Game 55 - Swale Club Championship 2016-17 - Round Nine

Swale Club Championship - Round Nine
Thursday 23 February 2017
White: T. Owen (170) - Black: K. Nevols (134)

Black against the club champion and a very strong player - who at the time was on 100%. I knew I had a tough battle here.

1. d4 f5

Time to wheel out the Dutch again.

2. Qd3!?

But what's this? In my study of the sidelines, I had not come across this move.

Apparently it is called the Manhattan variation. Obviously I have to defend the f-pawn but how? 2. .. d5 appears to be the most popular. But I decided to stick to the classical variation and, without knowing, chose the second most popular move.

2. ....   e6

Part of the idea of the Dutch is to prevent the White move e4. So I now expected 3. e4 but after 3. .. fxe4 4. Qxe4 Nf6 or 4. ... Nc6, we are not doing too bad.

Playing the dangerous 3. g4 appears to be another option with 3. .. fxg4 4. h3 g3 5. Qxg3 Nf6 6. Nf3 and White is not looking too bad.

3. Nc3

White adopts a more peaceful plan of development and I reply in kind.

3. ....   Bb4
4. Bd2 Nf6
5. f3

Looks like White wants to play e4. 5. a3 hitting the bishop might have been a more accurate move, although Black has the wonderful tactic 5. .. Nc6. (6. axb4? Nxb4 and 7. Nxc2+).

One of the principles of the Dutch is that, if White does not develop his bishop along the h1-a8 diagonal, then Black should try and do so. The next move also gives the future options of Ba6 and c5.

5. ....   b6

Now 6. Qc4 or 6. e4 are recommend - instead White puts himself under pressure by reducing the number of squares available to the queen.

6. O-O-O!? Ba6



7. Qe3

White's development is a bit of a mess. The queen is getting in the way of everything. Having said that, there is no way yet for Black to take a serious advantage.

7. ....   O-O

I knew my opponent was a dangerous attacking player and now think maybe I should have played 7. .. Nc6 with the aim to castle queenside. By castling kingside I was inviting the next move.

8. h4

They always say you should counter a wing attack with play in the centre.

8. ...   c5
9. dxc5 Bxc5

White's queen continues to be short of squares - so I take the opportunity to keep kicking it.

10. Qg5 Be7

Maybe 10. .. d5 is better, staking a claim to the centre. If 11. h5 then 11. .. h6, or if 11. e3 Bxf1 12. Rxf1 Nc6. But I could not resist the opportunity to keep harassing the queen.

11. Qg3 Nh5
12. Qe1

Now Black should play 12. .. Qc7 keeping up the pressure.

12. ...   f4

I was really enjoying the way that I was pushing White back but also cautious of over-reaching.

13. Ne4 d5
14. Bb4 Nd7

Developing the bishop and blocking the queen from the rook along the d-file.

15. g4



With this move, White offered me a draw. Had there been spectators, they would have been disappointed.

Now although my position was good, I could not see a clear way to improve it. While White has ideas if Bh3 and Ng5. After 15. .. fxg3 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Nxg3 White had attacking chances against the e6 pawn. Or .. 15.... dxe4 16. gxh5 e3 17. Bh3 did not look much fun and the computer states one line could be 17. ... Bc4 18. b3 Bd5 19. c4 Bxb4 20. Qxb4 Qc7 21. Kb1 a5 - or even a queen sacrifice with 17. ... Rf6 18. Bc3 Rh6 19. Be5 Nxe5!? 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8.

The game looked horribly complicated - indeed we found all sorts of combinations and variations afterwards with White attacking down the d-file, against e6, etc - but the main thing to consider was that I was playing Black against a much stronger player and he was offering me a draw in a position with which I was not comfortable - so I accepted.

Agreed Draw

Game 54 - County U-140 League - Kent vs Middlesex

Kent v Middlesex - Board Eight
Saturday 18 February 2017
White: K. Nevols (134) - Black: W. Ransome (133)

To Dartford - for a home match for the Kent Under 140s. There was another Kent match going on, so there were about 60 people in the hall. They were all male, almost all were white, and almost all of them were over 40. I reflected that we really need to make chess more diverse.

1. e4

I played the move, press the clock, and sat back - looking at the empty chair opposite me. My opponent had been held up by traffic and directions and was 15 minutes late. He apologised, shook hands, and away we went.

1. ...  c5

And it is time for another Closed Sicilian - at which I am becoming quite good.

2. Nc3 e6
3. f4 d5
4. Bb5+

I never know whether to put this bishop on e2 or b5. 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Nc6 6. Qe2+ looked exceedingly dull.

4. ...  Nc6

A surprise. I had expected 4. .. Bd7. Now I can double Black's pawns at the cost of the two bishops.

