[Event "Athens Chess Club (3'+2\")"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.09.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Monokroussos, Dennis"]
[Black "Kalesis, Nikos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B53"]
[Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2022.09.02"]
{[%evp 0,43,25,17,41,39,69,46,46,46,40,40,36,25,25,11,11,21,17,2,2,-5,-5,-24,
-8,-64,0,-7,32,26,32,4,100,117,691,658,1222,1222,1244,29988,29991,29992,29997,
29998,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 $5 {While this is
nowhere near as popular as 4.Nxd4, it's a decent line that has been used on
occasion by many of the world's top players, including Carlsen, Anand,
Nepomniachtchi, Aronian, Nakamura, Karjakin, MVL, Grischuk, Svidler, Rapport,
Andreikin, etc. - in some cases many times.} Nc6 5. Bb5 (5. Qe3 {is an
important alternative that leads to very different sorts of positions.}) 5...
Bd7 (5... a6 {is also common.}) 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 (7. c4 {is a more
positional approach.}) 7... Nf6 ({Black can also play to prevent Bg5 with} 7...
h6 $5) ({or} 7... e5 $5 8. Qd3 h6 {.}) 8. Bg5 e6 9. O-O-O Be7 10. Rhe1 (10. Qd3
{is the start of the other main plan. White clears d4 for the knight and
leaves the rook on h1, where it supports the advance of the h-pawn.}) 10... O-O
11. e5 (11. Kb1 {is also played, intending to meet 11...Qa5 with 12.Qd2,
setting up Nd5 tricks. This was played in one of the most famous games in this
variation, Svidler-Kasparov from Linares 1999.}) 11... dxe5 12. Qh4 (12. Nxe5
$142 {This is better according to the computer, but (practically) no one plays
4.Qxd4 hoping for an equal ending without queens right out of the opening.}
Qxd4 13. Rxd4 Rfc8 $11 (13... Bxg2 $5 14. Nd7 $1 Bc6 15. Nxf8 Kxf8 $14)) 12...
Qa5 (12... Qc7 $142 13. Nxe5 Rfd8 {The most popular move, aimed against
White's intended Rd3-g3/h3.} (13... h6 {looks provocative, but it works.} 14.
Bxh6 ({The less bloodthirsty} 14. Bf4 {is better, but even here Black has an
edge with correct play.} Nd5 $1 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Qg3 Rac8 17. Re2 Bd6 $1 18.
Rd4 (18. Bxh6 $4 Bxe5 $19) ({Trying to prepare Bxh6, e.g. with} 18. Rdd2 $6 {
, doesn't help:} Rfd8 19. Bxh6 $4 f6 $19) 18... Rfd8 19. Red2 h5 $1 20. Nf3
Bxf4 21. Qxf4 Qxf4 22. Rxf4 f6 $15) 14... gxh6 $1 (14... Ne4 {is only good
enough for a draw.} 15. Qh5 Nxc3 16. Bxg7 Nxa2+ $8 17. Kb1 Nc3+ $8 18. bxc3 (
18. Kc1 Na2+ $11) 18... Qb6+ 19. Kc1 Ba3+ 20. Kd2 Qxf2+ 21. Re2 Qf4+ 22. Ke1
Kxg7 23. Rf2 Qe4+ 24. Kf1 f6 25. Nxc6 Qxc6 26. Rf4 f5 27. Rd3 Bd6 28. Rg3+ Kf6
29. Qh7 Qb5+ 30. Kf2 Bc5+ 31. Rd4 Bxd4+ 32. cxd4 Rg8 33. Rxg8 Rxg8 34. Qxg8 $11
) 15. Qxh6 Nh7 16. f4 Bf6 17. Rd3 Bxe5 18. Rxe5 {does not come with tempo.
Also, the queen on c7 stops the mate we'll see in the game (once Black pushes
the f-pawn).} Kh8 19. Rh3 f5 $17) 14. Ng4 Nxg4 15. Bxe7 Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Nh6 17.
Bd6 Nf5 18. Bxc7 Nxh4 19. g3 Nf3 20. h4 f6 $15) 13. Nxe5 h6 $6 {After the game
we both thought this was the losing move. It's not a good move, to be sure,
but we were hasty in our judgment.} (13... Rfd8 $11) 14. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 15. Qxh6
Nh7 $2 {This is the losing move.} (15... Ne4 $1 16. Nxe4 (16. Nxc6 $4 Qg5+ $1
17. Qxg5+ Bxg5+ 18. Kb1 Nxc3+ 19. bxc3 bxc6 $19) 16... Qxe5 17. Rd3 Bxe4 18.
Rg3+ Qxg3 19. hxg3 Bg6 20. Rxe6 fxe6 21. Qxg6+ Kh8 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Qxe6+ Rf7
$14 {I'm not sure how to assess this, either objectively or practically.
Obviously White has the better chances, but is it an eventual win or an
eventual draw? Is it a two-result position or one where Black has reasonable
chances of taking over if White makes minor errors? I'm inclined to think it's
objectively drawn, but think White has good practical chances for a win.}) 16.
f4 $18 Kh8 $2 {And now it's easy:} (16... Rad8 17. Rxd8 Qxd8 18. Re3 Qd4 $1 19.
