Here is another game from the round played November 18th at Schenectady. In it I make a mistake that costs dearly. The scholastic player Zack Calderon shows a nicely creative flair and some bravery when required.
Calderon, Zack - Little, Bill [A43]
SCC Ch Prelim A Schenectady, NY, 18.11.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.d5,..
This is OK, but more critical is 6 Bb5+ Bd7 7 e5, and we enter a line where the next dozen moves are not intuitive at all. Both sides must know some very tactical lines. These result from several years of some of the best Grandmasters in the 1980’s and 90’s refining the line until Seirawan found a forced draw for Black. Lee Battes and I debated the critical line a few times over the years until he switched to the game move.
6..., 0–0 7.Be2 Qa5
Possible and maybe better is; 7...b5 8.Bxb5 Nxe4 9.Nxe4 Qa5+ 10.Ned2 Qxb5 11.c4 Qa6; and Black has some advantage. The pressure Black has on b2 is not easily balanced by action down the e-file by White because the simple e7-e6 either eliminates the target for White (.. , exd5) or opens lines useful for Black (dxe6, fxe6). If White grabs the e-pawn after Rf1-e1, Nd7 the game becomes is a tactical swamp where, as GM Har-Zvi liked to say, “both sides are lost”. Going this way would have put a considerable challenge to Zack.
The approach I elected to use is not so much worse, as it is less challenging. It is the standard scheme of creating pressure on the White center that is normal in Pirc with an early .., c7-c5.
8.Bd2 Qb6 9.0–0 Na6
Clipping the b-pawn with 9..., Qxb2; is just not good. After 10 Rb1 Qa3 11 Nb5, Black will get some play but not enough to offset the lost material after 11..., Qa4 12 Nc7 Nxe4 13 Nxa8, when it turns out picking off the White Na8 is not possible.
10.Kh1,..
This is not strictly necessary, but it demonstrates a careful positional feel for the game.
10..., e6?
My first but not my last mistake in this game.
11.Qe1?,..
Zack misses the correct answer; 11 Ng5, then 11..., Bd7; is probably best. There are several lines, all full of tactical shots, most of which do not workout well from Black. An example to illustrate is: 11..., Bd7 12 dxe6 fxe6 13 e5 Nd5 14 Nxd5 exd5 15 Ba5!? Qxa5 16 Qxd5+ Kh8 17 Qxb7 Nc7 18 exd6 h6 19 Nf3, and this is a sufficiently murky position to give both players a headache. White will likely recover the piece soon and the pawns Black dropped along the way give White the advantage. There are many places for both sides to vary along the way. Calculating all the possibilities is certainly beyond me and I suspect it was beyond Zack also.
11..., exd5?
And I miss a chance to take advantage of a mistake. Best is 11..., Nb4; threatening c2. Black then has opportunity get fully developed. The cost is his Queen is exposed to some threats. If Black is very accurate, he has chances to snag a pawn somewhere along the line.
12.e5!?,..
I had not given this move much consideration expecting only 12 exd5, when 12..., Qxb2; leaves the White Q-side in shambles.
12..., dxe5 13.fxe5 Ne4 14.Nxd5 Qd8 15.Nc3?,..
This retreat lets Black obtain the advantage. Better 15 c4, and White has a small edge.
15..., Nxd2 16.Nxd2 Nb4 17.Rd1 Nxc2 18.Qg3 Qe7 19.Rf6?!,..
Desperation, but showing a creative approach in a tough situation. My last few moves were pretty much accurate according to Deep Rybka, and gave me a solid but not quite winning advantage.
19..., Bxf6 20.exf6 Qxf6 21.Nde4 Qe7??
In one moment of inattention I manage to turn a decent advantage into a significant disadvantage. Correct is 21..., Qg7; defending the weak squares around my King and solidifying a near winning edge. After the text White is much better.
22.Nd5!,..
This obvious move I did not see when picking the text. As far as I can recall, after pocketing the Exchange and the pawn, that serious mental lapse; thinking the position plays itself, took over my mind. When Zack dropped his Knight on d5, it was very like a splash of icy cold water. A few moments thought and I knew the game was objectively lost. My thoughts then turned to how to make things difficult for my opponent.
22..., Qe6 23.Nef6+ Kg7 24.Bg4 Qxf6 25.Nxf6 Kxf6 26.Qf2+ Kg7 27. Bxc8
Zack does not become too excited to see clearly. This move simply wrings most of the tactical tricks out of the position leaving Black the unpleasant prospect of a long and ultimately unsuccessful defense.
I struggled on for more than fifty(!) more moves but without ever getting a real chance to hold the game. Zack played very well during those many moves demonstrating an understanding of solid technique not usually seen in one with just a few years of chess experience. A painful loss for me, and a victory for Zack that shows promise for the future.
More soon.
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