Struggle

On the Saturday afternoon at Kidlington, one of my Epsom colleagues expressed surprise at my plan to take a bye that evening, on the basis that if you want to win tournaments you should play in every round. Still, I did not regret my decision. We don't have infinite reserves of energy, and playing three slowplay games in one day feels slightly barbaric to me. A guaranteed half-point on the board was also very welcome after two losses, offering a clean break and a fresh start on Sunday. Sure enough, my fortunes (unlike my clubmate's!) picked up considerably on the second day.

This fourth-round game, against Adam Sieczkowski (1965) is in some ways a twin of the one with Peter Large in the previous post, even if it appears a lot less chaotic on the surface. The earlier round devolved into an irrational calculating battle whereas I've always valued the clarity evident in this game, but in both cases I embraced a sharp fight from the very start and profited from my opponents' mistakes. It seems Sieczkowski likes clarity too, and for a long time he stubbornly refused to be dragged into the mire. To say I rode my luck is putting it charitably, but my persistence finally paid off and despite missing my chances early on I finally came through to win:

[Event "Kidlington Open"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.02.04"] [Round "4.18"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "Sieczkowski, Adam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2011"] [BlackElo "1965"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.02.04"] {The dawn of a new day. Looking at my teenage opponent's games overnight, I got the impression he was not so comfortable in messy positions or when put under pressure, so I had made ready to play the 6. Bg5 Najdorf in anger for the first time in several years.} 1. e4 {(1:30)} c6 {(1:30) Or not. Oh well, time to go back to another old favourite...} 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 {... the Short Attack. I'm surprised it isn't more popular at amateur level, since I know of no clear route to equality. I hadn't looked at this in some time, but I remembered the basics and it is a variation which rewards those who take the trouble to understand its subtleties.} e6 5. Be2 Nd7 {I believe the direct 5... c5 is critical, but Black must know exactly what he is doing if he heads down that road and the text move is slightly more popular (though White scores almost 60 percent in both cases). Black is confronted with something of a Morton's Fork - if he shelters within his carapace then he is likely to be squashed by White's unchallenged space advantage, but if he tries ...c5 to break out then he is inviting me to blow open the game with c2-c4 at a moment when I have a considerable lead in development.} 6. O-O Ne7 7. Nbd2 c5 8. c4 {Ready or not, here we come! This is the thematic response to ...c6-c5 in this line, against which I don't think Black can equalise - and the consensus seems to be with me, as Black more often prefers to play slowly with 7... h6 (cf. Young-Kolbus and Young-Palliser, both from the 2018 British Championship).} cxd4 $6 {Consistent, but also rather co-operative: as mentioned already, Black is cramped and behind in development with his king stuck in the centre, therefore it is in White's interest to open up for business. Sieczkowski decides that if he is going to suffer then he may as well have a pawn for his troubles.} (8... Nc6 {is the computer suggestion, but it looks completely unappealing to me.} 9. cxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Nb3 Nxb3 12. Qxb3 $14 {Black still needs a couple of moves to get his king to safety, and meanwhile his b- and d-pawns are both vulnerable.}) (8... Rc8 {, waiting on events, has made an almost respectable score for Black, but this also fails to impress after} 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Nd4 Bg6 {and now the natural new move} 11. N2f3 $146 {to keep the pieces smoothly flowing in.} dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd5 13. Bg5 Be7 (13... Qb6 $2 14. Bb5+ $18 {forces Black to surrender material, for if} Nd7 15. Qa4 Rc7 16. Rac1 {wins outright.}) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 {(Taking with the king can also be tried, but speaks for itself)} 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Nb5 {Black's d-pawn is about to be lost and he has to put up with an octopus on d6.