Annotated Game

Lassila, T. - Samy, O.A. (E62 - King's Indian, Fianchetto)

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 g6

I seldom get the pleasure of playing against a KID setup. How the tides of chessic fashion sweep even the lower ranks of players! Well, nevermind all that, the promise is now of an interesting game with swashbuckling and deep complications.

3.c4 Bg7 4.g3 O-O

The fianchetto system puts pressure on e4 and d5 and thus attempts to prevent Black from chipping away at the center.

5.Bg2 d6 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.O-O e5

Here 7. d5 is also possible, preventing 7...e6/e5. After 7...Na5 8. b3 (8. Nd2?! c6 and Black will soon achieve equality as the pawn center has been compromised and the White pieces are stepping on each others' toes) and White scores well from here mainly due to the lead in development and the temporarily misplaced knight on a5.

Cheski points out Black has 8...Nxd5!?, when 9.Nxd5 Bxa1 10.Bd2 c6 11.Ne3 Bg7 12.b4 Nxc4 13. Nxc4 gives two pieces for a rook and two pawns and White is perhaps slightly better. Unclear was 11. Nxe7+ in Manninen-Sammalvuo, Vantaa 1992:

11.Nxe7+ Qxe7 12.Qxa1 Re8 13.O-O b6 14.Bg5 Qf8 15. Nd2 h6 16.Be3 Bd7 17.Ne4 Rxe4 18.Bxe4 Re8 19.Bg2 Bf5 20.Qd4 c5 21.Qd2 g5 22.Rd1 Re6 23.Bd5 Rg6 24.f3 Bc8 25.Qd3 Kg7 26.Bd2 Nb7 27.Bc3+ Kh7 28.g4 f5 29.Bxb7 1-0

Black quickly siezes the opportunity to play e5 when permitted to do so.

8.d5 Ne7

Perhaps better is the idea of recycling the knight to d7 via b8. Black can afford to waste some time here due to the closed center, but he must hurry to get in the vital f5 shot. The problem is that after 9...Nd7 10.Be3 f5 11.Ng5, White stands better.

9.e4 Ne8 10.Ne1 f5

The knight retreats to open up the bishop as well as relocating to a more active square. For example after 10. b4 f5 11. Ng5 h6 12. Ne6 Bxe6 13. dxe6 Black has no problems as the pawn center has vanished and the Black pieces will soon leap into action.

11.Nd3 Nf6 12.Bg5 h6

The bishop has fairly meaningless short term prospects while the knights are strong in closed positions. A trade is therefore a good idea here.

13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.f4 exf4

Planning to open up the f-file and start something against the Black king now that the pawns around his majesty have been pushed.

15.Nxf4 Be5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Qd2 Kh7

Karpov - Gelfand, Seville 1994 went:

17...c6 18.Kh1 Qb6 19.Rae1 Rf7 20.Ne6 Bxe6 21.dxe6 Rxf1+ 22.Rxf1 Nf5 23.Bh3 Qe3 24.Qxe3 Nxe3 25.Rf7 g5 26.Rxb7 g4 27.Bg2 Nxg2 28.Kxg2 Re8 29.e7 a5 30.Rc7 Kf7 31.Rxc6 Bxc3 32.bxc3 Rxe7 33.Kf2 Re4 34.Rxd6 Rxc4 35.Rd3 Ke6 36.Ke2 Ke5 37.Re3+ Kd5 38.Kd3 Ra4 39.Re2 Ra3 40.Rf2 Ra4 41.c4+ Kc5 42.Rf5+ Kc6 43.Kd4 Rxa2 44.Rf6+ Kb7 45.Rxh6 Rb2 46.Kc3 Rb1 47.Rh5 Ka6 48.Rh6+ Kb7 49.c5 a4 50.Rh7+ Kc6 51.Ra7 Kxc5 52.Rxa4 Rh1 53.Rxg4 Rxh2 54.Kd3 Kd5 55.Ke3 Ke5 56.Rf4 Rh8 57.Kf3 Ra8 58.Rf7 Ke6 59.Rf4 Ke5 and a draw was agreed.

Black prepares to bring his knight to f6 through g8. The king also provides needed protection for the pawn on h6 being x-rayed by the queen.

18.Rae1 Bxf4

Better was 18.Ne6 Bxe6 19.dxe6 Rf6 (19...c6 20.Rxf8 Qxf8 21.Rf1 Bf6 22.Ne4 Ng8 23.Qxd6 Qxd6 24.Nxd6 Rb8) 20.Rxf6 Bxf6 21.Bxb7 Rb8 22.Rf1 Qh8 and White is much better, if not winning.

19.Rxf4 Ng8 20.Kh1 Nf6

Prophylactics against c6 followed with Qb6+.

21.Bf3 Qd7

Preventing Bg4. Here I spent quite some time pondering the future of White's king position. The light squares are quite weak and the g4-square can potentially act as a nasty outpost from which to conduct an attack. Therefore...

