Thursday, 4 March 2021

Opening Time

The opening can be, as the word implies, merely a way of getting into the game; at other times the struggle can begin with the very first moves The match between Aberystwyth and Steynton B in the Dyfed Online League on Tuesday 2nd March saw some heavyweight openings which dictated the course of what followed. Rudy van Kemenade, anticipating a prepared variation from Paul Orton, chose the Bishop's Opening, but in fact the game soon took on the character of a Ruy Lopez with the centre blocked and the players attacking on the flanks. The Ruy has retained its popularity because it makes for a complex battle, and both players made mistakes according to the engines, but when Rudy was able to push through his f5 advance, the Black kingside was broken and the attack crashed through. In my game against Jonathan Jones, I found myself facing an opening I had never even heard of, the sharp Orthoschnapps Gambit against the French Defence. I did my best to stick to strategic principles and somehow reached a middle game with an extra pawn without too many tactical fireworks. After further exchanges, only that extra pawn was left and it was enough to win the ending. The games on Boards 3 and 4 were both examples of the King's Indian, another opening known for its complexity. Tom Gunn, taking a break from his usual Colle System, worked up a strong kingside attack against John Miller's passive position. When he won a knight, it looked all over, but with an exposed king, and queens on the board, there were many chances for perpetual check, and he was lucky when Black went wrong and allowed him to finish the game off. In the other King's Indian, both players seemed to be attacking on the kingside. Sam Holman's attack was the more principled, since he had pressure on the White centre and his advanced pawns on the g and h files had gained space. Gwyn Evans tried to take advantage of the open f file by doubling his rooks, only to lose the exchange to a pin, and when he overlooked a threat to his queen the game was over.

