(1) Garingo,Nathaniel (2103) - Gafni,Kevin (2020) [D43]
Club Championship Qualifier (5), 01.05.2008
[Gafni,Kevin]



1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0-0 Bg7 11.Ne5 Nbd7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bd6 Nb6?
[13...a6 As mentioned by likesforests, this move has been played by Anand recently and should be fine for Black. 14.Bh5 Bf8 15.Bxf8 Rxf8 ]

14.e5!+- Qd7
[14...Nc8!? Is interesting, attempting to shore up the dark squares, still Black is in big trouble and my pieces are not coordinated at all.]

15.Ne4 0-0-0?
This move is mainly for shock value, there is no way that it could be good. Black castles 'into it'. [15...Nd5 is a 'good' alternative, considering how far behind I am.]

16.Nc5
[After the game Garingo believed that by switching the order of his moves and playing 16.a4 first he would have had a stronger game. Although this move probably is stronger than Nc5 immediately, Nc5 by no means squanders the advantage. The reasoning behind Garingo's logic is that 16...Bf8 is prevented due to 17.Nf6 trapping the Black queen.]

16...Qe8 17.a4! Bf8
[17...Rxd6 18.exd6 Qd8 19.axb5 Qxd6 20.Rxa7 Qxd4 21.Rxb7 Qxc5 22.Rxf7+- is hardly playable for Black, but in light of how bad my position was surviving through the 30 move time control seemed like a good goal and this sequence came into consideration.]

18.axb5! Bxd6 19.exd6 Kb8
[19...cxb5 I thought I would be alright here originally when he had played Nc5, but when we reached this position I realized there is simply 20.Rxa7 so the move in the game is forced.]

20.d7??
[20.Bf3 Rxd6 21.Nxb7 Kxb7 22.Bxc6+ Rxc6 23.Qf3 g4 24.bxc6+ Ka8 25.Qa3 Qb8 26.Qc5+- is the correct way to assault Black's position, he is forced into passivity and things are beyond hopeless.]

20...Rxd7!
[White was hoping I would play 20...Nxd7?? 21.Nxb7 Kxb7 22.bxc6+ Kxc6 23.Qa4+ with mate to follow.]

21.bxc6 Bxc6 22.Nxd7+ Qxd7 23.Bf3 Bb5!?
I begin to build a fortress. Also, I decided that I would have better chances if I could force the bishop off for the knight. Once the knight goes to d5 White will have no choice but to exchange it sooner or later.

24.d5?! Nxd5 25.Qd4 Rg8
[I avoided 25...Rd8 because I did not like 26.Qg7 when everything is hanging.]

26.Bxd5 exd5 27.Rfe1 Rg6!
[I want to be able to play 27...a6 but at the very least there is 28.Qb6+ picking up h6, I'm also going to need the rook on the d file to defend the d pawn after Re5, but if I play Rd8 then White has Qg7, also I am not going to be able to play a6 until I can defend b6. So the move in the game solves a lot of problems.]

28.Re5 Rd6 29.Qc5 a6 30.Re8+ Kb7
[30...Qxe8 31.Qxd6+ Kc8 32.Qxd5 is worse for Black than the continuation in the game. I think at this point all exchanges favor White, except a queen exchange on the d file because then the rook will be well placed to assist the passed pawn. So this is what I strive for.]

31.Rae1 Rc6?
[31...Qc7 32.R8e7 Bd7+/- Black can probably hold this position. I saw it during the game but I decided on the inferior variation because I did not believe in White's attack.]

32.Qb4
[32.Qf8! There is no question that this is the best move. After the game, another expert, Alsasua, claimed that Garingo simply had to make this move and the game would be over. I am not convinced. The fact of the matter is that I have been chipping away at White's advantage rather steadily and he needs to be very precise to retain any such claim. 32...Qd6! 33.R1e7+ (33.Qxf7+ Rc7 34.R8e7 (34.Qe6? Qxe6 35.R8xe6 d4 only promises a slight edge for White.) 34...Bd7 35.R1e5 Kc6 36.Qg8! intending Qa8 36...Kc5 37.Qb8 Black doesn't really have a move in this position.) 33...Kb6 34.Rd8 (A natural move like 34.Rb8+? gets met with 34...Ka5 Black is absolutely fine in this position and White may even run into trouble if he doesn't hold on to the b pawn. Note that now that all of white's pieces are behind Black's pawns, the king is well placed in front of his own pawns as he is using them as a shield.) 34...Qc5 35.h3 (By adding the in between move Rd8, White is able to find a slightly better version of the game above, but this is still worse than simply playing h3 and slowly trying to win the kingside pawns. The king attack is not going to produce a win. 35.Rb8+ Ka5 36.Qd8+ this move is the difference between the two lines but 36...Kb4 is not bad for Black) 35...f5 36.Rdd7 Ka5 37.Qxf5 ]

32...Qd6! 33.R8e7+
[33.Qxd6 Rxd6-/+ The rook is extremely well placed, the pawns on h6 and a6 are safe and the d pawn is ready to run. Black is winning.]

33...Kb6 34.Qd2
This is the first move that I have breathing room, I am no longer forced to defend. It was such a good feeling, at this point I did not think there was anyway to lose the game. I hadn't come this far just to lose.

34...d4! 35.R7e4?!
[35.Rxf7! the only move that can provide White with some semblance of an advantage. 35...Rc7 36.Rf3 (36.Rf5 Rc5 37.Rf3 Re5+/= ) 36...Kb7+/= ]

35...c3!= 36.bxc3 dxc3 37.Qe3+ Qc5 38.Rc1??
the losing move [38.Qc1!? Fritz at first calls this position equal but as it spends a little more time it starts to lean towards Black, this is not nearly as bad as the game however as the three heavy pieces are always dangerous when they are on the board. 38...c2 39.R4e3 (39.Re5 Qc4 40.R5e4 Qb3-/+ ) 39...Rd6-/+ ; 38.Qg3 threatening Qb8 may earn a repetition 38...Rc7 (38...Qd6 39.Qe3+ Qc5= ; 38...c2?? 39.Qb8+ Ka5 40.Ra1+ is checkmate) 39.Rc1 c2 is the way to play if Black wants to keep playing. The position is about equal and still contains chances for both sides.]

38...Qxe3 39.Rxe3 c2-+ 40.f3 Ba4 41.Rd3 Kb5 42.Kf2 Re6 43.Re3 Rd6 44.Ra3 Rd2+ 45.Ke3 Rxg2 46.Rca1 Rxh2 47.Rxa4 c1Q+ 48.Rxc1 Kxa4
I have turned my positional advantage into three pawns and now the rest is just a matter of technique.

49.Rb1 Rh4 50.Kd3 Rb4 51.Rh1 Rb3+ 52.Kc4 Rxf3 53.Ra1+ Ra3 54.Rh1 a5 55.Rxh6 Rf3 56.Rh1 Rf4+ 57.Kc3 Kb5 58.Rb1+ Kc5 59.Rd1 Rf3+ 60.Kc2 f5 61.Rd8 g4 62.Ra8 Kd4 63.Kd2 Ra3 64.Re8 Ra2+ 65.Ke1 f4 66.Kf1 g3 67.Ke1 f3 68.Rd8+ Ke5 69.Rd1 Re2+
[69...g2 mates immediately but I had seen the line in the game so I didn't even spend any time I just went for the win.]

70.Kf1 g2+ 71.Kg1 f2+ 72.Kxg2 Re1
picking up the White rook. 0-1