GM Suat Atalik annotates Round 7 Aivars Gipslis Memorial 2018 draw v Igor Paevskiy

  [Event "Aivars Gipslis Memorial"]  [Site "Brisbane"]  [Date "2018.05.07"]  [Round "7"]  [White "Atalik, Suat"]  [Black "Paevskiy, Igor"]  [Result "1/2-1/2"]  [ECO "A57"]  [WhiteElo "2507"]  [BlackElo "1941"]  [Annotator "Atalik"]  [PlyCount "97"]  [EventDate "2018.05.04"]  [EventType "swiss"]  [EventRounds "7"]  [EventCountry "AUS"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 {This time Volga Gambit.} 4. Nf3 Bb7 $5 {The old  independent Volga move.} (4... e6 {Blumenfeld Gambit which is the opening of  my first round game.}) (4... g6 5. Qc2 $5) 5. b3 $5 {Karpov has games on both  sides of the board with this little move.} (5. a4 {was Rubinstein's reaction.}  Qa5+ 6. Bd2 b4 7. Bg5 (7. Qc2 d6 8. e4 Nbd7 9. Bd3 g6 10. h3 Bg7 11. O-O O-O  12. Bf4 Qc7 13. Bh2 $5) 7... d6 8. Nbd2 Nbd7 9. h3 g6 10. e4 Bg7 11. Bd3 O-O  12. O-O Rae8 13. Re1 {are twin variations.}) (5. Qb3 Qb6 {is what I could not  make work during the game.} 6. Nc3 bxc4 7. Qd1 $1 (7. Qxc4 Na6) ({Kortschnoj's  } 7. Qxb6 axb6 8. e4 e6 9. Ne5 {is not convincing.}) 7... e6 8. e4 {is hard to  find.}) 5... e6 $1 (5... g6 6. Bb2 Bg7 7. e4 O-O 8. Bd3 {makes less sense.}) 6.  dxe6 fxe6 7. cxb5 a6 8. bxa6 Nxa6 {White has to be careful here.} 9. Bb2 $2 {  After this move White always sits under the threat of c4!} (9. g3 Ne4) (9. e3  Nb4 (9... Ne4 10. Bb2 Qa5+ 11. Nfd2 $1) 10. Nc3 Ne4 11. Bb2 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Nxa2  13. Rxa2 Rxa2 14. Ne5 $13 {is very messy}) 9... Be7 $6 (9... c4 $1 {sooner is  better.} 10. e3 Bb4+ 11. Nfd2 cxb3 12. Be2 $1 {and White may run away with his  early opening inaccuracies like Bogoljubow once quoted :'I win with White  because I am White!'}) 10. Nbd2 Qa5 11. g3 $2 {White is toying with the idea  second time in a row.} ({Prophylaxis is required!} 11. a3 $1 O-O 12. e3 $14)  11... Ne4 $6 (11... c4 $1 {wins three pices for a Queen but having 2 extra  pawns White may have hopes.} 12. Bg2 (12. Rc1 Ne4 13. Rxc4 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 Qxd2+  15. Kxd2 Nc5) 12... c3 13. Nc4 cxb2+ 14. Nxa5 Bb4+ 15. Kf1 bxa1=Q 16. Qxa1 Bxa5  17. Ng5 Bxg2+ 18. Kxg2 O-O 19. Qb1 h6 20. Ne4 {looks playable since Black's  minor pieces are temporarily uncoordiated.}) 12. Bg2 ({I was in between} 12.  Bh3 {and the text.} c4 13. O-O c3 14. Nc4 {since} Qh5 {does not win a piece  due to simple tactics.} (14... Qd5 $142 $5) 15. Bg4 $1) (12. Bxg7 Rg8 13. Bh6  c4 14. Bg2 Nxd2 15. Bxd2 c3 16. O-O cxd2 17. Nxd2 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 $44) 12... c4 (  12... Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 O-O 15. Rhd1 {is not scary.}) 13. O-O c3 14.  