Games From Rd 2 Schenectady Prelims

The Schenectady Club Championship is getting underway with a mix problems good and bad. It still has a good number of entrants, but Bobby Rotter one of the better local players had to withdraw before he played a game. Work conflicts prevent Rotter from competing this year. That is a shame, but making a living does take precedence.

Philip Sells, the defending Schenectady and Saratoga Champion, plays interesting chess as well as winning a lot of games. Today we see him battling a new face in the Club, Herman Calderon. Herman is the father of Zack Calderon a rising scholastic player and not a bad player in his own right. Rated 1520, he makes a strong effort here to up end the champion.

I am trying an experiment in this game today by presenting the actual moves in a color other than black. It is hoped the change will make reading this article easier. Philip Sells did something similar in his most recent post, and that inspired me to give it a try.

Calderon, Herman - Sells, Philip [A36]

SCC Championship, Preliminary B, Schenectady, NY, 21.10.2010

1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.e3..,

There are a great many examples of this symmetrical English with elite players on both sides of the argument.

5..., e5

Breaking the lockstep and still in the mainstream GM practice.

6.Nge2 Nge7 7.0–0 d6 8.Rb1 0–0 9.a3 a5 10.Nb5..,

This is a definite departure from master practice. Interestingly, Rybka 3 does not see anything dramatically wrong with the move. It recommends 10 d3, but the difference is evaluated as trivial.

10..., Be6 11.b3 a4 12.d3 axb3 13.Rxb3..,

Somewhat better is 13 Qb6, getting another piece off its original square.

13..., Qd7

An alternative is 13..., d5 14 cxd5 Bxd5 15 Bxd5 Nxd5 16 Nbc3 Nxc3 17 Nxc3 b6. The game is level according to Rybka. Sells possibly wanted to not see material come off the board until he has an opportunity to grab some advantage.

14.Nec3 Ra6 15.Ne4 Na5 16.Rb1 Nxc4?

An error that could have cost Philip the game. Good is 16..., Rc8; with the issue still in the balance.

17.a4?..,

Herman makes a reciprocal mistake in return. He must not have seen that 17 dxc4 Bxc4 is lost after 18 Nxc5! Qd8 19 Nxa6 bxa6 20 Na7 Bxf1 21 Qxf1, when 21..., Qd7; is met by 22 Qxa6, and 21..., Qa5 is answered with the very difficult move to find 22 e4, preparing support for the Na7 with Bc1-e3. In fairness to both players, what looks obvious with the help of a computer is far less so with a clock ticking remorselessly at your elbow. It is admirable how these players have conjured up tactical excitement out of the very positional English. The move played leads back to a rough equality.

17...Na5

Black has stolen away with a pawn and is probably feeling pretty good about here. With a pawn in his pocket and a four hundred point rating edge, I assumed the rest would be routine mopping up. What I did not see is how weak the Black d-pawn is really.

18.Bd2!..,

A very nice move. By attacking the Na5, White has ratcheted up tension in the position.

18..., Nc8?!

After a long think, Mr. Sells under estimates the trickiness in the position. That is not something he does regularly. It may be better to return the pawn graciously with 18..., b6.

19.Bc3?!...,

Mr. Calderon chooses not to take the material imbalance on offer with 19 Nbxd6 Nxd6 20 Nxc5 then clipping the Ra6 emerging with a Rook and a pawn for two Knights. The positional feature that makes this an attractive idea is the activity of the White Bishops after the transaction. Had he gone for this sequence, White would have reached a more or less equal position. Rybka’s continuation is 20..., Qc7 21 Nxa6 bxa6 22 Bb4 Rc8; and while there are tactics to be considered, White can play 23 Rc1, and after 23..., Qb6 24 Rxc8+ Nxc8 25 Ba3. Then if 25..., Bb3 26 Qc1, the situation remains tense but level. After the text move the position favors Black by a half-pawn according to Rybka.

19..., Nc6?

Presenting White with another chance to capture on d6 with b-file Knight and fork the Black Queen and Rook from c5. Better is 19..., Qe7; eliminating the forking possibility.

20.f4

Now Black has the edge.

20..., Qe7 21.fxe5...,

Another try is 21 Ng5, but Black retains the advantage. By this point Black has used much of his allotted 105 minutes with just 18 remaining. White had moved much more speedily and has 61 minutes on his clock.

21.., dxe5 22.d4 cxd4 23.exd4 exd4 24.Bb2 Rd8?

This move gives White excellent chances to save the game and even win it. Better 24..., Bc4. The White cavalry now gets to make serious threats all around the Black Q-side.

