10.Ba6

10.Rhe1 centralizes. Black can enter complications after 10...a6 (but my preference is for the simple 10...Be7! 11.Qd2 a6 12.Bd3 0–0 13.Kb1 Rad8

BLACK’S OKAY

when the Black position doesn’t seem too bad, with ...d7-d6 or ...d7-d5 as the short-term plan.) 11.Bd3 d5 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.Bxh7!? Qf4+ 15.Kb1 Ne7 (15...Rxh7 is met by 16.Qd3!, while 15...Nd8 16.Be4 Qxe4 17.Qxe4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 is ±) 16.Qd3 Nd5 17.Be4 0–0–0, unclear.

10...Bxa6

A new move. Previously played was 10...Be7 11.Bxb7 Qxb7 12.Nd2 b5 13.Ne4 c4 (13...0–0 14.Qg4 Kh8 is much better. ...c5-c4 can come later.) 14.Qg4, ±, Skatchkov-Belozerov, Moscow 2004.

11.Qxa6 Be7 12.h4 h6 13.h5 f6

A jab at the White center that is quite common in this line. Black takes advantage of the unprotected Bishop on f4. Most importantly, Black is getting rid of the imposing White pawn on e5 after which he will hope to eventually advance in the centre.

14.Rhe1 0–0 15.Qd3 fxe5 16.Bxh6!?

16.Bxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 (17.Rxe5 Rad8, =) 17...Rxf2 favors Black.

16...Rf5!

An uncompromising reply. Taking on h6 was unwise. Black does not come out of the complications in good shape: 16...gxh6 17.Qg6+ Kh8 18.Qxh6+ Kg8 19.Re4 Bf6 (19...Rf4 20.Nxe5!! Rxe4 21.Qg6+ Kh8 22.Nf7 mate) 20.Rg4+ Kf7 21.Rg7+! Ke8 (21...Bxg7 22.Ng5+ Ke8 23.Qg6+ Kd8 24.Nxe6+) 22.Qg6+ Kd8 23.Rg8 and White wins.

17.Qxd7

17.Be3 d5 gets the truckers rolling.

17...Qxd7 18.Rxd7 gxh6 19.Rc7

BLACK IS IN CONTROL

That was his point but Black has it all under control.

19...Rxf3! 20.gxf3 Bg5+ 21.Kb1 Ne7 22.Rd7

White also gets no joy from 22.Rxe5 Bf4 23.Rxe6 Bxc7 24.Rxe7 Bf4.

22...Kf7 23.Rxe5 Kf6

What should Black’s plan be in this ending? One would imagine that he has to activate his Rook, but with the White Rook on d7 very well placed this is difficult. The clue lies in the pawn structure and the fact that White’s Rooks aren’t really working together. The pawn on h5 is very vulnerable and Knights are extremely good at picking off isolated pawns. So....

24.Re4 Nd5! 25.a4 Nf4 26.b4 Nxh5

It’s clarifying now. Black gets to push his h-pawn.

27.a5

27.bxc5 bxc5 28.Rc4 Nf4 29.Rxc5 h5 revs up the pawn: 30.Ra5 a6! 31.Rd6 Rb8+ 32.Ka2 (32.Ka1 Bh4 33.Raxa6 Bxf2 34.a5 h4 35.Rd1 h3 36.Rh1 Rg8) 32...h4 33.Raxa6 h3 34.Rd1 h2 35.Rh1 Nd5! 36.Rc6 Bf4 and Black wins.

27...Nf4 28.a6

The last chance is create queenside counterplay.

28...h5 29.Kb2 h4 30.Re1 c4!

Accurate.

31.Ka3 Nd5 32.Rd6 Nc7

What a versatile Knight! Not so long ago he was over on the kingside!

33.Rc6 Bf4 34.Rxc4 Kf5

Suddenly Black’s pieces are perfectly coordinated. When the best players can’t see a plan, then this is what they aim for. Eventually a plan will appear with everything in the right place.

35.Kb3 h3 36.Rh1 Rh8 37.Rd4 Rh7 38.Rd8 e5 39.Ra1 h2 40.Rdd1 Rg7 41.c4 Nxa6! 42.Rxa6 Rg1 43.Raa1 h1Q 44.Rxg1 Qxf3+ 45.c3 Qxf2 46.Rg7 a5 47.bxa5 bxa5 48.Rxa5 Ke4 49.Rb7 Qf1 50.Ra2 Qd1+ 51.Rc2 Kf3 52.Rb5 e4 53.Rb8 Qf1 54.Re8 e3 55.Re7 Qd1 56.c5 Qd8, 0-1. Excellent play by Black and a game as far removed from the Open Sicilian as it is possible to be. The c-file was closed the whole game through!

Grachev,J (2380) - Belozerov, Andrei (2507) [B29]

Novosibirsk, 2001

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4

I think this will be quite a common response among club players. White simply opens the center in the style of a normal Sicilian. Play transposes into a position resembling the 2 c3 line, but not quite.

4...cxd4 5.Qxd4 e6 6.Bc4 Nc6 7.Qe4 f5 8.Qe2 Nde7!

PREPARING TO TARGET e5

This is a very good move that can be played in the analogous variation with 2.c3. Quite nakedly Black targets the e-pawn. The blocked center means that White will take quite some time to build up any pressure on the d-file so this plan is quite viable.

9.g3 Ng6 10.Bd2 Qc7 11.Bc3

Not an ideal square for the Bishop. Black expands further.

11...a6 12.h4

More or less forced.

12...b5 13.h5

What else?

13...Ngxe5

It looks to me as though Belozerov had this all worked out at home. For the rest of us it is an instructive little combination serving to demonstrate the efficiency of the earlier Knight maneuver.

14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe6!

White plays well, which makes this game valuable.

15...dxe6

Here Black misses a shot I think! 15...Qc6! 16.Bd5! (Two zwizchenzugs in a row but at the end of the affair it will be Black on top. Worse is 16.Bxf5 Qxh1+ 17.Kd2 Qd5+ 18.Kc1 Bb7 19.Qxe5+ Qxe5 20.Bxe5 Kf7) 16...Qxd5 17.Qxe5+ Qxe5+ 18.Bxe5 Bb7 19.0–0 Rc8 with a small edge to Black.

16.Bxe5 Bd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Nc3?!

So natural and so inaccurate. It might have been worth flicking in 18.h6!? just to upset the black King . It’s not so easy for Black to get his Bishop and Queen lined up on the diagonal: 18...g6 19.0–0! Bb7 20.Re1 Kf7 21.Nd2.

18...b4!

Now Black is getting on top. In order to prevent some horrible accident on the long diagonal White is forced into unfavorable tactics.

19.Rd1

19.Nd1 Bb7 20.Rh4 0–0 21.c3 bxc3 22.Nxc3 was relatively best, though after 22…Rad8 Black’s superiority is beyond dispute.

19...Qc6! 20.Nd5 Kf7 21.Rd4 exd5

If there is a piece there, why not take it?

22.Kd1 Re8 23.Qd2 a5 24.h6 g6 25.Rhh4 Re4 26.Rhxe4 dxe4 27.Rd6 Qc5 28.Rd8 Ra7 29.Kc1 Rc7 30.Rh8 Ke6 31.b3 Qc3, 0-1. Easy technique at the end.