Vlad Shaposhnikov vs Andrew Hards [Event "Doncaster Congress"] [Site "?"] [Date "2009.02.28"] [Round "2"] [White "Vlad Shaposhnikov"] [Black "Andrew Hards"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D10"] [WhiteElo "108"] [PlyCount "48"] {I had taken a bye for the Friday night game so I could finally chase a football around this week… So my first game was ‘early’ Saturday morning.} 1. d4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nc3 {Avoids the pawn-grabbing 4. … Bxb1 5. Rxb1 Qa5+} e6 5. Nf3 Nd7 6. Be2 Bb4 {I think this is a mini-blunder – it gives Vlad the chance to force me to exchange my black-squared bishop for his knight.} 7. Qb3 Bxc3+ 8. Qxc3 Ngf6 9. O-O {At this point, I felt my position was sound enough to start making inroads against his castled position immediately. As it turns out, my h-pawn does more damage than I imagined.} h5 10. Bd3 Bg4 11. Ne5 Qc7 12. Nxd7 {3 recapture choices – the knight would simply have to return to f6 afterwards, the queen is better putting a little bit of pressure on h2… and my king doesn’t want to castle king-side, and queen-side castling would put it on the same file as my queen – a file Vlad can half-open immediately. So there’s only one logical choice for me.} Kxd7 13. f3 Bf5 14. Bxf5 exf5 15. Qd3 g6 {I have to be alert to threats now that force any exchange of the f5 pawn – as my knight would then likely be pinned to the f7 pawn.} 16. Bd2 h4 { With my pawn structure somewhat awry, I thought I should try to generate some counterplay against Vlad’s king. My overall plan, as it happens, revolves around this move and through happy coincidence I am ultimately forced into playing what I was planning to.} 17. Rac1 Rae8 18. cxd5 Nxd5 19. e4 Nf4 { I had seen up to here when I played my rook to e8 – and felt that if the minor pieces were exchanged I might get something from having my queen deep in Vlad’s kingside. However, I rightly suspected he wouldn’t be keen on the exchange.} 20. Qc4 {The only non-capturing move which prevents 21. … Ne2+} Rh7 21. d5 {I didn’t s ee the possibility of the check until Vlad played this move. But this move actually helps me to disguise my intention with the knight on f4.} Qb6+ 22. Kh1 Nh5 {Played almost instantly – to give the psychological impression, to some extent at least, that that was a forced move. I guess it is (in that my knight has no other square) but this move was part of my original plan several moves ago. Vlad himself said after the game that as he saw this was forced, he didn’t pay close enough attention to it.} 23. dxc6+ bxc6 24. exf5 {My pawns are all over the place – two isolated and another two set to become doubled. However….} Ng3+ {Splat! The game comes to an abrupt end – only about 45 minutes into the round. Paul was sat on the board next to me – I think he was still deliberating his second move at this point! Vlad resigned, on account of: 25. xg3 xg3+ 26. Bh6 Rxh6+ 27. Qh4 Rxh4#} 0-1 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.
A Baxter vs Paul Bailey [Event "Doncaster Congress"] [Site "?"] [Date "2009.02.28"] [Round "3"] [White "A Baxter"] [Black "Paul Bailey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "125"] [BlackElo "113"] [PlyCount "84"] {I’ve included this game because of the legendary 19th move…} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 Nbd7 8. Qc2 a5 {Securing c5 for the knight – and then changing plan next move. Two plans are better than one?} 9. O-O Nh5 {Horribly inconsistent.} (9... Nc5 10. Bg5 h6 11. Be3 b6) 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 Nf4 12. a3 f5 13. Bxf4 {Now my dark squared bishop is unopposed, and I thought it might come to life later in the game.} exf4 14. Bd3 fxe4 15. Nxe4 Nf6 16. Rab1 Ng4 17. h3 {Weakening.} Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 {Now 19… f3 is a threat.