[Event "First Saturday GM"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.09.12"] [Round "9"] [White "Rodriguez Lopez, Rafael"] [Black "Illingworth, Max"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C96"] [WhiteElo "2313"] [BlackElo "2357"] [Annotator "Illingworth, Max"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2011.09.03"] [Source "Max Illingworth"] {I needed to win this game to achieve my final Grandmaster norm. I was very confident in my chances, as my opponent, a Spanish International Master, had struggled in this tournament. Knowing him to be a somewhat nervous player with a relatively narrow repertoire, I knew my best chances lay in preparing a surprise that would force him to make difficult decisions early.} 1. e4 e5 { Before travelling to Hungary, I'd played the Sicilian for most of my life. However, I had switched to 1...e5 by this tournament, after discovering Gustafsson's excellent two-volume repertoire for Black, based on the reliable Marshall Gambit.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 {I think most 1.e4 e5 players start their 'career' with this move, although in late 2014 I switched to the Berlin as my main weapon against the Spanish.} ({In the August 2011 First Saturday GM event, I had played} 3... f5 {against the same opponent, but after} 4. Nc3 fxe4 5. Nxe4 Nf6 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6 7. Qe2 Be7 8. Bxc6 {I was unable to generate any winning chances, and this put me off future experiments with this opening.}) 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 {I was mostly loyal to this classical approach, although the Open Spanish (5...Nxe4) and Neo-Arkhangelsk (5...b5 6.Bb3 Bc5) also have a good theoretical reputation, despite being less popular.} 6. Re1 (6. d3 { is nowadays just as common, as after} b5 7. Bb3 d6 {White has avoided the Marshall and can choose between a few decent approaches, with} 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 {being the main trend nowadays. In fact, I started playing 6.d3 with the White pieces in 2012, though I preferred the 'old main line' of 8.a4.}) 6... b5 7. Bb3 d6 {Deviating from the Marshall, as I had a feeling my opponent would have prepared something safe against it, on seeing my previous games.} (7... O-O) 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 {Here is where I launched my 'surprise'. I had prepared it before the tournament to play in a one-off game, to keep my opponents guessing.} Na5 ( 9... Nb8 {, the Breyer, is a system I learned in 2012, though my results with it were not very good.}) 10. Bc2 d5 {This line, known as the Gajewski Variation, was my surprise for this game. It's objectively quite a weak system, but if White gets greedy or plays too passively, Black can get a good game.} 11. exd5 {White is still better after this move, however it is what I was hoping to see.} (11. d3 {is what I expected. In fact, in a friendly game later the same day, I struggled a bit in the endgame after} dxe4 12. dxe4 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Bb7 14. Nbd2 {, though I later researched the line, learning my lesson. After} Rfd8 {(threatening ...Nxe4 because of the pin)} 15. Re1 Nd7 {Black is fine, as White doesn't have an easy way to build up pressure beyond b4/a4.}) ( 11. d4 $1 {is the real problem with 10...d5. I was going to play} Nxe4 (11... dxe4 12. Nxe5 c5 13. Be3 Bb7 14. Nd2 Qc7 15. Bf4 {is also sad for Black, who can't keep his e4-pawn alive.}) 12. Nxe5 f6 13. Nd3 Bd6 {, but after} 14. Nd2 f5 15. a4 {White clearly has a strong initiative, due to Black's many pawn weaknesses. The play resembles an old-school Petroff but without any of the kingside attacking chances for Black.}) 11... e4 $1 {This is the idea - Black plays in a similar style to a Marshall Gambit, being happy to sack a pawn for the bishop pair and active piece play.} 12. Ng5 $2 {White falls into Black's main trap, as I suspected my opponent might.} (12. Bxe4 Nxe4 13. Rxe4 Bb7 $44 { gives Black the bishop pair for the pawn, although modern engines consider that after} 14. d3 Bxd5 15. Re1 c5 16. Bf4 Re8 17. Nbd2 {White has a very pleasant advantage.}) 12... Nxd5 13. Nxe4 {Taking the pawn, but now Black's f-pawn gains a lot of tempi.} ({The attempt to grab material with} 13. Nxh7 Kxh7 14. Bxe4+ Kg8 15. Bxd5 Qxd5 16. Rxe7 {is too ambitious, because of} Bxh3 $1 $15 {, and White has big problems as gxh3 fails to Qg5, winning the exchange.