Yury Shulman was crowned US Champion just three days prior to this game. I was excited to get the chance to play him, and wanted to play a good game.
1.e4
c5
I knew Shulman played the French Defense against his fellow Grandmaster colleagues, but I did not know if he would change his repertoire against 450 rating point underlings.
2.Nf3
e6
3.d4
cxd4
4.Nxd4
Nc6
The Taimanov Sicilian.
5.Nc3
Qc7
6.Be3
Nf6
7.Bd3
A sharp and aggressive line, albeit not nearly as popular as 7.Qd2 is today.
7...Nxd4
Very interesting. I was well aware during the game that his main strength lay in his endgame technique and that overall he was a very solid player. Still, I was a bit surprised he began trading pieces so early. Normally when my opponents outrate me by 300+ points, they keep on as many pieces as possible and hope I get lost in the ensuing complications. However, like I have said, Shulman is a very strong endgame player and so it is logical that he should play to his strengths. Also, it took me out of my opening book as I could not recall any games continuing 7...Nxd4.
8.Bxd4
Bc5
9.Bxc5
Qxc5
10.0-0
[A Geller-Tal game continued 10.Qe2
d6
11.Bb5+
Bd7
12.Bxd7+
Nxd7
One wonders how Tal could have allowed such a 'boring' position!]
10...0-0
11.Kh1
Freeing the f-pawn from the pin.
11...d6
12.Qd2
The first step in the wrong direction. I thought Qd2 was best in order to control the dark squares my bishop had left behind and to double on the d-file since the d-pawn is weak. This is misguided on at least a couple of points. 1.) Orchestrating an attack on the d-pawn won't happen as I'd have to move my bishop to a worse square, and even then he will just play ...Rfd8, and 2) Qd2 does nothing to prevent black's queenside action. [12.Qe2
was natural. The queen lends extra support to the e-pawn and keeps a better eye on any ...b5 activities.]
12...Bd7
Black prepares ...b5.
13.f3?
Somebody shoot me! This is way too passive. I thought I was fortifying my e-pawn so as to better combat black on the queenside, but in reality I am agreeing to playing on the side of the board where my opponent is better.
13...b5
14.a4
This was my big idea.
14...a6
D'oh! He can preserve the tension on the queenside indefinitely while I cannot do the same. The full force of this didn't hit me until I began thinking over my sixteenth move.
15.Rfd1
Rfc8
What does white do? I went into a deep think.
16.Qe1
[I dismissed 16.Bf1
because of 16...b4
17.Ne2
e5
and my knight is lacking squares, while he continues to improve his position (...Be6 etc). However, after 18.c3
(18.Qxd6?
Qxd6
19.Rxd6
Rxc2
20.b3
Be6
with a dream position for black.) 18...bxc3
19.Nxc3
it looks like white has good chances to maintain the balance.]
16...b4
17.Na2
a5
Diagram # It is clear that everything has gone right for black.
18.b3
Looking to make it or break it with 19.c3. [18.Nc1
Qe5
is also quite annoying.]
18...Qe5!
A nice "prophylactic" move (I look at this term in more depth in the next game - suffice it to say, "prophylaxis" means cunningly thwarting my intentions!).
19.Qg3
This is the only way I could see of untangling my pieces. The number of teeny concessions white has had to make (decentralizing of the knight, trading of queens, doubling of my pawns, fixing the c2 pawn as a weakness) show Shulman's superb skill. [My intended 19.Rac1
gets rebuffed by 19...Qb2!
; Playing 19.c3
as a pawn sac doesn't quite work after 19...bxc3
20.Rac1
Rab8-/+
]
19...Qxg3
20.hxg3
Diagram # And to make matters worse, I have thirty minutes to make twenty moves! He has forty-seven.
20...Kf8
I could tell by how he moved his king that he had the utmost confidence that the win was his. I do a good job now of hunkering down and making him prove the win.
21.Rac1
e5
Possibly a mistake? [21...Rc5!?
Prevents Bb5, but he would have had to accurately calculate 22.c3
Bxa4!
23.Bc2!?
(23.bxa4
b3
24.c4
bxa2
25.Ra1
Rb8
26.Rxa2
Nd7
and I do not think it is an overstatement to say white is lost.) 23...Bxb3!
24.Bxb3
a4
25.Bxa4
(25.Bxe6
b3!
