The analysis of the game Bologan – Lputian turned out to be very interesting and branchy. It seems to me that it deserves a whole article so that the reader won`t be dazzled because of many diagrams and variations. 

Bologan – Lputian (the 6^th round)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.¤c3 Ґb4 4.e5 ¤e7 5.a3 Ґxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Јg4 0-0 8.Ґd3 ¤bc6 9.Јh5 ¤g6

This variation is not the most popular in Winawer system. Few players of the top 100 have used it lately and Smbat Lputian is among them. Most people try to get an advantage after Јd8-a5.

10.¤f3 Јc7 11.Ґe3 c4 12.Ґxg6 fxg6 13.Јg4 Јf7 14.¤g5 Јe8 15.h4 Ґd7!?

It was a theory up to now. 15... Ґd7!? is a new move. Judging by the fact that Armenians often use it, it could have been invented together during the training sessions. After a standard 15...h6 16.¤h3, the White`s knight can get to the promising f4-square, the queen goes to e2, then White moves g4 and h4 and opens the Black`s kingside. I would like to demonstrate an example of White`s attack. Let me do it without comments:  16...Ґd7 17.Јe2 b5 18.g4 a5 19.h5 gxh5 20.g5 hxg5 21.¤xg5 g6 22.0-0-0 Јe7

23.¦dg1 Јxa3+ 24.ўd2 b4 25.¤e4 dxe4 26.Јxh5 ¦xf2+ 27.Ґxf2 Јxc3+ 28.ўd1 Јf3+ 29.Јxf3 exf3 30.¦xg6+ ўf7 31.¦f6+ ўe7 32.¦h7+  - Blackgaveup, Bacrot - Vaisser, France, 2003. Of course it is not as easy as it seems but this variation is really a rare bird in the tournaments after 2003 year.

16.Јe2

Lputian already played 15...Ґd7 against Mikhail Kobalia in the 3^rd round. That game continued in the following way: 16.¤h3 h6 (returning to the main variation. I think Lputian would have chosen other continuation if Bologan moved 16.¤h3) 17.¤f4 (17.Јe2 looks more solid. In this case, the game can come to the foregoing game Bacrot-Vaisser.) 17...¤e7 18.Јe2 b5 19.Јd2 a5 20.ўe2 Јf7 21.¦ab1 ¤f5 22.g3 b4 23.¦h2 bxc3 24.Јxc3 ¤xe3 25.ўxe3 Јf5 26.ўd2 ¦ab8 27.¦xb8 ¦xb8. It seems that Black stands slightly better.

16...b5 17.g4

Here is one of the games by Lilit Mkrtchian (2450 FIDE): 17.h5 h6 18.¤h3 gxh5 19.¤f4 ¦xf4 20.Ґxf4 Јf7 21.Ґe3 Ґe8 22.g4 hxg4 23.Јxg4 Јg6 24.Јe2 ¤e7 25.ўd2 Јf5 26.¦ag1 Ґg6 27.Јd1 a5 28.¦h4 Јf7 29.Јb1 ¦b8 30.¦hg4 ўh7© Ruan Lufei-Mkrtchian, Ekaterinburg 2006.

17...Јd8 18.h5 gxh5 19.ўd2!

This continuation is stronger than 19.¦xh5 h6 20.¤f3 (20.¤h3 Ґe8) 20...Јa5 21.Ґd2 ¦f4!ѓ, and Black has nothing to worry about, Lahno-Galstian, Stepanakert  2005. Judging by this game, it is clear that it is not easy for White to make the advantage real. Bologan managed to find an unusual way for this piece. 

19...a5

Black continues ignoring the g5-knight. 19...h6 20.¤h3 – now taking on g4 can cause trouble and White is ready to play g4-g5 himself.

20.¤xh7!!

White sacrifices a knight for a powerful attack. Judging by the game result and White`s mistakes, this sacrifice was invented directly during the game.   

