Reply #7: Krush-Dreev, Round 3, Gausdal [View All]

[Jack Rabbit]

Irina Krush
Photo: ChessBase.com

Alexey Dreev vs. Irina Krush
Chess Classic, Round 2
Gausdal, Oppland (Norway), April 2007

Open Queen's Gambit: Mannheim Opening

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. Qa4+ Nc6

• 4. -- Nbd7 5. Nc3 e6 6. e4 a6 7. Bxc4 Rb8 8. Qc2 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. Bf4 Rc8 11. d5 exd5 12. 0-0-0 Nc5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nxd3+ 15. Rxd3 Be7 16. h4 0-0 17. Ng5 g6 18. Qd2 Bd6 19. Kb1 Bxf4 20. Qxf4 Bxd5 21. Nxh7 Kxh7 22. h5 Kg7 23. Qd4+ f6 24. Qxd5 Qxd5 draw agreed (Tregubov-van Wely, Eur Ind Ch, Warsaw 2005).
• 4. -- c6 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 tranposes into a Catalan Opening.

5. Nc3

• 5. Qxc4 e6 6. Nc3 Nb4 7. Qb3 c5 8. Be3 Nfd5 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. e4 Nc7 12. Be2 0-0 13. 0-0 cxd4 14. Nxd4 e5 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. exf5 White is better with the more active Queen (Krasenkow-Izoria, Eur Ind Ch, Antalya (Turkey) 2004).

5. -- Nd5 6. e4 Nb6 7. Qd1

• White has sacrificed a pawn for space in the center. Statisicially, this position favors Black.

7. -- Bg4 8. d5 Ne5 9. Bf4 Ng6

• If 9. -- Bxf3 10. gxf3 Ng6 11. Bg3?! then:
• 11. -- c6! 12. a4 a5 13. f4 e5 14. dxe6 Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 fxe6 16. Bh3 Bb4 17. 0-0 Rf8 18. f5 Ne7 19. fxe6 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Nxa4 gives Black an extra pawn (Shipman-Bonin, New York 1990).
• 11. -- e5?! 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. Qxd8+ Rxd8 14. Bxc7 Rc8 15. Bg3 Bb4 16. 0-0-0 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Rf8 is equal (Gruenenwald-Raetsky, Swiss Ch, Scoul 2001).

10. Bg3

• 10. Be3 e6 11. Bxb6 axb6 12. Bxc4 Bd6 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Ne5 16. Qh5+ g6 17. Qe2 Nxc4 18. Qxc4 Qf6 19. Nb5 0-0 20. 0-0 Rac8 21. Nxd6 cxd6 draw agreed (Stepa-Drozdovskij, Chernobyl Mem, Slavutich 2005).

10. -- e5 11. dxe6

• Believing he is better, White opens the Queen's file.
• 11. Bxc4 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Nxc4 13. Qa4+ Qd7 14. Qxc4 h5 15. h4 0-0-0 gives Black a solid defensive position.

Black: Irina Krush
!""""""""#
$t+ WlV T%
$OoO +oOo%
$ M +p+m+%
$+ + + + %
$ +o+p+v+%
$+ N +nB %
$pP + + +%
$R +qKb+r%
/(((((((()
White: Alexey Dreev
Position after 11. de6:p (ep)

11. -- Qxd1+!?

• Black intoduces a novelty. It this position is ever seen again, then this is the move that will be played again.
• If 11. -- Bxe6 12. Qxd8+ Rxd8 13. Bxc7 Rc8 14. Bg3 then:
• 14. -- h6 15. Nd4 Bc5 16. 0-0-0 0-0 17. Be2 White's centralized Knight and active Bishops give him the better game (Alburt-Dlugy, US Ch, Berkeley 1984).
• 14. -- Bb4 15. 0-0-0 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Na4 17. Kc2 White is better because of his mobile Bishops and command of the d-file.

12. Rxd1 fxe6!?

• Willfully isolating the pawn may not be the best approach.
• If 12. -- Bxe6 13. Bxc7 Bb4 then:
• After 14. Rd2 0-0 15. Nd4 Rac8 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Bxb6 axb6 18. Be2 is unclear.
• After 14. Nd4 Na4 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Bxc4 Nxb2 17. Bb5+ Kf7 Black's minor pieces are more active.

13. Be2

• White makes a reasonably good reply.
• 13. Bxc7 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Rc8 15. Nb5 a6 16. Bxb6 axb5 17. Be3 is equal.

13. -- Bd6 14. Nb5 Bxg3 15. hxg3 Ke7!?

• Black stakes a pawn that White will not accurately the ensuing complications.
• 15. -- Rc8 16. Ng5 Bxe2 17. Kxe2 Nf8 18. f4 Ke7 19. Na3 h6 is balanced.

16. Nxc7 Rac8 17. Nb5 Bxf3?

• This exchange is by no means forced and could have waited. It leads to the easing of White's position.
• Correct is 17. -- a6 18. Nd6 Rc7 19. Rd2 when:
• 19. -- h5 20. Ng5 Bxe2 21. Kxe2 Na4 22. f4 c3 23. bxc3 Nxc3+ is unclear.
• After 19. -- h6!? 20. Nh4 Nxh4 21. Bxg4 Rd8 22. e5 Ng6 23. f4 White has a vise that has Black running out of satisfactory moves.

18. gxf3 Ne5 19. Rh5?

• White misses a chance to capitalize on Black's inaccuracey.
• 19. f4 Nf7 20. e5 Na4 21. b3 Nb2 22. Rd2 Nd3+ 23. Bxd3 cxd3 24. Rxd3 give White an extra pawn and superior piece activity.

19. -- Rc5!

• Black covers the Knight and sets up a discovered attack on the Rook.
• 19. -- Nbd7 20. f4 Rc5 21. fxe5 g6 22. Rh6 Rxb5 23. f4 Rxb2 24. Bxc4 Nc5 is level.

20. f4 Nd3+ 21. Kd2?

• Having tossed away the win, White now loses the game altogether.
• Correct is 21. Kf1 Rxh5 22. Bxh5 Nxb2 23. Rd2 Nd3 24. e5 g5 whrn White is back in the game.

Black: Irina Krush
!""""""""#
$ + + + T%
$Oo+ L Oo%
$ M +o+ +%
$+nT + +r%
$ +o+pP +%
$+ +m+ P %
$pP KbP +%
$+ +r+ + %
/(((((((()
White: Alexey Dreev
Position after 21. Ke1d2


21. -- Nxf2!!

• This sham sacrifce of the Rook at c5 nets Black a pawn.

22. Rxc5 Nxe4+ 23. Kc2 Nxc5 24. Bf3

• White is down two pawns mometarily and should be able to easily recover one. He's trying hard for the other.
• 24. Rd4 h5 25. Nxa7 h4 26. gxh4 Rxh4 only gets one pawn back and leaves Black in the driver's seat.

24. -- a6 25. Nc3 Rd8 26. Rg1

• The move is pointless, but the game is lost in any case.
• 26. Rxd8 Kxd8 27. Ne4 Nbd7 28. b3 cxb3+ 29. axb3 Kc7 is cleary won for Black.

26. -- Rd3 27. Be2 Rd4 28. Re1 Kf6 29. Bf3 h6 30. Nd1 Nd3 31. Re2

• 31. Re4 Rxe4 32. Bxe4 Nc5 33. Bf3 Nd5 34. Kd2 b5 is also hopeless for White.

31. -- Na4 32. a3 b5 33. Ne3

• If 33. Nc3 Naxb2 then:
• 34. Ne4+ Kf5 35. Kc3 Rd5 36. Rxb2 Nxb2 37. Kxb2 Rd3 Black's queenside pawns come slitering forward.
• After 34. Nd5+ Rxd5 35. Bxd5 exd5 36. Kc3 Na4+ 37. Kd4 b4 38. axb4 Nxb4 it will cost White the Rook to stop the c-pawn.

33. -- Nac5 34. Bg2 h5 35. Kc3 Rd6 36. Nxc4 Na4+ 37. Kb3 0-1

• 37. Kb3 Nac5+ 38. Kc2 bxc4 gives White an extra piece.
• Dreev resigns without waiting for Ms. Krush to reply.