Game 91 - club match. Swale v Tunbridge Wells

Swale vs Tunbridge Wells - Harvey Cup - Board Two

Monday 5 February 2018

White: K. Nevols (157) - Black: T. Stevens (131)

1. e4 e6
2. Qe2 c5
3. Nc3 d6
4. f4 Nc6
5. Nf3 g6
6. g3 Bg7
7. Bg2 a6

So I was happy to see my anti-French turn into a closed Sicilian. Black prepares the plan of b5 and Bb7.

8. O-O Nge7

The computer likes this move although I thought 8. .. Nf6 hitting at the centre to be better, after which I might play 9. Kh1 (if 9. e5 then dxe5 10. Nxe5 Qd4+). The point behind this move is to keep the diagonal open for the bishop and also to avoid committing the knight so as not to become a target to a central pawn trust.

9. d3 b5

Castling might have been better but as it turns out Black has not yet decided what to do with his king. I now had a big think leaving me 46 minutes left for 26 moves (the time control is 35 moves in 75 minutes - and it really flies by - and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game).



10. e5!

Although this move is perhaps quite obvious, I have rewarded it because it strikes at just the right time. Black has not yet castled, he does not yet have his bishop on b7, and I have possible ideas of Ne4 coming.

10. ... d5

If 10. .. dxe5 then 11. fxe5 Bb7 12. Qf2 with ideas of 12. .. Qb6 13. Be3 or 12. .. c4 13. dxc4 bxc4 14. Nd2.

11. Qf2 Qb6

I wanted him to make a decision on where to put his king. If he castled queenside I could think of a3 and b4, whereas on the kingside I could look at g4 or h4-5.

The computer thinks 12. a3 but I wanted to attack and get a commitment.

12. g4 h5

So I get an answer of sorts. Black wants to open the h-file which means he does not want to castle his king.

13. h3 hxg4
14. hxg4 Bd7

I briefly considered 15. Ng5 but after 15. .. f6 16. exf6 Bxf6 concluded that Black was better. Another big think and a conclusion was to keep the initiative going.

15. a4!

I was pleased with this move but the time was getting critical. I had 20 minutes left for 20 moves (!) whereas my opponent had 44 minutes to reach move 35.

15. ...   b4

Of course 15. .. bxa4 loses a pawn to 16. Nxa4.

16. Ne2 O-O-O

And now we begin.

17. Be3 d4
18. Bd2

The point of this manoeuvre was to free up the e4 square for me to place a knight on it. The drawback is that he too has some nice squares for a knight.

18. .....  Nd5
19. Ng5 Be8

At the time I thought this was a mistake but it does open the d-file and is quite solid.



20. Ne4

My plan is to aim for some sort of sequence with a pawn to c3, liquidate the pawn mass, and open some spaces for my rooks to attack his king.

20.   ....f6
21. Nd6+ Kc7

The computer suggests the forced sequence 22. exf6 Bxf6 23. Nxe8+ Rdxe8 24. Be4 Nce7 (24. ... Bh4!?) 25. g5 Bg7 26. Qg3 but then 26. ... Nf5 and Black is very happy.

My plan behind the d6 check was always to put the knight on a better square.

22. Nc4 Qa7
23. Qg3!

Eleven minutes left for 12 moves while he had 17. I was hoping something must open up.

23. .....  Nb6?

At last a mistake. Although Black is tight for space so it is hard to give good advice. Maybe just 23. .. Kc8 or 23.... fxe5 24. fxe5 Kb8 25. Bg5 Rd7 but it is still not easy.

24. exf6

After 24..... Bxf6 25. f5+ e5 26. fxg6 I had the open f-file.

24.    ....Nxc4??

But I did not expect this. I am just a piece up, aren't I?

25. fxg7 Rg8
26. f5+?

With just four minutes left for nine moves, I played and then inwardly kicked myself. Why did I not just played 26. dxc4? I am then just a piece up. However 26. ... N4e5 loses a piece to 27. Bxc6+ while 26. .. Nd6 and 27. Nf4 is strong.

26. ....  e5

My opponent has six minutes left for nine moves so he is quite low himself. Now 27. dxc4 and it really is all over.

27. f6??  

The comedy of errors continues. In the space of three moves, I have won and then lost a win.

27.      ....Nxd2
28. f7

I was unable to make all the calculations in the time left and, fortunately, so was my opponent. The best line here is 28. ...  Nxf1 29. fxg8 (Q) (29. Rxf1 Bxf7 30. Rxf7+ Rd7 and a draw is likely) 29. ... Nxg3 31. Nxg3 and, apparently, White still has a won game.



