[Event "CRO-chT1A 29th"]
[Site "Mali Losinj"]
[Date "2021.10.02"]
[Round "8.2"]
[White "Model game 1: Vujakovic, Branko"]
[Black "Predojevic, Borki"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2303"]
[BlackElo "2586"]
[Annotator "dkulj"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2021.09.25"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2022"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2021.10.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2021.10.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Zagreb Hask Mladost"]
[BlackTeam "Rijeka Liburnija"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CRO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CRO"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 ({In some other Caro-Kann variations,
such as Karpov's old favorite} 4... Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8.
Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 {[%csl Rc8][%cal Re8e4] Black has visibly less
space for his pieces than in the exf6 variation: the e-file is closed and so
is the c8-h3 diagonal.}) 5. Nxf6+ exf6 $5 {This variation has become very
popular for Black in modern times. On the surface, this recapture 'away from
the center' seems anti-positional. Moreover, White obtains a clear pawn
majority on the queenside without having to sacrifice any other positional
assets (such as the bishop pair) in return. Nevertheless, Black have been
scoring very well with this variation over the last 4-5 years. How can that
be? Well, Black has several dynamic factors that compensate for the static,
structural, issues.} 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O {[%csl Gc8,Yf6,Yf7,Yg7,Gg8,Yh7][%cal
Yc3c4,Yd4d5,Gf8e8] We can immediately see that Black will have an easy
development (Re8, bishop to the c8-h3 diagonal, Nd7-f8/Na6-c7, etc.). This is
not always the case in Caro-Kann, to put it mildly. This freedom at the early
stage of the game is one of the most appealing things about this variation
from Black's point of view. The second one is extreme solidity of his king's
pawn shield. It is not easy to launch an attack when your opponent has four
pawns around his king!} 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 $1 {This modern pawn thrust was
the key to reviving this whole variation.} 10. O-O ({Another important option
for White is} 10. Be3 $5 {[%cal Ge1c1]} Nd7 11. O-O-O {[%csl Rh5] when we get
a sharp affair. However, despite the initial impression that black king might
be in greater danger because of the vulnerable h5-pawn, things are far from
clear since the white king is not completely safe on the queenside, either. We
can see that in the following important variations:} Nf8 {[%cal Gc8e6,Gd8a5]} (
11... b5 $5 12. d5 c5 13. Bxb5 Rb8 14. c4 a6 $44 {[%csl Rc1][%cal Yb8b2]}))
10... h4 11. h3 {[%csl Rg1,Rh3,Rh4]} Nd7 {We can see the contours of Black's
h-pawn thrust idea - he provoked a weakening in white kingside structure. This
created several targets for a future attack: the h3-pawn (B/Nxh3) and
h2-square (after Bc7-Qd6). That said, the h4-pawn can sometimes become a
weakness, as well. White has several strategies at this point. In this model
game, we will see what happens if he goes for early piece exchanges with} 12.
Bf4 {[%csl Yd6] In principle, White would like to exchange many pieces to
reduce Black's dynamic counterplay and transition into an endgame where his
queenside pawn majority could easily become a decisive factor. However, things
are not that simple.} ({In the other games we will examine} 12. Be3) ({and} 12.
Bd2) 12... Nf8 (12... Rxe2 $4 {is a well-known blunder.} 13. Qxe2 Bxf4 14. Qe4
{[%csl Rh7]} Qc7 15. Qh7+ Kf8 16. Rae1 $18 {[%cal Gh7h8]} Ne5 17. dxe5 fxe5 18.
