Skype coaching session, 04 June 2017. 

Please note: Re-structuring of the sessions now offers the option for guests to bring their own games for group discussion. 

Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at: 

http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm
 
The following game was examined, the games 61 moves is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

*  *  * 

Annotated game. 

White: E. Romanov, 2573. 
Black: I. Nepomniachtchi, 2705. 
Event: European Club Cup 2015. 
Result: 1/2-1/2 in 61 moves. 
Opening: Gruenfeld Defence, Exchange Variation, Nadanian Attack, D85. 

1. d4 Nf6 
2. c4 g6 
3. Nc3 d5 
4. Nf3 

| White still intends to play the Nadanian Attack, but chooses to take some control over the e5 square to prevent the tactical variation examined in the game, N. Dzagnidze - R. Danielmeier, in the coaching session of 21 May 2017. || 

4. ... Bg7 
5. cxd5 Nxd5 
6. Na4 Nb6 
7. e4 Bg4 

| Black pins the white f3 knight which means the d4 pawn is now doubly attacked and only singly defended. || 

8. Be3 O-O 
9. Nc5 

| White is seeking material in preference to development. 
This style of play can put one on the defensive for the small gain of a pawn. 
Those not interested in giving the opponent the initiative should instead choose, 9. Be2, and be content with having a couple of pawns in the centre. || 

9. ... Nc6 

| Black is ready to join in with the fun. 
Instead, 9. ... Qc8, defends the b7 pawn. || 

10. Nxb7 Qb8 

| Over the next three moves both players keep choosing the most popular moves in the limited database consulted for these sessions. 
Other moves have been tried, but the handful of games is insufficient to offer judgement on their safety or otherwise. 
Opportunities to vary from this session game are available for anyone willing to make independent investigations. || 

11. Ba6 Nb4 
12. Nc5 Nxa6 
13. Nxa6 Qc8 
14. Qe2 

| So white has snaffled a pawn at the cost of the bishop pair in a position full of imbalance. 
Black is going to have activity and pressure, white must find coordination to consolidate the position. || 

14. ... Rd8 

| Recurrent theme - The white d4 pawn is again doubly attacked and only singly defended due to the pin on the white f3 knight. || 

15. e5 

| Instead, 15. d5, allows black to show how the white queen is overloaded with, 15. ... Bxf3 16. gxf3 Bxb2 17. Qxb2 Qxa6, and white might be advised to seek a queen trade with, 18. Qe2. || 

15. ... f6 

| Black immediately challenges the white centre which again threatens to regain a pawn. || 

16. Nb4 

| A neat touch, white is using tactics to remain a pawn up. || 

16. ... fxe5 
17. Nc6 Rd7 
18. dxe5 Qb7 

| The start of pressure up the a8 - h1 diagonal. || 

19. h3 Bf5 

| Black avoids, 19. ... Qxc6 20. hxg4, when white might generate some play up the semi-open h-file. || 

20. Nfd4 Be4 

| And now the black light square bishop is increasing the pressure on the a8 - h1 diagonal, both the white c6 knight and g2 pawn are in danger. 
It appears black is about to regain some material with prospects of keeping the initiative into the bargain. || 

21. Rc1 Bxg2 
22. Rg1 

| What is this? 
Surely white is overlooking the unprotected status of the h3 pawn? || 

22. ... Bxc6 

| The greedy, 22. ... Bxh3, falls into the trap of, 23. Qf3, attacking the unprotected black h3 bishop. 
If then, 23. ... Bf5, white crushes black with, 24. Nxe7+ Rxe7 25. Qxb7, demonstrating that x-ray attacks combined with loose pieces must be given the full respect they deserve. || 

23. Nxc6 e6 

| White seems to be split into two halves. 
The c1 rook must keep guard on the c6 knight which must remain where it is in order to limit the scope of the black b7 queen. 
So the only option for play for white is on the kingside, and the only unit which can influence matters is the h3 pawn. || 

24. h4 Nd5 

| Black wants to eliminate the white e3 bishop while also giving the skulking b7 queen some possible action on the b-file. || 

25. h5 Nxe3 
26. fxe3 

| Instead, 26. Qxe3, trying to keep the pawn formation intact, simply allows, 26. ... Qxb2, and black is much better. || 

26. ... gxh5 

| Somewhat counter-intuitive, giving the opponent a semi-open file and also entering into a pin on the g7 bishop. 
But how can white exploit the g-file? 
In order to win the g7 bishop there must be a total of three white attackers, this is very difficult to organise. 
So black decides that it is simplest to keep a couple of h-pawns and force white to round them up later. || 

