The first game of the match for the AACC title was a victory for the Black side. Gordon said after the game he had done some preparation for the contest based on Dean’s well known preference for the Tartakower line in the QGD, and the contest followed his preparation for the first ten moves. It isn’t often at the club level preparation gets done and actually is followed. In contrast, Grandmasters often have published their opinion about certain favorite lines and feel honor bound to defend them. Seldom is that the case for those of us at the club level, and we can be swayed by new knowledge that comes are way. There are some exceptions to that generality on the local scene: Jonathan Lack’s closed treatment versus the Sicilian, Alan Le Cours’ Schliemann in Ruy Lopez and Bobby Rotter and the Iceland Gambit of the Scandinavian. Dean has been successfully defending the Tartakower against the QGD. He seldom varies. Gordon took advantage of that to achieve a good position out of the opening. Of course, a good opening scheme does not always translate into victory because you have to navigate the middle and end games to garner the full point.
Magat, Gordon - Howard, Dean [D54]
AACC Championship Match Guilderland, NY, 09.03.2011
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 Be7 6.e3 0–0 7.Rc1 b6
As mentioned in my last post, careful investigation of the databases see Berliner’s notion that holding back the development of the K-side Knight is popular with the Grandmaster class. White wants to retain the option of f2-f3 and later e3-e4 taking space in the center as long as he can.
8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7
Mr. Magat reached this position he expected. The first example my databases have for this position is Euwe - Landau, Amsterdam 1939, a draw in 31 moves. The most recent is Van Wely - Timman, Cogas Energie, 2004, a win for White in 61 moves. A typical example of how GMs treat the position is:
Kortschnoj, Viktor (2639) - Bruzon Bautista, Lazaro (2564) [D54]
Hoogeveen Essent Hoogeveen (1), 14.10.2001
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0–0 6.Rc1 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Bd3 c5 12.Ne2 Nd7 13.0–0 Nf6 14.b3 Bb7 15.Ng3 g6 16.Re1 Rfc8 17.Qd2 h5 18.Ne2 Ne4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.dxc5 Rxc5 21.Rxc5 Qxc5 22.Nf4 Rc8 23.Rd1 Qc2 24.h4 Qxd2 25.Rxd2 Bc6 26.Kh2 Kf8 27.Rc2 Ke7 28.Ne2 Kd6 29.Nd4 Bd7 30.Rxc8 Bxc8 31.Kg3 a5 32.Kf4 Bb7 33.a3 Bd5 34.Kg5 Ke5 35.Kh6 Kf6 36.Kh7 Bb7 37.Kg8 Ke7 38.Kg7 Bd5 39.f4 exf3 40.gxf3 Ba8 41.e4 Bb7 42.e5 Bd5 43.Kh6 Bb7 44.Kg5 Bd5 45.f4 Be4 46.f5 gxf5 47.Kf4 Kd7 48.b4 axb4 49.axb4 Bd3 50.Nxf5 Ke6 51.Ng7+ Kd5 52.Nxh5 Kc4 53.Kg5 Kxb4 54.Nf4 Be4 55.h5 b5 56.e6 fxe6 57.Ng6 Ka3 58.h6 b4 59.h7 b3 60.h8Q b2 61.Qc3+ Ka2 62.Qc4+ Ka1 63.Qb4 [63.Qa4+ Kb1 64.Qxe4+] 1–0
11.Be2,..
This is a better move than Bruzon Bautista chose according to Deep Rybka. Carrying out Berliner’s idea of advancing in the center will now end up with White having an isolated Q-pawn not the big center desired.
11..., Bb7 12.Bf3 c6 13.Ne2 Nd7
Black could also try 13..., Qb4+ 14 Qd2 a5; with the option of trading Queens if he wanted to angle for a draw.
14.0–0 Rac8 15.a3,..
It was my good fortune to sit in on the participants’ post-mortem. We all thought 15..., Qb4; was a real possibility for Black. Rybka did not give the move any consideration. Playing out the line with the computer gives the moves; 15 Nf4 Qb4 16 Re1!? Qxb2 17 Qa4 Qb5 18 Qxb5 cxb5 19 Bxd5 Bxd5 20 Nxd5, setting up the questions can Black make something out of his crippled three to one pawn majority on the Q-side? Or, is the un-weakened White pawn structure in the center superior?
If White had not been worried about the Black Queen landing on b4 as Rybka seemed not to be and he played 15 Re1, my electronic friend computes 15..., Qb4 16 Qc2 Nf6 17 a3 Qd6 18 Qa4 a5; and we have a position very like the game except Black has not had time to put his Bishop on a6 yet. My guess is that while things are different in detail, in the long run it will not be significant. In the game Black Bishop goes a8/c4/a6/c8/f4 before ending up on d7 defending c6. All that travel did not appear to unbalance the game much at all.
15..., Nf6 16.Qa4 a5 17.Qb3 Qc7 18.Nf4 Ba6 19.Rfd1 Bc4 20.Qc2 Qd6 21.b3 Ba6 22.Qb2 Rfe8
White now embarks on a plan to build pressure down the c-file. The alternative idea beginning with 23 Nd3 Bxd3 24 Rxd3, is not more forceful than Gordon’s plan even though Black gives up the so-called minor Exchange. The central and Q-side pawns come off soon, and then the Knight is not troubled holding the game with all the pawns on one side of the board.
23.Rd2 Rc7 24.Rdc2 Bc8 25.b4 Bf5 26.Rc3,..
