GAME 012 - VS P. Barson, Emsworth Rapidplay

Davies,Edward - Barson,P
Emsworth Rapidplay 30 0,
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 . [The main line is: 5...Bb4 6.Bd2 0–0 7.0–0–0 Re8 8.Qg3] 6.Bd2 Be7 7.h3 Over-cautious according to Fritz. Apparently longside castling is ok here. After investigating Fritz's initial move 0–0–0 further, I am doubtful of it being safe, and still prefer h3. A subsequent suggestion of Nf3 is made however, and I'll have a look at this. [7.0–0–0 0–0 (I was worried about variations involving: 7...Ng4 usually with the bishops setup as they are, I have had trouble when allowing black the g4 square in these sorts of positions. 8.Qg3?? This was my concern, and is indeed wrong, but there is a playable move: Qf4 (8.Qf4 0–0 a) One potentially worrying variation: 8...g5 9.Qg3 h5 threatening to further harass the white queen 10.Nd5 Bf6 (10...h4 11.Qc3 Rg8 12.Nh3 white has navigated out of the threats advantageously) ; b) 8...h6 with a strong threat of Bg5 9.Kb1 a good double barrel move, removing thematic threats and improving the king position b1) 9.Nf3? this is wrong 9...Nxf2 10.Ne5 (10.Ng5 Bxg5 11.Qxf2 Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 Be6 again, white has nothing for the pawn) 10...Nxe5 11.Qxf2 0–0 white probably has nothing for the pawn objectively, though he can attempt an attack on the kingside; b2) 9.Bb5 after taking some time to think about it, Fritz changes its mind to this 9...0–0 10.Kb1 Nd4 11.Nh3 things don't look great for white; 9...Be6 I doubt white has compensation for the pawn; ) ) 8...Bh4 9.Qf4 Nxf2 –+) ) ; 7.Nf3 Ng4 (7...d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Qe4 Nf6 10.Qa4 0–0 11.0–0–0 this looks like a very interesting starting point for a game; 7...0–0 8.0–0–0 Be6 a quite typical position) 8.Qe2 0–0 9.0–0–0 this actually looks quite playable for white 9...Be6 10.h3 Nge5] 7...0–0 8.0–0–0 Re8 my opponent is playing good opening moves; I can see I am not playing a novice 9.f4? this is a mistake.. I wish to advance immediately on the kingside, but the analysis doesn't add up after my opponent's critical reply [9.Bc4 is the move given by Fritz. In the context of this game, this move is good for more than one reason: it is an active piece development, and importantly, it adds another defender against the d5 push. 9...a6 10.Nge2 a double-edge sicilian style battle begins 10...b5 11.Bd5 Bb7 12.Nd4] 9...d5! the key move. I can't fault my opponent so far in the opening. 10.exd5 at this point Fritz seems to have trouble deciding between Nx and the sharper Nb4. I'll look at the non-game continuation first. 10...Nxd5 [10...Nb4 11.Bc4 Bf5 12.Bb3 a5 13.a4 Nfxd5 14.Qf3 c6 Black has much better attacking chances than white I think] 11.Qf3 [11.Nxd5?! is no good 11...Qxd5 12.c4 e.g. (12.Qb3 Be6 13.Qxd5 Bxd5 and black has a great lead in development) 12...Qc5 13.Qxc5 Bxc5 14.g4 f5 15.Bd3 g6 (15...fxg4 also seems to be good for black 16.hxg4 Bxg4 17.Bxh7+ Kf7 18.Rf1) 16.gxf5 Bxf5 17.Bxf5 gxf5 18.Nf3 Re4 is good for black though maybe it will be hard to improve the position enough to win 19.b3 Rae8 20.Rhe1 a6 21.Kc2 Bf2 22.Rf1 Bb6 23.a3 h6] 11...Nxc3 [11...Be6 this move gives black the best chances 12.Nge2 Nxc3 13.Bxc3 (13.Nxc3?! this concedes the d4 square, and as a result: 13...Nd4 this knight is undoubtedly strong 14.Qf2 c5 15.Bd3 Bh4 16.g3 Bf6 after these example moves, Fritz still calls the position about equal) ] 12.Bxc3 Bd7 this doesn't look very encouraging for black. [12...Bd6 is preferred by Fritz 13.Qg3 f6 14.Nf3 Re4 15.Bd2 Nb4 16.Re1 Rxe1+ 17.Qxe1 c5 (naturally not 17...Nxa2+?? 18.Kb1) ] 13.Bc4 a natural developing move [F1: 13.Qg3 Bf8 (13...Bf6? 14.Rxd7) 14.Nf3 Qc8 white has the better attacking chances here] 13...Bb4?! This allows a tactical trick [F1: 13...Qc8 14.a3 Be6 15.Bd3] 14.Bxb4 [F1: 14.Qh5 Qe7 15.Qxf7+ Qxf7 16.Bxf7+ Kxf7 17.Rxd7+ Re7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe7 19.Ne2 Rd8 20.Bxb4+ Nxb4 21.Nc3 after a flurry of trades, white has an endgame with very good winning chances a pawn up.] 14...Nxb4 15.Qb3 attacking knight and f7. I recognised that there was a defence to this: Qe7, and I wasn't sure of the ramifications 15...a5? I think my opponent overlooked the threat to f7 altogether as he was visibly surprised at the following move [15...Qe7 this is the best move, but it allows a tradeoff just like the one previously given 16.Bxf7+ Qxf7 17.Qxf7+ Kxf7 18.Rxd7+ Kf6 19.a3 Na6 20.Nf3 Rad8 21.Rhd1 Rxd7 22.Rxd7 white naturally has a very promising endgame] 16.Bxf7+ Kh8 17.Bxe8?! I played this move without much hesitation. However I underestimated my opponent's chances of generating counterplay after this. [probably better was 17.Nf3 Re7 18.Ne5 with a very strong position for white. 18...Nc6 19.Nxd7 Rxd7 of course the computer now snaps up the b7 pawn without hesitation. 20.Qxb7 Nd4 21.Qe4 c5 22.Bc4 Re7 23.Qd3 Qb6 24.Rhe1 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Rb8 26.Qc3 a4 27.a3 Qf6 28.g3 Qf5 29.h4 Qc8 30.Re5 Qc6 31.Kb1 Qh1+ 32.Qe1 Qxe1+ 33.Rxe1 Nf5 34.Re5 white should win easily] 17...Qxe8 18.Nf3 Be6 I wasn't at all happy when this move was played. [F1: 18...Ba4 fritz 'recommends' returning the exchange but with an extra pawn in the endgame 19.Rhe1 Qxe1 20.Nxe1 Bxb3 21.axb3 white has very good winning chances] 19.Qe3? I accepted that there would be complications (and risks) and walked into them. This move is not so great though. [19.Qa3 this is the move I kept looking at though didn't like for some reason.. it is clearly a solid move and less risky than the alternatives] 19...Qg6 missing the good opportunity of Nxa2, which I believe I expected [F1: 19...Nxa2+ 20.Kb1 Nb4 21.b3 Qg6 (21...a4 black has a great bit of attacking initiative. The main point is how the black light squared bishop which black has instead of a rook is a very good attacker. All black pieces can be used in the attack and it is not nice for white.) ] 20.Nd4 covering the mate threat [Fritz prefers 20.Qc5 ] 20...Bxa2 Fritz first suggests 20..Re8 then 20..Nxa2, but eventually agrees with my opponent: 20..Bxa2 21.f5 neither player has a lot of time left (though neither is in critical time trouble) and we are not going to get close to analysing the position thoroughly. I play this to cut off the queen's attack down the diagonal, to make e6 an outpost for my knight, and to offer the g2 pawn to the black queen. All this I do to try and shift the initiative a bit and get some decent counterplay. Also, as I have the material advantage, I can opt to give away some material in the process without risk. [at first Fritz suggests: 21.Qe5 but changes its mind to my move 21.f5 .. now both me and my opponent have outsmarted the computer ; ) (at least for the first couple of seconds of its analysis)] 21...Qxg2? My opponent takes the bait. According to Fritz, the evalation shifts from two pawns in white's favour to about 3 1/2 [F1: 21...Nd5 e.g. 22.Qa3 Qh6+ 23.Rd2 Bc4 24.Ne6 things have calmed down considerably and white has a much better position] 22.Rhg1 the complications are now very interesting 22...Qd5? the evaluation drops dramatically, but I only give this one ? because of the complexity of the position, the lack of time both players have, the lack of obviousness of the refutation, and the fact that I didn't refute it [F1: 22...Qh2 23.f6 g6 24.Rxg6 Nd5 (24...hxg6 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Qg7#) 25.Qh6 Qf4+ 26.Qxf4 Nxf4 27.Rg7 Nd5 white has a much better endgame] 23.Qg5? [23.Rxg7! this objectively anihilates black 23...Rg8 24.Rxc7 Rg7 (24...Qd6 25.Ne6 Qxc7 (25...Qa6 26.Qd4+ Rg7 27.Qxg7#) 26.Nxc7 Nd3+ 27.Rxd3 Rg7 28.Rd8+ Bg8 29.Qe5 a4 30.Ne6 a3 31.Qxg7#) 25.Rxg7 Qd6 (25...Kxg7 26.Ne6+ (or even better 26.Qe7+ Kh6 (26...Kh8 27.Qf6+ Kg8 28.Rg1+ Qg2 29.Rxg2#) 27.Rg1 Qg2 28.Rxg2 Nd3+ 29.cxd3 Bf7 30.Qg5#) ) 26.Rdg1 Nd3+ 27.cxd3 Qc5+ 28.Kd1 Qd6 29.Qe8+ Qf8 30.Qxf8+ Bg8 31.Qxg8# (31.Rxg8#) ] 23...g6? this is surely the end [F1: 23...Qg8 24.Ne6 Bxe6 25.fxe6 +-] 24.Qf6+ Kg8 25.Rxg6+! the ! is slightly biased, as Fritz doesn't like this move. However, the evaluation is still hugely in white's favour (13 pawns instead of 20) so it is more a matter of taste than anything, and I was happy to rip open the position with this rook sacrifice. I had calculated the possibilities to a few moves and was satisfied enough that it worked. [there is a forced mate in this position: 25.Ne6 Qxe6 only way to parry Qg7# threat 26.fxe6 Bxe6 27.Qxe6+ Kh8 28.Qe5+ Kg8 29.Rd7 Nd3+ 30.cxd3 Rf8 31.Qg7#] 25...hxg6 forced 26.Qxg6+ Kf8 [26...Kh8 27.Rg1 Nd3+ 28.Kd2 Qf7 29.Qh6+ Qh7 30.Qf6+ Qg7 31.Qxg7#] 27.Ne6+ Ke7 28.Rxd5? Although this still wins easily, I'm not happy with it as black has a rook and piece for the queen so in principle is not so far different in force [28.Qg7+ much neater 28...Ke8 (28...Kd6 29.Qxc7#) 29.Nxc7+ Kd8 30.Nxd5 Bxd5 31.Qf8+ Kc7 32.Qxa8] 28...Bxd5 [after 28...Nxd5 although winning by a mile, white still has a technical task to do, and this takes some of the joy out of the rook sacrifice] 29.Qg7+ Now it is a forced mate 29...Kd6 [29...Ke8 more tenacious 30.f6! nice move, creating the mate threat on e7 30...Na2+ 31.Kb1 Nc3+ 32.Ka1 (32.bxc3 Ba2+ 33.Kxa2 b5 34.Qe7# takes 1 more move : )) 32...Bxe6 33.Qe7#] 30.Qxc7# 1–0

