19 September 2019 - Swale Club Championship - Round Three

Swale Club Chess Championship - Round Three

Thursday 19 September 2019

White: Keith Nevols (157) - Black: Keith Hyde (149)

Kings Indian Defence

In our last two games, in which I had the white pieces, the games had been closed Sicilians in which I had not got anything. So, as with my game with Rob Woolacott, I decided to try out the left hand side. The plan was to play solidly and gently and see if I can take advantage of any weaknesses.

1. d4 Nf6

2. Nf3 g6

I had planned to play 3. e3 and enter the Colle system but this move has put an end to that plan, so the Indians it is.

3. c4 Bg7

In our very first game, four years ago, Black had played the Grunfeld defence. I wondered if he would do so here with 3. ... d5. I tried to remember my theory because I have played 4. Nf3 here instead of 4. Nc3, so is 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 any good? But the best move to respond to 3. .. d5 might be 4. Nc3.

4. Nc3 O-O

So the King's Indian it is.

5. e3?!

5. e4 is a much better and more ambitious move. I gave it a lot of thought but decided to stick to the plan of being solid.

5. .....   d6

6. Bd3

I think 6. Be2 might have been more accurate but I was concerned about Black playing 6. ...Bf5.

6. ......  Nbd7

I did not think this was the best move, as the c8 bishop is now restricted and the knight not well placed. If it goes to the b6 square, I could play a4 maybe creating some weaknesses.
6. ... c5 might be better.

7. O-O e5

8. b3

8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Be2 Bf5 looks good for Black. I wanted to consider how to develop the queen's bishop.

8. .....  Re8

9. Qc2 Qe7

10. Nd2?! 

Defending against e4, but 10. Be2 would have been an improvement. After 10. .. e4 11. Nd2 White could continue development with Bb2, Rfd1, Rac1 etc.

10. ....Nf8

After 10. .. exd4 11. exd4 c5, the engine thinks Black has a slight advantage.

11. Bb2 c6

12. a4 

Planning to put pressure on the now weakened d-pawn.

12. ..... Qc7

13. Ba3?!

13. d5 is better. If 13. .. cxd5 14. Nxd5 and the opening of the c-file could be to White's advantage. If Black does not take, then the White pawn on d5 is a restraint on the Black position.

Black takes the chance to relieve some tension and take some control of the centre.

13. ......exd4!

14. exd4 Ne6

15. Nf3 Nf4

16. Rfe1 

16. ....     Nxd3?!

Exchanging the well-placed knight for a not-so-good bishop. 16. .. Bg4 poses awkward questions, which White cannot meet by either 17. g3 or 17. h3. After 17. Nd2 Black can continue to build up with 17. .. d5 or 17. .. Rad8.

There is an interesting piece sacrifice with 16. .. Bg4 17. Nd2 Qd7 18. f3 N6h5 19. fxg4 Bxd4+ 20. Kh1 Qxg4.

17. Qxd3 Bf5

18. Qd2 Ne4

19. Nxe4 Bxe4

By now, I had the sense of being outplayed.

20. Qf4 Bxf3

21. Bxd6 Qa5

22. b4 Qxa4!

I had overlooked that this was possible. Obviously 23. Rxa4 loses to 23. .. Re1 mate. I did not like 23. Qxf3 Bxd4 so had to weaken the pawn structure.

23. gxf3 Qc2

24. Rxe8+ Rxe8

25. Rxa7 Qxc4

26. Bc5? 

White ought to play 26. Rxb7 Bxd4 27. Kg2 and hang in there.

26. .... Re1+

27. Kg2 

Black's best move here is 27. .. h5 or 27. .. h6. Black's threat is to play Qf1+ and Re2, but he then also has a future option of Be5! which we both overlooked, exploiting the pin against the queen. (He cannot play it yet. If 27. .. Bd5?? now then 28. Ra8+ forces mate - hence the move of the h-pawn giving h7 as a flight square).

