1985-01-22 - Bennett, J 0-1 Mordue, Tyson
A classic King's Indian, Fianchetto Variation where White mistakenly gives up his dark-squared Bishop. Black's 25th creates a chain reaction that shows up dark square weaknesses right across the board.
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE CONGRESS"] [Site "?"] [Date "1985.01.22"] [Round "4"] [White "Bennett, J"] [Black "Mordue, Tyson"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E69"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "1985.??.??"] {Finally I was on 3/3 at a League Congress with a burning desire to make it 4/ 4. Original notes by Alan Ashby (APA) from BCT, Issue 50, Summer 1985.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. e4 c6 9. h3 Qb6 10. Re1 a5 {"Up to now it is a standard King's Indian position. Black's 10th is given !? in Batsford Chess Openings which quotes a game Ilic-Klauser, Switzerland 1976. That game continued 11 Rb1 exd4 12 Nxd4 Ng4 leading to an unclear position." APA.} 11. d5 Nc5 12. Rb1 Bd7 13. Be3 cxd5 14. cxd5 Rfc8 15. Bf1 a4 {"The timing of d4-d5 (White oftens delays until Black plays ...Rfe8.) and of ...cxd4 are crucial in this line, but after this move it is clear that the opening has worked out well for Black. Black has pressure on the Queenside and, as always in the King's Indian Defence, can aim for a Kingside break with ...f7-f5." APA. 15...Ne8 featured in all three games that got to this position on the database. I was determined to get ...a5-a4 in before my opponent stodged it up with a2-a4 himself, although he may not have done so. Deep Rybka evaluates the position as equal.} 16. Nd2 Qd8 17. f3 $6 {"Inviting Black to play ...Nf6-h5 and then ...f7-f5 with a gain of tempo, but it is difficult to suggest a constructive alternative." APA. The obvious alternative is 17 Nc4. Black can't then take the e4 Pawn because 17...Ncxe4 18 Nxe4 Nxe4 19 Bb6 wins a piece. Simply 17...Be8 is best with the Queen guarding the d6 Pawn and, as per the game, ...Nf6-h5 and ...f7-f5 follows where the e8 Bishop guards the h5 Knight after a possible e4xf5 g6xf5. With regard to the ...f7-f5 break I refer the interested reader to the game Botvinnik-Tal, 6th match-game, 1960 World Championship. In an analogous position after playing ...f7-f5, Tal was obliged to play ...Bd7xf5 which attacked a Rook on b1. Botvinnik moved the Rook, whereupon commentators thought Tal would be in full-scale retreat because of the threat of g3-g4 forking the f5 Bishop and the Knight on h5. Before that could happen Tal played the controversial piece sacrifice ...Nf4 and went on to win a complicated game. After 17 Nc4 Be8 it seems that White can't stop 18...b5 pushing the Knight back while gaining more space on the Queenside. He can play 18 a3 stopping the further advance ... b5-b4 but the hole on b3 may be useful to Black. Deep Rybka's suggested 17th alternatives are 17 Rc1, which is not unreasonable, and the peculiar 17 Qf3 which does defend the e4 Pawn as well but is definitely not a typical square for Her Majesty in this line. Both these suggestions leave the game as equal according to the engine. After the text Deep Rybka does give Black a small advantage, but I think it's more significant that he assumes the initiative which he keeps for the rest of the game. Intriguingly it may be noted that White has weakened the e3 square. The reader may wonder at the relevancy of such a comment but within another six moves Black has a Pawn on this square!} Nh5 18. Kh2 {Preferring this to 18 Bf2 which is answered by 18...Qg5, not bad for her Majesty who retreated from b6 just a few moves ago. Of course the horribly weakening 18 g4? is answered by 18...Nf4. If White then plays 19 Bf2 Black will then play 19...Bf6 intending 20....Bh4 swapping these Bishops and those dark squares will ache.} f5 {Deep Rybka prefers 18...Bf6 intending ... Bg5 with the same swap as in the previous note. However, the text is the natural move in the position. Black threatens a combination of ...Nh5xg3 and .. .f5-f4 disrupting White's Kingside dark squares anyway. Rather than retreat passively with 19 Bf2 Bennett provokes a crisis by exchanging Pawns on f5 and playing f3-f4 with an attack on the h5 Knight.