Game 71- Swale Club Championship 2016-17 - Final Group Round Five

Swale Club Championship Final Group - Round Five
Thursday 8 June 2017
White: K. Nevols (134) - Black: T. Owens (167)

The last game of the season - against the club champion.

This game took place on the day of the 2017 general election and, as a candidate in a safe Conservative seat where you know you will lose your deposit, there is not much you can do in the evening - hence I went ahead with the game and planned to move on to the count afterwards.

1. e4 d6
2. d4 Nf6
3. Nc3

Inviting 3. .. g6 and into the Pirc defence

3. ....   Nbd7

But this was not expected.

4. Bg5

Probably too committal. 4. Nf3 keeps options open.

4. ....  h6
5. Bh4 c6

I was tempted to play 6. f4 here and blast away at the centre. Black could play 6. ... Qb6 (and I did not notice that 7. a3 prevents 7. ... Qxb2 because 8. Na4 then traps the queen). I was more conscious of the big space in front my king still a long way from castling. My opponent is a dangerous attacking player and I wanted to get the king into safety as soon as possible.

6. Nf3 Qa5
7. Qd2?

7. Bd3 is better but I wanted to move that bishop to c4 and the a2-g8 diagonal. Black now grabs the initiative.

7. ...  e5
8. Bc4 b5
9. dxe5 dxe5
10. Bd3

I had overlooked that 10. Bb3 would lose the e-pawn to b4, g5, g4. So back it went to a worse square.



10. ...   Bb7?

Black misses a chance to put White under severe pressure with 10. .. b4 11. Ne2 g5 12. Bg3 g4 13. Nh4 Nc5 and Black is advancing. I might have tried 11. Nb1 and then 11. .. g5 12. Bg3 g4 13. Nh4 Nc5 but this is not much different.

11. Bg3

11. .. b4 is still good but now lacks the follow-up punch of g5.

11. ...  Nh5
12. O-O Nxg3
13. hxg3 Qc7

Now I thought the position was equal. I had to move the rook out from the corner to allow me to drop the knight back to b1.

14. Rad1 b4
15. Nb1 Be7
16. Qe2 Nc5

At last the Black knight occupies this square it had been gazing at - but I can move the bishop now and reshuffle some pieces.

17. Bc4 a5
18. Nbd2 O-O
19. Nb3 Na4
20. Rb1 Nb6
21. Bd3 c5



And now I was uncomfortable again. Black's pieces were moving around with ease whereas mine seemed to be getting into each others way. I could not see how I could work up an initiative like this!

22. Nbd2 Rfd8
23. Nc4 Bf6
24. Nxb6 Qxb6
25. Rfd1 Qc7

Better might be 25. .. Qc6 as now my bishop is freed from defending the e-pawn and can move to a better square.

26. Bc4 Qe7
27. Bd5 Bxd5



And with this move Black offered a draw. I had not yet decided whether to re-take with the pawn or the rook but I felt I was still worse and, as it was the last game of the season, with Black graded far higher than me, I took the even result. A dull game to end with.

Thus ended the 2016-2017 season - a very good one for me with a score of Played 41 Won 25 Draw 12 Lost 4, and I was unbeaten for Swale Chess Club and for Kent Under-140s.

Game 70 - Swale Club Championship 2016-17 - Final Group Round Four

Swale Club Championship - Final Group - Round Four
Thursday 1 June 2017
White: P. Blundell (120) - Black: K. Nevols (134)

That last defeat put paid to any faint chances I had of the club championship. It now seemed I would be ending up third for the second time in a row.

1. e4 d5

The Scandinavian defence.

2. exd5 Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qa5
4. Nf3 Nf6
5. Qe2

White opts for an interesting line where queens are swapped off early. Black could consider 5. .. c6 but I was concerned about d4-d5 which might mean I have to play e6 before getting the bishop developed.

5. ....  Bf5

6. b4 would be annoying. Black can't take the pawn (6. ... Qxb4 7. Rb1 and 8. Qb5+) and would have to play 6. ... Qb6. The queen could be a worry.

6. Nd4 e6?!

I rejected 6. .. Bg6 7. Nb3 Qb6 as I was worried about the queen getting kicked around. But this move allows White to take an early advantage.



7. Qb5+ Qxb5
8. Ncxb5 Kd7

The other option was 8. .. Na6 but then 9. Nxf5 exf5 10. Bc4. I did not want to tie the king down so early and saw a way to give up the pawn for a counter attack. With queens off, the king should be OK in the centre.

9. Nxf5 exf5

Now 10. Bd3 g6 11. Bc4 is good. White goes by a different route bringing the knight into the centre.

