[Event "Open 50+"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2025.02.19"] [Round "03"] [White "Ehlvest, Jaan"] [Black "Olivier, Pierre"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2531"] [BlackElo "2152"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B30"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack"] [StudyName "2025 FIDE World Senior Team Championships"] [ChapterName "Ehlvest, Jaan - Olivier, Pierre"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/lbyDv1vS/BrncTGqy"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessLifeOnline"] [Orientation "white"] { Ehlvest's first win of the event (after sitting out in round 1) came during round 3, where a rare opening choice in the Rossolimo Sicilian saw him punish his opponent for placing his light-squared bishop on the wrong diagonal. } 1. e4 { [%clk 1:30:56] } 1... c5 { [%clk 1:30:39] } 2. Nf3 { [%clk 1:31:18] } 2... Nc6 { [%clk 1:31:03] } 3. Bb5 { [%clk 1:31:40] } 3... Nf6 { [%clk 1:30:29] } 4. e5 { [%clk 1:30:41] } 4... Nd5 { [%clk 1:30:11] } 5. Nc3 { [%clk 1:30:30] } 5... Nc7 { [%clk 1:28:20] } 6. a4!? { Ehlvest opts for a rare choice. Rather than capturing on c6, as is the typical point of the Rossolimo, White asks Black to be the one to make the next committal decision. This move has been seen as early as 1975 (played by GM Gyula Sax) and, most recently, in 2022 by GM Elshan Moradiabadi against GM Jeffery Xiong. } { [%clk 1:29:09] } (6. Bxc6 { is more common: } 6... dxc6 7. h3 g6 { when play can continue: } 8. O-O (8. d3 { is more common, but often transposes. }) 8... Bg7 9. Re1 O-O 10. d3 Ne6 11. Ne4 f5!? (11... b6 { is more common, often leading to an equal position after } 12. a4 a5 { with a hearty 67% draw rate in the database. }) 12. exf6 exf6 13. Rb1!? b6 14. b3 a5 15. a4 Ra7 16. Bb2 Re7 17. Qd2 Nd4 18. Nxd4 cxd4 19. Ng3 c5 20. Rxe7 Qxe7 21. Re1 Qd6 22. Bc1 { led to a nice win for White in Adams – Kramnik, Las Vegas, 1999. }) 6... g6 { [%clk 1:22:58] } 7. O-O { [%clk 1:25:41] } (7. Ne4 { was Sax's try: } 7... b6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Bg5 Bg7 10. Nd6+ { The point of 7. Ne4 is revealed, but Black proved that the king is safe on f8. } 10... Kf8 11. Nxc8 (11. Bxc6?! dxc6 12. Nxd4 Be6! $15) 11... Rxc8 12. Bxc6 dxc6 13. Nxd4 Qd5 14. Nf3 f6 15. exf6 exf6 16. Be3 Qxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Nd5 18. O-O Nxe3 19. fxe3 Ke7 20. b3 { Here, a draw was agreed in Sax – Wirthensohn, Vratsa, 1975. }) 7... Bg7 { [%clk 1:23:20] } 8. Re1 { [%clk 1:26:02] } 8... O-O { [%clk 1:22:49] } 9. d3 { [%clk 1:25:41] } 9... Nd4 { [%clk 1:02:54] } (9... d6!? { gave White some attacking chances in the 2022 U.S. Championship: } 10. exd6 exd6 11. Bg5 f6 12. Be3 Nxb5 13. axb5 Nb4 14. Ne4 Nd5 15. Bd2 f5 16. Nc3 Nf6 17. Qc1 (17. d4!?) 17... b6 18. Bh6 Bxh6 19. Qxh6 Bb7 20. Nd2 Qd7 21. Qh4 Kg7 22. f3 { with some lasting pressure, although Black managed to hold the draw in Moradiabadi – Xiong, St. Louis, 2022. }) (9... Ne6 { is the engine's choice: } 10. Nd5 b6 11. c3 Bb7 12. Nf4 Na5 13. Rb1 $10 { [%cal Gb2b4] }) 10. Bc4 { The position may be objectively equal, but this has been a success for White. Ehlvest enjoys a 13-minute advantage on the clock and has managed to keep his bishop pair, using the a2-a4 move to clear the a2-square for the bishop. } { [%clk 1:15:20] } 10... b6?! { [%clk 0:37:42] } (10... d5 { has been tried, and is more