[Event "Rilton-CUP"]  [Site "Stockholm"]  [Date "2015.01.03"]  [Round "7"]  [White "Krasenkow, Michal"]  [Black "Hillarp Persson, Tiger"]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "E90"]  [WhiteElo "2614"]  [BlackElo "2544"]  [Annotator "Tiger"]  [PlyCount "112"]  [EventDate "2015.01.02"]  [SourceDate "2011.03.24"]   1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 (6. h3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8.  g3 {and now} Qe8 (8... a5 9. Be2 {could lead to the game, but is a line I'd  rather avoid.}) 9. Be2 f5 {is critical. With the move order chosen by  Krasenkow, Black is unable to get into this line.}) 6... e5 7. d5 a5 8. h3 $5 {  I had pretty much prepared for everything but this before the game and only  just managed to realize that this unassuming move is much more dangerous than  it seems. The point is that White is striving for a position from the  h3-system (see move 6) where Black has been forced to play a5.} Na6 9. Bg5 h6  $5 {Probably not the best move in the position, but I remembered seeing Mark  Hebden play this move in similar positions, so I thought it could not be that  bad.} ({The main line here is} 9... Qe8 10. Nd2 Nd7 11. a3 {and apart from the  fact that I dislike this line I believe Krasenkow has forgotten more about  it than I have ever known (although this is probably true of  the line in the game too).}) 10. Be3 c6 (10... Nh5 {is usually a bad fit with  h6 and}) 11. Nd2 Bd7 $6 {This move leaves me just about ankle-high in  theoretical waters.} (11... Nd7 12. g4 Ndc5 13. Nb3 {was first played in  Krasenkow,M (2645)-Shirov,A (2700) Germany 1997, a fact that I was not aware  of. Not that it would have made any difference. I would probably have continued  with an avoid-theory attitude.}) 12. g4 $5 ({Considering that White has managed  to get a "perfect" classical setup with bishop on e3 and knight on d2, it is  probably best just to play} 12. O-O {after which Black has to play c6-c5  under unfavourable circumstances. Instead my opponent continued to blitz out  moves...}) (12. h4 $5 {is another interesting option that Krasenkow has played  himself.}) 12... Nc5 ({White has two strategical ideas. One can be seen in the  game and the other is best illustrated like this:} 12... Kh7 $6 13. h4 Ne8 14.  h5 g5 15. f3 {when the whole game hinges on whether Black can hold the  queenside. White can usually succeed in exchanging the light-squared bishop on  the a4-e8-diagonal and then put a knight on f5. This is a most depressing  scenario for Black.}) 13. h4 a4 14. g5 ({After} 14. h5 {Black can play} gxh5 (  14... Nh7 15. hxg6 $6 (15. b4 $1) 15... fxg6 16. Bxh6 $6 Bxh6 17. Rxh6 Kg7 18.  Rh2 Ng5 {and Black has excellent compensation for the pawn.}) (14... Qa5 $1 15.  f3 (15. Kf1 $2 a3 16. Qc2 Nxg4) 15... gxh5 16. gxh5 a3 17. Qc2 axb2 18. Qxb2  Nh7 $1 {is comfortable for Black.}) 15. gxh5 Nh7 16. Nf3 {is not as good for  Black as the line where White first has to play f3.}) 14... hxg5 15. hxg5 Nh7 {  Now we are back swimming in theoretical waters.} 16. Rg1 ({I was more worried  about} 16. Nf3 {during the game, because I did not see how I would manage  without f6 in the long run (when the knight will be excellently placed on f3).  Because of this I was vaguely aware that I had to act dynamically with} cxd5 {  intending} 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Qxd5 Bg4 {with a balanced game.}) 16... Qa5 17.  Qc2 {My opponent continued to play a tempo. In this well known position White  has tried a number of other moves too:} (17. a3 cxd5 18. Nxd5 $5 Rfe8 19. Qc2  Nf8 20. Qc3 Qd8 $6 (20... Nfe6 $1 21. Qxa5 Rxa5 {followed by Nd4 looks like a  better way to get counterplay.