1985-03-07 - Brigden, Michael 0-1 Mordue, Tyson

The decisive game from the 1984 Club Championship, although played in 1985! Mike sacs a Pawn early on but gets a good bind. He outposts an unchallengable Bishop on e6 while Tyson's own Bishop chokes on its own Pawns. The position opens up and all sorts of odd things happen. Tyson's Queen walk along Mike's back rank at the adjournment is one of them. When the counterattack finally comes in the e6 Bishop is isolated but the KID Bishop makes hay.

[Event "D&F CLUB CHAMP 1984"] [Site "?"] [Date "1985.03.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Brigden, Michael"] [Black "Mordue, Tyson"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E70"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "104"] {This was the decisive game of the 1984 edition of the club championship. The final group games had been held up by the encroachment of the event into the 1984-5 League season so this pairing didn't happen until March. Furthermore the adjournment at move 36 put back the result to even later, but the play upon resumption was in stark contrast to what had gone before..} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bg5 {Anticipating the original note to move 9. This is the accelerated Averbakh system against the King's Indian Defence, a favourite of Mike's. His actual intention is to play f2-f4 which is a Four Pawns Attack but the posting of the Bishop on g5 gives the variation extra bite. More on this in the note to move 9.} c5 {Castling is okay here but not 5. ..e5?? 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 Qxd8+Kxd8 8 Nd5 winning the pinned Knight on f6. The same applies after 5...0-0 6 Qd2, 6 Be2 or 6 Nf3 e5?? etc. Hence the text which also leaves the a1-h8 diagonal open for Black's Bishop, not that it ever gets to use this diagonal in the game.} 6. d5 Qa5 7. Qd2 O-O {The immediate 7...a6 and 8...b5 is a sound theoretical gambit that I used in a subsequent Club Championship against Mike.} 8. Bd3 a6 9. f4 {This is the point at which we leave theory. The recognised moves are 9 h3 - to prevent ...Bg4 after Nf3 -, 9 a4, 9 Nf3 or Nge2 and 9 Rc1. There is clearly nothing wrong with the text. It's just a viable move that is not in the opening books and Mike has had very good results with it.} b5 {This is a standard counterattacking break and in this position it is not even a sacrifice. If White plays 10 cxb5 axb5 and then 11 N or Bxb5 the reply is 11...Nxe4 because either the c3 Knight or the d3 Bishop is overloaded. Swapping Queens on a5 makes no difference because the recapturing Rook also attacks b5. If it's 11 Nxb5 then the desperado capture on d6 doesn't work because Black recaptures with his Knight on e4 winning a piece.} 10. Nf3 {Mike is more intent on getting his development complete than opening lines for Black on the Queenside.} Bg4 11. O-O bxc4 12. Bc2 {"He leaves the Pawn hoping that it will only get in Black's way." Deep Rybka prefers to take on c4 but it is something of a matter of taste. Somehow the Pawn survives and even gets to take on b3 when White ventures b2-b3 later. Meanwhile the White Bishop re-emerges and gets to take up residence in the heart of Black's position.} Nbd7 13. Rae1 Rab8 14. Ba4 $6 {"Heading for an impressive square on c6." True enough but more immediate is the pressure it puts on the Black Knight on d7. White will play h2-h3 forcing ...Bg4xf3 and after recapturing he will be threatening e4-e5 attacking the other Knight which defends d7 so he'll be winning a piece. This is easy enough to avoid, but Black also has to find a way of not dropping his e7 Pawn after the f6 Knight moves. Hence Black is looking at a major regrouping and he gets it wrong! However, Deep Rybka thinks that the text is wrong because of the tempo that Black could gain next move with 14...Rb4 and suggests 14 Bd1 or 14 Rb1 instead, moves that Mike would be unlikely to consider.