Catching Up

This blog has been rather behindhand recently, so here are two match reports. In a match played mainly on Wednesday 7th April, Aberystwyth took on the University's B team. On top board, Adam Watkin-Jones's Bird's Opening against Marcus Perry did not yield any early advantage. With queens, dark-squared bishops and pawns on the board and time running out, Adam looked to complicate things, but it didn't quite work out and he eventually accepted the draw. I missed the win of a piece in my O'Kelly Sicilian against Toby Bates, instead losing a pawn, though the position was more or less level. Both of us went wrong in the ending, but it was still level when White blundered, losing a rook. Tom Gunn had pressure against Harry Fox's backward c-pawn in a Queen's Pawn Game, and Black's attempt to free himself was a tactical error losing a piece, after which Tom had no problems in the ending. In another Queen's Pawn Game, Sam Holman missed a number of chances to win a piece, but retained the upper hand in a minor piece ending thanks to his powerful bishops. A 3½-½ win to the town side, but it could have been very different.

Aber's opposition in the WCU Online League is formidable, and on Tuesday 13th April we took on Morriston Alekhine. Adam's Queen's Gambit Declined against Moss McCarthy developed into a battle between Black's dangerous-looking queenside passed pawns and White's attack against the kingside. White never really looked to be breaking through, but managed to exert enough pressure to get a draw. I found myself in a Queen's Gambit also, more or less by accident as I misplayed my English against Peter Bevan and couldn't think of anything better after 2...d5. Nevertheless my position was OK until I grabbed a pawn and ended up having to try to defend against Black's doubled rooks on my second rank, which was never going to end well. Tom also looked comfortable against Chris Howells's King's Indian Attack until he missed the threat posed by the White queen, which finished the game very suddenly. Sam got in trouble in a Ruy Lopez against Duncan Williams allowing a favourable version of the Marshall Attack against his Ruy Lopez, which would have been highly dangerous even for experienced players in this line. He soon lost a rook in the ensuing tactics. The result was a win to Morriston by 3½-½.

[Event "Dyfed Online League"] [Site "Lichess"] [Date "2021.04.06"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Watkin-Jones, Adam"] [Black "Perry, Marcus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A03"] [WhiteElo "1918"] [BlackElo "1428"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Aberystwyth"] [BlackTeam "U. C. Aberystwyth B"] {[%evp 0,123,19,-30,-24,-23,-32,-59,-25,-20,-10,-16,-3,-51,-33,-31,-27,-35,-25, -28,40,-12,-7,-15,-13,-10,-16,-13,-4,-12,-16,-25,-22,-24,-11,-12,-8,-28,16,0, 16,19,6,-9,22,-8,-2,-54,-7,-37,-28,-28,-25,-18,-21,-33,-23,-73,-25,-26,-55,-70, -55,-43,0,0,39,20,177,180,172,172,172,194,181,130,87,60,139,140,140,163,142, 102,115,108,113,91,113,90,74,78,166,166,144,101,103,103,156,167,167,167,167, 167,236,158,150,166,165,124,119,161,163,64,37,25,21,5,5,0,0,0,0,0,0,0] new for both players} 1. f4 (1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e3 Nc6 6. Nge2 d6 7. O-O a6 8. a3 Ne7 {Watkin-Jones vs Perry,Dyfed Online League, 2020,0-1}) 1... d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 b6 (3... g6 {main}) 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. d3 e6 6. c3 Bd6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. a4 (8. Qc2 {main}) (8. e4 {is a standard idea in the Leningrad Bird anyway} dxe4 9. Ng5 h6 (9... Nc5 10. dxe4 Ncxe4 11. Qa4+ Qd7 12. Qxd7+ Kxd7 13. Nxf7 Bc5+ 14. Kh1 Ng4 15. b4 Rhf8 16. bxc5 Rxf7 17. cxb6 axb6 18. Kg1 Nc5 19. Bxb7 Nxb7 $17 {Stockfish13- looks unclear according to this commentator }) 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. dxe4 O-O 12. Be3 Bc5 {Sliepcevic-Kristovic,CRO ch tm 2010, 0-1- Stockfish13 claims definite plus for Bl, though Henrick Danielsen has been happy to play such posutions for Wh for years}) 8... c5 {written off as a blunder by lichess, because Wh has e4 as a possibility after the text} (8... O-O 9. Nbd2 (9. e4 {certainly doesnt work, because there is no longer a ch on a4}) 9... a5 10. Nd4 Re8 11. N2f3 h6 12. Nb5 Bf8 13. Nbd4 c6 14. e3 c5 15. Nb5 {is what lichess Engine declares best for both sides- [looks a bit artivicial]} ) 