Magazines Interactive December 1979

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Auckland Labour Weekender

by Ortvin Sarapu

 

Sarapu, Ortvin - Mataga, Peter A

Auckland Labour Weekend Open 1979

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.O-O Bd6 12.Nc3! O-O 13.h3!? Up to here we have been following ECO, page 30, column 18. Other moves given are 13 Be3, 13 Bg5 and 13 Rel with different evaluations. My move is based on the fact that Black cannot now play  (13.h3 e5 as after  14.dxe5 follows  14...Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.Nxd5! Nxd5 17.Bc4 and White wins a pawn. The text also prevents ...Ng4 or ...Bg4 and provides an escape for the white king.  ) 13...Bd7 14.Be3 Qd8 Naturally 14...Qxb2 is in White's favour - see similar positions in the books!   15.Rc1 ( If here 15.a3? then   15...Rc8 16.Re1 Kh8 17.Rc1 Qe8 18.Rc2 a6 19.Rce2 with an edge for White as in Geller - Uhlmann, Skopje 1968.  ) 15...e5?! After some deliberation but this seems premature as White is better developed.  16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.Qb3 Bc6 19.Nb5! Black now has the inferior endgame; his isolated pawn ls weak and White has a good square in d4 for his knight  19...Qd7 20.Nd4 ( Unclear is 20.Nxa7 Ba4 21.Qb6 d4 etc. ) 20...Ba4 21.Qb4 Bd6 22.Qd2 Ne4 23.Bxe4 dxe4 24.b3 Bc6 25.Nxc6 bxc6









Moves are clickable

26.Rfd1! Not only does Black now have two weak pawns, but there is a pin as well   26...Rad8? ( This loses the exchange at least 26...Rf6 would have permitted a longer resistance. ) 27.Bg5 Bh2+ 28.Kxh2 Qxd2 ( on  28...Qc7+ follows 29   29.Bf4! and wins.  ) 29.Rxd2 Rxd2 30.Bxd2 Rxf2 31.Be3 Rxa2 32.Rxc6 1-0