My good friend and President of the Schenectady club asked me last week if I had published the results of the Schenectady Blitz Championship. I assured him I had done so. Wrong again! The report of the event was written but somehow it never was posted on the blog. Here is that report and one more game from the NYS Championship. My apologies for the confusion and delay.
Thursday night, September 15, 2011, the Schenectady Chess Club held its annual Blitz Championship. John Barnes did his usual fine job of directing the game- in-five-minute event. The results were:
Ashok Aaron was first with an excellent 9 ½ - ½ score. He won all but one of his games, a draw conceded to the fast improving Zack Calderone. In second place was his son, and the current local ratings leader, Deepak Aaron at 9 - 1. Following the Aaron family powerhouse was Patrick Chi at 8 - 2. In 4th place was Zachery Calderone at 5 ½ - 4 ½, and he was the prize winner for the Under 1800 category.
The rest of us competitors followed someway back; Bobby Rotter - 4 ½, Dilip Aaron - 4, Herman Calderone - 4, Peter Henner - 3 ½, Philip Sells -3, Bill Little - 3, Michael Laccetti - 1. Mr. Laccetti was considerably lower down the rating list than the average of the field. He made a fight if it in every game and took a full point from the strong A player Peter Henner. Mike is following the path to improvement; play the toughest opposition you can find. The defeats notwithstanding, your play will improve.
Next week the Schenectady Club will hold its annual organizational meeting. The following week the Handicap Blitz tourney will take place at the Schenectady Club. This event is a good opportunity for lower rated players to face higher rated opponents in a Blitz game where time is allocated based on rating.
Today’s game is between Deepak and Patrick Chi from the first round of the NYS Championship. These two players have had much to do with strengthening play at the Schenectady Club the past few of years. Patrick is the current Champion, and Deepak won the title the proceeding two years. For the Club any game between the two has interest beyond the immediate contest: Is Patrick closing in on Deepak, or is Deepak still holding the advantage?
Aaron, Deepak (2324) - Chi, Patrick (2141) [E54]
133d NYS Championship Open Albany, NY, 16.09.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6
The Panov-Botvinnik variation of the Caro-Kann is a line with lots of theory, and it has the possibility of transposing into lines from the Nimzo-Indian Defense as it does here.
6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0–0 9.0–0 Nbd7
It may be better to put this Knight on c6, at least Rybka thinks it is a superior move. GM Victor Bologan recently wrote; in isolated White QP situations Black does well if he has a pawn on e6, and not so well if he has a pawn on c6. It is Bologan’s view that the open e-file with the strong point at e5 gives White a choice between posting either a Knight there or a Rook in preparation for doubling on the e-file. These possibilities make it more difficult for Black to equalize. The game position is therefore not bad for Black according to Bologan, but putting the Knight on d7 may be a bit slow.
10.Bf4 Nb6 11.Qb3 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Nxc4 13.Qxc4 Nd5
Black accomplished what he set out to do; post a Knight on d5 and create a potential target on c3. White probably is not dissatisfied; he has strengthened the pawn on d4 and has some advantage in space. The game is about equal.
14.Bd2 Bd7 15.a4!?,..
Played to prevent 15..., b5; after which Black will have secured the d5 outpost for his Knight.
15..., Nb6
Highlighting the problem with the previous move hence the annotation (!?). Can Black take the proffered pawn?
16.Qd3 Qf6?
It is not completely clear that White has full compensation for the pawn after a) 16..., Nxa5 17 Ng5 g6 18 Qh3 h5 19 Qg3 Rc8 20 Ne4 h4 21 Qg4 Kg7; leaving the dark squares around the Black King are rather weak. Can White make something of this weakness? Or b) 16..., Nxa5 17 Ng5 f5 18 c4 Qf6 19 Rfe1 Rfc8 20 Rxa4 h6 21 Ra5 hxg5 22 Rae5 g4 23 d5 Re8 24 d6 Bc6; with a complicated game. For example; if 25 d7 Red8 26 Rxe6 Rxd7 27 Qxd7 Bxd7 28 Rxf6 gxf6; and the passed a-pawn is a problem for White. Both options, regardless of their ambiguity, are superior to the game move. It costs Black a pawn.
