[Event "13th ECC qual. group 2"]
[Site "Eupen BEL"]
[Date "1997.09.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nikolic, Predrag BOSN"]
[Black "Degraeve, Jean-Marc CE92"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2540"]
[ECO "A63"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
[Annotator "Stohl"]
[PlyCount "73"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 O-O 
9.O-O Re8 
    ( {Black usually now or a move later inserts} 9...a6 10.a4 Re8 
        ( 10...Nbd7 11.h3?! 
            ( 11.Nd2 $142 )
        11...Rb8 12.a5 b5 13.axb6 Nxb6 14.Nd2 Re8 15.Nb3 Nc4 16.Nd2 Nxd2 
        17.Qxd2 Rb4 18.Re1 Nd7 19.Qc2 Ne5 20.Bf4 Qb6 21.Bxe5 Bxe5 22.Ra2 
        Bd7 23.Rea1 a5 24.Nd1 Ra8 25.Ra3 a4 -/+ {Johansson, 
        P-Yakovich,Y/Koge op/1997/} )
    11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.a5 b5 13.axb6 Nxb6 14.Nb3 Nc4! 
        ( 14...Bf5 15.Na5 Qd7 16.Qb3 Qc7 17.Nc6 Ne4 18.Nxe4 Bxe4 19.Bxe4 
        Rxe4 20.Qd3 Ree8 21.Ra2 c4 22.Qf3 Qb7 23.Re1 Nd7 24.Ra4 Nb6 25.Rb4
        a5 26.Rb5 +/- {Nikolic,P-Cobb,J/EUCup G2/1997/} )
        ( 14...Bd7 15.Na5 Qc7 16.Re1 Ng4 17.h3 Ne5 18.f4? Nec4 19.Nxc4 
        Nxc4 20.Qd3 Ne3! 21.Be4 f5 22.Bxe3 fxe4 23.Qc4 Qb7 24.Ra3 Qb4 -/+ 
        {Klee,M-Lau,R/Dresden op 1996/EXP 53/0-1 (48)} )
    15.Ra4 
        ( 15.Qd3 Rb8! 16.Qxc4 Rb4 $132 )
    15...Nb6 16.Ra2 Nc4 17.Ra4 Ne5?! 
        ( 17...Nb6 = )
    18.Na5 Bd7 19.Ra2 Qc7 20.h3 Bb5 21.b3 Nh5 22.Bd2 f5 23.Qc2 Bd7 24.Re1 
    Rf8 25.f4 Nf7 26.Kh2 Rae8 27.Nc6 $36 {O'Kelly de Galway,A-Tolush,A/ 
    Bucharest/1953/} )
10.Nd2 Nbd7 11.Qb3!? {A rare move, which is probably new, although in a 
few moves the game transposes into known positions. But Nikolic has been 
playing this line already for a long time and he has tried just about 
every other alternative.} 
    ( 11.h3 b6 12.Re1 
        ( 12.Nc4 Ne5 13.Ne3 
            ( 13.Nxe5 $142 Rxe5 14.Bf4 Re8 15.e4 += {[+]} )
        13...a6 14.a4 Rb8 15.f4 Ned7 16.Nc4 Qc7 17.Na3 c4 18.Kh2 Qc5 19.
        Nc2 Qc7 20.Na3 h5 21.e4 Bb7 22.Re1 Rbc8 23.Be3 Nc5 $36 {
        Fairhurst,W-Czerniak,M/Moscow olm/1956/} )
    12...Ba6 13.a4 h5 14.Nb5 Bxb5 15.axb5 h4 16.g4 Ne5 17.f4 Nexg4 18.hxg4
    Nxg4 19.Nf1 h3 20.Bxh3 Qh4 21.Bxg4 Qxg4+ 22.Kh1 Re5 23.fxe5 Qe4+ 24.
