Malaysian Chess Championship - Round 3 : Tin Shan Wen vs Looi, Xin Hao

Tin Shan Wen  (1870) vs Looi Xin Hao  (2157)
Malaysian Chess Championship
Round 2, 2019.05.30, Kuantan, Pahang

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 This idea of this pawn structure c6-d5 is to blunt white's bishop on g2 

4. O-O Bg4 Black develop his light square bishop outside his pawn structure (c6-d5) 

5.b3 a very tame line. So far, all Xin Hao opponents from round 1-3 show no ambition to get  significant advantage from the opening


5.. e6 6. Bb2 Nbd7 7. c4 Be7 8. d3 O-O 9. Nbd2 a5 10. a3 Qc7 11. Qc2 Rad8 12. e4  usually white made a few waiting moves before playing this move. 12...dxe4 13. dxe4 Bh5 !? black retreat without waiting white to play h3. The idea is to play Bg6 and put pressure on the e4 pawn

14. Rae1 14. Rfe1  is common here is  but it fell under a nasty tactic Ng4 15. h3? Nxf2 16. Kxf2 Bc5+ 17. Kf1 (17. Bd4 Bxd4+ 18. Nxd4 Qb6 19. c5 Nxc5 20. Nc4 Qa7 and the pin along the a7-g1 diagonal is quite problematic for white 17... Qxg3 with a full compensation and strong attack
for the sacrifice piece

14... e5 black need to stop white from playing e5

15. Nh4 eyeing for the f5 square

15...Rfe8 black of course want to preserve his double bishop

16. Nf5 Bf8 17. f3 ?! this made the g2 bishop bad and also weaken dark square in white's camp 17. h3 is more natural follow by g4 later. 17. h3 is more natural follow by g4 later

17... Nc5 the d3 square is white's weak spot

18. Re3 Ne6 19. Kh1 g6 20. Nh4 Bh6 21. Re2 Nd4 22. Bxd4 exd4 threatening d3

23. Qd3 Bg5 24. Bh3 Bxh4 25. gxh4 Qf4 a even white will win a pawn 

26. Rg2 Qxh4 27. Rg3 Qf4 28.Re1 c5 white protect the d4 pawn with c5 so that he can play Nd7-Ne5 later ..harassing the blockader of his passed d-pawn

 29. a4 Re5 30. Nb1 Ne8 31. Na3 Nd6 32. Nc2 Rde8 preparing the f5 break

33. Rf1 f6 stronger is 33... f5 ! 34. exf5 Re2 35. fxg6 (35. Rg2 Rxg2 36. Kxg2 Nf7 37. fxg6 Bxg6) 35... Rd2 36. gxh7+ Kh8 and white has to give up his queen.

34. Ne1 f5  35. Ng2 fxe4 36. Nxf4 exd3 37. Nxd3 Re3 harrasing the blockader of black's
passed d- pawn

38. Nxc5 d3 passed pawn must be push 

39. Be6+ ? 

39...R8xe6 40.Nxe6 Rxe6 41. Rd1 Nf5 42. Rxd3 42. Rh3 Re3 43. Kg1 Nd4 

42... Nxg3+ 43. hxg3 g5 and the rest is a matter of technique 44. g4 Bf7 45. Kg2 Kf8 46. Kg3 h6
47. Rd5 Rb6 48. Rxa5 Rxb3 49. Rb5 Bxc4 50. Rc5 Be6 51. a5 Ke7 52. Rc7+ Bd7 53. Rc1 Bc6 54. a6 Bxf3 55. axb7 Bxb7+ 56. Kh2 Bd5 57. Rc7+ Kf6 58. Rh7 Kg6 59. Re7 Rb4 60. Kg3 Re4 61. Ra7 Be6 62. Ra6 Rxg4+ 63. Kf3 Rf4+ 0-1