Misha Interviews...

Interview
Misha with
Interviews... Eugeny Shaposhnikov
Eugeny Shaposhnikov. Born in Saratov in 1981. 1993 Junior world
Misha Savinov champion. 199 St. Petersburg champion. International Master. FIDE rating -
2579. Graduated from St. Petersburg State University in 2003, faculty of
psychology.

Orders? Inquiries? You can It is easy to spot Eugeny Shaposhnikov at a tournament. He towers above
now call toll-free: the board as tall and erect as a veteran navy officer. He sometimes wears a
1-866-301-CAFE guilty expression, especially when executing deadly moves. He rarely
produces fireworks on the board; he plays with the serenity and consistency
of an experienced master, confident in his technique and positional skill.
Indeed, this young man has already won a world championship! Under 12,
but does it really matter?

The first time I saw Eugeny playing was, not in a tournament hall, but on the
internet. He used to play regularly on the ICC and became one of the most
prominent speed players there. In blitz Eugeny was inferior only to likes of
Svidler and Morozevich, holding a respectable 3200+ rating in 1999-2000.
He played game after game, meeting a wide range of opponents from Larry
Christiansen to Teimour Radjabov. Also, Shaposhnikov made a still
unbeaten ICC record for a "standard" time control (usually 15 minutes), his
play not only about the speed of his mouse.

Eugeny's blitz skill roughly corresponded to at least 2650 FIDE level.

However, at that time he had only received the IM title and his Elo was just
under 2500.

The Internet makes it easier to develop blitz skill - Eugeny

Shaposhnikov
Misha Savino: Eugeny, your skill in speed chess is widely known. You've
been St. Petersburg blitz champion several times and your results on the
internet are remarkable. Is it easier to win in blitz compared to classical
chess? Or do you just enjoy it more?

Eugeny Shaposhnikov: I wish I played serious chess at the level that I play
speed chess! My attitude towards blitz is conflicted. It is fun to play, but in
general I am against it. Blitz is not a serious form of chess and is not an

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adequate substitute for chess.

MS: But why are you successful at it?

ES: For two reasons. The first and the most important is that with the
internet one has access to a wide range of strong opponents from all over the
world. One can play at any time of day and it is easy to find a game. Beating
famous players also tremendously improves ones confidence and that is
critically important in sports! Another thing is that I am able to make good
intuitive decisions. Sometimes it is better to have one second rather than
thirty minutes for a move. In longer time controls I hesitate and even reject
the objectively best continuation, fearing some risk. In blitz there is no time
to hesitate; one has to trust one's intuition.

MS: You played quite frequently on the net, but now seem to prefer
"offline" chess. What drew you away from it?

ES: Yes, I have played thousands of blitz games on ICC. I spent so much
time on it. Just with Radjabov I have played about 200 games, with only a
slight edge to Teimour! But I had to stop because it began to influence my
regular chess.

MS: In what way?

ES: Negatively (smiles). Once during a tournament I got the impression that
my opponent was thinking about his move for ages, when in fact he had
spent only two minutes! I began to play superficially and throw away pieces.
One gets hooked on those online ratings, even when declaring that he is
indifferent, because having a high rating becomes a matter of prestige no
matter how official or unofficial it is.

MS: Was it difficult to get rid of that habit?

ES: Not really. After all, classical chess is much more rich and enjoyable.

World Champion at 12
MS: About the Under-12 world championship: Did you or your father have
something like this in mind when you started?

ES: No, of course, not (smiles)! I was born in 1981 in Saratov, which is
situated next to the great river Volga. The city is far from Russian chess
centers and in 80s there were no grandmasters there. Even now Saratov has
only two GMs: Tunik and Ilyushin. My native city has no chess traditions,
the number of local tournaments is small and the competition is rather
relaxed.

My start at chess was quite ordinary; my father liked the game and taught
me the rules. I started to play at age six and went to a small local club with

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other children and some adults as well. The opponents were of a decent
amateur level, about 1400-1600 at best, but it was good experience. When I
made 2nd category I began to attend a stronger club "Sokol" ("Falcon") at
the city center. Unfortunately, chess infrastructure in Saratov has
deteriorated and "Sokol" no longer exists, but from 1989-1993, I regularly
participated in the tournaments there.

