DEAC vs HENDERSON DE LA FUENTE – ROUND 8 ISLE OF MAN MASTERS 2018

This game is from round 8 of the Isle of Man Masters 2018, fully annotated. It is between Bogdan-Daniel Deac with White against Lance Henderson de La Fuente with Black.

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

Deac,Bogdan-Daniel (2594) - Henderson de La Fuente,Lance (2484)

IOM chesscom Masters 2018 Douglas (8), 27.10.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Nd2 0–0 6.Ngf3 dxc4 7.Qc2 E04: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3

XABCDEFGHY
8rsnlwq-trk+(
7zppzp-+pzpp'
6-+-+psn-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-vlpzP-+-+$
3+-+-+NzP-#
2PzPQsNPzPLzP"
1tR-vL-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy

7...a5 [7...b5 8.a4 bxa4 9.0–0 Bb7 10.Nxc4 Nbd7 11.Rxa4 a5 12.Bd2 Be4 13.Qd1 c5 14.dxc5 Bc6 15.Rxb4 axb4 16.Bxb4 Ra4 17.Nd4 Bxg2 18.Qxa4 Bxf1 19.Kxf1 Ne5 20.Nd6 Nd5 21.Ba3 Qc7 22.N6b5 Gelfand,B (2700)-Almasi,Z (2676)/Monte Carlo 2003/CBM 093 ext/1–0 (37)] 

8.a3 White threatens to win material: a3xb4 [8.Qxc4 b6 ½–½ Biriukov,O (2415)-Yemelin,V (2500)/St Petersburg 1997/CBM 058 9.a3 Ba6 10.Qc2 Be7 11.Ne4 (11.Nc4 c5 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.0–0 Nbd7 14.b4 axb4 15.axb4 Bxb4 16.Qb2 Nd5 17.Bd2 Be7 18.Qb3 Nc5 19.Qc2 Rc8 20.Qa2 Bf6 21.Rac1 b5 22.Nce5 Qd6 23.Ng4 Be7 24.Rcd1 Na4 25.e4 Ndb6 Pecorelli Garcia,H (2405)-Urday Caceres,H (2450)/Matanzas 1994/CBM 043/0–1 (40)) 11...Nxe4 12.Qxe4 Ra7 13.0–0 Nd7 14.Bf4 Bb7 15.Qc2 Qa8 16.Rfd1 Be4 17.Qd2 Rd8 18.Bg5 f6 19.Be3 Ne5 20.Ne1 c5 21.Qc3 Rad7 22.Rd2 Bxg2 23.Nxg2 Nc6 Carlsen,M (2625)-Jobava,B (2614)/Wijk aan Zee 2006/CBM 111/½–½ (50)] 

8...Be7 9.Nxc4 b5 10.Nce5 Bb7 11.0–0 Be4 Black threatens to win material: Be4xc2 

12.Qb3 c6 13.a4 White threatens to win material: a4xb5 

13...Bd5 14.Qd3 Na6 15.Bd2 bxa4 16.Rxa4 Nb4 Black threatens to win material: Nb4xd3 

17.Qe3 Qb6 18.Rc1 Rac8 19.Bxb4 axb4 Black has the pair of bishops.  

20.Nd3 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-trk+(
7+-+-vlpzpp'
6-wqp+psn-+&
5+-+l+-+-%
4Rzp-zP-+-+$
3+-+NwQNzP-#
2-zP-+PzPLzP"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

20...Ra8 [¹20...Bxf3!? should be considered 21.Qxf3 Qxd4 22.Rxc6 Nd5²] 

21.Rxa8± Rxa8 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-+k+(
7+-+-vlpzpp'
6-wqp+psn-+&
5+-+l+-+-%
4-zp-zP-+-+$
3+-+NwQNzP-#
2-zP-+PzPLzP"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

22.Nfe5 White threatens to win material: Ne5xc6 

22...Rd8? [22...Rc8 23.Bxd5 Nxd5 24.Qf3±] 

23.Nxc6 [¹23.Bxd5!? cxd5 24.Nxf7+-] 