Nc4 Qd5 15. Ba3 $16 {Something went wrong for Black,it is obvious that he  could not get neither the pawn nor he has enough compensation for it.} (15. Bc1  Nb4) 15... Qxd1 (15... Bxa3 16. Nxa3 Nb4 17. Qxd5 Bxd5 18. Nb5 Rxa2 19. Rxa2  Nxa2 20. Nfd4 Ke7 21. Ra1 Nb4 22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23. Nxc3 $16) 16. Rfxd1 c2 17. Rdc1  d5 (17... Bf6 $2 18. Bb2 (18. Nfe5)) 18. Bxe7 dxc4 19. Ba3 $1 (19. Bh4 $6 cxb3  20. axb3 Nb4 21. Nd4 Kd7 {and White deals with back rank issues.}) (19. Bg5 $5)  19... Nc7 20. Rxc2 $2 {An unnecessary piece sacrifice which only confused  White himself at the end of the day.} (20. Bb4 $1 Nd5 21. Be1 cxb3 22. axb3  Rxa1 23. Rxa1 O-O 24. Nd4 $18 {should win with ease.}) 20... Rxa3 21. Rxc4 Nb5  22. Ng5 $4 (22. Ne5 $1 {wins two pieces for a Rook and by mathematical means  the balance is no lesser than 3 pawns or an Exchange.} Nbd6 23. Rc7 (23. Rb4  O-O 24. Rxb7) 23... O-O 24. Rxb7 Nxb7 25. Bxe4 Nc5 26. Nc4 (26. Bc2 $2 Rfa8)  26... Ra7 27. Bc2 Rb8 28. Kf1 {and b3 pawn is tabooed.} Nxb3 29. Rb1 $18) 22...  Nxg5 23. Bxb7 Nd6 $1 ({Even} 23... O-O 24. Rc5 Rf5 {is not to White's favor.})  24. Bc6+ Ke7 25. Rc2 Ra7 $1 (25... Rb8 26. Ba4 {sort of traps the Rook.}) 26.  Rac1 Rc8 27. f4 Ngf7 $15 {In principle such positions are better for the side  with the piece since White's pawns are split into two wings.} 28. Ba4 $5 (28.  Bf3 Rxc2 29. Rxc2 e5 30. Bd5 g5 31. fxg5 Nxg5 32. a4 {was a more logical  continuation.}) 28... Rxc2 29. Rxc2 e5 30. Kg2 $5 {Not clear which path to  choose I was still indecisive.} (30. e3 g5 $1) (30. Bc6 g5 (30... Rc7 31. Be4))  30... Ra5 (30... Nf5 31. Rc5 $132) 31. e3 $1 Rd5 32. b4 $1 {Time to push the  pawns.} (32. Bc6 Rd3 33. Kf3 exf4 (33... Nf5 34. Ke4) 34. gxf4 {is an  alternative.}) 32... Rd3 33. Kf2 (33. b5 $2 Rxe3 34. b6 Re4 35. Rc7+ Kf6 36.  Bc2 Rb4 37. Rc6 e4 $19) 33... exf4 (33... e4 34. Ke2 Nf5 35. Rc7+ Kf6 36. Rc6+  N7d6 37. g4 Rxe3+ 38. Kf2 Rf3+ 39. Ke1 $11 {is a draw by perpetual.}) 34. exf4  {Safest capture! Do not forget that facing proper play two Knights alone are  incapable of delivering checkmate.} (34. gxf4 $5) 34... Ne4+ (34... Rd4 35. Rb2  ) 35. Ke2 Rc3 36. Bb3 $1 $11 {After this exact move the game peters out to be  a draw draw since White trades down his a and b passers for the critical h7.  This very operation allows him to also exchange the last of Mohikans g7!} Rxc2+  37. Bxc2 Nc3+ 38. Kf3 (38. Kd2 Nxa2 39. b5 {is unnecessary but playable.})  38... Nxa2 39. Bxh7 Nxb4 40. g4 Nd5 41. g5 Nc7 42. h4 Ne6 43. Kg4 ({It is  difficult to blunder} 43. h5 $4 Nexg5+ $19) 43... Nf8 44. Bg8 Nd7 45. h5 Nf8  46. f5 Ke8 47. h6 gxh6 48. Bxf7+ ({After} 48. g6 Ne5+ 49. Kh5 Nexg6 50. fxg6  Nxg6 51. Kxg6 $11) 48... Kxf7 49. gxh6 (49. gxh6 Nh7 {and nothing is left to  play for both sides.}) 1/2-1/2