MS: Who coached you?

ES: I can safely say that my teachers were my father and some chess books.
Dad put a lot of effort into my development. He is a great admirer of chess.

MS: Did you play with him at home? Was it tough to beat him?

ES: Yes, it was quite a task. My dad officially has a 2nd category rank, but
he plays nearly as strong as a candidate master. He simply lacks the time to
participate in tournaments, so he was happy to play with me. We also
studied several books together.

MS: Which particular books?

ES: His library was not extensive, just a few volumes. I started with Step by
Step by NM Zhuravlev, then Alekhine's Chess Heritage by Kotov. We also
read the popular Opening Course by Panov and Estrin. Later on father
introduced Karpov's Selected Games. He insisted that it was a very
important book for developing chess skill. I read all of them carefully. It
surely helps to have fewer books, but to study them well.

MS: Did you share your father's opinion about Karpov?

ES: Oh, yes. I still like Karpov's games the most. I also enjoy Petrosians
and Alekhines. Of the modern players, I love Shirov's games. He plays
brilliantly.

MS: Would you be keen on playing like him?

ES: Maybe, but my style is quite different. So I just observe (smiles).

MS: Some people say that if Shirov would play more technically and take
fewer risks he could achieve more.

ES: I don't agree. If one plays in a manner that is natural for him, he would
only lose if he attempts to change his style. Alexei is better off playing in his
own way. For our delight!

MS: When did you become a 1st category player?

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ES: I made it at age eight. And, by a twist of fate I never became a

candidate master!

MS: Really?

ES: We just proceeded with chess education at home in a rather unhurried

manner, we studied books, games, etc. I had enough practice at "Sokol" and
in 1993 I suddenly won the region's junior championship and, after that, the
Russian championship. It was a big surprise, but my wins were convincing.

MS: This victory automatically qualified you for the world junior
championship, which you also won! Tell us more about that event.

ES: It took place in Bratislava. I had a rather slow start. Following my first
round win I did not manage to beat Emanuel Berg (who is a GM now), so it
hurt my "progress". With the understanding that I would lose the tie-break, I
won 5 games in a row, even beating Francisco Vallejo Pons in round 6.
Following a draw in the 8th round, I blundered a piece and lost to Levente
Vaida in twenty-one moves. Fortunately, I recovered quickly from this
setback and won the last two rounds (one of my opponents was Levon
Aronian) to secure first place and become both the junior champion and a
FIDE Master.

MS: It is natural to assume that after winning the world championship you
soon took private lessons from a grandmaster...

ES: Quite the opposite! It did not change anything in my daily routine.
There was an opportunity to study under Tunik (who later became a GM),
but only in a group of 8-10 children, which does not work so well for me.
My family could not afford private lessons and there was no support from
local chess enthusiasts.

MS: Is that the reason why your progress slowed down after 1993?

ES: Partly. I still had my books; however, one must also play against
stronger opposition and this is something I was deprived of in Saratov. We
traveled to other cities to play in Opens whenever it was possible, but that
wasn't enough.

MS: How many tournament games did you play per year?

ES: Probably less than 10 tournaments a year, although I am including local

and regional events, which were not very challenging for me. When talking
of serious tournament games, maybe 10-15 a year? One can hardly
overwork playing them.

MS: When did you decide to move to St. Petersburg?

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ES: The story is fairly simple. I often played in St. Petersburg and enjoyed
the atmosphere. One of the local chess organizers, Alexander Kentler (now a
chief editor of St. Petersburg Chess magazine - M.S.), suggested that I
should move from Saratov in order to have an opportunity to play. He also
mentioned he would help me with my entrance exams to St. Petersburg State
University (which is the second-largest in Russia, surpassed only by
Moscow State University, and one of the most prestigious - M.S.). This
coincided with my own way of thinking, so I was glad to accept his offer. I
graduated from secondary school in 1997 and then moved to St. Petersburg.

A post-mortem (Shaposhinikov sitting, r.)

MS: Which field of study did you choose?

