Icannos/chess_studies huggingface dataset:
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine,A"]
[Black "Capablanca,J"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "D10"]
[PlyCount "35"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 { The opening of this game is a Queen's Gambit Declined. White offers to give up (or "gambit") the c-pawn to wreck Black's central pawn pair. But this is not a true gambit, as it's easy for White to win back the pawn should Black accept the "gift". } 2... c6 { This is called the Slav Defense. Black could play ...dxc4 but he then loses the advantage of the central pawn pair, plus (after e2-e3, the move Bxc4 becomes a possibility. } 3. Nc3 { Notice that White has advanced the c-pawn before developing the Knight (the move Nc3 doesn't block the c-pawn's advance). } 3... Nf6 { Helping to defend the d-pawn. } 4. e3 { Now ...cxd4 would be met immediately by Bxc4. A common plan for Black here is to wait for White to play Be2 or Bd3, then play ...dxc4 to make White lose a temp by playing Bxc4 (thus moving the Bishop twice). } 4... Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 ( 5... Nxd5 { White can now develop with no problems. } 6. Bc4 e6 7. Nge2 { With Kingside castling to follow. } ) 6. Qb3 { Striking at the weak b7-pawn. } 6... Bc8 { Capa decides to waste a tempo by retreating the Bishop, rather than playing ...b6 and losing the support for a Knight on c6. } 7. Nf3 e6 8. Bd3 { After he plays this move, we see an odd look cross Alekhine's face. What could he be thinking? } 8... Nc6 9. O-O Bd7 10. Bd2 Qb6 { Capa offers to trade Queens. He sees that a White attack could be dangerous, so he wants to reduce the amount of force that White can bring to bear against him. } 11. Qd1 Bd6 { Count the number of developed pieces each side and you'll see that Capa has managed to actually gain a tempo over his opponent, despite his wasted Bishop move in the opening! } 12. Rc1 { To take the open file. } 12... O-O 13. Na4 { Alekhine grabs the initiative by attacking the Black Queen. } 13... Qd8 { Now White again has the advantage in development. } 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15. Rxc5 ( 15. dxc5 { This would close the open file, plus allow Black to counterattack with ...e5. } ) 15... Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 { The e4 and e5 pawns are weak and must soon fall. However, the piece exchanges have taken the life out of the position and the players call it a draw. } 1/2
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Janowski,D"]
[Black "Maroczy,G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "D15"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 { The players have transposed into the Slav Defense, a branch of the Queen's Gambit, which bears some similarity to positions arising from the Caro-Kann Defense. } 4... dxc4 5. Bg5 { Janowski gambits a pawn for some Kingside pressure. } ( 5. e3 b5 6. a4 { Undermining the b-pawn and making it possible for White to win the pawn back sooner or later. } ) 5... b5 6. e3 Nd5 7. Be2 ( 7. Nxd5 cxd5 { Trading Knights on d5 would be giving Black just what he wants -- his pawns are now undoubled. } ) 7... Nd7 8. O-O Qc7 { A good center-controlling move. Maroczy is looking to prevent Ne5 by his opponent. } 9. Qd2 { White has completed his development by connecting his Rooks. But Black still has the better game because White's forces are so cramped. } 9... N7f6 { White wants to be able to play e3-e4 to get some more room and expand in the center. The Black Knight keeps an eye on the square in question, as well as releases the light-squared Bishop.. } 10. Qc2 { Janowski, too, realizes the importance of e4. } 10... e6 11. e4 { Janowski finally gets to push the pawn. He has two pieces protecting the square, while Black has but one assaulting it. } 11... Nxc3 12. bxc3 Bb7 { Surprising! Now Maroczy will be able to put some good pressure on e4 once the c6-pawn advances. } 13. Nd2 Be7 14. f4 h6 15. Bh4 ( 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 { was better. } ) 15... Nxe4 16. Qxe4 ( 16. Bxe7 Nxd2 17. Qxd2 Qxe7 { White would still find himself two pawns down and closer to the endgame, which is probably why Janowski chose the move he made. } ) 16... Bxh4 17. f5 Bg5 18. fxe6 O-O 19. Nf3 f5 { Notice how quickly the game has switched to a battle of positioning to a battle of tactics. } 20. Qc2 Be3+ 21. Kh1 Rae8 22. Ne5 c5 { Suddenly the Bishop springs to life along the long diagonal. } ( 22... Rxe6 23. Rxf5 Rxf5 24. Qxf5 Rf6 25. Qe4 Bd2 26. Qc2 Bf4 { And Black is enjoying a huge advantage in space and mobility. } ) 23. Nd7 Be4 24. Qb2 cxd4 ( 24... Qc6 { Putting more pressure on the g2-pawn would have been much better. } ) 25. cxd4 a6 { A quiet move that shores up the b-pawn. But the f8-Rook is still in jeopardy... } 26. Nxf8 Rxf8 27. a4 Rb8 ( 27... Qb6 ) 28. axb5 axb5 29. e7 { And in this position (in which Black is enjoying a pretty good advantage), Janowski trimphantly points to his opponent's clock. The flag has fallen! Maroczy is out of time and the win goes to Janowski! } 1-0
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Marshall,F"]
[Black "Alekhine,A"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "D35"]
[PlyCount "64"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 { This move does influence the center, believe it or not. The White Bishop, by pinning the Black Knight, removes the Knight's control of d5 and e4. } 6... Be7 { Another center-influencing move. The Black Bishop interposes itself between the Black Queen and White Bishop, preventing the pin and allowing the Black Knight to control the center once again. } 7. e3 Bf5 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Nbd7 10. O-O { This move isn't concerned with central control; King safety is the key here. } 10... O-O { Black follows suit, safeguarding his King on one of the flanks while simultaneously developing the Kingside Rook. } 11. Qf5 Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nxe4 dxe4 ( 13... Qxe4 14. Qxd7 ) 14. Nd2 Nf6 { The pawn on e4 has become the center of both players' attention. } 15. Rac1 { In the absence of an additional way to attack the e4-pawn, Marshall plays a good positional move: he moves his Rook to a half-open file. } 15... Rfe8 { Alekhine responds by overprotecting the e4-pawn. Now any of the pawn's defenders (Queen, Rook, or Knight) can move away