This game was played in the penultimate round of the event; by this time I
felt myself quite tired. The game turned out to be my biggest missed chance in
the championship. In mutual time trouble my opponent gave me an excellent
chance, which I failed to use.
White: Wisniewski (2280)
Black: Jiganchine
(2115)
[B12] World Youth U-18 (10), 21.10.2000
[notes by Roman
Jiganchine]
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 I did not expect my opponent to play this line.
The latest game of him playing against the Caro-Kann I had in the database was
from 1998; in it he played 3.Nd2. 3...c5 I 'bravely' played this rather
rare line, hoping that Wisniewski was not a big expert on the Advance Caro-Kann.
4.c3
This can
hardly give White any advantage. The critical try is certainly [4.dxc5
A) 4...e6 is becoming more and more popular; NCO gives it as a main line.
5.Be3 Nh6 (5...Nd7 6.Bb5 Qc7 7.Nf3 Bxc5 8.Bxc5 Qxc5 9.Nc3 Ne7 10.Qd4 Qxd4
11.Nxd4 a6 12.Bxd7+ Bxd7 13.0-0-0 leads to a "classical" French endgame,
White has some advantage.) 6.c3 Nf5 7.Bd4 Nxd4 8.cxd4 b6 typical
sacrifice in this line; Black hopes to gain initiative on the queenside 9.Bb5+
Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Qxd7 11.cxb6 axb6 and White is better; B) 4...Nc6 was
historically a major move for Black, but now 5.Bb5 (5.Nf3 is also
interesting) 5...e6 6.Be3 Nge7 7.c3 Bd7 8.Bxc6 Nxc6 9.f4 g5 10.fxg5 Nxe5
11.Nf3 Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3 Bg7 13.0-0 0-0 14.Nd2 Bb5 15.Rfe1 with White maintaining
some advantage, (NCO) is one of the possible lines] 4...Nc6 5.h3 [5.Na3
in the most famous game in this line was played 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 Bf5 7.Bd3 Bxd3
8.Qxd3 e6 9.Ne2 Bb4+ 10.Bd2 Nge7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Nc2 Bxd2 13.Qxd2 Rc8 14.Ne3 Qa5
15.Nc3 Qb4 16.Rfd1 Na5 17.Rac1 Rc6 18.Ne4 Qxd2 19.Nxd2 Rfc8 20.Rxc6 Naxc6 21.Nb1
Na5 22.Na3 a6 23.Kf1 b5 24.Nac2 Nc4 25.b3 Nxe3+ 26.Nxe3 Kf8 27.Ke2 Ke8 28.Kd3
Kd7 29.Nc2 f5 30.Nb4 Ra8 31.Ke3 g5 32.Nd3 Nc6 33.Nc5+ Ke7 34.g3 a5 35.a3 Rg8
36.Nd3 Rc8 37.Rc1 Na7 38.Nc5 Rc6 39.Rh1 Rc8 40.h4 g4 41.Rc1 h6 42.Rc2 Rc7 43.Rc1
Nc8 44.Kd2 Nb6 45.Nb7 Rxc1 46.Kxc1 a4 47.Kc2 axb3+ 48.Kxb3 Nc4 49.Kb4 Kd7
50.Nc5+ Ke7 51.Nb3 Kd7 52.Nc1 Kc6 53.Ne2 Kd7 54.Nc3 Kc6 55.Nxb5 Nb2 56.Nc3 Nd3+
57.Kb3 f4 58.gxf4 Nxf4 59.Kc2 h5 60.Kd2 Ng2 61.Ne2 Nxh4 62.Ke3 Ng2+ 63.Kd3 h4
64.Ng1 Nf4+ 65.Ke3 h3 0-1 Xie Jun-Karpov,A/Monaco 1996/EXP 52 (65) A classic
example by the 12th World Champion!] 5...Bf5 6.a3 e6 [White is delaying
development of his pieces, but if Black becomes too aggressive, he may pay a
high price for it: 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 Qb6 8.Nf3 Be4 9.Nbd2 Nxd4 10.Nxe4 Nxf3+
11.Qxf3 dxe4 12.Qxe4 e6 13.Be3 Qxb2 14.Rb1 Qc3+ 15.Bd2+-] 7.Nf3 Qb6 8.Bd3
At this
moment I spent about half a hour thinking. I was quite sure that I would have to
take on d3, but should I play c5 - c4 after it? I decided that the typical
"French" plan with play on the queenside and pressure against b3 would not work
here, without light squared bishops. I think the solution which I found was
quite good from the practical point of view and suited best my style abilities
and knowledge: 8...Bxd3 9.Qxd3 Qa6!? I remembered some game in the French
advanced, by Tarrasch, where Black had doubled "a" pawns and used the 'b' file
for active play. 10.Qxa6 What else? 10...bxa6 11.dxc5 I was quite
surprised by this move. I makes the e5 pawn weak, but my opponent had a rather
original plan in mind. 11...Bxc5 12.b4 Bb6 13.0-0 Nge7 14.Bf4 Ng6 15.Bg3 0-0
[15...Ke7 was interesting but in some lines the king may get under attack
(if the white knight gets to c6 - see notes to 21.Na5)] 16.Nbd2 White is
playing for c3-c4; later he is going to aim for the d6 square with his knight
16...Rfd8 17.Rac1 [17.c4 dxc4 18.Nxc4 Rd3 19.Rfd1 Rad8] 17...Rac8
18.c4 [I thought White could prepare c4 push, but I now it seems to me this
is not so easy to do. 18.Rfd1 Nce7 19.c4? (19.Nb3 Nf5 20.Nbd4 Nxd4 21.Nxd4
Rc4 with Black's positional advantage) 19...dxc4 and Black is up a
pawn] 18...dxc4 19.Nxc4 Nd4 20.Nxd4 [20.Nxb6?? Ne2+ 21.Kh2 Rxc1-+]
20...Bxd4 The centre has opened up, the piece play in the centre is now
going to decide whose pawn are weak: mine on a6 and a7 or White's at e5.
