[Event "11th ECC final"]
[Site "Ljubljana SLO"]
[Date "1995.12.02"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander AGZE"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei EMBE"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[ECO "D44"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Annotator "Shirov"]
[PlyCount "79"]

1.d4 {Beliavsky Chekhov} 1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4
b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.exf6 Bb7 12.g3 c5 13.d5 
Qb6 14.Bg2 b4 15.O-O O-O-O 16.Rb1 {Nowadays this move seems more critical 
than} 
    ( 16.Na4 )
16...Qa6 17.dxe6 Bxg2 18.e7 Bxf1 19.Qd5 Bh6 20.Bxh6 {N/} 
    ( 20.exd8=Q+ {Chekhov} 20...Kxd8 21.Ne4 Bh3 22.Nxc5 Be6 23.Nxe6+ fxe6 
    24.Qa8+ Qc8 25.Qxa7 Bxg5 26.Qa5+ Qc7 27.Qxg5 Qe5 $1 $10 {
    Yermolinsky,A-Ivanchuk,V/Pinsk/ 1986/0,5/40/} )
20...Bd3 {So far nothing new. But now Beliavsky plays an interesting 
novelty which might be a fruit of his homework.} 21.Ne4 $5 $146 {The known
flow is} 
    ( 21.Qa8+ Nb8 22.exd8=Q+ Rxd8 23.Re1 bxc3 24.Bf4 Qb6 
        ( 24...Qb7 $4 25.Re7 $3 Qxa8 26.Rc7# )
    25.bxc3 $44 {Yermolinsky-D.Gurevich, USA (ch) 1994.} )
    ( 21.Bf4 {Chekhov} 21...Qb7 $19 )
21...Bxe4 22.Qxe4 
    ( 22.exd8=Q+ $6 {Chekhov} 22...Kxd8 23.Qxe4 Rxh6 $17 {Yermolinsky/} )
22...Rde8 {I think that something like this I had analysed a long before 
this game and then I decided that with a rook more Black has nothing to 
worry about. However...} 
    ( 22...Rxh6 $2 {Chekhov} 23.Qa8+ Nb8 24.exd8=Q+ Kxd8 25.Qxb8+ $18 )
23.Bg7 $1 {What is this? A rook down and then the bishop out of play? 
Unfortunately the e7 pawn compensates everything.} 23...Rh5 {Another 
interesting try would be} 
    ( 23...Nxf6 $5 )
    ( 23...Qb7 {Chekhov} 24.Qxc4 $36 )
24.Rd1 Qb5 $1 {Probably the only move to prevent 25.Qa8+ Nb8 26.Rd8+ since
} 
    ( 24...Qa4 $2 {would lose to} 25.b3 cxb3 26.Qa8+ Nb8 27.Rd8+ Rxd8 28.
    exd8=Q+ Kxd8 29.Qxb8+ Kd7 30.Qb7+ Ke6 31.Qe7+ Kf5 32.Qxf7 $18 )
    ( 24...Re5 {Chekhov} 25.Qa8+ Nb8 26.Rd8+ Rxd8 27.exd8=Q+ Kxd8 28.Qxb8+
    Qc8 29.Qxe5 $18 )
25.f4 $2 {I believe that the most of players would go for a move 
repetition after} 
    ( 25.Qa8+ Nb8 
        ( 25...Qb8 $2 26.Qc6+ Qc7 27.Qa6+ Kb8 28.Qxc4 $18 )
    26.Qe4 
        ( 26.Qf3 Re5 27.h4 )
    26...Nd7 $10 {but it is wellknown that Beliavsky almost never does it.
    In this case he seems wrong. It is true that now the rook on h5 has no
    squares and is indefensible but there is a trick that should turn 
    things into Black's favour.} )
25...c3 $1 
    ( 25...Kc7 $5 {Chekhov} 26.g4 Rh3 27.g5 Rd3 )
    ( 25...Kc7 $5 {Beliavsky} )
26.bxc3 {#} 26...c4 $4 {Unbelievible. I saw that after} 
    ( 26...bxc3 27.Rb1 {I would have} 27...c2 $3 {but for some misterious 
    reason I rejected it. White would be hopeless, for example} 28.Rxb5 {
    (after} 
        ( 28.Qxc2 Qc6 {Black defends everything while an extra rook plus 
        the position of the enemy bishop yields him an easy victory} )
    28...c1=Q+ 29.Kg2 Qd2+ 30.Kf3 Qd1+ 31.Kg2 Qd5 {and the game is over.} 
    )
27.cxb4 {Now White is not worse anymore. However during the game I still 
thought differently counting on my queen and rook which are now well 
connected. Being over-optimistic I could not put much resistance to the 
strong White pawns.} 27...Kc7 {My original idea} 
    ( 27...Nb6 {would fail to} 28.a4 $3 Qxa4 29.Rd8+ {and neither} 29...