without risking the loss of the pawn. } 16. Rc5 { Marshall increases the Rook's mobility. } 16... Nd5 { The Knight cuts communication between the White Rook and Queen. Now we see the value of overprotection -- the e4-pawn is still defended. } 17. Rfc1 { Another strong positional move, as the Rooks are now doubled on the half-open file. } 17... Rad8 { The Black Rook moves to a half-open file as well. } 18. b4 a6 19. a3 Rd6 20. g3 h6 21. Nb1 g6 22. Qh3 { Marshall threatens an attack along the h-file. } 22... Qg5 ( 22... h5 { This was better. With the actual move, Black has placed his Queen on the same rank with the White Rook, pinning his own Knight. } ) 23. Nc3 b6 ( 23... Nxc3 24. Rxg5 Ne2+ 25. Kg2 Nxc1 26. Qxh6 { White is up material with an attack to boot. } ) 24. Nxd5 { White is pretty much forced to give up the exchange. } 24... bxc5 25. Nc7 cxd4 $2 ( 25... Red8 26. Rxc5 Qe7 27. Nxa6 { Black could have returned two pawns and still had an even position. } ) 26. Nxe8 dxe3 { It's really hard to see what Alekhine is doing here; why is he letting his army be decimated? } 27. Nxd6 exf2+ 28. Kxf2 { And now we see the point -- the draw is forced. } 28... Qd2+ 29. Kg1 Qe3+ 30. Kg2 Qf3+ 31. Kg1 Qe3+ 32. Kg2 Qf3+ 1/2
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Marshall,F"]
[Black "Bogoljubow,E"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "D52"]
[PlyCount "75"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 { Notice that Marshall developed the Bishop before pushing the e-pawn so that the Bishop wouldn't become trapped behind it. } 4... Nbd7 5. c4 { Striking at the center by offering to trade a flank pawn for a center pawn. } 5... c6 { Bogo defends the pawn and makes sure he'll still have two center pawns after a trade. } 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Nc3 Qa5 8. Bd3 { Now Marshall is prepared to castle Kingside. } 8... Ne4 { While not technically a "hole" (the f-pawn can advance to f3 to drive away the Knight after the Knight moves), it's still a pretty good post for Black's Knight. } 9. Qc2 { Marshall makes the Black Knight's outpost a bit less attractive.The idea is to win a pawn with check by 10.Bxe4 dxe4 11.Qxe4+. } 9... Nxg5 10. Nxg5 h6 11. Nf3 { Take a look at Marshall's position. His pieces are all developed to good squares. The only thing left to do is take care of safeguarding the King by castling. } 11... Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. a3 Qd8 { Bogo sees that b2-b4 is on the way, so he might as well retreat the Queen now rather than be forced to do so later. } 14. Rae1 { The Rook moves to e1 to support the e-pawn's advance. } 14... a5 15. Qe2 { Another supporter for the advancing e-pawn. } 15... Nf6 16. Ne5 { To be honest, I have no idea why Marshall changed plans here. His last two moves pointed toward the e-pawn's advance. It's hard to say what he saw that changed his mind. } 16... Bd6 17. f4 c5 18. Bb1 Bd7 19. Qc2 { If not for the f6-Knight, the threat would be mate in one at h7. } 19... Bc6 20. dxc5 Bxc5 21. Kh1 Re8 22. e4 { Marshall finally advances the pawn, under the watchful gaze of four White pieces. } 22... Bd4 23. Nxc6 bxc6 24. e5 { Driving off the Knight that was covering h7... } 24... Ng4 25. Qh7+ { ...but we see that Qh7 is no longer mate (the Rook has moved and left a square for the Black King). } 25... Kf8 26. g3 Qb6 27. Bf5 Nf2+ { More forcing than ...Ne3 (which is not a check). White must now give up the exchange. } 28. Rxf2 Bxf2 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qxg7 Kd8 ( 30... Bxe1 { Black had good board vision to notice that this wouldn't work -- in fact, it leads to his being mated by force! } 31. Qf6+ Kf8 32. Qxh6+ Kg8 33. Bh7+ Kh8 34. Bg6+ Kg8 35. Qh7+ Kf8 36. Qxf7# ) 31. Qf6+ ( 31. Qxf7 Ra7 32. Qf6+ { This variation was materially better and leads to a King hunt regardless. But White has a better idea. } ) 31... Re7 32. e6 Bd4 33. exf7 Bxf6 34. f8=Q+ { We see now why Marshall didn't play 31.Qxf7. } 34... Kc7 35. Rxe7+ Bxe7 36. Qxa8 { Now Bogo is down a minor piece and pawn with his King dangerously exposed. } 36... Kd6 37. Qh8 Qd8 { Bogo walks right into a forced mate. } ( 37... Bf6 { This would have let Black last a little longer, but he's in a lost position in any event. } 38. Qf8+ Be7 39. Qxh6+ Kc7 40. Qe6 { Black is completely stuck for a good move here. The game is lost for him. } ) 38. Qe5+ { Marshall announced a forced mate in five and Bogo resigned. } ( 38. Qe5+ Kc5 39. Na4+ Kc4 40. Qc3+ Kb5 41. Bd3+ Kxa4 42. Qc2# ) 1-0
[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine,A"]
[Black "Maroczy,G"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "D55"]
[PlyCount "66"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Ne4 7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. Qc2 { Intending to win a pawn by Nxe4 and Qxe4. } 8... Nxc3 9. Qxc3 c5 10. cxd5 cxd4 11. Nxd4 exd5 { Now Black has an isolated d-pawn. White is doing the right thing: blockading it with a Knight. } 12. Be2 Nd7 13. O-O Nf6 14. Rac1 { The Rook forms a strong battery with the Queen on the open c-file. } 14... Be6 { Maroczy expects Alekhine to put pressure on the d-pawn from the flank, so he moves to overprotect the pawn as a preventive measure. } 15. Qa5 { As expected, Alekhine pressures the pawn. } 15... Rfc8 16. Rxc8+ Bxc8 ( 16... Rxc8 17. Qxa7 { Losing a pawn. } ) 17. Rc1 { Again assuming control of the file. } 17... Bd7 ( 17... b6 { Why not advance the pawn and give the Queen a little kick? Black misses the chance to take the pressure off of the d-pawn. } ) 18. a3 g6 19. h3 Rc8 { Maroczy doesn't want to see the Rook or Queen invade the 7th rank, so he decides to sacrifice a pawn to keep that from happening. } 20. Rxc8+ Bxc8 21. Qxa7 Qc7 { Nice. Now it's Black who owns the open file. } 22. Bf1 { Anticipating ...Qc1+. } 22... Bd7 23. Ne2 { Starting a maneuver that will block the file. } 23... Bb5 24. Nc3 { The file is blocked and pressure is maintained on the d-pawn. } 24... Bxf1 25. Kxf1 Ne4 26. Qd4 Nxc3 { Removing one of the attackers. } 27. Qxc3 Qh2 28. f3 { Alekhine blows it! He's so busy watching the Capablanca-Lasker game that he pays no attention to his own! } ( 28. Qc8+ Kg7 29. Qxb7 Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Qxg2 31. a4 Qxh3 32. Qb4 { and Black can just hang it up now. } ) 28... Qh1+ 29. Kf2 Qd1 30. Qc8+ Kg7 31. Qxb7 ( 31. Qc3+ { After the King moves, White plays Qd4 and after the Queens are swapped off, White's extra material will win the game. } ) 31... Qd2+ 32. Kg3 d4 33. exd4 Qg5+ { Maroczy can force a draw by harassing the White King with repeated checks. The players agree to the draw. } ( 33... Qg5+ 34. Kh2 Qf4+ 35. Kg1 Qe3+ { etc } ) 1/2
