[Event "Blindfold display (RF) Manhatten CC, NY"] [Site "?"] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Fine, R."] [Black "Helms, H."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E72"] [Annotator "MJDonnelly"] [PlyCount "93"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.11.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,93,25,26,27,-17,31,37,37,38,38,1,6,-33,12,-17,34,28,49,6,77,64,91,51,80,80,97,102,110,110,111,114,118,108,144,117,114,115,123,84,122,90,86,84,434,112,104,85,93,48,68,61,79,64,66,49,97,92,157,154,163,162,167,182,191,200,211,226,226,229,282,288,292,258,278,268,274,256,378,370,457,464,415,447,441,440,493,460,488,470,607,607,647,647,624,624]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 e5 7. Nge2 {A somewhat old-fashioned way of meeting the KID. White prefers in current times to play the knight early to f3 to prevent Black easily achieving the key move e5.} Bg4 {Whilst this is acceptable for Black it leads to a rather blocked position. More dynamic play results from the lines which bring out the potential for counter-play inherent in the KID such as} (7... Nbd7 8. O-O c6 9. h3 Re8 {Nepomniachtchi-Erigaisi, Speed Chess Chess.com INT blitz 2023.} (9... exd4 10. Nxd4 {Wojtaszek-Jobava, EU-ch Blitz 2010.})) (7... exd4 8. Nxd4 Nbd7 {Georgiev-Mamedov, Izmir op 2006.}) (7... Nc6 8. d5 Nd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qxd4 (10. Ne2 Re8 {Payel-Fressinet, French Blitz op Saint Maur des Fosses 2024.}) 10... Nxe4 {Werner-Epishin, Frankfurt 1990.}) 8. f3 ({Closing the centre with} 8. d5 {leads to positions which are comfortable for Black.} Qc8 (8... Na6 9. h3 Bxe2 10. Qxe2 Nc5 11. Be3 b6 12. Bxc5 (12. b4 Ncd7 13. a3 {is better obtaining more space.}) 12... bxc5 $11 {Shafiqul-Azizul, Dhaka Walton op 2018.}) 9. h3 Bd7 10. Be3 a5 {Davydov-Solovjov, Chigorin Memorial St. Petersburg 2005.}) 8... Be6 (8... Bd7 {makes little difference as Black is once more comfortable following} 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 exd4 11. Nxd4 Re8 {Theiss-Havlik, Neiderbayernliga Bayern 2012.} ({or} 11... Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Be6 {De Ramos-Kuderinov, Kaula Lumpur DYTM op 2012.})) 9. b3 (9. d5 {is preferable as chosen by a player later to win the World Championship. This game continued} Bd7 10. Be3 b6 (10... a5 {is more typical of a modern KID which continued} 11. O-O Na6 12. a3 Nh5 13. Rb1 f5 14. b4 f4 {Sos Andreu-Goncalves, Iberoamerican-ch Linares 2024.}) 11. Qd2 Na6 12. Bg5 Qc8 13. g4 Nb4 14. h4 {and White had slowly built up a king's side attack as in Botvinnik-Kubbel, Leningrad Masters 1930.}) 9... c6 10. O-O Qc7 {Solid play but} (10... exd4 {opens up the long diagonal when Black obtains good play with} 11. Nxd4 Qa5) 11. d5 (11. Be3 {followed by Rc1 seems more appropriate although Black is still fine.}) 11... Bd7 12. Be3 ({As is very common in the KID White is unable to gain an advantage by attacking the apparently weak d6 pawn. For instance} 12. Ba3 Na6 13. dxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxd6 Qb6+ 15. Kh1 Rfd8) ({or} 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. Ba3 Ne8) 12... c5 (12... Na6 {is more flexible. Closing the position is not a blunder but gives White a free hand to aim for b4 or f4 as Black will be slow in getting in f5 or b5.}) 13. Qd2 a6 ({If} 13... Nh5 {then possible is} 14. g4 {as Black doesn't get much from the typical pawn sacrifice} Nf4 15. Nxf4 exf4 16. Bxf4) 14. a4 b6 (14... a5 {allows the knight to go to b4 from a6, whereas after b6, it will be some moves before the knight enters the game.}) 15. h3 Ra7 16. Bh6 {Removing Black's potentially most active piece should the game be opened up after f5. Also feasible was gaining space with} (16. f4) 16... Re8 17. g4 Bc8 (17... Bh8 {is difficult for Back as White can start expanding on the king's side initially with} 18. Ng3 {and g5 or h4 to follow.}) 18. Ng3 Nbd7 19. Kh2 {White waits with a safety move guarding g3 and reinforcing h3 should the game open up.} Nf8 20. Rg1 {Another benefit of Kh2 is White can generate latent threats of the characteritic sac Nf5 in this type of pawn formation.} Qe7 {OK although it seems to encourage the idea of Nf5.} 21. Bf1 (21. Nf5 {doesn't work in this exact position due to} gxf5 (21... Bxf5 22. exf5 {is less effective for Black.}) 22. gxf5 Nh5 {with advantage.}) 21... N8d7 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Bd3 (23. Nf5+ {once more fails to work as White has no good follow up. For example} gxf5 24. gxf5+ Kh8 (24... Kf8 {of course loses to} 25. Qh6#) (24... Ng4+ {is no help at all as White will soon double on the g-file after} 25. Rxg4+ Kh8 26. Bd3) 25. Qh6 Rg8 {and again Black is better.}) 23... Ng8 24. Rg2 {Both sides wait and don't commit to significant action although maybe White quietly threatens Rag1.} Kh8 ({if Black just moves back and forth then} 24... Bb7 25. Rag1 Ba8 26. Nf5+ {surprisingly still doens't work after} gxf5 27. gxf5+ Kh8) 25. Qe3 Nf8 26. a5 {Suddenly White plays an active move whilst Black's knights are passive on the king's side.} bxa5 27. Rga2 Qb7 {and Black counters with an "active" move but one that leads to trouble. Better was} (27... Rb7 28. Bc2 Rb8 29. Rxa5 Qh4 {and neither side can break through.}) 28. Rxa5 Qxb3 $2 {A slip missing White's next.} (28... Ra8 {is completely level.}) 29. Nb5 axb5 {Black gets a knight and pawn for the rook but the queen's side is now opened up. However, there is nothing better as moving the rook, say, to} (29... Rd7 {loses the queen for too little material after} 30. Rb1 Qxb1 31. Bxb1 axb5 32. cxb5 {when White has a dangerous passed pawn to boot.}) 30. Rxa7 bxc4 31. R7a3 Qb2+ 32. Qe2 c3 {This makes it easier for White whilst keeping the queens on with} (32... Qb6 33. Bxc4 {would prolong the game.}) 33. Qxb2 cxb2 34. Rb1 {Now b2 and d6 cannot be defended. White finishes accurately.} Bd7 35. Rxb2 Rc8 36. Rb6 c4 37. Bc2 Kg7 38. Rxd6 c3 (38... Rb8 {gives a touch more hope but White is an exchange up and has a guarded passed d5 pawn} 39. Nf1 Bb5 40. Ne3 {and White can go for c4 with Rc3.}) 39. Ne2 f5 {Speeding the end.} 40. gxf5 gxf5 41. exf5 Nf6 42. Rxc3 Ra8 43. Ng3 Ra2 44. Kg1 Bb5 45. Rc7+ N8d7 46. Ne4 Nxe4 47. Bxe4 1-0