[Event "World Open"]
[Site "Valley Forge, PA"]
[Date "2010.07.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Smith, Bryan"]
[Black "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2468"]
[BlackElo "2636"]
[Annotator "GM Lubomir Kavalek/Huffington Post"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2010.07.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {(One of the
critical lines against the Sicilian Najdorf is making its way back.)} Nbd7 ({
(A fresh recent trend to replace the usual} 6... e6) 7. f4 ({The main
variation used to be} 7. Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 {
and here some American players, led by GMs Sammy Reshevsky and Bill Lombardy,
turned the long castle} O-O-O {into a short one by shifting the King and the
Rook one square to their right. For example the game Westerinen-Lombardy,
Helsinki 1961, continued:} 12. a3 Be7 13. Kb1 Kb8 14. f3 Rc8 15. Ba2 Rhd8 {and
black was ready for middlegame battle.}) ({Different approach is sought today:
} 7. Bc4 Qb6 ({or} 7... e6 8. Bb3 Nc5) 8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 {as
in Shirov-Dominguez Perez, Wijk aan Zee 2010.}) 7... Qb6 ({Black can also turn
the solid} 7... Qc7 {into an interesting gambit} 8. Qf3 h6 9. Bh4 g5 $5 10.
fxg5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 Qc5 $1 12. Nf5 (12. Be3 Ne5 13. Qe2 Neg4 14. Bg1 Bh6 {gives
black plenty of play.}) 12... e6 13. Be3 Qb4 14. O-O-O exf5 15. Qxf5 Rh5 16.
Qf3 Be7 17. Be2 Ne5 18. Qf4 Bg4 19. Bxg4 Nc4 20. Rd3 Qxb2+ 21. Kd1 Qa1+ 22. Bc1
Nb2+ 23. Ke2 Nxd3 24. cxd3 Qxc3 25. Bxh5 Nxh5 26. Qh6 Qg7 {0-1 Kanovsky,D 
(2489)-Navara,D (2718)/Ostrava 2010/CB18_2010}) 8. Qd2 {This version of the
poisoned pawn may have more venom.} Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Bxf6 $5 ({The sharpest.
In the game Fernandez-Van Wely, Las Vegas 2009, white tried} 10. Be2 g6 11.
Bxf6 Nxf6 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Bh6 14. Qd3 Ng4 15. e6 Ne3 16. exf7+ Kxf7 17.
Rb3 Qc5 18. Rf1+ Kg7 19. Ne4 Qa5+ 20. c3 Rd8 {and Black won.}) 10... Nxf6 $5 ({
Laznicka has done a good homework. For many years, Black tried only} 10... gxf6
11. Nd5 Rb8 12. Rb3 Qa4 {but after a discovery of the late Latvian IM Alvis
Vitolins} 13. Bxa6 $1 e5 (13... bxa6 $2 14. Qc3 $1 {threatening 14.Rxb8, White
wins because Black can't defend the back rank.}) (13... Qxa6 14. Nc7+ {wins.})
14. fxe5 $1 dxe5 (14... fxe5 15. Rb4 Qxa2 16. Qg5 Qa5 17. Nb5 {wins.}) 15.
Nxf6+ Kd8 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Nc6+ {wins.}) 11. e5 {Both players begin to walk
through a mine field.} dxe5 $5 ({An improvement on previously played} 11... Ng4
12. Nd5 ({After} 12. h3 dxe5 13. Ndb5 Qa5 14. Qd5 Qb6 15. hxg4 Qe3+ 16. Be2
axb5 17. Nxb5 e6 18. Nc7+ Ke7 {Black survives.}) 12... Qc5 ({After} 12... Qxa2
13. Rb3 Qa1+ (13... Rb8 14. Be2 $16) 14. Ke2 Rb8 15. exd6 e6 16. Kf3 $14) 13.
Nb3 Qc6 14. Na5 Qc5 (14... Qd7 15. Nb6) 15. Nxb7 Bxb7 16. Rxb7 {and white
should win.}) 12. fxe5 Ng4 13. Nd5 Qc5 14. Nb3 Qc6 15. Na5 ({White misses two
dazzling possiblities:} 15. Qa5 $5 b6 16. Nd4 $5 ({or} 16. Bb5 $5 axb5 (16...
