The Geezers fell short last night. The important match with Albany A was lost 3 - 1. As depressing as such a loss can be, all is not dark and gloomy for the Geezers, yet. After last night’s match the standings are:
1 The Geezers: 5 - 1 match points, with one to play
2 SCC A: 4 ½ - 1 ½ match points, with one to play
3&4 Albany A: 4 - 1 match points, with two to play
3&4 Albany B: 4 - 3 match points, complete
5 Saratoga A: 3 ½ - 1 ½ match points, with two to play
6 Uncle Sam: 3 - 4 match points, complete
7 Saratoga B: ½ - 6 ½ match points, complete
8 RPI: ½ - 6 ½ match points, complete
The outcome is no longer completely in the hands of the Geezers. To put maximum pressure on the Albany A team, the Geezers must win their match with Saratoga A, a tall order for sure. Then Albany A would be positioned to have to win both their remaining matches against Schenectady A and Saratoga A. Even for the strong Albany A team that is a tough assignment.
Other outcomes bring some sort of two or three way tie for first. Tie breaks using game points favor the Geezers against some, they have 15 ½, SCC A has 11 with one match to play - the best possible is 15 games points. Albany A has 14 ½ with two to play - a best possible of 22 ½ but SCC A and Saratoga A are unlikely to surrender all points in a match. The most probable game point score for Albany A is 18 to 19 20 at the outside. Saratoga A has 12 ½ game points with two to play - a best outcome of 20 ½. My comments above hold for Saratoga also, except their likely score is 16 ½ with 17 or 18 at the outside. I know Bill Townsend would like to see a clear winner and me to. Chess is a funny strange game, and we will have to wait some weeks to find out the end of this story.
In some of the discussions last night about the scheduling for these final matches, there was doubt expressed that play would finish before August! The top teams are having difficulties coordinating the schedules of their players. That is all sound argument for getting the CDCL matches done as early in the year as possible. The nice weather comes and chess playing has to take a back seat to all the other competing demands for time; vacations, yard work, etc.
The results by board for the Albany A - Geezers match:
Albany A was the home team although the match was played at Schenectady.
Albany players are on the left.
Board 1 Dean Howard - Micheal Mockler 1-0
Board 2 Jon Leisner - John Phillips 1 - 0
Board 3 Timothy Wright - Bill Little ½ - ½
Board 4 Glen Perry - Richard Chu ½ - ½
A summary of play is: I strolled around the boards as the tension got higher in my game.
On board 1 Michael’s position looked a bit doubtful early on. That is a state Mockler seems to seek out counting on his very considerable calculating skills to find a way through. Not this time. Poor got to worse, and the only virtue found was a quick finish.
Board 2, on the other hand, looked promising for the Geezers. Phillips certainly was somewhat better out of the opening and seemed to have excellent chances to achieve a pleasant middle game where Black has to find counter-play. Then is all went sideways, material was lost and the game too, when a venturesome Bishop was trapped behind enemy lines.
On board 3 I obtained an advantage in the middle game maneuvering that translated into one then another pawn advantage. After two and one half hours of dour fighting I had a clearly winning position. And then, fatigue and my physical condition had their effect as has become usual for me. A blunder or two and what was clearly winning became wholly lost game. Only Mr. Wright’s clock saved me from a defeat. He had about a minute to work out the tricks of a Rook versus Knight with pawns ending. That gave me a chance for a tactic to get to the draw.
Board 4 saw captain Chu up against Glen Perry, an improving player just breaking through to Class A status. Richard did not do badly at all and appeared to at least to be slightly better in the middle game. A flurry of trades and a double Rook endgame came about. Mr. Chu managed to lose a pawn but got both his Rooks on the 7th rank. That is very often the harbinger of a draw in the double rook endings and it was here too
Here is the game from the second board.
Phillips, John - Leisner, Jon [D51]
Albany A v Geezers CDCL Match Schenectady, NY, 02.06.2011
Board 2
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Nbd7
Not the more popular more, it is second to 4..., Be7. All the other usual suspects can be tried; 4..., c6; 4..., c4; 4..., Bb4; 4..., dxc5; and 4..., h6.
5.e3 c6 6.a3 Be7
At the GM level this position is considered very favorable for White. The White side did not lose a single game of 56 in the databases with a 2628 Elo average for participants. For us at a more typical level of skill. I not so sure the path to victory is quite so obvious.
