Through the looking glass

A few days ago I had the daunting challenge of presenting my best game to an audience of Epsom members. It got me thinking about an interesting question: how do you define a best game? Aesthetic value? Strategic profundity? Sacrificial body count? Accuracy? Quality of resistance? In the end I added another metric - being short enough to remember in front of an audience - and opted for a Winawer miniature, without feeling I'd really answered the question. That game has a clear strategic thread, and moves like 20. Ng6+ are not forgotten easily, but it's not very deep and Black was largely the author of his own demise. I was also struck that, of the half-dozen games I shortlisted, only one was played post-Covid - this one.

Back in mid-March I played in what may be my final 4NCL weekend for some time, as I wasn't selected for the final rounds of last season and KJCA aren't entering this year. For the Saturday round we faced Alba, who needless to say had made a daunting trip from Scotland. We definitely had chances of getting a result from this match, and we desperately needed one. I was on board seven with the black pieces against Alice Lampard (1948), a contemporary of mine at Bristol University who has gotten much stronger since then.

When I started playing the King's Indian again, the big question I had to ask myself was whether I was now comfortable taking on the mainline Mar del Plata positions. I tend to prefer positions where I can keep the whole board under control, rather than getting caught in mate-or-death races, and in the past I couldn't play these lines with the necessary indifference to the queenside. But, as I mentioned in my commentary on the recent game against Zakarian, I am a much stronger player now. I passed this critical examination with flying colours, producing a model game for the variation:

