Dilip Aaron's Adventure Continues

Dilip Aaron played quite an interesting game with Alan Le Cours last Thursday. It happened to be in a line Alan has been spending some time upon. The youngster demonstrated mature judgment by avoiding the morass of complications Alan invited him to visit, obtained the better game and came close to winning. The suspicion grows that we may see the name Aaron on the Weininger Trophy again in the not far distant future.

Aaron, Dilip - Le Cours, Alan [C57]

SCC Finals 2010–11 Schenectady, NY, 17.02.2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5!?

The Two Knights, Wilks-Barre/Traxler Variation. Alan showed me several lines one evening he has examined in this opening one evening earlier this season. All highly complex with tactics spilling over the board from every direction. Just the sort of thing one might try to bowl over a less experienced opponent.

5.Bxf7+?!,..

Perhaps Alan was hoping for 5 Nxf7, then 5..., Bxf2+!?; and we have as Ronen Har-Zvi is fond of calling “a big mess” on the board. The line is unsound for Black, but White either has to have a terrific positional sense and excellent tactical sight, or a lot of book knowledge, to wander around this difficult position.

Older opening books say 5 d4, is the best way forward for White. Faced with what must have been a surprise in the opening, Dilip maintains composure, takes a little bit of an advantage in hopes of avoiding something nasty and plans to trade off material to reduce the attacking forces.

5..., Ke7 6.Bd5

Thinking no doubt that trading the Bishop for the Knight gets rid of one of the possible attacking units. Very likely either 6 Bc4, or 6 Bb3, is better.

6..., Qe8

Worth consideration is 6..., Rf8; but likely it is nothing more than a transposition of moves.

7.d3?!,..

Better is 7 c3, preparing d2-d4, controlling d4 and making a haven for the light squared Bishop if Black does not trade it off on d5. Even after the text White retains a solid advantage.

7..., Rf8 8.Nf3?,..

This move hands Black a sorely needed tempo. Better to first castle waiting for Black to use a move to kick the Ng5 with .., h7-h6.

8..., d6?

Too routine. Black has invested a pawn and gotten his King to an awkward post so to create a difficult position for both sides. He should not shy away from ratcheting up the tension. Doing so with 8..., Nd4; when after 9 Nxd4 Bxd4 10 0-0 Qg6; Black has his pieces posted for a well for an assault on the K-side is reasonable.

9.Bg5?,..

The transaction contemplated just helps Black along with his K-side activities. Getting rid of a potential attacking piece, the Nf6, is not worth the loss of his better Bishop, and it clears the way for the Black Rook to take part in operations quickly.

9..., h6 10.Bxf6+ Rxf6 11.h3 Nd4 12.Nbd2 c6 13.Bb3 Qf8 14.c3,..

The results of the misguided trade on f6 are Black has pressure down the f-file and White is reluctant to castle short for fear of a trade of Knights on f3 may be followed by the capture of the pawn on h3 when the recapture by the g-pawn leaves the remaining Nf3 is under defended.

14..., Ne6!?

Le Cours wants apparently to keep stirring the pot. The pawn given has not come back yet with any significant return. Here he threatens 15..., Nf4; working on weakening the White K-side. If 15 g3 Ng5; begins hand-to-hand fighting that is dangerous for White. The alternative 14..., Nxb3; is answered by 15 Nxb3, hitting the Bc5, or 15 axb3, opening a line for the Ra1, and White is prepared to advance the d-pawn relieving some pressure on the f-file. White now concedes the two Bishop versus two Knights imbalance. From here on the game revolves around whether Black can break open the position for the Bishops, or let us say it should.

15.Bxe6 Bxe6 16.Nb3 Bb6 17.d4 Bc4 18.Qd2? Rxf3!

Much safer was 18 Nbd2, reinforcing f3. In the spirit of the Wilks-Barre, Le Cours sacrifices the Exchange. It is the best way forward. Everything else lets White off the hook.

19.gxf3 Qxf3 20.Rg1 Qxe4+ 21.Qe3 Qxe3+ 22.fxe3 g5 23.0–0–0?,..

Another example of routine thinking. Castling is good, right? Not always, especially after the Queens are gone. Both 23 Rg3, and 23 Nd2, are probably better options.

23..., Rf8

It is hard to be critical of this natural move, but better may be is 23..., Be6; hitting h3, then if 24 h4 g4; establishing the passed g-pawn as a strong positional counter. And if, 24 Rg3 Rf8 25 Rh1 Bc7; lining up the Bishops to support the g-pawn and attack the h-pawn over the long term. Black has some advantage but how to increase it is uncertain.

Dilip had played quickly to this point and had left one hour and eleven minutes of one hour and forty minutes with which he began. Alan had fifty minutes. Time trouble did not appear to be going to play a role in this game.

24.Nd2 Be2

Of course not 24..., Bxa2? 25 b3, wins material.

25.Rde1 Bd3?!

Less good than 25..., Rf2. Black needs to clear away the pawn chains blocking the center of the board, and he wants to hang on to the g-pawn. Further, he probably really does not desire to see a trade of pawns on the K-side anytime soon. If he can establish pawns on g4 and h5 with the White h-pawn on h4, White would have negligible chances of winning. By removing the Bishop from the d1-h5 diagonal Black allows clarification on the K-side that does not help his cause.

26.h4 Rg8 27.hxg5 hxg5 28.Rg3 e4?

The antithesis of the correct goal for Black. Diagonals are blocked devaluing the Bishops. In most cases of two Bishops fighting against a Knight and a Bishop, opening the center favors the Bishops.

29.Rh1 Rg7 30.Rg4 d5 31.Rh6 Be2 32.Rg1 Bc7 33.Nf1 Bxf1?

Aaron still had one hour on his clock. Le Cours had run his time down to just about one half-hour searching for a workable plan with which to take the full point. The capture on f1 spells the end of striving for victory by Black I think. Keeping the struggle going with 33..., Bf3; and later .., g5-g4; maintains chances for a win. With best play by both sides the game is likely drawn, but there is much fight left in the position. Worse than giving up the fight for the point is there exists a tactical flaw in the idea motivating Black; advance the g-pawn. What Alan did not consider deeply enough are the circumstances in which White can force the Rook exchange and then get his King over to relieve the other Rook of blockading the g-pawn. Once the Rook is free the game swings in White’s favor strongly.

34.Rxf1 g4 35.Rff6?,..

Much better is 35 Kd1 beginning to bring the King into the fight to block the g-pawn. If when Alan captured on f1 he gave up trying for a win, this leap forward of the Rook that is needed to cover g1 does much the same for Dilip. A win is possible after 35 Kd1 g3 36 Rfh1 Kf8 37 Ke2 a6 38 Rh8+ Kf7 39 R8h7 Kg8 40 Rxg7+ Kxg7; and White will prepare with b2-b3 and c3-c4 to weaken the Black pawn barrier enough so the Rook can swing over and claim a pawn or two. After that it is a matter of technique, as the chess writers are fond of saying. With an extra pawn in the bag, White brings the Rook back to attack the g-pawn and captures it even at cost of retuning the Exchange. Then it is a straight forward pawn ending with an extra pawn when a modicum of care will give White the full point. If Black drives the g-pawn forward to g2 on say move 36, White will first block the pawn with the Rook going to g1, and then find the idea of bringing the forward Rook back to h3 preventing any entry of a Black piece on g6 that does not lose the g-pawn, or more. Finally, the White King comes to f2 and the pawn falls.

35...g3 36.Rhg6 Rh7 37.Rh6?,..

Good play up to these last few moves tells us Dilip needs a bit more seasoning. He has fixed in his mind that all was well and repeating a couple of moves would split the point. Sadly wrong. White had to play 37 Rf1. He is now lost.

37..., Rg7?

