Still 100%

Aberystwyth has its strongest team for several years, and has started the season with an unbroken series of wins. On Monday 4 December we faced our toughest test so far, with an away match against champions Cardigan A. The top three boards produced high-level encounters which I admit to not understanding completely. Brendan-Budok Durand-Le Ludec, whose name is proving almost as much of a challenge to me as his chess (I think I have been misspelling it up to now), was never in trouble against the league's best player, Howard Williams, and reached a level ending with bishop against knight, where a draw was agreed. Pretty much the same happened on Board 2, where Rudy van Kemenade got the two bishops against Iolo Jones in a King's Indian, but no advantage resulted for either side. Adam Watkin-Jones and Tony Haigh both felt uncomfortable in an English Opening game on third board, but again no decisive attack materialised. On bottom board, I was facing Howard Leah, whose aggressive play has often given me problems in the past. That was the case again, as his unorthodox Polish Opening led to sustained pressure for White. After I lost a pawn, my position became a little less cramped, but still very complicated, with both sides short of time. Convinced that I was losing (though analysis shows I had a drawing option), I played for a shameless swindle and got away with it. Though I was now a rook ahead, I still had some difficulty converting in time trouble, till White walked into a second fork, and the game and match were won. Aber maintained their 100% record this season with victory by 2½-1½.

New ...

New Game

Edit Game

Setup Position

Open...

PGN

FEN

Share...

Share Board (.png)

Share Board (configure)

Share playable board

Share game as GIF

Notation (PGN)

QR Code

Layout...

Use splitters

Swipe notation/lists

Reading mode

Flip Board

Settings

Move	N	Result	Elo

Replay and check the LiveBook here

Please, wait...

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 c6 4.0-0 Bg4 although mainstream with some 8,000 games in the database, neither of the 2 players are listed in these 5.d3 Nbd7 6.Nbd2 e6 6...e5 more frequent 7.h3 7.e4 7...Bh5 8.e4 Bc5 8...Be7 8...dxe4 9.g4 9.Qe1 main 9...Bg6 9...dxe4 10.dxe4 Bg6 11.e5 Nd5 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Qe2 Qc7 14.a3 a5 15.c4 Ne7 16.a4 h5 Stefanova-Dao, Ho Chi Minh City, HDbank op 2017,1/2-1.2 ; after 114 moves with R & N vs R 10.e5 10.Nh4 1 win each 10...Ng8 11.Qe2 11.d4 Bb6 12.Re1 12.c3 Ne7 13.Re1 0-0 14.Nf1 c5 15.Bg5 Re8 16.Ng3= Sochna-Pise, CZE ch tm 2011,0-1 12...c5 13.c4 Ne7= Acevedo-Patriarca, PAR ch, Mayor Asuncion 1999,0-1 11...h5 11...Ne7 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.a4 a5 14.Be3 0-0= Prudnikova-Sedina, SLO ch tm (women), Skofja Loka 2002,1/2-1/2 12.Nb3 hxg4 13.hxg4 Bb6 13...Be7 13...Bf8 14.Bg5 Ne7= Wh has a slight space advantage, but the Bl pieces are flexibly placed 15.Rae1 Qc7 16.a4 a6 a series of complex manouevres is taking place, with nothing particularly clearcut for either side. 17.Qd2 17.d4 Be4 18.c4 Bxf3 19.Bxf3 f6 20.Bf4 fxe5 21.Bg3 Ba7 22.Qd3 0-0-0 23.cxd5 Nxd5 24.Bxd5 exd5 25.dxe5 Nc5 26.Nxc5 Bxc5 27.Rc1 Qe7 28.Kg2= is just one line of play found in Komodo11; the players' pm analysis looked at many more 17...Nc5 18.Nxc5 18.Nbd4!? 18...Bxc5 19.b4 Ba7 20.Be3 20.Nh4!? 20...a5 21.Rb1 21.b5!? 21...Bxe3 22.Qxe3 22.fxe3!? 0-0 23.bxa5 Rfb8 24.Qb4 Rxa5 25.Qd6 Rc8 26.Ra1 Ra6 27.a5 c5 28.Qxc7 Rxc7 29.Rfb1= Komodo11 22...0-0 initially Komodo11 thought this gave Bl a slight advantage ( & keeps changing its conclusion) 23.bxa5 Rxa5 24.Qb6 Rc8 25.Qxb7 Rxa4 25...Qd8!? 26.Ng5 c5 27.Rb6 Rca8 28.Rd6 Qf8 29.Rd7 Nc8 30.f4 R8a7 31.Qc6 R5a6 31...R7a6 32.Qc7 Ra7 33.Qd8+- 32.Qb5 Ra5 33.Qc6= repetition 26.Qxc7 Rxc7 27.Rb8+ Nc8 28.Nh4 28.Rfb1 Kf8= 28...Kf8 28...Bh7= 28...c5= 29.Nxg6+ 29.f4 Komodo11; it makes sense to threaten on the f file now the K is there Bh7 30.Bh3 c5 31.f5 exf5 32.Nf3 Bg8 32...fxg4 33.Ng5 Ke8 34.Bg2± 33.gxf5 f6 34.Kf2 Komodo11 29...fxg6 30.f4 Ke7= 31.Kh2 Ra2 32.Rf2 Raa7 33.c4 33.Kg3 Rab7 34.Rxb7 Rxb7 35.Kh4 Kf7 36.Kg5 Rb1 37.Bf3 Rc1 38.Rd2 but Komodo11 now starts repeating moves for both sides. 33...Rab7 34.Rxb7 Rxb7 35.cxd5 35.Bf1 Rb1 36.Kg3 Nb6 37.Kh4 Nd7= Komodo11 35...cxd5 35...exd5 36.Rc2 Na7 37.Kg3 Komodo11 36.Rc2 36.f5= 36...Kd7 37.f5 37.Kg3 g5 37...Rb4 38.g5 Ne7 39.Bh3 Rb3 40.Rd2 Nc6 41.Kf2= 38.f5 Ne7= 37...gxf5 38.gxf5 Ne7 39.fxe6+= Draw agreed ½–½

• Start an analysis engine:
• Try maximizing the board:
• Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
• Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
• Drag the split bars between window panes.
• Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
• Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
• Create an account to access the games cloud.

White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res

Durand Le Leduc,B	2172	Williams,A	2323	½–½
Jones,I	2241	Van Kemenade,R	2040	½–½
Watkin-Jones,A	1960	Haigh,A	1875	½–½
Leah,H	1519	Francis,M	1756	0–1

Please, wait...