SVIDLER vs INDJIC – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 2

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It features Peter Svidler with White against Aleksandar Indjic with Black.

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

Svidler,Peter (2756) - Indjic,Aleksandar (2604)

34th European Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (2), 13.10.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.f4 Rc8 B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5 

10.0–0–0 h5 [10...b5 11.f5 Bc4 12.Kb1 Be7 13.Rg1 Ng4 14.Bxc4 bxc4 15.Nc1 0–0 16.N1e2 Nxh2 1–0 (40) Socko,B (2593)-Tomczak,J (2589) Warsaw 2018] 

11.Kb1 Be7 12.Bd3 b5 13.h3 h4 

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14.Rhf1N [14.f5 Bc4 15.Qf2 Qc7 16.Rd2 b4 1/2–1/2 (26) Mutschnik,I (2430)-Savchenko,S (2491) Germany 2015] 

14...Qc7 15.a3 [15.fxe5² Nxe5 16.Nd4] 

15...Nb6= 16.Bxb6 Qxb6 17.Rde1 Nh5 18.f5 Bd7 19.Nd5 Qa7 20.Qa5 Nf6 21.Nb6 Rb8 22.Nxd7 Qxd7 23.c4 bxc4 24.Bxc4 0–0 25.Rf3 

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25...d5 [25...Rfc8³ 26.Qxa6 Rc7] 

26.Rd1 Bd8 27.Qe1 Qa4 28.Bxd5 Nxd5 29.Nc5! Qb5 [#] 30.Rb3 Ba5 31.Rxb5 Rxb5 32.Qxh4 [32.b4 Nxb4 33.axb4 Bxb4µ] 

32...Nc3+! 33.Ka1! Nxd1 

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34.f6!ƒ Threatening mate with Qg5. White is pushing. 

34...Bc3? [Avoid the trap 34...Rxc5? 35.Qg5+-; Don't blunder 34...Rxb2? 35.fxg7 Kxg7 36.Qg5+ Kh8 37.Qh6+ Kg8 38.Nd7+-; 34...Bd8!= and Black stays safe. 35.Nd7 Bxf6] 

35.Na4 Intending Qg5 and mate. 

35...gxf6 [¹35...Bd2] 

36.bxc3+- Rd8 37.Qxf6 Rd7 intending ...Ra5. 

38.Qxa6? [38.c4+- Ra5 39.Qf3] 

38...Rdb7= ( -> ...Rb1+) 

39.Ka2 Kg7? [39...Nb2= 40.Nc5 Rb8] 

40.Qc6? [40.c4+- Rb1 41.Qa5] 

40...Rb1 ...Ne3 is the strong threat. 

41.Qc5 

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41...f6 Hoping for ...Nb2. 

42.g4? [42.g3=] 

42...Nb2!–+ 43.Kxb1 Nxa4+ Endgame KQ-KRN 

44.Qb4 Nxc3+! 45.Kc2 Rxb4 46.axb4 Nxe4 KN-K3P 

47.b5 Nd6 Black mates. 

48.b6 Kf7 49.h4 Ke6 50.Kc3 Kd7 51.Kd3 Kc6 52.g5 Kxb6 0–1