Sunday, September 23, 2007

I actually played a tournament

it was active and U1600 and i scored 3½/5 despite being the top seed. But still...

same old, same old. i don't calculate enough...i lose confidence in positions and collapse. let's take a look at the games though just to be sure


SN - C
E27 - Nimzo-Indian : Samisch Variation
Active Kitchener, ON (1), 22.09.2007

First game of rated chess in almost a year. It's been too long. This was a good game by me, of course Fritz may rip it apart but so be it.

I had played this guy in Kitchener before and I know it was a Caro-Kann but i couldn't remember if I was White or Black in the game. Need to work on my memory 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 I was very happy with this. [My 3.Nf3 line was transposing into the Semi-Tarrasch 3...d5 (Or I was thinking about the Blumenfeld but I don't understand it at all so I'm sure I'd just be down a pawn and not understanding the compensation 3...c5 4.d5 b5) 4.Nc3 c5] 3...Bb4 4.Qc2 I was happy with this too. This is one of my "pet" lines as Black [4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 0-0 6.Qc2 is the transposition that happened..is it a Samisch after all?] 4...0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3?! [I had never seen that before as Black. The mainline is 6.Qxc3 with the idea of being able to push b4 eventually.

Of course Black has lots of options (as does White) 6...b6 (6...Ne4 7.Qc2 f5; even 6...b5!? ) 7.Bg5 Bb7 etc.

I did a little research and I see this (6.bxc3?!) has been played by Euwe, Winter, Ludek Pachman (in an interzonal) among others. I will have to check, I imagine it was via the Samisch move order but it's interesting that this is playable] 6...d5 7.e3 [I would have played 7.Bg5 to develop the bishop before pushing e3] 7...b6 [7...c5 is a transposition via 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.e3 c5 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 O-O which is interesting in itself] 8.Nf3 Ba6 I thought this was kinda clever 9.Ne5 [9.Nd2 has been played twice. 9...c5 (9...Nc6 which I would never play. I'm dogmatic enough to believe that the c-pawn should be pushed before i move that knight 10.e4 Na5 11.e5 Ne8 12.Bd3 f5 13.cxd5 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Qxd5 and in my opinion Black has a terrible position. Black did eventually win Zegada-Udovcic Tel Aviv oly 1964) 10.Bd3 Nbd7 11.0-0 Qc7 12.h3 Bb7 13.Bb2 dxc4 14.Be2 cxd4 15.cxd4 Rac8 16.Qxc4 Qxc4 17.Nxc4 Ne4 18.Rfc1 b5 19.Na5 Bd5 20.Bxb5 Ndf6 21.Bc6 Nd2 22.Rc2 Nfe4 23.Rac1 Bb3 24.Nxb3 Nxb3 25.Rd1 f5 26.d5 Rfd8 27.Rd3 Nec5 28.Rd1 Rxc6 29.dxc6 Rxd1+ 30.Kh2 Rd8 and Black eventually won Asten-Salonen, Finland cr 1972] 9...Nbd7 [Would the immediate 9...c5 be better?] 10.Nc6? all these knight moves can't be great. 10...Qe8 [10...Qc8?? 11.Ne7+] 11.Qa4 Bb7? [Of course 11...Nb8! wins immediately. Totally missed it because I was looking to develop not win material] 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Nb4 c5 14.Nd3 c4 Was this push any good? 15.Nb4 a5 Again I'm not too sure about this. The backward b-pawn on the open b-file is likely weak, but look at his pieces 16.Na2 [16.Nc2 allows me to try and trap his queen because the queen does not have many escape squares] 16...Qd8 17.Be2 Ne4 18.0-0 Ndf6 19.f3 Nd6 Again not so bad 20.Qc2 Re8 Hitting his backward pawn 21.a4?! Not sure why he played that...all the action is happening in the middle. 21...Bc8 22.Qd2 Nf5 He's so far behind in development, it's time to put pressure on his position. His rook and dark squared bishop haven't even moved. His pawn structure is a mess and his knight is on a2 23.e4 dxe4 24.Bxc4 exf3 [K liked 24...e3 and he was probably right, but I was just trying to open lines. Should have probably looked at this] 25.Rxf3 Ng4 26.Qf4 Re1+ 27.Rf1 Rxf1+ 28.Kxf1 [I totally missed that he could have played 28.Bxf1 in which case I would've been on the defense.] 28...Qh4 29.h3 g5!! I was quite happy with this move. The idea is that he has to guard f2 because of mate 30.Qxg5+ Qxg5 31.Bxg5 Nge3+ 32.Kf2 Nxc4 33.Re1 Be6 34.g4 Nfd6 35.Bh6 Nb2 36.Re3? Nd1+ 37.Kf3 Nxe3 38.Kxe3 Bxa2 and he resigned. I was happy enough with that game. Good energy from me! 0-1


