Local News, A Game and an Excuse

My apologies to my readers. This post was written Friday. I then got started on the next post, a nice short win by Richard Chu, and neglected to put up what was already done. Forgetfulness, the penalties of old age. Somewhat late, here it is now.

News, news, news! Wednesday and Thursday were busy with chess events this week. At the Albany Area Chess Club the last game of the preliminary rounds was played; Cory Northrup was defeated by Peter Henner. The result resolved the final question; who was to play in the under 1800 title match. The loss took Cory out of contention, and Chris Caravaty will meet Artur Alowitz for the prize. As was known last week, Henner and Howard will be playing for the club title. The matches will begin on February 22nd.

The final standings for the AACC event were updated and passed on to me by Bill Townsend and Glen Perry. They are:

1 Peter Henner 6-2 4 4 0
2 Dean Howard 5-3 4 2 2
3&4 Gordon Magat 5-3 5 0 3
3&4 Jon Lack 5-3 4 2 2
5 Chris Caravaty 4-4 4 0 4
6 Tim Wright 3 ½-4 ½ 3 1 4
7 Arthur Alowitz 3-5 2 2 4
8 Cory Northrup 2 ½-5 ½ 2 1 5
9 Jason Denham 2-6 0 4 4
10 Ahkil Kamma 1 ½-½ Withdrew

Undefeated Peter Henner played controlled chess and won the event in fine style. The cluster of players at 5-3 speaks to the determined battle the other contenders waged. Chris Caravaty came close to joining the group of contenders. Nevertheless, he took first under 1800 and will play in the under 1800 match. An excellent accomplishment for someone who began the event unrated. The early withdrawal of Mr. Kamma because of a a work relocation was disappointing. It seemed he might have made the race for the under 1800 match spots even tighter than it was.

All in all this was a pretty good year for the recently revived AACC. Turnouts were good, with several non-participants in the tournament dropping in for kibitzing and casual chess. If you are at loose ends on a Wednesday evening, come on down to the Union Presbyterian Church on Route 20 in Guilderland at 7:00pm. We are there for casual games, lectures, and tournaments.

Last Thursday I was unable to attend the Schenectady Club session. The Consolation tournament got underway. For the firswt round there were seven entrants. This week Mr. Bye was replaced by Chris Caravaty of Albany, so now there are eight! The line up for the Consolation, with up to date results, is;

1&2 Dilip Aaron 2-0
1&2 Herman Calderone 2-0
3&4 Isaiah Glessner 1-1
3&4 Matt Clough 1-1
5&6 Chris Caravaty ½-½
5&6 David Connors ½-1 ½
7-8 Cory Northrup 0-2
7-8 Michael Stanley 0-2

In the Consolation Thursday the results of the games played were:
Calderone won from Clough, Stanley resigned a position he did not like to Glessner, Northrup made a determined but unsuccessful defense against Aaron, and Caravaty drewa longish Rook and pawn ending with Connors. These are reflected in the standings above.

While the above battles were going on, the Finals continued with very interesting chess. Picking which of the games to publish first was difficult. Richard Chu surprised Carlos Varela with a sprightly miniature win, John Phillips’ march to overall victory was halted, or at least delayed, by a draw with Zack Calderone, and, in another miniature, Philip Sells defeated Alan Le Cours. Which game to feature today? I chose Le Cours-Sells because two of the recognized contenders for the title played a sharp and fascinating game. They did not hold back and play safe. That sort of all out fight deserves public notice.

Le Cours, Alan - Sells, Philip [A33]
SCC Finals 2012 Schenectady, NY, 02.02.2012

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 Be7

There are many examples from the very best players of this position in my databases. Here is one of many. It shows how the Gransdmasters treat the opening:

(89832) Stein, Leonid (2605) - Parma, Bruno (2530) [D34]
Alekhine Memorial, Moscow (6), 30.11.1971
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.d4 d5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Na4 Be7 11.Be3 Re8 12.Rc1 Bg4 13.h3 Be6 14.Nd4 Ne5 15.b3 Qd7 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Nc5 Bxc5 18.Rxc5 b6 19.Rc3 Nf7 20.Qc2 Rac8 21.Rc1 Nd6 22.Bf4 Rxc3 23.Qxc3 Rc8 24.Qb2 Nf7 25.Rd1 Qe7 26.g4 h6 27.Bg3 Qc5 28.Rf1 a5 29.e3 Qc3 30.Qe2 Ne4 31.Bh2 Qc6 32.h4 Nf6 33.Bf4 Qc2 34.Qa6 Qc6 35.e4 Ra8 36.exd5 exd5 37.Qd3 Qe6 38.g5 hxg5 39.hxg5 Ne4 40.Bh3 Qg6 41.Qxd5 Rd8 42.Qe6 Qxe6 43.Bxe6 Kf8 44.Bc4 Re8 45.Be3 Nexg5 46.Bxb6 a4 47.Bc5+ Kg8 48.f4 Ne4 49.Re1 axb3 50.axb3 g5 51.Bd5 Nf6 52.Rxe8+ Nxe8 53.fxg5 Kg7 54.Bxf7 1–0

