2017-10-19 - Bourne, I 0-1 Palmer, Richard

[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.10.19"] [Round "?"] [White "BOURNE, I.."] [Black "PALMER, R.."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A44"] [Annotator "Tyson,Mordue"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] {Original notes by Richard Palmer and marked RP.} 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 {This is a fiercely debated theoretical position from a variation of the Modern Defence. The most popular move here on the database is 4...Bxc3+ to wreck White's Queenside Pawn structure, and this shows as an impressive 44% win ratio for Black out of a considerable 932 games. However, some people don't like giving up their fianchettoed Bishop and there are slightly more than 932 people who keep it, including Richard.} d6 5. e4 e5 {Although this is a recognised theoretical move I would personally prefer to keep the a1-h8 diagonal open for the Bishop. Hence my choice would be 5...e6 heading for a Modern Benoni by transposition after ...e6xd5, c4xd5 Ng8-f6. However, White does have the option of the more boring e4xd5 recapture, and even if he does agree to the Modern with c4xd5 then there are a lot of sharp lines to learn. I regard the Modern Benoni as being on a par for danger as the Poisoned Pawn variation in the Sicilian Najdorf. At least in the Benoni Black gets his pieces developed! The text takes us more towards the Czech Benoni, specifically because of the blocked central Pawn structure.} 6. Bd3 Ne7 { This is an important move because in the theoretical discussion before us the alternative 6...Nf6 would lead to a variation of the King's Indian Defence. Instead the text stays within the parameters of the Modern Defence and gives Black the option of playing the move ...f7-f5 more easily, as indeed he does in the game. However, the drawback, also demonstrated in the game, is that White can readily play h2-h4-h5 with an attack because the Knight is not on f6 to hinder this wing thrust. All this makes for a very entertaining encounter!} 7. Nge2 O-O 8. h4 {Now that Richard has castled on this wing Iain starts attacking there.} f5 {As far as I can establish this active counter-thrust takes us out of theory. I have to admit I find that slightly surprising. The game Seitz vs. Paoli, Reggio Emilia 1958, continued 8... Nd7 9. h5 Nf6 10. hxg6 fxg6 11. f3 Nh5 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bd2 Nf4 14. Nxf4 exf4 15. Qc2 g5 when Black stood better. Indeed White agreed and here he gave up a Pawn with 16. e5 to give himself some activity. However, after 16...dxe5 17.O-O-O Nf5 18.Bxf5 Bxf5 19.Ne4 a6 20.b3 b5 Black stood better anyway and went on to win in 42 moves.} 9. h5 f4 $5 {This is an uncompromising move with move defensive and offensive aspects. The offensive side is the acquisition of space in White's half of the board, while the defensive part in the ruling out of the participation of White's dark-squared Bishop (DSB) in the Kingside attack. Put bluntly if White can swap DSBs that his attack is likely to succeed. If not then it won't.} 10. hxg6 Nxg6 $5 {From uncompromising we now move to provocative. The natural move here is 10...hxg6 keeping the Pawn structure together. However, the text activates the Knight and it quickly jumps into h4 with an attack on the g2-Pawn. Whether this is good remains to be seen. With the text Richard is certainly sending a message - I'm staying active! A message I wholeheartedly agree with. The provocative part of the text is that it invites White to plonk his Queen on h5 with a direct attack on the Black King. But there's a price. The White Knight on e2 is in the way, so to enable Qh5 Iain has to undevelop his e2-Knight.