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Oswestry Chess Club
[Event "Club Championship 2024/5"] [Site "?"] [Date "2025.02.06"] [Round "Rd 4"] [White "Atherton, Marcus"] [Black "Loe, Alex"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Van Kemenade,Rudy"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "1547"] [BlackElo "1429"] [PlyCount "118"] [GameId "2144148478036851"] [EventDate "2025.02.10"] {[%evp 0,19,20,32,22,22,22,24,14,17,34,23,-41,23,16,18,22,0,5,5,29,19]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 {a notorious drawing line for IMs} (5. d4 {main}) (5. Nc3 {next, latest fashion revival}) 5... Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 (7. Bg5 {main}) 7... Bg4 8. Qxe7+ Bxe7 9. Be2 c6 {0-4-6 ; 30 % for Wh} (9... Nc6 {49% for Wh}) (9... O-O {33% for Wh, main lines}) 10. Be3 $146 (10. h3 Be6 (10... Bh5 {4 draws}) 11. O-O Na6 12. a3 Nc7 13. Be3 Kd7 14. Nd4 Ncd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Bf3 Nxe3 18. fxe3 Raf8 $11 {Tuerke-Schallehn, Leipzig op 1964,0-1}) (10. Bg5 Na6 11. a3 Nc5 12. h3 Bh5 13. O-O-O Ne6 14. Be3 d5 15. d4 Ne4 (15... Nd7 $11) 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Ng1 Bxe2 18. Nxe2 f5 19. d5 $18 {Antonio-Villanueva, Buenos Aires Banfield op 2005,0-1}) 10... d5 11. Bd4 {if the B is to take the N,(what else from here?) it could have gone to g5 in one move} (11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nbd7 13. O-O O-O $11 {SF17}) 11... Nbd7 12. O-O O-O 13. Nd2 (13. h3 {looks better than this retreat}) 13... Bb4 14. Bxg4 Nxg4 15. a3 Ba5 16. b4 Bc7 17. h3 Nh6 $11 {but the Bl pices look better coordinated than the 3 Wh pieces getting in each others's way in the centre} 18. Na4 b6 19. Nf3 Nf5 20. Bb2 Rfe8 21. Nc3 (21. Rfe1 {contesting the file looks natural}) 21... Ne5 $15 22. Nd2 Nd7 (22... Nd4 23. Rfc1 Ng6 24. Kf1 Bf4 25. Ncb1 Ne6 26. Re1 f6 $11 {but the Wh pieces are looking very sorry for themselves, all huddled together}) 23. Rac1 Be5 24. Nf3 Bf6 (24... Bf4 25. Rb1 Ne5 26. Nxe5 Bxe5 27. Rfe1 Re6 28. Ne2 Bxb2 29. Rxb2 Rae8 $11 {but the Bl position is much easier to play}) 25. Ba1 Ne5 26. Nd2 {3rd visit by this N} (26. Nxe5 Rxe5 27. Rfe1 (27. Nb1 d4 28. Nd2 Rd5 (28... Rae8 29. g4 $16) 29. Rfe1 h5 $11) 27... Rxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Nd4 29. Rc1 Bg5 $19 {SF17}) 26... Ng6 27. Rfe1 (27. Nf3 Ngh4 28. Nxh4 Bxh4 29. b5 d4 30. Ne4 c5 31. Bb2 h6 32. Rfe1 Bd8 33. Kf1 Bc7 34. Nd2 Ne7 35. g3 Nd5 36. Rxe8+ Rxe8 37. c3 dxc3 38. Bxc3 $11 {SF17-Wh has got some relief by exchanges but} Nxc3 39. Rxc3 Rd8 40. Ke2 {leaves a backward d pawn, which will need care}) 27... Nd4 {right idea, but mistimed} (27... Rxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Nd4 29. Rc1 Bg5 30. Rd1 Nxc2 $19 {SF17}) 28. Kf1 (28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Kf1 Bg5 30. Ncb1 {not possible in var above because of a N fork}) 28... Rxe1+ 29. Kxe1 Re8+ {natural, but} (29... Nf4 30. Kf1 Kf8 $15 {SF17}) 