Last Thursday at Schenectady

After a couple of dark weeks for the Holidays and last week’s closing for heat problems, Schenectady was in action this Thursday. Three of the contenders for qualifying spots in Prelim A won their games quickly; Dean Howard won from Yogi Kanakamedala, Mike Mockler defeated Jeff Capitummino and Bobby Rotter took a full point from Chuck Eason. In the B Section of the Prelims there was one critical game; Chi - Phillips. Patrick Chi won the game in 30 moves. Because the game influences who qualifies for the Finals I will publish it with my notes here as soon as I can.

Today’s contest was another game from Prelim A Thursday. Richard Chu, the long time President of the Schenectady Club and a stalwart of the Schenectady Geezers team in the CDCL has the reputation of being a problem for contenders. This year he notched draws against Howard and Mockler. In both of those games he appeared to be winning at some point. This year’s results are no flash in the pan. In this game he certainly makes me sweat until….

Over the years Richard has taken half and full points from players four or five hundred rating points higher than his 1558 rating. I believe he understands chess very well and would be rated a full class higher if he had the time in his schedule to study seriously. When this game finished Jon Leisner, Richard and I had a debate about who was winning and when in the game. I promised to analyze the contest quickly and post what I found. So, for my good chess friends, Richard and Jon, here it is:
SCC Ch Prelim A

Schenectady Chess Club
1-14-2010
White Chu, R
Black Little, B

1. c4 Nf6
2. Nc3 g6
3. g3 Bg7
4. Bg2 d6
5. Nf3 Nc6!?
Not a particularly good move. It is provocative and can lead Black into trouble. Shirov in the 1990s and Uhulmann in the 1960s played this move once or twice, but it is not seen in the practice of international players much. In the handful of games in my databases the results are dead even two wins, two draws and two losses for Black.

6. Rb1!? …..
With 6 d4, the game would head back towards mainstream theory. The text reminds me of a piece of advice Hans Berliner, the 5th Correspondence World Champion, gave; in these semi-closed game positions, if there is nothing that immediately needs to be done, Ra1-b1, and b2-b4, making a grab for space on the Q-side is not a bad plan. Berliner, the most successful correspondence player I have ever heard of - 95 wins, 1 loss and a handful of draws in qualifying and playing for the World Championship and winning the Finals by a margin of three full points. Advice from someone with those results should be heard and followed. I don’t know if Richard was aware of Berliner’s dictum, but he played the forgoing moves quickly and with confidence.

6.…. a5
7. a3 Bf5
8. d3 e5
9. Bg5 h6
10. Bxf6?! ….
This is an unnecessary extravagance. Up to here the game has been entirely even although White‘s game seems very promising. Both sides are deploying forces jockeying for the moment to begin serious active operations. All typical of English/Catalan/KID kind of positions. The trade hands Black a small positional plus, the Bishop pair for no good reason.

10.… Bxf6
11. O-O Bg7
This move is not really required at the moment. Why not wait until White uses a tempo make a threat before retreating the Bishop? Black could have played 11..., Qd7; eyeing …., Bh3; to eliminate the Bg2. It would have been a sharper way to play the position. By making a “pass” such as 11..., Bg7; Chu can continue with his space grab plan without having to consider any other factors in the position. He does so promptly.

12. b4 axb4
13. axb4 O-O
14. b5 Ne7
15. Nh4 Bc8
16. Ra1?! ….
I was more worried about 16 b6, offering a pawn to make targets on the b-file, than this gesture of simplification. A key feature for White is pressure down the h1-a8 diagonal. As long as the Black Rook is on a8, that pressure is extra uncomfortable. The trade of Rooks eliminates that particular worry for Black. Richard must have believed bringing the Queen into action from a7 was worth relieving my concerns about a Rook with no obvious path into the game nor any reachable targets from the a-file.

16.…. Rxa1
17. Qxa1 g5!?
The best bet for equality for Black is 17..., c6; leaving the Nh4 alone. White will need to spend a move to get the “horse” back on-side unless he is willing to play a piece down in effect. The intention behind the text is to obstruct the long diagonal for a moment gaining time to better organize my defense of the Q-side. I didn’t quite see by pushing the Nh4 back into the fray really means giving up the b-pawn to win a center pawn. That coming transaction puts the game on a knife edge balance.

