[Event "Stockholm (4)"]
[Site "Stockholm"]
[Date "1999"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ivanov, Sergey"]
[Black "Westerinen, Heikki M J"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "GM Sergey Ivanov"]
[BlackELO "2390"]
[Source "Russian Chess"]
[WhiteELO "2545"]

{ The game ran on the 30th of December and was to become the last game of the 1999 year. I wished to finish the year worthy and to play a good and attractive game. Course of the game shows that my partner was overwhelmed with the same feelings. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c5 { A very experienced Finnish grandmaster has been upholding this seldom continuation not without success for several last years. Frankly speaking, at home preparation I hadn't managed to find a way to gain a more or less tangible advantage for White. } 3. cxd5 Nf6 4. Nf3 ( 4. dxc5 Qxd5 5. Qxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 ( 6. a3 Nd7 7. b4 a5 $133 ) 6... Nb4 7. Na3 e5 8. Nf3 f6 { promises White no favour, because a pawn c5 falls a prey of Black pieces. For example, } 9. Be3 ( 9. Bd2 N8c6 10. Bb5 Bxc5 11. Ke2 Ke7 $1 $12 { V.Korchnoi - J.Piket, Antwerpen, 1993 } ) 9... N8a6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. Rc1 Bd7 { with idea Rc8 } 12. Nc4 Bxc5 $1 $12 { 1/2, F.Gheorghiu - H.Westerinen, Liechtenstein, 1998. } ) ( { Not till coming back to St.Petersburg, I found out in the latest volume of the "New in Chess Yearbook" (NIC Yearbook, v.52) a paper of Genna Sosonko "Symmetry", in "Sosonko's corner". The grandmaster offers to play } 4. e4 $1 Nxe4 5. dxc5 Nxc5 6. Nf3 ( 6. Nc3 $16 { Seemingly, this reply is optimal for White, but 6. Nf3 $1 is more exact, for 6. Nc3 permits } 6... e5 $5 7. Nf3 Bd6 8. Nd2 O-O 9. Nc4 Bf5 10. Be2 Ne4 11. Bd2 Bc5 12. O-O Nd7 $12 { J.Yrjola - H.Westerinen, Vantaa, 1999. Curiously, the right way was showed two rounds later at the game E.Gleizerov - H.Westerinen, Stockholm, 2000: after } ) 6... e6 7. Nc3 exd5 8. Qxd5 Qxd5 ( { to keep queens is even worse: } 8... Qe7+ 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Bb5 Bd7 11. O-O Ne6 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Qxe5 Bxb5 14. Nxb5 a6 15. Rad1 $1 Rd8 16. Bb6 Rxd1 17. Rxd1 f6 18. Qf5 g6 19. Nc7+ Kf7 20. Qd5 { 1-0, L.Portisch - D.Bronstein, Monte Carlo, 1969 } ) 9. Nxd5 Nba6 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Nxd7 12. O-O f6 13. Be3 Kf7 14. Rfd1 { Black got a very unpleasant ending. Unloading } 14... Bc5 15. Nc7 $1 Rad8 16. Nxa6 Bxe3 17. fxe3 bxa6 18. Rac1 Nb6 19. Rc7+ Kg6 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxa7 { White won a pawn and the game shortly after. } ) 4... cxd4 5. Qxd4 ( 5. Nxd4 Nxd5 ( 5... a6 $5 { see in NIC Yearbook 52, "Sosonko's corner". } ) ) 5... Qxd5 6. Nc3 Qa5 ( { That day my opponent evidently didn't want to play a boring ending, which could appear after } 6... Qxd4 7. Nxd4 a6 { and after long thinking he preferred to continue the struggle with queens. It's not excluded that his choice was influenced by the result of the recent game A.Kuzmin - H.Westerinen, Andorra, 1999, where White had showed a fresh idea: } 8. g3 ( 8. Bg5 Nbd7 ( 8... e5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nc2 $14 ) ( 8... e6 9. g3 $14 ) 9. g3 ( { interesting is also the idea of G.Levenfish } 9. O-O-O $5 ) 9... h6 10. Be3 e5 11. Nb3 b6 { O.Romanishin - E.Prandstetter, Moscow, 1977 } 12. Bg2 $14 ) 8... Bd7 9. Bg2 e5 10. Nf3 $5 { 10. Nb3 and 10. Nc2 see in "Sosonko's corner". By 10. Nf3 White prevents from his strong "Catalanian" bishop trade } 10... Bc6 11. O-O Nbd7 12. b3 g6 13. Bb2 Bg7 14. Rac1 O-O 15. Rc2 Rfe8 16. Nd2 { now it's time to trade light-square bishops } 16... Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Rac8 18. Rfc1 Nb6 19. a4 $14 { keeping annoying pressure. I'd known that game and had intended to choose between 8. g3 and the less explored 8. Bg5 !? } ) 7. b4 $1 { Suddenly it turns out that black queen feels itself uncomfortably. Here my partner spent much time again and took an unhappy decision. } 7... e5 $2 ( 7... Qb6 8. Qxb6 axb6 9. Bb2 { is of little attraction, for black queenside pawns are very weak. It was necessary to recede to the opposite side - } ) ( 7... Qh5 { I remembered that theory advises } 8. Ne5 $1 { preserving the queen from attack Nc6, but further my knowledge stopped. While my opponent was thinking, I studied the most annoying (to my mind) reply } 8... Nfd7 $5 ( 8... Nbd7 9. f4 $5 ) ( 8... Bd7 9. b5 $1 ) ( 8... Nc6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. e4 e5 11. Qc4 Bd7 12. Be3 Qg4 ( 12... a5 $5 ) ( 12... Ng4 $5 ) 13. a3 $14 { B.Gelfand - P.Wolff, Wijk aan Zee, 1993, but in no way could evaluate the lunge } ) 9. Nd5 ( { Gelfand recommended } 9. Nxd7 Bxd7 10. b5 $5 $36 ) 9... Qxe5 ( 9... Na6 $5 ) 10. Qxe5 Nxe5 11. Nc7+ Kd8 12. Nxa8 { Only after placing this position on a board at home, I realized that it's in favour of White. An "electronic friend" also says that White "has decisive advantage". } ) 8. Qc4 $5 ( { White put himself to unwarrantable risk. But I wanted very much to keep up the fighting mood of my partner and to play "battle" chess, although I saw that I could gain a quiet ending with an extra pawn by } 8. bxa5 exd4 9. Nb5 $1 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Nxd2 Nd5 12. Nxd4 Nc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 ) 8... Bxb4 ( { Black has no choice - both } 8... Be6 $2 9. Qxe6+ $18 ) ( { and } 8... Qd8 $2 9. Ng5 $1 Qd7 10. Nxf7 $1 $18 { are entirely bad. } ) 9. Qxc8+ Ke7 10. Qxh8 ( 10. Qxb7+ $2 Nbd7 11. Bd2 Bxc3 $19 $41 ) 10... Bxc3+ 11. Bd2 Ne4 ( 11... e4 12. Rc1 ) 12. Rd1 { White has defended all his weak points and is ready to start development - e3, Bd3 etc. Pay attention to the strong position of the queen on h8 - it holds black pieces of the queenside and doesn't let them to enter play. } 12... Nc6 ( { Now White wins forcely. It's easy to win in the case of } 12... Bxd2+ 13. Nxd2 Nc3 14. Nc4 Qc7 15. Ne3 $18 ) ( 12... Nd7 { sets much more complex tasks, for White would have been to find several only moves: } 13. Qxa8 Qb6 ( 13... Nxd2 14. Nxd2 Qxa2 15. f3 $18 ) 14. e3 Nxd2 15. Nxd2 ( { it may be, that it's simpler to return a part of the extra material but to develop the kingside } 15. Bd3 $5 Nxf3+ 16. Ke2 $18 ) 15... Bxd2+ 16. Rxd2 Qb1+ 17. Rd1 $1 ( { it is necessary to empty the square d2, drawn is } 17. Ke2 Qb5+ 18. Kf3 $2 e4+ 19. Kxe4 Nf6+ 20. Kf4 Nh5+ 21. Kf3 Qf5+ 22. Ke2 Nf4+ $1 23. exf4 Qe4+ { with a perpetual check } ) 17... Qb4+ 18. Ke2 Qb5+ 19. Kf3 e4+ 20. Kxe4 Qe5+ $1 ( 20... Nf6+ 21. Kf4 $1 g5+ 22. Kf3 Qf5+ 23. Ke2 Qb5+ 24. Rd3 Qb2+ 25. Kf3 ) 21. Kd3 ( 21. Kf3 Qf6+ 22. Ke2 Qb2+ ) 21... Qd5+ ( 21... Qb5+ 22. Kc3 Qa5+ 23. Kb3 Qb6+ ( 23... Nc5+ 24. Kc4 ) 24. Bb5 $1 Qxb5+ 25. Kc2 $18 ) 22. Kc3 { it's inevitable to return a rook, otherwise the game ends with a perpetual check } 22... Qxd1 23. Qxb7 Qc1+ 24. Kd3 Qd1+ 25. Ke4 Qg4+ 26. f4 f5+ 27. Kd4 Qd1+ 28. Bd3 Qxh1 29. Qb4+ Ke8 30. Bxf5 $18 ) 13. Qxa8 Qb6 14. e3 Nxd2 15. Nxd2 { Now White has no need moves like 15. Bd3 } 15... Bxd2+ 16. Rxd2 Qb1+ 17. Ke2 Qb5+ ( 17... Nd4+ 18. Rxd4 ( { with a trap } 18. exd4 $2 Qe4+ $12 ) 18... exd4 19. Qc8 $18 ) 18. Kf3 e4+ 19. Kg4 $1 ( { In contrast to the variant with 12...Nd7 now this move is possible, for Black has no resource Nd7-f6. Meanwhile, erroneous is } 19. Kxe4 $2 Qe5+ 20. Kd3 ( 20. Kf3 Qf5+ 21. Ke2 Qb5+ ) 20... Qd5+ 21. Kc3 Qa5+ { and the white king can't hide from a perpetual check. } ) 19... Qb4 ( 19... Ne5+ 20. Kg3 Nd3 21. h4 $18 ) ( 19... h5+ 20. Kh4 g5+ 21. Kxh5 Qf5 22. Qxb7+ Kf8 23. Qxc6 $18 ) 20. Be2 { The simplest. } 20... Ne5+ ( 20... Qxd2 21. Qxb7+ Kd6 22. Rd1 $18 ) 21. Kg3 Qxd2 22. Rd1 $1 Qxe2 23. Qd8+ { Now it is the black king who appears in a mating net, and his white wis-a-wis takes the very active part in the former's capture. } 23... Ke6 24. Rd6+ Kf5 25. Qc8+ Kg5 26. h4+ ( { Black resigned, not awaiting for } 26. h4+ Kh5 27. Qf5+ g5 28. Qxg5# ) 1-0