Dorset Chess

Alan Dommett's Column

More Grand Games

The Bournemouth Grand coverage continues with two offerings from the main prize winners in the Challengers section, plus a win from a grading prize winner in the Intermediate event. Each one has a swift, often surprising, conclusion and only the speed with which opportunities are taken reflects any difference in the standard of play in the three games selected.

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Challenger"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.27"]  [Round "2.29"]  [White "O'Gorman, Brendan"]  [Black "Nielsen, Jørgen Holmstrom"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "A09"]  [WhiteElo "155"]  [BlackElo "140"]  [PlyCount "37"]  [EventDate "2013.04.26"]   {Reti Opening [A09]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 {More aggressive than the main  line 3 e3, this pawn advance does not have a great reputation.} Bg4 {However, this response and subsequent early exchange of minor pieces hands White the  initiative.} ({In M.Makarov-Y.Yakovich (Cheliabinsk, 1990) Black took the  simplest route to early equality and a quick draw as follows:-} 3… c5 4. Bxc4  Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Nc3 e6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Re1 Nd4 9. Bxd7+ $11) 4. Bxc4 Bxf3 5.  Qxf3 e6 6. O-O Qf6 7. Qe2 $6 (7. Qb3 b6 8. d3 {maintains a slight edge, as  Black has a hanging pawn distraction to stop him equalising.}) 7… Bc5 8. Nc3  Nd7 9. b4 $6 {Provocative, to say the least, but this bayonet thrust is about  to prove its worth by having a destabilising effect on Black’s liquidation  policy.} Bxb4 10. Rb1 Bxc3 11. dxc3 Nb6 12. Ba3 Nxc4 $4 {There comes a time  when you just have to stop taking what is on offer and that time was right  here and right now! Remarkably, the game is already lost at this point, the  knight, a crucial defender, being voluntarily swapped for a white-squared  bishop that bites on granite.} 13. Qxc4 O-O-O {  Castling into it in no uncertain terms, yet there was no real alternative.} (  13… Qd8 14. Rfd1 Qc8 15. Qc5 {and mates.}) 14. Rxb7 $1 {  Whites spots the winning combination.} Kxb7 15. Rb1+ Kc8 16. Qa6+ Kd7 17. Rd1+  Ke8 18. Qc6+ Rd7 19. Qxd7# 1-0   [Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Challenger"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.26"]  [Round "1.27"]  [White "Collard, Armel"]  [Black "Grant, Colin"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "D52"]  [WhiteElo "156"]  [BlackElo "141"]  [PlyCount "53"]  [EventDate "2013.04.26"]   {Queen’s Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Variation [D52]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6  3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 c6 6. e3 Bd6 {Bishop development that isn’t as  popular as either …Be7 or …Bb4, although, looking at the scope for it on  the long diagonal, one wonders why.} 7. Bd3 Qc7 8. Rc1 dxc4 ({In J.C.Montanana-M.Carrasco Fernandez (Burjasot Preferente, 1996) Black advanced on the  kingside first, but after} 8… h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nh5 12. Nd2  Nxg3 13. hxg3 {was tempted by} Bxg3 $6 14. fxg3 Qxg3+ 15. Kf1 Qxe3 {  ending up worse and going on to lose in 50 moves.}) 9. Bxc4 Qb8 {A ‘Mexican  Stand-Off’ move designed to prompt White into castling. He duly obliges and the  next passage of play sees both sides steadily try to improve their respective  positions.} 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Ne4 Qd8 $6 ({  Better is} 14… Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Rc8 {  when it is difficult to see how White can make much progress on either wing.})  15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Rxc5 g6 $2 {A fatal weakening of the dark squares on the  kingside and, by initially targeting the backward c-pawn, White soon exploits  the situation to the full.} 17. Ne5 Rc8 18. Qf3 Nd5 19. Rfc1 Qd6 20. a3 a6 21.  Ng4 $1 f5 22. Ne5 Rc7 23. e4 $5 fxe4 24. Qxe4 Rf4 $2 ({Missing} 24… Nf6 25.  Qe3 Nd7 {which keeps White’s advantage to a minimum.}) 25. Rxd5 Qf8 26. Rd8 $1  {The rook insists on being captured and thereby ensures White remains a piece  to the good.} Qxd8 27. Qxf4 1-0   [Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Intermed."]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.28"]  [Round "4.47"]  [White "Constable, Christine"]  [Black "Hunt, Ray"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "D05"]  [WhiteElo "114"]  [BlackElo "129"]  [PlyCount "47"]  [EventDate "2013.04.26"]   {Colle System [D05]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bd3 Be7 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6. b3  {The cagey play continues, neither side seemingly ready to commit to castling  or engineer a break on the c-file.} c5 {And so, with White turning down the  chance to make a c4 pawn advance herself, Black decides to take the plunge.} 7. Bb2 cxd4 8. exd4 O-O 9. O-O a6 10. Ne5 g6 $6 {Weakening the dark squares  around the king and, as every black pawn now sits on a white square, the  future looks bleak for the queen’s bishop.} 11. Re1 Nh5 12. c4 dxc4 13. bxc4  Ndf6 14. Qf3 $1 {A multi-purpose move that brings the queen into play,  prevents the knight on the rim from accessing the f4-square and hinders  Black’s queenside development.} Ng7 15. Rad1 Nf5 {Regrouping has hardly  improved the situation and White soon consolidates her positional advantage.}  16. Bxf5 exf5 17. Qh3 ({Better is} 17. d5 Re8 18. Qc3 {when full toll is  almost guaranteed to be taken at some stage on the long diagonal. One rather  nice sacrificial line occurs after the natural} Kg7 19. Ng4 $1 fxg4 20. d6 $1  Qxd6 (20… Bxd6 21. Rxe8 Qxe8 22. Qxf6+ $18) 21. Ne4 Qc6 22. Nxf6 Bxf6 23.  Qxf6+ Qxf6 24. Bxf6+ Kxf6 25. Rxe8 $18) 17… Nh5 18. Nf1 Bb4 19. Bc3 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 Qc7 21. Ng3 ({Once again, the d-pawn push is best and after} 21. d5 f6 22. d6 Qd8 23. Nf3 Bd7 24. c5 {those advancing pawns will be decisive.}) 21… Nxg3  22. Qxg3 {At this point Black might have thought he was over the worst, hence  the oversight on his next move and the massive blunder that follows it.} f6 $2  23. Nxg6 $1 hxg6 $4 (23… Qxg3 24. Ne7+ Kf7 25. hxg3 $18) 24. Qxc7 {An ignominious finale, but it should not detract from a well played game by the grading prize winner.} 1-0

Jul 31st, 2013 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Majoring on the Minor

As with every good competition reprise, this 2^nd Bournemouth Grand Congress review is in reverse order, kicking-off with the Minor event and games from Under 100 grading prize winners, Jake Holton and Keven Lamb. The standard is high in both and even though the final game in my trilogy fails to match them I hope you will agree that it merits inclusion for the sheer amount of interest and unpredictability it packs in over the short course of eighteen moves!

