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Oswestry Chess Club

[Event "Club Championship 2024/5"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.10.31"]
[Round "Rd 2"]
[White "Evans, Alf"]
[Black "Smith, Jonathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "1391"]
[BlackElo "1552"]
[Annotator "Rudy van Kemenade"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[GameId "2108192948310053"]
[EventDate "2024.11.04"]

{[%evp 0,15,18,12,12,12,12,16,16,17,43,12,20,28,25,15,60,20]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 {the now standard positional line} (4. Ng5 {leads to complex heavily theorized lines}) 4... d6 $6 {The Hungarian Defense, a slightly passive line} (4... Bc5) (4... Be7) (4... h6) (4... d5 {are more active lines}) 5. h3 {67% for Wh} (5. Ng5 $1 $16 {exploits Bl's move order by getting into Ng5 lines with an extra move d3 thrown in.} d5 6. exd5 {78 % for Wh}) (5. c3 {70% for Wh}) 5... Na5 (5... Be7 {main}) 6. Bb3 Nxb3 7. axb3 $11 {63% for Wh} g6 (7... Be7 {main}) 8. c4 {Wh agrees to a slow approach, not trying to open up the centre} (8. O-O {more flexible, though Wh has not gained much from the opening} Bg7 9. Nc3 O-O $11 {1-2-8- usually the Bl players have been much higher rated than the Wh players- Bl seems to have used the line to avoid theory and prepared lines. Also these games are by transposition, so the 5 Ng5 idea was not possible for Wh}) 8... Bg7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O Re8 {With the Kings Indian type setup, Bl would normally be looking to move the N, then play f5. Though here Wh would then respond with an early d4} (10... Nd7 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 a5 13. Be3 b6 14. Qd2 Nc5 15. Bg5 Qe8 16. Bh6 Bxh6 (16... Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Qxe4 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. f4 {threatening f5 with an attack} c5 20. Nb5 $16) 17. Qxh6 Bb7 $11 {SF17}) 11. Bg5 h6 12. Be3 b6 (12... a6 {looks better}) (12... a5 {is positionally preferable, but a little awkward after} 13. b4 c6 14. Qb3 b6 15. bxa5 bxa5 16. Ra3 Be6 17. Qc2 Bf8 18. Ra4 Re7 19. Rfa1 $14 {Sf17}) 13. Qd2 Kh7 14. b4 Bb7 {the B doesn't really belong here- it is biting on granite, just aiming at e4 means it will be out of the game. Its only role after b6 is now to be able to protect an a pawn on a6,. Normally this B should be on d7} 15. b5 c5 (15... a5 {is desirable, but Bl has to prepare to defend precisely} 16. bxa6 Rxa6 (16... Bxa6 17. b4 Nd7 18. b5 Bb7 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Ra1 f5 $14 {is holdable}) 17. Rxa6 Bxa6 18. Ra1 Bc8 19. Ra8 c6 20. Qc2 Qc7 21. Qb3 Nd7 22. Qa3 Rf8 23. Ra7 Bb7 24. b4 Qb8 25. b5 c5 26. Nd5 Bf6 27. h4 Bd8 28. h5 $16 {SF17-holdable, but Bl has scarcely much play}) 16. bxc6 Bxc6 17. b4 a5 18. b5 $6 {Closes up the Q side, thus ending Wh's initiative there. Also Bl is given an outside passed pawn, which in the long run can be a winning asset} (18. Rfb1 Nd7 19. Ne1 axb4 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. Rxb4 Rb8 22. Nc2 Nc5 23. Rb2 Bd7 24. Kh2 $16 {SF17}) (18. bxa5 bxa5 19. Ra3 $16 {vk- as Bl needs