After 27. .. h5 28. Rxb7 Be5! White has to give up material to stop mate - 29. Qxf7+ Qxf7 30 Rxf7 Kxf7 31. dxe5 Rxe5. Black has the exchange for a pawn - still work to do, but a clear advantage.

Black saw the bank rank threat but, thankfully for me, did not see Be5, and so decided to force a draw. 

27. ..... Qf1+?

28. Kg3 Qg1+

29. Kh3 Qf1+?

30. Kg3 Qg1+

31. Kh3 Qf1+?

32. Kg3

Draw. Perhaps not the most exciting of games and my strategy had not worked.

12 September 2019 - Swale Club Championship - Round Two

Swale Club Chess Championship - Round Two

Thursday 12 September 2019

White: Kevin French (104) - Black: Keith Nevols (157)

English Opening

1. c4 e5

This is an aggressive system I have used against the English. It is a similar set-up to the Dutch defence but with ... e5 already played.

2. Nc3 d6

3. g3 f5

4. Bg2

If 4. d4 I had planned 4. .. Be7. White can choose to exchange queens with 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Bxd8, or go straight for 6. Nd5 Nf6. I think either is fine for Black.

4. ....  Nf6

5. Qc2

5. Qb3 is a sterner test, a more active square for the queen, and was the move which concerned me. I wanted to get my king castled as soon as possible for that reason.

5. .....  Nc6

6. e3

This stops Nd4.I tried to think of methods of exploiting the weak d3 square by playing e4 and either Ne5 or Nb4 to d3, but there is not time. 6. .. e4 can be met straight away with 7. f3. Instead I decide to continue developing.

6. ....  Be7

7. a3 a5

A time out to deter a White b4, while also thinking Ra6 in future might be useful - both to come off the long diagonal but also to move across the sixth rank - and these did indeed prove to be the case.

8. Nge2 O-O

9. b3

Now I could see that White was thinking of queenside castling.

9. .....  Qe8

The point being to have options both of moving the queen over to the kingside to attack, a possible attack in the centre, or keep open possibilities of moving over the other way towards the a4 square. 9. .. e4 is possible here too.

10. Bb2 Bd8

This move is to pre-empt a Nd5 or a Nb5, and also to open some files opposite the White king.

11. d3

White's sixth pawn move out of eleven. I considered 11... Qh5 or 11. .. Qg6, just to be able to move a piece to a more aggressive square, but I could not see any other reason for that, so instead I just decide to create a further weakness in the White camp.

11. ......  Ng4

12. h3 Nf6

13. O-O-O

So White has made his decision. He feels the king is safer on the queenside and now intends to open up the centre.

13. ...... Ra6!

I quite liked this move. 13. .. Nd7 is another option but, as stated earlier, I wanted to get this rook to a safer and more flexible square. I also had vague ideas of Na7 and b5.

Perhaps worth mentioning that the engine does not like it, preferring 13. .. Ne7 and then c6.

14. d4 e4

Opening the position with 14. ... exd4 15. exd4 leaving White with an open e-file and active bishops, while mine were both on the back rank, did not appeal.

15. Nf4

I had quite a think in this position as to an overall plan. Although not much has happened, my pieces are not that well placed, and my best bet would be to wait for White to make a move and try to win on the counter. 

I did not like 15. .. g5 (the engine's recommendation) 16. Nd5 (I did not look at 16. Nfe2) Nxd5 17. cxd5 Ne7 18. h4 with the aim to open the h-file, although 18. .. b5! might be OK (19. hxg5 b4 and then Nxd5).

15. ... Qf7 was another move I considered, although this is not very inspiring, and it allowed 16. f3.

Instead I play a waiting move to slightly improve the position of the bishop as well as point towards a4.

15. .....  Bd7

16. Rde1?!

Making f3 possible. I wondered if 16. h4 would have been an improvement, securing the position of the knight on f4, but weakening the g4 square. The consolidation move 16. Kb1 is another idea.

