Today another game from the recent Albany - Schenectady match. John Barnes and I have met several times over the years. We have drawn quite frequently, but seldom have these draws been a quiet halving of the point in a peaceful fashion. This game is another example of both of us trying to win, and then one of us - me - scrambling for a way to draw.
Barnes, John, Schenectady - Little, Bill, Albany [B07]
Albany - Schenectady Match at the Schenectady Chess Club , 08.19.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 0–0 6.Bh6 a6!?
Second best. This is a position not quite in the mainstream of the Pirc but there are chances to transpose into something fitting better with well known theory. Better for Black is 6..., c5; then 7 Bxg7 Kxg7 8 dxc5 dxc5 9 0-0-0, and the likely elimination of the Queens and a pair of Rooks on the d-file with a quick draw is in the offing.
To even up an imbalance of the sides I, along with Mike Mockler and Alan Le Cours, was playing for Albany. It seemed to me honor demanded an effort be made to win the game and not just to make a pro forma draw, and so the choice of 6..., a6.
7.0–0–0 b5
Possible is 7..., Bxh6 8 Qxh6 Ng4; as played later. This may be a better way to carry out my idea because White is less developed than is the case in the game.
8.Bd3 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 Ng4 10.Qd2,..
If 10 Qh4 e5; and Black has a good game.
10..., e5!?
The too routine 10..., b4?!; getting on with the standard sort of attack when opposite side castling takes place was too dangerous because the White attack; h2-h4, h4-h5 and Qd2-h6 is very potent and very fast. The text is quite risky as well. The best bet is 10..., Nbd7; getting another piece into the mix.
11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.h4,..
John goes directly into attack mode. White might be better served by the retreat 12 Be2, preserving the light squared Bishop to later strengthen the assault, or immediately 10 f4
12..., h5?!
Choosing to try to make a barrier, but such a scheme has the associated problems of creating targets and weakening squares around the Black King. Better is 12..., Nxd3+; eliminating a potential attacker.
13.Be2 Be6?
If my 12th move was doubtful, this just bad. I have set up targets on the e-file White may use to gain time by advancing the f-pawn. Giving up tempos when your King’s field is shaky leads to lost games. All that is keeping Black in the game is some tactical tricks near the White King. Better for Black is 13..., Nbc6.
14.Qh6!?,..
White was concerned about 14..., Nc4; and so hurries his Queen to the square where she can annoy my King. Better 14 f4 Nc4 15 Bxc4 Bxc4 16 e5, collecting a pawn thanks to his superiority on the d-file.
14..., Nbd7 15.Nh3 Qf6 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 Qg7 18.Qxg7+ Kxg7
Black has been lucky. In the last short sequence White traded a pair of minor pieces and the Queens. This reduction of material improved the safety of my King. The game is about level.
19.Ng5 Nc5 20.f4 Ned7 21.f5 Rae8
Mr. Barnes continues to make attacking moves after the moment for attack has passed. Black now has some small advantage according to Deep Rybka. White had useful developing moves such as putting the Rh1 on the e-file.
22.Bf3 Re5
Rybka sees 22..., gxf5; as best. That move gives up the h-pawn then Black has to block the advance of the White h-pawn with his King. The whole line is complicated. The electronic beast tells me Black is slightly ahead through some very sharp Knight maneuvers. After the briefest of glances at taking on f5 I dismissed that option, not the best choice but a quite human kind of decision - resolving tension rather than courting ambiguity. I have written before in these posts about how too often club level players will accept an inferior position to eliminate tension in a position. This happens to me more than once in this game.
23.fxg6 f6 24.Nh3 Kxg6 25.Nf4+ Kh6 26.Rhe1 Rfe8 27.Kd2 Nb6
This is not a bad move at all, but 27..., Ne4+; is a worthy alternative. Then 28 Bxe4 Rxe4 29 Rxe4 Rxe4 30 Ne6 Rxh4 31 Nxc7 Rg4; favors Black slightly. White can vary in this line with 31 Rf1 instead of 31 Nxc7, then 31..., Kb6 32 Nxc7 Nb6 33 Kc1 Rh2 and the battle still rages in a dynamically balanced position. My faith in my position was fading. The longer I studied the situation the less appealing it appeared. That is the genesis of my misguided choices coming up.
