Sunday at Saratoga

Sunday night the Saratoga Club had its first make-up round of play. There will very likely be four make-up rounds The intractable problem of getting all the games played as scheduled always leads to “make-up rounds” of play. I am of two minds on this subject. The case for sticking to the schedule is primarily one of predictability. Contestants want know when the event will end. The case for the common approached used by local clubs has to do with convenience and congeniality. Living as we do in a part of the country well known for miserable winter storms, its understandable there will be nights when travel to a chess club will be worse than inconvenient, it can be downright dangerous. And, health problems can always crop up for any of us. Those arguments have won among the members of the various local clubs that I know. Over the years, by agreement amongst us members, we have extended the reasons for rescheduling a game to include just about any conflict of personal or family events. That is the congeniality part of the equation. On balance the situation is probably as good as it can be, and thus we will have several make-up rounds to extend the Saratoga (and later the Schenectady) Championship until early February or beyond.
Today’s post is about another upset. David Connors strikes once more taking a half point from Phil Sells. Sells had been motoring along towards a shot at second place behind Steve Taylor. Phil came close to dropping a whole point to David, and that would have hurt his potential for second. As it is, I think he is still in with a chance.

[Event "Saratoga Championship"]
[Site "Saratoga Springs, NY"]
[Date "12-20-2009"]
[White "Connors, D"]
[Black "Sells, P"]

1. Nf3 c5
2. e4 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 d6
6. Be2 Be7
7. O-O O-O
8. Kh1 ….
While the Polgar sisters have used this move a few times, just about none of the other top flight players make this move quite so early preferring 8 Be3, mostly.

8.… Nc6
9. f4 Qc7
10. Bf3 ….
By no means a fashionable move, but, there are plenty of opportunities to transpose back to the mainstream.

10.… a6
11. g4 ….
White wants a fight. This is some kind of Keres Attack I think.

11.… Nxd4
12. Qxd4 e5
Pretty much a standard reaction of a higher rated club player facing bold action by an opponent he believes he should defeat; White has made some very aggressive moves, one could call them provocative, on the K-side, some kind of quick strike in the center ought to set him back on his heels. The game is about to become seriously complex.

13. Qg1 …..
This move may not have been considered or fully appreciated by Sells. Possibly he thought the Queen would have to retire to d1 where she is more in the way than helpful. From g1 the Lady offers support without getting under foot.

13.… exf4
This move concedes the tiniest of advantages to White. The computer suggests; 13..., Be6; 13..., Re8; and even 13..., Bd8; as alternatives. The notion underlying the alternatives is to go defensive on the K-side and to set up counter-play by getting the Bc8 into action on the long diagonal. Sells’ path requires some precision calculation, something Phil is very capable of doing.

14. Bxf4 Be6
15. Qg3 Nd7
16. Rf2 ….
White goes about massing his forces on the K-side. That is the general idea behind shoving the f&g-pawns forward. I am not certain David has the exactly correct squares for his pieces, but he has the general concepts right. A drawback to proceeding this way is the possibility of a strike against the tender position of the White King. Connors is counting on attack being the best sort of defense.

Putting the Rook on the second rank serves two purposes; protecting c2 and the rank in general and preparing to double the Rooks..

16.… Ne5
My guess is Phil was counting on this post for the Knight to keep the balance for the time being. We can make an assessment of the position at this juncture. Both sides have to make some decisions with long term implications about the shape of the terrain in the center and the distribution of forces over the next moves. Will it be dueling isolated center pawns? Opposite color Bishops, or Bishops of the same color?

17. Bxe5 ….
White takes a very direct path. The alternative, 17 Nd5, is promising intending to pressure d6 and to break open some files bearing on the Black King. The game move heads into the Bishops of opposite color situation. A caution here: opposite color Bishops are not the secret to a quiet life when Queens and other material is in the mix. Attacks long the lines controlled by an unopposed Bishops are very hard to stop as we will see.

