A Game From the AACC B win Over AACC A Team

Thursday the Geezers played the Saratoga B team in the CDCL. Once more good luck came to the aid of the old guys and the Geezers notched a narrow win 2 ½ - ! ½.

On the first board Michael Mockler for the Geezers won from David Finnerman in a well fought game by both sides. On board two Bill Little was lucky to spot a combination that forced mate against Matthew Clough after getting a bad game. Richard Chu and Cory Northrup made a draw on board three without too much excitement. Jason Denham scored Saratoga B’s only win again on board four over William Montross.

Here is a quick update on the Capital District Chess League. Including the win by Albany B over Albany A and the Schenectady Geezers over Saratoga B, the standings are:

1 Albany B: 4 - 1 match points and 12 game points

2 The Geezers: 4 - 0 match points and 11.5 game points

3 Saratoga A: 3.5 - 0.5 match points and 11 game points

4 Uncle Sam: 3 - 4 match points and 13 game points

5 Albany A: 3 - 1 match points and 11.5 game points

6 Schenectady A: 2.5 - 1.5 match points and 11 game points

7 Saratoga B: 0.5 - 6.5 match points and 7 game points

8 RPI: 0.5 - 6.5 match points and 6.5 game points.

Saratoga B and RPI have completed their schedules and are firmly in the last two places. Teams in first through sixth place have several matches to play among themselves , and we can expect to see changes in the standings.

Lack, Jonathan - Mallanna, Kavana [C26]

Alb B v Alb A CDCL Match Guilderland, NY, 04.05.2011

Board 3

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3,..

Mr. Lack is dogmatic about his openings. In the double e-pawn debuts he consistently goes down the Vienna route.

2..., Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 d6 5.Nge2 Be6

I don’t think Ms. Mallanna is particularly well-booked on the Vienna Game. This move gives White an opportunity to obtain some advantage.

6.d3?!,..

Which White does not elect to take. The push 6 d4, is called for. After that move, Black either retires the Bishop to d7 wasting a tempo, or he trades pawns on d4 giving hope to the now stifled Bg2 of finding useful work on the long h1-a8 diagonal.

6..., Be7 7.0–0 Qd7 8.f4?!,..

Mr. Lack goes his own way. Once more 8 d4, seems to be better for the same reasons cited above.

8..., Bh3 9.f5 Bxg2 10.Kxg2 0–0–0

Black has used some valuable time to trade off a pretty good Bishop for its White counterpart that was not doing much. The disordered protection around the White King seems to offer opportunities to break open attacking lines absent the dark squared Bishop. It could be that was the reason Kavana did this. However, as the game unfolds the weakened defenses of the White King does not play a role until much later.

11.Bg5 Ng4 12.Qd2 h6 13.Bxe7 Nxe7

Puzzling!? White returns the favor getting rid of a Bishop with chances for activity particularly with many of his pawns standing on light squares. Black now is entirely equal.

14.h3 Nf6 15.Qe3 Kb8 16.d4 exd4 17.Nxd4 d5?!

Losing all of the advantage built up so far. The move allows White to take control in the center. One idea for Black is to play 17..., Rhe8; trying to take absolute ownership of e5. Another way towards the same end is 17..., Nc6. If White then trades Knights; 18 Nxc6 Qxc6 19 Rad1 Rde8; focuses attention on the backward e-pawn on the open file. In either event Black has maintained some advantage.

18.e5 Ne8?

The best way to keep the struggle going is 18..., Ne4; and then White can keep the edge with a several different moves; 1) 19 Nxe4 dxe4 20 Rad1, 2) 19 Rf7!?, 3) 19 Rae1, and 19 Rad1. The game is complex with chances for Black to equalize after each of the alternatives. The text allows White to obtain a clear advantage.

19.e6 fxe6 20.fxe6 Qd6 21.Rf7!?,..

Not quite as good as 21 Ncb5 Qb6 22 Rf7, but the game move is active also.

21..., a6 22.Raf1,..

This is OK, but some trickery is worth examining. The move 22 b4!, tempts Black. If 22..., Qxb4? 23 Rb1 Qc5 24 Rxe7, picks up a piece for a pawn. Black is not obligated to capture on b4. The alternatives such as 22..., Nf6 23 b5, look very favorable for White. Also, 22..., Nc6; getting the potentially endangered piece out of the line of fire, and the continuation 23 e7 Rc8 24 b5 Ne5 25 Rf8 Nf6 26 bxa6 Nc4 27 Qe6 Rhxf8 28 exf8(Q) Rxf8 29 Rb1 Qxe6 30 Rxb7+ Kf8 31 Nxe6 Rf7 32 Nd8!, is lost mostly because of the shot on move 32. Now finding and calculating this rather convoluted variation is no simple task, and seeing the trick at the end is especially challenging.

22..., c5?

This move should lose more or less quickly. A better try is 22..., Rg8; then Black is in poor shape but immediate disaster is avoided.

23.Rxe7?,..

This was most likely a error in calculation. The straight forward 23 Nf5 Nxf5 24 R1xf5, increases the advantage for White. The move 24..., d4; is adequately answered by the sequence; 25 Qf3 Nc7 26 Ne4 Qxe6 27 Nxc5, when Black probably has to agree to the exchange of Queens. Then the Black g-pawn falls, and the White pieces are terrifically active to go along with the material advantage. The game move leads to a lost position for White.

23..., cxd4 24.Rxb7+ Kxb7 25.Rf7+ Kb8 26.Qxd4 Nc7 27.Na4 Qxe6 28.Rxg7 Qe2+?!

A mistake. The simple 28..., Qe4+; forces off the Queens leaving Black up a Rook with few technical difficulties.

29.Kg1 Rhf8?

Black can get back on the right page with 29..., Qe1+ 30 Kh2 Rd6; guarding against threats of mate. The text gifts White with the chance to turn the tables.

30.Qb4+?,..

Sadly for Mr. Lack he misses the chance. Winning is 30 Qb6+ Ka8 31 Qc6+, and mate in two can not be avoided.

30...,Nb5

Thus ending any hope for mate. The game was now over quickly.

31.Qf4+ Rxf4 0–1

A flawed game but it was the crucial contest that turned what appeared to be a drawn match into a win for the Albany B team. A win in this game was a fortunate debut for Kavana Mallanna, the only woman participating in the League this year. I haven’t been involved in the League consistently over the year’s of its existence, but for the time of my involvement I can’t recall another lady playing in the League. I am sure those with more knowledge will let us know if there was a women who played for a League team sometime earlier.

More soon.