Ulster Chess Chronicle

After winning the Williamson Shield on the last weekend of January 2006 with a perfect six out of six, Tom Clarke travelled south the following weekend to take part in the Gonzaga Chess Congress, an annual tournament organised by the students of Gonzaga College in Dublin. The top section was the Masters, which unusually for a weekend event was an all-play-all. Tom was top seed, but after starting with a win against Semyon Mkrtchyan, he then suffered a setback in Round 2, losing to Kilkenny player, John White. However, Tom then won his final three games, to claim overall victory.

22.e6!?
I am uncertain about this move, I presumed it must be better to overprotect the pawn by keeping it on e5, at e6 there is more chance of it being surrounded and eventually lost. The game evolves around the e6 pawn.
22...Re8 23.Nd4 g6 24.Re2 Rc8 25.Rf1 Kg8 26.Rfe1 Rc7 27.b4 Rce7 28.Kd2 b6 29.Re5 Kg7 30.g4 Rf8 31.c3 Rf2+ 32.R1e2 Rxe2+ 33.Rxe2 Kf6 34.h4 Rc7 35.g5+ Ke7 36.a4 Kd6 37.h5 Re7 38.hxg6 hxg6 39.Rh2 Nxe6 40.Nxe6 Kxe6 41.Re2+ Kd6 42.Rf2 a5 43.bxa5 bxa5 44.Rf6+ Re6 45.Rf7 Kc5 46.Ra7 Re5 47.Rxa5+ Kb6 48.Ra8 Rxg5 49.a5+ Kb7 50.Rg8 Rg4 51.Rg7+ Ka6 52.Rc7 Rc4 53.Rg7 Kxa5 54.Rxg6 Kb5 55.Kd3 Kc5 56.Rg8 Rh4 57.Rb8 Rh3+ 58.Kc2 Re3 59.Rb7 Kd6 60.Rb8

The remainder of the game wasn't recorded in mutual time-trouble. I managed to win the c-pawn by advancing my King to c4, and playing c5 too.
0–1

17.d5?
This throws away any advantage I had.
17...Nxd5 18.Nxd5
When playing 17.d5 I thought I was winning the exchange but completely missed the threat of Nf4+. At the time I had to look long and hard to see if I could actually find a reasonable line. I had convinced myself that the other king moves lose and didn't analyse Kd1 properly. After 18.Nd4 Nf4+ White can play 19.Kd1 (but not 19.Ke1 Nd3+ 20.Kd1 Nxf2+ 21.Kc1 Qd3 22.Nxe6 Qxe3+ 23.Kb1 Nxh1 24.Rxh1 Qxe6; nor 19.Kf1 Qd3+ 20.Ke1 Qxd4) and if 19...Qd3+ 20.Kc1 Rxe3 21.Rd1.
However I think that 17.h5 would still have been better, keeping the stranglehold on the position, rather than winning the exchange and allowing any counter chances
18...Qxd5 19.Qxd5 cxd5 20.Nd4 Ree8 21.gxf6 g6 22.Nf5 Be5?!
Allowing Ne7+ and immediately winning the d5 pawn. I thought that Re6 attacking f6 was better.
23.Ne7+ Kf8 24.Nxd5 Rad8 25.Rd1 h5!
A nice move, fixing my h pawn and the f6 pawn will still go very soon.
26.Rd3 Rd6 27.Rhd1 Bxf6 28.Nxf6 Rxf6 29.Rb3 b6 30.Rd7 Re7 31.Rd8+ Kg7 32.Rb4 Rc7 33.Rd2 Rfc6 34.Rbd4 Kf6 35.f4 Rc2 36.Rd6+ Ke7 37.Rd7+ Ke6 38.Rxc7
38.Kf3 Rxb2?? 39.R2d6+ Kf5 40.e4 checkmate Oops??? I suggested Rxb2 to John after the game, he very quickly found the obvious mate !!!.
38...Rxc7 39.Kf3 Rc1 40.Rd4 Rg1 41.Ra4 a5 42.b4 Rg4 43.bxa5
43.b5? is bad as Black replies with Kd5 and White loses the h-pawn without any counter play.
43...bxa5 44.Rxa5 Rxh4 45.Ra6+