GAME 011 - VS Gary List - Rapid 30 0

Gary List - Edward Davies
Portsmouth Chess Club Summer Rapid, 25.07.2007

My opponent plays a sacrificial opening to suit his attacking style. It is my job to defend the position correctly.

1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 [A popular line is 3...Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 after which there are two main moves 5...e6 (5...Nf6) 6.d3 (6.d4 Nf6 7.Bd3) 6...Nf6 (6...Nd7) 7.Bd2 (7.a3) ] 4.Nxe4 Bf5 I was out of book and played this after some thought, realising it may transpose into or continue in a similar way to the classical. 5.Bc4? This attack is unsound. It may be able to trip up some opponents though. DIAGRAM A [5.Ng3 Bg4 (5...Bg6 6.d4 Transposing back into a classical main line, e.g. 6...Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3) 6.Bc4 e6 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nf6 This looks solid enough for black.] 5...Bxe4 6.Ng5? This is not the way to justify white's sacrifice. At this point Fritz gives a -3 pawn evaluation. [The only critical try to justify white's sacrifice. 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Ng5+ Ke8 8.Nxe4 Nf6 9.f3 e5 10.0–0 Kd7 Black must priotise moving his king to safety artificially. 11.d4 Kc7 12.Be3 Qd5 13.dxe5 Qxe5 14.Bd4 Qf4 The black rooks are still completely out of the game and blocked in by minor pieces, however white does not seem to have many threats at his disposal with the attacking force on the board. 15.Qe2 Nbd7 16.Rad1 Re8 17.Bxa7 Bc5+! 18.Bxc5 Nxc5 Black now looks to be totally comfortable and can look forward to a winning endgame. 19.Qc4 Ncxe4 20.Rde1 Qf5 21.fxe4 Rxe4 22.Rxf5 Rxc4 23.Re7+ Kc8 24.c3 Rg4 25.h3 Rg6 26.c4 Re8 27.Rxe8+ Nxe8 28.Rf7 Nd6 29.Rf8+ Kd7 30.c5 Ne4 31.b4 Re6 32.a3 Nc3 33.g3 Re2 34.Kf1 –+] 6...Bd5 7.Bb3 [7.Qe2 is no better 7...Bxc4 8.Qxc4 Qd5] 7...Bxb3 Keeping it simple and looking forward to what should be an easy game. [F1: 7...Qa5 8.c3! Nd7 (if 8...Bxb3 9.Qxb3 Qe5+ (not 9...Qxg5 10.Qxb7 which gives white unnecessary counterplay 10...Qe5+ 11.Kd1 e6 12.Qxa8 Qh5+ 13.f3 Bd6 14.Qxa7 Nf6 15.Qd4 Bc7 16.Kc2 0–0 Black's task is a lot harder than it should have been.) 10.Kd1) ] 8.axb3 Nf6 [or 8...e6 ] 9.d3 [F1: 9.0–0 e6 10.d3 Bd6 11.Ne4 Be5 12.Qe2 0–0 13.c3 Nbd7 14.f4 Bc7 15.Rf3 Nxe4 16.dxe4 Bb6+ 17.Be3 Bxe3+ 18.Rxe3 Black's position is flawless and he has a happy technical task ahead of him. DIAGRAM B] 9...e6 10.c3 [F1: 10.0–0 ] 10...Be7 11.0–0 0–0 12.d4 [F1: 12.Be3 ] 12...Nbd7 [F1: 12...Qc7 13.b4 Nbd7 14.Qc2 a6 15.f4 Rfe8 16.Bd2 Rad8 17.b3 Qd6 18.Nf3 Qd5 19.Qd1 Qf5 20.Ra5 Qd3 21.Ne1 Qg6 22.Rg5 Qe4 23.Rg3 h6 24.Nd3 Qf5 25.Re3 Nb6 26.Rff3 Ne4 27.Qe1 Nxd2 28.Qxd2 Bf6 29.Nc5 Nd5 30.Re5 Bxe5 31.fxe5 Qb1+ 32.Rf1 Qg6 33.Nxb7 Rb8 34.Nc5 Qg5 35.Qe1 Nf4 36.g3 Nd5 37.Qf2 Re7 38.Ne4 Qg4 39.Re1 Rd7 40.Kh1 Rbd8 41.Qg2 Qh5 42.Rf1 Ne3 43.Qf3 Qxf3+ 44.Rxf3 Nd5 45.h3 Ra7 46.Kg2 Kf8 47.Kf2 Ke7 48.Ke2 f6 49.Nd6 Rad7 50.Nc4 Rf8 51.Kd2 Rdd8 52.Na5 Rc8] 13.Qc2 [F1: 13.f4 a5 14.Qc2 c5 15.f5 exf5 16.Rxf5 cxd4 17.cxd4 Rc8 18.Qf2 Bb4 Black shouldn't have any problem defending any suicidal attack from white.] 13...h6 [F1: 13...c5 14.Be3 cxd4 15.Bxd4 Qc7 16.Ra4 b5] 14.Nf3 c5 [F1: 14...Qc7 ] 15.Be3 [15.dxc5 Nxc5 16.Rd1 Qc7 17.b4 Nce4] 15...Qc7 16.Qe2 [F1: 16.Rfd1 Rfd8 17.Qe2 Nd5] 16...Nd5 [or F1: 16...Rfd8 ] 17.Bxh6? An unsound sacrifice. An attempt to complicate the position to create swindling opportunities. It is at the cost of another couple of pawns in evaluation objectively. [17.Bd2 cxd4 18.Nxd4] 17...gxh6 18.Qd2 Qf4! 19.Qd3 Qf5 Trying to keep things simple. [19...Qg4! threatening Nf4 threatening NxQ and Qxg2# 20.Rfd1] 20.Qb5 [20.Qxf5 exf5 21.Rad1 Rfd8 22.dxc5 Nxc5 23.Nd4 Bg5] 20...N5b6 21.Rad1 [F1: 21.Rfe1 a6 22.Qe2 Nd5 23.Ne5 Rfd8 24.Rad1 cxd4 25.Ng4 Kg7 26.Rxd4 N7f6 27.g3 Bc5] 21...cxd4 [21...Rfd8 22.Rfe1 Qc2 23.Rd2 Qg6 24.d5 Kh8 25.dxe6 fxe6 26.Rde2 Rg8 27.g3 Rae8 28.Qa5 Qf5] 22.Qe2 dxc3 23.bxc3 Rfd8 24.Nd4 Qg6 [F1: 24...Qf6 ] 25.Qf3 [25.Rd3 Kh8 26.Rg3 Qh7 27.f4 Rg8 28.Rh3 Nd5 29.Qf3 Bc5 30.Rh4 Qg7 31.Qh3 Kh7 32.Kh1 Ne3 33.Rxh6+ Qxh6 34.Qxe3 Nf6 35.Rf3 Rg4 36.g3 (36.Rh3 Rh4) 36...Rd8 37.Qe5 Bb6 38.Kg2 a5 39.Qb5 Nd5 40.h3 Rg7 41.Qf1 Nxc3 42.Qd3+ Kg8 43.Qxc3 Rxd4 44.Qc8+ Rd8 45.Qc1] 25...Ne5 26.Qxb7 Rd7 DIAGRAM C 27.Qa6 Rxd4 28.Rxd4 Nf3+ 29.Kh1 Nxd4 30.Qb7 Nf5 0–1

