[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.10.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bak, A."]
[Black "Slinger, T."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "174"]
[BlackElo "172"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]
[BlackTeam "Courier 'A'"]

1. e4 d6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 Bg4 4. Be2 Bxe2 5. Qxe2 c6 6. d4 Qb6 7. Nf3 Qa6 8. e5
Qxe2+ 9. Kxe2 dxe5 10. fxe5 Nd5 11. Ne4 e6 12. c4 f5 13. exf6 Nxf6 14. Neg5 Na6
15. Nxe6 Kd7 16. Nxf8+ Rhxf8 17. Bd2 Rae8+ 18. Kd3 Ne4 19. Rhe1 Nxd2 20. Kxd2
Nc7 21. Rxe8 Nxe8 22. Re1 Nd6 23. Kd3 b5 24. b3 bxc4+ 25. bxc4 Rb8 26. Re2 Rb1
27. Ne5+ Kc7 28. c5 Nb5 29. Nf3 Kd7 30. Re4 Ra1 31. Rg4 g6 32. Rh4 Rxa2 33.
Rxh7+ Ke6 34. Ne5 Ra3+ 35. Ke4 Nc3+ 36. Kf4 Ne2+ 37. Kg5 Nxd4 38. Nxg6 Kd5 39.
Nf4+ Kxc5 40. h4 a5 41. h5 Rg3+ 42. Kf6 Rg4 43. Nd3+ Kd5 44. Rd7+ Ke4 45. Nf2+
1-0

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.10.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Leonard, P."]
[Black "Morgan, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "156"]
[BlackElo "162"]
[Annotator "Leonard,Pete"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]
[BlackTeam "Courier 'A'"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 {So much for rehearsing the French, in the expectation of
playing Dave Patrick!} Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6 5. Qd2 b5 6. Bd3 e5 {He's the
first to leave my openings book; this probably needs ...Nbd7 first.} 7. Nf3 Bg4
$6 {John said afterwards that this was a mistake. My book talks of "Black
exchanging his problem bishop", but his pawn isn't on e5 in that line.} 8. dxe5
Bxf3 {Forced, if he doesn't want to lose a pawn.} 9. gxf3 {I did wonder about}
(9. exf6 Bxg2 10. Rg1 {but it looks hard to hold on to the pawn on f6, and
maybe also to castle. Fritz 14 gives} Bh3 (10... Bf3 11. Rg3 Bh5 12. Ne2 Bxe2
13. Bxe2 Nd7 14. O-O-O $16) 11. Ne2 Nd7 12. Rg3 Be6 13. Nd4 Rc8 14. a4 $14)
9... dxe5 10. Nxb5 {I thought for a good while about this, which was begging
to be played. Should I castle or play Bg5 first? Of course, either gives him
the possibility of defending b5, pus I didn't want to commit my QB, which
might be better on c5. In the end I thought "Just go for it." A pleasure for
once to find that I was right and that this is also Fritz's preferred move.}
cxb5 {If he didn't do this, I was happy simply to withdraw the knight to c3,
having gained a pawn.} 11. Bxb5+ Nfd7 $2 {I think this is "game over", I was
certain he'd play} (11... Nbd7 {when I was leaning towards} 12. O-O-O {Fritz
only counts this as equal, giving either} Rb8 {or} (12... Be7 13. Bh6 Rb8 14.
a4 (14. Ba4 $2 Rb4 15. Bc6 Rd4) 14... Rb7 $11) 13. a4 Be7 14. Bh6 Rb7 15. Qc3
Qb8 $14 {In either case, Black's king is stuck in the centre but White still
has to break through.}) 12. Qd5 {Again I havered; should I castle and avoid
his checks? This seemed too good to miss. This time, Fritz disagrees,
preferring} (12. O-O-O {followed by Qd5; e.g.} Be7 13. Qd5 a6 14. Ba4 O-O 15.
Qxa8 Qc7 16. Qa7 $18 {The exchange and two pawns ahead should be enough.})
12... Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Bb4 {I'd expected something like} (13... Qc7 {and here I
should probably have been unable to resist} 14. Qxa8 {Fritz again prefers} (14.
