(1) Ian Wilkinson - Equitable Brown

Xmas Open, 2002, Campion College, 14.12.2002

[Wilkinson,Ian]

[Event "X-mas Open, Campion College, Jamaica"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2002.12.14"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ian Wilkinson"]
[Black "CM Equitable Brown"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "1635"]
[BlackElo "2174"]
[Annotator "Wilkinson,Ian"]
[PlyCount "75"]

THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY "Tiddeh fi yuh tomarrow fi mi"
(today for you tomorrow for me) - Jamaican proverb.}

This was a very important game for me. A win would put me in touch with the leaders but that was not of such significance for me. Candidate master Equitable Brown was the player I sat before in my first ever over-the-board encounter in Jamaica, my debut or baptism if you prefer, in the Jamaica Open in October, 2000.

After obtaining, with the Black pieces, a good position in the opening (a King's
gambit declined) I committed hara-kiri in that game. I was looking forward to
the "return clash". The tables were now turned in a manner of speaking, as I
now had the White pieces and felt supremely confident despite the five
hundred-point rating difference. The time control was thirty moves in one hour
with thirty minutes to complete. En garde ! This was the third round of the tournament. The time control was} 1. e4 . c5 { After thinking for ninety seconds, the former national junior champion opts for the combative Sicilian defence.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6
Brown plays his customary sharp Dragon.} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. Bc4 {The position is basically even here.}

9... Bd7 10. O-O-O Ne5 { I smiled a bit at this point. Interestingly, Brown veers from his most recent competitive game against national champion NM Shane Matthews which continued:
10...Qb8 11.h4 Rc8 12.Bb3 a5 13.h5 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 a4 15.Bd5 e6 - Matthews, Shane/ Brown, Equitable, 2nd rnd, national champs, NMLS, UWI, Jamaica 1-0 (26).

Brown might have remembered that I had done an analysis of that game and wanted to avoid a theoretical debate.} 11. Bb3 Qa5 12. Bh6 {12.Nd5 is a good theoretical option but I love my regal lady and did not wish to subject her to Brown's captivity so early.} 12... Rfc8 13. Bxg7 14 Kxg7 14. h4 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Nb3 $14 {Diagram # White has only a small positional advantage.} (16. h5
16... Qa6 {I respectfully believe that centralising the Queen, with 16...Qe5 !?, was probably a more attractive alternative.}

17. g4 {I was playing briskly and after this move had used only eleven minutes. 17.h5 was also strong.} (17. h5 gxh5 18. Qe3 Rac8 19. e5 dxe5 20. Qxe5 Be6 21. Kb1 Qb6 22. Rxh5 R8c6 (22... Kg8 23. Rh2 R4c6 24. Rh6 Bxb3 25. axb3 (25. cxb3 Qc5 26. Qf4 )
17... Rac8 14 {The contemplative Equitable had used 23 minutes at this point.}
18. h5 (18. e5 Ne8 18... dxe5 19. g5 Rxc3 20. bxc3 Bc6 21. gxf6+ exf6
22. Rh3 Qxa2 23. h5 Qa3+ 24. Kb1 g5 25. h6+ Kg8 26. Rg3 b5 27. f4 Be4 28. Na1 exf4 29. Qxf4 Qe7 30. Re1 Rc4 31. Rg4 Bc6 32. Rxe7 Rxf4 33. Rxf4 gxf4 34. Rc7 Be8 35. Rxa7 {wins.})

18... Rxc3 {An interesting option.} (18... Be6 { deserved attention.})

19. bxc3 { A critical position has arisen.}
19... Be6 {The immediate 19..Qxa2 was better.}

20. hxg6 {The most pow erful continuation. White "flies" the "h" file and threatens the internecine 21.Qxh6+ invading the enemy camp. White now has a winning position.}

20... fxg6

(20... h5 {Although still losing, was worth a try.})

21. Qh6+ { Her majesty, the most regal lady has arrived.}

21... Kg8 (21... Kf7 { was better.} {Black is still lost, however, after} 22. g5 Ng8 23. Qxh7+ Ke8 24. Qxg6+ Bf7 25. Qg7 Bc4 26. Rh8 Be6 27. e5 (27. Rxg8+ {is also crushing.}

22. g5 {Brown is mercilessly against the ropes. I had used only twenty-four of the sixty minutes available to make the first time control.}
22... Qa3+ {Played after my opponent had gone into the think-tank for
nineteen minutes. He was now in time trouble having, after the text, consumed
fifty-six minutes and had four minutes to make his next eight moves.} { I thought for five minutes for before playing....

