Opening Survey: The Nikolayev Gambit

by Josh on January 30, 2014 in Chess, Musings • 2 Comments

Sample Games: White plays 8.g3!?

[Event "Zenith Championship of Novgorod Province"][Site "Russia"][Date "1986.??.??"][Round "?"][Result "1/2-1/2"][White "Iljinsky, Victor"][Black "Nikolayev, Igor"][ECO "A58"][WhiteElo "2259"][BlackElo "2255"]1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 e6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. Nxd5 Nxa6 8. g3 [{Not as good and aggressive as} (8.Bg5) {or} (8.e4) {and certainly not giving much Black problems. However it's a typical continuation for solid positional players. With this fianchetto White hopes to finish development while offering as few targets for the black pieces as possible. But this continuation can't achieve an advantage, like any other passive reaction to a gambit. Black pieces rapidly develop the power to control the board.}]8...  Nxd5 9. Qxd5 Ra7! 10. Bg2 [(10. Qe5+?! Be7! (10. ... Qe7 11. Qxe7 Bxe7){is okay for equality}11. Qxg7 Bf6 12. Qg4 Bb7 13. Nf3 Nb4{Black gets a dream position for this gambit! White barely can survive with two extra pawns.})]10...  Nb4 11. Qe4+ Be7 12. Nf3?![(12. Qb1!){Was necessary}]12...  Bb7 13. Qb1? [(13.Qc4){Keeps the position about equal while Black's initiative is obvious.}]13...  Qa8!{Honestly, quickly making this move, I thought the game was over. I was only surprised that Iljinsky made it so easy for me.} 14.0-0!{After this quiet reaction I realized what's going to be next.} 14. ... Be4 15.Ne1! {A nice trick to save the game. Nevertheless Black must be essentially better anyway.}15. ... Bxb1 16. Bxa8 Bxa2! {Freezing the white rook and bishop.}17. Be4 Bf6! 18. Nc2 Nxc2 19. Bxc2 Ke7{White's position is difficult. Sooner or later the b2 pawn must fall, with normal defensive play.}20. Be3! {Victor Iljinsky was a universal player who had a great sense for when to transition the game. Here he starts a forced tactical operation transferring into an endgame where due to limited material Black won't be able to convert an extra exchange for a pawn.}20. ... d6 21. b4! Bxa1 22. bxc5! Ra6 23. Bd3 Raa8 24. Rxa1 Bd5 25. Rd1 dxc5 26. Bxc5+ Ke6 27. e4!? Bb3 28. Rb1 Rhc8 29. Be3 Bc2 30. Rb6+ Ke7 31. Rb7+ Kf8 32. Bxc2 Rxc2{Formally, Black still has the upper hand but I doubt this ending could be won against a master. Accuracy is still required from White. Again Iljinsky finds an active plan to solve all problems for his bishop and e-pawn. The white rook is getting a passive defender then but Black can't make real progress.}33. Bf4 Re2 34. Bd6+ Kg8 35. e5 h5 36. Rb3 h4! 37. gxh4! {37. Kg2 h3+ 38. Kxh3 Rxf2 might be losing.} 37. ... Ra4 38. Kg2 Rf4 39. Rf3 Rxh4 40. Kg3 Rd4 41. Bc7 Rd1 42. Kg2 Rc2 43. Bb8 {1/2}

This game promised to be interesting even before it started. With 3.5/4 I was leading in this round robin championship. My 16-year-old opponent was the son of Victor Iljinsky whom I had played 4 rounds ago. I realized playing my gambit again risked encountering family opening preparations.

