Corby Chess Club Magazine

Issue 005 (March 2000)

In this issue:

Alan Moffat analyses...

Moffat, A - Dixon,S
McGill, N - Moffat, A

Silver King

Moffat, A - Dixon, S [B51]
Corby A v Rushden A, 24.11.1999
[Moffat, A]

1.e4 d5

The Scandanavian or Centre Counter opening is an open invitation to tactics -- an immediate decision in the centre.

2.e×d5

"By capturing the d pawn White either forces an early queen development or a gambit, both of which are favourable to White." - Seirwan

2...Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 [3...N×d5 is the main line] 4.Be2 B×e2 5.Q×e2 Q×d5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nc3

My experience with the Scandanavian tells me that White usually manages to steal a tempo somewhere and here it is. The Queen must move again. 7.c4!? in a similar vein may be stronger.

7..Qd7

"It's a new lemon" - Korchnoi. Black has many options as to where to move his queen, e.g. d8, h5, f5 or a5 but d7 is unusual.

8.Be3 Ng4?!

Black here undertakes a manoeuvre with his knight in order to exchange it for the bishop, expending three tempi and developing White's game in the process. Could it be that Black suffers from Fischer's Phobia? (An expression I use to describe an irrational belief in the superiority of the bishop over the knight.) Black should have continued his development with e6.

9.0-0 N×e3 10.f×e3 e6

Other considerations aside White is now at least three tempi up and, as Tarrasch would tell us, this is equivalent to a pawn. Alert to the possibilities White is on the sniff. Time, remember, is transitory. The time is NOW!

Attack! Attack!! Attack!!!

11.Ng5

White sets out with the best of intentions only to bottle out next move

11...f6 12.Nge4?

Fear, laziness or logic? 12.R×f6!? leads to great complications.

12...a6?

This poor move gives White another chance to attack. 0-0-0 was better.

13.R×f6

With no small measure of help from Black, White exchanges one kind of advantage for another, namely time for material.

13...0-0-0 14.Rf3 Ne7

Black's pieces will migrate towards the White king for he knows that outside of a checkmate his game is lost. White, on the other hand, is content to sit and wait.

15.Nc5 Qc6 16.Nd3 Ng6 17.Raf1 Bd6 18.Rf7 Rd7 19.Qg4 R×f7 20.R×f7 Qe8 21.Rf1 Kb8 22.Ne4 Qc6 23.c3 Qb5 24.Qe2 Be7 25.Nf4 Q×e2 26.N×e2 Rf8 27.Nf4 N×f4 28.R×f4 R×f4 29.e×f4 Kc8 30.Kf2 Kd7 31.Ke3 b6 32.Nd2 c5 33.Nf3 c×d4+ 34.K×d4 Kd6 35.Ne5 Bf6

The time control was reached here.

36.Ke4 g6 37.Nf7+ Ke7 38.Ng5 h6 [38...B×g5!?] 39.Nf3 Kd6 40.Ne5

Has White obtained enough from the position to allow the imminent exchange? If only he had realised how difficult his preferred option would be...

40...B×e5 41.f×e5+ Kc5

An elementary won position?

42.b3

Superfluous. White procrastinates and attempts to buy time to think. Having reached my objective of an elementary pawn ending, with it came the realisation that this was not going to be the simple win I had envisioned.

42...b5 43.h4

In pawn endings reserve tempi are very important and, as a rule, should be kept in reserve. There are always exceptions to this rule but is this correct?

43...a5 44.Kf4

White appears to be floundering and has certainly made things more difficult than they ought to be but he does now have a plan and is sticking to it. White is intent on fixing the kingside pawns as far advanced as possible and without exchanges. As it transpires this is a badly needed resource in this line.

44...Kd5 45.g3 a4 46.g4

White is resolute. To change plans now would prove fatal. 46.Ke3?? K×e5 47.c4 b×c4 48.b×a4 Kd5 49.a5 e5 50.a6 Kc6 51.Kd2 e4 52.a7 Kb7 53.a8Q+ K×a8 wins for Black.

46...a3 47.g5 Black's fate is sealed. 47...h5 48.Ke3 K×e5 49.c4 b×c4 50.b×c4 Kd6 [50...Kf5 is no better] 51.Kd4! The opposition is critical. Any other move loses. 51...e5+ 52.Ke4 Kc5 53.K×e5 K×c4 54.Kf6 Kc3 55.K×g6 Kb2 56.K×h5

1-0

Black resigned at this point seeing that after

56...K×a2 57.g6 Kb2 [(A) 57...Kb1 58.g7 a2 59.g8Q a1Q 60.Qg1+; (B) 57...Kb3 58.g7 a2 59.g8Q+ Kb2 60.Q×a2+] 58.g7 a2 59.g8Q a1Q 60.Qh8+ Kb1 61.Q×a1+ K×a1 62.Kg6 and the pawn wins by a whisker!

Any plan that wins is a good plan.

Alan Moffat

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