28 September 2019 - County U-160s - Kent v Surrey

County Under-160s match - Kent v Surrey

Saturday 28 September 2019

White: Keith Nevols (157) - Black: M Baker (158)

Sicilian Defence

The first U-160 match of the season saw me back at The Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford to play top board, and we soon entered the familiar Closed Sicilian.

1. e4 c5
2. Nc3 Nc6
3. f4 e6
4. Nf3 d5
5. Be2 

5. Bb5 is considered to be more active, but I did not want to allow counterplay with a6 at some point. After the text, the engine recommends 5. .. dxe4 6. Nxe4 Be7.

5. .......d4
6. Nb1 Nf6

6. .. Bd6 7. d3 Nge7 gives Black an edge.

7. d3 Be7
8. O-O O-O

And so we begin. Firstly, I decide to hold up any Black play on the queenside and then move to develop an attack on the kingside.

9. a4! b6
10. Na3 

Maybe looking 'dim' but well placed to defend c2 and think about coming to c4.

10. ....Bb7
11. Qe1 Nb4
12. Ne5 

One of those moves that looks good but does not really promise anything.  12. Bd2 Rc8 13. Bxb4 cxb4 14. Nc4 looks impressive but Black could stir things up with 14. ... Ng4 looking at the e3 square. 

White ought to get on with it and play 12. Qg3.

12. .....Nd7

12. ... Ne8 would ask the White knight what it is intending to do there. 

13. Qg3 

I like this square for the queen in this system, directly opposite the king. 

13. ......f5

The engine recommends 13. .. Bh4 14. Qh3 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Bg5 swapping off the bishops.

I decided to force a sequence to secure the e5 square. I thought Black could not take the knight on e5 because fxe5 is good for me, opening the line of the bishop on c1 and the rook on f1..

14. c3 dxc3
15. bxc3 

15. .......Nc6

Black has 15. .. fxe4!! - an astonishing piece sacrifice which can lead to a strong attack. A great line is 16. cxb4 Nxe5 17. fxe5 Rxf1+ 18. Kxf1 Qd4! 19. Nc2 Rf8+ 20. Ke1 Qc3+ 21. Kd1 exd3 22. Bxd3 (22. Qxd3 Rd8) ... Bf3+!! 23. gxf3 Qxd3+ 24. Bd2 Rxf3 25. Qg2 Rf1+ 26. Nf1 Bh4.

White would have to resist and play 16. Nxd7! exd3 17. Bf3 Qxd7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. cxb4  but even then 19. ... cxb4 20. Nc4 Qd5! and there's all to play for.

16. Nac4 Ncxe5?

A positional mistake, opening the diagonal for the bishop on c1. and improving the prospects of my knight. Black should sit tight with something like 16. .. Qc7.

17. fxe5 fxe4?

And a second mistake opening the f-file. 17. ... Qe8 would help the defence.

18. Bh6 Rxf1+
19. Rxf1 Bf8
20. Nd6 

If Black now plays 20. .. Nxe5 then 21. Nxb7 Qc7 22. Bf4 and White will come out a piece up.

20. ......Bc6

I had a big think. There must be a forced win here and I tried strenuously to find it.

The correct move is 21. Rf7! g6 and then White has a pleasant choice of 22. Qh3 intending to take on e6, or 22. Qf4 with pressure down the f-file. Either way should win.

But I could see a way to win the Black queen and went into that line instead.

21. Bxg7? Bxg7

22. Rf7 Qf8
23. Rxf8+ Rxf8

For the queen, Black has a rook and a knight, and I had to win the game again. White should now play 24. d4 to secure the centre but the e6 pawn proved a tempting target.

24. Qg4 Nxe5

If 24. .. Bd5 I had considered 25. c4?? but Black could then equalise the game with 25. .. Nxe5 26. Qg3 exd3 27. Bxd3 Nxd3 28. Qxd3 Bd4+ 29. Kh1 Bc6 and it would be very difficult for White to win the game from there.

A better reply to 24. .. Bd5 is 25. d4.

25. Qxe6+ Kh8
26. d4 cxd4
27. cxd4 Nd3

27. .. Bd7 would fight on for a little but then 28. Qd5 or 28. Qe7 is fine.

28. Nf7+ Kg8?

Black needed to play 28. .. Rxf7 29. Qxf7 Bxa4 and White still has work to do. (He has to find 30. Qc4! which would win a piece with 30. ... Bd7 31. Qd5!).

But this is mate in three.

29. Nh6+ Kh8

30. Qg8+

Black resigned. 30. ... Rxg8 31. Nf7 is checkmate.