}) 21. Bg4 {and with no good way to avoid the  exchange of the light-squared bishops Black was struggling in Korobov,A (2713)  -Ezat,M (2454) Antalya 2013.}) (17. Qb1 {intending to meet a3 with b4, is  hardly any better than a3 after} Rfe8 $1 (17... cxd5 18. Nxd5 Rfe8 19. Bxc5  dxc5 20. Qd3 $1 Nf8 21. Bg4 {looks nice for White.}) 18. f3 cxd5 19. cxd5 (19.  Nxd5 Nf8 {and f3 has blocked the bishop from going to g4!}) 19... b5 {when  White will have to waste a tempo on a3 anyway.}) (17. Rc1 $5) 17... a3 ({The  game Krasenkow,M (2635)-Hebden,M (2532) Porz Erin IOM 2006 went} 17... cxd5 18.  Nxd5 Rfe8 19. Qc3 $5 Bc6 20. Bxc5 Qxc5 21. Nc7 {with a big advantage for White.  Another game that underlines the vast practice my opponent has in this line.})  18. b4 $1 {Another move that was played within seconds from me making my move.}  ({I expected} 18. b3 Na6 19. Rc1 Nb4 20. Qb1 {when I would have to reroute the  bishop to e7 before starting counterplay on the queenside, or I would end up  creating more weaknesses in my own position than actual counterplay. On  the other hand, with my bishop on e7, White would have to protect g5 while  simultaneously keeping the situation on the queenside in check. I was hoping  this would be a more tricky undertaking.}) 18... Qxb4 19. Rb1 Qa5 20. Bxc5 dxc5  21. Rxb7 Qd8 $1 {So far I had used approximately forty minutes while my  opponent had a few minutes more than he had started out with. This was the  first moment of the game that he slowed down and took his time.} (21... Bc8 22.  Rb3 Qd8 23. dxc6 f6 24. Nd5 {and Black was losing, in Markos,J (2596)  -Wiedermann,D (2220) 2012.}) 22. Nf3 {There is nothing wrong with this move,  but} (22. Qd3 $1 {looks even stronger. The point is that it forces Black's  hand in the center, while threatening to move the queen over to the kingside.  Still, it is quite possible that Krasenkow knows more about this than any  other living creature in the galaxy and just decided to avoid my preparation...  } Bc8 23. Rb3 Nxg5 (23... cxd5 $1 {looks like an improvement, with the  intention} 24. Nxd5 Re8 25. Qg3 Nf8 26. Rd3 Ne6 27. Nf6+ Bxf6 28. Rxd8 Bxd8 29.  Qxe5 (29. Qh4 Nf4 30. Bf1 Ba5 31. Rh1 Bh3 $3 {(these damned engines...)} 32.  Bxh3 Reb8 33. Kf1 Bxd2 34. Kg1 Rb2 35. Bf1 Nh5 {and Black is on top.}) 29...  Bc7 30. Qf6 Bd8 {with a draw.}) 24. dxc6 Qxd3 25. Bxd3 Bh6 26. Nd5 {was quite  unpleasant for Black, in Schroeder,C (2149)-Gonzaga Grego,L (1980) LSS email  2009.}) 22... Re8 $1 {Sooner or later I will have to move either the knight or  the bishop to f8 and then it is also a good idea to have some extra protection  to the e-pawn.} 23. Qd2 {There are plenty of good moves here for White. It is  hard for me to break out with my pieces without taking on d5, which would give  White excellent play on the light squares.} ({Both} 23. Rg3 {intending  Ke1-f1-g2 and Rg3-b3/a3, or}) (23. Qc1 $5 {keeping an eye on a3 and g5,  waiting for Black's next move, are good alternatives.}) 23... Rb8 $5 {The  rook seemed too strong on b7 to be tolerated.} 24. Rxb8 ({After} 24. Ra7 Ra8  25. Rxa8 Qxa8 {my other rook can join the fight on the b-file.}) 24... Qxb8 25.  Bd1 $6 ({It was better to play} 25. Rg3 {, to clear the way for the king to g2  and simultaneously keep an eye on the queenside on the third rank.}) 25... cxd5  26. Nxd5 ({Not} 26. cxd5 c4 $1 {, when - with Bf8 coming next - White is worse.  }) 26... Bc6 27. Rg3 Bf8 28. Nh2 $6 {This is a move with a plan, but it  disregards the fact that Black also has threats. Better was} (28. Qd3 Qb2 29.  Nc3 {although I can keep some pressure with} Re6 $1 {intending Bd6-c7-a5.})  28... Bxd5 29. exd5 (29. cxd5 c4 {is even worse now, than it was on move 26.