Four Games with Nh6

The following four games seem to be available in the “Mega Database van Chessbase,” from which also the analysis of the fourth game comes. (From this analysis I inferred the times at which the other games must have been played). These games were emailed to me by John Elburg on January 26, 2002.

Juergen Dueball - Georg Rott (1-0)
(Seems to have been played in Germany in 1998/1999)
WhiteElo 2370, BlackElo 2205

1.e4  e6  2.d4  d5  3.Nc3  Bb4  4.e5  c5  5.a3  Bxc3+  6.bxc3  Nh6  7.Nf3  Nf5  8.Bd3 Nc6  9.dxc5  Nh4  10.Nxh4  Qxh4  11.Qe2  d4  12.O-O  dxc3  13.f4  Bd7  14.Rb1  Qe7 15.Rxb7  Qxc5+  16.Be3  Qd5  17.Rfb1  Nd8  18.Rxd7  Kxd7  19.Bb5+  Kc8  20.Rd1  Qa2 21.Qd3  Nb7  22.Qxc3+  Kb8  23.Ba6 black resigns

Janis Klovans - Georg Rott (1/2-1/2)
(Seems to have been played in Graz somewhere in 1999)
WhiteElo 2465, BlackElo 2195

1.e4  e6  2.d4  d5  3.Nc3  Bb4  4.e5  c5  5.a3  Bxc3+  6.bxc3  Nh6  7.Nf3  Nc6  8.Bd3 Bd7  9.Rb1  Qc7  10.O-O  c4  11.Be2  O-O-O  12.Bxh6  gxh6  13.Qc1  Ne7  14.Qxh6  Nf5 15.Qd2  Rhg8  16.Ne1  f6  17.exf6  Rdf8  18.Nf3  Rxf6  19.Ne5  Be8  20.Bg4  Nd6  21. f3  h5  22.Bh3  Bg6  23.Qg5  Qg7  24.Rf2  Bf5  25.Qxg7  Rxg7  26.Bxf5  exf5  27.Re2 a6  28.a4  Kc7  29.Kf2  f4  30.Ree1  Nf5  31.Rg1  Nd6  32.Rb4  Rf5  33.Rbb1  Rf6  34. Rbf1  Rf5  35.Ke1  Rfg5  36.Rf2  Nf5  37.Re2  Nh4  38.Kf1  Nf5  39.Kf2  Kb6  40.Ree1 Kc7  41.Rb1  b6  42.Rbe1  Kd6  43.a5  b5  44.g4  fxg3+  45.hxg3  Rxg3  46.Rxg3  Nxg3 47.Nf7+  Kd7  48.Nh6  h4  49.Ng4  Kd6  50.Re5  Rf7  51.Kg2  Re7  52.Kh3  Ne2  53. Kxh4  Nxc3  54.Kg5  Rxe5+  55.dxe5+  Ke6  56.f4  Ne4+  57.Kg6  Ng3  58.Ne3  d4  59. f5+  Nxf5  60.Nxf5  Kxe5  61.Kg5  b4  62.Ng3  b3  63.cxb3  cxb3  64.Nf1  Kd5  65.Nd2 b2  66.Kf4  Kc5 drawn

Adolf Huber - Georg Rott (0-1)
(Seems to have been played in Graz somewhere in 1999)
WhiteElo 2070, BlackElo 2195

1.e4  e6  2.d4  d5  3.Nc3  Bb4  4.e5  c5  5.a3  Bxc3+  6.bxc3  Nh6  7.Bb5+  Bd7  8. Bxd7+  Nxd7  9.Bxh6  gxh6  10.Qh5  Rg8  11.Ne2  cxd4  12.O-O  dxc3  13.Rab1  b6  14. Qxh6  Nxe5  15.f4  Ng4  16.Qxh7  Nf6  17.Qh3  Qc7  18.Rb3  Qc5+  19.Kh1  Ne4  20.Qh4 Qe3  21.Qe1  Kd7  22.Nxc3  Ng3+  23.Qxg3  Rxg3  24.Nxd5 white resigns



Valeri Atlas - Ernst Weinzettl (0-1)
(AUT-chT 9900, Austria, Round 10.2, November 1999)
WhiteElo 2465, BlackElo 2401
Comments taken from Chessbase

1.e4  e6  2.d4  d5  3.Nc3  Bb4  4.e5  c5  5.a3  Bxc3+  6.bxc3  Nh6
This rare knight move is gaining popularity in the modern practice.

7.Nf3
Series of trades does not seem to be profitable for White here, see the above game Huber - Rott

7...Nc6  8.Bd3  Nf5
An important alternative here is 8...Bd7, see the above game Klovans - Rott)

9.O-O
Another option: 9.dxc5 yielded White a strong attack in the above game Dueball,J-Rott

9...Qa5  10.Bd2  c4  11.Be2
11.Bxf5  exf5  12.a4 leads to unclear play.

11...Bd7  12.g4  Nfe7  13.Nh4
Preparing the f-pawn march.

