Icannos/chess_studies huggingface dataset:
[Event "Istanbul (ol) 80/(382)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Torre, E."]
[Black "Giorgadze, G."]
[Result "*"]
[BlackElo "2599"]
[ECO "D00"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]

{ Chess Informant } 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 { * } 2... Qd6 $146 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. e3 Nd7 6. Nh4 e6 7. Bf4 Qb4 8. Nxf5 Qxb2 9. Nxg7+ Bxg7 10. Kd2 e5 11. Rb1 Qa3 12. Qg4 Qf8 13. Bxe5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Rxb7 Nf6 16. Qf5 Bxc3+ 17. Kxc3 Ne4+ 18. Kb2 Qg7+ 19. Kc1 O-O 20. Qf4 Qa1+ 21. Rb1 Qc3 22. Rb3 Qa1+ $11 *
[Event "Wijk aan Zee 80/(382)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2001.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Piket, Je"]
[Black "Leko, P."]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Piket,Je"]
[BlackElo "2745"]
[ECO "D00"]
[EventDate "2001.??.??"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]

{ Chess Informant } 1. d4 { * } 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 c6 5. Qd2 ( 5. e3 { Ue 46/(476) } ) 5... Bf5 6. Ne5 Nfd7 $146 ( 6... Nbd7 ) 7. O-O-O ( 7. e4 $5 ) 7... Bg7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Qc7 11. f4 ( 11. Qg7 $5 ) 11... Nd7 12. e4 dxe4 13. Qh4 h5 14. Be2 O-O-O 15. Qxe7 f6 $1 $11 *
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]

1. d4 d5 { Despite Shirov's reputation he doesn't always play the most blood-thirsty unbalanced defenses. 1...d5 weakens e5, but directly aims to prevent White from gaining too much ground with c2-c4 and e2-e4. } ( 1... Nf6 ) 2. c4 ( 2. Nf3 { (London System or Torre System) seeks to exploit the weakness of e5 without committing to the weakening c2-c4 } ) 2... c6 { Slav Defense -- It' a simple idea: to capture Pc4 and defend it with ...b7-b5. This requires White to pay attention to his weakness (Pc4) . Ideally, for Black, White would have to play e2-e3, blocking Bc1. The downside is that many of it's variations are quite drawish or difficult for Black to win. At the top level of competition it's enough to stop White and perhaps take the opponent away from the kind of game he wanted to play. } 3. Nf3 Nf6 { Black hasn't yet moved Pe7, so there's no pin after Bc1-g5. That makes Black's army more mobile. And, the more developed he becomes the more likely ...dxc4 will succeed. } ( 3... dxc4 4. e3 b5 5. a4 { and it's quite difficult for Black to hold his queen-side pawns together } ) 4. Qc2 { This is a poor place for the queen. It weakens Pd4 and could easily become aligned with a ...Bc8-f5. } ( 4. e3 e6 ) ( 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 { is considered the main line and is played frequently } ) 4... g6 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 Bg7 $2 ( 6... Nc6 { threatens ...Qd8-b6 followed by ...Bc8-f5 and ...Nc6-b4-c2+ } ) 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. e3 O-O 9. Be2 { Now White is ready to O-O, so there's little to be gained by maneuvering ...Nc6-b4-c2. With e5 controlled and the king safe White is probably better. Bg7 can't do much except defend Kg8. } 9... Ne4 10. O-O ( 10. Nxe4 $5 { stirs up complications and avoids sterile piece exchanges } 10... Bf5 ( 10... dxe4 $6 { over-extends the pawn } 11. Nd2 ( 11. Qxe4 $4 Bf5 $19 ) ) 11. Nfd2 Rc8 $13 ) 10... Bf5 11. Nh4 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Be4 13. Nf3 { Ivanchuk didn't seem to be in an adventurous mood, but I like that he achieved a draw without the histrionics he sometimes displays. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 { Adams does play the Marshall Gambit and many people don't like to play against it, so they play such moves as 8. a4 to avoid it. Still, that doesn't end Black's attempts to play actively. } 8... Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Nc3 ( 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 { and Black isn't so likely to risk any further aggressive king-side play, though he might play to trade-off Bh4, so as to avoid difficulty fighting for control of d5. The problem is that Black might just play } 11... d6 { and leave Bh4 with nothing to do. } ) ( 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. Na3 { is also interesting } ) 10... b4 11. Nd5 Na5 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Ba2 { White's Pe4 is under assault, so it's difficult for him to consider d3-d4. However, White has the two bishops, so at some point he'll want (or need) open lines and seek out targets. } 13... d5 $6 { seems quite dubious to me } ( 13... h6 ) 14. Bg5 $2 ( { I haven't a clue why Shirov wouldn't play } 14. exd5 Bxd5 15. Bxd5 Nxd5 16. Rxe5 Qd7 17. Bd2 ) 14... dxe4 ( 14... d4 { intending ...c7-c5-c4 might be interesting. Bb7 would be out of place for that, but it would certainly give Black a huge queen-side space advantage and perhaps an open c-file for his rooks. It seems highly unlikely White would play b2-b3 to secure square c4 at the cost of permanently blocking-in Ba2. } ) 15. dxe4 Rad8 16. Qe2 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 { This position is much more balanced and unexciting. Each has a little pressure on the other's central pawn and only Black has slightly weakened queen-side pawns. } 18. Rad1 Qe7 19. h3 g6 ( 19... Qc5 20. Nh4 { gives White a slight chance to make trouble on the king-side } ) 20. Qe3 Kg7 21. Bd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 { This change in pawn structure makes Black's queen-side look disjointed and weak, but it also appears to free Black's king-side pawns to advance (if he would dare) . } 22... Nc4 23. Qb3 Na5 24. Qe3 Nc4 25. Qb3 Na5 { Both seemed a little nervous about starting any major plan of offense, so they conceded to a draw. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 { He seems to have absorbed the Kasparov-Kramnik games with this opening and feels it's safe enough in this event. He's probably not more ambitious than to hope for a draw in his games with the Black pieces. } 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 ( 9... h6 ) 10. b3 ( 10. Rd1+ Ke8 ( 10... Bd7 $2 11. Ng5 { and Kd8 is busy defending Bd7, so Pf7 will disappear } ) 11. h3 Bf5 12. Ne1 Rd8 13. Be3 b6 14. g4 Be6 15. Kg2 h5 { and it's difficult for White to proceed without making a concession or two } ) 10... Bg4 ( 10... Bf5 ) ( 10... h6 ) 11. Ng5 Ke8 { Black has achieved much of his plan to develop Bc8-g4 and clear the way for Ra8-d8. But, this does nothing for Bf8 and Rh8 AND Bg4 is a little vulnerable to White's king-side pawns. White has to find a way to keep Pc2 safe (as usual) as he chases Bg4 back -- bringing more pawns to the aid of Pe5, so White can force another line opening before Black can get Bf8 & Rh8 developed. } 12. Bb2 Nd5 13. h3 Bf5 14. g4 Bd7 ( 14... Bxc2 $4 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Rfc1 Bg6 17. Rxc7 ) 15. Ne2 ( 15. f4 $2 h5 16. f5 hxg4 17. hxg4 Rh4 ) 15... h5 { Just when White appears to have his pawns storming up the board Black undermines them, and before Ne2-g3 could secure square h5! } 16. c4 Nb4 17. Rad1 { One should never assume Adams (in particular) ever makes a move such as this without some intention. Black can respond to Rad1 and leave ...hxg4 for later. } 17... hxg4 ( 17... Rd8 ) 18. Nxf7 Kxf7 ( { Though it seems a little risky it might be safe enough to play } 18... Rxh3 19. Nf4 Rf3 20. e6 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 Kxf7 22. Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Rd7+ Ke6 ) 19. Rxd7+ Ke6 20. Rxc7 Nd3 21. Bd4 Rxh3 { Though Pb7 is en prise it appears Black's pieces are all active enough and White's seem uncoordinated. That might change in a few moves though; the position is quite fluid. } 22. Be3 g5 { guarding against Ne2-f4+, so he can capture Pe5 } 23. Rxb7 Nxe5 24. Kg2 { I suspect White still has some advantage because Ke6 is exposed and Black's pawns are split. But, Adams might have been in some time pressure or he may not have seen any specific way to make headway. And, with a draw they both remain tied for the lead, at this early point of the tournament. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 { Adams wasn't able to break through this defense in round four, so why not try it again. } 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 ( 9... h6 ) 10. h3 ( 10. b3 Bg4 { Adams-Villejo Pons, round 4, 1/2-1/2 in 24 moves } ) 10... Ng6 { This is a curious move. It threatens Pe5 which forces White, at least for the moment, to leave Nf3, which blocks Pf2 from advancing. Also, it prevents Bc1-f4 and clears the way for Bf8 to develop. I suppose Black decides how to develop his king-side pieces depending upon where White develops Bc1. If b2-b3, Bc1-b2 then Bf8 probably has to remain in place for a while to defend Pg7. } 11. Bg5+ Ke8 12. Rad1 Be7 13. Bxe7 { This seems to end Black's cramp and White's chances to play for a win. But, perhaps I'm overestimating it's importance. White still has the king-side pawn majority and safer king. } 13... Kxe7 14. Nd4 Nf4 { again perventing f2-f4-f5 } 15. Ne4 Rd8 16. Rfe1 Rd5 17. c4 Rd8 $6 ( 17... Rxe5 18. Ng5 Rxe1+ ( 18... Kf6 $4 19. Nxh7+ { and Re5 falls } ) 19. Rxe1+ Kf8 ( 19... Kf6 $2 20. Nxh7+ Kg6 21. Nf8+ $16 { and Re1-e8 prevents Black from developing Bc8 & Ra8 } ) 20. Nxh7+ Kg8 21. Ng5 Kf8 $14 ) 18. Kh2 a5 19. g4 a4 ( 19... g6 20. Kg3 Ne6 ) 20. Kg3 Ne6 21. Nf5+ Kf8 22. f4 b6 23. Rxd8+ Nxd8 24. Ne3 Ne6 25. f5 { White has achieved a lot. To get this far is significant. The next step is usually some key invasion which pins a piece or attacks two targets when the defender can't maneuver his pieces because they have no squares or are busy defending one another. } ( { Another plan is: } 25. Rd1 c5 26. Nd5 Ra7 ( 26... Bb7 27. Nec3 ) 27. Nec3 Nd4 28. f5 { and there are several weak points in Black's camp: Kf8 and Bc8 are aligned on the back rank, so Nd4 can't move without concern for Rd1-d8+. Pc7 and Pa4 are attacked, so Ra7 is overworked and nearly immobilized. Nc3 threatens to come in to b5 to chase Ra7 from it's key defensive square. } ) 25... Nd4 26. Kf4 Bb7 27. c5 a3 28. b3 { After this (good move) Black begins to envisage ...Nd4xb3; axb3 a3-a2; and ...Bb7-a6-d3-b1 to allow a2-a1=Q or if White has placed Rd1-a1 to trap it, so Ra8 can be unopposed. This plan is merely an idea at this point, and hardly enforcable, but something to work toward. White, will have to avoid that and still find a way to break through Black's queen-side; where he's been holding Black in place and now hopes to hit hard. } 28... Ba6 29. cxb6 cxb6 { Black might use ...Nd4-e2+ to chase Kf4 back } 30. Nd6 { This gives Kf4 another square near the center, to support Pe5. } 30... Rd8 31. Ndc4 Bxc4 32. Nxc4 b5 33. Nd6 ( 33. Nxa3 Ra8 34. Nb1 Rxa2 { looks very good for Black. Pb3 is weak and Nb1 isn't very good. } ) 33... f6 { Black's ability to undermine every step forward White would like to make is keeping the balance. And, Pa3 has to be watched carefully. If Pa2 is threatened the entire empire is in danger. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]

