Evgeny Bareev Annotates

Ivan Markovic
Chess Informant Editor

 

Media coverage of the Enghien-les-Bains 2003 super tournament seemed to suggest that winning the event was a cakewalk for Evgeny Bareev. Indeed, if it were only for the scoreboard, one could almost mistake Bareev for the great Anatoly Karpov: once he tallied the "four plus" result after only six rounds, all that was needed was to brush aside all the challenges and draw the remaining games, which he did in a convincing fashion. However, the story of success was not at all an easy one for the Muscovite, as he had to fight hard to earn each victory, sometimes even hanging on a thread (e.g. he bounced back from a completely lost position against Radjabov). Bareev has never been the kind of guy to ignore the shortcomings when celebrating his triumphs, and the painstakingly meticulous analyses of his games from Enghien (seven of which will be published in the upcoming Chess Informant 88) masterfully demonstrate his cool-headed ability to sift hard facts from often tempting fiction.

This month's featured game is a perfect display of both players' fighting spirit: Bareev's persistence aside, it sure left me wondering whether mentioning draw is a faux-pas if one is to meet Joel Lautier over the board. It is generally well-known that the opposite-colored bishops offer additional attacking opportunities if major pieces (especially the queens) are still on the board. Therefore, it seems that the French super-GM pinned all of his hopes on the queen + bishop battery (which proved mighty effective in Gelfand's win over Judit Polgar from the same tournament), as he never felt tempted to renege on that choice in the hopes of pursuing various drawing motifs. However, while playing out Bareev's game annotations, I almost felt as if Lautier's attempts were doomed to failure, since Black's counterplan was executed in a computer-like faultless manner (not to mention Bareev's cool-blooded pawn snatching followed by great defensive parades). When it all boiled down to the opposite-colored bishops ending, Bareev's fine king maneuvering overloaded White pieces, which enabled him to execute a neat finish by an elegant bishop's decoy sacrifice.

J. Lautier 2666 — Bareev 2734
Enghien-les-Bains 2003

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bc4 Bb4 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Nh4 Nbd7 10. Nf5 ef5 11. Qc2 Nb6 12. Bb3 Qd7 13. a5 Nbd5 14. f3 Rfe8 15. Nd5 Nd5 16. e4 Nf6 17. Qc4 Bf8 18. Bg5 [18. ef5 see 78/(373)] fe4 19. fe4 Re4 20. Bf6 gf6 21. Rad1 [21. Rf6 Bg7 22. Qf7 Qf7 23. Rf7 Bd4 24. Kh1 Rae8 25. Rb7 Kh8 26. g3 R4e7 equal]

21... Rae8 (a novelty) [21... Rd8] 22. Rf6 Re1 23. Re1 [23. Rf1 equal] Re1 24. Kf2 [24. Rf1 equal] Re7
25. Kg1?! [25. a6 b5 26. Qc3 Qg4 27. Rf3 Bg7 28. Qc6 Qh4 29. Rg3 Qd4 30. Kf1 Qe5 31. Qc8 Re8 32. Qc3 Qe2 33. Kg1 Qe1 34. Qe1 Re1 35. Kf2 Rb1 36. Rf3 Rb2 37. Kf1 equal; 25. g3 Bg7 26. Rf4 Bh6 27. Rf3 Qh3 28. Rf7 Qh2 29. Kf1 Qh1 equal] Bg7 26. Rf4 Bh6 27. Rf1 Be3 28. Kh1 Bd4 29. Qc1 a6 30. h3 [30. Qg5 Bg7 (30... Kh8 31. Bf7 equal) 31. Bc4 h6 32. Qh5 equal] Kh8 [30... Re3 31. Bf7 Kh8 32. Kh2 Qc7 33. Kh1 Qa5 34. Qd1 with compensation] 31. Qf4 f6 32. Qd2 [32. Rd1 c5 33. Bc4 Qe8 34. Qd2 Re3 and Black is superior] Qd6 33. Qh6 [33. Bc4] Qb8 34. Qd2 Qe5 35. Qh6 Rg7 36. Qd2 Re7 37. Qh6 Qb8 38. Qd2 c5 39. Bc4 [39. Re1 Qf4 and Black is winning] Qg3

