Early on in this CDCL season, driven by the pace of the newer teams; RPI, and Uncle Sam, League matches were taking place very frequently. Now things have slowed. The critical clashes between title contenders are not happening so quickly. The teams are maneuvering to field the strongest sides possible and delays are occurring. Based on the schedule I have so far, it will be the middle of June or later before League play is complete.
Schenectady A and Albany B teams met Thursday at Schenectady for their CDCL match. The Schenectady team won the match 3 ½ - ½. Schenectady had to win this match to keep alive any hopes for a piece of first place. Albany B had even slimmer chances for the title, and this result puts paid to that possibilty. Albany was missing their “right bower” Peter Henner who is off doing volunteer work, in Mongolia no less. The mellifluous named Kavana Mallanna filled in on second board for Albany B. Despite a strenuous effort she was not able to hold her game against Philip Sells. Incidently, both Bill Townsend and I think Kavana is the first woman to play for a team in the CDCL. John Morse, Black on first board, upheld his reputation for being a tough opponent and for finding his own unique way in the opening by drawing with Patrick Chi. The three lower boards were all victories for Schenectady: Sells - Mallanna, 1-0, Townsend - Alowitz, 1-0 and Eson - Dilip Aaron, 0-1.
The attentive reader may have noticed Schenectady had White on both boards one and two. There was a bit of a late start to the games and in the confusion board two began play with the Schenectady player on the White side. This was not discovered until after play was complete. Following the rule that once the game is complete the score stands, the result was confirmed.
The standings in the CDCL are:
The Geezers are in first place, 5-0 with two matches to play, Albany A and Saratoga A. In second place is Schenectady A, 4 ½ - 1 ½. They have one match to play with Albany A. Albany B has completed its schedule scoring 4 -3 with 13 ½ game points and they are in third place, but this may be only temporary because Schenectady, Albany and Saratoga A teams can all out score them as the later matches are played. The only certain finishes are Saratoga B in 7th and RPI in 8th places. Albany A results will have a big impact on the final standings. They have to play Schenectady A and the Geezers as well as Saratoga A. The last word I heard is the Geezers are to play Albany A at Schenectady next Thursday with Albany A being the home team. To be entirely accurate, I also heard from Tim Wright, the captain of Albany A, that the match was to be played Wednesday at Albany. The Geezers’ captain Richard Chu is going to confirm the arrangements with Mr. Wright.
The top board in the recent Saratoga A - Schenectady A match brought together two significant local talents; Steve Taylor and Deepak Aaron. About thirty years ago Taylor was the young, hard charging master with a 2350 rating poised to make a choice; pursue chess glory or take a more conventional path. Taylor elected marriage, children and a career, a choice that can not be faulted. Aaron, who is somewhat younger than was Taylor when reaching this point in his growth in chess, still has some time before facing a similar decision. He is leaving in August for a return visit to his home land for a vacation, and coincidently, the opportunity to play in the World Junior Championship tournament in India. We are hoping Deepak will find the time to send email reports on his impressions of the event and his progress. We will publish them here when received.
Today’s game is an interesting theoretical exploration of the Four Knight’s Opening - not something that is thought of as current cutting edge in the opening. A truism about chess openings is everything old can be new again if it has been forgotten long enough.
Taylor, Steve - Aaron, Deepak [C48]
SCC A v Saratoga A CDCL Match Saratoga Springs, NY, 16.05.2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5,..
A debut that was the height of fashion one hundred years ago. Almost all of the elite players of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries used it from one side or the other. After WWII, it gradually became less used by the guys at the very top. The methods that permit one side or the other create a draw became widely known
4..., Bd6
Not unknown in the early days, but it was considered doubtful then. In the closing the days of the twentieth century some adventurous players began trying out this move against good opponents. Here is an example;
Jonkman, Harmen (2520) - Sokolov, Ivan (2647) [C48]
NED-ch Leeuwarden (1), 20.06.2002
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.d3 a6 6.Ba4 h6 7.h3 b5 8.Bb3 Bb7 9.a3 Bc5 10.0–0 0–0 11.Nd5 Nd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.c3 Ba7 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Kh1 c5 16.f4 exf4 17.Bxf4 Qg6 18.Qd2 c4 19.dxc4 Bxe4 20.cxb5 Qf5 21.Kh2 Qxb5 22.Ba2 d5 23.Rad1 Rad8 24.b4 Rfe8 25.Rfe1 Bb6 26.Be3 Bc7+ 27.Bf4 Qc6 28.Bxc7 Qxc7+ 29.Kg1 Qg3 30.Re3 Qg6 31.Qf2 f5 32.Re2 Kh7 33.Red2 Rc8 34.Rc1 Red8 35.c4 dxc4 36.Bxc4 Bxg2 37.Qxg2 Rxd2 38.Qxg6+ Kxg6 39.Bf7+ Kxf7 40.Rxc8 Rd3 41.Rc7+ Kg8 42.a4 Rxh3 43.a5 Rb3 44.Rc4 Kh7 45.Kf2 g5 46.Ke2 f4 47.Kd2 f3 48.Rc7+ Kg6 49.Rc6+ Kh5 50.Rxa6 g4 51.Rb6 g3 52.a6 g2 53.Rb5+ Kh4 54.a7 g1Q 55.a8Q Qe3+ 0–1
5.d3 a6 6.Ba4 h6
Bruzon Bautita defeated Kevin Spaggett in Buenos Aires using this move. It can’t be said Black achieved any great advantage from the opening. The problems for White arose in the later middle game. Their game does show Black has decent play and equality entering the middle game.
