Tweet
By Popular Demand here is the entire game
El Debs Felipe De Cresce - Ron Livshits
1. Nf3 (I was maninly expecting 1.d4 but this was also taken into account. Actually I was quite happy to see this as I was hoping to be able to play the double fianchetto system that Granada Zuniga played against me) 1... Nf6
2. c4 - c5 3. Nc3 - b6 4. g3 - Bb7 5. Bg2 - g6 6. 0-0 - Bg7 7. d4 - c:d4 8. Q:d4 - d6 9. Qh4 (This is much better then 9. Bg5?! which I played against Granda Zuniga. 9. b3 is also playable, but I think that black should equalize fairly easily in this system. Kasparov has some good insights into this variation in his last book about the 84/85 matches with Karpov) 9...Nbd7 10. Bh6 - 0-0 11. Rad1 - Rc8 12. Rd4!? ( I was expecting 12.b3 with simple equality. The move played by my opponent increases the tension) 12... Rc5! (This is a standard move in this variation) 13. Ng5 - B:g2 14. K:g2 - Qa8+? (This typical move is really bad in the current position. I played it without too much thought and soon realized what a stupid move it was. The simple 14... Nh5 would have given black a comftrable game) 14 Kg1 - Re8 (The intended 14... Rfc8? runs into 15. Nd5) 15. b4! (driving the rook away from defending via the 5th rank) 15... R5c8 16. Nd5!? (Played after a long thought. I was expecting 16. f4 - e6!! ((the only move)) 17. R:d6 - Nf8 followed by trading on the d file with good compensation as the white pieces are stuck on the king side.) 16... Bh8?! (Actually 16...b5!! was better but I only spotted this idea later) 17. Ne3 (Black's position looks grim. Hanging over his head are threats such as f4-f5 and Qh3 - Rh4. First it is important not to panic when defending such positions. The 2 main problems for black are 1. the looming danger to his king and 2. The inactivity of the Queen on a8. It is essential to get the queen involved and generate counter play to distract white from his attack.) 17... b5!! (The only hope) 18. c:b5 - a6 19. a4? - (19. Qh3! looks stronger, I need some computer assistance to see if black can defend after this) 19... a:b5 20. a5 (yes white has a nice looking protected passed pawn but now I am able to bring the queen into the game on time and white's pieces are badly placed) 20...Qc6! 21. Qh3 (This is too late now but I don't see anything better) 21... Ne5! 22. Rh4 - Qd7! 23. Q:d7 (Seeing that his attack is going no-where and that black is ready to initiate his own counter play, white wisely decides to go into the endgame. In the endgame he hopes that the protected passed pawn will give him the advantage. However, this is not so. The entanglement of the white pieces allows black to take the intiative even in the endgame.) 23...Ne:d7 (Low on time I captured the natural looking way. After 23... Nd:d7 24. f4 looks dangerous. Now white gets to untangle his pieces somewhat) 24. Rd4! - Nb8! (Also possible was 24... Ne5! with same idea) 25. Rb1 - Nc6 26. Rdd1 (It looks as iif white has everything under control, but black's next move shows that this is not the case) 26... d5! 27. Nf3 (Bad is 27. N:d5? - Ng4 28. Rac1 - N:h6 29. Nb6 - Rcd8! 30. R:d8 - N:d8 31. Rc8 - Bd4! 32. e3 - B: b6 33. a:b6 - Rf8! -+) 27...e6! 28. Nc2! (Relatively the best. 28. Nd2? - d4 followed by Ng4/Nd5) 28...Ne4 29. Bd2 - N:a5 30. b:a5 - R:c2 31. R:b5 - Bc3! 32. Rc1!? (Possibly the best practical chance) 32...R:c1 (Being low on time I was afraid to play 32... R:d2 33. N:d2 - B:d2 34. Ra1 although I feel that a computer would find away to win this with black) 33. B:c1 - Ra8 34. Ng5! - N:g5 35. B:g5 - R:a5 (35... B:a5 36. Bf6) 36. R:a5! (White's best chance is to simplify) 36... B:a5 (The endgame in question, is it a win ? I think black should be able to win but it is not so simple) 37. Bf6 - Bb4 38. f4 - Kf8 39. Kf2 - Ke8 40. Kf3 - Kd7 41. Ke3 - Be7. 42. Bd4 - Kc6 43. Kd3 - Bc5 44. Be5 - Bg1 45. h3 - Bc5 (I looked at 45...Bh2!? but didn't find anything convincing) 46. g4 - Bd6 47. Kd4! (The critical position, I thought for a long time but could not find a win) 47... h6?! (this feels wrong, It's probably wise to turn on the computer and see how black should play) 48. e3! - Be7
49. Bg7 - h5 49. g:h5 - g:h5 50. Be5 - Bc5 + 51. Kd3 - Kb5?! 52. Bf6 - Kb4? 53. Bc3+ - Kb3? 54. Bf6 - Kb4 55.e4! - Kb5 55. f5! - Kc6 56. f:e6 - f:e6 57. e:d5 - K:d5 and after another 50 or so move the game ended in a stalemate.
