(1) Richards,Deborah (2022) - Matthews,Shane (2364) [A85]

National Ch, Mona Great House Kingston, Jamaica (7.5), 28.04.2005

[Wilkinson, I]

A GRANDIOSE STRUGGLE - THE "MAGICIAN" ESCAPES AGAIN! It was six pm and Jamaica's record 7-time national champion, NM Shane Matthews, was facing Deborah Richards, the talented three-time Women's national champion, in a rescheduled seventh round game in the 2005 Jamaican Championships. Will Richards fare better than her debut loss last year to Matthews with the Black pieces ? En garde! 1.c4 f5 The Dutch Defence considered by the fourth world champion Alexander Alekhine (1892–1946) as a "risky defence". He nevertheless proceeded to use it to beat World Championship contender Yefim Bogolyubov at Hastings, 1922 in 53 moves - a game widely regarded as one of the best ever in the history of chess! 2.d4 Several months earlier Richards preferred 2.Nc3 against the Montegonian Master and won after 2...Nf6 3.Nf3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 d6 7.d4 c6 8.Rb1 Qc7 9.Qd3 e5 10.Qd1 e4 11.Ng5 h6 12.Nh3 Nh6 13.b4 Qe7 14.Nf4 Kh7 1–0 (60), Richards, D - Holness, M, New Year Open, Guardian Life, Jamaica, 2005. 2...Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Qc2 b6 6.e3 Bb7 7.Be2 0–0 8.0–0 Ne4= (See diagram 1)

Diagram 1

9.Ne5 [9.Nxe4 Bxe4 10.Qb3 a5 11.Nd2 Bb7 12.Bf3 Nc6=] 9...d6 10.Nd3 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nd7 12.a4 a5 13.Rb1 Qh4 14.f3 Ng5 15.Nf4 Rf6 Early into the middlegame the honours are still roughly equal. 16.Bd2 Raf8 [16...Nf7=; 16...Rh6=] 17.Be1!² Qh6 18.Bd3 [18.Bf2!?=] 18...Kh8 19.Qf2 Nf7 20.Ne2 [20.Qd2 c6= (20...g5=) ] 20...g5 [Coming in for serious consideration was 20...e5! 21.Bc2 Ba6 22.Bb3 Re8³ when Black seems to have the better position.] 21.Ng3 Nd8 22.Qd2 Nc6 23.Nh1 [23.e4 f4 24.Nh1 e5 25.Nf2 Qg7 26.d5² (26.Ng4²) ] 23...Ne7= 24.Nf2 Qh5 25.e4! Rh6 26.h3 26...Ng6? (See Diagram)

Diagram 2

This is bad. Correct was [26...Rhf6 and if 27.Qc2 Re8 28.Bd2 f4 29.Ng4 Rff8 30.Rfd1 e5² with a lot of fighting to come.] 27.Nh1? Deborah fails to exploit Shane's error on his last move. The strong riposte [27.exf5! wins at least the exchange after 27...exf5 28.Ng4! Nf4 (28...fxg4?? loses the queen after 29.fxg4+-; 28...Nge5!? 29.Nxh6 Nxd3 30.Qxd3 Qxh6 31.Bf2+-) 29.Nxh6 Qxh6 30.Bg3 Nxd3 31.Qxd3+-] 27...Nf4= 28.Ng3 Qg6 29.Bc2 Ba6 30.Bb3 fxe4 31.fxe4 d5 32.Bf2 Bxc4 33.Bxc4 dxc4 34.Be3 Qf7 Shane had about 8 minutes left and Deborah 5 at this point. 35.Rb5 [35.Qa2!? e5 36.d5 c6 37.Nf5 Rf6=] 35...Rf6= 36.Kh2 h6?! Diagram # [Black is superior in the variation- 36...Qg6 37.Qa2 c6 38.Rb2 Nh5! 39.Rxf6 Ndxf6 40.Bf2 (40.Nxh5?! Qxh5µ) 40...g4! 41.Qxc4 (The "tempting" 41.e5? loses to 41...Nxg3! 42.Bxg3 (42.exf6? Ne4! 43.Bg1 gxh3–+) 42...Ne4–+) 41...Nxe4µ (41...gxh3µ) ] 37.e5!± Rg6 38.Nh5 [38.Ne2!?±] 38...Qg8 39.Bxf4! gxf4 40.Nxf4 Rg5 41.Rb2! Rgf5 The time-c ontrol was game in 90 minutes with an increment of 30 seconds from the very first move. Nonetheless, Shane was now down to 3 minutes and Deborah 2. The additional increments were now proving priceless. 42.Qe3!+- White is winning. 42...Qg5 43.Rbf2 h5 Shane went down to seven seconds on his clock before playing this move! 44.Qg3! Deborah also went below ten seconds! 44...Qxg3+ 45.Kxg3 Kh7 [45...Rg8+] 46.Nxh5! A strong tactical riposte by the Jamaican Women's champion. [Also winning for Richards was 46.Kh4!+- ] 46...Rxf2 47.Rxf2 Rxf2 48.Kxf2 48...c5?? (see diagram)

