Shishigin, N (RUS). - Donnelly, M.J. (ENG).
RCCA 5 years 1998-2002
Notes by Dr. Mike Donnelly

B25. 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.d3 O-O 5.O-O d6 6.e4 c5 7.Nc3 After initially keeping options completely flexible, the opening has now crystalised into a line of the Closed Sicilian favoured by Smyslov and Spassky. Had White played 6.c4, an English opening would have arisen whilst 7.Nbd2 would have given a King's Indian Attack. Nc6 8.h3 One of the commonest moves here, alternatively

[8.Ne2 Bd7 9.c3 Rb8 10.Qc2 Rc8 11.Re1 e5 Gorka-Donnelly, Coventry League 1999, gave White nothing since d4 is not feasible.]

8...Rb8 9.a4 a6 10.Be3 b5 At the time this game was played, it was unclear which of Black's many choices here was the best but now this move is regarded as the most logical by Gary Lane. 11.axb5 axb5 12.Qd2

[12.e5 is worthy of further investigation for example Ne8 13.exd6 exd6 14.Qd2 b4 15.Nd5 Bxb2 16.Bg5 f6 17.Bh6 Kogan-Avrukh, Internet game 2000.]

12...b4 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nd4 # 15.Bxd4 Possibly a new move here. Previously, the other piece took on d4 since White usually wants to play Bh6 and exchange bishops for example

[15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bh6 b3 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qf4 bxc2 19.Qxd4+ Kg8 20.Rfc1 when White was better in Norwood-McDonald, British Championship 1990.]

15...cxd4 16.Qe2 Making way for another common idea in this variation, namely to play Nd2-c4 and to hit the black e7 pawn. However, here this is a vital loss of tempo since White's c2 pawn can now be pressured. Qc7 17.b3 Or

[17.Rfe1 Re8 18.Nd2 Bd7 19.Nb3 Rec8 with the idea of 20.Qxe7 Re8 21.Qh4 Qxc2 with a very good position.]

17...Rb5 18.Nd2

[18.Ra4 Bb7 19.Ra7 Ra8 20.Rfa1 Rxa7 21.Rxa7 Bf6 Not

(21...Rxd5 22.Ng5 Rxg5 23.Rxb7 Re5 24.Qxe5 Qxb7 25.Qxg7+)

(21...Qb6 22.Qxe7 Qxa7 23.Qe8+ Bf8 24.Qxb5)]

18...Rc5 19.Nc4 e6 The key idea of Rb5. White cannot take on e6 due to a later d5 by Black when c2 falls. White now loses pawn but probably thought this was not too much of a problem due to the resulting tripled pawn formation and the fact that the d5 pawn is constanlty under threat from the g2 B. 20.Rfc1 exd5 # Best

[20...Rxd5 21.Bxd5 exd5 22.Nd2 Bxh3 is inadequate for Black.]

21.Nb2 Bd7 22.Nd1 So White can now cover c2 against further attack and also any possible invasion on c3 and e3 (if White plays f4). So it is not immediately clear how Black can make any serious progress here. Note, however, that the tripled pawns a) Control a large part of the centre (c5,c4,c3,e5,e4 and e3) b) Are an immovable central barrier that cuts the board in half. As in the Tal game from the introduction, I then used this feature to build up an attack on the King-side since White queen-side pieces cannot readily come to the aid of their monarch. h5 The attack begins by trying to soften up the g3 square by threatening h4, hxg3 and Be5. 23.h4

[23.Qd2 Bf5 24.Ra2 Rc8 25.Qxb4 Bxd3 26.Qd2 Bf5 and now the dynamic potential of the tripled pawns comes into play as Black threatens to advance d3.]

23...Re8

[23...Bg4 is premature since little real progress is made after 24.Qd2 Re8 25.f3 Bf5 26.Nf2 Rc3 27.Nd1 Rc6 28.Ra2]

[23...Bh6 could lead to a curious perpetual as follows 24.f4 Re8 25.Qd2 Bg4 26.Nf2 Re2 27.Ra8+ Kh7

(27...Kg7 28.Qxb4)

28.Nxg4 Rxd2 29.Nf6+ Kg7 30.Ne8+]

24.Qd2 Ra5 Preventing any counter-play resulting from a rook invasion along the a-file. 25.f4 This could be forced by Kh7 and Bh6 if required.

