Week 4 Waterloo
On Week 4 Arizona took on the strangely named Manhattan Applesauce. We were on the cusp of victory (think Red Sox – Mets as the ball was hit to Buckner) until something strange occurred.
Here was the lineup.
| Manhattan Applesauce | Arizona Scorpions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| GM Vladimir Romanenko: 2513 | .5 | IM Mackenzie Molner: 2511 | |
| FM Farai Mandizha: 2484 | .5 | IM Levon Altounian: 2493 | |
| NM Andrew Shvartsman: 2343 | .5 | IM Shahin Mohandesi: 2399 | |
| NM Andrew Ryba: 2202 | 1 | NM Dipro Chakraborty: 2306 | |
| Average Rating: 2386 | Average Rating: 2427 | ||
| Manhattan Total | 2.5 | Arizona Total 1.5 |
The Games
Romanenko-MAN (2513) – Molner-ARZ (2511) [B26]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 24.09.2012
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Qd2 b5 8.Nge2 b4 9.Nd1 Nd4 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxe2 12.Qxe2 e5 13.0-0 Ne7 14.Qd2 0-0 15.Bh6 This plan is hard to understand.
At this point if black just plays f6 and works on the b-file, it is hard to know how white will counter that. White has a dead bishop and less activity.
18.exf5 Nxf5 19.Ne3 Nxe3 20.Qxe3 Rb2 21.f4 Qc8 22.Rab1 exf4 23.gxf4 Rxg2+
In retrospect, not doing this and just working on white’s split pawns would have been good for black.
White finds the correct move and black is on the critical list.
Rxf5 27.Qe7+ Kh6 28.Rb8 Qxb8 29.Rxf5 gxf5 30.Qf6+ Kh7 31.Qxf5+ Kg7 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxd5 Qc7 34.Qf5+ Kg7 35.Qxh5 Qa5 36.Qg4+ Kf6 37.Qf4+ Ke6 38.Qh6+ Kf7 39.Qxd6 Qxc3 40.Qd5+ Kg7 41.h5 Kh6 42.Kf4 Qf6+ 43.Ke3 Qc3 44.Ke4 Qe1+ 45.Kf4 Qh4+ 46.Ke5 Qg3+ 47.Ke6
This is winning for white but he goes wrong in mutual time trouble.
Qc7 48.Qd6 Qc8+ 49.Kf6 Kxh5 50.Qe5+ Kg4 51.Qe6+ Qxe6+ 52.Kxe6 Kf4 53.Kd5 Ke3 54.Kc4 a5 55.a4 Ke2 56.Kxc5 Kxd3 57.Kb5 Kd4 58.Kxa5 Kc5 59.Ka6 Kc6 60.a5 Kc7 61.Ka7 Kc8 62.Kb6 Kb8 63.a6 Ka8 64.a7 Black stalemated 1/2-1/2
An amazing escape by Molner. Well done.
Altounian-ARZ (2493) – Mandizha-MAN (2484) [A11]
ICC 55 30 u Internet Chess Club, 24.09.2012
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bf5 4.c4 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.cxd5 Qxb3 7.axb3 Nxd5 8.d3 Nb4 9.Na3 Be6 10.Bd2 N8a6 11.Nd4 Bg4 12.h3 Bd7 13.f4 e6 14.Kf2 Bc5 15.Be3 Nd5 16.Bxd5 exd5 17.Nac2 0-0 18.Nf3 Bd6 19.Ra5 f6 20.h4 Rfe8 21.Rha1 Re7 22.Bd2 Rae8 23.Re1 Bh3 24.b4 Bc7 25.Ra3 Bb6+ 26.e3 Nc7 27.Nfd4 a6 28.Bc3 h5 29.Raa1 Ba7 30.Rac1 Bd7 31.Nb3 Nb5 32.Ncd4 Nd6 33.Nc5 Bc8 34.Ra1 Nf7 35.Nf3 Nh6 36.Nh2 Nf5 37.Bd2 Bb6 38.Nf3 Nh6 39.Nh2 Bf5 40.Ra3 Bc8 41.Raa1 Kh7 42.Rac1 Kg6 43.Ra1 Kf5 44.Rac1 Ba7 45.Ra1 Kg6 46.Rac1 Bf5 47.Rc3 Bb6 48.Ra3 Kf7 49.Na4 Ba7 50.Nc5 Bb6 51.Na4 Ba7 52.Nc5 Bc8 53.Raa1 Kg6 54.Ra3 Kf7 Game drawn by mutual agreement 1/2-1/2
A visibly tired and under the weather Altounian was always fighting from the worse position starting in the opening. he forgot about 15… Nd5 and it was not good after that. Holding the draw was well done.
Shvartsman-MAN (2343) – Mohandesi-ARZ (2399) [B48]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 24.09.2012
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Be3 Bb4
A very strange move.
9.Qe2 0-0 10.f4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc5 But now things are “normal” again.
12.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 13.Kh1 d5 14.e5 Nd7 15.f5
White thought a long time about this. It does not work out well.
