0062 SICILIAN DEFENSE
Wendy's VII, 8-17-88
Ralph Lombard (1900) Mike Eberhardinger (1700)
1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 d6 4 cd Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Nf3 e6 7 Bc4(?) (More to the point is 7 Bd3, commanding the b1-h7 diagonal and anticipating a future e5 pawn push.  If Black prevents this by playing his own ...e5 White could then redeploy the Bishop very strongly to c4) 7...Qc7 (7...Nc6 is another possibility, but not 7...d5 8 Bd3 de4 9 Ne4 Ne4 10 Be4 which gives White the superior center, more space, and better development) 8 Qe2 Be7 9 0-0 0-0 10 e5 (White's key move, driving a wedge into Black's position, dislocating his Knight, and gaining space on the Kingside) 10...N6d7(?) (Black should first clarify the situation in the center with 10...d5) 11 Bf4 (Adding pressure to the e5 square) 11...b5 (This loses a Pawn because of the weakness it creates along the h1-a8 diagonal; 11...Nce seems best since 11...de5 could be risky) 12 Be6 Nb6 (After 12 fe6 13 ed6 Bd6 14 Qe6 White wins back the piece, remaining two Pawns ahead; even worse is 12...Ne5 13 Bc8 Nf3 14 Qf3 winning a piece {Black's Ra8 is en prise}, while 12...de5 is met simply with 13 Bd5) 13 Bc8?? (White exchanges his best attacking piece for the one still stuck on the back rank, helping Black to catch up on his development as well.  Obviously 13 Bb3 is indicated, with Rac1 and Ne4 to follow) 13...Rc8 (This looks logical since 13...Nc8 allows 14 Nd5, while 13...Qc8 permits 14 ed6.  The only drawback is that another piece abandons the Black Kingside) 14 Rac Qd8 (After 14...Qd7 15 d5 b4 16 e6 Qe8 17 Ne4 Rc1 18 Rc1 White has strong pressure since 18...Nd5 19 ef wins: 19...Qf7 20 Rc8 Bf8 21 Bd6 or 19...Kf7 20 Nd6 Bd6 21 Ng5 Kf8 22 Bd6) 15 d5!? (Several other moves come into consideration here.  The prudent 15 a3, to prevent ...b4, seemed too slow, allowing Black to complete his development with 15...Nc6.  An immediate 15 e6 Pawn push is interesting:  15...b4? 16 ef Kf7 17 Ne4 gives White good play after 17...Nd5 {17...Rc1 18 Rc1 Nd5 19 Qc4 or 18...Nc6 19 Neg5} 18 Neg5 Bg5 19 Ng5 and 20 Qe6 so again 15...Nce looks best.  Another possibility is 15 Ne4, but I was reluctant to allow 15...Nd5, although 16 ed6 Nf4 17 Qd2 regains the piece {17...Bd6? 18 Nd6 Qd6 19 Rc8}.  With 15 d5 White prevents 15...Nc6 and also prepares a future e6 Pawn push.  His center pawns are weakened quite considerably, but Black's backward development makes this difficult to take advantage of) 15...de5 (15...Nd7 allows 16 e6 Nf6 17 Ng5 and Black is in trouble. Instead, 15...b4 16 Ne4 Nd5 17 ed6 Nf4 18 Qd2 also keeps White on top:  18...Rc1 19 Rc1 Ng6 20 de7 Qe7 21 Rc8 Nf8 22 Qd8! Qd8 23 Rd8 and with all of Black's pieces in zugzwang White will win at least the exchange, e.g.: 23...g6 24 Ne5 Kg7 25 Nc6 Nfd7 26 Nc6 Nfd7 27 Ne8 etc. 15...de5 prevents all this, but at the cost of strongly centralizing White's Knight to e5.  