10. Nd4 g6
11. Bc4 Bc5

This was the plan.

12. Ne2 Re8

If now 13. Bxf7 then 13. .. Re7 14. Bc4 Nc6. I was hoping to build up some piece play in the centre to compensate for the pawn. White decides to continue development rather than grab the pawn.

13. O-O Nc6

14. d4! is aggressive. White cannot take because of Rd1 and so must play 14. ... Bd6 which can be met by 15. Bg5 and White is better. I was not very happy here at how one of my favourite openings had been taken apart so easily.

14. Nf4 Ng4?!

Now I had 36 minutes left for 21 moves - the old time trouble again.



14. .. Ne5 is a better move for Black, perhaps meeting 15. Bb3 with 15. ... g5 (although 16. d4! puts White back on top - the king is not as safe as I said earlier).

Once again the f-pawn is up for grabs. 15. Bxf7 Re7 16. Bc4 is fine for White, but 15. .. Nxf2!? is an interesting exchange sacrifice which exploits the bishop still being on c1 and blocking the rooks. 16. Bxe8 Rxe8 17. g3 (the only move) g5 18. Nd5 Re2. However, 19. c3! means Black will have to take the draw with 19. .. Nh3+ 20. Kh1 Nf2+ etc.

As before, White declines the pawn offer.

15. Nh3

The computer now recommends 15. .. Nge5 16. Bb3 Nd4 and states Black is better.

15. ...  Nd4
16. c3 Ne2+
17. Bxe2?!

This surprised me. I had expected 17. Kh1 when I had to decide whether to grab the bishop on c1 - which had not yet got out of bed. Now my rook is well placed and I can get the e-file and the initiative. (And the f7 pawn is finally safe).

17. ...  Rxe2
18. d4 Bd6
19. g3 Rae8

If now 20. Ng5 then 20. .. f6 21. Nxh7 Rh8 regaining the pawn. (22. h3 Rxh7 23. hxg4 fxg4).

20. Kg2

White adopts a crafty defensive plan to drop the knight to g1.

20. .....Rc2

To continue to disrupt the White development.

21. Ng1

I did not see 21. .. Re1! Of course, 22. Rxe1 Rxf2 leads to mate so White must play 22. Nh3 when Black can grab a pawn with 22. .. Rxf1 23. Kxf1 Nxh2+ or play has 22. .. Ree2 and then .. c5 to bring the bishop into the attack.




21. ... f4?
22. gxf4 g5

The aim of this pawn sacrifice is to open up lines against the White king.

23. h3 Ne3+
24. Bxe3 Rxe3

White has 22 minutes now for 11 moves while I was down to 15. Now White could think about 25. fxg5 Rg3+ 26. Kh1 Rxg5.

25. Rab1 Bxf4

Material is equal again. The attack has been beaten off. Time for a deep breath and think again.

26. Kh1 g4

And another pawn sacrifice to open up the h-file.

27. hxg4 Re6
28. Kg2 Re3
29. Kh1 Re6
30. Kg2 Rg6

... but it has closed the g-file. D'oh!



31. Kf3! Rf6
32. Ke4 Bd6

The move of the king over to the other side is very smart. Now White is simply a pawn up.

33. f3 Rf4+
34. Kd3 Rg2
35. Kc4 c5?

I'm still trying to open lines against the king - and as the king has moved then I need to open new lines - but this just loses another pawn.

36. Nh3! Rf6
37. dxc5 Bf4

Now I am two pawns down and in serious danger of losing the game. White's best is now 38. Nf2! cutting off one rook and preparing to come to e4 which, with a rook (or rooks) on the d-file, would be very dangerous.



Fortunately, for me, White withdraws his king to give material back and some breathing space.

38. Kb3 Be3
39. Rbd1+ Kc6
40. a3 Rg3

I thought this would get material back but now 41. Rd3 is good for White. 41. .. Bxc5 42. Ng5.

41. Ng1? Bxg1?

41. ... Bxc5 is better. There would still be time to pick up the White f-pawn.

42. Rxg1 Rgxf3
43. Rh1 Kxc5
44. Rxh7 Rb6+
45. Ka2 Rf2
46. Rb1 Kc4
47. Rh3 Re6
48. g5 Rg6
49. Rh4+ Kc5
50. Rg1 Rf5



The last Black attack was never going to amount to anything but White now offered the draw (!?) to which I accepted.

In the final position, any winning chances belong to White. He has 51. Re4 Kc6 52. Re7 Rgxg5 53. Rxg5 Rxg5 54. Rxf7.

I would like to think I could hold that position - but fortunately I will not need to know.