1966-01-01 - Wood, Michael 1-0 Oddy, W
A young Mike Wood plays a Smith-Morra Gambit against the Sicilian. Black spends a lot of time moving Knights around to little avail and gets crushed by the attack.
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE DIV 1"] [Site "?"] [Date "1966.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Wood, Michael"] [Black "Oddy, W"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B21"] [Annotator "Doe,John"] [PlyCount "55"] {Ken Cleak was the Club secretary amongst other things for many years. When Versus was created Ken had a page entitled 'The Cleak Archive'. This game with Ken's interspersed notes is a submission from Issue 3. Ken wrote "I know that Mike (Wood) was always pleased will this win over Oddy of Bath - a truly wonderful game."} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3 {Ken wrote "White's 4th move initiates an interesting line against which Black must play very carefully.". This is the Smith-Morra Gambit, very popular at club level. White gives up a Pawn for the sake of rapid development and open lines, particularly the c and d-files. As it goes the c-file is not a feature in this game. Black needs to know the theory as there are several ways to lose quickly in this opening.} dxc3 5. Nxc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 $2 e5 {Ken wrote "This weakens Black's defensive position." Actually 6 Bf4 is just a simple loss of tempo. The main line is 6 Bc4 e6 7 0-0 Nf6 - advice to Black players meeting the Smith-Morra: Play the moves ...e7-e6, ...d7-d6, ....Nb8-c6 and ...Ng8-f6 in any order as long as ...Nf6 is the last of these - 8 Qe2 Be7 9 Rd1 - threat 10 e5 - 9...e5, and now both 10 h3 and 10 Be3 are major well-analysed lines. Mike played 6 Bf4 against me in the 1978 D&F Club Championship - the only time he ever had White against me - and I also replied 6...e5. After 7 Bg3 Nf6 8 Bc4 Be7 9 Qe2 0-0 10 0-0-0?! Bg4 11 h3? Nd4! - a common motif in this opening - White was in a lot of trouble and the Bishop on g3 never took part as White was routed in 28 moves.} 7. Be3 {This is a more flexible retreat than in Wood-Mordue because it covers d4. Some players would be happy here because Black has created a weakness on d5. As it stands this should be well-manageable by the second player, especially with an extra tempo.} Nf6 8. h3 {Readers of my notes will be aware that I'm fairly critical or Pawn to Rook Threes (h2-h3. a2-a3, ... h7-h6 and ...a7-a6) but this one is okay. It rules out ...Nf6-g4 harassing the Bishop and we've already seen the value of ...Bc8-g4 in Wood-Mordue. As it goes White intends a Kingside Pawn-storm so this is a necessary preface.} Be7 9. Rc1 O-O 10. Bd3 $6 Bd7 $2 {A pair of errors in developing the light-squared Bishops but one is more significant than the other. It is obvious that 10 Bc4 is a more active move. The Bishop has more scope and can be posted usefully on the d5 square. Black should reply with 10...Be6. Deep Rybka suggests 10...h6 - to rule out Ng5 after ...Be6 with or without an exchange of Bishops there - but ignores the positional rule that you should not weaken your castled position if your opponent has not yet castled on the same side of the board. After 10 Bc4 Be6 11 Bxe6 fxe6 12 Qb3 - forking b7 and e6 - 12...Qd7 13 Ng5 Black has a couple of playable options: A) Keeping the Pawn with 13...Nd8 and after 14 Nb5 Ne8 and Black will play, as appropriate, both Pawn to Rook Threes pushing back the Knights leaving White with little for his horsy excursions. B) Return the Pawn with 13...Rfc8!? 14 Qxe6+ (Not 14 Nxe6?? Na5 winning material with a good game after 15 Nc5+ Nxb3 16 Nxd7 Nxc1 17 Nxf6+ Bxf6 18 Bxc1 b5!) 15 Qxe6 15 Nxe6 h6 - threatening 16...Kf7 winning the trapped Knight hence 16 f4 exf4 17 Nxf4 Re8! with a level ending. This is not what Smith-Morra players want from their gambit. Note that in similar lines if Black has already played ...a7-a6 for some reason then after Qb3 Qd7/c8 then Na4 threatens an effective invasion on b6. In their 3rd match-game in 1971 Bent Larsen overlooked this move in an analogous position against Bobby Fischer and lost the e6 Pawn for nothing, and Fischer hadn't even played a gambit! So after 10 Bd3?! Oddy should play 10...Be6 enhancing his control of the centre and preparing ...d6-d5, particularly if White is going to play on the Kingside. Strategic chess thinking says that an advance on the wing should be best met by a break in the centre. It should be pointed out that 10.. .d5? is a mistake because of the sequence 11 exd5 Nxd5?? 12 Nxd5 Qxd5??? 13 Bxh7+ winning the Queen. Indeed this variation is a clear hint that Black should play 10...Be6 first. If White then ventures 11 Ng5 Deep Rybka answers it with 11...Nb4 and any simplification should be to Black's advantage because of his extra pawn. The problem with 10...Bd7 is that it removes the Queen's support for the ...d6-d5 break and blocks the d7 square if Black wants to move his f6 Knight there. Having been gifted the free tempo with 6 Bf4 e5 the Bishop should be delighted to be able to get to the e6 square. An Oddy choice of move to be sure.} 11. g4 $5 {Quite understandable in the circumstances. Black should correct his error of the last move and play 11...Be6 when Deep Rybka says he is better to the tune of 0.79.