15...Nc4 might be best) 16 Ne5 b4 (This seems a logical followup to Black's previous move since 16...Nd5 loses a piece after 17 Nd5 Rc1 18 Ne7) 17 Nf7! (White decides to "strike while the iron is hot" with this intrusive sacrifice) 17...Kf7 (Accepting the sacrifice is Black's most direct approach; although three other defenses must be considered: 1) 17...Qd7 18 Ne5 Qf5 19 Qe4 and White remains two pawns ahead.  If now 19...Qe4 20 Ne4 Rc1 21 Rc1 Nd5? 22 Rc8 Bf8 23 Bg3 Nb6 {otherwise 24 Nd7 wins the exchange} 24 Rd8 g6 25 Nc5 Kg7 26 Ne6 Kf6 27 Nf8 Ke7? 28 Bh4 mates; 2) 17...Qe8 looks more logical, but is refuted by the extraordinary 18 Na4!!: a) 18...Qf7 19 Nb6 Rc1 20 Rc1 Qf4 21 Qe6 Qf7 22 Rc8 Bf8 23 Na8; b) 18...Qa4 19 Qe6 {threatening 20 Nh6 with a smothered mate} 19...h6 {19...Qe8 20 Nd6 or 19...Kf8 20 Nd6 or 19...g6 20 Nh6} 20 Ng5 Kh8 21 Qc8 mating; c) 18...Na4 19 Rc8 {Here 19 Qe6 loses to 19...Bc5} 19...Qc8 20 Qe7 Qd7 {20...Nd7 21 Nd6 Qd8 22 Qe6 or 20...Nb2 21 Rc1 Qd7 22 Qe6} 21 Qb4 Qd5 {21...Qf7 22Qa4 Qd5?? 23 Qe8 mate or 21...Kf7 22 Bb8 Qd5? 23 Qa4 Rb8 24 Qf4} 22 Bb8 Qb7 23 Qa4 Rb8 24 Qa6 Rb2 25 Qc8 Qf8 26 Qf8 Kf8 27 Ra1; d) 18...Rc1 19 Rc1 Na4 {19...Qa4 20 Qe6 or 19...Qf7 20 Nb6 transposes to previous variations} 20 Nd6 Qd7 {20...Qg6 21 Qe7 h6 22 Qb7} 21 Rc7! Qc7 22 Qe6 mating; e) 18...Kf7 19 Qe6 Kf8 20 Nb6 Rc5 21 Rc5 Bc5 22 Na8; 3) After 17...Qf8 18 Na4!! still works: a) 18...Kf7 {18...Qf7 and 18...Na4 transpose to variation 2} but 20 Qe6 gives White at least perpetual check since 20...h6? 21 Rc8 or 20...Qf7 21 Rc8 Bf8 22 Rf8 Kf8 23 Bd6 Kg8 24 Qc8 are both ruinous for Black) 18 Qe6 Kf8 19 Ne4 Rc1 20 Rc1 (Black, with an extra piece and the advantage of the move, suddenly finds himself in a state of complete zugzwang! His Qd8 must stay put to protect his Nb6 which also must stay put to prevent Rc8. 20...N8d7 doesn't help since 21 Nd6 mates or wins the Queen. 20...Ke8 is futile after 21 Nd6, and 20...g6 21 Bh6 Ke8 22 Nf6 is mate.  20...g5 loses the Queeen after 21 Nd6 Bd6 22 Bd6 Kg7 23 Be7 Qe8 34 Bf6 Kf8 25 Bg7, while 20...Bf6 allows 21 Nf6 Qf6 {or 21...gf 22 Bh6 mate} 22 Bd6.  20...Bh4 meets 21 g3 forcing the Bishop back to e7 or f6. 20...Ra7 also fails: 21 Nd6 Bf6 {21...Bd6 22 Bd6 Re7 23 Be7 Qe7 24 Qb6} 22 Nc8! and now either 22...Rb7 23 Bd6 Be7 24 Ne7 Re7 25 Be7 Qe7 26 Qb6 or 22...Re7 23 Ne7 Be7 24 Bc7 Qd5 25 Qd5 Nd5 26 Bb8, with a clear-cut win in either case. 20...Qd5 (The tricky 20...Qd7, giving back the piece to activate his Queen, is Black's last chance to confuse the issue, but with accurate play White still forces the win: 21 Qb6 Qd5 22 Rc8 Kf7 23 Nd6: a) 23...Bd6 24 Qd6 {threatening 25 Rf8 mate} 24...Qd6 25 Bd6 winning a piece; b) 23...Kf6 24 Nc4 Kf7 {24...Kf5 25 Ne3} 25 Ne5 wins the Queen; c) 23...Ke6 24 Nc4 Kd7 25 Qc7 Ke6 26 Qe5 Qe5 27 Be5 and White wins the exchange; d) 23...Kg6 24 Nc4 Bf6 {24...Kh5 25 Ne3 Q moves 26 Rb8} 25 Ne3 Q moves and again 26 Rb8 looks simplist, winning a piece) 21 Rc8  1-0 (Notes by Lombard)