GAME 013 - VS Jamie Wilson

Wilson,Jamie - Davies,Edward [B18]
Portsmouth vs Chichester,

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Bc4 An interesting and popular sideline. 6...Nf6 This has been played a few times but is not considered very good. [The usual move is 6...e6 then typically 7.N1e2 and black has a choice of two main moves 7...Nf6 (7...Bd6 8.Nf4 Nf6) 8.Nf4 (8.Bb3 Qc7 (8...Nbd7) ) 8...Bd6] 7.N1e2 [7.Nf3 has been quite successful in the few games played] 7...e6 we are now back to the main track of this variation 8.0–0 [8.Nf4 is equally popular, e.g. 8...Bd6 9.c3 Qc7 10.Qf3] 8...Bd6 9.f4 This is the main move; my opponent appears to be prepared in this opening. 9...0–0?! this may be a bad move, in view of the next white move f5 [9...Bf5 acknowledging the importance of preventing f5 10.Nxf5 exf5 11.Ng3 g6 12.Re1+ Kf8 13.Qf3 these moves occur in all instances of this game, and now black has to choose 13...h5 this is the most played but least successful for black(black has done well in: 13...Nbd7 ; and done well in 13...Qc7 for both 13..Nbd7 and 13..Qc7, Fritz superficially assesses the position as over a pawn advantage for white, but practice has shown these to be ok for black.) ; 9...Qc7 has been played quite a few times, but has scored quite badly (30%). Perhaps this is because it doesn't counter f5. 10.f5 exf5 (10...Bxf5 may be better 11.Nxf5 exf5 12.Rxf5 Nbd7 13.Kh1 0–0 this looks quite solid for black) 11.Nxf5 Bxh2+ 12.Kh1 Nh5 (12...0–0 13.Qe1 Bd6 14.Nxg7! a brilliant combination 14...Kxg7 15.Rxf6 Nd7 (15...Kxf6 16.Qh4+ Kg7 17.Bh6+ Kg8 18.Qf6 Be5 19.dxe5 Qxe5 20.Qxe5 Nd7 21.Qg7#) 16.Qh4 Rfe8 17.Bh6+ Kh8 18.Raf1 Qd8 19.Bg5 and white won) 13.Qe1 0–0 14.Qh4 Bd6 15.g4 Bxf5 16.gxf5 g6 17.fxg6 hxg6 18.Qg5 Qe7 19.Qxg6+ and black lost; Maybe the most promising move is 9...Qd7!? This has only been played once in the Fritz opening book, but it was successful (black won). It addresses the problem of 10.f5, which may be a key factor. I believe I am not the first player to underestimate the strength of f5 in this line. There are very few games to go by in looking at this position, but I will look at what is available, and get Fritz to do some work as well. 10.Bd3 was played unsuccessfully (10.Bb3 Na6 11.c4 Nc7; Fritz presses on with 10.f5 anyway. 10...exf5 11.Bf4 Ne4 12.Nxe4 fxe4 Black seems to be fine in this variation 13.Qd2 0–0 14.Qe3 Na6 15.Bxa6 bxa6 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.Rf4 Rab8) 10...Bxd3 11.Qxd3 g6 12.b3 Na6 13.Bb2 Be7 14.c4 Nc7 15.Qf3 0–0 16.Nc1 Nce8 17.Nd3 Ng7 18.Ne5 Qc7 19.h3 Rad8] 10.f5 After the previous analysis, I would say 9..Qd7 is the best move for black. 10...exf5 11.Nxf5 Bxf5 12.Rxf5 Nbd7 13.Qd3 [A grandmaster game (average rating 2583) went: 13.h3 Qc7 14.Qf1 Nb6 15.Bd3 Nfd7 16.Qf2 Nd5 17.Qh4 and white went on to win. I have checked on Fritz's database and found out this is the game Sadvakasov (2568) - Adianto (2598) Liepaja rapid 4th August 2001. The game continued: 17...g6 18.Bh6 Rfe8 19.Raf1 Re7 20.Nc3 Nxc3 21.bxc3 b5 22.Bg5 Bh2+ 23.Kh1 Bg3 24.Qh6 Rae8 25.Bxe7 Rxe7 26.R5f3 Nb6 27.Qg5 Bd6 28.Re3 Rxe3 29.Qxe3 Nd5 30.Qe8+ Kg7 31.c4 bxc4 32.Bxc4 Nf4 1 - 0] 13...Qc7 Fritz agrees with everything so far 14.Qh3 [F1: 14.Bf4 Bxf4 15.Rxf4 Rad8 16.Qh3] 14...Rfe8 15.Bg5 Everything so far is more or less Fritz's first move 15...b5? This is a critical mistake according to Fritz. This pawn push does nothing for black; it generate no counterplay, and it actually pushes the white bishop to a great square to join in the attack. [Apparently the break 15...c5 was essential, e.g. 16.d5?! In view of the analysis below, I