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Game of the Week

By Sergey Shipov

GM Shipov Analyzes the Game of
the Week, July 24-30

As one grows older, one’s soul grows
younger

Three Swiss tournaments have finished the last week - one in Bergen (Norway), one in
Pardubice (Czechia) and one in Copenhagen (Denmark). The winners - correspondingly -
are the young Alexander Volzhin (Russia), the experienced Mikhail Gurevich (Belgium)
and the over-experienced Boris Gulko (USA). One game from each player made the
symbolic laureate games trio for this weak. Pay special attention: the elder the player is, the
more bold and adventurous is his play! Alexander performed in strict positional manner,
Mikhail combined tactics with prophylactics and the tireless Boris played in the style of
XIX century, neglecting the settled positional canons! I wish I would live up to his gray age
and retain such a courage and fantasy...

Gulko,B (2643) - Hector,J (2509) [A29]
Politiken Cup Copenhagen (5), 21.07.2000

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Nd4 5.Bg2 Nxf3+ 6.Bxf3 Bb4 7.Qb3 Bc5 8.d3 h6 9.h4
c6 10.g4!
A hazardous, but quite grounded lunge. White is going to repel the black knight away from
f6 - actually, it is the struggle for the center.

Before 10...d5?

10...d5?N
What do the beginner’s handbook say? "Any
flank action of the opponent should be met
with a counter strike in the center." Most
often, this is true, but now we deal with the
exception from this rule. Black should play
more calmly: 10...d6 11.g5 hxg5 12.Bxg5 Qb6
13.Qxb6 Bxb6 , which occurred in the game
Azmaiparashvili,Z-Timman,J/Oviedo 1993/0–
1 (53). Perhaps, Gulko prepared the
improvement: 12.hxg5!?
11.g5!?
Both opponents have it in each one’s own
way! After the cynical 11.cxd5 Bxg4 12.Bxg4
Nxg4 13.f3! Nf6 14.Qxb7 White is apparently

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better.
11...hxg5 12.hxg5
In the spirit of the position would be: 12.cxd5 g4 13.dxc6 with a very funny play.
Especially, for the spectators.
12...Rxh1+ 13.Bxh1 Ng4
If there were no c4- and c6-pawns on board, then the unpleasant check on b5 would have
followed. But this is not the case.
14.cxd5!
To win the struggle for the center, White must undertake anything. Even if it assumes
walking with his king across the board filled with the enemy pieces!
14...Bxf2+ 15.Kd1 Bb6 16.Kc2 Bd7
Black can prevent the capture on c6 by 16...Nf2 17.Bg2 Bf5 , pressurizing the d3-point.
17.dxc6
Not bad seems now and in the next move 17.g6! , in order to send the white queen to g8.
17...bxc6 18.Bd2 Be3 19.Rf1 Qe7 20.Ne4 Be6 21.Qa4
The crucial moment of the game.

Before 21...Kf8?

21...Kf8?
The black king mounts the scaffold. Black can
proceed weaving the plot with a subtle move
21...Rb8! - and Black threatens with capturing
on d2, while it is dangerous for White to
capture on c6 because his king is exposed too
much.
22.Bf3! Bxd2 23.Rh1!
Literally, it took Gulko two moves to create
serious threats for the black king! White has a
big advantage.
23...Nh6
After 23...Kg8 24.Kxd2 it is very difficult for
Black to refute the threat of g4, followed by
Ne4-f6+!

24.Kxd2 Ng8 25.Qxc6 Qb4+
25...Rc8 26.Qd6 is too prosaic. Black prefers a beautiful end!
26.Qc3 a5 27.Nc5 Qf4+ 28.Kd1 Re8 29.Nxe6+ Rxe6 30.Qc5+ Re7 31.Rh8
All the black pieces are pinned and Black is a pawn down. Jonny Hector resigned with grief.
1–0

Gurevich,M (2667) - Stryjecki,M (2405) [E97]
Pardubice, KB Open (7/01), 2000

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 a5 10.
a3 Bd7 11.b3 c6 12.Ra2
In this manner, White protects his rook, in order to conduct b3-b4. The more natural 12.Bb2
also happened.
12...Qb6N
Novelty. Black prevents the b3-b4 thrust. A funny trapping of the white queen happened
after 12...Bh6 13.Qc2 c5 14.Nf3 Bxc1 15.Qxc1 Nh5 16.Qh6 f6 17.g3 Ng7 18.h4 Kh8 19.
Nh2 g5 20.hxg5 Ng8! in a game Guseinov,A-Kuzmin,A/Dubai 1999/0–1 (38). The normal
course of events took place in the following example: 12...Ne8 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4 Rxa2 15.
Nxa2 cxd5 16.cxd5 f5 17.Nc3 fxe4 18.Ndxe4 Nf5 19.Bb5 Bc8 20.Qa4 Nf6 21.Qa5 b6 22.

