Move

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Nf3 Qb6 7. e3 Qc7 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. a3 a6 10. b4 Be7 11. Bb2 b6
   In such positions Black should not castle too early, as then White can start a dangerous attack after g2-g4!.
12. e4 Bb7
   Instead of the text 12... Qb8 would be too passive, but 12... Bd6!? was interesting.
13. Nd5! exd5 14. cxd5 Rc8
    This is better than 14...Qf4 15 dxc6 Bxc6 16 0-0!, with initiative for White.
15. dxc6 Qxc6 16. Qe2!
   After 16.Qxc6 dxc6 Black would be OK, yet I felt that White could fight for advantage.
Nxe4 17. Nd4!
    This is much better than both 17 0-0? Ng5! and 17 Ne5 Qd5 18 Bc4 Rxc4 19 Nxc4 Nxf2.
Qd5 18. f3 Ng5?
    This is bad; Black had to play 18...Nd6! 19 0-0 Kf8, which unclear position.
19. Nf5 Ne6 20. O-O
    Now Black cannot castle, which in this position means that he is lost.
Bc6 21. Rad1! Bb5 22. Nxg7+ Nxg7 23. Bxg7+- Rg8 24. Rfe1 Qg5 25. Bxb5 axb5 26. Rd5! f5 27. Rxf5 Qxg7 28. Re5 Kd8 29. Rxe7 Qg6
   Black kept playing in this position because I was short of time.
30. Re4 h5 31. g3 Rc3 32. Rd4 Qc6 33. Red1 Rg7 34. Qe5 Qxf3 35. Qxg7 Qe3+ 36. Kg2 Rc2+ 37. Kh3 Qe6+ 38. Kh4 Rxh2+ 39. Kg5 Qe3+ 40. Kg6 Qxg3+ 41. Kh7
   Time: 1.58 - 1.55.
1-0

Move

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 c5 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 e6 6. Qe2 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O Nbd7 9. e4 Qc7?!
   Black allows e4-e5, which puts him into danger.
10. e5! Ng4 11. Bf4 b5 12. Bb3 Bb7 13. Nbd2 O-O 14. h3?!
    Probably I should not hurry with this move: 14.Rac1 Qb8 15.Bc2 looks better, leaving h2-h3 as a threat and not allowing the Knight to come back to f6 and then to d5.
Ngf6 15. Rac1 Qb8
    Black could not play 15...Nd5?? in view of 16 Bxd5 Bxd5 17 b4+-.
16. Bc2 Rc8?
   Black keeps the tension (the Knight on f6 - the Bishop on f4), but this is fatal for him, as when the Knight will have to retreat, it will be too late! The only move was 16... Nd5, when the sacrifice on h7 did not quite work yet: 17 Bxh7+?! Kxh7 18 Ng5+ Kg8 19 Qh5 N5f6!. I planned to play 17 Bh2 with initiative.
17. Bh2! Nd5
   Now all Black's pieces are far away from his king and so a typical sacrifice on h7 is called for:
18. Bxh7+! Kxh7 19. Ng5+ Kg8
    Black also loses after 19...Kh6 20 Qg4 or 19...Kg6 20 h4 (threatening 21 Qe4+).
20. Qh5 Nf8?
   Black was chance was in 20...Nxe5!, when White would have to play energetically to prove his advantage. Still, White wins after 21 Bxe5! Qxe5 22 Qxf7+ Kh8 23 Nde4! This is the only winning move, as 23 Qxb7? Qxg5 24 Rxc5 Rcb8! 25 Nf3 Qxg2+ 26 Kxg2 Rxb7=, 23 Rxc5? Rxc5 24 Qxb7 Qb8 or 23 Ndf3? Bxf2+! 24 Kxf2 Qxb2+ 25 Kg3 Rxc1 26 Rxc1 Qxc1 27 Qh5+ Kg8 28 Qf7+= won't do. Now after 23...Rc7 24 Rxc5! Black is doomed.
21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Qh5+ Kg8 23. Qf7+ Kh8 24. Nde4
   This is the decisive manoeuvre, as after 24...Be7 White plays 25 Nf6! gxf6 26 exf6+-.
Qa7 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Nxc5 Qxc5 27. Qxb7+- Qc8 28. Qf7 Rb8 29. Bg3 Rb7 30. Qh5+ Kg8 31. Rd1 g6 32. Qg4 Ne7 33. Ne4 Qc2 34. Rd8 Kg7 35. Qh4 Nd5 36. Rxf8 Kxf8 37. Qh8+ Ke7 38. Bh4+ g5 39. Bxg5+ Kd7 40. Qd8+
   Time: 1.56 - 1.51.
1-0