1. e4 c5 { Earlier in the event he played the Black side of a Spanish Game against Michael Adams. Perhaps he's versatile or just playing the opening he feels will cause his opponent the most difficulty (a la a former world champion Emanuel Lasker or his countryman GM Vassily Ivanchuk (!) ) . } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 { This is less common than 4...Nf6 5. Nc3 e5, but it has it's own interesting character. Black avoids an early ...Ng8-f6 to prevent White from developing Bc1-g5 with a pin. } 5. Nb5 d6 { Neo-Sveshnikov or Kalashnikov Variation } ( 5... a6 { The Lowenthal Variation is rarely played nowadays. } 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 ) 6. c4 { Pc4 and Pe4 seem perfect for securing d5 and keeping Pd6 backward, but those pawns also get in the way of Be2 and Qd1, so it's not an advantage without a downside. } ( 6. N1c3 { is preferred by some players } 6... a6 7. Na3 ) 6... Be7 { continuing to avoid ...Ng8-f6. In fact, some players use ...Ng8-e7, after ...a7-a6 chases Nb5 away. } 7. Be2 a6 8. N5c3 Bg5 { He's exchanging-off his bad bishop, it's blocked by pawns on dark squares. But, which is better, to trade them and weaken Pd6 or to leave it at e7 and have a bad bishop? } 9. Nd2 { White is weak at d4, so he's not so crazy about exchanging Bc1. } ( 9. Bxg5 Qxg5 10. O-O ( 10. Qxd6 Qxg2 11. Rf1 ) 10... Nd4 11. Nd5 Qd8 { and Black can hold the dark squares } ) 9... Nf6 { Bg5 certainly looks odd, but as long as it can be exchanged for Nd2 or Bc1 it's fine. White isn't about to go chasing after it with pawns. } 10. O-O O-O 11. b3 ( 11. Nf3 Bxc1 12. Rxc1 Bg4 { and after removing Nf3 Black will have sufficient control of d4 to plant a knight there } ) 11... Nd4 12. Nf3 Bxc1 13. Rxc1 Nxf3+ { Be2 is blocked by his pawns, so Nf3 could be more dangerous to Black. } 14. Bxf3 Be6 15. Qd2 Qc7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 { How many times have we all seen, in books on the middlegame or in annotated GM games, examples of severe weaknesses, such as Pd6, leading to a decisive game result? In this case Black has a bad weakness, but has also exchanged a couple of minor pieces, so that he's not terribly cramped. If Black had another weakness he might lose, but with only the one he's got a decent chance of drawing. } 17. h3 { not very adventurous and it doesn't seem so necessary when both Black minor pieces are needed to guard square d5 -- there's no real threat of a Black incursion at g4 } ( 17. Nd5 Bxd5 ( 17... Nxd5 $4 18. cxd5 { and Be6 is lost } ) 18. cxd5 { gives White the first crack at utilizing an open file } 18... Qd7 19. Rc3 Rdc8 20. Rdc1 { and Black can't dissipate the pressure with exchanges because ...Rxc3 is met with Qxc3, dominating the c-file } ) 17... h6 18. Qe2 Rac8 19. Bg4 Qa5 { Ponomariov shows he won't be suckered away from guarding square d5 and prepares ...b7-b5 to completely break the central bind. } 20. Nd5 { Anand didn't play horribly, but he certainly missed one big opportunity with 17. Nd5. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]

1. d4 d5 { Ponomariov generally plays either the King's Indian Defense or the Queen's Gambit Accepted against 1. d4. } 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 ( 3. Bf4 { I suppose one ideal set-up would have both c2-c4 and Bc1-f4, so that White could utilize the open c-file and try to invade at c7. } ) 3... dxc4 { To transpose to a Queen's Gambit Accepted at this point has it's interesting points. For one White can't continue with an immediate e2-e4. Black also doesn't have to worry about the double attack which would result from the move-sequence 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 a6 4. Bxc4 b5?? 