The Other Upset From AACC This Week

The big upset from last week’s games at AACC was the win by Northrup over Howard. It was remarkable not only for the outcome as well as being the second week running that Dean Howard got himself into a tough clock situation.

Northrup showed a rather high level of skill in this game marred by overlooking tactical opportunities. Howard did not display his usual keen alertness to danger and gave his opponent too many chances. That tendency combined with time trouble led to a situation where even the resourcefulness of last year’s Champion could not prevail. It is a game with sudden shifts fortune and missed shots.

Northrup, Cory - Howard, Dean [D58]

AACC Championship Guilderland, NY, 16.11.2011

1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6

A position very familiar to Mr. Howard. He has defended it against John Phillips and Patrick Chi within the last year. It has been very popular internationally. Looking at just players over 2500, World Champions such as Spassky, Tal and Karpov have used the Tartakower Defense to the QGD as well as many other distinguished Grandmasters.

Here is a game from twenty+ years ago that is similar to the game we are examining;

(223097) Tisdall, Jonathan D (2465) - Olafsson, Helgi (2545) [D58]

Espoo zt Espoo, 1989

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6 8.Qc2 Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0–0 c5 12.h4 Nc6 13.g4 cxd4 14.exd4 g6 15.g5 hxg5 16.hxg5 Bxg5+ 17.Kb1 Kg7 18.a3 Bf6 19.Rg1 Rh8 20.Bd3 Rh6 21.Ne2 Qd6 22.Qd2 Re8 23.Nf4 Re4 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Ng5 Na5 26.Ne2 Rh5 27.Nc3 Qe7 28.Nxf7 Qxf7 29.Qe2 Rf5 30.Nxe4 Bxe4+ 31.Qxe4 Rxf2 32.Rd3 Nc4 33.Ka1 Rxb2 34.Rdg3 Ra2+ 0–1

For those not familiar with Tisdall; he now is a Norwegian citizen, chess writer and Grandmaster, but “Tis” started out playing in this area as a youngster. He is from Syracuse, and in the 60s and early 70s he showed up a few times in some weekend events John Dragonetti and I ran. Jon was rated about 1800 in 1969 when he thumped me convincingly in the Schenectady Winter Rating Tournament.

8.Qc2,..

While watching the game, this move struck me as questionable. Looking it up in the databases showed the move, together with subsequent long castling, has been tried by many strong players; Lputian, Portisch and Vanganian are examples. Borisenko and Ilivitzki were two middle-of-the- field participants in several of the USSR Championships of the middle 1950s when these events were clearly the strongest tournaments in the world. Here is how they played the position:

(43934) Borisenko, Georgy K - Ilivitzki, Georgi A [D58]

URS-ch sf Sverdlovsk (10), 1957

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6 8.Qc2 Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0–0 Nc6 12.h4 Nb4 13.Qd2 c5 14.g4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Qc8 16.Kb1 Qxg4 17.Bh3 Qh5 18.Rdg1 Bc8 19.a3 Bxh3 20.Rxh3 Nc6 21.Nxc6 Qf5+ 22.e4 Qxh3 23.Qxh6 Qf1+ 24.Rxf1 gxh6 25.Nxd5 Bxh4 26.Rh1 Bxf2 27.Nce7+ Kh7 28.Nf5 f6 29.Rxh6+ Kg8 30.Rg6+ Kh8 31.Nxf6 Rxf6 32.Rxf6 Bc5 33.e5 a5 34.Kc2 Kg8 35.Kd3 Rd8+ 36.Kc4 Rd1 37.e6 Kh7 38.e7 Re1 39.Kd5 Re2 40.Re6 Rd2+ 41.Kc6 Bxe7 42.Rxe7+ Kg6 43.Nd6 Rxb2 44.Nb5 1–0

It is of interest to see the logic of the opposite side castled position dictates similar tactics as in our game. Interest is extended further because the distribution of attacking forces in the appended game is a R+2Ns as in the Northrup - Howard game.

8...Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0–0 a5

The book move is 11..., c5; with 11..., Nd7; and 11..., Nc6; being mentioned as alternatives. The text takes the game out of theory. It is logical however. Black easily foresees the pawn change coming on the other side of the board and wants to get his own pawn assault going.

12.h4 c6?

This move is not so logical. The natural 12..., c5; is better. The text concedes a tempo. That is always dangerous in opposite side attacking situations when an extra tempo is precious. It could be Mr. Howard just didn’t accurately assess the position after 12..., c5 13 dxc5 Bxc3; when Black creates open lines on the Q-side more quickly than White does on the other side of the board.

13.g4!,..

Exactly correct. White has the advantage now.

13..., g6?

Potentially making things worse than they have to be. Either 13..., Qd6; clearing d8 for the Bishop, or 13..., Be7; and 14..., Qd6; fighting to keep lines partially closed leading to the Black King are better alternatives.

14.Bd3!?,..

Slow when speed is call for. Better 14 g5, to open the h-file after 14..., hxg5 15 h5, with troubles multiplying for the Black King. Perhaps I am being too critical of White’s play. The text builds pressure on g6 and prepares to bring the Rd1 to the g-file. Those ideas conform to the principle of getting all your pieces in on an attack. What we have here is an apparent conflict between two pieces of chess wisdom; mass your forces before taking action and opening lines for an attack. Making such a choice is at the heart of chess skill. The so-called Russian School of Chess emphasizes “concrete and dynamic” aspects of play. Concrete means calculating exact lines of play far enough ahead to reach a conclusion about a specific line then comparing it to all other options, and dynamic means, in this instance, a prejudice towards choices that give you more options for your pieces. Following the guidance of the Russian School it seems opening lines is superior to massing force here.

14..., Kg7?

Played to shore up g6 but incorrect. Black for some reason not apparent does not believe White will make the Black King very uncomfortable soon. Better 14..., Na6; threatening .., Nb4; and keeping g7 open for a retreat of the Bf6 to g7, if required. After the game move, White has a dangerous attack beginning 15 g5!, then 15..., hxg5 16 hxg5 Bcg5? 17 Rdg1, with a sacrifice coming at g6. Or, 16..., Be7 17 Ne5 Qe8 18 f4, and with the second rank clear there are several sequences where White quickly makes use of the h-file to finish off the Black King.

15.Ne2!?,..

Again slower rather than faster. Mr. Northrup prefers a slow build up of force when there is a good driving move to hand - 15 g5!

15..., Ba6?

Black senses things are not going well for him and seeks solace by trading White’s light squared Bishop. Retreating the Bf6 to e7 holds some hope of avoiding an immediate break through on the K-side.

16.Nf4 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Na6?

Black has consistently undervalued the possibility of g4-g5. Strangely White has done so also. The text presents White one more opportunity to play the forcing move 18 g5.

18.a3!?,..

He instead prefers caution.

18..., b5?!

With 18..., Kg8; Black could have prepared a better defense to a possible g4-g5.

19.Rdg1!?,..

Once again 19 g5, is the right move.

19..., Rh8?

Black has resisted getting the Bishop off f6 to reduce the impact of an advance of the g-pawn. 19..., Be7, was a last chance to avoid some of the coming problems.

20.g5!,..

Finally. White now has a winning advantage.

20..., hxg5 21.hxg5 Be7 22.Rxh8?,..

Throwing away a big chuck of the advantage that had fallen to White as a result of the g-pawn push. The right move is 22 Nxg6! Rxh1 23 Rxh1 fxg6 24 Ne5 Qe8 25 Rh6, taking decisive control of g6, and the White Queen, Rook and Knight are closing on the Black King. As generous as White has been so far in the game, he has never given Black the chance to take control of the game.

22..., Qxh8 23.Qf1?!,..

This move comes close to allowing Black a real chance to make a fight for the initiative. Correct is 23 Ne5, reinforcing threats on g6.

23..., Qc8 24.Rh1 c5!?

Black had a choice here; it is possible 24..., b4 25 a4 Qf5; might have offered better chances. Suddenly danger looms around the White King. The text has the same intention, but White gets his own chances because of the vulnerable situation of the Black King.

25.Kd1 cxd4 26.exd4?,..

White could have kept some slight edge with 26 Nxd4, but after 26..., Bxg5 27 Nxd5 Qc5 28 Qxb5 Qxb5 29 Nxb5 Rd8 30 Nbc3 Nc7 31 e4 Nxd5 32 exd5 Bf6; White can not hold the extra pawn. The ensuing Rook and pawns ending has the pawns unevenly distributed making for fight with chances on both sides. A drawn outcome is the logical result, but there is much play left in the position. The game move should have cost White dearly.

26..., b4 27.axb4 Nxb4 28.Qe2 Qd7?

Time was getting short for Black but not real time trouble. Dean had about ten minutes remaining on his clock when he made this move. He misses a shot. With 28..., Bd6; Black is firmly in control of the game because the Queen check on e5 is prevented with the subsequent roaring attack on the Black King.

29.Qe5+!,..

Black is utterly lost objectively. He now has no choice but to throw some material away to try and string out the game. It should not work.

29..., f6 30.gxf6+ Bxf6 31.Ne6+ Kg8

Necessary because 31..., Kf7 32 Rh7+ Ke8 33 Nc7+, wins decisive material.

32.Qxf6 Qa4+ 33.Ke2 Qb5+ 34.Ke3?!,..

White is still winning after this move, however, 34 Ke1 Nc2+ 35 Kd2, costs Black the Knight without offering any relief for the beleaguered Black King.

34..., Qd3+ 35.Kf4 Qf5+ 36.Qxf5 gxf5 37.Kxf5,..

White is a solid piece ahead, and he has mating possibilities in hand also.

37..., Nd3 38.Rg1+ Kh8 39.Rg7?,..

But not this way. Better 39 Nfg5, threatening 40 Nf7+, and 41 Rh1 mate and Black will have to consider losing more material The text lets Black fight on.

39..., Ra6?

Black misses his best chance to make things a bit murky with 39..., Rg8. White still wins with 40 Ra7, but the board situation is murky enough for mistakes to creep in.

40.Re7,..

Also good is 40 Nfg5.

40..., Nxb2 41.Nfg5 Ra8

Taking at e6 with the Rook breaks up the immediate mate but going down a whole Rook is too obviously lost, so Black tries anything else. The move presents White with a mate.