20...ўxh7 21.¦xh5+ ўg8 22.¦ah1

22...b4

Black considers that there is no mating threat. So he has a tempo for creating counterplay on the queenside. On the other hand, it looks like Lputian decided that other continuations are even worse. 

Let`s analyze 22...Јe7 too.   

In fact, White can`t continue as in the game: 23.g5 ўf7 24.g6+ (24.¦h7 ўe8 25.Јh5+ ўd8 26.Јg6 ¦g8) 24...ўe8 25.¦h8 ўd8 26.Јg4 ўc7, and Black`s king makes his way off;

It is not good to play 23.¦h8+ either – 23…ўf7 24.Јf3+ ўg6 (24...ўe8 25.Јxf8+ Јxf8 26.¦xf8+ ўxf8 27.¦h8++-) 25.¦xf8 (25.¦8h6+ gxh6 26.¦xh6+ ўg7 27.Јh3 ¦h8 28.Јh5 Ґe8-+) 25...¦xf8 26.Јh3 ўf7 27.Јh5+ g6 28.Јh7+ ўe8 29.Јxg6+ Јf7;

Instead of these variations, 23.Ґg5! provides with the victory 23...Јxa3 24.¦h8+ ўf7 25.Јf3+ ўg6

26.¦8h6+! gxh6 (26...ўxg5 27.¦1h5#) 27.¦xh6+ ўxg5

27...ўg7 seems to be poor consolation – 28.Ґf6+ ўf7 (28...ўxh6 29.Јh3+ ўg6 30.Јh5#) 29.Јh3 with decisive threats.

28.Јe3+! ¦f4 29.¦f6

And Black can`t save himself from the mate.

Let`s try not to move the queen away from the king:

22...Јe8 23.¦h8+ ўf7 24.Јf3+ ўg6 25.¦1h6+ gxh6 26.¦xh6+ ўg7 27.Јh3

27...¦h8 28.Ґg5 ¦xh6 29.Јxh6+ ўg8 30.Ґf6  – game over.

So the queen moves don`t help and 22...b4is certainly the most logical continuation among any other moves.

23.g5

23.¦h8+ is out of use in this position – ўf7 24.Јf3+ ўg6 25.¦1h6+ gxh6 26.¦xh6+ ўg7 27.Јh3 ¦h8 …28.Јh5 Ґe8.

23...bxc3+ 24. ўxc3 ўf7 25.¦h7 Јb6

26.g6+?!

Now it was not so difficult to find 26.Јh5+ ўe7 27.Јg6 ¦f7 (27...¦a7 28.Јxg7+ ўe8 29.¦h8+-) 28.¦xg7 ¦xg7 (28...Ґe8 29.Јf6++-; 28...¦af8 29.Јf6+ ўe8 30.¦xf7+-) 29.Јf6+! with unavoidable mate. It may be that Bologan didn`t notice this move.  

26...ўe7 27.¦xg7+

It is also interesting to play 27.Ґg5+ ўe8 28.Јe3 with the idea of ¦h8: 28...¦b8 29.¦h8 (29.¦xg7 Јb2+ 30.ўd2 ¦b3-+) 29...Јb2+ 30.ўd2 c3+ 31.Јxc3 Јxc3+ 32.ўxc3 ¤e7 33.¦xf8+ ўxf8 34.¦h8+ ¤g8. Black looks okay.

27...ўd8 28.Јg4! ¦b8

Try proposing anything more logical!

29.¦hh7 Јb2+ 30.ўd2 ¦b7

31.¦xd7+!?

One should also analyze 31.¦f7 with idea of exchanging the rooks and pushing the g-pawn towards the eighth rank. 

Let`s take up two escape routes of the rook.

A) 31...¦e8 32.g7 c3+ 33.ўd1 Јb5  (33...Јa1+ 34.Ґc1 ¦b1 35.¦xd7+ ўc8 36.Јg5+-)

 B) 31...¦g8. Now let`s try to realize the plan indicated above: exchange the rooks and advance the g-pawn.

