White: Bruce Leverett
Black: GM Alex Ivanov
Pittsburgh Open, round 3, June 11, 1994
Pirc Defense
1 d4 g6
2 e4
Something new for me: a KP opening.
2 ... Bg7
3 Nc3 c6
4 Nf3 d6
5 h3 Nd7
6 Be2 Qc7
7 O-O Ngf6
8 Bf4
8 a4 or 8 Be3 would be more sensible.
8 ... e5
9 dxe5 dxe5
10 Be3 O-O
11 Qd2 b5
12 a3 Bb7
13 Bh6 a6
14 Bxg7 Kxg7
15 Qe3 c5?
I could see this coming when my opponent played 13 ... a6. But it's bad.
16 Rfd1 Rad8
diagram:
3r1r2
1bqn1pkp
p4np1
1pp1p3
4P3
P1N1QN1P
1PP1BPP1
R2R2K1
17 a4 b4
18 Nd5 Bxd5
19 exd5 Qd6
20 c4 h6
21 Nd2 Rfe8
22 Re1 Nf8
23 a6 Re7
24 Bd1 e4
25 Ba4 N8d7
26 Nb3 Rc8
27 Re2 Ne5
28 Nd2 Nd3
Black was already in deep time trouble. Rather than try to save the pawn,
he made a practical decision to sacrifice it.
29 Nxe4 Rxe4
30 Qxd3 Rd4
31 Qc2 Nh5
32 g3 Rc7
33 Kg2 Re7
34 Rae1 Rxe2
35 Rxe2 Nf6
36 b3
I too was in time pressure by now. The time control was at move 40.
36 ... h5
37 h4 Ng4
38 Qc1 Qf6
39 Qg5 Qd6
40 Re7 Nf6
41 Rb7 Rg4
42 Qe3
In the post-mortem, 42 Rb6 was suggested.
42 ... Re4
43 Rb6 Qe5
44 Qf3 Re1
45 Rxa6
46 Rxf6 is now threatened.
45 ... Ng4
46 Ra7
White must take the draw as Black threatens Qa1.
46 ... Nf6
47 Ra6
Drawn
White: Bruce Leverett
Black: GM Alex Goldin
World Open, round 2, July 1, 1994
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1 d4 Nf6
2 c4 e6
3 Nc3 Bb4
4 e3 O-O
5 Bd3 d5
6 Nf3 c5
7 O-O dxc4
8 Bxc4 Nbd7
9 Qe2 b6
10 d5
Quieter moves, such as 10 Rd1 or 10 Bd2, are available. The text is the
start of a well-known critical variation: 10 d5 Bxc3 11 dxe6 Ne5 12 exf7+
Kh8 13 bxc3 Bg4 14 e4, in which Black has good compensation for his
sacrifice. Curiosity impelled me to play this even though I was completely
unprepared. But my opponent chose to avoid the complications.
10 ... e5
11 e4 Bxc3
12 bxc3 a6
13 a4 Ne8
14 Bd3 Nd6
15 Ne1 Re8
16 f3 Qc7
17 Qf2? c4
White had to prevent this with 17 c4. But the resulting position is still
unappealing due to the static queenside. Maybe I should have played 11 Qc2.
18 Bb1 Nc5!
19 Be3 a5!
diagram:
r1b1r1k1
2q2ppp
1p1n4
p1nPp3
P1p1P3
2P1BP2
5QPP
RB2NRK1
Aargh! The eternal dilemma of the QP player: why is it that my pawn on d5
doesn't faze him, but his pawn on c4 cuts me in two?
20 Nc2 Nd3
21 Bxb6 Qb7
22 Qe3 f5
23 Kh1 f4
24 Qg1 Ra6
25 Bc5 Nxc5
26 Qxc5 Bd7
I can hardly believe that I drew this miserable position. His problem was
that he got into severe time pressure.
27 Ba2 Rc8
28 Qa3 g5
29 g4 Be8
30 Rab1 Qd7
31 Rb5 h5
32 Rg1 hxg4
33 Rxg4 Nxe4
34 Rg2 Bg6
35 Qb2 Nd6
Somewhere around here or in the next few moves there are ways for Black to
crush, based on tactical ideas that he missed in time pressure. We looked
at these in the post-mortem, but I've forgotten them, and I'm going to
leave it for the reader to figure something out.
36 Na3 Qh3
37 Qe3 e4
38 Rxg5 Nf7
39 d6 Nxg5
40 Rxg5 Rxd6
Time pressure is over but Black isn't winning any more.
