Mystery game #12: Double-edged variation leads to wild battle!

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

  • Mystery game #12: Double-edged variation leads to wild battle!

    Here is the text of an interesting game. You can comment on variations, guess players' strengths and identities, and era, time controls, and other relevant factors.
    1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4 g6 9.Bd3 Nxd2 10.Kxd2 c5 11.Nh3 Nc6 12.Nf4 h5 13.Qg3 cxd4 14.cxd4 Nxd4 15.Bxg6 Rg8 16.Nxh5 Rxg6 17.Nf6+ Kf8 18.Qh4 Nf5 19.Nh7+ Ke8 20.Nf6+ Ke7 21.Qb4+ Nd6 22.Rhe1 Rxf6 23.exf6+ Ke8 24.f3 Nc4+ 25.Ke2 Qxf6 26.Rad1 b6 27.Kf2 Bb7 28.Qb5+ Kf8 29.g3 Rd8 30.Qb3 Kg7 31.f4 Rh8 32.Kg1 Qh6 33.Qc3+ Kg8 34.Re2 Rh7 35.Rf1 Ba6 36.Rff2 Nd6 37.Qe5 Bxe2 38.Qxd6 Bc4 39.Qb8+ Kg7 40.Qxa7 b5 41.Qd7 Qf6 42.f5 e5 43.g4 Rh4, 0-1.

  • #2
    Geoff McKay (2079) -- Brian Profit (2135), Whig-Standard Championship, Kingston 1995, (5), played Nov. 13, 1995. Time controls 30/90, SD/60. French, MacCutcheon, C12.
    This was Brian Profit's first tournament at the Kingston Chess Club. He had held a rating of 2200+ some time before this, and was commuting to the club every Monday, from Belleville, about an hour's drive west of Kingston, where he was (and is) a science teacher at Albert College> Brian has been a significant organizer with the Ontario High School Chess Association. I searched in the major sources at the time, and could find no other examples of 11.Nh3, in this main line MacCutcheon variation of the French. There have been some examples since then, including an early game by future super-GM Fabio Caruana. The MacCutcheon, unveiled perhaps for the first time, by its inventor MacCutcheon, in a simul game against Wilhelm Steinitz, New York 1885 (won by Black!!!) remains unclear and difficult for both sides, 135 years later. GM Robert Fischer lost to future World Champion GM Tigran Petrosian on the White side of it at Curacao Candidates 1962.
    McKay tried the line with 11.Nh3 again against me, in a G/30 at KCC, four years later. Here is the text of that game, which followed a very different course than the above game. I had the chance to study the above game, and had an interesting counter ready to try out, with a deep sacrifice for strong counterplay!
    Geoff McKay (2159) -- Frank Dixon (2055), Kingston Chess Club rapid (G/30), played May 14, 1995. French, MacCutcheon, C12.
    Same moves through to White's 12th:
    12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Qa5+ 14.Ke3!? Bd7 15.Bxg6 O-O-O 16.Bxf7 Qc3+ 17.Nd3 Rhf8 18.Bxe6 Bxe6 19.Qxe6+ Kb8 20.Qg4 Nxe5!? 21.dxe5 d4+ 22.Ke2 Qxc2+ 23.Kf1 Qxd3+ 24.Qe2 Qg6 25.Rd1 Rfe8 26.f4 Qf5 27.g3 h5 28.Kg2 h4 29.Rhf1 h3+ 30.Kg1, 1/2. Both sides were very short of time, and decided that a draw was a fair result!

    Comment

    Working...
    X