32.Јh4+

32...ўc8

(32...ўe8 33.¦e7+) 33.¦h8 ¦xh8 34.Јxh8+ ¤d8 35.g7 (35.¦f8 c3+ 36.ўd1 Јa2 37.¦xd8+ ўc7) 35...c3+ 36.ўd1 Јb1+ 37.Ґc1 ¦b2 38.Јh7 (38.Јxd8+ ўxd8 39.g8Ј+ Ґe8-+ )

38...Ґa4 39.¦c7+

39...ўxc7 40.g8Ј+ ўc8 41.Јgg6 ¦a2!,

White has no chances (even with two queens) because of the mate threat on a1.

As a matter of fact, it looks like to be some fib. Having seen the variation from the beginning, it is easy to make sure that Black`s rook is on the underbelly just after taking on d7. In other words, after 32.¦xd7+ ¦xd7 33.Јxe6±

Black suffers material losses.

31...¦xd7 32.Јxe6 c3+

33. ўd1?

White brought his goods to the wrong market.It was necessary to play 33.ўd3. Now one must analyze both the check on b5, which takes out the White`s king, and taking on h7. So then:

33...¦xh7 34.gxh7 – White threatens to take the f8-rook with a check. The computer gives the following nice variation: 34...¤e7 35.Јf6 Јb5+ 36.ўxc3 Јe8 (the queen returns to the defense) 37.Ґg5!? (it is interesting to try 37.Јb6+ ўc8 38.Ґg5) 37...¦xf6 38.Ґxf6 Јc6+ 39.ўd2 Јxf6 40.exf6 ¤g6

41.c4, and the Black`s knight can`t deal with so many passed pawns. For example, 41...dxc4 42.ўc3 ўd7 43.ўxc4 ўe6 44.ўb5 ўxf6 45.ўxa5 ўg7 46.ўb6+-;

33...Јb5+ 34.ўxc3 ¤e7 35.g7 ¦e8 36.¦h8 ¦c7+ 37.ўd2

37...Јa4

After 37...¦xc2+ 38.ўxc2 Јe2+ White avoids checks: 39.ўc3 Јc4+ (39...Јe1+ 40.Ґd2 Јa1+ 41.ўd3 Јb1+ 42.ўe2 Јe4+ 43.ўf1+-) 40.ўd2 Јa2+ 41.ўe1 Јb1+ 42.ўe2 Јc2+ 43.ўf1+-;

38.¦xe8+ (38.Јd6+ ўc8 39.¦xe8+ Јxe8 40.Јe6+ ўb7 41.Ґg5 Јg8) 38...Јxe8 39.Ґg5 – Black is facing g8Ј. And if he plays 39...¦xc2+, the White`s king has the opportunity to run away: 40.ўe3 ¦e2+ 41.ўf4 ¦xf2+ 42.ўg3 ¦f3+ 43.ўg4+-.

33...Јb1+ 34.ўe2

It looks like White didn`t pay attention to the variation 34.Ґc1 Јxc2+!

 35.ўxc2 ¤xd4+ 36.ўxc3 ¤xe6-+

So, the battle is basically finished.

34...Јxc2+ 35. ўf1 Јd1+ 36. ўg2 Јf3+ 37. ўg1 Јd1+ 38. ўg2 Јf3+ 39. ўg1 ¦xh7 40.Јd6+ (40.gxh7 ўc7) 40...¦d7 41.Јxc6 Јg4+ 42. ўf1 c2 43.Јb6+ ўe8 44.Јc6 ўd8 45.e6

To all appearances, White resigned without waiting for the opponent`s reply.

To tell the truth, this game could be called the week`s best game if its result was opposite.

I would like to note two things:

-         It looks like it is very dangerous for Black to let the White`s knight stay on g5 in this variation. 

-         The variations are not forced. Black has an extra piece, his king has already left the dangerous kingside and the opponent`s king is not safe either. However, in spite of these facts, White simply brings the pieces in and organizes a very strong attack.