42.Rf7?,..

And White misses his chance. It is mate in three with 42 Rh7+ Kg8 43 Rg7+ Kh8 44 Nf7 mate.

42..., Nc4 43.Rf8+?,..

Miss-firing on the mate a second time. Peter Henner and I were watching the game side-by-side at this point. We stepped outside of the playing room to confirm the missed mate, and to ponder if it was possible that Mr. Howard just might find away out of his troubles. Black’s clock was looking pretty thin by now.

43..., Rxf8+ 44.Nxf8 a4 45.Nf3,..

This Knight will be in time to stop the a-pawn from making a Queen or will take off the Lady when she appears .

45..., a3 46.Ne1 Nb2 47.Nc2 a2 48.Ke5?,..

White does not take enough care that his Expert opponent is ever resourceful. With 48 Ng6+, he can safely take the d-pawn with his Knight keeping a winning edge. After the text there is play in the position for Black. White keeps some edge after 48 Kf6, but after Black captures the pawn at f2 there are chances for Black to give the Knight for the last White pawn. Since two Knights versus a single pawn can not mate without the side with the pawn having several moves. With a pawn standing one move from making a Queen, I doubt there is any winning chances for the Knights.

48..., Nd3+ 49.Kxd5 Nb4+ 50.Nxb4 a1(Q)

At this point in the game I had to leave the playing site. Dean’s clock was down to about one minute, nevertheless I thought the worse he could achieve was a draw with endless checks. I was wrong. The next evening at the Schenectady Club Cory generously gave me a copy of the complete game score.

51.Nc6 Qa2+ 52.Kd6?,..

The change in fortunes costs White his concentration and one of his Knights. That loss presents Black the opportunity to maybe win the game. Better for White is 52 Ke5. Black can easily force a just about guaranteed draw with 53..., Qxf2; and later giving the Queen for the d-pawn. Regardless of his time smash, Howard must have felt morally obligated to try for the full point. I don’t think he gave a moment’s thought to the drawing possibility.

52..., Qa3+ 53.Ke6 Qxf8 54.d5 Qc8+ 55.Ke7 Qc7+ 56.Ke6 Kg7 57.Ne5 Kf8

Checking with the Queen does not let the d-pawn go to the 6th rank and is a little better.

58.d6 Qc8+ 59.Kd5 Qa8+ 60.Ke6 Qa2+

Cory noted on his score sheet that Black’s clock had one second remaining at this move. Dean has to play the rest of the game with only the five second delay for thinking.

61.Kd7 Qa4+ 62.Nc6 Qb5?

Letting the game become drawn with best play. Maintaining winning chances with 62..., Qf4 63 Nd8 Qf5+ 64 Kc7 Ke8; is preferable. The text makes a threat, 63 Qb7+, collecting the last White Knight. Unfortunately for Black a natural move meets the threat and clears the path of the d-pawn

63.Kc7 Qh5?!

More certain is 63..., Qf5; and if 64 d7 Qf4+ 65 Kc8 Qf5.

64.d7 Qh7 65.f4,..

Suddenly a new actor is on the field

65..., Qf7 66.Ne5 Qg7?

There was obviously no time for Black to calculate. If there was he could have tried 66..., Qxf4!?; then it does not appear the extra Knight is enough to win for White say after 67 d8(Q)+ Kg7 68 Qe7+ Kh6. Figuring out such complications requires a calm mind, something that is in short supply when your clock is hanging.

67.Kc8 Qg1 68.d8Q+ Kg7 69.Qg5+,..

The final trick in tricky endgame. Black is lost. The game rolls on only because there not sufficient time to resign.

69..., Qxg5 70.fxg5 Kf8 71.Kd7 Kg7 72.Ke7 Kh7 73.Kf6 (73.Kf7 Kh8) 73...Kh8 74.Kf7 Kh7 75.g6+ Kh8 76.g7 1–0

The two move mate; 77 g8 (Q)+ and 78 Qg3, is too clear to be missed. This game was epic in its swings of fortune and its length. Very infrequently do we see games go so far in this era of sudden-death time controls. Both sides made serious mistakes. There is nonetheless educational value in these errors. I admire the fighting spirit both players demonstrated from beginning to the end of the contest. In this kind of good fighting game it is a shame someone has to lose.

More soon.

Results From SCC and AACC

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.

More Games From AACC

Thursday last saw nearly a full schedule played at the Schenectady Chess Club. One game from Section A, Jeff Capitummino - Mike Stanley, was postponed. The other games were; Carlos Varela won from Zack Calderone and Dilip Aaron won from Cory Northrup. All scheduled games were played in Section B. Richard Chu lost to Ahkil Kamma, Herman Calderone and David Connors played to a draw and John Phillips won his game against Matt Clough.

The only mathematically certain qualifier in Section B is Ahkil Kamma with a 4 - 1 score and only one game to play. John Phillips with a score of 4 - 0 and two games to play looks to be pretty sure of making the Finals also. With delayed and postponed games it is hard to say who will be the third qualifier there. My bet is on Alan Le Cours but he has a number of games to make up.

In Section A things are somewhat more clear. Zack Calderone, Philip Sells and Carlos Varela are all at 3 - 1 with Dilip Aaron just behind at 2 - 2. It appears the three qualifiers from this Section will come from these four barring some shocking break down in form.

Returning to the Albany Area Chess Club event, here are two more games;

Howard, Dean - Denham, Jason [C10]

AACC Championship Guilderland, NY, 09.11.2011

Jason Denham can play some pretty good chess when the mood takes him. In this game he sets some problems for last year’s title holder, and those problems use up a lot of time leaving Mr. Howard with just seconds on his clock at the end.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6

Long ago Capablanca as Black used these moves to win a casual game in 1902 from Corzo y Prinzipe, the father of Juan Corzo, the Champion of Cuba that Capablance defeated in 1900 to burst on the world stage at just twelve years old. At the still chronologically youthful age of fourteen, the future World Champion might have been still experimenting, but in later years we see a number of distinguished Grandmasters play the Rubinstein variation of the French against equally well known opponents. True enough most of the time it seems their intention is to obtain a safe and sane draw when needed. A short and incomplete list of these Grandmasters is; Pelikan, Matulovic, Kholmov, Suba, Kirov, Luputian, Hodgson, Epishin, Khalifman, Korchnoi, Kamnick, Karpov on more than one occasion, Speelman, Dreev, and so on. We can conclude it is not a particularly fighting defense but is considered a solid drawing possibility by the some of the best players.

6.Bd3 Nd7 7.c4 Ngf6 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 c6

Bringing the game to an interesting theoretical position. In some lines of the Slav and the Scandinavian as well as the Rubinstein French, Black sets up a “pawn fence” on the light squares b7, c6, e6 and f7, to blunt the action of White’s light squared Bishop. Black often wants to trade off his own light squared Bishop along the way typically for a Knight. The set up does not have a lot of bite. It has however proven to be a solid way to hold the draw.

10.0–0 Bd6 11.Bg5,..

Ambitious but it gives Black a chance for activity. The game has reached the far border of theory. In databases with abut five million games in them I found only one example of this position. We see White taking a different tack at this point and winning. In our game White used a chunk of time hereabouts looking for a way to obtain the advantage no doubt.

Van Riemsdijk, Herman C (2392) - Carbonell, Marcelo [C10]

Sao Paulo Interclubes Paulista Sao Paulo (2), 25.02.2007

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.c4 Ngf6 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 c6 10.0–0 Bd6 11.Rb1 0–0 12.b4 e5 13.d5 cxd5 14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5 Qc7 16.c5 Be7 17.Bb2 Bf6 18.Rfd1 Rad8 19.Be4 b5 20.Qc6 Qxc6 21.Bxc6 Nb8 22.Bxb5 e4 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.Kf1 Rc8 25.Rd6 Kg7 26.Rc1 Rfd8 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.c6 1–0

So it seems White can play a little more slowly and still create dangers for Black. That points up a characteristic of these very technical and refined lines we come across in chess where a GM plays confidently heading towards a drawn position; to use them there is required a comprehensive understanding of the position, or the memorization of an large number of variations. Absent these the chances to go wrong are many.

11..., Qc7 12.Qh3,..

Another long think for White. This time probably was used on the line 12 c5 Bxh2+ 13 Kh1 h6 14 Bd2 h5 15 g3 Ng4; when Rybka says White is comfortably ahead. It is one thing for a computer program to cold-bloodedly reach such a conclusion and entirely another for a human player

to do likewise. Dean was likely weighing up the pluses and minuses of having the Black minor pieces so close to his King. He avoids that with the text.

12..., Bf4!

Fitting in with the general concept of the variation, Black ruthlessly forces simplification.

13.Qh4,..

White again used a good deal of time on this move. Dean likely looked at 13 Bxf4 Qxf4 14 Qe3 Qxe3 15 fxe3, and White has some advantage. He has a bit more control in the center and the half open f-file on which to work. The position has no glaring weaknesses for Black and he has every chance to hold. And that maybe the motivation for Mr. Howard using a lot of time thinking. Mr. Denham is rated 1446 and Howard over 2000. The six hundred rating point difference suggests strongly that Howard should win the game. The position resulting from the above line is fine for White but by no means winning, so he looks for more with some maneuvering.

13..., Bxg5 14.Qxg5 0–0

Also playable are 14..., Qb6; and 14..., Qd6.

15.Rfd1 Rad8 16.Qh4 Rfe8 17.Rac1 Qa5 18.a3 Qh5

White is preparing to expand on the Q-side, and Black pursues his plan of working towards trading down. Both are logical operations.

19.Qg3 Nb6 20.b4 Qg4 21.Qe3 Kf8!?

The King edges closer to the center anticipating the endgame. Not a bad idea but there things that have to be calculated. Moving the King away from a square where the Bd3 can check by capturing on h7 increases the tension around the center squares, but Black is not immediately ready to break with .., e6-e5.

22.Be2 Qh4 23.a4 Re7?

This is an error. A timely repositioning of forces is called for with 23..., Nc8 24 b5 Ne7 25 bxc6 bxc6 26 Qe5, when the Black Q-side pawns are beginning to look frail.

