Wednesday night saw the third round of the AACC Championship played in Guilderland. The results were: Tim Wright won from Chris Caravaty, and Arthur Alowitz upset tournament leader Gordon Magat. Jon Lack and Peter Henner drew. Dean Howard lost to Cory Northrup, and the game between Jason Denham and Akhil Kamma was postponed by mutual agreement.
The standings after the third round are:
1&2 Magat 2 - 1
1&2 Alowitz 2 - 1
3&4 Kamma 1 ½ - ½
3&4 Lack 1 ½ - ½
5&6 Howard 1 ½ - 1 ½
5&6 Wright 1 ½ - 1 ½
7 Henner 1 - 1
8 Northrup 1 - 2
9 Denham ½ - 1 ½
10 Caravaty ½ - 2 ½
The two upsets; Alowitz over Magat and Northrup over Howard marked the round results as surprising. Arthur has been playing well this year so maybe this was less than a full blown upset. Still the rating difference was greater than two hundred points and approaching three hundred, and that is upset territory. While there is still a long way to go in the event, clearly no one has broken to the front except perhaps Mr. Alowitz with two draws and a win. He made all his points against contenders for the title; Magat, Henner and Wright.
Northrup over Howard was an big upset no matter how you cut it. A nearly five hundred rating point spread between the players is a big gap. Cory missed some chances to put away the point as time pressure built for Dean. Mr. Howard showed great resourcefulness as his clock ticked down and with a trick he made a Queen. I had to leave the playing site at this point in the game and expected a Queen versus two Knights could be no worse than a draw for Howard. Mr. Northrup hung in and managed to take the whole point. He has been playing frequently of late. That steady practice paid dividends Wednesday. A good result for Cory and a disappointment for Dean.
Today’s game brought Arthur Alowitz into a tie for first place.
Alowitz, Arthur - Magat, Gordon [B20]
AACC Championship Guilderland, NY, 16.11.2011
1.e4 c5 2.d3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bg2 Nc6
What began as a closed treatment of the Sicilian has morphed into something else. It is not a terribly popular position in any event. Very few examples are found in the databases and none from the elite players. Below is one game between titled players. White takes a different tack than does Arthur in today’s game. It does not work very well.
(260660) Zayac, Elena (2325) - Ivanov, Oleg (2390) [B24]
URS-sf Voronezh, 1991
1.e4 e6 2.d3 c5 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 d5 5.exd5 exd5 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Nge2 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nb5 Qb6 11.Nbxd4 Bg4 12.f3 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Bc5 14.c3 Bd7 15.Kh1 Rfe8 16.Bg5 Bxd4 17.Qxd4 Qxd4 18.cxd4 Re2 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.f4 Rc8 21.Bxd5 Rcc2 22.Rfc1 Rxb2 23.Rab1 Rbd2 24.Rd1 b6 25.h4 Be6 26.Bxe6 Rh2+ 27.Kg1 Rdg2+ 28.Kf1 fxe6 29.f5 Rxa2 30.Kg1 Rag2+ 31.Kf1 Kf7 0–1
6.Nf3!?,..
The usual practice according to the databases is 6 Ne2, or 6 Nc3 and then 7 Ne2.
6..., Bg4
Deep Rybka suggests 6..., Qe7+; pretty much forcing the Queens off and Black is entirely equal if not slightly better. This is another case where the higher rated player, Magat, probably feels the obligation to win the game because of a near three hundred point rating edge. One path towards that goal is to keep material on as he does here.
7.0–0 Nf6 8.Re1+ Be7 9.Nbd2?!,..
Slow. 9 Nc3, leaves the path clear for the Bc1 to go to g5 without further ado.
9..., 0–0 10.Nf1 d4 11.N1d2 Re8 12.Nc4 b5 13.Nce5 Nxe5 14.Rxe5 Qd7
The fight has resolved itself into a positional struggle about control of the e-file and whether the space Black seized in the center did or did not leave serous weaknesses in its trail. White spent some tempi to lure the d-pawn forward to d4, and Black, as a result, is ahead in development.
15.Bg5 Rac8 16.Qe2?,..
Presenting Black with the chance to clear off the Rooks and transition to a Queen and minor piece endgame with extra space and the Bishop pair.
16..., Bd6?
This is more complicated but not better than 16..., h6. Then White either saves the Bishop with 17 Bd2 Bd6 18 Rxe8+ Rxe8; when the White Queen goes to f1 to try to fight on the e-file or to d1 leaving the e-file in Black’s hands for some while; or he trades the Bishop on f6 and Black has comfortable game anyway after 17 Bxf6 Bxf6 18 Rxe8+ Rxe8 19 Qf1 c4. White then pretty much has to trade Rooks on the e-file, and the game is opening up which will favor the Bishop pair.
17.Rxe8+ Rxe8 18.Qd2 Nh5 19.Qa5?!,..
Active and ambitious and dangerous. If Black elects to take the game into a tactical phase, White seems to come out the worse. The positional treatment beginning with 19 Qc1 Bc7 20 Bd2 h6 21 a3, did not appeal to Mr. Alowitz. I can see why, his pieces are crowded and tangled. Black has lots of space. White will be struggling to find useful moves while Black searches for the killing break through.
19..., h6?!
Here Black takes a little bit rather than a lot. The forceful and tactical 19..., Qf5; attacking the Bg5 and the Nf3 leads to a an advantage for Black after; 20 Qxb5 Re6 21 Nd2 Qxg5 22 Ne4 Qe7 23 h3 Be2 24 Re1 Nxg3 25 Nxg3 Bxd3 26 Rxe6 Bxb5 27 Rxe7 Bxe7; and Black has a sound extra pawn and has kept the Bishop pair intact. Calculating all that, especially with potential back rank mate problems included, make most of us concerned about errors. Often we will accept a smaller advantage than is possible in the interest of clarity. This may be the case here.
