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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
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Kingston Chess Club 12.5 -- 11.5 Queen's U. Chess Club
Kingston Chess Club 12.5 -- 11.5 Queen's U. Chess Club
On Sunday, March 30, a 2025 rendition of the very historic Kingston team rivalry was staged. The series dates to before World War II.
In a double-round match with 12 boards, at G/30' + 10" time control, Kingston Chess Club defeated Queen's University Chess Club by the narrowest possible margin, 12.5 to 11.5. The match was competitive and fun, with no disputes!!
The problematic weather in the region, complete with ice storms and treacherous road conditions, impacted the turnout, especially for KCC, which had a couple of its stronger prospective team members cancel, due to lack of power in their homes.
However, for those who did make it out, the fun didn't stop after the final match game ended! A jovial post-match social, organized by QUCC, was held at the comfy and warm downtown Merchant Tap House, with revelry not ending before midnight, and plenty more quick chess battles continued!! A few beverages were enjoyed!
Amirreza Shahkanmani -- Frank Dixon
Queen's University Chess Club vs. Kingston Chess Club
Date: Mar. 30, 2025
Board: 5 of 12, Round: 2 of 2
Org.: QUCC and KCC
Time control: G/30' + 10"
Sicilian, B40
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 g6!?
[Not covered in ECO B 2nd edition (1984), EMCO (Russian, 1996), or NCO (1999). I simply don't like the main lines for Black against the ever-popular Alapin variation with an early c2-c3, so, inspired by my late father Donald Dixon and Toronto IM Igor Zugic, I've been playing this for over 20 years, with some success. My opponent here is a first category player from Iran, studying science at Queen's.]
4.Na3
[At 365chess.com, there are 14 games here with 4.d4, and nothing else, so we are now in uncharted territory, heading for a creative battle!]
4...Bg7 5.Be2 a6 6.d4 Ne7 7.O-O O-O 8.Bg5 b6 9.d5 d6 10.Nc4 f6 11.Be3 e5 (13,4)
[White is taking quite a bit of time for the unusual opening, considering we are in a G/30' format!]
12.a4 Qc7 13.Nfd2 Nd7 14.b4 f5! 15.f4! exf4 16.Bxf4 Ne5! 17.Qc2 h6 (17,9)
[From a Sicilian, the game has transformed into a structure closer to a King's Indian Defense, and the middlegame play unfolds accordingly. I considered 17...cxb4!? here, hoping to exploit potential tactics on the c-file and the long black diagonal, but couldn't reach a clear conclusion as to its merits and problems!]
18.Bd3! g5 19.Bxe5 Bxe5 20.Nxe5 dxe5 21.exf5! Nxd5!? 22.Bc4! Bb7 23.f6! Qh7!? (24,13) 24.Ne4
[I was more concerned about 24.Bd3!, and I think this is stronger, posing real problems for Black, but White was already getting into time pressure. The advance of White's knight to this key central square certainly turns up the pressure on Black, but fortunately I was able to wind my way through the deep tactical complications!]
24...Rad8! 25.f7+
[If 25.Bd3 Ne3! is strong for Black.]
25...Kh8 26.Bxd5 Bxd5 27.Rad1! cxb4! 28.cxb4 Rc8! (26,16)
[I think this is an absolute must, and play now develops with an exciting sequence of forced moves for both sides, accurately played.]
29.Qxc8!
[Otherwise White loses material.]
29...Rxc8 30.f8Q+ Rxf8 31.Rxf8+ Kg7 32.Rd8 Qxe4!
[Black would lose his Queen to rook checks on the d-file after 32...Bxe4?, with a lost ending of R vs. B.]
33.R8xd5 Qe3+! (29,21)
[Black's draw offer was accepted. White was very short of time, and I would have liked to play this out, but in a team format with many other games hanging in the balance, and KCC looking like it had an edge (it did work out that way!), I felt a draw with a strong opponent was a fair result. On the e3 square, Black's Queen guards both the passed e-pawn and b-pawn, while keeping an eye on White's vulnerable King. I just thought my King was too unsafe, with pressure from White's doubled rooks, to justify playing for a win!]
1/2--1/2.
Jordan Capello, QUCC (1942) -- Dr. Bassel Hakim, KCC (2025)
Queen's University Chess Club vs. Kingston Chess Club
Date: Mar. 30, 2025
Board: 1 of 12, Round: 2 of 2
Org.: QUCC and KCC
Time control: G/30' + 10"
Spanish / Ruy Lopez: C77
Notes by Frank Dixon and Dr. Bassel Hakim
Jordan, from New Brunswick, was finishing his final year at Queen's; Bassel, from Egypt, had completed his doctorate in computer science at Queen's, and is now working for a Kingston firm.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3
[Favorite of Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900), the first official world champion, who often delayed castling in the line, and aimed to castle long. It was also played by GM Bobby Fischer against former world champion GM Vasily Smyslov, Havana 1965. Smyslov won the event; future world champion Fischer won that game.]
5...b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.O-O d6 8.h3 O-O 9.Be3 Na5 10.Nbd2 c5 11.c4! b4 12 Ba4 Qc7 13.a3 bxa3 14.bxa3 Nb7 15.Nh2 Nd8 16.f4 h6 17.f5 Kh7 18.Ng4 g5 19.Nxh6!?
[Ambitious tactical idea!]
19...Kxh6 20.Qe1 Rh8! 21.Bxg5+!? Kg7!
[Acceptance of the second piece sac would lead to huge problems for Black.]
22.Qg3 Kf8 23.Qe3 Bd7 24.Bxd7 Qxd7 25.Bh6+ Ke8
[Black has defended alertly and evacuates his King from the danger zone. White does not quite have enough compensation for his piece, as both players were growing short of time.]
26.Bg7 Rh7! 27.Bxf6 Bxf6 28.g4 Qe7 29.Kg2 Bg5! 30.Qe2 Qc7 31.f6?
[Were White to simply sit on the position, a draw would be likely. But White errs, giving up the e6-square, which will be profitably used by Black's N/d8.]
31...Bxd2 32.Qxd2 Ne6! 33.Rab1 Kd7! 34.Qc2 Nf4+ 35.Rxf4 exf4
[Black is now clearly winning, but it would take some time.]
36.e5?!
[Trying to swindle chances against the R/h7, but this opens the long light diagonal.]
36...Qc6+ 37.Kh2 Rxh3+!, 0-1.
[Black mates after 38.Kxh3 Rh8#, or 38.Kg1 Qh1+ 39.Kf2 Rh2#.]
Last edited by Frank Dixon; Wednesday, 14th May, 2025, 04:11 PM.
Reason: Typo on Black's 21st
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