1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nd5 Nxd5 5. exd5 O-O 6. c3 Bc5 7. b4?!

At first it appears unwise to open the e-file by 7. Nxe5! Re8 but White is better after 8. d4 d6 9. dxc5 Rxe5+ 10. Be3 dxc5 11. Qf3 Rxd5 12. Bc4 Rd7 13. O-O~/=

 

7... Bb6 8. d3 Re8!? 9. Be2

9. Bg5 f6 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. fxe3 e4

 

9... e4 10. Ng5?

Hoping for 10...exd3? 11.Qxd3. 10. dxe4 Rxe4 11. O-O+/=

 

10... Qf6!?

An interesting idea, though the resulting material imbalance leads to unclear play. Better was 10... e3! 11. Ne4 f5-/+

 

11. Nxe4 Rxe4

The only logical follow-up.

 

12. dxe4 Qxf2+ 13. Kd2 Qe3+

13... d6 14. Kc2 Qxg2~/=

 

14. Kc2 Qxe4+ 15. Qd3 Qxg2 16. Be3 d6 17. Rag1 Qh3 18. Rg3 Qf5 19. Rf1 Qxd3+ 20. Bxd3 Nd7 21. Bh6 g6 22. Rgf3 Ne5=/+

Black's powerful knight makes all the difference, and he now has a slight edge-made even greater by the fact that White refuses to take a draw and therefore risks losing.

 

23. Re1 Bg4 24. Rf4 Nxd3 25. Kxd3 Bf5+ 26. Kc4 c6~~ 27. a4 Rc8 28. a5 cxd5+ 29. Kxd5!?

Best to draw by 29. Kb3! Bc7 30. Rxf5 gxf5 31. Rg1+ Kh8 32. Bg7+ Kg8 33. Bh6+=

 

29... Be6+ 30. Rxe6?! fxe6+ 31. Kxe6 Be3!-/+ 32. Rh4 Bxh6 33. Rxh6 Rxc3! 34. Rh4 Rc6?!

Too passive.

 

35. Rd4 b5?

35... d5+!=/+

 

36. Kd5?

36. Rd5! a6 37. Rxd6+/- 36. Rxd6! Rxd6+ 37. Kxd6 g5 38. Kc6 g4 39. Kb7 h5 40. Kxa7 h4 41. a6 g3 42. hxg3 hxg3 43. Kb7 g2 44. a7 g1=Q 45. a8=Q++- and White has good winning chances since he will easily win the b-pawn.

 

36... Rc2 37. h4 Kf7 38. Kxd6 Rc4 39. Rd5 Rxb4 40. h5 a6

and Black should have won, but his flag fell in a position where he had King and Queen versus King and therefore the game was declared a draw based on insufficient material to mate for White.

 

1/2-1/2

[Michael Goeller]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Nxd7 5. c4 g6 6. d4?! Bg7 7. Nc3 Rc8 8. b3?! 8. d5!+/= 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 Qb6 10. Be3 Qa5 11. Qd2 Ngf6 12. f3 a6 13. Rc1 Ne5 14. O-O h5 15. h4?! Nfd7 16. Rfd1 Qd8 17. Nd5 e6 18. Nf4?! 18. Bg5! f6?? 19. Nxe6+- 18... Qxh4 19. Qb4? White likely could have a draw by 19. Nfxe6! fxe6 20. Bg5! ( and not 20. Nxe6? Qe7=/+ (20... Bf8!?) ) 20... Qg3[] 21. Bf4 Qh4 22. Bg5= 19... Nc5 20. Nde2 Qe7 21. Bxc5?! dxc5 22. Qe1 O-O-/+ and Black went on to win. 0-1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Nf3 Bb7 5. e3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O d6 8. Nc3 bxc4 9. Bxc4 Nbd7 10. e4 Nb6 11. Bb5+ Nfd7 12. Bd2 O-O 13. Re1 a6 14. Bd3 Qc7 15. Qc1 Rfc8 16. Bg5 c4 17. Bc2 Nc5 18. Qe3 a5 19. Rad1 Ba6 20. e5 Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. a4? 22. exd6!~~ 22... Nc4 23. Qf4 Nxe5 and Black went on to win. 0-1

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. a3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 cxd4 10. exd4 b6 11. Be3 Bb7 12. Rc1 Na5 13. Be2 Rc8 14. Ne5 Nd5?! 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Qa4 Rxc1 16... f6! 17. Rxc1 Qa8?! 18. b4! Nb7 19. Qd7! Bf6 20. Ng4 Bh4?! 21. Rc7 Qe8 22. Qxe8 22. Rxb7!+- 22... Rxe8 23. Ba6 Nd6 24. g3 Bd8 24... Re7!!= 25. Rxa7 f6 26. Bf4+/- and White went on to win. 1-0 [Michael Goeller]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 h6 7. Bh4 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 Nxc3 10. Rxc3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 11. Rxc4!? 11... Nd7 12. O-O c5 Stoyko's recommended equalizing line. 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Qd4 But White does seem to have an edge. 14... Rd8 15. Qf4 b6 15... Na4?! 16. Rc2 Nb6 17. Bb3 16. b4 Nd7 17. Bb5 e5? 17... Nf6 18. Bc6 Bb7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Rc7+/= 18. Qe4 Rb8 19. Rc7! Now Black must lose a pawn. 19... a6? 19... f6? 20. Bc4+! Kh8 21. Nh4-> 19... a5!?+/- 20. Bxd7 20. Bd3! g6 21. Nxe5 20... Rxd7 21. Rxd7 Bxd7 22. Qxe5 Qf8 23. Qd4 Ba4?! 24. Rc1 b5? 25. Qc5 Qd8 26. Qc7 Qf8 27. Nd4 Rd8 28. Kf1 Qe8 29. Nf5 Rd1+ 30. Rxd1 Bxd1 31. Qc8 Kf8 32. Qxe8+ Kxe8 33. Nxg7+ Kf8 34. Nf5 h5+- and White went on to win. 1-0