Saturday 20 May 2017
White: N. Wright (134) - Black: K. Nevols (134)
A long drive to Milton Keynes for the county championship quarter final. This took place at the Open University buildings.
1. e4 d5
Nice to get a Scandinavian in - not many people play 1. e4 these days!
2. exd5 Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qa5
4. Bc4 Nf6
For a moment, I thought of 4. .. Qg5?! which looked odd - but 5. Qf3 and White is already in trouble.
5. Nge2
White was playing his moves quite slowly so I got the impression that he was not familiar with this opening. 5. Nf3 or 5. d4 are better.
5. ... Bf5
6. d3
Again this is quite passive. White needs to play d4 to challenge the centre.
6. .... c6
7. Bf4
I now gave some thought to 7. .. e5. The system usually places the pawn on e6 and places a blockade on d5. Instead I decided to continue development and keep options open.
7. .... Nbd7
8. Qd2
Perhaps thinking long term about any tactics placed around Nb5 (not yet possible due to Qxd2+). Again I gave some more thought to 8. .. e5 9. Bg3 but decided to stick with what I know. He has a possibility of d4 and I did not like the idea of opening up the centre files while I was still developing.
8. .... e6
9. Nd4 Bg6
Now both of us went into deep thought. I was trying to see if he had any chances about sacrifices on e6.
For example: 10. Nxe6 fxe6 11. Bxe6 - I think I could be OK with Bb4, Bf7 or even O-O-O.
If 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. Nxe6 then 11. .. Kf7 12. Ng5+ Kg8 with h6 or Re8 to follow looked awkward but holding.
But it was 10. Qe2 that I was mostly concerned with. How should I reply?
If 10 ... Nd5 and then 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Qxe6+ Be7 13. Bxd5 cxd5 14. Qxd5 Kf7. White has three pawns for the piece.
So I settled on the more cautious 10. .. Be7.
It seems in the sacrificial lines that White could get two pawns for the piece and quite a dangerous attack, but I had enough resources to hold. I think White came to the same conclusion.
10. N3e2
I was pleased to see this move. Now I could take the queens off and have nothing to fear. At least a draw was in hand.
10 .... Qxd2
11. Bxd2 Nd5
It was this or 11. .. Bd6 which I rejected because of 12. Nf4 (overlooking the simple 12. .. e5). I did not want to exchange my black squared bishop for a knight, and leave his black squared bishop on the board.
The computer here suggests a curious pawn sacrifice. 12. h4 N7f6 13. g4?! Nxg4 14. h5 Bf5 15. Nxf5 exf5 16. Ng3 with Bg5 and O-O-O to follow. I'm not sure White has enough. And I would have probably answered 12. h4 with 12. .. h6.
12. a3
I took this to mean that White was considering a plan based around b4-b5. I also did not want to play 12. .. Bd6 in case of 13. Bxd5 cxd5 14. Nb5.
12. .... N7f6
My plan was now to meet 13. b4 with 13. .. a6 as White would be unable to play a4.
13. h3
I am waiting to see what White will do with his king. I have a number of plans but need to know on which side of the board I will be playing.
13 ..... Bd6
The f4 square is now covered and development continues. I wondered if White would now play 14. f4.
14. Nf3 O-O
15. Nh4 Nh5
I was not worried about 16. Nxg6 hxg6 to give a pawn structure I have had on numerous occasions. Instead I am thinking of occupying the f4 square, which White prevents.
16. g3 Rfe8
Now getting bored of waiting for White to do something, I now wave a vague hand in the air at the idea of e5-e4. I could see that White could not play 17. Nc3 and so I now expected 17. Nxg6 and then castling, at which point I could consider a plan. If White castled queenside, for example, I had ideas of b5 and then a5.
17. Nc3?
But what's this? I had ruled this out because of my next move. After checking any traps ('checks and captures' as I once saw Nigel Short advise), I hoovered up the pawn.
17. .... Nxg3
The point is, of course, that if 18. fxg3 then Bxg3+ gets the piece back with two pawns extra. White's best move is 18. Rg1 when I intended just bringing the knight back with 18. ... Nh5. Black is a pawn up but there is still a lot of work to do. For some bizarre reason, White now goes to pieces.
18. Bxd5??
A blunder. Now I win clear material
18. .... exd5+
I expected 19. Be3 Nxh1 20. Kd2 and tied to see if I could win more with 20. .. Nxf2 21. Bxf2 Bf4+ 22. Kd1 Bh5+ - which does win. Although White could play 21. Nxg6 hxg6 (21. .. Nxd3!?) 22. Bxf2 and be the exchange and two pawns down.
But after 20. Kd2 a better line is 20. .. d4! 21. Bxd4 Bf4+ 22. Be3 Bxe3 23. fxe3 Nf2 staying a clear rook ahead.
19. Kd1 Nxh1
20. Be3 Ng3
A wonderful tactic I had seen at the last second. Now a rook down, White could resign, or just throw everything at the Black king. He exchanges two pieces and it then just becomes a case of my pieces moving forward.
21. Nxg6 hxg6
22. Bxa7 Rxa7
23. fxg3 Bxg3
24. Kd2 Bf4+
Just to block his development and give me time to sort out the rook stuck on a7.
25. Kd1 Re3
26. Ne2 Bg5
27. Ng1 Ra8
28. c3 Rxd3+
29. Kc2 Re3
30. Rd1 Rae8
31. Kb3
For a moment, I thought of 31. .. Re1 but then saw 32. Rxe1 Rxe1 33. Nxf3 winning a piece back (but then 33. .. Re3 34. Nxg5 f6 traps the knight).
31. .... Bf6
32. Rd2 R8e5
33. Kc2 Rg5
34. Rd1 Rg2+
35. Kb3 Reg3
And with the knight now doomed, White turned over his king.
We narrowly lost the quarter final by 8.5-7.5 - and the campaign came to an end! But my final record for Kent Under-140s read Played 5 Won 4 Drawn 1 Lost 0 - and overall my unbeaten run ran now to 19 games.
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