Magazines Games 2008-2018 2009

Scoring a picket fence even in the lower grades requires a fair slice of good luck. My run began several days beforehand when my wife announced that a fabric shop in Onehunga would demand her attention for at least 15 minutes. I crossed the street to the Hard to Find Book Shop and in the Chess section came across a 1991 monograph by Eric Schiller entitled 'How to Play the Albin Counter Gambit.'. At home I spent a few hours becoming familiar with the ideas for both sides, but did not expect to meet the opening in my very next tournament.  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 f6 6.exf6 Nxf6 7.g3 Bf5 8.Bg2 Qd7 9.O-O Bh3 10.Bg5 The Knight is poised to assist the coming attack on White's castled position and is best swapped off.  10...Bxg2 11.Kxg2 Ne4 12.Bf4 h5?! This was the time for Black to castle long so as to bring a Rook into the centre and liberate the Queen from support of the d pawn. White needs to develop the remaining back rank pieces, but the Queen has to come out ahead of the Knight.  13.Qd3 Nf6 14.Qg6+ Kd8 15.Nbd2 Bd6 16.Bxd6 cxd6 17.Ng5 Ne5 18.Qxg7!

Snipping off a second pawn. Hans thought for nearly 5 minutes over his reply and during this time unworthy thoughts of gamesmanship surfaced in my mind. Needing only a half point for clear first place, I thought that after 18...Qxg7 19.Ne6+ would be an ideal psychological moment to offer a draw. Indeed, after 20.Nxg7 Rag8 White must retreat and Black's pieces are poised to attack.  18...Qe8!? Hans calculated that retaining his Queen gave better winning prospects and elected to add a whole piece to the sacrificed material. Humbled by this display of courage I could do nothing but accept the sacrifice and play on.  19.Qxf6+ Kc7 20.Qe6 Qf8 21.Qd5 Qh6 Later, 21.c5! was suggested, but I felt my Queen would be ideally placed on d5, and there was also the new threat on e6.  22.Ne6+ Kd7 23.Nc5+ Ke7 24.Qxb7+ Kf6 25.Nde4+ Kf5 26.Nd3 h4! Black's attack begins but White still has a tempo to spend.  27.Nxe5! Eliminating Black's best placed piece, creating 7th rank attack potential and freeing up escape squares for the White King.  27...Raf8?! Allowing a pretty finish.  28.g4+ Kxe5 29.Qd5+ Kf4 30.e3+ Resigns. If 30... Kxg4 31. h3# or 30...de3 31.fxe3+ Kxe3 32.Rae1# At 11 years old Hans Gao already shows remarkable maturity and objectivity in his chess thinking. He has a bright future. 1-0

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 d5 4.Bd3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Nbd2 Nbd7 7.b3 b6 8.Bb2 Bb7 9.Ne5 The white Knight pounces on the juicy e5 square. Black gobbles it before it can be backed up with f2-f4.  9...Nxe5 10.dxe5 Nd7 11.f4 f5 Black prevents further advance of the white f-pawn.  12.exf6 White prevents blockage in the kingside and opens up the line of his b2-Bishop.   12...Bxf6 13.Qh5! White induces weakness in black's pawn structure. Later the g6-square becomes a weakness.  13...h6 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.Qh3 It's always a good idea to keep the initiative!  15...Qe7 Black could also have considered 15...Bc8.  16.Nf3 White's other knight eyes up the e5-square, and from there g6.  16...Nd7 Black avoids 17.Ne5, but the knight has another route to g6.  17.Nh4 Qd6 18.f5 e5