Alan must have reached the same conclusion as did Dilip. Disappointing for him is he did not find the not so obvious 37..., g2!; when 38 Rxh7+ Kxf6; and the pawn will Queen. Playing on with 38 Re6+ Kd8 39 Reg6 Rxh6; is hopeless, as is 39 Rhg6 Rh1+ and the pawn Queens the next move gaining a Rook.

38.Rhg6 Rh7 ½–½

Neither player spotted the little trick at the end so I suppose the drawn result is a fair outcome. Aaron had 57 minutes on his clock at the end, and Le Cours had just over eighteen minutes. Time trouble was not the villain this time. I think the tension in the situation was the root cause. This is Dilip’s first chance in the SCC Finals, and he was anxious to do well. Mr. Le Cours had undertaken the burden of the Wilks-Barre/Traxler Variation and had used a lot of energy early on. Those things combined led to the mutual errors at the finish.

More soon.

An Update of the SCC Finals and Swiss

Thursday evening and the Schenectady Finals and Consolation Swiss round of play got off to a slow start with some games beginning later than the scheduled 7:45 pm start time. Nevertheless, there was quite a bit of action.

In the Swiss these were the results:

Chu - Kline, Mike, 0-1. An upset. Kline, unrated and a new member, defeats the #2 rated.

Capitummino - Finnerman, 0-1

Clough - Connors, 1-0

Neither Chu nor Kline wanted to see their game in the blog saying errors in the early middle game took away too much of the interest in the game. The other games are below.

Mike Stanley was unable to play, the game Stanley - Northrup will be played next week. The next full round in the Swiss will be the week following.

Capitummino, Jeff - Finnerman, David [A40]

Consolation Swiss Schenectady, NY, 17.02.2011

1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.b3 c5 5.Bb2 Nf6 6.dxc5 Qa5+ 7.Qd2 Qxc5 8.Qc3 Nbd7 9.Nbd2 0–0 10.Qxc5 Nxc5 11.0–0–0 Nfe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Rd3 Nxf2 14.Rg1 Nxd3+ 15.Bxd3 Bh6 16.Kd2 e5 17.g3 Be6 18.Ba3 Rfd8 0–1

The game went on for a move or two more but Black’s advantage was too much for protracted resistance.

Clough, Matthew - Connors, David [B00]

1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nge2 Bb4 6.0–0 0–0 7.Bg5 Be7 8.f3 d5 9.e5 Nfd7 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Nb5 Rc8 12.f4 a6 13.Na3 c5 14.c3 Nc6 15.Rc1 cxd4 16.cxd4 Nb4 17.Rxc8+ Rxc8 18.Bb1 f6 19.Rf3 fxe5 20.fxe5 Nxe5 21.dxe5 Qc5+ 22.Kf1 d4 23.Rh3 g6 24.Qxd4 Qc6 25.Qg4 1–0

The standings in the Consolation Swiss are:

Finnerman, David 2-0, wins from Northrup and Capitummino

Kline, Michael 2-0, wins from Connors and Chu

Chu, Richard 1-1, won from Clough, lost to Kline

Clough, Matthew 1-1, lost to Chu, won from Connors

Capitummino, Jeff 1-1, won from Stanley, lost to Finnerman

Connors, David 0-2, lost to Klein and Clough

Northrup, Cory 0-1, lost to Finnerman, game to be played with Stanley

Stanley, Michael 0-0, lost to Capitummino, game to be played with Northrup

These early returns show a contest for first between Finnerman, an experienced tournament player and Klein a newcomer to the arena. Klein, with wins over a pair of veterans, Chu and Connors looks to be a worthy opponent for the top rated Finnerman. They will likely meet in the next round and we may get some indication of the eventual winner the consolation Swiss.

Two games were played in the Finals Thursday: Phillips - Sells, ending in a mild upset, and a draw between Dilip Aaron and Alan Le Cours that has to be considered a significant upset.

The younger Aaron, Dilip, is beginning to make a mark on the local scene. Last week he won his game against me. This week he holds Alan Le Cours to a draw. Another Aaron to take into account when handicapping the Schenectady Club title competition? I think so. Two years ago GM Har-Zvi and I debated at a Simul he was giving about how far Dilip might go in chess. Ronen was uncertain, and I held Dilip could be as strong as his brother Deepak. His results so far in the SCC Finals argues my opinion just may be justified.

Aaron, Dilip - Le Cours, Alan [C57]

SCC Finals 2010–11 Schenectady, NY, 17.02.2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.Bd5 Qe8 7.d3 Rf8 8.Nf3 d6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bxf6+ Rxf6 11.h3 Nd4 12.Nbd2 c6 13.Bb3 Qf8 14.c3 Ne6 15.Bxe6 Bxe6 16.Nb3 Bb6 17.d4 Bc4 18.Qd2 Rxf3 19.gxf3 Qxf3 20.Rg1 Qxe4+ 21.Qe3 Qxe3+ 22.fxe3 g5 23.0–0–0 Rf8 24.Nd2 Be2 25.Rde1 Bd3 26.h4 Rg8 27.hxg5 hxg5 28.Rg3 e4 29.Rh1 Rg7 30.Rg4 d5 31.Rh6 Be2 32.Rg1 Bc7 33.Nf1 Bxf1 34.Rxf1 g4 35.Rff6 g3 36.Rhg6 Rh7 37.Rh6 Rg7 38.Rhg6 Rh7 ½–½

A rare example of Philip Sells not winning in difficult time trouble.

Phillips, John - Sells, Philip [E27]

SCC Finals 210–11 Schenectady, NY, 17.02.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3,..

A well known, if not so popular, line, most writers call it the Samisch Variation.. Much more usual are 4 e3, 4 Qc2, and 4 a3. Back in the 1950s(!) Viktor Korchnoi used it as his main weapon against the Nimzo-Indian in some international events and the 21st USSR Championship in Kiev. It made appearances regularly for such lights as Spassky, Ragozin, Polugaevsky and Taimanov through the 1950s. Gheorghis and Portisch were the main supporters in the 60s, and in the 70s and 80s Moskalenko and Flear took it up as a primary method of combating the Nimzo. In later years it has made only occasional appearances in Grandmaster practice, but fashions in openings change and it may be due for a revival.

The positional idea underlying the move 4 f3, to build a broad center, is entirely sound. White usually does not get to play the e-pawn forward to e4 in one bold jump. However, with patience, he can make good use of the threat to do so, and obtain chances for advantage.

Here are two games from sixty years apart that illustrate play typical in this variation:

(26611) Szabo,Laszlo - Kottnauer,Cenek [E49]

Staunton mem Groningen (12), 1946

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 0–0 6.f3 d5 7.e3 c5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 b6 10.Ne2 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.0–0 Re8 13.Qd3 c4 14.Qc2 Nb8 15.Ng3 Nc6 16.Bd2 Na5 17.e4 Nb3 18.Rae1 Nxd2 19.Qxd2 Qe7 20.Nf5 Qe6 21.Qg5 g6 22.g4 dxe4 23.fxe4 Nxe4 24.Nh6+ Kg7 25.Rxe4 f6 [25...Qxe4 26.Rxf7+] 26.Rxe6 fxg5 27.Rxe8 Rxe8 28.Nf7 Re3 29.Nxg5 Rxc3 30.Ne6+ Kh6 31.d5 Rc2 32.d6 Rd2 33.Rf3 1–0

(1136291) Krush,Irina (2443) - Hess,Robert L (2394) [E27]

Marshall CC-ch 90th New York (5), 03.12.2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0–0 7.e3 Re8 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 b6 10.Ne2 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Qd3 Qc8 13.0–0 c5 14.Ng3 cxd4 15.cxd4 Qc4 16.Qxc4 dxc4 17.e4 Red8 18.Nf5 Rd7 19.Bb2 Rc8 20.Bc3 Ne8 21.a4 Nac7 22.Rfb1 h5 23.d5 f6 24.Kf2 Nd6 25.Nxd6 Rxd6 26.Ke3 Kf7 27.Ra2 Re8 28.Kd4 Rc8 29.Bb4 Rd7 30.Rc2 Ne6+ 31.Ke3 Nc7 32.Rbc1 Rxd5 33.Rxc4 Rd7 34.Rc6 Ke8 35.Kf2 Kd8 36.Bd6 Rf7 37.Kg3 a6 38.f4 1–0

Take note of the idea of trading off the light squared Bishops used in both of these games.

