William Johns (1780) Mike Splane (2199) 9/18/2008

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d3?

Richard Koepcke taught me that the first person who advances his queen pawn to the fourth rank gets the advantage in this type of pawn structure.

4. … d5 5. Bg5 d4 6. Nb1

The retreat surprised me. I was expecting 6. Bf6 ef 7. Ne4 f5 8. Ng3 f4 9. Ne4 f5 with a huge space advantage. It’s unclear how he can ever develop his kingside.

It looks like 5. Bg5 was a mistake. After the game we both held the opinion that 5. cd was the right idea. I was expecting something like 5. cd Nd5 6. g3 Be7 7. Bg2 e5 8. 0-0 Be3 with a solid position for both sides. I’ve played this often in speed games.

6. … e5 7. e4 de

If I don’t capture, the locked pawn structure favors Black, it’s a Benoni formation with colors reversed, but the game will require extensive positional maneuvering. I decided to open the position to try to take advantage of the two tempos he wasted with his queen knight.

8. fe?

Taking with the pawn is too ambitious. White wants to play 9. e4 when his b1 knight could find a wonderful home on d5. 8. Be3 was the only move.

8. … e4 9. Ng1

Trying to hold on to the d3 pawn. Perhaps he should play 9. Nfd2 to try and keep control of the e4 square. If 9. Bf6 Qf6 he loses the b2 pawn.

9. … ed 10. Bd3

If 10. Qd3 Qd3 11. Bd3 Nb4 12. Bf6 Nd3+ 13. Kd2 Nb4 14. Bc3 Nc2 wins at least the exchange.

10. … Nb4 11. Be2 Qd1+

The White queen is guarding a whole host of squares around the king. It has to go!

12. Bd1 Ne4 13. Bf4 g5 14. Bc7

If 14. a3 Nbd3+ 15. Ke2 Nf2

If 14. Be5 Nbd3+ 15. Ke2 Ne5

14. … Bg7 15. Nd2 Bf5

White is in a bad way. He has to watch out for Nf2, Nc2, Bb2 and Bg2. I can’t see how he can stop me from winning an exchange.

16. Ba4+

Freeing squares for his rook.

16. … Ke7

My king is perfectly safe in the middle. Queens are off and his rooks and minor pieces are inactive.

17. Ke2 Bb2 18. Ne4

He had to do something about the threat 18. … Nc3+ and 19. … Na4

18. … Ba1

18. … Be4 was also good., threatening Bg2. I captured the rook because the knight on e4 has no good moves.

19. Bd6+ ?

Losing a piece, but good ideas are hard to come by. If 19. Ng5 Rhg8 or if 19 Nc5 Rac8 20. Ba5 Na2 21. Nd3 Bc3

19. … Ke6 20. Nf3

20. Ng5+ Kd6 21. Nf7+ Ke7 22. Nh8 Na2 23. Nf3 Bh8 might be a better try.

20. … Be4 21. Bc5 Bf3+

My rule of thumb when I’m ahead is to focus on restricting counterplay. Trading pieces usually helps the side who is ahead.

22. gf Na6 23. Ba3

He could have grabbed a pawn with 23. Ba7 Ra7 24. Ra1 Nc5. With a rook ahead I was more than happy to simplify.

23. … Be5 24. h4 h6

No counterplay. I didn’t want to even think of allowing his rook to get to e4.

25. h5 Rac8

I’m not planning to capture on c4. I may want my knight on c5 and I may need to play … b6 at some point when I want the rook on the c file to stop Ba4-c6-d5.

26. Rd1 Rhd8 27. Rc1 Nc5 28. Bc2 f5

Stopping Bc2-f4-d5. With all counterplay snuffed out, his position is hopeless. The simplest winning idea is … Rd8-d6-a6 forcing further simplification.

White resigns. 0-1