30. Kf1 Nf4 31. Nb3 $2 (31. h4 Nfe6 32. g3 g5 33. hxg5 Bxg5 34. Ncb1 f5 35. Bxd4 Nxd4 36. c3 Ne6 37. Re1 Kf7 38. Nf3 Bf6 $11 {but the Bl pieces still more active}) 31... Nxb3 (31... Nxd3 32. Rd1 Nxc2 33. Ne2 (33. Rxd3 Re1#) 33... Nxa1 34. Rxd3 Nxb3 35. Rxb3 Kf8 $19 {SF17-two pawns up}) 32. cxb3 Nxd3 33. Rd1 Nf4 $19 34. b5 Bxc3 {releases the Wh pieces from their slumber} (34... d4 $1 35. Nb1 cxb5 (35... c5 {also looks good, immuring the B}) 36. Bxd4 $2 (36. Nd2 h5 37. Rc1 Ne6 38. b4 a5 39. Nf3 Ra8 $19 {SF17}) 36... Rd8 $19) 35. Bxc3 cxb5 $15 36. g3 Nxh3 (36... Rc8 37. Be1 Ne6 38. Rxd5 Rc5 39. Rd1 h5 $15 {SF- Bl may eventually get a pawn through on the Q side}) 37. Rxd5 $11 h6 38. Rxb5 (38. Rd7 $1 {SF17-ignore a doubled pawn- get active pieces- with pawns on both sides a B is usually better than a shortlegged N, and Rs naturally love the 7th rank}) 38... Ng5 $15 {while the Wh R is tempoarrily out of play, Bl still has an extra pawn on the other side} 39. Bd4 (39. Rd5 Ne6 40. Rd7 Rc8 41. Be5 f6 42. Bf4 g5 43. Be3 Rc7 $15 {SF17}) 39... Re6 {too defensive-Rs must attack weak pawns, not seek to defend them} (39... Rd8 40. Be3 Ne4 41. Rb4 Nc3 (41... Rd1+ 42. Kg2 Nc3 43. Rg4 h5 44. Rc4 Nd5 45. Bc1 Rd3 46. b4 f6 47. b5 Rb3 48. Rc8+ Kh7 49. a4 Kg6 50. Ra8 Rb1 51. Be3 Kf5 52. Rxa7 g5 53. Bd4 Ke4 {and Wh is in a mating net from the concerted Bl pieces}) 42. Kg2 Nd5 43. Re4 f6 (43... Nxe3+ 44. Rxe3 {is more difficult to win- with the pawn structure static for the moment, the N is superior to the B, so adds extra power to its R}) 44. Kf3 h5 45. Rc4 Kf7 46. Ke4 g5 47. Rc6 Nxe3 {now that Bl has made progress on the K side, its time} 48. Kxe3 Kg6 49. Rc7 a5 50. f3 h4 51. gxh4 gxh4 52. Rc4 Kh5 53. b4 axb4 54. Rxb4 h3 55. Kf2 Rg8 56. Rb5+ Rg5 57. Rxb6 h2 58. Rb8 h1=N+ 59. Ke3 Re5+ 60. Kd4 Ng3 {SF17 and Bl picks up f3 and Q's- often endings can be long drawn out.}) 40. Rd5 (40. a4 {keeps attacking and tries to swap as many pawns as possible}) 40... a6 41. a4 $11 Ne4 42. Be3 $2 (42. Kg2 Rc6 43. b4 Nc3 44. Rd8+ Kh7 45. a5 b5 46. Bxc3 Rxc3 47. Rd7 f6 48. Rd6 Rb3 49. Rxa6 Rxb4 50. Rb6 $11 {the a pawn will be swapped for the B pawn, leaving the R & 3 vs R & 2 all on one side( which should be drawn)}) 42... Nxg3+ $17 43. Kg2 Ne4 44. Rd8+ Kh7 45. Ra8 (45. Rb8 Nf6 46. Rxb6 Rxb6 47. Bxb6 Nd5 48. Bc5 $19 {but more difficult because Wh can get an outside passed pawn, though the N can hold, and then Bl's K side pawns advance}) 45... b5 $19 46. axb5 axb5 47. Rb8 Nc3 (47... Re5 {keeps the pawn safe}) 48. Rb7 Kg6 49. Bd4 Ne2 50. Be3 (50. Bc5 Re5 51. Rxb5 Nf4+ 52. Kf1 Ne6 53. b4 f6 54. Ra5 Nxc5 55. bxc5 h5 $19 {SF17}) 50... Re5 51. Kf1 Ng3+ $1 52. Kg2 Nf5 53. Ba7 Re7 54. Rb6+ Kg5 (54... f6) 55. Rxb5 $2 (55. Bb8 Nd4 56. Rd6 Nxb3 57. Rd5+ Kg6 58. Rxb5 Nd4 59. Rb4 Ne6 {SF17-and the bl pawns advance, especially with the help of the N}) 55... Rxa7 56. b4 Kg6 57. Rb6+ f6 58. Rb8 Nd6 59. Kf3 Rb7 0-1
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