13...h5  14.gxh5  O-O-O  15.Kh1  Rh7  16.Rg1  Rdh8  17.Rg2  g6  18.Bf3
Allowing for the exchange-sacrifice, which gives Black good counterplay. Stronger was 18.Rg5 with an edge for White.

18...Rxh5
After 18...gxh5  19.Qe2 White's prospects are better. 19.Bxh5  Rxh5  20.Nf3  Nf5  21.Rg5  Rh8  22.a4
Sacrificing the a-pawn for the possibility to move the white queen to the f8-a3 diagonal.

22...Nd8  23.Qc1  Bxa4  24.Qa3  b5  25.Qc5+  Qc7  26.Qxc7+  Kxc7 27.Ra2  Nc6  28.Rg4  Kd7  29.Bg5  a5  30.Rg1  Nce7  31.Bc1
Now the Bishop attains the a3-square.

31...Nc6  32.Ng5  Ke8  33.Ba3  Rh5  34.Bc5  Nfe7  35.h3  Nf5  36.Kh2  Nh4  37.Kh1  Nd8  38.f4
A risky pawn- ove in time-trouble. After the more prudent 38.Rg4  Nc6  chances are about equal.

38...Nf5  39.Re1  Rh4  40.Kg2  Rxf4  41.Nh7  Nc6  42.Nf6+  Kd8  43.Ba3  Nce7  44.Bc1  Nh4+  45.Kg3  Nef5+
Here another interesting option was 45...Rf3+  46.Kxh4  Nf5+  47.Kg5  (surely not 47.Kg4  Rg3+  48.Kf4  g5 mate) 47...Rxc3  (47...Rg3+  48.Ng4)  48.Bd2  Rg3+  49.Ng4  c3, with good compensation for the rook.

46.Kxf4  Ng2+  47.Kf3  Nxe1+  48.Ke2  Nxc2  49.Bg5  Kc7  50.Kd2  Kc6  51.Rxc2
51.Rxa4 is strongly met by 51...Ncxd4.
51.Bf4 and Ra4 was to be preferred, although after 51...Ncxd4  52.cxd4  Nxd4  53.Ng4 the position remains unclear.

51...Bxc2  52.Kxc2  b4  53.Bc1  a4  54.Ng4  a3  55.cxb4
55.Nh6 is refuted by 55...b3+  56.Kb1  a2+  57.Kb2  Nh4  (57...Nxd4  58.cxd4  c3+  59.Ka1  Kb5  60.Nxf7  Kc4  61.Nd6+  Kd3  62.Nb5  Kc2  63. Nxc3  Kxc3  64.Bb2+  Kd3  65.h4  Kc2  66.Ba3  Kc3  67.Bb2+  Kd3)

55...Nxd4+  56.Kb1  Nb5  57.Ne3  c3  58.Nc2  d4  59.Nxa3  d3  60.Nxb5  Kxb5  61.Be3  Kxb4  62.Kc1  Kc4  63.Bb6  Kd5
63...Kb3 was the simplest way to victory: 64.Be3 (64.Kd1  c2+  65.Kc1  d2+  66.Kxd2  Kb2)  (64.Bd4  d2+  65.Kd1  Kc4  66.Bb6  Kd3) 64...d2+  65.Kd1  Kb2 and c2-+ (65...c2+  66.Kxd2  Kb2  67.Kd3  c1Q  68.Bxc1+ Kxc1  69.Ke4  Kd2  (69...g5  70.Kf3  Kd2  71.Kg4  Ke3  72.Kxg5)  70.Kf4  Kd3 71.Kg5  Ke4  72.Kf6  g5  73.Kxg5  Kxe5  74.h4  Kd6  75.Kf6  e5)  66.Bd4  (66. Bxd2  cxd2  67.Kxd2  Kb3  68.Kd3  Kb4)  66...g5

64.Ba5  Kxe5
If 64...Kd4, then 65.h4  Kc4  66.Bb6  Kb3  67.Be3  d2+  68.Kd1  Kb2 69.Bd4
Correct was 64...Kc4  65.Bxc3+  Ke4  66.Kd2  f5  67.h4  e5 68.Ba5  f4  69.Bb6  (69.Bc7 is met by 69...Kd4  70.Bb6+  Kc4  71.Bc7  f3  72. Bb6  e4  73.Bf2  Kd5  74.Be1  Ke5  75.Ke3  Kf5  and Kg4-h3-g2 -+)

69...Kf3  70.Kxd3  e4+  71.Kd4
71.Kd2  Kg2  72.Ke2  e3  73.Ke1  Kf3  74.Bd8  Ke4  75. Bg5  f3  76.Bh6  Kd3  77.Kf1 was to be preferred. After the text move Black is winning easily.

71...e3  72.Ke5  Kg3  73.Kf6  e2  74.Ba5  f3  75.Be1+  f2  76.Bxf2+  Kxf2  77.Kxg6  e1Q white resigns