9. Na3 {inaccuracy- lichess; yet Danielsen quite often plays this useful waiting move ( cf his The Complete Polar Bear System) & it is played in the only game that has reached this position} (9. e4 dxe4 10. dxe4 Be7 {the B was loose} 11. e5 Nd5 12. Qe2 O-O {and Wh has a good game, though here lichess wants} 13. c4 (13. Na3 $16 {Stockfish13}) 13... Nb4 14. Nc3 $14) 9... a6 { mistake says lichess, wanting} (9... Qc8 10. Re1 c4 $11) 10. Nc2 {and of course another move labelled mistake} (10. e4 {is still fine, yet we are are still in a previous game, with a 2282 Wh player}) 10... Qc7 11. Bd2 c4 { this feels like a postional mistake- judgement by Rudy, who frequently plays these kind of positions as Wh} (11... O-O 12. Nh4 {another of Danielsen's objectives} c4 13. Be3 Ng4 14. Bd4 Bc5 15. e3 f5 16. dxc4 dxc4 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Qf3 {Poulsen (2282)- Butt, Dresden ol 2008,1-0}) 12. Ncd4 (12. Ne3 { Stockfish13}) 12... O-O 13. b4 cxb3 (13... Rfe8 {Stockfish13 - because Wh is playing a Bl opening reversed the Engine prefers the other side- yet Wh has a postion that retains multiple opportunities , and where the stronger player should have greater chances of success}) 14. Nxb3 (14. Qxb3 {looking at b6 looks more natural}) 14... Nc5 15. Ne5 Nfd7 16. Nxc5 bxc5 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Qc2 f5 {inaccuracy-lichess , wants} (18... c4 {but Rudy considers this would leave Bl with a very bad QB. then tempting looks} 19. d4 {followed by f5, or if Bl blocks, then Bc1-a3 gets rid of Wh's bad B}) 19. c4 (19. e4 {looks possible} dxe4 20. dxe4 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Be7 23. Rf2 (23. Be3 Qd5) 23... Bf6 24. Be1 Qd5 25. Re2 {leaves Bl nursing weaknesses at e6 & a6- Engines like Stockfish13 can be guaranteed to find accurate defences, but humans are frequently another matter}) 19... d4 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Rab1 Qc6 22. Rb2 Rfb8 23. Rfb1 Kf7 24. a5 (24. Ba5 $5) 24... Rxb2 25. Rxb2 Rb8 26. Rxb8 Bxb8 27. Qb2 Bc7 28. e3 {lichess dislikes this and wants instead a series of non moves} (28. Qb1 Kg8 29. Qa1 {(ceding the file!)} g6 30. Qf1 Qb7 31. Be1 Bd8 32. Qh3 Qc6 33. Qf1 Kf7 34. Qh3 h5 {which get precisely nowhere. The higher rated human player, down to 5 mins vs 22, launches an ingenious way of unbalancing the position that could well have been successful when Bl rises to the bait rather than just keep the lid on for a draw,}) 28... dxe3 29. Bxe3 Bxa5 $17 30. Qe5 Bb4 31. Bc1 Qf3 $6 {Bl tries to get a winning material advantage} (31... Qd7 32. Bb2 Kg6 {just defends- Stockfish13- & although Bl is an a pawn up, it will scarcely get to a1 to Q, with Bl having to stay in place to protect his K}) 32. Bb2 $11 Qd1+ (32... Qxd3 $11) 33. Kg2 Qc2+ $2 {lichess- blunder- Wh now can get a win} (33... Qg4 $11 {simplest}) (33... Qh5 {also draws-Stockfish13}) 34. Kh3 $18 Qxd3 35. Qxg7+ Ke8 36. Bf6 Qd6 37. Qxh7 {lichess- blunder, gives} (37. Qg8+ {as winning but fails to provide any followup.} Kd7 38. Qd8+ $1 (38. Qxh7+ {is what springs to mind, gaining the h pawn with a ch; but Stockfish13 has seen further- it wants the a pawn as well! Tricky for Wh with just over 4 mins left}) 38... Kc6 39. Qa8+ Kd7 (39... Kb6 $2 40. Bd8+ {wins the Q}) 40. Qd8+ Kc6 41. Qc8+ Qc7 42. Qxa6+ Kd7 (42... Qb6 43. Qc8+ Qc7 44. Qxe6+ Qd6 45. Qxf5 $18) 43. Be5 Qc8 44. Qa7+ Kc6 45. Qxh7 $18 {Stockfish13}) 37... Qf8 38. Bg5 { a further mistake-2, after which the game returns to level.} (38. Be5 {is winning- Stockfish13 agrees- crucially it prevents the a pawn by cotrolling a1} Qf7 (38... Ba5 39. Qb7 Bd8 40. Qxa6 $18) 39. Qh8+ Qf8 40. Qh5+ Qf7 41. Qf3 Qd7 (41... a5 42. Qa8+ Ke7 43. Kg2 {the a pawn is held & the h pawn advances}) 42. Qa8+ Ke7 43. Kh4 $1 (43. Qxa6 Qd1 {gives Bl drawing chances, perhaps even a forced draw.}) 43... Ba5 44. Qg8 Qe8 45. Qg5+ Kd7 46. Qg7+ Qe7+ 47. Kh5 $18 { Stockfish13.