(1) Ian Wilkinson (1469) - Otto Williamson (1459) [C55]

President's Invitational, NMLS (1), 03.08.2002

[Wilkinson,Ian]

 

This was the first round of the President's Invitational, my first time in this prestigious tournament and I was hoping to do well. This was my third encounter with the tireless Otto and I was hoping to start auspiciously and take our head-to-head to 2–1. The time control was 40 in 90 minutes and 30 minutes to complete. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Diagram

 

 

 The Giuoco Piano.3...Nf6 The "Two Knights" variation. [Also popular for Black is: 3...Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.d3 0–0 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 Qd8 9.c3 d6 10.d4 exd4 11.cxd4 Bb6 12.Nxb6 axb6 13.d5 Ne5 14.Nxe5 dxe5 15.Qf3 Qd6 16.0–0 f5 17.Rfe1 fxe4 18.Qxe4 Rf4 19.Qc2 Bf5 20.Qe2 Bg4 21.Qc2= and a tough game is to follow.; Greco's great study c. 1625 went as follows: 3...Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4

 

8.0–0 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bxc3 10.Qb3 Bxa1 11.Bxf7+ Kf8 12.Bg5 Ne7 13.Ne5 Bxd4 14.Bg6 d5 15.Qf3+ Bf5 16.Bxf5 Bxe5 17.Be6+ Bf6 18.Bxf6 Ke8 (18...gxf6 19.Qxf6+ Ke8 20.Qf7#) 19.Bxg7

 

; A famous game between two living legends continued thus: 3...Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Nbd2 a6 7.0–0 0–0 8.Bb3 Ba7 9.h3 Be6 10.Bc2 d5 11.Re1 dxe4 12.dxe4 Nh5 13.Nf1 Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Rad8 15.Be3 f6 16.Bxa7 Nxa7 17.Ne3 Nf4 18.h4 Bf7  - 1/2/–1/2 (85) : Anatoly Karpov v. Viktor Korchnoi (8th game) - World Championship match, Merano, Italy, 22nd October, 1981.] 4.0–0!? A tempting pawn sacrifice based on a line I had prepared. [Thematically safer for White was: 4.d3 Bc5 5.Nc3 0–0 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 d6 8.0–0 Bg4 9.Nd5 g5 10.Bg3=; Safer also for White was the thematic... 4.Ng5 d5! Forced, otherwise catastrophe follows Black as a result of the attack on f7. 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Qh5?! g6 7.Qf3 Qxg5 8.Bxd5 Nd4 9.Qxf7+ Kd8 10.Be4 Be6] 4...Bc5 Black senses that something is afoot and declines the offer. [4...Nxe4! leads to a sharp, tactical game not dissimilar to that which unfolded.] 5.c3 [5.d3; 5.Nc3] 5...0–0 Otto continues to scoff at the offering. [5...Nxe4!] 6.d4!² White now has the advantage. 6...exd4 [Probably better was: 6...Bd6 7.d5] 7.cxd4 Bb6± 8.Bg5?!=

 

A variation for White which deserved attention was:8.d5 Ne7 9.e5 Ng4 10.h3 Nxf2 11.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 12.Kxf2 d6 13.Qe2 dxe5 14.Qxe5 Re8 15.Nc3 c6 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxe7 Rxe7 18.Qd4 Bf5 19.Kg1 cxd5 20.Bxd5 Qc7 21.Qf2 Rd8 22.Rd1 a6 23.Nd4 Bg6 24.Nb3 b6 25.Nd4 and White has much the better game. 8...h6 9.Bh4 d5? 10.exd5 Na5 11.Be2! Bg4?? [Necessary was: 11...g5 12.Bg3 Nxd5 13.Nc3 Nc6 14.Na4 Ba5 15.Bc4 Nf6 16.Qd3± And White stands much better.] 12.b4! The right shot. The Knight is trapped. I had used 7 1/2 minutes. 12...Bxf3 Best. Otto had used 14 minutes so far. 13.gxf3! Best. Played after 3 minutes. [13.Bxf3 Nc4 14.Qd3 Nb2 15.Qc3 Na4 16.Qd2 Ne4! 17.Qf4 Ng5 18.Kh1² And although White is slightly better, he is not a piece up as was to transpire.] 13...Qxd5 Best. 14.Bxf6 Best. 14...gxf6? [Better for Black was: 14...Nc6 15.Nc3 Qf5 16.Be5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Rad8 18.Qb3 Bd4 19.Rad1 Bxe5 20.Ne4±] 15.Nc3! Qxd4 16.bxa5 Bc5 17.Ne4! [Also strong was: 17.Nb5 Qe5 18.Kh1 c6 19.Rg1+ Kh7 20.f4 Qe4+ 21.Bf3 Qxf4 22.Qc2+ f5 23.Rg3 Rg8 24.Rag1 Rxg3 25.Rxg3 Rg8 26.Kg2 Qe5 27.Nc3 Bb4 28.Nd1 Qxa5 29.Ne3 Qc5 30.Qb1 Rg6 31.Nxf5 Kh8 32.Qe4 Qf8 33.Qe5+ f6 34.Qc7 Rg5 35.Qxb7 c5 (35...Rxf5? 36.Be4! Rxf2+ 37.Kxf2 f5 38.Bxc6 f4 39.Rg4 Bc5+ 40.Kg2 Be7 41.Bd5+- And White should win easily.) ] 17...Kh7? Diagram

