Annotated chess game: Advocatus diaboli

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ANNOTATED GAME

Advocatus diaboli
jstevens1 (1856) vs. elenapetrova (1846)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo

(2332)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B90), Najdorf, Lipnitzky attack

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It is unusual for a game between evenly matched strong opponents to end suddenly and catastrophically in just 15 moves. This is such a game. The opening is certainly a combative one, the kind that Black will adopt who wishes at all costs to carry the fight to the opponent. There is no reason to apprehend a sudden disaster. So... what happened?

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6	We begin here, with the evergreen and popular Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence. This modest looking move is designed to prepare ...e5 without having to worry (overmuch) about White's landing a minor piece on the b5-square and attacking the d6-point. At the same time, the move supports an eventual expansion by Black on the Q-side. So purposive is the move, it hardly comes under the pejorative 'country move' associated with a move like a2-a3 or ...a7-a6, which often signals a timorous approach to the game. The Najdorf is not for the timorous!



6. Bc4	[!?] This move, similar to the Sozin Attack in the 2...Nc6 lines of the Sicilian, has declined relatively in popularity compared with 6.Bg5 and 6.Be3. In former times it was something of a favorite with Bobby Fischer, and was held to be one of the more aggressive lines against the Najdorf Sicilian. It tends to discourage Black's planned ...e7-e5 advance, but at the cost of presenting Black's b-pawn with a target, unless White is prepared to pay a price in time.



6... e6	By far and away the most popular response. Black cuts the White bishop off from the f7-square, leaving ...e5 to wait for the time being.



7. Bb3	White nearly always plays this, rather than leave it on c4 to be hit by ...b5. White is very interested in what might come up on the a2-g8 diagonal...



7... b5	The target having dodged, betimes, Black makes this advance anyway! GM O'Kelly de Galway called this 'the most active continuation preparing a counter-attack on the White KP [e-pawn].' Bobby Fischer himself played this line against Robert Byrne in the Sousse Interzonal, 1967. Also playable here are 7...Be7 and 7...Nbd7.



8. Bg5	Uber-aggression. Instead 8.0-0 is more often played, but 8.f4 has also been tried. It was with the latter move Bobby Fischer came within an ace of defeating Mischa Tal in the 1959 Candidates' Tournament. After 8.f4 b4?! Tal got himself into all sorts of trouble: 9.Na4 Nxe4 10.0-0 g6 11.f5! gxf5 12.Nxf5! Rg8 13.Bd5! Ra2. Note Tal's 8th and 9th moves - the thematic idea behind Black's play. This game was to feature much the same idea...



8... h6	Forcing White to make a decision in respect of this bishop: take the knight, or retreat.



9. Be3	She retreats. This looks like a straight-forward loss of a tempo, but things aren't so simple. It may well have been White's purpose to draw forward the h-pawn, weakening Black's K-side slightly, and creating a target for a later K-side attack. Returning to the centre, this bishop is well placed to intervene on either flank.



9... b4	The 'Tal' move, in a slightly different setting. This attack decoys the c3-Knight away from the defence of the e-pawn. Dangerous as it was in the Fischer-Tal game, it seems no less risky here, as we shall see...



10. Na4	'Knights on the rim are dim,' quoth the wiseacres. But in fact this Knight is not so badly placed here, as the sequel will show.



10... Nxe4	'The point.' Black wins a pawn. But check out Black's game right now. One piece developed, the rest all at home. White has all her minor pieces in play and, ready to castle short immediately, is only one move away from choosing to castle long.



11. Qe2	Expressing considerable interest in the e-file already, White is gearing up for operations in the centre and on the K-side. Planning to castle Q-side, she will be aiming to centralise both rooks. But such is White's lead in development, she could already have contemplated the thematic sacrifice at e6: 11.Nxe6!? ... and now [A] 11... fxe6 12.Nb6! Bb7 13.Nxa8 Bxa8 14.Bxe6; or [B] 11...Bxe6 12.Bd5! Nd7! -(Instead 12...Bxd5 13.Qxd5 and White has a strong attack going)- 13.Bxe4 Rc8. both lead to unclear positions with chances for both sides. Insofar as the sacrifice does not compromise White's chances, we might consider it to be sound enough.



11... d5	Shoring up the centre against the pressure to come, and hardening up the defences along the a2-g8 diagonal. This is costing time, though. as White completes her mobilization.