4..., d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0–0 7.e3 b6 8.cxd5 Nxd5?!

I can find no tactical problem with this move, and it has some positional justification - using the long diagonal to pressure the center. However, the game move is not found in the databases I have available. That is something over 2 million games with a large percentage played by GMs. That amount of data and no examples found coupled with the common treatment by strong players of trading off the light squared Bishops, leads me to suspect the text may be not correct.

9.c4 Ne7 10.Bd3 Nd7

This move looks to be slower to bring pressure against the center than is required. Rybka suggests 10..., c5; and so does a quick review of the GM games in this variation.

11.Ne2 c5 12.Qc2 f5!?

Black makes the first concession; loosening his King’s protection. More solid are 12..., g6; or 12..., Nf5. White has some advantage. Black needs to find a plan to obtain effective counter-play.

13.0–0 cxd4 14.exd4 e5!?

True to his style, Mr. Sells seeks space in the center. The alternative is not significantly better: 14..., Nf6 15 Re1 Ba6 16 Bb2 Qd6 17 Qb3, with White retaining an edge.

15.d5!?,..

Mr. Phillips is also unafraid of taking risks. More cautious is first 15 Bb2. White will not be able to exclude the Black Knight from c5 in the long run. It therefore is sensible to get on with development. My guess is John had in mind the making the passed d-pawn a “bone in the throat” for Black. He could have converted the potential passed center pawn into a lead in development and favorable piece placement after 15 Bb2 exd4 16 Nxd4 Nc5 17 Rad1, and the next White move will be 18 Rfe1, almost no matter what Black may do. The threat to the pawn on f5 restricts the choices for Black. White then has his whole army actively deployed and the search can begin for a plan to make use of the advantages. After the text, Black is at least equal, and maybe better than White.

15..., Nc5 16.Bb2 Ba6 17.Nc3 Nxd3 18.Qxd3 Rc8 19.Nb5 Bxb5 20.cxb5 Rc5?

Curious. I am certain that Philip saw 15..., Qxd5 16 Qxd5 Nxd5 17 Bxe5, as leading to a reasonably balanced ending, but he likely thought that having his Q-side pawns stuck on the same color as White’s Bishop meant playing for a win to be a doubtful enterprise. Sells likes to keep winning possibilities in the position. Doing so this time seems to be a mistake.

21.d6 Ng6

This move is just as good as 21..., Qd7 22 a4 Ng6 23 Rac1, because then White has cleared a3 to help support the pawn on d6.

22.Rac1 Kh8?!

The cautious removal of the Black King from the possible checks along the a2-g8 diagonal makes sense, but it also self-creates back rank problems for Black. White also is granted a tempo which increases his initiative. The balance is tilting towards White significantly.

23.Rxc5 bxc5 24.Qd5 Qb6 25.Qc6!?,..

More forceful and in line with the theme Mr. Phillips picked for the middle game, driving the passed d-pawn forward, is 25 d7. The threat to Queen the pawn becomes the pivot for both sides. After 25 d7 Rd8 26 Rd1 Qxb5 27 Bxe5 Nxe5 28 Qxe5 h6 29 Rd6, there are many ways for White to win decisive material. The attraction of this line is clarity brought on by the forcing nature of the moves by White.

It should be noted the inklings of time trouble were beginning to become apparent. Phillips had 26 and Sells had 7 minutes remaining. Both guys are quite competent dealing with time shortages. Philip Sells can said to be famous locally for his ability to survive, and thrive, with almost nothing on his clock. When I first observed him running into time trouble there were doubts he could win titles with that habit. His success over the last few years dispelled the doubts. Philip Sells does not begrudge those precious minutes even near the end of the game spent to find out all that is possible about a position. Very often the understanding gained allows Sells to play even a poor position so much better than his opponent a full point or a draw is salvaged.

25..., Rd8 26.Rd1 Qa5

This time the almost five minutes Mr. Sells used to get here were not enough to overcome the serious deficits in his position.

27.Qxc5 a6

Sells is now down to 48 seconds and Phillips has 14+ minutes.

28.Bxe5 Nxe5 29.Qxe5 Qxb5 30.Qe6?!,..

Better is 30 f4, securing the dominating post for the White Queen.

30..., Qd7

I did not get the remaining moves of the game. In general what happened is White gave up the d-pawn for the f-pawn and forced a pawn through to Queen bringing about a QvRP ending. Mr. Phillps’ time ran down to less than two minutes and Sells was in his usual situation, only a bare handful of seconds left.

It was then the twin devils of tension and a lack of thinking time got to play their tricks. First in the position: WQ on a8, WK on b6 and BK on g3, BP on h3, Phillips missed what I call “a technique fragment”; Qa8-h1. That is not something much discussed in the literature of endings, but anyone who plays their home computer at fast time limits will recognize it; the simplest way to eliminate all possibilities of a slipup by letting Black Queen his pawn or fall into a stalemate. Some moves later the position arose: WK on b3, WQ on g4 and BK on h2, BP on h3. Mr. Phillips repeated the position a couple of time and then found the solution; any move by his King forces Black to play .., Kh1; dropping the pawn, and then it is just a matter of bringing up the White King to mate.

I bring up these fumbles at the end of a most interesting and well fought game by two successful local players not be overly critical, rather to make the point I have mentioned before; in this era of sudden-death time controls, knowing cold the basic endgames is more important than it ever was back in the day of 50 moves in two hours and 25 moves per hour afterwards. Then the only worry was not to fall into a draw by repetition. Avoid that and there was plenty of time to think through how to take the full point or slip out to a stalemate. In today’s chess in the US, as my friends here did, often you arrive at a dead won position with not much more than the five-second delay available to consider the problem before you. With hours of effort on the line, the inherent tension can blind even the good player to obvious moves. Armed with endgame knowledge you are less likely have regrets when in time trouble.

1–0

More soon.

Some News and a Goodbye

Another busy week of chess. Wednesday evening the AACC held a King’s Gambit Accepted thematic event, a four round Game in 15 with a five second delay tourney. Fourteen (!) players entered. That is quite a good turnout. Playing were; Peter Henner, Gordon Magat, Bill Little, Jonathan Lack, Bob Kemp, Art Alowitz, Charles Eson, Tim Wright, Glen Perry, Jason Denham, Dean Howard, and the TD Jon Leisner. To this group were added the visitors from the Troy Chess Club; Phil Thomas and E. Hill. Phil Thomas won the event cleanly with a perfect 4-0 score. The tournament was unrated. I hope to have a complete cross table for the next post. Mr. Leisner has plans for a couple of more thematic events this season. The encouraging attendance shows there is support for such. One of the founding notions underlying the reconstituted Albany Club was to have great variety of activities. Thematic tournaments are a step in that direction.

A personally sad note for today’s post. After about sixty years of playing chess seriously, I have come to the end of that activity. Yesterday Bill Townsend and I talked about some difficulties I have experienced in games over the last few months. It was my conclusion that trying to compete was more than could be done. Therefore, I have withdrawn from the Schenectady Finals. The root cause is a medical problem that prevents extended periods sitting at the board and maintaining concentration.

I intend to continue writing this Blog and to attend the clubs regularly. A complete withdrawal from the game is not the plan. Skittles and maybe some quick-play games can slake my addiction for the Royal Game, so I can hope to cross swords with all my usual opponents, and maybe some new ones in the future.

