2. The Man who defeated Austria

1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 {Diagram [#] On a level of Elo 2300
and below the Four Knights is a very powerful weapon because you only rarely
meet the ambitious move 6.Ndb5 and all the rest, except for 6.Nxc6, gives Black
an instant equality. On 6.Nxc6, which happened in the game, Black should
be well prepared, but that's it. In the end, he will equalize there, too.
Below 2300 you will most likely meet moves such as 6.Be2,
6.Bg5, 6.g3, 6.Bc4?! or 6.Be3?! which give you an easy game - provided you did
a bit of homework, of course.} 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Nxd5 $2 ({White must play} 8.
Ne4 Qc7 9. f4 {with many sharp lines to follow, e.g} Qb6 10. c4 Bb4+ 11. Ke2 f5
12. Nf2 Ba6 13. Kf3 $13) 8... cxd5 9. Bd3 $2 {Diagram [#]} (9. Qd4 $11) 9...
Ba6 $2 {In the majority of cases it would a good idea to exchange White's
active bishop, but here it leaves Black's king a bit vulnerable in the center
(see lines below) and doesn't do anything to stop White's king from castling.
Instead of playing in such a stereotype way, I should have used my brain in
order to detect the weakness in my opponent's camp.} (9... Qc7 10. Qe2 (10. f4
Bc5 $15) (10. Bf4 Rb8 11. O-O Rxb2 12. Qf3 g6 13. Rfb1 Qc3 14. Qe3 Rb6 $15)
10... Bb4+ $1 {This prevents White from castling.} 11. Kf1 (11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12.
Kxd2 O-O $17) (11. c3 $4 Bxc3+) 11... Bc5 (11... d6 $4 12. Qg4 {[%cal Rg4g7,
Rg4b4]}) 12. c3 d6 {and Black's position is slightly more pleasant.}) 10. O-O (
10. Bxa6 $2 Qa5+) 10... Bxd3 11. Qxd3 d6 ({After} 11... Qc7 12. Bf4 Be7 13. Qg3
{my king would have to stay in the center for quite some time:} g6 (13... g5
14. Be3 (14. Bxg5 $2 Rg8 15. h4 h6) 14... Qxc2 15. f4) (13... O-O $2 14. Bh6)
14. Bh6 Qxc2 {and even though Black might be slightly better here, this is
the kind of position you don't want to have against a weaker opponent. Against
inferior players, you want to maintain control all the time! Let him
accumulate small mistakes bit by bit and kill himself. Respectively, your best
chance against stronger opponents is to complicate matters.}) 12. Bf4 Be7 {
Diagram [#]} 13. Rfe1 $2 {Here was the point mentioned earlier. White could
make use of Black's uncasteled king by playing actively:} (13. c4 O-O (13...
dxc4 14. Qxc4 d5 (14... O-O $4 15. exd6 Bxd6 16. Rfd1) 15. Qc6+ Kf8 16. Rac1
$36) 14. cxd5 dxe5 15. Bxe5 Qxd5 16. Qxd5 exd5 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. Rac1 $14) (13.
Qg3 dxe5 14. Bxe5 Bf6 15. c4 O-O (15... dxc4 $2 16. Rfd1 Qa5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18.
Rac1 Rc8 19. Rd4) 16. c5 $14) 13... O-O 14. Re3 dxe5 15. Bxe5 {Black has the
better pawn structure and intents to pressurize White's queen side pawns.
White's attacking potential on the king side can be easily neutralized.} Bf6 16.
Rh3 h6 17. Qc3 $2 {Diagram [#] After that, White will have to play a rook
ending with a crippled pawn structure.} (17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. c3 Rfc8 19. Re1 a5
$15 20. Ree3 $2 d4) 17... Rc8 18. Bxf6 Rxc3 19. Bxd8 Rxh3 20. gxh3 Rxd8 21. Kf1
Rb8 22. b3 $2 (22. Rb1) 22... Rc8 23. c4 (23. Rc1 $2 Rc3 $17) 23... dxc4 24.
Rc1 {Diagram [#] One distinction between human beings and computers is, that
humans have to resort to heuristics most of the time, whereas computers just
do the math. My heuristic approach looked likes this: If I play 24..c3 he
will march with his king to d3 and then capture my pawn. In case of an ensuing
rook exchange, I might end up in a pawn ending with him having a potential
remote passed pawn. Danger! Better forget about it!} Kf8 $2 {And this is how the
calculation a the computer looks like:} (24... c3 25. Ke2 Kh7 $1 26. Kd3 {
Diagram [#]} e5 $3 {Extremely crucial. This move wins the decisive tempo to
turn the pawn ending into a win for Black!} 27. b4 {White wants to save a
tempo by not taking immediately and retains the opportunity of not exchanging
rooks at all.} (27. Rxc3 e4+ {That's the point.} 28. Kd4 Rxc3 29. Kxc3 Kg6 30.