23...Bxc6² 24.Rxc6 Qxd4 25.Qxd4 Rxd4 Opposite coloured bishops appeared 

26.Rc8+ Bf8 27.Bf1 g5 28.e3 White threatens to win material: e3xd4 

28...Rd7 29.Nxb4 Rb7 30.Nd3 Kg7 31.Be2 Be7 32.Kf1 Nd5 33.Bf3 Rb3 Black threatens to win material: Rb3xd3 

34.Bxd5 Rxd3 35.Bc4 White threatens to win material: Bc4xd3 

35...Rd1+ 36.Kg2 Rd2 Black threatens to win material: Rd2xb2 

37.Rc7 White threatens to win material: Rc7xe7 

37...Kf6 38.Rb7 Bc5 Black threatens to win material: Bc5xe3 

39.Kf1 Be7 40.Be2 Rc2 41.b4 Rb2 42.b5 h6 43.Bh5 Rb1+ 44.Kg2 Rb2 45.h3 Rc2 46.b6 Rb2 47.Kf3 e5 48.Ke4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+R+-vlp+-'
6-zP-+-mk-zp&
5+-+-zp-zpL%
4-+-+K+-+$
3+-+-zP-zPP#
2-tr-+-zP-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

48...Rxf2? [48...Ke6 49.Bg4+ Kf6 50.Kd5+-] 

49.Rc7 [¹49.Rd7!? might be the shorter path 49...Rc2+-] 

49...Rb2 50.b7 Bd6 51.Rd7 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+P+R+p+-'
6-+-vl-mk-zp&
5+-+-zp-zpL%
4-+-+K+-+$
3+-+-zP-zPP#
2-tr-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

51...Bc5? [51...Bb8 52.Bxf7 Rb4+ 53.Kd5 e4+-] 

52.Kd5 Be7 53.Bf3 Rb6 54.Rc7 Rb3 [54...Bd6 no good, but what else? 55.b8Q! Deflection: b8 55...Rxb8 56.Kxd6 Rb6+ 57.Bc6 g4 58.hxg4 Ra6+-] 

55.Be2 Bd8 56.Rd7 Be7 57.Kc6 Rc3+ 58.Kb5 Rb3+ 59.Ka5 Bc5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+P+R+p+-'
6-+-+-mk-zp&
5mK-vl-zp-zp-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+r+-zP-zPP#
2-+-+L+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

60.Bc4 [¹60.Bb5 and the result of the game is clear: White will win 60...Ra3+ 61.Ba4 Ba7+-] 

60...Rb2 61.Rxf7+ Kg6 62.e4 Rb1 63.Rd7 Kf6 [63...h5+-] 

64.g4 Rb2 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+P+R+-+-'
6-+-+-mk-zp&
5mK-vl-zp-zp-%
4-+L+P+P+$
3+-+-+-+P#
2-tr-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

65.Bd5 [65.Rf7+ makes it even easier for White 65...Kg6 66.Bd5 Rb1+-] 

65...Rb1 [65...Kg6 doesn't do any good 66.Rf7 h5 67.gxh5+ Kh6 68.Rd7+-] 

66.Rf7+ Kg6 67.Rf3 [67.Rf5 keeps an even firmer grip 67...Bd6 68.Ka6 Ra1+ 69.Kb6 Rc1+-] 

67...Bd6 [67...h5 cannot change what is in store for ? 68.Bf7+ Kh6 69.Bb3+-] 

68.Ka6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+P+-+-+-'
6K+-vl-+kzp&
5+-+Lzp-zp-%
4-+-+P+P+$
3+-+-+R+P#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+r+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

68...Bb8 [68...Rc1+- there is nothing better in the position] 

69.Rf8 Bd6 70.Rd8 Bc7 71.Rc8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+R+-+-+(
7+Pvl-+-+-'
6K+-+-+kzp&
5+-+Lzp-zp-%
4-+-+P+P+$
3+-+-+-+P#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+r+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

71...Bd6 [71...Ra1+ what else? 72.Kb5 Rb1+ 73.Kc6 Rxb7 74.Kxb7 Ba5+-] 

72.Rc6 Ra1+ 73.Kb5 Rb1+ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+P+-+-+-'
6-+Rvl-+kzp&
5+K+Lzp-zp-%
4-+-+P+P+$
3+-+-+-+P#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+r+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

74.Ka4 [74.Ka4 Ra1+ 75.Kb3 Rb1+ 76.Kc2+-]  1–0