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Minor"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.28"]  [Round "4.65"]  [White "Holton, Jake"]  [Black "Carrick, Peter"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "E04"]  [WhiteElo "99"]  [BlackElo "93"]  [PlyCount "65"]  [EventDate "2013.04.26"]   {Open Catalan [E04]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bd6 {  Main line alternatives are 5…c5 and 5…a6, keeping White occupied on the  queenside and stalling the queen check that recaptures the pawn. White,  however, is not interested in instant equality and knows full well that the  advance pawn is way out of its depth, with any thrown …b5 lifeline likely to  be a risky business.} 6. Nc3 c6 7. e4 Bc7 8. O-O O-O 9. a4 Re8 10. Qe2 e5 $5 {  A good stab at contesting the centre that delays a levelling of material once  again.} 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. Nxe5 Rxe5 13. f4 Re8 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Qxc4 {Equalising  at last, but the previous passage of play has ceded a space and developmental  advantage to White – it soon tells.} Be6 16. Qe2 Bg4 17. Bf3 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Rd8  19. Be3 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Nbd7 21. e5 Ne8 {  Black feels the pressure and his opponent keeps piling it on.} 22. Qg4 Nf8 23.  Ne4 $6 Qe6 $2 ({Missing} 23… Qb4 $1 {when a series of threats forces} 24. f5  Qxb2 25. Bd4 Qc2 26. Rd2 Qb3 (26… Qxa4 $2 27. e6 Qb3 28. e7 $16) 27. Bc5 b5  $5 {and the real prospect of a recovery.}) 24. Qxe6 Nxe6 25. Rd7 {The queens  y be back in the box, but swapping them off has done nothing to improve the  situation for Black and this rook on the 7th rank is about to be as powerful  as it looks.} b6 26. f5 Nf8 27. Re7 g6 $4 {The wrong pawn is pushed (c or h  were the only viable movers) and White finishes clinically.} 28. Rxe8 $1 Rxe8  29. Nf6+ Kh8 30. Nxe8 gxf5 31. Nd6 Kg8 32. Nxf5 Ne6 33. Ne7+ 1-0   [Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Minor"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.28"]  [Round "5.65"]  [White "Smailes, Andrew"]  [Black "Lamb, Keven"]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "C30"]  [WhiteElo "109"]  [BlackElo "91"]  [PlyCount "42"]  [EventDate "2013.04.26"]   {King’s Gambit Declined [C30]} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bc4 h6 {  My database confirms that Black has an extremely poor success rate with this  ultra-cautious line.} 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nc3 a6 ({Those of you who thought} 6… Be7  {was a natural alternative will have to wait a move, but in A.P.Santos-C.Marre  (Maigrat del Marop, 1998) it was played here and resulted in the following  miniature:-} 7. fxe5 dxe5 8. Qe1 O-O 9. d3 Bc5+ 10. Kh1 Bg4 11. Qg3 Re8 12. a3  Bxf3 13. Rxf3 Nd4 14. Bxh6 g6 15. Qxg6+ Kh8 16. Qg7#) 7. a4 Be7 8. d4 exd4 9.  Nxd4 Bd7 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. e5 Ne4 $6 ({  Black has nothing much to fear from a break in the centre with} 11… dxe5 12.  fxe5 Qxd1 13. Nxd1 Nd5 14. Ne3 Bc5 15. Bxd5 Bxd5 {leaving a strong bishop pair  and a good edge. However, as it turns out, White does the job anyway.}) 12.  Nxe4 Bxe4 13. e6 d5 14. exf7+ Kxf7 15. Bd3 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Re8 {Except that here  there is no pin to prevent the bishops being parted and White duly severs  their connected power.} 17. Bxe4 Rxe4 18. Qh5+ {Not sure that this check does  anything other than help the hideaway cause and a follow-up advance only makes  his own situation less stable.} Kg8 19. f5 $6 {Giving more by way of scope to  an opponent’s advanced rook than would ever be gained from lengthening the c1/  h6 diagonal for a reclusive bishop. However, that said, it is the sudden  vulnerability of the white queen that is going to prove of far greater  significance} Rh4 $5 20. Qg6 $4 {  A fatal blunder which is about to be swiftly punished.} Rxh2+ $1 21. Kxh2 Qh4#  0-1   [Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Minor"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.28"]  [Round "5.64"]  [White "Cutter, Timothy J"]  [Black "Haines, Matthew"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B01"]  [WhiteElo "109"]  [BlackElo "95"]  [PlyCount "35"]  [EventDate "2013.04.26"]   {Scandinavian Defence [B01]} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. d4 e5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nf3  Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Bg4 7. Be2 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 e4 9. Be2 {Difficult to know what to say  about this opening sequence of moves other than to suggest it resembles a  voluntary two-step – the first being to develop minor pieces indiscriminately  and the second to exchange them regardless of the long-held principle that,  all things being equal, bishops are worth marginally more than knights. In  short, but only if you believe in that principle, White has an edge due to his  bishop pair.} f5 10. O-O Nc6 {Is it me, or do these two players keep moving  the minor piece you least expect to see developed first?} 11. f3 Nf6 12. fxe4  fxe4 13. Bg4 {… and again?} O-O 14. Rf5 $5 {Although not this time!} Qc4 15.  Bb2 ({Sadly, reverting to type when} 15. Rc5 $5 Qf7 16. Be2 {is better and  threatens to pin the queen. Black, it appears, spots the missed opportunity  and duly prevents it with his next move.}) 15… b6 16. Be2 Qe6 17. Qf1 {  Seeing a chance to resurrect the pin…} Ne7 18. Bc4 {… and at this point  any casual observer might assume an all-knowing continuation of 18…Nfd5,  followed by yet more liquidation. Not so, for this was never a game where you  could rely on assumption and it was here, in fact, that Black resigned, either  unaware of the possibility to interpose, or still steadfast in the belief that  knights are preferable to bishops whatever the circumstances!} 1-0

Jun 15th, 2013 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Bournemouth ‘Grand’ Best Games Span Open and Minor

There were joint winners of the Best Game prize at the Bournemouth ‘Grand’ Congress this year with Ian Clark’s fine combination, in his second round game in the Open, matched only by Barry Childs fourth round effort in the Minor event. Both games feature splendid finishes and are given below:-

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.27"]  [Round "2"]  [White "Gamble, R."]  [Black "Clark, I."]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "A46"]  [PlyCount "38"]  [EventDate "2012.07.05"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nbd2 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. Bc4 {  Any assessment of opening systems is far from an exact science in this game.  Early anticipation of a Colle after 3.Nbd2 quickly fades, whereas Black has  his heart set on a Lion from the outset, regardless of that knight’s development  square, and his next move is an open invitation to his opponent to enter a  hybrid version of one of the most notorious variations.} Be7 6. Bxf7+ {  Dubbed the ‘Lion’s Roar’ in the Janssen/Van Rekom collaboration, this sacrifice  is regarded as dubious, almost always leading to an advantage for Black, but  the subtle difference here is that the knights on both sides are in tandem and  any necessary tinkering with established theory will need to be done on the  hoof!} Kxf7 7. Ng5+ Kg8 8. Ne6 Qe8 9. Nxc7 Qg6 10. Nxa8 {The most popular  continuation, leading to complex positions usually involving an immediate grab  of the g-pawn. However, if Black pays no heed here, the knight’s situation  will offer White a chance to liquidate, so another key capture is made instead.  } exd4 (10… Qxg2 $2 11. Qf3 Qxf3 12. Nxf3 Nxe4 13. Be3 $18) 11. Nc7 ({  In V.Fenoglio-R.Grau (Buenos Aires, 1935) White tried to take advantage of a  vacant c3-square to flick in an annoying queen check on the a2/g8 diagonal and  was rebuffed, but after} 11. c3 Nc5 12. Kf1 dxc3 13. bxc3 Bd8 14. f3 {eventually  managed to extricate his entombed knight anyway and ended up winning a wild  affair in 32 moves.}) 11… Ne5 12. Rg1 $6 ({  The moment may have come to give back the exchange with} 12. O-O $5 Bh3 13. g3  Bxf1 14. Nxf1 Qxe4 15. Nd2 Qf5 16. f4 {whereupon Black is kept at bay}) 12…  Nxe4 13. Nd5 ({More testing for Black is} 13. Nf3 $5 Bd8 14. Nd5 Bg4 15. Nxe5  dxe5 16. f3 Qh5 $1 17. fxg4 (17. Qe2 Qxh2 18. Rf1 Bh4+ 19. Kd1) 17… Qh4+ 18.  Ke2 (18. g3 Qxh2 19. Rf1 Qxg3+ 20. Ke2 Qg2+ 21. Kd3 b5 22. Qe2 Nc5+ 23. Kd2  Qxd5 {and Black can keep playing for a win.}) 18… Qxg4+ 19. Ke1 Qh4+ 20. Ke2  $11) 13… Bh4 14. Qe2 Nxd2 15. Kxd2 ({  Running with the king offers more hope than} 15. Bxd2 {when the white queen  can be deflected to the queenside and the attack continued in her absence as  follows:-} Bg4 16. Qb5 a6 $5 17. Qb3 (17. Qxb7 $2 Qe4+ 18. Be3 Qxc2 19. Qb8+  Kf7 20. Qc7+ Qxc7 21. Nxc7 dxe3 22. g3 Nf3+ $19) 17… Qe4+ 18. Ne3+ Kf8 19.  Qb4 Ke8 $1 20. g3 Be7 $19) 15… Bg4 16. f3 $2 {However, king on the move or  not, this attempt to prevent the queen being harried is met by a fine  combination that crashes through White’s defences.} Bxf3 $1 17. gxf3 Qxg1 18.  c4 Be1+ $1 19. Kd1 Ba5+ {  and White resigned rather than face the deadly pawn fork of king and queen.}  0-1   [Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Minor"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2013.04.28"]  [Round "4"]  [White "Childs, B."]  [Black "Cutter, T."]  [Result "1-0"]  [PlyCount "49"]  [EventDate "2012.07.05"]   {Dutch Defence [A80]} 1. d4 f5 2. e3 Nf6 3. b3 e6 4. Bb2 d5 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bd3  O-O 7. O-O Qe7 8. Ne5 ({In V.Utemov-V.Kramnik (Moscow,1991) White tried a  different approach against illustrious opposition, going for liquidation on  the queenside, and after} 8. c4 c6 9. Qc1 b6 10. Ba3 Bb7 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. cxd5  cxd5 13. Qa3 Qxa3 14. Nxa3 a6 15. Rfc1 Nc6 {  was no doubt quite content with the resultant grandmasterly draw.}) 8… Nbd7  9. f4 Ne4 10. a3 c6 11. Nd2 Ndf6 ({  White ends up with a slight edge if the tension is broken first with} 11…  Nxe5 $6 12. fxe5 Bc7 13. c4 Bd7 14. Qe2 $14) 12. Bxe4 fxe4 13. Qe2 Bd7 14. Rf2  Kh8 15. c4 {Doubling rooks is the longer term objective and was equally  pro-active here. Black now responds by threatening to expand on the opposite  wing, but his plan proves risky and less flexible.} Rg8 $6 16. c5 Bc7 17. Nf1  g5 18. fxg5 Bxe5 $2 ({Black realises that} 18… Rxg5 19. Rxf6 $1 {picks up knight and bishop for the rook, but fails to appreciate that there is some  compensation to be had after} Qxf6 20. Nxd7 Qe7 21. Ne5 Rag8 22. g3 Bxe5 23.  dxe5 Qxc5 {in the shape of an extra pawn.}) 19. dxe5 Ne8 20. Ng3 Rxg5 21. Raf1  {The open f-file was always White’s for the taking and now his opponent misses  his one and only chance of preventing maximum damage being done along it.} Rg8  $2 (21… Kg8 22. Nh5 (22. Rf8+ Qxf8 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24. Qf2+ Kg8 $11) 22… h6  23. b4 $16) 22. Rf7 $1 {Taking full advantage of his opportunity, White spots  a mate and finishes in style.} Qd8 23. Rxh7+ $1 Kxh7 24. Qh5+ Kg7 25. Rf7# 1-0