    Rxd8 
        ( 29...Kc7 30.Rxe8 Qd1+ 
            ( 30...Qxe8 31.f5 $18 )
        31.Kg2 Qd2+ 32.Kf1 Qd1+ 33.Qe1 $18 {nor} )
    30.exd8=Q+ Kxd8 31.Qe7+ Kc8 32.Qf8+ Kb7 33.Qxf7+ $18 {can give Black 
    surviving chances.} )
28.g4 Rh3 $2 {Probably a decisive mistake.} 
    ( 28...Rh4 {was called for. White must reply} 29.Qf3 $1 {(other tries 
    are clearly unfavourable for White, for example} 
        ( 29.f5 $2 Ne5 30.h3 Rxh3 31.Rd5 Re3 $1 32.Qxe3 Qxd5 33.Qxa7+ Kd6 
        34.Qb6+ Nc6 35.b5 Qd4+ 36.Qxd4+ Nxd4 $19 {or} )
        ( 29.Qe2 Qxb4 $17 )
    29...Qb6+ 
        ( 29...Qxb4 30.h3 {yields White enough compensation for the rook.}
        )
    30.Kg2 $1 {(not} 
        ( 30.Kh1 $2 Nxf6 31.f5 Nxg4 32.Qg3+ Kc8 33.Qxh4 Nf2+ 34.Kg2 Nxd1 
        35.Qxc4+ Qc7 $19 )
    30...Nxf6 31.g5 Ng4 32.Kg3 $1 {and Black has nothing better than} 
    32...Rxh2 33.Kxg4 Qe6+ {(after} 
        ( 33...Rxe7 34.Qd5 $1 {White's chances are definitely not worse} )
    34.f5 Qxe7 {which seems to lead to the draw by move repeatition after}
    35.Qf4+ Kb7 36.Qxh2 Qe4+ 37.Qf4 Qg2+ 38.Kh5 Qe2+ 39.Qg4 Qh2+ 40.Qh4 
    Qe2+ 41.Qg4 )
29.g5 Rd3 $6 30.Rc1 $1 
    ( 30.Rxd3 {Chekhov} 30...cxd3 31.g6 d2 32.Qc2+ Qc6 33.Qxd2 fxg6 $19 )
30...c3 31.g6 fxg6 32.f7 Rxe7 33.Qxe7 Qb6+ 34.Kf1 $1 {This I overlooked. 
Now Black is dead.} 34...Qb5 
    ( 34...Qc6 35.Rxc3 Rxc3 36.Be5+ Kb7 37.Bxc3 Qf3+ 38.Kg1 Qg4+ 39.Kf2 
    Qxf4+ 40.Ke1 Qc1+ 41.Ke2 $18 {or} )
    ( 34...Rf3+ 35.Kg2 Qc6 
        ( 35...Qf2+ 36.Kh1 $18 
            ( 36.Kh1 {Chekhov} 36...Re3 37.Be5+ Rxe5 38.Rxc3+ $18 )
        )
    36.Be5+ Kb7 37.Qd6 $18 {would not help.} )
35.Qe2 Qc4 36.Ke1 Kb7 {#} 
    ( 36...Qxf4 {Chekhov} 37.Qxd3 Qxc1+ 38.Ke2 
        ( 38.Kf2 $18 {Beliavsky} )
    38...Qb2+ 39.Kf3 $18 )
37.Qg2+ {It is strange that Beliavsky who had almost twenty minutes to 
reach the move forty didn't find a simple win with} 
    ( 37.Bxc3 Qd5 38.Kf2 g5 39.fxg5 Qxf7+ 40.Kg1 $18 )
    ( 37.f8=Q $1 {Chekhov} 37...Nxf8 38.Bxf8 Qxf4 
        ( 38...Qd5 {Beliavsky} 39.Bc5 Qh1+ $10 )
    39.Qxd3 Qxc1+ 40.Ke2 Qb2+ 41.Kf3 c2 42.Qd7+ $18 )
37...Kc7 38.Qe2 Kb7 39.Qg2+ $4 Kc7 {Now White must get his queen back to 
e2, otherwise the position will become very unclear.} 40.Qe2 {And here I 
claimed the three moves repitition which arises after} 
    ( 40.Qe2 Kb7 {. Possibly my best move in the game.} )
1/2-1/2

