Pieces Against Pawns

It was not really to be expected that Aberystwyth would continue the exceptional results of the last couple of matches, but we have undoubtedly been competing well in the Open Section of the Welsh Chess Union Online League this time, and came close to drawing our latest match, against Pontyfenni. Rudy van Kemenade's attacked on the kingside in a Bird's Opening against Mark Adams, but a flurry of exchanges left Black with the initiative enabling him to grab several pawns, leading to a winning endgame. Adam Watkin-Jones's Owen's Defence gave him a good position against Ian Jones, but he went wrong in the middlegame allowing an attack that should have been decisive. White's miscalculation gave Adam a piece, but stopping the enemy pawns was a challenge, and he eventually resigned in a position where a draw was still in fact possible. I emerged an exchange up against John Waterfield from a series of complications in a Modern Defence, but then hung a rook. Black was now a piece up, but again the ending needed some care, and his return error gifted me a lucky draw. Sam Holman's kingside attack against Anthony Hughes's English Opening was a bit premature. White was able to counter in the centre, and when he won a piece with a pawn fork the end followed quickly. A 3½-½ defeat could have been an impressive 2-2 draw if Adam and I had taken our chances.

Tom Gunn's Queen's Gambit game against Bence Szakmany in the U-1800 match between Cardigan and North Cardiff Panthers was yet another example of a difficult ending between an extra piece and extra pawns. This time it was Tom with the extra piece and after long manoeuvring he managed to bring home the win.

[Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.16"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Van Kemenade, R."] [Black "Adams, Mark"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A02"] [WhiteElo "1999"] [BlackElo "2001"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,84,27,-30,6,13,30,-21,13,-26,-10,-33,-11,-13,44,-20,-6,-12,29,-13,-12, -27,-21,-45,-41,-40,-48,-59,-74,-62,-38,-157,-157,-149,-126,-231,-245,-245, -280,-280,-255,-310,-288,-275,-275,-348,-348,-360,-195,-314,-180,-242,-242, -255,-280,-325,-325,-360,-360,-354,-361,-349,-344,-368,-363,-363,-377,-383, -371,-391,-334,-353,-388,-405,-414,-414,-385,-388,-385,-431,-425,-1015,-1047, -1066,-1120,-1120,-1014]} 1. f4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. O-O Rb8 (6... e6 {main} 7. Nc3 Nge7 8. h3 O-O 9. g4 Rb8 {Van Kemenade-Afek, Monarch Assurance Isle of Man 2001,0-1}) 7. c4 a6 (7... e6 8. Nc3 Nge7 9. e4 O-O 10. g4 f5 11. gxf5 exf5 12. Nd5 Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 14. Kh1 b5 {Van Kemenade-Gibbons, WCPL 2016,0-1}) 8. Nc3 e6 (8... b5 9. Nh4 Bd7 10. cxb5 axb5 11. f5 Nf6 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. fxg6 hxg6 14. Rb1 Rh5 15. Bd2 Qc8 $19 { Stanke-Wippermann, Hamburg Junge op 2005,0-1}) 9. a4 Nge7 10. e3 (10. e4 O-O $15 {3 draws, 5 Bl wins}) 10... O-O 11. g4 f5 12. g5 (12. gxf5 Nxf5 13. Bd2 Nb4 14. Qe2 d5 $15 {KomodoDragon2}) 12... Bd7 13. h4 e5 14. Nd5 (14. h5 {carrying on with the pawn advance idea is a better bet} gxh5 15. Ne2 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Ng3 bxc4 18. dxc4 Be6 19. Nd2 h4 20. Nh5 Bh8 21. Qe1 h3 22. Bxh3 Ng6 $17 { though Wh retains Kingside play}) 14... Be6 (14... Nxd5 15. cxd5 Nb4 $17 { Stockfish14 & KomodoDragon2}) 15. e4 (15. Nf6+ {a promising pawn sacrifice according to both Engines} Bxf6 16. gxf6 Rxf6 17. b3 h6 18. Bb2 Rf7 19. d4 $14 {and the position open up for the 2 Bs}) 15... fxe4 16. dxe4 exf4 17. Bxf4 (17. Ra3 {is a lichess suggestion, backed by KomodoDragon2- Wh had underestimated the range of the Bl R coming to f4}) 17... Bxd5 18. exd5 Rxf4 $19 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Qe2 (20. Bh3 Nf5 21. Bxf5 gxf5 22. Rb1 {suggested by KomodoDragon2, but it is a position with no prospects for Wh}) 20... Qd7 (20... Nf5) 21. Rae1 (21. Rab1 Rg4 22. Kh2 Nf5 23. Bh3 Ng3 24. Bxg4 Qxg4 25. Rg1 Be5 {KomodoDragon2, is not that appealing}) 21... Nf5 22. Qe6+ {attempting to get some R activity} ( 22. Bh3 {getting rid of the N given by Stockfish14 & KomodoDragon2} Qf7 23. Bxf5 Rxf5 {but then Wh is just going pawns down}) 22... Qxe6 23. Rxe6 Rxc4 ( 23... Kf7) 24. h5 $5 (24. Bh3 {both Engines} Rxa4 25. h5 Ng3 26. Rfe1 Rf4 27. R1e3 Nxh5 28. Rxd6 Rbf8 29. Ne5 {is a little better, but not enough}) 24... Ng3 25. Rfe1 Nxh5 26. Rxd6 {hoping to have gained some play, but} Rg4 $1 {and Wh paused for a long think} 27. Red1 (27. Re2 {is one such variation} Nf4 28. Red2 Bxb2 29. Rxc6 Bc3 30. Rc2 Rb2 31. Rxb2 Bxb2 32. Ne1 Bc3 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 27... Rxb2 28. Rd8+ Bf8 29. R1d2 Rxd2 30. Rxd2 Nf4 31. Kh2 (31. Ne1 Rxg5 $19 ( 31... c4 $19 {KomodoDragon2})) 31... Nxg2 32. Rxg2 Bd6+ 33. Kh3 Rxg2 34. Kxg2 c4 {too many pawns & a N against a wideranging B} 35. Kf2 Bf4 36. Ke2 c5 37. Kd1 c3 38. Kc2 Bd2 39. a5 Kf7 40. Nxd2 cxd2 41. Kxd2 Ke6 42. Kc3 Kd5 {Normal- Wh's pawn sacrifices were in vain against Bl's very accurate defence} 0-1 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.16"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Jones, Ian Robert"] [Black "Watkin-Jones, Adam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B00"] [WhiteElo "2007"] [BlackElo "1918"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,123,80,48,83,73,60,16,14,1,42,-58,-50,-38,-53,-51,-60,-75,-63,-71,-70, -70,-63,-77,-62,-57,-31,-38,-28,-42,-28,-20,-33,-58,-58,-58,9,29,78,104,117, 125,129,118,166,118,264,276,427,295,295,245,295,274,265,88,88,134,101,111,152, 168,193,78,69,-63,-18,-167,-167,-157,-161,-192,-179,-185,-196,-192,-181,-172, -183,-183,-211,-220,-218,-235,-218,-212,-169,-180,-172,-229,-218,-218,-226, -222,-218,-226,-224,-218,-206,-224,-204,-214,-200,-202,-181,-204,-209,-195, -139,-201,-134,-137,-142,-141,-45,-141,-33,-29,0,0,41,0,0,0,0,13]} 1. e4 b6 { new to both players according to databases} (1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 {Jones - Watkin-Jones, WCU Online Open 2, 2021,1-0}) 2. d4 Bb7 3. f3 (3. Bd3) (3. Nc3 {main lines}) 3... e6 4. Be3 c5 (4... d5) (4... Nf6 {main lines}) 5. c4 {offering a transposition to some kind of Saemisch} (5. c3 {main}) 5... cxd4 6. Bxd4 (6. Qxd4 $5) 6... Nc6 7. Be3 Bb4+ $17 {KomodoDragon2} (7... Rc8 8. Nh3 Qc7 9. Nd2 Nf6 {Jerome-Smyth,IECC 2000, 0-1}) (7... Nf6 8. Nc3 Bb4 9. Qb3 Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 e5 11. Ne2 O-O 12. Ng3 Qc7 13. Be2 g6 14. O-O {Tukiran-Abdul Shukor, Johor International Challenge 2018, 1-0}) 8. Nd2 Nge7 9. a3 Bc5 10. Bxc5 bxc5 $17 {KomodoDragon2-Wh has a hole on d4, & Bl is better developed} 11. Bd3 Ng6 12. Ne2 O-O (12... Qg5 $1 {KomodoDragon2} 13. Qb3 Rb8 14. g3 Ba8 15. Qc3 Qe3 16. Bc2 Qxc3 17. bxc3 Na5 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 13. O-O Nge5 14. Bc2 Ba6 15. b3 d5 16. cxd5 exd5 17. exd5 Bxe2 {but this gives away Bl's advantage, easing Wh's position by swapping off those passive pieces} (17... Qxd5 