5. Bxc6+ bxc6
6. Nf3

Now 6. .. dxe4 7. Nxe4 looks horrible for Black but the computer claims Black can now take the advantage - either with 6. .. d4 7. Ne2 Nf6 (7. .. d3!?) 8. d3 Ba6 9. O-O Be7 or 9. .. Qb6 - or 6. .. Ba6 7. d3 Nf6! 8. e5 (White can't castle because of 8. O-O dxe4) d4 9. exf6 bxc3 10. bxc3 Qxf6 (Now 11. O-O looks fun 11. .. Qxc3 12. Bd2 Qf6 13. Ne5).

6.....  Bd6
7. d3 Ne7
8. O-O O-O
9. Qe1

Now that Black has castled I can get an attack going. I also wanted to keep the tension in the centre. If I play e5 he then has the f5 square for his knight. Equally if he plays d4 I have the possibility of using e4 or c4.



Black chooses to play on the queenside.

9. ....     Qb6
10. Kh1 Ba6
11. Rb1

To defend the b-pawn and free the queens' bishop. Now Black could consider 11. .. d4! and then c4 to take a strong initiative in the centre.

11.     c4
12. Be3 Qb7
13. d4

I was worried about those pawns coming through and so now decided to try to close the centre.

13. ....   Ng6
14. Ne5

After a big think. I wanted to remove that knight on g6 and see if I could get an attack against the king.

14. ....    Bb4
15. Nxg6 hxg6
16. e5

Objective achieved. The centre is closed, his knights are gone. Now if I could hold the queenside, I might have some chances on the kingside.

16. ....   Rab8
17. a3 Ba5
18. Bd2

So I was satisfied. His bishops were not great, especially the white squared one which is completely out of play. Now I was thinking of Na4, trying to exchange the bishops and putting the knight on c5. At the moment, a plan of Rf3-h3 and Qh4 would be too slow as Black can play f6 and make space.

The computer favours Black suggesting 18. .. Bb6 19. Ne2 f6 breaking down the White centre.



18.  ....  Bxc3?

But this is a mistake. Now my bishop dominates the black squares unchallenged.

19. Bxc3 Qd7
20. Bb4

White seizes this wonderful diagonal. I think that Black realised at this point that he had made a mistake.

20. ....   Re8
21. Rf3 Qd8
22. Rh3 Bb5

The best defence. If the bishop can come to a4-c2-f5, it would be a strong defender.

23. g4

The point of this is to play g5 and then Qh4. Black could now try 23. .. g5. I might have considered 24. Rh5 with Qf1-h3. The bishop on b4 does a wonderful job of keeping the king locked up. I also saw 23. ... Ba4 and tried to decide between 24. Rc1 or 24. b3 cxb3 25. cxb3 Bb5 26. g5.

23. ....   Rb7
24. g5 f5



Black had been relying on this move. By now, we had a crowd around the board, seeing if I could finish it off.
Now 25. Qh4 should still win, with Qh7 and Rg6 to follow, but breaking up the pawns in front of the king could not be resisted.

25. gxf6 e.p.

If now 25. ... Kf7 then 26. Rh7 with Qh4 keeps up the pressure.

25. ....    gxf6
26. Qh4

The game is now won - Black goes into a mate in two.

26. ...  fxe5
27. Qh8+ Kf7
28. Rh7++

Black had thought the f6 square was free. A good win. And Kent won the match 9.5 - 6.5.

Game 53 - club match. Swale v Hastings

Swale vs Hastings - Fuller Cup - Board One
Thursday 16 February 2017
White: J. Wheeler (151) Black: K. Nevols (134)

1. d4 f5

After deciding to give up the Kings Indian, I had decided to give the Dutch a try as my main defence to d4. My logic is that as White, I often end up playing f4, so why not try with f5? I purchased Simon Williams' DVD 'Killer Dutch' and went through the main principles of the opening.

Playing Black against a strong player, dare I give it a try? I decided I might as well - the only way you can learn from your mistakes is to make those mistakes in the first place!

2. e4

But White takes it into the Staunton Gambit. As luck would have it, I had seen the chapter regarding off-beat responses to the Dutch and decided to give Williams' suggestion  a try.

2. ....   fxe4
3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Bg5

This is the main line. Now 4. .. d5? is a mistake. 5. Bxf6 exf6 6. Qh5+ g6 7. Qxd5 Qxd5 8. Nxd5 forking c7 and f6.

4. ....  c6

But this is the move suggested. The point is to give the pawn back, exchange the dangerous bishop, and fortify the centre. By the amount of time he now thought, I do not think White has come across this before.



5. Bxf6 exf6
6. Nxe4 d5
7. Ng3

The knight is slightly offside here. 7. Nc3 and continuing to develop may have been more accurate. I now gave some thought about exchanging queens and entering an equal position. 7. .. Qb6 did not appeal due to 8. Qe2+ Be7 (8. ...  Kf7!?) 9. O-O-O and I am behind in development.

7. ....   Qe7+

The queen exchange is now forced. If Ne2 or Be2 then Qb4+ picks up a pawn.