Position after 21...Qd7

22.Rxf5!? gxf5

Here, both players stepped into a pothole of tactical misevaluation. Better is 22...Qxf5!, when the dangerous looking 23. Re7+ is answered with 23...Kg8 and now White goes terribly wrong with 24. Qxh6? when 24...Qxf3+ simply wins. Were the king not on h1, White would actually win in this line, but somehow both players must have missed this check in their analysis. Now the game takes a turn into a wild tactical melee.

23.Qd3 Rae8

Preventing f4.

24.Rf1 Ne4!?

Giving up control of the e-file to concentrate efforts on winning the f-pawn. Black decides to give it up voluntarily to open the f-file for his rooks. This also allows me to exchange the up-to-now unemployed knight.

Also possible was 24.Re6 Ng8 (24...Rxe6 25.Qxf5+ Kh8 26.dxe6 Qg7) 25.Bg4 Qg7 26.Bxf5+ Kh8 27.Rxe8 Rxe8 28.Be6 and unclear compensation.

25.Nxe4 fxe4 26.Bxe4+ Kh8

A wildly unclear position where both kings are like sitting ducks. Black should be OK provided he can avoid the complications.

27.Qd4+ Qg7 28.Rxf8+ Rxf8

The simplifications are forced after Qd4+, but it is hard to find anything better due to the threats against the white king. Similarly after 27. Bf5 Qg7 28. b4 Re5 29. Be6 Rxf1+ 30. Qxf1.

29.Qd2 Qf6 30.Bd3 Kg7 31.Kg2 Qf3+ 32.Kh3 Qf2

32...Re8! with the idea Re5 and Rh5# is very strong. Black is winning here.

33.Qc3+ Rf6 34. a4 h5

The noose is tightening.

35.Qc1 Qf3 36.Qg5+ Kf7 37.Bh7 Qg4+!?

Last ditch effort to obtain counterplay against the black king. Black is within a hair from winning here. Instead black opts to give another pawn in order to simplify into an endgame with two pawns for the exchange. Certainly Black should take home the point here but this turns out to be trickier than he imagined.

It turns out not much better is 37...Qf1+ 38.Kh4 Qxc4+ 39.Kh3 Qf1+ 40.Kh4 Qf2 41.h3 Ke7 42.Kxh5 Qe2+ 43.g4 Qe5 44.h4 Qxg5+ 45.Kxg5 and draws, but maybe Black has an improvement somewhere.

38.Qxg4 hxg4+ 39.Kxg4 Rf2 40.h4 Rxb2

The only plan for White here is to keep pushing the king side pawns.

41.h5 Rb4 42.Kf5?! Rxc4

42. Bd3 Rxa4 43. Kg5 first would have kept the pawn but the result is probably the same anyway.

43.g4 Kg7 44.Bg6 Rd4 45.g5 Rxd5+ 46.Kf4 Rd4+ 47.Kf5 Rd5+ 48.Kf4 Ra5?

Better is 48...Rd4+ followed by Rxa4, as after 49. Kf5 Rxa4 50. h6+ Kg8 White can make no progress and the black pawns will march to victory. Now it's a draw since Black can't permit the white king to penetrate on g6: 49. Bc2 Rc5 50. h6+ Kh8 51. Bf5 Rc4+ 52. Kg3 Rc5 53. Kg4 Rc4+ 54. Kh5 Rc5
55. Kg4 Rc4+ 56. Kh5 and draws.

49.Bc2 Rc5 50.Bd3 c6

The placement of the bishop is vital in guarding f1.

51.h6+ Kh8 52.g6?

Position after 52. g6

52...Rc1??

Too eager to rush my pawns I almost lose it. After the forced 52...Rh5 Black is again winning as after 53. h7 Rh4+ 54. Kf5 Rxa4 55. Kf6 Rg4 56. Bf5 Rg1 no progress can be made and the black pawns will start marching again. To my good fortune, my opponent takes a wrong turn and suddenly finds himself in a hopelessly lost endgame!

53.Kg5 Rg1+ 54.Kf6 Rxg6+

There is no other way to prevent mate. The tables have been turned and Black is fighting for his life. As Cheski points out, faster wins 53.g7+ Kg8 54.Kg5 Kf7 55.Bg6+ Kg8 56.Bf5 Kf7 57.Be6+ Kxe6 58.g8=Q+.

55.Bxg6 a5 56.Bd3! d5

Only move that wins. Of course the idea is that on b5 comes Bxb5 and after cxb5 axb5, it's White who queens with check. Thefore Black tries to maneuver his king out of the corner but it's now too late.

57.Ke6 Kg8

57. Ke5 is maybe safer but White wins anyway after an exciting pawn race: 57...d4 58. Kf7! puts Black in zugzwang, and after 58...b5 59. Bxb5 cxb5 60. axb5 d3 61. b6 d2 62. b7 d1=Q 63. b8=Q+ Black won't enjoy his queen for very long.

58.h7+ Kg7 59.Ke5! Kh8

Diagonal opposition in action.

60.Kf6 b6 61.Kg6 1-0

His majesty has been entombed, Black is in zugzwang and must soon play b5. For example 61...c4 62. Bc4 c5 63. Bb5 c4 64. Bxc4 d3 65. Bxd3 and wins. Ironically the bishop is just enough to stop three pawns and the a-pawn that Black neglected to capture ends up costing him the game.