A most unusual error for Sells. I have watched him play with vanishingly little time on his clock against the best local players and carry on for twenty or more moves without slipping and often coming away with a full point. The most notable instance was a game with Steve Taylor when he out speeded a guy who is no stranger himself to winning in time trouble and won the Saratoga title last year.

25.Ba3 Qe8 26.Nc7 Qd7 27 Nxa6 bxa6 28.Nc5 Qe8 29.Nxa6?..,

Herman had 49 minutes on the clock when he made this move that throws almost all of his advantage over the side. Greed for the a-pawn allows the Black d-pawn to become a serious power constraining the White forces. Sells had less than 9 minutes left.

White has at least two other ideas that seem to be better choices: first a continuation of the Knight foray with 29 Nb7, and second, recognizing the Black minor pieces may become dangerously active and beginning a reduction of force on the board with 29 Nxe6.

The first alternative leads to a odd distribution of force and complications after; 29 Nb7, and a) 29..., Rd5 30 Bxd5 Bxd5 31 Re1 Qd7 32 Nc5 Qd8 33 Nd3 +/-(0.94) Rybka; or b) 29..., Ne5 30 Nxd8 Qxd8; setting White the difficult task of evaluating a large number of choices; 31 Bb4, 31 Bb2, 31 Bc1, 31 Bc5 and 31 Rf4, all giving White some small advantage in the continuing complications. A clearer way to play for White is 27 Nxe6 Qxe6 28 Qb3 Qxb3 29 Rxb3 Ne5 30 Rb8 getting this Rook into action while detailing the Rf1 to watch d1. In this way White gets activity for his pieces and eliminates some of the Black pieces that are supporting the on-rushing d-pawn. Our electronic friend, “Mr.” Rybka says the position after 30 Rb8, favors White +/- 0.99.

29..., d3 30.Nc7 Qd7 31.Nxe6 fxe6

Better for Black is 31..., Qxe6. White can now play 32 Bc5, setting up a safe route to attack d2 when the pawn arrives there as well as preventing the Bg7 from getting on the diagonal g1-h7 unopposed.

32.Rc1...,

Even with more than forty minutes on his clock, Mr. Calderon can not master the difficulties in this position. The text does nothing effective to prevent the d-pawn from stifling White, and his game goes downhill from here.

32..., Ne5 33.Bb2 d2 34.Rc2 Nb6 35.Rf2 Nbc4 36.Bc3?..,

Time trouble for Sells is full blown now, he is down to about two minutes plus a five second delay. Calderon has 35 minutes. Objectively the game was about even until White’s last move. From a practical point of view, Black has a strong initiative based on the monster on d2 and the weakness of the position of the White King.

White has to do something now about the d-pawn. Necessary is 36 Bxe5. If Black recaptures on e5 immediately with other Knight White wins; 36.., Nxe5 37 Rcxd2 Nd3 38 Be4 Bd4 39 Rxd3 Bxf2+ 40 Kxf2, and White will have an extra piece for a pawn if Black can find some safe way to confiscate the a-pawn which looks doubtful. If Black captures on e5 with the Bishop, of course the Nc4 falls and White is clearly winning.

One reason why Sells plays so well under time pressure is he begrudges not the time to study the positions leading up to the time pressure situation. Orienting himself solidly in the basics of what is happening in the game so that when there is little time to think he can find moves where others fail. I wonder even if with his skill under time duress, Philip could have worked through the complexities after 36 Bxe5 Qxa4; pretty much the only try for Black, then 37 Bxg7! Ne3 38 Rfxd2! Nxd1 39 Rxd8+ Kxg7 30 Rc7+ Kf6 31 Rxh7. The game is level, but with only 34 seconds remaining, could Mr. Sells find his way through to a draw, much less a win in this game?

36..., Qa7?

Much better is 36..., Nd3; winning quickly. The move played allows White another chance to capture on e5 and transpose into the ending with two Rooks versus a Queen.

37.Rcxd2?..,

This reciprocal error closes out any chance for White to hold.

37..., Nxd2 38.Bxe5 Bxe5 39.Qe2 Qc5 40.Kh1 Rd6 41.Qe1 Bc3 42.Qg1 Bd4

The game may have gone on a move or two more and Philip Sells won at the end. Other games were reaching their ends and I was trying to record those contests also. And, as time trouble was beginning on these other boards, I did not see the final moments of this game.

Other news from Thursday evening:

In Section B Matthew Clough lost to Richard Moody and Jeff Capitummino drew with Dilip Aaron.

In Section A Richard Chu won from Zachary Calderon, in a very up and down affair, after a long and exciting battle John Phillips defeated Cory Northrup and Bill Little won a short sharp struggle from his Geezers teammate Brig Saran.

More games soon.