Democratic Underground - Venkatesh - Rozentalis, Canadian Open, Round 9, Montreal

A lot was at stake in this game. Venkatesh entered the final round tied for first against two player who played against each other and settled for a fast draw. This meant that, if he won this game, Venkatesh would have first prize clear. Rozentalis, on the other hand, had to win the game in order to claim a share of first prize.

Eduardas Rozentalis
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Marani Rajendran Venkatesh - Eduardas Rozentalis
Canadian Open, Round 9
Montreal, 26 July 2008

Moorish Game: Horseman Defense (Dragon Variation) (Alekhine's Defense)

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6

If 4...Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.0-0 Be7 7.c4 Nb6 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Be3 then:

If 9...a5 10.b3 d5 11.c5 N6d7 12.a3 then:

12...Nc6 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4 Rxa1 15.Qxa1 f6 16.b5 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 fxe5 19.Nxd5 exd4 20.Nxe7+ Qxe7 21.Qxd4 Nxc5 (Saint-Shabalov, North Bay, 1994).
12...f6 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Qd2 Bxf3 15.Bxf3 c6 16.Rad1 Na6 17.Bg4 e5 18.Na4 exd4 19.Bxd4 Bxd4 20.Qxd4 Nf6 21.Be6+ gives White the early advantage in space (Littlewood-Alburt, Op, Hastings, 1981).

If 9...Nc6 10.exd6 cxd6 then:

11.d5 exd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 Bf6 14.Qd2 Qa5 15.Rfd1 Rfe8 16.Qc2 Bf5 17.Qb3 Qb4 18.Rd2 b6 19.Qxb4 Nxb4 20.Bg5 Nc2 21.Rad1 Bxg5 22.Nxg5 gives White excellent winning prospects (Gufeld-Grigorian, Soviet Ch, Baku, 1972).
If 11.b3 d5 then:

12.c5 Nc8 13.b4 a6 14.Rb1 Bf6 15.a4 N8e7 16.b5 axb5 17.axb5 Bxf3 18.bxc6 Bxe2 19.Qxe2 bxc6 20.Rb6 e5 gives Black an extra pawn (Hoellrigl-Baburin, Op, Oberwart, 1991).
12...Nd7 13.b4 f5 14.b5 Na5 15.Qe1 Bf6 16.h3 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 gives White the long term advantage of the distant majority on the queenside (Brat-Sefc, Chechoslovakian Ch, Prague, 1954).

If 9...d5 10.c5 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Nc8 12.f4 then:

12...Nc6 13.b4 a6 14.Rb1 f6 15.Bd3 Qe8 16.Qg4 f5 17.Qh3 a5 18.b5 Nb4 19.Be2 gives White the advantage in space with some attacking chances on the kingside.(Short-Alburt, Match, Foxboro, 1985).
12...c6 13.Bd3 f5 14.Qh5 Nd7 15.b4 gives White an advantage in space, but no way to make anything from it.

5.Bc4 c6

If 5...Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Ng5 e6 then:

If 8.Qf3 Qe7 9.Ne4 dxe5 10.Bg5 Qb4+ 11.c3 Qa5 12.Bf6 Bxf6 13.Qxf6 0-0 14.Qxe5 Qxe5 15.dxe5 then:

15...Nc6 16.f4 Na5 17.Nbd2 Nxb3 18.axb3 Nd5 19.0-0 Kg7 20.c4 Nb4 21.Nf3 gives White the advantage in space (Qi Jingxuan-Alburt, Izonal, Taxco, 1985).
15...Bd7 16.Nbd2 Bc6 17.0-0-0 a5 18.f4 Kg7 19.h4 draw (Fedorowicz-Benjamin, IT, San Francisco, 1991).

8.f4 dxe5 9.fxe5 c5 10.c3 cxd4 11.0-0 0-0 12.cxd4 Nc6 13.Nf3 f6 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Be3 Nd5 16.Bf2 Nf4 17.Kh1 b6 18.Nc3 Bb7 is equal (Arnason-Alburt, IT, Bunadarbanka (Iceland), 1984).

6.exd6 Qxd6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.h3

If 8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Re1 Bg4 then:

If 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 then:

11...Nd7 12.Bb3 e6 13.Bg5 b5 14.a4 b4 15.Qd2 a5 16.Rad1 Rfe8 17.Bh6 N7b6 18.Ne5 c5 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Qh6+ gives White a small advantage in space (Christiansen-Vaganian, Op, New York, 1990).
11...e6 12.Bf1 b5 13.a4 b4 14.c4 Ne7 15.a5 c5 16.dxc5 Qxc5 17.Be3 Qc7 18.Nd4 Nbc6 is equal (Dr. Nunn-Vaganian, IT, London, 1984).

