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I managed to win an exciting game. Leonid is still playing, he is trying to win a diificult rook endgame. If he wins we both have 6/9. Here is my game
Livshits Ron - Leon Hoyos Manuel
When preparing for the game It was clear that my opponent could play many different openings, but he had a leaning towards sharp tactical play. The stats showed that he did the worst against 1.d4 so I decided to play it
1. d4 - Nf6 2. c4 - e6 3. Nc3 - Bb4 4. Nf3 (I've had good practical results with this move. It's not necessarily the most dangerous system against the Nimzo but it is quite flexible. It was successfully employed by Kasparov in the 1985/86 matches with Karpov and the play is very much to my taste) 4... c5 (One of the best replies although 4... b6 is also quite playable. Now I had to choose between g3 and e3. 5. e3 (I decided to take play along classical lines, although I like the system with 5. g3 as well) 5... d5 (Black has other moves like 0-0, b6, and Nc6, although this is probably considered the main line).
6. Bd3 - Nc6 (also possible is 6...d:c4) 7. 0-0 - 0-0 8. a3 - B:c3 9. b:c3 - d:c4 (The main line although 9... Qc7 is also quite possible. Kasparov says that for many years the 9...d:c4 line used to determine a player,s class). 10. B:c4 - Qc7 11. Bd3 (The other theoretical lines are 11. Ba2 or 11 Be2. 11. Bd3 makes more sense to me) 11... e5 12. Qc2 - Re8 13. e4 (It is worth looking at Kasparov's annotation of the Karpov-Spassky 1974 Candidates Semi Final game 5 in his terrific my great predecessors series. There Karpov took on e5 but black obtained a comfortable game. 13. e4 seems more in the spirit of the position) 13... h6? (The critical continuation is 13... e:d4 which was played in the famous game Ivan Sokolov - Kasparov Wikk Ana Zee 1999. Kasparov suffered a crushing defeat, but his annotations show that black has a very playable position. 14. d5 (I also considered 14. N:e5 - N:e5 15. d:e5 - Ng4 16. h3 ((bad is 16. Bb5? - Q:e5 17. f4 - Q:e4)) 16... N:e5 17. Be2 with a comfortable edge. In either case I think white has a strategically winning position and it is a matter of taste on how to continue) 14... Ne7 15. Nd2! - Ng6 16. Re1! - Qe7 17. a4 - Nh5 18. Bf1 - Rf8 19. Ba3 - Nhf4 20. Re3!? (I'm not sure if this defensive move is really required 20... Bd7 21. Rb1 - Rab8 22. a5! - Kh8 23. Nc4 - F5!? (a committing move, but otherwise black has no counter-play) 24. d6? (A terrible move. Correct is 24. Nd2! with a big advantage) 24... Qf7 25. Rbe1 (I originally intended 25. B:c5? but then noticed the unpleasant reply Rbc8! 25... N:g2!? ( I overlooked this shot. Fortunately it is not so bad for me) 26. K:g2 - f4 27. Rd3 - Be6?! (It turns out that after 27... Q:c4 28. Rd5! white regains the pawn and forces a transition to a complex endgame where he has the advantage due to the strong passed pawn. But I think this was the lesser evil for black) 28. Nd2 - c4 29. Rd5! - Nh4+ 29. Kh1 (Of course not 29. Kg1?? - Qg6+ and B:d5) 29...B:d5 30. e:d5 - Q:d5+ 31. Ne4 - Q:a5 (Materially black is doing well, but white's pieces are much more dangerous. It is worth looking at the famous game Smyslov - Bronstein 1951 USSR Championship to understand this kind of positions) 32. Bb4 - Qb5 33. Qd1!! - a5 34. Ba3 - Qc6 (The endgame after 34... Qb3 35. Q:b3 - a:b3 36. Bb5! is also loosing for black) 35. Qh5 - Nf5 36. Bg2! (Not 36. Bh3? - Ne3!) 36...b5? (36... Qa4 37. Bc1 - Qc6 would have put up a stiffer resistance, although white should win after 38. Rd1) 37. Nf6! - Qb6 38. Nd7 - Q:f2 39. Rf1 (also possible is 39. Re2) 39...Qd2 40. N:f8 - R:f8 41. Be4 - Q:c3 42. Bc5 - Qd2 43. Rd1 - Qb2 44. d7 and black resigned.
