1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Strange fashion for completely drawish variation!But it is not so harmless ,as it looks!Black has to be extremely carefull,which was shown in old games ofgreats,particularly of Rudolf Spielmann.Even great Lasker suffered here terribly! 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 [In recent top game happened endgame in which Black faced real problems. 8...Qe7+ 9.Qe2 Nxd5 (9...Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 Nxd5 (10...cxd5 11.Nb5 Kd8 12.Rd1 c6 13.c3 (13.Nd4 Kc7 14.c4 Bd6 15.h3 Bd7 16.Kf1 c5 17.Nc2 d4 18.b4 cxb4 19.Bb2 Rae8 20.Bxd4 a5 21.Re1 Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Re8 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.Rxe8 Bxe8 25.Bxh7 Kb6 26.Ke2 Kc5 27.Kd3 a4 and I managed to draw difficult end,1/2 Rodriguez Cespedes,A (2485)-Mikhalchishin,A (2530)/Havana 1982))

13...Re8+ 14.Kf1 Bf8 15.Nd4 Kc7 16.Bf4+ Kb6 17.a4 a5 18.b4 axb4 19.a5+ Kb7 20.cxb4 Ne4 21.Nxc6 (Simply winning was 21.a6+ Kb6 22.Rdc1 Bd7 23.Be3) 21...g5 22.Bxe4 Rxe4 23.Nd8+ Ka6 24.Bxg5 with winning end,1/2 Spielmann,R-Lasker,E/Moscow 1935) 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.Bf4 c6 13.c3 Be7 14.Rhe1 Be6 15.Rac1 Kd7 16.c4 Bd6 17.Bxd6 dxc4 18.Bxc4 Bxc4+ 19.Rxc4 Rhe8+ 20.Kd2 Rxe1 21.Kxe1 Kxd6 22.Rd4+ Ke6 23.Kd2 (Real chances for win gave 23.Ra4 Rb8 24.b3 Rb7 25.Kd2) 23...Rb8 24.Kc3 Rb5 25.Rb4 Re5 26.Kd3 Rd5+ 27.Rd4 Rb5 28.b3 h5 29.h4 White still kept advantage,but did not manage to convert it into full point,1/2 Hou,Y (2599)-Dronavalli,H (2503)Istanbul 2012) 10.Qxe7+ Kxe7 11.a3 Ba5 12.b4 Bb6 13.Bb2 a5 14.0–0 Nf4 15.Rae1+ Ne6 16.Na4 f6 17.Nxb6 cxb6 18.Re3 axb4 19.axb4 Ra2 20.Rb1 b5 21.c4! with very unpleasant position -King in the center plus dangerous Whites Bishops pair make Black task very difficult,1–0 Karjakin,S (2785)-Volokitin,A (2709)Istanbul 2012 21...Bd7] 9.Qe2+ [Classical line promise White just microscopic advantage 9.0–0 0–0 10.h3 (10.Bg5 c6 11.Qf3 Be7 (11...Bd6 12.Rfe1 Rb8 13.Rab1 h6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.Ne2 Re8 17.b3 Bd7 18.Ng3 Bb4 19.Rxe8+ Rxe8 20.Kf1 Kf8 with equal end, Szczepkowska,K (2375)-Pogonina,N (2448)Istanbul 2012) 12.h3 h6 13.Bf4 Bd6 14.Rfe1 Qc7? 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Qxf6 with extra pawn, Yildiz,B (2341)-Pokorna,R (2353)Istanbul 2012) 10...Re8 11.Qf3 c6 12.Bf4 Be6 13.Ne2 Bd6 14.Rfe1 c5 15.Rad1 Qb6 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.Nf4 Rab8 (№17...Rad8) 18.b3 Qb6 19.Re5 Qd6 20.Rg5 Rbd8?? (20...h6 21.Rg3 Qe5=) 21.Qg3 Qf8 22.Nh5 and younger sister of Anna won, Muzychuk,M (2466)-Zhao,X (2549)Istanbul 2012] 9...Be7 [Its clear ,that after Karjakin game most of players will avoid endgame! 9...Qe7 ] 10.0–0 0–0 11.Bf4 c5 [Much more logical was timid strategy 11...c6 12.Rfe1 Be6 13.h3 Bd6] 12.Rad1 [Not bad would be 12.Rae1 Be6 13.b3 a6 14.Na4 with next c2-c4.] 12...Bg4 13.f3 Be6 14.Bc4

14...Re8?! [Correct was 14...Bd6 15.Bxd6 (15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.Bxd5 Bxd5 18.Qd2 Qb6 led to the same) 15...Qxd6 16.Bxd5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.Qd2 Qb6 19.Qxd5 Qxb2 20.Qxc5 Rfc8] 15.Bb5! Bd7 [Bad 15...Rf8 16.Bc6 Rc8 17.Bb7] 16.Nxd5! Now starts forced line,which led to White s better endgame. 16...Nxd5 17.Rxd5 Bxb5 [Very interesting was 17...Bf6 18.Rxd7 Qxd7 19.Qxe8+ Qxe8 20.Bxe8 Rxe8 21.Rb1 Re2 22.c3 g5 23.Bb8 a6 24.a4 Kg7 25.Kf1 Rc2 26.b4 Rxc3 27.b5 axb5 28.axb5 c4 with strong counterplay. 29.Ba7] 18.Rxd8 Bxe2 19.Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Re1

25...a6 [Best chance was activization 25...Bf6 26.Rc7 Re8+ 27.Kd2 Rd8+ 28.Kc1 Re8! 29.Rxa7 Re2 30.c4 Rxg2 31.a4 Ra2 32.a5 Ra4] 26.Kd3 Rc8 27.Kc4 Rc6 28.c3 Bf6 [Slightly better was 28...Bg7 29.a4 Bf8] 29.Rd7!