18. Rf2 Qe6 $17 {KomodoDragon2}) 18. Qxe2 Nd4 $2 {compounds matters} (18... Qxd5 $11) 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qxe5 $18 Re8 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Ne4 f5 (22... f6 23. d6 Re5 24. Qg6 Re6 25. Nxc5 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 23. Ng5 Qxd5 24. Qh7+ (24. Rae1 $1 $18 {KomodoDragon2, brings in another piece & cuts off lines of a K escape}) 24... Kf8 25. Qg6 Kg8 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Qh8+ Qg8 28. Qh5 g6 29. Qh4 Re7 30. b4 Kg7 {Bl has escaped the worst, but is still losing} 31. bxc5 $18 Qc4 32. Ne4 $2 {trying to gain time for the attack, but Bl's next shows up the drawback} (32. Qh7+ Kf6 33. Qh6 {the only winning move apparently} (33. Ne4+ fxe4 34. Qh4+ Kf7 35. fxe4+ Nf5 36. Qh7+ Kf6 37. Rxf5+ gxf5 38. e5+ Rxe5 39. Qh6+ Kf7 40. Qh7+ Kf6 41. Qh6+ {repetition- is one of those precise Engine calculations}) 33... Qxc5 34. Kh1 Rae8 35. Rad1 Qe5 36. f4 Qc5 37. h4 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 32... Rf7 $19 (32... Ne2+ 33. Kh1 Rf7 $19 {is another version}) 33. Qe1 fxe4 34. Qxe4 Ne2+ 35. Kh1 Qxe4 36. fxe4 Rc8 (36... Rxf1+ {removing a pair of Rs looks simpler} 37. Rxf1 Rc8 38. Rd1 Rxc5 39. Rd7+ Kh6 40. g3 a5 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 37. Rfe1 Nc3 (37... Rf2) 38. h3 Rxc5 39. Re3 Re7 (39... a5) 40. Rc1 Na4 41. Rb1 Rc3 (41... Nb6 42. Kh2 Rce5 43. Rbe1 Nc4 44. Rc3 Rxe4 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 42. Rf3 Rec7 43. Rb4 Nb6 44. e5 Rxf3 45. gxf3 Rc4 (45... Rc5) (45... Nc4) 46. Rb5 Kf7 47. Ra5 Rc7 {this gives Wh hopes of holding as now the Bl R has gone over to passive defence} (47... Ra4 $1 48. Rc5 Rxa3 49. Kg2 a5 $19 {and the a5 pawn is a menace , especially with Bl's R now active-Rudy}) 48. Kg2 Ke6 49. h4 { Wh by now was living on increments} Nc4 (49... Kf5 $1 {removes the K from a timely ch by Wh.} 50. Kg3 Nc4 51. Ra4 Nxe5 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 50. Ra6+ Kxe5 ( 50... Nb6 {repeating to go back to the Kf5 move is keeps more winning material on the board ( but Bl was now also running low on time)}) 51. Rxg6 Nxa3 $19 { but, compared to the note at move 49, the Bl forces are far more scattered rather than solidly holding the K side} 52. Kg3 Nc4 53. h5 Rh7 (53... Kf5 { the K needs to come back in defence} 54. f4 Rb7 55. Rg5+ Kf6 56. Kf3 Kf7 57. Kg4 Nd6 58. Ra5 Kg8 59. f5 Nf7 $11 {but after all, KomodoDragon2 thinks all Bl winning chances have gone, though Bl will surely not lose this}) 54. Ra6 (54. Kg4) 54... Nb6 (54... Kf5 $17) 55. Ra5+ Kf6 56. Kg4 Nc4 (56... Rg7+ 57. Kh4 Nc4 58. Ra6+ Kf5 59. h6 Rf7 60. Kh5 Ne5 61. Ra3 Re7 $17 {KomodoDragon2- but the a pawn will not be advancing against the active Wh R}) 57. Ra6+ Ke5 (57... Nb6 { keeps hopes alive,but} 58. f4 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 58. h6 (58. f4+ Ke4 59. Kg5 $11 {but looks even more dangerous for Bl}) 58... Ne3+ 59. Kg5 Nd5 60. Kg6 Rb7 61. h7 Nf4+ 62. Kh6 {Normal, Bl esigned but actually a draw is still there, KomodoDragon2 & Stockfish14 give} (62. Kh6 Rb8 63. Ra5+ Kd6 $11 {but simpler seems}) (62. Kh6 Rxh7+ 63. Kxh7 Nh3 64. Kg6 Kf4 65. Rxa7 Kxf3 {and it should be a draw, as the Bl K is not in a corner, nor seperated from his N}) 1-0 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.16"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Francis, Matthew"] [Black "Waterfield, John"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B34"] [WhiteElo "1648"] [BlackElo "2078"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,99,39,48,97,77,93,49,120,62,97,50,77,52,45,50,51,-9,-11,-12,-17,-26, -23,-32,-32,-32,17,-19,-4,-172,-74,-79,-30,-22,-18,-2,-81,-114,-96,-94,-94,-90, 136,-134,-132,-176,-154,-262,-133,-133,-98,-68,-59,-96,-100,-100,91,19,130,134, 142,146,144,151,134,157,155,149,162,171,172,-396,-401,-398,-404,-409,-386,-384, -341,-342,-342,-343,-337,-383,-343,-390,-474,-696,-1176,-1252,-1174,-1282, -1292,-1292,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 (2. d3 Bg7 3. c4 d6 4. Nc3 e5 5. g3 Nf6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Nge2 c6 8. O-O Be6 9. h3 h5 {Francis-Waterfield, Dyfed Open 2016,1-0}) 2... Bg7 3. Nf3 c5 {The Sniper} (3... d6 4. Bc4 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Qe2 O-O 7. e5 {Francis-Pleasants, WCU Online 3 rd1, 2021,0-1}) 4. Bc4 (4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Be3 {leads to a standard Dragon var}) (4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 d5 {to a Gurgenidze Caro-Kann}) (4. dxc5 Qa5+ 5. Nc3 (5. c3 Qxc5 6. Be3 Qc7 {main}) (5. Bd2 Qxc5 6. Bc3 Nf6 7. Bd4 Qc7 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Nd5 { Villiers-Waterfield, BCF, Llandudno 2017,1-0}) 5... Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qxc3+ 7. Bd2 Qxc5 8. Bd3 {53% for Wh}) 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 (5... Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O Nxe4 8. Qd3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 d5 {Poves-Waterfield, 4NCL 2019,0-1}) 6. Nxc6 (6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 {is an Accelerated Dragon, with some 27,000 games}) 6... bxc6 7. O-O d6 8. Qf3 (8. Nc3) 8... Nf6 9. Nc3 (9. e5 dxe5 10. Qxc6+ Bd7 {2-3-6}) 9... O-O 10. Bg5 Qa5 {1-3} (10... Bg4 {1-1-4}) 11. Qe3 $146 (11. Qg3 $11 {Cloud Engines, 1-1}) (11. Bxf6) (11. h4) 11... Rb8 (11... Ng4 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Bb3 Rb8 14. Rad1 Ne5 $15 {KomodoDragon2}) 12. Bb3 Ba6 13. Rfe1 Rb7 14. Ne2 $2 (14. Rad1 $11) 14... Ng4 (14... Nxe4 $19) 15. Qf4 Ne5 (15... Bxb2 16. Rab1 Bf6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 $17 {KomodoDragon2}) 16. Qh4 Qc7 (16... c5 17. Bd5 Rxb2 $17 {KomodoDragon2}) 17. f4 Nc4 18. f5 $14 Bxb2 19. fxg6 (19. Rad1 Na5 20. Kh1 Nxb3 21. axb3 Bxe2 22. Rxe2 f6 23. Bh6 Rd8 24. Re3 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 19... hxg6 20. Rad1 Be5 ( 20... Na5 $11) 21. Bh6 (21. Rd3 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 21... Rd8 (21... Bg7 $15) 22. Qg4 (22. Bg5 Kg7 23. Bh6+ Kg8 24. Bg5 {repetition- KomodoDragon2}) 22... d5 23. h4 Qb6+ (23... Qd7) 24. Kh1 Ne3 25. Bxe3 Qxe3 26. exd5 (26. h5 $5 Kg7 $17 { KomodoDragon2}) 26... cxd5 (26... c5) 27. Bxd5 Kg7 (27... Rb6 28. c4 Bc8 29. Qf3 Qxf3 30. Bxf3 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Be6 $19 {KomodoDragon2- the Wh pawns easy targets}) 28. Ng1 (28. Nd4 $1 $18 {exploits the Q position} Qxe1+ (28... Qf4 29. Qxf4 Bxf4 30. Bxb7 Bxb7 31. Ne6+ fxe6 32. Rxd8 $18) 29. Rxe1 Rxd5 30. Nf5+ Kh8 31. Qf3 Rdb5 32. Nh6 Rb1 33. Nxf7+ Kg7 34. Qf2 Bf6 35. Nd8 $18 { KomodoDragon2, though the position remains tricky to play for both sides}) 28... Qg3 $2 (28... Qc3 29. Bxb7 Rxd1 30. Qxd1 Bxb7 31. Nf3 Bf6 $11 {as Tarrasch maintained years ago, 2 Bs are often the equal over the less coordinated R & N}) 29. Qxg3 Bxg3 30. Bxb7 Bxb7 (30... Rxd1 {as advocated by lichess is a little better} 31. Rxd1 Bxb7 32. Rd7 Be4 33. Rxe7 Bxc2 34. Rxa7 Bxh4 {KomodoDragon2, but the a pawn should provide a Wh win in the end}) 31. Rxd8 Bxe1 32. Rd7 Bc6 33. Rxe7 Bxh4 34. Rxa7 Bf2 35. Nh3 $2 (35. Rc7 $18) 35... Bxa7 $132 {and the cry of anguish could be heard across Aberystwyth} 36. Nf4 Kf6 (36... g5) 37. Nd3 Be4 38. Kh2 Bxd3 39. cxd3 Ke5 40. Kg3 f5 41. Kh4 Be3 ( 41... Kf4 $1 $18 {is the clearest}) 42. a4 Kd4 {Bl does not need this pawn, as the B stops both d pawn and a pawn} (42... Kf4 $1 {gets a pawn though}) 43. a5 Kxd3 44. a6 g5+ (44... Ke2 45. Kh3 g5 46. Kh2 Kf2 {will soon force a pawn through}) 45. Kg3 (45. Kh5 {lasts longer, but no need for lichess to label the text move as a blunder}) 45... Kc4 (45... Ke2 46. Kh2 Kf2 47. Kh1 Ba7 48. Kh2 Bb8+ 49. Kh1 g4 {is the exact Engine line}) 46. Kf3 f4 $2 {Bl should refrain from pawn moves, until the K position is maximised and it is clear which one needs to move first} 47. g3 $11 Kb5 48. a7 Bxa7 49. gxf4 gxf4 50. Kxf4 $11 { Normal, the reaction from Somerset is unknown.