Democratic Underground - Gulko - Kaufman, Round 1

Boris Gulko is the only person to win both the Soviet and US chess championships.

Boris Gulko
Photo: ChessBase.com

Boris Gulko - Larry Kaufman
US Championships (Genaral Competition), Round 1
Tulsa, 13 May 2008

West India Game: Indian Queen's Gambit (Stockholm Opening) (Grünfeld Defense)

1.c4 Nf6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Ne4 5.Bh4

If 5.Bf4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.e3 0-0 9.cxd5 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qxd5 11.Be2 then:

If 11...Nc6 12.0-0 Bf5 13.Qa4 Qa5 then:

If 14.Qxa5 Nxa5 15.Rfc1 Rfc8 then:

16.Nd2 Rxc1+ 17.Rxc1 Rc8 18.Rxc8+ Bxc8 19.d5 Bc3 20.Nb1 Bb4 21.e4 f5 22.Bb8 Bc5 23.e5 e6 24.Bc7 b6 25.Nc3 exd5 26.Nxd5 Be6 27.Nc3 draw (Javakashvili-Ushenina, ITW, Istanbul, 2008).
16.Kf1 Nc6 17.Ke1 Bf8 18.a3 Na5 19.Nd2 Bc2 draw (Volkov-Leko, FIDE Knock Out, New Delhi, 2000).

14.Qb3 Qb4 15.Rfc1 Rac8 16.Bb5 Be6 17.Qd3 Qa5 18.a3 Bd5 19.Rab1 Ba2 20.Ra1 Bd5 21.Rab1 Ba2 draw (Bareev-Kasparov, IT, Sarajevo, 1999).

11...Qa5+ 12.Qd2 Nc6 13.Qxa5 Nxa5 14.Bc7 b6 15.Kd2 Bb7 16.Rhc1 Rac8 17.Bb5 Bc6 18.Bxc6 Rxc7 19.Bb5 Rfc8 20.Ba6 Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Rxc1 22.Kxc1 e6 23.Kc2 f6 24.Nd2 Kf7 25.Ne4 Bf8 26.Nc3 Bd6 is equal (Chiburdanidze-Mecking, IT, Bozna, 2007).

5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 dxc4 7.Qa4+

If 7.e3 Be6 then:

If 8.Qb1 then:

8...b6 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.Ng5 Bd5 11.e4 h6 12.exd5 hxg5 13.Qb5+ Qd7 14.Qxd7+ Nxd7 15.Bxg5 b5 16.Rb1 a6 17.a4 Nb6 18.axb5 axb5 19.Rxb5 Ra1+ 20.Ke2 Ra2+ draws by repetition if Black is willing (Su.Polgar-Smejkal, Trencianske Teplice, 1985).
If 8...Qd5 9.Nf3 Qa5 10.Qb2 Nd7 11.Be2 Nb6 12.0-0 then:

12...Bg7 13.Nd2 c5 14.Nb3 Qb5 15.Qa3 Qa4 16.Qxa4+ Nxa4 17.Nxc5 Nxc5 18.dxc5 Bxc3 19.Rab1 b6 gives Black a small advantage in space (Sargissian-Vachier Lagrave, Ol, Torino, 2006).
12...Na4 13.Qxb7 Bd5 14.Qb1 Nxc3 15.Qe1 Bg7 16.e4 Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 Be6 18.d5 Bxa1 19.dxe6 Bf6 20.e5 Bxh4 21.exf7+ Kxf7 22.Qxc4+ Kg7 23.Qxh4 Rae8 24.Qc4 Rhf8 25.Rc1 Rxf3 26.gxf3 Qxe5 27.Qxc7 Qf6 28.Re1 Qxf3 29.Rxe7+ Rxe7 30.Qxe7+ Kg8 31.Qd7 Qa3 draw (S. Atalik-Predojevic, IT, Sarajevo, 2004).