6.0–0 0–0 7.d4 cxd4

At the GM level this move has not worked well, two losses for Black in two games. Those guys preferred 7..., d5; in most of the games found. There is nothing wrong with the text, and Deep Rybka likes it.

8.Nxd4 Qb6!?

A semi-new move. GM practice prefers 8..., a6; and if White plays e2-e4 we have an slightly odd Sicilian Defense! The four master-level games found in the databases with this move had White winning three and drawing one. Here is how Polugaevsky handled the position;

(170539) Polugaevsky,Lev (2625) - Caiafas,Theophilus (2205) [D34]
World Team Championship, 1st Luzern (7), 1985
1.Nf3 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c5 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Nb3 d5 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Bg5 Be6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.Qxd5 Rad8 15.Qf5 Rd6 16.Rad1 Rfd8 17.Rxd6 Rxd6 18.Bxc6 Rxc6 19.Rc1 g6 20.Rxc6 Qxc6 21.Qb1 Qb5 22.Qc2 Kg7 23.e3 Qa4 24.Qb1 h5 25.Nc5 Qc6 26.Nd3 Qe4 27.b3 h4 28.Qc2 Be7 29.Qc4 Qf3 30.gxh4 Bf6 31.a4 a6 32.Ne1 Qf5 33.Qd3 Qh3 34.Ng2 Qc8 35.h5 gxh5 36.Nf4 Qg4+ 37.Kf1 Be5 38.Qe2 Bxf4 39.Qxg4+ hxg4 40.exf4 Kf6 41.Kg2 Kf5 42.Kg3 b6 43.b4 Kg6 44.Kxg4 1–0

The redoubtable Lev demonstrated that the early .., d7-d5; is not quite the best. Rybka recommends 9..., Qb4 10 Nd2 Qc5; with equality close. The Black pawn on d5 is vulnerable. White should go about winning it even if he has to suffer a bit, at least that is what Rybka and the Grandmasters think.

9.Nc2,..

Polugaevsky liked 9 Nb3. Rybka suggests 9 Ndb5, as its first choice relegating 9 Nb3 to a much lower spot in its list of suggestions. Me, it is too hard to come to my own conclusion about this move. While I am not sure I’d have given enough consideration to 9 Ndb5, during a game, after the computer suggested it the line; 9 Ndb5 d5 10 Be3 Qa5 11 cxd5 exd5 12 Qb3, it was an appealing try.

I did not like the game move when I saw it. The retrograde maneuver by the Knight does not look quite right. It is not bad to go backward sometimes, but it has to accomplish something good. The Bc1 has two natural developments; e3 to butt heads with the Black Queen, and b3 to leer at the Black King down the long diagonal. The next natural stopover for the Knight, now at c2, is e3 bearing down on d5. With two minor pieces perhaps wanting to use the same square, the impression is all is not coordinating easily for White. He very probably had in mind some kind of Knight dance as in the game picking on Black’s Queen. This is not to say White has done anything drastically harmful to his position. Rybka sees things as close to equal.

9..., Rd8 10.b3,..

A tempting try for an advantage is; 10 Be3!?, anyway. If Black snatches the b-pawn, contrary to the ancient wisdom about such things, White get a lead in development to compensate for the material after; 10 Be3 Qxb2!? 11 Qd2 Bb4 12 Nxb4 Qxb4 13 Rab1, as well as the Bishop pair. The White Bishops pressure the Black Q-side, and if Black grabs the c-pawn also, the other White Rook comes to c1 lifting the tension higher yet. White would then have a big lead in development, but is it enough to offset the lost pawns? In a critical game in a very short event, it would be enormously hard to make that decision for White. Also, Black is under no obligation to capture on b2, he can play the Queen to a6 as in the game.

Both 10 Ne3, and 10 e4, must have been considered by Mr. Le Cours. Both moves put roadblocks in the way of an easy .., d7-d5; by Black. The text invites it. Holding back the d-pawn push may well be the right way to go. After the d-pawn advances to the 5th rank, Black’s development goes more easily than if the d-pawn is restrained.