28. .....  Bxf7?

Now I could see that I could still win that piece.

29. Rxf7+ Rd7
30. Rxd7+ Kxd7
31. Rd1

Luckily the knight has no retreat square nor any square to capture something.

31. ..... Rxg7
32. Rxd2

A piece for a pawn up. Next I must co-ordinate my position and swap some pieces off.

32. .... Qc7
33. Qf3 Qd6

Exchange time.

34. Qxc6+ Qxc6
35. Bxc6+ Kxc6

I made the time control with one minute spare - my opponent had 15 seconds.

36. Ng3 Rf7
37. Rf2

Either the rooks are coming off or I get my rook on to f6. Black decided to resign. Although pleased with the win, I was angry at myself for complicating things unnecessarily when I had the chance to just simply take a piece.


Swale v Tunbridge Wells

Keith Hyde (166) 0-1 Hugh Tassell (135)
Keith Nevols (157) 1-0 Thomas Stevens (131)
David Page (122) 1/2-1/2 Richard Woodfield (123)
Tyrone Jefferies (116) 1/2-1/2 Stephen Bond (116)
Duncan Marsh (100) 1/2-1/2 James Robertson (100)
Barry Sawyer (83) 0-1 Mike Emery (75)

Swale 2.5-3.5 Tunbridge Wells

Game 90 - Swale Club Championship 2017-18 - Round Seven

Swale Club Championship - Round Seven
Thursday 8 February 2018
White: K. Nevols (157) - Black: V. Gedminas (136)

My first game against our newest member.

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5

The Ruy Lopez. My main opening against e4 e5 but it does not come up very often as so few Black player play 1. .. e5.

3. ..   Qf6?!

But what this? I had never come across this before. Apparently the idea is to follow up with Bc5 or Nd4 and attack White on the kingside, but the obvious problem is that Qf6 takes away the most natural square for the king's knight. 4. c3 or 4. O-O is straight forward but I decide for a threat of Nd5.

4. Nc3 Ne7
5. d3 h6
6. Be3 Nd4
7. Bc4 c6



How could I get rid of that knight on d4? 8. Nb1 thinking about c3 walks straight into 8. .. d5! with Bg4 coming and suddenly Black has the initiative. 8. a4 is one idea here to cement the bishop on c4. I was also unsure about castling while Black's queen was there and he has a possible plan of g5-g4.

So the knight has to go!

8. Bxd4 exd4

I gave a lot of thought to 9. e5 Qg6 10. Ne4 Nf5 or 10. Nxd4 but I still had to castle my king and g6 is a very good square for the Black queen.

9. Ne2 c5

The computer says the position is now equal. Black's original opening choice has gained dividends. Although the computer also recommends 10. e5 I still felt uncomfortable with that move and decided to just develop gradually.

10. Qd2 Ng6
11. O-O Bd6
12. c3

I can't leave it sitting there - and need some squares for my knights.

12. ....  Ne5?!

Better is 12. ... dxc3. Now I can grab some play.

13. Nxe5 Bxe5
14. f4 Bc7
15. e5

At last I got e5 in, as I am playing to a clear plan.

15. ....   Qb6
16. Ng3!

Heading for e4 or f5 - I had not yet made up my mind.

16. ....  O-O

Better would have been 16. .. d6 to develop the bishop and to break down White's centre.

17. Nf5 d6

I could now see a possible sequence to win some material but it relied on Black's co-operation. Let us give it a try.

18. Ne7+

Black needs to play 18. .. Kh7. I was not sure what I would play in that situation. Perhaps 19. Qe2.

18. .... Kh8?

... but my luck held.



19. e6! Bxe6
20. Bxe6 fxe6

After the game I discovered 20. .. Bd8!, a marvellous defensive move that both of us overlooked. All White can do is get the pawn back with 21. Nd5 Qc6 22. Bxf7 Rxf7 23. c4. The computer makes this position equal. Black has 23. .. b5 coming but then White's knight on d5 is well placed and I can grab the e-file.

As played, I get the exchange ahead for a pawn.

21. Ng6+ Kg8
22. Nxf8 Rxf8

On to the next phase of the game. To make some exchanges and consolidate the advantage.

23. Qe2 e5?

Black must play 23. .. d5 is better, striking the f4 pawn.

24. fxe5 dxe5?

And another mistake. 24. .. Rxf1+ is better because now I get an extra tempo to build up on the f-file.

25. Rxf8+ Kxf8
26. Rf1+ Kg8
27. cxd4 cxd4
28. Qf2

28. Qf3! is more accurate, answering 28. .. Qc6 with 29. Qxc6 bxc6 30. Rc1. However I was not confident that I could win a rook v bishop and pawn ending and was hoping to win the game straight away.