Over these months I have lost games to Wright, Magat, Phillips and others that were not too surprising for I had lost to these fellows before. There were other losses to Zack Calderone, Dilip Aaron, and they were surprising. In many of these games the loss came about after I had played reasonably well, and then seemed to lose the thread of the game, make a blunder and then lose the game. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate:

Little, Bill - Magat, Gordon [B22]

AACC Prelim 1 Guilderland, NY, 10.12.2010

Prior to this game I had lost to Tim Wright by just leaving a piece adrift and walking into a Knight fork. The game with Gordon was very nearly a “must win” situation for me if there was to be any hope of fighting for a place in the final match.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Bc4 d6 7.0–0 dxe5 8.dxe5 Be7 9.Nbd2 0–0 10.Qe2 Qc7 11.Qe4 Rd8 12.Bd3 f5!?

Natural is 12..., g6. The move played loosens up the Black K-side giving White some advantage and gains Black only control over the d-file. That does not appear to be a critical line immediately.

13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Qe2 Qd6 15.Bc2 Na5 16.Ne4 Qb6 17.Bg5!?,..

More to the point is 17 Re1, planning to move the Ne4 to g5 and building pressure on the e-pawn. The text offers a very poisoned b-pawn; if 17..., Qxb2 18 Nxf6+, and 19 Bxh7+, wins material.

17..., Nd5 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Neg5?!,..

Here I miss the correct move 19 Nfg5, to a strong attack on the Black King. Truthfully, moving the Nf3 just did not come into consideration. Had this better move been played the position could have developed so; 19 Nfg5 h6? 20 Qh5 hxg5 21 Nxg5 Nf5 22 Bxf5 exf5 23 Rfe1 Be6 24 Qh7+ Kf8 25 Rxe6, wins. The alternative try 19..., e5; does somewhat better but is pretty close to lost after 20 Qh5 Bf5 21 Qf7+ Kh8 22 Qxe7 Re8 23 Qd6 Qxb2 24 Qd5, and the threat of the classic smothered mate beginning 25 Nf7+, leaves White in great shape.

The game move gives White a marked advantage but nearly as much as could have been obtained.

17..., h6 20.Qe4?!,..

Misfiring again. This move is too routine. Crashing through with 20 Bh7+! and after a) 20..., Kh8 21 Ne5 Rf8 22 Qd3 g6 23 Bxg6 Nxg6 24 Nxg6+ Kg7 25 Nxf8 hxg5 26 Nd7, winning, and b) 20..., Kf8 21 Ne5 hxg5 22 Qh5, and White’s attack is very strong. The text move does keep an edge for White, just not a winning one. I was being overly cautious not having enough confidence in my calculations.

20...Nf5 21.b4 cxb4 22.cxb4 hxg5 23.bxa5 Qc6 24.Qxc6?!,..

Another second best move. More forceful is 24 Nxg5. Again the move played retains some advantage, but it gives Black chances to keep the fight going.

24..., bxc6 25.Rfd1 Bd7

Black might have tried 25..., Rxd1+; but I am not as certain as Rybka is that it is a better choice.

26.Ne5 Be8 27.Be4 Ne7

Rybka suggests 27..., Nd4 28 f3 Rab8 as better for Black. I agree. Odd how some of the Rybka suggestions are easier to see and understand than are others.

28.Rdc1?!,..

Once again not the best choice. A more useful alternative is 28 h3, making a luft and preventing the front most Black g-pawn from advancing.

28...Rac8?

I have focused my attention on c6, and Black is reacting to that. Here Mr. Magat could have equalized the game, or nearly so with 28..., Rab8; then if White wins his target c-pawn whatever advantage White could have claimed is gone after 29 Nxc6 Bxc6 30 Bxc6 Nxc6 31 Rxc6 Rb2 32 a4 Ra2!; when the Black Rooks have gained the second rank. Then there are a few tricks left but none that should win for either side if attention is paid. The next several moves I had to reconstruct. One aspect of my medical problem is hand tremors that make my handwriting illegible.

29.Rc5 Rd4 30.f3 Rcd8 31.Nxc6 Bxc6 32.Bxc6 Rd1+ 33.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 34.Kf2 Rd2+ 35.Kg3 Nf5+ 36.Kh3 Kh7 37.Be4 g6 38.Rc7+ Kh6 39.Rxa7 Rxa2 40.a6 Ne3 41.f4 gxf4 42.Ra8,..

Up to this point I am reasonably certain these are the moves played. The balance of the game was unreadable, and I have reconstructed the remaining moves as best as possible. The fork that caused me to resign is clear in my memory, and so, I an fairly sure the game ended as follows.

42..., g5 43.Rh8+ Kg7 44.Rh7+ Kf6 45.a7 Nd5?

Gordon misses a chance to fight back effectively with 45..., Nd1!; after which White must be very careful. The threat is 46..., Nf2 mate. Play could have gone; 46 Kg4 Nf2+ 47 Kf3 Ke5 48 Bc2! Rxc2 49 Rh5 Ra2 50 Rg8 Rxa7 51 Kxf2, when White has weathered the worst. Black has some small advantage with the more aggressive position for his King, but should be able to hold by quickly advancing his K-side pawns.

46.Rd7 Ke5 47.Bf3 Ra3 48 Kg4 Nf6+ 49 Resigns??

The last several moves were played with Gordon in some time pressure. I did not have bunches of time on my clock but more than did Magat. Through the game I had been seeing a great deal. The occasions where less than the best move was selected were nothing out of the ordinary for me, but the alternatives, except where noted - chiefly move 19, were considered. At this point I just did not see the fork and resigned thinking the Rook was lost without compensation . Had I my wits about me the correct finish is; 49 Kxg5 Nxd7 50 a8 (Q) Rxa8 51 Bxa8 Nf6 52 h4, and the h-pawn will cost Black the Knight and the game. The shock of the unseen fork combined with a growing lack of confidence in my ability to withstand tension led to my foolish early surrender.

The next game is from the SCC Finals played last Thursday

Little, Bill - Le Cours, Alan [D87]

SCC Ch Finals Schenectady, NY, 10.02.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 0–0 9.Be3 Nc6 10.Rc1 Qa5!?

Alan and I have battled over the Grunfeld Defense, Exchange Variation a number of times. As he noted just before the game began, I have reached the better position often in this line but seldom been able to convert the advantage into a win. True, too true.

The text move is not favored by the GMs and IMs. Those guys most often play 10..., Qc7; followed shortly by .., b7-b6. It has to be thought of as a side line, but that is its attraction. The move is just enough off the beaten track to force the opponent into independent thinking while it continues the logical plan for Black; pressure on White’s big center.

11.0–0 Qa3?!

This maybe too much of a good thing. Rybka likes 11..., b6.

12.dxc5,..

Natural is 12 Qb3, but then 12..., Qxb3 13 Bxb3, and the game is headed towards equality. Without the Queens on there isn’t much hope for an advantage for either side. The game move aims to make things as difficult as possible for both sides.

Ne5 13.Bb3 a5!?

Normal is 13..., Ng4 14 Qd3 Nxe3 15 Qxe3 a5; when Black has more than enough counter-play to balance the pawn minus. The game move offers White a chance to make things dicey for the Black Queen.

14.Nd4!?,..

And I promptly go for it.

14..., Ng4 15.Nb5?

Here the thread of the game begins to slip away from me. The only pathway to some advantage for White is 15 Nb2, then 15..., Nxe3 16 fxe3 Qxc5 17 Rxc7!, and if 17..., Rxc7? 18 Qd8+ wins. Better for Black is 17..., e6 18 Rxf8+ Qxf8 19 Bc4, and White answers 19..., Bxc3; with 20 Nd4, giving White some advantage. If Black tries 19..., Qe7 20 Nd4 Bh6 21 Qd3 Kh8 22 Rb1, and White has pieces very well placed, again with some advantage. After the game move White must be very careful not to fall into a worse position.

