A Game From SCC

Breaking to an early lead in the SCC event with this win from the former Champion Phil Sells, John Phillips is the front runner for title. I don’t think Phillips has won a Schenectady Championship at any point in the past. It is always exciting to see a new face in the mix.

Sells, Philip - Phillips, John [B07]
SCC Finals Schenectady, NY, 19.01.2012

1.e4 d6

Mr. Phillips has taken up the Pirc/Modern as his usual reply to 1 e4, of late. Away back in the 1950s one of my favorite players, Simagin, used a line similar to the one chosen by Phillips;

(34367) Averbakh, Yuri L - Simagin, Vladimir [B07]
Moscow Championship (13), 1952
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Nd2 Bxe2 8.Qxe2 Nxe4 9.Bxe7 Nxc3 10.Qg4 Kxe7 11.bxc3 Kf8 12.Rb1 Qc7 13.Qg3 Na6 14.0–0 Rd8 15.f4 d5 16.Qh3 g6 17.g4 Kg7 18.f5 exf5 19.gxf5 f6 20.Nf3 b6 21.Ng5 Rde8 22.Ne6+ Rxe6 23.fxe6 Re8 24.Rxf6 Kxf6 25.Rf1+ Ke7 26.Rf7+ Kd8 27.Qxh7 Rxe6 28.Rxc7 Nxc7 29.Qf7 Kc8 30.Kf2 Kb7 31.Kf3 a5 32.Kg4 a4 33.a3 Re2 34.Kg3 Rxc2 35.Qxg6 Rxc3+ 36.Kf2 Rxa3 37.h4 Ra1 38.Qc2 a3 39.Kg3 Nb5 40.Qd2 a2 41.Kh2 Rh1+ 42.Kxh1 a1Q+ 43.Kg2 Qxd4 0–1

Somewhat more recently the late Tony Miles trotted this variation out;

(627329) Azarov, Sergei (2452) - Miles, Anthony J (2562) [B07]
2nd EU Championship Ohrid (3), 03.06.2001
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.Be2 e6 7.Bg5 Be7 8.Qd2 Bg6 9.e5 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.0–0–0 d5 13.Ng5 Bg6 14.f4 h6 15.Nf3 c5 16.dxc5 Qxc5 17.Nd4 Nc6 18.Bb5 0–0–0 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Nb3 Qc4 21.Qf2 d4 22.Nxd4 Qxa2 23.Nb3 Be4 24.Qc5 Bxg2 25.Rhg1 Bf3 26.Rd6 Qa6 27.Kb1 g6 28.Nd2 Rxd6 29.exd6 Bh5 30.Nc4 Rd8 31.Re1 Rd7 32.Ne5 Qb6 33.Nxd7 Kxd7 34.b4 Bf3 35.Re3 Bd5 36.Ra3 Qxc5 37.bxc5 g5 38.Rxa7+ Ke8 39.fxg5 hxg5 40.Kc1 Bg2 41.Rc7 f5 42.Kd2 Kd8 43.Rg7 Bxh3 44.Rxg5 e5 45.Rg7 Bg4 46.Re7 1–0

The line has not been particularly popular with the Grandmasters. It seems to come up as a surprise weapon more often than not.

2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.Be3 Be7

Although the position looks a bit odd, it is known to theory. Here is an example;

(301940) Garcia Palermo, Carlos H (2465) - Danailov, Silvio (2445) [B07]
Palma de Mallorca Open (7), 1992
1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Bg4 3.e4 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Be2 Be7 6.Be3 c6 7.0–0 0–0 8.d5 exd5 9.exd5 c5 10.Nd2 Bf5 11.g4 Bc8 12.g5 Ne8 13.f4 f5 14.h4 Nc7 15.a4 Nba6 16.Nc4 Nb4 17.Bf3 b6 18.Nb5 Nba6 19.Nba3 Bb7 20.c3 Qd7 21.Rb1 Rae8 22.Bf2 Bd8 23.b4 cxb4 24.cxb4 Re4 25.b5 Nc5 26.Bxc5 bxc5 27.b6 Nxd5 28.bxa7 Ba8 29.Nb5 Bc7 30.Qb3 Qe6 31.Bxe4 fxe4 32.Nxc7 Nxc7 33.f5 Qe7 34.Nxd6+ Bd5 35.Qg3 e3 36.f6 Qe6 37.f7+ Kh8 38.Rb8 Qe7 39.Qe5 Be6 40.Nf5 Qxf7 41.Nxe3 1–0

7.0–0 d5 8.Nd2!?,..

I quite like the way Mr. Sells plays chess. He is a stubborn fighter and works hard at the board. This idea however does not seem quite right. White trades his better Bishop for a counterpart that is not so good. Generally not a good thing to do.

8..., Bxe2 9.Qxe2 0–0 10.e5?! ,..