O-O-O Bd6 15. Ba5 Qc5 16. Bxd7+ Ke7 17. Qxa8 Qxa5 18. Rxd6 Kxd6 19. Qb7 Qxa2 (
19... Nxd7 20. Rd1+ Ke7 (20... Ke6 21. Qc6+ Ke7 22. Rxd7+ Kf8 23. Qf6 Qe1+ 24.
Rd1 {and Black loses either queen or rook.}) 21. Rxd7+ Kf6 22. Rxf7+ Kg5 23.
Qe7+ Kh5 24. b3 {followed by Qf6, when the rook can't leave h8. Needless to
say, this is Fritz's analysis, not mine!})) 14... Bd6 {I wonder whether I
would have noticed that} 15. Bxd7+ {"encourages"} Kxd7 {as} (15... Qxd7 16.
O-O-O O-O 17. Bb4 {is even better for White:} Nc6 18. Rxd6 Qxd6 19. Qxf8+ Qxf8
20. Bxf8 Kxf8 $18) 16. Qd5 Ke7 17. O-O-O Rc8 18. Bg5+ Ke8 (18... f6 19. Bxf6+
Kxf6 20. Qxd6+ $18) 19. Rd2 $18) 14. Qxe5+ {Here I was spoiled for choice and
concerned to KISS so as not to throw the win away. I'm again glad to see that
Fritz agrees with me! Replaying the game, OTB, I thought, why not} (14. c3 O-O
15. cxb4 {which leaves me two pawns up and with bishops versus knights. After}
Qb6 {I could take the rook, but it leaves my king rather exposed.} 16. Qxa8
Qxb5 17. Qxa7 {After the game, John said he'd've resigned straight away if I'd
simply taken on d7; I don't know whether this was when he was referring to:}) (
14. Bxd7+ {but it's actually only Fritz's third choice:} Kf8 15. Qxa5 Bxa5 16.
Bxa5 Nxd7 17. O-O-O $18 {I decided pretty swiftly not to go for}) (14. Qxa8 $2
Bxd2+ 15. Ke2 Qxb5+ 16. Kxd2 Qb6 {which leaves Black in the better position; e,
g.} 17. Rae1 O-O 18. Qd5 Qxb2 19. Rb1 Qa3 20. Qd3 Qxa2 $19) 14... Kd8 15. Qxh8+
Ke7 16. c3 {Even better was} (16. Bxd7 {(perhaps this is when John was
thinking about resigning)} Bxd2+ 17. Ke2 {and now he can't take my bishop with
either the knight or the king, or he loses his rook or bishop in return. He
could try} Qa6+ 18. Kxd2 Qd6+ 19. Kc1 Qxd7 20. Rd1 Qe8 21. Qxh7 $18) 16... Bxc3
{Tempting to get a pawn back, but} (16... Qxb5 17. cxb4 {left him with a few
more possibilities against my king. I'm still winning, though.}) 17. Bxc3 Qxb5
18. O-O-O {Finally I do the natural thing and castle, only to find that Fritz
now prefers} (18. Rd1 Qb6 19. Qc8 {and how does Black prevent 20.Rxd7+ and 21.
Qxa8?}) 18... a5 {Trying to get his rook out, but he should have played 18...
Qc6 to prevent 19.Be6+.} 19. Rd5 {In my defence, I did notice that} (19. Bf6+
$1 Nxf6 {is mate in two, but I didn't analyse} (19... Ke6 {sufficiently. The
answer is} 20. Bd8 $1 {when how is Black to stop Qe8#? Not by} Qc5+ 21. Kb1 Qf8
{when, I am proud to say that I (analysing OTB) noticed} 22. Rd6+ $3 Kxd6 (
22... Qxd6 23. Qe8+ {and mates on e7.}) 23. Qd4+ {and mates on d5; isn't that
pretty?})) 19... Qa4 20. Rhd1 {20.Bf6+ was still possible.} Ra6 21. Re5+ Nxe5 {
Better was} (21... Re6 {when I was intending} 22. Rxe6+ {and didn't see} (22.
