January 21, 2003
Game Eight
White: Al Starfy
Black: Ty Davison
Opening: A48 King's Indian, East Indian D
FICS, Game 2, 1998
1. d4 Nf6
2. Nf3 g6
Ty: After losing to Al's 1. d4 in our first FICS match, I spent the day studying the Grünfeld, a defense based around 1. d4 openings. Al helpfully moved us out of book on move 2.
Al: Yes, I was quite pleased with the first game, which, knowing your play, made me all the more apprehensive about this one.
3. Bg5 Bg7
4. e3 O-O
Ty: Ah, the completion of very nice classical development on the kingside. And in only four moves. It makes the heart glad.
5. Be2 d6
Ty: I pondered for a long time playing 5. ... d5 instead. I decided against it for two reasons. First, d6 takes away the e5 square from White's Knight (though d5 allows me an outpost at e4). Second, I didn't want to lock White's d-pawn at d4 because it would, in turn, harm the effectiveness of my fianchettoed Bishop.
6. Bd3 c5
7. O-O Nc6
8. c4 Nb4
9. d5
Ty: This reminded me of the Advance Variation of the Caro-Kann, another line I've been studying.
Al: As it did me at the time except that Black is not quite as cramped as in a normal (by the book) Advanced C-K.
9. ... Bg4
10. e4!
Ty: Good move. Now, if need be, the Queen can protect both the Bishop and the Knight.
Al: I was very happy with this move but it turned out to be one of the very few good moves for White in the game.
10. ... h6
UPDATE: After some extensive analysis with Zak Smith, I believe 10. ... Nxd3 to be superior to 10. ... h6. The line that follows is likely 10. e4 Nxd3 11. Qxd3 Nxd5 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3. That gives Black a one pawn material edge and a positional advantage. In the above line, White can't play 12. cxd5 or 12. exd5 because 12. ... Bxb2 and then the a1 Rook is steak sauce.
Note that 10. ... Nxe4 could also be a positive response to 10. e4 since 11. Bex4 Bxb2 12. N(b)d2 Bxa1 13. Qxa1 is good materially for Black, but care must be taken regarding the threat of 14. Bh6 and 15. Qg7++ which looms.
11. a3??
Ty: A mistake. Because the Black's Knight can move off to take a minor piece and because 10. ... h6 put another piece en pris (in addition to the other two), White will now come out down a minor piece after all the exchanges are played out.
Al: Let's call it what it was; a true blunder.
11. ... Nxd3
12. Qxd3 Bxf3
13. Qxf3 hxg5
14. Re1 g4
15. Qd3 e6
Ty: Because of White's Rook on the e-file, I've got to move the base of the pawn chain over to the f-file. If White takes e6, the gap will slide over the f-file where my Rook sits.
16. e5 Qa5
17. Nc3
Ty: White's Knight blocks the Queen, but notice (1) the Knight is pinned and (2) he's pinned on the diagonal of my fianchettoed Bishop. Although probably the best move available, it's not a great place to be.
17. ... dxe5
18. Rxe5 Nxd5!
Ty: A free pawn snatched in route to a revealed attack on the Rook. With the Rook needing to move off, White's Knight is now en pris three times over, and it's safe to say that the White Knight has seen happier days.
19. Rg5 Nxc3
20. bxc3 Bxc3
Ty: The fianchettoed Bishop picks up the free pawn and threatens the Rook. Notice also that the Bishop can threaten the g5 Rook if he must retreat.
Al: At the time I remember thinking, "What's that familiar flushing sound ? Oh, it's my game on the way out..."
21. Rc1 Bb2?
UPDATE: 21. Bb2 now merits a "?" since 21. Bd2! is infinitely better. This forks the Rooks and insures a solid end game for Black. 21. Bb2? just continues an attack.
22. Rd1?
Ty: Although normally doubling a Queen and Rook is a great idea, here it doesn't work because (1) the Black King has plenty of escape routes, (2) the Black Queen controls the d8 square and (3) the Black Queen threatens to move Qe1++. Note that the g5 Rook can't slide over to the d-file because of the e6 pawn. The White Queen can theoretically escape via the line of 23. Qf1 Rxd1 24. Qxd1 Rd8 Qf1, but in terms of position and material the game is far from promising.
Al: The second blunder and a real game killer. I noticed the mistake about a 1/2 second after the piece hit the board.
22. ... Rad8 0-1
Ty: A nice game, and one that I'm glad I prepped for, even if Al didn't let me use the Grünfeld like I wanted.
Al: A very nice game with Black playing some really sharp, well thought out moves.
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