14 November 2019 - Harvey - Swale v Weald of Kent

En Passant - Swale vs Hastings

Thursday 14 November 2019

White: Keith Nevols (157) - Black: J Hart-Dyke (133)

Elephant Defence

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d5

The Elephant Gambit. My opponent had played this against me before and I tried hard to remember how I played it.

3. Nxe5 

Last time I played 3. exd5 Bd6 4. Bb5+ Bd7 5. Bxd7+ Nxd7 6. Qe2. Not great but comfortable. This time I am trying the other capture.

3. ......Bd6
4. d4 

The only move, really. 4. Nf3 dxe4 followed by Nf6 and Black looks good.

4. ..... dxe4
5. Nc4?! 

Developing with 5. Bc4 was my first thought but I rejected it. However I did not see 5. ... Bxe5 6. Qh5! Qe7 7. Qxe5 Qxe5 8. dxe5 with a large lead.

5. ...... Nf6

6. Be2 

I turned down  6. Nxd6 as I was unsure about 6. .. cxd6 and then ... d5.

6. .......Be6
7. Bg5 Be7
8. O-O Nbd7
9. Nc3 c6

The position is now equal.

10. Bf4 Nf8!?

An interesting relocation of the knight. While this prevents a White piece moving to d6, it also delays Black from castling.

11. a3?

A waiting move but not a very good one. I am already out of ideas. The engine recommends 11. Be5 and if 11. ..... Ng6 then 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nxe4 Qxd4 (13. ..... Bxd4?? 14. Ncd6+) 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. Nd6+.

11. ........Nd5!

Exploiting the undefended bishop so that I don't have time to take the e4 pawn.

12. Nxd5 cxd5
13. Ne3 Bd6?

13. .... Ng6 14. Bg3 O-O with f5-f4 and Black has the initiative.

14. Bb5+ Ke7?!

Novel. If 14. ..Bd7 White can choose between 15. Bxd6 Bxb5 16. Bxf8 Kxf8 17. Re1 or 15. Bxd7+ Qxd7 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. f3! and Black is in trouble.

15. Bxd6+ Qxd6
16. Be2? 

A missed chance. With the Black king in the centre, opening up with 16. c4! looks strong.

16. ........ f5!

Taking the chance to put White under pressure.

17. Qd2 

The point was to give the knight a space and also to give the queen some more options, and connect the rooks, albeit temporarily. 

But 17. c4 was still possible. One line is 17. .. f4 18. cxd5 Bd7 (18. .... Bxd5??? 19. Nf5+) 19. Nc4 Qxd5 20. Ne5 but there is also 17. ... f4 18. cxd5 fxe3 19. dxe6 exf2+ 20. Rxf2 Ne6 21. d5 Nf4 22. Rxf4! Qxf4 23. Qd4 - a good exchange sacrifice which I did not see (and probably would not have played it if I had).

17. ...... f4

18. Nd1 h6?

Neither of us spotted that this gives the power back to the continually missed 19. c4! dxc4 20. Nc3 coming back into the centre.

19. Nc3? 

White needed to dissolve the Black centre and it was a considerable oversight to keep overlooking c4 as the means to do this.

19. ........ a6
20. Na4 f3
21. Bd1? 

The game is lost now, as Black can pin down the White king. The only chance was to give up material with 21. gxf3 Bh3 22. Kh1 (moving the rook allows the fatal Qg6+) Bxf1 23. Rxf1. White has a pawn for the exchange.

21. ...... Bh3
22. Qb4

My only chance is to get some sort of counter attack against the Black king in the centre.

22. .... Bxg2

23. Re1 Qxb4!
24. axb4 Ne6

On the way to h3.

25. Nc3 Nf4
26. Nxd5+ 

It was this or 26. h4 Nh3+ 27. Kh2 Nxf2.

26. ........Nxd5

27. Rxe4+ Kf7
28. c3 

Black is a pawn up for a piece. White tries to trap the Black king but Black defends well and calmly.

28. .......Rad8
29. Bb3 Kg6
30. Bc2 Nf6
31. Re7 Kh5
32. Re5+ g5
33. Bb3 Rd7
34. Rae1 Rf8
35. Re7 Rfd8
36. R7e5 Kh4
37. Re6 Rd6
38. Re7 Nh5
39. R7e4+ Nf4

A spirited try that really had no realistic chance. A disappointing loss.

Swale v Weald of Kent

Keith Nevols (157) 0-1 James Hart-Dyke (133)

David Page (144) 1-0 Richard Roots (125)

Rob Woolacott (141) 1-0 David Warrick (117)

Vytautas Gedminas (117) 1-0 Peter Godden (75)

Andrew Gillard (109) 1-0 Tom Dooley (75)

Alin Popa (76) 1-0 Eden Legon (75)

Swale 5-1 Weald of Kent