ES: First I studied economics (like Karpov!), but then discovered

psychology was more exciting and transferred to that discipline. I graduated
in 2003 and wrote a thesis on aggression and anxiety in chess. I would like
to tell you more about it.

Competitive sport is a perfect for studying aggression. Chess, being a mental

sport, is even more suitable in certain cases. Among other things, I measured
the degree of aggressiveness and anxiety at the board during tournaments,
questioning chess players from candidate master to grandmaster, and
correlated the results. The findings, including optimal levels of
aggressiveness and anxiety for chessplayers, were quite interesting.

MS: Were you able to utilize your findings at the board?

ES: Yes. For example, one can detect his opponent's anxiety and effectively
exploit it. In approximately even positions the anxiety and dissatisfaction of
your opponent increases if you don't push things, make quiet moves, and
avoid forcing continuations that would set concrete tasks for the opponent.
Such uncertainty provokes inadequate responses and it may lead to blunders
or positional suicide. Players such as Petrosian and Karpov frequently used
this approach.

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MS: Interesting! But let's come back to tournament chess. Where did you
play during your university years?

ES: First, I took part in various intercollegiate competitions and local open
tournaments. I resolved to quit junior chess and concentrate on adult events,
but my father changed my mind. He told me that I must make use of my last
opportunity to play in the U20 Russian Junior Championship in Kazan in
2001. I strongly objected, but eventually capitulated. I asked him not to
expect too much, however, the stars shined for me and I defeated, among
others, Nadezhda Kosintseva, who also had brilliant start. Then four draws,
each averaging 40 moves, secured me a gold medal.

It would have been very nice to end my junior chess career with a big win,
but I only tied for 5th at the World U20 in Athens. Many good players
participated: Aronian, Acs, Sedlak, Gagunashvili, Sargissian, Bu Xiangzhi,
Navara, Ni Hua, Roiz, etc. Yet, I still think that I was deprived of my chance
to fight for the gold.

MS: What do you mean?

ES: Unfortunately, the Russian Chess Federation was even less helpful than
usual that year. Our group in Greece had no trainer, so we lacked both
decent preparation and moral support. To highlight the Federation's attitude:
they were responsible for buying plane tickets to Athens, but only purchased
tickets to Saloniki!

MS: Well, compared to Russia, Greece is so small that they probably did
not notice the difference... Was the championship in Athens your last junior
chess event?

ES: Not quite. As Russian champion, I qualified for the Russia - China
summit. It consisted of mini-matches between men's, women's and junior
teams. Naturally, we were the favorites, but for some reason it was a
common belief that the Chinese women and juniors will sweep the Russians.
However, this time I enjoyed a completely different level of organization
from our side. We had a coach, GM Yuri Yakovich, who has an excellent
understanding of the game and possesses broad opening knowledge. He
managed to find time for every team member. In China I discovered a huge
difference between playing on my own and in a friendly team atmosphere.

MS: Who were the other team members?

ES: The men's team consisted of Khalifman, Grischuk, Dreev, Svidler,

Rublevsky and Motylev, who was Russian champion and also ended with
the best score in the match. Kovalevskaya, Stepovaia, and Zimina played for
the women's team, and the junior team consisted of Pavel Smirnov,
Alexandra Kosteniuk, and I. We held to a draw on the junior and women's
boards, and, of course, won the overall match convincingly. I took 2nd place

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behind Bu Xiangzhi in the junior tournament and was quite happy with both
my chess and my journey to China. This was my last junior competition.

Svidler-Shaposhnikov

St. Petersburg Times

MS: When you arrived in St.Petersburg at the age of 18, you had a 2345
Elo, and yet you've won the city championship ahead of a number of
grandmasters! What is responsible for such a dramatic improvement?

ES: I had such a hunger for chess that in my first year I played nearly
everywhere I could! Including a faculty tournament, where I competed with
1st category boys. Evening blitz and rapid meetings at the local club, where I
fought for wins with Chepukaitis, Popov, and Karasev. And Kentler
arranged for twice weekly lessons with Andrey Lukin. I also had occasional
lessons from GM Konstantin Aseev.

MS: What did you learn from them?

