Thursday evening the Geezers team met and went over out games from last week’s match with Albany. We have already seen my disaster and Mockler’s draw with Katrein. Today we will have games by Phillips and Chu from the same match.
Phillips,John - Howard,Dean [D59]
CDCL Match
Schenectady Geezers v Albany
05.27.2010
At the SCC
1.d4 e6
2.c4 d5
3.Nc3 Nf6
4.Bg5 Be7
5.Nf3 h6
6.Bh4 0–0
7.e3 b6
8.cxd5 Nxd5
9.Bxe7 Qxe7
10.Nxd5 exd5
11.Rc1 ..
The game is well inside the mainstream of theory. Short likes this line for Black and Kasparov has used it on occasion.
11.. Bb7!?
But this move has served less well for Black. A great many Grandmasters prefer 11..., Be6; avoiding putting the Bishop on b7 where it will be less active. Some very strong players, Spassky and Petronsian have been able to make draws as Black from this position. The lesser lights have not fared so well. White seems to end up with a slightly better endgame.
12.Qa4 c5
13.Qa3 Rc8
14.Bd3 Rc7
15.0–0!? ..
It could be preventing the Black pawn being pushed to c4 with 15 b3, is better. Geller did so against Petronsian in Budapest, 1952, obtained a passed c-pawn, but even Geller was not able to bring home the point, drawing on move 23. At this point Rybka suggests 15 dxc5, calling the game even.
15.. c4
16.Qxe7 ..
White can avoid the Queen exchange with 16 Qc3.
16.. Rxe7
17.Bf5 Nc6
18.Rfd1 Bc8
19.Bb1 Bd7
We see the Black Bishop really had no role on b7. White may be feeling a twinge of regret about permitting Black to take the extra Q-side space. According to the computer Black has a small edge.
20.a3 Na5
21.Nd2 Ba4
22.Bc2 ..
Rather than agreeing to the trade of Bishops, White could shift the Rook to e1. He is going to put a Rook there shortly anyway to support the advance of the e-pawn. Even though the Black Bishop is making moves, the pawn formation dictates the White Bishop can be the better piece over the long haul.
22.. Bxc2
23.Rxc2 b5
24.Nb1 Rd8
25.Nc3 a6
A more active treatment of the position is 25..., Rb7; threatening.., Nb3; .., a5; and eventually .., b4. Time was beginning to run down for Mr. Howard. He had 19 minutes remaining, and Mr. Phillips had 49.
26.Re2 Nc6
Feeling the pinch of the clock, Dean decides against 26.., Nb3; after which breaking in the center for White is not so good; 27 e4, dxe4; 28 d5, f5; favors Black heavily. The Nb3 and the Rook on the d-file will make an e-pawn push risky because of the resulting weakness of the d-pawn. I guess in the face of dwindling time, Dean wanted his forces in a more compact formation and thought from c6 the Knight can do much the same job as it can from b3 regards d4.
27.f3 b4
This push eliminates all of the small advantage Black had built in the middle game.
28.Na4 bxa3
29.bxa3 Na5
30.Nc5 Nb3
John had 35 minutes and Dean only about 7 minutes now. Had Howard put the Knight on b3 on move 26, Phillips might have been reluctant to put his Knight on c5 now. Black could trade Knights on c5 and the c-pawn disappear leaving Black with a dangerous passer.
31.Nxb3 cxb3
32.Rb1 Rb8
33.Kf2 a5
34.a4 ..
Another possibility is 34 Rc2, and 35 Rc5. Both paths lead in the same direction, a drawn Rook ending.
34.. Reb7
35.Reb2 Kf8
36.Ke2 Rb4
37.Kd3 Ke7
38.e4 Kd6
39.e5+ Ke6
40.g4 ..
An error at the end, either 40 h4, or even 40 f4, were better choices.
40.. f6
Returning the favor. Almost all of Dean’s time was gone. Had he a moment longer he may have found 40..., g5!; I can not claim Black is clearly winning after this move. Nevertheless, the line running 40..., g5; 41 h3, Ke6; 42 Ke3, R8b6; 43 Kd3, f6; 44 exf6, Kxf6; 45 Ke3, Kf7; can cause White some worry. Black would intend tempo play looking for the opportunity to shift the Rook on the sixth rank to the f-file when the White King is not defending f3. That threat gains time to be used to bring the Rook to f4 when the Black Rooks cooperate along the fourth rank netting Black an extra pawn; Black’s b-pawn falls and he gets the d&a pawns in return. Even with an extra pawn in hand, there is no simple win for Black. Given the state of Dean’s clock, it is a huge leap to assume he could see his way accurately enough and quickly enough to steer safely through the next several moves to execute the idea on the board.
