[#] 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 [I have started playing this variation frequently in the last tournaments. Nowadays it is not easy to get the advantage after 3.b5 a6 4.a4 f6 5.e2 or 3...f6 4.b5 what I used to play earlier.] 3...c5 4.c3 f6 5.d3 a6

[5...b6 is another possible approach to play against the Italian. After it White's strategy with c1-e3 is useless. But ...b6 has a drawback. After b1-a3-c4, or b1-d2-c4 the bishop on b6 can be exchanged, giving White the pair of bishop. I managed to exploit the drawbacks of the move in the following game. 6.b3 d6 7.bd2 e6 (7...O-O ; 7...h6 ; 7...e7 ) 8.c4 O-ON (8...h6 ; 8...d7 ) 9.g5 h6 10.h4± e7 11.fd2 ad8 12.e2 d5 13.exd5 xd5 14.O-O fe8 15.fe1 e6 16.a4 f5 17.e3 g6 18.c2 d7 19.d4 h5 20.xd5 xd5 21.xf6 xe2 22.xe2 gxf6 23.e4 g7 24.g3 dd8 25.h5 f8 26.d5 b8 27.xf6 e7 28.d1 d7 29.g4 h5 30.h6 f6 31.f5 ee8 32.a4 c6 33.dxc6 xd1 34.xd1 bxc6 35.h3 d5 36.b3 f4 37.d2 d8 38.xd8 xd8 39.c4 b6 40.d6 f6 41.c8 h4 42.b4 e8 43.a4 d7 44.xb6 axb6 45.h2 e4 46.g3 g6 47.gxh4 xh4 48.g3 g6 49.h4 f5 50.f1 e6 51.h5 e7 52.a5 1-0 Tiviakov,S-De la Paz,F/Malaga 2003 (52)]

6.b3 d6 7.O-O a7

[7...b5N can not be recommended. In comparison with the same position from the Ruy Lopez, White has an extra tempo here. 8.a4 b7?! (8...b8 was better) 9.a3± and because of the weak pawn on b5 White is much better. E.g. 9...h6 (9...O-O 10.g5± ; 9...b4 10.c4± ) 10.e3 xe3 11.fxe3 bxa4™ (11...b4 12.cxb4 xb4 13.xf7! xf7 14.b3� ) 12.xa4 O-O 13.c4 e7 14.a5 (14.b4!? ) 14...c8 15.b4± c5? (15...e6 ) 16.bxc5 xa5 17.cxd6 g6 18.c6� b6 19.xa8 g4 20.d2 xe3 21.f2 f4 22.xe5 fxg2 23.d7 d6 1-0 Tiviakov,S-Godena,M/Saint Vincent ITA 2003 (23)]

8.e3 O-O 9.bd2 e7

[After 9...e6!?N 10.xe6 fxe6 11.xa7 xa7 12.b3 e7 13.d4² Black was not able to neutralise White's pressure. For example, 13...d7 14.a4 a5 15.b5 f6 16.d5 cb8 17.b4 exd5 18.exd5 g6 19.bxa5 c5 20.xe5 f5 21.ae1± ba6 22.ef3 xd5 23.e4 h6 24.d4 a2 25.xc5 xc5 26.e7 c6 27.b6 aa8 28.c7 f7 29.xd6� Tiviakov,S-Jonkman,H/Santo Domingo DOM 2002;

Other moves have been played here as well. But it is not easy for Black to find a suitable plan. 9...h8 ;

9...e8 ;

9...e7 ;

9...xe3 ;

9...g4 ;

9...h6 ]

10.h4!N

[Stronger than 10.xa7 xa7 because after …11.h4 Black has 11...g5! ;

10.h3 has been played here before]

10...h8?!

[Having started my games carefully, Alexis Cabrera easily won the following game against Rizouk at the latest tournament in Malaga. I have spoken with Rizouk after that game. He didn't study my latest games with .c1-e3. 10...h6?! 11.xa7 xa7 12.f4± h7 13.f3 a8 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.c4 c6 16.d4 e7 17.f5 xf5 18.xf5 h8 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.dxe5 d7 22.xf7 xe5 23.b3 fe8 24.ad1 e7 25.h3 ae8 26.f2 c8 27.h2 ee8 28.g3 e7 29.fd2 ee8 30.a4 f8 31.f2 c6 32.xf8 xf8 33.b3 a5 34.d6 e8 35.f4 h7 36.e6 g6 37.e3 f8 38.b3 e7 39.d3 g6 40.a4 g7 41.c4 d7 42.e6 f8 43.c8 c7 44.g4 e7 45.h4 1-0 Cabrera,A-Rizouk,A/Malaga ESP 2003/The Week in Chess 434 (45);

