Annotated Game

N.N. - Lassila,T. (B33 - Sicilian, Sveshnikov)

1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 e5
6.Ndb5 d6

The Sveshnikov is my current main defense against king's pawn openings. It has a deserved reputation for being theory intensive, but this is acceptable in correspondence games. It also has the quality of allowing Black to play for a win, albeit not without taking some risks. Still, playing for the win from the start is a refreshing change to all those openings where Black simply aims for equality. As any Sveshnikov player can tell you, the key move in playing for a win is the early push f7-f5. Here we enter a sideline early on.

7.Nd5 Nxd5
8.exd5 Nb8

In my opinion this retreat is stronger than the option 8...Ne7. For one, it avoids the well-known trap 8...Ne7 9. c4 a6? 10. Qa4! +-. If now 9. c4 a6 10. Qa4, then simply 9...Nd7 and White had only some advantage in Westerinen-Kramnik, Gausdal 1992: 11.c5 Rb8 (11...dxc5!? 12. d6 axb5 13. Qxa8 would be riskier) 12.Nxd6+ Bxd6 13.cxd6 0-0 14.Be3 Nf6 15.Ba7 Ra8 16.Bc5 b6 17.Ba3 Bb7 18.Rd1 b5 19.Qb3 Qb6 20.Be2 Bxd5 21.Qe3 Qb7 22.Bc5 Nd7 23.b4 f5 24.f3 Bxa2 25.0-0 Be6 26.f4 e4 27.Bd4 Rac8 28.Qg3 Nf6 29.Rd2 Rc6 30.Be5 Qf7 31.Rfd1 Rd8 32.Ra1 Rdc8 33.h3 Nd7 34.Bb2 Bc4 35.Bh5 Qf8 36.Re1 Nf6 37.d7 Rd8 38.Be8 Qxb4 39.Red1 Qe7 40.Be5 Bd3 41.Qg5 Re6 42.Qxf5 Nxe8 43.dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 44.Rc1 Qf7 45.Qg4 a5 46.Bb2 Rg6 47.Qh4 Qd5 48.Rc7 h6 49.g4 e3 50.Rg2 e2 51.Bc3 Qd6 52.Be5 Qxc7 53.Rxe2 Qc5+ 54.Rf2 Rge6 55.Qg3 Qc1+ 56.Kh2 Be4 0-1

9.Qf3 a6

This is a sideline that's not often seen. White usually continues 10.Qa3 and tries to work over the d-pawn, but I don't really see the point of this when a straightforward king attack is building up after 10.Nc3. I can't believe it's a novelty, but could not find any games where this obvious retreat had been played.

10.Nc3! Be7
11.Bd3 O-O

Castling into it? Certainly, but here we observe one of the basics of counterplay in the Sveshnikov. Due to the center pawns being locked, Black can play f7-f5 quite freely and use the d7 square to re-route his pieces into play on the kingside. What looks like a strong attack for White will quickly turn into an attack by Black should the operator of the white pieces not beware. I opted not to delay castling in favor of 11...Nd7 due to 12.Qg3 O-O 13.Bh6 Bf6 14.Ne4, when for example 14...Kh8 15. Nxf6 gxh6 16. Nxh7 Rg8 17. Qh3 is most unpleasant. But it turns out both 16...Re8! with idea 17...e4 as well as 14...Nc5 stymie the attack with good counterplay.

12.Qh5 g6

Or directly 12...f5. I was planning to play it on the next move in any case.

13.Qh6 f5

Position after 13...f5

14.g4!? f4

Better is 14...e4, when 15. gxf5 Bxf5 16. Bxe4 Bf6 gives Black a comfortable edge. White now has a perpetual should he want it, but not much more. I took a gamble and figured my opponent would rather press on with his "attack" than take the draw, which allowed me to gain some advantage.

15.f3 Bh4+

Foregoing the aforementioned line 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxg6+ =. Now the black bishops activate and start to control the kingside. The next point on the agenda is to drive away the white queen.

16.Ke2 Bg5

Or 16...Nd7 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kh8 19. Qh6+ Kg8 20. g5 Qxg5 21. Qxg5+ Bxg5 22. Rg1 Kf7 23. Rxg5 Rh8 =.

17.Qh3 Nd7
18.Ne4 Be7

18...Nc5 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. c4 would leave the e-pawn weak.

19.b4 Nf6

Here I did consider 19...Nb6 20. c4 Qc7 21. Nd2, but decided the kingside was where the action should be.

20.Ng5 Kg7

Black is not impressed by 21. Ne6+ Bxe6 22. dxe6, since after 22...Nd5 he stands OK.

21.c4 h6

Again 22. Ne6+ Bxe6 23. dxe6 Nh7 would be good for Black.

22.Ne4 Nxg4!?

This sacrifice is probably not required to obtain an edge and is most likely objectively refutable. However, stopping the mass of pawns and a powerful pair of bishops is not much fun and in retrospect this move was correct in the sense that it caused my opponent so much trouble that he later succumbed under the pressure.

Position after 22...Nxg4

23.fxg4 h5
24.Nf2 Bh4

No good is 24...Qb6 25. Rb1 Qd4 (25...f3+ 26. Kf1 Qd4 27.Rg1 +-) 26. Bb2! hxg4 27.Bxd4 gxh3 28. Bb6 +/-.

25.Ba3? Bxf2?

A blunderful moment in the game. Immediately winning was 25...f3+ 26.Ke1 e4. White had to play 25. Qf3, when after 25...Bxf2 26. Qxf2 Bxg4+
27. Kf1 Bf5 28. Bxf5 Rxf5 29. Bd2 the position is unclear at best.

26.Kxf2 hxg4

Better is 26...Bxg4 27. Qg2 Qh4+ 28. Kg1 Bf5 29. Bxf5 Rxf5 -/+.

27.Qg2 Qh4+
28.Kg1 Bf5
29.Bxf5 gxf5

I did not recapture with the rook to improve my pawn structure. If White is to survive the pawns coming down the board, he must immediately play the break c4-c5.

30.c5 Rac8
31.Rc1 Rc7

White is ahead in material, but in a very difficult position. Perhaps he could have played 32. c6 f3 33. Qf2 Qe7 34. h3 with some counterplay.

Position after 31...Rc7

32.Rc4?? Qe1+

Winning on the spot.

33.Qf1 Qe3+
34.Qf2 Qxa3
35.c6 bxc6
36.Kg2 Qh3+
37.Kg1 Qe3
38.Qxe3 fxe3
39.Kf1 Rfc8 0-1