MetroWest CC - Annoted games by Derek Slater

(1) Sherman,B (1986) - Mullen,G (1942) [B14] MCC Forward March Swiss (4), 28.03.2000 [D Slater/G Mullen] B14: Caro-Kann Defense: Panov-Botvinnik Attack T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 e6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Nf3 Be7 7.c5 Nc6 8.Rb1 Ne4 9.Bd3 Bf6 GM: At the 9th move Black missed the last move of the sequence 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Bxe4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Qxd4 Bxd4 14.c6! Otherwise 9...Nxc3 was better. 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Bxe4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.Qa4+ Ke7 14.Qa3 Be5 15.0-0 Qc7 16.g3 f5 17.Bg2 Kf7 18.b4 Bd7 19.b5 Bf6 20.Bf4 e5 21.Bd5+ Kg6 22.Be3 Rhd8 23.Qb3 DS: Falls for a trick. 23.Bc4 would have prevented this. It's a very sharp position. The combination of the exposed Black king and the advanced, connected and mobile White Q-side pawns should give White and advantage here, though. 23...Bxb5 24.Rfd1 Bc6 25.Be6 [ 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Qb7 Rd7 DS: Doesn't accomplish anything for White.] 25...h5 26.Rd6 Rxd6 27.cxd6 Qxd6 28.Bf7+ Kh7 29.Rd1 Qe7 30.Bxh5 g6 31.Be2 Qe8 32.Qb4 Kg7 33.h4 a5 34.Qb6 Bd8 35.Qc5 Qe7 36.Rd6 Qe8 37.Bg5 Bxg5 38.hxg5 Rc8 DS: 38...Q h8 looks aggressive (...Qh1+ threat) but in fact it takes Black's queen out to lunch - White would win with 39.Rxc6 bxc6 40.Qe7+ Kg8 41.Bc4+ 39.Bc4 Be4 40.Qb5 Qxb5 41.Bxb5 Rc1+ 42.Bf1 Rc2 43.Bg2 Bxg2 44.Kxg2 b5 45.Rd5 Rxa2 46.Rxb5 e4 GM: Both sides are in time pressure, particularly White. 47.Rb7+ Kf8 48.Rb3 a4 49.Re3 a3 50.g4 Ra1 51.gxf5 gxf5 52.f3 a2 53.Ra3 e3 54.Rxe3 Rg1+ 55.Kxg1 a1Q+ 56.Kg2 Qc1 0-1

(2) Mullen,G (1942) - Michael,W (1702) [A23] MCC Forward March Swiss (3), 21.03.2000 [D Slater] A23: English Opening T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 d6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 c6 6.0-0 0-0 7.d4 e4 DS: An aggressive choice. The only way to follow this up is to play 8...d5, establishing a pawn chain. White plays a nice maneuver to bring his knight to f4, where it will hit the base of this pawn chain. 8.Ng5 d5 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Nh3 Bf5 DS: I'm not crazy about this move. Perhaps Black was hoping to exploit the position of White's knight by playing ...Qd7 (to strengthen his attack on h3) and then ...g5, hitting the knight. Unfortunately for him, White continues logically in his attack on d5, and Black is forced to dance to his tune. Maybe a better try for Black was ...b6, which would prevent White's later Qxb7 idea and prepare to guard d5 with ...Bb7. It's hard to see what active plan Black could come up with after that, however. 11.Bg5 Nbd7 12.Nf4 Rc8 13.e3 [ 13.Nfxd5 doesn't work because of 13...Nxd5 14.Nxd5 ( 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 ) 14...Bxg5 ] 13...h6 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.Qb3 Be6 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Qxb7 Rb8 18.Qxa7 Rxb2 19.Bh3 DS: Black has fallen apart on the light squares. Believe it or not, I think it all goes back to that early decision to play 7...e4. It's hard to support a big center like that when you aren't well developed. 19...Qd6 20.Rab1 Rfb8 21.Rxb2 Rxb2 22.a4 Rb6 23.Nb5 Qd8 24.Rc1 Bd6 25.Bxe6+ Kh7 26.Bf5+ 1-0

(3) Michael,W (1702) - Sherman,B (1986) [C01] MCC Forward March Swiss (2), 14.03.2000 [D Slater] C01: French Defense: Exchange Variation T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 DS: As a long-time French player, I'm amazed at how popular the exchange variation has become. Most people with white seem to be playing 4.c4 immediately. 3...exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Qe7+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2 0-0 9.Re1 b6 10.Kf1 Ba6 DS: It's always attractive for Black to exchange this bishop for White's active one on d3. The downside is that the knight isn't too actively posted on a6, but that seems like a small matter in this symmetrical pawn structure where White hasn't completed his development. This game look quite drawish to me. 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.c3 Rfe8 13.b3 Rxe1+ 14.Nxe1 c5 15.Nef3 cxd4 16.Nxd4 Rc8 17.Nf5 Bf8 18.Bb2 g6 19.Ne3 Bg7 20.c4 DS: Looks like an open drawing attempt. White gives up his singular positional advantage with this move - Black can trade off his isolated queen pawn. 20...dxc4 21.Ndxc4 Ne4 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.f3 Nc3 24.Nd6 Rc6 25.Rc1 DS: Oops. White gets into a pickle here by leaving his knight hanging. 25...Nb4 26.a3 Nba2 27.Ne8+ Kf8 0-1

(4) Konovalchuk,N (1287) - Manivannan,S (1333) [A09] MCC Forward March Swiss (1), 07.03.2000 [D Slater/S Manivannan] A09: Reti Opening T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.d3 Nc6 4.Bf4 Bg4 5.e4 SM: Much better is 5.Qb3 5...e5 6.Bg3 Bb4+ SM: Better is 6...Nf6 7.Nbd2 Nf6 8.Be2 Qd6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.h3 Bh5 11.a3 Bxd2 12.Nxd2 SM: Much better is 12.Qxd2 DS: ...But I'm not sure that's true. Doesn't it make sense for White to exchange his rotten Be2, which is walled in behind his own pawn? Sanjay, you can't just tell us something is better, you have to tell us why! 12...Bxe2 13.Qxe2 h5 14.b4 g5 15.c5 Qe6 16.Nc4 SM: Much better is Nf3 or even b5 16...h4 17.Bh2 g4 18.b5 Ne7 19.Bxe5 gxh3 20.f4 hxg2 21.Rf2 Qh3 22.Rxg2 Rdg8 23.Bxf6 Rxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Rg8 25.Ra2 DS: 25.Bg5! Qxg2+ (25...Qxd3 26.Ne5 Qc3 27.Rd1 f6 28.Qg4+ Kb8 29. Nd7+ Ka8 30.Nxf6) 26.Kxg2 f6 27.Kh3 fxg5 28.f5 looks strong for White, because his advanced pawns make it tough to activate the Black king and knight. White will play Kg4 and then bring his knight to f3 through e5, after which both the g5 and d4 pawns are vulnerable for Black. 25...Rxg2+ 26.Rxg2 Ng6 27.f5 Qxd3 28.fxg6 fxg6 29.Ne5 Qe3+ 30.Kf1 Qxe4 31.Rxg6 Qd5 32.Rh6 Qh1+ 33.Kf2 Qh2+ 34.Ke1 Qg1+ 35.Kd2 Qe3+ 36.Kc2 Qxh6 37.Kb3 Qxf6 38.Nd3 Qe6+ 39.Ka4 Qc4+ 40.Ka5 b6+ 0-1

(5) Thompson,D (1210) - Reed,H (1251) [D10] MCC Leap Year Swiss Natick (4), 22.02.2000 [D Slater] D10: Slav Defense T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.e3 Bg4 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.Nbd2 e6 8.Qc2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 Rc8 11.Qb1 Qb6 12.b4 Rc7 13.Bb2 Rfc8 14.h3 Bh5 15.Re1 Bg6 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.e4 dxe4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Bf6 20.Rad1 Rd7 DS: Black has played a very straightforward and economical game thus far. Now we've arrived at an isolated queen pawn position. Black evidently plays 20...Rd7 with the intention of attacking and winning the pawn. It's good that he has a plan, but I think it isn't the strongest plan. The d-pawn is a static weakness, meaning as long as he keeps it blockaded, it will remain weak for a long time to come. In fact, the more pieces come off, the better it is for Black. Meanwhile, he already has a potential dynamic advantage stemming from his good grip on the c-file. Instead of ...Rd7, I think ...Ne7 is much better, planning to bring the knight to the central post and blockading square d5. Then he can play to penetrate on the c-file, particularly using the weak light squares (a6, b5, a4 can be used by the queen to support a rook invasion). White is practially forced to ignore the queenside and play for a kingside attack, because if he tries to combat Black's hold on the c-file, he just allows pieces to come off bringing Black closer to a favorable endgame where that static weakness, the isolated pawn, will become more and more significant. 21.Re2 Rcd8 22.Red2 Ne7 23.g4 Nd5 24.Ne5 Rc7 25.Rd3 Rdc8 26.Rf3 DS: Now Black is back on track with the blockade of d5 and the use of the c-file; however, he wasted several tempi getting there (Rc7-d7-c7 and c8-d8-c8), which allows White's attack to become a little more serious. But not much. 26...Bxe5 27.Qxe5 DS: White might as well play dxe5 and get rid of his isolani, although now his pieces are scattered about somewhat. The bishop is a particularly poor piece compared with Black's knight stomping around in the center. 27...Rc2 28.Rb3 a5 Very nice. 29.Kg2 a4 30.Rf3 Rxb2 31.Qg3 Qc6 32.Re1 Qc7 33.Qxc7 Rxc7 34.Kg3 g5 35.Re5 f6 36.Rxe6 Rc1 37.Kg2 0-1

(6) Atwood,S (970) - de la Maza,M (1461) [C40] MCC Leap Year Swiss Natick, MA (3), 15.02.2000 [D Slater] C40: Latvian Gambit T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nc3 fxe4 4.Nxe5 Qf6 5.Ng4 Qe6 DS: As usual, I don't know what the books say, but Black's subsequent troubles seem to spring from having his queen and king on the same file. 6.Be2 Bb4 7.0-0 Nc6 DS: White's development looks fairly quiet but actually there is a lot of danger lurking for Black. The advanced position of the e-pawn makes it easy for White to threaten to open that file, and Black has some trouble finishing his development and getting the king out of the middle. 7...Nc6 doesn't help. 7... Nf6 8.Nxf6 isn't appealing because 8...Qxf6 drops the e-pawn and 8...gxf6 allows the disruption 9.Bh5+. And capturing on c3 first actually makes things worse in the long run; for example look at fun lines like: [ 7...Bxc3 8.dxc3 Nf6 9.Nxf6+ Qxf6 10.Bc4 Rf8 ( 10...Nc6 11.Re1 Rf8 12.f3 ; 10...c6 11.Re1 d5 12.Bxd5 cxd5 13.Qxd5 Nc6 14.Rxe4+ Kf8 15.Bg5 Qg6 16.Rf4+ ) 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qxh7 Rh8 13.Bf7+ Ke7 14.Qxg6 Qxf7 15.Bg5+ Kf8 16.Bh6+ Ke8 17.Qxe4+ Qe7 18.Qf4 ; 7...Ne7 DS: This is my candidate for the best move. It addresses two problems at once for Black: (1) obstruct the e-file and (2) prepare for castling ASAP.] 8.d3 exd3 9.Bxd3 Bxc3 10.bxc3 Kd8 11.Re1 Qd6 12.Qe2 Nge7 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Qc5 16.Ne5 Rf8 17.Nxc6+ Nxc6 18.Bg6 d6 19.Be8 DS: Very creative! Threatens to axe the knight and then mate on e7. 19...d5 20.Rad1 Ne7 21.Bh5 Ng8 DS: Better is 21...c6 but Black is still busted. 22.Rxd5+ Qxd5 23.Rd1 Nf6 DS: And now 21...Qxd1 was forced. Black has nominally enough material for his queen, but his king is vulnerable and his pieces are uncoordinated. 24.Rxd5+ Nxd5 25.Qd3 c6 26.c4 Bf5 27.Qd2 Be4 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.f3 Bxf3 30.Bxf3 Ke7 31.Qxd5 Rad8 32.Qxb7+ Rd7 33.Bd6+ DS: Another nasty move! This is why I don't play tactically provocative openings against young players. They calculate better than I do. If 33...Kxd6 then 34.Qb4+ skewers the rook on f8. 33...Ke6 34.Bg4+ DS: Obviously we aren't dealing with an under-1000 player here. Expect Mr. Atwood's rating to rise quickly. 1-0

(7) Penta,J (1785) - Wagner,S (961) [C65] MCC Leap Year Swiss (2), 08.02.2000 [D Slater] C65: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Qe2 Bc5 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 a6 9.Ba4 0-0 10.d3 b5 11.Bb3 b4 DS: Black is about to get in a pickle on the kingside. This queenside demonstration doesn't lead anywhere, and a more logical response to White's intentions is to make a break in the center (remember that old "rule"?). So instead maybe 11...Ne7, intending a timely ... d5. And if White continues Bg5, or tries for Qg3-Bh6, Black can play ...Ne8 holding the kingside pawn structure intact. 12.Qg3 g6 DS: Black volu ntarily weakens his kingside. He should make White work harder to create this kind of target. 13.Bg5 Nh5 14.Qh4 Qb8 DS: Takes the queen out of the defense. I think Black is already baked here, but maybe 14...Qd7 followed by 15...Na5 to try to make the bishop move and relieve that terrible pin on f7. If Black can get in ...f6 then his queen would potentially guard g7 and h7. Generally it's amazing how many games you can win just thru stubborn resistance. Sometimes, even if you're getting crushed, if you can keep parrying the immediate threats long enough your opponent will freak out and play an unsound sacrifice. It isn't a glorious way to spend an evening (just trying not to get mated) but then again it beats losing quickly! 15.g4 Ng7 16.Nd2 Qe8 17.Bf6 Nd8 18.Nf3 Nde6 19.Qh6 Kh8 20.Bxg7+ Kg8 21.Ng5 1-0

(8) Barry,M (1653) - Herman,F (1536) [C06] MCC Winter Warmer Swiss (2), 11.01.2000 [D Slater] C06: French Defense: Tarrasch Variation T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.Bf4 Bxf4 13.Nxf4 0-0 DS: Of cour se not 13...Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxd4 15.Bb5+ and the queen hangs. Same trick works w/ Bxh7+ after Black castles. 14.Re1 Nd8 DS: A lamentably passive spot for the knight. Black might be looking to get ...e5 in hereabouts; although that would potentially isolate the black d-pawn, his pieces could really spring into action (based on the Qb6 and Rf8 trying to peek through to the sensitive f2 square). However I can't seem to make it work - 14...e5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.fxe5 Ng4 17.Nh3 for example. Another idea would be to boldly take on b2; after 14...Qxb2 15.Nxe6 Bxe6 16.Rxe6 White has traded his active Nf4 for Black's undeveloped Bc8. White may still have an advantage but personally I prefer it to putting my pieces on passive squares like Nd8. 15.Qd2 Qd6 16.Ne5 Nc6 17.Bc2 Bd7 18.Rad1 Rae8 19.a3 Bc8 20.Qd3 Ne7 21.g4 g6 22.Kh1 Nxg4 23.Qg3 Nxe5 24.Rxe5 Nf5? [ 24...Rf6! Supports g6 and prepares Ref8 25.Nh5 Rf7 26.Nf4 Ref8 ] 25.Qg4 Qe7? [ 25...Re7 ] 26.Rg1? [ 26.Nxg6! Qg7 27.Bxf5 exf5 28.Qe2 Rxe5 29.Nxe5 ] 26...Qh4? [ 26...Qf7! ] 27.Qxh4 Nxh4 28.Nh5 DS: 28.Rg4 is much better; if 28...Nf3 29.Re3. 28...Nf3 29.Ng3 Nxe5 30.dxe5 Rxf2 31.Rc1 Ref8 32.Kg1 Bd7 33.b3 Bc6 34.Nf1 d4 35.Ng3 Rg2+ 36.Kh1 Rxc2+ 0-1

(9) Epp,E (2093) - Herman,F (1536) [D37] MCC Winter Warmer Swiss (1), 04.01.2000 [D Slater] D37: Queen's Gambit Declined: 5.Bf4 T/C: 40/90+SD/30 DS: Preamble: Have you ever noticed that when really good players talk about a game, they say things like "White is a little bit better here"? Whereas when the rest of us are actually playing a game, we never reach that kind of overall evaluation of the position (except when it gets to the point of "Man, I'm getting crushed", which usually turns out to be a correct evaluation; or "Man, I'm really killing this guy", which is usually a sign that I'm going to get mated in a time scramble). This is a game where it seems that White always stood a bit better, and Black therefore needed to find a way to dissolve the central tension, if possible, to neutralize that advantage. It's a tale of two bishops. .. 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 DS ...and here they are. White's Q-bishop is developed to the useful square f4, outside his pawn chain (f2-e3-d4). Black's Q-bishop is hemmed behind his pawn chain (f7-e6-d5). That appears to be the key source of White's advantage as the game goes on. 6...c5 DS: In light of the previous comment, I think this might be premature, meaning Black has to develop his pieces before he challenges White's center. After this it White seems to be able to choose when to resolve the center to his best advantage. Perhaps preferable is Nbd7. After the ...c5 push, if Black plays Nbd7, White can play center exchanges that leave Black with an isolated queen pawn, in which case his knight would rather be on c6 fighting for control of the blockading square in front of his isolani. Then again, if you ask a decent positional player the same question, you might get a completely different opinion. 7.Rc1 Nc6 8.Be2 [ 8.dxc5 dxc4 9.Bd6 Nd7! 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Qd6 Nxc5 12.Qxe7 Nxe7 13.Bxc4 ] 8...b6 [ 8...dxc4 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Bxc4 Qe7 11.Bg5 Rd8 12.Qe2 DS: I presume this is a Fritz line? I'm curious about the evaluation. It looks much better for White to me - that pin on f6 could be troublesome; in fact, White might even be able to play an immediate 13.Ne4 Bb4+ 14.Kf1?! Draw your own conclusions...] 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Ne5 Rc8 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Bd3 cxd4 [ 12...Re8 13.Bf5 Ra8 14.Nb5 Rf8 15.Nxc6 Bxc6 16.Bc7 Qe8 17.Nd6 Bxd6 18.Bxd6 Qd8 19.Bxf8 Qxf8+- ; 12...c4 DS: This would be interesting except for White's reply Bf5. If instead White had to retreat the bishop, Black would have a little time to try to get some play rolling with ...a6 followed (with appropriate support) by ... b5. But the f5 square turns out to be Black's Achilles heel in many variations.] 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.exd4 Re8 15.Bf5 Bd7 16.Bb1 Bg4 17.f3 Bh5 DS: Looks like a mistake. Probably Black was concerned about the White bishop's aggressive potential against h7. But suddenly the Bh5 is out of the game, and his light-squared weaknesses on f5 and on the queenside cost him the exchange. 18.Bf5 Rc6 19.Bd3 Rc8 [ 19...Re6 20.Nb5 ] 20.Ba6 Ra8 21.Bb7 Bd6 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.Bxa8 Rxa8 24.Qd2 Rc8 25.Nxd5 Rxc1 26.Nxf6+ Qxf6 27.Rxc1 h6 28.d5 1-0

(10) Reed,H (1326) - Williams,J (1441) [C50] MCC Stanley Crowe Memorial Natick MA (5), 30.11.1999 [D Slater] C50: Hungarian Defense and Giuoco Pianissimo T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Be7 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 0-0 7.d4 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 exd4 9.Qxd4 a6 10.Bf4 b5 11.Bb3 DS: This allows Black to trap the Bb3: 11. ..c5 12.Qe3 c4. Both players overlook this possibility for several moves. 11...Bb7 12.Nd5 Nh5 13.Nxe7+ DS: Drops the e-pawn. White could hold his position together with 13.c3, creating an escape square for the bishop if Black goes in for the ...c5 and ...c4 stuff. However Black would still have a fine position after 13.c3 Nxf4 14.Nxf4 Bf6. 13...Qxe7 14.Bd2 Qxe4 15.Qxe4 Bxe4 16.Rfe1 Rae8 17.Re3 Nf6 18.Rae1 Bb7 19.Re7 Rc8 20.Ba5 Ne8 21.Rc1 d5 22.c3 Ba8 23.Rd1 c6 24.Ra7 Nf6 25.f3 Rfe8 26.Kf2 Re6 27.Re1 Rxe1 28.Kxe1 Re8+ 29.Kd2 g5 30.g4 h5 Black is in time pressure. 31.h3 Kg7 32.Bb6 hxg4 33.hxg4 Rh8 34.Kd3 a5 35.Bxa5 Rc8 36.Re7 c5 37.Ke2 Now time pressure for both sides. 37...Re8 38.Rxe8 Nxe8 39.Bb6 c4 40.Bd4+ f6 41.Bc2 Nc7 42.Bf5 Bc6 43.Ke3 Kf7 44.Bc5 Ne6 45.Bb6 DS It appears White is trying to win this endgame because of his two Bishops. But it seems like a drawn position to me. The only way to win is to find a weakness to attack that Black can't guard, and I can't see where that weakness would be. If White wants to penetrate with his King, he has to do it via d4, which means he has to exchange the Knight on e6 here. But that leads to the infamous bishops-of-opposite-color kinda position. Sometimes the worst thing you can do in the endgame is try to win a drawn position. 45...Bd7 46.b3 Bc6 47.bxc4 dxc4 48.Bc2 Nf4 49.Bd4 Ng2+ 50.Kf2 Nh4 51.Bd1 Ng6 52.Be2 Ne5 53.Bxe5 White is in time trouble again. 53...fxe5 54.a4 bxa4 55.Bxc4+ Ke7 56.Ke3 Kd6 57.Ba2 Kc5 58.Bf7 Bd5 59.Bg6 a3 60.Bb1 Kb5 61.Bd3+ Ka4 62.Bc2+ Bb3 White's flag falls. 0-1

(11) Reynolds,S (1544) - Ward,A (1805) [C16] MCC Stanley Crowe Memorial Natick, MA USA (2), 09.11.1999 [D Slater] C16: French Defense T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bd2 Nbc6 7.Nb5 0-0 8.Bxb4 cxb4 9.Bd3 DS: Fritz likes White's position here, for what that's worth... 9...f6 10.exf6 Rxf6 11.a3 a6 12.axb4 Nxb4 13.c3 Nxd3+ 14.Qxd3 Ng6 15.Qd2 DS: This is where I think White starts to go astray. 15.Qe3 would keep an eye on the f3 square. White should be able to anticipate Black's forthcoming exchange sac; the half-open f file is Black's major trump in this position so he's likely to want to blast it open. 15...Rb8 16.Na3 Bd7 17.0-0 Qc7 18.Nc2 Rbf8 19.Ne3 DS: A super-complicated position. This move is a serious error; it allows Black to win by shattering the White kingside. Maybe a better try is 19. Nfe1, with the idea of playing Nd3 to contest Black's potential monster knight post on f4. This can lead to whacky complications like 19...Bb5 20.Nd3 Nf4 21. Nxf4 Bxf1 22.Nxe6 Rxe6 -+ (but not 22...Rxf2 23.Qxf2 Rxf2 24.Nxc7 Rxc2 25.Kxf1 Rxb2 26.Nxd5 +-). Part of White's problem is that the bishop gets into the game via b5, so it seems 18.Nc2 was also a mistake. 19...Rxf3 20.gxf3 Qf4 21.Rfe1 Nh4 22.Qd1 Nxf3+ 23.Kf1 Nxh2+ 24.Ke2 Qxf2+ 25.Kd3 Bb5+ 26.c4 dxc4+ 27.Kc3 Qg3 28.Re2 Ng4 29.Qg1 Rf3 30.Qxg3 Rxg3 31.Rae1 h5 DS: Black has played this really nicely. White is in zugzwang; he can't move Knight, or the Rooks that guard the Knight, which leaves him with... 32.Kb4 c3 33.Nc4 cxb2 34.Rxe6 Bxc4 35.Kxc4 Ne3+ 36.Kc5 Rg5+ 37.Re5 b6+ 38.Kc6 Rg6+ 39.Kc7 Nc4 40.R5e2 a5 41.Rb1 a4 42.Rbxb2 Nxb2 43.Rxb2 a3 44.Ra2 Rg3 45.d5 Rd3 46.d6 b5 47.d7 b4 48.d8Q+ Rxd8 49.Kxd8 g5 DS: Not nece ssary. All Black has to do is push the h-pawn to h2 right away. That forces White to play Rxh2, then Black plays ...b3 and White can't stop him from queening. If Black's queenside pawns weren't so far advanced, this would be more problematic. 50.Ke7 Kg7 51.Ke6 Kg6 52.Ke5 h4 53.Ke4 Kh5 54.Kf3 g4+ 55.Kg2 Kg5 56.Kh2 Kf4 57.Ra1 Ke3 58.Kg2 Kd3 59.Kf2 Kc3 60.Re1 a2 61.Ke3 Kb2 62.Re2+ Ka3 63.Re1 b3 64.Kd2 Kb2 0-1

(12) Alarie,D (1666) - Della-Selva,J (2083) [E90] MCC Stanley Crowe Memorial Natick MA (1), 02.11.1999 [D Slater/D Alarie] E90: King's Indian Defense: Classical T/C: 40/90+SD/30 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.h3 e5 7.d5 DS: This early lock-up of the pawn structure pretty much dictates the plan for each side. White's natural pawn break is c5, so she'll play on the queenside (typical play might include b4, c5, cxd6 and then attempted penetration via the c-file and/or attack against d6). Black's natural pawn break is ...f5, leading to a kingside attack. I don't know what opening theory says, but I'm suspicious of White's setup, combining d5 with h3. In this kind of opposite-side-play position, it's a race, and the pawn on h3 has weakened White's kingside and already given Black a possible target to shoot at. 7...Nbd7 8.Be3 Nc5 DS: Now White is wise to pass by the chance to 'win' the e-pawn, since the White king is still a couple of tempi from castling. 9.Bxc5 dxc5 10.Nxe5 Re8 11.f4 Nh5, for example, is just plain ugly for White. 9.Bd3 a5 10.0-0 Nh5 11.Qc2 Nf4 DS: This is an interesting position. White's setup at first glance looks very classical and sensible - big center, bishops and knights developed to standard central squares. However, it doesn't work very well against Black's strategy. Now White is forced to exchange on c5 to try to untangle her pieces, after which White will have trouble getting anything going on the gummed-up queenside. Black's doubled pawns there aren't weak; White has no particular way of getting at them. Meanwhile Black is ready to roll on the kingside with ...f5. The knight on f4 is very powerful, eyeing the White kingside and particularly that weakness on h3. All of this suggests to me that White would have been better off with the more modest development 8. Be2, preparing to castle and perhaps shoot for a subsequent setup like O-O, Ne1, f3, Be3 and then Bf2 (in response to ...f5-f4). This is a common deployment in these KID positions - White sets up a fort on the kingside first, then turns to the queenside w/ Ne1-d3, supporting b4 and c5. [FYI - If you want to see a nice example of how to play the White side, look up Tal Shaked's win against Babula in the first round of the FIDE Knockout in Las Vegas this fall. It's available online.] 12.Bxc5 dxc5 13.Ne2 Nxd3 14.Qxd3 f5 15.Nd2 f4 16.Nf3 g5 17.Rfd1 DS: A nice idea by White. As the old maxim goes, the best way to counter a wing attack is to play in the center. Now she's planning 18.d6. But Black prevents this. I might go a step further and suggest more radical measures: White is about to get crushed on the kingside by ...g4, so why not sacrifice the pawn with 17.d6. If Black plays ...Qxd6, White gets the queens off the board (very important for surviving on the kingside) and gets counterplay based on the backward Black d6 pawn, the stinky dark-squared Black bishop, and perhaps the b5/d5 squares as possible knight posts. It seems like the best practical chance to me here. 17...Ra6 18.Qa3 Qe7 19.Nc3 h5 20.Na4 g4 DS: Black could certainly play 20...b6 here, ending White's queenside counterplay, although the Rook on a6 would look silly. Black decides his kingside attack is overwhelming and he can jettison the queenside at this point. It works out great for Black. 21.Qxc5 [ DA: >=21.Nxc5 ] 21...Qe8 22.Qb5 Bd7 23.Qxb7 gxf3 24.Qxa6 Rf6 25.Qxa5 Qg6 26.g4 fxg3 27.Nc3 gxf2+ 28.Kxf2 Qg2+ 29.Ke3 f2 30.Rf1 Qf3+ 31.Kd2 Bxh3 32.Qxc7 Bxf1 33.d6 Qd3+ 34.Kc1 Bh6# 0-1

(13) Study Group Team - Slater,D (2134) [A55] MCC Study Group Match Metrowest CC (1), 20.10.1998 [D Slater/H Reed] A55: Old Indian Defense HR: Round 1 of Study Group Match against MCC Experts and Masters. Round 1 has Derek Slater playing Black. The Study Group Team was Tim Newman (Captain), John McLaughlin, James Almeida, and Elliott Kaplan. [Slater] Kudos! - the group played a very reasonable and solid game and really didn't make any major errors until they started running short of time. Watch out though - Joel is much more dangerous!!! 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e5 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 HR: This is the starting position. The Captain explained the position to the Study Group Team. The Study Group Team is now on their own. 7...c6 8.Bg5 DS: This is logical in some respects - White is trying to increase the pressure on Black's center - but it also introduces tactical elements since the bishop is underprotected on g5. I considered ...Nxe4 here but I wasn't sure of the tactics and didn't want to spend a lot of time figuring it out. 8...exd4 9.Nxd4 DS: I was more concerned about Qxd4, since Black has no immediate way to kick the Queen off this powerful central post. 9...Nc5 10.Bf3 Ne6 11.Nxe6 Bxe6 12.Qe2 Qa5 13.Bd2 Qc7 DS: A goof-up on my part. I think 13... Qb6 is much better, with potential pressure on b2 as well as the idea of 14. Be3 Qb4, hitting the c4 pawn. 14.Rfd1 Rad8 15.Bf4 Nd7 16.Rd2 Ne5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.Rad1 Bb4 HR: The Study Group Team managed to achieve this position. Not bad. However, the series of exchanges that follow allow Black to breach White's defences. 19.Rxd8 Rxd8 20.Rxd8+ Qxd8 21.Qd1 DS: This is the culprit. Black's ownership of the open file may look a little threatening, but remember that an open file is no good unless you can use it to penetrate into the enemy position. I thought that although White's minor pieces are a little passive compared to Black's (neither White piece attacks a useful square), White should have a fairly easy draw here. He can just play 21. Bg4, I believe, and after 21...Bxg4 22.Qxg4 the Black queen has to stick around to keep her counterpart out of c8. 21...Qxd1+ 22.Nxd1 Bxc4 DS: Now White is a pawn down and Black has the two bishops. This is a very hard endgame to hold. White's best idea generally would be to try to somehow engineer a trade of his knight for Black's light-squared bishop, resulting in Bs of the opposite color, which is notoriously drawish even when one side is down a pawn (or sometimes two!). I'm not sure how he could have attempted this. 23.b3 Bd3 24.Nb2 Bb1 25.Nc4 Bxa2 26.Nxe5 Bxb3 27.Bg4 a5 28.Nd7 a4 HR: The flood waters rush in... The Study Group Team resigns... 0-1

(14) Ball,B (1309) - Stengrevics,J (1375) [E61] MCC Fall Swiss Metrowest CC (4), 22.09.1998 [D Slater] E61: King's Indian Defense DS: I have not tried to find tactical errors (Like 37.Qb8+ wins the rook? Right at the end of time pressure...) I'm just talking strategy here. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 0-0 5.e3 d6 6.h3 c5 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.d5 a6 9.a4 e5 10.e4 h6 DS: White has spent two tempi to play e4, instead of just playing 5.e4 immediately. 11.0-0 Nh7 12.Bd2 f5 13.a5 Ndf6 DS: Let's take stock. Black is clearly planning to play on the kingside. That's well justified by his ability to push his f-pawn up. Thematically in these positions Black plays f4 and then has a nice space advantage over there to work with. The he follows with his g-pawn and opens up lines for his rooks and/or gets a knight or pawn on squares like g3 near the White king. White is going to play on the queenside. Bd2 and his forthcoming a5/Na4/Nb6 moves fit well in that plan. His ideas over there will include the push b4, and then he will open the b-file for his rooks and/or create attacks against the c5 and d6 squares in hopes of turning his pawn on d5 into a protected passer. This is pretty typical stuff in King's Indian positions. The challenge for White is to set up a solid-enough defense on the kingside to keep from getting mated while he pursues his queenside ambitions at top speed. You can't dawdle in opposite-wing races, you have to "get there" on your preferred wing first! For these reasons White's next move seems like a mistake. It forces Black to play ...f4, but he was going to play that anyway!! And otherwise Qc1 doesn't seem to contribute to White's plans. I would prefer a set-up something like this: Qc2 (guards the e4 pawn and clears the way for the rook to slide over); Rfc1; Bf1 (to help hold the kingside together, particularly that weakness on h3). White could also keep in reserve moves like Ra3 (more potential defense for the kingside) and Ne1, which guards g2, gets out of the way of the Ra3, and could go to d3 at some point. (I know we're ignoring Black's replies here, but it's very helpful to envision a setup where ALL of your pieces are going to be optimally placed, instead of just shuffling them around one move at a time. This is the "fantasy position" in the terminology of Jeremy Silman's thinking technique.) With that setup, White is ready for a rapid-fire b4 attack on the queenside. 14.Qc1 f4 15.Na4 g5 16.Nb6 Ra7 DS: Ugh . This piece is going to be locked out of play on a7 for a very long time! It is crucial to not allow your pieces to get trapped in passive positions. Much better to play ...Rb8. 17.b4 g4 18.Nxc8 Qxc8 19.Nh4 gxh3 20.Nf5 h2+ 21.Kxh2 Ng4+ 22.Kg1 Qd8 23.f3 Ngf6 24.Ra2 Ne8 25.Be1 Rxf5 26.exf5 Bf6 27.g3 Bg5 28.gxf4 Bxf4 29.Rg2+ Kh8 30.Bd2 Bg5 31.bxc5 Nef6 32.cxd6 Qxd6 33.Bxg5 Nxg5 34.Rh2 Nfh7 DS: Take stock again: After many adventures, Black is basically crushed. Notice the rook is STILL doing nothing constructive over on a7. Black also has big weaknesses on e5 and h6, and his knights are on purely defensive duty in front of his own king. With White here I would play to push the c4/d5 pawn duo down Black's throat. A sequence like Be4, Qc3 (to pin Black down to the defense of e5) and then c5 etc. Instead White lets Black liquidate the weak e5 pawn. Not a terrible idea, but I think the adage "Passed pawns must be pushed!" applies here. 35.f4 exf4 36.Qxf4 Qf6 37.d6 b6 38.axb6 Rd7 39.c5 Qc3 40.Qc4 Qe5 41.Rg2 Nh3+ 42.Kh1 N7g5 43.Qxa6 Rg7 44.f6 Nf2+ 45.Rgxf2 Rg8 46.f7 Nxf7 47.Rf5 Qg3 48.Qa1+ Rg7 49.Qa8+ Rg8 50.Qxg8+ Qxg8 51.Rxf7 Qa8+ 52.Kh2 Qa2+ 53.Kg1 Kg8 54.Rf8+ Kg7 55.R8f7+ Qxf7 56.Rxf7+ Kxf7 1-0

(15) Slater,D (2130) - Kreps,B (2065) [D00] MCC Study Game from Boylston CC, 30.05.1998 [D Slater] D00: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit G/30 1.d4 d5 2.e4 Someday I'll give this up. But not yet! 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 e6 An unusual response. There is one trick to watch here: 5. Nxe4?? Nxe4 6.fxe4 Qh4+ 5.fxe4 Bb4 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 Battle lines are drawn. White has a big center; Black will try to counter-atta ck it with ...c5. While he's doing that, I plan to start a k-side attack, based on my central space advantage (gives me more room to maneuver), the half-open f-file, and that potentially nasty bishop on d3. 9...c5 10.e5 Qe7 11.0-0 cxd4 12.Ne4 Let's call this the first critical position. White sacs a pawn. In return I get another piece, the knight, transferred over to participate in the attack. The knight and bishop look menacing but how am I going to continue? Normally in this kind of position I would like to play Qe1-g3, but the bishop on b4 makes that impossible. So I might wind up playing a slower sequence like Qe2-f2-g3 (or h4). In the meantime he might try to knock out my e-pawn; that would free up his game a lot and reduce his kingside risk (remember the old rule that the best reaction to a wing attack is to counter in the center?). So I was most concerned about Black simply playing ...Nc6 here, holding his extra pawn and attacking e5. Instead I think he got overly psyched out by White's minor pieces and rushed to trade one off. In the meantime I figured I'd go ahead and get my pawn back, since at the same time I continue uncorking my pieces. 12...Nd7 13.Kh1 Nc5 14.Nxd4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 a6 16.c3 Ba5 17.Qf3 Rb8 18.Rae1 Bb6 19.Bb1 Bxd4 20.cxd4 b5 21.Qd3 A second critical position. Black has wasted several tempi - notice that he spent three moves playing ... Ba5-b6-d4 when he could have played ... Bc5-d4 instead. I also don't know what he was getting at with ...a6. As a result, White has gotten all his pieces into position to participate with the attack. I was expecting ...f5 here, which either locks out the White bishop/ queen battery or forces me to give up my central space by playing exf6 e.p. True, Black would then have some weaknesses like h6 to try and cover, but compare it to the way the game went - the Black pieces on the f-file become a fence, keeping Black's king trapped and his queen out of the defense. Once the White rook reaches f6, the game is over. 21...g6 22.Re4 Bb7 23.Rg4 Kh8 24.Rf6 Rbc8 25.Qd2 Kh7 26.Rh4 [ or 26.Bxg6+ wins more brutally (see for yourself).] 26...h5 27.Rxh5+ Kg8 28.Qh6 1-0

(16) Lee,P (1527) - Franck,H (1505) [B90] MCC Shortest Month Swiss Metrowest Chess Club (3), 17.02.1998 [D Slater] B90: Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3 6...Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.Be3 Qc7 9.0-0 Be7 10.f4 0-0 11.Qf3 Nbd7 12.Rad1 b6 13.Bf2 Bb7 14.Rfe1 DS: I'll defer to Fritz on the complications of the later middlegame. Instead let's do some forensic analysis-starting after move 14 and working backwards (not forwards!) to see why White's attack shouldn't have worked. It seems to me that White's setup after move 14 looks aggressive, but his pieces are actually misplaced. Here's why: The move 6.Bd3 doesn't look good to me. It pretty much committed White to playing the pawn push e5. Otherwise the Bd3 threatens to get locked out of the attack. Also he's now spent two tempi to get a rook to e1 to support this e5 push (13.Bf2 and 14.Rfe1). But he can't play e5 because then the Bb7 will be looking at White's underwear. And when he moves the queen out from under the pin, by 15.Qh3, Black just gums up the attack with ...e5 himself. And later we see that White now has to waste more time moving the queen back to f3 and the rook back to f1 (19.Qf3 and 20.Rf1). A more harmonious development for White, I think-since he's played 6. Bd3-would be to play 11.Qe1 and then Qg3, Rae1 and perhaps Bd4. With this deployment, the queen hits the contested square e5 and the Rf1 is ready for his file to open. He doesn't really need a rook on d1 as he played in the game; that rook typically goes there to prevent Black from making a ...d5 break, but in these positions ...d5 would just make it easier for White to play e5. Now it's true that Black may still be able to get in ...e5 before White can finish setting up. Which I think goes to show that d3 isn't the right place for the White bishop. [It's worth going over the tactics of 12....b6, which gave White the option of trying 13.e5 dxe5!? or 13....Bb7. This is a good position for a tactical brain-stretching exercise - set up the board, set the clock for 45 minutes, and calculate as far and as broadly as you can. Then write out the tree of variations you found and compare your calculations with whatever Fritz finds. Also interesting: 12...b5 seems more aggressive than ...b6; after all, Black needs an active plan, and the queenside is the logical place for it! But then 13.e5 dxe5 14.Qxa8 Bb7 15. Nxb5! is a mess, because there's no pawn on b6 to keep the White queen from retreating to a5. Draw your own conclusions, I just think it's fascinating.] 14...Rfe8 15.Qh3 e5 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 g6 18.f5 Nf8 19.Qf3 Kg7 20.Rf1 f6 21.h4 g5 22.hxg5 fxg5 23.Be3 Qd8 24.Rf2 Bf6 25.Qg4 h6 26.c4 a5 27.Rf3 Kg8 28.Qh5 Bg7 29.Nd2 Nd7 30.f6 Nxf6 31.Qg6 Rf8 32.Rdf1 Qe8 33.Rxf6 Qxg6 34.Rxg6 Rxf1+ 35.Kxf1 b5 36.Rxd6 bxc4 37.Bxc4 Rc8 38.Rd7 Ba8 39.d6+ Kh8 40.b3 Bf8 41.Nf3 Bxf3 42.gxf3 Rc6 43.Rd8 Kg7 44.d7 Rf6 45.Ke2 h5 46.Re8 Rd6 47.d8Q 1-0

(17) Franck,H (1535) - Wamala,S (1498) [A40] MCC Winter Warmer Swiss Metrowest Chess Club (4), 27.01.1998 [D Slater/Fritz 5] A40: Nimzowitsch Defense 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 Nce7 4.c4 Ng6 5.Nc3 Bc5 DS: First critical position: after 5....Bc5 . This is critical because I don't really understand White's moves after this - White must establish a plan and stick to it! What is his objective and where should his pieces be placed to accomplish it? Black is pretty obviously going to play 6...f5. I see one advantage White has and three possible plans for capitalizing on it. The advantage is SPACE. The possible plans are: 1. to play for a queenside pawn roller with 6.b4 and 7.c5, working up an attack on d6 and/or c6. 2. to play 6.g3 and 7.f4, further cramping Black's kingside and working up an attack over there. 3. to answer Black's 6...f5 by capturing and using the e4 square as a basis for piece play -- since an 6.Ne4 will clamp down on d6, this plan might work together with plan #1. Instead, White in the game plays a3 and b4, but then doesn't pursue things any further on that side of the board, so all it accomplishes is creating weaknesses (like a4) of his own over there. Some quick notes about plans: When you watch a Curdo game, generally it doesn't take a genius to see what he's planning (i.e., "gee, he's about to push his f-pawn down my throat"). All his moves focus on accomplishing that clear objective. It's like watching a steamroller. What we lesser mortals tend to do, it seems, is play moves that have "oh, lots of reasons - it allows me to do this, or to try this, or this". Forget those flexible moves and be a steamroller! Two plans is generally one too many. Gotta choose one plan, based on a weakness in your opponent's position, and relentlessly make the plan work! 6.g3 d6 7.Qd3 N8e7 8.a3 0-0 9.b4 Bb6 10.Be3 Bxe3 Black traps the enemy king in the center 11.Qxe3 f5 12.Nge2 fxe4 13.Nxe4 Bg4 14.Bg2 Nf5 15.Qg5=/+ [ 15.Qd3 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Nd4= ] 15...Bxe2 16.Kxe2 Qd7 17.h4 DS: Second critical position: after 17. h4. I think 17...Qa4 was a good idea played too early. More damaging, I think, was 17...Nd4+ immediately, which forces White to make a choice: 1. White plays 18.Kf1, which gets his King away from the center but disconnects his rooks, or 2. White plays some move that leaves his King in the center. Then I think Black could follow up with 18...c6! The queen (as we see in the game) can't do enough damage by herself, so Black needs to open some lines up and get his rooks into White's queen-side. Tactical note: White's best answer to 18...c6 may be 19.dxc6, and Black has to watch out for 19...Qxc6 20. Nf6+. 17...Qa4 18.Rhd1-/+ [ 18.Kf1!?= ] 18...Qc2+ 19.Nd2 [ 19.Kf1 Qxc4+ 20.Kg1 Nd4-/+ ] 19...Nd4+ 20.Kf1 Rf5=/+ [ >=20...Nb3!? 21.Qe3 Nxa1 22.Rxa1 Ne7-+ ] 21.Be4-/+ [ 21.Qe3 Raf8 22.f3 Qa4=/+ ] 21...Rxg5 22.Bxc2 Rg4= [ 22...Rxg3 23.fxg3 Nxc2 24.h5 Nxa1 25.Rxa1-/+ ] 23.Bxg6 hxg6+/= [ 23...Rxg6 24.a4= ] 24.Kg2 Rf8??+- [ >=24...Nf5+/= this is the best bet to save the position] 25.f3 [ 25.Kh3 Nc2 26.Kxg4 Rxf2+- ] 25...Nxf3 26.Nxf3 Rxc4 27.Rac1 Re4 28.Ng5 [ 28.Rxc7 is much weaker 28...Re2+ 29.Kh3 Rxf3=/+ ] 28...Re2+ 29.Kh3 Re3 [ 29...Rc8 30.Rc3+- ] 30.Rxc7 Rxa3 31.Rxb7 e4 32.Nxe4 [ >=32.Rc1!? Kh8 33.Rcc7 Rg8 34.Nxe4 Rb3+- ] 32...Rff3 [ 32...Rd8 33.Rc1 Re8 34.Ng5+- ] 33.Rb8+ [ >=33.Rc1!? a6 34.Rc8+ Rf8+- ] 33...Kf7 [ 33...Rf8 34.Rxf8+ Kxf8 35.Nxd6 Rb3+- ] 34.Ng5+ [ 34.Ng5+ Ke7 35.Nxf3 Rxf3 36.Rb7+ Kf8 37.Ra1+- ; >=34.Rc1 g5 35.h5 Rxg3+ 36.Nxg3 Kf6+- ] 1-0

(18) Epp,E (2089) - Slater,D (2129) [D34] MCC Winter Warmer Swiss Metrowest Chess Club (4), 27.01.1998 [D Slater] D34: Tarrasch Defense 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.Bf4 9...Bf5 DS: Probably not a good move by Black. White should play Qb3 for more central pressure. Black's bishop should be on e6, protecting the pawn. 10.Rc1 Rc8 11.Qa4 Qb6 12.Rfd1 Rfd8 13.Qb5 Qxb5 14.Nxb5 c4 15.Nh4 Bg4 16.Kf1 a6 17.Nc3 b5 18.h3 Be6 19.Nf3 h6 20.Ne5 b4 21.Na4 21...Nxe5 DS: Another poor choice, although Black has some problems (notably b6). After White's correct response the d5 pawn is exposed to frontal assault. 22.dxe5 Ne4 DS: Now Rd4 causes problems. 23.Be3 Rc6 24.Ke1 Rb8 25.Bd4 f6 26.exf6 Bxf6 27.Bxf6 Nxf6 28.g4 Rb5 29.Rd4 Ra5 30.b3 Rb5 31.bxc4 Rxc4 32.Rdd1 Ra5 33.Nb6 Rxa2 DS: Cute but not best. Taking the exchange and allowing Black all those connected, unobstructed pawns would be suicidal, but White plays more simply. 34.Ra1 Rcc2 35.Rxa2 Rxa2 36.Nxd5 Nxd5 37.Bxd5 Bxd5 38.Rxd5 b3 39.Rd8+ Kf7 40.Rb8? b2 MCC Study Group Question: What happens if White plays 40.Kd1 instead of Rb8? 0-1

(19) Ewer,C (1480) - Franck,H (1535) [B84] MCC Winter Warmer Swiss Metrowest Chess Club (3), 20.01.1998 [D Slater/Fritz 5] B84: Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Be2 e6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Be3 Be7 9.0-0 Bd7 10.f4 0-0 11.e5 White wins space and gets strong initiative 11...dxe5 12.fxe5 Nd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.c4 dxc4 15.Bxc4 Nc6+/- [ 15...Bg5 16.Bxg5 Qxg5 17.e6 Qe3+ 18.Kh1 fxe6 19.Rxf8+ Kxf8 20.Nxe6+ Ke7 21.Nc7+- ( 21.Nxg7?! Nc6+- ) ] 16.Nxc6 Bxc6 17.Qh5 Qe8?+- DS: First critical position is after 17...Qe8 (?). Looks like Homer and Fritz have pointed out the tactical nuances here. I mostly would emphasize that Bd3 was REALLY a misconceived idea. The bishop on c4 is a MONSTER that is killing Black's game all by itself; because it pins the f7 pawn, the f-file has become a wall that hems in the Black king and hinders the other Black pieces from participating in the defense. That's the basis for Bxh6 - since Black's king is trapped on the g & h files, let's crack open his very small shell and get at him. (I have a whole lesson on "The Monster" - it's a very powerful positional theme in chess, that bishop pin!) -- Because of that pin, I prefered 18.Bxh6 instead of 18. Rxf7 in my own analysis - I don't want to trade that Bishop on c4. White has every justification to look for mate here (pin on f7, squares weakened by ...h6, active queen vs. Black's passive queen.) Question: What other tactical resources does Black have after 18. Rxf7? Answer: the game notes didn't include 18. Rxf7 Rxf7 19. Rf1 Bf6!?, which appears to be winning for White, but it's important to examine the possibility to make sure Rxf7 is playable! [ >=17...Be8!?+/- ] 18.Bd3??= gives the opponent counterplay [ >=18.Rxf7 White had this great chance 18...Qxf7 19.Bxf7+ ( 19.Qxf7+? Rxf7 20.Rf1 Raf8-+ ) 19...Rxf7 20.e6+- ] 18...f5+/- [ 18...Bb5!? deserves consideration 19.Rad1 Rc8= ] 19.Qxe8 Raxe8 20.Bxf5 Bd8+- [ 20...Bb5!? 21.Rf2 Bh4+/- ] 21.e6+/- [ 21.Bc5!? Rf7 22.Bh7+ Kxh7 23.Rxf7+- ] 21...Bd5 [ 21...Bf6 22.Rae1 Bxb2 23.Bg6 Rxf1+ 24.Rxf1+/= ] 22.Bc5 Be7 23.Bxe7 Rxe7 24.Bh7+! better than holding on to the material 24...Kxh7 25.Rxf8 Rxe6 DS: Second critical position is after 25...Rxe6: the beginning of the true endgame. This is the hard stuff for me. Question: I see three distinct approaches that White can take to try to win this endgame. Describe them, choose the most effective-looking one, and pick a first move for White that matches the plan. Answers: The Exchange isn't going to be enough to win in and of itself; White has to use his extra firepower to create an extra PAWN to have any hope of winning. Three possible plans: 1. Get at least one Rook on the seventh rank and then try to attack the pinned dark-square pawn at g7. 2. Use both Rooks to pile up on b7 and c6, then give back the Exchange on one of those squares in return for an extra queenside pawn. 3. Work to trade off a Rook FIRST, then use the extra power of the Exchange to advance the White king to the queenside (while keeping Black's King back from the action), THEN (as in plan 2) try to give back the Exchange on b7 for an extra pawn. *** It's very important to be able to describe your winning plan in abstract terms like these, so you know what you're trying to accomplish with each move. Number one doens't look workable to me because it takes too long to get both Rooks in position, and meanwhile Black can try pesky counterattacks on g2, or move his King so the g7 pawn isn't pinned. Between the other two, I like Number Three best, again because it allows Black the least amount of counterplay. Also very important - if you achieve the goal of Plan Two, you still have a difficult R+P endgame to win. While White is engineering the attack on b7/c6, Black can get his Rook down to the first or second rank and attack the White pawns from behind. In a R+P endgame, the guy with the extra pawn wants to have his Rook BEHIND the pawn, not in front of it where it impedes the pawn's progress toward the eighth rank. So Plan 3 is my choice. Also very important -- WHITE's PAWNS BELONG ON BLACK SQUARES in this endgame!! Why? Otherwise they become targets for Black's Bishop, which means counterplay for Black. (Later in the actual game, White had his pawns on h3 and g4, which was the wrong placement.) Hope that's helpful! 26.Rd8 Bc6 27.Rad1 Re4 28.R8d4 Re5 29.b3 Re2 30.R4d2 Re5 31.h3 Kg6 32.Rd6+ Kf7 33.Rf1+ Ke7 [ 33...Ke8 34.Rf2+- ] 34.Rdd1 [ 34.Rg6 Rg5 35.Rxg5 hxg5+- ] 34...Ke6 35.Rfe1 Be4 36.Rd2 Kf5 37.g4+ Kf4 [ 37...Ke6 38.Kf2+- ] 38.Rf2+ Kg5 39.Rfe2 Kf4 40.Kh2 [ 40.Rf1+ Kg5+- ] 40...Kf3 41.Kg1??= [ >=41.Rg2+- White has a promising position] 41...Kf4 42.h4 [ 42.Rf1+!? Kg5+- ] 42...Kf3 43.Rf2++/- [ >=43.h5!?+- ] 43...Kxg4 44.Rfe2 Kf3 45.Re3+ Kf4 46.Rc3 g5 47.hxg5 hxg5 48.Rf1+ Kg4 49.Kh2= [ 49.Re3!?+/- ] 49...Re6+/- [ >=49...Rd5!? 50.Rg3+ Kh4 51.Rh3+ Kg4= ] 50.Rh3= [ >=50.Rg3+!? Kh5 51.Rf8+/- ] 50...Rc6 51.Rg1+ Kf5+/= [ 51...Kf4!? 52.Rf1+ Kg4= ] 52.Rf1+= [ 52.Rh8!?+/= ] 52...Kg6 53.Rf2 Rc1 54.Rd2= [ 54.Re3!? Bc6 55.Kh3+/= ] 54...g4 55.Re3 Rh1++/- [ 55...Kf5!?= should be considered] 56.Kg3 Bf3?+/- [ >=56...Kf5!?= would allow Black to play on] 57.Rd6+= [ >=57.Rd8+/- ] 57...Kf5 58.Rd8-/+ [ 58.a4!?= looks like a viable alternative] 58...Rh3+ 59.Kf2 Rh2+ 60.Ke1 Rxa2 61.Rf8+ Kg5 62.Re5+ [ 62.Rf7 Rc2=/+ ] 62...Kh4 63.Rh8+ Kg3 64.Rd5??-+ [ >=64.Re3-/+ ] 64...Bxd5 65.Rd8 Bf3 66.Rd2 [ 66.Re8 Ra1+ 67.Kd2-+ ] 66...Ra1+ 67.Rd1!? Rxd1# 0-1