White: GM Dimitry Gurevich

Black: Peter Bereolos

Kings Island Open, 2000

Round 4 Board 2

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Na6 8.Re1 c6

Improving on my earlier game against him. Black waits for White to retreat Bf1 before playing the pinning ...Bg4.

9.Bf1 Bg4 10.d5 c5 11.a3 Ne8

This move seems stronger than Dautov's suggested 11...Kh8.

12.Bd3

A bit of a strange square for his bishop. 12.Rb1 to start queenside action is more natural.

12...f5 13.h3 Bxf3

The retreat 13...Bh5 deserves serious consideration. The coming pawn storm is much more effective with a light-squared bishop. White could try sharp stuff like 14.exf5 gxf5 15.g4, but I think Black should be fine.

14.Qxf3 f4 15.Qd1 h5 16.Be2 Nf6 17.g4

This move was a real suprise as now his whole dark-square complex on the kingside is weak. I thought he should start his queenside action with 17.Rb1 since Black will need some time to organize his kingside attack. He should at least wait for ...Qe8 so that the queen is on a worse square.

17...Nh7

Black could also preface this with 17...hxg4

18.Kg2 Qh4 19.Rh1 Ng5 20.Bf3 Nc7 21.Bd2 Ne8 22.Qe2 Nf6 23.Rag1 Nxf3

I should play 23...a6 to rule out any action with Nb5 by white. The text move solves all of White's problems. I was seeing some ghosts that he could untie with gxh5 Kf1 Bg2 f3 and trap my queen with Be1, but Black can easily parry this. Now, White gets a comfortable ending against the bad Black bishop.

24.Qxf3 hxg4 25.hxg4 Qxg4+ 26.Qxg4 Nxg4 27.Kf3 Nf6 28.Nb5 Ne8 29.Rxg6 Rf6 30.Rhg1

After the game, Dimitry pointed out a dangerous winning try for White [30.Rhh6 Kf7 (30... Rxg6 31.Rxg6 Kf7 32.Rxd6 Nxd6 33.Nxd6+ Ke7 34.Nxb7) 31.Rxf6+ Bxf6 32.Rh7+ Bg7 33.Bc3] intending to capture on g7 then d6. A really amazing sacrifice in my opinion as you wouldn't expect White to be sacrificing the exchange to eliminate the bad bishop.

30...Kf7 31.R6g4 Bf8 32.Rc1 Rh6 33.Rg5 Be7 34.Rgg1 a6 35.Nc3 b5

Deciding to play actively. 35...Nc7 was another option.

36.cxb5 axb5 37.Rh1

[37.Nxb5 Rh3+ 38.Ke2 Rb3 39.Nc3 Rxb2 40.a4] was probably the last hope for White to try for something, but I don't think Black has many problems after 40...Rab8

37...Rxh1 38.Rxh1 Nc7 39.Rh7+ Ke8 40.Rh8+ Bf8 41.Rh7

If Black is allowed to unwind with 41...Kf7 he may even stand a bit better, so White forces the draw.

41...Be7 42.Rh8+ 1/2:1/2