MEMBERS' GAMES

White: Tim Knechtel
Black: Juha Manninnen (Finland)
ICCF TT 4/93/6
Sleipner's Opening (Dunst Opening) A00

1.Nc3 d5 2.e4 d4 3.Nce2 Nc5

(ECO gives: 3...e5 4.Ng3 Be6 5.Nf3 f6 6.Bb5+ c6 7.Ba4 Nd7 8.Bb3 Ne5 9.Bxe6 Nxe6 10.d3 g6 11.0-0 Qd7 = , Figuerca-Marcuissi, Argentina 1963.)

4.f4 Nc6 5.Ng3 e5 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nf3 exf4?!

7...Bd6 is better for Black.

8.Bxf4 Qa5+!

Black is trying to lure White into playing 9.Bd2 so that he can regain control of the h2-b8 diagonal.

9.Bd2?

(Much better was 9.Nd2.)

9...Qc7! 10.Ne2

Now because of the mistake on move nine, White must try to strengthen his g3 and f4 squares.

10...Bd6 11.g3 Bg4

Black has the edge now due to space advantage and better placed pieces.

12.Bg2 h5?!

Black will now be castling long.

13.0-0 Bxf3 14.Rxf3 Ne5 15.Rf5

White's Rook is perfectly safe here.

15...0-0-0 16.Bg5

Now White trys to attack the f7 square indirectly.

16...Be7 17.Nf4

This move is possible because 17...g6 leads to 18.Rxf6! Bxf6 19.Bxf6 and after 20.Bxh8

or 20.Bxd8 White wins a piece.

17...Neg4 18.Qf3

White is mobilizing his forces for the coming attack.

18...Ne3?!

18...g6 fails to 19.Rxf6 Nxf6 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Nd5 Rxd4 22.exd5 +/-, or 19.Rxf6 Bxf6 20.Nd5 Rxd5 21.Bxf6 Nxf6 22.exd5 +/-; Better, however, was 18...Ne5! 19.Qf1.

19.Nd5!(see diagram)

19...Nfxd5

If 19...Nexd5 20.exd5 +/-.

20.Rxf7! Ndf6

If 20...Rdf8! 21.Rxf8 Rxf8 22.Qxh5 gives White some compensation for the lost piece.

21.Bh3+ Neg4 22.Qf5+ Qd7

If 22...Kb8 23.Bf4 +/-.

If 22...Rd7 23.Rxe7 +/-.

23.Rxe7 Qxf5 24.exf5 Rd7 25.Rae1 Kd8 26.Rxd7 Kxd7 27.Bg2 b5 28.Re6

Threatening 29.Ra6+/-.

28...Rc8

Forced.

29.h3

Black loses another pawn.

29...Ne3 30.Bxe3 dxe3 31.Rxe3 a5 32.Re6 c4 33.d4 Ne8 34.Bb7 Rc7

Forced or else 35.Bc6+ wins Black's Knight.

35.Bf3 Nf6 36.Re5 b4 37.Rxa5 b3 38.c3 1-0.

White: Tim Strauch
Black: Tim Knechtel
CCCA vs CCLA Bd 7
St-George Defense C00 (?)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 a6!?

Black announces that he will play the St George Defense.

(Michael Basman has been given credit with much of the current theory regarding this rather unusual opening sequence of moves. I believe he even published a book on this opening. The opening has gone by various other names: "Birmingham Defense"; "The Basman Opening"; "Baker's Defense" and Karpov's infamous "Incorrect Opening" "The St-George Defense" is Michael Basman's name for it. Black intends to expand on the queenside with an early b5, with the Queen Bishop often being deployed to b7, putting pressure on White's center. To me it seems a hybrid of the French and Sicilian Defenses. It certainly has surprise value in otb, but my impression, though, is that, at least, at the top level in CC , it's not employed too often.)

3.Bd3

(3.Nf3 first is perhaps a bit more common. 3.c4!? )

b5 4.Nf3 c5

(The characteristic move of the Sicilian.)