Although Rybka thinks this is not so bad for White, the move pretty much sets the course for the balance of the game, and it is not a favorable path for White. White will likely get d4 as a great outpost square for a Knight because .., c6-c5; is coming with the trade of the d&c-pawns likely. His pieces however are not ideally placed to keep a Knight d4. Black, for his part, has the half open c-file on which his heavy pieces can mass.

A Knight on d4 is a well placed piece, but it needs some other pieces with which to cooperate. It is better therefore for White to have more rather than less material on the board. The problem is the natural exchanges coming eliminate the other minor pieces leaving White to build an attack out of heavy pieces supported by the Nd4. There are no open files to expedite getting the Rooks to bear on the Black King. This will require White to take his heavy pieces out in front of his pawns; a situation that usually carries risks with it.

In contrast, if Black masses forces on the c-file they will be better suited for their work than are the White forces. All then that Black needs to do is find useful employment for his Knight. The route d7/c5/e4 beckons the Knight. In sum; Black has the easier technical task; White will have to be creative, and perhaps, take some risks if he is to play actively.

10..., Nfd7 11.f4 c5 12.Nb3 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Nc6 14.Rad1 a6 15.Rf3 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Bc5 17.Bxc5 Nxc5 18.Rg3 Qb6

It is not easy for White to get the remaining Knight to d4, and he has to be concerned about the discovered check when the Nc5 moves away. The pawn on b2 is also potential target. After the game John Phillips said he really did not think much about taking it because of the counter; Rd1-b1.

19.Kh1 f5?!

Very cautious. Black plans a 7th rank defense against the coming Rook and Queen sortie. I am not certain this is necessary. If White goes for an immediate attack after say 19..., Rfd8; then 20 Qg4 g6 21 f5 Ne4 22 Nxe4 dxe4 23 Rg8 exf5 24 Qxf5 Qc6; favors Black by a fair amount.

20.Qh5?,..

Not so good. White needs open lines near the Black King. To that end 20 exf6 (e.p.), ought to be considered. In which case the game takes a different turn. Black is still a bit better, but the sudden change in direction might have caused him some difficulties. As the game went the themes; c-file action and positioning the Knight on e4 continue to be important for Black. The presence of a Black pawn on f5 makes e4 even more attractive to the Black Knight. That is another argument to capturing en passant on this move.

20..., Qc7 21.Rh3 g6 22.Qh4 Rf7 23.Qe1,..

Recognizing the heavy piece attack is going nowhere, White takes some steps to defend his weak points.

23..., Ne4 24.Rdd3,..

I have seen defenses built along the 2nd ranks. This idea of a defense along the 3d rank is uncommon. White was reluctant to exchange on e4 because Black gets a well protected passed pawn, a very uncomfortable thing to have to face for the balance of the game.

24..., Qc5

Since White refuses to cooperate by taking on e4, Black sets about massing on the c-file and expanding into the undefended space on the Q-side. He is helped along by tactical threats of a Knight fork at f2.

25.Rhf3 Qb4 26.Qc1 Qb6 27.Nd1 Rc7 28.Qe3 Qc5 29.c3 Rac8 30.Qe2 b5 31.Ne3,..

More stubborn defense can be made with 31 Rd4, resisting the coming advance of the Q-side pawns. Time trouble was now making the task of defending even more challenging for White. Mr. Sells’ clock now showed less than one and a half minutes. Mr. Phillips had about eight minutes on his clock, not a lot of time but apparently enough to do the job.

31..., a5 32.Nc2 b4 33.Nd4 Kf7 34.cxb4?,..

Sells now had seconds, plus the increment, for the rest of his moves. Here he slips by opening access to his back rank. If he had the time to think, Sells could have tried 34 Rh3, hoping for 34..., h5 35 Rxh5 gxh5 36 Qxh5+, etc. obtaining compensation and some chance for salvation. Once the back rank problem appears, the White position is fatally compromised. After 34 Rh3, Black can defend more effectively with 34..., Rh8; keeping a solid advantage.

34..., Qxb4 35.Rf1 Rc1 36.Rdd1 Rxd1 37.Rxd1 Rc4

A safe and sane move with less than two minutes on the clock. Immediately decisive is 37..., Qxd4! In either case White was down to only a couple of seconds, and his position so shaky that even Mr. Sells could not hold together.

38.Nf3 Qc5 0–1

White’s flag fell. Even had he pulled off one more of his miracles of speed play, Mr. Sells was lost after 39 Ng5+ Nxg5 40 exg5 Rc1; and a quick advance of the d-pawn. And so the drama of this year’s Finals begins to take shape: The games Le Cours has to play against Sells and Phillips are increased in importance. Will Varela and Calderone have some influence on the out come? They are improving players, and any given Thursday they could clip a half or a full point from one of the contenders, or not. The blessing of a short tournament is we will know pretty quickly, that is, if Carlos Varela is not out of the country until February.

More soon.