Esmat,Khaled (155) - Sparkes,DA (156) [A57]
Chiltern League, 30.10.2005
[Esmat,Khaled]



1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Bg5 Qb6 5.Nc3 b4 6.Na4 Qc7 7.Bxf6 exf6 8.Nf3 d6 9.Qd2
[9.a3 bxa3 10.Rxa3 Nd7 ]

9...Bd7 10.b3 Bxa4 11.bxa4 Qa5 12.Qe3+ Be7 13.Nd2
no point trying to protect the a pawn by Qb3 as the Knight on b8 can easily chase it up, Nd7 then Nb6

13...Qxa4 14.Ne4 Qd7 15.g4 0-0
Quite an adventure to castle in such position, where White has declared his intentions by 15.g4

16.Bh3 Qd8 17.f4 Nd7 18.Rg1 g5
of course the g5 square is too appealing for Black's Knight, but is it worth advancing the g pawn while White is already preparing a King side attack?

19.Ng3 Re8 20.Bg2
The bishop hasn't much to do on the h3 diagonal after the unexpected 18...g5}

20...Bf8 21.Qf3 gxf4 22.Qxf4 Ne5 23.Be4 Ng6
the Knight has to abandon the precious e5 square

24.Qf5 Re5 25.Qf3 Qe7
giving White a tempo at a critical timing

26.Nf5 Qe8 27.Bd3 Qa4 28.Kf2 Rae8 29.h4 Qd7 30.g5 fxg5 31.hxg5
Opening the h file, together with a pawn on g5 preventing Black from h6 was White's main objective. (Fritz came up with a rather surprising analysis against the tempting alternative 31.h5} [31.h5 Qd8 not (31...Ne7 32.Rxg5+ Kh8 33.Nh6 Rxg5 34.Nxf7+ Kg8 35.Nxg5 Nc8 36.Bxh7+ Kh8 37.Bg6 ) 32.hxg6 fxg6 33.Ng3 Bg7 34.Qh1 R5e7 black has a clear advantage]

31...Bg7 32.Rh1 Rxf5
else White would carry out a decisive attack on the h7 square. Anyway Black is still in the game with active pieces

33.Bxf5 Qe7 34.Rad1 Qe5 35.Bb1 Qc3 36.Qxc3 Bxc3 37.e3 Re5 38.Rh5 f6 39.Rdh1 Rxg5 40.Bxg6 Rxg6 41.Rxh7 Rg4
White misses a quick win

42.Rh8+
[42.Rxa7 Rxc4 (42...f5 43.Rhh7 Be5 44.Rhb7 Rg7 (44...Kh8 45.a4 bxa3 46.Rxa3 Rg7 47.Raa7 Rxb7 48.Rxb7 Kg8 49.Kf3 Kf8 ) 45.Rxg7+ Bxg7 46.Kg3 Be5+ 47.Kh4 f4 48.exf4 Bxf4 49.Kh5 Kf8 50.Kg6 Ke8 51.Kf5 Be5 52.Ke6 Kf8 53.Rd7 Bg3 54.Rxd6 ) 43.Rhh7 Re4 44.Rhd7 Re8 45.Rxd6 f5 46.Rc6 Rd8 47.Rxc5 ]

42...Kg7 43.R1h7+ Kg6 44.Rg8+ Kxh7 45.Rxg4 f5
This makes White's material advantage more vivid, but it's not quite over yet

46.Rg5 a5 47.Ke2 Bf6 48.Rxf5 Kg6 49.e4 a4 50.Kd1 b3 51.axb3 axb3 52.Rf3 b2 53.Kc2 Bd4 54.Rf5 Bg7 55.Rf3 Bd4 56.Rf1 Be5 57.Kb3 Bd4 58.Ka4 Be3 59.Rb1 Bd4 60.Kb5
Much better was

60...Kg5
[60...Kf6 61.Ka5 (61.Ka4 Kg6 ) 61...Ke5 62.Ka4 Kxe4 63.Kb3 Kd3 64.Rd1+ Ke4 too dificult for White to win]

61.Kc6 Kf4
Again [61...Be5 62.Rxb2 Bxb2 63.Kxd6 Kf4 64.Kxc5 Kxe4 65.d6 Ba3+ 66.Kc6 Kd4 67.d7 Be7 68.Kb5= ]

62.Kxd6 Kxe4 63.Kc6 Kd3 64.d6 Kxc4
[64...Kc2 65.Rf1 b1Q 66.Rxb1 Kxb1 67.d7 Bf6 68.Kxc5 Kc2 69.Kd6 Kb3 70.c5 Bg5 71.c6 Bf4+ 72.Ke7 Kc4 73.d8Q Bg5+ 74.Ke8 Bxd8 75.Kxd8+- ]

65.d7 Bf6 66.Rxb2 Kc3 67.Rf2 Be7 68.Kd5 1-0