The helping pawn II

Pattern recognition is very important in chess, so remembering last week's column might help you to find the right move in the diagram position. Which continuation wins for White?
A) 27.Qe2 Rg8 28.h5
B) 27.h5 Bxc2+ 28.Kb1 (Rg8)
C) both
Solution
1.e4 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 Ne4 8.Rc1 f5 9.Bd3 g5 10.Bg3 Nxc3 11.Rxc3 f4 12.exf4 gxf4 13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.Bxh7+ Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.dxe5 Rf5 17.Qg6+ Kf8 18.Bxf4 Rxf4 19.Rh3! Bf6 20.Qh6+ Bg7 21.Qxf4+ Kg8 22.Rg3 Bd7 23.h4 Qe7 24.h5 Rf8 25.Qg4 Kh8 26.h6! Bxe5 27.Qg7+! Bxg7 28.hxg7+ Kg8 29.Rh8+ Kf7 30.gxf8Q+ 1...g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 a6 4.Be3 d6 5.Qd2 Nd7 6.0-0-0 b5 7.h4 h6 8.f4 h5 9.Nf3 Nb6 10.Bd3 d5 11.Ne5 Nf6 12.Kb1 Bb7 13.exd5 Nbxd5 14.f5 gxf5 15.Bxf5 Nxc3+ 16.Qxc3 e6 17.Bd3 Nd5 18.Qe1 Qd6 19.Bg5 0-0 20.Qe2 Nb4 21.Qxh5 Nxd3 22.Rxd3 Be4 23.Rg3 Bg6 24.Qg4 Bxe5 25.dxe5 Qc6 26.Bf6 Kh7 27.Qe2 27.h5! Bxc2+ 27...Qxc2+ 28.Ka1 Bf5 29.Qg7# 28.Ka1 Rg8 29.Qg6+! Rxg6 30.hxg6+ Kg8 31.Rh8# 27...Rg8 28.Rg5 28.h5?? Bxc2+ 28...Qxc2+ 29.Ka1! 29.Qxc2+ Qxc2+ 30.Kxc2 Rxg3 28...Kh6 28...b4 29.Rh5+ Bxh5 30.Qxh5# 29.Rh3 b4 30.Rd3 a5 31.Qd2 Kh7 32.Qe2 Kh6 33.Qd2 Kh7 34.Rd7 a4 35.h5 1–0
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Quesada Perez,Y | 2637 | Rapport,R | 2709 | 1–0 |
Please, wait...

Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine
Do you like these lessons? There are plenty more by tactic expert Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine, where you will also find openings articles and surveys, endgames, and of course annotations by the world's top grandmasters.
Click to go to the ChessBase Magazine page
NEW: ChessBase Magazine #165 (April/May)

Introduction by Karsten Müller
|
Opening surveys
Sagar Shah: English Opening A20
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 h6

|
|
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.
|
Souleidis: Double Fianchetto A50
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 0-0

|
|
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.
|
Sumets: Old Indian Defence A54
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3

|
|
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.
|
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

|
|
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

|
|
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.
|
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

|
|
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.
|
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

|
|
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.
|
Kuzmin: Slav D11
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.g4 Bg6 7.Ne5

|
|
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.
|
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

|
|
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.
|
Stohl: Semi-Slav/Catalan E04
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.g3

|
|
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.
|
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

|
|
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.
|
|