News release

Friday 2nd December 2011

LONDON CHESS CLASSIC 2011: 

OPENING PRESS CONFERENCE

John Saunders reports:

The opening press conference of the 3rd London Chess Classic took place at the Olympia Conference Centre, Kensington, London at 2pm on Friday 2 December 2011.

As tournament organiser Malcolm Pein pointed out in his opening address, this is something very special for British chess: it’s quite simply the strongest chess tournament ever held in these islands. That is quite an achievement for a country which held a stellar chess tournament as early as 1851, to celebrate the Great Exhibition of that year.

This year’s tournament is held under the auspices of the Chess in Schools and Communities, a charity set up to promote the teaching of schools in UK schools. As such, the tournament is not just about the elite grandmasters, it caters for players of all ages and abilities, with a general congress for competition players, numerous fun events in the foyer for those trying chess for the first time, plus organised tuition for the children.

The players were asked questions, both from the people assembled in the room and spectators on the internet who had sent their questions earlier. Elite GMs can often be reticent about saying too much before the tournament and this was no exception, but they responded well to a few of the light-hearted questions. One of this year’s innovations is to have an odd number of players. OK, not totally unprecedented in itself but the novelty is to require the ‘bye’ player to join the commentary team for the day. It so happens that Nigel Short will have the bye in the very first round, so he will be the elite commentator to start the tournament. He is also scheduled to play a fun game with star guest, former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker. Boris has ‘form’ as a chessplayer, having played Garry Kasparov, opening 1 e4 e5 2 Qh5!?. “Ah, he hits the ball over the net,” the former world chess champion is alleged to have said. Today a questioner suggested that, since Boris has a broken foot, Nigel ought to take the opportunity to play him at tennis as well.

Mindful of what was coming next in proceedings, a questioner asked the panel about their attitude to Twitter, Facebook and other social websites, with Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Levon Aronian being the only players in the line-up to tweet so far. Mickey Adams took the microphone to answer: “You haven’t done your research properly,” he replied. “I joined Twitter this morning!” He acknowledged the technical support of his wife in so doing. So, as well as the website, followers of the tournament might like to make a note of the players’ Twitter sites, to see if they make any comments as the London Classic unfolds - @magnuscarlsen, @GMHikaru, @LevAronian and @MickeyAdamsGM.

After the press conference came a new departure - a chess game on Twitter. Billed as London Chess Classic versus the World - the strongest chess game ever held on the medium (and it would be to argue with all those 2800 ratings), it was really just a bit of funny. Nobody quite knew how it would work out but in fact it was great fun. At least, it was good fun for the grandmasters, who entered into the spirit of the thing and bantered happily together as they plotted world destruction. A very good ice-breaker: perhaps all tournaments should start with this pleasant diversion, allowing the players to warm up a bit with the crowd. Maybe they should do this at tennis too - invite people from the crowd to knock up with the players for a few minutes. We can ask Boris Becker what he thinks tomorrow.

But you want to see some action? Have a look at the game between the GMs and the Twitter audience.

London Classic Twitter Games London, 02.12.2011    The World on Twitter - London Chess Classic

1 e4     First serve, Boris Becker. He wasn’t there in the room but is alleged to have started the game. It is unclear to what extent the great German tennis star participated thereafter.

1...g6     The GMs were taking it in turns to make moves, but there were some discussions between them about plans. It was all very informal and the strict laws of the game were not being adhered to. At one point I was shocked to hear what sounded like an arbiter giving advice to a player. Well, to be honest, I was not so much shocked that an arbiter should break the rules in this flagrant manner as incredulous that he should imagine that someone rated about 700 points above him would take his advice in a million years.

2 d4 Nf6     A whim of Nigel Short's, designed to tease Magnus Carlsen. It elicited a large guffaw from the knowledgeable super-GMs when Nigel suggested it. Magnus was game for a laugh and agreed to Nigel's whim.

3 e5 Nh5     Why did the GMs laugh? This is a line once played by Tony Miles that Magnus took up but with which he lost to Michael Adams at the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad. First psychological blow to the English GMs - but they may pay for it later.

4 Be2 d6 5 Bxh5     5 Nf3 Nc6 6 exd6 exd6 7 d5 Ne7 8 c4 Bg7 9 Nc3 0–0 10 0–0 Bg4 11 Re1 was Mickey Adams' more measured approached against Magnus Carlsen at the 2010 Olympiad. The Twitter audience decides to grab the offered pawn. It looks like a freebie but you may be surprised to find that even your materialistic analysis engine is skeptical.

5...gxh5 6 Qxh5 dxe5 7 Qxe5 Rg8     The GMs have good play for a pawn here. Whatever White does, Black will soon gain a tempo - and with four 2800s leading the debate, one tempo is going to hurt a lot.

8 Nf3 Nc6 9 Qh5 Nxd4     Someone, I think Vishy Anand, asked Luke McShane why he hadn't snaffled a pawn with 9...Rxg2 around here. But of course the enquiry was made in the mildest tone. There were no recriminations amongst the GMs. In fact, the game acted as a pleasant ice-breaker after the press conference. By now they were fully absorbed in the chess game, discussing its nuances in the most affable, relaxed terms - and, of course, utterly confident of a successful outcome. Levon Aronian showed himself to a natural chairman, summarising the various ideas and plans.

10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 0–0     Malcolm Pein sat at the computer keyboard, fielding and sifting the Twitter suggestions as they came in. No easy task, and he had arbiter Albert Vass sitting at the electronic board, chivvying him along, to keep the game moving. For their part the GMs were moving more or less instantly.

11...Qe4 12 g3 Bg7     Kramnik's idea. Black has the edge with development and weak white squares to aim at.

13 Nc3 Bxc3 14 bxc3 Bd7 15 Ba3?!     Well, the idea is clear, but unfortunately Black gets a big threat in first.

15...Bc6 16 f3 Qe3+ 17 Kg2 0–0–0     Black is now piling the pressure on White's king. Unless a few thousand of them had Rybka switched on, they were in big trouble.

18 Rae1? Qxc3     The massed ranks of GMs can't see what your analysis engine sees instantly: 18...Rxg3+!! 19 hxg3 Rd2+ 20 Kh1 Bxf3+!! 21 Qxf3 and now the real point of 18...Rg3+ is revealed: 21...Qh6+! giving mate in a couple of moves.

19 Bxe7 Rd2+ 20 Kh1 Rf2!     Standing close to Magnus Carlsen when he played this, I opined to the arbiter that he was "showboating" (doing something unnecessarily flash when a more routine move would serve as well) but on reflection I'm inclined to think that it was all about the mystical gravitational force which draws Magnus Carlsen in the direction of the right move. Which it is.

21 Qf5+ Kb8 22 Rxf2 Qxe1+ 23 Kg2 Qxe7 0–1     At this point Nigel Short suggested to Malcom Pein that the GMs offered the World "resigns" since White is a bishop down with no hope of salvation. "And if that doesn't work, we offer them a draw," suggested a smiling Vladimir Kramnik, who was prepared to trade a half point in favour of an early return to the hotel with his wife and daughter. He is unlikely to be so generous from tomorrow onwards. But Malcolm took the hint and brought the curtain down on the Twitter crowd's game.