GD - C
B19 - Caro-Kann : Classical, Spassky Variation
Active Kitchener, ON (2), 22.09.2007

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 Nd7 He started taking gobs of time around here. 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Qc7 All theory up to here. I wouldn't be lying if I said I had this position from the black side 300 times in my life 11.Be3 [Mainline is 11.Bd2 . The problem with White's move is that is allows me to get in Qa5 eventually] 11...Ngf6 12.0-0-0 e6 and he's still taking loads of time. I'm playing from script almost as the setup that Black normally plays in this line isn't much affected by his bishop being on e3 instead of d2. One thing he does get from this is with the d5-push my a-pawn is hanging (after I castle) but as long as I'm aware of it... 13.Ne4 0-0-0 [Could've tried 13...Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Nf6 but i think that d3 is a good square for the queen. After I castle queenside the d-pawn is pinned] 14.Nxf6 Nxf6 15.Kb1 Bd6 16.c4 Qa5 Hitting the h5-pawn 17.Bd2 Qc7 18.c5? Terrible but he was down below 5 minutes [18.Qe2 Bf4 maybe?] 18...Bxc5 19.Qb3 Bb6 [19...Bxd4 20.Bxh6 Rxh6 21.Nxd4 looked messier than it had to be. I was up a pawn and he was down to like 2 minutes] 20.g3 Nd5 To blockade the pawn and to trade off the bishop when he tries to go to f4 to hit the queen 21.Rh4 Rhe8 22.Bf4 Nxf4 23.Rxf4 Rd5 Now I just pile up on the isolated pawn and win eventually... 24.Rd3 Red8 [I guess I could've grabbed the pawn 24...Rxh5 ] 25.Qd1 Qe7 26.Ne5 f6 27.Nc4 and he flagged

I would've liked to win the game outright instead of on time, but 2/2 is pretty good 0-1

C - MMV
A45 - Trompowsky Attack
Active Kitchener, ON (3), 22.09.2007

Second highest rated guy in the tournament (I was the highest)...we're both 2-0. 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 I was quite happy about this. I had started playing the Tromp about a year ago and I really like it, even despite my score of 0.5/2 with it this tournament :) 2...Ne4 3.Bf4 g5? This move only works after 4.Bh4 because Black is forced to retreat to g3 and trade off the bishop 4.Bc1! Kasparov played this once in a simul so it can't be terrible. Despite my undevelopment he has weakened his kingside and f3 and e4 are coming 4...h6 5.f3 Nf6 6.e4 c5 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 [Maybe 9.Nc3 was better to take away the threats of checks (from Qa5)] 9...0-0 10.h4!? I'm sure this move was all kinds of unpositional, but he castled into a pawn structure of ...g5, ...h6 and he has none of his queenside pieces developed. Not that I'm much better, but I think the pawn storm was called for 10...Nh7 11.hxg5 hxg5 12.f4 To allow the Queen to get to the f-file. I can always kick the knight from f6 with a later e5 12...Nc6 13.fxg5 Qa5+ 14.Bd2! I think he missed this move 14...Qb6 15.Qh5 Nxg5 16.Qxg5 [Not even paying attntion. I was so happy with the idea of playing Bc3 after Qxb2 that I didn't even look at the capture by the bishop 16.Bxg5 f6 17.Qh7+ Kf7 18.Bh6 Rg8 19.Bc4+ For instance.] 16...Nxd4 17.Bd3 Qxb2 18.Bc3! Again I don't think he saw this 18...Nc2+



19.Kd1?? [Unless I wrote the game score wrong I overlooked that 19.Bxc2 wins because he can't get off the diagonal because of threat of mate. Instead] 19...Ne3+ 20.Ke1 [20.Qxe3 Bxc3 21.Qh6 again won] 20...Nxg2+ 21.Kf1 Ne3+ 22.Ke1= Oh man.

I played so good but i was nervous that I had missed something and he would mate me. It was active but that's no excuse.

Well played game by me right up to the draw offer :( ½-½

C - SL
A45 - Trompowsky Attack
Active Kitchener, ON (4), 22.09.2007

As much as missing the (relatively) easy win in the last game. This game really freaked me. 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 Be7 4.Nc3?! I had played this move at least 30 times according to my blitz database [and even more likely considering the idea is to transpose to the French after 4.Nc3 d5 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4 I never had even considered that Black's next move could work (disclaimer : i checked my blitz database and I did get 4. ...Nxe4 once).

So if that gives "Fritz-equality" and being up a pawn, what else can I play?;
4.Nd2 does the same sort of thing except the queen isn't a target;
4.Bd3 is a move I would consider...It's the sort of thing I would play.;
In a simul Topalov played 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bxe7 Nxe7 6.Nf3 0-0 I could probably get away with that as well. I'll have to think about it] 4...Nxe4! I do like this move 5.Bxe7 Nxc3 6.Bxd8 [A move to hold material is 6.Qg4 Qxe7 7.Qxg7 Qf8 8.Qxf8+ Rxf8 9.bxc3 I'll have to think about that one too] 6...Nxd1 7.Bxc7 [In my Blitz game I played 7.Rxd1 Kxd8 8.Nf3 f6 9.Bc4 d5 10.Bb3 Nc6 =+ but this looks a lot more comfortable to me v. the stuff that happened in the game] 7...Nxb2 8.Rb1?! [8.Bd6 Hodgson 8...Na4 9.c4 (9.Kd2 Nc6 10.Nf3 f6 11.Rb1 Nb6 12.c4 Nd8 13.a4 Nf7 14.Bc7 d6 15.a5 Nd7 16.Bd3 Nf8 17.Be4 Ng6 18.a6 b6 19.Bxa8 Kd7 20.Bxb6 Bxa6 21.Ra1 Rxa8 22.Rxa6 1-0 was Rogers-Hoffmann, Canberra 2005) 9...Nc6 10.Nf3 Ne7 11.Bd3 Nb2 12.Be2 Nf5 13.Ba3 Na4 14.Kd2 Nb6 15.Rab1 f6 16.g4 Ne7 17.Bd6 Nc6 18.Rb5 Nd8 19.Ra5 h5 20.Rg1 Nc6 21.Ra3 hxg4 22.Rxg4 Kf7 23.Bc7 Nxc4+ 24.Bxc4 d5 25.Bb3 b5 26.Rg1 a5 27.Bc2 g5 28.Bd6 Bd7 29.h4 b4 30.Re3 a4 31.hxg5 Na5 32.Bd3 b3 33.gxf6 1-0 was Hodgson-Gluckman London 1992

In any case I was busted out of the opening. Let's see what tactics there are] 8...Na4 9.Bd6 Nc6 10.Nf3 Nc3 Again if I had played Bd6 right away then he wouldn't get a tempo and if i had played Kd2 then he wouldn't have been able to play this 11.Rb3 Ne4 12.Ba3 [12.Bf4 but I was quite keen on stopping him from castling] 12...b6 13.Bd3 Nf6 [13...f5] 14.c4 Na5 15.Rb1? [Terrible oversight. 15.Rc3 was playable. Here goes a second pawn] 15...Ba6 16.Kd2 Bxc4 17.Ne5 Bxd3 [17...Bxa2 was even stronger] 18.Kxd3 Nc6 19.Nc4 d5 20.Nd6+ Kd7 21.Nxf7 Rhg8 [Of course 21...Rhf8 22.Bxf8 Rxf8] 22.f3 h6 23.Rhc1 Na5 24.Ne5+ Kd8 25.Bd6 I don't think Smyslov or Capa would have ever played this move [25.Bb4 was probably better 25...Nc4 26.Nxc4 dxc4+ 27.Rxc4 and I'm fine. I have my pawn back] 25...Nd7 26.Ng6 [Again keeping the c-file open should have been key 26.Nc6+ Nxc6 27.Rxc6 Rc8 28.Rxc8+ Kxc8 29.Rc1+ Kd8 30.Rc7] 26...Nc4 Now I'm just in trouble 27.Bg3 Nf8 28.Bh4+ [28.Ne5 Same idea 28...Nxe5+ 29.Bxe5] 28...Kd7 becuase I end up playing Ne5+ a move later and have to recapture with the pawn while my bishop is still unprotected on h4 and his diagonal is closed. Not good 29.Ne5+ Nxe5+ 30.dxe5 Ng6 31.Bg3 Rgc8 32.Re1 Rc4 33.Rb2 Rac8 34.h4? Brutal in time trouble 34...Nxh4 35.Bf2 Rc3+ 36.Kd2 Nf5 37.Bg1 R8c4 38.a4 Ra3 39.Bf2 Raxa4 40.g4 Nd4 41.Re3 Rc2+! I liked ths shot by him 42.Rxc2 Nxc2 43.Kxc2 Ra2+ 44.Kb3 Rxf2 45.Kb4 Kc7 46.Kb5 Rc2 47.Ra3 Rc5+ 48.Kb4 [48.Ka6] 48...a5+ and he eventually won

Not the greatest game. I had chances in the middlegame to get equality back, but was freaked out by being busted 4 moves into the opening

I hate playing kids :) 0-1


DS - C
B10 - Caro-Kann
Active Kitchener, ON (5), 22.09.2007

Another 7 year old kid. For the first 15 moves he asked me if I would let him win, then after I won his queen he gave a draw offer after every move 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bb5+ Bd7 5.Bxd7+ Nxd7 6.0-0 Ngf6 7.Nc3 e6 8.d4 Bd6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bxf6 Nxf6 11.Re1 0-0 12.Qd3 a6 13.Ne5 Nd7 14.Ng4 Qg5 15.h3 h5 16.Ne3 Nf6 17.Re2 h4 18.Rae1 Nh5 19.Qd1 Nf4 20.Rd2 Nxh3+ 21.Kf1 Nf4 22.Qc1 h3 23.gxh3 Nxh3 24.Qd1 Qg1+ 25.Ke2 Nf4+ and I announced mate. But of course it wasn't mate. I had seen [25...Qxf2+ 26.Kd3 but of course that wasn't on the board 26...Nf4# ] so he says "It isn't mate" and plays 26.Kf3 so again my brain turns off and I play 26...Qh2?? [instead of something like 26...Qg6 ] 27.Rh1 Ng6 28.Rxh2 Bxh2 29.Qh1 Bd6 30.Rd1 f6 31.Qg2?? and I get my queen back 31...Nh4+ 32.Kg4 Nxg2 33.Nxg2 Kf7 34.f4 Rh8 35.f5 exf5+ 36.Kxf5 Rh5+ 37.Kg4 Rah8 38.Rf1 Rg5+ 39.Kf3 Rf5+ 40.Ke2 Rxf1 41.Kxf1 g5 42.Kf2 Rh2 43.Kg1 f5 44.Nxd5 Ke6 45.Nde3 Rh3 and I eventually won a knight v. four pawns ending

Terrible horrible game, I obviously ran out of energy.

Not a great tournament. I won the first game nicely, won the second on time, drew the third in a dominant position, lost the fourth in the opening and beat a 7 year old kid who blundered his queen after he blundered mine. Maybe I'll have to go back into hiding for another year :) Or i'll have to keep on coming out. 0-1

Sunday, September 09, 2007

need a tune-up

K-C
E97 - Bayonnet Attack
08.09.2007


We played a fun game today in prep for the Active tournament we're playing in 2 weeks. It was half heated, K was drinking wine and I made some *dumb* decisions 1.e4 d6? Forgetting that he always tries to transpose to King's Indian. I don't play the King's Indian. I wanted to avoid the Caro for some unknown reason, didn't want to play the Najdorf, was worried he'd suspect something if i played 1.e4 e5 and didn't really feel like playing the Alekhine. 2.c4 Nf6 [ In a recent correspondence game I tried this move order and my opponent replied 2...c5 and transposed to an Accelerated Dragon which was interesting (of course the first move was ...g6)] 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5? [ Second big mistake. I should've went for a Benoni instead of going for a mainline King's Indian...of course I forgot the line he played... 6...c5 ] 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Of course. I had forgotten he played this. I was on my own at this point 9...a5 10.Ba3 axb4 11.Bxb4 c5? [ 11...Nh5 is better aiming for the f4-square, trading off the light -squared bishop and being able to play ...f5. my move drops material because i couldn't see one move ahead ;)] 12.dxc6 Qb6 [ 12...Nxc6 may have been better but i needed piece play] 13.Qxd6? [ 13.Bxd6 was much better. He missed that the bishop covered e8 as well] 13...Nxc6 14.Bc5? Qb2? [ Close 14...Qa5! was much better double attacking c3 and c5, making him move the knight and allowing me to capture the e4-pawn then] 15.Qd2 Qxd2 Forced 16.Nxd2 Rd8 17.Nd5! I would have never gone in for this line at all had i seen that he could block the d-file. i have no counterplay and i am down material. of course he has two isolated pawns, but is there any way to take advantage 17...Be6 18.f3 Ra5?? [ 18...Nd7 was much better, allowing me to mobilize my pieces and attacking his hanging bishop] 19.Bb6 Not the greatest game by me. Oh well, stuff happens. hopefully this doesn't carry on :) 1-0