[Event "Biel GM"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2006.07.30"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Bruzon Bautista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C97"]
[WhiteElo "2731"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2006.07.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.10.02"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. a3 $5 {An early deviation from the
well-known paths and a consistent move at the same time; something not really
unusual for Morozevich. White prepares to win space on the queen side by means
of b4.} Bd7 {Bruzon continues developing in natural way, relying on the
soundness of his position.} ({The obvious drawback of 12.a3 is that it weakens
the b3-square and Black could take advantage of it by blocking the queen side
with} 12... c4 {On the other hand, this certainly looks like a concession with
respect to the pressure in the centre. However, Black's accurate maneuvering
in the following game determined White block the position with d5 anyway, when
play transposed to an entirely viable for Black structure.} 13. Nbd2 Re8 14.
Nf1 Bf8 15. Bg5 Nd7 16. Ng3 Nc6 17. Qd2 Nd8 18. Rad1 Ne6 19. Be3 f6 {A perfect
square for the knight. It keps an eye on the f4-square, inhibiting the opening
of the king side by means of f4 and is ready to jump to c5 if attacked with d5.
} 20. Nf5 Nb6 21. Nh2 Bb7 22. Ng4 Rad8 {Finally, the pressure of the
blackpieces has become so strong that, fearing the central break ...d5, White
decides to prevent it in radical way.} 23. d5 Nc5 24. f4 $13 {1/2-1/2
Ciocaltea,V-Bisguier,A/Caracas 1970/MCD (65)}) 13. b4 ({The more restratined} 
13. b3 {is also possible. Having taken the c4- and b4-squares under control
and cleared the a2-square for the rook, White induces some differences
compared to the classical lines based on ...Bd7.} Rfe8 ({For instance, after
the standard moves} 13... cxd4 14. cxd4 Rac8 {he can defend the bishop by
developing a piece at the same time with} 15. Ra2 $5 {while} Nc6 {can be met by
} 16. d5 {when the knight has not the plan ...Nb4, ...a5, ...Na6 at his
disposal, being more or less forced to return to a5.}) 14. Nbd2 Bf8 15. d5 g6 {
Black invests some time in regrouping with his bishop, but the higher
emergency seems to be the recycling the a5-knight.} (15... c4 16. b4 Nb7 17. a4
a5 18. Nf1 Reb8 19. Ng3 Nd8 20. Nh2 Ne8 {[%cal Yf7f6,Yg7g6,Yd8f7,Ye8g7] /\f6,
g6, Ng7, Nf7, with a harmonious placement of pieces.}) 16. Nf1 Bg7 17. Ng3 c4
18. b4 Nb7 19. Be3 a5 20. Qd2 ({White should not leave to his opponent free
hands on the queen side.} 20. a4 $1 {would have kept the counterplay under
control, while the problem of the b7-knight would be not solved yet, because
the double exchange of pawns on the queen side would still leave White with a
pawn on b4.}) 20... Ra6 21. Nh4 Rea8 $132 {Now, Black has obtained strong
pressure along the a-file, which restricts White's active possibilities on the
other wing, 1/2-1/2 Ljubojevic,L (2565)-Ivkov,B (2520)/Manila 1973/EXT 98 (35)}
) 13... cxb4 ({This exchange allows White capture towards the centre,
increasing his influence in that area of the board, but the immediate} 13...
Nc4 {would allow} 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. f4 {with even
stronger initiative in the centre.}) 14. axb4 Nc4 15. Nbd2 Nb6 {It appears
that White does not enjoy absolute stability on the c4-square.} ({The
immediate opening of the queen side by means of} 15... a5 {would leave White
with the upper hand after} 16. Nxc4 Qxc4 ({Possibly, Black should just forget
about maintaining piece control of this square and accept a slightly worse but
solid position after} 16... bxc4 17. Ba3 $14) 17. bxa5 $1 Qxc3 18. Bd2 Qc7 19.
Bb4 $14 {with strong pressure.}) 16. Ra3 Rfc8 17. Bb2 a5 {By putting pressure
on the c3-pawn, Black has determined his opponent place his queen's rook and
bishop on slightly unnatural squares. Bruzon tries to take advantage of this
by active play. However, the opening of the position in the immediate
neighbourhood of these pieces will help White improve their situation, by
exchanging the rook in order to clear a better square for the bishop. Moreover,
the complications initiated by his last move are difficult to control and
evaluate.} ({A more static approach based on the increase of the control over
the relatively weak c4-square would have had more chances for equality.} 17...
Be6 $5 {planning the return of the knight to c4 would be well suited for this
purpose, since the apparently disturbing} 18. Ng5 {is connected with the loss
of a pawn after} exd4 {for instance} 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Bb3 d5 {[%csl Yb4]}) 18.