8. Qe2 Qxe2
9. Bxe2 g6

Developing the bishop to g7 or h6, and limiting a white knight.

10. Nf3 Bd6

But I changed my mind. As White is missing his queen and dark-squared bishop I thought I would take some control.



11. O-O

I was pleased to see this move as I was a little apprehensive about 11. h4 and tried to calculate whether I could play 11. .. Bg4 or meet a future h5 with g5.

11. ....   Be6

To get the king safe.

12. Rfe1 Kf7
13. Bd3 Nd7

I felt comfortable now and continued with the defensive development.

14. Nf1 Rhe8
15. N1d2 Re7

The computer recommends starting a queenside offensive 15. .. a5!? I did not consider this.

16. h3 Rae8
17. c4

This was the purpose of White's knight relocation, to start a queenside offensive.



17. ...   dxc4

Now White could try 18. Rxe6 Rxe6 19. Bxc4 Nb6 20. Bxe6+ Rxe6 21. Re1 and a level position.

18. Nxc4 Bc7

Now White has an isolated queen pawn and Black's task will be to see how to play against that.

19. a4

Protecting the position of the knight.

19. .....  Bd5

Here 19. .. Nb6 could be better and then either exchanging a pair of knights or moving a horse to the d5 square.

20. Rxe7+ Rxe7
21. Nfd2 Nb6
22. Ne3 Be6

A similar idea to the last note but a long way round. I was trying to find the best squares for my pieces in anticipation of a White offensive.

23. Ne4 Rd7

Recommended is 23. .. Kg7 24. Nc5 Bc8

24. a5 Nc8
25. Nc2 Nd6?

Now 25. .. b6 is necessary to challenge the a-pawn and cover the c5 square.

26. Nc5 Rd8



White can take an advantage by 27. a6! with the following:

- 27. ....  bxa6 28. Nxe6 Kxe6 29. Nb4 Kd7 30. d5!
- 27. ..... b5 28. Nxe6 Kxe6 29. Nb4 Kd7 30. Rc1 ( ... Nc4 31. Bxc4 dxc4 32. Rxc4 Re8 33. g3 Re6 hanging on)
- 27. ..... b6 28. Nxe6 Kxe6 29. Nb4 c5 (29. ... Kd7 30. Rc1) 30. Re1+! Kf7 31. Rc1.

Fortunately he overlooks this possibility.

27. Nxe6? Kxe6

Another opportunity for 28. ..... a6 - still good but not as strong as before as Black now has the defence 28. .. Rb8.

28. b4

To my surprise, White now offered a draw! In the match, I knew we had won one game and were winning in another, and a draw would therefore seal the deal. Added to the fact that I had (in my opinion) the worse position and he was a stronger player than I. So I gladly accepted.

Agreed Draw.

The computer rates the final position as equal giving, as one line, 28. .. Kf7 29. g3 Nb5 30. Bc4+ Kf8 31. Bxb5 cxb5 32. a6 bxa6 33. Rxa6 Bb6.

Swale v Hastings

Keith Nevols (134) 1/2-1/2 James Wheeler (151)
Tyrone Jefferies (116) 0-1 Marc Bryant (141)
Andrew Gillard (113) 1-0 Umberto Jozwiak (78)
Anthony Fletcher (74) 1-0 Harry Stephens (60)

Swale 2.5-1.5 Hastings

Game 52 - club match. Maidstone v Swale

Maidstone vs Swale - En Passant Cup - Board Three
Wednesday 15 February 2017
White: D. Heath (145) - Black: K. Nevols (134)

In life, we all need some luck - so it is over the chessboard. This is the great escape.

1. d4 d5

Having now decided to abandon the Kings Indian Defence after the latest shattering defeat (at the same venue), it was my intention to defend using the Queens Gambit Declined - so I was preparing to meet 2. c4 with 2. .. e6.

2. Nf3 Nf6
3. e3

In QGD positions, often it is difficult for Black to deploy the queen's bishop after blocking it with e6 - so I take the opportunity to develop it. A more cautious 3. .. e6 would have been wiser.

3. ...   Bg4
4. h3

White targets the bishop.

4. ...  Bh5
5. g4 Bg6
6. Ne5

Now 6. .. e6 is best, although I considered 6. .. Nbd7 7. Nxg6 hxg6 leading to a pawn set-up which I have come across from playing the Scandinavian.

6. ... Be4??

But this is a blunder. Black's fourth Bishop move out of six does White's work for him - White now gains a winning position by force very quickly. My intention was to mess up the White pawns on the kingside, but I had completely overlooked the following sequence.

7. f3 Bg6
8. h4 h5?

Another early error, caused by bad memories of an early game at Hastings where I played h6 and got the pieces all blocked in (Game Three). 8. .. h6 would have been better.