24.a5 Nc8 25.g3 Qh3 26.Bf1 Qg4 27.h3 Qh5 28.Kg2?,..

Time was getting short for both players. Dean had about seven minutes and Jason a much more comfortable twenty-four minutes remaining. Here the logical continuation of White’s plan is 28 a6, then Black has unpalatable choices; a) 28..., bxa6 29 Ra1, increasing pressure on the Black Q-side with good chances to collect a pawn soon, b) 28..., b6 29 b5 cxb5 30 Nxb5, with a slightly different pressure on the Black Q-side, or seeking salvation in tactics with 28..., Nd6?!; which leads to 29 g4, when Black can sacrifice a Knight on g4 for very limited compensation, or keep the material balance with 29..., Qh4 30 c5 Nde8 31 b5, increasing the tension while the Black pieces are not well situated to deal with it. Time trouble looms for White and he hits upon an operation threatening the Black Queen as a way to get some moves played quickly.

28..., Red7 29.Ne2 Qg6 30.Nf4 Qe4+

Pointing up the problem for White; d4 is not well defended forcing the exchange of Queens.

31.Qxe4 Nxe4 32.Bd3?,..

Giving up the pawn without a fight. I suspect that Dean relied on his many years of experience telling him the d-pawn can not be successfully defended by 32 Ne2 Ne7 33 f3 Nf6 34 g4 e5. He therefore goes for the opening of the d-file and simplification.

32..., Rxd4 33.Bc2 ½–½

Jason was down to four minutes here while Dean had just about a minute left. The draw was offered and accepted. Black is of course better, maybe even winning here, but the clock is part of the game. Denham was obviously not completely certain he could execute the moves needed to win the game in the time remaining, and Howard had to be happy to escape with only dropping a half-point. A nice result for Mr. Denham.

Magat, Gordon - Northrup, Cory [A29]

AACC Championship Guilderland, NY, 09.11.2011

The English Four Knights is a positional debut that can turn tactical in a flash.

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Be6 7.a3,..

A normal looking move but not mainstream theory. Normal here is 7 0-0. The text is probably a good alternative. Here is a game where Black tries to exploit his chances against 7 a3, but things don’t work out in the long run.

(592176) Hoffman,Alejandro (2491) - Bertona,Fernando (2405) [A20]

ARG-ch Buenos Aires (10), 20.10.2000

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.a3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nc3 Be6 7.Nf3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 e4 9.Ng1 Bd5 10.f3 f5 11.Qa4 Bc5 12.fxe4 fxe4 13.Bxe4 Bxg1 14.Rxg1 0–0 15.Bb2 Re8 16.Bc2 Qe7 17.e3 Ne5 18.0–0–0 Bc4 19.Bb3 Qe6

With 19..., b5; Black could have extended his advantage.

20.Bxc4 Nxc4 21.Rgf1 Rad8

Again the advance of the b-pawn to b5 offers Black chances to win.

22.Rf4 Ne5 23.d4 b5

Too late to make a difference.

24.Qc2 Nc4 25.Re1 c5 26.Qf5 cxd4 27.Qxe6+ Rxe6 28.cxd4 Rxe3 29.Rxe3 Nxe3 30.Re4 Nd5 31.Re5 Kf7 32.Kd2 a6 33.Kd3 Rd7 34.Bc1 h6 35.Bd2 Rd8 36.g4 Nf6 37.h3 Rd5 38.Re1 Ng8 39.Bf4 Ne7 40.Rc1 h5?

Black never quite gets his head around the ending and shortly allows White a favorable opportunity to trade the Rooks. After that the passed d-pawn and the active Bishop are too much for the Knight and King.

41.Ke4 Ke6 42.Rc7 Rd7 43.Rxd7 Kxd7 44.gxh5 Ke6 45.Be5 Kf7 46.d5 Nc8 47.Bc7 Ke7 48.Kf5 Nd6+ 49.Kg6 Ne8 50.Ba5 Kd6 51.Kf7 1–0

7..., Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Qc2 Qd7 10.Rd1 f5

Black harbors serious intentions on the K-side; pieces and pawns against a sturdy looking King’s field. White seems to be counting on obtaining something from getting to play d2-d4, instead of the more restrained d2-d3. The game is about equal now.

11.d4 Nxc3?!

More in line with the layout of the Black pieces is 11..., e4 12 Ne5 Nxe5 13 dxe5 Qc6. Then Black still can think about .., f5-f4; at some point in the future. He may have been worried about 14 f6, but then tactics break out with 14..., Rad8 15 fxe4 Qc5+ 16 Kh1 fxe4 17 Bxe4 Nxc3 18 bxc3 Rxd1+ 19 Qxd1 Qxe5; and if 20 Bxb7? c6! 21 Bxc6 Qxc3 22 Bd5 Rf1+; wins for Black. As Philip Sells mentioned a week or two ago, there are times when local club players just don’t calculate lines out far enough to see the real outcome. I guess that is the case here for Cory. After the text White obtains free play for his pieces and some advantage. Black, on the other hand gives up most of his designs on the K-side.

12.bxc3 exd4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Rxd4 Qc8 15.Rb1 c6 16.a4 a5 17.Qb2 Bc5 18.Rd1 Rf7 19.Bg5 h6?

Losing material with a too casual move. Black must have assumed the back rank is well guarded so pushing back the adventurous Bishop is no big deal. It cost him his Queen for a Bishop and a Rook. Not quite enough to call the game won for White. Although Mr. Northrup did manage to gin up some counter-play, eventually the power of the Queen to do double attacks carried the day.

20.Rd8+ Qxd8 21.Bxd8 Rxd8 1–0

More soon.

A Game From the AACC Championship

I have been slothful in getting out the results and games from the Albany Area Chess Club title event. Today is to make up for that neglect.

Wednesday evening saw a full round, the second, played, and there were a couple of surprises; Dean Howard, the defending Champion was held to a draw by Jason Denham as was Peter Henner by Art Alowitz. The latter is not so big a surprise as the former. Alowitz is always a difficult opponent. His results against the Class A/Experts locally has been improving the last few years.

One game from the first round was not played and rescheduled to a later date; Lack - Henner. The standings after Wednesday’s play are:

Gordon Magat leads with 2 - 0. He is followed by Dean Howard and Akhil Kamma at 1 ½ - ½. Next is Jonathan Lack at 1 - 0, then Art Alowitz at 1 - 1. Peter Henner stands at ½ - ½, followed by Tim Wright, Jason Denham. and Chris Caravaty with ½ - 1 ½. Trailing the field is Cory Northrup at 0 - 2.

It is way too early to draw any conclusions about what the ultimate outcome will be. Gordon has yet to meet any of the top rated players; Howard, Wright , Henner and Lack. Dean was not able to generate any real play against Denheam’s Petronsian style Rubinstein variation of the French even after using a great deal of time in the middle game. He had to concede a draw in this second round game. Tim Wright spoiled his start to the event with an error early on against Lack. That coupled with the draw he had with Alowitz in round one makes a high finish for Mr. Wright a matter of doing well against the contenders from here on out; possible but difficult. Art Alowitz won the trophy for best under 1800 in last year’s AACC tournament, and he is off to an excellent start to repeat with draws against Wright and Henner. To really understand who’s leading we will need a couple of more rounds of play.

To obtain scores of the games herein published, I record the games underway for the most part. My experience has been that three games are about all I can handle at once. Trying for more works pretty well enough through the middle game, but once time trouble shows up, or a bunch of moves are made in a rush, making an accurate record suffers. In that light, choosing which games to record is a challenge. My rule has been to always try to record games where contenders play contenders, then games where emerging talents are playing, and finally, games with openings that in which I am interested. Today’s game is one between new talents and it is a Slav Defense. Ever since GM Har-Zvi’s Saturday lectures of a while back on the Slav, it has been a favorite of mine, and so today’s choice.

Caravaty, Chris - Kamma, Akhil [D11]

AACC Championship Guilderland, NY, 09.11.2011

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3,.

Most common here is 4 Nc3. The text is the second choice among the GMs.

4...,Bg4

Much more frequently played is 4..., Bf5; we are still well within known theory.

5.Nc3 e6 6.Qb3 Qc7 7.Ne5 Bh5?!

Now the game is out in the high weeds of the non-theoretical. Normal is 7..., Bf4. There is not a lot of material in the databases on this position, but there are some games by high level players. Here are two:

(627747) Burmakin, Vladimir (2522) - Gurevich, Mikhail (2688) [D11]

EU-ch 2nd Ohrid (7), 07.06.2001

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 Bg4 5.Nc3 e6 6.Qb3 Qc7 7.Ne5 Bf5 8.Bd2 Nbd7 9.f4 Be7 10.Be2 0–0 11.0–0 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.Bb4 b6 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Rac1 c5 17.cxd5 exd5 18.Qa3 Rac8 19.Rc3 Rc6 20.Bf3 Bxf3 21.Rxf3 Qc7 22.dxc5 bxc5 23.Rf1 h6 24.Rd1 Rd8 25.Rcd3 d4 26.Qa4 Rcd6 27.Qa3 Qb6 28.g3 Re8 29.exd4 cxd4 30.Qb3 Qc5 31.Qa3 Qd5 32.Qb3 Qc5 33.Qa3 Qc6 34.R3d2 d3 35.Rf2 Re3 36.Qc3 Qd5 37.Qb3 Qd4 38.Qc3 Qa4 39.Qc8+ Kh7 40.Qf5+ Kg8 41.Qc8+ Re8 42.b3 Qe4 43.Qc3 Red8 44.Qe5 Qc6 45.Qe3 d2 46.Qxa7 Ra8 47.Qe3 Re8 48.Qxd2 Rxd2 49.Rfxd2 Kh7 50.Kf2 Qb6+ 51.Kg2 Re3 52.Rf2 Qc6+ 53.Kg1 g6 54.Rdf1 Qe4 55.Rd1 Kg7 56.Rdf1 h5 57.Rd1 Kh6 58.Rdf1 Qd5 59.Rc1 Rd3 60.Rcf1 Kg7 61.Re1 Kf6 62.Rfe2 Rd2 63.Kf2 Qd4+ 64.Kf3 Qd5+ 65.Kf2 Qc5+ 66.Kf3 Qc6+ 67.Kf2 Qb6+ 68.Kf3 Qb7+ 69.Ke3 Rd6 70.Kf2 Ra6 71.Ra1 Qb6+ 72.Kg2 Qc6+ 73.Kf2 Qc5+ 74.Kg2 Qd5+ 75.Kh3 Re6 76.Rf2 Re3 77.Raf1 Qe4 78.Rd1 Kg7 79.Rdd2 Re1 0–1

