[Event "chess.com Speed"] [Site "Chess.com INT"] [Date "2019.11.19"] [Round "2.10"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B34"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2774"] [Annotator "MJDonnelly"] [PlyCount "25"] [EventDate "2019.09.02"] [EventType "k.o. (blitz)"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.10"] {[%evp 0,25,25,36,53,53,33,34,34,24,44,55,66,69,51,43,89,72,110,106,99,108,188,200,254,133,670,787]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 {A move order that often leads to the increasingly popular Sveshnikov variation. Also often played are} (4... e5 {the Kalashnikov and}) (4... g6 {the Accelerated Dragon.}) 5. Nc3 g6 {A relatively rare move order compared to other Sicilians where Black moves a central pawn via} (5... d6) (5... e6) ({or} 5... e5) 6. Nxc6 {Aiming to take advantage of the early devlopment of the king's knight whereas} (6. Be3 Bg7 {would leaad to a well studied line of the Accelerated Dragon}) (6. Bc4 {could lead to the Dragon (Yugoslav Attack) after} Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Bb3 d6 9. f3) 6... bxc6 (6... dxc6 {has been played by some very strong players but White has a small stable edge after} 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Bc4 {Leko-Ivanchuk EU-T ch Men Rejkajvik 2015.} ({or} 8. Bf4 {Ponkratov-Zvjaginsev St.Petersburg Rapid 2017.})) 7. e5 Ng8 (7... Nh5 {seems slightly stronger as the knight can return to the centre with Ng7-e6 and a fair game as in Bulmaga-Zvaginsev, EU-ch Yerevan 2014.}) (7... Nd5 {is a typical pawn sacrifice in several lines of the Accelerated Dragon but here it doesn't work as Black has not yet played Bg7 and 0-0.} 8. Nxd5 cxd5 9. Qxd5 Rb8 10. e6 f6 $16 {Souza-Gonzales, Curitiba 300 year op 1993.}) 8. Bc4 (8. Be3 {again returns to an Accelerated Dragon game when Black is thought fine after} Bg7 {and either} 9. f4 ({or} 9. Bd4)) 8... d5 {Leading to a loosening of Black's pawn structure. Better chances were offered by} (8... Bg7 {Timman-Kortschnoj , Candidates qf2 Brussels 1991}) ({as well as} 8... Qa5 {De Jong-Bu, Vlissinjen HZ op 2014.}) 9. exd6 (9. Nxd5 $5 {has considerable shock value but Black is fine after} cxd5 10. Bxd5 Be6 ({but not after} 10... Qa5+ 11. c3 Bh6 (11... Rb8 12. Bc6+ Bd7 13. Qxd7#) 12. Bc6+ Kf8 13. Bxa8 $18 {Pitre-Peredun, London Summer End open A (Canada) 1995.}) ({or} 10... Rb8 11. Bxf7+ $18 {Marinsek-Benede, corr. 1984.}) 11. Bxa8 Qxa8 {Vorobyova-Evtina, Novokuznetsky ch (Women) 2013.}) 9... Qxd6 ({If} 9... exd6 10. O-O $16 {as in Kosteniuk-Burress, US Open 2009. Another game in this line saw a very young Leko win quickly after} d5 11. Nxd5 cxd5 12. Bxd5 Rb8 13. Bxf7+ {Leko-Dovramadjiev, Wch-U12 Warsaw 1991.}) 10. Qf3 (10. O-O {is also promising for White as in the old game by two legends: Geller-Stein, URS-ch 34 Final Tbilisi 1967.}) 10... Be6 $2 {Now Black is in real trouble as White develops with tempo. Black has to seek salvation in the complexities following} (10... Nf6 11. Bf4 Bg4 {as occured in several games such as Beukema-Oudshoom, Dieren op 2011.}) 11. Bf4 {More decisive than} (11. Bb5 {Suarez-Cardenas Valero, St. Feliu op 1994 when Black can hang on for a whilst by defending c6.}) 11... Qd7 (11... Qc5 {fails to hold. An illustrative line being} 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Ne4 Qf5 14. g4 Qb5 15. Qc3 Nf6 16. Nxf6+ exf6 17. Qxf6 $18) 12. Rd1 {developing a second piece with tempo.} (12. Bb5 {has also been played for instance in Mo-Mikayelyan, US Open 111 Irvine 2010 but extends the game if Black defends c6.}) (12. Bxe6 {is inappropriate as Black is let off after} Qxe6+ 13. Be3 {Kuehnling-Ottel, Pyramiden Franken Cup Fuerth 2001.}) 12... Qc8 {Note that White has 5 pieces in play compared to 1 for Black whose king has remained in the centre whilst if required White can castle next move.} (12... Bg4 {doesn't help following} 13. Rxd7 Bxf3 14. Rd3 Bxg2 (14... Bd5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Bb5+ Kd8 17. Rxd5+ Kc8 18. Ba6#) 15. Rg1 {winning material.}) 13. Nb5 (13. Nb5 {finishes the game in a few moves for instance} Bxc4 (13... cxb5 14. Bxb5+) 14. Nc7+) 1-0