alabama chess antics · immediately worked its magic with 11.bc3!, which will win a piece after...

Fall 2015

Alabama Chess

Antics

Inside this issue:

“One More Knight”: Alabama State Ch. 2015 by Scott Varagona

4

Reaching Expert by Stephen Graveling

10

Summer Puzzles by Scott Varagona

13

Strout-Rasberry by Doug Strout

14

Jonathan Rasberry at the Birmingham Challenge by J. Rasberry

17

The Official Publication of the Alabama Chess

Federation

Friendly banter just before Round 2 of the 2015 Alabama State Chess Championship, Premiere Section.

Alabama Chess Antics

Welcome to the Fall 2015 Antics. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue!

Stephen Graveling is quickly becoming one of the most promising players in the state. He recently broke into the Expert class and has finished in first place in various recent tournaments (including the Birmingham Challenge and the Halloween Classic). Not only that, he is becoming one of Alabama’s most prolific chess writers: he has a blog on chess.com and has already submitted various articles to the Antics. In this issue, Stephen gives us an inside look on his path to becoming a chess Expert.

It is nice having players from a variety of different rating levels share their thoughts with the Antics—especially when they manage to draw or even defeat a stronger player. Doug Strout, who always relishes the chance for an upset, has annotated his recent game with Jonathan Rasberry. By the way, Jonathan Rasberry, our reigning Alabama Scholastic Open Champion, recently won his first top-level chess tournament in Alabama—namely, the Chris Bond Memorial. Having finally “broken through,” he has started coming in first place in other events, such as the Birmingham Challenge (joint first with Stephen Graveling) as well as the Gulf Coast Classic. Jonathan has annotated his best win at the Birmingham Challenge. Finally, I am thrilled to report that I managed to win the Alabama State Chess Championship (Premiere Section) this September! I have annotated my game with Bill Melvin from the championship. Also, I have included snapshots from some of my summer games as puzzles. As always, I welcome submissions to the Antics from Alabama players of all levels. Please send pictures, articles, and

games to your Antics Editor via [email protected]

Finally, one last important announcement: the next Alabama State Scholastic Chess Championships are scheduled for March 19-20, 2016, at Indian Springs School. More details will be made available later on the Alabama Chess Federation website. Kindest regards, Scott Varagona

Greetings from the Editor

ACF Membership

Any individual may become a Regular Member upon the payment of annual dues of $10.00. Regular members may enter ACF tournaments and receive special publications or notices from ACF as they are issued. Any chess club seeking to become an Affiliate is required to file the Affiliate Information Form with the Secretary of the ACF and pay annual dues of $25.00. Benefits of becoming an affiliate include the right to bid to host ACF-sanctioned events, such as the Alabama State Championship, and to receive advertising through the ACF for your tournaments.

How should White proceed? Read this issue to find out...

