A39 Symmetrical English vs ...g6: 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.O-O O-O 7.d4 (1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.O-O O-O 5.d4 c5 6.c4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nc6 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.Qh4 Rb8 11.Bh6)

This is the 43rd game in the 100 rapid game match that was played between these two players. This was also the sixth game in a row where I avoided losing. That six game streak had 3 wins and 3 draws in it. After the game below my lead in the match increased to 8 points and the score was 25.5 - 17.5.

[Event "Challenge 32661481"] [Site "online arena"] [Date "2015.08.21"] [Round "1"] [White "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Black "Tocklin, Tomi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A39"] [WhiteElo "1783"] [BlackElo "1685"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "141"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d4 c5 6. c4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nc6 8. Nc3 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. Qh4 Rb8 11. Bh6 {A39 Symmetrical English vs ...g6: 4. Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.O-O O-O 7.d4} a6 {LiveBook: 4 Games} (11... Bxh6 12. Qxh6 Be6 13. b3 Qa5 14. Rac1 Rfc8 15. Rfd1 a6 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qxa2 18. Qe3 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Re8 20. Bf3 Qa5 21. Qa7 b6 22. Qb7 Qb5 23. Rc3 a5 24. Kg2 Kf8 25. e4 Qb4 26. Re3 {Deutsch,L (2265)-Brestian,E (2465) Austria 1989 0-1 (50)}) ( 11... Bd7 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Qd4 Qb6 14. Qxb6 axb6 15. Rac1 Bc6 16. Rfd1 Ra8 17. a3 Rfc8 18. Nb5 d5 19. Nd4 e5 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. cxd5 cxd5 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Bxd5 Rc2 24. b3 Rxe2 25. Bc4 Rb2 26. a4 {Ferrufino,B (2035)-Kassis,A (2220) Elista 1998 1/2-1/2 (60)}) (11... Be6 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Qd4 Qa5 14. Ne4 Qe5 15. Qxe5 dxe5 16. b3 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 f5 18. Bg2 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 e4 20. e3 Rd7 21. Kf1 Rbd8 22. Ke1 Kf6 23. Rxd7 Rxd7 24. Rd1 Ke5 25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. Kd2 {Palmo, P-Tocklin,T Turku 1997 1-0 (54)}) 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. b3 $146 (13. Qd4 Kg8 14. Rfc1 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 Bb7 18. Rc2 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qd7 20. Rac1 Qb7 21. Qxb7 Rxb7 22. Rc7 Rfb8 23. Kf1 Kg7 24. Ke1 Kf6 25. Kd2 h5 26. h4 Ke5 27. R1c3 d5 {Canabate Carmona,F (2115)-Campos,A (2185) Granada 1991 1/2-1/ 2 (51)}) (13. Rad1 Qa5 14. Qd4 Kg8 15. Rb1 Qh5 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Bg4 18. f3 Bd7 19. Rfc1 Rfc8 20. b3 Bb5 21. Kf2 Qg5 22. e3 Qf5 23. e4 Qg5 24. f4 Qh5 25. Qd2 a5 26. h4 b6 27. Bf3 Qh6 {Pereyra Arcija,D-Pierrot,J (2310) Mar del Plata 1993 1/2-1/2 (41)}) 13... b5 {The position is equal.} 14. cxb5 axb5 15. a4 { -0.43/26} (15. Qb4 $11 {0.06/29}) 15... bxa4 $15 16. bxa4 Qa5 17. Qd4 Rb4 18. Qe3 Be6 $36 {Black is in control.} 19. Rfb1 Rfb8 20. Rxb4 Rxb4 21. Ne4 $2 { -5.29/26 [#]} (21. Qc1 $17 {-0.97/28}) 21... Rxa4 $2 {-0.87/32} (21... Nxe4 $1 $19 {-5.29/26} 22. h3 Nc5 23. Qc3+ f6) 22. Rc1 {-1.64/31} (22. Rxa4 $17 { -0.87/32} Qxa4 23. Ng5) 22... Nxe4 23. Bxe4 Qe5 24. Bf3 Qxe3 25. fxe3 $17 { Endgame KRB-KRB} Kf6 26. Kf2 h6 27. Rc7 Rc4 28. Rb7 Rc5 29. Rb8 Bd5 30. e4 Be6 31. Rh8 h5 32. Rb8 Ke5 {-0.28/42} ({Black should try} 32... g5 $19 {-1.66/40} 33. Ra8 Rb5) 33. Rb7 $11 Kf6 {Strongly threatening ...g5.} 34. Ra7 $2 {-1.66/39 } (34. Rb8 $1 $11 {0.00/54 and White has nothing to worry.}) 34... Bc8 35. Ra4 Bd7 36. Ra7 Bc6 {-0.93/38} (36... Be6 $142 {-1.54/47} 37. Ra4 Re5) 37. Rc7 { -1.54/46} (37. e5+ $142 {-0.93/38} Ke6 38. exd6) 37... Ba4 38. Ra7 Bc2 39. Ke3 e5 40. Rd7 Ke6 41. Ra7 Bb3 42. Ra3 Rb5 43. Bg2 Rb8 44. Ra7 {-1.49/35} (44. Bh3+ $142 {-1.04/40} Kf6 45. Ra6) 44... Bc4 {-1.06/36} (44... g5 $142 {-1.49/35} 45. Kd3 Rc8) 45. Bh3+ f5 {[#] White must now prevent ...Rb2.} 46. exf5+ $2 { -2.43/34} (46. Rc7 $1 $15 {-0.67/28} Rb4 47. Kf2) 46... gxf5 $19 47. Rh7 Rb2 48. Bf1 $2 {-5.71/24} (48. Rh6+ {-3.02/31} Ke7 49. Bxf5 Rxe2+ 50. Kf3 Rxh2 51. Ke4) 48... f4+ $2 {0.00/34} (48... d5 $1 $19 {-5.71/24 ...d4+ is the strong threat.} 49. Rh6+ Kf7 50. Rh7+ Kg6) 49. gxf4 $11 exf4+ 50. Kf2 Rb5 51. Bh3+ Kf6 52. Rh6+ Ke5 53. Rxh5+ Ke4 54. Bg2+ Kd4 55. Rh4 Rf5 56. Bh3 Rf6 57. Rh5 (57. Rh8 {seems wilder.} Rg6 58. Kf3 Rf6 59. Bg4 Bd5+ 60. Kf2) 57... Be6 58. Bxe6 Rxe6 {KR-KR} 59. h4 Ke4 60. Rg5 d5 61. h5 Rh6 62. Kf1 $1 d4 63. Kf2 d3 $2 { 7.83/32} (63... Rh8 $11 {0.00/44}) 64. exd3+ $18 Kxd3 65. Kf3 {White mates.} Rf6 66. Rg6 Rf7 67. h6 Kd4 68. Rg7 Rf5 69. h7 Rh5 70. Kxf4 Rh6 71. Kg5 { Precision: White = 35%, Black = 47%.} 1-0