} Kh8 $6 {"Black becomes concerned about the coming e4-e5 push so vacates the g8 square for the Knight to guard e7." Frankly I'm amazed that I played so passive a move. After 14...Rb4 15 Bc6 R8b8 there is play down the b-file. I can only assume I rejected 14...Rb4 because of 15.Bxd7 Nxd7 16.Bxe7 but even then after 16... Rfb8 Black is fine. a) 17.Bxd6? Rxb2 wins material because the c3 Knight is twice attacked; b) 17.e5 Rxb2 18.Qc1 Bf5 - threat 19...Rc2 - 19.Rf2 Rxf2 20. Kxf2 dxe5 21.fxe5 Bg4 returning to pressure e5. Black is better here but this is probably White's best line. The engine spent a while on the very odd alternative 21...Bh6 and continued 22.Qxh6 Qxc3 23.Kg3!? which I'll leave to the reader to investigate but I can't see any King's Indian enthusiast giving up his King's Bishop like that.; c) 17.Rb1 - a passive move which allows an obvious line of play for Black - 17...Bxf3 18.Rxf3 Bd4+ - an inconvenient check - 19.Kh1 (or 19.Kf1 Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Qxa2) 19...Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Rxb2 are good lines for Black. To be fair 14...Kh8 is a sensible regrouping but 14...Rb4 cries out to be played.} 15. h3 {There is nothing wrong with the immediate 15 e5 but after 15...Ng8 it probably leads to a tranposition.} Bxf3 16. Rxf3 Nb6 $2 {Once again 16...Rb4 is more active, and once again I probably rejected it because of 16...Rb4 17.Bxd7 Nxd7 18.Bxe7. After18... Rfb8 19.Bxd6 Rxb2 there is a difference in that the Rook f3 guards the c3 Knight so White is not losing material as in the analogous line. Now Deep Rybka continues with 20.Qc1 Bxc3!? 21.Qxc3+ Qxc3 22.Rxc3 R8b6 23.Be5+ Nxe5 24.fxe5 Rd2 and the threat of 25...Rbb2 secures Black equality. There are other lines for both sides. After the text Black has no play down the Queenside and the Queen is cut off.} 17. Bc6 Ng8 {"Consistent, but after the game Mike suggested 17...Rbd8 when 18.e5 fails to 18...dxe5 19.fxe5 Nfxd5 20.Bxd5 Nxd5 21.Nxd5 Qxd2 22.Bxd2 Rxd5." This is correct but White has several other moves such as 18.Qf2, 18.Qc2, 18. Bh4 and best of all is probably 18.Rf2 which renews the threat of e4-e5 and probably obliges Black to go 18...Ng8 anyway. I originally gave the text an ?! but it's the previous move that is the error. Deep Rybka endorses 17...Ng8!} 18. e5 f6 $1 {"Forcing the exchange of the cramping Pawn." This must be played immediately. Give White another move and he could play Bh4 and then answer ...f7-f6 with e5-e6 splitting Black's position in two.} 19. exf6 {Deep Rybka seriously considers 19.exd6!? After 19...fxg5 20.dxe7 Nxe7 21.Rxe7 Bd4+ 22.Kh1 Nc8 it says the position is equal, but if Black has any doubts he just plays 19...exd6 transposing to the game.} exf6 20. Bh4 {Deep Rybka judges this position to be very slightly in White's favour, which means he has good compensation for his Pawn minus. Black should now play 20...Nh6 which not only prevents White's next but could be heading for the d4 square. Does White really want to play 21 g4 to prevent it? I can only assume that I missed that after 20...Nh6 21 Re7 I had 21...Nf5 forking e7 and h4 so I played 20...Nc8 first preventing a subsequent Re7 and with the idea of 21...Nh6. 20...f5 is also a possibility. Black gets access to the d4 Square with his Bishop and to the e4 square with his g8 Knight. To miss one good continuation may be regarded as unfortunate but to miss two is careless!} Nc8 $2 21. f5 $1 g5 $2 { "Despite the look of his Pawn-Structure Black should have played 21...gxf5 to obtain some freedom. Now White has a tremendous bind as Black approaches time-trouble." The time control was 35 moves in one and a quarter hours. I was very rarely in time-trouble throughout my career, which was more than I can say for my opponents, so this was occasion was unusual. I should add that all of our previous encounters had been drawn. After 21...gxf5 Deep Rybka analyses: a) 22.Rxf5.Nge7 23.Rh5 Qc7 24.Ba4 Ng6 and says that it's equal, b) 22.Bd7! Nce7 (Not 22...Nge7? 23 Bxc8! Nxc8 24 Rxf5 with a clear advantage) 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24.Rxf5 Qb4 25.Re2 Rfe8 26.Rff2 f5 27.Bg3 also with an advantage but Black certainly has some play here. There were plenty of alternatives for both sides but Black must look to play as actively as he can. And he still has an extra Pawn! By contrast imagine the current position without the Black Pawn on c4. White simply has b2-b3 negating any play down the b-file unless Black has ...c5-c4 and ...Qc5+ as a constructive tactic.} 22. Bg3 Nh6 {Deep Rybka evaluates White as +1 or so here. The upside of Black's position is that he controls e5 so he rushes a Knight there.} 23. Bd7 {"Transferring to the even better square e6." It is debatable whether e6 is a better square. From there it controls the c8 and g8 squares which prevents Black Rooks going there. However, by the end of the game it is completely isolated from the play on the other end of the board. There is a strong case for 23 Re6. The point is that after 23...Nf7 24 Rf2 Ne5 - Deep Rybka prefers the miserable 24...Nd8 flushing the Rook out but this may well be better - 25 Bxe5! and whichever Pawn Black recaptures with White e6 Rook supports the strong advance of the d- or f-Pawns as appropriate.} Nf7 24. Re4 Nb6 {"Black's only compensation for his miserable position is his extra Pawn so he grimly hangs on to it."} 25. Be6 Ne5 26. Bxe5 dxe5 {"Black allows [White] a very strong passed Pawn, but the alternative 26.. .fxe5 27 Qxg5 gives [him] a winning attack. Note that the presence of opposite-coloured Bishops assists the player with the initiative here because the opponent finds it difficult to control the squares not covered by his Bishop." After some brief analysis it appears that after 26...fxe5 27 Qxg5 White does not have a winning attack, but he has regained the Pawn minus and Black's Kingside looks draughty. There is no reason to give the Pawn back so timidly. The remainder of the note is spot on. The moves after the adjournment are a clear example.} 27. h4 $1 {"An aggressive attempt to finish Black off during his time-trouble." This is a good moment to pause and look at the position as a whole. Deep Rybka's alternative suggestion is 27 Rf2 which is useful for guarding b2 should Black play ...Na4. Its evaluation of the position is +1.45 to White. Exactly what is White's plus? There is a space advantage endowed by the advanced Pawns on d5 and f5 which gives White more options for manoeuvring so his pieces look more active. The Bishop on e6 is a very good piece if it can co-operate with the rest of the White army. In contrast Black's forces do not look co-ordinated and the Bishop is choked in by its own Pawns. I'd like to transfer the Knight to d6 to blockade the d5 Pawn but that drops the c4 Pawn. How does White break through here? The text looks like the obvious try but that's because it's the only try. Curiously Deep Rybka is certain that 27 h4 is correct, yet after Black's reply the evaluation drops to +0.9. So is 27 h4 wrong? Not necessarily. The point is that White is attempting to break through on dark squares, but because of the opposite-coloured Bishops those squares, in Black's half of the board at least, are Black's domain. After the reply 27...Bh6 Black's poor Bishop suddenly has potential. This means that 27 h4 is double-edged but to say that White must proceed with caution is hypocritical. If one side is breaking into an enemy position then it is entirely possible that they could be helping the opponent break out by tearing down barricades, and that's partly what happens here.