28. ......  Qe6?

Black needs to play 28. .. Qc6 and dig in, perhaps with the bishop moving to f6. Now a piece is lost.

29. Qf8+ Kh7
30. Rf7 Qg4

I make a quick scrutiny of the board to make sure there is no perpetual.

31. Rxc7 e4
32. dxe4 d3
33. Qf5+! Qg6
34. Qxg6+ Kxg6
35. Rd7 Kf6
36. Kf2 g5
37. Ke3 Kg6
38. Rxb7 a5
39. Ra7 Kh5
40. Rxa5 Kh4

Black is hoping to stalemate himself.

41. e5 h5
42. Ra4+ g4
43. e6

and Black now resigned.

Game 89 - club match. Weald of Kent v Swale

Weald of Kent vs Swale - Fuller Cup - Board One
Monday 5 February 2018
White: J. Hart-Dyke (140) - Black: K. Nevols (157)

One week later we were back in Cranbrook - same venue, different competition, same opponent, different colours.
And a very different game.

1. d4 f5
2. c4 Nf6
3. Nc3 e6
4. a3!?

Unexpected but White has a clever plan.

4. ... Be7
5. Nf3 d6
6. Qc2



And this is it. White is trying to play e4 and places the queen on c2 to assist this. Often the queen then gets harassed by a knight going from c6 to b4, which in turn also hits a pawn on d5 should White advance there. The early a3 stops this and the queen can sit contently on c2.

I have to admit that this unsettled me and I thought long and hard here on how to meet 6. .. O-O 7. e4. I did not like 7. .. fxe4 8. Nxe4 as White could later have some pressure down the e-file. The real 'Dutch move' would be 7. .. e5 where a general exchange of pawns might open up the position with White's king still in the centre but a pawn up.

After 7. ... e5 White's best is 8. exf5 and Black can then choose between 8. .. e4 9. Nxe4 Bxf5 or 8. .. exd4 9. Nxd4 Nc6 10. Nxc6 bxc6 - neither of which looks promising. The computer recommends 8. .. Qe8 but just 9. Be2 seems to consolidate for White.

Instead I decided to develop a piece into the centre - the idea being to meet e4 with e5. Also to sacrifice a pawn temporarily to block White's central initiative.

6. .....   Nc6
7. d5 Ne5
8. Nd4 c5
9. Nxe6 Bxe6
10. dxe6 O-O

This was the position I had foreseen after 6. .. Nc6. Although a pawn down I thought I would have time to mop up that pawn on e6 and perhaps get an initiative going with the knights.

White could now play 11. Nd5 but Black has an interesting reply 11. .. b5!? with 12. Nxf6+ Rxf6 13. cxb5 d5 or 12. b3 bxc4 13. bxc4 Rb8.

11. Bf4

A slightly weaker move than 11. Nd5 which now allows me to gain some initiative.

11. ...  Ng6
12. e3 Nh5

After a long think, which left me only 25 minutes for 23 moves - and my opponent had 29 minutes so neither of us were playing particular quickly.

13. g3 Nhxf4
14. exf4 Qc8



15. Be2?

White decides to give the pawn back but I think both of us overlooked 15. Qe2 Rf6 16. Bg2 and I can't take the pawn on e6 because of Bd5. So 16. .. Kf8 17. Bd5 and White has an overwhelming position.

15. ....   Qxe6

It was a relief to get this back in the bag.

16. O-O Bf6

Now with 21 minutes left but both of us speed up. (Well, we had to!). White has the better position because of Black's weak pawn on d6.

17. Bf3!

Grabbing the h1-a8 diagonal, controlling the d5 square, and preparing to take the e-file. What more could you want from a move?

17.     Qd7
18. Rad1 Bxc3
19. Qxc3 Ne7

I wanted to get my knight to the c6 square and perhaps d4. Also the knight is doing nothing from its present location.

20. Qe3 Rac8
21. Rfe1



21. ....Rfe8?

A mistake. Black should play 21. .. Rf7 which looks ugly but stays on the board. Or 21. .. Rc7 which is a crafty defence based on 22. Qe6+ Qxe6 23. Rxe6 Nc8. I did not see either of these moves as it made sense to keep the rooks connected. Sometimes the most natural move is not the right one.

White wins a pawn by force.

