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2003 MASTERS KNOCKOUT TOURNEY

REPORT 4

2003 Masters Knockout FINALS
By Ian Wilkinson, President, JCF

REPORT 5 (FINAL REPORT)

2003 Masters Knockout FINALS
By Ian Wilkinson, President, JCF

NM DUANE ROWE IS 2003 MASTERS KNOCKOUT KING

NM Duane Rowe drew the final game 4 to become The 2003 Masters Knockout Champion.

However, it was the decisive victory in Game 2, which allowed him to win overall 4 Game series.

The final of the 2003 event featured two very talented gladiators known for their tactical wizardry and attacking flair - FM Warren Elliott and NM Duane Rowe.

Rowe defeated Elliott to win the title 2.5-1.5 after the four-game affair saw tense draws in games 1, 3 and 4. It was in the second game that there was true "fire on board" as the Kingstonian won the only decisive encounter of the match to claim the coveted title. The time control was 40 moves in two hours with 30 minutes to complete.

To see the decisive game 4, when NM Rowe defeated FM Warren Elliott, please click Here.

REPORT 4

After two games in the Finals of the 2003 Masters Knockout Championships, NM Duane Rowe leads FM Warren Elliott by One Point, with NM Rowe having 1.5 points and FM Elliott having .5 points.

In the first game, where FM Elliott had the White Pieces, NM Rowe obtained an initiative with the Bishop pair after FM Elliott deployed the Ruy Lopez Exchange. However, the game ended ina draw when Rowe couldnt find a way to transfer the advantage of the Bishop Pair.

In the second game, NM Rowe pulled off a stunning win with the White pieces to beat FM Elliott's Sicilian Dragon.

See Game 1 below, with Annotations by IAN WILKINSON

GAME 1 (Annotations By Ian Wilkinson)

(7) FM Warren Elliott (2333) - NM Duane Rowe (2268) [C85]
Masters KO, Final, Preston Hall, UWI Kingston, Jamaica, 26.07.2003
[Wilkinson,Ian]

(Note; The Main Lines are in bold letters)

This was the first game of the scheduled four-match final in the 2003 Masters KO final. FM Warren Elliott, Jamaica's board one player at the 2002 Bled Olympiad, had the white pieces, while NM Duane Rowe, Kingston College old boy" and Jamaica's board 3 (and 4) representative at the Bled Olympiad, had Black.

The game was being played at Preston Hall at the University of the West Indies and the time control was forty moves in 2 hours with 30 minutes to complete.

1.e4 e5

Rowe, true to his word, foregoes the Sicilian and opts to steer the game into closed Ruy Lopez territory.

2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4

Having regard to the imminent exchange on c6 the following games, where the exchange is not delayed, are instructive: the second world champion prevailed over the third after 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd6 8.Nc3 Ne7 9.0-0 0-0 10.f4 Re8 11.Nb3 f6 12.f5 b6 13.Bf4 Bb7 14.Bxd6 cxd6 15.Nd4 Rad8 16. Ne6 Rd7 17.Rad1 Nc8 18.Rf2 b5 19.Rfd2 Rde7 20.b4 Kf7 - 1-0 (42):Lasker, E / Capablanca,JR,St.Petersburg, 1914. The Cuban genius was victorious as white after: 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nc3 (preferred after reputedly discussing it with Alekhine - the fourth world champion) Bc5 6.d3 Bg4 7.Be3 Bxe3 8.fxe3 Qe7 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.Qe1 Nh6 11.Rb1 f6 12.b4 Nf7 13.a4 Bxf3 14.Rxf3 b6 15.b5 cxb5 16.axb5 a5 17.Nd5 Qc5 18.c4 Ng5 19. Rf2 Ne6 20.Qc3 Rd7 -1-0 (36), Capablanca, JR/Janowski, D, St. Petersburg, 1914.

4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6!?

An interesting choice. Elliott chooses the deferred exchange variation which usually results in a very quiet" middlegame. 6.Nc3 would have preserved White's slight advantage. The 11th world champion employed this delayed exchange with success after: 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9. Qe2 Nd7 10.Nd1 Nc5 11.d3 Ne6 12.Be3 Bf6 13.Nc3 Qe7 14.Nb1 g5 15.Nbd2 Rg8 16.g4 Bg6 17.Nc4 h5 18.Nce5 Nf4 19.Bf4 gxf4 20.Ng6 Rxg6 21.g5 0-0-0 22.c3 Bg5 23.Kh2 Qd6 24.d4 Re6 25.e5 Qe7 - 1-0 (37) Fischer, R/Alvarez,J Mar del Plata, 1960. 6...dxc6= Because of White's passive opening, Black has already equalised.