(1192478) Rukavina, Josip (2382) - Rogic, Davor (2512) [D11]

Pula op Pula (4), 26.06.2007

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.d4 Bg4 5.Nc3 e6 6.Qb3 Qc7 7.Ne5 Bf5 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.f4 h5 10.0–0 Be7 11.Bd2 g5 12.cxd5 gxf4 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.Bf3 fxe3 16.Bxe3 Bd6 17.Ne2 Rb8 18.Qc3 Nd5 19.Bxd5 cxd5 20.Bf4 Rg8 21.Rac1 h4 22.b3 Rg4 23.Qf3 e5 24.h3 Rg6 25.dxe5 Be4 26.exd6 Bxf3 27.Rxf3 Rxd6 28.Nd4 Rb4 29.Re1+ Kf8 30.Be5 Rg6 31.Ref1 Qe7 32.Rf5 Ke8 33.Rc1 Qd7 34.Rh5 f6 0–1

Both of these games see White converting the situation to something resembling a Bird’s formation with 9 f4. In both cases Black won. Overall, the databases show White at plus 1 over eight games. The player’s ratings in this selection of games are rather mixed from unrated to GM. For players above 2350 the results are even, +2 and -2. Drawing a conclusion re: the goodness of 9 f4, has to wait for more GM games and/or some serious analysis. Our game proceeds differently.

8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bd6 10.Bxe6?!,..

White launches a highly speculative attack. It should not work. The complications are sufficient that the temptation is obvious. I’ve lost a casual game or two to Mr. Caravaty and can testify to his ambitious aggression at the board. This time I think he may have been carried away with the chance for a sprightly win.

10..., fxe6

At first glance declining the offer gives up a pawn for nothing. After 10..., 0-0 11 Bh3 Bxe5 12 dxe5 Qxe5 13 Qxb7, White seems to have the pawn safely in hand, but if the analysis is carried forward Black just might get compensation with 13..., Nbd7 14 0-0 Bg4; and White’s tardy development is a worry. Trying to improve the line by interjecting 14 Bxd7, seems to lead to a material imbalance favoring White after 14..., Nxd7 15 Qxc6 Rac8 16 Qd5 Rxc3 17 Qxe5 Rxc1+ 18 Rxc1 Nxe5; giving him a Rook and two pawns for the Bishop and Knight. It is true White will have to work hard to turn the material plus into a victory, but it should be possible.

I was watching the game and this passage closely. Akhil gave some serious thought to this move debating declining the offer no doubt.

11.Qxe6+ Be7?

Either 11..., Kf8; or 11..., Kd8; would be better. The text seems to be played with the hope of eventually castling. Until the White Queen can be shifted from her post whisking the Black King away is impossible. White has some more aggression in mind that keeps Black busy for a few moves. These moves alter the terrain significantly.

12.g4!,..

A nice as well as necessary move. Now Black is at a crossroads; giving some material to ease the heat of the attack is reasonable, but how to do so? Worth a thought is; 12..., Nxg4 13 Nxg4 Qd7 14 Qxd7 Nxd7; returning the piece and emerging down a pawn but with the Bishop pair as compensation and a more compact pawn structure; two versus three islands. There was no chance to interrogate the participants after the game to discover if either took under consideration the old wisdom that one of many things can be done is to return sacrificed material to ease the pressure against your position.

12..., Bg6 13.g5 Nfd7?

Of the three possible moves; 13..., Nd5; 13..., Nh5; and the text, it is the worst of the three. The other two alternatives lead to interesting play where Black has real chances to hold up the pawns, and slowly work towards winning back some of them.

14.Nxg6 hxg6 15.Qxg6+ Kf8 16.Qf5+ Ke8 17.Qg6+ Kf8 18.h4,..

Maybe Black was hinting at a draw offer. White declines. This is the best way to try for more according to Rybka.

18..., Qd6 19.Qxd6?!,..

This move is puzzling. White made a sacrifice to reach a position where the Black King is awkwardly placed, and now he agrees to a trade of Queens that relives a good deal of the awkwardness. Additionally, his Bc1 and Ra1 are not close to participating in the game and White exchanges his most active piece. The only reason the move does not get a straight out query is there is a possible and interesting line of play that allows White to solve many of his problems; 19 Qxd6 Bxd6 20 h5!? Na6 21 Ne4 Bc7 22 Ke2, and White is on his way to getting all his pieces out; the Bishop goes to d2 and then the Ra1 may be used on the c, f or g-files as required.

A better choice for White is 19 Qf5+, and after 19..., Ke8; the main alternatives are; a) 20 Bd2, with long castling mobilizing all forces to support the extra pawns. b) 20 h5, when 20..., g6; introduces a complex fight. c) 20 e4, offering a pawn to get his pieces out after 20..., Qxd4 21 Be3 and eventually Ra1-d1. Instead of these options, White chooses to take the game to an ending where Black’s pieces have every chance to blockade the advancing pawns.

19..., Bxd6 20.f4 Na6 21.a3 Kf7 22.h5,..

White has purposefully advanced this h-pawn; it was a key part of his ambitious play to this point in the game. That makes it curious how he forgets about it later in the game.

22..., Ke7 23.b4,..

It was around this point in the game another of the spectators asked me why Chris wasn’t developing his pieces. The only answer I can think of is he was more worried about the Black pieces infiltrating his position than making the maximum use of his own forces.

23..., Nc7 24.e4,..

This looks risky but it is probably the best move in the situation. The Ra8 is ready to come in to the fight, White therefore wants to crowd the Black minor pieces as much as possible. The next operation continues this idea.

24..., Ne6 25.e5 Bc7 26.d5 cxd5?

This move concedes the advantage to White. Black could play 26..., Nxe5; seeking counter-play in complications by returning material, or 26..., Nd4 27 d6+ Ke6 28 Rb1 Bb6; when Black is close to blockading the pawns completely.

27.Nxd5+ Kd8

A little more stubborn defense might be 27..., Kf7; keeping the Rooks connected.

28.Nxc7?,..

This natural looking move lets slip most of the advantage White obtained so recently due to the Black errors. It is better to complete mustering all the White forces with 28 Be3, and if 28..., Nb6 29 0-0-0, than it is to trade this active Knight

28..., Kxc7 29.Be3 Raf8 30.Rc1+ Kb8 31.Rc4 Nb6 32.Bxb6 axb6 33.Rh4,..

The Rooks defending pawns in this way are a bit awkward.

33...,b5 34.Re4 Rd8?

This is the moment to bring the Black King closer to the scene of the action with 34..., Kc7. The Black pieces are well place to fight against the advance of the White pawn hoard. Why go adventuring?

35.Ke2 Nd4+ 36.Kf2 Nf5 37.Rh3 Rd2+ 38.Re2 Rd4 39.Kf3 Rd3+ 40.Kg4 Rxh3 41.Kxh3?,..

We now see why; Black must have had this general operation in mind all along. White probably did not see it clearly otherwise he could have defended better with 38 Kf3 Rd3+ 39 Kg4 Rxa3 40 Kxf5, and although White is down a Rook, his pawns are becoming mobile, the Black g-pawn is very weak while the Black King is about one move short of being able to help effectively.

Of course here White should have played for the win with 41 Kxf5!, and after 41..., Kc7 42 Kg6 Rxa3 43 e6 Raa8 44 e7 Kd7 45 Kf7 Rhe8 46 Kxg7 Rxe7+ 47 Rxe7+ Kxe7 48 h6, this pawn will cost Black his Rook. White has then an easily won ending.

41..., Rc8??

The dreaded double query is given because 41..., Rxh5+; wins for Black after 42 Kg4 g6; and if 43 e6? Rh4+; and 44..., Nd4+; is a final blow. The better alternative for White 43 Ra2, leaving Black just about winning after 43..., Kc7. What is just as bad as missing the immediate tactical point is the text begins an operation that gives White a winning possibility.

42.Kg4 Nd4 43.Re4 Rc4?

Self pinning the Nd4 making the potential push h5-h6 very strong indeed.

44.e6?!,..

A strong move but not clearly winning as is 44 h6! . How then does Black stop the coming Queen on the h-file? The most reasonable try; 44..., gxh6 45 gxh6 Rc6 46 Rxd4 Rxh6 47 f5, is obviously won for White with little counter-play for Black.

44..., Nc6 45.Kf5??,..

White fails to count. Now simply 45 Rxc4 bxc4 46 h6. White will Queen with check gaining enough time to bring the new Queen to h1 stopping or delaying the c-pawn from reaching the first rank, and there is always the White e-pawn waiting in the wings to Queen with or without the help of the f6-pawn.

45..., Ne7+ 46.Ke5 Nc6+ 47.Kd5 Ne7+ 48.Ke5,..

The clocks were becoming a problem for both sides now. White did not have the leisure to calculate a last winning try with 48 Kd6, which looks won for him. He here decides on a split of the point.

48..., Nc6+ 49.Kf5 Ne7+ 50.Ke5 ½–½

The draw was offered and accepted. The game has it flaws, but both sides had ideas and were making every effort to win the game. The participants demonstrated ambition and imagination, they both also have some problems in calculation. Some more outings in the crucible of tournament chess will, if they seriously analyze their games, will certainly see improvement in calculation. It will be interesting to see how high they climb in the local pecking order.

More soon.

A Game From A Week Ago

My last post mentioned an upset win by Jeff Capitummino over Philip Sells. Here is that game.

Capitummino, Jeff - Sells, Philip [E15]

SCC Prelim A Schenectady, NY, 27.10.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6

Not the most common way to proceed in the QID. It has been quite popular with elite players over the years; Nimzovitsch used it in the 1930s, Taimanov and Bronstein in the 1950s, Keres and Smyslov in the 1960s and 70s, Karpov versus Kasparov in their 1984 match and on down to the likes of Karlakin, Ivanchuk and Adams in rapid games at Wilk aan Zee in recent years. Conclusion; it is a perfectly good way to introduce some variety into the QID formations.