What to say about the world’s performance? I know what Homer Simpson would say: "You tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is: never try." But I apologize immediately for that ignoble, defeatist thought. And many thanks to everyone who joined in and were good sports - hope you had some fun. A better idea would be to sit down and relax at your computer screen, and watch the chess stars knocking lumps out of each other, starting tomorrow. Believe me, it’s going to be good...

Reporting from London Chess Classic (kinda)

This intrepid reporter THOUGHT about going to London this year to cover the growing phenomenon called the Chess Classic for my first time.  Sounds like an awesome time!  I even applied for and received a press pass.  Alas I could not make it work out with my job so I thought "maybe next year."

Much to my surprise, my press pass is now getting me some goodies while I sit home in Poestenkill, NY.  I am being e-mailed materials for the press!  So I am going to post for you what looks postable and hope that this isn't problematic in any way.

Well, that is me reporting from Corus not London ... or Poestenkill ... but I just want to get your attention.

As I await the start of round 1, I have received the following treats about the pre-tournament press conference and Twitter game.  Enjoy!

http://raymorris-hill.smugmug.com/Sports/Chess/LOndon-Chess-Classic-2011/20380346_43jHNz#1613000481_6gxfS74

An AACC Game From Two Weeks Ago

A couple of weeks ago this short sharp game was played at the AACC. In it Tim Wright anxious to get back on the winning path faced the strong unrated Chris Caravaty. There were some big swings in the advantage highlighting the drama of the occasion; a contender for the title fighting to get back into the battle for the title, and a newcomer trying to establish a reputation.

Wright, Tim - Caravaty, Chris [E11]

AACC Championship, Guilderland, NY, 16.11.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Bxd2+ 5.Nbxd2 d5 6.e3 0–0 7.Bd3,..

White usually plays 7 Qc2, not wanting to move the Bf1 before Black captures on c4. The position is known to theory, but is not particularly popular. There virtually no games between strong players in the databases in this line.

7..., dxc4?!

White obtains an edge after this move. Better for Black is 7..., c5; then 8 dxc5 Na6 9 Nb3 Nxc5 10 Nxc5 dxc4 11 Bxc4 Qa5+; equalizes. Alternatively, 8 0-0 cxd4 9 exd4 Nc6; looks OK for Black.

8.Nxc4 Nbd7 9.0–0 c5 10.Re1!?,..

According to Rybka this move is not quite right. The computer suggests 10 Nfe5!? b5 11 Nd6 Qb6 12 dxc5 Qxc5 13 Nexf7 Rxf7 14 Rc1 Qe5 15 Bxh7+ Kxh7 16 Nxf7 Qxb2 17 Ng5+ Kg8 18 Qd6 Qe5 19 Qxe6+ Qxe6 20 Nxe6, a rather long and complicated sequence creating the material imbalance of a Rook and two versus B+N. GM Andrew Soltis addresses many important issues of theory in his book Rethinking the Chess Pieces, Batsford,2004 including the Rook versus minor pieces. He makes the points; Queens off favor the Rook, pawns on both sides favor the Rook, and maintaining the initiative is critical. In the analysis line White does not have a strong hold on the initiative, but the other two factors favor him. With the alternative long and not so clear, it is understandable that White takes a conservative path.

10..., b5 11.Ncd2 c4 12.Bc2 Bb7

The game is approximately even. Black has space on the Q-side and the possibility of making a passed pawn there. The White pieces are ready to flood onto the K-side and directly attack the Black King. Which nascent plan is best? It is hard to say. Probably the plan most efficiently carried out will prevail.

13.e4 Rc8 14.e5 Nd5 15.Ne4 b4?

A critical moment in the game. Black here has to decide how to execute his plan of Q-side pressure. I don’t know if he also considered defensive measures necessary to blunt the coming assault on his King. The choice evident from his move emphasizes Q-side activity. Rybka suggests; 15..., Nb4; and a later capture of the Ne4 by the Bb7 to reduce the attacking force.

16.Nfg5 h6 17.Qh5?,..

Ambitious and aggressive but it shouldn’t work. Much more likely to lead to an advantage is 17 Nh7!?, then Black will have to make a decision; take the Nh7, or try for complications on the Q-side that look questionable with 17..., b3. Capturing the Nh7 gives; 17..., Kxh7 18 Nd6+ Kg8 19 Nxb7 Qb6 20 Nd6 Rc6 21 b3 c3; and the tense and difficult battle rages on. If 17..., b3 18 axb3 cxb3 19 Bd3, Black is left with nothing better than 19..., Kxh7; giving White the better game.

17..., Nf4 18.Qh4?,..

White did not see what was about to happen, otherwise he would have played 18 Qg4, avoiding putting the Queen in a costly pin.

18..., Ng6?

Missing the shot 18..., Bxe4!, winning a piece because of the Knight pinned on g5. Black may have been a victim of Aagaard’s forced thinking idea. Chris assumed somewhere along the line that capturing on e4 with the Bishop was bad, and kept that assumption as part of his calculations right through to this point thereby forcing a decision without reexamination of the assumptions underlying the decision. Aagaard makes the point that unforced thinking, that is challenging all assumptions made earlier in the game, is the way avoid oversights in calculation.

19.Qh5 hxg5?

In chess as in life troubles often come not singly but in bunches. Black missed a chance to win material. He now overlooks a mating combination. With 19..., Qe7; Black would certainly be no worse than White and maybe a bit better.

20.Nxg5 Re8 21.Bxg6 fxg6?

Either Black didn’t see what was happening yet, or he gave up after the shock of the sacrifice. True enough Black is in deep trouble after 21..., Qxg5 22 Bxf7+ Kf8 23 Qxg5 Kxf7; with only two minor pieces for a Queen and two pawns, but there is no immediate mate. The text permits mate in three.

22.Qh7+ Kf8 23.Qh8+ 1–0

A game decided in the heat of a tactical battle. After White pushed his pawn to e5, the game began to look like some variations of the Slav where White attacks with the Queen and Knight as in the game. My guess is Mr. Caravaty was not familiar with that aspect of the Slav. Mr. Wright misconstrued the idea also. There is, however, in chess prejudice towards activity over caution. Wright’s not quite correct attack carried the day with a nice combination leading to mate.

More soon.

A Game From the Last Round in Schenectady

Today’s game is from the Schenectady Chess Club’s Preliminaries, the B section. It features the Colle System, an opening I have been working on with Charles Eson.

Connors, David - Chu, Richard [D04]

SCC Prelim B Schenectady, NY, 17.11.2011

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 d5 3.e3 g6 4.Nbd2 Bg7 5.Bd3 0–0 6.0–0 Nc6

Both sides have been “waiting to break”, that is assembling their forces to push forward a central pawn to open lines. The last move for Black prepares .., e7-e5; and the White pieces are poised for e3-e4. Neither side pulls the trigger. Why? Were the extra moves made by each side useful or not?

7.c3,..