18. Nf3 d5
19. Nd2 c6
20. cxd5 cxd5
21. Qa7 e4
This is the position that I was unable to see clearly enough to make a good decision on move 17. It is not the only way forward for Black. A long hard look was taken at 21..., Qd6; 22 Rc1, f5; but all of the White pieces are in action while my Bc8 is on passive guard duty only. White is gaining the initiative in this line. With that realization, it was certain some kind of forcing move was needed to keep the fight for the initiative going. My choice was to open lines in the center counting on the fact that an open board favors the Bishop pair in general.

22. Na4 exd3
23. exd3 Bf5
24. Qxb7 Bxd3
25. Re1 Re8
Making the choice between 25...,. Qa5; and the text was difficult. Calculating as far as 25..., Qa5; 26 Nc5, Bc4; 27 Qxe7, Qxd2; 28 b6, Bd4; led to the candidate; 29 Nd7, Bxf2+; and I could not keep the position in focus in my mind. What I could see was the situation was very critical in this line. Without certain calculation to support a decision to change the material distribution, I chose to keep things together with the defensive text move. Although the move appears to just defend the Ne7, it offers the d-pawn as bait. If White hastily plays the sequence 26 Bxd5, then 25..., Nxd5; 26 Rxe8+, Qxe8; 27 Qxd5, Qe1+; 28 Kg2, Qxd2; wining a piece, and more importantly, setting up very dangerous threats of mate by the Queen and Bishop.

For the past couple of moves I had been preparing myself for the possible need to give up material for the charging b-pawn. While doing so whatever creativity I could muster was working on how to turn my passed d-pawn into an asset to offset the material deficit. Richard had been playing quite quickly right through the 25th move. That made me think we were on ground he knew very well.

26. Nc5 ….
When Richard played the game move, I began to believe there was to be no easy win and a short night for me this evening. The computer sees the game as entirely equal here.

26.… Bf5
27. b6 …..
Could this natural move be the start of Richard going wrong? During the game I did not think such was the case. The machine prefers to connect the Knights first with 27 Ndb3, and Black has a hard time making the Bishop pair tell if White just stands pat.

27.… Bc3
28. Re2!? ….
This is a bit careless. Now I can annoy Chu by threatening the Re2 since it is guarding the Nd2. This is not of itself enough to lay claim to a big advantage. However it is a small wrinkle on which Black can begin to conjure. A better way to defend the Nd2 is 28 Ncb3. Richard was not in the mood to take a backward step apparently.

28.… d4?!
Going after the b-pawn directly with 28..., Ba4; may lead to simplification after 29 Na4, Bc2; 30 Qa6, Nc6; 31 Rxe8+, Qxe8+; that does not give Black great winning chances. And, if 29 Na4, Bd3; 30 Re3, Bb5; 31 Nb3, Nf5; White just may find 32 Bf1, again simplification. I judged that even if I can kill off the b-pawn in either of these lines, my d-pawn would difficult to hold on to. Without the d-pawn the game goes to a draw quickly.

29. Be4?! …..
Only after the fact is it clear objectively better were the lines in the above note. Here White could have put me under a lot of pressure with 29 Nde4. Even the advance of the d-pawn does not help much. If 29 Nde4, d3; 30 Nxd3!, Qxd3?; 31 Nxc3!, looks lost for Black. Since that straight forward idea fails, Black would have to try 29..., Kg7; giving Chu time for 30 Qa6, clearing the path for the b-pawn leaving Black in some serious trouble. The move played gives me chances undeserved.

29... Bc8
30. Qa8? ….
Finally a mistake! This oversight drops the b-pawn for no compensation. After the game Richard said he thought 30 Qa7, was the proper and maybe the winning move. It is certainly better than throwing away a pawn, but the move is not a winning try. If 30 Qa7, Bg4; 31 f3, d3; 32 Bxd3?, Bd4+; 33 Kg2, Bxc5; and Black has a near winning game. Should White find the better 32 Nxd3, Bd4+; 33 Kg2, Bxb6; the game is headed towards equality. Also worth consideration by White is 30 Qb8!?, when after some difficult tactics the game looks like it will wind down to a draw.