 

 

[17...f5 was much better for Black.] 18.Bd3 [18.Qc2!+- Was much stronger. It avoids exchanging Queens, prepares the discovered check and attacks the Bishop on c5 twice. 18...Kh8 Best. 19.Rad1! Qe5 20.Nxc5 Rae8 21.Ne4 Rg8+ 22.Kh1 f5 23.Nc3 f4 24.Rfe1 Qg5 25.Rg1 Qc5 26.Qb2 Preparing another discovered attack. 26...Rxg1+ 27.Rxg1 Qd4 28.a6 b6 29.Qb5 Qe5 (29...Qxc3?? 30.Qxe8+) 30.Qxe5+ Rxe5 31.Bc4 and White wins easily.] 18...f5 19.Ng3 [19.Nxc5 Qxc5 20.Qb3 c6 21.Rad1 Rad8 22.Qxb7 Qd5 23.Be2 Qe6 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.Rb1 Qg6+ 26.Kf1 Rg8 27.Bd3 Qg1+ 28.Ke2 Re8+ 29.Kd2 Qxf2+ 30.Kc3 Qc5+ 31.Kb3 Qd5+ earns a spectacular draw.] 19...Rg8 20.Bxf5+ Kh8 21.Qxd4+ Bxd4 22.Rad1 c5 23.Rfe1 b6 24.Re7+- Diagram

 

 

24...Kg7 25.Be4! [25.Rc7!] 25...Rab8? 26.Rxa7 bxa5 27.Rxa5 [Winning by force was: 27.Nf5+ Kh8+ 28.Kh1 Rgf8 29.Nxh6 Rb2 30.Rg1 Bg7 31.Nxf7+ Rxf7 32.Rxf7 Rxf2 33.Rfxg7 Rxh2+ 34.Kxh2 c4 35.Rg8#] 27...Rb2 28.Kh1! [Still strong was: 28.Nf5+ I actually considered this move for a while but didn't like the counter-play that Black would have got with his two Rooks on the "g" file. The following analysis by Ftitz 7 shows that my fears were unfounded. 28...Kf6+ 29.Kh1 h5 30.Nxd4 cxd4 31.Rxd4 Rxf2 32.Ra6+ Ke5 33.Rd5+ Kf4 34.Rf5+ Ke3 35.Ra3+ Kd4 36.Rd3+ Kc4 37.Rd1 Rgg2 38.Rxh5 Kb4 39.Bd5 f6 40.Rd4+ Kc3 41.Rc4+ Kd3 42.Rg4 Rxg4 43.fxg4 Kd4 44.Bf7 Ke3 45.h4 Rd2 46.Rf5 Rd4 47.Rxf6 Rxg4 48.h5 Kd4 49.h6 Rh4+ 50.Kg2 Ke5 51.Kg3 Rh1 52.Re6+ Kf5 53.a4 Rg1+ 54.Kf3 Ra1 55.h7 Rh1 56.Rc6 Ke5 57.Bg6 Rf1+ 58.Ke3 Rf8 59.Be4 Re8 60.Rh6 Rh8 61.a5 Rc8 62.h8Q+ Rxh8 63.Rxh8 and wins.] 28...Rxf2 29.Nh5+ [A great tactical resource was 29.Nf5+ which is stronger I think.] 29...Kh8

 