[Event "Eurotel Trophy"]
[Site "Prague CZE"]
[Date "2002.04.29"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Hracek, Z."]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2596"]
[ECO "E15"]
[EventDate "2002.04.28"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 { Queen's Indian Defense } 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 ( 5. Qa4 ) 5... Bb7 ( 5... Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 ) 6. Bg2 Bb4+ { Black has forced a slight weakening of White's queen-side and now he tries to discoordinate White's pieces. } 7. Bd2 c5 { It seems a little unusual to allow Bxb4 cxb4 when Black gives up on some central control. What he gains is control of c3, so White can't play Nb1-c3 to control both e4 and d5. } ( 7... Be7 ) 8. O-O O-O 9. Bxb4 cxb4 10. Qd3 { preparing Nb1-d2 } 10... d5 { Black doesn't worry about Pd5 blocking Bb7 forever. Since there's a Pc4 Black will have ...dxc4 to reopen the diagonal. } ( 10... Be4 11. Qe3 Nc6 12. Nbd2 Bg6 ) 11. Nbd2 Qe7 ( 11... Ne4 { can easily lead to exchanges which help White emphasize his lead in development } 12. Rfc1 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 { and Pb4 is weak while White's Pc4 might advance! } ) 12. Rfc1 Nbd7 13. Ne5 { perhaps threatening cxd5 and Rc7 or Nc6, but as much as anything White is just moving forward into the gap and cramping Black as he goes. He might continue with f2-f4 to add another pawn to the central fight or e2-e4 to blast through the middle. } 13... Nxe5 ( 13... Rac8 ) 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. cxd5 { White threatens d5-d6 to win Bb7. } 15... exd5 ( 15... Nxe5 $4 16. d6 Nxd3 ( 16... Qd7 17. Qd4 ) 17. dxe7 Nxc1 18. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 19. Bxb7 $18 ) ( 15... Bxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. f4 ( 17. Rc7 ) ) 16. f4 Nc5 17. Qd4 Ne6 18. Qf2 Rfc8 { I think Black has used this rook to clear f8 if he needs to retreat his knight (...Ne6-f8) . } 19. f5 Nf8 20. Qd4 Rc5 { Black's queen-side coordination seems pretty good, but the possibility of f5-f6 to breech Black's king-side continues to give White the better chances to find a win. Incidentally, Pb4 is poison as long as Black has ...Rxc1+ to uncover a defense (Qe7 defends Pb4) . } 21. Nf3 Rac8 22. Re1 Rc3 { If Black can get in ...Qc5 to force a simpler middlegame he would be fine. } 23. Kh1 Re8 24. f6 gxf6 25. exf6 Qe4 26. Rad1 Re6 27. Rf1 Ba6 $6 { Is Pe2 really the lynchpin of White's position? I doubt that capturing it is a significant to White as capturing Pd5 is to Black. } ( 27... Qxd4 28. Nxd4 Re5 { is still a close game } ) 28. Qxe4 Rxe4 29. Nd4 Re5 30. Nf5 Ng6 $2 { I can't see that the knight does anything productive here. } ( 30... Bxe2 31. Rde1 Bxf1 32. Rxe5 Bxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Ne6 34. Rxd5 ) 31. Rxd5 Rxd5 32. Bxd5 Ne5 33. Nh6+ Kf8 34. Rf5 Re3 35. Rg5 Ng6 { At this point Pe2 is defenseless, but Ba6 is hopelessly out of play. } 36. Bxf7 Rxe2 37. Bxg6 Bb7+ 38. Kg1 Rg2+ 39. Kf1 Rxh2 40. Bh5 { and the threat of Rg5-g8# can't be stopped } 1-0
[Event "FIDE World Cup KO"]
[Site "Shenyang CHN"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vasily"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[ECO "B92"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 { Not many people favor 6...e5 nowadays. } 7. O-O Be7 8. f4 O-O 9. Kh1 { With this move White prepares to move Qd1 without worries that Nd4 might be pinned on the a7-g1 diagonal. } ( 9. a4 ) 9... Qc7 ( 9... b5 ) 10. a4 Nc6 11. Be3 ( 11. Nb3 { avoiding a trade keeps Black from easing his cramp; though it also means the knight is further from the king-side, where it would be of most use } ) 11... Re8 ( 11... b6 $2 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. e5 ) ( 11... Bd7 ) 12. Bf3 { I usually don't care for the bishop here because Black can often play ...e6-e5 to block Pe4 and Bf3. } 12... Rb8 { aiming for ...b7-b5, which Be2-f3 allows. He also removes the rook from the diagonal alignment with Bf3. } ( 12... Nxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 14. Qd3 Be6 ) 13. Qd2 { This isn't the best location for the queen, though it could go to f2. He seems to be begging Black to invade on the c-file! } 13... Bd7 14. Nb3 b6 { Black's hedgehog position is sturdy. Anand has learned well from Kasparov (and others before him) . } 15. Rae1 Bc8 ( 15... Na5 16. Nxa5 bxa5 { is a trade which has been played before, even by Karpov many years ago. It only appears to be premature in this position because of } 17. e5 dxe5 18. fxe5 ) 16. e5 { Ivanchuk bites the bullet and tries to force things to his advantage. But, Black's position is fairly resilient. If the f-file opens Pf7 could be a problem. } ( 16. g4 Nd7 17. g5 { is another well-used method of keeping Black tied down } ) 16... dxe5 17. Bxc6 { else the Bf3 would be of no use and Rf1 would remain blocked. } ( 17. fxe5 Nxe5 18. Bf4 Nfd7 ) 17... Qxc6 18. fxe5 Nd5 { Black seeks simplifying exchanges now that he has the two bishops advantage. } 19. Qf2 Rf8 20. Nxd5 Qxd5 21. Bxb6 Bb7 { Bb6 is still challenged because Black intends Qxg2+ to regain the pawn. } 22. Bc5 Bh4 { The tactics are challenging. Black threatens mate at g2. White threatens Rf8. Black threatens Qf2. All-in-all I think Black is fine because all his pieces are active, while White's Re1 and Nb3 can't do much. } 23. Qe2 Rfc8 24. Rd1 Qe4 25. Qxe4 Bxe4 { Now Black threatens to remove Pc2 which supports Nb3 and that supports Bc5. It's close to a dynamic equality. } 26. Bd6 Bxc2 27. Bxb8 Bxd1 28. Rxd1 Rxb8 29. Na5 { I have no idea why he'd just toss away Pb2. } ( 29. Rd3 Rc8 30. g3 Bg5 31. h4 Be7 { is either equal or only slightly better for Black because White might have some difficulty defending his "far-flung" pawns. } ) 29... Rxb2 30. g3 Be7 31. Nc6 Bf8 32. Rd8 g5 33. h4 gxh4 34. gxh4 Rc2 35. Nb8 Kg7 36. Rd4 { and just like that Black has ended the threats to achieve a won ending: bishop v. knight and extra pawn. } 36... a5 37. Nd7 h5 38. Nxf8 Kxf8 39. Rd8+ Kg7 0-1
[Event "34th Olympiad"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Fedorov, A."]