5.c4?!

(5.dxc5?! would simply help Black catch up in development. However, GM Julian Hodgson has used 5.c3!? to defeat Basman on at least two occassions.

bxc4 6.Bxc4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Bb7

White has lost control over the centre and now Black can catch up in development by threatening White's exposed pieces.

8.Nc3 Qc7 9.Qe2!?

Perhaps 9.Bb3 or 9.Bd3 were better.

9...Bb4! 10.Bd2 Nf6 11.Nc2

If 11.e5 then 11...Bxc3 12.Bxc3 (12.exf6? Bxd4!) 12....Ne4 and Black is fine.

(11.f3!?)

11...Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Nxe4

Black wins a pawn.

13.Bxg7 Rg8 14.f3!

White can't allow 14...Rxg2

14...Nd6! 15.Be5!

Forced or else White loses a piece.

15...Qxc4 16.Bxd6 Qxe2+ 17.Kxe2 Rxg2+ 18.Ke3 Nc6!

I didn't like the looks of 18...Rxc2? 19.Rag1 f5 20.Rg8+ Kf7 21.Rf8+ Kg6 22.Rg1+ Kh5 23.Rh8! and Black is trapped in a mating net.

19.Rhg1 Rg6 20.h4 Ne7!

Hoping White might trade of his killer Bishop at d6.

21.Nd4!

This frees up White's King from defending the pawn at f3 and enables White to make use of the open c-file.

21...Nd5+ 22.Kf2 Nf6

Prevents 23.h5 and covers the g8 square.

23.Rac1 Rh6 24.Rc5!

Threatens 25.Rcg5!

24...Rg6 25.Rcg5 Bd5 26.a3 Rc8 27.Ke3 Kd8 28.Kd3 Ne8 29.Bh2?!

29.Bb4 might have been better.

29...Ke7 30.b4 Nd6 31.a4!?

This pawn turns out to be critical 50 moves later.

31...Nc4 32.Rb1

This move prevents 32...Nb2+ and 33...Nxa4.

32....Rxg5 33.hxg5 Nb6 34.Ra1 Rc4 35.a5!

35.b5? Rxa4 36.Rxa4 Nxa4 37.bxa6 Nc5+ 38.Ke3 Nxa6 looks good for Black.

35...Nc8 36.Rb1 Na7

Trying to prevent 37.b5

37.Be5

37.b5? axb5 38.Nxb5 Nxb5 39.Rxb5 Rh4 {39.Bg3? Rh3!} 40.Rb2 Bxf3 and Black is winning.

37...d6 38.Bf6+ Kd7 39.Rh1 e5!

Setting up 'un petite combination'.

40.Nc2 Bxf3 41.Rxh7 Be4+ 42.Kxc4 Bxh7 43.Ne3 Kc6

This keeps White's Knight out of d5 because 44.Nd5 is answered by 44...Bd3+ 45.Kxd3 and Kxd5 and Black's passed central pawns should win.

44.Nd1 d5+

Taking advantage of White's King position.

45.Kb3 Kd6 46.Nb2 Nb5 47.Bg7? Nd4+ 48.Kc3 Nf3 49.Bf6 e4 50.Nd1 Bf5 51.Ne3 Bh3 52.Nc2 Bf1 53.Nd4! Nh4 54.Nc2

Eyeing the important e3 and e1 squares.

54...Ng6 55.Kd4 Nf8 56.Be5+ Kc6 57.Bf6 Bh3 58.Be7 Ng6 59.Bd8 Be6!

This moves allows Black's King to become active.

60.Bb6 Kb5 61.Bc7 Nh4 62.Ke5 Kc4 63.Bb6 Nf3+ 64.Kf6 d4 65.g6!

fxg6!

Paradoxically, Black's only winning chances involve giving up his Bishop.

66.Kxe6 d3 67.Ne3+ Kxb4 68.Kf6?