[25.Qxb4 Rxa1 26.Rxa1 Qxc2 27.Qxd6

(27.Bxd5 Qxd3 and once more, the pawn's desire to move forward is here emphasised because it is now a powerful passed pawn.)

27...Bf5 28.Bxd5 Re1+ and althought the tripled pans have been dissolved leaving two weak squares the active play on adjacent files to the tripled pawns has carried the day.]

25...Rxa1 26.Rxa1 Bg4 27.Bf1

[27.Bxd5 Re2 28.Qxb4 Qxc2 is similar to the last note.]

[27.Nf2 Re2 28.Qxb4 Qxc2 29.Rf1 Re3 30.Qxd6 Be2 with a decisive advantage. This also follows the theme of effective piece play on the files adjacent to the tripled pawns.]

27...Qe7 The decisive ideam. White's King-side is about to be destroyed by a piece sacrifice. 28.Kf2

[28.Qxb4 Qe1 29.Qxe1 Rxe1 wins a piece.]

28...Kh7 Underlining the fact that White has no useful moves by cutting out back-rank checks and here I expected a resignation. However,Bf6 immediately is even more accurate as it indicates to White what was to come. 29.Rc1

[29.Ra4 Bf6 30.Rxb4

(30.Qxb4 Bxd1)

30...Bxh4 31.Rxd4 Qa7 32.c3 Bf6 wins.]

29...Bf6 # 30.Bg2

[30.Kg2 Qe1]

30...Bxh4 31.gxh4

[31.Bf1 Qe1+ 32.Qxe1 Bxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Rxe1 regains the piece with a surfeit of three pawns for Black.]

[31.Bxd5 Qe2+ 32.Qxe2 Rxe2+ 33.Kg1 Bxg3]

[31.Bf3 Bxf3 32.Kxf3 Qd7 33.Qh2 Qg4+ 34.Kf2

(34.Kg2 Re2+ 35.Nf2 Rxf2+ 36.Kxf2 Qxf4+)

34...Re2+]

31...Qxh4+ 32.Kf1 Qh2 # There is no defence to Be2+.

0-1

B25. 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.d3 O-O 5.O-O d6 6.e4 c5 7.Nc3 After initially keeping options completely flexible, the opening has now crystalised into a line of the Closed Sicilian favoured by Smyslov and Spassky. Had White played 6.c4, an English opening would have arisen whilst 7.Nbd2 would have given a King's Indian Attack. Nc6 8.h3 One of the commonest moves here, alternatively
	[8.Ne2 Bd7 9.c3 Rb8 10.Qc2 Rc8 11.Re1 e5 Gorka-Donnelly, Coventry League 1999, gave White nothing since d4 is not feasible.]
8...Rb8 9.a4 a6 10.Be3 b5 At the time this game was played, it was unclear which of Black's many choices here was the best but now this move is regarded as the most logical by Gary Lane. 11.axb5 axb5 12.Qd2
	[12.e5 is worthy of further investigation for example Ne8 13.exd6 exd6 14.Qd2 b4 15.Nd5 Bxb2 16.Bg5 f6 17.Bh6 Kogan-Avrukh, Internet game 2000.]
12...b4 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nd4 # 15.Bxd4 Possibly a new move here. Previously, the other piece took on d4 since White usually wants to play Bh6 and exchange bishops for example
	[15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bh6 b3 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qf4 bxc2 19.Qxd4+ Kg8 20.Rfc1 when White was better in Norwood-McDonald, British Championship 1990.]
15...cxd4 16.Qe2 Making way for another common idea in this variation, namely to play Nd2-c4 and to hit the black e7 pawn. However, here this is a vital loss of tempo since White's c2 pawn can now be pressured. Qc7 17.b3 Or
	[17.Rfe1 Re8 18.Nd2 Bd7 19.Nb3 Rec8 with the idea of 20.Qxe7 Re8 21.Qh4 Qxc2 with a very good position.]
17...Rb5 18.Nd2
	[18.Ra4 Bb7 19.Ra7 Ra8 20.Rfa1 Rxa7 21.Rxa7 Bf6 Not
		(21...Rxd5 22.Ng5 Rxg5 23.Rxb7 Re5 24.Qxe5 Qxb7 25.Qxg7+)

