A game

US – Karl Johan Rist (server elo: 1769), 10 min blitz, closed Ruy Lopez:

1. e4 …e5
2. Nf3 …Nc6
3. Bb5 …a6
4. Ba4 …Nf6
5. 0-0 …b5
6. Ba3 …Be7
7. c3 …d6
8. h3 …Na5
9. Bc2 …c5
10. d4 …Qc7

(…no comments on any of the above moves, this is all theory…)

11. Be3? (I’ve actually made this mistake before, but apparently I don’t learn from my mistakes. The move played is a stupid move that loses a tempo and is an open invitation to a draw, as I have no intention of letting the bishop be exchanged on e3. To play a4 here is probably the option I like best in retrospect – I don’t like d5, even if that e4-d5 pawn setup has become somewhat popular these days) …Nc4
12. Bc1 …Bd7
13. a4 …0-0
14. B3 …Na5
15. Bd2 …Rfc8

16. Na3 …cxd4
17. cxd4 …bxa4
18. bxa4 …Nc4
19. Nxc4 …Qxc4
20. Bb3 …Qd3

21. dxe5 …dxe5? (Nxe4 is the only move)
22. Nxe5 …Qxe4
23. Re1

(The position is still materially equal here, so some people might think that 21…dxe5 is ok: It isn’t, fritz is already at appr. +2.00 here. Fritz also likes 23.Bxf7+ – after which white is up a pawn and a quality, which is more than enough for a win even if a lot of pawns have been exchanged already: 23…Kh8(/f8), 24.Re1…Qd4(/Qb7), 25.Nxd7…Qxd7, 26.Be6:

…of course followed by 27.Bxc8. Strictly speaking, given black’s response to Re1 this variation could still have been played in the game – the move order wrt. the bishop and the rook is irrelevant given the fact that black played 23…Qb7 – but I didn’t look too hard for it, and I had already pretty much convinced myself that taking with the knight on f7 was objectively stronger than taking with the bishop. It isn’t, given optimal play by black)

23…Qb7 (…Qd4 is stronger, but black is still in deep trouble, ie. 24.Bxf7+ …Kf8, 25.Qe2 …Bd6, 26.Nxd7+ …Kxf7, 27.Qd6+…Kg6)
24. Nxf7 …Bxh3?? (a horrible move that loses instantly. Kf8 had to be tried, but even with correct play this position is just lost for black)

25.Nd6+! …Kh8
26.Nxb7 …Rab8? (Bg4 is better but nothing can save this position)
27.Rxe7

…resigned,

1-0

…

Btw. Ivanchuk and Navarra is playing a rapid match at the moment in Prague. The timecontrol is 25 minutes plus 5 seconds per move, so most games last less than an hour. Ivanchuk is, despite his very poor performance in Sofia, ahead 3-1. Half of the games have been played. You can follow the games live at the official site here. Here you can find analyses of the games using what I assume is the most recent version of Rybka, a very strong chess program.

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