 Obviously better than [29...Kf8?? 30.Ra8+ Ke7 31.Rxg8] 30.Ra8? A poor move played after only two minutes. Better was 30.a4 which I had planned on playing earlier. [Also strong was: 30.Ra6 threatening mate on h6. 30...Be3 31.h4 f5 32.Nf6 Bf4 33.Nxg8 fxe4 34.Nf6 Rh2+ 35.Kg1 Rxh4 36.Rd8+ Kg7 37.Nh5+ Rxh5 38.Rd7+ Kf8 39.Ra8+ Bb8 40.Rxb8#] The text eases the pressure on Black and gives away the "a" passed pawn needlessly. 30...Rxa8 31.Bxa8 Rxa2+- In spite of this White still has a winning material advantage. 32.Be4 [32.Bd5 Ra7 33.Rb1 Be5 34.f4 Bd6 35.Rb6 Bf8 36.Rb8 Kg8 37.Kg2 Re7 38.Kf3+-] 32...Rf2 33.Rb1

 

 threatening mate on b8. 33...Rb2?! Better was: 33.Bb2. The text hands the game to White; Black can now only hope for at best a draw if White blunders. 34.Rxb2 Bxb2 35.Kg2 c4 36.Kf2 c3 37.Ke2 Kg8 38.h4 Kf8 39.Kd3 Ke7 40.f4 Ke6

 

41.f5+? A mistake (played almost immediately !!!) which gives Black a sniff of hope. White needed to retain control of the e5 square. Almost anything else was better than the text. [41.Ng7+ Kf6 42.Ne8+ Ke7 43.Nc7 Kd7 44.Nb5 Ke6 45.Nxc3 f5 46.Bg2 Bxc3 47.Kxc3 and wins.; 41.Kc2 Kd6 42.Ng3 Kc5 43.Nf5 h5 44.Bf3 Kc4 45.Bxh5 f6 46.Bf7+ Kb5 47.h5 and the pawn is sailing to promotion.] 41...Ke5 42.Ng3 Kf4 43.Ne2+ Kg4 44.Nxc3 Kxh4 Better for Black than 44..Bxc3 I think as preserving the Bishop gives Black a remote chance for a draw. 45.Ne2 I conceived of a plan to advance my King to e6 or g6 depending on what my opponent played, not worrying about his "h" pawn due to my Bishop on the a8 to h1 diagonal. I figured that Black could not afford to move his king too far away from the f6 pawn. [45.Na4; 45.Nd1] 45...f6 46.Ke3 Be5 47.Nf4! My opponent breached protocol and offered me a draw (before he moved) which I politely declined. 47...Kg5 48.Ne6+ [48.Nd3; 48.Ng6] 48...Kg4 49.Ng7! Bf4+ 50.Kd4 h5 51.Kd5! h4 52.Ke6 Be5 53.Kf7 [53.Ne8 Kf4 54.Bd5 Kg5 55.Bg2 Bd4 56.Nd6 Kh6 57.Kd5 and White has to play precisely to take home the bacon.] 53...Kf4! 54.Bd5 Diagram

 

[54.Bg2 also deserved attention.] 54...h3? 54...Kg5 was necessary to prevent White from planting his flag on the g6 square. 55.Kg6! My chances of reaping the full point were much better now. 55...h2 [Putting up greater resistance was: 55...Kg3! 56.Nh5+ Kh2 57.Nxf6 Kg1 58.Kf7 h2 59.Ke6 Bb2 60.Ng4 Bh8 61.Bc6 h1Q 62.Bxh1 Kxh1 and it is very hard for White to progress. 63.Kf7± ] 56.Nh5+! Ke3 57.Nxf6 White is now clearly winning. 57...Kf2?? And Otto cracked under the pressure. Upon realising that he had blundered, he tried to move the King but he had already released His Royal Highness and resigned himself to his fate with great disappointment. 58.Ng4+ It is now all over. The rest is a formality. 58...Kg1 59.Nxe5 h1Q 60.Bxh1 Kxh1 61.f6 Kg2 Black could resign with a clear conscience but Otto decided to chance his arm hoping for stalemate. I had used about 70 minutes and Williamson just over 80 minutes so we still hadn't reached the end of the first time control. 62.f7 Kf2 63.f8Q+ Ke3 64.Qb4! [64.Qc5+] 64...Kf2 65.Qf4+ [65.Qd2+ is quicker.] 65...Ke2 66.Qg3 [66.Qf3+ Kd2 67.Qd3+ Ke1 68.Qc2] 66...Kd2 67.Qd3+ Ke1 68.Nf3+ [68.Kf5] 68...Kf2 69.Kg5 Kg2 70.Kg4 [70.Qe2+] 70...Kf2 71.Qd2+ Kf1 72.Nh2+ [72.Qe3; 72.Qe1+] 72...Kg1 73.Kg3

 

 and my stubborn adversary stopped the clock as mate follows in one on g2. I was very disappointed with my play in this game but relieved to have started with the full point.  1–0