4th PAL-CSS Freestyle Final (CSS Freestyle Tournament), 10/20/2006
Round 2 [Dagh Nielsen] [B19]
 My
opponent was IM Jörg Blauert from Germany. We had played also in round 7 of the preliminary, in
a Scotch that quickly fizzled out to a draw. I had predicted that this game could be either a Petroff,
a French, or a Caro-Kann. It ended up being a quite spectacular fighting game that required great precision
from both sides.1.e4 [%emt 0:00:05] 1...c6 I "forgot" to prepare something concrete against the Caro-Kann (didn't really have time), so I decided before the game to play main 3.Nc3 lines guided by Jeroen Noomen's Rybka book, the Fritz 9 book, and improvised analysis. [%emt 0:01:28] 2.d4 [%emt 0:00:06] 2...d5 [%emt 0:00:25] 3.Nc3 [%emt 0:00:03] 3...dxe4 [%emt 0:00:05] 4.Nxe4 [%emt 0:00:08] 4...Bf5 [%emt 0:00:05] 5.Ng3 [%emt 0:00:08] 5...Bg6 [%emt 0:00:14] 6.h4 [%emt 0:00:11] 6...h6 [%emt 0:00:03] 7.Nf3 [%emt 0:00:06] 7...Nd7 [%emt 0:00:04] 8.h5 [%emt 0:00:08] 8...Bh7 [%emt 0:00:03] 9.Bd3 [%emt 0:00:05] 9...Bxd3 [%emt 0:00:11] 10.Qxd3 [%emt 0:00:03] 10...e6 So far so good. My aim over the next few moves was to prevent an endgame type position that I would probably understand much worse than my opponent. [%emt 0:00:03] 11.Bd2 [%emt 0:01:59] 11...Ngf6 [%emt 0:07:50] 12. 12...Be7 [%emt 0:00:03] 13.Ne4 I was still guided by the consideration mentioned after move 10, and spent 28 minutes. I hit upon the idea of 16.g4 here, even though it was only present in my "own" book where no stat information is present. [%emt 0:28:09] 13... 14.Nxf6+ [%emt 0:01:22] 14...Nxf6 [%emt 0:00:40] 15.Kb1 [%emt 0:00:19] 15...c5 [%emt 0:01:07] 16.g4 There is 5 games with this in the Shredder base. [%emt 0:00:50] 16...Nxg4 This is probably forced, or white crashes through with g4-g5. [%emt 0:08:25] 17.Rhg1 [%emt 0:03:11] 17...f5! While I was analysing the position after 17. Rhg1 at move 13, my assessment was that Nxf2 was perhaps a draw, with white having chances for more, while 17...f5 gave white some edge. While my opponent pondered his move here, I changed my opinion, and thought white might actually have to be quite precise to obtain the draw after 17...Nxf2. In that light, 17. ..f5 can be seen as a winning attempt! On the other hand, in 2 games with this position in the Shredder base, white ended up winning after 17...f5. [%emt 0: 17:10] | ||
|
[17...Nxf2 18.Qe2
Nxd1 19.Bxh6 Nc3+ This
Nc3 move and deeper analysis following it was what caused me to change assessment. 20.bxc3 Kh7 21.Bxg7 Rg8 22.Qe4+ | ||
| (22.h6 cxd4 23.Nxd4 Bc5 and draw?) | ||
| 22...f5 23.Qe5 Bd6 24.Qxe6 Rxg7 25.Qxf5+ Kh8 26.Rxg7 Kxg7 27.Qg6+ Kf8 28.Ng5 Qd7 and draw?] | ||
18.Qe2 [%emt
0:02:48] | ||
|
[18.Rde1 Qd5 19.c4 The
score for white in the Shredder base is here 2-0, but in such a sharp position, even GM games may not
by themselves represent the objective truth about the correct assessment of the position, I guess. 19...Qd6 20.d5 exd5 21.Bf4 Qxf4!? 
