Surviving a storm

The East Cheshire B team recently had a great result against Macclesfield A, securing a draw against a higher-rated team. David Taylor's win was a key part of that result and he has sent us the game with his comments:

White: Marc Jouannet (Macclesfield, 127) Black: David Taylor (130)

Opening: d4 d5 "unusual lines".

1. d4 Nf6

2. Nc3 d5

3. Bf4 e6

4. Qd2 Be7 (I thought about Bd6, but it turns out that the black squares will be crucial)

5. 0-0-0 0-0

6. f3 (uh oh! He's planning a K-side pawn storm! All his moves have been reflex actions, he's done this before...)

Nbd7

7. g4 (here we go!) Nb6 (I better make room for the K-side knight, and Nc4 could be useful later)

8. e4 (damn! now he can take on c4)

8. ... c5 (Counterattack on the Q-side must be essential; have I got time?)

9. e5 fNd7 (now my king is looking lonely)

10. h4 (as expected; note that Bxh4 11. Qh2 looks terminal)

cxd4

11. Nb5

11. a6 ( decided I don't mind 12. Nd6 because BxN 13. exB f6 looks good for black; then he can't take on d4 because of e5)

12. Nxd4 Nc4 (I must try and control those black squares on d2 and e3!)

13. Bxc4 dxc4

14. Nh3 (Rated poorly by Fritz, it worried me because my e6 is looking at possibly 2 knights planning to take and fork Q and R, after 15. Ng5. I could defend via Nc5, but I want to control d2 and e3 from a Nd5... so....)

14. ... Nb6 (& defend e6 with my bishop)

15. Bg5 Nd5 (I got there! Now I'm thinking of ....c3!)

16. Qe2? (at last, he's blundered!)

16. ... c3!

17. b3?? (Fritz scores this position as -12. You can see why: his Q-side black squares have been abandonned)

Qa5? (Bxg5+ is better, but Qa5 is still winning)

18. a4? (Fritz score now at -22 ... he had to play Rd3 when if I take on g5, he must play Kd1)

18. Qc5 (Fritz still reckons Bxg5+ should be played first)

19. Bxe7 Qxe7

and black resigned. He can't stop mate after the impending .....Qa3+

Lessons learned: Don't open the h-file whatever you do, if you have castled 0-0 and he has castled 0-0-0.

Counterattack a.s.a.p. when your king is being stormed.

Stay positive when the missiles are pouring in!

A castled king can be securely trapped by a pawn on the 3rd (or 6th) rank.

Killing the King's Indian

Last summer our number 1 board John Reed showed us his system against that pesky King's Indian. Just to prove that he practises what he preaches here is a recent crush against a strong opponent. Comments by John.

John Reed - Hubert Pierrard (1982)

1. d4 Nf6

2. c4 g6

3. Nc3 Bg7

4. e4 d6

5. Bg5 (of course)

5. ... Nbd7

6. f4 h6

7. Bh4 c6 (slow but allows Qb6 or Qa5 . The problem for White in Bg5 is always the black squares on the Q side and centre))

8. Nf3 0 -0

9. e5 de5

10. fe5 Ng4 ( not bad Nh5 may be better)

11. e6 !? (introducing huge complications. Blacks pawns are a mess. Is his Knight good or bad on g4?)

11. ... Nb6. (better to take fe6. Then not 12 Bd3 because of e5! better 12 Qe2 ! e5 ! 13. 0-0-0-! . very hard to find this over the board )

12. ef7 Rf7

13. Qd2 (keep the Knight out )

13. ... Qd6 ( with the idea of Qe6 +, better Qd7 as Q now vulnerable )

14. 0-0-0 ! Qb4 (better Qf4 but Black is now worse )

15. h3 (go away ) Nf6 ( disaster. only way to keep game alive was to give this up)

17. Ne5 Na4 (desperation)

18. Nf7 (why not?) Bf5

18. Na4 Qa4

19. b3 Qa3+

20. Qb2 Qa5 ( he had to swap but its terrible now)

21. Be1 (guards the dark squares ) Qc7

22. Ne5 ( a whole rook up ) h5

23. Bd3 ( finally get the bishop out) Ne4

24. g4 (oh dear) Bh6+

25. Kb1 1-0

So another King's Indian bites the dust thanks to John's unusual system. Just be prepared to play sharply if you want to get the best out of it!

Double Discovered Check

Well finally I have a chess game worth blogging about! Here are the highlights of my game against Lysons of Denton last night.

1. White has just played 12. Bb2. Can you see a shot that I missed?

I played 12. ... a6 but 12. ... Ne5 would have ruined his kingside pawns.

2. White has just played 21. a4? What did I play?

21. ... Ne5! wins a pawn, as does 21. ... Nxc5!