GAME 010 - VS Dominic Tunks 10th January 2007

Edward Davies - Dominic Tunks

Rapid 30 0 , 10.01.2007

1.e4 d6 2.Nf3 I adopted a king's indian attack setup, having started researching it at the time and knowing it was playable against the pirc. In retrospect, Nc3 would have benefitted me more in terms of a possible transposition into a closed sicilian, which is quite likely against a pirc. Nf3 is less flexible in the case of a closed sicilian transposition, but on the other hand it speeds up kingside castling possibilities and is can accompany other moves than just a robotic king's indian attack setup, such as a d4 push. To reach the main lines here, d4 would be the usual move. [2.Nc3; 2.d4] 2...Nf6 A rare move, perhaps because an f5 push is built up to in some lines. [2...c5 is naturally the most common accoring to Fritz due to it being a mainline sicilian. However I am not sure if a pirc player would choose the sicilian and is more likely to continue with 'pirc moves'. This move is the reason I was unwise to play 2.Nf3 and not 2.Nc3.; 2...e5 This is the next most popular move, which is somewhat surprising to me as it is the generally admonished Philidor's defence.; 2...g6; 2...Nc6 is the more common knight move for black. e.g.: 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bg4 5.Be3] 3.d3 As I mentioned, I decided to try the KIA. There are no games in the Fritz 10 opening book with this position so we are in a rare position already. [I could still have tried to tranpose into a closed sicilian with 3.Nc3 which is a decent move here 3...c5 (3...g6 4.d4 Main lines of pirc.) ] 3...Nc6 4.g3 It is a quite weak to robotically begin a KIA setup here. [A good move is 4.Nc3 Bg4 and Fritz recommends: 5.d4] 4...Bg4 This may not be the most critical reply to white's relatively poor opening play. [4...e5 This may be the real reason g3 is quite poor. Positionally, the fianchettoed bishop on g2 will have it's long diagonal totally block with the black pawn bolstered on e5.] 5.Bg2 Qd7 This lokos like a good and logical plan, also flexible in allowing queenside castling immediately if wanted. 6.Be3 Bh3 Fritz assesses that this makes the position equal again, instead of slightly better for black. [F1: 6...d5 e.g. 7.h3 Bh5 8.e5 (8.exd5 Nxd5 9.0–0 Nxe3 10.fxe3 0–0–0 Things don't look great for white. In this case it's probably better to be a pawn down with some compensation than just in a worse position with material balance.) 8...Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nxe5 10.Qe2 d4 11.Bd2 white probably does not have full compensation for the pawn.] 7.Bxh3 Qxh3 This is objectively no problem for white. I felt a bit uncomfortable though. Fritz prefers Nc3, as do I looking at the game now, as it prepares castling Queenside just like the queen move, though it is probably less potentially problematic to commit the knight. 8.Qe2 Qe2 isn't a bad move though. One reason I have realised that it may be weaker than Nc3 is the d5 square control of Nc3, or rather the protection again the d5 push that comes. [8.Nc3] 8...d5 Good move. 9.Nbd2 h6?! This looks odd to me. Perhaps the g5 square was the main part of Dominic's decision to play this, however I don't think Ng5 was top of my list of priorities here. [F1: 9...e5 10.0–0–0 0–0–0 (10...d4 11.Bg5 Nd7 12.Nb3 Quite an interesting pawn structure.) 11.d4] 10.0–0–0 [F1: 10.Nd4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 0–0–0 12.e5!? Nd7 13.Nb3] 10...e5? A definite mistake according to Fritz. [F1: 10...0–0–0 e.g. 11.Nb3 e5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.c3 (13.Bd2 avoiding trade of bishop is not very good accoring to Fritz 13...Bd6) ] 11.exd5 correct 11...Nxd5 12.Nc4 Here I missed a chance. [12.Nxe5! The tactical sequence is fairly complicated and leads to a positional evaluation of the resulting position. 12...Nxe5 13.Bd4 f6 14.f4 Nxf4 15.gxf4 0–0–0 16.Bxe5 fxe5 17.fxe5 Fritz says that white has a 1.25 advantage here, which is a little tough for me to understand. White definitely has a slight lead in development, but black isn't far behind. And although white has a passed pawn in the middle, it surely won't be easy to cause a lot of trouble with it, and in black's favour is the 2 to 1 pawn majority on the kingside, which I always assumed was very good for black. I have no doubt that Fritz considers white's passed pawn the most significant factor in the position, and that white can cause such havoc with this in the middlegame that black's possible future endgame advantage of a pawn majority will be irrelevant. I'll give an example line given by Fritz. 17...Qe6 18.Nb3 Be7 19.d4 Rhe8 20.Rhe1 focussing solely on the passed pawn 20...g5 already pushing forward its queenside pawns 21.Qb5 c6 22.Qa4 Kb8 23.Rf1 Qh3 24.Rh1 g4 25.Kb1 Rf8 26.Qc4 Rd5 27.Rdf1 Rf3 28.Rxf3 Qxf3 29.Qf1 a5 30.a4 Qe4 31.Qe1 Qxe1+ 32.Rxe1 Rd8 33.Rf1 b6 34.Rf7 Bg5 35.c3 FIGURE B] 12...Qe6 13.Bd2 Nb6 14.Nfxe5 Nxc4 15.dxc4 Nxe5 16.Bf4? Sadly this basically loses the game. The game was still level with 15..Rhe1, but I didn't play correctly in the complex situation. [16.Rhe1 Figure A 16...Bd6 17.f4 0–0–0 (black can't move the knight, e.g: 17...Nc6 18.Qd3) 18.fxe5 Be7 19.Be3 Rxd1+ 20.Rxd1 Qxe5 21.Rd5 Qe6 22.Qf2 Re8 the position looks balanced, although black's pawn structures offer better chances in an endgame than white's.] 16...Nd7 The best move according to Fritz. 17.Qf3 Avoiding an exchange of queens. However, this is an inferior move according to Fritz. [F1: 17.Qxe6+ fxe6 18.Rhe1 0–0–0 19.Rxe6 Bc5 20.Rg6 Rh7 21.f3 Nf8 22.Rg4 Ne6 23.Bd2 Black has to use some technique; it is not exactly the most trivial technical win, but he should none the less have no troubles.] 17...0–0–0 18.Rhe1 Qxc4 Probably overlooking the following threatening tactics. [F1: 18...Qf6 This move takes any sting out of white's threats. 19.Rxd7 Rxd7 20.Re8+ Rd8 21.Qg4+ Kb8 e.g. 22.Be5 Rxe8 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.c3 Re1+ 25.Kc2 (25.Kd2?! Ra1) 25...Be7 26.Qg7 Re2+!? 27.Kd1 Re8 28.Qxf7 (obviously not 28.Kxe2?? Bf8+) 28...Bd8 Figure C. Fritz gives 2.2 pawns to black in this position; i.e. a technical win. It may take some converting against a tenacious opponent though, so it would be interesting to analyse this endgame.] 19.Rxd7 Dominic didn't look too happy when I played this. It doesn't objectively amount to anything for white, but maybe it gives black a bit of a scare to have his king march out in front of his pawns. 19...Kxd7 [The point being: 19...Rxd7? 20.Re8+ Rd8 21.Qg4+ Qe6 (21...Kb8 22.Rxd8#) 22.Rxe6 fxe6 23.Qxe6+ Kb8 Figure D. This is another endgame position where Fritz gives black a 2 pawn advantage, but which looks like it may take some doing.] 20.Qg4+ I liked the fact that this forced black's king in further forwards, and thought I may get some sort of chance, (this was near the end of a rapid game without much time on either clock, and willing my opponent to play fast.) Objectively there are no good moves for white at this point. 20...Kc6 That's about all white has to say. There are no more resources. The final moves went: 21.b3 Qc3 22.Re6+ fxe6 23.Qxe6+ Bd6 24.Qe4+ Kb6 25.Be3+ Bc5 26.Qe6+ Rd6 0–1