Qh8+ Ke7 19. Qxh4+ f6 20. Qxf4 {1-0 (20) Perera Alfonso,R  (2354) -Narayanan,S
(2540) Chess.com INT 2021}) 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfe1 Bd7 {[%csl Rd4,Yf4][%cal
Yc3c4] The issue with the bishops' exchange is that White actually misses his
dark-squared bishop. The f4-square is seriously weakened and d4-pawn might
become as well the moment White pushes c3-c4.} 15. Rad1 Re7 16. c4 {This move
might be a tad premature. White should have consolidated his position first.}
Rae8 {[%csl Re1,Re2,Ge7,Ge8] Black plays logically, taking control over the
only open file.} 17. Rf1 Ng6 {[%csl Yf4] Black brings his knight closer to the
f4-square.} ({Another strategy worth mentioning is} 17... f5 $5 18. Qd2 g6 {
[%csl Yf5,Yg6,Yh4]} 19. b4 Nh7 $132 {[%csl Gh7][%cal Gh7f6,Gf6e4]}) 18. Nc3 $2
{[%csl Rd4,Rf4] Fulfilling Black's dreams.} (18. Bxg6 $4 Rxe2) (18. Qd2 {
[%csl Yd2] was more solid.}) 18... Nf4 {[%csl Yf4,Rg1] Black has a fantastic
outpost for the knight now.} 19. Be4 {[%cal Gc4c5,Gd4d5]} Qb4 $1 {A nice move
that provokes some more weaknesses.} 20. c5 {This move makes d4-pawn even more
exposed.} ({White would like to play} 20. b3 $4 {but it fails tactically to}
Qxc3 21. Qxc3 Ne2+ $19) 20... Qc4 (20... g5 $1 $17 {[%csl Rd4,Yf4][%cal Gg8g7,
Rd4d5]}) 21. Bf3 Ne6 22. Be2 $2 {Losing the central pawn for no compensation.}
(22. Qd3 {would still hold things together for White.}) 22... Nxd4 23. Bxc4
Nxc2 24. Rd2 {[%csl Rc2]} Bf5 $19 {[%cal Gc2e1]} 25. a3 b5 26. Bb3 Ne1 27. Rd6
Bd3 28. Rxc6 Bxf1 29. Kxf1 Nc2 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 20th"]
[Site "Skopje"]
[Date "2019.03.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Model game 2: Haldorsen, Benjamin"]
[Black "Artemiev, Vladislav"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2448"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "dkulj"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2019.03.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "MKD"]
[Tiebreak "Sum of Buchholz"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 189"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.04.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.04.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,57,19,38,72,69,71,38,47,46,32,36,36,35,32,32,32,1,-1,14,25,12,52,27,
55,11,14,12,44,52,48,58,36,50,61,37,78,4,0,-18,35,42,26,-6,25,42,42,46,31,30,
57,57,57,39,28,55,55,55,41,35]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5.
Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 10. O-O h4 11. h3 Nd7 12.
Be3 {This move is preferred by the strong players. White supports the pawn
center with his bishop and plans to go Rad1, c3-c4, Nc3/f4 in order to carry
out the d4-d5 break at the right moment.} Nf8 13. Rad1 {[%csl Gd1,Ye3][%cal
Yc3c4,Yd4d5] Black has many options at this point. The Caro-Kann expert GM
Artemiev opted for a direct kingside attack with} Ne6 {[%csl Rh3][%cal Ge6g5]
However, perhaps Black commits a bit too early with this move.} ({It is better
to develop and keep some strategic flexibility with} 13... Bd7) ({or} 13... Be6
) 14. c4 Ng5 {[%csl Gc8,Rh3][%cal Gg5h3] Now various sacrifices on h3 need to
be taken into account.} 15. Rfe1 $1 {[%cal Ge2f4,Gd3f1,Yg1f1] An important
move, not only centralizing the rook but also vacating the f1-square for the
bishop in order to overprotect the weakness on h3.} Bc7 16. a3 Bd7 {[%csl Rh3]
[%cal Gd8c8]} ({The direct attacking attempt} 16... Qd6 {would not work in the
view of} 17. Bf4 Rxe2 18. Qxe2 Qxf4 19. Qe8#) 17. Nf4 {[%csl Yf4]} Qc8 18. Bf1
$1 {[%csl Gh3][%cal Yh2h3] White's setup is harmonious and his king is safe.
