1983-01-01 - Cruickshank, Willie 1-0 Herbert, David
A cracking game of League chess. In a well-contested King's Indian Attack Herbert gets his blow in first, Willie counterattacks and Black goes down in flames during the time-scramble.
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE"] [Site "?"] [Date "1983.01.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Cruickshank, Willie"] [Black "Herbert, D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Doe,John"] [PlyCount "61"] {This game was played when Sun Life were a power in the League. Dave Herbert still plays for North Bristol, whilst stalwart Gerald Mobbs was the League Adjudication Secretary and is still South Bristol secretary. No doubt other ex-Sun Life members will form West Bristol and East Bristol clubs in due course! This is League chess at its best. Punch and counterpunch, mistakes and intuitive sacrifices, time pressure playing its part, a really competitive game that reflects well on both players, regardless of what a computer might say!} 1. g3 Nf6 2. Bg2 d5 3. d3 e5 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 $6 Be6 $5 { Given a !? by Willie Cruickshank (WC) in his original comments. I think both this and 6 Re1 are odd moves. In the King's Indian Defence Black usually avoids ...Re8 until he has an open e-file, and, again in KIDs, usually Be3 systems are prefaced with h2-h3 to prevent ...Ng4 hence here Deep Rybka is suggested 6...h6 first. Both these points come back to bother the players.} 7. Nbd2 Nbd7 {I wondered about 7...e4 here with the idea of following up with ... e4-e3, also a motif in the KID. Deep Rybka came up with some interesting lines. After 7...e4 8.dxe4 dxe4 9.Ng5 e3 10.Nxe6 exf2+ 11.Kxf2 fxe6 12.Kg1 Bc5+ 13.e3 Deep Rybka said this was roughly level. Alternatively after 7...e4 8.dxe4 dxe4 9.Ng5 e3 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11 Ne4! Nxe4 12 Bxe3! is an intriguing twist. The Knight is pinned to the undefended b7 square and there is: a) 12...Nf6 13 Bxb7 Nbd7 14 Bxa8 Qxa8 15 f3 which the engine said was level, b)12...Nc5 13 Bxc5 Bxc5 14 Qxd8 Bxf2+ 15 Kf1 Rxd8 16 Kxf2 - if 16 Bxb7 Bxe1 leaves White a piece down - 16...c6 which was evaluated as a slight plus for White - Bishop against Knight in an open but otherwise symmetrical position. Note how these lines already have relevance for the Re1 and Be6 moves. Put these two back and some of these lines wouldn't be possible.} 8. e4 d4 9. Nf1 c5 {After this move the position really does look like a King's Indian Reversed.} 10. h4 b5 {If Black's Bishop was back on c8 this advance could be countered by 11 a4 because 11...a6 would not be playable - 12 axb5 and there's a pin down the a-file.} 11. Ng5 c4 $5 {Ultimately Black lives and dies by this decision, The obvious alternative to stop the doubling of the pawns is 11...Qe7. After 12 Nxe6 Qxe6 The attempt 13 Kh2 - to force 14 Bh3 just fails to 13...Ng4+ forcing 14 Kg1 - to defend f2 - and Black can settle for a repetition with 14...Nf6. Clearly Herbert is looking for more already. He must view the opening of the f-file in his favour and thinks the e6 Pawn is easy enough to defend.} 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Bg5 Rc8 14. Nh2 {I have nothing against this move but I would first consider 14 a4. If the reply is 14...a6 then exchange Pawns and follow up with 16 Nh2 because the White Rook now has the a-file available to it. Of course the reply 14...b4 is a whole different ball-game but White can consider 15 dxc4 now that Black's light-squared Bishop is no longer a factor.} h6 {Given an ?! by WC. In view of the game continuation I can understand why and even more so given my antipathy towards Pawn to Rook Three in general.} 15. Bc1 $2 {But then I can't condone the loss of two tempi for virtually nothing. Had the a-file been open - see the note to White's previous move - then the a1 Rook wouldn't be out of play, but it is now. I suggest 15 Bd2 and if 15...c3 16 bxc3 dxc3 17 Be3 Bc5 with a slight advantage for Black. Alter the text Deep Rybka is unsurprisingly giving Black +0.6 or so.} Nc5 16. Ng4 $2 {"Blundering a Pawn. 16 Bh3 followed by reducing b4! reducing Black's Queenside play may be good." was the original note. I've no criticism of 16 Bh3 activating the Bishop to some degree, but I baulk at 17 b4 Na4 and the Knight hops in at the new hole on c3. I can hardly describe that as "reducing Black's Queenside play"! Deep Rybka merely comes up with mundane suggestions such as 16 Qe2 and 16 Nf3 which at least have the merit of doing something about the f2 square. In the game this square collapses!