[Event "FIDE World Cup 2011"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2011.09.07"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "GM Lubomir Kavalek/Huffington Post"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2011.08.28"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. axb5
axb5 9. c3 d6 10. d4 Bb6 11. Be3 O-O 12. Nbd2 h6 13. h3 Re8 14. Qc2 ({Svidler
calls it a poisonous little move.} 14. Re1 {is the most popular choice.}) 14...
exd4 ({After} 14... Bb7 {the connection between the rook on b8 and black's
dark bishop is broken and white can proceed with} 15. d5 Bxe3 $2 16. dxc6 Bxd2
17. cxb7 {Not only doesn't the white rook stand on e1, but the dark bishop is
in trouble.}) 15. cxd4 Na5 ({One can always talk about the Tarrasch dictum
about a badly placed knight on the edge. Instead, black could have finished
the development, bringing the bishop into play:} 15... Bb7 {and because the
square b4 is free, the pawn advance is not dangerous anymore:} 16. d5 Nb4 17.
Qc3 Bxe3 18. fxe3 Na6 19. Bc2 Nc5 {and black has no problems.}) 16. Ba2 Bb7 17.
e5 ({After} 17. d5 Bxe3 18. fxe3 c6 {black holds quite comfortably, for example
} 19. b4 Nc4 20. dxc6 Bxc6 21. Nxc4 Bxe4) 17... Nd5 {"Normally this set up is
very much in black's favor," Svidler explained. "I just assumed I play next
Nd5-b4 and take the bishop. He played Bb1 and I'm very lucky I'm not just
losing immediately."} 18. Bb1 g6 19. Bxh6 Nc6 {"I'm not saying I'm fine but
it's trickier than it looks." - Svidler} 20. exd6 {"It seems that this is the
move that throws away white's advantage," Svidler thought. Moving the white
queen to the center was suggested by many experts, but it is not clear how
white could have a big advantage after that. For example:} (20. Qe4 dxe5 $5 21.
dxe5 Nf6 (21... f5 22. Qe2 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Qh4 24. Qxb5 Qxh6 25. Ndf3 $14) 22.
Qh4 $5 Nxe5 23. Bg5 Ned7 (23... Nxf3+ $2 24. Nxf3 Bxf3 (24... Kg7 25. Qh6+ Kg8
26. Bxg6 $18) 25. Bxf6 Bxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Qxf6 27. Ra3 {wins}) 24. Bd3 Bc6 25. Rae1
$16) ({After} 20. Qe4 {Kamsky looked at} Nxd4 $5 21. Nxd4 (21. Bg5 {is met by}
Nf4 $1) 21... Rxe5 {but after} 22. Qg4 {white's position is more pleasant
either after} Nf6 ({or after} 22... Rh5 23. Bxg6 Rxh6 24. Be4+ Kf8 25. Nf5 Rg6
26. Qf3 c6 27. Nb3 $14) 23. Qg3 $5 Bxd4 24. Bxg6 Kh8 25. Bxf7 Nh5 26. Qg4 Qf6
27. Qxd4 c5 28. Qg4 Qxh6 29. Nf3 $14) 20... Qxd6 21. Ne4 Qb4 22. Ba2 {Svidler
thought first that he was lost, but it dawned on him that something
spectacular is about to happen.} ({After} 22. Bd2 Nxd4 23. Bxb4 Nxc2 24. Bxc2
Nxb4 25. Nf6+ Kh8 26. Nxe8 Nxc2 27. Rac1 Bxf3 28. Rxc2 (28. gxf3 Nd4) 28... Be4
29. Rxc7 Rxe8 30. Rxf7 {black is fine with the bishop pair.}) 22... Nxd4 23.
Nf6+ Kh8 24. Nxd4 ({Kamsky had to win and} 24. Nxd5 {is petering out to a draw
after} Nxf3+ ({or} 24... Nxc2 25. Nxb4 Nxb4 26. Bxf7 Re2 $11) 25. gxf3 Bxd5 26.
Bxd5 Qh4 {threatening 27...Qg3+ with perpetual check and after} 27. Be3 Bxe3
28. fxe3 Qg5+ 29. Kh2 Qxd5 {the chances are equal.}) 24... Nxf6 25. Nc6 {
Svidler's first reaction was that he had to capture the knight, but then he
found something else.} Qh4 $1 ({"Here I'm probably already better but it isn't
obvious immediately. After} 25... Bxc6 26. Qxc6 Qh4 {white has this horribly
strong move} 27. Be3 {I realized black is in a huge amount of trouble because
my pieces are not coordinated. As soon as this bishop is exchanged away, all
my potential initiative is gone: pawn on f7 is hanging, pawn on c7 will be
hanging, I think I'm close to lost here. So I started looking at some romantic
variations starting with Qh4." - Svidler}) 26. Nxb8 $2 ({Allowing a
magnificent clincher. "There really isn't much white can do here. After} 26.
Be3 Rxe3 27. fxe3 Re8 {for a single exchange I'm getting this horrible attack
on the kingside and there really isn't much he can do. I definitely have a
draw everywhere here and probably I'm already even winning. " - Svidler}) ({
Perhaps the best way for white to resist is} 26. Bxf7 Qxh6 27. Bxe8 Rxe8 28.
Rae1) 26... Re2 $3 {Svidler's Coup de Grâce: "It's something you see in
Anderssen's games. Put on the cover of a book. Suddenly white is just
completely lost."   Before arriving at this amazing move, Svidler considered
two other continuations:} ({A.} 26... Be4 {was Svidler's initial idea, but
after} 27. Qd2 Qg3 (27... Ng4 28. Bf4 {the whole thing collapses because black
is running out of pieces.}) 28. Qg5 {black's attack is refuted.}) ({B.} 26...
Qg3 27. Nc6 Re2 {was Svidler's other idea, which can be met by} 28. Qc3 Bxf2+
29. Kh1 Qxc3 30. bxc3 Bxc6 31. Rfd1 {with roughly equal chances. "But why am I
starting this with 26...Qg3? This is where it dawned on me what was happening,
" Svidler explained his thinking process.}) 27. Qc3 ({After} 27. Qxe2 Qg3 {
nothing stands in the way of black's light bishop; the diagonal a8-h1 can't be
blocked and white is being mated on g2.}) 27... Rxf2 28. Nc6 Rxf1+ {"...and
I'm just collecting the entire chess set. It's a very nice feeling to make a
move like Re2 on the board. It really doesn't happen every day. It's a great
feeling. It's something you don't really see in the modern game because you
never have an opportunity to do anything like that." - Svidler} 0-1

