Middlegame Butchery and Burglary
In the January En Passant, I presented one of two games submitted by Jeff
Schreiber, in which Jeff had lost nearly certain wins against strong players.
Here's the other game. His opponent this time was Jerry Meyers.
Jerry, by the way, has qualified for the postal chess IM title. He submitted
two of his wins from ICCF tournaments, which I will write up for the November
issue.
Pittsburgh Industrial Chess League
Round 2, Board 1, 10/26/93
White: Jeff Schreiber, Pittsburgh Chess Club
Black: Jerry Meyers, Wild Thing
Dutch Defense, Leningrad Variation
1. d4 f5
2. c4 g6
3. Nf3 Bg7
4. g3 d6
5. Nc3 Nf6
6. Bg2 O-O
7. O-O Qe8
In the 1950's, Black used to play 7 ... e6 and 8 ... Qe7, single-mindedly
trying to enforce ... e5. Eventually it was realized that Black could use
the threat of ... e5 to entice White to advance his d-pawn, and moves such
as 7 ... c6 and 7 ... Nc6 came into fashion. The latest wrinkle in this
strategy is 7 ... Qe8.
8. d5 Na6
9. Nd4 Bd7
10. Rb1 Nc5
This doesn't turn out well. 10 ... c6 or 10 ... c5 are plausible
alternatives.
11. Ncb5!?
The straightforward 11 b4 is good enough for advantage. After 11 ... Na4
12 Nxa4 Bxa4 13 Qd3 Bd7 14 c5, Black has an unpleasantly passive game, while
11 ... Nce4 12 Nxe4 Nxe4 13 Qd3 is similar, and 11 ... Nce4 12 Nxe4 fxe4
13 f3 is no better.
11. ... Qc8
12. b4 Na6
Black could play 12 ... Nce4!? The knight looks trapped on e4, but
13 f3 a6 14 fxe4 axb5 looks very unclear, while quieter moves such as 13 Qd3
allow 13 ... h6 creating an escape route. (13 ... c6 is also tempting.)
13. c5! dxc5?
I cannot find a decisive answer to 13 ... c6. For instance 14 cxd6 cxb5
15 dxe7 Re8 16 d6 Rb8 (preparing ... Qc4), or 14 dxc6 bxc6 15 cxd6 cxb5
16 dxe7 Re8 17 Bxa8 Qxa8, and in either case, White is losing the
initiative. Best play for both sides may be 14 dxc6 bxc6 15 Nc3 e5!
16 Nf3! e4 17 Nd4 d5, giving a position that I find hard to evaluate.
14. bxc5 Nxc5?
15. Ba3 Nce4
16. Bxe7 Re8
17. d6! cxd6
diagram:
r1q1r1k1
pp1bB1bp
3p1np1
1N3p2
3Nn3
6P1
P2PPBP
2RQ1RK
Black's position has gone from bad to worse since his 13th move. White
can now win the exchange with 18 Bxf6 Bxf6 19 Rc1 (but not 19 Bxe4 Rxe4
20 Nxd6 Rxd4) Bc6 (or 19 ... Qd8 20 Nc7) 20 Bxe4 Rxe4 21 Nxc6 bxc6 22 Nxd6.
Instead he is mesmerized by the power of his knights and bishops, forgetting
that Black has minor pieces too.
18. Qb3+ Kh8
19. Nxd6??
19 Bxf6 was still good.
19. ... Nxd6
20. Bxd6 Ne4
21. Rfc1
21 Bxe4 is also OK. After 21 ... Rxe4 22 e3 Black would still be under
some pressure. And of course, not 22 ... Bxd4? 23 exd4 Rxd4?? 24 Be5 mate.
21. ... Qd8
22. Qxb7??
22 Bc7 Qf6 23 Nf3 Nc3! doesn't quite hold it all together for White. But
22 Bxe4 (or 22 Bc7 Qf6 23 Bxe4) is still about equal.
22. ... Bxd4
23. Bxe4 fxe4
24. Qd5 Qf6
25. e3 Bb6
26. Rxb6? axb6
27. Bb4 Rac8
White threatened 28 Bc3.
