SOS - Secrets of Opening Surprises - June 2012

No time to study opening theory? Shock your opponent with an SOS! 
With an SOS you deviate early (usually before move 6!) from regular lines in mainstream openings. So you will reach positions you have actually studied without having memorized tons of stuffy theory, while gaining time on the clock! And you will have fun watching the horror on your opponent's face... 

SEE FOR YOURSELF HOW AN SOS CAN SHOCK AND CONFUSE!
Every month, the editor of the SOS Secrets of Opening Surprises book series, IM Jeroen Bosch, annotates a game which was recently played with an SOS-variation.

SOS Game of the Month: June 2012
(See also SOS-8, Chapter 15, p.117). 
Hikaru Nakamura became the convincing 2012 US Champion. In the penultimate round he defeated his main rival Gata Kamsky, going on to score a devastating win against Yasser Seirawan in the final round, for an impressive 8½ out of 11, a full point ahead of Kamsky.
In that final round Nakamura employed an SOS idea against the French. Igor Glek wrote on it in SOS-8 in an article entitled 'A 19th Century Weapon versus the French'. Glek confesses that he started playing 2.f4 after the game Zviagintsev-Zhang Pengxiang, 2006, which had made a strong impression on him. Glek then goes on to describe the general plan (e5, Nf3, Nb1–a3-c2, and Bf1–d3 before d4 is played), adding that this set-up is already found in the games of McDonnell and De La Bourdonnais!
We will see, that Nakamura too, is a great connoisseur of the rich history of chess...

Here is the complete text of this analysis:

C00
Hikaru Nakamura
Yasser Seirawan
St Louis ch-USA 2012

1.e4 e6 2.f4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c3

As Glek explains: White is playing an Advance Variation with f4 added, and without allowing Black any counterplay against d4.

5...Nge7 6.Na3 Nf5 7.Nc2

7...h5

When he was himself confronted with 2.f4 Nakamura went for 7...d4 8.Bd3 Qb6 9.Qe2 Nfe7 10.Be4 Nd5 11.g3 Bd7 12.c4 Ndb4 13.d3 with an interesting position in Stripunsky-Nakamura, Saint Louis 2010. The stronger player eventually won, but Nakamura was apparently sufficiently convinced of White's idea to adopt 2.f4 now in this important game.

8.Bd3

Very important: White is quite happy to exchange this beautiful bishop on f5, following up with d4 for full central control.

8...g6

Here 8...Be7 9.Bxf5 exf5 10.d4 Qb6 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.b4 Be7 13.a4 Be6 14.a5 Qc7 15.Be3 gave White a slight edge in Komliakov-Shabanov, Serpukhov 2004.

9.0–0 Be7

9...c4 10.Bxf5 gxf5 11.d3 b5 12.Be3 a5 13.Nfd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qd7 15.a4! Ba6 16.axb5 Bxb5 17.Nxb5 Qxb5 18.dxc4 Qxc4 19.Qa4+ led to a superior ending for White in Glek-Curien, Switzerland 2007, the very first game in Glek's article in SOS-8.

10.Bxf5

Nakamura executes White's typical plan in this position.

10...gxf5

10...exf5 11.d4 b6 12.Be3 is also slighty better for White. The text is more double-edged. Black's king will find it difficult to find a safe place.

11.d4 h4

11...b6 was better.

12.dxc5 Bxc5+ 13.Be3

13...Be7

Black avoids the exchange of bishops. in the case of 13...Bxe3+ 14.Nxe3 or; 13...Qb6 14.Qd2 a scenario of good knight versus bad (French) bishop becomes quite realistic.

14.h3

Fixing the pawn on h4 as a weakness.

14...b6 15.Qe2

Forcing Black to make a further concession if he wants to employ his bishop on the diagonal a6-f1 (and where else could it achieve a modicum of activity?).

15...Nb8

15...a5 16.Rfd1 (or 16.b4 ) 16...Ba6 17.Qf2.

16.Rfd1 Ba6

17.Qe1

This has been a useful regrouping for White. Black is reminded of his h-pawn (he has to reckon with Be3-f2), and the rook is now placed vis-a-vis the black queen.

17...Nd7 18.b4!

White has completed his development. The situation on the kingside and in the centre is stable. He now starts to gain space on the queenside, annoying the light-squared bishop in the process.

18...Nf8 19.a4 Bc4 20.Ncd4 Qd7 21.b5

Fixing a stronghold for the knight on c6.

21...Ng6

22.Nc6

Black has no counterplay, and how should he stop the simple plan of Nf3-d2 followed by c3-c4?

22...Kf8 23.Nd2 Bd3

24.c4! Kg7

24...dxc4? 25.Nxc4 loses on the spot.

25.cxd5 exd5 26.Nb1

Direct play from Nakamura, while Seirawan was in severe time-trouble. Slower methods to increase White's advantage were 26.Rac1 and 26.Bd4 Qe6 27.Qe3.

26...Bc4?

26...Be4 is met by 27.Qf2 preparing Nc3, when White is also winning.

27.Qc3

Threatening both 28.e6+ and 28.Qxc4.

27...Qe6 28.Nd2 Rhc8?

28...Kh7 29.Nxc4 dxc4 30.Rac1 was also hopeless.

29.Nd4!

Winning the house.

29...Qd7 30.e6

And Black resigned in view of 30.e6 fxe6 31.Nxf5+ Kf8 32.Qg7+.