Logo

Downend & Fishponds Chess Club

>

Games

>

Cowling 0-1 Beaumont

1983-10-01 - Cowling, Miles 0-1 Beaumont, Chris

Tyson - This one is an odd choice because there's no Downend player involved, but then it's an exceptional game. Chris Beaumont arrived in Bristol in 1983 and quickly made his mark by sharing first place in the 1st Yeovil Congress. This game is against a player who was graded 200 at that time. Cowling makes an error in the opening which hands Chris a clear advantage. At move 25 Chris sacs a Rook to completely expose the White King which is cut off from all its pieces. Can you spot the mate in 14?

[Event "YEOVIL OPEN"] [Site "?"] [Date "1983.10.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Cowling, Miles"] [Black "Beaumont, Chris"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A43"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1983.??.??"] {This game was originally in BCT issue 39 (December 1983) in the report about the first Yeovil Congress, won by Don Farndon and Chris Beaumont. The original notes are by Chris marked CRB.} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 c5 6. d5 {This is the third-most common choice on the database behind 6 dxc5 and 6 Bb5+, but I should emphasise that it's a long way behind!} O-O 7. Bc4 $2 {"Better are either 7 Be2 or 7 Bd3 when Black will hit the light squares with . ..e7-e6." CRB. The text is a common error. There are over 50 games with it on the database and, apparently, Cowling repeated this line in a later game against the same opponent.} b5 $1 {"Now Black will exchange a wing Pawn for a centre Pawn - always useful." CRB.} 8. Bxb5 Nxe4 9. Nxe4 Qa5+ 10. Nc3 $2 {This has a really poor record on the database. A lot of White players assume that forcing Black to surrender his King's Bishop here is in their favour. It's not as Black's activity and Pawn structure are superior to White's. Almost any other way of replying to the check is superior as White keeps his Pawns flexible although Black gets the two Bishops.} Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Qxb5 {"After that little skirmish Black has the better Pawn structure, better development and White can't castle. But as this has cost the [dark]-squared Bishop Black must beware mating attacks." CRB. Deep Rybka already has Black at +0.5 to +0.6. } 12. Kf2 {"If 12.Qe2 Qa4 13.c4 Ba6 with a clear advantage to Black [if 14. Nd2 Qxc2 TM]." CRB.} Nd7 13. Re1 Nf6 {"When a position with opposite-coloured Bishops arise the attacking side holds the trumps. I don't like to stop to defend pawns so I jettisoned it for open lines and quick development." CRB . Black runs little risk here. The extra Pawn is one of the pair on c2 and c3 and the sac meets with Deep Rybka's approval.} 14. Rxe7 Bf5 {Chris gives a very brief variation that goes "14...Bd7? 15 c4!" with no further comment. Deep Rybka analyses 14...Bd7 15 c4 Qxc4 16 Bb2 Ne4+ with a nice plus for Black. Regardless 14...Bf5 is the better move by far, looking at c2 and giving Black the opportunity for putting the Knight or the Bishop on e4.} 15. Qe2 {"15... Qxe2+ 16 Rxe2 Nxd5 [with a clear advantage but I wanted more than a better ending. " CRB. After a bit of thought Deep Rybka evaluates both the text and the variation as +1. or so.} Qa4 16. c4 Rfe8 {"Threatening 17...Ne4+." CRB. Which wins the Exchange by disconnecting Queen and Rook.} 17. Kg1 Ne4 {Deep Rybka prefers 17...Be4 and the odd 17...Kf8 to force the swap on e8. It may have a point as the evaluation after the text drops to a mere +0.78 to Black.} 18. Rxe8+ Rxe8 19. Qd3 {This is Deep Rybka's first choice as well, but I certainly wouldn't be interested in initiating a forced line that leaves White permanently worse and with the King unde fire. Even if the engine says 19 Bb2 is worse I'd play it.} Ng5 20. Qb3 Nxf3+ 21. gxf3 {"If 21 Qxf3 Qxc2 [with a big advantage]." CRB. An advantage that Deep Rybka puts at nearly +5. One threat is 22...Be4 23 Qg3 Bxg2! and the obvious 22 Be3 loses a piece to 22... Qc3. The c4 Pawn looks very deciduous also.} Re1+ 22. Kf2 Qe8 $1 {A nice switchback maintaing the initiative. Now 23 Bd2 loses to 23...Re2+ so he goes the other way.