Game 93 - Swale Club Championship 2017-18 - Round Eight

Swale Club Championship - Round Eight

Thursday 22 February 2018

White: K. Nevols (157) - Black: A. Gillard (115)

1. e4 c5
2. Nc3 e6
3. f4 d6
4. Nf3 a6
5. d3 Nc6
6. g3

This time in the Closed Sicilian I play a kingside fianchetto which could be useful if Black is thinking of b5. Now 6. ... d5 is level.

6.   ....  Nf6
7. Bg2 Be7
8. O-O O-O

Now time for a plan. I wanted to play Be3 at some point but then Black's Ng4 can be annoying and so I decide to prevent that, as well as leave the option open for g4 and Qe1-h4.

9. h3 Rb8

Black gets the rook off the long diagonal as well as preparing b5.
9. ... Qb6 might have been an improvement which I could have answered with 10. Kh2.



10. e5?!

Not good. I should have prepared further with 10. Kh2 or 10. Qe1. The plan was to meet 10.... dxe5 11. fxe5 Nd5 with 12. Ne4 or 11...  Nd7 with 12. Qe1. I figured the e5 pawn could be a nuisance to Black and I could build up an attack around it.

10. ....   Nd7
11. Re1

Better is 11. exd6 Bxd6 12. Be3 with a small edge.

11. ........dxe5

I had  thought this move was not possible but now saw the possibility of a fork with Qd4+. I had fallen for this before. After mentally kicking myself, I resigned to losing a pawn and tried to examine ways in which I could get compensation, before noticing the possibility of Bf4 skewering against the Black rook on b8. Breathing a sigh of relief, I continued.

12. fxe5 Ndxe5??

Black should have played 12. ... Ra8 or 12. .. Qb6 where White has an advantage and I would try moves like Rb1, Bf4, perhaps some sort of kingside play. But Black has missed something.

13. Nxe5

He had intended to play 13. ... Qd4+ and 14. .... Nxe5, or 13. ... Nxe5 14. Rxe5 Qd4+ and 15. .. Qxe5 but overlooked, in the first case, 15. Rxe5 Qxe5 16. Bf4, and in the second, 16. Bf4 - both of which pick up the rook on b8 and leave White a piece for a pawn up.

13. ...... Nxe5
14. Rxe5 Qd4+
15. Kh2

So now I am material up but I still have to be careful. I have less pieces defending my king and I know that my opponent likes to attack - and to sacrifice if necessary.



15. .....  Bd6
16. Re4 Qf2
17. Bf4

My plan was to exchange off the black queen and consolidate my advantage in material

17. .....  e5
18. Bxe5 Bxh3?

There is now nothing wrong with 19. Kxh3 but I decided to be cautious.

19. Re2 Qxg2+
20. Rxg2 Bxg2
21. Bxd6 Bc6
22. Bxb8 Rxb8
23. Qd2

With a pawn for the queen, Black now resigned - and my 100% record remained intact.