Thursday 26 October 2017
White: G. Hollands (155) - Black: K. Nevols (134)
My opponent is a well known strong player - he is local to us and has come along to some of our quickplay events. In our simul against Matthew Sadler, he was the only one of 14 of us not to lose with a good draw.
Our swords had crossed before (Game 3) when I lost a drawn game and was outplayed in an ending. So I knew I would be up against it with a tough battle.
1. d4 f5
2. c4 Nf6
3. g3
Adopting a quiet approach against the Dutch and taking us into the main line.
3. .... e6
4. Bg2 d6
5. Nc3 Be7
6. Nf3 O-O
7. O-O a5
The recommendation by Simon Williams GM - taking time out to hold up White's queenside counterplay. Another possibility is 7. .. Qe8 planning to come to the kingside.
8. Re1 Ne4
9. Qc2 Nxc3
10. Qxc3
All one of the main lines - Black swaps knights to delay White's e4.
Now I had used up my memory of the theory. I remembered that Black should try to meet e4 with e5.
10. .... Bf6?!
The move Simon Williams recommends (which I had forgotten) is 10. .. Nc6 with 11. e4 e5 12.exf5 Bxf5 13. Be3 Be4 14. Nd2 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 d5! 16. a3 Bf6 (Gallagher-Williams). (If 11. d5 then Bf6). My move places the bishop opposite the queen and I am thinking of moves like c5 and Nc6.
11. e4 e5
12. dxe5 dxe5
13. Qc2
White could have tried 13. Nxe5 as it is not clear if Black gets enough for the pawn. 13. .. Nc6 14. f4 Re8 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Bd2! Nb4 17. g4! Bxg4 18. Bxb7 or 13. .. Nc6 14. Bf4 g5 15. Nxc6 Bxc3 16. Nxd8 Bxe1 17. Bxc7.
I now gave some thought to 13. .. g6 with the idea of 14. exf5 Bxf5 but it did not look right. Moves such as Bh6 and Qb3 could get the king in trouble. As the White d-pawn had gone I decided to bring into play the queen's knight to hit the centre and offer a pawn sacrifice.
13. ..... Nc6
14. Rd1
If 14. exf5 Nb4 15. Qe4 Nd3 16. Rd1 Nxf2! is equal but 16. Re2 and Black is beginning to look clumsy. Fortunately for me White remains cautious.
14. ... Nd4
Although I felt a little confident, the computer gives White a clear lead, now recommending 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. exf5. The question then is whether Black can make use of that passed pawn in the middle or whether White can round it up and use the open spaces in the centre.
15. Rxd4?
But this was a stunner. White gives up the exchange. Initially I could not see what White gets for it so had to play along with great caution.
15. ..... exd4
16. e5 Be7
17. Ne1 c6
To prevent Bd5+ and keeping protection of the d-pawn. White is planning to blockade the pawn and play around it. He has 54 minutes left for 18 moves whereas I was at 38 minutes.
At this point, the digital clock blanked out - the battery had gone! Fortunately my opponent had noted the times and knew how to set up a new one, so after a short pause, we were away again.
18. Nd3 g5!
A double functioning move - both to attack on the kingside but also to keep his knight out of the f4 square where it would have been a nuisance. I was aware of the king looking unsafe but so far those White bishops are kept well under control.
19. f4 h6
I did not like 19. .. g4 blocking the position - with a material advantage I needed to get those pieces out. I did not see much mileage in h5-h4 and opening the h-file which seemed to me to be too slow.
20. Bd2 Be6
21. b3 Kh8
To prepare for the opening of the g-file.
22. Rd1 Rc8
I now have 21 minutes for 14 moves. At this point, I was struggling to see how I could advance. The computer has consistently recommended g4 and h5-h4 but I wanted open spaces for my bishops and decided to advance on the other wing with b5. This move prepares that, and also moves the rook off the bishop's diagonal.
23. Bc1
White is planning to round up the d-pawn so I had better get going.
23. .... b5
24. Bb2
Some thought was now given to 24. .. bxc4 25. bxc4 c5. Instead I did it the other way round - and now had 14 minutes left for 11 moves.
24. ... c5!?
The point is whether I could play 25. cxb5 c4. This looked quite strong to me. 26. bxc4 Bxc4? would be a mistake because of 27. Bb7 Rc7 28. b6! Rxb7 29. Qxc4 Qxb6 30. Bxd4 and with a pawn for the exchange and Black's draughty king, White is back in the game.
26. .. Rxc4 with Qb6 and then bringing the other rook across to the c-file was the plan. A timely Bc6 from White at some stage could have been a nuisance. In the event, White decided to trust me.
25. Ba3 bxc4
26. bxc4 Qc7
Overprotecting the c5 pawn to prepare Rb8.
27. Bd5 Qd7
27. .. Bxd5 28. cxd5 did not look like much fun, although the computer says there is nothing to fear after 28. .. c4 29. d6 cxd3 30. Qxd3 Qc3! 31. dxe7 Rfe8 32. e6 - perhaps not, but this does not look like a position one would be confident in playing.
28. Bg2 Rfd8
29. Re1?!
A good plan for White would be Rb1 and then either Rb5 or Rb7.
29. ... Rg8
30. Rd1 gxf4
At last!
31. Nxf4 Bg5
32. Nd3?
I was happy to see this. Either 32. Rf1 or 32. Bc1 to defend the f4 point would have been a tougher defence.
White accompanied this move with an offer of a draw, but I could see a sequence which I wanted to give a try.
32. Be3+
33. Kh1 Qf7
This was the move White told me he had overlooked. Black threatens the c-pawn and also f4 with an attack on the king. I had two minutes left for the next two moves.
34. Nb2 f4
The computer likes the flashy 34. .. Rxg3! with 35. hxg3 Qh5+ 36. Bh3 f4! 37. Qh2 Bxh3 with Qf3+ to come. Of course I did not see any of that - my existing winning plan seemed to suffice.
35. Rf1 Bf5
If now 36. Be4 then 36. .. Bh3 and 37. .. Qh5.
36. Nd3 Qg6
37. Rd1 fxg3
38. h3 Qh5
And now White resigned. Those bishops did the job after all.
I was delighted with this result against such a good player.
Snodland v Swale
George Hollands (155) 0-1 Keith Nevols (157)
Robert Thompson (146) 1/2-1/2 Vytautas Gedminas (130)
David Lettington (143) 0-1 Tyrone Jefferies (116)
Neil Miners (100) 0-1 Aurimas Liuberskis (110)
Hugh Broadbent (96) 1/2-1/2 Andrew Gillard (107)
Charlie Palmer (81) 1/2-1/2 Barry Sawyer (83)
Snodland 1.5 - 4.5 Swale
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