}) 38... a5 {lichess analysis has no further comments to make, though the action is far from over} 39. Qc7 Qh8+ 40. Bh4 Qf8 41. Qd8+ Kf7 42. Qf6+ Kg8 43. Qxe6+ Qf7 44. Qc8+ Kg7 45. Qc6 a4 (45... Bc3 46. Qxc5 a4 47. Qe7 Bb2 48. Qe2 a3 49. c5 Bf6 50. Bg5 Bxg5 51. fxg5 a2 52. Qb2+ Kg6 53. c6 Kxg5 54. c7 a1=Q 55. Qxa1 Qh5+ 56. Kg2 Qe2+ $11 {Stockfish13 is the way some engines do it}) 46. Qxa4 Qxc4 47. Qd7+ Qf7 48. Qd6 Kg8 49. g4 {one last push by Wh} Qb3+ 50. Bg3 fxg4+ 51. Kxg4 Qe3 (51... c4 $11) 52. Qd8+ (52. Kf5 {is a better try for an advantage, but by now Wh was living on increments} Bc3 $1 $11 {other moves give Wh something to play for}) 52... Kf7 53. Qd7+ Qe7 54. Qf5+ Qf6 55. Qd7+ Qe7 56. Qxe7+ Kxe7 {Lomonosov tablebases show a draw in all lines} 57. Kf5 c4 58. Ke4 c3 59. Kd3 Ke6 60. Bf2 (60. h4 {Rudy, kibitzing, worth a try} Kf5 61. h5 Bf8 $1 {and Wh gets nothing} (61... Kf6 $2 62. Bh4+ Kf7 63. f5 $18 { 2 pawns in this position defend one another , if the K approaches one, the other advances})) 60... Kf5 61. Be3 Kg4 62. Bd4 {Bl offered a draw & Wh accepted} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dyfed Online League"] [Site "Lichess"] [Date "2021.04.07"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Bates, Toby"] [Black "Francis, Matthew"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B28"] [WhiteElo "1366"] [BlackElo "1648"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "U. C. Aberystwyth B"] [BlackTeam "Aberystwyth"] {[%evp 0,72,27,28,71,58,85,40,25,36,32,27,42,-7,3,-18,-16,-92,-85,-77,-84,-84, 10,-68,-68,-48,-60,-49,-50,-319,-92,-113,-73,-69,-3,9,1,4,5,4,3,3,29,31,21,30, 22,23,18,43,59,33,194,-47,-14,-8,-11,-76,-71,-81,-86,-79,-7,-63,-63,-74,-19, -72,-39,-44,-42,-38,-55,-750,-843]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 {preparing the O'Kelly variation} (2... d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 b5 7. a3 Bb7 8. f3 g6 9. Be3 Bg7 10. Qd2 O-O 11. g4 {Bates-Holman, Dyfed Online League 2020,1-0}) 3. a4 (3. d4 {main} cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {the main idea, though Matthew has not done all too well with it, 3 Wh wins & 4 draws. One of the draws in 2009 against Paul Orton , who was left with K & R vs K, but ran short of time - not helped bty the fact that Paul was wearing the wrong glasses, having picked up Rudy's instead. Then Matthew compoinded things by picking up Paul's coat instead of his own, leaving Paul without keys for the night. It couldn't happen in OTB chess.}) (3. c3 {second main line better results, Wh 1 win, 1 draw, Bl 2 wins}) (3. c4 {3rd main line. netted Matthew a draw against Gerry Heap in the Dyfed League in 2008.} e6 {in the past yielded Matthew 1-1-1}) 3... Nc6 {main} 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 (5... Nf6 6. Nc3 e5 {more usual sequence}) 6. Nb3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Bb4 {in this position Bl's a6 is of benefit, whereas a4 has simply lost a tempo for Wh} 8. f3 {there are no other games with this move} (8. Bd3 {developing a piece is preferable to further bl square weakening, though a score of 1-4-7 tells its own story}) (8. Bg5 {insisted upon by lichess analysis, but results give 1-1-3}) 8... d5 $17 {Stockfish13} 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Bd2 O-O $2 {lichess- blunder, gives Wh an opportunity} (10... Be6 $17) 11. Bd3 (11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. Bxb4 Nxb4 13. Qxd5 Nxd5 14. O-O-O $14 {Wh has totally freed his position}) 11... Nxc3 (11... Be6 {is what lichess insists on- perhaps it is a little bit better than the text- though doubling the pawns on an open is a strateic aim of the O'Kelly; which in effect leaves Bl with an extra pawn on the K side.}) 12. bxc3 Bd6 13. O-O Be6 14. f4 $2 {blunder} f5 {this leads to a few difficulties for Wh} (14... exf4 15. Bxf4 Bxf4 16. Rxf4 Qc7 $17 {is better, but, as lichess points out , Bl can win a piece here}) (14... Bxb3 {since} 15. cxb3 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Qxd3 $19) 15. fxe5 Nxe5 (15... Bxe5 {controlling d4, is easier to play}) 16. Nd4 Bc8 $2 {undeveloping & giving up the extra pawn} ( 16... Bc5 17. Be3 Ng4 $15 (17... Nxd3 18. cxd3 Qd7 19. Bf2 {leads to equality}) ) 17. Bxf5 Bxf5 18. Nxf5 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 (19. Be3) 19... Qd7 20. Be3 Qxd1 21. Raxd1 Bxe3 22. Nxe3 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 $11 {Wh's extra halfpawn on the c file is of little consequence} Rc8 (23... Re8 {preferred by Stockfish13}) 24. Nd5 Ng6 ( 24... Rd8 {is safer}) 25. h4 Rc5 $2 {given as a blunder by lichess, and it is} (25... Rc4 26. g3 h6 27. h5 Ne5 $11 28. Ne7+ Kh7 29. Rf5 Ng4 30. Nd5 (30. Ng6 { attempting to set up a mating net just loses pawns} Nf6) 30... Rxa4 31. Kg2 $11 {Stockfish13}) 26. c4 $2 {missing it} (26. Rf5 {wins for Wh- the R is loose and h5 foces the loss of a N due to backrank mating threats}) 26... Rxc4 $11 