A lasso for the horse

Black to move. Which continuation leads to a draw:
66...Nd2+ 67.Kd3 Nf3 or 66...Nh4 67.Kxd4 K...?
Solution
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.e3 a6 6.Be2 Qc7 7.0-0 Be7 8.b3 0-0 9.Bb2 d6 10.Nc3 Nbd7 11.Qd2 b6 12.Bf3 Bb7 13.Bxb7 Qxb7 14.Rfd1 Rfc8 15.Rac1 Ne5 16.h3 Ng6 17.Qe2 Rc7 18.Qf3 Qc8 19.Qe2 Bf8 20.Nf3 Rb8 21.Nb1 Qb7 22.Nbd2 Rbc8 23.Qd3 Be7 24.a4 Nd7 25.Qe2 Nc5 26.Rb1 Rd7 27.Bd4 Rcd8 28.Rdc1 Bf8 29.Bc3 d5 30.a5 dxc4 31.bxc4 Rd6 32.Bd4 Qc7 33.Rc2 f5 34.h4 bxa5 35.h5 Ne7 36.Be5 Nc6 37.Bxd6 Qxd6 38.Nb3 Nxb3 39.Rxb3 Qd1+ 40.Qxd1 Rxd1+ 41.Kh2 Bb4 42.Ra2 Rc1 43.Rbb2 Kf7 44.Rc2 Rd1 45.c5 e5 46.e4 Kf6 47.exf5 Kxf5 48.Rc4 Rd3 49.Re2 Rc3 50.g4+ Kf6 51.Rxc3 Bxc3 52.Re3 Bd4 53.Nxd4 exd4 54.Re1 a4 55.Kg3 a3 56.Ra1 Ke5 57.Rxa3 a5 58.g5 Ke4 59.f3+ Kf5 60.g6 hxg6 61.hxg6 Ke5 62.Kg4 Kd5 63.Kf5 Ne5 64.Rxa5 Nxf3 65.c6+ Kxc6 66.Ke4 Nd2+? 66...Nh4! 67.Kxd4 67.Rg5 d3 68.Kxd3 Kd6 69.Rg4 Nf5 70.Ke4 Ke6 71.Rg5 Ne7= 67...Kb7‼ 67...Kb6? 68.Re5‼ Kc6 68...Nf3+ 69.Kd5 Nxe5 70.Kxe5 Kc7 71.Ke6 Kd8 72.Kf7+- 69.Re4 Nf5+ 70.Ke5 Ne7 71.Ke6 Nxg6 72.Rc4+ Kb5 73.Rg4 Nf8+ 74.Ke7 Nh7 75.Rxg7+- 67...Kd6? 68.Ra6+ Ke7 69.Kd5+- 68.Ke4 68.Rg5?? Nf3+ 69.Kd5 Nxg5 70.Kd6 Ne4+ 71.Ke6 Nf6 72.Kf7 Nh5-+ 68.Re5 Nxg6 69.Rg5 Nf8 70.Rxg7+ Kc6= 68.Rb5+ Kc6 69.Ra5 Kb7= 68.Kd5 Nxg6 69.Kd6 Nf4 70.Rb5+ Ka6 71.Rf5 Nd3 72.Kc6 Nb4+ 73.Kc5 Ka5 74.Kc4+ Ka4 75.Rf1 Na2= 68...Nxg6 69.Rg5 Nf8 70.Rxg7+ Kc6 71.Rf7 Nd7= 67.Kd3! 67.Kxd4? Nb3+ 68.Ke5 Nxa5 69.Ke6 Nc4 70.Kf7 Ne5+ 71.Kxg7 Nxg6 72.Kxg6= 67...Nf3 68.Rh5! Kd6 69.Ke4 Nd2+ 70.Kxd4 Ke6 71.Rh3 Kf5 72.Rd3 Nb1 72...Nf1 73.Rf3++- 73.Ke3 Kxg6 74.Rb3 1–0
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Kantarji,P | 2420 | Pantsulaia,L | 2615 | 1–0 |
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Introduction by Karsten Müller
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Opening surveys
Sagar Shah: English Opening A20
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 h6

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White does without Nc3, so as to avoid ...Bb4. According to Sagar Shah in 3...h6 Black has a sort of useful waiting move, ...Nc6 is delayed. After 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Nd5 Nxd5 6.cxd5 we can see a difference – Black does not need to move his Nc6.
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Souleidis: Double Fianchetto A50
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 0-0

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According to Georgios Souleidis this setup is becoming more and more popular for Black. Above all after 7.Nc3 – the usual move - 7...Ne4 one can safely count on equality. After the stronger 7.d5 Black even has two promising continuations with 7...Ne4 and 7...Na6.
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Sumets: Old Indian Defence A54
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3

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A setup with e3 is not so aggressive, but in return it also offers fewer targets for the opponent to attack. For example, White does not have to protect a pawn on e4. As Andrey Sumets demonstrates, Black does not find it easy to equalise after 6...0-0 7.Be2.
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Ris: Sicilian Defence B35
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3 d5

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This comes as a surprise. After all the d5-pawn is simply hanging. But as Robert Ris demonstrates in his article, 9.exd5 Na5 may be obvious, but after it the way to an advantage for White may be possible but, however, it is not easy to find over the board. |
Szabo: Sicilian Defence B90
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g4 b5 12.Rg1

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With 12.Rg1 White deviates from the main variation (12.g5). One of the ideas can be seen after 12...b4 13.Nd5 – now Black cannot take on d5 with the knight, because the Be6 does not have access to the f5-square. As Krisztian Szabo shows, however, that is not the only idea behind 12.Rg1.
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Havasi: French Defence C06
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Nf3 0-0 12.Bf4 Bxf4 13.Nxf4 Ne4

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In this principled variation – there is little occasion to deviate – White may have a slight initiative after 14.Qc1, but according to Gergo Havasi Black can maintain the equilibrium with accurate play.
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Marin: French Defence C08
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bb5+ Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.Nb3 0-0

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With the two checks on moves 5 and 6, White is trying to impose on the play a forcing character. But as Mihail Marin’s analyses prove, Black can stand up to the pressure quite well.
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Kuzmin: Slav D11
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.g4 Bg6 7.Ne5

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The actual idea behind the clear opening plan presented by Alexey Kuzmin has not yet been executed in the diagram: White wants to play Nd2 and then, without having to worry about the c4-pawn, be able to develop his bishop to g2.
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Postny: Queen's Gambit D38
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 0-0 8.Rc1 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5 10.0-0 cxd4

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The position in the diagram has been seen in several recent games and Evgeny Postny examines the latest trends. His conclusion: the white initiative is only temporary, Black can have high hopes of equalising.
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Stohl: Semi-Slav/Catalan E04
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.g3

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It starts with the Semi-Slav and transposes to the Catalan. For Igor Stohl it is clear that Black should take the c4-pawn, but after that there are still some open questions.
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Krasenkow: Bogo Indian Defence E11
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 b6 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Bxd2 Bb7 7.Bg5 d6 8.e3 Nbd7

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Michal Krasenkow presents his own repertoire against the Bogo-Indian. In the second part he deals with the main variation of this system. It is not easy for Black to achieve complete equality.
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