21.Rfd1!?
Nice trap
[21.Na5 White can hardly try to win any of my 'a' pawns - he has too many
weaknesses himself and his bishop on g3 and rook on f1 are too passive. 21...Bb2
22.Nc6 Bxc1 23.Nxd8 Bxa3-+] 21...h5! I create an escape square for my
king and try to gain some initiative on the kinside with this move. It was very
dangerous to accept the pawn sacrifice: [21...Rxc4 22.Rxc4 Bxf2+ 23.Kxf2
(23.Bxf2 Rxd1+ 24.Kh2 h5 25.Rc6 Nxe5 26.Rxa6 gives Black too much
"counterplay" 26...Rd2 27.Bxa7 Nf3+ 28.Kg3! Ne1) 23...Rxd1 24.Rc8+ Nf8
25.Ke2 Rd7 26.Bf2 f6 27.Bc5 Rf7 28.exf6 gxf6 29.Rc6 Nd7 30.Bxa7 Ne5 31.Rc8+ Kg7
32.Be3 White is clearly better here, but I suspect there should be some
improvement by White, he has several good options on each move in this line]
22.Kf1 After I played h5 White has no back rank threats and has to defend
against Bf2 22...h4 Here, being excessively worried about the opponent's
relatively high rating, I offered him a draw. Luckily, he declined. I think I am
at least not worse here. 23.Bh2 Ne7 [23...Rd5 24.Nd6 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 Bxe5
26.Rc8+ Kh7 27.Bxe5 (27.Nxf7? Bxh2-+) 27...Nxe5] 24.Bf4 Nf5 From
here the knight controls d6 25.Ke2 Rd5 At this point my opponent sank
into thought for a long time, leaving himself only 3-4 mintues for the next 14
moves. 26.Kf3
[26.f3 would at least save
material; 26.Nd6 Nxd6 27.exd6 Rxc1 28.Rxc1 e5 29.Bg5 Rxd6 30.Bxh4 Bb2 31.Rc8+
Kh7 32.a4 Rd4 33.Bg3 Rxb4 34.Rc7 f6 and Black has good winning chances]
26...Bxf2! With the rook on d8 this blow was not possible. This idea did
not work on move 21, but now it gives me probably a decisive advantage
27.Rxd5 exd5 28.Nd6 Nxd6 29.exd6 Rxc1 30.Bxc1 Bb6 31.Bg5 f6 32.Bxh4 Kf7
the d6 pawn is doomed, but things are not so simple...because my a7 pawn
suddenly becomes vulnerable 33.Ke2 Ke6 34.Bg3 a5! 35.b5
35...Bc5?? I had about 40 seconds
for 5 moves and this is perhaps my biggest blunder at the tournament: it lets
half a point slip out [35...a4! would have threatened the a3 pawn 36.Kd3
(36.Bf4!? is necessary, as indicated by Jean Hebert 36...Bc5 37.Bc1
Kxd6 with Black still keeping a safe extra pawn. Black wins the b5 pawn by
transferring the king to b6, then d5-d4 and Kd5 would follow at a good moment,
possibly after White runs out of moves on the kingside.) 36...Bc5 37.Kc3
Bxa3 38.Bf2 Kxd6 39.Bxa7 Bc5 40.Bb8+ Kd7-+] 36.a4 f5 37.Bf4 g6 38.Kd3 Kd7
[38...Bxd6
39.Be3! This
is the point 39...Bb8 40.Bd4 Black's position is fairly dangerous here if he
tries to play for a win A) 40...f4 41.Ke2 Kf5 42.Kf3 g5 43.Bf2
(But not 43.Bc3? Bc7 44.Bd4 Bb6) ; B) 40...Kd7 41.Bc5 Kc8??
Trying to support a7 pawn 42.Kd4+-] 39.Be5 Ke6 40.Bf4 Kd7 41.Be5 1/2-1/2
if I don't take the 'd' pawn, it is very hard for me to achieve any
progress, so I took a draw offered by my opponent. I am somewhat proud of my
play in this game: playing the Caro-Kann Advanced first time in my life in a
tournament game; I found a decent plan in the opening. Unfortunately, I spent
too much time on it and later time trouble was decisive factor. In the
middlegame I played quite reasonably too (unless some major flaws exist in my
analysis). Not playing 35...a4 is certainly a shame though...
My opponent had a horrible tournament in Oropeza and this was not his best
game. These are the things that should be done by me as seen from this
game:
1) Become more familiar with the opening (Caro-Kann in this case)
2) Work on avoiding time trouble
3) Develop a better sense of how to play endgames with bishops of same color
(fixing the opponent's pawn on the color of the bishops)