The Old Firm

Even in the online format, matches between Aberystwyth and Cardigan have something of the feel of an Old Firm rivalry, and the match in the Dyfed Online League on Tuesday 23rd February was no exception. Top boards Rudy van Kemenade and Howard Williams have had many fierce fights over the years, so it was only to be expected that this latest meeting would be a complex struggle. In a sharp King's Indian, Rudy went a pawn down and had to seek piece activity in compensation. Eventually the only way out was to give up a piece with the aim of eliminating all White's pawns, and, with Howard short of time and having to defend against mate threats, this was enough to earn Rudy the draw. In contrast, Adam Watkin-Jones's game against Ben Brewer was over quickly, as he overlooked a threat to his h pawn in a Slav, and resigned in disgust, though there was still plenty of play left. Once again I had some positional problems with my Dutch Stonewall, this time against Gareth Williams. When he offered a piece for a couple of pawns and an unbalanced position, I should probably have taken it, but I hadn't seen very far into the sequence and passed it up, after which the game settled into equality. Tom Gunn's Greek gift sacrifice in his Colle System wasn't sound, but Joshua Brewer didn't find the best defence, and the White attack broke though for the win. The match was drawn, 2-2.

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Move	N	Result	Elo

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 5.Bg5 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.exd4 d6 8.Be2 Nc6 9.d5 Nb4 10.0-0 Na6 11.Nd4 Nc5 12.Be3 Williams-Pleasants, Dyfed Open 2020, 1-0 5.Bg5 d6 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Nc6 8.d5 Ne5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Be2 Nd7 11.e4 f5 12.f3 c5 13.d6 Bf6 14.Bf2 exd6 15.Qxd6 Qe7 Williams-Van Kemenade,Dyfed League 2015,1-0 5...d6 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 7.d5 Na6 8.0-0 Qe8 9.Nd2 Nd7 10.Rb1 f5 11.b4 Nf6 12.c5 f4 13.Ba3 Rf7 14.Nc4 Bf8 15.Na5 g5 Williams-Van Kemenade,Dyfed League 2008,1/ 2-1/2 7...Nc6 7...exd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Nc2 Re8 10.f3 Be6 11.Bg5 Williams-Davis,WCPL 2016,1-0 8.Be3 Gligoric variation 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.Bd2 fxe4 12.Nxe4 Nf6 13.Nxf6+ Bxf6 14.Bf3 Bf5 15.Qe2 c6 16.dxc6 Nxc6 17.Bc3 Qb6 18.Rad1 Williams-Botterill, Wales 1980,1-0 8...Ng4 9.Bg5 f6 10.Bh4 h5 10...g5 main 11.d5 11.h3 main Nh6 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Rb1 a5 14.Qxd8 Nxd8 15.Nd5 Ne6 16.Rfd1 Rf7 17.Rbc1 Nf4 18.Bf1 Be6 Vickery-Van Kemenade, Leeds-Huddersfield 1988,0-1 11...Ne7 12.Nd2 12.h3 Nh6 13.Nd2 f5 14.f3 f4 15.b4 Nf7 16.c5 g5 17.Bf2 Nh6 Tolatito-Hearthstones9, Playchess.com 2013,0-1 12...Nh6 13.f3 g5 main 13...f5!? 1.5-2,5 14.Bf2 f5 14...Ng6 alternative, 2 Wh wins, 2 draws, 1 Bl win 15.exf5 1 win each 15.c5 3 Wh wins, 1 draw,1 Bl win 15...Nhxf5 16.Nde4 Ng6 17.c5 Nd4 17...Nf4 18.cxd6 cxd6 19.Rc1 a6 20.a4 20.Re1 Nd4 21.Bf1 g4 22.fxg4 Bxg4 23.Qd2 Bh6 24.Kh1 Nf3 25.Qe3 Nxe1 26.Qxe1 Rc8 Saigin-Kalinichenko, Spartakiad Leningrad 1967,0-1 20...Kh8 Yakovlev-Kochurov,RUS ch tm U18, Orsk 2002,1-0 17...Nf4 18.Kh1 Nd4 LC0 & Houdini3 18.cxd6 cxd6 19.Nb5 Nxe2+ 19...Nxb5 is what Bl meant to play, but found himself taking the B 20.Bxb5 Nf4= Stockfish13 20.Qxe2 a6 Stockfish13 doesn.t like this move 20...Nf4 21.Qd2 Rf7 22.Nbxd6 Rd7 23.Nxc8 Rxd5 24.Qc2 Rxc8 25.Qb3 Kh8 26.Qxb7 g4± Stockfish13 21.Nbxd6+- Nf4 22.Qd2 g4 Bl just has to keep going keeping pieces active in hope of some compensation 23.fxg4 23.Nxc8 is worth consideration to deprive Bl of the B pair 23...Bxg4 24.Nxb7 not