I really couldn't believe it...I still don't. When the results were announced at The Chess Club of the 2007 Championship, I was included as the Under 1300 Champion. Someone made a mistake, surely? However, there I am (yellow T-shirt) holding my plaque and thinking back on those 4 rounds...hmm?!Round 1:
Forbes,Todd (1293) - Markushin,Yury
The Chess Club Championship 2007 Kansas City, MO (1), 16.06.2007
C50: Hungarian Defence and Giuoco Pianissimo
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 d6 5.Nxd4 Ne5 6.Bb3 Nf6 7.Bg5N (I am having trouble believing that is a theoretical novelty...I only wanted to pin the Knight) 7...Be7 8.Bxf6 (8.Nc3!? is worth a look) 8...Bxf6 9.Nc3 0–0 10.h3 Bh4 11.Qe2 a6 12.0–0–0 12...Bd7 (Yury missed 12...Qg5+ 13.Kb1 Qxg2 winning a pawn. However with 14.Rdf1 White is still in charge) 13.g3 Be7 14.f4 Nc6 15.Nd5 Nxd4 16.Rxd4 Bf6? (16...a5!? is a better try) 17.e5 (This pawn advance gives an edge to White) 17...dxe5? (Better for Back was 17...Be7)18.Nxf6+! gxf6 19.fxe5 Qe7
20.Rh4? (I blew it with this simple looking Rook move. Best was 20.Qh5 and the rest is a matter of technique 20...Bf5 21.Qxf5 Qxe5 22.Qxe5 fxe5 23.Rd7 and White has a winning advantage) 20...Qxe5 21.Qxe5 (I am just throwing away any advantage with this. Better here is 21.Qf2!?) 21...fxe5 (Black has equality with this passed pawn) 22.Bd5 c6 23.Be4 f5 (Black is now in full control of the game) 24.Bd3 Rae8 25.Bc4+ Be6 26.Bxe6+ Rxe6 27.Rc4 h5 28.a4 Rd8 29.a5 Kf7 30.Rd1 Rdd6 31.Rxd6 Rxd6 32.Rb4 Rd7 33.Rb3 Kf6 34.Rd3 Rxd3 35.cxd3 Kg5 36.Kd2 f4 37.Ke2 (37.gxf4+ would allow the White King to penetrate Black's Queen side) 37...fxg3 38.Kf3 g2! 39.Kxg2 Kf4 40.Kf2 c5 41.b3 h4 42.Ke2 Kg3 43.Ke3
Kxh3 44.Kf3 Draw (While Yury and I agreed on a draw, and I honestly believed at the time it was a drawn position, alas it is not. Play should have continued 44...Kh2 the White King is forced to keep the opposition with 45. Kf2 h3! this pawn move hands the opposition to Black and with it...the game. Interesting!)I was disappointed with my play in round 1. Little did I know that round 2 would be a disaster.
2 comments:
I am no fan of the Centre Counter either; it's a bit tactical for my tastes that early in the game. However, it seems to be played a lot at Chess Club events recently, so it's probably time to start finding lines against it.
Very well timed draw offer, by the way. I'm surprised he accepted it at that point; he didn't really have anything to lose by playing on a few more moves in that position.
Yes, I have noticed quite a few people at the Chess Club play the Center-Counter...notably Ken Fee. I have tried a few lines, but have lost every game in those line. Ken's experience in the resulting position are hard to over come.
Yury should have played on. If the other pawns are not there it is dead drawn. White best play puts him in front of the h pawn, but Black just lets it go as he has others to promote. I was lucky then as Yury was lucky on move 20. It's all part of our game.
Thanks for stopping by.
Post a Comment