MICHIGAN CHESS ASSOCIATION
Analysis by Vasik Rajlich
Allen,D.(2200)-Rajlich,V. (MOTCF, Round 3)
King's Indian: Yugoslav (Taimanov) [E97/11
(2nd ed.)]
1998.03.28. USA Columbus, OH [TC:30/90; G/60]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4
d6 5.Be2 O-O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5 10.Re1 f5 11.Ng5 Nf4
12.Bxf4 exf4 13.Rc1
Black to play.
13...Bh6!?
Topical are 13...Kh8 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 Be5 and
13...Bf6 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 Bxc3 16.Rxc3 fxe4. 13...Bh6 is not considered
in my literature.
14.h4
14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.fxe6 f3 16.Bxf3 Bxc1 17.Qxc1 is
the most ambitious test of 13...Bh6. The resulting position looks promising
for White, as he has a pawn, Black's bishops and a strong pawn on e6 for
only an exchange. Nevertheless, I believe that Black stands better:
A) 17...f4? 18.b5!
(18.e5 dxe5 19.Rxe5 [19.Bxb7 Rb8 (-/+)] 19...Qd6 (-/+)) and I see no good
way to prevent 19.e5, since 18...Rf6 runs into 19.Nd5 Rxe6 20.Qxf4±
while 18...Nc6 is met with 19.Nd5±.
B) 17...c6 18.exf5
Rxf5 (18...Nxf5 19.c6±) 19.b5 Qb6 and Black should be better:
B1) 20.Qd2 d5 and
now 21.cxd5 cxd5 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Bxd5 runs into 23...Rd8 (-+).
B2) 20.Rd1 d5 21.cxd5
cxd5 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Rxd5 Qxe6 and the position has opened up nicely for
Black's rooks.
14...fxe4 15.Ncxe4 Nf5 16.Bg4 f3
White to play.
This appears to be the critical position for the
evaluation of 13...Bh6. White's choices are:
A) 17.gxf3? Nxh4
18.Ne6 Bxe6 19.Bxe6+ Rc3. I reached this position against Bob O'Donnell
earlier this year, and our conclusion from that game was that Black's attack
based on ...Bg7, ...Be5, ...Rf4, etc., gives him a decisive advantage.
B) 17.g3, when Black
should continue with either 17...Ne3 18.Rxe3 Bxg4 or 17...Bxg5 18.hxg5
(18.Nxg5 Nxg3 19.Bxc8 [19.Ne6 Ne2+ (-+); 19.Be6+ Bxe6 20.Nxe6 Ne2 (-+)]
19...Qxc8 [19...Ne2+ 20.Rxe2 fxe2 21.Be6+ (+-)] 20.fxg3 f2 (-+).
White must keep his QN on e4 to control f2.) 18...Ne3 19.Rxe3 Bxg4, with
a roughly equal game, since both 17...Nxg3 and 17...Bxg5 18.hxg5 Nxg3 lose:
B1) 17...Nxg3 18.Bxc8
(18.Be6+ Bxe6 19.Nxe6 Ne2+ (-+); 18.Ne6 Ne2 (-+)) 18...Qxc8 (18...Ne2+
19.Rxe2 fxe2 20.Be6+ (+-)) 19.fxg3 Qh3 20.Rc2 and Black has no way to continue
the attack.
B2) 17...Bxg5 18.hxg5
Nxg3 19.Bxc8 (Again, forced: 19.Be6+ Bxe6 20.Nxe6 Ne2+ (-+); 19.Ne6 Ne2
(-+)) 19...Qxc8 (Still forced: 19...Ne2+ 20.Rxe2 fxe2 21.Be6+ (+-)) 20.fxg3
Qh3 21.Rc2 and once again Black has no continuation.
C) 17.Bxf5 gxf5 18.Nd2
fxg2 (18...Bxg5 19.hxg5 Qxg5 20.Nf3 should favor White) 19.Qh5 Qf6 with
rough equality.
D) 17.Rc3, which
seems to give White a solid edge. Since this was the game continuation,
it is analyzed below.
17.Rc3± Nxh4
Inferior would be 17...fxg2 18.Bxf5 Bxf5 (18...gxf5
19.Rg3 Kh8 [19...Bg7 20.Qh5 h6 21.Qg6 hxg5 22.Nxg5 (+-)] 20.Qh5 fxe4 21.Qxh6
(+-)) 19.Rg3 (19.Ne6 Bxe6 20.dxe6 Qxh4 would give Black counterplay.) 19...Qd7
20.h5 Rae8 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.Ne6±.
18.Be6+?!(+/=)
Slightly stronger was was 18.Ne6± Bxe6
(18...Qe7 19.g3 [19.Nxf8 Bxg4 20.Ne6 Nxg2 21.Rf1 Qh4 (-+)] 19...Nf5 [As
usual, forced: 19...Ng2 20.Rf1 Nf4 {20...Nh4 21.gxh4 Qxh4 22.Qxf3 (+-)}
21.gxf4 Qh4 22.Qxf3 (+-)] 20.Nxf8 and Black has inadequate compensation
for the exchange.) 19.Bxe6+ Kh8 20.g3 Nf5 (20...Ng2 is unsound: 21.Rf1
and now neither 21...Nf4 22.gxf4 Qh4 23.Ng3 [23.Qf3 Rxf4 (-+)] nor 21...Nh4
22.gxh4 Qxh4 23.Ng3 are adequate.) 21.Rxf3 when Black's king is more exposed
than White's.