17.a5 Nd5 18.c4 Nf4 19.Qe4 Ng6 20.Qxb7 Qd8
Worse than the missing pawn is the Black pieces have been forced back. White has a clear advantage, and it is nearly enough to be winning.
21.Rfc1 Qc8 22.Qe4 Re8 23.Ne5 Nxe5 24.Qxe5 Qb8
Black is pinning his hopes on an opposite color Bishops endgame.
25.Qe4,..
White avoids the offer of a Queen exchange. The late Russian GM Simagin and Mark Dvoretsky both wrote about attacking with opposite color Bishops in the middle game. Both emphasized two points; sizing the initiative even if it requires material sacrifice, and attacking the opponent’s King. While Mr. Aaron does not have to offer up material, creating dangers for the Black King is an important part of his winning plan.
25..., Qd6 26.Rc3,..
The storm clouds are gathering. This Rook threatens to join the White Queen and Bishop in a frontal attack on the Black King.
27..., e5?
Associated with my earlier comments about the relative merits of the e and c-pawns versus an isolated d-pawn is the whole idea of center play. There are several standard transformations of pawn formations that can come about in the isolated QP positions- the White b-pawn going to c3 for example. One that Black usually avoids is advancing his e-pawn freeing the d-pawn to run. In the present game, freeing the d-pawn is an even greater error because it has the c-pawn along side. Better perhaps is 27..., Bc6 28 Qh4 Red8 29 Rh3 h6 30 Be3 f6 31 Rc1 Rc8. If now 32 Bxh6? Qxd4; spoils the sacrificial assault. Absent the sac at h6, White will have to maneuver for sometime to engineer a break through. After the text White’s center pawn duo heads down the board at speed securing the first of the Simagin/Dvoretsky goals, the initiative.
27.d5 f5 28.Qd3 f4 29.c5 Qf6 30.c6 Bf5 31.Qc4 Kh8
Superficially, the Black e and f-pawns appear dangerous. While watching this game that was my first thought, and I spent much time looking for someway to push them on. It became apparent soon enough the White c and d-pawns were far more dangerous.
32.Qc5 Red8 33.c7 Rf8 34.Re1 Rfe8 35.d6 Bd7
This must be the position Patrick was aiming for in the proceeding operation. His hope is to blockade the White pawns and gin up some counter-play elsewhere.
36.f3,..
Stopping all thoughts of the Black pawns advancing in the center.
36..., h5
With the center congested, Black wants to make a sudden decent on the King’s wing hitting at g2. If the attack is furious enough White may have to divert forces to shore up the defenses around his King. The immediate 36..., Re6; is met by 37 c8 (Q)+ with mate to follow in a few moves.
37.Rd3 h4!?
The stubborn defense beginning 37..., Re6; is grim and does not have anything to recommended other than making the game longer. Play could go; 38 Rd5 Rae8 39 Bc3 Kh7 40 Bxe5 Qf7 41 Re4, when the many weaknesses in the Black camp will prove fatal. The text has the virtue of activity, but White has seen farther.
38.Rd5 h3 39.Rdxe5 Qg6 40.Rg5 Qd3 41.Qc3!?,..
White takes no chances in this early round and avoids the sharper 41 Re7! Why calculate the complicated line; 41..., Rxe7 42 dxe7 Qxd2? 43 Rh5+ Kg8 44 Qc4+, and mate in two coming. Black does not have to capture the Bishop on move 42, but the alternatives are not any better. One example is; 42..., Kh7; when 43 Qd5, leads to a quick finish.
41..., Rxe1+ 42.Bxe1 Qh7 43.Qe5 1–0
If 43..., Re8 44 Qxe8 Bxe8 45 c8(Q), and further resistance is futile. Or, 43..., Rf8 44 Qe7; and finally, 43..., Rc8 44 Qe7 Qh6 45 Qxd7 Qxg5 46 Qxc8+ Kh7 47 Qxh3+. A neat win showing Mr. Chi still has some distance to go to meet Mr. Aaron on equal ground. We still have a couple of years before the demands of collage begin the end of this rivalry. It will be interesting to watch how It develops.
More soon.
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