B16 Caro-Kann: Bronstein-Larsen Variation (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6 6.Nf3 Bf5 7.Bd3 Bg6 8.Bf4 e6 9.O-O)

With this game I am going back to a previously shared game that no longer could be in the old post due to the change of the opening classification I am doing these days. This is the 49th game of a 100 game match that was played with 15 minute time controls. Before this game I had lost two games in a row, so I was happy to be able to break that streak before it really started to be a problem. At this point in the match, the score was 29 - 20 in my favor. Like I mentioned in the post yesterday, the position after 5...gxf6 is something that the engine does not like at all. After that the evaluation during this opening line the advantage is only slightly in my favor when I move and clearly in my favor after my opponent has moved.

The first huge mistake of the game was played by me, when I played 15.Nxd4. Taking the pawn back with the knight removed the second defender of h2, which meant that Bxh2+ was possible and that was exactly what my opponent did. Not only was I down a pawn, but I also had serious problems on the d-file. My problems on the d-file should have led to additional losses of material, but because this was a 15 minute game and there was not that much time to think about the moves, my opponent did not find the best moves. I continued the game with the move 16.Kh1 and now Tomi made an inaccurate move 16...Ne5 that may, at first look like a good move, but then reality kicks in and you see that after 17.Bf1 it is no longer winning for the one controlling the black pieces.

It would have been a much better idea to play 16...Bf4 first and then Ne5 is a threat. The game might have continued 17.Bxf4 Qxf4 18.Nf3 and now Ne5 easily wins. Apart from the move 22...Bd3 I was in serious trouble for the remainder of the game and I only survived due to a repetition of moves and a draw offer in what I imagine was in time trouble. Tomi had actually the possibility to force a mate in 4 two times near the end, after 33.Kf5 and 35.Kf5 (the same position), but unfortunately my friend was not able to go for that forced sequence of moves and win the game.

[Event "Challenge 32708478"] [Site "online arena"] [Date "2015.08.23"] [Round "1"] [White "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Black "Tocklin, Tomi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B16"] [WhiteElo "1798"] [BlackElo "1690"] [Annotator "Stockfish 9 64 POPCNT (30s)"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. Bd3 Bg6 8. Bf4 e6 9. O-O {B16 Caro-Kann: Bronstein-Larsen Variation} Bd6 10. Bh6 (10. Bg3 Qc7 11. c4 {1/2-1/2 (11) Hartman,B (2345)-Spraggett,K (2585) Canada 1989}) (10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. Re1 Nd7 12. Qe2 O-O-O 13. Rad1 Kb8 14. c4 c5 15. dxc5 Qxc5 { 1/2-1/2 (15) Campo Millan,D (2062)-Alonso Blasco,J (2064) Aragon 2016}) 10... Nd7 11. a3 $146 {Prevents intrusion on b4} (11. Qd2 Qc7 12. Rfe1 O-O-O 13. g3 Rhg8 14. c4 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Rg6 16. Bd2 f5 17. Kh1 Nf6 18. Qe2 Ne4 19. c5 Bxg3 20. fxg3 Rxg3 21. hxg3 Nxg3+ 22. Kg1 Nxe2+ 23. Rxe2 Qg3+ 24. Rg2 Qxf3 25. Rf1 Qd3 {Apaydin,F (1806)-Gokpinar,E (2109) Izmir 2002 0-1 (31)}) (11. Re1 Qc7 12. c4 O-O-O 13. Rc1 Kb8 14. d5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Bg7 Rhg8 17. Bh6 exd5 18. Qb3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Rg6 20. Qh3 Bxb2 21. Rc2 Be5 22. g3 Qd7 23. Qxd7 Rxd7 24. Bc1 Rg8 25. Rd1 Rgd8 {Arroyo Figuero,F-Otero de la Roza,A Asturias 1999 0-1 (44)}) (11. c4 Qc7 12. g3 c5 13. d5 O-O-O 14. b4 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Rb1 Rhg8 17. bxc5 exd5 18. cxd5 Rxd5 19. Qg4+ Kb8 20. c6 b6 21. Rbd1 Rgd8 22. Ba6 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Qd6 25. Qa4 Bh5 {Gholami,A (1928)-Lumsdon,A (2073) Oslo 2010 1-0 (31)}) (11. g3 Rg8 $11) 11... Qc7 (11... Rg8 12. g3 $11) 12. b4 (12. g3 $14 ) 12... e5 (12... O-O-O 13. g3 Bh5 14. Be2 $11) 13. Re1 (13. dxe5 fxe5 14. Ng5 e4 15. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 Bf4 $16) 13... O-O-O 14. c4 (14. g3 $5 $16) 14... exd4 15. Nxd4 $4 {hands over the advantage to the opponent. .} (15. c5 $142 { would save the game} Bf8 16. Bxf8 Nxf8 17. Nh4 $11) 15... Bxh2+ $19 16. Kh1 ( 16. Kf1 Be5 17. Be3 $19) 16... Ne5 (16... Bf4 $142 {and the rest is a matter of technique} 17. Bg7 Rhg8 $19) 17. Bf1 $17 Qd7 {Black threatens to win material: Qd7xd4} (17... c5 $142 18. bxc5 Qxc5 $17) 18. Nb3 $4 (18. Kxh2 $142 { is the best chance} Qxd4 19. Qxd4 Rxd4 20. Be3 Rh4+ 21. Kg3 Rg4+ 22. Kh2 $17) 18... Qf5 $19 19. Qe2 Ng4 20. Qf3 Qxf3 (20... Be5 $142 {secures the point} 21. Rxe5 fxe5 22. Qxf5+ Bxf5 $19) 21. gxf3 $17 Nxh6 22. Kxh2 Bd3 (22... Rhg8 23. Nc5 Rd4 $15) 23. Nc5 $2 (23. Bh3+ $142 $5 {would keep White in the game} Bf5 24. Nc5 $11) 23... Bxf1 $17 24. Rxf1 Nf5 (24... Rd4 25. Rg1 $17) 25. Ne4 (25. Rfd1 Nd4 26. Rd3 Ne6 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 (27... Nxd8 $6 28. Ne4 $11) (27... Kxd8 $6 28. Nxb7+ Kc7 29. Na5 $11) 28. Nxe6 fxe6 $17) 25... Nd4 26. Kg3 $2 (26. Rfd1 Rhg8 27. c5 Nxf3+ 28. Kh3 Ng5+ 29. Nxg5 Rxg5 30. Rxd8+ Kxd8 $19) 26... h5 ( 26... f5 $5 {and Black can already relax} 27. Nc3 Ne6 28. Kh2 $19) 27. Nxf6 $2 (27. c5 $142 $5 Rdg8+ 28. Kf4 $19) 27... h4+ $19 28. Kg4 $4 {shortens the misery for White} (28. Kh3 Nxf3 29. Rad1 $19) 28... h3 (28... Rh6 $142 { seems even better} 29. Ne4 h3 30. Ng5 $19) 29. Rh1 (29. Kg3 {doesn't change anything anymore} Rh6 30. Ng4 Rg6 $19) 29... h2 (29... Rh6 $142 {and Black has triumphed} 30. Ne4 Rg8+ 31. Ng5 Ne6 $19) 30. Kg3 Rh6 31. Ng4 Rg6 32. Kf4 (32. Rxh2 {is still a small chance} f5 33. Re1 $19) 32... Ne2+ 33. Kf5 (33. Ke5 { does not win a prize} Rd3 34. Nxh2 Rd4 $19) 33... Nd4+ (33... Rd4 34. Ke5 Rf4 35. Nf6 Rgxf6 36. a4 Re6#) 34. Kf4 Ne2+ 35. Kf5 (35. Ke5 {otherwise it's curtains at once} Rd4 36. Rae1 Re6+ 37. Kf5 Rf4+ 38. Kg5 Rg6+ 39. Kh5 Rxf3 40. Rxh2 Rf5+ 41. Kh4 $19) 35... Nd4+ (35... Rd4 36. Ke5 Rf4 37. Nf6 Rgxf6 38. a4 Re6#) 36. Kf4 $11 1/2-1/2