27. g3 h6 (27... h5 {looks better- prevents h5 by Wh, and perhaps gives Bl a mating net if the N can get to g4}) 28. h5 (28. Rb1 Rxc2 {Stockfish13} 29. Rxb7 $11) 28... Ne5 29. Ne7+ (29. Re1) 29... Kh7 30. Rf5 Re4 $11 {disliked by lichess} (30... Ng4 $17 {gives Bl a plus}) 31. a5 Re1+ (31... Re2 {kibitzed by Rudy, indirect swap of Ns with Nf3}) 32. Kg2 Ng4 33. Kh3 $2 {lichess- blunder} (33. Nd5 $11 {but Wh still after that mating net}) 33... Rxe7 (33... Ne3 { threatens mate on h1} 34. Rf2 Rh1+ 35. Rh2 Rxh2+ 36. Kxh2 Nc4 $1 $19 {this gives a distant runner & Ns have trouble stopping R pawns- taking the c pawn does not deliver a passed pawn. [ Bl had some 7 mins to Wh's 14 left}) 34. Kxg4 Rc7 35. Kf4 Rxc2 36. Rf7 $2 {the person who makes the second to last blunder, wins the game- Tartakover} (36. Rd5 $11) 36... Rf2+ 0-1 [Event "Dyfed Online League"] [Site "Lichess"] [Date "2021.04.07"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Gunn, Tom"] [Black "Fox, Harry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteElo "1398"] [BlackElo "1400"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Aberystwyth"] [BlackTeam "U. C. Aberystwyth B"] {[%evp 0,70,18,15,15,23,65,18,21,15,15,-2,-10,-20,-7,-11,-3,-21,27,12,27,-7,27, 27,46,46,52,46,55,51,53,46,65,63,54,53,66,72,454,446,442,442,484,508,509,470, 470,464,470,470,470,414,488,427,528,532,532,538,552,561,563,402,407,420,481, 481,589,605,894,914,915,919,939]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 (2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. Nf3 Bb4 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b5 {Kwan-Fox, Dyfed Online League 2020, 0-1}) 2... Bg4 (2... Nf6 3. e3 {main, Gunn 4-2-3}) 3. e3 (3. Ne5 {main, 68% for Wh}) 3... e6 4. Be2 (4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6. O-O Be7 7. c4 {Gunn- R Gareth Williams, Dyfed Closed 2019,0-1}) (4. c4 {main, 57 % for Wh}) 4... Nf6 5. Nbd2 (5. O-O Bd6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. c4 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. b3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nc3 11. Qe1 Nxe2+ 12. Nxe2 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Qf6 {Gunn-Parri, Dyfed Major, 2020,1/2-1/2}) 5... Nc6 (5... c5) (5... Bd6) (5... Nbd7 {main lines}) 6. a3 (6. O-O {Nb4 is no threat}) 6... Bd6 7. O-O (7. c4 {main, to exploit absence of B guarding b7}) 7... O-O 8. b4 { 1-2} (8. c4 {20 games, 55% for Wh}) 8... b6 (8... Ne4 {0-2}) 9. Bb2 (9. c4 $16 {Stockfish13}) 9... a5 10. c3 (10. b5 $14) 10... axb4 11. cxb4 {Stockfish13} Bxf3 (11... Ne7 $11) 12. Nxf3 $14 Ne4 13. Nd2 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 Ne7 15. Rac1 (15. a4) 15... Rc8 16. Bd3 c5 $6 {trying to break out, but leads to a clear Wh advantage} 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. dxc5 Rxc5 $2 {It is a common error to be concentrting on just one part of the board, & not seeing inter-relationships across the whole board} (18... Bxc5 {had to be played, when Wh's outside passed a pawn gives Wh the advantage} 19. a4 $16 {Stockfish13}) 19. Rxc5 $18 Bxc5 20. Qc3 {what Bl had missed} Nf5 21. Bxf5 Qg5 22. Bxh7+ (22. h4 Qh6 23. Qxc5 exf5 24. a4 {even better, signals Stockfish13}) 22... Kxh7 23. Qxc5 Rb8 24. Qc3 (24. Bd4) 24... f6 25. h3 e5 26. Ra1 (26. f4) 26... Ra8 27. a4 Qf5 28. a5 Qe6 29. Qc5 Rc8 30. Qb6 Qxb6 31. axb6 Rb8 32. Ra6 Rb7 33. Ba3 Kg6 34. Bc5 Rb8 35. Ra7 Rc8 {the a pawn become a b pawn triumphs} 1-0 [Event "Dyfed Online League"] [Site "Lichess"] [Date "2021.04.07"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Bourne, Patrick"] [Black "Holman, Sam"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A48"] [WhiteElo "1000"] [BlackElo "1386"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "U. C. Aberystwyth B"] [BlackTeam "Aberystwyth"] {[%evp 0,88,80,17,-1,11,36,17,32,29,26,-22,36,18,18,17,73,64,64,43,37,40,18,28, 56,-1,-19,-11,-9,-70,-27,-59,-6,-46,-66,-60,4,-21,-21,-113,-182,-153,-153,14, 19,21,24,13,13,12,12,6,6,-25,-17,-63,-66,-47,-41,-72,-50,-107,-117,-149,-145, -193,-193,-254,-197,-192,-161,-330,-169,-285,-162,-245,-324,-325,-203,-210, -204,-397,-421,-455,-471,-476,-522,-533,-534,-807,-816]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 g6 ( 2... e6 3. Nf3 Be7 4. e3 b6 5. Nc3 d5 {Bourne-Evans, Dyfed Online League ,2021, 0-1}) 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 (4. Nbd2 O-O 5. c3 d6 6. e4 h6 7. Bh4 Re8 8. Bd3 e5 9. O-O Nc6 {Evans-Holman,Dyfed Online League rd 7, 2021,0-1}) 4... O-O 5. Bc4 { not the best place for this B} (5. Bd3 {main}) 5... d6 (5... d5 {and Wh scores 30 % from 15 games}) 6. O-O Nc6 (6... Nbd7 {main}) 7. Nc3 $146 {some Engines approve of this} (7. Nbd2 {main}) 7... e5 8. dxe5 (8. Nd5 $14 {Stockfish13}) 8... dxe5 9. Bb5 (9. Qe2) 9... h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Nh5 {a little risky} ( 11... Nd7 $11) 12. Ne4 $2 {this should just lose a piece, now & later. Blunder- lichess. Lichess in what follows repeats blunder charge when the players don't quite play its moves, which is too severe, But this move is a blunder} (12. Bxc6 {threatens Bxe5 leaving h5 hanging} Nxg3 13. Bxb7 Bxb7 14. hxg3 $16 {lichess analysis}) 12... Nxg3 {whether to call moves that that fail to take advantage of a blunder are themselves a blunder is moot. lichess has no such compunction, yet it depends on how clearcut the decision is.} (12... f5 13. Ned2 f4 {wins a B}) 13. Nxg3 Qe7 14. Ne4 $2 {again a similar error} Bg4 ( 14... f5 $1 15. Nc3 (15. Ng3 e4 16. Nd2 Bxb2 $19) 15... a5 16. e4 g4 17. Ne1 f4 $17 {Stockfish13- but Bl's K side pawns will break through quite quickly}) 15. h3 Bh5 (15... Bd7) 16. Bc4 (16. Bxc6 {is better}) 16... Rad8 17. Qe2 g4 $6 ( 17... Bg6 $17) 18. hxg4 $6 (18. Nfd2 {would give Wh an advantage as the g pawn is pinned}) 18... Bxg4 19. Rad1 Kh8 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rd1 $2 {Blunder , as the pin should cost a piece} (21. Qe1 {Wh must get out of the pin, though} Bxf3 22. gxf3 f5 $17) 21... Rxd1+ {not the best} (21... f5 {wins a piece- lichess. Stockfish13 comes up with the hiper-refined}) (21... Rb8 22. Qf1 f5 23. Ng3 e4 24. Nh2 Bxd1 25. Qxd1 Rd8 $19) 22. Qxd1 f5 23. Nc3 (23. Qd5 $11) 23... e4 24. Qd5 {this escape would not have worked had Rs still been on.} Qd8 25. Qxd8+ Nxd8 26. Nh2 (26. Nd4 $11) 26... Bh5 27. Nb5 {lichess has no comment} Bxb2 ( 27... c6 28. Nd4 Bxd4 29. exd4 Kg7 $15 {Stockfish13}) 28. Nxc7 Bd1 29. Ne6 (29. Nb5 Nc6 $11) 29... Nc6 {Bl has better} (29... b5 30. Bb3 Nxe6 31. Bxe6 Bxc2 32. Nf1 a5 33. Ng3 Kg7 34. Bxf5 Bb1 35. Bd7 b4 36. Be6 a4 {lichess & Stockfish13- winning on the Q side}) 30. Nf4 {lichess scarcely approves of any of Wh's next moves} (30. Bb3 Nb4 31. Nd8 b5 32. Nf7+ Kh7 33. Nd6 a6 34. Nxf5 Bxc2 35. Nd6 Bd3 $17 {Wh is clinging on, but Bl must have good chances}) 30... Bxc2 $19 31. Ng6+ (31. g4 $5) 31... Kg7 32. Nh4 Kf6 33. Kf1 Bc1 34. Ke2 Nb4 35. f4 (35. Bg8 {insisted upon by lichess, but Wh is lost on the Q side anyhow}) 35... Bb1 ( 35... Bd3+ {looks better} 36. Bxd3 exd3+ 37. Kd1 Bxe3) 36. g4 Nxa2 37. gxf5 h5 38. Ng6 Kxf5 {Bl could leave this pawn, but there is not much point in marginal extra improvements when Bl will clearly win} (38... Nc3+) (38... Bd3+) 39. Ne7+ Kf6 40. Ng8+ Kg7 41. Ne7 Nc3+ 42. Kf2 Nd1+ 43. Kg3 Nxe3 44. Kh4 Nxc4 0-1 [Event "WCU Open2 Online"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.04.13"] [Round "3.1"] [White "McCarthy, Moss"] [Black "Watkin-Jones, Adam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D53"] [WhiteElo "1898"] [BlackElo "1918"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,84,80,63,5,-17,-3,0,15,21,22,20,22,22,33,34,25,16,21,28,28,20,15,15, 27,14,27,28,23,22,4,-4,-24,-8,-19,-50,-12,-99,-14,-6,-30,-40,9,0,25,29,30,15, 63,23,52,52,63,53,55,63,24,6,6,-109,-130,-257,-152,-184,-139,-167,-153,-239,-8, -12,1,-7,0,-44,-40,-57,-43,-48,-37,-108,-157,-109,-49,-166,-145,-145,-49]} 1. d4 {normally Wh plays e4} d5 {and Bl normally responds with Nf6 or g6, both players wary of prepared analysis, so landing up in unfamiliar territory to both.} 2. c4 (2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 g6 4. c4 Bg7 5. Nc3 {Thomas- Watkin Jones, Dyfed League 2016,1/2-1/2}) 2... e6 (2... e5 {McCarthy-Kelly, WLS ch 1998,1-0}) 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. cxd5 Nxd5 (6... exd5 {main}) 7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. e4 (8. e3 {is more cautious}) 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 c5 10. Qd2 (10. Bd3) (10. Be2 {main lines}) 10... b6 11. Bd3 {1-3-1 results} cxd4 $146 {Deep Fritz14- rather similar to positions arising from a Semi-Tarrasch} 12. cxd4 Bb7 13. O-O Rd8 $11 14. Rfd1 {the question is whether Wh's centre pawns can be dynamic, eg with a sudden d5 to launch a K side attack; or whether in the long run Bl's 2 to1 pawns on the Q side will be better- a sort of Grunfeld