Democratic Underground - Onischuk - Eljanov, Round 7, Foros

Pavel Eljanov
Photo: ChessBase.com

Alex Onischuk - Pavel Eljanov
Aerosvit International Tournament, Round 7
Foros, Crimea (Ukraine), 15.06.2008

East India Game: Queen's Indian Defense (Bronstein Variation)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qa4!?

Nick deFirmian, in MCO-15, calls the text move "ineffective" and devotes only the minimum discussion of it.
More common are lines stemming from 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6.

5...Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.dxc5

If 7.0-0 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxg2 9.Kxg2 Qc8 then:

If 10.Nc3 Qb7+ 11.f3 Be7 then:

If 12.Rd1 a6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 then:

If 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Qb3 Qc7 17.Rac1 0-0 18.f4 Nc6 19.Nf3 Rfd8 20.Qe3 Rac8 21.g4 d5 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Ng3 Bc5 24.Qd2 a5 is equal (Nikolic-Karpov, Amber Blind, Monte Carlo, 2000).
15.Rd3 0-0 16.Rad1 Rc8 17.Qb3 Qc7 18.Na4 Bd8 19.Rc3 Qa7 20.Qb4 Nc6 21.Nxc6 Rxc6 22.Rcd3 d6 23.Nc3 Be7 24.Ne4 Qb7 25.Qa4 b5 26.Qb3 Qb8 27.cxb5 axb5 28.a3 is equal (Sorin-Kamsky, Amer Cont Ch, Buenos Aires, 2005).

12.e4 0-0 13.Be3 Nc6 14.Rfd1 Rfd8 15.Rac1 Ne5 16.Qb5 d6 is equal (Nyzhnyk-Grover, Op, Reykjavik, 2008).

If 10.Rd1 Be7 11.Nc3 0-0 then:

If 12.f3 a6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Rac1 Qb7 16.Qa3 Bg5 17.Rc2 Nc6 18.Nxc6 Qxc6 19.Ne4 d5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Qc3 dxc4 22.Qxc4 Qxc4 23.Rxc4 is equal (Ilincic-Prohaszka, First Saturday, Budapest, 2006.03).
12.e4 Qb7 13.f3 a6 14.Be3 d6 15.Qc2 Nbd7 16.Rac1 Rac8 17.Qe2 Rfe8 18.b3 Bf8 19.Qd2 d5 20.exd5 exd5 21.Nxd5 Nxd5 22.cxd5 Rxc1 23.Qxc1 Qxd5 is equal (W. Schmidt-Adorjan, IT, Warsaw, 1979).

7...bxc5

If 7...Bxc5 8.0-0 Be7 9.Nc3 then:

If 9...Na6 10.Bf4 0-0 11.Rfd1 Nc5 12.Qc2 Qc8 then:

If 13.Rac1 13...Nce4 then:

If 14.Nd4 Nxc3 15.Qxc3 a6 then:

If 16.Qb3 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Qb7+ 18.Qf3 Ra7 19.Qxb7 Rxb7 20.f3 Rc8 21.e4 then:

21...Ne8 22.h4 h5 23.a4 Bf6 24.Be3 Rbc7 25.b3 d5 26.Ne2 dxc4 27.Bxb6 Rc6 28.Rxc4 Rxc4 29.bxc4 Rxc4 30.a5 Nc7 31.Rc1 Rxc1 32.Nxc1 Nb5 33.Nd3 Bc3 34.Nc5 Nd6 35.Nxa6 Nc4 36.Nc5 draw (Piket-Karpov, Match, Monte Carlo, 1999).
21...d6 22.Ne2 Rc6 23.b4 h6 24.b5 axb5 25.cxb5 Rxc1 26.Rxc1 d5 27.Rc8+ Kh7 28.Rc7 Rxc7 29.Bxc7 Bc5 30.Nc3 Bd4 31.Na4 Nd7 32.exd5 exd5 33.Kf1 Kg6 is equal (van Wely-Karpov, Op,. Corsica, 2003).

