The Sicilian Defense offers Black the prospect of active counterplay at an early stage of the game. That is one of its chief appeals for the enterprising player. There is a necessary corollary: Black takes some risks, often positional, for his activity. If White is able to defuse Black's activity, he can get a strong positional grip.

In this game, white does a nice job of gaining a positional advantage in an unusual case of two knights being better than two bishops. Black hangs tough, however, and is able, with the help of a couple key decisions, to attain sufficient counterplay to draw.

FM Benedikt Jonsson (2385 FIDE) vs. Randy Bauer (2245 USCF)
1989 Twin Cities Open
Sicilian, Najdorf Variation

I've always believed in going my own way in the opening – even in theoretically critical lines like the Najdorf. This is the key variation, but earlier in the year I won an important game in the Iowa State Championship against NM Mitch Weiss with the theoretically discredited 10…h6 (click HERE to see that article).

11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.g5 Nd7 13.f5 Nc5

At present, the most solid move for black is considered to be 13...Bxg5+. After 14.Kb1, black cannot hold the e-pawn. For example, 14...Nc5? 15.Bxb5+! axb5 16.Ndxb5 and 17.Nxd6+ gives white a big attack. Likewise, 14...e5 15.Nd5! Qb7 16.Ne6 fxe6 17.Qh5+ gives White a nice attack. However, black can return the pawn and attain an acceptable position with 14...Ne5 15.Qh5 Qd8! 16.Nxe6 Bxe6 17.fxe6 g6! 18.exf7+ Kxf7 19.Qe2 Kg7 (van der Weije - Krudde, Dieren 1990) with about equal chances.

14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 Bf8 16.a3

ALTERNATIVE TO THE DANGEROUS 16.Rg1

The theoretically critical move (and the reason that 13...Bxg5+ is back in vogue) is 16.Rg1!. This move, found by the creative genius Perenyi, puts great pressure on the Black position because of the threat of a timely Rg7.

White's move is motivated by a desire to maintain his knight on c3. I was familiar with the move, however, and played into a variation that John Nunn, in his 1988 book, NAJDORF FOR THE TOURNAMENT PLAYER had dismissed for Black.

Nunn claims that 16...Rb8 is dubious, quoting a correspondence game that went 17.b4! Na4 18.Nxa4 bxa4 19.Rg1! a5 20.Qh5 Bd7 21.Rg7! (Perenyi's idea again) 21…Bxg7 22.fxg7 Rg8 23.Nb5 Rxb5 24.Qxh7 Rxg7 25.Qxg7 Re5 26.Rd3 with a winning position for White (Berg-Zinman, 1982-83).

When looking at this game, I thought that Black would gain more by having his knight on e5 than he got from the line openings with ...Na4.

Interestingly, Daniel King, in his 1993 book, WINNING WITH THE NAJDORF, reaches the same conclusion (obviously not knowing of my 1989 experience with the line!). He comments about 17...Nd7 that, "With the knight on e5 Black's central position would remain secure, giving him the chance to put more pressure on White's king. Food for thought."

18.Rg1

As we've seen from Berg-Zinman, this is a key idea. The rook aims for g7 and, just as importantly, prevents the black rook from seizing the file. The caveman approach doesn't work – 18.Ne6 fxe6 19.f7+ or 19.Qh5+ Kd8 and Black has adequate defensive resources.

TACTICALLY STOPPING BLACK’S …B-h6

Up until this point I felt that Black was all right. Black envisioned eventually putting his bishop on the active c1-h6 diagonal, but White's move radically prevents this, since 22...Bh6?? 23.Qxh6! wins because of the back rank mate. This is an attacking theme that Black must watch carefully.

This is a critical point in the game. Black must find a way to involve some more pieces beyond the queen and rook on c8. There really are only two ways, and I rejected 24...a5 because I didn't think I would get enough initiative for the pawn after 25.bxa5 b4 26.axb4 Qxb4+ 27.Nb3. Black still has his problem kingside pieces.

Black's move cedes the d5-square and keeps the dark squared bishop passive, but it allows black to play ...Be6, which removes the back rank mate problems, when Black can envision developing his kingside via h6.

25.Nb3 Be6 26.Rg2

White protects c2 to allow him to play Nd5. If allowed, White will regain a bind on the position, since a knight vs. dark squared bishop ending would greatly favor the knight.

Counterplay! Just in time, Black creates threats of his own. The f6-pawn is a real thorn in black's side, so Black targets it, since its advanced nature makes it hard for White to support.

THE GAME GETS SHARPER AND SHARPER

White recognizes that 27.Rf2? Rg6! cedes the initiative to Black.

