Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Sorensen,H (2470) - Vukcevic,B (2495) [C78]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by John Hawkes]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.Re1 Bc5 8.c3 d6 [The cute miniature Pisarev-Spiechin from the variation's infancy in Archangelsk is worth quoting: 8...Ng4? 9.d4 exd4 10.cxd4? (10.h3! ) 10...Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Qh4 12.Nf3 Qxf2+ 13.Kh1 Qg1+ 14.Rxg1 Nf2# ]

9.d4 Bb6 10.Bg5 [At this point, lovers of traps can try 10.Be3 0-0 (hoping for 10...Nxe4? 11.d5+- ) 11.Nbd2 h6 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Qe2 Nd7!? 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.Nf1 Na5 16.Ng3+/= Povah-Heemsoth, BPFC Jubilee.; Arnlind-Zagarovsky, Axelson Memorial, went: 10.a4!? 0-0 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 exd4 13.cxd4 Re8 14.Nc3 g5?! 15.Bxg5! hxg5 16.Nxg5 Re7 17.Nd5 Bxd4 18.Re3!! Nxd5 19.Rg3 Bg7 20.Bxd5 Qc8 21.Qh5 Nd8 22.Nh7 Rd7 23.Nf6+ Kf8 24.Rxg7! and Black surrendered before: 24...Kxg7 25.Qg5+ Kf8 26.Nh7+ Ke8 27.Qg8+ Ke7 28.Qf8# ]

10...h6 11.Bh4 0-0 [Black can go west with his king as in Penrose-Pereira, IX Olympiad Final: 11...Qd7!? 12.a4 0-0-0 drawn after 34 moves.]

12.Qd3 [Or 12.a4 and White would be replaying the fantastic game Penrose-Vukcevic, IX Olympiad Final: 12...exd4 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Bxa8 15.cxd4 Re8 16.Nc3 g5 17.Qd2! Na5 18.Bc2 b4 19.Nxg5 bxc3 20.Qf4 Bxd4 21.Nh7! That move again! 21...Be5 22.Qxh6 Re6 23.Nxf6+ Rxf6 24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.Re3 Be5 26.Rh3 Qe7 27.Rh5 f5 28.Qg6+ Qg7 29.Qe6+! Qf7 30.Qc8+ Qf8 31.Qxc7 Bg7 32.Rxf5 Qe8 33.Rg5 Qf8 34.Rxa5 cxb2 35.Ra7 1-0.]

12...Qe7! [12...Re8+/= (ECO)]

13.Nbd2 Na5 14.Bc2 c5 15.d5 The closed centre doesn't seem to be oppressive enough in this setting, but it requires some fine defence by Black to prove the point.

15...c4 16.Qe2 Rfb8! 17.b4 cxb3 18.axb3 Bc8 19.b4 Nb7 20.Ra3 Ra7 21.Nf1 g6 22.h3 Kg7 23.g4 Qe8! 24.Bxf6+ Kxf6 A position to excite the tastebuds of the analyst. Can White exploit the audacity of the Black king? The Danish IM is about to give it everything.

25.g5+ hxg5 26.Qd2 Bxh3 27.Nxg5 Bxf1 28.Kxf1 Kg7 29.c4 Qd7 30.Rf3 Rf8 31.Ke2 Nd8 32.Nh7! That move again! But without the terrible Lopez bishop participating, Black can cope.

32...Rh8 33.Nf6 Qe7 34.Qg5 a5! Completing the defence, Black activates.

35.bxa5 Bxa5 36.Rg1 bxc4 37.Nh5+ And White is only too pleased to take the draw by perpetual check.

37...Kg8 38.Nf6+ Kg7 39.Nh5+ Kg8 40.Nf6+ ½-½