Sunday, August 14, 2005

Selling-Goeller, Kenilworth CC Summer Tourney 2005


Position after 10.O-O?
Black to play. You should see this one instantly.

Play over the game online or download the PGN file (also posted below as text).

In writing the notes to my game with Ed Selling from Thursday night, I could not avoid recognizing how important relatively simple two- to three-move tactics were at every critical moment. In fact, if Ed had simply paused to do a little careful three-move calculating at move 33 rather than trying to blitz a draw out of me, he would likely have gotten me to take a perpetual check. There is no question that Michael de la Maza is right: if you miss fewer three-move tactics, your performance will go up enormously. It probably helps, also, to manage the clock more effectively, since he played too fast (15 minutes total for the game while trying to blitz me into time trouble) and I played too slow (59 minutes and 50 seconds for the game at Game 60).
My annotations were inspired by my recent reading of "Rapid Chess Improvement," about which I will post something later. I have also used the game as an opportunity to think about my opening a bit since I tried out an interesting novelty while repeating a line that I had played before in the KCC Club Championship.


[Event "Kenilworth CC Summer Tourney"]
[Site "Kenilworth, NJ USA"]
[Date "2005.08.11"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Selling, Edward"]
[Black "Goeller, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B00"]
[WhiteElo "1750"]
[BlackElo "2023"]
[Annotator "Goeller,Michael"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 (3... Bg4 4. d5 Ne5 $5 5. Nxe5 Bxd1 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 Qa5+ 8. Nc3 O-O-O 9. cxb7+ Kxb7 10. Nc6 Qc7 11. Nxd8+ Qxd8 12. Nxd1 $13) 4. Nc3 Bg4 ( 4... g6 $5 5. Be2 Bg7 6. d5 Nb8 7. O-O O-O $11) 5. Be2 { This is most often played but is not most active.} ({a)} 5. Bb5 a6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. h3 Bh5 $11) ({b)} 5. d5 Nb8 (5... Ne5 6. Nxe5 $1 Bxd1 7. Bb5+ c6 8. dxc6 dxe5 9. c7+ Qd7 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 11. Kxd1 e6 12. Ke2 Kxc7 13. f3 $14) 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 g6 8. g4 Bg7 $13) ({c)} 5. Be3 e6 (5... d5 $5) 6. h3 Bh5 7. d5 $1 Ne7 (7... exd5 8. exd5 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Ne5 10. Qe2 a6 11. f4 Ned7 12. g4 Qe7 13. O-O-O O-O-O {Shchekachev,A-Okhotnik,V/Linares 1999} 14. Qf3 $1 $16) 8. Bb5+ c6 9. dxc6 Nxc6 $13) 5... e6 6. h3 ({a)} 6. d5 $1 exd5 7. exd5 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Ne5 9. Be2 Be7 10. Be3 O-O 11. f4 Ng6 $13) ({b)} 6. Be3 Be7 7. Qd2 $6 d5 $1 (7... O-O $6 {1-0 Wedberg,T-Miles,A/Oslo 1984 (96)} 8. O-O-O $6 d5 9. Ne5 $6 { was my game with Joe Demetrick in the KCC Championship this year}) 8. e5 (8. exd5 Nxd5 (8... exd5 $5 9. Ne5 Bxe2 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qxe2 O-O 12. O-O Rb8 $15 {0-1 Kawas-ChessDoc/Internet Chess Club 1997 (80)}) 9. O-O (9. Nxd5 Qxd5 $11) 9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. h3 Bh5 (11... Bf5 $1 $11) 12. c4 b6 (12... e5 $5 13. d5 e4) 13. Rad1 Na5 14. Ne5 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 Qe8 16. Bd2 Qa4 $11 { Olszewski,M-Kaula,R/Koszalin 1998 (16)}) 8... Nd7 (8... Ne4 $5 { would be like the game}) 9. h3 Bf5 $11) 6... Bh5 7. Be3 (7. d5 $1) 7... Be7 ({ I had noted earlier, in my game with Demetrick, that better might be} 7... d5 $1 8. e5 (8. Ne5 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 dxe4 10. O-O Be7 11. Qc4 O-O 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qxc6 Qd6 $15 {0-1 Petrov,M-Gelashvili,T/Batumi 2002 (47)}) 8... Nd7 $1 (8... Ne4 $6 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 $14) 9. O-O Ne7 $5 {and ...c5}) 8. Qd2 $6 {Demetrick played the same move against me in the club championship, but without h3.} (8. d5 $1 exd5 9. exd5 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Ne5 11. Be2 O-O 12. f4 $14) 8... d5 $1 9. e5 (9. exd5 Nxd5) 9... Ne4 $5 $146 { It's difficult to believe, but this appears to be a novelty.} (9... Nd7 10. O-O-O O-O $6 11. g4 Bg6 12. h4 Nb4 13. Ne1 $16 { seems to offer White the faster attack.}) 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ng1 (11. Ng5 $2 Bxe2 12. Kxe2 Bxg5 (12... Qd5 $17) 13. Bxg5 Nxd4+ $17) 11... Bxe2 $6 { This move helps White's Knight back into the game and should be rejected on positional grounds.