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GM Melik Annotates Print E-mail
By GM Melikset Khachiyan   
July 25, 2008
GMMeliklead.jpg
Photo Lola Nunn
Armenian born, LA based GM Melikset Khachiyan annotates his most interesting game from the Pacific Coast Open (Agoura Hills, July 17-20.) Khachiyan shared first with Shankland, Sevillano and Aghasaryan, which you can read about in Jerry Hanken's thorough tournament report. Melikset moved to the U.S. in 2001 and is as proud of his coaching as his GM title. A quote by his former student, super-GM Levon Aronian, who has ranked as high as #3 in the world, should explain why. "It was Khachiyan who took me as a third-category player and made me an IM." Find out more about Melikset's life and lessons on his homepage, gmmelik.com.

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1.e4 c5 .2 Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7 Qxd7 5.c4 Nc6 6.00 e5 7.d3 h6

Black is preparing a very interesting plan to attack on the kingside. White must also be aggressive to avoid some real problems at this early stage of game.
8.Nc3 g5.9.a3 Nge7 10.b4 Bg7

If Black takes on b4 then 11.Nd5! threatening Nf6+, followed by  11...Nxd5 12.cxd5 and 13.axb4 with advantage for White.
11.Be3 b6 12.b5 Nd4 13.a4 00 14.Bxd4 exd4 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.cxd5 f5 17.Nd2 fxe4 18.dxe4?!

18.de4.jpg
Position after 18.dxe4


So far both sides played well, but dxe4 is a very risky move. I was planning to capture on e4 but then I saw some possible problems with my pawn on d5. In fact it wasn't something very concrete. I just decided to go for more complications since my opponent already had a little time pressure.
18...Rf4 19. Qb3 Raf8 20.Qd3 Be5 21.Nc4

21.Nc4.jpg
Position after 21.Nc4

A little too much. I should have paid more attention to Black's growing kingside initiative.
21...Qe7 22.a5 Qf6 23.axb6 axb6 24.Ra2 g4!
I completely missed that move.
25.Qe2 h5 26.Nxb6 d3! 27.Qxd3 Rf3!

27...Rf34.jpg
28.gxf3
In my calculations I missed that after 28.Qe2 White is losing by force : 28... Bxh2 29.Kxh2 Qh4+ 30.Kg1 g3!!, the move which I missed.
28...Bxh2?
With 28...Qf4 29.Rfa1 Qxh2 30.Kf1 and the simple 30..Bxa1 Black should win the game, but luckily for me, he didn't see it.
29.Kxh2 Qh4+ 30.Kg1 Rf3??

30...Rf3.jpg
Can you find White's powerful move here?

And now he misses a draw. 30...gxf3 31.Rfa1 Qh3! 32.Qf1 Qg4 + 33.Kh2 Qf4+! 34 Kh3 Qg4+ -this variation works because of the pawn on h5.
31.Rd1!!
A very strong move, and now White is winning.
31..Rh3 32.Kg2! Rxd3 33.Rxd3 Qe7 34.Re3 h4 35.Nc4 Qe8 36.b6 Qb5 37.Rb2 h3+ 38.Kh2 Qe8 39.b7 Qb8 40.Ra3 g3+ 41.fxg3 1-0

Khachiyan also provided the game score of a win by a young talent from his homeland, Robert Aghasaryan. The Armenian 14-year-old also tied for first in Agoura Hills. Before playing through this miniature, try to find Robert's winning move in the following position against IM Mladen Vucic:

after17...Bh6.jpg
Position after 17...Bh6

Show Solution



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