} O-O 17. Nd6 Rcd8 18. Qxd5 $16) 9. Nxd4 Nxe5 {To flip Keres's remark on its head, the older I get, the less I value pawns. I dimly remembered analysing this position in the distant past and concluding that White's prospects were excellent. I had, and they are, but at the board I couldn't remember what I'd looked at and had to find something for myself. Unfortunately I did not succeed in this.} 10. cxd5 $6 {(1:24) Not bad, and this remains the most-played move in the database, but as I pointed out years ago White has a considerable improvement in 10. Qa4+!.} (10. Qa4+ $142 $1 {24 games have been recorded with this move, from which Black has emerged with a mere two draws. This isn't the first move that comes to mind, as it is hard to assess that White's initiative continues even after the exchange of queens.} Qd7 {Other moves can be dismissed easily.} (10... N7c6 11. N2f3 {leaves Black struggling to contend with the pin against c6; the best he can manage is} Qd7 {however} 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Qxd7+ Kxd7 14. cxd5 $16 {regains the pawn with continuing pressure... all thanks to the supposed pride of Black's position, his light-squared bishop.}) (10... Nd7 {both destroys his structure and opens the central files.} 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxf5 exf5 13. Nc4 {Clearing the d-file.} Be7 14. Rd1 {White's threats are overwhelming, for instance} N5b6 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. Qf4 O-O 17. Qxf5 $18 {winning a piece on d7.}) 11. Qxd7+ Kxd7 {Not an easy choice, though this at least stops the knight's forays to c7 or d6.} (11... Nxd7 12. Nb5 Kd8 13. Nd6 {leaves Black in disarray - on} Bg6 14. Nxb7+ Kc7 15. Na5 {, and Black's lack of development is dangerous for him even now. It is a queenless middlegame, not an endgame! Not} Nc6 $6 16. Nxc6 Kxc6 17. cxd5+ exd5 18. Nb3 Bd6 19. Be3 $18 {, and White's rooks are drawn as if by magnetism to the c- and d-files.}) 12. cxd5 exd5 13. N2b3 Rc8 (13... Bg6 $143 $2 {is an unaffordable luxury in view of} 14. f4 Nc4 15. f5 $18) 14. Bf4 {I must admit that my instinct was that Black ought to be able to find a way out, but in practice he is yet to survive this position - the problems posed by his exposed king and retarded development are too great. Several games have continued} f6 15. Rfe1 g6 16. Nxf5 {(16. Rad1 might be even stronger, keeping the kingside locked up for now)} Nxf5 17. Rad1 $16 {, when White soon regains the pawn and the bishop pair constitutes a formidable advantage in such an open position.}) 10... Qxd5 {(1:06)} (10... Nxd5 $143 $4 {is unplayable owing to} 11. Bb5+ Nd7 12. Nxf5 exf5 13. Nc4 {and Black cannot get out of the danger zone in time, say for example} N5f6 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Re1 $18 {and the king remains caught permanently in the centre - if} a6 17. Bxd7+ Qxd7 18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. Nb6+) 11. Qa4+ N7c6 12. Nxf5 {I wanted something tangible for my efforts. The other option is to take on c6 instead; I think the choice is to some extent a matter of taste though it came down to bad analysis in my case.} (12. Nxc6 $144 Nxc6 {allows the e2 bishop to join the fight.} (12... bxc6 $143 $2 {was what I feared (of course not 12... Qxc6?? 13. Bb5) but this recapture won't cut it either:} 13. Nc4 {threatens Nxe5 to overload the queen, and} Nxc4 14. Bxc4 Qd7 {(or 14... Qe4 15. Bg5 and the queen is caught in the firing line of White's connected rooks)} 15. Rd1 Qc7 16. Bb5 $3 {spectacularly breaks through following} cxb5 17. Qxb5+ Ke7 18. Bg5+ f6 19. Rac1 $18 {, when Black is unable to keep d7 under guard.}) 13. Bf3 Qd7 14. Rd1 {White threatens Nc4, however Black can relieve the pressure by returning the pawn.} Ne5 15. Qxd7+ Nxd7 16. Bxb7 Rb8 17. Bc6 {Stockfish claims an enduring edge for White, though I feel that} Bc2 {, not letting White intensify the pin on d7, gives Black hope of unwinding.}) 12... exf5 13. Nf3 $6 {This wasn't an easy decision, as White has no forcing means at his disposal so has to choose from amongst the many plausible ways to patiently increase the pressure. I also considered 13. Rd1 and 13. Bb5, and my move is likely stronger than either of those, however Stockfish offers yet another option!} (13. Nc4 $142 {This is similar to the game, however it reduces Black's options because of the additional idea of 14. Nb6. (Actually Stockfish is intrigued by the possibility of 13... Be7!? anyway, though it doesn't seem to quite work out for Black). White can certainly hold his own, though the question of whether he has an objective advantage is finely balanced.} Qe4 14. Bg5 Bb4 $8 {This is necessary in order to control the e1 square.} (14... Qxe2 $143 $4 {lets the white artillery break through, with predictably disastrous consequences for Black's king.