More on the Saratoga Championship

The second interesting battle in round 11 mentioned in an earlier post was the game between Ray Alguire and Lee Battes. Although there is about a 400 point rating difference, Lee has been coaching Ray for sometime. Contests involving coaches and students are of interest because of the knowledge transfer often carries with it insight into how their chess minds work. That enhanced understanding can sometime provide one or the other with an edge. I trained Carl Magnuson in the early 1980s for several years. Carl progressed very nicely and became a master after winning the US Amateur Championship. We had ended our coaching relationship when Carl became too strong for me to be any help to him. Nonetheless, I was able to win three out of five games we played after Carl obtained the master rating. Some of that success came from knowing the kinds of positions that were the most challenging for Carl. Will Ray have the same luck?

[Event "Saratoga Championship"]
[Site "Saratoga Springs, NY"]
[Date "11-29-2009"]
[White "Alguire, R"]
[Black "Battes, L"]

1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. Bg5 …
A bunch of really good players like this move. Topolov, Shirov and Anand have used it more than once. World Champions Tal and Spassky tried it in a number games. Others, Kasparov included are partial to alternatives such as 6 Be6.

6.… e6
7. f4 Nc6
We have a slightly off beat Najdorf now.

8. Nb3? ….
Leaving the well trodden paths of the 2600-2700-2800 crowd and the recommendations of theory. The text is a known to be doubtful in theory. The high fliers in the ELO Rating System like 8 e5. In my databases the game move shows up four times, all wins for Black. In each case the Black pieces were being directed by well known GM’s against lesser competitors. The events where these games were played were all mixed affairs where local or national talent got to face international names. The winners were GM types such as Browne and Yermolinsky, and the games were over in under forty moves. So, while I can’t see an immediate tactical refutation, the move must not address some vital need for White leading to problems later down the road. The GM’s with Black advanced their Q-side pawns, and the White players all castled long into very annoying and almost automatic attacks, some with sacrifices of a Rook on c3, the so called "Russian Sac".

Interestingly, my computer does not find anything much wrong with the White position and calls things even here. Maybe it is that computers can see through tactics making few if any mistakes, while humans make errors in messy tactical situations, even pretty good local masters, thus the results in the database games.

8.… Be7
Lee decides on a slower build up of forces rather than pushing a quick 8..., b5; a move that is suggested by the cited GM games. We will soon see Battes has other ideas for the Black side.

9. Qf3 Qc7
The Queen standing on f3 makes the push to b5 decidedly unappealing now. Battes may have already made up his mind to castle long to avoid any drama on the K-side.

10. g4 h6
11. Bh4 …
Is this a good decision? Maybe not. If White bravely captures on f6 the game becomes very tactical at once. A sample line is: 11Bxf6, Bxf6; 12 0-0-0, g5; 13 h4, gxf4; 14 Qxf4, Bxc3; 15 bxc3, Ne5; 16 Qf6, Rg8; 17 Be2, Qxc3; 18 Qxh6, Nxg4; 19 Bxg4, Rxg4; 20 Rhg1, Rxg1; and so on. White’s pawns are in bad shape and he has one less than Black. The material deficit is not important. The White pieces are out and about while Black has some difficulty getting his pieces into the game. The broken state of the White pawns is a problem If White can’t make use of his attacking chances, with Queens on the board losing another pawn is a real possibility.

11... g5
The sudden shift to violent tactics with 11..., Nxe4?!; could lead to a draw after 12 Bxe7, Nxc3; 13 Qxc3, Kxe7; 14 Qxg7, Bd7; 15 g5, hxg5; 16 Qxg5+, and 16..., Ke8; 17 Qg7, with a draw soon through repetition. After the more combative 16..., Kf8; the White Queen’s activity makes things difficult for Black. Play could continue 16..., Kf8; 17 Qf6, Rg8; 18 Be2, Nb4; 19 Qh6+, Ke7; 20 Qh4+, Ke8; 21 Qh7, when the game delicately balanced but with even chances. In all likelihood Lee calculated some of the above, compared the variations to those after the text move and opted for the latter on the basis that it held more chances for White to go wrong.
Black dangles a "bright shiny thing" in hopes that White will grab the pawn entering a tricky situation. If 12 fxg4, Ne5; 13 Qf4, Nfxg4; 14 Be2, hxg5; 15 Bxg5, and one possibility is 15..., Bxg5; 16 Qxg5, Qe7; 17 Qxe7, Kxe7; 18 Bxg4, Nxg4; and the Ng4 is no easy thing to handle. It threatens to fork on f2 if long castles, or to win the pawn on h2, or go to e3 stopping 0-0-0 and threatening …., Nxc2; forking, and finally perhaps jumping to c4 from e3 hitting b2. A very active "horseman" indeed.

12. Bg3 ….
Ray chooses the alternative path. This allows Black to finish his development while White completes his own. The game is roughly equal now.

12.… gxf4
13. Bxf4 e5
14. g5 Bg4
15. Qg2 hxg5
16. Bxg5 Be6
17. Bxf6 ….
At my first look this move seemed to be not quite correct. Why rush the trade? The alternative 17 0-0-0, looked to be better, but after examining some lines things are not so clear. After 17 0-0-0, Ng4?!, is suspect because 18 Bd2, 0-0-0; 19 Nd5, embarrasses the Nc6. Unless there is something me and my computer are not seeing, rather than castling long Black would have to retreat the Knight with 19..., Nf6; having not accomplished anything. The critical moment has not yet arrived.

17.… Bxf6
18. O-O-O O-O-O
19. Nd5 ….
Ray takes the opportunity to force a Bishop of opposite color situation. The question now becomes can Black make something out of his two connected passed pawns? The answer is not at all clear. White has a distant passed h-pawn that may balance the game. Just how to make use of this pawn is not easy to see. White will try to get Black to play …, f5; and …, f4; when blockading the passers is easier. Black on the other hand wants get in …, f5; and will avoid the push to f4 wanting to play …, e4; instead. A workable plan for White is to put the Queen on f3, slide his King to b1, put the Bishop on h3 and at some point put a Rook on f1 and the other Rook on g1, trying to pressure Black into playing …, f5-f4. White will use d4 as a temporary way station for his Knight if and when Black pushes the pawn to e4. The battle is now defined. Can the passers be made mobile? If they can, Black is winning. If they can be blockaded, the edge swings to White.

19... Bxd5
20. exd5 …..
At this point Ray had 28 minutes remaining on his clock, and Lee had about 40 minutes. Given the time remaining, and the unclear situation on the board, time trouble is a possibility. My bet is Lee’s greater experience will carry away the palm of victory. Alguire has done well. He has kept the game equal to this point. I have to say, so far, Ray has recovered his equilibrium after last week’s disappointment in the game with Sells.

A late addition to this post: A telephone conversation with Raymond Alguire this morning brought the news that the outcome of the game was a draw! Time was short for both at the end. Ray’s recollection is he had a minute and one half, while Lee was under five minutes. Ray said a few errors crept into the game, especially as time ran down. He is going to send the game to Bill Townsend and maybe it will get published in the Gazette column.