5.e3?,..

But this is a not so good answer. It weakens the light squares in the White camp. More common answers used by the Grandmasters here are; 5 b3, and 5 Qc2.

5..., c6

Black plays to pressure the pawn at c4. That is reasonable, but the method selected seems slow. 5..., d5; is possible right away, or Black can try 5..., Nc6; with the Knight going to a5 soon and .., d7-d5; planned. White has the resources to support c4. Black’s intention with such operations is to reach some middle game position where he is comfortable while maintaining central tension.

6.Qc2 d5 7.b3 Nbd7 8.Bb2 Rc8 9.Nbd2 Be7

A bit more aggressive is 9..., Bd6; but Black does not want to have to worry about e3-e4 at some point and the subsequent exchange of some minor pieces. Mr. Sells, taking into account the difference in rating and experience with his opponent, prefers to avoid reducing material if he can’t see the chance for advantage.

10.Rc1 0–0 11.a3!?,..

A trifle slow. Either 11 Be2, 11 Bd3, with castling to follow is sensible.

11..., c5!

Not a hard move to find but certainly on point. White has lagged his development and Black has gotten all his pieces out. Threatening to open up the game in the middle of the board is a natural operation to begin now.

12.Qb1 Re8

Black still does not see any big opportunity coming by releasing tension in the center. He undertakes an small operation to improve the position of his pieces anticipating a later trade-off of central pawns.

13.Bd3 Bf8

Potentially more useful is 13..., h6; recognizing that White has pieces lining up to attack h7.

14.0–0 Rc7 15.Rc2 Qb8

The game is closely balanced. Neither side has nailed down the initiative and positional maneuvering is the order of the day.

16.Qa1 b5!?

Activity with some risk attached. Deep Rybka suggests 16..., h6; but I am not clear as to why that move is best.

17.Rfc1?!,..

The right idea and the wrong move order. If White wants to fight for the c-file, it is better to first play 17 cxd5, opening the file. Black can now keep the c-pawn as a target.

17..., bxc4 18.bxc4 cxd4 19.Bxd4 Rb7

Black may have been concerned about a White Rook occupying the b-file, and then, if he blocks with his own Rook on b7, a pair of Rooks will be traded making the position less complex.

20.Bf1 dxc4 21.Bxc4 Bxc4 22.Rxc4 Qd6 23.a4 Qa6 24.Kg2,..

After the game Jeff made an interesting comment. He said the purpose behind this move was to not let Black capture on the back rank with check. Implied was getting the Rook on the 8th and the Bishop going to c5 operation was somewhere in his thoughts. A pretty sophisticated approach from a young man without a great deal of chess experience.

24..., Nd5

Black logically takes aim at the exposed White a-pawn.

25.Rc8,..

White responds by forcing off some Rooks.

25..., Rxc8 26.Rxc8 N7b6!?

Eliminating the annoying pin on the Bf8 with 26..., Rb8; is the safest path.

27.Rd8 Qxa4?

White has won the a-pawn per the program. The cost is high; all the White pieces now can get into the fray while the Black pieces are tied up. Mixing things up with 27..., Rd7; may be the best way to go. White would have to try the sacrificial line 28 Rxf8 Kxf8 29 Bxg7+ if he wants to go for the win. The line is however a long calculation and tricky. The task of deciding on such an adventure might have caused the opponent bail out with 28 Rxd7, leaving Black with his threats on the a-pawn and not a bad game at all.

I had the game score and it was correct, but making sense of Philip’s resignation was difficult. Last Thursday, a week after the game was played, Sells and I had the opportunity to look at the game together. It was then the full story became clear to me. After White’s 28th , Mr. Sells grabbed his Queen to take off the hanging Black Lady on a1, only picking up his Queen did he see that it was mate on the move for him. Mr. Sells of course resigned immediately.

Interestingly, Philip was not in time trouble at this juncture, in fact his clock was looking better than his opponent’s. This momentary, acute attack of chess blindness is unusual for Sells. We have many examples of him fending off tricks with only seconds on the clock for several moves. Such happens to all chess players occasionally, The surprise is it happening to someone who rarely slips.

The game could have continued if Black had played 28..., Ne7; but White has the better game. It might have gone; 29 Qxa4 Nxa4 30 Bd6 h6 31 Nc4 Nb6 32 Nxb6 axb6 33 Ne5, heading towards d7 to win a piece. Alternatively, 28..., Ne7 29 Qxa4 Nxa4 30 Bd6 f6 31 Nd4 Kf7 32 Ne4, and if 32..., e5 33 Bxe5, and if 33..., fxe5? 34 Nd6+ Kg6 35 Nxb7 exd4 36 Rxf8 is won for White. On move 33 Black could try 33..., Ng6; but 34 Bd6 Rb6 35 Bxf8 Nxf8 36 Nf5 Re6 37 Ned6+ Kg8 38 Ne8 g6 39 Nh6+ Kh8 40 Nc7, and Black loses material.

28.Bc5 1–0 More soon.

This Week's Doings at SCC and AACC

There is a flurry of local news today. Wednesday the Albany Area Chess Club began its annual championship event. Playing are; Dean Howard, Gordon Magat, Peter Henner, Tim Wright, Jonathan Lack, Art Alowitz, Cory Northrup, Jason Denham, Akhil Kamma and Chris Caravaty. This is a slightly smaller turnout than last year and follows a trend. The big local clubs, Schenectady, Albany and Saratoga have seen a slightly reduced participation in their title events. This maybe just a blip of no great significance, or the effect of some older players scaling back their chess activity. Several new faces showing up, Kamma, Caravaty, Varela and others, indicate the chess community has vitality.

Thursday the 4th round of the Schenectady Prelims was played amid nicer weather than last week. Only two games were delayed; Le Cours - Chu and Connors - Phillips both from Section B. The results of the games played were:

Zack Calderone - Capitummino 1-0, Sells - Varela 1-0, Stanley - Aaron 0-1, Kamma - Herman Calderone 1-0.

Today’s game is the clash between two newer participants in the Schenectady Championship wars. In an off-beat line they do pretty well until a moment’s in attention causes an early end to the festivities.

Calderone, Zack - Capitummino, Jeff [B01]

SCC Preliminary Section A, Schenectady, NY, 03.11.2011

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4!?,..

After the game Zack asked if I had any information on this line. He said there wasn’t much to be found in ECO. I told him John Emms, the British GM had written The Scandinavian, Everyman Chess, London, 2004 and had done some analysis of the line. Boiling down Emms’ comments; this is the Mieses Gambit. A speculative try that is not particularly worrying for Black if he keeps his head. Black should just grab the pawn and say ’thank you’ with 4..., Qxb4 5 Rb1 Qd6 6 d4 Nf6 7 Nf3 a6; preventing any White piece from going to b5. Then Emms recommends as the best try for White; 8 g3!? (there is no great joy for the Bishop at d3 or c4, why not g2?) 8..., b6 9 Bg2 Bb7 10 0-0 0-0 11 Ne5!, with pressure on the Q-side.

There are not many games in my databases on this line. Here are some:

This game was crucial to Naka beating out our own GM Har-Zvi for the title that year. It is a blitz game but the participants are very, very good at blitz.

(1161166) Nakamura, Hikaru (2651) - Har Zvi, Ronen (2515) [B01]

Dos Hermanas Internet f 8th Internet ICC (2.4), 23.03.2007

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qxb4 5.Rb1 Qd6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Nf3 a6 8.d4 b5 9.Bb3 Bb7 10.0–0 e6 11.Re1 Be7 12.Ng5 Nd5 13.Nce4 Qd7 14.Qh5 Bxg5 15.Nc5 Nf6 16.Qxg5 Qc6 17.Bxe6 0–0 18.Bb3 Nbd7 19.Nxb7 Qxb7 20.Qg3 Qc6 21.Bb2 Nd5 22.Qf3 N7b6 23.Ba3 Rfd8 24.Bc5 Nc4 25.Bxc4 bxc4 26.Re5 Qd7 27.h3 h6 28.Rbe1 c6 29.Qe2 c3 30.Qh5 Rab8 31.Ba3 Nf4 32.Qf3 Nd5 33.Qh5 Nf4 34.Qf3 Nd5 35.g3 Qxh3 36.Qd3 Qd7 37.Kg2 Re8 38.Qxa6 Rxe5 39.Rxe5 Qg4 40.Bc1 Qxd4 41.Re2 Qg4 42.Qd3 Ra8 43.a3 h5 44.Re4 Qg6 45.Qd4 h4 46.Rg4 Qf6 47.Qxf6 Nxf6 48.Rxh4 Nd5 49.Rc4 Ra6 50.Kf3 f6 51.Ke4 Kf7 52.Kd4 Ke6 53.Kc5 Kd7 54.Kd4 Kd6 55.Kd3 Ra8 56.Rg4 g5 57.a4 c5 58.Ba3 Kc6 59.Rc4 Ra5 60.g4 Nb6 61.Rxc3 Nxa4 62.Rb3 Nb6 63.c4 Ra4 64.Bb2 Rxc4 65.Rxb6+ 1–0

One hundred years ago Mieses authored his Gambit to no great success against the very strong international player Leonhardt.

(6196) Leonhardt, Paul Saladin - Mieses, Jacques [B01]

Prague (1), 1908

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qxb4 5.Rb1 Qd6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.d4 c6 ,8.Bd3 b6 9.0–0 e6 10.Qe2 Be7 11.Ne4 Nxe4 12.Qxe4 Qd5 13.Qg4 Bf6 14.c4 Qd8 15.Ba3 Nd7 16.Rfe1 Nf8 17.Rbd1 Qc7 18.Bc1 Ng6 19.h4 0–0 20.h5 Ne7 21.Qe4 g6 22.Bf4 Qd7 23.Be5 Bxe5 24.dxe5 Bb7 25.Qf4 Qe8 26.Qf6 h6 27.hxg6 Nxg6 28.Nh4 Qd8 29.Bxg6 Qxf6 30.exf6 fxg6 31.Rxe6 Bc8 32.Rxc6 Bf5 33.Nxf5 gxf5 34.Rd7 Rf7 35.Rd5 Re8 36.Rxf5 Re1+ 37.Kh2 Ra1 38.Re5 Rxa2 39.f4 Rd2 40.f5 Rdd7 41.Re8+ Kh7 42.Rce6 h5 43.R6e7 Kh6 44.Rxd7 Rxd7 45.Re7 Rd4 46.Re8 Rd7 47.Kg3 Kg5 48.Re7 Rd3+ 49.Kf2 Kxf6 50.Rxa7 ½–½

The future World Champion tried out the move in an exhibition and was not overly pleased with the result.