May 19th, 2013 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: May 19th, 2013 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Case Of ‘If Only’ In Critical Open Game

The last of the Dorset Congress Open selection and perhaps the most interesting of them all. No doubt the players concerned came away from this game thinking both the best and worst of what went on, but their perceptions may be altered with hindsight and the following analysis…

[Event "Dorset Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.13"]  [Round "2.2"]  [White "Laker, L."]  [Black "Pleasants, A."]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "B06"]  [PlyCount "60"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Modern Defence [B06]} 1. d4 d6 2. e4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. f4 a6 5. a4 Nf6 6. Nf3  Nc6 ({The natural option appears to be} 6… O-O {with an advance of the  c-pawn and in Spiess-Henrichs (Ruhrgebiet,1997) this approach paid off as  follows:-} 7. Be2 c5 8. d5 Qa5 9. Bd2 Qb4 10. Bd3 c4 11. Be2 Qxb2 12. Rb1 Qa3  13. Bxc4 Nh5 14. Rb3 Qc5 15. Qe2 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rxb5 Nxf4 18. Rxc5 Nxe2  19. Kxe2 dxc5 20. Rf1 Nd7 21. Nb5 Nb6 22. Kd3 Ra4 {0-1}) 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O d5  9. e5 Ne4 10. Be3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Na5 {Content to send a second knight into  enemy territory, Black is looking to force the issue.} 12. Qe1 Nc4 13. Bc1 f6  14. Bd3 c5 15. Qh4 $6 ({Missing the opportunity send the knight on its way with  } 15. Qe2 Na5 16. dxc5 fxe5 17. Nxe5 (17. fxe5 Bg4 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Bd4 $11)  17… Nc6 18. Be3 $14) 15… cxd4 16. cxd4 Qb6 17. Kh1 Bf5 $5 {Confronting a  pivotal piece in his opponent’s set-up and leaving him with no real choice but  to accept the slug fest that follows on the kingside.} 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. g4  fxg4 20. Qxg4 f5 21. Qh4 Rae8 22. Rg1 {However, it is White who emerges with  the lion’s share of attacking play, even without his stymied minor pieces on  the opposite wing.} Kh8 23. Rg5 $6 ({Not as strong as} 23. Ba3 $1 Nxa3 (23…  Qc7 $2 24. Rxg7 $1 Kxg7 25. Ng5 $18) 24. Rxa3 Qh6 25. Rb3 {when White’s more  active game is there for all to see and this includes Black, who immediately  decides on sacrificing a pawn to kill the combination and generate some  counterplay.}) 23… Rg8 24. Rxf5 Qg6 25. Rh5 Bf6 $2 ({  This should have been a case of over-elaboration, especially as} 25… Bh6 26.  Qh3 {leads to equality, but White is about to pass up the chance for glory  this move offered.}) 26. Ng5 $4 ({Missing} 26. Qh3 $1 {a simple, yet deadly,  defence of the g2 square that effectively wins the bishop and gives Black  precious little by way of compensation for it, as} Qxc2 (26… Bg7 $2 27. f5  $18) 27. Bd2 Bg7 (27… Nxd2 28. Nxd2 $18 {  the knight being taboo due to the mating threat}) 28. f5 $1 {  storms his defences}) 26… Bxg5 27. fxg5 Ref8 {Now, suddenly, it is Black on  the attack and White is powerless to prevent a complete turnaround in fortune.}  28. c3 Rf1+ 29. Kg2 Rgf8 30. Rh6 Qc2+ {Mate in all lines, although I guess  that White will not wish to go through them too often.} 0-1

Feb 3rd, 2013 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Boxing Clever

Another Dorset Congress Open game and another pugilistic analogy, this time used to describe a middlegame combination that would have been good enough to floor most opponents!

[Event "Dorset Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.14"]  [Round "5.7"]  [White "Harman, K."]  [Black "Aston, P."]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "D18"]  [PlyCount "58"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Slav Defence [D18]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3  e6 7. Bxc4 Bd6 ({Avoiding the main line} 7… Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 {  leaving Black with an array of opening phase options.}) 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 ({  Less committal is} 9. Re1 {and in Tolkachova-Dvorakova (Frydeck-Mistek,1997)  Black then sought equality through exchanges, relying too much on auto-pilot  before nose-diving in the following fashion} Ne4 10. Bd3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bxd3 12.  Qxd3 Na6 13. e4 c5 14. e5 Be7 15. Qe4 Qc7 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 h6 18. Bd2 c4  19. Re3 Qe7 20. Rg3 Kh8 21. Rh3 Rg8 22. Qg4 Kh7 23. Bg5 f6 24. exf6 gxf6 25.  Rxh6+ {1-0}) 9… Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 Bg6 12. e4 Be7 13. Bg5 $2 Nbd7 $6 ({  Missing} 13… Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Qxe7 {to go a clear pawn up.}) 14.  e5 Nd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qd2 h6 17. Rfe1 Rfd8 ({A difficult rook choice to  make and probably the right one, although if left on the f-file its only  future lay in trying} 17… f5 18. exf6 Qxf6 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Rxe5 {  and action along it would require precise play. For instance} Nf4 21. Qe3 Qh4  22. Bf1 Bd3 $5 23. Kh2 $11 (23. Bxd3 $4 Nxh3+ $19)) 18. Rad1 Nf8 19. Ne4 Bxe4  20. Rxe4 Ng6 21. g5 hxg5 $5 ({  Spoiling for a fight and no doubt hoping that the cautionary response} 21… h5  22. Nh4 Nxh4 23. Rxh4 g6 $11 {is not part of his opponent’s plan. Thankfully,  for those of us who like to see a good combination of punches, it isn’t.}) 22.  Nxg5 Ndf4 23. Rxf4 $4 {  Guard down for a moment, White walks right into a barrage of blows.} Qxg5+ $1 {  One.} 24. Rg4 Qxd2 {Two.} 25. Rxd2 Nxe5 $1 {and three!} 26. Be2 Nxg4 27. Bxg4  Rd5 28. Bf3 {Slowly rising from the canvas, the exchange and a pawn down,  White has a final swing, but with rooks soon to be doubled and an isolated  d-pawn at their mercy, a full point win for Black is not far away.} Rd7 29. a5  a6 0-1

Jan 6th, 2013 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Morra the same, in terms of White’s aim

Unusual, I know, but here I am commenting on the next game and a gambit that isn’t a BDG! It is, in fact, a Morra and there is a strong instructive element to be found in this classic example of White getting an early e5 hit right where it hurts most, flush on his opponent’s centre.

[Event "Dorset Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.14"]  [Round "5.6"]  [White "Clancy, M."]  [Black "Laker, L."]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B21"]  [PlyCount "59"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Sician: Morra Gambit [B21]} 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3  e6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. e5 $5 ({Jozsef Palkovi gives either 7.Qd2 or 7.0-0 as main  line alternatives in his book on the gambit, but this aggressive approach has  to be an improvement. My database is littered with Nineties quick wins, such  as Tesinezky-Magerramov (Budapest, 1990) which went} 7. O-O Qc7 8. Qe2 Ng4 9.  Bb3 Nd4 {0-1 so I’m guessing that this little trap soon caught on, leading to  the idea being stifled at birth in this way. A decade later IM Alex Lenderman  built his reputation by downing GMs with the Morra, more often than not  deploying the e-pawn advance as early as possible, leading to the belief  amongst many that, if he can get the pawn stuck down Black’s throat, White is  well on his way to a successful gambit.}) 7… Ng4 8. Bf4 Qa5 9. Qe2 Bb4 10.  O-O f6 ({Turning down the tempting} 10… Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qxc3 {  but in Riemer-Landenberger (Germany, 1996) after} 12. Rac1 Qa5 13. h3 Nh6 14.  Bd2 Qd8 15. Bg5 Qb6 16. Be3 {it only led to an early draw by repetition.}) 11.  exf6 Nxf6 12. Nb5 O-O 13. Bc7 $5 ({Hounding the queen and much better than} 13.  Nc7 Nh5 14. Bd6 Bxd6 15. Nxa8 Nf4 16. Qd1 Be7 {  when Black will end up with all the play.}) 13… b6 14. a3 Be7 15. b4 Qa6 16.  Nd6 Qa4 17. Rfb1 Nxb4 {The threat of 18.Bb3 necessitates this sacrifice and  sees Black scrambling to survive.} 18. axb4 Qc6 19. Rc1 Nd5 20. Bxd5 Qxd5 21.  Rd1 Qc6 22. Rac1 Qa4 23. b5 {The black queen can breathe at last, but, a piece  for two pawns down plus a cramped position, confirms that White is well on top  and so it proves.} Bxd6 24. Rxd6 Rf5 25. Ne5 Qb4 26. Re1 Bb7 27. Rxd7 Bxg2 28.  Kxg2 Rg5+ 29. Kh1 Rf8 30. Nd3 1-0

Jan 1st, 2013 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Impressive, but if only I had played…

Next up is a Closed Sicilian that could have come within a whisker of the Brilliancy Prize, if there had been one and the key to the whole combination had actually been found! Nevertheless, a fine attack by White still manages to put a smooth finishing touch to an entertaining game.

