White to play and mate in four.As I mentioned in my last post, I have been contemplating playing in the NJ Open September 3-5. I realize, though, that I will be facing mostly master competition in the Open section. So to prepare, I decided to challenge NM Mark Kernighan to another game in the Kenilworth Chess Club's Summer Tournament this evening. I felt I had held my own rather well in our first game of the summer and I have done well against Mark in the past. As usual, after some minor errors on both sides, Mark played brilliantly to win a likely worse game. Of course, he was helped along by some errors on my part, but I don't think that should diminish his excellent play in difficult circumstances, especially considering the Game 60 time limit (and really Game in 5 for at least the last dozen moves).
Here is a picture of the game in progress (I look as though I were saying my prayers, which I may have been at that point):
And here is the PGN file (which you can play over by copying it to the clipboard and using Edit>Paste>Paste Game in Fritz or similar loading methods in other PGN-viewers).
[Event "KCC Summer Tournament"]
[Site "New Brunswick, NJ"]
[Date "2005.07.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kernighan, Mark"]
[Black "Goeller, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B00"]
[WhiteElo "2216"]
[BlackElo "2020"]
[Annotator "Goeller, Michael"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]
1. d4 Nc6 2. Nf3 d6 3. e4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Be7 7. Bf4 $146 Nd7 $6 {Moving the same piece twice.} ({ a) Steve Stoyko thought that Black can get easy equality by} 7... Bxf3 8. Bxf3 e5 9. dxe5 (9. Be3 exd4 10. Bxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. e5 dxe5 13. Qxe5 Bd6 14. Qb5 Rb8 15. Bxb7 c5 16. Qc6 Qc7 17. Qxc7 Bxc7 18. Bf3 Rxb2) 9... dxe5 (9... Nxe5 10. Be2) 10. Be3 Nd4 $11) ({ b) The only game I could find in general databases continued} 7... O-O 8. d5 exd5 9. exd5 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Ne5 11. Re1 Nfd7 12. Be4 Bg5 13. Bg3 $6 (13. Qh5 $1 h6 $11) 13... f5 $1 $132 14. f4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 fxe4 16. Bg3 Nf6 $6 (16... Rf5 $36 {with the super-strongpoint at e5 and prospects of initiative with Qe8-g6 and Raf8.}) 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Rxe4 Qf6 19. Qe2 Ng6 20. c3 Qf7 21. c4 Rae8 22. Re1 Rxe4 23. Qxe4 Ne5 24. Qe2 Qf5 25. Bxe5 dxe5 26. Rf1 Qg5 27. b3 Rxf1+ 28. Kxf1 Qf5+ $11 29. Ke1 Kf7 30. Qf2 g6 31. g4 Qf4 32. Qxf4+ exf4 $6 33. g5 $1 Ke7 $2 34. c5 $1 b6 $4 35. b4 $18 bxc5 36. bxc5 Kd7 { 1-0 O'Chee,K-Morris,M/Sydney 2005 (36)}) 8. Be3 $6 {This seems a waste of time. } ({Several people suggested the stronger} 8. d5 $1 exd5 (8... Nce5 9. Nxe5 $1 $16) 9. exd5 (9. Nxd5 $5 $14) 9... Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nce5 11. Be4 $14 { though Black can likely equalize with} O-O { with play similar to the database game above.} (11... Ng6 12. Be3 Bf6 $14)) ({ Mark says he considered} 8. e5 {but after} d5 $11 {Black has a good French.}) 8... Nb6 {And now moving that Knight a third time.... In retrospect, I don't know what I was thinking.} (8... O-O 9. d5 $1 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nce5 11. Be2 Nb6) 9. Nd2 $6 ({Still best is} 9. d5 $1 $14) 9... Bxe2 10. Qxe2 O-O ({ Black needs to seize the opportunity to play} 10... d5 $1) 11. Rad1 (11. f4 $6 d5 12. e5 Qd7 13. g4 f6 $15) (11. d5 $1 exd5 12. Nxd5 Re8 $14) 11... d5 12. Rfe1 Bb4 $1 $15 {This gains an edge for Black.