1988-01-31 - Burgess, Graham 1-0 Beaumont, Chris
An intriguing Benko Gambit that features the then brand-new Nescafe Frappe Attack! The coffee-house style in which Graham conducts the game is noteworthy, but Beaumont's fatal error is remarkable.
[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE CONGRESS"] [Site "?"] [Date "1988.01.31"] [Round "4"] [White "Burgess, Graham"] [Black "Beaumont, Chris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A57"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1988.??.??"] {Originally annotated by Chris Beaumont (CRB), the loser (!), in BCT Issue 71, May 1988.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. Nc3 axb5 {"5...Qa5 is an alternative e.g. 6 Bd2 axb5 7 e4 b4 8 e5 bxc3 9 Bxc3 Qa4 10 Qxa4 Rxa4 11 exf6 gxf6 12 Be2 0-0." CRB. Indeed this is a major line. The only point to make here is that 12 Bb5 is far more frequent than 12 Be2 which returned two losses on the database. 12 Bb5 scored 50% from 24 games.} 6. e4 b4 7. Nb5 d6 {"A very sharp variation of the Benko Gambit. White stakes a firm claim to the centre with the idea of blowing Black off the park with an eventual e4-e5. Obviously Black can't take the e4 Pawn e.g. 7...Nxe4?? 8 Qe2 wins the Knight because of the terrible threat of Nd6 mate." CRB.} 8. Bc4 {"A new move to me. In Round 2 Dilleigh-Beaumont continued 8 Nf3 g6 9 e5 dxe5 10 Nxe5 Bg7 11 d6?! (better 11 Bc4 and 12 0-0) 11...0-0 12 Bc4 Ra6! 13 dxe7 Qxe7 14 Qe2 Be6 15 f4 Bxc4 16 Qxc4 Nc6 and Black has a massive advantage being about to win a Pawn. Notice that after 8 Nf3 again Black can't take the e4 pawn: 8...Nxe4?? 9 Bc4 g6 10 Qe2 Nf6 11 Bf4 Ra6 12 Nxd6+ Rxd6 13 Bb5+ Rd7 14 Bxb8." CRB. In the latter line a game bewteen Niwinski vs. Ledwon, Slask 1996, ended in a draw after 37 moves despite Black losing an Exchange for a Pawn. Black does better to play 10...f5 with 2/4 on the database. The text is the incredibly-named Nescafe Frappe attack which features the forthcoming sacrifice of two pawns by White in, it has to be said, coffee-house style! Graham had been looking at this line so, sitting on the next board, I wasn't surprised to see it but I was later surprised to learn that at the time Chris wasn't familiar with it.} g6 {"8...Nbd7 is worth considering." CRB. Today 8...Nbd7 is the main move with a much better record than 8...Bg7.} 9. e5 dxe5 10. d6 exd6 11. Bg5 {"For two Pawns White has riddled the Black position full of holes. 12 Bxf6 followed by 13 Nc7+, or 12 Qf3 are just the main threats. Black must tread carefully. The next move takes away threats to the Rook and prepares an Exchange sacrifice." CRB.} Ra5 {This is now a recognised line with a very healthy 8/11 on the database. The only problem was that it took Chris a long time to play it.} 12. Qb3 Rxb5 {The Knight is a menace and Chris decides that it has to go.} 13. Bxb5+ Nbd7 14. Bc4 {The only game on the database with 13...Nbd7 is Seliverstov (2455) vs. Zvjaginsev (2673). After 14.Ne2 Bg7 15.Rd1 Qb6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Qa4 Qc7 18.Ng3 O-O 19.Ne4 Be7 20.O-O Nb6 21.Qc2 d5 Black had consolidated and went on to win after 31 moves. Deep Rybka's assessment of the position after the text is that it's roughly equal. There is little point to keeping the Bishop on b5 with d7 so heavily defended so Graham goes back to targeting f7 again.} Qe7 15. a3 bxa3 {"15...Bg7!? 16 axb4 0-0 17 Ne2 d5 18 Bxd5 cxb4 when Black has a Pawn for the Exchange and plenty of counterplay." CRB. Deep Rybka says this line is slightly in White's favour. The natural reaction is to take on a3 as Chris did. Sitting right next to this I was intrigued by which recapture Graham would choose.} 16. Ne2 $5 {"Graham plays with great energy. 16 Rxa3 was also possible with play following similar lines to the game." CRB. Deep Rybka likes the text, giving it the same evaluation as 16 Rxa3. Graham is playing this as a real gambit, although he starts off with the advantage of an Exchange up.} Bg7 17. Nc3 axb2 $6 {"Greed and avarice. 17...0-0 was safer." CRB.} 18. Ra8 {After this Deep Rybka has White at +1. From my vantage point I was thinking that White has a good position but Black has four Pawns for an Exchange! Fascinating.} O-O 19. Nd5 Qd8 20. O-O {"20. Rxc8 Qa5+ [this is why Black's previous move had to be to d8 rather than e8. TM} 21.Ke2 Rxc8 22.Ne7+ Kf8 23.Nxc8 d5 24.Bxd5 Nxd5 25.Qxd5 Qa6+ or 25...Qb5+ would be terribly messy for White as the Pawn on b2 is a real menace. [Deep Rybka says that Black is better by 1.12. TM] After having analysed this line I retained the idea that Rxc8 wasn't possible and so played ..." CRB.} h6 $4 { "20...Kh8 was forced." CRB.} 21. Rxc8 $1 Qxc8 {If 21...Qa5 22.Nxf6+ Nxf6 (or 22...Bxf6 23 Rxf8+ Kxf8 24 Bxh6+ and 25 Qxb2 is easy) 23.Bxf7+ Kh7 24.Rxf8 wins more material.} 22. Ne7+ Kh7 23. Nxc8 {"If this was a boxing match it would have stopped! Black fights on drunkenly."} Rxc8 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Qxb2 d5 26. Bxd5 $1 e4 {If 26...Nxd5 27 Qb7 Rd8 28 Rd1.} 27. Qb7 {"Impressive play by Graham." CRB.} 1-0
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