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After more than 20 years of little activity, I have recently made some, mostly indifferent, attempts at playing competitively again. This past weekend I played in the Michigan FIDE International Open, which included 8 GMs, 4 IMs, and several other national masters. GM Kolev won clear first with an amazing 5/5 result. I was lucky enough to tie for 2nd with 4/5 with 6 others (GM Finegold, GM Shulman, GM Kaidanov, etc.).
My most intense game was the following 4th round draw against GM Kaidanov. I knew Kaidanov as simply a far superior opponent in all aspects of play, thus I decided to attempt steering the game into a lesser known opening scheme, then attempting to keep tactical pressure. It worked to some degree...however, in the time pressure blitz (my flag fell on move 41, and Kaidanov had less than 1 minute remaining) Kaidanov outplayed me and came out a pawn ahead...luckily I was able to transpose to a drawn knight ending...
No doubt "fritz" would disapprove throughout...however, I was entertained...
Hartman-GM Kaidanov
1. e4 c5 (obviously Kaidanov wishes to beat me) 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 Bb4 7. Ne2 Nf6 8. Bg2 Be7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. h3 Nc6 11. a3 d6 (I was taking lots of time in the opening attempting to find a particular move order in advance of the planned kingside expansion.) 12. g4 Nd7 13. f4 b5 14. g5 b4 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Nd4 Re8 17. f5 Bf8 18. h4 (Although I examined alternatives, including unsound sacrifices such as 18. Nxe6?, I decided upon this - part of the concept is on ...g6/h5 to take hg, hg, and f6 then with mate potential down the h-file, using Ra3, etc). Also, opens Bh3, etc, however, White's king is exposed, thus once things open up, it will be equally dangerous.) 18...g6 19. h5 (While on one hand I didnt want to allow Black to open the e-file, if I take first then h5 he gains too much activity with ...Bg7 and the e5 outpost.) 19...exf5 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Ra4 (Right or wrong, this was my concept, to sacrifice the exchange to break into the King)...21...a5 22. exf5 Bb7 23. fxg6 fxg6 24. Rxb4 axb4 25. Nd5 Qc5 (lots of variables throughout these sequences...over a beer I would gladly go over them :) ) 26. Nf6+ Nxf6 27. Bxb7 (If 27. gxf6 Bd5 is the key move) 27...Re4 28. Bxe4 (Of course I desperately wanted to find something else...and considered several strange alternatives) 28...Nxe4 29. Be3 Qd5 30. Nf3 (I realized I had to attempt levelling the game now) 30...Qe6 31. Nd4 Qd5 32. Nf3 Qxd1 33. Rxd1 Ra5 (I completely missed his idea here...) 34. Rd4 d5 35. Rd1 Bc5 36. Bxc5 Rxc5 37. Nd4 (I didnt like passively defending with say 37. Rc1) 37...Nxg5 38. Kf2 Kf7 39. Ra1 (I hit on the best defense with my flag about to drop - get the rooks off and have a superior king/knight to increase the draw chance) 39...Ne6 40. Ra7+ Rc7 41. Rxc7 Nxc7 42. Ke3 Kf6 43. Nc6 Na6 44. Kd4 Ke6 (taking the draw...giving up the d-pawn to run the g-pawn is risky) 45. Nd8+ Ke7 46. Nc6+ Ke6 (If 46...Kd6 then Ne5 draws straight away) 47. Nd8+ Agreed Drawn.
It was also good to catch up with a few players, such as Finegold, who I played in the 80s.
Brian
My most intense game was the following 4th round draw against GM Kaidanov. I knew Kaidanov as simply a far superior opponent in all aspects of play, thus I decided to attempt steering the game into a lesser known opening scheme, then attempting to keep tactical pressure. It worked to some degree...however, in the time pressure blitz (my flag fell on move 41, and Kaidanov had less than 1 minute remaining) Kaidanov outplayed me and came out a pawn ahead...luckily I was able to transpose to a drawn knight ending...
No doubt "fritz" would disapprove throughout...however, I was entertained...
Hartman-GM Kaidanov
1. e4 c5 (obviously Kaidanov wishes to beat me) 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 Bb4 7. Ne2 Nf6 8. Bg2 Be7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. h3 Nc6 11. a3 d6 (I was taking lots of time in the opening attempting to find a particular move order in advance of the planned kingside expansion.) 12. g4 Nd7 13. f4 b5 14. g5 b4 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Nd4 Re8 17. f5 Bf8 18. h4 (Although I examined alternatives, including unsound sacrifices such as 18. Nxe6?, I decided upon this - part of the concept is on ...g6/h5 to take hg, hg, and f6 then with mate potential down the h-file, using Ra3, etc). Also, opens Bh3, etc, however, White's king is exposed, thus once things open up, it will be equally dangerous.) 18...g6 19. h5 (While on one hand I didnt want to allow Black to open the e-file, if I take first then h5 he gains too much activity with ...Bg7 and the e5 outpost.) 19...exf5 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Ra4 (Right or wrong, this was my concept, to sacrifice the exchange to break into the King)...21...a5 22. exf5 Bb7 23. fxg6 fxg6 24. Rxb4 axb4 25. Nd5 Qc5 (lots of variables throughout these sequences...over a beer I would gladly go over them :) ) 26. Nf6+ Nxf6 27. Bxb7 (If 27. gxf6 Bd5 is the key move) 27...Re4 28. Bxe4 (Of course I desperately wanted to find something else...and considered several strange alternatives) 28...Nxe4 29. Be3 Qd5 30. Nf3 (I realized I had to attempt levelling the game now) 30...Qe6 31. Nd4 Qd5 32. Nf3 Qxd1 33. Rxd1 Ra5 (I completely missed his idea here...) 34. Rd4 d5 35. Rd1 Bc5 36. Bxc5 Rxc5 37. Nd4 (I didnt like passively defending with say 37. Rc1) 37...Nxg5 38. Kf2 Kf7 39. Ra1 (I hit on the best defense with my flag about to drop - get the rooks off and have a superior king/knight to increase the draw chance) 39...Ne6 40. Ra7+ Rc7 41. Rxc7 Nxc7 42. Ke3 Kf6 43. Nc6 Na6 44. Kd4 Ke6 (taking the draw...giving up the d-pawn to run the g-pawn is risky) 45. Nd8+ Ke7 46. Nc6+ Ke6 (If 46...Kd6 then Ne5 draws straight away) 47. Nd8+ Agreed Drawn.
It was also good to catch up with a few players, such as Finegold, who I played in the 80s.
Brian
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