12. O-O-O Bb7	The point d5 looks well defended! The database shows a game 12...Nd7 that led to a quick draw after 13.Nxe6; but Black might also have contemplated 12...Bd7 here. White now outflanks the strong point.



13. Nxe6	[!] It had to come, and it had to be sooner rather than later. Everything is poised for an all out attack. But that is not to say Black Black is not ready to face this onslaught. Things have suddenly become very interesting! Should Black accept the sacrifice? In calling Black's reply a mistake, the GK engine offered this alternative with a near-even assessment: 13....fxe6 14.Qh5ch Ke7 -(I'll revisit this in my next note) 15.Bc5ch Nxc5 16.Nxc5 Qb6 17.Nxe6 Nc6 -(Not much improvement can be got from 17...Nd7 18.Rhe1 Nf6 19.Qf5)- 18.Nxf8 Raxf8 19.Qxd5 Kf6 20.Qe6ch Kg5 21.Rd5ch Kh4 - the limit of the engine's vision, and so it looked even. It isn't of course: fen="5r1r/1b4p1/pqn1Q2p/3R4/1p5k/1B6/PPP2PPP/2K4R w - -" (See comment) 22.Qh3#. From this it might appear that Black did well to leave the knight alone...
	3 comments archduke_piccolo (2332) on 18-Dec-13: Position after 13....fxe6 14.Qh5ch Ke7 ... 21...Kh4 The horizon effect led the GK engine to call this even. It isn't: 22.Qh3#! jotheblackqueen (1200) on 18-Dec-13: That is really one awesome king hunt! schakertje (1200) on 18-Jan-14: g3 is mate too =P . But how does the engine call this even? The other line with nd7 looked much better to me.


13... Qd6	[??] A disastrous move that leads to a swift collapse. It seems that Black ought indeed to have taken the Knight and then clung on in the face of White's assault: 13...fxe6! 14.Qh5ch Kd7! -(We surmise that the GK engine's choice ...Ke7 is insufficient, though that has yet to be definitively determined). At this point White might well fling everything into the assault: 15.Bxd5!? exd5 16.Rxd5ch Bxd5 17.Qxd5ch Nd6! -(any King move gets axed)- 18.Re1! ... -(the straight-forward 18.Qxa8 is playable, too, by the look)- 18...Be7 -(What else? Not 18...Nc6, that's for sure: 19.Nc5ch!)- 19.Qxa8. At this point White would be a piece behind still, but with so active a game could still fancy her winning chances. 'Fancying her chances' is however a far cry from the 'gimme' win White now obtains.
	2 comments damalfi (1200) on 18-Dec-13: After 14... Kd7, 15. f3. Nf6 (I have to look to Nd6), 16. Nb6+. =fen"rn1q1b1r/1b1k2p1/pN2pn1p/3p3Q/1p6/1B2BP2/PPP3PP/2KR3R b - -"; If black wants to play the exchange, QxNb6, will find the surprise 17. Qf7+, winning a queen for two knights, with attack. If Kd6, 17. Qf7 all the same. Other moves have similar answer: black is in a very cramped position. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 02-Jul-15: id=damalfi's comment with the fen corrected: After 14... Kd7, 15. f3. Nf6 (I have to look to Nd6), 16. Nb6+. If black wants to play the exchange, QxNb6, she will find the surprise 17.Qf7+, winning a queen for two knights, with attack. If ...Kd6, 17.Qf7 all the same. Other moves have similar answer: Black is in a very cramped position.


14. Nf4	The GK engine prefers 14.Nxf8, but this just as good.



14... g6	Already Black has no good defence. E.g. 14...d4 15.Rxd4 Qe5 16.Nd5 Nc5 17.f4 Nxb3ch 18.axb3 Qxd5, as suggested by the GK engine, still leaves Black miserably placed, her King stuck in the centre, and shedding material.



15. f3	In effect the e4-knight is pinned; for instance 15....Nf6 16.Bc5ch wins the Black Queen. Hopelessly placed, Black resigned.
	4 comments elyhim (1200) on 18-Dec-13: Wow, one of the best annotated games I have read all year! chicoboy (1281) on 18-Dec-13: an extra informative annotation indeed! theancientbeast (1382) on 18-Dec-13: I loved the annotation. I must agree with elyhim. Simply stellar. Not only was it well annotated, but it was played with such beauty...well done jo. theoretician (1743) on 19-Dec-13: Thank you fo excellent annotation! Good game too!