The RPI Geezers Match

Last Thursday was, I believe, the first match in this year’s Capital District Chess League for Schenectady’s second team, the Geezers. The final result was a lopsided win for the Geezers 3 ½ - ½. If you play through the following games, it becomes clear for most of the match the higher rated Schenectady team was not dominating at all.

I am not going to try to make a detailed analysis of each game, just some light notes, otherwise falling behind in getting out interesting local games is all too likely.

Varelo, Carlos - Mockler, Michael [D15]

Board 1 - RPI v Geezers Schenectady, NY, 10.03.2011

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 a6 4.a4 Nf6 5.Nf3,..

Mockler uses the 3..., a6; line as his universal answer in the Slav. Pushing the White pawn to a4 is not a common move.

5..., g6 6.Bf4 Bg7 7.e3 0–0 8.h3 Ne4 9.Bd3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Nd7 11.0–0 Nf6 12.Qc2 dxc4 13.Bxc4 Nd5

More in tune with the basic ideas in the Slav is 13..., dxc5 14 Bxc5 Bf5; with advance .., b7-b5; following soon. By delaying that thematic operation Black soon has troubles.

14.Be5 Qa5 15.Rfc1 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 Kg7 17.Nxf7?!,..

With the logical 17 e4, White could have cemented his advantage. After 17..., Nf6 18 Rab1, getting the Black Q-side pieces out and working will be difficult without creating pawn weaknesses there. With the game move White goes for complications and tactics.

17..., Rxf7 18.e4 Nf6 19.Bxf7 Kxf7 20.Qe2 Qh5

Mockler had offered a draw a few moves before this. This is another, this time non-verbal, draw offer. Black is at least equal now.

21.f3 Qg5 22.Kh2 Nh5 23.Qf2 Nf4 24.Rc2 Qf6 25.Rd1 Be6 26.c4 Rd8 27.d5 Bc8

Black has been luring the White center forward believing it will be weaker once advanced.

28.Rcd2 cxd5 29.cxd5 Qd6 30.Kh1 Kg8 31.Qe3 Qe5 32.Qb3 Kg7 33.Qb6 Qd6 34.Qd4+ e5!?

Tempting White into a tricky situation on the d-file

35.dxe6+,..

And White bites on the bait. Better 35 Qb2, and White has some advantage. His pressure on the b-file and the possibility of shifting the doubled Rooks to the c-file will require Black to play very well to avoid the loss. White had to calculate at least two options; a) 35 dxe6+, and b) 35 Qb2. Option a) is not too hard, but there is a bit of an optical illusion buried in it

35..., Qxd4 36.e7?

A fatal miscalculation. Necessary is 36 Rxd4 Rxd4 37 Rxd4 Nxe6; when the R+P versus B&N ending favors White by a little bit. It is not so much the material imbalance, rather it is the distribution of material; White has four to two pawns on the K-side. The Black pawn majority on the other side of the board is not particularly well placed to force a passed pawn. Neither Rybka nor I see anything clearly winning for White, but on the other hand, finding an active plan for Black is not easy work.

White was so tempted by the attractive idea of forcing through his central passed pawn his sense of danger failed him.

36...,Qxd2 37.exd8Q?,..

Hopeless but marginally better is 37 Rxd2 Re8 38 Rd8 Rxe7 39 Rxc8, when with only a pawn for a piece White is lost. The game, however, could go on for many more moves. White had obviously not noticed the mate threat.

37..., Qxg2# 0–1

Phillips, John - Furtato, Brian [D02]

Board 2 - CDCL Match RPI V Geezers Schenectady, NY, 15.03.2011

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.dxc5 Nc6 4.c4 e6 5.Bg5 f6 6.Bh4 Bxc5 7.e3 Nge7 8.Nc3 0–0 9.Be2 d4 10.exd4 Nxd4 11.0–0 Nef5 12.Bg3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 e5

The opening is one of the sidelines of the double QP Openings. The net result of the participant’s creativity at the board is Black has slightly the better position.

14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Qb3 Qb6 16.Bf3 Bxc3

Black decides his best course is to put pressure on the c-pawn.

17.Qxc3 Be6 18.c5 Qc7 19.b4 Rac8

Black is single minded in pursuit of his plan. Two other options are: a) 19..., Rad8; 20 Rfd1 f5; or b) 19..., f5; straight away.

20.a4 Rfd8 21.Rfd1 Bf7 22.Bg4,..

Now we see the utility of 19/20..., f5. With the game move White nudges Black towards the trade off of all the Rooks. When that happens White is close to winning

22..., Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Rd8 24.Rxd8+ Qxd8 25.b5 Qd5?

Black passes on his last chance; 25..., g6; preparing 26..., f5; offers some hope. A guess is Black was reluctant on general principles to put pawns on squares the same color as his own Bishop. There are times when general principles are useful chess tools, guideposts to finding the correct idea and move. In this position concrete calculation had to take precedence over generalities. White on the other hand can apparently adhere to the general principle: passed pawn must be pushed. However, I am sure John calculated the following sequence in some detail just from the clock time he used to make his next move.

26.c6!,..

Exactly right. There is no defense for Black since his King can not get close enough to help out.

26..., bxc6 27.bxc6 Be6 28.Bxe6+ Qxe6 29.Qc5!?,..

A mistake that misses the quick win; 29 c7 Qc8 30 Qb3+, and 31 Qb8, wins because of the pin. Fortunately for Phillips and the Geezers, the slip up still leaves White with a marked advantage. The winning process will now take a few more moves than should have been necessary.

29..., Qb3

A forlorn hope for a perpetual check.

30.f3,..

Alertly guarding against the perpetual by the Queen checking on d1 and h5.

30..., Qd1+ 31.Kh2 Qd8 32.c7 Qc8 33.Qd5+ 1–0

Phillips had the most convincing win in the match.

Katz, Max - Chu, Richard [B85]

Board 3 - CDCL Match RPI v Geezers Schenectady, NY, 15.03.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 Nxd4 7.Bxd4 e6 8.Be2 a6 9.a4 Be7 10.0–0 0–0 11.f4 Bd7

The Sicilian, Scheveningen variation. A piece of well known theory.

12.Kh1?!,..

Sometimes it is useful to get the White King away from checks on the a7-g1 diagonal. Here, with the White dark squared Bishop occupying the diagonal this is a waste of time. Better are the moves 12 e5, 12 Qd3, and 12 a5.

12..., Bc6 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nd5

White must not have thought too much of his position. He now instigates a wholesale clearance in the center bringing on a Rook and pawn endgame with little advantage for either side.

15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Bf3 Rc8 17.c3 f6 18.Bxd5 Qxd5 19.exf6 Bxf6 20.Bxf6 Rxf6 21.Qxd5 Rxf1+ 22.Rxf1 exd5 23.Kg1 Rc4 24.Rd1 Rxa4 25.Rxd5 b5 26.Kf2 Kf7 27.Re5 Kf6 28.Re2 Rc4 29.Ke1 a5 30.Kd2 a4 31.Kc2 g6 32.Re8 Rg4 33.g3 h5 34.Rb8 Rg5 35.Rb6+ Kf7 ½–½

An workman like job of crafting a draw by both parties.

The game on Board 4 saw William Montross for the Geezers defeat

Ronald Adomako for RPI. I was unable to record the moves for this game. At one point I thought Montross had it won, but Adomako fought back and it all came down to a Bishop of the same color ending with pawns on both sides of the board. Mr. Montross kept his cool and forced through his Q-side passers to win.

More soon.