18...Kh8
Losing was 18...Bxe6 19.Nxe6 Qd7 20.g3 (20.Nxf8
Qg4(-+) is the point of this variation.) 20...Nf5 (Again, forced: 20...Ng2
21.Rf1 etc.(+-)) 21.Nxf8 and Black again has inadequate compensation for
the exchange.
19.Nxf3
Far inferior and leading to a large edge for Black
would have been 19.Nf7+ Rxf7 20.Bxf7 Nxg2 21.Rf1 Bg4 22.Be6 Nf4 when White
must bail out with 23.Rxf3 since 23.Bxg4 Ne2+ 24.Kh2 Qh4+ 25.Bh3 Bf4+ 26.Ng3
Bxg3+ would win for Black.
After 19.Nxf3, the following position has arisen:
Black to play.
In anticipating this position, I did not expect
that Black would stand worse. He has the two bishops, a half-open
f-file leading to White's king, and actively-placed pieces. In reality,
however, White has an edge. The upcoming trade of light-squared bishops
will leave him with the better minor pieces, as Black's KB does not help
defend his weakened light squares; and White's use of the open e-file and
weak e6 square will ensure that his play against the Black king will be
more potent than Black's play against the white king. Should White be allowed
to play Nd4 (i.e. 19...Qe7 20.Nd4), his position would be tremendous.
Black needs to trade as many minor pieces as possible, and he needs to
seek a trade of queens.
19...Bg7
The immediate 19...Nxf3 20.Rxf3 Rxf3 21.Qxf3 Qf8
would be less accurate since after 22.Qh3 Black would be unable to force
a trade of queens with 22...Qf5.
20.Rb3
Of approximately equal merit was 20.Nd4 Nf5 21.Bxf5
Bxf5 22.Rce3 Bxd4 (Black wants to avoid being left with his dark-squared
bishop against White's knight, and 22...Bxe4 23.Rxe4 Bxd4 24.Qxd4+ Qf6
25.Qxf6 Rxf6 26.Re7 is indefensible: 26...Rc8 27.Rd7 (+-), or 26...Raf8
27.Rxc8 Rxf2 28.Ree7 (+-)) 23.Qxd4+ Kg8 when White is again minimally better
though Black should have no problem holding the draw.
20...Nxf3+ 21.Rxf3 Rxf3 22.Qxf3 Bxe6
Necessary: 22...Qe7 23.Qg4 and Black's e6-square
will again be a major problem.
23.dxe6 Qf8
23...Qe7 is still met with 24.Qg4.
24.Qh3 Qf5
White to play.
24...Re8 25.Ng5 h6 26.Nf7+ Kh7 27.Re4 is again
awesome for White. These lines highlight the desirability for Black
of a trade of queens.
25.Qxf5
The endgame arising after 25.Qxf5 is better for
White but Black is not in real danger of losing. Tempting but ultimately
inferior was 25.Qh4 Qxe6 (25...Re8 26.Ng5 [A more restrained approach with
26.Re3 might be even stronger.] 26...h6 27.Nf7+ Kh7 28.Re3 enables White
to achieve his aim of keeping the queens on the board and ensures him of
a large advantage.) 26.Qxh7+ (26.Ng5 Qxe1+ (-+)) 26...Kxh7 27.Ng5+ Kh6!
(27...Kg8 28.Rxe6 (+-) since g6 falls) 28.Nxe6 Re8 29.Re3 (29.Kf1 Bc3 (-+))
= .
25...gxf5 26.Ng3 f4 27.Nh5 Be5
White to play.
28.Re4
More testing but ultimately of no more than equal
merit was 28.g3 f3! (28...fxg3 29.f4 and White's pawns will cause problems
for Black.) 29.Re3 Rf8 (29...Re8 30.Rxf3 Kg8 [30...Rxe6 31.Rf8#] 31.Rf7
(+-)) 30.e7 (Else 30...Kg8, 31...Re8, and 32...Rxe6.) 30...Re8 31.Rxf3
Kg8 and now White would have his choice of trading rooks with 32.Rf8+ or
minor pieces with 32.Nf6+ when in either case he would have an advantage
similar to that obtained in the game.
28...Rf8
Unacceptable was 28...Re8 29.Nxf4 Bxf4 (29...Kg8
30.g3 (+-)) 30.Rxf4 Rxe6 31.Rf7 (+-).
29.Kf1
29.g3 f3 would be an inferior version of 28.f3.
29...Kg8 30.Ke2 Re8 31.Nxf4 Bxf4 32.Rxf4 Rxe6+ 33.Kd3
Kg7 34.g3 Re1 35.Rf5
35.Re4 Rxe4 36.Kxe4 Kf6 is also an easy draw:
A) 37.f4 c6 and White
can't ever penetrate Black's queen's side since c5 is always met with ...d5.
B) 37.Kd5 Ke7 38.b5
(Else 38...c6 and 39...Kf6, as in "A") 38...Kd7 and now 39... c6 and 40...Ke6
with an inpenetrable fortress cannot be stopped.
C) 37.b5 c6 etc.
35...Rb1 36.Kc3 Rc1+ 37.Kd3 Rb1 38.Kc3 Rc1+ 39.Kb3
Rb1+ 40. Kc3 ½-½