This game was played in the last round of the tournament, early in the morning. My opponent surprised me on move 5. The opening transposed from the Slav defense into some version of Open Catalan. By move 14 I had spent 1 hour. The position deteriorated consistently and after the time trouble was over I resigned. I certainly got a Good lesson!

White: Houseaux (2252) (FRANCE)         French Flag

Black: Jiganchine              (CANADA)        Canadian Flag

[E04] World Youth U-18 (11), 22.10.2000
[annotated by Roman Jiganchine]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 dxc4 5.Ne5








A fairly uncommon continuation. It was mainly tested at the recent SuperGM It - Sarajevo, 1999, when it was played by Timman and Sokolov. 5...b5 Perhaps not the best line [5...Nbd7 is the most popular response 6.Nxc4 (6.f4 is also possible) 6...b5 Black is using the fact that White's Knight has moved 3 times already - now the knight has to move again, while Black keeps developing his pieces. 7.Ne3 (7.Nd2 is a hardly better square: 7...Bb7 and the knight moves again!! 8.Nb3 a5 9.Bg5 a4 10.Nd2 a3 0-1 Timman,J-Shirov,A/Sarajevo BIH 1999 (38)) 7...Bb7 8.g3 c5 9.d5 (9.Bg2 Bxg2 10.Nxg2 Qb6 0-1 Timman,J-Topalov,V/Sarajevo BIH 1999 (37)) A) 9...b4 10.Na4 (10.Nb1 Nb6) ; B) 9...a6 10.Bg2 g6 11.0-0 Bg7 12.a4 b4 13.Nb1 a5 14.Qc2 Nb6 15.Rd1 0-0 16.Nd2 Ne8 17.Nb3 Nd6÷ Romanishin-Morozevich, 1998, NCO; 5...Bf5 6.Nxc4 e6 7.f3 Be7 8.e4 Bg6 9.Be3 Nbd7 10.Be2 Qc7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Rc1 Rfd8 13.Qe1 Would lead to a very comfortable position for White. He recaptured on c4 and has not played a2-a4 - thus avoiding weakening the b4 square and saving a tempo.; 5...Be6 is also interesting] 6.g3 Bb7 7.Bg2 a6 8.0-0 [The move order with 8.a4 is more common] 8...e6 9.a4








9...b4? This position can arise after a number of different move orders. The move which I chose is almost never played. [9...Qb6 A) 10.Be3 Nd5; B) 10.e4 with the typical ideas of exploding the center; the drawback of this natural move is that the g2 bishop is temporarily blocked. 10...Nbd7 11.Nxd7 Nxd7 12.d5 e5 (An interesting way to fight for initiative was demonstrated in the following game: 12...Bc5 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.Bh3 Rf8 15.Qe2 Bd4 16.Bxe6 Nc5 17.Bh3 Kf7 0-1 Gleizerov,E-Hector,J/1997/ (35)) 13.dxc6 Bxc6 14.Be3 Qb7 15.Nd5ƒ My analysis; C) 10.b3 10...b4 (10...Be7!?) 11.a5 Qc7 12.Na4 c3 (12...Qxa5 13.Nxc4 Qd8; 12...cxb3) 13.Nb6 Ra7©; 9...Be7 10.axb5 axb5 11.Rxa8 Bxa8 12.Nxb5 cxb5 13.Bxa8 0-0²; RR 9...Nd5 is perhaps the most popular move 10.e4 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Nd7 12.f4 Be7 13.Nxf7?! Kxf7 14.f5 e5 0-1 Nester,I-Rustemov,A/ 1999 (27)] 10.Nb1N The only game I could find continued differently: [10.Ne4 Be7 11.Nxc4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4 Nd7 13.a5 0-0 14.Bg2 Ra7 15.e4 c5 16.d5 exd5 17.exd5 Bf6 18.Be3² Aulinger-De Francesco, 1997] 10...a5?! looks natural, but maybe this is a big mistake [10...Be7 11.Nxc4 0-0 and now if White tries to exploit the omission of a6-a5 by playing A) 12.Qd3 is more solid 12...Nbd7 13.Nbd2 Ra7!? (13...Qc8 14.Na5) A1) 14.Nb3 c5 15.Bxb7 Rxb7 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 18.Qxd8 (18.Rd1?? Rd7-+) 18...Rxd8 and Black is OK; A2) and now by playing the natural 14.e4 White seems to be able to keep an advantage 14...c5 15.d5 exd5 16.exd5 Re8²; B) 12.a5 , Black seems to be fine: 12...Nbd7 13.Qb3 Nd5 aiming for c6-c5 14.e4 N5f6 15.Bd2 c5 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.Qxb4 Bxe4³] It looks like that by playing a5 too soon I waste precious time and create an extra target for my opponent. In fact, the a5 pawn becomes even more weak than the b4 pawn might have been! 11.Nxc4 Be7 12.Qd3 0-0 13.Nbd2 Nbd7 14.Nb3 White begins to exploit my weaknesses: now the pressure on a5 is highly unpleasant: I cannot move neither my rook on a8, nor a bishop on b7, other pieces remain very passive too 14...Nd5 I could not see a clear plan and decided to provoke the opponent to advance the e pawn, as by doing so he would also block his g2 bishop that was exerting very unpleasant pressure on my queenside. In this structure I just have to play c6-c5. 15.e4