10.c3 Nd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 Rfe8 13.Bg5 Bf6 14.Bh6 e5 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Rxe5 17.Rxe5 Qxe5 18.Qf3 Rd8 19.Rd1 Bg5 20.Bxg5 Qxg5 21.a4 is equal (Brkic-Rudolf, Op, Oberwart. 2003).

8...0-0 9.Re1 Bf5!?

9...Nd7 10.Bb3 b5 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Ne4 Qc7 13.Bg5 e6 14.c4 bxc4 15.Bxc4 N5f6 16.Nxf6+ Nxf6 17.Rc1 h6 18.Bh4 Rad8 19.Bb3 Qb6 20.Qc2 Rde8 21.Bg3 gives White the advantage in space, but Black presents him with no easy targets (Svidler-Akopian, Euro ChT, Halkidiki, 2002).

10.Bb3

The game is equal: Black has the advantage in space, but neither side has much mobility.
10.Bg5 Re8 11.Qe2 Nd7 12.Na3 N7b6 13.Bxd5 Nxd5 is also equal.

10...a5 11.a4 Na6 12.Bg5!

White attacks a pawn and seizes at least a momentary initiative.
If 12.c4 Ndb4 13.Nc3 then:

13...Rfd8 14.Bg5 Re8 15.c5 Qd7 16.Ne5 Bxe5 17.Rxe5 gives White the advantage in space.
If 13...Nd3 14.Ne4 Bxe4 15.Rxe4 then:

15...Nxc1 16.Qxc1 c5 17.Qe3 Rad8 gives Black a tactical initiative.
If 15...Nab4 16.c5 Qc7 17.Bg5 e5!? then:

18.Nxe5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 Nxc5 20.Re3 Nxb3 21.Qxb3 gives White the advantage in space.
18.Re3 Rae8 19.dxe5 Nxc5 20.Bc4 b6 is equal.

12...Bf6!?

Black has the advantage in space, so why does he offer an exchange?
12...Rae8 13.Nbd2 h6 14.Bh4 Qd8 15.Ne4 g5 16.Bg3is equal.

13.Nbd2?!

This gives Black the opportunity to gain some breathing room.
Better is 13.Qd2 b6 14.Na3 Rfe8 15.Bxd5 cxd5 16.Nb5 Qc6 17.c3 when White has the advantage in space.
If 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Nc3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 then:

If 15...Nc7 16.Ne5 Nd5 17.Qf3 Rfd8 18.Rab1 Rab8 19.Bxd5 then:

19...cxd5 20.Rb5 Bxc2 21.Qxf6 exf6 22.Ng4 f5 23.Nf6+ gives White more than enough space to compensate for the loss of a pawn.
19...Rxd5 20.g4 Bxc2 21.Qxf6 exf6 22.Nxc6 gives White a huge advantage in space.

15...c5 16.Qe2 Rae8 17.Rab1 cxd4 18.cxd4 Nb4 gives White an advantage in space.

BLACK: Eduardas Rozentilis
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WHITE: Marani Rajendran Venkatesh
Position after 13.Nb2d2

13...Bxg5!

This exchange is very timely and allows Black to gain needed space.

14.Nxg5 Rad8

Black has a small advantage in space.

15.Nge4

If 15.Qe2 c5 16.Nde4 then:

16...Qc7! 17.Ng3 Bc8 18.Qe4 c4 19.Ba2 Nab4 Black retains a small advantage in space.
16...Qc6?! 17.Nxc5 Nxc5 18.dxc5 Qxc5 19.Qb5 Qxb5 20.axb5 slightly favors White.

15...Qf4 16.Qf3 Bxe4!

Exchanges cannot be avoided. Black chooses his time.
16...Nac7 17.Rad1 Ne6 18.Qxf4 Ndxf4 19.Nf3 Bxe4 20.Rxe4 gives White a little better activity.

17.Qxf4 Nxf4 18.Nxe4 Rxd4

Black has won a pawn.

19.c3

19.g3 Nh5 20.c3 Rdd8 21.Bc4 Nb8 22.Rad1 Nd7 is unclear: Black has a pawn plus but White has enough space to compensate..

19...Rdd8 20.Bc4 Nb8?!

