Wood Green Stutter
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Wood Green Stutter Simon Ansell reports from the opening 4NCL weekend Divisions One and Two of the new 4NCL text doesn’t spoil anything, but leaving the season took place at Sunningdale Park on h-pawn on the board gives Black some the weekend of 3-4 November 2013. A.Slavin-D.Howell vague counterplay. e2e4 vs. Wood Green 31...h4! Division One: Pool A The only chance. Wood Green have 20(!) Grandmasters reg- 32 Ëe4? istered in their squad and kicked off with a 32 d7 hxg3 33 Ëe4 gxf2+ 34 Êxf2 routine 7-1 demolition of newly-promoted Îg2+ 35 Êf3 still wins, as does 32 Îe4, BCM Dragons. On the Sunday they faced excluding the black queen from the game. e2e4 in what promised to be a similar mis- 32...Ìxd6! 33 Íxd6 Ëxe4 34 Îxe4 match – according to Professor Elo’s prob- ability tables, the average rating difference of 269 points would predict a 6.64-1.36 win for the defending champions. e2e4 hadn’t just turned up for a lesson in statistics, though. The same squad made the Division One Promotion Pool last season and began setting their more illustrious op- ponents some surprising problems. On board one, Alexei Slavin outplayed David Howell in a main line Grünfeld. Grünfeld players are probably used to facing such a monster d-pawn that cuts their position in half, but it’s not to my taste. A few moves earlier, David should really have kept more influence in the centre of the board 34...hxg3? with ...Ìe5, rather than ...Ìa5 in re- After 34...Íxd6 35 Îxd6 Îe8 36 Îxh4 sponse to White’s d4-d5 push. Îge7 White can’t hold the e-pawn and this 19...f6 would have given Black serious drawing It’s hard to offer Black good advice chances in the rook endgame. The point is here. The best the computer has is 37 Îxh6+ (or 37 Îe4 Êg7 with ...Êf6 to 19...Íxc3 20 e5 Ìc6 21 Íg5 Îd7 follow) 37...Êg7. 22 Íf6, but this leaves the kingside 35 f4?! worryingly bare and it’s unlikely Black Not a bad move, but the obvious 35 will survive the inevitable onslaught. Íe5! would have won on the spot. 20 e5 f5 21 Îfe1 Îd7 22 h4 h6 35...Íxd6 36 Îxd6 Îe7?! 23 Ëd2 Ìc4 24 Ëc1 Êh7 25 h5 36...Îg4, preventing f4-f5, at least for White’s attack plays itself. the moment, would have required White to 25...gxh5 find the difficult 37 Îe3! to win. All of 25...g5 26 Íxg5! was no im- 37...Îe8 38 f5, 37...Êg7 38 Îd7+, and provement. 37...Îxf4 38 e7 don’t help the defence. 26 Ëc2 Îg8 27 Ìh4! Íf8 37 f5 Îf8 38 Îd7 Îee8 39 Îe5?! If the black rook had instead come 39 e7 Îf7 (or 39...Îg8 40 f6) 40 Îd8 to f8 to try and hold f5, White has wins trivially. many tempting options, but the most 39...Îf6 40 e7? direct is invading on g6 with Ëd3-g3. 40 Îed5, to either play Îd8 or double 28 g3 Îdg7 29 Ìxf5! exf5 30 on the seventh rank, depending on Black’s Ëxf5+ Êh8 31 e6 response, or 40 Êg2, approaching with the Both 31 d7 Íe7 32 Ëxh5 and 31 king, are both still easily good enough. Ëxh5 would have won easily. The 40...Êg8 41 Êg2 a6 ½-½ David Howell 8 January 2013 White is probably still slightly better, but Ëh1+ 43 Êe2 Ëxg2 44 Ëd3 and it’s not 50 Îg2 Êg8 51 Îc2 Íxh4 52 gxh4 after such a dramatic time scramble (I pre- clear that Black has achieved anything. Ëe7 53 Îc4 sume), and so many missed opportunities, 37...Îfg7? White is now fine. Here the .pgn file Slavin must have been both physically and 37...h4! 38 Íxh4 Îh6 39 g3 Íf3 from the excellent 4NCL website mentally exhausted. would have won immediately, since after 40 (http://www.4ncl.co.uk) gives 53...Îh7?? Ìg2 (or 40 Îb1 Îxh4+ 41 gxh4 Ëh6) as having been played. Playing through the On board two, Canadian IM Raja Pan- 40...Ëg4 the threat of ...Íxg2 followed by games of this match, nothing would have jwani comfortably held Jonathan Rowson ...Îxh4 is terminal. surprised me anymore, so I did have to with Black. Board three saw former Wood 38 Îg1? check with Lawrence that he didn't leave a Green stalwart Peter Sowray, making his 38 Îh1! would have turned the tables rook en prise here. “I’m bad, but not that debut for e2e4, face Nick Pert. Peter kept and set Black serious problems. After Êg1 bad!” was his response. In any event the Nick’s cramped Slav Defence position well next, Black is never going ...h5-h4 anymore game did end up in a draw. restrained and had a sizeable advantage for and will somehow have to justify his weak most of the game, but without any obvious pawns and strangely configured kingside Finally, Keti Arakhamia-Grant had White knockout blows. Nick defended excellently pieces. against Rasa Norinkeviciute on board eight. to eventually neutralise the pressure and 38...