Thursday 12/17/09 at Schenectady

Thursday the 17th was one more interesting night at the Schenectady Championship. Opening up a gap in Section A was Alan LeCours with a nice win over me from the Black side of a Gruenfeld. He and I have debated over the board the Exchange Gruenfeld once or twice in the past. This time out Alan found an improvement or two, winning when I allowed the entry of his pieces on my K-side. Section A had up to now been a close fight for qualifying spots. This win opens a small gap - the first win by one of the top five seeds to defeat another of the top seeds. A good result for Alan and a pretty good game I believe. We will see it here in a day or two.

In Section B, Phil Sells defeated Jonathan Lack. Lack made a doubtful move just as the game was moving towards the middle game. Sells sized the advantage never letting up and gathered in the full point. According to Lack this loss spells the end of any chance to qualify for the finals. I have to agree with Jonathan. It is sad to see one of the better players out of the finals, but it is the result of some success the Schenectady Club has achieved by being a congenial place to play chess. The club has the past few years been attracting so many more A players and Experts that getting into the finals is difficult.

Back in Section A, David Connors took a draw from Dean Howard. There is a 400+ point rating difference in Dean’s favor, so the result has to be called an an upset. On the other hand, Connors has been playing well in Schenectady, he drew with me also. For the passed two or three years David has been close on a number of occasions to taking full or half points from the leaders both in Schenectady and Saratoga. While Connors’ progress has not been fast it has been steady. We may be seeing the emergence of another “Giant Killer” like Chu and Saran.

Speaking of Richard Chu, today’s post features another nice result from his run this year. In this game from Thursday evening Chu takes a draw from Bobby Rotter, a very promising A player who is flirtting with an Expert rating.

[Event "SCC Ch Prelim A"]
[Site "SCC"]
[Date "2009"]
[White "Rotter, B"]
[Black "Chu, R"]

Rotter obtains the advantage quickly enough in this game. When I looked at the game in its early stages it seemed things would be over soon. Every time I returned to see what was happening, more pieces were off the board. Then opposite colored Bishops with just Rooks on appeared. I was busy taking my drubbing from LeCours and did not get to watch the final moves leading the agreed draw.

1. e4 Nc6
2. Nf3 e5
Deciding to transpose into something more normal. The Ruy, or the GP perhaps are reasonable choices.

3. d4 ….
Bobby chooses the Scotch Game. This opening shows up not as infrequently as we sometimes believe. Kasparov was partial to it towards the end of his active playing career and used in his match with Karpov in Lyon, 1990. Others of the top ilk have trotted out the Scotch on occasion; Anand, Morozevich and Ivanchuk are recent examples.

3.… exd4
4. Bc4 ….
Playing this way is a favorite of Ian Rodgers and Sveshnikov.

4.… Qe7?!
This move takes the game away from normal chess. The better players have used either 4..., Bc5; or 4..., Nf6. The latter can take the game to positions similar to the Moller Attack from the GP. Either move is better than the text.

5. O-O d6?
Offering a chance to try for advantage is 5..., Nf6; and 6..., Qb4. The move played is too quiet. White obtains a substantial edge now. An alternative idea for Black is 5..., Qc5; and then 6..., d6.

6. Nxd4 Nxd4
7. Qxd4 Be6
8. Nc3 Nf6
9. Bg5 ….
Rotter has everything developing quite nicely, while Richard will have to make some compromise to get his K-side into to the fray.

9.… h6?
Natural and wrong. Tactics now become part of the mix and cost a pawn soon enough.

10. Nd5! ….
To exact the price by weakening the Black pawn formation. So far we might call what has gone on “normal” where there is a five hundred point rating difference.

10... c5?!
The computer suggests Black gives up his Queen for a Rook and a minor piece with 10..., Bxd5; 11 exd5, hxg5; 12 Rae1, Rh4; 13 Rxe7+, Bxe7; 14 Qd3, Kf8. Bringing the Black King to d7 is dangerous but it might be the only way to make a fight out of the game. The Black pieces are by no means active enough to keep the Queen from finding a weak pawn somewhere on the Q-side to be won.

