White: Bruce Leverett Black: Rodion Rubenchik Pennsylvania state championship, round 5 July 30, 2000 Queen's Gambit, Slav Defense 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 O-O O-O 9 Qe2 Nbd7 10 e4 Bg6 11 Bd3 Bh5 12 h3?! Black threatened 12 ... e5. To prevent this, White can play 12 e5 or 12 Bf4. After 12 Bf4 Re8 or ... Qe7, White will have to play 13 e5 anyway. 12 ... e5?! Simplest is 12 ... Bxf3 13 Qxf3 e5. After 14 Be3 exd4 15 Bxd4 Re8 it's easy to see that the initiative is in Black's hands. The text leads to great complications. 13 g4 Nxg4? The alternative is 13 ... exd4 14 Na2 (not 14 Nxd4 Ne5) Nxg4. After 15 hxg4 Bxg4 16 e5 Bc5, Black has three pawns for the piece. It's hard to evaluate the position, but Black should be OK. 14 hxg4 Bxg4 15 Qe3 exd4 16 Nxd4 Bc5 17 Be2 Ne5 18 Rd1 Qf6 Diagram: r4rk1/pp3ppp/2p2q2/2b1n3/P2NP1b1/2N1Q3/1P2BP2/R1BR2K1 19 Qf4! Bxd4 20 Qxf6 gxf6 21 Rxd4 Bxe2 22 Nxe2 Nf3+ 23 Kf1 Nxd4 24 Nxd4 The smoke has cleared. The position is favorable for the bishop and knight. Black's rooks can't begin to make trouble, while White has only to consolidate for a few moves before grinding up the kingside. 24 ... Rfe8 25 f3 Rad8 26 Be3 c5 27 Nf5 Re5 28 Ke2 Kf8 None too soon. White could have played 28 Bh6 to cut off this escape. Time pressure influenced both players around here. 29 Rh1 c4 30 Rxh7 Ke8 31 Bf4 Winning material. Now if 31 ... Ra5 32 Bc7 threatens 33 Rh8+ winning a whole rook, so Black has to pause before going after the a-pawn. 31 ... Rc5 32 Nd6+ Rxd6 33 Bxd6 Ra5 34 Rh8+ Kd7 35 Bb4 Rxa4 36 Bc3 b5 37 Bxf6 b4 38 Ke3 a5 39 Kd4 c3 40 Kc4 Going after the rook allows White to break up the dangerous-looking mass of Black pawns. I thought this was clearer than 40 bxc3 b3+ 41 Kd3 (not 41 Kc5? b2 42 Rb8 Rb4) 41 ... Ra1 (or Ra2) and 42 ... a4, etc. 40 ... Ke6 41 Bg7 f6 42 bxc3 bxc3+ 43 Kb3 44 Kxc3? Ra3+. 43 ... Ra1 44 Rh3 a4+ 45 Kxc3 Rb1 46 Kc2 Rb7 47 Bf8 Rb8 48 Ba3 Rb3 49 Bb2 Re3 50 Bd4 Re2+ 51 Kd3 Resigns