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ANNOTATED GAME
Shirov #1: Shabalov Attack
Shirov (2720?) vs. Thorhallsson (2450)
Annotated by: raskerino (1841)
Chess opening: QGD Slav defence, Alekhine variation (D10)
Shirov (2720?) vs. Thorhallsson (2450)
Annotated by: raskerino (1841)
Chess opening: QGD Slav defence, Alekhine variation (D10)
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This game took place in Reykjavik in 1992 between the incredible attacker Shirov (who is Latvian like Tal! They've done a lot of analysis together) and a GM from Iceland. It features the Shabalov attack, which like the Botvinnik (see my previously analyzed games) is a fearless and wild way to try to storm the semi-slav. I will primarily try to explain ideas and plans instead of lots of variations, though there will be some of those too. My analysis is not aided by computers and if people have thoughts I'd love to hear them. | ||||||
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1. d4 |
This game took place in Reykjavik in 1992 between the incredible attacker Shirov (who is Latvian like Tal! They've done a lot of analysis together) and a GM from Iceland. It features the Shabalov attack, which like the Botvinnik (see my previously analyzed games) is a fearless and wild way to try to storm the semi-slav. I will primarily try to explain ideas and plans instead of lots of variations, though there will be some of those too. My analysis is not aided by computers and if people have thoughts I'd love to hear them. | |||||
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1... d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 |
Initiating the semi-slav, a popular opening at the GM level, and I know a bunch of 1800-2000 guys who play it. | |||||
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5. e3 |
This is the meran. Generally I prefer the botvinnik as 5.Bg5 is a much more explosive, dangerous move, and it seems more natural to put the bishop outside of the pawn chain. However in the Shabalov attack white attempts to put a pawn on g5 and storm the kingside. Such aggresive ideas demand a kind of bloody-minded respect. | |||||
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5... Nbd7 |
the natural square for the knight, once the defensive pawn takes the c6 square. | |||||
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6. Qc2 |
White's last preparatory move before he begins his wild storm. The queen does an excellent job eyeing both black's kingside and the c file from here. | |||||
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6... Bd6 7. g4 |
7.g4!?? I'll give the reader a moment to let this move sink in... Hundreds of years ago players used to play things like king's gambit sacrificing the f pawn, modern GMs have moved on to sacrificing the g pawn. The idea behind this frightening pawn push is either to gain a half open g file (even the h file after 7... Nxg4 8.Rg1 Nxh2) or to push the pawn to g5 where it drives away black's best piece, the knight on f6. | |||||
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7... O-O |
I'm not sure if I would call this move brave... or foolhardy. Black (by choice) steps into white's attack. To me this move looks like walking, no, running right into the attack. | |||||
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8. g5 |
The obvious point. | |||||
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8... Nh5 |
There's not much choice, 8... Ne8 looks awful and 8... Ng4 loses to the simple 9.h3 (the knight's trapped). | |||||
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9. Bd2 |
White decides to finish development. | |||||
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9... f5 |
Black tries to shut down Shirov's powerful b1-h7 diagonal. | |||||
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10. gxf6 e.p. |
Shirov lets the knight come back into the game for the sake of re-opening the diagonal. | |||||
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10... Nhxf6 |
The knight is back on it's square of f6... but the g file is now open! | |||||
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11. Ng5 |
White sends the knight charging forward, he make the decision that the g file isn't immediately important (11.Rg1 doesn't create any instantaneous threats) and that it's move important to build on h7 while making a target out of the backwards pawn on e6. | |||||
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11... Qe8 |
The best defense of e6. The queen covers the kingside via f7, g6 and h5. 11...Nb6 having the bishop cover e6 would be weaker as black needs every piece for kingside defense he can get. | |||||
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12. O-O-O |
Opposite side castling normally signifies a race to massacre the other's king... in the game black is already so far behind in such a race that it's a completely one sided race. | |||||
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12... h6 |
A knee-jerk response to the pressure. Black wants to kick out the pesky knight, but he creates some huge light squared holes in doing so. For the moment his queen defends some of the holes but white can add pressure. | |||||
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13. h4 |
An excellent move. White decides to open the h file at the cost of a knight. | |||||
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13... Bb4 |
Black chooses not to take 13... hxg5 14.hxg5 when either black gives back the knight or white wins the h7 square. Instead black tries to trade down, hoping to defuse the attack. This plan is unsuccessful because he isn't trading white's attacking pieces, merely a queenside knight. Apparently Thorhallsson spent a huge amount of time on this move and he couldn't find an adequate defense to 13.h4. | |||||
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14. Bd3 |
White builds against black's weak light squares. | |||||
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