Game 41 - club match. Tunbridge Wells v Swale

Tunbridge Wells v Swale - Intro League - Board One
Sunday 20 November 2016
White: K. Nevols (134) - Black: L. Cartwright (91)

A Sunday trip to lovely Tunbridge Wells. This game was played at the Bridge Club which had a very impressive room of card tables and facilities. We were tucked in upstairs.

1. e4 g6
2. d4 Bg7
3. Nf3 d6

By delaying Nf6, Black allows me to change this into a King's Indian.

4. c4 e5?!

Now 5. d5 would move towards the Petrosian King's Indian but, by playing e5 before castling, White allows me to exchange into an early advantage.

5. dxe5 dxe5
6. Qxd8+ Kxd8
7. Bg5+

Now I expected 7. .. f6 8. Be3  and then Nc3 or 7. ... Ne7 8. Nc3 and then Rd1, Be2 and castles with a development advantage while Black sorts out where to put his King.

7. ....   Nf6!?



But this surprised me. Does it not just give away a pawn? I looked at 8. Nxe5 h6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nd3 and the position is equal.

Better might be  9. Nxf7+ Ke8 then 10. Nxh8 hxg5 11. Nxg6 (where White is the exchange and three pawns up - although it is difficult to rescue the knight on g5 - 11.  .. Ng8! 12. Nc3 Kf7) or 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 (not Kxf7 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 and White is two pawns up) 11. Nxh8 Bxb2 12. Nxg6 Bxa1 and White has two pawns for a piece.

Or 8. Nxe5 Ke8 9. Nc3 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Bf5 11. Nf6+ Bxf6 12. Bxf6 Rg8. Material is equal but White is ahead with development and Black's king in the centre.

In the end I chose a simple development over tactics.

8. Nc3

Now 8. ... h6 is mandatory. 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nfd7 11. Rd1 and White has an edge. But I might have played 9. Rd1+ and then Be3.

8. ....  Nc6??

This just gives away a piece. I scrutinised the board to see if there were any opening taps or tactics I was missing. I could not see any and so went to pick up the pinned piece.

9. Nd5

Hard to give Black advice here. The computer recommends 9. ... Bg4 in an attempt to muddy the waters.

9. ...  Re8

Now which piece? 10. Nxf6 Bxf6 11. Bxf6+ Kd7 12. O-O-O looked fine but I decided to be greedy noticing the knight on f6 now forked the rook and the h7 pawn.

10. Bxf6+ Bxf6
11. Nxf6 Rh8
12. O-O-O+ Ke7
13. Nd5+ Kd6



The game is now a simple win as I pick up a rook and a pawn.

14. Nb6+ Ke7
15. Nxa8 Bg4
16. Nxc7 Bxf3
17. Nd5+ Ke6
18. gxf3 Nd4

So I am a rook, a bishop and a pawn up. There is nothing further to say in this game - except that I find a nice way to checkmate.

19. Bh3+ Kd6
20. Rd3 Kc5
21. b3 Rd8
22. Kb2 b6
23. b4+ Kxc4
24. Rc3+ Kb5
25. Bf1+ Resigns



After 25. ... Ka4 then 26. Ra3 is checkmate.

Tunbridge Wells v Swale

Keith Nevols (134) 1-0 Lewis Cartwright (91)
Andrew Gillard (113) 1-0 Efe Shimwell (80)
Ted Vidyartmi (55) 0-1 Sam Cartwright (51)
Owen Underdown (55) 0-1 Madhav Suraj (51)

Tunbridge Wells 2-2 Swale