28. Qd2 Rxc1
29. Qxc1 Rc8
30. Qb1 Bh3
31. Ba3 Qf3
32. Qb2+ Kg8
Resigns
More Charlie Nowe
In the May issue I asked for games by the late Charlie Nowe. I have had only
one reply so far, but what a reply--an incalculable sacrificial attack against
Nowe's Westmoreland County rival Mark Eidemiller. Notes are by Eidemiller, with
some additional comments by me.
Pittsburgh Chess Club Spring Quad
3/17/85
White: Mark Eidemiller
Black: Charlie Nowe
King's Indian Defense
1. d4 Nf6
2. Nf3 g6
3. c4 Bg7
4. Nc3 0-0
5. e4 d6
6. Be2 e5
7. 0-0 Nc6
8. d5 Ne7
[ Black's 7th and 8th moves are the most challenging way to counterattack
against the classical King's Indian. Analysis in some variations extends
well past the 20th move. The main variations start with 9 Nd2 or 9 Ne1,
(the Mar Del Plata variation), but 9 b4, 9 Bd2, and 9 Bg5 must also be
reckoned with. --BWL ]
9. Nd2 Nd7?!
[ This is the usual reply to 9 Ne1, but not to 9 Nd2. --BWL ]
This move has long been considered to grant White too much queenside space.
Bobby Fischer employed 9 ... c5, while today, Kasparov faithfully plays
9 ... a5. Both moves slow down White's queenside attack. Charlie,
however, loved playing older ideas especially if he could create a new
twist.
10. b4 f5
11. c5! Nf6!
Black correctly declined 11 ... dxc5 12 bxc5 Nxc5 13 f3 c6 14 Ba3 b6
15 Bc4, with tremendous initiative for the pawn, as in Platz-Vogt, 1970.
12. f3 f4
13. Nc4 g5
14. a4 Rf7
15. Ba3 Ng6
16. b5 Bf8
17. a5 b6
[ Again declining a gambit. After 17 ... dxc5 18 b6! axb6 19 axb6 cxb6
20 Qb3 Black would be helpless against White's massive army on the
queenside. --BWL ]
18. cxb6 cxb6
19. axb6 axb6
20. Na2
ECO assesses this position as &. I've played this position no less than
five times. Some relevant games: 20 ... g4 21 Nb4 g3 22 Nc6 gxh2+
23 Kxh2 Qc7 24 Bb4 Rxa1 25 Qxa1 Rg7 26 Qa8 Nh4 27 Rf2 Rg3 28 Bf1! Qg7
29 Qxc8 Qh6 30 Kg1 Nxf3+ 31 Rxf3 Ng4 32 Qe6+ Resigns, Bukic-Marjanovic,
1970; and 20 ... g4 21 Nb4 Nxe4 22 fxe4 Qh4 23 Nd2 Bh6 24 Nd3 f3 25 Nxf3 &,
Ogaard-Moen, 1976.
20 ... Rg7!?
21 Nb4 g4
22 Nc6 Qc7
Kicking Black's queen off the d8-h4 diagnoal is a big gain for White, but
I've learned through my own games that c7-f7-g6 is the new Queen's avenue.
diagram:
r1b2bk1
2q3rp
1pNp1nn
1P1Pp3
2N1Ppp1
B4P2
4B1PP
R2Q1RK1
I attribute my loss in this game to knowing too much theory! I was aware
of the Bukic-Marjanovic game, and I continued to play Bukic's "winning"
plan. Charlie's idea of ... Rg7 followed by ... Nh4 ganging up on g2 and
f3 had to be prevented by 23 Qd3! This multi-purpose move defends the
e-pawn and wins a vital tempo by threatening 24 Bxd6. Black then must
defend with the positionally unfavorable 23 ... Bb7 (23 ... gxf3 24 Bxf3 Bb7
is poor too) and now after 24 fxg4 Nh4 25 Bb4 Rxa1 26 Rxa1 h5 (26 ... Nxg4
27 Qh3 wins) 27 Qh3 Ng6 28 gxh5 Bc8 29 Qd3 Nh4 30 g3, Black doesn't have
enough and the White king will escape.