ES: Andrey Lukin worked on my openings, trying to convince me to expand

my repertoire. The opening is still my weak spot. It is very narrow for a
professional and it is not easy for me to expand it because one needs a good
memory for that.

MS: Are you dissatisfied with your memory?

ES: Oh, yes! I tend to forget variations. It happens that when I encounter a
recently studied line at the board, I can't recall ma analysis. This is
ridiculous! So I have to train my memory as well.

Also, Lukin detected that I am afraid of sharp positions and suggested

playing more dynamic chess. Which I try to do; yet my opening weaknesses
often cause me to opt for solid positions with a good margin of safety.

The lessons with Konstantin Aseev were quite different. We mostly

analyzed games, either his or mine, and I learned how to evaluate positions.
It was instructive to observe how a grandmaster classifies and weighs

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positional factors. Aseev is a perfectionist, so from time to time we stuck to

certain positions for hours. He always wants to find all the hidden resources
and analyzes very deeply. Perhaps this is not very practical at the board
(Aseev's reluctance to manage time during the game is widely known -
M.S.), but surely is valuable when studying chess.

MS: A key reason for your move to St. Petersburg was the opportunity to
participate in strong tournaments. Were there any particular successes?

ES: My schedule consisted mainly of local open tournaments and city

championships. I was mostly restricted to play in St. Petersburg because of
my studies. The St. Petersburg championships are especially memorable for
me. Maybe because these were my first "real" tournaments: a strong
grandmaster field, long time controls, an all-play-all schedule... Local
tournaments have a special atmosphere: theyre always held at the historic
hall of Chigorin's Club, with demonstration boards and spectators - not as
many as in Soviet times, but still quite inspiring.

I qualified for my first city final in 1998. In the first round I was due to play
Black against Alexander Khalifman. This upset me because nobody wants to
have bad start in an all-play-all. Once you get a "minus" score it is very
difficult to recover and everybody wants to get his share of a tail-ender.
Well, this was my third encounter with a 2600+ player, in 1996 and 1997 I
lost to Vyzmanavin and Yudasin, and it was a success. Alexander
miscalculated, he thought to strike a finishing blow, but made a decisive
mistake.

Khalifman, A (2660) - Shaposhnikov, E (2415)

St. Petersburg-ch (1), 07.04.1998

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 Be7
8.Qa4+ c6 9.Bg2 0-0 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Bf4 Re8 12.Rad1 Nh5 13.Bc1 Bd6
14.e4 dxe4 15.Ng5 Ndf6 16.Ngxe4 Nd5 17.Rfe1 Be7 18.Nxd5 cxd5 19.Nc3
Nf6 20.Bf4 Qc8 21.Be5 Rd8 22.Rc1 Qf5 23.Bc7 Rd7 24.Bf4 Bd6 25.Bxd6
Rxd6

White has a positional advantage. His

Knight and Bishop are pressuring d5,
while their Black counterparts are forced
to defend passively. White also controls
the e-file. 26.Re5!? looks sensible and
strong, however, Alexander saw a
tempting maneuver. 26.Nb5 Rc6
27.Nc7? Intended to force 27...Rc1
28.Rc1 Rc8 29.Qa7, and Blacks
position goes to pieces. In confirmation
of the inevitable I shook my head when
the grandmaster was about to move his

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Knight to c7. The came 27...Qd7! and suddenly 28.Na8 loses to 28...Rc1.
Other moves do not save the game either. 28.Nb5 Rxc1 29.Rxc1 Bc6
30.Bf1 a6 31.Rxc6 White is forced to give up an exchange. A queen trade is
also in my favor. 31...Qxc6 32.Nc3 Qxa4 33.Nxa4 b5 0-1

And Black proceeded to win this game. Not a bad result for my very first
game in the St. Petersburg championships, especially against such a
magnificent player!

After that I made three draws, won against another qualifier Schukin, four
more draws with grandmasters followed, and then I won a game with Mark
Taimanov. Everything was looking very optimistic with three rounds to go.
Unfortunately, I lost all the remaining games.

MS: This must have been very disappointing.

ES: Well, I could have taken a draw in final round and finish on a
respectable "+1." However, I decided to decline Solozhenkins offer, which
would make him champion, and tried to help Valery Popov, who trailed
Solozhenkin. Thus I lost in 60 moves without much of a fight.