16. ....   g5

Changing my mind. I can't let the knight sit there, and a few exchanges might help.

17. Nfe2

I thought this was a mistake, and that he had to play 17. Nd5. He has retreated the knight to a square where it has only one square to go to, and it blocks off some White lines of defence.

17. .....    Ne7

Opening up the diagonal to think about b5 and/or a4. 

I thought that 18. g4! would now be a good move, taking advantage of Black being disorientated. 18. .. fxg4 19. hxg4 Bxg4 20. Nxe4 and White is opening up the position towards the Black king both down the h-file and along the b1-h7 diagonal and possibly the b2-h8.

If Black tried to meet 18. g4 with 18. . Ng6 19. gxf5 Bxf5 then 20. Ng3 Nh4 21. Nxf5 (21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Bxe4 23. Nxe4 Nf3! 24. Rd1 Qg6 with Rd8 wins a piece) Nxg2 22. Reg1 or 21. .. Nxf5 22. Nxe4.

18. .. d5 might have been the best bet with 19. cxd5 Nexd5 20. gxf5 Nxc3 21. Nxc3 Bxf5 but White then has a pleasant choice between 19. Bf1 and Bc4+ or 19. f3.

18. Rd1 

White's advantage has now been reduced by those two rook moves and I can see a way to take some initiative.

18. ....... d5
19. c5

19. cxd5 Nxed5 and Black has the advantage with even Rc6 to consider.

19. .....   b5!

Seeking to make a breakthrough with a b4 threat, and meeting 20. cxb6 e.p. with 20. .. Rxb6.

I considered 20. .. b6 but then I am not going to take on c5 opening up the b2 bishop diagonal, and the rook just looks silly.

20. Na2

With the white knight and bishop now way out of the game, it is time to work on the kingside.

20. ......  Ng6

Prevents a White h4, supports a future f4, frees up some space and improves the position of the knight. Not bad for one move.

21. Bf1

A backward move that I did not expect. A White a4 could be awkward so I decided to move the rook. 21. .. Ra7 I considered but then I saw a better square, which would help support the centre initiative.

21. .... Re6!

The engines recommend 21. ... c6 with Bc7, or 21.... a4. But I like this move as the rook is now in the game (and it was a point of Ra6 long ago). I had planned to meet 22. Qd2 with 22. c6 23. Bc3 a4.

22. Bg2

For the second time, White moves a piece back to where it came from. By now I am short of time - just down to my last twenty minutes - and I knew I had to get a move on. I thought about 22. .. c6 just tidying up and I looked at 22. .. Nh5 but then, what the hell? Let's just get on with it!

22. .....f4!?
23. gxf4 gxf4

24. Nxf4?

24. Nec3 might be more accurate, keeping a White pawn on e3.

24. ......  Nxf4

25. exf4 Nh5

Now I was happy! With Rg6 and the bishops moving in, I can get a strong initiative.

26. Bf1 Nxf4

27. Nc3 c6

A tidying move but Black's best would have been to push on with 27. .. e3.

28. Ne2??

A blunder overlooking my next move.

28. ......  Nd3+

29. Rxd3

Perhaps the best practical chance. 29. Kb1 Nxf2 30. Rg1+ Rg6 and I am a pawn up but with potential strong squares for the pieces. White will get a pawn for the exchange here as well as getting rid of a strong knight.

29. .....  exd3

30. Qxd3 Bg5+

I had overlooked that 31. f4 was now possible. If 31. .. Bxf4+ 32. Nxf4 Rxf4?? 33. Qg3+, although, had I thought about it, I could have answered 31. f4 with 31. .. Re3.

A better Black move would have been an immediate 30. .. Rg6! with Bf5 to come and killing the White king on the diagonals.

31. Kd1 Rg6

31. .. Rxf2 immediately would have been tidier, keeping up the pressure down the e-file, but I was concerned about the open g-file.