5. Qf3 because there's a Nf3. } 4. Qa4+ { Ivanchuk avoids complications stemming from 4. Nc3 a6 and just regains the pawn. He's also left Nb1, so as to not get in the way of his queen. If there's a Nc3 and Qc4 (after regaining the pawn) it can be awkward. } ( 4. Nc3 a6 ) 4... Nc6 { Ponomariov is aiming for completely free and easy development with no pawn weaknesses. There is a similar variation in the Catalan opening, but in that one White gets in Nf3-e5xc6 to force tripled pawns on Black. Here White will have to develop solidly and yet threaten to meet such moves as ...e7-e5 with d4-d5 to cramp Black. The battle is on! } 5. Nc3 ( 5. Qxc4 Be6 ) 5... Nd5 { This is sort of nifty. He's trying to get rid of a pair of minor pieces before White can utilize his extra central pawn to cramp him. } 6. Qxc4 Nb6 { I don't understand. How could the knight be better on b6 than f6? Why not trade at c3? } 7. Qb3 ( 7. Qd3 ) 7... e5 { Black isn't going to delay the development of his pieces! This takes unreal confidence or large doses of courage. } ( 7... Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Qxd4 9. Nb5 Qd8 10. Bf4 e5 ( 10... Nd5 $4 11. Qxd5 $18 ) 11. Bxe5 Be6 12. Qg3 Bb4+ 13. Bc3 Bxc3+ 14. Qxc3 O-O 15. Qxc7 Qh4 $13 ) 8. dxe5 ( 8. d5 $2 Nd4 ) 8... Be6 9. Qc2 Nd4 10. Qd3 Bc5 { This makes ...Be6-c4 possible. } 11. e3 Nxf3+ ( 11... Bc4 $6 12. Qd1 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 { seems a little easier for White to manage } ) 12. gxf3 Qxd3 13. Bxd3 O-O-O 14. Be2 Bb4 15. Bd2 Na4 { Quickly, before White can castle and bring rooks into play, the Nc3 and it's supporters (Bd2 and Pb2) are threatened. } 16. a3 Bxc3 17. Bxc3 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Rd5 { Ponomariov's strategy for this game seems to be eXtreme piece activity with very few pawn moves, giving Ivanchuk no time to use his pawns or to build up any kind of pressure. At the first sign of that sort of thing Ponomariov has gone for exchanges. } 19. f4 Rc5 20. Rc1 { Ivanchuk could continue, despite this not being his kind of position, but it would be difficult to achieve anything, even if White gave back the pawn. Black's piece activity and immediate threats to Pa3 & Pc3 makes it difficult for White to make even one free offensive move. These two creep forward and are tied with Anand for 2nd-4th, now one full point behind Kasparov (who beat Vallejo Pons this round) . } ( 20. Kd2 $2 Rd8+ 21. Kc2 Bf5+ 22. Kb3 Rd2 { and White's king might get checkmated! } ) 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 ( 4. e4 { Vallejo Pons - Kasparov, round 1, 1/2-1/2 in 49 moves (Kasparov probably missed a win) } ) 4... Bb4 { There's no pin on Nc3, but he might remove it to prevent White from keeping control of d5 } ( 4... d5 { Vallejo Pons - Ponomariov, round 5, 1/2-1/2 in 65 moves } ) ( 4... Nd4 $5 { Black seeks a knight trade to allow ...c7-c6, leaving few or no weaknesses in his position. This move also contains a small trick. } 5. Bg2 ( 5. Nxe5 $4 Qe7 { and Ne5 is stuck. If it moves Black has ...Nd4-f3# } 6. f4 d6 7. e3 dxe5 8. exd4 exd4+ 9. Ne2 d3 $19 ) 5... Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bc5 { with ...c7-c6, guarding d5, to come } ) 5. Nd5 { White would rather trade for Nf6 and leave Bb4 to look for something to do. } 5... Bc5 6. Bg2 ( 6. Nxe5 $4 Nxe5 7. d4 Nxd5 { gives both Ne5 and Bc5 an out: ...Ne5xc4 and ...Bc5-b4+ } 8. dxc5 Nf6 $19 ) 6... d6 7. O-O O-O 8. e3 { White takes away d4 and will also probably play a2-a3, b2-b4 to chase Bc5 and Nc6. The cost is that it blocks in Bc1 for a time. It also prepares to meet ...Nf6xd5. } 8... a6 { This isn't to play ...b7-b5, as that would weaken Nc6 far too much. Instead, it gives Bc5 room to retreat. } ( 8... Nxd5 9. cxd5 Ne7 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 ) 9. b3 { Since Black has spent a tempo on ...a7-a6 White decides to play Bc1-b2 and d2-d4. This seems perfectly reasonable. } ( 9. a3 Ba7 10. d3 ) 9... Ba7 10. Nxf6+ { I don't quite know why he'd allow Black's queen to come out so easily. Leaving Nf6 kept Qd8 blocked. } ( 10. Bb2 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Ne7 