22. Qe6+ Qxe6
23. Rxe6 Nc6
24. Rxe8+ Rxe8
25. Rxd6

Although I am a pawn down, this is somewhat negated by the fact that White has doubled f-pawns, so I still had some chances of a draw. Black could play 25. .. Rd8 with 26. Rxd8+ Nxd8 or 26. Rd5 Rxd5 27. Bxd5+/cxd5. In each case, White has the better chances.

Instead I decide to keep the rooks on and see if I could exchange some pawns - but end up losing another one.

25. ...    Re1+?
26. Kg2 Rb1
27. Bxc6 bxc6
28. Rxc6 Rxb2
29. Rxc5 Rc2
30. Rxf5 Rxc4
31. Ra5 Rc7



And this was the position I had foreseen when playing 25. .. Re1+. White is two pawns up but my rook seems well placed for defence.

32. Kf3 Rc3+

After I played this I began kicking myself - as 32. .. Re7 seemed obvious to prevent the king coming over to the queenside. But White has 33. Rd5 or 33. Re5 and is still better.

33. Ke4 Rc7
34. Kd5 Rc2

A bit of a risk. Giving up the a-pawn to go after the kingside pawns. But I could not just sit still.

35. Rxa7 Rxf2
36. Ke6 Re2+

Obviously 36. ... Rxh2??? walks into 37. Ra8 mate.

37. Kf5 Rxh2

OK, so that's one back. White would be advised to advance the a-pawn and, with the king, shepherd the kingside pawns forward. My king is hopelessly placed.

38. g4 Rc2
39. g5 Rc5+
40. Ke6 Rc8



Forced. I need to get my rook behind his king again.

41. a4 Re8+
42. Kf5 g6+
43. Kg4 Re1
44. Kf3 Rh1
45. a5 h5

I felt uncomfortable with this but it got another pair of pawns off the board.

46. gxh6 Rxh6

47. a6 can be played to exploit the edge in time but while he was thinking I thought that 47. Ra6 wins with 47. .. Kg7 48. f5 Rh3+ 49. Kg4 followed by Rxg6+. 47. .. Kf7 would be better and 48. f5 Rh5! 49. fxg6+ Kg7 50. Kg4 Rd5! This would remind me of a Kasparov v Short game 1993 where Kasparov, two pawns against none, nearly allowed what the commentators said was 'a theoretical draw'. I don't know if I could have held it.



47. Re7?

Inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief.

47. ....   Rh5
48. Re5 Rh7
49. Kg4 Ra7
50. f5 gxf5+

With less than five minutes on my clock, I stopped writing down the moves. Now we were down to just the a-pawn but I raced my king over to the queenside and my rook on the b-file managed to trap the White king on the a-file. We moved backwards and forwards a few times before conceding that the game is a draw. A fortunate escape.

This was my only game for Swale in the Fuller Cup - and the team got to the final where they drew the match but lost on board count. Thanks to this draw - the team were undefeated, as they were to remain so all season.


Weald of Kent v Swale

James Hart Dyke (140) 1/2-1/2 Keith Nevols (157)
David Warrick (107) 1/2-1/2 Andrew Gillard (107)
Clive Oram (106) 1-0 Anthony Fletcher (88)
Ian Latuskie (62) 0-1 Barry Sawyer (83)

Weald of Kent 2-2 Swale

Game 88 - club match. Weald of Kent v Swale

Weald of Kent vs Swale - Harvey Cup - Board Two
Monday 29 January 2018
White: K. Nevols (157) - Black: J. Hart-Dyke (140)

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d5?!

This is known as the Elephant Gambit. I had seen it before but knew absolutely nothing about it. White can play 3. Nxe5 where Black can reply with 3. .. Bd6, 3. .. dxe4 or 3. .. Qe7. I opted for the other way to take the pawn.

3. exd5

My logic was that after 3. .. Qxd5 4. Nc3 I was not doing too badly. Black could play 3. .. e4 4. Qe2.

3. ....  Bd6

I later discovered that this is the Elephant Gambit 'proper'. White is expected to play 4. d4 e4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Bc4 with advantage. I did not know any of this and so just wanted to get the pieces out quickly.

4. Bb5+ Bd7
5. Bxd7+ Nxd7
6. Qe2 Qe7
7. d3

So far so good. I did not intend to defend the pawn on d5. My idea was to develop an attack to exploit the gain in time which Black would be using up in regaining the pawn.

7. .....  h6
8. Nc3 Ngf6
9. O-O O-O
10. Re1 Rae8



I had expected the other rook to go on to e8 as Black looks quite boxed in. Now I was well placed to start my attack.

11. Nh4!

Heading for the f5 square.

11. ...Nxd5?