without a B on g7} Nc6 15. Qe3 Nb4 16. Bb1 Rac8 17. Qb3 Rc7 (17... Ba6 $5) 18. h4 {K side activities brewing} Ba6 (18... Rdc8 $17 {Stockfish13}) 19. a3 Nc6 20. e5 (20. Qe3 {awaits events#}) 20... g6 {this can wait, it does give Wh a target & hopes of getting a N to f6} (20... Na5 21. Qe3 Bb7 22. Qd3 g6 23. Ba2 Bxf3 24. Qxf3 Qxh4 25. d5 exd5 26. Bxd5 Kg7 $11 {Stockfish13}) 21. Qe3 Rcd7 (21... Bc4 22. h5 $14) 22. Be4 $16 Na5 23. h5 Bb5 (23... Nc4) 24. Rac1 $18 a6 25. Rc3 Nc4 26. Qh6 Qf8 27. Qf4 (27. Qc1 $18 {also}) 27... Nxa3 28. Rdc1 (28. hxg6 hxg6 29. Ng5 Nc4 30. Re1 Qg7 31. Rh3 Rc8 32. Rh7 $18 (32. Nh7 $18 {Stockfish13})) 28... Be2 29. h6 {Wh wanted to keep Qs on for the atack- g7 is a target , as is the N on a3, far away from the action. But, it gums up the works.} (29. hxg6 $1 hxg6 (29... fxg6 30. Qxf8+ Rxf8 31. Rxa3 $18) 30. Ng5 Nc4 31. Rh3 Rxd4 32. Nh7 Qg7 33. Nf6+ Kf8 34. Rh7 {and the Q is dead}) 29... Nb5 $17 30. Bc6 Bxf3 (30... Nxc3 31. Rxc3 (31. Bxd7 Nd5 32. Qd2 Bxf3 $19) 31... Rc7 $19 {Stockfish13}) 31. Bxb5 (31. Bxd7 Nxc3 32. Rxc3 Bd5 33. Rc7 $11 {Bl has two extra pawns on the Q side, but they are vulnerable, since the Bl pieces don't co=operate well}) 31... axb5 (31... Rxd4) 32. Rxf3 (32. gxf3) 32... Rxd4 33. Qf6 (33. Qg5) 33... Qxh6 {Bl was down to 3 mins against 4, so plays moves in the wrong order} ( 33... Rd1+ $1 $19 34. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 35. Kh2 Qxh6+ 36. Rh3 Qf8 {and Bl should win the ending- one of the b pawns gets through, now that Wh's K side attack has vanished}) 34. Qxf7+ Kh8 35. Qf6+ {it looks drawish now, though Bl need a bit of care for his K} Qg7 36. Qxe6 Rd1+ {no longer winning} 37. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 38. Kh2 Qh6+ 39. Rh3 (39. Qh3 {doesn't make a great deal of difference.}) 39... Qf4+ 40. Rg3 Qh4+ {Bl seeks the draw} (40... Qxf2 $15 {is possible, but takes a while to work out, especially in time pressure.} 41. Qc8+ Kg7 42. Qb7+ Kg8 43. Qc8+ (43. Qb8+ Qf8 44. Qxb6 Qh6+ 45. Rh3 Qf4+ 46. Rg3 Rd3 $19) 43... Qf8 44. Qg4 Rf1 $17 {Stockfish13}) 41. Rh3 Qf4+ 42. Rg3 Qh4+ {Normal} 1/2-1/2 [Event "WCU Open2 Online"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.04.13"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Francis, Matthew"] [Black "Bevan, Peter M"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D36"] [WhiteElo "1648"] [BlackElo "1929"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,110,26,-9,-9,-9,0,-29,-6,-15,-18,-1,27,22,25,16,49,44,36,34,47,39,32, 13,15,16,13,8,8,9,24,17,34,20,13,16,8,9,11,5,10,-10,2,-2,-1,-15,-6,-16,-4,-17, -20,0,21,9,2,7,42,0,80,58,60,-42,-27,-116,-132,-138,-151,-173,-188,-290,-233, -206,-212,-292,-212,-220,-246,-251,-173,-168,-251,-251,-208,-253,-245,-672, -253,-238,-219,-228,-241,-283,-262,-303,-243,-258,-258,-262,-265,-320,-298, -342,-226,-244,-269,-289,-299,-309,-310,-315,-291,-318,-318]} 1. c4 e6 { usually Peter has played e5.Matthew has not had this played against him.} 2. Nc3 (2. e4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. cxd5 Nf6 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bc4 Bg4 7. f3 Bc8 { Hughes-Bevan,WCU Open Online 2020,1/2-1/2}) 2... d5 3. cxd5 exd5 4. d4 { usually after d4,d5 Matthew has played Bf4; while Peter has gone after c4 into a Slav with c6. So both are in unfamiliar territory.} Nf6 {47,000 games in database} 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 c6 8. Nge2 (8. Qc2 {main}) 8... Nbd7 9. O-O (9. Qc2 Re8 {leaves Wh with the option of} 10. O-O {or} (10. O-O-O)) 9... h6 10. Bh4 Re8 11. Qc2 Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nxe4 (13. Rae1) (13. Bxe4 { main lines}) 13... dxe4 14. Bc4 Nb6 (14... Nf6 15. Nf4 {5 Wh wins,2 draws}) 15. Bb3 {6 Wh wins,4 draws,2 Bl wins} (15. Rac1 {1-0}) 15... Nd5 16. Nc3 (16. Bxd5 {preferred by Rudy, kibitzing. the aim is to get a good N vs bad B ending, as well as immediate access to c7 for Wh}) 16... Nxc3 {Stockfish13 veers between this and Nf6, both =} (16... Nb4 17. Qd2 Bf5 18. f3 exf3 19. Rxf3 Be6 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 21. e4 $11 {Garcia Clemente-Sanchez Esteban, Barcelona Sant Marti 2015,1-0 }) 17. Qxc3 (17. bxc3 {also possible}) 17... Qg5 18. f3 $14 (18. f4 $14) 18... Bh3 19. Qd2 (19. Rf2 {Stockfish13-can be played} exf3 20. Bxf7+ Kh7 21. Qc5 Qxc5 22. dxc5 Re7 23. Rxf3 Bg4 24. Rf4 Rd8 $14 {Stockfish13}) 19... Be6 20. Bc2 Bd5 21. f4 Qf5 22. a3 a5 23. Qc3 b5 $11 