Scottish Annotated Games

Last updated 21 March 2002

Sagarowski, P - Bryson, D M [B85]
Scottish Centenary International, 1987
[Notes by Douglas Bryson]

1.e4 c5 [I decided that my opponent would have been quite happy to go into a Ruy Lopez, so I risked a Sicilian - quite a big risk in postal play where the success rate of the opening is far less than in over-the-board games.]

2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 [As I suspected, he is not interested in the fun move 6.Bg5.]

6...e6 [The "real" Najdorf move is 6... e5. After all, that is the basic reason behind 5... a6. However, there are a number of Karpov games where Black was left with no counterplay and the only feature of the position was the big hole on d5.]

7.0-0 Be7 8.f4 0-0 9.Be3 [After 9. Be3, White is more or less committed to a set up with a4. If White tries the other plan of shifting his queen to the kingside, then he will find that the bishop has been posted too early to e3. For example, 9.Qe1 Qc7 10.Kh1 b5 11.Bf3 Bb7 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Nfd7 14.Qg3 Kh8 15.Bf4!]

9...Qc7 10.a4 Nc6 11.Nb3 b6 12.Kh1 [Quite a confusing move to meet. Black can get counterplay against the more usual 12.Bf3 by playing 12... Rb8 and 13... Na5 with the idea of Nc4 or, if White exchanges on a5, then the open b-line easily compensates for the doubled pawns. Since White hasn't yet posted the bishop to f3, then 12... Rb8 didn't seem appropriate, eg 13.Bd3! Na5 14.Qe2 annoying the a6 pawn and preventing Nc4.]

12...Re8 [Just waiting to see where White is going, and also preparing Bf8.]

13.Bd3 [As I suspected, White doesn't play Bf3. This was quite a jolt, because it seemed that my famous opponent had volunteered to transpose to a very poor line for White. If you look up BCO, you will see 10.a4 Nc6 11.Nb3 b6 12.Bd3 as a game Savon-Polugayevsky (the same position as I now had, but without the moves Kh1 and Re8). This continued 12... Bb7 13.Qf3 Nb4 14.Nd4 g6 15.Rad1 e5 16.Nde2 d5 17.fxe5 Qxe5 with a clear advantage to Black, as described by Pritchett in his book on the Scheveningen.]

13...Bb7 14.Qf3 Nb4 15.Nd4 [From taking 5 days over my first 11 moves, I spent 30 days on the following 6. I was trying to work out if the Savon game had been wrongly assessed. Also, did Re8 help Black? There could easily be some nasty line which ended in Qxf7+.]

15...Bf8 [Chickening out, but consoled by the thought that Bf8 was part of regrouping anyway.]

16.Rae1 Nd7 17.Bd2 Nc5 [I began to think my position was quite good. I wasn't being attacked and there were some weak pawn targets on e4 and a4. White can initiate some tactics with 18.Ncb5 (loose N on b4) axb5 19.Nxb5 Qd7 20.Bxb4 Nxd3 21.Qxd3 Rxa4 22.Ba3 Ba6 23.c4 Rxc4! but this would be good for Black.]

18.Qh3 Qd7 [18.Qh3 was accompanied by the offer of a draw, which I declined. This was just the confirmation I needed that my position was ok.]

19.Bc4 [Black cannot take on a4 - 19... Nxa4 20.Nxa4 Qxa4 21.Ra1.]

19...d5! [Ending any attacking ambitions of White.]

20.exd5 exd5 21.Qxd7 Nxd7 22.Bb3 Nc5 23.Nce2 Nxb3 24.cxb3 [Cannot take with the N because of the pawn on c2.]

24...Nd3 25.Rb1 [It is not immediately obvious how to continue. Black has 2 bishops and a superior pawn structure but White has an excellent blockading square on d4.]

25...Nc5 [This sets up a tactic.]

26.Bc3 Nxb3 [Which White falls for - I don't know if my opponent saw this simple trick. Perhaps he thought that the blockade on d4 would be sufficient compensation for a pawn. I certainly did not expect 26.Bc3 and was looking at the counter tactic 26.b4 with the idea of 26... Nxa4 27.b3 and the knight has no retreat. But the knight can retreat with another trick - 27... Nc5 and if 28.bxc5 bxc5. 26.Rbe1 was also possible, when I intended 26... Ne4 with a great square for the knight.]