Best for Black would be 11. .. Bb4 both to pin the knight and allow some space for the queen, although White could force it away to the edge with 12. Nf5 Qc5 13. Be3 Qa5 14. Qf3! defending the pawn on d5 and threatening Nxh6.

After the text, White can win material by force.

12. Nf5

If 12 ... Qf6 then 13. Nxh6+ gxh6 14. Nxd5 Qg6 15. Bxh6! Qxh6 16. Qg4+ and White comes out two pawns up.

12. ......Qe6

And now the other way to win material.

13. Qg4 Qg6

If 13. .... g5 then 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Nxh6+ or the immediate 15. Bxg5.
If 13. .... g6 then 14. Nxh6+ Kh7 15. Nxd5 and White is a piece and a pawn up.
Black had a long think on this move, leaving 34 minutes for 22 moves.

14. Qxg6 fxg6
15. Nxd6 Nxc3

15. .. cxd6 16. Nxd5 and White is a piece up.

16. Nxe8 Nd5
17. c4!

This resource helps me retrieve the knight.

17. ....   Nb4
18. Nxc7



18. .....Nc5

I had expected 18. ... Nc2 to get some material back, but after 19. Be3 Nxa1 20. Rxa1 I would still be a piece up.

19. Rxe5 Ncxd3
20. Re8 Nc2
21. Rxf8+ Kxf8
22. Rb1

OK, here is the plan. I am a rook and a pawn up. Black intends to use those knights to cause mischief and maybe find a fork or two. I had to get one of them off the board.

22. ......  Nd4
23. Be3 Nc6
24. Ne6+ Kf7
25. Nc5 Nde5
26. Nxb7 Nd3

After 26. .. Nxc4 I had intended 27. Rc1 N4e5 28. f4.

27. Nc5 Ne5
28. Rc1 a5
29. Bf4 Ng4
30. Rd1 Nf6
31. Rd6 Ne7
32. Ra6

Well, why not go after that pawn? Black decides to advance on the kingside.

32. ..... g5
33. Be5 Ng4
34. Bc3 Nf5
35. h3 Nf6

Hurrah!



36. Bxf6 gxf6
37. Rxa5 Nd4
38. Ra7+ Kg6
39. Nd3 h5
40. c5 Kf5
41. Nb4 Kf4
42. c6 g4
43. hxg4

Nothing wrong with the immediate 43. c7 - just being over-cautious.

43. .....  hxg4
44. c7 g3
45. fxg3+ Kxg3
46. Ra3+

Another overcautious move - 46. c8(=Q) is OK - but this is just to push the king away. Black now resigned.

Weald of Kent v Swale


Paul A Talsma (199) 1-0 Keith Hyde (166)
James Hart Dyke (140) 0-1 Keith Nevols (157)
Oleg Lyakh (104) 0-1 Vytautas Gedminas
David Warrick (107) 1-0 Tyrone Jefferies (116)
Clive Oram (106) 1/2/1-2 Andrew Gillard (107)
Geoffrey Broadhead 0-1 Duncan Marsh (100)

Weald of Kent 2.5-3.5 Swale

Game 87 - County U-160 Championship - Kent v Middlesex

Kent v Middlesex - Board One
Saturday 27 January 2018
White: K. Nevols (157) - Black: P. Kennelly (158)

A re-match - we had played in Brent for the first Middlesex v Kent match where I had held a draw.

1. e4 e6
2. Qe2 c5

My anti-French moves to a closed Sicilian.

3. Nc3 Nc6
4. f4 d6
5. Nf3 Be7
6. g3 Nf6
7. Bg2 a6

Black delays castling and decides to advance on the queenside.

8. O-O Qc7
9. d3 b5
10. e5

I could have played this move on either of the last two moves but wanted to complete my development. Now I intended 10. .. dxe5 11. fxe5 and then perhaps Bf4.



10.  ...  Nd7?!

But this is a mistake. White can now grab the initiative before Black has castled.

11. exd6 Qxd6

After 11. ... Bxd6 I had considered 12. Ne4 Be7, where I would have calculated the merits of 13. f5, and also whether 12. Ng5 would get anywhere.

12. Ne4 Qc7
13. f5!

I gave a lot of thought to this move. Black's best would be to decline the sacrifice with 13. .. e5 keeping lines closed. And then 14. Nc3 Nf6.

13. ....  exf5?
14. Bf4 Qd8
15. Nd6+ Kf8



This was the position I had foreseen when playing 13. f5. I considered 16. Ng5 but could not see how to follow after 16. .. Bxg5 overlooking that White has 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Qe8 mate, so Black would have to play either 17. .. f6 18. Bxc6 or 17. .. Nf6 18. Bxc6.