9. Nxg6 fxg6



Black is now lost. Those White squares around Blacks' king are an obvious target and cannot be defended. White need only line up the queen and bishop along the b1-h7 diagonal to hit the g6 point, and couple it with c4 and Nc3 to hit the d5 point and it will be curtains for Black.

10. Bd3 Kf7
11. g5 Ne8
12. c4



So now I invested a lot of time in a mega think. Black's position is simply awful. No pieces are developed, the king is dislodged, the squares around him are weak, the king's bishop and rook can only dream of one day entering the action, and White has a clear plan of attack following c4 with Qc2 or Qb3 and Nc3.

12. .. dxc4 13. Bxc4+ e6 14. Qb3 Qc8 15. d5! is horrible.
12. .. c6 13. cxd5 Qxd5 14. Nc3 with either Qc2 or Qb3 is not a lot better.
I even considered a wild 12. ... e5?! - the plan being 13. dxe5 Bb4+ freeing the f8 square for a king retreat.
The best the computer can do is to let a pawn go with 12. .. c6 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nc3 e6 15. Qc2.

I tried to consider how I could cover all the weak squares - g6, d5, b7 - and try to match that with some sort of counter attack, or at least an imaginary counter attack - in the hope that White might be distracted.

12. ..     Qd6

And I came up with this move - to both defend the g6 point, and make the threat of Qg3+. The time limit was the usual 35 moves in 75 minutes, and then 15 more minutes for the rest, and already I was down to 34 minutes left for 23 moves. Well, I consoled myself, at least I will get an early night.

Now White should play 13. cxd5 and if 13. .. Qxd5 then 14. Nc3 Qe6 (14. .. Qd6?? 15. Qb3+) 15. Ne2! and Nf4 is coming. My plan had been 13. cxd5 Qg3+ but that was far as I got. My hope was that the Qg3+ illusion would convince him to play 13. f4 which would block that square and weaken any subsequent e4 push.

13. f4

OK, so that worked. Now a further ten minute think to see how I could cobble together some sort of defence.

13.  ...   Qb4+
14. Nc3 c6

I now had 18 minutes left for 21 moves!! My plan was to try to get as many pieces as I could to defend the d5 point and hope to distract him from the fact that he could simply win by targeting g6.

Now best for White is 15. Qc2 Qd6 16. Qb3 Qd7 17. cxd5 - the computer rates this as +2.04.

15. cxd5 cxd5
16. a3 Qd6
17. Bd2?!

The first small sign that White is going wrong. 17. Qb3 wins a pawn straight away. At the time, I also struggled to see an answer to 17. Nb5 although 17. .. Qc6 hangs in there. Better to keep the knight on c3 where it attacks d5.

I did not understand 17. Bd2 and assumed the plan was to bring the rook to the c-file. However, this gives me a breather to improve the defence of d5.

17. ...   Nc7!
18. Qf3

The queen goes the wrong way! While this attacks d5, it lefts b7 off the hook.

18. .....   e6

Now that lateral defence of g6 is no longer needed, this move can defend d5 as well as prevent an f5 push.

The computer now recommends admitting the mistake and going back with 19. Qd1 but a human is not likely to do that.

19. O-O-O?

But this is a mistake - castling kingside - 19. O-O is far better and keeps up the pressure. White then has a choice of some glorious plans - e4, b4, doubling the rooks somewhere - he is spoilt for choice.

Castling queenside does not end the advantage - White is still much better - but he is not as better as he was. He has wasted a lot of time and now I get the chance to add another piece to the defence.

19. ....   Nc6
20. Kb1

Another surprise but not as bad as it looks. Maybe 20. Rde1 is an improvement.

20. ... .. Ne7!

This knight is heading for the f5 square. I now had 13 minutes left for 15 moves.



21. e4 dxe4
22. Nxe4

If 22. Bxe4 Black could try 22. .. Nf5 23. Bc1 Rb8 then if 24. Bxb7 Nxd4 25. Qe4 Qb6 hangs on.

22. ....   Qb6
23. Bb4 Nf5
24. Bc5 Bxc5
25. dxc5 Qc6

Nine minutes left for ten moves but now I am thinking I might get out of this alive. One pair of bishops have gone, my knights are well placed, and I can now develop the rooks. The main problem is the weakness of the e6 pawn and, thinking long term, the majority White has on the queenside.

26. Qe2 Rhd8
27. Bc4 a6
28. Rhe1 Rxd1
29. Rxd1 Nd5

With four minutes left for six moves, I still had no time to pat myself on the back. But now the position is even.

30. Rf1??

White blunders ...



30. .....    Re8??

...  and so does Black. All I could think of in my limited time was defending key points - such as the pawn on e6.

I cannot say if I had more time whether I would have seen 30. .. Nde3! but this turns the tide. 31. Ng3 Nxf1 32. Nxf5 gxf5 33. Qxf1 Qxc5 and White is now losing by an exchange and a pawn.