16.Bf3 Ra7 17.Nb3 Bxf3 18.Qxf3 Qb7 19.Qxb7 Rxb7 20.f3 Rc8 21.e4 Ne8 22.e5 f6 23.Rc2 Kf7 24.g4 fxe5 25.Bxe5 Nf6 26.Rcc1 Rc6 27.Bg3 g6 28.Kg2 Bf8 29.h3 h5 30.Nd4 Rc8 31.a4 d6 32.Ne2 Rc6 33.Nd4 Rc8 34.Ne2 Rc6 35.Nd4 Rc8 36.Ne2 Rc6 draw (Hübner-Adams, IT, Dortmund, 2000).

14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Qd2 Qb7 16.Bd6 Bxd6 17.Qxd6 Rac8 18.b3 h6 19.Rd4 Rc6 20.Qf4 Rc5 21.Rd6 b5 22.Bf1 bxc4 23.bxc4 Rf5 24.Qd2 Bxf3 25.exf3 Qxf3 yields Black an extra pawn (Dautov-I. Smirin, Soviet Ch ½-final, Daugavpils, 1989).

13.Rd4 d5 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.Bg5 Bxg5 16.Nxg5 Nf6 17.Bxb7 Qxb7 18.b4 h6 19.Nf3 Ncd7 20.Nb5 Rfc8 21.Qd2 Rc6 22.Rd1 a6 23.Nd6 Qc7 24.e4 e5 is equal (Aronian-Leko, Corus A, Wijk aan Zee, 2006).

If 9...0-0 10.Rd1 d6 11.Bf4 a6 then:

12.Rd2 Qc7 13.Rad1 Rd8 14.Ng5 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 h6 16.Nge4 Ne8 17.g4 Nc6 18.f3 Na5 19.b3 Nb7 20.Qa3 Qc6 21.Qa4 Qc7 22.Qa3 Qc6 23.Qa4 Qc7 draw (Fernandes-Spraggett, IT, Santo Antonio (Portugal), 2001).
12.Rac1 Qc7 13.Qc2 Rd8 14.Qd2 Nh5 15.Bg5 Nf6 16.Bf4 Nh5 17.Bg5 Nf6 draw (Leko-Kramnik, World Ch, Brassago, 2004).

8.0-0 Be7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Rd1

10.Bf4 Qb6 11.Rfd1 Rd8 12.Rd2 d5 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Ne5 Na6 15.Rad1 Nc7 16.e4 Ne6 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 Nxf4 19.Qxf4 yields an extra pawn for White (Lautier-Macieja, Euro ChT, Saint Vincent, 2005).

10...d6 11.Bf4 Qb6 12.Rd2

12.Rab1 Na6 13.a3 Bc6 14.Qc2 Rfd8 15.e4 Qb7 16.Ne1 Rab8 17.Qe2 e5 18.Bg5 h6 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Nc2 Qb3 21.Ne3 gives White a small advantage in space (Nikolic-Anastasian, FIDE Knock Out, Moscow, 2001).

12...h6

12...Nc6 13.Bxd6 Bxd6 14.Rxd6 Qxb2 15.Rb1 Qxc3 16.Rxb7 Nd4 17.Qd1 Nxf3+ 18.Bxf3 Qxc4 19.a4 a5 20.Rb5 Ra7 21.Rd8 g5 22.Rxf8+ Kxf8 23.Qd6+ Kg7 24.Rxc5 Rd7 25.Qe5 Qb4 26.Qxg5+ Kf8 27.Rc8+ Ke7 28.Kg2 Black resigns since after 28...Qb6 29.e430.e5 the Knight falls (Karpov-Polugaevsky, IT, Biel, 1990).

13.Rad1 e5 14.Be3 Nc6 15.Qb5 Qc7 16.Qb3

16.Qa4 Nd4 17.Ne1 Rfb8 18.b3 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Rb6 20.f3 Qb7 is equal (Borges-van Wely, Capablanca Mem, Havana, 1995).

16...a6 17.Nh4 Rfb8!?

Numerically speaking, White currently has an impressive advantage in space; dynamically speaking, he doesn't. Black can unmask an attack on the enemy Queen or on White's fianchettoed Bishop at will, altering the spatial balance dramitically.

17...Rab8 18.Nf5 Nd4 19.Nxe7+ Qxe7 20.Qa3 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Qe6

(Guerra-Pinheiro, YM, Loures (Portugal), 2001).