MS: I believe it was a valuable experience.

ES: Perhaps it was since I became champion on my second attempt in 1999!

MS: It was an unusual championship, one that used the Swiss pairing
system. Maybe this system suited you better? In any case, you probably had
more experience with it.

ES: It is likely so. I don't think I've mastered the science of preparation for
all-play-all, and in a Swiss it is not so critical. Also the starting lineup in
1999 was somewhat weaker than a year before. We missed Khalifman (he
became FIDE champion three months later) and as always Svidler and
Sakaev did not participate. Still, the other grandmasters were ready to play.

MS: How did it go?

ES: I had a good start. Three wins, including a 3rd round game with GM
Lugovoi. Then I slowed down with three draws and, as usual, lost a game: to
young Eugeny Alekseev. After that in order to win the championship I
needed to earn two points in last two rounds in which I had two Blacks.
Thanks to my good fortune I completed the task, defeating Sergeev and
Chepukaitis.

MS: You became one of the youngest champions of St. Petersburg in more
than 70 championships, surpassed only by Yemelin and Sakaev. How did it
change your chess career?

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ES: It made no impact at all! I enjoyed winning it, but I always heard
whispers behind my back that "he is not a real champion", who did not win
"a real championship," etc. Maybe it was because I did not beat two
grandmasters in the final rounds, although Sergeev and Chepukaitis did not
appear on top of the crosstable by chance. Or perhaps people remembered
my three consecutive losses the previous year? I knew I had made good
progress since then and had improved my rating by almost 60 points, but I
still was not even an International Master, and my play did not convince the
skeptics.

MS: Why? What did they demand?

ES: I have no idea. I guess my play was too boring for them. Anyway, I
realized that they were right to some extent and I was determined to show a
good result the next year, when the championship reverted to a good old
formula. I was really glad when I managed to tie for 1-2 in 2000!

MS: Aha! What was the field?

ES: It was an 11th category event with eight grandmasters. My Elo of 2503
placed me 9th of the twelve participants, and I did not make an impressive
start. A first round win against Alekseev was compensated by uneventful
loss to Aseev in round three. In the 6th round I was lost to GM Loginov in
only ten moves.

MS: In ten moves?

ES: I fell into an opening trap widely known since the 20s (but not to me).
The struggle continued for 29 moves, but I could have safely resigned on the
eleventh. Loginov did not even bother to sit at the board. He chatted with
friends while I was thinking, and executed his moves as if reading a book.
After such an embarrassing defeat it was hard to predict that Loginov would
have to share first place with me.

MS: It sound like it required a miracle to occur!

ES: Almost a miracle. I missed good attacking chances in the next round
with GM Sergey Ivanov, and then won all four remaining games. Indeed
without showing anything special. I just kept playing my chess, but
suddenly everything worked perfectly. Loginov finished rather slowly and I
caught him in the end. Of course he had a better tie-break and deserved this
championship more than I did. However, my final 7-4 score suggested that
Shaposhnikov is not that weak a player, as was so rumored (smiles).

Aeroflot - Seeking Foreigners

MS: I remember seeing your name on top of the Russian junior rating list,
when you were the only player rated above 2500 without a GM or IM title.
Was it so difficult to get official recognition?

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ES: Enormously difficult! As you know, making a GM norm did not depend
only on points. One had to meet the required number of foreigners. I always
had difficulty with that requirement. Foreigners simply don't come to
Russian tournaments! That's why my first GM norm was made in Pardubice.
I am not a big fan of the Czech open, but that time I simply had no other
choice.

Things improved in 2002, when the first Aeroflot Open took place in
Moscow. So I was glad participate in the 2003 Aeroflot Open.

MS: The field there was very strong. Were you confident that you could
make a norm?

ES: Not 100% confident, but I thought I had reasonable chances. Otherwise
I would not have bothered. With the help of a little luck in the pairings, I
faced a relatively weak IM in the first round and defeated him as Black.
Then round after round I faced only 2600+ rated grandmasters: an unusual
opposition for me! All of these games were drawn.