Livshits Ron - Leon Hoyos Manuel
When preparing for the game It was clear that my opponent could play many different openings, but he had a leaning towards sharp tactical play. The stats showed that he did the worst against 1.d4 so I decided to play it
1. d4 - Nf6 2. c4 - e6 3. Nc3 - Bb4 4. Nf3 (I've had good practical results with this move. It's not necessarily the most dangerous system against the Nimzo but it is quite flexible. It was successfully employed by Kasparov in the 1985/86 matches with Karpov and the play is very much to my taste) 4... c5 (One of the best replies although 4... b6 is also quite playable. Now I had to choose between g3 and e3. 5. e3 (I decided to take play along classical lines, although I like the system with 5. g3 as well) 5... d5 (Black has other moves like 0-0, b6, and Nc6, although this is probably considered the main line).
6. Bd3 - Nc6 (also possible is 6...d:c4) 7. 0-0 - 0-0 8. a3 - B:c3 9. b:c3 - d:c4 (The main line although 9... Qc7 is also quite possible. Kasparov says that for many years the 9...d:c4 line used to determine a player,s class). 10. B:c4 - Qc7 11. Bd3 (The other theoretical lines are 11. Ba2 or 11 Be2. 11. Bd3 makes more sense to me) 11... e5 12. Qc2 - Re8 13. e4 (It is worth looking at Kasparov's annotation of the Karpov-Spassky 1974 Candidates Semi Final game 5 in his terrific my great predecessors series. There Karpov took on e5 but black obtained a comfortable game. 13. e4 seems more in the spirit of the position) 13... h6? (The critical continuation is 13... e:d4 which was played in the famous game Ivan Sokolov - Kasparov Wikk Ana Zee 1999. Kasparov suffered a crushing defeat, but his annotations show that black has a very playable position. 14. d5 (I also considered 14. N:e5 - N:e5 15. d:e5 - Ng4 16. h3 ((bad is 16. Bb5? - Q:e5 17. f4 - Q:e4)) 16... N:e5 17. Be2 with a comfortable edge. In either case I think white has a strategically winning position and it is a matter of taste on how to continue) 14... Ne7 15. Nd2! - Ng6 16. Re1! - Qe7 17. a4 - Nh5 18. Bf1 - Rf8 19. Ba3 - Nhf4 20. Re3!? (I'm not sure if this defensive move is really required 20... Bd7 21. Rb1 - Rab8 22. a5! - Kh8 23. Nc4 - F5!? (a committing move, but otherwise black has no counter-play) 24. d6? (A terrible move. Correct is 24. Nd2! with a big advantage) 24... Qf7 25. Rbe1 (I originally intended 25. B:c5? but then noticed the unpleasant reply Rbc8! 25... N:g2!? ( I overlooked this shot. Fortunately it is not so bad for me) 26. K:g2 - f4 27. Rd3 - Be6?! (It turns out that after 27... Q:c4 28. Rd5! white regains the pawn and forces a transition to a complex endgame where he has the advantage due to the strong passed pawn. But I think this was the lesser evil for black) 28. Nd2 - c4 29. Rd5! - Nh4+ 29. Kh1 (Of course not 29. Kg1?? - Qg6+ and B:d5) 29...B:d5 30. e:d5 - Q:d5+ 31. Ne4 - Q:a5 (Materially black is doing well, but white's pieces are much more dangerous. It is worth looking at the famous game Smyslov - Bronstein 1951 USSR Championship to understand this kind of positions) 32. Bb4 - Qb5 33. Qd1!! - a5 34. Ba3 - Qc6 (The endgame after 34... Qb3 35. Q:b3 - a:b3 36. Bb5! is also loosing for black) 35. Qh5 - Nf5 36. Bg2! (Not 36. Bh3? - Ne3!) 36...b5? (36... Qa4 37. Bc1 - Qc6 would have put up a stiffer resistance, although white should win after 38. Rd1) 37. Nf6! - Qb6 38. Nd7 - Q:f2 39. Rf1 (also possible is 39. Re2) 39...Qd2 40. N:f8 - R:f8 41. Be4 - Q:c3 42. Bc5 - Qd2 43. Rd1 - Qb2 44. d7 and black resigned.
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