HALMEENMAKI vs PEIN – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 6

In a way, this game may have given Malcolm Pein flashbacks to the loss he suffered a couple of weeks ago at the FIDE presidential election. This again a situation where everything seemed to be working fine until suddenly it wasn’t.

This game is from round 6 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It is between Tuomo Halmeenmaki with White against Malcolm Pein with Black.

This game features a Kings Indian Attack. To learn more about the Kings Indian Attack, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Halmeenmaki,Tuomo (2177) - Pein,Malcolm (2327)

34th European Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (6), 17.10.2018

1.Nf3 g6 2.g3 Bg7 3.Bg2 d5 4.0–0 c5 5.d3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 e6 7.e4 Nge7 8.c3 b6 9.Re1 h6 A08: King's Indian Attack

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10.Nf1 [10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.cxd4 0–0 13.e5 a5 14.Nf3 Ba6 15.h4 Rc8 16.Bf4 Qc7 17.Qd2 Kh7 18.Rac1 Qd7 19.Rc3 Qa4 20.g4 Rxc3 21.bxc3 Bc4 22.Qb2 Rb8 23.Ra1 Bd3 24.Ne1 Ba6 Miton,K (2592)-Szelag,M (2497)/Poznan 2005/CBM 107/1–0 (63); 10.Qe2 a5 11.h4 Ba6 12.e5 g5 13.hxg5 hxg5 14.Nxg5 Nxe5 15.c4 Ra7 16.Ndf3 N5g6 17.Nxf7 Kxf7 18.Ng5+ Ke8 19.Nxe6 Qd6 20.Nxg7+ Kf7 21.Ne6 1–0 Vokroj,R (2313)-Tomitz,H (2126)/St Veit 2006/CBM 113 ext] 

10...d4N This push gains space [10...a5 11.h4 Ra7 (11...Ba6 12.e5 Qc7 13.Qe2 g5 14.hxg5 hxg5 15.N1h2 Rxh2 16.Nxh2 Nxe5 17.Rd1 N5g6 18.Bxg5 f6 19.Bd2 e5 20.c4 Rd8 21.Ng4 Kf7 22.Bh6 Bh8 23.Ne3 d4 24.Nd5 Nxd5 25.cxd5 Bc8 26.a3 Weber,M (2330)-Kohlweyer,B (2365)/Germany 1991/GER-chT/0–1 (46)) 12.e5 d4 13.c4 Ba6 14.a4 Nb4 15.Bf4 Kd7 16.N1h2 Kc8 17.Ng4 Nec6 18.Qd2 h5 19.Ngh2 Rd7 20.Ng5 Kb8 21.Nhf3 Ka7 22.Ne4 Rf8 23.Red1 Ne7 24.Nd6 Nf5 25.Nb5+ Becker,N (2122)-Beckmann,E (1965)/Berlin 2005/CBM 110 ext/1–0 (34); 10...0–0 11.e5 g5 12.h3 Qc7 13.d4 Ba6 14.a3 cxd4 15.cxd4 Rfc8 16.Bd2 Bd3 17.Rc1 Qb7 18.N1h2 Bf5 19.Bc3 b5 20.g4 Bh7 21.h4 gxh4 22.Nxh4 b4 23.axb4 Nxb4 24.Re3 Na2 25.Ra1 Hidalgo Santana,F (2265)-Moskalenko,V (2520)/El Sauzal 2003/CBM 097 ext/0–1] 

11.c4 e5 12.a3 Prevents intrusion on b4 

12...Be6 13.Bd2 a5 White has a cramped position. White's piece can't move: f1 

14.Rb1 a4 15.b3 axb3 

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16.Qxb3 Black has a new backward pawn: b6 

16...Rb8 White's piece can't move: f1 

17.Qc2 0–0 18.Nh4 Ra8 Black threatens to win material: Ra8xa3 

19.Qc1 White's piece can't move: f1 

19...Kh7 

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20.f4 The thematic attack 

20...Bd7 21.f5 White wins space 

21...g5 Black threatens to win material: g5xh4 

22.Nf3 f6 23.g4 Ra6 24.h4 Kg8 25.Ng3 Qa8 [25...Be8!?= is worthy of consideration] 

26.hxg5² hxg5 27.Nh5 The white knight is well posted. 

27...Rf7 28.Bxg5 

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28...fxg5 [28...Rxa3? is no good 29.Nxg7 Kxg7 30.Bh4+-] 

29.Qxg5 [Not 29.Nxg5 Bh6µ; Worse is 29.Nxg7 Rxg7 30.f6 Rg6 31.fxe7 Bxg4³] 

29...Nd8?? [¹29...Qf8² had to be tried to avoid defeat] 

30.Nxe5+- [30.Nxe5 Ng6 31.Nxf7+-]  1–0