Sicilan Brazilian Taimanov 11...Nh5(B48)-Sept 2012

This is a followup to the NIC YB100 article 'The Brazilian Taimanov' by Mekhitarian

Kryvoruchko,Y (2676) - Gajewski,G (2622) 
Sicilian 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0–0–0 Be7 9.f3 0–0 10.g4 b5 11.g5[B48]
TCh-POL Ekstraliga 2012 Katowice POL (7.1), 28.09.2012

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0–0–0 Be7 9.f3 0–0 10.g4 b5 11.g5 Nh5 12.Kb1 
This is not considered by Emms in The Sicilian Taimanov(Everyman 2012).[Yip] [12.Nce2 Rd8 This is considered the main line in NIC YB100 The Brazilian Taimanov by Mekhitarian.[Yip] 13.Ng3 Nxd4 14.Nxh5 Nxf3 15.Qf2 Ne5 16.Bb6 Qb8 17.Rg1 Ng6 18.Bd3 Rf8 19.e5 Qxe5 20.Bd4 Bxg5+ 21.Kb1 Be3 22.Qxe3 Qxh5 23.Be2 Qh4 24.Rg4 Qd8 25.Bb6 Qf6 ½–½ Deepan,C (2523)-Vidit,S (2501)/Kolkata IND 2012/The Week in Chess 935]

12...Ne5 

• 12...Nxd4 13.Qxd4 g6 14.Qd2 Rd8 15.Qf2 Rb8 16.Bd3 d5 17.exd5 b4 18.d6 Rxd6 19.Ne4 Rd7 20.Rhe1 Bb7 21.Bb6 Qf4 22.h4 Rc8 23.b3 Bf8 24.Bd4 Rcd8 25.Bf6 Be7 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.Qb6 Red7 28.Nc5 Bxf3 29.Nxd7 Rxd7 30.Rf1 Qg3 31.Rd2 e5 32.Qxb4 Bg4 33.Bc4 1–0 Caruana,F (2770)-Macieja,B (2614)/Achaea GRE 2012/The Week in Chess 922;
• 12...Rb8 13.Nce2 Ne5 14.Ng3 Nc4 15.Bxc4 bxc4 16.c3 Nxg3 17.hxg3 Ba3 18.b4 cxb3 19.axb3 f6 20.Qh2 Qxc3 21.Ka2 e5 22.Rd3 Qxd3 23.Qxh7+ Kf7 24.gxf6 exd4 25.Qh5+ g6 26.Qd5+ Ke8 27.Qe5+ Kd8 28.Qa5+ Ke8 29.Qe5+ Kf7 30.Qd5+ Ke8 31.Qe5+ ½–½ Geller,J (2555)-Predke,A (2464)/Samara RUS 2012/The Week in Chess 922 

13.f4 Ng4 14.e5 Bb7 
[14...b4 15.Ne4 Bb7 16.Bg2 d6 17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.Bxb7 Qxb7 19.exf6 g6 20.Qe2 Nxe3 21.Qxe3 Rfc8 22.Rhe1 a5 23.Ne2 d5 24.Rd4 a4 25.b3 h6 26.Qd2 hxg5 27.fxg5 Qc7 28.Ng3 Qc3 29.Qxc3 bxc3 30.Ne2 Ra5 31.Nc1 Kf8 32.Nd3 Ke8 33.Ne5 axb3 34.cxb3 c2+ 35.Kb2 Rac5 36.Rc1 Rc3 37.Nc4 1–0 Quesada Perez,Y (2625)-Laznicka,V (2693)/Havana CUB 2012/The Week in Chess 914]

15.Rg1 Diagram

  

15...Nxe3
[15...b4!? Is an early candidate for an improvment suggested by Houdini2.0.[Yip] 16.Nce2 (16.Rxg4 bxc3 17.Qxc3 Qxc3 18.bxc3 Rfc8= [Yip]) 16...Nxe3 17.Qxe3 Rac8 18.Rd2 Bc5= Black is at least equal with a promising position. There is no immediate way for white to crack the kingside open and black's bishops are very active while white's minor pieces have passive roles.[Yip]]

