[Event "Superstars Hotel Bali"]
[Site "Benidorm ESP"]
[Date "2002.12.01"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Psakhis, Lev"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[ECO "D33"]
[EventDate "2002.11.29"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[WhiteElo "2588"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 { avoiding the King's Indian Defense? } 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 e6 5. Nf3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. d4 { By transposition they've arrived at a Tarrasch Defense, Rubinstein Variation, which is considered the best way for White to fight. Perhaps Psakhis has outsnookered Polgar and found a way to get to this position despite her unusual move-order. After all, she had played this opening earlier against Karpov, but he had e2-e3 which isn't as aggressive. } 7... Bg4 { a small surprise as this bishop is usually developed to e6 to defend Pd5. From g4 it helps to undermine White's center (Pd4) . } 8. Ne5 $6 { White doesn't add to his development lead with this. } ( 8. O-O $4 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Nxd4 10. Bxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. e3 Nf3+ $17 ) ( 8. Bg5 ) 8... cxd4 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Qxd4 Be7 11. Bg5 Be6 { Black hunkers down just a bit, hoping to castle and develop enough to support the advance of her central pawns. } 12. O-O O-O { perhaps threatening ...c6-c5 } 13. Qd3 h6 14. Bf4 Qb6 { Polgar would rather use a Rd8 to support the pawn than her queen. Also, opposing Qd3 with a Rd8 could enable tactical possibilities. } 15. Na4 Qa5 16. b3 c5 17. Rac1 c4 { Apparently Polgar isn't as interested in maintaining the pawn duo as in creating offensive potential for her pieces. } 18. Qd4 ( 18. bxc4 $6 dxc4 { Not bad, but perhaps more cautious than capturing Na4. } ( 18... Qxa4 19. cxd5 Rad8 { and the opposition of Rd8 with Qd3 would pay off } ( 19... Bd7 $2 20. d6 Rfe8 ( 20... Rae8 21. dxe7 Rxe7 22. Bd6 $16 ) 21. dxe7 Rxe7 22. Bxa8 $18 ) ) 19. Qc2 Rac8 $13 ) 18... Rac8 19. Be5 Rfd8 20. Rfd1 Qa6 { threatening ...cxb3, ...Qxe2 } 21. Bf3 Bf5 { helping to secure e4 and perhaps threatening ...cxb3, ...Bc2! } 22. Qb2 Bd7 { It seems to me that Polgar's idea with this opening is to show that White can never establish a nice quiet well-coordinated defensible position from which White can proceed to gradually squeeze the life out of Black; that Black can peck away at White continually and never allow complete stability. } 23. Bxf6 $2 Bxf6 { Without Be5 it seems likely there will be a landslide of pawns coming onto c3 and d4 (at some point) and White's queen & rooks will be smothered. } 24. Qa3 d4 25. Qb4 Bxa4 26. Qxa4 { Forcing a queen trade is very good, but White still has two cramped rooks. Black's pawns are ominously close to promoting. } 26... Qxa4 27. bxa4 $17 d3 $6 ( 27... c3 { locks White's rooks in, so ...Rc8-b8-b2 can begin wiping out pawns } ) 28. exd3 c3 29. d4 $2 ( 29. Be4 Rb8 30. Rc2 Rb4 31. f3 Rxa4 32. Rb1 { is probably still in Black's favor because of the advanced and protected Pc3, but White is much safer than in the game } ) 29... Bxd4 30. Kf1 Rb8 31. Be2 Kf8 32. Rc2 Ke7 33. Bc4 Rb2 { Black is just generally activating all her pieces to their maximum before meeting the enemy head-on. In some situations it can be difficult to win if it's just bishops of opposite color. } 34. Bb3 Be5 35. Rxd8 Kxd8 36. Rxb2 cxb2 37. Bc2 { In this case Black seems to think rooks trades is just the answer and that White will never fully succeed in blunting Black's king. White is weak at b1 (he can't leave it undefended or the pawn will promote) and at Ph2 and a3 (where Black can place his king to overwork Bc1. } 37... h5 38. h3 { White moves onto light squares to get away from the threat of Be5. He can't afford to just defend with his king as that piece is needed to oppose Black's king everywhere it tries to go. } 38... g5 { threatening ...g4 to fix Pg3 and Pf2 on dark squares } 39. g4 h4 { keeping pawns on the board is useful because it leaves Ph3 very weak and it gives Black an advanced pawn which might somehow become free to advance later } 40. Ke2 Kc7 41. Kd3 Kd6 42. Ke4 ( 42. Kc4 Bg7 { and ...Kd6-e5-f4 becomes possible } ) 42... f6 43. Bb1 Kc5 44. Kd3 Bd4 45. f3 Kd5 { squeezing White's pieces back } 46. a5 { Pa5 looks weak, but until Kd3 is chased away from Pb2 there's no way Black will play Bxa5 and give up Pb2. Instead, Black can move her king toward Pa5 or Ph3. } 46... Ke5 { Moving towards Pa5 might win a pawn, but it doesn't make another passed pawn. Eventually she would have to go toward Ph3 to win the game. } 47. a6 Bb6 48. Kc2 Kf4 49. Kxb2 Kg3 { studiously avoiding Pf3 because it actually blocks White's bishop on the e4-h1 diagonal. When Ph3 is gone Ph4 will need to promote on h1, so it's better if White's bishop can't guard h1 from e4. } 50. Bf5 Kxh3 51. f4 { a last trick } 51... Kg2 ( 51... gxf4 $4 52. g5+ Kg3 53. g6 { and White promotes a pawn, possibly winning! } ) 52. fxg5 fxg5 53. Be4+ Kg1 { Black will promote Ph4, winning White's bishop. After that Pg4 will also fall and then Pg5 will advance to promote, easily winning. } 0-1