(8397) Capablanca, Jose Raul - Portela, R [B01]

Havana simul, 06.09.1913

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qxb4 5.Rb1 Qd6 6.d4 Nf6 7.Nf3 e6 8.Bd3 c5 9.0–0 Be7 10.Nb5 Qd8 11.Bf4 Na6 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Qe2 0–0 14.Rfd1 Qe7 15.Nd6 Nb4 16.Be5 Rd8 17.Ne4 Nxd3 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Rxd3 Rxd3 20.Qxd3 b6 21.Qc3 e5 22.Nh4 Be6 23.Qf3 Rd8 24.Nf5 Bxf5 25.Qxf5 Kg7 26.Qg4+ Kh8 27.Qf3 Kg7 28.Ng3 Kh8 29.Rd1 Rxd1+ 30.Qxd1 ½–½

Not taking the pawn is not really a better choice.

(41734) Milner Barry, Philip Stuart - Mahishkar, B [B01]

Moscow ol (Men) qual-C Moscow (9), 1956

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qe5+ 5.Be2 c6 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.0–0 Bg4 8.Rb1 e6 9.b5 Bd6 10.Ne4 Ne7 11.Nxd6+ Qxd6 12.Rb3 c5 13.d4 Nd7 14.Ba3 Rc8 15.Rd3 Bf5 16.dxc5 Qc7 17.Rc3 Nd5 18.Rc4 Qa5 19.Bb2 0–0 20.Qd4 N7f6 21.a4 Rfd8 22.Qh4 Nd7 23.Qg3 f6 24.Nd4 Nxc5 25.Nxf5 exf5 26.Rd1 Ne4 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Qb3 Rc5 29.Bc4 1–0

These two well known British internationalists had many good fights between them in their careers. This game was not one of them. Sir George Thomas got the drop on Winter with his own special treatment of the Black side and Winter cracked early.

(25895) Winter, William - Thomas, George Alan [B01]

London-B London (11), 1946

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qxb4 5.Rb1 Qd6 6.Qf3 c6 7.Bc4 Nf6 8.Nge2 Nbd7 9.d4 Nb6 10.Bf4 Bg4 11.Qd3 Qd7 12.Bb3 e6 13.0–0 Bd6 14.Bg5 Nbd5 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.c4 Bxe2 17.Qxe2 Nc3 18.Qg4 Nxb1 19.Rxb1 Be7 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Qxg7 0–0–0 22.d5 exd5 23.cxd5 c5 24.d6 Qe4 25.Qb2 Rhg8 26.f3 Qe3+ 27.Kh1 Rxd6 28.Be6+ Rxe6 29.Qxb7+ Kd8 30.h3 Qd3 31.Qb8+ Ke7 32.Rb7+ Kf6 33.Qf4+ Kg7 0–1

In this game Black demonstrates a few of the tricks available to him in this line.

(400806) Lendwai Reinhard (2385) - Sommerbauer, Norbert (2385) [B01]

AUT-ch Voitsberg (9), 1995

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qxb4 5.Rb1 Qd6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.d4 e6 8.Bd3 a6 9.0–0 Nbd7 10.Re1 Be7 11.Qe2 c5 12.d5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Qxd5 14.Be4 Qd6 15.Bxb7 Bxb7 16.Rxb7 Qc6 17.Qe4 Qxe4 18.Rxe4 Nf6 19.Ra4 0–0–0 0–1

To sum up; the Mieses Gambit may surprise an unprepared opponent, but if he has a little bit of knowledge, White has to prove the pawn was invested and not just lost.

4..., Qxb4 5.Rb1 Qd6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.d4 a6 8.Bd3,..

If the Bishop goes to c4, Black gains time with 8..., b5.

8..., e6

A couple of alternatives may well be better; a) 8..., g6; with .., Nc6 coming soon, and 8..., Nc6; right away. White seems to be planning to pressure the Black Q-side, the obvious point to the pawn sacrifice. In the game the pressure retards Black’s development there. This is the moment for Black to recognize and avoid the problem.

9.Bg5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6?!

I like White’s idea. He wants to increase the Q-side pressure by creating a home for his light squared Bishop on e4, and the Bishop and Rook working together might just tie up the Black pieces for some good while. That is not to say the plan is water tight. It is however creative and is appealing. Black should not fall in with it. Here 10..., gxf6; keeps the Bishop from long occupying e4, problematically opens the g-file and retains the pair of Bishops. The usefulness of the g-file to Black is debatable; the other two factors are pluses for Black.

11.Ne4 Qe7 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.Rb3,..

White has carried out his idea, but this move is questionable. There is nothing immediately tactically wrong with it, but its only active intention must be to act along the 3d rank. Will that be enough to tip the balance? More direct is 13 Be4, then Black has to play the un-handsome move 13..., Ra7; however there are sufficient resources for Black to make a defense in this line also.

13..., c6?!

As several Grandmasters have said from time to time; a pawn is worth some trouble. In this case, Black is making things much too difficult for himself by playing to just keep the pawn. Perhaps he was worried about 13..., 0-0 14 Be4?, but then 14..., Qf4; and 15 Bxb7?, loses to 15..., Bxb7 16 Rxb7 Qe4+.

14.Ne5!?,..

An adventure with some risks attached. The logical 14 0-0, is reasonable with whether or not White has compensation for the pawn still to be determined. White has some scheme in mind involving an attack with pieces if Black castles I guess. Black apparently believes this is possible and plays to avoid the imagined attack. Is there really the makings of such an assault? A quick test seems to say no; 14..., 0-0 15 Be4 Qf4 16 Qe2? f5; and Black is fine. Or, 14..., 0-0 15 0-0 g6 16 c3, giving up the idea of using the Rook along the third rank. It seems if Black castles there is no immediate assault about to break over his position.

A number of chess writers have made a point about trusting your opponent too much. GM Jacob Aagaard does so in his book; Excelling at Chess Calculation. Everyman Chess, London 2004. Aagaard says when your opponent undertakes an operation you must test it and not blindly accept the scheme is valid. Otherwise you can be chasing ghosts. Aagaard has another piece of wisdom regards ‘unforced thinking‘, his terminology. He believes we chess players all too often make assumptions about positions - in today’s game Jeff accepts there is really a dangerous piece attack possible on his King - and thereafter we force our thought process with that perhaps erroneous assumption in mind. Aagaard recommends developing the habit of unforced thinking to open up all the possibilities available.

14..., Nd7

The natural move, Black wants to get his Q-side pieces out and about.

15.Nxd7 Kxd7?!

Playable but why put yourself through the difficulties? Black grabbed the pawn offered in the opening and has held on to it grimly. The text continues this idea. Here may be the point where abandoning that plan is the better course. Concrete calculation shows Black wins after 15..., Bxd7 16 Rxb7 Qxd4 17 Bxa6? Qxd1+ 18 Kxd1 Bc8; so capturing on d7 with the Bishop is at least possible. Of course White could improve his play in this line with 17 0-0, vice 17 Bxa6? A reasonable line of play is 15..., Bxd7 16 Rxb7 Qxd4 17 0-0 Rd8 18 Bxa6 Bc8 19 Qxd4 Rxd4 20 Rb8 Kd7; when a position is reached where Black has cashed in his pawn plus for a slightly better pawn structure, a more active King, freedom for his pieces and most importantly, the opportunity to contest the initiative.

Transformations of advantages is an essential part of chess playing skill. In this game Black loses because he refuses to transform his material advantage into something else. There times when you get a pawn up and can hold it until later to win in a King and pawn ending. Judging when this is possible and when something other has to be tried takes experience and study. From this point to the end White retains the initiative. Lacking any chance to fight for the initiative Black is reduced to reacting to the threats White makes. It is possible to do this but accuracy is required. Any slip can be fatal, and it is a very uncomfortable kind of a game to play for the player without the initiative.

16.Be4 Ke7 17.Rf3 Qg5 18.0–0 g6 19.Rd3!?,..

White decides that the winning operation will be some sort of central advance. It turns out not to be quite enough to win. Probably better to go a little slower with 19 Re1, mustering more force before deciding a specific plan.

19..., Rd8 20.Re1 Kf8 21.c4!?,..

Energetic and motivated by the belief there is something positive to be gained by breaking open the center quickly. More measured is 21 Bf3, and 22 h3, improving the position before hurling thunderbolts.

21..., Rb8?

Here 21..., Qa5; gives Black the chance to take the initiative at the cost of the extra pawn after 22 Qc1 e5 23 dxe5 Rxd3 24 Bxd3 Be6; when the Black pieces are about to become very active and the White pieces are becoming less so. Black has forced his thinking into the narrow path of keeping the extra pawn ignoring the dynamic alternatives.

22.d5 cxd5 23.cxd5 exd5 24.Rxd5 Rxd5 25.Bxd5 Qf6 26.Qa4?!,..

Still believing there is an win to be found with active play, White makes an ambitious move. Organizing his position for more maneuvering with 26 h3, making a luft for his King, and denying full freedom for the Black Bc8, is a better try to use the fleeting advantage in piece activity he has.

26..., Qd8?

Missing the chance to balance the game with 26..., Bf5; then 27 g4 Rd8 28 Bxb7 Bd3 29 Rd1 Kg7; or 29..., Be2 30 Bxa6!? Bxa6 31 Qxa6 Qd1+; both take the game to a drawn outcome. The text leaves unsolved the development of the Black Q-side pieces and worse presents White with real tactical opportunities.

27.Qd4?,..

Seemingly strong and it does keep some advantage. Far more forceful is 27 Qf4, winning immediately by attacking the Rb8 and threatening mate at f7. Then 27..., Bf5 28 g4, wins the Bf5, or allows mate after 28..., Rc8 29 gxf5 Qxd5 30 Qh6+ Kg8 31 f6, and there is no defense.

