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This was the last game in the Tournament for these two players, and the second last to finish (at the time of writing kend-ka vs jstevens1 has yet to be completed). The result of the MT was already clear, nothing would change the standings. As the top two seeds Freddy (easy19) and I were first and second, Freddy having dropped not even a solitary half-point, my having lost to him (see Ch 3) and drawn with the White pieces against Jo (jstevens1). She was some way back in third. Win lose or draw, the top three would be exactly the same, and in that order.
But after the disappointment of the Black pieces I was in two minds about this game. How would I tackle it? |
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1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3
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Staying with the tried and true. In any case this development is so 'natural' it must be good, eh? |
 
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6... b5
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(!?) A bizarre move, it seemed to me. Apparemtly this was some Master's experimental line that Freddy wanted to try out. It doesn't exactly give White's centre a hard knock, or anything... |
1 comment
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7. e5
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It seemed to me that a immediate capture on b5 fell in too easily with Black's plan - whatever it might be. This thrust can't be bad, and now is a good opportunity to try it. |
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7... Nfd7
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Exchanging first would have left Black with no centre at all, so he keeps some sort of stake in it by leaving the d-pawn as is. |
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8. cxb5
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Free pawn. It is hard to see what Black has got for his investment. |
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8... a6 9. Be3
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Again, refusing to fall in too readily with Black's programme. If Black captures on b5, then Bxb5 develops a piece nice and handily. Meanwhile, White continues to develop. |
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9... Nb6
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Alternatives here were indeed to take on b5 or try ...Bb7. |
1 comment
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10. bxa6
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OK, if you insist... White has a huge lead in development, and a strong central presence. Yet Black does have some long-term prospects based upon the long dark diagonal - White's centre is far from invulnerable placed as it is - and the open files on the distant Queen's flank. There are some resemblances here to the Benko and Blumenfeld Counter-gambits that White has to bear in mind. White should also beware - or be aware - of the long white diagonal (a8-h1), as well. Finally, there is that tension between e5 and d6 which neither is willing for the time being to resolve. Having said all that, 10.Be2 might have been simpler... |
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10... Nxa6
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Had Black taken with the Bishop, I probably would have exchanged on a6. I suspect, though, that Black had other plans for that piece, based on ...Bb7. However, they were never to materialise. |
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11. a3
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Partly with a view to a general infantry advance on this flank, but for moment mainly to constrain the N on a6. Alternatively, Be2 or Bb5 were worth considering. |
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11... c6
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Closing off the long white diagonal. This allows a knight to land at d5... |
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12. Be2 Nc7
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Definitely aiming to settle a knight on d5, whence it would not be easy to shift. |
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13. O-O Qd7
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If instead 13...Bf5 I had in mind to play 14.Nh4, followed by 15.f5 with attack on the K-side. One of the features of this game is that I found myself continually switching my attention from Q-side to K-side and back again. I will return to this theme later... |
2 comments
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14. a4
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Looking to make capital of this passed pawn... |
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14... Nbd5 15. Bd2
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Reluctant to exchange my c3-Knight for Black's c7-Specimen, I retire the bishop at once, keeping an eye upon the f-pawn. I could probably have moved it back an extra square at that. |
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15... Ba6 16. Bxa6
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Since the bishops would probably come off anyway, I exchange at once. But I have to admit that I was starting to run out of ideas hereabouts - or at least, had the uneasy feeling of being unsure how to proceed. |
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16... Rxa6 17. Nxd5
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(!?) A change of mind, hoping to do something with the Q-side pawns. But I admit I didn't like this move, and still don't. Maybe it ought to have waited a move, after 17.Qe2, say. At any rate, I was still certain I had the edge - the extra pawn, and Black still didn't have much to show for it. |
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17... Nxd5
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But Black now has this knight firmly established at a strong post in the centre. |
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18. b4 Rfa8 19. a5 Rb8
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Having induced the a-pawn forward, Black is in a position to blockade White's Q-side pair. Generally speaking, rooks aren't ideal blockading pieces - a task that tends to write down their value more than somewhat. But Black lacks alternative resources to keep the pawns under restraint. He certainly doesn't want to divert his best piece, the knight, for the purpose. On the other hand, White looks to have slender means of exploiting the tying down of Black's rooks. In what follows, White is merely probing, looking for a weakness. It would be long before he found one... |
2 comments
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20. Qb3 Rb5
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Completing the blockade. I was rather pessimistically feeling Black had just about equalised here. |
1 comment
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