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Oswestry Chess Club

[Event "Church Stretton A v Oswestry B"]
[Site "Church Stretton"]
[Date "2024.11.04"]
[Round "Brd 5"]
[White "Grocott-James, Al"]
[Black "Mitchinson, Duncan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D40"]
[WhiteElo "1431"]
[BlackElo "1415"]
[Annotator "Rudy van Kemenade"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[GameId "2094405981987592"]
[EventDate "2024.09.27"]

{[%evp 0,57,43,28,16,-11,-8,-15,-1,9,14,-34,40,11,27,14,16,18,4,22,5,-58,-62,-46,1,-4,8,-39,-29,-85,-7,7,0,-13,-34,-20,37,-9,-3,11,2,5,44,71,83,56,71,-76,-80,-155,-47,-120,-137,-332,-315,-328,-192,-687,-691,-696]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 {The American Defense} (2... e6 3. Nc3 d5 {safer}) 3. Nc3 (3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 {81% for Wh- Wh gains a centre. Unlike the Gruenfeld , where 2.. g63 Nc3 has been played, Bl cannot exchange on c3 with gain of tempo to then attack Wh's more static centre.}) 3... e6 {back to a Queen's Gambit Declined} (3... dxc4 4. e4 e6 5. a3 Bd7 6. Bxc4 Bc6 7. d5 {Grocott-James vs Wise, Oswestry ch jan 2024,1-0}) 4. a3 {a bit slow, but takes people away from the more usual lines they may be more familiar with} (4. Bg5 {main, 58% for Wh}) 4... c5 {43% for Wh} (4... Nc6 5. Nf3 dxc4 6. e4 g6 7. Bxc4 $16 {Grocott-James vs J Smith, Oswestry ch , 2023,0-1}) (4... Be7 {, 47% for Wh}) 5. Nf3 Be7 (5... Nc6) (5... cxd4 {are sharper lines for Bl}) 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 (7. dxc5 {main, scores well for Wh now since the QB can get to b2 with gain of tempo}) 7... Nc6 8. O-O dxc4 (8... b6) (8... a6 {main lines}) 9. Bxc4 {transposes to 424 games, a position most usually reached via a Queen's Gambit Accepted line} a6 10. d5 (10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. b4 Be7 12. Bb2 {main, 49% for Wh}) 10... exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Qb6 $11 (12... Qc7 $11 {3-1-1}) (12... Qd6 $11 {Cloud Engines, 0-1}) 13. b3 (13. Qc2 {SF17} Bf6 14. Rb1 Bg4 15. Bd2 Rfd8 16. Be4 Kh8 (16... h6 $11) 17. Bc3 $16 {Almeida Saenz-Zavalza Ramirez, MEX ch op Mexico City, 2006,1-0}) 13... Bf6 $15 14. Rb1 {Wh is drifting into slightly passive piece positions} Bf5 (14... Rd8 $1 15. Bb2 Ne7 16. e4 Nxd5 17. exd5 Be6 18. Bxf6 Rxd5 19. Qc1 gxf6 $17 {SF17}) 15. e4 $11 Bg6 16. Bb2 Bxb2 17. Rxb2 Ne7 18. Re1 Rad8 19. Rd2 Nxd5 (19... Bh5 $5 $11) 20. exd5 Bh5 (20... Rfe8 $11) 21. d6 Qa5 $2 {It is difficult to see why this move is seen as a mistake by the Engine, but the clue must lie in those preceding notes, where the Q seems to be needed at c6. In such a sharp position it looks wrong for Bl to be pawn hunting a3.} (21... Rfe8 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Rd5 Bxf3 24. d7 Rd8 25. Qxf3 Qc6 26. Qf5 Qe6 $11 {SF17}) (21... Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rd7 23. Re7 Qc6 24. Rxd7 Qxd7 25. Rd5 Qc6 $11 {SF17}) 22. Rd3 {this does not actually prevent the Wh pawns being doubled . Though the above lines indicate that Wh need not worry about this happening anyway.} (22. Rd5 $1 Bxf3 (22... Bg4 23. b4 Qxa3 24. bxc5 $18) 23. gxf3 Qxa3 24. d7 Qa5 25. Re4 h6 26. h4 b5 27. Kg2 (27. Rxc5 {also, looks more human}) 27... Qb6 28. Rd6 Qb7 29. Re7 Qc7 30. Qd5 a5 31. Rc6 Qb7 32. Qd6 {Bl is very tied down} a4 33. Rb6 Qa7 34. Ra6 Qb8 35. Qxc5 axb3 36. Qd4 {with a very nasty threat of Rg6!} Kh7 37. h5 $18 {rSF17-enews the threat- the Engine thinks that Bl now has to give up a R for the d pawn}) (22. Re5 Bg4 23. h3 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Qxa3 25. d7 {leads to very similar play}) (22. d7 Qxa3 23. Re4 Qa5 24. g4 Bg6 25. Re3 Qb4 26. Ne5 {SF17- is less forcing, but here again Wh looks clearly ahead.}) 22... Bxf3 23. Rxf3 $2 (23. gxf3 Rd7 $11) 23... Rxd6 $17 24. Qe2 (24. Qc1 {SF17}) 24... Qxa3 (24... Re6 $1 $19 25. Re3 Rxe3 26. Qxe3 Qxa3 {SF17}) 25. Re3 (25. Qe7 $1 Rdd8 26. Qxb7 Qb4 27. Qe7 Rd7 28. Qe5 c4 29. bxc4 Qxc4 30. h3 $11 {SF17-with the a pawn still far back and only heavy material left, there is every prospect of Wh being able to hold the draw.}) 25... Rdd8 (25... Qb4 26. h3 g6 $19 {sF17}) 26. Re8 Rdxe8 27. Qxe8 h6 (27... Qxb3 $1 $19) 28. h4 (28. Qe3 b5 {the Q side pawns will win}) 28... Rxe8 29. Rxe8+ 0-1

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