[Black "Miezis, N."]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[ECO "B40"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 { Black isn't threatening ...e5 to block the center and 3...d7-d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. d4 favors White because Pd5 is already targeted by Nc3. } 3... a6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 { Black can choose this variation without fear White could set up a Maroczy Bind (c2-c4 & e2-e4 together) because of 3. Nc3. It gives Black the flexibility to develop his other pieces after seeing where White's are. } 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. O-O Nxd4 9. Bxd4 Bc5 10. Bxf6 { In the Almasi-Piket game White traded bishops and was able to play on the dark squares later. Here White forces a weakening of Black's king-side pawns, but Bc5 remains. Emanuel Lasker's general rule was to not (!) double a person's king-side pawns before he has castled because it opens the g-file for a rook. In this case Ke8 hasn't committed to staying on the king-side. } 10... gxf6 11. Qg4 { Naturally White does his best to avoid Rh8-g8. } 11... Kf8 12. Kh1 h5 13. Qh4 { To this point it looks like White's efforts might bear fruit because all the play will be focused on the king-side. But, Black has yet to bring all his pieces into play. } 13... Be7 14. f4 b5 { How is White to proceed? If he advances e4-e5 (hoping a pawn exchange would open the f-file to his advantage) then fxe5 would discover an attack on Qh4. If White moves Qh4 first then ...b5-b4 would discoordinate White severely. It seems White needs more time, so 15. a3 seems necessary. } 15. f5 Qe5 $5 { After this it's difficult for White to do any damage on the dark squares. } ( 15... b4 ) 16. Rae1 Bb7 17. Nd1 Kg7 18. Rf3 Rag8 19. c3 Kf8 20. Ne3 Rg5 { But, with the two bishops and now active rooks Black can threaten anywhere. } 21. Re2 Rhg8 22. Bc2 Bc5 23. Nf1 d5 24. Ng3 Rg4 25. Qxh5 dxe4 26. Rf1 e3 27. Qh6+ Ke7 28. Rfe1 Rxg3 { The final breakthrough! } 29. hxg3 Qxg3 30. Qh2 Rh8 { Wow that's an amazing move! It deflects Qh2 and leaves Pg2 a sitting duck. } 31. Qxh8 Bxg2+ 32. Kg1 ( 32. Rxg2 Qxe1+ 33. Kh2 ( 33. Rg1 e2 34. Qg7 Qxg1+ 35. Qxg1 Bxg1 36. Kxg1 e1=Q+ ) 33... Bd6+ 34. Kh3 Qh1+ ) 32... Bd5+ 33. Kf1 Bc4 { with Qg3-f2# to follow. Black's use of the two bishops and the open g-file was stellar. } 0-1
[Event "34th Olympiad"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Hracek, Z."]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[ECO "B48"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Bd3 b5 { This early ...b7-b5 is a trademark of the Polgar family. They've played it a long time. Judit has played it infrequently in recent years, having switched to the Najdorf-like move-order which Kasparov uses. } 8. Nxc6 { White trades knights before ...Bc8-b7 to prevent Black her ideal coordination. } 8... Qxc6 9. O-O Bb7 10. a3 Nf6 11. Qe2 h5 { This is unusual in most Sicilian Defense variations, but normal in this one. Black aligns bishops and queen to aim at Kg1 and then throws forward the king-side pawn and Nf6-g4 to add more pressure. } 12. f4 { I can't imagine why White would allow Nf6-g4 this way. To weaken the dark squares so seriously has to be very bad. } ( 12. f3 Bc5 13. Qf2 d6 ) 12... Ng4 13. Bd2 Bc5+ 14. Kh1 Bd4 15. Rae1 O-O-O { Black has absolutely no weakness White can exploit. This is very nearly winning for Black. } 16. Nd1 f5 17. Ba5 Rdf8 18. c3 Ba7 19. e5 g5 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 gxf4 22. Rf3 Rhg8 23. b4 Nxe5 { Nifty. Again the theme is to deflect White's queen away from g2, regardless of the cost. } 24. Qxe5 Qxc4 25. Nb2 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Qc2 { Black's play was direct beautifully coordinated and strangely White did nothing to prevent it. } 0-1
[Event "Miguel Najdorf Memorial"]
[Site "Buenos Aires ARG"]
[Date "2001.09.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ricardi, Pablo"]
[Black "Milos, Gilberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3 b5 7. Bc2 ( 7. Bb3 Nxe4 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Be7 ( 9... Bb6 10. d5 ( 10. Bd5 Nf6 ( 10... Nd6 11. Re1+ ) 11. Re1+ ) 10... Ne7 ) 10. d5 Nb8 11. Qd4 ) 7... d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. a4 { White probes the queen-side and wonders how Black will defend Pb5, now that Ra8-b8 isn't available. } 9... Bg4 ( 9... b4 10. d5 { costs Pb4 } ) 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. h3 ( 12. d5 ) 12... Bh5 $6 { This is bound to get Black into trouble. What's wrong with the simple exchanges? } ( 12... Bxf3 13. Qxf3 exd4 14. Bg5 Nd7 ) 13. d5 Na7 { Now Black's pieces are on the perimeter. It's only ...c7-c6 which gives him a chance to counter against White's center. White might bolster Pd5 with b2-b3 and c3-c4. } 14. Na3 c6 15. Bg5 Bd8 16. dxc6 Qxc6 17. Bxf6 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Bxf6 19. Bb3 O-O { White's preference for piece play carried a little more risk, but if done well a bigger payoff. Bc1-g5xf6 was a threat to Black's king. At this point Black has defended and (surprisingly) the position looks somewhat like a Sicilian Defense, Sveshnikov Variation. White's play on the d-file can't really pay off (winning Pd6 is very difficult) , but using d5 and the a-file can provide a way to play where Bf6 can't defend! } 20. Nc2 Nc8 21. Nb4 Qb7 22. Ra1 Bd8 23. Bd5 Qc7 24. Nc6 $1 { White blocks Black's pieces maximally and threatens invasion at a7 or a8. This is terrific play and there's little Black can do to prevent it. } 24... Kh8 25. Ra8 f5 { desperation } 26. Nxd8 { White chooses to just trade-off and win a pawn or two. That with the bishop v. knight advantage should give him a near-winning advantage. } 26... Rxd8 27. Qxf5 Nb6 $4 ( 27... h6 { might hold off checkmate a while } ) 28. Qf8+ 1-0