One of the dynamic aspects of the Colle is White has several choices here including 7 c4. That move tries to shift the game towards a kind of Tchigorin Defense where Black does not advance of his c-pawn early. White probably did not care for 7 c4 Nb4 8 Bb1 dxc4 9 a3 Nd3 10 Nxc4 Nxc1 11 Qxc1, which Rybka calls equal but Black has the Bishop pair, a potential long term advantage. An alternative way to play the position is; 7 c4 Nb4 8 Bb1 dxc4 9 Nxc4 Be6 10 Ncd2 c5; and the position favors Black slightly

7..., Bd7!?

This does not advance the Black cause. It is by no means clear that this is a good post for this Bishop. Making a break first lets the breaking side call the tune for awhile. Black was ready on the move to play 7..., e5; then 8 dxe5 Ng4 9 e4 Ncxe5 10 Be2 Re8 11 h3 dxe4 12 Nxe4 Nxf3+ 13 Bxf3 Ne5 14 Be2 Bf5; and Black is slightly better.

8.Re1?!,..

This is an over refinement. 8 e4, immediately secures some advantage in the center for White.

8..., Re8 9.Ne5 Nxe5

White has played to forestall the Black break ..,e7-e5; but at a cost. He could have executed his own planned break with 9 e4.

10.dxe5 Ng4 11.f4 f6

Here it is somewhat more sensible to stabilize the center and apply some pressure to the White position with 11..., c6 and 12..., Qb6; before beginning to attack the head of the White pawn chain.

12.exf6?!,..

This trade is doubtful. It readily opens the e-file permitting pressure on e3 and e4. More reasonable is 12 h3 Nh6 13 Nf3, with e3-e4 coming soon. After the text Black has completely equalized and is slightly ahead in development. He still has to figure out what to eventually do with the Bd7 and that makes his development lead more optical than real.

12..., exf6 13.Nf3 c6 14.h3 Nh6 15.g4?,..

White was at a crossroads here. The text is misplaced aggression. Black supported his center with .., c7-c6. White would be well advised to do something to shake this strong central point. The natural c3-c4 suggests itself. After the text, Black has good chances to make the airy home of the white King very drafty indeed.

15..., Qb6

Diagonally pinning the e-pawn and touching b2, the Black Queen is nicely active from b6. The natural follow-on is .., f6-f5; taking control of e4 more or less permanently and leaving e3 as a long term problem for White.

16.Kg2 Nf7 17.Qc2 Nd6 18.b3 Re7?

Black had repeated opportunities to play .., f6-f5; and did not do so. He has part of the right idea; pressure on e3, but White also has a good idea; make tactical use of the momentarily awkward positioning of the Black Rook and Knight. Black’s failure to recognize the strength of the Bishop move to a3 leads to a lost position.

19.Ba3 c5 20.c4 d4 21.exd4 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 cxd4 23.c5 Qa5

No better is 23..., Qd8 24 cxd6, winning a piece.

24.Bb2?,..

After seeing and playing a pretty sequence that gave him a won game, White loses the thread of the game. With 24 cxd6 Qxa3 25 Qc7, and the follow-up moves Bc4+ and Re7, the White attack is crushing.

24..., Nb5?!

Better defensive chances are to be had with 24..., Nf7; or 24..., Rc8.

25.Bxb5 Bxb5 26.Bxd4 Bc6

The dust has settled a bit. White is up a sound pawn and his pieces are about to become even more active. Black faces a difficult task in defending his position.

27.Qc4+ Kf8 28.b4 Qd8 29.Qc3,..

Freeing the Nf3 of the pin with 29 Kg3, is better I think.

29...Bxf3+ 30.Kxf3 Qd5+ 31.Kg3 Kf7

GM Yermolinsky in his new series What Every Russian School Boy Knows on ICC has just finished covering the principles of Bishops of the same color endgames. His examples featured positions where the Queens were off or soon disappeared. The pawn structures then play an important role in the eventual outcome. In our game the Queens are traded and both sides play reasonably; Black making his pieces maximally active, and White holding on to his pawn while working towards creating a distant passed pawn. All this conforms to the principles Yermolinsky has set out. One of the less emphasized points in his presentations is the role of tactical alertness plays. Several of the examples used were possible variations that could have taken place if one of the players had not misunderstood the position and crashed on the rocks of tactical error. This happens in our game today.

32.Qe3 Bf8 33.Qe4 Rd8 34.Qxd5+ Rxd5 35.Bf2 Rd2 36.a3 a6 37.Re3 a5 38.Rc3 axb4 39.axb4 Rb2 40.Rc4 Rb3+ 41.Kh4?,..

White walks into a death trap! He had to play 41 Kg2, retaining some advantage. The text should result in the pretty finish; 41..., g5+! 42 fxg5 Kg6 43 gxf6 Bh6 44 g5 Bxg5+ 45 Kg5 h4; mate!

41..., h6?!

Missing the correct move but motivated by a similar notion.

42.Rd4?,..

White did not see the problem his King faces. Better 42 g5, then 42..., Ke6; leaves Black with the edge, but the game has some fight left.

42..., g5+!

Black has seen what White did not see. It is a two move mate.

43.fxg5 fxg5+ 0–1

How to sum up this game? Both players missed some very nice chances and found some pretty sequences and combinations. Spotty play is probably the right caption for this contest. The lesson to be learned from it is take an extra moment when there is a glaring feature on the board; a break to be made, a King in a dangerous position, etc. It is then GM Aagaard’s wisdom about forced and unforced thinking should be applied. Forced thinking is assuming that what you decided about a position earlier in the game still hold true. Unforced thinking means to look at each new position putting aside conclusions and assumptions made earlier in the creation of the current position and asking yourself what can be done now.

More soon.

Another Game From Saratoga

Another game last Sunday in Saratoga featured Joshua Kuperman against Alan Le Cours. Joshua is the son of Max Kuperman, a long time fixture on the local chess scene. Max’s career goes back to sometime in the 1970s, but oddly I can find no record of he and I ever playing a serious game. After hanging around chess for a very long time, usually I have played a local chess player somewhere along the line. In Max’a case no such luck. Joshua’s career was short and successful in the late 1990s according to USCF records. Those were the days when I played very little in general and almost not at all locally. That is the reason why Sunday evening, first I knew his name but had to introduce myself to Joshua, and second, realized I never had laid eyes on him before.

Alan provides the first surprise, he played the French! I expected a 1..., e5; answer to Joshua’s 1 e4. Mr. Le Cours has a number of pet lines in the Two Knights and the Ruy Lopez, Schliemann variation that he knows very well and has used with success. This time Alan tries the French. Mr. Kuperman took a not usual tack for White and a short sharp interesting game came about.

Kuperman, Joshua - Le Cours, Alan [C17]

Saratoga Championship Saratoga Springs, NY, 20.11.2011

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd2,..

Much more common is 4 e5, when the game enters the mainlines of the Winawer variation of the French. Even so great an exponent of 1 e4, as Bobby Fischer had a hard time finding wins in the Winawer for White. On that basis alone this was my choice for thirty-five years until I converted to the Pirc.