15...Nxe3 16.Nxa3 Nxd1 17.Rfxd1 a4 18.Bc4 Ra5 19.Bb5,..

The game now slips away from me completely. The only way for White to keep the fight going is to play 19 Nb5, then 19..., Bh6 20 Rb1 Bg4 21 Rd3 Be2?1 22 Rd4 Bg7? 23 Bxe2 Bxd4 24 exd4, seems to be won for White. Black can avoid the questionable 21..., Be2; and 22..., Bg7; and try such as 21..., Rc8 22 h3 Rxc5 23 hxg4 Rxc4 24 Rd4 Rc5 25 Rd5 b6; and either 26 Kf1, or 26 Rxc5, leaving the game about even. After the game move Black is better.

19..., Be6 20.Rc2 Rc8 21 c4 Raa1 22 Kf1 Rxc5 23 Ke2 f5 24 exf5 Bxf5 25 Rcd2 Re5+ 26 Kf1 Kf7

Possibly better is 26..., Bh6; making the coordination of the White Rooks as difficult.

27 f3 Bh6 28 Re2 Re3 29 Rxe3 Bxe3 30 g4?,..

Offering better chances are a) 30 Ke2 Bf4 31 g3, or b) 30 Bd7, when best for Black is 30..., Rd8 31 Be6+ Kxe6 32 Rxd8 Bc5 33 Rd3 Bf5 34 Rc3 Bd4 35 Rc2 Bxc2; with the game just about equal. Of course Black does have the Bishop versus Knight imbalance and White will have to prove he can hold the ending with pawns on both sides of the board.

30..., Be6 31 Ke2 Bf4 32 h3 Rc8 33 Bxa4??,..

Once more just a goofy mistake dropping a piece. After doing these things repeatedly, it is clear that serious chess is not possible for me. Over a year ago, Grandmaster Har-Zvi, in the nicest way, tried to tell me playing chess in rated tournaments may not be a happy pursuit for me any more. Stubbornly I struggled on. Now, the series of really bad moves in tense positions drove home the correctness of Ronen’s judgment.

33..., Ra8 34 Resigns.

And so, Goodbye to serious chess in rated tournaments. It has been fun, and a good long run with few regrets. As said above, the posting will continue and I hope to see my chess friends at the board for skittles often.

More soon on the latest round from Schenectady with some upsets mild and otherwise.

More on the First Round at SCC

Another game from the first round of the SCC Finals. In this one the participants investigate topical lines, and it must be added, very sharp topical lines at that.

Le Cours, Alan - Phillips, John [D44]

SCC Ch Finals 2011 Schenectady, NY, 03.02.2011

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.Bg5,..

Mr. Phillips likes these positions coming out of the Semi-Slav move order. His favorite line is the Meran Variation. I think he has prepared a bevy of lines in the Meran/Semi-Slav in which he feels comfortable. Mr. Le Cours decides to meet the preparation with the ultra sharp Botvinnik System which features lots of tactics.

5..., dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Rg8 12.h4 Rxg5

When I first played over this game, and while watching it as it actually happened, there were doubts in my mind about this last series of moves. Even though GM Har-Zvi had given us members of his Saturday group a comprehensive overview of the Slav, Semi-Slav and the Botvinnik Variation I could not recall much time spent on 12 h4 Rxg5; or what is to be done by White subsequently. This game sent me back to the databases to find out how the best players handle the position.

In its earliest manifestations, players such as Jussapow, Knaak, Shirov and Beliavsky played this line as White and had good results. Some, Shirov primarily, were satisfied with either side in this variation. In a fashion this reminds me of certain variations in the Winawer French where the White Queen goes to g4; terrific imbalances and attacks on the opposite sides of the board almost without regard to what the opponent is doing. The tactical themes here are not quite the same as in the French, but the general ideas are very similar. The question is, to paraphrase the Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest: “Who gets there firstest with the mostest”? My review of the database information suggests the Exchange sacrifice is not entirely sound, but White is put under great pressure to find a very precise pathway through dangerous ground to prove the point.

13.hxg5 Nd5 14.g6 fxg6 15.Qg4 Qe7 16.Qxg6+ Qf7 17.Qg4!?,..

Most of the great players preferred here to exchange Queens on f7. Yannick Pelletier (2603) tried 17 Qe4, against Habu, Y. (2341) at Zurich 2005 and went on to win a very tactical ending with Bishops of the same color. That was the only example I found of avoiding the Queen exchange.

The usual line is 17 Qxf7+ Kxf7 18 Bg2, and soon the Nc3 goes to e4. White then plays to use his two Rooks down the h-file with the support of the Ne4 to attack the Black King. He will also seriously consider f2-f4 and f4-f5 to bolster the assault. Black will try for counter-play with his very dangerous Q-side pawns. In that kind of play White should not begrudge surrendering another pawn on the Q-side to make his attack more potent.

17...Bb7 18.Nxd5?,..

This is the key error. Better 18 Bg2, and if he wants to eliminate the Nd5, Bg2xd5 was preferred by the Grandmasters. The Knight has a role to play from e4. Absent the Knight there White has difficulties in finding enough activity to slow down the coming rush of pawns on the Q-side. Black now has a some advantage.

18..., cxd5 19.Bh3 Bb4+ 20.Ke2 Nf8 21.a3 Be7

Rybka suggests 21..., Ba5; is a little better.

22.Rhf1?,..

Missing the very dangerous reply John has in mind. Necessary is 22 f4, to meet 22..., Qh7; with 23 f5, and the battle is still far from decided. After the text White is in trouble because the Black Queen threatens entry in support of the Q-side pawns.

22..., Qh7 23.Rad1 b4 24.f4 c3 25.Rf3?,..

Somewhat better is 25 bxc3, keeping the fight going for just a bit longer after 25..., Ba6+ 26 Kf2 bxc3 27 Rh1 Qc2+ 28 Ke3 Qe4+ 29 Kf2 Rb8; seems to be winning for Black.

25..., Ba6+ 26 Resigns 0-1

Ruinous loss occurs after 26 Rfd3 Bxd3+ 27 Rxd3 cxb2. This game is an excellent example of how the mechanical toting up of relative piece values, a Knight equals three pawns, a Rook equals five pawns, etc., is less than useful in extra sharp positions. The tactical melee sought by Phillips and agreed to by Le Cours is a place where board-wide piece activity and specific threats are more important than who has the theoretical advantage in force. A most entertaining game.

More soon.

Progress A AACC

Last Wednesday the Albany Area Chess Club saw the final games of the Preliminaries completed. Arthur Alowitz won a closed Sicilian from Robert Kemp, and Peter Henner defeated Jonathan Lack to force a playoff for the last spot in the final match. Henner and Dean Howard will battle it out for the privilege of facing Gordon Magat for the title.

The Lack - Henner game shows once more all that is old is new again. Gary Kasparov sparked renewed interest in the Scotch in the later years of his reign. After almost a century of languishing as a tool for players of offbeat lines, it has become, a respectable debut for even the top flight players; see the games from this year’s Tata Steel Tournament.

Jon and Peter explored the interesting complications of the Scotch Game in today’s contest not with perfect accuracy. Although their hearts were in the right place, the necessary dash was not always there.

Lack, Jonathan - Henner, Peter [C45]

AACC Ch., Guilderland, NY, 11.02.2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 d5?

Normal here are 4..., Bc5; 4..., Nf6; and 4..., Qh4. The text leads to some advantage for White after 4..., d5 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 exd5, and if 6..., Qxd5 7 Qe2+ and 8 Nc3. If 6..., cxd5 7 Bb5+, wins a pawn. Another way for White to play is 5 exd5 Qxd5 6 Qe2+ Be7 7 Nb5, with complicated play favoring White. The move played seems to be an improvisation at the board in reaction to a surprise in the opening.

