Game 114 - Rochester Championship 2018 - Round Four

Rochester Championship - Round Four

Thursday 23 August 2018

White: K. Nevols (163) - Black: A. Gillard (113)

The final game of the year .. and of this blog. And we end with another closed Sicilian, an opening which has served me well.

1. e4 c5

2. Nc3 e6

3. f4 Nc6

4. Nf3 d6

5. Be2 Bd7

6. O-O a6

7. Qe1

My favourite set up so far, just waiting to see what Black plans to do with his king.

7. ... Qc7

8. d3 h6

Still none the wiser, but Black has delayed the development of his kingside pieces which might give me a slight advantage. Now 9. Bd1 is one idea preparing e5 but I decide to go a different way.

9. f5!?

The idea is to fight for the d5 square.  9. .. exf5 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. Ng5! and the Black king looks a little uncomfortable. Black instead elects to keep the e-file closed but this gives up the d5 square for nothing.

9. ....  e5

10. Nd5 Qd8

11. c3

The computer recommends 11. a4 clamping down on any queenside play. The point of my move is similar - to restrict the movement of the Black knight on c6.

11. .....   Nf6

12. Nxf6+ Qxf6

13. Be3

I had to exchange off my knight go to slightly expose the black queen and now I am thinking about Bf2 and Bh4, as well as a possible d4 dissolving the centre while the king was still on e8..

13. .....  Be7

14. g4!

And here we go. The threat is g5 winning the queen.

14. .....  g6

15. fxg6

15. g5 would have been a mistake. 15. .. hxg5 16. Bxg5 Qg7 and Black can open the g-file and counter against the white king.

15. .........  Qxg6

16. Nh4 Qh7

17. Nf5

A great square for the knight, even though it will not be there for long.



17. ..     O-O-O

Better was 17. .... Bxf5 18. Rxf5 Bg5.

White can force an advantage here with 18. Nxe7, but does not spot it at first.

18. Qg3

The reason for this precarious positioning of the queen is to prepare d4, opening up the centre and hopefully a diagonal towards the b8 square. The downside is that the queen is now on the same file as the king.

18. ......  h5

19. g5 Rdg8

20. Nxe7+

At last!

20. ....   Nxe7

21. Rf6

This was the move I had overlooked up to now. The rook is well placed staring at the d6 pawn and also the h6 square.

21. .... Be6

White has a choice of good ideas. One of them is to play 22. h4 fixing the g-pawn and making things a little more secure.  Another thought is 22. b4 trying to open up files in front of the black king. The move chosen is a mistake.

22. Rh6? Qg7?

Fortunately Black does not spot 22. .. Qxh6 23. gxh6 h4! 24. Qxg8+ Nxg8 and the White advantage has gone. But White can here gobble up a pawn.

23. Rxh5 f5!?

A characteristic counter attack. I considered 23. gxf6 e.p. Qxf6 24. Rg5 but it just looked wrong. Black can then even think of Rh3 or Ng6.

So I played safe and exchanged a pair of rooks to try to reduce the power of any Black counter attack.



24. Rxh8 Rxh8

25. Qg2 f4

26. Bg4

I was quite proud of this move, emphasising that I could now strike at the king.

26. ....  Qf7

27. Bf2 Rg8

28. h4 Kb8

29. Bxe6 Qxe6



OK, we are into the ending. I am a pawn up, have two passed pawns on the kingside, whereas Black has a protected passed pawn on f4. I considered I was better and decided it was time to open up the centre to hope to increase my advantage.

30. d4 Rh8

31. dxc5 dxc5

32. Qf3!

Another move of which I was proud. This prepares Rd1 taking the d-file. Black spots a cunning move to improve the position of his knight and win the pawn back.

32. .....  Qc6

33. Rd1 Nf5

D'oh! Didn't see that. I decide to let the pawn go in order to activate the rook.

34. Rd5 Nxh4

35. Bxh4

35. Qd1 is better. The pawn will still be captured and Black's knight looks offside.

35. .....  Rxh4

36. Rxe5 Qb6!

This move sets a cunning trap. Fortunately for me, Black is unaware of that fact. White must play 37. Qe2 or 37. b3 but I did not want to allow the discovered check.