The text is a sideline that comes up occasionally. Alexander Alekhine, the 4th World Champion, defeated one of his toughest rivals in the 4 Bd2 line many years ago:

(17662) Alekhine, Alexander - Flohr, Salo [C15]

Nottingham 1936

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd2 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Qxd4 6.Bd3 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 Qd8 8.0–0–0 Qe7 9.Nf3 Nf6 10.Rhe1 Nxe4 11.Rxe4 Nd7 12.Rg4 f5 13.Rf4 Nf6 14.Re1 Bd7 15.Rxf5 0–0–0 16.Ra5 Kb8 17.Ne5 Be8 18.g3 Nd5 19.Re4 Nb6 20.Qe3 Rd5 21.Ra3 Qc5 22.Qxc5 Rxc5 23.f4 Rd5 24.Nf3 Bd7 25.Ng5 Re8 26.c4 Rf5 27.Rd4 Rff8 28.c5 Nd5 29.Bxh7 Bc6 30.Bg6 Re7 31.Nf3 Nf6 32.Ne5 Bd5 33.Re3 Rh8 34.h4 c6 35.Bc2 Rd8 36.Bb3 Rc7 37.Nf3 Re8 38.Ne5 Rec8 39.Bc4 Ka8 40.b4 Rb8 41.g4 b6 42.g5 bxc5 43.bxc5 Nd7 44.Nxd7 Rxd7 45.h5 Rf7 46.Rxe6 Bxe6 47.Bxe6 Rfb7 48.Bb3 Rh8 49.h6 gxh6 50.g6 Rg8 51.f5 Rf8 52.Bc2 h5 53.Rd6 Re7 54.f6 Re1+ 55.Kd2 Rf1 56.f7 h4 57.Rd7 1–0

4..., Ne7 5.e5,..

Alekhine again, this time showing that the alternative idea;5 exd5, does not lead to an easy life for White.:

(7094) Speijer, Abraham - Alekhine, Alexander [C15]

DSB–17.Kongress Hamburg (3), 1910

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd2 Ne7 5.exd5 exd5 6.Qf3 Nbc6 7.Bb5 0–0 8.Nge2 Bf5 9.0–0–0 a6 10.Bd3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 Na5 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Nc4 14.Rde1 Nc6 15.Nf4 Qd6 16.Qf3 Rad8 17.Nd3 a5 18.Qf4 Qxf4+ 19.Nxf4 b5 20.Nd3 Rb8 21.Ne5 N6xe5 22.dxe5 c5 23.b3 d4 24.bxc4 dxc3 25.Re3 b4 26.a4 Rbd8 27.Rhe1 Rd4 28.Re4 Rxe4 29.Rxe4 Rd8 30.e6 fxe6 31.Rxe6 Rd2 32.Re5 Rxf2 33.Kb1 Rf1+ 34.Ka2 Rc1 35.Rxc5 Rxc2+ 36.Kb1 Rb2+ 37.Kc1 Rxg2 38.Rb5 Kf7 39.c5 Ke6 40.c6 Kd6 41.c7 Kxc7 42.Rxa5 Rxh2 0–1

4..., c5 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 0–0 8.dxc5 Nd7 9.b4,..

I played the French pretty frequently and the Winawer was a favorite line, but this stuff never came up in my games. While watching this contest I thought these guys are well out of the book. Wrong again! Turns out all this is really mainstream theory. Karpov played similarly up to this move in;

(222300) Karpov, Anatoly (2750) - Nogueiras, Jesus (2575) [C17]

World Cup Rotterdam, 1989

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.Bd2 c5 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 0–0 8.dxc5 Nd7 9.f4 Nxc5 10.Nd4 Qb6 11.0–0–0 Bd7 12.Ngf3 Rfc8 13.Qe3 Rc7 14.Kb1 Rac8 15.Rc1 a6 16.g4 Nc6 17.h4 Ne4 18.Rh2 Na5 19.Bd3 Nc5 20.c3 Na4 21.Ka1 Bb5 22.Bb1 Nc4 23.Qe1 Ncxb2 24.Rxb2 Nxb2 25.Kxb2 Be2+ 26.Ka1 Bxf3 27.Nxf3 Qa5 28.Nd4 Qa3 29.Nb3 b5 30.f5 b4 31.Rc2 Rxc3 32.Rb2 a5 33.Qd2 a4 34.Nd4 R3c4 35.fxe6 fxe6 36.Nxe6 Qc3 37.Qxd5 Kh8 38.Ng5 Rf4 39.Ne4 Qc1 40.Rxb4 a3 41.Rb3 1–0

When a former World Champion plays a line against a strong GM, it is by definition theory. During the postmortem of today’s game there was a discussion about whether or not 9 f4, was an improvement over 9 b4. Karpov played the f-pawn forward and castled long, but he by no means got an easy game out of that plan. Nogueiras built a very dangerous looking attack on the White King, and it took all of Karpov’s considerable skill to hold it off. It wasn’t until move 34, after suffering for several moves under serious pressure, did Karpov finally see Nogueiras slip. With the preternatural alertness that the very top players have, Karpov found the right moves and won the game. Given the difficulties Anatoly Karpov experienced, 9 f4, is not markedly superior to the game move.

9..., Nxe5 10.f4 N5c6 11.Nf3 b6!?

During the game I thought this to be the right move. Rybka disagrees. The computer prefers 11..., a5; and then 12 c3 axb5 13 cxb5 Ng6 14 Bd3 Qf6; wins a pawn. White can improve in this line with 14 Rd1, but then 14..., Qf6 15 g6 e5; promises much trouble for the White King. Black is a bit better than equal after the game move, but he could have had more.

12.Nd6 bxc5 13.bxc5 Rb8!?

Another move that I thought well of during play. Once again Rybka sees things differently preferring the counter-intuitive 13..., Nb8. The computer line continues; 14 Qc3 Qc7 15 Bb5 Na6!? 16 Ne8!? (Winning the Exchange because of the mate threat at g7.) 16..., Rxe8 17 Bxe8 Nxc5; and even though White can extract the Bishop from deep behind enemy lines, Black has a considerable initiative. One example of how things go is; 18 Bb5 Qb3 19 Nd4 Ne4 20 Qe3 Qa5+ 21 c3 Ba6. It seems the exposed White King gives Black enough to eventually collect the c-pawn. With two pawns for the Exchange Black has good winning chances.

All that is very complicated, and I am not sure human beings would think that way. It does illustrate what computers can show us about chess positions and expands our view of what is possible on the board.

14.Bd3 Qa5?!

This natural looking move is a mistake. If White plays 15 Qxa5, he obtains a playable game with an edge perhaps after 15..., Nxa5 16 0-0, when Black’s slightly less developed forces need a move or two to get rolling. That is enough time for White to prepare to fight for the b-file. Notice also how difficult it is for Black to line up forces to harvest the isolated pawn at c5. Rybka suggests 14..., Na5; as a better choice for Black at this point. That suggestion by the computer leads to unclear play where White has a decent game.

15.Ng5?!,..

So, instead of a transition to a balanced ending, White creates complications. Why do we chess players go off into the high weeds like this sometimes? Occasionally it is forced upon us by the sporting circumstances; a win is the only useful result. More often it is because we don’t quite grasp all that is going on in a position. I suspect Mr. Kuperman judged the pawn at c5 doomed and went searching for counter-play. The viable alternative mentioned above would have given him an entirely playable game, but he may have undervalued the possibilities available.

15..., h6?