[Event "4NCL Div. 2"] [Site "?"] [Date "2023.03.18"] [Round "7.7"] [White "Lampard, Alice"] [Black "Young, Daniel J"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E99"] [WhiteElo "1948"] [BlackElo "2013"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Alba"] [BlackTeam "KJCA Kings"] {With only a win and a draw from the first six rounds, it was now crunch time for KJCA if we were to have any chance of retaining Division 2 status. My opponent started at Bristol University in my final year there, so I know her loosely but had never played before.} 1. d4 {(1:40)} Nf6 {(1:40) With so many (Semi-)Slavs to my name in the database in recent years, this seemed to surprise her; maybe she hadn't seen my game against Zakarian when preparing.} 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 {It was hard to say for sure, but from the few KID games I could find I was expecting a Makogonov with 5. h3. Instead White heads for the main line Mar del Plata positions.} O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Be3 {(1:33) This is White's most ambitious setup in the Classical KID. White can expect to break through quickly on the queenside with c4-c5, but the bishop is exposed to ...f5-f4 so Black gains time for his kingside counterattack. This is the choice for anyone thumbing their nose at Black's whole strategic concept, and unsurprisingly therefore was a Korchnoi favourite. The contemporary view is that White's position is too risky to play in an OTB game, and nowadays this hoary main line is largely confined to correspondence play.} f5 {(1:42)} 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 13. a4 {This is quite a deep idea: White anticipates ...b6 by Black (for example in reply to Nb5) and wants to lever open the queenside with a4-a5. The downside is that with} a5 {can hold this off for a few moves whilst White arranges b2-b4, and in the meantime she struggles for counterplay whilst Black does his thing on the kingside.} 14. Nd3 b6 15. Nb5 {(1:16) This does force Black to pay attention to the c7 square, but the downside is that White's control of e4 is weakened, so Black can economise on ...h5 and break with ...g4 directly. In such a sharp position every tempo counts!} (15. b4 {is the usual move, when play usually continues} axb4 16. Nxb4 Nf6 {(Jones recommends 16... Nc5!? instead, trying to blunt the queenside offensive altogether)} 17. Nd3 h5 18. Nb5 g4 19. Qd2 $6 {(19. Be1 is stronger, according to Stockfish, so that ...g3 later on doesn't come with tempo)} Ng6 20. a5 bxa5 21. Rxa5 Rxa5 22. Qxa5 g3 23. hxg3 fxg3 24. Bxg3 h4 25. Bf2 Nh5 $13 {leading to a typical Classical KID scenario: White is gobbling up the queenside, but whether he will last long enough to enjoy it is another matter. The engine rates Black's chances very highly although there has been a clean sweep of draws in correspondence play.}) 15... Nf6 {(1:41)} 16. Qd2 $6 {In the postmortem we mused about where exactly White had gone wrong, and I felt that it could have been as early as here. That's a bit extreme, but undoubtedly things become an uphill struggle for her from now on. Spending further time diverting the queen away from the defence of the kingside is a step in the wrong direction.} (16. Be1 $142 {is aimed against} g4 $6 {which can be well met by} (16... Ng6 $142 {It is better to be patient. White now needs to take more extreme measures to defend her king:} 17. g4 (17. b4 $6 g4 {now works well, as in reply to} 18. fxg4 Nxe4 19. Qc2 {there is} Ng5 20. h4 e4 {, and unlike after 16... g4?! the f4 pawn is protected.}) 17... fxg3 18. hxg3 Rf7 $11 {White has beaten off the first wave, but Black has freed his queen from the defence of the c-pawn and his attack will soon flare anew starting with ...h5.}) 17. fxg4 Nxe4 18. Qc2 Nf6 (18... Ng5 $144 19. h4 $14 {kills Black's initiative (cf. 16... Ng6 above)}) 19. Nf2 h5 20. h3 $14 {White is much happier with a knight on f2 than a bishop, and somehow is able to keep her king defended in this line.}) 16... g4 $15 17. b4 (17. fxg4 {isn't quite satisfactory either; opening the centre only makes it easier for Black to get at White's king.} Nxe4 18. Qc2 Nf6 {White cannot hold her kingside pawns together without advancing them en masse.} 19. h3 h5 20. g5 Ne4 21. h4 Bf5 22. Be1 Qd7 $1 {Again, time is money; Black is no longer bothered about his h-pawn.} (22... Bg6 $6 {gives White an opportunity to simplify with} 23. Nxe5 Bxe5 24. Bd3) 23. Bxh5 c6 24. dxc6 Qxc6 $15 {Black is taking over the centre and, to use the hackneyed old phrase, the storm clouds are gathering over the white king.}) 17... axb4 18. Qxb4 $6 {How else to justify her 16th move? Even so, it comes with the drawbacks mentioned above, and the point of the manouevre - to lend strength to a4-a5 - is defeated by tactics.} Ng6 19. a5 $6 g3 $2 {All of my moves seemed to flow very naturally, and I didn't hesitate for long over this absolutely thematic pawn sacrifice, opening up White's king and gaining time to transfer the knights to f4. After the game, Alice pointed out that I had a far more simple method, but felt that the course I had chosen was stronger - that would be true, but only if White was forced to play along as she does.} (19... bxa5 $142 {I didn't pay any attention to this possibility, but White cannot recapture! Instead she has to retreat and I simply keep my attack with an important extra pawn to boot.} 20. Qe1 (20. Rxa5 $143 $2 c5 $1 $19 {is the dramatic refuation.}) 20... a4 $17) 20. hxg3 $2 {(1:01) This is the actual losing move, after which the Black attack moves like greased lightning. The only chance was to be resolute and ignore Black's threat completely.} (20. axb6 $142 $1 {I noticed this possibility in passing but was reassured by the bishop being en prise with check. Nevertheless, my queenside is rapidly dissolving...} gxf2+ 21. Kxf2 Rxa1 (21... c5 {is another idea, which leads by force to an ending with Black having two pieces against a rook.} 22. dxc6 Qxb6+ 23. c5 Qxc6 24. Qc4+ Kh8 25. Nb4 Qxc5+ 26. Qxc5 dxc5 27. Rxa8 cxb4 28. Rfa1 $11 {I suppose only Black can have chances whilst his b-pawn remains on the board, but his minor pieces are so passive that I'm doubtful it is enough.}) 22. Rxa1 cxb6 23. Nxd6 $44 {So White is two pawns for a piece down, but what a knight on d6!}) 20... fxg3 {(1:26)} (20... Nh5 $142 $1 {The text move is obvious and good, but this is even stronger, restricting White's options. If he takes on f4 then 21... Nhxf4 transposes to the game having avoided the 22. Bh2 variation below, whereas} 21. g4 Ng3 {tees up ...Qh4 and forces White to give up his dark-squared bishop on b6 to clear an escape for his king.} 22. Rfe1 (22. axb6 $2 {is mated on the spot by} Qh4 23. Bxg3 fxg3 24. Rfb1 Qh2+ 25. Kf1 Qh1#) 22... Qh4 {White can't trade off his bishop instead owing to} 23. Bxg3 fxg3 24. Bd1 Qh2+ 25. Kf1 Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Qxg2+ $19) 21. Bxg3 Nh5 22. Bf2 $6 (22. Bh2 $142 {is a sterner defence, reinforcing the f4 square, but should still lose.} Ngf4 (22... Qg5 $2 {was my impatient intention, however} 23. Nxc7 Ngf4 24. Nxf4 exf4 25. Rad1 Rxa5 26. Qxb6 Ra2 27. Rf2 $8 Ng3 $44 {and White is still kicking.}) 23. Qd2 (23. Nxf4 $6 {is now unplayable, as White has not made enough progress on the queenside.} exf4 24. Ra2 Qh4 25. Qd2 Ng3 26. Re1 Be5 $19 {Black's main plan is ...Rf6-h6, and I don't see a good defence.}) 23... Qg5 24. Nxf4 exf4 25. Ra2 Qh4 $19 {White is a tempo up on the 23. Nxf4?! line above, and at first Stockfish thinks this gives her some hope of holding on, but this hope fades with time.} 26. axb6 Rxa2 27. Qxa2 cxb6 28. Rd1 {Protecting d4.} (28. Nxd6 $4 Bd4+ 29. Kh1 Ng3#) 28... Bd7 29. Nxd6 Ng3 {I don't see how the tempo makes any difference; White is still busted after the rook lift to h6.}) 22... Nhf4 $19 23. Nxf4 Nxf4 24. Qe1 (24. Rfe1 $144 {was what I expected, but I realised in the postmortem, as White did in the game, that} Qg5 25. Bf1 Nh3+ $19 {wins because the king doesn't have f1 available as I wrongly visualised, so the f2 bishop is lost.}) 24... Qg5 25. g3 {(38)} Rf6 $1 {(1:11) The '!' is for attitude. Up to this point I had played quickly and confidently, bashing out all the thematic King's Indian moves, and I was sure that I had a winning attack. I had foreseen that I had 25... Bh3 to win an exchange if I couldn't find anything better, but instinctively I was certain that I could finish this within the next few moves. Therefore I finally slowed down and invested some of my huge lead on the clock to find the correct winning method.} 26. Ra2 (26. g4 {I considered this to be the best defence, incidentally threatening Bh4, but Black crashes through after} Rh6 27. Nxc7 Rh3 $1 {, freeing the h-pawn to make the decisive contribution.} (27... Rh1+ $4 {I really wanted this to work, but alas White has} 28. Kxh1 Qh6+ 29. Bh4 $18) 28. Nxa8 h5 $1 (28... Qh6 $6 {gives White hopes of struggling on with} 29. Bg3 $8 Rxg3+ 30. Qxg3 Nxe2+ 31. Kf2 Nxg3 32. Kxg3 Qf4+ 33. Kg2 bxa5 $19 {, though Black should be winning anyway with his two bishops, the passed a-pawn and White's knight stranded in the corner.}) 29. Nxb6 hxg4 $19 {White is defenceless against the can opener.}) 26... Qh5 {It took me a while to spot this move, but once I did I quickly realised it breaks down the last resistance. The threats of ...Qh3 and ...Rh6 are so strong that White is compelled to open the g-file, after which it's all over.} 27. gxf4 Rg6+ 28. Bg3 exf4 29. Rf2 fxg3 (29... Rxg3+ $144 {was faster, the point being} 30. Rg2 Rh3 {which I missed.} 31. Bf1 Rh1+ 32. Kf2 Bh3 $19) 30. Rg2 {(18)} Qh4 {(51)} 31. Bd1 Be5 {Now Black is ready for ...Rh6, and there is no time for White to run:} 32. Kf1 Qh1+ 33. Rg1 Bh3+ 34. Ke2 Qh2+ {and Black wins a rook, so White resigned. She could have defended better, but this win felt very good. Not just for scoring with a direct attack on the enemy king, but because when I played the KID the first time round, I couldn't handle the Mar del Plata positions at all, never balancing attack and defence correctly. Evidently my understanding of the opening has come a long way since then.} 0-1

