GM Negi Parimarjan vs. GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami

GM Negi Parimarjan vs. GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami

DATMO, Round 6, 27.8.09

Analysed by Hairulov and Rybka 3

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Be6 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. a4 Rc8 12.a5 Qc7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Nc1 h6 15. h3 Untill here, it's all theory according to Rybka opening book. 15...Bf8 16. Qe1 Re8 17. Nb3 only a GM like Negi (photo right) could "play" (read understand!) this kind of manuever. White's knight have move from f1-f3-d4-b3-c1 and now move back at b3 !17...Be7 18. Kh1 Qc6 19. Bf3 Ra8 20. Rac1 Nc5 21. Nd5 21...Bxd5 A fearless silicon based creature like Rybka and Fritz would take on e4 with 21...Ncxe4 but a carbon based human player will not dare to hang his/her knight after 22.Nxf6+ Bxf6 (22...gxf6 is too risky) 23.c4 and black's knight on e4 looks uncomfortable. 22. exd5 Qc7 23. Na1 White doesn't want to trade the knight with 23.Nxc5 because it's only stregthening black's position after 23...dxc5 and later 24...Bd6 blockade the position 23...Nh7 24. b4 e4 25. Be2 Na4 Black's knight on a4 looks a little bit off-side 26. c4 Bg5 27.Qd2 Bf6 28. Bd4 Bxd4 29. Qxd4 b6?! Probably black's afraid that his knight on a4 would not come home safely so he try to create an escape square for the knight. However his last move has gave white's knight a strong manuever on the queen side. 30. Nb3 bxa5 31. Nxa5 Nf6 32. Nc6 Nb6 33. Ra1 Nbd7 34. c5!

A strong breaktrough 34...a5 black get rid of his weak a6-pawn 35. cxd6 Qxd6 36. bxa5 Probably better is taking with the rook with 36.Rxa5 for e.g 36...Rxa5 37.bxa5 Nc5 38.a6 36...e3!? Black practically create a counterattack before white's queenside passed pawn become unstopable. 36...Nc5 threatening to fork with Nb3 and also to block white passed a- pawn is a strong alternative 37. Bf3 White didn't take the pawn with 37.fxe3 because blac's h seems to have a strong play after 37...Ne4 38.Kg1 Qg3 39.Rf1 Ng5 37...Nc5 38. Ra2 Rybka 3 suggest a strong exchange sacrifiece with 38.fxe3! Nb3 39.Qf4! Qxf4 40.exf4 Nxa1 41.Rxa1 and white's two passed pawn on a and d is so strong. 38... exf2 39. Qxf2 Nfe4 40. Qd4 Nb3 41. Qd3 Ng3+ 42. Kg1 Qc5+ 43. Kh2 Re3 44. Qc2 Qd6 45. Kg1 Rae8 46.Qf2 Nc5 47. Rad2 ?! White could have enter a strong but complicated line with 47. a6! Nd3 48. Qxe3 Rxe3 49. a7 Re8 50.a8=Q Qc5+ 51. Kh2 Rxa8 52. Rxa8+ Kh7 53. Raa1 Nf2 54. Kxg3 Nxd1 55. Rxd1 47... h5 48. Nd4 h4 49. Ne6!

This move block the "life support" for black's roon on e3 49... Rc3 50. Qd4 Nxe6 51. Qxc3 Nf4 52. Qc4 Re3 53. a6 53... Qe5 54. Qc8+ ? A very complicated position has arise. Although black's is down in material, his pairs of knight has many threats against white's defense. With hindsight , the correct move is to play a defensive move 54. Kf2! 54... Kh7 55. Qc2+? white should keep the option to check black's king along b1-h7 at the right moment. 55.Qc1 guarding the 1st rank is correct. 55... g6 Now white is in deep trouble, black threaten deadly combinations - for e.g Re1+-Qe3+-Qg1++ mate and another one Nxh3 and then Rxf3 56. Qc1 56. Rf2 also lost to 56...Re1+ 57. Rf1 Nfe2+ 58. Kf2 Rxf1+ 59. Rxf1 Qd4+56... Rxf3! 57. Re1 It looks like Negi is on the ropes. If 57.gxf3?? then white can order his coffin after 57...Qe3+ 58.Kh2 ( if 58.Rf2 Nfe2+ winning) 58...Nge2 winning 57...Rf1+ stronger is 57...Nxh3+! 58.gxh3 Qg5 59.Kg2 Re3 60.Rxe3 Ne2+ winning the queen 58. Rxf1 Nfe2+ 59. Rxe2 Nxe2+Now white will lose his queen 60. Kh1 Nxc1 61. Rxc1 Qxd5 Objectively speaking black is winning, however black passed pawn gave some problems to white 62. a7 Qa5 63. Rc7 Kg7 64. Rb7 Qa1+ 65. Kh2 g5 66. Rb5 Kg6 67. Rb6+ Kh5 68. Rb7 f6 69. Rh7+ Kg6 70. Rb7 Qa6 71. Rc7 Kf5 72. Rf7 Ke5 73. Re7+ Kd6 74. Rf7 Ke6 75. Rg7 Qa1 76. Rb7 f5 77. Rb6+ Ke5 78. Rb5+ Ke4 79. Rb7 Qe5+ 80. Kh1 Qa1+ 81. Kh2 Kd3 82. Rf7 Qe5+ 83. Kh1 Qa1+ 84. Kh2 g4 85. hxg4 fxg4 86. Rf4 g3+ 87. Kh3 Qh1+ ? Ehsan is probably being blind sided. His last chance to win is with 87... Qxa7! 88. Kxh4 Qf2 89. Rg4 Ke3 90. Kh3 Qe1 91. Rxg3+ Kf2 92. Rf3+ Kg1 93. Rf5 Qd2 94. g3 Qg2+ 95. Kg4 Qe4+ 96. Kg5 Kg2 97. Rf4 Qe7+ 98. Kf5 Kxg3 99. Re4 Qf7+ 100. Ke5 Kf3 101. Rd4 Qe7+ 102. Kd5 88. Kg4 Qa1 89. Kxh4 Qxa7 90. Rf3+ Ke4 91. Kxg3 1/2-1/2

This is a theoritical drawn endgame. My friend - Zaidan's taught me this endings. White can build a fortress which the side with the queen can't do anything if (i) the rook and king stay together and near to each other , (ii) the pawn remain on the 2 rank.

Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht mentioned that in this type of endgame :-

"A pawn on its second rank draws if it is not a rook's pawn and the defending king and rook are next to it" because no encirclement by the attacking king is possible!