2017-10-03 - Saunders, Aron 1-0 Strong, Peter

[Event "D&F F v Clevedon C"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.10.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Saunders, Aron"] [Black "Strong, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C50"] [Annotator "Tyson,Mordue"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 Ng4 $2 {This is a very naive move. The principle that one shouldn't move pieces twice in the opening is there for a very good reason, and that is simply because it's rarely good. Here if Black executes his 'threat' with 6...Bxf2+ 7. Rxf2 Nxf2 8. Kxf2, then he gives up two attacking minor pieces for a defensive Rook and Pawn, and this is usually to the benefit of the player who now has the two minor pieces. They are likely to be more influential in the middle-game than the Rook and Pawn. The Rook will probably show its strength in an endgame. Black is also wasting time to execute this ineffective threat. In the original notes it was written that "6. Ng5 and 6. Bxf7+ were other ways to get an advantage." This is correct, and the reason why is that the g4-Knight is not protected by the c8-Bishop because Black hasn't yet played ...d7-d6. However, White has played the corresponding d2-d3, so the tactics work for him because he is ahead in development.} 6. h3 {There is an adage that one shouldn't push Pawns like this in front of one's castled King when the opponent hasn't castled themselves on the same side of the board. This is because it gives the opponent a chance to castle on the opposite wing, then launch a Pawn storm against your King which has a higher degree of success because the castled position has already been weakened. This means that Black should simply retreat with 6...Nf6 and proceed as suggested above. Instead he ploughs on with his intended continuation. Alternatively White should just continue developing with either 6. Nc3 or even 6. Bg5 because if 6...f6, not a desirable move anyway, then 7. Bh4 adds another defender to f2. Here if 7...g5 8. Nxg5! refutes Black's advances. After 8... fxg5 9. Qxg4 gxh4 10. Qh5+ Ke7 11. Qf7+ Kd6 12. Qd5+ Ke7 13. Qxc5+ White is having all the fun.} Nxf2 $2 7. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 8. Kxf2 O-O $6 {The original comment here was "Rather inviting it!" I have to agree to some extent although I can understand why Black has played this. Black's main problem here is the White Bishop on c4 which is currently ruling the roost, and the simple way of trying to eliminate it with 8...Na5 just loses a Pawn to 9. Nxe5. The best move is probably 8...d6 intending 9...Be6 although 9. Ng5 may force 9. .. 0-0 anyway. There is 8...Qe7 so that after 9. Ng5 Black has 9...Nd8 available, but this is both retrograde and time-consuming. There is also 8. ..h6 to rule out Ng5 completely, but with Black behind in development I'm loathe to recommend a Pawn to Rook Three.} 9. Nc3 {The immediate 9. Bg5 may be even stronger because that forces the awkward 9...Qe8. Black's main problem here is that he can't move the f7-Pawn for any reason because it is pinned to his King. } d6 10. Bg5 Qd7 {So Black has this square for his Queen instead of e8 as in the previous note. It is still an awkward posting because it blocks the c8-Bishop, but also for another reason that Aron quickly proves.} 11. Nd5 h6 $4 {A poor move. Black should be thinking about getting the King off the a2-g8 diagonal with 11...Kh8.} 12. Bf6 $5 {The original note was "Played with barely a moment's reflection." Well, a moment's reflection should have been taken because 12. Bxh6 simply wins a Pawn. Obviously 12...gxh6 13. Nf6+ wins the Queen. The text is okay because the same tactical point applies and, after some reflection of its own, Deep Rybka says that this is a stronger move than 12. Bxh6. I'd have taken the Pawn just to make the point that 11...h6 was a blunder.