Swale Club Championship - Final Group - Round Three
Thursday 31 May 2018
White: K. Nevols (161) - Black: K. Hyde (166)
The big one. My match against the defending champion. I was half a point ahead but having played a game extra. And another closed Sicilian.
1. e4 c5
2. Nc3 Nc6
3. f4 g6
4. Nf3 Bg7
5. d3 d6
6. Be2 e6
7. O-O Nge7
8. Qe1 O-O
This is the answer to my first question - where will Black put his king?
9. Qg3
A nice square to prepare for an attack based around an f5 pawn push.
9. .... Nd4
10. Bd1
This is my usual reply to ... Nd4 but the computer prefers 10. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 11. Be3 or 10. ... cxd4 11. Nb1. All down to taste, I guess.
10. .... Nec6
Re-enforcing the d4 point but I now use the usual set up to expel the d4 knight, which has the added effect of moving the bishop to a better square.
However, 11. f5!? is interesting with 11. .. exf5 12. Bf4 but Black's best reply is 12. .. Qb6!
11. Ne2 d5
12. c3 Nxf3+
13. Qxf3
I gave some thought to 13. gxf3 with perhaps getting something down the g-file, but the white squared bishop looks silly, and I wanted to keep open the option of playing a pawn to g4.
13. .... dxe4
13. .. f5 is slightly better, setting up a stonewall defence which is difficult to break down.
14. dxe4
The position is equal, with no piece having a happy time. But a draw was no good to me. My opponent - half a point behind me in the championship - had two games left, whereas I had one to play but against a difficult opponent.
14. .... Bd7
15. Bc2
I still want to play pawn to f5.
15. ..... Qe7
16. Qg3 Rfe8
I did not understand this move, unless it is to move out the way of a potential Bh6. Time to advance the pawns. Before playing f5, I wanted to weaken the kingside slightly more.
17. h4 h5
The computer recommends 17. e5 with Be3 and Be4 but still rates that as dead equal. As equal is no good to me, it was time to get on with it.
18. f5?! exf5
19. Bg5
I tried to see if I could sacrifice the knight with 19. exf5? Qxe2 20. fxg6 but 20. .. f5 puts a stop to all that.
19. .... f6
20. Bf4
20. Be3 would have been a better square, keeping an eye on the c5 pawn and keeping the f-file half open.
20. .... Qf7
A good defensive move, holding g6 and being ready to met Bb3 with Be6. White should now play 21. Be3 but after 21. .. b6 Black is still better.
21. Qf3?
Blunder. I had played this move with the intention of freeing up the g3 square for the knight.
21. .... fxe4
The point is that, after 22. Bxe4 Black has 22. .. Bg4 23. Qd3 Bxe2 24. Qxe2 f5 winning a piece.
22. Qe3 Ne5
Black returns a pawn to get a dominant knight. 22. .. Bf8 23. Ng3 f5 is also good for Black.
23. Qxc5 Nd3
With this move, and in a far better position, Black surprised me with a draw offer. A pawn down and the position collapsing, I really had no choice but to accept.
In the next two weeks, my opponent won his final two games to seal the championship.
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