23. Kb1 {preferring it to 23. Kd2, as I calculated a couple of lines in which Black's Queen could pester the White monarch and decided to avoid the "excitement".} 23... Bxb3 {Diagram At this juncture I politely refused my opponent's offer of a draw, which was made before he played in breach of protocol. Brown now had two minutes to make seven more moves to avoid losing on time. Brown is using all the defensive resources at his disposal.}

24. cxb3 {Although White is still winning, it was better to have captured with the "a" pawn as the pawn on c2 helps to shield the White monarch against possible checks later on.} (24. axb3 Rxc3 25. Rd2 )

24... Rxc3 25. Rd2 { This solid move cost me a further 6 minutes off the clock.} ({Very strong was} 25. Qh2 {maintaining all the threats and bringing back the queen to defend.}

25... Nh5 26. Qd2 Rc5 27. Rc1 Qa5 28. Qxa5 Rxa5 29. Rc7 Kf7 30. f4 b5 31. Rb7 b4 32. Rxb4 d5 33. exd5 Rxd5 34. Re1 Rd7 35. Rc4 ) 25... Nh5 {
A great defensive move.}

26. f4 {Played after a further four minutes cogitating. I had now used 43 of the first 60 minutes.This looks like the best way to press forward. White's advantage has diminished but the full point is not yet out of the question.}

26... Rc5 {The immediate} 26... Qb4 { was strong.})

27. f5 {A strong offensive push which threatens to remove Black's g6 pawn which defends the besieged steed on h5.} 27... Qb4 {Brown positions his Queen to capture the pawn on e4 with check, forking the Rook on h1.

This is where I regretted capturing on b3 with the "c", in lieu of the "a",
pawn.}

28. Re2 { Preventing the capture of the e4 pawn with a nasty check.} { If White had erred and played} 28. fxg6 { Black would have earned a draw after 28... Qxe4+ 29. Kb2 (29. Ka1 {loses.} 29... Qxh1+ 30. Kb2 Qc1#)

29... Qe5+) ({Very bad for White was} 28. Rc2 { and Black springs to life with the initiative after} 28... Qxe4 { The Rook on c2 is pinned.}

29. Rhh2 {Better than} (29. Rhc1 Qxf5 19 { The mating threat is no more and it is Black who now has a winning position.}

28... Qd4 29. fxg6 $1 Qd3+ 30. Ka1 Qc3+ { Equitable made the time control just as the first time control ended.}

31. Rb2
{And the game was adjourned after a power cut left the place in
darkness !!! I had 35:05 minutes to complete and Brown had 26:22 on his clock.}

On the resumption the next day, Brown came to the board with just four
minutes left on his clock and played... 31... hxg6 32. Qxg6+ Ng7 33. Rf1
And then he resigned.

White wins comfortably after} 33... Qh3 { Probably the best move.} 34. Qf7+ Kh7 35. g6+ Kh6 36. Qf4+ Rg5 (36... Kxg6 37. Rg1+ Kh7 38. Rh2 {Loses the Queen and the game soon.} 37. Rh2 Qxh2 38. Qxh2+ { and wins. This, for me, was a very good win over a very strong player. What I enjoyed about this game also was the fact that it was played at a very high level. I was impressed with candidate master Equitable Brown, the former National Junior Champion and winner of the 2000 version of the tournament, for the dogged way that he fought and the traps that he set when he realised that he was lost. White could still have gone wrong if the correct defensive resources were not found. The Dragon variation of the Sicilian defence , like many other sharp openings, has to be played precisely as one tempo is of fundamental importance.

Ian G. Wilkinson St. Andrew, Jamaica 17th
December, 2002} 0-1