2nd Qual., Nat'l Champs., Utech, Jam (4), 19.05.2002

DAVID AND GOLIATH: STAKING CLAIM.

"There is such a thing as a man being too proud to fight" - Woodrow Wilson 1856–1924(28th US president) - Speech in Philadelphia, 10th May, 1915 ("Selected Addresses", 1918, p. 88).

This was the final round in the second qualifier (a four-round Swiss) for the national championships. I was joint second (with 1.5/3) playing FM Grantel Gibbs, who was in first position on 2.5/3.

We had drawn our first ever encounter two weeks ago in the first qualifier when, with Black, I deployed the Archangelsk/Moeller variation of the Ruy Lopez. The game ended in an exciting draw in time trouble and my stocks, and rating, had risen as, among other things I finished joint third in the tournament.

If I were to win this encounter I would win the tournament on tie-breaks. I learnt from the previous day that my illustrious adversary again had the White pieces. Knowing that he usually played 1.e4 and was accustomed to facing 1...e5 (often transposing to the Ruy Lopez) or 1...c5 (the Sicilian), I decided to surprise him by playing an opening I had never played before ! Regrettably, I had got very little sleep the night before and felt the effect of this before the game. I was sleepy and had a headache.

Nonetheless, I decided to give it my best shot. 1.e4 FM Gibbs did not disappoint;Bobby Fischer’s preferred first move with White was on the board. e5 2.Nf3. So far so good. Nf6! After my celebrated opponent's second move, I paused for effect and with a flourish I unveiled my surprise:the Petroff/Russian Defence was in the house ladies and gentlemen ! I had never played it before. It was pleasing to see the surprised look on Gibbs' face as he inhaled deeply and then sighed.

The exclamation mark given for the move is for the shock value of the defence chosen coupled with the fact that I was playing it for the first time against a seasoned campaigner. 3.Nxe5 Gibbs took five minutes to make this capture giving credence to the "shock theory". 3...d6 3...Qe7 is preferred by some players.

4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.c4 An unusual move for which there is precedent on local soil. 5.c4 Be7 6.Qc2 Nf6 7.d4 0–0 8.d5 Re8 9.Be2 Bf8 10.Nc3 g6 11.0–0 Bf5 12.Bd3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Nbd7 14.Bg5 Bg7 15.Rfe1 Nc5 16.Qc2 Qd7 –1/2–1/2

Holness,M/Myers,P, National Championships, NMLS,St.Andrew, Jamaica, 2001.The principled continuation is 5.d4. The following example is also from "home": 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bf5 7.0–0 Be7 8.Re1 Nc6 9.Bb5 0–0 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Ne5 Qd6 12.f3 Nf6 13.Bf4 Nh5 14.Bd2 Bh4 15.Re2 f6 16. Ng4 Bxg4 17.fxg4 Nf4 and the candidate master prevailed - Scott, B/Myers, P, National Championships, NMLS, St. Andrew, Jamaica, 2001, 0–1 (29). Noteworthy examples farther afield are: 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0–0 Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 Be6 10.c5 a5 11.Ne5 f6 12.Nd3 0–0 13.Nf4 Bf7 14.Bg4 g6 15.Ne6 Bxe6 16.Bxe6+ Kg7 17.a3 Nc6:Nataf, IA/Topalov, V- NAO Masters Cannes FRA, 2002 1/2–1/2 (33).