I remain very proud of this game. Even though I consider myself quite an aggressive player there aren't many games I've won by a direct attack on the king, and this win was the final proof for me that I can play the King's Indian with confidence once again. Having said that, I didn't pick it for my best game demonstration. Black's attacking scheme was worked out decades ago, and playing all of the moves felt like ticking off a shopping list. I only had to seriously think for myself over 25... Rf6! and 26... Qh5!. White's play on the queenside was much too slow, and past a certain point Black's attack plays itself.

The most interesting moment of the game for me is after 19. a5, both because of the unusual tactical resource I missed in rejecting 19... bxa5, and also because the move I actually played, whilst a stock idea for Black in this system, gave White a fleeting chance to get back into the fight. Even when you seem to have everything under control, turbulence is never far away, so it is a lesson (for both sides!) to look deeper. I am sure that stronger players would push through the resistance that the f2 bishop is en prise with check and insist on finding something, since anyone familiar with King's Indian positions will recognise (as indeed Alice did at the time) that White's position after 20. hxg3? is hopeless.

My win wasn't enough to avoid a defeat for the team, and we struggled to draw the following day despite Barbican defaulting a board - no thanks to me this time, unfortunately. I missed the final weekend but it didn't go much better, and without enough players willing to play in the third tier the KJCA adventure is over. That said, I was becoming less keen on the travel with every passing season, and it was getting harder and harder for someone of my strength to hold down a low board in division 2, so I am looking forward to having some more free weekends this season.

The next game that we will cover was played only two days after this one, back in the Surrey League for Epsom. Though I suspect that most of my readers know exactly how the season concluded, it's a dramatic saga for anyone who doesn't and a good opportunity to look at one of my better practical games of recent times - and one marred by some instructive mistakes.