to defend and while all the wh pieces can head to the Q side, Bls K B will have trouble getting there}) 18... Bb7 19. Na4 Nd7 20. Nh2 h5 $6 {creates extra holes in Bl's K position} (20... f5 $1 {SF17-the companion to e5-prevents Ng4 as well, and also tries to activate the B}) 21. f4 $6 (21. Nf3 Nc5 22. Ra3 Rf8 23. Kh2 $14 {SF17}) 21... Kg8 {this is dangerous, as most of the Bl pices are on the Q side} (21... exf4 {taking up the challenge seems best} 22. Bxf4 Bxa1 23. Rxa1 Nc5 $15 {SF17- the Engine relies on its defensive capabilities- humans might well like the Wh prospects on the very weak bl squares around the K.}) 22. f5 $18 Nc5 23. Nxc5 (23. Ra3 {avoids opening the centre for Bl} Bc8 24. Qf2 Ra7 25. f6 (25. g4) 25... Bf8 26. g4 $18 {SF17 and the Bl K position will be prized open}) 23... dxc5 24. fxg6 {this can wait} (24. g4 $1 {builds up the attack, without letting Bl swap off some pieces to blunt it} Ra7 25. Rad1 a4 26. Qg2 h4 27. Qf2 Bc8 28. f6 Bf8 29. Qxh4 Re6 30. Rd2 Rd7 31. Rdf2 $18 Rxd3 32. Nf3 Qxf6 33. Ng5 Qh8 34. Rxf7 Bg7 35. Nxe6 (35. Rf8+ Bxf8 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. Qxh8+ Ke7 38. Qxc8 $18) 35... Bxe6 (35... Qxh4 36. Rxg7+ Kh8 37. Rf8#) 36. Rf8+ Bxf8 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. Qxh8+ Bg8 39. Bh6+ $18) 24... fxg6 25. Rf2 (25. Nf3 $16 {SF17} Rf8 26. Rad1 Bc8 27. Qe1 Ra7 28. Qg3 Qd6 29. Nh4 Rxf1+ 30. Rxf1 Qxd3 31. Qg5 Bb7 32. Qe7 Qxe3+ 33. Kh2 Qxe4 34. Rf7 Kh8 $1 $11 {SF17} 35. Qe8+ Kh7 36. Qe7 Kh8 $11 {not likely to be played accurately by most humans}) 25... Rf8 26. Raf1 Rxf2 27. Rxf2 Qd6 28. Bh6 Rf8 {the problem for Wh is the more pieces swap off the more important that a pawn becomes} 29. Rxf8+ Bxf8 (29... Qxf8 $11 {SF17}) 30. Bxf8 (30. Be3 Bg7 31. Nf3 Bf6 32. Kf1 Bc8 33. Ke2 Qd8 34. Kd1 Kf7 35. Kc2 $14 {SF17- the Wh pices are a little bit better than the Bl ones}) 30... Kxf8 $11 31. Nf3 (31. Qh6+ Kg8 32. Nf3 Bc8 33. Kf2 Qf6 34. Ke2 Be6 $11 {Sf17}) 31... Kg7 32. Qe3 Qf6 33. Qg5 $2 {this should lose} Qxg5 34. Nxg5 Kf6 (34... a4 35. Nf3 a3 36. Nd2 a2 37. Nb3 h4 38. Kf2 Kf6 39. Ke3 Kg5 40. Na1 Kh5 41. Kf2 Bc8 42. Kf3 g5 43. Nc2 g4+ 44. hxg4+ Bxg4+ 45. Ke3 Bd1 46. Na1 Kg4 47. Kf2 Kf4 48. Ke1 Kg3 $19 49. Kf1 Bg4 50. Nb3 Bh5 51. Na1 Bd1 {Zugzwang- either d3 or g2 falls SF17}) 35. h4 (35. Nf3 $1 g5 36. Ne1 h4 37. g3 hxg3 38. Kg2 Kg6 39. Kxg3 Kh5 40. Nc2 $11 {and Bl has no entry squares for the K}) 35... Bc8 $19 36. Kf2 Bg4 37. Ke1 {Draw agreed. However , with the N unable to get back, Bl can win as the Wh K has to come towa. The N cannot return as its derds the a pawn, thus leaving the d3 pawn to be taken by the B. The N can't return as in the absence of both K & N, Bl walks through on the K side.} (37. Ke1 a4 38. Kd2 Be2 39. Kc3 a3 40. Kb3 Bxd3 41. Kxa3 Bxc4 42. Ka4 Bd3 43. g3 Ke7 {forced line- zugzwang, calculated by vk and confirmed by SF17} 44. Nf3 Bxe4 45. Nxe5 Ke6 46. Nc4 Bc2+ 47. Ka3 Bd3 48. Nxb6 Bxb5 {SF17Bl will also win all the K side pawns, in addition to the usual superiority of B over N in endgames with pawns on both sides of the board}) 1/2-1/2

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