27..., Kg8??

The relentless pressure that Zack kept on Jeff finally causes a blunder and the Black Queen is lost. Black should have played 27..., Be6; then 28 Qe5 Kg8 29 Bxe6 fxe6 30 Rc1 b5 31 Qxe6+ Kg7 31 Qxa6, favors White by quite a lot, but there are moves to be made and the outcome is not yet clear.

28.Bxf7+ 1–0

Educational this game was, to use the Yoda phraseology. The Mieses Gambit has value as a surprise weapon but shouldn’t strike fear in the hearts of Scandinavian players, forced thinking limits our understanding of what is available to us in a given position, and judging when to cash in a material advantage is no easy task. The Grandmasters writing about chess tell us when a material advantage is so small as a pawn, giving it up for piece activity and one or more other positional pluses is usually a good idea.

I was impressed with Zack Calderone’s energetic planning and focused play. His plans were not without holes, but they had purpose behind them. Experience will soon make him formidable to all our local talent. Jeff Capitummino played a stubborn defense and had chances right down to the end. This effort, albeit a losing one, coupled with Jeff’s fortuitous win last week from Philip Sells, show he is making serious progress. A loss thus is painful but useful for correcting thinking habits that need improvement.

More soon.

Round 3 of the SCC Prelims

On an all too typical wet and cold Thursday night, the 27th O October, the third round of the preliminaries of the SCC Championship were held. Well let’s say some games were played. Schedule conflicts and maybe the nasty weather caused four out the six games to be delayed to later dates. The two game that took place carried plenty of excitement.

One of the new faces at the Schenectady Chess Club is Akhil Kamma. Going into the third round he was tied with John Phillips for first place in the Preliminary Section B. Watching the game, I thought John obtained an edge out of the opening. Sober reflection with the help of Rybka and referencing notes from the old Saturday group sessions with GM Har-Zvi changed my opinion. White did OK but really did not have any big advantage. A hasty decision by White to trade off pieces in the center led to Black having a big plus. This grew until a blunder turned the tables completely. The remainder of the game was a series of oversights that spoiled the game as an artistic effort but certainly kept the spectators on the edge of their seats.

Phillips, John - Kamma, Akhil [D15]

SCC Prelim B Schenectady, NY, 27.10.2011

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4

A few years ago several of us local players met most Saturdays with GM Ronen Har-Zvi for group lessons. The first eight or nine such sessions focused on the Slav in all its many flavors. The Saturday lessons ran for two to three hours each giving us twenty to thirty hours of high level insight to the theory of the Slav. The exposure was interesting and had an effect; I took up the Slav as Black and even began some games with 1 d4, after near sixty years of devotion to 1 e4. Ronen’s departure for Brownsville, Texas and my mixed results with trying to change a lifetime’s habits have seen me revert to 1 e4. I still find the Slav useful as an alternative to my favorite KID in answer to 1 d4.

I can claim no great expertise in the Slav; there was just not enough practice accumulated late in my career to reach some serious understanding of all the factors of this defense. This was made clear to me while watching today’s game.

5.e4,..

A moment where White has a choice; he can try 5 a4, the most popular line, or 5 e3, 5 Ne5, 5 g3, and 5 Bg5. Each option comes with a whole bag of theory and GM games galore. The text is the most immediately aggressive.

The Slav has been know for a very long time. It came to the attention of the chess public in the World Championship matches; Alekhine - Bolgoubov 1934, Alekhine - Euwe 1935 and Alekhine - Euwe 1937 where it was explored in great detail.

Alekhine held that 3 Nc3, was the most testing line for White to play. He said that then 3..., dxc4 4 4 e4, gave White an edge in development that is significant. The way this game went, 3..., Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4; is more sedate but only relatively so. The line as played is styled the Geller Gambit.

Glenn Flear in his book The Slav for the Tournament Player, Batsford, London 1988 wrote: “So with 5 e4 White occupies the center immediately and with a further e5 will engineer attacking chances quickly - this has the drawback of gambiting a pawn on a near permanent basis - so the Geller is a true gambit!”

5..., b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.a4 b4?!

The game now leaves the well trodden paths of theory. The move looks normal doesn’t it? In the game Bondarevski-Kalantar USSR 1947 play went; 7..., b4 8 Ne4 e6 9 Bxc4 Nd7 10 0-0 Bb7 11 Nfg5 N7b6 12 Bd3 a5 13 Qh5 Qd7 15 Nc5, with a big advantage for White. There are a couple of attacking ideas for White in this position; Ng5 as in the cited game and the pawn push e5-e6 whenever Black’s Bishop leaves the c8-h3 diagonal. This why the move .., e7-e6; happens early rather than late in the GM games. Standard play is; 7..., e6 8 axb5 Nxc3 9 bxc3 cxb5; when White frequently launches into serious tactics with 10 Ng5, and 11 Qh5. The extra pawns Black has on the Q-side and the wonderful a8-h1 diagonal favor his cause if he can survive whatever attack White whips up on the Black King.

8.Ne4 Bf5 9.Ng3 Bg6 10.Bxc4,..

Safe and sound but White could have also continued in true gambit fashion with 10 e6!?, then things become really interesting after a) 10..., fxe6 11 Bxc4, and Black has a real mess of a position, or b) 10..., c3; 11 Bd3 cxb2 12 Bxg6 hxg6 13 exf7+ Kxf7 14 Bb2, when Black has two pawns and many weaknesses while White has the attacking chances.

10..., e6 11.h4?!,..

During the game I thought this was a pretty good idea reminding me of similar ideas from the Caro-Kann. What I misunderstood was the significance of the White e-pawn remaining on the board. In the Caro position there is no e-pawn and the e-file is available to White with sacrifices at e6 possible. Here such is foreclosed and the h-pawn push distracts White from the things he should be about. The more promising line of play is; 11 Bg5 Qa5 12 0-0 h6 13 Bh4 Bh7 15 Nh5, and White has made short castling unappealing for Black setting him a long term worry about where to put his King.

11..., h6 12.h5 Bh7 13.Qb3?,..

White undertakes an operation that does not improve his position. Making lemonade from the h-pawn push with 13 Rh4 Be7 14 Rg4, keeps the pressure on the K-side. The theory as I recall GM Har-Zvi telling us is for White to attack, and even sacrifice, on the K-side while keeping any advantage Black has on the Q-side to a minimum.

13..., Be7 14.Bxd5 Qxd5 15.Qxd5 cxd5

The position is very favorable for Black; the White pieces gathered on the K-side don’t look to be able to make much headway while Black has promising possibilities on the Q-side. We can only guess at what was in Mr. Phillips’ mind when he chose this line. An experienced tournament player with many years in the trenches I don’t believe the choice John was but a whim. My surmise is he had evaluated the position after Black’s 12th move as favoring Black and believed clearing off the Queens and a set of minor pieces was the best way towards reaching an endgame that White can hold. The result of this mistake is White has the worse minor piece - the Bishop, Black has both of his clerics and they have squares, and c2 is a weakness in the White camp that can become terrible.

As I looked in on the game from time to time, my opinion was that White had the better chances. Objectivity was lost on my part. Influenced by the great difference in experience between the players, I believed White was doing better that he was.

It is not uncommon for non-masters to misread a position. This game had at least three players fail to grasp what was really going on at different points in the game; me here as the game transitioned from the opening to middle game and the to participants later. As a rule I don’t publish games of my colleagues when mistakes come in bunches. This game is an exception. Here two pretty experienced players, Phillips and I, as well as a talented newcomer failed to understand what was happening on the board at different points in the game. It is worth considering why this was so.

This phenomenon, the failure to see facts when they are immediately in front of your eyes, is often labeled chess blindness. All the local players seemed to have stories of their own moments of blindness at the board. Usually the blindness is acute and a short lived incident where a piece is lost or a mate missed. Rarer are the occasions where the position is misread by both sides for a number of moves. This emphasizes the need to look objectively at each position as it comes up on the board and not make assumptions about positions.

16.Be3 Nc6 17.Rc1 Rc8!?

Building tension in to the position, not a bad thing if you really want to try for the win. The problem here is tactics. More testing is the positional approach 17..., Na5; if then White recklessly sends the Rook into the lion’s den with 18 Rc7 Kd8 19 Rc1 Nb3 20 Rd1, Black will control the c-file and pick up the Exchange with 20..., Bc2. White may have to concede a pawn with 18 Nd3 Kd7 19 0-0 Rac8 20 Rfd1 Rxc1 21 Rxc1 Rc8 22 Rxc8 Kxc8 23 Ne2 Bc2; collecting the a-pawn. The resulting position is very nearly won for Black, but some technique is required.

18.Nd2 Bd3!?

A most interesting move. Black had to weigh up the difference between holding up White from castling and the option of getting all of his own pieces coordinated before undertaking any action. He went for holding the White King in the center. Castling is the more principled move. With both sides lagging in development so late in the game, the chances of some kind of tactical surprise is certainly afoot.

19.f4?!,..

White obviously did not like how the situation was developing. It had gradually dawned on me that White was in serious trouble. His next operation grows out of the need to change the course of the game lest the Black Knight ends up on a5 giving Black all the say on the Q-side of the board, and obviously White has no balancing tactics on the K-side.

19..., 0–0 20.f5 exf5 21.Ne2 Rc7?

The game now enters a phase where error rules the day. Why do both sides suddenly lose the ability to see? Jacob Aagaard, the Danish GM living and working in Scotland now, wrote Excelling at Chess Calculation, Everyman Chess, London, 2004, where in part he discusses assumptions, blunders and other sins. He says: “You can’t see a theme and then make assumptions about it. Chess is too complicated for us to guess our way through it.” Another of his comments is we sometimes trust our opponent too much. Chess games are won by mistakes and examining each and every move by the opponent for error is the correct path. Aagaard goes on to say it is better to calculate wide rather than deep and one must force oneself to be concrete in calculation to identify mistakes. All of that wisdom would have been useful to both sides for the balance of the game.

Now 21..., Bg5; would have avoided White’s intentions and cemented a material advantage for Black after 22 Kf2 Bxe3+ 23 Kxe3 Bxe2 24 Kxe2 Nxd4+ 25 Kd3 Ne6; and Black is up two pawns. Time is not yet a problem for either side.