30.… Qxb6
31. Nd7?? …..
Ill fortune comes in bunches for Richard. After his key pawn falls it seems he loses focus all at once. The far better 31 Ndb3, leaves Black with an advantage, but the game is far from over. Now down a piece and a pawn there is not much White can do to make a defense.

31.… Bxd7
The final moves were relatively satisfactory for me. For once I did not make my own life difficult with questionable play for the most part. The obvious scheme for Black is to seek trades to eliminate tactical chances for White and to make the passed d-pawn a even bigger problem for White. While pursuing the exchanges, Black will keep his eyes open for mating possibilities. The weak light squares around the White King suggest the mating chances are there.

32. Qa3 Nd5
33. Qc1 Nf6
34. Nc4 Qc5
35. Bd3 ….
The alternative 35 Nd2, is no better; 35..., Bb5; 36 Re1, Qb4; picks up more material. The threat to the Be4 makes the game move the a reasonable choice. It also drops material also.

35.…. Rxe2
36. Bxe2 Bb5
37. Qf1 Ne4
38. Bd3 …..
Somewhat more stubborn is 38 Nb2, however Black, if he keeps his wits about him, can finish with 38..., Nd2; 39 Qd1, Bc6; 40 Nd3, Qd5; 41 f3, Nxf3+; forcing the exchange of most of the White army leaving Black with two pawns and a piece extra, a simple win. The game continuation tosses the piece early in the hope, I guess, of getting activity for the White Queen. It is unlikely the White Lady could make some kind of try at a perpetual checking sequence unless Black goes completely goofy. Then again I have been known to fall off the tracks when I have a big advantage, so Richard’s idea is worth the try.

38.… Bxc4
39. Bxc4 Nd2
40. Bxf7+ Kxf7
41. Qa6 Qe7
Shaper is 41..., Qc4. The game move sticks to the principle of technique; don’t hurry with a win in hand.

42. Qa2+ Kg7
43. h4 ….
With no way to check with the Queen. White makes some room for his King. Richard may have been thinking he was eliminating mating tricks. This is an incorrect conclusion. The Queen needed to go to a6 guarding some of the weak light squares to string out the final moves.

43.… Qe1+
44. Kh2 Qxf2+
45. Kh3 Ne4?
It seems to be impossible for me to play a game without “blotting my copybook’ in some fashion. Now I should have played 45..., Qf1+; 46 Kg4, Qe2+; and 47 Kh3, g4; mate, or 47 Kf5, Qe4; mate.

46. Qa7+ Qf7
47. Qa8 ….
Richard gives another chance at mating. This time my wits are about me and I do so.

47.… g4+
48. Kh2 ….
If 48 Kxg4, Nf2; mate.

48.… Qf2+
49. Kh1 Nxg3#
For thirty moves Richard carried the game on with élan of someone a couple of rating classes higher. He made his moves quickly and with confidence. At one point he enjoyed more than twenty minutes edge on the clock. The layout of his game had bad intentions writ large on it. The sudden collapse at move 30 was a surprise to me, and I sure to him. At the club level we have all experienced similar events. That is one of the many reasons we are not masters. Coming back from such disappointments can be difficult. Richard has a sunny disposition along with an optimistic attitude towards chess, and I expect he will be hunting and taking the scalps of Class A players and Experts next year just as he has done for so long.

As I am writing this post, a rainy, snowy Sunday evening is coming on. With advancing years my eyesight has dimmed and driving on wet nasty nights is particularly trying. I asked Lee Battes if we could delay our scheduled make up game from tonight to later in the month. Lee graciously agreed. Since the evening was scheduled for chess anyway, this giives me opportunity to look at the Chi - Phillips game sooner rather than later. With some luck it will be on the blog by tomorrow.

More soon!