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Qa2 Bh6 23.Bxh6 Nxh6 24.Ng5 with some advantage to White, Gurevich,M-Babula,V/
Germany 2000/ 1–0 (40)
13.Rc2!
A very strong move that casts doubt on Black’s opening novelty. Now the black queen
becomes a target for an unpleasant c4-c5 strike.
13...Ne8
For example, here the natural move 13...Rfc8 runs into 14.c5! Qxc5 (14...dxc5 15.d6) 15.
Nb5 and Black has to trade his queen for the rook and the knight; deserving attention is the
blunt 13...c5, blocking the c5-square.
14.dxc6! Nxc6
Bad is 14...bxc6 15.c5! Qxc5 16.Nd5; Perhaps, the lesser of two evils is 14...Bxc6 15.Nd5
Nxd5 16.cxd5 Bd7
15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Nf3
White’s advantage is obvious. Black cannot organize the counter play due to the
weaknesses in the center and on the Q-side.
16...Bg4 17.Bg5 f6 18.Be3 f5 19.Bg5 Nf6 20.exf5 gxf5 21.Rd2 Bxf3
Perhaps, Black should change mood of the play drastically by sacrificing the queen: 21...e4
22.Nh4 Nxd5!? 23.Bxd8 Nc3 Anyway, this would give him some practical chances.
22.Bxf3 Nd4 23.Re1 Kh8
The position is ripen for some drastic actions.

Before 24.Rxd4!

24.Rxd4! exd4 25.g3
After 25.Re6! h6 26.Bh4 Black just has no
moves!
25...Rb8
Black cannot untangle himself: 25...Qb8 26.
Nxf6 Bxf6 27.Bxf6+ Rxf6 28.Qxd4 Qf8 29.
Bxb7 Rb8 30.Bd5 Rxb3 31.Re8!
26.Qd3 b5
Despair. The rest is simple.
27.cxb5 Qd7 28.Bxf6 Bxf6 29.Nxf6 Rxf6 30.
Qxd4 Kg7 31.a4 Qc7 32.b4 axb4 33.Qxb4 f4
34.g4 h5 35.g5 Rf5 36.h4 Re5 37.Rd1 Qd7
38.Kg2 Rbe8 39.Rxd6 Qe7 40.Qd4 Kg8 41.
Rg6+ Kh7 42.Qd3 1–0

Djurhuus,R (2484) - Volzhin,A (2556) [B07]
Bergen Chess International (6), 26.07.2000

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nge2 Bg7 5.g3 0–0 6.Bg2 Nbd7 7.h3 c5 8.Be3 cxd4 9.Bxd4
Ne5 10.0–0N
One has only to wonder, how can such a simple and natural move (move 10!) be a novelty!
[Previously happened 10.Nd5 e6?! (10...Be6) 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.0–0 Qe7 13.b3 Bd7? 14.f4
Nc6 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Qxd6 and the professional confidently proved his advantage over the
amateur, Delchev,A-Huerga Tirados,A/Andorra 1997/ 1–0(32)
10...Nc6 11.Be3
Well, the game transposed from the Pirc-Ufimtsev defense into the Dragon variation of the
Sicilian defense.
11...Rb8 12.f4 Bd7 [12...b5 13.e5] 13.a4 a6 14.Nd4
More interesting for White is 14.g4 b5 15.axb5 axb5 16.Ng3, starting an assault on the K-

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side. This variation may be continued: 16...b4 17.Nd5 Ne8 18.e5! dxe5 19.f5 , with
initiative for White.
14...Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Bc6 16.a5
White plays for restriction of Black’s possibilities, but he does not gain much.
16...Nd7!
Black trades off his king’s bishop unwillingly, but he must to do so. Otherwise, it is
impossible for him to conduct b7-b6.
17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qd4+ Kg8 19.Rf2?!
White plays to passive. I would even say, his play in this game lacks any particular
intention. White should play 19.Rfd1! in order to meet 19...b6 with a counter strike: 20.e5!
Bxg2 21.Kxg2 bxa5 22.b3 , and Black has problems.
19...b6 20.axb6 Qxb6 21.Qxb6 Rxb6 22.b3 Rc8
Black has overtook the initiative. White has to defend his c2- and b3-pawns. However,
White’s position is still reliable.
23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.exd5 Kf8 25.Bf1 Nc5 26.g4 Ra8 27.Ra5 Nb7! 28.Ra3 a5
Alexander occupies the space and leaves the white bishop with no job.
29.c3 Rb8 30.Bc4 Nc5 31.Rb2 trading off the b3- and a5-pawns is not in White’s favor,
because in this case the black rooks penetrate into White’s rear.
31...a4
Black’s only chance to play for win.
32.b4 Rc8! 33.b5?!
This way or another - 33.Bf1 Ne4 34.c4 Nc5 35.Kf2 Rcb8 36.b5 - White must place his
pawns on the light squares, but the latter is better for White, because in this case his king
manages to get on d4.
33...Rb7 34.Rb4 [34.Be2 Nd7!] 34...Nd7 35.Be2 [35.Raxa4? Nb6] 35...Nb6 36.c4 Rbc7 37.
Kf2 Ke8
Nothing good for Black brings the transposition into the rook endgame: 37...Nxc4 38.Bxc4
Rxc4 39.Rbxa4 - the white passed pawn is quite dangerous.

Before 38.Ke3?

38.Ke3?
The decisive mistake. White can just stand on
the spot. In this case, Black has to conduct the
e7-e6 thrust, which opens the diagonals for the
white bishop. After the exemplary 38.Ra1!
Black cannot play 38...Nxc4? due to 39.b6
38...Rxc4 39.Bxc4 Nxc4+ 40.Rxc4 Rxc4 41.
b6 Kd8
The black king intercepts the white pawn in
time.
42.Ra1 Kc8 43.f5 gxf5 44.gxf5 Kb7 45.Kd3
Rf4 46.f6 exf6 47.Rc1 a3 48.Rc7+ Kxb6 49.
Rc6+ Kb5 50.Kc3 Ra4 0–1

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