Hampshire Open 2011
19..Rxg5 exchange sacrifice
36..d4
1.e4 I played Joe a few years ago at the same tournament but this time colours were reversed so I didn't really know what to expect. 1...c6 2.f4 d5 There are not a lot of high level games in this line but there are some examples, e.g. Short rolling it out against a lesser GM; it looks like a reasonable sideline for white. 3.e5 Bf5 [3...Nh6] 4.d4 e6 [4...Nh6] 5.Nf3 Nd7 6.Bd3 g6 Fritz is sceptial of this, preferring Nh6. I think it is fairly interesting though. [6...Nh6; 6...Bg6 is also sound] 7.Bxf5 gxf5 8.Nbd2 Material quantity and type is equal but the pawn structure is imbalanced [F seems to be keen on 8.a4 ] 8...h5 A double edged move, knowingly giving up control of the g5 square for the white knight but also giving black more space and options of using the h6 square to maneuvre the bishop and or knight [F plays 8...c5 e.g. 9.Qe2 Ne7 10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.Nb3 (11.Qb5+ is harmless after 11...Nc6) ] 9.Ng5 wasting no time to take advantage of the g5 square 9...Ne7 [9...Qb6 may have been better, e.g. 10.Nb3 c5] 10.Ndf3 A nice move, freeing the bishop and making sure there will 'always' be a knight on g5 if white chooses. I had a feeling I was slightly worse out of the opening so far, but was not discouraged; black can't afford to play poor moves though. 10...Bh6?! I'm not entirely convinced by my move here, and Fritz isn't keen on it either; it certainly isn't a disaster but there were probably better ways of developing [10...Qb6 looks good too e.g. 11.c3 c5 12.Qe2 Nc6; or the thematic 10...c5 11.0–0 (11.c3 Nc6 looks like a better method of development) ] 11.c3?! although not in any way unsound, this look too unambitious for white; there was no threat so it looks more logical to castle first. [11.0–0] 11...Ng6 Fritz agrees with this after 'thinking' for a while. I would have considered queenside castling here with Qb6 and 0–0–0 only the f7 pawn is depending on the king so this isn't an option yet; now black is preparing Qe7 0–0–0 as an option, and Ng6 threatens an h4 push too 12.h4?! F considers this not very good, and drop evaluation from about half a pawn to white a tiny edge for white. I guess that white wanted to prevent h4 by black and was happy to cement his knights on the g5 square. There is also a threat to the h5 pawn if the f3 knight moves but this appears not to be a problem for black [F1: 12.0–0 Qe7 13.Qe2] 12...Qe7 13.g3?! The third pawn move in a row from my opponent that I am sceptical of. I do not see any possible threat to white's f or h pawns so this looks like a pointless move, and Fritz actually gives black a half pawn advantage after this. [Fritz plays this 13.Be3 which continues development and is flexible] 13...f6 I was happy to unlock the squares in this way as it seems to complement my pieces which have less space than white's. I thought that on move 16 in the game variation I would be able to play Ne5 but I realised by then that the h pawn is hanging so had to play Ng4, but the position was still perfectly ok [F likes f6 but also likes 0–0–0 13...0–0–0 14.Qa4 Kb8] 14.exf6 Nxf6 15.Ne5 Nxe5 16.fxe5 Ng4 This was the line the computer gives after 13..f6. I was a bit anoyed with myself for not seeing before 13..f6 what 16..Ne5 cannot be played, but this move is none the less perfectly solid [16...Ne4 the move I originally thought would be nice for black of course can't be played 17.Qxh5+] 17.Bf4 [Fritz: 17.Qa4 a6 18.Qa5 Kd7] 17...Rg8 I had been struggling to work out how to proceed; I didn't want to castle queenside as after 0–0 white's king on the kingside looks a lot more snug than black's, and white doesn't have to think of a plan and can simply attack the black king. I decided I liked the look of the positional exchange sacrifice on b5 as after Rx Bx Bx px Qx, the g5 queen and g4 knight work well together and it removes a lot of the potential probles for black in dealing with threats from white's pieces if and when the king position is committed to 18.Qe2 Bxg5?! According to the computer this wasn't really sound, (the evaluation goes from dead equal to about half a pawn to black), but I was feeling 19.hxg5 Rxg5 I think Joe seemed a bit surprised by this 20.Qd2?! Objectively white should have accepted the sacrifice according to Fritz, and black now has the better endgame position, (endgame in that the pawn structure is more or less resolved and most of the minor pieces have been traded off meaning heavy piece play will be the main factor) [20.Bxg5 Qxg5 21.Qf3 Fritz says white has a 0.7 pawn advantage but it looks fairly solid for black to me] 20...Rg7 21.Rxh5 Qf7?! A weak move [it was stronger to play 21...Rh7 Maybe I overlooked the fact that white cannot double up on the h file and had to cede the file to the black queen, otherwise I cannot see how I couldn't have played it 22.Rxh7 Qxh7 23.0–0–0 0–0–0 Where black is clearly better] 22.Rh8+ Rg8 23.Rh4 [23.Rxg8+ Qxg8 was also ok for white] 23...0–0–0 24.0–0–0 Rh8 25.Rdh1 Qg7 [F plays 25...Rxh4 26.Rxh4 Rg8 but I was reluctant to give the h file up completely] 26.Bg5 Rxh4?! [apparently black should have played 26...Rdg8 27.Kc2 Rxh4 28.gxh4 This is identical to the position in the notes to move 27.gxh4 though apart from the white king and black rook position, so doesn't looks like it makes much difference, but F gives evaluation equal instead of about half a pawn to white 28...Qg6 without the rook on g8 white could play h5, so this is probably the reason (if h5 now, QxB)] 27.Bxh4?! this looks visibly incorrect compared to gxh4; the bishop is in a far less desirable position on h4 than on b5. F now gives black the advantage. [27.gxh4 is the best] 27...Rg8 A little illogical since the g file will always be impenetrable so the rook on h8 has more potential [27...Rh8] 28.Rf1 A inexplicable move to me, although there's nothing wrong with it really, it appears white is just making a waiting move [28.Qf4 maybe make a little more sense positionally] 28...a6 I can't remember exactly why I played this but it isn't bad [F suggests 28...b6 ] 29.a4 playing on the queenside is logical enough, since no progress can be made on the kingside, however with a positional disadvantage it may be unwise for white to open the position and he should perhaps be content with making waiting moves and waiting to see if black does anything 29...Kb8 30.Kb1 By this point I was happy I had increased the safety of my king with a6 and Kb8, so now I was looking for a way to advantageously open the position 30...Qg6 [F suggests 30...Qc7 but this seems slightly planless, e.g. 31.Rh1 Rh8 32.Ka2 Ka8 33.b3 Ka7 34.Kb2] 31.Rf4 this isn't a blunder [F isn't afraid of the revealed check and suggests 31.b3 and if black proceeds with this is it actually harmless and improves the position for white by improving the bishop 31...f4+?! (31...Rh8) 32.Kb2 fxg3 33.Bxg3 Nh6 34.Bf4 Nf5 F says this is equal; now white's bishop is not a bad piece like before] 31...Rh8 32.Qe2 Ka8 while no pawn moves are made, not a lot is changing in the position and time is not crucial 33.b4 A sign that things are going to get more interesting 33...Qe8 not a bad move, preparing the idea of c5. I naturally want to find a plan to proceed in the game as I have a slight positional advantage due to the better minor piece [F suggests the planless 33...Kb8 but I still want to play chess] 34.Kb2?! white should have prevented c5 by playing a5 according to Fritz [34.a5 it is doubtful how the position cannot be a draw now; I suppose black could try a long knight maneuvre like Ng4-h6-g8-e7-c8-a7-b5, but it's hard to see how this can lead to advantageously opening the position for black anyway.] 34...c5! a decent attempt at upsetting the balance and giving winning chances 35.dxc5 [35.bxc5 is similar but may be worse according to F, e.g. 35...Qxa4 36.Qc2 Qxc2+ 37.Kxc2 Ne3+ 38.Kb2 Nc4+ black has a much superior minor piece and should be able to find a plan to use this positional advantage. The following is an example line 39.Kc2 Rb8 preparing b6 40.Rf2 b6 41.cxb6 Rxb6 42.Kd3 black is dominating the positon and has the plan of threatening to queen the a pawn] 35...Qxa4 36.Rf1?? overlooking a crushing move from white [36.Rd4 was the best defence] 36...d4 after I played this move Joe offered me a draw, which I declined (a few moves earlier I had offered him a draw; perhaps I was unsure how to proceed and wanted some points on the table after losing my first two games of the day [this was the 3rd game on day two of the Hampshire Open, so I likely offered it earlier when I was in a technically slightly better endgame because I was tired and wanted to go home]). I could smell blood here but was unable to find the critical move; I believe we were both near the end of our time limits before the 40 move time control. 37.Qd3?! I was sure there was something strong here, but I was nearing critical time trouble and had to make a decision quickly (from what I recall) and although I could see dxc3+ was harmless enough I could find anything better in time that I could be sure of, (again I would hope to see Ne3 normally but after three long chess games at the end of a very long day and with time trouble, I can understand the likely reasons why I didn't see it, although I arguably should have despite time trouble and being tired as they are just excuses. [F says this is the best: 37.Rf4 but is still horrible for white 37...dxc3+ 38.Kxc3 Qa3+ 39.Kd2 Qa2+ 40.Kd3 Qb3+ 41.Kd2 Qb2+ 42.Kd1 Qa1+ Supporting Nxe5 43.Kc2 Nxe5] 37...dxc3+? missing the critical move and now white is safe from immediate slaughter again, although Fritz still gives black about a half pawn advantage [37...Ne3! 38.Rb1 dxc3+ 39.Kxc3 Qa2 40.Qxe3 (e.g. if 40.Bg5 Nd5+ is crushing 41.Kd4 (forced, unless white wanted to give up the queen), now the rook comes into play 41...Rg8 (41...Rh3; 41...Rh1) 42.Bc1 (e.g. 42.Bf4 leads to forced mate 42...Rd8 43.Bg5 b5 44.cxb6 Qf2+ 45.Kc4 Nxb6+ 46.Kc3 Na4+ (46...Rxd3+ obviously wins easily too) 47.Kc4 Rd4+ 48.Kb3 (48.Qxd4 Qc2+ 49.Qc3 Qxc3#) 48...Rxd3+ 49.Kxa4 Qa2#) 42...Rd8 is forced mate, the same variation as above) 40...Qxb1] 38.Qxc3 so here we go again; things are pretty much equal although black may have a slight positional advantage 38...Qb5 [38...Qd7 probably better] 39.Rd1 Nf2 F agrees with this move [39...Qe2+ may be worth a try trying to win and retain a pawn, e.g. 40.Rd2 Qxe5 41.Qxe5 Nxe5 42.Re2 Nc6 43.Rxe6 Nxb4 44.Kb3 Nc6] 40.Rd4 more or less forced 40...Ne4 there weren't any much better moves 41.Qd3 good move opposing black's queen 41...Qxd3 [41...Qa4 white can force a perpetual if he wants to 42.Rd8+ Rxd8 43.Qxd8+ Ka7 44.Qb6+ Ka8 45.Qd8+] 42.Rxd3 Rg8 43.Kb3 Not the best according to Fritz, giving black a slight edge [43.Rd7 e.g. 43...a5 (if 43...Nxg3 44.Bxg3 Rxg3 45.Re7 Rg6 46.Ka3 F says this is a draw) 44.bxa5 Nxc5 45.Rd4 Ne4 46.Rd3] 43...a5 F doesn't like this, giving evaluation as a draw [43...Kb8 e.g. 44.Ka4 Kc7 45.Ka5 Rf8 46.Be7 Re8 47.Bh4 Rh8 48.Ka4 it still remains to be seen how black will proceed] 44.Ka4 axb4 45.Kxb4 I was starting to get concerned about my king having trouble in the corner with the white rook coming to the a file and the bishop potentially going e7-d6 45...Rc8 [45...Rg7 the right move apparaently 46.Rd8+ Ka7 47.Rd4 Kb8 48.Kb5 Rc7 49.Rc4] 46.Be7 I was struggling to see what to do here and felt I was now worse and in danger. 46...Rc6?? I was clearly not sure if it was sound to play b6 and may have thought I would be a pawn down and possibly lose [the correct (only, as far as I can see) move is 46...b6 47.cxb6 Kb7 white cannot make anything of the extra pawn 48.Ka5 a) 48.Kb5 Nc3+ 49.Kb4 (49.Ka5 Nd5 50.Kb5) 49...Nd5+ 50.Kb5 Nc3+; b) 48.Bd8 Rc1 49.Rd7+ Kc8 50.Rc7+ Rxc7 51.Bxc7 (51.bxc7 it may look iffy for black at first sight, but actually this is a draw 51...Nxg3 52.Kc5 Ne4+ 53.Kd4 Nd2 54.Kc5 Ne4+ white can do absolutely nothing to support the promotion of the pawn as the black king controls both b7 and d7. Maybe here white can try walking all the way around to the d3 pawn via the h file, but no doubt this does not work, e.g. 55.Kd4 Nd2 56.Ke3? Nb3 57.Kf4 Nd4 58.Kg5? Nb5 59.Kf6?? Nxc7 60.Bxc7 Kxc7 61.Kg5 - + (obviously if 61.Kxe6 the black pawn queens, and white cannot queen his in time 61...f4 62.Kf7 f3 63.e6 f2 64.e7 f1Q+) 61...Kc6 62.Kf6 Kd5 63.Kg5 Kxe5) 51...Kb7 52.Kc4 Kc6 in fact here Fritz thinks black may have winning chances 53.Bd6 Kxb6 54.Ba3 Nxg3; 48...Kc6 49.Rd8 Rxd8 50.Bxd8 Kb7 51.Bh4 Nd2 52.Kb5 Ne4 53.Be7 (53.Ka5 Nd2 54.Be7 Ne4 55.Bh4 repeating moves) 53...Nxg3; 46...Kb8 is bad but not as bad as Rc6 47.Bd6+ Nxd6 forced or mate on the next move 48.exd6 looking dire for black, but with inaccurate play by white black may be able to play for a draw; 46...Ka7?? just as bad as the game move 47.Kb5 Rc6 48.Ra3+ Kb8 (48...Ra6 49.Rxa6+ bxa6+ 50.Kc6 Nd2 51.Kd7 Nc4 52.Bd6 Kb7 53.c6+ + -) 49.Bd6+ Rc7 (49...Kc8 50.Ra8+ Kd7 51.Rb8 Rc7 (51...Nxd6+ 52.exd6 Rc8 53.Rxb7+ Kd8 54.c6 e5 55.Rh7 mate or gross loss of material) 52.Bxc7 Kxc7 53.Rg8 should be an easy win for white) 50.Bxc7+ (or maybe even better 50.Re3 Kc8 51.Bxc7 Kxc7) 50...Kxc7] 47.Bd6? letting black off the hook; there was a win but this allows a draw [47.Rd8+ Ka7 48.Bd6 Ra6 (48...b6? 49.Kb5 e.g. 49...Rxc5+ 50.Bxc5 bxc5 51.Re8 Nxg3 52.Rxe6 Kb7 53.Re7+ Kc8 54.Kxc5 Ne4+ 55.Kd5 this should be an easy win for white objectively) 49.Bb8+ Ka8 50.Re8 Rc6 51.Bc7+ Ka7 52.Bb6+ Rxb6+ (52...Ka6 53.Ra8#) 53.cxb6+ Kxb6 54.Rxe6+ + -] 47...b6 my primitive brain can see it this time, due to the opportunity to immediately recapture : ) 48.cxb6 Rxb6+ 49.Ka5? [49.Kc4 Kb7 Fritz says this is drawn] 49...Kb7 We agreed a draw here, finally after a long game with some twists and turns; (and after both players had offered a draw twice at various points in the game, all but the last one declined obviously). Fritz actually gives black half a pawn now, although by now I was just happy to have not lost the game. I feel that I did quite well out of the opening and had a positional advantage, and did well to open the position and creating chances, but failed to strike when there was a killing blow and then got into difficulty towards the end of the endgame, so a pretty anoying game but good training none the less. DRAW AGREED. E.g. Fritz gives: 50.Rd4 Nc3 51.Rb4 Rxb4 52.Bxb4 Ne2 53.Kb5 Nxg3 54.Bd2 Ne4 55.Bh6 Nc3+ 56.Kc5 Kc7 57.Kd4 Nd5 58.Bc1 Kc6 59.Bh6 black can try and play on for a win but it's unclear how ½–½
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