27.Nxb3 Rxe2 28.Rbe1 Rae8 [And if Black was given another move he would play d4! - but he never gets the chance.]

29.Rxe2 Rxe2 30.Nd4 Re4 [Black is still thinking of advancing the d-pawn. 31... Bc5 is a threat.]

31.g3 [So that 31... Bc5 can be met by 32.Rd1 and the f-pawn is defended. This weakness on the white squares looks to further encourage the bishop on b7 but it perversely leaves the diagonal immediately.]

31...Bc8! [Seems to be the only way to make progress. The "question" will be put to the a-pawn of whether it intends to advance or be defended by pawn b3.]

32.Rd1 Bd7 33.a5 [b3 meant that the bishop could not be completely safe on c3. Black plays 33... Re3 with the idea of 34.Ba1 Bc5 attacking the defender of the b-pawn.]

33...b5 [Black threatens to win a piece with 34... b4 35.Be1 Bg4. 34.b4 was possible, radically preventing b5 to b4, but Black can play 34... Re3 35.Rc1 g6 36.Kg2 Bg7 and Black is threatening 37... Rd3 and then a push d4. Winning two pieces for a rook with 37... Rxc3 and 38... Bxd4 may not be so clever since White will quickly set up a passed pawn by taking the pawn on a6.]

34.Re1 [White finally decides that his best chances are with rooks off. There will no longer be threats of rook and bishop attacking knight on d4. But exchanging rooks improves the Black pawn position. White switches to a blockade on e3.]

34...b4 35.Rxe4 dxe4 36.Bd2 Bc5 37.Be3 b3! [A tactical solution. If Black can defend his pawn on b3, then he can play Bb4 and win the a-pawn. White cannot take on b3 for a few moves until he defends the Be3.]

38.Kg2 Be6!! [Probably the most difficult move in the game. Why not play 38... Ba4 and then 39... Bb4 - looks like 2 pawns up, but Black pays dearly for the offside bishop on a4, eg. 38... Ba4 39.Kf2 Bb4 40.Bc1! and White plays Ke3 and takes the e-pawn.
The idea of 38... Be6 is to defend b3 from the central square d5, also defending e4.
The difficulty of playing Be6 is what happens if Nxe6. Black takes the bishop and then White gets a passed pawn by attacking and then taking the pawn on a6. 38... Be6 39.Nxe6 Bxe3 40.Nc7 - what now? If 40... Bd4 41.Nxa6 Bxb2 42.Nc5 with a possible draw. But Black has better - 40... Bc5! 41.Nxa6 Ba3! (and White cannot come back to c5 immediately) 42.Kf2 (loses tactically 42... Bxb2 43.Nc5 Bd4+ so 42.Kf1 is better) 42... Kf8 43.Ke2 Ke7 44.Kd2 Kd6! And Black wins.]

39.Kf2 Bd5 40.Nf5 Bb4 41.Bd4 g6 42.Nh6+ Kf8 43.Ng4 f5 44.Nf6 Bc6 45.Nxh7+ Ke7 46.Ng5 Kd6 [Equal pawns for a moment, but Black has a definite winning plan. Take the pawn on a5, advance the a-pawn to a3, after White plays bxa3, Black retakes on a3 with the bishop and wins the White bishop by pushing on b2.]

47.Ke3 Bxa5 48.g4 [White also has a definite line of play - gxf5 and advance the h-pawn to queen.]

48...Be1 [Preventing the advance of the h-pawn.]

49.Be5+ Kd5 50.gxf5 gxf5 51.Nh7 [The problem with 51.Ke2 (to shift the bishop which is preventing h4) is that 51... Bb4 now threatens 52... Bb5+ and a quick advance of the e-pawn.]

51...a5 52.Nf6+ Kc4 53.Ke2 Bb4 0-1 [After 54.h4 a4 55.h5 a3 56.bxa3 (if 56.h6 a2 57.h7 a1=Q 58.h8=Q Qe1##) 56... Bc3 57.Bxc3 Kxc3 58.h6 b2 59.h7 b1=Q 60.h8=Q Bb5+ 61.Kf2 Qf1+ 62.Kg3 Qg1+ 63.Kh4 Qh2+ winning the queen. White's best here is to play 59.Nxe4+ Bxe4 60.h7 b1=Q 61.h8=Q+ Kb3 but Black must win.
The game began on 15 February 1984 and ended on 22 December 1987. White - 116 days; Black - 70 days.]