15...N5f6 [Unfortunately the interesting 15...N5b6?! does not seem to work. I considered this move during the game, but then rejected it as could not see any clear compensation for the pawn 16.Nbxa5 (16.Ncxa5 Ba6 17.Nxc6 Bxd3 18.Nxd8 Rfxd8-+) 16...Ba6 17.Qc2! (17.Rd1!? Ne5 18.dxe5 Qxd3 19.Rxd3 Bxc4 20.Nxc4 Nxc4÷ 21.f4 Rfd8©; 17.b3 Nxc4 18.Nxc4 Ne5 19.Qc2 Qxd4 20.Bb2 Qd3) ] 16.Bf4 Ba6 [16...c5!? 17.d5 the thematic push in the Slav (17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.Qxd8 Rfxd8 20.Bc7 Rd4 21.Nxa5 Bxe4 and Black is fine) 17...exd5 (17...Re8) 18.exd5 A) 18...Nb6 19.d6 Nxc4 (19...Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Nxc4 21.Qxc4 Bxd6 22.Rad1 Ne8 23.Bxd6 Nxd6 24.Qf4 Ra6 25.Nxc5 Rb6) ; B) 18...Re8 19.d6!+- winning a piece] 17.Rfd1 Bxc4 [Yet another attempt to confuse things was 17...Nb6








18.Nbxa5™ Bxc4 19.Nxc4 Rxa4 A) 20.Rxa4 Nxa4 21.Ra1 Nc5! suddenly winning a pawn (21...Nb6 22.Ra6 Nxc4 23.Qxc4 c5 24.dxc5) ; B) 20.b3; C) 20.Nxb6 20...Rxa1 21.Rxa1 Qxb6 22.Ra6 Qb7² 23.Qc4 Rc8!? (23...Ra8? 24.Rxc6 Ra1+ 25.Bf1 Nxe4 26.Rc8+ Bf8 27.f3 Nf6 28.Bd6 Nd7 29.Bxf8 Nxf8 30.Qc5 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 Qxf3+ 32.Ke1 Qe3+ 33.Kd1 Qd3+ 34.Kc1 Qe3+ 35.Kb1 Qd3+ 36.Qc2 Qxc2+ 37.Kxc2+-) ] 18.Qxc4 Qb6 19.Rac1 Rfc8 [19...Rac8!?] 20.Nc5 Nxc5?! After this probably my position is lost [20...Nf8 21.h3 Ng6 22.Be3 Bxc5 23.dxc5 Qb7 24.Rd6 e5 (24...Ne8) ] 21.dxc5 Qa7 22.Bd6 The opponent allowed me to exchange two pairs of minor pieces, but this does not make my position better: White is still in full control 22...Rd8 [22...Bxd6!? 23.cxd6 Nd7 24.b3 and White is still clearly better; nonetheless, Black's position seems to be relatively solid here] 23.Rc2 Bf8 I decided for myself that after taking on d6 my position would be completely hopeless. However, with such a waiting policy I was lost in about 10 moves. 24.h3 Rd7 [24...Bxd6 does not make too much sense at this stage 25.cxd6 Rac8 26.e5 Nd7 (26...Nd5 27.Bxd5 exd5 28.Rxd5 cxd5 29.Qxc8+-) 27.Bxc6 Nb8 28.Qe4+-] 25.Kh2 Rad8 26.Rcd2








26...h6 This move seems to be weakening my kingside, but it is hard for Black to do anything useful, he has to wait see how White is going to win this game: Black's pieces are very passive, he has many pawn weaknesses, White, on the other hand, has two bishops, space, and a lot of opportunities for making progress [26...Ne8 27.e5 Qb7 28.Qe4 Rc8 (28...Nxd6 29.cxd6 Rc8 30.Rc1 and Black still loses material) 29.Bxf8 Rxd2 30.Rxd2 Kxf8 31.Qxh7+-; 26...Qb7 with the idea of preparing Nf6-e8-c7 27.Rd3 (27.f4?! Ne8 28.e5 Nc7 and c6 is already protected) 27...Ne8 28.e5 Nc7 29.Bxf8 Rxd3 30.Rxd3 Rxd3 31.Qxd3 Kxf8 32.Qd6+! and Black loses a queen] 27.f4 Qb7 28.Rd3 Qc8 I have no useful moves 29.g4 Nh7 I had to play this in order to prevent g4-g5 [29...Be7?? hoping for g4-g5 30.Bxe7+-] 30.e5 Now the knight cannot get to d5. e5 before would allow me to put the knight to this consolidating square 30...Qb7 [30...g6 31.Be4 Bxd6 32.cxd6 c5 (32...Nf8 33.Qxc6+-) 33.Bxg6 fxg6 34.Qxe6+ Kg7 35.f5 gxf5 36.gxf5 Ng5 (36...Rf7 37.Rg3+ Kf8 38.Qxh6++-) 37.Qg6++-] 31.f5!+- a logical conclusion of White's plan 31...Re8 [31...Ng5 32.h4+-] 32.Qe4 Rc8 33.fxe6 fxe6 34.Qg6 Bxd6 35.Qxe6+ Kh8 36.Rxd6 Rxd6 37.cxd6 Ng5 [37...Nf8 38.Qf5 Re8 39.d7 Rd8 40.e6+-] 38.Qf5 Rd8 39.h4 Nh7 40.Be4 Nf8 41.e6 Now that the time trouble was over, I resigned. 

I think lost this game because 

1) I was completely unfamiliar with the opening. I returned a pawn without any big reason but still failed to equalize 

2) Even though the structure was more or less familiar to me, I still failed to appreciate how crucial it was to play c4-c5. I also did not see that my pawn on a5 can become a target so fast.

3) The opponent played quite well, he used the advantages of his position (two bishops, extra space, my passive pieces) very convincingly. 1-0

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