22.Nf4 Be4?

Black could have kept things about even with 22..., Bg5. He just does not see what White intends.

23.Nxe4 dxe4 24.d5!,..

The point of the operation beginning 19 f4. A Black piece now falls.

24..., Rfc8 25.dxc6?!,..

Of three possible continuations White elects to take the least promising. Better is 25 Rxc6, removing one pair of Rooks right away reducing chances of Black getting a Rook on the second rank. Also possible is 25 d6!?, again eliminating one pair of Rooks for the same result.

25..., Rxc6 26.Ke2?,..

Permitting the invasion of the second rank. Trading now with 26 Rxc6, simplifies the technical problems White will have exploiting his extra piece. Black now obtains enough counter-play to offset the missing piece.

26..., Rc2+ 27.Kd1 b3

Maybe White overlooked this resource.

28.Ne2?!,..

White passes on the reasonable 28 Rxc2 Rxc2 29 Bc1 Bg5 30 g3 a6 31 Re1 Bxg4 32 gxf4 Rh2; when the lone Black Rook is so active that the many Black pawns balance the game. After earlier gaining the piece White is reluctant to steer towards calmer waters, he assumes after gaining material he must play for the victory.

28..., Rd8+ 29.Ke1 Rxb2 30.Kf2 Rd3 31.Rb1?,..

White has no choice but to keep things confused. This way unfortunately gives Black the chance to redress the material imbalance. White could have tried here 31 Rc8+, then Black would have to find work through lines difficult to calculate: a) 31..., Bd8; and b) 31..., Kh7. Both lines probably favor Black in the long run and require some calculation. Each side was now approaching time trouble. White had used seven minutes to pick 30 Kf2, and had thirteen minutes remaining. Black had about twenty minutes left.

31..., Ra2?

A second best move that leaves the advantage with Black, but it misses a strong shot; 31..., Bh4! Now if 32 Rxh4 Rxb1 33 Nf4 Rxe3; and Black b-pawn can not be stopped after 34 Kxe4 b2. Alternatively, 32 g3 Bxg3+ 33 Kxg3 Rxe3+; and since 34 Kf4??, is impossible because 34..., Rf3; is mate, White has to lose the Ne2 with check leaving him without a defense to the further advance of b-pawn.

32.Bxa7 Rdd2?

Second best again. Black assumes that two Rooks on the second must be worth leaving unguarded the b-pawn to its fate. I remember similarly dropping a passed pawn to a young lady from Serbia in the Saratoga Championship a few years ago. There it turned a win in to a draw. Ultimately this error is more costly. Best here is; 32..., f4; then if 33 Rhd1 f3 34 Rxd3 Rxe2+ 35 Kf1 exd3 36 gxf3 b2 37 Bd4 Ba3 38 a5 Rc2; and Black is winning in all lines.

33.Rhe1 f4 34.Kf1 Bh4 35.Bf2 Bxf2 36.Kxf2 g5!?

By now time trouble had appeared for Black. His clock showed 4 ½ minutes remaining. White had played quickly over the past several moves and had about 10 minutes on his clock. I was impressed by the text. In the complicated position, overlaid with the tension of the leaders striving to take over the unchallenged first place in the section, Mr. Kamma goes all out to win. It is a brave decision, but misguided. He could maintain some advantage with 36..., b2.

37.hxg6 fxg6 38.Rxb3 g5

After many “Alarums and Excursions” White emerges with some advantage. The dangerous b-pawn is gone, and if the on-rushing Black K-side pawns can’t win something, White can well bring home the point.

39.Rb7!?,..

Trying to set up his own threats on the Black King. Both sides were now having to take in to account the dwindling time available. A more secure path for White was 39 Rb4, guarding the a-pawn and forcing Black make provision for the defense of his pawn mass. White assumes holding on to the Knight is necessary if he wants to win. Letting go of the piece would ease his task; after 39 Rb4 e3+ 40 Kf3 g4+ 41 Kxg4 Rxe2 42 Rxe2 Rxe2 43 Kxf4 Rxg2 44 Kxe3, or 43..., Re1 44 Kf3, leave White with good winning chances.

39..., g4 40.Kf1 f3 41.gxf3?,..

An instinctive reaction, there is almost no time to think now for either side. With 41 Nf4, White could have set up perpetual checking possibilities after 41..., e3 42 gxf3 exf3 43 Reb1! The clocks were now drifting towards just a couple of minutes each.

41..., exf3 42.Nf4 Rh2!

A move that should win the game.

43.Kg1 g3?

Akhil, after some very energetic play, just misses the chance to close out the game in fine style with 43..., f7+ 44 Kxh7 fxe8 (Q)+; when White can only give up his Rook on b2 to delay the mate for a move.

44.Rb8+ Kh7 45.Rb7+ Kg8 46.Rb8+ Kg7 47.Rb7+ Kf8

After a little hesitation, Black starts his King towards the annoying Rook. Once the Black King is safe from harassment, two Rooks on the second with two pawns on the third in close support should win for Black.

48.Ng6+,..

What else to do? Continuing to check with the Rook and the Black King will close with his harasser ending the checks, then the threat of ..,f3-f2+ wins handily.

48..., Ke8 49.Re7+ Kd8 50.Rd1+ Kc8?

Mr. Kamma is either under the incorrect assumption that maintaining the Rooks on the second is utterly essential for his game, or he just forgets these Rooks can block the check. With 50..., Rad2; the game is over. After 51 Rxd2 Rxd2; mate is threatened and sacrificing the remaining Rook only buys a move or two at most. If 51 Rb1, threatening his own mate, 51..., Rdg2+ and 52..., Rh1; is mate.

51.Re8+ Kc7 52.Rc1+ Kd7?

Again blocking with a Rook wins for Black. Worse than missing a killer move, the text gives White the whip hand. I am pretty sure Mr. Phillips, even in serious time trouble, knew that Black had the Rook move resource. There are times when your game is so bad and you can’t resign all there is to do is keep a “poker face” and play the best you can find. A game with mutual time problems is such a case.

53.Re7+?,..

Both clocks were approaching one minute now. White misses a neat finish; 53 e6+!, and 53..., Kxe8 54 Rc8 mate, or 53..., Kd6 54 Rd8 mate. When your chess life has been dangling by a thread for some while in a game, it is difficult to recognize and take advantage of a sudden opportunity. That is one trait the masters and Grandmasters seem all to have; if they play on in poor position their alertness to tactical chances remains very high. They rarely miss such opportunities. Us lesser lights too often see them pass by finding them only in the post mortem.

53..., Kd8 54.Rd1+ Kc8?

In the waning seconds of the game I kept asking myself why not block the check with a Rook? Aagaard’s assumption thesis is the only answer. Somewhere along the line Akhil determined maintaining the doubled Rooks on the second was the key for him. Sticking with that assumption costs him the game.

55.Re8+ Kb7 56.Re7+!?,..

Maybe signaling a draw would be acceptable, if 56..., Kc8 57 Re8+, etc. Forcing is 56 Rd7+, but a drawn outcome is likely. Black now fixes on a3 as sanctuary for his King. A natural idea. If there had been more time Black may have realized that it is a false hope.

56..., Kc6 57.Rd6+ Kc5 58.Rc7+ Kb4 59.Rd4+ Ka3?

Shelter that provides no succor. Keeping the balance with 59..., Ka5; maybe best. The Black King does not want to be checked on the third rank. Such a check clips the pawn on f3 eliminating some of mating prospects Black has had for awhile.

60.Rd3+? Kb2?

Continuing the fight with 60..., Kb4 is possible which is why 60 Rc3+, is a better choice for White.

61.Rxf3,..

The tables have now turned with a vengeance. If a pair of Rooks come off; 61..., Ra1+ 62 Rf1 Rxf1 63 Kxf1, the two separated but advanced passed pawns give White all the winning chances. Alternatively, 62..., Rxa4 63 e6, is no picnic for Black either.

61..., Rxa4 62.Rxg3,..

The extra piece and the passed e-pawn are sufficient for White to win.

62..., Re2 63.Rg2 Rxg2+ 64.Kxg2 Re4?

During play several of us thought 64..., Rg4+ tips the game back towards a draw. That is probably not true. After 64..., Rg4+ 65 Kf3, the Black King is cut off from the White passed pawn, and The White King is close enough to effectively escort the e-pawn forward. The Black h-pawn is just not far enough advanced to make much of a difference.

65.Kf3 Re1 1–0

The game went on for a few more moves but was effectively over. Both players seemed to have at different points illustrated the ideas behind Aagaard’s comments about assumptions in chess. Talking with Philip Sells while this game was going on about positions from his game last week against Dilip Aaron brought the comment regards the several chances Sells had to sacrifice on e6; “I saw it but just didn’t calculate the line far enough.” Such may have occurred in today’s game also, in particular White’s decision to trade Queens moves, 13 through 15, and not getting rid of a pair Rooks around move 25.

There is one of the paradoxical aspects of chess wisdom on display here. Aagaard says calculate wide not deep, and Sells comments about not looking far enough to see the point in a sacrifice. Aagaard’s advice focuses on finding more of the resources in a given position. Sells’ comment, Aagaard touches on a similar idea later in his work, highlights the art of a chess player; when you grasp most or all of what a position offers, you have to chose a path to follow. When calculating the moves to be played down a particular line it behooves the player to see it through to the end. Judging where to break off the calculation is a measure of chess skill. Grandmasters do this very well, the rest of us not nearly so well consistently.

The standings after the partial round three are:

Section A

1&2 Zach Calderone 2 - 0

1&2 Carlos Vaerla 2 - 0

3 Philip Sells 2 - 1

4 Jeff Capitummino 1 - 1

5 Mike Stanley 0 - 1

6&7 Dilip Aaron 0 - 2

6&7 Cory Northrup 0- 2

Section B

1 John Phillips 3 - 0

2 Ahkil Kamma 2 - 1

3 Alan Le cours 1 - 1

4 Herman Calderone ½ - ½

5 Richard Chu ½ - 1 ½

6 David Connors 0 - 1

7 Matt Clough 0 - 2

More soon.