Rubin Miller (2136) - Ariel Levi (2188)
[D36/07] Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange
King’s Island Open
USA Cincinnati, OH, November 13, 1999
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6
| I had beaten Rubin Miller in July at the World Open, using the Benko
Gambit. I assumed that in the interim, he had done further preparation
against the Benko, so I decided to vary openings. |
| This exchange helps Black, whose unopposed bishop at f6 will now be
positioned usefully for both defense and attack. White should have
retained his bishop and played 13.g4. Taking this pawn allows White
a strong attack: 13...Nxg4 14.Ne5, followed by some combination of h5,
Bh6, f4-5, and doubling rooks on the g-file. Instead, after 13.g4,
I would probably have played 13...Rc8 followed by ...c5. |
| In these opposite-side castling lines in the Exchange Variation of
the Queen’s Gambit Declined, White usually spends a tempo on Kb1. Here,
because White has saved a tempo on his attack by playing h4 rather than
the more common h3, he could have played this useful defensive move at
little cost. |
| 18...b5 is also playable, e.g.: 19.f5 b4 20.fxe6 Rxe6 21.hxg6 fxg6
(21...hxg6, though sharp, is not quite as good: 22.Bf5 bxc3 23.bxc3 Bxe5
24.dxe5 Qg5+ 25.Kd1 Qe3 26.Qd2 Qf3+ 27.Kc2 d4 28.Qxd4 [if 28.Bxe6, 28...Nxe6
with advantage] 28...Qe2+ [also possible is 28...Rxc3+ 29.Kb2 Re3 30.Bxe6
Qf2+ 31.Kb1 Re1+ 32.Rxe1 Qxd4 33.Bb3 Qxg4 with about equal chances] 29.Kc1
Rb8 [or 29...Qxa2; 30.Qb4 Qa1+ 31.Kc2 Qa2+ with equality] 30.Bc2 Rxe5 31.Rg3
Ne6 32.Qa7 Qb5 33.Bb3 Qb6 34.Qxb6 Rxb6 with about equal chances) 22.Kb1
bxc3 23.Bf5 Rb6 24.Bxc8 Rxb2+ 25.Qxb2 cxb2 26.Bb7 Ne6 with advantage to
Black. |
| This prepares the doubling of rooks on the c-file while protecting
the kingside along the seventh rank. Now 20.f5 loses to 20...Bxe5
21.fxe6 Nxe6 or 21...Bxd4. |
White played his 20th move to protect his queen
and enable this attacking move, but it allows the following exchange sacrifice
and a winning counterattack for Black. Black also gets a winning
attack after 21.g5 by 21...Bxe5 22.fxe5 Rxc3+ 23.bxc3 Rxc3+ 24.Bc2 Bf5
25.Qg1 Qa5. Instead, 21.Qe3 was better, as it protects the c1-h6
diagonal against checks by Black’s bishop after f5, and clears the second
rank for White’s rook to defend the king. In response to 21.Qe3,
the exchange sac seems inadequate, so Black can choose between continuing
the attack with 21...Qa5 and the more solid 21...Re8. The former
move leads to wild tactical lines in which the outcome balances on a knife
edge. For example, Fritz 5.32 came up with the following queen sacrifice,
which gives White good winning chances although accurate play by Black
results in dynamic equality: 21...Qa5 22.Bc2 b5 23.f5 b4 24.fxe6 Nxe6 25.Nxf7
Rc6 (25...Kxf7 loses to 26.hxg6+ hxg6 27.Rh7+ Ng7 28.Qh6 and 25...Nxd4
loses to 26.Nh6+ Kh8 27.Qf4 Rf8 28.hxg6 bxc3 29.Nf7+ Rcxf7 30.gxf7) 26.Nh6+
Kg7 27.hxg6 Bg5 28.Nf5+ Kf6 and now:
| (I) 29.Qxg5+, followed by: |
| (A) 29...Nxg5 30.gxh7 bxc3 31.Rh6+ Kf7 32.Rxc6 cxb2+: |
| (1) 33.Kb1 Rxc6 34.h8Q Qe1+ 35.Kxb2 Qc3+ 36.Kc1 Qe1+ with perpetual
check. |
| (2) 33.Kd1 Rh8 34.Re2 (34.Nh6+ Ke7 35.Rc8 Rxh7 36.Bxh7 Qa4+ 37.Ke1
Qb4+ 38.Kd1 Nxh7 39.Nf5+ Kd7 with a winning position for Black) 34...b1Q
35.Bxb1 Qa4+ 36.Rec2 Rxh7 37.Rc7+ Kg8 38.Rc8+ Kf7 39.Rc7+ with equality. |
| (B) 29...Kxg5 30.Rh5+ Kxg6 (30...Kf6 loses to 31.g5+ Kxg6 32.Rh6+ Kf7
33.Rxh7+ Kf7 34.g6 with mate in a few moves) 31.Ne7+ Kf7 32.Nxc6 Rxc6 33.Nxd5
Qxa2 34.Rxh7+ Ke8 35.Nxb4 Qa1+ 36.Kd2 Qa5 37.Rb7 Nxd4 38.Kd3 Rd6 39.Ke4
Qg5 40.Ba4+ Kd8 41.Ra7 Ne6 with a winning position for Black. |
| (II) 29.Rxh7!, followed by: |
| (A) 29...Bxe3+ 30.Nxe3 Nxd4 31.Nexd5+ Ke6 32.Nf4+ Ke5 33.Rh5+ Kxf4
34.Rxa5 bxc3 35.Bf5 with a winning game. |
| (B) 29...R8c7 30.Rf2 Rxh7 31.gxh7 Bxe3+ 32.Kb1 Rc8 (if 32...Qd8, 33.Nxd5+
Kg5 34.Ndxe3 Nf4 35.d5 Rc7 36.Nd6 with a winning position) 33.Nxd5+ Kg5
34.Ndxe3 b3 35.Bxb3 Qe1+ 36.Nd1 Rh8 37.Bc2 with a big advantage. |
| (C) 29...R6c7 30.Rf2 Rxh7 31.Nd6+ Kg7 32.Rf7+ Kg8 33.gxh7+ Kh8 34.Nxc8
Bxe3+ 35.Kb1 Bxd4 36.Rb7 Qc5 37.Ne7 Nf8 38.Nd1 Bf6 39.Ng6+ Nxg6 40.Bxg6
Bd8 with about equal chances. |
|
| I had used about half an hour on the clock on my 21st move to make
sure the attack was sound. Here, 23.Bc2 loses to 23...Bg5+ 24.Kd1 Qb2. |
| After making this move, my opponent seemed confident. He is threatening
both to capture my e6 bishop and douse the attack by exchanging queens.
However, his king is exposed on the third rank and hinders the coordination
of his other pieces. |
| I believe that my opponent had overlooked or underestimated this move.
White has a lost game. |
| The key move, attacking the guard of the d3 Bishop. Now 27.fxe6 loses
to 27...fxe5 28.Rd1 e4+. |
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