Most importantly, he is ready to push d4-d5.} Bf5 19. Qc1 Be4 20. d5 $1 $16 {
[%csl Ra8,Rc8,Gd5] White's middlegame strategy in this game is textbook and
his positional advantage is clear. Nevertheless, Black has some tricky
counterplay:} Qb8 $5 21. b4 (21. Be2 $1 $16 {[%cal Gg1f1] was stronger in
order to avoid Black's main threat.} cxd5 22. Nxd5 Nxh3+ 23. gxh3 Bh2+ 24. Kf1
{[%csl Yf1] This is the point behind Bf1-e2!}) 21... a6 (21... cxd5 $5 22. Nxd5
(22. cxd5 Bd6) 22... Nxh3+ $132 23. gxh3 Bh2#) 22. c5 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Nxh3+ $132
24. Kh1 {White is still clearly better in positional terms, but now his king
becomes exposed so the position is practically quite messy.} Qc8 25. Nxc7 Qxc7
26. Rd4 (26. Rd6 $1 {would cut off black queen from the kingside and leave
White in the driver's seat.} Ng5 27. Bxg5 fxg5 28. f3 Bc6 29. Rxe8+ Rxe8 30.
Qxg5 $14) 26... Qe5 27. Rxe4 Qxe4 28. f3 Qf5 29. gxh3 Qxf3+ 30. Bg2 Qg3 31. Bd2
Rad8 32. Rxe8+ $2 {After this move, White will have big problems coordinating
his pieces.} (32. Kg1 $11) 32... Rxe8 {[%csl Ra3,Yf6,Yf7,Yg7,Rh1,Yh4][%cal
Ge8e2]} 33. Qf1 Rd8 34. Bf4 Qxa3 $17 35. Qe1 Qa4 36. Kh2 Re8 37. Qd2 Qb5 38.
Bf3 Qf1 39. Qg2 Qc4 40. Qd2 Qf1 41. Qg2 Qd3 42. Qf2 g5 43. Bd2 Kg7 44. Qg2 Kh6
45. Qf2 Kg6 46. Qg2 Re7 47. Bc1 Qd4 48. Qb2 Qxb2+ 49. Bxb2 Re3 50. Kg2 Rb3 51.
Ba3 Rxa3 52. Bxb7 Kf5 0-1

[Event "Titled Tuesday intern op 15th Sept"]
[Site "Chess.com INT"]
[Date "2020.09.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Model game 3: Mekhitarian, Krikor Sevag"]
[Black "Hansch, Karsten"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2554"]
[BlackElo "2300"]
[Annotator "dkulj"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2020.09.15"]
[EventType "swiss (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 198 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.11.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.11.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8.
Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 10. O-O h4 11. h3 Nd7 12. Be3 Nf8 13. Rad1 Bc7 {[%cal Gd8d6]
This is another aggressive idea that Black has at his disposal. However,
similar to the quick ...Nf8-e6-g5 plan from model game #2, going for kingside
attack at the expense of development is not the best strategy for Black.} 14.
c4 Qd6 15. Nf4 {The knight looks a bit shaky on f4, but Black cannot exploit
it.} (15. Bf4 {can now be met by} Rxe2 $1 16. Bxd6 Rxc2 {and if} 17. Ba3 $1 {
then Black has} Be6 $1 18. Bxc2 Bxc4 19. Rfe1 Ne6 $44) 15... Be6 ({The key
point is that} 15... g5 {is not dangerous because of} 16. c5) 16. c5 $1 {
We have seen in model game #1 how this move can lead to trouble for White.
However, in this case, Black will not be able to establish a blockade of the
d-pawn. White is looking forward to pushing black queen off the h2-b8 diagonal
and gaining more space.} Qd7 $6 {This natural move is, in fact, a serious
inaccuracy.} (16... Qe7 $1 17. Nxe6 Nxe6 18. Bc4 Rad8 19. d5 cxd5 20. Bxd5 Nf4
21. Bxf4 Bxf4 $11) 17. Nxe6 Nxe6 18. Bc4 {[%csl Rd7,Re6][%cal Gd4d5] If the
Black knight was on d5, that would be a whole different story. As it is, White
is inevitably pushing the thematic d4-d5 and opening the center for his bishop
pair with a tempo.} Nf4 $2 {A tactical mistake.} (18... Rad8 19. d5 cxd5 20.
Rxd5 $16) 19. Bxf4 Bxf4 20. d5 cxd5 21. Rxd5 {[%cal Gd5h5] This being a blitz
game, Black probably missed Rd5-h5 transfer with a decisive attack.} Qc7 22.