If 8.Rb1 b6 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.Nd2 0-0 then:

11.Be2 c5 12.0-0 cxd4 13.exd4 Nd7 14.Nxc4 Nf6 15.Ne5 Rc8 16.c4 Ne4 17.Rc1 Nd6 18.d5 Bxe5 19.dxe6 f5 20.Re1 Rc5 gives Black a small advantage in space (Nogueiras-Sasikiran, Cyberspace, 2005).
11.Qf3 Bd5 12.e4 Bb7 13.Bxc4 c5 14.d5 Nd7 15.Qe3 Ne5 16.Be2 f5 17.f4 Nf7 18.exf5 gxf5 19.Bxe7 Re8 White resigns for after 20.Bxd8 Rxe3 21.Kf2 Rxc3 he loses material (Kovacevic-Iordachescu, Euro Ch, Kudasai, 2006).

7...Qd7 8.Qxc4 Bg7 9.e3 b6 10.Qb3 Bb7!?

If 10...Ba6 11.Nf3 Bxf1 12.Kxf1 0-0 13.Ke2 then:

13...c5 14.Rhd1 cxd4 15.cxd4 Nc6 16.Rab1 Rac8 17.Qb5 Rfd8 18.h3 Na5 19.Qxd7 Rxd7 20.Bg3 Rc2+ 21.Rd2 Rc3 is equal (Speelman-Areshchenko, Op, Gibraltar, 2008).
13...Nc6 14.Rhd1 Na5 15.Qb4 Rfe8 16.Rac1 Rac8 17.Kf1 Qf5 18.c4 c5 19.Qa4 cxd4 20.exd4 Qe4 21.c5 Qc6 draw (Sorin-Predojevic, Ol, Calvia, 2004).

11.Nf3 0-0 12.Be2 c5 13.0-0 Nc6

White has the advantage in space.

14.Rfd1

14.dxc5 bxc5 15.Qa3 Rfc8 16.Rfd1 Qf5 is equal.

14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Rac8 16.Rac1 e5?

Black miscalculates, apparently believing that the opening of the center will be to his benefit. This mistake costs him a pawn.
16...e6 17.Bb5 Qd5 18.Bc4 Qh5 19.Qb5 Qxb5 20.Bxb5 gives White a considerable advantage in space.
16...Na5 17.Qb5 Qe6 18.a3 Rfd8 19.Ne5 Qd6 20.Qb2 gives White a small advantage in space.

17.dxe5!

It is plain to see that the opening of the center favors White.

17...Qf5

After 17...Qe8 White strengthens his position with 18.Qd5 Na5 19.Rxc8 Qxc8 20.Qd7 Qc2 21.e6.

BLACK: Larry Kaufman
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WHITE: Boris Gulko
Position after 17...Qd7f5

18.Bd3!

White gains tiem to advance the pawn.
The text is better than 18.e6 Qxe6 19.Qxe6 fxe6 20.Bc4 Rfe8 21.Ng5 Nd8 White has no compensation after returning the pawn.

18...Qh5 19.e6 Na5

19...fxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kh8 21.Be2 Qa5 22.Qd7 gives White a strong attack on Black's queenside pieces.

20.exf7+ Kh8 21.Rxc8 Bxc8

If 21...Rxc8 then White wins by 22.Qe6 Qc5 23.Bf1 Rf8 24.Rd8.

22.Qc2 Bg4 23.Be7 Rxf7

If 23...Bxf3 then White has an easy win after 24.gxf3 Qe5 25.Bxf8 Bxf8 26.f4 Qf6 27.Qc7.

BLACK: Larry Kaufman
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WHITE: Boris Gulko
Position after 23...Rf8f7:p

24.Bc4!!

This elegant line-clearing sacrifice is the icing on the cake.

24...Nxc4 25.Rd8+ Bf8 26.Bxf8 Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Kg7 28.Rf4 b5

If 28...Ne5 then 29.Qc3 Bxf3 30.Rxf3 Kh6 31.Rh3 wins a piece.

29.Qc3+ Kh6 30.Rf7 Bxf3

After 30...Ne5 White wins by 31.Nxe5 Bf5 32.Nf3 Qg5 33.Qh8 with mate to follow soon.

31.Qg7+ Kg5 32.Rxf3 1-0

If 32...Qh4 33.Qf6+ Kh5 34.Rh3 finsihes the game.
Mr. Kaufman resigns.

Reply #6: Gulko - Kaufman, Round 1 [View All]