[Event "Dorset Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.14"]  [Round "4.5"]  [White "Fewkes, J."]  [Black "Harman, K."]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B23"]  [PlyCount "51"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Closed Sicilian [B23]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 Nd4 6.  O-O a6 ({Gone are the days when} 6… Nxb5 7. Nxb5 d6 8. d3 Nf6 9. Qe1 O-O {  ended in a quick draw, as in Szell-Spacek (Bonneweg,1986)}) 7. Bc4 e6 8. d3 b5  9. Bb3 d6 10. Nxd4 cxd4 ({Complete equality after} 10… Bxd4+ 11. Kh1 Ne7 12.  a4 b4 13. Ne2 Bg7 {but, despite Black’s efforts, the same cannot be said of  the situation five moves down the line from this attempt at discord.}) 11. Ne2  Ne7 12. Ng3 O-O 13. Qf3 Bb7 14. Qf2 d5 15. f5 $1 Nc6 $2 ({Mainly due to this  poor placement of his knight at the first sign of a counter-attack. Best try  was probably} 15… dxe4 16. dxe4 exf5 17. exf5 Nd5 {taking advantage of a  good square for the steed, instead of saddling yourself with an inevitable  doubling of pawns.}) 16. exd5 exd5 17. Bd2 Qd6 18. Rae1 Ne5 19. Qf4 Rae8 $2 20.  a3 $6 ({Such is White’s positional superiority, he can take a tortuous route  to victory by threatening 21.Bb4, but he misses} 20. f6 $1 Bh8 21. Nf5 $3 gxf5  22. Qg3+ $18 {when Black must give up his queen or be mated.}) 20… f6 21. Bb4  Qb6 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 23. Ne2 Nc4 24. Qxd4 ({  Hoping to muddy the waters with an onrush of pawns after} 24. dxc4 dxc4 25. Ba2  d3+ {but} 26. Qd4 {curtails the final fling. However, White doesn’t need to  get involved and steers clear of the complication anyway.}) 24… Qc6 25. Nf4  Rc8 26. fxg6 {and it was here, the exchange down and with no counterplay to  speak of, that Black resigned.} 1-0

Dec 28th, 2012 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Are Lions For Life, Not Just For Christmas?

Second cracker - this time it’s a loose Lion that turns the opening into a bit of circus, although there is a lovely piece sacrifice that re-cages the beast before any real damage can be done.

[Event "Dorset Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.13"]  [Round "2.4"]  [White "Peirson, S."]  [Black "Gregory, K."]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B07"]  [PlyCount "61"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Pirc Defence: The Lion System [B07]} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. f4 {  The Lion’s Den Variation – an aggressive attempt to prevent 4…e5 which  seldom works because forfeiting the castling option at this early stage holds  no fears for the well-booked Lion player. Black therefore continues, untamed.}  e5 5. Nf3 c6 $6 ({However, by delaying the capture in the main line} 5… exd4  6. Qxd4 (6. Nxd4 Nc5) 6… c6 {this Lion bites off more than it can chew!}) 6.  dxe5 dxe5 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. fxe5 Ng4 {This position would be fine  for Black if the knight had already feasted on the e-pawn, but now it is  easily defendable and will stick in his throat throughout the middlegame.} 10.  Bf4 Bc5 11. Bc4 Ke8 12. h3 Ne3 13. Bxe3 Bxe3 14. Rf1 Rf8 15. Rd1 Bb6 16. Rd3  Ke7 ({Solid defence, preparing to place the bishop at e6 and contest the  d-file. An immediate re-route of the king’s bishop was also playable, with the  forcing line} 16… Bc7 17. Rdf3 Bxe5 18. Rxf7 Rxf7 19. Rxf7 b5 20. Bb3 a5 21.  a4 Bxc3+ 22. bxc3 bxa4 23. Ba2 Rb8 24. Rxg7 Rb2 {  throwing everything into an endgame melting pot.}) 17. Rg3 g6 18. Rgf3 Be6 19.  Nd5+ $5 ({Faced with nothing of note coming from} 19. Bxe6 Kxe6 20. Na4 Bd4 21.  c3 Bxe5 22. Nc5+ Ke7 23. Nxb7 Rab8 24. Na5 Rxb2 25. Nxc6+ Kd6 26. Nxe5 Kxe5 {  White uncorks an imaginative sacrifice.}) 19… cxd5 20. exd5 Rac8 21. b3 Ba5+  22. Ke2 Bf5 23. g4 $1 b5 $5 ({Was the c-pawn up for grabs? Only just, as} 23…  Bxc2 24. d6+ Kd7 (24… Ke8 25. Bb5+ Rc6 26. Rf4 $18) 25. Rxf7+ Rxf7 26. Rxf7+  Kc6 27. b4 $1 Bxb4 28. Be6 Rd8 29. Rc7+ Kb6 30. Rxc2 Bxd6 $1 31. exd6 Re8 $11 {  suggests that Black would have to fight all the way for equality.}) 24. d6+ Kd8  25. gxf5 bxc4 26. e6 {Two mega-pawns on the sixth rank and doubled rooks  versus back rank rooks and bishop? Normally no contest and, as Black goes  wrong immediately, so it proves in this game.} Rh8 $4 ({  White has to work harder after} 26… fxe6 27. fxe6 Re8 28. Rf8 Rc5 $1 {  as he must choose the right pawn advance -} 29. e7+ $1 (29. d7 $2 Rxf8 30.  Rxf8+ Ke7 31. Re8+ Kd6 32. b4 Re5+ 33. Kf3 Rxe6 34. d8=Q+ Bxd8 35. Rxd8+ Ke5  $11) 29… Kd7 30. Rxe8 Re5+ 31. Kd1 Kxe8 32. Rf8+ Kd7 33. b4 Bb6 34. a4 a5 35.  Rb8 $1 $18 {easing the bishop off a critical a5/d8 diagonal to allow 35…Rd8+.  }) 27. fxg6 fxe6 28. g7 Rg8 29. Rf8+ Kd7 30. R1f7+ Kxd6 31. Rxc8 {  and Black resigned rather than face the inevitable 32.Rf8 after recapture.} 1-0

Dec 22nd, 2012 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Russell Pegg on March 23, 2013 at 1:40 am said:

Hi Alan,
I think Nc5 is a mistake. (In the line 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. f4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Nxd4 Nc5). I played it against Steve Pearson and struggled. Later found that this is an older line that has been refuted. Current vogue is to transpose the Lion into a Pirc set up fianchettoing the Black bishop and holding Nc5 for a later move depending on what white does. If you like I can send you some analysis.
Hope you are keeping well,
Russ

Reply ↓

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Open Crackers Over Christmas

The first of the Dorset Congress Open games previously promised is an opening round example of knights proving more influential than bishops, with a rather nice exchange sacrifice thrown in for good measure.

[Event "Dorset Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.12"]  [Round "1.8"]  [White "Clancy, M."]  [Black "Aston, P."]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "C65"]  [PlyCount "83"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence [C65]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5.  O-O Be7 6. c3 O-O 7. Nbd2 Kh8 {Not a move to set the pulse racing, but it has  been played before in Toulsh-Romanovsky (Leningrad,1939) when White went on to  win in 87 moves, which says it all really.} 8. Re1 a6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. d4 exd4  ({Forcing the capture, as} 10… Bg4 $2 11. dxe5 dxe5 {  leaves doubled and isolated pawns and an immediate} 12. h3 {  cements White’s positional advantage.}) 11. cxd4 h6 12. Qc2 Bd7 13. Nc4 $6 {  Giving Black the chance to sort out his pawns, which he duly takes.} d5 14.  exd5 cxd5 15. Nce5 Bd6 16. Bd2 Ne4 17. Ba5 Be6 18. Rac1 Qf6 19. Nc6 Rfe8 ({  Any defensive concerns are best resolved by a counter-attacking} 19… Bf4 20.  Rcd1 Bg4 {when the bishop pair are put to maximum use. In the next passage of  play Black is made to suffer for his caution and a certain amount of  water-treading.}) 20. Nfe5 Kg8 21. f3 Ng5 22. Qf2 Qf4 23. Bd2 Qf6 24. Kh1 Kh8  25. Re2 Kg8 26. Rce1 Kh8 27. Ng4 $1 {  Highlighting just how inert those black bishops have become!} Qg6 28. Qh4 Kg8 {  A sixth saunter for the king since move 7 (all without improvement of position)  and something has to give soon.} 29. Nce5 Bxe5 {It does. Black decides that at  least one powerful knight must go even though the other will take its place.}  30. Nxe5 Qf6 31. Bxg5 hxg5 32. Qg3 a5 33. Qf2 a4 34. Nd3 a3 35. b3 Kf8 {  The pawn advance curtailed, Black reverts to type, but this time his king’s  hokey-cokey makes sense as it helps to equalise by exchange of everything on  the e-file.} 36. Nc5 Bf5 {A useful dual purpose move, seeking liquidation and,  if this were to leave a knight v bishop ending, eyeing the queenside pawns.}  37. Re5 Rxe5 38. Rxe5 Be6 $4 ({  A remarkable about-turn, no doubt due to concern over the hanging d-pawn, but}  38… Re8 39. Rxd5 c6 40. Re5 Rxe5 41. dxe5 Qxe5 $17 {would have been just  fine, swinging the game in Black’s favour due to 42…Qb2 being threatened.  The time factor must have taken its toll at this point because White misses  the perfect response… but only for a moment.}) 39. Qe3 $6 Re8 40. Rxe6 $1 {  An exchange sacrifice that would have worked a move earlier!} Rxe6 41. Nd7+ Ke7  42. Nxf6 {and Black resigned, realising that recapturing the queen walks into  a fatal knight fork.} 1-0

Dec 21st, 2012 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Storming Congress Game Before The Flood Arrives

Last time on here I expressed the hope that new season games might flood in and they have – all eight of them and at the moment I’m sifting through to find the pearls. In the meantime Phil has reached his own saturation point by loading every Dorset Congress game on the Bournemouth Congress website for your enjoyment and my longer term benefit, as the plan will be to analyse at least one from each round of the Open in the near future.

