ARONIAN vs SHORT – ISLE OF MAN MASTERS 2018 ROUND 7

Nigel Short Photo: John Saunders

This game is from round 7 of the 2018 Isle Of Man Masters. It is between Levon Aronian with White against Nigel Short with Black.

This game features an English Opening. To learn more about the English Opening, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Aronian,Levon (2780) - Short,Nigel D (2652)

IOM chesscom Masters 2018 Douglas (7), 26.10.2018

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nf3 f5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 Nf6 6.d3 0–0 7.0–0 Kh8 8.b4 [8.Bd2 Na6 9.Rb1 c6 10.b4 Nc7 11.b5 c5 12.Bg5 Ng8 13.Bc1 Bf6 14.Bb2 Ne7 15.Qc2 b6 16.Nd2 Rb8 17.a4 Bb7 18.Bxb7 Rxb7 19.e3 d5 20.a5 Ne6 21.axb6 axb6 22.cxd5 Nxd5 Spraggett,K (2585)-Speelman,J (2615)/Hastings 1989/TD/½–½ (61)] 

8...Qe8 9.Bg5 [9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.cxd5 Nd7 11.Qc2 Nf6 12.Ng5 Bd8 13.Bb2 h6 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 c6 16.b5 Rc8 17.bxc6 bxc6 18.Qa4 Qxe6 19.Bxc6 d5 20.Rac1 Bb6 21.Ba3 Rfd8 22.Bb7 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 f4 Cocchi,A (2333)-Vocaturo,D (2358)/playchess.com 2006/CBM 111 ext/0–1 (53)] 

9...Nbd7 A21: English Opening: 1...e5 2 Nc3

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10.Rc1N [10.Nh4 h6 11.Bd2 Nh7 12.Nd5 ½–½ Izeta Txabarri,F (2470)-De la Villa Garcia,J (2525)/San Roque 1996/CBM 057] 

10...h6 11.Bd2 c6 Controls b5+d5 

12.e3 g5 13.Ne2 e4 14.Ne1 Ne5 Black threatens to win material: Ne5xd3 

15.Bc3 

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15...g4 This push gains space 

16.dxe4 fxe4 White has a new backward pawn: f2 

17.Nf4 Nf3+ 18.Bxf3 

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18...gxf3 Black has the pair of bishops [Inferior is 18...exf3 19.Qd3 Kg7 20.b5±] 

19.Qc2 White threatens to win material: Qc2xe4 

19...Kg8 20.Rd1 a5 21.b5 White wins space 

21...a4 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Rxd6 Be5 24.Rxh6 Bf5 25.g4 

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25...Bh7? [25...Bg7 26.Rh4 (‹26.gxf5 Bxh6 27.Ne6 Rxf5 28.Qxe4 Rf6³) 26...Bg6 27.bxc6 Qxc6 28.Nxf3 Rxf4 29.exf4 exf3 30.f5±] 

26.Rxh7! Double attack: f3/h7 

26...Kxh7 27.Qxe4+ Kg7 28.Qxf3 [28.Nxf3!? Bxf4 29.Qd4+ Kg8 30.exf4 Rd8+-] 

28...Bxf4 29.exf4 Rd8 30.Ng2 Rd4 31.Qc3 Qd7 32.bxc6 bxc6 33.Qa5 [33.f5 Kg8 34.Ne3 Qg7+-] 

33...Kg8 34.h3 Rxc4 35.Re1 Qd5 36.Qc7 Re4 37.Rc1 Rf7 38.Qb6 Rc4 39.Re1 Re4 40.Ne3 Qd6 41.f5 Rb4 42.Qa6 Re7? [¹42...Kg7+-] 

43.Rd1 Qc7 44.Qd3 Rbe4 45.f6 R7e5 [45...Re8 doesn't improve anything 46.Nf5 Kf8 47.Qa3+ c5 48.Qc1+-] 46.Nf5 Re1+ [46...Kf8 47.Kg2 Rxf5 48.Qxe4 Rxf6+-] 

47.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 48.Kg2 Kf7 49.Nd6+ [49.Nd6+ Kxf6 50.Qc3+ Kg6 51.Qxe1 Qxd6 52.Qe4+ Kg7 53.h4+-]  1–0