Move

   This game was played in the last round of the Western States Open in Reno. Shabalov was leading, while I and a few others were half of point behind. Winning this game I tied for first in the tournament.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bg5 Be6!?
   Somehow, I predicted and expected this set-up, as Shabalov had already tried it before. Black's idea is not that bad: he wants to play ...Nbd7, ... Qc7 and then he won't need to worry about the pin and would have firm control over the e5-square. White needs to react to this plan quickly!
8. Ne5!? h6 9. Bh4 g5!?
    After 9...Nbd7 10 Nxd7 Bxd7 11 e3 0-0 12 Bd3 Re8 13 0-0-0 White is a little better. More importantly, the arising position won't suit Shabalov'saggressive style, so he found a way to complicate the position.
10. Bg3 Ne4 11. e3
    It's important not to get involved into complications before the development is completed, so White avoids 11 Nxe4 dxe4 12 0-0-0 Bxa2 13 e3 Bd5.
h5?
   Black pushes too hard. After 11...Nxg3 12 hxg3 Bxe5 13 dxe5 Nd7 14 f4 Qb6 he would be OK.
12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bc4!
   This is what Black missed! Now he cannot play 13...h4 14 Bxe6 fxe6 15 Qxe4 Qf6 16 Ng4 Bb4+ 17 Ke2+-.
Qe7 14. h4 Rg8
   Black missed a chance to put up more resistance by playing 14...Bxe5 15 Bxe5 f6. However, White keeps advantage after 16 Bxe6 Qxe6 17 Bxb8 Rxb8 18 hxg5 fxg5 19 Qc5 Qe7 20 Rc1! Rd8 21 Rc4! a6 22 Qe5.
15. O-O-O Bxe5 16. dxe5 Nd7 17. Bxe6
   17 hxg5 was also winning.
fxe6
    Or 17 ..Qxe6 18 b3!, followed by 19 Rd6.
18. Qxe4 g4 19. Rd6 O-O-O 20. Rhd1+- Nb6 21. Qb4 Rde8 22. e4 Rg7 23. Qb3 Qf7 24. a4 Na8 25. Qe3 Nb6 26. a5 Nc4 27. Qxa7 Kc7 28. R6d4 1-0

Move

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bg7 5. c4 Nc6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Ng4 8. Qxg4 Nxd4 9. Qd1 e5
   I spent the morning preparing this line. I don't think that my opening choice was wrong - Shabalov just played better than me in this game, which can happen in any opening.
10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O d6 12. a4 a6
   Previously Black tried 12...Be6 13 Nb5 a6 14 Nxd4 exd4 15 Bd2 Rc8, but after 16 b3 f5 17 exf5 Bxf5 18 Qf3 White was better in Spraggett-Garcia Blanco, 1992.
13. a5 Be6 14. Qa4!? Rc8
   I did not want to move this rook, as it disables me to play ...b6 (b5) later. However, I could not find any particularly useful move. Perhaps, I had to play 14...f5, though White is better after 15 exf5!? Nxf5 16 Bb6. I also thought of something like 14...b5, but I did not like the positions after 15 axb6 Qxb6 16 b4, where White can improve his position.
15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. cxd5 Rc5
   Played to provoke b2-b4, which would have taken away the b4-square from the white queen, reducing White's chances on the queenside. I could not find anything better than this idea then and still cannot do it now.
17. Rfc1 Qe7 18. Rxc5!
    Brilliant judgement! White needs to create a target on c5, as well as to weaken the e5-pawn.
dxc5 19. Rc1 Rd8 20. Qc4 Bf8 21. f4! Qf6 22. b4!
   White systematically weakens the d4-knight. White's pressure is very unpleasant here and I failed to find any counter-play.
exf4 23. Rf1 b5 24. axb6 Qxb6 25. Bxf4
    Even better was 25 Rxf4! Bh6 26 bxc5 Qb8 27 d6 Bxf4 28 Bxf4.
Qxb4 26. Qxa6 Nb3??
   A really stupid move. I had to play 26...Bg7, although Black's position would remain very difficult.
27. Be5 Be7 28. Qa7 c4 29. d6 Re8 30. Qd7 Qb6+ 31. Kh1 Qd8 32. Bxc4
    Time: 1.40 - 1.54 Fine game by Shabalov!
1-0

Move

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bd3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Nbd2 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Nxc4 Be7 10. Bf4!
   Later I found a few games where White developed bishop to g5, which makes little sense here. With the knight on c4 it's better to play on the queenside.
O-O 11. Rc1 Nd5
    Better was 11...Nb6 12 Nxb6!? Qxb6 13 Qc2, with some advantage to White.
12. Bg3 N7f6 13. a3!
   In many variations it is very useful to control the b4-square. Here my opponent failed to find a suitable plan.
h6?
    This makes no sense, although White would be better after both 13...Bd7 14 Qb3 b6 15 Nce5 and 13...b6 14 Nce5 Bb7 15 Qa4.
14. Re1 Ne8 15. Bb1 f5 16. Be5 Nef6 17. Ba2!
   Once Black blocks the b1-h7 diagonal, it is very good to bring this bishop to the neighbouring one.
Re8 18. Ne3
   I also considered 18 Bxf6 Bxf6 and then 19 Nce5 or 19 Ne3. Playing 18 Ne3 I had to foresee White's 21st move.
Nxe3 19. Rxe3 Nd5 20. Bxd5! Qxd5
   Black had to play 20 ..exd5, although after 21 Bc7!? Qd7 22 Ne5 Qe6 23 Nc6 Qf7 24 Nxe7+ Rxe7 25 Rxe7 Qxe7 26 Be5 he position would have remained very difficult.
21. Bxg7! Kxg7 22. Ne5+- Bg5 23. Qh5
   Even better was 23 Rc7+! Re7 (or 23.. ..Kh8 24 Qh5) 24 Rxe7+ Bxe7 25 Qh5, winning. However, I saw one winning line and did not bother to search for yet another.
Re7 24. Rg3 Qxd4 25. Rxg5+ hxg5 26. Qxg5+ Kf8 27. Qf6+ Kg8 28. Qxe7 Qxe5 29. Qd8+ Kf7 30. Rc7+ Bd7 31. Qxd7+
   Time: 1.38 - 1.55
1-0