40. Qh6? [40. Rf6! Qe1 41. Qe1 Re1 42. Rf1 Rf1 43. Bf1 Bb2 44. Bc4 Bc3 45. Bd5 Ba5 46. Bb7 equal] Re8 41. Qh5 Rb8! 42. Rf3 [42. Qf3 Qc7 (42... Qf3!? 43. gf3 Bb2 44. Rb1 Bc3 45. Bd5 Bb4) 43. Qa3 Re8 44. Qa4 Re3 45. b4 Qc8 46. Kh2 cb4 47. Qb4 Bc3 and Black is winning; 42. b3! Be5 43. Kg1 Qh2 44. Kf2 Rd8 (44... Bd4 45. Kf3 Qc7 46. Bd3 Rg8 47. g4 Rd8 48. Kg2 and Black is slightly better) 45. Rd1] Qe1 43. Rf1 Qa5 44. Qf7 [44. b4 Qc7 45. bc5 Qc5 46. Qc5 Bc5 47. Rf6 (and Black is superior) b5 48. Bd3 Rd8 49. Rf3 Rd6 50. g4 b4] Qd8 45. Bd5 [45. Bd3 Qg8 46. Qe7 c4 47. Be4 Bb2 48. Bb7 Be5 and Black is superior] Bb2 46. Rb1 [46. Bb7 Qd3 47. Rf6 Be5 48. Rf1 Qg3 49. Kg1 Qh2 50. Kf2 Bd4 51. Kf3 Rg8 52. Ke2 Qe5 and Black is winning] Be5 47. Rb7?! [47. Be4 Qg8 (47... Qc7 48. Rb7) 48. Rb7 Qf7 49. Rf7 h5 50. Rh7 (50. Ra7 Rb4 51. Bf5 Ra4 52. g4 hg4 53. hg4 c4 and Black is winning) Kg8 51. Rh5 c4 52. g4 c3 53. g5 Rb4 and Black is superior] Rb7 48. Qb7 c4

49. Qa8? [49. Qf7 a5 (49... Bg3 50. Qe6 c3 51. Bb3 a5 52. Bc2 and Black is superior) 50. g4 c3 51. Bb3 Qc8 52. Bc2 Qg8 53. Qd7 and Black is superior] Qa8 50. Ba8 f5? [50... a5 51. Bd5 c3 52. Bb3 Kg7 53. Kg1 Kf8 54. Kf2 Ke7 55. g4 (55. Ke3 Kd6 56. Kd3 Kc5 57. Kc2 Kb4 58. Bg8 h6 59. Bf7 a4 60. Be6 a3 61. Bf7 Bc7 62. Be6 Ba5 63. Bf7 Kc5 64. Kb3 Bb4 65. Bg8 Kd4 66. Kc2 Ke3 67. Bd5 Kf2 68. Kb3 Ke2 69. Kc2 h5 70. Bf7 Kf2 71. g4 h4 72. Kb3 Kg3 73. Be6 Kh3 74. g5 Kg3 75. gf6 Bd6 and Black is winning) Kd6 56. Ke3 Kc5 57. Kd3 Kb4 58. Kc2 a4 59. Be6 a3 60. Kb1 (60. Bf7 h5 61. Be6 h4 62. Bg8 Bc7 63. Ba2 Ba5 64. Bg8 Kc5 65. Kd3 Kd6 66. Kc2 Ke5 67. Kb3 Bb4 68. Kc2 Kf4 69. Be6 Kg3 70. Kb3 see 55. Ke3) h6 61. Bf5 (61. h4 Kc5 62. h5 Kd6 63. Bb3 Bd4 64. Ka2 Bc5 65. Bc2 Ke5 66. Kb3 Kf4 67. Bf5 Bb4 68. Be6 Kf3 69. Bf5 Ke3 and Black is winning) Kc4 62. Kc2 Kd4 63. Kb3 Bd6 64. Bg6 Bb4 65. Bf5 Ke5 66. Bc8 Kf4 67. Bd7 Kg3 68. Bf5 Kh4 (68... Bf8!? 69. Kc3 Kh3 70. g5 Kg3 71. gf6 h5 and Black is winning) 69. Be6 h5 70. Bd7 Kg5 71. gh5 Kh5 72. Bg4 Kg5 73. Bd7 (73. Be6 f5 74. h4 Kf6 75. Bc8 f4 76. Bb7 Ke5 77. h5 Kd4 78. h6 Bf8 79. h7 Bg7 80. Ka3 Ke3 81. Kb3 Kd2) Kf4 74. h4 Ke3 and Black is winning] 51. Bd5 c3 52. Bb3 Bd4