} 15. Rfe1 Qh5 16. Rxe5+ Kd7 17. Qb5 $1 $18 {The monarch has no defenders and checkmate is not far away.}) 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 {The most cunning way to keep the initiative up is} 16. Ba6 {, not allowing Black to castle and ignore the queenside. Alas, he can at least force a queen trade with} Qa5 17. Qxa5 Nxa5 18. a3 Be7 19. Bb5+ Nc6 20. Rfe1 f6 21. Be3 Kf7 22. Rac1 $44 {With two bishops and active pieces, White undoubtedly has enough for a doubled pawn, though I feel that the Stockfish claim of a slight edge is a little optimistic.}) 13... Be7 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Bf3 {(59)} O-O $11 {(53) I'd been hoping that my opponent could be tempted into defending his extra pawn, letting me gain more time against his queen, but this is the grown-up choice and I rightly considered it best. Black is happy to give the pawn back in return for his king's safety and the exchange of one of White's bishops. After this I had to think for a while. Of course, I had 16. Bxc6 as a fallback, but this was hard to get excited about; after all the captures on c6 Black would develop a rook with tempo, and equality would be the summit of my ambitions given the slight weakness of b2. Taking into account my disappointing tournament position, and frustrated at my failure to make the most of my chances in the opening, I decided to take a chance instead.} 16. Bf4 $5 {In for a pound! White is willing to stake everything on the bishops and the initiative, both of which can go a long way in an open position like this. The verdict of the computer is that, whilst sound, the offer of a second pawn shouldn't lead to more than equality and is therefore no better than the simple capture on c6. But your opponents aren't going to go wrong if you don't give them any opportunities to do so.} Qf6 {A surprising and immediate reply, continuing to refuse all attempts at complicating the game. This is fully playable, but I expect that a combative player like Korchnoi would have snapped the pawn off and demanded to see the evidence.} (16... Qxb2 $144 17. Rab1 {I expected} Qa3 {, which the computer endorses, though White's compensation should be adequate even after the queens disappear.} 18. Qxa3 Bxa3 19. Rxb7 Nd4 {Sadly it seems that after all the trouble, White can't do any better than recoup his investment with} 20. Be3 (20. Bd1 $5 $44) 20... Nxf3+ 21. gxf3 a5 22. Rd1 Rfd8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Ra7 Bb4 25. Bb6 $11 {, when the inevitable rook ending is balanced.}) 17. Rac1 $6 {Bringing up the reserves, however this natural vantage point for the rook is tactically unfortunate.} (17. Rfe1 $142 {This draws the sting of 17... Nd4? by controlling e2 in advance, although as in the game Black can force me to equalise with} b5 $1 18. Qxb5 Nd4 19. Qd3 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 Qxb2 21. Be5 Qa3 22. Qxf5 $11) 17... b5 $6 {This was played following 11 minutes' thought, and took me aback as I hadn't considered the possibility at all. The move achieves its goal - snuff out any sort of initiative by forcing me to let one of my bishops be traded off - but why should Black limit himself to seeking drab equality?} (17... Nd4 $142 {is an attempt to play for more, although in fairness Black would have to see quite far to determine that it offers any special chances. Initially Stockfish claims that this offers Black a sizeable advantage, although it calms down in time.} 18. Bxb7 Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Nxc1 (19... Rad8 {is another way; then} 20. Rc2 Nxf4 21. Qxf4 Rd4 22. Qc1 Rfd8 $11 {finally brings the last of the black forces into play. My gut instinct is that White should be quite alright here with no weaknesses and the entry points on the d-file under control, although the engine points out the intriguing possibility of starting a pawn storm with ...g5 and ...h5-h4...}) 20. Bxa8 {I'd seen this far in advance and concluded I was fine, though Black can pose some problems with} Nd3 21. Bd5 Rd8 22. Bb3 Bc5 {, defending a7 with tempo. White will lose a pawn, however} 23. Be3 Nxb2 24. Qf4 Nd3 25. Qc7 {, not fearing the back rank tactics that arise from} Nxf2+ $1 26. Bxf2 Bxf2 {, should be active enough for White after} 27. Qf4 Bb6 28. Qxf5 Qxf5 29. Rxf5 $44 {- the opposite-coloured bishops offer White both nagging pressure on f7 if the rooks remain and a high drawing margin in the ending if they don't.}) 18. Qxb5 {At first I was very sceptical of Black's last move and was looking for a way to exploit the hanging knight. However, for once I was able to calculate with enough clarity to determine that I have nothing better than falling in with Black's wishes.