Dutch DefenseA84

GM Yury Shulman
FM Stephen Muhammad

2004 World Open (7)
Philadelphia, USA, 2004


1. d4 f5 The Dutch Defense. I played the black side of King's Indian Defense in my last two encounters with GM Shulman and lost both games. I felt it was time to try a new strategy. 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 4. Nc3 d5 Heading into the Stonewall variation. I've had to face the Stonewall as white and was so impressed with it's flexibility that I decided to add it to my repertoire. 5. Bf4 This move surprised me! Almost everyone fianchetto's the King's Bishop in the Dutch. 5... c6 6. e3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Ne4 9. Qb3 a5 10. Rac1?! My opponent could have saddled me with a difficult position by the simple pawn exchange on d5, forcing me to recapture with the c-pawn. 10. cxd5 cxd5 (10... exd5? 11. Nxe4 fxe4 12. Bxe4) 10... Kh8 I'm happy now. I have removed my King from the a2/g8 diagonal and can look forward to active play. 11. c5 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nd7 13. Rb1 When you make a mistake, correct it! 13... g5 And now the fun begins! 14. Bd6 Nxd6 15. cxd6 Qf6 16. c4 g4 17. Nd2 f4 The white King will come under fire if my opponent does not act quickly. 18. Be2 Rg8 19. Kh1! Sidestepping black's dangerous pawn advances. 19... b6! Preparing to complete my development. White must hurry and lock the queenside before black becomes too active there. 20. Qa4 Bb7 21. c5 b5 22. Qd1










Here I thought my opponent was going to sac a piece. But I was confident that my threats against his King would triumph. One possible line is: 22. Bxb5 cxb5 23. Qxb5 Ba6 24. Qxd7 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Qf5! Heading into the heart of white's position with 26...Qd3. 22... h5 23. a4 b4 24. Nb3 The best blockader of a passed pawn is the Knight! 24... Rgf8 25. exf4 Qxf4 26. Qc2 Rf6?! 26... Kg7 27. Rbe1 e5 28. dxe5 Nxe5 29. Qb2 Kg8 Time to jump back to the a2/g8 diagonal, I felt the other one was getting a bit hot! 30. Rd1 Rf7 31. Rd4 Qf6 32. Qd2 Ba6?! I knew I had to do something with the Bishop but trading it was incorrect. I should have posted it on f5. 32... Bc8 33. Qe3 Bf5= 34. Re4 33. Bxa6 Rxa6 34. Qc2 Ra8 35. Rdd1 Nc4 36. Qe2 Raf8?! 36... Nb2 37. Ra1 Nc4= 37. Nd4 Now I began to worry, white's Knight is strong. 37... Ne5










38. f4! gxf3 39. Nxf3?! 39. gxf3! Leaves black in quite a predicament! 39... Ng6 40. Nxc6 Nf4 41. Ne7+ 39... Qg7 40. Nxe5 Qxe5! 41. Qd3 Rxf1+ 42. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 43. Qxf1 b3 44. h3 b2 45. d7 Qe7 46. Qb1 Qxd7 47. Qxb2 d4 48. Qb3+ Kh7 49. Qd3+ Kh6 50. Qd2+ Kg6 51. Qd3+ Grabbing the pawn is no better. For example: 51. Qxa5 Qd5 52. Qe1 Qxc5 53. Qe6+ Kh7= 51... Kh6 52. Qd2+ Kg6 1/2-1/2 [Muhammad S.]

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