SCCA Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 21

...but Richard elects to take a route that's little played in CC. 4... dxc6 5.d3 Bd6 6.0–0 0–0 7.Bg5N Now we're out of the ICCF database. 7... Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.Nbd2 h6 11.Bh4 b5 12.Re1 Qe7 13.d4 13.Nf1 is a thematic alternative. 13... h5 14.c3 hxg4 15.hxg4 c5 16.Nxe5! Bxe5 17.dxe5 Qxe5 18.f3 White now has a significant edge. 18...c4 19.Nf1 Rad8 20.Qe2 Qe6 20...Rd3 is superficially appealing, but after 21.Rad1 Rfd8 22.Rxd3 cxd3 23.Qd2 a6 24.Re3 Qe6 25.e5 White is in control. 21.f4! The most energetic continuation. 21... Qc6 22.f5 Bh7 23.a4 a6 24.e5 Rde8 25.axb5 axb5 26.Bxf6 gxf6 Not many supported Black pawns now. 27.Qg2± Offering the queen exchange may seem passive, but Richard's plan is to engineer a pawn majority for White while the Black bishop is confined. 27... Qc5+ 28.Qf2 Rxe5 29.Qxc5 Rxc5 30.Ng3 b4 31.Ra6 Rd8 SCCA Magazine 133 32.Ne4 33.Rc6 34.Re2 Rb5 Kg7 34... Bxf5?! Looks desperate and probably is, but Black's isolated pawn structure can't be defended. 35.gxf5+– White is clearly winning now. 35... bxc3 36.bxc3 Rxf5 37.Rxc7 Rd1+ 38.Kg2 Rf4 39.Kg3 Rff1 40.Rg2 Kf8 41.Rc8+ Ke7 42.Re2 Rde1 43.Rxe1 Rxe1 44.Rxc4 After the exchanges, it's all just technique. 44... Ke6 45.Kf2 Rc1 46.Rc5 Rh1 47.Ng3 Rh4 48.Kf3 Kd6 49.Rh5 Rc4 50.Ne4+ Ke6 51.Kf4 Ke7 52.Ra5 Ke6 53.Ra6+ Ke7 54.Kf5 1–0 And now some action from recent Friendly International matches. The first game has some interesting tactical moments. White: Mackintosh, Iain (2416) Black: Kerr, Stephen (2466) Scotland v Australia, 2016 QGD [D30] [Notes by Iain Mackintosh] 1.d4 d5 20 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Nxe7 7.dxc5 0–0 8.e3 Qa5+ 9.Nc3 Qxc5 10.Be2 Nbc6 11.0–0 Be6 12.Rc1 Qb4 13.Qc2N 13.Qd2 was Carlos Martín Sánchez (2390) v Milen Petrov (2326), ICCF WS/MN/086, 2012, 1–0 after 41 moves. 13... d4 14.a3!? Playing for complications. 14... Qc5 15.exd4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Rfd1 Qb6 18.Na4 Qb3 Black's 7th queen move in the last 11!] 19.Qe4 Rae8 20.Nc5 Qxb2 21.Nxe6 fxe6 22.Qxe6+ Kh8 Avoiding the trap... 22...Rf7?? 23.Rc8! Rxc8 (23...g6 prolongs things by a few moves.) 24.Qxc8+ Nxc8 25.Rd8+ Rf8 26.Bc4+ Kh8 27.Rxf8# 23.Rb1 Qc2 24.Qc4 Qf5 25.f4 Rc8 26.Qd4 Nc6 27.Qf2 b6 28.Rbc1 h6 29.Bd3 Qxf4 The 11th and final move for Black's travel-weary queen. 30.Qxf4 Rxf4 31.Bb5 Rf6 32.Rd3 a6 Breaking the pin is worth a pawn. 33.Bxa6 Rcf8 Spring 2016