Swarming the King with just pawns

Chess checks

In the game which follows, White from the initial stages is saddled with weakness on the Black squares and the way Black tries to exploit it is worth watching. Interestingly Black sets up a checkmating trap via the Black squares with his bishop and queen combination.

White: Denis Yevseev (2503) – Black: Stanislav Voitsekhovsky (2558)
RUS-Cup final, Ekaterinburg (6), 1999
King’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0–0 6.Nge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Ng3 exd5 9.cxd5 Nh5
An interesting move! The dark square weakness in White’s position are too much of a temptation to resist and Black wants to activate his pieces at the cost of risking a bad pawns tructure.

10.Nxh5 gxh5 11.Bd3
If 11.Be3 f5 12.Qd2 fxe4 13.Nxe4 (13.fxe4 Bxc3) Bf5 14.Bd3 Nd7
11...f5
Sharp play by Black
12.0–0
If 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.0–0 Na6 14.Bxa6
12...Na6
If 12...f4 13.Ne2 Be5 14.g3 fxg3 15.hxg3 h4 16.g4 h3 17.Qe1 (17.g5 Bxb2 18.Bxb2 Qxg5+ 19.Kf2 Bg4)
13.Bf4

A wrong choice which immediately pushes White on the back foot. Interestingly this move was played in a previous game. A better continuation is 13.a3 Bd7 14.Qc2 Qf6 15.Kh1 Rac8 16.Be3 c4 17.Be2 b5 18.f4 (18.Bxa7 Nc5 19.Rad1 Kh8  20.Bxc5 Rxc5 ) 18. ..Nc5 19.e5 dxe5 20.fxe5 Qxe5 21.Bf4 Qf6 22.d6 Kh8 23.Rad1 which was also played previously

13...fxe4 14.fxe4 c4
Another Intersting advance!
15.Bxc4 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Qxb2 17.Qxh5
The players till point had been following a previous game but White makes a enw move here. The continuation then had been 17.Bxd6 Bg4! 18.Qb3 Bxc3 19.Qxb2 Bxb2 20.Rae1 Rxf1+ 21.Bxf1 Bd4 22. Resulting in a draw.

17...Qxc3
If 17...Rxf4 18.Rxf4 Qxa1+ 19.Rf1 Qxf1+ (19...Qxc3 20.Qf7+ Kh8 21.Qe8+) 20.Bxf1 Bxc3 21.Qe8+ Kg7 22.Bxa6 bxa6 23.Qc6 with advantage for White
18.Bxd6 Bg4
A super move! If 18...Qxc4 19.Bxf8 Bxa1 20.Qf7+ Kh8 21.Bg7+ Bxg7 22.Qe8+ And if 18...Rxf1+ 19.Rxf1 Bf5 20.Qxf5 (20.Bxa6 Bg6) 20...Qxc4 21.Be5 Qxf1+ 22.Qxf1 Bxe5 23.Qf5 Re8 24.d6 with White in the driver’s seat.
19.Qxg4. If 19.Rxf8+ Rxf8 is good for White
19...Rxf1+ 20.Rxf1 Qxc4. Black has an extra piece but is two pawns less
21.Qf5
If 21.Qf4 Nc5 22.Rc1 Qxe4 23.Rxc5 Qe1+
21...Nc5

A good move!
22.Bxc5
If 22.Re1 Nd3 (22...Re8 23.Rf1 Kh8 24.Qf7 Rxe4 25.Bf8 Qd4 26.Qc7 Nd3 27.Bxg7+ Qxg7 28.Qd8+ Qg8 29.Qf6+) 23.Rf1 Kh8 with Black in a better position
22...Qxc5 23.Qf7+ Kh8 24.Qxb7 Rg8 25.h3 . A defensive move
25. ..Qc4 26.Qb1 Be5
A good move targeting the King and also keeping the central pawns in check

Diagram 1

27.Rf3
If 27.Rf2 Qc3 28.Rf3 Qd2
27...Qe2 28.Qg1
If 28.Qf1 Qxe4
28...a5 29.Qf1 Qxa2 30.Rf7. If 30.Rf8 Qd2
30...Qd2 31.Re7 Qg5 32.Ra7 Qg3 33.Qg1 Rf8 and White resigned as Black was threatening to sacrifice the rook 34. ..Rf1 to set up checkmate.


Diagram 2

White to play and win
 1.Rxh6 Bxh6 2.Be6+ Kh8 3.Qf6+ Kh7 4.Qf7+ Bg7 5.Bf5+ Kh8 6.Qh5+ Kg8 7.Be6+ Kf8 8.Qf7 checkmate.