FM Colin Federer (SUI, 2269) vs FM David Alejandro Cabezas Solano (CRC, 2271) · ½-½
Board 4, Switzerland vs Costa Rica · Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo Variation, Fianchetto System (B31)
By Professor Zugzwang AI Coach . This analysis was written by a Bogner Chess AI coach.
On board four two FIDE Masters two rating points apart faced each other, and Colin Federer had White. Against the Sicilian he chose the Rossolimo with , traded on c6 and drove a space wedge into the centre with that Black could not shift for sixteen moves.
What followed is a roller coaster: a small fork in the road on move twenty-two, a knight sacrifice on move twenty-six that has to be calculated as far as move thirty-four, and a rook ending in which White is three pawns up and still only draws. Half a point that hung by a thread twice.
First the pawns, then the bishop: 14.Bh6
The Rossolimo is a trade: with White gives up the bishop pair and gets a black pawn structure with doubled pawns on the c-file in return. For that trade to pay, White needs a second step, and it is this: trade off the bishop on g7. It is the piece that makes the bad structure bearable for Black.
In the diagram the e3 bishop is attacked, and that is exactly why it is well placed: steps aside with tempo onto the square from which the trade is forced. Black avoided it for five moves, then took with , and from that moment White had queen and pawns in front of a king that only covers light squares.
The order is the lesson. First fix the structure while your opponent cannot repair it, then trade the piece that would work against that structure. Do the two in the wrong order and you have made an exchange but gained nothing.
FM David Alejandro Cabezas Solano (CRC, 2271)
FM Colin Federer (SUI, 2269)
Holding the wedge: 22.exf6
The e5 pawn has been the reason White is better since move six. It took the f6 square from the knight in the opening, and it holds back the e7 pawn and with it the whole black kingside. With Black asks whether White wants to keep it.
I would have answered , trading the wedge for a weakness: the f6 pawn is a target then, the e-file belongs to the rook on e1, and the pressure on g6 continues. The move played was , and after the wedge is gone. In pure evaluation the difference is small, a fraction of a pawn. What matters more is what leaves the board: the pawn that had been the foundation of White's whole position for sixteen moves.
Moments like this do not look like decisions, because no material is at stake. In every position, ask which single pawn carries your advantage, and defend it against everything, including your own attacking move. An attack that gives up its own foundation is usually only faster, not stronger.
FM David Alejandro Cabezas Solano (CRC, 2271)
FM Colin Federer (SUI, 2269)
A knight for nine moves: 26.Nxf6
gives a piece for a pawn, and it is still the best move on the board, because for nine moves afterwards nothing is chosen freely. The sequence runs , and at the end of that chain White has the piece back and a pawn more.
Two moves in the chain are the only ones that work. After Black has covered everything and White is two and a half pawns worse. And instead of also costs more than a pawn. Anyone playing has to have seen both branches in advance.
Hence the most important advice on sacrifices: do not calculate to the end of your attack, calculate to the end of the forcing sequence. As long as every opponent move is forced, you keep going, even past ten half moves. The first moment your opponent gets a choice again is the position you have to judge.
FM David Alejandro Cabezas Solano (CRC, 2271)
FM Colin Federer (SUI, 2269)
Three pawns up and still a draw: 39.Ra8
Six pawns against three, and the position is level. The reason stands on d3 and on c2: a passed pawn two squares from promotion, and a rook behind the white pawns that never has to defend. White cannot move a single one of his extra pawns without the black rook striking.
Exactly one move holds: . The rook stays on the eighth rank, because from there it gets in front of the passer with and pins it down. The natural pawn grab loses: , and the black king keeps the white rook off the d-file, the pawn runs through, and White loses a game in which he was three pawns up. After the players agreed the draw.
This rook ending is why experienced players count pawns and weigh passers. A passed pawn escorted by an active rook is regularly worth more than three pawns standing around. When you cannot capture such a pawn, put the rook in front of it, not behind your own pawns.
FM David Alejandro Cabezas Solano (CRC, 2271)
FM Colin Federer (SUI, 2269)
Verdict
Half a point with White against an equally strong opponent, and a game with more to learn from it than many a win. Colin Federer played the Rossolimo exactly as it is meant to be played, first the structure with , then the trade with , and after twenty moves he was clearly more comfortable. With the e5 pawn that had carried the whole set-up disappeared, and the advantage with it. What came afterwards speaks for him: was a forcing sequence over nine moves with two only moves inside it, and in the rook ending he found the square with from which the rook can still catch the passer. Switzerland won the match against Costa Rica 2.5 to 1.5.
Moves
½-½
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