While White was thinking, I now saw the move Nde3 (one move too late) but did not have time to calculate whether it was any good - and it was too late anyway as White puts a stop to it.

31. Rf3

Now best for Black is the remarkable 31. .. b5! I did not see this at all. If 32. cxb6 then simply 32. ... Nd4. If 32. Bb3 then the bishop is dislodged from defending the e2 square in the upcoming sequence. White would have to play 32.Bd3.

31. ....    Nd4

I had seen the combination coming up but assumed it led to a draw.

32. Nd6 Qxd6
33. cxd6 Nxe2
34. Bxe2 Rd8
35. Rb3 b6?

With one minute left, I end any chances of a surprise win. I had rejected 35. .. b5 because of 36. a4 but then 36. .. Rxd6 37. axb5 axb5 38. Rxb5 Nxf4. Black is a pawn up but White has the bishop and a passed b-pawn so has good chances of at least a draw.



I was just glad of meeting the time control and also of now being likely to get the draw.

36. Bxa6 Rxd6
37. Rf3 Ne7

Back to f5 - where I was confident the draw was in hand.

38. Rc3 Nf5
39. Rc7+ Kf8
40. Bb5 Nxh4
41. Rc8+ Ke7

I considered 41. .. Kf7 with the aim of getting the king round to h7 but did not trust the position after 42. Be8+. There is also the danger, after moving the king to h7, of getting trapped if the bishop could work its way to f7 and the g8 square.

42. Re8+ Kf7
43. Rc8

Black could now play 43. .. Ng2 where White could choose between 44. Be8+ Ke7 45. Bxg6 Nxf4 46. Rg8! or just 44. Rc4.

43. .....   Ke7

But I was happy with a draw,

44. Re8+ Kf7
45. Rc8

Draw agreed - an entertaining game and a close run thing.


Maidstone v Swale

Cristian Ilinca (154) 1/2-1/2 Keith Hyde (167)
Barrington Beavis (148) 0-1 Trefor Owens (172)
David Heath (145) 1/2-1/2 Keith Nevols (134)
Ian Clark (141) 1-0 Peter Blundell (120)
Douglas Smith (132) 1-0 Tyrone Jefferies (116)
Peter Dirmauskas (99) 1-0 Andrew Gillard (113)

Maidstone 4-2 Swale

Game 51 - club match. Hastings v Swale

Hastings vs Swale - En Passant Cup - Board Three
Sunday 12 February 2017
White: K. Nevols (134) Black: D. Harvey (131)

Another long drive down to Hastings. It is a marvellous old club - I just wish it was a bit nearer home.

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Bc5

The Ruy Lopez Classical Defence - the oldest defence - quite fitting for our location. White could play 4. c3 or even, if he fancies it, 4. Nxe5!? but castling looks straight forward.

4. O-O Nge7

Now 4. .. Nd4 or 4. ..Nf6 are more usual. This looked like a solid enough defence but White really can now play 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 and get some initiative. (Apparently White has won 65% of games in this line).

Not one for such early risks, I decided to stick to the normal Ruy Lopez build-up.

5. c3 O-O

I now gave a lot of thought to 6. d4 - then 6. ... exd4 7. cxd4 Bb6. This position of the bishop and the slight weakness of the d-pawn made me slightly nervous, although White is better after 8. d5 Nb8 9. Nc3.

In the end I decided for calm development and protect the e-pawn.

6. d3 d6

Black has the same thought. There are further opportunities to play d4 before I finally do so.

7. h3 Bd7
8. Nbd2 Ng6

8. .. a6 would be good for Black with either 9. Bxc6 Nxc6 or 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 and then either 10. .. Na5 or 10. .. Bb6.

9. Nb3 Bb6



At last the d4 move arrives, but I gave some consideration to 10. a4 with either 10. .. a6 11. Bc4 Na5 12. Nxa5 Bxa5 13. b4 or 10. .. a5. The computer recommends 10. Bg5 developing with tempo with 10. .. f6 11. Bc4+ Kh8 12. Be3 or 10. .. Qe8 11. Be3 - aiming to open up the f-file and also strengthen a d4 push.

10. d4 exd4
11. cxd4 Nce7
12. Bc4 c6

Black could have taken over the initiative with 12. .. a5! 13. a4 Qe8 but he plans to block the Bishop on c4 and swap a few pieces off to ease any central pressure. I take a time out to cause a slight weakness.

13. Ng5 h6
14. Nf3 d5
15. Bd3 dxe4
16. Bxe4 Bf5
17. Bxf5 Nxf5



The computer rates this position as dead level. Indeed it does look very boring.

18. Be3 Qd6

I now see a sequence to take over the d-file but overlook a tactic - and fortunately he does so too. Playing 19. Qd3 simply keeps things even.

