Kopec - Sowray [B04]
North Atlantic Team Tournament, 1990
[Annotated by IM Dr. Danny Kopec]
The following game may well be one of my best ever. From move six by White it is an example of a king hunt which never ceases. There are no less than five identifiable phases of attack in the game. Giving the game complete justice would require very elaborate and deep notes which are beyond our scope here. Just to give a flavor of how much work this game entailed, the White player can attest that more energy and thought was put into this game than into the nine others in the tournament altogether! We suggest that readers simply try to enjoy the game with the understanding that there is much complexity behind what was not played.
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nxf7 This is the most famous sacrifice which was never played. The position arose in a game of Tal's against Larsen in his Candidates match of 1965. As the late Tal wrote in Riga's chess magazine (quoted by GM Shamkovich in Chess Life, May,1990, p39) "I should have sacrificed" ..... My heart would not endorse the decision over the board. It is not every day that you can force your opponent's King to e6 as early as the 7th move." For my part, I had never had the opportunity to play this sacrifice in over the board tournament play, but relished the chance to play and research it in correspondence play. 6...Kxf7 7.Qh5+ Ke6 8.c4 This entire variation stemming from the sacrifice on f7, is covered in two excellent articles by GM Shamkovich published in Chess Life (May 1990 and August 1991)
8...N5f6 9.d5+ Kd6 These last few moves were all forced and following theory. 10.Qf7
10...Nb8?! This was know to be a somewhat dubious move. But as you will see, it still takes me many moves to prove anything. This may be viewed as the end of Phase I of the attack in that White has sacrificed a piece for the long-term king hunt
11.c5+ Kd7 12.Bf4 [The main theoretical move here is 12.Nc3 with advantage to White; from here I chart my own path. Black's main idea is to trade or evict the White Queen. Another try which I had considered was 12.Bb5+ c6 13.dxc6+ bxc6 14.0-0! Qa5 15.Rd1+ Kc7 16.Bf4+ etc. but whole line is still unclear.] 12...Qe8 13.Qe6+ Kd8 14.Qe5 Qd7 15.Nc3 Ng4 16.Qe2 Qf5 17.Qd2! Phase II: White tries to complete his development with attack against the Black King and Queen.The text represents Botvinnik's "creeper" Q-move. A small move by the Queen with many effects. The move has at least 4 identifiable purposes: 1) protect B/f4 2) guard f2. 3) prevent pawn breaks c6 or e6/e5 as well as g5. 4) Threatens Bd3. 17...Ne5 18.0-0-0 Nbd7 19.c6! Much effort went into investigating 19....bxc6 20.dxc6 Nxc6 21.Bb5 (or even 21.g4) which is complicated and unclear. 19...Nf6 [My main line to the pawn capture 19...bxc6 was 20.Bxe5 (much effort went into investigating 20.dxc6 Nxc6 21.Bb5 which is complicated and unclear.) 20...Nxe5 21.dxc6+ Ke8 22.f4 Nxc6 23.Bb5 Bd7 24.Qxd7+ Qxd7 25.Rxd7 Kxd7 26.Rd1+ Ke6 27.Bxc6 Rb8 28.g4 A long and forced line leading to what I believe to be excellent compensation for the postional exchange sacrifice because: 1) the Black king is exposed. 2) Black is underdeveloped. 3) Black's a,c, and e-pawns are weak 4) White's B, N and R coordinate well.] 20.Qd4 Poweful centralization 20...Ng6 21.Bg3 Nh5 22.Bd3 Qg5+ 23.Kb1 b6 [If 23...Nxg3 24.hxg3 b6 25.Ne4 Qe5 26.Qe3! and Black's Queen is big trouble with the impending f4.] 24.Bxc7+ Phase III begins with a second piece sacrifice and the excavation of the Black King. 24...Kxc7 25.Nb5+ Kd8 26.d6 White has to prove that each of the pawns on the sixth rank is worth a piece. 26...exd6 27.Nxd6 Bxd6 28.Qxd6+ Ke8 29.Bc4 [The natural line is 29.Rhe1+ Ne7 30.c7 , but after continuations like 30...Bf5 31.Bxf5 Qxf5+ 32.Ka1 Qf6 33.Re6 Kf7! 34.Rde1 Rhe8 I did not see how White could make definite progress.] 29...Bf5+ 30.Ka1 Qf6 31.Rhe1+ Ne7 32.Qc7 Rc8 33.Qxa7 Phase IV: White must demonstrate that the Black King, although protected, cannot get away with his extra pieces working. 33...Nf4 34.c7 White threatens mate starting with 35.Qa5+. 34...g6 Probably the losing move. Notice how in the sequence which follows White takes over all the Black squares leading to a winning onslaught. [ On 34....Qc6, a fantastic mate in seven follows 34...Qc6 35.Rd8+ Rxd8 36.Rxe7+!! Kxe7 37.c8N+!! Kf6 38.Qe7+ Kg6 39.Bf7+ Kh6 40.Qh4+ Nh5 41.Qxh5#; Critical was 34...Be6 35.Rd6 Bxc4 36.Rxf6 gxf6 37.Qxb6 Kf7 38.Qc5 Be6 39.Qd6 etc. with great confusion although it seems that Black must lose material. ] Phase V: The final onslaught on the Black King with takeover of the Black squares begins. 35.g3 How often does one get to play a relatively quite move two pieces down? Now if 35....Ne6 36.Qxb6 wins.
35...Nh3 36.Qa4+ Kf8 37.Qa3 A very strong pin which I had considered in similar positions many moves ago. Now if 37...Rxc7 38.Rd6! wins quickly, e.g. 38...Qg5 39.Qc3! wins instantly. 37...Kg7 38.Rd6 Even stronger than 38.Rxe7+. Now on 38...Rxc7 39.Rxf6 Kxf6 40.Qd6+ 38...Qg5 39.Qc3+ Kh6 40.f4! Continuing the theme of the black squares. 40...Nxf4 41.h4 Qg4 42.Rxe7 Mate in three is threatened beginning with Qg7+. 42...Kh5 43.Qe3 Continuing to dominate the center and the black squares. After gxf4 White does not want to think about ....Qg1+. 43...Ng2 44.Qc1 Now 45.Be2 is the decisive threat. 44...Ne1 The last trick. Not 45.Be2?? Nc2+. 45.Rxe1 Rxc7 46.Rd4 Black resigns because on 46...Qxg3 47.Be2+ Bg4 48 Qg5 mate. 1-0