Rxa5 Rxa5 19. bxa5 Na4 20. Bxa4 bxa4 {Black might have hoped that he would
recuperate the sacrificed pawn soon, when his well defended a4-pawn would
supposedly offer him good play, but things are by far not that easy.} 21. Ba3
$1 {A perfect square for the bishop. It blocks the enemy pawn and puts
pressure along the a3-f8 diagonal.} Qxc3 {Practically forced. Otherwise, White
would consolidate his position with Bb4.} 22. Nb1 $6 {But this move looks too
passive.} (22. Re3 $1 {looks like a better chance for an advantage:} Qxa5 23.
dxe5 Ne8 24. Nf1 $1 {and the pin along the d-file will soon cost Black the
d6-pawn.} ({By refraining from defending the bishop by means of the rook lift,
Morozevich might have feared to weaken his back rank, which would have been a
telling factor in the following variation} 24. exd6 Bxd6 25. Bxd6 Nxd6 26. Rd3
Qa6 27. Nf1 Rc1 $1 28. Rxd6 Rxd1 29. Rxa6 Rxf1+ $1 $11)) 22... Qc6 $1 {The
correct retreat. Black puts the e4-pawn under pressure, thus taking advantage
of the passive character of White's previous move. Capturing the a5-pawn would
have allowed White create a strong pair of connected pawns y means of dxe5xd6
and e5.} 23. dxe5 Nxe4 24. exd6 Bf6 25. Qd3 {The first wave of complications
has passed and time has come to draw some conclusions. White has retained a
small material advantage and his passed pawns keep Black under permanent
pressure. However, the presence of the d6-pawn can have a double edged
influence over the course of the game. Instead of trying to capture it and get
under unpleasant pins, Black can use it as a shelter for his bishops. Besides,
the passivity of his b1-knight considerably restricts his chances for an
advantage, especially that Black's pieces are very active.} Nc5 {The knight is
aiming for the more stable b3-square.} ({The attempt to consolidate it with} 
25... Bf5 $2 {would fail painfully to} 26. Nfd2 Nxd2 27. Qxf5 $1 {when the
strength of the d-pawn is illustrated by the variation} Nxb1 28. d7 Rd8 29. Qd5
$1 $18) 26. Qe3 Nb3 27. Nbd2 Re8 28. Ne4 Bd8 {White has managed to activate
his knight, but his a5-pawn is in danger. Besides, the pin along the e-file is
rather annoying.} 29. Nd4 Nxd4 $6 {The exchange of this knight that has
consumed 4 tempi to reach an active and stable square is an obvious concession.
} ({Black should have maintained the tension with} 29... Qd5 {when after} 30.
Nxb3 Qxb3 31. Qxb3 axb3 {it is a good moment to recall Nimzovitsch'
recomendation according to which an outpost on an open line should be
converted into a passed pawn. It is easy to notice that the white bishop would
lose part of its efficiency, since it would have to split his efforts on two
diagonals already. Bruzon might have feared that after} 32. a6 {he would have
problems control both enemy pawns. If this is true, he must have
underestimated the threats he could create against the enemy king starting with
} Bb6 $1 (32... f5 $2 33. a7 Bc6 34. Nf6+ $1 $18) (32... Bc6 $2 33. Rc1 Bxe4
34. d7 $18) 33. Rb1 Rxe4 34. Rxb3 Bd4 {However,} 35. Bb2 ({The point behind
Black's 32nd move is that after} 35. Rb7 $2 Re1+ ({But not} 35... Bc6 $2 {when
the calm} 36. Kf1 $3 $16 {prevents the attack and leaves Black with problems
fighting against the far advanced pawns; most likely, he would have to give up
a rook for them, which would hardly save the game.}) 36. Kh2 Bc6 $17 {and
White has no time to continue advancing his pawns because of the threat ...
Be5+ followed by mate on h1.}) 35... Bc5 36. Rb8+ Re8 37. a7 {seems to save
the day for WHite:} Bxa7 38. Rb7 Re1+ 39. Kh2 Bxf2 40. Rxd7 f6 $11 {with a
probable draw.}) 30. Qxd4 {As a consequence of Black's mistake, the queen has
been centralized, keeping both enemy wings under pressure. One natural
question is whether there is anything interesting left on the black queen side;
the answer is given by the first line given in the comments to Black's 31st
move.} f6 {Not a very aesthetical move, but Black wants to make the threat
against the a5-pawn real.} (30... Bxa5 $2 {would lose to} 31. Bb2 f6 32. Nxf6+
$1 {which gladly gives up a knight and a rook in order to create decisive
threats:} gxf6 33. Qxf6 Rxe1+ 34. Kh2 $18) 31. Re3 {Although with some delay,
White reaches a perfect coordination of forces. The rook defends the bishop
and is ready to create king side threats. After the exchange of one pair of
knights, the bishop has increased his strength. Besides blocking the enemy
pawn and defending the own, it can eventually offer reliable support to the
own pieces, especially on the c3- and c5-squares.} Bxa5 {This long awaited
capture offers White the possibility of obtaining a very strong attack. Since
Black's regroupment can be considered to a certain extent optimal (giving the
circumstances, of course), the only reasonable alternative would consist of
the activation of the rook along the e-file.} (31... Re6 {can be strongly met
by} 32. Qa7 $1 $16 {when} f5 (32... Rxe4 33. Rxe4 Qxe4 34. Qxd7 $18) {allows
White display impressive piece activity with} 33. Rc3 Qb5 34. Rc5 Qb1+ 35. Rc1
Qb5 36. Nc3 Qc6 37. Ne2 Qb5 38. Nd4 $18 {Being restrained to the short b5-c6
diagonal in order to keep the bishop defended, the queen has been submitted to
6 consecutive attacks, finally leading to material losses.}) (31... Re5 32. Nc5
Rd5 33. Qc4 Kh8 34. Qe2 $18 {reveals the main deffect of the black rook's
activation: the weakness of the back rank.}) 32. Nxf6+ $1 {According to the
classical precepts, the logical conclusion of a strategically well-conducted
game is a sacrificial mating attack. This does not mean that Black is lost
already, but the degree of difficulty of his defensive problems is abruptly
increased now. White could not delay the moment of this action, since on the
next move Black could return with the bishop to d8 and safely defend his king
side.} gxf6 33. Rg3+ Kf7 34. Qh4 {Quiet moves are always difficult to meet
when being submitted to a dangerous attack. The defending part faces not only
a wide choice of moves, but also the difficult task to understand which
threats are real and which just illusory.} Re1+ ({When watching this game live
on my mobile phone, the first defence I could spot for Black was} 34... Bc3 $5
{. Black not only removes the bishop from an exposed square, but also defends
the important f6-square and enables using the bishop as a shelter for the king.