} Rc8 $6 {The sad point is that despite the c-file usually being a bone of contention in the Smith-Morra, here nothing happens other than an eventual tame swap of Rooks.} 12. Nh2 $5 {The immediate 12 g5 is comfortably answered by 12...Nh5. There is the tactical point 13 Nxe5?? Nxe5 14 Qxh5 Nxd3+ winning a Rook. Mike intends to play g4-g5 without allowing ...Nf6-h5 and follow up with Nh2-g4 as quickly as possible, although the g5 Pawn will need some support first.} Nd4 {As much as I like plonking Knights on d4 in the Smith-Morra, and also at the risk of sounding like a broken record, both Deep Rybka and I recommend 12...Be6.} 13. g5 Ne8 14. h4 {It looks like 14 f4 is also playable until you find 14...Ne6 and all White has done is open up his own King.} Ne6 $2 {Despite this being a clear error with sensible alternatives beckoning this move is actually part of a cohesive plan. Unfortunately said plan is time-consuming, weakening and ultimately fails due to Black's own inconsistency! The sensible alternatives include 14... Nc7 to control d5 and possibly support the front steed with ...Nce6 and let the Bishop go to c6 to control d5. There is the much-ignored 14...Be6 and finally there is the counterattacking 14...f6, the thematic break in such positions in the Sicilian defence and surely encouraged by the fact that White is uncastled.} 15. Rg1 $2 {Here Deep Rybka suggests 15 Nf3 - a loss of two tempi - and 15 a3 which leaves me speechless. Mike's move is much superior.} g6 $2 {Here Deep Rybka suggests 15 Nf3 - a loss of two tempi - and 15 a3 which leaves me speechless. Mike's move is much superior.} 16. Ng4 N8g7 {I often say that Knight two (b7, g7, b2 or g2) is a bad square for a Knight. This one is en route somewhere else but it could have been there several moves ago. See note to Black's 14th.} 17. Nd5 {This is the square that Knights belong on. From this neglected, by Black, outpost White has a vice-like grip on the f6 square. I'd be thinking about playing N(either)f6+ Kh8 followed by Rh1 and h4-h5 and mating on h7. Hence Black's reply is understandable. Deep Rybka still says Black is better here by the small plus of 0.22, but considering he was better by over +1 a few moves ago then the situation is not improving for the second player.} Nh5 {I would have thrown in 17...Rxc1 first just to see what White recaptured with. Note that Bxa7 by White is possible because ... Qa5+, Kf1 Qxa7 has left the e7 Bishop loose. So the recapture 18 Bxc1 gives Black one less thing to worry about.} 18. Rxc8 {On the other hand White takes the chance to push Black's Bishop backwards. This means that challenging the d5 Knight with this piece can't be done in just the one move, namely ...Bd7-c6. } Bxc8 19. Be2 {Deep Rybka claims that 19.Nh6+ is better and it is certainly tempting because of 19...Kg7?? 20.Nxe7 Qxe7 21.Qxh5! gxh5 22.Nf5+ winning a piece. Better is 19... Kh8 20.Nf5 gxf5 21.Qxh5 f4 22.Bd2 which Deep Rybka claims is equal. I prefer the text because it puts to use White's least active piece and keeps his options open. Obviously White now threatens 20 Nh6+ and 21 Bxh5 regaining the Pawn with a mammoth attacking position - switching the h6 Knight to f6 will surely mate. Deep Rybka points out that 22 Nf5 immediately wins the e7 Bishop! Look at those outposts.} Nef4 {19...Nhf4 is a slight improvement but Black is lining himself up for a big mistake. Deep Rybka now says White should play 20 Nh6+ Kh8 21 Qb3 with pressure on f7 and b7. Maybe ... } 20. Bxf4 exf4 $4 {Ken remarks "An error which proves swiftly fatal. 20... Nxf4 was correct." Not only correct but forced. A lot of minor pieces can come off here and we could be left with just the e7 and e2 Bishops, opposite coloured Bishops. This is probably why the engine claims Black is slightly better but that can be interpreted as "White can compensation for his gambit Pawn". Now White has a won game with equal material. I don't know what Black missed here but the text is another Oddy move, at the risk of using the same pun twice.} 21. Nh6+ Kg7 22. Bxh5 gxh5 {Deep Rybka says Black should leave this alone! Now after Mike's accurate reply according to the engine Black is getting mated in 8 moves!} 23. Qd4+ $1 {Just the move you want to play after any opening, let alone a gambit one. White gifted Black control of this square on move six and he takes it back with a vengeance. Every single White piece, and quite a few White Pawns as well, are better than their counterparts. As for Bishops being better than Knights in an open position ... simply not applicable here.} f6 {23...Kg6 24 Nxf4 is a piquant mate.} 24. Nxe7 Qa5+ {As Ken points out "The Queen cannot take the Knight". Correct. After 24...Qxe7 25 exf6 is double check - the value of 15 Rg1 - and Black loses the lady. However, he is now a piece down and the end looms.} 25. b4 Qxa2 26. Nhf5+ Bxf5 27. gxf6+ Kh6 {Ken winds his commentary up with "A hasty move in severe time trouble. After 27...Kf7 28 Rg7+ Ke8 29 Nxf5 Black loses as he is unable to keep checking and White is left with a simple ceremony." Nicely put.} 28. Nxf5# {As Sherlock Holmes may have remarked "It's Morra-arty!"} 1-0
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