There was only one reference game that I could find in my database where both players were rated 2400+ and did not end in a short draw.

[Event "BCF-chT 1213 (4NCL)"] [Site "England"] [Date "2013.02.23"] [Round "5.113"] [White "Pert, Nicholas"] [Black "Suarez Real, Alberto"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A39"] [WhiteElo "2557"] [BlackElo "2408"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2012.11.03"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2014"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.19"] [WhiteTeam "Wood Green Hilsmark"] [BlackTeam "Guildford II"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O c5 5. c4 O-O 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. Qh4 Rb8 11. Bh6 Bxh6 12. Qxh6 Be6 13. b3 Qa5 14. Rac1 Rfc8 15. h3 a6 16. Qe3 Rc7 17. g4 Rbc8 18. f4 Kf8 19. Rcd1 b5 20. f5 gxf5 21. gxf5 Bd7 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. Bxd5 bxc4 24. Qh6+ Ke8 25. Qg7 Qc5+ 26. Rf2 Kd8 27. Bxf7 Rb7 28. Bxc4 Bb5 29. f6 Kc7 30. f7 Rbb8 31. Bxb5 axb5 32. b4 Qc2 33. Rd3 Kb6 34. f8=Q Rxf8 35. Rxf8 Qc1+ 36. Kf2 1-0