21 February 2019 - Harvey - Swale v Maidstone

Harvey - Swale v Maidstone - Board One

Thursday 21 February 2019

White: Beavis Barrington (143) - Black: Keith Nevols (163)

Dutch Defence

A bit of a grudge match. My opponent had given me two severe defeats against my Kings Indian defence, which resulted in me giving up the defence and learning the Dutch.

Let's see how he would fare against this. Rarely have I been so keen to win.

1. d4 f5
2. g3 Nf6
3. Bg2 e6
4. Nf3 Be7
5. b3

An unusual move order, delaying the decision whether to play Nc3 before or after c4.

5. .......  O-O
6. O-O

Usually in this seat up I would need to deploy the d-pawn but where to? Had White played c4 then d6 is best - if he played Nc3 before c4 then a Black d5 would hold things up.

But I did not like to play 6. .. d5, as 7. c4 would give White an advantage, and if I played 6. ..d6 then White could try 7. Nc3 and I might have to waste a tempo by playing d5 at some stage.

6. ......  Qe8

I am going to play this anyway so let's keep waiting. 6. ..c5 and 6. .. Ne4 are alternatives.

7. c4 d6

Now we are back to book.

8. Nc3

We have transposed into a position from the GM Simon Williams Dutch defence DVD. Here he recommends 8. .. Nbd7. Black needs to wait to see where White's queens bishop goes, so if 9. Bb2 then 9. .. Qh5 with one line being 10. Re1 Ne4 and if 11. Nxe4 fxe4 12. Nd2 e3!? can be interesting with 13. fxe3 Bg5 14. Nf1 Nf6, and the other line being 10. Qc2 (to get e4 in) g5!? 11. e4 f4 12. e5 dxe5 13. dxe5 Ng4 14. Ne4 Nh6.

I had forgotten all this, although the move I played seemed to be fine.



8. ....Ne4
9. Qc2 Nxc3
10. Qxc3 Bf6

Planning to put pressure on the d4 pawn but maybe this is why I should have waited for Bb2.

11. Bg5 Nd7
12. Bxf6 Nxf6

White is better now as Black still has one minor piece to develop, and the exchange of two other minor pieces has limited the Black attack options. White decides to commence an attack down the c-file.

13. Rac1 a5

I usually play this move earlier - to aim to hold up White's play on the queenside - but with this move order, I had not yet had the chance.

14. Nd2

Preparing to play e4.....

14. ...... Qg6

.. which I stop.

15. f4?!

I did not like this move. Although it does a good job in preventing any ideas of a Black kingside advance, it seemed to put up a static defence and allow some weaknesses.

Keeping to plan with 15. Rfe1 seemed a better idea. I could not play 15. ... Ne4 because of 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Qe3 d5 18. cxd5 exd5 19. Rxc7. However now I see that it could be met with 15. .. f4 and 16. gxf4 then 16. .. Nh5 17. e3 e5!? gives an initiative.

15. ......Re8

I am now thinking of an e-pawn breakthrough, but 15. .. h5 would be another idea for the initiative.

16. c5 Nd5

The plan was if 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. cxd6 c6 and then if White moves or defends the e-pawn, then Qxd6, but I did not see that 19. e3 Qxd6 20. Nf3 and that knight is coming to e5.

The other idea was 17. Qb2 Ne3 and getting rid of the g2 bishop.



17. Qc2?

A mistake. White loses the exchange. (I asked him afterwards if this was a sacrifice but it was not).

17. ... Ne3
18. Qd3 Nxf1
19. Nxf1 Rb8?!

Now leading on material, my plan was to swap off some pieces. But 19. .. d5 might have been better keeping the position closed. I was worried about the e5 square but I will have to let it go eventually. White exploits the opportunity for an attack. And 19. .. e5 opening up the centre is another idea.

20. cxd6 cxd6
21. Rc7

21. Qb5 is stronger before playing the room to c7.

21. ……  Qf6

Foreseeing an attack on b7 and c8, I decide to retreat the queen to help out. Here White could try 22. e4 to keep up the initiative.

22. Qc4 Qd8
23. Ne3 d5

This is more or less forced, as I cannot allow White to play d5 himself.

24. Qc5 b6
25. Qc2 Re7
26. Rc3 Bb7

I have successfully beaten off the first wave of attack and continued the plan of exchanging pieces.