12. Ne1 ) 10... Qxf6 { threat ...e5-e4 with a two-fold attack on Ra1 and Nf3 } 11. Bb2 Bg4 { This pin is important and has to be broken with h2-h3. The immediate threat is NOT ...e5-e4 because Bb2 still pins Pe5 to Qf6. But, Black might play ...Qf6-e6 to prepare ...e5-e4 and/or ...Bg4-h3xg2. } 12. h3 Bh5 13. d3 Qe7 14. Qd2 { This position doesn't offer many possibilities for White to win, but Ba7 and Nc6 are blocked, so Black doesn't have much either. } 14... f5 15. Rae1 Rae8 16. Bc3 Kh8 17. Nh4 { White is feeling squeezed and uses this tactic to force f2-f4 or another simplification. } ( 17. d4 ) 17... Qg5 { preventing f2-f4 for the moment } ( 17... g5 18. Nxf5 Rxf5 19. g4 Rf7 20. gxh5 ) 18. Kh2 f4 $1 19. exf4 exf4 { After this White is more free to play d3-d4, completely shutting out Ba7. However, king safety comes first, so he forces simplification. } 20. Rxe8 Bxe8 { What's the bishop doing on e8? I don't think he wanted to risk an endgame a pawn down, even if he had compensation. } ( 20... Rxe8 21. Be4 $1 ( 21. Re1 Be3 22. Qb2 ( 22. fxe3 $2 Qxg3+ 23. Kh1 Qxh4 24. exf4 Rxe1+ 25. Qxe1 Qxf4 ) 22... Ne5 ) ( 21. Qxf4 $2 Qxf4 22. gxf4 Re2 $17 { White's extra pawn is doubled and isolated, but Black's pieces are terrific. } ) ) 21. Nf3 fxg3+ { It seems to me Anand played terrific up to a point and then became gun-shy. So, Vallejo Pons continues racking up the draws. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]

1. e4 { Kasparov has also played 1. d4 against Ivanchuk. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 { I don't recall Ivanchuk previously using this system against Kasparov. His flexibility with openings is shared by some other GMs, but few people truly play many defenses (or openings for White) with equal skill. There is simply too much specialized detail about most openings for this to be possible. Ivanchuk does better than most, but still has an occasional flub, as in the first round game of his FIDE wch match with Ponomariov. } 5. c4 { Wow, Kasparov sticks to the c2-c4 he used against Vallejo Pons of round 8. } 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 { See the Kasparov-Vallejo Pons game for notes to the opening. } ( 6... Bb4 ) 7. a3 Be7 ( 7... b6 { Kasparov-Vallejo Pons, round 8 } ) 8. Be3 O-O 9. Rc1 Nc6 10. Be2 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 d6 { Black's position isn't very enterprising. It's quite passive. He's traded off one minor piece, so his cramp won't be too terrible, but he will have to be in a mood to counter-attack if he's to find any chance to win. } 12. O-O Rb8 { Usually one wouldn't consider moving Pb7 when there's a Be2 to target Pa6, but Black has to be able to play ...b7-b6 to prevent c4-c5 and possibly to play ...b7-b5 (or ...b6-b5) to chop into White's central pawns, making more room for Black pieces to maneuver. Naturally White will make this more difficult. } 13. Qb6 Qxb6 14. Bxb6 Bd7 $1 ( 14... Nd7 $2 { not really so crucial as Bb6 can't do much damage without help from other pieces } 15. Bc7 Ra8 16. Rfd1 ) 15. Rfd1 Rfc8 { preventing Bb6-c7xd6 and targeting Pc4. Kasparov isn't gaining much ground and without queens he won't have any king-side attack. Still, Black has no particular advantage (s) . } 16. b4 Be8 17. Ba7 Ra8 18. Be3 Nd7 { It isn't obvious, but Black might be aiming for ...g7-g5 to secure square e5 for ...Nd7-e5. That would put a constant pressure on Pc4. } 19. Na4 Rc6 20. f3 Kf8 { If White hadn't played Nc3-a4 Black's Nd7 could go to e5, but in this situation Na4-b6 hits Ra8 and guards Pc4. So, Black just keeps playing good position-improving moves. } 21. Kf2 h6 22. g3 Rc7 { Enticing White to play Na4-b6 which would allow Black to trade off another minor piece. And, perhaps considering a move of Nd7 to discover an attack (by Be8) on Na4. } 23. Bf4 Rc6 24. Be3 Rc7 25. Bf4 Rc6 26. h4 Ra7 { It's this kind of move which seems so mysterious. What does it do, except keep the status quo? One obvious offensive idea is to double rooks on the d-file to threaten Pd6, but that's met by ...g7-g5 to chase Bf4 back. I suppose Kasparov just decided it wasn't worth the risk to try any major offensive thrust; so, he'll just wait for the next game and see what develops. } 27. Nc3 Ra8 28. Na4 Ra7 29. Nc3 Ra8 1/2-1/2
