NM Duane Rowe (2389) - Ian Wilkinson (1921) [E20]
National Ch, NMLS (8), 16.09.2006
[Ian Wilkinson, edited by Noschessdamus]

"THE BATTLE OF NORTH STREET" NM Duane Rowe is one of my favorite local players and a special friend particularly as we share the same alma mater, that globally revered institution, Kingston College located on North Street in Kingston, Jamaica.

Entering round 8 of the 2006 national championships he was in 2nd position on 5/6, a half point behind the leader NM Equitable Brown. I was determined to make life difficult for him. The time control was game in 90 minutes with an increment of 30 seconds from move one. more.

1.c4 I arrived at the board with 17 minutes gone off my clock to discover that Rowe had played an uncharacteristic first move to throw me off any "home cuisine" I might have "cooked up" in the chess kitchen! I smiled as I had expected such a strategy on his part and was expecting a different opening from his usual 1.e4, including probably the Larsen (1.b3), Reti (1.Nf3) or even 1.g3 leading into a possible Catalan set-up. Rowe was palpably very wary of testing my Sicilian or even the Petroff on which we had both worked together when I helped him to prepare for last year's championships. He was right as I had done a bit of work during the week on a couple of lines in the Sicilian and was anxious to test them, especially on a member of the "elite"!

1...Nf6 2.Nc3 e6!? Rowe seemed surprise at this and I smiled. He knew that I was a devotee of the King's Indian Defence and expected me to play that opening but I decided to use his own opening strategy against him cognizant of the maxim "two can play"!

3.e4 Nc6 4.d4 Bb4 The Nimzo-Indian Defence is in da house ladies and gentlemen!

5.f3 d5 6.e5 Nd7 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qe7 10.a4 f6 11.Ba3 Qf7 12.f4 Nb6 13.exf6 gxf6 14.Be2

After the text-move Rowe had 71 minutes left. Of course, I immediately saw that 15.Bh5 was threatened to nab the black queen.

14...h5! Diagram # I now had 59 minutes left.

15.cxd5

Obviously in some discomfort, Rowe spent twenty minutes before making this move.

15...Nxd5 16.Qd2 e5!? Diagram #

 

An interesting decision to sacrifice a pawn. After the game Rowe said that he thought this sacrifice was very strong. [Coming in for attention was 16...h4! but wanted to keep it in "reserve" in the hope that Rowe would castle kingside although I doubted that he would. Playing it immediately would "frighten" him into castling long and as I was planning to do that also I didn't want his king on that side of the battlefield. If the suggested move had been played one continuation could have been- 17.g4!? Bd7 18.c4 Nde7 19.a5 000 20.a6 b6 21.Bf3 e5! when the position is very tense but Black is ahead in development with the safer king.]

17.dxe5 Be6

[The immediate 17...fxe5? is bad in light of 18.Bc4! Be6 19.f5! when White is winning.]

18.Nf3

Rowe spent a further 21 minutes before making this move as he seemed to be struggling to find a plan.

Sticking to my plan and bringing Black's last piece into the game. I felt that Black had negotiated the opening successfully and had a comfortable position early in the middlegame. I had 49 minutes left.

19.000!?

With 24 minutes left, Duane "runs" to the queenside afraid of a possible h4 from me if he castled kingside. # [Before castling I had considered the response 19.Bb5!? when Black can choose from 19...Bg4!, 19...Qe8 or even 19...Nde7!?]

19...Nb6! 20.Qc2 Diagram #

 

20...Kb8?

An incautious choice turning the tide of the game. Black picks the wrong time to play this prophylactic move. I looked at [20...Bb3 but realised that White gets a big advantage after 21.Rxd8+! Rxd8 22.Qf5+± and Black's f6-pawn is toast.; The correct move was 20...fxe5! and after 21.Ng5 (the move I did not like why I did not capture White's pawn on e5) 21...Qf6 22.Nxe6! Qxe6 23.f5! Qf6 24.Qe4 Ne7 25.Rhe1! Rxd1+ 26.Bxd1 Nd7 White has the two bishops to Black's two knights but any result is possible.]

21.Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.f5!±

The potent shot I missed when I made my 20th move. Jamaica's number two ranked player now had an auspicious initiative.

22...Bxf5!?

I did not like the idea of the connected infantrymen bearing down on my position and after looking at some options for 10 or so minutes decided to sacrifice the holy man for the good of the crusade! [Also possible was 22...Bc4 but after 23.e6! Qe8 24.Rd1 Rxd1+ (the line 24...Bxe2 25.Qxe2 Rxd1+ 26.Qxd1 Nc4 27.Bb4+- does not provide any relief for the second player.) 25.Qxd1+- Black is condemned to a cheerless defence.]

23.Qxf5 Qa2 24.Bb2 Nxa4

The line I found giving some counterplay when sacrificed the bishop on f5.

25.Qb1!+-

"Rowezolimo" now had a winning material advantage. The text-move was stronger than [25.Qc2 when Black recoups some material with 25...fxe5 and if 26.Rd1 Rd6 27.Rxd6 cxd6 28.Nd2 Nxb2 29.Qxb2 Qf7 30.Bf3 Kc7 31.Qb5 a6 32.Qc4 Qd7 33.Qd5 Qf5+- Black continues to soldier on in a difficult position.] 25...Qe6 Black has t o keep the queens on the board as long as possible to have any hope of salvaging anything from the encounter.

