Kevin Haigh - Chris Stratford
Dragons v Holme Valley Examiner Handicap (Lindley Liberal Club), 10/08/2008

[B36]


1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3
[3.d4 immediately is more forcing, and has scored 60% White.]
3...Nf6
[3...e5 ! should be played, setting up the Botvinnik blockade. This is 51% Black !]
4.d4 The English Symmetrical Four Knights variation, which is 63% White,so it is surprising that so many players play this as Black.
4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 Seldom played.
[5...e6 is most common
6.g3 is 58% White]
[5...g6 6.e4 60% White]
6.Qxd4 g6 7.e4



! We have now transposed into the Maroczy bind in the Sicilian defence Accelerated Dragon variation, 59% White. Now White is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Fischer, Kasparov and Karpov ! - See below - Good company !
7...Bg7 ? This is just too risky. Black should play d6.
[7...d6 ! is necessary to cover e5 threat, for example...
8.Be2
(8.Bg5 Bg7 9.Qd2 O-O (9...Be6 10.Rc1 Rc8 11.b3 b5 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Nxb5 Qb6 14.Be2 Qc5 15.Rc2 O-O 16.O-O a6 17.Nc3 Bd4 18.Bd3 a5 19.Nb5 Ra8 20.a3 Rfc8 21.b4 axb4 22.axb4 Qb6 23.Rfc1 Bd7 24.Nxd4 Qxd4 25.Qc3 Qxc3 26.Rxc3 Rcb8 27.Rb1 Rc8 28.f3 Ra2 29.b5 Kg7 30.e5 Rc5 31.exd6 exd6 32.Rc2 Rxc2 33.Bxc2 Rxc4 34.Be4 Rc8 35.b6 Rb8 36.b7 Bf5 37.Bxf5 gxf5 38.Kf2 Kf6 39.Ke3 Ke5 40.Rb5+ Ke6 41.Kd4 f4 1-0, Karpov Anatoly 2705 - Gurgenidze Bukhuti 2208 , Riga 1975 Olympiad URS) 10.Be2 Be6 11.Rc1 Qa5 12.f3 Rfc8 13.b3 a6 14.a4 Kf8 15.h4 h5 16.Bd1 Bd7 17.g4 b5 18.gxh5 gxh5 19.Bh6 Bc6 20.axb5 axb5 21.cxb5 Bxb5 22.Bxg7+ Kxg7 23.Rg1+ Kf8 24.Rg5 Rc5 25.Rxc5 dxc5 26.Nxb5 Qxb5 27.Qh6+ Kg8 28.Qg5+ Kh8 29.Qxc5 Qd3 30.Rc3 Qd7 31.e5 Ne8 32.Qc6 Qa7 33.Rc5 Ng7 34.Bc2 Ne6 35.Qe4 Nf8 36.Qe3 Qa1+ 37.Ke2 Qh1 38.Qh6+ Kg8 39.Qg5+ Kh8 40.Qxh5+ Kg8 41.Qg4+ Kh8 42.e6 f6 43.Rh5+ 1-0, Kasparov Garry 2812 - Merkulov S, Tbilisi 1976 Ch URS (juniors))
8...Bg7 9.Be3 O-O 10.Qd1 Bd7 11.O-O Bc6 12.f3 Nd7 13.Qd2 Rc8 14.Rac1 a5 15.Kh1 Nc5 16.b3 Qb6 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.cxd5 Qb4 19.Qxb4 axb4 20.Bd2 Ra8 21.Rc2 Bc3 22.Bxc3 bxc3 23.b4 Na4 24.a3 f5 25.Bb5 fxe4 26.fxe4 Rxf1+ 27.Bxf1 Kg7 28.Bb5 Kf6 29.Bxa4 Rxa4 30.Rxc3 Ke5 31.Rc7 Kf6 32.Rc3 Ke5 33.Kg1 Kxe4 34.Rc7 Kxd5 35.Rxe7 b5 36.Rxh7 Rxa3 37.Rg7 Rb3 38.Rxg6 Rxb4 39.Rg5+ Ke6 40.Kf2 d5 1/2-1/2, Fischer Robert J 2780 - Reshevsky Samuel H 2430 , Los Angeles 1961 Match]
8.e5 ! Driving the Knight back. Black now has development problems. 80% White
8...Ng8 9.Bf4 ! vacating d1 for the Rook, defending e5 and pressure on d6.
9...d6 10.Rd1



Queen side castling is also good.
10...Bf5 ? Here Bg4 attacking the Rook and enabling dxe5 was essential.
[10...Bg4 ! 11.f3 dxe5 12.Bxe5 Qxd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Rxd4 Bd7 15.Kf2 O-O-O 16.c5 Nf6 17.Bc4 Bc6 18.Rhd1 Rxd4 19.Rxd4 Be8 20.b4 Nd7 21.Nd5 e6 22.Nc3 Ne5 23.Bb5 Bc6 24.Be2 Rd8 25.Rxd8+ Kxd8 26.b5 Be8 27.Ke3 Nd7 28.Kd4 f6 29.Ne4 e5+ 30.Kd5 Bf7+ 31.Kd6 Bxa2 32.c6 f5 33.Nc3 1-0, Laurent Bruno (BEL) 2335 - Moingt Jean-Claude (FRA) 2292, France 2004.01.17]
11.Qe3 unpinning the e5 pawn, and bearing down on e7.
[11.c5 ! is possibly strongest as the d6 pawn is paralysed.
11...dxe5 ? 12.Bb5+]
11...Qa5
[11...Qb6 ! is Black's best.
12.exd6 Qxe3+ 13.fxe3 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Nf6 15.dxe7 advantage White]
12.exd6 Bxc3+
[12...Qb6 is again best, but White has..
13.Nd5 Qxe3+ 14.fxe3 O-O-O 15.dxe7 Re8 16.Bd6 Bxb2 17.Be2 advantage White]
13.bxc3 Not recapture with the Queen as White wants to keep the pressure on e7.
13...Qxa2 ? Fiddling while Rome burns ! Black must not have seen White's threat.
[13...f6 This ugly move is necessary to prevent White's next.]
14.Be5 ! wins a Rook. The point is Black cannot play f6, as White simply takes it !
14...Be6 Attempting to block the Queen's pressure down the e file on e7. But Black doesn't have anything now.
[14...f6 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 ? 16.Qxe7#]
15.Bxh8 Rc8 16.c5 ! This allows the King Bishop to join the fun on b5, as well as blocking the Rook's pressure on c4
16...Rd8 17.Bb5+ Kf8
[17...Bd7 18.Bxd7+ Rxd7 19.O-O is an easy win.]
18.dxe7+
[18.Qe5 is actually MATE IN 9 ! says the wonderful computer. The longest line is here for your interest.
18...f6 19.dxe7+ Kxe7 20.Qc7+ Bd7 21.Rxd7+ Ke6 22.Qd6+ Kf5 23.Bd3+ Kg4 24.Qg3+ Kh5 25.Rxh7+ Nh6 26.Bxg6#]
18...Kxe7 19.Rxd8 Kxd8 20.Qd4+ Ke7 ? Here Black is punch drunk and walks into a one move mate.
21.Qd6#


1-0

Created with PGNtoJS