1985-09-19 - Garrett, Richard 0-1 Wood, Michael
An established player beats promising junior game! Richard Garrett tries to match Mike Wood for activity in the latter's favourite opening line. It goes wrong and Mike gets a huge Pawn on b2. All he has to do is chisel out the blockading Knight on b1, and he does this in style while keeping an eye on Richard's ingenious swindles.
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE DIV 2"] [Site "?"] [Date "1985.09.19"] [Round "?"] [White "Garrett, Richard"] [Black "Wood, Michael"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C78"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "68"] {A game from the B V C match early in the 1985-6 season. "For the C team the two mighty Mikes (Passmore and Wood) dropped from the B had something to prove!"- Graham Burgess. This helped the C team to a respectable 3-3 draw.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 {Graham annotated: "... Garrett is allowing Wood into the Moeller variation, what MCO calls "a doubtful deviation", but it's one of Mike's favourites."} 7. c3 Ba7 {"There's that bishop, again!" commented Graham. Actually this is a very rare sideline. 7...d6 is far more popular according to the database.} 8. d4 Qe7 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Bd5 {So far the moves have been all theory and only now do we diverge from Jansa-Pedersen, Harrachov 1967 which continued 11...exd4 12 cxd4 0-0 13 Nc3 Rb8 14 e5 Qf4. 15 Ne2 Qf5 16 Ng3 Qf4 17 Ne2 Qf5 18 Qd2 and White held the advantage. The game was drawn in 32 eventful moves.} Rb8 $5 {Although this isn't theory I wouldn't be surprised if Mike had had this position before. The text is a Pawn sacrifice endorsed by Deep Rybka. In order to win the Pawn White must be prepared to give up his other Bishop giving Black the Bishop pair versus two Knights in a semi-open position.} 12. Bxc6 dxc6 13. Nxe5 {This is the natural move and I'd have played this as well. The simple point is that Richard wants to keep the Moller Bishop on a7 quiet and that's best done by keeping the Pawn on d4. However, Black can play ...c6-c5, then take on d4 and after c3xd4 repeat the process because he has a second c-Pawn! Deep Rybka suggests instead 13 dxe5 Qg6 14 Nbd2 because 14...Bh3?! doesn't work because of 15 Nh4 Qg5? (15...Qg4 is better) 16 Ndf3 Qg4 17 Kh1 and White wins a piece. Of course Black doesn't have to play 14...Bh3. Simply 14...0-0 is better after which we have a nicely unbalanced game which suits Mike down to the ground.} c5 $1 {It is very important to play this move immediately. Deep Rybka wants to go 13...0-0? when 14 b4! keeps a bind on the Queenside. 14 b4 is also possible after the text.} 14. a4 $6 {This is the natural move and Deep Rybka's first choice - it's second was 14 Qf3 - and it was also my first choice when I paid some attention to the position. However, the text seems to force Black into a move that he wants to play - ...b5-b4 - because that activates his b8 Rook so 14 a4 appears to be a loss of a tempo. Richard thinks otherwise as we'll see. I stand by my suggestion in the last note of 14.b4. The engine analyses 14... cxb4 15.cxb4 Bb7 16.Nc3 Rd8 17.Nd5! Bxd5 18.exd5 and now not 18...Rxd5? 19.Ng4 Qd6 20.Re1+ with a clear initiative, but instead 18...0-0! 19.Qg4 Rxd5 20.Nd7 Qxd4 21 Qf3!? Rxd7 22 Rad1 - apparently winning the Exchange - 22...Bb6!? sacrificing the Queen for Rook, Bishop and Pawn and a solid position. The engine claims this position to be equal. Definitely worth looking at but it probably won't feature in the next World Championship match!} b4 $1 15. Nd3 { One again the natural move and Deep Rybka's second choice. The engine's first choice is 15.Qf3 and initially it analysed 15...bxc3 16.Qxc3 cxd4 17.Qc6+! Qxc6 18.Nxc6 Ra8 (if 18...Rb7 19 b4! chokes the Black Queenside.) 19.Rd1 Bb7? 20.Nxa7 c5!? (nice try) 21.Nd2 Rxa7 22 Rac1! and the c5 Pawn falls. It improved on this with the better 19...Bd7! 20 Nxa7 c5!? 