19. Nc5? Bxc5?

But 19. .. Nxe3! wins a pawn. 20. fxe3 Bxc5 21. dxc5 Qxc5. Not only is Black a pawn ahead but White has a weak isolated pawn on e3. If then 22. Qb3 Black has 22. .. Rad8! with advantage.

20. dxc5 Qxd1
21. Raxd1 Nxe3

This was the drawback to my plan - I get an isolated e-pawn anyway - but I least I saw that bit.

22. fxe3 Rad8
23. Rd6



And now we are at the position that I had foreseen at move 19. The plan is to double up the rooks, or get an advance passed pawn, and play Kf2, with hopefully e4-e5.

At this stage, all the clocks were stopped so that everyone could have a tea break in the kitchen. This was a new one - games being stopped in the middle. I had heard once of a power cut in a tournament hall, and everyone had to stop their clocks and were told to stop thinking, but a planned stoppage I had not come across before.

It was difficult to drink a glass of water and eat a chocolate mini-roll while playing over the position in my head. My opponent must have had the same thought as we both returned to the board early to resume our game before the others.

23. ....   Ne7

Planning to block on the d5 square - another reason why the creation of a new e-pawn is very useful.

24. Rfd1 Rxd6
25. cxd6 Nd5

Now I rejected the immediate 26. e4 Nf6 27. e5 Nd5 as I wanted to offer some king support, but this would have been a better move.

26. Kf2?! Rd8

Black could have considered 26. .. f5 which stops the e-pawn advance but also opens up some squares for the White knight. The position would still be equal.

27. e4 Nf6
28. e5

Advancing with 28. Ke3 is slightly better.

28. ...   Nd5
29. Nd4 Kf8
30. Nf5 Nb6
31. Re1 Nd7



White could now consider 32. a3 with b4 to follow to add some pressure on the queenside, although it does not make sense to me to cause weaknesses on the side where my pawns are in a minority. So I decide to force the issue.

32. e6 fxe6
33. Rxe6 Nc5

I gave some thought here to 34. Re7?? which, I discovered afterwards, loses a pawn to 34. .. Rxd6. But I continue in trying to get something from the position.

34. Re2 Rd7
35. Ke3 Rf7
36. Ng3 Rf6
37. Rd2 Re6+
38. Kf4 Ke8
39. b4 Rf6+

Black had thought White could not play 40. Kg4 because of 40. .. Rg6+ 41. Kh4 Rxg3 although 42. Re2+ would sidestep that tactic. I did not see that - but could not see any future for the king on that side of the board. Considering Black will round up the d6 pawn eventually, and that I had no winning chances at all I agreed to the draw.

40. Ke3 Re6+
41. Kf4 Rf6+
42. Ke3

Draw



Hastings v Swale

Robert Elliston (181) 0-1 Keith Hyde (167)
Marc Bryant (141) 0-1 Trefor Owens (172)
Derek Harvey (131) 1/2-1/2 Keith Nevols (134)
Adrian Cload (127) 0-1 Peter Blundell (120)
Jeremy Hudson (125) 1/2-1/2 Tyrone Jefferies (116)
Omer Namouk (122) 1/2-1/2 Andrew Gillard (113)

Hastings 1.5-4.5 Swale

Game 50 - club match. Swale v Rainham

Swale vs Rainham - En Passant Cup - Board Three
Thursday 2 February 2017
White: C. Marshall (143) K. Nevols (134)

1. e4 d5

Nice to get back to a Scandinavian defence.

2. exd5 Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qa5
4. Bc4 Nf6
5. d3

White adopts a quieter set-up with d3 instead of d4. The drawback is that it can interfere with the movements of White's white squared bishop, but is otherwise fine.

5.  .....c6

Preparing to drop the queen back and continuing the restriction of the bishop.

6. Bd2 Qc7
7. Nf3 Bg4

I usually play this bishop to the f5 square but chose this more aggressive option in the absence of the Be2 possibility to create a weakness.

8. h3 Bh5
9. Qe2 e6
10. g4 Bg6
11. Ne5 Bd6
12. Nxg6 hxg6



This is the sort of position I often get in the Scandinavian and have played many times. White has the space, bishop pair, the edge in development and has caused doubled pawns, but Black is quite solid and has just one more piece to develop.

13. Ne4 Be7
14. O-O-O Nbd7
15. Kb1

I did not understand this - perhaps just taking a breather to improve the safety of the king. I now thought about castling queenside but did not like Ng5. Also kingside castling would give White an initiative after 16. h4.

15. ..  Nd5
16. Bxd5!?

White now carries out a very interesting plan. Black's king is still in the centre so White has spotted a way to offload his bishop and advance the f-pawn. (The computer prefers gaining space with 16. d4 with Bb3 and c4 to follow).

16. ...   cxd5
17. Ng5

Now our electronic friend recommends 17. .. Rc8 18. c3 O-O, but having had a bad experience from 'castling into it' in a previous game, I had no wish to repeat the experiment. With the knight on g5, Black is also unable to castle queenside.