37. Qf2??

Aware of my weakness with tactics against this opponent, I try to keep everything covered. I was keen to get the rook, especially, to a protected square. But this move is a blunder.

37. .....  Rg4+

38. Kf1



38. ......    Qd6?

38. ... Qb5+ wins.

1. If 39. Qe2 then Rg1+ 40. Kf2 Rg2+ wins the white queen.
2. If 39. Ke1 then 39. .. f3! Not an easy move to spot but it threatens 40. ...... Rg1+ (Qxg1, Qe2 mate) 41. Kd2 Rg2. White's only move is 40. Kd1 and Black then has 40. .. Rg1+ 41. Qxg1 Qe2+ 42. Kc1 f2.

I was not aware of how close I had come to defeat.

39. Rd5 Qe7

40. Qxc5

With two pawns up, I can consolidate to the win.

40. ....  Qxc5

41. Rxc5 f3

42. Kf2 Rxe4

43. Kxf3 Re1

44. Rd5

Planning to come to d2.

44. ......  Rg1

45. Kf4

And Black resigned. I finished the Rochester Chess Championship with 3/4 but alas came second to Sam Woolacott with his 4/4.

This concludes my first chess blog covering the years of my 'comeback' from 2015 to 2018.

My total for 2017-2018 had been Played 43 Won 25 Draw 10 Lost 8, so I think I had passed the test at playing at the higher level.

For the full blog, the score is Played 114 Won 61 Draw 29 Lost 24 - not bad after over twenty years away.

For the next games, please go to keithnevolschess2.blogspot.com

Game 113 - Rochester Championship 2018 - Round Three

Rochester Championship - Round Three

Thursday 9 August 2018

White: T. Jefferies (119) - Black: K.Nevols (163)

1. e4 d5

Another outing for the reliable Scandinavian. The strategy being to set up a solid defence and try to win a long game. We soon enter a familiar set up.

2. exd5 Qxd5

3. Nc3 Qa5

4. d4 Nf6

5. Bd2 c6

6. Bd3 Bg4

7. f3!?

Unusual. Blocking the knight's path to the e5 square.

7. ....  Bh5

8. Nge2 e6

Now 9. Nf4 Bg6 10. Ncd5 is interesting, with 10. .. Qd8 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. c3 Bd6 14. Qb3 and White has the advantage with Black under-developed.

9. Ne4 Qd8

The queen usually sits on c7 in these lines but that would just give White a tempo with Bf4 when I cannot play Bd6 in reply.

10. O-O Nbd7

11. a3

White starts his plan of advancing on the queenside.

11. ....  Be7

12. b4 O-O

13. c4

A good alternative is 13. Qe1 planning, if allowed, to come to g3.

The move I expected was 13. Nc5. I did not like 13. ... Nxc5 14. bxc5 giving White the b-file, nor 13. .. b6 weakening the c6 point, so might have opted for 13. ... Qc8 but after 14. Nf4 Black is feeling the pinch.

13. ....   Bg6

14. Qc2 Re8

14. .. e5 taking the initiative is more energetic. I am just waiting for White to do something.

15. Be3

White too seems out of ideas. I was concerned about 15. Bf4 zoning in on the d6 square, which would also have prevented the Qc7-Bd6 battery which sometimes happens in this opening.

15. ....  Qc7

And now I can answer 16. Bf4 with 16. .. e5 equalising.

16. Nxf6+ Nxf6

17. Bxg6 hxg6

18. Bf4 Bd6

19. Bxd6 Qxd6

I think these exchanges have helped Black. He now has a plan to focus in on the d4 pawn.

20. Rad1 Red8

20. .. a5 would have been an interesting way to exploit the fact that the a1 rook has moved away, with the aim of opening up the a-file.

21. Qd2 Rd7

22. Qf4?!

It's not easy to advise White, but perhaps 22. c5 or 22. f4 trying to close down the centre is worth a thought. The d4 pawn needs to be protected. Now Black can gather some pressure.

22. ... Qxf4

23. Nxf4 Rad8

24. Ne2 e5

White needs to play here 25. Rd3 so that if 25. ... fxe4 then 26. Rfd1 and White will recapture the pawn. By wasting a move, Black has time to defend the conquering pawn.

25. Kf2? exd4

26. Rd3 b6
27. Rfd1 c5

28. b5?

I think this was a mistake resolving the tension unnecessarily. Black now grabs the open file to build a big advantage. (Worth noting here that Black, as usual, is very short of time).

28. ...  Re8

29. g3 Rde7

30. R1d2 Nd7!

With White tied up, the knight manoeuvres to find a good square and grab more material.

31. f4 Nf6

32. Rb2 Ng4+

33. Kf3 Nxh2+

34. Kf2 Ng4+

35. Kf3



35. ....   f5?

Missing 35. ... Ne3 which seems to win another pawn. Instead my mind was on moving the knight around to e4 and trying to exchange material. Although I am two pawns up, the doubled pawns reduce the advantage a little.

36. a4 Re3+

37. Rxe3 Rxe3+

38. Kg2 Nf6?!

38... Ra3 is better collecting another pawn and with then Ne3 holding things together.

39. Ng1 Ne4

40. Nf3 Rc3

This should now be a comfortable Black win. However I was down to my last five minutes and so did not write down the game from here. Fortunately my opponent had more time and was able to reconstruct the rest of the game.

41. a5 Rxc4

42. axb6 axb6

43. Ne5 Ra4?

Better 43. .. Rc3 to hit the pawn on the g3 square. Now White gets a pawn back and some counterplay.

44. Nd7 d3

45. Nxb6 Rb4

46. Nc4 Rxb2?

46. .. d2! wins at once.

47. Nxb2 d2

48. b6

And now I was worried.

48. ....   Nd6

49. Kf3 Kf7

50. Ke2 Ke6

51. Nc4 Nb7

52. Kxd2 Kd5

I sensed, correctly, that I had missed a number of chances to win the game, so it was plan B. Round up the white pawn on b6, try to defend the kingside pawns with the knight, and push the c-pawn.

53. Kd3 Kc6

54. Ne5+ Kxb6

Part one complete - the b-pawn is rounded up.

55. Nxg6 Nd6

Now the knight defends the f5 pawn - first from d6 and then from g3.

56. Ne7 Kb5

57. Nd5 Ne4

58. Nc7+ Kc6

59. Ne6 Kd5

60. Nxg7 c4+

61. Kc2 Nxg3

62. Kd2 Ke4

63. Kc3 Kd5

Try again. Of course, if 63. ... Kxf4 64. Nxf5 and it is a draw.

64. Kc2 Kd4

65. Ne6+ Kd5

66. Ng5 Ne4

67. Nf3

67.  Nxe4 Kxf4 is a winning king and pawn ending.

67. .....   Nd6

A perfect square defending both pawns.

68. Ng5 Kd4

69. Nf3+ Ke3

70. Ng5 Kxf4

Despite the seconds ticking away I was now confident of a win.

71. Ne6+ Ke3

72. Kc3 f4

73. Nd4 f3

74. Nc2+ Ke2

75. Nd4+ Kf2

76. Nc2 Kg1

77. Kd4 f2

78. Ne3 f1=Q

79. Nxf1 Kxf1

With the ending won, White now resigned.

Quite a scary knight ending, which would have had specialists tutting several times, but a lesson that to try to win at once while in time trouble is not always advisable.

Game 112 - Rochester Championship 2018 - Round Two

Rochester Championship - Round Two

Thursday 2 August 2018

White: K.Nevols (163) - Black: R. Woolacott (135)

1. e4 d6

2. d4 Nd7

Now here is an unusual opening, but it soon turns into a King's Indian.

3. c4 Ngf6

4. Nc3 g6

5. Nf3 Bg7

6. e5?!

Well, why not? But 6. Be2 would have been a sensible way to play. I had seen a line where I could force an advantage .. or thought I could.

6. ...  dxe5

7. dxe5 Ng4

8. e6?!

The second part of my plan commencing on move 6. This cut off the defence of the knight on g4 and I hoped to have some chances of attacking the king in the centre.



8. ...  fxe6

9. Ng5 Nde5

10. Qxd8+ Kxd8

11. f4

This is the position I had foreseen at move six. The knight moves on e5 and I then play Nf7+. But I did not foresee the next move.

11. ....  h6

D'oh! Obvious when you think about it. After some more thought I had to concede into going in the middlegame remaining a pawn down. His extra pawn is however doubled and weak and so the computer rates this position as equal, but only if White now plays 12. Nf3. I did not consider this, as I did not like 12. .. Nxf3 13. gxf3 but while the position is messy, there are chances for both sides.