This simple defense solves any conceivable problems.
17.Bxf5 Bxe6 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.Qxe6+ Kh8 20.Qf5 Rad8 21.Rad1 h6 22.Rf3 Qb4 23.Qd3 Qxb2 24.Rb1 Qa3 25.Rxb7 White in time trouble went for this but he has no king space on the back rank.
A huge miss. The obvious 25…Ne4! wins. The white back rank weaknesses are fatal. 26. Ne2 (what else?) Rxf3 2. Qxf3 Qxa2 and black will wrap up the point.
26.Nb1 Qxd3 27.cxd3 Rb8 28.Rb3 Rxb3? 28… Rbc8 leaving pieces on gives black a big edge.
29.axb3 Rc8 30.Kg1 Ng4 31.Nd2 Rc2? 31…Ne5! causes big problems.
32.Nc4 Rc1+ 33.Rf1 Rc3 34.Rf4 Rc1+ 35.Rf1 Rc2 36.Rf4 Ne3 37.Rxd4 Rxg2+ 38.Kh1 Re2 39.Nxe3 Rxe3 40.Kg2 Re6 41.Kf3 Kg8 42.Kf4 Kf7 43.Rd7+ Kf6 44.Rd4 g5+ 45.Kg4 Kg6 46.b4 h5+ 47.Kf3 Kf5 48.Rd5+ Re5 49.Rd6 g4+ 50.Kg3 Kg5 51.h4+ Kf5 52.Rxa6 Re3+ 53.Kf2 Rxd3 53… Rh3 54. b5 Rxh4 55. b6 Rh2+ 56. Kg3 Rb2 57. Ra5+ draws but black could have tried this to make sure white finds it. The adventures are not over!
54.Rh6? 54. Ra5+! Kf4 55. Rxh5 is the right way.
g3+! 55.Ke2 Rb3 56.Rxh5+ Kg4 57.Rg5+ Kh3?? 57…Kxh4! with the idea of Kh3 and Kg2. I think this is a book win as the white b-pawn proves to be irrelevant.
58.h5 Rb2+ 59.Ke3 Rb3+ 60.Ke2 Rb2+ 61.Ke3 Rb3+ 62.Ke2 Rb2+ Game drawn by repetition 1/2-1/2
A big miss, as black stood much better throughout after white’s ill-timed 15th move with several chances to win outright. In addition, black had substantially more time throughout.
(112) Chakraborty-ARZ (2306) – Ryba-MAN (2202) [E05]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 24.09.2012
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bd2 Be4 11.Qc1 Nbd7 12.Ba5 Ra7 13.Nbd2 Bd5 14.Qc2 Qa8 15.Ne1 c5 16.e4 Bb7 17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.Rc1 Rc8 19.Qb1 Bb6 20.Rxc8+ Qxc8 21.Bxb6 Nxb6 22.Nd3 Ba8 23.Rc1 Qd8 24.f3 Qd4+ 25.Kh1 Rd7 26.Bf1 Qe3 27.Qc2 h6 28.Re1 Qd4 29.Nb3 Qc4 30.Qb1 Qc8 31.Ndc5 Rc7 32.Rc1 Nbd7 33.Nxd7 Nxd7 34.Rxc7 Qxc7 35.Qc1 Qxc1 36.Nxc1 Ne5 37.Bg2 Kf8 38.Kg1 Ke7 39.Kf2 Kd7 40.b4 Kc7 41.Ke3 Kb6 42.Kd4 Nc4 43.a4 e5+ 44.Kc3 Bc6 45.a5+ Kc7 46.Bh3 Bb7 47.Nd3 f6 48.Nc5 g6 49.Be6 Ne3 50.Kd3 Nd1 51.Kc2 Ne3+ 52.Kd3 Nd1 53.Kd2 Nb2 54.Bb3
A king and pawn ending is the fastest win. 54. Kc2 Na4 55. Nxb7 Kxb7 56. Bf7 g5 57. g4 Kc7 58. Bb3 Kc6 59. Bxa4 bxa4 60. Kb2 and white picks up the a-pawn and wins. Black’s king must give way.
Taking with the knight and leaving bishops on is by far the easiest. The a-pawn becomes passed and white has d5 for his bishop. The game would be decided.
bxa4 57.Nxa4 Kc6 White forfeits on time 0-1
White simply forgot about his clock and ticked down from 1:27 to 0:00. He “woke up” with 1 second left and tried to move but was too late. The celebration in the upstairs office abruptly ended as we got the news.
Legal Postscript:
I found myself mentioned in a legal analysis case where a judge apparently gave a jury bad instructions. What is a “belt and suspenders” approach (written on page 2)?
“belt and suspenders” just means, careful redundancy. two ways to keep your pants from falling down.
The judge should have said “Sherman’s March Through Atlanta.” The defendants had won a judgment that they did not infringe on some patents due to obviousness. Then in what the judge termed ‘Belt and Suspenders’ they made a new motion to invalidate these patents altogether. The judge implied in his write-up that they had taken it too far and this new motion could and should backfire horribly.