} Bh6 $1 {"This does not really threaten 28...g4 because of 29 Qxh6 gxf3 30 Rg4 winning, but it forces [White] to be aware. The main point of the move is to close the Kingside as much as possible.)" It would have more accurate to say that Black is trying to prevent effective line-opening for White but, ironically, ultimately it is Black who benefits. Right now, however, the analysis is accurate.} 28. Rg4 {Deep Rybka prefers 28.Rh3 claiming nearly +2 yet Black seems to be holding after 28...Rb7 29.Qd1 gxh4 30.Rexh4 Bg5 31.Rg4 Rg7. As well as ruling out an inconvenient ...g5-g4 the text has a view to an Exchange sacrifice on g5. This prompts Black into returning his extra Pawn and finding counterplay on the Queenside} Na4 29. b3 $2 {Missing a well-concealed chance. White should play 29.hxg5! and now: a) 29...Bxg5 30.Rxg5 Rxb2 31.Qc1 fxg5 32.f6 and here a1) 32...Qd8 33.Qxg5 Rg8 34.Qxg8+ Qxg8 35.Bxg8 Nxc3 36.f7 wins, or a2) 32...Nxc3 33.Qxb2 Ne4 34.Qxe5 - a great square - 34...Qe1+ 35. Kh2 Qh4+ 36.Bh3 and the threat of 37 f7 wins. Or b) 29...Rxb2 30.Qxb2!! - not easy to see - 29...Nxb2 31.gxh6 Qd8 32.Rfg3 Nd3 33.d6 and Black is overloaded preventing the advance of the d-pawn and the mate on g8. These lines justify the choice of 27 h4. In mutual time-trouble the play gets a bit messy here. White loses his advantage and then regains it as a result of another Black error.} Nxc3 30. Qxc3 {"[Not] 30.Rxc3 cxb3 31.axb3 Rxb3 [and Black stands better.]"} Qxa2 31. Rxc4 gxh4 $6 {"An attempt to secure play on the dark squares around the Black King." A quite understandable move but according to Deep Rybka more accurate is 31...Qb1+. If a) 32.Kh2 e4 - now defended by the Queen and cutting off the c4 Rook's defence of the h4 Pawn - 33.Rg3 (not 33.Rh3? g4 is very embarrassing) 33...gxh4 34.Rg4 e3 35.Rxh4 Rxb3 36 Qc2 Qxc2 37 Rxc2 Bg5 and Black is now two Pawns up with a plus of about 0. 8! Better for White is b) 32.Kf2 e4 33.Re3 gxh4 34.Re1! - the difference because the Rook is defended - 34... e3+ 35.Kf3 Qxb3 36.Qxb3 Rxb3 37.Rxh4 and despite the two Pawn deficit Deep Rybka says the position is equal. The only differences between this and line a is that the White King on f3 instead of h2 and the Rook is on e1, not c2, so this speaks well for a centralised King.} 32. Rxh4 Bg5 33. Rg4 Qb1+ {And now Deep Rybka claims 33...Qe2 is more accurate. In this game the margins between equality, small advantage and large advantage are just that, marginal!} 34. Kh2 {"Threat 34 Rxg5 fxg5 35 Qxe5+."} h6 {One wonders why, being in time-trouble, I didn't give the check. However, there is more to it than I had time to see. After 34...Bf4+ 35.g3 Bg5 (35..Bh6 is much safer) 36.Rxg5 Qa2+ 37.Kh3 Qb1! 38.Kg2 (If 38 Rg4 Qh1 is mate while 38 Rh5 Qh1+ 39 Kg4 Rg8+ wins) 38...Qe4 39.Rh5 Qe2+ 40.Kh3 e4 41.Rxh7+ Kxh7 42.Rf4 is evaluated as level by Deep Rybka! To some extent the text relieves Black of worries about back-rank mates or sacs on h7. The big problem was that there was still another move to get to the time-trouble.} 35. Qxc5 {Finally White has regained his Pawn and his more active pieces give him a clear advantage that Deep Rybka evaluates as + 1.49. At this point in the game there are three things to keep an eye on; Black's clock, Black's Queen, and the sealed move envelope.} Qc1 $2 {"A bad move on the time-control. Black wanted to play a move that attacked something but he should not allow the exchange of Queens. White now sealed his next move and Black retired home to analyse 36 Qxc1 Bxc1 37 d6 and White has a tremendous endgame."} 36. Rc4 $2 {"Intending Qa7, Rc7 and Rh7 mate but he never gets the time." Deep Rybka's evaluation of the ending keeps going up the longer it looks, peaking at nearly +2. Black has no constructive plan but the opposite-coloured Bishops cut both ways. Black has control of d8 which hampers promotion of the d-Pawn, but there are light-square weaknesses all over the place and he probably wishes he could take back ...h7-h6. Nevertheless winning this could prove difficult for White so deriving a positive plan would be instructive.