3. We then reached the following position with Black to move. What should the plan be?

The problem is that if Black swaps queenside pawns and the Queens the position will probably be drawn. Therefore I decided to use my extra kingside pawn to storm his king.

26. ... b4 would have been good but I began the storm with 26. ... e5.

4. I then got the below position with Black to move. It is useful to know some of the cast iron rules of chess. One is that in double discovered check you have to move your king. Knowing this rule allowed me to bash out the winning move in time trouble. What was it?

33. ... Rxg3+ wins the house.

Another victim of the system

While most of East Cheshire Chess Club have been sunning themselves in various parts of Europe our top player John Reed has been honing his opening system (which he kindly shared with us in a number of recent lectures) in France.

Here is another Queen's Gambit Declined steamroller with notes by John:

My opponent is an up and coming Azerbaijani junior who plays in France rated about 2000 ELO. The opening is simliar to the Queen's Gambit exchange. Note the standard metod of nullifying his early kingside attack. I prat around a bit on moves 21 to 23 but then it is amazing how quick the game collapses after g4 and Rg1. I don't think g4 is a great computer move but deserves a ! for unsettling the game at a crucial point.

JR - R Kasimanali

1.d4 d5

2. c4 e6

3. Nc3 Be7 (avoids many openings)

4 Bf4 Nf6

5. e3 0-0

6. cxd exd

7. Bd3 c6

8. Qc2 a5

9. N1e2 Na6

10. a3 Nc7 (this is a modern way of deploying the Queen's Knight)

11. 0-0 Ne6

12. Bg3 h6

13. f3 Nh5

14. Bf2 Bd6

15. e4 (probably too soon)

15. ... Nhf4

16. e5 Nxd3

17. Qxd3 Be7

18. f4 f5 (Black Knight on e6 now crucial piece)

19. h3 b6

20. Kh1 Ba6

21. Qf3 Ra7 Black has nice position.

22. Rc1(prevaricating) Rd7

23. Rfe1 Rc7

24. g4 Kh7

25. Rg1 g6 starting to lose the thread

26. Rg2 b5

27. gxf gxf? better Rf5 ( I will attack the king, you try to win on Qside!)

28. Rcg1 (it's going)

28. ... b4 (too late)

29. Rg6 Rf7

30. Qh5 ouch Bf8

31. Re6 bxc3

32. Qg6 1 - 0

Let's hope for some similar crushes in the Stockport league this season!

Dutch Treat

This is Graham's last game of the season against Stockport. I think Graham would admit he was not particularly motivated about this game, not much to play for really, this was until his opponent chuckled when Graham played his opening move 1.....f5. To be fair to his opponent this was not a chuckle at the move but more circumstance. Grahams opponent had prepared 1. Nf3 on the basis he might get White against Dave Newell's Dutch. Apparently Stockport chess club keep a database and Dave is on it, seems to me this is taking chess a mite too seriously. So having not got Dave he abandoned the Nf3 preparation, played 1. c4 then got the Dutch anyway, bit of a bugger life sometimes.

Anyway on with the game.

1. c4 f5
2. Nc3 d6 (supporting e5, anf if White plays d4 then we are back into main line Dutch Leningrad)
3. g3 e5
4. d3 Nf6
5. Bg2 g6
6. Nf3 c6
7. O-O Bg7
8. Rab1 O-O
9. b4 Nh5
10. Qb3 f4

So the opening has gone OK, its not too far off a Leningrad structure, not sure if the pawn on e5 is strong or exposed but it turned out OK.



















11. c5+ d5
12. e4 fxe3

Is the Ne4 then Nd6 manouvre good or not?

13. fxe3 Kh8
14. e4 half a question mark maybe
14. ... d4
15. Na4 Qe8
16. Bd2 Be6
17. Qa3 cheap trick or best available?
17. ... Na6
18. Ng5 Rxf1 I think this is best although other tries are available, the Queen is probably best if it can remain on e8 for the time being, lots of options from there
19. Bxf1 Bg8
20. Be2 Nf6
Wonder if immediate h6 is better, not much in it maybe, don't believe White will want to exchange the White squared bishop for the knight, probably needs it to defend those white squares around the King if necesary



















21. Bd1 h6
22. Nf3 g5
23. Nb2 Nc7
24. Bb3? Nb5
25. Qa4 (a long way from being in the game)
25. ... Qh5
26. Kg2 (Graham clearly up here, Nxe5 is an interesting try)
26. ... Rf8 (26. ...Nf4 worth a look)
A new experience for Graham this season, bit of time trouble having been treading very carefully over the past few moves
27. Rf1 Ng4
28. h3 Ne3+
29. Bxe3 dxe3
30. g4 Qg6



















31. Bd1 Nd4
32. Re1? Nxf3
Graham with not much time analized one sequence of moves giving him a position of safety and probably a win, 32.... Nxf3 is OK, but there is a winner.

