1e4c52Nc3...I always have the eternal question of whether or not I want
to play the Grand Prix attack or the c3 Sicilian against the Sicilian, and I
was debating this even at the board. I had seen some games of my opponent
before the tournament, and it didn't seem to me like he had a well-worked out
system against either opening. Eventually I decided to go for the Grand Prix
attack. One reason for this was that I simply hadn't played it in a while in
tournament practice.2.c3d53.exd5Qxd54.d4Nc65.Nf3Bg46.Be2Nf67.O-Oe68.Be3Be79.c4Qd810.Nc3cxd411.Nxd4Bxe212.Ndxe2O-O13.a3Rc814.Qb3Na515.Qa4Nxc416.Bxa7Nxb217.Qb5Nc418.Qxb7Rc719.Qb5Rxa720.Qxc4Rxa321.Rxa3Bxa322.Rd1Qc823.Qb3Bc524.h3h625.Ng3Qc726.Nce4Nxe427.Nxe4Ba728.Qd3Bb829.g3Qe530.Qc4Qh531.Qf1Rc832.Kg2Qe533.Qd3Bc734.Qd4Qxd435.Rxd4f536.Nd2Rd837.Rxd8+Bxd838.f4g539.Kf3gxf440.gxf4Kf741.Nb3Bb642.Nd2Kf643.Nc4Bc744.Nb2Ke745.Nd3Kd646.Ne5Kd547.Nf7h548.Ng5Bd849.Nf7Bf650.Nh6Kd651.Ng8Bg752.Kg3Bc353.Kh4Bd254.Kg5h455.Nh6Kd556.Nxf5e557.Nxh4exf458.Kg4Ke459.Nf3Bc360.h4Bf61/2-1/2 (60) West,T (1848)-Chehayeb,S (1961) Auburn Hills, MI 20047.h3!And afterBh58.c4Qd79.d5Bxf310.Bxf3Nd411.Nc3I knew that White is supposed to be better here.
However, when I was thinking about this right before the game, I couldn't
remember how White was supposed to continue from here. Therefore, this
actually influenced me to play the Grand Prix attack instead. I always think
that you should play what you know best, and I thought that I knew the plans
of the Grand Prix attack much better than this position.2...Nc63f4d6A small surprise. I actually expected ...e6.3...e6here. White
ended up doubling Black's pawns and won a really nice game based on that fact.4.Nf3d55.exd5exd56.Bb5a67.Qe2+Be78.Bxc6+bxc69.O-ONf610.Re1Ra711.d3O-O12.b3Re813.Ba3Qa514.Na4h615.Ne5Bd716.Qf2d417.Nc4Qb518.Rxe7Rxe719.Bxc5Be620.Bxa7Rxa721.Qxd4Rd722.Qc5Qb823.Ne5Rd524.Qb6Qf825.Qxc6g526.Rf1gxf427.Ng6Qg728.Qa8+Kh729.Nf8+Qxf830.Qxf8Rg531.Rxf4Nh532.Rxf7+Ng733.Nc3Bh334.Rxg7+Rxg735.Qxg7+1-0 (35) Chernik,D (2096)-Chehayeb,S (2015) Windsor CAN 20164Nf3Bg4?!The Bishop looks active here, but in reality I think it is rather misplaced.5Bb5a6?!This move is also not best, provoking White into doubling
Black's c-pawns. Judging from this game and the game referred to above, it
seems like Sal doesn't take doubled pawns as seriously as he should.5...Rc86.O-Oe67.Bxc6+Rxc68.d3Nf69.Qe1Bxf310.Rxf3Be711.f5Nd712.Qe2Ne513.Rh3Bf614.Bf4Qe715.Rf1a616.Nd1g617.c3O-O18.Nf2Rcc819.Qd2Bg720.Bh6f621.fxe6Rfe822.b3Nc623.Bxg7Qxg724.d4cxd425.cxd4Ne726.Ng4Rf827.Qf4f528.Nh6+Kh829.Qxd6Nc630.Nf7+Kg831.exf5Qxd4+32.Qxd4Nxd433.Nd6Rc734.g4gxf535.gxf5Rg7+36.Rg3Ne2+37.Kg2Nxg338.hxg3Rd839.f6Rxd640.fxg7Rxe641.Rd1Re2+42.Kf3Rxa243.Rd8+Kxg744.Rd7+Kg645.Rxb71/2-1/2 (45) Melekhina,A (2205)
-Krush,I (2465) Saint Louis USA 20166Bxc6+bxc67O-Og68h3!...This move proves my point that the Bishop on g4 is misplaced.8...Bxf38...Bh59.g49Qxf3...Now the White Queen is in a great spot.9...Bg710d3e611f5!...I was
playing these moves instantly. One rather funny thing that my opponent said to
me after the game was that this game was not "like me." He had apparently been
at some other tournament where I had not played so aggressively. He must have
been at the wrong tournament. If he had been at the Harold Steen Memorial Cup,
then he would have known that I can be quite agressive.11...Bd4+An aimless move
that doesn't really do very much.12Kh1Qd713fxe6!Qxe613...fxe6??14.Qf8#14Ne2?!...This actually throws away some of my advantage.14.e5!which would have won on the spot,
because of Black's misplaced Bishop. If14...dxe515.Ne4with the
threat of c3.14...Qxe5??15.Qxf7+Kd816.Qf8+14...d515.Na4!Bxe516.Bf4The problem for Black is that he
hasn't castled, so White is completely winning here.14...Bg715c3Nf6?Putting the Knight on the "hot"
f-file was not a good idea.15...Ne7After16.Nf4Qe517.Be3O-OWhite still has some advantage, but Black
has survived the worst of it for right now.16Bg5Nd717Nf4Qe518Nxg6!!...This is not perhaps a hard tactic to see, but I had already seen it when I
played 16 Bg5. It is also just an aesthetically pleasing move. In fact, this
move makes me think of atomic chess, a variant of chess in which you make a
move and all the surrounding pieces disappear. In a similar way, this move is
an "atomic" move, because after this, Black's entire Kingside disappears.18...Qxg5White threatened Qxf7#.19Qxf7+Kd820Qxg7...20.Nxh8Bxh821.Qg8+??However, this just hangs the Queen.
Fortunately, once I reached the position, I was able to realize that this was
a mistake. :)20...Qxg621Qxh8+Qe822Qxh7Kc723Rf7Rd824Raf1Qe625Re7...White is easily winning, and Black has no perpetual checks. All in
all, I consider this my best game of the tournament.25...Qxa226Rff7
1-0
White is victorious