So after 16. Ng5 Black has to play 16. .. Qb6 then 17. Ndxf7 gets the pawn back and retains a strong attack.

Instead I decide to bring another piece into the attack.

16. Rae1 Nf6

Black needed to play 16. .. Ra7! to reduce White's tactical possibilities. Now White wins with 17. Ng5 - opening up an attack on the c6 knight. The attack is overwhelming. One line is Bxd6 18. Bxd6+ Qxd6 19. Bxc6! (19. .. Qxc6 20. Qe7+ Kg8 21. Qf7++; 19. .. Ra7 20. Qe8+).

But .... I simply do not see all this.

17. Nxf7? Kxf7
18. Ng5+ Kg6
19. Bxc6 Ra7

So material is now level but White is still better. How should he continue? I saw (or thought I saw) a combination to finish it off - and did not see that 20. Bb8 wins the exchange.

20. Nf3? Bd6
21. Bxd6 Qxd6
22. Ne5+ Kh6



And now I was going to play 23. Nf7+ .... until I saw that the a7 rook was protecting that square. D'oh!!

Silently kicking myself, I tried to see how to continue. Could I still attack his exposed king? Yes - is the answer.

23. Qe3+ g5 24. Bd7!! Qd4 25. Qxd4 cxd4 26. Bxf5 and I am a pawn up. I did not see 24. Bd7 at all. And began to get worried that my pieces were getting vulnerable.

23. Qd2+ g5

White should play 24. h4 but I was worried about the Black rooks coming to the g-file and the Black queen pointing at g3.
However White still wins in this line. 24. ... Rg8 25. hxg5+ Rxg5 26. Kg2! or 25. .. Kg7 26. gxf6+. or 24. .. Kg7 25. Qxg5+ Kf8 26. Qh6+ and a strong attack with either 26. .. Kg8 27. c4! or 26. ... Rg7 27. g4!

Unable to see all this - or be brave enough to try it - I consolidate my position.

24. Qg2? Kg7

Perhaps Black feared Qh3+ or was relieved that he looked like getting out of this alive .. but 24. .. Re7! and he takes over the advantage. 25. Nf3 Rxe1 26. Nxe1 Ng4! 27. Qf3 Qd4+ 28. Kh1 Qxb2 - and it is now Black who has the pawn lead.

25. Qd2 h6

With this move Black offered a draw which I accepted with a heavy heart. The position is indeed now equal but I had the sense that I had missed winning chances - and I was right.

Game 86 - club match. Swale v Tunbridge Wells

Swale vs Tunbridge Wells - En Passant Cup - Board Two
Thursday 25 January 2018
White: R. Goodfellow (159) - Black: K. Nevols (157)

I had met my opponent before in my debut for Rochester (Game 46) and had a very good position before losing a rook ending. I anticipated another tough battle.

1. e4 d5

Not many people play 1. e4 these days but I get a chance to wheel out the Scandinavian again.

2. exd5 Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qa5
4. h3!?

An unusual move intended to shut the bishop out of g4 and allow the knight on f3 to avoid being pinned.

4. .....  Nf6
5. Nf3 Bf5
6. Bc4 e6
7. O-O c6
8. d4 Bb4

A familiar set-up for myself. I just need to castle and then develop the queen's knight. If 9. Bd2 then Bxc3 10. Bxc3 Qc7.



9. Ne2!

But this is a good move which I underestimated. White exploits the fact that his queen's bishop is not yet developed and so can relocate the knight to leave Black's bishop just hitting air.

9. ...   O-O
10. Ng3 Bg6
11. Qe2

I was concerned about a White Bf4 which would leave my own bishops short of squares. Also c3 with Re1 and ideas of sacrifices on e6 are always a concern (although nobody has actually tried this against me yet). But 11. .. Nbd7 developing Black's last piece is fine.

11. .....  Nd5

While this knight holds the centre, it does allow White's h-pawn to run.

12. c3 Bd6
13. Ne5 Qc7
14. h4!

Not liking 14. .. Nd7 15. h5 Bf5 16. Nxf5 exf5 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Qf3 I decided the bishop had to go.

14. ...   Bxe5
15. dxe5 h6
16. h5 Bh7
17. f4

White has built up a good position and tying Black down on the kingside. He will now force the exchange of my white squared bishop which will allow him to seize control of the b1-h7 diagonal

17. ....  Nd7



18. Ne4 Bxe4?

I saw no alternative as I could not allow the knight to get to d6. However, 18. .. b5 is better. 19. Bb3 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Nc5 would allow Black to eliminate White's white squared bishop - and 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Nd6 f6 just about holds on. It is a mistake for Black to let go of his white squared bishop and allow White to keep his in this position.

