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[Event "28th Cappelle Open (8)"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande FRA"]
[Date "2012.03.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Sanikidze, Tornike"]
[Black "Petrosian, Tigran L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D13"]
[WhiteElo "2549"]
[BlackElo "2643"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2012.03.03"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 {The exchange variation of the Slav
defense usually leads to calm and positional play, but not in this game!} 5.
Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 a6 7. Ne5 {7.e3 and 7.Rc1 are main moves here.} Qb6 8. Nxc6 bxc6
9. f3 $5 {White plays for e2-e4 and thus sacrifices the b2 pawn.} (9. Qd2 {is
the normal move}) 9... Nh5 (9... Qxb2 10. Na4 Qb4+ 11. Kf2 $44) (9... e6 {was
the only other game with 9.f3, and another very interesting one.} 10. Na4 Qa5+
11. Kf2 Nh5 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. Qc2 Bd6 14. Rc1 O-O 15. Qxc6 Qe7 16. Qxa8 Qh4+ 17.
g3 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Qxg3+ 19. Ke3 Bd7 20. Qxa6 e5 21. Be1 Qg5+ 22. Kf2 e4 23. e3
Qg3+ 24. Ke2 Qxf3+ 25. Kd2 Qxh1 26. Qxd6 Qxf1 27. Nc5 Bg4 28. Qh2 Rc8 29. Bg3
Qb5 30. Ke1 h5 31. a4 Qb6 32. Ra1 Ra8 33. Bc7 Qf6 34. Qf4 Qh4+ 35. Kd2 Ra7 36.
Rf1 Qe7 37. Bb6 Ra8 38. a5 Bf3 39. a6 Qe8 40. Rxf3 exf3 41. Qxf3 Qb5 42. Qxd5
Qxb2+ 43. Kd3 Qb1+ 44. Kc3 Re8 45. Qb7 Qc1+ 46. Kb4 Qxe3 47. d5 f6 48. a7 f5
49. a8=Q Rxa8 50. Qxa8+ Kh7 51. Qb7 {1-0 Jobava,B (2707)-Pridorozhni,A (2542)/
Aix-les-Bains FRA 2011}) 10. Be3 Qxb2 11. Na4 Qa3 12. Kf2 Rb8 13. Rc1 Bd7 14.
Rb1 {Funny switch-back!} Rb5 (14... Rxb1 {is of course dangerous for Black.}
15. Qxb1 Qd6 16. Qb7 $14) 15. Qc2 e6 16. Bc1 Qd6 17. Nc5 Be7 18. e3 Bh4+ {
After this move the game will become more and more complicated.} (18... Rxb1
19. Qxb1 O-O {was solid.}) 19. g3 (19. Kg1 {is hardly a human move.}) 19...
Rxb1 20. Qxb1 Nxg3 {The logical continuation Black was aiming for.} 21. hxg3
Qxg3+ 22. Ke2 Qe1+ 23. Kd3 Qd1+ 24. Kc3 Be1+ 25. Kb2 Qxf3 {I saw this position
during the live and thought White was in trouble because it seems he will lose
either the Rh1 or the Bf1.} 26. Bxa6 $6 ({White could play safer with} 26. Rxh7
Rxh7 27. Qxh7 Qxf1 28. Qxg7 {and it's a draw.} Qf3 ({not} 28... Qf5 $2 29. Nb7
$1 {and now White is winning!}) 29. Qg8+ ({not} 29. Nb7 $2 Qe2+ {and now Black
is mating!}) 29... Ke7 30. Qg5+ Ke8 $11 ({not} 30... Kd6 $2 31. Qd8 $18)) 26...