5.Bb5?!,..

Not a particularly strong continuation. In its own way the text is a surprise. After uncorking the Scotch, Lack indicates he may not have “booked up” on his innovation enough and misses the best continuation.

5..., Nge7?!

Better 5...dxe4 6.Nxc6 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 a6 8.Ba4 Bd7; and Black is doing well.

6.Qf3 Bd7 7.Nxc6 Bxc6 8.Bxc6+ Nxc6 9.exd5 Nb4 10.0–0 Qxd5 11.Re1+ Be7 12.Qe2?,..

The Scotch and related openings from the romantic era require an adventurous approach to solving problems. Here the spirit of swashbuckling chess calls out for 12 Rxe7+, Kxe7 13 Bd2! Qxf3 14 Bxb4+ Ke6 15 gxf3, when White is for choice in complicated and very tactical position. The move played leaves White with a small advantage and the Queens still on the board. A situation where anything can happen.

12..., 0–0 13.a3,..

Adventurous is 13 Qxe7, but after 13..., Nxc2 14 Nc3 Qd8 15 Qe2 Nxa1 16 Be3 Nb3 17 axb3, Rybka says White is better. I am not so certain this is so. Playing out Rybka’s recommendations move by move leads to a balanced struggle. Maybe in some distant situation the B&N will triumph over the Rook and pawn, but it is not clear to me after fifteen or twenty computer suggested moves. In light of this, the text is no worse than the alternative.

13..., Nc6 14.Nc3 Qf5 15.Nb5?,..

Almost the right idea. Much better is 15 Qb5. Then 15..., Qxb5 16 Nxb5 Rfd8 17 Nxc7 Rac8 18 Nb5 a6 19 Nc3 Nd4 20 Rxe7 Nxc2 21 Rb1 Rxc3 22 Bf4 Rb3; and Black has some initiative while White has the B v N imbalance to ease the pain. The battle appears even to me and to Rybka. There are still plenty of typical open game tactics on the board. For example: the threat of.., Nxa3; would be met with Rb1-e1 and the mate counter-threat wins material. After the game move White is worse.

15...,a6 16.Nxc7?!?,..

As distasteful as it is 16 Nc3, has to be played admitting the jump to b5 was incorrect.

15..., Rac8 17.Nxa6 bxa6 18.Qxa6 Qxc2

I believe Mr. Lack saw the c-pawn was going to be taken, but he just didn’t recognize how hard it is to get the Q-side pawns going.

19.b4?,..

Losing more material right away. The only try is 19 Qe2, but then 19..., Qb3 20 Qd1 Rb8; keeps the pawns from becoming active and nails b2 as a weakness that will be hard to defend.

19..., Bf6 20.Be3 Bxa1 21.Rxa1 Rfd8 22.h3,..

White has to take a moment to eliminate back rank mate possibilities. That is all that is required for Black to grab the initiative to go along with the extra Rook.

22..., Qd3

This is sufficient, but more trenchant is 22..., Nd4; but that is quibbling. The game is won for Black several ways.

23.b5 Nd4 24.a4 Ra8 25.Qb6 Nxb5 26.a5 Rdb8 27.Qc5 Qc3 0–1

The Scotch Game begins with tactics in a position that on the surface seems not too complicated, and somehow the tactics carry on through the game as it did here. If you haven’t tried out the Scotch, and you have a taste for new/old fashion cut-and-thrust, it may be worth the time to add it to your repertoire. Gary Lane has a book, Winning with the Scotch, Henry Holt, NYC, 1993, on it that gives a good overview in less than 150 pages. As popular as the opening has been with the elite players, there are probably other books available. GM Har-Zvi has a seven-part and growing video presentation on ICC on the Scotch also. So, there is much material for study.

More soon.

Chi - Sells from the Schenectady Finals

The most important game from last Thursday’s first round of the Schenectady Finals was the battle between Patrick Chi and Philip Sells.

It had drama; a not quite mainstream opening variation, a middle game miscalculation by Mr. Sells - unusual, and at the end, a blunder by Mr. Chi in his opponent’s time pressure.

Chi, Patrick - Sells, Philip [E24]

SCC Ch Finals 2011 Schenectady, NY, 03.02.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3,..

Szabo, L., the Hungarian GM from the post-WWII period was the first notable player I can find who championed 4. f3. Both Botvinnik and Bronstein tried it out in the 60’s with out any great success. In later years GM Victor Moskalenko has taken up the move and won several games with it. Not exactly theoretically approved, but with a logical intention - building a broad center, the move has surprise value without taking great risks.

4..., d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0–0 7.e3,..

As much as White might want to play 7 e2-e4, right away, it is too dangerous after 7..., dxe4; for then the White King will be in a cold draft. White has to bide his time preparing an eventual e3-e4 push after he has developed his forces and made a comfortable home for his King.

7..., c5

While the game is not in the mainstream of the Nimzo-Indian, Black’s methods are typical of the Nimzo; pressure against the center with an eye to weakening it in the long run.

8.Bd3 Nc6 9.Ne2 b6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0 Bb7 12.Rb1 Qe7 13.Ng3 Rac8 14.Qe1!?,..

I am uncertain about this move. It is possible 14 Nf5, first might be better. It follows Ficher’s standard prescription; get your Knights close to the enemy King, if nothing else, such may provoke a weakening pawn move. There is however, another idea here for White; granting Black’s wish and giving up the center. In this case, White’s motivation is to transform his presence in the center into a more favorable and active piece placement. This comes about after 14 Nf5 Qd7 15 dxc5! Bxc5 16 e4 dxe4 17 Bxe4 Qxd1 18 Rxd1 Nxe4 19 fxe4, when the White pieces are more aggressively placed, the pawn on c5 will take some looking after and Black will have to be on guard for there are a number of threats; Nd6 attacking c8 and b7, Be3 attacking c5 and a7, Bf4 keeping the Black Rooks from opposing on the b-file, as well as Rd1-d5 preparing to double Rooks on the d-file.

14...,Qc7 15.Bd2 Rfe8 16.Qf2 Na5 17.Nf5,..

Playing over the Szabo, Botvinnik, Bronstein and Moslalenko games this Knight landing on f5 is seen often. That frequency indicates this is one of the natural moves in the position.

Nc4?! 18.Bc1?!,..

A decision that is difficult to take is 18 Bxc4, but it is a way to make use of the Nf5. Play could go; 18 Bxc4 dxc4 19 e4 cxd4 20 cxd4 c3 21 Bg5, when according to Rybka, Black may have to return the piece by sacrificing the Bishop on e4 to keep the fight going.

18..., Nd6 19.e4 Nxf5?

With plenty of time on the clock, the complications get the better of Philip. Here 19..., dxe4; promises more for Black. Play continues 20 Bf4 exd3 21 dxc5 Nxf5 22 Bxc7 Re2!; and the Queen has no moves permitting Black to bring the material imbalance closer to even. More importantly, after 23 cxb6 Rxf2 24 Rxf2 axb6 25 Bxb6 Ba6; Black has two Knights for the Rook and a well supported passed pawn on d3 with which to bedevil White. According to some observations by Soltis in Rethinking the Chess Pieces, Batsford, London, 2004, the pawn on d3 that will make the difference. It keeps the Rooks from behaving as Rooks should. Also, the Knights have several squares in the center through which they can maneuver to harass any blockader on d2. That will make serious problems for White. In all truthfulness, going into this complicated line is a challenge for any of us playing locally. To do so requires a very accurate calculation of complicated positions and considerable self-confidence.

20.e5!?,..

This leads to even more complications. They seem to favor White, but Black certainly obtains some practical chances. Simpler is 20 exf5, leaving Black to chose between 20..., c4; taking up a stubborn and more passive defensive stance, or 20..., cxd4; opting for a more open kind of struggle. Either way Black’s minor pieces are not quite as good as the White Bishop pair. The text elects to mix things up tactically.