27. b3 Qb6 

| Black brings some pressure to bear on the white e3 pawn, the white queen is now turned into a defender while the black queen is still free to roam wherever safety allows. || 

28. Rc3 Rf8 
29. Qxh5 Qb5 

| Black plans to double rooks on the f-file which will then have a very strong threat of, Rf1+. 
This potential black invasion is too powerful to be allowed and white responds appropriately. || 

30. Qe2 Qxe2+ 
31. Kxe2 Rf5 

| Pressure is placed on the white e5 pawn so should white capture, Nxa7, then in return the white e5 pawn will fall. || 

32. Rd3 

| The only region where white will find any play is on the queenside, so the black control of the d-file needs to be challenged and removed. || 

32. ... Rxd3 

| Black had to avoid, 32. ... Rdf7, when, 33. Rd8+ Rf8 34. Ne7+ Kh8 35. Nxf5 Rxd8 36. Rxg7 exf5 37. Rxc7, when white has all the winning chances due to a powerful 7th rank rook plus having a king who can join the attack while the black king is trapped on his back rank. 
An alternative line of, 32. ... Rdf7 33. Rd8+ Rf8 34. Ne7+ Kf7 35. Rxf8+ Kxf8 36. Nxf5 exf5, leaves black an exchange down and almost certainly losing. || 

33. Kxd3 Kf8 

| This finally releases the pin on the g7 bishop which means the white e5 pawn is now about to fall. || 

34. Nxa7 Rxe5 

| An opposite wing race involving passed pawns has arisen. 
Black has the more problems to solve because his forces must work to get queenside while the white king and knight are almost ready to work together. 
There is also the very long term factor that the black bishop and h-pawn are the infamous Impotent Pair, which gives white the opportunity to lose the knight somewhere along the way for the black c-pawn and e-pawn while still keeping chances of a draw in hand. || 

35. a4 h5 
36. b4 

| This pawn move takes control of the c5 square, meaning the white knight can retreat to the c6 square and not be chased away with a replying, Rc5. || 

36. ... Bh6 

| The bishop is seeking a means of transferring itself over to the queenside. || 

37. e4 h4 
38. Nc6 

| the knight vacates the a-file, the white passed a4 pawn is looking very dangerous now, and none of the black pieces seem capable of preventing it from advancing all the way. || 

38. ... Rg5 

| Giving white an interesting puzzle to solve, that is whether to trade rooks or keep them in play. || 

39. Rh1 

| That was an awkward moment for white. 
There was only two moves to reach the time-control and the opportunity to remove rooks to enter a knight versus bishop endgame was on offer. 
Should white have traded or backed off? 
there might have only been minutes to make the decision. 
Fritz could confuse you with reams of analysis, sheer number-crunching of course, but nevertheless arrive at a satisfactory assessment. 
Aging bio-organic Grand Rabbit can manage a few lines of analysis here and there, perhaps some long-term considerations of knight versus bishop manoeuvring, plus some ideas of kings wandering for important defensive purposes, but no definitive judgement can be pronounced. 
Ultimately it comes down to gut feeling based on experience gained during play combined with studying master games like this one. 

There is no obvious positional factor immediately available to influence the decision. 
So perhaps an initial quick calculation on the post-trade pawn race might assist? 
It goes, 39. Rxg5 Bxg5 40. a5 h3 41. a6 h2 42. a7 h1=Q 43. a8=Q+, and despite white managing to give the first queen check, after, 43. ... Kg7, it will be the white king who will need to find shelter from the attentions of the black queen and bishop, not particularly inviting. 
Ah but hang on there, surely the mutual promotion of queens is only an option to be accepted or rejected, isn't it? 
After, 39. Rxg5 Bxg5 40. Ke2, the white king shuffles into, "The Square", of the advancing black h-pawn. 
Black would be strongly advised to do similar with, 40. ... Ke8, after which both kings will be tied down to preventing promotion of a pawn until their minor piece contributes in some way. 
And just what could each minor piece actually do? 
The white knight can prod and probe, aiming at anything black possesses in the centre / kingside. 
The black bishop can only hit out at pawns on dark squares, but in actuality is more likely going to be tied down to defending the h-pawn in some way. 
The white knight has much the greater flexibility, but if it deserts the queenside then black can use king and c-pawn to liquidate all queenside pawns, though this is only achievable at considerable cost of tempi. 
In that instance, it will come down to the location of the kings when all that remains on the board will be on the e-file. 
Good luck in calculating the forest of complications leading to such a scenario. 

