(1) Concha - Morss [D31]
1997 U.S. Absolute

My opponent in this game was Hugo Concha of Sunrise, Florida.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bb4 6.e3 b5 7.Bd2 a5 8.axb5 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 cxb5 10.b3 Bb7 11.bxc4 b4 12.Bb2 Nf6 13.Bd3 Nbd7 14.0-0 0-0 15.Re1 Re8 16.c5 Bc6 17.Bc2

The availability of this strong redeployment is one benefit of avoiding an early Qc2. Black must fight hard for equality.

17...Qc7 leads to difficulties for Black after 18.e4! Qb7

A) Beim-Kniest, Swarzach 1997, saw 19.e5

A1) essential was 19...Bxf3 20.Qxf3 (even better for Black is 20.gxf3 Nd5 21.Qd3 f5) 20...Qxf3 21.gxf3 Nd5 22.Ba4 Red8 and the game is difficult, but I suspect it's about even;

A2) 19...Nd5 was played, and the game continued 20.Nd2 f5 21.exf6 N5xf6 22.Nc4! with considerable advantage to White;

B) 19.Nd2! looks best to me.

B1) 19...b3 20.Bd3 a4 21.Nc4 Red8 (21...a3? 22.Bxa3 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Bxe4 24.Nd6) 22.Qf3 looks good for White;

B2) 19...Red8 20.Nc4 Nxc5 21.Nxa5 and White's mobile pawn center and two bishops confer substantial advantage.

18.Re2

18.Ba4 Qc7 19.Bxc6 (19.Nd2 Bxa4 20.Rxa4 Ndxc5! 21.dxc5 Rad8 22.Bd4 Nxd2 23.Qxd2 e5 was good for Black in Piket-Ivanchuk, Amber blindfold, 1999 ) 19...Qxc6 20.Qa4 Rec8 21.Qxc6 Rxc6 gave White a slight advantage in Sakaev-Popov, St Petersburg 1999; 18.Qb1 f5 19.Qd1 Qc7 20.Nh4 g5 21.d5 gxh4? (21...Ndxc5) 22.Bxe4 and White was winning in Tyomkin-Kluth, Hamburg 1999.

18...Qc7 19.Nd2

This position was agreed drawn between two GMs in Ionov-Popov, St. Petersburg Championship, 1998. But plenty of play remains.

19...Nxd2 20.Rxd2 Nf6 21.f3 Bb5

More active and very complicated is 21...Nd5

But it is still no picnic for Black:

A) 22.Qe2 a4 23.Qd3 is unclear, for example 23...f5 24.e4 Nf4 25.Qe3;

B) 22.Re2 Bb5 23.Re1

B1) 23...e5?! (this opens the game too much for White's bishops) 24.Be4 Rad8 25.Qc2 Nf6 26.Bf5 Bd7 (similar is 26...exd4 27.Bxd4) 27.Bd3 exd4 28.Bxd4;

B2) 23...Red8 24.Bb3 (24.f4!? Bc6!) 24...Qc6 25.Ba4 Bxa4 26.Qxa4 Qxa4 27.Rxa4 Ne7! 28.Rea1 Nc6 29.Kf2 e5

Analysis position after 29...e5

This resembles the game, but Black's defense is aided by the quick appearance of the knight on c6.;

C) 22.Qe1 a4 23.Qh4 h6 24.e4

Here I think Black obtains good counterplay with 24...Ne3!? 25.Bd3 a3 26.Re1 (26.Bc1 Qd7 is good for Black; so is 26.Kf2 e5!) 26...axb2 27.Rxb2 e5 28.Rxe3 exd4.

22.Ba4 Bxa4

More precise was 22...Qc6 23.e4 Rec8 24.Bxb5 Qxb5 25.Qa4 Qxa4 26.Rxa4 Nd7

A) 27.Rc2 Nb6 28.Ra1 a4

A1) 29.cxb6? Rxc2 30.b7 (30.Rxa4 Rxa4 31.b7 h6 32.b8Q+ Kh7) 30...Rb8 31.Rxa4 Rc7;

A2) 29.Rac1 Nd7 and Black has the more threatening pawns;

B) 27.Rd1 e5 and Black is a tempo up on the game continuation.

23.Qxa4 Rec8 24.Rc2 Qc6 25.e4 Qxa4 26.Rxa4 Nd7 27.Rc1 Rc6

It seems to me now that 27...e5 was better: 28.c6 (during the game, this looked pretty dangerous, and I neglected to look further) 28...Nb6 29.Raa1 (29.Ra2 exd4 30.Bxd4 Ra6 is the same) 29...exd4 30.Bxd4 Ra6 31.Bxb6 Rxb6 32.Rxa5 Kf8 33.c7 b3 34.Ra7 b2 35.Rb1

Black has a theoretical draw after the exchange of queenside pawns.

28.Rca1 Rca6 29.Kf2 e5 30.Ke3 exd4+ 31.Kxd4

Black is under a great deal of pressure. In context of White's active king, White's passed c-pawn is much more dangerous than Black's passed a- and b-pawns.

31...f6 32.Kc4 R8a7 33.f4

33.Kb5 makes no progress because of 33...Rb7+ 34.Kc4 (34.Kxa6? Nxc5+ 35.Kxa5 Nb3+ 36.Ka6 Nc5+ is perpetual) 34...Rba7

33...Kf7 34.g4

White simply puts on the squeeze. Eventually he will have the option of opening a file on the kingside and shifting his a1 rook there, or possibly pentrating to d6.

34...Ra8 35.f5

35.Kb5 Re6 and Black defends easily.

35...R6a7 36.h4

36.g5!? fxg5 (36...Ke7 37.Bd4) 37.e5 Kf8! (37...Ke7 38.Bd4 Nb8 39.Rg1 and White is much better) 38.Bd4 Nb8 39.c6 Nxc6 40.Bxa7 Rxa7

Whether White can win from here is unclear to me.

36...Re8 37.Rxa5 Rxe4+ 38.Kb5

Similar is 38.Kd5 Rxa5 39.Rxa5 Rxg4 40.Rb5 (40.Ra7 Ke8 41.c6 Nb6+ 42.Kc5 Nc8; 40.c6 Nb6+ 41.Kc5 Nc8) 40...Nxc5! 41.Kxc5 Rxh4 42.Rb7+ Kg8.

38...Rxa5+ 39.Rxa5

39...Nxc5! 40.Ra7+ Kg8 41.Ra8+

41.Kxc5 Rxg4 42.h5 Rh4 (42...Rf4 43.Kd5 Rxf5+? 44.Ke6 and White wins) 43.Kd6 Rxh5 (43...h6 is also playable) 44.Ke6 h6

It's difficult to see how White can conquer Black's fortress.

A) 45.Bxf6 gxf6 46.Kxf6 Rg5 is a draw;

B) 45.Rb7 Rh2 (45...Rh4? 46.Rxg7+) 46.Bd4 Re2+;

C) 45.Ra8+ Kh7 46.Rb8 Rh4 47.Rb7 Rc4.

41...Kf7 42.Ra7+ 1/2-1/2