Alexander Baburin (2586) – Julio Becerra (2535)

Capablanca Memorial, Havana (8), 15.05.1999

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nf3 Bg7 4 g3 0-0 5 Bg2 d6 6 0-0 c6 7 Nc3 Qb6 8 b3 e5 9 e4 Bg4 10 Be3 Qa5 11 Rc1 Nbd7 12 h3 Bxf3 13 Bxf3 a6 14 d5 cxd5 15 cxd5 Rfc8 16 Qd2 Rc7 17 Nb1 Qxd2 18 Nxd2 Rac8 19 Nc4 Bf8 20 Bg2 b5 21 Na5 Rxc1 22 Rxc1 Rxc1+ 23 Bxc1 Nc5 24 f3 Nh5 (D)

Previous play has not been free of mistakes on both sides, but White is clearly getting the better of it, as this ending is difficult for Black: his bishop is passive and the d6- and a6-pawns may become weak. However, I was suffering from the dead-brain syndrome (described in CBC-10), as I spent too much time on every single move. Thus, I felt that an injection of adrenaline was much needed and played:

25 Be3! This is even better than 25 Kh2, which would be also good for White. Then he should try to activate his light squared bishop by h3-h4 and Bg2-h3.

25...Nxg3

Black had to accept the sacrifice, as 25...Nd3 26 Bf1 Nb4 27 a4 bxa4 (or 27...Nxg3? 28 axb5 Nxf1 29 b6+-) 28 Bd2!? (28 bxa4 Nxg3 29 Bc4±) is bad for him.

26 Bxc5 dxc5 27 Kf2 Nh5 28 Nb7 f5?

This was certainly a mistake, but Black’s defensive task was not easy, for example: 28...Nf4 29 d6 c4 30 bxc4 bxc4 31 Bf1 (but not 31 d7? c3! 32 d8Q c2) 31...c3 32 Ke1 - Black's c-pawn is stopped, while White's d-passer is may cost Black a piece.

29 d6 Nf6 (D)

It looks like Black is on top, but this impression is wrong - once White's sleeper on g2 wakes up, his d-pawn can get very dangerous. Thus:

30 f4! Nd7

Or 30...exf4 31 e5 Ne4+ 32 Bxe4 fxe4 33 Nxc5+-.

31 exf5 exf4 32 Bd5+ Kg7 33 Be6 Ne5 34 d7 Be7 35 fxg6

It was possible to play 35 d8Q Bxd8 36 Nxd8, but taking on g6 is better.

35...Bh4+ 36 Kf1 c4 37 bxc4 bxc4 (D)

Here I had 2 minutes and thus I really cannot explain why I did not play 38 d8Q Bxd8 39 Nxd8 Kxg6 40 Bd5+-, which would have brought me in the lead on +4 and sent my opponent to -2. As it happened, I finished on +1, while GM Becerra went to win 3 more games in a row and finished on +3 and came equal 2^nd. Well, this is chess...

38 gxh7?? c3 39 Bf5 Nxd7

Oops! I completely forgot that the knight could take my precious pawn... :-(

40 Ke2? Yet another mistake, which gives Black two tempi. 40...Ne5-+ 41 Na5 f3+ 42 Kf1 Bd8 43 Nb3 Bb6 44 Be4 f2 45 Kg2 a5? 46 a4 Nd7 47 Nxa5! Bxa5 48 Kxf2 Nf6 49 Bf5 Nxh7 50 Ke3 Ng5 51 h4 Kf6 52 Bc2 Nf7 53 Kd4 Ne5 (D)

With some of help from the opponent, White made a lot of progress and here I could save the game by playing 54 Kc5! Nf3 55 Bb1 Ne1 56 Kb5. Then the a-pawn would cost Black one of his pieces, for example: 56...Bc7 57 a5 c2 58 Bxc2 Nxc2 59 a6. Strangely enough, I saw that I should attack Black's bishop, but still played the absolutely pointless move 54 h5?. After this mistake the rest is easy:

54...Nf3+ 55 Kc5 Ne1 56 Be4 c2 57 Bxc2 Nxc2 58 Kb5 0-1

I guess you can imagine how I feel after this game... I know some people who in such situation would try to crash some furniture (with their heads), but I am against such extremes. I remind myself that there is life outside of chess - read a good book or have a beer with friends. Better yet to have 2 or 3 beers - this is exactly what I did in Havana and it worked.