41.f4 fxe4
42.fxe4 ..
John Phillips offered and Dean Howard accepted the draw. John and Dean are old team mates from their high school chess team. Since the match was decided, John did not want to squeeze a win on time from a good friend.
Wright,Tim - Chu,Richard [B23]
CDCL Match
Schenectady Geezers v Albany
05.27.2010
1.e4 c5
2.Nc3 d6
3.f4 Nc6
4.Nf3 Bg4
5.Bc4 e6
When I first saw this game there were doubts about the opening sequence. A little research showed thus far all this is known and played by titled players in the 1990’s.
6.0–0 Nf6
7.d3 Be7
Now we are away from what the databases record as patterns used by well known chess players. The position is very similar to positions the masters have taken up, enough so that it is difficult to be critical.
8.a3 ..
Rybka thinks 8.h3, is more to the point, securing the pair of Bishops for White. The computer calls the game closr to dead even either way.
8.. a6
9.Be3?! ..
An error, maybe? Black should now be able to collect a piece for two pawns and some advantage.
9.. Nd4!?
Richard did not see the try 9..., d5. That may have been no bad thing. After 9..., d5; 10 e5. Nd7; 11 Bxd5, exd5; 12 Nxd5, White does have much to say in the center and a potentially strong post for a Knight at e4 as compensation. Rybka does like Black but only to the tune of -0.80, less than a full pawn. The resulting position is risky looking for Black. He must work through many difficulties to realize the material advantage. Black has fully equalized after the text move so it may be said to be a matter of taste; equalize or snatch material and go on the defensive for some long while.
10.Bxd4 cxd4
11.Ne2 b5
12.Ba2 Qb6
13.Kh1 Bxf3
Necessary if Black is not to lose the d4-pawn.
14.Rxf3 Rc8
15.Qd2 Qc5
16.Rc1 Qh5?
This next series of moves makes one wonder at how chess player’s minds work, or if at points their minds work at all. To this point in the game Richard has played quite reasonably and equalized against the most recent Albany Club champion. He now embarks on a short sequence of moves that surrenders the initiative, weakens his K-side situation and hands White more than one tempo. I have done similar things in some games. Afterwards you wonder what could you have been thinking. The answer is probably you were not, thinking that is.
Black should castle now connecting his Rooks. With the Rc8 defended by its brother at f8, tactical tricks involving c2-c3 have no sting. White does have the possibility of gaining space on the K-side with attacking chances, but the White pieces are not quite sorted in the correct manner to make the attack in speedy fashion. The time required to get things in order should allow Black to defend successfully. Play may continue; 16..., 0-0; 17 f5, e5; 18 c3, dxc3; 19 Rxc3, Qa7; and Black has a sound position.
17.Rh3 Qc5
18.c3 0–0
The little excursion to the h-file by the Black Queen has a real cost, the d4-pawn falls.
19.Nxd4 g6?
Black’s game is badly compromised and this move makes matters worse. Down a pawn with nasty threats brewing near his King, the situation calls for dramatic action. Worth a try is 19..., d5; then 20 e5. Ng4; 21 Rf1, Nh6; and White would have to find the idea 22 g4, and 23 f5, to bring home the point. If White is too cocky playing say 22 Qe2?, Qxd4!; wins for Black.
20.Rf1 Rcd8
21.f5 ..
And there we have it, the fundamental idea of the Grand Prix Attack; shoving the f-pawn down Black’s throat. There are so many weak points in the Black King’s field that it is a matter of time until mate happens.
21.. exf5
22.Qh6 Kh8
23.Nxf5 gxf5
24.Rxf5 ..
Black must give up the Queen for a Rook and a minor piece, even so White is just too strongly placed for the game to last much longer.
24... Qxf5
25.exf5 d5
26.g4 Rg8
Hoping for 27 gxf6??, Rg1; Mate.
27.g5 Bc5
28.d4 ..
A quicker end comes about with 28 Qxf6+, Rg7; 29 g6, Kg8; 30 gxf7+, Rxf7; 31 Rg3+, Kf8; 32 Qxd8, Mate.
28... Bf8
29.Qxf6+ Bg7
30.Qxf7 ..
Also winning is 30 g6.
30.. Rgf8
31.Qg6 h6
32.f6 Rde8
33.Qxg7# 1–0
With some more intensity the Geezers may well have done better this year than we did. We had chances to make the scores closer against the top three teams.
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