[Event "Miguel Najdorf Memorial"]
[Site "Buenos Aires ARG"]
[Date "2001.09.12"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Felgaer, Ruben"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[ECO "B38"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 ( { Some people prefer more pure piece play, some prefer the Maroczy Bind which gives pawn structure stability and a more leisurely pace to developments. } 5. Nc3 ) 5... Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O ( 7... Ng4 8. Qxg4 Nxd4 9. Qd1 Ne6 ) 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O Bd7 10. Nc2 $5 { Short prefers to avoid a knight trade (based on his earlier experience in this tournament) and to gradually build up pressure on Black's slightly cramped position. } 10... a6 11. f3 { Securing Pe4 allows Nc3-d5. } 11... Rc8 12. Rc1 Re8 13. Qd2 Qa5 14. Rfd1 Ne5 15. b4 Qd8 16. Na3 { awkward but necessary to defend Pc4 and possibly preparing either Nc3-d5 or (in some cases) c4-c5 } 16... a5 17. b5 Be6 18. Na4 { Again Short avoids the piece trades, even though they may be good for White, to continue squeezing. One part of White's thinking in these positions is to use both his bishops on the queen-side when Black's Bg7 (blocked by Nf6) can't participate. } 18... Nfd7 19. b6 Nc5 ( 19... Ra8 20. Nb5 $16 ) 20. Nxc5 dxc5 21. Qxa5 Nd7 { Black threatens Pb6 or Rc8-a8 to win Na3! } 22. Nb5 Ra8 23. Qd2 Qxb6 { At least Black maintains material equality. At this point Black's resilience inspires White to directly fight Black's pieces. } 24. f4 Nf6 25. Qc2 Bg4 26. e5 Bf5 ( 26... Bxe2 27. Qxe2 Ne4 { looks very risky for Black. Ne4 isn't supported. } ) 27. Qb3 Ng4 28. Bd2 h5 29. Bf3 Red8 30. Be1 f6 { Black won't roll over and die; he fights back and that opens up the whole board. It's going to be a tactical slugfest. If Short isn't depressed about the turn of events he might take heart that now he might have a direct shot at Kg8. } 31. a4 fxe5 32. a5 Qf6 33. h3 exf4 { I don't know why Black thought the situation was so desperate that he had to offer material. It still favors White, but it's complicated. } ( 33... Nh6 34. Nc7 Rab8 35. Nd5 ) 34. hxg4 hxg4 35. Bxb7 { Now White crashes through on the queen-side (after it looked like Black had secured it earlier) . } 35... Rxd1 36. Rxd1 Rf8 $16 { So, Black turns to a full-force attack on Kg1. However, he's several moves from creating threats and White's pieces aren't that badly placed. Black might plan ...g4-g3, Qf6-h4-h2+ } 37. g3 f3 38. Qe3 { White guards his king jealously! } 38... Kh7 39. Rd2 { and prepares to make the first attacking moves! } 39... Qa1 40. Rh2+ Kg8 41. Bd5+ { It seemed everywhere Black saw threats he would move, then just as he moved away White would move in to make a major gain -- how peculiar. } 1-0
[Event "North American Open"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Wolski, T"]
[Black "Browne, W"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Browne, W"]

{ Sicilian Najdorf B92 } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Kh1 Nbd7 { 9...Qc7 is more common, but I wanted to go into turbulent, uncharted areas. } 10. a4 b6 { Possible is 10...Qc7!? 11.a5 b5 12.axb6 Nxb6. } 11. Be3 Bb7 12. f3 Rc8 { Has 12...Qb8!? 13.Qd2 Rc8 ever been tried? } 13. Qd2 Qc7 { 13...h6 is a feasible alternative. } 14. Rac1 h6 15. Rfd1 Rfe8 { I considered 15...Rfd8, but if he plays his knight to d5 my play will be on the e-line. } 16. Qe1 $1 { A very useful move preparing pressure on the a-pawn combined with doubling on the d-file. } 16... Qb8 17. Rd2 Rc7 { 17...Nc5? 18.Nxc5 dxc5 19.Bc4 is much better for White. } 18. Qg1 $6 { As the b-pawn isn't so tasty 18.Rcd1 was better. } 18... Rec8 19. Bxb6 Nxb6 20. Qxb6 Nd7 $1 { Perhaps he overlooked or at least underestimated this move. } 21. Qb4 Bg5 { 21...Kf8 was sharpest as a capture on d6 is met by one on c3, winning! If then 22.Nd5? (22.Na5?! d5 23.Qb3 Nc5 with good play.) 22...Bxd5 23.Qxb8 Nxb8! 24.Rxd5 Rxc2 25.Rdd1 Bg5! wins for Black. } 22. Qxd6 Nc5 $1 23. Nxc5 Rxc5 24. Qxb8 $2 { Better is 24.Rcd1 Bxd2 25.Qxd2 (25.Rxd2 Qa7!?) 25...Qc7 with level chances. } 24... Rxb8 25. Rcd1 Bxd2 26. Rxd2 Bc6 27. Nd1 { 27.Bxa6? loses to 27...Rxc3. } 27... Bxa4 28. b3 Bb5 29. Bxb5 axb5 30. Kg1 Rcc8 $1 { If 30...Rbc8?! 31.Ne3 Rc3 32.Kf2 and the White rook is free to roam, plus I can't play f7-f6 if his rook is on the seventh due to the knight's excellent position. Therefore I decided to neutralize the d-line and look for my other rook to infiltrate via a1 later. } 31. Ne3 Rd8 32. Nd5 g6 33. Kf2 Kg7 34. Ke3 Ra8 35. Nc3 $2 { White had 9 minutes left for 6 moves and solves my main problem: How to trade rooks! This is equally true if he had a bishop instead. } 35... Rxd2 36. Kxd2 Rd8+ { Perhaps he thought 36...b4 37.Nd5 and I'm tied to the pawn. } 37. Kc1 b4 $6 { Stronger was 37...Rb8! } 38. Nd5 f5 $1 { A good move in time trouble. If instead 38...Rb8 then 39.Kd2 f5 40.Kd3 Kf7 41.Kc4. } 39. Kd2 { 39.Nxb4 fxe4 40.fxe4 (40.Nc6 exf3 is easily winning for Black.) 40...Rd4 41.Nd3 Rxe4 and wins. } 39... fxe4 40. fxe4 Kf7 41. Ke3 { 41.Kd3 Ke6 42.Kc4 Rc8+ 43.Kd3 Rf8 44.Nxb4 Rf2 and Black wins. } 41... Rb8 42. Kd3 Ke6 43. Ke2 Kd6 44. Ke3 Rb7 45. g4 Kc5 { Now either my king or rook will infiltrate. } 46. h4 g5 $1 { Instead 46...Rf7? 47.g5 hxg5 48.hxg5 Rf1 49.Ne7 Rg1 50.Nxg6 Rxg5 51.Ne7 Rg3+ 52.Kd2 isn't as easy. With the text his knight can't get to the g-pawn. } 47. h5 Rf7 48. Kd3 Rf2 49. Ne3 Rf4 50. Nf5 Rxg4 51. Nxh6 Rh4 52. Nf7 Rh3+ 53. Ke2 Kd4 54. Nxg5 Rxh5 { The rest requires no comment. } 55. Ne6+ Kxe4 56. Nc5+ Kd4 57. Nd3 Kc3 58. Ke3 Rh2 59. Nxe5 Kxc2 60. Nd7 Kxb3 61. Nc5+ Ka2 0-1
[Event "?"]
