[Event "4th Final Masters"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao BRA/ESP"]
[Date "2011.09.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2716"]
[Annotator "Elshan Moradiabadi"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2011.09.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 {Hmmm....Is Vallejo has worried about the
Exchange Slav?!} 4. e4 b5 5. a4 b4 6. Nb1 {A rare continuation that doesn't
have a lot of takers.} Ba6 7. Qc2 $5 {I like this choice of Aronian, both
practically and psychologically.} Qxd4 $6 $146 {Vallejo plays with fire.
Personally I have always praised his uncompromising style but I believe he is
too optimistic in this game.} ({Vitiugov has faced it several times as Black
the last few years with excellent results.} 7... Nf6 8. Nd2 e6 9. Bxc4 Bxc4 10.
Qxc4 c5 11. Ngf3 Nbd7 12. O-O cxd4 13. e5 Nd5 14. Nb3 Be7 15. Qxd4 Qc7 16. Qe4
Rc8 17. Nbd4 O-O 18. Bd2 Qc4 19. Rfd1 Nc5 20. Qg4 Rfd8 21. Bh6 Bf8 22. Bg5 Rd7
23. h3 b3 24. Nd2 Qb4 25. N4xb3 Qxg4 26. hxg4 Nd3 27. Nf3 Nxb2 28. Rdb1 Nd3 29.
Nbd2 h6 30. Bh4 Nc3 31. Rb3 Nxe5 32. Nxe5 Rxd2 33. Rb7 g5 34. Bg3 Ne2+ 35. Kf1
Nxg3+ 36. fxg3 Rcc2 37. Rxf7 Bg7 {0-1 (37) Khismatullin,D (2662)-Vitiugov,N 
(2720) Aix les Bains 2011}) (7... e5 {is what one of Aronian's seconds,
Sargissians, faced a few months ago against Balogh. This move is the first
choice of Houdini and Rybka, besides which its logic is quite simple. White
has better development as a result of the temporary pawn gambit there, so why
not reciprocate?!} 8. Nf3 b3 9. Qc3 {We are still within "engine" territory!}
Nf6 10. Bxc4 exd4 11. Qxb3 Bxc4 12. Qxc4 c5 13. b4 Nc6 14. Ba3 Be7 15. bxc5
Nxe4 16. Nbd2 Nxd2 17. Nxd2 O-O 18. O-O Qd7 {and Black got a fairly "easy"
position! 1/2-1/2 (72) Sargissian,G (2663)-Balogh,C (2643) Ningbo 2011}) 8. Nf3
Qd7 9. Bxc4 e6 {Let's have a look at the position: White's compensation thanks
to his better development is indisputable.} 10. O-O Nf6 11. Bg5 Be7 (11... Bxc4
12. Qxc4 Qc7 13. Bxf6 (13. Nbd2 Nbd7 {seems sound for Black.}) 13... gxf6 14.
Nbd2 Nd7 15. Rfd1 Be7 {Although the computer likes Black's position, I do not
know how it plans to improve the position. Black's king has no shelter, the
pawn pawn structure is weakened and his pieces suffer from a lack of
cordination, and all this for just ONE pawn! Nevertheless, it was preferable
to what happened in the game.}) 12. Nbd2 h6 $6 {Again the silicon mind likes
this move, however to my eyes, a humble human being, it is just a waste of two
tempi. Note that the bishop has to go back to e7 after White's e5).} ({I
prefer:} 12... O-O 13. Rfd1 Bxc4 14. Nxc4 Qc7 15. Bh4 $1 {with a slight edge
for White.}) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rfd1 O-O 15. e5 Be7 16. Ne4 Qc8 $6 {No doubt
planning to play Bxc4 followed by Qa6 to improve his piece play, but Aronian
is having none of it.} (16... Qc7 $1 {This at least could hinder Aronian's
plan.} 17. Ba2 Nd7 {attacks e5 immediately. White cannot go for the typical}
18. Rxd7 $2 Qxd7 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. Bb1 {since after} Rfd8 21. Nd6 g6 {he is just
lost due to insufficent counterplay for the sacrificed material.}) 17. Ba2 $1 {
Now the Bishop on a6 is just shooting the ground, Bang Bang! And now Ladies
and Gentleman! A typical retreat which one expects from players of this level.
White's bishop joins its heavy arsenal for a final blow. Aronian plays like a
champion and no wonder we have seen this typical plan played by so many of
them!} b3 $5 {Black returns the pawn to force White to take and give Black
time to regroup, and possibly survive this opening fiasco.} 18. Bxb3 {Black is
really struggling here and needed to take more energetic measures to recover
some ground in his development.} Nd7 {Vallejo avoided the mating attack,
nevertheless White's advantage is clear now and Aronian proves it in a
spectacular way.} 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Rxd6 c5 21. Rad1 c4 22. Ba2 Nc5 23. Bb1 {
All White's pieces are beautifully placed. A Triumph of Harmony! Smyslov would
have loved to see it!} g6 24. h4 {Typical. White tries to create weaknesses on
the kingside.} h5 (24... Nd3 $2 25. Qd2 Kg7 26. Bxd3 cxd3 27. Rc1 Qb7 28. Rcc6
{loses the bishop.}) 25. Qc1 Bb7 $1 {Vallejo tries to complicate things though
sadly for his sake, it is rather late.} 26. Nd4 (26. Ng5 {was stronger, not
only preventing Ne4, but if} Nd3 27. Bxd3 cxd3 28. Qf4 Bd5 29. Rxd3 Qc2 30. Rc3
Qb1+ 31. Kh2 Qf5 32. Qxf5 gxf5 {the position is easily won, with the queens
off, the extra pawn and the rooks on the seventh.}) 26... Ne4 $2 {Really not
the Spaniard's day as he continuously fails to find the most resistant moves.}
27. Qh6 $1 {The attack that follows is really textbook stuff.} Nxd6 28. Bxg6 $1
{The continuation is a straightforward line to calculate and Aronian has no
problem reeling in the point.} fxg6 29. Qxg6+ Kh8 30. Qh6+ Kg8 31. Nxe6 Nf5 32.
Qg6+ Kh8 33. Qxh5+ Kg8 34. Qg6+ Kh8 35. Nxf8 Qxf8 36. Rd7 Qh6 37. Qxf5 Rf8 38.
Qg5 Qxg5 39. hxg5 Be4 40. Rxa7 Rb8 41. f3 Bf5 42. Rc7 Be6 43. Rc6 Bg8 44. f4
Rxb2 45. e6 Re2 46. f5 Re5 47. g4 Re4 48. Kf2 Rxg4 49. e7 Bf7 50. g6 Kg7 51.
gxf7 Kxf7 52. Re6 Ke8 53. f6 1-0