17. ...   Nf6

A brave White player might now fancy 18. Nxe6? fxe6 19. Qxe6 but 19. .. Qd6 repels boarders.

18. f4!

A good move and now things are looking difficult. White clearly plans to play f5 and smash through the centre.

18. ...  Qb6!

But I was quite pleased with this reply which combines lateral defence along the sixth rank with a counter attack upon the White king. The computer now rates the game as equal and produces the line 19. Nf3 O-O 20. g5 Nh5 21. Rhg1 Rac8 22. Ne5 Bc5 23. Nd7 Qc7 24. Nxc5 and a draw is not far away.



19. f5!

White goes for it, with a temporary pawn sacrifice to continue the pressure.

19. ...    gxf5
20. gxf5 exf5
21. Qe5

Now it was time for a big think. The threat is 22. Rhe1. If Black plays 21. .. g6 then 22. Rhe1 Qd8 23. Qxf6. I thought about 21. .. Qd6 but then 22. Rhe1 Qxe5 23. Rxe5 g6?? 24. Bb4 Ng8 25. Rde1.

So Black has to give up any thoughts of holding on to the pawn and, being unable to castle, I played the only move left, and that was to break the pin. I also saw a line in which I could try to counter attack.

21. ...   Kf8!
22. Qxf5 Ba3

I, and perhaps my opponent, now assumed that White could not play 23. Bc3 because of 23. .. d4 overlooking the fact that 24. Bxd4! is playable (24. .. Qxd4 25. bxa3).

23. Bc1 Rh4



The main point of this move was psychological. It develops the rook ands threatens to swing across to attack the king. But White could simply play 24. d4! with the same idea in the last note (24. .. Rxd4? 25. Rxd4 Qxd4 26. bxa3 wins a piece).

24. b3 Bxc1
25. Rxc1 Qd6

Centralising the queen

26. Rhf1

I figured White had the better position now - he has central pressure, a safer King, and Black's pawn on d5 is not happy. To counter this, however, White has a weak pawn on h3 and, if I could clear some pieces, the f-pawn is passed and that could be useful in an ending.

26. ....   Re8

Grabbing the e-file. Now some juggling goes on.

27. Qf2 Rh5
28. Nf3 a6

The queen was threatening to take the a-pawn. The computer now rates the position as completely equal but I did not feel it was equal at the time.

29. Qg2 Rh6

Planning to move to g6.

30. Rce1 Rxe1
31. Rxe1 Rg6
32. Qe2 Rh6

I quite liked these small rook moves. Essentially Black is asking White what is he going to do? How does he plan to win this game? And I was always keeping an eye out for the knight moves Ne5 or Nd4-f5.



33. h4 Rh5

However White can ask the same question - what are you going to do - and can take some time to conjure up an advantage while Black can only wait.

34. a4 Qd7
35. Kb2 Rh6
36. Qe5 Qd8

To protect against Qb8+.

37. Qd4!

Beginning a good redeployment of the queen.

37. ....   Qc7
38. Qb4+ Kg8
39. Re7

A third piece moves into the attack and now it is getting uneasy for Black. He effectively only has one move - but it is a good one.

39. ...   Qg3
40. Ng5 Rxh4

If Black plays 40. .. Qxh4 then after 41. Qxh4 Rxh4 42. Rxb7 is clearly winning.

But White to win now ... can you spot it?



White could play 41. Re8+!! Nxe8 42. Qe7! - an amazing pair of moves that takes a computer to spot.

Black can only survive by sacrificing his queen so .. 42. .. Qxg5 43. Qxg5 Rh6 44. Qxd5. There is still a lot of work for White to do but he is clearly ahead here.

Another move would be 41. Qd2 - Black would get the initiative after 41. .. Rh2.

41. Qxb7?

My chess luck holds as White goes wrong - sacrificing a piece. We were by now both very short of time.

41. ...   Qxg5
42. Rxf7 Rh1

White now considered 43. Rxf6 expecting 43. .. Qxf6 and then taking on d5, forking the king and rook - but, of course, 43. .. Qxf6 is check.

43. Rc7

I now invested much of my remaining time to see if I could finish this off. 43. .. Qc1+ 44. Kc3 Qe1+ is the correct path. Initially I thought he could just go back to 45. Kb2 and overlooked the simple 45. .. Qa1 mate, so instead if would be 45. Kd4 Rh4+ 46. Kc5 Qe3+. It seems unlikely that I could mate the King but exchanging the queens seemed a real possibility.

Also I was aware that the pawn on a6 seemed unlikely to be held and that gives White two powerful passed pawns.

43. ....  Qe5+

So I went the other way.

44. Ka3 Qd6+
45. b4

No more checks but Qe5 is now best. I was worried about the g-pawn but after 45. .. Qe5 46. Rxg7+ Kh8 White has nothing.

