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ANNOTATED GAME
Leningrad City Championship 1973
A. Shashin (2350) vs. Victor Korchnoi (2650)
Annotated by: tag1153
(1700)
Chess opening: Nimzo-Indian (E47), 4.e3 O-O, 5.Bd3
A. Shashin (2350) vs. Victor Korchnoi (2650)
Annotated by: tag1153
(1700)
Chess opening: Nimzo-Indian (E47), 4.e3 O-O, 5.Bd3
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1. d4 |
I'm a 1. d4 player. Always have been. Lately, I've been studying the Queen's and Nimzo Indian systems - and I ran across this game. I've never heard of this Sashin fellow, but the name Korchnoi cetainly caught my eye. I have come of the opinion that the strong GM types consider the Queen's and Nimzo Indian systems a little slow and boring (and most often drawish), but if it's good enough for Korchnoi it's good enough for me. Or so I thought......This is a wild game. Sashin plays solidly, and delivers an extremely subtle, but beautiful 23rd move which starts the fireworks. Korchnoi gets through the opening in solid position, and then goes totally nuts with a brutal attack during the middlegame (at one point delivering 11 consecutive checks!) which marches the white king all the way across the board. Then, just like THAT! - all of his initiative is gone, and Sashin's awesome 23rd move gem tells the tale of victory. Was it brilliant insight into the position? or was it just dumb luck? I don't know....but this IS a pretty game! As always, my meager analysis will be limited. I hope you enjoy:) | |||||
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1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O |
So far, standard Nimzo Indian play. White is most likely interested in kingside play, and black is looking to push on the queenside. | |||||
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5. Bd3 c5 |
! A very natural move in this position, but I give it the "!" all the same - it hits the center, clears c6 for the Nb8, and loudly announces to white that Korchnoi is ready to fight! | |||||
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6. Nf3 d5 |
Another natural move which, although it creates TONS of tactical possibilities, is very comfortable for black. | |||||
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7. O-O Nc6 |
And the "status quo" is achieved by both sides. | |||||
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8. a3 |
?! White forces black to make the first real commitment. The reason I give 8. a3 a "?!" is that although black's dark squared bishop is strong, it currently is only exerting influence on c3. Perhaps 8. Bd2 was better? It would develop and hit c3 as well. | |||||
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8... cxd4 |
!? Black aims for complications. It's about to get ugly. | |||||
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9. exd4 |
White doesn't panic, and makes the correct re-capture. All of his defenses are still in play. | |||||
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9... Bxc3 |
Black forgoes the bishop pair and continues to disrupt the queenside. | |||||
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10. bxc3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 |
And the smoke clears a bit. Both sides have roughly equal control of the center. White has the bishop pair and better developing space, but three pawn islands. Black is slightly weaker in development, but has good pawn structure and quicker access to the half open c and d files. | |||||
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11... Qa5 |
Forcing white to protect his backward c pawn. | |||||
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12. Bb2 e5 |
Korchnoi maintains the initiative, and strives to further punish white's backward c pawn by trying to make it isolated via an exchange on e5. | |||||
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13. Re1 |
Solid....prepares to own the e file while simultaneously threatening 14. dxe5. | |||||
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13... Bg4 |
Black develops his last piece with a nice little pin to boot. | |||||
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14. h3 |
! White correctly assesses that black's light squared bishop is just too powerful to be freely roaming about on all of those empty light squares, and aims to remove it - which will further enhance the power of his bishop pair. | |||||
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14... Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Rad8 |
While down the bishop pair, black has maintained initiative and now brings his heavy pieces into the action with a solid threat on d4. | |||||
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16. Ba2 |
As this bishop was unprotected, Shashin retreats it to safety while maintaining it's influence on f7. | |||||
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16... Rd7 |
Preparing to double up on the d file. | |||||
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17. Re2 |
Preparing to double up on the e file. | |||||
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17... Rfd8 18. Rae1 exd4 |
Once again, black strives to maintain the initiative he has grown to love. He is solidly positioned to start mixing it up. | |||||
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