3 {A direct transposition to the main tabiya of the 3...g6 Rossolimo Sicilian has occured.} O-O {Another major line is 7...Nd7 with ...e5 in mind.} 8. O-O (8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 {is much more popular.} )b6 {One good move out of many.} 9. Bf4 {9.Be3 has also been played here.} Ne8 10. e5 {A novelty in paper, but the game transposed again after a few moves to a known position. I think that white commits himself a bit too early.} (10. Qd2 )Nc7 11. Re1 Ne6 12. Qd2 $1 {White does not mind exchanging his second bishop for a second knight, as the Bg7 will be quite problematic after the swap.} Nd4 $1 (12... Nxf4 13. Qxf4 Be6 14. Re3 {followed by Rae1 and eventually h3-h4 is better for white.} )13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Ne4 Qd5 15. Ng3 c5 16. b3 Bb7 {[%csl Gb7]} 17. f3 {[#]} Rfe8 $146 {[#] This is a real novelty, and not a very good one at that.} (17... Rfc8 $1 {is "the right piece at the right square": Now after an eventual Bf4-h6 Black can preserve his bishop for defensive purposes.} 18. Re2 Rc6 $1 {the rook is heading for e6 which puts considerable pressure to the e5 pawn.} 19. Rae1 Re6 20. h4 h5 21. Bh6 $5 {Not as strong as when a rook would be present at f8, but still interesting.} Bxe5 {[#]} 22. Nxh5 $1 gxh5 (22... Re8 $5 23. Qg5 Bf6 24. Nxf6+ exf6 {with rough equality.} )23. Qg5+ Rg6 24. Rxe5 $1 Rxg5 25. Rxg5+ Kh7 26. Rxd5 Bxd5 {with a level ending, due to the opposite colored bishops.} )(17... Rac8 {was played by IM Souleidis against GM Winants, and it is a slight inaccuracy.} 18. Re2 b5 $6 (18... h5 19. Rae1 Kh7 {else Bh6 is very annoying.} 20. Ne4 {and white's position is certainly more pleasant to play.} )19. Rae1 c4 20. Bh6 $1 cxd3 21. cxd3 {with advantage to white (1-0 (46) Winants,L (2562)-Souleidis,G (2425) Llucmajor 2016)} )18. h4 $6 (18. Re2 $1 $16 {Is the right plan again: White will overprotect e5 by Rae1, and then throw in Bh6 and h2-h4 with a certain initiative. The rook at e8 doesn't really contribute to Black's defence.} )b5 {Black follows the same plan as Souleidis, and his rook is slightly more useful at e8 rather than f8. But still, the plan carries some risk.} (18... h5 $11 {is natural, and strong.} )19. h5 (19. a4 $5 a6 (19... c4 $1 {Probably best.} 20. axb5 cxb3 21. cxb3 Qxb3 (21... Qxb5 $6 22. b4 $16 )22. Rab1 Qe6 23. h5 {with a slight advantage to White.} )20. h5 {is a more exact way to conduct the attack.} )c4 (19... a5 $1 {was the correct way to generate counterplay.} 20. Re2 (20. a4 c4 $1 21. axb5 cxb3 22. cxb3 Qxb5 {is fine for Black. One can see the big difference of having the pawn at a5 instead of a7: White cannot play b4, as in the previous line.} )a4 21. Rae1 axb3 22. axb3 Ra2 23. Ne4 c4 $1 {and Black seems doing OK to me.} )20. Re2 Rac8 21. Rae1 cxd3 22. cxd3 {[#] White has achieved his ideal attacking setup, and Black has to be very accurate to create sufficient counterplay.} Rc6 {This looks too slow.} (22... Qe6 $1 {is a suggestion by the silicon monster: Black stops e5-e6 and is ready to chop the knight as soon as it appears at e4.} 23. Bh6 Rc3 24. Rd1 $5 (24. Ne4 Bxh6 25. Qxh6 Bxe4 26. Rxe4 Rxd3 {with mutual chances at a sharp position.} )Bxh6 25. Qxh6 b4 {Black has not fully solved his problems, but he has decent defensive resources.} )(22... Rc3 {is also inaccurate, as after} 23. h6 $1 Bf8 24. Ne4 b4 25. e6 $1 {and Black is in big trouble.} )23. Bh6 $16 Rec8 (23... Qe6 $16 {should have been played again, although the defence is quite problematic:} 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Re4 $1 h6 26. Ne2 $1 {with a huge initiative.} )24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Qg5 (25. Re4 $1 {is more exact.} Qe6 26. Rh4 {with a decisive attack.} )Qe6 {Only move.} 26. hxg6 fxg6 27. Kf2 {The idea of transferring a rook at h1 is very nice, but perhaps it's better to be brutal here than subtle:} (27. Nh5+ Kg8 28. Nf4 Qf7 (28... Qf5 29. Qxe7 Qxf4 30. Qxb7 $18 )29. e6 Qg7 30. Qxb5 {is a free pawn, and Black is still under considerable pressure.} )h6 $1 28. Qh4 {[#]} (28. Qf4 $5 )Rd8 {Black should have left the d4 pawn at its fate, and try to find chances on the queenside.} (28... a5 29. Qxd4 b4 30. Qe3 Rc5 )29. Ne4 $2 (29. Rh1 {was natural, and very strong:} g5 30. Qe4 Rb6 31. Nf5+ $1 Kf8 32. Qg4 Bc8 {Only move.} 33. Nxh6 {and white should win.} )Rf8 $2 (29... g5 $1 $11 30. Qg3 Rc7 {has been made possible because white's knight abandoned control of f5/h5.} )30. Rh1 $1 {And now white switches to the winning plan.} h5 31. Ng3 $1 Qf7 $6 (31... Rcc8 {is a better defense.} 32. Qg5 (32. Qxd4 $6 Qg4 $1 33. Ne4 Bxe4 34. Qxe4 Rf4 {wins a pawn, but kills his own initiative.} )Kf7 33. Rh4 Ke8 34. Rxd4 Qb6 35. Qe3 $18 )32. Qg5 $1 {Much better than the materialistic 32.Qxd4, which should also win.} Rh8 33. Rxh5 Rxh5 34. Nxh5+ Kg8 35. Ng3 Rc3 36. Rd2 a5 37. Qh4 Qd5 (37... Rc8 38. Qxd4 Qe6 {would allow Black to play some more moves, although the result is not in doubt.} )38. Qxe7 Rc8 (38... Qf7 39. Qd8+ Qf8 40. Qxd4 $18 )39. Ne4 Qf7 40. Qxf7+ {Wins more material. Black gave up.} 1-0