Wednesday evening the Schenectady Geezers played the AACC B team. The Geezers emerged victorious by the score 3 - 1. The results by board are:
On board 1 John Morse, White for Albany, defeated Michael Mockler in Morse’s pet opening line; an early f2-f4 with Be3/f2 before the e-pawn moves. The game ended on move 30.
Board 2, the last game to finish, saw John Phillips of the Geezers win from Peter Henner. The opening was the Queen’s Gambit Accepted with an early e4 and e5. Henner put up a stubborn defense after going down the Exchange. He made stout resistance before resigning on move 57.
Board 3 was a short, sharp contest where Bill Little for the Geezers won from Arthur Alowitz. Arthur lost the thread of the fight in a Pirc somewhere about move 26 and the game ended on move 32.
The game on board 4 was complicated, at least as seen from the sidelines. Eventually, Bill Montross of the Geezers defeated Charles Eson. At one point I thought Eson was close to winning. The next thing heard was Montross had carried the day.
This result puts the Geezers in first place for the moment in the League with 5 - 0 match score and 14 ½ game points. They still have to face the two strong contenders; Albany A and Saratoga A. If the Geezers can draw both matches first place is within their grasp. That will be a considerable challenge for the Geezers.
Now back to recent games. When the two Albany Area Chess Club teams met in a CDCL match last week the contest promised to be a close run thing. The teams are close in strength this year. Both have rated Experts who have in the past broken through to master ratings playing on the first board. The battle on board 1 was a tense affair, and a game between Dean Howard and John Morse is always of interest.
Howard, Dean - Morse, John [C68]
AACC A v AACC B CDCL Match Guilderland, NY, 06.05.2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0–0 Bd6 6.d4,..
Researching this opening in the databases found a fairly high number of draws with low move counts. The Exchange Ruy Lopez seems to be one path where White, if he is so inclined, can steer the game to a peaceful conclusion on the international circuit. If, on the other hand, White wants a fight he can aim for a battle as the examples below illustrate:
(3885) Bernstein, Ossip - Nikolaev, B [C68]
RUS-ch03 Kiev (3), 1903
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0–0 Bd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 f6 8.Nbd2 Be6 9.Nc4 Ne7 10.b3 Bxc4 11.Qxc4 Qd7 12.Bb2 0–0–0 13.Rad1 Ng6 14.Nd4 Be5 15.Qe2 Nf4 16.Qf3 Qf7 17.Nf5 Bxb2 18.Qxf4 g6 19.Ne3 Be5 20.Qg4+ Kb8 21.Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.Rd1 Rxd1+ 23.Qxd1 Qe7 24.g3 Bd6 25.Qd3 Bc5 26.Nc4 Ka7 27.Kg2 Qe6 28.Ne3 Be7 29.Qd4+ Kb8 30.Qc4 Qxc4 31.Nxc4 Kc8 32.Kf3 Kd7 33.e5 b5 34.exf6 Bxf6 35.Ne3 Kd6 36.Ke4 Kc5 37.Ng4 Bg7 38.Ne5 Kd6 39.Nd3 Bc3 40.f4 a5 41.g4 c5 42.h4 Bf6 43.g5 Bh8 44.c4 c6 45.f5 gxf5+ 46.Kxf5 Bd4 47.a4 bxa4 48.bxa4 Ke7 49.Nc1 Bc3 50.Nb3 Bb4 51.h5 Kf7 52.g6+ hxg6+ 53.hxg6+ Kg7 54.Kg5 Bc3 55.Nxc5 Be5 56.Kf5 Bc3 57.Ne6+ Kg8 58.Nd8 c5 59.Nb7 Bb4 60.Ke6 Kg7 61.Kd5 Kxg6 62.Nxc5 Kf6 63.Nb7 Ke7 64.Kc6 Ke6 65.Kb5 Kd7 66.Nxa5 Be1 67.Kb6 Bf2+ 68.Kb7 Kd6 69.Nb3 1–0
(104875) Adorjan, Andras (2510) - Nicevski, Risto (2395) [C68]
Skopje Skopje (1), 1976
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0–0 Bd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 f6 8.Re1 Ne7 9.e5 fxe5 10.Nxe5 0–0 11.Bg5 Be6 12.Nc3 Rf5 13.Nf3 Rxg5 14.Rxe6 Rg6 15.Rae1 Rxe6 16.Rxe6 Ng6 17.Qc4 Kh8 18.h4 Qg8 19.Re4 Qxc4 20.Rxc4 Ne5 21.Nxe5 Bxe5 22.Re4 Bf6 23.Kf1 Kg8 24.Nd1 h5 25.g3 Kf7 26.Ke2 b5 27.c3 a5 28.a4 Rb8 29.Kd3 Rd8+ 30.Kc2 Re8 31.Rxe8 Kxe8 32.b3 Kd7 33.Kd3 Kd6 34.Ne3 Kc5 35.Nf1 b4 36.c4 Bc3 37.g4 hxg4 38.Ne3 g3 39.fxg3 Be1 40.Nf5 g6 41.Ne7 Kd6 42.Nxg6 1–0
6..., Bg4!?
This has been known for a long time as not being anything special for Black. White has some theoretical advantage, but it is nothing out of the ordinary.
7.dxe5 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Bxe5 9.Qb3,..