http://www.alabamachess.com/cmsms/index.php?page=join�

Fall 2015

1 FM BRADLEY J DENTON 2330 26 CHRISTOPHER TREES 1871

2 SCOTT VARAGONA 2284 27 CHARLES AUGUSTUS SMITH 1869

3 BILL MELVIN 2200 28 STEPHEN JOHN PETRANY 1865

4 MATTHEW V PUCKETT 2186 29 ROCHELLE WU 1865

5 REX E BLALOCK 2149 30 CHARLES H ANTHONY 1863

6 GERALD A LARSON 2146 31 KENNETH JIAO 1857

7 STEPHEN ADAMS 2145 32 TYLER C RHODES 1851

8 DANIEL H THOMAS 2139 33 STEVE MENGXI CHEN 1849

9 BRENT H INMAN 2127 34 SIJING WU 1842

10 JOSEPH JURJEVICH 2123 35 THOMAS H LAWRY 1833

11 GORDON JAMALL RANDALL 2102 36 BRIAN MCCORMICK 1830

12 WILL THOMAS STEVENSON 2074 37 RHODES PEELE 1821

13 GEORGE RUSYNIAK 2060 38 RAY DOWNS 1813

14 JOSHUA THOMAS MCCLELLAN 2053 39 CAESAR W LAWRENCE 1812

15 STEPHEN JAMES GRAVELING 2040 40 KENNETH W GOODMAN 1812

16 CHARLES L MEIDINGER 2027 41 TIM BOND 1800

17 JONATHAN RASBERRY 2024 42 ABRAHAM KUNIN 1799

18 RONNIE NETTLES 2017 43 KENNETH SLOAN 1798

19 ROGER D JOHNSON 1970 44 JOHN MARCUS FIQUETT 1786

20 JEFF TOBIN 1965 45 LUIS J MORENILLA 1747

21 ARDEN QUINLAN MARKIN 1944 46 ADRIAN J MAJERLE 1744

22 MILES MELVIN 1943 47 MARK THOMAS PETERSON 1734

23 TERRENCE W EDINBURGH 1941 48 DOUGLAS STROUT 1723

24 KIRK D PETTY 1900 49 KEN KIRBY 1723

25 SHAWN BAULDRY 1894 50 LANDON B ANGLIN 1704

Alabama Chess Leaderboard Top 50 Ratings (retrieved from uschess.org on 11/6/15)


I cannot sugarcoat it: the 2014 Alabama State Championship was one of the most disgusting tournaments of my life. Every game felt like an agonizing, gut-wrenching, soul-crushing struggle. I was able to grind out a few wins at first, but then, things just wouldn’t go my way. I had a shock loss in round 3 to an out-of-state 1900-player who played out of his mind in a sharp King’s Indian. Even worse, in the final round, I blew a nice position (up an Exchange) against IM Ron Burnett and lost again. Then, after my tournament had ended in failure, Mother Nature added insult to injury: as I was buying fuel before leaving Tuscaloosa, an ant randomly crawled into my shoe and bit me on the foot! There are some tournaments where it seems like nothing can go right… On the other hand, every now and then, there’s a tournament where it feels like nothing can go wrong. That was how the 2015 Alabama State Championship felt. As the top seed, I knew I would have to run the gauntlet, but somehow all the big games kept going my way. I was certainly lucky at t imes—some of my opponents blundered and gave me quick victories, which helped me save energy for later games—but also, I felt like I was playing my best chess. In the end, I reached the final score of 5.5 points out of 6, and clear first place. (And not a single ant ever touched me.)

The following game—the latest of my battles against Alabama chess legend Bill Melvin—was probably my most interesting game of the event. Of course, Bill is always a fighter, but this time, with the title on the line and Bill a half-point behind me, I knew the gloves were bound to come flying off. Varagona,Scott - Melvin,Bill (2268) (2200)

Alabama State Chess Ch. (Rd 5) 9/6/2015

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.a4 bxc4

Although opening theory has largely ignored it, this 4.a4!? sideline has brought me great success. In the past, I have had to face every reasonable move here, including 4...b4, 4...bxa4, and 4...Qa5+, but the text

“One More Knight”: Alabama State Chess Championship 2015

By Scott Varagona

Fall 2015

move is Black’s best shot at getting something resembling a normal Benko Gambit structure. 5.Nc3 Bb7 Bill must really believe in these ...Bb7 and ...e6 plans, as he played this same kind of setup against me at the state championship fifteen(!) years ago. Personally, I don’t trust this plan, since if White can shore up the d5-pawn, the bishop will be biting on granite. 6.e4 Qa5?! After 7.Bd2 the pin is broken and Black’s queen is simply a target. Black could play 6...d6 instead, but then after 7.Bxc4 it’s hard for him to justify putting the bishop on b7. 7.Bd2 e6?

A clear mistake; now, White

should be winning. Practically forced is 7...d6. 8.e5! Suddenly, there is no reasonable move for the knight: 8...Nxd5?? 9.Nxd5! wins a piece, whereas 8...Ng8 9.d6 is strategically atrocious for Black. Thus: 8...exd5 9.exf6?

This move is double-edged: White has won a piece and may displace the Black king, but Black gets a few extra pawns and an imposing pawn mass in the center. Still, I felt that embracing these complications was the only way to refute Bill’s opening setup. I had also considered 9.Nxd5! Qd8 10.exf6! Bxd5, but 11.Qe2+ Be6! seemed to allow Black to hold everything together. When I analyzed the game at home, however, Houdini immediately worked its magic with 11.Bc3!, which will win a piece after all—and with an enormous, game-winning advantage. (Curse those know-it-all computers.) 9...Qb6 10.Qe2+ Kd8!?

He thrives in messy,

irrational positions...


Leave it to Bill to play a move like this without batting an eye. He thrives in messy, irrational positions filled with tactical tricks. Okay, so the position is complicated, but objectively, White must be better here. When chess principles tell you that your position must be better, that can give you the encouragement you need to see through the fog. 11.Nf3 gxf6 12.0–0–0 d4? 13.Qxc4! My idea when heading for this position was that I would sacrifice material back to clear away Black’s pawn mass. In the resulting position, Black’s king will be in far worse danger than White’s. (For the record, the computer thought it was a mistake for Black to allow this, and suggested maintaining the tension with 12…Na6.) 13...dxc3 14.Bxc3 d5

15.Rxd5+! The real point of the last few moves: this sacrifice exposes Black’s king and allows White to finish development with lightning speed. 15...Bxd5 16.Qxd5+ Kc7 17.Qxf7+! Nd7 18.Bb5 Rd8 19.Rd1

Fall 2015

So I saw this far when sacking the Exchange, and I thought that there was simply no way for Black to defend his pinned knight. However, I had completely missed Black’s next move: 19...Bd6 This defense suddenly made me doubt the validity of my last ten or so moves. Somehow, the Black position is still holding together. Luckily for me, White still turns out to have a shot that justifies everything. 20.Bxf6! Winning. At first this looks lousy because of 20...Bf4+ 21.Kc2 Qxf6, but then 22.Rxd7+! and Qxf6 is White’s point. 20...a6 21.Bxd8+ Rxd8 22.Bxd7 Rxd7 23.Qc4

I am two pawns up and Black’s king is very exposed; however, you can

never, ever let your guard down when playing Bill Melvin. I have watched him slip out of much tighter spots than this. Not to mention, my own king is still a little exposed too. 23...Rg7 24.g3 Qc6 25.Nh4 Be5 26.Nf5 Rg5 27.Ne3 With the last few moves, my idea was to reposition my knight (with an eye to the light squares c4 and d5) while at the same time luring Black’s rook to a vulnerable square. 27...Bd4 28.Qf7+ Kd8 Most other moves make it easier for White to either trade queens or fork king and rook. 29.Nc4 Qxa4

Calling my bluff: if now 30.Qf6+ Kc7 31.Qxg5?! Qxc4+, Black has an awful lot of kicking chances. Not to mention, that bishop on d4 is quite


strong. Fortunately, White has something much better: mate! 30.Qf6+ Kc7 31.Qe7+! Kb8 If 31...Qd7, then 32.Qxg5! and there is no ...Qxc4. 32.Qd8+ Kb7 33.Nd6+

Black resigns. His king cannot step forward because of 33...Kc6 34.Qe8+!, but otherwise 33...Ka7 34.Qc7+ is mate in one. 1–0 Despite that missed opportunity in the opening, I was still very pleased with the ideas that I found in this game. And of course, it is always nice to defeat an Alabama chess giant like seven-time state champion Bill Melvin. Bill was the first to congratulate me on winning my sixth state title, as my win in this game guaranteed me at least a share of first prize. A quiet draw in my last round game gave me clear first. (To be honest, I was hoping to win my last round game

and get a Fischer-like score of 6-0—a once-in-a-lifetime feat!—but my super-solid opponent, Kevin Wang, just wouldn’t budge.) It’s worth noting that the defending champion, Stephen Adams, finished dangerously close behind me with 5 points out of 6. I count myself very fortunate to have been able to finally defeat him in Classical chess again, and at such a critical moment. Also, I did not have to face too many of the other young Alabama talents who have been causing me some trouble lately (not to mention any names…). Next year, I may not be so lucky, but time will tell. Finally, one last story for those who appreciate bad puns. Again, I was incredibly lucky at this state championship because a few of my opponents blundered material at key moments. In fact, in two games an entire knight was lost. The point? Between rounds, I randomly heard two songs on the radio in my car: “Give Me the (K)night” by George Benson, and “One More (K)night” by Phil Collins. Hmm. That’s a heck of a coincidence. Perhaps Caïssa has an appreciation for bad puns as well... Here’s a heartfelt “thank you” to Caesar Lawrence (and to assistants Bill Nash, Rose Marie Stutts, Mark Stribling, and anyone else I may have left out!) for directing the tournament. Also, of course, thanks to all the ACF board members and volunteers who keep chess going (and growing) in Alabama. ■

Fall 2015

Clockwise from top: a scene from the Premiere Section of the state championship; Reserve Section Champion Ahmed Amer; TD Caesar Lawrence and Scott Varagona. (Photos of the winners: courtesy of Balagee Govindan)


Recently I became a chess Expert, a level I had dreamed about for a long time. How does one improve at chess? There is no specific answer, but I would like to share some of the lessons I've learned about chess. For years I have loved chess because it is so full of possibilities. There's always a new tactic to find, a positional nuance to study, or an opening idea ready for discovery. But in early 2013, before participating in my first open tournament, I briefly considered quitting tournament chess if I did not do well in the Evangel March Open. Why I thought this I'm not exactly certain, but I do know that I had studied a lot before the tournament and was unsure the work was worth it if I didn't achieve a good result. I must say I learned that hard work pays off. To date that tournament is still one of my best results. In round two I found myself in this position:

Position after 10. Qf3 in

Blackman (1912) – Graveling (1553)

Here I found the somewhat surprising 10...Ne4! After 11. Bd2 (the non-obvious 11. Be7 forces Black to find 11...Nd2 to keep a large advantage, although 11...Be7 is still better for Black) 11...Nxd2 12. Kxd2 Qb6 13. Ke3 Nc6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bd3 e5! Black's bishop pair in the open position, coupled with White's weak king, quickly brought Black the victory. Now whenever I start having shaky results I always first look at how I've been practicing and attempt to change that before anything else. Another lesson I learned that helped me earn my first NM scalp is that even if you have no idea what is happening on the board you have to be practical and simply try to play your best.

Position after 17. Qh4 in

Blalock (2130) – Graveling (1924)

Reaching Expert By Stephen Graveling

Fall 2015

During the game I didn't have the faintest idea of the evaluation of the position, and was quite nervous of White's kingside attacking possibilities with Rf1-f3-h3. I was also unfamiliar with the central pawn structure and wasn't sure of the best plan. Nevertheless, I was able to remain calm and calculate, and then play what I thought was best. Play continued 17...exd4 18. cxd4 Nc6 19. Bf4!? (19. Rf3 is the best ) 19...Qd7 20. d5 Ne5 21. Bxe5 Bxe5 22. Rf3 f6 I still had no idea if White's attack would prevail or not but just tried to play my best. Sometimes you cannot know if your play will work, but you just have to go for it. Eventually it will pay off, as it did for me after: 23. Bc4 Qh7 24. Qg4?? Bc8 25. d6+ Kg7 26. Be6 Bxe6 27. Qxe6 Rxd6 28. Qg4 Qxh2+ 29. Kf2 Qh5 and Black soon triumphed. Pushing the pawns in front of my king is something that doesn't come naturally to me. I had never done it except when i t was opening preparation, but a lesson I have learned is that you must play what the position requires, not what you're comfortable with. In the opening of this game (see diagram at top right) I had played f2-f4-f5 not because of kingside attacking ideas, but with the idea of forcing certain trades of minor pieces. Anyway, my opening plans hadn't gone well and I thought Black would have a nice game after 13...c6 with the idea of d6-d5 and playing in the center.

Position after 13. Kxg2 in Graveling (1974) – Mulqueen (1753)

When my opponent played 13...c5?! I was extremely happy to see Black could no longer open the center, but was also a bit nervous because I instantly realized White should attack on the kingside, something I had little experience in. Thankfully I decided to do what I knew I should do and the game became one of my favorite games. 14. Nc3 Nc6 15. g4 Nh7 16. Bd2 f6? Black's play is too defensive. Instead of reacting to White's play he should try to find some play of his own. 17. h4 Qe7 18. Qe1 Kh8 19. Qg3 Rf7 20. Rh1 Kg8 21. Kf2 Kf8? White 's attack has been proceeding well and now a piece will be won. 22. g5 fxg5 23. hxg5 g6 24. Ke1


gxf5 25. g6 f4 26. gxh7 Rxh7 27. Qg6 Qg7 28. Qxd6+ 1-0 The final position I'll share is from the first game of the match that took me over 2000. After a quiet opening this position arose:

Position after 13...Rad8 in

Graveling (1962) – Rasberry (2009) Usually in this variation of the French Defense Black has played c7-c5 earlier, but I hadn't seen any way to exploit this and so I had simply developed. But now I couldn't find a move with a purpose. This might seem like a normal position, but I actually consider it to be a critical point in the match for me. After about five minutes (it was a 90-minute game) I felt the temptation to play a move such as 14. h3, just to make a move. But I had lost many games a g a i n s t J o n a t ha n b e c a u s e o f purposeless moves, and so I forced myself to think of a useful idea before moving. After what seemed like an eternity (actually it was 17 minutes) I finally came up with an idea: 14. Qe3.

This is not the computer's first choice and it's not special in and of itself, but I'm proud of it because I had a plan when playing it. If Black now plays c7-c5, White can induce a pawn weakness in Black's position or force Black to trade his bishop for White's knight. The latter option is fine for Black, but I felt it was at least an idea for White, considering the position would be quite open after c7-c5, and White would have a queenside majority. Play continued 14...c5 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 (If instead 15...Bxf3 16. Qxf3 gives White a bishop vs. Black's knight. Likewise, 15...Qxf6 16. Ng5 h6 17. Ne4 forces Black to exchange bishop for knight or allow the isolation of the c-pawn.) 16. dxc5 Qxc5?! Instead, it was probably best for Black to play 16...Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Qxc5 when I liked White's bishop in the open position and the queenside majority, but Black is objectively doing fine. 17. Qxc5 dxc5 18. Ne5 a6 19. f3 Now White has a clear positional advantage. I was able to pressure Black, and eventually won. What would have happened if I had played 14. h3? It's impossible to tell, but I know I have learned one thing: moves backed by plans bring much more success than aimless moves, and are worth the time it takes to find them. One of my favorite things about chess is that once you've learned something you will reap the rewards of it, but you can never exhaust things to master. Will I reach master in the future? I'll try, but it's impossible to know for certain. One thing I know is that I will certainly have fun learning, improving, and playing. ■

Fall 2015

Summer Chess

1. No! If 22.Bxg6? fxg6!, White cannot protect his queen while also defending both e5 and f2 (because 23.Qe2 is not possible thanks to the bishop on a6). After 23.Qh4 Qxe5 Black won a pawn with advantage, although the game was later drawn. 2. 33…Re2? is a mistake because of 34.Nh6+ Kh8 35.Qxe2!, when White can use back rank mate threats on f8 to fight back. Instead, 33…Ng3! kept the advantage and after 34.Nf6+ Rxf6 35.Bxf6 Nxf1 36.Nxf1 Qf4, Black soon won. 3. Correct is …Nxd3! 4. With …Rxg3+! Black is now completely winning, in theory. (However, in reality, somehow Black misplayed the resulting position… and then lost!)

1. S. Adams–Varagona AL Quick Chess Ch. 2015

Is 22.Bxg6, damaging Black’s kingside structure, a good idea?

(See the bottom of this page for solutions.)

Puzzles

3. Graveling,S-Varagona Chris Bond Memorial, 2015

Black to Play.

4. Trees,C-Varagona Chris Bond Memorial, 2015

Black to play.

2. Goldsby-Varagona Clarence Kalenian Classic, 2015

Which is stronger, ...Re2 or ...Ng3?


D.L. Strout - J. Rasberry (1701) (1976)

Chris Bond Memorial (1), 8/8/15 1.e4 This is the opening round of the 2015 Chris Bond Memorial in Montgomery. The opponent is reigning Alabama Scholastic Champion Jonathan Rasberry (1976). 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 I lead into a perfectly good Ruy Lopez, and Jonathan ruins it by playing the Schliemann. 4.Bxc6 dxc6 I would've played the exchange anyway. To me, an exchange Schliemann pretty much reduces to a Latvian, so I start playing like I would in a Latvian. 5.Nxe5 Qd4 I knew when I played it that Nxe5 was not a pawn winner. Here he regains the pawn. 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Forcing a queen trade, which is a stylistic element for me anyway. 7...Nf6 8.Nc3 In an uncharacteristic display of patience and discipline, I avoid Qxe4, which would allow him to attack with his knight or pawn. 8...Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 The point of Nc3 was to force his queen but not to make the retake. I am clearing room for Re1 and a form of “manual castling.” 9...Bd6 10.Re1 0–0 11.Kf1 Bd7 12.d3 Rae8 13.Bd2 Completing my development and preparing to trade rooks. 13...Ng4 14.Rxe8 Rxe8 15.h3 I decided to trade rooks before repelling the knight. 15...Ne5 Not returning to f6? OK, fine... 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 ...we'll trade more pieces and then I'll start competing for the open e-file. 17.Re1 c5 18.f4 Bd4 19.Rxe8+ Bxe8 Now I have to be careful of

dropping pawns against his bishop pair. 20.Nd1 Defending b2. 20...Bh5 Undermining my defense of b2.

21.c3 Here I am offering ...Bxd1 cxd4 cxd4. This would cost me a pawn but result in an opposite-bishop ending... 21...Bf6 ...which I suspect is why Jonathan did not go for it. 22.Ne3 Bf7 23.a3 I decline the pawn trade Nxf5 Bxa2. Didn't feel right. I thought it would allow him to start running

Strout-Rasberry By Doug Strout

Doug Strout

Fall 2015

queenside pawns. 23...g6 24.Ke2 Be7 25.g3 Be6 26.h4 Kf7 27.Nc4 Bxc4 28.dxc4

Yes, I allowed him to compress my queenside pawns onto three files like his, but he no longer has the bishop pair. 28...Ke6 29.Kf3 c6 30.a4 a5 31.Ke3 h6 32.Kd3 Bd6 33.Ke3 b6 34.Kf3 Be7 35.Bc1 Kd6 36.Ke3 g5 37.hxg5 hxg5 38.Kd3 gxf4 39.Bxf4+

We burn off most of the kingside pawns, but my pawns on that side were on dark squares anyway and subject to possible attack later. Now most of his pawns are on dark squares, but how do I attack them? On the other hand, most of my pawns are also on dark squares, so I have to play sound defense too. I cannot push b3, because it would make c3 a babysitting liability. 39...Kd7 40.Ke3 Kc8 41.Be5 Bg5+ 42.Bf4 Bf6 43.Bh6 Kd7 44.Bf4 b5 45.cxb5 cxb5 46.axb5 He attacks my structure and gives me two pawns for one. How do I convert the advantage? 46...c4 47.Kf3 a4 My king cannot advance to escort the b5 passer. Also, I am concerned about a bishop sacrifice at c3 that might unleash his a-pawn. 48.Be3 Be5 49.Bf4 Bg7 50.Be3 Kc7 51.Kf4 Bh6+ 52.Kf3 Bf8 53.Kf4 Bh6+

After a brief dance, Jonathan offers a draw. I quickly accept, and I was asked why by the spectators. Two reasons, really: 1) I was down around five


minutes, a rare instance of my opponent holding a significant clock advantage in an endgame, and 2) I was concerned about defending b2 and g3 and possible bishop sacrifices and did not want to risk losing what I thought had been a terrific game to this point. Computer analysis showed that I missed a couple of chances to improve my position in the endgame by pushing g4 and swapping off that pawn. In hindsight, I think that would have removed a defensive liability at g3 and given my king more mobility. Missed opportunity? Perhaps. Anyway, Jonathan rode this unintentional Swiss Gambit to a clear championship at 3.5/4. Congrats, Jonathan. ½–½ ■

Chris Bond Memorial (Premiere Section) champion Jonathan Rasberry with TD Caesar Lawrence. This edition of the CBM tournament was Jonathan’s first time winning clear first in an open-level Alabama chess event. Congratulations to my young colleague for a job well done! -Ed

Fall 2015

Johnson, R. – Rasberry, J. (1964) (1985)

Birmingham Challenge (Rd 2) 9/26/15

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.g3 c5 4.b4 This was the first time I had seen the reversed Benko in action. I was a bit nervous during the game for the future of my position because I knew the Benko was a decent opening with black, but with an extra tempo, I needed to be very careful. 4…cxb4 5.a3 bxa3 6.Bxa3 Nc6 7.d3 g6 8.Bg2 Bg7 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Nbd2 0-0

I choose to play the system I play with white, except I am down a tempo. I figured I’d be okay here. 11.Qa4!? Not the best square for the queen. After my next move (…Bd7) I will have an annoying X-ray on white’s queen. This means tactically, my e7 and d4 pawns

are defended no matter how many attackers are on them. 11…Bd7 12.Rfb1 Qc7 13.Ng5 b6 14.c5

14…Rab8? Up until this move, I have played flawlessly and the computer nearly gives me a full pawn advantage. However, here, I made a move that throws away all my advantage and the computer gives a 0.00 positional analysis. My thought was to try to get out of the pin and put my rook on a normal square in the Benko, while bolstering my b6 warrior. However, this gives white way too much pressure to place on me. My best move would have been 14…h6. This move looks natural, but not winning. However, when you begin to look at my position after 15.Nge4, you begin to realize just how strong of a position I have. The line goes: 15…Nd5 (threatening f5 and Nc3) 16.cxb6 axb6 17.Qb3 Nc3! when my

Jonathan Rasberry at the Birmingham Challenge By Jonathan Rasberry


knight is just a beast. 18.Qxb6 Qc8 avoiding the exchange and forcing 19.Re1 Rb8 20.Qc5 Rb5 with a very, very good position. 15. cxb6! axb6 16. Rc1 Now I began to realize I might be in trouble. First, my knight is hanging and I must do something about that. Second, my d4 and e7 pawns that were once so well defended, are both hanging. (Bxe7 Nxe7 Rxc7 Bxa4 Rxe7 picking back up the piece and ending up a pawn ahead.) To defend would be to give up a pawn to white, so I played b5, the best, and most challenging move. 16…b5! 17. Qc2 Tempting might be 17.Qxd4?? Nxd4 18.Rxc7. Sadly for white, I have 18…Ng4! Winning an exchange after 19.Qb4 Bxa1 20.Bxc6 Bxc6 21.Qxg4 Bg7. 17… b4! Again, the best move from black. 18.Bb2 Qe5!

I have played very precisely to reach an even game after the Rab8 mistake. All the sudden, after those three precise moves, white is the one under the gun, trying to prove equality. There are too

many lines to show, but best from white was 19.Bxc6. After taking back, the point is the knight is also hanging and either knight moving to f3 allows Bxf3 and an even game. 19.Nge4? Giving back his chances to mix things up, now he is just down a pawn and will have to fight for a draw. 19…Nxe4 20.Nxe4 Rfc8 21.f4? A very serious mistake; 21.Nc5 is better, not allowing me to play …Qb5 and keeping my queen on a less than amazing square. 21…Qb5 22.Qd2 From this point on, the game is all about white stopping black from queening a pawn. He does not succeed. 22…Na5 23.Qd1 Stopping Nb3. 23…Be6 24.Rxc8 Rxc8 25.Rc1

25…Rc3!! The reason why Rc3 is good is firstly that it takes iron control of the c-file if he does not take, and secondly if he does, because of the bishop on g7, sacking back a piece to eliminate the two passers does not work because of Bxc3 at the end. 26.Bxc3? If white

Fall 2015

Fall 2015

intends to take on c3, he used the right piece. If 26.Nxc3 dxc3 27.Ba1 Nb3 28.Rb1 Qc5+! 29.Kh1 c2, winning a rook. The problem with taking my rook is the pawns are just too strong for white to handle. 26.Ra1 would have been best, trying to take over the a-file. From this point, the game is technically won. 26…dxc3 27.d4?? Nb3 28.e3 Better than keeping the rook, after I take on d4, all my pieces, including the bishop on g7, have full scope. 28…Nxc1 29.Qxc1 Bd5 30.Bf1 Bc4 31.Bh3 Bd3 32.Nc5? Now the pawns queen by force. Best was 32.Nxc3.

32…b3! 33.Qxc3 b2 34.Nxd3 b1=Q+ 35.Bf1 h6 36.Kf2 Qa4 37.h4 Qad1 38.Be2 Qg1+ 39.Kf3 Qh1+ with mate next move. 0-1 ■

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ALABAMA CHESS

ANTICS

Fall 2015

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alabama chess antics · immediately worked its magic with 11.bc3!, which will win a piece after...

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