22.Qxd5+ Rf7 23.Rxe7
Raf8] | ||
|
18...Qb6 [%emt 0:00:04] 19.Ne5 [%emt 0:03:15] 19...Nxe5 [%emt 0:00:04] 20.Qxe5 [%emt 0:04:56] 20...Bf6 [%emt 0:01:21] 21.dxc5 [%emt 0:01:04] 21...Bxe5 [%emt 0:10:12] 22.cxb6 [%emt 0:00:05] 22...f4 [%emt 0:00:02] 23.Ba5!? I had been contemplating this position also while my opponent decided upon the 22...f4 plan at move 21. The danger here is that my engine wants to take on a7 etc., but when one goes down the lines, it seems like black's pawns are more mobile than white's, and white's pieces are somewhat awkwardly placed, for example the rook defending pawn-h5. In particular, in some lines, black plays b7-b5 and stops white's pawns from getting forward too soon. 23.Ba5 allows white to target the b7 pawn and thus opens up for the c-pawn to roll. It also improves the positioning of whites bishop, ending up at b6. [%emt 0:04:54] | ||
| [23.bxa7 Rf5 24.Rh1 Rxa7 25.Bb4 b5 and I suspect black holds the upper hand.] | ||
|
23...Rf5 [%emt 0:07:03] 24.Rd7 [%emt 0:01:03] 24...Rxh5 [%emt 0:03:35] | ||
|
[24...Bf6! was probably a good chance
for black to get a practical edge, and a move I was worried about while my opponent pondered the position. 25.Bd2 | ||
|
(25.Bc3 Bxc3
26.bxc3 Rf7 and
now one point is that after 27.Rd6 Re7 28.Re1 axb6 29.Rdxe6 Rxe6 30.Rxe6 Ra5 31.Rxb6 Rxh5 32.Rxb7 g5 black is down a pawn, but perhaps up a game.) | ||
| 25...axb6 26.Rxb7 Rd8 27.Kc1 Rd6] | ||
|
25.Rxb7 [%emt 0:00:20] 25...axb6 [%emt 0:00:03] 26.Bxb6 A super sharp ending has arisen, with white probably having the upper hand practically speaking. [%emt 0:00:05] 26...Rf5 [%emt 0:00:02] 27.Rd7! [%emt 0:00:14] 27...Bf6 [%emt 0:02:50] 28.c4 [%emt 0:01:01] 28...h5 [%emt 0:01:33] 29.c5 [%emt 0:00:10] 29...h4 [%emt 0:00:02] 30.c6 [%emt 0:00:15] 30...Rb5 [%emt 0:00:03] 31.Bd4 [%emt 0:00:09] 31...e5 [%emt 0:00:02] 32.c7 [%emt 0:02:08] | ||
|
[32.Ba7 I was worried that I might even
lose after this move. 32...Ra5 33.Rc1 | ||
| (33.c7 R5xa7 34.c8=Q+ Rxc8 35.Rxa7) | ||
| 33...R5xa7 34.Rxa7 Rxa7 35.c7 Rxc7 36.Rxc7 g5] | ||
|
32...Kh7 [%emt 0:00:08] 33.Ba7 [%emt 0:00:06] 33...Rc8 [%emt 0:00:06] 34.a3 [%emt 0:00:08] 34...Rb7 [%emt 0:00:54] 35.Bb8 [%emt 0:00:04] 35...Rb3 [%emt 0:00:02] | ||
| [35...Rbxb8 36.cxb8=Q Rxb8 37.b4] | ||
|
36.Ka2 [%emt 0:00:20] 36...Rf3 [%emt 0:01:36] 37.a4 [%emt 0:00:15] 37...e4 [%emt 0:00:05] 38.a5 [%emt 0:00:29] 38...Rxf2 [%emt 0:00:04] 39.Rb1 A truly spectacular postion has arisen with 7 passed pawns on the board. [%emt 0:00:09] 39...Rc2 [%emt 0:00:17] 40.a6 [%emt 0:00:17] 40...Rc6 [%emt 0:00:02] 41.a7 [%emt 0:00:04] 41...Ra6+ [%emt 0:00:03] 42.Kb3 [%emt 0:00:04] 42...e3 [%emt 0:01:10] 43.Re1 . [%emt 0:05:07] | ||
| [43.Kc4 e2 44.Kd3 Re8 45.c8=Q Rxc8 46.Kxe2 Rc2+ 47.Kf3 Bxb2 48.Bxf4 And Rybka says draw with 48...Bf6, while on generel consideration, there should be too few pawns left on the board to force matters.] | ||
|
43...h3 [%emt 0:00:33] 44.Rh1 [%emt 0:00:16] 44...e2 [%emt 0:00:02] 45.Rd6 [%emt 0:00:09] | ||
[45.Rxh3+ Kg8
46.Rh1 f3
47.Rd6 Ra5
48.Rd5 Ra6
49.Rd6 ] | ||
|
45...Rxa7 [%emt 0:00:02] 46.Bxa7 [%emt 0:00:09] 46...Rxc7 [%emt 0:00:02] 47.Bf2 [%emt 0:00:11] 47...Rb7+ [%emt 0:00:14] 48.Kc4 [%emt 0:00:12] 48...Rxb2 White is up a rook, but down 4 pawns! [%emt 0:00:02] 49.Kd3 [%emt 0:01:35] | ||
|
[49.Rxh3+ was perhaps the best "practical
shot", when after 49...Kg6 50.Rb3 Ra2 | ||
|
(50...Rxb3 is however probably a way to
draw for black even though a rook down, for example 51.Kxb3 Kf5 52.Kc2 g5 53.Kd2 f3 54.Kd3 Be5 55.Rd5 Ke6 56.Ke4 Bc3 57.Rxg5 e1=Q+ and draw.) | ||
| 51.Kd3 Kf5 52.Be1 Kg4 53.Rdb6 the engine likes white a terrible lot.] | ||
|
49...Kg6 [%emt 0:00:16] 50.Bd4 [%emt 0:00:08] 50...Ra2 [%emt 0:00:36] 51.Bxf6 [%emt 0:00:11] 51...gxf6 [%emt 0:00:02] 52.Re6 [%emt 0:00:08] 52...Kf5 [%emt 0:00:03] 53.Rxe2 [%emt 0:00:12] 53...Ra3+ [%emt 0:00:02] 54.Kc4 [%emt 0:00:55] 54...Kg4 [%emt 0:00:27] 55.Re8 [%emt 0:00:15] 55...f3 [%emt 0:00:36] 56.Rg8+ [%emt 0:00:10] 56...Kf4 [%emt 0:00:02] 57.Rh2 [%emt 0:00:07] 57...Ra4+ And I could see no promising way for white to proceed and offered a draw while I still had at least some seconds left on the clock. [%emt 0:00:12] 58.Kd3 Flying Saucers offers a draw (Lag: Av=2.91s, max=139.0s) [%emt 0:01:02] 1/2-1/2 | ||
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