32. h4 Bh6

32. .. Bf5 33. Qg3 Qe4 is another strong move, threatening mate in two and the rook on h1.

33. Bh3 Rxf2

Why not? My aim is to simplify the game to a winning ending.

34. Bxd7 Qxd7

35. Bc1 Bxc1

36. Kxc1 Rgg2

37. Re1 Qg4

38. Kd1

38. .... Rf3 now wins at once.

If 39. Qc2 Rxe2 40. Qxe2 (40. Rxe2 Rf1+ 41. Kd2 Qxd4+ 42. Qd3 Rd1+) 43. Kc1 (43. Kc2 Rf2) Qa1+ 44. Kd2 Qc3+ 45. Kd1 Rd3+.

Or 39. Qd2 Qe4 40. Kc1 Re3 41. Qxa5 Qe8.

But, with time running low, and aware of the danger of a perpetual check, I am thinking of how I can simplify this to a king and pawn ending - in which case an outside passed pawn would be very useful.

38. .....   Qxh4

39. a4

White aims to break through on the queenside to get counterplay and an active queen.,

39. .....  bxa4

40. bxa4 Qe4

Apparently 40.. Qh6 is best but I wanted those queens off.

41. Qxe4 dxe4

42. Kd2

A quick count and I see how to win.

42. ......  Kf7

43. Ke3 Rxe2+!

44. Rxe2 Rxe2+

45. Kxe2 Ke6

46. Ke3

If 46. Kd2, losing a tempo, then just 46. ... h6 47. Ke3 Kd5.

46. ....... Kd5

47. Kf4 Kxd4

White now resigned.

5 September 2019 - Swale Club Championship - Round One

Swale Club Chess Championship - Round One

Thursday 5 September 2019

White: Keith Nevols (157) - Black: Alin Popa (76)

French Defence

The start of a new season!!

1. e4 e6

2. Qe2

My regular anti-French. A target for the year ahead - find some better anti-French systems.

2. .....  c6!?

An interesting idea which I assumed was to help get d5 through. I considered 3. c4 d5 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Nc3 but just thought my d-pawn looked a bit odd without any neighbours.

3. d4 Nf6

3. .. d5 would have been better. Now I get the chance to gain some time.

4. e5 Ng8

A better alternative would have been 4. ... Nd5 5. c4 Nb4 (5. .. Nc7!?) I looked at 6. a3 Qa5! and whether I should try 7. Kd1?? (which would have been a huge blunder after 7. .. Qa4+ 8. Ke1 Nc2+) or the more simple 7. Nc3 where Black could try 7. .. c5.

5. Nf3 h6

Black's position is not good - the knight on b8 and bishop on c8 will struggle to get out. Having said that, my queen is not very well placed on e2, so I resolve to sort out the kingside.

6. g3 b5

I had guessed the idea was to establish a knight on d5 via e7, but now I am thinking how I can make use of the weakened Black squares.

7. Bg2 Ba6

Ruling out castling so I have to go somewhere with the queen and think that the centre is as good as place as any.

8. Qe4 Bb4+

9. Bd2

Happy to exchange bishops - again with those weak Black squares in mind, especially the one on d6.

9. ......  Qa5

10. O-O

10. Qg4 is interesting, but let's just get the king out of the way before any accidents.

10. ....  Bxd2

11. Nxd2 b4

12. Rfd1

This move was after I performed the 'which rook on which square' debate familiar to all chess players. I figured that the rooks would better placed on c1 and d1, with a plan of Nb3-c5, Rac1, c3 etc. Or even a3. 

Black's best move here is 12. ... Ne7, with those squares on d5 or f5 to consider, and then castling and somehow developing the knight on b8.

12. ......  f5?

But this is a mistake, letting the queen infiltrate the kingside.

13. exf6 Nxf6??

And this is game over. Black had to play 13. .. gxf6 14. Qg6+ Kf8 15. Ne4 Qd8 and then White will try to get the rooks into play to keep up the attack.

