In week 9, Arizona defeated St. Louis 2.5 – 1.5, and now has an even match record, 4.5 – 4.5.
We have officially made the playoffs!
The match was a wild one.
Board 1.
Diamant-STL (2527) – Molner-ARZ (2511) [A34]
ICC 75 30 u Internet Chess Club, 29.10.2012
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.d3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 0-0 10.Be3 b6 11.d4 Bb7 12.dxc5 Na5 13.Qa4 bxc5 14.Rfd1 Bc6 15.Qa3 Qc7 16.Qxc5 Nb7 17.Qa3 Rfc8 18.Rab1 Nd6 19.Bf4 Be4 20.Rb4 Bc2 21.Rc1 Qxc3 22.Qxc3 Bxc3 23.Bxd6 exd6 24.Nd4 Bxb4 25.Bxa8 Rxa8 26.Rxc2 Bc5 27.Nb3 Rc8 28.e3 f5 29.Kf1 Kf7 30.Ke2 Ke6 31.Kd3 Kd5 32.Rc4 Rb8 33.Ra4 Rb7 34.h4 Bb6 35.h5 g5 36.Rb4 Rf7 37.a4 Bc5 38.Rb8 f4 39.Nxc5 fxg3 40.fxg3 dxc5 41.Rg8 c4+ 42.Kc3 h6 43.Rd8+ Ke4 44.Rd6 Kxe3 45.Rxh6 Kf3 46.Rg6 g4 47.h6 Rh7 48.Kxc4 Kxg3 49.Rg7 Rxh6 50.Rxa7 Kh3 51.Rg7 g3 52.a5 g2 53.Kb5 Kh2 54.a6 Rxa6 55.Kxa6 g1Q 56.Rxg1 Kxg1 Game drawn because neither player has mating material 1/2-1/2
In this game IM Molner did not feel well but still battled hard and with a very precarious position after a dubious opening managed to save the half point. Well done.
Board 2.
Altounian-ARZ (2493) – Kannappan-STL (2457) [A37]
ICC 62 30 u Internet Chess Club, 29.10.2012
[Hellsten]
1.Nf3??
White had already committed a double question mark blunder by being 16 minutes to the game. Even if the flag is not quite hanging, the psychological effects of being perpetually short of time are very unpleasant, and they played a huge role in white missing many easy wins that he normally would find.
c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.g3 e5 4.Bg2 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.a3 Nge7 7.b4 e4 8.Ng5 f5 9.bxc5 Qa5 10.Bb2 0-0 11.h4 h6 12.Nh3 Qxc5 13.Rc1 Ne5 14.d4 exd3 15.exd3 Ng4 What is this piece doing once white castles? Black’s moves all appear disconnected from one another.
16.0-0 d6 17.Re1 Rf7 18.Na4 Qc7 19.Bxg7 Rxg7 20.c5 White had an embarrassment of riches here.
Kh7 21.Nf4 dxc5 22.Nxc5 Qd6 23.d4 Nc6 24.h5 gxh5 Yuck!
25.d5 Nce5 26.Qd4 h4 27.Nh5 hxg3 28.f4 Black would not have been faulted for resigning here.
Re7 29.fxe5 Nxe5 30.Nd3 Nxd3 31.Rxe7+ Qxe7 32.d6
After a very poorly played opening which now looks like the worst Dutch ever, Kannapan (the league MVP!) is dead lost and our upstairs den observation tower had already chalked up the point for white. But the time factors now play a hand.
White goes for an ending rather than the natural 33. Rc7+ which wins instantly. This, I believe, was entirely due to the lateness and the tension. After 33. Rc7+ Kg6 34. Rg7+ black is mated. After 33. Rc7+ Kh8 this is where the horizon effect caused by white’s lateness kicked in. White could not find the knockout. However, after 34. Qxd3 black is in total zugzwang. 34… Qe1+ 35. Qf1 Qe3+ 36. Kh1 Qd4 threatening a mate looks scary to someone short of time, but either 37. Rc4 or 37. Nf4! are clean wins. A nice line: 37. Nf4! Qf6 and now white tees off on the black king: 38. Ng6+!! Qxg6 39. Qa1+ Kg8 40. Bd5+! mating, and maybe white wins GOTW! These sorts of tactics are easy to see, but white did not have time to look for them.
