Minzer,Claudio - Bulcourf,Carlos
A10 English Opening
Notes by Tim McGrew



1.c4 Nc6 2.g3 e5 3.Bg2 f5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 0-0 7.e3 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 f4!?

Very sharp. 8...d6 is less ambitious and somewhat safer here.

9.gxf4 exf4 10.e4 d6 11.Qb3 Ng4 12.Nf3 Nce5 13.Bxe5 Nxe5 14.d4 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 c5 16.0-0-0 Qc7 17.Qc3 cxd4 18.Qxd4 Be6 19.b3 Rfd8 20.Kb2 a5 21.Rhg1 a4 22.Bg4 Bxg4 23.Rxg4 axb3 24.axb3 f3

24...Kh8 gets Black's King off of the d5-g8 diagonal, making 25...b5 a realistic idea. This should hold the balance for Black.

25.Rg5 b6? 26.Rd5

White piles up on the weak pawn at d6, but this should give Black just enough counterplay to draw. 26.Rdg1! Ra7 (26...Rd7?? 27.Qd5++- picks up the Rook in the corner.) 27.Rxg7+ Qxg7 28.Rxg7+ Rxg7 29.e5!+- 

26...Qa7! 27.Kc2!

Good defensive technique. Since Black is coming in "head first" on the a-file (that is, with the Queen -- his most valuable piece -- first in line), White clears the b2 square for his own Queen to interpose. In the endgame, each side will have five pawns -- but Black's d- and f-pawns are quite vulnerable, whereas only White's e-pawn is likely to drop off. So White can look forward to the endgame with some confidence.

27...Qa2+ 28.Qb2 Rdc8?!

Trading Queens is not such a great idea here for Black. The important thing is to keep Queens on and play consistently to exploit White's exposed King. 28...Qa7 sets up the idea 29.Rxd6 Rxd6 30.Rxd6 b5! and with the attack on the pawn at f7, it is hard to see how White's King is going to find lasting shelter.

29.R1d4

29.Rxd6 is playable too, since 29...Rxc4+ fails to 30.bxc4 Qxc4+ 31.Kb1! Qxe4+ 32.R6d3+- and Black cannot continue the attack.

29...Qa1

The coming endgame is unfavorable to Black, so he should have retained Queens. 29...Qa7 with the idea of 31...b5 still looks like a reasonable try.

30.Qxa1!

This is the right moment to enter a Rook ending.

30...Rxa1 31.Kd2 Rb1 32.Rb5 Rf8 33.Kc2 Ra1

Black has reinforced and "spring loaded" his f-pawn by putting a Rook behind it.

34.Rd2

White rightly judges that he cannot afford to let Black win the pawn on f2 or Black's own f-pawn will be too dangerous.

34...Ra6 35.Kd3 Rf6 36.Ke3 Kf7 37.h4 Ke7 38.e5 dxe5 39.Rxe5+ Re6 40.Rxe6+ Kxe6 41.Rd5 Ra3 42.Rb5 Ra6 43.Kxf3

White has won a pawn, and there are pawns on both sides of the board. This is an ideal endgame in which to press for a win.

43...Kd6 44.h5 Kc6 45.Kg4 Ra2 46.f4 Rg2+ 47.Kf5 g6+ 48.Kf6 gxh5 49.Rxh5 Rg3 50.Rb5 h5 51.Rxh5 Rxb3 52.f5 Rb4 53.Rh4 Kd7 54.Rd4+ Kc7

54...Ke8 55.Kg7 Rb1 56.Rg4 wins easily, e.g. 56...Rd1 57.f6 Rf1 58.Re4+ Kd7 59.f7 Rg1+ 60.Kf6 Rf1+ 61.Kg6 Rg1+ (61...Kd6 62.Re8 Rg1+ 63.Kh5 and White's King walks back down the h- and g-files until Black's Rook runs out of safe checks, at which point White queens the f-pawn.) 62.Kf5 Rf1+ 63.Rf4 This position is like a Lucena Bridge, but with two differences. First, Black's King is closer to White's f-pawn, so Black will win that pawn. Second, there is a pair of pawns on the queenside -- and that factor is decisive. 63...Rxf4+ 64.Kxf4 Ke7 65.Ke5 Kxf7 66.Kd6 Ke8 67.Kc6 Kd8 68.Kxb6 Kc8 69.Kc6 Kb8 70.Kd7 and White wins trivially by marching the c-pawn home to queen.

55.Ke5 b5

Everything else loses here too, so we shouldn't be too hard on Black. But the harsh truth is that this move gives White a foolproof win.

56.cxb5

Simplest. With Black's King cut off, the win is trivial.

56...Rxb5+

56...Rxd4 57.Kxd4+- leaves Black's King helpless to stop the widely separated passed pawns.

57.Ke6

White goes straight forward rather than to f6 because he wants to leave the square in front of the pawn free. That way, the pawn can advance more rapidly.

57...Rb1

With his King cut off by two files, Black is hopelessly lost. (In fact, one file would be enough -- but it is simpler for White to keep him cut off by two.)

58.f6 Re1+ 59.Kf7

The King must dodge in front of the pawn, but he now threatens Kf8 and f7 after which White will win with the standard maneuver in the Lucena position. Because of the two-file cutoff, White can also win with 59.Kf5 Rf1+ 60.Rf4 After the exchange of Rooks, White's King comes around on the g-file: 60...Rxf4+ 61.Kxf4 Kd7 62.Kg5 Ke8 63.Kg6 Kf8 64.f7 etc.

59...Rg1 60.Ke7

Zig.

60...Re1+ 61.Kf8

Zag.

61...Rg1 62.f7 Rg5

62...Rf1 would let White show his technique. Since the Black King is already cut off by two files and White's Rook is already on his own fourth rank, White can dispense with the preliminary check and simply bring his King, in a zig-zagging line designed to keep his pawn defended, up to f5: 63.Ke7 Re1+ 64.Kf6 Rf1+ 65.Ke6! Re1+ 66.Kf5 Rf1+ 67.Rf4+-

63.Ke7

Black must give up his Rook for the pawn.

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