20..., Ne4!?

One has to admire these two warriors. Neither shrinks from raising the level of tension in the position, both are willing to risk material loss if they can get activity for their pieces. The main alternative for Black is 20..., Nxd4; then a standard continuation is; 21 cxd4 Nd7 22 Bf4 Qd8 23 Rfd1 cxd4 24 Qxd4 Nc5 25 Bb5 Re6; when the immediate middle game may be slightly in favor of Black. White can try for better with 21 exf6 Ne6 22 fxg7, and in exchange for the pawn he has broken up the shield of the Black King with the potential to bring the Bishop pair into action on the K-side.

The game move risks material for piece activity.

21.fxe4 dxe4 22.Bb5 g6 23.Bxe8 Rxe8

An Exchange is gone, but in return Black has a pawn and his unpromising Bb7 is much stronger than it has been for several moves. A lesson here for the less experienced players; chess is not a mechanical toting up of relative piece values. In fact, as Botvinnik appreciated long ago, a good deal of the beauty of the game is when imagination turns upside down the value of one piece to another.

24.Be3 cxd4

I rather like 24..., Ba6 25 Rfd1 Bd3; securing the pawn on e4 and making the Bishop a player in the center of the board. My guess is Philip wanted to maintain the Bishop on b7 as the basis for threats along the long diagonal, another worthy goal.

25.cxd4 Qc3 26.Rfe1 Bd5 27.g4 Nxe3 28.Qxe3 Rc8 29.Qxc3 Rxc3 30.Ra1?,..

White misses, or passes on the opportunity to steer to a safe have with 30 a4, then 30..., Rc4 31 a5 bxa5 32 Rb5 Rxd4 33 Rxa5, and the active try 33..., Rd2 is met by 34 Re3. The last Q-side pawn will fall, and the White King has just enough breathing room to avoid any tactics. As important is that one of the White Rooks will have activity to offset the extra Black pawns. I say “misses or passes” because there was no time to discuss with Patrick what he was thinking when taking this decision. It could very well be Mr. Chi harbored the wish to take the full point and looked for a way to do so.

30..., Rd3 31.Red1 Bb3!

The game was now about to become a “time pressure cooker” as is often the case with Mr. Sells. White had about 35 minutes at this point, pretty comfortable, and Black about 12 minutes. That would be tough for many players but is only mild time pressure for Sells.

The move played may have been overlooked by Patrick, or he did not value it highly. Rybka, saya White is fine after the forced line 32 Rxd3 exd3 33 Kf2 d2 34 Ke2 d8 (Q) 35 Rxd8 Bxd8+ 36 Kxd8. However, after 36..., f5; 37 gxf5 gxf5; Rybka says Black is winning! That seemed to me to be a very sudden change by the machine. What is going on? My error was not looking hard enough at each and every move. After 36..., f5; White has to play the unnatural looking 37 exf6 e.p., then he brings his King up to b5. Black has to make a couple of moves; ..,h7-h6; to prevent g4-g5; and .., Kf7; to prepare to capture the pawn on f6. That is just enough time for the White King to get to b5. Then if Black tries to make a race out of it, the White King will get the pawns on a7 and b6 while the Black King wins the pawns on d4 and a3. The White King is then just enough closer to the K-side than is the Black King to win the game in the final race back across the board. What a huge piece of calculation to be done in the fast fleeing minutes left. Patrick used many of his remaining minutes and did not find en passant capture on move 37, or at least he could not see the picture clearly enough to decide to go that way. In defense of Patrick’s decision, things become murky when there is a very long line to calculate. In this case there are several points where more than one option has to be considered making the task even more perplexing. The move played is a nicely creative way to keep the game going.

32 Rdb1?!,..

As creative as it is, White’s move gives Black one more pawn shifting the balance clearly in favor of Black.

32..., Be6 33.Rb4,..

It is not to late to repeat moves with 33 Rd1, to test Philip’s resolve about winning. If 33 Rd1 Bxg4 34 Rxd3 exd3 35 Ra2, leaves White with an edge, not clearly winning but with greater chances than Black. Of course, Black can repeat the position with 33..., Bb3. I believe Patrick was unwilling to agree the draw as long as there is fight left in the position because that is his nature.

32..., Bxg4 34.d5 Rxd5 35.Rxe4 Bf5 36.Re3 Kf8 37.Rc1 Ke7 38.Kf2 Bd7 39.Rc7 a5 40.Kg3 Ke6 41.Rb7 b5 42.Rb6+ Ke7

Now things have become clear; White has one Rook well and truly activated, the other, with his King, guards the scattered pawns and the game is entirely level. Sells’ time dropped below five minutes remaining about here. This was the likely moment for Patrick to offer a draw. Instead he wagers on time pressure to help his cause.

43.Ra6 b4 44.axb4 axb4 45.Rb6 Rd4 46.Rb3 Re4 47.Rd3,..

A little tactical interlude threatening to pin and win the Bd7. Black is as alert as always when he is in time pressure and avoids the mistake.

47..., Be6 48.Kf3 Rxe5 49.Rxb4 h5

White has eliminated the Q-side pawns and has his King well placed for defense. The game is about even, nevertheless, the side with the extra pawns has the winning chances, even if they are not huge.

50.Rc3 g5 51.Rb8 Bd5+ 52.Kf2 Be6 53.Rg8 Kf6 54.Rd8 g4 55.Kg3 Kg5 56.Rg8+ Kf6 57.Rd8 Kg5 58.Rh8?,..

More sensible is checking on g8 once again just to see if Sells is willing to draw. Mr. sells was under 11 seconds by now, and Mr. Chi had something over ten minutes. Mr. Chi falls into an error I have watched Steve Taylor and others make with Mr. Sells; underestimating just how well he can play quickly. Philip Sells uses much time in his games, but he seems to use it effectively to understand the ins and outs of the position. It is not often Sells will slip up even when he is down to not much more than the five second delay for his moves.

58..., Rf5 59.Re3 Ra5 60.Re1 Rb5 61.Re3 Ra5 62.Rg8+ Kf6 63.Re4 Ra3+ 64.Kg2??,..

This costs a piece and the game. The only move is 64 Kf2, then 64..., h4; and Black is making progress

64..., Bd5 65.Rge8 Ra4 0–1

The game rolled on for some more moves. Sells had just a few seconds on the clock and Chi was under five minutes. There was no doubt, with the piece soon to be picked up and the advance of the extra pawns, Black was going to win.

More soon.

The Schenectady Finals and Swiss

Thursday saw the kick-off of the next stage of the Schenectady chess season with the beginning of the round-robin Finals and the Consolation Swiss. Participating in the Swiss are: Dave Finnerman at 1658 the highest rated contestant, and with the following, in rating order; Richard Chu, David Connors, Cory Northrup, Matt Clough, Jeff Capitummino, Mike Stanley and Michael Kline. It is not quite as strong as last year’s lineup, but the event is much more closely matched and promises a serious struggle for first place. I was way too busy against the younger Mr. Aaron, Dilip, to obtain an accurate report of the results in the Swiss, other than that Richard Chu managed somehow to win the following game from Matt Clough:

Clough, Matthew - Chu, Richard [B30]

Consolation Swiss 2011 Schenectady, NY, 03.02.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6

The early fianchetto is given a closed treatment by White in this game. John Donaldson and Jeremy Silman wrote a book, Accelerated Dragons, Gloucester Publishers, plc, London 1998, and in it they named this line the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon. It is a favorite of Donaldson. The line is tricky and quite playable.

3.Bc4 Bg7 4.0–0 Nc6 5.Nc3,..

Donaldson and Silman only consider 5 c3, here. From what Rybka tells me the move played is OK also with the added virtue of getting the game out of the well know theory.

