[Event "TCh-SRB Premier 2020"] [Site "Ruma SRB"] [Date "2020.09.27"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Malakhov, V."] [Black "Meshkovs, Nikita"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E18"] [WhiteElo "2669"] [BlackElo "2585"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2020.09.25"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "SRB"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1351"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2020.09.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.09.28"] [SourceQuality "2"] [WhiteTeam "Crvena Zvezda - Beograd"] [BlackTeam "Jugovic - Kac"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 e6 5. O-O Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. d4 Ne4 8. Bd2 {This is a very solid setup against the Bb7 version of the g3 Queen's Indian} Bf6 9. Rc1 c5 10. d5 exd5 11. cxd5 Nxc3 ({Relevant:} 11... Nxd2 {Exchanging the active knight for the passive Bd2 is also possible} 12. Nxd2 d6 13. Nde4 Be5 14. Qd2 Ba6 15. f4 Bd4+ 16. Kh1 Qe7 17. Rfe1 g6 18. e3 Bg7 19. Ng5 Nd7 20. e4 Rae8 21. a4 c4 22. Nb5 Bxb5 23. axb5 Rc8 24. Bf1 Qf6 25. Bh3 Rfd8 26. Rc2 Qd4 27. Qxd4 Bxd4 28. Ra1 Rc7 29. Ra4 Bf6 30. Nf3 Re8 31. Bxd7 Rxd7 32. Raxc4 Rde7 33. Nd2 Bg7 34. Kg2 f5 35. Kf3 Rf7 36. Rc8 Rfe7 37. e5 Kf7 38. e6+ { 1-0 (38) Erdos,V (2604)-Kovacevic,B (2497) Hungary HUN 2019}) 12. Bxc3 Re8 13. Nd2 d6 {[#]} 14. f4 $146 {Controlling the e5-outpost makes sense as ..Nd7 is likely} ({Predecessor:} 14. Ne4 Be7 15. g4 b5 16. b3 Nd7 17. f4 b4 18. Ba1 Nb6 19. g5 Bxd5 20. Qd2 Bf8 21. Nf6+ gxf6 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Qxd5 Rxe2 24. gxf6 Qe8 25. Rf3 Re1+ 26. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 27. Kg2 Qe2+ 28. Rf2 Qe6 29. Qxa8 {1/2-1/2 (29) Rogers,I (2575)-Speelman,J (2625) Oropesa del Mar 1996}) 14... Nd7 15. Ne4 Bxc3 (15... Qe7 16. Qd2 Bxc3 17. Nxc3 $14 (17. bxc3 $2 {drops a key pawn} f5 18. Ng5 Qxe2 $19)) 16. bxc3 (16. Rxc3 $14) 16... Qe7 $11 (16... Qc7 17. c4 $14) 17. g4 {Despite the general guideline of avoiding pawn advances in front of one's own castled king, this is a thematic plan for White} c4 {Taking space prevents c3-c4 and clears c5 for piece play but White gets access to d4} (17... b5 $132 18. Ng3 (18. Rf2 $11) 18... Qe3+ 19. Kh1 g6 20. Rf3 Qe7 21. e4 $11) 18. g5 { Consistent and ambitious play but Stockfish10 is unimpressed} (18. Qd2 $5) 18... Nc5 $1 {Black has an excellent position} 19. Ng3 Qe3+ 20. Kh1 Bc8 $1 { Regrouping the passive Bb7 but Black's development seems rather slow} 21. Rf3 Qe7 22. h3 {White takes defensive measures to prevent ..Bg4 and for now Black is doing well} Ne4 $6 $11 {At least Black has suceeded in controlling e4 and preventing e2-e4, but there a couple of promising plans that should have been considered} (22... b5 {Simply preparing to advance on the queenside is a good plan} 23. Qd4 f5 {Combining kingside restraint with queenside counterplay is the key} 24. h4 a5 25. Rb1 Rb8 26. Kh2 Bd7 $15 {Black has excellent queenside counterplay brewing}) (22... f6 {Undermining the kingside pawn wedge is also a good plan} 23. gxf6 {White must give up on the kingside space wedge} (23. h4 $2 {The g-pawn cannot be supported} Bg4 24. Rf2 Qe3 $1 $19) 23... Qxf6 $15) 23. e3 f5 {An attempt to take control of the light squares to blockade the kingside and secure the king} (23... b5 {ignoring e4 is ineffective} 24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. Rg3 Qe7 (25... Qg6 26. e4 f5 $2 27. e5 $16) 26. e4 $14) (23... Bd7 24. Kh2 (24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. Rg3 Qg6 26. e4 f5 $15 {The pawn centre collapses}) 24... f5 25. Nxe4 Qxe4 26. Qd2 Qe7 $14) 24. gxf6 $2 (24. h4 Nxg3+ 25. Rxg3 $11) (24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. Rg3 Qe7 $11) 24... Qxf6 (24... Nxf6 $5 25. Qd4 h5 $1 $132) 25. Nxe4 Rxe4 26. Rg3 {The blockade on e4 is broken} Re7 {The game is level} 27. Qa4 ( 27. Qc2 $11) 27... Bf5 {The c4-pawn is unimportant as Black focuses on completing development} 28. Qxc4 Rae8 {Black again takes control of e4} 29. Qe2 (29. Re1 Rc8 30. Qd4 Qxd4 31. cxd4 Rc3 $44 {The active rook gives Black good compensation}) 29... Be4 (29... h5 $5 {is an interesting plan to offer the h-pawn to deflect the queen away from defending the e3-pawn} 30. Qxh5 Rxe3 $132 ) 30. Qd2 Bxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Re4 $14 {Fighting to control e4 and maintain the central blockade is the not the only plan} (31... Rc7 {Switching over to attacking the c3-pawn regains the pawn} 32. c4 Rec8 33. Qb4 Rc5 34. a4 (34. Kh2 g6 {White cannot hold onto the pawn+}) 34... Rxd5 35. cxd5 Rxc1 $11) (31... Rc8 $11) 32. c4 {Black controls e4 again but the cost was a key pawn} Qe7 33. Rc3 Qd7 34. Qd3 Qf7 35. a4 $5 {White gives up on making a central advance and switches focus to a minority attack on the queenside to create a weakness or at least open lines} Qd7 {This is loses control over c5} (35... Qc7 {keeps control over c5} 36. Kh1 (36. a5 bxa5 $11) 36... h5 37. Rf3 $11) 36. a5 bxa5 $2 {[#] Wins pawn for now but loses control of c5. Black had defended well so far but now postionally self-destructs} (36... h5 {Keeps the balance} 37. axb6 axb6 $11) 37. c5 $1 dxc5 38. Rxc5 a4 $6 {There was not much to be done but now Black gets overrun} (38... Rb4 {does not help} 39. Kh2 Rb2+ 40. Rg2 Rxg2+ 41. Kxg2 $18) 39. d6 $1 g6 40. Rc7 Qd8 41. Qc3 (41. Qd5+ $1 {wins spectacularly} Kh8 42. Rxh7+ $1 Kxh7 43. Qf7+ Kh8 44. Qxg6 $18) 1-0