Siciliana Alapin

Julio Espinosa - Amador

Campeonato de Cuba XXXV Las Tunas 1996

Siciliana Alapin B22

[Event "CUB-ch Las Tunas"]
[Site "Las Tunas"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Espinosa, Julio"]
[Black "Rodriguez, Amador"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2335"]
[BlackElo "2485"]
[Annotator "Rodriguez,Am"]
[PlyCount "58"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. dxc5 $5 {Ambitious and logical. Most common is 5.f3 while 5.e3 is less enterprising.} Qxc5 6. Na3 Qa5 $5 {Both 6...e5 and 6...f6 have apparently a better reputation. The text move is well playable and can lead to a exciting fight as this game shows.} 7. Bf4 $5 $146 (7. Nb5 Bd7 $5 (7... Nf6 $6 8. b4 Qd8 9. Bf4 e5 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. O-O-O+ $36 {Dobrovolsky,Ladislav-Babula,Vlastimil/Czech tt (06) 1993 ½-½ (36)}) 8. b4 Qd8 9. Nf3 a6 10. Nbd4 Nf6 $10 {Svesnikov-Kuindzi, SSSR 1974}) (7. Nc4 Qc7 $10) (7. Be3 Nf6 8. Nc4 Qc7 $13 {ECO}) (7. Nf3 {things are not so easy for Black after this natural move.} Bg4 (7... Nf6 8. Bf4 (8. Qb3 $5 e6 9. Nc4 Qc7 10. Be3 $14) 8... Bd7 9. Qb3 $16) 8. Be2 Nf6 9. O-O (9. Qb3 $5 Qc7 10. Nb5 Qb8 11. Be3 (11. Ng5 e6 12. Bxg4 (12. Ne4 $2 Bxe2 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 $15) 12... Nxg4 { e5+}) 11... e6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. h3 Bh5 14. Nbd4 $14) 9... Rd8 10. Qb3 Rd7 11. Nc4 (11. Bf4 $5 e6 12. Nc4 $36) 11... Qc7 12. Bg5 e6 13. Rad1 Rxd1 14. Rxd1 Be7 15. Bh4 O-O 16. Bg3 $14 {Roeder,F-Dizdarevic,E/Bad Wörishofen (3) 1988 0-1 (50)}) 7... e5 (7... Bd7 $6 8. Nc4 $1 (8. Nb5 Rc8) 8... Qd8 9. Qb3 {when Black's position looks horribly passive.} (9. Qe2 $5)) 8. Nc4 Qc7 9. Nxe5 $5 Nxe5 10. Bb5+ Ke7 {One of those sacrifices like 4.xf7 in the Petrov where it is impossible to analyze it till the very end. White has only a pawn in return for his piece but the black king finds it very uncomfortable in the center.} 11. Qe2 {Here I thought for a long time, 11...f6 seems evident but 11...f6 was also tempting, it had a very ugly look but over the board I could not find a direct refutation. Further analysis shows it is not so easy to refute anyway.} f6 (11... Kf6 {Here are some of the possibilities that were considered right after the game} 12. Bg3 $1 {A extremely difficult move to meet over the board, the saving resource d3+ does not work anymore and the f-file is cleared to recapture with check on f3 after f3 which is coming with great strength.} (12. Rd1 Bd6 (12... Be6 $6 13. Nf3 Nd3+ 14. Qxd3 (14. Rxd3 Qxf4) 14... Qxf4 15. g3 { d4+}) (12... Ne7 $5) 13. Kf1 g5 14. Bxg5+ Kxg5 15. Qd2+ Kg6 16. Qxd6+ Qxd6 17. Rxd6+ Nf6 $17) (12. Qh5 Nd3+ 13. Bxd3 Qxf4 $19) (12. Nf3 Nd3+ 13. Bxd3 (13. Qxd3 Qxf4 14. g3 Qd6 $19) 13... Qxf4 14. Qe8 Ne7 $17) (12. O-O-O Nd3+ 13. Rxd3 Qxf4+ 14. Kd1 Bg4 $17) 12... Ne7 (12... Be6 13. Nf3 (13. f4 $40) 13... Bd6 14. Rd1 Nc4 15. Bh4+ Kg6 16. Qe4+ $16) (12... Bd6 13. O-O-O { f3, he1}) (12... Nh6 $2 13. Nf3 Bd6 14. O-O-O $18) (12... Qc5 $5 13. f4 Ng4 14. Bh4+ g5 15. fxg5+ (15. Bxg5+ Kg7 16. Nf3 Qe3) 15... Kg7 16. h3 a6 17. Bd3 Ne5 18. Be4 $44) (12... Bf5 13. O-O-O $44 (13. Nf3 $2 Nxf3+ 14. Qxf3 Qe7+ 15. Kf1 Qe4 $19) 13... Ne7 $2 14. Nf3 N7g6 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Rhe1 $18) 13. Nf3 N7g6 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. O-O-O $44) 12. Nf3 (12. O-O-O a6 13. Ba4 Be6 (13... Qc4 14. Bxe5 $1 Qxe2 15. Bd6+ Ke6 16. Bb3+ Kd7 17. Bxf8+ $1 Qxd1+ 18. Kxd1 h5 19. Bxg7 Rh7 20. Bf8 $14) 14. Nf3 Nd3+ (14... Qc4 $5) 15. Rxd3 Qxf4+ 16. Re3 Kf7 $17) 12... Bg4 $8 13. O-O-O a6 $1 $8 14. Qe3 (14. Bd7 Bxf3 (14... Bxd7 15. Nxe5 fxe5 16. Bxe5 Qc6 17. Bxg7+ Kf7 18. Bxh8 Bf5 $13) 15. gxf3 Kf7 {d6, e7} 16. Qe4 g6 17. Ba4 Bh6 $17) (14. Ba4 $5 Qc4 (14... b5 15. Bb3 g6 16. Qe4 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rc8 18. Rd5 (18. Qd5 Qc6) 18... Bg7 (18... Bh6 19. Bxh6 Nxh6 20. f4) 19. Rhd1 $40) 15. Qxc4 (15. Qe3 Qxa4) 15... Nxc4 16. Rhe1+ Kf7 17. Bd7 h5 (17... Bxf3 18. Be6+ Kg6 19. gxf3 Ne5 20. Rg1+ Kh5 21. Rd5) 18. h3 Bxd7 19. Rxd7+ Kg6 20. Rxb7 $15) (14. Bd3 Bxf3 15. gxf3 g5 { f7-g7}) 14... axb5 15. Nxe5 fxe5 16. Bxe5 Qc4 $1 $19 17. Qg5+ (17. Bxg7+ Kf7 18. Bxh8 Bh6 19. f4 Bxd1 $19) (17. Rd4 Qe6 18. f3 Bf5 19. g4 Bg6 20. Rhd1 (20. Re1 Kf7 21. f4 Rxa2 22. f5 Bxf5 23. gxf5 Qb3 $19) 20... Ke8 $19) 17... Nf6 18. Rhe1 Kf7 19. Rd4 Qe6 20. Rde4 {} Nxe4 21. Rxe4 Bf5 22. Re3 Qg6 23. Qf4 Kg8 (23... Qg4) 24. Rg3 Qf7 25. Rf3 Bg6 26. Qg4 Qxa2 27. Qd7 Qa1+ 28. Kd2 Qxb2+ 29. Ke3 Qc1+ 0-1