However, before setting off along this path, I’ve been distracted by the following miniature from the Major event which has a few hidden treasures that I simply could not resist sharing. There is a ‘guess the right move’ addition near the end, so I’d advise you not to whisk through it if you wish to take part!

[Event "Dorset Congress - Major"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.10.12"]  [Round "1.22"]  [White "Dore, A."]  [Black "Matthew, I.G."]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B48"]  [PlyCount "43"]  [EventDate "2012.10.12"]   {Sicilian: Taimanov [B48]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7  6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. O-O Ne5 9. f4 ({The main line is more preparatory with  } 9. h3 {inserted first and usually continues} Bc5 10. Qe2 d6 11. f4 Ng6 12.  Nb3 Bxe3+ 13. Qxe3 O-O {when White can select which file he prefers for his  queen’s rook. In Nicevski-Langeweg (Skopje, 1971)} 14. Rad1 {was the square of  choice and Black, playing with little due care and scant attention, went down  quickly after} b5 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxg6 hxg6 $6 (16… exf4 17. Bxh7+ Nxh7 18.  Qxf4 Qxf4 19. Rxf4 $11) 17. fxe5 Nd7 18. Rd6 f6 $2 19. Rxe6 Nxe5 20. Nd5 $1 Qa7  21. Ne7+ {1-0}) 9… Neg4 10. Bd2 $2 {Allowing a powerful pin on the  unprotected knight, which turns out to be the precursor move to a long  combination that Black plays to perfection.} Bc5 11. Nce2 e5 12. fxe5 Qxe5 13.  Bf4 Bxd4+ 14. Kh1 Qc5 15. Nxd4 Qxd4 16. e5 Nf2+ 17. Rxf2 Qxf2 18. Bg3 Qb6 19.  exf6 Qxf6 {The dust settles, Black is the exchange and a pawn to the good, so  all things being equal this should be a case of ‘to the victor the spoils’.  However, on closer inspection, White does have compensation, confronted as he  is by a back rank full of statuesque minor pieces and an uncastled king. Swift  action is necessary and another pawn is offered in order to mobilise all  forces.} 20. Qh5 g6 $4 ({Desperate to find safety for the monarch, Black  blunders big time in a fascinating position that cries out for further  analysis, if only to see if there is a clear path to victory for either side.  My findings follow, but you may wish to choose a move for Black here and at  the same time hazard a guess as to a final result with best play. Please let  me know how you get on and whether or not you began, as I’m going to, with}  20… d6 {Of course, 20…Qxb2?? is as bad as it looks after 21.Re1+, ending  in mate in all lines. White also has a decision to make, whether to flick in  the check and see if Black values a safe king above his d-pawn, or continue to  hunt the queen instead. Erring on the side of caution and sensing that the  pawn is ditchable} 21. Rf1 {looks right and is} (21. Re1+ Be6 22. Bxd6 Rc8 $15)  21… Qe7 22. Bh4 $18 Qc7 ({  Reverting to the actual game selection at this point with} 22… g6 {  loses after} 23. Qh6 Qf8 24. Qf4 f5 (24… Be6 25. Qa4+ {  mate in 6 follows after either 25…b5 or 25…Bd7, so try them both and see!})  25. Qa4+ Kf7 26. Qd4 $18) {Now the black king cannot castle out of trouble and  appears to be dead in the water. However there is a final twist…} 23. Re1+  Kf8 (23… Be6 24. Rxe6+ $18) 24. Re7 Qxe7 25. Bxe7+ Kxe7 26. Qg5+ Ke8 27. Qxg7  $16) ({  All over in that line, but suddenly it becomes clear that the alternative}  20… d5 $1 {provides a get out clause for Black as follows:-} 21. Rf1 (21.  Qxd5 O-O $17) 21… Qe7 22. Bh4 Qc7 23. Re1+ Kf8 24. Re7 Qf4 $1 $14 {Such a subtle nuance, the queen being able to defend f7 in this manner, but enough to  keep Black in with a fighting chance of a draw, my result conclusion with best  play, albeit an incredibly difficult one to find over the board! Time to  return to reality…}) 21. Re1+ Kf8 (21… Kd8 22. Bh4 $18) 22. Qh6+ {  and Black resigned, realising that 22…Kg8 23.Re8 and 22…Qg7 23.Bd6+ Kg8  Re8+ both end in a back rank mate.} 1-0

Nov 26th, 2012 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Phil T-B on December 29, 2012 at 11:07 am said:

Although I’m the first to directly comment on one of Alan’s posts, I hope there are many other readers who enjoy his column as much as I do!

I was also struck by this game as I entered it, superficially Black is seemingly simply outplaying White and then out of nowhere is mated!
However my new assistant Houdini 3×64 actually prefers White from 12…Qxe5 onwards. In the critical position, it seems that the suggested defence 20…d5 doesn’t help since 21.Rf1 Qe7 22.Bh4 Qc7 23.Re1+ Kf8 24.Re7 Qf4 25.Bg3 Qf6 26.Bd6 also snares the Queen for Rook and Bishop with what must be a winning position.
Note that in this line 25…Qc1+ 26.Re1 Qh6 27.Qxd5 Be6 28.Qxb7 Rd8 29.Qc7 Qf6 30.Bd6+ Rxd6 31.Qxd6+ leaves White “only” a pawn up, but with the Rh8 out of play Black will not survive long.

Thus Houdini prefers 20…d6 after all, with the main line being 21.Rf1 g6 22.Qd5 Bf5 23.Bxf5 gf 24.Re1+ Kf8 25.Bxd6+ Kg8 26.Qxb7 Qxd6 27.Qxa8+ Kg7 28.Qf3 with White a safe pawn up having a more secure King, passed c pawn and better pawn structure and more than likely to prevail.

Finally in my database, 10.Bd2 is actually the most frequently played move with a whopping 81.7% success rate – which both suggests that White may have actually prepared this line, and that the Black position is far more precarious than first impressions would indicate!

Reply ↓

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Another Young Gun Shooting For Stardom

Before the season begins in earnest and an anticipated (I always live in hope) flood of brilliant Bournemouth and Dorset League games leaves me spoilt for choice, here is yet another played by a youngster who is surely destined for success at the highest level.

Only 8 years old, Alex Golding took Michael Basman’s annual tournament by storm, defeating four players with grades much higher than his own, including a 190+ who may still need some time to recover from the shock!

However, what really stands out the most for me in this game is the clarity of play when faced with a modern take on the Sicilian that was probably, at such a tender age, something of a step into the unknown for him – the finish isn’t bad either!

