Everything has been sort of forced up to this point but here white makes an independent strategic choice. This is the move which made me want to play the Catalan. I saw a game where Anand lost to Kramnik and saw Kramnik analyze the game and it left an indelible mark on me regards my appreciation of the Catalan and Kramnik himself. The Bishop is headed to a5 to slow down c5, or ideally stop it. This is a difficult move to meet over the board. 10... ♘bd7 11. ♗a5 ♗d6 Simpy lending support to the c7 pawn. I do not like this idea as it seems insufficient, but quite playable, I ike the idea
with Ra7. [11... ♖a7 12. ♘bd2 ♕a8 13. b4 ♗d6 14. ♖ac1 ♖e8] 12. ♘bd2 ♖c8 Blacks liberation in the Catalan is c5 hence moving the queen to b8 unpinning the c pawn preparing c5 is more appropriate. 13. e4 e5? It does not make sense to me how back heads into this line, the modest Be7 is the known theoretical handling keeping an eye on c5. e5 is equivalent to neglecting c5. 14. dxe5 ♘xe5 15. ♘xe5 ♗xe5 16. ♘b3 Jumping onto c5. 16... ♗d6??
[16... ♕d7 17. ♖ad1 ♕c6 18. ♕e2 ♗d6 19. ♗c3 ♕c4 20. ♕xc4 bxc4Stil better for white but acceptable in comparison to Bd6] 17. ♖fe1 "Holding c5 by the threat e5 and the pin on the c7 pawn. 17... ♘g4 [17... ♖e8 fails too 18. ♖ad1 ♘d7 19. e5 ♗xg2 20. exd6 ♖xe1+ 21. ♖xe1 ♗b7 22. ♕f5 g6 23. ♕f4 ♕f6 24. ♕xf6 ♘xf6 25. dxc7 ♔f8 26. ♘c5 ♗f3]
18. f4 ♕d7 This does not look natural and neglects problems that back is being presented. [18... ♗e7Was better 19. ♖ac1Ganging on the pawn on c7.] 19. ♖ad1 Taking advantage of the poor position of the Queen on d7. 19... ♕e6 From bad to worse, black is just drifting now. 20. e5 ♗xg2 21. exd6 ♘e3 22. ♕xg2 [22. ♕d2 Is simple and precise, picking up a knight] 22... ♘xg2 23. ♖xe6 fxe6 24. d7 ♖cd8 25. ♔xg2 ♖f7 26. ♘c5 Interesting how blacks failure to handle his strategic problems are the cause of his difficult and the fall of c7 as simple as it looks signal the death of the black king [1-0]
African Chess Magazine 9