Notes by Murray Chandler
1.e4
c5
2.Nf3
Nc6
3.Nc3!?
# These days 3 Bb5 is popular - as I played against Dan Dolejs in round one of Kaikoura - and I believe there are even DVDs recommending the move. And I still play Open Sicilians with 3 d4 from time to time. However 3 Nc3 can be a nice finesse en route to an Open Sicilian, if your opponent has the Sveshnikov variation in his repertoire
3...d6
Played after some thought. To keep trying for a Sveshnikov Black needs to play 3...Nf6, i.e. 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 e5. However White's alternative possibility of 4 Bb5!? needs to be taken into account.
4.d4
cxd4
5.Nxd4
Nf6
6.Bg5
The shadow boxing over, I was happy to be in a Rauzer variation which I have played frequently with both colours
6...e6
7.Qd2
Be7
8.0-0-0
0-0
9.Nb3
a5
10.a4
d5
11.Bb5!
Mikhail Tal's old remedy is the reason this particular line is not too popular for Black. If 11...Nxe4 now, White keeps an endgame initiative with 12 Nxe4 dxe4 13 Qxd8 Bxd8 14 Bxd8 Nxd8 15 Nc5 as in Tal-Sisniega, Taxco Interzonal 1985
11...Nb4
12.Rhe1
Bd7!?
13.exd5
Bxb5
14.d6!
Bc6
[Roger makes a spirited attempt to improve on 14...Bxd6
15.Qxd6
Qxd6
16.Rxd6
Bc6
when my assessment was that White must be better in the endgame, e.g. 17.Bxf6
gxf6
18.Red1
claiming the d-file]
15.Qf4!
As far as I know this is a new idea. By unexpectedly deferring the recapture on e7 for a move, White disrupts Black's coordination just long enough to cause real problems.
15...Re8
16.dxe7
Qxe7
17.Nd4
Suddenly the threat Nf5 looms. Perhaps 17...Rad8 is best here, as 18 Nf5? would be a mistake due to 18...Rxd1+ and White has no good recapture. But, as in the game, Black is going to get an inferior ending if White starts exchanging on f6 and c6
17...e5
18.Bxf6
Qxf6
19.Qxf6
gxf6
20.Nxc6
bxc6
21.Ne4
Re6
22.Nc5
Re7
23.Rd6
I played this quickly, confident White had a clearly decisive advantage in the endgame, due to Black's damaged pawn structure. But after the game the annoying computer (Fritz) pointed out Black's most stubborn defensive resource here - 23...Nd5. The counter-intuitive idea is 24 Rxc6? Nb4! 25 Rxf6 Rac8.
23...f5?
24.Rf6
Back on track - now Black really is losing a pawn. If 24...f4 25 Rxf4 exploits the pin on the e-file.
24...Rd8
25.c3
Nd3+
26.Nxd3
Rxd3
27.Rxf5
Rd5
28.Rf6
Rc5
29.Re4
Kg7
30.Rf5
Kg6
31.g4
Rd5
#
32.c4
I was reluctant to play such an anti-positional pawn advance, but eventually persuaded myself that the tactics favoured white.
32...Rc5
[After this Black's rook is immobilised on c5, and White can win at leisure. Most of my time had been spent calculating Black's active defense with 32...Rd3
33.Rfxe5
Rxe5
34.Rxe5
Rd4!
35.b3
Rxg4
36.Rxa5
Rg2
. However I satisfied myself that after 37.Rc5
Rxf2
38.a5
Rxh2
39.a6
Ra2
40.Rxc6+
Kg5
41.Kb1
Ra5
42.Kb2
f5
43.b4
Ra4
44.Kb3
Ra1
45.b5
the White queenside pawns are too many and too quick.]
33.Kc2
f6
34.Kc3
# with the threat of snaring a whole rook with 35 b4 axb4 36 Kxb4. To defend against this Black has to go passive, and await White'sbreakthrough
34...Rb7
35.b3
h6
36.Rh5
Rb8
37.f4
Ra8
38.fxe5
Re8
39.Kd4
Rcxe5
40.Rhxe5
fxe5+
41.Rxe5
Rf8
42.Rxa5
Rf4+
43.Kc5
Rxg4
44.Kxc6
Rh4
45.Ra8
Rxh2
46.a5
Rb2
47.a6
as after 47...Rxb3 48 a7 Ra3 White has 49 Rg8+ followed by queens with 50 a8=Q. 1-0