September 2013

Wed 4th: A Tale of Two Pins
Thu 26th: Minor Skirmish at Holmes Chapel

Wed 4th: A Tale of Two Pins

As usual our AGM was followed by a 10 minute quickplay competition, and as usual I don't have the moves for any of my games. The position shown is the earliest one in my game with Reinhold Heinlein from which I can accurately remember all subsequent play. What would you play as white? Those who like a puzzle will consider the question before reading on.

The game had started cagily, with RR (white) delaying castling. Eventually the a-file opened, and judging that there could be a lot of exchanges and that his king might be needed on the queenside RR played Kd2 rather than 0-0. A pair of rooks were duly removed, along with several minor pieces, in the course of which black's d-pawn transferred onto the e-file, and white's b-pawn suffered an unavenged death. Black's extra pawn is passed, but isolated. White's king is closer to the action, which may be good or bad depending on whether it can avoid getting caught in fire from the heavy artillery. So is it white to play and draw or white to play and win?

1 c6 Bxc6, 2 Ra8+ The black bishop which has become pinned against the queen will be forced to defend the back row mate leading to the loss of her majesty. One to our resident hero.

1 ... bxc6 was obviously out of the question because of the pin along the 7th rank.

1... Qb8, 2 cxd7 and black is faced with the twin threats of d8Q mate if he takes the rook and Qc8 if he doesn't. Re8 would enable black to limp along for a few moves, but is hardly attractive.
eg 2 ... Re8, 3 Rxb7 Qd8, 4 dxe8Q+ Qxe8, 5 Qc7 with Rb8 to follow.

1 ... Bc8 leads to an easy endgame for white:
2 cxb7 Qxc2+, 3 Kxc2 Bxb7, Rxb7. The b-pawn will fall and white is a clear piece up.

Amazing what can lurk under the surface of on ordinary looking position. I'm afraid its a case of no points for anyone who decided the c-pawn needed defending with Nb3.
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Thu 26th: Minor Skirmish at Holmes Chapel
RR's season started with the A team's visit to Holmes Chapel, where he found himself with white against Mike Hancock. We join the game for Mike's tenth move.

RR v Mike Hancock after 10 Rc1

r2q1rk1/pb1nbppp/1p2pn2/2pp4/2PP4/1P2PN2/PB1NBPPP/2RQ1RK1 b
Mike declined to maintain symmetry with Rc8 and instead played cxd4. Decisions. A minor piece recapture and there will soon be plenty of central squares for knights to jump around on, whereas the e-pawn recapture could lead to hanging pawns. Needless to say I'd been thinking of this in the moves leading up to this position as the potential games leading on from this choice of actions appear very different. I stuck with my original plan.
10 ... cxd4, 11 exd4 Rc8, 12 Re1 Bd3 doesn't stop the black knight coming to e4, though would still has its uses.
12 ... Ne4, 13 Nxe4 dxe4, 14 Ne5 Nxe5, 15 dxe5 Qc7

More decisions. I'd like to play Qd2 with intention of swinging across to the kingside. Will it help an attack there or simply be out of play? I elect to continue with the more passive Qc2.

RR v Mike Hancock after 16 Qc1

2r2rk1/pbq1bppp/1p2p3/4P3/2P1p3/1P6/PBQ1BPPP/2R1R1K1 b
16 Qc1 Bc5 The e-pawns are going to be more important than the d-file. White's is well protected, whilst black's advanced one is mobile with the threat of releasing a discovered attack on g2, but is subject itself to a frontal attack. Black's latest move adds pressure to f2 to the equation, and stops white from using e3 to swing a rook into an attacking position on the kingside.

17 Bf1 Qe7, 18 Rcd1 Qg5, 19 Qc3 Rcd8, 20 Bc1 Qh5
21 Rxd8 Rxd8, 22 Be2 Qf5, 23 Qg3 h6 A dare. I can see
24 Bxh6 Bxf2+, 25 Qxf2 gxf6 Now what? Exchanging queens gives him a supported past pawn. Qg3 or Qh4 simply encourages Qg5. Can I avoid swapping queens here. is there any danger of his rook appearing on g8 to my detriment? How else to I hold my e-pawn, or at least threaten something in exchange? Who does the endgame favour? Have I missed anything? Too many questions, too little time to find answers. I decline the dare, though later analysis shows RR to be better after accepting and exchanging queens on g5.

24 Rf1 Kf8 removing the threat of Bxh6
25 Be3 h4 would have cemented my ability to protect the e-pawn. However getting a second attacker to it is difficult for black.
25 ... Ba3, 26 Rb1+= Rb4, 27 Rc1 ½ - ½

RR v Mike Hancock final position
Find a plan

There is still a lot of play left, but we are both on the verge of running short of time, so no great surprise that having at first declined the draw offer Mike made a counter offer moments later. I feel that in the long run my queenside majority represents an edge, but long run and short time don't go well together. And with the team subsequently running out 3 - 2 winners I'm not complaining. As our only points last year were against Alsager, who have not entered the top division this year, we are in one sense already guaranteed a better season.
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