[Event "Bundesliga 2012-13"] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.02.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Van Delft, M."] [Black "Agopov, M."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B65"] [WhiteElo "2395"] [BlackElo "2427"] [Annotator "Van Delft"] [PlyCount "89"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 {I had prepared for three different Sicilians, but not for this one.} 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O O-O 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Kb1 $5 {This is a variation that I used to play with both colours.} ({I didn't play} 11. Bc4 {because of Jobava's} Rd8 {which I've never looked at.} (11... Bd7 {is the traditional main line.})) 11... Rd8 $1 {It's smart to hold back h6 for the moment.} (11... h6 12. h4 Rd8 ({With Black I used to play} 12... e5 {but this doesn't equalize either.}) 13. Bd3 Bd7 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Bc6 16. Qf4 $1 {This is the key move, giving White an advantage.} (16. Qe3 Ng4 17. Qg3 hxg5 18. hxg5 Qxe5 19. Qxg4 Qxg5 20. Qh3 {1/ 2-1/2 Van Delft-Wells, Amsterdam 2005, in view of} Qh6 21. Qg4 Qg5 {with a repetition of moves.}) 16... Nh5 17. Qg4 Rxd3 18. cxd3 $1 {The correct way of taking back.} hxg5 19. Qxh5 g6 20. Qe2 gxh4 21. d4 {and Black doesn't have full compensation for the exchange.}) 12. Qd2 $6 {I was looking forward to a sharp Sicilian middlegame, but this clumsy move allows a transition into the endgame, which is usually good news for Black in the Sicilian.} ({After the correct} 12. h4 $5 {Black should still hold back h6 with} Bd7 $1 {and only after} 13. Bd3 Bc6 14. Qe3 {Black plays} h6 $1 {and now} 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 { transposes to Van Delft-Wells above.}) 12... h6 $1 {Now this is well timed. After all other moves White gets the attacking position he wants, starting with Bd3, followed by pushing the pawns on the kingside.} 13. Bxf6 {Sad but true: with this typical tactical operation I need to get the queens off.} (13. h4 hxg5 14. hxg5 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Qxd2 16. Rxd2 d5 {is fine for Black.}) (13. Bh4 $2 Nxe4 $1 {and}) (13. Nd5 $2 Qxd2 14. Nxe7+ Kf8 15. Rxd2 hxg5 16. Nxc8 Raxc8 17. fxg5 Nxe4 {are even worse.}) 13... Bxf6 14. Nd5 Qxd2 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Rxd2 Kf8 17. Bd3 {This turns out to be the first new move.} ({The following top level game illustrates how this endgame can develop:} 17. Be2 Ke7 18. Rhd1 e5 19. b3 b6 20. Bc4 Bb7 21. Bd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Rd7 23. f5 Rg8 24. R1d2 Rg4 25. Re2 Rd8 26. Kb2 h5 27. c4 Rdg8 28. Rdd2 Rf4 29. Ka3 Kd7 30. Rd3 Kc6 31. h3 Rf1 32. Kb4 Rg1 33. Red2 Rd8 34. Re2 Rg8 35. Red2 Rd8 36. Re2 {1/2-1/2 Bologan-Alekseev, Skanderborg 2003}) 17... b6 (17... e5 {like in Bologan-Alekseev, is worth considering here as well.}) 18. Re1 $1 {When I saw the idea of bringing the rook to h5, I decided to go for it.} Bb7 19. Re3 Ke7 20. Rh3 Rh8 21. Rh5 {[#]Here the rook is well positioned. It stops a black minority attack based on h5-h4 and may even support a white minority attack on the other side of the board based on a4-a5.} d5 22. Re2 {Here I offered a draw, because Black can take twice on e4 and I thought that he would be comfortable in the rook endgame with his centralized king and central pawns. White doesn't have any real weaknesses though and the white rooks are active, so the position should be balanced.} d4 $2 {Possibly because of the situation on the other boards, my opponent decides to play on, but the text move is a remarkable positional mistake. With his last two moves Black has ruined his central control, White now has control over the e5 square and on top of that the d4 pawn tends to become weak. The white bishop may look optically bad, but in fact it's the best piece on the board, keeping White's position together and patiently waiting to be activated.} (22... dxe4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Rad8 25. Kc1 Rd7 {possibly followed by Kf8-g7 to free the other rook, looks balanced.}) 23. g4 $1 {Now I'm free to increase the pressure on the kingside.} Rac8 24. b4 $1 {Preventing the black rook from coming to c5.} Kf8 25. h3 {By defending the g4 pawn I can comfortably go e5 at any point, without running into Bf3.} Kg7 26. Kb2 Bc6 {Here my opponent offered a draw, but now I'm clearly better and can play for a win with no risk.} 27. Rf2 Rc7 28. h4 a5 $5 { An interesting attempt to create counterplay, but Black doesn't get full compensation for the pawn.} 29. bxa5 bxa5 30. Rxa5 Rb8+ 31. Kc1 Rcb7 32. g5 $1 {I can just start my own play on the other side of the board.} Rb1+ 33. Kd2 Rh1 34. Rc5 (34. f5 $1 {would have been strong here, since} e5 $2 35. gxf6+ Kxf6 36. Ra6 {loses a piece.}) 34... Ba8 35. Rc4 {After the d4 pawn is eliminated, the king has a safe square on c3.} Rd8 (35... Rxh4 36. gxf6+ Kxf6 37. e5+ Kg7 38. Rxd4 {leaves White a healty pawn up.}) 36. gxf6+ Kxf6 37. Rc7 {Still holding back e5, first taking away the e7 square from the black king.} Rxh4 38. e5+ {Finally the bishop comes alive, supporting the kingside attack.} Kg7 39. f5 exf5 (39... Bd5 40. f6+ Kf8 41. a4 {also wins for White. The e5 pawn is weak, but the f6 pawn is a real pain for Black.}) 40. e6 Bd5 41. e7 {Winning a rook.} ({Still} 41. Rxf7+ Kg8 42. Rd7 {is an easier win.}) 41... Rh8 42. Bb5 Re4 43. Re2 Kf6 44. Rxe4 fxe4 45. a4 1-0