45...Ke7
No prize for 45...Kf5 allowing 46.e4 checkmate.
46.a4 Rh3+ 47.Ke4 Rh2 48.Ke5 Rd2 49.e4
For one horrible moment, I thought f6+ was checkmate !!.
49...h4 50.f5 gxf5 51.exf5 f6+ 52.Ke4 h3 53.Ra7+ Kd6?
John was in time trouble and thought any move would do, even so still a careless move.
54.Rf7 Ra2 55.Rxf6+ Ke7 56.Rh6 Rxa4+ 57.Ke5 Ra5+ 58.Kf4 Ra4+ 59.Kg5 Ra3 60.Rh7+ Kf8 61.Kg6 Rg3+ 62.Kf6
Yet again an incomplete scoresheet due to mutual time trouble, I was nearly 3 minutes ahead and although I believe this position should be a draw, I made John fight for it and with less time he very quickly blundered away his remaining pawn and I eventually achieved the Lucena Position and won.
A tough game, which could have been over very quickly if I hadn't blundered with 17 d5?. The win put me 0.5 ahead of John and Gordon going into the last round, so I knew I still had work to do to win the tournament outright.
1–0

I initially played this move back in 2002 whilst playing 3 minute blitz games on ICC. The aims of the move are to overpin the already pinned c4 pawn against the bishop on c1, to
1, play Qd4 threatening the Rook on a1;
2, after Qa5+ play Bb4/a3 as appropriate;
3; if forced, play Nb6 which can assist with a long term plan of preparing d5 with pressure on the a6-f1 diagonal;
4; undermine e5 with either d6,f6 and or f5, if necessary sacrificing a pawn to both open up the e file by Kf7/Re8 and open up the h8-a1 diagonal with Rg8/Bg7, note that e5 is also laterally attacked by the Queen on a5;
5; retain the option of castling either side, maybe play Kf7 and or play Rb8 trying to create pressure against White's queenside pawn structure.
10.Qe4
Other move 10 variants for White that I have faced are:
10. Qb2! Stephen Brady, Bray v Phibsboro "A", Armstrong Cup 2005;
10. a3 Stephen Scannell, Civil Service Summer Tournament, Belfast 2005;
and a similar idea occurred against Fred MacDonald, Nemtzov Cup, Belfast 2004: 9.g3 Qc5 10.b3?? Qd4 11.Qb2 Bb4+ 12.Nd2 Bc3 13.Qc2 Nb4 0–1
10.Bb2 is a more challenging move. I would certainly play 10...Qa5+ and after presumably 11.Nd2 Ba3
(11...Bb4?! 12.a3 Bc3? (or 12...Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 and White has a definite space advantage after Queens are exchanged) 13.b4)
12.Bxa3
(an amusing and abrupt finish would be 12.0–0–0?? Qc3+ 13.Kb1 Qxb2checkmate. Ah, if only games could be so straightforward.)
12...Qxa3 I would then try and follow up with 0–0 or 0–0–0 and f6 to open up the e file, obviously Black has to take into consideration Qe4 when appropriate and/or any other Queen move, presumably forcing the Knight to move.
After 13.Qe4
(The e5 pawn could also be threatened after the exchange of bishops on a3 after 13.Ne4 Qa5+ 14.Qd2 Nb4)
13...Nb4 14.Be2
(14.Bd3 Qb2! 15.Rb1 Nxd3+ 16.Qxd3 Qxe5+)
14...Qb2! 15.Rb1 Qxa2
(not 15...Nc2+? 16.Kd1!)
and White cannot castle as the knight on d2 is en prise.
Maybe 13.Qe4 is bad?, If so, how does White prevent Qb2 and or the loss of the a pawn and or Nb4/Nc2+/Nd4/c5, can White castle Kingside at all? Qb2 also threatens the e5 pawn indirectly too.
10...f5! 11.exf6+
If 11.Qxf5?? then 11...Qd4! and the combined threat of Qxa1 and Bb4+ are overwhelming for Black.
11...Kf7 12.Be2
Certainly seems best for White, preparing to castle and trying to stop nasty threats after Re8, though is it sufficient?
12...Re8 13.Qf3