liked by lichess Stockfish 24.h3 Nxh3+ 24...Bd7 25.Kh2 25.Nxb7 Qe8 26.Bc5 Qg6 27.Bxf8 Rxf8 28.Nbc5 Bxh3 29.Rf3 Bg4 30.Raf1+- Stockfish13 25.gxh3 Bxh3 26.Rfe1+- Stockfish13 24...Qxd5 25.Qxd5+ Nxd5 26.h3 Bf5 26...Rab8 27.Nbc5 Be2 28.Rfb1 Nf4 29.Nd7 Bd3 30.Re1 Rxb2 31.Nxf8 Bxf8± Stockfish13 27.Nbd6 Bg6 the Ns are a bit clumsy protecting one another, yes, but they both need the same squares. Bl was hoping to get a N to d4, while keeping the two Bs 28.Rad1 Nf4 28...Nb4 29.a3 Nc2 30.Rc1 Nd4 Stockfish13- is a quicker route there 29.Kh2 Rab8 29...Ne6 original idea, but the K on h2 gave Bl some ideas of getting to the 7th 30.b3 Rb4 another Engine dislike 30...Ne6 31.Be3 Nd4± still possible, but Wh retains the pawn advantage, Bl's g7 B is trying to get out, but for the moment it is the usual staunch defenfer of the K 31.Rfe1 31.Nc5! a5 32.Be3+- Stockfish13 31...Ne6 32.Bc5 looks forcing, but Bl now has 2 Bs, which threaten to become active 32.Kg1± Stockfish13 32...Nxc5 33.Nxc5 Rf2 going for practical chances- the hyper-correct Engines dislike it, and Wh's reply 33...Rd4 was looked at by Bl , not thought forcing, but it is the Engine preference 34.Ne6 Rxd1 35.Rxd1 Rf2 36.Nxg7 Kxg7 37.a3 Rb2 38.b4 Rb3 39.Nc4 e4= Stockfish13- the Wh pieces are in defensive positions 34.Nd3 34.Nc4 Rxa2 35.Rd8+ Kh7 36.Rd7 Kh6 37.Ne6± Stockfish13-keeps Wh's advantage 34...Bxd3 35.Rxd3 Rxa2 35...Rd4 36.Ne4 Rxd3 37.Nxf2 Rd2 38.Ne4 Rxa2= Stockfish13- most accurate sequence 36.Nf5 36.Rg3 Stockfish13-best execution of Wh idea Kf8 37.Nc4 36...Bf6= 36...e4? trying to get that ch in, fails 37.Rg3 Rb7 38.Rxe4+- 37.Rd6 Kf7 38.Rc1 Rf4 Bl is holding on- the B a key protector, & still hoping to get e4 in 39.Rc7+ Kg6 40.Ne7+ Kg5 41.Nd5 41.Rd8 Bxe7 42.Rxe7 Rf5= Stockfish13 41...Rff2 42.h4+ 42.Rxf6 Rxf6 43.h4+ Kf5 44.Nxf6 Kxf6 45.Rh7 Kg6= 42...Kxh4 other moves lose, Bl just has to go for getting rid of all Wh's pawns (with the odd mating possibility for either side 42...Kg6 43.Kh3+- 43.Rcc6 Rxg2+ 44.Kh1 Rh2+ 45.Kg1 Rhg2+ 46.Kf1 Rgf2+ 47.Ke1 Rfe2+ 48.Kd1 Red2+ 49.Kc1 Rg2 50.Rxf6+ Kg7 and it seems Bl still has a draw! 43...Rab2 44.Rb7 Rbd2 45.Rbb6+- Stockfish13- careful to the end 43.Rxf6 43.Nxf6 Rxg2+ 44.Kh1 Rh2+ 45.Kg1 Rag2+ 46.Kf1 Rf2+ 47.Ke1 Re2+ 48.Kd1 running too far into the middle will lose, as then both Rs have extra space at both ends 48.Kf1 draws 48...Ra2 49.Rc4+ e4! 49...Kh3 draws 50.Rd3+ Kg2 51.Rc2+ Rxc2 52.Kxc2 Rh1 and the h pawn saves Bl 50.Rxe4+ Kg5 51.Rc6 Ra1+ 52.Rc1 Rh1+ 53.Kd2 Raxc1 43...Rxg2+ 44.Kh1 Rgd2 44...Rh2+ 45.Kg1 Rag2+ 46.Kf1 Rb2 simplest- Wh must return to g1 immediately or lose, according to Stockfish13 45.Ne3 Rd3?! 45...Ra1+ is the most accurate way to equality- it was considered by Bl 46.Nf1 46.Rf1 Rxf1+ 47.Nxf1 Rd3 48.Rc6 48.Rb7 Bl thought this might be fine for Wh, but then the Wh R is out of action Kg4 49.Kg2 h4 48...Rxb3 49.Rxa6= 46...Rb1 47.Rc3 Re2 48.Kg1 Kg4 49.Rxa6 looks tricky, but Stockfish13 is content that this is a drawn position 46.Rc4+ Kg5 46...Rd4!? 47.Rf5+ Kg6 48.Rxe5?! 48.Rc6+! Kg7 49.Rxe5 gives Wh the winning edge Kf7 49...Rxb3 50.Nf5+ in the game Bl is able to avoid this Kf8 51.Rf6+ Kg8 52.Re8+ Kh7 53.Rh6# 50.Rc7+ Kf6 51.Rce7 Rd6 52.Re8 Kf7 53.R5e7+ Kf6 54.Re4± but this still looks far from over 48...Rxb3= 49.Rc6+ Kf7 50.Rf5+ Kg7 51.Rc7+ Kg6 52.Rc6+ Kg7 53.Rc7+ Kg6 54.Rc6+ Kg7 Wh had 3 mins left to Bl's 27 ½–½

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White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res

Williams,A	2340	Van Kemenade,R	1999	½–½
Watkin-Jones,A	1918	Brewer,B	1679	0–1
Williams,R	1643	Francis,M	1648	½–½
Gunn,T	1398	Brewer,J	1481	1–0

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