    Kg1 Qg4+ {1/2,Donner,J-Milic, B/Beverwijk/1955/} )
    ( 11.Rb1 a6 12.b4 cxb4 13.Rxb4 Nc5 14.Nb3 Nfd7 15.Bb2 Nxb3 16.axb3 Nc5
    17.Na4 Bxb2 18.Nxb2 Bd7 19.Rf4 Bb5 20.Re1 a5 21.e3 Rc8 22.h4 f5 23.Rd4
    Ba6 24.Bf1 Bxf1 25.Rxf1 Ne4 =+ {Nikolic,P-Ivanchuk,V/ Munich SKA/1994/
    } )
    ( 11.a4 a6 {-9...a6,10...a6} )
11...a6 12.Nc4 
    ( 12.a4 Rb8 13.Nc4 Ne5 14.Nb6 {-12.Nc4} )
12...Ne5 13.Nb6 Rb8 14.a4 Nfd7 
    ( 14...Bf5!? 15.h3 
        ( 15.e4 Bh3! 16.Bxh3 Nf3+ 17.Kh1 Nd4 18.Qd1 Qxb6 19.a5 Qc7 20.f3 
        b5 21.axb6 Rxb6 22.Ra2 Reb8 23.Ne2 Ne8 24.Nxd4 Bxd4 =+ {
        Roizen,N-Bach,A/ ATI-Homorod-C/1993/} )
    15...Bc2 16.Qxc2 Qxb6 17.a5 Qc7 18.Nd1 Nh5 19.g4 Nf6 20.Ne3 Re7 21.Bd2
    Rbe8 22.Rae1 Ned7 23.Nc4 Ne4 24.Bf4 b5 25.axb6 Nxb6 26.f3 Nxd5 27.fxe4
    Nxf4 28.Rxf4 d5 -/+ {->^-,Certic,B-Barlov,D/JUG-Cup Svetozarevo/1990/}
    )
    ( 14...Qc7 15.h3 h6 16.Bd2 g5 17.Nxc8 Rbxc8 18.Nd1 Ng6 19.Qc2 c4 20.
    Ne3 Qc5 21.Rad1 b5 22.axb5 axb5 23.b4 cxb3 24.Qxb3 Qb6 25.Nf5 +/- {
    Beim,V-Simeonov,S/Berliner Sommer/1991/} )
    ( 14...Ned7 15.Nc4 Ne5 16.Nb6 Ned7 17.Nxc8 Qxc8 18.a5 b5 19.axb6 Rxb6 
    20.Qa4 
        ( 20.Qc2 Qb7 21.Rd1 Rb4 22.e3 h5 23.Bf1 ~ {
        1/2,Cosma,I-Ghitescu,T/ROM-chT/1992/} )
    20...c4 21.Ra2 Ng4 22.h3 Ngf6 23.Nd1 Rxe2 24.Be3 Rb3 25.Qc6 Rb8 26.
    Rxa6 Ne8 27.Qxc8 Rxc8 28.Rc6 Rc7 29.Bf3 Rc2 30.Be4 Re2 = {
    Johansen,D-Rogers,I/Sydney Mercantile/ 1991/} )
    ( 14...Nh5 15.h3 f5 16.Kh2 g5 17.Nxc8 Rxc8 18.e4 f4 19.Qd1 fxg3+ 20.
    fxg3 Nf6 21.Bxg5 Nfg4+ 22.hxg4 Qxg5 23.Bh3 Nc4 24.Rf5 Qe3 25.Rf3 Qd2+ 
    26.Qxd2 Nxd2 27.Rf4 Nc4 28.g5 Nxb2 29.Bxc8 Rxc8 ~= {
    Ilincic,Z-Velimirovic, D/Belgrade/1994/} )
15.Nxc8 Rxc8 N 
    ( 15...Qxc8 16.a5 $142 
        ( 16.h3 b5! 
            ( 16...c4 17.Qa2 f5 18.a5 Nc5 
                ( 18...Nf7 19.Rd1 b5 20.axb6 Rxb6 21.Bf1 Nc5 22.Qxc4 Qb8 
                23.e3 Ne5 24.Qe2 Rb4 $36 {Kakhiani,K-Nutu Gajic,D/Subotica
                iztW/ 1991/} )
            19.f4 Nb3 20.fxe5 Nxa1 21.Qxa1 Bxe5 22.Qa3 b5 23.axb6 Rxb6 24.