White misses his chance to play 68.Kd5! Ne1 69.Nxe4 Kc3 70.Bc5 which looks like a draw.

68....d2! 69.Kxg6 Nh4+

This move keeps the white King off of the f5 square.

70.Kf6 Ng2! 71.Nd1 Kb3

Of course not 71...e3? 72.Bxe3 Nxe3 73.Nxe3.

72.Be3 Kc2 73.Bxd2

White's only chance to survive!

73...Kxd2 74.Ke5 Kxd1 75.Kxe4 Kc2 76.Kd4 Ne1!

Black's must be able to maneuver his Knight to b4 to win.

77.Kc5 Nd3+ 78.Kc4 Nc1 79.Kc5 Na2 80.Kc4 Kb2 81.Kc5 Kb3 82.Kc6 Kc4 0-1.

(A splendid endgame!)

White: Tim Knechtel
Black: Giuseppe Confente (Italy)
WCCF TAS 104
Stonewall Attack A03

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.d4!?

( ECO gives: 4.b3; 4.g3; & 4.d3.)

4...c5 5.c3

White has now transposed this opening into a Stonewall Attack.

5...Bd6 6.Bd3 c4?

Black should maintian the tension in the centre and play either 6...0-0 or 6...Nc6.

7.Bc2 0-0 8.0-0 b6 9.Nbd2 Qc7 10.Ne5 Bb7 11.Qf3

This move prevents Black from anchoring his Knight at e4.

11...Nbd7 12.g4 h6 13.h4

White has a nice pawn roller going now.

13...Rac8 14.g5 hxg5? 15.hxg5

The open h-file is going to be big trouble for Black.

15...Bxe5 16.fxe5 Nh7?

16...Best was 16.Ne4 giving up a pawn, but 16...Ne8 17.Qh5 g6 18.Qh6 with 19.Kg2 and 20.Rh1 to follow wasn't much better.

17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Kg2 g6 20.Qh6 Nb8 21.Rf6! Nd7 22.Nf3 Rfd8 23.Bd2 Nf8 24.Rh1 1-0.

We end with a short game from Dr. Philip Cody, who recently qualified for the IECG Cup I Final. Here he does battle with a new CCCA member from Sweden in an ICCF Thematic event. Ratings are current ICCF.

White: Dr. Philip Cody (2350)
Black: Per Söderberg (2405)
ICCF Thematic tt 14/95-4
French Defense/ Winawer Variation C17

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5

(Even though theory considers the Bishop retreat inferior it still has its adherents.)

6.Qg4

(6.b4 is usually played first.)

6...Ne7 7.Qxg7 Rg8 8.Qxh7 cxd4 9.b4 dxc3 10.bxa5 Nbc6

This is a common position in the long variation usually reached by 6.b4 cxd4 7.Qg4 Ne7 8.bxa5 dxc3 9.Qxg7 Rg8 10.Qxh7. Here theory and many games give 11.f4. I believe that 11.a6 is better. Fischer prefered 11.Nf3 with pieces controlling the centre.

11.a6

Nxe5

Or 11...bxa6 12.Nf3 Qc7 13.Bf4 Qb8 14.Rd1 Qb2 15.Bc1; or 11...b6 12.Nf3 Qc7 13.Bf4. In both these lines White is better.

12.axb7 Bxb7 13.Bf4 Nd7 14.Rb1 Bc6?

If 14...Qc8 15.Bg3 Nf6 16.Qh6 Ne4 17.Bd3 Nf5 unclear or 17...Ba6 unlcear.

15.Nf3 Nf6 16.Qd3 Ne4 17.Nd4 Rc8

If 17...Bd7 18.Nb5

18.f3 Ng6 19.Nxc6 Qf6?

(Black should have payed 19...Rxc6 20.Rb8 Rc8 21.Qb5, although White maintains a clear advantage.) 20.Qa6 Ne7 21.g3 1-0.

(Since on 21...Rxc6 22.Rb8+ and White wins.)