Some of my recent blogs have been about local chess in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. They inspired Dean Howard, a long time Expert and sometime National Master to look at his personnel archives. Last night at the Albany Area Chess Club meeting Dean offered the following game to me for the blog. Dean won the coveted National Master title at the Berkley Chess Club in 1991.
The forerunner of our current Capital District Chess League was the Hudson Valley League. It slipped my mind that the State Labor Department team was one of the perennial participants in the old HVCL. The Labor Department team was captained by the late Emil Skraly, a very active organizer of chess events in those long ago days.
Today’s game is from a HVCL match between the State Labor Dept team and the Schenectady team. Although Dean lost this game, I can see why he likes it. The game has several interesting aspects, not the least of which is the originality of the opening play.
In the 1973 season Schenectady and RPI were in a nip and tuck battle for first. RPI had a couple of strong players for their top boards; Dan Van Riper and Sam Greenlaw, both at or near master strength, and both would later obtain the master title. Played in July, the Schenectady team was suffering from too many folks on vacation for this match. Dean recalled that John Dragonetti, our non-playing team captain, was considering taking a board just to make up a side. Every match and game point was crucial that season. If memory serves, Schenectady beat out RPI narrowly, but truly I have to defer to Bill Townsend, the keeper of the Schenectady Club archives for verification on that. Checking my own records tells me I did not play in any HVCL matches that year. I had been assigned to supervise an evening shift at the Price Chopper warehouse that year. The assignment kept me out of the club championship 1973-74 and the following year also.
Dean’s score sheet did not have Mr. Menendez’ first name. Our collective memories were unable to recall it either.
Menendez,(n) - Howard,Dean ]
Hudson Valley League match at the Schenectady Chess Club, 07.05.1973
State Labor Department versus Schenectady
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.e4 Nc6 4.Nf3,..
The way in which the players are placing their pieces is not quite what the “book” recommends, but even Deep Rybka can not identify real problems yet with the dispositions.
4..., f5 5.g3!?,..
An unusual idea. Normal, I guess, is 5 d3. White has a creative streak in his chess and is willing to take risks to make the game unique. In just four moves White has, with help from Black, made a rare position, one that occurred only three times in the three million games in my databases. None of the examples involved players with even the FM title, so no wisdom about the way that the game develops can be gleaned from past practice.
When White plays as he has, c4, e4 and delayed Nf3, Black most often puts his Bf8 outside the pawn chain with an early .., Bc5. Dean is treating the position as a kind of Old Indian plotting a sudden rush on the K-side and in the interest of advancing his f-pawn sooner rather than later keeps the f8-Bishop inside the pawn chain
5...,Nf6!?
Probably better is 5..., fxe4; leaving Black at least equal and maybe with chances to build a slight edge. The text leads to equality.
6.Bg2?,..
White continues to play what I call “hard chess”, but this move is not good. Better is 6 d3, or even 6 Bd3!? “Hard chess” is played by calculating to find difficult, unusual positions where both sides can go wrong, heading for them in the belief you will see your way through, and being prepared to endure prolonged tension at the board. The game is made interesting because Black has the same attitude.
6..., fxe4 7.Ng5 Bg4 8.Qa4 Qd7?!
For a couple of moves Black had a marked edge. This move lets much of that slip away. Better 8..., Nd7; uncovering a threat on the Ng5 not leaving White time for 9.Bxe4 setting up his own threats on c6.
9.0–0 Be7
Both sides have not really buckled down to serious calculation. They are willing to defer that until all their forces are deployed. Black could have played 9..., Nd4; and after the Queen exchange on d7 his pieces come naturally into play with .., Be7; .., Raf8/g8; and the possible advance of the g&h-pawns. Those moves along with the well placed Nd4 allows Black to claim some advantage. For White’s part, after 9..., Nd4 10 Qxd7, Kxd7 11 Ngxe4, Nxe4 12 Bxe4, c6 13 f3, e6 14 d3 Be7 15 f4, there are chances for counter-play. After the text the game seems to be headed towards a period of equality where White has to deal with the initiative being in Black’s hands because his rather badly coordinated piece placement, but careful play seems to let him come through without fatal compromise.
10.Ncxe4?!
The natural 10 Ngxe4 is better.
10.., 0–0?
Black could have established a secure advantage for the endgame with 10.., Nxe4; then 11 Nxe4 Be2 12 Re1 Nd4 13 Qxd7+ Kxd7; and Black is not quite winning but has much the better position.
11.d3!?..,
Menendez in 1973 and Deep Rybka in 2010 both hit on the same idea; offering up the d-pawn for active piece play. I must confess this is an idea that would have not occurred to me in this position.
