News - Newton Abbot Chess Club

[Date "2020.11.10"] [White "Wilf Taylor"] [Black "Paul Brooks"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2020.11.10"] 1.e4 c5 2.d4 {Wilf tries to play the aggressive Morra Gambit....} 2...cxd4 3.c3 d5 {...but Paul refuses the second pawn and we are into a kind of Alapin variation.} 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Qd6 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.Nf3 e6 { Maybe 8...Bxb5 is better (Principle - exchanging pieces relieves a cramped position). } 9.O-O Nc6 {Now 10.g3 threatening to embarass black's queen with Bf4 was promising.} 10.a3 a6 11.Be2 Be7 12.Be3 O-O 13.Qc2 h6 14.Rac1 Rac8 15.Rfd1 Nd5 16.Nxd5 exd5 17.Qd2 Bf6 {Now the position is fairly equal and white might be best to focus on making e5 a strongpoint with a sequence like 18.Bf4 Qe7 19.Re1 Qd8 (to avoid the discovered attack) 20.Ne5 Re8 21.Bf3 Be6, but it isn't much; instead Wilf lashed out with... } 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Qxh6 {Superficially this looks promising, since 19...Bg7 is impossible due to the pin but} 19...Be7 $1 {doesn't give the queen many squares to go to. } 20.Qh5 Qg6 {Wilf is unlucky that 21.Qxd5 loses the queen to 21...Be6, so he has to allow the queen swap.} 21.Ne5 Qxh5 22.Bxh5 Nxe5 23.dxe5 {Wilf has 2 pawns for the piece, but it shouldn't be enough.} 23...Be6 24.f4 Rxc1 $6 {This doesn't give the win away but 24...Bc5+ 25.Kf1 Be3 taking control of the c-file was much more clinical.} 25.Rxc1 Rc8 26.Rxc8+ Bxc8 27.Bf3 Bc5+ 28.Kf1 Be3 29.g3 Bc1 30.Bxd5 Bxb2 31.a4 b6 32.Ke2 Bd7 33.Bb3 a5 34.Kd3 Kf8 35.Ke4 Ke7 36.f5 Bc6+ 37.Kf4 Bc1+ 38.Kg4 {Paul has been rather indecisive in the last few moves, but with the white king well away from the action he decides to create a passed pawn.} 38...b5 39.axb5 Bxb5 40.f6+ Kf8 41.e6 fxe6 42.Bxe6 a4 43.h4 Be2+ 44.Kf5 Bd3+ 45.Ke5 Bb2+ 46.Kd5 Bxf6 {Picking off another pawn. } 47.h5 Bc2 48.Kc5 Be7+ 49.Kb5 Bb3 {Paul was slightly worried he would have to try to mate with 2 bishops, but then he realised that, even if Wilf managed to get his bishop to b1 to block the passed pawn, he could pick up the 2 remaining pawns with his king then manouevre his king on the dark squares to g2 or f1, driving the bishop away and allowing the pawn to queen. Anyway, in this hopeless position, Wilf resigned.} 0-1