Nikitin,D (1054) - Laufer,B (1485) [D32]
Upset Contention
[Gupta, Ankit]
D32: Tarrasch Defence: Sidelines and lines without g3 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 "In the Tarrasch Defense White's structural superiority is balanced by Black's piece play. There is no wonder, then, why Black fights to equalize in a slightly inferior endgame." - adapted from Graham Burguess. 4.cxd5 exd5 5.dxc5 d4 6.Ne4 Bf5 [6...Nc6 7.Nf3 Bf5 8.Ng3 White is slightly better. Barrev-Lobron, Dortmund 1995] 7.Nd6+ Bxd6 8.Qxd4? Basically results in White being down a piece/However, either purposely or accidently the extra piece on the board limits Black's mobility of his pieces. 8...Bc7 9.Nf3 [9.Qxg7 Qxg7 was what White probably intended to play as a follow-up, until he saw... 9...Ba5+ Black is winning.] 9...Qxd4 10.Nxd4 Black is better. 10...Bd7 11.Bd2 Nf6 12.f3 Nc6 13.Nb5 White wants the bishop pair so that he has some counterplay/Takes away Black's piece play. 13...0-0-0 [13...Be5 Black must activate his pieces. 14.Bc3 Bxc3+ 15.Nxc3 Black is winning.] 14.Nxc7 White attempts to wield the bishop pair to his advantage. 14...Kxc7 Although Black is up a piece, White is going to have a dangerous pawn chain and the bishop pair. 15.e4 Rhe8 16.Kf2 Kb8 Black needs to activate his pieces, otherwise White will mobilize a strong initiative (via a pawn storm) [16...Be6 17.Bf4+ Kc8 18.Bb5 Black is better] 17.b4 a6 18.a4 Storming the queenside (equalizing in the process). 18...Na7 [18...Ne5!? is noteworthy 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxf6 White can opt to trade pieces because, in the process, he destroys Black's pawn structure 20...gxf6 Black is slightly better. Black's many pawn island's and isolated pawns give white near equality.] 19.Bf4+ Kc8 [19...Ka8 20.b5 Compensation] 20.b5 White is slightly better. White gains space/Black's King is trapped in the center. 20...a5 [20...Nxb5 21.axb5] 21.c6! White is better. Demolition of Black's pawn structure 21...Be6 [21...bxc6 22.b6 Double Attack] 22.c7 [22.Be3! Wins the piece back. 22...Kb8 (22...Nxc6 23.bxc6 bxc6 24.Ba6+ Kc7 25.Rab1 White is winning.) 23.c7+! Deflection 23...Kxc7 24.b6+ Kb8 25.bxa7+ Ka8 26.Bb5 White is winning.] 22...Rd7 23.b6 Let's Black's knight out of the box. [23.Be3 Yet again, wins the piece back.] 23...Nc6 Equals. 24.Bb5 Rd4 25.Bxc6 bxc6 The passed pawn on b6 will quickly become a dangerous weapon 26.Rhb1 Kb7 27.Be3 Rc4 28.Rc1 Rxc1 29.Rxc1 Bb3 [29...Nd7 Black is better.] 30.Rc5?! Gives up the b6 pawn... [Better is... 30.Rb1 would keep White in the game 30...Bc2 (30...Bxa4 31.Ra1 Bb5 32.Rxa5 Ba6=) 31.Rb2 Bxa4 32.Ra2=] 30...Nd7 Black is better. Destroying White's pawn chain. [30...Kxb6 White may have hoped for this... 31.Rb5+ Kxc7 32.Rxb3 White is better] 31.Rxa5 Nxb6 32.Rh5 [32.g4 Rc8 Black is better. (32...Nxa4? is no good because of 33.Ra7+ Kc8 34.Ra8+ Kxc7 35.Rxe8 White is winning.) ] 32...Kxc7 [32...Nxa4 33.Rxh7 g6 34.Bf4 Black is winning.] 