(49) NM Mark Holness (2175) - Ian Wilkinson (1791) [C42]
Masters KO, Shirley Retreat Hotel (3), 05.11.2005
[Wilkinson, I]
LETTING THE MASTER OFF THE HOOKThis was game three of our match and I had the black pieces. Holness was determined to win.  He, however, arrived Forty minutes late and pushed his King's pawn two squares a la Fischer. The time control was game in ninety minutes with increments of thirty seconds per move from the first move. 1.e4 e5 I was tempted to play 1...c5 heading into a possible Alapin variation of the Sicilian but I wanted to surpise the Montegonian. 2.Nf3 Nf6 The Petroff! 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.c4 Nc6 6.Nc3 Diagram 

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Jamaica's first-ever Fide Master opted for 6.d4 against me and a truce was signed after 6...d5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.Be3 Na5 10.Qc2 Nxc4 11.Bxc4 dxc4 12.0–0 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Bd6 14.Qa4+ c6 15.Qxc4 0–0 1/2- 1/2 (28), Gibbs, G - Wilkinson, I, National Championships Qualifier, Utech, Kingston, 2002. 6...Nf6!? Retreated so as to complicate the game as much as possible bearing in mind Holness' deficit on the clock. [6...Nxc3 7.dxc3 Ne5 8.Nxe5 dxe5 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8=] 7.d4 Be7 8.d5 Ne5 9.Be2 [9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Bd3 0–0 11.0–0 c6„] 9...0–0 10.0–0 Ng6 [10...Re8] 11.Nd4 Bd7 12.Qc2!? Qc8! To prevent Nf5. 13.Bd2 Re8 14.Rfe1 Bf8 [14...a5] 15.b3 h6 16.Bd3 Ne5 17.Bf1 Bg4 18.f4! Ng6 19.Rxe8 Qxe8 20.Re1 Qc8 21.Bd3 Diagram 

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21...Bh5?! [21...Ne7±] 22.Nce2± Holness is developing a dangerous initiative. Meriting serious consideration was [22.Nf5! Qd7 23.h3 Nh8 24.Ne2!ƒ] 22...Ne7 23.Ng3 Bg6 24.Ngf5 I felt some relief as liquidation is unavoidable after this move. Mark could have tried [24.Bc3! and there could have followed 24...Bxd3 25.Qxd3 Qg4 . In this line White stands superior after the simple 26.h3 Qg6 27.Qxg6 Nxg6 28.Ndf5±] 24...Nxf5 25.Bxf5 Bxf5 26.Qxf5 Qxf5² I offered Holness a draw at this point but he politely declined. He was now down to thirteen miniutes on his clock while I had fifty-three. Neverthless, the experience of the last game in our match made it clear that with the increments a lot of chess was still ahead. 27.Nxf5 Re8! I felt that after the rooks left the board White would have an uphill task to win and, indeed, would have to hope that I blundered. 28.Rxe8 Nxe8 29.Bc3 Kh7 30.Kf2 Kg6 [30...g6! 31.Nd4 Bg7²; 30...g6! 31.Ne3 Bg7 32.Bxg7 Kxg7²] 31.Ne3 Nf6 [31...Be7 32.g4 Bf6 33.Bxf6 Nxf6 34.Kf3 Nd7 35.b4 a6 and a draw is likely.] 32.Bxf6 Kxf6 33.Kf3 h5 34.Ke4 g6 35.Nc2 Bg7 36.Nb4 Ke7!= After this move I felt that there was now definitely no way through for White. 37.f5 Bc3 Diagram 

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A critical position has arisen on the battlefield. 38.fxg6! A clever move. I had expected 38.Nd3 when a draw was still the likely outcome. I smiled at the board thinking that the steed was sacrosanct as after 38...Bxc3 39.g7 there was no stopping the pawn and then I discovered the refutation 38...Bxb4! 39.g7 f5+! The aforementioned refutation! The humble footsoldier exercises its precious option of moving two squares on its first move to deliver a telling check, simultaneously clearing the f7-square for the black liege to reach the ambitious white pawn. After the game Holness said that he missed this move and was mad at himself for giving up the knight. 40.Kxf5 Kf7 41.Kg5 Kxg7 42.Kxh5 After this capture I realised that what Holness thought was an error had metamorphosed into a challenging piece sacrifice and I could find no win. I was also particularly concerned with White's connected passed pawns. 42...Kf6 Diagram 