} 19. exf5 gxf5 20. f4 Be8 $5 {I was okay with the line 20...exf4 21 Qxh5 fxe3 22 Rxe3, but I considered that the text would provoke 21 Be2 and a Bishop arriving on h5 rather than the White Queen must be an improvement for me.} 21. Be2 $6 {In retrospect 21 Nf3 reasserting some Kingside dark-square control, especially h4, may be better.} exf4 22. Bxh5 $2 {"After 22 gxf4 Qh4! is very powerful for Black. Now, however, Black's King's Bishop becomes dominant." APA. Deep Rybka considers 23 Rg1 which just allows 23...Nxf4 and White is never likely to have play down the g-file while Black has ....Be8-g6 as a resource. The engine also suggests 23 Bxh5 Bxh5 24 Nf3 Qf6 25 Rg1 Qh6 with the idea of 26...Bg4. This is a small plus to Black who now seems to have an initiative on the light squares! However, I think White should play 22 gxf4 anyway because by eliminating the dark-squared Bishop Black gets a big initiative on that colour complex. Also Bennett was already getting into time-trouble.} fxe3 23. Bxe8 {After 23 Rxe3 Qg5 24 Rxe8+ (not 24 Bxe8?? Qxe3) 24...Rxe8 25 Bxe8 Rxe8 is already +1 to Black according to Deep Rybka whose analysis continues 26 Nc3 Bxc3! - taking out the Knight that covers e2 - 27 bxc3 f4! with an attack. If here 28 Qg4 Qxg4 29 hxg4 then 29...Re2+ with a great ending. Black does have other options in this line including 26...a3!? and 27 Ne4.} Qxe8 24. Qf3 Qg6 25. Nf1 $2 { "White hopes to build up pressure on the Black f-Pawn with Nxe3 and Rf1 but overlooks a strong reply. If 25 Rxe3 Bh6 26 Re2 Re8 gives Black the initiative as 27 R1e1 loses to 27...Bxd2." APA. After 25 Rxe3 Bh6 26 Re2 Re8 Deep Rybka says simply 27 Nc4 with almost equality. Instead after 25 Rxe3 the engine suggests I play the move that I executed in the game, but there it's even better!} a3 $1 {Shaking White's position right across the board. The liquidation of the b2 Pawn unseats the c3 Knight which allows the Black Knight into e4 which increases the pressure on g3. The difference between 25 Nf1 and 25 Rxe3 is that the c3 Knight is not defended if White chose 26 bxa3 or 26 b3. Bennet was clearly shocked by the move as he used up most of his remaining time for his reply, and the control is move 42! I regard 25...a3 as one of the most powerful Pawn moves I have ever played, and the direct result was winning my first Bristol Championship.} 26. Nxe3 Rf8 {Not a defensive move as appears but an offensive one. Black now has the powerful option of ...f5-f4 because gxf4 Rxf4, Qxf4 is answered by ...Be5 winning the Queen.} 27. Nc4 { Realising that any other move of this piece allows 27...axb2 and 28...Ra3 when the other Knight is in bother Bennett takes control of a3.} axb2 28. Rxb2 {"No better is 28 Nxb2 Ne4 29 Nxe4 fxe4 30 Qxe4 (or 30 Qe3 Rf3) 30...Rf2+ 31 Kh1 Qxg3 mating." APA. After 28 Nxb2 Ne4 29 Nxe4 fxe4 Deep Rybka suggests both 30 Qg2 and 30 Qe2 but evaluates Black as +5. Suddenly there is a huge vacuum in the heart of White's position and Black dominates all the open lines. After ...Rxa2 Black will also have two passed Pawns, while White's King is very draughty, and he has a Knight on Knight two, always a negative factor. Some variations go: A) 30.Qe2 e3! - threat 30...Rf2+ - 31.Qxe3 Qc2+ when 32.Qe2 Rf2+ wins while 32 Re2 leaves the other Rook en prise, or B) 30 Qg2 e3! threats 31...Rf2 and 31...Rxa2 and if 31 Rxe3 Qxb1. C) 30 Qg4 Qxg4 31 hxg4 Rf2+ wins the Knight. Deep Rybka actually recommends 28 Ne2 to which 28... Rxa2 is, naturally, the answer.} Ne4 {Winning at least an Exchange.} 29. Nxe4 fxe4 30. Qxe4 {Badly short of time Bennett capitulates.} Qxe4 {After 31 Rxe4 Bxb2 32 Nxb2 Rf2+ wins the house. This left me as the only player on 4/4. I won the tournament and the title of Bristol champion after a last round draw with Graham Copeland.} 0-1
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