Rd3 $1 Qg1+ 20. Nd1 Be4 $8 21. Rg3+ Ng5 22. c3 $1 Qf1 $1 23. Rxg5+ Bxg5 24.
Qxg5+ Bg6 $8 (24... Kh7 $2 25. Nd7 $1 $18) 25. Nxg6 fxg6 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27. Qh6+
Kg8 28. Qxe6+ $18) 17. Rd3 $1 Bxg2 18. Rg3 Bf6 19. Rxg2 Qc7 (19... Rg8 20.
Nxf7#) (19... Bxe5 20. Re3 $1 {is fastest (see the end of the game), though
I'm sure I would have played} (20. Rxe5 {given the blitz time control. The
threat is the same one we'll see at the end of the game, but the "problem"
here is that Black can give up his queen for the rook.})) 20. Re3 {Threatening
Rh3, but not only Rh3.} Bxe5 21. Qxh7+ $1 Kxh7 22. Rh3# 1-0
[Event "GRE-chT 40th"]
[Site "Achaia"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.14"]
[White "Istratescu, Andrei"]
[Black "Kalesis, Nikolaos"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2636"]
[BlackElo "2473"]
[Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.08.24"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.08.24"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Kalamata Poseidon"]
[BlackTeam "AEK"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GRE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GRE"]
{[%evp 0,106,19,38,40,40,77,63,56,30,53,30,79,29,74,86,51,52,38,30,45,35,41,49,
60,60,51,51,70,1,105,72,65,58,57,44,35,48,35,17,17,17,8,-9,-52,-44,-59,-140,
-161,-175,-170,-176,-167,-193,-174,-191,-128,-145,-145,-145,-149,-140,-154,
-127,-161,-144,-147,-164,-171,-225,-99,-120,-83,-110,-119,-118,-72,-88,-126,
-133,-119,-125,-121,-136,-57,-32,-38,-112,-135,-150,-142,-131,-163,-194,-167,
-198,-193,-199,-212,-207,-220,-220,-159,-187,-209,-208,-202,-224,-194]} 1. e4
c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 {The Scheveningen hasn't been
popular in years, in part because of the Keres Attack (6.g4).} 6. g4 Nc6 7. g5
Nd7 8. h4 (8. Be3 {is a good alternative.}) 8... Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a6 11.
O-O-O Nxd4 12. Qxd4 {Black's score here is very poor, and the engines hate
Black's position. Thta doesn't mean that his position is without resources, as
we'll see.} b5 13. f4 Rb8 14. h5 Qb6 (14... b4 $2 {is more common, hoping for
15.Ne2 e5, when White's advantage is minimal. Unfortunately for Black,} 15. Nd5
$1 exd5 16. h6 $18 {is crushing.}) 15. h6 $6 (15. Qd2 $18 {is better, aiming
to keep the attack going.}) 15... Qxd4 $16 16. Rxd4 g6 17. a3 Bb7 18. Rd2 $2 (
18. Be2) (18. Rg1) 18... Bc6 $6 (18... Nc5 $142 $11) 19. Bg2 (19. b4 $1 $16)
19... a5 $14 20. Ne2 $6 (20. b3 $1) 20... Nc5 (20... b4 $1 $15) 21. Ng3 b4 $6 (
21... Na4 $142 $11) 22. axb4 $2 {Natural, but bad, and Istratescu is ground
down after this.} (22. Bxc5 $1 dxc5 23. e5 $14 {/+/-}) 22... Rxb4 $1 $19 23. f5
Rfb8 $1 24. c3 (24. b3 a4 $19) 24... Rxb2 $1 25. Rxb2 Nd3+ 26. Kc2 Nxb2 27. f6
Bd8 (27... Nc4 $1) 28. Ra1 Nc4 29. Bc1 Bb6 30. Ne2 e5 {Restricting both
White's knight and the bishop on g2.} 31. Rb1 Rc8 32. Ng3 Bf2 33. Nf1 a4 34.
Kd3 Na5 (34... a3 $1) 35. Be3 Bxe3 $2 (35... a3 $1 {works, thanks to a nice
tactical trick.} 36. Bxf2 a2 37. Ra1 Nb3 38. Rxa2 Nc1+ $19) 36. Nxe3 Nb3 37.
Kc2 Nc5 38. Nd5 $2 (38. Nc4 $1 Bxe4+ 39. Bxe4 Nxe4 40. Rb7 $17 {offers White
fair chances to survive, thanks to Black's back rank problems.}) 38... Bxd5 39.
exd5 a3 $19 40. Rb5 Ra8 41. Kb1 a2+ 42. Ka1 e4 43. Bf1 e3 44. Rb2 Ne4 45. c4
Kf8 46. c5 Nxc5 47. Bc4 Ne4 48. Re2 Ra3 49. Rb2 Ra8 50. Re2 Nxg5 51. Rxe3 Re8
$1 52. Ra3 (52. Rxe8+ Kxe8 53. Bd3 (53. Kxa2 Ne4) 53... Nf3 54. Kxa2 Ne5 $19 {
and with ...Ng4 or ...Nd7 Black will start harvesting White's pawns.}) 52...
Ne4 53. Ra6 Rd8 {Black will take on f6, then play ...Ng8xh6. Enough is enough!}
0-1
