Welcome to my Sicilian Defense (ECO B30) game with JimGaming page!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in the Sicilian Defense, Nimzovich-Rossolimo attack (without ...d6). This game is one of my correspondence games played at ICC. The ratings listed below are after the game was completed.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2006Quad.30.11"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2006.08.05"]
[Round "-"]
[White "JimGaming"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White resigns"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Nimzovich-Rossolimo attack (without ...d6)"]
[ECO "B30"]
[NIC "SI.31"]
[Time "21:08:44"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. b3 a6 6. Bxc6 Nxc6 7. Bb2 f6 8.
d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Be7 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh4 Bg7 14. e5
O-O 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 Rxf6 18. Nd2 d5 19. c4 c5 20. cxd5
exd5 21. f3 Bf5 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Rfe1 Re6 24. g4 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bd3 26. Re5
c4 27. bxc4 dxc4 28. Re1 c3 29. Nb3 c2 30. Nc1 Bb5 31. Kf2 Rd8 32. h4 h6 33.
Ke3 Rd1 34. Kf2 a5 35. Rg1 Kf7 36. Re1 a4 37. g5 hxg5 38. hxg5 Rxe1 39. Kxe1
Ke6 40. Kd2 Kf5 41. Kxc2 Kxg5 42. Kc3 Kf4 43. Nd3+ Bxd3 44. Kxd3 Kxf3 45.
Kc4 g5 {White resigns} 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5

White's third move begins the Nimzovich-Rossolimo attack. In the past I usually played 3... a6 to kick the White Bishop right away. I have had a few problems after White captures on c6 so I decided to play a different line here.

e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. b3 a6

Now Black plays a6 to kick the White Bishop because if White captures on c6 Black can recapture with a Knight.

6. Bxc6 Nxc6 7. Bb2 f6

If 8. e5 then 8... Be7. If Black captures on e5 White gets an advantage with his Bishop at b2 putting pressure on g7.

8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Be7 10. Qh5+ g6

White develops his Queen early in an attempt to weaken the Black kingside pawns. White ends up losing time by having his Queen chased around.

11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh4 Bg7

Now Black has his dark-squared Bishop where he wanted it all along. White wants to exchange off at f6, which doesn't hurt Black at all!

14. e5 O-O 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 Rxf6

Black now has a Rook on a half open file hitting the White pawn at f2. Black has 3 pawn islands versus White's 2. White has queenside and kingside pawn majorities while Black has a center majority. White's pawn structure is slightly better, but the Black Bishop will turn out to be slightly better in the endgame than the White Knight.

18. Nd2 d5 19. c4 c5 20. cxd5 exd5

Black now has a passed pawn in the Center, which proves to be crucial to winning this game.

21. f3 Bf5 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Rfe1 Re6

If 24. Rxe6 then Bxe6 followed by c4 and I believe Black to be better here. White tried to win the Rook at e6 by attacking the Bishop that was protecting it but Black simply traded rooks with check.

24. g4 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bd3

Now Black can play the pawn to c4 and have his Rook behind it to guard it. White now attacked to pawn on d5 but Black realized the c4 still works here. If White captures on d5 Black can play to c3 attacking the White Knight. If the White Rook captures the Black Bishop on d3 Black plays c2! and White cannot stop Black from queening the pawn!

26. Re5 c4 27. bxc4 dxc4 28. Re1 c3 29. Nb3 c2

Black now has the position that he wanted with the passed pawn on c2. Now Black has to find a way to win this endgame because he cannot queen the pawn just yet. Even so, White must commit a piece to keep the Black pawn off c1.

30. Nc1 Bb5 31. Kf2 Rd8!

White cannot directly attack the pawn on c2 because the Black Bishop keeps White off e2 and the Black Rook keeps the White King from crossing the d file to get to the pawn. If 32. Ne2 then Rd2! creates problems for White.

32. h4 h6 33. Ke3 Rd1!

White cannot capture on d1 or move his Rook anywhere and thus has to move his King back to f2. The White King cannot get to either the Black Rook or the Black pawn on c2. Black can leave his Rook on d1 indefinitely.

34. Kf2 a5 35. Rg1 Kf7 36. Re1 a4

Black played the pawn to a4 mainly to keep the White Knight off b3. White is almost in zugzwang because the King cannot move off f2 or he will lose the Rook at e1. The Rook can't move off e1 or the Knight at c1 falls. If the Knight moves to either d3 or e2 then the Black Bishop will capture it and queen the pawn on the next move. Thus, White does the only thing that he can and moves a pawn.

37. g5 hxg5 38. hxg5 Rxe1!!

Earlier in the game my opponent had exceeded the time control and got off with a warning. I didn't want to give him a draw in a game that I should have already won on time forfeit! One advantage of correspondence chess is that I can move the pieces around on the board and see continuations that are too long for me to follow all the way through in my head! I saw that if White won the pawn on c2 I would get a passed pawn on the g file and that I would queen first. At this point White is lost no matter what he plays!

39. Kxe1 Ke6 40. Kd2 Kf5 41. Kxc2 Kxg5

White can't hang onto the f pawn and thus decided to try to win my a pawn.

42. Kc3 Kf4 43. Nd3+

Although Black can just capture the pawn on f3 with his King he decided to simplify this endgame and capture on d3 first.

Bxd3 44. Kxd3 Kxf3 45. Kc4 g5 0-1

Black queens first and can prevent White from queening his a pawn.

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