1984-03-24 - Mordue, Tyson 1-0 Lawton, Geoff
In the same line that CC GM Richardson played against Tyson earlier, a Pirc Defence, Austrian Attack, Lawton improves to a playable middle-game. However, he can't find a plan, makes an oversight and then accelerates the end by misplacing his King's Bishop and allowing Tyson to storm in on the dark squares.
[Event "EAST DEVON OPEN, EXETER"] [Site "?"] [Date "1984.03.24"] [Round "2"] [White "MORDUE, AT."] [Black "LAWTON, G."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B09"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "75"] {Geoff Lawton is an IM from Birmingham. He was awarded the title in 1984, a few months after this game. Lawton was the author of the fine biography "Tony Miles: It's Only Me: England's First Chess Grandmaster". His grade at the time of this game was 222. This was probably the first time that I'd outplayed a much stronger opponent. Deep Rybka does come out with a couple of things that I'd missed, and by the same token my opponent had missed them too. However, they don't amount to more than equality so it is difficult to regard these oversights as serious errors. The second one, at move 26, leads to some very long and instructive positions.} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Na6 7. O-O c5 8. d5 Rb8 9. Kh1 Nc7 10. a4 b6 11. Qe1 a6 12. Rb1 { "The normal move is 12 Qh4 but I wanted to see if Lawton would improve on my game against KB Richardson." See elsewhere on this page.} b5 13. axb5 axb5 14. b4 c4 15. Be2 e6 16. dxe6 fxe6 {"Richardson played 16...Be6? and after 17 f5! I had a strong attack."} 17. e5 {This seems like the most natural move and I've had good results with it in similar positions. Deep Rybka suggests 17 Bb2 and 17 Ng5. The former is sensible particularly if it leads to the exchange of Black's g7 Bishop, but I'm not sure about the latter.} Nfd5 18. Ne4 Nxf4 19. Nxd6 Ncd5 {Trading on e2 doesn't do much for Black. The Knight is a good piece whereas White's Bishop is restricted and would have difficulty finding anything to bite on if it did 'get out'. The reason why White retreats it next move is to simply increase the scope of the White Queen. Defence of e5 is important but here the attempt to undermine the d6 Knight with 19...Bxe5? 20 Nxe5 Qxd6 21 Nxe5 loses material. If 21...Rxf4 22 Rxf4 Qxe5 23 Qg3! followed by 24 Rbf1 gives White a huge initiative on the weakened dark squares and the f-file. I've had this scenario a few times. If 23...Qxe2 24 Rf2! wins because Black can't defend c7 or keep attacking a White Rook. Note that here 22...Qxe5 doesn't attack a Rook on a1, a minor consequence of my TN 12 Rb1.} 20. Bd1 Bd7 21. Ne4 {"On d6 the Knight does very little, but here it controls several useful which [other] White pieces can go to instead of stopping Black's pieces going to squares they would hardly think about." Let's put that into context. I can see little reason why the Black Rooks or Queen would want to be on b7, c8 or e8. I might make a case for f7 but as I could possibly play Ng5 according to circumstances then I'm not too concerned about that square either. The Black Knights are already further up the board and the Black light-squared Bishop doesn't look to be a key-player yet. From e4 the Knight looks at c5 from where it might have designs on e6, the same can be said of g5, but the specific focus is on f6 from where it can menace the Black King. Deep Rybka can't appreciate this because it can't understand a strategical regrouping. However, it's assessment of equality can't be far wrong. The main difference is that White has some ideas and it turns out that Black doesn't.