[Event "Delancey UK Schools"]  [Site ""]  [Date "2012."]  [Round ""]  [White "Golding, Alex"]  [Black "Dalton, Joseph"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B27"]  [PlyCount "73"]  [EventDate "2012.07.05"]   {Sicilian Defence [B27]} 1. e4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. d4 c5 {Adopting a ‘Pure  Sniper’ approach in an opening sequence of moves designed to take White out of  his comfort zone.} 4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 d5 6. e5 ({In his instructive book on  this defensive system, Charlie Storey confirms that another popular  alternative is} 6. exd5 {but after} Nf6 7. Bb5+ Nbd7 8. d6 O-O {Black acquires  excellent play down the e-file, whether the extra pawn is taken or not, citing}  9. dxe7 Qxe7+ 10. Qe2 Re8 11. Qxe7 Rxe7+ 12. Be3 Nd5 13. Kd2 N7f6 14. Nc3 Nxc3  15. Kxc3 Bg4 {as an example of how Black can continue to press.}) 6… Nc6 7.  Be3 Nh6 8. Bd3 f6 ({In M Bluemich-Steiner, Dresden, 1926 Black wasted no time  in occupying the f5 square and after} 8… Nf5 9. Bxf5 Bxf5 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Qd2  Nb4 12. O-O Nc2 13. Rac1 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 {  went on to win in 38 moves in a game in which his bishop pair were dominant.})  9. exf6 exf6 10. Qc2 Nf5 11. a3 Qe7 $6 ({Unnecessary addition of force when}  11… Nxe3 12. fxe3 O-O {achieves the objective anyway and} 13. Nc3 Re8 14.  Nxd5 $2 Kh8 $1 {leaves White regretting his QP grab.}) 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Nc3 Be6  $2 {Black has played the opening with panache, but now succumbs to positional  error and the resultant doubled pawns are a real eyesore.} 14. Bxf5 gxf5 ({  In fact, there may have been more mileage in merely giving up the d-pawn with}  14… Bxf5 15. Nxd5 Qf7 16. Nc3 Be6 {  when White still has work to do to get his king into safety.}) 15. O-O Rad8 16.  Rfe1 Bf7 17. Nh4 Qd7 18. Rad1 Rfe8 19. Qf3 Be6 20. Qg3 Na5 {White has systematically probed away at his opponent’s pawn weaknesses, leaving him no more than  this scrap of an attack with the knight in return.} 21. Re2 Nc4 22. Bh6 Re7 23.  Rde1 {Despite the material equality, it’s game, set and match in terms of  middlegame supremacy for White, as the following decisive combination shows.}  Kh8 24. Nxf5 $1 Bxh6 25. Nxe7 Bg4 26. f3 Be3+ 27. Kh1 Be6 28. b3 $1 {By countering the threat to the knight, White makes maximum use of his control of the  e-file.} Qxe7 29. bxc4 Rg8 30. Qh4 Qg7 31. cxd5 Bf5 32. Ne4 Bxd4 33. Ng3 Bd3  34. Re7 {Control that nets a piece and wraps up the win.} Qf8 35. Qxd4 Qh6 36.  Qxd3 Rxg3 37. Rxh7+ {All roads led to Rome (37.d6, maybe 37.Re8+ or even 37.  Qf5) but, when you are 8 years old, why not just take the show-boating short  cut?} 1-0

Oct 12th, 2012 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: Oct 12th, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Queens Off, But Game Definitely On!

There are many ways of nullifying the advantage White has [allegedly] when making the first move in a game, the simplest being to try to get the queens off the board at the earliest opportunity. However, should achieving this aim come at a price, such as committing your king to the centre right from the start, there is a natural reluctance to be so bold early in proceedings, especially without some established theory to rely on.

The following game, taken from one of the recent e2e4 events and featuring Wimborne’s Allan Pleasants, shows this type of strategy in action and it provides enough evidence to suggest that, when well prepared and of a mind to press on, Black might even look forward to something more than just equality.

[Event "e2e4.org.uk Hinckley Open"]  [Site "Hinckley Island Hotel, Leices"]  [Date "2012.08.25"]  [Round "2"]  [White "Abbott, Mark V"]  [Black "Pleasants, Allan J"]  [Result "0-1"]  [WhiteElo "1968"]  [BlackElo "2070"]  [PlyCount "66"]  [EventDate "2012.??.??"]   {Tartakower System [A41]} 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5 {At first sight this looks to be a  very strange move, but on my database of GM games there are over 1015 of them  whacking up the early e-pawn and only 25% are wins for White!} 3. dxe5 dxe5 4.  Qxd8+ Kxd8 {Most players of the white pieces, when confronted with this  position, will simply not know the best squares to put the minor pieces on,  but it is exactly the opposite situation for Black, who will ALWAYS play the  following…f6, c6, Be6, Nbd7, Kc7…only varying the move order to suit the  variation chosen by his opponent. This is precisely the plan adopted by Allan  here and the next passage of play is as instructive as it gets in showing how  difficult it is for White to gain the usual advantage associated with making  the first move.} 5. g3 Be6 6. b3 c6 7. Nf3 f6 8. Bg2 Nd7 9. O-O Kc7 10. Bb2 Nh6  ({Taking immediate toll of the bishop vacating the c1/h6 diagonal. Black could  also plough on with} 10… g5 11. Rd1 h5 {and, if White decides against  halting the onrush by advancing his own h-pawn, after} 12. Nc3 h4 13. Rac1 Rd8  {Black has a comfortable game, being able to dictate when the h-file is opened.  }) 11. Nc3 Rd8 12. Rad1 Nf7 13. Ne4 Be7 14. a3 {Reduced to this ultra-slow  queenside expansion, White can only await the anticipated heavy artillery  attack on the other wing.} g5 15. Nfd2 Rhg8 16. b4 Nb6 $5 {A distraction from  the task in hand, but one that exposes his opponent’s white-square weaknesses.}  17. c5 Nc4 18. Bc1 f5 19. Nc3 Bf6 ({Steady positional improvement, although}  19… h5 20. Nxc4 Bxc4 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Re1 b6 {  was also a possibility had the bishop stayed put and then} 23. cxb6+ axb6 {  leaves White little by way of decent moves. As it turns out, as a result of  re-routing the bishop, he overplays his hand anyway…}) 20. b5 $2 e4 21. Nxc4  Bxc4 {Suddenly White is overloaded with threats to both pawns and knight.} 22.  b6+ axb6 23. cxb6+ Kc8 ({  Preferring to safe haven the king rather than pawn grab, but} 23… Kxb6 24.  Be3+ Kc7 {would have kept defences intact and any open file attacks at bay.})  24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Na4 Bxe2 26. Re1 Bb5 {Pawn advantage secured regardless, a  hit on the knight now leaves an unenviable choice of escape squares. Sadly for  White, he selects the one that loses the exchange and Black cruises to victory.  } 27. Nc5 $2 Bc3 28. Rf1 Bxf1 29. Bxf1 Rd1 30. Be3 Bd4 31. Bxd4 Rxd4 32. a4 Ne5  33. Ne6 Nf3+ 0-1

Sep 12th, 2012 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Ledger entry at a quiet British

Local league player representation at this year’s British Championships was limited, to say the least, and only Mike Waddington flew the flag for Dorset chess in the Major Open, finishing in a logjam for 5^th place with a 6.5/11 score. GM Gawain Jones took the trophy in the main event, sharing top spot with GM Stephen Gordon on 9/11, following a last round win against FM Dave Ledger that caught the eye of most annotators.

However, the Ledger game that impressed me most was his defeat of Jack Rudd, one that effectively propelled him into the showdown with the eventual trophy winner. An adventurous Austrian Attack against the Pirc, this victory followed an earlier round loss to GM Danny Gormally, which took a similar path in the opening, except that here Jack transposes and pays a heavy price.

[Event "99th ch-GBR 2012"]  [Site "North Shields ENG"]  [Date "2012.08.01"]  [Round "9.8"]  [White "Ledger, Dave J"]  [Black "Rudd, Jack"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B09"]  [WhiteElo "2246"]  [BlackElo "2295"]  [PlyCount "61"]  [EventDate "2012.07.23"]   1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. f4 Nf6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 c5 7. d5 {Taking the  same route as in the Gormally game, but now it is about to be steered along a  Schmid Benoni path (with the c-pawn still at home instead of on the c4 square)  resulting in a significant change in positional fortune.} e6 8. O-O exd5 9.  exd5 Na6 10. a3 Nc7 11. f5 $5 {A natural tossing of the f-pawn into the  melting pot, the thematic stage is set by this advance.} Ng4 12. h3 Ne5 13.  Nxe5 dxe5 14. Be3 b6 ({  Another party invitation is turned down, albeit wisely as} 14… Nxd5 15. fxg6  hxg6 (15… Nxe3 $2 16. gxf7+ Kh8 (16… Rxf7 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Qxd8 $18) 17.  Qh5 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Qxf5 $18) 16. Bxc5 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Re8 18. Bb5 {  wins the exchange.}) 15. Be4 Ne8 {Black is almost fighting a back rank battle  for survival, allowing White free rein to build his kingside pressure.} 16. g4  Nd6 17. Qf3 gxf5 18. gxf5 f6 19. Rad1 Rf7 20. Kh1 Qd7 21. Rf2 Bb7 22. Rg2 Rd8  23. Kh2 Kf8 {The black king begins to feel the heat, so White decides to  launch his attack even though there is an immediate release of grip on  proceedings and no clear path to victory.} 24. Qh5 $5 Nxe4 25. Nxe4 Bxd5 26. c4  Bxe4 27. Rxd7 Rfxd7 28. Rg1 {The dust settles with Black in the sort of  situation where you might search all day for a good move without success… so  he soon decides not to.} Bd3 29. Bh6 Bc2 30. Qh4 Kg8 31. Rg2 1-0

Aug 30th, 2012 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: Sep 1st, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Final Look At The Grand

Our Bournemouth Grand trilogy ends with Paul Errington flinging a tempo or two to the winds on his way towards the downing of a Colle System. Whilst the win is not achieved without the smallest slice of luck in a winning position, it is nevertheless well deserved and due to some astute decision-making in the middlegame.

