Here is a game from the night of the big Albany versus Schenectady Match. This was not counted in the final score because both players are SCC members. Mike and Jeff are adult players laboring away in the middle of the pack trying to improve their chess.
Stanley, Mike - Capitummino, Jeff [D53]
Albany - Schenectady Match SCC, 08.19.2010
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Bg5,..
All the K’s; Kasparov, Korchnoi, Karpov, Kramnik, have played so, as well as just about every other GM, except those constitutionally opposed to 1.d4, so this can not be bad.
5..., Be7
Lots of Grandmasters have played this move, but not the elite cited above. Kasparov liked 5..., Nbd7; Kramnik and Anand prefer 5..., h6; with only occasional forays with 5..., Nbd7. There are many subtleties about move order and many transposition possibilities in this opening.
6.e3 dxc4?!
This move is not the best. Black usually moves the Knight on b8 to d7 first and then develops the Bc8 to b7, after .., b7-b6; the Tartakower variation of the QGD. The text gives White a somewhat better development than is customary with a bit more space in the center. Jeff seems to have mixed ideas from Slav and the Cambridge Springs variations with the Semi-Slav. I did something similar against GM Har-Zvi and paid the typical price; White builds up pressure on the c-file eventually winning a pawn leaving Black with a hopeless endgame when playing anyone who knows the classics. In this contest the technical knowledge is not so high as against a GM and there is the chance White will miss his opportunity.
7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.Qc2 h6 10.Bh4 Bb7 11.0–0 a6 12.Rae1?!,..
This looks clumsy. More logical is 12.Rd1, or 12.Rc1. The game is about equal according to Rybka.
12..., c5!
This move, or possibly 12.., Rc8; are correct. Black gets rid of his c-pawn dissolving a weakness and opening lines for the Bb7. Mike did not realize how important it is to restrain .., c6-c5. White could have, earlier in the game, captured the Nf6 with his Bishop expecting .., Bxf6; just to be able to prevent the advance of the c-pawn.
13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.Rd1 Nxd3 15.Rxd3 Qc7 16.Bg3 Qc8
More forceful is 16..., Qc5; keeping c8 free for a Rook, and thinking of retiring the Queen to b6 if the Nf3 goes on the tour Nf6/d4/b3. It is possible to consider 16..., Qb6; right away, but then Black has to worry about White doubling his Rooks immediately and calculate if he has the time to prevent a White Rook from getting a place on the 7th rank
17.Qd2,..
White is alert to threats developing on e4; if 17 Rfd1 Be4; pins the Rd3, and the Nc3 can’t help for he is pinned over his Queen. Other than some confusion about the theory of the QGD, these guys are playing very well. They are tactically alert and have some ideas.
17..., 0–0?!
A sensible routine move that misses an opportunity. Black is worried about the White Bishop getting on d6, probably feeling if he trades Bishops there, the White Rook on d6, backed by the Queen and eventually the other Rook at d1, his game would be worse. What Jeff did not see is; 17.., b4 18 Na4 Qc6 19 b3 Ne4; hitting the Qd2 and eliminating the Bg3. He then has time to castle, and with the center open, his Bishop pair have prospects.
18.Rd1?!,..
White has been wanting to triple on the d-file and now he has gotten his wish. But, why not make some hay out of the awkwardness of the Black major pieces with 18 Rc1? Where does Black put the Queen? Likely Black has to trade a Bishop for air for the queen with 18..., Bxf3 19 gxf3 Qb7 29 e4 covering f3 and taking d5 away from the Knight leaves White well placed. After the foregoing, the danger of the two Bishops is gone. The game is nearly equal now.
18..., Rd8 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 20.Qxd8+ Rxd8 21.Rxd8+ Bxd8
Mike elected to trade off all the major pieces on the d-file. He could have varied with 20 Bd6, when after 20..., Bxd6 21 Qxd6 Qxd6 22 Rxd6 b4 23 Na4 Rc8; while the Bishop pair has been broken up, the Black pieces are well placed to maintain the initiative. As it is, Black is slightly better and White has chances to hold the game.
22.Ne5?,..
But not this way. Black now turns the game into a battle between two Bishops and two Knights. Better is 22.Bd6, giving his Bishop more space in which to operate.
22..., Nh5 23.Bf4,..
Why spend a move to get a pawn on f4? Letting the trade happen on g3 and using the tempo gained to move his King towards the center is a good option.
23..., Nxf4 24.exf4 Bf6?!
It is Jeff’s turn to miss-deploy a Bishop. At f6 the Bishop only can exchange itself for the Ne5, instead at b6 the Bishop threatens f2 and cuts through the White position. Long ago Steinitz laid down the strategic rules for fighting Knights; take away their squares. With the Bishop at b6, Black can kick the Ne5 with .., f7-f6; not so with a Bishop standing there.
25.Nd7,..
White may have been worried about 25.., g5; and so decided to vacated e5. It is better to try 25 a3, then 25.., g5 26 Nd3 Bd4 27 fxg5 hxg5 28 Kf1, and White is holding.
25..., Bxc3?
Why surrender the Bishop pair? Best is 25.., Bd4; working to restrict the available squares for the Nd7.
26.bxc3 Bd5 27.a3 Bb7 28.Nc5 Bc8
White has equalized. The game score had some mistakes in it around this point. It appears one or two moves were left out. After several attempts the following are the moves I was able reconstruct.
29.Kf1 29.Kh7 30.Ke2 Kg6 31.g4 f6 32.Ke3 e5 33.f5+ Kf7 34.h3 g6 35.fxg6+ Kxg6 36.Kf3 f5 37.Kg3 Kg5 38.a4?,..
After doing good work for several moves. Mr. Stanley loses his way. Without any notes on the clock time situation, it can not be said for sure that time trouble was the cause, but the move looks as if worry about the clock provoked the error. With 38 f3, or 38 h4+ and 39 f3, White is well on his way to simplifying the game to a draw. The text tips the game in favor of Black because a pawn is lost on g4.
38..., bxa4 39.Nxa4 a5 40.c4 fxg4 41.hxg4 Bxg4 42.c5 Bd7 43.c6 Bxc6 44. Resigns.
Time trouble or a terrible reluctance to face tension over the board are the explanations most often advanced for the kind of errors seen in the final phase of this game. It is interesting to see these gentlemen developing their chess ideas. If they fix the holes in their opening knowledge, and play a bit more often to improve their tactical awareness, both can be dangerous opponents for most Schenectady Club members.
More soon.
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