Kd4 (30. b4 Kf5 31. b5 Kf4 32. Kd2 Kf3 33. Ke1 e3 34. a4 exf2+ 35. Kf1 Ke4 36.
a5 Kd5 $19) 30... Kf5 31. Ke3 (31. b4 Kf4 32. b5 Kf3 33. a4 f5 34. a5 Kxf2 35.
b6 axb6 36. axb6 e3 37. b7 e2 38. b8=Q e1=Q $19) 31... Ke5 32. h4 h5 33. b4 f5
34. a4 f4+ 35. Ke2 Kd4 $19) 27... Kg6 28. Kc2 {Now White's rook is free again.}
(28. b5 Kf5 29. a4 Kf4 30. a5 Kf3 31. b6 e4+ 32. Kd4 axb6 33. axb6 c2 34. Kd5
e3 35. fxe3 Kxe3 36. b7 Rd8+ 37. Kc6 Kd2 $19) 28... Kf5 29. Rd1 Ke6 30. b5 (30.
h4 Rc4) 30... Rc4 31. Rd8 Rb4 32. Rb8 Rb2+ 33. Kxc3 Rxa2 34. Ra8 Rxf2 35. Rxa7
Kd6 36. Kb4 (36. Kc4 Rf4+) (36. h4 Kc5) 36... Rf4+ 37. Ka5 e4 38. Ra8 (38. b6
Rf1 39. b7 Rb1 40. Ka6 e3 41. Ra8 e2 42. Re8 Kc6 43. Ka5 e1=Q+ 44. Rxe1 Rxe1
45. b8=Q Ra1+ 46. Kb4 Rb1+ $19) 38... Rf2 39. Re8 Ra2+ 40. Kb4 f5 41. Kc3 Rxh2
$19) 25. bxc4 Ke7 $15 {Now, I have the edge, but certainly, my opponent
doesn't have to lose this position.} 26. Ke2 (26. Rc3 Rc5 (26... Kd6 27. Rd3+
Kc6 28. Ra3 Kb6 29. Rb3+) 27. Ra3 a5 28. Kg2 $15) (26. Rb1 $15) 26... Rb8 27.
Rc2 Rb1 $6 (27... Kd6) 28. Ke3 Kd6 29. Rd2+ Kc7 30. Kd4 Kc6 31. Rd3 Rb7 $2 (
31... Rh1) 32. Rb3 $6 (32. Ra3) 32... Rd7+ 33. Kc3 e5 34. Rb8 e4 35. Rc8+ Kb7
36. Re8 f5 {Diagram [#]} 37. Rf8 $2 {Clearing the square c4 for his kind would
have ensured him the draw.} (37. c5 $1 Rd3+ 38. Kc4 Rd2 39. Re7+ Kc8 40. Rxa7
Rxf2 41. Kd4 Rd2+ 42. Ke5 g6 (42... e3 $2 43. Kf4) 43. Re7 Rxa2 44. h4 h5 (
44... Rxh2 45. h5 $1 Kd8 (45... Rxh5 46. Kd6 $18) 46. Re6 Rxh5 47. Rxg6 e3 48.
Re6 Rg5 49. Kf4 $11) 45. Re6 (45. Rg7 $2 Ra6 $19) 45... Rg2 46. Kd4 Kd8 47. Ra6
Rg4 48. Rf6 Rxh4 49. Rxg6 Rxh2 50. Rg8+ Kc7 51. Rg7+ Kc6 52. Rg6+ Kd7 53. Rg7+
Kd8 54. Rg8+ Ke7 55. Ke5 e3 56. c6 Rc2 57. Rg7+ Kd8 58. Rd7+ Kc8 59. Re7 $11)
37... Rd3+ 38. Kb4 Rf3 39. Kc5 Rxf2 40. Rf7+ Ka6 41. Rxg7 $6 {I should also be
winning after} (41. Kd4 g5 {, but now it is very easy.}) 41... e3 42. Kd4 f4
43. Re7 e2 44. c5 f3 45. Re6+ Kb7 46. c6+ Kb6 47. a4 Rf1 48. a5+ Kc7 0-1