MS: Did you struggle defending?

ES: Surprisingly not. I even missed great winning chances against

Kazhgaleev and Pelletier. I did not have problems guessing my opponents
openings and I was not inferior to them in the middlegame. However, my
good fortune did not last long, and finally, in round eight, I blundered soon
after the opening. Eugeny Alekseev got a much better endgame with good
winning chances. Yet, I was not upset. It calmed me to know that Alekseev
is weak in the endgame. Slowly, move by move, I improved my position
from lost to just slightly worse. Furthermore, Alekseev did not stand the test
of technique; he blundered into a mate and then offered a draw. For some
reason I decided to proceed.

Shaposhnikov, E (2543) - Alekseev, E (2614)

Aeroflot-open Moscow (9), 18.02.2003

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Nc6 5.c3 a6 6.Bb3 Bg4 7.Nbd2 e6 8.h3
Bh5 9.Nf1 Ne5 10.Ng3 Bxf3 11.gxf3 d5 12.f4 Nc6 13.Qe2 Qd7 14.Bd2 0-0-
0 15.0-0-0 g6 16.f5 gxf5 17.Bg5 Be7 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.exd5 exd5 20.Qh5
d4 21.c4 Ne5 22.f4 Ng6 23.Ba4 Qe6 24.Qxf5 Qxf5 25.Nxf5 Nxf4 26.Kb1
h5 27.Ng3 Be5 28.Ne4 b6 29.Ng5 Rdf8 30.Rdf1 h4 31.Rf3 Rhg8 32.Nh7
Rd8 33.Rhf1 Ng2 34.Rxf7 Ne3 35.Rh1 Rd6 36.Nf8 Rf6 37.Rxf6 Bxf6
38.Nd7 Bd8 39.Ne5 Kc7 40.Nf3 Rg2 41.Rg1 Rf2 42.Ne5 Kd6 43.Ng6 Rf3
44.Rh1 Rg3 45.Be8 Bg5 46.a3 Bf6 47.Nf4 Ke5 48.Ne2 Rg2 49.Bh5 Kf5
50.Rg1 Rh2 51.Rg8 Be7 52.Ng1 b5 53.cxb5 axb5 54.Ka2 Bd6 55.Rg6 Be7
56.Rg7 Bf6 57.Rb7 Rh1 58.Nf3 Rxh3 59.Rxb5 Kf4 60.Ng1 Rh1 61.Ne2+
Ke5 62.Rxc5+ Kd6 63.Ra5 Rf1

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Despite having an extra pawn, White

must play carefully, because Blacks
passed h-pawn is very strong. 64.Ra6+
After 64.Ra6+ White does not have any
special problems, for example 64...Kc7
(or 64...Ke5 65.Ra5+ Ke6 66.Ra6+ Kf5
67.Ra5+; 64...Ke7 65.Ra7+ Ke6 66.Rh7
Rf2 67.a4 White also has passers, 67...h3
68.a5!? h2 69.a6) 65.Ra7+ Kb6 66.Rh7
h3 67.Be8 Rf2 68.Ng3. However, the
following move came as a surprise:
64...Kc5?! The black king voluntarily
goes into the mouse-trap. The text does not lose yet, however, this is a first
step towards trouble. 65.Bf7 Preparing to net the black monarch. 65...Be5??
Curiously, Black played this without thinking and offered a draw. Dubious
is 65...Kb5?! 66.Re6 Bg7 67.Bg6, and Black has problems. It was necessary
to play 65...Bg7 66.Be6 Kb5 67.Rd6 Kc5 68.Ra6 Kb5 with an equal
position. After the text White wins. 66.b4+ Kb5 67.Re6! Rxf7 68.Kb3 1-0
The king's strength in the endgame is widely known, but often overlooked.
Black resigned, in view of 68...Ra7 69.a4+ Rxa4 70.Rxe5+ Kb6 71.Kxa4.

ES: Therefore, after the eighth round I already had a GM norm.

Unfortunately, I did not show good chess in the final round and lost to the
Frenchman Tkachiev, spending about twenty minutes on the whole game. I
totally lacked the desire to play that day.

MS: I think one can understand the reason. When do you expect to become
a grandmaster officially?