Bd7 34.Qc3 Qxc3 35.Rxc3 Kg6 36.Nxg3
Now the game devolves into white short on time missing many more wins, but not as easy ones as 33. Rc7+. Fortunately we won the match anyway. Remember Korchnoi’s words, “In Time Trouble there are no heroes.”
Kf6 37.Rc7 Bc6 38.Bxc6 bxc6 39.Rxc6 Ke6 40.Ra6 Rd8 41.d7+ Kxd7 42.Nxf5 Kc7 43.Rxa7+ Kb6 44.Ra4 Rd3 45.Kf2 h5 46.Ke2 Rh3 47.Ne3 h4 48.Rf4 Kb5 49.Rf3 Rh2+ 50.Rf2 Rh1 51.Rf1 Rh2+ 52.Rf2 Rh1 53.Nc2 Ka4 54.Kd2 Kb3 55.Rf3+ Kb2 56.Nd4 h3 57.a4 h2 58.Rb3+ Ka2 59.Rh3 Kb2 60.Rb3+ Ka2 61.Rh3 Kb2 62.Rh4 Ka3 63.Nf3 Rb1 64.Ne1 Rb2+ 65.Kc3 Rb3+ 66.Kc2 Rb2+ 67.Kd3 Rb3+ 68.Kd2 Rb2+ 69.Ke3 h1Q 70.Rxh1 Kxa4 71.Nd3 Rg2 72.Rb1 Ka5 73.Kd4 Ka6 74.Ne5 Rc2 75.Nc4 Rh2 76.Kd5 Rh8 77.Nd6 Ka5 78.Kc6 Ka4 79.Nc4 Rh6+ 80.Kd5 Rh5+ 81.Ne5 Ka3 82.Kd4 Rh4+ 83.Kc3 Rh3+ 84.Nd3 Ka4 85.Rb2 Ka5 86.Kc4 Rh4+ 87.Kd5 Ka4 88.Rb8 Ka3 89.Kc5 Rh5+ 90.Kc4 Rh4+ 91.Kc3 Ka4 92.Ne5 Ka5 93.Nc4+ Ka6 94.Kb4 Ka7 95.Rb5 Rh1 96.Rg5 Kb7 97.Kc5 Kc7 98.Rg7+ Kd8 99.Nd6 Rc1+ 100.Kb6 Rb1+ 101.Kc6 Rc1+ 102.Kd5 Rd1+ 103.Ke5 Re1+ 104.Ne4 Kc8 105.Kd5 Rd1+ 106.Kc6 Rc1+ 107.Nc5 Kd8 108.Rf7 Ke8 109.Rh7 Rd1 110.Ne4 Kf8 111.Nf6 Rf1 112.Nd7+ Kg8 113.Re7 Rd1 114.Ne5 Kf8 115.Ng6+ Kg8 116.Nf4 Rf1 117.Ne6 Rd1 118.Kc5 Rc1+ 119.Kd5 Rd1+ 120.Ke5 Rf1 121.Ra7 Kh8 Game drawn by the 50 move rule 1/2-1/2
Board 3
Bregadze-STL (2416) – Mohandesi-ARZ (2399) [A11]
ICC 75 30 u Internet Chess Club, 29.10.2012
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.b3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.g5 Ne4 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Qc2 e6 14.Qxe4
Black losing a center pawn is not a line.
Nc5 15.Qg2 Nd3+ 16.Bxd3 Qxd3 17.Qxb7 Rd8 18.Qc6+ Rd7 19.Qc8+ Rd8 20.Qc4 Qxc4 21.bxc4 Rh4 22.f4 e5
Black has done the best he can, introducing a puzzle to white. White to play and win.