28.b3 Ne4+ 29.Bxe4 Rxe4 30.Rxe4 Rxe4 31.g3 Re5 32.Kc3 a5 33.Rd3 f5 34.a3 c6?
A bad mistake in a very tense position. Another case of an unmillingness to face tension. Black had to try 34..., Re1; then 35 Kd2 Re7 36 Rc3 a4 37 Kc1 Na8 (A move I did not consider) 38 bxa4 bxa4 39 Kd2 Nb6. It is not easy for White to increase the pressure. The well placed Black Rook and Knight balance space advantage White owns. There is a lot of fight left. White had used a great deal of his clock time to reach this point. By playing 34..., Re1; I could have tested John to a greater degree, and he might have found it difficult to work through the complications in his remaining time. When making the text move I had decided my game was in serious trouble and my only road to salvation lay in sacrificing material - pawns - to get free play for my pieces. The hope was to weaken as many of the White pawns as possible, then try to pick them off before one ran to Queen.
35.dxc6 Rc5+ 36.Kd2 Rxc6 37.Rd4 a4 38.Nd5 axb3 39.cxb3 Nc8 40.Nb4 Rb6 41.Ke3 Kg6 42.Kf4 Ne7 43.Nd5 Nxd5+ 44.Rxd5 Ra6
I have gotten what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it is not really enough to have any hope for a draw, except Barnes is running short of time.
45.Rxf5 Rxa3 46.Rxb5 Ra1 47.Rd5?!,..
Slightly better is 47 Rg5+ forcing Black to move his King to h6, then 48 b4 leaves White firmly in control. Nonetheless, White has a winning advantage.
47..., Rf1+ 48.Ke3?!..,
White would have kept all of his advantage with 48 Ke4. John was down to three minutes on the clock now, and I have some hopes; His King and a couple of pawns are lined up along the third rank where my Rook may be able to inflict some damage.
48..., Rb1 49.Rxd6+ Kf5 50.Rd5+?
Abandoning the b-pawn lets the win slip from his grasp. As long as the b-pawn remains on the board, Black is lost. When it disappears the draw is possible. Winning is 50 Rd3, then 50..., Ke5 51 Rc3, and 50..., Kg5 51 Kd4, both win easily for White.
Kg4 51.Rg5+?..,
Now the only try is 51 Rd4+ Kxg3 52 b4 is won because the Black King is cut off while the White King is entirely free to advance to support the b-pawn. If Black varies with 51..., Kf5 both 52 Rb4, and 52 b4, win.
51..., Kh3 52.Rxh5,..
The only try is 52 Rb5, then 52..., Kxg3 53 Rb4 Rf1; and if the White King goes to the 4th rank, the Black rook checks and trades on b4 and the pawn race is a draw. Should White try the other route, his King marching to a3, the Black Rook goes to h2 after checking the White King until he finds sanctuary on a3, then captures the h-pawn and the pawn race is again drawn.
52..., Rxb3+
I captured the b-pawn and offered the draw. Mr. Barnes accepted because the obvious line: 53.Kd2 Kxg3 54.Rh8 Kg4 55.h5 Kg5 56.h6 Rh3 57.Rd8 Rxh6 is clear and he almost no time on his clock.
A game with the flaws common to our “game in xx minutes” time control. The Sudden Death time control brings predictability to scheduling, but makes managing the clock more important than ever. John Barnes paid the half-point penalty this time.
The extra time I accumulated on the clock should have been used somewhere around moves 22 to 27 to better understand the position. Had I done so the game would have more worthwhile content from technical viewpoint. As it happened, we got an exciting fight with errors by both parties.
More on the match soon.
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