ES: Sometime in February. And I hope that the title will finally make a
difference! Now, after graduation, I have the time and desire for playing
chess!

Eugeny Shaposhnikov Annotates

Shaposhnikov,E - Smirnov,L
Spb-ch (semifinal) St.Petersburg (7), 21.01.1998

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 Other possible moves are the sharp
4...Bb4 or the quiet 4...dxe4. 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 0-0 8.Nf3 c5
9.Qd2 Nc6 White normally plays 10.dc here, however, this time I decided to
choose a rather rare move, which is better than its reputation.

10.0-0-0 c4 This is Stahlberg's idea. The plans are transparent: White attacks
on Kingside, Black - on Queenside. It is important to combine attacking
moves with prophylactic actions in such positions. 11.h4 For those who like
the endgame I recommend 11.f5 Rb8 12.Qg5 Qxg5+ 13.Nxg5. White also
has another idea: 11.Nb5, planning to transfer the Knight to d6, in order to

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Misha Interviews...

cut the black Queen off from the queenside and make the attack less
dangerous. For example, 11...Rb8 12.g4 Nb6 13.Nd6 Bd7 with complicated
play. 11...Rb8 12.f5 b5 Both sides are implementing their plans with the
required consistency. 13.fxe6 This seems illogical, as it reduces the tension
on the kingside, but Black threatened 13...b4 and 14...ef. Also 13.g4 is
dangerous for me: 13...b4 14.Ne2 c3. 13...fxe6 14.Qg5 More precise would
be 14.Ne2 b4 (14...a5 15.Qg5 Qb4 16.a3 Qa4?? 17.Nc3) 15.Qg5. 14...Qf7
Black could have played 14...Qb4, bringing another piece to Q-side. Weaker
is 14...Qxg5+?! 15.Nxg5 b4 16.Ne2 Nb6 17.g3 h6 18.Nh3, and White has a
definite advantage. 15.Ne2 b4 16.Ng3 Nb6 17.Be2 c3 18.b3 Of course, it
was scary to play this move - what if Black opens the a-file first? However,
careful calculation showed that my threats are more serious. 18...Qf4+!?
Black decided to trade Queens and continue pressure on the queenside,
considering White's attack harmless without Queens. Better is 18...a5!?
19.Bb5!? (19.h5!?), and both sides have their own threats. 19.Kb1 a5
19...h6 20.Qxf4 Rxf4 21.Nh5 Rf7 22.Rhf1, and White can exploit the
weakening h7-h6 to his advantage. 20.Bd3 Rb7 21.Nh5 Qxg5 22.hxg5 (a
sharp position!) 22...Ra7 23.Rh3 Preparing to double on the h-file. 23...Ba6
This trades one of White attackers and prepares a4, Rfa8, axb3. 24.Bxa6
Rxa6 25.Rdh1 Ra7 Extremely sharp positions could arise after 25...a4!? I
think it would be useful for a reader to explore these complications on his or
her own. White has several options including 26.Nxg7!? No good is
25...Rfa8? 26.Nf4 a4 27.Rxh7 axb3 28.g6 bxc2+ 29.Kc1 Kf8 30.Nxe6+ Ke7
31.Nc7, winning. 26.g6! An elegant punch! White opens up the opposing
Kings cover. 26...hxg6? Black breaks under pressure and loses quickly.
After the correct 26...h6 the position is far from clear, even in the endgame.
White has a g4-g5 idea as well as Nf6+, while Black must push his a-pawn.
My opponent missed my 27th move in his calculation. 27.Ng5! Establishing
control over f7 the escape square for the black King. 27...gxh5 (or
27...Rfa8 28.Nxg7 Kf8 29.N7xe6+ Ke7 30.Rh7+ Ke8 31.Rh8+ Kd7
32.Nc5+ Kc7 33.Nge6#) 28.Rxh5 Rf1+ 29.Rxf1 Nxd4 [29...Ra8 30.Rh7
Nd8 31.Rh8+ Kxh8 32.Rf8#] 30.Rh8+ [30.Rh8+ Kxh8 31.Rf8#] 1-0