5..., e6 6.Re1 Ne5

It is better to develop with 6..., Nge7.

7.Bf1,..

The straight forward 7 Nxe5, is correct. White has some advantage because Black has used extra time to trade off a developed piece. Black shortly maneuvers to win a pawn or to do some damage to the White pawn structure.

7..., Ne7 8.Nb5 Qb6 9.d4 Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 cxd4 11.e5!?,..

White has the laudable intention of stamping the dark squares as weaknesses around the Black King. He has given up a center pawn and is very focused on pressing ahead towards the Black King. However, more promising is 11 Bg5 f6 12 Bf4 e5 13 Bd2, and White has compensation for the pawn. One example is when Black takes aim at the Nb5; 13..., a6?! 14 Qa3! 0-0?! 15 Bb4 Nc6 16 Bc4+!, and Black will lose material and the game soon. After the text the game is about equal.

11..., 0–0 12.Bg5 Nc6 13.Bf6 a6 14.Na3?!,..

I wandered by as Matt was considering his move. A few minutes of thought and it seemed to me that 14 Nd6, was the likely try. All of the details were by no means clear, but the line 14 Nd6 Nxe5 15 Bxe5 Bxe5 16 Nc4, appeared promising. After 16..., Bxh2+ 17 Kxh2 Qc5 18 Qa3 b6 19 Qxc5 bxc5; White has the extra piece and Black three pawns of compensation. The problem for White is he has an extra Knight. In the long run it is not as good as the Bishop against three pawns according to statistics. Further complicating the evaluation is the existence of Rook pairs and same color Bishops on the board along with the danger of the pawns concentrated in the center. All things considered, there were the makings of quite an interesting battle to come.

After the move played, the balance shifts to Black. An observation worth noting; against Barnes in the Preliminaries, Matt worked his way successfully through similar complications. This time he does not do so. A useful exercise for Matt would be to do go over both games thinking about what his thoughts were during both games. Why, for example did he go forward versus Barnes and here decide to go backward?

14..., Qc5?

Richard is too routine hereabouts. Better is 14..., Bxf6 15 exf6 d5; and while Black must keep his eye on the White Queen ending up on h6, he is for choice. The move played gives White a chance to equalize.

15.Qf4?!,..

Mr. Clough does not realize he is passing on a chance to make things difficult for Black. Here 15 Bxg7 Kxg7 16 Qf6+ Kg8 17 Nc4, is not entirely sound, but it does make things difficult to calculate to the end. Play could go 17..., b5 18 Nd6 Qxc2 19 Qh4 d3 20 Ne4 f5; and Black is for choice, but White does has active play and there is a chance of error. The White plan seems to be an attack with his Queen and Rooks. As GM Har-Zvi is fond of saying: “Rooks are not good attackers. There are too many ways to frustrate them”. The White minor pieces are singularly absent from the contemplated assault.

15..., b5 16.Rad1 Ra7 17.Rd3 d6 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Qf6+ Kg8 20.Re4 dxe5 21.Rg4 Qe7

This move puts paid to any realistic idea of an attack on the Black King. The remainder of the game is mopping up. The Black pawn dominance of the center in itself is as important as the extra pawns. White can’t find safe ground upon which to make a last stand.

22.Qh4 Qxh4 23.Rxh4 f5 24.c4 b4 25.Nc2 a5 26.Ne1 Raf7 27.Rd1 e4 28.f3 e5 29.fxe4 fxe4 30.Nc2 e3 31.Bd3 Bf5 0–1

As John Phillips pointed out after the evenings festivities were over, all the games in the Finals could be considered upsets. Firstly, all the higher rated players lost, and secondly, Black won all the games. The outcomes in the Finals were unusual no doubt.

For the record here are the games from the first round:

Le Cours, Alan - Phillips, John [D44]

SCC Ch Finals 2011 Schenectady, NY, 03.02.2011

This is a party in the theory of the Slav, Botvinnik variation.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Rg8 12.h4 Rxg5 13.hxg5 Nd5 14.g6 fxg6 15.Qg4 Qe7 16.Qxg6+ Qf7 17.Qg4 Bb7 18.Nxd5 cxd5 19.Bh3 Bb4+ 20.Ke2 Nf8 21.a3 Be7 22.Rhf1 Qh7 23.Rad1 b4 24.f4 c3 25.Rf3 Ba6+ 26 Resigns 0-1

The encounter between Chi and Sells carried the potential of deciding the tournament winner. Patrick, at 2048, out rated Philip by 84 points. Both players have had good to excellent results the last couple of years. The game unfolded in some sense about as expected; a hard fight leading to an ending with serious time trouble for Mr. Sells. Once more in a dangerous ending Sells kept his alertness at a high level and Chi was able to quite match that. Sells played about fifteen moves with only one second(!) on his clock, and Mr. Chi overlooked a killing pin that cost him the game.

Chi, Patrick - Sells, Philip [E24]

SCC Ch Finals 2011 Schenectady, NY, 03.02.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0–0 7.e3 c5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.Ne2 b6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0 Bb7 12.Rb1 Qe7 13.Ng3 Rac8 14.Qe1 Qc7 15.Bd2 Rfe8 16.Qf2 Na5 17.Nf5 Nc4 18.Bc1 Nd6 19.e4 Nxf5 20.e5 Ne4 21.fxe4 dxe4 22.Bb5 g6 23.Bxe8 Rxe8 24.Be3 cxd4 25.cxd4 Qc3 26.Rfe1 Bd5 27.g4 Nxe3 28.Qxe3 Rc8 29.Qxc3 Rxc3 30.Ra1 Rd3 31.Red1 Bb3 32.Rdb1 Be6 33.Rb4 Bxg4 34.d5 Rxd5 35.Rxe4 Bf5 36.Re3 Kf8 37.Rc1 Ke7 38.Kf2 Bd7 39.Rc7 a5 40.Kg3 Ke6 41.Rb7 b5 42.Rb6+ Ke7 43.Ra6 b4 44.axb4 axb4 45.Rb6 Rd4 46.Rb3 Re4 47.Rd3 Be6 48.Kf3 Rxe5 49.Rxb4 h5 50.Rc3 g5 51.Rb8 Bd5+ 52.Kf2 Be6 53.Rg8 Kf6 54.Rd8 g4 55.Kg3 Kg5 56.Rg8+ Kf6 57.Rd8 Kg5 58.Rh8 Rf5 59.Re3 Ra5 60.Re1 Rb5 61.Re3 Ra5 62.Rg8+ Kf6 63.Re4 Ra3+ 64.Kg2 Bd5 65.Rge8 Ra4 0–1

The game went on a few more moves but there was no doubt of the outcome.

The game Little - Dilip Aaron was real upset, there were 350 rating points difference between the players. After getting a nice, though small, advantage my concentration “went south” and young Dilip was alert to his chances. After dropping the Exchange my situation was bad but not quite hopeless. After a few more moves only worthy of a five minute game, I turned the bad into utterly lost, and Dilip won convincingly.

Little, Bill - Aaron, Dilip [B01]

SCC Ch Finals 2011 Schenectady, NY, 06.02.2011

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.d3 c6 6.Bd2 Bf5 7.Nf3 Nbd7 8.Qe2 e6 9.Nd4 Qe5 10.Qxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxf5 Nxc4 12.Nxg7+ Bxg7 13.dxc4 0–0–0 14.0–0–0 Ng4 15.Rdf1 Rd4 16.h3 Ne5 17.b3 Ng6 18.Be3 Rd7 19.Ne4 b6 20.Rd1 Rhd8 21.Bg5 Bb2+ 22.Kxb2 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Rxd1 24.Nf6 Rf1 25.f4 Nxf4 26.Nxh7 Nxg2 0–1

The weather forecasters promise us more snow for the coming week. If true I will have plenty of time to work on these games. My intention is to analyze these for the blog.

More soon.