10..., d5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Na4?!,..

From approximate equality the game now shifts towards Black’s favor. True enough the Queen on a6 is an unusual post, but the game ends up resolved over squares on the Q-side so she is where she is needed.

12..., Qa6 13.Re1,..

White is worried about e2 being adequately defended maybe thinking of .., Bg4; coming at some point. More critical is completing development with 13 Bb2. After the Bishop takes post on b2, play might go; 13..., Be6 14 Nd4 Nxd4 15 Bxd4 Rac8; and Black has only a small edge. If instead he tries the annoying move 15..., Ba3!?; as in the game, White can play for the advantage with 16 Nc5 Qc6 17 Bxf6 gxf6 18 Nxe6 fxe6 19 e4 dxe4 20 Qg4+, and by changing the focus from the c-file and the associated squares that Black dominates, to free play around the Black King and through the center, White obtains a good game.

13..., Be6

More forcing is 13..., b5. Just finishing development is good also. The game is headed into complexity where both sides must calculate accurately. The task is a bit more pleasant for Black, he has the initiative and is making threats. White has the tough job of finding just the right answers.

14.Nd4 Nxd4 15.Qxd4 Rac8 16.Be3 b5 17.Qd3?,..

While my opinion, often stated here, that it is best to make things as difficult for both sides as possible in complicated positions, sometimes doing so hurts you more than the opponent. I know I have done as much to myself, saying “OK, lets really makes things hard!” and then not being up to the task. Safer but looking unpleasant is 17 Nb2, and after 17..., Bc5 18 Qd3 d4 19 Bg5 Qa3! 20 Bxf6 gxf6 21 Reb1 Bb4; when White will likely have to give up the Exchange soon but has some compensation. Ryka says this is the way to go. I could have not forced myself to take this route and neither can Mr. Le Cours.

17..., Ba3?!

A move I liked very much when Mr. Sells played it. The computer pointed out that 17..., d4; was better. After 18 Bg5 h6 19 Bxf6 Bxf6 20 Nb2 Qa3; Black has a very big positional advantage. The text move sets up tricks but does not really advance the Black game as much as principled play in the center.

18.Bd4 Ne4 19.f3,..

The initiative Black had for awhile chafes White, and here is a bit of a slip. The pawn move sets the stage for a tactical shot that was hidden to me and, I guess, Mr. Le Cours. The move itself can’t be queried. It is not the cause of the defeat fast approaching. The move does, however, weaken the g1-a2 diagonal and lay a landmine on d4.

19..., Qa5

Stepping out of the pin. Both sides have to “see” everything now; Black to continue raising the ante and White to find the counter measures.

20.fxe4 dxe4 21.Bxe4 bxa4 22 Bxh7+ Kh8 23 Be4?

As the saying goes; “in for a penny, in for a pound”, only this time Mr. Le Cours tries to back off the bet. White had to try; 23 e3, to secure the Bd4. An interesting line is; 23 e3 Bb2 24 Rab1 Bxd4 25 exd4 Rc3 26 Qf1!? Kxh7? 27 Rxe6! Fxe6 28 Qh3+, and Black can not avoid the perpetual check lest he allows White to mate. Of course, if Black is alert, he does not have to capture the Bh7 but can play 26..., axb3 27 axb3 Rxd4 28 Be4 Qb4; and the b-pawn will gathered in at will. The extra pawn combined with the activity of the Black pieces surely favor him by quite at bit

23..., Rxd4! 0-1

Of course the coming pin of the Queen over the King by the Bishop going to c5 just wins outright. I did not have a chance to ask Alan what he was seeing. I do know my attention was glued to the move 23..., Bb2. It was so pretty a move I was seduced into calculating the line; 23..., Bb2?! 24 Bxb2 Rxd3 25 exd3 Rc2; which is winning but not anywhere near a cleanly as the move played. Philip Sells works hard at the board to understand a position. Sometimes he has to suffer the hell of extreme time trouble for his efforts, on other occasions he sees exactly what is there. Two experienced players, Le Cours and I, did not. The wages of hard work is quick wins, sometimes.

The standings in the Schenectady Finals are:

1 John Phillips 3 ½ - ½
2 Philip Sells 3 - 1
3 Alan Le Cours 1 - 1
4 Richard Chu 1 - 3
5 Zack Calderone ½ - 1 ½
6 Carlos Varela 0 - 2

Next week Phillips has White against Alan Le Cours. We will see then if the race for the title tightens or not.

More soon.