})  29... Qb4 $6 {I was a bit short on time here and decided to play a move "after  which I can not be worse". Yes, that is what I thought and I'm not proud of it.  It is extremely silly not to dare play the best move when you know what it is:}  ({Both} 29... e4 30. Ng4 Be7 {and}) (29... Be7 $1 {is better for me.}) 30. Qxb4  cxb4 31. Ba4 $6 {A pleasant surprise. This move hands the initaitive back to  me.} ({After} 31. Nf3 {I have no advantage whatsoever and one might even  question my evaluation on move 29. since} e4 32. Nd2 {forces me to play very  exact in order not to be worse:} Kg7 33. Rg4 e3 34. Nb3 exf2+ 35. Kxf2 Re5 {  and all three results are possible.}) 31... Rc8 32. Bb3 e4 33. Rg4 Re8 34. Kd2  $6 (34. Ke2 Re5 35. Nf1 Nxg5 36. Nd2 Kg7 {is clearly better for Black,  although still very messy.}) 34... Bd6 $1 {I read somewhere that the kibitzers  could not believe that neither I nor Michal didn't see that White's  last move blunders a pawn. Let me assure those guys: we both saw it, but we  are not engines and had a hard a hard time evaluating:} (34... Nxg5 35. Rxg5  Bh6 36. f4 $1 exf3 37. Nxf3 f6 38. c5 {This is as far as I got in my  calculations before I stopped. Yes, Black wins the exchange, but then White  gets two very dangerous passed pawns. I was not even sure that I would not  lose. For a modern engine however it is a piece of cake to continue and find:}  Bxg5+ (38... fxg5 $6 39. d6+ Kf8 40. Nd4 g4+ 41. Kc2 Re3 42. c6 {leads to a  draw.}) 39. Nxg5 fxg5 40. d6+ Kf8 41. Kd3 Rc8 $1 42. Kd4 (42. Kc4 g4) 42... g4  43. Bd5 g3 44. d7 Rd8 45. c6 g2 46. Bxg2 Ke7 47. Kc4 Rf8 $1 {and after} 48.  Kxb4 Rf2 {indeed Black wins. However, it is hardly human to see this line in  time trouble. All this considered, I believe my move was the best human  move under the circumstances.}) 35. f4 f5 $1 36. gxf6 (36. Rh4 Nf8 37. Nf1 Nd7  38. Ne3 Nc5 39. Nc2 Ra8 40. Ke3 Nxb3 41. axb3 Bc5+ 42. Ke2 Kg7 {, followed by  Rh8, is hopeless for White.}) 36... Nxf6 37. Rxg6+ Kf7 38. Rg2 e3+ $1 (38...  Bxf4+ 39. Ke2 Rh8 40. Ng4 {and White defends.}) 39. Ke1 ({Just as bad was} 39.  Kd1 Nh5 40. Nf3 Nxf4 41. Rg4 Nd3 {, but the best chance for survival was}) (39.  Ke2 Nh5 40. Rg4 Nxf4+ 41. Rxf4+ $1 Bxf4 42. Nf3 {although Black should  eventually win after} Kf6 43. c5 Rc8 44. c6 Rh8) 39... Nh5 $1 {Now my pieces  are cooperating perfectly.} 40. Nf3 Nxf4 41. Rg1 (41. Rg4 $2 {loses on the  spot to} Nd3+ 42. Ke2 Nc1+ 43. Ke1 Nxb3 44. axb3 a2) 41... e2 42. Ng5+ $6 ({  This makes thing easy for me. I was expecting} 42. Kd2 Kf6 43. Rh1 Bc5 {, after which  I didn't see a clear win for me, but still felt that it should be impossible  for White to defend. Indeed, after} 44. Bc2 b3 $1 45. Bxb3 Bb4+ 46. Kc2 Re3 47.  Ne1 Rh3 48. Rxh3 Nxh3 49. c5 Bxe1 50. Bc4 Nf4 {Black gets an endgame with  bishop and knight against king.}) 42... Kf6 43. Ne6 Be5 $1 ({I spent some time  trying to figure out whether there was no win for me after} 43... Rxe6 44. dxe6  Be5 45. Rg3 Bc3+ 46. Rxc3 bxc3 47. c5 {, but in the end I came to the (correct)  conclusion that White can draw with} Ke7 48. Kf2 $1 Nxe6 49. Kxe2 Nxc5 50. Kd1  $1 Nxb3 51. Kc2 Nc5 52. Kxc3 {and Black has no way of defending the a3-pawn.})  44. Nxf4 Bc3+ 45. Kf2 Bd4+ 46. Ke1 Bc3+ 47. Kf2 Bd4+ 48. Ke1 Bxg1 49. Ne6 (49.  Nxe2 {loses to} Re3 $1 50. Bc2 b3 51. Bb1 Bh2 52. Kd2 Rh3 {followed by Be5 and  Rh1.}) 49... Rh8 50. Nf4 Be3 $1 51. Ng2 (51. Nxe2 $2 Rh1+) 51... Bc5 52. Kxe2  Rh2 53. Kf1 (53. Kf3 $2 Rh3+ 54. Ke2 Rxb3 {and the a-pawn queens.}) 53... Ke5  $1 (53... Rh1+ 54. Ke2 Rb1 55. Ne1 $1 {is somewhat less clear.}) 54. Bc2 Kd4  55. Bb3 Kc3 56. d6 Kd2 {and my opponent resigned.} 0-1