To find a game with this move between masters we have to go all the way back to the century before last. Blackburn was Grandmaster strength in those long ago storied days and something of a character. He and Steinitz had a career long feud. Blackburn was a large man and Steinitz considerably was smaller. Blackburn had large appetites to go along with his size, particularly for drink. When they played in tournaments together, Blackburn would roll into the hotel in which they were staying late in the evening and in his cups, roaring for Steinitz to come out and take his beating like a man. The World Champion wisely avoided physical confrontation. He took his revenge in the chess magazine he published in New York. If the second hand accounts I have read are to be believed, ripping criticism of Blackburn’s play was the mildest of the comments Mr. Steinitz made about his arch foe in print. Schallopp was no slouch himself. He had wins over such stars as Zukertort, Showalter, Charousek, Max Lange and Mason. I can find little about his career other than in the tournaments found show him finishing often in the middle of the huge 20+ player fields that were the norm of the day. My guess he was somewhere about IM strength in today’s parlance. He did defeat Blackburn both times they met in 1880s.
(827) Schallopp, Emil - Blackburne, Joseph Henry [C68]
DSB–05.Kongress Frankfurt (10), 1887
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0–0 Bd6 6.d4 Bg4 7.dxe5 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Bxe5 9.Qb3 b5 10.Nd2 Ne7 11.Nf3 Ng6 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Qc3 Qf6 14.f4 Nd7 15.e5 Qe6 16.Be3 0–0 17.Rad1 f5 18.Rd3 Rf7 19.Qa5 Nf8 20.Rfd1 Qc4 21.R1d2 Ne6 22.Qc3 g5 23.fxg5 f4 24.Bf2 Nxg5 25.Qxc4 bxc4 26.Rd4 f3 27.h4 Ne6 28.Rxc4 fxg2 29.Rxc6 Nf4 30.Be3 Re8 31.Bxf4 Rxf4 32.Rxg2+ Kh8 33.Rxc7 Re4 34.Ra7 R4xe5 35.Rxa6 Re4 36.h5 Rh4 37.h6 Rd4 38.c3 Rd1+ 39.Kh2 Rd5 40.b4 Rh5+ 41.Kg1 Re1+ 42.Kf2 Rf5+ 43.Kxe1 Rf1+ 44.Ke2 Rf2+ [44...Re1+ 45.Kf3 Re3+ 46.Kf4 Re4+ 47.Kg3 Re3+ 48.Kh2 Rh3+ 49.Kg1 Rh1+ 50.Kf2 Rf1+ 51.Ke3 Rf3+ 52.Kd4 Rd3+ 53.Kc4 Rxc3+ 54.Kb5 Rc5+ 55.Ka4 Ra5+ 56.Kb3 Ra3+ 57.Kc4] ½–½
9..., b6
Most of the examples found in the databases have Black playing 9..., b5; instead of the text. Rybka says that is marginally better. I don’t quite see why that is so.
10.c3!?,..
A trifle slow and it cuts off the Queen from easy communication with the Kingside. The typical plan for White is 10 Kh1, preparing f2-f4, and Nb1-d2. The Black Bishop on e5 is just a bit awkward with f2-f4 being threatened at some point in the future.
10..., Ne7 11.Be3,..
Playing 11 f4, right away is more insistent.
11..., g6?
Strangely this normal appearing move is wrong. White obtains a definite pull after the text. Deep Rybka suggests 11..., Qd3; as correct for Black. The move seems to take advantage of the slightly out of play situation of the White Queen. Play could continue; 12 Nd2 0-0 13 Rad1 Ng6 14 Rfe1 Qb5; and if 15 Qxb5 axb5; and the odd looking cluster of Black Q-side pawns are not so bad. White likely has to play 16 a3, then 16..., c5; and Black has reached a satisfactory early endgame position.
12.Nd2 0–0 13.Nf3 Bg7 14.Bd4!?,..
More natural, and better according to Rybka, is 14 Rfe1, giving White the more comfortable game. The game move permits Black to take some say in the center.
14..., h6?!
Which for some reason he does not do. Logical is 14..., c5; then 15 Bxg7 Kxg7 16 Rad1 Qe8; with good chances for Black to instigate mass trades on the d-file getting close to equality.
15.Rad1 Qc8?!
Black has visions of getting his Queen out to make threats on the K-side. There is a little tactical trick inherent in that idea and I don’t thing Mr. Morse spotted it. Safer is 15..., Qe8.
16.Rd3 Rd8 17.Rfd1 Qg4 18.Bxg7 Rxd3 19.Rxd3 Kxg7 20.Qxf7+!,..
Whoops! Black loses a vital pawn, and worse, White has a big central space advantage. Deficits in material and space are too much of an edge for even so strong a fighter as John Morse to overcome.
20... Kxf7 21.Ne5+ Ke6 22.Nxg4 h5 23.Ne3 a5 24.f4 a4 25.a3 b5 1–0
At this point my game score becomes undecipherable. Somewhere I missed a move and then transposed something subsequently. Regretfully this is as much of the game that can be reconstructed. I recall from my observation during play; Mr. Dean exploited his advantages logically, and Mr. Morse did his utmost to make things difficult laying traps and seeking tactics. Logic and good technique triumphed, and the game ended about move 57.
More soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment