Sometimes, seeking a draw can be a challenging task. In the game that follows, though facing an apparently weaker opponent, for reasons irrelevant, White had to play for a draw - at any cost and as fast as possible.
Strange as it may seem, this Sicilian Kan miniature is an interesting exercise. Note White's unorthodox continuation at move 11, employed specifically towards this end. For the record, if playing for a win, White should have continued with 11. Nxc6...
Nowadays, one can seldom stumble on an opening novelty, especially in a game played through this site. But, as evidenced in the game below, it can happen!
With 13.Qf3… White chooses a continuation of the Sicilian Pelikan which has gone out of favor for some time now. Moreover, after 20.h3?!… he treads a perilous path (20.h4!... is a better move, providing both an escape route to the King and freeing the h3 square for the Rook). Black kept on with book moves homing in for the kill, or so he thought – and then, came the entirely (to the best of my knowledge) new move: 24.g3!...
Now that was a surprise – and one (as I confirmed by consulting my favorite monograph on the variation) that even the master of these lines Evgenny Sveshnikov had failed to mention (cf. with the page from his book given below, bearing in mind, so as not to be confused, that we arrived at the Pelikan not directly but through the Old Sicilian Normal, a delay of one move - e.g. 20. h3... in the book is 19. h3... etc).
The problem with the move for White, if White is playing for a win, is that it allows Black to opt for a draw - which in my eyes is forced. If Black, on the other hand, wants to press on, he may expect to bank on the slightest inaccuracy of his opponent - but, quite frankly, it is a double edged sword and it would get more chaotic than I could bear. So a draw it was – if any member feels it is not, please enlighten us all!
More often than not, we tend to demonstrate our best games. Still, our losses can be amusing and they are always educational. In the game that follows, there are no spectacular tactics, no obvious mistakes or blunders committed. Nonetheless, White’s fine, subtle, positional play soon dominates the board. One of my best “worst” games, not only because I could not spot my errors at the time – but, also, because I had a first-hand experience of how a world-class player can quietly walk over you, without you ever realizing what went wrong…