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.15"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Hughes, Anthony"] [Black "Holman, Sam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "1942"] [BlackElo "1386"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,57,16,-12,-20,-8,-10,-32,16,-6,4,0,33,-34,-30,-11,18,27,41,59,49,20, 22,43,46,33,19,21,61,32,184,222,222,297,262,355,406,406,508,510,599,616,635, 507,485,513,647,502,732,724,730,701,1030,1376,1391,1186,1457,1223,29999,-30000] } 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 f5 (3... g6 {main}) 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. d3 h6 (5... Bb4) (5... Bc5 {main lines}) 6. e4 (6. e3 d6 7. Nge2 g5 8. Nd5 (8. h4 {1-2-1}) 8... Bg7 9. Nec3 O-O {Szymanski-Van Kemenade, 4NCL 2019,0-1}) 6... d6 (6... g6 7. exf5 gxf5 8. Nd5 Bg7 9. Nxf6+ Qxf6 10. Qh5+ (10. Bd5 Nd4 11. Be3 c6 12. Bxd4 cxd5 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Bc3 d4 15. Bb4 Re8 {Hughes-Van Kemenade, WCU blitz ch online ,2020,0-1}) 10... Qf7 11. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {Gibson-Van Kemenade, Wld ch Seniors, Prague 2020, 1/2-1/2}) 7. Nge2 g5 {may be a little risky if Wh has not yet 0-0} (7... g6 {Heap-Van Kemenade, Dyfed Closed 2014, 0-1; Dyfed Closed 2016,1/2-1/2}) 8. h4 Rg8 (8... g4 9. Be3 Bg7 10. Qd2 Qd7 11. Nd5 Qf7 12. Nec3 Nd4 {Kutsanyan (2272)-Sabirov (1948), Moscow open 2019,0-1}) 9. hxg5 hxg5 10. Nd5 (10. exf5 Bxf5 11. Qb3 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 10... f4 11. Bd2 Be6 (11... Bg7 ) 12. Qb3 Rb8 13. O-O-O {looks a little dangerous as Bl has chances of opening up the Q side, but it seems Wh has enough control over the centre} a6 14. d4 Bg7 {missing the Wh threat} (14... Ng4 {looks promising but Wh makes use of superior delopment} 15. Bh3 (15. Rh7 Rg7 16. Rh8 {also promising}) 15... Bxd5 16. cxd5 Nxf2 17. dxc6 Rg7 18. cxb7 Nxh3 19. Rxh3 c5 20. dxe5 Rgxb7 21. Qg8 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. d5 $18 f3 17. Qxf3 Rf8 18. Qxf6 Bxf6 (18... Rxf6 $5) 19. dxe6 Nd4 (19... Nd8 $5) 20. Nxd4 exd4 21. f4 (21. Rh7) 21... gxf4 22. gxf4 Ke7 23. f5 (23. Rh7+) 23... b5 24. Rh7+ Ke8 25. Rxc7 (25. e5 $1) 25... d3 26. e5 Bxe5 27. Bc6+ Kd8 28. Ba5 Bd4 29. e7# {Normal} 1-0 [Event "WCU Online U1800 3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.16"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Gunn, Tom"] [Black "Szakmany, Bence"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E11"] [WhiteElo "1398"] [BlackElo "1631"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "145"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,145,15,41,12,-25,-17,4,12,12,33,21,19,36,34,36,20,22,22,23,17,19,26,7, 25,23,26,29,33,13,33,33,32,10,62,-31,24,46,51,52,33,26,72,18,295,261,285,239, 229,229,219,220,220,216,219,220,217,202,193,213,211,198,208,185,197,197,202, 170,238,235,200,196,197,184,184,191,194,179,183,165,181,183,224,246,228,188, 192,180,191,147,190,176,163,170,186,180,166,194,181,228,227,181,175,181,220, 154,173,143,214,244,197,160,173,199,198,213,264,215,260,205,194,196,206,223, 293,295,300,292,300,313,350,285,541,616,626,633,667,677,687,687,1774,541,533, 962,1244,1282,1312,1312]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 (3. Nc3 Bb4 {previous games by Bl, 2-1-1}) 3... d5 (3... c5 4. d5 b5 {Gunn-MacDonald, WCU Online Open 2, 2021,0-1}) 4. Nc3 Bb4 (4... c6 5. e3 {Gunn-Boyd, WCU Online Open2, 2021,0-1}) (4... Be7 5. e3 {Gunn-Miga, WCU Online Open 2, 02021,0-1}) 5. Bd2 ( 5. Bg5) (5. cxd5) 5... O-O 6. e3 a5 (6... b6) (6... c5 {main lines}) 7. Bd3 (7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 b6 {Firouzja-Carlsen, lichess bullet feb 2021,0-1}) 7... dxc4 (7... b6 {main}) 8. Bxc4 b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. a3 (10. Qe2 {GM line, 1-5-1}) 10... Be7 (10... Bxc3 {2 draws}) 11. Re1 $146 (11. Qe2 $11 {Cloud Engines ; 0-1}) ( 11. Rc1 {1-0}) 11... Ne4 (11... c5 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Rc1 c6 14. Be2 Nd7 15. Bc3 Nf6 16. h3 (16. Ne5 $14 {KomodoDragon2}) 16... b5 $6 { creates a potential weakness on the c file} (16... Bd5 $11) 17. Nd2 (17. Ne5) 17... b4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. axb4 axb4 20. Bd2 $11 Ra2 21. Qc2 (21. Qb3) 21... c5 $2 {the wrong order} (21... Nxd2 22. Qxd2 c5 $11 {Cloud Engines}) 22. Qxe4 $18 Rxb2 23. Rc2 (23. Red1) 23... Rxc2 24. Qxc2 cxd4 25. exd4 (25. e4 $5) 25... Qxd4 26. Be3 Qd7 {Bl has 2 pawns for the piece, but they are static. On the other hand there are few weaknesses for Wh to attack , other than the b4 pawn} 27. Rd1 Qb7 28. Rb1 Rc8 29. Qb3 Rd8 30. Bf3 Qa6 31. Qc2 (31. g3 {secures Wh's K side}) 31... Qb5 32. Be2 Qe5 33. Qb2 Qb8 34. Bd2 Qc7 35. g3 Bc5 36. Kg2 Qb6 37. Be1 h6 38. Qc2 Be7 39. Qe4 Rd4 40. Qc2 Bf6 41. Qa4 Be7 42. Ra1 Bf8 43. Qa5 Qd6 44. Rb1 g6 45. Bf3 e5 46. Qa2 (46. Qa8 $5) 46... e4 47. Be2 h5 48. h4 Qc6 49. Kg1 {none of this is at all clear as to how Wh can make use of his piece ahead} Qd7 (49... e3 $5 {KomodoDragon2}) 50. Qb3 Bc5 51. Qc2 Qf5 52. Rc1 Rd5 53. Kg2 g5 {but any pawn advances on the King's wing should make it easier for Wh to find a way in.Bl looks best just sitting tight.} 54. hxg5 Qxg5 55. Rd1 ( 55. Qxe4 {should work out well for Wh according to the Engines} Qxc1 56. Qxd5 Qxe1 57. Qg5+ Kh8 (57... Kf8 58. Qxc5+) 58. Qxh5+ Kg8 59. Qg5+ Kh8 60. Qxc5 Qxe2 61. Qf8+ Kh7 62. Qxf7+ Kh6 63. Qf4+ Kh5 64. Qxb4 {and the two connected pawns should win- mate in 38 with best play}) 55... Rxd1 56. Bxd1 Qd5 57. Qd2 Qe5 58. Qh6 e3 59. Qxh5 (59. Bc2 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) (59. f4 Qe4+ 60. Kh2 e2 61. Qg5+ Kh8 62. Bb3 Bg1+ 63. Kxg1 Qe3+ 64. Kh2 Qxb3 65. Qxh5+ Kg7 66. Qxe2 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 59... Qxh5 60. Bxh5 exf2 61. Bxf2 {with the exchange of Qs the game has clarified- Wh needs to safeguard his remaing pawn, while ganging up on the b4 pawn.} Bd6 62. Bd4 Kf8 63. Bd1 Ke7 64. g4 Ke6 65. Kf3 {bringing the K up in an endgame is usually an excellent idea} (65. Bc2 {putting the B on f5 & keeping the Bl's f pawn under restraint, looks a winning plan- Rudy}) 65... f5 66. Bb3+ Ke7 67. gxf5 {natural} (67. g5 {is an Engine preference}) 67... Kf8 68. Ke4 Ke8 69. Kd5 Ke7 70. Bc5 {mate in 12, but simplifies drastically} (70. f6+ {mate in 11 , Lomonosov}) (70. Kc6 {mate in 9, Lomonosov} ) 70... Bxc5 71. Kxc5 Kf6 72. Bc2 b3 73. Bb1 {Normal} 1-0