} 23. Bb2 Re2+ 24. Kg3 {"24 Kg1 may be better but a similar fate could await White in this line e.g. 24...Re3 25 Qb5 Bd7 26 Qb7 Rxf3." CRB. In this line Deep Rybka first improves with 24...Rxc2 threatening ...Qe2 at an appropriate moment. However, not immediately because White's 22 Bb2 has set up back-rank mates for White. It also likes 24...Bh3 because it can answer 25 Qc3 with 25... f6 and if 26 Qxf6?? Qe3+ mates quickly. After 24...Re3 25 Qb5 Bd7 the engine prefers 26 Qa5 which after 26...Rxf3 allows 27 Re1 and prevents the reply 27...Qd8 which would have angled for the Kingside again. After 27 Qb7? Rxf3 the evaluation goes back to a big +4.44 for Black. The conclusion is that 24 Kg1 is better but, unsurprisingly, White has to be accurate.} Re3 25. Qb5 $2 {Better are 25 c3 and 25 Bc3. The reason why is that after the text ...} Rxf3+ $3 {... forces mate in 14 according to Deep Rybka! I was sitting right next door to Miles when this was played after a twenty minute think. I could see the cage that the White King was caught in and I assumed Chris had worked it out to a mate. "If 26 Kg2 Qe2+ 27 Kh1 Rf1+ 28 Rxf1 Be4+ mates." CRB. Personally I prefer 28...Qxf1 mate. Either the above is is a typo or Chris had the Pawn on h3 when he wrote this.} 26. Kxf3 Qe4+ 27. Kf2 {Forced. If 27 Kg3 Qe3+28 Kg2 (if 28 Kh4 Qxf4 mate) 28...Bh3+ 29 Kh1 Qf3+ 30 Kg1 Qg2 mate.} Qxf4+ 28. Kg2 {Stepping left is no good. If 28 Ke1 Qe3+ 29 Kd1 Bg4 mate or 29 Kf1 Bh3 mate, a mating net worth knowing - see Mordue-Richardson Natcor Corres 1983-4. Instead 28.Ke2 Bg4+ 29.Kd3 (if 29 Ke1 Qe3+ etc.) 29...Qf3+ 30.Kd2 Qe2+ 31.Kc3 Qe3 mate or 31 Kc1 Qd1 mate. If 28 Kg1 Qe3+ transposes into the previous note so White is walking a tightrope here.} Be4+ 29. Kg1 {If 29 Kh3 Qf3+ 30 Kh4 Qf2+ 31 Kg5 (if 31 Kh3 Bf5 mate or 31 Kg4 h5+ 32 Kg5 Qf5+ 33 Kh4 Qg4 mate or 33 Kh6 Qf4 mate.) 31...h6+ 32 Kxh6 Qh4 mate or 32 Kh4 g5 mate!.} Qe3+ 30. Kf1 Qf3+ 31. Ke1 Qh1+ 32. Kf2 {32 Ke2 is not essentially different. After 32...Qxh2+ 33 Ke3 Qg3+ 34 Kxe4 f5 is mate on the spot. A short but important variation which shows that the King can't get past e4. The eremoval of the h2 Pawn also gives the Black Queen more scope.} Qg2+ {32...Qxh2+ is more accurate.} 33. Ke1 {If 33 Ke3 Qf3+ 34 Kd2 Qf2+ transposes back to previous lines which mate next move.} Qg1+ 34. Ke2 Qxh2+ 35. Ke1 {The line 35. Ke3 Qg3+ 36.Kxe4 f5 mate has already featured, while 35 Kd1 Bf3+ 36 Kc1 Qg1+ 37 Kd2 Qf2+ and mate in two has also been seen.} Qg3+ 36. Kf1 Bg2+ 37. Ke2 {If 37 Kg1 Bh3+ 38 Kh1 Qg2 mate is highly prosaic with White's pieces being as far as possible from their King.} Qf3+ $2 {Missing the mate in five with 37...Bf3+ 38.Kd3 (If 38 Kf1 Qg2+ 39 Ke1 Qe2 mate, while 38 Kd2 Qf2+ we've seen before and 38 Ke3 Bg4+ makes no difference) 38...Bg4+ 39.Kd2 Qf2+ 40.Kd3 Bf5+ 41.Kc3 Qxc2 mate. Deep Rybka says that it's now a mate in twelve not including this move!} 38. Kd2 {38 Ke1 Qe3+ 39 Kd1 Bf3 is mate so White continues to walk a tightrope that has been unnecessarily extended.} Qf4+ 39. Ke2 Bf3+ 40. Kf2 Bxd5+ $2 {Missing another mating sequence that goes 40...Bg4+ 41.Kg2 Qf3+ 42. Kg1 Qe3+ 43.Kg2 Bf3+ 44.Kg3 Be4+ 45.Kh4 g5+ 46.Kh5 Bg6+ 47.Kh6 g4 mate. Yes, thee are some basic side-lines but this one is very picturesque! By snaffling the d5 Pawn Chris ensures that he doesn't have to worry about three-fold repetitions for a while, and he has a new option which he soon takes up.} 41. Kg1 $4 {Obviously 41 Ke2 Bxc4+ wins the Queen so White goes back to the bare Kingside. This time Chris loops the loop and picks up the White Queen. However, remarkably 41 Ke1 seems to draw! If: a) 41...Qg3+ 42.Kd2 Qf2+ 43.Kd3 Qf3+ gets nowhere while b) 41...Qe3+ 42.Kf1 Qh3+ 43.Ke2 Bf3+ 44.Kd2 Qh6+ 45. Kd3 even loses! I can only think that Cowling was short of time and assumed that 41 Ke1 stepped into a mating sequence that he couldn't see, whereas Chris had already missed two sequences in the other direction so he went back there.} Qg3+ 42. Kf1 Bg2+ 43. Ke2 Bf3+ 44. Ke3 Bc6+ {44...Bg4+ is a mate in six but by this point Chris was probably tired of looking for mates!} 45. Kd2 Qf2+ 46. Kd3 Bxb5 {and White resigned four moves later.} 0-1

The games viewer used here was developed by http://chesstempo.com and is licensed under CC BY 2.0.