45. ...   Qg3

I now expected 46. Rc8+ Kh7 47. Qxa6 and a draw offer, which I may well have accepted, as I did not like the look of those pawns coming down the queenside. In fact, Black is still a long way ahead and 47. .. Qf4 covers the bases and prepares to resume the attack around White's king.



With his clock entering the last two minutes, White blunders and the game is over.

46. Qxa6? Qxc7
47. Resigns

Another exciting battle where I held on to the cliff and watched the other guy go over - and as a result we won a close match.


Swale v Rainham

Keith Hyde (167) 1/2-1/2 David Barnes (167)
Trefor Owens (172) 1-0 Andrew Waters (163)
Keith Nevols (134) 1-0 Chris Marshall (143)
David Page (135) 1/2-1/2 Peter Lloyd (148)
Peter Blundell (120) 0-1 Robert Springett (120)
Tyrone Jefferies (116)  1/2-1/2 Gary Clifford (103)

Swale 3.5-2.5 Rainham

Game 49 - club match. Maidstone v Rochester

Maidstone vs Rochester - Stephenson Cup - Board Four
Wednesday 1 February 2017
White: B Beavis (148) - Black: K. Nevols (134)

My second match in Rochester colours and my third match against Mr Beavis with whom my record is one draw and one loss (Games 18 and 39).

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6
3. Nc3 Bg7

By this stage I have been considering other defences to d4. Considering how my opponent destroyed this defence in our first meeting (Game 18) it might have been a good idea.

4. e4 d6
5. Bg5 h6

In our previous game, I had played 5. .. O-O which White answered with the Four Pawns Attack and 6. f4. This time I remembered a move which IM Andrew Martin had recommended.

6. Bh4 c6

The point is that Black plans to play his queen to a5 or b6 and exploit the fact that White's queen's bishop cannot retreat along the h6-c1 diagonal

7. f4

White insists on his four pawn centre. Now Black could play 7. .. Nh5. I have grown nervous of these knight to the rim moves, which seem to always get me in trouble, but here the knight hits the f4 pawn. Then if 8. Qd2 Black has .. Nxf4 9. Qxf4 g5 10. Bxg5 hxg5 and either 11. Qxg5 Bxd4 12. Nf3 Bf6 or 11. Qd2 Qa5 with a slight advantage.

7. ....  Qa5
8. Qd2 Na6?!

Black adopts a plan but this is too slow. Taking the initiative with 8. .. c5 is an improvement.



9. Bd3!

I did not like this at first and thought it was a good chance to marginalise the piece, but actually White is relocating his bishop to a stronger diagonal.

9. ...  Nb4
10. Bb1

The computer now recommends 10. .. Nh5 and if 11. a3 then g5!? The line it gives is 12. fxg5 hxg5 13. Bf2 (13. Qxg5 Qxg5 14. Bxg5 Ng3) c5 and gives the position as level.

10.    ...Qh5

But with Black's king still in the centre, I want to attack.

11. Nf3 Bg4
12. O-O!

I had originally thought White could not play this as it loses a piece - but of course this is not the case. If now 12. .. Bxf3 then simply 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rxf3 and everything is covered.

Now I had a long think as to how to continue the attack. Probably castling would have been wise but I decide to relocate the knight and prepare c5.

12. ...   Na6
13. Bg3 c5
14. d5



Once again Black is restricted in space, and this becomes a repeat of our first game.

14. ...   Bxf3
15. Rxf3 Ng4?

Castling or 15. .. Nd7 would have been better and entering grovelling mode. White now takes over the initiative.

16. Nb5 g5

Played because my queen has run out of squares. Castling might have been better.

17. h3 Nf6
18. e5!

Perfectly timed. And the bishop on b1 which I hoped would be out of the game is now alive.

18. ....  dxe5
19. fxe5 Nd7
20. Qe2



The game is lost now, White's attack is too powerful. The computer gives one line here - 20. ..  O-O 21. Qe4 f5
22. exf6 e.p. Nxf6 23. Qxe7 Rf7 24. Qe1 Nd7 25. Rxf7 Qxf7 26. Nd6 - White is a pawn up with two powerful bishops and an open centre.

20. ...   g4??

But there is always time for one more blunder.

21. Rf5 Qg6
22. e6 Nf6
23. Re5 Ne4
24. Bxe4 Resigns

A horrible game - and I now made the decision to finally give up the King's Indian Defence and go scouting for an alternative to face d4.



Maidstone v Rochester

Cliff Chandler (203) 1-0 Keith Hyde (167)
David Munford (173) 1/2-1/2 Trefor Owens (167)
George Hollands (166) 1/2-1/2 Chris Marshall (143)
Barrington Beavis (148) 1-0 Keith Nevols (134)
Douglas Smith (132) 1/2-1/2 Jerry Pol (124)
Peter Dirmauskas (105) 1-0 Tyrone Jefferies (116)

Maidstone 4.5-1.5 Rochester