Mike Laccetti has shown up in some of the Schenectady Club’s rapids over the summer. These were somewhat top heavy events and Mr. Laccetti did not do particularly well. Practice against strong opposition is almost always helpful, and his good result in the Under 1600 Section at the recent NYS Championship can be cited as evidence to this effect. Michael finished tied for 3d and 4th behind Brodsky - 5 ½, and Darius Jafary - 5, with Johnnes Gudmundsson at 4 ½. Today’s game contributed to this high placing.
Laccetti, Michael (1579) - Wetzel, Dustin T (1329) [B12]
133d NYS Championship U1600 Albany, NY 3.09.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5
The Caro-Kann is popular on the international scene, not as a first choice defense, but useful as an alternative to cross up an opponent’s preparation. This not because of any specific flaw in the opening, rather the notion the Caro-Kann is not as aggressive enough for the top flight players.
4.Nf3 Nd7
More common is 4..., e6.
5.Be2 e6 6.0–0 g6?!
A move that seems to go against the logic of the position. Usually this variation goes down lines very similar to the Advanced French with the vital difference that Black has his light squared Bishop outside his pawn chain. Black has many other choices here, chiefly 6..., h6; and 6..., Bg6. The text makes the situation of the Bf5 somewhat dangerous limiting Black’s options. Further, the d5,e6 f7,g6, h7 formation is rife with potential weaknesses on the dark squares. This formation often works to Black disadvantage, especially if the Bg7 disappears. About the only time the formation has appeal is if White plays an early f2-f4, such as in the Grand Prix Attack in the Sicilian. Black then tries to prevent f4-f5 with g6 and e6 pawns and a Knight on e2. As long as the White f-pawn obstructs his dark squared Bishop, it is hard for White to get his attack going. With no pawn on f4, White has an easier time in creating attacking chances.
The Grandmasters play the position as follows:
Landa, Konstantin (2669) - Conquest, Stuart (2546) [B12]
ESP-chT CECLUB Sur Div 1 Burguillos (4), 24.08.2007
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Nd7 6.0–0 Bg6 7.c3 Ne7 8.Na3 h6 9.Nc2 c5 10.Nce1 Nc6 11.Nd3 cxd4 12.cxd4 Be4 13.Be3 Nb6 14.Nd2 Bh7 15.Rc1 Rc8 16.a3 Be7 17.b4 0–0 18.Qb3 Rc7 19.Nc5 Bxc5 20.Rxc5 Nd7 21.Rcc1 Ne7 22.Qb2 Nb6 23.a4 Nxa4 24.Qa3 b5 25.Bxb5 Nb6 26.Rc5 Nd7 27.Rxc7 Qxc7 28.Rc1 Qb7 29.Qa6 Rb8 30.Qxb7 Rxb7 31.Ba6 Rb6 32.Bf1 Rc6 33.Ra1 Rc7 34.Nb3 Nb6 35.Nc5 Bg6 36.g4 h5 37.h3 Nc4 38.b5 hxg4 39.hxg4 Nc8 40.Bg5 N8b6 41.Ra6 Kh7 42.Be2 Bb1 43.Kg2 Kg6 44.Bd8 Rc8 45.Bxb6 axb6 46.Nd7 Nd2 47.Nxb6 Rc3 48.f3 Kg5 49.Ra7 Kf4 50.Kf2 Bg6 51.Na4 Rc2 52.Nc5 Nxf3 53.Ra4 Rb2 54.b6 Ng5 55.b7 Ne4+ 56.Ke1 Rb1+ 57.Bd1 Nc3 58.Ra1 Rxa1 59.Kd2 Rxd1+ 60.Kxc3 Rc1+ 0–1
7.h3 Bg7
More active is 7..., h5.
8.Re1,..
Much more ambitious is 8 g4, but it is not necessarily better after; 8..., Be4 9 Ng5 Qe7 10 f3 Bxc2 11 Qxc2 h6 12 Nxe6 Qxe6 13 f4 h5 14 f5 gxf5 15 gxf5 Qe7 16 f6 Ngxf6 17 exf6 Bxf6; when Black has two pawns for the piece and the ripped up state of the White K-side offers compensation for the material deficit. Rather than leap willy-nilly into complications, White proceeds calmly.
8..., Ne7 9.c3 Bxb1
Tired of worry Black gets rid of his light squared Bishop.
10.Rxb1 0–0 11.Bd3 Qc7 12.Bg5 Rfe8 13.Qd2 b6!?
Black could have played 13..., c5; right away. This move in preparation feels slow.
14.Rbc1 a6?
Definitely slow, but it is easy to understand Black is nervous about opening lines when his opponent has the two Bishops. Maybe 14..., Qb7; is a better choice.
15.b3 c5 16.h4 b5 17.h5,..
Since he has most of his forces pointed towards the Black King, White continues logically by pushing the h-pawn. Now we see how the position is very like Advanced French positions. However, the dissimilarities are significant. Black has not had the pressure on d4 typical in the Advanced French, and he has foreclosed useful piece sorties (.., Qa5; and .., Bb4) by advancing the Q-side pawns and deploying the dark squared Bishop to g7. The result is a more passive game for Black than in the Advanced French.
