Back to Basics / Reader annotations 16. ... Nf8 17. Ne5
As 9. ... a5 doesn’t stop 10. b4!, it simply wastes
time. 10. Nf3 Nbc6 (10. ... a4!—L.A.) 11. 0-0 11. b4 may have been more accurate. After
11. ... axb4 12. axb4 Rxa1 13. Qxa1 White controls the a-file and the b7-pawn might prove to be weak. Correct (see my brief notes to moves 9-10).
11. ... a4 (!—L.A.)
Trying to cramp White on the queenside, and maybe aiming for ... Nb3 later. 12. b4!
White’s play will mainly be on the queenside in this opening so he needs to break free. I’d prefer to delay this move and play here 12.
Ng5 or 12. Re1 and then 13. Ng5. If pushed, the knight goes to e4—threatening to win, with Nc5, Black’s a-pawn. At the very least, b2-b4 can wait.
12. ... axb3 e.p. 13. Qxb3 0-0 14. Rfe1 Stopping ... e6-e5.
14. ... Ng6 Renewing the threat of ... e6-e5.
15. h4! This illustrates the awkward placement of
the knight. Black can’t play 15. ... e5 since after 16. h5 he loses a pawn.
15. ... Re8?!
Consistent, but dubious. 15. ... h5?? Trying to stop White’s kingside play loses a pawn to 16. Qb5. 15. ... f6! is the right way to prepare ... e5.
For example: 16. h5 Nge7 17. h6 g6 is the line given by the computer for Black to maintain the balance. Compared to the game Black should get play in the center to compensate for his weak flanks. In this line (15. ... f6) I’d still prefer White but
his edge is definitely smaller than earlier in the game, due to inaccuracies such as allowing Black to play ... a5–a4 and, to a lesser extent, 12. b4?!
16. h5!! After this White will combine play on both
flanks making it hard for Black to defend all of his weaknesses.
Exchanging the c6-knight and releasing the
g2-bishop. White’s pressure on the queenside is already unpleasant for Black. Excellent! For those familiar with these types of
positions—a typical maneuver and a typical plan. 17. ... Nxe5 18. Rxe5 Nd7 19. Rb5!
Increasing the pressure on b7. Black will have
to misplace his pieces further to defend it. 19. ... Rb8 20. h6!
Now that Black is tied down on the queenside
White tries to weaken Black’s king position, hoping to transfer his forces to the other wing for an attack. The move 20. Bxb7?? is premature, as White
is actually losing after 20. ... Rxb7 21. Rxb7 Nc5 22. Qb5 Nxb7. Both strategically (opening a second front, aka
creating another weakness) and technically (seeing opponent’s counter blow) Gabriel is doing great here.
20. ... Qc7 21. Qd1!? Now Black is completely tied down on the
queenside, leaving the king unprotected. White redirects the queen to attack Black’s king.
21. ... g6 Now Black’s dark squares will be chronically
weak. White has a long-term advantage since Black will be forced to defend passively in a very uncomfortable position. If 21. ... b6, trying to exchange the powerful
light-square bishop with ... Bb7, then 22. Qg4 g6 23. Qxd4.
22. Qf3 Eyeing the weak dark squares around Black’s
king. White doesn’t need to hurry here since Black’s problems are chronic and in the long term he won’t be able to defend everything.
22. ... f5?? (see diagram top of next column)
A blunder in an already very unpleasant position. After this White is just winning.
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www.ChessWithLev.com www.uschess.org 19
23. Bf4
Threatening to win the Exchange, and provoking the weakening of the d5-square. 23. ... e5 24. Qd5+!
There’s nowhere for the king to go.
24. ... Kf8 The try 24. ... Kh8 loses even quicker after
25. Qf7. 25. Bd2!, Black resigned.
The final rerouting of White’s pieces. The
bishop is heading to b4, after which Black has to give up the Exchange in order to survive. White is completely winning here, so my opponent resigned after thinking for a few minutes. Before that resignation, Gabriel considered the
line 25. ... Re7 26. Bb4+ Ke8 and “I stopped my calculations, since White is up an Exchange with a completely dominant position”. Good; in fact, he could have stopped even earlier. In his letter, Gabriel gives a long computer line, 25. ... Ke7, planning after 26. Bb4+ Kf6 27. f4!. Probably the computer is right (for computers) but for a human player it is enough to see, and to play quickly and confidently, (unless you have a lot of time left on your clock) 27. Bd6, with an easy win. Except for the occasional tendency for “overkill,” analysis from Team Gabriel- Stockfish is quite good. In fact, Gabriel should have used Stockfish much earlier, in the opening—and of course, when commenting on 7. ... Ne7. Overall kudos for an upset, and for insightful notes!
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