11..., Be2 12.Bh3?!..,
Both players have been inaccurate, but they must be admired for striving for original solutions to the problems on the board. They are not afraid to face risk and tension. Rybka suggests 12 Re1, then 12..., Bxd3 13 Re3 Bxe4 14 Nxe4 Nxe4 15 Bxe4 evaluating the game as about equal. Apparently Rybka sees the Bishop pair offsetting the pawn surrendered. After 15 Bxe4 Black has some dangerous possibilities beginning with 15..., Bg5 with the idea including his Queen going to h3 and the sacrifice of a Rook on f2.
11..., Qe8!
Black plays accurately and obtains a clear advantage.
13.Re1 Bxd3 14.Nxf6+ Rxf6 15.Qb3 Bf5 16.Bxf5 Rxf5 17.c5+ Kh8 18.Ne6 Qc8 19.Re4 Rf6?!
The precarious position of the White Knight on e6 combined with extra pawn Black has in hand gives Black a winning edge. Trying to cash in these advantages immediately leads to trouble. The central principle of good technique, DO NOT HURRY, suggests 19..., h6; is the correct way forward. If then 20 Be3 Rf6 will collect further material soon enough. The text lets White shed the Knight usefully opening up lines bearing on the Black King.
20.Nxg7?!..,
This move should not work out as well as it does. Looking at the situation in the quiet of my study with unlimited time it becomes apparent that White has no choice except where the Knight will be lost, there is not safe way out for the bold “horse”.
20..., Kxg7 21.Bg5 Rf7 22.Bxe7 Rxe7 23.Qf3 Nd4??
This very logical move is utterly wrong tactically. The game was played with the time control 50 moves in two hours and 25 moves per hour after the first 50 moves, the standard time control in those days. I do not think time trouble can be the explanation for the error. Either Black missed the strength of the coming Re4-g4+, or he calculated giving up his Queen for the Rook was safe because the White attacking force is reduced. Correct is 23..., Rf7!, driving off the White Queen and making a safe passage through f8 for his King.
24.Rg4+ Qxg4 25.Qxg4+ Kh8 26.cxd6 cxd6 27.Rc1!..,
This is the move Dean may have undervalued. It gets the neglect Ra1 into the game and forces the trade of a pair of Rooks. The Queen begins to assert herself when Black does not have two Rooks to oppose her entry into his position.
27..., Rg8 28.Rc8 Reg7 29.Rxg8+ Rxg8 30.Qd7 Rg7 31.Qxd6,..
White has gotten an extra pawn and his Queen is poised to pick off another at a7. While a Rook and minor piece are equal to a Queen in theory, in practice the Queen’s great mobility permits double and triple attacks over the entire board that are difficult to defend successfully. The rest of the game demonstrates this nicely.
31..., h5?
More stubborn is 31..., Nc6. The game move just makes the win of a pawn too easy.
32.Qh6+ Kg8
If 32..., Rh7 33 Qf8 is mate.
33.Qxh5 Rc7
The pawn at e5 is indirectly defended because of the fork at f3 and Black uses this to try for piece activity. Moving his King to g2 would renew the threat to the pawn on e5 and is probably best for White. He fumbles around with Queen moves for the next sequence searching for a winning plan. The Queen’s strength is such that this floundering does not harm the advantage White has.
34.Qg6+ Kh8 35.Qe8+ Kh7 36.Qh5+ Kg8 37.Qg6+ Kh8 38.Kg2 Nc6
So much for piece activity. White now plays to drive away support for the e-pawn. He could begin an advance of the passed g&h-pawns with 39 h4 as an alternative.
39.a3 a5 40.Qf6+ Kg8 41.b4 axb4 42.axb4 Rf7
Not 42..., Nxb4 43 Qd8+ wins the Rook.
43.Qg6+ Kf8 44.b5 Nd4 45.Qd6+ Re7 46.Qf6+ Ke8 47.b6 and Black resigned.
I think he saw 47..., Kd7 48 h4 Re6 49 Qf7+ Kc6 50 Qc7+ Kb5 51 Qxb7 Rxb7 52 Qd5+ drops the last Black pawn and that the advance of the three connected White passers was unstoppable.
Although Dean lost this game, his growing mastery of the game can be perceived. He fended off an opponent bent on making the game hard and obtained a deserved winning advantage. A momentary lapse allowed White to turn the tables.
This is the week for the BIG Albany - Schenectady match, Thursday at 7:00 pm in the Schenectady Club Rooms. Schenectady has near twenty players lined up for the event. I am not so certain of the numbers on the Albany side. Come one, come all. This is a chance to see many of the top local players in action.
No comments:
Post a Comment