24. Bb3 Rec8 25. Rac1 b4 (25... a4 $5) 26. axb4 axb4 27. Qc5 Qe6 28. Bxd5 Qxd5 29. Qxb4 {taking up the offer, but the open lines require careful defence by Wh} (29. Kf2 $14 {Stockfish13} Qa2 30. Rc2 b3 31. Re2 Qa4 32. Rc1 {Bl has to be defending his weak pawns on b3,c6, & also e4 could be weak} Ra5 33. Qe7 c5 34. Qxe4 Raa8 35. Qf5 c4 36. Rd2 c3 37. bxc3 Qc4 38. Qd3 $11 {given as best play by Stockfish13}) 29... Rcb8 30. Qc5 ( 30. Qd2 Ra2 31. Rc2 Rb3 32. h3 Qb5 33. Rb1 g6 $11 {Wh's extra pawn just clogs up all his pieces}) 30... Qxc5 31. Rxc5 $2 {Wh has no time for this positional looking moves, tactical solutions are required to stay afloat} (31. dxc5 Rxb2 32. Ra1 Rd8 33. Rf2 {protecting the second rank} Rb3 34. Re2 Rc3 35. Ra7 Rxc5 36. Kf2 $11 {the active R behind the c pawn should hold, though the presence of extra Rs may make a difference- but Wh's K is safe and Bl must make sure that Wh can't suddenly get to double on the 7th}) 31... Rxb2 $17 32. Rfc1 $2 { too late to cordinate Rs} (32. Kh1 {Wh needs to grovel} Ra3 33. Rxc6 Rxe3 34. Rcc1 Ree2 35. Rg1 Rf2 36. d5 Kh7 37. h3 Rxf4 38. Rgf1 Rxf1+ 39. Rxf1 Kg6 $19 { but Bl will win in the end because the d pawn is dead.}) 32... Raa2 $19 33. Rxc6 (33. Rh5 $5) 33... Rxg2+ 34. Kf1 Rxh2 (34... Raf2+ 35. Ke1 Rxh2) 35. Kg1 Rhg2+ 36. Kf1 Rh2 37. Kg1 Rag2+ 38. Kf1 Rf2+ (38... Rd2) 39. Kg1 Rfg2+ 40. Kf1 Re2 41. Kg1 Rhg2+ (41... h5 42. Ra6 h4 43. Ra5 f6 44. Rh5 Reg2+ 45. Kf1 Rd2 46. Kg1 h3 {is a mating net, that wins a R- Stockfish13}) 42. Kf1 Rgf2+ 43. Kg1 Rf3 44. Rc8+ Kh7 45. d5 Rfxe3 46. Rd1 Re1+ 47. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 48. Kf2 Rd1 49. Rc5 Rd3 50. f5 Rf3+ 51. Ke2 Rxf5 52. Ke3 Re5 53. Kd4 Re8 54. d6 e3 55. Rc1 f5 {Normal} 0-1 [Event "WCU Open2 Online"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.04.13"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Howells, Chris"] [Black "Gunn, Tom"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A08"] [WhiteElo "1835"] [BlackElo "1398"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,51,13,-26,33,32,62,12,15,18,30,-18,-14,-14,-7,-7,3,-13,-3,-12,-7,-16, -18,-24,-24,-24,17,17,51,53,97,107,109,82,82,78,96,45,74,1,16,16,55,-17,91,91, 290,386,29995,29996,29997,29998,29999,-30000]} 1. d3 c5 (1... d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Nbd2 e5 5. e4 d4 6. Bg2 Bd6 7. Nc4 Nge7 8. Nxd6+ Qxd6 9. a4 f6 10. Bd2 O-O 11. O-O Ng6 {Howells-Crow, 4NCL Online 2021,0-1}) 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nbd2 d5 4. e4 Nc6 5. g3 Bd6 (5... Nf6 6. Bg2 Be7 {main}) 6. Bg2 Nge7 {main} (6... Nf6 { by transposition leads to} 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Bc7 9. c3 b6 10. e5 Ng4 11. d4 cxd4 12. cxd4 f6 13. h3 Nxf2 14. Kxf2 fxe5 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Rxe5 (16. Nf1 $16) 16... Nxe5 17. Kg1 Qd6 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 19. Kh2 Qd6 (19... Rf2 $17) 20. Nf3 Bd7 21. Bf4 Qe7 (21... Rxf4) 22. Qd4 $18 {Howells-Hewitt,4NCL Online ,2021,1-0}) 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Qc7 9. c3 b6 (9... Bd7 {main}) (9... d4) (9... f6 {both less so} ) 10. Nf1 $11 {but results terible for Wh , 2 draws, 7 Bl wins} (10. Qe2 f6 $11 {main, but results 2-2-5}) 10... Bb7 {3 draws, 2 Bl wins} (10... Ba6 {2-4}) 11. Qe2 dxe4 (11... Ng6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Be3 dxe4 14. dxe4 a5 15. Rad1 Ba6 16. Qc2 $17 {Antoszkiewqicz-Linert, DDR ch corr 1977,1/2-1/2}) 12. dxe4 e5 $6 {cedes both d5 & f5 to Wh, playing the pawn to e5 blocks off all of Bl's pieces that converge on this squre- the bl B in particular becomes a big pawn} (12... Ng6 { Stockfish13} 13. Be3 Nge5 14. Qc2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Rfd8 16. Nd2 Ne5 17. Bg2 Rac8 18. f4 Ng4 $15 {Kipke-Seref,GER ch tm U14,2016,0-1}) (12... f6 {Stockfish13}) 13. Ne3 $16 (13. Be3 Rfe8 14. Rad1 Bc8 15. Qc2 Na5 16. b3 f6 17. N1d2 Be6 18. Nh4 Rac8 19. Nf5 $14 {Rodriguez Valencoso-Alonso Nadal, ESP ch U14, Oropesa del Mar 1999,1/2-1/2}) (13. Nh4 $16 {alternative}) 13... a6 14. Nc4 (14. Nh4) 14... b5 15. Nxd6 {in this position Stockfish13 sanctions this- Rudy considers this a strategic error, the N is far more important ( much more mobile)than a dead B clogging up a file, the N needs to be in at either f5 or d5. Indeed Tarrasch once observed that a N on f5 near a 0-0 .d K is better than a R ( perhaps even better if a R sac on f6 has broken up Bl's pawn structure.