From the Opening into the Endgame – Alapin Siclian selection

I have always been tempted to adopt opening lines that take the game straight into the endgame, since that would, at least in theory, both allow me to practice my endgames skills, and utilize my opening preparation to control the nature of resulting play. Here is one example of such an "opening to endgame" transition that I came across recently:

Benjamin, Joel - Serper, Grigory
New York CITS   1996 , B22
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Be2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Qd8

9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Nc3 O-O 12. a3 b6 13. b4

There have been a number of games in this theoretical opening/endgame position. This game and the following ones present some typical ideas for White – pressure on d file and play for queenside passed pawns.

13. ... Be7 14. Bf4 Bb7 15. Nb5 Rad8 16. Bc7 += Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Rc8 18. Bf4 Ba8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Nxa7 Rc7 21. Nb5 Rxc4 22. Bxe5 Rc2 23. Bd3 Rc8 24. Na7 Rf8 25. Rc1 Nd5 26. Rc8 Bb7 27. Rxf8+ Kxf8 28. Be4 f6 29. Bb2 h6 30. Bf3 e5 31. Nb5 Ba6 32. Na7 Bb7 33. Nb5 Ba6 34. Na7 Bb7 35. Nb5 Ba6 36. Na7 Bb7 37. Nb5 Ba6 38. Na7 1/2-1/2

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Kharlov, Andrei - Istratescu, Andrei
Metz op 11th   1993 , B22
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Be2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Qd8 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bf4 b6 13. a3 Bb7 14. b4 Be7 15. Nb5 Rad8 16. Bc7 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Rc8 18. Bd6

18. ... Kf8 19. Bxe7+ Kxe7 20. Nd6 Rb8 21. b5 Nd8 22. Ne5 Bd5 23. Nf5+ exf5 24. cxd5 Kd6 25. Nc4+ Kc5 26. d6 Kxb5

27. Nxb6+

( 27. Ne5+!? Ka5 28. Rc1 += )

27. ... Kc5 28. Nc8 a5 29. Rc1+ Kd4 30. Rc4+ Kd5 31. Ne7+ Ke6 32. g3 g6 33. Rd4 Rb6 34. Bc4+ Kd7 35. Nd5 Nxd5 36. Rxd5 Nb7 37. Rd1 Rxd6 38. Rb1 Nc5 39. Bxf7 Ne4 40. Bg8 Nf6 41. Bxh7 Nxh7 42. Rb7+ Ke6 43. Rxh7 Rd1+ 44. Kg2 Ra1 45. g4 fxg4 46. Kg3 Rxa3+ 47. Kxg4 Kf6 48. Ra7 Ra1 49. h4 1/2-1/2

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Rublevsky, Sergei - Zhou, Jianchao
CHN-RUS Summit Men 7th Rapid   2010.08.13 , B22
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 Qd8 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Nc3 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Nc6 12. a3 b6 13. b4 Be7 14. Bf4 Bb7 15. Nb5 Rfd8 16. Bc7 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Ne8 18. Bg3 f6 19. Nfd4 Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Kf7

21. c5!? Bd5

( 21. ... bxc5 22. Nxe6 Kxe6 23. Bc4+ Kf5 24. Rd7 Rd8 25. Rxb7 Rd1+ 26. Bf1 Ke6 = )

22. Nf5 bxc5 23. Nxe7 Kxe7 24. bxc5 Rc8 25. Rc1 Bc6 = 26. f3 g5 27. h4 h6 28. f4 gxh4 29. Bxh4 Rb8 30. Bf2 Nc7 31. Re1 Rb3 32. f5 e5 33. Bh4 Rxa3 34. Bh5 e4 35. Kh2 Nb5 36. Bg3 a5 37. Bf3 Ra4 38. Re3 Rc4 39. Bf2 Kd7 40. Bd1 Rxc5 41. Rh3 Rc1 42. Bb3 Nd6 43. Be6+ Ke7 44. Rxh6 Rc2 45. Rh7+ Ke8 46. Bd4 e3 47. Bxf6 Rxg2+ 48. Kh3 Rg3+ 49. Kxg3 Ne4+ 50. Kf4 Nxf6 51. Rh8+ Ke7 52. Kxe3 Bd5 1-0

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Sveshnikov, Vladimir - Gagliardi, Christian
Riga RTU op-A   2011.08.12 , B22
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 e6 6. Be2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Qd8 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 O-O 11. Nc3 Bxc5 12. a3 b6 13. b4 Be7 14. Bf4 Bb7 15. Nb5 Rad8 16. Ne5 a6 17. Nxc6 Bxc6 18. Nc3 Rc8 19. Be3 Rb8 20. Bf4 Rbc8 21. Rac1 Rfd8 22. Rxd8+ Bxd8

23. c5 bxc5 24. Bxa6 Ra8 25. b5 +/-

25. ... Be8 26. Na4 Nd5 27. Bd6 Nc7 28. Bxc7 Bxc7 29. Nxc5 Bd6 30. a4 g6 31. g3 Kf8 32. f4 Ke7 33. Ne4 Bb4 34. Rc7+ Kf8 35. Rc4 Ba5 36. Kg2 Ke7 37. Nc5 Rd8 38. Nb3 Bb6 39. a5 Ba7 40. b6 Bb8 41. Bb7 1-0