		(21...Qb6 22.Qxe7 Qxa7 23.Qe8+ Bf8 24.Qxb5)]
18...Rc5 19.Nc4 e6 The key idea of Rb5. White cannot take on e6 due to a later d5 by Black when c2 falls. White now loses pawn but probably thought this was not too much of a problem due to the resulting tripled pawn formation and the fact that the d5 pawn is constanlty under threat from the g2 B. 20.Rfc1 exd5 # Best
	[20...Rxd5 21.Bxd5 exd5 22.Nd2 Bxh3 is inadequate for Black.]
21.Nb2 Bd7 22.Nd1 So White can now cover c2 against further attack and also any possible invasion on c3 and e3 (if White plays f4). So it is not immediately clear how Black can make any serious progress here. Note, however, that the tripled pawns a) Control a large part of the centre (c5,c4,c3,e5,e4 and e3) b) Are an immovable central barrier that cuts the board in half. As in the Tal game from the introduction, I then used this feature to build up an attack on the King-side since White queen-side pieces cannot readily come to the aid of their monarch. h5 The attack begins by trying to soften up the g3 square by threatening h4, hxg3 and Be5. 23.h4
	[23.Qd2 Bf5 24.Ra2 Rc8 25.Qxb4 Bxd3 26.Qd2 Bf5 and now the dynamic potential of the tripled pawns comes into play as Black threatens to advance d3.]
23...Re8
	[23...Bg4 is premature since little real progress is made after 24.Qd2 Re8 25.f3 Bf5 26.Nf2 Rc3 27.Nd1 Rc6 28.Ra2]

	[23...Bh6 could lead to a curious perpetual as follows 24.f4 Re8 25.Qd2 Bg4 26.Nf2 Re2 27.Ra8+ Kh7
		(27...Kg7 28.Qxb4)
	28.Nxg4 Rxd2 29.Nf6+ Kg7 30.Ne8+]
24.Qd2 Ra5 Preventing any counter-play resulting from a rook invasion along the a-file. 25.f4 This could be forced by Kh7 and Bh6 if required.
	[25.Qxb4 Rxa1 26.Rxa1 Qxc2 27.Qxd6
		(27.Bxd5 Qxd3 and once more, the pawn's desire to move forward is here emphasised because it is now a powerful passed pawn.)
	27...Bf5 28.Bxd5 Re1+ and althought the tripled pans have been dissolved leaving two weak squares the active play on adjacent files to the tripled pawns has carried the day.]
25...Rxa1 26.Rxa1 Bg4 27.Bf1
	[27.Bxd5 Re2 28.Qxb4 Qxc2 is similar to the last note.]

	[27.Nf2 Re2 28.Qxb4 Qxc2 29.Rf1 Re3 30.Qxd6 Be2 with a decisive advantage. This also follows the theme of effective piece play on the files adjacent to the tripled pawns.]
27...Qe7 The decisive ideam. White's King-side is about to be destroyed by a piece sacrifice. 28.Kf2
	[28.Qxb4 Qe1 29.Qxe1 Rxe1 wins a piece.]
28...Kh7 Underlining the fact that White has no useful moves by cutting out back-rank checks and here I expected a resignation. However,Bf6 immediately is even more accurate as it indicates to White what was to come. 29.Rc1
	[29.Ra4 Bf6 30.Rxb4
		(30.Qxb4 Bxd1)
	30...Bxh4 31.Rxd4 Qa7 32.c3 Bf6 wins.]
29...Bf6 # 30.Bg2
	[30.Kg2 Qe1]
30...Bxh4 31.gxh4
	[31.Bf1 Qe1+ 32.Qxe1 Bxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Rxe1 regains the piece with a surfeit of three pawns for Black.]

	[31.Bxd5 Qe2+ 32.Qxe2 Rxe2+ 33.Kg1 Bxg3]

	[31.Bf3 Bxf3 32.Kxf3 Qd7 33.Qh2 Qg4+ 34.Kf2
		(34.Kg2 Re2+ 35.Nf2 Rxf2+ 36.Kxf2 Qxf4+)
	34...Re2+]
31...Qxh4+ 32.Kf1 Qh2 # There is no defence to Be2+. 0-1