} Bc6 22. Bb2 Qe7 $2 {"Very strange for a strong player to lose a tempo so simply. Lawton was using a lot of time but later admitted that he failed to find a plan."} 23. Bd4 {Simply threatening 24 Bc5 so the Black Queen has to move again.} Qd7 24. Ra1 $6 {"Hoping to distract a Rook from the f-file and then play the plan h2-h3 and Kh1-h2 [and only then g2-g3 to evict the Black Knight- I didn't want it coming into h3 if I hit it with g2-g3 immediately] more comfortably, but Black does not to oblige." The idea is fine but White does better to preface this with 24 Bc5 just to see where the Rook goes. I was probably reluctant so commit to c5 this early and release a defender of the e5 Pawn.} Ra8 $6 {A completely understandable move but Deep Rybka offers the remarkable 24...Nxg2 25.Kxg2 Nf4+ 26.Kh1 (26.Kf2 Nd3+ 27.cxd3 Qxd4+ picking up the stray Rook) 26...Qd5. It seems as if there is too much wood on the h1-a8 diagonal for this to be effective, but the point is that the only way to reinforce the e4 Knight is to move the other one which drops the guard on the d4 Bishop (hence the suggestion of 24 Bc5). If White moves the e4 Knight then that leaves the f3 Knight doubly pinned so that one can't keep the defence of d4 either! Of course after 24...Nxg2 25.Kxg2 Nf4+ White does have 26 Kg1 to which Black replies 26...Nh3+. If now 27 Kh1 Qd5 brings all the same tactics back into operation or 27 Kg2 Nf4+ is a repetition. So 24...Nxg2 could force a draw. Would Lawton have taken it even if he had spotted it? I wonder.} 25. Rxa8 Bxa8 {Black doesn't oblige. Indeed if 25...Rxa8? 26.Nf6+! is very strong. If 26...Nxf6 27.exf6 Bf8 (if 27...Bh6 28.Qh4) 28.Qe5 Nd5 29.f7+ Kxf7 (if 29...Qxf7?/ 30 Qh8 mate) 30.Ng5+ gives a massive attack. Alternatively 26...Bxf6 27.exf6 followed by Qe5 and Ng5 and Black caves in. An intriguing feature of this position is the Pawn structure. There is little Pawn play to be had although White can consider a Kingside advance to try to dominate the f6 square. However, take out the e5 Pawn and White has lots of attacking options and I've proved this several times in analogous positions in other games. Watch that space!} 26. h3 {Staying with the intended plan of a slow Kingside expansion. Once again Deep Rybka suggests 26 Bc5 for concealed tactical reasons.} Qc6 $2 {It's worth getting another board out here and/or making a note of the position. Deep Rybka says Black has a slight advantage after 26...Nxb4. Obviously if 27.Qxb4 then 27...Bxe4 which I doubt that I overlooked so I must have intended 27.Bc5 forking Knight and Rook. Lawton probably spotted this well so we both stopped analysing beyond that point. Not so our silicon friend. The engine then gives 27...Nbd3 28.cxd3 Nxd3 29.Qe3 Nxc5 30.Nxc5 (Not 30 Qxc5? Qxe4 with two extra Pawns) 30...Qc6 at which the point becomes clear. The c5 Knight is trapped, Black has 31...Rc8 coming and 31 Ng5 targeting an escape on e6 loses to 31...Qxg2 mate! However, there is 31. Be2 Rc8 32.Rd1! - threatening to get out with 33 Nd7 so Black is obliged to take - 32...Qxc5 33.Qxc5 Rxc5 34.Rd8+ Kf7 35.Rxa8 Bxe5 36.Ng5+ Ke7 37.Ra6 and Deep Rybka says Black is about +1 after either 37...c3 or 37...b4! A remarkable line. Yet again there is a concealed improvement. After 32... Qxc5 there is 33 Rd8+! Obviously 33...Rxd8 drops the Queen so Black has to choose between 33...Kf7 or 33...Bf8. a) 33...Kf7 walks straight into a mating attack: 34.Qf4+ Ke7 35.Qh4+ Kf7 36.Ng5+ Ke7 37.Nxe6+! (hitting the Queen as well) 37...Kxe6 38.Bg4+ (if 38...Kf7 39.e6 mate) 38...Kxe5 39.Qg5+ Ke4 40.Bf3 mate. b) 33...Bf8 - which means Black can't play ...Bxe5 getting a third Pawn. The