12. Nge4 Nc6

13. Bd3

Black could play 13. .. Nb4 14. Bb1 Rg8! with an X-ray defence of the g-pawn and then take a grip on the centre. But the move played also gives me concerns.

13. ....  Bd4

14. Ke2 e5

Freeing the c8 bishop. By now, I was getting quite uncomfortable with Black's pieces developing and my king lacking cover.

15. h3 Nf6



I could win the pawn back but did not like the look of 16. Nxf6 exf6 17. Bxg6 Rg8 18. Be4 Be6 with a lot of play. 19. fxe5 Bxc4+ 20. Kd1 Bxe5 21. Bxh6 and then perhaps 21. .. Ke7 or 21. .. f5 22. Bxf5 Rxg2.

Still with a lack of confidence after overlooking the earlier defence for Black, I decided to play safe and try to get pieces into the game.

16. Rd1 Bf5

17. Nxf6 Bxd3+

18. Rxd3 exf6

19. Be3 Nb4

20. Rd2 c5

20. .. Kc8 is not easy to see but would keep some advantage as after 21. Bxd4 exd4 White would be unable to play 22. Rxd4 because of 22. .. Nc2 winning the exchange.

Instead, however, there is 22. Nd5! Nxd5 23. cxd5 Re8+ 24. Kf2 Re4 25. Re1! Rxe1 26. Kxe1 heading for a draw. Black could try for more with 22. .... Nc6!? 23. Nxf6 Rf8 24. Nd5 Kd7 and the rook is coming to the e-file.

But 20. .. c5 makes sense, strengthening the centre and developing the queen's rook. However it is a loose pawn.



21. Ne4

I am going to get the pawn back and Black has to think about which way for his king to go.

The computer recommends 21. .. Ke7 22. Nxc5 Rac8 23. Bxd4 exd4 24. Nxb7 Rxc4. There is a danger that the White knight could get trapped and Black's pawn on d4 remains strong.

21. ...  exf4

22. Bxd4

22. Bxf4 might have been better but I was keen to get rid of that bishop.

22. ...  cxd4

23. Rxd4+ Kc7?

Better is 23. .. Ke7 defending the f6 pawn.

24. Nxf6

Perhaps Black has overlooked that after 24. ... Nc2 I now have 25. Rd7+.

24. ....  Rad8

25. Rad1?

I cannot explain why I did not play 25. Rxf4 banking a pawn. Perhaps I was short of time.

25. ....  Rxd4

26. Rxd4 Rd8

27. Rxd8 Kxd8

28. a3 Nc6

So here we are .. an ending. Knight and five pawns each.




So how do we evaluate this? I think White has a small advantage based on the king being one row nearer to the centre, and a thought of b4-b5 and advancing where White has the majority.

29. Kd3 g5

29. .. f3! is a neat twist with 30. gxf3 Ne5+.

30. Ne4?

Better is 30. Ke4 and then Kd5 with a very well placed king. In my haste to improve the position of the knight, I allow Black to activate his king.

30.   ...  Ke7

31. Nc5 b6

32. Ne4 Ke6

33. Nc3 Ke5

The position is now equal.

34. Nb5 a6

35. Nc7 Nd4?

A mistake. 35. .. Nb8 holds on but Black decides to sacrifice a pawn to go for a win.

36. Nxa6 f3

37. gxf3 Nxf3

38. c5!

Creating a passed pawn, although the computer prefers 38. Nc7 and 39. Nd5.

38. ...  bxc5

39. Nxc5 Kf4



With limited time, I was trying to calculate whether my knight and king could get back in time to stop those pawns. If I could exchange one kingside pawn, then sac the knight for the other, the Black king might be too far away to stop the queenside pawns.

40. Ne4 Ng1

41. a4

What the hell!! Just go for it.

41. ....  Nxh3

42. a5 Kf3

43. a6 g4???

Black had to play 43. ... Nf4+ 44. Kc4 Ne6. Now the knight cannot get back in time.

44. a7 Nf4+

45. Kd2

Of course not 45. Kd4?? Ne6+.

45. ....   Kxe4

46. a8 (=Q)+ Kf5

Now it is just a case of mopping up - with the b-pawn there if I need it.

47. Qa5+ Kg6

48. Qe5 Nh3

49. Qg3 Kg5

50. b4 h5

51. b5 Nf4

52. b6 h4

53. Qc3 h3

54. Qe5+

Winning the knight and Black now resigned.

Game 111 - Rochester Championship 2018 - Round One

Rochester Championship - Round One

Thursday 26 July 2018

White: S. Woolacott (161) - Black: K. Nevols (163)

A new summer four round tournament - and a bad start. With my new highest ever grade, and now top grading player in the club, I entered this game underestimating my new opponent.

1. d4 f5

2. Nc3

A Dutch sideline with which I was, at the time, not familiar. The recommendation from Simon Williams is now 2... d5 to prevent a White e4 and to meet 3. Bf4 with 3. .. a6.

2. ...  Nf6

3. Bg5 e6

4. e4

Black has gone wrong already by allowing White the very move that the defence is supposed to prevent.

4. ......  fxe4

5. Nxe4 Be7

6. Bxf6 Bxf6

7. Nf3 O-O

Despite starting badly, Black is equal and must adjust to the new situation.

8. Bd3 Nc6

8. .. Be7 retaining the bishop pair was better.

9. c3 d5?

And this is simply bad. Again Black should have dropped back with 9. .. Be7, keeping the bishop pair and a solid defence.

This move is a shocker, making the e-pawn weak and a target. The purpose was to follow up with pawn to e5 and open up the centre while his King was still there.

10. Nxf6 Qxf6

11. Qe2!

Of course. This prevents e5 and ensures the pawn stays on e6, thus blocking in the queenside bishop. White can now finish his development and wait for a chance to build up on the pawn.

11. ... Bd7

12. O-O Be8!?

The plan here is to get rid of the weakness on e6 pawn by exchanging it for a kingside pawn.

13. Rae1 Bh5

14. Qxe6 Qxe6

15. Rxe6 Bxf3

16. gxf3 Rxf3

So what have we achieved? Not a lot. White has a well placed rook and a good bishop v knight game. However the f-pawn is isolated and could be a target.

17. Bb5




17. .....     Nd8?

Another big mistake. I simply did not see 17. .. Rf6 which is essential. 18. Rxf6 gxf6 19. Re1 Kf7 20. Bd3 h6 and White is better but Black can just about hang on. Also 18. Rfe1 Raf8.

White now gains a dominant position.

18. Re8+ Rf8

19. Rfe1

19. Re7 c6 20. Bd3 is another way to keep Black tied up in knots.

19. ...  Nf7

20. Rxa8 Rxa8

21. Re7 Nd6

22. Bd3

22. Be2 and Bf3 was something I was concerned about, but 22. Bd3 aiming at h7 is better.

22. ....  Rc8

This was the position I had foreseen when playing 17. .. Nd8. It was now time for some grovelling.

23. Kg2 Kf8?

Sacrificing a pawn to escape the bind. 23. .. h6 would have saved it, for now, but White could have kept the squeeze with 24. Rd7.

24. Re5 c6

25. Bxh7 Kf7

26. Bd3 b5

My plan is now to try to advance on the queenside and aim for some counterplay. If I could somehow swap all the pawns off the queenside, then, with the White kingside pawns split, I might be able to hold the draw.

27. b3 Rb8

28. a3 a5

29. Kg3 a4

30. b4 Rh8

With the option of Nc4 in place, and keeping the bishop on d3, I now seek to improve the position of the knight.

White could play the showy 31. Bg6+ here, with 31. .. Kxg6 32. Re6+ Kf7 33. Rxd6 Rh6 34. Rxh6 gxh6 and a won king and pawn ending. Black might reply 31. .. Kf6 and then 32. h4. But there is nothing wrong with the move that White played.

31. h4 Rh6

32. Kg4 Ne8?

Another poor move but the position is lost anyway. 32. .. Rf6 is better.

33. h5 Nf6+

34. Kh4

The threat of Bg6+ forces the loss of another pawn.

34. ....  Ne4

35. Bxe4 dxe4

36. Rxe4 g6

37. Re5 gxh5

38. Rxh5 Rf6

39. Kg4

Clever. 39. .. Rxf2 40. Rf5+ forces a winning king and pawn ending.