Diagram 3

In chronic time trouble Matthews blunders. More stubborn was [48...b5! creating the ouside passed pawn. After 49.d5! (the variation 49.axb5 a4 50.d5 Nxe5 51.dxe6 Nd3+ 52.Kf3 Kg6 53.e7 Kf7 54.Nf6 Kxe7 55.Nd5+ Kf7 56.Ne3 a3 57.Nc2 a2 58.Ke3 Ne1 59.Na1 Nxg2+ 60.Kd4 Nf4 61.Kxc4 Nxh3 62.Kb3 Ke6 63.Kxa2 Kd5 64.Kb3 Kc5 65.c4 Nf2 66.Nc2 Nd3= the position is drawn.) 49...Nxe5 50.dxe6 Nd3+ 51.Ke3 Kg6 52.Kd4 bxa4 53.Kxc4 Nb2+ 54.Kc5 a3³ and it is Black who is calling the shots.] 49.Ke3 This is winning but even stronger as Fritz argues was [49.Nf6+! Nxf6 50.exf6 cxd4 (50...b5?? 51.axb5 a4 52.b6 a3 53.b7 a2 54.b8Q a1Q 55.f7 Qa2+ 56.Kg3 and White mates in a few moves.) 51.cxd4 Kg6 52.Ke3 Kxf6 53.Kd2 e5 54.dxe5+ Kxe5 55.Kc3 b5 56.axb5 Kd5 57.h4+- and White cleans up.] 49...cxd4+ 50.Kxd4 [Connecting the pawns was stronger 50.cxd4 and after 50...b5 51.axb5 Nb6 52.g4 a4 53.Nf6+ Kg6 54.Ne4 a3 55.Nc3+- White should win comfortably.] 50...Kg6 51.Nf4+ The text-move is winning but deserving attention was [51.g4!? Nc5 52.Kxc4 Nxa4 53.Nf4+ Kf7 54.h4 Nc5 55.Kb5 a4 56.Kb4 b5 57.g5 Ne4 58.g6+ Kg7 59.Nxe6+ Kxg6 60.Nd4 a3 61.Kxa3 Nxc3 62.Kb4 Nd5+ 63.Kxb5+-] 51...Kf5 52.Ne2 Nxe5?! Still in time pressure Matthews restores the material balance but errs in so doing. Better was [52...Nc5 after which Richards can play for the win with 53.g4+ Kg5 54.Kxc4 Nxa4 55.Kb5 Nb2 56.Kxb6 a4 57.Nd4 a3 58.Nc2 a2 59.Kc5 Na4+ 60.Kc4 Nb6+ 61.Kb3 Nd7 62.Kxa2 Nxe5 63.Ne3 Kf4 64.Nf1±] 53.Ng3+! After this check White has a massive advantage. 53...Kf4 54.Ne2+ As FM Warren Elliott, one of the spectators, said after the game the winning continuation was [54.Nh5+! and after 54...Kf5 55.g4+ Nxg4 Best. 56.hxg4+ Kxg4 57.Ng7+-] 54...Kf5 55.Ng3+ Kf4 56.Ne2+ Kf5 57.Ng3+ Diagram # With Shane obviously seeking the draw by repetition wth both clocks dwindling down at roughly 90 seconds each, Richards understandably plays it safe and repeats moves. As I said to Elliott after the game I wondered if 57.g4! worked and the Silicon reptile (Fritz, of course, not Warren:-)) confirms that it did. One variation is as follows: [57.g4+! Kf6 58.g5+! (58.Ng3 also wins after 58...Nf3+ 59.Kxc4 Ng1 60.h4 Nf3 61.Nh5+ Kf7 62.Kb5 Nxh4 63.Kxb6 Ng2 64.Kxa5 Ne3 65.Kb5 Nd1 66.c4+-) 58...Kf5 59.Ng3+ Kf4 60.Nh5+ Kf5 (in the follow ing line, explored by the combatants, FM Elliott and NM Pitterson after the game, White is also winning - 60...Kxg5 61.Kxe5 Kxh5 62.Kxe6 b5 63.axb5 a4 64.b6 a3 65.b7 a2 66.b8Q a1Q 67.Qh8+ Kg5 68.Qg7+ Kf4 69.Qg4+ Ke3 70.Qxc4+-) 61.Ng7+ Kf4 62.Nxe6+ Kf5 63.Ng7+ Kf4 64.h4 Nf3+ 65.Kxc4 Nxh4 66.Kb5 Kxg5 67.Kxb6 Kf6 68.Kxa5!+- and promotion is guaranteed. Of course, in all fairness to Richards it was extremely difficult for Jamaica's first-ever Woman National Master (WNM) to work this out over the board with the very limited time available to her.] 57...Kf4 Draw! Shane again stages a Houdini-like escape act. Probably a fair result to a grandiose struggle. ½–½