[Event "Candidates sf1"] [Site "Evian"] [Date "1977.??.??"] [Round "7"] [White "Korchnoi, Victor"] [Black "Polugaevsky, Lev"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2620"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1977.08.??"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] {Victor plays another hum dinger in this game. It was in the candidates semi-final and the newly crowned Westerner (after defecting from the Soviet Union), went on to win the candidates final, against Boris Spassky, and then to come within a whisker of getting the ultimate crown, of World Champion, off Anatoly Karpov. Lev Polugaevsky was a very strong Soviet player.} 1. c4 {It starts off an English Opening but after 4.d4 and 4...c6 is played it transposes into a Semi-Slav Defence} Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 c6 5. e3 { here the other main continuation is 5.Bg5.} Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 {Taking the pawn on c4 with the d5 pawn is called the Meran system of the Semi-Slav Defence.} 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 (8... a6 {this is another main line, with 5.e3 the position is an older continuation but here Lev takes the opening down a more modern route with Bb7 instead of the older a6.}) 9. O-O b4 10. Ne4 Be7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. e4 O-O 13. Qc2 {There are three main replies in this well known position.} (13. Qe2 {favoured by Kramnik and Sadler.}) (13. e5 {favoured by Karpov and Gelfand. This allows the Knight to get to the d5 square but I guess Karpov thinks it is on a worse square there mainly because it doesnt defend the important e4 square from d5 and the Knight blocks in the b7 Bishop.}) 13... h6 14. Be3 Rc8 15. Rfd1 c5 $1 (15... Ng4 $6 {there is a subtle difference to the move order, by playing Ng4 first the pawn on d4 is no longer attacking the d4 square, when the Knight reaches g4.} 16. Bf4 c5 $6 17. d5 exd5 $6 18. exd5 Bxd5 $4 19. Bc4 Nf6 20. Bxd5 Nxd5 21. Qe4 Nf6 22. Qb7 Qe8 23. Re1 Rb8 $2 24. Bxb8 Qxb8 25. Rxe7 $18) 16. dxc5 Ng4 17. Bd4 e5 18. h3 $2 {not the strongest continuation. Sure the Black pawns will weak on b4, and particularly, d4, but Victor gave up on winning a good pawn anyway, for the attack.} (18. Bxe5 Rxc5 19. Bc4 Qa5 20. Bd4 Rc7 (20... Rfc8 $6 21. b3 $16 (21. Bxc5 Bxc5 $14) 21... R5c7) 21. h3 Ba6 22. b3 Bxc4 23. bxc4 Nf6 $16) 18... exd4 19. hxg4 Rxc5 20. Qd2 a5 21. Rac1 Qd7 $2 (21... Rxc1 $1 {This is best because the Bishop is better placed on the e7 square. And by not defending c5 the Bishop is diverted to c5 by taking the Rook back and this allows Victor to get rid of his weak g pawn for free.}) 22. Rxc5 Bxc5 23. g5 $3 hxg5 24. Qxg5 Qe7 25. Qh5 g6 26. Qh6 Qf6 27. Bc4 $1 {notice how the Bishop pins the f pawn on f7 thus making the defence of Blacks g6 pawn difficult.} (27. Ng5 Qh8 28. Qxh8+ {forced.} Kxh8 $11 ) 27... d3 $1 ({If Black neglects the g6 pawn then disaster strikes.} 27... Qe7 $4 28. Qxg6+ Kh8 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Ng5 Bxe4 31. Nxe4 Qxe4 32. Bd3 Qe6 33. Qh7#) 28. e5 (28. Ng5 $6 Bxf2+ 29. Kh1 Qg7 $11) 28... Qf5 29. Rxd3 $5 (29. Ng5 $4 Qxf2+ 30. Kh2 Qxg2#) 29... Be4 30. Rd6 $3 Qg4 $4 (30... Bxd6 $4 31. Ng5 Rd8 32. Nxf7 Qxf7 33. Bxf7+ Kxf7 34. exd6 $18) (30... Qh5 {this looks the natural move but lev may have been tired from how complex the game was so far.} 31. Qxh5 gxh5 32. Rd7 Bxf3 33. gxf3 Kg7 $16 (33... a4 34. Rxf7 $4 Rxf7 35. e6 Re7 $19)) 31. Rf6 $1 Bf5 32. b3 {the Bishop on c4 was being sureptitiously attacked.} Bd4 33. Nxd4 Qxd4 34. Rxg6+ $3 Bxg6 35. Qxg6+ Kh8 36. Qh6+ Kg8 37. e6 $3 {even now it is easy for Victor to go wrong but only in so much as only getting a draw instead of a win as the Queen and King endgame could be tricky.} Qe4 38. exf7+ Rxf7 39. Qf6 $3 Qb1+ 40. Kh2 Qh7+ 41. Kg3 Qd3+ $3 42. f3 Qxc4 $6 {it was worth a try... I suppose.} (42... Qd7 43. Qxf7+ Qxf7 44. Bxf7+ Kxf7 $18 {and that endgame is easily won by Victor with a blindfold even.}) 43. Qd8+ {and Lev resigned early I think because after 43...Rf8 44.Qg5+Kh8 45.bxc4?? Rg8 46.Qxg8 Kxg8 47.Kf4 a4 48.Ke3 b3 49.axb3 a3 50.Kd3 a2 51.Kc2 a1=Q it is Victor who is embarrassed though it is unlikely that would have happened with someone as great as Victor. Victor was winning easily after 45.Qh6+.} 1-0