            Bf4 Rb3 25.Qa4 Rxb2 26.Bxe5 Rxe5 27.Qc6 Qd8 28.Qxc4 Rc2 ~= {
            Thinius,M-Stein,B/ BL/1992/} )
        17.axb5 axb5 18.Ra5 b4 19.Ne4 Qc7 20.Qa2 b3 21.Qa1 Nf6 22.Ra7 Qd8 
        23.Bg5 h6 24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.Qc1 Rb4 26.Ra6 Nd7 27.Nxd6 Rxe2 -/+ {
        Sakaev, K-Anastasian,A/Frunze op/1989/} )
    16...b5 17.axb6 Rxb6 18.Qc2 
        ( 18.Qa4 Qb7 19.Bh3 Ra8 20.Na2 Rb5 21.f4 Nb6 22.Qc2 Ned7 23.e4 Re8
        24.Rf3 Nf6 -/+ {|^><[+],Ramirez,E-Glavina,P/Cadiz op/1991/} )
    18...Qb7 19.Ra2 = )
16.Qc2 
    ( 16.Qxb7?! Rb8 17.Qxa6 Ra8 = {/\ gives Black at least a draw by 
    repetition.} 
        ( 17...c4 18.Ne4! f5 19.Bg5 +/- )
    18.Qxd6?? Bf8 -+ )
    ( 16.a5 c4! =+ {/\Rc5><a5,Nc5-b3} )
16...Nc4 
    ( 16...c4 17.Bh3 
        ( 17.Ne4 Qc7 18.Bf4 Nc5 19.Nxc5 Qxc5 = )
    17...f5 ~ {/\} 18.e4?! Nf3+ 19.Kg2 Nd4 )
17.Bh3 
    ( 17.Ne4!? b5 18.axb5 axb5 19.Ra7 $36 {/\b3,Bg5} )
17...f5 18.e4 {The most principled move. Now tactical complications arise.
} 18...Nde5! {[]} 
    ( 18...fxe4 19.Nxe4 +/- {><e6,d6} )
19.Qe2 
    ( 19.exf5 Nf3+ 20.Kh1 
        ( 20.Kg2 Nd4 ~ 
            ( 20...Ne1+ 21.Rxe1 Rxe1 22.fxg6 +/- )
        )
    20...Nd4 21.Qd3 Ne5 22.Qb1 Qd7 ~= )
19...Na5 20.exf5 
    ( 20.Qd1!? += )
20...Nb3 21.fxg6!? 
    ( 21.Ra3 Nd4 $40 )
21...Nxa1 22.Be6+ Rxe6! 
    ( 22...Kh8 $143 23.Qh5 Nxg6 24.Bg5 Qb6 25.Bf7! Nf8 
        ( 25...Re5 26.Bxg6 h6 27.Qh3 {/\,Qc8,Bh6+-} )
    26.Bxe8 Qxb2 27.Ne2 += {->><Kh8,/\Nf4-g6} )
23.gxh7+ Kh8 24.dxe6 Nb3 25.f4 ~= Nd4?! 
    ( 25...Nc6 $142 26.Nd5 Ne7 ~ )
    ( 25...Nxc1!? 26.Rxc1 Nc6 $132 )
26.Qe4 Nec6 27.f5 $36 {/\Nd5,f6,o^e,f} 27...Qf6 28.Qg4! {/\Nd5,Bg5 White 
avoids exchangning Q.} 
    ( 28.Nd5?! Qe5 ~ )
28...Ne5 
    ( 28...Rf8 29.Ne4! 
        ( 29.Nd5? Qe5 30.f6 Ne2+! 31.Qxe2! Qxe2 32.fxg7+ Kxg7 33.h8=Q+! 
        Kxh8 34.Rxf8+ Kg7 35.Rf7+ Kh8 36.Nf6 Qd1+ 37.Kg2 Qe2+ = )
    29...Qe5 30.f6 Bxf6 31.Rxf6 +- )
29.Qh5 Rf8 30.Nd5 +- Nef3+ $8 
    ( 30...Qd8 31.e7 +- )
31.Rxf3 Nxf3+ 32.Qxf3 Qxf5 33.Qxf5 Rxf5 34.e7 Bd4+ 
    ( 34...Re5 35.Bf4 +- )
35.Kg2 Re5 36.Bf4 Re6 37.Bxd6! {/\Nc7} 1-0