An instructive and exciting game continued 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0–0 Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 0–0 10.a3 Nc6 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.Nc3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Bf5 14.Re1 Rfe8 15.Bf4 Rac8 and the "living legend" and 13th World Champion won an important victory en route to the title:Kasparov, G/Adams, M - Linares Super GM, 2002 1–0 (47).Finally a classic and titanic Queen-pawns ending was displayed and the 12th World Champion went down fighting after: 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0–0 Nc6 8.Re1 Bg4 9.c3 f5 10.Nbd2 0–0 11.Qb3 Na5 12.Qc2 Nc6 13.b4 a6 14.a4 Bd6 15.Ba3 Rf6 16.b5 Nxd2 17.Qxd2 Bxf3 18.bxc6 Rg6 19.g3 bxc6 20.Bxd6 cxd6 - Karpov, A/Morozevich, A -Eurotel World Chess Trophy, Prague, 2002, 0–1 (97). 5...Nc6 The text was one of Fritz 7's best choices. I was pleased with finding this move at the board as I was unprepared for the FM's 5th move. Also good was 5...Nd7 or 5...Be7. 6.d4 d5 7.Nc3 Bb4!³ Fritz's first choice. In just seven moves, Black has not only equalised but has seized the initiative and has a better position.Ironically and remarkably, it seemed to me that the Petroff defence has transposed into the Nimzo-Indian defence save and except that there is no pawn on the "e6" square !!! 8.Qb3 [8.Qc2] 8...Qe7! Again, Fritz's first choice. 9.Be3 I think that this is White's best move in the circumstances. 9...Na5! Again, Fritz's first choice. Attacking the queen and gaining another tempo. 10.Qc2 [Bad was: 10.Qa4+? b5 11.cxb5?? Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxc3+ 13.Kd1 Bxa1 14.Qxa5 Bf5 15.Qd2 Qa3 16.Qc1 Qxa2–+ And Black has a material, and winning, advantage.] 10...Nxc4 [I thought for only two minutes before playing the text.

Several strong players (including two of the islands top masters) in analyzing the game afterwards felt that 10.Bf5 was the stronger move as it prepared a discovered attack on the White Queen and, at the very least, gained a tempo.I had considered that move, which is thematic in the Petroff, but couldn't see it bearing any real fruit.

The following variation is insightful: 10...Bf5 11.c5 Nxc3 12.Qxf5 Na4+ 13.Kd1 Nxb2+ 14.Kc1 Nbc4 15.Bg5 f6 16.Rb1 Ba3+ 17.Kc2 Qf7 (the Bishop on g5 is sacrosanct, immune from capture, because of 18.Re1 winning Black's pinned queen) 18.Re1+ Kf8 19.Bf4 b6 20.Re6 Re8 21.Rxe8+ Qxe8 22.Bxc4 Nxc4 23.Qxd5 Qa4+ 24.Kb1 Qb5+ 25.Kc2= And the game is dead equal with both sides having threats.] 11.Bxc4 Forced I humbly believe. [If... 11.Bd3? then Black has the strong tactical riposte... 11...Nxf2! 12.Qxf2 Nxe3 threatening a savage discovered check. 13.Ne5 Best. 13...Ng4 14.Qe2 Nxe5 15.dxe5 d4 16.a3 dxc3 17.axb4 Qh4+ 18.g3 Qxb4 19.bxc3 Qxc3+ 20.Kf2 Qd4+–+ And Black is three pawns up in a clearly winning position.] 11...dxc4 12.0–0 Nxc3? The first poor move on my part.

The text leaves the cushy e4 outpost (at least it is an outpost for the time being until, among other things, White's "f" pawn can get going), gives the White queen more room to manoeuvre and eases the tension considerably.

Better was the Nimzo-Indian-like thematic Bishop capture 12...Bxc3 ! The following line is instructive: [12...Bxc3 13.bxc3 0–0 14.Ne5 Bf5 15.Qb2 c5 16.Nxc4 Qe6 17.Nd2 cxd4 18.Bxd4 Rfe8 And the game is roughly even with a lot of fighting to come.] 13.bxc3 Bd6= Because of my inaccuracy, White has solved his problems.