19. Qxe4 Nc5
20. Qc2

20. Qd4 hitting the loose knight is interesting and if 20. .. b6 White could consider 21. Rf3. I would probably have played 20. .. Nd7 intending to exchange the queens with Qb6.

20. ...   Rfd8

A natural development to double the rooks while White thinks of something to do. 20. .. Qb6 21. Kh1 Qd8 22. Qf2 Qe7 is equal - with 23. f5 being answered by 23. .. Ne4.

21. Bd2 Rd7
22. a4?!

White may well have considered 22. b4 as the d7 retreat square is now blocked to push the knight back to a6. But he now has a plan to relocate the bishop. However I manage to counter with a strong attack.

22. ..   Rad8
23. Rad1? Nb6

I did not see 23. .. Nxa4 winning a pawn (24. Qxa4 Nb6 25. Qa5 Nxc4 26. Qxc7 Rxc7 27. Bc1). Instead I thought I was winning a pawn another way.

24. Ba2!

I only considered 24. Bb3 and gobbled up the pawn.

24. .....  Ncxa4
25. Rf2 Nc5
26. Bb1 Nd3

This is what I had been banking on. Now I am a pawn up with a well-placed knight.

27. Rf3

Now things were getting complicated. I am targeting the b-pawn.

27. .....  Nc4
28. Bc1



28. ....   Qb6+?

28. .. Ndxe5! wins another pawn for nothing. 29. Qh7+ Kf8 leads nowhere. White has to play 30. Rff1 when 30. ... Qb6+ 31. Kh1 Nd3 keeps the advantage,

29. Kh2 Ncxb2?

Not only missing another chance to play 29. .. Ndxe5 but losing all the advantage.

30. Bxb2 Qxb2??

Three blunders in a row. Black had to play 30. .. Nxb2 when after 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Qh8+ Ke7 33. Rxd7+ Rxd7 34. Qxg7 when, according to the computer, the position is equal, although White's h-pawn would worry me.

That would be better than just losing a piece!

31. Rfxd3

The game is now lost. Exchanges are forced which leave me with two pawns for the bishop.

31. ....    Qxc2
32. Bxc2 Rxd3
33. Rxd3 Rxd3
34. Bxd3 b5



White finds the correct plan to bring the king over and consolidates. There is nothing Black can do.

35. Kg3 Kf8
36. Kf3 a5
37. Ke4 Ke7
38. Kd4 a4
39. Kc5 Kd7
40. Kb4 Kc7
41. c4 a3
42. Kxa3 bxc4
43. Bxc4 Kb6
44. Kb4 c5+
45. Ka4 Kc6
46. Ka5 Kd7
47. Kb6 f6
48. Kxc5

I could have resigned several moves earlier but now did so. One of my worst games of the season.


Swale v Tunbridge Wells

Keith Hyde (166) 1/2-1/2 C Lucjan Karpinski (164)
Keith Nevols (157) 0-1 Russell Goodfellow (159)
Vytautas Gedminas (130) 0-1 Hugh Tassell (135)
David Page (122) 0-1 David Tidmarsh (132)
Tyrone Jefferies (116) 1/2-1/2 Thomas Stevens (128)
Dennis Simpson (109) 0-1 Stephen Bond (116)

Swale 1-5 Tunbridge Wells

Game 85 - club match. Swale v Weald of Kent

Swale vs Weald of Kent - Harvey Cup - Board Two
Thursday 4 January 2018
White: K. Nevols (157) - Black: M. Horner (108)

1. e4 e6
2. Qe2

My standard anti-French.

2. ....  b6
3. Nc3 Bb7
4. d3 Be7
5. f4 h6?!

Black delays the development of the knights. Not sure why.

6. Nf3 d6
7. g3 Nbd7
8. Bg2

I gave some thought to 8. Bh3 with f5 in mind to try to take advantage of the lead in development. But the opposing bishop on b7 might give some tactical opportunities for Black and that concerned me.

8. .....   h5!?

The second move of the h-pawn and Black shows his hand - he intends to attack the open position on the White kingside. I had seen this interesting plan after my own move, and had decided that I would try to get the king over the other side quick.



9. h3

In order to meet 9. .. h4 with 10. g4.

After playing this, I did wonder if 9. Be3 might have been better, preparing to drop back to f2 if necessary. Black could follow with 9. .. Bf6 and 10. .. Ne7 - so the bishops would be well placed even if the knights are not.

