White: GM Boris Gulko

Black: Peter Bereolos

2003 World Open

Round 5 Board 21

1. c4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Na6 8. Re1 c6 9. Bf1 Bg4 10. d5 c5 11. h3 Bxf3 Better is 11... Bd7 as in the high-level game Piket-Topalov, Tilburg 1998. Preserving the bishop is better since it helps enforce ...f5 and would later be necessary in assisting any kingside attack. I was under the influence of my game with Dimitry Gurevich where I got a good position by exchanging on f3. However, in that game I had already gotten ...f5 in. 12. Qxf3 Ne8 Again, not appreciating the differences from the Gurevich game. Better is 12... Kh8 with the idea of exchanging off the bad bishop with Ng8 and Bh6. 13. Bd3 Qd7 14. g4 Nac7 the immediate 14... Qe7 might be an improvement. I was trying to provoke a4, but White is faster on the queenside with b4 15. Rb1 Qe7 15... a6 16. b4 16. Qg3

16...Bf6?! Even after all the small mistakes I have made, I could have kept White's edge to a minimum by first repositioning my worst placed piece with 16...Nf6 followed by ...Nd7 before undertaking further kingside action. 17. g5 Bg7 18. Bd2 f6 19. h4 Rf7 20. Kg2 Bf8 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4 fxg5 23. hxg5 Bg7 23... Rxf4 24. Qxf4 Bg7 transposes to the game after 25. e5 but this might have been a better practical way to sacrifice the exchange, making him find the clearance sacrifice. Black would have more compensation for the exchange if he could occupy e5 with the White pawn on e4 since the extra pawn is a small tradeoff for access to the e4 square. 24. e5 Rxf4 25. Qxf4 Bxe5 26. Qg4 Rd8 27. Ne4 b6 28. Re2 Na6 29. Rf1 Nb8 30. Nf6+ Nxf6 31. gxf6 Qf7 32. Bf5 Kh8 33. Be6 Qf8 34. Qxg6 Nd7 35. Qf5 Qh6 36. Rh1 [1:0]