En Passant now has a games editor. I will annotate games that you send in.
If you've been thinking of sending your games to be printed in En Passant, but
got cold feet at the thought of writing notes, here's the answer. Games can
be sent directly to me: Bruce Leverett, 759 Lebanon Avenue, Pittsburgh,
PA 15228. I can read either algebraic or descriptive notation, and I will
use whichever notation you do.
The inaugural game was submitted by John Young, the same person who first
suggested that En Passant needed a games editor. In this game, John defeats
Dr. Lester Shapiro in last year's Abrams Memorial. Black's middlegame play
is a model of smooth attacking buildup, followed by a logical, but still
startling, piece sacrifice.
White: Lester Shapiro
Black: John Young
Abrams Memorial, round 5, 10/25/92
King's Indian Attack
1 N-KB3 P-KN3
2 P-KN3 B-N2
3 B-N2 P-K4!
Black's first three moves are noteworthy, at least to me. When I was
learning to play chess, thirty years ago, this was "irregular opening"
territory. But with the rise of flank openings like the English and
the King's Indian Attack, sequences that used to be thought bizarre are
commonplace. This particular sequence is a handy one to know when your
opponent doesn't play P-Q4 in the first few moves.
4 P-Q3 N-K2
5 P-K4 O-O
6 O-O P-Q3
Here (or on the previous move), Black could have played P-Q4, leading
possibly to a variation of the Pirc Defense with colors reversed (after
7 QN-Q2 QN-B3), or the King's Indian Defense with colors reversed (after
7 QN-Q2 P-QB4 and 8 ... QN-B3). These are excellent choices, but instead
Black elects to crouch. When both sides crouch, a game will generally
leave the opening books behind, and that's what soon happens here. Note,
by the way, that White accomplishes nothing with 7 P-Q4; for instance,
7 ... PxP 8 NxP P-Q4 leads to dead equality. Also 7 N-B3 QN-B3 (or even
7 ... P-QB4!?) is interesting, but leaves White with awkward pieces.
So the move White chooses is quite logical.
7 QN-Q2 QN-Q2
This is not a particularly well chosen square. The knight has little
future here except as part of a lengthy attacking plan involving ... P-KR3,
... P-KB4, ... N-KB3, etc. This plan is not bad, but Black is really
committing himself far into the future, and White can easily prepare
for it. The move 8 P-QB3 suggests itself. Then either 8 ... N-B4
9 N-N3 (followed eventually by P-Q4) or 8 ... P-KB4 9 P-Q4 leaves White
with a small but nagging edge. I would suggest either 7 ... QN-B3 or
7 ... P-QB4!? Another interesting possibility is 7 ... P-QB3 with the
possibility of N-R3-B2.
8 P-QR4 P-KR3
9 N-B4
White's last two moves don't look purposeful. What is he attacking with
that knight?
9 ... P-KB4
10 P-QB3 N-KB3
Both players seem to think they should keep the tension in the center,
but this is wrong. After 10 ... PxP 11 PxP, Black would gain much more
than White from the open lines. To prevent this White should have played
10 PxP. Then after 10 ... PxP 11 P-Q4 or 10 ... NxP 12 N-K3 White could
defend more comfortably than in the game.
11 R-K1 PxP
Black changes his mind, perhaps influenced by the chance to make White's
rook move look silly.
12 PxP B-K3
13 Q-K2
Already the rook move looks like a wasted tempo. But there's more to
come.
13 ... Q-Q2
14 R-Q1 Q-B3
White was threatening 15 QNxKP.
15 KN-Q2 N-N5!
This eventually provokes White to make a weakness, which is the final
ingredient in Black's looming kingside attack.
16 R-B1
Back home!
16 ... R-B2
17 P-KR3 N-B3
18 P-QN4 QR-KB1
19 P-N5 Q-Q2
20 K-R2 N-R2
21 N-B3
The threat was 21 ... N-N4 further weakening White's kingside. Now
21 ... RxN 22 BxR RxB 23 QxR BxN is fascinating, but Black correctly
decides to maintain the tension.
21 ... P-N4
22 N-N1 N-N3
23 B-K3 P-N5
Seting a trap into which White falls.
24 P-R4 NxP!!
Oops. White had to play 24 PxP BxP 25 P-B3.
25 PxN Q-K2
26 K-N3
26 B-R1 doesn't help: 26 ... QxP ch 27 K-N2 P-N6! (threatening
... Q-R7 mate) 28 PxP QxKP ch followed by 29 ... QxQN. White is so
tangled up that he can't even give back the material.
26 ... B-B3
26 ... N-B3! would have been the coup de grace. Now it takes a little
longer.
27 K-R2 BxP
28 P-B3
A strange-looking move, but after something like 28 BxKRP, Black crashes
through with 28 ... BxP! 29 BxR 30 Q-R5 ch 30 B-R3 (or N-R3) Q-N6 ch
31 K-R1 PxB. It appears that White can stop the immediate threat of
28 ... BxP by 28 R-R2, but then simply 28 ... B-N4, with the idea of
29 ... BxB and 30 ... Q-R5 ch, leaves White helpless.
28 ... P-N6 ch
29 K-R1 B-N4
30 BxB QxB
31 B-R3 Q-R5
32 N-K3
White may have intended 32 K-N2, but then 32 ... N-N4 mates.
32 ... BxB
33 NxB QxN ch
34 K-N1 N-N4
35 N-B5 RxN!
36 PxR QxP
37 K-N2 Q-R6 ch
38 K-N1 Q-R5
39 R-R2 N-R6 ch
Resigns
Of course, being games editor won't stop me from submitting my own games.
Here is my last-round game with Andy Rea from the recent Ohio Chess Congress
in Columbus:
White: Bruce Leverett
Black: Andy Rea
Ohio Chess Congress, round 6, 9/6/93
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1 d4 Nf6
2 c4 e6
3 Nc3 Bb4
4 e3 c5
5 Ne2
This is the Rubinstein variation. Another move, 5 Bd3, can lead to the
famous Huebner variation: 5 ... Nc6 6 Nf3 Bxc3+!? 7 bxc3 d6 8 e4 (or
8 O-O) 8 ... e5 9 d5 Ne7. This has proven to be a solid defensive
formation for Black.
5 ... O-O
6 a3 Bxc3+
7 Nxc3 d6?!
Combined with Black's fifth move, this gives a passive setup. Black has
several better defenses to the Rubinstein:
(a) 7 ... b6!?: an offbeat line recommended by Tim Taylor in his
outstanding 1984 book on the Rubinstein variation. The day after
reading this book, I tried out 7 ... b6 against Tom Magar in the
1984 Pa. State Championship and won a nice game.
(b) 7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 d5 9 c5: a double-edged variation that had
occurred in an earlier game between me and Rea.
(c) Going back to move 5, 5 ... cxd4 6 exd4 O-O 7 a3 Be7 8 d5, which
Jeff Ginsburg (of Cincinnati) played against me once.
(d) 5 ... cxd4 6 exd4 d5 and now either 7 c5 Ne4, or 7 a3 Be7 8 c5: a
variation in which I lost a game to Walter Browne.
(e) 5 ... d5 6 a3 Bxc3+ 7 Nxc3 and now either 7 ... b6?!!, which was
once played against me by Andrew Karklins, or the more usual
7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 dxc4 (or 8 ... O-O transposing to line (b))
9 Bxc4 Nc6 10 Be3 O-O, played in one of the Korchnoi-Karpov matches.
Besides Taylor's book, another excellent guide to these variations is
Pritchett's book on the Nimzo-Indian.
8 Bd3 Nc6
9 O-O e5
This looks like a Huebner variation, but it isn't. The difference is
that White can throw his b-pawn forward to undermine Black's queenside.