More than Respectable

After my last post suggesting that Aberystwyth were putting up an unexpectedly good fight in the Open Section of the Welsh Chess Union Online League, our match against Morriston on Thursday 9th December confirmed our good form. On top board, an interesting Budapest Gambit game was in prospect when Rudy van Kemande's opponent, Moss McCarthy, dropped a rook and resigned at once. It turned out that both players were too hasty: White could have trapped Black's queen after the capture, forcing her to give herself up for the second rook, leaving an unclear position, while Rudy had overlooked a winning alternative. Adam Watkin-Jones won a piece with a fork in an irregular opening against Chris Howells, who was unable to find any counterplay, and lost further material before resigning. I have recently taken up the Caro-Kann, inspired by Levy Rozman's Gotham Chess YouTube Channel: of his recommended line against the Advance Variation, he says, "You WILL win White's centre pawns, often!" and that's exactly what happened in my game against Francisco Marin, next time I'll remember to take both of them, but one was enough on this occasion. Sam Holman's game against Duncan Williams followed a line played several times in the recent World Championship match between Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi. Black won a pawn in the centre but overlooked White's threats on the kingside and Sam broke through to give mate. 4-0 to Aber was an outstanding result.

[Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.09"] [Round "5.1"] [White "McCarthy, Moss"] [Black "Van Kemenade, R."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A52"] [WhiteElo "1989"] [BlackElo "1999"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] {[%evp 0,40,16,20,33,-28,12,17,21,13,13,-22,23,-10,6,-20,-18,-12,-15,-20,-31, -24,-6,-31,-16,-21,-38,-34,-31,-47,-37,-27,-14,-27,-27,-14,-8,-39,-23,-47,-33, -243,32]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. e3 (4. Bf4 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nc6 7. Nf3 Qe7 8. Qd5 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Qd3 d6 11. e3 O-O 12. Be2 Kh8 13. O-O {MCCarthy-J Van Kemenade,West Wales Open 2018,1-0}) 4... Nxe5 5. Nh3 ( 5. f4 Nec6 6. Nf3 Bc5 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bd3 Re8 9. Kf2 h6 {Llewellyn-Van Kemenade, WCPL 2019,1/2-1/2}) (5. Nc3 g6 6. b3 Bg7 7. Bb2 O-O 8. Nf3 Nbc6 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O d6 {Dudiefa-Van Kemenade,Coventry 2005,0-1}) 5... g6 (5... d6 6. Nf4 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. Be2 a5 9. O-O O-O 10. e4 c6 11. Be3 Qe7 12. Rc1 f5 {Varley-Van Kemenade,S Wales International 2008,1-0}) 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Nf4 O-O 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O (9. Bd2 a5 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Qc2 Nc5 12. f3 f5 13. Nd3 Ne6 {M Davies-Van Kemenade, West Wales Open 2007,1-0}) 9... Nbd7 10. Qc2 a5 11. b3 Nc5 12. Bb2 Bf5 $146 {Cloud Engines} (12... b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Nfd5 f5 15. Qd2 Re8 16. f4 Nf7 17. e4 c6 {Llewellyn-Van Kemenade, WCPL 2009,0-1}) (12... c6 {main, 3.5-0.5 }) (12... a4 {KomodoDragon2; Lanin-Akrill, ICCF 2016,1/2-1/2}) 13. e4 Bd7 14. Nfd5 c6 (14... Nc6 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 15. Ne3 f5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. f4 Ng6 18. Ncd1 (18. Rad1 $14 {KomodoDragon2}) 18... Qe7 19. Bxg7 (19. g3 a4 20. b4 Ne4 $14 {KomodoDragon2}) 19... Qxg7 20. g3 $2 (20. Qc3 Rf7 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 20... Qxa1 {both players thought that Wh had just dropped a R, but matters are not that simple} (20... Qxa1 {Wh should have continued with} 21. Nc3 Qxf1+ 22. Kxf1 Rae8 23. Qd2 Rf6 24. Bf3 {KomodoDragon2 gives this as winning for Wh, but perhaps with 2 Rs for a Q, Bl should have continued till move 136 to win as in Carlsen-Nepomniachti, Wld Ch 2021,1-0}) (20... Nxf4 $1 $19 {is the correct way to exploit Wh's last, as the Engines indicate.} 21. Bf3 (21. Rxf4 Qxa1 $19) 21... Nh3+ 22. Kh1 f4 23. gxf4 Qxa1 24. Nc3 Qxf1+ 25. Nxf1 Rxf4 26. Bg2 Raf8 $19 (26... Nd3 $19 {KomodoDragon2- as compared with the immediate capture of the R, Wh's K side has been shattered})) 0-1 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.09"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Watkin-Jones, Adam"] [Black "Howells, Chris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A15"] [WhiteElo "1918"] [BlackElo "1835"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,67,80,62,54,-17,20,-22,0,4,40,25,30,43,34,45,42,42,31,41,90,69,70,48, 83,58,53,55,52,32,2,13,36,22,40,33,12,5,7,1,-7,-10,20,-100,-10,-29,67,1,1,5, 253,247,480,486,464,407,452,446,442,463,600,627,728,769,774,937,937,1065,1155, 1196]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 (1... d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bf5 4. O-O e6 5. d3 Nbd7 { Dixon-Howells, S Wales New Year Open, 2017,1/2-1/2}) 2. c4 d6 3. e3 (3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. d3 e5 8. Rb1 {Watkin-Jones - Buttell, Dyfed League 2019, 1-0}) (3. d4 {main}) 3... e5 4. d4 Nbd7 5. b3 c6 6. Be2 e4 ( 6... Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bb2 e4 9. Nfd2 d5 10. Nc3 Re8 {2-7}) 7. Nfd2 d5 { usually Bl responds to d4 openings with e6 & d5 lines. Here the opening has transposed to a Reversed King's Indian Attack against a French.} 8. O-O (8. Ba3 Qa5 9. Bxf8 Nxf8 10. c5 b6 11. cxb6 axb6 12. Qc2 Bd7 {Morozova-Petrenko, Centracoop op, Eforie Nord 1999,1/2-1/2}) (8. a3 Bd6 9. Nc3 a6 (9... Nf8 10. f3 exf3 11. Bxf3 {Ivekovic-Bosnjak, CRO ch U17, Vukovar 2013,1/2-1/2}) 10. c5 Bc7 11. Qc2 O-O {Khaitov-Iuldachev, Tashkent Hokim Cup 2009,0-1}) 8... Bd6 9. Nc3 Bb8 $6 {trying to get in Qc7, but it is an awkward rearrangement} (9... a6 10. f3 Bb4 11. Bb2 exf3 12. Bxf3 O-O 13. cxd5 Bxc3 14. dxc6 Bxb2 15. cxb7 Bxb7 16. Bxb7 Ra7 17. Rb1 Bxd4 18. exd4 Rxb7 {Schwarz-Neumann, Wuerttemberg ch Seniors , Ellwangen 2002,0-1}) 10. cxd5 (10. Ba3 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 10... cxd5 11. f4 exf3 (11... Bd6 $11) 12. Nxf3 O-O 13. Bd2 a6 (13... Re8 $15) 14. Rc1 b5 15. b4 Bb7 {the B looks a bit bad here, even if it does support a Ne4} (15... Nb6 $15 {KomodoDragon2}) 16. a4 bxa4 17. Nxa4 Ne4 18. Be1 Qe7 19. Bd3 Ndf6 20. Qe2 (20. Bh4 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 20... Re8 21. b5 $6 {gives Bl's B more scopeand gets rid of a backward Bl pawn; and also lets the Engine indulge in some tactics} axb5 (21... Qa3 22. Bd2 Nxd2 23. Qxd2 axb5 24. Nc5 Bc8 25. Rb1 Bd6 $17 { KomodoDragon2}) 22. Bxb5 Rc8 $2 {Bl misjudges} (22... h6 23. Nc5 $11) 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Nb6 Ra3 25. Nxc8 Qc7 26. Bb4 $18 {the remaining Bl pieces are all on the wrong squares for cooperation} Rb3 27. Ne7+ Kh8 28. Ne5 g6 29. N7c6 Rxb4 30. Nxb4 Nc3 31. Qd3 Nfe4 32. Nxd5 Nxd5 33. Qxe4 f6 34. Qxd5 {Normal} 1-0 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.09"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Marin Marin, Francisco"] [Black "Francis, Matthew"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "1832"] [BlackElo "1648"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,88,39,37,74,74,74,64,64,46,47,38,72,-7,12,-10,28,-40,-15,-15,-12,-15, -39,-62,-63,-64,-59,-63,-57,-97,-83,-108,-110,-130,-92,-144,-107,-113,-134, -156,-107,-125,-141,-169,-180,-194,-206,-206,-144,-184,-152,-209,-199,-257, -211,-286,-286,-297,-303,-304,-259,-260,-261,-261,-247,-255,-181,-187,-187, -197,-187,-188,-200,-206,-196,-206,-185,-195,-196,-206,-221,-215,-246,-278, -288,-275,-288,-314,-323,-323,-323]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 (3... Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 (5. Bd3 Ne7 6. Bg5 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 h6 8. Be3 Nd7 9. Nc3 {Marin Marin-Keene , WCU Online Open3, rd1, 2021,1/2-1/2}) 5... Ne7 6. O-O Ng6 7. Re1 Be7 8. Be3 O-O 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nf1 {Marin Marin-Southcott, 4NCL Online rd1, 2021,1/2-1/2}) 4. c3 Nc6 {main} (4... cxd4 5. cxd4 Bf5 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Nf3 e6 8. Bg5 Qb6 9. Qd2 h6 10. Be3 Bb4 11. Be2 Nge7 12. O-O O-O {P Jones-Francis, Dyfed Online closed, nov 2021,1-0}) 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Nge7 (7... Bxf3 8. Bxf3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Qb6 {106 games, 29 % for Wh, Bl has a good French setup minus the bad B}) 8. Bg5 (8. Nbd2 {main}) 8... Qb6 $11 {0.5-6.5, Wh's setup is rather passive} 9. Nbd2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nf5 11. Nb3 (11. Be3 Bb4 12. Nb3 $15 { 1 Wh win, 2 draws,1 Bl win}) 11... Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nfxd4 $19 {the key pawn has fallen} 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Qb3 Qb4 15. Qxb4 Bxb4 16. a3 (16. Bf4) 16... Ba5 17. Rac1 O-O (17... Nxe5 {is quite safe}) 18. Bf4 Bc7 19. Rfe1 Rac8 (19... f6) 20. Bg3 Bb6 (20... Nd4) 21. b4 Nd4 22. Bg4 Nc2 23. Red1 Rc7 (23... Nxa3) 24. Bf4 Nxa3 25. Be2 (25. Rxc7 Bxc7 26. Ra1 Nc4 27. Rxa7 Bxe5 28. Be3 Rb8 { KomodoDragon2}) 25... Rfc8 26. Bd3 Nc4 27. h3 Nb2 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. Rd2 Nxd3 ( 29... Rc1+ 30. Bf1 Nc4 31. Ra2 Rb1 {ties Wh down, KomodoDragon2}) 30. Rxd3 h6 31. Kf1 Rc4 32. Bd2 Rd4 33. Rxd4 Bxd4 34. f4 f6 (34... g5 $5) 35. exf6 Bxf6 36. Ke2 Kf7 {the K entry decides} 37. Kd3 Ke7 38. Be3 a6 39. Bc5+ Kd7 40. g4 Be7 41. Bd4 g6 42. Bg7 h5 43. Bc3 hxg4 44. hxg4 Kc6 {Normal} 0-1 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.12.09"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Holman, Sam"] [Black "Williams, Duncan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "1386"] [BlackElo "1752"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,63,80,4,89,-8,53,-27,45,-92,-38,-109,-3,-116,-90,-90,-18,-117,-55,-69, -20,-41,-23,-75,-63,-97,-97,-88,-72,-76,-3,-18,34,24,35,35,24,-33,-24,2,-8,-21, 9,6,-4,-6,-3,-7,22,-20,31,-131,-78,-75,-75,-105,-87,-83,-90,-90,29991,29992, 29997,29998,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 {a main anti-Marshall line, that has feutured several times in the Nepomniachti-Carlsen match, with Wh gaining an edge but not enough.} (8. h3 Bb7 9. c3 $6 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. Rxe5 Nf4 { and Bl had a boosted Marshall Gambit, Holman-Williams. WCU Online Open 2, 2021, 0-1}) 8... Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 (10. Nc3 {alternative}) 10... Nd7 (10... Na5) 11. Nf1 (11. c3 {main in GM practice}) 11... Nc5 12. c3 (12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 {2 Wh wins, 2 draws, 2 Bl wins}) 12... Nxb3 13. Qxb3 Na5 14. Qc2 c5 15. Ne3 Re8 (15... g6 16. b4 cxb4 17. cxb4 Nc6 18. Nd5 f6 19. Be3 Rf7 {Holder-Hersvik, NOR ch tm 2002,0-1}) (15... c4 16. d4 Nb3 17. Ra2 exd4 18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. cxd4 Bf6 20. d5 Qd7 21. Bd2 {Gruau-Chesters, 4NCL Online 2021,1-0}) (15... Qd7 $11 { several Engines}) 16. Bd2 c4 17. axb5 axb5 18. d4 (18. dxc4 Nxc4 19. Qd3 Nxe3 20. Bxe3 Bc6 21. b4 f5 $15 {KomodoDragon2- the Bs support pawn advances}) (18. Rad1 Nb3 19. Bc1 Nc5 20. dxc4 Bxe4 21. Qe2 bxc4 22. Qxc4 Ra4 23. Qe2 Qa8 $15 { KomodoDragon2}) 18... Nb3 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. d5 Bf8 21. Nf5 Qa2 (21... Bc8 $17 { KomodoDragon2}) 22. Be3 $11 Qa5 23. Qe2 Qc7 24. h4 (24. Nd2) 24... Nc5 (24... Bc8 25. h5 Bxf5 26. exf5 Qc8 27. f6 gxf6 28. Nh4 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 25. h5 $5 (25. Bxc5 Qxc5 26. h5 g6 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. N3h4 $16 {KomodoDragon2- despite the exchange of Wh's usual attacking KB, Wh has promising chances on the K side with the Q & 2Ns. Bl really needs to bring his QB back into the game & swap off one of the Ns}) 25... Nxe4 26. Bb6 Qxb6 27. Qxe4 Qc5 {Bl has weakened Wh's centre, but now the Q should go back to strengthen the K side defences, and leave the d pawn till later} (27... Qd8 $17 28. N5d4 Bxd5 29. Qxd5 exd4 30. Rxe8 Qxe8 31. Nxd4 Qe1+ 32. Kh2 Qxf2 33. Qxb5 Qf1 34. Qf5 Qc1 35. Ne6 g6 36. Qf4 Qxf4+ 37. Nxf4 Bh6 38. Nd5 Bc1 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 28. Ng5 $11 g6 29. hxg6 hxg6 (29... fxg6 {had to be played it seems, when} 30. Nxh7 Kxh7 31. Qh4+ Kg8 32. Qf6 Qxd5 33. Qxg6+ Kh8 34. Qh5+ {is a perpetual}) 30. Qh4 $18 {Bl's pieces are all on the wrong squares to protect their K} Bg7 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Qxg7# { Normal} 1-0

Respectable

Fears that Aberystwyth would be totally outclassed by the very strong teams in the Open Section of the Welsh Chess Union Online League haven't materialized in the matches so far. After our excellent win the previous week, we put up a fighting performance against White Knights on Thursday 25 November. Rudy van Kemenade's King's Indian Attack against Alan Young led to a blocked position in which the White pieces were getting in each other's way. Black had the initiative but couldn't find a way through with time getting short and settled for a draw by repetition. Adam Watkin-Jones played rather passively against Allan Pleasants in another hypermodern-type opening, and was soon tied down to the defence of his queenside against White's advancing pawns, resigning when the attack broke through. I took advantage of Adam May's vulnerable kingside with an unexpected tactic in a Caro-Kann Two Knights; there was only a draw there with best defence, but he didn't find the right moves and his position collapsed. Tom Gunn was comfortable in a Queen's Indian against Thomasz Miga till he allowed White's previously blocked central pawns to roll forward, when they proved to be unstoppable without material loss. A 2½-1½ defeat was a respectable result for Aber.