Shaposhnikov,E - Novikov,M
White Nights St.Petersburg (5), 26.06.2002
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 A fashionable line.
6...e6 Also playable is 6...e5 or 6...Ng4. 7.f3 One might go for the more
brutal 7.g4, which leads to very sharp and deeply studied positions after
7...e5 8.Nf5 g6 9.g5 gxf5 10.exf5. 7...Qc7 More usual is 7...b5 or 7...Be7,
not defining Queen's position yet. 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.0-0-0 Not bad is 9.g4
9...h5 This is a well-known idea, preventing the advance of the opponent's g-
pawn. Nevertheless, I believe that this move is too committing, and brings
more pain than gain for Black. 10.Kb1 Almost always a useful move,
especially in this situation. 10...Be7 On 10...b5 one must be prepared for
11.Ndxb5 axb5 12.Nxb5 with prospects of going into the endgame, an
endgame in which White would have 3 connected passing pawns for a piece -
more than enough compensation. 11.Bg5 I first came across this move in
Khalifman - Van Wely, 2002. The point is that the Bishop would be placed
more actively on g5, and since Black can't chase it away with h7-h6

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anymore, we can transfer it now. 11.h3 is also OK. 11...b6 Let's examine
thematic 11...b5!? A) 12.Ndxb5 axb5 13.Nxb5 Qd8! (13...Qa5 14.Qxa5
Rxa5 15.Bd2 is good for White) 14.Bxf6 (but not 14.Nxd6+? Bxd6 15.Qxd6
Qa5, with a double attack) seems unclear, but B) After calm12.Bd3 I think
White is better. 12.f4 The best solution is to play in the center! 12...Bb7
13.Bd3 Nc5 One could consider 13...0-0-0, in order to complete
development. After 14.Rhe1 White has a slight edge. Also after the text
14.Rhe1 was possible and probably best, however, I decided to break
through the central fortifications. 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Ng4 The pawn was
poisoned: 15...Qxe5? 16.Bf4 Qxd4 17.Bb5+. However, 15...Nd5 was
playable: 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Bxe7 Qxe7 18.Be2. Potentially unsafe Black
King determines White's advantage, but there is still of course a lot of play.
16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Qf4 White has an edge, because Blacks King is insecure,
and the Knight is poorly placed on g4. 17...g5 (17...Bxg2?! 18.Rhg1 Bb7
19.h3) 18.Qg3 0-0-0 After 18...Nxd3 19.Rxd3 White maintains the pressure.
19.Be2 Simultaneously protecting the Knight on d4 and attacking on g4.
19...Qc7 19...Nh6 deserved attention. 20.Bxg4 hxg4 21.Rhe1
Overprotection of the important e5-pawn, as per Nimzowitsch. At the same
time, White sets up a concealed threat. 21...Rh6? Preparing f7-f5. Mikhail
was quite happy about his position here. 21...Kb8 was an absolute must.
22.b4! It is always difficult to foresee such pawn advances that uncovers
one own King in the middlegame, so no wonder Black missed it. However,
those who play the Sicilian as Black must always keep an eye on white
knight jumps to b5, d5, f5 and e6. It is curious that a couple of days prior to
this game I analyzed Unzicker - Larsen, 1966, from one of Mark
Dvoretsky's books and was impressed by 14.b4!! a shot, given in the
annotations. It helped me to find the winning idea. 22...Nd7 The only
response. Here I spent some time deciding upon which Knight should stay
alive... 23.Ncb5 axb5 24.Nxb5 Qb8 The black King is tightly packed now.
24...Qc6 25.Na7+; 24...Qc4 25.Nd6+. 25.Qc3+ Nc5 26.bxc5 I have regained
a piece and still have strong attack. 26...Rxd1+ 27.Rxd1 Bc6 28.Nd6+ Kc7
29.Ka1 The Rooks gets into play via the b-file. 29...Rxh2 (29...b5 30.Qa5+
Kd7 31.Nf5+) 30.cxb6+ Qxb6 31.Rb1 Qa6 32.Qc5 A decisive intrusion.
32...Kd7 33.Nf5 There is no satisfactory defense against Qe7 or Qd6, so
Black resigned. 1-0

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