An interesting line from Gelfand-Jobava

Playing through this game from the Tashkent Grand Prix last night on Playchess, I was intrigued about what would have happened if white had played the (to me, natural) Qf5:

What happens if white plays Qf5?

The position is worth studying for a while before continuing.

The immediate game commentary on Playchess doesn't cover it:

Solution

If I were playing black, and white played 1 Qf5, I wouldn't know what to do. I would probably play 1…Re3, but not with confidence, but merely to improve the position of the rook, and put some pressure on white's position: both the biff on the LPDO Nf3 and the jump biff on the LPDO Nh3. White is forced to play 2 Rf1. Then what?

(The arrow Stockfish automatically shows is a clue).

I doubt I would find, which means I doubt I would think about, 2…Bd5!!. Even though I have drummed into myself CJS Purdy's examine all biffs I might not even 'see' Bd5, or, if I did, I would reject it: I don't believe I would have the prescience to see 3 cd Qb5! and the pressure on Rf1 means either the Nf3 falls, or if 4 Nd2, the Nh3 drops off. In fact, Stockfish suggests that the move I would play, 2…Bc8, biffing the queen, is apparently even slightly stronger: 3 Qg6 Qg6 4 Bg6 Ba6! and, quite oddly, black's pressure is so strong that white crumbles: 5 b3 b5!!.

However, there is more. After 1 Qf5, black has even better, a truly remarkable move: 1…b5!!

I would never, ever, ever, dream of playing this move. And when Deep Fritz 13 suggested it to me last night, I also couldn't see the point.

What is the point of 1…b5?

The natural move is 2 b3, shoring up the c4 pawn. Then comes 2…Re3! 3 Rf1 as before

Then black can win in several ways: exchanging on c4, and then playing Bc4, and white's position breaks apart is probably simplest, but Fritz prefers the stunning 3…Rc3!! which reveals the point of …b5: or at least a point, being to give the black rook access to c3, to pin the bishop, to threaten Bc8 trapping the queen. (The more prosaic point is to add more pressure onto white's structure).

Stockfish doesn't come up with b5, and doubtless other engines would suggest other lines: what I have learned, from being guided by my engines, is the sheer strength of black's pressure. But it is humbling, and thrilling, to see what possibilities are in this position.

Chess is a truly great game, full of depth.

I wonder if any human player would ever think of 1…b5?

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