Playing for Cardigan against Peter Smith of De La Beche Rooks, Aberystwyth's Sam Holman managed to win his opponent's queen in a King's Indian Defence, but by that time White's attack in the centre and on the kingside was overwhelming, and mate soon followed.

[Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.11.25"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Van Kemenade, R."] [Black "Young, Ala J"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A08"] [WhiteElo "1999"] [BlackElo "2144"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,64,19,29,23,-8,10,-10,-10,2,0,-10,-6,-4,-6,-4,-13,-25,-35,-27,-8,-11, -7,-31,-34,-10,-10,-10,10,0,9,-60,-51,-38,-43,-144,-161,-143,-152,-143,-97, -164,-114,-143,-68,-117,-117,-152,-102,-112,-52,-86,-64,-64,-92,-89,-31,-32, -37,-29,-34,-34,-31,-33,-31,-39,-47]} 1. Nf3 (1. f4 d5 {Van Kemenade-Young, 0. 5-1.5}) 1... d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O e5 5. d3 Nf6 6. e4 dxe4 7. dxe4 { the central swap is anodyne for Wh in the King's Indian, and here the KID player has an extra move. Though, as an e4 player, Alan has not faced a full King's Indian Defence before} Bg4 (7... Qxd1 8. Rxd1 Nd4 (8... Bg4 9. c3 { and it is possible for Wh to exploit the holes on d5 and f5 before Bl's K B can get active, 64% for Wh}) 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. c3 {2 Wh wins, 4 draws}) 8. c3 Be7 9. h3 (9. Nbd2) 9... Bh5 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Rd1 (11. Nbd2 Qc7 $14 {5-3-2} 12. g4 Bg6 13. Nh4 {is better than Wh got later- 2.5-0.5}) 11... Qc7 12. Na3 a6 13. Nc4 Rad8 14. Rxd8 (14. Bg5 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 14... Rxd8 15. g4 (15. a4 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Ne3 c4 (17... Nxe4 18. Qxb5 $18) 18. Nf5 Bg6 19. N3h4 Bc5 20. Bg5 Ne7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Nxe7+ Qxe7 23. Bf3 Rd3 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 15... Bg6 16. Nfd2 Qd7 17. Bf1 {too defensive- Wh wished to preserve Qs for a K side attack, but the Wh pieces now get in each other's way} (17. a4 $14 Qd3 18. Qxd3 Rxd3 19. Bf1 Rd8 20. f3 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) (17. Ne3 Na5 (17... Qd3 18. Qxd3 Rxd3 19. Bf1 Rd8 20. f3 Nd7 21. a4 $16 {KomodoDragon2})) 17... b5 $17 18. Na3 ( 18. Nb6 Qc7 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Rxd5 21. Bg2 Rd3 22. Ne4 c4 $17) 18... c4 19. Nc2 h6 (19... h5 $19 {KomodoDragon2}) 20. f3 (20. a4 {liberates the R}) 20... Nh7 {threatening to invade on f4} (20... Bc5+ 21. Kh1 h5 $17 {KomodoDragon2}) 21. Ne3 Nf6 (21... Ng5 $19 22. Nd5 {is no real threat} Bc5+ 23. Kh1 Ne7 $19) ( 21... Bc5 22. Kh1 Ng5 {transposes}) 22. Kh1 (22. b4) 22... Bc5 23. Nf5 (23. a4) (23. Bg2) 23... Bxf5 24. exf5 e4 {opening up the position for Bl's better developed pieces} 25. Nxe4 (25. fxe4 Re8 26. b3 (26. Bg2 Ne5 {Wh's pieces are very badly placed}) 26... Nd4 $1 27. Qg2 Nc2 28. Rb1 Ne3 29. Qf3 Nxf1 30. Nxf1 Nxe4 31. Be3 Bxe3 32. Qxe3 cxb3 33. axb3 Ng5 $19 {Wh's position is just too porous}) 25... Nxe4 26. fxe4 (26. Qxe4 Re8 27. Qc2 Re1 $19) 26... Qd1 {Bl was happy to play this} 27. b4 Be3 {the B becomes a target here} (27... Be7 28. a4 Bf6 29. Qxd1 Rxd1 30. Bb2 Rd2 31. Bc1 Rc2 32. axb5 axb5 33. Bxh6 Bxc3 34. Ra8+ Kh7 35. Be3 Bxb4 $19) 28. Qxd1 Rxd1 29. Bb2 (29. Bxe3 {gets 2Bs for R&N, which often can hold- but here the Bs , especially the wh one, are passive} Rxa1 30. Kg2 Rxa2+ 31. Kf3 Rc2 $19) 29... Rd2 (29... Rd8 $1 {KomodoDragon2} 30. Bc1 Bxc1 31. Rxc1 Rd2 32. a4 bxa4 33. Ra1 Ne5 34. Bg2 Rc2 35. Ra3 f6 $19 {is a very dispiriting position for Wh to defend} 36. Kh2 Kf8 37. Kg3 Ke7 38. Bf3 Rd2 39. Bg2 Kd8 40. Bf1 Rc2 41. Rxa4 {maybe} Rxc3+ 42. Kf2 Rb3 43. Rxa6 c3 44. Ra8+ Kc7 45. Ra7+ Kb6 46. Ra6+ Kb7 47. Ra1 Nc6 {Wh's B is close to useless}) 30. Bc1 Rd1 31. Bb2 Rd2 (31... Rd8 {though Bl was running short of time, so went for the repetition}) 32. Bc1 Rd1 {Normal} 1/2-1/2 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.11.25"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Pleasants, Allan J"] [Black "Watkin-Jones, Adam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A04"] [WhiteElo "2088"] [BlackElo "1918"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,43,16,16,56,0,47,24,35,19,19,41,25,10,6,6,7,18,7,3,42,30,34,7,45,44, 62,69,68,56,52,52,69,68,64,47,47,73,154,140,150,153,153,188,180,87]} 1. Nf3 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 (4. O-O Nc6 {Pleasants 1-1-1}) (4. c4 Nc6 5. Nc3 e5 6. O-O Nge7 7. Ne1 {May- Watkin-Jones,WCPl 2017,1-0} (7. d3 d6 8. Rb1 O-O 9. a3 Rb8 {B Brewer- Watkin-Jones, Dyfed League 2018,1/2-1/2})) 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Nxc6 (6. Nb3 {is an alternative plan}) 6... bxc6 7. O-O Nf6 (7... Rb8 8. Nd2 Nf6 9. Nb3 Qc7 10. Bd2 d6 11. Ba5 Qb7 {4 draws, 1 Bl win}) 8. c4 O-O 9. Nc3 Ba6 (9... Rb8 {main} 10. Qc2 c5 11. Bf4 d6 {5 wins each}) 10. Qa4 Qc8 {3-3-3} ( 10... Bb7 {3-4-4}) 11. Rd1 (11. Rb1) 11... Bb7 (11... Rb8 12. Bf4 Rxb2 13. Qa3 Rc2 {Fernandez Gil-Lopez Heras, Tres Cantos op 2010,0-1}) (11... e6 12. e4 Ne8 13. Bf4 f5 14. Rd2 Bxc3 15. bxc3 fxe4 16. Bxe4 d5 {Strom Engdahl-Bellon Lopez, Gothenburg Kvibergspelen 2018,0-1}) 12. c5 $16 {KomodoDragon2} Qc7 (12... Rd8 13. Bf4 Nh5 14. Be3 a5 15. Rac1 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 13. Bf4 $18 e5 (13... Qc8 $5) 14. Be3 a5 15. Rd2 h6 (15... Ng4 {an idea of Rudy fails to} 16. Qxg4 $2) 16. Rad1 Rfd8 17. h3 (17. Qh4 g5 18. Qa4 Re8 19. h4 