17..., gxh5 18.Bh6 Ng6 19.Qg5 f6?
Black elects to bring on the crises. Stubborn defense beginning 19..., c4 20 bxc4 bxc4 21 Bc2 h4; when both sides will have to calculate accurately. Black seems to have just enough counter-play available to beat off the assault. If he does so, the position tilts in his favor. After the game move, White wins a pawn and makes it a “passer” as well.
The game move does not take into account all of the tension producing elements of the position; specifically the pawn on c5 may be lost if the multiply redundant pieces defending it are called away. This is a fairly sophisticated kind of an error for a game from the Under 1600 Section of a Open Swiss event. More usual are simpler errors of calculation and outright blunders. Not so here, in fact this game, from both sides was played at a pretty high level.
20.exf6 Nxf6 21.Bxg6 hxg6 22.Qxg6 Qf7
The alternative; 22..., c4; avoids the bad, almost lost endgame but permits White to build a really dangerous attack with 23 Ng5 Qd7 24 Re3, when it is difficult to believe that Black will not lose something significant soon.
23.Qxf7+ Kxf7 24.Ne5+ Kg8 25.Bxg7 Kxg7 26.dxc5 Rad8
There are many choices here but none seem markedly better than the text. The move has the laudable idea behind it to try for counter-play by advancing the d-pawn.
27.Re3 d4 28.Rg3+ Kh7 29.Nf7 Ne4 30.Nxd8 Nxg3 31.fxg3 Rxd8 32.cxd4 Rxd4 33.c6,..
The endgame would be ripe for resignation if it were a GM game. In the world of Under 1600 it certainly has to be played out.
33..., Rd8 34.c7 Rc8 35.Rc6,..
I will have to ask Mike the next time I see him if he gave much thought to 35 Kf2. That is another way to win.
35..., e5 36.Kf2 Kg7 37.Ke3 Kf7 38.Ke4 Ke7 39.Kxe5 Kd7 40.Rxa6?,..
A slip that retains some of the advantage but not all. Better 40 Kc5, if then Black takes on c7, the Rooks come off and the simplified pawn ending takes nothing more than a careful counting to calculate the finish. It is easy enough to see that the White King is much better placed than the Black monarch in the race to gobble pawns. Black can hardly avoid the capture on c7 for he will quickly run out of any other moves.
40..., Rxc7 41.Rd6+ Ke7 42.Rd2..,
White still had a significant advantage, however Black can dream of finding a way of finding a defense. All it will take is some slight lowering of White’s alertness and a pawn or two could fall into Black’s grasp and a whole new game comes about.
42..., Rc5+ 43.Kf4 b4
There is no way to prevent the appearance of a passed g-pawn for White. Black heads for a position where White will have two widely separated passed pawns. In theory such endings are won. The process to realize the win is long, and it is objectively the correct choice giving the opponent more chances to err.
44.g4 hxg4 45.Kxg4 Kf6 46.g3 Rg5+ 47.Kh4 Rf5 48.Rd6+ Kg7 49.Rd4 Rb5 50.g4 Kf6 51.Re4 Kg6 52.Kg3 Kg5 53.Kf3 Kh4
The King is better placed in front of the g-pawn. Black may have been thinking he can keep in closer touch with g-pawn from h4. Either way the g-pawn occupies the attention of the Black King, and Laccetti correctly brings his King to the Q-side to help advance the b-pawn. It is the standard approach when you have two separated passed pawns. With Black King at g6 or f6, there are possibilities that he will rush to the Q-side to help out holding up the b-pawn. Objectively those possibilities can’t save the game - the g-pawn is then free to run - but the position is a bit more complex than it is in the game. When defending a lost position, make things complex. You are after all playing a human being and we make mistakes.
54.Ke3 Ra5 55.Rxb4 Rxa2 56.Kd3 Rg2 57.Kc3 Rg3+
If 57..., Kg5 58 Re4, clearing the way for the advance of the b-pawn. Also, if 57..., Rxg4 58 Rxg4+ Kxg4 59 Kd4 Kf5 60 Kd5, and White “shoulders” the Black King away from being able to do anything effective about the march of the b-pawn.
58.Kb2 Rg2+ 59.Ka3 Rg1 60.Ka4 Ra1+ 61.Kb5 Ra3 62.Kc5 Ra2 63.Rc4 Ra5+ 64.Kb6 Rg5 65.b4 Rg6+ 66.Ka5 Rg8 67.b5 Ra8+ 68.Kb6 Rb8+ 69.Ka6 Ra8+ 70.Kb7 Ra5 71.b6,..
Mr. Laccetti demonstrated a textbook example of the proper technique in this endgame.
71..., Rb5 72.Ka6 Rb1 73.Kb7 Re1 74.Kb8 Re8+ 75.Ka7 1–0
This game was a very creditable effort by both sides with ideas and points of interest right from the beginning.
More soon.
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