El Debs Felipe De Cresce - Ron Livshits
1. Nf3 (I was maninly expecting 1.d4 but this was also taken into account. Actually I was quite happy to see this as I was hoping to be able to play the double fianchetto system that Granada Zuniga played against me) 1... Nf6
2. c4 - c5 3. Nc3 - b6 4. g3 - Bb7 5. Bg2 - g6 6. 0-0 - Bg7 7. d4 - c:d4 8. Q:d4 - d6 9. Qh4 (This is much better then 9. Bg5?! which I played against Granda Zuniga. 9. b3 is also playable, but I think that black should equalize fairly easily in this system. Kasparov has some good insights into this variation in his last book about the 84/85 matches with Karpov) 9...Nbd7 10. Bh6 - 0-0 11. Rad1 - Rc8 12. Rd4!? ( I was expecting 12.b3 with simple equality. The move played by my opponent increases the tension) 12... Rc5! (This is a standard move in this variation) 13. Ng5 - B:g2 14. K:g2 - Qa8+? (This typical move is really bad in the current position. I played it without too much thought and soon realized what a stupid move it was. The simple 14... Nh5 would have given black a comftrable game) 14 Kg1 - Re8 (The intended 14... Rfc8? runs into 15. Nd5) 15. b4! (driving the rook away from defending via the 5th rank) 15... R5c8 16. Nd5!? (Played after a long thought. I was expecting 16. f4 - e6!! ((the only move)) 17. R:d6 - Nf8 followed by trading on the d file with good compensation as the white pieces are stuck on the king side.) 16... Bh8?! (Actually 16...b5!! was better but I only spotted this idea later) 17. Ne3 (Black's position looks grim. Hanging over his head are threats such as f4-f5 and Qh3 - Rh4. First it is important not to panic when defending such positions. The 2 main problems for black are 1. the looming danger to his king and 2. The inactivity of the Queen on a8. It is essential to get the queen involved and generate counter play to distract white from his attack.) 17... b5!! (The only hope) 18. c:b5 - a6 19. a4? - (19. Qh3! looks stronger, I need some computer assistance to see if black can defend after this) 19... a:b5 20. a5 (yes white has a nice looking protected passed pawn but now I am able to bring the queen into the game on time and white's pieces are badly placed) 20...Qc6! 21. Qh3 (This is too late now but I don't see anything better) 21... Ne5! 22. Rh4 - Qd7! 23. Q:d7 (Seeing that his attack is going no-where and that black is ready to initiate his own counter play, white wisely decides to go into the endgame. In the endgame he hopes that the protected passed pawn will give him the advantage. However, this is not so. The entanglement of the white pieces allows black to take the intiative even in the endgame.) 23...Ne:d7 (Low on time I captured the natural looking way. After 23... Nd:d7 24. f4 looks dangerous. Now white gets to untangle his pieces somewhat) 24. Rd4! - Nb8! (Also possible was 24... Ne5! with same idea) 25. Rb1 - Nc6 26. Rdd1 (It looks as iif white has everything under control, but black's next move shows that this is not the case) 26... d5! 27. Nf3 (Bad is 27. N:d5? - Ng4 28. Rac1 - N:h6 29. Nb6 - Rcd8! 30. R:d8 - N:d8 31. Rc8 - Bd4! 32. e3 - B: b6 33. a:b6 - Rf8! -+) 27...e6! 28. Nc2! (Relatively the best. 28. Nd2? - d4 followed by Ng4/Nd5) 28...Ne4 29. Bd2 - N:a5 30. b:a5 - R:c2 31. R:b5 - Bc3! 32. Rc1!? (Possibly the best practical chance) 32...R:c1 (Being low on time I was afraid to play 32... R:d2 33. N:d2 - B:d2 34. Ra1 although I feel that a computer would find away to win this with black) 33. B:c1 - Ra8 34. Ng5! - N:g5 35. B:g5 - R:a5 (35... B:a5 36. Bf6) 36. R:a5! (White's best chance is to simplify) 36... B:a5 (The endgame in question, is it a win ? I think black should be able to win but it is not so simple) 37. Bf6 - Bb4 38. f4 - Kf8 39. Kf2 - Ke8 40. Kf3 - Kd7 41. Ke3 - Be7. 42. Bd4 - Kc6 43. Kd3 - Bc5 44. Be5 - Bg1 45. h3 - Bc5 (I looked at 45...Bh2!? but didn't find anything convincing) 46. g4 - Bd6 47. Kd4! (The critical position, I thought for a long time but could not find a win) 47... h6?! (this feels wrong, It's probably wise to turn on the computer and see how black should play) 48. e3! - Be7
49. Bg7 - h5 49. g:h5 - g:h5 50. Be5 - Bc5 + 51. Kd3 - Kb5?! 52. Bf6 - Kb4? 53. Bc3+ - Kb3? 54. Bf6 - Kb4 55.e4! - Kb5 55. f5! - Kc6 56. f:e6 - f:e6 57. e:d5 - K:d5 and after another 50 or so move the game ended in a stalemate.