Evolution of Chess Style #179: Petrosian vs Bondarevsky : 1950 USSR - powerful prophylaxis example

â–ºSupport the channel by donating via PayPal: http://goo.gl/7HJcDq â–ºOr support via Patreon page: https://goo.gl/lfosGM â–ºPlaylists: http://goo.gl/FxpqEH â–ºFREE online chess at http://osk03.chesshorsey.com/chessclubs/asplogin.asp?from=1053 or realtime at http://www.chessclub.com/from/kingscrusher â–ºFollow me at Google+ : http://www.google.com/+kingscrusher Annotated PGN at Chessgames.com : [Event "USSR Championship"] [Site "Moscow URS"] [Date "1950.12.11"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] [Round "17"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian"] [Black "Igor Bondarevsky"] [ECO "A04"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "82"] 1. Nf3 {Notes by Peter Clarke} e6 {There are people who play this against any opening move by White. Perhaps it is the only reply that unquestionably deserves such a strange distinction.} 2. g3 f5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 c6 {He intens to adapt the stonewall formation and decides on this order of moves to avoid the possibility of his black-squared Bishop being exchanged by b3 and Ba3 (this way he has ...d6 in reserve); not that there is anything really to be feared in that.} 7. Qc2 Qe8 {The manouver ...Q-e8-g6 (or h5) is the normal method of preparing the K-side attack. Here he starts it while waiting for White to reveal his hand more.} 8. Nbd2 d5 9. Ne5 {Petrosian is employing the same strategy as he did against Pirtskhalava-placing his Knights on d3 and f3 in order to exploit the hole on e5. What is interesting is that he has found an entirely different route for them to take.} Nbd7 10. Nd3 Ne4 11. Nf3 {White has avoided relieving Black's game by exchanges and is now ready to begin the drive forward in the center. This is a critical moment for the second player, for he must seek counter-play on the K side and yet not overreach himself there; 11...Qh5 seems natural. Instead Bondarevsky tries to combat White's plans by striking out first on the other wing, a policy as wrong as it is anti-thematic.} Nd6 12. b3 b5 13. c5 {!} Nf7 14. a4 {The new extension to the wall must fall, after which Black is left with a weakened and exposed Q side, not at all what he had bargained for.} bxa4 15. Rxa4 Bf6 16. Bb2 a6 {For the one and only time he could have played ...e5 here. Although it would have greatly freed his pieces-after, for instance, 17.dxe5 Nfxe5 18.Rfa1 Nxd3 19.exd3 Bxb2 20.Qxb2 Nxc5 21.Rxa7-White's too would have had the board opened up for them. And open positions invariably favor the side with the initiative.} 17. Nfe5 Nfxe5 18. dxe5 Be7 19. f4 Rb8 {If 19...g5 20.fxg5 Bxg5 21.Bc1! Black's problem is to find a constructive plan which does not help his opponent.} 20. Rfa1 Rb5 21. b4 {! 21.Bd4 was superficially correct, but White would like to see his Knight on d4; moreover, he wishes to preserve the possibility of Bc1, as mentioned in the previous note.} h5 {Bondarevsky has not yet had all the fight squeezed out of him.! He is aiming to win some space on the K side and so perhaps put White out of his methodical stride.} 22. Bc3 h4 23. e3 Nb8 {Unfortunately this passive step is necessary, as White is threatening to bring his KB to bear on the a-pawn.} 24. Ne1 Rb7 {Better was the prelimanary 24...hxg3. As played, Black loses the benefit he expected from the advance of the h-pawn.} 25. gxh4 Bxh4 26. Nf3 Bd8 27. h4 {! It is clear that Black's last chance of doing anything active- ...g5-has gone. The outlook is one of grim defence behind his pawn barrier.} Qh5 28. Be1 Bd7 29. Qf2 Kf7 {? A final error, shortening the game by many moves. He had to return his Bishop to c8 to protect his a-pawn, in which event it still would have required a long campaign of White to breach the defences (the g-file is the weak spot). As soon as the pawn is removed, there is nothing to hold the attacker off.} 30. Bf1 Rh8 31. Bxa6 Nxa6 32. Rxa6 Be7 33. Ra7 Rhb8 {He attacked the enemy h-pawn in vain and now he has had to give up. The end is not far away.} 34. Rxb7 Rxb7 35. Nd4 Qh8 36. Qg3 Qb8 {Black was almost in Zugzwang; for instance, Bishop moves permit Ra8, whilst the threat of b5 continually hangs over him.} 37. h5 Ra7 38. Rc1 {Avoiding a subtle trap-38.Rxa7 Qxa7 39.Qg6+ Kf8 40.Ne6+ Bxe6 41.Qxe6 Qa1! 42.Qc8+ Kf7 48.Qxf5+ Kg8, and White must either give perpetual check or lose his Bishop.} Qg8 39. Qg6+ Kf8 40. b5 {This inevitable breakthrough is the stronger for being delayed. If 40...cxb5, then 41.c6 Bc 8 42.Nxb5 and 43.Nd6 wins.} Qf7 41. bxc6 Bc8 {Black sealed this move and the next day, in view of the continuation 42.Qxf7+ Kxf7 43.Nb5 Ra8 44.Nd6+ Kf8 45.c7, he resigned.} 1-0