(44) NM Mark Holness (2165) - Ian Wilkinson (1791) [E80]
Masters Knock-out, Mico (1.1), 22.10.2005
[Wilkinson, I]
ANOTHER MASTER SCALPThis was the round of sixteen play-offs to select three players to join the five seeded national masters (including the defending champion NM Russel Porter) in the quarter-finals.The time control was game in ninety minutes with increments of thirty seconds per move from move one.Holness arrived fifty-six minutes late and pushed his c-pawn a la Myers, Porter and Richards. 1.c4 Hah the English! No more Sicilian Alapin as in our meeting a week ago. 1...g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 Of course, I was happy to go into the King's Indian Defence as I wanted a sharp game against the usually "quiet" Montegonian. 5.f3 The Samisch variation which often results in White castling queenside and a violent battle. 5...Nbd7 In his Candidates match against a worthy opponent the 13th world champion immediately castled 5...0–0 and won after 6.Be3 a6 7.Bd3 c5 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Bxc5 Nc6 10.Nge2 Nd7 11.Bf2 Nde5 12.Nc1 Bh6 - 0–1 (46) A, Belyavsky-Kasparov, G, Candidates Mch (game 8), Moscow, 1983. 6.Be3 [6.e5?! dxe5 7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Bf4 Nh5³ sees Black simply winning a pawn.] 6...e5 7.d5 Nc5!? Diagram 

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 I delayed castling and played the text-move to tempt my adversary to play 8.b4 which would confirm to me that he was not going to castle long. 8.b4 It worked! 8...Ncd7 9.Bd3 0–0 Now I felt was the right time to castle. 10.Nge2 Nh5 11.c5?! This looks premature with White still to complete his development. [More in the spirit of the position was 11.0–0 (or even 11.Qd2) and after 11...a5= the battle is still to be fought.] 11...f5!? Diagram 

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Immediately spoiling for a fight with this thematic push in the "KID". [The line 11...dxc5 12.bxc5 Nf4 13.Nxf4 exf4 14.Bd2 Nxc5–+ (14...Qh4+!? 15.Kf1 Nxc5–+) ; 11...Nf4 12.Kf2 f5!³ also looks good for Black.] 12.cxd6 [Probably better was 12.c6 when I intended to play 12...Nb6 and after 13.cxb7 Bxb7 14.0–0 Nf4 15.Qd2 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 Qh4 17.Rac1 White has everything in order.] 12...cxd6 13.0–0 f4?! Diagram I played this with the idea of reducing the scope of White's dark-squared bishop and closing the centre so that I could concentrate on miunting some kind of kingside offensive.The text-move seems dubious, however, as after the bishop retreats to f2 (as played by Holness on his next move) it is White who looks ready to set Black problems. [Better was 13...Nf4! 14.Rc1 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 a5 16.Nb5 fxe4 17.fxe4 Rxf1+ 18.Rxf1 Nf6 19.bxa5 Rxa5 20.Nec3 Ng4 21.a4 Qh4 22.h3 Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Qe7„] 14.Bf2 White is positionally better. 14...a6!? Laying claim to the b5-square. 15.Qc2 Qg5! Royalty eyes Royalty. 16.Kh1 Bf6 Diagram 

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17.g4?! A poor choice I thought. My instincts promptly told me that this incautious move was good for Black. [I thought that Holness was going to try 17.a4!? with a good position for White after 17...Be7 18.a5 Ng7 19.Rfc1 Rb8 20.Na4±] 17...fxg3! Capturing e.p. was definitely the way to go. Although it cannot be said that Black is winning he has a healthy initiative. 18.hxg3 [18.Nxg3?! is dubious in light of 18...Nf4 19.Be3 Qh4! 20.Nge2 Nxd3 21.Qxd3 Qh3³ when Black is on top.] 18...Be7 19.Kg2 Diagram 

