Vyzhmanavin (2555) - Baburin (2415)

Championship of Russia, Gorky 1989

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e4 Nc6 4 Be3 Nf6 5 Nc3 Ng4?! 6 Bxc4 e5?! 7 Qb3 Qd7 8 0-0-0!

At that time this was a rather popular variation. But Vyzhmanavin's novelty on move 8 forced the whole line with 5...Ng4 and 6...e5 out of practice. I came back to that game a few times, but could not find an improvement for Black. White's superior development gives him better chances in all lines.

8...exd4 9 Nf3 Bc5

After 9...Na5 10 Qb5 Nxe3? White has a thematic blow - 11 Bxf7+!, winning. Perhaps Black's best chance was in 9...Nxe3!? 10 fxe3 Na5.

10 Qb5 Bd6 11 Bxd4 0-0 12 h3! Nxd4 13 Qxd7 Bxd7 14 Rxd4 Nxf2 15 Rf1 Be6 16 Bxe6 fxe6 17 Rxf2 Bc5 18 Rfd2 Bxd4 19 Nxd4 (D)

19...Rad8?

White has a serious advantage here, but Black should have put up a better resistance with 19...Rfe8. Allowing White to create a passed pawn was a fatal mistake.

20 Nxe6 Rxd2 21 Kxd2 Rf2+ 22 Ke3 Rxb2 23 Nxc7 Rxg2 24 e5 Rg3+ 25 Kd4 Rxh3 26 e6 Rh4+ 27 Ke5 Rh5+ 28 Kf4 Rh4+ 29 Kg5 Rh1 30 e7 Re1 31 e8Q+ Rxe8 32 Nxe8 a6 1-0

Very good game by Alexey Vyzhmanavin! Unfortunately, he died recently (see CBC-21).