Mystery game #28: Believe in 'Modern' love!

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

  • Mystery game #28: Believe in 'Modern' love!

    Here is the text of an interesting game. You can discuss the game, guess as to the players' identities, playing strengths, era and setting of game, time controls, etc. I will supply all the data in a few days. Enjoy!!

    1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Bd3 Bg7 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.e5 Ne8 8.O-O c6 9.Qe2 Nb6 10.Nbd2 Nd5 11.Ne4 Qb6 12.Kh1 Bh6 13.Nh4 e6 14.exd6 Qd8 15.Ng5 Nxf4 16.Bxf4 Bxg5 17.Bxg5 Qxg5 18.Nf3 Qd8 19.Rad1 Nxd6 20.Ne5 Bd7 21.Ng4 f5 22.Ne5 Qe7 23.Rde1 Rae8 24.c4 Nf7 25.c5 Nxe5 26.Qxe5 Rf6 27.g4 Qf8 28.g5 Rf7 29.Rf3 Bc8 30.b4 Qg7 31.Bc4 Qxe5 32.Rxe5 Rfe7 33.Kg2 Rd8 34.Rf4 Kg7 35.Kf3 h6 36.h4 hxg5 37.hxg5 Rh8 38.d5 cxd5 39.Bxd5 Rh5 40.b5 Rxg5 41.c6 bxc6 42,Bxc6 Kf6 43.Rc5 e5 44.Rh4 Kg7 45.a4 e4+ 46.Kf2 Bb7 47.a5 e3+ 48.Ke2 Rg3 49.b6 Ba6+ 50.Bb5 Bxb5+ 51.Rxb5 f4 52.Rxf4 Rg2+ 53.Ke1 e2 54.Rf1 axb6 55.axb6 Rd7 56.Rf2, 1/2--1/2.

  • #2
    Wayne Coppin (~2050) -- Matthew Struthers (~2000), Kingston Chess Club vs. Queen's University Chess Club team match, Kingston 1995, board one, played 1995-04-26. Time controls 30/90, SD/60.
    Notes by Frank Dixon. Time elapsed in brackets; played using a Kingston Chess Club clock. This event was not CFC rated. It was the third inter-club match between the two clubs, for the 1994-95 period.
    1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Bd3 Bg7 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.e5 Ne8!?
    [I believe this is a significant game in this sub-variation of the Modern, with the 3 Pawns Attack (W's f,e and d pawns). It can be a challenging variation for Black. Two previous games involving very strong players had seen, first: 7...Nd5 (Benko -- Biyiasas, Lone Pine 1975), and then 7...Ng4?! (Herzog -- Wedberg, Randers Zonal 1982. In the 1975 game, GM Benko established a space advantage, built up his pressure, and then maneuvered efficiently to win in 46 moves. I think 7...Nd5 is playable. In the 1982 game, disaster struck for Black as he could last only 18 moves, after 8.Ng5 Nb6 9.O-O f6 10.Nxh7! Kxh7 11.f5! fxe5 12.Qxg4 gxf5 13.Qh5+, etc. This ...Ne8 retreat, possibly a novelty here, is often used in similar King's Indian positions.]
    8.O-O c6
    [Perhaps not active enough; 8...c5!?]
    9.Qe2
    [Here 9.e6! looks very strong for White; viz. 9...Ndf6 10.Ng5! fxe6 11.Qe2 Nc7 12.Nd2 Bd7 13.Ndf3 Qc8 14.Bd2, with more than enough compensation for the pawn, as Black is cramped and will have difficulty freeing his pieces, or obtaining any significant counterplay. White has a permanent target on e6, and can strengthen his position at will.]
    9...Nb6 10.Nbd2 Nd5 11.Ne4 Qb6! 12.Kh1 Bh6! (11,15) 13.Nh4 e6!? (16,20) 14.exd6 Qd8 (32,25) 15.Ng4 Nxf4! 16.Bxf4 Bxg5 (69,29) 17.Bxg5 Qxg5 18.Nf3 Qd8 19.Rad1 Nxd6 (75,30)
    [Black, with very clever, well-coordinated play, has a significant advantage, being a pawn up with a large lead on the clock.]
    20.Ne5 Bd7 21.Ng4 f5! 22.Ne5 Qe7 23.Rde1 Rae8 24.c4 Nf7 25.c5 Nxe5 26.Qxe5 Rf6 27.g4 Qf8 28.g5 Rf7 29.Rf3 Bc8 30.b4 Qg7! 31.Bc4 Qxe5 32.Rxe5 Rfe7 33.Kg2 Rd8 34.Rf4 Kg7 35.Kf3 h6!
    [Opening a new front into White's overextended position.]
    36.h4 hxg5 37.hxg5 Rh8 38.d5 cxd5 39.Bxd5 Rh5 (95,67) 40.b5 Rxg5 41.c5 bxc6 42.Bxc6 Kf6 43.Rc5 e5! 44.Rh4 Kg7 45.a4 e4+?
    [Black has played magnificently so far, facing a player with a 20+ years experience advantage, to build a winning position with three connected passed pawns; Black also had a big lead on the clock. But here he lets a major part of his advantage slip away. Black would win easily with 45...Rg1!!, activating his rook, and planning to follow up with a subsequent ...Rb1!, to monitor White's Q-side pawns from behind. He can then play ...f5-f4 and post his bishop on f5, cutting White's activity.]
    46.Kf2! Bb7 47.a5 e3+ 48.Ke2 Rg3 49.b6 Ba6+ 50.Bb5 Bxb5+ 51.Rxb5 f4 52.Rxf4
    [Eliminating one of the passers, the central one of the three, White is now back in the game and has good drawing chances.]
    52...Rg2+ 53.Ke1 e2 54.Rf1!!
    [An easy move to miss. If Black takes the rook and queens, White can simply capture the new queen, and then queen his own q-side passer, forcing Black to give up his rook for it.]
    54...axb6 55.axb6 Rd7 56.Rf2, 1/2--1/2.
    [A fascinating battle! White was very fortunate to draw this game, having been outplayed almost the entire way through. The Kingston chess scene was going through a change in that year and those to follow, with the arrival (Struthers, Brian Profit, Dr. Peter Sibbald, Ismail Ibrahim, John Upper, Patrick Kirby, Adam Runions) or return to play (Jeff Towers, Geoff McKay, myself) of several strong players, to challenge Coppin's local dominance, which had started in 1993, his arrival in Kingston. By 1997, the top group of the KCC Championship was the equivalent of the Reserves section of many Toronto Closed championships. And then the Panjwani father -- son pair of Dr. Dilip and future GM Raja arrived in Kingston in early 2000!]

    Comment

    Working...
    X