[Site "Hastings"]
[Date "1895.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Steinitz, W"]
[Black "Von Bardeleben, K"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Karpov, An"]

{ [C54]
At the Hastings tournament in 1895, the first World Champion produced one of his finest games. There is perhaps no finer example in the chess literature that illustrates the havoc that a rook on the seventh rank can create. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 d5 { Modern theory prefers 7...Nxe4 with a sound game for Black. } 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. O-O Be6 { After 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxc3 11.Qb3 Bxa1 12.Bxf7+, White's attack is irresistible, while after 9...Bxc3 10.bxc3 Nxc3 11.Qe1+, Black loses a piece. } 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxd5 Bxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 { Now it is sufficient for Black to remove his king to safety, and he will have the better endgame because of the isolated White d-pawn, but he does not succeed in implementing this important objective. } 14. Re1 f6 15. Qe2 Qd7 16. Rac1 { At the present time 16.d5! is considered to be the strongest method, for example: 16...Kf7 17.Rad1 Nxd5 18.Ng5+! fxg5 19.Qf3+ Kg8 20.Rxd5, and White should be winning. } 16... c6 { By evacuating his king from the e-file, and then playing 17...Nd5, Black could have successfully defended his position and assumed the initiative, although a knight check, 17.Ne5+ or 17.Ng5+, would have led to complications. } 17. d5 $1 { After this sacrifice, the attack proceeds smoothly for White. Black's king now comes under fire. } 17... cxd5 { Black cannot save time, for example: 17...Kf7 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Qc4+ Qd5 20.Qxd5+ cxd5 21.Rc7, with a decisive advantage for White. } 18. Nd4 Kf7 19. Ne6 Rhc8 20. Qg4 g6 21. Ng5+ Ke8 { Now comes one of the most famous combinations in the history of chess. } 22. Rxe7+ Kf8 { Black probably reasoned that his queen could not be taken because of the back rank mate (Rc8xc1 mate), and meanwhile, all of White's pieces are hanging. But Steinitz has seen a little further. Note that 22...Kxe7 fails because of 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Qb4+ Rc5 (or 24...Kc7 25.Ne6+ Kb8 26.Qf4+) 25.Re6+ and it is all over. } 23. Rf7+ $1 Kg8 { As on the previous move, the rook cannot be taken by the queen because of Rc1xc8+. } 24. Rg7+ $1 { Yet another brilliant move. The White rook is the complete master of the seventh rank. } 24... Kh8 { 24...Kf8 loses to 25.Nxh7+. } 25. Rxh7+ $1 { A forced sequence of moves leads to an "epaulette mate "after 25....Kg8 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Qh4+ Kxg7 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qg7+ Ke8 31.Qg8+ Ke7 32.Qf7+ Kd8 (or 32...Kd6 33.Qxf6+ and mate next move) 33.Qf8+ Qe8 34.Nf7+ Kd7 35.Qd6 mate. } 1-0
[Event "Pan Pacific WBCA Blitz Ch."]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Browne,W"]
[Black "Tal,M"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Browne, W"]

{ Slav Defense D10
This must be one of the sharpest Blitz games I have ever played! } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 e5 $5 { Down at the Mexican Interzonal of 1985, Tal agreed to a Blitz match in which he overwhelmed me with many sharp sacrificial openings. I knew that 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nf3 e4 6.Ne5 was currently popular, but I also wanted to create something! At the very least I thought I'd surprise him! } 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. e4 $1 { If only because the game becomes so sharp. } 5... dxe4 { 5...exd4?! 6.Nxd5 Nc6 7.Bb5 Bc5 8.Nf3 and White has an edge. } 6. Bb5+ { 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ is duck soup for Tal. } 6... Bd7 { 6...Nd7? 7.dxe5 is better for White as as e5-e6 is in the air and Black's e-pawn is weak. } 7. dxe5 { Another sharp alternative is 7.Qb3!? for example: 7...exd4 8.Bc4!? dxc3 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Bxg8. } 7... Nc6 { True to his nature, Tal keeps the tension, however I needed to win this final game and was worried whether I'd have much after 7...Bxb5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nxb5 Nc6 (9...Bb4+ 10.Bd2 Bxd2+ 11.Kxd2 Nc6 12.f4!? exf3 13.Nxf3 Ke7) 10.Bg5+ f6 11.0-0-0+ Kc8 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Ne2 although this position is better for White. } 8. Qd5 $1 { After some serious contemplation I noticed 8.Bf4 Nxe5? 9.Bxe5 Bxb5 10.Qxd8+ Rxd8 11.Nxb5 wins, but 8...Bb4 is OK for Black. } 8... Qe7 { At the time I thought 8...Nb4 was best even though sometime during a restless night I analyzed the following in a drowsy state of semi-sleep: 8...Nb4 9.e6 (9.Qxe4 Bxb5 10.Nxb5 Rc8?? 11.Nd6+ Bxd6 12.exd6+ wins) 9...Nxd5 (9...Bxb5 10.Qxb5+ Nc6 11.Qxb7 Nge7 12.Nb5 winning) 10.Bxd7+ Ke7 11.Nxd5+ Kd6 12.Bf4+, and now: A) 12...Kc5 13.b4+ Kxd5 14.0-0-0+ Kc4 15.Ne2 Kxb4 (15...Bxb4 16.Rd4+ Kc5 17.Bd6+ Kb6 18.Rxb4+ looks winning) 16.Rd4+ Ka5 17.Ra4+ Kb6 18.Be3+ Kc7 19.Rc4+ with a promising attack, or; B) 12...Kxd5 13.0-0-0+ Kc5 (13...Kc4 14.b3+ Kb4 15.Rd4+ Kc5 16.Rc4+ Kd5 17.Ne2 Ba3+ 18.Kc2 Qxd7 19.exd7 Nf6 20.Rd1+ Ke6 21.Nd4+ Ke7 22.Nb5 wins) 14.Be3+ Kb4 15.Rd4+ Ka5 16.Ra4 mate. } 9. Bf4 g5 $5 { If 9...f5 10.0-0-0 0-0-0 11.Nge2?? Be6, therefore better is 11.Bc4 with an edge according to Tal. } 10. Bg3 Bg7 11. Qxe4 Nxe5 { Risky, yet 11...0-0-0 12.Rc1! f5 13.exf6 favors White. } 12. Nd5 f5 { After 12...Qd6 13.Nf3 Bxb5 14.Nxe5 0-0-0 15.Rc1+ Kb8 16.Nd7+! Crunch! } 13. Qe2 { Tempting is 13.Nxe7 fxe4 14.Nf5! yet I saw that after 14...Bf6 15.Nd6+ Ke7 16.Bxd7 Kxd6 17.0-0-0+ Ke7 18.Bf5 Nd3+ would give Tal some chances. } 13... Qd6 { If 13...Bxb5 14.Qxb5+ Qd7 15.Nc7+ wins. } 14. Nf3 f4 { If 14...Qxd5 15.Bxd7+ Qxd7 (if 15...Kxd7 16.Rd1 winning) 16.Nxe5 Qe7 17.0-0-0 with a raging attack as 17...Nf6 18.Qb5+ Kf8 19.Nd7+ Nxd7 20.Bd6 wins for White. } 15. Nxf4 $1 gxf4 16. Bxd7+ $1 { I had thought that 16.Bxf4 would be an error after 16...Bxb5 17.Qxb5+ Qc6! but I didn't have time to analyze 18.Qe2 0-0-0 19.Nxe5 Qxg2 20.Rc1+ which also wins. } 16... Kxd7 17. Rd1 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Re8+ 19. Kf1 Bd4 20. Bxf4 Qa6+ { Or 20...Qb6 21.Qd5+ etc. } 21. Kg1 Ne7 22. Rxd4+ { Black lost on time.
