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.

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Move	N	Result	Elo

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1.f4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 Rb8 6...e6 main 7.Nc3 Nge7 8.h3 0-0 9.g4 Rb8 Van Kemenade-Afek, Monarch Assurance Isle of Man 2001,0-1 7.c4 a6 7...e6 8.Nc3 Nge7 9.e4 0-0 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-+ Stanke-Wippermann, Hamburg Junge op 2005,0-1 9.a4 Nge7 10.e3 10.e4 0-0 3 draws, 5 Bl wins 10...0-0 11.g4 f5 12.g5 12.gxf5 Nxf5 13.Bd2 Nb4 14.Qe2 d5 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 though Wh retains Kingside play 14...Be6 14...Nxd5 15.cxd5 Nb4 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 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.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!? 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! 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-+ KomodoDragon2 27...Rxb2 28.Rd8+ Bf8 29.R1d2 Rxd2 30.Rxd2 Nf4 31.Kh2 31.Ne1 Rxg5-+ 31...c4-+ 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

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White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res

Van Kemenade,R	1999	Adams,M	2001	0–1
Jones,I	2007	Watkin-Jones,A	1918	1–0
Francis,M	1648	Waterfield,J	2078	½–½
Hughes,A	1942	Holman,S	1386	1–0
Gunn,T	1398	Szakmany,B	1631	1–0

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