41 Nxc4 Rxc4
42 Qxc4+
I spent a long time looking at 42 Bxc4+, but Black's counterplay is too
strong, so I went for the clear draw.
42 ... Kf8
43 Qg8+ Ke7
44 Qg7+ Kd8
45 Qf8+ Kd7
46 Qg7+ Kd8
47 Qf8+
Drawn
White: GM Yuri Yakovich
Black: Bruce Leverett
World Open, round 3, July 1, 1994
Queen's Gambit Accepted
1 d4 d5
2 c4 dxc4
3 e3 Nf6
4 Bxc4 e6
5 Nf3 c5
6 Qe2
Black must watch out for dxc5 followed by e4 and e5. Wolff-Rachels from a
recent U.S. Championship was an example of this, notorious because it was
Wolff's first QP opening ever.
6 ... Nc6
7 O-O Qc7
8 Nc3 a6
9 Bd2 Bd6
10 Rac1 O-O
11 dxc5 Bxc5
12 e4 Ng4
13 g3
13 h3 Nd4! is an old trick.
13 ... Bd7
14 Kg2 Rfd8?
14 ... Nge5 is about equal.
15 Bg5 Be7?
15 ... Rdc8, admitting the mistake, was preferable. Now White breaks the
blockade of the e-pawn.
16 Bb3 Qa5
17 Bxe7 Nxe7
18 Nd4 Nf6
19 e5 Nfd5
20 Ne4 Bc6
21 Nxc6
21 Nd6 may have been more accurate. It looked very strong in the
post-mortem.
21 ... Nxc6
22 Nd6 Qb4
23 Rc4 Qb6
24 Rg4 g6
25 Nc4 Qc5
26 Rd1 Rd7
27 Nd2 Qe7
28 Nf3 Rad8
29 h4 h5
30 Re4 Ndb4
31 Rxd7 Rxd7
32 Ng5 Nd3
33 Bc4 Nc5
34 Rf4 Nd4
35 Qe1 Nf5
36 b4 Nd3
37 Bxd3 Rxd3
38 Ne4 Qd8
39 Nf6+ Kg7
40 Rc4 b5
41 Rc7
Looks scary but turns out to be nothing. There was some time pressure up to
move 40, but it wasn't really severe.
41 ... Rd2
42 Qe4 Rxa2
43 Qb7 Rxf2+
44 Kxf2 Qd2+
45 Kg1 Qe1+
46 Kg2 Qxg3+
47 Kf1 Qf4+
48 Kg1
48 Ke2? Qxe5+ 49 Ne4 Nd6 is good for Black.
48 ... Qg3+
Drawn
White: IM Georgi Orlov
Black: Bruce Leverett
World Open, round 4, July 2, 1994
Queen's Gambit Accepted
1 d4 d5
2 c4 dxc4
3 Nc3 a6
4 a4 e5
Maybe I'll try 4 ... e6 or 4 ... Nf6 next time. But obviously 4 ... e5 is
not an error; it's a matter of taste.
5 e3 Nc6
6 Nf3 exd4
7 exd4 Nf6
8 Bxc4 Bb4
Here's another interesting choice. Black could play 8 ... Be7 and leave b4
for the knight.
9 O-O O-O
10 h3 Bf5
11 Bg5 Qd6
12 Rc1 Ne4?
13 Nh4!
Was my 12th move enough to lose the game? It seems strange, but I was never
out of trouble from this point to the end of the game.
13 ... Nxg5
14 Nxf5 Qf4
15 Bd3 Bd6
16 g3 Qf3
17 Nxd6 Qxd1
18 Rfxd1 cxd6
19 Kg2 Nb4
20 Be2 Rac8
21 f4 Ne6
22 f5 Nc7
23 Bf3 d5
24 Ne2 Na8
25 Nf4 Nb6
26 b3 a5
27 Rc5 Rxc5
28 dxc5 Nd7
29 Nxd5 Nxc5
30 Nxb4 axb4
31 Rd4 Nxb3
32 Rxb4 Nc5
33 a5 h6
34 Bxb7 Nxb7
35 Rxb7 Ra8
36 Rb5 Kf8
37 Kf3 Ke7
38 Kg4 Ra7
39 Rd5 Rb7
40 Rd4 Ra7
41 Ra4 Kd6
42 a6 Ke5
43 Ra5+ Ke4
44 Kh5 Kf3
45 g4 Kg3
46 Ra3+ Kf4
47 f6 gxf6
48 Kxh6 f5
49 Ra4+ Kg3
50 gxf5 Kxh3
51 Kg7 Resigns