} cxd3 17. cxd3 Nxg4 18. Qxg4 Qf6 {Deep Rybka prefers 18...Nxd3 giving 19.Qxe6+ Kh8 (or 19...Kh7 20.Rf1 Qf6 21.Qxf6 Rxf6 22.f4 exf4) 20.Rf1 Qf6 21.Qxf6 Rxf6 22.f3 Rc2 giving it as plus 1 or so for Black. It could be even better. I'm not quite sure why it prefers ...Kh7 to ...Kh8. If the former I'd be concerned about possible tactics on the b1-h7 diagonal in the first line. Maybe the engine was concerned about Bxh6 lines? The text is definitely the human choice. White has two Pawns en prise and Black has defended the one he had loose. Herbert's tactical point is that 19 Qe2 is met by 19...Nxd3 regardless - 20 Qxd3 Qxf2+ and the e1 Rook falls. However, Deep Rybka says the difference is 0.6 as opposed to +1 in the other line. Curious, but this has Willie's endorsement to some extent because his next move is accompanied by the comment "Believing the d-Pawn to be more valuable."} 19. Rd1 $5 Qxf2+ 20. Kh2 h5 $5 {"Black hopes for 21 Qxh5 Nxd3 22 Rxd3 Rc2. This does not win because of 23 Rd2 but Willie changes the tone of the game with one move." First of all Deep Rybka says there is apparently no difference in evaluation between this and 20...Kh7. The point is clear though. Herbert is trying to deflect the White Queen from g4 so that his ...Nxd3 is not met by Qxe6+ and Qxd6. Secondly Deep Rybka does confirm if 20...Nxd3 21 Rxd3 Rc2 22 Bd2 Rxd2 23 Rxd2 Qxd2 24 Qxe6+ White is winning a piece - 24...Kh8 25 Qxd6 Rf2 26 Rg1. If 20...Kh7 the ironic 21 h5 threatens 22 Qg6+ and 23 Bxh6 so Deep Rybka suggests 21...Qf7 with an advantage of plus 1. But is that plus 1 Black's extra Pawn, the one doubled on e6, or is it some measure of positional plus? I think 20...h5 is the right move. It's later that Herbert goes wrong.} 21. Qxh5 Nxd3 22. Rf1 $5 {Deep Rybka suggests 22 Rd2. Originally the engine refuted this with 22...Nf4! 22 Qg4 (If 23 gxf4 Qxf4+ 24 Kh1 Rxc1+ 25 Rxc1 Qxd2) 22...Qe1 23 gxf4 Rxc1 25 Rxc1 Qxd2 but after 26 Qxe6+ Kh8 27 Qxd6 realises that 27...Qf4+ is met by 28 Kh3 avoiding the Rook being taken with check. There is a perpetual check on f4 and e3 but no more. Eventually the engine resigns itself to the modest 22...Qe3 with a small advantage. After 22 Rd2 I looked at the remarkable 22...Rc2!? 23 Rxf2 Rfxf2. After 23 Qe8+ Bf8 24 Qxe6+Kh8 25 Qe8 Rxg2+ 26 Kh3 Deep Dybka claims this was completely level! More to investigate here I think. If instead 22 Rxd3 Rc2 23 Rd2 Rxd2 24 Bxd2 Qxd2 25 Qg4 Rf6 Deep Rybka once again gives this as +1 to Black and there is little argument. The Bishops don't impress but clearly the Black major pieces are better than their White counterparts and the d4 Pawn has promotion ambitions.} Qc2 $2 {Herbert misses his chance. With 22...Qxf1 23 Bxf1 Rxf1 Black guarantees himself a material advantage. If 24 Qe2?? forking Black forks back with 24...Rf2+ emerging a piece up. Black may have to take his time capturing on c1 - Deep Rybka suggests transferring the Bishop to f6 to guard everything - to avoid the White Queen drumming up counterplay, but in the long run Black should be winning. The passed d-Pawn is a big plus.} 23. Bh6 $1 { "Black's King position is weak. If 23...gxh6 24 Qg6+Kh8 25 Qxh6+ Kh8 and now White can give perpetual check or risk the unclear 26 Qxe6+ and 27 Qxd6 ." Deep Rybka confirms the original comment with the effective continuation 26. Qxe6+ Kg7 27.Qd7+! Kg8 - retreating to the back rank again to keep defending the f8 Rook - 28.Qxd6 Qxb2 29.Qg6+ Kh8 30.Rf6 Rxf6 31.Qxf6+ giving White plus 5 after an eventual Rf1.} Qc7 24. Qg6 {Despite Black's Queen excursion f6-f2-c2-c7 Deep Rybka says Black still has an advantage here of +0.56. and suggests 24...Qe7.} Nc5 $2 {The Knight's defence of c5 could be undermined with b2-b4. First Willie takes the chance to get his other Bishop in the game.} 25. Bh3 Nxe4 $4 {"A blunder in time-trouble, but with b2-b4 coming his position was critical." This was not correct. Amongst other things Black has the calm 25...a5 to stop 26...b4 or maybe 25...b4 itself. Deep Rybka suggests swapping all the Rooks with 25...Rxf1 26 Rxf1 Rf8 and after 27.b4 Rxf1 28.Bxf1 Nb7 29.Qxe6+ Kh7 30.Bg5 Bxb4 31.Bxb5 claims the position is absolutely equal. Again, worth playing on. Now Black goes down in flames, no doubt his time trouble not helping at all.} 26. Bxe6+ {If 26 Qxe4 Black has the zwischenzug 26...Qc2+ swapping Queens before capturing on h6 with advantage. Willie plays the move that his Bishop has been dreaming about.} (26. Qxe4) 26... Kh8 27. Bxc8 Qc2+ 28. Kg1 Rxf1+ 29. Rxf1 gxh6 30. Qxh6+ Kg8 31. Be6# {The King's Bishop has the last word. This is the same principal mating net as in Mordue-Richardson elsewhere in Versus Revisited. Worth knowing.} 1-0
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