Ía8? hold the endgame. I don’t understand this move at all. Once Meanwhile Jon Speelman and Bogdan more, I’m presuming time trouble! Again, K.Arakhamia-Grant- Lalic were unable to get anywhere much 38...h4! was obvious and strong. R.Norinkeviciute against their respective opponents, James 39 Ìd5 Jackson and Rob Willmoth, and draws were 39 Îh1! again was strong, but the text Wood Green vs. e2e4 agreed in both games in the early middle- is a good solid move. Sicilian Najdorf game. Next, Chris Ward on board six was 39...h4 probably slightly worse against Alan Byron Finally! But not nearly as devastating 1 e4 c5 2 Ìf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Ìxd4 when his game was agreed drawn. now, as the bishop can’t participate in the Ìf6 5 Ìc3 a6 6 Íe3 e5 7 Ìb3 Íe6 8 London Chess Classic commentator and attack. h3 one half of the Full English Breakfast, IM 40 Íxh4 Îh6 41 g3 Îg4? This way of supporting the g2-g4 thrust Lawrence Trent, faced Mark Josse on board 41...Îgg6 immediately was better, has become a fashionable idea against vari- seven. when Black still has an attack. The poor h8- ous Sicilians. bishop will soon finally participate in the 8...Ìbd7 9 g4 h6 10 Ëd2 Ëc7 11 f4 game via the f6-square. White probably has exf4 12 Íxf4 Ìe5 13 0-0-0 0-0-0 14 M.Josse-L.Trent nothing better than 42 f3 anyway. Ìd4 Íe7 15 Êb1 Êb8 16 Ìf5 g5 17 e2e4 vs. Wood Green 42 f3 Îgg6 Íe3 Íxf5 18 exf5 d5 19 Ëf2 42...Îgxh4+ 43 gxh4 Îxh4+ 44 Êg3 Ëh3+ 45 Êf2 is not even close to mate. 43 Ëd3?! 43 Îg2 was better, so that the king can escape via g1. After 43...Íf6 44 Êg1 Íxh4 45 gxh4 Îxh4 46 Ëc2 the position will probably liquidate to a drawn endgame. 43...Íf6 44 Ëe4 Íxd5 45 cxd5 Ëe7 46 Êh3 White threatens Íb6, winning the ex- My computer says this position is change. roughly equal, but it looks completely un- 19...Ìc4? clear to me. Most endgames will be good 19...Íb4!, offering to sacrifice the ma- for White due to the weak black pawns and terial, would have kept the balance: 20 Íb6 squares, but if pressed I would choose to (20 Íd4 Íxc3 21 Íxc3 Ìe4 is good for play Black here, as his kingside attacking Black) 20...Ëc6 21 Íd4 (21 Íxd8 Îxd8 chances are genuinely dangerous. 22 Ëg3 Íxc3 23 bxc3 Îe8 24 Íg2 Ìe4 37 Êh2? 25 Íxe4 dxe4 26 Îhe1 Êa8 with ...Ìc4 This is just asking for it. Lawrence, how- It’s hard to believe that White will sur- coming gives Black excellent attacking ever, doesn’t answer. 37 Îb1! was the best vive this position. chances) 21...Îhe8 22 Íg2 leads to a move, but was not easy to find. Black can 46...Ëd7+ 47 Êh2 Ëe7 48 Êh3 Ëd7+ complicated, roughly level middlegame. now try 37...h4 (slower attempts, such as 49 Êh2 Ëa7? 20 Íd4?! 37...Íg7, to perhaps come to h6 and bring After repeating once, Lawrence goes After 20 Íxc4! Ëxc4 21 Îhe1 Îhe8 another piece into the attack, run into the astray. 49...Ëd8! 50 Êh3 Êh8! 51 Îb1 (21...Ìe4 22 Ìxe4 dxe4 23 Íd4 Îhe8 24 annoying 38 Îb6, hassling the dangerous (what else?) 51...Ëg8! was the way to Îxe4 wins a pawn) 22 Íd4 Ëc6 23 Ëf3 unopposed light-squared bishop) 38 Íxh4 break through, when the threats are insur- the d5-pawn will soon fall. Ëh3 39 Íg3 Íxg2!? 40 Ìxg2 Îf5 when mountable: for instance, 52 Êh2 Íg5! fol- 20...Îhe8 21 Íg2 Ëa5 22 Îd3? a sample line runs 41 Îfd1 Îh5 42 Êf1 lowed by ...Íf4. Taking unnecessary precautions. 22 www.chess.co.uk 9 Îhe1! would have given White overwhelm- weaker opponents – decisions they may ing threats on the e-file, and 22...Ëb4 23 quickly have been regretting given the G.Buckley-P.Sowray b3 Ìa3+ 24 Êb2 doesn’t give Black any course of the match. real attacking chances. Of course, if e2e4 fail to qualify from Guildford II vs. e2e4 22...Ëb4 23 b3 Ìa3+ 24 Êc1 Îc8? 25 Pool A for the Promotion Pool, this result Grünfeld Defence Îe1? will be wiped from the records and Wood 25 Íe5+! Êa8 26 Íxf6 Íxf6 27 Green will be able to play for the Champion- 1 d4 Ìf6 2 Ìf3 g6 3 c4 Íg7 4 Ìc3 d5 Ìxd5 wins something.