[Event "Zenith Championship of Novgorod Province"][Site "Russia"][Date "1986.??.??"][Round "?"][Result "1/2-1/2"][White "Iljinsky, Yaroslav"][Black "Nikolayev, Igor"][ECO "A58"][WhiteElo "2124"][BlackElo "2255"]1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 e6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. Nxd5 Nxa6 8. g3 {Again the same move Victor played here.}8. ...  Nxd5 9. Qxd5 Ra7 10. Bg2 Nb4 11. Qb3[{Victor played:}(11. Qe4+)]11. ... d5 [(11. ... d6!?){is what I prefer today}12. Nf3[{On}(12. Bd2 c4 13. Qe3+ Re7 14. Qc3 Re6!){is strong threatening Nd3+}]12. ... Bf5 13. O-O Nc2 14. Bf4![{A strong positional exchange sacrifice which was the fruit of the home work. Later I found that}(14.Be3!?){is good enough for a draw. I expected here}(14.Rab1 Nb4){a draw, which would not proven the efficacy of the gambit anyway. But fortunately I was wrong and things turned out to be more interesting.}]14. ...  Nxa1 15. Rxa1{This seems to be another important position for this variation. Black started the gambit but faces a counter gambit. Now it's White who is perfectly developed and ready to attack, and his material deficiency for that is very small.}15...  f6!{The only move. Otherwise the white knight goes to e5 with multiple threats.}16. Nh4 Be6 17. e4!{Offering a whole piece now, but again not for free!}17. ... g5 18. exd5 Bc8!{Again the only move. But how can White continue?}19. d6!{I guess it all was prepared home even though Yaroslav started playing as slow as I did in this sharp and dangerous for Black position.}19. ...  Bxd6{This only move was easy.}20. Bxd6 Qxd6 21. Rd1 {Honestly, having my king exposed in the center after over twenty moves was not my original plan.}21...  c4!{However all threats and counters seem to be in balance.}22. Qb5+ Bd7 23. Rxd6 (23.Re1+!?)23...  Bxb5 24. Rb6! gxh4 25. Rb8+ Kf7 26. Rxh8 Rxa2 27. Rxh7+ Kg6{Finally after all complications we came to an equal but sharp endgame.}28. Be4+ f5 29. Rb7 Rxb2 30. Rb6+ Kg7! 31. Bxf5 c3 32. Rg6+ Kf7 33. Rh6 hxg3 34. hxg3 c2 35. Bxc2 Rxc2 36. f4{Winning a piece provides only moral satisfaction. But the satisfaction of the entire game was great. Thus the Iljinsky family made a solid contribution to Nikolayev gambit. I was glad to find out that Yaroslav is a strong chess player now, with a FIDE rating of about 2300. 1/2}

[Event "?"][Site "Rochester, NY"][Date "1998.04.15"][Round "4"][Result "0-1"][White "Buehl, Walter"][Black "Nikolayev, Igor"][ECO "A58"][WhiteElo "2058"][BlackElo "?"]1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 e6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. Nxd5 Nxa6 8. g3 Nxd5 9. Qxd5 Ra7 10. Bg2 [{On} (10. Qe5+ $6 Be7 $1  (10... Qe7 11. Qxe7+ Bxe7 {is okay for equality})] 11. Qxg7 Bf6 12. Qg4 Bb7 13.  Nf3 Nb4 {Black gets a dream position for this gambit! White barely can survive  with two extra pawns.}) 10... Nb4 11. Qb3 {First time this position happened  in Iljinsky, Yaroslav - Nikolayev, 1986, Russia.} d6 $5 ({In that game I played  } 11... d5 {and in it ended in a draw after a sharp tactical battle:}) 12. a3 Bf5 $1 13. e4 Be6 14. Qc3 Qa5 15. Kf1 Qb5+ 16.Ne2 Bc4 17. Bf3 Nc6 {For the sacrificied pawn Black obtained a strong  initiative that secures at least equal chances.} 18. a4 $5 Qa6 $5 ({On} 18... Rxa4 19. Rxa4 Qxa4 20. Kg2 Ne5 21. Nf4 Be7 {Black could secure a tiny edge. But I wanted to keep the position more complicated.}) 19. b3 Bd3 20. Ra2 Nd4 $2 {Overlooking White's strong answer.} (20... Ne5 {was the right move.}) 21. Rd2 $1 Bxe2+ 22. Bxe2 Qb7 23. Rb2 $2 ({White misses excellent winning chances with an exchange sacrifice} 23. Rxd4 $1 cxd4 24. Qxd4) 23... Qxe4 {Again Black is good and on his way for more.} 24. f3 Qd5 25. Kf2 Be7 26. Bc4 Qf5 27. Qd3 Qd7 28. Qe4 O-O {Who said that castling on move 28 is too late?} 29. Be3 Bf6 30. Rbb1 Re8 31.Qg4 Qc6 $5 (31... Qxg4 {Black's better}) 32. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 33. Kg2 Rae7 $5 {Just before the first time control Black sacrifices an exchange where there isno risk to lose while White, having a bad king should be very careful.} 34. Bb5 Re2+ 35. Bxe2 Rxe2+ 36. Kh3 d5 37. Rhe1 $2 {And here the it comes.} h5 $1 ({Walter prepared a trading trick:} 37... Qh6+ 38. Qh4 Qe6+ 39. g4 {and the white rook is protected. But he overlooks a killing move of Black's.})38. Qxh5 Qe6+ 39. g4 $2 ({After the correct} 39. Qg4 Rxe1 40. Rxe1 Qxe1 41.Qc8+ Kh7 42. Qf5+ Kh6 43. Qxf7 Qe5 {Black is winning, but still it's playable.}) 39... Rxe1 40. Rxe1 Qxe1 41. Qxd5 Qf1+ 42. Kg3 g6 43. g5 Qe1+ 44. Kg2 Qe2+ 45. Kg3 Bg1 {0-1}

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