17.… dxe5
18. Nd5 Bxd5
19. exd5 ….
The tiny advantage has grown to something beginning to look significant. If White finds a way to mobilize the four to two pawn majority, Black has long term problems. The Black pieces stand well to hold back such mobilization. Underlying these positional considerations is tactical possibilities based on an attack with opposite colored Bishops.

19.… Bg5
20. Qg2 Rad8
21. Be4 Rd6
22. Qf3 Rf6
23. Qe2 Rxf2
24. Qxf2 g6
Black wants to make his own pawn majority an influence in the contest. His reasoning likely is; my pawns are near the White King, there may be mate threats that will help my cause.

25. Qe2 ….
I am partial to 25 Rd1, getting all pieces in action before moving furniture. However, David may be right. Taking the Rook away from guarding the a-pawn gives Black a chance to make threats there with 25..., Qc4. The game move gets the Queen off the file opposite the Black Rook and guards the Bishop. I wonder if Connors gave any thought to 25 h4!?, when the game is tracking towards liquidation of the opposing pawn minorities. The better King safety Black would enjoy in that line may be enough to tip the balance in his favor.

25... Bf4
Phil is setting his house in order, as is his wont, before advancing the pawns in front of his King. Another choice here would be to play against the White Q-side majority using Black’s control of the dark squares to disable the pawns before thinking about aggression on the K-side.

26. c4 Qc5
27. Rb1 Kh8
28. b4 Qe7
29. c5 ….
Worth consideration is 29 d6, Qxd6; 30 Bxb7, and we have a more usual looking game with competing passed pawn pairs. Black’s pair is a bit more mobile and a touch less secure than White’s pair. Well, White’s is not quite a passed pair yet, but the potential is there for sure.

29.… f5
30. gxf5 gxf5
31. Bc2 ….
More controlled is 31 d6, Qf7; 32 Bg2, Rg8; 33 b5, putting considerable pressure on Black by getting the passed pawns further along the road to becoming Queens.

31.… e4
32. Rf1 Bh6
33. Qh5 Bd2?
Sells cracks first! Necessary is 33..., Qg7. If White grabs the f-pawn with 34 Rxf5??, he loses to 34..., Rg8. White should answer 33..., Qg7; with 34 Rg1, and then 34..., Qf6; 35 Rf1, keeps the fight going.

34. Rxf5 ….
White now has a near winning advantage.

34.…. Bxb4?
The normally solid, calm Sells seems to have miss-read the position and is a bit flustered. Necessary is 34..., Qe8, giving up a pawn to keep some chances. White now has a forced sequence that should bring home the full point.

35. d6 Qg7
36. Rxf8+ Qxf8
37. Qe5+ Qg7
38. Qe8+ Qg8
39. d7 Ba5
40. Bxe4?? …..
Amazing, simply amazing! David grasped the essentials of the position and played the forcing sequence without using a tremendous amount of time for each move. Arriving at a dead won position, and using several moments to consider the choices, he misses the neat finish with 40 Bb3! White wins a Queen and the game. Jacob Aagaard writes about seeing first and calculating only when required. This is a case where seeing is crucial. Apparently the e-pawn was the target in David’s mind right along. He was unable to step back mentally and see the tactical point that wins outright.

40.… Kg7
Virtually the only move.

41. Bxb7? ….
White’s advantage is so great even after missing the tactical shot he has a dead won game. Correct is 41Qe5+, Kf8; 42 Qf6+, winning a full piece with 43 d8(Q)+, and even worse the Queen and Bishop just dominate the board with no safe haven for Black’s King. After the text White is still winning. Black has chances to make things complicated by threaten many checks on the White King. Black might not be adverse to exchanging Queens under the right circumstances hoping for a blockade of the advanced White pawns

41.…. Qc4
This threatens mate in one. Better objectively is 41..., Qf7. The game move presents White with another bite of the apple.