I had used thirty-five minutes so far and my opponent forty-one. 21.d5 Played after the "St.Jago Old Boy" had gone into the "think tank" for eleven minutes. [Grantel must have pondered about the alternative: 21.c5 which gives rise to some interesting variations:(A) 21.c5 Bc7 22.cxb6 axb6 If 22...Qxb6 ?? (trying to hold onto the c6 pawn) then 23.d5 ! wins a piece. 23.Rxc6 Bd5 24.Rc2 Re8= 25.Qb5 Bxf3 26.gxf3 Qd8=; (B) 21.c5 Bf4 22.cxb6 axb6 23.Rxc6 Bd5 24.Bxf4 Qxf4 25.Rxb6 Rxa2 26.Qe3 Qxe3 27.fxe3 Re8 And although White is slightly better, a lot of chess is still left to be played.; (C) 21.c5 bxc5 22.dxc5 Bc7 23.Nd4 Bh2+? 24.Kh1 Bd5 25.Nf5 Re8 26.Bxh6! Be5 If 26....gxh6 ? then 27.Rxd8+ Qxd8 28.Kxh2 and White is winning. 27.f4 Bf6 28.Rxe8+ Qxe8 29.Qg3 Qf8 30.Re1 Rb8 31.Bg5 Rb2 32.Rg1 Bxg5 33.Qxg5 f6 34.Qg3 Rxa2= And the "great war" is still to unfold.] 21...cxd5 22.cxd5 Rd8! I saw this move when I was thinking over my 21st move. Of course it is patent that the Bishop on e6 cannot be captured by White as 23.dxe6?? is met by the strong tactical resource 23...Bh2+ winning the Queen. After the game Gibbs said that Black's 22nd move was a "deadly shot" and that he had missed it when thinking about playing 21.d5. 23.Kh1?

It should be borne in mind that at this point I had used only thirty-eight minutes compared to Gibbs' fifty-six. Of course, either of the following continuations would have given me a winning advantage:(A) [23...Bf8! A simple, and obvious, move that I missed and which was shown to me by Gibbs himself after the game. 24.Qc4 Bxd5 25.Qg4 Qd6 26.Bf4 Qg6 27.Qxg6 fxg6 28.Bc7 Rdc8 29.Re2 Bd6 30.Rec2 Rxc7 31.Rxc7 Bxc7 32.Rxc7 Bxa2 33.Ne5 a5 34.Nxg6 a4 35.Ne7+ Kh7 36.Nf5 Bb1 37.Nxg7 a3 38.Ne6+ Kg8 39.Nd4 a2 40.Nc2 Bxc2 41.Rxc2 a1Q+ And wins.; (B) 23...Be7 24.Nd4³ Bxd5 25.Bxh6! Bf6! 26.Be3 Qb7 27.f3 Bxa2 28.Kg1 Qd5 29.Rcd1 a5 "Passed pawns must be pushed"...time to get them going. 30.Qc2 Rac8 31.Qb2 b5 32.Qa3 b4 33.Qa4 b3 push, push, push like a pregnant lady. 34.Qa3 Rb8 35.Re2 Qd6 36.Qb2 a4 Push ! 37.Qa1 Rb4 38.Red2 a3 39.Bf2 Qe5 40.Qc3 Ra4 41.Qc6 Qe8 42.Qxe8+ Best. In any event, White has few options available. 42...Rxe8 43.Rxa2 bxa2 44.Ra1 Rxd4 45.Rxa2 Rd1+ 46.Kh2 Ra1 47.Rd2 a2 48.Kg3 Ra8 49.Be3 Re1 50.Rxa2 Rxa2 And wins.] 24.Qe4 Rc8 25.Rcd1 Re8 26.Qh4 Qd8!

My clock showed that I was twenty minutes better than the hardworking President of the Jamaica Chess Federation. 28.Bd4= Played after thinking for about another two minutes. Although I have the Bishop pair I realised that the position was about even. We called in the negotiators and signed the peace treaty and finished second in the tournament behind FM Gibbs himself.

Several possible continuations were : (A) 28...Qf4 29.Be5 Bxe5 30.Nxe5 Ba4 31.Rd3 Qxf22 32.Re4 Rxe5;(B) 28..Qf5 29.Qxf5 Bxf5 30.Be5 Bb4 31.Re3 f6 32.Bf4 Rxe3(C)28...Qf5 29.Qxf5 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Bxf5 31.Be5 Bc5 32.Nd4 Bd7 or, (D) 28...Qg6 with the idea of exchanging queens immediately. In each of the above cases the position is still fairly even.I had survived my second encounter with Jamaica's first Fide Master and in each game I had achieved good, arguably winning, positions. To his credit, my opponent fought like a true champion and made things difficult for me instead of capitulating meekly when he faced problems.I continue to be totally enthralled by the game, sport, art, science, life called CHESS and am sanguine about the future.