} 11. Ng1 {Freeing a path for Qh5. (RP) As pointed out in the previous note White has to withdraw a developed piece to its home square to effect the Queen excursion. To the novice player this may look odd. Throw in all the undeveloped pieces for both players on the Queenside, then the whole thing looks completely against the principles of developing ones forces in the opening. This is modern-day chess. Both players are fighting for the initiative and certain key squares, and both are willing to take risks to achieve their aims. And the result is a spectacle!} Nd7 { So now with this developing move (!) Richard can reply to 12. Qh5 with 12... Nf6.} 12. Bd2 {Ah, the players were playing attention to me!} Nh4 $2 {[Maybe I should play Qg5 here but after 13.g3 it is unclear. (RP) I'm not sure about unclear. After 13...Qe7 it seems nicely balanced and I'm not convinced that g2-g3 is good for White while his King is still in the centre. However, the text seems to be based on a miscalculation which I'll highlight in the next note.]} 13. Qg4 {[ 13.Qh5 I was expecting this, which leads to horrific complications. One possible line is: 13...Nxg2+ 14.Kf1 Nf6 15.Qh2 Ne3+ 16.fxe3 fxe3 Threatening Ng4+. 17.Ke2 Bg4+ And now if: 18.Kxe3 Nxd5+! with the winning threat of 19/\Qg5+. ( 18...Nh5? 19.Be2! )} Ng6 14. Qe6+ {This was probably a mistake as the Queen is in danger of getting trapped.} Rf7 {Obviously not 14... Kh8?? 15. Qxg6.} 15. Nb5 {In this opening I like to play ...a7-a6 early on but didn't find time for it, so Iain came up with this. Instead I was expecting 15. Qh3 and after 15...Nf6 16. Qh2. After 15. Qxd6?? there is 15... Bf8! (RP) Let's start at the end here. After 15. Qxd6?? Bf8 16. Qe6 Nf6 does indeed trap the Queen. After 15. Qh3 Nf6 16. Qh2 I quite like Black's position after 16... Bd7 and 17...a6 intending Queenside expansion. This position could easily have arisen from a King's Indian Defence which I employ as Black. The main questions here are where do the White-g1 Knight and the White King go. Now that last line does feature ...a7-a6 so I can well understand Richard's comment. Sometimes it is necessary to play this particular move in the Modern, the King's Indian and some analogous systems, and I've even done it myself. As for the text move then clearly the point is take on d6 with this piece, but if it doesn't then it's waste of time. And that's what happens. In three moves the steed is on a3, and it's clearly not where it intended to go when Iain played it to b5. What happens in the game is that Richard sacrifices two Pawns but gains the initiative. White is then pushed onto the back foot and he loses co-ordination.} Nf6 16. Qxd6 Rd7 17. Qxc5 $2 {White risks a lot with this greedy capture if Richard sees the right continuation, which unfortunately he misses. Instead Iain should play 17. Qe6+ when the best reply is 17...Rf7 when 18. Qd6 Rd7 19. Qe6+ is a draw by repetition.} a6 $2 {Richard misses a subtle tactical point. After 17...Bf8 the obvious reply 18. d6 is answered by 18... Bxd6 19. Nxd6 (forced) 19...Rxd6 and the two White Bishops are skewered! The text is an attempt to force the b5-Knight to a worse square, but there's a problem with it.} 18. Na3 {Also good is 18. Qa3 pinning the a6-Pawn and getting the Queen out of the danger-zone.} Bf8 {Alternatively 18...b6 19. Qc6 Rb8 20. Nf3 Bf8 21. Qa4 is okay for White.} 19. Qa5 {One wonders if Richard missed this move. We end up in a position similar to the previous note.} b6 20. Qa4 Bc5 21. Nf3 $6 {It's hard to label this move as an error because the clear point is to prevent ... Bc5-d4. However, according to Deep Rybka White should encourage it! The analysis is 21. Bb4 Bd4 22. Nf3 Bxb2 23. Rb1 Bd4 24. Nc2 Bc5 25. Bxc5 dxc5 26. Qc6! forking a8 and c5 and White is dominant. That's no surprise seeing that Black has just played six moves out of the last seven with one piece that has now been swapped off!