Mystery game #2: Game score provided, readers can guess, comment; revealed by March 9

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Mystery game #2: Game score provided, readers can guess, comment; revealed by March 9

    This is the second Mystery Game I am offering on this site. I provide the game score, with a request for anyone interested to provide commentary, and guesses on the players, strengths, date of game, format, time controls, etc. I don't think this is on any database. I will just request that if the game's participant(s) are reading this, they keep silent! I will reveal the details by March 9th. Enjoy!

    1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nb6 5.Bd3 Bg4 6.exd6 exd6 7.h3 Bh5 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.O-O O-O 10.Re1 N8d7 11.Ne4 Nf6 12.Ng3 Bg6 13.Nf5 Bxf5 14.Bxf5 g6 15.Bd3 Qd7 16.Bh6 Rfe8 17.Ng5 Qc6 18.c4 Bf8 19.Bxf8 Kxf8 20.Qf3 Qxf3 21.Nxf3 a5 22.Rxe8+ Rxe8 23.Re1 Rxe1+ 24.Nxe1 Nh5 25.g3 Ng7 26.Kf1 Ne6 27.Nf3 Na4 28.b3 Nc3 29.a3 d5 30.Ke1 c6 31.Kd2 Ne4+ 32.Ke3 Nf6 33.c5 Nd7 34.b4 axb4 35.axb4 Nc7 36.Nd2 Ke7 37.Nb3 Kd8 38.Na5 Kc8 39.f4 Nb8 40.Kd2 Nb5 41.Bxb5 cxb5 42.Ke3 Nc6 43.Nxc6 bxc6 44.f5 f6 45.fxg6 hxg6 46.h4 Kd7 47.g4 Ke6 48.Kf4 Kf7 49.g5 fxg5+ 50.Kxg5 Kg7 1/2--1/2.

  • #2
    I'd guess in the 1300-1500 range, and perhaps with a faster time control as Black missed a likely and fairly obvious win on move 42, especially considering that the rapid trades mean White probably would have traded the knights off soon after into a lost King and Pawn endgame.
    Christopher Mallon
    FIDE Arbiter

    Comment


    • #3
      I can now reveal that this game was played between NM Mark Plotkin (White, 2230 CFC), of Toronto, and NM Yang Yu Zong (Black, 2289 CFC), of Montreal, on 2013-06-08, in Kingston. The occasion was the annual Chess 'N Math Association's Ontario and Quebec Scholastic Team Championship, at a time control of G|30, with no increment. The game was played in round one of this event.

      I was assisting IA Larry Bevand, CMA Executive Director, in the running of this event. As a volunteer, I have assisted Larry with events he has run in Kingston since 1995. Since this game was between two National Masters, at a quick time control, it might not otherwise have been recorded, so I kept an eye on it, recording the moves as it progressed, and was thus able to obtain a complete record, which is shared here.

      The opening variation is the Schmid Variation of Alekhine's Defense, ECO B04, characterized by 4...Nb6; that is, Black withdraws the N/d5 before White chases it with the normal c2-c4. The late German GM / GMC / IA Lothar Schmid, 1928-2013, served as Chief Arbiter for the 1972 World Championship match in Reykjavik between champion GM Boris Spassky and challenger GM Bobby Fischer, won by GM Fischer. Schmid also refereed the return match between those two in 1992, as well as the 1978 world title match (GM Karpov vs GM Korchnoi) and the 1986 world title match (GM Karpov vs GM Kasparov). Schmid was wealthy through his family's publishing business, and kept a very large chess library, chess art collection, and chess set collection. He was co-runner-up in the second ICCF World Championship, behind GM Vyacheslav Ragozin of USSR. Very few people have obtained all the GM, GMC and IA titles, so Schmid is in select company there.

      As far as the game goes, I felt that White could have perhaps obtained advantage through keeping more pieces on in the early middlegame, instead of going for a lot of exchanges of major pieces at that stage. Black, with less space, defended well with many intricate knight maneuvers, so the draw is a fair result. It would be interesting to hear some commentary from the players themselves.

      I posted this particular game since NM Mark Plotkin has now just completed his third norm for the title of International Master! Congratulations, Mark!

      Cheers,
      Frank Dixon,
      NTD, Kingston

      Comment

      Working...
      X