1986-08-01 - Walker, S 0-1 Burgess, Graham

Graham Burgess plays the Caro-Kann, and quite procatively too, White sacs a piece attempting to expose the Black King, and Graham promptly gives back an Exchange to nullify some threats. White then drifts, Graham takes the initiative and then finishes in style.

[Event "MAJOR OPEN"] [Site "?"] [Date "1986.08.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Walker, S"] [Black "Burgess, Graham"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B11"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1986.??.??"] {Originally annotated by Graham Burgess (GKB) in BCT Issue 59, September 1986. The opponent is not Susan Walker, later Susan Arkell, Susan Lalic and Susan Buckley, as Graham refers to White searching his scoresheet at one point.} 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 {"In another game Dormand-Burgess from this event White tried to play the Grand Prix Attack (f4 against the Sicilian) against the Caro-Kann i.e. 2 Nc3 d5 3 f4 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 Nf2 g6! Nf3 Bg7 7 d4 0-0 8 Bd3 c5 9 dxc5 Nbd7? 10 c6 and White was better although the game was drawn. After 9...Nfd7 Black would be fine." GKB.} d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Ng3 {"5 Nxf6+ gxf6 6 d4 transposes to the Bronstein-Larsen Variation with which I have never lost." GKB.} h5 {"5...c5 is also okay but less ambitious." GKB.} 6. Bc4 {"6 h4 Bg4 is equal." GKB.} h4 7. Ne2 {"BCO gives 7 Ne5 e6 8 Ne2 Qa5 9 f4 Nbd7 as equal, but 7... Qd4 is worth considering e.g. 8.Bxf7+ Kd8 9.Ng6 hxg3 looks fine for Black. " GKB. Black is already a piece up and is threatening mate on f2, and 10. fxg3 can be answered either by 10...Bg4 trapping the Queen or even 10...Rxh2! However, 34 years on 7...e6 is the only move to be found on the database.} e6 $6 {"7...Bg4 gives White some initiative after 8 Nf4! (8 Ne5 Bh5 9 Nf4? is met by 9...Qd4). However, both 7...Nbd7 and 7...Bf5 are both sensible alternatives to the text, which is does have the advantage of being provocative - but it is most likely an invitation to be hit in the face!" GKB. The only game on the database featuring 7...Bg4 is, surprisingly an oldie, Tarrasch-Tartakower, Karlsbad 1923! This continued 8 Ne5 e6 9 Nxg4 Nxg4 10 h3 Ne5 11 Bb3 Qg5 and a fascinating struggle was drawn in 81 moves, Tartakower being a Pawn up for much of it. Deep Rybka prefers 8 Ne5 to 8 Nf4 and in the latter line gives 8... Bh5 9 Nf4 a ?? - the engine prefers 9 d4 and says it's equal - and refutes it with 9...Qd6! However, after 9...Qd4 - Graham's suggestion - 10 Qxh5! Rxh5 11 Bxf7+ Kd8 12 Ne6+ wins an Exchange as does 10...Qxc4 11 Qxh8 Qxf4 12 Nf3. Both 7...Nbd7 and 7...Bf5 are on the database. The former scores 1/2 but the latter is 0/3 for Black, although the engine says both moves have evaluations of equality. The text does not feature on the database at all although Deep Rybka doesn't think it is a bad move.} 8. d4 Nbd7 9. O-O b5 {"The idea is after 10 Bb3 or 10 Bd3 to put the Bishop on b7, play the moves ...h3 and ...c5, and try to mate White on the long diagonal, or at least keep him busy enough for the lack of shelter for Black's own King not to become important. However, White has his own ideas about Black's King." GKB.} 10. Bxe6 $6 {Given an !? by Graham. However, Deep Rybka's immediate evaluation is 1.22 in Black's favour. I don't like the sac either. I can't see White getting more than two Pawns for the piece and the inconvenience Black suffers is only momentary.