Black overstepped in a hopeless position. } 1-0
[Event "Candidates Quarter-Final"]
[Site "Brussels"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Short, N"]
[Black "Gelfand, B"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Plaskett, J"]

{ Sicilian Grand Prix Attack
Sicilian Defense B23 } 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 { Never before seen in such a high-level event. } 5... Bg7 6. O-O e6 7. d3 Nge7 8. Qe1 Nd4 { This treatment has become quite popular. } 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. Ne2 O-O { Now it is safe to castle. Note that 10...d5?! is premature because of 11.Bb5+, as after 11...Bd7 12.Bxd7+ Qxd7 13.e5 Nc6 14.b4! Black cannot hang on to the advanced d-pawn for long. } 11. Bb3 { So that d6-d5 does not arrive with tempo and can thus be met by e4-e5. } 11... Nc6 { Aiming to knock out the bishop from a5. In his notes Short suggests 11...f5!? with similar play to Game 22. } 12. Bd2 d5 { 12...Bd7 13.Kh1 also slightly favors White, while after; 12...a5 13.a4 Qb6 14.Qh4 White can prepare the usual assault. } 13. e5 $1 f6 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. Kh1 $1 { Vacating g1 so that the knight can head for e5. } 15... a5 { An annoying little move which demands an accurate response. } 16. a4 { Precise. On 16.a3 a4 17.Ba2 Qb6! 18.Rb1 Qc5 19.Rc1 Qb6, so you see the problem. } 16... Qd6 { The latent dangers for Black are revealed in a line like 16...Qb6 (a bit further away from the king) 17.f5! when either 17...gxf5 18.Nf4 or 17...exf5 18.Qg3 exposes him to a powerful White initiative. Boris sensibly stays more central. } 17. Ng1 $1 Bd7 18. Nf3 Nb4 { Gelfand banks on a queenside counter demonstration, as per usual in the Sicilian, but he would probably have done better to try to challenge in the center with 18...Rae8. After the game move Short maneuvers adroitly to defend the queen's flank whilst building up for an attacking breakthrough. } 19. Qf2 $1 Qc5 20. Bc3 $1 Nc6 21. Rae1 b6 22. Bd2 Nb4 $2 { Quite wrong. Black underestimates the threats and takes away an important defender. 22...Rae8 was called for. } 23. Qg3 $1 { Gelfand's idea is perhaps revealed in the line 23.Ne5? Bxe5 24.Rxe5 Nxc2! 25.Rc1 Qd6 , threatening to take on e5. } 23... b5 24. f5 $1 exf5 { Or 24...bxa4 25.fxg6 axb3 26.gxh7+ and the attack is decisive after either 26...Kh8 27.Ne5 or 26...Kxh7 27.Ng5+ Bxg5 28.Qxg5. } 25. Ne5 Be8 { On 25...Bxe5 26.Rxe5 Rae8 White knocks the props out of Black's game with 27.Bxb4 , but the best defense was 25...Ra7! when White would retain a big plus with 26.Nxd7 Rxd7 27.Rxf5. } 26. axb5 Qxb5 27. Rxf5 Kh8 28. Rxf6 $1 { Smashing his way in. } 28... Rxf6 29. Ng4 Rf5 30. Nh6 Rh5 31. Qf4 { A very fine game by Short. } 1-0
[Event "WBCA Blitz Ch."]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Browne,W"]
[Black "Smirin,I"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Browne, W"]

{ Modern Benoni A70 } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. Bd3 O-O 7. Nf3 e6 { Black can try and make use of the omission of h2-h3 by White and play 7...Bg4. } 8. h3 exd5 9. cxd5 b5 $5 { Nowadays 9...a6 10.a4 Nbd7 11.Bf4 Qe7 12.0-0 is quite popular. } 10. Bxb5 { 10.Nxb5?! is dubious after 10...Nxe4! 11.Bxe4 Qa5+ 12.Nc3 Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 Re8 which is good for Black. } 10... Nxe4 $1 11. Nxe4 { Forced, as are the next moves. } 11... Qa5+ 12. Nfd2 Qxb5 13. Nxd6 Qa6 { If 13...Qd3!? 14.N2c4 Qxd1+ 15.Kxd1 Rd8 16.Bg5! } 14. N2c4 Nd7 { This is best. } 15. O-O Nb6 $1 { White's knights must be challenged. } 16. Nxb6 { Weak is 16.Qd3? when 16...Nxc4 17.Nxc4 Bf5 18.Qe2 Rfe8 gives Black too much activity. } 16... axb6 { Tal played 16...Qxb6 and after 17.Nxc8 Rfxc8 Black has good pressure for the pawn. } 17. Re1 Bd7 $6 { As Korchnoi has often stated about these kind of bishop moves - it's really only half a move as the poor bishop will have to move again later. } 18. Re7 Rad8 19. Qf3 $1 b5 { White has a crushing attack after the weakening 19...f5? 20.Rxg7+ Kxg7 21.Qc3+ Rf6 (21...Kg8 22.Bh6 wins) 22.Bh6+! Kxh6 23.Qxf6 Ra8 24.Nf7+ Kh5 25.Qg5 mate. } 20. Nxf7 $1 Bc8 { It seems risky but after 20...Be8 21.Nxd8 Rxf3 22.gxf3 Kf8 23.Bg5 with the idea of 24.Ne6+ wins, for example: 23....h6 (23...Bf6 24.Re6) 24.Ne6+ Kg8 25.Rxg7+ Kh8 26.Bf6 etc. } 21. Bh6 $1 { Putting more coals on the fire! } 21... Rd7 { Alternatives lose, for example: 21...Qf6 22.Qxf6 Bxf6 23.Bxf8 Rxf8 24.Nh6+; 21...Bxh6 22.Nxh6+ Kh8 23.Qc3+ Qf6 24.Nf7+ Kg7 25.Nxd8+. } 22. d6 $1 Bb7 $2 { Better was 22...Rxe7 23.dxe7 Re8 24.Rd1 Bb7 25.Qf4 Qc6 26.f3 Rxe7 27.Nd8 Qf6 and Black may survive. After the text move, White breaks through very quickly. } 23. Bxg7 $1 Kxg7 { If 23...Bxf3 24.Nh6 mate! or 23...Rxe7 24.dxe7 Re8 25.Bc3! Bxf3 26.Nh6 mate. } 24. Qc3+ 1-0
[Event "XVI Ciudad de Linares"]
[Site "Linares, Spain"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Svidler, P"]
[Black "Leko, P"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Browne, W"]

{ Spanish C65 } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Qd3 $5 { At first a strange looking move but as the game goes, White has easier development, the option to play Qd3-g3, and in some lines f2 is covered. } 7... d6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 Bd7 10. Nbd2 a6 11. Bc4 exd4 $6 { Together with 12...g5, this is too loosening. Normal and best would be 11...Qe7. If 11...g5 instead then 12.Nxg5! hxg5 13.Bxg5 and thanks to White's 7th move the attack looks very dangerous. } 12. cxd4 g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. e5 $1 Kg7 { Unfortunate but necessary, as 14...Nxg3? 15.Qg6+ is winning for White, as is 14...Ne7 15.exd6. } 15. exd6 Nxg3 16. dxc7 Qxc7 17. fxg3 $1 { 17.hxg3 g4 18.Ne5 favors White, but with the text White can pressure f7. } 17... g4 18. Nh4 Ne5 $1 { Dubious is 18...Bxd4+?! 19.Kh1 Bf6 20.Rxf6! (20.Ne4 Ne5!) 20...Kxf6 21.Rf1+ Ke7 (21...Kg7? 22.Rxf7+ Rxf7 23.Qg6+ Kh8 24.Bxf7, wins for White) 22.Qh7, with good attacking prospects for White. } 19. Nf5+ { Better than 19.Qc3 Qd6. } 19... Bxf5 20. Qxf5 Bxd4+ 21. Kh1 Qd6 $1 { Not 21...Nxc4? 22.Qxg4+ Kh7 23.Qxd4, and White has a superior position. } 22. Rae1 Rad8 23. Bb3 Bxb2 24. Nc4 { 24.Bc2 allows 24...Qg6! } 24... Nxc4 25. Qxg4+ Qg6 26. Qxc4 { Black's king and f-pawn will be constant targets. Still, if Black could play f7-f6 and Bbb2-e5!? he might defend. } 26... b5 $6 27. Qb4 $1 { With veiled threats to Black's bishop. } 27... Rc8 $1 28. Re3 $1 { Not 28.Bxf7? Bc3! 29.Qxc3+ (29.Bxg6? Bxb4 30.Rxf8 Rxf8 wins for Black!) 29...Rxc3 30.Bxg6 Rxf1+ 31.Rxf1 Kxg6 32.Kg1 Rc2 33.a3 Ra2 34.Rf3 Ra1+ 35.Kf2 Ra2+, with a draw. } 28... Qg5 29. Qd2 Bf6 30. h4 $1 { An essential move - making luft, but more importantly pushing the Black queen away from the defense of its king. } 30... Qc5 31. Re4 h5 { Unfortunately creating another target, but 31...Qh5 32.Rxf6! Kxf6 33.Qd4+ Kg6 34.Rg4+, wins for White. 