The computer knows no fear and recommends 9. O-O and meeting 9. .. h4 with 10. Nxh4 Bxh4 11. e5. But in principle I do not like castling when the opponents' h-pawn is halfway down the board.

9. ....   Nf8

This reminded me of the earlier game against Rainham where Black placed his knights on the back rank prior to a kingside pawn storm. Time to continue development.

10. Bd2

My preference to Be3 - this defends the knight against any Bf6 plans - and I could get the option to play Bc3 myself.

10. ....   c5

We are now in a sort of closed Sicilian position that I like.

11. O-O-O

By now I had used up 27 minutes and had 48 for the next 24 moves - the next two White moves invest thirteen more minutes as I try to find a plan.

11. ....    Bc6
12. d4 Nf6

My problem is how to attack. I could base plans around d5, e5 or f5 but could not decide.



- 13. e5 dxe5 14. dxe5 Nd5 did not look much.
- 13. d5 exd5 14. exd5 Nxd5 is a pawn sacrifice but with nothing to show for it - although White could throw in 15. Ne5!? dxe5 16. Nxd5 (16. .. Bxd5? 17. Bc3) with some pressure for the pawn. (I did not see this at the time).
13. f5 exf5 14. exf5 opens up some diagonals and after 14. .. Qd7 there is 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Bf4! and White has a strong initiative.

Being unable to choose between three plans, I decide to choose none of them.

13. Rhe1

The computer now recommends 13. .. Ng6 to get some play and try to castle, or 13. .. a6 to prevent a future Nb5.

13. ....   N6d7

I am well-positioned to open up the centre and so get on with it.

14. d5 Bb7
15. e5! dxe5
16. dxe6

Opening up the d-file although 16. Nxe5 might be stronger, with threats around Nxf7 and/or Nb5. Then 16. .. Nxe5 17. fxe5 Qc8 (to defend the bishop and get off the d-file) 18. d6 Bd8.

16. .....  Nxe6
17. Nxe5 Bxg2

After 17. .. Nd4 there is 18. Qf2 with Be3 to come.

18. Qxg2 Nxe5
19. Rxe5

The rook is well-placed here to come to d5 or threaten an f5 push. Black decides to sacrifice a pawn to get some king safety - although 19. .. Kf8 might have been better towards this objective. If Black plays 19. .. Bf6 then White keeps a big advantage 20. Rd5 Qc8 (20. .. Qc7? 21. Rxc5) 21. Qe2 Kf8 22. Rxh5 Rxh5 23. Qxh5 g6 24. Qd5.



19. ...  O-O?!

20. Be3 is a good alternative but I like to grab a pawn when I see it.

20. Rxh5 Bf6
21. Qe4

Never any harm to threaten mate in one.

21. ....   g6
22. Rd5 Qe7
23. Qf3?!

23. f5 is much better. If 23. .. Ng5 then 24. Qxe7 Bxe7 25. f6 picks up the knight on g5, and 23. .. gxf5 24. Rxf5 Ng7 25. Qxe7 Bxe7 and White consolidates his pawn lead. I did not want to change queens at this point.

23. ....  Rad8

Black wants to exchange off the active rook. 23 .. Nd4 or 23. .. Nc7 might have been an improvement.

24. Rxd8 Rxd8??

24. .. Qxd8 is required with Nd4 coming up. But this move loses material.

25. Nd5 Rxd5
26. Qxd5 Nd4



At last, Black reaches this square but with less pieces it lacks the firepower and the knight now becomes a target for attack. Having said that, Black is now down a pawn and the exchange so advice is difficult.

27. Re1 Qc7
28. c3 Ne6
29. f5 Ng5

The final mistake. 29. .. gxf5 30. Qxf5 would have stayed on the board. My first thought was 30. fxg6 Nxh3 or Qxg3 and then I saw Bf4. I also noticed that the queen is now short of squares. After 30. Bf4 it can only go to c8. (30. .. Qd8 31. Qxd8+ Bxd8 32. Re8+) but then I could see how I could take the c8 square away from the queen.

30. Re8+ Kg7
31. Bf4

With his queen now trapped, Black resigned.

Swale v Weald of Kent

Keith Hyde (166) 1/2-1/2 James Hart Dyke (140)
Keith Nevols (157) 1-0 Mark Horner (108)
David Page (122) 1-0 David Warrick (107)
Tyrone Jefferies (116) 0-1 Oleg Lyakh (104)
Kevin French (98) 1/2-1/2 Julian Squiers (90)
Barry Sawyer (83) 1-0 Geoffrey Broadhead (75)

Swale 4-2 Weald of Kent