39. .....  Ke6

40. f4 Rg6+

41. Rg5

Time to give up. Here I resigned.

A disappointing performance to end a run of eight undefeated games.

Game 110 - Swale Club Championship 2017-18 - Final Group - Round Four

Swale Club Championship - Final Group - Round Four

Thursday 21 June 2018

White: D. Page (135) - Black: K. Nevols (161)

The final game of the championship. Essentially this was a dead rubber as I had finished second, and my opponent had got third. But we had never met before in a classical game.

1. e4 d5
2. exd5 Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qa5
4. d4 Nf6
5. Nf3 Bf5
6. Bd3

The Bd3 variation. Bc4 is more aggressive.

6. .......  e6
7. O-O Bg4

A wasted tempo but I thought I would give it a try. The idea is to encourage the White kingside pawns forward and think about a kingside attack with the king castled queenside.

8. h3 Bh5
9. Ne4 Nbd7



10. Ng3

10. c3! gives White an advantage with an idea of Qb3. I am still setting up my standard Scandinavian defence.

10. ....  Bg6
11. Re1 c6
12. Bf4 Nd5

12. ... Be7 is a move to which I gave some thought, but instead decided to give the bishop a kick.

13. Bd2 Qc7
14. Bxg6 hxg6

Nothing much has happened so far, which I was fine with, so White now tries to create an initiative.

15. Qe2 O-O-O
16. c4 Nf4

16. ... N5f6 is probably better, but I like putting the knight on this square.

17. Qe4 Nh5
18. Nxh5 Rxh5

It is difficult for White to create an advantage in this position - Black is very solid. Equally, it was not easy to see how Black could counter attack.



19. Bf4 Bd6
20. Bxd6 Qxd6
21. Rad1 Nf6

The computer now rates this as completely equal.

22. Qe3 Kb8

Protecting the a-pawn and tucking the king away.

23. Ne5 Qc7
24. b4

24. g4! is dangerous, after 24. ... Rhh8 25. g5 Nh5 26. Qf3 Rhf8 27. Re3 and White is gaining space, or 25. ... Ne8 26. c5 putting together a queenside initiative with b4.

24. ....  Rdh8
25. Kf1

Moving towards an escape hole to avoid ideas of tactics based around Rh1+. I have to confess that I was running out of things to do. The idea of g5-g4 was kept in reserve.

25. ... Qe7
26. Qg3 Ka8
27. a3 Rd8
28. Qe3 Nd7



I would not have taken the knight on e5 as, after dxe5, White has a good square on d6 if he gets the chance to use it. But I was surprised when White decided to relinquish this good knight.

29. Nxd7?! Rxd7
30. Qf3 Rf5
31. Qe3 Qf6
32. f3?

I had expected 32. Re2 or Rd2 to meet 32. .. Rf4 with doubling the rooks on the d-file, as my next move forces the d-pawn to advance and I can mop it up.

32. ....  Rf4
33. d5 exd5
34. Qxf4

Nice way to exchange queens.

34. ....  Qxf4
35. Re8+ Qb8
36. Rxb8+ Kxb8
37. cxd5 cxd5?!

I now think 37. .. Rxd5 would have been better. I thought having a passed pawn would be a great asset but it is quite easy for White to block.



38. Ke2 Kc7
39. Kd3 Kd6
40. f4 Re7
41. Rc1 Re4
42. g3 f5?!

At this stage I was beginning to feel confident. The doubled g-pawns negate the advantage somewhat so ... f6 preparing g5 may have been more accurate. Re8 would also have prevented the upcoming infiltration.

43. Rc8! Re1
44. Rd8+ Kc6
45. Rc8+ Kd7



Now White could get the pawn back by 46. Rg8 Re7 47. Kd4 Ke6 48. Rd8.

46. Rc3?! Rd1+
47. Ke2 Rh1
48. h4 Rh2+
49. Kd3 Rg2
50. Kd4 Kd6
51. Rd3 Re2

It was now late at night and I offered the draw which was accepted. Black could have played on by advancing the queenside pawns but with the weak g-pawns it is unclear if the position is winning.

Thus ended the 2017-2018 Swale Chess Club Championship and I had finished second.