10...xe3 is, probably, the most stubborn defence against the White plan, although still not enough to equalise completely. After 11.fxe3 g6 (11...e6!? ) 12.f5 (or 12.xg6² with a plus.) 12...c6 13.d4² White is slightly better 13...d5 14.f3 e6 15.ae1 a5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.dxe5 xe5 18.g3 g6 19.d4 a6 20.a4 b6 21.h3 d7 22.e4 c5 23.xd5 xb2 24.c4 xe4 25.xe4 xc4 26.b1 a2 27.fd1 e7 28.e1 f6 29.xb7 xa4 30.b8 a2 31.xg6 fxg6 32.xf8 xf8 33.b1 d5 34.b8 xg2 35.xg2 xg2 36.xf8 xf8 37.xg2 a4 38.b5 e7 39.f3 d7 40.e4 c6 41.a3 d6 42.d4 g5 43.b5 c6 ½-½ Barua,D-Sasikiran,K/Nagpur IND 2002/The Week in Chess 376 (43)]

11.xa7 xa7 12.f4ƒ [Now White has a very strong initiative in the center and on the king's side. Also Black has to spend time bringing back a7 into play.] 12...exf4

[12...g4 is answered by 13.f3± ]

13.xf4 d5?!

[When keeping behind in the development it is better to keep the position closed. All following moves were, probably, better than the text. 13...c6 14.f5 ;

13...e6 ;

13...a8 ]

14.f3!

[During the game my opponent was afraid of 14.f1!? but why to make passive moves when there is a nice active possibility?!]

14...eg8

[After 14...dxe4 15.xe4± Black can't take on e4 because the pawn f7 is hanging after …15...xe4 16.dxe4� (×f7) 16...f6 17.e5 ]

15.e5! g5

[15...d7 loses by force after 16.xd5! The following variations illustrate that Black can't save the game. (16.d4 g5 17.xf7 gxh4 18.xd5‚ ) 16...g5 (16...e7 17.e4 g5 18.xf7 (18.e6!? ) 18...xf7 19.xf7 gxh4 20.e6 f6 21.xh4 c6 22.g5!� ) 17.e6! gxf4 (17...b6 18.xd8 xd8 19.xf7 gxh4 20.e7 xe7 21.xe7� ) 18.exd7 xd7 (18...xd7 19.d4� ) 19.e5 f6 20.c5� ]

16.xf6 xf6 17.exf6 gxh4 18.xd5 [The critical position of the game. My opponent spent lot of time here. Both of us thought during the game that 18...c6 loses after 19.e4 b6 20.d4 b5 21.d5, but it is not so. 18...c6 was Black's best chance as after the text 18...d7 he gets a technically lost ending. Please, note that 18...g8 loses as well.] 18...d7?!

[¹18...c6!? 19.e4 b6 20.d4 b5 (20...xb2 21.h5� ) 21.f4 (21.d5 cxd5 22.d3 (22.xh7 d4 ) 22...c5 23.h1 d4 24.b3± ) 21...g8 22.c4 g5 23.xg5 (23.e5 e6± ) 23...xg5 24.d6 e6 25.c4± White keeps the upper hand in the ending.;

18...g8 loses after 19.c4! (19.xf7 f8 20.e3 a8 21.e7 f5² ) 19...g5 20.e1� ]

19.e4 b5™ [The only move.] 20.e3!

[Black holds the position after 20.f2 a8! (not 20...b6 21.xh4 f5 22.a4 d7 23.g5 g6 24.f3� …e5) …21.xh4 f5› ;

20.f4 g8 21.c4 c5 22.d4± is worse than the text.]

20...b6™ [The only move.] 21.xb6 cxb6

22.f1!? [Threatening to play f4-h4-h7]

[22.c4!? b5 23.e5± was possible as well.]

22...g8

[22...e6 loses after 23.f4 h3 24.h4� ;

the same as 22...b5 23.f4� ]

23.c4 [Threatening to catch the rook on a7 by b6.] 23...b5 24.e5 e6 25.d4?!

[An inaccurate move, missing the possibilty to finish the game elegantly by 25.f5! (Black can't play g8-g5 now) 25...h3 (or 25...h6 26.h5 g5 27.xh6 g8 28.f3� winning) 26.h5 xg2 27.xg2 hxg2 28.a3� ;

25.f4 g5 26.d4 leads to the same position as 25.d4 g5 26.f4]

25...g5 26.a3

[Not giving Black any chance. The pawn on a2 can be valuable. After 26.f4 h3! 27.h4 (27.g3 xa2± ) 27...hxg2± Black is still fighting.]

26...h3 27.g3 b6?!

[¹27...a5� followed by b4, was stronger.]

28.f4� [Now Black can't do anything against the march of White king to f4 and the advance of the d pawn.] 28...g8 29.f2

[29.h4 wins as well, for example 29...h5 (29...f5 30.xf5 xf5 31.c6� ) 30.f2 (…e3-f4) 30...g4 31.e3 f8 32.h7� the g5 is trapped.]

29...c7 30.e3 h5 31.f2 g5 32.f4 h6 33.d5 [The real triumph of the White strategy. Being th exchange down White has the total domination. Black rook are cut off, the king on g8 does nothing. White pawn d simply advances.] 33...c5 34.d2

[Or 34.dxe6 cxe5 35.e7� winning]

34...c8 35.d3 b7 36.b4 c8 37.d6

[Or 37.f3� ]

37...xe4 38.d7 d8 39.xe4 (…c6) 39...h7 40.xf7 g4 41.f5

Annotated by GM S.TIVIAKOV [1:0]