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Challengers"]   [Site "Bournemouth"]   [Date "2012.04.21"]   [Round "2.36"]   [White "Torrance, John"]   [Black "Errington, Paul T"]   [Result "0-1"]   [ECO "D04"]   [PlyCount "73"]   [EventDate "2012.04.20"]   {Colle System [D04]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 h6 ({This quiet pawn push offers a haven on the b1/h7 diagonal for Black’s white-squared bishop, but, in all honesty, little else on positional grounds. That said, in Graebner-Koch (Eisenberg, 1993) the natural} 3… Bf5 {was played only for the piece to be withdrawn immediately when challenged, resulting in a terrible tangle and a quick defeat. The game continued as follows:-} 4. Nh4 Bd7 5. Bd3 e6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. c3 Bd6 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Qc2 Ne7 10. e4 Bf4 $2 11. e5 Ne8 12. Bxh7+ Kh8 13. Qd3 g6 14. h4 Kxh7 15. Ng5+ Bxg5 $4 16. hxg5+ Kg7 17. Qh3 {1-0}) 4. c4 c6 5. b4 Bf5 6. Nbd2 e6 7. Qb3 Be7 8. a4 O-O 9. Be2 Nbd7 10. Bb2 Ne4 {With the scene set for White to expand on the queenside Black decides to stake a claim in the centre.} 11. O-O Ndf6 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 ({The alternative} 12… Nxe4 13. Rfc1 Bg4 14. Rc2 {also leads to equality.}) 13. b5 dxc4 14. Bxc4 Bd5 ({A key decision, turning down the chance to open up defences around the enemy king, but} 14… Bxf3 15. gxf3 Nd5 16. Kh1 Bd6 17. Rg1 (17. f4 Qh4 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Qc2 Rab8 $11) 17… Qh4 18. Rg2 Qh5 19. Rag1 g6 (19… Qxf3 $4 20. e4 $1 Qxb3 21. Rxg7+ Kh8 22. Bxb3 $16) 20. f4 $11 {doesn’t effect a major breakthrough and if anything it is the black king that is the more vulnerable to both rooks and bishop pair should the blockading knight ever be shifted.}) 15. bxc6 bxc6 16. Rab1 $6 Rb8 17. Qc2 Bd6 18. Bd3 $2 ({White blinks first over the bishop stand-off when the simplest way of resolving the issue was} 18. Nd2 {and a removal of the target that, after} Qc7 19. h3 {leaves a level position once again. Now Black, with 19.e4 threatened, is given an open invitation to renew interest in his opponent’s kingside pawns.}) 18… Bxf3 19. gxf3 Nd5 20. f4 Nb4 21. Bh7+ $4 ({Instantly leading to this blunder, although} 21. Qc3 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Qh4 {also highlights the problems White has created for himself. A look at the position in the note to move 14 shows how stretched White’s resources are going to be defending his king in comparison with the heavy artillery assembled in that line.}) 21… Kh8 22. Qe4 Re8 ({Missing} 22… f5 23. Qxe6 Kxh7 {which only drops one pawn for the piece}) 23. Kh1 f5 24. Bxf5 exf5 25. Qxf5 Rf8 $5 {The right file for the rook to enable Black to mobilise his forces, but it nearly leads to a costly error.} 26. Qg4 Qe7 27. d5 Nd3 28. Qe2 Nxb2 29. Rxb2 Rxf4 $2 ({An accident waiting to happen, especially when} 29… Rxb2 30. Qxb2 Qe4+ 31. Kg1 Rf6 {cruises to a crushing attack on the enemy king. However, a touch of fortune is about to favour the untimely flourish…}) 30. Rxb8+ $4 ({…as White fails to spot that the rook can, in fact, be removed, whereupon} 30. exf4 Rxb2 31. Qxb2 cxd5 {would have seen him the exchange up!}) 30… Bxb8 31. Qb2 Rb4 {Shutting the door on the dual threat to rook and bishop, Black regains total control and goes on to find a mating net.} 32. Qc3 Rh4 33. f4 Qe4+ 34. Kg1 Rg4+ 35. Kf2 Rg2+ 36. Ke1 Qb1+ 0-1

Jul 28th, 2012 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: Jul 28th, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Another Local Hero

Next in line on our Bournemouth Grand conveyor belt of local interest is Ivan Willis in the Challengers and he provides an impressive slaying of the Accelerated Dragon that would not have been out of place if it had been played in the Open event. An astute middlegame tactic is quickly followed by a clinical finish as his opponent is tempted into taking that ever-dangerous poisoned pawn.

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Challengers"]   [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.04.20"]  [Round "1.32"]  [White "Willis, Ivan J"]  [Black "Spence, Robert R"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B35"]  [PlyCount "47"]  [EventDate "2012.04.20"]   {Sicilian: Accelerated Dragon (B35)} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bg7  5. Bc4 Nc6 ({A sharp alternative is} 5… Qa5+ $5 {  whereupon White must interpose with} 6. c3 (6. Nc3 $2 Qc5 $19) (6. Bd2 $2 Qc5  7. Bc3 Qxc4 8. Nd2 Qa4 9. b3 Bxd4 10. bxa4 Bxc3 $17) {and after} 6… Nf6 {  Black’s development has a more harmonious look about it.}) 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3  Qa5 {A comparison with the previous sub-variation shows that this [delayed] a5  placement of the queen is less effective when it comes to disruptive plans, as  the queen’s knight is already developed and the pin is short-lived, almost  inviting White to play a good move in reply.} 8. O-O O-O 9. f3 a6 $6 ({  Too cautious. In Cosson-Djurovic (Bagneux,1992) Black clearly knew more about  the line and played} 9… Qc5 10. Bb3 Ng4 $5 {which led to a draw offer and its  immediate acceptance. Not really sure what is going on here, but} 11. fxg4 Bxd4  12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Kh1 Nxb3 14. axb3 {leaves White bemoaning his doubled pawns  whilst at the same time being grateful for his active rooks, so maybe a shared  point is about right!}) 10. a4 d6 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. Nb3 Qc7 13. a5 Ne5 14. Be2  Nc4 $6 ({  Continuing to press, Black voluntarily gives up good knight for bad bishop when  } 14… Rac8 {puts the onus on his opponent and} 15. Bb6 Nc4 16. Bxc4 Qxc4 {  deflects the bishop and makes better use of the piece to maintain equality.})  15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. Rfd1 ({Trying to make use of the tempo gained with} 16. Bh6  Rac8 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 {amounts to nothing.}) 16… Rfc8 17. Qf2 Bb5 18. Bd4 $1 {  Seeing his opponent merely tread water with his last move, White threatens to  remove the knight and install his own at d5, thereby affording him forks  aplenty. Black guards against the prospect and enters into a slugfest…} e6  19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Rxd6 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Qxc3 22. Rad1 Qxc2 $4 ({  …that proves fatal after this over-eager pawn grab. A circumspect} 22… Bc4  23. Qd2 Bxb3 (23… Qxd2 24. R1xd2 Bxb3 25. cxb3 $14) 24. cxb3 Qxb3 25. Rb6 Qc2  26. Rxb7 {keeps the game afloat, but now…}) 23. Rd8+ $1 Rxd8 ({  …sinks him without trace, even after} 23… Kg7 24. Qxc2 Rxc2 25. Rxa8 $18)  24. Qxc2 1-0

Jul 13th, 2012 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: Jul 28th, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Grand Performance By Local League Players

There is a mistaken belief amongst some players of a certain standard that the best competitive chess is always played in the top divisions of leagues or at the highest level at a Congress, but, whilst this may be true in terms of overall quality of games and the quantity of them, there will always be a few gems to be found in the lower sections, if you are prepared to look.

So I have… and I’m pleased report that the Bournemouth Grand Congress Challengers and Upper Minor Section not only provide the next three games for these pages, but they all feature local league players supporting the inaugural event in the best way possible – by competing in it and playing well.

Unfortunately, the first of these involves two Bournemouth League stalwarts and they couldn’t both win, although in this instance we must cut Norman some slack because his organisational skills were often required elsewhere throughout the tournament, not solely restricted to the board and a marshalling of his pieces on it!

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Upper Minor"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.04.21"]  [Round "2.55"]  [White "Burt, David F"]  [Black "Mackie, Norman"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "A29"]  [PlyCount "47"]  [EventDate "2012.04.20"]   {English Opening: Four Knights Variation (A29)} 1. Nf3 Nc6 2. c4 e5 3. Nc3 Bc5  4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Be6 7. b3 ({  Theory indicates that white has a good success rate with} 7. d3 {also and in  Peniska-Vasko (Klatovy, 1998) the opposition was almost forced off the board  as follows:-} a6 8. Ng5 Bd7 9. Nge4 Ba7 10. Bg5 Qe7 11. Nd5 Qf8 12. Nexf6+ gxf6  13. Bxf6 {Resigns.}) 7… Qd7 8. Re1 Ng4 9. e3 Nb4 $6 {A charge of the black  knight brigade that is doomed to fail as neither piece can be substantiated in  their advanced positions. More importantly, after White’s reply the d3 square  will no longer be available and Black’s centre comes under heavy fire.} 10. d4  $5 exd4 11. exd4 Bb6 12. Ng5 Nf6 13. Nxe6 ({Missing} 13. d5 O-O 14. dxe6 fxe6  15. Nxe6 $18 {but White has it in mind to make his opponent sound a full  retreat and then bring his bishop pair into play.}) 13… fxe6 14. a3 Nc6 15.  d5 Nd4 16. Be3 c5 17. Bh3 $5 {Whilst there were a few good moves available  this is the most pleasing as it not only completes development but also  prevents Black from castling short or long due to 18.Bxd4 leaving the black  queen at the mercy of a check from the other one! Black therefore takes  appropriate, if somewhat ungainly, action.} Kd8 18. Bxd4 cxd4 19. Bxe6 Qc7 20.  Nb5 Qc5 {Seems safe enough, but White’s position is so strong he can afford to  hand back his pawn advantage in return for a savage attack that wraps up the  game in a trice.} 21. b4 $1 Qxc4 22. Nxd6 Qc7 23. Nf7+ Ke7 24. d6+ 1-0

Jul 7th, 2012 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: Jul 7th, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

More Emerging Talent

Having showcased Peter Williams in the Bournemouth Grand Congress another 16 year-old catches the eye in this 4NCL game taken from the Division 3 top of the table clash between KJCA Kings and British Universities CA. Bearing in mind the (100 elo pt) rating difference between Victor Jones and his FIDE Master opponent this must go down as another impressive display from a youngster destined to rise swiftly through the rankings.