back-rank pin is troublesome too - 34.Qxc5 Rxc5 35.Rxa8 and now the direct 35...c3 is met by 36.Bd1 c2 37.Bxc2 Rxc2 38.Nd4 Rc1+ 39.Kh2 Kf7 40.Ra7+ Be7 41.Nxb5 Rc5 42.Nd6+ Kf8 43.Ra8+ Kg7 44.Re8 drawing. Okay, so this is an 18-move variation but a lot of it is forced - yes, Black does have alternatives at move 35 - and demonstrates the vulnerability of the Black King in certain circumstances. So Black may have missed an opportunity with 26.. ..Nxb4 but to analyse all the above he would need ... a computer! So what is the ? after 26...Qc6 for? It turns out that the Queen loses contact with several important squares, namely d8, e7 and h7. The game continuation will show why.} 27. Bc5 {Suddenly Deep Rybka says White is better to the tune of +1. 18} Rd8 $6 {"Not a good idea but the Rook was attackable on any square except b8." Vulnerable is a better word than attackable and the implication is that 27...Rb8 is an improvement. Deep Rybka says that 28 Nd4 is good against either move.} 28. Nd6 {Judging that Nd4 is all the stronger if Black can't reply with ...Qc8 or ...Qe8 to maintain defence of the e6 Pawn. As for a retreat to d7 as well as it being two lost tempi White has penetration with ...Rf7 in mind once he can unclog the f-file.} Nc7 $2 {This is a clear oversight due to the combined pressure of time shortage and a quickly worsening position. The point of the move is to pin White's f3 Knight on the diagonal because of the mate on g2. Unfortunately it leaves the other steed hanging. Ironically Deep Rybka suggests 28...Qd7, losing two tempi as hinted earlier, and after 29 Qh4 hints at 29...h6 as a defensive try. Instead it recommends 29 g3 Nh5 30 Kg1! followed by Nd4 to increase the pressure. Well, Black's position can't be improved by having the Knight on h5 rather than f4 but humans would be reluctant to open the h1-a8 diagonal all the way.} 29. Qh4 {Forking the loose Rook and Knight so there is only one reply.} Rf8 30. Nxb5 $1 {Now the fragile Black position collapses.} Nxb5 {Possible is 30...Nxg2 31 Kxg2 Nxb5 (If 31... Qxb5 32 Bxf8 Bxf8 33 Qd8 is even worse.) 32 Bxf8 Bxf8 but after 33 Be2! White targets the c4 Pawn - 33...c3 34 Qc4 forces the Queen swap. Note that Black can't move his Rook along the back rank again because White plays 31 Nxc7 - the point of 30 Nxb5 - followed by 32 Qxf4 winning a piece. Going forward with the Rook doesn't help either. 30...Rf5?? 31 Nbd4 is a straight fork while 30... Rf7 31 Nd6 Rf8 32 Nxc4 and White is now two Pawns to the good.} 31. Bxf8 Bxe5 { "Short of time Black makes a despairing attempt at counter-attack but White gets there first."} 32. Qd8 $1 {This is one of the squares that the Black Queen dropped control of on move 26.} Bc7 33. Qe7 {And this was another one. Now Black only has one sensible move to avoid mate on g7 and it means the withdrawal of the proud Knight on f4.} Nh5 34. Bh6 $1 {Black has swallowed the e5 Pawn so, exactly as predicted earlier, now White is walking all over Black's Kingside dark squares. Lawton now has four pieces on the Queenside which do nothing for his abandoned King. There follows a series of spite checks but I have it all worked out.} Ng3+ {If 34...Bd6 35 Qd8+ Kf7 36 Ne5 or g5 double check and mate.} 35. Kg1 Bb6+ 36. Rf2 Bxf2+ 37. Kxf2 Ne4+ {37...Qb6+ is also met by 38 Ke1 although White does have the option of 38 Kxg3, while 37. ..Nh1+ 38 Kg1 shows a sense of humour at least. Black has two pieces in the very corners of the board while he gets mated in a third.} 38. Ke1 {With nothing stopping mate on g7 or f8 White starts setting up the pieces for the next game.} 1-0
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