Louie Arquie (1777) Mike Splane (2258)

January 11, 2007           Kolty Chess Club   

 

1. e4 g6     2. d4 Bg7     3. f4  c5

 

I didn’t want to transpose into a KID 4-pawns attack, so I wanted to disrupt his center. . 3. … d6 seemed too passive and slow, but of course it is a fine move too. 3. … d5 could be met with 4 e5 when I’ve just buried my own bishop. 3. … e5 4. fe Qh4+ wins my pawn back, but doesn’t look promising after 4. de

 

4. Be3 Qb6

 

I thought this won a pawn or two with no problems, so I didn’t think long. With hindsight I should play 4. … Nf6 when 5 e5 Nd5 is fine for me, and 5. Nc3 cd  6. Bd4 Nc6 also looks good.

 

5. Nc3

 

Somehow this move wasn’t even on my radar. I was looking at 5. Nd2 Qb2    6. Nc4 Qc3+  winning the d pawn.

 

5. …  cd

 

The problem with this move is it weakens the h8-d4 diagonal, for Black. If I had a knight on c6, or on f6,  I’d be fine.

 

I analyzed out to the position after move 13 before making this capture. It looked dangerous but also fun to play. A more sensible move might be 5. .. Qa5.

 

I rejected 5. … Qb2   6. Nd5 cd  7. Rb1 Qa2   8. Ra1 Qb2  9. Rb1 with a draw. I can’t vary with 7. Qa3 because of 8. Bd4 and I’m fatally behind in development. My opponent didn’t see this far. He was planning to play 7. Nc7+ Kd8   8. Na8 de    9. Rb1 but after 9. … Qc3+  10. Ke2 Nc6 11. Nf3 b6 I am winning.

 

6. Nd5 Qa5+

 

I thought it would be useful to create some pawn weaknesses.

 

7. b4 Qd8    8. Bd4 e5?!

 

A sensible person would play f6 here, then Nc6 and e6. It’s slow but safe.

 

9. Be5 Be5       10. fe Qh4+       11. Kd2 Qg5+       12. Kd3 Qe5       13. Nf3 Qd6        14. c4 Nc6

 

This was as far as I analyzed when I played 5. … cd. I thought I would be able to find a way to take advantage of his exposed king. When I actually got to this position, I realized I stood worse.

 

15. Qb3!

 

I like this move. It prepares to take advantage of the three weaknesses in my position, the exposed queen, the weaknesses on the long dark diagonal, and potential weakness on the b3-f7 diagonal.

 

15. … Nge7?

 

I need to play … b6 to take the sting out of c4-c5, or immediately trade off knights with Ne5+. Delaying for one move is fatal.

 

16. c5 Ne5+    17. Kc2 Nf3

 

I was planning 17. … Qb8,  but now I saw 18. Qc3 winning for White. I’m already lost.

 

18. cd Nd4+    19. Kc3 Nb3     20. Nf6+!

 

I was actually relieved for a moment when he played this. It took me a few seconds before it dawned on me that I am losing a piece. I thought  20. ba Nd5   21. ed was crushingly powerful for him, when  I can’t develop my queenside pieces, but the text is even better. 

 

20. … Kd8  21. de+ Ke7     22. Nd5+ Kd6     23. Kb3 Ke5

 

I considered resigning here, but decided to make him demonstrate his technique.

 

24. Re1

 

Black’s counter-play, if he can find any, is going to be on the queenside, so if I was White I would have left the rook on a1 and played 24. Bd3. There are a variety of ways to win, and what he played was also good. 

 

24. …   d6      25. Bc4 Be6  

 

Will he blunder into 26 Nc7 Bc4+  27. Kc4 Rac8 ?

 

26. Nc3   Rhc8

 

The other rook is needed to guard the a-pawn against Nb5

 

27. Be6  fe

 

I leave my king with no running room, but eliminate my weaknesses on f7 and d5. Perhaps I can capture the e pawn in some dream scenario and end up with connected center pawns. After 27. … Ke6 the knight can come into d5 and the h-rook to f1 and I’m tied down to a long and hopeless defense. The drawback to capturing with the pawn is the exposure of my king if he can eliminate his own e-pawn.