Rh5 Bh6 (22... g6 23. Qxg6+ $18) 23. Rxh6 $1 gxh6 24. Qg6+ Kf8 25. Qxh6+ Kg8
26. Qg6+ Kf8 27. Qxf6 $18 {[%csl Rf8]} Re4 28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Qxa8 Rxc4 30. Qxa7
Rxc5 31. Re1+ Kf6 32. Qa4 Rc1 33. Qxh4+ Kg6 34. Qg4+ Kf6 35. Qf3+ Kg6 36. Qd3+
Kg7 37. Qd4+ Kg8 38. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 39. Kh2 Qc7+ 40. g3 Qc2 41. a3 Qe2 42. h4 Qf3
43. Kg1 Qe2 44. Qc3 Kh7 45. b4 Kg6 46. a4 Kh5 47. Qd4 Qe1+ 48. Kg2 Qe2 49. Qf4
Kg6 50. g4 Qa2 51. b5 Qd5+ 52. f3 Qd1 53. h5+ Kg7 54. Qe4 Qd2+ 55. Kg3 Qd6+ 56.
Qf4 Qd1 57. Qe3 Qf1 58. f4 f6 59. a5 Qh1 60. Kf2 Qh2+ 61. Kf3 Qh1+ 62. Ke2 Qg2+
63. Kd3 Qf1+ 64. Ke4 Qb1+ 65. Qd3 Qxb5 66. Qxb5 1-0

[Event "FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss"]
[Site "Douglas"]
[Date "2019.10.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Model game 4: Huschenbeth, Niclas"]
[Black "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2708"]
[Annotator "Huschenbeth,N"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2019.10.10"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IOM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 193"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.12.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.12.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,69,30,40,59,57,69,36,37,37,26,24,27,15,25,34,36,14,10,10,33,12,48,42,
47,27,26,0,30,22,31,21,57,22,61,-60,0,0,0,0,128,-13,-8,-8,-13,-13,-13,-13,0,0,
0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4.
Nxe4 Nf6 {This line has gained popularity in recent years as it has been
employed by numerous top players, including Magnus Carlsen. The popularity
lies in the fact that Black obtains a solid position, yet can play for a win
if White is too ambitious. With a lot of pieces remaining on the board, the
positions can become quite complex.} 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2
Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 $5 {This is the move that rekindled the 4...Nf6 variation.
Black expands on the kingside and can connect this advance with sacrifice
ideas if White castles short. If White chooses to put his king on the queen
side, it is often difficult to open files against the black king. The pawn
formation with the doubled f-pawns proves to be difficult to crack. The h-pawn
advance also has its drawbacks. Obviously, the black king is a bit more airy.
Furthermore, the h-pawn can become a target and sometimes even fall.} 10. O-O
h4 11. h3 {The h-pawn should not be allowed to advance even further since then
the white king would really start feeling uncomfortable.} Nd7 12. Be3 Nf8 13.
Rad1 {I had expected this line and prepared it in some detail before the game.
Black has different setups to organize his pieces. White in the meantime will
try to get his queenside majority going while constantly being alert for
threats against the king, especially on the b8-h2 diagonal.} Bd7 $5 {Not the
main move, but quite logical. Jeffery keeps the e-file open for the rook which
allows for tactical ideas in some cases.} (13... Bc7 {Black prepares the
battery on the b8-h2 diagonal; this has been seen the most often.} 14. c4 Qd6
15. Nf4 Bb8 16. Rfe1 {was comfortable for White just a few days later in
Vocaturo,D (2620) -Howell,D (2694) Douglas 2019. It shows the complexity of
this variation that White went astray in a winning position and Black came up
on top in the end.}) 14. Rfe1 Qc8 {Black is not subtle about his intentions.
He wants to sacrifice on h3 and mate me. Exactly those ideas make this line
quite appealing for the second player.} 15. Nf4 {I had mixed feelings about
this move. On the on hand, I stopped the threat of Bxh3 and sometimes can even
initiate attacking ideas myself with Nf4-h5. On the other hand, the knight
feels somewhat loose on f4 and I have to be wary of tactical ideas.} (15. c4 $4
{Ignoring the threat would not end well for White:} Bxh3 16. gxh3 Qxh3 $19) (
15. Bf4 $4 {Here we see the advantage of placing the bishop on d7 instead of
e6, keeping the e-file open for the rook.} Rxe2 $1 16. Rxe2 Bxf4 $19) 15... Ne6
$6 {A step in the wrong direction. It seems Jeffery had already his
ill-advised plan in mind which we will see in the game.} (15... Qc7 {was the
move I clearly expected.} 16. Nh5 Qa5 {Activating the queen and once again
hitting the knight.} 17. Qe2 {was my intention to bring the queen closer to
the black king via f3.} (17. d5 {is a nice idea, but can be diffused by} Re5 $1
(17... cxd5 18. Bh6 $1 {is one cute motif in the position.}) 18. dxc6 Bxc6 19.
Nf4 Rd8 $11 {This seems completely fine for Black.}) 17... Qxa2 18. c4 Qb3 $13
{This is the position I wanted to play which seemed to offer good practical
chances. Subsequent analysis revealed that it is indeed equal, usually ending
in a perpetual of some sort.}) 16. Nh5 $5 {Keeping the knights on the board
and therefore increasing the tension. With the knight on h5, different
tactical ideas like sacrifices on f6 or g7 as well as moves like Be3-h6 are in
the air. However, the simple 16.Nxe6 would have promised me a long-term
advantage.} (16. Nxe6 Bxe6 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 $14 {This is more or less what
White hopes to achieve in this variation. The counterplay against the king is
reduced and sooner or later, White can create a passed pawn.}) 16... Ng5 $2 {
After my move, I immediately got up to take a bathroom break. I was quite
surprised to return and already see this move appear on the board. I had
thought this move to be impossible and indeed, it should lead to a losing
position.} (16... Qc7 {Once again improving the queen and connecting the rooks
was better.} 17. Bf5 Re7 (17... Ng5 {was a line I calculated.} 18. f4 Bxf5 19.
Qxf5 Ne4 20. Bf2 $1 {This is quite an important move, getting rid of the
knight on e4.} Nxf2 21. Kxf2 Bf8 22. Qg4 Qd6 23. Qxh4 $14 {Here we see an
example of the h-pawn getting picked up.}) 18. Bd2 Ng5 (18... Rae8 19. Re4 $1
$18 {Again collecting the h-pawn and also including the rook in the attack.})
19. Rxe7 Bxe7 20. Bd3 $14 {Black has stopped White from winning the h-pawn for
now. As the threats against the white king are also less prominent, White
still has the strategical edge and also the idea f2-f4 to count on. Therefore,
White is a bit better.}) 17. f4 Nxh3+ (17... Bxh3 {is easily refuted by} 18.
fxg5 Bg4 19. Nxg7 $1 Bxd1 20. Qxd1 Kxg7 21. gxf6+ {The attack is unstoppable,
for example} Kxf6 22. Qf3+ Kg7 23. Bh6+ $1 {and mate will follow soon.}) 18.
gxh3 Bxh3 {The critical moment in the game. I was pondering about Qf2 or Qh2
and in the end concluded that there is no difference between them. Boy was I
wrong! One move wins while the other draws. To my pity, I chose the wrong one.}
19. Qf2 $2 (19. Qh2 $1 {Indeed, after this move Black is lost in all
variations.} Bg4 {This is the move I also expected after 19.Qf2, therefore
thinking there is no difference.} (19... Qg4+ 20. Kf2 Qxh5 21. Qxh3 $18 {
is simply an extra piece for White.}) (19... Rxe3 20. Rxe3 Qg4+ 21. Kf2 Qxh5 (
21... Qxd1 22. Be2 $1 Qd2 23. Qxh3 $18) 22. Rxh3 Qxd1 23. Rxh4 {For the moment,
material is equal. But the threat of Rh4-h8 means White will at least win a
rook.} Kf8 24. Be2 $1 {The last important precise move.} Qd2 25. Rh8+ Ke7 26.
Rxa8 $18 {There is no counterplay and White wins.}) 20. Qxh4 Bxd1 21. Nxf6+
gxf6 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Bf5 $1 (23. f5 {was my original calculation. However,
this move is only sufficient for a draw.} Ke7 24. Bf4+ Kd7 25. Qxf7+ Re7 26.