53. g3? [53. g4! f4 (53... fg4 54. hg4 Kg7 55. Kg2 Kf6 56. Kf3 Ke5 57. g5! a5 58. Bc2 Bc5 equal) 54. Kg2 Kg7 (54... Bf6 55. Kf3 Bg5 56. h4) 55. Kf3 a) 55... Be5 56. Bc2 a5 (56... h6 57. Ke4 Kf6 58. h4 a5 59. Bd1 Ke7 60. Bc2 Kd6 61. g5 hg5 62. hg5 equal) 57. g5 Kf8 58. Ke4 Ke7 59. h4 Kd6 60. h5 Bh8 61. Kf4 h6 62. g6 Kc5 63. Ke4 Kb4 64. Kd3 a4 65. Bb1 equal; b) 55... Be3 56. h4 Kf6 (56... h6 57. g5 h5 58. Bd1 Bd2 59. Kf2 a5 60. Bc2 Be3 61. Kf3 Kf8 62. Bd1 Ke7 63. Bb3; 57. Bc2) b1) 57. g5 Ke5 58. Bc2 a5 59. Ke2 (59. h5 Bc5 60. Bh7 a4 61. h6 Bf8 62. Bb1 a3) Bc5 60. Kf3 Bf8 61. Ke2 h5 62. gh6 Bh6 63. Kd3 f3 64. Kc3 Kf4 65. h5 equal; b2) 57. Ke4 a5 58. Ba4 Ke6 59. Bc2 Kd6 60. g5 (60. Bd1 Kc5 61. g5 Kd6) Ke6 61. Bb3 Ke7 62. h5 Bd2 63. Kf3 Kf8 64. Bc2 Kg7 65. Bb3 equal] Kg7 [53... h5!]

54. Kg2 [54. g4! Kf6 55. Kg2 a) 55... f4 56. Kf3 a1) 56... Ke5 57. g5 Bc5 58. h4 Be7 59. Bc2 a5 60. Ke2 (60. Kg4 a4 61. Ba4 Ke4) Kd4 61. Kf3 a4 62. Ba4 Kd3 63. Kf4 c2 64. Bc2 equal; a2) 56... Be3 57. h4 h6 58. Ke4 (58. Bc2 Bd2 59. Kf2 a5 60. Ke2 Ke5 61. g5 h5 62. Kf2 f3 63. g6 Kf6 64. Kf3 Be1 65. Ke3 Bh4) Bf2 59. Kf4 Bh4 60. Ke4 Kg5 61. Bd1 Be1 62. Kd3 Kf4 63. Be2 a5 64. Bd1 Bd2 65. Kd4 a4 66. Ba4 Kg4 67. Bd1 Kg5 68. Ke4 h5 69. Kf3 equal; b) 55... fg4!! 56. hg4 Ke5 57. Kf3 h6 58. Ba4 Bc5 59. Ke2 Kd4 60. Kd1 Kc4 61. Kc2 Kb4 62. Bd7 a5 63. Be8 Bd6 64. Bd7 Be5 65. Be8 a4 66. Bd7 a3 67. Be6 Bc7 68. Bf7 (68. Kb1 Kc5 69. Kc2 Ba5 70. Kd3 Kd6 71. Ba2 Ke5 72. Bb3 Kf4 73. Be6 Kg5 74. Kc2 a2 75. Ba2 Kg4 76. Be6 Kg5 77. Kd3 h5 78. Bb3 Kf4 79. Ke2 Kg3 80. Kf1 Bb6 and Black is winning) Ba5 69. Bg8 Kc5 70. Kb3 Bb4 71. Bf7 Kd4 72. Be6 Ke3 73. Kc2 Kf3 74. Kb3 Kf4 75. Bd7 Ke3 76. Bf5 Kd2 77. Bg6 Be7 78. Bf5 a2 79. Ka2 c2 80. Bc2 Kc2 81. Ka1 Bf6 82. Ka2 Bb2 83. g5 h5 and Black is winning] h5! 55. Kf3 Kf6 56. Kf4 Be5 [56... Bf2!] 57. Kf3 a5 58. Bc2 Bd6 59. Bb3 Bc5 60. Kf4 [60. Bc2 Ke5 61. Ke2 Bg1 62. Kd3 Bf2 63. Kc3 Bg3 and Black is winning] Bf2 61. Bc2 Be1 62. Kf3 Ke5 63. h4 [63. Bd1 Bg3! 64. Kg3 Ke4 and Black is winning] Kd4 64. Kf4

64... Bg3   0 : 1   [Bareev]