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19...Nf4+! This move almost plays itself.  20.Nxf4 [20.Kg1 is not so good because of 20...Nh3+ 21.Kg2 Nxf2 22.Rxf2 a5 23.b5 Nc5 when Black's pieces start to look menacing as he has the two bishops, control of the dark squares and a strongly posted steed on c5.] 20...exf4 [20...Rxf4?? 21.Be3!+- turns the tables.] 21.Rh1 Although he was in time trouble with just three minutes now left on his clock, Holness continued to defend doggedly. 21...fxg3 [After the game Jomo Pitterson (the future opponent of the winner of my match against NM Holness) said that immediately winning was 21...Ne5! This is in fact a very strong move which I saw but my gut told me to try and clear the lines leading to the enemy monarch especially as I could not see a forced win with the suggested move. In one variation the game could have continued - 22.Be2 (22.g4?? loses on the spot to 22...Nxf3! (Also winning is  22...Bxg4!? 23.fxg4 Qxg4+ 24.Kf1 Qf3 25.Rh2 Nxd3–+) 23.Kf1 (23.Kxf3?? Qxg4#) 23...Qxg4 when Black is two pawns to the good and still has an attack.) 22...Bd7 23.Rac1 Rac8 24.Qb2 Bf6µ and the pressure mounts against White's defensive fortifications.] 22.Bxg3 Ne5 23.Be2= Diagram 

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 Although White's g and h-pawns are gone, amazingly it seems that there is no immediate way through. [After the game some persons (apparently forgetting that the bishop was pinned) suggested that White could have played 23.f4? but this merely loses a pawn to 23...Rxf4–+ when White's position becomes lost.] 23...Qe3 [Simple development deserved attention. 23...Bd7! and the line- 24.Qc1 Qf6 25.f4 Ng4 26.Qd2 Qg7 27.e5 g5 leads to double-edged play.] 24.Bxe5?! This came as a surprise. I thought that Holness would have played [24.Raf1² when Black has no discernible way through and it is White who might even be better.; If White had attacked the queen with 24.Bf2 Black had the tactical resource 24...Ng4! 25.Bg3 Qxf3+! 26.Bxf3 Ne3+ 27.Kh2 Nxc2 28.Rac1 Rxf3µ with a big, arguably winning, advantage.] 24...dxe5³ Black now has the advantage as White has exchanged his defensively-strong dark-squared bishop leaving White's kingside a bit suspect, especially with Black having the two bishops and a menacing, roaming queen. 25.Qc1 Qb6³ Diagram 

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 I continued to keep the tension, deliberately spurning the chance to win a pawn with [25...Qxc1 26.Raxc1 Bxb4³; I could have also tried 25...Qd4!? but in the variation 26.d6! sacrificing a pawn for activity 26...Bxd6 27.Nd5 Rf7 28.Bc4 Be6 29.Rd1! (this move is the reason I avoided 25...Qd4) 29...Qa7 The pot of gold is still up for grabs.] 26.a3 Rf4! This blocks the queen's access to the h-file, via the c1–h6 diagonal, and any ideas of counterplay for White. 27.Bc4 Kh8 28.Ne2 Rh4 29.Rxh4 Bxh4 30.Qg1 Qf6 31.Qe3 [31.Rf1 seems more stubborn. In fact after 31...b5 32.Bd3 g5 33.Qc5 Bd7 34.Qc7 Rd8 35.Ng3 Bxg3 36.Kxg3 h5„ White's position has improved dramatically and the game is still on the edge of the precipice for both combatants.] 31...Bd7!µ Black has a clear advantage. 32.Rf1 Rc8! All the black pieces have meaningful roles, a good sign for any player. [The immediate 32...Rf8!µ was also possible.] 33.Bd3 Bg5!µ 34.Qf2 Rf8!µ I decided that operations along the f-file were far more important than "hugging" the open c-file. 35.Ng1 Bh6! Diagram 

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Clearing the way for the regal lady to have access to the enemy king along the beckoning g-file. 36.Qg3?? Under terrible pressure Mark blunders. White could have made things more difficult with [36.Ne2! when Black could have tried to tighten the screws with 36...Qg5+ 37.Ng3 Rf7µ] 36...Bf4! "Bangarang" time! Black now has a crushing position. 37.Qf2 Qg5+! 38.Kh1 Bg3 This still wins big but even stronger was [38...Qh6+ 38...Qh5+ has the same effect. 39.Nh3 Bxh3–+ cleaning up.] 39.Qe2 Rf4 [39...Qh6+!] 40.Kg2 Be1+! Played with seventy-nine minutes left on my clock. Mate is to follow soon. 41.Kh2 and Holness made his 41st move just as his time expired. In the final position, mate is served on a platter after 41...Rh4+ 42.Nf3 Rxh3#.[More stubborn was  41.Kh1 although mate is still inevitable - 41...Rh4+ 42.Qh2 Rxh2+ 43.Kxh2 Bg3+ 44.Kg2 Qh4 45.f4 Qh2+ 46.Kf3 Bxf4 47.Rd1 Bg4+! 48.Kxg4 Qg3# (48...Qh5#) ]  0–1