As played, the game now finishes very quickly.

14. Qg6+ Kf8

15. Ne5 Kg8

16. Ne4 Qd8

16. .. Nxe4 mates after 17. Qf7+Kh7 18. Bxe4++.

17. Qf7+ Kh7

18. Nxf6+ Qxf6

19. Be4+

Black can now resign but instead allows me the chance to perform a neat checkmate.

19. ....  Qf5

20. Bxf5+ exf5

21. Qxf5+ Kg8

22. Ng6 Kh7

23. Ne7+ g6

24. Qxg6 mate

15 August 2019 - Rochester Championship - Round Four

Rochester Championship - Round Four

Thursday 15 August 2019

White: Keith Nevols (157) - Black: Rob Woolacott (141)
King's Indian Defence

My opponent was the only person to defeat me in this year's club championship ... and he did it twice!! My chance for some revenge.

I decided to play on the left-hand side this time.

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6
3. Nc3 Bg7
4. e4 d6
5. Nf3 c5

An unusual move. Kings Indian players usually play 5. .. e5 and aim to follow with f5 and a kingside attack. The advantage of 5. .. c5 is that it blocks any early ideas White may have of a queenside attack.

One line here is 6. d5 Bg4 7. Be2 O-O 8.h3 Bxf3 9. Bxf3. The engine says that White is better but to me it looks a bit even, so long as Black can develop the queens' knight. Black can decide between Nbd7 or a6.

I choose a more conservative move.

6. dxc5 Qa5
7. Bd3 

7. Bd2 Qxc5 8. h3 is more accurate but I did not want to place that bishop on d2.

7. ..... Qxc5

7. .. dxc5 would put a grip on the d4 square, or 7. .. Nfd7 8. Bd2 Nxc5 9. Bc2 Bg4 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Bc3 is even.

8. h3! 

I was quite pleased with this move which not only takes away the possibility of Bg4 but also prepares the next without worrying about Ng4.

8. ...... O-O

9. Be3 Qb4
10. Qd2 

A multi-purpose move, covering b2, connecting the rooks after castling, and preparing Bh6 to exchange off the King's Indian bishop. 

However, 10. a3 Qa5 (10. .... Qxb2?? 11. Na4) 11. b4 Qc7 12. Rc1 would gain space.

10. .......Qa5
11. O-O Nc6
12. Rac1 

12. Rab1 would intend b4. I overlooked that after 12. Rab1 Nd7 13. b4, Black cannot play 13. .. Nxb4? as White has 14. Nd5. The intention behind Rac1 was to beef up the c3 point.

12. ..... Bd7?!

12. . b6 would be a better deployment of the bishop and leaves the d7 square free for the retreat of the f6 knight.

13. Bh6 

Taking my chance to swap off the bishop, after which I thought I had no fears.

13. ...... Qh5?

A mistake. 13. .. Bxh6 or 13. .. Rac8 were better. This move allows me to cut the Black queen off and force a weakness.

14. Bxg7 Kxg7
15. Nd5 

Intending Nxf6 Kxf6; Qc3+ and forcing the Black king into the centre.

15. ..... Qh6

16. Qc3 would tie Black up nicely but I saw a sequence to weaken the Black structure.

16. Qxh6+ Kxh6
17. Nxf6 exf6
18. Bb1 

So I now have a target - the isolated and backward Black d-pawn.

18. ..... Ne5
19. Nd2 

White should have played 19. Nd4 as now Black can play 19. .. g5! holding up the White offensive.

19. ...... Rac8
20. Rfd1?

Better 20. f4 as Black gets another chance to play g5.

20. ... Be6
21. b3 Rc6?

Phew, it was at this stage that I finally saw the possibility of a Black g5, and relieved that Black had continued to miss it. But I did not yet see that my move would force the win of material.

22. f4 Nd7
23. Nf3? 

No. Missing 23. f5. In trying to keep everything under control, and playing positionally, it seems simple to miss obvious moves.