} (11... Bg6 $1 12. Bb5 Qd5 $5 13. c4 Qd7 14. Ne2 a6 $5 $15 15. Ba4 b5 $5 16. cxb5 Nb4 17. Nc3 Nd3+ 18. Kf1 O-O $44) 12. Nxe2 Qd5 $5 { I love to get my Queen to the fourth rank. Should Black have to surrender the pawn at e4, his piece activity will be compensation.} 13. c3 {A safe choice. Ed has been blitzing me, as he did for the rest of the game. It is not a bad strategy and it definitely succeeded in putting me in time pressure.} ({ It might be better for White to mix it up, but he purposely avoids the tactical tussle that would follow} 13. Nc3 $1 Qc4 $5 ({possible is} 13... Bb4 14. Nxd5 Bxd2+ 15. Kxd2 exd5 $11 {and I think the Knight should be better in the ending with White's pawns on dark squares.}) 14. b3 (14. Nxe4 $6 O-O-O $1 $40 ( {or} 14... Nxe5)) 14... Qa6 ({or} 14... Qxc3 15. Qxc3 Bb4 $11) 15. Nxe4 O-O-O $44) ({Also possible is} 13. b3 O-O-O 14. c4 Qd7 $36) 13... O-O-O 14. O-O $2 { Diagram # Played very quickly, and the first proof that tactics make the biggest difference between Class players and Experts: White simply overlooks the pin on the d-pawn.} ({Black must play sharply after} 14. Qc2 f5 (14... Na5 $5) 15. exf6 (15. Nf4 Qd7 16. Qb3 $6 g5 $1 17. Nxe6 $4 Na5 $1 $19) 15... gxf6 16. Nf4 Qc4 $13 17. b3 (17. Qxe4 e5 $44) 17... Nb4 $1 $13 {e.g.:} 18. Qd2 Qb5 19. a4 Qb6 20. a5 Qb5 21. c4 Qd7 $36) 14... Nxe5 $17 15. Nf4 Qc6 16. Qc2 Nc4 { I spent a lot of time on this move and had already used 35 minutes to his 5 for Game 60!} 17. Rfe1 g5 18. Nh5 f5 19. b3 Nd6 (19... Nxe3 20. fxe3 Rhg8 $40 { is also fine, but I like my Knight better than I like his Bishop.}) 20. Ng7 $6 Nf7 ({I also considered} 20... f4 $5 21. Bc1 Nf5 22. Nxf5 exf5 $19 { but I still like my pieces better.}) 21. Rad1 {Diagram #} Rhg8 ({ I did not notice the nice three-mover} 21... f4 $1 22. Bc1 Bf6 23. Nh5 Bxd4) 22. Nh5 g4 $40 23. hxg4 Rxg4 24. Nf4 Rdg8 25. d5 exd5 26. Nxd5 $2 { Handing me a pawn and opening his King.} Rxg2+ 27. Kf1 Rg1+ 28. Ke2 Rxe1+ 29. Kxe1 Bd6 (29... Bd8 $1) 30. Ke2 Ne5 $1 31. Bf4 Qe8 $2 {Diagram # I can only say that I was down to less than 10 minutes left and too focused on a possible Knight fork at e7 to notice the fork at f6! More proof that tactics and board vision are central to success.} (31... Re8 $142 $1 $19) 32. Nf6 Qg6 {Diagram #} 33. Rxd6 $2 {Diagram # Ed told me after the game that he could not immediately see how he could win the exchange safely, but he did see the clarifying line he chose which reduces to a Queen and pawn ending, which he assumed I'd never be able to win with under 5 minutes on the clock. I also think that because of my rating he assumed I would not have missed a simple Knight fork!} ({Not} 33. Nxg8 $2 Qg4+ 34. Kf1 Qxf4 $40 { as Ed noticed, but instead}) (33. Bxe5 $1 Bxe5 34. Nxg8 Qg4+ 35. Kf1 { and Black must choose between a draw or an unclear battle:} Qh3+ (35... Qxg8 $1 $44 {with two pawns and attack for the Exchange}) 36. Ke1 Qh1+ 37. Ke2 Qf3+ $11 ) 33... cxd6 ({Fritz points out, but I did not even consider,} 33... Nd3 $1 34. Be3 cxd6 (34... f4 $5 $40) 35. Nxg8 Qxg8 {and the ending of Queen and Knight versus Queen and Bishop is easy for Black who will have quite a strong attack on White's exposed King.}) 34. Bxe5 dxe5 35. Nxg8 Qxg8 $19 { This was Ed's idea: now Black has only three minutes to try for a win.} 36. Qd2 Qg4+ ({Black can actually immediately force off the Queens with a won ending by } 36... Qd8 $1 37. Qe3 Qd3+ 38. Qxd3 exd3+ 39. Kxd3 Kd7 $19 {and it is not hard to see that Black's outside passed pawn at h7 will force the White King to retreat, allowing Black's King to invade.}) 37. Kf1 f4 $6 {Diagram #} (37... Qh3+ $1 38. Kg1 h5 {is better}) 38. Qd6 $2 (38. Qd5 $1 Qh3+ 39. Kg1 Qxc3 40. Qg8+ Kc7 41. Qxh7+ Kb6 42. Qxe4 {is tougher}) 38... Qh3+ 39. Kg1 Qg4+ 40. Kf1 Qh3+ 41. Kg1 Qxc3 42. Qe6+ Kc7 43. Qe7+ Kb6 44. Qd6+ Qc6 45. Qxe5 Qg6+ 46. Kf1 f3 47. Qd4+ Kc7 48. Qc5+ Kd7 49. Qb5+ (49. Qxa7 Qa6+ $1 $19) (49. Qd5+ Kc8 50. Qc5+ Qc6 $1 $19) 49... Ke6 50. Qc4+ Kf5 51. Qc8+ Kf4 52. Qc7+ Kg4 53. Qd7+ Kh4 54. Qd8+ Qg5 (54... Kh3 $1 55. Qd7+ Kh2 $1 56. Qc7+ Kh1 $1 57. Ke1 Qg1+ 58. Kd2 Qxf2+ $19) 55. Qxg5+ Kxg5 $19 {and somehow I managed to force mate from this position in under 30 seconds. But it would be hard for me to accurately reconstruct how I did that, since I stopped recording at move 36.} 0-1

No comments: