Game of the Week: Club Championship

T.Scott–M.Wittje

RVCCA Championship Game

Arcadia Books and Café, Spring Green, WI.

August 17th, 2011

Time Control: G/60 +5

[English opening (A13) |>| Nimzo-Indian: Leningrad Variation (E30)]

1.c4

English opening (A13)

1…e6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4 d5

What started out as an English Opening transposed into a Queen's Gambit Declined.

4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4

Possibly better was Bxf6.  If Black recaptured with his queen, White could win the d-pawn; if Black recaptured with the g-pawn, then he'd have doubled pawns (although this may not be too bad for Black, especially if he were to castle queenside vs White castling kingside).

5…Bb4

Transposes into a variation of E30: Nimzo-Indian: Leningrad Variation

6.Qd2

e3 protecting the c-pawn is stronger; White would be OK trading his knight for bishop, even though doubling his pawns.

6…c5=/+ 7.e4?

[Better is: 7.e3=/+ and White could well hope to play on]
Loses a pawn...

7...g5-+ 8.e5??

[shortens the misery for White]

[Better is: 8.exd5 gxh4 9.a3 cxd4 10.Qxd4 Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 exd5 12.Nf3-+ ]
Now loses a piece...

8...Ne4

[8...gxh4?! is clearly worse 9.exf6 cxd4 10.Qxd4-+ ]

9.Qf4

[9.Qc2 does not save the day 9...Qa5 10.0-0-0 Bxc3-+ (10...gxh4?! is no comparison 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.a3 Bxa3 13.bxa3-+ ) ]

Allows trading of queens & loss of a pawn (or 2?), in addition to losing a piece.

White resigns to the fact that the bishop is gone and tries for a startling move and damage control.

9...gxh4

[Better is: 9...Nxc3 and Black can celebrate victory 10.a3 Ba5 (10...gxf4?! is easily refuted 11.Bxd8 Nc6 12.axb4 Nxb4 13.bxc3 Nc2+ 14.Kd1 Nxa1 15.Bf6-/+ ; 10...gxh4?! is a bad alternative 11.axb4 Ne4 12.f3-+) 11.bxc3 Bxc3+ 12.Ke2 Bxa1-+ ]

10.a3 Bxc3+

[10...Ba5!? makes it even easier for Black 11.b4 cxb4 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Qxe4 bxa3+ 14.Kd1-+ ]

11.bxc3 Nxc3

[11...Qa5 and Black can already relax 12.Ne2 cxd4 13.cxd5 exd5 14.f3-+ ]

12.dxc5 Qa5 13.Nf3

[13.Qd2 doesn't change the outcome of the game 13...d4-+ ]

13...Ne4+

If Black wanted to attack White's king, he'd be better off developing his queenside pieces prior to embarking on checks that are easily parried.

14.Nd2 Qc3

[Better is: 14...Nc6 might be the shorter path 15.Rd1 Nc3 16.cxd5 exd5-+ ]
The previous check would have made more sense if Black intended to trade queens & knights (which he could enforce and would be a good idea, since he's ahead a piece).

15.Ra2

[15.Rd1-+ otherwise it's curtains at once]
This move loses the rook via Qc1+ 16. Ke2 Nd3+ forking king & rook.  Better was Rd1, protecting the knight and keeping Black from trading off pieces.

15...Nxc5

[Better is: 15...Qc1+ keeps an even firmer grip 16.Ke2 Nc3+ 17.Kf3 Qd1+ 18.Ke3 Nc6-+ ]
Black missed the tactic & settled for grabbing a pawn.  He still had a winning position though.

16.Be2

[16.Qf3 cannot change what is in store for ? 16...Qxe5+ 17.Qe3 Qxe3+ 18.fxe3 b6 19.cxd5 exd5-+ ]
This move loses the queen via Qc1+ 17. Bd1 Nd3+ forking king & queen.

16...Nd3+

[Better is: 16...Qc1+ makes sure everything is clear 17.Bd1 Nd3+ 18.Ke2 Nxf4+ 19.Ke1 Nc6-+ ]
Black again missed a knight fork, but trading pieces retained his winning edge.

17.Bxd3 Qxd3

[17...Qc1+ makes it even easier for Black 18.Ke2 Qxh1 19.Rc2-+ ]

18.Qg4

[18.cxd5 does not improve anything 18...exd5 19.Qxh4 Rg8 20.Qxh6 Nc6-+ ]

18...dxc4

[Better is: 18...Nc6-+ seems even better]

19.Qg7

[19.Qxc4 what else? 19...Qxc4 20.Nxc4-+ ]

19...Rf8 20.Qxh6 c3 21.Qg5

[21.Qxh4 is no salvation 21...Nc6 22.Qg3 cxd2+ 23.Rxd2 Qe4+ 24.Kf1 Qb1+ 25.Ke2 Qb5+ 26.Qd3 Qxe5+ 27.Qe3 Qh5+ 28.Qf3 Qh4-+ ]
White sets a desperation trap...

 21...cxd2+

Black's greed loses his queen, since Rxd2 pins the queen to d8, a checkmate square.

22.Rxd2 Qc3???

[Better is: 22...Qe4+ and Black has prevailed 23.Qe3 Qxg2-+ ]
Loses instantly.  Black would still have been in the game with a +2 material advantage if he had traded queen for rook, instead of moving the queen out of the way.
 
23.Qd8#

White Mates

1-0

Black outplayed White for most of the game, but committed a few vital sins (notably leaving his king exposed and not developing his queenside pieces) & then made a couple of major blunders that allowed White to swindle the win.

[Analysis by tChess and Deep Rybka 4.1 ]

Annotation by Taylor Scott and Mike Rohe

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