If 20...Nc7! 21.g3 Nfd5 then:

22.Rad1 e6 23.Bb3 Kg7 24.c4 Nb4 25.Nc5 b5 is equal.
22.Bb3?! b6 23.Rad1 Ne6 24.f3 g5 25.Kf2 f5 gives Black a healthy advantage in space.

21.Rad1 Nd7 22.Ba2

If 22.g3 then:

If 22...Ne5! 23.Bxf7+ then:

23...Kg7! 24.gxf4 Nf3+ 25.Kg2 Nxe1+ 26.Rxe1 Rxf7 leaves Black an exchange to the good.
If 23...Nxf7 24.gxf4 b6 then:

25.c4 Nh6 26.c5 Rxd1 27.Rxd1 bxc5 28.Nxc5 is equal.
25.Nd2 Nd6 26.b3 b5 27.Ra1 Nf5 28.Ne4 Rd5 gives Black more mobility.

After 22...Nd5?? 23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.Rxd5 White wins a pawn.

22...Kg7 23.g3 Nh5 24.Ng5 Nc5 25.Rxd8

The exchange is better than the restricted advance of the Rook.
25.Rd4?! e6 26.Red1 Rxd4 27.Rxd4 e5 28.Rc4 Nd3 gives Black control over some valuable real estate.

25...Rxd8 26.Bxf7?

This only wins back the pawn temporarily.
Correct is 26.Rxe7! Kf6 27.Re1 Kxg5 28.Re5+ Kf6 29.Rxc5 Rd2 giving Black a little more activity; otherwise, the game is fairly even.

BLACK: Eduardas Rozentilis
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WHITE: Marani Rajendran Venkatesh
Position after 26.Ba2f7:p

26...Rd2!

Black must win a pawn.

27.Ne6+ Kxf7 28.Nxc5 Rxb2 29.Nd7

White would do better with 29.Nd3 Rd2 30.Ne5+ Ke8 31.Kg2 Rd5 when his position is still basically solid, although a pawn down.

29...Rb3 30.Re5 Ke8 31.Nc5 Rb1+!

Black avoids a trap.
If 31...Rxc3? then 32.Nxb7! Nf6 33.Nxa5 Kd7 34.Re1 is equal.

32.Kg2 Nf6 33.Nd3 b6 34.c4

If 34.Re6 Kd7 35.Re2 Nd5 then:

After 36.Ne5+ Kd6 37.c4 Nc3 38.Nf7+ Kc5 White's queenside pawns fall.
After 36.c4 Nc3 37.Ne5+ Kc7 38.Rd2 Rd1 Rooks are exchanged and Black remains a pawn up.

34...Rb3 35.Re3 Nd7 36.Kf1

White position begins to deteriorate rapidly.
If 36.h4 then 36...Rc3 37.Nb2 Rc2 38.Rb3 Kd8 39.Nd3 Rxc4 wins a second pawn.

36...Ra3 37.Nb2 Ra2 38.Rb3 Kd8! 39.Nd3

39.f4 Nc5! wins a pawn.

39...Rxa4

Black has won a second pawn.

40.Rc3 Ra2 41.Ke1

If 41.Nc1 then after 41...Ra1 42.Ke2 e5 43.Ke3 a4 Black wins with a queenside advance.

41...Kc7 42.Nc1 Ra4 43.f4

White has nothing betting than to try a doomed advance on the kingside.
Atfer 43.Nd3 Black wins a pawn with 43...e5 44.Ke2 e4 45.Ne1 Ne5!.

43...Nc5 44.g4 Ne4 45.Rc2 Nd6!

Black wins anothr pawn.
Also good is 45...Kd6 46.Ke2 Ra3 47.Nd3 Nc5.

46.c5 bxc5 47.Nd3 Ra3 48.Ne5

After 48.Nxc5 Rxh3 49.Ne6+ Kb6 50.Rb2+ Nb5 Black is ready to begin advancing the queenside pawns.

48...c4 49.h4

49.Nxc4 Nxc4 50.Rxc4 Rxh3 is not to White's liking.

49...Rh3 50.Kf1 a4

50...Rxh4 51.Kg2 h5 52.Ra2 hxg4 53.Rxa5 Nf5 54.Nxg6 Rh5 leaves Black three pawns to the good.

51.Kg2 Rb3 52.f5 gxf5 53.g5 a3 54.Nxc4 a2!

The coup de grace wins the Kinght.

55.Rxa2 Nxc4 56.Ra8 f4 57.h5 0-1

Black has a huge material advantage.
Venkatesh-ji resigns.

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