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 Played with forty-one minutes left on my clock. Holness was down to five minutes. [After the game, a number of players tried to show that I had a win and tried to prove it, for example with the line 42...Bd2 43.g4 c6 44.g5 but Fritz maintains that this is not so giving several variations where it is White who will have winning chances  if Black is not careful. For example, 44...Bc1 45.Kg4 cxd5 46.cxd5 b5 47.a4! b4! 48.h4 Bb2 49.h5 a5 50.Kf5 Be5 51.Ke6 Bf4 52.Kf5 Be5= when a draw looks likely.] 43.g4 Four minutes left for Mark. 43...c6 Forty-two for me. [The game is still on the edge after 43...Bc3 44.g5+ Kg7 45.h4 a5 46.Kg4 c6 47.h5 cxd5 48.cxd5 b5 49.Kf5 a4 and neither side can progress.; On the other hand what looks like a winning attempt was 43...Bd2! Diagram 

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44.h4 Bf4 45.g5+ Kf5 46.b4 (46.Kh6?! does not provide much relief for White as Black has the timely riposte 46...c6! and in an exciting line both sides queen after 47.Kg7 cxd5 48.g6 d4 49.Kh7 Be5 50.h5 d3 51.h6 d2 52.g7 d1Q 53.g8Q Qe2!–+ with Black having winning chances(53...Qd2!–+) ) 46...Be5! 47.Kh6 Kg4 48.h5 Bf4! and the pin is decisive after 49.Kg6 Bxg5 50.b5 Be3–+ when Black will give up the bishop for the white h-pawn and then simply march his king to munch on White's hapless queenside footsoldiers. For example, 51.h6 Bxh6 52.Kxh6 Kf5 53.Kg7 Ke5 54.Kf7 Kd4 55.Ke7 Kxc4 56.Kd7 Kxd5 57.Kxc7 Kc5 58.Kxb7 Kxb5 and goodnight sweet prince! FM Warren Elliott and Candidate Masters Markland Douglas and Brandon Wilson were right. I MISSED THE WIN!] 44.g5+! Diagram 

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44...Kg7! I spent sixteen minutes on this move looking at the alternative 44...Kf5 but deciding that option was bad as I could only see chances for White. In a number of lines I saw that I would use up too many tempi to win the white d-pawn after capturing on d5 and White's connected g and h-pawns would prove unstoppable. Indeed, I realised that I'd have to give up the bishop for one of them and the other would decide the game in White's favour.  [44...Kf5?? 45.g6! Bc3 46.Kh6 cxd5 47.cxd5 Ke4 48.g7 Bxg7+ 49.Kxg7 Kxd5 50.h4+- and wins.; Interesting was 44...Kf7!? when Black has to be careful after 45.Kh6 Kg8! 46.h4! cxd5 47.cxd5 Ba3 (47...Bc3 48.Kg6 a6=) 48.Kg6 b5 49.Kf6 Bb2+! 50.Ke6 Be5=] 45.Kg4 [Definitely not 45.dxc6? and White should lose after 45...bxc6 46.h4 d5 47.Kg4 d4 48.Kf3 Kg6 49.Ke2 c5–+ (49...Kh5–+) ] 45...cxd5 46.cxd5 b5 47.Kf5 a5 48.h4 a4 49.h5 Bc3 50.Ke6 Holness was now down to only a minute on his clock but with a vastly simplified position was not likely to lose on time. 50...axb3 51.axb3 [If 51.h6+ Kg6 52.axb3 Bb4 holds.] 51...Be5 52.Ke7 b4 53.Ke6 Bf4 54.Kf5 Be5 55.Ke6 Bf4 56.Ke7 Diagram 

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56...Bxg5+!? Now down to twelve minutes I decided to make things interesting. Of course, 56...Be5 should also easily draw. 57.Kxd6 Kh6 58.Kc5 Bd2 59.d6 Kxh5 60.d7 Bg5 61.Kxb4 Kg6 62.Kc5 Kf7 63.Kc6 Ke6 Grabbing the opposition is usually good. 64.Kc7 Kd5 65.Kb6 and Holness reluctantly accepted my extended hand as after 65...Kd6 or 65...Bd8+ Black clearly secures the draw. He had two minutes left to my five. A truly tense encounter. Our match was now tied 1 1/2 -  1 1/2 going into tomorrow's fourth (decisive?) game where I will have the white pieces. ½–½