I see no defense. Leko used some nice tactics to slow White down, but in the end the positional trumps triumphed. } 32. Ref4 Rc6 33. Rf5 Qc3 34. Qf4 Rd8 35. Rxh5 Qd2 36. Qg4+ Kf8 37. Rh8+ $1 Ke7 38. Rh7 Rf8 39. Qe4+ Kd7 40. Bxf7 { Down two pawns with no counterchances, Leko wisely saved his energy. } 1-0
[Event "US Open WBCA Blitz Ch."]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rizzitano, J"]
[Black "Browne, W"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Browne, W"]

{ Sicilian Najdorf B99 } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. g5 Nd7 13. f5 Bxg5+ { White's variation after 13...Nc5 14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 Bf8 16.Rg1! is a tough nut to crack. } 14. Kb1 Ne5 15. Qh5 Qd8 $5 { 15...Qe7 is the more popular alternative, however by playing rare line in a sub-variation I may surprise my opponent. Afterwards Rizzitano told me that he had several games with this position I didn't even know! } 16. Nxe6 { After 16.Rg1 I played the novelty 16...h6! in the game Wolff-Browne, World Open 1989, which I managed to win in a very exciting ending. } 16... Bxe6 17. fxe6 g6 { The most critical line. After 17...0-0 Black concedes a slight edge to White. } 18. exf7+ Kxf7 19. Qe2 Kg7 { I have to move my king off the f-line sooner or later. } 20. Nd5 Ra7 $1 { A very important move which underlines my strategy to control the f-line. On c8, the rook would be subject to attack via h3, not to mention the fact that Black can't hope for any real pressure on c2. } 21. Bh3 Rf8 22. Rhf1 Raf7 23. Rxf7+ Rxf7 { White correctly neutralizes my pressure on the file, but he can't claim any advantage and we both had over 4 minutes left! } 24. Be6 Rf3 $1 25. Bg4 Rf8 { The bishop is worse on g4 than on e6. } 26. Bh3 Bh4 $1 { A wonderful all-purpose move! Firstly, I want to play Rf8-f2, but this is almost a misdirection as the Black queen will enter the game powerfully on g5. } 27. Rf1 Rxf1+ 28. Qxf1 Qg5 $1 { The idea of Qg5-d2xh2 can't be adequately repulsed as 29.Qe2 allows 29...Qg1+ and 29.Qd1 runs into 29...Nc4. } 29. a4 $1 { White's best chance. } 29... Nc4 { Threat on threat it seems. however once again the other idea or Qg5-e5 is a killer. } 30. Qd3 Qe5 31. Nc3 Bf6 $1 { Everything just fits! Now Black is better. } 32. axb5 axb5 33. Qd5 Qxh2 34. Bd7 $2 { White begins to go astray. Note that after 34.Be6 Bxc3! 35.bxc3 Qe5, Black consolidates for an easy win. } 34... Qg1+ 35. Ka2 $2 { After playing fairly well my opponent cracks, but 35.Qd1 Qc5 36.Nxb5 Qb4 37.b3 Ne5 38.Nxd6 Nxd7 39.Ne8+ Kf8 40.Qxd7 Qe1+ 41.Ka2 Qa1 mate is one of the many wins that Black has. } 35... Qa7+ 36. Kb1 Qxd7 37. Nxb5 Nxb2 38. Nxd6 Qe7 $1 { I still had over 2 minutes left and wasn't going to fall for any cheapos! } 39. Nb5 Na4 40. Kc1 Nc3 $1 41. Nxc3 Qa3+ 42. Kd1 Qxc3 43. Qd7+ Kh6 44. Qe6 Bg5 45. Qd5 Qf3+ 46. Ke1 Be3 47. c4 Bb6 48. c5 Ba5+ { I would've felt good enough if this was a serious tournament game, but for Blitz this must be considered one of my best efforts. } 0-1
[Event "Crakow"]
[Site "Crakow"]
[Date "1942.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Junge"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "01: Active Bishop"]
[ECO "C86"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[Source "Hays Publishing"]
[SourceDate "1964.01.01"]

{ The active Bishop puts White in a position to start a Kingside attack } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. d3 $1 { An excellent reply, avoiding the complications arising from 9.
exd5 and ensuring White a positional advantage since the opening of the d-file
is in his favour (as he can immediately occupy it) - Alekhine } ( 9. exd5 Nxd5 ( 9... Bg4 10. dxc6 e4 11. h3 ) 10. Nxe5 ) 9... dxe4 ( 9... d4 10. cxd4 Nxd4 11. Nxd4 Qxd4 12. Be3 Qd6 13. f4 ) ( 9... Bg4 10. h3 ( 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Qe4 Be6 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Qxe5 Bd6 ) 10... Bh5 11. Bg5 dxe4 12. dxe4 ) ( 9... Qd6 10. Bg5 ) 10. dxe4 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bg5 Ne8 ( 12... Na5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nxe5 Bxe4 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nxf7 ) 13. Bxe7 Bxf3 ( 13... Qxe7 14. g4 Bg6 15. Bd5 Qd7 16. Nbd2 ) ( 13... Nxe7 14. g4 ) 14. Qxf3 Nxe7 15. Rd1 Nd6 16. Nd2 c6 ( 16... Kh8 17. Nf1 ( 17. Bc2 c6 ) 17... f5 ) 17. Nf1 Qc7 18. a4 Rad8 19. Ng3 Nec8 ( 19... -- 20. Qe3 -- ( 20... c5 21. Bd5 ) 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ra7 ) 20. axb5 axb5 21. Nf5 Nb6 ( 21... Nxf5 22. exf5 ) 22. Qe3 Nxf5 ( 22... -- 23. Qg5 Nxf5 24. exf5 Nd7 25. Rxd7 Rxd7 26. f6 g6 27. Qh6 ) ( 22... -- 23. Nxd6 Rxd6 24. Rxd6 Qxd6 25. Qxb6 ) ( 22... Nbc4 ) ( 22... Ndc4 23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. Qc5 Nxb2 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Ne7+ Kh8 27. Nxc6 Rc8 28. Ra7 ) 23. exf5 c5 ( 23... Nd5 24. Qf3 Nf6 25. g4 ) ( 23... Nd5 24. Bxd5 Rxd5 ( 24... cxd5 25. Ra7 d4 26. Rxc7 dxe3 27. Rxd8 exf2+ ( 27... e2 28. Rcc8 e1=Q+ 29. Kh2 g5 30. f6 h5 31. Rxf8+ Kh7 32. Rg8 ) 28. Kxf2 Rxd8 29. Rb7 ) 25. Rxd5 cxd5 26. Ra7 Qd6 ( 26... Qb8 27. Qg5 Kh8 28. Qe7 ) 27. Rb7 Rb8 28. Qa7 Rxb7 29. Qxb7 ) 24. f6 gxf6 25. Qh6 f5 26. Bxf7+ Qxf7 ( 26... Kxf7 27. Qxh7+ ) ( 26... Rxf7 27. Qg5+ ) ( 26... Kh8 27. Qf6# ) 27. Rxd8 Na4 ( 27... Rxd8 28. Qg5+ ) 28. b3 Nxc3 ( 28... Rxd8 29. Qg5+ ) ( 28... Qxb3 29. Rxf8# ) ( 28... Nb2 29. Raa8 ) 29. Raa8 1-0