} Qd1 $5 {Played with some relief although 37...Qe1 is more accurate.} 37. Rb4 $6 {"White had analysed 36. ..Qe1 but had not considered 36...Qd1. 37 b4 is okay here but he chooses a move seen in another variation but finds to his cost that it is inadequate." In addition to the mate outlined above White also has Qe7, Rc7 and Qh7 mate but any attempt to start the line-up on the 7th rank just leads to the White Queen being chased around by the b8 Rook. A different plan altogether is 37 d6 which may provoke 37...Rd7 38 d7 Rxd7!? although I don't fancy Black's chances because of the weakness of the a6 Pawn.} Qe1 $1 {"This route march ... Qb1-c1-d1-e1 has considerably improved Black's prospects."} 38. Rxb8 {Deep Rybka suggests 38 Ra4 but after 38...e4 circumstances are rather different.} Rxb8 39. Qa7 {"Intending Be6-f7-g6 with a mating attack so Black takes a perpetual check." This suggestion proves that 34...h6 was not a good move, but then it was a Pawn to Rook Three!} Qh4+ 40. Kg1 Qe1+ 41. Kh2 {Not 41 Rf1?? Be3+ winning the Queen immediately because King moves are answered by 42...Qh4 mate.} Qh4+ 42. Rh3 {Playing to win. I originally gave this move an ? but in fact it doesn't change anything. However, the next move does!} Bf4+ 43. Kh1 $2 {"Not 43 Kg1 Qe1 mate. But he had to play 43.g3 Bxg3+ 44.Kg2 (if 44.Kg1 Bf2+) 44...Qe4+ 45.Kg1 (not 45.Kxg3 Rxb3+) when Black has an easy perpetual check but probably no more. In the game White's attack vanishes and his Bishop proves to be out of play while Black's is very powerful." "Not 43 Kg1 Qe1 mate. But he had to play 43.g3 Bxg3+ 44.Kg2 (if 44.Kg1 Bf2+) 44...Qe4+ 45.Kg1 (not 45.Kxg3 Rxb3+) when Black has an easy perpetual check but probably no more. In the game White's attack vanishes and his Bishop proves to be out of play while Black's is very powerful."} Qe1+ 44. Qg1 Qd2 $1 {"Guarding the Bishop in preparation for ...e5-e4 and preventing d5-d6 also."} 45. Rf3 $2 {A natural move but an error. Oddly enough I originally considered White's next a mistake and gave that an ? but it should be with this move which gives Black too much time. Instead Deep Rybka offers two moves: a) 45.Qa7 Re8 46.Rf3 e4 47.Rf1 Rb8 (not 47...e3?? 48.Qf7 winning) 48.Qf7 Be5 49.Qh5 and Black still has a small plus, or b) 45.Qf1? e4 46.g3 Bg5 47.Rh2 Qd3 48.Re2 Rxb3 and now Black is a Pawn up and much better. Note how the e6 Bishop continues to be isolated from the defence so there is a case for 45 d6 giving the prelate some extra space. After some consideration the engine decides that 45 d6 is better than line b.} e4 46. Rf2 {"White finds it difficult to make any constructive moves, and now he is wide open down the h-file." 46 Rf1 Rxb3 is not exactly great for White either.} Qe3 {Intending 47...Qg3 with threats of 48...Be3 and 48...Qh4+.} 47. Qf1 {"Short of time White allows a mating attack." Deep Rybka is reduced to giving up the Exchange here to survive a bit longer. Ultimately Black will win in due course.} Bg3 48. Rc2 Qg5 49. Qxa6 {The only move to carry on was 49.Qc1 but after 49...Qh4+ 50.Kg1 Qh2+ 51.Kf1 Qh1+ 52.Ke2 Qxg2+ 53.Ke3 Black has a range of possibilities which inculde 53...Rxb3+, or 53... Bf4+ 54.Kd4 (if 54 Kxf4 Qf3 mate) 54...Qf3. or the immediate 53...Qf3+ 54.Kd4 Be5+ 55.Kc5 (not 55.Kc4 Qxb3+ 56.Kc5 Qb5 mate) 55...Bf4. Naturally Deep Rybka is having a field day with the White King in the open.} Qh4+ 50. Kg1 Qh2+ 51. Kf1 Qh1+ 52. Ke2 Qe1# {The morals are clear. Find play at all costs in a lost position, but be wary of playing too hard to win a drawn one!} 0-1

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