1986-02-14 - Selway, R 0-1 Spratt, J
Another game featuring a loss for our player, but after his (White's) 34th move Bob probably thought he was winning! The opening is a Sicilian Defence, Wing Gambit. Black was winning easily, but a bit of carelessness means he has to play on a wing and a prayer in the face of an imminent mate.
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE CONGRESS, SECTION 3"] [Site "?"] [Date "1986.02.14"] [Round "1"] [White "Selway, R"] [Black "Spratt, J"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B20"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "87"] {This game featured in BCT Issue 56, April 1986. The position after White's 34th move featured on the cover. Original annotations by Richard Smith (RS).} 1. e4 c5 2. b4 {The Wing Gambit against the Sicilian Defence. A practical choice and Black must be careful not to run into a passive position.} cxb4 3. a3 bxa3 {Better for Black, and the results show it, is 3...d5. After 4 exd5 Qxd5 the game Shirazi-Peters, Us Champs 1984 continued 5 axb4?? Qe5+ 0-1. I was startled to find that there were three other games with 5 axb4 Qe5+ and White continued in all of them, although two were conceded by move 10. A Selway-Mordue game from a D&F Club Championship game avoided this atrocity but Black still won in 25 moves or so.} 4. Bxa3 d6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Bc4 g6 8. d4 a6 $6 {"8...Bg4 to prevent e4-e5 is preferable." RS. The routine 8... Bg7 is also is okay but worth looking at is 8...Qa5 because it seems to win another Pawn. If 9 Bb2 Qb4 10 Bb3 Nxe4 and 9 Qd3 Nxe4 do the job while 9 Qd2 is met by the not-so-routine 9...Bh6! I spotted that one before Deep Rybka, but I was automatically on the lookout for an improvement on a Pawn to Rook three! Ironically it was on Rook Three on the other wing.} 9. d5 $2 {"White should play 9 e5! when Black's King may find itself in trouble, e.g. 9...dxe5 10 dxe5 Qxd1+ (if 10...Nd7 11 e6) 11 Rxd1 Ng4 12 Nd5; or 9...Ng4 10 exd6 exd6 11 0-0." RS. 9 e5 is certainly the consistent move but after 9...Ng4 10 exd6 (if 10 h3 Nh6 is also okay) 10...exd6 11 0-0 Be7 Black is fine, although he may wish he hadn't played ...g7-g6. 9 d5 is a poor move because it closes a line, the a2-g8 diagonal, that White would like to use and opens one, the a1-h8 diagonal, that Black will use. It doesn't even gain a tempo as Black's reply counter-attacks the c4 Bishop.} Na5 10. Ba2 $6 {The Bishop has no future here so 10 Be2 seems better.} Bg7 11. O-O O-O 12. Qd2 Qc7 13. Rfe1 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Qxc4 {All grist to Black's mill. His offside Knight is swapped for White's poor Bishop, but Black is the one who is a Pawn up so exchanges should favour him.} 15. h3 $2 {"Black is a sound Pawn up - he might have played 15...Nxe4 now." RS. White should try 15 Rab1 instead of another questionable Pawn to Rook Three. After 15...Nxe4 Black is winning a second Pawn because of the Bishop's influence down the long diagonal.} b5 $2 16. Rab1 Nd7 17. Nd1 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Rb4 {A little intermezzo that drives the Queen off its active square, but do not fear. It will be back!} Qc7 20. Bb2 Bxb2 21. Rxb2 Bd7 22. Rb3 Rfc8 23. Rc3 Qb6 24. Rf3 {"White must try for a Kingside attack, before the Black Queenside Pawns advance too far." RS.} a5 25. c3 {The point of this move is prevent ...Qd4 after the White Queen goes to the Kingside. Once again the most thematic move is 25 e5 trying to open lines for the Rooks.} Qc5 26. Qg5 $6 {Losing a whole tempo. The immediate 26 Qh6 is better.} f6 27. Qh6 b4 {The immediate push 27...a4 seems better, but this sparks off a remarkable tactical sequence.} 28. cxb4 Qxb4 29. Ree3 $4 {"Losing a piece." RS.} Rc1 30. Rd3 Qe1+ 31. Kh2 Rxd1 32. Rc3 Qxe4 $2 {"Should cost the game - better is 32...Qd2." RS. Simply 32...Qh1+ 33 Kg3 Rg1 breaks through on g2. The text is either a remarkable piece of calculated brinkmanship or a lucky break after taking a completely unjustified risk in a winning position. The number one rule in winning positions is "No unnecessary counterplay." In this instance the counterplay seems to be an unstoppable mate! No wonder the position was featured on the front page of BCT.} 33. Rce3 Qb1 34. Rxe7 {How does Black stop the mate?} Rh1+ 35. Kg3 Rxh3+ $1 36. gxh3 Qg1+ 37. Kf4 {If 37. Kh4 g5+ 38.Kh5 Bg4+! 39.hxg4 Qh2+ mates.} g5+ 38. Ke4 {"If 38 Ke3 Qe1+ and 39.. .Qxe7." RS.} Qb1+ 39. Kd4 {If 39 Ke3 transposes to the last note while 39 Rd3 is met by 39...Bf5+! 40 Kxf5 Qxd3+ 41 Kg4 (If 41 Re4 Qxd5+ 42 Kxf6 Rf8+ wins rather than 42...Qxe4?? 43 Qg7 mate.) 41...Qg6 and Black is two Pawns up in the Rook ending and winning easily. So the text is White's only try.} Qd1+ $2 { Giving White a lifetime. Instead 39...Qb4+ 40.Kd3 Bb5+ 41.Kc2 Rc8+ 42.Kd1 Qb1+ 43.Kd2 Qc1 is mate.} 40. Ke4 $2 {"After 40 Kc3 or c4 Rc8+ mates." RS. Yet again 40 Ke3 Qe1+ wins the e7 Rook. Instead White has 40 Rd3 when Black has a perpetual with 40...Qa1+ 41 Rc3 Qd1+ 42 Rd3 Qa1+ etc. If instead 40...Qa4+? 41 Ke3 Qf4+ 42 Ke2 leaves only the losing 42...Qe5+ as a defence to the mate. There's every chance that all this was happening in a time-scramble with the control at move 42.} Qa4+ 41. Kd3 {"After 41 Ke3 Black has nothing better than a perpetual. Now the Bishop joins the attack." RS. In fact Black does have a win but it's Deep Rybka wending its way in again. The line is 41.Ke3 Qb3+ 42. Kd2 Qb2+ 43.Ke3 Qc3+ 44.Ke4 Qb4+ 45.Ke3 Qe1+ 46.Kd4 Qd2+ 47.Ke4 f5+ 48.Rxf5 Bxf5+ 49.Kxf5 Qf4+ 50.Ke6 Qe5+ 51.Kd7 Ra7+ winning the Rook. If the White King steps on to a light square earlier then the Bishop joins in the fun to create a mating net, which is what happens in the game.} Bb5+ 42. Ke3 Qb3+ 43. Ke4 Qc2+ 44. Kd4 {Now 44...Qc4+, as indicated earlier, 45 Kd3 Qd3 is mate.} 0-1
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