} Na5 $4 {This is annotated with a double question mark because it allows an immediate forced win, but I find it difficult to suggest anything constructive.} 13. Qd2 $2 {The forced win goes 13. Ne7+ and now: A) 13... Kh7? 14. Ng5+ wins a whole tempo on the other line. If now 14...hxg5 15. Qh5 is an immediate mate, while 14...Kh8 15. Qh5 and there is no viable defence to 16. Qxh6 mate. B) 13...Kh8 14. Ng5 creates an impressive line of White attacking pieces on the h4-d8 diagonal. Now: B1) 14...Qxe7 15. Bxe7 leaves Black even more material down. That was an engine suggestion! B2) 14...gxf6 15. Qh5 and now: B2a) 15...fxg5 16. Qxh6 mate, or B2b) 15...Kg7 16. Bxf7 Rh8 17. Qg6+ Kf8 18. Qxf6 Qxe7 19. Qxh8 mate is fairly emphatic. The text isn't bad because White can now bring his Rook into play, and the Queen is active here although h5 is the square she really wants to be.} Nxc4 {Although Black could claim a success by swapping off the aggressive Bishop for his passive Knight, it should be pointed out that it's taken the steed three moves to capture a piece that had only moved once. Hence there's a net loss of two tempi involved. Also Black is effectively material down - that two pieces versus Rook and Pawn again - so exchanges should favour White. Finally after the recapture d3xc4 White has a huge grip on d5, and on the move afterwards Black weakens his d6-Pawn which can only be bad for him.} 14. dxc4 c6 $2 {Instead of forcing White into a move he wants to play, Black should consider 14...Re8 preventing Ne7+, and also with a view to ...Re8-e6 and maybe taking on f6 with something later on. The weakening of d6 will be demonstrated by White's 22nd move.} 15. Ne7+ Kh7 16. Nf5 $1 {This isn't a bad positional move, but as an attacking move it is crushing. The variations are straightforward. If 16...gxf6 17. Qxh6+ Kg8 18. Qg7 mate. Similarly 16...Rg8 17. Bxg7 Rxg7 18. Qxh6+ Kg8 19. Qxg7 mate.} g5 17. Nxg5+ $1 {The original note read "17. Nxh6 is mate in 8, or even fewer. [For example] 17...Qe6 18. Qxg5 Rg8 19. Qxg8+ Kxh6 20. Qg7+ Kh5 21. Qg5 mate." The text wins too so it's just a matter of taste.} Kg6 {If 17... hxg5 18. Qxg5 Qxf5+ 19. exf5 Rg8 20. Qh5 mate. That's the original note. The text runs straight into a nest of White minor pieces, so there should be something good for him. And Aron finds it.} 18. Nh7 {Apparently 18. Ne6! is even more effective because it blocks the desperate 18.. .Qxf5+, but there are more variations to calculate. For someone playing there first league game, as Aron was, then the text is simpler.} Qxf5+ {Desperation. Now Aron wraps up calmly. Instead if 18...Kxh7 19. Qxh6+ Kg8 20. Qg7 is mate again. It must be a great thrill in your first league game when your opponent is giving up his Queen to avoid checkmate at only move 18.} 19. exf5+ Kxh7 20. Be7 Rg8 21. f6 { Now Black's King is in a complete bind. It helps White that d6 is collapsing - that error on move14! - immediately and more Pawns quickly follow. From hereon Aron's play is smooth and confident, and also very impressive for an eight-year-old.} Rg5 22. Qxd6 Be6 23. b3 h5 24. Re1 Rf5+ 25. Kg1 Rg8 26. Rxe5 Rfg5 27. Rxg5 Rxg5 28. Qd3+ Bf5 29. Qd2 Rg6 30. Kh2 Be4 31. Qe2 {Realising that 31...Rxg2+ 32. Qxg2 Bxg2 33. Kxg2 is a simple technical win with an extra piece Aron permits the tactic. Ironically Black plays the other capture, so Aron improves by taking on g6 along the way to create a passed Pawn on the sixth rank. A fine touch!} Bxg2 32. Qxh5+ Kg8 33. Qxg6+ $1 fxg6 34. Kxg2 { Peter sportingly resigned, rather than play on on the off-chance that Aron would tire and blunder.} 1-0

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