Rxe7+ Bxe7 27. Qe6+ Ke8 28. Qg8+ Bf8 29. Qg6+ Kd7 30. Qf7+ Be7 $11) 23... Re6 (
23... Qc7 24. d5 $1 $18 {The two bishops and the queen perforate the black
position.}) 24. Bxe6 fxe6 (24... Qxe6 25. f5 $1 {Attacking the queen and
threatening Bh6+. Black can resign.}) 25. f5 $1 Bc2 26. Bh6+ Ke8 27. Qg8+ Kd7
28. Qf7+ Kd8 (28... Be7 29. Qxe6+ $18) 29. fxe6 Qc7 30. Qg8+ Ke7 31. Qxa8 $18 {
This is the absolute best Black can do. He is still an exchange down and
should lose sooner or later.}) 19... Qg4+ $1 ({Not} 19... Bg4 20. Qxh4 {
transposing to a line discussed after 19.Qh2.}) 20. Kh2 Rxe3 21. Rxe3 (21. Qxe3
{is not a good idea.} Qg2#) 21... Qxh5 {Honestly, I had missed this move
altogether, only calculating 21...Qxd1. I can consider myself quite lucky that
I am not suddenly lost.} (21... Qxd1 {is actually also not clear because of
the unfortunate placement of the knight.} 22. Be2 Qc1 $1 23. Rxh3 g6 24. Nxf6+
Kg7 25. Ng4 Qxf4+ 26. Qxf4 Bxf4+ 27. Kg2 {and if White can win, it will be a
long road to convert.}) 22. Rxh3 (22. Rde1 Bd7 {is just terrible for White, as
Black already has two pawns for the exchange plus the weak white king.}) 22...
Qxd1 23. Qxh4 {Here I suddenly thought again that I am winning. The next black
move brought me back to reality.} Kf8 $1 {Of course Black does not give a
check first, but immediately moves his king. Now, I was panicking a bit as my
time was fading and the path to equality is not clear. However, I pulled
myself together and found the correct moves.} (23... Qd2+ 24. Kg1 Kf8 25. Qh8+
Ke7 26. Qxa8 {is simply winning for White as there is no perpetual for Black.})
24. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Re3+ $1 (25. Qxa8 {should also be sufficient for a draw after
all.} Bxf4+ {This is the difference. Black can include his bishop in the
attack.} 26. Kg2 Qg4+ 27. Kf2 Qxh3 28. Qxb7+ Qd7 29. Qxd7+ Kxd7 {should end
peacefully due to the opposite-colored bishops.}) 25... Kd7 26. Qxa8 Bxf4+ (
26... Qd2+ 27. Re2 {is certainly not a winning attempt for Black.}) 27. Kg2
Qg4+ 28. Kf1 (28. Kf2 {is also possible.} Qh4+ 29. Ke2 Qh2+ 30. Kd1 Bxe3 31.
Qxb7+ Qc7 $11) 28... Bxe3 {Black has regained the rook and is currently up two
pawns, not even mentioning the weak white king. But the white king is not the
only vulnerable one...} 29. Qxb7+ Kd8 30. Qb8+ Kd7 (30... Qc8 31. Qd6+ Qd7 (
31... Ke8 {even loses.} 32. Be4 $18) 32. Qf8+ Kc7 33. Qxg7 {is certainly not
worse for White.}) 31. Qxa7+ Ke8 (31... Ke6 $4 {would be unfortunate due to}
32. d5+ $18) 32. Qb8+ Kd7 33. Qb7+ Kd8 34. Qb8+ Kd7 35. Qb7+ {Neither side can
sensibly continue, therefore the draw by perpetual was the logical outcome.