33.a5 [33.Rxh7 Nxa4 34.Rxg7 Rh8 Black is better.] 33...Nc4 Black is winning. 34.Bf4+ Kb7 35.Rxh7 Nxa5? Black, mistakenly, trades pawn and gives white an outside protected past pawn. [35...Rg8 Black is winning. Holding on to the pawns] 36.Rxg7 Black is slightly better. At this point both sides were relatively in time pressure... 36...Be6 37.h4 Rh8 38.Bg5 Nc4 39.Bf6 Rh6 40.Bg5 Rh8 41.g3 Kb6 42.Bf6 [42.g4 c5 Black must push his pawn as quickly as possible.] 42...Rh6 [42...Ra8 43.g4 Ra2+ Black needs to activate his pieces.] 43.Bd4+ [43.Bg5 Rg6 44.Rxg6 fxg6= Black has small winning chances, yet drawing shouldn't be too hard.] 43...c5 Black is better. 44.Bc3 Kb5 [44...Nd6 45.Rg8 Before Black can dream of queening, he must first prevent White's play on the kingside.] 45.Rg8 Black is slightly better. 45...Nb6 46.Be5? [46.Rh8 Rxh8 47.Bxh8 Kb4 48.h5 Nd7 Forced. to prevent the h pawn from reaching h7 via Nf8. 49.Bg7 f6 Forced. Preventing h7 (via Bg8) 50.h6 Bg8=] 46...Kc4 [46...f6! 47.Bf4 Rxh4 48.Re8 (48.gxh4 Bxg8) 48...Rh2+ 49.Kg1 Bf7 50.Rf8 Rh7 Black is winning. Winning the strong h-pawn.] 47.f4? Trapping White's own bishop... [47.Ke3 Nd7 48.Bf4 Rh7 Black is better.] 47...Na4? Gives away the win. [Better is...47...f6 Black has a winning game. 48.Rb8 Nd7 Black is better.(48...fxe5?! is clearly inferior 49.Rxb6 exf4 50.gxf4=) ] 48.f5 Black is slightly better. 48...Bd7 49.Kf3 Nc3 50.Rf8 White gets in control 50...Rh7 51.g4 Bc6 Attacking the backward pawn on e4 [51...Ba4!? should be investigated more closely 52.Kf4 Ne2+ 53.Ke3 Nd4 Black is slightly better.] 52.Bxc3 White is slightly better. 52...Kxc3 53.Rc8 Rh6? [53...Bb7!? and Black hangs on 54.Rxc5+ Kd4 55.Rc7 Bxe4+=] 54.g5 White is winning. 54...Rd6 [54...Bxe4+ Gives Black a hope of drawing. 55.Kxe4 Rxh4+ 56.Ke5 c4 57.Kf6 Rf4 Although Black is worse, he has some (slim) chances to draw.] 55.h5 [55.Kf4 Bxe4 56.Kxe4 Rd4+ 57.Ke5 Rxh4 58.Rxc5+ Kd2 59.Kf6 White is winning.] 55...Rd4?? A bad move (due to time pressure, no doubt), but Black is out of all options. (Removing his rook from the critical rank. [55...Kd4 Serves the same purpose as Rd4, but doesn't hang anything. 56.Kf4 Bxe4 57.Rf8 White is still winning.] 56.Rxc6 c4 [56...Rd3+ 57.Kf4 Rh3 58.g6 fxg6 59.fxg6 Rh4+ 60.Kg5 Rxe4 61.h6 White is winning. White will Queen by force now.] 57.h6 Rd8 58.h7 Rh8 59.g6 Kd3 60.g7 Summary: White played well in terms of finding the resources to counter the fact that he was down a piece. He slowly but surely, gave himself chances by unbalancing the position (bishop pair/pawn majorities). The game was not easy for either side, and it is noteworthy that Black defended as well as he did (in the middlegame). The conclusion of the game was the deciding factor and it could have gone either way because of the time pressure. All in all, good game to both players, and congrats to Mr. Nikitin on his well-deserved upset. 1-0