White: Ben Gradsky Black: Tom Magar Abel Bomberault Memorial, Round 3 December, 1999 Gruenfeld Defense, Exchange Variation 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 c5 7 Bc4 Bg7 8 Ne2 O-O 9 Be3 Nc6 10 O-O Qc7 11 Rb1 This is a gambit. Supposedly White gets compensation after 11 ... cxd4 12 cxd4 Nxd4, but I haven't figured out how. The older move is 11 Rc1. 11 ... Rd8 12 d5 12 Qc1 is possible, so that after 12 ... cxd4 13 cxd4 Nxd4? or 13 ... Na5 would lose the queen to 14 Bxf7+. 12 ... Na5 12 ... e6 immediately is possible, because 13 Bxc5 would lose to 13 ... Na5. 13 Bd3 e6 14 Bf4 e5 This is typical of the Exchange Gruenfeld. It looks ugly to shut in Black's beautiful Gruenfeld bishop, but White's king bishop, which is shut in at the same time, is equally bad. 15 Be3 c4 16 Bc2 b6 17 Qd2 Nb7 18 f4 f6 19 Ng3 Nd6 20 fxe5 If White can get any advantage, it could only be by maintaining the tension here. Perhaps 20 h4 followed by 21 f5 would accomplish something. 20 ... fxe5 21 Rf2 Bb7 22 Rbf1 Rf8 23 h4 Rxf2 24 Rxf2 Rf8 25 h5 Rxf2 26 Qxf2 Qf7 27 hxg6 Qxf2+ 28 Kxf2 hxg6 29 a4 Drawn The following game was Gradsky's first win against an Expert. White: Ben Gradsky Black: Charlie Leach Dubois Turkey Open, Round 4 November, 1998 Petroff Defense 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 exd4 In this variation, White gets a lead in development that is surprisingly hard to shake off. The alternative is 3 ... Nxe4. 4 e5 Ne4 5 Qxd4 d5 6 exd6 Nxd6 7 Bd3 Nc6 8 Qf4 Be7 The usual move is 8 ... g6. The text is not bad, but after Black's 12th move it will start to look funny, as we will see. 9 Nc3 Be6 10 Bd2 O-O?! 10 ... Qd7 would be cagier, waiting to see where White will castle, so that Black can castle on the same side. The attacks on opposite wings work in favor of the better developed player. 11 O-O-O Bf6 12 g4 This turns out well, but perhaps 12 h4, threatening 13 Ng5, was more accurate. 12 ... g6? If Black had played this at move 8, he could have saved a tempo or two with his bishop. But what is more important than the irony of this backwards fianchetto is that White can now force open the h-file, and Black's king is a sitting duck. 13 h4 Bh8 14 h5 Qf6 Diagram: r4rkb/ppp2p1p/2nnbqp1/7P/5QP1/2NB1N2/PPPB1P2/2KR3R 15 Qh2!? Now 15 ... Qxf3? allows mate after 16 hxg6. If Black had retreated his bishop to g7 instead of h8, the same combination wouldn't be immediate mate, but it would still win for White. More important is 15 ... Bg4 16 hxg6 h5. Then White must sacrifice the exchange, but gets a strong attack for it after 17 g7 Bxg7 18 Ng5. 15 ... Nb4 16 hxg6 Nxd3+ 17 cxd3 Qxg6 18 Ne5 Bxe5 19 Qxe5 Rfe8 20 Qg3 Kh8 21 Rh6 Qxg4 22 Qe5+ Qg7 23 Qh2 Bf5 24 Nd5 Nb5 25 Nf6 Re6 26 Rg1 Rc6+ 27 Kd1 Bg6 28 Rgxg6 Resigns About the following game, Gradsky writes, "Here is the one that got away. If I had won this game, I would have tied for first place in the tournament along with Thomas Magar and James Booth." White: Vassil Prokhov Black: Ben Gradsky Fred Sorensen Memorial, Round 6 October, 1999 Ruy Lopez, Marshall Gambit 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 O-O 8 c3 d5 9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Nxe5 Nxe5 11 Rxe5 c6 12 d3 At the amateur level, it's rare to see White take up the challenge of the Marshall Gambit. I have met a few people who gave up playing the Black side because they never got a chance to play the interesting tactical lines. The text move offers a few little twists on the usual 12 d4. 12 ... Bd6 13 Re1 Bf5 13 ... Qh4, as in the main variation, is also possible here; White answers 14 g3 Qh3 15 Re4, and now 15 ... g5? would just lose a pawn, whereas in the main variation, with White's pawn on d4, 15 ... g5 16 Bxg5? Qf5 would win for Black. Nevertheless 13 ... Qh4 is playable and may even be better than the text. 14 Nd2 Now after 14 ... Bxd3? 15 Nf3 Black has even material but falls behind in development. So the text is a clever move but 14 Qf3!? may be even better. 14 ... Nf4 15 Ne4 Nxd3 16 Bg5 Qd7 17 Nxd6 Black now gets an advantage because his knight on d3 cannot be dislodged. Instead, 17 Re3 led to an even game after 17 ... Bxe4 18 Rxe4 Rae8, Kir. Georgiev-Nunn, Dubai Olympiad 1986. 17 ... Qxd6 18 Be7 Qf4 19 Re2 Rfe8 20 a4 20 Ba3 prevents the following shot. Black might then play to entrench by 20 ... c5 21 Bc2 c4. 20 ... Nxb2 21 Rxb2 Rxe7 22 axb5 cxb5 23 Rxa6 Rae8 24 Re2 24 Ra1 Qe5 threatens mate and the c-pawn. 24 ... Rxe2 25 Qxe2 Qc1+ 26 Bd1 Rd8? Now White can draw. Gradsky points out 26 ... Kf8! 27 Qf1 Bd3! winning. 27 Rd6 Rc8 28 g4 Bg6 29 Qxb5 Qxc3 30 Qe2 Kf8 31 Qd2 Drawn