[Event "English Thematic"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lupini, S.."]
[Black "Enev, Zlatko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Enev, Z."]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[ECO "A29"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[WhiteElo "1750"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 { One of the main continuations of the four knights variation. } 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 Qd7 { So far both
players have followed strictly the main line of the variation. Black is the
first to deviate in a less practised continuation. Here usually 11. ... Nd4 is
played. I found the variants there too sharp and insecure to my taste so I
chose the move in the game which seemed a bit "calmer". } ( 11... Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Ne4 Bd5 14. Bb2 f5 15. Nd2 Bf6 16. Bxd5+ Qxd5 17. Rc1 Rf7 18. Rc5 Qe6 19. Re1 c6 20. Nf3 Nd7 21. Rc2 Qd5 22. Qa1 a5 23. Bxd4 axb4 24. Bxf6 Rxf6 25. Qb2 Rxa3 26. Qxb4 Rb3 27. Qf4 h6 28. Ra1 Kh7 29. Rca2 Nf8 30. Ra5 c5 31. Qe5 Qxe5 32. Nxe5 b6 33. Ra7 Re6 34. f4 Ng6 35. Nd7 Rd6 36. Rb7 c4 37. dxc4 Re3 38. Kf2 Re7 39. Raa7 { 1-0 Timman,J-Bareev,E/Tilburg (5) 1991 } ) 12. Ne4 Nd5 13. Qc2 { threatening 14.Nc5 } 13... b6 14. Bb2 a5 { ! The strongest answer. Other
responses have been tried here also but with less success: } ( 14... Rac8 15. Rbc1 Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Qc6 Qxc6 18. Rxc6 Bd7 19. Nxd4 { ! } 19... Bxc6 20. Nxc6 Rce8 21. Rc1 f5 22. Nd2 Nf6 23. Nxa7 Bd6 24. e3 c5 25. Nc4 Bb8 26. Nc6 b5 27. N4a5 cxb4 28. axb4 Nd7 29. d4 g5 30. Nxb8 Rxb8 31. Rc7 Nf6 32. Nc6 Rb6 33. Ne7+ Kh8 34. Nxf5 Ra6 35. Rc1 Ra2 36. h3 Rb2 37. e4 Rxb4 38. g4 h5 39. e5 hxg4 40. exf6 gxh3 41. Bxh3 Rxf6 42. Rc8+ Kh7 43. Rc7+ Kg6 44. Rg7+ Kh5 45. f3 { 1-0 Karpov,Anatoly-Hjartarson,Johann/Seattle (2) 1989 } ) 15. b5 Na7 16. a4 { ? The first move deviating from known examples and ... a serious mistake.
White is obliged here to sharpen the game by means of 16.d4, although this is
pretty risky too, e. g.: } ( 16. d4 Nxb5 17. dxe5 Bxa3 18. Rfd1 Be7 19. exf6 gxf6 20. Bc1 c6 21. Qb2 a4 22. Bh6 Rf7 23. Qd2 a3 24. g4 Ra4 25. Qc2 Rxe4 26. Qxe4 Nbc3 27. Qc2 Nxb1 28. Qxb1 Nc3 29. Rxd7 Nxb1 30. Ra7 a2 31. Nd4 Na3 32. Nxe6 a1=Q+ 33. Bf1 Qe5 34. Ra8+ Rf8 35. Bxf8 Kf7 36. Ra7 Qxe6 37. Rxe7+ Qxe7 38. Bxe7 Kxe7 39. Bg2 c5 40. Kf1 b5 41. Ke1 c4 42. Kd2 { Birmingham,Eric-Miralles,Gilles/Epinal ch-FR 1989/0-1 (53) } ( 42. Kd2 b4 43. Bd5 Kd6 44. Bg8 Kc5 45. Bxh7 b3 46. Kc3 Nb5+ 47. Kb2 Kb4 48. h4 c3+ 49. Kb1 Na3+ 50. Ka1 c2 51. Bxc2 Nxc2+ 52. Kb2 Na3 53. g5 Nc4+ { 0-1 Chabanon,J-Huber,E/FRA-chJ ;TD 89\10 1989 } ) ) 16... c6 17. bxc6 Nxc6 18. Rbc1 ( 18. Ba1 Ncb4 19. Qd1 Rac8 20. d4 exd4 { =/+ } ) 18... Ndb4 { The plan s