[Event "4NCL Division 3"]  [Site "Hinckley Island"]  [Date "2012.07.03"]  [Round "8"]  [White "Jones, Victor GL"]  [Black "Navarro Cia, Miguel"]  [Result "1-0"]  [WhiteElo "2205"]  [BlackElo "2315"]  [PlyCount "45"]  [EventDate "2012.??.??"]   {Sicilian: Taimanov (B48)} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7  6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 ({Having pre-determined the opening to be a Sicilian Taimanov  without Be2, White’s natural square for the king’s bishop is at d3 at this  point, whereupon} 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O Ne5 {would eye its removal. However, here  White’s intention is obvious – ensure safety of the piece by deferring  development.}) 7… Nf6 8. O-O-O ({  Options can be kept open a little longer with} 8. f3 {  and attacks on opposite wings soon follow after} b5 9. g4 {In Ehlvest-Plaskett  (Monarch Assurance, 1998) Black showed how to take full advantage of being  ahead in the pawn pushing race and after} h6 10. O-O-O b4 11. Na4 Ne5 12. Be2  d5 13. Nb3 Bb7 14. Nac5 Nc4 15. Bxc4 dxc4 16. Qxb4 cxb3 17. Qxb7 Qxb7 18. Nxb7  bxa2 {the a-pawn front-runner proved critical in a 27 move victory.}) 8… Nxd4  9. Qxd4 Ng4 10. Qb6 Qc6 11. Bd4 e5 {It is difficult to see much else by way of  a combative alternative move, but Black lives to regret the self-inflicted  hole at d5 even though this pawn advance puts a developed bishop back in the  box.} 12. Be3 Nxe3 13. Qxe3 Be7 ({In Petrov-Andonov (Shumen, 1997) Black  continued to take the game to his opponent with} 13… Bc5 {but after} 14. Qg5  O-O 15. Qxe5 d6 16. Qg3 Be6 {it soon became clear that the speculative pawn  sacrifice was exactly that and White went on to win in 28 moves.}) 14. Nd5 Bd8  15. Qg3 Qh6+ 16. Kb1 d6 17. f4 $5 {With Black showing clear signs of being on  the back foot, White seizes the initiative.} exf4 18. Nxf4 O-O 19. Be2 b5 20.  Rd3 f5 {Hoping for a pawn exchange that would spring at least one bishop into  action, but White has other ideas…} 21. Nh5 fxe4 22. Rxd6 Qg5 23. Rxd8 $1 (  23. Rxd8 $1 {…and uncorks this stunning exchange sacrifice! Unable to  recapture with his queen due to the mating threat, Black duly resigned, as}  Qxg3 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Nxg3 {wins a piece.}) 1-0

Jul 3rd, 2012 by Alan Dommett [Last updated: Jul 3rd, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

One to watch from the Bournemouth Grand

The following game is taken from the recent Bournemouth ‘Grand’ Congress which was won by GM David Howell with a perfect 5/5 score after he defeated FIDE Master Jovica Radovanovic in the last round, the Serbian losing on time in the closest of finishes.

This new addition to the weekend event calendar proved an unqualified success, attracting a quartet of GMs plus a further 150 players who competed in various sections for prize money topped by an Open section winner-takes-all £1000 first prize and this impressive closing round win for 16 year-old rising star Peter Williams took him to a 4.5/5 score and a share of second place alongside GM Alex Cherniaev.

[Event "Bournemouth Grand Congress - Open"]  [Site "Bournemouth"]  [Date "2012.04.22"]  [Round "5.3"]  [White "Williams, Peter"]  [Black "Girdlestone, Paul"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "E20"]  [PlyCount "71"]  [EventDate "2012.04.20"]   {Nimzo-Indian (E20)} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 {Signalling a  Neo-Saemisch and an opening phase replete with traps on both sides.} c5 5. d5  b5 6. e4 bxc4 7. Bxc4 exd5 ({The pseudo-sacrifice} 7… Nxd5 {  could have been tried, but White was never likely to fall headlong into} 8.  exd5 $4 Qh4+ {and the carnage that ensues.}) 8. Bxd5 Nxd5 9. Qxd5 Nc6 10. Nge2  Ba6 11. Kf2 ({In Pantaleev-Jankovec (Havirov, 1968)} 11. Qd6 {  prefaced this move, but, after} Qb6 12. Kf2 $4 c4+ {  White was already busted and resigned.}) 11… O-O 12. Rd1 Ba5 {A fascinating  position in which a passionless crime had previously been committed  (Moskalenko-Atlas, Podolsk, 1990) when White played a meek and far from wild  13.Qg5, thereafter settling for a draw in 16 moves. Here too White turns down  the d-pawn, but comes up with a clever subtlety that threatens mayhem on the  queenside.} 13. a3 $5 Nd4 {Something needed to be done to answer the threat of  14.b4 and Black keeps a retreat of the bishop to b6 in reserve just in case  his opponent risks exchanges at d4 or a suicidal capture of the c-pawn.} 14.  Bg5 Qb8 15. b4 ({Being present at the post match analysis it was interesting  to hear Black say that at this stage he felt uneasy about his position, but  couldn’t quite pinpoint why! Indeed, despite the counter-attack on the b-file  looking dangerous enough for White to curtail it and force a liquidating line,  subsequent analysis showed that} 15. Nxd4 Qxb2+ 16. Nde2 Bxc3 17. Ra2 $1 Bxe2  18. Rxb2 Bxd1 19. Rb1 {was winning for White and the unease was well-founded.})  15… Bb7 16. Qxd7 Nxe2 17. Nxe2 cxb4 18. axb4 Bxb4 19. Rab1 ({  Fritz prefers the immediate} 19. Bf4 {hit on the queen, probably because an  instant pawn prop for the black-squared bishop is available, but White has a  fine follow-up move and the next passage of play has Black scrambling to stay  in the game.}) 19… a5 20. Be7 $1 Bxe7 21. Qxe7 Qa7+ 22. Nd4 $1 ({A bold place  ment of the knight on its strongest square, regardless of the pin! Most club  players may well have decided to beat a retreat with} 22. Ke1 $2 {when} Bc8 23.  Qxa7 Rxa7 {  sees Black pile in behind his passed pawn and have the better of the ending.})  22… Bc8 23. Qxa7 Rxa7 24. Nc6 {Highlighting the horse power – Black cannot  get his a-pawn running and White soon picks it off like a lone trooper adrift  in the battle.} Ra8 25. Ra1 a4 26. Rd4 Re8 $6 {A token effort to stop the  knight trotting on to another prime square because the back rank mating threat  guarantees its safety.} 27. Ne7+ Kf8 28. Nd5 Bb7 29. Nc7 Red8 30. Raxa4 {  The pawn goes at last and with it any vestige of counterplay.} Rxd4 31. Rxd4  Ra2+ 32. Kg3 Ke7 {In a self-evident controlling knight/parlous bishop  situation, the king is brought to the centre more in hope than expectation…}  33. Nb5 Bc6 34. Nd6 Ke6 35. Nf5 {…and promptly wanders into a mating net.}  Ke5 $4 36. f4+ 1-0

May 23rd, 2012 by Alan Dommett Leave a comment »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

New feature!

This page will display articles by our eminent columnist Alan Dommett.

The display chessboard is the pgn4web WordPress plugin by Paolo Casaschi – details here. Almost every square on the chessboard has a function, for example e7 flips the board. Other useful functions are d8 (shows the PGN), and f8-h8 which show help for all the many options.

Feel free to comment on Alan’s writings on this page – if you have technical issues or queries then simply email the webmaster.

May 13th, 2012 by Phil T-B [Last updated: May 14th, 2012 by Phil T-B] Leave a comment »

Dorset Chess

Alan Dommett's Column

More Grand Games

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Majoring on the Minor

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Bournemouth ‘Grand’ Best Games Span Open and Minor

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Case Of ‘If Only’ In Critical Open Game

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Boxing Clever

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Morra the same, in terms of White’s aim

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Impressive, but if only I had played…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Are Lions For Life, Not Just For Christmas?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Open Crackers Over Christmas

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Storming Congress Game Before The Flood Arrives

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Another Young Gun Shooting For Stardom

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Queens Off, But Game Definitely On!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Ledger entry at a quiet British

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Final Look At The Grand

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Another Local Hero

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A Grand Performance By Local League Players

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

More Emerging Talent

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

One to watch from the Bournemouth Grand

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

New feature!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Login

This website requires that Javascript be enabled