[Event "Qatar Masters"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/S0AKFUb0/fC7zQjlT"] [Date "2023.10.18"] [Round "7.8"] [White "Kaidanov, Gregory"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2554"] [BlackElo "2707"] [Annotator "Kaidanov"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D45"] [Opening "Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/S0AKFUb0/fC7zQjlT"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Be7 { This is a little bit unusual. Normally Black plays 5. ...Nbd7, and while I knew that Jordan had played 5. ... Be7 in the past, I didn't look at it before the game. There were many problems in other openings which required more attention! } 6. Bd3 { One of the ideas of 5. ...Be7 is that in case of } (6. Qc2 { the black knight might find a better square than d7, as can be seen in the following variation: } 6... O-O 7. b3 dxc4 8. bxc4 c5 9. Be2 Nc6 { with equality. }) 6... dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 b4 9. Ne4 Nbd7 { Now the game transposes to "normal" Meran variations, though I did not remember much of the theory. } 10. Nxf6+ Nxf6 11. e4 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. e5 Nd7 { Up to this point I just played moves which made sense to me. But here I had the oddest flashback in my mind! What I realized was that if I played 14. Be4, we would transposes into Polugaevsky-Mednis (Riga interzonal 1979). Memory is a very strange thing. Sometimes you can't remember the lines you looked at right before the game, and sometimes, like in this case, you recall what you saw in a chess magazine 44 years ago! } 14. Be4 Qb6? { I was surprised, and on high alert. I knew that this was the move Mednis played, but since I hadn't look at the game since then, I was not sure as to its evaluation. What if Jordan had analyzed this position with an engine and overturned the old theory? I am sure Jordan had } (14... Rb8 { on his computer, but just could not remember it. Now Black would equalize without many problems. What follows is just a sample line, as the moves are not forced: } 15. Qc2 h6 16. Be3 Qc7 { and White can not prevent Black from playing ...c6-c5. Even if White wins a pawn, Black wins it back, e.g., } 17. Rac1 c5 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxc5 Rfc8 { with equality. }) 15. Bg5 Bxg5? { The Polugaevsky–Mednis gamen went } (15... Rfe8 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 { Polugaevsky played in abovementioned game } 17. Qc2 { stronger is } (17. Rc1! Rc8 18. Qd2 Ba6 { as in Zugic–Novikov, Montreal 2004 }) 17... h6 18. a3 b3 19. Qc3 c5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. dxc5 Rc8 22. Qb4 Nxc5 23. Rac1 { and now Mednis could have had equality with } 23... Qb6! { . }) 16. Bxh7+ Kxh7 17. Nxg5+ Kg6 { Looking back at Informant 28, Byrne and Mednis recommend this line, calling the position "unclear." There is no such word in today's chess! } 18. Qg4 f5 19. Qg3 { The computer suggests } (19. Qh4 { instead, and the difference is found only with reference to the placement of the rook. To understand why this should be preferred is extremely difficult.. After } 19... Rh8 20. Qg3 c5 21. Rad1 cxd4 22. Nxe6+ Kf7 23. Nxd4 { we begin to recognize Stockfish's "reasons." With a rook on f8, Black has ...Kf7-g8 here, and without it we play Nd4xf5. It looks like a typical computer line, which we can understand after the game, but have no chance to find at the board. }) 19... Qxd4? { Played relatively quickly. Black wants ...Qd4-g4 when the White attack is gone. Instead the best defense is } (19... c5 { . I was going to play } 20. dxc5 Nxc5 { and I was not sure whether to play Ra1-c1 or Ng5xe6+ next. The engine says both moves win. The computer's top choice is } (20... Qc6 { , which I have to admit that I did not consider. Fortunately White still has a big advantage after } 21. Nxe6+ Kf7 22. Nd4 Qxg2+ 23. Qxg2 Bxg2 24. e6+ Ke7 25. Rfc1!! { . True, I am not sure I would find this last move, but White is still much better after 25.Kxg2. })) 20. Ne4+ { And now it became clear that Jorden missed something, because he sank into a long think here. Note that } (20. Rad1? Qg4 21. Qxg4 fxg4 22. Rxd7 Bc8 { completely ruins the position for White. }) 20... Kh7 21. Qh4+! { Maybe he was expecting } (21. Qh3+ Kg6 22. Qg3+ { with a draw? I have to admit that from far away I also saw this line, and only when we got closer did I find 21.Qh4. }) 21... Kg6 { Or } (21... Kg8 22. Nf6+) 22. Qg5+ Kf7 23. Rad1 Qxe5 24. Rxd7+ Kg8 25. Rxb7 { And the knight on e4 can not be taken. } 25... Qxb2 26. Nc5 Rf7 27. Rxf7 Kxf7 28. Rd1 Qe5 29. Rd7+ Kg8 30. h4 Re8 31. Qg6 { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0