Necronomicon

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Just two lines by Fethry Duck

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Stelios Halkias – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
Qatar Masters; Doha, November 26, 2014
Evans Gambit C51

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4!? The second time of Kramnik in an open tournament – after about twenty years – and the first against the Evans Gambit! 4. ... Bxb4 5. c3 Be7. Trendy! 6. d4 Na5 7. Bd3!? Nigel David Short’s favourite. 7. ... d6 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 Nf6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Qc2 Nd7. For the more “scientific” 11. ... c5 12. f4 c4 see Short – Bruzon, Poikovsky 2012. 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. e5 g6 14. Nd2 b6 15. Nf3 Bb7 16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Qc6 18. Qg4 Rad8 19. Bg5 Qc5 20. Qh4 Nc6 21. Rae1. Threatening Qh4-h6. The immediate 21. Qh6? was wrong due to 21. ... Nxe5. 21. ... h5 22. Re4. Possibly sharper was 22. e6! Rd5 23. Bxe7 Qxe7 24. exf7+ Qxf7 25. Qe4 retaining an edge. 22. ... Rd3 23. Rc4 Qd5. Loses a valuable Pawn. On 23. ... Bxg5 24. Nxg5 Qd5 25. Ne4 White’s position looks nearly winning, but after 25. ... f5! 26. Qf6! Ne7! 27. Qxe7 fxe4 28. Rxc7 Qf7 Black should survive. 24. Bxe7 Nxe7 25. Rxc7 Nf5

26. Qc4. White forces an endgame in which his extra Pawn will be worthless. If 26. Qf6 then 26. ... Rd1 27. h3 Rxf1+ 28. Kxf1 Qd1+ 29. Ne1 Qa4 30. e6! Qf4! 31. exf7+ Kh7 32. Rc6 Ng3+! 33. Kg1 Ne2+ 34. Kh1 Qxf6 35. Rxf6 Kg7 36. Rc6 Rxf7 with equality. However, both 26. Qf4 and 26. Qa4 would probably have allowed White to retain his positional and material advantage. 26. ... Qxc4 27. Rxc4 Re8 28. Re1 Rd5 29. h3 Kf8 30. g4 hxg4 31. hxg4 Ng7 32. Rc7 Re7 33. Rc8+ Re8 34. Rc7 Re7 35. Rc8+ Re8 ½ : ½.

Natalia Pogonina (@Pogonina)