[Event "GotM #60"]
[Site "Aix les Bains"]
[Date "2007.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fontaine, Robert"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A89"]
[Annotator "Connaughton, Ken"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
{[%evp 0,78,27,25,98,58,65,42,102,81,100,67,87,48,76,65,68,-8,63,25,16,6,117,
115,89,89,83,54,133,62,138,136,180,131,222,151,169,111,111,115,106,119,109,68,
68,124,165,190,239,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,3,-35,-105,-35,0,0,150,-735,-459,
-735,38,0,0,0,-29994,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998]} 1. Nf3 f5 {Dutch Defense} 2.
d4 Nf6 3. g3 g6 {Leningrad Variation} 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Nc6
8. b3 e5 {[#] Black's main objective in the opening.} 9. dxe5 dxe5 {[%csl Ge5,
Gf5] These two pawns on e5 and f5 are the main assets in Black's position.
There is a trade off of course. White's pieces will be quite active.} 10. Ba3
e4 $5 {Allowing the exchange sacrifice. Black's compensation will come in the
form of his unopposed dark square Bishop on g7, dominating the long diagonal.}
(10... Re8 {[%CAl Ge5e4] is the usual continuation.}) 11. Bxf8 Qxf8 12. Nd4
Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Be6 14. Qd2 {[#] White pulls his Queen out of the firing line of
the fianchettoed Bishop. He has to get his Rooks active in order to make the
most of his advantage in material.} h5 $5 {Instead of contesting the d-file,
Black embarks on a flank attack. It is possibly dubious but only if White
responds in the correct way.} (14... Rd8 {would have tempted most players with
Black.}) 15. Rad1 {Securing control in the center.} h4 16. Qg5 {Attacking g6
and keeping an eye on Black's attack but there were better moves available for
White.} (16. Nb5 Qc5 17. Qf4 {[%CAl Rb5c7,Rc7a8,Rc7e6]} Ne8 $16) (16. gxh4 a6
17. e3 Qe7 18. Ne2 Bf7 19. Nf4 $16) 16... Kf7 17. Qf4 (17. Qxh4) 17... Qc5 18.
Nb5 {White finally arrives in position to threaten c7 but Black has had time
to prepare a good defense.} hxg3 19. hxg3 Rc8 20. Nd4 Bd7 21. g4 $2 {Designed
to tear away the Black King's cover but this move harms White's position more.}
(21. Nc2 {[%CAl Yc2b4,Yb4d5]}) 21... Nxg4 22. Nxf5 $5 {[#] White thinks he has
found a winning resource.} (22. Bxe4 {[%CAl Rf4f7]} Be5 (22... Bxd4 $4 23. Rxd4
Qxd4 24. Bd5+ $18 {[%CAl Rf4d4]}) 23. Qf3 Bxd4 $11) 22... Bxf5 (22... Qxf5 $2
23. Rxd7+ $18 {[%CAl Rf4f7]}) 23. Rd5 {[%CAl Rd5f5,Rf4f5,Rf5f7,Rf5c8] The idea
is that White will fork a hanging Rook after the exchange sac and come out of
the combination winning a minor piece.} Qxd5 $3 {[#] He gives up the Queen,
ending White's attack and setting in train an explosive attack for himself.} (
23... Qf8 {[%CAl Gf8c8] of course would hold the position for Black after} 24.
Rxf5+ gxf5 25. Qxf5+ Nf6 {but in the game he responds with a violent tactic of
his own.}) 24. cxd5 {White must accept.} Be5 {[%CAl Rc8h8,Re5h2,Rg4h2,Rf5h3]
Now we can see that Black's pieces are co-ordinating beautifully.} 25. Qc1 {
The Queen must retreat but White wants to keep pressure on c7 with hopes of a
draw by perpetual check.} Bh2+ 26. Kh1 Rh8 {[%CAl Rh2f4,Rf4c1,Rh8h1] with the
deadly threat of ...Bf4+ winning the Queen. White will have to put the Queen
on a light square so she is safe from the Bishop in a discovery check.} 27. Qc4
{Keeping an eye on c7 and also threatening d6+ at any time.} Bd6+ 28. Kg1 Bh2+
29. Kh1 b5 $1 {[#] This sacrifice is tempting the Queen away from control of
the checking squares to a less useful location.} 30. Qxb5 $2 {The losing move.}
(30. Qc6 {would have retained White's drawing chances by tying the dark square
Bishop to the defense of the pawn.} e3 31. Bf3 Nxf2+ 32. Rxf2 exf2 33. Kg2 {
and here the crucial difference from the game is instead of playing 33...Bg1
as he would like, Black must play} Bg3 {to hold c7 but even still, after} 34.
Kxg3 f1=Q 35. Qxc7+ {the Black King can't escape the checks. It's a draw.})
30... e3 $1 {White can't take.} 31. Bf3 {The best.} (31. fxe3 $2 Bf4+ 32. Kg1
Bxe3+ 33. Rf2 Bxf2+ $19) 31... Nxf2+ 32. Rxf2 {White has little option but to
give back the exchange.} (32. Kg2 $2 Bh3+ 33. Kxh2 Bd7+ $19 {[%csl Rb5]}) 32...
exf2 33. Kg2 {and now thanks to White's misplaced Queen Black can play} Bg1 34.
Qc6 $4 {[#] The right square for the Queen but a day late and a dollar short.
That ship has sailed. Now this move gives Black the chance to launch an
ingenious mating attack.} ({Better was} 34. Kf1 Rh2 (34... Bh3+ $4 35. Bg2
Bxg2+ 36. Kxg2 Rh5 $18) 35. Bg2 Rxg2 36. Qc6 Rh2 37. Qxc7+ Kf8 38. Qd8+ Kg7 39.
Qc7+ Kh6 40. Qf4+ Kh5 41. Qe5 {[%CAl Re5h5] pinning the Bishop (Black wants to
get in ...Bh3#).} Rh4 42. Qh8+ Kg5 43. Qd8+ Kg4 44. Qf6 Rh7 45. Qe5 Rh3 $19)
34... Rh2+ {and not the immediate ...Bh3+.} 35. Kg3 f1=N+ $3 {The only way to
win and the forced # is still on track.} (35... f1=Q $4 {would have allowed
White to draw:} 36. Qxc7+ Kg8 37. Qd8+ Kg7 38. Qe7+ Kh6 39. Qf8+ Kg5 40. Qe7+
Kh6 41. Qf8+ Kg5 42. Qe7+ Kh6 43. Qf8+ Kg5 44. Qe7+ $11) 36. Kf4 Rh4+ 37. Kg5
Be3+ $3 {Yet another inspiration calculation! Black keeps the mating attack
going by sacrificing his Rook which White is forced to take.} 38. Kxh4 g5+ 39.
Kh5 Ng3+ {[#] and White, seeing the end, resigns here. Amazing.} (39... Ng3+ {
Of course after White's only possible continuation:} 40. Kh6 g4# {[%CAl Rg3h5,
Re3g5,Re3h6,Rf5g6,Rf5h7,Rf7g7] ends the game. All four of Black's pieces
working together to give #.}) 0-1
