ChessBase Reader 2017 Printout, Leo , 11/05/2019
E04 10.Nd2 Na5 11.Qa4 c6
Davies,N
Lukacs,P
Budapest 1993
[Nigel Davies]
1.d4 Already a sign of a different level of White's strong bishop pair and action
preparedness. Against a player with
Lukacs' expertise in the openings I
would normally have preferred some
kind of flank opening.
d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.g3 dxc4
5.Bg2 Bd7 6.Ne5 Bc6 7.Nxc6 Nxc6
8.0-0 Be7 Strangely enough I had half
expected this move, even though it had
rarely been played at the time. During
my studies I had noticed that Lukacs'
compatriot Istvan Farago had played
this move and guessed that it might crop
up.
The alternatives seem quite good for
White. For example:
[ a) 8...Nxd4?! is met by 9.Bxb7 Rb8
10.Bg2 Bc5 11.Nd2 c3 12.bxc3 Nb5 downside is that it creates weaknesses
13.Qc2 0-0 14.a4 , as in B.Gulko-V.
Korchnoi, Amsterdam 1989. ]
[ b) 8...Qd7 9.e3 Rb8 10.Qe2 b5
11.a4 a6 12.axb5 axb5 13.b3 cxb3
14.Nd2 Be7 15.Nxb3 0-0 16.Bd2!
Rfc8 17.Rfc1 Nd5 was K.Georgiev-V. 25.Re1 Rd8 26.Qa2 Kh8 27.h5 fxe4
Anand, Wijk aan Zee 1989, and here
18.h4! , intending h4-h5-h6, would
have kept an edge for White
according to Anand. ]
9.e3 0-0
[ In a later game, S.Polgar-A.Maric,
Tilburg 1994, Black tried to improve
on this with 9...Qd7 but after 10.Qa4
Nb4 11.Qxd7+ Nxd7 12.Nd2 Nb6
13.Bxb7 Rb8 14.Bf3 White was
better thanks to the useful pair of
bishops. ]
1
[ On 11...c5 White's simplest would be
12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Nxc4 Nxc4
14.Qxc4 , with an edge because of
the powerful bishop on g2. ]
12.b4 c3 13.bxa5 cxd2 14.Bxd2
along the b- and c-files give him all the
play here, notwithstanding the doubled
a-pawns.
Nd5 15.Rab1 Qd7 16.Rfc1 Rfc8
17.Qb3 Rab8 18.a4 h6 19.h4 Bd6
20.e4 Ne7 21.Qb2 Torturing Black with
the possibility of Bd2-c3 followed by a
later d4-d5. Accordingly he makes the
following bid for freedom.
b5 22.axb6 Rxb6
[ 22...axb6 would have kept Black's
pawns intact but would have also left
him with very little counterplay. ]
23.Qa1 Rxb1 24.Rxb1 f5 This breaks
up White's powerful pawn centre and
gets access to the d5-square. But the
along the e-file.
[ 24...c5 would have been a better try,
after which 25.Bc3 cxd4 26.Bxd4 f6
would have left Black worse but on the
board. ]
28.Rxe4 Nd5 29.Qc4 Rf8 30.Qe2 Nc7
31.Bh3 Rf6 32.Kg2 Trying to improve
my position in leisurely style.
c5 33.Bc3 Rf8?!
[ It would have been more stubborn to
play 33...Nd5 , though this is still
good for White after 34.Bb2 c4
35.Qxc4 Qb7 36.Qc2 . ]
34.Bxe6 Qc6 35.Kg1?!
[ Missing a stronger option in 35.Qg4!
threatening 36 d5 or even 36 Qxg7+
followed by 37 d5+. This variation
ChessBase Reader 2017 Printout, Leo , 11/05/2019 2

would have been immediately

decisive. ]
35...c4?!
[ Black could have defended more
stubbornly with 35...Nd5
when I would have had to find the
variation 36.Bxd5 Qxd5 37.dxc5
Bxc5 38.Qg4 Bxf2+ 39.Kh2 Qb7
40.Qg6 Kg8 41.Bb4! threatening
both 42 Bxf8 and 42 Re7. ]
36.Bxc4 Qxa4 37.d5 Unveiling the
dark-squared bishop on c3 sets up a
new target: Black's king.
Qd7 38.Qe3 Kg8 39.Qe2 a6 40.Rg4
Rf7 41.Qe4 Nb5 42.Bb2 Qa7
43.Qe8+ Bf8 44.d6! Qxf2+ 45.Kh1
[ After 45.Kh1 Qf3+ 46.Kh2 Qf2+
47.Kh3 Black's checks have run out. ]
1-0