) 25...Rxa4
26.Nxb4
Ke7
with a sizable advantage for black.]
22.Bb5!?
Bxb5
[22...Ke7
23.c4
Trying to lock up the queenside. 23...bxc3
24.Nxc3
Be6
25.Bc4
Bxc4
26.bxc4
it would seem as though white has a fair chance of saving this. 26...Rxc4??
27.Nd5+
Nxd5
28.Rxc4+/-
]
23.axb5
Ke7
24.c3
Suddenly it's not so simple for black.
24...bxc3
25.Rxc3
Rab8
Diagram #
26.Rc4?!
Played too quickly. [26.g4
h6
27.Rxc8
Rxc8
28.Rd3
was better, keeping both b4 and Nc3 as options. White would then improve his king's position if allowed.]
26...Rxc4!
27.bxc4
Rc8
28.Rc1
Ke6
Again, anticipating and cutting across my plans. [The premature 28...Nd7
29.Nc3
lets me improve my knight by tactical means. If he now goes 29...Nb6
then (29...Rxc4??
30.Nd5+
) 30.Nd5+
Nxd5
31.exd5
and a really bizarre rook ending would arise.]
29.Rc3
Nd7
30.Ra3
Ra8
An amazing thing has happened: both players now have fifteen minutes to make ten moves.
31.Nb4
Nb6
32.Na6?
A severe miscalculation. [32.Nd5!
and black would have had to exchange down to a similar strange rook ending. 32...Nxd5
33.exd5+
Kd7
This would have been a much better attempt to save the game. I had considered this line and thought he could just go Kd7-c7-b6-c5 and win, but it is not so simple. For example 34.g4
Kc7
(34...a4!?
) 35.Ra4
Kb6
36.Kg1
Kc5
37.Kf2
Kd4
38.g5
restraining black's kingside pawns. 38...Kc3
39.b6
and the pawn is used to deflect the black rook from a5. Black might very well pick up my c and d pawns, but if I am able to get my rook onto the seventh rank who knows what could have happened.]
32...Nxc4
33.Ra4
[The planned 33.Rc3
Rc8
(33...Nb6??
34.Nc7+
Kd7
35.Nxa8
) 34.Rxc4
comes up just a wee short after 34...Rxc4
35.b6
Rc1+
the move I missed 36.Kh2
Rb1-+
]
33...Rc8
34.b6
Not much else to do.
34...Nxb6
35.Rxa5
Nc4
36.Rb5-+
Both players are down to seven minutes.
36...Ne3?!
I gave a dubious mark only because there were safer alternatives! He goes for my king, and more specifically the g2-pawn. However, white starts kicking again, and black must be very careful.
37.Rb7!
Diagram # My knight and rook are perfectly positioned to begin harassing his king with Nc7+.
37...f5
The US Champion is down to three minutes to make three moves. Even with so little time left, he has calculated everything out.
38.Rxg7
Kf6
He's down to one minute!
39.Rd7!
Also down to three minutes, I do not fall into the trap: [39.Rxh7??
Rc1+
40.Kh2
Nf1+
41.Kh3
Nd2
42.Kh2
fxe4-+
]
39...fxe4!
40.Rxd6+!
Once again sidestepping a devilish trap: [40.fxe4??
Rc1+
41.Kh2
Ng4+
42.Kh3
Nf2+
43.Kh4
Rh1#
]
40...Ke7!
Diagram # Time control made, both players left the table to stretch their legs. I thought I had the draw until I came back and looked at the postion. He had everything under control the entire time. A true champion!
41.Rb6!
The only move to stay afloat a little longer. [41.Rh6
Rc1+
42.Kh2
Nf1+
43.Kh3
e3
44.Rxh7+
Kf6
45.Rh6+
Kg7
and the e-pawn queens.]
41...Rc1+
42.Kh2
Nf1+
43.Kh3
e3
44.Rb2
Nd2
An "obstruction." Illegal in sports such as football, basketball and hockey but quite alright in chess.
45.Nb4
h5!
Precise to the end.
46.Kh2
[Avoiding 46.Kh4
Rc4+
47.Kxh5
Rxb4!!
48.Rxb4
e2-+
]
46...e2
47.Nd3
Rd1
48.Rb7+
Kd6
49.Rb6+
Kd5
50.Rb8
Nxf3+
51.gxf3
Rxd3
and I resigned the last game left going on the top eight boards. 0-1