There was a near winning advantage to be had by indulging White in his quest for complications. Correct is 15..., Qxc5; then 16 Bh7+ Kh8 17 Nxc8 Rfxc8 18 Bd3 Kg8 19 c3 Na5; and the awkward White King gives Black a near winning advantage; or, 18 Qd3, threatening 19 Bg8, when 18..., Qb4+ 19 c3 Qxf4; and the Queen trade is forced on White ending the complications to Black’s advantage.

16.Qxa5 Nxa5

White changed his mind after expending a valuable tempo. Black now has a slight edge.

17.Nf3 Bd7 18.Ne5 Ba4 19.a3?,..

The balance has been teetering since the exchange of Queens. White could have continued the delicate struggle with 19 Kd2, solving many problems including connecting his Rooks. The square b4 from which the Black Rook can attack the pawn at f4 superficially looks worrisome, but danger around f7 keeps the doubling of the Black Rooks on the b-file at bay. Also, if Black tries to prepare for doubling of the Rooks with .., f7-f6; the Knight jumps to g6 hitting the Rf8 and the Ne7. The Knight trade brings the White Bishop to g6 ready with its compatriot Nd6 to do damage on e6. In other words playing 19..., Rb4; leads to quite a complicated battle where White has chances. Preventing that possibility while neglecting fixing a big problem in the White position was an incorrect choice.

19..., Nb7

The gift of a tempo gives Black several choices here; 19..., Nc8; 19..., f6; and 19..., Rb2; as well as the text. Long term Black wants the dangling c-pawn. All the options aim at exploiting the Nd6 to make gathering in the pawn on c5 as easy as possible.

20.Bb5?,..

Seemingly letting the c-pawn go to gain time to correct defects with 20 Nxb7 Rxb7 21 Kd2 Rc7 22 Rhb1 f6 23 Nf3, and there is an indirect defense of c5 because of the possible answer Rb1-b7, and if .., Rfc8; the shot Bd3-a6 is a reserve move. Eventually Black will probably find away to collect the pawn, but in the meantime White mobilizes his pieces to obtain counter-play. The game move pins hope on keeping the material balanced by capturing the a-pawn. This hope is flawed because White never connected his Rooks.

20..., Bxb5 21.Nxb5 Nxc5 22.Nxa7?,..

The Grandmasters tell us often in their works it takes more than one mistake to lose a chess game. This is the final error for White. Here 22 Nd4, keeps the fight going even though Black has a winning advantage. After the text extracting the Knight can not be done.

22..., Rb6 23.a4 Ra8

Since the Ra1 is undefended 24 Nb5, meets 24..., Rxb5.

24.Nd3 Nxd3+ 25.cxd3 Rxa7 26.Kd2 Rba6 0–1

An interesting game with positions not commonly met in our local arena. It was particularly satisfying to find some new ideas in lines I thought I knew well. The game was entertaining as well.

More soon.

News From Saratoga

Sunday evening I drove to Saratoga to drop in on the Saratoga Staunton Chess Club. While I’ve covered the Albany and Schenectady clubs quite a bit this year, there has been little about Saratoga. They are in the middle of a double (!) round-robin tournament. Turnout was small this year. Only six players signed up, and one had to drop out after two rounds of play; Hrebenach. After Sunday’s round the standings are:

1 Le Cours 1911 4 - 1

2 Feinberg 2046 3 - 1

3 Farrell 1973 3 - 2

4 Kuperman, J 1715 2 - 5

5 Connors 1487 1 ½ - 4 ½

6 Hrebenach 1621 ½ - 1 ½ Dropped out.

The standings present a somewhat skewed picture. With the rescheduling that is common in local club events everyone has not met everyone yet. Mr. Le Cours piled up his points against just two opponents; Connors and Kuperman, winning two games from each. His lone loss came at the hands of Gary Farrell. Farrell and Jonathan Feinberg have played each other twice with honors even with one win apiece. The coming contests between and among Le Cours, Feinberg and Farrell will certainly determine the eventual Champion for this year.

Today’s game pit’s the two highest rated participants. Mr. Farrell won their first game, and Mr. Feinberg was no doubt looking for revenge.

Farrell, Gary - Feinberg, Jonathan [A02]

Saratoga Championship Saratoga Springs, NY, 20.11.2011

1.f4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.e3 c5 4.Be2 Nc6 5.0–0 e6 6.d3 Nge7

The Bird’s Opening is a specialty of Farrrell’s. It is not popular internationally and virtually none of the elite players of recent times have used it even sparingly. This leaves the databases almost useless for providing insights on this opening. That maybe the attraction for Gary. His opponents can’t come to the board equipped with reams of GM analysis. Here is one example of two German masters and the Bird’s.

(1168783) Mueller, Erich (2237) - Scherer, Max (2346) [A02]

Oberwinden op Oberwinden (11), 14.04.2007

1.f4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Be2 e6 5.0–0 Ne7 6.d3 Nbc6 7.Nbd2 b6 8.Qe1 d5 9.e4 Qc7 10.Nh4 0–0 11.Bd1 f5 12.e5 b5 13.Nhf3 a5 14.Nb3 Nd8 15.a4 b4 16.d4 Ba6 17.Rf2 cxd4 18.Nbxd4 Nec6 19.Be3 Re8 20.Be2 Nxd4 21.Nxd4 g5 22.g3 Nb7 23.Nb5 Qd7 24.Bd4 gxf4 25.gxf4 Kh8 26.Kh1 Rg8 27.Bd3 Rac8 28.Qe3 Qf7 29.Rg1 Qh5 30.Be2 Qf7 31.Nd6 Nxd6 32.exd6 Bxe2 33.Rxe2 Rce8 34.Be5 h6 35.Rxg7 Rxg7 36.Rg2 Reg8 37.Rxg7 Rxg7 38.Qg3 Kg8 39.Qxg7+ Qxg7 40.Bxg7 Kf7 41.Bxh6 Ke8 42.Bf8 Kxf8 43.h4 d4 44.b3 Ke8 45.h5 Kd7 46.h6 1–0

And here is an earlier one from the Russians.

(3270738) Chuprov, Dmitry (2465) - Gajsin, Evgenij (2400) [A02]

RUS Cup Qualifier 4 chessassistantclub.com INT, 25.11.2004

1.f4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.0–0 e6 6.d3 Nge7 7.Nc3 d5 8.e4 0–0 9.Kh1 Rb8 10.Qe1 b5 11.e5 Nd4 12.Bd1 Nef5 13.Ne2 Nxf3 14.Rxf3 h5 15.Ng3 Nxg3+ 16.Rxg3 d4 17.Bxh5 gxh5 18.f5 f6 19.Bh6 Rb7 20.Qe4 exf5 21.Qxb7 Bxb7 22.Rxg7+ Kh8 23.Rxb7 Rg8 24.exf6 Qxf6 25.Bf4 Rg7 26.Re1 Qc6 27.Rxg7 Kxg7 28.h4 c4 29.Be5+ Kf7 30.Bxd4 cxd3 31.cxd3 Qd5 32.Bg1 a6 33.Re3 Qxa2 34.Re5 Kg6 35.Bd4 Qb1+ 36.Kh2 Qxd3 37.Bg1 f4 38.Rg5+ Kf6 39.Rxh5 Qg3+ 40.Kh1 f3 41.Rh6+ Kg7 42.Bd4+ Kxh6 43.Be3+ Kg6 44.gxf3 Qxf3+ 45.Kh2 Qxe3 46.Kg2 Kf5 47.h5 Qd2+ 48.Kf3 Qxb2 49.h6 Qh8 0–1

These two games exhaust useful examples, that is games between strong players, from databases with over five million games. Theory exemplified by master practice is very thin.