11. Bxf6 cxd4
12. Bxe7 Bxd5
13. Bxd5 Bxe7
14. Bxb7 Rb8
15. Bc6+ Kd8!?
Black now begins to play with some verve. True it is safer to hide the King with Kf8/g7-g6 and Kg7. That is slow. Chu instinctively knows he is in trouble and wants to get activity for his pieces. He doubtless judged the game just about lost here calculating such risk is not so great when you are lost in any event.

16. Rab1 Bf6
17. Bd5 Ke7
18. f4 Rhc8
19. e5? …..
Not a really bad move and it may not deserve a question mark, but it is the first sign Bobby is not bearing down. Why does he want to eliminate one of weak Black pawns? Maybe this transaction will have to take place at some point, however right now 19 Bb3, gets rid of any immediate threat to b2, and the natural plan would be to get the White Rooks into action before changing the pawn formation flaws that Black has.

19.… dxe5
20. fxe5 Bxe5
21. Rxf7+ Kd6
22. Bb3 Rc7
23. Rf3 …..
Another just slightly less than aggressive move. There is nothing wrong with 23 Rbf1, keeping his Rooks active. Rotter may have had some doubts at this point of the game. Rooks and opposite color Bishop endings are can easily transpose into drawn positions. Bobby may have been motivated by the simple wish to keep more material on to have more winning chances.

23.… Rbc8
24. Re1 Re7
25. Rd1 Kc5
26. c3? …..
Not a big mistake but a mistake nonetheless. White voluntarily reduces the health of his Q-side pawns. After the game move Black is not equal, he can, however, at least begin to see equality. The specific flaw here is one of technique. Good technique is: surrender no advantage without significant compensation elsewhere.

26.… dxc3
27. bxc3 Kb6
28. c4 ….
This advance of the pawn to c4 was forced, and at that post it blocks the Bb3. We have watched Black take some risks to make his pieces active, and White, absent a positive plan, succeed in weakening his pawns and restricting his pieces, with the only operating principle being keep material on. All that said, Bobby still has an advantage. He has, however, made the task harder than necessary.

28... Rc5
29. g3 a5
My computer thinks this is not correct. I disagree. Richard appears to have the right idea; if he can get the Rooks off the board, a draw is in sight.

30. Rfd3 a4
31. Bxa4 Rxc4
32. Rb1+ Kc7
It is just possible that 32..., Ka7; is better. As it turns out putting the King on the c-file makes no significant difference.

33. Bb3 ….
The probability of a draw is high with the distribution of forces on the board. White has to make something out of his distant passed pawn. To that end 33 Bb5, and 34 a4, had to be played. The way the game goes allows Black to make progress to the safe haven of a drawn ending.

33.… Rc5
34. Kg2 Rd7
35. Rbd1 Rxd3
36. Rxd3 Bf6
37. Rd2 Re5
38. Kf3 Ra5
39. g4 ….
Moving the K-side pawns gives Black chances to simplify the game further. Stripped down to its essentials the position is drawn.

39.… Re5
40. Rd3 h5
41. Rd5 ….
Conceding the draw. If there is to be more play in the game, White would have to keep the last pair of Rooks on the board. After the exchange, things are clear.

41.… hxg4+
Chu takes the opportunity to make things simpler. With a pair of pawns off the K-side, there are no simple tricks.

42. Kxg4 Rxd5
43. Bxd5 Kb6
Tableau! The Black King will take a stand on a5 and the Bishop will move along the a1-h8 diagonal. White can make no progress.

44. h4 Bc3
Draw by agreement.
Richard showed good understanding of the endgame. Bobby was possibly too relaxed once he had the advantage thinking perhaps the game would play itself. That is a trap I have fallen into myself most recently this year against David Connors. Another example is this week’s draw David obtained from Dean Howard. His excellent effort in the ending demonstrates once more how dangerous Richard Chu can be to the leading contenders.

More tomorrow.