My game followed this reference game up to the move 9.O-O, but then Tomi went for 9...Bd6 whereas GM Judit Polgar chose to play 9...Bg7.

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 10th"] [Site "Caleta"] [Date "2012.01.26"] [Round "3"] [White "Howell, David"] [Black "Polgar, Judit"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B16"] [WhiteElo "2603"] [BlackElo "2710"] [PlyCount "163"] [EventDate "2012.01.24"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 147"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.03.16"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. Bd3 Bg6 8. Bf4 e6 9. O-O Bg7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Rad1 Re8 12. Bg3 Nd7 13. Rfe1 Qa5 14. Nd2 Nb6 15. c4 Qh5 16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. Qxh5 gxh5 18. b3 f5 19. Nf3 Rad8 20. Kf1 Bf6 21. Bf4 Nd7 22. Re3 Kg7 23. Bc7 Rc8 24. Bd6 Be7 25. Bg3 Bf6 26. Bd6 Be7 27. Bg3 Bf6 28. Red3 Nf8 29. h3 Ng6 30. Bh2 Red8 31. Ke2 f4 32. g3 fxg3 33. fxg3 Be7 34. Ne5 b5 35. Bg1 Bd6 36. Nxg6 Kxg6 37. Rc1 a5 38. Bf2 f5 39. Rdc3 b4 40. Rf3 a4 41. c5 Bc7 42. Rc4 axb3 43. axb3 Rb8 44. Be1 Rb5 45. Rd3 Rdb8 46. Kf3 Kf6 47. Rd1 Ra8 48. Rc2 Kf7 49. Ke2 Rg8 50. Rd3 Ra8 51. Rf3 Rd8 52. Bf2 Kg6 53. Re3 Kf7 54. Rf3 Kg6 55. Ra2 Ra5 56. Rxa5 Bxa5 57. Re3 Kf7 58. Kd3 Bc7 59. Kc4 Ra8 60. Rf3 Ke7 61. g4 f4 62. Bh4+ Kf7 63. gxh5 e5 64. dxe5 Bxe5 65. Kxb4 Ke6 66. Rf1 Rh8 67. Bg5 Kf5 68. Be7 Rxh5 69. h4 Rh7 70. Bd6 Rxh4 71. Ka5 Rh3 72. Kb6 Rxb3+ 73. Kxc6 f3 74. Kd7 Rd3 75. Kc7 Kf4 76. Re1 Bxd6+ 77. cxd6 f2 78. Rf1 Kf3 79. d7 Ke2 80. Rxf2+ Kxf2 81. d8=R Rxd8 82. Kxd8 1/2-1/2