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This week’s game is a win with the Winawer by the hero of Gibraltar, Nikita Vitiugov, who defeated Nigel Short to take first prize in the Gibraltar Masters earlier this month.
Inarkiev-Vitiugov; Moscow 2008; French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Ne7 7 Nf3 b6 Black intends … Ba6, exchanging off his bad bishop, that is restricted by its own central pawns. 8 Bb5+ Bd7 9 Bd3 Ba4 10 h4 h6 11 Bf4 Nbc6 12 h5 a6 Black now wants to exchange bishops on b5. 13 Qb1 Stopping the bishop exchange. The other way of trying to do so, 13 Qe2?? runs into 13 … c4. 13 … Qc7 14 0-0 Na5 15 Ra2 Rb8 16 Re1 Kd7 (see diagram 1) This is very adventurous play. 16 … 0‑0 is perfectly satisfactory. 17 Rb2 c4 18 Be2 Nac6 19 Qc1 b5 This is a typical part of the plan of pushing the queenside pawns, but it also shuts the bishop on a4 out of the game. 20 Nh2 a5 21 Ra2 A neat piece of prophylaxis against the advance … b5-b4. 21 … Qd8 22 Bg4 Qg8 The black queen heads for a post on h7. 23 Nf1 Kc7 24 Ne3 Kb7 25 Bh3 Nc8 26 Bg3 Nb6 27 f4 f5 28 Qd1 White loses the thread. 28 Bh4 was better. After the alternative 28 exf6 ep gxf6 29 Bh4 f5, Black is fine. The e6-pawn is easily defended, White’s f4-f5 advance has been killed forever, and his dark-squared bishop is now obstructed by his own pawn on f4. 28 … Ne7 29 Rf1 g5 30 hxg6 Nxg6 31 Bxf5 Inarkiev tries to force matters. Instead, 31 Kh2 h5 is still equal. 31 … exf5 32 Nxf5 Ka6 33 Qf3 h5 34 Ne3 h4 35 Bh2 h3 36 g4 Nh4 37 Qg3 Rb7 38 f5 Ng2 (see diagram 2) 39 g5 Losing at once. Correct was 39 Nxg2 hxg2 40 Rf2! Rbh7 41 Rxg2 Rh3 42 Qf4 Rxc3 when Black retains some advantage, but the position is still very unclear. 39 … Rh5 40 g6 Nxe3 41 Qxe3 Rf7 Now the white kingside pawn chain collapses. 42 f6 Qxg6+ 43 Bg3 h2+ 44 Kh1 Rh3 45 Rf3 Bxc2 White resigns
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