27...Rxf6 28.Rxd6 Rg6

My original idea behind 26...Rh6 was to now play 28...Rf2. Then 29.Qh6?? Qxb3+! wins for Black, and 29.Qxf2 Qxc3+ 30.Kb1 Bxb3 31.cxb3 Qc1+ also wins. However, 29.Rxe6+!? fxe6 30.Qxf2 Qxc3+ 31.Kb1 Ke7 32.Qh4+ gives White a clear advantage, and 29.Rd2 also looks good. Black, as they say, had to switch (reluctantly!) to Plan B.

29.Rxg6

Even though this allows White to keep some advantage, I was more worried about 29.Rh8, which ties down the black pieces and entombs the black king. 29...Rg2 30.Rd2 again consolidates. Black would probably have to try 29...Ke7, hoping for 30.Rd2? Bh6! with counterplay, for example 31.Rxh6 Rxh6 32.Qxh6 Qxc3+ 33.Ka2 (33.Kb1 Bxb3 34.cxb3 Qc1+ 35.Ka2 Rc2+! draws) 33…Qf3!? and White may have to settle for 34.Qg5+ Ke8 35.Qg8+ with a draw. Other moves, such as 35.Qxe5, allow 35...Rc2+

29...Bxd6 30.Rg8+! Kd7 31.Rxc8! Qxc8

Black must now be very careful. The first point is that 31...Kxc8? 32.Qb6! wins the a6-pawn. The trade of rooks has neutralized Black's counterplay on the c-file. Both the white knights have nice entry points on the fifth rank, and Black's bishops don't do much.

Black's biggest concern is the h-pawn. If White can win it while keeping control of the position, he'll probably win.

White's move seeks a positional solution: White will play Nd5, when, after the inevitable ...Bxd5 White will recapture with the queen and have a great knight against a lousy bishop endgame. The problem is that Black does not have to acquiesce.

I think that White should view the h5-pawn as the bigger target in the position. The immediate 32.Qh6! gives White a more workable advantage than in the game. After 32...Bg4 (32...Qg8 33.Qxh6 Qg2 doesn't seem to yield anything tangible for Black) 33.Nd5 Qf8 34.Qe3!, with the threat of Qa7+, puts Black under great pressure.

The game has reached a crisis point for Black, as White is threatening to penetrate with both knights. The text sets a devilish trap, since 33.Kxb3? Qc4+ 34.Kb2 Qd4! turns the tables entirely: 33.Qe2 Bxb4! is clearly better for Black, and 33.Qxd4? exd4 34.Ne2 Bxh2 35.Nxd4 Be5! wins for Black.

Still, while the trap is nice, it is not why I played the move. We must be careful about playing for our opponent to err – eventually we run into stronger players who "see through" our plans.

In this case, the move cripples White's queenside pawn structure and creates an important drawing scheme for Black: perpetual check. There are now no escape squares for the white king, so queen checks on the first and second ranks may draw. Black utilizes this motif throughout the rest of the game.

It's important to familiarize yourself with these types of concepts. They'll crop out from time to time for both the player with the advantage and the player trying to save a poor game.

33.cxb3 Qd8

Now 34.Nd5 Qh4 creates counterplay for Black and denies White the use of the f-file.

The text seems logical, attacking the h5 pawn and not allowing 35...Qh4 on account of 36.Qc8+ Ke7?? 37.Nd5#. Still, if White had seen what was coming he would have preferred 35.Qa7, when Black probably has to defend with 35...Qc8 and White keeps an edge.

THE DRAW IS NOW IN SIGHT

The bishop finally goes on the offensive. The point, of course, is that 36.axb4? Qd2+ 37.Kb1 (37.Ka3 Qxc3 threatens mate on a1, when 38.Ka2 Qxh2 gives Black a clear advantage) 37…Qxc3 is good for Black. 36.Nd5 doesn't solve the problem either, as 36...Bxa3+! 37. Kxa3 Qa5+ 38.Kb2 Qd2+ 39.Kb1 Qd1+ 40.Ka2 Qd2+ 41.Ka3 Qa5+ draws.

Now, of course, Black is still threatening 36...Qd2+, and to maintain material equality White must liquidate what Hans Kmoch referred to as a “ram pawn” – the e5-pawn that has been hampering the black squared bishop.

36.Qe5+ Be7 37.Qh8+

The queen check on d2 still prevents White from taking the h5 pawn.

37...Bf8 38.Nd5 Qg5

This is sufficient, as is 38...Qd6 when, with both rook pawns under attack, White probably has to play 39.Nf6+ Ke7 (not 39...Ke6? 40.Qf6+) 40.Nd5+ with a draw.

39.Nf6+ Ke7 40.Nd5+ Ke6, 1/2 - 1/2.

Faced with threats of ...Bg7+, ...Qg2+ or ...Qd2+, White has nothing better than 41.Qxf8, which allows the perpetual starting with 41...Qd2+.

By "hanging tough" Black was able to eke out a draw with a superior player. The moral of the story, of course, is to always seek ways to make it hard for the player with the advantage to win the game. Look for hidden resources and, above all else, make your opponent beat you, don't beat yourself!