27. Nd1 Rc8
28. Qd3 Rxc3
29. Nxc3 Qc8!

I quite liked this move, adding pressure to the c-file, defending the e6 pawn, and preparing to move the bishop to a better square.

30. Bf3 Ba6
31. Qe3 Kf7

31. .. Rc7 and then .. Rc6 would have been more accurate, defending the d6 pawn from a more active square.

32. Na4 Qc6
33. Kg2 Bb5
34. Nc3 Rc7
35. Nxb5 Qxb5

And another set of pieces has gone.

36. Qe5 Qd7?

This is a mistake because I have blocked the rook's route along the seventh rank and hence the defence of the e6 pawn. 36. .. Re7 or 36. .. Qc6 would have been better.



37. g4!

White can now prise open the kingside for a strong attack and I am beginning to sweat.

37. .....  g6?

I did not like 37. .. fxg4 38. Bxg4 Rc6 although that is probably sound. As played, the queen enters the far corner and I am fighting for the draw

38. Qh8 Rc8?

The engine recommends 38. .. gxf4 39. Qxh7+ Kf8 40. Qh8+ Ke7 41. Bxg4 Qe8 and gives Black a small lead. Another idea is 38. . h5 and if 39. gxh5 gxh5 (or 39. gxf5 gxf5) 40. Bxh5+ Ke7 and the king might be able to wriggle free.

The move played is a mistake and loses pawns, and possibly the game, but my plan is to try to get a counter attack down the g-file. By now, we were both very short of time.

39. Qxh7+ Ke8
40. Qg8+ Ke7
41. Qxg6 Qe8
42. Qg5+ Kd6
43. gxf5?

White now goes wrong.43. Qf6 with Qe5+ next keeps the Black king on the run.

43.  ….  Qh8

I quite liked this move, planning to bring the rook over, threatening Rg8 pinning the queen, and hitting the d4 pawn. 43. .. exf5 44. Qxf5 Qg8+ 45. Bg4 and with three pawns for the exchange, White is winning.



In the text position, White should now pay 44. Bh5! to meet 44. .. Rg8 with 45. Bg6.

44. Kf2? Qxh2+?

In my keenness to grab the h-pawn - which removal I thought had removed White's winning chances - I did not see, as my opponent pointed out afterwards - 44. .. Rg8! then 45. Qh5 Qxd4+ 46. e3 Qd2+ 47. Be2 d4 (threatening d3) and if 48. exd4 Qxf4+.

45. Bg2

One line with the engine sees is 45. Ke3 Rc3+ 46. Kd2 Rxf3 47. Qd8+ Kc6 48. Qe8+! with a draw by perpetual check.

45. .....   Qh8

Back to the previous threats.

46. f6 Rf8

And now 47 e4! forces a draw, with 47. .. dxe4 48. Qe5+ Kd7 49. Qb5+ Kc7 50. Qe5+ etc.

47. Qe5+? Kd7

If 48. e4 then simply 48. .. Qxf6 and Black is back on top.

48. Bxd5!?

A bold attempt for perpetual check. Now, done to my last five minutes, I did not want to take any chances, but taking the bishop is fine. After 48. … exd5 49. Qxd5+ Kc7 50. Qe5+ Kb7 51. Qd5+ Ka7 52. Qd7+ Ka6, the checks are stopped. Then 53. a4 Qxf6 54. Qb5+ Kb7 55. Qd7+ Kb8.

48. ....  Qxf6
49. Qxf6

49. Bf3 Qxf4 50. Qb5+ again has good drawing chances.

49. .....  Rxf6
50. Bf3 Rxf4



At this point, we both had less than five minutes left and hence there was no further recording of the game.

I advanced with the king, infiltrated with the rook round the back, kept my pawns on black squares and eventually managed to push home to win the game with much relief.



Swale v Maidstone

Keith Nevols (163) 1-0 Beavis Barrington (143)

David Page (141) 1/2-1/2 David Heath (146)

Dennis Simpson (120) 0-1 Peter Dirmauskas (135)

Tyrone Jefferies (119) 1-0 David Smith (119)

Vytautas Gedminas (116) 0-1 Louis Chamberlain (120)

Anthony Fletcher (86) 0-1 Joshua Gillespie (75)

Swale 2.5-3.5 Maidstone