18.Bxc6?

This move appears dubious in that White currently has the advantage in space, but White cannot avoid exchanges..
18.Qc2 Nd4 19.Qd3 Bxg2 20.Nxg2 Qc8 21.f3 Qe6 gives Black more space (see previous note), but White's position is solid.

BLACK: Pavel Eljanov
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WHITE: Alex Onischuk
Position after 18.Bg2c6:N

18...Qxc6

White takes command of the long diagonal.
18...Bxc6 19.Qc2 Rd8 20.Nf5 Bf8 21.f3 Rab8 is equal.

19.f3 e4

White continues to enjoy the advantage in space, but Black is still poised for counterplay,
19...Qc8 20.Qc2 Qh3 21.Qf5 Bc8 22.Qxh3 Bxh3 is equal.

20.Qc2 Re8 21.fxe4 Qc8!

White is a pawn to the good, but Black has the advantage in space and open lines to exploit..
If 21...Nxe4 22.Nxe4 Qxe4 23.Qxe4 Bxe4 then:

24.Nf3 g5 25.h4 g4 26.Nh2 h5 is equal.
24.Kf2 g5 25.Nf3 Rab8 26.h4 g4 27.Nh2 h5 is equal.

22.Nf3 Qh3

Black takes advantage of his extra space.
22...Qe6 23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.cxd5 Qxe4 25.Bf2 Qg4 26.Qd3 Ne4 gives Black a more active position.

23.Kh1 Bf8 24.Rd5

Black's strategy has work perfectly.
The text move, meekly surrendering the the exchange, underscores White's difficulties.
If 24.Bf4? then 24...Bxe4 25.Qb3 Rab8 26.Qa3 Bb7 27.Kg1 Ng4 28.e4 g5 traps the Bishop like a rat.

24...Bxd5 25.cxd5 Ng4 26.Bg1

If 26.Qd3 Re5 27.Rg1 f5 then:

28.Rg2 fxe4 29.Nxe4 c4 30.Qd4 Nxe3 31.Qxe3 Rxd5 Black is up by an exchange.
28.Bxc5 Rc8 29.Bd4 Rce8 30.Qd1 fxe4 31.Qf1 Qxf1 32.Rxf1 exf3 gives Black a Rook for two pawns.

26...g6 27.e5

27.Nb1 Bg7 28.Nbd2 Nf6 29.Qd3 g5 30.e5 dxe5 31.e4 Nd7 Black remains up by an exchange.

27...Nxe5 28.Ne4

28.Nxe5 Rxe5 29.e4 f5 30.Re1 Bg7 31.Be3 g5 leaves Black up by an exchange with a small advantage in space.

28...Ng4 29.Nh4 Rab8 30.Ng2 Rxe4

30...Qh5 31.Nc3 Bg7 32.Nf4 Qg5 33.Rf1 Bxc3 34.bxc3 Qe7 Black is still up by an exchange and is putting pressure on White's weak pawns.

31.Qxe4

BLACK: Pavel Eljanov
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WHITE: Alex Onischuk
Position after 31.Qc2e4:R

31...Qxh2+!!

A pretty sham sacrifice of the Queen ends all resistance.

32.Bxh2 Nf2+ 33.Kg1 Nxe4 34.b3 h5

Also good is 34...Nc3 35.Rd2 c4 when:

36.Ne3 cxb3 37.axb3 Rxb3 38.g4 a5 gives the a-pawn a clear path to the Emerald City.
36.bxc4 Rb1+ 37.Ne1 Ne4 38.Rc2 Rxe1+ wins the Knight.

35.Rc1 Bg7 36.Rc2 g5 37.Ne1 Re8 38.Kf1

38.Nd3 allows 38...Bd4+! 39.Kh1 Be5 when:

If 40.Kg2 Nf6 41.Nxe5 Rxe5 wins another pawn.
40.Nxe5 Rxe5 41.g4 Rxd5 also wins the d-pawn for Black.

38...Nc3 39.Rd2 g4 40.Ng2 Bh6 0-1

41.Rc2 Nxd5 42.Rc4 Kg7 43.Ra4 Nc3 44.Rxa6 Rxe2 puts Black two pawns up.
Mr. Onischuk resigns.

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