As Black pondered, I suddenly saw f5, and mentally kicked myself, as I expected him to move the d7 knight which would provide a retreat square for the Black bishop.

23. .....Re8?

But my luck held!

24. f5 Ne5
25. Nxe5 fxe5
26. fxe6 Rxe6

For the next few moves, I shuffled my pieces around to gradually improve my position and target Black's weak pawns.

27. Rd5 b6
28. a4 Kg5
29. Rf1 Re7
30. Bc2 f6
31. h4+! Kxh4
32. Rxf6 Rd7
33. Re6 a6
34. Rexe5 

A clear piece up, my aim was to exchange some pieces. As we have seen in previous games, I make mistakes when leading by material.

34. ......b5
35. Re6 bxa4

36. bxa4?

Believe it or not, 36. Kh2! is mate in five. White threatens g3 and Bd1, so Black's only defence is 36. .. Rf7 when 37. g3+ Kg4 38. Bd1+ Rf3 39. Kg2 and 40. Bxf3 mates.

36. .... Rxc4

37. Rd2 Rdc7
38. Bd1 Rc1
39. Rxd6 R7c4
40. R6d4 

I don't want to exchange too many pawns.

40. ...... R4c3
41. Kf2 Rc6
42. Rd7 Rf6+
43. Ke3 R1c3+
44. R2d3 Rc5
45. Rxh7+

Here Black played 45. ... Kg4 which is an illegal move. I had intended to meet 45. .. Kg5 with 46. Kd4. Rather than wait for the time penalty to be added to the clocks, Black decided to resign.

I enjoyed this game until the final section when, although there were no blunders, I got very nervous.

My final score for the Rochester Championship was 4 out of 5 and I again finished second to Sam Woolacott who had the perfect score.

8 August 2019 - Rochester Championship - Round Three

Rochester Championship - Round Three

Thursday 8 August 2019

White: Sam Woolacott (176) - Black: Keith Nevols (157)
Irregular Defence

A tough opponent and the defending champion.

1. Nf3 f5
2. d3!? 

A surprise! 2. d4 goes into the regular Dutch. Now 2. .. d6 3. e4 goes into the Lisitsin Gambit which I had seen before. Once again I was on unfamiliar territory at an early point.

2. .......Nf6
3. e4 

One line appears to be 3. ... fxe4 4. dxe4 Nxe4 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. Ng5 g6 7. Nxh7 (or even 7. h4!) Rxh7 8. Bxg6+ Rf7. This does not look much fun for Black.

Or 3. .. e5?! will convert to the Latvian Gambit with 4. Nxe5 Qe7 about which I have some knowledge but only for fun games.

I go for a safer option. My logic, as with the last time I faced this system, was to get through the first opening moves and, at worst, get into an equal or slightly worse middlegame.

3. ...... d6

4. exf5 Bxf5
5. d4! 

It is rare to move a pawn to the third and then the fourth rank so early, but this releases the bishop and prevents a black e5. (5. ... e5 6. dxe5 Qe7 is too risky with 7. Bd3 or 7. Bb5+ and castles to come).

5. ..... c6

To stop a White d5 and aiming to develop the queenside to castle to safety.

6. Bd3 Qd7?

An interesting pawn sacrifice is 6. .. Bxd3 7. Qxd3 e5?!. Then 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Nxe5 Bb4+ 11. c3 Re8 12. O-O Rxe5 13. cxb4 Nbd7. But 9. Qb3! ties Black up in knots.

The main problem with 6. .. Qd7 is, after c6, taking another square away from the knight. 

So 6. .. Bg4 was probably more accurate, with 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Qb6.

7. O-O Bg4

Better 7. .. Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Na6.

8. Re1 Na6

The knight has to be developed and I decided that the weakness on the queenside was worth it to get rid of that bishop.

9. Bxa6 bxa6
10. Qd3 Bf5

Offering to exchange my doubled a-pawn for his central c-pawn, an offer he does refuse.