This makes a big difference.
10 d5 Ne7
11 Qc2 a6
12 e4 Ng6
13 g3
This move is important, to keep Black's knight out of f4. Black piles up
an ominous collection of pieces on the kingside, but then he stalls out.
13 ... Bh3
14 Re1 Qd7
15 f3 h5
16 Nd1 Qe8
17 b4 b6
18 Rb1 Rb8
19 Bd2 Qc8
20 Nf2 Bd7
21 Rb2
It's a good idea to get ready to pile up on the b-file before opening it.
21 ... a5
22 bxa5 bxa5
23 Rcb1 Rxb2
24 Rxb2 h4
25 Rb6
It's too soon to take the a-pawn. After 25 Bxa5 Qa6 White would be
defending his own a-pawn. Leave it alone--it won't run away.
25 ... hxg3
26 hxg3 Qc7
27 Qb1 Ra8
28 Rb7 Qc8
29 Qb6
White's goal is simple--exchange all the major pieces and win the endgame.
29 ... a4
30 Nd1 Be8
31 Kg2 Nd7
32 Qc6 Ne7
33 Qxc8 Nxc8
34 Nb2 Ndb6
35 f4 f6
36 Kf3 Ra7
37 Rxa7 Nxa7
38 fxe5 fxe5
39 Kg4 Kf7
40 Kg6
From this square White's king controls the game. White is easily winning
now. Could Black have held the position earlier? I don't know. Hindsight
tells us that Black should have kept White's king out, by something like
36 ... Bd7, or even earlier by holding back his h-pawn.
40 ... Bd7
41 Ba5 Nac8
Black is paralyzed. The next step is for White to maneuver his knight to
f5. I also made a few irrelevant bishop moves, due to confusion.
42 Bf1 Na8
43 Nd1 Ne7
44 Ne3 Nc8
45 Be2 Nab6
46 Nf5
White threatens 47 Bxb6 and 48 Nxd6. On 46 ... Bxf5, Andy's post mortem
suggestion was 47 Kxf5 aiming for zugzwang. But after 47 ... g6+
48 Kg5 Kg7, there seems to be no way to achieve that goal; for instance,
49 Bg4?? Nxc4, or 49 Bf1 Nd7 50 Bc7 Nf6 51 Bf3 Nh7+ 52 Kh4 Nf6, etc.
White may still get winning chances by giving up his e-pawn for Black's
a-pawn, but that would require deep calculation. During the game, I was
planning to answer 46 ... Bxf5 with 47 exf5, to try to achieve something
with the apparently strong kingside pawns. Instead Andy sacrificed the
g-pawn.
46 ... g6
47 Nh4 Bh3
48 Bd3
White gains nothing by trying to trap the bishop: 48 g4?! Nd7 49 Nf3 Bg2!
(but not 49 ... Nf6 50 Kh4 followed by 51 Ng5+) 50 Nd2 Nf6 51 Bd3 Bh3, etc.
48 ... Nd7
49 Nxg6 Nf6
50 Nh4 Nh7+
51 Kh6 Nf6
52 Nf3
The knight heads for d2, to take over guard duty from the bishop on d3.
52 ... Ng8+
53 Kg5 Bg2
54 Nd2 Nf6
55 Bc7 Nh7+
56 Kh4 Ne7!?
A cute trap. Now 57 Bxd6 allows a draw after 57 ... Ng6+ 58 Kg5 Kg7.
Black's pieces are now liberated and for a while they look dangerous.
But it's still an easy win.
57 g4 Ng6+
58 Kg3 Ke7
59 Bc2 Nf4
60 Bxa4 Ng5
61 Bc2 Kd7
62 Bb6 Bh1
63 a4 Ne2+
64 Kh4 Nh7
65 a5 Ne2+
66 Ba4+ Kc8
67 g5 Kb7
68 Bd8 Nf8
69 Be8 Kc8
70 Be7 Resigns