In practical terms with the game move of, 39. Rh1, white is relying on having an active king, knight and passed a-pawn creating queenside problems while the rook tries to restrain the black passed h-pawn. || 

39. ... Rg3+ 
40. Kc4 Rg4 

| White is at a crossroads. 
There is the obvious, 41. Kd3 Rg3+ 42. Kc4 Rg4, with a draw by repetition in mind. 
This gives white the opportunity to search long and hard about playing for a win with the a-pawn. 
If using the a-pawn looks good then go for it, but if it seems too risky, then simply allow the repetition. || 

41. a5 Rxe4+ 
42. Kb5 Be3 

| Hooray!, the black Gruenfeld fianchetto bishop finally finds something important to do. 
The white a-pawn will eventually arrive on the a7 square and dutiful to the end, the bishop will give itself up for that pawn. 
On a different matter, you might wish to ask yourselves why the black king seems to be making no effort to counter the white queenside activity. || 

43. a6 

| White must resist pinning the black e3 bishop with, 43. Re1, as this releases the black h4 pawn to run with, 43. ... h3, after which, 44. a6 h2 45. a7 Bxa7 46. Rxe4 h1=Q, leaving white to wonder if, 47. Rxe6, is safe or if the rook will be picked off by the black queen. 
Even if white can snatch the black e6 pawn, simply, 47. ... Bb6, safeguards the black c7 pawn, and everything suggests the material imbalance will strongly favour black here. 
An alternative line runs, 43. Re1 h3 44. a6 h2 45. a7 Bxa7 46. Rxe4 h1=Q 47. Rf4+ Kg7 48. Nxa7 Qb7+, and white loses the a7 knight, black is easily winning here. || 

43. ... Rf4 

| Black escapes a possible, Re1, pin which would now be dangerous as the white pawn is a square closer to promotion. || 

44. a7 Bxa7 
45. Nxa7 

| And now that the threat has been executed, what plan does white have? || 

45. ... Kg7 

| Charge!, sort of. 
The black king might seem a long way from influencing the kingside, but once he gets within touching distance of the h4 pawn, white will have headaches. || 

46. Nc6 

| Over-protection alert. 
The white knight now backwardly guards the white b4 pawn, meaning the white king is now released for attacking ideas. || 

46. ... Kh6 
47. Ka6 Kh5 

| The black king arrives just in time to protect the h4 pawn, meaning the f4 rook is now released for alternate duties as appropriate. || 

48. Kb7 Rf7 
49. b5 Rf5 

| A nice touch. 
If the remaining white pawn is eliminated then the only player with any winning chances will be black, though white should have sufficient resources to draw, with the final resort of holding a position lacking pawns with white knight versus black rook being a possibility. || 

50. Rb1 

| Instead, 50. Na7 Rc5, black simultaneously attacks the white b4 pawn while protecting the c7 pawn. 
Matters would then shift kingside for the black king to assist the advancement and promotion of the h-pawn, white would be losing. || 

50. ... h3 

| If black wants to keep winning chances alive then it is necessary to accept complications. 
Instead trying to hold the c7 pawn with, 50. ... Rf7, will be met with similar restraint-mode from white with, 51. Rb3. 
It would then be up to the black king to try to escort the h-pawn through with a few ideas as follows: 
(A). If,51. ... Kg4 52. Rb4+ Kh5 53. Rb3, gets nowhere fast. 
(B). Or if, 51. ... Kg4 52. Rb4+ Rf4 53. Rb1 Rf7 54. Rb4+, no progress is being made. 
(C). Or if white simplifies the game, 51. ... Kg4 52. Rb4+ Rf4 53. Rxf4+ Kxf4 54. Kxc7 h3 55. b6 h2 56. b7 h1=Q 57. b8=Q, which should be drawn despite the extra knight for white. 
(D). Or if white simplifies but gets over-optimistic, 51. ... Kg4 52. Rb4+ Rf4 53. Rxf4+ Kxf4 54. Nd4 h3 55. Ne2+ Kg4, black now wins because, 56. Ng1 h2, the white knight has failed to prevent promotion. || 

51. Kxc7 h2 
52. b6 

| Instead, 52. Rh1 Rxb5, just gives up the chase because an eventual rook and knight versus rook ending is only a win in extreme circumstances, such as where the defending king is trapped in a corner with the attacking forces closing in. || 

