Annotated chess game: Rublevsky Game #2

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ANNOTATED GAME

Rublevsky Game #2
Rublevsky (2657) vs. Chepukaitis (2417)
Annotated by: raskerino (1841)
Chess opening: Norwegian defence (B06)

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1. e4

Here's a second powerful game from Rublevsky. In this game he creates holes by sacrificing against black's lack of development and lack of space. I recommend playing the game out on a board so that the variations can be analyzed.

1... g6

The modern defense.

2. d4 d6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bg5

A slightly odd move, but reasonable, it pins down the e7 pawn, prepares Qd2 and Bh6 (which never happens in this game) and incites black to make the weakening move ...h6.

4... h6

Black obliges, and tries to push off the pesky bishop.

5. Bh4 a6

I dislike this move (though it's probably book), while ...b5 expansion seems reasonable, I prefer either ...c6 to prepare ...b5 while also aiming at the center or ...Nf6 with standard pirc development.

6. Nf3 Nd7 7. a4

In order to cramp black's kingside.

7... b6 8. Bc4

White's got great development, has stopped black from getting queenside play and has a wonderful center.

8... g5

?? A very strange move to make when black is two moves down in development, has less space and spent the previous turn preparing to play ...Bb7. A player like me probably wouldn't be able to exploit this as effectively, but while black's knight is on d7, he's lost the bishop's control of e6, with black's pawns on h6 and g6 he's lost control of the light squares around his king. While this game doesn't attack the light squares quite as thematically as Rublevsky game #1 attacked the dark squares, this attack is based once again about the weaknesses in black's game.

9. Bxg5

! White wins the g5 square, which in turn causes the f7 square to look very weak.

9... hxg5 10. Bxf7+

! Another great strike, the black king is drawn into the opening and due to control of g5 white attacks him easily.

10... Kxf7 11. Nxg5+ Kg6

What are the alternatives? 11... Ke8 12.Ne6! (utilizing another light square weakness) traps the queen, against 11... Kf8 12.Ne6 forks king and queen, 11... Kf6 and I think the strongest move is 12.Qg4!! threatening Qf5# and Nd5 followed by Ne6( ) among other things, here's three sample lines: a) 12... Nf8 13.Ne6 Kf7 14.Nxd8 wins a queen. b) 12... e6 13.Nd5 ! exd5 14.Qf5 Ke7 15.Qf7# c) 12... Bf8 13.Qf5 Kg7 14.Ne6 Kh6 15.Qh3 (white has mate, why win the queen?) 15... Kg6 16.Nf4 ! and white will check play Qg6# no matter what black does with his king.

12. Ne6

! How does black save his queen? ... he doesn't.

12... Nh6

If black tries to save his queen with 12... Qe8 then he gets mated by 13.Qg4 Kf7 (if he goes to the h file 13... Kh6 14.Qxg7 Kh5 15.Qg5#) 14.Qxg7 Kxe6 15.d5#. The queen is gone...

13. Nd5

!! Once again, white is not forced to take the queen! Now the knight enters the attack.

13... Nf6

Once again, the black queen couldn't be saved: 13... Qg8 (or 13... Qe8, it doesn't matter) 14.Qh5 !! a spectacular queen sacrifice Kxh5 15.Ndf4 ! the knights cover the escape squares perfectly, and the king is forced to advance even further 15... Kh4 (15... Kg4 16.f3 Kh4 17.g3#) 16.g3 Kg4 17.h3 Kf4 18.Ng5#.

14. Nxd8

Finally the queen is taken, but white has managed to bring an extra knight into the game.

14... Rxd8 15. Nxe7+ Kf7 16. Nxc8 Rdxc8

And white has a nice material advantage and a solid game. Black should resign, but the rest of the game is still enjoyable. I'm going to skip over the next few moves.

17. f3 Nhg8 18. c3 c5 19. Qb3+ Kg6 20. O-O Rab8 21. Qe6 Kh7 22. e5 Ne8 23. f4

White has managed to gain a lot of space in the last 6 moves and black has been pushed even farther back.

23... Nc7

Black's willing to give up another pawn just to get on of his pieces off the back rank, but white doesn't take it.

24. Qf5+ Kh8 25. Rf3

A very powerful rook lift that prepares to shuttle to the h file.

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