13...Nxf6?
The quiet safe move but is there better?
13...Qd4 14.fxg7+ Kxg7 15.Qg3+ Kf7 16.0–0 Rxe2 17.Qf3+ Nf6 18.Qxe2 Qxa1 19.Bb2 Qxa2 20.Qe5 Bg7 If this analysis is correct, then yes! Qd4! is far better than Nf6?
[DMcA -Better to delay 15.Qg3+ and play 15.0–0 and now if 15...Qxa1
(15...Rxe2 16.Qxe2 Qxa1 loses the Queen to 17.Bb2+; however 15...Kg8 gets the King out of harm's way and therefore renews the threat to the a1–Rook. Play might continue 16.Be3 Qxa1 17.cxd5 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 cxd5 but I doubt that this position is necessarily good for Black; also 15...h5 might be a possibility)
only now 16.Qg3+ Kf6
(16...Kf7 17.Bh5+ Ke7 18.Re1+ wins)
17.Qg5+ Ke6 18.Bg4+ Kd6 19.Ba3+ c5 20.Qxd5+ Ke7 21.Re1+ Kf6 22.Qf5+ Kg7 23.Qg5+ Kf7 24.Bh5 checkmate]
14.Bb2 Qh5
This move, stops White from castling and if followed up correctly, should leave Black with a slight but persistent advantage.
15.Qxh5+
15.Nd2 Qxf3 16.Nxf3 Bb4+ 17.Kf1 Rhf8 and after Kg8, Black should be able to build up pressure against f2
15...Nxh5 16.g3 d5?
Bc5 followed by Nf6, Rhf8 and Kg8 bearing pressure against f2 see previous note is better. White is safe now by playing Kf1,Bf3 and Rc1, if Black ever plays dxc4 and axb3 then White simply recaptures axb3 attacking the Bishop on a6 and subsequently wins the a7 pawn. In fact White may even stand better.
17.Kf1 Nf6 18.Bf3 dxc4 19.bxc4? Bxc4+ 20.Kg2 Bd6?
I was so annoyed at playing 16;...d5? that I trusted that after Bxc6,Re2 would eventually win the f2 pawn, however Bd4, protecting f2 and attacking a7 looks entirely adequate.
21.Rc1 Bd5 22.Nc3 Bxf3+ 23.Kxf3 Rb8 24.Rab1 Rb6 25.Na4 Ra6 26.Bxf6 Rxa4 27.Bg5 Rf8 28.Be3 Ke6+ 29.Kg2 Kd7
As David said after the game, Rxa2 is much better for Black i.e. a pawn up and has 2 passed pawns as well. 30.Rc2 c5 31.Rb3 Kc6 32.Rbc3 Ra5
32...Rf5 is much better with the idea of Rd5/a5/Kb5/Rb4/c4 or Rd5/Ra5/Be5 or Be7/Bf6 and eventually advance the King and/or round up the White a-pawn. Getting my rook on f8 into the game was a priority.
33.Rc4 Kd5
Still Rf5 is better.
34.Rh4 h6 35.Rg4 Rf7 36.h4 Bf8 37.a4!
David is fighting hard and well, defending his position, I completely missed his idea and was very fortunate that he was in severe time trouble.
37...Rf6 38.Bd2 Raa6 39.Bc3 Rfc6 40.Rd2+ Ke6

41.Bxg7?
Winning the pawn back but this leads to a won rook ending for Black. Far better is Re4+, forcing the Black King backwards and possibly wins an exchange. However is that enough to hold the game for White, let alone win?
41.Re4+ Kf7 42.Rd7+ Kg6
(42...Kg8 43.Re8 Rf6 44.Bxf6 Rxf6 45.Rxc7 and surely White now wins!)
43.Rg4+ Kh5 44.Kh3 This line looks extremely dire for Black and retreating the King to f7/g8 forces Black to give up an exchange on f6.
41...Bxg7 42.Rxg7 c4 43.Kf3 c3 44.Rc2 Kd5 45.Ke3 Kc4 46.Ke2 Kb3 47.Kd1 Rxa4 48.Rd7 Rd6+ 49.Rxd6 cxd6 50.f4 Ra1+ 51.Rc1 Ra2 52.f5 Rf2 0–1