Before the game, I had a feeling that such a wild struggle would emerge. Both
Jeffery and I love complications and a tactical mess which was fully reflected
in this game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Krasnaya Polyana"]
[Date "2021.07.18"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Model game 5: Ivic, Velimir"]
[Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2582"]
[BlackElo "2669"]
[Annotator "dkulj"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2021.07.12"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "8"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 203"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2021.08.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2021.08.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,89,33,33,75,75,69,45,44,44,44,39,40,16,26,26,26,22,22,14,40,36,43,28,
28,28,30,38,43,21,64,55,55,54,42,35,48,54,54,32,47,74,107,129,111,145,115,101,
104,85,81,81,81,87,87,55,55,95,95,50,37,25,63,71,78,78,208,208,212,212,212,212,
230,222,246,235,213,197,246,220,317,312,312,261,261,283,290,283,543,556,558,
568]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3
O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 10. O-O h4 11. h3 Nd7 12. Bd2 $5 {[%cal Ga1e1,Gf2f4]
This is an interesting new direction for White that shows that he also has
some strategic flexibility in this middlegame tabiya. Instead of the more
straightforward/traditional plans like trading off the dark-squared bishops or
centralizing for the purpose of pushing central pawns, White goes for kingside
expansion with this move!} Nf8 13. Rae1 {[%csl Rc8,Rh4][%cal Gf2f4,Gf4f5]
White's plan is to push the f-pawn to f5 in order to limit Black's
light-squared bishop and isolate h4-pawn. A very interesting idea.} Be6 {
This move isn't too bad, but it shows that Black did not anticipate White's
idea, otherwise he would not have put his bishop on e6.} ({It would have been
better to remain flexible with} 13... Bc7 {and if White goes} 14. f4 {then
Black can exploit the fact that Bf4/Nf4 are not possible anymore with} Qd6 $1 (
14... g6 $5 15. f5 g5 16. c4 b6 ({It is quite amusing that} 16... Qd6 {can be
simply ignored:} 17. c5 $1 Qh2+ 18. Kf2 {[%csl Yf2,Rh2]} Bg3+ 19. Nxg3 hxg3+
20. Kf3) 17. g3 $1 hxg3 18. Kg2 Bb7 19. Be4 $36 {[%cal Gh3h4,Gf1h1]}) 15. c4
Be6 $13 {and now things are much less clear-cut than in the game.} 16. c5 Qd7
17. f5 Bd5) 14. f4 $1 {White will get to play f4-f5 with a tempo, which is
surely a small achievement.} Qc7 $6 {This is too passive. Black will soon be
squeezed for space.} ({It was essential to play} 14... c5 $1 15. f5 Bd7 {
[%cal Gd7c6] when the bishop can be rerouted to the long diagonal. White is
still slightly better after} 16. Bf4 Bc6 17. Rd1 cxd4 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Nxd4
$14 {[%csl Yd4,Rh4][%cal Gc2f2]}) (14... b5 {[%cal Ge6d5]} 15. f5 Bd5 16. Nf4
$16) 15. f5 Bd7 16. c4 $1 {[%csl Rc7,Rd6,Rd7,Gf5,Rf8] White keeps taking up
space. With the pawn on f2, this wouldn't be so problematic for Black but here
he can hardly make any active moves.} b6 (16... c5 17. d5 $16 {[%csl Ye4][%cal
Ge2c3,Gc3e4]}) 17. b4 c5 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. b5 $16 {[%csl Rd7,Rf6,Rf7][%cal
Ga2a5,Rd7c6,Rd7e6] White has a clear pawn majority on the queenside but,
moreover, he managed to launch a strong attack in the middlegame:} Nh7 20. Nc3
{[%csl Gd5]} Ng5 21. Nd5 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Qd6 23. Rd1 $1 {[%csl Rd6][%cal Gd2g5,
Yd1d6] A strong move that prepares the attack.} Be5 24. Bxg5 fxg5 25. f6 $40
Bd4 26. Bh7+ Kh8 27. fxg7+ Kxg7 28. Nf6 Re5 29. Be4 Rh8 30. Bd5 Be6 31. Ng4
Rxd5 32. cxd5 Bd7 33. Qc1 Rh5 34. Rxd4 cxd4 35. Nf6 Rh6 36. Qxg5+ Rg6 37. Nh5+
Kf8 38. Qxh4 Bxb5 39. Rb1 Bc4 40. Rc1 Ba6 41. Qxd4 Bb7 42. Qh8+ Rg8 43. Qb2
Rxg2 44. Kxg2 Bxd5+ 45. Kf1 1-0