11. Qe2 h6

12. c4 O-O-O?

12. .. e6 looks odd but Black needs to be castling kingside, where there is a little more comfort. After 12. .. e6, White can take a pawn with 13. Nh4 Bh7 14. Qxe6+ Qxe6 15. Rxe6 Kf7 16. Re1 but then16. .. g5 17. Nf3 Bg7 and Black might get some compensation while White has still to develop the queenside.

13. Nc3 

13. Bd2! coming to a5 would have put Black under greater pressure.

13. ....... Re8
14. d5 

White is well on top and has a selection of so many good moves. As well as the text, the engine recommends 14. c5, 14. Bf4 or 14. Be3. Black is into familiar grovelling mode.

14. ...... e5

15. dxc6 Qxc6
16. Be3 Be6
17. Nd5 

Again there are a lot of good moves to choose from. 17. c5 and 17. Rac1 are good alternatives.

17. ......Kb7

18. Red1!

And White now sacrifices a pawn to open up some space. I decide that, as I am going to be under attack anyway, I might as well grab a pawn for the effort.

18. .....Nxd5
19. cxd5 Bxd5
20. Rac1 Bxf3
21. gxf3 Qd7
22. Rc3 

The game is won. Black just does not have enough time to put together any defence or counter attack. There is not much to say from here as White can just move pieces around at will.

22. ..... Rc8
23. Rb3+ Ka8
24. Qxa6 Be7
25. Rd5 Rc6
26. Qb5 Rc7
27. Qd3 Rb7
28. Ra3 

28. Ra5 with Qd5 is a nice finish.

28. ....Rc8
29. Rda5 R8c7
30. Qd5 Kb8

Remarkably I am still on the board, and White now goes wrong. He should play 31.Kg2.

31. b4?

I have a free unenforced move. What shall I do with it? I looked at 31. .. Qc6 and saw 32. Qg8+.

But I did not see 31. .. Qf5! which threatens perpetual check with Qb1+ and Qg6+. 

If 32. Qe4 then 32. ... Qxe4 33. fxe4 Rxb4. Or 32. Rb3 Qg6+ 33. Kh1 Qc2. Or 32. Rd3 Rxb4.

To meet 31. .. Qf5, White would have had to find 32. h3!! and Black would then need to find 32. .. Kc8! to remain with a chance. (32. ... Qb1+ 33. Kh2 Qxb4 34. Rb3). White cannot move the bishop from d3 or else Black can use the g5-f4-c1 diagonal for perpetual check again. Also 33. Qg8+ Kd7 34. Qxg7 Qxh3 is also a draw.

After 32. ... Kc8! White should play 33. Ra6! to tie the bishop to the defence of the d6 pawn, and he would still have the advantage.

Unfortunately I did not see any of this, and decided to both block the eighth rank, protect the seventh rank, and threaten a cheap tactic - which seemed a good deal for a move.

31. ........Bd8?

32. Ra6! Rb5??

The final mistake. Black should go back with 32. ... Be7 and see if he sees Qf5 next time.

33. Bxa7 Rxa7
34. Rxa7 Rxd5
35. Rxd7 Bf6

And now, after twigging that I am a rook down, it was time to resign. 

A disappointing game where I was on the ropes from move two, and so made the resolution not to meet 1. Nf3 with 1. .. f5 in future.

1 August 2019 - Rochester Championship - Round Two

Rochester Championship - Round Two

Thursday 1 August 2019

White: Tyrone Jefferies (113) - Black: Keith Nevols (157)
Dutch Defence

1. d4 f5
2. Nf3 Nf6
3. Bf4 e6
4. Nbd2 Be7
5. e3 O-O
6. Bc4

Bf4 against the Dutch seems to be quite popular. It supports an attack down the c-file with c4 and Rc1 and targeting the c7 square. 

