Reply #8: Majdan (Poland) - Galojan (Armenia), Round 10 [View All]

[Jack Rabbit]

Johanna Majdan
Photo: Wikipedia (Polish language)


Johanna Majdan (Poland) - Lilit Galojan (Armenia)
38th Olympiad (Women's Competition), Round 10/Board 4
Dresden, 23 November 2008

Spanish Grand Royal Game: Kasparov's Anti-Marshall Opening

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 Bb7 9.Nc3

• If 9.d3 d6 10.Nc3 Na5 11.Ba2 b4 12.Ne2 c5 then:
• If 13.Ng3 then:
• If 13...Bc8 14.h3 Rb8 then:
• 15.Nd2 Be6 16.Nc4 Nc6 17.f4 exf4 18.Bxf4 Ne8 19.Nf5 Bxf5 20.exf5 Bf6 is equal (Kinderman-Dr. Nunn, Bundesliga 8889, Germany, 1989).
• 15.Bd2 Be6 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Be3 Nc6 18.c3 bxc3 19.bxc3 d5 20.exd5 exd5 21.Nf5 Nd7 22.Nxe7+ Qxe7 23.c4 Qd6 gives Black the advantage in space (Kupreichik-Psakhis, Spviet Ch, Vilnius, 1980).
• 13...Rb8 14.Nf5 Bc8 15.N3h4 Ne8 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.g3 Be6 18.c3 Bxa2 19.Rxa2 Qe6 20.c4 Nc6 21.b3 Nd4 gives Black a small advantage in space (Naiditsch-Ehlvest, Aeroflot Op, Moscow, 2007).
• 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 c4 15.Ng3 cxd3 16.Qxd3 Bc8 17.Bg5 Nb7 18.Be3 Qa5 19.Qc4 Ng4 draw (Dr. Nunn-van der Wiel, IT, Amsterdam, 1990).

9...b4

• 9...Nd4 10.Ba2 b4 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 Bxd5 14.exd5 d3 15.Re3 Bc5 16.Rxd3 Re8 17.Rf3 Qe7 18.Qf1 Qe4 is equal (Botvinnik-Bondarevsky, Soviet Ch, Leningrad/Moscow, 1941).

10.Nd5 Na5

• 10...d6 11.c3 a5 12.d4 h6 13.h3 Re8 14.Bc2 Bf8 15.Bd2 exd4 16.cxd4 Nxd5 17.exd5 Ne7 18.Nh4 Qd7 19.Qh5 g6 20.Qf3 Nxd5 21.Be4 c6 22.Qg3 Nf6 23.Bf5 Qc7 24.Bc2 Nh5 25.Qf3 Rxe1+ 26.Rxe1 Qd8 27.Nf5 is equal (Alekhine-Steinberger, Simul, Subotica, 1930).

11.Nxe7+!?

• The text move removes White's centralized Knight voluntarily.
• 11.Ba2 b3 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.cxb3 d5 14.exd5 e4 15.Rxe4 Qxd5 16.Re1 Nc6 17.b4 Qh5 18.Bc4 Nxb4 19.Ra3 Rad8 20.Rae3 c5 gives White an extra pawn, but Black has more space and better development in compensation (Kristensen-Hebden, Op, Isle of Man, 1995).

11...Qxe7 12.d3 Nxb3 13.cxb3 d6

• Black has the advantage in space.
• After 13...Rac8 14.Bg5 c5 15.Nd2 h6 16.Bh4 Qe6 Black maintains the advantage in space.

14.Bg5 Qe6 15.Rc1 c5 16.Nh4 Nd7 17.Nf5 f6

• 17...d5?! is met by 18.Qg4 g6 19.Ne7+ Kh8 20.Qh4 Rfe8 21.exd5, when White takes over the advantage in space.

18.Bh6!?

• If 18.Bh6 gxh6 19.Qg4+ then:
• 19...Kf7 20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Qg4+ Kf7 22.Qh5+ draws.
• If 19...Kh8?? then 20.Qg7#.

18...Rf7 19.Re3 g6 20.Rg3

• After 20.Nh4 d5 21.a5 Re8 22.h3 Qd6 23.Qg4 Kh8 Black remains better owing to her strong center and solid kingside.

