Joys of 'Modern' living!

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  • Joys of 'Modern' living!

    Here is the text of an interesting game. You can discuss the game: era, player strengths, time controls, setting, and so forth. I will post all data in a few days. Enjoy!

    1.e4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.f4 c5 4.c3 d6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.dxc5 Nf6 7.e5 Nfd7 8.cxd6 exd6 9.Qxd6 Bxf3 10.gxf3 Qh4+ 11.Kd1 Nc6 12.e6 O-O-O 13.Kc2 Nb6 14.Qc5 fxe6 15.Bc4 Nxc4 16.Qxc4 Kb8 17.Be3 Rc8 18.Qe4 Rhd8 19.f5 Qh3 20.Qg4 Qxg4 21.fxg4 exf5 22.gxf5 gxf5 23.Na3 Nb4+ 24.Kb3 Nd5 25.Bg5 Rd6 26.c4 Rb6+ 27.Nb5 a6 28.a4 axb5 29.axb5 Be5 30.Rhe1 Bf4, 0-1.

  • #2
    Geoff McKay (2135) -- IM Deen Hergott (2507), Kingston Open 1997 (2), played 1997-02-08, time controls 30/90', SD/60', TD/Organizer Larry Bevand, assisted by Frank Dixon.
    Light notes by Frank Dixon. Elapsed times in brackets.
    This extraordinary game breaks new ground early in an important variation of the Modern Defense, Three Pawns Attack. I believe 6...Nf6 is new. I once had the position after 4...d6, in a game with Jan Kralovic, Calgary Chess Club G/30' 1985. My opponent, apparently in his 70s but still very strong, had been champion of Bratislava before immigrating to Canada, and won the championship of Calgary as well. He played 5.Be3!?, delaying the development of his KN, and stopping ...Bg4. This reduced Black's options, and I went in for 5...Nf6 6.Nd2 Na6 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.Be2 Qc7 9.Ngf3 Bg4 10.O-O O-O 11.Rc1 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 e5 13.fxe5 dxe5 14.d5, with a significant edge to White, who went on to win.
    Canadian masters, including GM Duncan Suttles, IM Lawrence Day, and GM Igor Ivanov, have made vital contributions to the theory of the Modern Defence. We have to add IM Deen Hergott to this group as well. As an occasional Modern / Pirc player myself, I consider Black success with this opening scheme to be a true test of high mastery. Since the variations are newer than most other defenses, new and strong moves can occur at an earlier stage, and this places a double premium on knowledge and inventiveness, for both sides, but especially for Black, since his play is by design on the edge of provocation.
    Also, it is difficult to obtain thorough book knowledge for Black in the Pirc / Modern, since many of the key authors writing one-volume works, such as Batsford Chess Openings (GM Raymond Keene) and Nunn's Chess Openings (GM John Nunn) have written their own books on these variations, and coverage is often decidedly skimpy; it seems they would like you to buy their books as well!
    1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.f4 c5 4.c3 d6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.dxc5 Nf6! 7.e5 Nfd7! (10,17) 8.cxd6 exd6 9.Qxd6 Bxf3!
    [The key move for Black. He is now able to attack using his Queen, gaining a tempo, preventing White from castling, furthering his development, while White chases material.]
    10.gxf3 Qh4+! 11.Kd1 Nc6! 12.e6 O-O-O!! (26,24)
    As an assistant for the event, I was watching this game when Deen made this move, and my surprise was complete. What an extraordinary position; White is two pawns up, but has only his Queen developed, while Black has developed efficiently, and his compensation will become increasingly evident. White cannot take the piece since he would lose his Queen to the pin on Black's recapture.]
    13.Kc2 Nb6! 14.Qc5 fxe6 15.Bc4 Nxc4 16.Qxc4 Kb8! 17.Be3 Rc8 (50,58)
    [Both players played briskly through the opening stage, but are now consuming clock time in a complex position.]
    18.Qe4 Rhd8 19.f5 Qh3 (69,68) 20.Qg4 Qxg4 21.fxg4 exf5 22.gxf5 gxf5 23.Na3 Nb4+!
    [Highlighting White's King insecurity!]
    24.Kb3 Nd5! 25.Bg5 Rd6 (80,75) 26.c4 Rb6+!
    [There is no escape for White.]
    27.Nb5 a6 28.a4 axb5 29.axb5 Be5 30.Rhe1 Bf4, 0-1. (89,87).
    [This is one of the great Canadian games which hardly anyone knows. Hopefully now it will gain some wider respect!!]

    Comment


    • #3
      Nice to see one of Deen Hergott's games. This one is fascinating as it translates into a queenless middlegame with equal material but white's kng vulnerability is the difference. Nice finish and you are right, it deserves to be better known. (by the way in your origninal posting of the score there is a mistake on whites move 2)

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      • #4
        Thanks, Hans. You are correct about my typo on move 2 in the original score; it should be 2.d4.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Frank Dixon View Post
          Thanks, Hans. You are correct about my typo on move 2 in the original score; it should be 2.d4.
          You can edit the post to correct that in case someone comes along later and tries to grab the game without reading the entire thread.

          If I may, it would be super if you could post these games in pgn format (you would have to leave the player names as something like "guess") for your purposes and perhaps also disguise the date played etc. but copying the entire text into an editor and writing it out as xxxxxxx.pgn means people can directly plug it into most chess software... (It is a big ask: I'm gently suggesting such an improvement...)
          ...Mike Pence: the Lord of the fly.

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks, Kerry, for the constructive feedback, very respectfully presented.
            I didn't originally intend to make this a series. But, with the pandemic taking away most new chess events, and having time on my hands to organize my archives, since I was not playing or organizing, I realized I had a lot of game scores of high quality games which had not been published, mostly from events which I helped to organize. Then, I decided to build around a Kingston-connected chess history theme, stretching this a bit for events I directed out-of-town, since as a Kingston resident, there was still a connection.
            I have striven to present good quality games which have NOT been published before, from my archives; there have been a few which are already in databases. Then, I have sometimes added short personality sketches and interesting behind-the-scenes episodes, from my perspective as an organizer and TD.
            Your point on editing typos is important, and I need to learn how to do that on this site. There have just been a handful, in spite of the care I have attempted.
            I may get around to re-presenting these games in a pgn format. My goal was to get them with enough information that they could join CanBase, maintained by Hugh Brodie; he has been adding them into the national database. Right now I am preparing to reach up to 100 games presented, probably by July 1, and then may take a break, to improve the format on those 100 games, along the lines you propose.

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