tarted with this move wasn't all clear to me at that very moment. I somehow
felt I must be pushing on the queen side and in the center but did not yet see
any exact goals. I was lucky to find a relatively straightforward way to win
anyway. Now for the plan: black tries to occupy d4 with a piece (preferably
knight) and to take the control over the opened c-file. At the same time the
weak a4-pawn is constantly being threatened so white is kept busy. Black does
not avoid exchanges since even with relatively few peaces the control of the
opened line and the penetration with the rook on the seventh rank bring easily
serious advantages. } 19. Qd2 Rfd8 20. Ba1 ( 20. Nc3 Rac8 21. Nb5 Bb3 22. Nc3 Nd4 23. Qe3 Nbc2 24. Qe4 f5 25. Qxe5 Bf6 26. Qf4 Nxf3+ 27. Bxf3 Bxc3 { -/+ } ) 20... Rac8 21. Nc3 Bc5 22. Qd1 ( 22. Ne4 Ne7 23. Nxc5 bxc5 24. Qd1 Ned5 25. Rb1 Nb6 { and white loses the a-pawn } ) 22... Nd4 23. Nxd4 Bxd4 24. Nb5 { Now black seizes the control over the opened line though a series of forced
changes. It is difficult, however, to see some better move for white at this
point. } 24... Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Rc8 26. Qd1 Bxa1 27. Qxa1 Rc2 28. Bf3 g5 ( 28... Bd5 { This move produces a rather drawish variation: } 29. Bxd5+ Qxd5 30. Rc1 Qb3 31. Rxc2 Qxc2 32. Kf1 Na2 33. Na3 Qb3 34. Nc4 Qxa4 35. Nxb6 Qc2 36. Nd5 a4 37. d4 Nc1 38. Nc3 h6 39. dxe5 Nb3 40. Qxa4 Qxc3 41. exf6 Nd2+ 42. Kg2 gxf6 43. Qe8+ Kg7 44. Qe7+ Kg6 45. Qe8+ Kg7 { = } ) 29. Nc3 g4 30. Bg2 Qd4 { ! Now white is lost. Less convincing was the attempt to push further on the
queen side: } ( 30... Na2 31. Ne4 Kg7 32. f4 Qd4+ 33. Qxd4 exd4 34. f5 Bb3 35. Rf4 h5 36. Nd6 Nc3 37. Bf1 Rc1 38. Kf2 Nd1+ 39. Kg1 Ne3 { black is much better off but a lot of struggle is to be expected } ) 31. Ne4 ( 31. Nb5 Qxa1 32. Rxa1 Rxe2 { -/+ } ) ( 31. Rc1 { ? meets a tactical refutaion: } 31... Nxd3 { ! } 32. Rxc2 Qxf2+ 33. Kh1 Ne1 { in order to prevent being
mated white has to give his extra rook and remains two pawns down in the
endgame - + } ) 31... Qxa1 32. Rxa1 f5 33. Nf6+ { Now the white knight is being
shut out of the game but 33.Nd6+ was no good either: } ( 33. Nd6 Rxe2 34. Nc4 Bxc4 35. dxc4 Rc2 36. h3 h5 { -/+ } ) 33... Kg7 34. Ne8+ Kf8 ( 34... Kf7 { ? } 35. Nd6+ Ke7 36. Nb5 Rxe2 37. d4 Bc4 38. Na3 Bb3 { is a much less convincing line since the knight remains in the game } ) 35. Nf6 Ke7 ( 35... Kf7 36. Nxh7 Rxe2 37. Bf1 Rd2 ) 36. Nxh7 Rxe2 37. Bf1 Rd2 ( 37... Rd2 38. Re1 Nxd3 39. Bxd3 Rxd3 40. f3 ( 40. h4 gxh3 41. Rxe5 Rd1+ 42. Kh2 Kd6 43. Re3 Bd7 { -/+ } ) ( 40. Rxe5 Rd1+ ( 40... Kd6 { is also posiible } 41. f4 gxf3 42. Rb5 Rb3 43. Rxb3 Bxb3 { -/+ } ) 41. Kg2 Kd6 42. Rb5 { ? } 42... Bc4 { - + } ) 40... Rd5 41. fxg4 fxg4 42. Ng5 b5 43. axb5 Rxb5 44. Nxe6 Kxe6 { - + } ) 0-1