} ({Possible was} 12... dxe4 13. Ndxe4 $1 (13. Ncxe4 $6 Nxd4 $1 $15 ({during the game I also looked at} 13... f5 $2 14. Nc5 f4 15. Nxe6 fxe3 16. Nxd8 exf2+ 17. Qxf2 $1 Rxf2 18. Nxc6 $1 $16)) 13... Nd5 {and it is not immediately clear how White can gain an edge, despite Black's many knight moves:} 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Nc3 Qf5 16. d5 Nb4 $1 $11) 13. Qh5 $5 (13. Qg4 Bxc3 14. bxc3 dxe4 15. Qxe4 (15. Nxe4 f5) 15... Qd5 $15) 13... Bxc3 14. bxc3 Na4 $6 ({a) Most interesting is} 14... f5 $1 15. exf5 Rxf5 $1 ( 15... exf5 16. Bf4 Qd7 17. Re3 $1) 16. Qe2 Qf6 17. c4 (17. Nf3) 17... dxc4 18. Nxc4 Nd5) ({b)} 14... dxe4 $6 15. Nxe4 Qd5 16. Qh4 Qxa2 17. Bh6 f6 18. Qg3 Rf7 19. Nc5 (19. Nxf6+ Kh8)) ({c)} 14... Qf6 $5 15. Bg5 (15. Nb3 dxe4 16. Nc5) 15... Qg6 16. Qxg6 (16. Qh4) 16... hxg6 $11 { and Black has better long-term prospects.}) 15. e5 $5 {Kernighan felt that if he did not do something desperate, he was eventually going to get squeezed on the queenside.} ({ Stoyko thought White should actually sacrifice the exchange by} 15. c4 $5 Nc3 16. cxd5 Nxd1 17. Rxd1 exd5 18. exd5 Ne7 19. c4 a6 $15 (19... Qd7)) 15... Nxc3 16. Bg5 $5 f6 {I had completely dismissed White's attacking prospects and did not calculate accurately here.} ({Fritz suggests} 16... Qe8 $2 { but White actually gets dangerous attacking prospects with} 17. Re3 $3 (17. Bf6 $5 Nxd4 18. Re3 Qc6 19. Bxg7 (19. Rh3 Nce2+ 20. Kh1 Qxc2) 19... Nce2+ $19) 17... Nxd1 18. Rh3 h6 19. Bf6 $3 (19. Bxh6 $2 f6 $1 $19) 19... Ne7 $8 20. Bxg7 f6 21. Qxh6 Qg6 22. Bxf8 Qxh6 23. Bxh6 $16) 17. exf6 gxf6 $2 {Now White's attack is completely justified. But I was still underestimating it. Black has at least two stronger plans that likely win:} ({a)} 17... Qe8 $3 18. Qg4 Nxd1 $17 {is the best defense.} (18... h5 $5 19. Qh4 Nxd1 $17) 19. Bh6 $5 (19. Rxd1 h5 20. Qh4 Qg6 $17) 19... Qg6 $1 20. Qxe6+ Rf7 $19) ({ Going into the main line, I had looked at} 17... Nxd1 $2 { before noticing that White plays} 18. f7+ $1 $18 {, of course, and not} (18. fxg7 $2 Rf5 $1 $19)) ({b) Also better was} 17... Rxf6 $1 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 $44 { and Black has a strong initiative.}) 18. Bh6 Qd7 $2 ({ Fritz finds a drawing defense in} 18... Qe8 $1 19. Qg4+ Qg6 20. Qxe6+ Rf7 21. Qe8+ $1 Rf8 $1 ({I had only examined} 21... Rxe8 $4 22. Rxe8+ Rf8 23. Rxf8#) 22. Qe6+ Rf7 $11 {with perpetual.}) 19. Ra1 $6 {White can afford to take his time with Black's King so permanently exposed, but this move loses a lot of momentum.} ({Faster, however, is} 19. Qg4+ $1 Kh8 20. Bxf8 Nxd1 21. Bh6 Nb2) 19... Rf7 20. Re3 Nb5 21. Nb3 b6 22. Rae1 e5 $2 { ...just when I was pulling it together! This is the most fatal error.} ({ Black has a saving resource in} 22... Re8 $1 23. Qg4+ ({ White must have something slower, but we could find nothing clear after} 23. c3 $44 Nd6 24. Qg4+ Kh8 {and now what is better than} 25. Rxe6 Rxe6 26. Qxe6 Qxe6 27. Rxe6 Re7 $15 {with the same thing?}) 23... Kh8 24. Rxe6 Rxe6 25. Qxe6 Qxe6 26. Rxe6 Re7 $15 { and Black may even have the edge here since he will win the pawn at d4.}) 23. dxe5 fxe5 24. Rg3+ Kh8 25. Rxe5 $1 Re8 $2 {White to play and mate in four:} ({ Black can soldier on a bit with} 25... Nbd4 {or}) (25... Nd6) 26. Bg7+ $1 Kg8 ( 26... Rxg7 27. Qxe8+ Qxe8 28. Rxe8+ Rg8 29. Rexg8#) 27. Qxh7+ $1 { the prettiest, but also winning was} (27. Bf6+ Kf8 28. Rxe8+ Qxe8 (28... Kxe8 29. Rg8#) 29. Qh6+ Rg7 30. Qxg7#) ({or} 27. Rxe8+ Qxe8 28. Bf6+ Kf8 29. Qh6+ Rg7 30. Qxg7#) 27... Kxh7 28. Rh5+ Kg8 29. Rh8# 1-0
Former NJ Open champions Steve Stoyko (1973 and 1983, right foreground) and Tom Bartell (2004, center, dark hair and beard) were on hand to critique the game afterward and several of their remarks have informed the notes above. Looks like I have quite a ways to go to be in their league... :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment