1984-01-21 - Mordue, Tyson 1-0 Williams, Alan

The other half of a remarkable pair of games. Tyson is gifted a Pawn out of the opening, an open Sicilian, but a tense Queenless middle-game follows. Williams is gradually outplayed and at the end Tyson finds a combination which features the same (winning) move that would have drawn against Howard Williams the week before!

[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE CONGRESS"] [Site "?"] [Date "1984.01.21"] [Round "2"] [White "Mordue, Tyson"] [Black "Williams, Alan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B45"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "79"] {This game featured in Bristol Chess Times, Issue 43, May-June 1984 as the second part of an article entitled "I Got A Second Chance." The first half of the article is my game against A Howard Williams, the Welsh IM, at Cardiff a week earlier.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be3 Bb4 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nxc6 Nxe3 $2 {"Theory gives 9...bxc6 10 Bd2 Bxc3 11 bxc3 as equal. Alternatively 9...Nxc3 10 Nxd8 Nxd1+ 11 Kxd1 Kxd8 should be level. Instead Black allows White to recapture with his Rook and this costs him a Pawn immediately." Naturally theory has evolved since this game was played. 9...bxc6 is correct, but after 10 Bd2 Black now captures 10...Nxc3 11 bxc3 and then retreats to d6 or e7. This is still regarded as equal although I personally prefer Black. After 9...Nxc3 10 Qg4! hitting the b4 Bishop gives White a slight advantage. The text I'll come back to in the next note.} 10. Nxd8 Nxd1 11. Rxd1 Kxd8 12. Bxh7+ Ke7 13. Be4 {"It is not often that White plays Bxh7+ without the Bishop being the checking piece. Now it retreats in an attempt to bottle up Black's Queenside." No less than eight people on the database have played 9...Nxe3 over the years. Two players ventured 12...Kc7 rather than the text. At this point 13...Bxc3+ has been played several times with also 13...Rh4 and 13...Bd7 featuring. White scored 4-1 and 3 draws on my database and the 1 was heavily out-rated. Several prominent names featured in the games including at least two GMs, one as Black, so I'm assuming they didn't get here by accident. Deep Rybka assesses this position as almost equal so it may be regarded by some stronger players as a drawing line, but equal and drawn are two different things. Alan deliberately chooses not to play .. .Bxc3+ as he believes it may be useful later. Indeed it is, but even later on it's a tactical liability. That's just an incidental feature. However, breaking up the White Pawns with ...Bxc3+ is an important option. It's easy for White to defend the c3 Pawn with his King if it comes under fire, but the point of the swap is to render White's Queenside majority impotent.} f5 {This move is not in the database. In the belief that with Queens gone his King should be safe Alan expands in the centre.} 14. Bf3 g5 $5 {Consistent but it does help White create an outside Pawn and it gets to h5 very quickly.} 15. g3 Rb8 16. h4 gxh4 {Black hopes that by swapping on h4 the Pawn becomes vulnerable. It doesn't and actually succeeds in promoting. There have been plenty of alternatives for both sides so far, but there is little point in trying to analyse them as the actual game play has been very consistent. Deep Rybka still evaluates the position as roughly equal and it will probably continue to do so until the Queenside is clarified. Simply put White has Pawn majorities on both wings so has the strategical opportunity to outflank Black, but Black has a mobile Pawn centre and the two Bishops so it's clearly where his chances lie.} 17. gxh4 Bd7 18. Rd4 {"Provoking a crisis. Black must unpin since if 18...Bxc3+ 19 bxc3 White can play Kd2 to defend his Pawns and he has the choice of three files for a Rook." Alan chose to retreat and I would have been surprised if he has swapped on c3 now. Perhaps there's case for 19... a5 to keep the options open a little longer but then White can force matters with 20 a3.} Bd6 19. h5 e5 $5 {"Black allows Nd5 in the hope of [having] a target." This sounds controversial but Black can't really make any progress without moving forward his central Pawn majority, the one of his two assets, the other asset being the Bishop pair.} 20. Nd5+ Ke6 21. Rd2 $2 {"White will probably [have to] play c2-c4 to support d5 and the Rook will now be susceptible to a Bb4 pin." Vulnerable is a better word than susceptible and it's tempting to say 21 Rd1 is a better move than 21 Rd2. However, Deep Rybka doesn't show any difference in its evaluation of the two moves and I must have thought that a2-a3 would deal with ...Bd6-b4. I know it wasn't Ke1-e2 because that's the square I want for the Bishop in the event of ...e5-e4 as actually happens. After 21 Rd1 Bc6 22 c4 Rdg8 Deep Rybka claims that the position is equal.} Rh6 $2 {Deep Rybka doesn't like this move and suggests the immediate 21...Bc6 22 c4 Bb4! 23 Nxb4 Bxf3 which wins back the Pawn with virtual equality.} 22. Rg1 Bc6 23. c4 e4 {"23...Bb4 should have been played." After 23...Bb4 24 Nxb4 Bxf3 25 c5 Rxh5 26 Rd6+ followed by 27 Nd3! White retains an initiative although he's lost his extra Pawn.} 24. Be2 Be5 25. f3 $1 {"Opening lines and creating space for White."} exf3 $2 {Falling in too easily with White's plan. Obviously not 25...Rxh5 as 26 f4! e3 27 Rd3 wins a piece for White. However, worth considering is 25...e3!? 26.Nxe3 Bf4! 27.Rd3! Rxh5 28. Nd5! Bxd5!? 29.Rxd5 and the opposite-coloured Bishops mean this is a hard ending for White to win although he has chances. The immediate 25...Bxd5 seems to founder on 26 Rxd5 e3 27 Rg5 followed by 28 Bd3, although White can certainly consider 26 cxd5+ because of his two widely spread passed Pawns.} 26. Bxf3 Rbh8 {Deep Rybka gave consideration to 26...b5 before rejecting it after 27 Kf2! - threat 28 Re1 and 29 Nf4+. The immediate 27 c5 is poor after 27... Rd8! and the f3 Bishop is also loose - 27...Kf7 28 c5. Somewhere around here Alan gives up all consideration of ...Bxd5 probably because of the reply Bxd5+ and Bxb7 with a 3-1 Queenside majority.} 27. Re2 $1 {A strong move that pins the e5 Bishop and threatens to switch the Knight to via f4 to g6 with a fork. From now on Black finds his King is caught in the crossfire of White's pieces. Playing ...Bxd5 would probably relieve the immediate pressure but as I've already pointed out White has good options as to his recapture.} Kd6 $2 {"This is pointless since c5+ will [force] the King back [to e6]." Deep Rybka considers 27...Rd8 losing a whole tempo and 27...Bxd5 as already discussed.} 28. Rg5 $1 {Suddenly White's pieces are operating with maximum effect. Deep Rybka puts White's advantage at about +1.35.} Bd7 $2 {The natural defence but an error as Black no longer has the option of ...Bxd5. Also the Bishop finds itself in trouble on this square. Despite the loss of tempo Black should have played 28...Rf8. After the text White's advantage climbs to nearly +5.} 29. c5+ $1 {"29 Ne7 looks good until you find 29...Kxe7 30 Rxe5+ Kf6 forking the two Rooks!" After the text White really starts pushing Black around.} Ke6 30. Rg7 {"The idea behind this move is very deep. If 30 Rg6+ Rxh6 31 Nf4+ Kf6 32 Nxg6 forks and attacks b7 but Black saves by 32...Bg3+ and 33...Rb8." At the end both 33...Rc8 and 33...Rd8 are good moves also. The point of the text is fourfold. Firstly White threatens an immediate mate with 31 Re7 and 30...f4 only postpones it by a move after 31 Re7+ Kf5 32 R (either) xe5 mate. Secondly White threatens 31 Nc7+ Kf6 32 Rxd7 winning a piece. Thirdly the Black King is currently overloaded so White threatens both Rxd7 followed by Rxe5 and the reverse. Only a Rook retreat to h7 will cope with all these threats but 30... R6h7 allows 31 Rg6+ Kf7 32 Rxe5 winning a different piece. Therefore Black must play 30...R8h7 whereupon, the fourth point of the text, White picks up a tempo with hxg6 in three moves time.} R8h7 31. Nf4+ Kf6 32. Rg6+ Rxg6 33. hxg6 $1 {"Black cannot play 33...Bxf4 because h7 is en prise, 33...Re7 and 33...Rg7 get stopped by 34 Nd5+ and 34 Nh5+ [respectively] while 33...Rh6 allows 34 g7 winning [34...Kxg7 35 Rxe5 wins a piece again.]" Let's clarify a few lines here. If 33...Bxf4 34 gxh7 Kg7 35 Re7+ and White comes out a Rook up. If 33... Re7 34 Nd5+ is immediately winning a whole Rook. If 33...Rg7 34 Nh5+ Kxg6 36 Nxg7 Bxg7 37 Bxb7 and the advance of the c5 Pawn wins the other Bishop. If 33.. .Rh6 not only does 34 g7 win but so do 34 Nd5+ Kxg6 35 Rxe5, and 34 Rxe5 Kxe5 35 g7 as the Knight on f4 stops 35...Rg6. Finally 33...Rh4 34 Nd5+ Kxg6 (if 34. ..Ke6 35 g7 Kf7 36 Rxe5 Kxg7 37 Re7+ wins two Bishops!) 35 Rxe5 is a repeat of a line above. That only leaves 33...Rh8 which Black plays.} Rh8 34. g7 Re8 { 34...Rg8 makes little difference as do other Rook moves.} 35. Nh5+ Ke6 36. Nf4+ Kf6 37. Nh5+ {"A little repetition to gain time on the clock and to see if he went to the wrong square."} Ke6 {If 37...Kg6? or 37...Kg5? 38 g8=Q+ (or 38 g8=R+ - Deep Rybka showing a sense of humour!) 38...Rxg8 39 Rxe5 wins the Bishop yet again, but here not 38 Rxe5?? because 38...Rxe5 is check. If 37... Kf7? 38 Bd5+ wins.} 38. Bxb7 Bb5 $4 {Black is already lost as the following line shows: 38...a5 39.c6 Bc8 40.Bxc8+ Rxc8 41.c7 a4 42.Nf4+ (42.a3!? is a sadistic move) 42...Kd6 43.Rd2+ Kxc7 (if 43...Kc6 44 Rd8 wins) 44.Rc2+ wins. However, the text leads to a nice finish, particularly after what had happened exactly a week previously!} 39. g8=Q+ $1 {"The chances of being allowed to play the move P-N8=Q+ twice against an opponent of the same name must be minimal. I took this one!" See the note to White's 34th in the game against A Howard Williams, Cardiff 1984 if you haven't played through that one yet. The point of the text is that the Rook is deflected away from the defence of the e5 Bishop.} Rxg8 40. Nf4+ {"The wretched Bishop on e5 still needs to be defended and Black loses his other Bishop after 40...Kf6 41 Nd5+ Ke6 42 Nc7+."} 1-0

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