 

28. Rhf1 Rc7  29. Rf3

 

Although there is nothing wrong with this move, he is on the wrong track, and is playing without a plan.  29. Nb5 is tempting. If I play 29. … Rd7 or Re7, then 30. Na3 followed by Nc4+ is crushing. I would be forced to play 29. Nb5 Rc6 which indirectly guards the 7th rank, (30. Rf7 a6  31. Nc3 Rac8  and 32. R8c7 and gives me time to prevent the Na3-c4 threat by doubling rooks on the c-file.

 

My opponent mistakenly thought he should be seeking to trade a pair of rooks. With a pair of rooks exchanged, my king in the center becomes a monster instead of a liability.

 

I think the correct plan for White is to bring his knight to f3. This check looks fatal. He can start the process by playing Ne2 –g1-f3, or by Nb1-d2-f3. I will have to try and prevent this by quickly playing a pawn to g4, but White can block this by playing g4 first.

 

29. … a6        30. Re2  Rac8        31. Na4 b5        32. Nb2  g5 

 

To prevent Nb2-d3-f4. I’m clearly making progress while he wastes moves.

 

33. Nd3+ Kd4        34. Nf2 Rc3+

 

Forced and good. White was threatening e5 and Rd3#. After the game Louie said he hadn’t seen this idea. 

 

35. Rc3 Rc3+   

 

After this exchange I mistakenly thought I was ok, with both of his pieces tied to guarding e4.

 

36. Kb2 Rc4  

 

I decided against 36. … Re3  37. Re3 Ke3  38. Ng4+ Ke4   39. Nf6+ Kf4 40. Nh7 when I was afraid of his potential passed pawn on the h file. I thought my own pawns were too far back to be a real threat. Strictly a judgment call, I didn’t attempt to analyze this out.

 

37. a3 h5        38. Rd2+?

 

I couldn’t believe my luck! After 38. Rc2 Rc2   39. Kc2 Ke3 I win the e-pawn, but after 40. Nh3 Ke4 Ng5+ he gets a pawn back and my connected center pawns can be stopped. Maybe the desperation 38. Rc2 Ke3  39. Rc4 bc 40 Nh3 Ke4 gives some chances with three connected passers, but I assumed he would win by advancing the a and b pawns.

 

38. … Ke3      39. Rd6 Kf2        40. Re6  Kg2      41. e5

 

I was much more worried about Ra6. If White can get a passed pawn on the queenside he will have good chances of saving the game.

 

41. … Kh2      

 

Perhaps an inaccuracy. The immediate 41. Re4 looks good. If 42. Rh6 Re5   43. Rh5 Re2+ with the plan of …g4 … Re3…. Rh3

 

42. Rh6  Kg3     43. Rh5 Kf4   

 

I had seen a rook and pawn study in a similar position where the plan of recentralizing the king and capturing the enemy’s passed pawn before advancing your own was the only winning method. I wasn’t analyzing much, since I thought I knew the right plan.

 

  44. e6 ?

 

Definitely losing. He has to go after the a-pawn since passive defense is hopeless. I was expecting to win after 44. Rh6 g4     45. Ra6 Re4     46. Rg6 Re5 followed by threats to queen the g pawn (47… Rg5 is coming), but he can get counter-play with 47 a4.

 

44. …  Re4       45. Rh6  g4      46. Kc3 Kg5

 

Avoiding 46. … g3? 47. Rh4+

 

47. Kd3 Rd1

 

Avoiding 47. … Kh6  48. Ke4 Kg6   49. Ke5 g3    50. Kd6 g2   51. e7 g1/Q  52. e8/Q+

 

The ending is hopeless after 48. Kd2 Kh6  49. Ke1 Kg6   50. Kf2 Kf6   51. Kg3 Ke6    52. Kf4 Kd5   53. Ke3  Kc4    54. Kd2 Kb3    54. Kd3 Ka3    55. Kc3 Ka4, so he has to move his rook and surrender the e-pawn.  After that, the Black rook on e6 will guard a6, and cut off his king, so he has no counter-play and the g-pawn will cost him a rook.

 

White Resigns.   0 - 1