20...Kh8 21.Qg4

• 21.Ne3? fails against 21...f5 22.Rf3 Rg8 23.Bg5 f4! (trapping the Bishop behind enemy lines) 24.Nc4 d5, pushing back White even further.

21...Rg8 22.h4 Bc8

• Black shows aggressive intentions on the kingside.

23.h5

• 23.Be3? fails against 23...h5 24.Qf3 gxf5 25.Qxh5+ Rh7.
• If 23.Ne3 then after 23...Qxg4 24.Rxg4 Nb8 25.Rg3 Nc6 26.Nc4 Nd4 Black threatens a nasty check at e2.

BLACK: Lilit Galojan
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WHITE: Johanna Majdan
Position after 23.h4h5

23...g5!

• The Bishop at h6 is entombed. White is playing virtually a piece in the hole.

24.d4

• White fights back by advancing on the center.
• For the time being, there is nothing that can be done about the Bishop. The good news is that Black cannot take it.

24...exd4

• If 24...cxd4 25.Rc6 Nc5 then:
• 26.Rxd6 Qe8 27.Qf3 Bxf5 28.Qxf5 Qe7 the Rook must give way and Black's d-pawn will advance.
• 26.Nxd6 Qxd6 27.Rxc8 Rd8 28.Qf5 d3 gives Black the advantage as her d-pawn has become a concern.

25.f4!

• White's immediate plan is to liberate the Bishop.
• If 25.Qe2 d5 26.f3 Bb7 then:
• 27.Re1 Re8 28.Qf1 dxe4 29.fxe4 Ne5 gives Black an extra pawn.
• If 27.Rg4 then Black should win after 27...Re8 28.Re1 dxe4 29.fxe4 Bd5.

25...d5?!

• If 25...Bb7 26.fxg5 Bxe4 then:
• If 27.Nxd4 Qxg4 28.Rxg4 f5 29.g6 then:
• 29...hxg6 30.hxg6 Rxg6 31.Rxg6 cxd4 32.Rxd6 White is an exchange to the good.
• 29...Re7 30.g7+ Rgxg7 31.Bxg7+ Rxg7 32.Rxg7 Kxg7 33.Ne6+ White is an exchnage up.
• After 27.Nh4 Qxg4 28.Rxg4 fxg5 29.Rxe4 gxh4 30.Rxh4 Ne5 Black is a pawn to the good witth more freedom.

26.fxg5

• The prison gates are opening.

26...Ne5?

• Black mistakenly thinks he can complicate the freeing of the Bishop.
• Better is 26...fxg5 27.Bxg5 dxe4 28.Nh6! when:
• After 28...Qxg4 29.Nxf7+ Kg7 30.Rf1 Nf6 31.Bxf6+ Kxf7 32.Bxd4+ Ke8 33.Rxg4 Bxg4 Black's advantage is much diminished.
• If 28...Qxh6? 29.Bxh6 Rxg4 30.Rxg4 wins the exchange and equalizes the game.

27.Qh4

• Taking the Queen out of the masked attack from the Rook at g8 is the last maneuver before advancing the pawn to free the Bishop.

27...fxg5

• 27...dxe4 loses to 28.g6 Rxg6 29.hxg6 Nxg6 30.Rxg6 Qxf5 31.Rg3.

BLACK: Lilit Galojan
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WHITE: Johanna Majdan
Position after 27...fg5:p

28.Bxg5!

• At last, the Bishop rises from its tomb.

28...dxe4 29.Nh6

• It's all over now, Baby Blue.

29...Rgf8

• If 29...Rgg7 then White should win after 30.Nxf7+ Rxf7 31.Qxe4 Bb7 32.Qh4.

30.Nxf7+! Rxf7 31.Rxc5 Bd7

• 31...Nc6 32.Bf4 Qe7 33.Rxc6 Bd7 34.Qxe7 Rxe7 35.Rf6 Re8 36.Be5 Rxe5 37.Rf8#.

32.Qxe4 h6 33.Rxe5 Qb6 34.Re8+ 1-0

• After 34...Bxe8 White forces mate: 35.Qxe8+ Kh7 36.Qxf7+ Kh8 37.Bf6+ Qxf6 38.Qg8#.
• Mlle. Galojan resigns.