7.Qe1

[ 7.Nxe5 Qd4 8.Nf3 Qxe4 and Black is at least equal.]

7...Nd7!?

[ 7...Be6 8.d3 ( 8.Nxe5!? is interesting but Black can answer with 8...Qd4! 9.Nf3 Qxe4 10.Qxe4 Nxe4=/+ and the two Bishops give Black the edge.) ]

8.b3 c5 [ 8...Bd6=; 8...0-0=]

9.Bb2 f6 10.d3 Nf8!?=

Swinging the steed to the kingside where it can pursue defensive or offensive duties.

11.Nc3 Ne6 12.a4 Nf4 13.Ne2 g5 14.Nxf4 gxf4!=/+

Black has the better position after a more ambitious opening. Obviously bad with the king in the centre was 14.exf4 as shown in the following variation - [ 14...exf4? 15.e5!? 0-0 16.Qe4 g4 17.Nd2+/- with White having the initiative and a clear advantage.]

15.Kh1 Be6

[ Black could have tried 15...Rg8!=/+ 16.Rg1 ( 16.g3?! is not recommended because of 16...Qd7!? heading towards the kingside.

17.Qe2 Qh3 18.Ng1 Qh6-/+ with a clear advantage.) ]

16.Qd2 [ 16.g3!?]

16...Qd7!

also strong was 16...Rg8 !

17.Ba3 0-0-0

[ Interesting was the immediate 17...Bg4! 18.Nh4 Rg8 19.f3 Be6 20.Qf2 Qd4 21.Nf5 ( 21.Qxd4? cxd4!-/+) 21...Qxf2 22.Rxf2 Bxf5 23.exf5 Rg5=/+]

18.Qa5 Rhg8 19.Ne1?

This looks like a mistake. Probably better was [ 19.Rg1 and if 19...Bg4 20.Nh4 Qd4-/+ With growing superiority as the pieces take up menacing positions.]

19...f3!-/+

A strong move. Arguably even stronger was [ 19...Bh3! 20.f3 Forced. The pawn is immune from capture. If ( 20.gxh3?? White is quickly mated as follows 20...Qxh3 21.Rg1 Rxg1+ 22.Kxg1 Rg8+ 23.Kh1 Qf1#; Also inadequate was 20.Rg1?! which is met by 20...f3! 21.Nxf3 Bxg2+ 22.Rxg2 Rxg2 23.Kxg2 Qg4+ 24.Kf1 Qxf3-+ and Black wins after 25.Qe1 Rg8 26.Qd1 Qh3+ 27.Ke2 Rg2! 28.Kd2 Rxf2+ 29.Kc3 h5 30.Kb2 Qxh2 and Black's material advantage and &quoth" passed pawn will easily decide things.) ]

20.g3 [ If 20.Nxf3 Bh3! 21.gxh3?! Qxh3 22.Nh4! f5!? ( 22...Qxh4-/+) ]

20...Bh3 21.Nxf3 Qg4!

Rowe now has the game by the scruff of the neck.

22.Ng1 Bxf1 23.Rxf1 h5

[ More forceful was 23...f5! 24.Qc3 ( Now 24.Bxc5?! as played in the game is not as good because of 24...Bxc5 25.Qxc5 fxe4! Clearing a path to the White monarch. 26.f3 exf3 27.Nxf3 Rdf8! 28.Qe3 Rf5!) ]

24.Bxc5 Bxc5 25.Qxc5 Kb8!?

Black feared the enemy queen's incursion at the a7 square. Rowe could have ignored this and tried the cold" [ 25...h4!? 26.Qa7 c6!]

26.Qe3

[ 26.b4! attempting to drum up some counterplay deserved attention.]

26...f5

[ Piling on the pressure was 26...h4!-/+ 27.b4 Rd6]

27.f3 [ The prompt 27.exf5 led to equality much quicker]

27...Qg6=/+

Black has the exchange for two pawns but there is still a lot of fighting on the horizon before the full point can be reaped.