} 19. f3 {Here we go. I had 55 minutes left when he played this and working on general principles I thought that with all the weak dark squares there would be a choice of strong continuations but the more I looked the less I saw. One of the points is that the f4 pawn is in the way. Also the knight can manoeuvre to cover entry points, a sac on h3 doesn’t work. Looking at the game a couple of days later maybe simply B-d4-e3 was good. It wasn’t time for a break through, I still had to improve my position.} Rf7 {To support h7 while I play g5 and mobilise the pawns. This left me with 10 minutes for 23 moves. Daft.} (19... Rf5 {I can play this and he can’t use the discovered attack to pick up material but is it any good.} 20. Nxd6 (20. Nf2 Rg5 21. Ne4 Rh5) 20... cxd6 21. Bxf5 Bxf5) (19... Bd4+ 20. Kh1 Be3) 20. Rfd1 g5 21. Bf1 h5 22. c5 Bf5 23. cxd6 Bxd6 24. Qc4 Bxe4 25. Qxe4 Qf6 26. Qe6 Qg7 (26... Bc5+ {Forcing the king into the corner was much better.}) 27. Bd3 Bc5+ 28. Kf1 Kh8 29. Be4 Bd6 30. Qg6 Rf6 31. Qxg7+ {He was playing quickly, if he’d used his time he’d’ve seen that that the queen can capture on h5 and escape quite comfortably.} (31. Qxh5+ Rh6 32. Qg4 Rf8 33. Bd3 Rh4 34. Qe6) 31... Kxg7 {Oppposite coloured bishops. The only reason I didn’t offer a draw now was the time differential but bizarrely I felt under no time pressure at all now.} 32. a4 b6 33. b3 Rc8 34. Rbc1 Re8 35. Rc6 Re7 36. Re1 Bc5 37. Rxf6 Kxf6 38. Rc1 Bd6 39. Ke2 Ke5 40. Kd3 Rg7 41. Rh1 h4 42. Kc4 Re7 {I made the time control offered a draw and he accepted fairly quickly.} 1/2-1/2 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.
Robert Shaw vs P Davies [Event "Clay Cross B v Nomads D"] [Site "?"] [Date "2009.02.24"] [Round "?"] [White "R Shaw"] [Black "P Davies"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C00"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2009.??.??"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Bd3 {Preparing to castle} Bg7 5. e5 {Dnying bishop long diagonal} d5 6. O-O Nd7 7. Bf4 f5 8. Ng5 Nf8 {The threat was Nxe6, forking queen and bishop, but this leaves knight badly placed. I was expeing Qe7} 9. c4 Bh6 10. Qd2 dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bb3 c5 13. dxc5 Bb7 14. Qxd8+ { I had miscalculated the followingexhange} Rxd8 15. Bxe6 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Nxe6 17. Bxd8 Nxd8 {Leaves me with rook and 2 passed pawns against a knight and a biishop, a slight advantage} 18. Nc3 a6 19. Rfe1 Ne6 20. b4 Ne7 21. Rad1 Bc6 22. Rd6 {The plan here was to double rooks on the d file, force a swap, then collect pawns.} Nf4 23. g3 Nh3+ 24. Kf1 O-O 25. Rf6 {This was probably an error. The plan ws to swap rooks as before or, if that was refused, 26 e6 to be followed by Rf7 and gain of a knight. I’d overlooked Be8} Rd8 26. e6 Bf3 { Be8 would have been better, threatening Kg7. The rook can be extricated, but the resulting position is weaker.} 27. Re3 Be4 28. Nxe4 Rd4 {Unforced error, but 28 fxe4 allows me tdouble rooks on the f file. I think I had a slight advantage here.} 29. Nd6 Rxd6 {Another unforced error} 30. cxd6 Nd5 {I hadn’t noticed this knight fork, but it proved irrelevant} 31. Re2 Nxf6 32. d7 Kf8 33. d8=Q+ {Computer says mate in 9 from here} Ne8 34. e7+ {Rd2 would have been quicker, followed by Rd7, and mate by move 38.} Kf7 35. Qd5+ {From here on, black was apparently playing for stalemate} Kf6 36. Kg2 Ng5 37. h4 Ne4 38. Rxe4 {Uneven exchange, but I can afford to lose material, and it simplifies the postion.} fxe4 39. Qxe4 a5 40. bxa5 b4 41. f4 b3 42. axb3 h5 43. Kf3 g5 44. fxg5+ {Not hxg5+ since I wanted to be able to bring my king in.} Kg7 45. Qe5+ Kg8 46. g6 Nf6 {Black’s only alternative are Nd6 and Nc7, . Either way, I promote, knight captures, queen capures, and mate follows 2 moves later.} 47. e8=Q+ {Qxf6 would have been stalemate} Kg7 48. Qf7+ {If Kh8, Qxf6 and mate. If Kh6, Qg5 and mate.} 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.