Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Zagorovsky,V (2575) - Anton,V (2610) [C02]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by John Hawkes]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.a3 A move one finds hard to be convinced by. It was unsuccessful in this tournament, and one wonders why White is attracted to it. [Bohak-Anton (X Olympiad Prelims) saw the gambit line: 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.0-0 a6 11.Qe2 Ne7 12.Kh1 Nc6 13.f4 Nb4 14.Rd1 Nxd3 15.Rxd3 Qb6 16.Be3 Bc5 17.Bxc5 Qxc5 18.Rad1 Bc6 19.f5 0-0-0! 20.Qg4 d4 21.fxe6 h5! and Black won in fine style.]

6...c4 [6...a5 isn't bad either.]

7.g3 Na5 [The old recipe. In II NATT, Chevaldonnet-Giulian saw the modern: 7...f6 8.exf6 Nxf6 9.Bg2 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qe2 Na5? 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Ne5 Be8 14.Ndf3! (14.Ng4 Kh8! )14...Nb3 15.Rb1 Nxc1 16.Rbxc1 Kh8 17.Rce1 Bh5 18.Qc2 Rae8 19.h3 Re7 20.Re3 Ne4 21.Nxc4! Black's position deteriorated slowly but surely, and White won in 39.]

8.Nbd2 Bd7 9.Bh3 [Interesting now is the White development 9.h4!? 0-0-0 10.Bh3 f5 11.0-0 Nh6 12.Ne1 Nf7 13.Ng2 g5 14.hxg5 Nxg5 15.Nf4 Nxh3+ 16.Nxh3 Be7 17.Rb1 Rdg8=/+ ]

9...0-0-0 [9...h5! 10.0-0 Be7 11.Ne1 g5 12.f4 g4 13.Bg2 Nh6 14.Rb1 Nf5 15.Rf2 0-0-0 16.Bf1 h4 17.gxh4 Bxh4 18.Re2 Nxd4 19.cxd4 Qxd4+ 20.Kh1 Bf2 21.h3 Bc6 Lanz-Carleton, 14th World Championship Semi-Final, 0-1.]

10.0-0 Be7 11.Re1 [11.Rb1 h5 12.b4!? cxb3 13.Nxb3 Ba4 14.Nfd2 h4 15.g4 Rd7 16.Qc2 Rc7= Hromada-Sauermann, I Euro TT.]

11...h5 12.Nf1 Nh6 13.Rb1 h4 14.g4 Rdf8 15.Bg5?! Generally a correct transaction in this variation.

15...Bxg5 16.Nxg5 f6 17.Nf3 Nf7 18.Ne3 fxe5 19.dxe5 g5! A fine move, fixing the g-pawn, and behind it the bishop.

20.Nd4 Re8! Hindering a Nf5 shot, White's great hope.

21.Nf1 Rhf8 22.Nd2 Nh6 Refusing the draw offer.

23.b3 Very late, this "terrifying" push only results in a pin and solves Black's bad bishop problem. But White had to make the aggressive gesture.

23...cxb3 24.N2xb3 Ba4 25.Qc2 Nxb3 26.Nxb3 Rf4 27.Qa2 Bxb3 28.Rxb3 Qc5 29.Qe2 Ref8 30.Rf1 Rf3! 31.Bg2 Rxf2 32.Rxf2 Nxg4 33.Rb5 [33.Qxg4? and White gets mated.]

33...Qxf2+ 34.Qxf2 Nxf2 [ Not 34...Rxf2? 35.h3! and it's all spoiled.]

35.c4 h3 36.Bf1 d4 37.c5 Rf4 38.a4 [38.Bc4 d3! ]

38...g4 39.a5 Ne4! 40.a6 bxa6 [40...bxa6 41.Rb4 (41.Rb2 Rxf1+ 42.Kxf1 d3! )41...Rf2! 42.Rxd4 g3! 43.Rxe4 Rxf1+ 44.Kxf1 gxh2! (Anton)] 0-1