SVIDLER vs BAUER – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 5

Peter Svidler managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to take his tally to four losses in a row.

This game is from round 5 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It is between Peter Svidler with White against Christian Bauer with Black.

This game features a Queen's Pawn Game. To learn more about the Queen's Pawn Game, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Svidler,Peter (2756) - Bauer,Christian (2626)

34th European Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (5), 16.10.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nc6 3.d4 Bf5 4.Bg2 Nb4 5.Na3 e6 6.c3 D02: 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4 [6.0–0 h6 7.Ne5 Bd6 8.c3 Bxe5 9.dxe5 Nc6 10.c4 Nge7 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nb5 0–0 13.Nd4 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 0–1 (54) Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Bosiocic, M (2624) Riadh 2017] 

6...Nc6 7.Qb3 Rb8 8.0–0 Be7 9.Bf4 

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9...a6N [9...g5 10.Be3 h5 11.Ne5 h4 12.Qa4 Kf8 13.c4 Nxe5 14.dxe5 1–0 (35) Gukesh,D (2283)-Alahakoon,I (2047) Bhubaneswar 2017] 

10.Ne5 Nf6 11.Rfd1 0–0 12.c4 Nb4 13.Rac1 c6 14.c5 a5 15.Nb1 Nh5 16.Bd2 f6 17.Nf3 g5 18.a3 Na6 19.Nc3 b6 20.cxb6! Rxb6 21.Qa2 Qd7 22.Na4 Rb5 23.Rc3 Ng7 24.Rdc1 Nb8 25.Bf1 Ne8 26.e3ƒ Black is under strong pressure. 

26...Nd6 27.Nc5 Qe8 

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28.a4 [28.Bxb5?! Nxb5 29.R3c2 (29.Rb3 Qh5=) 29...Bxc2²] 

28...Rxc5 29.Rxc5 Ne4 30.Bxa5 [30.Rxa5?! Bg4=] 

30...Qh5 31.Bg2 Black must now prevent R5c2. 

31...Bxc5 

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32.dxc5 aiming for Nd4. 

32...Bh3 33.Nd4 [Better is 33.b4± ] 

33...Bxg2= 34.Kxg2 And now b4 would win. 

34...g4? [34...Nxf2!= and Black has nothing to worry. 35.Kxf2 Qxh2+ 36.Ke1 Nd7] 

35.Nxe6+- Qh3+ 36.Kg1! 

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36...Nd7 ( -> ...Ne5!) 

37.Nf4! [37.Nxf8 Ne5 38.Qxd5+ cxd5 39.Kh1 Nf3 40.Ne6 Nxf2#] 

37...Qh6 38.Nxd5 Kh8 ...Ne5 is the strong threat. 

39.Nf4 Ng5 40.Kg2 

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40...Ne5 Black wants to play ...Nd3. 

41.Bc3?? [41.Qb1+- is the narrow road to win.] 

41...Nd3!–+ Threatens to win with ...Nxf4+. 

42.Kh1? [42.Nxd3 gets mated. 42...Qh3+ 43.Kh1 Nf3 44.Bxf6+ Rxf6 45.Qg8+ Kxg8 46.Nf4 Qxh2#; 42.Qc4–+ Nxc1 43.b4] 

42...Nf3! [Less strong is 42...Nxc1 43.Qc4³] 

43.h4 

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43...Nxh4! [Inferior is 43...Nxc1 44.Qe6±]  0–1