A strong center can allow a slow buildup to a bind.
Kamran Shirazi White
Lane Black
Los Angeles 1983
Petroff Defense C42
1 e4 e5 2 ♘f3 ♘f6 3 ♘xe5 d6 4 ♘xf7!? ♔xf7 5 d4
This is the wild alternative to 4 ♘f3 ♘xe4. White has two pawns for a knight and a potential pawn powerhouse. He would win quickly after 5...♘xe4?? 6 ♕h5+ ♔g8?? 7 ♕d5+.
5...♗e6 6 ♗d3 ♗e7 7 0-0!
White makes no effort to force matters (7 e5? dxe5 8 dxe5 ♘g4 and 9 ♕f3+ ♔e8 10 ♕xb7 ♗d5). He intends c2-c4 and perhaps d4-d5 or f2-f4-f5.
7...g6 8 c4 ♔g7 9 ♘c3 ♘a6?!
Black needs center squares for his pieces, such as after 9...c5 10 d5 ♗f7 (11 f4 ♘fd7 12 ♕e2 ♗f6).
10 a3 c6 11 h3
White can quietly improve because his center stifles Black pieces. For example, 11...♖e8 12 ♗e3 d5 13 cxd5 cxd5 14 e5! ♘d7 15 f4 with advantage.
11...♘c7 12 d5! ♗f7 13 ♗e3 h6 14 f4 c5? 15 e5!
Black should have restrained White with 14...♘d7 and ...♗f6.
But now 15...♘d7? 16 e6. Or 15...♘h7 16 f5! (16...dxe5? 17 fxg6 ♗xg6 18 ♗xg6 ♔xg6 19 ♕g4+).
15...♘g8 16 ♘e4! ♗xd5
Desperation comes early when Black sees lines like 16...♖h7 (to play ...♔h8) 17 exd6 ♗xd6 18 f5!.
Question 399: What’s the story after 18...gxf5 ?
17 cxd5 ♘xd5 18 ♗d2 dxe5 19 fxe5 ♕d7 20 ♗c4 resigns.
In view of 20...♖d8 21 ♗c3! ♘xc3? 22 ♖f7 mate and 21...♕e6 22 ♘d6.
Sarunas Sulskis White
Dmitry Frolyanov Black
Moscow 2004
1 e4 e5 2 ♘f3 ♘f6 3 ♘xe5 d6 4 ♘xf7 ♔xf7 5 d4 ♕e8 6 ♘c3 d5 7 e5 ♗b4 8 ♗d3 c5? 9 0-0 cxd4 10 exf6 dxc3 11 ♕h5+ g6 12 ♕xd5+ ♕e6 13 ♕b5 ♕d6 14 ♗c4+ ♗e6 15 ♗xe6+ ♔xe6 16 ♖e1+ ♔xf6 17 ♗g5+ ♔f7 18 ♖ad1 resigns.