23.2.13

Attacking with the Pirc

My new DVD about the Pirc Defense is out at the chessbase shop
I would like to thank the user QuietGuru on his positive feedback:
I just purchased your DVD on the Pirc from Chessbase.com. I want to tell you that this DVD like your DVD's on the Na6 KID, and Sicilian Kalashnikov , and your 1 hour videos on the Pirc for White, and the English for Black is excellent. All of your chess related videos to this date are always very well prepared and easy to understand and at the same time you somehow give a lot of variations without confusing me. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!!!!!!

7.2.13

I love collecting games in which one of the sides manages to establish complete control of the position by dominating the opponent's pieces.
Chess is a fight of the pieces, minds and energies and domination demonstrates that.
the following game was played some weeks ago at the Belgium team championship.
My teammate, the strong Russian GM Khairulin managed to outplay the Belgium champion Tanguy Ringoir in an impressive way:

Khairullin,Ildar (2632) - Ringoir,Tanguy (2460) [A07]
BEL-chT 1213 Belgium (7.1), 13.01.2013
[Dejan Bojkov]


1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Bg4 4.0–0 Nd7 5.d3 e5 6.e4 dxe4 7.dxe4 Ngf6 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.Qe1


White frees himself from the pin and prepares to maneuver with his f3 knight. The f5 square is quite tempting.]

9...0–0 10.Nc4 [The knight is transferred on the e3 square. This looks more logical than:]

[10.h3 Bh5 11.Nh4 Re8 12.Nc4 Bf8 13.Bg5 Qc7= Aronian,L (2825)-Tomashevsky,E (2738) Moscow 2012]

10...Qc7 11.Ne3 Bh5 [As the Belgium champion intends to give the bishop pair anyway it made sense for him to do that at once with:]

[11...Bxf3!? 12.Bxf3 Nc5 (Or: 12...Rfd8 13.Nf5 Bf8; Interesting is: 12...g6 13.a4 Nc5 14.Ng4 Ne6 15.Be3 Nd7 16.Bh6 Rfd8 17.h4 Bf8 18.Bxf8 Ndxf8 19.a5 h5 20.Ne3 Rd7 21.b4 Rad8 22.c3 Nh7 1/2 (22) Markus,R (2572)-Postny,E (2661) Aghios Kirykos 2008) 13.Nf5 Rfd8 objectively speaking, the bishops should be better on the long run, but on the other hand the black knights enjoy also some juicy central squares.]

12.Nf5 Nc5?! [This is probably the first moment which can be indeed criticized. I believe that Black needed to keep the bishop:]

[12...Bc5 for example- 13.Nd2 a5 14.a4 Rfd8 15.Nb3 Bb4 16.c3?! Bf8 and Black had an excellent game in Ruiz Saiz,A (2274) -Starostits,I (2497) Parla 2008]

13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Nh4


14...Ne6N [A logical novelty. This square is good for the knight. Previously only the move:]

[14...Qe6 have been seen in practice, but Black did not do well in the following encounter- 15.b3 Rfe8 16.Ba3 Nfd7 17.Qe3± the black pieces lack good squares, and White is always good to open the game for his bishops- Matikozian, A (2409)-Casella,M (2248) Los Angeles 2012]

15.f3 +/= [White's advantage is based on the two bishops and the poor position of the black one!]

15...Qc5+ [Black probably needed to play in a more restrained way. 15...Rfd8 16.Be3; The bad position of the bishop demonstrates the line: 15...Nd4 16.Nf5!? (16.Qf2) 16...Nxf5 17.exf5± when it is suddenly trapped!]

16.Rf2!


Prepares the doubling of the rooks along the d file, and some tempo gains against the black queen.]

16...Qb6 17.b3 a5 18.Be3 Qb4 [Ringoir understands that the long-termed factors of the position are not in his favour and tries to compensate with activity. Unfortunately, this makes things worse.]

19.c3 Qa3 20.Rd1 [The d file is the key to the position!]

20...Rfd8 [20...a4? self-traps the queen after- 21.b4!]

21.Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.Rd2 Ra8 [Or: 22...Rxd2 23.Qxd2 when the d file is still in White's hands.]

23.Nf5 [The reserves are joining the battle.]

23...b5 24.h4 [While watching the game I saw the funny line: 24.Nd6 with the idea to meet- 24...a4? (24...Ne8! is better instead and ruins mine idea.) 25.b4! Qxc3 26.Nxb5 Qc4 27.Bf1


and suddenly the queen is trapped- 27...Qxb4 28.Rd8+]

24...Bg6 25.Bf2! [Opens the e file for the queen and prevents the trade of the bishop for the knight:]

25...Nf8 [25...Bxf5 26.exf5 Nc5 27.g4± (White can also win a pawn with: 27.Qxe5 Nce4! 28.Re2 Nxf2 29.Kxf2) ]

26.Ne3 a4 27.Qd1 axb3 28.axb3 [Khairulin had increased his advantage and intends to crack into the opponent's camp along the d file. Ringoir desperately tries to free himself but this leads to a pretty finish:]

28...Qa1 29.c4 Qxd1+ 30.Rxd1 N6d7?! 31.cxb5 cxb5 32.Nd5 f6 33.Bh3!


Black resigned at a moment when the material is equal. This seems a bit premature but the lines confirm that the second player lacks reasonable moves:]

[33.Bh3 Rd8 (as does- 33...Be8 34.Nc7 Rb8 35.Nxe8 Rxe8 36.Rxd7! with two powerful bishops for the rook.) 34.Ne7+ Kf7 35.Nc6 wins a whole piece for White.]

The total outcome of the match was very positive for my team and for the first time in the history of the Amay club we are leading the championship at the half time.