21 Nd2 (alternatively 21 b4 is worth a go) 21...Rxa7, then 22 Rac1? is answered by 22...Bxa4 so instead 22 Rdc1 Rb7 23 b3 Rc7 with a small plus for White. After further consideration the engine preferred (15 Qf3) 15...Qxf3 16.Nxf3 bxc3 17.bxc3 cxd4 18.cxd4 Rb4 activating Black's pieces although staying a Pawn down. In both cases the evaluation still favoured White but only by about 0.3 or so and the difference between the two lines was minimal. Once again it's the old story - material versus activity. You pay your Pawn and you take your choice.} bxc3 16. e5 $2 {At this precise moment material is even. The text is Richard's attempt to gambit a Pawn for the initiative but the Black Pawn on b2 ties down the White Knight permanently. Indeed it never moves and perishes there. After 16 bxc3 cxd4 Black has everything he wants. Open diagonals for his Bishops, an open file for his Queen's Rook, White's centre's collapsing etc. Deep Rybka suggests 16 Nxc3! cxd4?! 17 Nd5 Qd6 18 Rc1 with an advantage. Instead the engine prefers 16...Qxd4 with, it says, a level game. More interesting stuff.} cxb2 $1 {Graham Burgess commented "Mike is getting into the sort of position he likes." Deep Rybka likes it as well saying that after 17 Nxb2 Qf4 Black is better by a significant +1.63. After the obvious alternative 17.exf6 bxa1=Q 18.fxg7 (or 18 Qe1+ Be6 19 d5 Qxf6 and Black is both safe and up an Exchange.) 18...Rg8 19.Re1+ Be6 20.d5 Black breaks the White attack with the simple 20...Rxb1. I don't think this was Richard's intention and that he was planning his next regardless. Unfortunately the small initiative he drums up is negated by Mike's huge pawn on b2.} 17. Ra3 $2 {Deep Rybka suggests 17 Ra2 Qg6 18 Rxb2 Rxb2 19 Nxb2 but after 19...cxd4 Black is a Pawn up with a much better position. Knights on Knight two and all that.} Qg6 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. dxc5 Bf5 {So White has dealt with the Moller Bishop. Unfortunately the light-squared partner is now a great piece, pinning the White Knight down on its home square. Material is even but Deep Rybka has Black at +2 or so.} 20. Rg3 Qh7 {Black can try 20...Bxb1 hoping for 21 Rxg6? Bxg6 with an easy promotion. However, White will play 21 Qxb1 with an improved albeit still miserable position.} 21. Re3 O-O {Now Mike threatens 22...Rfd8 23 Qe1 Bxb1 24 Qxb1 Qxb1 25 Rxb1 Rd1+! 26 Rxd1 b1=Q and White can't take because of the back rank mate. Hence Richard's next move, desperate in appearance, has the concrete point of giving his King a square. Besides, what else is there to play? Deep Rybka wants to move the Knight which just the equivalent of giving it up because of the ensuing promotion.} 22. g4 $5 Bc2 $1 {Once again this is much better than swapping on b1. Mike simply improves his position.} 23. Qe1 Rfd8 {The immediate 23...Bd3 is also possible.} 24. e6 fxe6 25. Rxe6 Bd3 26. g5 $5 {Hoping for 26...Bxf1? 27 g6 entombing the Black Queen. After 27...Qh8 28 Qe4! White threatens 29 Re8+! Rxe8 30 Qd5+ mating and Black's only resource is ... 28...Qh7. Of course, Mike is awake and nips this in the bud. I should add that Deep Rybka says 26...Bxf1 27 g6 Qxg6+ 28 Rxg6 Bd3 29 Re6 is equal. Worth playing that one out!} hxg5 {With the Pawn now on g5 instead of h6 there is a remote possibility of a perpetual check with Qe8-h5-e8 etc but Mike would have been aware of that.} 27. Re3 Bxf1 28. Qxf1 Qc2 29. Qh3 {The threat of 29...Rd1 is too strong. If 29 Re1 Re8 30 Rd1 Rbd8 wins.} Qxb1+ 30. Kg2 Qg6 31. Re6 b1=Q {Graham Burgess commented that Black must have been in time trouble here. That definitely wasn't the case as this was one of the first games to finish with more than an hour and a quarter left of the session. I assume Graham thought that because 31...g4 looks unanswerable but 32 Qe3 is the reply. Deep Rybka says the difference is 8 points or so in a position where Black is +20. The promotion is fine.} 32. Qe3 Qgf5 {Deep Rybka says that it's mate in eight moves.} 33. h3 Qd5+ 34. Kg3 Qg1# 0-1
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