Uncountable set

Francisco Vallejo Pons – Arshak Bagratovich Petrosian

2nd FiNet Chess960 Open; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Mainz, August, 2003

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Position #352

1. c4 c5 2. b3 e5?! A very dubious gamble. 2. ... Ng6 was a solid and good reply.
3. f4! Vallejo Pons claims the initiative with emphasis. If 3. Nd3 Black can reply with 3. ... d6 4. f4 f6 aiming at holding on to control.
3. ... b6?! Black prefers to give up rather than accept a Pawn, a decision which probably his position does not justify. Whether good or bad, it was time to put cards on the table: 3. ... exf4 4. g3!↑ with the upper hand for White.
4. fxe5 Ng6 5. Nd3 d5!? 6. cxd5 Bxd5 7. Ng3 Nce7 8. Rc1 Nc6 9. Qe3 0-0-0?! To say it with Bobby Fischer, add another to those melancholy case histories entitled “castling into it”. On the other hand, there is no easy solution for Black; for example: 9. ... Bxg2 10. Rg1 Bd5 11. Nf5 with a dominating advantage for White.

10. b4! Natural and strong. Nonetheless, 10. Nxc5! bxc5 11. Qxc5 would also have been hopelessly crushing (if now 11. ... Bxg2? then 12. Be4!+−).
10. ... Rfe8 11. bxc5 b5

12. Nf5! Threatening check at d6.
12. ... Ngxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bxe5 Rxe5 15. Qxe5! A little tactic which yields White both a material and positional advantage.
15. ... Nxe5 16. Ne7+ Kc7 17. Nxg8 Rxg8 18. 0-0. Sic et simpliciter: White intends to advance his Pawns in the centre with devastating effect. Black can prevent it only at the cost of further losses.

18. ... Nc6 19. Bxh7 Re8 20. Bd3 a6 21. a4 bxa4 22. Bc4 Bxc4 23. Rxc4 f6 24. e3 a3 25. Ra1 Rb8 26. Rxa3 Rb2 27. d4 a5 1 : 0.