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 17... Rab8 18. g4 Nd5 (18... Ne8 19. Ne4 Ba6 20. a3 Qb7 21. h4 Bb5 22. Qc2 Qa6 23. g5 h5 24. Rxd7 Rxd7 25. Rxd7 Bxe2 26. Nd6 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 19. Nxd5 cxd5 20. Bxd5 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 Rxb2 22. c6 {Normal} (22. Rxd7 Rxd7 23. Rxd7 (23. Qxd7 Qxd7 24. Rxd7 Rc2 {the c pawn must be stopped} 25. Rd2 Rc4 26. Rd8+ Kh7 27. Rc8 e4 28. Rc7 a4 29. Rxf7 $18) 23... Rb4 24. Qxb4 Qxd7 25. Qb8+ Kh7 26. Qd6 $18 { KomodoDragon2}) (22. c6 d6 23. Rxa5 Rc8 24. Rc1 e4 25. Ra7 Qd8 26. Qxe4 Be5 27. Rd7 Qf8 28. a4 $18 {KomodoDragon2- is not much fun for Bl}) 1-0 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.11.25"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Francis, Matthew"] [Black "May, Adam J"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B11"] [WhiteElo "1648"] [BlackElo "2004"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,81,29,18,70,70,59,40,24,28,28,17,26,32,23,23,36,39,43,45,17,12,48,36, 36,15,15,-11,-15,-15,72,-2,25,17,37,-37,4,-55,20,-106,-120,-120,-149,-161,-90, -75,413,413,457,451,459,451,560,666,879,915,1059,1088,1073,1046,1021,1037,1038, 907,907,1026,1026,1021,1070,676,896,866,960,1110,1159,1153,1227,1314,2076, 29054,29983,29984,29987,29986]} 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 {avoiding prepared lines against} (3... Bg4 {main, 1-2 May}) 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Qe2 (5. Nxf6+ {main}) 5... Nxe4 6. Qxe4 Nd7 7. Bc4 Nf6 8. Ne5 {keeps the QB in} e6 9. Qe2 b5 10. Bb3 {43% for Wh} (10. Bd3 {55% for Wh}) 10... Qc7 11. d4 Bd6 12. O-O O-O 13. h3 $146 {may not be necessary and could be a useful square for a R to go to in a little while} (13. c3) (13. Bf4) (13. Re1 {main lines, playing moves that part of a K side build-up}) 13... Bb7 (13... c5 14. c3 a5 $11 { KomodoDragon2}) 14. c3 (14. Nd3 {is possible}) 14... Kh8 15. Bc2 a6 (15... c5 { is more dynamic} 16. Bg5 (16. Qxb5 cxd4 17. cxd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qxc2 $17) 16... Rac8 17. Bd3 Ba8 18. Bxb5 Ne4 19. Be3 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qb7 21. Ba6 Nxc3 22. Qg4 Qxa6 23. bxc3 Bd5 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 16. Bg5 c5 17. f4 Rac8 (17... Ng8 18. Bxh7 Kxh7 19. Qh5+ Nh6 20. Ng4 f6 21. Bxh6 Qf7 22. Qh4 gxh6 23. Qxh6+ Kg8 24. Rae1 cxd4 25. f5 exf5 (25... Qg7) 26. Rxf5 Qg7 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) (17... cxd4 18. cxd4 Rac8 19. Rac1 Qb6 20. Rcd1 Qc7 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 18. Rac1 (18. Rae1 cxd4 19. Qd3 Ne4 20. Rxe4 Bxe4 21. Qxe4 f5 22. Qe2 dxc3 23. bxc3 b4 24. c4 Bxe5 25. fxe5 $18 (25. Qxe5 $16 {KomodoDragon2})) 18... Bd5 (18... cxd4 19. cxd4 Qb6 $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 19. b3 (19. f5 $11) (19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bxh7 Kxh7 21. Qh5+ (21. c4 $1 bxc4 22. Qh5+ Kg7 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Qh4+ Kg7 25. Qg3+ Kh7 26. Ng4 Be7 27. Qh4+ Kg8 28. Rc3 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 21... Kg7 22. Qg4+ $11) 19... cxd4 20. cxd4 Ba3 (20... Ng8 $17) (20... Qc3 21. Kh2 (21. Qf2 Nh5 22. f5 Qg3 $19) 21... Qb2 22. Bd3 Qxe2 23. Bxe2 Kg8 $17 {KomodoDragon2}) 21. Bxf6 gxf6 (21... Bxc1 22. Bxh7 gxf6 23. Qh5 Be3+ 24. Kh1 Bxg2+ 25. Kh2 Kg7 26. Qg4+ Kxh7 27. Qh5+ $11 {KomodoDragon2}) 22. Qh5 f5 (22... Qxc2 $1 {KomodoDragon2 claims a hold} 23. Rxc2 Rxc2 24. Nf3 Bc1 25. Ne1 Be3+ 26. Kh1 Rxa2 27. Qh6 Rg8 28. Qxf6+ Rg7 29. Qd8+ Rg8 30. Qf6+ $11) 23. Bxf5 $1 $18 {clearly missed by Bl} exf5 24. Rxc7 Rxc7 25. Qxf5 Be6 (25... f6 26. Nd7 Rf7 27. Nc5 Bc6 28. Re1 $18 { KomodoDragon2}) 26. Qf6+ Kg8 27. Rf3 Rc1+ 28. Kh2 Rfc8 29. Rg3+ Kf8 30. f5 Rf1 (30... Bd5 31. Re3 $1 Ke8 (31... Kg8 32. Qg5+ Kh8 (32... Kf8 33. Nd7#) 33. Rg3 {mating- KomodoDragon2})) 31. Qg7+ (31. Nc6 $1 {KomodoDragon2} Ke8 32. Rg8+ Kd7 33. fxe6+ Kxc6 (33... fxe6 34. Qg7+) 34. Rxc8+ Kb7 35. Qd8 Rc1 36. Rb8+ Kc6 37. Rb6# (37. Qd7#)) 31... Ke7 32. fxe6 Rcc1 33. Rf3 Rxf3 34. Nxf3 (34. gxf3 Rc2+ 35. Kg3 Kd8 36. exf7 {is quicker}) (34. exf7 $1 {KomodoDragon2} Ke6 35. gxf3 Kd5 36. Qg4 Rc2+ 37. Kg3) 34... Bd6+ (34... Kxe6 35. Ng5+ Kd5 36. Qe5+ (36. Qxf7+) 36... Kc6 37. d5+ Kb7 38. d6 $18 {KomodoDragon2}) 35. Ne5 Bxe5+ 36. Qxe5 (36. dxe5 Rf1 37. exf7 Rxf7 38. Qh6 $18 (38. Qxf7+ Kxf7 39. Kg3 Ke6 40. Kf4 $18 {is fine as well})) 36... f6 37. Qf5 (37. Qc5+ Rxc5 38. dxc5 b4 39. Kg3 Kxe6 40. Kf4 {is another easy K & P game, should Wh feel inclined}) 37... Rd1 38. d5 (38. Qd5) 38... b4 39. Qxh7+ Kd6 40. Qd7+ Ke5 41. e7 {Normal} 1-0 [Event "WCU Online Open3"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.11.25"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Miga, Thomasz"] [Black "Gunn, Tom"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E16"] [WhiteElo "1815"] [BlackElo "1398"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,81,19,31,14,30,28,4,27,14,14,9,12,13,24,29,29,26,26,32,35,23,29,23,33, -1,11,-15,6,-25,-4,-50,-7,-46,-37,-17,-12,-29,-3,-11,-24,-29,-26,-65,21,8,-8, -3,-3,0,-7,-12,-14,-15,37,25,29,25,33,24,27,0,8,-21,0,13,21,30,30,0,38,27,27, 22,44,48,64,43,217,256,241,250,467,461]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 (3. a3 Be7 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d6 6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. e4 e5 8. c3 Re8 {Thacker-Gunn,Dyfed Major 2020,0-1}) 3... b6 4. g3 Bb7 (4... Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Qc2 d5 9. O-O O-O {Miga-Coles, 4NCL Online 2020,0-1}) 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 c5 (6... Bxd2+) (6... Be7 {main lines}) 7. Bxb4 (7. O-O) 7... cxb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 d6 10. Qc2 (10. Re1) (10. Qb3) 10... Nbd7 11. e4 e5 12. d5 Qc7 (12... Rc8 13. Ne1 a5 14. a3 bxa3 15. bxa3 Ba6 16. a4 Qc7 17. Rc1 b5 {Krajewski-Misiuga, POl ch tm 2002,0-1}) (12... Nc5 13. Ne1 Qe7 14. Nb3 Nfd7 15. Nd3 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 Rae8 17. Qe3 Bc8 18. Bh3 Qd8 19. Rae1 a5 20. Nd2 Nc5 {Mitchenko-Kononenko, Rodatychi op 2006,0-1 The control over c5 restrains Wh's centre}) 13. Rac1 ( 13. a3 $14 {Stockfish14 & KomodoDragon2}) 13... a5 14. Ng5 h6 (14... Nc5 $15 { both Engines}) 15. Nh3 {the N is a little out of play here} (15. Ngf3) 15... Nc5 16. Nb3 (16. f3 {both Engines}) 16... Nxb3 17. axb3 Rac8 (17... Qc5 $17) ( 17... Nd7 $17) 18. f4 $11 exf4 19. Nxf4 {puts the N on a better square than h3, but it does not appear to have that many good squares to go to. In the meantime Wh has ceded control over e5, which Bl can occupy, thus keeping Wh's B as a rather bad one. Wh might have to sacrifice a pawn on e5 in order to activate it. Hence, Bl must put a piece onto e5 to keep the Wh pawns immobile} (19. gxf4 $11 {both Engines}) 19... Rfe8 20. Rce1 (20. Rfe1) 20... Qc5+ (20... b5 $1 $19 {both Engines; Wh needs the B to be able to come to f1 to support c4} 21. Rc1 bxc4 22. bxc4 Ba6 23. b3 a4 $19) 21. Kh1 Qc7 (21... b5 $19) 22. Qf2 ( 22. Ne2 $11 {the N will have some threats when it gets to the outpost at f5}) 22... Re7 23. Nd3 Rce8 24. Qd4 Nd7 25. Qf2 Ne5 (25... Bc8 $17 {both Engines}) 26. Nxe5 dxe5 $2 {a positional error} (26... Rxe5 $15 {has to be correct, to keep the Wh pawns barricaded}) 27. Rd1 (27. Bh3 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) (27. Rc1 $16 {Stockfish14}) 27... Qd6 28. Rc1 Rc8 29. Qe2 (29. Bh3 {both Engines}) 29... Rf8 (29... Rc5 $14 {both Engines}) 30. c5 {in turn Wh mixes things unnecssarily } (30. h4 {keeps more control}) 30... bxc5 $15 31. Rf5 Bc8 (31... Rc7 $15 { prevents invasion -both Engines}) 32. Rf2 f6 (32... Rc7 $15) 33. Qb5 $11 Rc7 34. Qxa5 Bd7 (34... f5 35. exf5 Bb7 36. Rd1 Ra8 37. Qb5 Ba6 38. Qa4 Bb7 39. Qb5 Ba6 $11 {both Engines}) 35. Rfc2 Rfc8 (35... f5 36. Rxc5 Rxc5 37. Qxc5 Qxc5 38. Rxc5 fxe4 39. Bxe4 Bf5 40. Bxf5 Rxf5 $11 {both Engines} 41. Rb5 Rf2 42. Rxb4 Rd2 43. Re4 Rxb2 44. Rxe5 Rxb3 45. Kg2 Kf7 {a centre paw is more easily blocked sas the K remains near to its own pawns, and Bl's R is active}) 36. Bf1 Kf8 37. Ra1 Ke7 (37... f5) 38. Qa6 $18 {Bl finds out that the d5 pawn is insufficiently barricaded- life would be very different if Bl had a N rather than a B} Be8 (38... Qxa6 39. Rxa6 Kd8 40. Rc1 $18 {best try- but the Bl pieces are huddled to gether kept in check by that protected passed pawn}) 39. Qxd6+ Kxd6 40. Ra6+ Ke7 41. d6+ {Normal- punishment for moving his own pawn from d6 earlier.} 1-0 [Event "WCU Online U1800 B"] [Site "Lichess"] [Date "2021.11.25"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Smith, Peter"] [Black "Holman, Sam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E70"] [WhiteElo "1485"] [BlackElo "1386"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "De La Beche Rooks"] [BlackTeam "Cardigan"] {[%evp 0,55,20,20,28,-8,45,43,32,59,59,48,42,66,49,55,111,87,81,52,82,50,72,64, 112,103,162,167,170,157,184,182,216,142,315,263,238,238,377,470,470,449,712, 907,980,621,583,696,707,445,518,562,702,718,845,1281,29999,-30000]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O {this is playable, but in some lines Bl must be prepared to give up a pawn or two to break up the Wh centre before it rolls over the defences.} (4... d6 {main}) 5. e5 (5. Nf3 {main}) 5... Ne8 6. f4 d6 7. Nf3 b6 {this is too slow} (7... c5 $1 8. dxc5 Nc6 {or} (8... Qa5 {are how Bl needs to use his lead in development, when Wh must play carefully to stay afloat at about the 50% level})) 8. Bd3 {4 Wh wins, 2 draws, 1 Bl win} Bb7 9. O-O (9. Be4 {2 draws, 1 Bl win}) (9. h4 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 9... Nd7 (9... c5 10. d5 $18 {2-0}) 10. Qe2 (10. Re1 $16 {KomodoDragon2}) 10... c5 (10... Bxf3 11. Rxf3 c5 {is a better attempt at breaking up the centre- Cloud Engines} 12. d5 dxe5 13. f5 $14) 11. d5 $18 dxe5 12. fxe5 {the central pawns are very powerful- they have several ways of advancing to dislocate the Bl position} Qc7 13. Bf4 Qc8 14. Rae1 (14. Ng5 $1 {Stockfish14 & KomodoDragon2, virtually force Bl to create further weaknesses with} h6 {before Wh can sling in an e6 as well} 15. Nf3 $18 {Bl has scarcely any good moves}) 14... Nc7 15. Qe3 (15. e6 fxe6 16. Bxc7 Qxc7 17. Qxe6+ Kh8 18. Nb5 Qc8 (18... Qd8 19. Ng5) 19. Qxe7 {there are too many Bl pieces stuck on the Q side, while Wh has several ways of breaking open Bl's K position even further}) 15... Re8 16. Ng5 (16. e6 $1) 16... b5 17. e6 Bd4 {Bl wins the Q, but at a ruinous cost} 18. exf7+ Kh8 19. fxe8=Q+ Qxe8 20. Bxc7 b4 21. Qxd4+ (21. Rf7 $1 {KomodoDragon2}) 21... cxd4 22. Nb5 (22. Rf7 $1) 22... Nc5 23. Be5+ (23. Rf7 {still prefered by the Engine, but Wh is comfortably ahead, with all his pieces joining in ( as opposed to the Bl stays on the Q side}) 23... Kg8 24. Be2 (24. Nc7) (24. Bxd4) (24. Bd6) 24... d3 25. Bg4 (25. Nc7) (25. Rf7) 25... Bxd5 26. Nc7 (26. cxd5 {also fine}) 26... Qa4 27. Nxd5 b3 (27... Qe8 {best- when KomodoDragon2 gives a mate in 8} 28. Bd4 e6 29. Bxe6+ Nxe6 30. Rxe6 Qxe6 31. Nxe6 h5 32. Ne7+ Kh7 33. Rf7+ Kh6 34. Be3+ g5 35. Bxg5#) 28. Nxe7# 1-0