19.f6!? A risky but exciting option - opening up multiple lines and vacating the f5 square at the expense of a pawn.  19...Nxf6 20.Nf5 Qd7 Black could have considered 20...Bc8 also.  21.Rf3 Planning 22 Rg3, but also allowing a draw with 21... e4 22.Rg3 exd3 23.Nxh6+ Kh8 24. Nf7+ - I was content here with the chance of a draw against a much higher rated player.  21...Rf7 Black declines the offer  22.Rg3 Kf8 The black king runs away.  23.Rf1 White patiently develops his attack.  23...Ne8? Rybka suggests 24. Rxg7, which wins the queen and some pawns for a rook and the knight.  24.Be2 White manouv res his Bishop towards a place where it is participating in the attack.  24...Bc8 25.Bg4 Qd8 26.Nh4! The white knight again zeroes in on the weak g6 point.  26...Rxf1+ 27.Kxf1 Nf6 Black sensibly blocks any attacks down the f-file and begins to open an escape route for his king along the eighth rank.  28.Be6 White takes control of the light squares deep in blacks camp. Black can not remove an attacker with 28...Bxe6?? 29.Qxe6 after which 29...g5 is the only sensible way to stop Ng6#: 29...g5 30.Rf3 Kg7 (30...gxh4 31.Rxf6+ Kg7 32.Qf7+ Kh8 33.Rxh6#) 31.Nf5+ Kf8 (31...Kg6 32.Ne7+, 31...Kh8 32.Nxh6) 32.Nxh6! Kg7 33. Qf7+!  28...Ba6+ Black must find a way to generate threats of his own. If after ... Ba6+ he can swing his queen to d6 and then to b4, he might give white something to think about. He fulfils this plan, but misses a tactic in the process.  29.Kg1 Qd6?

30.Rxg7! White crashes through. Black cannot now play 30...Qb4: 31.Rg8+! Ke7 (31...Nxg8 32.Qf5+) 32.Nf5+!! Kxe6 33. Nd4++! with 34.Qe6+ and mate. Nor can he cut his losses with 30...Kxg7 or 30... Qxe6: 30...Kxg7 is met with 31.Nf5+ Kf8 32.Qxh6+ with mate. If 30... Qxe6, 31. Qxe6 Kxg7 32. Qxe7 wins the knight.  30...Ke8 31.Qf5! The queen enters the fray.   31...Qb4 The black queen threatens Qe1, but she is too late.  32.Rg8+? Winning, but white can mate quickly with 32.Bd7+ or 32.Qd6+  32...Ke7 33.Ng6+ Kd6 34.Qxe5+ Kc5 Suddenly it seems that white has erred: Black is threatening Qel and he is attacking whites g8-rook.  35.Qd4+ ?! 35.Qxc7+ Kb5 36.Bd7+ Ka5 37.c3 is better.  35...Qxd4 36.exd4+ Kxd4? Black can limit his losses to an exchange and some pawns with 36...Kd6, but he will lose the endgame anyway.  37.Rxa8 Kc3 38.Rxa7 and black resigned. The theme in this game was weaknesses in the black kingside light squares. I was able to take advantage of this because my light squared bishop was active and Daniel's was doing little on the a6-c8 diagonal. 1-0

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bh3 7. Bg2 was the alternative plan, with latent pressure along the h1-a8 diagonal  7...Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.Nc3 h6 10.Nh4 Re8 ... c5 was more active, but also more committal  11.Nf5 Bf8 12.Bf4 c6 13.Rad1 Bc8 a surprising undeveloping move, which repositions the bishop on to a more useful diagonal, as well as setting up an immediate threat  14.Rfe1?

The contrast between the two positions couldn't be more stark. With this move White has completed his development, while Black has only two pieces developed and has all but one of his pieces on his back rank. Who is winning, Black of course!  14...g6! At first glance this looks like a mistake, losing a pawn. However, black has seen a little bit further than white  15.Nxh6+ Bxh6 16.Bxc8 Qxc8 17.Bxh6 Qh3 This was what White missed on move 14, which completely overturns the position in Black's favour  18.e4 No better was retreating the bishop, when Ng4 and the half-open e-file leaves White's position in tatters  18...Qxh6 19.exd5 Qf8 This precise move quickly consolidates Black's material advantage  20.Rxe8 Qxe8 21.dxc6 Nxc6 22.d5 Ne5 23.d6 Qc6 0-1

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 e6 4.Nd2 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.exd5 exd5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Ne2 Nge7 9.Nb3 Bb6 10.Bg5 O-O 11.Qd2 Bf5 12.g4 Ne5 13.Ned4 Bg6 14.Be2 Qe8 15.O-O h5 16.h3 Nc4 17.Qc1 Nc6 18.Re1 Qd7 19.Kg2 N4e5 20.Qd1 hxg4 21.hxg4 f5 22.Nxf5 Bxf5 23.gxf5 Rxf5 24.Qd2 Raf8 25.Rf1 Qf7 26.f4 Ng6 27.Rad1 Nxf4+ 28.Bxf4 Qg6+ 29.Bg3

29...Rf2+ 30.Rxf2 Rxf2+ 31.Kh3 Qf5+ 32.Kh4 Bd8+ 0-1