It is worth looking at Farrell’s own practice. Here is a game of his with Jim Troyan from a few years ago.

Farrell, Gary - Troyan, James [A03]

CDCL Match Saratoga v Schenectady A, Saratoga Springs, NY, 11.06.2006

1.f4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d3 d5 4.e3 Be7 5.Be2 Nbd7 6.0–0 b6 7.Qe1 Nf8 8.Ne5 Bb7 9.Bf3 Ng6 10.c4 0–0 11.Nc3 c5 12.Qf2 a6 13.Bd2 Qc7 14.d4 cxd4 15.exd4 dxc4 16.Bxb7 Qxb7 17.Nxc4 Rac8 18.Ne3 Rfd8 19.f5 Nf8 20.fxe6 Nxe6 21.Nf5 Nxd4 22.Nxe7+ Qxe7 23.Bg5 Rc6 24.Qh4 Ne2+ 25.Nxe2 Qxe2 26.Rae1 Qxb2 27.Rf2 Qd4 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Re8+ Kg7 30.Qg3+ Kh6 31.Qh3+ ½–½

I should add that Gary does not play the Bird’s exclusively by any means. He’s been known to try 1 e4, 1 c4, and 1 Nf3, a man with a wide taste for first moves. For those who will face him in the future, be aware that in each opening choice Mr. Farrell comes to the board with some well researched scheme.

7.c3,..

This is outside of my opening book, although it may be mentioned in some specialist work on the Bird’s. Deep Rybka likes it as well as the other choices here; 7 e4, and 7 Na3. What we have are two savvy players delicately maneuvering about the control of key squares; d4 and e5. The move c2-c3 fits into that scheme.

One general idea, I say can’y plan, for White in the Bird’s is a push to f5 and/or the opening of the f-file. The Black set-up, pawns on g6 and e6 and the Knight e7, make that push difficult to achieve. This similar to the recommended layout of forces Black uses against the Gran Prix Attack in the Sicilian for much the same reasons. Another is pushing the e-pawn to e4, the reason underlying the occasional Qd1-e1 that is sometimes seen.

7..., Rb8

Although the position does not show up in theory, it is enough similar to various other lines and other openings that the idea of putting the Rook on b8 to support .., b7-b5; grabbing space looks normal.

8.a4!?,..

White wants to restrain the space grab. Unfortunately, that is not possible. Natural is 8 e4, and the game is tending towards equality. After the text maintaining the balance becomes more difficult for White.

8..., a6 9.Na3 d5

Maybe White was counting on if Black pushes the pawn to b5 too soon, after some trades there, he can gain some time for a central push with d3-d4 uncovering an attack on whatever Black piece is standing on b5. The text supports a .., c5-c4; answer to d3-d4.

10.Bd2 0–0 11.Rb1,..

White goes about his business and clears his Rook from a1-h8 diagonal.

11..., b5

It can’t be stopped.

12.axb5 axb5 13.b4 cxb4!?

Is 13..., c4; a better move? Rybka thinks so. I am not so sure; after 13..., c4 14 d4, the Black pieces are a little freer and White’s a bit tangled, and Black has a possible break with .., f7-f6; .., e6-e5; but the very closed nature of the position gives White good chances to hold.

14.cxb4 d4!?

Black decides to take control of d4 by occupation. It is true the pawn on d4 obstructs the Bg7, but the well supported d-pawn exerts control over c3 and e3. Black may have also calculated that dangling the d-pawn might tempt White into maneuvers to attempt surround it. Mr. Feinberg may have concluded those maneuvers will get the White pieces less effectively placed while the d-pawn can be defended successfully.

15.e4 Qb6 16.Be1,..

White is beginning to think about putting this Bishop on f2, the Na3 on c2 and maybe Qd1/b3/b2 for maximum pressure on d4.

16..., Ra8

Black counts on threats to create dynamic potential for his pieces and indirectly defending d4.

17.Ra1,..

If 17 Nc2 e5 18 fxe5 Nxe5 19 Nfxd4? Nc6; and loses a piece. This indirect defense lets Black claim some advantage.

17..., Bd7 18.Nc2 e5 19.fxe5?,..

White stays focused on his attack on d4. Here he could have kept the game balanced with 19 Bg3, turning his attention to e5. One likely continuation is 19..., f5 20 Rxa8 Rxa8 21 Kh1, with complicated play.

19..., Nxe5 20.Bf2 Nxf3+ 21.Bxf3 Nc6 22.Kh1?,..

Black has had the initiative since the exchange on e5. His last move takes control of e5 and begins to build pressure on b4. General chess wisdom says often in closed positions you can make certain “housekeeping” moves without penalty. The current position at first sight appears to be closed, but there really are tactical threats in it. This time such housekeeping hands over a tempo that Black uses ruthlessly.

22..., Be6 23.Qe2 Rfc8 24.Rfb1,..

Trying a stubborn defense. More risky is 24 Rxa8 Rxa8 25 Bg4?! Bxg4 26 Qxg4, hoping for 26..., Ra2?!; for then 27 Qd7, threatens if 27..., Rxc2? 28 Bxd4!, winning. Black certainly does not have to go along with White on this line. Instead of 26..., Ra2; he can play; 26..., Qc7; preventing the entry of the White Queen and retaining a solid edge.

24..., Be5 25.Rxa8?,..

After prolonged tension, White opts for clearing off the Rooks in the hopes of easing it. Mr. Farrell’s usual good chess judgment fails him here. White could have tried 25 Bg4 Bxg4 26 Qxg4 Qd8; when Black still is some better according to Rybka, but nothing decisive is evident yet.

25..., Rxa8 26.Ra1?,..

Fatal. Still possible is 26 Bg4, etc., when the control of the a-file by Black increases his advantage, but a defense is still possible by White. The problem with the text is the weak White b-pawn falls.

26..., Rxa1+ 27.Nxa1 Qa6!?

Capturing on b4 straight away is better I think, but either way a pawn is gone.

28.Qb2 Nxb4 29.Bxd4,..

White gave this move a lot of thought, or let us say he worked through all the alternatives and rejected them then hit on this move as a chance to test his opponent’s nerves.

28..., Nxd3 0–1

White resigned here because 29 Qc3 b4; collects a full piece. Worse yet is the tactics after 30 Qd2 Bxd4 31 Nb3 Nf7+; when the coming discovered check will kill all counter-play. Black won the battle for d4 and e5. He used those squares to stifle the White Bishops and then surrounded and won the b-pawn. It then turned out his bottled up pieces could not prevent further losses. It would be interesting to see the earlier game between these guys.

More soon.

The Other Upset From AACC This Week

The big upset from last week’s games at AACC was the win by Northrup over Howard. It was remarkable not only for the outcome as well as being the second week running that Dean Howard got himself into a tough clock situation.