} fxe6 11. Qd3 Qe7 $2 {It seems better, and Deep Rybka agrees, to stop or delay Nf4 with 11... Bd6. After 12 Qg6+ Kf8 13 Bf4 Qe7 Black is more co-ordinated than in the game.} 12. Nf4 Rh5 $3 {"The only decent answer to White's threats - 12...Rg8? 13 Ng5 [13...Nb6 14 Re1 with a plus of 0.53 to White - Deep Rybka. TM] ; 12...Rh6 13 Nxe6 [if 13...Qxe6 14 Bxh6 and Black has no time to recapture because of Re1 - TM]. The text, which prepares the return of the Exchange to break the attack, brings to mind Basman's 11...Ra5 against Chandler from last year's British. Since Basman was massacred and this was his most eccentric move, there was a competition the next day - who could play ...Ra5 or ...Rh5 as early as possible in their game. This game would have won hands down!" GKB. Once you see the second part of the above note you realise that the double exclamation mark is divided into one for a good move and the second for effect. Deep Rybka suggests the miserable 12...Qf7 13 Ng5 Qg8 14 Nfxe6. Black has spent three tempi getting his Queen on a worse square, while White has picked up a second Pawn for his piece and threatens 15 Nc7+. Although there's an easy defence with 14...Bd6 I really don't fancy Black's chances after 15 Rae1 because his King is stuck in the centre.} 13. Re1 {"13.Nxe6 Qxe6 14.Re1 gives Black a choice between 14...Qxe1+ [15.Nxe1 h3 +/- 0.94 TM] and 14...Ne5 15. Nxe5 Kd8 [16.Qg6 +/= 0.31 TM] - both appear unclear." GKB. I wouldn't disagree with Graham's assessment of unclear. When the material imbalance becomes Queen and two Pawns for Rook, Knight and Bishop, numerically the same, King safety is paramount. Here I think Deep Rybka overvalues the material element in the line with 14...Qxe1+, but it is still interesting to play.} Nb6 14. Nxh5 Nxh5 15. Ne5 {Deep Rybka prefers 15 Bg5 Nf6 16 Bxh4 with a plus to White of 1.66. With an imbalance of Rook and two Pawns for two pieces this seems like a lot, yet Black only needs to play 16...Bd7 and 17...0-0-0 for a reasonable position. Once again it seems like the engine going too much in favour of extra material, a well-known computer fault. The text is given the same value by Deep Rybka and it threatens 16 Qg6+ winning the h5 Knight so Graham says Black's next is forced. Indeed it is as the natural 15...Nf6?? loses immediately to 16 Qg6+ Kd8 17 Nxc6+.} Qf6 16. g4 {This is okay but Deep Rybka doesn't consider it, preferring 16 Nxc6, 16 Qh7 and 16 Qe4, all or which have obvious points. Graham awards the text an ! but I'm not so sure.} Nf4 {"Again forced as 16... hxg3 17 fxg3 followed by 18 Rf1 would be deadly." GKB.} 17. Bxf4 Qxf4 18. Re4 { "18 Qg6+ forces the King towards sanctuary on the Queenside but does stop him castling." GKB. A self-evident remark but I think this move is only worth playing if there's a worthwhile follow-up, and there's not one apparent to me. Deep Rybka suggests 18 Rad1 getting the other Rook into play and 18 h3, defending the g4 Pawn and preventing ...h4-h3 by Black. Both seem reasonable. Yet again the text is not considered by the engine which merely proves how rich the position is in alternatives.} Qf6 19. Rae1 Bd6 $1 20. R1e3 $2 {"White had to avoid the exchange [on e5] with 20 Nxc6 when play would be complicated, Black having counterchances based on ...Bxh2+ [the reason for giving 19...Bd6 an !]. In the game White ends up with no minor pieces, which always greatly reduces attacking chances." GKB. White has been avoiding Nxc6 for several moves now. Clearly he is concerned about the effect of the Black Bishop down the h1-a8 diagonal, but, obviously, here 20 Nxc6 Bb7?? loses the Queen to 21 Rxe6+. Yet White is not going to make any progress without opening lines for his Rooks. 