33. Bxf3 Rxf3
34. Kxf3 Qf6+
35. Kxe3 Qf4+
36. Ke2 Qh2+
37. Kd1 Qxb2
38. Re2 Qa1+
39. Kd2 Qxa2

Well I think with correct play this is eventually a win for Black but its not easy against the clock and although a few more moves were played a draw was eventually agreed. Graham's challenge for next year is to turn a few of these very good draws into wins!

A Tudor Triumph

Just to cheer up the B team after being denied their match last night here is Tudor showing us all how to swindle again Denton last month. Notes by Tudor.

T Rickards 1 J Lysons 0

1. e4 ...e5
2. Nf3 ...d6
3. Bc4 ...Be7
4. O-O ...Nf6
5. Re1 ...0-0
6. c3 ...a6
7. d4 ...e x d
8. c x d ...Nc6?! (don't like this now, must find a better move)

9. h3 ...b5
10. Bb3 ...Bb7
11. Nc3 ...h6 (shows B is running out of decent moves)
12. e5! ..dxe
13. dxe ...QxQd1
14. RxQd1 (black in some trouble).
...Nh7
15. R1d7 (wish I was White)
...Bd8

Instructive. White completely in charge but needs to find best plan. I suspect gradual strangulation. Black has to, well, just hang in there

16. Bf4 ...Bc8
17. Rd2 ...Be6!? (I like it. What else? )
18. Nd5?! ( Looks strong. Ducks the obvious 18 B x B with severe B p weaknesses to avoid (doubtful) F file counterplay? )
18. ...Na5
19. Rc1? Loses. In pursuit of a win down the c file stuffs himself. Ra1d1retains probable win


19 ...c6! (thank you, white)
Nothing to do. Black forces material gain.
20. Nb4 ...B x Bb3 and wins comfortably. White quickly finds a few more moves to lose more quickly before the endgame.

Lesson: ...Nf6 is rarely played in Philidor's defense. Game shows one reason why. If offered a simplification to a v good endgame, take it.

Keven the Najdorf Killer!

K.R.Holton v. D Toole
East Cheshire B .v. Denton
Board 2
25th March/2009

1. e4 (I had a panic attack about his battle tested Kings Indian v. my new Reti!)

1. ... c5 (I hope he doesn’t know the Sicilian as well!)
2. Nf3 (Martian logic says if you play something you don’t know make sure you really don’t know it – hence the open Sicilian!)

2. ... d6
3. d4 c/d
4. Nx d4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. Be3 e5 (Hmm he does !?...)
7. Nb3 Be6 (Mum I want to go home now!)


8. Be2 Be7
9. 0—0 Nbd7
10. f4 Qc7
11. f5 Bc4 I didn’t like f/e5 and I felt a King-side assault was my best chance
12. Bxc4 Qxc4
13. Nd2 Qc6 Fritz gives Black 0.34 at this stage but I’m still punching.

14. Qf3 Rc8 I was surprised by this expecting Nc5 keeping 0-0-0 in reserve
15. g4 ! h5 ! After the game my opponent graciously told me g4 “was an “awful move”
16. h3 h/g
17. h/g Rh4 Looks good to me, a really Tudor type slugfest. I need a good cuts man !

18. g5 Nh5?? I had thought for 20 minutes cogitating his Ng4 where after Qg3 he had Nxe3 and then after the sequence Qxh4 Nxf1 Rxf1 I was loose but with K side pressure. I think the move played loses a piece to a pawn.

19. Bf2 ! Bxg5
20. Bxh4 Bxh4 ? The Martian mind scrambler I keep down my inside leg ( no not from one of those films Jackie Smith’s house husband watches !) has done the trick he had to play Bxd2 to have any worthwhile counter play.

21. Qxh5 Qb6 +
22. Kg2 Qe3 Oh No! -- he’s up to something, why did I cheapskate with ‘Pound Shop’ batteries in the mind scrambler………….. Pleased I played g2 to hold f2 though.


23. Qxh4 Rxc3 ?! Phew mind scrambler still working what is this? I had expected Qxd2 when Rf2 held well and allowed me to attack with Qh8+. Hasn’t he given me enough material?

24. b/c Qxd2+ No perpetual here Sunny Jim !
25. Rf2 Qxc3
26. Rd1 Nf6
27. Rxd6 Ke7 Otherwise Qh8+ and mate with Qd8
28. Rf-d2 g5 A desperate shot but Nxe4 forking both rooks and the queen is not on.
29. Qxg5 His flag had fallen to deprive me of mate in two………..
I politely said I wanted to avoid his KI so played e4 “off the cuff” and didn’t know it. “It showed “ he added rather sagely…………….