Skype coaching session, 24 January 2016. 

Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at: 

http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm
 
The following game was examined, the game 29 moves) is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

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Annotated game. 

White: Svidler, 2727. 
Black: Karjakin, 2762. 
Event: World Cup, Final Match, Baku 2015. 
Result: 1-0 in 29 moves. 
Opening: Reti Opening, King's Indian Attack, A07. 

1. Nf3 

| White might be seeking to play the English Opening but wish to avoid the Reverse Sicilian systems which begin with black replying, 1. ... e5. || 

1. ... Nf6 

| Black also delays committing to a pawn move. Both players choose to postpone interaction until king safety has been achieved. || 

2. g3 d5 
3. Bg2 e6 
4. O-O Be7 

| White still has to choose whether the central challenge will be with the c-pawn or the e-pawn. Black has selected a solid system, not trying to fight for control but instead going for easy development. || 

5. d3 O-O 
6. Nbd2 c5 
7. e4 

| This transposes directly back into two contrasting opening systems. Firstly, a French Defence, King's Indian Attack Variation. The opening moves could have been: 1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Be7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 c5 7. O-O. Secondly a Sicilian Defence by, 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d3 e6 4. g3 d5 5. Nbd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O. || 

7. ... Nc6 
8. Re1 b5 

| Black must play on the queenside with pawns. This move seems to scare white away from playing, 9. c4. || 

9. exd5 

| An uncommon sideline. More common is, 9. e5, closing the centre. White will make the e5 pawn into a strong point combined with manoeuvring pieces on the kingside. Moves such as, Nf1, Bf4, pawn h4, Nh2, Ng4, and maybe, Qe2, appear in the plan. || 

9. ... Nxd5 

| Instead, 9. ... exd5 10 a4 b4, is balanced. Black should avoid, 9. ... Qxd5 10. Ne5, which loses the c6 knight to the combined attack of the white e5 knight and g2 bishop. || 

10. Ne4 

| Instead white could challenge the black queenside with, 10. c4. Black can survive the tactics of, 10. ... bxc4 11. dxc4 Ndb4 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. a3 Nxe5 14. Bxb7 Nbd3. || 

10. ... Bb7 

| Despite the long light square diagonal being full of knights, these bishops are challenging each other. It is white who should be wary of an exchange of bishops because of the kingside pawn structure in front of the king then becoming weak. || 

11. c3 

| A new move to theory. Instead, 11. Bd2, intending, pawn c4, gives equal chances. || 

11. ... a6 

| Surely, 11. ... a5, is more in the spirit of queenside activity, which would also allow black the option of, Ba6, placing pressure on the light squares once black advances, pawn b4. || 

12. a4 b4 
13. Bg5 

| Pinning the black e7 bishop to the queen which leaves the black c5 pawn without protection from the attacking white e4 knight. || 

13. ... f6 

| The start of a plan to try and place a dark square pawn clamp on the centre. Instead, 13. ... h6 14. Nxc5 hxg5 15. Nxc7 Qc7, and black appears to be trapping the white b7 knight. However after, 16. c4 Nb6 17. d4 Qxb7 18. d5 Na5 19. d6 Bf6 20. Nxg5, white has two pawns along with considerable activity for the lost knight. || 

14. Bd2 e5 
15. Rc1 Rf7 

| Perhaps trying to be a double purpose move. Once the retreat, Bf8, is played the rook will guard the b7 bishop and have ideas of transferring to d7, placing pressure up the d-file. White has different thoughts about how the game will proceed, take some time to find the next white move. || 

16. d4 

| White offers a pawn to open up the position. It will now be a question of how much piece activity and coordination white can create. || 

16. ... bxc3 

| This does not help black at all. Accepting the d4 pawn is probably necessary, but keeping the b-file closed is needed for black to avoid the forthcoming threats. || 

17. bxc3 cxd4 
18. cxd4 Nxd4 
19. Nxd4 exd4 

| White to play and find a strong move, take some time here. || 

20. Qb3 

| A double purpose move. The attack on the black b7 bishop is obvious, but there is now pressure on the a2 - g8 diagonal as well. It is these two attack points which white must juggle with to create a decisive advantage. || 

