[Site "London"] [Date "2010.01.13"] [Round "0"] [White "Black, R."] [Black "Emerson, R."] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2210"] [BlackElo "2170"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [ECO "B30"] [Opening "Sicilian: 2...Nc6 3.Nc3"] {B49: Sicilian: Taimanov: 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 7 Be2 This was my first competitive game for about thirty years, against an opponent with an ECF rating of about 200. The quality went down slightly towards the end as we approached the time limit, but overall I was fairly pleased with my play. At this early stage in my comeback I was very out of touch with opening theory, so my previous repertoire of Seveshnikov Sicilan needed to be discarded. Back to the Taimanov!} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. O-O Bb4 9. Na4 O-O 10. c4 (10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Rfxc8 13. Bxa6 {Klovans,J-Vasiukov,E/URS Soviet Union 1973/1/2-1/2 was the main line I remembered from the 1970s but it's now been analysed to the 25th move. 10.c4 is the modern way for white, sacrificing a pawn for a queen's side bind.}) 10... Bd6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Nb6 $6 (12. f4 Nxe4 13. Bd3 Nf6 { Timoshenko,G (2520)-Tregubov,P (2495)/Alushta2 1994 (9)/0-1 is probably about even. Black has an extra pawn but his QB is shut in.} 14. c5 Be7 15. Bd4 Rd8 16. Nb6 Rb8 17. Nc4 Qa7 18. Kh1 {Kuzmin,G (2530)-Damljanovic,B (2200)/Kladovo 1980 (12)/1-0} Bxc5 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Qg4+ Kf8 21. Qh4 Ke7 22. f5 Bd4 23. Rae1 Rf8 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Qxh7+ Kd8) 12... Rb8 13. c5 Bxh2+ 14. Kh1 Be5 ({Rybka reckons that} 14... Bf4 {is better, but I'd calculated to move 20 of the actual game and thought I was winning!}) (14... d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. f4 (17. g3 Bxg3 18. fxg3 Qxg3 19. Bf2 Qh3+ 20. Kg1 Rxb2 21. Qd3 e5 22. Qxh3 Bxh3 23. Rfe1 f6 $11) 17... d4 (17... Bg3 18. Rf3 Bh4 19. Bd4 Qc6 20. Be5 Rb7 21. Rh3 Bf2 22. Qc2 $14) 18. Qxd4 e5 19. Qxe5 Qxe5 20. fxe5 Bxe5 21. Rab1 Rxb2 22. Rxb2 Bxb2 $11) 15. Qc2 {#} d5 $5 16. f4 Nxe4 17. fxe5 Ng3+ 18. Kh2 ({or} 18. Kg1 Nxf1 19. Rxf1 Qxe5) 18... Nxe2 ({Houdini prefers} 18... Nxf1+ 19. Rxf1 f6 {It generally likes R+2P better than B+N, I think.}) 19. Qxe2 Qxe5+ 20. g3 $6 (20. Kg1 {is better because after} d4 (20... f6 21. Rf4 Qc7 22. Rh4 e5 23. b3 d4 $11) 21. Nc4 Qxc5 22. Bf4 Rb5 23. Bd6 {is more of a threat} d3+ 24. Qf2 Qxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Rd8 26. Rad1 a5 27. Bc7 ({or} 27. Rxd3 Ba6 28. Rc1 Rf5+ 29. Ke1 Rd5) 27... Rd7 28. Bxa5 Ba6 29. b3 f6 $11) 20... d4 21. Nc4 {Annoyingly the knight can move backwards! I'd missed this in my analysis of 15...d5} Qxc5 22. Bf4 Rb5 23. Rac1 ({Now if} 23. Bd6 Qh5+ {means that black doesn't have to sacrifice his d-pawn}) 23... Qh5+ (23... Qd5 $142 24. Kg1 d3 25. Qd2 f6) 24. Qxh5 Rxh5+ {# Black has four pawns for the piece, but his bishop is hemmed in. It's about equal.} 25. Kg2 ({Loses the exchange.} 25. Kg1 f6 26. Bd6 Rd8 27. Rfe1 h6 28. Nb6 Bb7) 25... e5 $17 26. Bxe5 Bh3+ 27. Kg1 Bxf1 $19 28. Rxf1 c5 { and black's extra material eventually won.} 29. Kg2 f6 30. Bd6 Re8 31. Rf2 Rd5 32. b3 Re6 33. Bf4 g5 34. Bd2 Kg7 35. g4 Kg6 36. Kg3 f5 37. Rh2 f4+ ({stronger is} 37... fxg4 38. Kxg4 d3 39. Ne3 h5+ 40. Kg3 Rde5) 38. Kf3 Kg7 39. Ba5 Rh6 40. Rxh6 Kxh6 41. Ke4 Rd7 42. Bb6 d3 43. Ba5 Rd4+ ({Again stronger is} 43... Re7+ 44. Kxd3 f3 45. Ne3 Kg6 46. Be1 h5) 44. Kf3 Kg6 45. Bc3 d2 46. Bxd2 h5 47. Ba5 (47. Ne5+ Kh6 48. Bc3 Rd1 49. Nf7+ Kg6 50. Ne5+ Kh7 51. gxh5 Kh6 52. Ke4 { and black still has to work to win.}) 47... h4 $19 48. Bb6 h3 49. Kf2 Rd1 50. Ne5+ Kh6 51. Nf3 Rc1 52. Bd8 Rc2+ 53. Kf1 h2 54. Bxg5+ Kg6 55. Nxh2 Kxg5 56. Nf3+ Kxg4 57. Ne5+ Kg3 {# White resigned} 0-1