[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { Adams use of Petrov's Defense against Kasparov didn't fare too well. I wonder why he's repeating it here. } 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 { This is perhaps the most popular move at this point. It prepares ...O-O and blocks the e-file, but isn't very aggressively placed. } ( 7... Bg4 { is often followed by ...f7-f5 to fight on the light squares in a big way, but the danger is over-extension and a weakening of Pb7, e6 and f7 (near Ke8) } ) ( 7... Bd6 { aims for most effective piece development aimed at White's king-side, but leaves Black a little weak on the e-file } ) 8. c4 { Since Black hasn't put any pressure on Nf3 or Pd4 White feels free to threaten Pd5 & Ne4. This adds more weight to White's offense before Nb1-c3. } ( 8. Re1 Nf6 ( 8... f5 9. c4 { and Black's center isn't easily supported } ) ) 8... Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 ( 10. a3 { Kasparov-Adams, round 5, 1-0 in 47 moves } ) 10... Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 { and even after this knight has retreated Black uses Bf5 to challenge for control of the most useful diagonal b1-h7 } 13. cxd5 Qxd5 { By transposition they've arrived at the same position as Kasparov-Adams. } 14. Re1 { I don't see that this move makes much sense until he's prepared another place for Be2. As things stand Be2 can hardly move, so Re1 is pretty well blocked. } ( 14. c4 { quickly before Black gets in ...Nc6-a5 (controlling c4) and possibly even ...c7-c5 to break up White's central pawns } 14... Qe4 ( 14... Qd6 ) ) 14... Rfe8 ( 14... Na5 15. Ne5 ( 15. Bd3 Bd6 ) 15... c5 16. Bf3 Qb3 17. Qxb3 Nxb3 18. Ra2 cxd4 ) 15. Bf4 Rac8 16. c4 Qe4 17. Be3 Bf6 18. Ra2 b6 19. h3 Na5 20. g4 Bg6 21. g5 Be7 22. Ne5 Bd6 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. c5 Bf8 25. Bg4 Rcd8 26. Rae2 Qc6 { The preceding moves with no notes should not be taken as perfect or needing no commentary. It's just they are the same moves as Kasparov-Adams from round 5. It's curious that Adams lost that game and yet drew this one with only one new move. That's quite a feat. } 27. cxb6 1/2-1/2
[Event "Simul"]
[Site "Manhattan Chess Club"]
[Date "1972.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Reshevsky"]
[Black "Schiller, Eric"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Schiller Eric"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[ECO "D25"]
[Remark ""]
[Source ""]
[WhiteElo "0"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Bxc4 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Nfd7 { Smyslov's system. } 8. Qe2 ( 8. e4 Nb6 9. Be2 Bg4 10. Be3 Nc6 { was played in Evans - Smyslov, Helsinki Olympiad 1952, which was a game I had
studied in preparation for this contest. Black has a lot of pressure on the center. Play continued } 11. d5 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Ne5 13. Be2 Nec4 { with pressure on the long diagonal. After 14.Bc1 c6! Black had a strong game. } ) 8... Nb6 9. Bb3 Nc6 { !? An attempt to improve on Golombek - Smyslov, Budapest 1952, which saw 9...a5. } 10. Rd1 Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qe8 { This move has the goal of blasting open the center. After the king moves to the h-file Black can advance both e- and f-pawns. } 13. Nb5 { ?! 
