When your opponent takes liberties on a wing, you need accuracy to punish him.
G. Petrovsky White
Mikhail Ignatovich Black
Kaliningrad 2003
French Defense, Tarrasch Variation C05
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 ♘d2 ♘f6 4 e5 ♘fd7 5 f4 c5 6 c3 ♗e7 7 ♘gf3 ♕b6!
White’s center comes under fire before he can castle: 8 ♗d3 ♘c6 9 0-0 cxd4!.
He can’t avoid that with 9 ♘b3? c4!. And 9 dxc5 ♘xc5 10 ♗c2 ♕a6 is a bit unpleasant.
8 ♘b3 c4!? 9 ♘bd2 0-0
Black can work on the queenside after 10 ♗e2 ♘c6 11 0-0 ♕c7 and ...b5-b4.
10 g4? f6!
White’s move is a good space-gainer in similar positions. At first, 10...♕d8, intending ...♗h4+, looked right. But after 11 h4! White can generate mating threats with virtually no developed pieces, for example, 11...♘c6 12 ♕c2 threatens 13 ♘g5!. Black would stand well after 12...f6!.
11 ♗e2?
White sees how bad 11 exf6 ♘xf6 12 g5? ♘h5 and ...♘xf4 would be.
He had to settle for being slightly worse, 12 ♗h3 ♘c6 13 0-0 ♗d7.
11...fxe5 12 fxe5
12...♘xe5!
Now 13 ♘xe5 ♗h4 is mate.
Question 169: What is likely after 13 g5 ?
13 dxe5?? ♗h4+ White resigns.
Ruslan Ponomariev White
Vassily Ivanchuk Black
Thessaloniki 2013
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 ♘d2 ♘f6 4 e5 ♘fd7 5 f4 c5 6 ♘gf3 ♘c6 7 ♘b3 c4 8 ♘bd2 b5 9 ♗e2 ♘b6 10 ♘f1 h5 11 ♘e3 ♗d7 12 0-0 ♗e7 13 b3 g6 14 ♗d2 a6 15 ♗e1 ♕c7 16 h3 0-0-0 17 a4! ♔b7 18 ♕b1 ♘a7 19 a5 resigns. (Premature but 19...♘bc8 19 bxc4 dxc4 20 ♗xc4 is strong).