Vintage Portisch on the Sicilian(1962)

Here is a model dark square maneuvering game by Portisch from Stockholm 1962, in the Sicilian Kan/Scheveningen.

Typical middlegame themes include

• Good knight vs bad bishop, arranging pawns to compliment one's own bishop
• Knight regrouping(..Nb8-c6-d4)
• Correct exchanging(..BxNd5)
• Exchange sacrifice breakthrough
• Attak on the king 

Yanofsky,Daniel Abraham - Portisch,Lajos [B80]
Stockholm Interzonal Stockholm (8), 07.02.1962  1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 So far a Sicilian Kan.[Yip]   6...Nc6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0–0 Be7 9.Be3 d6   Now the structure is a Sicilian Scheveningen.[Yip]
[9...0–0 10.f4 d6 11.Kh1 Bd7 12.Nb3 b5 13.a3 b4 14.axb4 Nxb4 15.g4 h6 16.Nd4 Rab8 17.h4 h5 18.gxh5 Rfc8 19.Bf3 e5 20.fxe5 dxe5 21.Nf5 Bxf5 22.exf5 e4 23.Bg2 Qg3 24.Bf2 Qe5 25.Bg1 Bd6 26.Rc1 Rc4 27.Qe2 Rbc8 28.Qe3 Nxh5 29.Ne2 Rxc2 30.Rxc2 Rxc2 31.Qg5 Rxe2 32.Qxh5 Rxg2 0–1 Guseinov,G (2625)-So,W (2640)/Khanty Mansiysk 2009/CBM 134]

10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Na4 Rb8 12.c4 0–0 13.Re1
[13.b3 c5 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.Nc3 Bc6 16.Rad1 Qb7 17.Bf4 Rbd8 18.Rfe1 Rfe8 19.Rd3 h6 20.Red1 e5 21.Bc1 Bf8 22.f3 g6 23.Be3 Qb4 24.Qb2 Rb8 25.Qc1 Kh7 26.Nb5 axb5 27.Bd2 bxc4 28.Bxb4 cxd3 29.Be1 d5 30.exd5 Bb5 31.Bf1 e4 32.fxe4 Rxe4 33.Bxd3 Bxd3 34.Rxd3 c4 35.bxc4 Bc5+ 36.Bf2 Bxf2+ 37.Kxf2 Ng4+ 38.Kg1 Rbe8 39.Rd1 Re2 40.Qf4 f5 41.d6 Rxa2 42.d7 Ree2 43.Qf3 Ne5 44.Qxe2 1–0 Livshits,G (2414)-Ibrayev,N (2516)/Moscow 2005/EXT 2006]

 

13...c5 14.b3 Rd8 15.Nc3 Bb7 16.f4 Nd7 17.Qd2 Rbc8 18.Nd1  
After this leisurely retreat black takes over on the dark squares.[Yip][18.Rad1= [Yip]]

 

18...Bf6
Starting to battle for the central dark squares.[Yip]

 

19.Rc1 Diagram 1

 

 

[19.Nc3 Going back to c3 and admitting that Nd1 was unproductive is a better.[Yip] 19...Nb8 20.Rad1 Nc6 21.f5 Re8 22.fxe6 fxe6 23.Ne2 Rcd8= I prefer black with as there is the dynamic ..d5 break to play for.[Yip]]

 

19...Nb8!
Heading to d4 eventually.[Yip]

 

20.Nf2 Nc6 21.Ng4 Bd4 22.f5 Bxe3+ 23.Qxe3 f6!   Continuing to battle for the dark squares. Now the secondary idea is the make white's light bishop a spectator.[Yip]

 

24.Qf2?
Now white will suffer on the dark squares.[Yip] [24.fxe6!? Keeps the game close.[Yip] 24...Nd4 (24...Re8 25.e5 Nxe5 26.Nxe5 dxe5 27.Bd5= [Yip]) 25.Qd2 Nxe6 26.Ne3 Ra8 27.Rc3 a5 28.Rd3 Ng5 29.Rd1 Nf7= [Yip]]

 

24...e5!   The pawn structure is transformed into a dark square wall to complement Bb7 and lock onto d4 for the knight.[Yip]

 

25.Ne3 Nd4   Now Nd4 is the dominant minor piece.[Yip]

 

26.g4 a5   Playing for the queenside.[Yip]

 

27.Rb1 Ra8   Now the line opening ..a4 break is in the air.[Yip]

 

28.h4 Qe7 29.Qd2 h6!
Black must take defensive measures against the threatened g5 break.[Yip]

30.Rb2 Kf8   A nice defensive king walk in light of the threatened g5 break.[Yip]

 

31.Kh2 Bc6 32.Nd5 Bxd5!
Now the minor piece battle is won for black as the good N easily dominates the bad B.[Yip]

 

33.cxd5 Rdb8
Full attention is turned to the queenside. Black must open lines as the well placed Nd4 cannot win the game without additional entry points into white's position.[Yip]

 

34.Reb1 Rb7 35.a4   A drastic measure to prevent the ...a4 break but now the future of the bishop is even dimmer.[Yip]

 

35...Rab8 36.Bf1 Rb4 37.Bc4
White goes over to a completely passive defence and now the search is on for black for a way to break into white's position.[Yip]

 

37...R8b6 38.Kg2 Qb7 39.Qc3 Ke8 40.Kf2 Kd8 41.h5 Ke7 42.Kg2 Kf8 43.Kf2 Kf7 44.Kg2 Kg8 45.Kf2 Kh7 46.Ke3 Qa7 47.Kf2 Rb8 48.Kg2 Diagram 2

 

 

 

48...Rxc4!
Finally a way to infiltrate appears.[Yip]

 

49.Qxc4 Rb4 50.Qc3 Qa6
The knight is not inferior to any rook on the secure d4 outpost.[Yip]

 

51.Kf2 c4! [Yip] 52.bxc4 Rxc4 53.Qa3?
Guarding the a-pawn allows black to infiltrate on the c-file.[Yip] [53.Qd2 Is a tougher defence.[Yip] 53...Qc8 54.Re1 Qc5 55.Kg2 Rxa4 56.Rc1 (56.Re3 Rc4³ [Yip]) 56...Rc4 57.Rxc4 Qxc4 58.g5! White has to try an open up the kingside for counterplay.[Yip] 58...hxg5 59.h6 gxh6 60.Qxa5= The game remains competitive.[Yip]]

 

53...Qc8!–+   Now white cannot challenge the c-file.[Yip]

 

54.Rd2 Rc3 55.Qb2 Qc4 56.Kg2 Nb3
[56...Nf3! Going to the kingside is stronger.[Yip] 57.Rf2 Nh4+ 58.Kh2 Qd3–+ [Yip]]

 

57.Re2 Qd3 58.Rbe1 Nd4 59.Kh1 Qh3+ 60.Rh2 Qf3+ 61.Kg1 Qg3+ 62.Kf1 Nf3 0–1