42. Qe5+ Kf8
43. Qh8+? ….
Connors just is not seeing it. Again 43 Qf3+, picks up a piece and the full point. Fascinating how up to a point Connors demonstrated confidence and a sure hand in handling his forces but repeatedly failed to find the one or two move sequences that finishes the contest cleanly. Of almost equal interest is how the usual tactical alertness of Phil Sells went missing in the critical moment. Since his error move 33 Phil used a great deal of time trying to find moves that would make things as murky as possible while keeping a “poker face” not to telegraph just now bad things are for Black. Phil’s clock was showing the effects of this work and was under five minutes remaining here. Connors had about twenty minutes left on it.
　
43.… Ke7
A little better is 43..., Kf7; but the game is lost anyway.

44. Qxh7+? …..
Arrgh!! Missing for another time the chance to pick up a piece with 44 Qe8+, when the pawn Queens with check. David must have concluded that Black’s Bishop closed out the idea of Queening the d-pawn forgetting that doing so with check leaves time to defend against mates or perpetual checks by the Black Queen. David can find moves and understands positional chess very well. He can find forcing sequences right along with the better local players. To advance to his potential, David has to work on seeing the tactical possibilities that lie in a position only a move or two deep.

44.…. Kd8
Phil must have decided David was never going to grasp the chance having to do with the tactics around Queening the pawn.

45. Qh8+ Kxd7
46. Qc8+? …..
Winning is 46 Qg7+. The square e6 is a “no go zone” for Black’s King because of the diagonal check winning the Black Queen. That fact on the board means mating possibilities are high for White. Play is 46 Qg7+, Kd8; 47 Qf8+, Kd7; 48 Qd6+, Ke8; 49 Bc6+, and the Black King and Queen will be forked by the Bishop on the diagonal a2-g8. These ideas are linked to the previously mentioned tactics having to do with Queening the d-pawn. Don’t see one and probably the other is not seen either.

46.… Ke7
47. Bxa6 ….
White’s advantage has dwindled hugely, but there is still a possible win. Better is 47 Qf5, guarding against mate on f1, protecting the c-pawn and keeping alive the mating threats of the Queen and Bishop combination. Taking off Black’s last pawn gives Phil the momentary respite needed to save the draw. Black now begins checking with only seconds left on his clock. With plenty of time to think, White can find no shelter for his King and the game is drawn.

47.…. Qe4+
48. Kg1 Qb1+
49. Kg2 Qxa2+
50. Kh3 Qb3+
51. Kg4 Qd1+
52. Kf5 Qf3+
53. Kg5 Bd2+
54. Kh4 Qf4+
55. Kh3 Qf3+
56. Kh4 Be1+
57. Kg5 Bd2+
58. Kh4 Draw by agreement

The game actually went on a move or two more neither side recognizing the three move repetition had occurred.

From sportting viewpoint this was a good result for David - a draw with Sells and a couple of draws in the Schenectady Championship against higher rater opponents mark an advance for him. Missing winning chances so often is painful but excellent an learning experiences for an improving player if taken in and recognized. I expect to see an even more dangerous opponent next when David comes to the board to play.

In other news from Sunday: Peter Sparagna with a 1365 rating came nearly as close as Connors to taking a 1900 scalp, mine. Continuing a run of poor play, I butchered a Pirc Defense against Peter, then thought I’d worked out a win after returning from death’s door only to have one more hallucination. The last mistake was so final that there was nothing more for me to do to but offer a draw in a Rook ending with even pawns. Jonathan Feinberg was taken almost to the end of the playing session by Ray Alguire. It may have required many moves but Jonathan’s technique was sufficient to the work at hand and he rolled up the full point. Alan LeCours avoided trouble with the youngster Jeff Hrebenach winning with apparent ease.

The Schenectady Club will be dark for the next two Thursday for the eves of Christmas and New Year’s. Make up rounds are scheduled for the Saratoga Club on the next two Sundays.
More soon.