} Ng4 22. Rf1 Nh4 23. Ke2 $2 { This ultimately turns the game. White insists on keeping his King in the centre and the risk proves to be too great. It is easy to seen why Iain turned down the obvious alternative which is 23.0-0-0 Nxf3 24. gxf3 Nxf2 with a fork of d3 and d1. However, Deep Rybka suggests the not-so-easy to see 25. Rxf2! Bxf2 26. Qc6 Raa7 27. Qe6+ and 28. Qxe5 with a Pawn and a terrific position for an Exchange. The engine also suggests 23. Bc3 Nxg2+ 24. Kd2 which I can understand because the open g-file is of more value to White than Black.} Rg7 $1 {This routine-looking move actually greatly improves Richard's position. Not only is there play down the g-file but the incursion Qc6 is negated by ... Bc8-d7 and the e6 square is no longer available. Black now has a possible threat of taking on f2 with either minor piece. Should White take twice then Black will have the move ...Rxg2+ available afterwards. There are a lot of variations here but the basic point for survival is that White shouldn't play Rxf2. Then again if he can't then the point of the White King coming to e2 is negated. He would be better off castled Queenside.} 24. Nxh4 $2 {This move is an error. White swaps off one attacking piece merely to have it replaced by an even more powerful one. Instead Iain should swap one of the other important Black pieces, and that's the Bishop on c5. Hence 24. Bb4 intends to trade on c5 and it also gives the White King a flight square on d2.} Qxh4 $2 {Both players missed a finesse here. Before recapturing Richard should play the intermezzo 24...Bd7! that would prevent the game continuation.} 25. Qe8+ Bf8 26. Bc3 $4 {Iain misses a strong continuation with 26. Bb4! It seems as thought the only reply is 26...Bb7 but after 27. Qe6+ Kh8 28. Bxf8 Rxf8 29. Qxb6 White is three Pawns up and the desirable continuation 29...Nxf2 30. Rxf2 Bg4+ is not playable because the Black LSB is on the wrong square. In the game f2 collapses because the Bishop is on the right square and the White Queen is on the wrong one. It's likely that Iain missed the right continuation because he was in time trouble. Maybe Richard was as well, but when both players are short of time it's easier if you're the one with the initiative.} Nxf2 $1 { With the threat of Bg4+ winning the Queen. (RP) Effectively Black is gaining two whole tempi while picking off an important Pawn.]} 27. Qxe5 Bg4+ {So how many White pieces are constructively adding to the defence here? Deep Rybka says that 27...Rxg2 is stronger, but do you really want to calculate 28. Qh8+?} 28. Kd2 {From here on the win is forced, but some of the moves are not easy to find. (RP)} Qg3 $1 {Operating with two threats against g2 and d3. Options are important when attacking. Eventually the defender will be overwhelmed because there are too many threats.} 29. Qd4 Nxd3 30. Qxd3 Qxg2+ 31. Ke1 {If 31. Kc1 Be2 wins (RP). After the text the White King is corralled with no legal moves, so Black just has to land an effective check. He'll then either mate or win a lot of material. The current material imbalance is an extra Pawn to White, which is meaningless in this sort of position.} Be7 $1 {Outflanking White with the huge threat of 32...Bh4+.} 32. Bd4 Re8 $1 {A fine move by Richard that brings the reserves into the attack. The threat is a Bishop check on either h4 or b4 - White's Bishop was covering that latter square a move ago - followed by ...Rxe4+. There is no viable defence because Black is attacking with five pieces and White has two pieces - his Knight and a1-Rook - doing nothing.]} 33. Rxf4 {There is nothing better. (RP) This move defends e4 momentarily but the Rook soon gets deflected.} Bh4+ 34. Bf2 Bxf2+ {[White resigned in view of 35. Rxf2 Rxe4+. (RP) I'll just add that after the above any King move is answered by 36...Rxd4 with check. Instead the immediate 35. Kd2 is met by either: A) 35. ..Bd4+ - not allowing the King out via c3 - and Black, who is now a piece up, has a variety of winning continuations, or B) 35...Bg3+ picking off the f4-Rook. An energetic game by Richard who never stopped seeking the initiative regardless of material cost.} 0-1

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