20 Nxc6 unblocks the e-file, undermines the b5 Pawn and threatens d4-d5 with more line-opening. After 20.Nxc6 Deep Rybka is reduced to the passive and immediate 20...a6 as 20...Qg5 21.Ne5 a6 22.f4 is very good for White. Also the immediate 20...Bxh2+ 21.Kxh2 Qxf2+ is ineffectual after 22.Kh1 - 22...Bb7? 23.Rxe6+ is crushing. Possible, and probably better, is 20...Nd5 because now 21.Qxb5?! Bxh2+ 22 Kxh2 Qxf2+ leads to a perpetual check. Here 22 Kf1 Kf7 keeps the pot boiling for both sides. White may do better to simply play after 20 Nxc6 Nd5 21 Ne5. Deep Rybka says White maintains a plus but bear in mind Graham's point about lack of minor pieces above. Certainly after the text and Black's reply the engine starts looking at advantages for Black.} Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qg5 22. Qd6 {"White had forgotten that Black could still castle, assuming that Black's King must have moved (presumably because it does in most side-variations one analyses in such positions). It seems that Black is winning now since White's heavy artillery has nothing to aim at, whereas Black's nimbler forces have plenty of useful squares." GKB.} Bd7 23. Rf3 O-O-O {"This left White searching his scoresheet for a King move." GKB. At this point Deep Rybka has Black at exactly +1.} 24. Ref4 $2 {"Threatening 25 Rf8." GKB. The ? is mine. Deep Rybka does endorse the simple 25 h3 even if it loses a Pawn after 25...Qc1+ which Black could have played last move. 25 Rf8 doesn't seem like such a big threat. There is a feasible line that goes 25 Rf8 Rxf8 26 Rxf8+ Kb7 27 Rb8+ (If 27 Qb8+ Ka6 gets White nowhere) 27...Ka6 28 Rxb6+ and 29 Qxd7 recovers the two pieces for the Rook. However, Black's next rules this out because 29...Qc1+ is mate! The engine evaluation after 24...h3 goes up to +2. There are other moves and Deep Rybka likes 24...Be8 at +3. The point being 25 Qf8 Bh5 and 26... Bxg4 or 25 Qxe6+ Bd7! and again 26...Bxg4. Graham's choice is the best practical one, giving White cause for concern on his back rank just when he thought he might have something going on Black's!} h3 25. Qa3 {Trying to sneak in on a7 but Black simply ignores it.} Be8 {"Highly subtle!" GKB. This move, apart from it's obvious threat, negates any danger concerning White's Rf8 and leaves the White Rooks looking pointless.} 26. Kf1 Qxe5 27. Qe3 Qxb2 {Definitely not a poisoned Pawn, and Black is quite willing for his e6 Pawn to go as it gives his Bishop scope.} 28. Qxe6+ Bd7 {A nice echo of the variation in the note to Black's 24th.} 29. Qe1 Qxc2 30. Rxh3 $2 {Best is 30 Rc3 Qxa2 and then 31 Rxh3 but Black's Queenside monopoly will ensure he's winning all the endings. After the text White doesn't even get to an ending and the Black Bishop bursts into the game.} Bxg4 $1 {Now 31 Rxg4 Rd1 32 Rh8+ Kb7 33 Rxg7+ Ka6 34 Re8 Rxe1+ 35 Rxe1 Nd5 leaves Black ahead in material. White reply meets a wonderful response.} 31. Rc3 Bh3+ $3 {One exclamation mark for being a great move, and another for proving that my theory of occupying the square that your opponent's piece just vacated with a piece of your own is very strong works!} 32. Rxh3 Rd1 {Still winning the White Queen and effectively transposing into the note after Black's 30th but with Black's g7 Pawn still on the board. At this point White conceded.} 0-1

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