40th Olympiad 2012 Open2 Istanbul (5), 01.09.2012

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.0–0 Nf5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nbd2< Negi had this position with white earlier in the year against Wan Yunguo, who played 9...0–0> 9...Bb6 10.Bd3 Nh4 <Novelty 10...Nfe7 has been played before.> 11.Nxh4 Qxh4 12.Nf3 Qh5< Similar to the Negi v Wan Youguo game, but Nigel creates a completely different plan and decides to castle queenside.> 13.Re1 0–0–0<This leads to a bindboggling complicated game.> 14.Bg5 Rdg8 15.Bb5 f6 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 17.Be3< Threatening 18 Bxb6 axb6 19 Qd4 Kc7 20 Qb4 with the idea 21 Qd6+> 17...Bc7 18.Bd4 Be8< Even the computer is having trouble finding a decent plan in this position, coming up with moves like 18...Kb8 19...Ka8 20...Bb8. :-)> 19.Qe2 <[19.exf6 gxf6 20.Bxf6?? Qg6 Threatening mate on g2 21.Bg5 h6 Winning.] >19...a6 20.Rac1< Computers can see that 20 exf6! is very good for white, BUT Negi probably only sees that ALL of Nigel's pieces are pointing at whites king in that variation, and feared missing something. [20.exf6! gxf6 21.Bxf6 Qg6 22.Qxe6+ Bd7 23.Nh4 Qh6 24.Qe7 Re8 25.Qg7 Qh5 26.Qg5 Qxg5 27.Bxg5 White is 2 pawns up.] >20...Kb8 <Nigel's starting to sense the danger.> 21.Qe3 <21 c4 threatening 22 cxd5 exd5 23 Rxc7! seems like a nice try.> 21...Ka8 <White has c4 which is very strong, so the best defence is 21...Bg6 22 c4 Be4 or 21...Bc6> 22.b4 <Still Negi sees possible horrors of 22 exf6. I don't blame him, it's very complicated and easy to miss something. Nigel's position doesn't look good on the surface, but open that 'g' file, and you don't know what's being unleashed against whites king 22.exf6 gxf6 23.Bxf6 Rxg2+ 24.Kxg2 Rg8+ 25.Ng5 h6 26.Qh3 Qxh3+ 27.Kxh3 hxg5 White is looking good.] 22 c4 is also strong.> 22...Ba4< Nigel was in pretty bad time trouble here, with about 7 minutes for 18 moves. When your position is difficult - that is severe time pressure.> 23.c4 dxc4 24.Rxc4 Bb8 25.Rc5 Qe8 <25...fxe5 26.Qa3 Qe8 27.Bxe5 Ba7 28.Rc7 Bb6 29.Rc3]> 26.exf6 gxf6 27.Bxf6 Qg6 28.Qg5 Qf7 29.Qh4 Rxg2+ 30.Kxg2 Rf8 31.Nd4 Qg6+ 32.Qg5?< [32.Bg5 Rf4 33.Rxe6 Rxh4 34.Rxg6 Rg4+ 35.Kh3 Rxd4 36.Rg7 White is winning.] >32...Rxf6 33.Qxg6 Rxg6+ 34.Kf1 e5< Black's position has uncoiled, and he has resources to save the game.> 35.Rcxe5< [35.Nc2 b6 36.Rc3 Bb5+ 37.Re2 Rh6 and all black's problems have been solved.]> 35...Bxe5 36.Rxe5 Rg4 37.Rd5 Ka7 38.a3 Re4 39.Rd6 Be8 40.Re6 Rxd4 41.Rxe8 h5 42.Kg2 Rg4+ 43.Kh3 Rf4 44.Kg3 Rg4+ 45.Kf3 Rh4 46.Kg3 Rg4+ 47.Kh3 Rf4 48.Re2 Kb6 49.Kg2 Rg4+ 50.Kf1 Kb5 51.f3 Rf4 52.Re5+ Ka4 53.Ra5+ Kb3 54.Kf2 Rd4 55.h3 Rc4 56.Rxh5 Kxa3 57.b5 a5 58.Rh7 a4 59.Rxb7 Rb4 60.Kg3 Kb2 61.Ra7 a3 62.h4 a2 ½–½

Now that was one complicated game! It's easy to sit there with a computer and see +2.00 evaluations for white, BUT it was almost impossible for a human to calculate accurately the computer lines. Thinking about opening up the 'g' file with 20 exf6 must have give Negi nightmares about what could happen to his king.

Nigel would NOT like to play these positions with black too often, but the position was so complicated, he always had resources for a fighting game of chess.

Nigel is not one to shy away from a complicated battle, but objectively his opening idea was a litle fragile according to the computers.

I think Mr Short will be glad of the the rest day. Settle those shredded nerves, and come back fighting on Monday.