23 May 2019 - Swale Club Championship - Final Group - Round Three

Swale Club Chess Championship - Final Group - Round Three

Thursday 23 May 2019

White: Keith Nevols (163) - Black: Dennis Simpson

Scandinavian Defence

1. e4 d5

2. exd5 Qxd5

3. Nc3 Qd8

4. d4 Nf6

5. Nf3 Bg4

6. Bc4 

I had expected this opening, with the Qd8 move instead of my own Qa5. But here Black cannot win a pawn with 6. .. Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Qxd4 because of 8. Qxb7, so Black sets up a defence which is very familiar to me.

6. ….e6

7. O-O c6

8. Bb3?! 

Intending to sacrifice a pawn after 8. .. Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Qxd4 and following up with ideas of Bf4 or Rd1. But 8. Be3 is the best move, although I did give a lot of thought to 8. Bg5.

8. ….Be7

9. Bf4 O-O

Again declining the pawn offer. 9. .. Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Qxd4 11. Rad1 and one idea is 11. .. Qb6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 and thoughts of Be3 or Rd3.

10. Be5? 

Poor. The engine says coming back with 10. Be3 is the best move. I was trying to see if I could mix this up to avoid a dull game. The bishop on g4 is becoming a pain so 10. h3 could be considered.

10. ......  Nbd7

After this sensible defensive move, Black is better and I am stuck for ideas.

11. Qd3 c5

Black could have taken over the initiative with 11. … Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. Qe2 Qc7. Perhaps he was concerned over the possibility of my taking over the d-file and planting a knight on d6 although I could not see how I could have done this,

12. Rad1 cxd4?!

Taking some tension out of the position. 12. .. Qc8 with a6 and b5 is one idea of keeping up an initiative.

13. Bxd4 Nc5

14. Qe3 Qc8

Again h3 is begging to be played. I decide to double up on the d-file instead.

15. Rd2 Nxb3

16. axb3 b6

16. .. Qc7!? is an interesting pawn sacrifice. 17. Bxa7 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Qa5 and coming over to the kingside to exploit some holes.

17. Ne5 Bf5

18. Rfd1 

White should try 18. h3 with g4 to follow. 

18. .. Qb7!

Good move, clearing the back rank and zoning in on the e4 square.

19. f3 Rfd8

19. .. h6 would clear a path back for the bishop if White is still thinking of g4 ideas.

20. Kf1 

I was worried about tactics along the a7-g1 diagonal, hence the moving of the king away from this line. But 20. g4 remains fine. One line is 20. .. Bg6 21. h4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Bxc2 23. Rc1 Bxb3 24. Nb5! Bc5 25. Qxb3 Bxd4+ 26. Nxd4 and White is a piece for two pawns up.

Looking forward, this lazy move un-defends the h2 square.

20. ….  Nd5

21. Nxd5 Rxd5

22. c4 Rdd8

23. Qc3? 

A waste of a move which Black can just brush off. 23. g4 Bg6 24. Bc3 Rxd2 25. Qxd2 is an improvement. Black cannot play Rd8 due to his weak back rank.

23. ......a5

I did not see this. Not only does it stop b4 but it places the bishop on a very good square.

But Black has a strong attack with 23. .. f6 24. Nd3 Qc7! hitting the h2 square. I saw this and after 25. Kg1 was concerned about 25. .. Bd6, although again 25. .. a5 is also very good.

24. Qe3 

Understandable to avoid the pin and hit b6 but Black could now play 24. .. f6! 25. Nd3 Rab8 and e5 is coming next. (If 26. g4 Bg6 27. Qxe6+ Bf7 28. Qe3 and, for the pawn, Black has a nice choice of Re8 or Qxc7).

24. …. Bb4

25. Bc3 Rxd2

26. Qxd2 Qc7

27. Bxb4 axb4

28. Nd3? 

A blunder. White really had to play 28. Qd6 and, after 28. .. Qxd6 29. Rxd6 there is still a chance to exploit the weaknesses on the Black queenside.

28. …. Rd8!

29. Qe2 Qd7?

I had expected 29. .. Qxh2 and could not see a defence.

30. Nf2 Qxd1+

31. Qxd1 

Obviously if 31. Nxd1 then 31. .. Bd3 and Black comes out the exchange ahead.

31. .... Rxd1+

32. Nxd1 Bc2

33. Ne3 Bxb3

And now Black is much better. He is a pawn up, although doubled pawns, and the White pawn on c4 is in trouble.

34. Ke2 Kf8

35. Kd3 Ke7

36. Kd4 Kd6

37. Ng4

There are no more recorded moves because we were now down to our last five minutes each (there were no increments) and there was a bizarre finish to the game.

My opponent had much less time than I did, but played the ending well, advancing on both sides into a winning ending. With just over a minute left, he made an illegal move. We knew that was a two minute penalty and, as he had less than two minutes, we both thought that was that and he had lost on time.

We later discovered that we had the rules wrong. Instead of deducting two minutes from his clock, we should actually have added two minutes to my clock.

I do not know if he still had time to win the game, and I would have probably taken the draw, but the win kept my distant championship hopes alive, although I was very disappointed with my play. Enough people have attacked me on the kingside when I had Black in a Scandinavian so I cannot explain why this idea of h3-g4 or f3-g4 did not occur to me.