Qxb5 17. Nc7+ Kd7 18. Qxb5+ axb5 19. Nxa8) 17. Qxa8 Qxa8 18. Nc7+ Kd7 19. Nxa8
Kc6 (19... Bb7 20. Rd1+ Kc6 21. Rd8 Nxe5 22. O-O $14) 20. Nd4+ Kb7 21. Nxb6
Kxb6 22. Rxb5+ Kc7 23. O-O $14) 16... bxa5 17. Nxc6 e6 18. Nc7+ Kd7 19. Nxa8
Kxc6 20. Rb6+ {with advantage.}) 15... Qd7 16. Nc4 ({One can see the
importance of the exchange on e5. Black is able to exchange Queens} 16. Nb6
Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Rb8 {and survive.}) 16... e6 $1 {(Laznicka made it a great
habbit, giving up Exchanges at the World Open.)} 17. Ncb6 $6 ({It is tempting
to win the Exchange, but White could have played for a steady edge with} 17.
Ndb6 Qxd2+ 18. Kxd2 Rb8 19. Be2 Nf2 20. Rhf1 Ne4+ 21. Kd3 Nc5+ 22. Kd4 Nd7 (
22... f5 23. Bf3 $14) 23. Nd6+ $14) 17... Qc6 18. Nxa8 exd5 {(Black will get a
pawn for the Exchange and his pieces are more fluid.)} 19. Be2 ({After the
Bishop move the chances begin to tilt to Black.} 19. h3 {is more forcing to
balance the game, for example} Nxe5 20. Qxd5 Qc3+ 21. Qd2 Qxd2+ 22. Kxd2 Bd6
$11) 19... b5 20. Qa5 (20. Qxd5 Qc3+ 21. Qd2 Qxe5 22. Rd1 f5 $15) 20... Ne3 21.
Nc7+ Kd7 22. Nxb5 {The Knight escapes, but Black is still better.} (22. Rb3 Nc4
$15) (22. Rf1 Nxf1 23. Bg4+ Ke7 24. Bxc8 Ne3 $15) 22... Bc5 $6 ({Black could
have increased his advantage witha pin:} 22... Qc5 $1 23. Qa4 (23. Rf1 axb5 $1)
23... axb5 24. Rxb5 Qa3 25. Rb7+ Kd8 $17) 23. Nd6 $1 Bd4 ({After} 23... Bxd6
24. exd6 Qxd6 25. Bf3 {the white King is safer.}) 24. c4 (24. Rb3 {seems to be
a better way to cope with the threat 24...Bc3+} Ke7 25. Nxc8+ Rxc8 26. Qa3+ {
with White's edge.}) 24... dxc4 (24... Bxe5 25. c5 $11) 25. Bf3 ({Playing for
a better endgame} 25. Rf1 $5 Nxf1 26. Kxf1 Ke7 27. Bxc4 Qc5 28. Qxc5 Bxc5 29.
Nxc8+ Rxc8 30. Rb7+ Kd8 31. Rxf7 Bd4 32. Bxa6 Rc1+ 33. Ke2 Bxe5 34. a4 $14 {
was a way to go. Laznicka gets some play now.}) 25... Nxg2+ 26. Bxg2 Qxg2 27.