Bxa5 Qc4+ 23. Kb1 Nc6 24. Red5 Nf8 25. Bd8+ Ke8 26. Bg5 {which Fritz gives as
mate in 13; far too complicated for me!}) 22... fxe6 23. Qxh7+ $18) 22. Qxe5+
Re6 23. Qxb8 {A final mistake: I missed mate in three but he resigned anyway.}
(23. Qc5+ Ke8 24. Qc8+ Ke7 25. Qd8# {Awfully early in the season if this is to
be my best game!}) 1-0

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.10.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Leatherbarrow, A."]
[Black "Patrick, D."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "146"]
[BlackElo "162"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]
[BlackTeam "Courier 'A'"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Bf5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb2 c6 5. d3 Nbd7 6. Nbd2 h6 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O
Qc7 9. c4 Bd6 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nf1 Rad8 12. Ng3 Bh7 13. d4 Qb8 14. Bd3 Ne4 15.
Qc2 f5 16. c5 Bc7 17. Nd2 Ndf6 18. Bxe4 fxe4 19. Ndf1 Ng4 20. Re2 Rf7 21. h3
Nf6 22. Qd2 Rdf8 23. b4 h5 24. a4 h4 25. Nh1 g5 26. g4 hxg3 27. Nfxg3 Bf5 28.
Nxf5 exf5 29. Kg2 f4 {They reached the time control, Andy with about a second
to spare. The only remaining moves on his score sheet are 36...Bxf4 37.Rxe3;
Black won on the 39th move.} 0-1

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "King's Indian Defence"]
[Date "2014.10.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sykes, N."]
[Black "Clegg, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[Annotator "Sykes,Nick"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]
[BlackTeam "Courier 'A'"]

1. c4 {Robert said after this move. "Shame I was hoping for a French". I bet
he was! There was no chance I was going to play 1.e4 against Robert, he knows
he French Defence FAR too well. This has been shown with his games in the
Closed Tarrasch against Dave Shapland and an impressive win in the Winawer
against formed HB player Dave Wedge} Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 {This move order
prevent Black playing the Grunfeld} d6 4. d4 Bg7 {Much better!! A King's
Indian, I felt like I was at least on an equal footing with respect to opening
knowledge having lots of experience playing this with White and also playing
this opening with Black} 5. Nf3 ({I flirted with the Saemisch} 5. f3 {for a
season, but I have more experience with the move played}) 5... O-O 6. Be2 e5 7.
O-O (7. d5 {is the popular Petrosian Variation, this is line I face most often
playing Black}) 7... Nc6 (7... Na6 {is a trendy line but Robert likes the big
main lines}) 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 {The Bayonet Attack, I have polayed this many
times with White and feel pretty comforable in these sort of positions} (9. Ne1
Nd7 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 {is what most King's Indian players are
aiming for with a King hunt!}) (9. Nd2 {is the other main choice} a5 10. a3 Bd7
11. b3 c6 {is one line}) 9... a5 {This is not the most popular but is still a
big main line, the most popular move is} (9... Nh5 {when the big main line run
as follows} 10. Re1 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Bf3 c6 13. Be3 h6 14. Ne6 Bxe6 15. dxe6
fxe4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 d5 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Bc2) 10. bxa5 (10. Ba3 axb4
11. Bxb4 Nd7 12. a4 {is main line and similar to the game}) 10... Rxa5 11. a4
Nd7 12. Nd2 $5 {I figured that Black was going to play ...f5 so I wanted to
bolster e4 by playing f3, also after Nb3 attacking the rook,, also the knight
on b3 supports the c5 push which is thematic in this line of KID} (12. Ba3 {is
the main line}) 12... b6 {preventing c5} 13. Nb3 Ra8 14. Be3 f5 15. f3 f4 16.
Bf2 g5 {Black is playing in typical KID fashion as in the 9.Ne1 lines, but I
fear White's queenside play is faster} 17. a5 $1 {this move simply is aimied
to force c5} bxa5 18. c5 Rf7 $6 {The whole Rf7/Bf8 idea that Black plays in
the KID is way too slow here in my opinion, although HIARCS already assesses
the position is very difficult for Black} 19. Rxa5 Rxa5 20. Nxa5 Bf8 $2 {
Thematic but far too slow! This is more apt when the position is closed but it
is about to open up!} ({Robert obviously didn't fancy} 20... Nxc5 21. Bxc5 dxc5
22. Qb3 {which is probabaly Black's best, although White is still much better})
21. cxd6 cxd6 22. Nc6 $1 {It's this move Robert said he underestmated, but
Black is really struggling anyway. As far as I can see Black is going to lose
a pawn in a much worse position} Qe8 ({after} 22... Nxc6 {this loses the
exchange and probabaly the game} 23. dxc6 Nf6 24. Bc4) 23. Nb5 {Black need to
be careful as his Queen is running out of squares and must prevent Nc7} Nxc6
24. dxc6 {the c-pawn is now a monster!} Nb8 (24... Nf6 25. Nxd6 Qxc6 26. Nxf7
Kxf7 {leaves White up an exchange but may have made White work a bit harder})
25. Nxd6 Bxd6 26. Qxd6 Ba6 (26... Nxc6 27. Bc4) 27. Bxa6 (27. Rb1 $1 {is even
stronger} Nxc6 ({obviously} 27... Bxe2 28. Rxb8 {wins the Queen!}) 28. Bxa6 {
wins a piece}) 27... Nxa6 28. Rc1 Nc7 29. Bb6 Qe7 30. Rd1 ({also winning is} 
30. Qd7 Qf8 (30... Na8 31. Qxe7 Rxe7 32. Bd8 Re8 33. c7 Nxc7 34. Bxc7) 31. Bxc7
Rxd7 32. cxd7) 30... Qxd6 31. Rxd6 Na8 ({no better is} 31... Na6 32. Rd5 h6 33.
Rxe5) 32. Rd8+ Rf8 33. Ba5 {Robert had finally had enough!} 1-0

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.10.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Syrett, M."]
[Black "Colledge, D."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "142"]
[BlackElo "128"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]
[BlackTeam "Courier 'A'"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. Bb5+ Nbd7 6. c4 a6 7. Ba4 e6 8.
dxe6 Bxe6 9. d5 Bf5 10. Ne2 Bc5 11. Nbc3 O-O 12. Bf4 Nb6 13. Bb3 Re8 14. Na4
Nxa4 15. Bxa4 Bd7 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Qc2 Qe7 18. Kd1 Rad8 19. Nc3 c6 20. Kc1
Be3+ 21. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 22. Qd2 Qxd2+ 23. Kxd2 cxd5 24. c5 d4 25. Ne2 Nd5 26. Ng3
Nf4 27. Rhe1 Nxg2 28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Rg1 Nh4 30. Rf1 Re3 31. f4 Nf3+ 32. Kd1
Nh4 33. Re1 Rxe1+ 34. Kxe1 Nf3+ 35. Ke2 Nxh2 36. Ne4 Kf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Farrar, G."]
[Black "Leonard, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D93"]
[WhiteElo "137"]
[BlackElo "156"]
[Annotator "Leonard,Pete"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Belgrave"]
[BlackTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]

1. d4 {Never mind, all that revision of Alekhine's Defence will come in useful,
some day.} Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bf4 {A line of the Grunfeld
that I don't know; I am pleased to say that I found the "right" moves.} O-O 6.
e3 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5 8. Qa4 Qxc5 9. Qb5 Qxb5 10. Nxb5 Na6 11. Rc1 Bd7 {Where to
develop the bishop? Fritz 14 prefers} (11... Bg4 {and if} 12. Ne5 Rfc8 {comes
before he's developed his KB, so he can't castle to protect his rook on c1.
Play might continue} 13. b3 Be6 {and, with his N on e5, he doesn't have the
annoying 12.Ng5 that put me off playing 11...Be6.}) 12. Be2 {Sensibly
completing his development. Fritz prefers 12.Ne5, to which I think I should
have replied 12...Be6, getting my QB where I wanted it to be.} Rfc8 {Fritz
wants me to play} (12... dxc4 {Aha! I didn't see the possibilities here; he
can't play} 13. Bxc4 Rfc8 {threatening either 14...Bxb5 or 14...Rxc4, so} 14.
a4 Be6 15. b3 Bxc4 $17) 13. O-O Bxb5 {Again Fritz prefers 13...dxc4, though
it's less effective than at the previous move. My idea was simply the long
term one of spoiling his queen's side majority.} 14. cxb5 Nc5 15. Be5 {
Understandably, he wants to challenge the long diagonal.} Nfd7 {Which knight
to move and where to? I'd used quite a bit more time than him and this game
looked like being a long haul, so I didn't want to agonise for too long over
it. In fact, Fritz only marginally prefers 15...Ne5 or 15...Ncd7.} 16. Bxg7
Kxg7 17. Rc2 Nb6 18. Rfc1 Ne6 {I didn't want any nonsense with Rc7.} 19. Kf1 {
Gordon offered a draw, which I declined, saying that the match position was
unclear. I also preferred my winning chances, believing that my better pawn
structure and chances of hassling his queen's side pawns outweighed his bishop.
} Rxc2 20. Rxc2 Rc8 {As he has the only open file, I'm happy to get the rooks
off.} 21. Rxc8 Nxc8 22. Ke1 {Fritz thinks he should have been activating his
minor pieces, by 22.Ne5 or 22.Bd1.} Nc7 {Fritz prefers, though not by much,
either 22...Kf6 or 22...f6 to keep his N out of e5.} 23. Kd2 Nd6 24. a4 Ne4+ {
This undoes his king advance, making Fritz's point about activating his minor
pieces.} 25. Ke1 Kf6 {I did think about} (25... Nc5 26. a5 {but wanted my king
nearer before indulging in adventures like} Na4 27. Kd2 (27. b4 Nc3 28. Nd4 e5
29. b6 axb6 30. axb6 Na8 {doesn't win a pawn, as White has} 31. Nc6 {or, more
simply, 31.Nb3-c5xb7.} Nxb6 (31... bxc6 $4 32. b7 {wins.}) 32. Na5 {and 33.
Nxb7.}) 27... Nxb2 28. Kc3 Nc4 (28... Na4+ 29. Kb4 Nb2 30. Ne5 {looks even
less attractive.}) 29. Bxc4 dxc4 30. Kxc4 {and I think White is better, even
if Fritz rates the position as even.}) 26. Nd2 {Again Fritz wants him to get
his B into play.} Nc5 27. a5 Na4 28. Nb3 {Fritz prefers} (28. b4 Nc3 29. b6
axb6 30. axb6 Ne6 {I'd seen this far and thought that} (30... Na8 {won a pawn,
which it doesn't.} 31. Nb3 {(or 31.Ba6)} Nxb6 32. Nc5)) 28... e5 {I wanted to
minimise his counterplay, but Fritz reckons I can take the pawn:} (28... Nxb2
29. Nc5 Nc4 30. Nd7+ Ke6 31. Nc5+ Kf5 32. Bd3+ Kg5 {This has driven Black's
king away from the queen's side.} 33. Bxc4 dxc4 34. b6 axb6 35. axb6 Na8 36.
Kd2 Nxb6 37. Kc3 Kf5 38. Kd4 (38. Nxb7 Ke4 39. Nc5+ Kd5 $17) 38... e5+ 39. Kc3
f6 $15) 29. Kd2 Ke6 30. Kc2 Kd6 31. Nd2 Nc5 {Not wanting to get the N trapped
by 32.b4.} 32. b4 N5e6 33. e4 $2 {Getting impatient; he should compel me to
come to him.} (33. g4 Ne8 $15 {and there's still a lot of work to do.}) 33...
Nd4+ {and he resigned at once, though there's a fair way to go. However, in
addition to winning a pawn, I can also exchange his bishop, and his queen's
side pawns are vulnerable.} 0-1

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "French Defence"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Khan, K."]
[Black "Shapland, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C61"]
[Annotator "Shapland,David"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2014.10.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Belgrave"]
[BlackTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 $5 {Bird's variation has not been a frequent
visitor in my over the board repertoire but I've played it quite a lot in
blitz and felt I was familiar enough with the ideas to give it a try over the
board. If nothing else it has surprise value and leads to some quite unusual
positions that can be hard to understand and therefore difficult to play if
you are unprepared.} 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. d3 Bc5 6. Bf4 $6 {This looks natural
enough but infact its rather dubious and actually encouraged me to play the
offbeat continuation I'd been planning on essaying anyway. Better is any of
0-0, Nd2 or Bc4 which threatens the immediate Qh5.} h5 $5 {An offbeat
sub-variation in an offbeat variation! This was infact Henry Bird's original
idea. The point is to prevent White from playing Qh5 which can cause Black
difficulties in some lines. Invariably I find that this move leaves opponents
scratching their heads as to what they should do next. Here the move carries
the additional point of threatening g5 at some point when the White bishop on
f4 will have to retreat ignominiously or get trapped.} 7. h3 {Fritz already
adjudicates that the position is equal. The engine fancies White will have the
better chances after a less edgy, sensible move such as...} (7. O-O c6 8. Bc4
Ne7 {and White has a modest edge in a weird position.}) 7... c6 {So, this is
the main idea in Bird's Variation. Black drives the White bishop back, gains
time to advance his d-pawn and opens the centre.} 8. Bc4 {Or White can be less
acquiescent by putting the bishop on a4.} (8. Ba4 {And now} Qf6 (8... b5 {Is
less good because after...} 9. Bb3 d5 10. exd5 cxd5 {Black has weakened the
b-pawn unnecessarily.}) 9. Qf3 Ne7 10. e5 Qf5 {is downright bizarre.}) 8... d5
9. exd5 cxd5 10. Bb5+ {It's one of those situations where the first player is
expecting the second to play passively with Bd7 when he can swap off the
bishops and play on the weakness of Black's doubled d-pawn. Problem is, Black
isn't going to play passively. He wants to keep pieces on. Therefore it's
totally logical to continue with...} Kf8 $5 {This move has the added
irritation factor of threatening 11... Qa5+ so White now has to worry avout
his king's bishop. By this point in the game my opponent was already visibly
dissatisfied with his game and shaking his head. I'm not sure it was
frustration or confusion. No matter, he responded to the circumstances very
well in this game.} 11. Ba4 {It isn't at all clear that the natural looking
alternative...} (11. O-O {... is any better after...} g5 12. Bh2 Qb6 13. Ba4 g4
14. h4 Qxb2 {Black can afford to grab the material. White is hardly in any
position to exploit the loss of time. Calling this position obscure would be
an understatement.}) 11... Be6 {Fritz also liked the more aggressive line...} (
11... g5 $5 {At the time of the game I considered this but thoughtit might be
'a bit too much'! Black's structure is pretty grotty so the compensation for
it is activity. I felt I needed to develop my pieces having put White on the
back foot somewhat.} 12. Bh2 Qe7+ 13. Qe2 Rh6 14. Qxe7+ Nxe7 15. O-O Ra6 16.
Bb3 Re6 {and both players will need to think carefully about how to
disentangle their queen's side pieces.}) (11... Qa5+ {At the board I think my
opponent thought that this move might be winning me a piece but I thik he
later realised that he could defend adequately with...} 12. c3 dxc3 13. bxc3
Bf5 14. d4 Be7 {and I think White has been let off the hook a little bit here.}
) 12. Bb3 Qe7 $6 {Not the most accurate continuation. I an't remember why I
thought this was a good idea. The queen really belongs on f6 and Black should
in any case look to develop his knight first. The game move just encourages
White to play the best move available to him. Instead...} (12... Ne7 13. O-O
Ng6 14. Bh2 Rh6 15. Nd2 {and Black has the advantage here as his pieces are
active and he has some extra space to work with.}) 13. O-O {Of course!} g5 {13.
.. Qf6 was probably better but I didn't want to admit that my last queen move
had been incorrect. Basically I've lost a tempo as the queen will have to move
again at some point to be usefully deployed.} 14. Bg3 h4 {14... g4 would have
been ok too but my plan was to immobilise White's h-pawn and work towards the
advance g4 which would force open some lines.} 15. Bh2 Qd7 {Consistent with
the plan mentioned in the note above. Perhaps 15... Nf6 would have been better
though.} 16. Qf3 Re8 17. Nd2 Rh6 {I've left it too long to develop my knight
from g8. I should have bitten the bullet and put it on e7 long ago but I kept
convincing myself to wait until it was clear whether e7 of f6 was the right
square.} 18. Rae1 Bb4 $5 {The position has begun to 'normalise' itself to some
extent. At least, White's has! Black's structure is vaguely bonkers but the
pieces have still found useful squares.} 19. Qd1 {Pretty much forced.} Ne7 {
Finally! With the benefit of hindsight I should have developed this knight
much sooner in this game.} 20. Qc1 Rg6 {Fritz prefers 20...Nf5 which I did
seriously consider. However, the move I really wanted to play was g4 and I
realised I couldn't do that with the White queen on c1 as it allows a
discovery when the knight on d2 moves though looking at it again here I'm not
sure that White has any way to profit from that.} 21. c3 dxc3 22. bxc3 Bd6 {I
did spend quite a while here looking at what is undoubtedly the best move in
the position...} (22... Rc8 {At the board I thought I saw a good reason not to
play this but I can't remember what it was. Did I think White could just play
c4? I don't know.} 23. Nf3 $1 {Giving up a pawn but this is better then 23.Be5}
Bxc3 {It has to be the bishop taking in order to prevent Ne5.} 24. Re2 Bf6 {
I'm not at all convinced I'd have found this move as it looks really strange.
It is the engine's choice.} 25. Qd2 g4 {and Black has a sizeable advantage.})
23. Nf3 Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qd6+ 25. g3 $2 {Having been under pressure (or
certainly feeling under pressure) for pretty much the whole game Karim finally
makes what should have been the critical mistake. This allows me a combination.
} Bxh3 26. Ne5 {Also possible, and possibly better, was to go for an endgame
with...} (26. Kxh3 g4+ 27. Kh2 gxf3 28. Qf4 Qxf4 29. gxf4 {Can Black make the
extra pawn count when his structure is so fractured? Who knows?}) 26... Bxf1
27. Nxg6+ Qxg6 28. Rxf1 hxg3+ 29. fxg3 {So far so good. Fritz scores Black
with a winning advantage here. No wonder, the Black king is safer, he has the
initiative and an extra pawn and his pieces are more actively placed to
prosecute an attack. I was very confident at this point despite the fact we
were both under pressure on the clock.} Nf5 {This is fine, but more clear cut
and safer was...} (29... Qxd3 {I did give this move some conideration but, as
I often do, I went for a line I thought was more forcing.} 30. Rf2 Qh7+ 31. Kg2
Qe4+ 32. Kh2 Nf5 {Black retains control of the position.}) 30. Bxd5 {This
turns out to be much stronger than I recognised. The point I'd overlooked was
that from here the bishop doesn't just attack f7, it also protects h1 and g2.}
Qh5+ {Still this is ok. Best however was...} (30... Re3 $1 31. Qa3+ Kg7 32.
Qxa7 Rxd3 33. Qxb7 Qh5+ 34. Kg1 Rxg3+ 35. Bg2 Ne3 {and White is finally busted}
) (30... Re2+ {This was the move I'd imagined I would play at this point but
now I realised that after...} 31. Kg1 Qh5 32. Rxf5 Qh2+ 33. Kf1 {The White
rook prevents mate on f2.}) 31. Kg1 Qg4 32. Rf3 Kg7 $2 {Only this move throws
away Black's advantage. Even at this point 32... Re5 retains all the winning
chances. Of course by this point both players were in desperate time trouble.}
33. Qf1 Nxg3 $4 {Simply missing that it was mate!} 34. Rxf7+ Kh8 35. Qf6+ {
Having been applying all the pressure in this game right up until move 32 it
was particularly painful to lose. The more so as it also cost us the match!}
1-0

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "Two Knights Defence"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Johnson, L."]
[Black "Sykes, N."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C55"]
[Annotator "Sykes, Nick"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Belgrave"]
[BlackTeam "Hebden Bridge 'A'"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nxe4 5. Bxf7+ $6 {This symbol is given
by Bologon. Indeed it is not very good. This move was played by Les when we
played in the same fixture in 2012. He got a dreadful position then but
managed to cling on for a draw! I wasn't going to allow he to get away so
lightly this time} (5. Nxe4 d5 {wins the piece back}) 5... Kxf7 6. Nxe4 d5 {
White has a choice now} 7. Neg5+ $6 {Again the symbol is from Bologon} (7. Ng3
{is probably best for White although Black still has a clear advantage
according to Bologon} Bc5 (7... e4 $1 8. Ng1 h5 $5 {is given by Bologon}) 8. d3
Rf8 9. Be3 Bb6 10. Bxb6 axb6 $17 {and Black went on to convert his advantage
in Nigel Hepworth - Nick Sykes (Hudd A v HB A) 3rd Nov 2011}) (7. Nc3 Be7 8. d3
Rf8 9. O-O Kg8 $17 {and Black has an excellent position and went on to win in
Dave Patrick - Nick Sykes (Ind KO) 21st June 2001}) 7... Kg8 8. d3 h6 9. Nh3
Bg4 (9... Qf6 {and}) (9... Bxh3 {are also strong}) (9... Bd6 10. c3 Qf6 11. Be3
Kh7 12. Qe2 Rf8 13. Nhg1 Kh8 14. O-O-O $19 {and Black has a huge advantage but
White managed to salavage a draw due to Black's time troublewas seen in Les
Johnson - Nick Sykes (Belgrave v HB A) 27th March 2012}) 10. Qe2 $4 {A
terrible move, White could easily have resigned after Black's next move as he
is completely lost} Nd4 11. Qxe5 ({HIARCS actually assesses} 11. Nxd4 Bxe2 12.
Nxe2 {as White's best continuation!}) 11... Nxf3+ (11... Nxc2+ 12. Kd1 Nxa1 {
is even better!}) 12. gxf3 Bxh3 13. Qh5 Qd7 (13... Qe8+ 14. Qxe8 Rxe8+ {is
simpler and stronger}) 14. d4 Qf5 {White has to exchange queens, this makes
the win easier to secure} 15. Qxf5 ({The only way to avoid the exchange of
queens loses for White} 15. Qh4 Qxf3 16. Rg1 Re8+ 17. Be3 Rxe3+ 18. fxe3 Qxe3+
19. Kd1 Qxg1+) 15... Bxf5 {The rest of the game requires no more comment,
Black is simply a piece up and White has awful kingside structure, as long as
Black doesn't make a terrible blunder the win is inevitable} 16. c3 Bd6 17. Be3
Kh7 18. Kd2 Rhf8 19. Rae1 Bh3 20. f4 Rad8 21. Rhg1 Bf5 22. a3 Rf6 23. Rg3 Rg6
24. Reg1 Rd7 25. h4 Rf7 26. h5 Rxg3 27. fxg3 Bg4 28. Rh1 Rf5 29. Ke1 Rxh5 30.
Rxh5 Bxh5 31. Bf2 Bg4 32. Kd2 Kg6 33. Ke3 Kf5 34. Bg1 Be7 35. a4 g5 36. Bh2
gxf4+ 37. gxf4 Bh4 38. a5 Bd1 39. Kd2 Bh5 40. Ke3 Kg4 41. f5 Bg3 0-1

[Event "Calderdale League 1"]
[Site "French Defence"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Williams, W."]
[Black "Parsons, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D00"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2014.10.20"]
[WhiteTeam "Halifax 'A'"]
[BlackTeam "Huddersfield"]

1. c3 d5 2. f4 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 Bg4 6. Bd3 e6 7. O-O Ne4 8. h3
Bxf3 9. gxf3 Qh4 10. Qe1 Qg3+ 11. Qxg3 Nxg3 12. Rf2 c4 13. Bc2 h5 14. e4 f5 15.
Nd2 h4 16. b3 cxb3 17. axb3 O-O-O 18. Ba3 g6 19. Bxf8 Rhxf8 20. b4 Kb8 21. exd5
exd5 22. b5 Ne7 23. Re1 Ng8 24. Kh2 Nf6 25. Re5 Nfh5 26. Re6 Nxf4 27. Re7 Rde8
0-1