28.exf5 Qxf5 29.Re1 Rde8 30.Qe4 Qg5 31.Nh3 Qd2! 32.Qe2?

Anxious to exchange queens White commits an inaccuracy. [ 32.Re2!=]

32...Qc3!-/+ 33.Nf2 Qc6! 34.Ne4 Ref8

[ Stronger 34...h4!-/+ 35.g4 Ref8-/+]

35.Rf1 Rf5

[ An interesting way to fight for the full point was 35...h4!-/+ 36.g4 Rf4 37.Qf2 h3 ( Interesting was 37...Rgxg4 38.fxg4! Rxf2 39.Rxf2 and White has a tough battle after 39...h3 40.Kg1 Qd7-/+) ]

36.Kg2 Rgf8

[ Again Rowe could have opted for 36...h4! 37.g4 Rf4-/+]

37.Rf2 b6

Not finding a way through, Rowe offered a draw which Elliott accepted. 1/2-1/2

Masters Ko, Report 3,
By Ian Wilkinson,

18th June, 2003

2003 Masters Knockout

On Saturday the 14th June, 2003 the round of sixteen of the 2003 Masters KO tournament was completed at Preston Hall, UWI. The round which featured 4-game matches saw the odds-on favourite FM Warren Elliott comfortably defeating former national junior champion Daren Wisdom 3-1 after dropping a game by default (not showing for game 3).

In a bruising encounter NM Mark Holness showed true grit and tenacity to survive Ian Wilkinson 3 –1 with two wins and two draws after the inexperienced Wilkinson missed clear winning chances in at least game one (which he lost) and game three (which was drawn). Entering the final game leading 2-1, Holness’ French defence served him well and he proceeded to win in 60 moves. Credit must be given to the Montego Bay-based Holness who agreed to participate in the tournament although undergoing surgery on one of his legs a few weeks earlier.

Ardenne High School’s talented junior Brandon Wilson has been touted by the acclaimed chess coach Ukrainian Aleksander Vaisman as being a future star on the chess battlefields. Wilson gave some credence to this claim by recovering from an early loss to defeat the very experienced Humphrey Gayle 2.5 – 1.5 in what can be considered a mini upset.

In matches which had been decided a week earlier NM Duane Rowe blanked Andrew Mellace 3-0, candidate master and former national junior champion Equitable Brown turned back reigning national female champion Deborah Richards 3-0 and reigning national junior champion Alain Morais outclassed Mark Henry 3-0. NM Robert Wheeler and Markland Douglas had earlier got byes over Bertram Scott and NM-elect Mark Smith, respectively.

QUARTER-FINALS

In the quarter-finals scheduled to commence at 1 pm on Sunday 22nd June 2003 at Preston Hall, UWI the match-ups are as follows:

1. Alain Morais v. FM Warren Elliott

2. NM Duane Rowe v. Brandon Wilson.

3. Equitable Brown v. NM Robert Wheeler, and

4. NM Mark Holness v. Markland Douglas.

POOL “B” of the Masters KO

After the end of the round of sixteen matches the tournament committee of the Jamaica Chess Federation decided that the pool “B” format of the 2003 Masters KO would take the form of a double round-robin with the six players facing each other twice with different colours. Players in pool “B” are those who lost in the round of sixteen of the main event.

With the concurrence of the tournament committee the draw for the pool “B” games was done at the offices of acting President, Ian G. Wilkinson. Masters pool “A” quarter-finalist Markland “Dougnik” Douglas and attorney-at-law Shawn Steadman drew the lots and colours for the games which are also scheduled to commence at 1 pm on Sunday, 22nd June, 2003 at Preston Hall, UWI.

The first round of games will feature the following matches:

1. Humphrey Gayle v. Mark Henry.

2. Andrew Mellace v. Ian Wilkinson.

3. Daren Wisdom v. Deborah Richards.

The players with the white pieces are named first in both events. The time control is forty (40) moves in two hours with thirty (30) minutes to complete. If the matches are tied after the 4 games are played then two 30-minute rapid games will be played. If there is still deadlock then two blitz games will be used to separate the players.

18th June, 2003

Ian Wilkinson
President (Ag.)
Jamaica Chess Federation

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