think it is fair to say this move is bad (16.b3 cxd4 17.Nxd4 h6 18.Bh4 Re4 19.Bf2 a6 20.Rf1 Rae8 black is standing his ground) 16...Ne4 17.Nc3 After further computation, Fritz resigns itself to Nc3 (Fritz changes its mind to 17.Bc1 but this is bad due to 17...Bxh2+ 18.Qxh2 Qxh2+ 19.Kxh2 Nd6 white's pieces are loosely defended by each other 20.Ng3 Nxc4 21.b3 Nce5 22.Rf1 black is better here) 17...Nxc3 (17...Nxg5) 18.bxc3 Nb6 black is better here] 16.Bd3 c5? Critical error number two. That is more than enough to destroy the game for black. [16...Ne4 is essential here to try to discoordinate white's attack and maybe trade some pieces and open the way for more black pieces over to defend etc 17.Raf1 Nxg5 18.Rxg5 Nf8 19.Ng3 Ng6 20.Nf5 Bf8 this is probably black's most tenacious attempt to defend, but it doesn't look pleasant. However it is certainly preferable to the game continuation.] 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 I knew what was coming. The exchange sacrifice leads to a clear win for white. 18.Rxf6 gxf6? The position is already dismal, but if I am going to play on I may as well look for the best continuation, and Bxh2 was better. [18...Bxh2+ 19.Kh1 h6 (19...gxf6 20.Qxh7+ Kf8 21.Re1 Be5 (e.g. 21...Bd6 22.Qh6+ Kg8 23.Bh7+ Kh8 24.Be4+ Kg8 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Nc3 white can casually anihilate black) 22.dxe5 Qxe5 23.Bxb5 this is obviously dead lost) 20.Rf2 c4 21.Qxh2 Qxh2+ 22.Kxh2 cxd3 23.cxd3 an easy endgame win for white] 19.Qh6? A shocking revelation that this is a great enough inaccuracy for the evaluation to drop from over 3 pawns to white to drawn if black plays the necessary reply 19...Rad8? which he doesn't. [19...f5! amazingly this stops white's attack from working 20.Bxf5 (I believe one of the main points of f5 is the threat Rd6, coordinating a defence well. Supposing white ignores this, e.g.: 20.Rf1 Re6 21.Qh4 Bxh2+ 22.Kh1 Rae8 23.Bxb5 Rxe2 24.Bxe8 Rxe8 25.Qg5+ Kf8 26.Qh6+ Ke7 27.Rxf5 cxd4 black is fine, maybe better) 20...f6 21.Nc3 Qg7 22.Qxg7+ Kxg7 23.Nxb5 Bf4 24.Rf1 Be3+ 25.Kh1 Rab8 26.Nc7 Re7 27.Nd5 Ree8 28.dxc5 Bxc5 29.b3 the position now looks like an objective draw] 20.Bxh7+ Kh8 So surely it's over... 21.Ng3? Unbelievably, the position is again drawn. [21.Bd3+ was a way to win 21...Kg8 22.Ng3 Bxg3 23.Bh7+ Kh8 24.hxg3 cxd4 25.Kf2 very cool play by white. Now the plan of Rh1 with mate to come is insatiable and Fritz doesn't know what to suggest for black] 21...Bf4! the correct move 22.Qh5 Bxg3 23.hxg3 Black has played correctly and should draw 23...Qxg3?? Walks into a mate. Apparently the game had been tough for me and I was too worn out to analyse the following simple forced variations. Had I been aware of a draw being a strong possibility, (probably due to white's only active attacking pieces being queen and bishop, which may not be enough if black defends correctly), I surely would not have just played this. I don't remember being in chronic time trouble; it looks like a case of giving up. [23...Kg7! and white has nothing 24.Qg4+ Kh8 25.Qh5] 24.Bg6+ In conclusion, there were many more drawing resources in this game than I believed. My opponent played very stronly in the opening, but even in such a difficult position as arose (after two critical mistakes from black), there were still defensive resources, and at least two points where white's attack could have been refuted. I was reluctant to analyse this crushing loss, but it is all the more important to analyse such games. It can be painful to look in detail at such losses, and this may explain why it is six months later that I analyse this game. 1–0