The first reaction of Fritz 9 is that Black is completely lost, but this must
be caused only by the "horizon effect"; things are not that clear in fact.
Indeed, after} 35. Qxh7+ (35. Qh5+ {is more or less similar, so that White
should grab a pawn on the way.}) 35... Ke6 36. Re3+ Be5 ({But not} 36... Kd5 $2
{when with a series of accurate checks White can win the c3-bishop:} 37. Qh5+
Re5 38. Qf3+ $1 $18) 37. f4 {White wins back the bishop, but Black can repel
the first wave of attack and try taking advantage of the weakened position of
the enemy king induced by the last move:} Qb6 38. Kf2 ({After} 38. Qd3 Kf7 39.
fxe5 Rxe5 {it is not easy to defend the rook, preserve the minimal material
advantage, prevent the enemy a-pawn from advancing and avoid the perpetual
check at the same time. It would be too much! For instance:} 40. Bc1 Qc5 41.
Bd2 Ke6 42. Kh2 Qxd6 $11) 38... Qd4 39. fxe5 Qf4+ 40. Rf3 Qd4+ 41. Kg3 Qxe5+ {
and Black has every chance to make a draw.}) 35. Kh2 Qe4 $2 {This
centralization of the queen parries White's main king side threats, but loses
the bishop without managing to generate adequate counterplay.} ({Now that the
white king has been removed from the g1-a7 diagonal,} 35... Bc3 {is not
entirely adequate any more. White could play} 36. Qxh7+ Ke6 37. f4 $5 ({The
point behind this move is not only to take an important square around the
black king under control, but also to cover the h2-b8 diagonal. The immediate} 
37. Rg7 $2 {is bad in view of} Be5+ $1) ({However, Fritz' suggestion} 37. Qe7+
Kf5 38. Qf7 {looks also dangerous for Black.}) 37... Kd5 (37... f5 38. Qg8+ Kf6
39. Rg6#) (37... Bd4 38. Qe7+ $18) (37... Qb6 38. Qe7+ Kd5 39. Rd3+ Kc4 40.
Rxc3+ Kxc3 41. Qxe1+ $18) (37... Be8 38. Rg7 Qc4 39. Qg8+ $18) 38. Qf7+ Be6 39.
Qh5+ f5 40. Qf3+ Re4 41. Qxc3 $16 Qxc3 42. Rxc3 {Black faces a joyless defence
with two pawns down, because} Rxf4 $2 {loses to} 43. Rc5+ $1 Kd4 44. Rc7 $18) (
{Black's last chance for survival consisted of} 35... Bf5 $1 {, covering more
or less the same squares as the game move and indirectly defending his
colleague by obstructing the fifth rank at the same time. For instance:} 36.
Qh5+ Ke6 37. Rg7 Bd8 38. Qf7+ Ke5 39. Rg8 Bg6 40. Qa7 Qb6 41. Qxa4 Qxf2 $14 {
The maximum what White could achieve is to exchange queens and then capture
the d8-bishop, but with the black king close to the passed d-pawn, Black
should be entitled to hope for a draw.}) 36. Qh5+ Ke6 37. Qxa5 $18 Qb1 38. Rg7
Rh1+ 39. Kg3 Qd3+ 40. f3 {Black's counterplay has extinguished rather quickly
and the black king is helpless now.} Qb5 41. Re7+ Kf5 42. Qc7 {Over-attacking
the bishop that is not only blocking the enemy pawn but also covering two
essential diagonals.} (42. Qc7 Bc6 (42... Be6 {shortens the line by one move
in view of} 43. Qc2+) 43. Qc8+ Bd7 44. Qc2+ {with mate to follow soon.}) 1-0