GAME 009 - vs Paul Eyles 3rd January 2007

Edward Davies vs Paul Eyles
Portsmouth C vs Portsmouth B - Board 1 - 3rd January 2007








1.e4 e5 2.d4 I had employed this with success before against Paul in rapid/blitz games, and had not yet studied the Ruy Lopez enough to employ it, so I went in for my pet Centre Game. 2...exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 b6 From practical experience and analysis, I believe this plan is harmless, and white has well placed pieces, including the Queen on g3. 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Qg3 Targeting g7 and leading to easy development with threats, e.g. Bf4 & Nd5. 6...g6 Intuitively obvious, but black immediately has a losing position. [Apparently the only good defence is 6...Nf6 after which 7.Bg5 ((not 7.Qxg7 Rg8 8.Qh6 Bxf2+ 9.Kd1 ([ 9.Kxf2?? Ng4+–+ ]) 9...Rg6 10.Qd2 Bc5 and Fritz is salivating at black's position. His pieces are better placed and developed, and white's king is precariously stuck in the middle.) 7...h6 8.Be3 (Maybe an alternative: 8.Bf4 Nh5 9.Qg4 g6 10.Bd2 d6 11.Qe2 Nd4 12.Qd3 This position is quite good for white.) 8...Bxe3 9.Qxe3 (fritz prefers this pawn capture 9.fxe3 e.g. 9...Nh5 10.Qf3 Qh4+ 11.g3 Qg5 12.Nd5 Qe5 13.0–0–0 Nf6 14.Bh3 Ne7 15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 16.Qxf6 gxf6 white can threaten these doubled pawns at the end of a half open file. He has the same problem with d3 and d4, but we shall see... 17.Ne2 h5 18.Rhf1 h4 19.g4 Ba6 20.Kd2 Rh6 21.Rf4 Bb7 22.Nc3 d6 23.Rdf1 a6 24.Rxf6 Rh7) 9...Qe7 10.0–0–0 0–0 And white's position is better, but black is still ok.] 7.Bg5 This is a strong move, but no the best. [7.Nd5 is the best move. e.g.: 7...Bd6 8.Bf4 Bxf4 9.Qxf4 d6 10.Qe3 Qd7 11.Qc3 f6 12.b4 Rb8 13.Nf3 Bb7 14.0–0–0 a6 15.b5 Na7 16.Nxc7+ Kf8 17.Nd4 Rc8 18.Nce6+ Ke7 19.Qg3 Bxe4 20.Re1 d5 21.Qh3 Qd6 22.f3 Bxc2 23.Nxc2 Kf7 24.bxa6 Qa3+ 25.Kb1 Rxc2 26.Kxc2 Ne7 27.Bd3 Nac6 28.Kd2 Ne5 29.f4 Qxa2+ 30.Kd1 Nxd3 31.Qxd3 Ra8 32.Qh3 Qa4+ 33.Ke2 Kg8 34.Kf2 b5 35.Qc3 Qxa6 36.Qxf6 Nf5 37.g4 Qa7+ 38.Kg2 Qe7 39.Qxe7 Ra2+ 40.Kh3 Nxe7 41.Nd4+-] 7...f6 The only tenable move. [After 7...Be7 white has a raging attack: 8.Nd5 Bxg5 9.Nxc7+ Kf8 10.Nxa8 d5 11.Nf3 Bh6 12.Bb5 Bb7 13.Nc7 dxe4 14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.Rd1 Qe7 16.Nd4 Ba4 17.Nd5 Qc5 18.Qb8+ Be8 19.Nc7 Qa5+ 20.c3 Nf6 21.Qd8 Qe5 22.Nc6 Qf5 23.Nxe8 Nxe8 24.Qxe8+ Kg7 (24...Kxe8 25.Rd8#) 25.Qd7 Qxd7 26.Rxd7; Unsurprisingly 7...Nf6 is poor: 8.0–0–0 Nh5 9.Qh4 f6 10.Bh6 Ne5 11.Be2 Rg8 12.Bd2 Be7 13.Bxh5 gxh5 14.Qxh5+ Nf7 15.Nf3 +-] 8.Bf4 [8.Be3 fritz is pulled between the game continuation and this move, but chooses this marginally. e.g.: 8...Bxe3 9.Qxe3 d6 10.0–0–0 Bg4 11.f3 Be6 12.Nd5 Qd7 13.Qc3 Bxd5 14.exd5 Nce7 15.Nh3 0–0–0 16.Ng5 Kb8 17.Bc4 Rf8 18.Rhe1 Qa4 19.Ne6 Rc8 20.Bb3 Qd7 21.Qb4 a6 22.c4+-] 8...d6 9.0–0–0 a6 Visibly weak. Clearly to prevent the ghost Nb5. Time must be spent on development instead. [9...Be6 10.Nd5 Qd7 11.Bb5 a5 (not 11...a6 12.Bxc6 Qxc6 13.b4 traps bishop 13...Bxb4 14.Nxb4 Qxe4 (14...Qb5 is harmless after 15.Qc3) ) 12.Ne2 0–0–0 13.Nd4 Bxd4 14.Rxd4 Kb8+- black is in a hideous tangle and is losing none-the-less; Better than the game, but still doomed: 9...Bb7 10.Be2 Nge7 11.Nh3 Ne5 12.Bh6 Rg8 13.Qf4 Qd7 14.Qxf6 0–0–0 15.f4 Be3+ 16.Kb1 Rge8 fritz opts for this super-complicated middlegame to fearlessly eke out as much advantage as possible 17.fxe5 Ng8 18.Qh4 Nxh6 19.exd6 cxd6 20.Rd3 Re6 21.Rxe3 Nf5 22.exf5 Rxe3 23.fxg6 Qe7 24.Qxe7 (24.Qg4+ fritz wants to continue with queens on the board, but I inject some sanity with a queen trade in this variation) 24...Rxe7 25.Re1 Kb8 26.Nf4 hxg6 27.Nxg6 Rg7 28.Nf4 Rh8 29.h3 Bxg2 30.Rg1 Rhg8 31.Rd1 Rg3 32.Nxg2 Rxg2 33.Bg4 (33.Rxd6 again fritz wants to go in for a continuation a human wouldn't touch with a barge pole, so I interject the obviously strong and practical Bg4) 33...Rf8 34.Rxd6 Rff2 35.Nd1 fritz demonstrates the win in its curiously tactical way 35...Rf1 (not 35...Rxc2 36.Rd8+ Kb7 (and certainly not 36...Kc7 37.Rc8+ Kd6 38.Rxc2) 37.Bf3+) 36.Kc1 Rh2 37.a3 b5 38.b3 Kc7 39.Rd7+ Kb6 40.Kb2 a5 41.Rd6+ Kb7 42.Ne3 and so on ... +-] 10.Bc4 g5 Nge7 was recommended. 11.Be3 Good, but fritz suggests a brilliant alternative: e5! [11.e5 fxe5 (not 11...gxf4 e.g. 12.Qg7 Qe7 13.Qxh8 Be6 14.exf6 Qf7 15.Bxe6 Qxe6 16.Qxh7 Nxf6 17.Qxc7 + -; 11...Nxe5 12.Bxe5 fxe5 13.Qf3 Nf6 14.Qxa8) 12.Bxg5 Bxf2 13.Bxd8 Bxg3 14.Bxc7 Bf4+ 15.Kb1 b5 16.Bd5 Nge7 17.Bxd6 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Bf5 19.Nc7+ + -] 11...Bxe3+ 12.Qxe3 Ne5 Fritz prefers to develop the other knight [12...Nge7] 13.Bd5 My plan here was that after f6, BxN RxB preventing KSK 13...c6 14.Bxg8 After this - the idea in my plan - fritz drops the evaluation from about 2 to about 1.1, and goes for 14.Bb3 instead. Apparently my strong bishop was worth more than preventing castling with this trade was worth. [e.g. 14.Bb3 b5 15.h4 g4 16.Qd2 Nf7 17.Bxf7+ Kxf7 18.Qf4 b4 19.Rxd6 Qa5 20.Nb1 Qe5 21.Qxe5 fxe5 22.Rxc6 Ne7 23.Rb6 a5 24.f3 Rg8 25.fxg4 Bxg4 26.Nf3 Bxf3 27.gxf3 Rg2 28.Nd2 Rc8 29.h5 Nc6 30.Rb7+ Kf6 White is two pawns up and should win easily + -] 14...Rxg8 15.Nge2 c5 According to fritz this is a blunder. [Fritz suggests: 15...b5 e.g. 16.Qd4 Bg4 17.h3 Be6 18.Ng3 Qe7 19.Qxd6 Qxd6 20.Rxd6 Ke7 21.Rhd1 Rad8 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Nf5+ Bxf5 24.Rxd8 Kxd8 25.exf5 An ending in which white should win, but black can fight on for a draw] 16.f3 A decent enough move, but not the strongest. [F1: 16.Nd5 Be6 17.Ng3 (g3 h5 f6) 17...Rg7 (17...Bxd5 18.Rxd5 Qc7 19.Qa3 Nc4 20.Qc3 Ne5 21.Nf5 0–0–0 22.Rhd1) 18.h4 gxh4 19.Rxh4 Bxd5 (19...Ng4 ends in disaster for black in this neat line 20.Qe2 Ne5 21.Nf5 Bxf5 22.exf5 threatening f4 22...Kf8 23.Nf4 the point 23...Kg8 24.Ne6) 20.exd5] 16...Be6 17.Nd5 Nc4 [F1: 17...Bxd5 18.Rxd5 Qd7 19.Qb3 threatening Rxd6 19...0–0–0 20.Qxb6 Qb5 21.Qxb5 axb5 now white's position plays itself 22.Ng3 Kc7 23.Rhd1 Ra8 24.Kb1 Nc4 25.Nf5 g4 26.Nxd6 Nxd6 27.Rxd6 gxf3 28.gxf3 the rook ending should be a simple win] 18.Qc3 Bxd5 [F1: 18...Ne5 19.Qb3 c4 20.Qa3 h5 21.Ne3] 19.Rxd5 Ne5 [Fritz prefers 19...b5 20.Rhd1 as in most of this game, black's pawns are overextended and terminally weak.] 20.Rhd1 Rg7 [20...Nf7 desperately holds the d6 pawn for a little longer 21.Ng3 Qc7 22.Nh5 0–0–0 23.Nxf6 Rgf8 24.Rf5 Kb8 25.Qb3] 21.Rxd6 Rd7 22.Rxd7 Nxd7 23.Ng3 [23.Qb3 stronger with a dangerous threat 23...Kf8 (supposing black ignores the threat of Qg8, for example: 23...Rb8 24.Qg8+ Ke7 25.Qxh7+ Ke8 26.Rxd7 Qxd7 27.Qg8+ Ke7 28.Qxb8) 24.Qe6 Ra7 25.Nc3 Qe8 26.Qf5 Qg6 27.Qg4 Qf7 28.Rd6] 23...Qc7 24.Qc4 0–0–0 25.Qxa6+ Kb8 26.Rd3 [26.Nf5 g4 (not 26...Qxh2?? 27.Nd6 Qf4+ 28.Kb1 Qxd6 29.Rxd6) 27.Ne7 Re8 28.Nd5 Qc6 29.h3 h5 30.c4 Re6 31.hxg4 hxg4 32.Rh1] 26...Ne5 27.Ra3 Qb7 28.Qxb7+ [28.Qe2 Fritz prefers to keep the queens on the board 28...b5 29.Nf5 c4 30.Qe3 b4 31.Ra4 b3 32.axb3 cxb3 33.Qxb3 Qxb3 34.cxb3 g4] 28...Kxb7 The endgame should give white no trouble in winning with an extra pawn on each flank, however he must be careful. 29.Re3 [29.Nf5 h5 30.g3 h4 31.Rc3 h3] 29...b5 30.b3 [F1: 30.Nf5 ] 30...b4 31.Re2 Kb6 32.Rd2 Rd4 33.Rxd4 cxd4 it should be simple for white to win without any problems 34.Kd2 Kb5 35.Nh5 g4 36.Nxf6 gxf3 37.gxf3 Nxf3+ 38.Kd3 Kc5 39.Nxh7 Nxh2 40.Ng5 Ng4 41.Ne6+ Kd6 42.Nxd4 Nf2+ 43.Kc4 Nxe4 44.Kxb4 Kd5 45.Ne2 Nc5 46.Nf4+ Kc6 47.c4 Na6+ 48.Ka5 Nc5 49.Kb4 Na6+ 50.Kc3 Nc5 51.b4 Nb7 52.a4 Kb6 53.Nd5+ Ka6 54.Kd4 Nd6 55.Kc5 Nb7+ 56.Kd4 Nd8 57.c5 Nc6+ 58.Kc3 Na7 59.Kc4 Kb7 60.b5 Nc8 61.a5 Ka7 62.c6 Nd6+ 63.Kb4 Kb8 64.Kc5 Nc8 65.b6 Nxb6 66.axb6 Kc8 67.Kd6 1-0