Northrup showed a rather high level of skill in this game marred by overlooking tactical opportunities. Howard did not display his usual keen alertness to danger and gave his opponent too many chances. That tendency combined with time trouble led to a situation where even the resourcefulness of last year’s Champion could not prevail. It is a game with sudden shifts fortune and missed shots.

Northrup, Cory - Howard, Dean [D58]

AACC Championship Guilderland, NY, 16.11.2011

1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6

A position very familiar to Mr. Howard. He has defended it against John Phillips and Patrick Chi within the last year. It has been very popular internationally. Looking at just players over 2500, World Champions such as Spassky, Tal and Karpov have used the Tartakower Defense to the QGD as well as many other distinguished Grandmasters.

Here is a game from twenty+ years ago that is similar to the game we are examining;

(223097) Tisdall, Jonathan D (2465) - Olafsson, Helgi (2545) [D58]

Espoo zt Espoo, 1989

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6 8.Qc2 Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0–0 c5 12.h4 Nc6 13.g4 cxd4 14.exd4 g6 15.g5 hxg5 16.hxg5 Bxg5+ 17.Kb1 Kg7 18.a3 Bf6 19.Rg1 Rh8 20.Bd3 Rh6 21.Ne2 Qd6 22.Qd2 Re8 23.Nf4 Re4 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Ng5 Na5 26.Ne2 Rh5 27.Nc3 Qe7 28.Nxf7 Qxf7 29.Qe2 Rf5 30.Nxe4 Bxe4+ 31.Qxe4 Rxf2 32.Rd3 Nc4 33.Ka1 Rxb2 34.Rdg3 Ra2+ 0–1

For those not familiar with Tisdall; he now is a Norwegian citizen, chess writer and Grandmaster, but “Tis” started out playing in this area as a youngster. He is from Syracuse, and in the 60s and early 70s he showed up a few times in some weekend events John Dragonetti and I ran. Jon was rated about 1800 in 1969 when he thumped me convincingly in the Schenectady Winter Rating Tournament.

8.Qc2,..

While watching the game, this move struck me as questionable. Looking it up in the databases showed the move, together with subsequent long castling, has been tried by many strong players; Lputian, Portisch and Vanganian are examples. Borisenko and Ilivitzki were two middle-of-the- field participants in several of the USSR Championships of the middle 1950s when these events were clearly the strongest tournaments in the world. Here is how they played the position:

(43934) Borisenko, Georgy K - Ilivitzki, Georgi A [D58]

URS-ch sf Sverdlovsk (10), 1957

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6 8.Qc2 Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0–0 Nc6 12.h4 Nb4 13.Qd2 c5 14.g4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Qc8 16.Kb1 Qxg4 17.Bh3 Qh5 18.Rdg1 Bc8 19.a3 Bxh3 20.Rxh3 Nc6 21.Nxc6 Qf5+ 22.e4 Qxh3 23.Qxh6 Qf1+ 24.Rxf1 gxh6 25.Nxd5 Bxh4 26.Rh1 Bxf2 27.Nce7+ Kh7 28.Nf5 f6 29.Rxh6+ Kg8 30.Rg6+ Kh8 31.Nxf6 Rxf6 32.Rxf6 Bc5 33.e5 a5 34.Kc2 Kg8 35.Kd3 Rd8+ 36.Kc4 Rd1 37.e6 Kh7 38.e7 Re1 39.Kd5 Re2 40.Re6 Rd2+ 41.Kc6 Bxe7 42.Rxe7+ Kg6 43.Nd6 Rxb2 44.Nb5 1–0

It is of interest to see the logic of the opposite side castled position dictates similar tactics as in our game. Interest is extended further because the distribution of attacking forces in the appended game is a R+2Ns as in the Northrup - Howard game.

8...Bb7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0–0–0 a5

The book move is 11..., c5; with 11..., Nd7; and 11..., Nc6; being mentioned as alternatives. The text takes the game out of theory. It is logical however. Black easily foresees the pawn change coming on the other side of the board and wants to get his own pawn assault going.

12.h4 c6?

This move is not so logical. The natural 12..., c5; is better. The text concedes a tempo. That is always dangerous in opposite side attacking situations when an extra tempo is precious. It could be Mr. Howard just didn’t accurately assess the position after 12..., c5 13 dxc5 Bxc3; when Black creates open lines on the Q-side more quickly than White does on the other side of the board.

13.g4!,..

Exactly correct. White has the advantage now.

13..., g6?

Potentially making things worse than they have to be. Either 13..., Qd6; clearing d8 for the Bishop, or 13..., Be7; and 14..., Qd6; fighting to keep lines partially closed leading to the Black King are better alternatives.

14.Bd3!?,..

Slow when speed is call for. Better 14 g5, to open the h-file after 14..., hxg5 15 h5, with troubles multiplying for the Black King. Perhaps I am being too critical of White’s play. The text builds pressure on g6 and prepares to bring the Rd1 to the g-file. Those ideas conform to the principle of getting all your pieces in on an attack. What we have here is an apparent conflict between two pieces of chess wisdom; mass your forces before taking action and opening lines for an attack. Making such a choice is at the heart of chess skill. The so-called Russian School of Chess emphasizes “concrete and dynamic” aspects of play. Concrete means calculating exact lines of play far enough ahead to reach a conclusion about a specific line then comparing it to all other options, and dynamic means, in this instance, a prejudice towards choices that give you more options for your pieces. Following the guidance of the Russian School it seems opening lines is superior to massing force here.

14..., Kg7?

Played to shore up g6 but incorrect. Black for some reason not apparent does not believe White will make the Black King very uncomfortable soon. Better 14..., Na6; threatening .., Nb4; and keeping g7 open for a retreat of the Bf6 to g7, if required. After the game move, White has a dangerous attack beginning 15 g5!, then 15..., hxg5 16 hxg5 Bcg5? 17 Rdg1, with a sacrifice coming at g6. Or, 16..., Be7 17 Ne5 Qe8 18 f4, and with the second rank clear there are several sequences where White quickly makes use of the h-file to finish off the Black King.

15.Ne2!?,..

Again slower rather than faster. Mr. Northrup prefers a slow build up of force when there is a good driving move to hand - 15 g5!

15..., Ba6?

Black senses things are not going well for him and seeks solace by trading White’s light squared Bishop. Retreating the Bf6 to e7 holds some hope of avoiding an immediate break through on the K-side.

16.Nf4 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Na6?

Black has consistently undervalued the possibility of g4-g5. Strangely White has done so also. The text presents White one more opportunity to play the forcing move 18 g5.

18.a3!?,..

He instead prefers caution.

18..., b5?!

With 18..., Kg8; Black could have prepared a better defense to a possible g4-g5.

19.Rdg1!?,..

Once again 19 g5, is the right move.

19..., Rh8?

Black has resisted getting the Bishop off f6 to reduce the impact of an advance of the g-pawn. 19..., Be7, was a last chance to avoid some of the coming problems.

20.g5!,..

Finally. White now has a winning advantage.

20..., hxg5 21.hxg5 Be7 22.Rxh8?,..