Threatening to exchange Rooks after Rd6. 29...Kg7 30.Rd6 Rc8 Black has to sacrifice the pawn and to try to activate own Rook,but it was necessary to do earlier! 31.Rxa6 Re8 32.a4 Re2 [More problems created for White 32...Re3 33.a5 Rxc3+ 34.Kb5 Rc2 35.Rc6 Rxg2 36.a6 Bd4 37.a7 Rb2+ 38.Kc4 Rc2+ 39.Kd5 Ra2 40.Rc7 Be3 41.h3 Kg6 42.Kc4 Kf6 43.Rb7 Ke6 44.Bc7 f5 45.Bb6] 33.Rc6 Rc2 [To position,similar to previous variation led 33...Rxg2 34.a5 Rc2 35.a6 Rxc3+ 36.Kb5 Bd4 37.a7 Rb3+ 38.Kc4 Rb4+ 39.Kd5] 34.Rxc5 [Possibly more precise was 34.a5 Rxc3+ 35.Kb5 Bd4 36.a6 Rb3+ 37.Kc4 Rb4+ 38.Kd5 Ra4 39.Bb8] 34...Rxc3+ 35.Kb4 Rd3

36.Be5! Transfer into Rook end with a passed pawn is the simplest solution. [More complicated,but either winning was 36.a5 Be7 37.Kc4 Ra3 38.Rb5 Ra2 39.Kb3 Ra3+ 40.Kb2 Kg6 41.Rb6+ f6 42.a6] 36...Rd2 37.Bxf6+ [In such situations White use to create powerfyuull base on f5 for her Rook 37.g4 Bxe5 38.Rxe5 Rxh2 39.a5 Ra2 40.Kb5 Kf6 41.Rf5+ Ke6 42.a6 h5 43.Rxg5 h4 44.Rh5 Kd6 45.Rxh4 Rb2+ 46.Ka5 Kc6 47.Rh6+ Kc7 48.Rf6] 37...Kxf6 38.a5 Rxg2 39.a6 Rb2+

[Immediately loses 39...Rxh2? 40.a7 Ra2 41.Ra5] 40.Ka5? [It was no sense to give one more pawn 40.Ka3! Rb8 41.a7 Ra8 42.Rc7 Ke6 43.Kb4 f5 44.Kc5 Ke5 45.Kb6 h5 46.Kb7 but Anna explained ,that she had natural desire to play with the King forward ,but never back!] 40...Rxh2 41.Kb6 Re2 42.a7 Re8 43.Ra5 h5 44.a8Q [Does not win 44.f4 gxf4 45.Rxh5 Ke6 (Possible is straight 45...Ra8 46.Kb7 Rxa7+ 47.Kxa7 f3 48.Kb6 f2 49.Rh1 Ke5 50.Rf1 Ke4 51.Rxf2 f5 52.Kc5 f4 53.Kc4 f3 54.Kc3 Ke3) 46.Ra5 Ra8 47.Kb7 Rxa7+ 48.Rxa7 f5 49.Kc6 Ke5 50.Kc5 f3 51.Kc4 f2 52.Ra1 Ke4 53.Rf1 Ke3 54.Kd5 f4 55.Ke5 f3 56.Ra1 Ke2 57.Kf4] 44...Rxa8 45.Rxa8 Ke5! It is always useful to bodycheck opponents King! 46.Kc5 [Did not win 46.Rf8 g4 47.Rxf7 g3 48.f4+ Ke4 49.f5 g2 50.Rg7 Kxf5 51.Rxg2 h4 52.Kc5 Kf4 53.Kd4 h3 54.Rg7 h2 55.Rh7 Kg3 56.Ke3 Kg2 57.Rg7+ Kf1] 46...h4 47.Rf8

47...f5?? [It was necessary to sneak with the King to support h4 pawn 47...Kf4 48.Rxf7+ Kg3 49.Kd4 h3 50.Ke4 h2 51.Rh7 Kg2 52.Kf5 Kxf3 53.Rxh2 g4 54.Ra2 g3 55.Ra3+ Kf2 56.Kf4 g2 57.Ra2+ Kf1 58.Kf3 g1N+ 59.Ke3 Nh3 with theoretical draw!] 48.Kc4 Kf4 [Did not help 48...h3 49.Kd3 h2 50.Rh8 Kf4 51.Ke2 Kg3 52.Rh5 g4 53.fxg4 fxg4 54.Kf1] 49.Kd3 Kxf3 50.Rxf5+ Kg4 51.Rf8 Kg3 52.Ke2 g4 53.Kf1 Kh2 54.Rf4 h3 55.Rxg4 Kh1 56.Kf2 1–0