} Qxd6 16. Rd1 Qc7 17. Be3 c4 (17... Nd8 {to get to e6, leads to trouble in the centre } 18. Qd3 Re8 19. Nh4 Ne6 20. Qd7 Qxd7 21. Rxd7 Bc6 22. Rd2 Rad8 23. Rad1 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 c4 (24... g6 25. f4 exf4 26. gxf4 {is dangerous}) 25. Nf5 Nc8 26. f4 $16 exf4 27. gxf4 Rd8 $16 {it may take somebody like Karpov to ensure the win with the lressed material}) 18. h4 (18. Nh4 Rad8 $14) 18... Rad8 (18... Nd8 19. a4 Ne6 20. Nxe5 Qxe5 21. Rd7 Bxe4 22. Rxe7 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 bxa4 $11 {Stockfish13} ) 19. Ng5 Rxd1+ (19... h6 $11) 20. Rxd1 Rd8 {this is already a mistake- Stockfish 13 gives away a R and claims a win} (20... h6 $11) (20... Nd8 21. Qd2 Bc6 22. Bc5 Nb7 $14) 21. Rf1 {this is the problem with a single open file- there is a tendency for all the Rs to swap off. It is why Rudy would have left that B sitting on d6, so Bl cannot use the file , while launching an attack on the K side ( using Rs on the f , g or h files)- this is, after all, a King's Indian Att} (21. Qh5 $18 Rxd1+ 22. Kh2 $1 Ng6 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. h5 Rd6 25. hxg6 Nd8 (25... Rxg6 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Bc5+ Kd7 28. Bh3+) 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Nh7 Rxg6 28. Qf8+ Kd7 29. Bh3+ Re6 30. Ng5 Qd6 31. Qxg7 $18 {Stockfish13}) 21... Qd6 $2 {an attempt at controlling the file fails to the Wh Bs'activity} (21... h6 $11) 22. Bb6 Qd2 {however Bl misses the threat and drives Wh's Q exactly where she was headed anyway} (22... Rd7 23. Bh3) (22... Rf8 23. Rd1 Qb8 24. Qe3 h6 25. Nf3 Bc8 $16 {but Wh does not have clear entry squares on Bl's side of the board }) 23. Qh5 $18 Rd6 (23... h6 {giving up an exchange may last longer ( as does giving up Q for N), but soon useless} 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Bxd8 Qxd8 26. Ne6 Qg8 27. Qxg8+ Kxg8 28. Rd1 Bc8 29. Nc7 {and Bl is running out of sensible moves}) 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Qf8+ Ng8 26. Nf7# {Normal} 1-0 [Event "Rated Classical game"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.04.13"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Holman, Sam"] [Black "Williams, Duncan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "1386"] [BlackElo "1725"] [Annotator "kemen"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] {[%evp 0,58,26,34,-2,-2,10,10,25,-4,2,7,12,-18,2,-14,1,5,11,-16,-1,3,5,-82,-49, -39,-41,-41,-76,-83,-66,-515,-623,-702,-699,-699,-712,-745,-702,-785,-687,-760, -531,-565,-575,-576,-510,-534,-454,-448,-413,-977,-429,-987,-446,-999,-544, -1010,-445,-1010,-1026]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O {an-Anti-Marshall} 8. h3 (8. c3 d5 {has netted Duncan 2 draws & a win}) 8... Bb7 (8... d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 { 78% for Wh with an edge, either after} 12. d3 {or} (12. Re1 {Wh has c3 available for the N})) 9. c3 {about the only way h3 makes sense is to play} (9. d3 {58% for Wh Allowing Wh to open up lines "9 c3? d5 would be much better for Black than the Marshall, since ..Bb7 isc learly far more useful than h3." Kaufman 2019-420. So much so that he doesn't bother with any further analysis on this.}) 9... d5 {"is most satisfactory for Black" Wade & Harding 1974:158} 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 {Bologan 22015:201 picks up the story " It would be suicide to take the bait" He gives Nxe5 ? and indicates that} (11. d4 {is the way to survive to a level game. Even so Wh scores a modest 38% with this.but far better than the resukt of the text}) 11... Nxe5 12. Rxe5 {a mere 18% for Wh from 85 games} Nf4 13. d4 (13. f3 Nd3 {1-7} (13... Bd6 {0-7})) 13... Nxg2 14. Qg4 (14. d5 Nh4 {0.5-9.5} (14... Bd6 {0.5-2.5})) 14... Nh4 15. Bg5 (15. Nd2 {is about the only thing that Wh should try} a5 {Stockfish13- 0-1} (15... Kh8 { Bologan - 1-5}) (15... Bf6 {should still be winning according to stockfish13, but in real life Bl players went horribly astray, notching up results of 4-3-2 for a deficit}) 16. Bc2 f5 $19) 15... Bxg5 16. f4 (16. Rxg5 Nf3+ { Stoecklin-Weissen, Bern Op 1991,0-1} (16... Qxg5)) (16. Nd2 Bxd2 {Perez Reclusa-Villares Galiano, Barcelona La Lira 1995,0-1}) 16... Nf3+ 17. Kf2 Nxe5 18. fxe5 Kh8 19. Na3 Bh4+ 20. Ke2 Qg5 21. Nc2 Qxg4+ 22. hxg4 Bg5 23. Ne3 Bxe3 24. Kxe3 Rad8 25. Rh1 Bd5 (25... Bxh1) 26. Bc2 g6 27. a3 Kg7 28. g5 Rfe8 29. Kf4 Bxh1 {Normal} 0-1