Spraggett, Kevin (2592) - Bruzon Bautista, Lazaro (2662) [C48]
American Continental 3rd Buenos Aires (9), 14.08.2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bd6 5.d3 a6 6.Ba4 h6 7.Ne2 0–0 8.Ng3 Re8 9.a3 b5 10.Bb3 Bf8 11.0–0 d6 12.Bd2 Be6 13.Bxe6 Rxe6 14.c4 bxc4 15.dxc4 Nd4 16.Ba5 Nxf3+ 17.Qxf3 Qb8 18.Rab1 Qb7 19.Rfe1 c6 20.Qe2 g6 21.Red1 Rb8 22.Nf1 d5 23.exd5 cxd5 24.cxd5 Nxd5 25.Qe4 Nf4 26.Qxb7 Rxb7 27.Rd8 Kg7 28.Nd2 Rc6 29.g3 Ne6 30.Rd5 f6 31.b4 Kf7 32.Nb3 Rc2 33.h4 Ra2 34.Ra1 Rxa1+ 35.Nxa1 Nd4 36.Bd8 Rb8 37.Ba5 Rc8 38.Rd7+ Ke6 39.Rc7 Rxc7 40.Bxc7 Nb5 0–1
7.a3 0–0 8.Bb3 b5
This move seems just a bit out of place. More usual would be 8..., Bc5; getting the pieces into a more ordinary formation after 9 0-0 d6 10 Nd5. My guess the motivation behind the move is to make long castling a little less appealing to White now the Black pawns are nearer to making contact.
9.Ne2!?,..
What is wrong with 9 Be3? Nothing that I or Rybka can see, it prevents .., Bd6-c5; immediately. White likely did not care for 9..., Ng4; and the possibility of losing the minor Exchange. For the two Bishops to become a worrisome factor the game has to open up. But there are tactics: Play could go; 9 Be3 Ng4 10 0-0 Nxe3 11 fxe3 Bc5 12 d4 exd4 13 fxe4 Ba7; and White has space in the center, an open f-file and diagonal pressure on f7 to compensate for the Bishop pair.
9..., Bc5 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.fxe3 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Qd2 Nf6
This seems to be the best move. The Black Knight leaves d5 before it is pushed. The alternative, 13..., Be6; leads to equality also.
14.e4 Bg4 15.h3,..
Short castling is not possible. The Ne2 is loose after 15 0-0 Nxe4. Q-side castling is certainly an option. Black gets some counter-play if White does so here; 15 0-0-0 a5 16 h3 Be6 17 Bxe6 fxe6 18 Rhf1 a4 19 Qe3 Qd6 20 d4 exd4 21 Nfxd4 Qc5 22 Qd3 Nxd4 23 Nxd4 Qg5+ 24 Kb1 Rfd8; with lots of play in an unclear position. Mr. Taylor looks for counter-play along the soon to be open g-file.
15..., Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nd4 17.Nxd4 Qxd4 18.c3 Qb6 19.Qf2,..
Offering to exchange Queens and counting on the light squared Bishop to defend d3.
19..., c5
Black has some small advantage. The pawn on d3 is no pillar of strength, and Black means to keep it so. With the same idea is 19..., Qd6.
20.Rg1 Nh5 21.Bd5 Rad8 22.Rg4 Nf4 23.0–0–0,..
Offering the h-pawn which comes with a drop of poison. If 23..., Nxh3 24 Qg3 Nf4 25 Rxg7+ Kh8; and hair-raising complications come about after 26 Kb1!?. A sample line is; 26..., Nh5 27 Qxe5 Nxg7 28 Rg1 f6 29 Qe7 Rg8 30 Rg6 Kh7 31 Rxf6 Qb8 32 Bf7 Qh2 33 Bxg8+ Rxg8 34 Qxc5, and if the silly 34..., h5?? 35 Qg5, wins. There are several places where play can vary in this line, And every one has tricks the unwary can trip over.
23..., Nxd5
Black spurns the offer of the h-pawn and takes the game into a heavy piece ending collecting the newly minted d-pawn along the way. The pawn won turns out to be only a temporary gain. The decision may have been influenced by the situations on the other boards. Schenectady appeared to be winning on boards two and three. Board four clearly was losing with Farrell’s Queen running wild behind the enemy lines and Barnes’ Queen was out of play. A draw therefore would clinch the match win for Schenectady and obviate the need to get involved in complications.
24.exd5 Rxd5 25.Rdg1 g6 26.Qe3 Kg7 27.Rh4 Rh8 28.c4,..
Regaining the pawn and forcing off the Queens. The resulting double Rook ending is not without danger for both sides. Double Rook endings often resolve into draws because two pairs of Rooks possess both tremendous defensive and offensive strength.
28..., Rd7 29.Qxe5+ Qf6 30.Qxf6+ Kxf6 31.Rf4+ Kg7 32.Kc2 Rhd8 33.Re1 ½–½
If now 33..., Rxd3 34 Re7 Rd2+; and the game is equal albeit there are things which have to be treated with care. For example, White can’t try to hide his King from checks by running to a7. If 35 Kb3 bxc4+ 36 Kxc4 R8d4+ 37 Rxd4 cxd4 38 b4 Ra2 39 Kxd4 Rxa3; and Black is better
The best bet for Black is 33..., bxc4 34 dxc4 Rd2+ 35 Kc1 R8d4; or 35..., f5; when Black is somewhat better, but as the old adage says: all double Rook endings are drawn. In the rush to collect game scores I missed the closing few moves of this game and don’t know just how the game ended.
More soon.
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