CHESS
either — White is deprived of counterplay and won’t be able to fend
off eventual intrusion on the b-file.
16. Be3
16. Rd1? Be2 17. Rd2 Bxf3 —
White is deprived of his only useful
move.
16...Rfb8 17. Re1 Bc4
Black has been playing very well
up to this point, but here he starts
going astray. This move threatens
nothing and disrupts the coordination of the black pieces. 17...Rb3
merits attention; 18. cxb3 Rxb3 19.
Qxb3 Qxb3 is hopeless, but 19. Qc2
allows the strong 19...Bd3.
18. Nd2 Ba2 19. Qd3 Rb2
19...Qa5 20. Rxa2 Rb1+ 21.
Nxb1 Qxe1+ 22. Qd1 Rxb1+ would
have been a worthy ending of this
game, but White is not forced to take
on a2 and could play 20. Kd1 instead.
20. Qc3 R2b5 21. Qd3 Ra5??
Black finally collapses under
the pressure and blunders very
badly. 21...Rb2 22. Qc3 Qb5 and
Black’s advantage is indisputable.
22. c4 Bxa3+ 23. Qxa3 Rxa3 24.
cxd5 cxd5 25. Kd1
And White converted his
advantage.
1-0
White: Jay Bonin
Black: Denys Shmelov
[E18] Queen’s Indian Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3
Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7.
Nc3 Na6
Black tries to avoid the drawish
lines which arise after 7...Ne4 8.
Nxe4. Ironically, he blunders almost
right away and finds himself fighting for a draw the rest of the game.
8. d5 Bb4 9. Ne5 Bxc3 10. bxc3
exd5?
10...Nc5 defends the bishop on
b7 and ensures a reasonable game.
16
WWW.MASSCHESS.ORG
HORIZONS
11. Bg5 Qe7 12. Ng4 Qe6 13.
Nxf6+ gxf6 14. cxd5
cuuuuuuuuC
{rdwdw4kd}
{0b0pdpdp}
{n0wdq0wd}
{dwdPdwGw}
{wdwdwdwd}
{dw)wdw)w}
{PdwdP)B)}
{$wdQdRIw}
vllllllllV
Now would be a good time to
take stock of my position. My pawn
structure is ruined, my pieces are
poorly coordinated, my king is
exposed, and my opponent has two
bishops and a strong presence in the
center. I am playing against an
experienced international master,
the game is played in a team competition, and the outcome of the
match will likely hinge on the outcome of the game. Time to switch
to defensive mode...
14...Qf5 15. Bh6
Happy with his position, W h i t e
goes on a streak of mediocre
moves. My rook wants to get to e8
anyway, whereas the white bishop
would stand better on f4.
15... Rfe8 16. e4 Qg6 17. Be3
17. Bf4 still looks like a better
choice.
17...Nc5
Now White has to give up his
dark squared bishop, since 18. f3
could be answered by 18...f5. Black
is still very much worse, but in a bad
position like this every bit helps.
18. Bxc5 bxc5 19. Qa4 f5
Jumping on a chance to get rid
of my doubled pawns, but...
20. Rab1
White finds a very strong move,
forcing Black to part with material.
20...Ba6 21. exf5
To add to his woes, Black is
now down a pawn.
21...Qd6 22. Qg4+
Happy with his position, White
again goes on a streak of mediocre
moves. The Black king would be
safer on h8, so there was no need to
force him there.
22...Kh8 23. c4
This pawn becomes a weakness
in need of constant defense.
23...Re5 24. Rfe1 Rg8 25. Qh4 f6
26. Bf1 Bc8
26...Rxf5? 27. f4 strands a rook;
instead Black just makes a waiting
move.
27. f4
White has been playing without
a clear plan for some time now;
however, only now does he make a
real mistake. In one move White
weakens his king and sidelines his
queen, giving Black chances for
some counterplay.
27...Re7 28. Kf2
Now White goes astray, underestimating the dangers of having a
weak king. After an accurate 28. Qh5
White will be able to bring his
queen back, with good chances to
convert his advantage.
28...Rge8 29. Qh6
Looks as if the best Black can
do is trade rooks, but...
29... c6!
...makes White regret playing in
such a daring manner. Now taking
on c6 is obviously out of the question, and taking on e7 would most
likely lead to perpetual check.
30. Bg2
If 30. dxc6?? Qd4+ and Black
wins. 30. Rxe7 Qxe7 31. Rd1 Qe3+
32. Kg2 Qe4+ 33. Kg1 Qe3+= (but
not 33...Qxf5?? because of 34. Bd3+-).
30...Ba6 31. Bf1?
Better is 31. Red1 Bxc4 32.
dxc6=
31...cxd5
31...Rxe1!