Gligoric improved against me a week or two later with 13. Ne4!, with the threat
of Nc5. Serves me right for getting the game published in the New York Times! } 13... Rc8 14. Bd2 a6 15. Na3 Kh8 16. Rac1 e5 $1 17. d5 e4 18. Qf4 { It is clear that the Nc6 is headed for e5, with the possibility of jumping into
f3. If only the g-file were open and a rook stood on g8... } 18... g5 $1 19. Qxg5 Ne5 20. Bc3 { The pin looks strong - but checks have been known to break pins! } 20... Nf3+ { !! } 21. gxf3 Bxc3 22. Kh1 ( 22. bxc3 Rg8 ) 22... Rg8 23. Qf4 Qd7 24. Qh4 Qf5 $1 { Black continues to make threats while improving the position of his queen, before capturing the pawn at b2. } 25. f4 Bxb2 26. Rg1 Bxc1 27. Rxc1 Qg6 { Desperately chasing checkmate. } 28. Qg4 Qxg4 29. hxg4 Rxg4 { White could have resigned here. } 30. Rg1 Rxg1+ 31. Kxg1 Rd8 32. d6 Rxd6 33. Bxf7 Rd3 34. Nc2 c5 35. Be6 Rc3 36. Ne1 Rc1 37. Kf1 Nc4 38. Ke2 b5 39. Bd5 Ra1 40. Bxe4 Rxa2+ 41. Kd1 Rxf2 42. Nd3 Rd2+ { Reshevsky finally resigned, since I'm going to sac the rook for the knight and grab the e-pawn, with a three pawn advantage. } 0-1
[Event "Mechanics Masters"]
[Site "San Francisco CA USA"]
[Date "1997.12.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Schiller, Eric"]
[Black "Gurevich, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Schiller Eric"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[ECO "A09"]
[Remark ""]
[Source ""]
[WhiteElo "0"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 g6 4. Bb2 Bg7 5. g3 a5 6. a3 e5 7. d3 Ne7 8. Bg2 c5 9. Qb3 axb4 10. axb4 Rxa1 11. Bxa1 Nbc6 12. b5 Qa5+ 13. Nfd2 Nb4 ( 13... Qxa1 14. bxc6 Nxc6 15. O-O { is very unclear. } ) 14. Bb2 O-O 15. O-O b6 16. Na3 Qa7 17. Ra1 $1 Qb8 18. Nc2 Nxc2 19. Qxc2 Bg4 { Black tries to get some counterplay. } 20. Nf1 h5 21. h3 Be6 22. Qa4 Qd6 23. Bc1 h4 $1 { I underestimated this. } 24. Qa7 { Should have just captured at h4. } 24... f5 25. Bg5 Nc8 26. Qb7 hxg3 27. Nxg3 e4 28. Ra8 Be5 29. Bh6 ( 29. Nf1 { !? } ) 29... Rf7 { Now the tactics explode. } 30. Rxc8+ Kh7 31. Bf8 Rxb7 32. Bxd6 Bxg3 33. Rc6 Bxd6 34. Rxd6 { The endgame is tremendous for White. } 34... Bf7 35. Kh2 Rb8 36. Rd7 Kg8 37. h4 Ra8 38. Rb7 Ra2 39. dxe4 Rxe2 40. exf5 Rxf2 41. Rxb6 Bxc4 42. Rxg6+ Kf7 43. b6 Ba6 44. Kg3 Rxf5 45. Rc6 Kg7 46. Rc7+ Rf7 47. Ra7 d3 48. Rxa6 { I took the simple road. But there was another, better win. } ( 48. Bd5 Rxa7 49. bxa7 d2 50. a8=Q d1=Q 51. Qg8+ Kh6 52. Qf8+ Kg6 53. Be4+ Kh5 54. Qh8# { would have been more efficient. } ) 48... d2 49. Ra1 c4 50. Be4 c3 51. Bc2 Rf6 52. Rb1 Rf8 53. b7 1-0
[Event "NY Open"]
[Site "New York City NY"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Schiller, Eric"]
[Black "Yakovich, Yuri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Schiller Eric"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[ECO "A09"]
[Remark ""]
[Source ""]
[WhiteElo "0"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. g3 g6 4. b4 Bg7 5. Bb2 e5 6. d3 a5 7. b5 Ne7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O c5 10. bxc6 Nexc6 11. Nbd2 Na6 12. Ne1 Be6 13. Nc2 Qd7 14. Ba3 Rfd8 15. Rb1 Rab8 16. Ne4 h6 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Bh3 19. Rb5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Re8 21. Qb1 e4 22. Bb6 exd3 23. exd3 Re5 24. Re1 Rbe8 25. Rbxe5 Rxe5 26. Rxe5 Nxe5 27. Qb5 Qg4 28. Nxd4 Nxd3 29. Qe8+ Bf8 30. Qe3 Bc5 { ?? } 31. Bxc5 Nxc5 32. Qe8+ Kg7 33. Qe5+ { Black resigned. A time-pressure blunder by Yakovich, but I stayed in the game
long enough to let it happen, and played well throughout. %30^000 } 1-0