20.Bd2 Nf6
While watching the game, I thought for a moment there might be something for Black in the idea 20..., Qb7; thinking of .., Bc7; the White Queen goes to a3 then .., b4; and attack the Queen again with .., Be6. Fantasy of course; the Queen still has a4 as a haven. After mulling it for thirty seconds, I realized 21 Nxe4, just spoils the concept entirely. The text move is best.
21.Re1 Be6?
Black has had some advantage up to here. This move lets it slip away. It was likely in the interest again of keeping more material on rather than trading Rooks. Trading would have left Black slightly better after 21..., Rxe1+ 22 Nxe2 Be6. The way this sequence is played Black has to give up the Bishop pair and the edge passes to White.
22.Ne5 Bxe5
Takes the game to equality. The alternative 22..., Qc7 23 Qxc7 Bxc7 24 Bc6 Rb8; sees the White minor pieces getting very active.
23.Rxe5 Nd5 24.Qa3?!,..
This move is a bit of a mystery. More active is 24 a4, and if 24..., bxa4 25 Qxc5, but then 25..., Rc8; entering complications that according to Rybka work out to equality. The game move has the advantage of not initiating those complications even though I can’t see any greater purpose than that and a real deficit in the Queen’s awkward position.
24..., Qd6 25.Re1 Ra8?!
Better is the straight forward 25..., a6; guarding the b-pawn and leaving the White Queen to ponder how she can return to active service. By this point in the game, Gordon had used up seventy of his ninety minutes, and Arthur had used only about thirty-five minutes.
26.b3 b4
Black is justifiably worried about c2-c3 coming to break down his central pawn mass, so he puts in a stopper.
27.Qc1 Rd8 28.a4 Qd7 29.Re5 f6 30.Re1 Bg4 31.Be4 Bh3
Now time trouble begins to effect Black’s play. Likely better is 31..., Rf8; shoring up the K-side and threatening something with .., f5-f4; to worry White. Black was down to under ten minutes remaining. White can now win a pawn easily with 32 Bxh6! If 32..., gxh6 33 Qxh6 Bf5 34 Bxd5+! Qxd5 35 Re7, will cost Black his Queen for a Rook and Bishop. In that position the Queen is ideally placed to make something out of her facility to make double attacks giving White the win.
32.Bg2?,..
Passing on the win of a pawn. White had plenty of time on the clock. He may have been led astray by his opponent’s coming time problem and the wish to make him move quickly. I know I have done the same against Gordon more than once in the past. The game now tilts back towards equality.
The next operations take the game to an ending that is nearly balanced. White with the time advantage puts no obstacles in Black’s path to simplification. That is probably not the best way to proceed. Avoiding exchanges of material keep more things on the board for the time challenged opponent to think about.
32..., Bxg2 33.Kxg2 Qg4 34.h3 Qh5 35.Qd1 Qxd1 36.Rxd1 Re8 37.Re1 Rxe1 38.Bxe1 Kf7
Black has a small advantage. He just has to worry about the Bishop trying to attack the pawn at c5, and his King is hurrying up to keep that from happening.
39.Kf3 Ke6 40.Ke4 f5+ 41.Kf3 g5 42.Bd2 Nf6 43.Kg2 Nd5 44.h4 f4 45.gxf4 gxf4 46.Kf3 Kf5 47.Bc1,..
Mr. Magat is always resourceful. He has created some glimmer of winning chances about the White h-pawn and kept the Bishop stifled. His next move is a shocker.
47..., Ne3!?
A piece sacrifice to what end? Any other reasonable move holds the game, 47..., h5; for instance. I believe once more rating difference influences a decision; White gambles in hopes of defeating a lower rated opponent.
48.fxe3 dxe3?
Losing the game without any hope. The only try is 48..., fxd3; and even then White has a win after 49 a5, it is important to get this pawn forward, 49..., a6 50 Bxe6 dxe6 51 Kxe6, and if Black goes for the h-pawn with 51..., Kg5 52 d4 cxd4+ 53 Kxd4 Kxh4 54 c3 bxc3 55 Kxc3 Kg3 56 b4 h5 57 b5; and one way or another a White a-pawn Queens far enough ahead of Black to win. If Black does not go for the h-pawn and plays 51..., Ke5; 52 h5 Kd5 53 d4! cxd4+ 54 Kd3, with a tricky pawn ending where White eventually recovers the d-pawn and then makes a timely run to the K-side to win the h-pawn while Black always has to be concerned about White’s a and b-pawns forcing a Queen. The text allows White to use the Bishop, via b2, to pick off the Black pawns on the dark squares.
49.Bb2 a6 50.Bg7 Kg6 51.Bf8 Kh5 52.Be7 Kg6 53.Bxc5 Kh5 54.Be7 a5 55.Bd8 e2 56.Kxe2 Kg4 57.Kf2 h5 58.d4 1–0
If the Black King moves away from h5, the rest of his Q-side pawns fall. This was a significant upset. Congratulations to Mr. Alowitz for a fine result.
Thursday evening saw not quite a full schedule of play in the 6th round of the Schenectady Championship Preliminaries. In Section A David Connors lost to Richard Chu as did Ahkil Kamma to Alan Le Cours. The game Matt Clough - Herman Calderone was not finished when I left the site. Matt was up a piece in a B&N versus N ending with pawns across the board. There was enough of an imbalance in the distribution of material to make the decision not quite clear. I will try to have the result of this game for my next post.
In Section B only one game was played; Northrup - Capitummino. Cory was not able to build on his success from Wednesday, he went down material and Jeff found a ruthless finishing line that simplified the game leaving him up the Exchange and many pawns. Resignation followed immediately.
More soon.
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