Monday, October 06, 2008

Mashafizul Sicilian Dragon: Chinese Variation revisited!

I ask Mas opinion ( tru facebook chat) about his lost game against Premnath.R which feature the Sicilian Dragon : Chinese Variation. I suggest to him that 12.g4 was quite slow but Mas said that actually the move it's still ok. He mentioned that his real mistake is 17.e5 ? After checking with my " new friend : Rybka...she tend to agree....

IM Mashafizul Helmi (2385) - Premnath. R (2257) [B20]
2008 Commonwealth Chess Championship (Round 10), 05.10.2008

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 The Sicilian Dragon 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0–0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0–0–0 Rb8
Premnath choose the recently popular - The Chinese Dragon Variation . At first i think the variation was created by Chinese player but actually it was invent by Belgian Fide Master Luc Henris, who was living in China with his Chinese wife ! 11.Bb3 Na5 12.g4 12.h4 is the most popular move as choose by Carlsen in his win against Radjabov in the recent Bilbao Master 2008. (correction: Carlsen actually played 12.Kb1 and later 13.h4) 12...b5 13.Bh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 b4
15. Nce2 ?! I think this move is quite passive. Mas probably should play 15.Nd5 . The idea is to exchange black main defender - the f6 Knight 15...Nxb3+ 16.Nxb3 Qb6 17.e5?
This is the desicive mistake according to Mas. Probably he intend to use the natural tactic to win the d7 bishop with 17... dxe5 18.h4 however his probably intended follow-up 18.g5 will lose too 18...Qe3+. Now white can't play 19.gxf6 because his queen on h6 will be en prise! 18...Bc6 19.Rdf1 Mas is in difficult position. His attack on the kingside looks quite slow. 19...Bb5 20.Rh2 now my "friend" Fritz suggest 20...e4 and Mas position look shacky 20...Rbc8 21.h5 Qc6 22.Na1 "a knight on a rim is dim" as many expert said but how about a knight on a rim and on your own back corner ? Having said that, this move is force because black threaten mate in one with...Qxc2++ ! 22...Bxe2 23.Rxe2 Qa6 24.Qe3 Nd5 25.Qxe5 Nf4 26.Qxf4 Qxe2 27.Rh1
The position look not so good for Mas. He surely missed his "lazy" knight on a1! 27...Rc4 28.Qh6 Rfc8 29. Kb1 Mas should pray that Prmenath will missed 29...Rxc2 ! 30.Nxc2 Rxc2 Black totally dominate white second rank and threaten the desicive 31...Rxb2+ Unfortunately Premnath found it easily ...29...Rxc2 30.Nxc2 Rxc2 0-1


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