}) 13... f5 14. Ng3 f4 {White must choose a square for his knight, but in any case ...f3! is coming to rip open White's kingside and create weaknesses.} 15. Ne4 $2 {This most natural central square for the knight actually leaves White in big trouble.} (15. Qh5 {bothered me for a few seconds, but then I saw} Nf6 $1) (15. Nf1 f3 {also sees White come under a big attack. The computer suggests 16.d4 as the only way to keep the fight going, as 16.g3 Qd7! is unpleasant. The line I analyzed after the game feels a bit irrelevant to my GM eyes, but I share it all the same:} 16. Ne3 $2 Nf4 17. Be4 fxg2 18. Bxa8 Nxh3+ 19. Kxg2 Rxf2+ 20. Kh1 Bd6 $19) (15. Nh5 $1 {is the only move that gives White a playable position, though self-trapping the knight on h5 is not very appealing.} g6 (15... Bh4 $5 16. Be4 Bf5 {instead fights for the initiative and may in fact be the best continuation.}) 16. Be4 c6 17. b4 Nb7 18. c4 bxc4 19. Bb2 {is suddenly not so clear, as the h5-knight can't be taken due to mate, but otherwise the position is quite messy due to the sudden activity of White's pieces and Black's somewhat open king.}) 15... f3 {White can't avoid the shattering of the pawns around his king, and Black's also in a great position to exploit these weaknesses.} 16. d4 fxg2 17. Kxg2 {The g2-pawn was to some extent acting as a 'shield' for White's king and taking it just opens the king even more.} ({After the game, I studied this game reference once more:} 17. Ng3 {(trying to cover the king and also prepare Qh5)} Qd6 ( 17... g6 $1 {is stronger, preparing ...Bxh3 without running into Qh5 forks.} 18. Be4 Bxh3 $1 {and the point behind this capture is that} 19. Bxd5+ Qxd5 20. Rxe7 {fails to} Rxf2 $1 21. Kxf2 Rf8+ {and with ...Rf1 coming, White is busted. }) 18. Be4 Bb7 19. Nf5 Rxf5 20. Bxf5 Rf8 21. Re6 Rxf5 22. Rxd6 Bxd6 23. a4 Bg3 24. f3 Bf4 25. axb5 Bxc1 26. Rxa5 Nf4 27. Qe1 Bxf3 28. bxa6 Nxh3+ 29. Kh2 Bf4+ 30. Kxh3 g1=N+ 31. Qxg1 Rxa5 {0-1 (31) Kuznetsov,V (2448)-Gajewski,G (2556) Pardubice 2007}) 17... Qd7 $2 {This is a careless move, though it fortunately doesn't spoil everything.} (17... Bf5 $142 {is what I considered best after the game, developing normally and preparing to attack h3 with ...Qd7.} 18. Ng3 Bxc2 19. Qxc2 Bg5 $1 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 $19 {and once the knight gets to f4, White is unable to hold.}) (17... Nc4 {is the modern engine suggestion, improving the worst-placed piece.}) (17... Rb8 $5 {appeals to me as well, intending ... Rb6 and a rook lift to the kingside.}) 18. Qg4 Qc6 $1 {Obviously, with White's king so exposed, Black should keep the queens on the board.} (18... Qxg4+ 19. hxg4 Bxg4 $15) 19. Qg3 (19. Qh5 Bf5 $32 {and ...Rae8 is too much for White, who can't even develop his queenside properly.}) 19... Bd6 $4 {I played this move too impulsively, assuming my opponent could not take on d6 due to the discovered check by my knight.} (19... Bf5 $32 {first is the correct preparation - then things fall into place in a similar fashion to the game.}) 20. Qh4 $4 (20. Nxd6 $1 cxd6 (20... Ne3+ $4 21. Kg1 Nxc2 22. Re7 $18 {Both players had missed this checkmating move. It's very easy to see, but this shows the dangers of stopping your calculation too soon.}) 21. Be4 $1 {(I had missed this important move in my original analysis of the game)} Bf5 22. Bf3 { With an extra pawn and the bishop pair, and the absence of immediate threats against the White king, White is significantly better.}) 20... Bf5 {Now White is unable to deal with all of Black's pieces entering the attack.} 21. Kg1 { White breaks the pin, but} (21. f3 $143 {was a more resilient defence.}) 21... Rae8 22. Nbd2 {Allowing Black's next move, but since all of the c1-bishop's moves had their own share of problems, it's hard to give White good advice.} Nf4 23. Re3 Ng6 {Good enough to win, as the defenders of the e4-knight get overwhelmed or deflected.} (23... Re6 $1 {and ...Rg6 was even more crushing.}) 24. Qh5 Bf4 25. d5 Qxd5 {White now tried one last hope before resigning.} 26. Ng5 Nh4 $1 {It felt good to play this very tricky move to finish the tournament. White resigned and I achieved my first ever Grandmaster norm! I was obviously very happy to win so quickly against my opponent. At the same time, even in such a quick win, there is room for improvement. I learned a valuable lesson in not jumping to assumptions such as 'he can't take because of the discovered attack', and instead calculating one move deeper to verify the situation.} 0-1