GAME 008 - Training Game from 25th Dec 2006

The following training game was played on the Playchess.com server in late December in preparation for the Hastings weekend congress. I am black and try out a slightly odd early h-pawn push in a Caro-Kann advance. I found this analysis on my harddrive and decided to post it.





Dura (1764) - Kraken (1962)
Rated game, 45m + 20s Main Playing Hall, 25.12.2006

1.e4 c6 2.f4 d5 3.e5 h5 Not a great move; as is shown, Bf5 is still completely possible. [3...Bf5 4.Nf3 (If 4.g4 Then 4...Be4 5.Nf3 e6 6.d3 Bg6 (6...Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Qb6 This is also good for black.) 7.h4 (7.Be3 (Fritz prefers this)) 7...h5 (7...h6 This is inferior. 8.h5 Bh7) 8.g5 Qb6 This position is very good for black.) 4...e6 5.Be2 (5.h3 Be7 6.g4 Bh4+ 7.Ke2 (7.Nxh4 Qxh4+ 8.Ke2 Bxg4+ 9.hxg4 Qxh1–+) ) ] 4.d4 Bf5 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bd3 Bxd3 [6...Nh6 is well worth considering. E.g: 7.Ng5 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 Nf5 9.Nd2 Be7 10.Ndf3 c5] 7.Qxd3 Ne7 [Again 7...Nh6 very much suggests itself. This is probably superior to Ne7 because it aims at both g4 and f5, and also doesn't impede development of the other pieces such as the f8 bishop. In conclusion, Nh6 is more flexible and positionally more logical.] 8.Nc3 Nd7 9.Bd2 Nf5 10.Ng5 Be7 11.g3 I get the feeling this is a waste of a move. [11.0–0–0 is suggested by fritz.] 11...c5 A combination is missed. [11...Bxg5 12.fxg5 Qb6 Double attack d4 b2 wins black a clean pawn. e.g: 13.Ne2 Qxb2 14.0–0 Qb5 15.Qxb5 (or Qxd3 cd leaves white's pawn structure weaker) 15...cxb5 16.Rfb1 Rc8 etc(This is far inferior. The 'complications' of Rc8 shouldn't be avoided. 16...a6 17.a4 Nb6 18.axb5 Nc4 19.Bc1 a5 20.h4 Kd7 21.Ra2 Black has a much better position, but no longer has a material advantage.) ] 12.Ne2 Qb6 Black has a large advantage. 13.Bc3 This stands out as a positionally ugly looking move. [Fritz recommends: 13.Nf3 e.g. 13...Qxb2 14.0–0 Qb6 Black still has a large advantage.] 13...cxd4 This isn't bad, but black would have kept more advantage with 13...Bxg5 [13...Bxg5 14.fxg5 cxd4 15.Bxd4 (if 15.Nxd4 then 15...Nxe5 16.Qb5+ Qxb5 17.Nxb5 d4! 18.Bd2 (otherwise 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Bxd4 Nf3+ 20.Kf2 Nxd4; 18.Bxd4 Nf3+ 19.Kf2 N3xd4) ) 15...Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Qxd4 17.Nxd4 Nxe5 18.0–0 Ke7 Black has a very strong position.] 14.Nxd4 Bxg5? A big mistake. This move, as opposed to some of the earlier instances, doesn't work now. The position shifts from black's favour to white's. Presumably I felt under some kind of positional pressure and felt obliged to come to some clarity by a sequence of trades. 14...Nxd4 for example would have been much better though. [14...Nc5 This is fritz's first choice. 15.Qd2 (I may however have been scared of this. 15.Qb5+ Qxb5 16.Nxb5 This move is tricky to deal with, but black doesn't lose any of his advantage. 16...Rd8 (not 16...Kd7 17.Nxf7) 17.Nxa7 Bxg5 18.fxg5 d4 19.Bb4 Rd5 20.0–0–0 Ne4 21.c4 Rxe5 I don't consider such a sequence in any way easy to calculate or foresee, but it must be possible.) 15...Bxg5 16.Nxf5 exf5 17.fxg5 Ne4! 18.Bd4 (18.Qxd5?? Qe3+ 19.Kd1 (19.Kf1 Qf2#) 19...Nf2#) 18...Nxd2 19.Bxb6 Ne4 20.Bd4; 14...Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Qb4+ (15...Bc5 16.0–0–0 (16.Bxc5 Nxc5 17.Qd4 Rc8) 16...Bxd4 17.Qxd4 Qxd4 18.Rxd4 The position is almost totally equal.) 16.Qd2] 15.Nxf5 exf5 16.fxg5 The resultant position isn't very pretty for black. I had the feeling I'd now be fighting for a draw. 16...Qe6 This was the only way I could see to defend the d5 and f5 pawns. It seems I chose the best move other than Nc5; a move that I still don't really understand. [16...Nc5 17.Qxf5 (Fritz gives the following sequence which I hardly understand, but despite being two pawns down some of the time, black is given as much better. 17.Qxd5 Rd8 18.Qf3 Ne4 19.Qxf5 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Qc5 21.Qf3 0–0 22.Rd1 Rxd1+ 23.Kxd1 Qxe5) 17...Ne4 18.0–0–0 Nxc3 19.bxc3 Qe3+ 20.Kb2 Qb6+ 21.Ka1 Qe6 22.Qd3 (22.Qxe6+ fxe6 23.c4 dxc4 24.Rhf1 The second example sequence from Fritz. I don't understand either of these fully, so 16..Nc5 would hardly be playable for me currently.) ] 17.0–0–0 The natural and best move, doubling up on d5. 17...Nb6 Slightly inferior to Nc6 but not by much. [17...Nc5 18.Qxd5 Qxd5 19.Rxd5 Ne4 20.Bb4 Rd8 21.Rxd8+ Kxd8 22.Rd1+ Kc8] 18.Bd4 [18.Rhf1 g6 19.Bd4 Nd7 20.Bg1 Nb6 21.Bc5 0–0–0 (Not 21...Nd7 22.Bd6) ] 18...Nc4 19.b3 Na5 20.Bc3 [20.Bc5 with a view to Bd6] 20...Nc6 21.Qxd5 Qxd5 22.Rxd5 0–0 Fritz puts this as a whole pawn under the move 22...h4, and gives a losing evaluation (almost 2 pawns). [22...h4 23.gxh4 Rxh4 24.e6 fxe6 25.Re1 Re4 26.Rxe4 fxe4 27.Rd2 e5 The comparatively good position of the black king is probably why this variation is preferred so much to 22...0–0] 23.h3 [23.Rf1 g6 24.h3 Rfd8 25.Rfd1 Rxd5 26.Rxd5 Rd8 27.Rd3 Kf8 28.Rxd8+ Nxd8 29.Bb4+ Ke8 30.Kd2 Nc6 31.Bc3] 23...Rac8 24.g4 This is a big mistake. Black has better drawing chances after this. [24.Rf1] 24...Ne7 Not much worse than the recommended fg [24...fxg4 25.hxg4 hxg4 26.Rg1 Rfd8 27.Rxd8+ Nxd8 28.Kd2 Kh7 29.Rxg4 Kg6 30.a3 Ne6 31.Rg2 it's obvious just looking at the position that black has decent drawing chances now] 25.Rd7 Fritz dislikes this NB trade. 