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1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 anticipating prepared analysis as Paul more frequently plays Sicilian. Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 3...c6 other main line 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Bxd2+ 7.Nbxd2 Nbd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Re1 Re8 10.d4 Van Kemenade- Iolo Jones, Dyfed League 2018, 1/2-1/2 after Bl defended a passive position 4.Nf3 Be7 4...Bc5 5.c3 other main line d6 6.Bb3 0-0 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Qe7 9.Nbd2 Van Kemenade-Iolo Jones, Dyfed League 2011, 1-0 5.0-0 5.a3 by transposition 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.c3 h6 8.Bb3 Be6 9.Nbd2 Qd7 10.Bc2 J Van Kemenade-Orton,Dyfed Open 2018,1-0 5...0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 7.a4 a5 8.h3 Be6 9.Bb5 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Nd2 Van Kemenade-Dai James, WLS ch Rapid 2018,1-018, 7...Na5 8.Bb5 a6 9.Ba4 b5 10.Bc2 c5 11.Nbd2 Bb7 still theory, but it invites a N into f5. The position resembles that of Van Kemenade-Lovegrove, Dyfed feb Rapid, 2021,1-0, except that there the Bl B was on c5, 11...h6 12.Nf1 Nh7 13.d4 exd4 14.cxd4 Ng5 15.Nxg5 Bxg5 16.f4 Bh4 17.g3 Bf6 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Bg5 20.dxc5 Van Kemenade-Ian Jones, WLS Ch rapid 2019,0-1 20.d5+- expected by Ian & confirmed as winning by Stockfish13 12.Nf1 401 games, it has transposed to a standard Ruy Lopez 12.d4 has been played in 14 games 12...Nc6 12...Re8 main 13.h3 Qc7 14.g4 risky, but it often puts pressure on people. 14.Ng3 68% for Wh 14.Ne3 75% for Wh 14...h6 14...g6 15.Ng3 Rfe8 16.Kh2 Nd8 17.Nf5!? a standard sac, that often works, but premature here Bf8 17...gxf5-+ 18.Bg5 gxf5?! 19.gxf5 19.Bxf6 19...Nh5 20.Rg1+- Hapala-Feit Vienna Tchaturanga op, 2013,1-0 14...Rad8 15.Ng3 d5 16.Qe2 d4 17.Nf5 Stockfish13- gives Bl better counterplay 15.Ng3 Bc8 16.a4 b4 17.Nh2 17.d4= preferred by Stockfish13 17.Nh4 consideredis possible- Wh gets some compensation on the open g file Nxg4 17...Nxe4 18.dxe4 Bxh4 19.Nf5 Bxf5 20.gxf5 Qe7 21.Bb3 Bg5 22.Qg4 Bxc1 23.Raxc1 Kh7 23...Qg5 24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.Bd5 Rac8 26.Kh2 and regains the pawn 18.Nhf5 Nf6 19.Kh1 Kh8 20.Rg1 Rg8 17...Nh7+- 17...d5 again, Bl does best to respond to a side attack with a centre response 18.f4!? The Engines are very critical of both sides' choices on these and the next moves Bh4 18...exf4 19.Bxf4 Ng5-+ Stockfish13 19.Qf3 19.Kg2 19...Qe7 19...bxc3 20.bxc3 Qa5 21.Bd2 c4-+ Stockfish13 20.Rf1? 20.f5 20...g6? but this gives Wh the targets needed, f6, g6 & h6 all become delicate 20...exf4 21.Bxf4 Rb8-+ Stockfish13- Wh had been concerned about a possible R entry on b2 when considering f4 in the first place 21.f5± Ng5 21...Bg5 Stockfish13 shows up the draw backs to this move- Wh had looked at some of the initial possibilities, trusting that something would come up. 22.Bb3 Kh8 23.Bxg5 Nxg5 23...Qxg5 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Qxf8+ Nxf8 26.Rxf8+ Kg7 27.Rf7+ Kh8 28.Raf1 Nd8 29.Rf8+ Kh7 29...Kg7 30.Nh5+ gxh5 31.Rg8+ 30.Bg8+ Kg7 31.Bd5+- 24.Qg2+- 22.Qg2 Bd7 23.Nf3 Nxf3+ 24.Qxf3 24.Rxf3 preferred by the Engines; though Wh had forcing f6 in mind Kh7 24...g5 is an Engine preference, but looks dreadful positionally 25.Bb3 and Bl's K side will collapse 25.Bb3 Rab8 26.Bd5 bxc3 27.bxc3 Na5 28.Be3 Bc6 29.Raf1 Bxd5 30.exd5 c4 31.g5 Bxg5 32.Bxg5 Qxg5 33.fxg6+ Qxg6 34.Rf6 Qg5 35.R6f5 Qe3+ 36.Kh2 Rg8 37.R5f3 37.Rxf7+ looks simpler 37...Qg5 38.Qf2 f5 39.Nxf5+- Stockfish13 24...Bg5? 24...Kh7 25.Bb3 might be holding, though Wh can keep probing 25.f6 Qe6= 25...Rab8 26.Bd5 26.f6 Qe8 27.Bd5 Rg8 28.Be3 bxc3 29.bxc3 Nd8 30.Rfb1 Ne6 31.Nf1 Bg5= 26...Na5 27.Qe3 Qg5 28.Qf2 Qf6 29.Qg2= Stockfish13 25.f6+- Qe6 25...Qd8 26.Bxg5 hxg5 27.Qe3 Kh7 28.Qxg5 Rh8 29.Nf5 Kg8 30.Ne7+ 30.h4 Stuckfish13 30.Bb3 30...Nxe7 31.fxe7 Qb6 32.a5 Qa7 33.Rf6 c4+ 34.Kg2 Be8 35.Rxd6+- Stockfish13 26.Bxg5 hxg5 27.Qe3 b3 27...Kh7 holds out longer, but Wh had by now worked out 28.Qxg5 Rh8 29.Nf5! Kg8 30.Ng7 winning the Q 28.Qxg5 28.Qxg5 bxc2 29.Qh6 Qxf6 30.Rxf6 Ne7 31.Nh5 gxh5 32.gxh5 Rfb8 33.Qg5+ Kf8 34.Rh6 34.h6 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBRes
Van Kemenade,R1999Orton,P16121–0
Jones,J1547Francis,M16480–1
Gunn,T1398Miller,J15491–0
Evans,G1192Holman,S13860–1
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