The Art of Stealing (Part 2)

Submitted by GM vbhat on Mon, 12/14/2009 at 9:10pm.

I don't work on my openings as much as I'm sure the very top GMs do (mostly because I have so many other areas of my game to work on), but I do try to spend some time every week looking at some opening line in depth.

Back in August, in preparation for the Montreal International, I had spent some time on the Semi-Tarrasch Defense in the Queen's Gambit Declined. The Semi-Tarrasch is not very popular these days, and I had never faced it before, but I wanted to look at it for a couple reasons: (1) there was a possibility of facing it in Montreal and (2) I had never really studied the typical patterns and ideas that arose in the very characteristic middlegames.

Probably the most famous game in the Semi-Tarrasch ever is Polugaevsky-Tal, USSR Championship 1969. Here's that game with some light notes:

Fast forward to November, when I had the white pieces against IM Leonid Gerzhoy. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Gerzhoy, as while I had seen that he had played the Semi-Tarrasch to good effect a couple times, he seemed to favor the Nimzo Indian and Ragozin. As it was, he chose the Semi-Tarrasch and I had a chance to try and show what I had learned from my study back in August.

Question 1: What would you play for White after 18...h6?

Question 2: What would you play for White after 27...Re7?

Question 3: What would you play for White after 34...Bc8?

Here's the entire game in one viewer:

» posted in Middlegame

| 5047 reads | 19 comments |

1 vote:

Comments:

by Evasan - 2 years ago
Johannesburg South Africa

Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 211

The game against Leonid was very nice! Thanks for the informative analysis. Does anyone know where I can download chessbase ebooks?

by snakehandler - 2 years ago
Metković Croatia

Member Since: Nov 2009
Member Points: 43

Wicked!

by dran - 2 years ago
olongapo City Philippines

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 35

Steal!!!

by GM vbhat - 2 years ago
Richmond, CA United States

Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 233

He played 20...Kg7 to guard the h6-pawn. Something like 20...Nb2 would be nice in theory, but then 21.Qxh6 Nxd1 22.Ng5 forces the win of the queen (or checkmate).

He could have tried 20...h5 as well to guard the pawn, but then he gives White the g5-square, which could be quite useful for him. Something like 21.e6 Qf6 22.exf7 Qxf7 23.Qg3 (hitting g6) Kg7 24.Ng5 and 25.Ne6+ would win material for White.

by White-Gryphon - 2 years ago
Massachusetts Puerto Rico

Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 8

why did black move his king to 20...Kg7 on "What would you play for White after 18...h6?" was that his best move? seems like he is trying to buy time....is there another better move for black?

by IM Nezhmet - 2 years ago
Tucson, AZ United States

Member Since: Jul 2007
Member Points: 121

Ponomariov had very interesting analysis on this line in a recent NIC magazine, where he had to face the variation when Paco Vallejo whipped it out.

In the Pono game, at a key moment, Paco actually could have justified his setup and equalized but went wrong and lost prosaically.

by RHoudini - 2 years ago
Belgium

Member Since: Aug 2009
Member Points: 203

Another interesting game and well-written article, thanks!

by ericycsong - 2 years ago
Toronto Canada

Member Since: May 2009
Member Points: 540

great

by GM vbhat - 2 years ago
Richmond, CA United States

Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 233

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. As for 19.Bxc4 (I think that's what you meant instead of 19.Bxc6?), the problem is that Black plays 19...Rxc4 as Zibanzo pointed out. There's still a pin on the d-file, but to take advantage of it, you have have to give your Q for the R before getting Black's Q for your R, so in the end, it's just a massive trade of pieces. Since Black is up a pawn and defending against an attack before all those trades, this doesn't really favor White.

CChess18 - thanks for pointing that out! I set the start/end points on that one incorrectly. I'll fix it now.

by Zibanzo - 2 years ago
Grand Rapids United States

Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 3

Redbaron, 19 Bxc6 doesn't work because of Rxc6. after 20 Qxc6 d5xc6 21 Rxd8 Rxd8 material is even but white's position is much worse and black's is better. Black has an advanced passed pawn, bishop with open diagnol, and rook on open c file. Even if 19 Bxc6 Rxc6 is met with something like 20 Nd5 or Rd5, black can just retreat and white loses his much better bishop for black's terrible knight. Qf5 was my guess. Black HAS to advance his pawn (weakening his kingside) to stave off a mating threat.