Rf1 $2 ({White collapses and makes a blunder. He could have stayed in the game
with} 27. Qa4+ Ke7 (27... Qc6 28. Qxc6+ Kxc6 29. Rb8 (29. Nxf7 $2 Rf8 30. Rf1
Kd5 31. Nd6 Rxf1+ 32. Kxf1 Be6 $19) 29... Bc3+ 30. Kf2 Bd4+ 31. Ke1 Bc3+ $11)
28. Nf5+ $1 Kd8 (28... Bxf5 29. Qb4+ Ke8 30. Qb8+ $18) 29. Qa5+ Kd7 30. Qa4+
Kd8 $11) 27... Ke6 $2 ({Laznicka could have turned the table with} 27... Qc2 $1
28. Rxf7+ Ke6 29. Rb4 Bc3+ 30. Kf1 Qc1+ 31. Kg2 Qd2+ 32. Rf2 Bxb4 33. Qc7 Qd5+
34. Kg1 Bc5 35. Qf7+ Kxe5 36. Nxc4+ Kd4 $19) 28. Qb4 ({Smith missed the
opportunity to attack with} 28. Rb6 $1 Bxb6 29. Qxb6 Kd5 30. Nxc4 $1 Qe4+ (
30... Kxc4 $2 31. Rf4+ {and White mates soon.}) 31. Ne3+ Kxe5 32. Rxf7 Re8 33.
Ke2 {and the black King is not out of the woods yet.}) 28... Qd5 29. Nxc4 $2 ({
Keeping the Queens on the board may backfire. After} 29. Qxc4 $5 Qxc4 30. Nxc4
Bd7 {the position is roughly in balance.}) 29... Rd8 $1 30. Nd2 Qxe5+ 31. Kd1 {
Threatening to pin with 32.Re1.} f5 $2 ({A blunder that almost cost Laznicka
the game. He should have gone out of the possible pin along the e-file:} 31...
Qd5 $1 32. Re1+ (32. Rb3 Bc5 33. Re1+ Kf5 34. Rf1+ Kg6 35. Rg3+ Kh5 {and the
King escapes.}) 32... Kf6 33. Qe7+ Kg6 $19) 32. Re1 Be3 33. Qb3+ Kf6 34. Rxe3 (
{White is a Rook up, but} 34. Qxe3 $18 {was more efficent to win.}) 34... Qxh2
35. Qc3+ Kf7 36. Qb3+ ({White could have played} 36. Kc2 $1 {immediately, for
example} f4 (36... Bd7 37. Rb7 $18) 37. Qc7+ $18) 36... Kf6 37. Qc3+ (37. Rd3 {
wins easily.}) 37... Kf7 38. Kc2 $1 {(Finally!)} f4 {(Trying to open up his
Bishop, but Black is still lost.)} 39. Rf3 $2 ({Giving away the win. It was
achievable with} 39. Qc7+ Bd7 40. Rd3 $18) (39. Rb7+ Bxb7 40. Qc7+ Kg6 41. Re6+
Kh5 42. Re5+ Kh6 43. Qxd8 $18) 39... Bf5+ 40. Kc1 Rc8 $2 ({The wrong move
before time control.} 40... Rxd2 $1 {was objectively best, for example} 41.
Qxd2 Qg1+ 42. Qd1 Qxd1+ 43. Kxd1 Bxb1 44. Rxf4+ Ke6 45. Ra4 Bd3 $11) (40... Qe2
{was another good possibility, e.g.} 41. Rb7+ Ke8 42. Rxg7 Qe1+ 43. Kb2 Qxd2+ (
43... Rxd2+ 44. Ka3) 44. Qxd2 Rxd2+ 45. Kc3 Rxa2 46. Rxf4 Bg6 {and Black
should be able to make a draw.}) 41. Nc4 $2 ({Losing. After} 41. Rb7+ Kf8 42.
Rc7 {White wins.}) 41... Qg1+ 42. Kd2 Rd8+ 43. Ke2 Qxb1 44. Ne5+ Ke6 45. Qc6+
Kxe5 46. Qc7+ Rd6 47. Qxg7+ Kd5 ({After} 47... Kd5 48. Qg8+ Re6+ {wins.}) 0-1

