Thursday, June 11, 2009

10/10 Tournament game

Davis,Justin (1881) - Holdaway,Stewart (1641) [D07] Palmy Club 10/10 (5.1), 05.2009

1.Nf3
It is important to realise this is a game where each side has only 10 minutes each for the entire game. So blitz rules apply. I will elaborate more on this in a following article.
1...d5 2.d4 Nc6 3.c4 Bg4
Stewart is playing his favourite Chigorin defence and white will stumble his way along a main line surprisingly.



4.Nc3
4.e3 e5 5.Qb3 Bxf3 6.gxf3 exd4 7.cxd5 Ne5 8.exd4 Nd7 9.Nc3 Qe7+ 10.Be3 Qb4 11.Qc2 Ngf6 12.Bb5 Rd8 13.0-0-0 a6 14.Ba4 Be7 15.Rhg1 g6 16.Bh6 b5 17.Bb3 Nb6 18.Rge1 Kd7 19.Bf4 Rc8 20.a3 Qa5 21.Bg5 Ng8 22.Bxe7 Nxe7 23.Ne4 Rb8 24.Nf6+ Kd8 25.Rxe7 Kxe7 26.Qxc7+ Nd7 27.Qxa5 1-0 Steinitz,W-Chigorin,M/Havana 1889
4...Nf6 5.e3 e6 6.Be2
6.h3 Bh5 7.cxd5 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 exd5 9.Bd2 Bb4 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0 Qe7 12.Rfd1 Rfd8 13.Rab1 Rab8 14.a3 Bxc3 15.Bxc3 Ne4 16.Be1 Re8 17.Rbc1 Qd6 18.Rc2 Re6 19.Rdc1 Rbe8 20.Qd1 Ng5 21.Bf5 Rf6 22.Qg4 Ne4 23.Bxe4 dxe4 24.Qg3 Qd7 25.b4 Rg6 26.Qh2 h6 27.b5 Ne7 28.Rxc7 Qxb5 29.Qe5 Qxe5 30.dxe5 Rb6 31.e6 fxe6 32.Bc3 a6 33.a4 Kf7 34.Bd4 Rb3 35.a5 Kg6 36.g4 Rb5 37.Rd7 e5 38.Bb6 Nc6 39.Rcd1 Re7 40.R7d6+ Kf7 41.h4 Re6 ½-½ Williams,S-Jones,G/Swansea 2006
6...Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nd2?!


An unnecessary move which gives black a chance to push for more than equality. Now this statement is true in theory but in a blitz game white is just taking the game in his prefered direction. Davis prefers positions with a clear strategic plan and does not like to have his King attacked. At the cost of development he has enabled a trade of pieces which simplifies the position. His center and King-side will now be more stable and he will be able to start his plan of Queen-side expansion. The benefit of a long term plan is extremely valuable.
9...Bxe2 10.Qxe2 b6?!
10...Qd7 Finishing development is more important than stopping a white pawn coming to c5. The reason c5 is not a threat is black can counter the pawn chain with an e5 break or simply b6 after the bishop has retreated. It is also important to realise that white is behind in development.
11.a3 Ne7 12.b4 c5
A double edged move which is not bad in itself but causes black to play on white's side of the board.
12...Ng6 13.c5 Be7 14.c6 a6 And white's queenside push is premature.
13.dxc5 bxc5 14.b5
White is continuing with his simple plan and now has a potential passed pawn on the Queen-side. 14...a6 15.a4 Bc7
15...axb5! This throws a spanner in the works. White would love to recapture with a pawn but it just doesn't work out very well.
16.axb5? Rxa1 and off goes the rook
16.cxb5 Qa5 17.Bb2 c4 18.Rfc1 Ng6 19.Nf3 Nd7 And black has an excellent outpost on d3 for a knight, the Queenside pawns are blocked and white has no clear way to make progress.
best is 16.Nxb5 Be5 17.Ra3 Atleast in this variation white has not given black some good piece play.
16.Ba3 Qd6 17.g3 Rfd8
Better is 17...Ba5 18.Rfc1 Bxc3 19.Rxc3 Rfc8
18.bxa6 Qe5?!
18...Ba5=
19.Nb5


19... Rxa6?
Now black is losing a piece. And soon the game.
20.Nf3 Qh5 21.Nxc7 Qxh3?
Stewart makes a valiant effort to try a K-side attack but his material deficit is just too much.
22.Nxa6 Ng4 23.Rfb1 e5 24.Qf1 Qh6 25.Nxc5 e4 26.Qg2 exf3 27.Qxf3 Qh2+ 28.Kf1 Rd6 29.Qxg4?!
29.Rb8+ Nc8 30.Rxc8+ Rd8 31.Rxd8#
29...Rf6 30.Ra2 Qh1+ 31.Ke2 Qxb1 32.Rb2
1-0

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