Corby Chess Club Magazine
Issue 003 (February 2000)
In this issue:
Ask The ArbiterRecent games...
- Quantrill, B - Blott, A
- Moffat, A - Dixon, S
- Pysch, D - Moffat, A
- Cross, D - Robinson, J
- Sawiak, J - MacFarland, S
- Moffat, A - Pysch, D
- Pysch, D - Moffat, A
An Arbiter's View Of The Close Of The Game
In 1995 John Robinson was awarded the title of FIDE International Arbiter - an award given to persons who are judged to have the necessary knowledge and experience to direct international competitions. John has officiiated at many top competitions in Britain and overseas over the years and we are indeed lucky to have him in the club. Here is his view on a dispute in a part of the game of which players often have a poor understanding. The game in question is given below. Extracts from FIDE Laws Of Chess (Revised 1996) are in yellow.With less than five minutes on his clock and several moves to make before the first time control, Black wisely chose to take advantage of Article 8.4 in the Laws Of Chess.
Article 8: The recording of the moves.
8.1 In the course of play each player is required to record his own moves and those of his opponent, move after move, as clearly and legibly as possible, in the algebraic notation (Appendix E), on the scoresheet prescribed for the competition.
A player may reply to his opponent's move before recording it, if he so wishes. He must record his previous move before making another.
The offer of a draw must be recorded on the scoresheet by both players. (Appendix E.12)
If a player due to physical or religious reasons, is unable to keep score, an amount of time, decided by the arbiter, shall be deducted from his alloted time at the beginning of the game.
8.4 If a player has less than five minutes left on his clock he is not obliged to meet the requirements of Article 8.1. Immediately after one flag has fallen the player must update his score sheet completely, and
8.5(b) If only one player is not required to keep score under Article 8.4, he must update his score sheet completely as soon as a flag has fallen.
Provided it is the player's move he may use the opponent's score sheet.
The player is not permitted to move until after he has completed his own score sheet and returned his opponent's.
When Black's flag fell, it was clear from White's score sheet that Black had indeed completed his 35th move (White's score sheet was up to date), and the game moved on into the Quickplay Finish. But Black ignored the obligation to bring his score sheet up to date in his own time. Under threat of forfeiture, White could and should have requested that Black do so.
(Note that if neither score sheet was complete, both clocks are stopped until the score sheets are completed.)
Article 10: Quickplay finish
10.1 A 'quickplay finish' is the last phase of a game, when all the remaining moves must be made in a limited time.
Fifteen minutes were duly added to both clocks and the game proceeded.
Later, with two minutes left on his clock, Black could justifiably consider that he was making progress towards a win; He had a material advantage and White could hardly hope to win by normal means.
Even so there was very little time and with hindsight he might perhaps have offered a draw, and even if White had turned him down...
10.2 If the player has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall stop the clocks and summon the arbiter.
(a) If the arbiter is satisfied the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall postpone his decision.
Silver King matches don't carry a match arbiter, but...
APPENDIX D: Quickplay finishes where no arbiter is present in the venue.
D1 Where games are played as in Article 10, a player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his clock and befor his flag falls. This concludes the game.He may claim on the basis
(a) that his opponent cannot win by normal means, or
(b) (Not relevant here) that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means.
In (a) the player must write down the final position and his oponent verify it. In (b) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date score sheet which must be completed before play has ceased. The opponent shall verify both the score sheet and the final position. The claim shall be referred to an arbiter whose decision is final.
Once Black's clock was down to the last few seconds with no immediate mate in sight, the case for settling for a draw was imperative. Had he made his claim under D1, the usual practice would call for the two team captains to assess things before an external claim was made; the chances are that White's captain would have agreed that the game should be scored as a draw. If the captains could not reach agreement the game could easily have been sent to a distant arbiter.
(John Robinson, who was present, has recently handled a very similar claim passed to him by a match captain - like him a member of the Chess Arbiters' Association and similarly not in a position to rule impartially on the matter himself.)
Note that any such claim is not an adjudication and that in some cases much depends on the effect of the final few moves made on the board. Sadly though, Black remained silent and his flag fell.
Article 6: The chess clock
6.9 If a player does not complete the prescribed number of moves in the alloted time, the game is lost by the player.
There's no answer to that!
John Robinson
Silver King
Corby A v Rushden A
Quantrill, B - Blott, A [C00]
Corby A v Rushden A, 09.02.2000
[Moffat, A]
1.e4 e6
Black prepares the French Defense.
2.e5 An unorthodox move, which Black undermines in text book fashion. 2...c5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3
Missing the point. Bb5 is what's required.
4...f6 5.e×f6 N×f6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.d3 d5
Black's early play has been most impressive. His exploitation of the advanced e pawn gives a fine example of what should be bread and water to any player of the French Defence. After just eight moves Black has a lead in development and control of more space, but he does have weaknesses and White's position has dynamic potential.
9.Nbd2 White is in no hurry and quietly goes about his business. 9...a6 10.b3 b5?! 11.Bb2 Bb7?!
Black's last two moves have succeeded only in giving White the time he needs. Development is nearing completion and the game has evolved most interestingly. With its clash of styles and unbalanced pawn structure it promises much. Instinctively a position that we khow will not be drawn.
12.Re1
White makes an aggressive move! But the manoeuvre Qe2, Rae1 and Bh3 looks better.
12...Bc8! 13.Ng5
The advance of the scout concentrates Black's mind on the task at hand.
