Skovbo GM 2012 - Part one

I will start this rapport with nice position which can be used as positional exercise.
A task is to find most promising continuation for Black.
As one member of our delegation, IM Daniel Semcesen (recently interviewed on this blog) noticed, White defended himself against one threat all the time but the threat has more dimensions.
This position was from my game from round number four, against promising young boy from Denmark, Martin Percivaldi (born 1999, Elo 2041).
I am most satisfied with this game in the first half of the tournament.
                                                         
                                                         Round one
                           Bejtovic Jasmin (E2390)-Zubarev Alexander (E2590)

As organizer used accelerated pairing system, I played against player rated number two in the tournament, directly in the first round. I was quite satisfied in the opening, securely punishing his experiment in the opening. I forgot what I analysed and what is my antidote in my opening file, but once more it was proved that creative play during the game is much more important than memorizing opening variations. What I played in the game is much better that what I analysed at home (and for example, what Mihail Marin analysed in his book about English opening).

After some nice tactics I got this position.
I am clearly better, no matter if I play Rfe1 or just sacrifice an exchange.
I played:
19. dxe6
and after
19...Bxf1 20.Rxf1, c6
I could start to think how to convert my advantage in a full point. 
However, I panicked and took an exchange back, underestimating his chances in the endgame.
I was pawn up but he had full compensation for it.
It was up to his superior understanding of that kind of positions. I lost my pawn, but defended quite decent and we reached following endgame.

 It is inside of draw margins, and I should play something like Rf2.
Instead, I played:
44. Rf4
...and after
44...Rxh2+ 
45. Kc1, b3
46. Rxg4, Rc2+
47. Kb1
I missed his....
47...Rd2! (I only calculated 47...Rc3)
I tried with
48. Rg8, Kc7!
but no tactics that works in my favour now.
I was forced to resign very soon.
It was very hard to take, especially as I think that I was not inferior if we count all aspects of game.

                                                       Round two
                       Eriksson Christian (E2118)-Bejtovic Jasmin (E2390)

This is already my third game against this Danish player.
I was black every time.
In my preparation I noticed that he has some problems in his understanding of dark-square strategy and I succeed in transforming his favourite Alapin Sicilian variation in some sort of The King´s Indian Defence.
This is position which we reached after the opening, and I have all sort of advantages.

IM Smith Axel: I liked your game against Eriksson. It had many elements of clash between higher rated player against lower rated player.

However, chess is very difficult play and I made one big mistake near the end.
If he played 55.Bc4 (instead of 55.Bd3) I could not avoid rooks exchange and a draw.
I would probably play 55...Bf2 but than I don´t have an advantage.
You can see that from the PGN viewer at the end of this article.

                                                     Round three
                          Bejtovic Jasmin (E2390) - Petersen Nils (E1958)

Without any disrespecting of my opponent, but this was really very easy game for me. I got every sort of advantage very early in the game and he never was really in the game.
I got a position on the diagram after 18 moves.
His bishop on c8 was buried and he tried to exchange my strong knight on c5 with Nd8-Nb7.
I just took Rxb7 eliminating only piece which can chalange me on the dark squares.
I didn´t even considered taking on e6 (and f8) than and I just played for an attack with Nh4-Ng6.
Soon he resigned.


                                                     Round four
                           Percivaldi Martin (E2048)- Bejtovic Jasmin (E2390)

Here we are. Position from the introduction diagram again.
As GM Vassilios Kotronias pointed in his fantastic book, The Grandmaster Battle Manual, lower rated players, when facing higher rated players, are good at playing second rate moves which are not easy to refute.
I had the same problem here. Despite quite good play in the opening and easy equalising I was pressed to find a way to play for a win.
He just played:
19. Na4
...with idea of Bc3, trading dark-squared bishops, bringing knight back on c3 and than playing for e4-e5 break.
What should I do?
19...Bd4+
This move was not so hard to find (guess) but the real purpose is not so obvious.
20. Kg2, Nf6
This is it. The bishop check was made just to intercept queen´s protection of e4 pawn.
21. Qd3 ?!
Better was 21. Re1 and my intention was 21...Qd7 with Qb5 on the next move. Black is better.
21...e6!
Black is much better. If he takes on d5 than pawn on d5 will soon be lost. If White takes on e6 as in the game, after Qxe6 he will lose either pawn on a2 or the pawn on e4.
The point of this positional exercise is drawback thinking.
The knight moved from c3 to a4, and it was not easy to find a refutation of this anti-positional move. I just attacked points which were under control of the knight, e4 and d5 (also a2).

Conclusion and the games in PGN viewer

Now I have 3/4 and I am sharing 3-14 place.
The tournament will be continued on Thursday and I am white against German GM Vitaly Kunin.
I will publish my games from round 1-3 as organiser did not provide the games from round four in PGN format (but you can check on their web site for updates Skovbo GM 2012 Official website )