Throwing away a big chuck of the advantage that had fallen to White as a result of the g-pawn push. The right move is 22 Nxg6! Rxh1 23 Rxh1 fxg6 24 Ne5 Qe8 25 Rh6, taking decisive control of g6, and the White Queen, Rook and Knight are closing on the Black King. As generous as White has been so far in the game, he has never given Black the chance to take control of the game.

22..., Qxh8 23.Qf1?!,..

This move comes close to allowing Black a real chance to make a fight for the initiative. Correct is 23 Ne5, reinforcing threats on g6.

23..., Qc8 24.Rh1 c5!?

Black had a choice here; it is possible 24..., b4 25 a4 Qf5; might have offered better chances. Suddenly danger looms around the White King. The text has the same intention, but White gets his own chances because of the vulnerable situation of the Black King.

25.Kd1 cxd4 26.exd4?,..

White could have kept some slight edge with 26 Nxd4, but after 26..., Bxg5 27 Nxd5 Qc5 28 Qxb5 Qxb5 29 Nxb5 Rd8 30 Nbc3 Nc7 31 e4 Nxd5 32 exd5 Bf6; White can not hold the extra pawn. The ensuing Rook and pawns ending has the pawns unevenly distributed making for fight with chances on both sides. A drawn outcome is the logical result, but there is much play left in the position. The game move should have cost White dearly.

26..., b4 27.axb4 Nxb4 28.Qe2 Qd7?

Time was getting short for Black but not real time trouble. Dean had about ten minutes remaining on his clock when he made this move. He misses a shot. With 28..., Bd6; Black is firmly in control of the game because the Queen check on e5 is prevented with the subsequent roaring attack on the Black King.

29.Qe5+!,..

Black is utterly lost objectively. He now has no choice but to throw some material away to try and string out the game. It should not work.

29..., f6 30.gxf6+ Bxf6 31.Ne6+ Kg8

Necessary because 31..., Kf7 32 Rh7+ Ke8 33 Nc7+, wins decisive material.

32.Qxf6 Qa4+ 33.Ke2 Qb5+ 34.Ke3?!,..

White is still winning after this move, however, 34 Ke1 Nc2+ 35 Kd2, costs Black the Knight without offering any relief for the beleaguered Black King.

34..., Qd3+ 35.Kf4 Qf5+ 36.Qxf5 gxf5 37.Kxf5,..

White is a solid piece ahead, and he has mating possibilities in hand also.

37..., Nd3 38.Rg1+ Kh8 39.Rg7?,..

But not this way. Better 39 Nfg5, threatening 40 Nf7+, and 41 Rh1 mate and Black will have to consider losing more material The text lets Black fight on.

39..., Ra6?

Black misses his best chance to make things a bit murky with 39..., Rg8. White still wins with 40 Ra7, but the board situation is murky enough for mistakes to creep in.

40.Re7,..

Also good is 40 Nfg5.

40..., Nxb2 41.Nfg5 Ra8

Taking at e6 with the Rook breaks up the immediate mate but going down a whole Rook is too obviously lost, so Black tries anything else. The move presents White with a mate.

42.Rf7?,..

And White misses his chance. It is mate in three with 42 Rh7+ Kg8 43 Rg7+ Kh8 44 Nf7 mate.

42..., Nc4 43.Rf8+?,..

Miss-firing on the mate a second time. Peter Henner and I were watching the game side-by-side at this point. We stepped outside of the playing room to confirm the missed mate, and to ponder if it was possible that Mr. Howard just might find away out of his troubles. Black’s clock was looking pretty thin by now.

43..., Rxf8+ 44.Nxf8 a4 45.Nf3,..

This Knight will be in time to stop the a-pawn from making a Queen or will take off the Lady when she appears .

45..., a3 46.Ne1 Nb2 47.Nc2 a2 48.Ke5?,..

White does not take enough care that his Expert opponent is ever resourceful. With 48 Ng6+, he can safely take the d-pawn with his Knight keeping a winning edge. After the text there is play in the position for Black. White keeps some edge after 48 Kf6, but after Black captures the pawn at f2 there are chances for Black to give the Knight for the last White pawn. Since two Knights versus a single pawn can not mate without the side with the pawn having several moves. With a pawn standing one move from making a Queen, I doubt there is any winning chances for the Knights.

48..., Nd3+ 49.Kxd5 Nb4+ 50.Nxb4 a1(Q)

At this point in the game I had to leave the playing site. Dean’s clock was down to about one minute, nevertheless I thought the worse he could achieve was a draw with endless checks. I was wrong. The next evening at the Schenectady Club Cory generously gave me a copy of the complete game score.

51.Nc6 Qa2+ 52.Kd6?,..

The change in fortunes costs White his concentration and one of his Knights. That loss presents Black the opportunity to maybe win the game. Better for White is 52 Ke5. Black can easily force a just about guaranteed draw with 53..., Qxf2; and later giving the Queen for the d-pawn. Regardless of his time smash, Howard must have felt morally obligated to try for the full point. I don’t think he gave a moment’s thought to the drawing possibility.

52..., Qa3+ 53.Ke6 Qxf8 54.d5 Qc8+ 55.Ke7 Qc7+ 56.Ke6 Kg7 57.Ne5 Kf8

Checking with the Queen does not let the d-pawn go to the 6th rank and is a little better.

58.d6 Qc8+ 59.Kd5 Qa8+ 60.Ke6 Qa2+

Cory noted on his score sheet that Black’s clock had one second remaining at this move. Dean has to play the rest of the game with only the five second delay for thinking.

61.Kd7 Qa4+ 62.Nc6 Qb5?

Letting the game become drawn with best play. Maintaining winning chances with 62..., Qf4 63 Nd8 Qf5+ 64 Kc7 Ke8; is preferable. The text makes a threat, 63 Qb7+, collecting the last White Knight. Unfortunately for Black a natural move meets the threat and clears the path of the d-pawn

63.Kc7 Qh5?!

More certain is 63..., Qf5; and if 64 d7 Qf4+ 65 Kc8 Qf5.

64.d7 Qh7 65.f4,..

Suddenly a new actor is on the field

65..., Qf7 66.Ne5 Qg7?

There was obviously no time for Black to calculate. If there was he could have tried 66..., Qxf4!?; then it does not appear the extra Knight is enough to win for White say after 67 d8(Q)+ Kg7 68 Qe7+ Kh6. Figuring out such complications requires a calm mind, something that is in short supply when your clock is hanging.

67.Kc8 Qg1 68.d8Q+ Kg7 69.Qg5+,..

The final trick in tricky endgame. Black is lost. The game rolls on only because there not sufficient time to resign.

69..., Qxg5 70.fxg5 Kf8 71.Kd7 Kg7 72.Ke7 Kh7 73.Kf6 (73.Kf7 Kh8) 73...Kh8 74.Kf7 Kh7 75.g6+ Kh8 76.g7 1–0

The two move mate; 77 g8 (Q)+ and 78 Qg3, is too clear to be missed. This game was epic in its swings of fortune and its length. Very infrequently do we see games go so far in this era of sudden-death time controls. Both sides made serious mistakes. There is nonetheless educational value in these errors. I admire the fighting spirit both players demonstrated from beginning to the end of the contest. In this kind of good fighting game it is a shame someone has to lose.

More soon.