The pieces on the c-file, the Black pawn on d5, the White minor pieces bearing down on d5 and the Black Knight on f6 together make a “Chunk”. This is a term Berliner introduced as part of an explanation of how really good players think about chess positions; they see the position in clusters of pieces that are interrelated is some fashion, in other words as chunks. The chunk described is where much of the tension resides now. For the next little while both sides must keep in mind that the doubled White Rooks pose a threat to d5 because Rc7 is not well defended.
26..., g5!?
The tension mentioned above may be why Black elects to strike out here. On move 24 I made a note on the game score I was keeping that .., g7-g5; was something to look at. When it occurred in the game it was satisfying that my chess mind was still working well. However, cold reflection says it is a risky move. Calmly 26..., a4 27 b5 c5 28 dxc5 Rxc5 29 Rxc5 bxc5 30 Rd1 d4; and the threats Black has on the back rank as well as to the Nf4 keep White from playing 31 exd4. In this case the game becomes very critical tactically with a high demand for accuracy from both sides.
27.Ne2?!,..
Not as good as the sacrificial 27 bxa5!, and after 27..., gxf4 18 axb6 Rb8 19 a4, the free running passed pawns more than offset the piece. White would be close to winning.
27..., g4 28.Ng3 Bd7 29.Bd1 axb4 30.Qxb4 Qxb4 31.axb4 Ra8!?
Getting clear of the pin on the c-file with 31...Ra7, looks better. The position is still far from clear with plenty of fight left in it.
32.Ne2 Ne4 33.R3c2 Nd6
Logic again suggests 33..., Rca7. Perhaps it is not just a perverse wish to suffer the pin that motivates Black. In this month’s Chess Life GM Soltis wrote of something GM Khalifman described in the Russian magazine 64. There Khalifman said sometimes a psychological ploy can be used to lure the opponent into taking unwarranted risks; he said: “It consists of avoiding the strongest continuation to create for your opponent the illusion of an advantage. Then many opponents, considering they have the right to play for a win, begin to avoid simplifying drawish positions.” I suspect something like that was the reason Dean did not slip out of the pin on the c-file.
34.Nc3?!,..
If Dean was so motivated, he gets the first benefit. Two moves look to be better; 34 f3, and 34 Nf4. Both moves approach the idea of working on the c-file pin by a less direct path than the game move.
34..., Nc4!?
More misdirection? Objectively, best is 34..., Rca7.
35.b5 Bf5 36.e4 dxe4 37.Nxe4!?,..
After the text Black has the advantage. Time was becoming a concern now. White had about seven minutes and Black five minutes on the clocks respectively. With a bit more leisure to think about it, White might have found; 37 bxc6 Rxc6 38 Nd5 Kf8 39 Ne3 Be6 40 d5 Nxe3 41 Rxc6 Nxd5; when White has the Exchange in hand. The material imbalance is surely significant, but things are not really cut and dried. Black has two pawns for the Exchange, theoretically sufficient compensation, and the passed b-pawn has good supports in the shape of the Black minor pieces making it difficult for White to seriously threaten clipping that button. Given the shortening time, the line cited surely would have challenged Mr. Howard to find his way through.
37..., cxb5 38.f3 Kg7!?
After the game Dean said he wanted to eliminate any tricks with a Knight checking on f6, a worthy notion. Continuing to raise tension with 38..., Rd8; is the correct way to maintain the advantage. The game move heads things towards equality. Of course, the game now was definitely in “blitz mode” now with both sides down to a couple of minutes to finish the game.
39.Be2 Re7 40.Bxc4 bxc4 41.Rxc4 gxf3 42.gxf3 Bxe4 43.fxe4 Rxe4
Black has only an extra pawn in double Rook and pawn endgame, a likely receipt for a draw when time is short.
44.d5 Re2
With no time to think much, Black opts for maximum activity. Correct is 44..., Rxc4 45 Rxc4 Rd8 46 Rc6 Rxd5 47 Rxb6, taking the game to a position not well researched in the classical literature on the endgame; Fine’s BCE and Rook Endings, Levenfish & Smyslov. I am sure the table-bases have all but solved R+Rp & Bp versus R+Rp ending. Practically it looks drawn, but much depends on accuracy by the inferior side.
45.R1c2?,..
With his clock under two minutes, Gordon makes a mistake. Best is 45 Rg4+ Kf8 46 Rg2, holding the game.
45..., Ra1+ 46.Rc1 Raa2 47.Rh4..,
A better defense can be made with 47 Rg4+ Kf6 48 Rf1+ Ke5 49 Rxf7 b5 50 Rh4 Kxd5 51 Rd7+, and while Black is better, a clear win is still quite a ways away.
47..., Rg2+ 48.Kh1 Rgd2 49.Rg1+ Kh7 50.Rf1,..
It is better to go after the distant b-pawn by bringing both Rooks to the b-file, but both players are now under one minute on the clock and thinking is out of the question. Moves must be made by instinct. White is thinking of getting his Rooks to work together to harass the Black King.
50..., f6!
The back rank mate threat makes the f-pawn immune from capture and the hope of getting the White Rooks into combination against the Black K-side pawns impossible.
51.Rh5 b5 52.d6 b4 53.d7 Rxd7 54.h4 Rdd2 55.Rxf6 Ra1+ 0–1
These last moves were made in a flurry. Black checked on move 55, White resigned and his flag fell all in the same instant. A terrific battle worthy of the contest for the AACC title. Next week the second game of the match is scheduled to be played.
More soon.
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