[Event "WS/MN/103"] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Johnson, Bobby"] [Black "Garnica, Herve"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2411"] [BlackElo "2286"] [Annotator "Johnson"] [PlyCount "25"] [SourceDate "2013.12.31"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. O-O h6 7. c3 Ne7 8. a4 $1 { All was common and uninteresting in this Caro-Kann Defense before 8.a4!, a move not found at chessgames.com or most other opening books and databases. However, it has been played with unusually high success at ICCF, which is where I dug it up.} ({Systems with} 8. Na3 a6 9. Nc2 Bh7 {are popular with GM's such as Ponomariov.}) 8... g5 {this move has been played by highly rated players at ICCF and is not bad as long as black has found an answer for,} 9. Na3 $1 $146 {If white's plan for an all-out queen side attack was not previously clear to black, this move made it crystal clear.} (9. a5 Bg7 10. h4 (10. a6 b6 11. Re1 O-O 12. Bd3 Qe8 13. Bxf5 {1/2-1/2 Emelyanov,M (2472) -Yamaliev,V (2438)/ICCF 2012}) 10... Ng66 11. h5 Ne7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Nbd2 c5 14. a6 b6 15. Qa4 c4 16. b3 cxb3 17. Bb5 b2 18. Ra2 Rc8 19. Bxd7 b1=Q 20. Nxb1 Rc4 21. Qb5 Rc7 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Nh2 Qe8 24. Qe2 Bxb1 25. Rxb1 Rxc3 26. Rc1 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Nc6 28. Qd1 Na5 29. Ng4 Nc4 30. f4 gxf4 31. Rf2 Kh8 32. Nf6 Bxf6 33. exf6 Rxf6 34. Bxf4 Qf8 35. Qf3 Kg8 {1/2-1/2 Sukhodolsky,A (2486)-Zhak,B (2556)/ ICCF email 2009}) 9... Qc7 $2 {This move is an error and ignores white's attack } (9... Bg7 {is probably better}) 10. c4 {Continuing the attack.} O-O-O {The line from a Bob Seger song, "We were running against the wind" comes to mind here. Black should be looking at lines playing away from White's attack rather than into it.} 11. c5 {An obvious attacking move.} Bg7 {Probably better on move 9.} 12. Be3 {Protecting d4-c5 and joining the attack.} f6 {Again ignoring or simply not seeing white's pending . . .} 13. Nb5 $1 {Black immediately resigned - game over with all pieces on the board!} ({I had expected} 13. Nb5 cxb5 14. axb5 g4 (14... Kb8 15. Qb3 Nc8 16. Rfc1) 15. Nh4 Kb8 (15... fxe5 16. Rxa7 Qb8 17. Qa4) 16. Qa4 {both lines leading to complex positions with white having the clear advantage.}) 1-0