13...e5!
The e pawn is under pressure, Black decides to offer the pawn under his own terms.
The position reached is an absolute cracker, offering a mælstrom of tactical opportunities.
14.Ngf3
Safety first is apparently White's watchword. More active is 14.B×e5!?
If A) 14...Ng4 15.Ngf3 Bb7 (15...Ng×e5 16.N×e5 N×e5 17.R×e5 Bf6 18.B×d5+ Kh8 19.Rh5 +-) 16.Bb2 +=
If B) 14...Bg4 15.Bf3 N×e5 16.R×e5 B×e3 and
B1) 17.Nd×f3 Ng4 18.Ne6 N×e5 19.N×e5 (19.N×d8 N×f3+ 20.Kg2 Ra×d8 is suicide) 19...Qd6 20.N×f8 Q×e5 -+ The knight must drop.
B2) 17.Ng×f3 Ng4 18.Re2 Bf6 19.Rb1 +=
14...Bg4 15.Qb1 e4 16.d×e4??
This is a major mistake that should cost White the game, but I cannot help feeling some sympathy for White as it is not easy to spot the better 16.Ne5
16...d×e4?? 17.N×e4
Better is 17.B×f6 minimising Black's advantage, e.g. 17...B×f6 18.R×e4 Bf5 19.Rf4 B×a1 20.Q×a1 Qc7
17...N×e4 18.R×e4 B×f3 19.B×f3 R×f3 20.Qe1 Rf8
Also good was 20...Bf6 with a view to an early liquidation
21.Rd1 Qc7
The dust has settled and Black is clearly winning being up a knight for a pawn, but Capablanca would remind us we need the advantage of a rook to win.
22.Qe3 h6?! 23.Re1 Rf7 24.Ba1?! Raf8 25.Rf1?
White reverts to entrenchment tactics but that simply won't work here. His last two moves are horrid and assist Black's task immensely. Black should enjoy giving him a good spanking. e is presented with a choice of good moves.
25...Rf3
Personally I prefer 25...Nd4, although there is little to choose between this and the move actually played.
26.Qe2 R3f7 27.Bb2 Bf6 28.Bc1 Nd4 29.Qd1 Bd8 30.c3 Qc6 31.c×d4 Q×e4 32.d×c5 Qf3 [32...Be7 with the idea 33.Be3 Q×e3 was worth trying] 33.Qc2
Unfortunately the following moves to the time control are guesses. Black, whose score sheet we are following, having only ticked the moves.
33...Bc7 34.Be3 Qh5 35.b4 Qg4
The time control has been reached.
36.c6 Be5 37.Qc5 Bc7 38.Qd5 Rd8
It is quite likely that the remaining moves, which I here present to you, are recorded inaccurately. The score sheet, written in great haste, being impossible to decipher.
39.Qc5 Rd1 40.Qc2 R×f1+ 41.K×f1 Qh3+ 42.Kg1 Re7 43.Qd3 Bb6 44.Qd2 B×e3
There follows the last recorded move. Black here or later lost on time.
45.f×e3
1-0
CCC Championship 1999-2000
Quarter-finals
The club championship has reached the quarter final stage. Who will be this years Number One?
Cross, D - Robinson, J [C32]
CCC Ch. ¼-finals, 19.1.2000
[Moffat, A]
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5
The Falkbeer Counter-Gambit
3.e×d5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.d×e4 N×e4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Bb5+ c6 8.d×c6 Q×d1+ [8...Qa5+ 9.Nc3 0-0 with compensation.] 9.K×d1 b×c6
9...Nf2+ 10.Kd2 (10.Ke2 b×c6 11.Rf1 c×b5 12.R×f2 B×f2 13.K×f2 Nc6 =+) 10...N×c6 11.Re1+ Be6 12.B×c6+ b× with compensation).
10.Re1 f5?
Black has many better options, including 10...0-0.
11.Bd3 0-0 12.B×e4 Rd8+?? 13.Bd2??
Better is simply 13.Bd3 keeping the extra piece.
13...f×e4 14.R×e4 Bf5?? 15.Re5! Bg4 16.R×c5 Rd6 17.Nc3 Na6 18.Rg5 B×f3+ 19.g×f3 Rad8 20.Ne4 Rd4 21.c3 Rd3 22.Kc2 R×f3 23.Rag1
White is now firing on all cylinders
23...g6 24.Ra5 Nc7 25.R×a7
Nicely turning the flank.
25...Ne6 26.Re7?
But missing the kill. 25.Nf6+ and it is all over.
26...N×f4 27.B×f4?
There were many good moves on offer here, e.g. Nf6+, R×h7, ...
27...R×f4 28.Rg2 Rdf8 29.Ng5 Rf2+ 30.R×f2 R×f2+ 31.Kb3 R×h2 32.R×h7?
A good idea but it just missed the mark. White has correctly assessed a won king and pawn ending. 32.N×h7! was the way to go.
32...Rg2!
The trap is sprung, but White's reserves are too great.
33.Rc7 R×g5 34.R×c6 Kh7 35.a4 Kh6 36.Kb4 Rg4+ 37.c4 Kh5 38.a5 Rf4 39.a6 Rf1 40.Kb5 Ra1 41.b4 g5 42.Kb6
1-0
Quotations
You need glasses you say. Ha, not even binoculars would help you! - John Sawiak
It's a new lemon. - Victor Korchnoi