White's set up here adding Nbd2 and Bc4 is also interesting but reduces White's potential for a queenside attack. I go by the principle that if White does not develop his bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal, then Black ought to do so.

6. ..... b6
7. c3 Bb7
8. O-O

If 8. .... c5 then, according to the engine, the game is equal.

8. ......  Ne4?!

White can take the initiative 9. Nxe4 fxe4 10. Ne5! with options of Qg4-Qh5, Rd1 and/or d5.

9. a4 a5

Better 9. .. d5 to rule out a d5 break for White. 10. Bb3 g5 then gives an initiative to Black.

10. Re1?!

The purpose of this move is revealed by the next .Again 10.Nxe4 would be an improvement, or 10. h3 to provide a retreat square for the f4 bishop. Black now wakes up and takes the initiative and material advantage.

10. ...... d5
11. Bf1 g5
12. Bg3

12. Be5 is well answered by 12. .. Nd7 and then g4.

12. ..... f4

I thought I was winning a piece, but Black can get sufficient compensation. So 12. .. Nxg3 13. hxg3 Nd7 is considered to be a more accurate way to play the position. Nevertheless, I am always reluctant to turn down the possibility of material. My logic is that, if I am going to have to defend grimly (which, more often than not, is the case) then I might as well have something for it.

13. exf4 gxf4

White must now play 14. Bd3! fxg3 15. hxg3. The point is that, for the piece, White has one pawn and is about to get a second with pressure down the e-file. 15. .. Nd7 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Rxe4 Rf6 19. Qe2 Nf8. The e6 pawn is quite weak. Or if 15. .. Nxd2? 16. Qxd2 Rf6 17. Ng5 and Black is in big trouble.

Fortunately for me, White tries a different way to get compensation.

14. Ne5 fxg3
15. Qg4+ Kh8
16. Nxe4 gxh2+
17. Kh1 dxe4
18. Qxe6 Bd5

This had been my planned defence, although the computer prefers 18. .. Qd6 19. Nf7+ Rxf7 20. Qxf7 Nd7 with Rf8 to come. Black, in this situation, would have two pieces for the rook. But giving up an exchange is never a good idea to me.

19. Qh6 Qd6

With f7 covered, it is now safe to seek the exchange of queens.

20. Qh5 Qf6

Nothing wrong with 20. .. Nd7. I need to develop that knight and rook to help with the defence.

21. Ng4 Qg5
22. Qxg5 Bxg5
23. Kxh2 Nd7

The queens have gone and I am a piece for a pawn ahead. I need to keep that e-pawn in there and activate the other pieces.

24. c4 Bb7

24. .. Be6 would have forced more exchanges. I did not want to lose the e-pawn to 25. Rxe4 but overlooked 25. .. Bf5.

25. d5 Nc5
26. Kg1 Rae8

The e-pawn is now safe.

27. Ra3 Bc8
28. Ne3 Bd7

Hitting the a-pawn and forcing White's next cutting off the a3 rook.

29. b3 Bxe3
30. Rxe3 Rf6

Now a few moves adjusting my pieces to better squares, while White can do little.

31. Ra2 Ref8
32. Rd2 Be8
33. Rb2 Bg6
34. Rd2 Nd7
35. Rc3 Ne5
36. c5

White's only chance is to get a passed pawn on the d-file. I thought I had enough to defend this.

36. ...... Ng4
37. cxb6 cxb6
38. d6 e3!

Exploiting the pin down the f-file.

39. Rd4 exf2+
40. Kh1 Bf5
41. d7 Rd8
42. Bb5

The very attractive 42. .. Bd3! would have been a lovely way to finish. 

If 43. Bxd3 Rh6 mate. 

If 43. Rxg4 Rh6 will mate next move. 

If 43. Rxd3 f1(Q) mate.

42. ......  Bxd7

The only way to stop mate is 43. Rxg4 but then 43. .. Bxb5 and the f-pawn will queen next move. If 43. g3 Rh6+ also forces mate.

43. Rc7 Rh6++