2017 3 Tables - September Round 1
CM Justin Arnold, 2076 - Anton Taylor, 1972
Modern Defense (B06)
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bd3 Nd7 Nf6 is a more common move order but it likely transposes. The main difference is that black will castle one move later than he could potentially but this is not significant. 5. O-O a6 This move extends Black's desire to either stretch the opening book or to outright try to play outside of theory. White takes the opportunity to prevent b5 and make a6 look at least a little silly. 6. a4 Ngf6 7. Re1 e5 8. dxe5 Nxe5 This more or less forces the trade of knights. White quickly obliges and the position is just equal. 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Bg5 Be6 11. Na3 In hindsight this "creative" move is not particularly good and has several drawbacks. The idea is obviously to go to c4 but at this moment such a move is not overwhelming. However, the d2 square is needed for the bishop so that it might swing to c3 and therefore a3 is the only square left for the sad knight. Na3 would have been more of a threat if the Bishop could be decoyed away from guarding c4 first. 11. ... h6 12. Bd2 Qe7 13. Qe2 Nc4 should have been played here tempting black to trade the bishop taking advntage of the moment where black cannot play b5 in response. 13. ... O-O 14. Nc4 Nh5 this seems to hold together but Nd7 is probably more accurate. However, as an attacking player I anticipated Justin's move and even the next move. I decided that neither move was particularly scary and that I would use the time he gave me to reposition my knight to a much more useful square. 15. g3 Bh3 16. Ne3? This gives up the initiative to black when I could have instead seized the initiative by playing Bc3! when every potential response is unsavory for black. He either remains content with a minor piece tying down his queen, weakens his pawn structure to force the minor pieces away from his e-pawn, or swaps his queen for a rook by moving one of them to e8. None of these are good and it means that probably Nh5 was a decisive mistake that I failed to take full advantage of during the game. 16. ... c6 White can be happy that black created these pawn weaknesses but imagine how much better the threat of Nd5 might be with a bishop on c3. White's pieces are in fact gaining a little momentum and activity but will it be enough to win? 17. Ng4! I really liked this move which I had spotted a few moves earlier and I thought it was very strong. My opponent must have seen the problems he has coming as here he sank into a long think. 17. ... Kh7 18. f3 Rae8 Black would like to play f5 but Nf7! steals his bishop. 19. Ra3 Qd7 The simple threat is Qd4+ but the queen is put on a less useful square than she came from. Also, this puts the queen on the d-file which is where the rook on a3 was planning to go and now could go in the future with a tempo attacking the queen. 20. Be3 Rg8 21. Bc4 foreseeing that the knight may potentially move to a better square and no longer prevent f5 White again makes a move that porevents the f-pawn from advnacing while also clearing the d3 square for his rook. 21. ... Bxg4? An understandable mistake trying to trade down into a simpler ending and getting rid of this annoying knight for his trapped bishop. 22. fxg4 Nf6 23. Rd3 This is a way to improve white's worst piece but is a mistake. In fact, there is a sea of better moves: Rf1 continuing the assault on black's f-pawn, Bb6 taking possession of important squares and preparing to take over the d-file, and others. The move is not bad but it is a simple attack on principle without having calculated very far. Old habits die hard. 23. ... Qe7 24. Red1 b5 25. Ba2 Rd8 This move would not have been possible in the move order starting with 23. Bb6. 26. Bxf7?? Presumably cashing in on this pawn but in fact the f-pawn is not worth as much as the e-pawn so this is just a mistake. Rf1 followed by Qf3 and g5 makes a lot more sense. 26. ... Rgf8 27. Bb3 Nxe4 28. Bb6? This comes far too late. It is better to trade the roo pair and play c3 to preserve the bishop. 28. ... Rxd3 29. Qxd3 Nc5 30. Qd6 Qxd6 31. Rxd6 Nxb3 32. cxb3 Rf3 33. Rxc6 Rxb3 34. Ba5? Bc5 preserves the draw but I am still trying to win and taking unnecessary risks. 34. ... bxa4 Rxb2 is the killer. This move is just a draw. (34... Rxb2 35. Rxa6 bxa4 36. Ra7 Kg8 37. Ra8+ Bf8 38. Bc3 Rb1+ 39. Kf2 a3) 35. Bc3 a3 36. bxa3 Rxa3 37. Rc7 Kg8 38. Rc8+ Kf7 39. Rc7+ Kf6 40. Bxe5+? I thought at the time that this move was a winning idea but it turns out that the pawn isn't significant and, in fact, with the black passed pawn rolling the draw is made harder by the exchange of the bishops. At this moment the black king is trapped in a box and a 3-fold draw should be the result. 40. Rc6+ Kg5 (40... Ke7 41. Bb4+) 41. h3 Ra2 (to prevent Bd2 checkmate) 42. h4+ Kxg4 43. Rxg6+ Kf3 44. Rxg7 40. ... Kxe5 41. Rxg7 Kf6 42. Rc7 a5 43. Ra7 Kg5 44. Ra6 Ra2 45. h4+ Kxg4 46. Rxg6+ Kf3 47. Rxh6 a4 48. Rg6?? finally buckling under the pressure and throwing away the draw. 48. h5 Kg4 49. Rh8 Kg5 50. h6 Kg6 51. h7 Kg7 52. Ra8 Kxh7 53. Ra6 1/2-1/2 48. ... a3 49. h5 Rg2+ 50. Kh1 a2 1-0
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