} (18. Qa6 $6 Nd4 19. Qxf6 Nxf3+ {(check!)} 20. gxf3 Bxf6 $15 {can be compared with}) (18. Rxc6 $6 bxa4 19. Rxf6 Bxf6 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 $15 {- in both cases Black's bishop points straight at my weak b-pawn, and though winning is by no means easy for him it would be a joyless defence on my part.}) 18... Nd4 19. Qd3 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 {(39)} Qxb2 {(41) Here too Black has apparently won a clean pawn, though I didn't particularly fear this as, with his queen out of play and a rook landing on the seventh rank, the compensation for it was not in question in my mind.} 21. Rc7 Bf6 22. Qd5 $6 {This seemed to be a good multipurpose move: not only do I defend a2 and eyeball f5, but I also threaten 23. Rxf7 overloading the f8 rook. The only problem is that my queen is now vulnerable attack, so it was necessary to shuffle the move order.} (22. Bd6 $142 {In this version of events the f8 rook really is forced to abandon its post, so now} Rfd8 23. Qd5 {forcibly regains the pawn.} Kh8 24. Rxf7 h6 $11 {The engine gives a clean line of 0.00s here, although with Black's king now slightly weakened and the white forces buzzing around his camp, one feels the onus is on the second player to be precise.}) 22... Rad8 23. Qa5 $6 {It would be wrong to trade f5 for a2, granting Black an outside passed pawn, but this is not a good square for the queen as we will soon see.} (23. Bd6 $143 $2 {was my first thought, but of course the bishop is pinned, so the threat to the defender of f7 is illusory. And in fact things are much worse than I thought - Black can essentially win on the spot with} Rxd6 $1 24. Qxd6 Be5 25. Qd7 Bxc7 26. Qxc7 Qxa2 $19 {and the a-pawn runs all the way home.}) (23. Qb3 $142 $1 {is therefore the way to go - much as in the 10. Qa4+! variation from earlier, the greater activity of my rooks really comes into its own once the queens are removed, as Black's counterplay disappears with them.} Qxb3 {(23... Qe2 24. Qc4 insists)} 24. axb3 Bd4 25. Be3 $1 Bxe3 26. fxe3 g6 {It is true that White's structure has been shredded, but} 27. Ra1 $11 {makes it obvious that he doesn't care about this.}) 23... Qe2 $6 {With this move Black forgets about pawns and tries to take the initiative, suddenly introducing ...Rd1 ideas. It certainly can't be said I responded well to this, but the tactics smile more kindly on a refinement of this idea.} (23... Bd4 $142 {Threatening ...Bb6, but the real kicker is that my kingside is also tender:} 24. Qxf5 Bxf2+ $1 $17 {wins a pawn, since White is undone by his back rank if he tries} 25. Rxf2 $2 Rd1+ 26. Rf1 Qd4+ 27. Be3 Qxe3+ 28. Kh1 g6 29. Qf6 Qe6 30. Qf3 Rxf1+ 31. Qxf1 Qxa2 $19 {, when two extra pawns are easily enough to win.}) 24. g3 $4 {Creating luft for my king in anticipation of the ...Rd1 invasion, and also cutting out the ...Bxf2+ tactic (I hadn't seen the line above, but I realised such ideas were in the air). However this could and frankly should have lost instantly! It was imperative to reinforce the back rank with 24. Rcc1 (and not 24. Re1?, losing to the study-like 24... Bc3!!).} Bd4 $4 {A miraculous escape.} (24... Rd1 $142 {Given that my last move was played specifically to defend against this move, it's astonishing that neither side noticed the scorpion's sting at the end:} 25. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 26. Kg2 Bd8 $19 {, winning the exchange and the game. Fortune really does favour the brave!}) 25. Qxf5 {(18) Despite the omission I have nothing better than this undesirable trade of pawns - 25... Bb6 was threatened again and I was worried about ...g5 in some variations. I fully expected Black to take on a2, leaving me with doubtful compensation since one of my rooks is tethered to f2, but instead came another surprise, consistent with his over-modest defence up to this point.} Bb6 $6 {(29)} 26. Rc2 $11 {(White draw offer!?)} Qf3 {Sieczkowski made this silent refusal instantly. Fair enough, as he is a little more active, but in the event of unsuccessful peace negotiations the hawk takes on a psychological obligation that the dove does not...} 27. Qh3 Rd1 28. Qg2 $8 {I got as far as reaching out to play 28. Rc8??, but at the very last moment I realised it loses to 28... Qxf2+ (28... Bxf2# isn't bad either). So I returned to the original idea behind my last move.} Rxf1+ 29. Qxf1 Re8 {Suddenly White has been reduced to total passivity, and to make things worse I was in deepening time trouble. My opponent was clearly furious at how the game concluded, from a position where I can hardly move at all - over the next few moves I balance on a tightrope, but refuse to fall.} 30. h4 {(6)} h5 {(26)} 31. Rd2 {White wants to play Qg2 to drive off the enemy queen, but this would lose to ...Qd1+ if played at once. So the rook moves to prevent this check, also eyeing an entry square on the seventh rank which the enemy bishop cannot touch.} g6 32. Qg2 Re1+ 33. Kh2 {Now my previous three moves make sense: I have cleared the exposed back rank and set up an impregnable defence of my only remaining weakness on f2. By this point, despite appearances, I would suggest that only I can be better because (in a middlegame at least) Black's kingside pawns are on the wrong coloured squares. Hindsight is 20-20 though, and the correct result ought to be a draw still.} Qc3 {(I stopped recording)} 34. Qa8+ Kg7 35. Qd5 {Forcing Black's rook to guard the e5 square.} Qa1 36. Qf3 {And now I clear the d-file for my rook, but in turn Black counterattacks f2 and prevents the dreamed-of invasion. The position is balanced.} Rf1 37. Qd5 Re1 38. Qf3 {By this point Black's big lead on the clock had all but evaporated, and I was braced for a repetition of moves, which would on balance have been a fair result. However, this is where that refused draw offer comes into play! My opponent was not willing to repeat moves, and instead played} Ba5 $4 {, allowing me to turn the game on its head yet again - but this time for good.} 39. Rd7 {White threatens 40. Be5+! mating, so Black has little choice but to walk into a disabling self-pin.} Qxa2 40. Rxa7 Rf1 $2 {And now it ends quickly.} (40... Re2 {at least avoids a snap mate, however} 41. Kg2 Kg8 42. Bg5 $18 {followed by Bf6 and Ra8+ ends the game in short order.}) 41. Be5+ Kh7 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. Rg7+ Kh8 44. Qf8+ {One move from mate, Sieczkowski resigned and swept the pieces back to their starting positions with a look of utter disgust. It's hard to blame him, as this was a grubby win in the best tradition of the English weekend circuit. However, I was enterprising enough to make my own luck, and I was certainly due some after the previous morning.} 1-0

To be honest I'm not quite sure what to make of this game. It hasn't really survived its encounter with Stockfish, and I could tell that it was scrappy at the board, although it is only the double oversight on move 24 that really spoils it. I like to win logical, correct games, and in that sense it was a creative failure. On the other hand, it was a competitive success; chess is a struggle and finding life in an otherwise sterile position with 16. Bf4!? was key to eventually winning. The ability to - mostly - defend my kingside when Black returned the pawn to fight for the initiative was less glamorous but just as important, and unusually I had the better of time trouble nerves. It was an ugly win, but they all count the same on the scoreboard.

On the strictly objective side of things, I think the most illuminating moment is the variation on my 10th move, the point at which I lost the chance of a big opening advantage. I did think about 10. Qa4+! (when you're looking for candidate moves, checks are an obvious place to start) but discarded it pretty quickly: I had just sacrificed a central pawn so trading queens intuitively felt wrong. Nevertheless, the problems of Black's position remain, since the centre is opening up whilst his king is stuck there. General principles are an important guide, as it's not feasible for humans to calculate everything, but they can be obscuring. Interestingly a similar principle operates even much later, with 23. Qb3! to force the exchange of Black's only active piece. I didn't think of that one at all.

Buoyed by my return to winning ways, I won again in the afternoon. I played the opening provocatively to imbalance a Symmetrical English against a lower-rated player, but once he strayed into an IQP structure under bad circumstances I reverted to simple positional play, annexed the d-pawn and converted it in the ending. The last couple of posts have spoken about style a fair bit, but our main aim should be to win the game as efficiently as possible and there was no point introducing sharpness for the sake of it. That took me to 2½/5 - the first time I've reached a 50% score at Kidlington in three attempts - and a 2048 performance, which represented a good recovery after my torrid Saturday.

There isn't much confirmed in the calendar for the next little while, but as I still have no plans to join a club here in Oxfordshire it's likely that I will be playing a few more individual tournaments than in recent years. More games coming soon!