Selangor Open
My opinion of the move is that it is bad as now black can easily attack white’s center pawns. Alternatives: In the Penang Open last year my opponent Setyaki played 10.Be3 here but after 10...Nc7 he has difficulty holding on to his pawns and I think Black is already better here. Setyaki,A (2349)-Miciano,J (2224) Penang 2017 0–1 (17);
10.Be4 Nc7 is another version of the line above. Black is now threatening ...f5. 11.Be3 e6 12.0–0–0 f5 13.exd6 Qxd6 14. dxe6 Qxe6 15. Ng5 Qe7 16. Bd3 h6 Black has an edge and White self-destructed here with 17.Bc4+ Kh8 18.Nf7+ Rxf7 19.Bxf7 Qxf7 20.Rd8+ Kh7 21.Bxc5 Ne6 Black has a decisive advantage. Tuncer,T (1996)- Selbes,T (2308) Kemer 2014 0–1 (32);
10.e6 fxe6 11.dxe6 d5 Black is likewise clearly better. His loss had nothing to do with the opening. Wockenfuss,K (2380)-Pfleger,H 14.fxe5 h5 15.Be4
I was expecting 15. Bg5 but I had prepared the counter 15...Nb4 16.Bxg6 Qb6! (of course not 16...fxg6?? 17.Rxd8) 17.Bd3 Nxa2+ 18.Kd2 Re8 followed by ...Bg4. 15... Nb6 16. Bf4 Qc7 17. g3 Be6 18.Ng5 Bg4 19.Bf3 Bxf3 20.Nxf3 Qc6
Threatening Qa4.
21.Kb1 Rad8 22.Ng5 Now comes a hard move to find. 22...Na4!
Preventing e6 and at the same time simply threatening Qb6. 23.Bc1 c4!
Trying to get in Qb5 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.Rf1?
Correct is 25.Rd1. The text move is a blunder but it is not so easy to see why. 25...Qb5 26.Rf3?
The lesser evil is 26.Qf3 Rf8 27.Nxf7? (27.Ka1 Bxe5) 27...Nxb2! Here comes a decisive series of good moves.
26...Bxe5! 27.Nxf7 [if 27.Rb3 Qd5] 27...Bxb2! Bravery 28.Rb3 <D>
And now comes the brilliancy. 28...Rd1!!
Offering the rook,queen and bishop for free, but none could be taken after all.
29.Nh6+ Kh8 30.Nf7+ Kg7 31.Qe5+ Qxe5 0–1
I thought that the following draw against GM Alexei Barsov, at one time among the leading players of Uzbekistan, smacked of tactical wizardry.
Barsov, Alexei (2411) — Miciano, John Marvin (2260) [E69] 45th Selangor Open Chess Kuala Lumpur (4), 29.04.2018 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0–0 5.Bg2 c6 6.0–0 d6 7.Nc3 Nbd7 The maneuver 7... Qa5 followed by Qh5 is in my repertoire. Once I even did 7...Qc7 and my opponent played 8.Bf4 then I went 8...Qa5 which is quite a bit funny, but playable. 8.e4 e5 9.h3 Re8
The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings regards the text move as the main line but nowadays Black usually goes for
complications with 9...Qb6 10.c5 dxc5 11. dxe5 Ne8 12. e6!? with an unclear position although here Black has good chances for a full-blooded fight. 10.Re1 Qc7
I know that many people consider this position as good for White (Black’s position can get passive if he is not careful) but so far it has served me in good stead. 11.Be3 a5
My signature move. 12.b3
[ 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 is my favorite kind of position. Black will play Bf8 and then maneuver his knight to d4 via d7–c5–e6–d4] 12...exd4 13.Nxd4 Nc5 14.Qc2 Bd7
The standard Pirc idea of doubling the rooks. 15.Rad1 Re7 16.Bf4 Rae8?
Objectively bad. 16... Ne8 seems forced.
17.g4 I underestimated the move 17. Nf5 here, which is probably White’s best. After 17...gxf5 18.Bxd6 Qb6 19.Bxe7 Rxe7 20.exf5 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 blacks pieces are uncoordinated, white’s pawns are also movable. 17...h6 18.Nde2
After 18. Re2 I was planning for a blockade on the dark squares after 18... Nh7 followed by ...g7–g5 and ...Be5.] 18...Ncxe4!
Realizing that my game was slipping into inferiority I calculated a long line which leads to an endgame. 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. Ng3 Nxg3 21.Rxe7 Rxe7 22.Bxd6
White thought he was winning but I was prepared for this.
22...Ne2+
[ 22... Qxd6 isn’t possible 23. Rxd6 Re1+ 24.Bf1!]
23.Kf1 Nd4! 24.Rxd4 Qb6 25.c5 Qb5+ 26.Qd3 Bxd4 27.Qxb5 cxb5= 28. Bxe7 Bc6 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. a4 ½–½