White: GM Vladimir Georgiev

Black: Peter Bereolos

2003 World Open

Round 3 Board 12

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. d4 Nf6 4. e4 d6 5. Bd3 c5 6. d5 e6 7. Nge2 exd5 8. cxd5 O-O 9. Bg5 a6 10. a4 Nbd7 11. O-O Qc7 12. h3 Ne5!? Normal is 12... Re8 with the usual followup of ...c4 ...Nc5 etc. when Black should probably be a little better against White’s somewhat artificial set-up. Black should also be OK after the more ambitious text. 13. Bc2 Rb8 This may be starting to get a bit too ambitious. At some point, Black needs to play ... Re8 restraining e5. This can be followed by further restraint with ...Nd7 and only then queenside action. 14. f4 Nc4 15. Qc1 b5 The last chance for 15... Re8 16. axb5 axb5 17. b3 Na5 18. f5 b4?

This gets hit with a powerful refutation that I had completely missed. I didn’t want to let my bishop get buried by 18... Nd7 19. f6 Bh8 Better was 18... c4 so if White plays as in the game with 19. e5 dxe5 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ne4 the open g1-a7 diagonal gives Black a defensive resource. 21... Qb6+ 19. e5!! bxc3 19... dxe5 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ne4 and now Black's queen can't defend the bishop since it will be overloaded defending the knight on a5 as well, so White will have a quick mating attack with f6 Qh6 and Ng5 20. Bxf6 Stronger than 20. exf6. This way Black's dark-squared bishop is eliminated leaving gigantic holes around his king 20... Nxb3 21. Bxb3 Rxb3 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. f6+ Kh8 24. Qh6 Rg8 25. e6 c2 26. Ra8 Rb7 27. e7 Qd7 28. Nc3 Rb4 28... g5 29. Re1 +- 29. Re1 g5

threatening ...Rh4, but allowing White a nice finish In any case, 29... Qe8 30. Ne4 is also hopeless. 30. e8=Q Qxe8 31. Qg7+ Rxg7 32. Rxe8+ Rg8 33. Rxg8+ [1:0]