Qxh1 27. Bd2 {White's idea : he wins the Be1. But Black has a lot of pawns...}
Qh2 28. Qxe1 h5 29. Ka3 (29. Kb3 {was another possibility}) 29... h4 30. Bb4
O-O {Black wants to hide his King. On other moves it seems that White can draw
as well!} (30... f5 31. Nd3 $1 h3 32. Ne5 Qc2 33. Bc5 h2 34. Qb4 Qc1+ 35. Ka4
Qc2+ 36. Ka3 $11) (30... f6 31. Qb1 Qg3 32. Qc2 h3 33. Nxd7 Kxd7 34. Qc5 Re8
35. Bc8+ $1 Kxc8 36. Qxc6+ Kd8 37. Qa8+ Kd7 38. Qa4+ $1 Kd8 $11) (30... h3 {is
a very nice (and crazy) variation} 31. Qc3 O-O 32. Nxd7 Qg3 33. Nxf8 h2 34.
Nxe6 h1=Q (34... fxe6 35. Bd3 h1=Q 36. Qxc6 Qb8 37. Qxe6+ Kh8 38. Kb3 {Black
is better but the position remains unclear!}) 35. Nc5 (35. Nf4 Qe4 36. Qxc6
Qgxe3+ 37. Nd3 g5 $19) 35... Qh6 36. Bd3 Qhxe3 37. Kb3 Qgg1 38. a4 Qxd4 39.
Qxd4 Qxd4 40. a5 Qf6 41. a6 Qd8 42. Nb7 Qb6 43. Ka3 Qd4 44. Nc5 Qe5 45. Nb3 Qe3
46. Nc5 $11 {with an incredible draw!}) 31. Nxd7 Ra8 32. Qf1 $1 ({If} 32. Nc5
h3 {and it's not easy for White to stop the h pawn.} 33. Ba5 $1 Qg2 34. Bc7 h2
35. Bxh2 Qxh2 36. Kb3 g5 {Next pawn!} 37. Kc3 $1 Rb8 38. Bb7 g4 39. Qf1 f5 40.
a4 Kf7 $19 {and it seems that Black wins.}) 32... h3 (32... Qc7 33. Nc5 Qg3 34.
Qe1 $1 {fighting for the b8-h2 diagonal!!} Qg5 35. Ba5 h3 36. Bc7 Qe7 37. Qg3
Rxa6+ 38. Kb3 Ra7 39. Bb6 Ra8 40. a4 $1 e5 41. Qxh3 exd4 42. exd4 {remains
unclear but it seems White can hold.}) 33. Nb6 Rxa6+ 34. Qxa6 Qg3 ({Better was
} 34... Qg1 35. Bd6 (35. Nc8 $2 h2 36. Ne7+ Kh7 37. Qc8 h1=Q $19) 35... Qxe3+
36. Kb2 Qxd4+ {eating all pawns!} 37. Kc2 Qf2+ 38. Kb3 Qf3+ 39. Kb2 h2 40. Bxh2
Qg2+ 41. Kc3 Qxh2 {and with 4 pawns for the Knight Black has better chances,
even if it's still unclear.}) 35. Nc8 $1 {Strong defensive move by Sanikidze,
the Knight is going to e7 to reach Black's King.} Qxe3+ 36. Ka4 Kh7 37. Ne7 Qe4
$2 {Probably in time trouble Black commits a mistake.} ({Black had to play
something like} 37... Qxd4 38. Qa8 c5 39. Qg8+ Kh6 40. Qh8+ Kg5 41. Nc6 Qd1+
42. Ka5 cxb4 43. Qxh3 $11) ({or} 37... h2 38. Qa8 Qe2 $1 $11) 38. Qc8 Qxd4 ({
Petrosian probably planned} 38... Kh6 39. Qh8+ Qh7 {missing the nice} 40. Bd2+
$18) 39. Qg8+ Kh6 40. Qh8+ Kg5 41. Qxh3 c5 {Now it's not the same because
Black lost a tempo.} 42. Qg2+ Kh4 43. Qh2+ Kg4 44. Qe2+ Kh3 45. Nc6 Qf4 46. Qd2
Qc4 47. Qc3+ {We are sad for Black but the game was really complicated and
spectacular.} 1-0