23.Ke2? Wrong! This natural move keeping the structure intact gives away the lion’s share of the edge. The bizarre and non-intuitive 23. fxe5! ruining the structure will win. White will create a haven for the King on f3, support the e5 pawn with f2-f4, and win technically. None of the black counterplay that occurs in the game will be available.
exf4 24.d4 Be7 25.Kf3 Bxg5 26.exf4 Bf6 27.Bb2 Kd7 28.Rae1 Rdh8 29.Kg3 R4h5 30.Re3 Rc8 31.c5 Rd5
Once blockading happens, black is cruising along quite comfortably.
32.Kf3 Kc6 33.Rd1 Rcd8 34.Red3 Rh8 35.Ra3 Rxh3+ 36.Ke4 Rxa3 37.Bxa3 a5 38.Rd3 a4 39.Rd1 Bd8 40.Rb1 Rh5 41.Rd1 Rd5 42.Rh1 Bf6 43.Rd1 Bd8 44.Rb1 Bc7 45.Rb4 Rh5 46.Rxa4 f5+ 47.Kd3 Kd5 48.Ra7 Rh3+ 49.Kc2 Bxf4 50.Bb2 g5 51.Rd7+ Kc4 52.c6 Rh2+ 53.Kb1 Rh1+ 54.Kc2 Rh2+ 55.Kb1 Rh1+ 56.Kc2 Rh2+ 57.Kb1 Rh1+ Game drawn by repetition 1/2-1/2
In this game our board 3 shows once again great resourcefulness coupled with no knowledge of openings! We hold the draw. Well done.
Board 4
(269) Chakraborty-ARZ (2306) – Hendrickson-STL (2202) [D11]
ICC 75 30 u Internet Chess Club, 29.10.2012
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.Bd3 e6 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.Nbd2 Be7 8.b3 0-0 9.Bb2 Bh5 10.Qe2 c5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Rac1 cxd4 13.Bxd4 Bf6 14.Bxf6 N7xf6 15.Nc4 Qe7 16.Nce5 Rac8 17.Qb2 Rfd8 18.Rxc8 Rxc8 19.Rc1 Rc7 20.Rc4 Nb6 21.Rc2
Very mysterious goings-ons that the upstairs den observation booth could not fathom. Black is fine. Auto-magically white somehow reaches a winning game from this unpromising start.
Nfd5 22.g4 Bg6 23.Nxg6 hxg6 24.Qe5 Rxc2 25.Bxc2 Nd7 26.Qd4 Qa3 27.Be4 N7f6 28.Bxd5 Nxd5 29.Qc4 Qe7 30.Qc8+ Kh7 31.h4 Nb6 32.Qb8 f6 33.Qxa7 Qb4 34.Nh2 Nd5 35.Qb8 b6 36.Qc8 Qe4 37.Qc1 b5 38.a3 f5 39.h5 gxh5 40.gxh5 Nf6 41.Qd1 e5 42.a4 bxa4 43.bxa4 f4 44.exf4 Qxf4 45.Nf1 e4 46.Ng3 Kh6 47.Qc2 Qe5 48.Kg2 Nxh5 49.Qxe4 Qf6 50.Nxh5
Since black cannot take back the knight due to a queen trade, white wins. Whew!
Qd8 51.Ng3 g6 52.Qf4+ Kh7 53.Qf7+ Kh6 54.Qb7 Qd2 55.Qb5 Qd8 56.a5 Qa8+ 57.Kg1 Qc8 58.a6 Qc7 59.Qb7 Qc1+ 60.Kg2 Kg5 61.a7 Kh4 62.Qe4+ Kg5 63.Qe3+ Black resigns 1-0
So Arizona wins the match 2.5 – 1.5. A very good result considering our Boards 1 and 3 poor positions, even though the Board 2 debacle was not optimal.
Leave a comment