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(10) Christiansen,L - Miles,T [C67]
Can op, 2001
[Aida]
This strange game is difficult to understand. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 One of Miles favourite lines for the past 5 years. He has scored many successes with it, and probably inspired Kramnik's use of it against Kasparov last year in the match for the world title. 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 Curiously, Miles offered a draw at this point, and this annoyed his opponent. Christiansen, even though one half point ahead of Miles at this point of the tournament, simply growled 'no!' and continued. 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.b3 h6 11.Bb2 b6 12.Rad1 Kc8 13.Rd3 Perhaps a little premature. [13.h3!?; 13.Ne2!? c5 14.Nf4; 13.Ne4!?] 13...Be7 14.Rfd1 Be6 15.Ne2 c5 16.g4?! This doesn't turn out well. Christiansen perhaps was still annoyed from his opponent's draw offer and was having difficulty focus. In anycase, black soon gets the upper hand. [16.c4! a5 17.a4 g5 (17...Kb7 18.Nf4) 18.Nd2„] 16...Nh4 17.Nxh4 Bxh4 18.h3 c4! Those bishops... 19.R3d2 h5! 20.Nd4 Bg5 21.Re2 Bd5! Black is now threatening to mate White along the h line 22.e6!? Diagram Christiansen said afterwards that this move was desperate, even though pro- bably best! 22...hxg4?? Incredible! Miles overlooks Re5, which turns the tables. Simply ...fe6 would keep white on the ropes [22...fxe6!µ 23.Nxe6 Bf3] 23.Re5!± Bf6 [23...c6 24.Rxg5 Rxh3 25.Kf1] 24.Rxd5 fxe6 Fortunately for Miles he is still in the game, but barely. 25.Nxe6 Bxb2 26.hxg4 cxb3 27.cxb3 Re8 [27...Kb7 28.Rd7] 28.Rd8+ Kb7 29.Rxa8 Rxa8 30.Rd7 Be5 31.f4 Kc6 32.Rf7 Bb2 33.Kg2 Christiansen is clearly better. The black g pawn is hard to defend, and the black q side majority is difficult to advance. In the meantime...Christiansen was annoyed that there was no clear win! 33...Re8!? 34.Rxc7+ [34.f5!?] 34...Kd6 35.Rc2 Bf6 36.Nc7 [36.f5] 36...Re3 I like the way that Miles plays so actively. He realizes that his only hope is to get counterplay. 37.Kf2 [37.Nb5+ Kd5 38.Nxa7 Ke4] 37...Rh3 38.Ne8+ Kd5 39.Nxf6+ gxf6 40.Re2 a5 Probably this ending is a draw. White experiences difficulty advancing his extra pawn. 41.Kg2 Rc3 42.f5 b5 43.Rf2 Ke5 44.g5 [44.g5 fxg5 45.f6 Rc8 46.Kg3 Rf8 47.f7 Ke6 48.Kg4 Rxf7 49.Rxf7 Kxf7 50.Kxg5 Ke6 51.Kf4 Kd5 52.Ke3 Kc5 53.Kd3 Kb4 54.Kc2 Ka3 55.Kb1] 1/2-1/2
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