testing. Actually, Black has won three of the four games to reach this position! } 11. exd6 exd6 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Qa5 15. Bf3 d5 16. Qd2 Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Be6 18. Re2 Rfc8 { Black's doubled d-pawns are still d-pawns, and the half-open c-file gives Black the winning chances. Black won in 55 moves in Luetke – Hausrath, Oberhausen, 2007. }) 11. Nxd4 { [%clk 1:06:41] } 11... cxd4 { [%clk 0:38:04] } 12. Nb5 { [%clk 1:07:08] } 12... Nxb5 { [%clk 0:33:25] } (12... d6!? 13. exd6 exd6 14. h4 h6 15. Bf4 $16) 13. axb5 { The half-open a-file is a clear asset for White. } { [%clk 1:06:53] } 13... Bb7 { In the one previous game to reach this position, Black instead tried } { [%clk 0:30:51] } (13... Qc7 { , but after } 14. Bg5 e6 15. Qf3 Bb7 16. Qg3 Bd5 17. Be7 Bxc4 18. Bxf8 Bxf8 19. dxc4 Qxc4 20. Qd3 $16 { , Black was without sufficient compensation for the Exchange, although Black still won later in Balinas – D. Gurevich, Las Vegas, 1996. }) 14. Bg5 $16 { White is up a full 30 minutes on the clock, and Black has to solve his problems. The queen is now tied down to the e7-pawn, removing ... d7-d6 ideas to open the position. } { [%clk 1:01:55] } 14... Kh8?! { [%clk 0:31:01] } (14... h6 15. Bh4 g5 16. Bg3 e6 { might have been necessary, fixing the center and caging White's g3-bishop. But } 17. Qg4 { leaves White pressing, and further weakening moves such as } 17... f5 { are hard to commit to. After } 18. exf6 Qxf6 19. Ra4! $16 { White is still employing a full board press. } { [%csl Rd4,Ra7] }) 15. Qg4 { [%clk 0:57:17] } 15... f6 { The point of 14. ... Kh8, but this just improves White's long-range pieces. } { [%clk 0:27:25] } 16. exf6 { [%clk 0:57:37] } 16... exf6 { [%clk 0:27:25] } 17. Bf4 { [%clk 0:53:55] } 17... d5 { We can now appreciate why 10. ... b6 was the wrong plan. And we can also appreciate Ehlvest's skill in preying on this one inaccuracy to achieve such a dominant position. White's light-squared bishop remains an attacking force, while Black's struggles to activate. } { [%clk 0:23:52] } 18. Bb3 { [%clk 0:53:52] } 18... a6 { [%clk 0:18:12] } (18... Bc8 19. Qe2 { dominates the open e-file. }) 19. bxa6 { [%clk 0:52:14] } 19... Rxa6 { [%clk 0:18:34] } 20. Rxa6 { [%clk 0:51:38] } 20... Bxa6 { [%clk 0:19:03] } 21. Qe6! { Before Black can redeploy with ... Ba6-c8, White occupies the e-file. } { [%clk 0:50:58] } 21... Bb5 { Passive defense with } { [%clk 0:12:50] } (21... Bb7 { loses: } 22. Bd6 $18) 22. Qxd5 { [%clk 0:49:58] } 22... Qxd5 { [%clk 0:13:10] } 23. Bxd5 { [%clk 0:50:24] } 23... Re8 { [%clk 0:13:20] } 24. Ra1 $18 { White is pawn-up with the better bishops, and he went on to win. } { [%clk 0:35:21] } 24... Bf8 { [%clk 0:05:23] } 25. h4 { [%clk 0:34:47] } 25... Rd8 { [%clk 0:05:06] } 26. Bb3 { [%clk 0:34:19] } 26... Bc5 { [%clk 0:04:27] } 27. Ra7 { [%clk 0:33:39] } 27... Re8 { [%clk 0:03:04] } 28. Kf1 { [%clk 0:14:31] } 28... Re7 { [%clk 0:03:06] } 29. Rxe7 { [%clk 0:13:29] } 29... Bxe7 { [%clk 0:03:34] } 30. Bc7 { [%clk 0:13:24] } 30... Bc5 { [%clk 0:03:56] } 31. Bd5 { [%clk 0:13:36] } 31... Ba6 { [%clk 0:01:43] } 32. Ke2 { [%clk 0:13:30] } 32... b5 { [%clk 0:01:41] } 33. Kf3 { [%clk 0:10:35] } 33... h5 { [%clk 0:01:28] } 34. Ke4 { [%clk 0:08:50] } 34... Bc8 { [%clk 0:01:45] } 35. Bc6 { [%clk 0:09:02] } 35... b4 { [%clk 0:01:34] } 36. Kd5 { 1-0 White wins. } { [%clk 0:09:00] } 1-0