26.Rd1 Rxd1+

[Playing 26...fxe5!? first came in for attention.]

27.Bxd1 Nxb2 28.Qxb2

[28.Kxb2!]

 

28...fxe5 [28...Nxe5 29.Qe2 Qc6 30.Kc2 Nxf3 31.Qxf3 Qa4+ 32.Kd2 Qa2+ 33.Bc2 Qf7 34.Qd3 a6 was another "fighting" line for Black.]

29.Bb3 Qf6 30.Bd5 Qd6?!

[Black could have tried 30...Nd8!? and in the line 31.Qd2 Qd6 32.Be4 Qa3+ 33.Kd1 Qa4+ 34.Bc2 Qa1+ 35.Ke2 Qa6+ 36.Bd3 Qf6 Black can try to make a nuisance of himself but White should still win with 37.Bg6! Nc6 38.Bxh5+-; Coming in for consideration was 30...a6!? but even then White looks unstoppable . A sample variation is 31.c4 Kc8 32.Kd2 b6 33.Ke3! Qh6+ 34.Ke2 Qd6 35.Qc2 Nd4+ 36.Nxd4 exd4 37.Qf5+ Kd8 38.Qxh5+-].

31.Be4 Qc5 [31...a6!]

32.Kb1

Diagram #Played with 12 minutes left. [White should win after 32.Bxc6! Qxc6 33.Qd2+-]

32...b6?

I knew that I had to give the king some luft but I moved the wrong pawn. Duane, after the game, said that after [32...a6!? the win would have been much more difficult. Let us explore a couple of variations - 33.h3! Kc8 34.Qb3! Kb8 (or 34...Nd8 35.g4 hxg4 36.hxg4 c6 37.Qb4 Qxb4+ 38.cxb4 Kc7 39.Nxe5 Kd6 40.Nf3 Ne6 41.g5 Ke7 42.Kb2+-) 35.g4 hxg4 36.hxg4 Na5 37.Qd5 Qxc3 38.Nxe5 Qb4+ 39.Kc2 c6 40.Qd8+ Ka7 41.Qd3 Qa4+ 42.Kd2 Nb3+ 43.Kc3 Nc5! 44.Qe3 Qa5+ 45.Kc2 Ka8 46.Bf5 Qa4+ 47.Kd2 Qa5+ 48.Qc3 Qa2+ 49.Ke3 Qh2 50.Nf3 Qd6 51.g5 Ne6 52.Bxe6 Qxe6+ 53.Kf4 Qd6++- but I think that the runaway footsoldier on g5 should determine the game.]

33.Qb3 a5 34.Qd5 Qxd5

[I thought briefly of 34...Qxc3?? but there is no perpetual after 35.Qxc6 Qb3+ 36.Kc1 Qa3+ 37.Kc2+-]

35.Bxd5 Diagram #

After the regal ladies depart the arena it is good night sweet prince!

35...Ne7

I played on because Rowe was down to just a few minutes on his clock and there were still chances for him to go wrong in time pressure as the win required some technique. I decided that I was going to try and exchange all the pawns on the board. I also envisaged an ending with K, B and N against my king alone and wondered if Rowe would have been able to mate with the limited time on his clock. Further, if allowed, I hoped to create some counter-chances with my queenside passers. Yeah right!

36.Be4 Ng8 37.Nxe5 Kc8 38.h4 Kd8 39.Ng6 b5 40.Bc6 b4 41.c4

[If 41.cxb4 then I could try to realise my plan with 41...axb4 42.Kc2 Nh6 43.Bf3 Nf5 44.Bxh5 Nxg3 45.Bf3 Ke8 46.Ne5 c5 47.Bg4 Ke7 48.Kb3 Ne4 49.Be2 Nd2+ 50.Kc2 Ke6 51.Ng4 (51.Kxd2?? lets Black off the hook as shown in the variation - 51...Kxe5 52.h5 Kf6 securing the half point.) 51...Ne4 52.Bd3 Nf6 53.Nh6 (53.Nxf6?? Kxf6 transposes to the just-given drawn line.) 53...Ke5 54.Kb3 Nd5 55.Nf7+ Kd4.

56.Bb5 Nf6 and Black is still kicking.]

 

41...Nh6 42.Nf4 Nf5 43.Nxh5 Ke7 44.Kb2 Kd6 45.Be4 Nd4 46.Ng7 Ke5?

Trying to avoid the exchange of knights. [46...a4!? cutting off the white king without the aid of the knight was a better option.]

47.h5!

Rowe, consistently down to one minute on his clock, finds the strongest continuation.

47...Kf6 48.h6 Kf7 49.Ne8!

It is all over.

49...Kg8 50.Nxc7 Ne2 51.Ne6 Nxg3 52.Bg6 Ne2 53.h7+ Kh8 54.Ng5 The steed is headed to f7 with decisive effect. 54...Kg7 55.Nf7 Kxg6 56.h8Q Kxf7 57.Qh5+ The "Fortis" was now back in the lead. 1 - 0