52. ... Rf7+ 

| Setting up ideas of a mutual rook-loss scheme, supported advanced passed pawns come with expensive price tags. || 

53. Kc8 Kh4 
54. Nd4 

| White chooses to avoid the obvious and weaves one last complication into the game. 
Instead the immediate materialistic, 54. b7 Rxb7 55. Kxb7 Kh3 56. Nd4 Kg2 57. Rb2+ Kh3, and white must immediately guard the h1 promotion square with, Rb1, or keep repeating the rook checks on the b-file, the combined activity of the black king with h-pawn ensures the draw despite being two pieces down. 
Vigilance in apparently simple positions is vital as shown by, 54. b7 Rxb7 55. Kxb7 Kh3 56. Nd4 Kg2 57. Rb2+, when black can go horribly wrong in four ways: 
(A). If, 57. ... Kg1 58. Nf3+ Kh1 59. Rxh2+ mate. 
(B). Or if, 57. ... Kg1 58. Nf3+ Kf1 59. Nxh2+, white easily wins. 
(C). Or if, 57. Kh1 58. Nf3, would be stalemate if black did not have the e-pawn, but it exists allowing, 58. ... e5 59. Rxh2+ mate. 
(D). Or if, 57. ... Kg3 58. Ne2+, and black has allowed unnecessary complications when the road to the draw seems to be available but demands quite some ingenuity, let finding the resourceful attack for black be your homework for this lesson. || 

54. ... e5 
55. Ne2 

| White plans posting the knight on the g3 square where it guards the h1 promotion square, it seems as if that black passed h-pawn might not cost white a rook after all, right? || 

55. ... Kh3 
56. Rb3+ Kg2 
57. Ng3 

| Has black any saving resource here, or is it time to resign? || 

57. ... Rg7 
58. b7 

| Black must find this next move or the game is over. || 

58. ... Rxg3 
59. Rxg3+ 

| White avoids, 59. b8=Q Rg8+ 60. Kc7 Rxb8 61. Kxc8 h1=Q, and black has a relatively simple win. || 

59. ... Kxg3 
60. b8=Q h1=Q 
61. Qxe5+ 
Draw, 1/2-1/2 

*  *  * 

## Unannotated game. 

White: E. Romanov, 2573. 
Black: I. Nepomniachtchi, 2705. 
Event: European Club Cup 2015. 
Result: 1/2-1/2 in 61 moves. 
Opening: Gruenfeld Defence, Exchange Variation, Nadanian Attack, D85. 

1. d4 Nf6 
2. c4 g6 
3. Nc3 d5 
4. Nf3 Bg7 
5. cxd5 Nxd5 
6. Na4 Nb6 
7. e4 Bg4 
8. Be3 O-O 
9. Nc5 Nc6 
10. Nxb7 Qb8 
11. Ba6 Nb4 
12. Nc5 Nxa6 
13. Nxa6 Qc8 
14. Qe2 Rd8 
15. e5 f6 
16. Nb4 fxe5 
17. Nc6 Rd7 
18. dxe5 Qb7 
19. h3 Bf5 
20. Nfd4 Be4 
21. Rc1 Bxg2 
22. Rg1 Bxc6 
23. Nxc6 e6 
24. h4 Nd5 
25. h5 Nxe3 
26. fxe3 gxh5 
27. b3 Qb6 
28. Rc3 Rf8 
29. Qxh5 Qb5 
30. Qe2 Qxe2+ 
31. Kxe2 Rf5 
32. Rd3 Rxd3 
33. Kxd3 Kf8 
34. Nxa7 Rxe5 
35. a4 h5 
36. b4 Bh6 
37. e4 h4 
38. Nc6 Rg5 
39. Rh1 Rg3+ 
40. Kc4 Rg4 
41. a5 Rxe4+ 
42. Kb5 Be3 
43. a6 Rf4 
44. a7 Bxa7 
45. Nxa7 Kg7 
46. Nc6 Kh6 
47. Ka6 Kh5 
48. Kb7 Rf7 
49. b5 Rf5 
50. Rb1 h3 
51. Kxc7 h2 
52. b6 Rf7+ 
53. Kc8 Kh4 
54. Nd4 e5 
55. Ne2 Kh3 
56. Rb3+ Kg2 
57. Ng3 Rg7 
58. b7 Rxg3 
59. Rxg3+ Kxg3 
60. b8=Q h1=Q 
61. Qxe5+ 
Draw, 1/2-1/2 

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