7.Nf3 0–0 8.Bd3,..
I think White might have been better served by capturing on d5 before making this move.
8..., dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5
A well known operation in the QGD that Black uses to ease the congestion in his position.
10.Ne4?!,..
Odd. Trading on e7 eliminates the better of the Black Bishops and the worse of White’s. Theoretically this is a good thing, but Black is well on his way to an equal game. Maybe that motivates John to make things complicated. He also may have taken a look at Mockler’s position and saw the need to try for more than a draw.
10..., h6 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.0–0 Rd8 13.Qb3,..
Not a particularly promising place for the Queen, c2 might be a better post. Black can play .., b7-b6; at some point if he is worried about pressure on the b-file.
13..., N7f6 14.Bd3 Qc7 15.Rac1 Nd7
Operations by Black are puzzling. He has provocatively neglected his development. Logic called for a trade of Knights on e4. White has made some progress. It was somewhere about here that I wandered by and thought Mr. Phillips was doing pretty well.
16.Nc5 Qb6 17.Qc2 Nxc5 18.dxc5 Qc7 19.Nd2,..
The operation White just completed has given him a space advantage on the Q-side, that is a good thing. However, Black is prepared to push his e-pawn opening a line for the sorry-looking Bc8 to some life. White needs to undertake something to make use of the time Black is using to fix the defects in his formation. The text is not it. A better try is 19 Bc5, then if 19..., e5 20 Qe4 f6 21 Bd3, aiming to exploit the light squares around the Black King. If then 21..., Qf7 22 Rfd1 Ne7; when White has to calculate very precisely the possibility of 23 Qh7+. Will the Queen survive deep behind the lines? A quick survey seems this is OK, and Black will eventually have to play .., Qf6-g8; and the ensuing trade brings the game to an ending. If Black avoids the Queen trade and blocks the coming Queen check on h8 with his Knight, the White Knight heads for d6 with enough complications for even Mr. Phillips. One possible line is; 19 Bc4 e5 20 Qe4 f6 21 Bd3 Qf7 22 Rfd1 Be6 23 Nd2 Ne7 24 Qh7+ Kf8 25 Be2 Bf5 26 Qh8+ Ng8 27 Nc4. The white Queen is not really out of play as she may seem. Black has to keep a large number of units on duty to stifle the Queen. It is not easy for Black to coordinate getting his King off the back rank and the Knight away from g8 to begin to threaten the White Queen’s safety. There are hugely difficult calculations that have to be made with everything balanced on a knife edge. It would be a very hard decision in a game critical for the team.
19..., e5 20.Ne4 Be6 21.Nd6 Rd7 22.b4 Qd8 23.Bh7+!?,..
Not bad but badly followed up. I like 23 b5, to make the undermining of the Nd6 by .., b7-b6 less likely.
23..., Kh8 24.a4?,..
This move turns a small, persistent advantage into a distinct disadvantage. The Bh7 is vulnerable.
24..., Qg5?
What is wrong with 24..., g6? Nothing. If 24..., g6 25 Bxg6 fxg6 26 Qxg6 Qf6; guards all, and Black will attack down the g-file with Rooks effectively denying White chances to make something out of the two pawns he garnered for the piece. The text gives White a chance to save the day.
25.Rfd1?,..
Which is ignored to White’s cost. Much better is 25 Be4, then if 25..., Nxb5 26 Qb2 Nd5 27 Rfd1, and the pawn lost is not fatal.
25..., g6
White will lose a piece, and regardless of the tactics that can be thrown in the mix, Black has a won game. There is not much more to say of the game. Tense, then there is a moment of miscalculation, and the game is lost. When this game finished, the Geezers were down two points and the 4th board had drawn already. The match was lost and the outcome of my game with Wright unimportant to the final result.
26.h4 Qf6 27.Nxf7+ Bxf7 28.Qb2 Kxh7 29.e4 Rad8 30.exd5 Bxd5 31.h5 g5 0–1
John Phillips has been a stalwart for the Geezers, winning four games and holding the dangerous Philip Sells to a draw so far. His defeat here was painful, but he will come back more determined than ever for the ultimate fight against Saratoga A on 23 June I am sure.
More soon.
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