16.Qxe3 b4 17.Ne4 Bxe4 18.Qxe4 g6 Diagram

19.Be2 

[19.f5!? Is the critical line.[Yip] 19...Bc5 20.f6 d6 21.exd6 Bxd6 22.Be2 Nf4 23.h4 (23.Bf3!? Needs further scrutiny.[Yip]) 23...Bc5= [Yip] 24.h5 e5 25.hxg6 fxg6 26.Bc4+ Kh8 27.f7 exd4 28.Rh1 Bd6 29.Rxd4 h5 30.gxh6 Kh7 31.Rhd1 Rad8 32.a4 bxa3 33.bxa3 a5 34.a4 Qe7 35.Ka2 Qxe4 36.Rxe4 Kxh6 37.Rxd6 Rxd6 38.Rxf4 g5 39.Re4 Rg6 40.Be6 Kg7 41.c4 Rxf7 42.Bxf7 ½–½ Kurnosov,I (2663)-Panarin,M (2538)/Tyumen RUS 2012/The Week in Chess 921]

19...Ng7= 
The knight fianchetto is a key defensive resource.[Yip]

20.h4 d6 
[20...d5 Equalizes immediately.[Yip] 21.exd6 Bxd6= [Yip]]

21.h5 
[21.Qc6! Is a serious improvement.[Yip] 21...Rac8 (21...Qxc6? 22.Nxc6 Nf5 23.Bg4 Rac8 (23...dxe5 24.Bxf5 Bc5 25.Be4 Bxg1 26.Rxg1 exf4 27.Ne7+ Kg7 28.Bxa8 Rxa8 29.Rf1 e5 30.Nc6± [Yip]) 24.Nxe7+ Nxe7 25.exd6± [Yip]) 22.Qxc7 Rxc7 23.exd6 Bxd6 24.Nxe6! fxe6 25.Rxd6 Rxf4 26.Bxa6 Rxh4 27.b3 Re7 28.Bc4 Nf5 29.Rxe6 Rxe6 30.Bxe6+ Kg7 31.Rf1² [Yip]]

21...dxe5 22.fxe5 Rad8 23.Rh1 Bxg5 24.Rdg1 Rxd4 25.Qxd4 Nf5 26.Qe4 Be3 27.Rf1 Bg5 28.Rh3 Bh6 29.hxg6 hxg6 30.Bxa6 Bg7 31.Re1 Qa5 32.Bb7 Rb8 33.Rb3 Bf8 34.Rd1 Qc7 35.Ba6 Qa5 36.Bb7 Qc7 37.Bc6 Rb6 38.Be8 Qc8 39.Bc6 Qc7 40.Bd7 Ra6 41.Rbd3 Ra5 42.Be8 Rxe5 Diagram

43.Bxf7+!? 
This should be good enough for equality but white misplays the resulting position.[Yip] [43.Qf4² Keeps an edge.[Yip]]

43...Kxf7 44.Rd7+ Be7
[44...Kf6 45.Qxf5+ exf5 46.Rxc7 f4= [Yip]]

45.Qh1?
Now white goes astray and black takes over.[Yip] [45.Qxf5+ exf5 46.Rxc7 f4= [Yip]]

45...Qc5 46.Qh7+ Ng7! Diagram

The knight retreat effectively secures the king and now the B+N prove to be more effective than the R.[Yip]

47.b3 Rh5 48.Rf1+ Rf5 49.Rc1 Qe5
[49...e5! 50.Rb7 e4–+ The e-pawn will carry the day.[Yip]]

50.Qh4 Qd6 51.Rb7 Rh5 52.Qg4 Nf5 53.Rg1 Rh6 54.Rd1 Qc5 55.Rf1?
[55.Qe4 Kf6 56.Rbd7 Bd6 57.Qa8 Rh2µ Slowly black takes over the board.[Yip]]

55...Rh2! 
Now black has a decisive attack.[Yip]

56.Qe4 Qd6
With a clear advantage to black.
[56...Kf6! 57.Qd3 Qd5 58.Qxd5 exd5 White is helpless in the RR-RBN ending.[Yip] 59.Rb5 d4 60.Rb6+ Kf7 61.Ra6 Rg2 62.Rb6 Kg7 63.Re6 Bf8–+ [Yip]]

57.Re1 Rd2 58.Kc1 Rd4 59.Qe2 Qc6 60.Ra7 Rd6–+ [Yip] 61.Kb1 Qb6 62.Ra8 Qd4
The threat is ..Bf6 and death on the dark squares.[Yip]

63.Qb5 Qd1+ 0–1