20. ... Rb8 

| Strange as it appears, perhaps, 20. ... Ra7, avoiding walking into a pin might have been worth a try. Black now needs to take a few moves to escape from this voluntary pin. || 

21. Rb1 

| For black to untangle from the pin up the b-file the b7 bishop needs to be triply protected. Then the b8 rook can move sideways to escape the white queen and rook battery up the b-file. This all comes about because black opened up the b-file on move 16 as part of the process of accepting the white d-pawn. || 

21. ... Qd7 
22. Rec1 

| Bringing more pressure into the queenside. White has no good entry squares up the c-file for this rook yet, but there is a neat way of ensuring the rook will find a means of increasing the pressure on the black position. || 

22. ... Qe6 

| Instead, 22. ... h6, was worth a try. Black will soon find the back rank has become weak and this gives the king a flight square. The placing of the black queen on the a2 - g8 diagonal will either reduce the pressure on the black centre, in particular the d5 knight, or might prove to be a further point of attack. White to play and exploit the black pieces formation on the light squares. || 

23. Nc5 

| The purpose of placing the e1 rook on the c-file is revealed. This white knight forks the black queen and b7 bishop, black cannot move the queen and save the now triply attacked bishop, so the knight must be removed. || 

23. ... Bxc5 
24. Rxc5 

| With this rook lift there is now a triple attack on the black d5 knight. It is however about to become triply defended, so all is fine is it? Perhaps so, but only if all the black defenders remain on the board. Over to white to find a means to exploit the precarious black position. Clue: It requires a couple of preparatory moves before the final blow will land. || 

24. ... Rd8 
25. Ba5 

| Is this attack really necessary? As the black d8 rook cannot move sideways as the d5 knight will be left short of a defender, then all this white bishop move does is force it forward up the d-file. There is a reason for this, the black back rank is about to become the third liability in the position. || 

25. ... Rd6 

| White to play and keep the main tactical threats in place while creating another tactical threat previously not available. || 

26. Qc4 

| The white queen stays on the important a2 - g8 diagonal while releasing an attack on the black b7 bishop from the b1 rook. The black d5 knight is triply attacked and triply defended. However, if one of those black defenders can be removed then the black d5 knight will be under-defended. || 

26. ... Nc3 

| Black could resign here. Perhaps both players were short on time and so a few extra illogical-looking tactical moves designed to cause confusion do no real harm. Had black instead tried to do nothing in the centre with, 26. ... h6, then white would win with, 27. Rxb7 Rxb7 28. Bxd5 Qe7 29. Bxb7 Qxb7 30. Qc8+ Qxc8 31. Rxc8+ Kh7 32. Rd8, white has an extra bishop and the passed black d-pawn is doomed. || 

27. Rxb7 Qe1+ 
28. Bf1 Ne2+ 
29. Qxe2 
Black resigns, 1-0 

| If, 29. ... Qxe2, white must play carefully with, 30. Rb8+, saving the rook. Now, 30. ... Rf8 31. Rxf8+ Kxf8 32. Bxe2, delaying recapturing the queen for a couple of moves has left white with two bishops for the black d4 pawn. || 

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## Unannotated game. 

White: Svidler, 2727. 
Black: Karjakin, 2762. 
Event: World Cup, Final Match, Baku 2015. 
Result: 1-0 in 29 moves. 
Opening: Reti Opening, King's Indian Attack, A07. 

1. Nf3 Nf6 
2. g3 d5 
3. Bg2 e6 
4. O-O Be7 
5. d3 O-O 
6. Nbd2 c5 
7. e4 Nc6 
8. Re1 b5 
9. exd5 Nxd5 
10. Ne4 Bb7 
11. c3 a6 
12. a4 b4 
13. Bg5 f6 
14. Bd2 e5 
15. Rc1 Rf7 
16. d4 bxc3 
17. bxc3 cxd4 
18. cxd4 Nxd4 
19. Nxd4 exd4 
20. Qb3 Rb8 
21. Rb1 Qd7 
22. Rec1 Qe6 
23. Nc5 Bxc5 
24. Rxc5 Rd8 
25. Ba5 Rd6 
26. Qc4 Nc3 
27. Rxb7 Qe1+ 
28. Bf1 Ne2+ 
29. Qxe2 
Black resigns, 1-0 

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