25.Rd3 is no.1 25...Rxc3 26.Rxe7 Now we have entered the double rook ending, and plans must be made immediately. Much analysis can be done one this, testing different plans. It appears through analysis that this double rook ending should be drawn by black. 26...Rfc8 [Fritz's first choice: 26...hxg4 27.hxg4 fxg4 (27...f4 28.Rxb7 Rg3 29.g6 fxg6 30.Rd1 Rxg4 31.Rdd7 Kh7 32.Rxg7+ Kh6 33.e6 Re8 34.Rge7 Rxe7 35.Rxe7 Rg5 36.Rxa7 Re5 37.Kd2 Rxe6 38.b4 Rd6+ 39.Ke2 Rc6 40.Kf3 Rxc2 41.Kg4 (41.Kxf4 Rc4+ 42.Kf3 Rxb4) 41...g5 42.Ra6+ Kg7 43.Kxg5 f3 44.Rg6+ Kf7 45.Rf6+ Ke7 46.Rxf3 Rxa2= 47.Rd3 Ke6 48.Kf4 Rf2+ 49.Ke4 Re2+ 50.Kd4 Kd6 51.Kc4+ Kc6 52.b5+ Kb6 53.Rd6+ Kb7 54.Rd8 Rc2+ 55.Kb3 Rc1 56.Rf8 Kb6 57.Kb2 Rc5 58.Rb8+ Kc7 59.Ra8 Rxb5+) 28.Rxb7 g3 29.Rg1 Re8 30.g6 fxg6 31.Kd2 Rec8 32.Rxa7 Rxc2+ 33.Ke3 g2 34.e6 Kf8 35.e7+ Ke8 36.Kf4 Rb2 37.a3 Rcc2 38.b4 Rc4+ 39.Ke3 Rc3+ 40.Ke4 Rh3 41.Rc1 Re2+ 42.Kf4=] 27.Rh2 hxg4 28.hxg4 fxg4 29.Rg2 R8c7 [29...g3 was better. 30.Rd7 (30.Rxb7 is impossible due to the combination: 30...Rxc2+! 31.Rxc2 Rxc2+ 32.Kxc2 g2 33.g6 fxg6 34.Rxa7 g1Q) 30...b5 31.g6 Fritz evaluates this as dead drawn.] 30.Rxc7 Rxc7 31.Rxg4 Kh7 Inaccurate on account of 32.g6+, doubling black pawns and leaving a strong e5 passed pawn. [31...Re7 32.Rb4 Kh7 33.Rb5 Kg6 34.e6 fxe6=] 32.c4 This throws away the advantage resulting in a very drawish position. g6+ was the criticalcontinuation [32.g6+ fxg6] 32...Kg6 Black's moves are now not difficult to find. 33.Kc2 [Fritz recommends 33.Re4 Kxg5 34.e6 fxe6 35.Rxe6 with a position that should be drawn.] 33...Kf5 Black's king position is obviously very good now, and black is no longer under pressure. [fritz prefers 33...Re7 34.Rd4 Kxg5 35.Kd3 Kf5 36.Rd5 White is the one with the more difficult position. 36...Kf4 37.Kd4 g5 38.Rd6 Rxe5 39.Rd7 f5 40.Rxb7 a5 41.c5] 34.Rg2 Kxe5 35.Kc3 a5 A bit of an unnecessary committal move, but I probably felt I shouldn't let white gain too much ground on the queenside uncontested. [Fritz prefers 35...Kf5 allowing white queenside advance, but maybe the computer has it wrong as the following quick bit of analysis shows, (though it would be more illustrative to give the computer lots of time to analyse each move of this line, I have given it about 1 to 2 seconds per move)... 36.b4 Re7 37.g6 f6 38.b5 Re3+ 39.Kd4 Re4+ 40.Kd3 b6 41.a4 Ke5 42.a5 f5 43.axb6 axb6 44.Ra2 Rg4 45.Re2+ Kf6 46.c5 bxc5 47.Rb2 Rd4+ 48.Kc3 Rd8 49.b6 Kxg6 50.b7 Rb8 51.Kc4 Kh7 52.Kxc5 f4 53.Kb6 g5 54.Kc7 Rxb7+ 55.Kxb7 Kg7 56.Kc6 Kg6 57.Kd5 Kf5 58.Kd4 Kg4 59.Ke4 Kg3 60.Rb3++- White is won.] 36.a4 [36.Rd2 Maybe it is more consistent to play on the possible weakeness of the black q-side pawns right away; fritz: 36...Kf4 37.Rd5 b6 38.a3 Re7 but black is in no trouble here.] 36...Ke4 37.b4 This can't be a very good move. Black can now give white much weaker separated q-side pawns. 37...axb4+ 38.Kxb4 f5 39.gxf6 gxf6 Black now has the better position. 40.Kb5 Fritz considers this a bad move, incresing black's advantage quite considerably. 40...f5 41.c5 f4 42.Kb6 Apprarantly allowing winning tactics. [42.Kc4 is preferred, but the evaluation is already suggesting very good winning chances for black. 42...f3 43.Rg8 Re7 44.Rf8 Ke3 45.a5 f2 46.Kb5 Re6 47.c6 Rxc6 48.Re8+ Kf3 49.Rf8+ Kg2 50.Rg8+ Kf1 51.Rf8 Re6 52.Rf4 Ke2 53.Rf5 f1Q 54.Rxf1 Kxf1] 42...Rc6+ A missed opportunity, restoring the evaluation as a draw. [42...f3! 43.Rg4+ Ke3 44.Kxc7 f2 45.Rg3+ Ke4 46.Rg4+ Ke5 47.Kxb7 f1Q White has good practical drawing chances. 48.c6 Qb1+ 49.Kc7 Qd3 50.a5 Ke6 51.a6 Qxa6 52.Rg6+ Ke7 53.Rg7+ Kf6 54.Rd7 Qa7+ 55.Kc8 Qa8+ 56.Kc7 Ke5 57.Rd3 Qa6 58.Rh3 Qe2 59.Kc8 Kf4 60.c7 A well known technique is needed to even win this with just Q vs p, so the inclusion of a defending rook I'm sure makes this technically extremely difficult to win, if it is indeed possible to win at all. 60...Qe8+ 61.Kb7 Qb5+ 62.Ka7 Qc6 63.Kb8 Qb6+ 64.Kc8 Qb5 65.Rh6 Qb3 66.Kd7 Qd5+ 67.Rd6 Qf5+ 68.Kd8] 43.Kxb7 Rxc5 44.Kb6 [More accurate is 44.Ra2 , with the rook getting behind the passed pawn. 44...Rf5 45.a5 The position is considered to be dead drawn still, but as is seen, this results in a pure R+Q vs R+Q game, which in practice might become chaotic. 45...Rf7+ 46.Kb6 Rf6+ 47.Kc5 f3 48.a6 Rf5+ 49.Kd6 f2 50.a7 Rd5+ 51.Kc7 f1Q 52.a8Q for example: 52...Qc4+ 53.Kb7 Qb4+ 54.Ka7 Qc5+ 55.Kb7 Qb5+ The computer draws against itself. However, between human opponents, the player with the move may well have good chances of tricking his/her opponent.] 44...Rc3 [Naturally it makes more sense put the rook behind one's passed pawn. This doesn't alter the evaluation though. 44...Rf5 ] 45.a5 f3 46.Rg4+? According to Fritz, a losing blunder! Let us analyse (?-Ed.) 46...Ke3 47.Rg3 Kf4 48.Rg8 f2 49.Rf8+ Kg3 50.Rxf2 Kxf2 51.a6 Rb3+ 52.Kc7 Ra3 53.Kb7 Ke3 54.a7 Rb3+ 55.Kc8 Ra3 56.Kb8 Rb3+ 57.Kc7 Ra3 58.Kb7 Rxa7+ 59.Kxa7 ½–½

