(1) Petrosian,T - Krogius,N [D91]
URS-ch26 Tbilisi (9), 1959



1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.e3 0-0 10.Bd3 Nc6 11.0-0 Ne7 12.b4 White begins the pawn minority attack

12...Bf5?
Here the exchange of the light-squared bishops is somewhat untimely and as a result White gets stable positional advantage. [ >=12...Bg4 ]

13.Bxf5 Nxf5 14.b5
It appears that after 14.b5 and 15.Qb3 Black cannot do without the move c7-c6. But then a weak "Carlsbad" pawn will be created in his camp which he will always have to take special care of. Another highly important circumstance is that the g7-Bishop is in fact excluded from active play for a long while.

14...Qd6 15.Qb3 Ne7 16.Rfc1 Kh8? 17.Rc2 h6
After the king's retreat to h8 the move 17...h6 is really necessary, for if Black decides to transfer the f8-rook to the queenside, he will have to reckon with the unpleasant threat e3-e4 with a subsequent Nf3-g5.

18.Rac1 c6 19.Na4
[ 19.bxc6 bxc6 20.Na4 ( 20.Ne2 ) 20...Rab8<=> ]

19...Rab8 20.g3
Making a "hole" for the king and creating a "saw" (term invented by Nimzowitsch) against the possible advance f7-f5-f4.

20...Kh7 21.Nc5 Rfd8 22.bxc6 bxc6 23.Qa4
Beside the c6-weakness, Black has another vulnerable pawn on a7. This is the result of his ommitance of a7-a6 with the intention to avoid b4-b5.

23...Qf6 24.Kg2
[ 24.Ne5 ]

24...Ra8 25.Nb7 Re8 26.Na5 g5
Having made absolutely sure that the c6-pawn is doomed to perish, Black now strives for any sort of kingside counterplay. But it is too late.

27.h3 Qf5 28.Nxc6 Qe4 29.Rc5 f5 30.Qc2 Nxc6 31.Rxc6 f4 32.exf4 gxf4 33.g4 Bxd4 34.Qd2 Bg7 35.Re1 Qa4 36.Qxd5 Rxe1 37.Nxe1 Rf8 38.Nf3 Kh8
At this moment Black doesn't have a single good move at his disposal.

39.Rc7 a6 40.Qb7 Rg8 41.Nh4

Black resigned. This game is a classical example of the pawn minority attack when the opponent has no counterplay whatsoever. The key points to be remembered are: 1. White's b-pawn advance followed by its exchange for the opponent's c-pawn creating a weakness on c6 2. Organization of pressure on the c6-pawn by doubling rooks on the c-file. 3. Use of the c5-outpost with the manoeuvre Nc3-a4-c5. 4.Vulnerability of yet another black pawn, the one on the a-file.

1-0