This Thursday coming a match will be played that will effect the Geezers’ bid for the title. They play Albany A at Schenectady. The Albany team has dropped one match point and the Geezers none. A win against this strong team will seal the deal for the Geezers, a draw or a loss will keep tension in the race for the League title going for another week. The following week on Thursday June 8th the Geezers, are scheduled to play Saratoga A at Schenectady. That match will complete their season. Should Schenectady’s second team fumble their opportunity there could be a two or three way tie for first place. The title could be decided on the first tie break, games points scored. If that does not break the tie, we could heaven forbid, have a playoff with play extending into July!
The recent SCC A - Albany B match was won handily by Schenectady. It was not as easy as the 3 ½ - ½ score might indicate. Fighting was hard on all boards with chances for Albany B to narrow the margin. On board two Philip Sells faced Kavana Mallanna, a Class A player new to competition in the area. Kavana is the first woman to play in the League so far as Bill Townsend and I can remember. She has given a good account of herself in every game she’s played so far. The same is the case here.
Sells, Philip - Mallanna, Kavana [C45]
SCC A v Albany B CDCL Match Schenectady, NY, 26.05.2011
Board 2
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4,..
Sells has been using the Scotch Game as White quite frequently this year.
4..., Bc5
Black has choices here. Worth examination are: 4..., Nf6; and 4..., Qf6; as well as others. In December 2010 Alan Le Cours defeated Mr. Sells with 4..., Nf6; although it should be said it was not any fault of the opening. The current GM practice shows many of the elite taking either side in this venerable opening. It gets its name from a long ago match between the cities of London and Edinburgh in the early nineteenth century. While long out of fashion, Kasparov revived it in the early 90’s by playing it in top level events.
5.Be3 Bb6!?
Not what is recommended. Theory sees 5..., Bxd4; and 5..., Qf6; as more acceptable alternatives.
6.Bc4 d6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.f3 0–0 9.Nc3 Nxd4
A change of heart late in the day casting doubt on the retreat of the Bishop to b6. If the exchange of the minor pieces was to be done, a tempo could have been saved by doing so on move 6. The major flaw in the Scotch for White is such force reduction is often possible. Two sets of minor pieces off the board limits the fighting potential in the position. So, while we can quibble about a tempo, Black is not much worse off that she was in any case
10.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 11.Qxd4 Be6 12.Rad1 Qe7!?
Just a little bit risky. Safe and sound is 12..., Bxc4 13 Qxc4 Re8.
13.Rfe1,..
White schemes to take advantage of the Queen on e7.
13..., a6?
Trading Bishops on c4 is better.
14.Nd5?!,..
White is willing to take a small edge when could have had more with 14 e5, then 14..., dxe5 15 Qxe5 Rae8 16 Bxe6 Qxe6 17 Qxc7 Qxe1+ 18 Rxe1 Rxe1+ 19 Kf2, and if 19..., Rc1 20 Ne2 Rd1 21 Nf4 Rfd8 22 Nd3, breaks the communication between the Rooks. The White Queen is well placed to capture a pawn or two cementing a solid advantage. The game move, by rights should lead to no more than a very slight advantage.
14..., Bxd5 15.Bxd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Qd7 17.Qb4 Qb5 18.Qxb5 axb5 19.a3 Rfe8 20.Kf2 Kf8 21.Re3 Rxe3 22.Kxe3 Re8+ 23.Kd3 Re5
Equality!
24.Kc3 Re2?
Pseudo-activity that turns a favorable position into a tense battle to maintain equality. The position of the Black King is more a more important issue. As things stand, White can not oppose the Black Rook on the e-file effectively. Why not keep the Rooks on and improve the position of the Black King. The only reason I can think of is Black wants to draw the game, and she believes this will be easier to do with the Rooks off. Not so, not so. Pawn endgames have their own logic. A position that can be held with pieces on the board often becomes untenable when they are traded.
Transitioning into a pawn ending should be proceeded by a cautious evaluation of the piece-less position. In this case White has a somewhat exposed pawn on d5, but his King can reach d4 before Black can make an inroad via e5. If Black tries .., c7-c5; at some point, White captures e.p. on c6 ridding himself of the exposed d-pawn and setting up a possible outside passed pawn on the a-file. Summing it up, the pawn ending is not favorable for Black. That is a strong argument for keeping the Rooks on. It is made even stronger by the fact there is no immediate way to get the White Rook into the game actively.
Maybe Black was concerned about the White King marching on the forward most b-pawn. In that event the game becomes a typical Rook and pawn endgame battle where the number of pawns is important, but more critical is how far advanced the pawns are. Here is a line play that looks to be a standard approach by both sides: 24..., Ke7 25 Rd2 c5 26 dxc6 e.p. bxc6 27 Kb4 Re1 28 c4 bxc4 29 Kxc4 Rc1+; and if 30 Kd3 d5; and Black is just slightly better, or if 39 Kb4 d5 31 a4 Kd6; when Black will get her central duo going to balance the a-pawn making the battle is very tense and the outcome undecided.
25.Rd2 Rxd2 26.Kxd2 Ke7 27.Kd3 f5
Spending a valuable reserve pawn move. This may not be wrong, but reserve pawn moves, as Lasker taught us, should be carefully husbanded. There may come a time when that one extra move is needed to avoid a zugswang. The pawn on f5 may become a target because the Black King has to stay nearer to the Q-side to counter the possible appearance of a passed a-pawn. More useful is 27..., Kd7.
28.f4,..
Straightaway 28 c4, is also good.
28..., h6 29.c4 bxc4+
There is no good way to avoid this concession. If 29..., c6 30 cxb5 cxb5; and the b5-pawn is lost.
30.Kxc4 g5 31.fxg5!?,..
White could play 31 g3, defending the f-pawn, but after 31..., g4; he’d have all his eggs in the single basket of the Q-side. The game is still won for White in that case, but pawn endings frequently have in them tricks if you don’t calculate everything with great precision. Playing this way White has the threat of creating a passed h-pawn to make a matched set with the a-pawn, and if Black prevents that possibility, White will have an entry point on the K-side. It is good technique to keep opportunities open.
31..., hxg5 32.a4 g4
Ms. Mallanna prevents the possible g2-g3, threatening h2-h4 making an outside passed pawn. Here she should have found that her f and g-pawns are better side-by-side than with either pawn advanced one step. While they are next to each other the idea g2-g3, and h2-h4, is met very adequately by .., f5-f4; making her own outside passer. After the advance played, White has an entry point at f4 as reserve idea if things do not work out on the Q-side. The Black King is now on the horns of a dilemma; f4 is the path to a slaughter of her K-side pawns, and the passed a-pawn is clearly soon to appear.
33.g3 c6 34.dxc6 bxc6 35.a5 Kd7 36.b4?!,..
Mr. Sells is this once too fixed on his own plans. Better here is 36 Kd4, intending Kd4/e3/f4 before the Black d-pawn can become a problem.
36..., Kc7 37.b5 ,..
Giving Black a chance to muddy the waters.
37...,d5+?
Although Black’s game is lost in every event, a better try is 37..., c5. If then 38 Kd5 Kb7 39 b6 Kb8; White will have to count correctly to be certain the Black c-pawn will not spoil his plans with a run to Queen. After the game move Black can not even make things difficult.
38.Kc5 d4 39.b6+ Kb7 40.Kxd4 Ka6 41.Ke5 c5 42.Kxf5 1–0
The White King is well within the square of the c-pawn and further resistance is futile. The game was the last to finish in the match. Other than the untimely Rook trade on move 25, Ms. Mallanna made a good fight.
More soon.
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