GAME 007 - Black King's Indian win

In the following game against former British Women's Champion Gillian Moore, I use the King's Indian Defence for one of the first times in a semi-formal game. I get into trouble around the 11th move of the opening and save the game by seeking an endgame with drawing chances, and luckily turned out to have winning changes in the endgame.







Gillian Moore VS Edward Davies

Emsworth Rapidplay, 12.07.2007


1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0–0 6.Nf3 Nc6?! [6...e5 7.dxe5 exchange variation 7...dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bg5 (9.Nxe5? Nxe4 10.Nxe4 Bxe5 11.Bg5 Rd4) 9...Re8] 7.0–0 Allows black to get back to a main line after an inaccurate move order. [7.d5 the test to black's unusual move order 7...Nb8 (7...Nb4 8.Be3 e6; 7...Ne5 8.Nxe5 dxe5 9.0–0 e6 10.Be3 exd5 11.cxd5) 8.0–0 Na6] 7...e5 8.dxe5 Fritz questions this line for white, though it does feature in the database as the third most popular move. [8.d5 Standard move 8...Ne7; 8.Be3 The other standard move] 8...dxe5 [8...Nxe5 is an option, e.g. 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4] 9.Qxd8 [9.Bg5 Qxd1 10.Rfxd1 Bg4 This seems like a boring line.] 9...Rxd8 [9...Nxd8 maybe an interesting option 10.Be3 Ne6] 10.Bg5 h6? [10...Rd7; 10...Rf8 11.Rfd1 Bg4 This looks ok for black. An interesting game in the database follows: 12.Rd3 h6 13.Be3 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 f5 15.Nc5 e4 16.Rb3 exf3 17.gxf3 f4 18.fxg4 fxe3 19.fxe3 Nd4 20.exd4 Bxd4+ F: 0.6] 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Nd5 At this point I felt disheartened and concentrated on planning the most sensible way of defending the position. 12...Bg7 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Nd5 [14.Rad1 Bd7 15.Nd5 Kf8] 14...b6?! according to fritz, F: 1.1 [14...Nd4 F 0.6 15.Rae1 (15.Nxd4 exd4 16.f4 Kf8 17.a4 d3 18.Bxd3 Bxb2 19.Ra2 Bd4+ 20.Kh1 Bd7 Still doesn't inspire confidence for black) 15...Nxe2+] 15.Rad1 [15.Rfd1] 15...Bg4 I planned on getting my knight securely on d4 and then preparing f5 for chances of counterplay only a pawn down. [F1: 15...Be6 ] 16.g3?! This does not look convincing. [16.Rfe1 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Nd4 18.Bg4 Kf8 19.a4 a6 20.Bh3 (20.b4) 20...f5 21.exf5 gxf5 22.f4 exf4 (22...e4 23.Ne3 Nb3 Not good for black.) 23.Nxf4] 16...Bxf3 [16...f5! 17.exf5 gxf5 18.Rfe1 Bxf3 19.Bxf3 e4 20.Bh5 Bxb2 F: 0.3 Black has got right back in the game.] 17.Bxf3 Nd4 The first part of the plan is complete. 18.Bg2 Bf8 Here I was planning on preparing an idea of Rc8 followed by b5 and f5 [F1: 18...f5 19.f4 exf4 20.Nxf4 Kh7] 19.h4?! This is not a challenging move [19.f4 the most punishing move 19...Bc5 20.fxe5 Nf3+ 21.Kh1 Nxe5 22.b4] 19...f5 The second part of my original plan, (of securing a knight on d4 and seeking counterplay with f5. The b5 counterplay move was should have been played first. [19...b5! is definitely the best move here, e.g. 20.cxb5 Rxb5 21.Rd2 f5 black has very good chances of counterplay] 20.exf5 [20.f4 This move pressurises black the most, e.g. 20...Bg7 21.fxe5 Bxe5 22.Kf2 fxe4 23.Bxe4 Kg7 24.g4 Ne6] 20...gxf5 21.Rfe1 [21.f4! more punishing move 21...Bd6 22.Kf2] 21...Bd6 [21...Bg7 apparently a lot better than the game continuation 22.a4 Kf7 23.b4 Rbc8 24.Rc1] 22.a3?! This was the third move of the game which I considered passive where white should have played moves to attack black's central setup [Fritz suggests this surprising line 22.f4 Nc2 23.fxe5 Nxe1 24.exd6 Nxg2 25.Kxg2 Rxd6 (25...Kf7 26.Ne7 Rd7 27.Nxf5 Re8 28.Kh3 h5 F: 1.6) 26.Ne7+ Kf7 27.Rxd6 Kxe7] 22...Kf7 23.Ne3? F: 0.2 Black has a chance to almost equalise. I now saw a tactical possibility. I assumed Gillian was planning on playing Be5+ as this looks like a very strong positional move with a very strong centralised bishop; this was the main purpose of Ne3 I believe. [23.f4 Nc2 24.fxe5 Bc5+ 25.Kh2 Nxe1 26.Rxe1 F: 1.3] 23...Bc5 Hoping my opponent continues with her plan of Bd5+. However, getting caught up in these tactical ideas, I missed a chance of getting more objectively concrete counterplay [23...b5 24.cxb5 Rxb5 25.b4 a5 26.bxa5 Rxa5 27.g4 Fritz only gives white a quarter pawn advantage here(!)] 24.Bd5+ Now, partly for psychological effect in the context of the game, I banged out the following tactic. I believe Gillian had not seen this judging by her body language. Although objectively the evaluation of the game doesn't change a lot, it can be very unpleasant to see an unexpected tactical continuation, mostly because of the fact that it was overlooked. 24...Rxd5 25.cxd5 Nf3+ 26.Kf1 Nxe1 27.Kxe1?! [27.Rxe1 Fritz's choice 27...Kf6 28.b4 Bd4 29.Rc1 Bxe3 30.fxe3 Rd8 31.Rc6+ Kg7 32.d6 F: 0.68] 27...Bxe3 28.fxe3 Rc8 Although the material difference has not changed, I was pleased to have steered the original position around move 12 sensibly into a rook ending 1 pawn down with plenty of cause for hope 29.Ke2 e4 30.d6! I believe this move to be dubious as it is clear the pawn can be captured by the king and rook, and the resulting pawn ending looks quite promising for black (in my opinion it looks more promising for black). However, looking at other lines, maybe this is the best chance for white. [30.Rf1 Kg6 31.h5+ Kg5 32.Rd1 Rd8 33.Rd4 Rd6 34.Ra4 Rd7 35.Rd4 Kxh5 F: –0.6] 30...Ke6 31.b4 Rd8 32.d7 Fritz flags a warning for this move. Instead it suggests g4 [32.g4 The resulting rook ending should be drawn. 32...fxg4 33.Rd4 h5 34.b5 Rxd6 35.Rxe4+ Kf6 36.Rf4+ Kg6 37.Rc4 Rf6 38.Rc8 Kg7 39.Rc1 Rf7 40.Rd1 Rc7 41.Rd5 Rc2+ 42.Kf1 Kg6 43.e4 Rc5 44.Rd6+ Kf7 45.a4 Re5 46.Rh6 Rxe4 47.Rh7+ Ke6 48.Rxh5 Rxa4 49.Kf2 Ra3 50.Rg5 Rc3 51.Rxg4 Kf6 52.Ra4 Rc5 53.Rxa7 Rxb5 54.Rb7 Kg6 55.Ke3 Rb3+ 56.Kd2 Rh3 57.Rxb6+ Kh5 58.Rb5+ Kxh4] 32...Rxd7 33.Rxd7 Kxd7 34.Kd2 b5 35.Kc3 Ke6 36.Kd4 Kd6? Surprisingly this is a mistake. [36...a6 37.Kc3 (37.h5 Kf6 38.Kd5 Kg5 39.Ke5 Kg4 40.Kf6 Kxg3 41.Kxf5 Kf3 42.Kg6 Kxe3 43.Kxh6 Kd2 44.Kg6 e3 45.h6 e2 46.h7 e1Q 47.h8Q Qg3+ 48.Kf7 Qxa3 49.Qf6 Kc2 50.Kg6 Qxb4 51.Qxa6 Qe4+ 52.Kf6 b4 53.Qa2+ Kc3 54.Qa1+ Kb3 55.Kf7 Kc2 56.Qa2+ Kc3 57.Qa1+ Kd2 58.Qb2+ Ke1 59.Qc1+ Kf2 60.Qb2+ Kf3 61.Qb3+ Kg2 62.Qa2+ Kg3 63.Kg8 Qd3 64.Qa1 b3 65.Qg1+ Kh4 66.Qh1+ Qh3 67.Qc6 Qg4+ 68.Kh8 Qd4+ 69.Kg8 b2 70.Qh1+ Kg5 71.Qg2+ Kf4 72.Qf1+ Ke3 73.Qe1+ Kd3 74.Qg3+ Kc2 75.Qg2+ Kb3 76.Qg6 Qc4+ 77.Kh8 Ka2 78.Qg2 Qc8+ 79.Kg7 Ka1 80.Qg1+ b1Q 81.Qa7+ Qa2 82.Qg1+ Kb2 83.Qb6+ Qb3 84.Qf2+ Qcc2 85.Qf6+ Qcc3) 37...Ke5 38.Kd2] 37.g4 [37.h5 Fritz's choice 37...a6 38.Kc3 Ke5 now definitely won for black, e.g. 39.a4 bxa4 40.Kb2 Kd5 41.Ka3 Kc4 42.Kxa4 Kd3 43.Ka5 Kxe3 44.Kxa6 Kf2 45.b5 e3 46.b6 e2 47.b7 e1Q 48.b8Q Qa1+ 49.Kb6 Qb2+ 50.Kc7 Qxb8+ 51.Kxb8 Kxg3] 37...fxg4 38.Kxe4 Ke6 A little inaccurate. [38...h5 Better play.] 39.Kf4 [39.h5 makes things a bit more complicated for black but still loses 39...Kd6 40.Kf4 Kd5 41.Kxg4 Ke4 42.Kh4 Kf3 43.Kh3 Kxe3 44.Kg3 Ke4 45.Kg4 Ke5 46.Kf3 Kf5 47.Ke3 Kg5 48.Kd4 Kxh5 49.Kc5 Kg4 50.Kxb5 h5 51.Ka6 h4 52.Kxa7 h3 53.b5 h2 54.b6 h1Q 55.b7 Qh7 56.Kb6 Qg6+ 57.Ka7 Qf7 58.Ka8 Qf3 59.Kb8 Qxa3 60.Kc8 Qc5+ 61.Kd7 Qb6 62.Kc8 Qc6+ 63.Kb8 Kf5 64.Ka7 Qc7 65.Ka8 Qa5+ 66.Kb8 Ke5 67.Kc8 Qc5+ 68.Kd8 Qd6+ 69.Kc8 Qc6+ 70.Kb8 Qc5 71.Ka8 Qa5+ 72.Kb8 Kd6 73.Kc8 Qc7#] 39...h5 40.e4 a6 [40...Kf6 would have been ok too 41.e5+ Ke6 42.Ke4 g3 43.Kf3 Kxe5 44.Kxg3 Ke4 45.Kg2 Kf4 46.Kf2 Kg4 47.Ke3 Kxh4 48.Kd4 a6 49.Kc5 Kg4 50.Kb6 h4 51.Kxa6 h3 52.Kxb5 h2 53.Ka5 h1Q] 41.e5 g3 42.Kxg3 Kxe5 43.Kf3 Kf5 44.Kg3 Ke4 I stopped writing down the moves at this point to save time 0-1

Mate in 10 from blitz game.

I am black in the following game which contains the longest forced mate that I recall occuring in a game I have played at 11 moves, (or 21 plies). It turns out that I made a mistake on move 6 which allowed my opponent two moves later to sidestep the forced mate altogether. The correct line which was actually a forced mate in 10 moves, or 19 plies.

Ochja – Plantagenet
2m + 1s blitz – Playchess server
30th June 2007

1...Rxg2+ 2.Kxg2 Rg8+ 3.Kf3 Qh3+ The king must me prevented from escaping via e3. 4.Kf4 Rf8+ 5.Kg5 Qg2+ 6.Kh4 [6.Kh6 Rh8#] 6...Rf4+ This is my mistake which leads to an escape for my opponent in two moves. The correct move follows in brackets: [6...Qh2+ 7.Kg5 Rg8+ 8.Kh6 8...Qf4+ 9.Kh7 (9.Kxh5 Qg5#) 9...Qf7+ 10.Kh6 Qg6#] 7.Kxh5 Qh3+ 8.Kg5? At this point my opponent had an escape from any forced mates: [8.Kg6! There is no longer a forced mate, therefore 6...Rf4 is wrong and 6...Qh2+ is correct. 8...Qh8 Fritz's suggestion.] 8...Qh4+ 9.Kg6 Rf6+ 10.Kg7 Qh6+ [10...Qg5+ 11.Kh7 (11.Kh8 Rh6#) 11...Rh6#] 11.Kg8 Rf8#