After the game I mentioned 23 Qd3 to Charlie. He smiled and replied,
"Those are the chances Black must take to win." Is this foolishness or
wisdom? Surely objectively foolish, but subjectively or practically most
courageous and wise in his appraisal of the psychology of his opponent.
In short, he counted on me to play 23 Bb4 and his courage was rewarded.
Indeed, in a quick chess game (30/30, then SD/30), it was an automatic
response to play 23 Bb4. I realized too late, around move 25, the merits
of 23 Qd3!
23. Bb4? Rxa1
24. Qxa1 Nh4
25. Qa8
Passive defense by 25 Rf2 gxf3 26 Bxf3 Nxf3+ 27 Rxf3 Nxe4 just drops a
crucial pawn. [ Also, 25 Nd2 gxf3 26 Bxf3 Bh3, or even 26 ... Nxg2!, is no
improvement. --BWL ]
25. ... Nxg2?
I've noticed over the years the occurrence of the back-to-back blunder
in Master chess. This is a good example of this psychological phenomenon,
where both players operate analytically on a false assessment. The knight
sac on g2 looks terribly strong and it succeeded in pulling the wool over
my eyes. But in reality the move lacks power and allows the winning
counter-shot 26 Bxd6! Bxd6 27 Nxd6 gxf3 28 Nxc8 (threatening Nd6+ winning)
Kh8 29 N8e7+ Ng8 30 Bxf3 Ne3+ 31 Kf2 Nxf1 32 Kxf1 Rxe7 33 Nxe7 Qxe7
34 Qb8 picking up the b-pawn and eventually the game. These variations
illustrate the kind of active defense I envisaged when I played 25 Qa8.
Nevertheless I replied to Black's mistake with my own, partly because of
time pressure, but mostly because I became sidetracked by the 26 Kxg2
variation. I couldn't see how he could nail my king. I underestimated his
30th move and missed totally the powerful tactics set up by his patiently
beautiful 33rd move. Black should simply have played 25 ... gxf3
26 Bxf3 Nxf3+ 27 Rxf3 Nxe4, covering d6.
26. Kxg2? gxf3+
27. Kxf3 Bg4+
28. Kf2 Nxe4+
29. Ke1 Bxe2
30. Kxe2 Qf7
Remember the earlier note about Qc7 to f7 in these lines. Here it works
like a charm for Charlie.
[ I disagree. White can now get away with 31 Nxd6, for instance 31 ... Qxd5
32 Ne7+, or 31 ... Qh5+ 32 Ke1 (but not 32 Kd3? Nxd6 33 Bxd6 Qg6+) Rg2
33 Ne7+ Kg7 34 Nef5+ with at least a perpetual, or 31 ... Qg6 32 Nxe5.
If this is correct then Black should have played 30 ... Qd7. --BWL ]
31. N6xe5 Qf5!
32. Nd3 Rg2+
33. Ke1 f3!
34. Qe8
Other moves also lose: 34 Nc1 Rc2! 35 Rg1+ Ng5 -+; 34 Qa1 Re2+ 35 Kd1 Nf2+
36 Rxf2 Qxd3+ 37 Nd2 Rxf2 -+; or the pleasing 34 Qa3 Nc3! (threatening
Re2 mate) 35 Qxc3 Qe4+ 36 Kd1 Qe2+ 37 Kc1 Bh6+ 38 Nd2 (38 Kb1 Qa2 mate)
Qxf1+ 39 Kc2 Rxd2+ -+. The "clearance" idea of ... Nc3 comes up a few
times in these positions. Black could even have played it on move 33
instead of ... f3. Check it out for a small analytical workout!
34. ... Re2+
35. Kd1 Nf2+
Resigns
A game I will remember despite the loss, but not nearly as painful as the
loss of a long-time friend. -- Mark Eidemiller