One critical game is this SCC Finals took place last Thursday, Patrick Chi defeated the surging Dilip Aaron. Patrick and Dilip are more or less contemporaries. Patrick is number 14 in the USCF Under 12 category. I am not certain of Dilip’s age, but I don’t think he in the top fifty in any age category. They have competed in the same class in various junior events with Patrick generally doing better. Dilip’s good results so far in the SCC Finals suggested this meeting might be closer than the ratings predicted.
Chi, Patrick - Aaron, Dilip [B14]
CC Finals 2010–11 Schenectady, NY, 03.03.2011
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5
From Zukertort - Steninitz in their World Championship match in 1886(!) to Smyslov - Bronstein at Dortmund in 1994, this position has been played by the elite and all other levels of players countless times. It is a line from the Tarrasch Defense where White does not go in for the most testing set-up with a fianchetto of his K-side Bishop.
5.e3 Nc6
More usual is something like 5..., dxc5; or 5..., cxd5. The motivating idea is who gets the isolated d-pawn. The text is not unknown but hasn’t found any adherents among the top flight players. According to Rybka there is nothing tactically wrong with the game move.
6.Nf3,..
More in line with how the Grandmasters treat this sort of position is 6 cxd5, aiming to give Black the isolated d-pawn.
6..., cxd4 7.exd4 Bb4
Black wants a fight right from the beginning. More controlled id 7..., Be7. He did not care for 7..., dxc4 8 Bxc4 Be7 9 0-0 0-0 10 Rc1, when White is well developed and prepared to liquidate the isolated d-pawn when it suits.
8.cxd5 Qxd5!?
Consistently combative is Dilip. A standard position is reached after 8..., exd5; that is generally level. There are many ideas both sides have to be on watch for but the path to a draw is well known. Mr. Aaron shrinks not from keeping and increasing the tension in the game.
9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.a3 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 e5 12.dxe5 Qe4+?
It could be Dilip ran out of his preparation or opening knowledge here. Or, he was improvising right from the beginning and his inspiration failed him now. Either way, the correct move now is 12..., Qc5; hitting c3 and just about forcing 13 Qd2, then 13..., fxe4 14 Be2 Rg8 15 0-0 Bh3 16 Ne1 Bd7 17 Bd3 0-0-0; and Black has initiative with the possibility of attacking the White King down the g-file. In this position Black will have to be prepared to sacrifice material to make the attack as strong as possible. The question is; will White find the resources to fend off such an attack?
13.Be2 Nxe5?!
About here it is my impression Mr. Aaron began to lose the thread of the game. The move played is second best to 13..., fxe5 14 0-0 0-0; choosing to defend a slightly inferior position, or 13..., Rg8!? 14 exf6 Rxg2 15 Qd3 Bf5 16 Qxe4+ Bxe4 17 Nh4 Rg5; and Black has compensation for the pawn minus in the scattered and weakened White pawns.
14.0–0 0–0
An admission that a follow-up to the idea of opening the g-file could not be found by Black. White now has a significant advantage.
15.Re1 Qg6
Somewhat better is 15..., Re8.
16.Nxe5 fxe5 17.Bh5 Qe6 18.Re3,..
Quite efficiently Mr. Chi illustrates that the Black King is dangerously exposed.
18..., Bd7?
Necessary is 18..., f5; with .., e5-e4; to follow making a barrier in the middle of the board to restrict some of the activity the White pieces are working towards. That the barrier so constructed is brittle is true, and White has resources with which to attack it, but such a plan offers more resistance than is seen in the game.
19.Qe2,..
I rather like 19 Qf3, threatening 20 Qg3+, winning the e-pawn.
19...Rfe8 20.Rf3?,..
After conducting a game with a nice mix of tactics and positional ideas Chi errs. The natural 20 Rg3+, leads to the win of material and a vicious attack after 20 Rg3+ Kh8 21 Qf3 Re7 22 Qxb7 Bc6 23 Qa6 f5 24 Rd1 e4 25 Qa5 Qf6 26 h4, and so on. It is hard to be critical of Patrick’s avoidance of the above line. The line is full of tactics and the worry of missing something when the title hopes are on the line is normal. However, if he wanted to stay away from long tactical calculations, why not 20 Re1, collecting the e-pawn in due course?
19..., Re7 21.Bg4 Qc6?
Missing the far from obvious 21..., Qa6; when after the simplification 22 Qxa6 bxa6 23 Rg3 Kf8 24 Bf3 Rb8 25 Be4 f5; the White advantage is slight, Making something out of the passed c-pawn will not be easy in light of the activity of the Black pieces. For the next few moves the advantage White enjoys is clear but not overwhelming. Most of it is having the initiative firmly in hand. That initiative is based upon the back rank weakness White has inflicted on Black.
Jeremy Silman in his several books emphasizes players must recognize imbalances both positive and negative, and that correct play is trying to minimize negative imbalances and increase positive imbalances. In this position eliminating back rank threats should certainly be on Dilip’s agenda. Getting the Queens off would be a step towards that end.
22.Rg3 Kh8 23.Bxd7 Qxd7 24.Rd1 Qf5 25.Qd2 Ree8?
The move addresses the back rank problem, but in this case the sure is worse than the illness. Better is either 25..., Rae8; or 25..., Qe6; although White retains a marked advantage.
26.Qd5 b6 27.Rf3 Qg5
Black is reluctant to trade material. Maybe he is thinking keeping material on the board will increase his chances. The best course now is 27..., Qe6 28 Rxf7 Rad8 29 Qxd8 Qxf7; preventing 30 Rd7?, because 30..., Rxd8; with the threat of mate on White’s back rank wins. Of course White would see that obvious trick and play something like 30 Qd3, keeping a near winning advantage, but Black would have given White much more hard work to do. Patrick calculates very well, but I have observed that the clock can be a problem for him in technical positions, and that is just what the resulting position would be.
28.Rxf7 Rad8 29.Rd7 Rxd7 30.Qxd7 Re7 31.Qd8+ Kg7 32.h4,..
Mr. Chi now has the bit between his teeth and heads to the finish line with masterly efficiency. The text eliminates any back rank “cheapos”.
32..., Qxh4 33.Rd7 Kf7 34.Rxa7 Qg5 35.Qxe7+ Qxe7 36.Rxe7+ Kxe7
White has neatly converted the heavy piece ending into a dead won pawn endgame. Quite a nice piece of technique indeed! The rest of the game requires only accurate counting of moves.
37.Kf1,..
Also winning is 37 Kh2, heading towards the h-pawn.
37..., Kd6 38.Ke2 Kc5 39.Kd3 Kd5 40.f3 b5 41.Kd2 Kc4 42.Kc2,..
Not exactly precise, but Patrick probably thought rightly his advantage is so secure a cautious approach works as well as anything sharper. More accurate is 42 c4+ dxc4+ 43 Kc3 h5 44 g3 Kc5 45 a4, when the outside “passer” will allow the easy capture of the Black c and e-pawns reducing the situation to a trivially won ending.
42..., Kc5 43.Kb3 Kc6 44.Kb4 Kb6 45.c4 bxc4 46.Kxc4 1–0
By a slightly longer route the game arrives at a similar endgame with Black having no chance to make a defense. And so, Mr. Chi showed he is the master of the rivalry with Mr. Aaron at this moment in time. The Club is fortunate to have such two youngsters with talent. I anticipate watching these two battle for the next five or six years in the Championship. It reminds me of a similar rivalry between Mike Valvo and Bob Goble in the early 1950’s. Their long running struggle for precedence made them both better players.
More soon.
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